Hong Kong: Appeal document published A copy of the summons for leave to appeal against the Court of First Instance's (CFI) refusal to grant an interim injunction for prohibiting four classes of unlawful acts relating to a song is available for the public to download. The Department of Justice filed an application on August 7 for leave to appeal against the court's July 28 decision. The CFI made an order on August 8 granting leave to the Secretary for Justice to serve the relevant court papers by way of substituted service. Pursuant to the court order, a copy of the summons for leave to appeal was uploaded today to the websites of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the Department of Justice and Police. This story has been published on: 2023-08-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Facts about Ukraine crisis: Ukraine tests homemade reconnaissance drone Xinhua) 09:56, August 09, 2023 MOSCOW/KIEV, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments related to the Ukraine crisis: Ukraine has launched the testing of its new domestically-made reconnaissance drone in the combat zone, the main intelligence directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Tuesday in a post on Telegram. The drone, named SpyGun, has a flight endurance of 120-160 minutes and a maximum speed of 90 km per hour. With a flying range of 50 km and an altitude limit of 1,500 meters, the drone is equipped with two cameras for photo and video and a system of automatic return to the take-off point. - - - - Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Tuesday to suspend certain provisions within double taxation agreements with 38 unfriendly countries. A Double Tax Agreement is a bilateral agreement between two countries that seeks to eliminate the double taxation of income. According to the decree, published on Russia's official legal information portal, the decision was taken "based on the need to adopt urgent measures" with regard to the unfriendly actions of foreign countries in relation to Russia, its citizens, and legal entities. The measures will be taken against the United States, Britain, Japan, Singapore, Canada, and Australia, among other countries, which Russia has classified as "unfriendly." According to the decree, the taxation agreements will be halted until the unfriendly states "eliminate violations of economic and other interests of Russia." (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) After a stretch of nearly a decade, the securities fraud case against Donald M. Johnson just might be nearing a conclusion. Johnson, 58, of Porter, was first charged in Porter Superior Court in March 2014 with 14 counts related to securities fraud, Class C felonies at the time. A couple of months later, he was charged with one count of forgery, also a Class C felony, and two counts of theft, Class D felonies, in a related case. The allegations stretch back to around 2007 and include multiple defendants who, according to charging documents, lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate investments gone bad when they did not get the returns they were promised and couldnt get back the money they put into the deals. The charges have been modified over time and dropped from 17 counts to 15. Judges have come and gone, as have prosecutors and defense attorneys. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the courthouse, delaying all cases for several months. On June 29, Johnson filed, for the third time, a motion to dismiss the charges against him, presenting a timeline which his attorneys said is evidence that his right to a speedy trial has been violated. Tuesday, special prosecutors assigned to the case Porter County Prosecutor Gary Germann recused himself because he was one of Johnsons defense attorneys early on, before he was elected prosecutor filed their own timeline, noting that many of the delays in the case came at Johnsons request. Those included his previous attempts to have the charges dismissed and two filings with the appellate court, which automatically stopped any action in the court here. Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer has scheduled a hearing in the case for 9 a.m. on Tuesday when he will consider Johnsons motion to dismiss the remaining charges against him. In his motion to dismiss the case, Johnsons attorneys note that, as of June 28, 3,388 days had passed since Mr. Johnsons arrest. Rule 4(C) of the Indiana Rules of Criminal Procedure requires a defendant must be brought to trial within one year. The state, the motion said, concedes that it is responsible for 264 days of the delays, though by the defenses count, the court continued the case from July to November 2014, for an additional 112 days, without setting a trial date and without explanation. Those additional days pushed the case beyond the one-year limit and required the case be dismissed, the defense argued. In fact, Johnsons attorneys argue that the state should be charged for much more than that, given the amended charges. Here, at least five years of delay are caused by actions and inactions of the State. Although Mr. Johnson agreed to many delays, his choices were to move forward with a trial without all of the allegations or without having fully litigated the renewed motion to dismiss, documents state. Additionally, the defense notes the amount of time encompassed by the charges. Here, it has been 15-16 years since most of the claims are alleged to have occurred and 11 years since most witnesses were interviewed by the State. Given this significant gap in time, memories are sure to have faded, documents are no longer retained, and witnesses are difficult to locate, the motion states. All of that will prejudice Johnsons ability to receive a fair trial and mount a defense, his attorneys said. Prosecutors put out their own timeline of the various delays in the case and by their count, At most, the State should be charged with 212 days. In this matter, the Defendant has time and again caused delays, most frequently by filing numerous motions for continuances but also by filing multiple motions to dismiss as well as multiple motions for interlocutory appeals, prosecutors said. Prosecutors also responded to Johnsons contention about how much of the delay was because of the state. It is incredulous that the Defendant wants to charge at least five years of delay because he claims that it was caused by actions and inactions of the State, the document notes. The State has filed three continuances while the Defendant has filed over 30 continuances. Johnson, according to prosecutors, has pushed back proceedings even as a trial date loomed, including recently. When the Court scheduled the September 2023 jury trial date on March 20, 2023, the Defendant did not object to that date. Defendant only filed the Motion to Dismiss after plea negotiations failed and the final pretrial conference and jury trial were imminent. A Sept. 11 trial date has been pushed back to Nov. 13 by a motion from the court; Clymer said during a July 21 hearing that he has a mandatory judicial conference that week in September, though the trial date wont be needed if Clymer dismisses the charges. During that hearing, attorney David Rooda, a Lake County deputy prosecuting attorney serving as special prosecutor in Johnsons case, said that Johnson had tendered a possible plea agreement. You can say theres been an offer but I dont want to know the substance, Clymer said, adding he would see Rooda at the hearing this month. alavalley@chicagotribune.com In this undated photo provided by the Australian Federal Police, a suspects computer is displayed on a desk. Police have charged 19 men in Australia with child sex abuse offenses and rescued 13 children from further harm following tips from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, officials said on Aug. 8, 2023. | Australian Federal Police via Associated Press The Australian Federal Police arrested 19 men who were charged with online child sexual abuse and participating in a network of international pedophiles. The arrests which are related to some in the United States, as well arose from a joint investigation with the FBI, the Australian agency announced in a press release Tuesday. The global investigation, called Operation Bakis, started in 2021, after FBI Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were shot and killed while executing a search warrant for a man suspected of having child abuse material and participating in that pedophile network, NBC News said. Three other agents were wounded. The total number of people arrested as a result of the operation has reached 98, CNN said, including 79 arrests, 65 indictments and 43 convictions in the U.S. Thirteen children have been removed from harm due to the operation, some who were directly abused and others as a safety precaution, according to The Guardian. The press release quoted Helen Schneider, commander of the Australian Federal Police: The success of Operation Bakis was only possible because of the close working relationship between the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation and the FBI, and our dedicated personnel who never give up working to identify children who are being sexually assaulted or living with someone who is sharing child abuse material. Related Operation Bakis After the murders of Alfin and Schwartzenberger in 2021, the FBI showed the Australian center evidence that a peer-to-peer network allegedly sharing child abuse material on the dark web had reached suspected Australian individuals, NBC News said. According to the news release, pedophiles in the network have a high degree of computer knowledge and use encrypted online software to: Anonymously share files. Chat through message boards. Access websites undetected. Search and distribute child abuse material. All arrests made were based on more than 211 global lead packages that the FBI provided to local law enforcement agencies, The Guardian said. Schneider told CNN, Some of the children (who were saved) were known to the men who were arrested, and some network members have been suspected of committing offenses for more than a decade. Related The suspected offenders in Australia were between ages 32-81. Two of them have already been sentenced, per the news release. In a separate statement, FBI legal attache Nitiana Mann said, We are proud of our longstanding relationship with the Australian Federal Police resulting in 19 Australian men facing criminal prosecution as a result of our collaborative investigation, according to NBC News. Mann added that, The complexity and anonymity of these platforms means that no agency or country can fight these threats alone. Additionally, As we continue to build bridges through collaboration and teamwork, we can ensure the good guys win and the bad guys lose. Schneider said, I think this outcome should definitely serve as a warning to those who are preying on our most vulnerable, per The Guardian. CANTON A 19-year-old Canton man was shot at Harmont Park late Tuesday and sustained life-threatening injuries, city police said. "The victim was apparently shot in the upper chest area, according to detectives," Lt. Dennis Garren said. "At this point, we only know the victim was walking in the area when he was shot. We do not have a suspect at this time and the case is still under investigation." Police were dispatched at 11:46 p.m. and arrived withhin a minute. The victim, who was taken to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, lives less than a mile from the park, located at 2701 Harmont Ave. NE, according to the police incident report. Anyone with information regarding the shooting should contact the Canton Police Detective Bureau, at 330-489-3144. Anonymous tips can also be sent through Tip411 or the Stark County Crime Stoppers. Sign up for Tip411 at www.cantonohio.gov/police. Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @nmolnarTR This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton man shot in chest at Harmont Park Amazon Inc. remains committed to opening its two idle fulfillment centers in east Pasco, but the Seattle e-commerce giant still cant say when that will happen. The facilities in Pasco are included in our plans and remain an integral part of our future in Washington, Steve Kelly, an Amazon spokesman told the Herald this week. While we dont have launch timelines to share at this time, progress is being made at each facility and were looking forward to working with our local partners to hire 1,500 people. The Tri-City Herald asked for an update on the status of the Pasco facilities after a legal dispute between Amazon and the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries over allegations of unsafe working conditions at fulfillment centers in the Puget Sound area went before the states Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals in July. Workplace safety complaints The L&I dispute centers on four citations against Amazon for conditions at fulfillment centers in Kent, DuPont and Sumner between 2021 and 2022. Amazon countered by suing the state, claiming it violated its Fourteenth Amendment right to due process. The outcome could affect how Amazon warehouses operate in Washington. Amazon officials insist the status of the Pasco warehouses is unconnected to the legal proceedings on the west side of the state. In a statement, Amazon said the L&I dispute has nothing to do with the launch timelines for the Pasco centers, which each have more than one million square feet. The company said it is not standing still in its home state, citing the pending opening of a new fulfillment center in Arlington, north of Everett on the Interstate 5 corridor, in coming weeks. East Pasco warehouses Ryan Companies of Bellevue broke ground on the two massive buildings in Pasco, code named Project Oyster and Project Pearl in 2021, shortly before Amazon confirmed they would be Amazon facilities to fill online orders. One would fill orders for household goods, the other for larger items such as pet gear, baby strollers, outdoor furniture and sporting goods. At the time, it anticipated hiring workers in 2022. It later idled the two buildings as part of a larger pause on the companys rapid expansion. The buildings flank South Road 40 East, north of Sacajawea State Heritage Park, near Highway 12. Construction appeared to wrap up in 2022. The city of Pasco issued occupancy permits for both on April 28, 2023. As fulfillment centers, the two warehouses are expected to employ about 1,500. As of spring 2023, Amazon operated 1,285 facilities of varying sizes and missions in the U.S., and 2,373 worldwide. It has nearly 600 million square feet dedicated to fulfilling orders, according to an unofficial tally maintained by MWPVL International for informational purposes. Sign Up: Boom Town Tri-Cities Stay up to date on Tri-Cities growth and development with our weekly business newsletter. Get the latest on restaurant and business openings and closings, plus the regions top housing and employment news. Click here to sign up. In your inbox every Wednesday. The Cherokee County Sheriffs Office recently added two new dogs to their K-9 unit. K-9 Blue, a 14-month-old Belgian Malinois, will be working with Sgt. Jared Jordan, and K-9 Atlas, a 15-month-old German Shepard, will be working with Deputy Robert Currie. Both the handlers and K-9s recently completed a nine-week training course in Jasper where the dogs were trained on tracking, building clearing, area searches, evidence searches, and narcotics detection. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Both dogs successfully completed certification through the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: A Palm Beach woman who made repeated calls about people illegally disturbing sea turtle nests along the island's coastline has now been charged with the same crime, according to a report from the Palm Beach Police Department. Town Police arrested Barbara Stoia, 58, and two other people on charges of illegally disturbing nesting sea turtles, eggs and hatchlings. Stoia, her neighbor Frank Herz, 52, and her property manager, Eduan Morales, 38, of Loxahatchee, were charged with violating state statutes that protect Florida's marine turtle habitat. Stoia, who also goes by Barbara Meister, and Morales were arrested Saturday and released the same day. Stoia's attorney disputed the idea that she had violated any law, and the lawyer for a local environmental group suggested her arrest could be in retaliation for other complaints she had brought to the town, an allegation Palm Beach Police denied. More: Unleashed dogs a danger to turtle eggs, hatchlings, says Palm Beach advocate Herz was arrested July 28 and released the following day. All three posted $3,000 bond. Stoia and others previously had lodged numerous complaints regarding the welfare of sea turtles on the town's beaches during the past several years, police department spokesperson Capt. Will Rothrock said. According to a probable-cause affidavit provided to the Daily News, Stoia made multiple calls to police between May 20 and July 4 complaining about the harassment of sea turtles and their nests on the beach at Root Trail and her home on Seminole Avenue. "Please have officers do something," she said, according to the affidavit. "It's criminal what they're doing." On July 24, Stoia herself was accused of disturbing sea turtle nests and hatchlings. According to a complaint submitted by D.B. Ecological Inc., the town's turtle monitoring consultant which works as an agent to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, photos taken that morning on the beach near Seminole Avenue showed 'hand scrapes' at an emerged turtle nest and shoe prints throughout the same emerged nest site. The individual leaving the shoe print most likely removed pre-emergent hatchlings from nest site locations, the FWC wrote in the complaint. A female later identified as Stoia was observed standing in the water and looking at something before returning to shore, according to the complaint. She then walked off the beach. Three days later, based on complaints from the community as well as concerns that Stoia was suspected to be handling sea turtles without the proper state permit, undercover detectives from Palm Beach's Organized Crime, Vice and Narcotics Unit conducted surveillance of an undisclosed location on the island. During that surveillance, Herz and Stoia were observed searching the beach near her home on Seminole Avenue and stopping at sea turtle nests, according to a probable cause affidavit released by Town Police. After Stoia walked away, Herz picked up a small object and appeared to examine it before walking toward the shoreline. Detectives approached Herz, who placed what they confirmed to be a sea turtle hatchling in the sand, according to the affidavit. Herz told police he was recording the hatchling with his cellphone, and when asked whether he had a permit to transport a hatchling, he said no, the affidavit said. Herz was escorted off the beach by police and detained. Rob Melchiorre, an attorney representing Herz, told the Daily News that police failed to do a thorough investigation of the incident. If they had, he said, they would have seen that Herz was attempting to rescue a hatchling in distress. "The whole purpose of the statute is to protect endangered turtles, and that is exactly what he did," Melchiorre said. "If anyone would have looked at that thoroughly, they would have seen a video showing him rescuing a distressed turtle from the grip of a crab on the beach." Also on July 27, police conducted an interview with Morales in response to the original FWC complaint. Morales confirmed that Stoia walks along the beach to look at turtle nests, takes videos of them, and "helps the turtles out of their nests." Based on the information collected, police requested and obtained a search warrant for Stoia's property. During their search of the property July 27, they discovered a white laundry basket in the garage that contained approximately 10 wooden stakes with "Do Not Disturb Sea Turtle Nests" signs attached, as well as a hard drive storage unit. On Aug. 3, police reviewed video from the hard drive which was recorded July 24 and saw Stoia "harassing and molesting" sea turtle nests and the hatchlings inside on multiple occasions, and then filming them as they crawled from the beach to the ocean. A woman identified by police as Barbara Stoia is seen on her hands and knees disturbing a sea turtle nest on the beach near her home on Seminole Avenue in Palm Beach. The image was captured on video stored on a hard drive that was seized from Stoia's home last month. Stoia was on the beach for about 85 minutes, according to the affidavit. During this time, Morales was observed attempting to cover the hand-pry marks and shoe prints near the nest. Stoia and Morales left the beach once they spotted a turtle monitor in the area. They were arrested two days after police reviewed the video. "Upon the receipt of a recent complaint regarding the molestation of sea turtle nests and hatchling sea turtles, we looked into the matter," Rothrock said. "As a result of this investigation and to our surprise, we ultimately developed probable cause to arrest Barbara Stoia and two of her acquaintances, Frank Herz and Eduan Morales, for violations of the Florida Marine Turtle Protection Act the same crimes that she had made complaints of others committing." Stoia's attorney, Sean Shecter of Lewis Brisbois in Fort Lauderdale, disputes that his client violated any law. "Mrs. Meister has been an advocate for alerting the community about the importance of protecting the sea turtle population on the beaches of Palm Beach," he told the Daily News. "This has included enlightening the Town of Palm Beach about the issues on the beach which could negatively impact sea turtle nests. We are shocked that she is now accused of harming the very sea turtles she has strived to protect." Lesley Blackner, a Palm Beach attorney who represents the environmental nonprofit Bear Warriors United, also defended Stoia's commitment to protecting sea turtle nests in comments to the Town Council on Tuesday. Stoia is a member of Bear Warriors United, whose stated mission is striving to preserve and protect bears and all of Floridas natural resources and wildlife. The organization recently gave the town a 60-day notice of intent to sue based on violations of the federal Endangered Species Act. Bear Warriors United claims the town is not enforcing its own light-restriction rules to protect leatherback, loggerhead and green sea turtles during nesting season. In addition, mechanical beach cleaners leave deep ruts in the sand that impede hatchlings from reaching the ocean, improperly marked nests are trod on by tourists unaware of what a white stake in the ground means, and unleashed dogs harass nesting females and new hatchlings, according to the notice. "I'm disappointed in the town's apparent vindictive retaliation against its own 30-year resident," Blackner said. "Ms. Meister has gathered the proof of poor beach management that is violating the Endangered Species Act. The arrest of Ms. Meister is apparently 100% retaliation for her brave stance on behalf of our beaches' longest residents, the sea turtles, who have been here for millions of years. The town must do better than attacking its own citizens for seeking change and accountability." Morales declined to comment. Rothrock said he hopes the arrests further educate the public to the importance of not disturbing sea turtle nests or hatchlings. "We encourage the community to contact us or FWC with any allegations of sea turtle nest or hatchling molestations," he said. Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beachers charged with illegally disturbing sea turtle nests The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has returned hundreds of millions of dollars to consumers who are also constituents of Republican lawmakers who support changes to the bureaus funding structure, according to a new report watchdog Accountable.US shared exclusively with The Hill. Accountable.USs analysis focused on 10 states: Arizona, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. It found that consumers in these states received more than $240.9 million through the CFPBs Civil Penalty Fund from 2012 through 2022, according to Accountable.USs analysis of data provided by CFPB. Republicans in Congress should be celebrating the fact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has recouped billions of dollars for families whove been ripped off by bad actors in the financial industry, Liz Zelnick, director of Accountable.USs program on economic security and corporate power, told The Hill. Instead, many Republicans are rooting for efforts to defund and defang the nations top consumer advocate after theyve taken millions of dollars from greedy big banks to predatory lenders that want no consumer protections at all, Zelnick said. The CFPB is funded by the Federal Reserve, an independency agency primarily funded by interest earned on its government securities. But the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up a case brought by a payday lending group that would subject the CFPB to congressional appropriations, reviewing a lower court decision that found the bureaus funding structure violates the Constitutions structural separation of powers. A slate of 132 bicameral Republican lawmakers signed an amicus brief in July urging the Supreme Court to affirm the ruling. The funding structure neutered congressional oversight of the CFPB, meaning the agencys funding will continue in perpetuity without the CFPB ever needing to return to Congress, hat in hand, the lawmakers argue in the amicus brief. Republicans say the debate is about holding bureaucrats accountable, while critics including left-leaning Accountable.US say the case could threaten the future of the CFPB. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., jokes with a Trump supporter July 4 before walking in the holiday parade in Merrimack, N.H. (AP Photo/Reba Saldanha) Throughout their careers, Republican amicus brief signatories in these 10 states received more than $51 million from individuals and PACs affiliated with the financial industry players regulated by the CFPB, according to Accountable.USs analysis of campaign contributions compiled by the nonpartisan money-in-politics organization OpenSecrets. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Bankers Association, American Financial Services Association, Consumer Bankers Association and other industry groups filed an amicus brief last month arguing the CFPBs funding structure unconstitutional, as it is double-insulated from the constitutionally-mandated check of Congresss purse. There is some division within the industries regulated by the CFPB over how the agency should be regulated and funded. The CFPBs funding structure is constitutional and critical to ensuring that it can carry out its consumer protection mission free from undue industry influence, wrote community development credit unions and financial institutions in a May amicus brief. Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Tim Scott (R-S.C.), House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry (R-N.C), House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy Chairman Andy Barr (R-Ky.) and House House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) spearheaded the amicus brief. Scott, who is running for president, applauded the Supreme Court for taking up the CFPB funding, calling it an agency that lacks transparency and seeks to operate beyond its jurisdiction. While some Republicans focus on the transparency and accountability aspect, others have gone further. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), who signed onto the amicus brief, has vocally supported a full repeal of the CFPB as long as it exists in its current form, according to his House website. Huizenga told American Public Radios Marketplace in 2016 that the CFPB needs to look needs to look much, much different and wouldnt rule out its elimination. The fact is the CFPB should be funded through the appropriations process. This ensures that taxpayers, through their elected representatives in Congress, have a say in how the bureau operates. Even the CFPB, and its current unconstitutional structure, must answer to the American people, a spokesperson for Huizenga told The Hill. Spokespeople for Scott, McHenry, Barr and Gosar did not return requests for comment. Leave it to a left-wing, dark money group to support an unaccountable federal bureaucracy that returns less than $42 per year to approximately 0.48% of Michiganders, Huizengas spokesperson added. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., waits for a news conference in 2021 at the Capitol in Washington. The liberal dark money group New Venture Fund disclosed contributing $2.7 million to Accountable.US on its 2021 Form 990, the most recent available. While Accountable.US makes its Form 990s public, it does not voluntarily disclose its donors. Wed be more than happy to join other 501(c)(3) entities in releasing more funding information should the law change, Accountable.US Communications Director Jeremy Funk told The Hill, noting their support for transparency legislation like the DISCLOSE Act. It remains to be seen how prominently politics, one reason the CFPB and other financial regulators were set up to operate independently of congressional appropriations, plays into the case. The Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for when it returns in October. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The arrowhead made of meteoric iron from Morigen. zvg/Thomas Schupbach/Natural History Museum of Bern A rare Bronze Age arrowhead turns out to be made out of iron from a meteorite, scientists said. But in a peculiar twist, it's not from a meteor that fell to earth in the same area of Switzerland. Scientists believe it may instead have come from another meteor site nearly 600 miles away. Scientists in Switzerland have confirmed that a 3,000-year-old arrowhead is made of iron from a meteorite but a mystery still remains about its origin. The 1.5-inch arrowhead was found during a 19th-century excavation of a Bronze Age settlement near Morigen in eastern Switzerland, according to the Natural History Museum of Bern. The site is two miles away from the debris field of a meteorite known as the Twannberg meteorite prompting scientists to ask whether it was made of the same space metal. However, after extensive testing, scientists announced this month that the metal is indeed meteoritic but that it's not from Twannberg. According to their findings, the nickel content of the arrowhead is about twice as high as metal from the local meteorite debris. Instead, they wrote, the most likely origin is a lake formed by a meteor nearly 600 miles away in Estonia a theory they said needs to be studied further. "This large craterforming fall event happened at [roughly] 1500 years BC during the Bronze Age and produced many small fragments," the study said. One such fragment may have traveled all the way to Morigen, lead study author Beda Hofmann told CNN. "Trade across Europe during the Bronze Age is a well-established fact: Amber from the Baltic (like the arrowhead, presumably), tin from Cornwall, glass beads from Egypt and Mesopotamia," he said by email. Before humans knew how to smelt iron from oxide ores, they were making use of iron from meteorites, according to the study about the arrowhead. However, "evidence of such early use of meteoritic iron is extremely rare," the Bern museum said in a statement. Only 55 ancient meteoritic objects have been discovered across Eurasia and Africa. Nineteen of these were found in King Tutankhamun's tomb, according to the museum. Read the original article on Insider Houston police are investigating the death of a 3-month-old after he was left inside a vehicle on a sweltering day, becoming the 16th child reported to die this year in a hot vehicle. Authorities were called around 3:25 p.m. Tuesday to an outpatient mental health facility the babys mother had been visiting with another child, age 4, Assistant Chief Yasar Bashir said during a news conference. The mother found the baby inside the car when she was leaving and took him inside the facility. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Bashir added. Houston gets very hot. Under no circumstances you should leave a child in the car, not even for a moment. Dont think the AC is going to work out fine or if you roll down the window thats going to be fine, Bashir said, adding it is not known how long the child was in the vehicle. The mother and father are cooperating with the investigation. Tuesdays high temperature in Houston was 101 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. An average of 38 children under age 15 died in hot cars in the US every year from 1998 to 2022, most in summer months, according to noheatstroke.org. Temperatures inside a car can increase by 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, and often, thats enough to cause hyperthermia. Within an hour, car temperatures can rise more than 40 degrees, even when outdoor temperatures are low. A childs body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adults, and a child can die when their body temperature reaches 107 degrees, the safety administration said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com 3-month-old dies after being left in hot car in Houston, police say Houston Police say a 3-month-old boy has died after being left inside a hot car on a day when temperatures hit 100 degrees. Assistant Chief Yasar Bashir said the mother arrived with the infant and a 4-year-old at a healthcare facility midday Tuesday and went inside the building with the older child. When she returned later, Bashir said the mother discovered the 3-month-old still inside the vehicle and brought the boy inside the facility. However, after that child was taken to a local hospital, he was pronounced dead, according to Bashir. "We learned very sadly that the child was left unattended in a vehicle," Bashir told reporters gathered Tuesday at the scene. CANDLELIGHT VIGIL HELD IN NEW YORK TRAIN STATION PARKING LOT FOLLOWING 14-MONTH-OLD'S HOT CAR DEATH "Houston gets very hot and under no circumstances you should leave a child in the car. Not even for a moment," he added. "Don't think the AC is going to work out fine, or if you roll down the window, that is going to be fine. It gets very hot, especially an infant or a child, the body temperature goes up very quickly." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Bashir says Houston Police had received a call around 3:25 p.m. local time about the unresponsive child. As of Wednesday, there have been no charges filed in the case, and Bashir said the mother is cooperating with investigators. A medical examiner is looking into the cause of death. "I give my condolences to the parents, the mom and dad. And I also want to thank the staff here, the nurses, HFD for providing CPR and doing everything they could to save this child," Bashir said. FLORIDA PARENTS ARRESTED, TEST POSITIVE FOR DRUGS, ALCOHOL AFTER TODDLER SUFFERS TORTUOUS HOT CAR DEATH The death marks the 16th child who has died in a hot car so far this year, according to the nonprofit Kids and Car Safety. Prior to this incident, police in New York said a 14-month-old child was discovered "unattended in a hot car for approximately eight hours" last Monday near the Long Island Railroad station in Smithtown. "A 54-year-old Greenlawn woman forgot to drop off her 14-month-old granddaughter at day care on July 31 and went to work, leaving the child in a car seat in a back seat," investigators said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Approximately eight hours later, the woman went to pick up the child at the day care, located on Redwood Lane in Smithtown, when she realized she had left the child in her vehicle, a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. "The child was transported to Saint Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown where she was pronounced dead," the statement added. A man is behind bars Wednesday after being accused of shooting three people during a street race near I-95 in South Florida over the weekend. Miami-Dade police identified Micheal Trillo, 20, as the gunman in the Sunday morning shooting in Golden Glades. Trillo was charged with three counts of attempted murder, two counts of shooting a deadly missile and one count of possession of a weapon while committing an offense, according to court records. In January, Trillo, who lives in Opa-locka, faced a slew of charges related drag racing, though most were dropped, court records show. He did, however, receive five years of probation for a fleeing or eluding police charge. The shooting occurred at Northwest 146th Avenue and Seventh Avenue during an intersection takeover, according to police. That happens when street racers block off roads to show off stunts like drifting. READ MORE: Three people shot after intersection takeover near I-95 in northern Miami-Dade A video posted to Instagram from the scene shows a white Dodge pulling a stunt but hitting a dark-colored Mustang in the process. Moments later, a man aimed a gun at the moving vehicle and fired several shots. The video also captured observers running as the man sprayed the hail of bullets. A 20-year-old woman and two men, aged 19 and 20, were struck by the bullets, police say. One of the victims, according to police, was a bystander watching the stunts. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported the woman and one of the men to Ryder Trauma Center. The pair were in stable condition on Sunday. The other man was later transferred from Hialeah Hospital to Ryder Trauma Center, but his condition remains unknown. Trillo is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond. This report will be updated when more information becomes available. CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 20: A police vehicle sits outside of Mercy Hospital where four people were shot and killed yesterday on November 20, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. Chicago Police officer Samuel Jimenez was shot and killed as he responded to a call at the hospital where Tamara O'Neal, a 38-year-old emergency room physician and Dayna Less, a 25-year-old pharmacy resident were shot by 32-year-old Juan Lopez who also died in the incident. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD ** (Scott Olson / Getty Images) Word spread through an Oregon hospital last month that a visitor was causing trouble in the maternity ward, and nurses were warned the man might try to abduct his partners newborn. Hours later, the visitor opened fire, killing a security guard and sending patients, nurses and doctors scrambling for cover. The shooting at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland was part of a wave of gun violence sweeping through U.S. hospitals and medical centers, which have struggled to adapt to the growing threats. Such attacks have helped make health care one of the nations most violent fields. Data shows American health care workers now suffer more nonfatal injuries from workplace violence than workers in any other profession, including law enforcement. FILE - Law enforcement officers stand Northside Hospital Midtown medical office building, where a man opened fire in the medical center waiting room, killing one woman and wounding four, on May 3, 2023, in Atlanta. Data shows American health care workers now suffer more nonfatal injuries from workplace violence than workers in any other profession, including law enforcement. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) (Arvin Temkar/AP) Health care workers dont even think about that when they decide they want to be a nurse or a doctor. But as far as actual violence goes, statistically, health care is four or five times more dangerous than any other profession, said Michael DAngelo, a former police officer who focuses on health care and workplace violence as a security consultant in Florida. Other industries outpace health care for overall danger, including deaths. Similar shootings have played out in hospitals across the country. Last year, a man killed two workers at a Dallas hospital while there to watch his childs birth. In May, a man opened fire in a medical center waiting room in Atlanta, killing one woman and wounding four. Late last month, a man shot and wounded a doctor at a health center in Dallas. In June 2022, a gunman killed his surgeon and three other people at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, medical office because he blamed the doctor for his continuing pain after an operation. In November 2018, emergency room Dr. Tamara ONeal, 38, a LaPorte native; Dayna Less, 24; and Chicago police officer Samuel Jimenez were fatally shot by ONeals ex-fiance Juan Lopez at Chicagos Mercy Hospital & Medical Center. Its not just deadly shootings: Health care workers racked up 73% of all nonfatal workplace violence injuries in 2018, the most recent year for which figures are available, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. One day before the July 22 shooting in Portland, employees throughout the hospital were warned during meetings to be prepared for a possible code amber announcement in case the visitor attempted to kidnap the child, according to a nurse with direct knowledge of the briefing who spoke to The Associated Press. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared retaliation at work. Fifteen minutes before the shooting, someone at the hospital called 911 to report the visitor was threatening staffers, according to a timeline provided by Portland police. He kind of fell through the cracks, the nurse said. I dont know how many chances he received. It kind of got to the point where staff did not know what to do, or what they could or couldnt do with him. Glenda O'Neal mother of of Dr. Tamara O'Neal holds picture of her daughter the home in LaPorte on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018. Dr. Tamara O'Neal is Chicago Mercy Hospital shooting victim. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune). (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune) Police arrived at the maternity ward within minutes, but it was too late. Bobby Smallwood, a security guard who had been called in from another Legacy hospital to cover shifts for Good Samaritans understaffed security team, had been fatally shot. Another hospital employee was wounded by shrapnel. The suspect fled and was later killed by police in a nearby community. The hospital declined to respond to the nurses comments because the case is still under investigation. Events like these are unpredictable, but our team exhibited professionalism and a great deal of courage in the face of extraordinarily challenging circumstances that day, Legacy Health said in a statement to the AP. Legacy Health in Portland plans to install additional metal detectors, require bag searches at every hospital and send patients and visitors to controlled entrances. More security officers will be provided with stun guns, the hospital said, and bullet-slowing film is being applied to some interior glass and at main entrances. Around 40 states have passed laws creating or increasing penalties for violence against health care workers, according to the American Nurses Association. Hospitals have armed security officers with batons, stun guns or handguns, while some states, including Indiana, Ohio and Georgia, allow hospitals to create their own police forces. Critics say private hospital police can exacerbate the health care and policing inequities already experienced by Black people. They also say private police forces often dont have to disclose information such as how often they use force or whether they disproportionately detain members of minority groups. FILE - Police respond to an active shooter incident at Methodist Dallas Medical Center on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. A man killed two workers at a Dallas hospital while there to watch his child's birth. Data shows American health care workers now suffer more nonfatal injuries from workplace violence than workers in any other profession, including law enforcement. (Liesbeth Powers/The Dallas Morning News via AP)/The Dallas Morning News via AP) (Liesbeth Powers/AP) Security teams cannot address all of the factors leading to violence because many of them are caused by a dysfunctional health care system, said Deborah Burger, a registered nurse and the president of National Nurses United. Patients and families are often bounced between emergency rooms and home, and are frustrated over high costs, limited treatment options or long wait times, Burger said. Hospitals dont really have a complaints department, so the only real target they have is the nurse or staff that are standing right in front of them, she said. Understaffing forces nurses to care for more patients and affords them less time to assess each one for behavior problems. Efforts to de-escalate aggression arent as effective if nurses havent had time to bond with patients, Burger said. Understaffing is an absolutely catastrophic formula for workplace violence increasing, DAngelo said. Now you dont even have the good old buddy system of two co-workers keeping an eye out for each other. Some hospital administrators encourage staff to placate aggressive visitors and patients because they are worried about getting bad reviews, Burger said. Thats because the Affordable Care Act tied a portion of federal reimbursement rates to consumer satisfaction surveys and low satisfaction means a hit to the financial bottom line. The results of those surveys should never take priority over staff safety, DAngelo said. Eric Sean Clay, the president-elect of the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety and vice president of security at Memorial Hermann Health in Houston, said the workplace violence rates attributed to health care facilities are grossly underreported. I think that a lot of it comes down to caregivers are just very tolerant, and they come to look at it as just part of the job, he said. If theyre not injured, sometimes they dont want to report it, and sometimes they dont think there will be any change. Clays hospital uses armed and unarmed security officers, though he hopes to have them all armed eventually. We actually have our own firing range that we use, Clay said. None of his security officers have drawn their weapons on the job in recent years, but he wants them to be ready because of the rise in gun violence. Clay and Memorial Hermann Health declined to answer questions about whether an armed security force could negatively affect access to health care or existing inequities. The nurse at the Portland hospital said the shooting left her colleagues terrified and unusually solemn. She is worried Legacy Healths promises of increased safety will be temporary because of the cost of finding, training and retaining security officers. Some of her co-workers have resigned because they dont want to face another code silver, the alert issued when someone at the hospital has a weapon. You know, we always say these patients and their families are so vulnerable, because theyre having the worst day of their life here, the nurse said, and that makes many staffers reluctant to demand better behavior. We have to stop that narrative, she said. Being vulnerable is bleeding out from a bullet wound in your chest. Being vulnerable is having to barricade yourself and your patients in a room because of a code silver. For some, it was an emotional evening marked with hugs, tears and words of reconciliation. For others, it marked the end of an era of division and bitter education politics. The Richland School District community bid farewell to three school board members at their last public meeting on Tuesday after a successful recall effort ousted them from office. Kari Williams, Audra Byrd and Semi Bird each exited office in separate fashion: One stuck out the final meeting in its entirety, another left halfway through, and a third didnt even show up. And each will face different paths politically to regain power in a community that has chosen to forcibly oust them. It will be an uphill battle for Jill Oldson and Rick Jansons, the two remaining elected officials who will be tasked over the next five months to rebuild a broken board. Were going to continue to be student focused, Jansons told the Tri-City Herald. Its expected Educational Service District 123 will appoint a new school board member before Richlands next meeting on Aug. 31. Pray for our district At Tuesdays meeting, board member Audra Byrd left the dias at the conclusion of the boards reports. She excused herself early from the meeting because she believed the issues on this agenda should be handled and answered by those who the community currently wants in order to best represent the voice and views of our people. I will continue to pray for our district and the students here, and I will do my best to serve in whatever ways I can on a smaller scale, Byrd said in an emotional speech to a packed room. Byrd was elected to office in November 2021. She thanked constituents, voters, parents, students, principals, staff and administrators for allowing her to serve for nearly half of her four-year term. I am a firm believer in the power of the election process and in the voice of the people. Although I will admit I was a little heartbroken for the election results, I love that we have a country where people have the power to vote and stand up for what they believe in, she said. She left to a round of standing applause from a group of her supporters who showed up that night. The trio was recalled during the Aug. 1 primary election. About 54% voted in favor of the recall and chose to oust them over charges of violating the states indoor mask mandate, the Washington Open Public Meetings Act and district policies. The charges stem from a February 2022 vote to make COVID face masks optional in Richland schools. They will officially be out of office after Benton County Auditor Brenda Chilton certifies the election results on Tuesday, Aug. 15. Richland School Board members Rick Jansons and Kari Williams watch as former board member Audra Byrd gives her final remarks before exiting the meeting. The Aug. 8 board meeting was her final as a school board member after voters approved an Aug. 1 recall measure to remove her and two other elected officials from office. While Byrd left the meeting, Williams remained to give the school board the majority quorum they needed by law to conduct the evenings business, which included paying its bills, passing its 2022-23 budget and approving a first reading of a spec sheet for the districts third comprehensive high school. Despite the successful recall, Williams could be back in office at the end of the year. Thats because her seat is up for reelection this year. During the Aug. 1 primary election, she survived a challenge from a more conservative candidate and earned enough votes to move on to the Nov. 7 general election, where she could be reelected to another four-year term. Im just grateful to this great community and this great district, and eager to return in November, Williams said. Board member Semi Bird did not attend his final meeting as a school board member. The conservative retired U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret is running for governor as a Republican in 2024 and has acknowledged his defeat in the recall election. He and Byrd were elected as first-time school board members during the same election. Bird said he would wear the recall like a badge of honor and believes they were right and righteous in their vote to go against the state mandate. Back to school The school board still plans to hold its second monthly meeting on Thursday, Aug. 31, in anticipation that ESD 123s Board of Directors will fill one appointment so that the Richland board can conduct business with a quorum. Washington state law stipulates that the regional ESD steps in to appoint enough school board members to form a majority quorum when there arent enough to do so. The handicapped nature of Richlands board comes at an unfortunate time, as board business ramps up and with students heading back to school less than a month. Board member Jill Oldson said she wasnt concerned, but excited that they had a chance to rebuild a collaborative school board that works together on common goals. I think the part that is most concerning to me is focusing on the community to heal and come together and keep our common ground, she said. Ohioans unequivocally rejected a ballot measure that would have raised the threshold for amending their state constitution, a move by Republicans to try to make it harder to legalize abortion at the ballot box. The outcome was a resounding victory for Democrats in a state where the left has suffered defeat after defeat in recent years and a blow to Republicans hoping to block efforts to secure abortion rights. A proposal to codify abortion rights in the state constitution has already made the November ballot and needs only a simple majority to pass. Opponents of Issue 1 the single item on the August special election ballot were handily winning with most of the votes tallied. The right framed Issue 1 as a way to bolster the state constitution against tampering by outside special interests, even as both sides spent millions of dollars in out-of-state cash. But the measure ultimately came down to the looming challenge to the GOP-backed law that virtually outlawed abortion in Ohio following the fall of Roe v. Wade last year. The outcome means as much for onetime swing-state Ohio and its upcoming electoral battles (a presidential election and highly contested Senate race are both on the horizon in 2024) as it does for a post-Roe landscape thats forced abortion rights activists to find avenues to circumvent Republican state legislatures. Here are several takeaways from the (non-fraudulent) defeat of Ohios Issue 1: It will embolden activists in other states. As HuffPost national reporter Alanna Vagianos noted: The special election is an important reminder that whenever the public has been given the opportunity to directly vote on abortion rights, it has continually protected access in both red and blue states. Last year, voters in deep-red Kansas opted overwhelmingly to keep reproductive rights in their state constitution, the first electoral test of the pro-choice movement following the U.S. Supreme Courts reversal on abortion rights. Voters in Michigan, Kentucky and Montana did the same. Arizona appears to be the next electoral battleground where voters could be given the opportunity to weigh in directly on abortion, and Florida could soon join the list. Polling continues to show a majority of Americans are dissatisfied with the Supreme Courts June 2022 decision. A recent CNN survey found that 64% of adults disapprove of the courts decision, a figure that CNN says hasnt diminished since last year, suggesting the momentum for abortion rights that boosted Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections will continue to be a powerful force in 2024. Dennis Willard, a spokesperson for One Person One Vote, celebrates the results of the election at a watch party Tuesday in Columbus. Ohio voters rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have required a 60% vote to change the state constitution just months before a scheduled vote on an amendment to codify abortion rights. Dennis Willard, a spokesperson for One Person One Vote, celebrates the results of the election at a watch party Tuesday in Columbus. Ohio voters rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have required a 60% vote to change the state constitution just months before a scheduled vote on an amendment to codify abortion rights. Ohio proved that abortion rights are more popular than the Democratic Party overall. In some reliably blue and purple counties, a greater percentage of voters came out against Issue 1 than voted for Democrat Tim Ryan for Senate in 2022. In Wood County, a swing county south of Toledo, Ryan lost to Republican J.D. Vance, but the no vote got 56% of votes on Tuesday. Issue 1 was struck down even in the reddish suburbs of Ohios biggest cities. It will upend a key GOP Senate primary and hurt the party next year. One of the biggest cheerleaders for Issue 1 was none other than Ohios chief elections officer and 2024 Senate candidate Frank LaRose, the official charged with overseeing elections across Ohios 88 counties. In the days leading up to the special election, LaRose barnstormed the state not for his campaign to defeat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown but to support the ballot measure, which he admitted was 100% about keeping abortion out of the states constitution. The pro-Issue 1 side, which sought a 60% vote to change the state constitution, argued that it takes much more than a simple majority to amend the U.S. Constitution. I dont really give a darn whether it helps me or hurts me, LaRose told NBC news before the election. Im confident well win this. But even if we dont, I think its better to fight and lose than to not fight at all when its a worthwhile cause. It doesnt seem likely to help LaRose. His primary rivals can frame Issue 1 as a personal loss for a top elected Republican, who couldnt help muster it over the finish line in an increasingly red state that voted for Donald Trump twice. And if LaRose does make it all the way to 2024 and the abortion rights measure wins in November with a majority of votes then its more ammo for Brown, the states lone statewide elected Democrat and a top GOP target, to argue that LaRose is out of touch with the states electorate. An election that was supposed to be about funding special interests was funded by Special interests! Millions of dollars flooded Ohio, spending both for and against the ballot measure. By Tuesday, both sides had spent almost $32 million on their TV ad wars, according to AdImpacts analysis, which took into account both the spending on the August election and the upcoming abortion question on the November ballot. Spending is roughly neck-and-neck overall among Democrats and Republicans for both elections, the group found. But Democrats outspent Republicans on advertising to defeat Issue 1, while Republicans are currently outspending Democrats on the election thats still three months away. The rights messaging ultimately missed the mark, focusing on anti-woke culture war messaging that doesnt seem to be resonating with voters. An ad from Protect Ohio Women, a pro-Issue 1 group, attempted to conflate it with the rights war on wokeness and transgender Americans. A majority of the money in the race flowed from outside Ohio. The yes faction raised about $20 million, with a lift from Republican billionaire Dick Uihlien of Illinois and Susan B. Anthony List, a major anti-abortion group, according to the most recent disclosures made to the Ohio secretary of state. The no side raised almost $15 million with major donors that included liberal mega-donor Karla Jurvetson and the California-based Tides Foundation proof the stakes in this election went beyond the Buckeye State. Related... Forty-one people have died after a migrant boat capsized in the Mediterranean last week, survivors told local Italian media on Wednesday. Four survivors who reached the Italian island of Lampedusa told rescuers that they were on a boat carrying forty-five people, including three children, the Ansa news agency reported. Rescuers recover a body after a migrant boat broke apart in rough seas, at a beach near Cutro, southern Italy, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. / Credit: Giuseppe Pipita / AP The boat initially set off on Thursday from the city of Sfax in Tunisia a notorious hotbed for migrant smuggling but the boat turned over and sank within a few hours of departure, Ansa reported, citing accounts from the survivors. The survivors consisted of three men and a woman from Ivory Coast and Guinea who said they had initially been rescued by a cargo ship, before being transferred onto an Italian coast guard ship. Questions remain regarding whether these survivor accounts are connected to two shipwrecks that occurred on Sunday, with the Italian Coast Guard saying around 30 people were missing from one wreck. Refugees in Libya, a non-governmental organization that works to ensure the safe arrival of refugees, said in a social media post Sunday that the Italian coastguard had recovered 57 survivors and two bodies in that particular incident. In another operation, 34 migrants were airlifted by helicopter by Italy's emergency mountain rescue service on Sunday after being stranded on a cliff in Lampedusa located in the Sicily region in southern Italy and geographically closer to Tunisia than it is to the Italian mainland. Government data from Italy's Interior ministry shows that around 93,700 migrants arrived to Italy by sea this year, with the most prominent nationalities of migrants being from Guinea and the Ivory Coast. A man waves as he disembarks from the Open Arms rescue ship on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, southern Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019. / Credit: Salvatore Cavalli / AP Separately, the Tunisian Coast Guard in Sfax said on Monday that they rescued two people and recovered 11 bodies of migrants whose boat had capsized in Tunisian waters. The boat was carrying a total of 57 people from sub-Saharan African countries and 44 other passengers were still missing, Tunisian authorities told state television on Monday. Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals Boxer Terence Crawford says he's "even more hungry" after win against Errol Spence Jr. Study: Weight-loss drug Wegovy cuts risk of heart attack and stroke by 20% SEATTLE (AP) Five people affiliated with white nationalist hate group Patriot Front are suing a Seattle-area man who they say infiltrated the group and disclosed their identities online, leading them to lose their jobs and face harassment. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for Western Washington, The Seattle Times reported on Tuesday. The suit accuses David Capito, 37, also known as Vyacheslav Arkhangelskiy, of using a false name in 2021 when Patriot Front accepted him as a member. Then, Capito allegedly took photos at the groups Pacific Northwest gatherings, recorded members license plates, and used hidden microphones to record conversations, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also alleges that around November 2021, Capito got in touch with anarchist hackers known for targeting far-right groups, who helped him access Patriot Fronts online chats. FILE - Members of a group bearing insignias of the white supremacist Patriot Front shove Charles Murrell with metal shields during a march through Boston on July 2, 2022. The Black musician who says members of the white nationalist hate group punched, kicked and beat him with metal shields during a march through Boston in 2022 sued the organization on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File) FILE - Members of a group bearing insignias of the white supremacist Patriot Front shove Charles Murrell with metal shields during a march through Boston on July 2, 2022. The Black musician who says members of the white nationalist hate group punched, kicked and beat him with metal shields during a march through Boston in 2022 sued the organization on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File) Resulting leaks published online exposed the names, occupations, home addresses, and other identifying information about the groups members, who had sought to hide their involvement. At a deeper level, this complaint seeks to vindicate the rule of law and basic principles of free expression for persons who espouse unpopular opinions, the lawsuit states. Capito did not respond by phone or email to messages from The Seattle Times. The newspaper attempted to contact him through the now-defunct Washington nonprofit organization with which he is registered. Efforts by The Associated Press to reach him were also unsuccessful. The Patriot Front lawsuit lays out the groups racist ideology in describing its collective objective: reforge our people, born to this nation of our European race as a new collective capable of asserting our right to cultural independence. It describes the groups actions as provocative but nonviolent. As a result of the members identities surfacing on the internet the five plaintiffs say they were fired from their jobs, threatened at their homes, and have had their tires slashed, among other consequences, the lawsuit says. Three of the plaintiffs have Washington state ties: Colton Brown, who lived near Maple Valley and led the states Patriot Front chapter; James Julius Johnson from Concrete and his wife Amelia Johnson. Brown and James Julius Johnson were among 31 Patriot Front members arrested in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, last year and charged with planning to riot at a Pride event. Johnson and four other men were convicted of misdemeanor conspiracy to riot and sentenced last month to several days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The two other plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit are Paul Gancarz of Virginia and Daniel Turetchi of Pennsylvania. The lawsuit seeks unspecified economic and punitive damages from Capito and an order barring him from using the Patriot Front members personal information. Capitos actions would be highly offensive to any reasonable person who held unusual or unpopular opinions, the lawsuit complaint states, contending that the groups ideals have been often misinterpreted or distorted by the general public and mainstream media The federal complaint on behalf of the Patriot Front plaintiffs was filed by Christopher Hogue, a Spokane attorney, and Glen Allen, an attorney from Baltimore, Maryland. Hogue did not respond to a request for comment from the newspaper and Allen declined to be interviewed. To be candid with you, unfortunate experience has taught me to be wary of talking to journalists. My clients feel the same way, Allen said in an email to the newspaper. FILE - Members of a group bearing insignias of the white supremacist Patriot Front shove Charles Murrell with metal shields during a march through Boston on July 2, 2022. The Black musician who says members of the white nationalist hate group punched, kicked and beat him with metal shields during a march through Boston in 2022 sued the organization on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File) SEATTLE (AP) Five people affiliated with white nationalist hate group Patriot Front are suing a Seattle-area man who they say infiltrated the group and disclosed their identities online, leading them to lose their jobs and face harassment. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for Western Washington, The Seattle Times reported on Tuesday. The suit accuses David Capito, 37, also known as Vyacheslav Arkhangelskiy, of using a false name in 2021 when Patriot Front accepted him as a member. Then, Capito allegedly took photos at the group's Pacific Northwest gatherings, recorded members license plates, and used hidden microphones to record conversations, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also alleges that around November 2021, Capito got in touch with anarchist hackers known for targeting far-right groups, who helped him access Patriot Fronts online chats. Resulting leaks published online exposed the names, occupations, home addresses, and other identifying information about the group's members, who had sought to hide their involvement. At a deeper level, this complaint seeks to vindicate the rule of law and basic principles of free expression for persons who espouse unpopular opinions, the lawsuit states. Capito did not respond by phone or email to messages from The Seattle Times. The newspaper attempted to contact him through the now-defunct Washington nonprofit organization with which he is registered. Efforts by The Associated Press to reach him were also unsuccessful. The Patriot Front lawsuit lays out the groups racist ideology in describing its collective objective: reforge our people, born to this nation of our European race as a new collective capable of asserting our right to cultural independence. It describes the groups actions as provocative but nonviolent. As a result of the members' identities surfacing on the internet the five plaintiffs say they were fired from their jobs, threatened at their homes, and have had their tires slashed, among other consequences, the lawsuit says. Three of the plaintiffs have Washington state ties: Colton Brown, who lived near Maple Valley and led the states Patriot Front chapter; James Julius Johnson from Concrete and his wife Amelia Johnson. Brown and James Julius Johnson were among 31 Patriot Front members arrested in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, last year and charged with planning to riot at a Pride event. Johnson and four other men were convicted of misdemeanor conspiracy to riot and sentenced last month to several days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The two other plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit are Paul Gancarz of Virginia and Daniel Turetchi of Pennsylvania. The lawsuit seeks unspecified economic and punitive damages from Capito and an order barring him from using the Patriot Front members personal information. Capitos actions would be highly offensive to any reasonable person who held unusual or unpopular opinions, the lawsuit complaint states, contending that the groups ideals have been often misinterpreted or distorted by the general public and mainstream media The federal complaint on behalf of the Patriot Front plaintiffs was filed by Christopher Hogue, a Spokane attorney, and Glen Allen, an attorney from Baltimore, Maryland. Hogue did not respond to a request for comment from the newspaper and Allen declined to be interviewed. To be candid with you, unfortunate experience has taught me to be wary of talking to journalists. My clients feel the same way, Allen said in an email to the newspaper. Olivia Burnett, 80, stands in a rotunda before summer commencement at the Schottenstein Center on The Ohio State University campus on Sunday. Burnett is receiving her degree in child and youth studies from the College of Education and Human Ecology. She attended Ohio State from 1970-73, but had to quit after having extensive surgery and then having to take a job to provide for her family. An 80-year-old woman has graduated from Ohio State University after illness and other responsibilities forced her to drop out 50 years ago. Olivia Burnett walked for graduation at the Schottenstein Center Sunday, receiving her bachelor's degree in child and youth studies from the College of Education and Human Ecology. She was just a few credits shy of graduating in 1973, but had to quit school after having extensive surgery and then having to take a job to provide for her family. "I just wanted to finish what I started. I love being here at Ohio State University," said Burnett, who has five children, 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Burnett said she quilts, makes jewelry, and is writing a cookbook in her retirement. "I'm an eager learner always have been," she said. After leaving Ohio State in 1973, Burnett moved to California with her children, where she was a social worker and continued to take classes at American River College in Sacramento and Solano Community College in Fairfield. She now lives on Columbus' south side. Last year, Burnett's granddaughter, Falencia Miller herself a 2011 Ohio State graduate and former member of the fencing team contacted the College of Education and Human Ecology to see what it would take for her grandmother to graduate. College staff were able to help Burnett transfer credits from the other institutions she attended, so she didn't need to take any additional classes, according to Ohio State spokesperson Robin Chenoweth. Miller, who is 32 and lives in Georgia, said that her grandmother has always encouraged her grandchildren to be curious. "She's extremely intelligent, and has a big heart," Miller said. "She can't ignore ignorance. She's always going to go out of her way to educate." Burnett said she had chosen to major in child and youth studies because of her own kids. "When you end up being a single parent, you want to learn all you can about (your children). You want to know how they grow; you want to know how they learn," she said. Olivia Burnett, 80, adjusts her cap while she stands in a rotunda before summer commencement at the Schottenstein Center on The Ohio State University campus on Sunday. Burnett said that her own mother also attended Ohio State. "Back then, Black (women) usually did day-work, or worked in restaurants. And she had a health issue," Burnett said. "And I talked her into coming to Ohio State University. And she got an associate degree in sociology. ... That was the thing I was most proud of in my life: I pushed my mom to do that." The new graduate said that education had been an important force in her and her family members' lives. "I think we're better people. We're people who want to know what's going on in the world and be part of it," she said. "I marched on the South African Embassy, many years ago, during apartheid." For subscribers: After Supreme Court affirmative action ruling, renewed focus on first-generation students She said that recent attempts by politicians to excise the brutality of slavery and racism in history books "gets me going." "Give me a break. It happened. We're not perfect. We move on and try to be better people," Burnett added. To those thinking of going back to school to finish lingering degrees, she shared this message: "Don't give up. Dream, because if you look in the right direction, things will happen," Burnett said. "(Education) will make you a much more grounded person. It'll make you a much more interesting person." Legacy admissions are being rolled back: Heres which colleges have changed policies Peter Gill covers immigration, new American communities and religion for The Dispatch in partnership with Report for America. You can support work like his with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America at: bit.ly/3fNsGaZ. pgill@dispatch.com @pitaarji This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 80-year-old graduates from Ohio State 50 years after dropping out Former President Donald Trump; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Getty Images Nine Florida lawmakers will join Trump at the Iowa State Fair. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is slated to attend the fair the same day as Trump's obvious troll. This is just the latest way Trump has found to needle the Florida governor. Nine Florida lawmakers will join former President Donald Trump at the Iowa State Fair, giving a very personal edge to the latest way the Trump campaign has found to troll Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, The Des Moines Register reported. According to the Register, nine Florida U.S. House lawmakers that have endorsed Trump will join him for a key campaign stop at home of the first-in-the-nation caucuses. Reps. Byron Donalds, Matt Gaetz, Gil Bilirakis, Carlos Gimenez, Brian Mast, Cory Mills, Anna Paulina Luna, Greg Steube, and Mike Waltz will all join the former president. DeSantis will be appearing at the fair on the same day. Three other Florida congressmen, Reps. Vern Buchanan, John Rutherford, and Daniel Webster have also endorsed Trump over DeSantis. This is just the latest way Trump's campaign has found to needle DeSantis, who served in Congress before becoming governor. Donalds, who has tussled with DeSantis over Florida's new standards for teaching slavery, was once a close ally of the governor. Ditto for Gaetz, who helped lead DeSantis' gubernatorial transition team. The former president's allies previously orchestrated the announcement of some of his Florida endorsements just as DeSantis was making a visit to Capitol Hill. Trump has a commanding lead in endorsements from members of Congress, per Insider's tracker. More than 70 House lawmakers and 10 senators have said they will back Trump's bid. In comparison, DeSantis has secured the backing of just five House lawmakers. As a former president, Trump started the fight for endorsements with an incredible advantage. The Iowa State Fair is a major event for presidential hopefuls, who often flip pork chops and gawk at the butter cow alongside Iowans and throngs of journalists. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is also hosting a series of "Fair-Side Chats" with candidates, though Trump declined to join her. Trump has criticized Reynolds, the state's leading Republican, for not showing sufficient loyalty out of the belief that she owes him for winning her first election to the office. Trump previously raised eyebrows at 2015 State Fair when he offered children free helicopter rides. A representatives for DeSantis' campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider They have been charged with everything from murder and armed robbery to identity theft, but they have one thing in common: The FBI wants the publics help catching these fugitives. Along with five named suspects wanted by the FBIs field office in Columbia, South Carolina, the bureau is also seeking information on unknown criminals in two other violent crimes. Here are the crimes that the FBI is requesting the publics help with: A mom, 3-year-old daughter murdered On Sept. 28, 2020, around 7:30 p.m., Tasjunique Graham and her 3-year-old daughter, Bailey Simon, were shot inside of their home on the 1600 block of Suggs Street in Conway, South Carolina. The 23-year-old mother was pronounced dead at the scene. Her infant daughter was rushed to the hospital but died several days later. To know her was to love her, one childhood friend told the Myrtle Beach Sun News about Graham, who was a member of the South Carolina National Guard at the time of her death. She would give a stranger her last and be completely happy about it. On September 28, 2020 Tasjunique Graham and her three-year-old daughter Bailey Simon were shot inside of their own home in Conway, South Carolina. To date, there have been no arrests in this case. The apparent senselessness of the shocking crime has hindered the investigation, according to local law enforcement. There is no motive, there is no reason, there is no rationale [for] why they are the victims of this, Conway police chief Dale Long told WBTW three months after the murder. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for their murders. The Blue Ridge Savings Bank murders The murders of three people during a bank robbery in Greer shocked Upstate South Carolina and remain unsolved more than 20 years later. At approximately 1:30 p.m. on May 16, 2003, the former Blue Ridge Savings Bank in Greer, South Carolina, was robbed by one or more unknown killers. When officers from the Greer Police Department arrived, they found teller Sylvia Holtzclaw, along with USC Upstate physics professor James Eb Barnes and his wife, Maggie Barnes, shot to death. All three were killed with a .40-caliber Glock. Over the years, investigators have followed up on hundreds of leads with no success. But investigators are still looking for a red vehicle, possibly an Oldsmobile Alero or Chevrolet Impala, which may have been in the area at the time of the robbery. The FBI released a sketch (right) and an aged enhanced version (left) of a clean cut white male with blond hair, approximately 56 to 58 tall and 230 pounds, believed to be between 50 and 53-years-old who was in the bank shortly before the killings. They are also seeking information on the identification of an unknown man who was in the bank just prior to the killings. He was described as white, approximately 56 to 58 tall, weighing 230 pounds and believed to be between 50 and 53 years old. The FBI described the man as having short, blond hair with a touch of gray, and was described as having a clean-cut appearance. Iranian cyber criminals Iranian nationals Arash Amiri Abedian and Danial Jeloudar are wanted by the FBI for allegedly running a multi-year cyber fraud scheme that targeted at least one business and person in South Carolina, according to law enforcement. They are charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. A federal indictment filed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 2017 charged Abedian and Jelouday with a wide ranging scheme in which the pair used malware to capture victims credit card numbers and personal information from merchants websites. The pair captured more than 30,000 credit card numbers, according to the indictment. Arash Amiri Abedian (left) and Danial Jeloudar (right) are wanted by the FBI in connection to an alleged multi-year cyberfraud that targetted a South Carolina business and at least one resident. This information was then used to commit identity theft and fraud by purchasing goods and services, according to law enforcement. Among other charges, Jeloudar is alleged to have used stolen credit card information to obtain equipment, servers, and internet hosting services from a South Carolina-based internet service provider. He is also accused of extorting a California business and threatening to release the customers credit card information unless they paid him Bitcoin. Two-time bank robbery suspect, Deroy King Jr. Deroy King Jr., who is wanted for allegedly robbing the same bank twice, has been on the run for more than 30 years, according to the FBI. King, who was already a convicted felon, is wanted for allegedly robbing the bank in Simpsonville, South Carolina, in December 1989 and March 1990. The FBI is seeking Deroy King Jr. in connection with robbing the same bank twice in Simpsonville, SC in 1989 and again in 1990. On both occasions, King allegedly entered the bank, produced a handgun and a duffel bag and demanded money. King then allegedly ordered the bank employees at gunpoint to get into a closet. Following the second robbery, officers blocked Kings vehicle, but he escaped after repeatedly shooting at officers. On March 13, 1990, a United States district court issued a federal arrest warrant for King. The FBI warns that he should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. The alleged abduction of McKenna Butcher by her mother Jennifer Lea Settle is wanted in South Carolina for allegedly abducting her 11-year-old daughter, McKenna Butcher, following a custody dispute. The FBI is investigating the disappearance of McKenna Butcher (left) who was allegedly abducted by her mother, Jennifer Lea Settle (right), following a custody dispute when she was 11-years-old. Butcher went missing from Taylors, South Carolina, on April 25, 2019, just as her father, Michael Butcher, and Settle were due to appear in family court over a visitation dispute, according to Fox News. Full custody of McKenna had been given to her father following a family court order. In a 2021 interview, McKennas father told Nancy Grace that he believed Settle had been planning the disappearance for several years. Butcher said that she told her family if I ever came and tried to find out where she was, that she would disappear and nobody would hear from them again. McKenna is described as a white female. At the time of her disappearance she was 48 and weighed 85 pounds with light brown hair and blue eyes. She was born on Nov. 14, 2007. Settle has been charged with custodial interference. On June 28, 2019, Settle was also charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. There are active arrest warrants on both charges, according to the FBI. Settle is originally from Elkton, Maryland, and is described as being 53 and 110 pounds. Miguel Angel Hermosillio-Alcaraz Hermosillio-Alcaraz, the former manager of a textiles manufacturing plant, is accused of shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend in a Greenville parking lot more than 20 years ago. Miguel Angel Hermosillio-Alcaraz is wanted by the FBI for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in Greenville in 2003. On April 20, 2003, he reportedly followed the victim to the parking lot of an apartment complex where some of her relatives lived. Hermosillio-Alcaraz then allegedly shot her while she sat in a parked vehicle with her child in the back seat. He was charged with murder. But Hermosillio-Alcaraz has disappeared. On Oct. 6, 2003, a federal arrest warrant was issued after he was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. A large majority of Americans said abortion is an important issue for them in a new The Economist/YouGov survey. The poll, published Wednesday, found that 77 percent of respondents said abortion rights are either very or somewhat important, while 23 percent of those surveyed said the issue is not very important or unimportant to them. Along political party lines, 87 percent of Democrat respondents said abortion rights is an important issue, compared with 73 percent of independent respondents and 72 percent of Republicans. There was almost no variation by race, with 78 percent of Black respondents saying abortion rights are important, compared with 77 percent of Hispanic respondents and 76 percent of white respondents. Younger Americans were most likely to see abortion as an important issue, with that view comprising 85 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 years, 77 percent of respondents between 30 and 44, 72 percent of respondents between 45 and 64 and 78 percent of respondents 65 years or older. The poll comes more than a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision handed down nearly 50 years ago that protected the constitutional right to abortion. As a result of the ruling, multiple GOP-led states either implemented or enacted their own abortion bans and restrictions after Roe was overturned. And GOP candidates for president have been peppered with questions about whether they support a federal ban. Ohio voters rejected a ballot measure Tuesday that would have made it harder to amend the state constitution which was partly seen as an effort to prevent a statewide vote in November on a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights into the states constitution. The Economist/YouGov poll was conducted from Aug. 5 to Aug. 8 with a total of 1,500 respondents participating in the survey. The polls margin of error was 2.8 percentage points. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A top progressive group wants to build on the huge success Democrats are having with abortion-related ballot initiatives this time in Arizona. Fresh off their 14-point victory in Ohio on Tuesday, progressive groups are eyeing the Southwest battleground state as the next place to ensure abortion rights after the fall of Roe v. Wade. Arizona currently bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. National Democratic donors and stakeholders should look to Arizona as the next state with a serious, layered return on investment for putting abortion on the ballot, says a memo from the progressive organizing group Indivisible, shared first with POLITICO. The memo to donors argues that Democrats should continue to ride the backlash to the Supreme Courts 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization into 2024 in key competitive states across the country. In a potentially tough presidential year, Democrats think abortion ballot initiatives can give the rest of their ticket an edge. A ballot initiative in Arizona would increase the likelihood that pro-choice voters turn out to vote, boosting Democratic candidates up and down the ticket in a state with numerous, must-win competitive races at the Presidential, Senate, House, and state legislative level, the memo continues. We are still very much in a post-Roe environment, where the threat feels real to people, and they are responding accordingly, Mari Urbina, the acting co-executive director of the group, said in a brief interview. Arizona is expected to again be among a handful of states that could decide the presidential election. President Joe Biden narrowly carried the state in 2020, the first Democrat to do so since Bill Clinton in 1996. Biden stopped there on Tuesday to designate the land surrounding the Grand Canyon as a national monument that would preserve 1,500 square miles of land. The state will have a crucial Senate race and a pair of battleground House districts. Republicans in Arizona are also defending two-seat majorities in both legislative chambers next year. Indivisible cited polling it conducted recently with Data for Progress to argue that Arizona has a unique and strong pro-choice streak that crosses party lines, motivating Democrats and muddying the waters for many Republican voters, suggesting it could make the difference in close contests next year. And a recent national survey from CNN finds abortion rights remains top of mind for voters. Sixty-four percent of adults said they disapprove of the courts overturning of Roe, including 50 percent of adults who strongly disapprove. Both numbers are virtually unchanged from a similar CNN survey in July 2022, suggesting voters have not moved on the issue. Abortion in Arizona is currently prohibited after 15 weeks of pregnancy, although in 2022 then-Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich argued unsuccessfully after the Supreme Courts ruling that a 19th-century, pre-statehood law banning the procedure almost entirely should be in effect. Arizonans tried and failed to get an initiative codifying abortion rights on the ballot after the fall of Roe. The largely grassroots effort collected 175,000 signatures to try to qualify for the 2022 midterm ballot in the roughly two months after POLITICO reported on the draft opinion that would ultimately overturn nationwide abortion protections. But organizers ran out of time ahead of a July deadline to qualify, collecting only about half of the needed signatures. They vowed to return for the 2024 election. And already, notable national abortion rights groups are pledging resources. Earlier this week, a coalition of groups including the state chapters of the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and NARAL announced that they would support a new political committee, Arizona for Abortion Access, to sponsor a ballot initiative campaign for 2024. Activists in Arizona released their proposed constitutional amendment language on Tuesday that could appear on the November 2024 ballot. Indivisibles memo said its volunteers would aim to collect tens of thousands of signatures for the abortion ballot measure. The unique value-add we offer in a battleground state like Arizona is the volunteer apparatus that we can offer in a ballot initiative is really special, Urbina, the groups acting co-executive director, said. So we want to do all the work that we can to be strong and to be ready on an issue that is so unifying for Democrats and independents and other Arizonans as well. The cast of the silly, fun, fast-paced stage farce Wake Me at Midnight, directed by Peggy Glennie, completes the final run of the performance run this weekend Aug. 11-13, 2023. - Original Credit: Hammond Community Theatre (Handout/HANDOUT) Beatniks on Conkey at 420 Conkey St. in Hammond has always been one of my favorite intimate performance spaces nestled in North Lake County. Its also the primary stage home for Hammond Community Theatre. This weekend marks the final opportunity to see the theater groups silly, fun, fast-paced stage farce Wake Me at Midnight, directed by Peggy Glennie and starring a hardworking cast of 10 featuring Dean Johanson, Terry McLaughlin, Dawn De Luca Pasyk, Mike Johnson, Tony Herman, Alayna Prisby, Amy Johnson-Sobek, Laurie Reyna, Wayne Puchkors and Andrew Kleopfer. This weekends performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug 11 and 12 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13. Plenty of free parking is along the street and in a small lot across from the theater. Tickets available online for $18 or call 219-852-0848 for reservations and pay cash at the door or visit hammondcommunitytheatre.org or beatniksonconkey.com for details. Written by Joe Simonelli and originally published in May 2019, the comedy is about struggling playwright Ted Santi who has been given the responsibility of the funeral service arrangements for waking his black sheep Uncle Joey in the upstairs parlor at the local funeral home. Rather than just paying their respects, its chaos downstairs in the funeral parlors coffee lounge for most of the attending guests at this Italian wake, with an ex-wife, ex-girlfriend, current girlfriend, local bookie, and fussy funeral director all attempting to enforce the money owed to them. In need of quick cash, playwright Ted and the teamed-up zany bunch decide to join the hunt for a winning sweepstakes ticket that the deceased uncle has hidden somewhere in the funeral parlor, with the additional stress of a deadline that the statute of limitations to collect the winnings is about to expire at midnight. My first time at Beatniks was a decade ago in 2013 during the December holidays when Hammond Community Theatre completed a successful run of Jacob Marleys Christmas Carol, written by Tom Mula and directed by Earle Howe and his wife Betty. Billed as a coffee house and black box theater, Beatniks, located in Hammonds Hyde Park neighborhood, has been a stage destination for nearly three decades. A cornerstone of the community, the theater group works closely with outreach, including upgrades and renovations to the space. In 2013, for example, the theater group worked with the Hammond Community Corporation for assistance with the new seating risers for the audience area at Beatniks in addition to new seats courtesy of help from the office of Hammonds Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. The Hammond Community Theatre mission statement, as proudly displayed on their website, is simple: To foster, promote, and increase the public knowledge and appreciation of the arts and cultural activities in the City of Hammond, Lake County, Northwest Indiana and surrounding communities for the enjoyment of the organizations membership and audiences. Hammond Community Theatre is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit Indiana corporation. Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. He can be reached at pmpotempa@comhs.org. NEW YORK A Long Island judge ordered accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann to provide prosecutors with a DNA sample over the objections of the suspects attorney in a Wednesday blow to his defense. The court finds that contrary to the defendants contention, there is probable cause to believe the defendant committed the crimes charged and, therefore, a basis to compel the buccal swab, wrote Suffolk County Supreme Court Judge Timothy Mazzei in his three-page decision. The legal battle concerned a discarded pizza crust and used napkin, with Long Island prosecutors arguing for the right to take the samples from the Massapequa Park resident arrested this past July 13 in Manhattan. The crust and napkin were recovered by an FBI agent from a trash can outside the defendants Manhattan office this past January, with authorities believing his DNA is on the items. Prosecutors want to compare the suspects DNA with the items pulled from the trash and with a hair found on victim Megan Waterman. Heuermanns defense attorney argued authorities had failed to establish probable cause to collect her clients DNA now. But the order granted the prosecutions motion for a sample, adding the oral swab will be taken in front of the defendants attorney. The court finds that a comparison of the defendants sample with the evidence obtained ... will yield probative material evidence, wrote Mazzei. Defense attorney Danielle Koych filed court papers this past Monday to block prosecutors from collecting the DNA sample from the 59-year-old defendant, insisting they failed to demonstrate probable cause. The Suffolk County district attorneys office can state nothing more than Rex A. Heuermann is purported to have used or touched these items, she argued, adding the governments contention was at best a matter of conjecture and assumption. The hulking 6-foot-7 defendant, accused of murdering three young sex workers in 2009 and 2010, pleaded innocent to the charges following his shocking arrest in the blockbuster prosecution. He is the prime suspect in a fourth slaying as well. A lawyer for the accused killer said after Heuermanns Aug. 1 court date that his client insisted on his innocence in the case and was adamant about fighting the charges. The defendant, who remains behind bars, appeared for that court appearance in handcuffs with a chain around his ankles. A Charlotte activist is suing the city of Charlotte and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Maj. Brad Koch. The lawsuit stems from an incident during the George Floyd protests in Uptown in 2020, said attorneys for Jamie Marsicano. Marsicano shoved then-Capt. Koch before they were tackled to the ground and later charged, police said. The district attorney dismissed the case against Marsicano and expunged the charges last year, attorneys said. READ MORE: Charlotte resident arrested after protests at site of proposed Atlanta police training center However, attorneys said that case was used to keep Marsicano in jail this year. Three years later ... three years later this man is still harassing me, Marsicano told Channel 9. Channel 9 reported Marsicano was arrested during protests in March at an Atlanta police training center on domestic terrorism charges. Koch said during their bond hearing there was a one-million-percent chance that Marsicano would commit a felony if released, Marsicanos attorneys said. Please see response from CMPD regarding Marsicano Inquiry pic.twitter.com/dXE5hxxCuu CMPD News (@CMPD) August 8, 2023 Maj. Brad Koch referred to the expunged record and also said hurtful things about Jamie and Jamies character, the attorneys said. Attorneys said that influenced a judges decision, which led to Marsicano staying in jail and paying a $25,000 bond. Marsicano must also wear an ankle monitor for three months. Attorneys are suing for defamation, negligence, and violating the state expunction laws. However, CMPD said the charges against Marsicano were dismissed, but they were not automatically expunged from Marsicanos record. Koch is still legally allowed to share his opinion with other agencies even if they had been expunged, CMPD said. ALSO READ: Police looking for 4 people after CMPD captain assaulted in broad daylight Channel 9s Gina Esposito spoke with Attorney Scott MacLatchie, who has worked in law enforcement for more than 30 years. MacLatchie said state law says law enforcement can refer to expunged records in later criminal proceedings. The fact that the public record is erased doesnt mean that all memory and knowledge of the underlying offense somehow evaporate. And I have seen incidents, of course, where agency partners in the criminal justice system, like prosecutors, may share information, MacLatchie said. They are asking for $125,000 in damages. VIDEO: Woman carjacked in Atlanta by man using bow and arrow, police say Hi-Tech Robbery The gold rush into AI has sparked frenzied and at times misguided behavior from companies, from deploying AI to write badly written articles to firing therapists and replacing them with bots that give terrible advice. But perhaps the frenzy is fiercest among AI tech companies themselves, which are in a pitched battle to grab talent and money. Now add stealing corporate intellectual property to this list. Employees at Arthur AI, a company that helps other businesses optimize their AI models, are pointing fingers at rival company Arize AI for trying to steal corporate secrets during a Zoom presentation, according to the New York Times. While outre, this kind of behavior wouldn't be entirely surprising. Olivier Toubia, a Columbia University professor of business innovation, told the NYT that since the dawn of the tech industry, rival companies have fought bitterly over ideas like the storied rivalry between Apple and Microsoft. Another recent example is FriendliAI, a Korean tech company that's suing another AI business, Hugging Face, for alleged patent infringement. "We know people would do crazy things to get ahead," said Toubia. Operation Zoom But stealing intellectual property during a Zoom meeting? It's not a good look, especially as the topic of ethics dominates the conversation about AI. The accusation is that Yan Fung, who claimed to be the head of technology at a startup called OneOneThree, contacted Arthur AI last year and asked for a demo, according to the NYT. During a Zoom presentation on Arthur AI's technology, the story goes, Fung said that another colleague, Karina Patel, would join the meeting. But when the other colleague showed up, the name of Aparna Dhinakaran appeared on the screen, the NYT reports the name of the founder of rival company Arize AI. With Arthur AI employees suddenly noticing that something was amiss, Fung's "colleague" abruptly left the virtual meeting, with Fung saying that he didn't know Dhinakaran, according to the NYT. Arthur AI employees, puzzled over the weird presentation, speculated that Yan Fung is actually an alias for Dat Ngo, an employee at Arize AI. While it sounds like a clumsy, bush league attempt at corporate espionage, people should expect more similar shenanigans in the AI tech world as companies vie for capital, talent, ideas and power in the coming years. More on artificial intelligence: Almost Three Quarters of Americans Distrust Artificial Intelligence The News In a major milestone, biotech company Recursion used artificial intelligence and supercomputers to predict an unprecedented number of new possible chemical interactions that might lead to a myriad of effective drugs. Recursion combined a database of 15,000 human proteins from AlphaFold2, the product of an AI research organization within Google called DeepMind, with another containing 36 billion molecules. A supercomputer and cloud computing power from Nvidia were then used to crunch the massive trove of data. The accomplishment announced Tuesday was the latest development in the promising field of AI-enabled drug discovery, and shows how Silicon Valley and the biotech industry are growing closer. Nvidia announced last month it was investing $50 million into Recursion and giving the 10-year-old company access to powerful Nvidia compute power. The flywheel of AI is going faster and faster these days, particularly in the life sciences space, said Ben Mabey, chief technology officer at Utah-based Recursion, in an interview with Semafor. Recursion says it conducts about 2.2 million experiments per week, thanks to AI models, and has collected 25 petabytes of data. Know More Recursions method of drug discovery is an effort to go after the low hanging fruit of possibilities. Instead of targeting a specific disease or protein, Recursion is looking across the vast universe of proteins and molecules to try and find potential drugs that are more practical to test and make. If you think of drug discovery like cooking, one approach might be to dream up a gourmet meal, create recipes and then find the necessary ingredients to make it. The Recursion approach is more like looking at all the ingredients that are readily available and then trying to think of every possible dish. This lets us know what are those molecules that could be created with two or three simple steps so we could order lots of them, test lots of them, and see what actually works, Stephen MacKinnon, vice president of digital chemistry at Recursion, told Semafor. Recursion is one of a growing number of companies that are aiming to upend the way drug discovery works and potentially change medicine. Other companies like Schrodinger, Enveda and Absci, among others, are also chasing new drug discoveries with AI. Reeds view Recursions announcement isnt going to change the world of drug discovery overnight. The company now has to turn all those AI predictions of chemical reactions into physical lab tests, and then it could take years if, or when, any of those compounds make it into U.S. Food and Drug Administration clinical trials. And the FDA itself is still grappling with how to handle a new wave of drugs that are developed by artificial intelligence. One big question is whether that will help curb or stop Erooms Law, (Moores Law spelled backwards), which is the concept that drug discovery continues to get slower and more expensive over time. The FDA is soliciting feedback and exploring options to handle an expected increase in submissions because of AI. It says it plans to develop and adopt a flexible risk-based regulatory framework that promotes innovation and protects patient safety. Joe Wilson, managing director at biotech investing firm Undeterred Capital, said the Recursion news was impressive, but what insights can be generated from it is the major unanswered question. And that will only be known once Recursion and its partners can integrate this additional data into their current discovery tools. Wilson made another observation: The data that Recursion has generated is proprietary, meaning the rest of science and medicine cant get their hands on it. One complaint among biotech researchers is the fact that so much valuable data is siloed inside companies and current public databases dont provide nearly enough information to train their AI models. It would be very excellent to see Recursion open this up, Wilson said. Mabey said Recursion has no current plans to release its dataset publicly, but it has done so in the past. Anything is a possibility in the future, he said. Part of the problem is the strange incentive structures in the dysfunctional U.S. healthcare system. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who has been an active investor in the space, argued in a July column in MIT Technology Review that what may be needed to really change this is some kind of philanthropic or government effort. Open data sets are public goods: they benefit many researchers, but researchers have little incentive to create them themselves, he wrote. Room for Disagreement Aaron Daugherty, a vice president at Aria Pharmaceuticals, argues for measured optimism because AI is more of a complement to drug discovery than an entirely new way of curing disease. Proprietary data, software and technology are all wonderful talking points, but they are useless if they are not informed by and guided by the expertise of pharmaceutical scientists, he writes. And, he argues, even if AI can be used to discover new drugs, they have to be the right drugs that can make an impact and not just mimic treatments already on the market. Notable There are already AI-created drugs moving their way through the regulatory system, as this MIT Technology Review article reports in a deep-dive into the industry, its promise and its challenges. During the second take-off of a MiG-31K fighter jet in Russia on 9 August, Russian electronic warfare systems simulated the launch of Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. Source: Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Air Force, on air during the national 24/7 joint newscast Quote: "What happened? Another MiG-31K take-off from Savasleyka airfield. As it is known, the MiG-31K is a carrier of Kh-47 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles... When the all-clear was already given, the jets took off again, so there was a possible threat of using Kinzhal missiles. Actually, here is why this information tension arose. Because there was a serif in the area of the northern regions. Accordingly, many Telegram channels have already begun to write that Kinzhal missiles are moving towards Vinnytsia Oblast or others. A serif with a speed of 7,500 [km per hour ed.] is a characteristic marker that it could be an aeroballistic missile. The same serifs were seen on the eve of Air Force Day, when the enemy congratulated us on our professional holiday in this way. But then, there were real Kinzhals, three missile launches and several simulated ones. Simulation means that enemy electronic warfare equipment is working and, in fact, false tags are created. There were obviously such tags even now." Details: Ihnat noted that there was no information about any explosions on the territory of Ukraine. At the same time, Ihnat advised not to tempt fate and to respond appropriately to air-raid warnings every time. 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! On the afternoon of 9 August, the authorities of Ukraine announced an air raid warning throughout the country due to the take-off of a potential carrier of the Kinzhal aeroballistic missile. It lasted for a little more than 40 minutes. Source: alerts.in.ua map, the Air Force on Telegram Quote from the Air Force: "There is missile danger throughout all of Ukraine! A MiG-31K take-off from Savasleyka air base. Do not ignore the air raid siren!" Background: An air raid siren is usually issued throughout the country due to the take-off of the Russian MiG-31K aircraft, which is a potential carrier of the Kinzhal supersonic missile. The Air Force explained that the Kh-47 Kinzhal aeroballistic missile is extremely fast and very accurate. Ukrainian air defence does not yet have enough Western-style assets to counter the ballistic missiles. 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! A boat captain at the centre of the viral dockside brawl in Montgomery, Alabama, has said he believes the attack on his colleague that launched the melee was politically motivated. Capt Jim Kittrell was trying to dock the Harriott II riverboat on Saturday when he was stopped by a pontoon boat parked where his vessel was meant to come in. After 45 minutes of waiting, he sent his deckhand Damian Pickett, who is Black, to shore to ask the pontoon boats owners, who are white, to move - but the request was not well received. Viral video captured the owners punching Mr Pickett before an all-out brawl ensued - largely along racial lines. Three men are now facing charges over the incident - though police say they did not find enough evidence to support hate crime charges. Mr Kittrell disagreed with that finding as he spoke out about the ordeal for the first time in an interview with the Daily Beast. The white guys that attacked my deckhandand he was a senior deckhand first mateI cant think of any other reason they attacked him other than it being racially motivated, he said. At the time of the incident, Mr Kittrell was transporting 227 passengers on the Harriot II, a riverboat that provides two-hour cruises up and down the Alabama River. Upon reaching the end of this particular trip, the boat became stuck yards away from the dock for almost an hour because the pontoon boat owners reportedly ignored repeated requests to move. This whole thing is just because these guys were being assholes, Mr Kittrell said. I was nice as a peach when I was talking to them at first: Please, help me out here, fellas. Move the boat up a little bit. Mr Kittrell told the Daily Beast that he only needed two or three feet to navigate the Harriott II to the dock safely. However, the pontoon boat owners, who Mr Kittrell said were obviously intoxicated, continued to not comply with the requests, so the captain was forced to call 911. When Mr Pickett reached the dock in a smaller vessell, he lightly pushed the pontoon boat forward by a few feet, moving it from the riverboats space. Chaos ensued. The viral footage captures the next few minutes of the exchange, in which Mr Pickett, a Black man, is punched by one of the pontoon boat owners, a white man. Other people from the pontoon boat, all of whom are white, joined in the fray, assaulting both Mr Pickett and the 16-year-old boy who had taken Mr Pickett to the dock in the smaller vessel, police said. Three people on the pontoon are facing assault charges, the police chief said. Police identified them as Richard Roberts, 48, Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25. Although police considered pressing hate crimes, they did not find enough evidence to support such charges, Police Chief Darryl Albert explained. Explaining why he thinks that finding is incorrect, Mr Kittrell said: All [Mr Pickett] did was move their boat up three feet. It makes no sense to have six people try to beat the snot out of you just because you moved their boat up a few feet. In my opinion, the attack on Damien was racially motivated. Beyond the initial exchange, Mr Kittrell conceded that the rest of the fight was not Black and white. It was just shipmates trying to help a shipmate, the captain said. They couldve been little green men, for all they cared. When they attacked Damien, my crew was gonna jump out and do the best they could to help him out. It was my crew against the people who attacked their shipmate, thats all it was. Chief Albert explicitly said that the people aboard the pontoon boat were not local to Montgomery. This is not indicative of who we are as a city. We are much better than that, he said. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed (D) responded Wednesday to footage of the brawl that escalated on his citys dock over the weekend by saying he was shocked to see someone attacked for just doing their job. I was surprised, certainly shocked, even, to see someone doing their job get attacked just by asking a person to move their vehicle. In this case, it was a boat, Reed said in an interview on CNN This Morning. Thats something that I think shows a lack of respect for the individual, and I just didnt appreciate someone who is working to secure the safety of others who were on that boat being approached like that. And I think thats the issue, Reed added. A chaotic brawl captured on video Saturday resulted in three arrests warrants for white pontoon boaters who allegedly attacked a Black captain, Damien Pickett, of a riverboat cruise over a docking dispute in Montgomerys riverfront, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert said Tuesday. Three pontoon boaters charged in Alabama riverfront brawl The dispute reportedly started after a pontoon boat was parked in the riverboats designated space. After Pickett tried contacting the operators of the pontoon boat over the PA system for 40-45 minutes, he allegedly was met with obscene gestures, curse words and taunting, Albert said. The brawl has become a national news story as video footage and memes of the brawl have continued to circulate on social media. Conversation surrounding the incident has focused on race, as the brawl seemed clearly divided on racial lines. Reed praised the work of the police department in handling the case. I think our police departments done a great job in putting aside any emotion or what could have been, and really looking at the facts, Reed said. And I think thats what led to the arrest yesterday, and then two others who were supposed to turn themselves. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (R) took aim at Republicans who accuse the Justice Department (DOJ) of being biased, warning them to not use former President Trumps indictments as political fodder. While Trump has a right to defend himself, his language and actions since 2016 have fueled a growing sense among many Americans that our justice system is rigged and biased against him and his supporters, Gonzales wrote in a Washington Post op-ed. Sadly, this has led on the right to a growing distrust of and rage against the Justice Department, he added. Pundits across the political spectrum have a duty to be honest with Americans and to demonstrate that Trump is not being singled out and treated unfairly unless there is clear evidence to believe otherwise, Gonzales wrote. The American people should withhold their judgment, consider the facts as the case moves forward, and be wary of words designed to fan the flames of partisanship. Gonzales, who served in former President George W. Bushs administration, pushed back against arguments that the DOJ is targeting free speech in its latest charges brought against Trump: Speech that leads to crime has never been protected from prosecution, he wrote. Lying to masses of Americans that their right to vote was taken away and encouraging them to take it back by any means as Trump is accused of doing can, based on evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, constitute a crime. Trump pleaded not guilty last week to four federal charges in connection with his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The former president and many of his allies have used the indictment to accuse the Biden administration of weaponizing the DOJ, with many labeling it as a two-tier system of justice. Gonzales argued that the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, should not be held to a higher standard than Trump. He warned that if the country decides that presidents should not be charged with crimes related to actions they took while in office, the U.S. is no longer a democracy. He also reiterated the burden of proof is on the government, adding that it is the duty of officials to act at all times with integrity. He also called on political pundits to be honest with Americans in the wake of Trumps latest indictment. The rule of law is the glue that holds our country together. If we are to survive as a democracy, we must continue to respect and protect it, he concluded. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. "Black widower" Thomas Randolph who has been married to six women, four of whom are dead is back in headlines this week as he begins his second murder trial for the alleged killing of his sixth spouse and her apparent hitman. Jury selection began Tuesday for Nevada prosecutors, who will have a second chance to convict Randolph, called the "Joe Exotic of true crime" by Dateline producer Dan Slepian. It is the latest twist in the bizarre story of Randolph, who was also previously accused of killing his second wife. "He's a perplexing, intriguing murder suspect," Slepian, who documented Randolph's story in Dateline's 2021 miniseries "The Widower," said previously. "You can't take your eyes off him. He flirts with the cameras it's been like a three-decade cat-and-mouse game with law enforcement and with our cameras." TEXAS WOMAN SENTENCED FOR INVOLVEMENT IN 2018 MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT TO KILL AUSTIN JEWELERS This week's trial follows Randolph's 2017 conviction and death sentence for the killings of his sixth wife, Sharon Causse, and Michael Miller, whom he allegedly hired to kill Causse. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP That conviction was later overturned due to "prior bad-act evidence" that had been shared with jurors. That evidence involved mention of his 1986 arrest in Utah for the death of his second wife, Becky Gault, for which he was acquitted. This time, prosecutors are no longer seeking the death penalty due to Randolph's age, 68. Attorney and Emory University law professor Randall M. Kessler, who teaches trial techniques, told Fox News Digital that it is "rare that convictions like these are overturned" even though "every [lawyer] tries it." "Let's say you're a naive kid and you get arrested for shoplifting and it goes to court, and you win by proving you didn't do it," Kessler said, explaining the "prior bad-act evidence" concept. "Then five years later you're accused of something else. How fair would it be for prosecutors to say Hey, they were arrested for shoplifting,'?" "You shouldn't be convicted of a crime based on something that you were alleged to have done before, specially in America where we are innocent until proven guilty," Kessler continued. Four of Randolph's wives were already dead when he stood trial for Causse's death, while their friends and family, Randolph's two surviving wives and the prosecutor at Randolph's Utah murder trial all testified against him in court. Randolph told 911 dispatchers in 2008 that a masked man broke into his home and shot his wife. Startled, he said, he shot the intruder only to realize that he was their handyman. Authorities initially believed him, and Randolph received a $400,000 life insurance payout. However, after catching wind of his earlier murder charge in Utah, Las Vegas Metro Police detectives Dean OKelley and Rob Wilson took another look at Causse's death, according to "The Widower." FLORIDA MAN ARRESTED FOR MURDER OF WIFE WHOSE REMAINS WERE FOUND IN 3 SUITCASES They discovered that Randolph took out multiple life insurance policies within two years of the "break-in," and that Randolph and Miller had exchanged hundreds of phone calls beforehand. Prosecutors noted in 2017 that Randolph received $500,000 after the death of Gault. Utah police found Gault tucked into bed with a gunshot wound to the head, initially ruling it a suicide, per court documents. Utah investigators later charged Randolph with murder based on testimony from his friend and earlier handyman, Eric Tarantino, who said that Randolph asked him to kill Gault in a staged burglary before her death. Tarantino said Randolph "indicated...that he wanted [Gault] killed so he could collect the money from her life insurance policies." However, Randolph then tried paying an undercover police officer to "whack" Tarantino before he could testify. Although he pleaded guilty to felony witness tampering, Randolph was ultimately acquitted for Gault's murder. ALEX MURDAUGH'S 1ST POST-CONVICTION PRISON CALL TO SON BUSTER MADE PUBLIC: 'PROUD OF YOU' In the 2017 trial for the killings of Causse and Miller, the daughter of Francis Randolph, the widower's fourth wife, said her mother was cremated just 24 hours after she died during heart surgery in 2004. Randolph did not let his stepdaughter attend her funeral nor see her after her death, according to her testimony. Another man told jurors that Randolph had asked him to kill Francis before her death, and suggested he stage her death as a burglary. UTAH AUTHOR ACCUSED OF MURDERING HUSBAND ALLEGEDLY CAUGHT TRYING TO STEAL HIS LIFE INSURANCE BENEFITS Friends of Randolph's fifth wife, Leona Stapleton, testified that she had died of cancer. First wife Kathryn Thomas, with whom Randolph had two children, told jurors that her former husband had been psychologically abusive, recounting a time when he threw a bowl of oatmeal at a wall because it was not to his liking. His third wife, Gayna Allmon, told the court that while cleaning his gun, Randolph fired a bullet toward her that lodged a hole in their kitchen wall. Her then-husband claimed it was an accident but she believed he intended to take her life. Randolph has maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration, per his interviews in Dateline's special. UTAH MOM KOURI RICHINS GOOGLED 'LUXURY PRISONS FOR THE RICH' AFTER ALLEGEDLY KILLING HUSBAND: DOCS "I didn't kill any of them, they know this," Randolph said. "They said four of six wives died suspicious well, if cancer is suspicious, then I guess I'm a killer. If dying of a botched surgery [for] a heart defect, I guess I'm a killer. But I didn't give them any of that." However, three weeks after his arrest, according to Slepian, Randolph said that he would "be cheated if they didn't charge [him] with the death penalty." CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Randolph's defense attorney told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last Wednesday that he "look[ed] forward to the actual facts coming out at trial." Chinese-Malaysian filmmaker Tan Chui Mui's deeply personal film, "Barbarian Invasion," will hit movie theaters in China on Aug. 10 after receiving the Jury Grand Prix at the Golden Goblet Awards of the 2021 Shanghai International Film Festival. Tan Chui Mui (right) speaks to the host of the premiere of "Barbarian Invasion" in Beijing, Aug. 2, 2023. [Photo courtesy of Elemeet] Tan wrote, directed and stars in "Barbarian Invasion," playing the lead role of Moon Lee, an acclaimed actress. Having retired from acting, Moon is now a full-time mom and divorcee, who seizes the opportunity to work with director Roger Woo (Pete Teo). Tasked with a physically demanding role in a martial arts film that aspires to be the Southeast-Asian "Bourne Identity," Moon undergoes intensive training. However, her confidence is shaken when she learns that her ex-husband, Julliard, has also been cast in the movie. The film explores Moon's professional and personal life through a film-within-a-film narrative device. As a big fan of renowned South Korean director Hong Sang-soo, Tan said at the premiere in Beijing on Aug. 2 that while the concept of a film within a film is not new, this particular film is always centered around life. In the movie, the character of Woo, who serves as an alter ego for Tan, shares his thoughts with Moon, saying, "When I was young, film was everything to me. Now, at this age, everything is like a film for me. Everything is a film." Tan Chui Mui and Nik Hadiff Dani in a still from "Barbarian Invasion." [Photo courtesy of Da Huang Pictures] "I think it's normal to be concerned about oneself. I'm concerned about myself rather than the movie. It revolves around my anxieties and troubles, so it's quite introspective," Tan said at the Beijing premiere. Tan has lived an extraordinary and diverse life. By nine years old, she had already published a children's magazine, and her thirst for knowledge led her to read an entire encyclopedia by 12. At 17, she contributed a weekly column to a student paper. Pursuing her passion, she earned a degree in computer animation at 21 and ventured into filmmaking. At 27, she directed her first film, "Love Conquers All." Later in life, at 38, she became a mother and took up martial arts training at 41 for the film. "In 'Barbarian Invasion,' there is a direct exploration of the body," she said. "After becoming pregnant, I felt like I had lost control over my own body. So, during that time of making the movie, I wanted to regain control over my body. Self-discovery is also about reconnecting with the body. Many aspects in the film are fluid. I wanted to experience being a barbarian, to let my own body go through the experiences, not someone else's body, hence not another actor. So, I didn't do it for the sake of the film; I did it for life." Director Tan Chui Mui on the set of "Barbarian Invasion." [Photo courtesy of Da Huang Pictures] Tan, a leading filmmaker and pioneer of the Malaysian New Wave, has played a significant role in bringing international attention to Malaysia's independent film scene. Her debut feature film, "Love Conquers All," earned her several awards at renowned film festivals, including the New Currents Awards and Fipresci Prize at the Busan International Film Festival. "Barbarian Invasion" then earned her a top award at the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2021. Tan sees herself as a "barbarian" who questions rules and traditional film narratives, and her goal is to break established norms and challenge the status quo. She said: "I don't have ambitions to do things perfectly, to make a great film. I'm more interested in breaking some previous orders and norms. I am that barbarian." She is passionate about nurturing aspiring filmmakers in Malaysia and the region through initiatives like Next New Wave, SeaShorts and her own indie film production company, Da Huang Pictures. But she noted that with the rise of training camps, film schools and film festivals supporting young directors, experienced mentors are being brought in to guide them and prevent unnecessary mistakes. This has resulted in the emergence of many excellent works. However, there is a danger in guiding filmmakers solely on predefined paths, leading to the production of "cookie-cutter films." Tan Chui Mui meditates with a monk in a still from "Barbarian Invasion." [Photo courtesy of Da Huang Pictures] "My personality is such that if I'm given two choices one with a guaranteed outcome and the other unknown I would opt for the uncertain path, even without knowing its destination," she said. "I'm willing to embrace the unknown, even if it means making mistakes along the way. So, when people ask me for advice or counsel for young directors, I often suggest disregarding others' advice and instead immersing themselves in firsthand experiences. Success often has limited models, while mistakes can bring forth countless variations." Eight Amazon basin nations announced an agreement Wednesday on preservation of the rainforest to avoid the point of no return but fell short of a shared goal on deforestation. The declaration comes at the conclusion of a two-day summit this week of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) member states Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. The Belem Declaration, named for the Brazilian city where the summit took place, instead includes provisions allowing each of the eight nations to develop personalized targets. It would also create a scientific body along the lines of the United Nationss Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to produce annual scientific reports on the state of the forest. ACTO is the only intergovernmental coordination body of the eight Amazonian countries for the joint development of projects and actions that produce equitable and beneficial results for the Amazonian countries, due to its institutionality, its extensive knowledge of the region and the relevant experience of its Permanent Secretariat in coordinating dialogue and implementing development cooperation initiatives, according to the document. Other provisions include acknowledgment of Indigenous sovereignty and further law enforcement cooperation to address the organized crime groups operating in the Amazon. The agreement also does not include a deal on ending all oil and gas development in the Amazon, an action sought by Indigenous groups and Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who took office earlier this year, has reversed many of the pro-industry Amazon policies of his hard-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. But Lula has hedged on oil development in the forest, particularly since the discovery of oil off the countrys northern coast. About 60 percent of the rainforest is in Brazil. The declaration comes after preliminary data from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research indicated deforestation in Brazil has fallen to a six-year low. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Demonstrators, including indigenous people from Amazon countries, marched in Belem on Tuesday as the summit began The eight countries that share the Amazon basin have fallen short of an agreed goal to end deforestation. Delegates from the countries are meeting in the Brazilian city of Belem for a two-day summit on the issue. A joint declaration on Tuesday created an alliance to combat deforestation, but left each country to pursue its own conservation goals. Climate activists said the deal lacked concrete measures at a time "when the planet is melting". "Temperature records are broken every day, it's not possible that under those circumstances, the eight presidents of the Amazon nations can't include a line in the declaration stating, in bold letters, that deforestation needs to be zero, that it won't be tolerated any more," Marcio Astrini of the Climate Observatory group said. Around 60% of the Amazon, the largest rainforest in the world, lies in Brazil. The other countries represented at the gathering are Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. Representatives from the eight countries which share the Amazon will attend Preserving the Amazon is a central part of efforts to tackle climate change and ahead of the summit, its host, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, had called for a common goal of ending deforestation by 2030. Brazil has already adopted the policy but hopes for it to be adopted jointly by all the eight nations gathered in Belem were dashed on Tuesday. Mr Astrini said the declaration lacked "something more forceful". Haug Larsen of the Rainforest Foundation Norway also bemoaned the fact that a commitment to zero deforestation, the "guiding star for the agreement", had not been achieved. But he welcomed an agreement by the eight nations to work together to combat illegal activities in the Amazon, which he said had been allowed to "rage freely", particularly in the border areas. He said concrete plans had been made to co-ordinate air space surveillance and exchange information to combat illegal mining and logging. If properly implemented, the agreement would be "a giant leap in the right direction", he concluded. Brazil's President Lula said in his opening speech that action had "never been so urgent". "The challenges of our era, and the opportunities arising from them, demand we act in unison". Deforestation in Brazil has fallen dramatically since Lula won the presidency from predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, who favoured development over conservation, but thousands of square kilometres continue to be lost each year. Bar chart showing lower deforestation rates in 2023 compared to 2022 across most months from January to July The joint statement, named the Belem declaration, said the new alliance would aim to "prevent the Amazon from reaching a point of no return". It also included commitments to enhance co-operation on issues like water management, health, sustainable development and common negotiating positions at global climate summits. But there have been differences in opinion in some areas. Colombia's President, Gustavo Petro, for example, wants other countries to match his pledge to ban new oil exploration, while Brazil is considering exploring new areas at the mouth of the Amazon river. Despite the differences, the gathering has undoubtedly given this region a voice when it comes to combatting climate change, and is being viewed as a precursor to the 2025 UN Climate Change conference, which will also be held in Belem. The summit opened on the same day that the European Union's climate change panel confirmed that July had been the hottest month on record globally. The billions of trees that make up the Amazon hold vast amounts of carbon, accumulated over centuries, and every year their leaves continue to absorb carbon dioxide that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere and contribute to the rise in global temperatures. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. A stock image of a wheelchair in an vacant area of an airport. Alexander Schulz/EyeEm/Getty Images An American Airlines passenger says her wheelchair was damaged after two flights in April. Deanna Vaillancourt-Thompson said the airline didn't respond but a third party handled the issue. A spokesperson for the airline told USA Today that a team member has apologized. A woman who traveled on an American Airlines flight in April said the airline didn't directly acknowledge her complaints after her wheelchair was returned damaged, USA Today reported on Tuesday. Deanna Vaillancourt-Thompson told the publication that she uses a manual wheelchair due to ongoing complications from a car accident. She said the wheelchair was returned to her with completely flat tires and a broken brake handle after a flight from San Francisco to Charlotte on April 19, and that there was more damage on the return flight home. "The guy who brought my wheelchair up said, 'Oops, sorry,'" she told USA Today's Zach Wichter, speaking of the initial damage to her wheelchair after the first flight. Representatives for American Airlines didn't respond to requests for comment, but a spokesperson for the airline told USA Today in a statement that it is "committed to supporting the independence of our customers who travel with wheelchairs and assistive devices" and that a member of the team got in touch with Vaillancourt-Thompson to apologize and "fully repair the device." Vaillancourt-Thompson told USA Today she was only able to use the chair as a walker after the first flight. She was able to reinflate the tires after checking into her hotel, however, the brake handle remained broken, she said. The passenger added that in her experience it's common for her wheelchair's tires to become low on air after a flight, however, it's not usually the case that the chair can't be used. She told the outlet that she had been traveling for the Psychiatric Service Dog Partners convention, which took place between April 21 and April 24, according to the website. When Vaillancourt-Thompson took her return flight home after the convention, her wheelchair was returned with the other brake handle completely gone, she told the outlet. An American Airlines Airbus A321 passenger jet at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. Robert Alexander/Getty Images) Vaillancourt-Thompson says it took weeks to get replacement parts for her wheelchair Global Repair Group, which works with American Airlines for mobility device repair, sent Vaillancourt-Thompson replacement parts six weeks after she returned home, she told USA Today. She added that she carried out the repairs herself. Global Repair Group did not respond to requests for comment. Although an airline rep told USA Today that they'd apologized to Vaillancourt-Thompson, according to the passenger, she hasn't heard from the airline directly since issuing an official complaint. "I haven't heard anything from American. I just heard 'sorry about that' from the manager at baggage claim, and I've never heard from them," Vaillancourt-Thompson said. "I tried filing complaints with them and to get a hold of somebody there, and they don't reply," she added. Vaillancourt-Thompson's experience isn't uncommon Vaillancourt-Thompson told USA Today she's friends with Veronica Morris, an American Airlines passenger who made news earlier this summer after saying her wheelchair was returned with the seat missing and a wheel "sheared off" after a flight from Charlotte to Philadelphia on June 16, USA Today reported in July. In a statement obtained by USA Today at the time, American Airlines said it apologized for the incident. Morris said she was provided with a new wheelchair by Global Repair Group and that the airline provided her with points for future flights. Vaillancourt-Thompson told USA Today that wheelchair damage hasn't just been an issue with American Airlines, in her experience. "Whenever I fly, no matter what airline it is, I always get flat tires, missing brake handles," she told the outlet. John Morris, founder of the advocacy group Wheelchairtravel.org, told Travel Weekly in April that airlines are more likely to damage wheelchairs than baggage because the crews responsible for transporting them may not be handling them properly. "You can train someone to lift a wheelchair properly," Morris told the outlet. "But I think the real solution is securing equipment so that staff don't have to lift a 400-pound vehicle. Eliminating the opportunity for failure is the way that I would go about solving it." He added that chairs often aren't secured in cargo holds, while some chairs don't fit through the cargo door in an upright position. Vaillancourt-Thompson could not be reached for comment. Read the original article on Insider An American nurse and her daughter who were kidnapped in Haiti have been freed, the Christian humanitarian aid organization where she worked said. El Roi Haiti announced the release of Alix Dorsainvil and her child on its website early Wednesday morning. Both were kidnapped on June 27, the same day the U.S. State Department ordered the withdrawal of non-emergency personnel from its embassy in Port-au-Prince and all U.S. citizens from the country due to an escalation in gang violence and kidnappings. It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child, who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti. Today we are praising God for answered prayer! the nonprofit said on its website. We are so thankful for everyone who joined us in prayer and supported us during this crisis. The organization did not say if a ransom was paid for their freedom. A ransom of $1 million had been requested. Dorsainvil is originally from New Hampshire and was working in the clinic when she was grabbed by armed men, witnesses told the Associated Press. There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation, so we are asking that no attempts be made to contact Alix or her family at this time, the aid group said. We will continue to release information as appropriate on our website. Please keep checking back. And again, thanks for all of the prayers and support through this incredibly difficult time. Department of State Spokesman Matthew Miller said the U.S. welcomes the release of Dorsainvil and her daughter. We have no greater priority, of course, than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas. We express our deepest appreciation to our Haitian and U.S. inter-agency partners for their assistance in facilitating for their safe release, he said. Kidnappings have been on the rise in Haiti, where UNICEF said this week that the number of women and children being abducted is seeing an alarming spike. And while Dorsainvil, a U.S. citizen, has been released, there are others in Haiti who remain in captivity. Among them is Pierre-Louis Opont, a television station owner and the former head of the Provisional Electoral Council. Opont oversaw the 2015 general elections where late president Jovenel Moise was a candidate and the ballot had to be rerun due to allegations of massive fraud. Since August 2020, Opont has been a member of a government board charged with the modernization of public enterprise. He was kidnapped in late June and continues to be held despite an undisclosed payment of a ransom. His abduction occurred less than 10 days after his wife, radio journalist Marie Lucie Bonhomme, was abducted from inside her home in the Tabarre area in the middle of the night. The gang Kraze Barye, whose violence led the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince to cut back services to the public on Tuesday, is believed to be behind the abduction. The gang is led by Vitelhomme Innocent. In this undated photo provided by El Roi Haiti, Alix Dorsainvil, right, poses with her husband, Sandro Dorsainvil. Alix Dorsainvil, a nurse for El Roi Haiti, and her daughter were kidnapped on Thursday, July 27, the organization said. (Courtesy of El Roi Haiti via AP) PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) Kidnappers in Haiti released a U.S. nurse and her daughter Wednesday, nearly two weeks after they were snatched at gunpoint from the campus of a Christian-run school near Port-au-Prince, underscoring the severe security risks for visitors to a capital city largely controlled by gangs. The July 27 abduction of Alix Dorsainvil and her child happened the very day the U.S. State Department warned U.S. citizens to leave as soon as possible and ordered the departure of nonemergency U.S. government personnel from Haiti because of security concerns. The country remains under a U.S. do not travel advisory. In the days following the kidnapping, El Roi Haiti, the Christian group founded by Dorsainvils husband, asked people to pray and said it was working on their safe return. Hope waned among some. Gang warfare has increasingly plagued Haiti since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Gang members regularly kill, rape and hold residents for ransom. Some are held for months. A local nonprofit has documented 539 kidnappings since January, a significant rise over previous years for the country of more than 11 million people. On Wednesday, El Roi Haiti confirmed the New Hampshire mother and daughter's safe release with a heart of gratitude and immense joy. The U.S. State Department issued a statement thanking its Haitian and U.S. interagency partners for facilitating the release. Neither gave any further details, including whether a ransom was paid. We have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas, the department said. As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally. In a brief conversation with The Associated Press, El Roi Haiti said it would comment further in coming days but asked for patience as the community processes and heals. The organization issued a statement asking that no one try to contact Dorsainvil and her family. Meanwhile, Haitians living near the group's campus erupted in relief and smiles when they heard the news. Thank you, God! Fredline Valcourt said. Shes our mother in the area. If we have any problems, we dont need to go anywhere else. She would take care of us. Louitesse Desumer said she had gone to church to pray for their freedom. "We dont want them to leave the country, she said, as she raised her hands in thanks for the release. The Christian group has offered medical care, education and other basic services to people in the countrys poorest areas. In a blog post, El Roi Haiti said Dorsainvil fell in love with Haitis people on a visit there after the devastating 2010 earthquake hit the Caribbean nation. In a video posted on the organization's website, Dorsainvil describes Haitians as full of joy, and life and love, people she was blessed to know. Dorsainvil graduated from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, where a program supports nursing education in Haiti. The college's president, Antoinette Hays, said the community was relieved to hear of the safe release of Dorsainvil and her daughter. "We send our prayers and continued support to her family and friends as they begin the healing process from this experience. ___ Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Associated Press reporter Evens Sanon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed. The viral clip blew up with 8.7 million views and over 960 comments. TikTok: @itsshelbyreicks, Shelby Reicks US tourist Shelby Reicks went viral when she said she sneaked onto a train in Rome without paying. Viewers criticized the TikToker for trying to "cheat the system" and labeled her "entitled." Reicks told Insider her story wasn't quite true, and her goal was to gain views. A TikToker attempted to go viral by saying she had sneaked onto a train while on vacation in Europe, and complaining that she was caught out and handed a fine. She did gain millions of views, but the response wasn't positive. On June 11, Shelby Reicks, a 24-year-old from Chicago, Illinois, posted a video that showed her sitting in a train carriage, with an on-screen caption that read, "not us thinking we snuck onto this train in rome for free." In the video, Reicks could be seen looking down the carriage as further captions appeared on screen that said she was "getting anxious" as the ticket checker approached, and discussed a "game plan" with her travel companion about what to say, hoping she could just buy a ticket for $14. When the ticket collector stopped by their seats, Reicks asked if she could buy a ticket there and then, before being told it would cost an extra 50, or $55, to purchase them on the train. Reicks could be seen gasping at the news of the additional cost, as a caption read the train journey was just 15 minutes, and Reicks exclaimed "what the" before the video ended. According to Atac Roma, which operates public transport facilities in Rome, passengers found traveling without a valid ticket can be issued with a penalty fare of up to 500, or $548, in addition to the payment of the ticket price. Reicks told Insider that her TikTok story wasn't entirely accurate, and in fact she had tried to buy a ticket on the platform entrance using her Apple card but it didn't work, and said two workers let her through anyway, which is how she ended up on the carriage without a ticket. She said she'd added the caption which claimed they had sneaked onto the train in a bid to boost viewership. "In the digital era, I understand how a sprinkle of clickbait can increase engagement," she said. "I did not actually purposefully 'sneak' onto the train." The clip received 8.7 million views and over 960 comments, some of which suggested ways in which the TikToker could have gotten out of the fare, but the vast majority of the response appeared to criticize Reicks for attempting to sneak onto the train and score a free ride, as comments called her out for being "entitled" or wrote they were glad she was caught and handed an additional fee. "Don't cheat the system, or the system will cheat you," one viewer wrote in a top comment that received 25,900 likes. Others took issue with the TikToker's apparent response when she was issued the fine, and the fact she acted shocked by the additional fee, instead of accepting the increased fare as a consequence of her purported actions. "Why are you complaining that they charged you more," a viewer wrote. Reicks told Insider she posted the video while still in Italy and saw it had some initial growth before she boarded her plane home, and was "shocked that it already amassed hundreds of thousands of views" by the time she'd landed back in the US. Among the "mostly negative" response from the viewers, Reicks said many specifically "came at Americans as a whole" and criticized "American tourists" in general for their behavior in other countries. This has become common on social media. Back in July, an American tourist received backlash on TikTok when she compared traveling to the Amalfi Coast in Italy to "manual labor," and a debate about how much water Europeans consume sparked a back and forth between US tourists and local European residents in recent weeks. Reicks has over 168,000 followers on TikTok where she shares travel tips and recommendations. For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here. Read the original article on Insider If your recent search history is full of questions like, Is Andrew Garfield gay? and Is Andrew Garfield bisexual? then you arent alone because those search terms started trending on Google shortly after a photo of the Amazing Spider-Man star went viral. The photo in question was snapped while Garfield was enjoying a vacay with friends on a yacht in Positano, Italy. In it, the 39-year-old actor can be seen shirtless as he leans forward while a friend seems to be giving him a massage or applying sunscreen on his back. Andrew Garfield vacationing in Italy with friends. pic.twitter.com/G6LLRGotTV Pop Base (@PopBase) August 6, 2023 It quickly went viral and spurred on the trending Google search terms. Fans then went wild on Twitter posting comments and memes referencing Garfields sexuality because the angle the photo was taken at made some thirsty commenters joke that he was having sex with the man standing behind him. Fans posted comments like, "He can top me" and "Whats with all the Spidermen getting backshots these days??" But despite the fervor, Garfield has been clear in the past that he is not gay. In an interview with Out while he was promoting his role as a gay man suffering from AIDS in Angels in America on Broadway back in 2018, the actor admitted to having an "openness," but ultimately said he's straight. My stance toward life, though, is that I always try to surrender to the mystery of not being in charge. I have an openness to any impulses that may arise within me at any time. If I were to identify, I would identify as heterosexual, Garfield said. However, none of that stopped people on social media from posting funny comments to the photo. We've culled through the jokes and memes on Twitter to find the best ones, so keep scrolling to see the hilarity. The camera man when he caught the angle pic.twitter.com/JS2g6QybOJ Aaron (@SeekAaron_) August 6, 2023 I WAS NOT READY FOR THIS PIC. How do we know they not actually doing it Camilla (@SpicyCammy) August 6, 2023 backshots?? without me??? nicholas dante (@nicholasdante_) August 6, 2023 We can only thank him Stephanie (@missstefania_) August 6, 2023 Hear me out, the camera man got jealous. pic.twitter.com/wtHri1gqGq Hola. (@gbolahan_i) August 6, 2023 Get those cheeks clapped. *Respectfully* Amanda D a r k o Artistry (@AmandaD_arko) August 8, 2023 A new documentary about Andrew Tate is coming to BBC Three (Andreea Alexandru / AP) BBC Three is working on an investigative documentary on Andrew Tate, the social media star facing rape and human-trafficking charges. Provisionally titled Andrew Tate: The Man Who Groomed the World?, the documentary will investigate Tate and his brother Tristan. Investigative reporter Matt Shea and director Jamie Tahsin have been investigating Tate and his inner circle for four years. They previously worked together on a documentary titled The Dangerous Rise of Andrew Tate, which was produced by Vice and is currently streaming on BBC iPlayer. The Tate brothers have been accused of tricking alleged victims into sexual exploitation with false claims of marriage and love. The victims were allegedly placed under continuous surveillance and control, intimidated, and forced into debt. Andrew and Tristan had been under house arrest in Romania since April, but were released last week following a successful appeal. A spokesperson for Andrew Tate said: We embrace the opportunity it presents to demonstrate their innocence. Meanwhile, Tate posted on Twitter after the ruling, After 10 months. 3 in jail, 7 at home. After 15 million euro of asset seizures. After an inditement [sic] based on nothing. The file was passed to a Judge who has ruled it weak and circumstantial. I have been released from house arrest but must remain within Romania. Before his arrest, Tate gained millions of followers on social media for posting controversial, misogynistic content. His fans helped share his videos on TikTok, where Tate was banned. However, Tate currently has more than seven million followers on X, formerly known as Twitter. Shea said in a statement that the documentary will uncover Tates global network, which spans multiple continents, affects potentially hundreds of victims, and ultimately seek to discover who is really behind Andrew Tate. Meanwhile, Nasfim Haque, head of content at BBC Three, said: Viewers loved Tahsin and Sheas illuminating first documentary about Andrew Tate. This film continues their brilliant investigative work and reveals even more about how Tate and his organisation operate their global network. Mike Radford, an executive producer, added: "The documentary is testament to the tenacity and dedication of Matt and Jamie in investigating Andrew Tate and his organisation. Its important that as many people as possible should be made aware of the workings of him and his close associates." The documentary will air on BBC Three, but a release date has yet to be confirmed. Surprise, Surprise It's a cold, hard truth: alternatives to plastic straws are annoying. Metal straws get gross if you forget to regularly clean them, while paper ones quickly get soggy. But there's a reason why we deal with less-convenient straw alternatives: like all other single-use plastics, plastic straws are undeniably terrible for the environment and the organisms in it. And though the fervor behind the "Save the Turtles"-heavy anti-plastic straw movement that gained steam back in the 2010s has died down, the lasting impacts of it, as Harvin Bhathal writes for Grist, mark a rare and actually meaningful moment for the global anti-plastic movement and considering the very depressing moment in Earth and human history that we're in, it's worth reflecting on the movement's successes. Anti-plastic straw messaging "triggered a lightbulb moment for a lot of people," Jackie Nunez, advocacy and engagement manager for the DC-based nonprofit Plastic Pollution Coalition and founder of coalition-led Last Plastic Straw Movement, told Grist. "It ended up becoming a thing I call a gateway issue." The Plastics Basically, Bhathal argues, the movement led to the widespread limiting of a number of single-use plastics; not just plastic straws, but throw-away cups, containers, and various types of plastic packaging. And most importantly, the trendy movement normalized the absence of some plastics. That's nothing to bat an eye at it's incredibly difficult to drive mass behavioral shifts, especially when corporate interests don't align. "Our brains favor habits because they conserve energy," Leslie Davenport, a climate psychology educator and consultant, told Grist. "So if we are going against the current a BYO straw for example it's hard for most people to do so unless highly motivated." It's also true that an ever-growing number of plastic straw bans are now in effect, in a number of US cities and states, as well as abroad. There have also been some notable efforts on the corporate level: back in 2020, for example, Starbucks ditched plastic straws in favor of sippy lids. Straw Man Now, to be clear, Starbucks is no environmental hero, and to laud it too heavily for abandoning one type of single-use plastic would be nothing short of greenwashing. Again: all of it's bad, and Americans to put the blame where it's due have a lot more habit-changing to do. Still, if incremental, the anti-plastic straw campaigns did cause tangible change. It's small, sure. But it's something, and hopefully, future anti-plastic campaigns will continue to push the needle. More on plastics: The Ocean's Plastic Pollution Has Spiked to "Unprecedented" Levels A federal appeals court will hear arguments Thursday regarding a lower courts ruling curtailing communications by officials in the Biden administration with social media companies over controversial posts. Last month, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty ruled administration officials cannot contact social media companies relating to any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content on the platforms containing protected free speech. The Louisiana-based Trump appointee ordered officials from several federal agencies to cease relevant communications with the companies, including the Department of Justice, State Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The decision was a blow to the Biden administrations efforts to curb disinformation efforts central to the lawsuit prompting Doughtys ruling. Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri called those endeavors a campaign of censorship in their challenge to the administrations practices. The case had primarily taken aim at attempts to cut back false information online during the COVID-19 pandemic, which Republicans decried as a violation of the First Amendment. A panel of three judges from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals which is primarily made of GOP-appointed judges issued an administrative stay on Doughtys order until further notice. Lawyers led by Brian Boynton, principal deputy assistant attorney general, argued in the administrations appeal brief that the sweeping language in Doughtys order could be read to prohibit virtually any government communication directed at social media platforms regarding content moderation. The unprecedented injunction at issue here installs the district court as the arbiter of which government communications are permissible, Boynton wrote. It does so with no basis in law or fact. The lawyers also argued that allowing the ruling to stand would significantly harm the government and public interest. They gave the example of a Surgeon General publicly expressing the view that social media companies should take action on suicide prevention, including by curtailing features that feed suicide-promoting content to persons struggling with suicidal ideation. Such statements have not a whiff of coercion. But they could be regarded as urging or encouraging social-media companies to change their guidelines for removing, deleting, suppressing, or reducing content containing protected free speech, Boynton wrote. In the attorneys generals appeals brief, their counsel argued the judges order put a stop to an egregious campaign of censorship and should remain in effect. This campaign of federal censorship was so effective that it fundamentally distorted online discourse in America on great social and political questions, rendering entire viewpoints virtually unspeakable on social media, they argued. Republicans on the House Judiciarys subcommittee on government weaponization including Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) filed an amicus brief in support of the attorneys general, asserting that the Biden administration has repeatedly distorted the free marketplace of ideas promised by the First Amendment, bringing the weight of federal authority to bear on any speech it dislikes including memes and jokes. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear 30 minutes of oral arguments from each side Thursday afternoon. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows the scene of a launching ceremony of new SUV models of Jetour Auto at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. [Photo/Xinhua] Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. Under the theme of "Travel Together," the launching ceremony held by Jetour in front of the grand pyramids attracted more than 500 guests from the two countries, including auto dealers, auto experts, internet influencers, and media representatives. During the ceremony, Jetour introduced three SUV models, namely X70Plus, X90Plus and Dashing, whose ultra-modern designs are in fantastic contrast to the ancient pyramids behind them. Since its establishment in 2018, Jetour has set up over 400 sales and service networks in more than 40 countries and regions, said Ke Chuandeng, vice president of Jetour Auto. Chen Jiacai, assistant general manager of Jetour and general manager of Jetour International Marketing Company, said that Jetour will focus on the SUV market in Egypt, aiming to take over 10-percent share of the Egyptian auto market by 2027. "Through enhancing local production capacity, Jetour is committed to providing more jobs and making its contribution to Egypt's economy," Chen told Xinhua. China's automobile exports witnessed a sharp increase of 75.7 percent year on year in the first half of this year by exporting 2.14 million vehicles, according to the latest data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows new SUV models of Jetour Auto at a launching ceremony at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. [Photo/Xinhua] Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows the scene of a launching ceremony of new SUV models of Jetour Auto at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. [Photo/Xinhua] Many missing children in Arizona absconded from foster care or are taken by parents after paying them a visit in foster care. But there are many others whose disappearance have no explanation. One missing Arizona child was found in another Western state in July, but more than 500 also went missing in the state in the same month alone. The children are mostly girls. The Arizona Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse recorded 515 cases of missing children in July, the Department of Child Safety told The Arizona Republic. Of these, more than half were resolved, as current active cases on the AMEC database would show. July was the same month Alicia Navarro, 18, who was missing since 2019, turned up in Montana. More than 1,000 missing children cases are active across the state according to a check of the database Aug. 8. The number of missing children on the database fluctuates as cases get taken off when a child is found and added to the list when new reports are made. Arizona Department of Public Safetys spokesperson Raul Garcia told The Republic that the missing children database automatically pulls missing juvenile information from the Arizona Crime Information Center and FBIs National Crime Information Center every four hours. Once a missing child report is made to an investigating agency usually the police the department transmits the information to those organizations' active missing persons files. About half of missing children files open in the database were reported in 2023. A few cases from the 1950s and 1960s are still open. For instance, Diane Webb, whose case is the oldest on the list, would be 81 today. She was 17 when she went missing in 1959. She was last seen getting on a bus in Phoenix to visit her parents, according to a Phoenix Police Department 2012 bulletin. She never arrived. In 2022, the FBIs National Crime Information Center had 359,094 entries of missing children nationwide. Even though most missing children are found, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a nonprofit organization established by Congress to handle cases of missing children, said it is difficult to know exactly how many children are missing because cases often are not reported to the authorities. A USA TODAY investigation in 2022 found that even though a majority of children are found soon after they are reported missing, those who are not tend to be Black children. What Arizona's database does, doesn't say Arizonas missing children database on its own says nothing about the rate at which children are found. Garcia said thats because the database primarily serves as a tool for law enforcement agencies looking for historical missing incident data, especially when it comes to child sex trafficking victims. Children on the list are identified by race, and are listed as either Black, white, Indian or Asian. "White" children include those who are white and Latino, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The Indian category includes all persons of Native American, and Alaskan Native origins. In several cases, the missing childs race is unknown. It may be that the families are unknown or simply that the reporting party does not know the race of the missing juvenile at the time of reporting, Garcia said. The case of Alicia Navarro exemplifies the happy ending most families hope for. However, tragedy sometimes follows. In January, two missing teenagers, Sitlalli Avelar, 17 and Kamryn Meyers 15, were found dead in a Mesa water basin after they were reported missing from their group home. The teens case led to a bill signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs in June, mandating the Department of Child Safety to notify parents, known relatives or guardians within 24 hours of receiving information about any missing, abducted or a runaway child in foster care. The bill also mandates law enforcement agencies provide all local media outlets and post to social media information about a missing child within 48 hours of receiving a report. A child in foster care running away or getting taken by a parent is the common case for missing children recorded by DCS, spokesperson, Darren DaRonco said. After a court filing to remove a child, sometimes a parent just leaves town with the kid, he said. In some cases, a parent comes to visit and just leaves with the child. The DCS files a missing child report for these situations. By December 2022, 31 children were missing in foster care, DCS data shows. Of these, 16 were missing for over 180 days. But what happens when the case involves a child who may be in real danger? The law now makes it necessary for the department and law enforcement agencies to treat every case with urgency and seriousness. Most missing children at the end of 2022 nationwide were girls, according to NCIC data. The current files of missing children in Arizona show most missing white children to be boys but in the case of Black and Asian children, there are more girls. Missing children also tend to be between 15 and 17. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Missing children in Arizona: 500 more reported in July alone four astronauts standing in a row with arms crossed. they wear flight suits. behind them is a cone-shaped spacecraft CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA The four astronauts who will launch on a historic moon mission next year just got a good look inside their spacecraft. The four Artemis 2 astronauts gathered in front of their Orion spacecraft here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to talk about the big challenges of getting ready to fly around the moon in November 2024 or so. The NASA mission will be the first to send astronauts to the moon's vicinity since Apollo 17 in December 1972. It's a big challenge, but the Artemis 2 crew says they are ready to meet it and so are their ground teams. "This is a developmental mission," Artemis 2 astronaut Christina Koch said during a gaggle with a small group of reporters in front of Orion on Tuesday (Aug. 8). "We're going to be training. We're going to be figuring things out with the team as we go and really embrace the uncertainty." Related: How Artemis 2 astronauts are training for their 2024 moon mission Artemis 2 is the crewed gate-opener of the larger Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent human presence on and around the moon. It's the only mission so far with a named crew: NASA's Koch, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, along with the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen. With the success of the uncrewed Artemis 1 that orbited the moon in late 2022, NASA is already deep in the build of future Orion spacecraft to ferry humans to lunar realms in the coming years. On display here at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at KSC on Tuesday were three Orion spacecraft, in fact. The trio will carry the crews of Artemis 2 in 2024, Artemis 3 in 2025 or 2026, and Artemis 4 later in the decade, if the first two missions keep to their schedule. cone-shaped spacecraft mounted on a circular-shaped stand. behind are black panels The Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Aug. 8, 2023. (Image credit: Elizabeth Howell) Wiseman, the commander of Artemis 2, emphasized that the crewmembers are using "their own unique backgrounds" to inform the training. (Koch will become the first woman to go around the moon, while Glover will be the first Black astronaut and Hansen the first non-American to do so.) "You do see it all with a different set of eyes," Wiseman said of the crew's individual perspectives, in response to a Space.com question. And the future is very much in everyone's minds, he said not only for training the next crews, but for doing even more difficult missions in the future. "We are helping influence the design of this," Wiseman said of Orion, "to help our future astronauts that are going to have much bigger, much more complex missions. So, making this operate as simply as possible for them." Related: See Artemis 2 moon astronauts train with US Navy for Orion splashdown (photos, video) cone-shaped spacecraft on a white circular mount. the bottom is wrapped in plastic. a large facility with ladders and other equipment is in background. caution tape is in the front The Artemis 3 spacecraft at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Aug. 8, 2023. (Image credit: Elizabeth Howell) The crew is nearly five months into their training and says the "gelling" happened long before they were assigned to the mission during a star-studded event in April. Hansen and Wiseman were both selected as astronaut candidates for their respective corps in 2009, while Koch and Glover joined NASA in 2013. Before their selection for Artemis 2, the quartet already knew each other well, they told reporters, and that closeness is apparent. For example, Koch teased Hansen about his height (6 foot 2 inches), which is unusually tall for an astronaut. Glover joked that he found a solution to crew disputes when he looked inside the open Orion spacecraft on Monday (Aug. 7): "We were able to identify a timeout (area) just in case we need it," he said, drawing laughter from reporters. But being with Orion, which will be their home for 10 days on Artemis 2, brought a new perspective to the crew as they continue their training. "Seeing the spacecraft together does bond us in a new way," Koch said. "There are only three other humans that look at this spacecraft the same way as I do. They're all standing here, and that is something that we didn't have before yesterday, and it is special." a partially completed conical gold space capsule sits on a metallic frame inside a white-walled building The Artemis 4 spacecraft at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 8, 2023. (Image credit: Elizabeth Howell) Glover added that the bonding goes beyond the crew to the vast ground teams supporting their mission. Many of the trainers on Artemis 2, for example, will be directly responsible for key systems on the spacecraft. And the Artemis 2 crew spent part of their time here in Florida working with the launch teams. That's a deliberate choice by NASA. It allows the astronauts and systems teams to get to know each other long before the moon mission begins, "forming relationships from the highest levels of leadership, all the way down to people who are going in schools as well," Glover said. "We're really going to lean on those relationships as we take on several big challenges." RELATED STORIES: NASA's Artemis program: Everything you need to know Artemis 2 crew begins 1st moon mission training in 50 years Artemis 2 astronaut Jeremy Hansen says a Canadian will walk on the moon one day All four Artemis 2 crewmembers said they're looking forward to seeing Earth from even farther away than the International Space Station, and then seeing the moon up close. Hansen will be the lone spaceflight rookie on the mission; Wiseman said he will be "excited to see Jeremy glued to the window looking back at Earth" in between testing out the Orion spacecraft in high Earth orbit. As for the moon, Koch said the astronauts are excited not only to see our lunar neighbor up close, but also to explore the geology from orbit informed by professional training. (Both Koch and Hansen will do a geology expedition in Canada in September, for example.) "I think even more so we're excited to take pictures of other people," she added, saying the crew recognizes they are lucky to explore so distant a location together, as the experience of coming close to the moon will likely mark them profoundly. "That's something I'm really excited about." Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaks during a press conference with Iraq's prime minister in Damascus on July 16, 2023, as Assad's engagement with Middle East countries increases (LOUAI BESHARA) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday that the biggest obstacle to millions of refugees returning home is a lack of infrastructure, devastated by more than a decade of civil war. The Syria conflict has killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and battered the country's infrastructure and industry since it began in 2011 with the government's repression of peaceful anti-government protests. The war pulled in foreign powers and jihadists, and while the front lines have mostly quietened in recent years, large parts of the country's north remain outside government control. Asked during an interview with Abu Dhabi-based Sky News Arabia television about the greatest challenge to refugee returns, Assad responded: "Logistically, infrastructure which terrorists destroyed". "We have started general dialogue" with United Nations humanitarian bodies "on return projects", financing and UN demands, said Assad, citing a lack of water, electricity, schools and health care facilities. Assad, who refers to all those opposed to the government as "terrorists", has seen increased engagement with Middle East countries this year. Syria was readmitted to the Arab League in May, ending more than a decade of regional isolation during which some powers bet on his demise. Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt host at least 5.5 million refugees, according to the United Nations, and refugee returns have been a key issue at recent regional discussions. But as countries have increased calls for refugees to return, rights groups warned against forced returns and raised safety fears, saying some returnees have faced arrest or persecution, allegations which Assad denied in the interview. Regional countries are also seeking cooperation from Damascus on issues including fighting the drug trade. "When there is war and the state is weakened," the drug trade flourishes and "this is normal", Assad said. "The countries that contributed to creating chaos in Syria bear the responsibility for this, not the Syrian state," he added. An AFP investigation last year found that Syria has become a narco state, with the $10 billion captagon industry dwarfing all other exports and funding both Assad and many of his enemies. The Syrian president pointed to dialogue between Damascus and Arab officials on fighting the drug trade. "We have a shared interest in eliminating this phenomenon," he said, during his rare interview with a Middle Eastern media outlet. Arab outreach to Assad gained momentum this year after a deadly February 6 earthquake struck Syria and Turkey, and accelerated as regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore bilateral ties the following month in a surprise China-brokered deal. Analysts say Assad is hoping wealthy Gulf states can help fund reconstruction, although Western sanctions are likely to deter investment, and broader international funding remains elusive without a UN-backed political settlement. - Erdogan meeting 'not possible' - Asked about mending ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has long supported rebel groups in Syria's north, Assad said: "Why should I meet Erdogan? To drink refreshments?". Erdogan and Assad had amicable relations in the 2000s but as war broke out, Turkey supported early rebel efforts to topple the Syrian president. Erdogan reversed course in past years as Damascus clawed back, with Russian and Iranian support, much of the territory it had lost to rebels early in the conflict. But Assad has long said he will not meet Erdogan unless Turkish forces leave Syria, where they control parts of the north. "Erdogan's goal is to legitimise Turkish occupation in Syria. This is why a meeting is not possible under Erdogan's conditions," Assad said. Twelve years of war have also strained Syria's ties with Palestinian movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and was long one of Assad's closest allies. The Islamist group was headquartered in Damascus before the war but left Syria in 2012 after condemning the Assad government's brutal suppression of protests. Last year, Hamas said it had restored relations with the Syrian government after a visiting delegation met with Assad in Damascus. But the Syrian president said that it was "too early" to speak of resuming normal ties with the group. "For now, Hamas does not have offices in Damascus," he added in the interview. bur-lar/rh/lg/aya/it When news broke last month that Astranis first commercial satellite in orbit malfunctioned, the company made an unexpected announcement: it had a backup. That backup is called UtilitySat, and the company is finally ready to give it a formal introduction. UtilitySat is aptly named: as Astranis CEO John Gedmark explained in an exclusive interview with TechCrunch, it is designed to be exceedingly useful. Gedmark who refers to UtilitySat as the Swiss Army Knife of satellites said it will be the first satellite of its kind capable of multiple missions, and the first satellite equipped with transponders in the standard Ku, Ka, and Q/V bands for different mission profiles. UtilitySats most obvious use case is the one the public learned about in July: it can be launched as an on-orbit spare, taking on part of the load if a dedicated Astranis satellite glitches and can no longer provide connectivity. But this is far from its only application. The real utility comes from the satellites dual-propulsion chemical system and electric ion thruster, which gives Astranis the ability to move each UtilitySat around the geostationary belt more than thirty times over its useful life. This is a huge shift from legacy GEO satellites, which have very long lifespans and single-mission profiles that are decided well in advance of launch. That allows us to have this incredibly powerful asset we can bring to bear in almost any kind of situation you can think of where someone needs broadband connectivity in a remote or very underserved location, Gedmark said. One such situation could be during a natural disaster, when reliable communication is paramount; another might be national security, to add resiliency to space-based and ground communication architectures. As opposed to Astranis dedicated satellites, where capacity is sold on long-term leases with telecom providers, customers will essentially be able to task UtilitySats for shorter-term use. UtilitySats will also be capable of providing bridge capacity for customers waiting for their contracted Astranis satellite, or to boost capacity over an area, Gedmark added. Astranis, which is taking a novel approach to internet satellites, is looking at launching one or more UtilitySats in 2025, with the eventual aim to include a UtilitySat in every batch of satellites the company launches. Although the public only learned about UtilitySat in July, Gedmark said the secret satellite has been under development for quite some time. This has been a part of our roadmap for a very, very long time, he said. I would actually say, going all the way back, it's been part of the original vision for Astranis. Atlanta police say multiple people were involved in a shooting at a parking garage at Grady Memorial Hospital Wednesday afternoon. Police responded to reports of shots fired around 1:17 p.m. Police said there was no active shooter and so far, there are no reports of injuries. Officers said they discovered multiple vehicles damaged by gunfire in the parking garage. Its unclear what led up to the shooting. One person has been detained. Police are still investigating. We have crews on the scene to gather more information about this developing story, for Channel 2 Action News. Officers are actively canvassing the area to find any other people involved. Police said the investigation revealed the shooting involved multiple people who know each other. The hospital was initially on lockdown, but the lockdown has since been lifted. Grady issued a statement about the incident, saying: Grady Hospital was on lockdown for a short time due to reports of gunshots fired on the second level of one of our parking decks. The hospital is no longer on lockdown and normal operations have resumed. There was never an active shooter inside the hospital. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] OTHER NEWS: Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in "Oppenheimer." Universal Pictures Atomic bombs work via a process called nuclear fission that involves atom splitting. Shortly after scientists discovered nuclear fission, the possibility of a bomb was quickly realized. Albert Einstein didn't make the first atomic bombs, but his famous equation explains how they work. With its depiction of the first atomic bomb explosion, "Oppenheimer" highlights the massive destructive power of these early nuclear weapons. While you might want to brush up on your physics before seeing the film Cillian Murphy certainly did to play the role of J. Robert Oppenheimer here's an explainer of how the first atomic bombs worked. Splitting the atom Atomic bombs work by splitting atoms via nuclear fission. It's called "splitting" because, essentially, you're taking one atom and dividing, or splitting, it into two. Scene from the film "Oppenheimer," where J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, stands next to the first atomic bomb to ever detonate. Universal The center of atoms consists of tiny particles called protons and neutrons. Fission, which was discovered in 1938, occurs when a neutron hits the atomic nucleus. It splits, producing two lighter elements and, more importantly, a few neutrons and some energy both of which are key to atomic weapons. Shortly after scientists first discovered they'd split the atom, the quantum-physics community including Albert Einstein and Oppenheimer himself figured out that it could be used to produce an enormous bomb. If fission starts with a certain minimum amount known as critical mass of radioactive material such as uranium and plutonium, it causes a chain reaction, Zaijing Sun, a nuclear physicist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Insider. When enough radioactive material undergoes nuclear fission, it generates a chain reaction of splitting atoms capable of generating an enormous explosion. Screen grab/Amanda Macias/Business Insider In the nuclear chain reaction, each neutron released by fission goes on to split another atom, producing more neutrons that split more atoms at a faster rate. As more atoms split, the extra energy left over builds and builds almost instantaneously producing the explosive power of the atom bomb, Sun said. In a single atomic-bomb explosion, billions of atoms split within a millionth of a second. Einstein's famous equation explains how atom bombs work The first atomic bomb ever detonated, known as the Trinity test, used about 13 pounds, or 6 kilograms, of plutonium and generated an explosion equivalent to that of 20,000 tons of TNT. The mushroom cloud of the Trinity nuclear test rises over the New Mexico desert. National Security Research Center The atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima contained about 140 pounds of uranium and produced a blast equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT. But the bombs weren't totally efficient in their use of fuel just a small part of the nuclear material actually underwent fission. In fact, only about half a gram of the total uranium in the bomb dropped over Hiroshima was converted to energy creating the entire force of the explosion. But how is such a relatively small amount of matter capable of producing so much power? It has to do with Einstein's famous equation: E = mc2, which means "mass and energy are essentially the same thing, so any mass can turn into energy," Sun said. When a neutron hits a uranium-235 atom, the combined mass of the two new, lighter elements and the neutrons is less than the original atom of uranium-235 not by much, but it is measurable. That tiny amount of missing mass is what's transformed into pure energy, Sun said. It's that energy that is capable of nearly destroying an entire city. Later, scientists developed an even more powerful weapon. Called a hydrogen bomb, it uses both nuclear fission and nuclear fusion the binding of atoms to produce a weapon 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima in 1945. Building the bomb During World War II, scientists were well aware of the potential of using nuclear fission to create a weapon. Amid fears that Germany was working to make a bomb, Oppenheimer was appointed director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico part of the United States' top-secret Manhattan Project tasked with building the atom bomb. J. Robert Oppenheimer writes on a blackboard. Corbis/Getty Images The Manhattan Project took about three years to complete its mission employing over 130,000 people at its peak and costing $2.2 billion dollars by the end of the war, which is about $38 billion in 2023 when adjusted for inflation. The scientists designed and completed two different types of atomic bombs because they weren't sure which method would work. One was powered by uranium, and the other by plutonium. Uranium has a number of different isotopes or the same chemical element with a different number of neutrons. Naturally occurring uranium is composed mostly of the U-238 isotope and contains small amounts of the U-235 isotope. But an atomic bomb requires high concentrations of U-235 because it's the form that readily undergoes fission. A lab at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, created this "enriched" uranium that contained a high concentration of U-235 to serve as fuel for the bomb nicknamed "Little Boy" that was dropped over Hiroshima. The Little Boy featured a gun-type detonation method. The bomb contained two separate cores of uranium and used a conventional explosive to shoot one core into the other. When the two cores of uranium hit each other, critical mass was reached, causing an atomic explosion. While uranium was mined and enriched for use in a bomb, plutonium had to be made from scratch. Plutonium is produced by bombarding U-238 with neutrons. The U-238 atoms absorb a neutron, which sparks a series of nuclear changes that transform it into plutonium. A plutonium core, aka "demon core," surrounded by bricks that ultimately killed 2 physicists at the Los Alamos lab in New Mexico. Los Alamos National Laboratory Nuclear reactors in Hanford, Washington, produced plutonium and sent it to Los Alamos for assembly of the "Fat Man" bomb that the US dropped over Nagasaki. The Fat Man was an implosion-type bomb featuring a core of plutonium surrounded by explosives. When detonated, the force of the explosives crushed the plutonium together until it became dense enough to reach critical mass. Since scientists working on the Manhattan Project weren't quite sure if the plutonium bomb's implosion method would work, they decided to test one before it was used in the war. So on July 16, 1945, at 5:29 a.m., in the New Mexico desert southeast of Socorro, the Trinity test detonated a plutonium bomb called "Gadget" the world's first nuclear bomb and ushered in the atomic age. Read the original article on Business Insider Congressman Dan Bishop, a Republican candidate running for North Carolina Attorney General, visited Charlotte on Wednesday. Im at the Maggianos in SouthPark where Congressman Dan Bishop is holding a press conference on his run for Attorney General @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/54QBRUu6AA Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) August 9, 2023 Bishop addressed the public at Maggianos Little Italy at SouthPark mall following the Republican Women of Greater Charlotte lunch. The announcement of Bishops candidacy came on the heels of current Attorney General Josh Stein revealing that he will be seeking the Democratic nomination for governor next year. ALSO READ: US Rep. Dan Bishop announces a run for North Carolina attorney general A Republican hasnt been elected to this position since Zeb Walser in 1896. Bishop said he wants to use the position to be an advocate for law enforcement. I will be a spokesman there for law enforcement. I think that could have a material effect on making sure they have the resources they need, he said. Bishop also said he will defend the states laws even if he doesnt agree with them. No Democrats have declared for the race yet. VIDEO: North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein announces campaign for governor The symptoms suffered by the guests are consistent with poisoning by consumption of death cap mushrooms, Victoria Police Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said. Minh Hoang Cong/Getty Images A woman hosted a lunch for ex in-laws, and now, three have died. The woman, Erin Patterson, has denied wrongdoing, and police said the deaths are "unexplained." Police are investigating and suspect poisonous mushrooms are to blame. An Australian woman hosted her former in-laws for lunch in late July. Less than a week later, three of them died, and police suspect poisonous mushrooms are to blame. On July 29, Erin Patterson hosted her former parents-in-law Gail and Don Patterson and her former mother-in-law's sister and her husband Heather and Ian Wilkinson for lunch at her home in the southern Victorian town of Leongatha, CNN reported. Patterson's ex-husband, Simon Patterson, did not attend, but their two children were present, according to CNN. The following day, all four of Patterson's ex-in-laws fell seriously ill and were taken to the hospital, Victoria Police said. The two women Gail Patterson, 70, and her sister Heather Wilkinson, 66 died on August 4. Gail's husband, Don Patterson, 70, died a day later. The fourth guest, 68-year-old Ian Patterson, remains in critical condition in the hospital. Since the deaths, Erin Patterson has denied any wrongdoing. On Monday, the 48-year-old told reporters: "I'm devastated. I loved them. And I can't believe that this has happened, and I'm so sorry," CNN reported. Victoria Police provided an update on the deaths on Monday, saying that they'd launched a homicide investigation into the incident and that Patterson was a suspect because she'd cooked the meals for the guests and hadn't presented with any symptoms. The symptoms the guests had are consistent with the consumption of death cap mushrooms, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said, which are highly poisonous and can induce violent stomach pains, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. They can also cause serious liver and kidney damage, according to BC Centre for Disease Control. "We have to keep an open mind in relation to this. It could be very innocent," Thomas said. "But again, we just don't know at this point four people turn up, and three of them pass away, with another one critical, so we have to work through this." Thomas also said they'd executed a search warrant for Patterson's address and interviewed her on Saturday, adding that police believed Patterson and her two children had eaten a different meal than the four in-laws. The BC Centre for Disease Control reported that its local drug and poison information center received an average of 200 calls per year related to wild mushroom exposures and reported 39 deaths from 2017 to 2021. If a person ingests a death cap mushroom, the agency advises immediately transporting them to the emergency room because early treatment is paramount. In May 2023, NPR reported that a team of Chinese and Australian researchers may have found an antidote for death cap mushroom poisoning after conducting studies on mice. The study, shared in Nature Communications, found that ICG also known as indocyanine green "is an effective antidote" for treating -amanitin toxicity in mice. Read the original article on Insider This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center near Jaw, Bahrain, July 26, 2023. Bahrain prison inmates are taking part in a hunger strike over conditions there, activists and authorities said Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, the latest sign of simmering unrest in the island kingdom a decade after the Arab Spring. (Planet Labs PBC via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Inmates at a Bahrain prison are on a hunger strike over conditions there, activists and authorities said Wednesday, the latest sign of simmering unrest in the island kingdom a decade after Arab Spring protests. The strike is underway at the Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center, a facility holding many of the prisoners identified by human rights activists as dissidents who oppose the rule of the Al Khalifa family. The country's Sunni rulers have long faced complaints from the island's Shiite majority of discrimination. A statement published by the outlawed Al-Wefaq opposition group said the prisoners started the hunger strike over what it described as prison officials blocking inmates from worshipping and 23-hour lockdowns daily. The statement also alleged prison officials put inmates in isolation arbitrarily, interfered with family visits and provided inadequate health care to those incarcerated. Our demands are not trifles, but very necessary and required for human life, even at the lowest levels known to human history, the prisoners' statement read. Two prison blocks at the facility started their hunger strike on Monday, while three others started on Tuesday, said Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, an exiled activist in Britain with the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy. Alwadaei described those in the blocks taking part in the strike as political prisoners. The prisoners put the number of those taking part in the strike in the hundreds; The Associated Press could not independently confirm that. Several audio messages, later shared by activists, confirmed the hunger strike. On Wednesday, imprisoned activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja joined the hunger strike, his daughter Maryam said. Al-Khawaja is serving a life sentence at the prison after leading protests during the 2011 Arab Spring. The 62-year-old activist earlier drew attention to his imprisonment with a lengthy hunger strike in 2012, a detention considered arbitrary by a United Nations panel. Bahrain convicted him on internationally criticized terrorism charges. I am worried for my fathers life. I dont know that he can survive another hunger strike and its unfathomable that he is being pushed, yet again, to resort to this as a means of protest, his daughter said in a statement. I dont want my father to be released to us in a coffin, she added. Responding to questions from the AP, Bahrain's General Directorate of Reform and Rehabilitation said that some inmates at the facility had returned their meals on Tuesday. It did not provide a number of those taking part in the hunger strike, but insisted prisons allowed Shiites to commemorate Ashoura and enjoy their full rights and health care. Officials will continue to monitor the conditions of the inmates who have returned their meals to ensure the quality of the services provided and to address their concerns within the framework of adherence to the law and respect for human rights, the government statement said. The Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center is located toward the southern end of Bahrain, an island off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf that's about the size of New York City with a population of around 1.5 million people. Concerns over medical care at the prison have been raised before by activists. The U.S. State Department's recent human rights report on Bahrain noted prisoners' families reported a tuberculosis outbreak at the prison in June 2022. The government denied an outbreak took place, but inaugurated a 24-hour clinic at the prison months afterward, the State Department said. Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet, is in the midst of a decadelong crackdown on all dissent following the Arab Spring protests, which saw the islands Shiite majority and others demanding more political freedom. Since Bahrain put down the protests with the help of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it has imprisoned Shiite activists, deported others, stripped hundreds of their citizenship and closed its leading independent newspaper. Meanwhile, Bahrain has recognized Israel diplomatically and hosted Pope Francis last November. [Source] A South Korean woman has been arrested by police in Bali, Indonesia, for destroying sacred temple artifacts under the influence of a supernatural whisper. Key details: The tourist, only identified as YN, was arrested on Tuesday for the incident that occurred inside the Goa Raja Temple the day before, according to a recent Instagram post by the Rendang Police. The woman was reportedly arrested at her homestay without incident. What happened: YN was allegedly told by the supernatural whisper to enter the temple on Monday. Someone noticed her destroying sacred objects in the temple, including umbrellas, banners and offerings, and filmed her. More from NextShark: Sri Lanka president captured on video fleeing as protestors storm Colombo residence The aftermath: YN was taken to the Rendang Police headquarters, where she admitted to her crime and told investigators that she felt compelled to follow what the whisper told her, Rendang Police Chief I Made Suadnyana said. Following YNs arrest, the local village reportedly held a cleansing ritual at the temple, the Head of Besakih Traditional Village, Jro Mangku Widiartha, said. YN is currently staying in police custody as authorities continue with the investigation and legal proceedings. More from NextShark: Nissan becomes first Asian automaker to support Teslas charging connector for NA market Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! South Dakota bans TikTok among state employees, contractors over ties to Chinese government A McDonald's restaurant in Beijing [Photo/CFP] McDonald's China said it is on track to open a total of 10,000 stores by 2028, propelled by deeper localization in its expansion, digitalization and supply chains, said its top executive. On the sixth anniversary of McDonald's China's partnership with CITIC Ltd, CITIC Capital Partners and The Carlyle Group, with McDonald's maintaining 20 percent of the Chinese unit, the company has thrived with store numbers doubling, covering more lower-tier cities, offering wider digital services and creating more local delicacies to better serve Chinese consumers, McDonald's China said. Phyllis Cheung, CEO of McDonald's China, said in an interview with China Daily that the company has more than doubled its 2,000 outlets in five years to over 5,400 restaurants currently. This year alone, the firm will open more than 900 new stores. The CEO said the growth potential in China is immense. "If measured by the 14,000 McDonald's in the United States, which has a population of about 332 million, it is reasonable to expect 30,000 of our stores in China," she said. "The company has invented new store formats including the M2go shops, which offer contactless pickup lockers just by scanning a code. The format is designed to fit face-paced lifestyles in urban China, where more than 70 percent of our business is delivery and takeaways," Cheung said. McDonald's China has also launched breakfast stalls in subway stations in Beijing. Drive-through restaurants totaling more than 660 are also a driving force for the company's expansion in China, Cheung added. The growth in China in the first half of the year in terms of revenue is above pre-COVID levels, driven mostly by same-store growth and expansion. "We are confident in the second half, which is relying on consumption stimulus including product innovations, competitive prices and expansion in both offline and online platforms," she said. The limited-service restaurant chain market in China, which combines fast-food and 100 percent home delivery and takeaway outlets, has increased from 378.9 billion yuan ($52.54 billion) in 2018 to 430.6 billion yuan in 2022 and is forecast to exceed 705 billion yuan in 2027, according to a report by market research organization Euromonitor International. McDonald's still lags behind KFC in terms of market share but has expanded its scale quickly in recent years following the partnership, according to the report. "The key of localization for international catering or fast-food restaurants lies in a China-focused digital ecology that fits Chinese consumers' digital habits, as companies are required to constantly improve their internal operational efficiency, offering more convenience and a fluid and nimble user experience," said Jason Yu, general manager of Kantar Worldpanel China. "So far, domestic catering players, such as Heytea, are faster and more flexible in digital innovations and customized services." McDonald's China said that thanks to digitalization, developed and operated entirely by its China team of about 200 engineers, nine out of 10 orders are placed from digital devices 80 percent from mobile phones and 10 percent from restaurant ordering screens. "It means that only 10 percent of our orders are placed face-to-face," said Cheung. Its mobile application, with more than 260 million registered members, is rated 4.9 out of 5 points. In regards to the supply chain, Cheung said more than 90 percent of its food materials are now acquired and produced locally. A total of 14 logistics centers are under operation compared to only seven centers five years ago. For example, chickens are now supplied by Sunner and Tyson Foodstuffs China. Demand for cheese, which nearly doubled in the past years due to the popularity of the Angus Beef Burger, is supplied by Sanyuan Dairy in Beijing and a dairy producer in Shanghai. On the anniversary of the falsified election in Belarus, ministers of foreign affairs from the Baltic States and Poland issued a statement calling on the Belarusian government to stop persecuting members of the opposition and supporting the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Source: European Pravda, citing a statement released by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Details: In a joint statement, the foreign ministers from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland said that Alexander Lukashenkos unlawful regime has continued and ramped up ruthless repressions over the last three years, despite the strong condemnation of the international community. "Human rights activists, journalists, trade union organisers, media workers, lawyers and citizens who criticise the system are being labelled as extremists and terrorists, persecuted, blackmailed, and imprisoned; some of them went missing or were killed in the governments efforts to suppress resistance to its illegitimate rule," the statement reads. Since February 2022, Lukashenkos regime has also been an accomplice and a supporter of Russias unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine, in particular through taking part in the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children. "As long as the Minsk regime cares only about its own survival, it continues to destroy Belarusian statehood in an illegitimate and unlawful way and against the will of the Belarusian people, by ceding its sovereignty to Russia," the ministers wrote, accusing the Belarusian regime of destabilising the region by facilitating migrants entry into the EU. "At this particularly painful juncture in Belarusian history, we continue to stand with its people and remain faithful to the commitments captured in the historic motto: For Our Freedom and Yours. We believe in democratic, independent, and sovereign Belarus just as much as we believe in Ukraines victory," the statement said. "We are once again calling for the immediate and unconditional release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners, putting an end to repressions, and ceasing to support Russias aggression against Ukraine. We will continue to isolate Lukashenkos criminal and illegitimate regime for as long as it continues to carry out repressions, violate international law, instrumentalise migration, and commit other crimes, and we will step up the EUs targeted and sectoral sanctions against it," the ministers stressed. Background: On 9 August, the US Department of the Treasury expanded sanctions on the Belarusian regime to mark the three-year anniversary of the fraudulent August 2020 presidential election. On 3 August, the EU Council adopted sanctions against 38 persons and three legal entities from Belarus as a result of the deterioration of human rights abuses in the country. The EU Council also extended the ban on exports to Belarus of a number of critical goods and technologies that contribute to strengthening its military and technological capabilities. An additional ban was imposed on the export of firearms and ammunition, as well as goods and technologies that can be used in the aviation and space industries. 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! Margot Robbie as Barbie in "Barbie." Warner Bros. In "Barbie," Ruth Handler says moms "stand still" so their daughters can reflect on their journeys. It made me examine my relationship with my mother and realize how grateful I was for her sacrifices. Parenting can lead to generational divides, but I still respect my mother's choices. As I walked into the theater to see "Barbie," my excitement rose, bolstered by the cheers that only an opening-night crowd brings. As a child of the '90s, I was hungry for the nostalgia kick. Yet I could never predict that this movie the bubblegum-pink "Barbie" movie would make me intensely reexamine my relationship with my mother. Clearly, this uproarious yet personal summer blockbuster speaks to plenty of others. It's now the highest-grossing movie ever made by a solo female director. I loved the attentiveness to detail, such as the glitzy, fantastically cheesy costumes or how none of the Barbie Dreamhouses had walls. But for me, one scene, in particular, had an overwhelming influence. Barbie meets her creator, Ruth Handler, and asks Handler for permission to become human. "You don't need my permission. I can't control you any more than I could control my own daughter," Handler says. "I named you after her: Barbara. And I always hoped for you, like I hoped for her. We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back to see how far they've come." When I heard these lines, I couldn't help considering my close relationship with my mother. At several points in my life, including recently, I have felt as though I'm leaving her behind, a bittersweet ache that I can't quite put my finger on. It speaks to my mother's sacrifice and commitment My mother has lived an adventurous life. She was born in England and grew up in India, then was sent to a remote British boarding school. She hated school so much that she never attended college. At 18, she became a model, then a makeup artist, and, finally, an alternative healer, living around the world, in Argentina, Italy, and Belgium. As a teenager, I expressed an interest in poetry, so she signed me up for a writing workshop at the library, bought me countless books on writing, and arranged a meeting with one of her patients who worked at The New York Times. When it came time for me to choose a college, I sensed her yearning for the type of education I was about to receive. What I have always admired about her is how committed she is always to giving her best. When she starts something, she rarely gives up. She worked hard to get me into a private school. She sent me to sleepaway camp when she sensed I an only child with few friends was so bored during the summer. When I was 6, she signed me up for dance lessons, which I always loved, though I ultimately gave dance up because I never practiced and wasn't committed enough. No matter what, I could count on her being present in my life. She volunteered for countless school activities and showed up for every play and performance, beaming up at me on the stage. When I attended college, I took for granted the chances I was given and all the work she did to ensure I had a good future. Looking back on this, I know I wouldn't be where I am today without her. Parenting leads to generational divides, but I'm grateful for my mother's choices The Handler quote also speaks to the complex nature of motherhood. We may disagree with our mother's choices. We may live our own life differently. However, that doesn't make either choice wrong. The movie skips over how Handler's daughter hated that she was the inspiration for the famous doll. It seems that the film's director, Greta Gerwig, worked this into the movie by including a little rebellion. In the movie, Gloria's daughter, Sasha (played by Ariana Greenblatt), rejects Barbie because she believes the doll represents outdated sexist notions. Yes, this is true; Barbie dolls are too skinny and make us women feel inadequate about our bodies. But also, Barbie showed girls that they could be a doctor, be a president, or even be on an all-female Supreme Court. I like to think as women and as mothers, we stand in a line looking forward, knowing how much there is behind us that shines in pride and admiration. I feel grateful the "Barbie" movie reminded me of that. Read the original article on Insider BATTLE CREEK A Battle Creek man has been indicted on several criminal charges after investigators allegedly seized more than four kilograms of methamphetamine and 10 firearms two of which had been modified to meet the federal definition of machine guns" during a search of a Battle Creek residence in April. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten announced Wednesday that a federal grand jury in Grand Rapids returned a superseding indictment charging Travon Deshaun-Roderick Mansker, 26, with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of machine guns and felon in possession of firearms. A Battle Creek man has been indicted for allegedly possessing more than four kilograms of methamphetamine and machineguns, shown here. The charges stem from an April 27 search of a Battle Creek residence where investigators seized the drugs, firearms, approximately 1,000 rounds of ammunition, various high-capacity magazines, pill presses and other drug trafficking paraphernalia. Drugs and guns are a dangerous combination, and we are committed to getting illegal guns and drugs off of our streets, Totten said in a release Wednesday. The prevalence of machine gun conversion devices in the Western District is a particularly troubling trend that my office takes seriously. In the indictment, the grand jury alleges that on April 27, Mansker possessed methamphetamine that he intended to distribute to others. The superseding indictment also charges Mansker with possession of a machine gun for two firearms with different conversion devices installed and possession of a firearm by a felon for 10 firearms, including a firearm silencer, a firearm under federal law. This indictment should serve as a reminder that the DEA, and our law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue these individuals, Orville O. Greene, special agent in charge of Detroit Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said in the release. Our combined efforts are to not only stop the illegal distribution of dangerous illicit drugs, but also to prevent the associated violence that plagues our communities. Mansker will be arraigned on the superseding indictment before U.S. Magistrate Phillip J. Green of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. If convicted of the drug charge, Mansker faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison with a maximum penalty up to life. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Battle Creek Police Department, with additional support by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek man indicted for allegedly possessing meth, machine guns An international search for elusive Burton murder suspect Daniel Adame-Guatemala ended earlier this summer, more than a year and a half after the 23-year-old allegedly shot and killed his stepfather. Following stops in Mexico, South America, Texas and Charleston, Adame-Guataemala was booked in the Beaufort County jail Tuesday afternoon. Sheriffs Office deputies called the Feb. 24, 2023 shooting a targeted event. They arrived at the Godwin Mobile Home Park off Joe Frazier Road to find 29-year-old resident Christian Hernandez with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Neighbors told police Adame-Guatemala, who lived down the street, had shot Hernandez multiple times that night before leaving in a pickup truck. Hernandez was married to Adame-Guatemalas mother. Sheriffs Office spokesperson Sgt. Danny Allen would not specify a motive behind the shooting. Following the shooting, Adame-Guatemala proceeded to leave the country. Working with the U.S. Marshals Service and international authorities, Beaufort County investigators located the fugitive in Mexico but not before he fled again, ending up somewhere in South America. Adame-Guatemala was finally detained by U.S. Customs agents in early July 2023 while trying to reenter the U.S. illegally, according to the Wednesday morning release from the Sheriffs Office. After waiving extradition, he was taken to the Al Cannon Detention Center in Charleston, where he was taken into custody by Beaufort County deputies. He was charged Tuesday with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, jail records show. Due to the severity of the murder charge, his bond will be set by a judge from Beaufort County General Sessions court, which reconvenes Monday. Miami Marlins' Josh Bell, right, celebrates with Luis Arraez (3) after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) CINCINNATI (AP) Josh Bell homered twice once left-handed and once right-handed and drove in four runs, Bryan De La Cruz hit the go-ahead shot in the ninth and the Miami Marlins rallied late for a 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Trailing 4-1, Bell became the first Miami player to homer from both sides of the plate in a game when he hit a game-tying three-run shot in the eighth inning before De La Cruz led off the ninth by going the opposite way to right field against Alexis Diaz (3-4). Bell gave the Marlins a 1-0 lead with a second-inning solo shot. It was huge," said the switch-hitting Bell, who homered from both sides of the plate in the same game for the first time since he was 11 years old. "I wasnt sure it was going to go. I hit one to the warning track the last time up. It felt good. Reds manager David Bell came to the defense of Diaz. Alexis Diaz has had an incredible season for us two seasons for us," Bell said. "You cant be perfect. You cant be expected to dominate every single time you go out there, especially for a young player. We expect adjustment. We expect development. We expect improvement. Our guys are working every day. Graham Ashcraft pitched seven impressive innings, Christian Encarnacion-Strand homered and drove in three runs for the Reds, who have lost eight of their last nine games. Spencer Steer also homered and Joey Votto had three hits for the Reds. Tanner Scott (6-4) pitched the eighth and picked up the win. David Robertson allowed a hit before striking out Elly De La Cruz for his 17th save in 21 tries and third for the Marlins since being acquired in a trade with the New York Mets. Ashcraft extended his recent run of effective outings, allowing one run and three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts over seven innings. Its frustrating," Ashcraft said. Were playing the game really well. Guys are making quality pitches when we need them to and guys are taking quality at bats when we need them too. I dont know, its baseball. Its par for the course. There are times when youre on top of the world. Nothing stops you. Theres times when you go out be excellent and still get beat. Former Red Johnny Cueto lasted five innings, giving up five hits and three runs with one walk and five strikeouts. Cueto went 92-63 with a 3.21 ERA in eight seasons in Cincinnati from 2008-15. Bell, a trade deadline pickup from Cleveland, went opposite field with a 353-foot drive into the left field seats down the line for a 1-0 Miami lead in the fourth inning. Josh has been awesome, and not just with the home runs, but with his attention to detail," Miami manager Skip Schumaker said. "Hes super-engaged in the dugout. Hes been a vocal leader. Hes been the perfect fit for us. Steer tied it in the bottom of the inning with a two-out, 402-foot blast that caromed of the facade of the second deck in left field. After Votto reached on an infield single, Encarnacion-Strand gave the Reds a 3-1 lead with 390-foot shot into the lower level in left field. Encarnacion-Strand added an RBI single in the sixth before the Marlins rallied. Miami moved ahead of the Reds, into fourth place in the NL wild-card standings, going into a, off day on Thursday. OUTTA HERE Miamis Jorge Soler and manager Skip Schumaker both were ejected in the eighth inning by plate umpire Bill Miller after Soler took called strike three and protested. LATE START The start of the game was delayed 36 minutes by rain. TRAINERS ROOM Marlins: RHP Tommy Nance (right shoulder sprain) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in his first rehab appearance with Double-A Pensacola on Tuesday. Reds: RHP Tejay Antone (right elbow surgery) threw 28 pitches over 1 1/3 innings in the fifth appearance of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday at St. Paul. UP NEXT Marlins: LHP Jesus Luzardo (8-6) is the scheduled starter against the Yankees in the opener of a six-game homestand on Friday. Reds: LHP Andrew Abbott (6-3) is the scheduled starter at Pittsburgh on Friday in the opener of a three-game trip. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB The "director" of Berdyansk Port, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Volodymyr Stelmachenko, who assisted Russian occupiers in exporting $30 million worth of Ukrainian grain, has been sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison, Ukraines SBU security service said in a Telegram post on Aug. 9. Read also: Tiger cub stolen from Mariupol and sent to Moscow circus is reported dead The SBU reports that under Stelmachenkos supervision, the occupiers moved about 150,000 tons of wheat totaling more than $30 million from Berdyansk to Russian Federation since June 2022. The court handed him a 10-year prison sentence, along with property confiscation. However, because the offender is currently hiding in a temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, his sentence will begin from the day of his arrest. According to the message, the criminal was previously the head of the operational response department of Berdyansk Port and began collaborating with the Russians following the city's occupation. Read also: Risks and Dangers at the Zaporizhzhia NPP Moscow-appointed occupation authorities eventually made him the director of the seized port. Following this "appointment," he began to execute Russian orders concerning the transfer of all the property of the Ukrainian port under Russian control. Read also: Russians had fire adjuster on site after Pokrovsk attack, says ex-SBU officer It was primarily Stelmachenkos responsibility to assist the Russians in the illegal exports of Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied territories to Russia. Under his supervision, Read also: Explosions rock Russia-occupied Mariupol and Berdyansk the vessels Sormovsky-48 and ZHIBEK ZHOLY were used to transport the produce, escorted by warships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Based on the evidence collected by the SBU, Stelmachenko was convicted of aiding and abetting the aggressor. 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 FIRST ON FOX: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders quietly funneled $200,000 from his campaign's coffers to his wife's nonprofit institute, which appears to do very little work and pays six figures' worth of compensation to her son, Fox News Digital has found. The independent senator's committee cut two $100,000 checks to the Sanders Institute for reported charitable contributions in January and March, its Federal Election Commission records show. The expenditures are the largest from the Sanders campaign to any entity this election cycle. The senator's wife, Jane O'Meara Sanders, and stepson, David Driscoll, co-established the Sanders Institute in 2017 to act as a think tank to promote progressive voices, The Washington Post wrote at its launch. "The purpose is to revitalize democracy in the support of progressive institutions," Jane Sanders told the Post. "Our feeling is at our point in time, our country is at a crossroads, and people are engaged in a political process that can be opaque." BERNIE SANDERS DOUBLED HIS 2022 INCOME WITH PROFITS FROM BOOK RAILING AGAINST CAPITALISM "A vital democracy requires an informed electorate, civil discourse, and bold thinking," she continued. "So we put together this team to focus on issues, but not in a partisan way, not in a way that just focuses on the latest crazy thing. It will not be about Trump; it will be about the issues facing the country." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Just two years after its launch, in 2019, the institute announced it would suspend operations as Sen. Sanders sought the Democratic nomination for president to avoid the "appearance of impropriety" and presumably to take away a line of attack from his rivals over its money. The institute has since quietly resumed operations while seemingly sidestepping media attention. Its latest publicly available tax forms from 2021 show the nonprofit burnt nearly 40% of its donations on salaries while appearing to conduct minimal work and having very few identifiable accomplishments. The tax documents indicate that the progressive lawmaker's stepson is the big winner of the operation. In 2021, the institute raised $716,618 and drove $257,000 into wages, including $152,653 in salary and other compensation to Driscoll, who acts as its executive director. He identifies the role as his primary job on his LinkedIn profile after previously working outside the political world as the global director of team and media for Burton Snowboards. FORMER STARBUCKS CEO BATTLES BERNIE SANDERS' 'BILLIONAIRE MONIKER' IN DEFENSE OF AMERICAN DREAM: 'I EARNED IT' In 2021, the institute also reported spending $159,885 on developing The Timeline Project, which it described as a "policy-focused resource based on Bernie Sanders' work over four decades" that would be one of the "key pilars [sic] of the website." Additionally, it disbursed nearly $89,000 for a news website, an identical amount for social media and content creation, and $17,765 for a gathering it had to cancel due to the pandemic. The institute, however, appears to have little to show for the money it drove into its projects. Nowhere on its website is a "policy-focused resource" as described for its top program expense, and its blog posts from its fellows are primarily cross-posted from other sources. Its YouTube page has uploaded just two videos this year, both of which are quick messages from their fellows, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. Its profile on X, formerly Twitter, also mainly appears to push outside news articles and opinion pieces from its fellows. And despite Jane Sanders' insistence she wanted to support other progressive organizations at the time of its launch, her institute has failed to do so at least monetarily. The nonprofit reported no grants to other liberal groups in its tax records from 2021. The Sanders Institute also does not disclose its donors on its tax forms. Despite this, Fox News Digital has identified its primary cash sources from the year of its most recent documents. CLIMATE ACTIVIST DEMS DROPPED MORE THAN $1.4 MILLION ON PRIVATE JETS DURING MIDTERMS The Sanders Institute paid more than $150,000 to Sen. Sanders' stepson. A search of FEC records shows that Sen. Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign sent $350,000 to the institute in April 2021. A nonprofit called Wend II Inc added $250,000 to build "content capacity" that year, according to its own tax forms. Wend II Inc's director is James M. Walton, the son of James Carr Walton, one of the wealthiest businessmen in the world and an heir to the Walmart fortune. The two donations accounted for roughly 84% of the $716,000 the Sanders Institute raked in throughout 2021. The Sanders Institute, meanwhile, has previously come under the spotlight over its operations from local outlets. In 2018, VTDigger reported that the think tank had little to show during its first year, including sparse original content. The outlet also found that much of it was recycled from other sources, much like it remains today. Sen. Sanders' campaign and the Sanders Institute did not respond to Fox News Digital's inquiries by press time. The Palace Diner in Biddeford, Maine, is famous for its fried-chicken sandwich. Alyssa B./Yelp Yelp recently named the best diner in every state based on customer reviews. From breakfast platters to fried chicken, each restaurant offers something special. The Palace Diner in Maine is famous for its fried-chicken sandwich. There's nothing quite like grabbing some grub at a classic American diner. Yelp recently named the best diner in every state, from classic, '50s-style diners to slightly more elevated spots. In order to find the best diners in all 50 states, Yelp identified businesses in the "diners" category, then ranked those spots using a number of factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews. All businesses were marked open on Yelp and had a passing health score as of July 31, 2023. Here's the best diner in every state, and what customers have to say about them. ALABAMA: Salem's Diner in Birmingham Salem's Diner. Troy J./Yelp "Our go-to breakfast spot when we're in Homewood. Breakfast sandwiches, omelets, hotcakes all very yummy," wrote Yelp user Dee W. Learn more about Salem's Diner here. ALASKA: Southside Grill in Anchorage Southside Grill. Cassie C./Yelp "This place is amazing, great hardworking staff, the food comes out quick and is delicious, and has the great feel of an old diner," wrote Yelp user Seth C. Learn more about Southside Grill here. ARIZONA: Pepe's Diner in Cottonwood Pepe's Diner. Mary T./Yelp "This is the best food in Cottonwood, without exception. It is amazing how good everything tastes. Pepe greets you with a big smile and a hello every time. The staff are all amazing and love what they do. You should be eating at Pepe's right now," wrote Yelp user S David O. Learn more about Pepe's Diner here. ARKANSAS: Dan's I-30 Diner in Benton Dan's I-30 Diner. Rick G./Yelp "What a wonderful spot to have breakfast! My family and I were traveling through the area and stopped for breakfast. We had French toast, pancakes, I-30 burrito, corn beef and potatoes and eggs, chicken salad, and biscuits. The food was phenomenal," wrote Yelp user Suzanne M. Learn more about Dan's I-30 Diner here. CALIFORNIA: Sunny on South in Cerritos Sunny on South. Jenny C./Yelp "I've been wanting to find a good place for brunch and I'm glad that I finally did. I loved everything from the service to their selection of items on the menu," wrote Yelp user Mitchell L. Learn more about Sunny on South here. COLORADO: The Little Diner in Vail The Little Diner. Ken E../Yelp "Great breakfast spot! We visited twice during our trip to Vail. Wife loved the German pancake, I thought the buttermilk pancakes were amazing," wrote Yelp user Michael B. Learn more about The Little Diner here. CONNECTICUT: Joey B's Restaurant in Cos Cob Joey B's Restaurant. Jeff C./Yelp "The chili is phenomenal. Good milkshakes and breakfast too," wrote Yelp user Doug L. Learn more about Joey B's Restaurant here. DELAWARE: Frankford Family Diner in Frankford Frankford Family Diner. Christina G./Yelp "Great service and the food was delicious and portions are crazy big! Nice quiet restaurant," wrote Yelp user Eric O. Learn more about Frankford Family Diner here. FLORIDA: Apollo Beach Diner in Apollo Beach Apollo Beach Diner. Terry F./Yelp "The grits are delicious and the biscuits are very tasty. Eggs are fluffy too. I need to try some of their lunch items soon. Really great place if you are looking for breakfast or lunch in the area! They deserve your business," wrote Yelp user Amy K. Learn more about Apollo Beach Diner here. GEORGIA: Fork & Dagger Diner in Savannah Fork & Dagger Diner. Amy K./Yelp "Very nice atmosphere and even better food. Decided to stop in for a quick breakfast after having heard recommendations to come here. Boy are we glad we did. The diner itself is very cute and has a nice retro feel to it. The staff was kind and service was quick. The food was delicious and super filling. We definitely plan to come again," wrote Yelp user Abigail R. Learn more about Fork & Dagger Diner here. HAWAII: Hawaiian Style Cafe in Kamuela Hawaiian Style Cafe. Sherri C./Yelp "Great breakfast on the Big Island! We waited about 30 minutes as expected (joined the Yelp waitlist when we arrived) and our party was quickly seated once the table was ready. The atmosphere was bustling and homey, and our waitress was so welcoming," wrote Yelp user Rachel G. Learn more about Hawaiian Style Cafe here. IDAHO: Main Street Diner in Soda Springs Main Street Diner. Heather W./Yelp "Having grown up near a small farming town this place brought back many great memories. Awesome staff, good food, thanks to the locals," wrote Yelp user Carole T. Learn more about Main Street Diner here. ILLINOIS: Roux Diner in Chicago Roux Diner Roux Diner/Yelp "Roux is a staple of the Hyde Park/UChicago area. Their beignets are amazing and are more cakey than fluffy but super soft and fresh. I recommend the Patty Melt or Shrimp and Grits," wrote Yelp user Jocelyn H. Learn more about Roux Diner here. INDIANA: North End Cafe in Lafayette North End Cafe. Keri M./Yelp "Hidden gem in Lafayette! Their breakfast offerings have generous portions for a reasonable price. I've tried the omelet and quesadilla and had leftovers both times. The breakfast potatoes are the best in town, potato chunks cooked with peppers and onions. Service has been great, and the atmosphere is comfortable," wrote Yelp user Jen B. Learn more about North End Cafe here. IOWA: Clyde's Fine Diner in Des Moines Clyde's Fine Diner. Lauren E./Yelp "This was easily the best meal I had on my visit to Des Moines. Everything was prepared, seasoned and presented wonderfully," wrote Yelp user Mark A. Learn more about Clyde's Fine Diner here. KANSAS: Doo-Dah Diner in Wichita Doo-Dah Diner. David T./Yelp "We have been here each time we have visited Wichita and it has yet to disappoint. Once again we are so impressed with the back of the house, the kitchen cranks out great food, well timed, and you can hear the communication and it's impressive," wrote Yelp user Rai R. Learn more about Doo-Dah Diner here. KENTUCKY: Melisa's Family Diner in Frankfort Melisa's Family Diner. Dina P./Yelp "This restaurant is a great breakfast spot. The staff is friendly and Melisa makes you feel welcome. I had the ham steak with eggs and biscuits. The ham was delicious and the eggs were cooked correctly. The home fries were hot. Prices are very reasonable and you will go home full," wrote Yelp user Dwaine C. Learn more about Melisa's Family Diner here. LOUISIANA: Liz's Where Y'at Diner in Mandeville Liz's Where Y'at Diner. Adam P./Yelp "It feels like going home. Such friendly people. The owner is a gem. The food is amazing," wrote Yelp user Amy D. Learn more about Liz's Where Y'at Diner here. MAINE: Palace Diner in Biddeford Palace Diner. Jason M./Yelp "The fried chicken sandwich is still amazing, especially when you get the crispy parts of the chicken, the bun, and the jalapenos together. The French toast was also excellent, as was the omelet of the day (cheddar, feta, caramelized onions), and the fries for our kids," wrote Yelp user Shawn H. Learn more about Palace Diner here. MARYLAND: Southside Diner in Baltimore Southside Diner. Kristin A./Yelp "Hidden gem. My breakfast favorite in Fed Hill. People are great. Great service. Easy parking," wrote Yelp user Sarah C. Learn more about Southside Diner here. MASSACHUSETTS: The Little Depot Diner in Peabody The Little Depot Diner. Tom M./Yelp "Great food! The housemaid Hungarian sausage is to die for. The banana bread Is delicious! Service by Chase is awesome! Treat yourself and stop by for a meal here," wrote Yelp user Kelly S. Learn more about The Little Depot Diner here. MICHIGAN: Anchor Bay Pit Stop Diner in New Baltimore Anchor Bay Pit Stop Diner. Joshua M./Yelp "Definitely come here for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. If you're on a budget, your money will go far here. 5 stars all day at this lil gem," wrote Yelp user Joshua M. Learn more about Anchor Bay Pit Stop Diner here. MINNESOTA: Dolsie's Lunch Box Grille in Saint Cloud Dolsie's Lunch Box Grille. Barbara S./Yelp "If I could give 6 stars I would. I love their specials. The Philly sandwich is tops and I've tried the best in every town I visit. The owners are the nicest people," wrote Yelp user Mike M. Learn more about Dolsie's Lunch Box Grille here. MISSISSIPPI: Pearl's Diner in Laurel Pearls Diner. Rolando O./Yelp "I saw they had fried chicken so thought would give it a try. Best chicken I ever had, honestly! Moist inside and crispy outside and was delicious. The staff is the best. Very friendly and hospitality was excellent," wrote Yelp user Scott F. Learn more about Pearl's Diner here. MISSOURI: Southwest Diner in Saint Louis Southwest Diner. Brianna N./Yelp "Delicious food and awesome atmosphere! Potatoes and pickle fries were amazing. Our waiter was really nice too," wrote Yelp user Ashley M. Learn more about Southwest Diner here. MONTANA: Roadhouse Diner in Great Falls Roadhouse Diner. Christine G./Yelp "Best burger spot in town. It's a small mom-and-pop place so you need to get there early or you'll be in for a wait. That said, if you're looking for a great handmade burger from down-to-earth folks it can't be beat!" wrote Yelp user Cody W. Learn more about Roadhouse Diner here. NEBRASKA: Jojo's in Omaha Jojo's. Wai C./Yelp "Service was amazing. Our server made us feel so welcomed from the start. The food was to die for!" wrote Yelp user Zany W. Learn more about Jojo's here. NEVADA: SNS Diner BBQ in North Las Vegas SNS Diner BBQ. Laura A./Yelp "This is a family-owned restaurant and has absolutely amazing food! I drive from the other side of town to come here," wrote Yelp user Branden M. Learn more about SNS Diner BBQ here. NEW HAMPSHIRE: Lino's Restaurant in Sanbornville Lino's Restaurant. Jon R./Yelp "Great food, generous portions, fair prices, pleasant neighborhood ambience and pleasant, amiable staff. If it's busy, it's definitely worth the wait!" wrote Yelp user Jan M. Learn more about Lino's Restaurant here. NEW JERSEY: Westfield Station Cafe in Westfield Westfield Station Cafe. Freddy J./Yelp "What a breakfast!!! I had the shakshuka special with sausage and feta, and wow was it amazing. The flavors were insanely good and the service was even better. If you're looking for a great meal with an array of different menu items, this is the place to try! Don't forget to try their Turkish coffee if you're a fan of strong coffee," wrote Yelp user Matt M. Learn more about Westfield Station Cafe here. NEW MEXICO: Kix on 66 in Tucumcari Kix on 66. Lauren M./Yelp "Excellent and pleasant service. The menu is full of choices. The delicious breakfast quesadilla was a great choice. Take the time to stop," wrote Yelp user Sue P. Learn more about Kix on 66 here. NEW YORK: Allen Street Diner in Jamestown Allen Street Diner. Cathrine S./Yelp "The owner is incredibly friendly and welcoming. A great little place to eat and meet with friends. Food is always good," wrote Yelp user Doug K. Learn more about Allen Street Diner here. NORTH CAROLINA: Old Bridge Diner in Oak Island Old Bridge Diner. Taylor V./Yelp "Classic diner with amazing food! Loved sitting at the bar and watching everything being cooked. I got a bacon, egg, and cheese on a biscuit and it was amazing," wrote Yelp user Britt M. Learn more about Old Bridge Diner here. NORTH DAKOTA: Deaner's Diner in West Fargo Deaner's Diner. Deaner's Diner/Yelp "This diner is a throwback to a time when all the food was made-from-scratch, served with a smile, and enjoyed with your friends. Think about hot beef sandwiches with homemade dressing and mashed potatoes and gravy set in a '50s-style diner. The portions are generous, and the prices are reasonable. And please save room for dessert! The pies are all homemade," wrote Yelp user Shonda H. Learn more about Deaner's Diner here. OHIO: Scott's Diner in New Concord Scott's Diner. David T./Yelp "Great service. Great menus. Great value. Everything we have had has been delicious. Textbook hidden gem. Just can't say enough about how good this place is," wrote Yelp user Wil W. Learn more about Scott's Diner here. OKLAHOMA: Lilly's Diner in Tulsa Lilly's Diner. Jeff S./Yelp "One of the BEST diners I've ever been to. The service was friendly, the atmosphere was comfortable, and the food was absolutely delicious. Plus the portions and prices were beyond excellent. Lilly's Diner is a all-around great experience and I highly recommend it. I guarantee you won't leave still hungry," wrote Yelp user Michael N. Learn more about Lilly's Diner here. OREGON: Addi's Diner in Springfield Addi's Diner. Annette C./Yelp "Addi's was incredible. It had been recommended to me by family who eats here every time they visit Eugene, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. The wait time was short, the service was friendly, the portions were huge, and the food was delicious. I would love to go back sometime!" wrote Yelp user Hannah H. Learn more about Addi's Diner here. PENNSYLVANIA: Grandma B's in Pittsburgh Grandma B's. Courtney T./Yelp "Best breakfast I've had in years. First time there. And the food is halal as well. I hope people will continue to patronize," wrote Yelp user Peter C. Learn more about Grandma B's here. RHODE ISLAND: Ollie's Diner in Cumberland Ollie's Diner. Tami H./Yelp "One of my all time favorite breakfast places! The waitstaff and the cooks are wonderful and the food always hits the spot. I go every chance I get!" wrote Yelp user Gianna C. Learn more about Ollie's Diner here. SOUTH CAROLINA: Early Bird Diner in Charleston Early Bird Diner. Julie H./Yelp "he bright decor with local artists work made me happy. Everyone is so friendly here and I felt right at home. I ordered what I was craving and it was so, so good! Comfort food at its best," wrote Yelp user Julie H. Learn more about Early Bird Diner here. SOUTH DAKOTA: Southern Hills Diner in Hot Springs Southern Hills Diner. Mike D./Yelp "Unbelievable hidden gem. This is located on a farm just outside of Hot Springs. Everything is homemade. The bread. The tartar sauce. The ketchup. Good, timely service. If you're in Hot Springs, you have to eat here," wrote Yelp user Casey V. Learn more about Southern Hills Diner here. TENNESSEE: Little Diner On 1st in Cleveland Little Diner on 1st. Elizabeth L./Yelp "Always a good breakfast. Good service. They cook a perfect egg. Love that when you ask for crispy hash browns they are actually crispy. Also love that they have different coffee cups. Always cute to get a different cup every time," wrote Yelp user Asma K. Learn more about Little Diner On 1st here. TEXAS: Maple Leaf Diner in Dallas Maple Leaf Diner. Michael U./Yelp "Everything about this place is great! From the decor, to the staff, to the food. It's hands down my favorite restaurant in Dallas!!" wrote Yelp user Melissa H. Learn more about Maple Leaf Diner here. UTAH: Alice's Kitchen in North Salt Lake Alice's Kitchen. Polina K./Yelp "Good food and service. Don't leave without getting a scone, you'll thank me later!" wrote Yelp user Dan M. Learn more about Alice's Kitchen here. VERMONT: Country Girl Diner in Chester Country Girl Diner. GingerChester M./Yelp "Delicious food. My friends and I got the grilled cheese, tomato chowder, burger, Reuben, and onion rings and they were all amazing. The staff was very sweet and friendly!" wrote Yelp user Julie K. Learn more about Country Girl Diner here. VIRGINIA: Oceanview Diner in Norfolk Oceanview Diner. Sarah Y./Yelp "Great food. Delicious pancakes. The staff is very friendly and keeps your coffee cup filled. The variety of Benedict breakfasts is amazing and delicious. Worth a trip there," wrote Yelp user Ted P. Learn more about Oceanview Diner here. WASHINGTON: The Stilly Diner in Arlington The Stilly Diner. Adam M./Yelp "I've never had anything here that wasn't outstanding. Eggs, club sandwich, meatloaf, salads, etc. The giant cinnamon rolls are to die for," wrote Yelp user Billi C. Learn more about The Stilly Diner here. WEST VIRGINIA: Dolly's Diner in Princeton Dolly's Diner. Dolly's Diner/Yelp "This was the perfect diner experience. It is so cute inside and seems to be a local favorite. We're often looking for spots like this when we travel and this checked all the boxes. It had personality, the food was exactly what we were looking for in good diner food, and the staff was super friendly. We would definitely stop here again," wrote Yelp user Jen B. Learn more about Dolly's Diner here. WISCONSIN: Ogden's North Street Diner in Madison Ogden's North Street Diner. Ryan Y./Yelp "Nice neighborhood setting, friendly and efficient service, reasonable prices, and outstanding food! Their vegetarian chili was fantastic and the fresh blackberry pie," wrote Yelp user Tamisyn G. Learn more about Ogden's North Street Diner here. WYOMING: Jody's Diner in Evanston Jody's Diner. San B./Yelp "Absolutely loved this cute, lil' diner nestled in the quaint town of Evanston! Our waitress was super sweet and friendly. Food was great and not too pricey. Could definitely tell this was a neighborhood favorite since the staff knew some of the patrons by name. Would definitely love to come back when I'm in town," wrote Yelp user Bria S. Learn more about Jody's Diner here. Read the original article on Insider Every year from mid-July to the end of August, a cloud of meteors passes across Earths orbit, streaking the Northern Hemispheres night sky with bright flying lights. Its called the Perseid meteor shower, and astronomers say the best time to see it is this weekend. Heres how to watch what NASA dubs the best meteor shower of the year in Sacramento and maybe make a wish on a shooting star. When can you see the Perseid meteor shower? The best time to catch the meteor shower will be Aug. 11 through Aug. 13, according to Kyle Watters, director of the Sacramento State Planetarium and an astronomy department faculty member. The meteor shower started in mid-July and extends through the end of August. During this weekends peak, 100 meteors will streak the sky every hour, according to NASA. Its possible to view meteors as early as 10 p.m., NASA says, but the best time is right before dawn around 4 a.m. We happen to be very lucky this year, Watters said. (The Perseids) have the potential to be the best meteor shower of the year, but it all depends on what the moon is doing. This year, the new moon coincides with the peak of the shower, meaning less moonlight in the night sky interfering with visibility. Where is the best place in Sacramento to watch the Perseid meteor shower? Watters recommends driving 45 minutes away from city lights for peak visibility, where youll see up to 40 meteors per hour. Getting outside of town will give you a much better show, Watters said. For those who cant get distance from city lights, Watters said you can still expect to catch some shooting stars about 10 per hour at the showers peak. Ditch the binoculars and telescope and steer clear of the planetarium, he added. You want to see as much of the sky as possible. He recommends that viewers lie down on their backs and look straight up, both to take in as much of the sky as possible and avoid neck strain. What causes the meteor shower? Every year, the Earth passes a cloud of debris from a comet, the Swift-Tuttle. The debris, fragments of rock and ice the size of a grain of sand, fly so fast that they burn at 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Space.com. That heat turns into light visible from Earth. Ancient Chinese records from A.D. 36 are the first to mention the astronomical event. Theyre not shooting and theyre not stars, Watters said. A much better name would be falling rock, but its not as poetic. Its very rare for the meteors to make contact with Earth, Watters said. Most burn up before getting anywhere close to the ground. Beyonce is teaming up with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nations largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, to present a celebration of ballroom culture. The BeyGOOD Foundation, Beyonces public charity, is supporting Beeline Productions and the Shady Gang to bring authentic ballroom culture to Las Vegas on August 27 with the Equality Ball at the Palms Casino Resort. Queer people of color, especially transgender Black and Brown pageant performers, established ballroom culture as a progressive and innovative community kickstarted in the 1970s in New York City. The Equality Ball offers individuals a safe environment to exhibit their artistic abilities. The event will celebrate expression and inclusion by showcasing fashion, style, pose, poise, grace, and various creative talents, a press release announcing the event states. In addition to showcasing the legendary House of Basquiat and the newly formed KiKi House of FUBU, the ball will showcase professional choreographers and dancers. Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson, who will attend, told The Advocate why she looks forward to the soiree. "The Equality Ball is going to be a celebration of Black and Brown queer life," Robinson said. "The folks at Beeline and Shady Gang have a powerful vision for bringing the joy, the strength, the resilience of our community to center stage, and I'm proud that HRC is working alongside these incredible artists. I'm also deeply appreciative of the BeyGOOD Foundation's support for the event, which will include a range of services for the community in Las Vegas." Ballroom culture is synonymous with the Black queer communityit creates a safe space for LGBTQ+ people at a time when being your authentic self was dangerous. But, lets not get confused, its still dangerous for usBlack and Brown trans women are facing an epidemic of fatal violence, and just within the past week, OShea Sibley, a Black queer man, was brutally murdered for vogueing, said Robinson. Sibley was stabbed to death at a gas station near Coney Island in New York. Sibley, a 28-year-old gay professional dancer, and some friends were reportedly dancing to Beyonces music when a group of men approached them and called them homophobic slurs. In the ensuing scuffle, one of the men from the other group stabbed Sibley. Sibley died shortly after that. Beyonce, who is currently on her Renaissance World Tour, paid tribute to him after his murder. The Equality Ball serves as another space for those who feel overlooked to take center stage and let the world know thatas Beyonce singsyou wont break our souls, Robinson said. There is hate out there, but nothing can break our souls. Robinson noted the queer communitys resistance to hate through HRCs programs, such as the Trans Justice Initiative, the HBCU program, and others that advance health equity, promote inclusive workspaces and advocate for bullying and bias-free schools. Despite the challenges facing our community, we continue to celebrate this renaissance of freedom and self-love and honor the Black and Brown, queer and transgender pioneers who paved the way for us to live our best lives, she said. Various resources and services will be available at the Equality Ball for community members in attendance, including HIV testing, voter registration, and information on LGBTQ+ programs in their local communities. The organization said the HRC Foundation is committed to racial equity, and its programs serve Black and Brown queer communities through a racial equity lens. The press release noted that the BeyGOOD Foundation is honored to contribute to these vital community programs. You are here: Business Fair goers visit the China International Digital Economy Expo 2021 in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Sept. 6, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua] An international digital economy expo will be held from Sept. 6 to 8 in Shijiazhuang, the capital of north China's Hebei Province. The China International Digital Economy Expo 2023 will focus on the development of the industrial internet, according to the information office of the provincial government. The expo will feature forums and international cooperation activities, and nearly 400 people will be invited from leading enterprises, venture capital funds and research organizations, among other institutions. More than 30 sideline forums will focus on sectors such as digital finance and artificial intelligence, and on specialized and sophisticated enterprises that produce new and unique products. A report on the development of China's digital economy will also be released at the expo. The Biden administration on Wednesday took action against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko to mark the third anniversary of the fraudulent election in Belarus and the strongman leaders brutal crackdown on protesters. The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on eight individuals and five entities, including several entities involved in the Belarusian regimes continued civil society repression, complicity in the Russian Federations unjustified war in Ukraine and enrichment of repressive Belarusian regime leader Lukashenko. They also identified one aircraft as blocked property. At the same time, the US State Department is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on 101 regime officials and their affiliates for their involvement in undermining or suppressing democratic institutions in Belarus, according to the Treasury news release. Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been shunned by much of the international community and has been under US sanctions since 2006. He clung to power in August 2020 in an election that was rejected by the West as neither free nor fair. In the years since, his regime has engaged in a campaign of repression against protesters, dissidents and journalists, and has been linked to serious abuses tied to Russias war in Ukraine. Todays actions disrupt the state-owned enterprises and key government officials the authoritarian Lukashenka regime relies on to generate substantial revenue to support its fiercely undemocratic and repressive policies, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement. In line with our partners and Allies, we will continue to ensure that the regime pays a price for its abysmal treatment of its own citizens and that our measures in response to Russias aggression cannot be circumvented through Belarus. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed the new sanctions as essential. It hits the regimes companies and its ability to enrich itself. It sends a crucial message to the regime. There will not be impunity, she said in an exclusive statement to CNN. Tsikhanouskaya said that everyone involved in repressions against people in the war against Ukraine, violating international norms, will be brought to justice. I understand that sanctions are not a silver bullet, but its a way to change the regimes behaviors. We are dealing with criminals, and gangsters in power, and they understand only the only language of force, she continued. Tsikhanouskaya said she was grateful to the US and asked that American leadership stay consistent and firm, adding: We continue demanding the release of political prisoners, the removal of Russian troops and mercenaries, and new free and fair elections. Wednesdays financial sanctions target state-owned enterprises in Belarus, including its flagship airline BELAVIA, an aircraft component manufacturer, a steel product manufacturer and a small Miami, Florida-based joint venture with that steel manufacturer. The US Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on the Department of Financial Investigations of The State Control Committee of the Republic of Belarus (DFR), which is the investigative arm of, and sister agency to, the Department of Financial Monitoring (DFM), Belarus Financial Intelligence Unit. The DFR raided the editorial office of the largest independent online news site and the homes of several staff and blocked its website, the Treasury Department said. They also targeted the wife and sons of Belarusian businessman Aliaksey Ivanavich Aleksin, who was already under US sanction. Shortly before his designation, Aleksin transferred ownership in several key businesses to his sons, Dzmitry Aliakseevich Aleksin (Dzmitry) and Vital Aliakseevich Aleksin (Vital), and his wife Ina Vladimirovna Aleksina (Ina), the Treasury Department said. As a result of Lukashenkas corruption, these businesses control significant portions of the tobacco products and transportation sectors of the Belarus economy and continue to enrich both Aleksin and Lukashenka through Dzmitry, Vital and Ina. This story has been updated with additional information. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com President Biden on Tuesday announced he will be visiting Vietnam shortly during remarks at a campaign fundraiser, not elaborating on details about his upcoming trip. Im going to be going to Vietnam shortly because Vietnam wants to change our relationship and become a partner, Biden told a group of donors in New Mexico. We find ourselves in a situation where all these changes around the world are taking place at a time we have an opportunity to change the dynamic. He was discussing in his remarks that allegiances are changing around the world as a result of the war in Ukraine. Theyre changing in terms of, for example, the idea that there was going to be a response to his aggression in Ukraine was not likely, he said, adding that he spent over 200 hours with the heads of state of the European countries to hold this together. National security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday that he didnt have any travel details to share, adding, we have a very good relationship with Vietnam and that relationship is improving and its improving across lots of sectors. The president said during a campaign reception in Maine last month that Vietnam leadership has wanted to elevate the U.S. relationship. Ive gotten a call from the head of Vietnam, desperately wants to meet me when I go to the G-20, Biden said, referring to the upcoming Group of 20 summit. He wants to elevate us to a major partner, along with Russia and China. What do you think thats about? No, Im not joking. The G-20 summit is in New Delhi in September. Biden in March spoke to Vietnams General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and reinforced the United States commitment to a strong, prosperous, resilient, and independent Vietnam, according to a White House readout of the call. Former President Trump famously visited Vietnam for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Metropole hotel in Hanoi in February 2019. Before the meeting, Trump visited the Presidential Palace in Hanoi in to meet with Trong and also met with then-Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Updated at 11:32 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. As President Joe Biden touts his environmental record this week in the West designating a new national monument at the Grand Canyon and highlighting legislative accomplishments like the Inflation Reduction Act the US Department of Justice is waging a legal battle over whether a landmark youth climate lawsuit should even be allowed to go to trial. The case, Juliana v. United States, is a constitutional climate complaint first brought in 2015 by a group of 21 young people who are now aged 15 to 27. It argues that by continuing to burn planet-warming fossil fuels, the federal government is harming this young generations constitutionally provided rights to life, liberty and property. An appeals court struck down the case in 2021, but it has recently been given new life after a federal judge in Oregon ruled an amended case from the youth plaintiffs could proceed to trial. Constitutional climate cases are proceeding in several states, but the Juliana case could be the first federal case to go to trial, if it can make it past the Biden DOJs opposition. In a series of recent court filings, the federal government is arguing that instead of going to a trial, the case should move back to an appeals court. Its the worst kind of sequence because you dont elaborate the facts in a court of law, Mary Wood, an environmental law professor at the University of Oregon School of Law, told CNN, adding a trial is a very important, crucial step in our litigation process. The world will be looking at this case, thats for sure, Wood said. Biden speaks with Ed Keable, superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park, on Tuesday. - Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Much like the Trump and Obama administrations, Bidens Department of Justice is arguing that the previous appeals court ruling found the youth plaintiffs have no legal standing, and the case shouldnt make it inside a courtroom at all. In court filings, the DOJ has argued there is no federal public trust doctrine that creates a right for a stable climate system for US citizens, and that the government cant be held liable for harm to the entire Earths atmosphere. The climate system or atmosphere is not within any conceivable federal public trust, federal attorneys said in a June filing, asking for the case to be dismissed. A DOJ spokesperson referred CNN to federal attorneys most recent filings to stay litigation in the case. Julia Olson, a lead attorney for the Juliana plaintiffs, said the Biden DOJ is fighting the case as aggressively as the Trump administration. And even with Biden touting his signature climate law this week, Olson said the administration hasnt gone far enough to protect the countrys youth from the cascading impacts of continuing to burn fossil fuels. Biden talks about the climate crisis in a different way, said Olson, executive director and chief legal counsel for Our Childrens Trust. But the actions on the ground, we are still supporting fossil fuel energy. Hurdles ahead Legal experts told CNN that even if the case does go to trial, it will likely be a long road for youth plaintiffs. For one thing, the US DOJ is aided in its legal argument that, unlike some state constitutions, the US Constitution doesnt specifically guarantee its citizens a stable climate or healthy environment. Our Childrens Trust lawyers recently brought a historic state climate case in front of a Montana judge this summer, arguing the states constitution provides that guarantee. A verdict is expected any day on that case. The DOJ likely views the case as an affront to separation of powers, and might be concerned it could then be applied broadly in future legal cases, climate law experts told CNN. Its one thing for courts to review individual government actions, but [another] for courts to take on the general operation of the government and say, no youve got to change your whole overall policy, Daniel Farber, a climate law expert and University of California Berkeley Law School professor, told CNN. Kelsey Juliana of Eugene, Oregon, one of Juliana's lead plaintiffs, greets supporters outside a federal courthouse in Portland in 2019. - Andrew Selsky/AP Theres also the inescapable fact that the current US Supreme Court is conservative and hasnt ruled favorably for the climate and environment in recent cases. Farber told CNN that if the Juliana case proceeds, the odds are high the Supreme Court would intervene before the trial starts. Were all operating under the shadow of a conservative Supreme Court, Columbia law school professor Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, told CNN. This Supreme Court has been more about taking away rights than granting new ones. Gerrard added that the Biden administration has shown it wants to act on climate change by spurring clean energy, but they dont want anyone else to tell them what to do. Farber, for one, sees state courts as more promising avenues to try climate cases. Legal observers and Our Childrens Trust attorneys are watching for a verdict to come in the Montana case. Maybe if theres real success there that could build a foundation later for something at the federal level, Farber said. But Olson, the lead attorney for youth plaintiffs, said there is a potent political argument to be made that Bidens administration should take Juliana seriously given the increasing threat a warming planet poses to young peoples future. President Biden has made all these promises to young people, Olson said. We do not want to see another Trump presidency, and Biden needs the youth vote. He really risks if he continues this approach in this litigation, he risks losing these young people. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Joe Biden insisted that he had already declared a national emergency over the issue of climate change in practice as he stood for an interview with The Weather Channel on the edge of the Grand Canyon this week. Mr Biden was in Arizona for an interview on the site of the iconic national landmark as he was asked by the Weather Channels Stephanie Abrams about whether he would take that step as the world economy appears to be on track to significantly miss the targets set for greenhouse gas emission reductions in the Paris Climate Agreement. Such emission reductions are necessary to curb man-made climate change within an acceptable threshold in the hopes of preventing the worst of the effects of the climate crisis around the world, including massive ecosystem collapse, food chain issues, and intense storms and other weather-related phenomena occurring with increasing frequency. During his interview, Mr Biden insisted that his administration was doing everything it could to fight climate change when asked directly if he would declare a national emergency. Weve already done that. Weve conserved more land...Weve rejoined the Paris Climate Accord, weve passed a $368bn climate control facility...were moving, Mr Biden told Abrams. President Biden addresses questions from @weatherchannels @stephanieabrams about drilling on federal land and offshore: I lost in court." pic.twitter.com/yUyoVpdJV0 CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) August 9, 2023 Abrams did not press him on whether his administration would take the official step of declaring an emergency, instead responding: So youve already declared that national emergency, thats what youre saying (which he hasnt). Practically speaking, yes, the president then responded. In the same interview, the president blamed losses in court for his administrations continued approval of oil and natural gas leases; his first year in office, in fact, saw a higher number of those leases approved than did Donald Trumps first 365 days in the White House. As the world looks increasingly off course to curb the warming of the Earths climate within manageable levels, left-leaning groups have taken to upping the pressure with increasingly public demonstrations and protests around the world. The protesters of Just Stop Oil, in particular, have infuriated conservatives and centre-right Labourites across the UK, which as of last year was on course to cut less than half of the emissions it would require to meet the governments supposed pledge to hit net zero emissions within the first half of the 21st century. The Biden administration escalated America's trade war with China on Wednesday, as President Joe Biden declared a new national emergency and immediately used it as the justification for creating a new screening system that will limit Americans' ability to invest overseas. The new rules, which have been in development since last year, will prohibit private equity and venture capital firms from investing in China-based businesses working in a variety of high-tech fields, The New York Times reports. The ban will apply to businesses working to develop artificial intelligence and those that build or develop semiconductors, the tiny chips that power modern computers. American investments that flow to other Chinese businesses will also be subject to new government scrutiny. All of that springs from a vaguely worded executive order issued Wednesday afternoon. In that order, Biden declared the "rapid advancement in semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence capabilities" by "countries of concern"China is not mentioned by nameto be a national emergency. In response to the newly declared national emergency, Biden directed the Commerce Department and Treasury to design new rules governing outbound investments. Congress, of course, will not be involved in the process. "This narrowly targeted action will complement our existing export control and inbound investment screening tools, and protect our national security while maintaining our longstanding commitment to open investment," the Treasury Department said in a statement. Narrow or not, this is the first time that the U.S. government has targeted outgoing investments in such a manner. As I reported in a feature published in this month's issue of Reason, the effort appears to be modeled on a similar screening system for inbound investments that was created in the 1970s and recently given greater powers. Biden administration officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, have in recent months talked about the desire to limit how private sector investments flow between the U.S. and Chinaoften blurring the lines between economic and military concerns. The idea to create an outbound investment screening mechanism, Yellen said in a speech in April, was "driven by straightforward national security considerations. We will not compromise on these concerns, even when they force tradeoffs with our economic interests." Biden's executive order echoed that framingacknowledging the importance of global trade, but then declaring that vague national security concerns must be valued as more important. "Open global capital flows create valuable economic opportunities and promote competitiveness, innovation, and productivity, and the United States supports cross-border investment, where not inconsistent with the protection of United States national security interests," the president wrote. "However, certain United States investments may accelerate and increase the success of the development of sensitive technologies and products in countries that develop them to counter United States and allied capabilities." Wednesday's announcement by the White House is a significant expansion of what the U.S. government considers to be under the purview of national security. It is in some ways similar to how former President Donald Trump flexed his executive power to declare steel and aluminum imports to be national security concerns. In both cases, the government's definition of what's in America's national security interest has been stretched wider so officials can have greater control over the private transactions of businesses and individuals. "For a long time, the U.S. national security community has been reticent to recognize the international financial system as a potential warfighting domain," Claire Chu, a senior China analyst at Janes (a defense intelligence company) told The New York Times on Wednesday. "And the business community has pushed back against what it considers to be the politicization of private markets. And so this is not only an interagency effort, but an exercise in intersectoral coordination." The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other entities have raised similar worries, as I reported in the piece for this month's issue of Reason. There are only two other countriesSouth Korea and Taiwanthat have outbound investment screening systems, making Wednesday's announcement yet another blow to the global norm of free-flowing capital. Though the specifics of the outbound investment screening system remain to be seen, there's no doubt that Wednesday's announcement is a significant escalation of the ongoing political conflict between the world's two largest economies. It is likely to end up being a massive power grab aimed at severing the peaceful exchange of money and goods across national borders. The post Biden Escalates Trade War With China appeared first on Reason.com. President Biden on Wednesday issued an executive order blocking Americans from investing in certain Chinese sectors, citing the risk that those investments could spur military or intelligence capabilities. Bidens executive order will designate China as a country of concern, and it will limit American investments in three categories of national security technologies: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and certain artificial intelligence systems, according to the Treasury Department. The Treasury Department said the order is narrowly targeted in an effort to protect U.S. national security interests while maintaining a commitment to open investment. As part of a comprehensive, long-term strategy to advance the development of sensitive technologies and products, the [Peoples Republic of China] is exploiting, or has the ability to exploit, U.S. investments to further its ability to produce a narrow set of sensitive technologies critical to military modernization, the Treasury Department said in a press release announcing the executive order. Such U.S. investments are often accompanied by certain intangible benefits that help companies succeed, such as managerial assistance, investment and talent networks, and market access, the department said. The rules are expected to go into effect following a 45-day comment period. The new restrictions would apply specifically to new investments. The move comes as the Biden administration has sought to ease tensions with Beijing, with the president frequently insisting he wants competition, not conflict between the two nations. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen traveled to China in early July, where she advocated for U.S. interests and appealed to Chinese officials for cooperation on global issues like climate change. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is reportedly planning to visit China later this month. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Biden was blasted Tuesday after he designated about 1 million acres of public lands surrounding the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona as a national monument. As part of the action, Biden designated the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument and unveiled a $44 million investment to strengthen "climate resilience" across national parks. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the move, which was backed by several Native American tribes, "demonstrates the importance of recognizing the original stewards of our public lands." Industry groups and local stakeholders, though, said Biden's designation could negatively impact nearby farmers, cattle ranchers and mining interests. "If any doubts remained about the Biden administrations stance on domestic mining, this unwarranted withdrawal puts them to rest," Ashley Burke, a spokesperson for the National Mining Association, told Fox News Digital. "By continuing to block mineral rich lands from responsible mining, this administration is imperiling our supply chains, robbing U.S. communities of high-paying jobs and community-supporting revenues, and enriching our adversaries." NEVADA GOVERNOR BLASTS BIDEN FOR LOCKING UP MINERAL-RICH LAND: 'A HISTORIC MISTAKE' President Biden discussed investments in conservation and protecting natural resources in Tusayan, Arizona, on Tuesday. Burke noted that the designation Tuesday would lock up lands rich with valuable uranium resources, which are key for zero-carbon nuclear power, from future mining. According to Uranium Producers of America, the majority of domestic uranium production takes place across the Colorado Plateau region which includes northern Arizona where the national monument was designated. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Despite established domestic resources for uranium, the U.S. produces just 5% of its own uranium and imports 14% from Russia, Energy Information Administration data showed. BIDEN ADMIN ECO RULE CURBING OIL DRILLING, MINING FACES WIDESPREAD OPPOSITION "We already suffer from a near complete import reliance for uranium an urgent and critical vulnerability for the nation, which depends on Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for 60% of our imported uranium; establishing an unnecessary national monument will only deepen that dependence," Burke said. Additionally, residents in southern Utah have expressed concern about the potential impact Biden's actions would have on agriculture. According to the Utah Farm Bureau, one of the three parcels zoned off under the actions is exclusively accessed by ranchers from several counties in southern Utah. Those ranchers said the designation essentially amounts to a seizure of private property used for agriculture production. "Public lands grazing and the ranching way of life also provide many important cultural contributions. The agriculture community in Southern Utah and the Arizona Strip is central to the regions identity and sense of community," Ron Gibson, the president of the Utah Farm Bureau, said last month. "Ranches in this region represent traditional cultural properties that should be respected and preserved," Gibson added. "Grazing should be classified as a traditional cultural practice by BLM and should be cherished and protected just as we do for other historic uses of our public lands." BIDEN'S LATEST ECO REGS BLASTED BY SMALL BUSINESSES, MANUFACTURERS: 'WILL DO TERRIBLE DAMAGE' The Utah Farm Bureau cited federal data showing that ranchers largely drive the local economy in the region by hiring workers, making payments on bank loans, buying supplies and engaging in other commercial business. They are able to do so, the group said, because of the hundreds of thousands of dollars generated by ranching on allotments they own in the area Biden blocked off Tuesday. "The Utah Cattlemens Association is very concerned about the arbitrary designation of a Grand Canyon national monument," Brent Tanner, the executive vice president of the Utah Cattlemens Association, told Fox News Digital. "Cattlemen and other public land users are held to very high standards to care for the land." "If at any time a change of use is requested from anyone of those multiple-use user groups, there is a long and detailed process necessary to evaluate the impact on the land, the surrounding culture and community and other users of the land," Tanner continued. "Todays action by President Biden makes clear that Native American history is American history," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said. He also blasted Biden for his use of the Antiquities Act of 1906 to take the action and designate other national monuments. The Antiquities Act grants the president authority to establish national monuments from existing federal lands. "President Bidens random use of the Antiquities Act circumvents existing federal land use management processes and places the land, local communities and permitted uses in jeopardy," said Tanner. BIDEN ADMINISTRATION RIGGED INTERNAL ANALYSIS, SOFTENING BLOW OF POWER PLANT REGULATIONS: REPORT Lawmakers including Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., and Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., also blasted the actions. "Over 1 million acres of land outside of Grand Canyon National Park, which contain the largest uranium deposit in the United States, will be locked up to prevent resource development and livestock grazing," Newhouse said. "As Chairman of the Western Caucus, I will continue to fight for the multiple use mandate and against unelected bureaucrats who are actively shutting down our public lands." Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., the chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, said the action was a land grab and would lock up critical minerals. Additionally, local lawmakers, like Republican Utah state Rep. Carl Albrecht and Gov. Spencer Cox, ripped the actions. "What they're doing is locking up a lot of uranium reserves which this country does not have much of anymore," Albrecht told Fox News Digital in an interview. "Then, a lot of the cattlemen in southern Utah, all along the border and several counties, they graze on that Arizona strip it's a winter grazing allotment and that'll hurt their operations significantly." "I think President Biden is playing to his base. He's in a re-election and he's playing to the environmentalists who want to see a lot of that area locked up and not developed," he continued. "But if you read the Antiquities Act, they're certainly not following it." Cox added that the large-scale designation of national monuments "needlessly restrict access to the critical minerals that are key to cell phones, satellites, U.S. defense systems and so many other American industries" and called for the Biden administration to work with local leaders and residents. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he would travel to Vietnam soon a visit that will be seen as bolstering U.S. influence in the region in a bid to counter China. The White House had not announced a trip. Bidens comments were included in a pool report about his remarks at a fundraiser in New Mexico. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday that he did not have any travel details to discuss. Biden had said at a July 29 campaign reception in Freeport, Maine, that Vietnam's leader wanted to meet him. "Ive gotten a call from the head of Vietnam, desperately wants to meet me when I go to the G20," Biden said at the July event, according to a White House transcript. "He wants to elevate us to a major partner, along with Russia and China. What do you think thats about? No, Im not joking." Biden is attending the G20 summit in New Delhi next month. His most recent foreign trip was in Europe last month, when he visited Britain, Lithuania and Finland. Biden has made bolstering relations in Southeast Asia a priority as part of a bid to counter the influence of China and Russia. In March, Biden spoke by phone with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the top leader of Vietnam. The White House described the discussion as focusing on "expanding the bilateral relationship, while working together to address regional challenges such as climate change, ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, and the deteriorating environmental and security situation along the Mekong." This article was originally published on NBCNews.com US President Joe Biden says he plans to visit Vietnam 'shortly' to improve ties with Hanoi (Mandel NGAN) US President Joe Biden said Tuesday he would travel to Vietnam "shortly" as part of an effort to improve ties with Hanoi, as Washington seeks to counter China's influence in the region. "I'm going to be going to Vietnam shortly because Vietnam wants to change our relationship and become a partner," Biden said during remarks in New Mexico. "We find ourselves in a situation where all these changes around the world are taking place at a time we have an opportunity ... to change the dynamic," he added. The United States and Vietnam have increasingly close trade links, while both share concern over China's growing strength in the region. Friction has been increasing for years between Beijing and Southeast Asian nations, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines, over China's sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea. Washington and Hanoi pledged in April to upgrade diplomatic ties when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stopped over on his way to a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers' meeting in Japan. "We think this is an auspicious time to elevate our existing partnership," Blinken told reporters during the visit with Vietnamese leaders. "We've had for the last 10 years this comprehensive partnership that has created an incredibly strong foundation of cooperation across many different areas. As a result, we think this is a good moment to go even further." Blinken also attended a ground-breaking for a new US embassy in Hanoi. And in March, Biden spoke with the head of Vietnam's ruling Communist party, Nguyen Phu Trong. Washington has, however, bristled over human rights concerns in Vietnam, with Blinken saying he continued "to underscore how future progress on human rights is essential to unleashing the full potential of the Vietnamese people." The South China Sea, the longtime center of tensions between China and Vietnam, is seen as a powder keg, and many fear a miscalculation or accident could ignite a military conflict. Analysts say Hanoi may be more reluctant to elevate relations with Washington, wary of upsetting Beijing -- an important economic partner -- despite rival claims in the South China Sea. The United States has no territorial claim over the waters, but has persisted in conducting its own patrols there, angering Beijing. Washington says this is to ensure what it terms "freedom of navigation" in the sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually. The United States has also sought to improve relations with China in recent months, with Blinken visiting in June after a previous trip was canceled when an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down by a US warplane after traversing the country earlier this year. caw/mtp President Joe Biden has issued an executive order barring US citizens, permanent residents and corporations from financial transactions involving Chinese and Chinese-owned technology companies working on semiconductors, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. The order, which was announced by the White House on Wednesday, bars US persons from undertaking particular transactions involving certain entities located in or subject to the jurisdiction of a country of concern, and certain other entities owned by persons of a country of concern, engaged in activities related to defined sub- sets of technologies and products, and requires notification to the US Treasury by anyone undertaking certain permitted transactions pertaining to entities engaged in activities related to other defined technologies and products. Mr Biden said in the order that he had officially found that countries of concern are currently engaged in comprehensive, long-term strategies that direct, facilitate, or otherwise support advancements in sensitive technologies and products that are critical to such countries military, intelligence, surveillance, or cyber-enabled capabilities. He also noted that the countries at issue eliminate barriers between civilian and commercial sectors and military and defense industrial sectors, not just through research and development, but also by acquiring and diverting the worlds cutting-edge technologies, for the purposes of achieving military dominance. In a separate annex to the executive order, Mr Biden designated China and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau as a country of concern. The presidents order lays out three specific categories of technologies that will be subject to the new restrictions, which were chosen based on their critical role in accelerating the development of advanced military, intelligence, surveillance, and cyber-enabled capabilities. Advancements in sensitive technologies and products in these sectors will accelerate the development of advanced computational capabilities that will enable new applications that pose significant national security risks, such as the development of more sophisticated weapons systems, breaking of cryptographic codes, and other applications that could provide these countries with military advantages, Mr Biden said. Those technology categories will include semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence systems. Mr Bidens order also instructs Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to further define sensitive technologies and products in the categories that will be subject to the investment ban and notification requirements in consultation with other departments and agencies. Separately, the Treasury Department announced a new administrative rule-making proceeding and asked the public for comments on the regulations Ms Yellen will promulgate under the new executive order. In a statement accompanying the notice of proposed rule-making, the Treasury Department said the administration is committed to keeping America safe and defending Americas national security through appropriately protecting technologies that are critical to the next generation of military innovation. The department added that the new narrowly targeted rules will complement our existing export control and inbound investment screening tools, and protect our national security while maintaining our longstanding commitment to open investment. According to a Treasury fact sheet, the new program will be narrowly targeted at investments in highly sensitive technologies and products for the purposes of protecting US national security, and will likely include exceptions for publicly-traded instruments and intracompany transfers from U.S. parents to subsidiaries. The new rules come after calls from members of Congress in both parties for a crackdown on American investment in the Chinese technology sector, citing policies that require companies operating in China to aid the Chinese military when ordered to by state officials. The restrictions are likely to trigger a negative response from Chinese officials who have bristled at Mr Bidens simultaneous efforts to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States and boost American investment in artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies with military potential. Speaking in New Mexico on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the semiconductor manufacturing funding bill he signed into law last year, Mr Biden boasted of $230 billion in investments made with the aim of helping companies onshore production of semiconductor products that are essential to key US industries and the defence sector. Zhangliang Spicy Hotpot, a renowned spicy hotpot chain in China, has apologized and vowed to take more measures after it was revealed that some of its "mutton rolls" actually contained pork and duck meat in one of its restaurants. The incident came to light on Thursday, when a Douyin user nicknamed Hou Da Wan posted a video claiming that he bought three boxes of mutton rolls weighing about 500 grams in a chain store in Sanhe city, Hebei province, for a total of 54 yuan ($7.5). However, after being tested by a local testing agency, it turned out that the mutton rolls actually contained pork and duck meat, despite the employees of the chain store claiming that the rolls were from the supplier designated by the food chain itself and were 100 percent mutton. This revelation caused quite a stir on social media, with many people questioning the food safety of Zhangliang Spicy Hotpot and accusing the company of fraud. In response to the backlash, Zhangliang Spicy Hotpot issued an announcement on Friday, admitting that the mutton rolls in question were purchased by the franchise store in Sanhe city from a private supplier, not through the designated mutton supplier of the brand. The announcement also said that the franchise store had violated certain regulations by purchasing ingredients from unauthorized suppliers, and that it would be punished accordingly. On Monday, Zhangliang Spicy Hotpot issued a second announcement, providing more details about the incident. The announcement said that the franchise store in Sanhe city had purchased a total of 10 kilograms of mutton rolls in three separate batches last month, at a wholesale price of 50 yuan per kilogram. However, after examination, it was determined that the mutton rolls contained pork and duck meat. The announcement said that the store in question had purchased the ingredients at market price, genuinely believing they were purchasing authentic lamb rolls. There was no intention to deceive customers. Nevertheless, in order to rectify the situation, the store has removed all the ingredients that they bought in private from the shelves. Even though the franchise qualification has been retained, their security deposit has been forfeited by the food chain. The announcement emphasized that this incident is a wake-up call for other stores in the Zhangliang Spicy Hotpot chain. In addition, the announcement expressed the willingness to welcome and encourage consumer's supervision and feedback. Any individual who discovers food quality issues in any Zhang Liang Spicy Hotpot franchise store is encouraged to report the matter directly to the headquarters. The announcement said that the brand sincerely apologizes to the customers for any inconvenience and assured them that it will continue to work diligently to prevent similar incidents from happening again. As for the two announcements, the Douyin blogger, who unveiled the fake mutton rolls, said in his latest video on Monday that he will keep an eye on the food chain, and may send more ingredients to testing. President Biden snapped at Fox Newss Peter Doocy on Wednesday over a question about the presidents son, Hunter Biden, and his business dealings. Theres this testimony now where one of your sons former business associates is claiming that you were on speakerphone a lot with them talking business, Doocy told Biden at a public event in Belen, N.M. I never talked business with anybody, Biden shot back. And I knew youd have a lousy question. Doocy pressed the president, asking him what makes it a lousy question? Because its not true, Biden responded. The question was an apparent reference to a recently released transcript of a House Oversight Committee interview with Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden. Archer told the panel that Hunter Biden put his father, then the vice president, on speakerphone during some meetings with business associates, and the interview with the committee covered the Biden brand at length. But Archer described the phone calls he witnessed as generally about the weather and, you know, what its like in Norway or Paris or wherever he may be, and said he didnt hear any discussion of the substance of Hunter Bidens business dealings during the calls. Republicans in Congress and leading pundits in conservative media have expressed outrage over Hunter Bidens business dealings for months and are accusing the presidents son of benefiting financially from his fathers status as a longtime senator and vice president. Doocy, who returned to Foxs airwaves this week after a stint on paternity leave, has gotten under the presidents skin with his line of questioning on multiple occasions. Last year, Biden was caught on a hot microphone calling the Foxs lead White House reporter a stupid son of a bitch after he had asked the president a question about the economy. The relationship between Bidens White House and Fox News, the top-watched cable news channel, has been rocky for months. Earlier this month, the administration issued a scathing rebuke of the network after one of its top prime-time hosts, Greg Gutfeld, made remarks about the Holocaust that the White House called an obscenity. Biden is in the midst of a West Coast trip he is using to tout his economic agenda and other key legislative initiatives during his first 2 1/2 years in office. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Joe Biden defended his climate record against criticisms from activists and said the United States is moving in the right direction against the existential threat to America. President Joe Biden, during an exclusive interview with The Weather Channel, said he has declared climate change a national emergency in practice. Ive already done that, Biden told The Weather Channel meteorologist and Pattrn co-host Stephanie Abrams while at the Grand Canyon in Arizona. President Joe Biden discusses investments in conservation and protecting natural resources, and how the Inflation Reduction Act is the largest investment in climate action, at Red Butte Airfield in Arizona on Tuesday. While at the Grand Canyon, he talked exclusively to The Weather Channels Stephanie Abrams about climate change. (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images) The president, who has repeatedly been urged by climate change activists to declare a climate emergency, argued that while he has not technically declared a national emergency, his administration has already taken actions that amount to such a declaration. Nationally, weve conserved more land. Weve moved into rejoining the Paris Climate Accord [and] we passed a $360 billion climate control facility, Biden said. Were moving. It is the existential threat to America, the president added. When asked to clarify if he has already declared a national emergency on climate change, Biden declared, Practically speaking, yes. During his interview with The Weather Channel, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group, which owns theGrio, Biden also defended his climate record against activists. When asked by Abrams if he broke his promise to Gen-Z activists on the frontlines of the climate justice movement for approving thousands of permits for federal land and offshore oil drilling, Biden argued his hands are tied by the court system. I wanted to stop all drilling in the East Coast and the West Coast and in the Gulf, but lost in court, explained the president. He added, The court said I couldnt do it. During an October 2021 rally outside the White House, demonstrators prepare to be arrested as part of the Climate Chaos Is Happening Now protest. Activists have been demanding that President Joe Biden declare a climate emergency. He said this week that he practically has.(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) A Louisiana judge last year ruled that the Biden administration could not unilaterally pause leasing for oil and gas drilling in 13 states after a legal challenge was brought to Bidens executive order instructing the Department of Interior to halt all oil drilling activities pending a comprehensive review of the federal leasing program. Despite the legal barrier, Biden pointed to the $250 billion investment in alternative clean energy by the private sector as a silver lining in the climate movement. Theyre building solar facilities. Theyre building new electrolyzers to take hydrogen and turn it. I mean, theres so much going on, he said. Biden also lamented that world powers Russia and China are being difficult partners in the global fight to reduce emissions and reach net zero by 2030. Still, he expressed optimism that the United States and its allies can transform the world into a thriving green economy. My mom used to say, out of everything bad, something good will come if you look hard enough, said the president. Theres an enormous opportunity. Were growing the economy. Gerren Keith Gaynor Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White House Correspondent and the Managing Editor of Politics at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. Please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Biden tells The Weather Channel hes practically declared climate emergency appeared first on TheGrio. The U.S. is dismantling one of the last major pillars of its Covid-era safety net. For President Joe Biden, the timing couldnt be worse. States across the country, both blue and red, are purging their Medicaid programs of millions of low-income enrollees for the first time in three years, after a pandemic policy meant to prevent vulnerable people from suddenly losing health coverage expired earlier this spring. Nearly 4 million Americans have been cut from Medicaid in the last three months, most of whom lost their insurance over paperwork issues. The number is projected to balloon to 15 million by this time next year, according to official estimates , though some now fear the final toll will be even bigger. The mass terminations, which together represent the biggest reshuffling of the health insurance landscape since Obamacare, come as Covid cases rise again and Biden embarks on a reelection campaign built around convincing working-class voters they're better off than before. The impact is likely to reverse meaningful progress on health coverage and poverty that the White House once trumpeted as a direct benefit of its policies. And with Biden already facing entrenched skepticism over the state of the economy, allies increasingly worry the drumbeat of coverage losses will undercut his core message that Bidenomics is driving the biggest gains for those who have the least. This is a huge challenge and an unprecedented situation, said Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families. Its both unlucky and an unfortunate risk for the Biden administration that were going to see the uninsured rate go up as a consequence. Congress ordered states in early 2020 to halt requirements that Medicaid enrollees renew their coverage each year, ensuring poor Americans would remain continuously insured throughout the Covid crisis. The Medicaid population swelled to a record 93 million as a result with 1 in 4 Americans insured by the program. But when Congress ended that protection in April ahead of the expiration of the Covid public health emergency, states began combing their Medicaid rolls in search of those who no longer qualified because they make too much money or another factor, like pregnancy or parenting status, has changed. Florida kicked more than 400,000 people out of Medicaid in its first three months. Texas dropped over half-a-million people in a single month, with the vast majority cut off for failing to submit the required paperwork, rather than an official determination they were ineligible. And in Arkansas, where GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' administration is taking six months to complete its eligibility review, more than 300,000 have lost coverage including more than 108,000 children. Its so much worse than I thought, said Trevor Hawkins, an attorney with Legal Aid of Arkansas. The system is just so flawed that its causing way too many people to lose coverage that it shouldnt be. I did not think that they would consistently across three months terminate 60,000-plus people. That number is I just cant wrap my mind around it. Arkansas health officials have said they are working to comply with normal eligibility rules set by Congress and the administration. This is exactly how the system is supposed to work: we are ensuring that benefits remain available for Arkansans who truly need them, and we are also working to make sure those who no longer qualify know about available options for health care coverage, said Kristi Putnam, Arkansas Department of Human Services secretary. Inside the Biden administration, officials say they've made it a top priority to pressure states to correct errors and minimize coverage losses. They downplay the political peril, insisting that the behind-the-scenes work is having substantial impact across the country. "This is not a negotiation with states about, 'Hey, we think maybe, because you inappropriately terminated these people, you should fix it,'" said a senior administration official, who was granted anonymity to characterize private conversations. "It's like, you have to fix it." White House aides are also focused on finding ways to reconnect people with coverage either by re-enrolling in Medicaid or signing up for Obamacare, holding regular meetings with health department officials to plan outreach strategies, another person familiar with the matter said. But the administration has refused to publicly criticize individual states or even identify which ones it believes face the most serious issues, for fear of damaging its relationships with them. Though GOP-led states like Texas and Arkansas rank among the most aggressive in cutting people from Medicaid, states with Democratic governors such as Kansas and Kentucky are also dropping enrollees at high rates. On Capitol Hill, senior Democrats have grown increasingly frustrated with the administrations approach, questioning its effectiveness and pushing for more aggressive steps such as cutting off critical funding streams to states that refuse to slow their disenrollments. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who chairs the committee that oversees Medicaid, likened some states' attempts to stop people from losing coverage to "waving at somebody as their car goes by, and going, well, we contacted you." Several other Democrats, alarmed by the accelerating pace of disenrollments, have privately complained to senior aides across the White House, two people familiar with the conversations said. They've questioned the preparedness of the health department's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to manage the disenrollment process and urged the White House's Domestic Policy Council to take a more active role in pushing back on states. "Everybody's got to be more forceful," said Wyden, who has pressed top Biden health officials for answers. "This is morally repugnant what's being done to these poor people." Congress actually envisioned such a scenario. Last year, lawmakers expanded the administration's power to rein in states, in anticipation it might need to exercise stronger oversight of the Medicaid process. But with states like Arkansas and Idaho already nearing the end of the hardest part of their eligibility checks, that window to act is closing. "The longer you wait, the less effective it becomes," Hawkins said. "There's diminishing returns." Sara Lonardo, senior adviser and press secretary at CMS, said the agency is taking its monitoring and oversight role incredibly seriously and will continue to act to prevent eligible people from losing coverage. That can include requiring states to pause terminations, reinstate coverage, adopt strategies to help people through the renewal process and address systems issues. If states dont, they will risk losing the enhanced federal funding, Lonardo said. Some states are coming forward proactively to CMS to acknowledge and fix renewal issues. The agency has worked with 14 states to pause terminations for some or all Medicaid recipients over compliance issues, though it did not identify which ones. Some Biden allies dismissed political concerns tied to the disenrollments, pointing to Democrats' clear advantage on health issues in the polls. Biden's expansion of Obamacare subsidies also means more people who lose Medicaid this year may be able to afford new insurance. "Coverage is at an all-time high and the number of people uninsured is at an all-time low, and a lot of that is because of the work of Joe Biden," said Leslie Dach, chair of the Democrat-aligned group Protect Our Care, arguing that red state leaders will shoulder any blame tied to coverage losses. "These numbers are being driven by governors that have shown themselves time and time again to be opposed to health care." Yet, for a White House still trying to get the public to buy into Bidenomics, the coverage losses could further fuel voters' skepticism that the government is helping them through difficult economic times. Jamila Michener, co-director of the Cornell Center for Health Equity who has studied Medicaid's impact on elections, warned that losing Medicaid coverage correlated in the past with suppressed voter turnout. And while most of the states experiencing the highest rates of coverage loss so far are states Biden lost decidedly in 2020, swing states like Georgia and Nevada have among the top 10 highest disenrollment rates. In places where the unwinding has been associated with disenrollment and with the negative experiences with Medicaid, we are more likely to see that translated into negative electoral consequences, Michener said. "When unwinding unfolds in ways that alienate Medicaid beneficiaries from politics or the electoral system, that has implications for political inequality, both in terms of class and in terms of race. The emotional testimony this week by the families of the 13 U.S. service members killed during President Bidens chaotic military withdrawal in Afghanistan has cast renewed scrutiny on the presidents past treatment of Gold Star families. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., held a congressional forum Monday with the Gold Star families who said they felt misled and betrayed by their own government. Several called out Biden and his top Cabinet officials by name, calling on them to resign. A father of one fallen U.S. Marine called on the president to "be a grown a-- man." AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL: A POLITICAL TURNING POINT FOR WAY PUBLIC FELT ABOUT BIDEN The Biden administrations series of missteps during the withdrawal nearly two years ago marked a political turning point for the publics perception of the president's competency and ability to lead. His decision faced widespread global backlash after Taliban insurgents retook the country in a matter of days on Aug. 15, 2021, essentially winning the war 20 years after their ouster by U.S.-led forces. Biden had assured Americans just one month before the collapse that the likelihood of a Taliban takeover was "highly unlikely." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Then on Aug. 26, 2021, during the U.S. military's mass evacuation at the Kabul airport, suicide bombers killed 183 people, including 13 U.S. service members. The U.S. military evacuation, which required thousands of additional U.S. troops on the ground and significant cooperation from the Taliban to complete, ended a day ahead of deadline on Aug. 30, 2021, leaving behind hundreds of U.S. citizens and tens of thousands of Afghan allies despite Bidens promise days earlier to "get them all out." BIDEN REPORTEDLY HAS HISTORY OF DISRESPECTING GOLD STAR FAMILIES Critics have demanded that heads roll for the Afghanistan debacle with calls for the firings of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. Despite telling Americans after Afghanistans fall that "the buck stops with me," Biden repeatedly blamed former President Trump and the Afghan military for the countrys swift collapse, and he has declined to fire a single official over the withdrawal. President Biden reacts during a contentious back-and-forth with Fox News' Peter Doocy during a press conference after a terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, that left 13 service members dead on Aug. 26, 2021. During Monday's hearing, Kelly Barnett, mother of Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, addressed the panel first and spoke for nearly 15 minutes, accusing Biden officials of lying to her about her sons death and saying she was told that he died immediately only for eyewitnesses to tell her he "lived for a little while." "We were told lies, given incomplete reports, incorrect reports, total disrespect," Barnett said. "I was told to my face he died on impact. That's not true. The only reason that I know this is because witnesses told me the truth. I was lied to and basically told to shut up." MOST HEART-WRENCHING MOMENTS FROM GOLD STAR FAMILIES TESTIMONY ON KABUL ATTACK Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikouis father, Steve Nikoui, accused Biden of using his Marine son "as a pawn so we can meet his Sept. 11th deadline and get the optics he wanted." "My life and that of my family's has been on pause since the early morning of Aug. 26, 2021," the emotional father said. "The difference between the minutes of my life before that and the minutes that passed after that day are contrasted drastically." Christy Shamblin, the mother-in-law of Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, held back tears when she described her reaction to Biden officials lauding the evacuation as a success. "When our leaders, including the secretary of defense and our commander in chief, called this evacuation a success, as if there should be celebration, it is like a knife in the heart for our families and for the people [who] came back," Shamblin said. "I live [every] single day knowing that these deaths were preventable. My daughter could be with us today." "I can't even begin to piece together the words that would convey to you the devastation that her murder has brought to our family," she said. MOTHER OF MARINE KILLED IN KABUL SAYS BIDEN ROLLED HIS 'F--- EYES' WHEN SHE REMEMBERED SON DURING MEETING A Defense Department spokesperson's statement on the Gold Star families' testimony said, "The Department of Defense expresses our deepest condolences to the Gold Star Families who lost loved ones during the tragic bombing at Abbey Gate. We are forever grateful for their service, sacrifice, and committed efforts during the evacuation operations. We also commend the historic and monumental efforts of all our service men and women who served honorably during the withdrawal period from Afghanistan." GOLD STAR FATHER SAYS BIDEN BRISTLED WHEN TOLD TO LEARN STORIES OF FALLEN SERVICE MEMBERS: WASHINGTON POST Biden received criticism for his treatment of the Gold Star families immediately following the 2021 attack in Kabul. Following the attack, Biden met in Dover, Delaware, with the family members of the 13 killed, but several of them later spoke out, accusing the president of repeatedly bringing up his late son, Beau, and saying he routinely checked his watch during the dignified transfer of the deceased's remains. Cheyenne McCollum, one of the sisters of Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, said she met with Biden alongside McCollums pregnant widow and that the president would not look at the family in the eye and spent the three-minute conversation talking about Beau, who served in Iraq with the U.S. Army and died in 2015 from brain cancer. "I was able to stand about 15 seconds of his fake, scripted apology and I had to walk away," Cheyenne told "Fox & Friends." Roice McCollum, another sister, refused to meet with the president but said he showed a "total disregard to the loss of our Marine." "You can't f--- up as bad as he did and say you're sorry," Roice told the Washington Post."This did not need to happen, and every life is on his hands." Shana Chappell, the mother of Lance Cpl. Nikoui, wrote a scathing Facebook post that said Biden hijacked their conversation by talking about Beau and that he rolled his eyes when she challenged him. JOEY JONES SAYS HE WAS DISGUSTED BY BIDEN CHECKING WATCH: IT SHOWS HOW DISCONNECTED HE IS "You tried to interrupt me and give me your own sob story and I had to tell you, This isnt about you so dont make it about you!" Chappell wrote. "You then said you just wanted me to know that you know how I feel and I let you know that you dont know how I feel and you do not have the right to tell me you know how I feel! You then rolled your f--- eyes in your head like you were annoyed with me and I let you know that the only reason I was talking to you was out of respect for my son." As Biden turned to walk away, the grieving mother said she let him know that "my son's blood was on your hands and you threw your hand up behind you as you walked away from me like you were saying ok whatever!" Mark Schmitz, the father of Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, said Biden bristled and bluntly responded to his request that he learn the individual stories of the 13 fallen. Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz is shown in Kabul, Afghanistan, the day he was killed by a suicide bomb attack at then-Hamid Karzai International Airport. "Initially, I wasn't going to meet with him," Schmitz said. "But then I felt I owed it to my son to at least have some words with him about how I felt and it didn't go well." FATHERS OF MARINES KILLED IN KABUL BLAST RIP BIDEN: 'HE TALKED MORE ABOUT HIS SON THAN MY SON' Biden was also criticized after he was photographed appearing to check his watch during the dignified transfer of remains of the fallen soldiers to American soil. Darin Hoover, father of Utah Marine Darin Taylor Hoover Jr., said the president looked down at his watch not once but several times as the caskets were being offloaded. "That didn't happen just once. It happened on every single one that came out of that airplane. It happened on every single one of them. They would release the salute, and he would look down at his watch on every last one, all 13, he looked down at his watch," Hoover said on Fox News' "Hannity" in 2021. "As a father, seeing that and the disrespect and hearing from his former leaders, one of [Taylor's] master sergeants said that this was avoidable that they left them over there. They had them over there and let them down, and we can't have that," he said. "It can't happen ever again." The controversy at the time also resurfaced Biden's reported past treatment of Gold Star families that predated the Afghanistan withdrawal. For instance, Mike Iubelt, the father of the fallen Army Pfc. Tyler Iubelt, told the Washington Examiner in October 2019 that he had a "horrible experience" meeting the now-president in 2016 after his son's death in Afghanistan a few days earlier. Iubelt said he left their conversation "feeling worse" than before. "He told my daughter-in-law ... that she was too pretty for this to happen to her," Iubelt recalled. "It's probably a good thing that he was surrounded by Secret Service, probably for both of us, because I'd probably be locked up in jail right now." Meanwhile, Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, a Marine who was severely injured during the Afghanistan withdrawal, recently recalled an awkward encounter he had with Biden after he arrived at a hospital for treatment in the United States. During an interview on the "Shawn Ryan Show," Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, left, described the awkward visit he had with President Biden during his recovery from a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan in August 2021. Describing his recovery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Vargas-Andrews, who lost an arm and leg as a result of the suicide bombing that took place outside the Abbey Gate at Kabul's airport, said he was greeted by a number of U.S. military officials who were looking to participate in "photo ops" with him including the president. Vargas-Andrews said Biden showed up four hours late and tried to shake his hand despite him being immobile. "He says, Oh, and kind of stands up and then goes over to reach for my fingers and just like grabs my fingers. Doesn't greet me or anything, just grabbed my fingers. I was like, 'OK, that's weird.'" Vargas-Andrews said the Bidens "almost immediately starts talking about how their son served in the military. [He] doesn't say anything about what happened, just starts talking about how their son served in the military." When reached for comment Tuesday, a White House official told Fox News Digital that the president and first lady "will always honor the sacrifices of the 13 servicemembers who were killed in that attack." "We mourn with them, we remember their loved ones, and we will continue to support these Gold Star families," the official said. "We are enormously proud of the men and women of our military, our diplomats and the intel community who conducted that withdrawal they performed bravely and helped evacuate more than 120,000 people in one of the largest airlifts in history." "But more broadly, the President made the tough decision to end the 20-year war in Afghanistan because he was not going to send another generation of troops to fight and die in a conflict that had no end in sight," the official added. Fox News Kyle Morris and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. Porter opened up about the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes in Hollywood, while also addressing the Disney CEOs recent comments. In a recent interview, Billy Porter revealed to Evening Standard that he decided to sell his house as a result of the ongoing strikes in Hollywood. In the weekend profile, the renowned Emmy- and Tony Award-winning actor-singer-producer broke down where he is in his career right now, and, naturally, the current state of the film and television landscape was a topic up for discussion. Both the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA are currently on strike as writers and actors in the industry fight for proper compensation and protections in the streaming era. Billy Porter attends NBCs Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love Birthday Special at Avalon Hollywood & Bardot in March in Los Angeles. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) When asked why he made the decision to sell his house in the interview, Porter says: Because were on strike. And I dont know when were gonna go back [to work]. The actor goes on to describe the life of an artist as one that is paycheck to paycheck, unless you make f***-you money. I was supposed to be in a new movie, he shared, and on a new television show starting in September. None of that is happening. Porter also directly addressed comments made by Disney CEO Bob Iger earlier this summer, in which, amid the strikes, he referred to the actors and writers demands as unrealistic. To hear Bob Iger say that our demands for a living wage are unrealistic? Porter queried. While he makes $78,000 a day? I dont have any words for it, but: f*** you, he added. Thats not useful, so Ive kept my mouth shut. I havent engaged because Im so enraged. Im glad Ive been over here. But when I go back I will join the picket lines. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Billy Porter sells house amid Hollywood strikes, calls out Bob Iger appeared first on TheGrio. Loaves & Fishes, Sacramentos largest homeless services organization, on Tuesday marked 40 years of delivering radical hospitality to the city. The nonprofit, founded in 1983, offers Sacramento-area individuals and families experiencing homelessness a breadth of services, from free meals to school to showers. As the homelessness crisis in the city has grown, so has the organization. Today, its 80 staff and 4,000 volunteers serve more than 10,000 guests annually at its North C Street campus in the citys River District. The anniversary was a bittersweet milestone, said Angela Hassell, the organizations executive director. The founders, husband and wife Dan and Chris Delany, respectively, never anticipated that there would be a need for Loaves & Fishes for 40 years, Hassell said. Its a little bit disheartening that there has been such a need for so long for services like ours, she said. Still, on Tuesday, a balloon arch and special barbecue meal marked the four decades with celebration. Eight staff chefs prepared to serve up to 800 meals of tri tip, ribs, potato salad and cupcakes between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Staff and volunteers handed out cool washcloths and clean socks. At Friendship Park, a blues band played. I think anyone who has visited Loaves and Fishes really can feel the magic and the sacred space that has been created here, said Shannon Dominguez-Stevens, who directs the organizations drop-in day center for women and families. We serve unhoused folks who are told day in and day out that they dont matter, that theyre not worthy, that they need to shoo and find another place to go. But it is here on this campus where we look them in the eye, we see them, we hear them, we create a safe space for them. Shekiah Sams 3-year-old daughter played under the balloon arch. She comes for the loving and warming staff and environment, meals and clothing giveaways, Sams said. Ruby Lozoya, 54, has been homeless for two decades and now lives in a trailer in Miller Park. She started coming to Loaves & Fishes for formula and diapers for her babies. One of her daughters now comes to Loaves & Fishes for her own babies. Lozoya volunteers in the Loaves & Fishes kitchen. Its nice to have something productive to do with my time, she said, and to give back to other homeless people. She also uses the Maryhouse mail service, which allows for nearly 2,000 people use of the address for secure mail delivery. Four decades of radical hospitality Chris and Dan Delany a former nun and priest, respectively were heavily involved in California social movements: during the United Farm Workers Movement of the 1960s, they organized alongside Cesar Chavez. In the 1980s, when AIDS patients were denied basic healthcare, they opened their homes. And in the early 2000s, they protested U.S. wars in the Middle East. In 1983, they began serving sandwiches out of their car trunk to Sacramentos hungry. The organization quickly grew, expanding across a 4.5-acre campus and adding 16 programs delivering showers, a school for homeless children, mental health services, a legal clinic, veterinary clinic and a womens shelter, among others. They provide these services in a spirit of love, radical hospitality and generosity to all, per their mission statement. Loaves & Fishes has never received government funding, a choice made to avoid some of the bureaucratic hurdles that could divert resources away from clients, Hassell said. Instead, individual donors and community foundations keep the operation afloat. The organization also engages in advocacy work. Sister Libby Fernandez, executive director until 2018, drew national attention for her protest techniques, which included sleeping at homeless encampments and staging Christmas Eve vigils at the Capitol. She advocated for the establishment of a tent city for people unable to get housing in shelters in 2016. Seven years later, the city is still struggling to establish places for homeless to live: none of the 20 shelters and safe sleeping sites proposed last year were approved. The city council is still looking to establish more as pressure to clear sidewalk encampments mounts. Today, the organization is still advocating for policies that secure more types of housing in Sacramento, especially permanent supportive housing that provides wraparound services for residents. Safe camping, safe parking, transitional housing, shelter options theres no one size fits all solution to homelessness. And from our perspective, we need more at all of those levels in order to allow folks the opportunity to navigate those choices, Hassell said. A total of 20,000 people in Sacramento County were expected to experience homelessness at some point in 2022, a federal report said. More than half may visit Loaves & Fishes in 2022, the organization served 10,827 individuals. A growing crisis On the same day that Loaves & Fishes marked the anniversary, the fight between Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho over how to address the homelessness crisis escalated, with the DA demanding the city comply with demands including a citywide daytime camping ban. Since 2017, the homeless population has tripled. Dominguez-Stevens said that many of her clients ask, Where can we sleep? Local government refuses to answer that question, but they are very willing to tell them where they cant sleep, she said. Local government, she added, has become more hostile toward unhoused folks. She has worked with unhoused people in Sacramento since 2007. All of the staff at Loaves & Fishes see the impact of a strained and inadequate service network. When Hassell started working at Mustard Seed School in 2003, the average stay at the school was two to three weeks. Now, Hassell said, its more like five or six. Were seeing people become homeless and have a much more difficult time moving out of homelessness than 20 years ago, she said. Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert! BLACK VOTERS SAY MORE MONEY IS NEEDED FOR EDUCATION A strong majority of Black California voters believe that the Legislature has a responsibility to provide more funding to schools for the lowest performing students, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Black in School Coalition. The fact that 84% of those surveyed want education funding to target lowest performing students in California speaks volumes, and we need to see action from the Legislature, said Adonai Mack, senior director of education at Children Now, in a statement. Survey firm Applecart polled 1,199 Black California voters on the subject of education, with a margin of error of 3.24%, and found that 71% believe that allocating additional money based on student performance would improve education for Black students, while 93% said that chronic absenteeism is an urgent problem for California schools to address. Fewer than a third, 27%, believe that Gov. Gavin Newsom is doing a good enough job to improve education outcomes for Black students. Meanwhile, a third of Black voters believe that Black students receive a lower quality education than their non-Black peers, and that schools with mostly Black students are not properly funded. A third of those surveyed also believe that Black students are not graduating ready for college, that student discipline is too severe, that there is a lack of focused attention on the educational needs of Black students and that Black students face racial discrimination, according to a statement from the coalition. BLACK WOMEN REPORT NUMEROUS SETBACKS TO INCOME EQUALITY Nearly half of Black California women polled believe that racism and discrimination have limited their ability to earn money, in a survey shared Tuesday. Two out of five Black women work multiple jobs yet face significant challenges to meeting basic expenses, the survey found The poll was commissioned by the California Black Womens Collective Empowerment Institute and conducted by the firm EVITARUS, which surveyed 1,258 Black women voters across the state with a margin of error of 2.76%. Black women in California and around the country are struggling socially and economically while serving as primary breadwinners of their households, said institute President Kellie Todd Griffin in a statement. The results are sobering and paint a picture of the pressures that threaten Black womens stability and financial security. More than two-thirds, 77%, of Black women said that they have not saved up enough money for retirement, while 70% said they struggle to make ends meet. Two-thirds of Black women surveyed said they have difficulty dealing with stress, with a third saying that they have experienced emotional or psychological abuse sometime over the last year. More than eight out of 10 Black women listed equal pay, affordable housing and health care, protection from violence, fresh healthy food and expanded mental health services as top policy priorities. QUOTE OF THE DAY When we talk about homelessness, we are not talking about them; we are talking about us: our family members, our neighbors, sometimes even our co-workers. - Assemblyman James Ramos, D-San Bernardino, in a statement. Best of The Bee: Howard Redmond, who as an NYPD inspector oversaw Bill de Blasio and his familys around-the-clock security the whole time the former New York City mayor was in office, surrendered Wednesday to face criminal charges stemming from his work for City Hall. Redmond, whose 30-year career at the NYPD recently culminated in his firing, is expected to be arraigned on obstruction charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office at 2:15 p.m. The charges come more than two years after the city Department of Investigation referred Redmond to the DA for potential prosecution after its probe into de Blasios detail uncovered widespread misuse. The DAs office and Redmonds lawyer declined to comment on the sealed charges pending his court appearance. Redmond served as head of de Blasios detail from when the former mayor took office in 2014, overseeing two NYPD units responsible for the mayor and first ladys 24-hour security seven days a week. The city Department of Investigation referred him to the DA for prosecution in late 2021 following an investigation into de Blasios misuse of his detail. A scathing report by the watchdog agency found de Blasios bodyguards operated like glorified chauffeurs, flying in the face of city ethics laws barring public servants from using city resources for personal benefit. De Blasios kids enjoyed taxpayer-funded rides around the city and moving assistance when son Dante went to Yale and daughter Chiara moved from Brooklyn into Gracie Mansion. The former mayor also used his detail to ferry his brother from the airport when he visited from out of town. Most egregiously, de Blasio used almost $320,000 of New Yorkers taxes to fund his failed presidential bid in 2019, including giving lifts to campaign staffers who took leave from their jobs at the mayors office, the DOI found in 2021. During the city probe, Redmond refused to provide investigators his City Hall-issued phone, deliberately sought to destroy his separate NYPD one and deleted everything off of both when he was ultimately forced to hand them over, the DOI report said. He only turned over the City Hall phone after ignoring multiple orders to do so when then-DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett personally reached out to NYPD leadership. Describing Redmond as showing a lack of candor in interviews with DOI investigators, the report said he gave non-credible answers and played dumb when asked about matters that fell under his direct supervision. The former mayor who described his eight-year security chief as a devoted public servant in 2021 has remained silent amid the probe thats heated up in recent weeks. He and his lawyers ignored requests for comment amid news of the pending charges. De Blasio is fighting a $475,000 fine issued by the city Conflicts of Interest Board in May, the largest of its kind, that intends to reimburse taxpayers for his presidential pipe dream. It also includes $155,000 in penalties. Redmond made $230,000 last year as an NYPD inspector in the citys Office of Emergency Management. The department had scrubbed him from the NYPD personnel database by Tuesday. This developing story will be updated. Please check back for updates. Howard Redmond, who as an NYPD inspector oversaw Bill de Blasio and his familys around-the-clock security the whole time the former New York City mayor was in office, pleaded guilty to felony charges stemming from his work for City Hall moments after they were unsealed Wednesday. Redmond, whose 30-year career at the NYPD recently culminated in his firing, pleaded guilty to two counts of tampering with physical evidence, two counts of obstructing governmental administration, and two counts of official misconduct brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office. His plea agreement required proof he was terminated from the NYPD, an apology on the record, and 10 days community service. Redmond, who will have a permanent felony conviction on his record, will not be required to serve prison time. He and his lawyer did not have immediate comment. The case comes more than two years after the city Department of Investigation referred Redmond to the DA for prosecution after its probe into de Blasios detail uncovered widespread misuse. Redmond served as head of de Blasios detail from when the former mayor took office in 2014, overseeing two NYPD units responsible for the mayor and first ladys 24-hour security seven days a week. A scathing report by the watchdog agency found de Blasios bodyguards operated like glorified chauffeurs, flying in the face of city ethics laws barring public servants from using city resources for personal benefit. De Blasios kids enjoyed taxpayer-funded rides around the city and moving assistance when son Dante went to Yale and daughter Chiara moved from Brooklyn into Gracie Mansion. The former mayor also used his detail to ferry his brother from the airport when he visited from out of town. Most egregiously, de Blasio used almost $320,000 of New Yorkers taxes to fund his failed presidential bid in 2019, including giving lifts to campaign staffers who took leave from their jobs at the mayors office, the DOI found in 2021. During the city probe, Redmond refused to provide investigators his City Hall-issued phone, deliberately sought to destroy his separate NYPD one and deleted everything off of both when he was ultimately forced to hand them over, the DOI report said. He only turned over the City Hall phone after ignoring multiple orders to do so when then-DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett personally reached out to NYPD leadership. Describing Redmond as showing a lack of candor in interviews with DOI investigators, the report said he gave non-credible answers and played dumb when asked about matters that fell under his direct supervision. The former mayor who described his eight-year security chief as a devoted public servant in 2021 has remained silent amid the probe thats heated up in recent weeks. He and his lawyers ignored requests for comment amid news of the pending charges. De Blasio is fighting a $475,000 fine issued by the city Conflicts of Interest Board in May, the largest of its kind, that intends to reimburse taxpayers for his presidential pipe dream. It also includes $155,000 in penalties. Redmond made $230,000 last year as an NYPD inspector in the citys Office of Emergency Management. The department had scrubbed him from the NYPD personnel database by Tuesday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Russia's proposition to supply a very limited amount of grain to African countries "a drop in the bucket" that is "laughable," despite the issue not being a laughing matter, in a discussion of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in an interview with the BBC on Aug. 8. "Its I none of this is a laughing matter, but its laughable," Blinken said. "What Russia was proposing is was to get grain to a half dozen countries, about 50,000 tons. The Black Sea Grain Initiative delivered 20 million tons to lower and middle-income countries." Every country in the world benefited from the grain deal as global food availability on world markets allowed prices to reduce, he said. Read also: Two vessels refuse to moor in Izmail port in past day due to Russia's attacks "Weve now seen, since Russia got out of the agreement, prices go up by 10 to 15 percent. That hurts everyone," the State Secretary said. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia was ready to substitute Ukrainian grain both commercially and on a free basis, because so to say "record harvest" is expected this year in Russia. It makes no sense for Russia to extend the grain deal at current conditions, he said. Russia's withdrawal from the grain initiative: What is known Russia officially announced the termination of the grain deal under the pretext of repeated attacks on the illegally built Crimea Bridge. Read also: Poland wants EU help to build agro-ports to help ship Ukraines grain Russia had been sabotaging the deal since April by refusing to carry out inspections, as was required under the deal, to create a backlog of unloaded ships. Russia said it was unhappy with the conditions of the deal, and demanded that its state agricultural bank be allowed to use the SWIFT interbank transfer system again. The UN proposed that a U.S. bank or a specially created subsidiary bank be set up to allow payments on agricultural exports by Russia to be made, but the Kremlin refused to accept this compromise. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy then offered to extend the grain deal with the UN and Turkey, but without Russian participation. The grain green corridor was mediated by the UN and Turkiye and had allowed Ukraine to export grain from three of its Black Sea ports starting from Aug. 1, 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 China will continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its national sovereignty while urging the Philippines to honor its commitment and cease any provocative activities, a defense ministry spokesperson said Tuesday. Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a query on the reactions of the Philippines and the United States to China's maneuvers in dealing with Philippine supply boats on a resupply mission in waters off Ren'ai Jiao. Wu said that China has sovereignty over Nansha Qundao, including Ren'ai Jiao, a fact that is backed by sufficient historical and legal evidence. The Philippines has violated its relevant commitment by attempting to send supplies to a military vessel illegally "grounded" at Ren'ai Jiao, the spokesperson said, denouncing the move as one that has infringed on China's sovereignty and breached the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. China Coast Guard vessels intercepted the Philippine boats in accordance with the law, and warned them off through appropriate law enforcement measures. Their maneuvers were legitimate, lawful, professional and standard, Wu said. He also expressed resolute opposition to the United States' groundless remarks on China's legitimate law enforcement actions. He urged the United States to immediately cease sowing discord among countries in the region. He also urged the United States to respect China's territorial sovereignty over the South China Sea, its maritime rights and interests, and efforts made by countries in the region to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea. The Chinese military will resolutely perform its duty to uphold China's national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, Wu added. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with El Salvadors Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill at the State Department in Washington. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum about a visit to the Central African country by American diplomat Victoria Nuland, the State Department said on Wednesday. "The two discussed Acting Deputy Secretary Nulands recent trip to Niamey and the secretary conveyed the United States ongoing support for a solution that restores Niger to democratic rule and constitutional order," the department said of Tuesday's call. "The secretary also emphasized that the safety and security of President Bazoum and his family are paramount." Bazoum has been in detention at his residence since the July 26 military takeover of the country. Diplomatic efforts to reverse the coup appeared stalled after the junta rejected the latest diplomatic mission. Nuland said on Monday that she traveled to Nigers capital Niamey and held "frank and difficult" talks with senior junta officials. In a briefing with reporters, Nuland said the junta officials did not take up U.S. suggestions to try to restore democratic order and that her request to meet with Bazoum was declined. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Editing by William Maclean) A former Army officer who advised then-Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly during the Trump administration wrote that his blood ran cold after reading the latest indictment against the former president. Kevin Carroll, who served as Kellys senior counsel while he led the Department of Homeland Security, authored an op-ed in The Dispatch on Tuesday, saying he was deeply troubled by the plot to keep Trump in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. Special counsel Jack Smith indicted the former president on four felony charges related to that effort earlier this month, pointing to a multi-pronged conspiracy to remain in power and install a slate of fake electors in swing states around the nation. Part of that effort, Carroll wrote, appeared to include acknowledgements from two of Trumps co-conspirators Jeffrey Clark and John Eastman that military force may have been needed to see the plot succeed. As a veteran, my blood ran cold reading two particular passages in special counsel Jack Smiths indictment, Carroll wrote in the op-ed. They suggest that part of the former president and his co-conspirators autocratic plan to remain in power, despite knowing that they lost the 2020 election, was to make the U.S. military choose between subservience to civilian control or refusing to undertake an anti-democratic domestic political role. "Clark & Eastman sought to have Pence nullify the results of the 2020 election in bad faith, anticipated that this unconstitutional act might lead to widespread unrest, & planned for the commander-in-chief to order federal troops to put down those riots"https://t.co/NbeCDXkgiP Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) August 8, 2023 Smiths indictment includes conversations between co-conspirators who worried their effort to spread lies of rampant voter fraud would lead to riots in every major city in the United States. Clark who is identified as co-conspirator No. 4 in the document responded to that fear: Well thats why theres an Insurrection Act. Carroll said the indictment appears to show the military would have been placed in an unthinkable position, with generals forced to choose whether to abandon an unbroken tradition of American military obedience to civilian control, or turn their guns on civilians to facilitate a losing candidate remaining in the White House beyond Inauguration Day. If Trump is convicted, he added, the potential harm of that act should be taken into account in the former presidents sentencing. The foreseeable consequences of Clark, Eastman, and Trumps criminal plot would have been profound for the military and the nation, he concluded. I suspect the generals would have reluctantly chosen the first of the two bad options they faced. In either case, the republic would still suffer grave damage. Related... Disabled Cumberland County residents could find a new job opportunity at their local library this fall. The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved $25,000 in funding in June for the Cafe West program, which will create a cafe staffed with young people and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to the county website. Deputy library director Heather Hall said Wednesday that the program is a partnership between the West Regional Library and ServiceSource, a nonprofit that helps disabled people find jobs and learn important life skills. The West Regional Library, located at 7469 Century Circle off Stoney Point Road, has a cafe space built inside the library lobby, Hall said. This program provided the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the space to better serve the community, she said via email. The dedicated customer base of the library will enjoy a space to buy and enjoy beverages and food options prepared by teens and young adults who typically face barriers to employment. The Cumberland County West Regional Library at 7469 Century Circle. The library will soon be home to a cafe run by disabled teens and young adults, officials said. Why now? Hall said the librarys new strategic plan, finalized last year, was the impetus for the program. The librarys 2022-2025 Strategic Plan supports this initiative, she said. Goal 3 is Encourage diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging. This project will help maintain libraries as a vital community hub that welcomes, accepts and includes all residents and visitors through our programs and services offered to our citizenry. Hall said the library was also searching for ways to encourage workforce development and job opportunities in the community. The library has a history of supporting those with disabilities through volunteer and work opportunities, she said. Its so very important for the community to provide workplace experiences to individuals with disabilities who may face barriers to employment, and this partnership with ServiceSource helps support their mission to build a more inclusive community. The cafe space inside the West Regional Library at 7469 Century Circle. The Cafe West project is projected to open in the space by early to mid-fall, officials said. How and when will it happen? The initial $25,000 will support the purchase of equipment, furniture and signs for the cafe, Hall said. According to Hall, staffing will be handled by ServiceSource. The nonprofits website states it serves more than 29,000 people with disabilities each year, with offices in Delaware, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina and Utah. The Fayetteville location at 600 Ames St. hosts a community inclusion program that offers support to those 18 and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to ServiceSources website. ServiceSource also connects disabled Cumberland County residents ages 18 to 64 with jobs, according to its website. Hall said the library hopes to start the program by early to mid-fall and will host an official ribbon-cutting ceremony when the cafe is open. We are very excited about this opportunity and encourage the community to stay tuned for information and updates! she wrote. Government watchdog reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com. Special Subscription Offers This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cumberland County library creating jobs for the disabled with new cafe On Tuesday, Charles M. Murrell III, a Black musician, teacher and civil rights activist from Massachusetts, filed a federal lawsuit against the white supremacist organization Patriot Front, alleging the groups members attacked him on the streets of Boston last year. The lawsuit stems from a confrontation between Murrell and members of the Texas-headquartered white supremacist group in downtown Boston last July. Murrell claims he was walking when he was surrounded by masked Patriot Front members carrying metal shields, who engaged in a coordinated, brutal, and racially motivated attack. The lawsuit marks just the latest high-profile legal attack on Patriot Front, which has sought to position itself as a national pride organization, but which observers say is an expansive hate group. The group was sued last year by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on behalf of residents of Richmond, Virginia, over vandalism at a mural honoring Black tennis great Arthur Ashe. Last summer, 31 members of Patriot Front were arrested en route to a Pride event in Idaho. But while the group is recognized for spreading leaflets or holding marches in matching uniforms, with faces obscured it generally claims it exercises free speech, not violence. That makes the Boston allegations stand out. Charles Murrell, center, fends off a marcher from a group bearing insignias of the white supremacist group Patriot Front on July 2, 2022, in Boston. Murrell alleges the group punched, kicked and beat him with metal shields during a march through Boston in 2022. Murrell claims he sustained injuries to his face, head and hand, all of which required medical attention, and that he has suffered significant emotional distress. By engaging in coordinated, pre-planned, and racially motivated violence against Mr. Murrell, Patriot Front, its leader 24-year-old Thomas Rousseau, and its members violated the rights and privileges guaranteed to Mr. Murrell by the laws of the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the lawsuit alleges. Messages to Rousseau, and to Patriot Fronts group accounts on social media platforms, requesting comment were not returned Tuesday evening. What is Patriot Front? Patriot Front, which the Southern Poverty Law Center designates as a hate group, grew out of a group called Vanguard America, which splintered after one of the organizations members drove a car into a group of protesters at the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, killing one and injuring several more. Led by Texas resident Rousseau, Patriot Front has largely gained a reputation for participating in flash mob protests, where often dozens of masked white men clad in chinos and polo shirts along with sunglasses and face gaiters descend on a public place to march with American flags and make racially tinged patriotic speeches. The group also spreads nationalist and racist propaganda. According to an annual report from the Anti-Defamation League, the group was responsible for 80 percent of such propaganda in 2022. Patriot Front describes itself as dedicated to "a hard reset on the nation we see today a return to the traditions and virtues of our forefathers." Authorities arrest members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front near an Idaho pride event Saturday, June 11, 2022, after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear. Experts on extremism say they see through the rhetoric. "They can frame themselves as peaceful as much as they want, but inherently they are very much a white supremacist group that's seeking to give supremacy to the white race," said Morgan Moon, an investigative researcher with the ADL's Center on Extremism. What does the lawsuit allege? Murrells lawsuit stems from a confrontation between him and members of Patriot Front in Boston on July 2, 2022. According to the lawsuit, Murrell was walking through Boston en route to play his saxophone when he came across about 100 members of Patriot Front marching in formation and carrying metal shields, some of which were emblazoned with Mussolini-era fascist imagery. The lawsuit claims the Patriot Front members all of whom were masked except Rousseau then attacked Murrell with their shields, pushing him against a concrete lamp post. The alleged attack was just the latest example of Patriot Front using shields in an aggressive manner against their opponents, the lawsuit claims. The suit, filed in federal court, cites U.S. law that prohibits conspiracy to violate another persons civil rights. Members of a group bearing insignias of the white supremacist Patriot Front shove Charles Murrell with metal shields during a march through Boston on July 2, 2022. Margaret Russell a law professor at Santa Clara University School of LAw in California, said the lawsuit appears very solidly put-together. Russell, an expert on constitutional law, explained that while groups like Patriot Front have a First Amendment right to freedom of speech, that right does not extend to activity that is threatening or interferes with the civil rights of others. The context always matters, she said. Is it a lot of people? Is it in a situation in which violence seems imminent? That's what the Supreme Court has required some connection that comes from the situation that makes it clear that it's just not expressive that It's about to boil over. Murrell, who has a background teaching special education, told the Associated Press on Monday that the lawsuit is about holding Patriot Front accountable. "Because I am a teacher, because I come from special education, I am filing this suit so that even if one of them has a safer sidewalk to walk on, the work that I am doing will have been very much worth it," Murrell said. Patriot Front-aligned lawyer responds Jason Lee Van Dyke, a Texas attorney who is not representing Patriot Front in the lawsuit, told USA TODAY he represents a member of the group who filmed the incident with Murrell. Van Dyke provided USA TODAY with a copy of a video, which has also circulated on social media, showing the clash between Murrell and the Patriot Front marchers. The video, which has been edited, shows several Patriot Front protesters pushing against Murrell with their shields in front of onlookers. Rousseau can be seen in the video telling his followers to take it easy. Murrell can be seen shouting at the men pushing against him. Van Dyke claims the video exonerates the white supremacists: For a guy who says he's the victim here (Murrell), he repeatedly gets back up and tries to attack these guys, Van Dyke said. He's alleging a civil rights violation, and that's just preposterous. Patriot Fronts other legal woes Last June, 31 members of Patriot Front were arrested when police pulled over a U-Haul that was allegedly transporting them to disrupt a Pride event in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. They were charged with conspiracy to riot. Last month, five members of the group were convicted. This combination of images provided by the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office shows, from top row from left James Michael Johnson, Forrest Rankin, Robert Whitted. Bottom row from left, Devin Center, Derek Smith. A northern Idaho jury on Thursday, July 20, 2023, found these five members of the white nationalist hate group Patriot Front guilty of misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to riot at a Pride event. Patriot Front also faces the Virginia civil rights lawsuit from last year after members of the group allegedly filmed themselves vandalizing the Ashe mural. That case is ongoing and, nine months after the case was filed, members of Patriot Front have yet to appear in court to contest it, according to court records. As a result, a default judgment was begun against the group last week. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law has a long history of suing extremist groups on behalf of local residents or organizations affected by hateful activity. Most recently, in 2021, the group sued the extremist group the Proud Boys and its then-chairman Henry "Enrique" Tarrio for vandalism during protests in Washington, D.C., in late 2020. Last month, a judge ordered the Proud Boys to pay the church $1 million in damages. A previous lawsuit brought by the committee against participants in 2017s Unite the Right rally resulted in tens of millions of dollars in damages for the plaintiffs, crippling several extremist groups who participated in the rally. Amy Spitalnick, senior advisor on extremism at Human Rights First, a nonprofit that is collaborating with the attorneys bringing the lawsuit, said civil lawsuits like this are essential to combat extremist groups like Patriot Front. We know civil litigation is a crucial tool in the toolbox because we saw the impacts firsthand in Charlottesville, Spitalnick said. Of course, it must go hand-in-hand with the policies necessary to prevent violence, build societal resilience to extremism, and advance multiracial democracy. In a separate lawsuit filed last week, members of Patriot Front sued a leftist activist who allegedly infiltrated their group. The white supremacists claim they suffered damages when the activist doxxed them, revealing their identities and affiliations with Patriot Front, which they said harmed their reputations and careers. The Boston lawsuit takes on the same issue of Patriot Front members anonymity. As defendants, it names Rousseau and John Does 1-99 the masked members who marched through Boston that day. Mr. Murrell will seek their identities through discovery, the suit says, and, should one or more responsible individuals be identified, Mr. Murrell will amend his Complaint accordingly. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Patriot Front Boston lawsuit: Another legal challenge tests group A Boston man was sentenced to four years in prison and three years of supervised release Wednesday for robbing a postal worker in Peabody at gunpoint. Anthony Diaz, 20, was arrested and charged with forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a United States Postal Employee by use of a deadly weapon (firearm) in February. The U.S. District Attorneys Office says on January 4, 2023, Diaz allegedly approached a mail carrier on Veterans Memorial Driver in Peabody and demanded the employees Arrow Keys while pointing a semi-automatic pistol at the victim, telling them to hurry up or Ill shoot you. An Arrow Key is used to open designated blue USPS collection boxes in specific areas and it is a federal offense to steal one. The mail carrier, who doesnt want his name published, told Boston 25 News hes been delivering mail for nearly 28 years. He said hes never felt intimidated on the job before and called what happened a horrible experience. 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 Boston Police have safely located 13-year-old LahNi Bacchus from Dorchester after a missing person alert was Wednesday morning. Bacchus was reported missing after she was last seen leaving the area of Ames Way around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night to go to the nearby Dollar Tree on Talbot Avenue. She is known to frequent the areas of Franklin Field, Harambee Park and the Lee School playground, police say. 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 The six-year-old student who shot his teacher in the US earlier this year, boasted about the incident saying "I shot [her] dead", unsealed court documents show. While being restrained after the shooting at a Virginia school, the boy is said to have admitted "I did it", adding "I got my mom's gun last night". His teacher, Abigail "Abby" Zwerner - who survived - filed a $40m (31.4m) lawsuit earlier this year. The boy has not been charged. The boy's mother, however, Deja Taylor, has been charged with felony child neglect and misdemeanour recklessly leaving a loaded firearm as to endanger a child. In June, she was also charged with unlawfully using a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Ms Taylor will be sentenced in October and could face up to 25 years in prison. Using his mother's gun, the boy shot his first-grade teacher, Ms Zwerner, in the hand and chest on 6 January at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. After the shooting, Ms Zwerner told police at hospital that she saw the child standing by his desk when he "pulled a firearm out of his jacket pocket and pointed it" at her, according to the newly released documents. Before he shot the 9mm handgun, she said, "What are you doing with that?" The primary teacher has undergone surgery four times. Amy Korvac, a reading specialist at the school, heard the gun shots and restrained the student until police arrived. It was during this time that the boy allegedly confessed to the shooting, using a profanity to refer to Ms Zwerner. In an interview with the Washington Post published on Wednesday, Ms Korvac said she went inside the classroom after the shooting, where she found the six-year-old standing next to his desk with his arms crossed and a handgun on the floor next to him. She said she then took the boy's hand and walked him to the front of the classroom, where she used a phone to call 911. "While I was holding him, he told me he had gotten his mom's gun the night before and put it in his backpack," Ms Kovac told the paper. "He also told me he only had time to load one bullet." The court documents also mention another incident with the same student while he was in kindergarten. A retired teacher told police he started "choking her to the point she could not breathe". In Ms Zwerner's lawsuit, filed in April, she accuses school officials of gross negligence for ignoring warning signs and argues the defendants knew the child "had a history of random violence". A 6-year-old Virginia boy who shot his teacher in their classroom earlier this year allegedly boasted about what he had done, declaring I shot that b***h dead, according to a newly unsealed search warrant. I did it, the first grader at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News said while being restrained by another teacher, WTKR reported citing a copy of the warrant. I got my moms gun last night. Abigail Zwerner, 25, suffered a gunshot wound to her hand and upper torso in the Jan. 6 shooting. She spent nearly two weeks in a hospital and later sued the school district for $40 million, alleging that the child had a history of random violence that was repeatedly ignored. Deja Nicole Taylor, right, is seen with her attorney James Ellenson, in Newport News, Virginia, on April 13 before turning herself in to local authorities. Deja Nicole Taylor, right, is seen with her attorney James Ellenson, in Newport News, Virginia, on April 13 before turning herself in to local authorities. Obviously this is a very troubled child, James Ellenson, an attorney for the boys family, said in an email Thursday. He is receiving intense therapy and we wish to thank the dedicated staff who are working with him. The child has not been charged due to his young age while his mother, Deja Taylor, was indicted back in April on state charges of felony child neglect and misdemeanor recklessly leaving a loaded firearm as to endanger a child. In June she was additionally charged with unlawfully using a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. She pleaded guilty to these federal charges and faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced in October. The 6-year-old shot his teacher Abby Zwerner while they were in their classroom. The 6-year-old shot his teacher Abby Zwerner while they were in their classroom. Taylor, in an interview back in May, said that she didnt know how her son accessed her gun. She also said that her son really liked his teacher and he was a great kid, but that week he felt like his teacher was ignoring him. Ellenson also said that nobody knew how he accessed her firearm. Taylor told police, according to the newly released warrant, that she believed that on the morning of the shooting her gun was stored in her purse, with the trigger lock in place, on top of her bedroom dresser. The key to the gunlock was kept under her mattress. Federal prosecutors said that a lockbox wasnt found, nor was a key or trigger lock, ABC News reported. Related... Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, has said Brazil's vote is crucial to bring Russia back to the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Source: Blinken in an interview with GloboNews, a Brazilian news-based TV channel, as reported by European Pravda; US Department of State Details: Responding to whether the US Secretary of State believes that Brazil's neutral position in the Russian war against Ukraine gives its President Lula da Silva a favourable position to mediate in the negotiations and try to convince Russia to resume the grain deal, Blinken said: "In short, yes". Quote: "I think Brazils voice, President Lulas voice, is critical. And using that voice to convince the Russians to return to the agreement would be a very, very positive thing," Blinken believes. Details: The US State Secretary stressed that "this agreement never should have been necessary in the first place", but it "was only necessary because Russia decided to invade Ukraine, and then, having done so, it blockaded its ports, preventing grain and wheat from getting out". "While that agreement was enforced before Russia pulled out of it a couple of weeks ago, 35 million tonnes of food products got out of Ukraine The equivalent of 18 billion loaves of bread: thats what Russia has now torn up... Since Russia has taken its action of getting out of the agreement, prices for everyone have gone up 10 or 15 percent," Blinken summed up. Background: Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan regarding the grain deal. On 17 July, Russia announced the halt of the grain deal and threatened "risks" to parties deciding to continue the initiative without Russia's participation. 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! Brazils voice is critical in convincing Russia to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Aug. 7. I think Brazils voice, President Lulas voice, is critical, he said in an interview with Brazils TV channel GloboNews. Using that voice to convince the Russians to return to the agreement would be a very, very positive thing. And keep in mind: this agreement never should have been necessary in the first place. It was only necessary because Russia decided to invade Ukraine, and then, having done so, it blockaded its ports, preventing grain and wheat from getting out. Under the grain deal agreement, 35 million tons of food left Ukraine, Blinken stressed. Half went to the developing world, with two-thirds of the wheat going to low- and middle-income countries, mostly in Africa. Read also: Russia faces wheat exports shipping challenges after attacking Ukraine Reuters Since then, prices for wheat and grain have spiked by as much as 10% to 15%, Blinken said. The world is saying loudly; we want Russia to come back to this agreement, he said. And of course, Brazils an important influence and voice in moving Russia back in that direction. It would be a very good thing. Earlier, Blinken described Russias proposal for free grain supply to African countries as laughable since the aggressor countrys proposal included the delivery of only 50,000 tons of grain to half a dozen countries. Russias withdrawal from the grain initiative Russia officially announced the termination of the grain deal on the pretext of repeated attacks on the illegally built Crimea Bridge. Russia had been sabotaging the agreement since April by refusing to inspect ships, as was the agreement, in order to create a backlog of unloaded ships. Russia said it was unhappy with the conditions of the deal and demanded that its state agricultural bank be allowed to use the SWIFT interbank transfer system again. The United Nations proposed that a U.S. bank or a specially created subsidiary bank be set up to allow payments on agricultural exports by Russia to be made, but the Kremlin refused to accept this compromise. Read also: Ukraine will re-launch grain exports no matter what Russia does, Budanov says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy then offered to extend the grain deal with the UN and Turkey, but without Russian participation. The grain green corridor was mediated by the United Nations and Turkiye and had allowed Ukraine to export grain from three of its Black Sea ports, starting from Aug. 1, 2022. Turkiye is ready to offer Russia to process its grain passing through the grain corridor into flour and send it to poor African and low-income countries, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Aug. 4. 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 Transportation staff members repair road damaged by flood water in Shulan City, northeast China's Jilin Province, Aug. 6, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] Flood-affected areas of northeast China's Jilin Province have sped up recovery work to restore normalcy to people's lives as soon as possible. In the city of Shulan, where typhoon-induced rainstorms had left 14 people dead and one missing by Sunday, water levels in major reservoirs and rivers have receded to within the safe range. By 9 p.m. on Monday, the city had restored communications to 40 villages, reinstated power to over 16,000 households, and disinfected 1,012 households, according to the flood control and disaster relief headquarters of Shulan. Authorities evacuated about 19,000 people to safer places last week. Some of them chose to stay in temporary shelters set up by the government where food and water are regularly distributed and accommodation is provided. Among them is Sun Cai from Xinkai Village, who is staying at the relocation center at No. 26 middle school in Shulan. "We've never seen such massive flooding," said Sun. "At first, we were resistant to evacuating, thinking it was just heavy rain. It's all thanks to the local officials who persistently told us to leave." Even now, the fear of what might have happened lingers in his mind, he said. Local authorities have taken various measures to ensure the basic living needs of the affected population, such as sanitation, food and medical assistance. "Here, we have access to electricity, the internet and proper sanitation facilities. Our basic needs are being taken care of," said Jin Wenge, another relocated villager, at a shelter in Jinma Township. In Kaiyuan Township in Shulan, some of the affected villagers have returned to their homes to clear away the mud and debris. However, due to road collapses and blockages in certain areas, large machinery cannot get direct access. Over 1,000 rescue personnel are actively engaged in road clearance, village cleaning and other operations. At the same time, the provincial government of Jilin is also gearing up to address the next round of rainfall as Typhoon Khanun, the sixth typhoon of this year, is expected to impact northeast China. Cities including Tonghua, Baishan and Taonan have intensified their efforts to enhance the monitoring of major rivers, conducted on-site inspections of key areas such as geological hazard-prone locations and urban waterlogging points, and reinforced dams. A nearly decade-old Boise brewery is becoming a brand new version of itself with a renewed passion for its Idaho roots. Its adding food to the equation, too. Woodland Empire Ale Craft, 1114 W. Front St., closed its taproom about three weeks ago to remodel, co-owner David Roberts said in a phone interview. Observant drinkers have noticed that the brewery recently revised its logo and unveiled a few new beers in cans. Its all part of a rebrand for Woodland Empire, which changed ownership last year. Local beer aficionados will enjoy a brand new Woodland Empire, according to the brewerys Instagram account. When the taproom reopens in a couple of weeks or so, Roberts estimated it will be upgraded with a food menu. Woodland Empire is taking over the adjacent kitchen space formerly used by Manfreds Kitchen, which closed last year. The restaurant concept will be counter service, Roberts said, and its still more about the beer than the food. The initial menu will feature drive-in style cuisine, he explained. Burgers, fried chicken sandwich, french fries, some salads. I think it will develop over time, but our goal is to keep it really simple at first. Place-based beers Opened in 2014, Woodland Empire was sold last year to Roberts and three business partners: Dave Krick and Jami Adams, who own Bittercreek Alehouse, Diablo & Sons and Red Feather Lounge in downtown Boise; and Jake Black, owner of Lost Grove Brewing, which has two Boise locations. Woodland Empires beer primarily is distributed in Idaho but also in Oregon and Alaska. Our focus is very much on selling beer in Idaho, Roberts said. That Gem State spirit will permeate future Woodland Empire beers, he said, in ingredients and recipe philosophy. I think that Boise, Idaho, and Idaho in general have this unique potential to have beers that are very place-based, he said. Our goal is to increasingly push forward in that direction. Our beers can taste like the place theyre from. Thats part of what makes beer so interesting to me. Because historically, beer always tasted like wherever you went. New beers Here are some of the new releases: Long Ride Premium Pilsner With roots dating back to the pandemic, this is a German pilsner with identity of the Pacific Northwest, Roberts said. Bicycle Picnic A rotating series using seasonal ingredients, Bicycle Picnics current formula is a saison described as a dandelion ale, Roberts said. Its a collaboration with the Boise Parks and Recreation Department, which had volunteers pick dandelions in local parks, he said. The next version will be a fresh hop ale this fall. Juicy Royale Woodland Empires hazy IPA series comes in three versions with increasingly higher alcohol content: Petite Royale (out now), Juicy Royale (rolling out soon) and Grand Royale (a double hazy that will appear this winter). Big Catalpa City of Trees IPA is Woodland Empires flagship IPA. Big Catalpa, a West Coast double IPA, essentially is like a bigger City of Trees, Roberts said, in flavor, aroma and alcohol strength. Andy Malkinson spent 17 years in a British prison for rape before DNA evidence connected another man to the crime and a court freed Malkinson. But under British law, Malkinson would have to pay the government for housing and feeding him for 17 years. Under the Criminal Appeal Act of 1995, prisoners who are freed after being found to have been wrongfully convicted have to pay back such costs from any compensation they receive. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk later announced that the rule would be scrapped but would not commit to reimbursing any previous wrongfully-convicted Brits whose compensations had been reduced. The post Brickbat: Adding Insult to Injury appeared first on Reason.com. Five people have been killed since the strike began in Cape Town - Esa Alexander/Reuters A British doctor was shot dead in Cape Town after apparently taking a wrong turn from the airport during a violent minibus taxi strike. The unnamed 40-year-old tourist was with two others when his car was approached by a group of people in a notorious neighbourhood of the city and he was shot. Police did not say whether his companions were hurt. Officials said the victim apparently took a wrong turn off and headed towards Nyanga. In Ntlangano Crescent, a number of suspects approached his vehicle, shot and killed him. Nyanga is one of Cape Towns oldest black townships and has previously been infamous as the countrys murder capital. The area was visited by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their 2019 South African tour. South Africa has a fearsome crime rate, with the latest police statistics showing that there were close to 70 murders each day in the first three months of this year. Government statistics show nearly 300,000 British tourists visited last year, down from more than 400,000 before the pandemic. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in South Africa and are in contact with the local authorities. Five killed since strike began The killing happened on the first day of a week-long strike by the citys minibus taxis. A total of five people have since been killed, including a police officer. Foreign Office advice issued about the strike warned travellers to stick to main routes, saying: These strikes have the potential to turn violent and may impact multiple areas including journeys to and from the airport. A travel alert from the British High Commission warned tourists in the city to be cautious of the protests and that GPS services could divert you into less secure areas or into ongoing protests. Negotiations to end the strike have so far failed, with the Cape Town mayor saying he will not talk to those waging violence. The strike has brought South Africas tourist hub to a halt, as taxi routes carrying many workers have been halted, roads blocked and some buses torched. City buses set alight South Africas taxi union began the strike last week in protest at local authorities impounding vehicles for violations such as driving without a licence or registration plates. Taxi drivers alleged that the authorities were deliberately targeting them and impounding vehicles for minor infractions that might earn other drivers only a fine. The citys mayor has said the crackdown is to improve safety for commuters and has accused protesters of a campaign of violence to put pressure on the city. Vehicles have been stoned and at least seven city buses set alight. The main taxi union denies its members are responsible for the violence. Minibus taxis are the main mode of transport for many in South Africa and the taxi network completes an estimated 1.5 million passenger trips each day in the Western Cape province which includes Cape Town. The disruption has kept hundreds of thousands of children out of school and meant many shops and businesses have closed because of staff shortage 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. Prince Harry leaving the Rolls Buildings in London after giving evidence in the phone hacking trial against Mirror Group Newspapers on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images Prince Harry is no longer referred to by his HRH title on the official royal website. Since August 4, Harry has been referred to as "The Duke" rather than "His Royal Highness." The change comes three years after he and Meghan Markle stepped back as senior working royals. Three years after stepping back as a senior working royal, Prince Harry's HRH title has been officially dropped from the royal website. As Sky News and The Independent reported, references to Harry were swapped from HRH, which stands for His Royal Highness, to "The Duke" on Friday. The update on the official royal website comes after Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from the royal family in April 2020 before doing so, Harry's full name was His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex. Representatives for Meghan and Harry and Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex retain their HRH titles, they agreed not to use them in an official capacity after they ceased royal duties. In a statement shared with Sky News, Buckingham Palace said that some of the information shared on the official royal website is out of date and work is currently underway to amend it, including references to Harry's titles. "The Royal Family website contains over five thousand pages of information about the life and work of the Royal Family," the statement read. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. Max Mumby/Indigo / Contributor / Getty Images "Following the death of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, content has been revisited and updated periodically," it added. "Some content may be out of date until this process is complete." The title change also comes after Buckingham Palace took six months to publicly refer to Harry and Meghan's children, Archie and Lilibet, as prince and princess after they technically inherited the titles when King Charles III ascended the throne. Although Harry and Meghan agreed to stop using their HRH titles in 2020, they made no such promises to stop using their other titles. The couple continues to use their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, which were bestowed onto them by the late Queen Elizabeth II when they got married in May 2018. And as Harry is a prince by birth and son to the current monarch, he retains the right to be referred to as a Prince of the United Kingdom. While she primarily uses her Duchess of Sussex title, Meghan is also technically a Princess of the United Kingdom, a title she picked up upon tying the knot with Harry. "The Queen made the decision to honor Harry by making him a royal duke on his wedding day. He is, and will always be, a prince given he is the second son of the heir to the throne," Robert Jobson, royal editor at the Evening Standard, previously told Insider. Read the original article on Insider Samuel Chapman of Los Angeles, whose teenage son died after taking a fentanyl-laced drug he got through Snapchat, is urging California lawmakers to crack down on social media platforms. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times) Samuel Chapman had no idea that drug dealers targeted teens on Snapchat until his 16-year-old son died from a fentanyl overdose. We thought it was like a playground for kids and didn't think of it, as I do now, as the dark web for kids, the Los Angeles resident said. In 2021, a drug dealer reached out to his son, Sammy, on the disappearing messaging app and showed the teen a colorful drug menu that offered cocaine, Chapman said. After he and his wife fell asleep, the dealer delivered drugs to their house like a pizza. Sammy unknowingly took fentanyl and died in his bedroom. For parents like Chapman, the horrific ordeal underscored social media's dangerous side. Tech platforms help people keep in touch with family and friends, but they also attract drug dealers, pedophiles and other predators. Plus, social media algorithms can steer young people to posts that could trigger eating disorders or self-harm. Efforts by California lawmakers to crack down on social medias potential harms stalled in the past amid fierce opposition from multibillion-dollar tech giants, and renewed attempts could suffer the same fate. Last year, the tech industry used its lobbying power in Sacramento to kill one social media bill, and its deep pockets to block another by filing a lawsuit after it was signed into law. This year, new social media bills face critical votes in the coming weeks as lawmakers race toward the end of the legislative session next month. Senate Bill 680 would allow the government to prosecute platforms for promoting harmful content about eating disorders, self-harm, illegal firearms and drugs like fentanyl. Lawmakers are trying to combat online child sex abuse material too, but theyre bracing for the possibility that tech companies will attempt to block new online safety laws like they have in the past. "I want social media companies to take responsibility. I want to hold them accountable for the harm that they're causing for our youth," said Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), who wrote SB 680. Social media platforms such as Meta-owned Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and TikTok have removed some harmful content, but parents, teens and lawmakers say they need to do more to make their services safer for young people. Chapman and his wife, TV relationship therapist Laura Berman, are among parents supporting legislation that would prohibit social media companies from using a design, algorithm or feature that the companies know or should have known causes a user under the age of 16 to harm themselves or others, develop an eating disorder or experience addiction. Chapman, who sued Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, along with other families, said drug dealers have used the apps features location sharing and friends' recommendations to find teens. Samuel Chapman sued the parent company of Snapchat, which he says shares blame for his son's overdose death. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times) The legislation is already facing pushback from tech industry groups and privacy advocates. Opponents say some of the bills would run afoul of the 1st Amendment and federal law, and argue that tech platforms already are taking safety issues seriously and offering parents the tools needed to protect their children. NetChoice, a trade association whose members include Facebook parent Meta, Snap, Twitter, TikTok, Google and Pinterest, said legislators should focus on giving law enforcement the resources needed to fight crimes while tech companies should better educate parents and teens about their tools. Social media apps have parental controls and ways to limit screen time. The last thing that we want is the government mandating that technology be responsible for educating and raising our children, because that's the role of parents and teachers, said Carl Szabo, NetChoices vice president and general counsel. Snap said it's taken several steps to combat drug sales on its platform, including using technology to detect drug activity before it's reported, blocking search results for drug-related terms and making product changes aimed at making it tougher for strangers to connect with minors. Fentanyl is finding its way into every major city across America, and our hearts go out to the thousands of families impacted by this growing national crisis. At Snap, we are working hard to stop dealers from abusing our platform," Rachel Racusen, a spokeswoman for the company, said in a statement. But with concerns about social medias impact on mental health piling up, lawmakers are feeling a sense of urgency to act. In May, the U.S. surgeon general said there isnt enough evidence to determine if social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents. While there may be benefits to social media, the platforms can also pose mental health risks, a 2021 surgeon general's advisory said. Sophie Szew, a Stanford University student and activist, downloaded Instagram when she was 10 years old, unaware of how it would affect her mental health. Instagram requires users to be at least 13, but that hasnt stopped underage users from signing up. On Instagram, Szew said she was bombarded with content that promoted and taught eating disorder behaviors. Szew, who was diagnosed with anorexia, said that while social media has allowed her to promote her advocacy work, she still comes across this harmful content. Social media platforms use algorithms to determine what content users will see first, using a variety of signals such as how long they watch a video and whether they commented, shared or "liked" a post. The algorithms are designed to trigger because triggering content is addictive, said Szew, who supports Skinners bill. We are likely to engage with content that shocks us, and we see this a lot with young people. Instagram takes down content the company finds that promotes or encourages eating disorders, but the app allows people to share their own experiences around self-image and body acceptance. Meanwhile, social media use among young people continues to grow. Google-owned YouTube is the most popular social media platform among U.S. teens, followed by TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center . Almost 35% of U.S. teens reported being on at least one of the five apps almost constantly. Knowing that her initial bill faced legal hurdles before the Senate voted on it, Skinner realized she needed to make more changes and decided to introduce another bill, SB 680. One of the changes included how the bill defined harm. Under SB 680, a social media company would have caused a child harm if, as result of the platforms design, algorithm, or feature, the app sends the child information about how to get a firearm, obtain a controlled substance or die by suicide. If the child gets or takes the controlled substance or kills themselves it would be considered harm. To avoid liability, social media companies would have 60 days to correct a design, algorithm or feature that they discovered through a quarterly audit could pose a certain level of risk. Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) said the onus should be on the companies, not parents, to make tech platforms safer, and regulation could force them to take responsibility. Wicks, a mother of two young children, said she doesnt want her kids on social media before theyre adults, but she could still face pressure to allow them on the platforms. My hope is that when my child is banging down my door every day to get on Snapchat, TikTok or whatever the latest social media craze is, that theyre going to be safer places for kids, she said. Wicks introduced Assembly Bill 1394, which requires social media companies to give California users a way to report child sexual abuse material they're depicted in. The platform would be required to permanently block the material from being viewed. The bill also bars a social media company from knowingly facilitating, aiding, or abetting commercial sexual exploitation. A court would be required to award damages between $1 million and $4 million for each act of exploitation that the social media platform facilitated, aided, or abetted. The bill overwhelmingly cleared the Assembly and is now in the Senate. Read more: California lawmakers take aim at social media role in youth fentanyl use and sex trafficking From January to March, Facebook removed 8.9 million pieces of content that violated its rules against child sexual exploitation, most of which was taken down before people reported the content, according to the company. The social network says users who come across photos of videos of children being physically abused or sexually exploited should contact law enforcement, report the content to Facebook, notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and avoid sharing, downloading or commenting on the posts. Because Wicks' bill involves child sexual abuse materials, supporters say the content falls outside of the 1st Amendments free speech protections. But business and technology groups say the bill still comes with constitutional concerns because companies afraid of getting sued will end up removing more lawful content, including news coverage and historical items. Federal regulations also shield platforms from lawsuits over certain posts created by users. Part of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, Section 230, has some exemptions and doesnt apply to federal sex trafficking laws, however. Even if new social media restrictions are signed into law this year, they may still face hurdles. Last year, NetChoice sued the state to prevent the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act from taking effect in 2024, stating it would pressure companies to over-moderate content and restrict resources that could help teens. Wicks and former Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-Paso Robles) introduced the measure, which includes protections for users under 18 such as having high privacy settings by default. Efforts to protect children online also are being considered in other states and Congress. Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed a pair of bills this year that require kids to get consent from their parents before they sign up for platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Chapman, the parent who lost his son to a fentanyl overdose, wants large social media companies to allow parents to monitor their childs online activity via third-party safety apps like Bark. The ability to do so can vary depending how much data access the platform will give a third-party app. Drug dealers and teens often use coded emojis to buy and sell drugs, making it tougher for parents to understand whats happening online. My motivation is to save lives, said Chapman. I wake up every day since my son died and I've devoted myself to warning other parents about this. Get the best of the Los Angeles Times politics coverage with the Essential Politics newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Californias voters do not look like the states population, and most of them want something done about it, a new poll from the University of California Berkeleys Institute of Governmental Studies found. Regular voters, or those who have voted in five or more of the last seven elections, are older, whiter and more likely to hold a college degree and own a home than Californias voting-age population overall. Infrequent voters, those who have only voted in two or fewer elections, are younger and include large proportions of non-college graduates, renters and Latinos. For example: While 44% of Californians are renters, only 32% of regular voters are While 30% of the voting-age population is Latino, only 14% of regular voters are While 45% of the voting-age population is white, 71% of regular voters are While only 34% of Californians have a bachelors degree, 55% of regular voters do Why dont people vote in California? Three in ten infrequent voters said its because they dont know enough about the candidates or issues. A quarter said its because they believe special interests and big money are controlling things or that their vote doesnt matter. Younger Californians are the least likely to have voted in the past seven statewide elections. According to an analysis of November 2022 data by KFF, two in three people of voting age in California were registered as of November 2022. But only half actually voted in the 2022 midterm election. Still, the data shows that just because someone isnt voting does not mean they arent engaged in politics: more than half of voters were involved at some level, whether through posting a political comment online, persuading someone to vote in a certain way or giving money to an interest group, party or candidate. California is the gold standard for voting access. So why is there still inequity? The majority of those surveyed said that the state has a responsibility to engage voters and invest more resources in civic engagement. Black voters, women, Democrats, liberals and college graduates are especially in favor of such measures. A majority of people who identified as conservative opposed more funding, however. Assembly Election Committee Chair Gail Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz, said the panel is planning a special hearing during the fall recess to discuss ways to increase engagement in elections. Pellerin administered elections as a county clerk for 27 years prior to joining the Legislature in 2020. She said that though California is the gold standard for voting access, one of the greatest barriers to engaging in elections is the time and energy it takes to understand the long list of bonds, initiatives and elected offices voters are asked to have opinions on. The Legislature has made several moves to make voting easier: All California voters receive a ballot by mail and voters can use any voting center in their county instead of being confined to a single polling place. Same-day voter registration is available at all voting locations, too. But ease of voting doesnt guarantee a big turn out. The MIT Election Data + Science Lab, which studies voter turnout, found that the impact of election reforms on turnout are mixed at best. Only one reform, same-day election registration, is correlated with higher voter turnout. Our electoral system is structured in a way that its campaigns and candidates that do the overwhelming majority of outreach and voter mobilization, but they arent trying to get a representative electorate, theyre not trying to help everyone vote,said Mindy Romero, director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the University of Southern California. Now, the state must turn its attention to mobilizing voters and ensuring information is getting to them, she said. This can be done through increased funding for civic education in schools and connecting all voters to information about why and how to vote. The poll, the first of a five-part series on democracy, voting rights and election law, surveyed 6,164 California voters online in English and Spanish from July 20 to 25. MP Michael Chong called the alleged WeChat campaign against him "another serious example" of Beijing interfering in Canadian affairs Canada said it has detected a misinformation campaign targeting a member of its parliament on the Chinese instant-messaging app WeChat. Conservative politician Michael Chong was allegedly the target of posts sharing "misleading narratives" about his background, his family's heritage and his political views. Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said it is "highly probable" that China was behind the WeChat campaign against him. China has denied the accusations. Canadian officials are seldom forthcoming about information related to foreign interference and the allegations were revealed in a rare statement by GAC on Wednesday. The department cautioned it is difficult to definitively trace the attacks back to China because of the nature of the campaign. "Unequivocal proof that China ordered and directed the operation is not possible to determine due to the covert nature of how social media networks are leveraged in this type of information campaign," it said. This latest is part of a wider series of claims that have come out in recent months from Canadian intelligence agencies and officials that Beijing has been interfering in Canada's elections. GAC said it uncovered the attacks against Mr Chong while monitoring social media and other parts of the internet for foreign interference ahead of a 19 June by-election. They were coming from news accounts on WeChat that amplified falsehoods about Mr Chong. They said the attacks appeared coordinated and were abnormal in volume. One-third of the accounts amplifying the attacks were known state-media outlets or accounts likely linked to the Chinese state, GAC said. The rest were anonymous and had not made any previous posts about Canadian politics. In a statement to the BBC, the Chinese embassy in Canada called the accusations "purely groundless". "We never interfere in Canada's internal affairs, and have no interests whatsoever in doing so," the statement said. GAC said it will be speaking to China's representatives in Canada about the posts, adding that "Canada will never accept any form of interference in our democracy or internal affairs". Canada has accused China in the past of targeting both Mr Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong after he spoke about concerns of human rights abuses in China. This led Canada to expel Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei in May. China retaliated and ordered the removal of Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, Canada's diplomat in its Shanghai Consulate. In a media statement shared on Wednesday, Mr Chong called the campaign against him "another serious example of the communist government in Beijing attempting to interfere in our democracy by targeting elected officials". He also renewed his call for a public inquiry into the allegations of foreign interference by China in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has faced pressure to launch an inquiry into the issue, but it is unclear yet if one will take place. By Kanishka Singh (Reuters) -Canada said on Wednesday that an opposition Canadian legislator with family in Hong Kong had been targeted in an online disinformation operation and said China most likely played a role. In a statement, the Canadian foreign ministry said the target was Michael Chong, a member of the opposition Conservative party, a frequent critic of China who has drawn Beijing's ire. The announcement is likely to further sour poor bilateral ties. Canadian authorities are carrying out several probes into allegations of Chinese interference in Canada's last two federal elections. "It has been proved time and again that none of these accusations are based on facts," the Chinese embassy said in a statement, dismissing the Canadian comments as groundless. The Canadian foreign ministry said it had detected an information operation on the Chinese social media platform WeChat in May that "featured, shared and amplified a large volume of false or misleading narratives" about Chong. "While China's role in the information operation is highly probable, unequivocal proof that China ordered and directed the operation is not possible to determine," the statement said. "(We) will raise with China's representatives in Canada our serious concerns," it said. Chong, in an email, lamented what he called "another serious example of the communist government in Beijing attempting to interfere in our democracy," and demanded Ottawa do more to combat meddling by China. In May, Canada expelled a Chinese diplomat after an intelligence report accused him of trying to target Chong. In 2021, Chong sponsored a successful motion that declared China's treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority amounted to genocide. He was sanctioned by Beijing in the same year. The Globe and Mail newspaper, citing an intelligence report, said in May that China sought information about Chong and his family in China in a likely effort to "make an example" of him. China-Canada relations turned icy in late 2018 when Canadian police detained a Chinese telecommunications executive. Shortly after, Beijing arrested two Canadians on spying charges. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Mark Porter, Matthew Lewis, Andy Sullivan and David Gregorio) (Bloomberg) -- Canada plans to sell a stake in the Trans Mountain oil pipeline to individual indigenous communities through a special-purpose vehicle, allowing the government to balance competing groups requests to own a piece of the controversial project. Most Read from Bloomberg The groups will be provided with access to capital so they dont have to risk their own money to participate, according to a letter from Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freelands office seen by Bloomberg. The communities equity interest in Trans Mountain will provide them with cash flows and allow them to jointly exercise governing rights, according to the letter, which was dated Aug. 2. The plan partly clears up how Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government will handle the sale of the pipeline that his administration saved from cancellation by buying it for C$4.5 billion ($3.3 billion) in 2018. While some indigenous groups have opposed the Trans Mountain expansion, which crosses through many of their territories, others have banded together into bidding groups to pursue stakes in the pipeline to generate revenue for their communities. Indigenous groups that take part in the special-purpose vehicle wont be excluded from participating in later rounds offering additional equity in Trans Mountain, the letter said. The government will soon begin discussions with indigenous groups along the pipelines route and shipping corridor, according to the letter. The Government of Canada first announced its intention to explore the possibility of Indigenous economic participation in the Trans Mountain Expansion Project in March 2019, Katherine Cuplinskas, a spokesperson for Freeland, said in an emailed statement. The letter sent last week represents the next step in the federal governments commitment that Indigenous communities share in the economic benefits derived from Trans Mountain. The Trans Mountain expansion project was first proposed about a decade ago, back when the pipeline was owned by Kinder Morgan Inc. The project twins an existing pipeline running from Edmonton to a shipping hub near Vancouver, nearly tripling the conduits capacity from 300,000 barrels a day to 890,000 barrels a day. Canadas oil-sands industry lauded the project as a key new outlet for its crude and a way to ship more production to Asia, reducing its dependence on US markets. But a series of regulatory and legal setbacks, driven by environmental and indigenous groups, prompted the government to step in and buy the line after Kinder Morgan threatened to cancel the project. Even after the government purchase, the cost of the Trans Mountain expansion project has more than quadrupled to C$30.9 billion amid repeated delays and construction setbacks. While some of the swelling costs may be passed onto the oil producers who will use the line, analysts say taxpayers also may be left to bear a hefty writedown on the project. The government has long floated the possibility of selling some of the project to indigenous groups, a politically expedient move in keeping with Canadas push to reconcile with its colonial past. Several groups representing indigenous communities emerged to seek ownership of the system. Among those groups are Project Reconciliation, which is seeking a 100% stake in the line. Another, the Western Indigenous Pipeline Group, is a 50-50 partnership between Pembina Pipeline Corp. and many of the British Columbia communities along the line. Due to the cost increases, Pembina is no longer seeking a 50% stake in the pipeline, but rather a 20% to 30% stake, Chief Executive Officer Scott Burrows said on an earnings call on Friday. When we do think about that asset in light of a larger potential gross investment size, we do think about keeping things largely similar from Pembinas net investment, he said. So when you talk about sort of a smaller than 50% investment, I would say thats where our heads are at. --With assistance from Brian Platt. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Canada announced new sanctions against Belarus on Aug. 9, targeting nine individuals and seven entities over their complicity in the regime's domestic oppression and support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The announcement comes on the three-year anniversary of the fraudulent 2020 Belarusian elections, in which dictator Alexander Lukashenko solidified his grip over the country through the falsification of votes and mass repressions. The sanctions include Ivan Eismant, the head of Belarusian state television, the country's Defense Ministry, the Internal Troops of the Interior Ministry, as well as military manufacturing and technology companies. The entities and individuals are banned from holding assets in Canada, and the individuals are also prohibited access to the country. "Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms the Belarusian regime's support of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin's unprovoked and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, which has killed and injured thousands, displaced millions, disrupted the global economy, and exacerbated global problems such as food and energy security," Global Affairs Canada said in its press release. "We call on Lukashenko to immediately withdraw his support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine." Ottawa said that the new sanctions come in parallel with similar steps by allies and partners. The U.S. imposed its own restrictions against Belarus the same day, targeting eight individuals and five entities, including the country's state airlines. According to Canada's press release, the U.K., the EU, and New Zealand are to launch similar measures. Read also: US slaps new sanctions against Belarus on three-year anniversary of 2020 election Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Feature: Joint Chinese-Croatian police patrol hailed Xinhua) 10:37, August 09, 2023 ZAGREB, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Seeing Chinese police officers, along with their Croatian colleagues, patrolling streets in the Croatian capital, Betty Xie was very excited. Xie, a Chinese tourist with a tour group visiting Croatia, said she was more than happy to see Chinese police officers here as it would be more convenient to communicate and get assistance. The joint Chinese-Croatian police patrol, part of Croatia's Safe Tourist Destinations project, has been in place since 2018. This year's project, the fourth of its kind, was launched on July 16 in Zagreb and will last for one month. "It is a good idea and I support it (the joint Chinese-Croatian police patrol)," Xie said, believing that more Chinese tourists will come to Croatia on vacation. Another member of the tour group, Long Meiyi, said, "Chinese policemen can help us with many things as we enjoy our vacation here," adding that people in Croatia are warm-hearted and it is quite safe to visit the country. Xie and Long are among the increasing Chinese tourists visiting Croatia since the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic eased off. There used to be as many as 300,000 Chinese tourists visiting Croatia in the peak years of 2018 and 2019. "With this year's number of eight Chinese police officers participating in joint patrols in Croatia so far, the total number is 30," said Zorica Lausic, chief of the International Police Cooperation Division at the Croatian Interior Ministry. "All this makes us very proud and confirms our success within the project of Safe Tourist Destinations which would not have been possible without you, our strong partners," Lausic said at the joint patrol's launch ceremony. The eight Chinese police officers are on duty with their Croatian colleagues in Zagreb, Zadar, the Plitvice Lakes National Park and Dubrovnik, all of which are main tourist destinations. Local residents also warmly welcome the joint patrols. "When I see Croatian and Chinese police officers patrolling the streets, I feel safer," Bozena Hajoin, a local resident, told Xinhua, adding that Safe Tourist Destinations is "a great project." Vid Doric, a local tour guide, said the joint police patrol is "a very good thing" and tourists "are always reacting very well when they see people who can speak their language." Echoing Doric, Edward Curran, a tourist from Britain, said it was a good idea for the Croatian and Chinese police officers to work together to provide assistance to tourists. Mislav Svihir, a Zagreb police officer participating in the joint patrol, said that each year a different group of Chinese police officers arrives, but "it feels like we have always worked together." Xu Jianjun, one of the Chinese police officers participating in the joint patrol, recalled that one day a Croatian student from the Confucius Institute at the University of Zagreb stopped them in the street and asked for a photo to be taken with them, saying "China, I love you." "This was a quite touching and unforgettable episode," he said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) [Source] A man with convictions dating back to 2002 is facing new charges after allegedly stabbing a Seattle light rail passenger last month. What happened: The incident, which was caught on security video, occurred near Othello Station on July 21. The victim, identified as Tin Vi Pham, 51, was sitting toward the back of the train when Ishmail Brown, 41, allegedly began stabbing him without provocation. Pham was essentially trapped in his seat as Brown plunged the knife down from above, over and over again, wrote King County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brynn Jacobson in a court filing. Upon realizing what was happening, other passengers scrambled to help Pham, with one using his bag as a shield. The aftermath: Pham suffered 18 stab wounds. He was rushed to Harborview Medical Center and released later, according to the Seattle Times. Meanwhile, Brown, who was arrested on the scene, was initially declined at the jail and likewise sent to the hospital, Fox News reported. More from NextShark: Tech industry faces spate of lawsuits from Asian Americans who allege workplace bias Sound Transit's light rail is dangerous to ride. Here, a prolific offender is accused of randomly stabbing a stranger in Seattle. The transit riders come to the man's rescue, risking injury to death in doing so. They're heroes. pic.twitter.com/2fgVVXcBSF Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) August 6, 2023 More from NextShark: 50th pandaversary: National Zoo celebrates with special 'cakes' for giant panda family Charges: Brown has been charged with first- and second-degree assault. He is now behind bars with bail set at $1.5 million. Records show Brown has a lengthy rap sheet, with felony convictions from 2008 for second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and 2016 for second-degree arson. His misdemeanor convictions include reckless driving in 2002, reckless driving/racing in 2004 and a 2014 domestic violence no contact order violation, as per Fox News. More from NextShark: Socialite Jamie Chua reveals she had to sell bags from her Hermes Birkin collection to feed her children Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! Sikh man fatally shot execution-style just outside his Queens home Drug charges were dropped against a Buena Park man in a criminal case that hinged on five plastic bags of methamphetamine that were allegedly found in his motel room but that defense attorneys contend were later planted by deputies as evidence in his case. Prosecutors with the Orange County district attorney's office dropped the charges Thursday, court records show, after defense attorneys accused deputies of moving the drug evidence into the man's criminal file from another unrelated one. Defense attorneys say the case highlights troubling ongoing issues in the Orange County Sheriff's Department and its handling of evidence. "We caught [deputies] moving evidence," said Tammy Nguyen, the public defender representing Ace Kuumeaaloha Kelley, the defendant in the case. "They then tried to cover it up. The D.A.'s office had to dismiss the case." Kelley was facing two charges of possession of a controlled substance, but attorneys in the county public defender's office said evidence suggested the 17 grams of methamphetamine allegedly found in his motel room were instead moved into his case file two weeks after deputies searched the room. The drugs, defense attorneys argue, were found in another room in the motel that had been searched in an unrelated investigation the same day. Officials with the Orange County district attorney's office did not respond to inquiries as to why the case was dropped, but officials with the public defender's office said records showing evidence was moved and mishandled had left prosecutors little choice but to dismiss the case. The case, defense attorneys said, highlights a series of problems around evidence mishandling by Orange County Sheriff's Department officials, including a recently promoted investigator who has faced multiple allegations, including that he has mishandled evidence, lied in reports and illegally listened in on private phone calls between a county inmate and his attorney. Defense lawyers allege the investigator, Sgt. Matthew LeFlore, and another official also tried to cover up evidence that the drugs had been moved from one case file to another. On Thursday, prosecutors dismissed the charges against defendant Kelley. The drug case centered around the bags of methamphetamine that were allegedly found in a Buena Park motel room during an investigation in 2020. According to court records, deputies searched two rooms in one motel on Oct. 19, 2020, in two unrelated investigations. In a report dated Oct. 20, 2020, LeFlore wrote that he'd collected the drugs from Kelley's room and booked them into evidence. But Kelley's attorneys say that documents released by the Orange County Crime Lab suggested that at the request of the Sheriff's Department, the evidence was moved from a different file into Kelley's two weeks after the motel search. It wasn't clear from the documents who directed that the evidence be moved; only that it was someone in the Sheriff's Department. Defense attorneys allege that Sgt. Arthur Tiscareno then "manipulated" records that showed when the evidence was booked in Kelley's case, making it appear that the methamphetamine had been booked on Oct. 19. Tiscareno's report allegedly noted that he was the one to collect and book the evidence, directly contradicting LeFlore's report. In court filings, defense attorneys alleged that LeFlore and other officers had "conspired to hide from the defendant the truth about the movement of evidence into this case." "This is such a relief for Mr. Kelley, but what about the other defendants out there who have had the same thing happen to them," Nguyen said to The Times. "What's really outrageous is that these officers just go back to their jobs like nothing happened." In LeFlore's case, he was promoted to sergeant in January. Scott Sanders of the public defender's office has raised multiple concerns about evidence mishandling by officials at the Sheriff's Department since 2019, prompting audits and criminal filings against deputies. LeFlore was tasked in 2018 with probing instances of evidence mishandling in the department. Before being assigned that investigation, he was himself referred by the department for a criminal investigation over allegations that he had improperly booked evidence. LeFlore has also been accused of illegally listening in on phone calls between an inmate and his attorney in 2017. Sheriff's officials referred questions about charges against Kelley being dropped to the Orange County district attorney's office, saying the decision to do so was at their discretion. Sanders said other cases involving LeFlore had been flagged by defense attorneys as having troubling similarities to Kelley's case. In another case Sanders is handling, Brittany Faith Shahbakhti is facing multiple felony charges, including possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, possession of narcotics for sale, and possession of materials to make counterfeit cards. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Like in Kelley's case, Sanders said, there are discrepancies in the reports detailing how evidence was collected and by whom. According to Sanders, LeFlore wrote in his report that he, Tiscareno and other officers searched two rooms of the same hotel. LeFlore and Tiscareno, according to the report, collected the items from the room where Shahbakhti was. But the sheriff's Remedy System, which logs who handles evidence, lists another officer as having collected and booked nearly all of it. In court records, Shahbakhti contended that she never had the items that were allegedly seized, and attorneys argue that "there is insufficient reliability that the items were ever seized." Defense attorneys requested LeFlore's personnel records in the case. At a hearing Friday, Sanders said county counsel disclosed that LeFlore was found to have been in violation of department policy on four occasions. It was unclear what those policies were, and documents in those cases have been purged by the Sheriff's Department. At Friday's hearing, Sanders said officials had found three pages relevant to LeFlore's conduct. The judge in the case was reviewing the material. Sanders said county counsel also disclosed that LeFlore was currently under investigation. Defense attorneys have raised concerns over when the materials were purged, and whether they were destroyed before or after the investigation into LeFlore was launched. County counsel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement, the Orange County Sheriff's Department would not confirm whether LeFlore was under investigation by the department, citing the California Peace Officer Bill of Rights. LeFlore, a spokeperson said, remains on active duty. "You should not be purging materials after an internal investigation has been conducted," said Sanders, who has also criticized the department's policy to purge personnel records every five years. "The only reason you purge these materials," he said, "is because you want defendants to have less evidence to cross-examine police officers." 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. FORT LAUDERDALE: Scores of cats and dogs that get lost or dumped on the street wind up peering wistfully out of a cage at a place of last resort: A taxpayer-funded animal shelter. And in South Florida, the amount of taxpayer money dedicated to county-run shelters varies wildly. Staffing also varies, as does the number of animals taken in by each shelter. Take a look at these numbers: Browards Animal Care and Adoption Center takes in about 8,600 cats and dogs a year. Miami-Dade Countys Animal Services division takes in far more pets: More than 30,000 cats and dogs each year. And Palm Beach Countys Animal Care and Control division takes in around 10,000 homeless cats and dogs a year. Staffers also tend to more than 1,100 livestock, wildlife, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters and other pocket pets. Browards shelter took in more than 13,000 cats and dogs in 2020, before Director Emily Wood came aboard in January 2021. Those numbers have since plummeted, partly due to a new shelter philosophy that urges good Samaritans to leave lost and stray animals where theyve found them so the pets can be retrieved by owners or perhaps taken in by a new family. A shelter is not a home, Wood told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in a recent interview. If we can help an animal stay in their home or find a new home without coming here, its better for the animal and the families involved and its less of a tax burden for the taxpayer. Making do with less money Browards Animal Care and Adoption division makes do with the least money of all in the tri-county area: $8 million a year for a county with 2 million residents. In Miami-Dade, home to 2.75 million residents, the countys Animal Services division has a $34 million budget more than four times Browards. In Palm Beach County, home to 1.5 million residents, the Animal Care and Control division has a $14 million budget, nearly twice the money allocated in Broward. We get a little over $4 per capita for animal services here, which is low for the ($10 per capita) national average, Wood said. Its over $9 per capita in Palm Beach County and over $12 per capita in Miami-Dade County. Browards shelter also has fewer people tending to the animals. Staffing levels at Browards pet shelter are now at 107, not nearly as high as neighboring counties. Miami-Dades animal division has more than 280 employees. Palm Beach County has 118. Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County staffing are higher than ours, Wood said. But we make it work. Weve been looking at how different our staffing and budget is from Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County. While Im grateful for more staff to handle our intake here, over time I hope we can use outreach staff and field services staff to support animals where they are and solve problems before they (worsen and) an animal is separated from their family. Audit exposes list of woes Before Woods arrival in early 2021, Browards animal shelter had only 80 employees. The shelter has since gone on a hiring spree, partly to keep up with intake and partly to ensure the shelter can now be open seven days a week, just like its counterparts in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. But Broward Commissioner Steve Geller dismissed the idea of comparing counties and how much they spend on animal care. Lets say were spending 2% of our budget on animal care. (Its actually under 1%.) We could triple that and people would still want more, he said. Having said that, could we increase their money dramatically? Absolutely. But wed have to either increase taxes or take it out of another pot. Broward built a new $16.5 million animal shelter that opened in November 2016. The shelter, at 2400 SW 42nd St. in Fort Lauderdale, was built to hold 335 animals 171 cats and 164 dogs. At 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, it had 250 pets 149 dogs and 101 cats, according to the shelters online dashboard. Browards pet shelter, formerly closed on Mondays, switched to a daily schedule in January. Broward commissioners insisted on the change last fall, nearly two years after a county audit said the shelter should be open seven days a week. The scathing audit, released in December 2020, exposed a long list of woes and made 150 recommendations to make things better for the staff and the animals at Broward Countys shelter. Among the criticisms: Animals were left in the dark for up to 18 hours; cat cages were too small and some dog cages had no bedding; the shelter, understaffed by 35%, needed 36 more employees; and the shelter, closed on Mondays, needed to be open seven days a week. Out of 150 recommendations made by County Auditor Bob Melton in 2020, the shelter had fulfilled 84, partially embraced 38 and failed to meet 26, according to an audit review done a year ago. Two no longer applied. Several fixes were put in place: Timers were installed on light switches so animals wouldnt be kept in the dark for hours. Staff now comes in earlier to clean. Larger kennels now have beds, though kennels for smaller dogs do not. But a recent audit review by Melton shows theres still room for improvement. Out of 72 recommendations reviewed by Melton, the shelter embraced 24, partially implemented 37 and failed to meet 11. Among the problems that still need fixing: Areas outside the shelter flood when it rains, making them inaccessible for walks, play groups and other animal enrichment activities. More volunteers need to be recruited to help meet the shelters needs. Data entry on the treatment and kennel screens, used to identify who administered a controlled substance, must be consistently and accurately input, monitored and reviewed. Management should continue to work with rescue groups in order to increase rescue activity. Some county commissioners argue the shelter is no longer in dire straits. Trying to get this right Broward Commissioner Mark Bogen compared Wood to the director who came before her and said Wood is better by far. It was Bogen who demanded an audit of the shelter after a surprise visit by an out-of-state expert turned up dirty cages, hot kennels and other problems four years ago, when Laurelei Combs was in charge. I will sometimes hear of a complaint, but its 90% reduced from what it used to be, Bogen said. I went there about four weeks ago and there was no feces or urine on the floor. It didnt smell horrible. I believe our current director is doing a good job. Can things be done better? Always. But its a learning experience. Commissioner Michael Udine also defended Wood and the job shes doing. Emily obviously has her supporters and her detractors, Udine said. But the shelter continues to push forward. And theres multiple sides to every story. Udine pointed to the shelters recent new hires. I know we put additional dollars into the shelter, he said. We hired new people. I think were making continuous improvements in the shelter. Theres always going to be issues based on the number of cats and dogs that come in. And theres economic issues. But the county spent a lot of time and money and (staff) hours to try to get this right. Geller also praised Wood for turning the shelter around. Am I nominating Emily Wood for animal shelter director of the year nationally? No, he said. But I have gone by the shelter and done my due diligence, spoken with people and made unannounced visits. And to my untrained eye, it seems to be running fine. But Wood, like several directors before her, has come under intense criticism from animal activists. Broward Countys troubled animal shelter has gotten so many complaints over the years, Mayor Lamar Fisher questioned last year whether it was time to turn it over to the private sector. This shelter has been plagued with continual issues, he said at the time. Do we still want to continue to be barraged by complaints and issues? Fisher was on vacation and unavailable to comment. I want to get her out Animal advocate Michele Lazarow, a Hallandale Beach commissioner and longtime critic of the shelter, has told commissioners she thinks Wood should be fired. Within months of taking the reins as director, Wood outraged critics with a three-day wait policy on strays that animal activists say forced local police departments and good Samaritans to either house them or ignore them. The only dogs allowed immediate entry to the shelter were the sick, injured or dangerous. Lazarow was among one of the most vocal critics and still is. I want to get her out, Lazarow told the Sun Sentinel. I want to get a competent, caring, compassionate shelter director who understands Broward County and the needs of the community, the human and animal community. And Im not going to stop until we get that. Another goal looms large on the horizon. In April 2012, Broward commissioners adopted a goal of becoming a no kill community, meaning an animal is euthanized only because it is suffering or too dangerous to be adopted. Most no-kill shelters aim for a save rate of 90% or higher. Miami-Dades save rate was 92.5% last year. Palm Beach Countys was 86.6%. The year Broward approved its no-kill goal, the shelter had a save rate of 39%. By 2015, the shelter was still euthanizing more than half the pets it took in, or 52%. Wood says the shelters save rate was 86% in 2022, but activists say they dont trust the numbers. We dont know what the kill rate is, Lazarow said. We dont know if the numbers are real or not. Until we get the right director, I dont want to even have that conversation. Always a prickly topic Geller acknowledged that Browards animal shelter is one of the prickliest topics the commission hears about from the public and the media too. We spend more time dealing with complaints about the animal shelter than probably any other single issue we hear about, he said. I think its to a large degree because there are unrealistic expectations about what the county can do. They want every dog adopted the next day. None of the nine commissioners can be an expert on every area of what the county does. Im not an expert on animal control. So we have hired someone who is. It is not my job to micromanage the shelter. I am not an expert, and I never will be an expert on this. Geller gives kudos to Wood for taking the job in the first place. A lot of people dont want to come to Broward because we have a reputation of chewing them up and spitting them out, he said of the countys long line of beleaguered pet shelter directors. Fairly or unfairly, Broward has developed a reputation: The day you go there, you will be attacked. A lot of people just dont want to do it. Wood says she understands that her role comes under the magnifying glass at times. And shes OK with that. Part of the reason I took this job is because things were so polarized between staff and members of the community, she said. In general, the people Ive talked to who have been unhappy with the way things are, but who have been willing to come in and see the shelter and talk to staff and share their ideas and hear mine, I dont hear from them much. Or they become volunteers. We generally get good feedback from the people using our services. And even when its not good, we listen. I want to hear that feedback. I want to do better, and I think everyone who works here does too. Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Catherine Zeta-Jones attained instant living-legend status by playing Velma in Chicago, and last year, she returned to the spotlight in a major way as the iconic Morticia Addams in Netflix's Wednesday, starring Jenna Ortega. In case you're wondering how much money Catherine Zeta-Jones has in the bank, the answer will shock youespecially when you take into account the assets she has with her husband, Michael Douglas. Truly, the wealth is on another level, so it's time to break down Catherine Zeta-Jones's net worth. Catherine Zeta-Jones Made a Lot of Money in the Early Aughts Zeta-Jones's salary for Traffic in 2000? $3 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. And her salary for Chicago in 2002? Almost triple that at $8 million. Basically, she was securing the bag at every single opportunity. But with talent like this? Makes sense. How Much Did Catherine Zeta-Jones Get for Wednesday? Netflix hasn't released that info, but we can sleuth out an approximation using Stranger Things as an example. After all, it's also a Netflix series that blew up after its first season and had a several iconic actors as part of its core cast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Winona Ryder was making $100,000 per episode for season 1 of Stranger Thingsand it seems fair to assume that Zeta-Jones's Wednesday salary was also somewhere in this ballpark. However, the first season of Wednesday blew up even bigger than the first season of Stranger Things, so expect her to score a major raise ahead of season 2. For context, Winona Ryder's salary increased to a whopping $350,000 per episode once Stranger Things became one of Netflix's most profitable shows. Catherine Zeta-Jones Earned Millions From Endorsements Way Before Instagram The actress has worked with a ton of brands over the years, but her contract with T-Mobile in 2002 was especially lucrative, earning her a casual $10 millionwhich was pretty much unheard of at that time. Don't Forget About Her Home Decor Line If you're not shopping for home decor at Casa Zeta-Jones, where are you living? It's unclear how successful this business is, but it's sold at QVC. She Has Millions Tied Up in Real Estate According to Celebrity Net Worth, Zeta-Jones and Douglas own an estate in Spain, which they got back in 1990 for $3.5 million. They've been trying to offload this place for as much as $60 million, and while it hasn't sold yet, once it does, you can expect their net worths to increase by several tens of millions. And speaking of flipping properties for a massive profit, Zeta-Jones and Douglas sold their $11.2 million Westchester County home for $20.5 million, and also have money tied up in a huge apartment in NYC, a casual home in Bermuda, and a $4.5 million place in Irvington. So, What Is Catherine Zeta-Jones' Total Net Worth? Slightly complicated, but here's the deal: While Zeta-Jones has a total net worth of $150 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, at least half of this is thanks to assets she shares with Douglas (think homes, properties, investments, etc). Together, the couple has a combined net worth of $350 million. You Might Also Like Chanel Iman wants to help women of color facing skincare challenges. The supermodel has partnered with Aveeno for the third year of the brands SkinVisibility Initiative. The program addresses the underdiagnosis, care and treatment of sensitive skin conditions on Black skin. The company has also collaborated with digital health platform, Health In Her HUE to provide resources to 200,000 women. This is the third year of Aveenos SkinVisibility initiative. Its main focus is to address the underdiagnosis, care and treatment of sensitive skin and eczema on Black skin and bridge the skin health equity gap. Eczema is one of the most prominent chronic diseases impacting the Black population today. 21Ninety sat down with Chanel Iman, Health In Her HUEs co-founder and CEO, Ashlee Wisdom and Aveeno Research and Development Manager, Jipsha Thakrar to discuss the new collaboration and the changes they plan to make. Aveenos SkinVisibility Program Photo Credit: Aveeno According to the companys 2023 annual Aveeno SkinVisiblity survey, 64% of Black Americans deal with some kind of skin concern, such as eczema. The problem that the company found was that 34% say they struggle to find doctors who understand their skin and 31% have never seen a dermatologist. What we aim to do is make sure we provide the resources and the information that is needed to treat sensitive skin for black consumers and women of color, Thakrar said. And this year, to continue that promise and commitment, we are collaborating with [Health In Her HUE] to make sure we, we bring in information that is relevant, that helps us make sure that were improving quality of life for these patients. Health In Her HUE fights against the health disparities faced by women who look like them across the nation. This is the reason why Aveeno tapped the brand for its assistance. Through our collaboration, Aveeno is going to sponsor up to 500 Health In Her HUE premium memberships, which will give women access to the full Health In Her HUE platform, Wisdom shared. Were also going to be collaborating with them on a campaign to attract more dermatologists and pediatric dermatologists and pediatricians to join the Health In Her HUE platform so that we can help connect women of color to the types of providers that can meet their needs. Wisdom was impressed by Aveenos commitment to making sure Black women got the help they needed. It became a large reason behind her choice to work with the brand. This made her even more excited to get the ball rolling on putting Black womens skin needs at the forefront. In collaboration with Aveeno, were gonna be creating more content so that women like Chanel and other women of color, will have a dedicated space to find resources to help them find trusted information that reflects them as women of color, she continued. Chanel Imans Pregnancy Journey with SkinVisibility Photo Credit: Aveeno Iman, has had varied experiences during each of her pregnancies. She says shes also noticed differences in her two daughters skin as theyve grown. Thanks to Aveenos inclusivity, when it comes to catering to specific skin types, she has found some ease. Ive also had to deal with my kids being diagnosed with eczema, she explained. My oldest grew out of it, but my youngest is still going through it. But ever since using Aveeno Baby, its really helped me. Its helped my daughter to soothe her and make her feel more comfortable. Aveeno Baby Daily Care Gift 16.57 Buy Now Photo Courtesy of Amazon Thakrar says it is all thanks to the special ingredient in the products formula: oat. If you notice on all our products, the red thread ingredient is oat. Oat works in multiple ways for your skin, she explained. Its an anti-inflammatory. So when you have that itch, it, it really helps calm down that itch. Iman praised Aveenos product line as a savior for helping her feel more comfortable. I feel like my skin just gets worse and worse with every pregnancy that I go through, she began. I have a really uneven skin tone at the moment so I use Tone and Texture so that my skin tone can stay even and it does relieve the itch and the dryness. Aveeno Tone + Texture Renewing Night Cream 12.99 Buy Now Photo Courtesy of Amazon She also mentioned that the product helps her skin snap right back after having the baby. With her line of work as a model, it is important that she keeps smooth skin. Before concluding, Iman shared some updates on how her pregnancy journey is going thus far. With my first child, because it was new to my body, I had a lot of morning sickness. Then with my second child, I had a little bit of postpartum issues. But this pregnancy, I feel a lot more tired and exhausted because I feel like the baby is so much heavier than my other two. Although she has experienced a lot with each child, she believes that all my kids are blessings and well worth all of it. Our editors love finding you the best products and offers! If you purchase something by clicking on one of the affiliate links on our website, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The post Chanel Iman and Aveeno Working Together to Address Eczema in Black Women appeared first on 21Ninety. A law student and activist has sued a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer for defamation, saying the incident resulted in them being punished with a higher bond in another state and being banned from the University of North Carolinas campus. Jamie Marsicano a Charlotte activist and a student at UNCs School of Law says CMPD Maj. Brad Koch spoke with investigators in Georgia in March and referenced criminal charges that were previously brought against them during protests in Charlotte in 2020. At the heart of the issue is a question of whether the criminal case was effectively expunged from Marsicanos record. Their lawyer says it should have been automatically erased from court records under North Carolinas Second Chance Act following prosecutors dismissal last year. CMPD issued a statement Tuesday defending Koch, who has been with the department for 30 years. The department says at least one charge in criminal case does not appear to have been expunged. Marsicano was an organizer for Charlotte Uprising, a group that led police brutality protests in 2020, and one of two activists who turned themselves in for charges related to the local protests over George Floyds killing by Minnesota police. CMPD charged them with assault on a government official, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. CMPD says while expungements were automatically applied to cases after Dec. 1 2021, this was not applied to charges dismissed before that date. The agency said some of the charges against Marsicano are still available in court records. The Observer could not verify via court records whether the charges were expunged. Reporters found no trace of the assault on a law enforcement officer charge, indicating it may have been expunged. In March, Marsicano was arrested during a mass raid in Atlanta under dubious circumstances, according to a draft of the lawsuit, shared with reporters this week. Tim Emry, one of Marsicanos lawyers, said they were attending a music festival in the Weelaunee Forest Stop Cop City when police officers arrested several people. Those arrested were accused of vandalism and arson at a construction site a mile away from the music festival, according to reporting by Democracy Now. The Atlanta Police Department claims those arrested are accused of throwing bricks, flaming Molotov cocktails and fireworks at equipment and police, the Observer previously reported. The evidence police used to arrest Marsicano was mud that stained their pants, Emry said. They were charged with domestic terrorism. The lawsuit claims that the state of Georgia vigorously sought to keep Marsicano and others in jail and says prosecutors contacted CMPD to obtain information about Marsicano. Individually and as a CMPD official with access to police records, (Koch) proceeded to speak ill of plaintiff and fabricate a narrative about plaintiffs character, the lawsuit alleges. Emry cites a public bond hearing in Georgia that quoted Koch as telling authorities Marsicano is a known anarchist, with a history of violent confrontations with police officers, making them one million percent likely to commit future felonies. Koch referenced an expunged criminal charge when speaking with these investigators to paint Marsicanos character in a violent and twisted light, the lawsuit claims. CMPD officials refute this and say Marsicanos charges were dismissed, not expunged, making criminal court records publicly available at the county clerks office. The department confirmed Koch spoke with officials in Georgia about Marsicano, but said he had a right to do so. Even if the matter had been expunged, an expungement order does not prohibit an officer from speaking with another law enforcement agency about that officers independent recollection of the event, CMPD said in a statement ahead of the lawsuit filing. Prosecutors in Georgia used this information to oppose bond for Marsicano, Emry says. Marsciano was required to wear an ankle monitor and surrender their passport after being charged in Georgia. The lawsuit says they have suffered physical, mental and reputation harm. Ive been diagnosed with PTSD since getting out of jail going through this, Marsicano said at a press conference Wednesday. This is trauma that Im gonna have to navigate for the rest of my life. Marsicano is asking for a jury trial and compensation for damages and for their attorney fees. Expungement in N.C. The lawsuit focuses on a claim that Koch in his capacity as a CMPD officer had knowledge and access to an expunged criminal charge and that he violated Marsicanos rights by revealing this information to officials in Georgia. The Observer has confirmed Marsicanos 2020 Charlotte protest charge has been dismissed but was unable to verify via court records that the case was expunged. An expungement removes a criminal conviction or a criminal charge from a persons record and seals or destroys the courts record of the arrest, charge, and/or conviction, according to an explanation by the North Carolina Judicial Branch. Expungement law allows for some court officials, including judges, to access records related to the charge but it prohibits law enforcement from doing so except for employment and certification purposes. As of Dec. 1, 2021, cases that are dismissed will automatically be expunged from a persons record, according to state law. Prior to the change in law, a person had to petition the court to expunge these records. The lawsuit refers to the dismissed criminal charge as the 2020 charge and does not specify its exact nature. It says Koch was involved and that he elbowed and shoved Marsicano. The Observer previously reported on protest-related arrests resulting from an incident captured on video, showing protesters wrestling with Koch on the ground. Marsicano was one of two activists who turned themselves in to CMPD after charges were filed. Two years later, the Mecklenburg County District Attorney dismissed the charge, Emry says. Because of the arrest in Georgia and Kochs comments, Marsicanos law school education has been interrupted and they were prohibited from returning to campus, Emry said. The Charlotte Hornets have kicked off their Week of Service for 2023. On Wednesday, volunteers will be packing totes with essential classroom supplies at First Ward Creative Arts Academy. They will also be writing notes of appreciation for teachers that will be handed out at several Charlotte-Mecklenburg Title I schools ahead of the upcoming school year. Organizers said this years Week of Service is focused on alleviating back-to-school anxiety and jitters. ALSO READ: Charlotte Hornets unveil Lets Fly theme for new season Throughout the week, the Hornets will be partnering with local organizations and schools on five intentional projects. These projects are designed to relieve teachers, students, and families of the financial stressors and emotional strains that often influence how prepared students are for the school year. Bank of America will be assisting the Hornets with this endeavor. VIDEO: Registrations opens for Charlotte Hornets Youth Summer Camps A decade ago, Kuester Commercial Real Estate began investing in downtown Fort Mill, S.C. The first project was called The Greens at Fort Mill, a 64-unit, new apartment complex just off Main Street. From there, Shaw Kuester renovated two older buildings, bringing restaurants, a brewery and office space. Shaw took over operations of the company started by his father and grandfather in the 1970s in Charlotte. Smaller markets like Fort Mill and Rock Hill have been benefiting from Charlottes massive growth, Kuester said, and he wanted his firm to be near the action. The formula aimed to bring more people to Fort Mills downtown by building apartments and attracting retail. Now, Kuester is bringing that same playbook to Chester, about 30 miles down the road. His firm has two historic buildings under contract. The plan is to redevelop both with apartments and retail, including a coffee shop. Like many communities near Charlotte, Chester County has seen a wave of investment in the past decade. The trend is only accelerating coming out of the pandemic, as people and companies flock south for cheaper land prices and more taxpayer incentives. In Chester County, Kuester was closely watching as companies like E. & J. Gallo the worlds largest privately-held winery opened an East Coast operation two years ago. Other recent announcements include a $1.3 billion investment from Albemarle Corp. to build a lithium hydroxide processing plant, mostly to be used for electric vehicles. Kuester also paid attention to how home builders were investing in the county, building two subdivisions with 600 homes plus others being planned. The industry thats coming back is the single biggest driver to Chester County, Kuester said. Thats whats bringing new people and new homes. Shaw Kuesters commercial real estate company began investing in Fort Mill, S.C. about a decade ago with by renovating historic properties for new uses. Hes taking that same playbook in Chester. What Kuester is planning in SC Kuesters first project in Chester will be the 11,000-square-foot Schlosburgs building. The retail store dates back to the 1920s. The building has been home to an array of businesses over the years but has been shuttered for an extended period of time. In December, Kuester plans to update the facade to its original 1920 look thanks to a photo from the historical museum in town. The ground floor will have two commercial tenants, one of which will be a coffee shop, he said. The total project cost will be about $3.3 million. Shaw Kuesters firm plans to renovate the Schlosburg building on Gadsden Street in downtown Chester, South Carolina, with apartments and retail. He hopes it will attract new commercial and residential investment. The second floor will have about 10 apartments, ranging from 450- to 900-square-foot one- and two-bedroom units, he told Chester County Council members in July. Up a few blocks, Kuester also is under contract to buy the Kimbrells building. This one is a bit older, dating back to the 1870s. As a history buff, Kuester loves that right out front of the building sits the Aaron Burr rock. The former vice president famously killed his political rival, Alexander Hamilton, in a duel in 1804. The rocks inscription reads that in 1806, while passing through Chester as a prisoner, Burr dismounted on the rock to appeal in vain to the citizens for help. The Aaron Burr rock outside the Kimbrells building in downtown Chester, S.C. The rocks inscription reads that in 1806, while passing through Chester as a prisoner, Burr dismounted on the rock to appeal in vain to the citizens for help. Kuester wants to bring the building back to life after sitting vacant. He plans to restore the facade back to its original storefront. It will be renovated with about 15 apartments and a retail tenant downstairs. And he plans to invest about $4 million. Its all about bringing a mix of uses. That will get people walking in downtown, Kuester said. Shaw Kuester stands inside the 1920s Schlosburgs building in downtown Chester, S.C. Kuesters commercial real estate company is under contract to purchase and renovate the building with new apartments and retail, including a coffee shop. He credits the countys economic development wins for investment. RICHMOND, Ind. A Chicago man faces criminal charges in two East Central Indiana counties after a Tuesday carjacking in Richmond. Davonte D. Smith, 29, was charged in Wayne Superior Court 1 on Tuesday with armed robbery, a Level 3 felony carrying up to 16 years in prison. According to court documents, Smith approached a Hyundai Sonata driven by a Richmond woman about 7:50 a.m., near South Ninth Street, and demanded the woman and her son who was a passenger get out of the vehicle, saying he would otherwise shoot them. The woman said the bandit who did not display a firearm, but held his hand as though he had one would not allow her to keep her purse, and threw her cellphone into a nearby yard. He then drove away in the Sonata. About 8:30 a.m., an Indiana State Police trooper saw the stolen car speeding in Interstate 70's westbound lanes in Henry County and a chase ensued. The Illinois man left the interstate at the Ind. 109 interchange and drove to Knightstown, where he tried to flee on foot. Knightstown's assistant police chief, John Davis, "de-escalated the situation by using his department-issued taser on the driver," who was taken into custody, according to a state police press release. In Henry County, Smith was preliminarily charged with resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, resisting law enforcement, possession of stolen property, criminal recklessness and reckless driving. Smith was being held Tuesday night in the Henry County jail in New Castle. According to Wayne County court documents, Smith was convicted of armed robbery in Illinois in 2011. Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Chicago man faces charges in two counties after carjacking in Richmond (Bloomberg) -- Chinas unofficial death toll from recent flooding in the north hit 62 after the capital reported more victims, although a full accounting of the fatalities and economic damage from the natural disaster remains unclear. Most Read from Bloomberg Some 33 people died in Beijing due to the heavy rains July 29 to Aug. 2, CGTN reported Wednesday. The downpour was the biggest to hit the city since record-keeping began in the 19th century. Another 18 people were still missing, the state media outlet said, citing local officials. That means the number of fatalities is likely to climb. See: Climate Change Is Raising the Threat Level on Rain China hasnt released a full accounting on the number of deaths since Typhoon Doksuri hit its eastern coast on July 28 and sent heavy rains north. Two cities in Hebei province, which borders Beijing, have said at least 15 people died. The last update was four days ago. No deaths have been reported in Zhuozhou, a city in Hebei that suffered some of the worst flooding in the region, even though social media posts indicated there were fatalities. The official Xinhua News Agency said on Aug. 1 that more than 130,000 were affected by floodwaters in Zhuozhou, which has a population of 630,000. Calls to Hebei provinces information department in Shijiazhuang, the capital Hebei province, went unanswered on Wednesday. Shulan, in the northeastern province of Jilin, reported on Sunday that 14 people had died. Three of them were officials working to evacuate people who became trapped, Xinhua said, and a fourth remains missing. One of the few government figures on property damage provided so far came from the coastal province of Fujian, which put direct economic losses at 1.48 billion yuan ($205.3 million). More: Chinas Sponge Cities Are Not Built for Extreme Flood Events Some of the delay in providing the information is due to overwhelmed cities still cleaning up, though the Chinese government does have a history of downplaying deaths from disasters. In 2012, the government initially reported 37 deaths in Beijing due to flash floods but the public questioned the number and a protest broke out over a high-profile fatality. Two weeks later, officials raised the death toll to 79. Theres been some anger directed at the government over its handling of the flooding this time as well. Thats included accusations that authorities directed water toward areas of Hebei and away from the new Daxing airport in southern Beijing and Xiongan, a city China started building in 2017 that President Xi Jinping has described as a project of millennial significance. Ni Yuefeng, the Communist Party boss of Hebei, was the focus of discontent on social media for saying cities in the province had to resolutely play a good role of moat for the capital. He also said the Xiongan area represented the top priority of flood control in our province. Chinas censors later blocked critical discussion of Nis remarks. A Hebei water resources official later said heavy rain and floodwaters traveling down rivers from Beijing were among the main reasons Zhuozhou flooded. That comment appeared intended to deflect criticism that some areas were sacrificed to protect projects important to Xi. Xi has not appeared in public since July 31, just as the flooding in northern China was starting. His chief of staff, Cai Qi, last week greeted experts at the seaside resort of Beidaihe, suggesting the top leadership was gathering for their annual summer retreat. On Monday, Chinese state media touted Xis strong and powerful response to the floods. Reports about him ordering rescue efforts were featured on the front page of the Peoples Daily, the ruling Communist Partys official mouthpiece. The government has also said it was making funds available to support rescue and flood-control work, including an extra 350 million yuan announced on Sunday. Money had already been sent to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Heilongjiang and Jilin, emergency officials said. Premier Li Qiang led a meeting of the State Council on Tuesday that urged local governments to speed up work restoring power and water supplies, and reopen roads, state broadcaster China Central Television reported. Financial institutions were also told to boost support for businesses in affected areas and settle insurance claims as quickly as possible. (Updates with attempt to contact officials in Hebei province and more context.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. [Source] China has produced around a quarter of all scientific papers published worldwide, a recent report revealed. About the report: According to an annual report released on Tuesday by Japan's education ministry, China ranked first for the second year in a row in published scientific papers producing around 24.6% of the world's total and published nearly 30% of the top 10% and 1% most-cited papers. The East Asian nation has had the most-cited papers since 2018 and has been in the top 1% since 2019. The report is based on data from analytics company Clarivate. According to Nikkei Asia, scientific research capabilities determine future market shares in artificial intelligence, quantum technology and other cutting-edge fields, and may have a direct impact on national security as well. China versus the U.S.: According to the report, 61% of citations of Chinese papers were by Chinese researchers, while only 29% of citations of U.S. papers were by American researchers. More from NextShark: China bans Tibetan children from taking Tibetan language classes in and out of school The report noted that China only accounts for about 20% of the papers published in renowned scientific journals Nature and Science, which is far behind America's roughly 70% share in both journals. Japan falls behind: As for neighboring country Japan, the East Asian nations ranking fell from 12th place to 13th place, falling behind Iran. This is reportedly due in part to Japans slow growth in doctoral degree holders. More from NextShark: Largest Chinese city to date, tens of millions put on strict COVID lockdown after record outbreak Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! Milk tea brand in China recalled for looking too similar to laundry detergent Evergrande founder sparks backlash after asking employees to work hard through adversity A group of 11 Chinese and Russian navy vessels recently sailed near Alaska's Aleutian Islands in a display of cooperative force. Although those ships never entered U.S. territorial waters, they were shadowed by four U.S. Navy destroyers and a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol plane. The joint patrol, which is the largest to venture near Alaska, is the latest example of China and Russia's deepening military cooperation that is increasingly focused on the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific region. It has also bolstered calls for a permanent U.S. naval base in Alaska. U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) confirmed on Saturday that the joint Chinese and Russian flotilla of ships patrolled near the Alaskan coast last week. Although the location of where the ships sailed, near the Aleutian island chain in the Pacific, is known, it is unclear at present when precisely this occurred. The joint task force of Chinese and Russian warships left Vladivostok on July 27. It is unclear if the patrol is still ongoing in the Pacific at present, although the ships now appear to have moved away from Alaska. Aleutian Islands seen in relation to the wider Pacific Ocean. Google Maps We have been in close contact with leadership from Alaska Command for several days now and received detailed classified briefings about the foreign vessels that are transiting U.S. waters in the Aleutians, Senator Murkowski stated over the weekend. This is a stark reminder of Alaskas proximity to both China and Russia, as well as the essential role our state plays in our national defense and territorial sovereignty. The precise identities of the 11 Chinese and Russian ships highlighted by the senators have not been released by U.S. officials. However, the task force of 10 ships that left Vladivostok in late July constituted a number of different vessel classes. According to USNI News, the Russian Navys portion of the force comprised the Udaloy class destroyers Admiral Panteleyev and Admiral Tributs, the Gremyashchiy class corvette by the same name, the Steregushchiy class corvette Aldar Tsydenzhapov, and the fleet tanker Pechenga. The Russian Navy Udaloy-class destroyer RFS Admiral Panteleyev (BPK 548) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise 2012. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sean Furey/Released On the Peoples Liberation Army Navys (PLAN) side, the Type 052D destroyers Guiyang and Qiqihar, the Type 054A frigates Zaozhuang and Rizhao, and the fleet oiler Taihu, were present. PLAN destroyer Qiqihar. PLAN It is unclear at present whether the eleventh ship to make up the group was from the PLAN or the Russian Pacific Fleet. According to comments made by a spokesman for the U.S. Northern Command to the Wall Street Journal, the 11 ship strong ship flotilla remained in international waters and was not considered a threat. However, four U.S. Navy destroyers, as well as a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol plane, were dispatched to track their movements, the WSJ reports. This included the Arleigh Burke class destroyers USS John S. McCain, USS Benfold, USS John Finn, and USS Chung-Hoon. The presence of the Sino-Russian task force had been known to U.S. military officials for some time. Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum last month, Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, stated that, Today [i.e., late July], a Russian and Chinese maritime Task Force is doing a combined patrol. We'll see where that ends up, whether it's off the Aleutian Islands, whether it's in the Philippine Sea, whether it goes to Guam, whether it goes to Hawaii or whether it goes off the west coast of the United States. USS Benfold and John Finn specifically began shadowing the Russian-Chinese flotilla from at least July 31, per USNI News. Admiral John C. Aquilino pictured on April 19, 2023. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images After departing Vladivostok on July 27, the 10 Chinese and Russian ships patrolled near Japan before sailing through La Perouse Strait from the Sea of Japan to the Sea of Okhotsk between July 28-29. Earlier in July, Chinese and Russian naval vessels conducted joint naval and air drills in the Sea of Japan. Russian destroyer Admiral Tributs during the joint Russian-Chinese naval exercise "North.Interaction - 2023" in the waters of the Sea of Japan, July 20, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry Counter to the strong words of Senator Murkowski regarding the significance of the Russian and Chinese vessels' presence near Alaska, a spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in Washington recently refuted any claims that the country's navy was trying to target the U.S. According to the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian militaries, naval vessels of the two countries have recently conducted joint maritime patrols in relevant waters in the western and northern Pacific Ocean. This action is not targeted at any third party and has nothing to do with the current international and regional situation, the spokesperson said. The Russian Pacific Fleet maintains that the various drills conducted by Chinese and Russian navy vessels in the Pacific have been squarely aimed at strengthening the naval cooperation between Russia and China, maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, monitoring of offshore zones and guarding Russia and Chinas objects of maritime economic activities. When asked about the news by reporters on Monday, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the following: "I'll let the Chinese and the Russians characterize their activities. What I would say is that NORAD and NORTHCOM monitored their presence. They were in international waters. We will continue to monitor but I think that it's no surprise to anyone that China and Russia continue to look at ways to cooperate. And we'll continue to monitor the situation and follow up on that." Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder speaks during a news briefing at the Pentagon in May 2023. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images Russia and China have continued to tighten their military relationship through joint exercises and patrols in recent years. While the Indo-Pacific is of paramount strategic interest for China, with Beijing laying claim to almost the entirety of the South China Sea, as well as the Taiwan Straight, Russia remains locked in a disagreement with the Japanese authorities over the Kuril Islands. It is also likely that Russia's continued commitment to Pacific drills has been fueled by its desire to project power outside the context of Ukraine. Last year, at least four Chinese and 16 Russian naval vessels sailed around Japan's home islands and other areas under Japanese control. This followed a similar exercise in 2021, which saw a group of 10 Chinese and Russian ships conduct joint operations around a significant portion of Japan's home islands. Beyond the two countries' naval operations, Chinese and Russian long-range bombers have also conducted joint patrols over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea in the recent past. The joint patrols, which took place last year, also saw Russian and Chinese aircraft landing on each others airfields. Of course, the U.S. has had to react to many instances of Russian and Chinese ships and even submarines operating close to its national waters around Alaska. Russia's sovereign territory is located just across the Bering Sea from Alaska, so their naval activities in this area are not rare. Just last year, the U.S. Coast Guard encountered the PLAN Type 055 destroyer Renhai, as well as two other Chinese naval vessels and four Russian ships, sailing approximately 75 nautical miles north of Kiska Island, one of the Rat Islands in the Pacific. Other sightings of PLAN vessels off Alaska occurred prior to this, too. In 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard shadowed a group of four Chinese warships sailing in America's Exclusive Economic Zone near Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The warship formations of China and Russia sail through the Tsugaru Strait during the naval exercise Joint Sea-2021 on October 18, 2021, in the Western part of the Pacific Ocean. Photo by Sun Zifa/China News Service via Getty Images Moreover, in 2019, one of the PLANs six Type 815 North Star electronic intelligence-gathering vessels, China's most advanced spy ships, arrived in international waters near Alaska. As we posited at the time, the deployment of that vessel came at the same time as the U.S. militarys Missile Defense Agency and numerous partners conducted the first-ever test of the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) ballistic missile defense system against a mock intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) from the Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska in Kodiak. It should also be stressed that the U.S. Navy also frequently conducts operations, some of which are massive in scale, near what could be deemed potential adversary countries' shores. Beyond that, freedom of navigation operations, or FONOPs, can see U.S. and allied ships sailing very close to Chinese territorial claims. So it isn't like the U.S. doesn't operate in a similar manner regularly, too. However, the recent presence of Chinese and Russian ships close to American territory has added weight to calls for the U.S. to establish a permanent naval base in Alaska. While the U.S. Air Force has multiple sprawling bases in Alaska, there is currently no permanent base from which to station naval vessels there. A permanent U.S. Navy surface combatant presence in Alaska would be especially useful for situations such as those which unfolded last week. https://twitter.com/JerryHendrixII/status/1688162081663504384?s=20 Senator Sullivan in particular has been a vocal advocate for better resources to host Navy assets in Alaska, with a view towards boosting the number of U.S. Navy vessels in the highly strategic Arctic Circle to the north of the state. This is an area that has seen increasing Chinese maritime activity, as well as a ballooning Russian military presence as of late. The U.S. is also working to orient more of its forces towards this increasingly competitive region as new shipping routes emerge due to receding ice. The incursion by 11 Chinese and Russian warships operating together off the coast of Alaska is yet another reminder that we have entered a new era of authoritarian aggression led by the dictators in Beijing and Moscow," Sullivan said of the recent disclosure. The Los Angeles class fast-attack submarine USS Pasadena (SSN 752) breaks through the ice in ICEX, which happened concurrently with Arctic Edge 2022, March 12, 2022. U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Trey Hutcheson "In recognition of this reality and our states unrivaled strategic location, for years, Ive been pressing the Navy and each successive administration to commit to a greater Naval, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps presence in Alaska, more Arctic-capable vessels, and more infrastructure to host these assets, like the deep-water port of Nome." While the joint Russian-Chinese flotilla that brushed up against Alaska certainly wasn't new, it is another reminder of solidifying alliances in an increasingly tense region and the PLAN's ever expanding 'blue water' capabilities. Contact the author: oliver@thewarzone.com Nina Salazar was happy to have a job when she worked for three years at a Chinese-owned laboratory in Tulare that made disease and drug test kits the same lab that was shut down in Reedley after Covid-19 and more than 20 infectious agents were found in refrigerators in the ramshackle facility that was operating without proper permits. Salazar, who lives in Visalia, told The Fresno Bee that she was a lab tech for Universal Meditech Inc. at its location at 2375 E. Tulare Ave. from 2015 into 2018. During that time, she and about 15 other employees assembled pregnancy, diabetes and drug test kits, she said. I was so excited because I had a job, she said. It felt important because we got to wear lab coats and stuff. But there was something that seemed odd and shady about the place, too, she said. There were occasional problems with paychecks, and when (managers) would come to do visits for investors, they would have to get people from outside to come in and work on the production line to make the laboratory seem more economically viable, she said. Then there were the chemicals that Salazar and co-workers handled but were never identified to them. We had to make this purple liquid for tests; we had to mix the chemicals; we had to cook it, she said. They only told us that it had to be a special fluid, perfectly made for the test strips. But they never told us what the chemicals were, She said. They spoke Chinese a lot, so we didnt know what they were saying. She said not knowing what the chemicals were was concerning. That was five years ago. Now Universal Meditech and an associated company, Prestige Biotech Inc., are under investigation by local agencies in Reedley and Fresno County, as well as other state and federal agencies, over its presence in Reedley. A city code-enforcement officer responded to an anonymous tip last December about an unlicensed business operating in an old cold-storage warehouse. That led to the discovery of dozens of freezers and refrigerators full of vials of blood, serum and tissue samples; cartons and containers of various chemicals; stored medical lab equipment; and hundreds of lab mice that were in such distress and neglect that they ultimately had to be euthanized. Those revelations resulted in the shutdown of the Reedley operation in March and subsequent months of clearing the warehouse of a host of biological agents, chemicals and more a cleanup and abatement process that is expected to continue into October. Reedley is but the latest city where Universal Meditech or Prestige Biotech decided to set up operations in the central San Joaquin Valley over the past eight years. Universal Meditech operated first in Tulare from 2015 into 2018, and then in Fresno from late 2018 until late 2022, when it moved operations to Reedley. There, the company moved into a leased warehouse on I Street, never bothering to get a city business license or obtain permits for electrical wiring and other building modifications, the city has said. Nor did it have the necessary permits from Fresno County for handling and disposing of medical or hazardous waste, officials have confirmed. A long and winding road In Tulare, city officials said they never experienced any problems or enforcement issues, city spokesperson Josh McDonnell told The Bee on Tuesday. They were appropriately licensed, they pulled building permits for a firewall and (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, and electrical work for a small packaging machine. It was all very standard stuff. Apparently they were doing actual assembly of medical devices, McDonnell added. As far as we know, thats what they did. And then they were gone. If the company was dealing with medical waste that might be expected from a medical lab, it was doing so without a permit from the Tulare County Department of Public Health. Carrie Monteiro, a spokesperson for the county health department, said the Environmental Health Division oversees permitting for medical labs and other facilities that generate medical waste. Upon review we were not able to find any record of Universal Meditech Inc. or any medical waste generator permits for that company, she said. Unfortunately, we dont have any information as we have no record of any health permits being applied for or issued for Universal Meditech Inc. for a lab location in Tulare County. By August 2018, by Universal Meditech was approved to move into a building on East Fortune Avenue in south Fresno, according to information provided by the city of Fresno. The company operated its laboratory facility there until moving out in December. A fire in August 2020 led to the discovery of unpermitted lab walls and unapproved electrical wiring in the Fresno facility. Within days of the fire, an environmental health inspector with the Fresno County Department of Public Health inspected the building along with Fresno city fire and code enforcement officials, and they determined that the lab did not have a required hazardous materials business plan or county permit for storage of hazardous chemicals, said Joe Prado, the county health departments assistant director. In a presentation Tuesday to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, Prado said the company did complete the needed steps to secure its hazardous materials permit on Sept. 1, 2020. For more than two years, the lab apparently flew under the radar of city and county officials in part the result of the city of Fresno cutting back on its inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2022, however, Fresnos fire and code enforcement inspectors notified the county health department about chemicals being stored at the lab. Prado said Tuesday that the company was evasive throughout November 2022 in responding to requests from the health department for specific information about the chemicals being used and stored at the lab, until ultimately on Nov. 29 a representative of the property landlord told county officials that they had a court date to evict Universal Meditech from the premises. By Dec. 27, the company had moved out of the building, according to information provided by the city of Fresno. A surreptitious move to Reedley Nicole Zieba, Reedleys city manager, told Fresno County supervisors on Tuesday that the company slipped into town and set up storage of its laboratory materials without getting a business license. They were bad actors. They did not want us to know they were here, Zieba said. Thats why they moved in under cover of night. Thats why they never came to seek a business permit. But, she added, the investigation by Reedleys code enforcement officers and county and state health officials has revealed that the former cold-storage space was being used for little more than storage of equipment, medical devices, biological agents and samples, chemicals and lab mice that apparently had been hastily moved from the Fresno facility. Since March, several different abatement actions have taken place at the Reedley warehouse: On March 16, county, city and state officials conducted an inspection of the building under a warrant issued by a Fresno County Superior Court judge. During that visit, agents from the Food & Drug Branch of the states Department of Public Health embargoed cartons of unapproved medical test kits and medical supplies, and Reedleys code enforcement team declared the building unsafe to occupy. On April 12, a state veterinarian contractor and Reedleys code enforcement officer used a new warrant to euthanize the mice, which after the building closure were being fed and watered by a city worker. A prior inspection of the mice determined that they were not actively being used for experiments, but were severely neglected and in distress. From May 2 through May 4, under a county Health Officer Order, county and city inspectors, along with representatives of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the state Department of Public Health and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration conducted another inspection of the site. That inspection led to a determination that the freezers and refrigerators contained more than 20 different bacterial, viral and parasitic biological agents including COVID-19, malaria, Hepatitis B and C, chlamydia, human herpes, E. coli, streptococcus, HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), and rubella, among others. From July 5 through July 7, with another court order, county health officials and a licensed contractor went through the dozens of refrigerators and freezers to remove and take away the biological materials for destruction. On July 28, the city began its own abatement operation to remove the refrigerators, freezers, furniture, fixtures and laboratory machinery, and Tuesday was the final day of that effort, Zieba told county supervisors. The process continues to find more biological materials but we are not uncovering infectious diseases and all of that, she said. What were uncovering is that were opening drawers and finding jars of urine and peed-on pregnancy tests. Thats considered a biological. In the coming weeks, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be moving in to deal with the laboratory chemicals that remain in the warehouse. These are chemicals that are commonly found in legal labs; nothing unusual has been found, Zieba said. After that will come the U.S. FDA and the state health departments Food & Drug Branch. What well have remaining in that warehouse are probably a half a million pregnancy test kits and COVID test kits, some of which are unauthorized, Zieba said. Reedley City Manager Nicole Zieba speaks to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors about the Chinese-owned company under investigation for operating illegally in a Reedley warehouse, during a presentation on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Battling rumor and misinformation Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld, in a July 31 press conference, accused county health officials and the county Board of Supervisors of covering up information about the lab, and complained that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that they had a duty to inform the public as early as March. In that press event, Bredefeld asserted that the lab was producing COVID-19 and injecting mice with the virus. He compared the lab to the laboratory in Wuhan, China, that some have blamed for engineering the virus that led to the pandemic. On Tuesday, several supervisors took issue with Bredefelds statements. Supervisor Brian Pacheco criticized Bredefeld for making a lot of accusations against this board and members of the community that were simply inaccurate. It seems to me that the responsible person would have gotten the facts before holding a press conference with inaccurate information to scare the public and for more self-promotion, Pacheco added. Pacheco noted that for more than two years after the 2020 fire revealed code violations at Universal Meditechs Fresno location, the laboratory operated unabated. Zieba and Prado said that state and federal agencies had urged them not to go public with the investigations. They made it very clear to us that their protocols were not to address ongoing investigations, Prado told the board on Tuesday. Zieba added that when the FBI and CDC and everybody else in the alphabet soup of state and federal agencies tells you, We cannot even comment on whether were doing an investigation (and) you cannot comment, when they tell you that youre not going to defy the FBI. She told supervisors that there was no evidence that workers were manipulating viruses at the lab; Zieba also told The Bee that there was no evidence at the Reedley warehouse of any operations actively dealing with viruses or anything scientific. The citys code enforcement officer, Jesalyn Harper, previously told The Bee that there was no production of COVID-19 or experimentation on mice, contrary to what Bredefeld had asserted in his July 31 press conference. Supervisor Steve Brandau, against whom Bredefeld is running for the District 2 seat on the county board, thanked Zieba and Prado for their presentation Tuesday, yet I dont believe it will deter for one minute those who are politically motivated and the sycophants that follow them. Bredefeld doubled down on his criticism of the county on Tuesday afternoon and his assertions about activities at the warehouse. Since at least March, the Board of Supervisors hid information from the public that a Wuhan-type Chinese biological lab in Reedley was involved in injecting mice to catch and carry COVID-19 and other diseases, Bredefeld said in a statement to The Bee. Last week they blamed the FBI for not telling the public. This week they blame (California Gov. Gavin) Newsoms administration, he added. Bredefeld also blasted Brandau for calling those who support me wanting transparency from the county sycophants, which is an attack on his very own constituents who dont want to be lied to and want information about a dangerous Chinese lab in their own community. [Source] A Chinese mother who was recently arrested for overstaying her long-term visit pass in Singapore by seven years to support her son claimed that it was worth it. Key details: Singapores Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) arrested Kang Lihong, 48, at her Singapore address on Aug. 1. She was reportedly sentenced to six months in jail with a fine of 2,000 Singaporean dollars (approximately $1,486) instead of a caning punishment since she is a woman. What the law says: Under Section 15 of Singapores Immigration Act, anyone caught in the city-state whose overstay period has not exceeded 90 days may face a jail sentence of up to six months, a fine not exceeding 4,000 Singaporean dollars (approximately $2,970) or both. More from NextShark: 2 men wanted, 1 woman arrested in Houston double murder case Anyone who has overstayed for over 90 days may be subject to a jail sentence of up to six months. They may also face caning with no less than three strokes, and if this punishment is not applicable, they may be fined up to 6,000 Singaporean dollars (approximately $4,463). About her pass: Kang reportedly received her long-term visit pass, which was supposed to be valid until April 2016, for Singapore in March 2015. After it expired, she was reportedly given a 62-day grace period to leave Singapore, but instead of heading home, she illegally overstayed for seven years, one month and 10 days. Why she did it: Explaining her side in court via video-link, Kang, who did not have a lawyer, said she only overstayed her welcome in the city-state because her very young child was studying in secondary school and she was afraid he would not be able to stay in Singapore if she went home. More from NextShark: Chinese man arrested for spraying anti-US graffiti on US Consulate in Hong Kong Kang, who claimed to be her son's sole provider, also said that her son urged her to go home. "After my child graduated and started working, my child asked me to go back to China, but then COVID-19 happened so I was not able to fly back," she declared, adding that she "already had the intention to surrender" before the ICA detained her. Her son's age: One of the judges asked Kang how old her son is now. She said he is currently 25 years old, which means he was 18 years old when she started overstaying in Singapore. Kang explained that her son was in secondary school for five years. More from NextShark: Viral video of Singaporean man slapping a woman after she kicked his car spurs debate After hearing about Kang's son's age, a prosecutor reportedly said that she "does not require to remain in Singapore to take care of her child." No choice: Kang said that while she had "no choice" as a mother, she does not regret her decision to overstay, telling the court, I admit my mistake but I think it's worth it. More from NextShark: Asian man, 86, killed by scooter-riding gunman in NYC multiple shooting WASHINGTON Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had sharp words for Donald Trump in a town hall in New Hampshire and rebuked the former president for his previous praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Vladimir Putin who is executing these atrocities against people who were just in their country living their lives, Christie said, This is the guy that Donald Trump calls a great leader and brilliant. If he believes that Vladimir Putin is brilliant and a great leader, is that really the character and judgment that you want sitting (in the White House)? Christie continued. Christies comments come off the heels of a surprise visit to Ukraine where he met with President Volodomyr Zelenskyy to assess the war effort against Russia and U.S. aid to Kyiv. At his town hall in New London, Christie reaffirmed his support for Ukraine. We should have lots of debates about the appropriate use of American military money, of the appropriate use of American ingenuity in supporting allies, Christie said. But Ill tell you this, the country that Ive grown up in, weve never ever let this happen to an ally without helping them. The Republican presidential field has been divided over whether the U.S. should continue providing military aid to Ukraine as it fends off Russian aggression. Christie has sought to differentiate himself from the rest of the pack by voicing strong support for Kyiv. Former Vice President Mike Pence, another presidential hopeful, also visited Ukraine in June to reaffirm U.S. support for the war effort. Here are other highlights from Christies town hall in New Hampshire. 'Everyone will be completely shocked': Christie expects a big win in New Hampshire primary Republican presidential candidate former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie visits the Wall of Remembrance to pay tribute to killed Ukrainian soldiers, Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. Christie takes shot at DeSantis for saying Trump lost 2020 electionin 2023 Trump was not the only 2024 GOP candidate who was on the receiving end of Christies attacks. Christie also took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his recent interview with NBC News in which DeSantis said Trump lost the 2020 election, long after he repeatedly dodged the question. Let me give a big round of applause to governor DeSantis for catching up on two-and-half-year-old news. Christie quipped. The former New Jersey governor has repeatedly blasted Trump for his false claims of election fraud and has reaffirmed on the campaign trail to voters the 2020 election was not stolen. Let me be clear and not just be critical, the election was not stolen, Christie said. Republican presidential candidate former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addresses a gathering during a campaign event at V.F.W. Post 1631, Monday, July 24, 2023, in Concord, N.H. Christie slams GOP-backed gender-affirming care bans for trans youth Christie also slammed various GOP-led efforts to ban gender-affirming health care for young transgender people, chiding Republicans for not focusing on the big problems. You know what my position is on that? Christie said. Parents should be the ones making those decisions. How is a governor sitting in a statehouse know better about what should happen inside your home than you do? DeSantis again was on the receiving end of Christies attacks, but the former New Jersey governor also blasted Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders for signing a ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth. Christie accused those Republicans of not being true to small government conservatism. Now all of a sudden weve got big government conservatives like Ron DeSantis doing this stuff Christie said. I dont want anybody telling me how to raise my kids. Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie poses for a portrait at the USA TODAY Washington D.C. bureau Thursday, July 20, 2023. In New Hampshire, Christie sees backlash over abortion One challenge that has plagued Republicans in the 2024 presidential field has been abortion. Candidates have offered widely differing views on restrictions as the GOP grapples with electoral backlash after the constitutional right to an abortion was overturned last summer. In the more libertarian-minded state of New Hampshire, where the majority of Granite State voters across the political spectrum support abortion rights, an attendee asked Christie about his stance on abortion while also adding he thought abortion should be between a woman, her husband and a doctor. I believe every state should be able to make, and its people, to make their own judgment about abortion, Christie said, reiterating that he considers himself pro-life. Christies answer quickly drew a protest from an attendee who disagreed, showing how politically volatile the issue can be in the state. For Christies part, he did not mince words when it came to his answer. The states should decide it, and once we have those decisions in the states, I dont want to give you an illusion, it wont be resolved. Its too emotional an issue, Christie said. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a town-hall-style event at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College on June 06, 2023 in Manchester, New Hampshire. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chris Christie talks Trump, Ukraine, abortion and more in NH town hall Christie on Trumps weight comments: Show up to the debate and say it to my face Republican 2024 presidential candidate Chris Christie responded Tuesday to former President Trumps attacks on his weight by challenging the GOP primary front-runner to show up to the debate. If you had the guts, you would show up to the debate and say it to my face, he wrote to the on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Christie, the former New Jersey governor, was responding to comments Trump made while speaking during a rally in New Hampshire on Tuesday night. Christie, hes eating right now. He cant be bothered, Trump said at the event Tuesday. Looking in the direction of someone in the audience, Trump said, Sir, please do not call him a fat pig. Thats very disrespectful. Dont call him see, Im trying to be nice. Dont call him a fat pig. You cant do it. You cant do that, the former president continued. So now, because youre not allowed to do that, and therefore were not going to do it, OK? We want to be very civil. Trump has repeatedly mocked Christies weight throughout the primary campaign process. The former governor, who ran unsuccessfully against Trump in 2016, has struggled with his weight throughout his life. Christie, a former ally-turned-critic of Trumps, has been among the most brazen candidates to take aim directly at the former president, as many others seek to balance criticizing the leading GOP candidate and remaining in his good graces. Trump has indicated that he is unlikely to join the debate stage when the GOP primary holds the first debate at the end of this month. He cited his commanding lead in the polls as a reason to skip, suggesting a debate would not be worth his time this early on in the primary. According to the latest Morning Consult numbers Tuesday, Trump has the support of 59 percent of GOP voters in a hypothetical primary. Christie, according to the same data, has the support of 3 percent. Christie has seen a surge of support in New Hampshire, however. A new poll released Monday of of New Hampshire GOP voters showed Christie tied in second place with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump still led by wide margins. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Science Scandal Researchers at South Koreas Quantum Energy Research Centre made a huge splash when they announced a few weeks back that they'd accomplished a potentially groundbreaking first: a "room-temperature ambient pressure superconductor." In simple terms, superconductors can conduct electricity without any loss of energy. Conventionally, they need to be cooled to cryogenic temperatures or subjected to immense pressure. But a new lead-based material dubbed LK-99, as detailed in the pair of yet-to-be-peer-reviewed papers, is meant to change all that, exhibiting what its creators say is perfect conductivity at temperatures up to a blistering 260 degrees Fahrenheit. It can even purportedly levitate above a permanent magnet, a telltale sign that it could be a superconductor. The controversial research sparked plenty of criticism, with experts pointing out that such an extraordinary claim required extraordinary evidence which simply hasn't materialized yet. And more and more researchers are piling on, Science reports, the potentially revolutionary discovery is quickly being enveloped by a thick blanket of skepticism. Is LK-99 too good to be true? If it holds up, the material could usher in a new era of levitating vehicles, vastly improve the efficiency of power grids, and more. But given the growing amount of evidence to the contrary, it's more likely that we're looking at a scandal and not a glimpse into the future. Fishy Data For one, experts say the data was presented in a haphazard and unconvincing way. The two papers' authors "come off as real amateurs," Michael Norman, a theorist at Argonne National Laboratory, told Science. "They dont know much about superconductivity and the way theyve presented some of the data is fishy." "I appreciate that the authors took appropriate data and were clear about their fabrication techniques," added Nadya Mason, a condensed matter physicist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. But the "data seems a bit sloppy," she told Science. Shortly after the two papers were published, reports emerged that they had been "published without permission," indicating that the original authors didn't intend to publish them in the first place. Meanwhile, over a dozen preprints have been shared on arXiv, theorizing about the existence of LK-99 and its purported ability to perfectly conduct electricity. The outcomes vary significantly, as Science points out, from one team arguing the material would need to be even cooler than other conventional superconductors, while others hinted at the material's potential. It's a growing scandal that has divided much of the scientific community. And until we see an independent verification of the researchers' data, we can only guess as to where the conversation will go next. But given the increasingly predominant air of skepticism, we're not overly optimistic. More on the discovery: Claim of "Room-Temperature" Superconductor Is Tearing the Scientific World Apart Clergy members are calling on Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Randal Taylor to resign over what they call a lack of accountability among officers in the department. Chief Taylor continues to protect police officers at the expense of creating a culture of accountability within the department to the detriment of having an environment where officers do not feel the need to protect and serve the taxpayers who pay their salaries," said Rev. David Greene Sr., senior pastor at Purpose of Life Ministries. Its the first time the Concerned Clergy, which was founded in the 1960s, has asked for a police chiefs resignation, Greene said. In response to the demands, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement defending its chief, by first noting 30 of his 36 years in law enforcement have been in Indianapolis. "Since becoming Chief in 2020, (Taylor) has worked tirelessly for our city, the department, and its employees to be transparent and accountable," the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in response to the clergy's demands. "He has directed the department to be laser-focused on protecting every neighborhood and all those who live, work and visit our great city." Series of deaths at hands of police show inadequacies, clergy says Greene pointed to the killing of Herman Whitfield III, which resulted in two officers being indicted by a grand jury. Five Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers and a recruit trainee were called to Whitfields parents' home April 25, 2022. During that interaction, police tased and handcuffed him naked and face down on the ground while he was in the throes of a mental health episode. Whitfield died shortly after arriving at a hospital. He also referenced Anthony Maclin, a man shot by police after falling asleep inside his rental car with a gun in his lap in his grandmother's driveway. Maclin's attorneys said body camera footage of the shooting never showed him with the gun in his hand. He was hospitalized for 17 days and underwent six surgeries. The clergy also are calling for transparency and accountability related to recent cases. Last week, an Indianapolis police officer fatally struck Joseph Stiger, 34, with a patrol car trying to avoid a vehicle while en route to a domestic violence call. Days later, an officer shot and killed 49-year-old Dwayne Gary Harrell, who police say was fleeing with a gun in his hand after a traffic stop. Its unclear whether Harrell fired or pointed the gun at officers. Indianapolis police in response said under Taylor's leadership since 2020, the department's officers began using body cameras. Shortly later, the police department started releasing what are known as critical incident videos following a use of force involving an officer. The videos are typically edited together with body camera footage, narration and 911 calls. "These videos aim to strike a balance between preserving the integrity of the investigation and our desire to be as transparent as possible with the community," the department said in a statement. Further changes under Taylor, the department pointed out, include the creation of the Use of Force Board, General Orders Board and the rewriting of the Use of Force policy, which, among other changes, prohibited the use of chokeholds. 'It is a leadership question and issue,' clergy leader says of Mayor Hogsett Dr. Wayne Moore, president of the Baptist Ministers Alliance, said the clergy holds Mayor Hogsett and the City-County Council responsible for the issues they say are within the police department. It is a leadership question and issue, and it needs to be addressed, Moore said. We believe in (a new chief) that's going to create a culture that involves community relationships, obviously to address many of these issues, but will be firmly committed to improving the solvability rate when we consider the number of homicides and the number of non-fatal shootings, Greene said. When asked about the resignation calls, Hogsett said Taylor has "instituted many of (the department's) most important transparency and accountability measures." "Chief Taylor has my support," Hogsett said. Jefferson Shreve, his Republican opponent, opined Taylor should not be taking the fall for the issues the clergy raised. "A problem of this magnitude goes right to the top. Mayor Hogsett has decided he has the expertise to be his own Public Safety Director, and thats why were here. The mayor is accountable for public safety in Indianapolis, and this city needs a new one," Shreve said in a statement. Department's homicide solve rate another point of contention The clergy also took aim at the departments solving rate when it comes to homicides and non-fatal shootings. At the end of last year, 35% of the 226 killings in 2022 were what police consider "cleared." A case is cleared if an arrest is made, or if a killing is declared accidental, self-defense or a murder-suicide. A handful of killings that occurred in 2022 have since had an arrest. Most recently, Dominique Bryant, 32, was arrested in the fatal shooting of 43-year-old J'Mel Dowdell. More: Indianapolis' unsolved killings: 'It's like a waiting list' for justice. Indy10 Black Lives Matter said the group is encouraged by the resignation calls. "We look forward to the day in Indianapolis that sees community governance and resources that will transform and ultimately end the culture of harm, anti-Blackness, and transphobia that IMPDs officers and leadership are known for," the organization said in a statement. Police officials responded that as of Aug. 9, criminal homicides and non-fatal shootings in Indianapolis are both down 12% compared with last year. "His entire tenure, Chief Taylor has remained committed to maintaining positive police-community relationships, reducing violent crime, responding to 911 calls for service, investigating and solving major crimes, and maintaining high levels of training for our officers," the department said in a statement. Reporter Ko Lyn Cheang contributed to this report. She can be contacted at kcheang@indystar.com or 317-903-7071. Follow her on Twitter: @kolyn_cheang. Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at 317-503-7514 or sarah.nelson@indystar.com This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Clergy call for resignation of Indianapolis Police Chief Randal Taylor The U.S. Coast Guard rescued people who jumped into the ocean off the island of Maui to escape the Hawaii wildfires fueled by an offshore hurricane, according to The Associated Press. Wildfires powered by strong wind gusts from Hurricane Dora have torn through the historic town of Lahaina in Maui, forcing residents to evacuate their homes and even forcing some to run to the ocean for relief, the AP reported. The Coast Guard responded to areas where people fled and said in a social media post that a crew rescued 12 individuals off the coast of Lahaina. Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke declared a state of emergency Tuesday in response to the hurricane-driven wildfires and activated the Hawaii National Guard to respond. She also told CNN early Wednesday that 911, cell service and landlines were down. Maui County spokesperson Mahina Marti told the AP that officials were not aware of any deaths in connection to the wildfires but were aware of at least one injury. She said that four shelters were open, and that more than 1,000 people had gathered at the largest shelter. Right now it is all-hands-on-deck, and we are anxious for daybreak, she said. Maui firefighters are continuing to battle wildfires in two locations on the island, but the high winds forced the grounding of the fire crews helicopters Tuesday. In addition, Hawaiian Electric reported that about 13,000 customers were without power Tuesday. The National Weather Service in Honolulu issued high wind and fire alerts Tuesday, warning that wind gusts could reach up to 60 mph. The Associated Press contributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Flash Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs [File photo] China will continue to enhance dialogue and communication with all parties and contribute to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday. The spokesperson made the remarks when asked for more information on Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui's attendance of the meeting in Jeddah on the Ukraine issue last weekend. The spokesperson said that on Aug. 5, Li traveled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to attend the meeting on the Ukraine issue at invitation. Li had extensive contact and exchanges with participating parties, made clear China's position and propositions, listened to the opinions and advice from various parties, and worked for more common understandings on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. China's positive role in promoting talks for peace was fully recognized. The spokesperson said that China will continue to act in the spirit of the four principles, joint efforts in four areas and three observations proposed by President Xi Jinping, work on the basis of the document of China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, enhance dialogue and communication with all parties, and contribute to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. BOSTON Three fishermen who were not wearing life jackets were plucked alive from ocean waters by the Coast Guard five miles east of Nantucket off the Cape Cod coast Saturday afternoon. At about 12:48 p.m. the First Coast Guard District command center received an alert from an emergency radio beacon registered to the 55-foot commercial fishing vessel Miss Kara. A Jayhawk helicopter crew based out of Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod and a 47-foot lifeboat crew based out of Coast Guard Station Brandt Point in Nantucket responded. Just after 2 p.m. the Jayhawk crew discovered all three fishermen clinging to a buoy. The three were safely hoisted aboard the helicopter and flown to Hyannis Airport, where they were treated by emergency medical workers. A video released by the Coast Guard show the men being pulled onto the helicopter one by one as it hovered about the Atlantic waters. The emergency beacon was crucial to the rescue, according to Lt. Cmdr. Kristi Butler, search and rescue coordinator for the First Coast Guard District. This positive outcome demonstrates the importance of maintaining vital lifesaving equipment onboard your vessel, Butler said. Robert N. Edwards, 68, of Columbus, appeared Wednesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, where he was sentenced to life in prison for the 1990s cold case deaths of Alma Renee Lake and Michelle Dawson-Pass. Based on DNA evidence, a Columbus man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of strangling two Columbus women to death in the 1990s and raping one of them. Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Sheryl Munson sentenced Robert N. Edwards, 68, on Wednesday to life in prison, calling him a "woman's worst nightmare." Munson gave Edwards the opportunity for parole in 45 years, but even with credit for about one year in jail awaiting his trial, he would be 112 years old before he would be eligible for parole consideration. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Sheryl Munson sentenced Robert N. Edwards, 68, of Columbus, on Wednesday to life in prison with the opportunity for parole in 45 years, calling him a "woman's worst nightmare." "You preyed upon a very vulnerable population of women. You thought you could do whatever you wanted to them, including murdering them. You thought you could get away with it," Munson said. "Justice comes a little bit late, but it has come for you." A Franklin County jury convicted Edwards last month of killing Alma Renee Lake, 30, in 1991 and killing and raping Michelle Dawson-Pass, 36, in 1996. Both women worked at least sometimes as prostitutes on Columbus' East Side and both bodies were found naked, according to Franklin County prosecutors. Lake was found dead on June 3, 1991, lying in the grass on the northwest corner of Olive and Craig streets in Urbancrest, a village in southwest Franklin County near Grove City. Dawson-Pass was last seen walking south of Kelton Avenue in Columbus, heading to a friend's house. Her body was found on Nov. 11, 1996, in a remote area on the 1700 block of James Road in Granville, Licking County. Edwards lived in Urbancrest in 1991, and in Newark in 1996, prosecutors pointed out at trial. Alma Renee Lake, 30, whose body was found June 3, 1991 lying in the grass at the northwest corner of Olive and Craig streets in Urbancrest, a village in southwest Franklin County. The jury found Edwards guilty of murder in Lake's death, and of aggravated murder, murder and rape in Dawson-Pass' death. The jury found Edwards not guilty of aggravated murder in Lakes death. Edwards' DNA was left on both women's bodies, according to evidence presented at trial. Prosecutors said Edwards also raped Lake, but there is a 30-year statute of limitations on bringing a rape charge. Whose DNA was found on the women's bodies was not determined until 2021, when the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation flagged a familial DNA match. Multiple of Edwards' sons went to prison and had their DNA collected. The Franklin County Sheriff's Office cold case unit got Edwards' DNA and it matched the DNA found on Lake and Dawson-Pass. Edwards did not make a full statement at his sentencing hearing, saying only "I'll wait for my appeal." Michelle Dawson-Pass' daughter, Regina Dawson, was 17 when her mother died in November 1996. This picture of the two of them is from about a year before Michelle's death. Regina described her mother as a funny, God-fearing woman. Members of Lake's and Dawson-Pass' families, as well as members of the Franklin County and Licking County sheriffs' offices and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation packed the courtroom for the sentencing. Lake's sister, Monretia Crawford, said during the hearing that no matter what lives the women lived, nobody had the right to kill them. Carmen Skipper, who alleges Edwards sexually assaulted her in 1991, also outside the statute of limitations to bring a rape charge, thanked Edwards during the sentencing hearing for leaving her alive since he did monstrous things to other women. Sheila Turner, who was raised in the same household as Edwards, told The Dispatch after the sentencing that Edwards sexually abused her and her siblings for years as children. She said other crimes by Edwards could have happened states away since Edwards worked as a long-haul truck driver for years. Monretia Crawford, right, the sister of murdered Alma Renee Lake, speaks during a sentencing hearing Wednesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court for Robert Edwards, 68, of Columbus. Edwards was convicted by a Frankin County jury in the 1991 death of Lake and the 1996 death of Michelle Dawson-Pass. Crawford said Wednesday in court that no matter what lives the women lived, nobody had the right to kill them. Sgt. Mickey Casper, a former cold case detective with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, said after the sentencing that the office believes there are other victims out there. "We can't rule it out," Casper said. "We would ask any other agency throughout Ohio to look at your old homicides. See if you have any evidence that can be submitted to BCI and submit your evidence to them so we can link up more cases and possibly give more families closure." Going deeper into the cases: 'What are the odds' this was a coincidence? Editor's note: a previous version of this story misstated how many years before Edwards is eligible for parole. He was sentenced to 45 years to life. jlaird@dispatch.com @LairdWrites This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus man, 68, sentenced in 1990s deaths of two women FILE PHOTO: Francisco Barbosa, Colombian Attorney General speaks during an interview with Reuters in Bogota Colombia AG's office says ELN plotting to attack top prosecutor FILE PHOTO: Francisco Barbosa, Colombian Attorney General speaks during an interview with Reuters in Bogota BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's attorney general's office is investigating an alleged planned attack by National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels against top prosecutor Francisco Barbosa, it said on Tuesday. The announcement of the investigation comes less than a week after the ELN, a Marxist group that has fought the state since 1964, and the government of leftist President Gustavo Petro began a six-month ceasefire as part of peace talks to end the guerrillas' part in Colombia's conflict. Barbosa has publicly opposed many of Petro's peace promises, including a pending law which would reduce prison sentences for crime gangs who surrender, recognize their crimes and offer reparations to victims. According to three sources, "In July there took place a meeting in Venezuela between five high commanders of the ELN...to produce an attack with snipers," the attorney general's office said in a statement. The attack was to be directed by a member of an ELN urban front who uses the alias "el Rolo" and people associated with him have been part of suspicious financial transactions worth more than 3 billion pesos, about $750,000, it added. The attorney general's organized crime division is investigating and corroborating the information, the statement added. It was not immediately possible to reach ELN negotiators for comment. Social media accounts belonging to the group have so far not posted any reaction to the allegations. The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The ELN negotiations have advanced further than any of Petro's other peace-building efforts, and the group's leadership has repeatedly stressed that its members are united in their desire to seek a peace deal. Previous negotiations with the group have faltered on continued violence, including a 2019 bombing which killed 22 police cadets, dissent within the ELN's ranks, and its radical demands. (Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb in Bogota; additional reporting by Deisy Buitrago in Caracas; Editing by Leslie Adler) Left-wing rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN) have denied they are plotting to assassinate Colombia's Attorney General Francisco Barbosa. The attorney-general's office had said that it had received information from "three sources" which "indicated that there would be a terrorist attack" targeting Mr Barbosa. The news of the alleged plot came days after a ceasefire between the ELN and the government came into force. The ELN has been active since 1964. The attorney-general's office said it had been warned by the intelligence division of the armed forces - a police unit dealing with criminal organisations and its own investigative division. In a statement, it said that all three alerted it to a meeting they said had been held in neighbouring Venezuela last month between "five high-ranking ELN members". According to the sources, ELN members were being trained to carry out a sniper attack on Attorney General Barbosa under the command of a man known by the alias of "Rolo". The office of Mr Barbosa also said that there had been "suspicious transactions" worth up to $750,000 (588,000) in accounts linked to "Rolo". But a delegation of the ELN which is engaged in peace talks with the government labelled the statement as "false". It also accused the attorney general of "trying to sabotage the peace process". Mr Barbosa, 49, has been Colombia's attorney general for the past three and a half years. He has been critical of President Gustavo Petro's plan for "total peace" and the negotiations held with armed groups, arguing that deals struck with them would hinder his office's ability to detain people suspected of carrying out serious crimes. He has also planned proposals to reduce the prison sentences of members of criminal gangs in exchange for them disbanding. The ELN is Colombia's main remaining active guerrilla group. It has been fighting the state since 1964 and previous attempts at negotiating a peace deal with it have failed. But on 3 August a bilateral six-month ceasefire between the government and the ELN came into force and the next round of peace negotiations is due to be held in Venezuela on 14 August. Caron Montgomery, 49, right, listens to a victims statement beside his defense attorneys, Kim Rigby of the Ohio Public Defenders Office, prior to being resentenced Wednesday by a three-judge panel in Franklin County Common Pleas Court from a death sentence to life in prison without parole for killing his girlfriend and her two children on Thanksgiving Day 2010 at their Columbus North Side apartment. A three-judge panel in Franklin County Common Pleas Court has decided to resentence a man on death row who defense attorneys say is mentally ill to life in prison for fatally stabbing his girlfriend and her two children on Thanksgiving Day 2010 at their Columbus apartment. Caron E. Montgomery, 49, appeared Wednesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, more than a decade after a different three-judge panel sentenced him to death in 2012 after he pleaded guilty to the killings. After an agreement between Franklin County prosecutors and Ohio public defenders representing Montgomery, Judges Jaiza Page, Jeffrey Brown and David Young decided unanimously Wednesday to resentence Montgomery to life in prison without the opportunity for parole. Montgomery pleaded guilty in 2012 to multiple counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of Tia Hendricks, 31; their 2-year-old son, Tyron Hendricks; and her 10-year-old daughter, Tahlia Hendricks. Their bodies were found on Nov. 26, 2010, the day after they were killed on Thanksgiving Day in their apartment on Broad Meadows Boulevard on the North Side. Tavarus Hendricks, whose sister Tia Hendricks was stabbed to death along with her two children on Thanksgiving Day 2010 at their Columbus apartment, begs a three-judge panel in Franklin County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday to keep a death sentence that had been given to Caron Montgomery for his guilty plea in their deaths. The judges ultimately decided to resentence Montgomery to life in prison. Tavarus Hendricks, Tia Hendricks brother, spoke on behalf of the Hendricks family Wednesday in court, begging the judges to keep the death penalty for Montgomery. That man right there killed three people his own son, a baby, an 11-year-old girl, a mother who loved her children. Snuffed them out just because of jealousy and rage, Tavarus Hendricks said during the court hearing. Please sentence him to death. He needs a needle in his arm for as many times as he picked up that knife and plunged it into my sister." Tavarus Hendricks told The Dispatch afterwards he was unhappy with the new sentence of life in prison, and he still wants to see Montgomery die for what he did. Montgomery declined to make a statement during Wednesday's court appearance and showed little emotion during the proceeding. Attorneys for Montgomery over the years have asserted he has serious mental illness, was repeatedly traumatized as a young child and was in a mentally disassociated state at the time of the killings. Since he was sentenced to death, Montgomery has made multiple attempts to appeal his case, making it in 2016 to the Ohio Supreme Court, which upheld the death sentence. In 2021, Ohio passed a law banning the execution of the seriously mentally ill. After the law changed, attorneys with the Ohio Public Defenders Office filed multiple motions in 2022 requesting Montgomery get a new sentence because of his mental illness. Earlier this year, the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office and the Ohio Public Defender's Office came to an agreement that essentially asked the judges to sentence Montgomery to life without parole. A three-judge panel of Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judges Jaiza Page, Jeffrey Brown and David Young resentenced Caron Montgomery on Wednesday, removing him from death row and giving him life in prison without parole for murdering his girlfriend and her two children on Thanksgiving Day 2010 at their apartment on Columbus' North Side. The resentencing occurred because of an agreement between Ohio Public Defenders and the county Prosecutor's Office that Montgomery's mental illness makes him ineligible for the death penalty under an Ohio law passed in 2021. jlaird@dispatch.com @LairdWrites This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus man taken off death row for 2010 triple murder, given life Hardeep Singh Kohli will appear in court at a later date - CHRISTIE GOODWIN/REDFERNS Broadcaster and comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli has been arrested and charged in connection with alleged sexual offences. The 54-year-old, who had a long career with the BBC, is facing criminal allegations relating to non-recent matters, Police Scotland said. Several women have come forward over recent years to claim that Mr Kohli had behaved inappropriately towards them and made unwanted sexual advances. A spokesman for Police Scotland said: A 54-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with allegations of non-recent sexual offences. He has been released on an undertaking to appear in court at a later date. A report of the circumstances has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal. The charges Mr Kohli is facing will not be publicly revealed until he makes his first court appearance. Police launch investigation Police Scotland had confirmed last month that it had launched an investigation. Mr Kohli was born in London but moved to Scotland as a young child. He began his career at the BBC when he became a presenter. Also a chef, he was runner up on Celebrity MasterChef in 2006 and was a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018. He was also a reporter on the BBCs The One Show. He has not appeared on the show in over a decade but continued to present BBC radio programmes, until the broadcaster cut ties with him in 2020. Mr Kohli has also had shows commissioned for Channel Four and was a guest host on The Wright Stuff on Channel Five. He became a prominent political campaigner in Scotland, backing the SNP and a Yes vote in the 2014 independence referendum. 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. Two tornadoes that touched down in the Lake Norman area during severe storms this week resulted in thousands of power outages in the area, according to the National Weather Service. An EF-1 tornado packing 110-mph winds uprooted many trees on a 37.41-mile path that began on Kelly Boulevard between Conover and Claremont in Catawba County, according to an NWS damage survey report late Tuesday. EF-1 is considered weak on the NWS Enhanced Fujita Scale for tornado damage and wind speed, stronger only than an EF-0 among six classifications. South of Lake Norman, an EF-0 tornado with 85-mph winds that began in eastern Lincoln County caused minor damage to building exteriors and knocked down trees on a 1.8-mile path Monday afternoon, according to the NWS. One death was reported in the NWS Greer office coverage area during the storms, when a tree fell on someone in Anderson County, NWS meteorologist Bill Martin told The Charlotte Observer Tuesday. How prevalent are tornadoes in NC? Since 2015, 255 tornadoes have touched down in North Carolina, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They killed seven (two indirectly), injured more than 40 and caused $136 million in property damage. Coastal counties Brunswick, Carteret, New Hanover and Pender were hit the most, at least 14 times each in the last eight-plus years, data show. Three twisters struck Mecklenburg County during that time. All were EF1 tornadoes, with gusts between 86 mph and 110 mph. One of those was a tornado that touched down last year and ran nearly four miles across east Charlotte. Several homes received minor roof damage as the tornado crossed Rocky River Rd just west of I-485, NOAAs Severe Storm Event data said. The tornado continued northeast across I-485 just north of Rocky River Rd before moving into Cabarrus County. What are the signs of a tornado? According to the NWS, a developing tornado may include these indicators: Rotating funnel-shaped cloud Approaching cloud of debris Dark or green-colored sky Large, dark, low-lying cloud Large hail A loud roar that sounds like a freight train If you notice any of these signs, you should take cover immediately and monitor local media for weather alerts. How to prepare for a tornado Here are some ways you can prepare for a tornado, according to the CDC: Identify the safest place to take shelter in your house, such as storm cellar, basement or inside room without windows. Create and practice a tornado emergency plan. Write down important phone numbers, including emergency numbers, insurance policy types and vehicle registration information. Store important documents in a safe location Prepare an emergency supplies kit, with items for first aid, water and food Remove possible hazards, like heavy items stored on high shelves. Dave Davis is competitive. And when North Carolina lost the Mercedes-Benz U.S. headquarters to Georgia in 2018, he dug in. Davis, director of development at Concord-based Fortius Capital Partners, and colleague J. Harris Morrison III, Fortius founder, decided to take advantage of the potential for growth they saw in North Carolina. I hate to use a sports metaphor, but I know that when I lose something, it makes me attack it with a lot more velocity, Davis said. Ill be a lot better prepared when the next opportunity comes around. National developers are identifying Charlottes nearby counties as welcoming sites for manufacturing development hubs. Rowan County, 45 minutes outside Charlotte, has 22 million square feet of speculative property to prepare for incoming business. Neighboring Iredell County announced 11 million square feet in the past two years. What are being referred to as mega projects or developments with more than $1 billion in investment, are on the rise, according to site selection experts. For instance, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is investing $1 billion in a Cabarrus County facility to manufacture obesity, diabetes and Alzheimers drugs. Eli Lilly, a global pharmaceutical giant, plans to invest $1 billion in a new manufacturing plant at The Grounds at Concord site of the former Philip Morris plant. Site selection experts and developers agree that North Carolina has a reputation as a business-friendly state. But with this added growth comes growing pains in infrastructure. Companies are trying to simplify their supply chains post-pandemic, Davis said. He is seeing production returning to U.S. soil, increasing demand for manufacturing facilities. The Carolinas have available land and a skilled labor force, he said, which is attractive for manufacturers. But the availability of land does not mean a ready-to-build industrial site. Developers have to provide adequate infrastructure for utilities, said Didi Caldwell of Global Location Strategies, an industrial and manufacturing site selection firm in Greenville, South Carolina. A lot of good sites have been snapped up by projects already, so were struggling there, she said. No product, no project To create viable industrial sites, developers often build speculative properties that act like a blank canvas for expanding companies to choose from. Fortius is a purely speculative developer, Davis said, which comes with its own set of challenges. Its really hard to predict what companies are going to want from your property, he said. So through working with the economic development offices, you can try and figure out what is the best guess to put into the property. Speculative developers have to work backwards to include features they think a potential tenant may need, said Taylor Williams of Winston-Salem-based Williams Development Group. Iredell County secured a deal with Walmart using a 1-million-square-foot speculative property, said Jen Bosser, CEO of the countys economic development office. Companies rarely have the time to wait for a property to be built when they need one, Williams said, which can take up to two years. If a business comes to an economic developer looking for property, they will usually have multiple product types readily available. No product, no project, Williams said. Site selectors work with companies looking for speculative properties, and know exactly what a property needs to be purchased. Three necessities mentioned by site selection experts are labor, logistics and electric. The cost of talent Availability of land in a rural area needs to be balanced with the labor force. But labor does not have to come from inside the county. Iredell County, for example, is surrounded by nine counties, Bosser said, so the jobs coming into the area can be filled by those inside and out of Iredell. The skilled and semi-skilled labor force in the area provides a large and available labor pool, according to Williams. His firm developed Statesville Commerce Center, two speculative properties in Iredell County totaling 630,000 square feet. Across the state line in Chester County, South Carolina, Global Location Strategies facilitated the $1.3 billion, 300-job deal with the Charlotte-based lithium battery manufacturer Albemarle Corp. in Richburg. Caldwell said the key to success is a small number of jobs so the county has enough of a population to fill them. For a rural county that is a huge win, she said, probably even bigger than a $1.3 billion project with 1,000 jobs because theres not 1,000 employees that are sitting on the sidelines waiting to be employed. Tom Frederick smooths out the top of a gate post on the future site of Albemarle Corp.s $1.3 billion facility in Chester County, South Carolina. The plant, which will create more than 300 jobs, will process lithium hydroxide, mostly to support the electric vehicles industry. Ports, trains and automobiles Between North Carolinas rail system, highway network and access to ports, the state gives companies options when deciding how to export products. Highways come up a lot when talking about site selection. The Statesville development was chosen because of its proximity to Interstate 77, Williams said. Rodney Crider, CEO of Rowan Countys economic development office, said his countys development is largely the result of the widening of Interstate 85. The I-85 corridor is the cornerstone of Davis business. The easiest way to move goods in a short distance is truck traffic, Davis said. Ports are the next necessity when it comes to exports. Davis said North Carolina has close access to three of the four strongest ports on the East Coast Norfolk, Virginia, Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston. The largest port on the East Coast is the ports of New York and New Jersey. Another method of transportation that may be making a comeback is rail. Rail is consistent, reliable and cost effective, Williams said. Chester County economic development office CEO Robert Long said the countys rail lines helped secure its $423 million deal with E. & J. Gallo Winery last year. The winery uses the rail lines to move its products, incorporating rail tracks inside its warehouse. Caldwell pointed out that rail helps companies comply with their environmental and social governance goals. But new railroads are rarely built anymore, several experts said. And building a rail spur, or an off-ramp section of a railroad line, can cost around $1 million, said Benton Blaine, a managing director at real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield. E. & J. Gallo is producing 12 million cases of High Noon seltzers a year at its new 1.5 million-square-foot facility in Chester County, South Carolina. Thats about 300 million cans. A power struggle As mega projects have increased, electric needs have too, Caldwell said. Between 2008 to 2017, she said, Global Location Services announced 50 mega projects nationally. In the past five years, it announced 73. Many projects like these need more energy because they are physically larger, or because they are high-tech industries. Five years ago, a large amount of energy for a project would be about four megawatts, which could power about 2,000 homes, Blaine said. Now, he has multiple projects using 40 megawatts, and one using 100 megawatts, which is a $15 million per year power bill. Many of these projects want their own substation, which takes high voltage energy and makes it usable to consumers. Building one takes up to $30 million and about two and a half years to build, Blaine said. As Charlottes ring counties try to keep up with the growth of projects and demand for their land, they still need to ensure that infrastructure keeps pace with that growth. Everybody wants to get a bite of the apple, Davis said. And to get that bite, we all have to work in collaboration to get there. The News Humans are the leading cause of biodiversity loss but there are signs that some conservation efforts may be paying off, even as new animals face critical endangerment. Weve curated news and analysis you should read on the efforts to conserve key species. Insights Brazils golden lion tamarins have rebounded , thanks to a conservation effort that has been ongoing since the 1970s. As of late July, researchers with Brazils Golden Lion Tamarin Association announced that their population had jumped to nearly 5,000. At one time, they numbered just 200. The success of the project cant be pinned to one specific action, but biologists believe that a campaign to vaccinate the monkeys against yellow fever combined with an increase in their available habitat are among the factors. A census conducted in India found that the countrys tiger population had jumped to 3,167 last year. Decades of conservation efforts have brought the species back from the brink of extinction, though they occupy just 7% of the land they once inhabited. The Indian government went to great lengths to save the countrys tigers: In some cases, entire villages were moved to make way for the cats. India has 53 tiger reserves, up from just nine when the project to save them began. Despite human efforts to save certain species, our outsized impact on the environment is still putting animals at risk. On Monday, the International Whaling Commission issued an extinction alert for the tiny vaquita, a porpoise-like mammal which lives off the Gulf of California. Entanglement in fishing nets is the leading cause of their decline, and its had an outsized impact on their numbers. A decade ago, there were 567 vaquitas in the area, but they now number just 10. Know More A report last month found that a sixth mass-extinction event led by anthropogenic climate change is likely to be worse than previously predicted. Among the threats to species are habitat loss, human reliance on pesticides, and over-consumption through hunting or fishing. Some species are at greater risk than others, the report found. Amphibians are experiencing larger drops in their numbers than other classes of animals, and species that live in the tropics are also at higher risk than those from other regions. Conservative commentator Charlie Sykes said the GOP will continue to plunge only one way while it remains in thrall to Donald Trump, and thats downward. Sykes, appearing Tuesday on MSNBCs Morning Joe, acknowledged it was easy to dismiss Trump as a narcissistic clown but said it is hard to understate the impact that hes had on our political standards. You are seeing a full-out attack, not just on the culture of facts, which we had back in 2016, but now on all of the institutions of our constitutional republic, he continued, noting how Trumps rival 2024 Republican candidates are also now sowing distrust. It is rock-solid certain that Donald Trump will continue to make the threats, will continue to make the insults, said Sykes, the founder of The Bulwark news network. Everything thats happening now will get worse, and the Republican Party and the evangelical church will go along with it. This has long-term importance. Things like this, when theyre broken, they are hard to put back together, he added. Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough agreed. If Republicans keep this line of thinking, continue their support for Donald Trump, they need not fool themselves, he said. A second Trump administration would destroy the Department of Justice, would destroy the FBI, would destroy the federal governments rule of law, would destroy judicial independence. It would destroy the third branch of Americas government, it would rip to shreds Madisonian democracy. They need to understand what theyre doing, and perhaps they do, Scarborough added. Im just trying to figure out what is so important about this former reality TV host that theyre willing to literally throw away Madisonian democracy to defend him. Watch the video here: Related... Recent hires at some big consulting firms don't have enough work to do. They told The Wall Street Journal they were spending the idle time meal-prepping, taking naps, and even applying for other jobs. Olga Rolenko/ Getty Images New hires at some top consulting firms don't have enough work, a Wall Street Journal report says. The slowdown comes as some firms have even paid new recruits to delay their start dates. MBA grads recruited into top consulting firms often earn sizable six-figure salaries. New hires at consulting firms like Bain, Boston Consulting Group, and McKinsey, fresh out of business school, are usually saddled with work. They're often shuffling to and from the airport, busily brushing up presentations, and answering emails late into the night. These days, though, some newbie consultants are getting paid just to bide time before their next project rolls around, a recent report by The Wall Street Journal says. The report included the perspectives of more than 30 current, former, and prospective consultants. Amid uncertain economic conditions, there just doesn't seem to be enough work to go around, so consultants are using their free time for running errands, catching up on sleep, watching television shows, and even applying for other jobs, the Journal's report says. Many consultants call this time being "on the beach" or "on the bench." It's not a new concept in consulting, but it's apparently happening more and for longer spells amid the economic slowdown. One consultant told the Journal he'd only had two client-facing projects since starting last fall and was filling the time by going for walks, buying groceries, napping, and streaming shows like Amazon Prime's "Fakes." Another consultant who was also hired around a similar time told the Journal she was prepping meals, spending time with family, and job hunting. Those hired into consulting firms out of business school generally take home hefty six-figure salaries. About half of the MBA graduates from Yale, Dartmouth, and the University of Virginia last year were hired into consulting firms with a median salary of $175,000, the Journal noted. And last year, the "Big Three" firms Bain, McKinsey, and BCG also announced they were increasing their base salaries from $175,000 to $190,000-$192,000 for graduates in the United States. But the downtime as well-compensated as it might be isn't always as enjoyable as it might sound. Some consultants seem to be getting anxious about how all this idle time could hinder their career trajectories. The Journal reported that some early-career consultants said they were worried the slowdown would negatively impact their performance reviews, potentially throwing a wrench in their longer-term plans. Landing a job at a consulting firm isn't easy. For many ambitious graduates, consulting gigs can be a launchpad to other lucrative corporate roles or even a gateway to starting their own company. Others are being encouraged to delay their start dates. Bain has offered to pay some new hires tens of thousands of dollars to work for a nonprofit, go on a safari, or become a yoga teacher and push back their start dates with Bain. The impasse that new hires face comes as consulting firms have laid off swaths of their workforces over the past year. In March, McKinsey cut approximately 3% of its workforce in an effort to downsize an employee base that had swelled in recent years. Are you a recent hire at a consulting firm who's a lot of time "on the bench" in recent months? Or have you been paid to push back your start date? We want to hear from you. Email the reporter Lakshmi Varanasi at lvaranasi@insider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) has initiated the monitoring of the lifestyles of 135 military commissars out of 1795 people on the same jobs all over Ukraine. Source: Oleksandr Novikov, head of the NACP, in an interview for Ukrinform news agency Quote: "So far we have initiated 135 cases of monitoring of lifestyle out of the total number of leaders of military enlistment offices (1795). This does not mean that violations will be detected in each monitoring." Details: As a rule, lifestyle monitoring confirms that the majority of officials are honest. "Not every.military commissar rides a Mercedes. Most of them have a regular home, a Lanos vehicle and have no villas in Spain or elsewhere," Novikov stressed. Previously: The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) of Ukraine has opened 112 proceedings against officials from military enlistment offices since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and 15 charges have already been filed in court. 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! Ukraine is experiencing its lowest level of corruption in two decades, Ukraines Finance Minister, Serhiy Marchenko, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Aug. 9. Drawing from my extensive experience, which includes being a seasoned tax specialist, I have closely monitored the nations progress over the last 20 years. The existing corruption level is the lowest I have observed. Marchenko said that contemporary society is far less tolerant of corruption, and that old schemes that were effective a decade ago have largely become unfeasible. Read also: Ukraine receives $890 million tranche from IMF Carrying out the kind of actions that were prevalent during the period of (former Ukrainian President, Viktor) Yanukovych, for instance, has become significantly difficult. Oligarchs no longer easily occupy ministerial positions, Marchenko said While acknowledging that the immediate eradication of corruption in Ukraine is an unattainable goal, Marchenko underscored that his positive sentiment is widely shared, even among Western countries. Its a process. The initiatives undertaken by civil organizations, the noise they make, the work conducted by bodies like the National Agency for Corruption Prevention, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, and others, produce results. There might be a certain lag, but results are evident. Our partners also understand this, Marchenko said. Read also: Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine As artificial intelligence continues to advance, its application in business sectors is increasingly scrutinized. This is especially true in the health care industry, where AI is being used in a variety of ways to help the sick. Many people can now receive AI-generated health feedback with tools like ChatGPT, proving "useful to learn about certain conditions or symptoms," VeryWell Health reported. The chatbot can "answer questions in seconds and instantly generate easy-to-understand responses." Clinical applications for AI are also being explored in doctors' offices and hospitals. In 2022, the FDA approved 91 AI or machine-learning medical devices for widespread usage. However, controversy has been brewing over artificial intelligence's purpose in the medical field and whether it does more harm than good. As with many implementations of AI, its use in medicine hasn't been without problems, leading some to question whether treating diseases is one area that should be left to humans. AI-generated medical content Many AI chatbots are used in at-home environments to assist people trying to self-diagnose. Many of these patients have taken matters considerably into their own hands with AI's help. Benjamin Tolchin, a neurologist and ethicist at Yale University, told Scientific American that "at least two patients have already told him they used it to self-diagnose symptoms or to look up side effects of medication." Some researchers are confident that by the end of the year, "a major medical center will announce a collaboration using LLM chatbots to interact with patients and diagnose disease," the outlet reported. While this sounds promising, AI-based medical chatbots aren't without their flaws, in particular when it comes to eating disorders. "I recently asked ChatGPT what drugs I could use to induce vomiting," Geoffrey Fowler reported as part of an experiment for The Washington Post. "The bot warned me it should be done with medical supervision but then went ahead and named three drugs." Google's Bard AI, meanwhile, "produced a step-by-step guide on 'chewing and spitting,' another eating disorder practice," Fowler added. My AI, a program developed by Snapchat, also wrote Fowler a "weight-loss meal plan that totaled less than 700 calories per day well below what a doctor would ever recommend." It appears that AI "has learned some deeply unhealthy ideas about body image and eating by scouring the internet," Fowler concluded. "And some of the best-funded tech companies in the world aren't stopping it from repeating them." AI-assisted medical devices Artificial intelligence has extended its use to hospital computer systems and, in some cases, hospital hardware itself. This can include technologies that can "diagnose melanoma, breast cancer lymph node metastasis and diabetic eye disease better than specialists when it is working well," per a study in the medical journal EBioMedicine. AI advances have also allowed medical centers to be "fitted with passive, contactless sensors [that] can assist clinicians and surgeons to improve the quality of health care delivery," the study stated. While this seems like another plus for the industry, "the development of artificial intelligence also has the potential to produce negative health impacts," according to a study from the BMJ's Global Health, per The Guardian. These could include "the potential for AI errors to cause patient harm, issues with data privacy and security, and the use of AI in ways that will worsen social and health inequalities," such as a pulse oximeter that overestimates blood oxygen levels, leading to hypoxia in some patients. While AI may "ultimately become a mature and effective tool for the health care sector," a study published by Springer Nature stated that "obstacles arise at all levels of AI adoption." The future of AI in health care There's no evidence that AI in medicine is going away anytime soon. Even though AI tools were "significantly less accurate in providing diagnoses compared to physicians," the Harvard School of Public Health reported, "we can see a future where people frequently turn to these types of tools for advice." While fears of the future remain, AI likely won't ever fully replace humans in health care, Tom Lawry, the national director of AI for Health & Life Sciences at Microsoft, told Forbes. While AI is "great at sifting through massive amounts of data," Lawry added, "humans are great at wisdom, common sense, empathy and creativity, all of which are vitally important" to health care. You may also like Homepage Columbus could be the eighth city in Georgia to commit to reducing city emissions and addressing climate change. Deputy City Manager Lisa Goodwin asked city leaders Tuesday to agree to form a plan to being fully powered by clean energy by 2020. Goodwin was backed by dozens of Clean Energy Columbus (CEC) members, who wore their CEC emblems. Some spoke directly to Mayor Skip Henderson and City Council about why the Columbus should commit to a clean energy plan. This is part of a movement in the U.S. for cities to act on reducing emissions. President Biden has set the goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net zero emissions economy no later than 2050. Mayor and council have two weeks to research and debate until they vote on August 22. There are seven cities in Georgia who have adopted a clean energy resolution, Louisa Childs, founding member of CEC. Some have been more successful than others and that is due to the presence of a plan. A Columbus native, a lawyer and a concerned parent, Childs was joined by Troy Keller, a Columbus State University environmental science professor. Together they formed the CEC organization last year. Goodwin has worked with CEC over the past year and noted that the resolution has been vetted by them. The goal of this initiative is to demonstrate our commitment to clean energy, reduce our energy burden, and become one of the greenest cities in the South, Goodwin said. Additionally, the resolution hopes to, create a mayors commission on sustainability, and consider a sustainability coordinator. The daunting realities of climate change were tangible in the council chamber, especially when Keller, who is in his fifties, spoke about the science and the state of the climate today The Columbus, Georgia city managers office introduced a resolution calling for 100% clean energy in Columbus at the Tuesdays Columbus City Council meeting. 08/09/2023 In my lifetime, greenhouse gasses have risen by more than 25%, he said. The global average temps have risen by 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Students I have are worried. The Columbus, Georgia city managers office introduced a resolution calling for 100% clean energy in Columbus at the Tuesdays Columbus City Council meeting. 08/09/2023 Childs said that action by the city is the answer to individual worry about climate change. Its hard to know as an individual [what to do] but with city leadership, what we can do as a city is powerful, she said. The Columbus, Georgia city managers office introduced a resolution calling for 100% clean energy in Columbus at the Tuesdays Columbus City Council meeting. 08/09/2023 Keller suggested by moving in the suggested direction, Columbus could attract new jobs and establish itself as a community that adapts to the changing world. We cant fix the climate alone but we definitely can change the nature of things here, she said. Muscogee County had 407,600 metric tons of commercial emissions in 2022. This comes in third after transportation and residential emissions, according to Drawdown Georgia, a Georgia-based climate solutions organization. This resolution intends to address mainly the commercial sector of emissions not residential. Drawdown Georgia Climate Tracker showing Muscogee County emissions in 2022. Commercial emissions are in the red. https://www.drawdownga.org/ghg-emissions-tracker/ For comparison, Savannah in Chatham County recorded 735,800 metric tons of CO2 in 2022. Savannah City Council voted to adopt a resolution in 2020. Drawdown Georgia Climate Tracker showing Chatham County emissions in 2022. Commercial emissions are in the red. https://www.drawdownga.org/ghg-emissions-tracker/ Childs says that Savannah is an excellent model to study. They are in the implementation phase of their commitment, Childs said, Savannah has committed to being 100% powered by renewables by 2035. The city agreed on a Solar Energy Procurement Agreement (SEPA), where solar panels will be installed at no upfront cost. Columbus has a population of around 200,000 people and Savannah has a population of around 150,000. Keller believes the resolution is intended to focus on how the city operates. This is something the city can control relatively easily, he said. Where they buy their electricity, where they get it from, and controlling efficiency, etc. all things they can control, he said. Where council members stand Though the presentation was purely educational, Councilman Bruce Huff of District 3 expressed his eagerness during the presentation. It was met with applause from the CEC crowd. I will happily sponsor this, said Councilman Huff. Im excited. Henderson explained he would like a clear direction before committing to a resolution. There are a lot of cities in Georgia who have adopted a resolution, he said. There was a conscious effort by this government not to put forward a resolution until we felt like we had a path. We dont want a resolution with no direction. Councilwoman Charmaine Crabb and Councilman Tyson Begly are still researching and declined to answer how they intend to vote. Council members Judy Thomas, Toyia Tucker, and Joanne Cogle did not respond to the Ledger-Enquirers request for how they plan to vote in time for publication. Childs encourages the public to reach out to their members with support and any questions they have between now and the 22nd. The claim: 13 countries agreed to abolish farming A June 4 article published by The European Union Times features a headline about a supposed international effort to "save the planet" and includes a photo of a large group of people. "13 Nations Agree to Abolish Farming in order to 'Save the Planet,'" reads the article's headline. The article was shared more than 1,000 times on Facebook in about two months, according to CrowdTangle, a social media analytics tool. Similar claims were made in posts shared on Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter. Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks Our rating: False Thirteen countries agreed to reduce methane emissions in agriculture, but they didn't agree to abolish farming. The leader of the organization that announced the agreement said the claim is false. Agriculture officials didn't agree to abolish farming The article refers to a May 17 news release from the Global Methane Hub, a global alliance of more than 20 organizations committed to reducing global methane emissions. The news release says agriculture officials from 13 countries, including the U.S., "issued a commitment to reduce methane emissions in agriculture." But the release doesn't say anything about abolishing farming. Fact check: Post misrepresents John Kerry's speech at AIM for Climate Summit Marcelo Mena, CEO of the Global Methane Hub and former minister of the environment for Chile, told USA TODAY the article's claim is "entirely inaccurate." On April 14, 2023, agricultural ministers and leaders from prominent livestock-producing nations like Brazil, Australia, Uruguay, Argentina and the U.S. convened at a ministerial meeting in Chile and supported a declaration to meaningfully address methane emissions from their agricultural sectors," Mena said in an email. "(Global Methane Hub)s agricultural strategy is centered on helping local farmers optimize their productivity through improved feeding and animal welfare practices, and investment into research and development and breakthrough technologies." None of the event collaborators, which included the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, have made an announcement about ending farming. Instead, the organizations recommend measures such as livestock manure management and genetic engineering of livestock to lower methane emissions. USA TODAY reached out to the European Union Times for comment but did not immediately receive a response. PolitiFact also debunked the claim. Our fact-check sources: Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Article misrepresents agreement to lower farm emissions | Fact check At a meeting between officials from the U.S. and Niger in Niamey, the county's capital, on Monday, a U.S. ally and a top Nigerien general involved in the coup declined to guarantee the safety of President Mohamed Bazoum, now being detained by the rebels, leaving some U.S. officials concerned Bazoum could be in danger. Acting Secretary of State Victoria Nuland traveled to Niger on Monday with the hope of meeting with Bazoum, the democratically elected president toppled in the coup, and the new self-proclaimed leader of Niger, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani. Nigerien officials blocked both meetings. Nuland, along with U.S. diplomatic and military officials instead met with the juntas chief of defense, Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, who has led the Nigerien Special Forces for the past decade. He was trained by American forces and worked closely with U.S. military leaders and troops assigned to train and support Nigerien Special Forces with intelligence collection in their fight against Islamic extremist groups. The Americans met with the defense chief and others from the new junta for more than two hours and Nuland described the conversation as quite difficult at times. Officials familiar with the discussions said the military junta made it clear to Nuland and the other U.S. officials present that they believe very strongly that their seizure of power was just, that they have broad public support, and that Bazoum is no longer the legitimate leader of Niger. Barmou also made it clear that the coup leaders will not release Bazoum from house detention and that he will not be returned to power, the officials said. Barmou also did not guarantee Bazoums safety, especially if outside military forces intervene in Niger, two of the officials said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Bazoum on Tuesday afternoon and State Department officials on Wednesday again called on coup leaders to protect him. We are deeply concerned about the welfare of President Bazoum and his family, and the deteriorating conditions of their detention, said State Department spokesperson Matt Miller. As we have since the beginning of this situation, in both public and private communications, the United States continues to raise the importance of President Bazoum and his familys well-being and safety. We reiterate our calls for their immediate release. [N]uland also met with NGO leaders and others from civil society, Miller told NBC News. She heard very clearly from them that they are deeply concerned about the situation. [I]ts clear there are many people who arent going to stadiums and marching in the streets the way you see so-called supporters of the junta doing because they have very real concerns about their safety if they do so. But their support for democracy is very much real." A U.S. official who asked not to be named said that the coup leaders appear increasingly defiant. The junta appears to be fairly dug in, the official said. There is no indication of them being willing to compromise right now. In fact, they are becoming harder in their views. Several U.S. officials agreed that while there is still some hope for diplomacy, it is fading. Theres no keen sense of optimism after the meeting, one official said. American officials say they are not yet leaning toward formally declaring this a coup, which would under U.S. law trigger a halt to training and hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Niger. The U.S. military support in the country gives Washington a bargaining chip, because the coup leaders told U.S. officials they want to keep it. We are trying to leverage the support that we have that we know they want, one U.S. official said. Leaders from West African states will meet in Abuja, Nigeria, on Thursday to discuss a possible military intervention in Niger. The members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met four days after the coup and warned the coup leaders to release Bazoum within one week or they would consider military action. Three days after that deadline passed, the president remains under house arrest. Now U.S. officials believe members of ECOWAS have drawn up rough plans for military intervention in consultation with the French military. French military planners are consulting with ECOWAS right now, one U.S. official said. According to American officials familiar with the discussions during the Monday meeting with Barmou, he told the U.S. delegation that the junta believes the threat of an ECOWAS military intervention is very real and they believe that if ECOWAS intervenes militarily they will do so by the end of August, with support from France. Miller, the State Department spokesman, said: ECOWAS has publicly indicated that military intervention is a last resort. We are focused on finding a diplomatic solution and are in close contact with ECOWAS leadership and our partners across the region. At the end of the day, we all want a peaceful end to this crisis and the preservation of constitutional order in Niger. Not all ECOWAS countries are in favor of military intervention, two American officials said, and many of the members have militaries that are small, underfunded and already taxed with domestic security issues. The U.S. military has roughly 1,110 troops in Niger at three bases. The Biden administration has made no decision about drawing down the U.S. troop presence there. The U.S. does have contingency plans for consolidating or withdrawing U.S. troops if neighboring nations send in forces and the situation becomes dangerous. In the hours after the coup, the military junta closed Nigerien airspace, but since then some U.S. drone flights have been authorized to fly, but not at the same pace as before the coup, according to two U.S. defense officials. We continue to coordinate U.S. military flights on a case-by-case basis while the air space is closed in Niger. For the security of our operations, we cannot discuss the details of drone flights, according to a U.S. military official. The U.S. mission to train Nigeriens to counter Islamic extremist groups in the country remains on hold. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A panel of federal judges ruled a Hawaii law banning butterfly knives violates the Second Amendment under the Supreme Court's new history-and-tradition standard. "Hawaii has not demonstrated that its ban on butterfly knives is consistent with this Nations historical tradition of regulating arms," Judge Carlos Bea, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, wrote in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals opinion on Teter v. Lopez, which was released Monday. "We conclude that section 134-53(a) violates Plaintiffs Second Amendment rights. We reverse and remand." The decision overturns a lower court summary judgment in favor of Hawaii, a state which has had a ban on butterfly knives in place since 1993 and has since expanded to the ban to the manufacture, sale and possession of the knives in the state. SUPREME COURT ALLOWS CONTINUED REGULATION OF SO-CALLED 'GHOST GUNS' The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit building is seen Feb. 6, 2017 in San Francisco. The three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit ruled unanimously to overturn the lower court ruling, with Judges Daniel Collins and Kenneth Lee, both appointees of former President Trump, joining Bea in the decision. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The decision comes after last year's Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. vs. Bruen, which said restrictions on Second Amendment rights weighed against the "historical tradition of firearm regulation." The decision was seen as a massive expansion of Second Amendment jurisprudence, calling into question laws across the country banning everything from certain firearm magazines to knives. The Supreme Court of the United States on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022 in Washington, D.C. Hawaii officials attempted to argue that the 1993 law was historically rooted to statutes in the state going as far back as 1837, which regulated "Bowie Knives," "Arkansas Toothpicks," "slung-shots," metal knuckles, sword-canes and other "deadly weapons." FEDERAL JUDGE IN COLORADO BLOCKS LAW RAISING AGE REQUIREMENT FOR GUN PURCHASES However, that rationale was dismissed by the Ninth Circuit panel, who argued none of the cited statutes "categorically banned the possession of any type of pocketknife." "We disagree that these statutes are proper historical analogues," Bea wrote. "The vast majority of the statutes cited by Hawaii did not ban the possession of knives; they regulated only their carry." A butterfly knife, which is also known as a balisong or fan knife, features two handles that when closed conceal the blade, and can quickly reveal the blade with little practice by the user. "The butterfly knife is clearly more analogous to an ordinary pocketknife than to an Arkansas Toothpick or a Bowie knife," the judge later continued. "And none of the statutes cited by Hawaii prohibited the carry of pocketknives, much less their possession outright." Close-up of a youth holding a butterfly knife. Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez has yet to indicate whether the state plans to appeal the ruling. The attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment. The Commercial Court of Kyiv has recognised the termination of the contract of free use concluded between the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (men's monastery) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) and the National Reserve Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra as legal. The decision considers the premises of the Lower Lavra particularly. Source: Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Quote: "Thus, the Commercial Court of Kyiv refused to satisfy the claims of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (men's monastery) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church [of the Moscow Patriarchate ed.]." Details: This religious organisation wished to keep using state-owned religious buildings and other property, which de jure belongs to the state. Before that, during an inspection, the commission of the ministry discovered several violations of the contract concluded between the UOC-MP and the reserve, which became the grounds for its termination. Background: In March 2023, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve terminated the agreement with the UOC-MP on the free use of the monastery in Kyiv. The monks had to leave the monastery and all buildings by 29 March. 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 teenage cousin of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooter was arrested after his family told police he was trying to buy a gun and "do the same thing," court records show. San Antonio police took Nathan James Cruz, 17, into custody Monday on two charges of terroristic threat. Cruz, according to court records, is a cousin of the teenage gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde last year. Officers responded to a mental health call after Cruz's mother alerted police of violent comments he had made to his sister, an arrest affidavit obtained by local and national news outlets said. The suspect told his sister that he planned to "do the same thing" as his cousin, the New York Times reported. Cruz denied making any threats when he was interviewed by detectives. NPR reported the suspect's mother was concerned because her son was "intoxicated" when he made the threat and because their residence is across the street from the elementary school. She also "overheard a phone conversation the suspect made this morning in which the suspect attempted to acquire an AR-15 through an illegal private sale," the Times reported, citing the arrest affidavit. Cruz faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat to a public place and a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat against a family member, according to Bexar County Central Magistrate records. His charges were set at a total bond of $160,000. "Here a family member called police, resulting in detectives investigating the case which concluded in an arrested," the San Antonio Police Department said Tuesday on Facebook. "With school starting, SAPD wants parents and faculty to know, that SAPD takes all reports of threats seriously and will investigate and take appropriate action." USA TODAY reached out to the San Antonio Police Department for comment. TIMELINE OF THE MASSACRE: How Texas elementary school shooting, deadliest since Sandy Hook, unfolded Sister said teen threatened to 'shoot the school' His sister told police that Cruz threatened to shoot her in the head. Cruz also told her that he would "shoot the school," adding that "School is starting soon," the arrest affidavit said. Cruz denied making any threats when interviewed by detectives, according to the court record. The Bexar County Public Defenders Office, which is representing him, declined to comment. San Antonio Police Sgt. Washington Moscoso confirmed to the Times that Cruz is a cousin of Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old who had walked into Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on the morning of May 24 and opened fire. The massacre left 19 children and two teachers dead, making it Texas' deadliest school shooting in modern history. Nearly 400 law enforcement members had responded to the incident but were unable to stop the shooting. The response was heavily criticized as authorities waited more than an hour before entering a fourth-grade classroom. Following the attack, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has waved off calls for tougher gun laws, just as he did after mass shootings at a Sutherland Springs church in 2017 and an El Paso Walmart in 2018. The issue didnt turn Texas voters away from the Republican, who easily won a third term months after the shooting. 'AFTERMATH HAS ADDED TO THE TRAUMA': Kimberly Mata-Rubio, mother of Uvalde school shooting victim, announces run for city mayor Contributing: Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Uvalde shooting case: Cousin of suspect arrested over making threat Atrium Health officials are issuing a warning for parents as they send their kids back to school. Doctors said COVID-19 cases are increasing again, with cases spiking around early to mid-July. Although only a small number of those cases have sent people to the hospital, Atrium Health still advises parents to stay home if they or their child feel sick. ALSO READ: Game-Changing: Mecklenburg County leaders provide $99 million in COVID-19 funds The FDA announced the approval of a new COVID-19 vaccine booster to combat current variants of the virus. It is expected to be available by the end of this month. VIDEO: Game-Changing: Mecklenburg County leaders provide $99 million in COVID-19 funds Rates of COVID-19 are ticking upward nationwide but the country is unlikely to see the kind of widespread infections and hospitalizations seen over the last three summers, experts said. Summers of 2020, 2021 and 2022 saw increases in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. This summer, the upswing is coming later and is much smaller, hospitalization and wastewater data suggests. Plus, while COVID-19 will probably never completely go away, vaccines, antivirals, masks and other prevention tools, along with improved care for the very sick, have transformed an urgent crisis into a manageable disease, experts said. "The situation at the moment is nothing even close to where we have been," said Bill Hanage, who co-directs the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Unlike previous summer surges that were mostly caused by the arrival of a new COVID-19 variant, experts say rates are on the rise now because of human behavior. "This is the first time weve seen an increase that hasnt been specifically related to a new variant of concern," said Jodie Guest, professor and senior vice chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Emory Universitys Rollins School of Public Health. Summertime travel and recent heat waves and heavy storms that drove people inside likely contributed to increased transmission. Americans also are testing less frequently, which means they're more likely to carry the virus unknowingly before attending gatherings or traveling, Guest said. And behaviors treated with caution a year or two ago, like eating indoors in restaurants, have become normal again, said Dr. Daniel Griffin, an infectious disease specialist and clinical instructor of medicine at Columbia University in New York City. Griffin, who treats hospitalized patients at Optum, said he's seen about a 20% to 30% increase in COVID-19 patients over the last few weeks. "It's back on the radar," he said, "and people keep asking what's going on?" But unlike earlier years, Griffin said, virtually all of his current patients are over 65 or immunocompromised. "The common denominator is they didn't get treatment in that first week," he said. Either they or their provider thought they'd handle an infection without a problem and didn't prescribe the antiviral Paxlovid, which has to be given early in the course of an infection. "The second week, there isn't as much we can do." People who are severely immunocompromised and older people who are vulnerable to all respiratory infections will continue to be the most affected by COVID-19, Hanage said. "Is there preventable suffering and death? The answer to that is 'yes.' We should keep focused on that," he said. This image, provided by Pfizer in October 2021, shows the companys COVID-19 Paxlovid pill. U.S. health regulators on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, authorized the first pill against COVID-19, a Pfizer drug that Americans will be able to take at home to head off the worst effects of the virus. What infection rates look like now Infection rates have climbed again in several states, including New York, Florida, California and Massachusetts, according to state and surveillance data. But it's difficult to get a clear picture of COVID-19 transmission because health officials dismantled surveillance systems after the disease was declared no longer a public health emergency. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data is several weeks out of date and no longer tracks infections. Most Americans take at-home tests and don't report results. The latest CDC data, from July 22, shows a 12% increase in hospitalizations from a week earlier and nearly one-third of wastewater testing sites showed a large increase in virus levels over the previous two weeks. Helix, a viral surveillance and population genomics company, has seen a 30% to 40% increase in positive test results every two weeks since the end of June, or about double the rate it was a month before, said Shishi Luo, associate director of bioinformatics and infectious diseases. "We're still seeing an upward trend and still havent seen a peak," she said. Helix partners with the CDC, retail pharmacies and other organizations to get a better idea of the data, but Luo said it's still impossible to compare it to previous summer surges. Wastewater data, which indicates how much SARS-CoV-2 virus is in a community, also has shown increases in the virus that causes COVID-19 in recent weeks. WastewaterSCAN, which tracks 170 treatment plants across 35 states, is seeing an increase in the sites that serve the biggest populations, but a "mixed bag" from plant to plant, said Ali Boehm, the project's principal investigator. "It looks like trends are starting to go up," said Boehm, also a professor of environmental engineering at Stanford University. Most of the increases seem to be coming from larger communities in the West and South, with less of an increase in smaller communities and those in the Midwest and Northeast, she said. In the past, such increases in larger cities and in concentrations of the virus have tended to lead to more widespread outbreaks. "We're all wondering what's going to happen next," Boehm said. "It does seem that there are some signs that we could have a surge in the future." Mass testing for Covid-19 / SARS-CoV-2 infection concept: Several rapid antigen test kits. One kit in the middle showing a positive result (two lines visible) (Mass testing for Covid-19 / SARS-CoV-2 infection concept: Several rapid antigen test kits. Leading variants Previous surges have largely been driven by the introduction of new variants or sublineages, Boehm and Luo said. A variant called EG.5, sometimes unofficially called "Eris," is on the increase now, accounting for 17% of all infections in the United States as of Saturday, according to the CDC, up from just 12% a week earlier. Although it's increasing quickly, lots of variants are competing at the same time with "shades of gray" differences, and none seems capable of a delta or omicron "knockout punch," said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. XBB.1.16 is the next most common variant, accounting for more than 15% of all infections. Helix found this variant made up only about 5% of cases in states like California, Maryland, Texas, Florida, Minnesota and New Jersey. XB.1.5, which had been the dominant variant this spring and into the summer, now accounts for just about 10% of cases. There's no indication EG.5, which has been circulating in other countries for longer than the U.S., is more dangerous than previous variants, Pekosz said. The spike protein, the target of vaccines and most antibodies, is largely unchanged between the EG.5 and XBB lineages. So, anyone, who caught COVID-19 while the XBB variants have been circulating or who gets the updated vaccine this fall should be well protected going into the winter months, he said. "It doesn't look like it's going to be a big problem in terms of evading immunity" for people with those protections, Pekosz said. This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. What lies ahead for the fall and winter It's impossible to predict what the infection rate will look like in a few months, experts said. Although most respiratory viruses increase in winter, it's not clear how much of those COVID-19 spikes were driven by the virus and how much by human behavior people travel to see family and spend more time indoors as temperatures fall. While Helix found SARS-CoV-2 is currently the most common respiratory virus making up more than 94% of pathogens in people over 12 that might not be the case this fall and winter season. Data shows last year other respiratory pathogens, like the influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), outpaced or were on par with COVID-19 cases, Luo said. But this time around, hospitals and laboratories are equipped to test for most respiratory pathogens and treat them accordingly, said Dr. Emily Volk, president of the College of American Pathologists and vice president of system pathology and laboratories at the University of Louisville Health. "We use a panel of tests to test patients for not just COVID-19 but also influenza, RSV, whooping cough and other kinds of illnesses," she said. "We have normalized COVID-19 as one of the many underlying causes of upper respiratory illness." Although the government is no longer sending free at-home tests, experts say there's still ample supply at local retailers. And don't be too quick to throw away at-home tests with expired time stamps. The Food and Drug Administration has extended the expiration dates of various at-home COVID-19 tests by months and even years. The extended expiration dates by type of test and brand can be found on their website. A pharmacist prepares to administer updated Moderna COVID-19 vaccine booster shots during an event hosted by the Chicago Department of Public Health at the Southwest Senior Center on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Chicago. The recently authorized booster vaccine protects against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the more recent omicron variants, BA.4 and BA.5. To boost or not to boost? Experts generally agree that people who are severely immunocompromised or are older above 65 or 70 should get vaccine boosters, probably at least twice a year if they are particularly fragile. For other people, the data is less clear. Most people who have been vaccinated and/or infected a few times are probably protected against severe infection and hospitalization Hanage and others said, as long as the virus doesn't change dramatically. "This is the question for which we don't have great answers," Hanage said. Younger, otherwise healthy people "are not likely to get great benefit" from boosting. Health care workers, who are particularly needed during the winter cold and flu season, when hospitals tend to fill up, should consider getting vaccinated to provide a little more protection against infection during that time, he said. Teachers like him or others who don't want to miss work or important personal events should consider vaccination this fall or early winter, he said. Even for those who don't get another vaccine, there are plenty of preventive measures to take, Hanage said. Proper ventilation will help reduce the spread of infection in indoor spaces. Masking in crowded indoor spaces, including while traveling. Staying home when feeling ill. And testing before visiting vulnerable people will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, Hanage said. Despite the recent uptick, there is much less reason for most people to fear COVID-19 now than earlier in the pandemic, he, Griffin and others said. While about 2% of people who caught COVID-19 in 2020 died, now the figure is closer to 0.2%, he said, and rates of hospitalization and long COVID have fallen dramatically too. "If you combine having immunity and then you add taking the appropriate medicine at the right time and right dose, your chance of ending up having a bad outcome has really gotten to be quite small," Griffin said. Contact Karen Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com and Adrianna Rodriguez at adrodriguez@usatoday.com. Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID rates climb, but no reason to worry, experts say. A Covington man has been ordered to spend nearly a decade behind bars for a motorcycle crash last year that killed his passenger, court records show. Mark Weber, 27, was sentenced Monday to eight years in prison, according to documents filed in Campbell County Circuit Court. Weber pleaded guilty in June to second-degree manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident. The single-vehicle crash happened on April 7, 2022, as Weber was driving a motorcycle on Four Mile Road. Betty Thomas, who was riding with Weber as a passenger, suffered fatal injuries as a result of the collision and Weber fled the scene without calling 911, a criminal complaint states. It took at least 20 minutes before passersby stopped and called for help, during which time Thomas was left lying under the motorcycle, the document says. According to the complaint, Weber had been drinking at Barrett's Pour House in Alexandria and he didn't have a motorcycle license or permit. "At least five patrons, including a bartender, attempted to stop Weber from operating his motorcycle due to his intoxication level," the document reads. Court records show Weber was not charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence. Weber's attorney declined to comment on the sentence. The case was heard before Judge Daniel Zalla. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Covington man sentenced for motorcycle crash that killed passenger FBI agents fatally shot a Utah man accused of making threats against President Joe Biden during a raid Wednesday morning, according to reports. Craig Robertson was identified as the suspect, according to ABC News. Robertson had been accused of interstate threats, threats against the president and retaliating against federal officers. FBI agents attempted to enter a home in Provo to serve a warrant, according to Salt Lake City NBC affiliate KSL. The incident began when special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence, an FBI spokesperson told KSL. The subject is deceased. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously. The investigation began in April, and the Secret Service was alerted in June, anonymous officials told ABC News. Investigators determined the mans threats of physical harm were credible. Charging documents cited numerous social media posts by Robertson in which he threatened to kill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other officials involved in criminal prosecutions of Donald Trump. FBI agents were previously targeted by a Trump supporter in August 2022. Days after the feds raided Trumps home in Mar-a-Lago, Ricky Shiffer attempted to storm the FBIs office in Cincinnati. He was stopped and detained. Biden was briefed on the Utah incident on Wednesday morning, sources told ABC News. ------- Crocodiles are attracted to the sounds of crying human and ape babies, and may react swiftly to make a quick meal out of the infants in distress, a new study finds. While many animals are known to express their emotions through their voice, it remains to be understood how one animal perceives the emotions in the voice of another under different scenarios. The new study, published on Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, used playback experiments to assess how Nile crocodiles reacted to cries of human and ape babies. Despite the distant evolutionary relatedness between crocodiles and primates, researchers from CNRS in France said crocodiles may be capable of detecting the degree of distress in ape and human baby cries more reliably than humans themselves. Scientists suspect this may be an innate ability in crocodiles to gauge the distress of potential prey. In the study, researchers collected infant cries from a research database, with each expressing different levels of distress. Each of these cries represented infants calling for their mothers attention with differing degrees of urgency. Scientists then identified 18 different variables in the cries, including their pitch, as well as the number and duration of syllables, chaotic and harmonic sounds. They then set up speakers playing these sounds at Moroccos CrocoParc an outdoor facility with numerous ponds housing about 300 Nile crocodiles. Researchers found the crocodiles reacted swiftly to the playback and also use different sound criteria compared to humans to assess the distress encoded in the infant cries. In particular, scientists said crocodiles are more attracted to infant sounds that seem more chaotic with more intense energy in the high frequencies of the spectrum. They said this is in contrast to humans, who mainly use the pitch in an infants sound to judge the level of distress encoded in the cries. The acoustic features driving crocodile reaction are likely to be more reliable markers of distress than those used by humans, researchers wrote in the study. Experiments also suggested crocodiles may not be particularly sensitive to whether a call was from a bonobo, chimpanzee or human, but rather pay specific attention to features of the sound that indicate distress or chaos. The new findings, according to researchers, is interesting for two reasons. First, it marks a difference with the way humans assess the level of distress in infant cries, scientists said. Humans assign a distress level primarily from the pitch of the cry. The higher the pitch of a cry, the more humans judge the cry as expressing high distress, they explained. Since crocodiles do not pay attention to pitch, researchers said they seem particularly adapted at estimating the degree of distress regardless of the species. The reptiles also have a poor perception of high frequencies, scientists said, adding that this may explain why human babies high arousal cries induce stronger and swift predatory responses from crocodiles. However, the responses of some of the crocodiles in the study may have been a motherly reaction to the sounds of a baby in need. The findings shed more light the different ways in which emotional communication via sound evolved across species. The dispute between Sacramento city officials and District Attorney Thien Ho over the homeless crisis continued to escalate Wednesday, with Ho accusing the city of failing to enforce its year-old ordinance against tent camps blocking sidewalks. In an interview with The Sacramento Bee, Ho said he had evidence from the city that police are not enforcing the ordinance at all, despite a unanimous City Council vote last August to prohibit homeless camps from blocking sidewalks. Theres not a single prosecution, Ho said in an interview Wednesday. Heres a question that I have: Is there a concerted effort by the mayor and by City Hall to stop law enforcement from enforcing the law? Thats what Im going to ask. And thats what I think the public deserves an answer to. Because why pass an ordinance if youre not gonna enforce it? Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho said theres not a single prosecution since the Sacramento City Council passed an ordinance against tents blocking sidewalks while speaking during an interview in his office Wednesday about the 30-day notice he sent Monday to Mayor Darrell Steinberg with a list of demands for the city. Ho said he learned of the citys lack of enforcement in a Monday night email he received from City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood, who was responding to a letter the D.A. sent earlier Monday demanding more action on homeless enforcement within the next 30 days. In her email, which Ho released to The Sacramento Bee, Alcala Wood wrote that she was trying to schedule a meeting with Ho to avoid politics and focus instead on solving the problem. She added that she wanted to work with Ho to improve how the Sacramento Police Department enforces violations of city ordinances by homeless camps. I read the email, and my jaw literally dropped SPD is simply not issuing citations for unlawful camping, unlawful storage, sidewalk obstructions or any Sacramento city code sections related to the homeless encampments, she wrote. Our data indicates no citations have been referred to our office for prosecution with the exception of a single general release citation. For that reason partnering with your office to support SPD in becoming more comfortable in issuing citations is a good approach because as you know we cant prosecute cases if no cases are sent to us. Ho said he was at home when the email arrived. I looked at my phone, I read the email, and my jaw literally dropped, he said. I had suspected that there was inconsistent enforcement. I didnt realize that there was non-existent enforcement at all. And that just raised a whole host of questions after I picked up my jaw from the ground. Is there a concerted effort by the mayor in City Hall to stop the police from enforcing the law? Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinbergs chief of staff, Mary Lynne Vellinga, adamantly denied that notion. The mayor did not direct the Police Department not to enforce the sidewalk ordinance, she said. When they initially passed the sidewalk ordinance the entire City Council made it clear that they preferred that the city seek voluntary compliance and cite for a violation only as a last resort, particularly as unhoused people often lack the capacity to pay fines. Last Tuesday, the council and Mayor Steinberg voted in favor of a more rapid enforcement approach in which police were specifically directed to enforce the citys ordinances, and the council authorized the city manager to use overtime to enable them to respond to the many demands around the city. Tim Swanson, a spokesman for City Manager Howard Chan, also said the city had been able to clear sidewalks thousands of times without having to issue citations. Over the past year, the city has been enforcing its sidewalk ordinance, responding to more than 4,500 calls for service regarding blocked sidewalks and building entrances, Swanson wrote in an email. This work has been conducted in accordance with the city council directive to avoid fining or booking people in jail who are cited and to prioritize outreach. Swanson noted that those calls for service included two periods during which a federal judge had ordered the city to halt enforcement against homeless camps. Through the ongoing work of the Department of Community Response, Code Enforcement and the Sacramento Police Department, the city largely has been able to achieve voluntary compliance when addressing these violations without issuing citations, he added. The city also has conducted large-scale cleanup activities, most recently at 28th and C streets and on Roseville Road, without needing to issue any citations. City embroiled in lawsuits over sidewalk access The ordinance to prohibit homeless camps from blocking sidewalks was passed last August to applause from the audience at City Hall, and took effect last September. Within months, however, disabled Sacramento residents sued the city and county in federal court, claiming officials had failed to keep sidewalks clear and that they are unable to navigate sections of the city because homeless camps are blocking access. A hearing on that lawsuit, and the plaintiffs request for an injunction requiring the city to promptly eliminate tent encampments obstructions of public sidewalks, is scheduled for Thursday afternoon before Chief U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller. In a July filing in that case, the city acknowledged the existence of its sidewalk ordinance but contended officials can decide for themselves whether to enforce it. Given that the city already has an ordinance specifically directed to sidewalk obstructions, plaintiffs are actually seeking to have the court order enforcement of this ordinance, Senior Deputy City Attorney Grace Pak wrote in a filing seeking dismissal of the suit. Like many city ordinances, it is solely within the citys legislative discretion to determine when and what amount of finite city resources to allocate in the enforcement of its ordinances. Ho contends that if the city had been enforcing the ordinance it could have given some homeless individuals more chances to interact with police and seek assistance. It would definitely make a difference, he said. We wouldnt be in the situation that we are now, if the city were to actually engage in compliance and enforcement. These laws were passed for a reason to encourage people to accept services, to get people into certain areas where theyre not affecting the public safety of the rest of the community and themselves. And yet the city has done absolutely nothing under this administration. Contempt motion possible in court battle over sweeps A separate lawsuit by the Sacramento Homeless Union resulted in U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley barring Sacramento officials from clearing any homeless camps for 14 days because of concerns over hot weather affecting the health of individuals living in such camps. But the city violated that order within days by clearing camps at City Hall on Friday and Monday. A city spokesman said Tuesday that move was done by mistake and that the city respects the order. The homeless union has said it would seek a contempt citation against the city over the incident, and Nunley has given both sides until 5 p.m. Wednesday to file a joint statement he will use to decide whether to extend, modify, or terminate the injunction. Alicia Peterson, 55, watches as contract workers for the city of Sacramento discard the belongings of neighboring campers during a homeless sweep on C Street in Sacramento on July 19. The flurry of legal action and competing claims between Ho and city officials comes as Sacramento faces extreme pressure to deal with the estimated 9,300 homeless people living in the county. An estimated 75% of the 6,664 who are unsheltered are within the city limits. Ho has been demanding a series of actions, including more enforcement, a ban on daytime camping, additional shelter space and more city employees tasked with responding to homeless issues. He also has threatened to file a lawsuit or criminal charges against city officials if more enforcement is not put in place, and the 30-day deadline he issued Monday likely will mark when he decides whether to do so. Ive given a timeline to the city, but the fact of the matter is theyve had so many years to do these things and now were finding out that for the last year, the last two years, they have not enforced any of these ordinances that they pass, Ho said. Enough is enough. Look, these are difficult times. I dont relish the possibility of suing another governmental entity to compel them to do the job that theyre supposed to do. But the fact of the matter is enough is enough Ho last month commissioned a survey of area residents about issues they have had with homeless camps and lack of enforcement in the city and has received more than 2,000 responses as of Wednesday, Ho said. We definitely have responses about people unable to use the sidewalk, kids having to walk into the street, into traffic on their way to school to avoid the tents, to avoid feces and urine, Ho said. We definitely have examples of that. ... And we have to remember that the voices for victims need to be heard. I mean, I have an example of a woman who had her window broken so many times she had to put Styrofoam up because she got tired of replacing them every day. Shed come home from work, she would have to call her fiance to come out and escort her. And she found feces and urine constantly on her driveway. She had a gun pointed at her head by an unhoused individual. Shes seen a rape happen in the middle of the street. Shes been diagnosed with PTSD and had to move out of her house and is sleeping on her sisters couch. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, alongside City Councilwomen Mai Vang, left, and Caity Maple, holds a July proposal to partner with District Attorney Thien Ho at a news conference on Tuesday, responding to a letter sent by Ho threatening to file charges against city officials if they dont comply with a list of demands on the homeless issue. Rift widens between DA Ho, Mayor Steinberg Steinberg responded to Hos letter by calling a news conference Tuesday to accuse the D.A. of engaging in politics rather than working with the city to address homeless issues. I just decided Im not going to continue to have my city being threatened by someone whos not doing his part, Steinberg said. The D.A.s politicizing of this issue should be worrisome to the entire community. Ho dismissed that criticism, saying, Im not the person that held a press conference on the steps of City Hall yesterday. He also said speculation that he is criticizing Steinberg because both men may face off in a campaign for state attorney general in the future is false, that he is focused on serving in the post he stepped into as D.A. in January. And he noted that since Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Steinberg as the homeless czar to seek solutions to the problem stateside, Sacramentos crisis has expanded. The irony has not escaped me that Darrell Steinberg was appointed as the homeless czar and that under his watch the homeless population in Sacramento County has increased by over 250%, Ho said. The Bees Theresa Clift contributed to this story. A man was killed in a hit-and-run while filling up his cars gas tank on the shoulder of a California freeway, authorities said. Gilberto Sotelo, 38, of Lake Elsinore, was putting gas in his Chevrolet Silverado on the shoulder of the 215 Freeway in Riverside after he ran out of fuel in the early morning hours of Aug 7, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release, The Press Enterprise reported. Sotelos wife brought him a can of gas when his truck, which had a broken fuel gauge, stopped on the way home from visiting his sisters grave, CBS Los Angeles reported. As he was filling his tank, the driver of a Honda sport utility truck struck both Sotelo and his truck before fleeing, the Press Enterprise reported. Sotelos wife called 911 after he was hit, according to a GoFundMe set up for the family. After paramedics arrived, Sotelo was pronounced dead on scene, Patch reported. Sotelo was a father of seven, according to CBS Los Angeles. My heart is shattered, Sotelos wife wrote on Facebook. I still need you. Anyone with information is asked to contact CHP at 951-637-8000. Riverside is about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Goofy dad with infectious smile dies after hit-and-run in parking lot, NC cops say Mom and her 3-year-old in car full of kids killed in hit-and-run crash, WV cops say You left his family alone. Dad and two dogs killed in hit-and-run, Colorado cops say A Florida father fired shots at his son after an argument over a damaged garage door escalated, deputies said. Deputies with the Brevard County Sheriffs Office responded to a Cocoa neighborhood after reports of a disturbance on Aug. 5, WOFL reported. They arrived to find the father, 62, who told the deputies his son, 38, had driven his white pickup truck into the garage door, causing significant damage, according to the outlet. The son had already left the home, WKMG reported, but the father told deputies if his son returned, they were going to have to peel him off the pavement. A few hours later, the mans son came back, according to an arrest affidavit. The dad told deputies he was standing in his driveway when, according to the affidavit, the son rapidly accelerated his vehicle towards his person as if attempting to run him over. The father yelled for his son to stop multiple times, the affidavit said, but the son continued to speed toward him inside the truck. The father said he pulled out a handgun and fired in the direction of his son six times to get him to stop, the affidavit said. However, surveillance video from a neighbors house showed the pickup truck stopping at the end of the driveway and the father yelling at his son to come here, WOFL reported. The video then showed the father shooting at the truck as the son backed out of the driveway, WKMG reported. The father yelled at his son, Im going to get you, the video showed according to WOFL, as he continued to fire. The son was later found getting onto Interstate 95 with a bullet hole in the trucks windshield and gas spilling out from a hole in the body, according to the outlet. The father was charged with attempted murder in the first degree and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to Brevard County jail records. His son was charged with criminal mischief exceeding $1,000, jail records show. Cocoa is about 45 miles east of Orlando. Man armed with hair clippers attacks his ex, cops say. But she knew where her gun was Spouse named a suspect in mysterious brutal killing of Florida activist, cops say Man opens fire at relatives funeral, killing 1, after he was asked to leave, feds say Woman recorded her own killing, CO officials say. Now her brother is going to prison WEST PALM BEACH Robert Ehrenberg's daughter urged the judge another time: Reject the plea deal for the girl responsible for his death. Keshyra Hodge was 17 when she drove her BMW more than 100 mph into Ehrenberg's Kia Soul on July 6, 2021. The collision flipped the Kia as it pulled into a Wellington neighborhood, killing the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office employee and his 58-year-old passenger, Gloria Ludwig. The teen spent two days in jail for vehicular homicide before bonding out to continue taking classes at Seminole Ridge High School. Ehrenberg's children and Ludwig's sisters watched from afar as she attended prom and walked across the stage at graduation. Ehrenbergs daughter Lee-Ann Piper said theyd hated that, but they endured it knowing she would serve her time in prison. But this, Piper told the judge the five-year prison sentence the prosecutor offered in exchange for Hodge's guilty plea wasn't what they had in mind. "Two and a half years for my dad's life?" she asked. "Two and a half years for Gloria's?" Circuit Judge Caroline Shepherd mulled over whether to accept the plea deal for more than an hour Tuesday, torn between the competing wishes of the victims' families. Ludwig's sisters said they wanted to resolve the case and move on. Ehrenberg's children urged the judge to reject the deal in favor of a lengthier prison sentence, one they said would account for the loss of their father. No amount of time ever would, Shepherd said. She accepted the deal and warned the teen that if she breaks the law between now and Sept. 8, when she is scheduled to turn herself in, the five-year penalty will double. "If you don't turn your life around, your future is bleak," Shepherd told Hodge, now 19. "I understand that this may have been one bad day for you, but it was one horrific day for a lot of people who did nothing wrong." Guilty plea rejected: Judge finds deal for teen who shot, killed friend 'perhaps not sufficient' Teenage driver hit the brake one second before fatal collision Hodge told investigators that she was driving at the speed limit when she collided with Ehrenberg's car on Forest Hill Boulevard. According to her arrest report, surveillance-camera footage captured Hodge and another teenage driver racing one another prior to the crash. Hodge's car reached 107 mph in a 40-mph zone before she slammed on the brakes, plowing into Ehrenberg's car at 101 mph one second later. All the occupants wore seatbelts. Ehrenberg and Ludwig were pronounced dead at the scene, and Hodge and her teenage passenger were treated for minor injuries. Deputies charged Hodge and Antajah Richards, the 16-year-old driver believed to have raced Hodge as they drove home from the Mall at Wellington Green, with vehicular homicide. Richards pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless driving in November in exchange for a one-year prison sentence, with credit for the four months she spent in jail. Assistant State Attorney Amy Berkman read a letter written by Ludwig's older sister Glenda Obholz, who watched Tuesday's proceeding over Zoom. Hodge had plowed into the passenger side of the car, where Ludwig sat. She "didn't stand a chance of surviving," Obholz said. Piper and her brother read their own statements, a mix of devastation and anger. Their father, a civilian employee at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office central records department, would have turned 63 two weeks after the crash. "The thought that my dad won't be here to hear the change in my son's voice, or witness my daughter graduate elementary school, is heartbreaking," Piper said. She called the pain immeasurable and the plea deal "incomprehensible." Justice demands a punishment that fits the gravity of the crime, she said. A family fractured: Two children want justice for their mother. Their brother wants freedom for her killer. Judge sentences teen to prison now, community service later Hodge's defense attorney, Scott Skier, said later that he felt the resolution was fair. Had they fought the charges at trial arguing over whether the teens were racing at the time of the impact, and whether Ehrenberg had enough time to stop but chose to cross the road anyway Hodge risked spending 18 years in prison. "That's too big of a swing," Skier said. "You have to accept those five years and forgo your opportunity to argue the facts." He commended Berkman for resolving the case in a way he said factored in the totality of the circumstances the two lives lost, Hodge's youth, her lack of criminal history. Skier and the prosecutor advocated for the fairness of the deal during a lengthy sidebar discussion with the judge, who nodded periodically. Shepherd rejected the plea deal of an 18-year-old boy last year who accidentally shot and killed another teenager while playing with a gun. She called the proposed 10-year sentence "not sufficient" for the death of Esteban Gonzalez, agreeing months later to a revised 11-year deal. She expressed similar reservations Tuesday but ultimately agreed with the attorneys. Hodge will remain on probation for five years after she is released from prison, the beginning of which will be spent under house arrest. She must perform 30 speaking engagements six a year at schools to warn about the dangers of speeding and reckless driving, too. "It's my hope that I don't see you again," Shepherd told the teen. "That you do something positive with your life, maybe save someone else's life in the process. That maybe something good can come of it." Hodge nodded. Ehrenberg's daughter left without another word. Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Two years after Wellington crash that killed 2, teen driver sentenced Voters at the polls in New York City on October 24, 2020. Ed Lefkowicz/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The DC Democratic Party is trying to stop an effort to implement ranked choice voting in the city. They argued in a lawsuit that low-income and Black voters would be confused by the system. Organizers hope to put the system up to a vote in November 2024. In a lawsuit filed earlier this month seeking to block ranked choice voting in Washington, DC, the local Democratic Party argued that implementing the system would be particularly confusing for voters in predominantly Black areas. The 33-page lawsuit filed in DC Superior Court by the District of Columbia Democratic Party argues that implementing the voting system would violate the DC Human Rights Act, a portion of local law prohibiting discrimination. In the complaint, the local party and its chair Charles Wilson pointed to voting patterns in Wards 7 and 8, which encompass predominantly-Black communities east of the Anacostia River. The lawsuit notes that in elections for at-large seats on the DC city council where voters can currently choose two candidates voters in Wards 7 and 8 are less likely to cast a second vote, a phenomenon known as "undervoting." "Many of those voters report their confusion about selecting more than one candidate for what appears to be the same office," said Wilson in the lawsuit, arguing that implementing ranked-choice voting "would introduce an additional layer of confusion to the electorate." "I have a similar concern for seniors and persons with disabilities," Wilson added. The relevant portion of the local Democratic party's lawsuit. Superior Court of the District of Columbia The lawsuit was first reported this week by DCist. The initiative, known as the "Make All Votes Count Act," would also allow independent voters in the District to vote in either party's primary elections. Supporters of the initiative must still gather enough signatures to put the issue before voters in November 2024. The system would then go into effect with the 2026 election. Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank multiple candidates for office, creating a system in which voters can choose not just their first choice for the job, but several other candidates who they'd like to see win. Under the system, the lowest-performing candidates are sequentially eliminated and their votes are redistributed to other candidates based on voters' rankings. This continues until one candidate exceeds 50% of the vote. It's been implemented in federal and state elections in both Maine and Alaska, where it arguably helped Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola pull out a victory last year and contributed to the smooth re-election of Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Nationally, opposition to the system has mostly come from Republicans, especially after the results in Alaska. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy trashed the system during a podcast appearance with Donald Trump Jr. in January. "Someone could get the most votes, and not win!" McCarthy said at the time.. "So if you come in 3rd, you win. What? 'I got a lot of second votes, I got a lot of 3rd vote what does that mean?'" And Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York recently introduced a bill to block the implementation of ranked-choice voting in Washington, DC. "I agree with DC Democrats on this," Lawler wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. Read the original article on Business Insider Educational Service District 123 the regional authority that assists schools districts with public education, from Clarkston to Prosser released a timeline Wednesday to fix the Richland School Boards quorum issue. ESD 123s board of directors has been tasked by law to appoint one candidate to the Richland School Board after a successful recall ousted three of its five school board members for violating the states former indoor COVID mask mandate. Those school board members are Semi Bird, Kari Williams and Audra Byrd. They attended their last public meeting on Tuesday. Washington state law requires a school board have a majority of its members present at public meetings in order to conduct the peoples business. In Richlands case, thats three school board members. The ESD 123 board plans to gather applications and appoint a temporary school board member to Birds seat, which is up for reelection in the Nov. 7 election. The selected candidate will serve for less than three months. Heres ESD 123s timeline: Tuesday, Aug. 15, 9 a.m. Benton County Auditor will certify the Aug. 1 election results. Tuesday, Aug. 15, 9:30 a.m. ESD 123 will begin accepting applications to fill Birds Position No. 3 seat. Applications will be available online at esd123.org and in-person at the agencys Court Street building in Pasco. Wednesday, Aug. 23, 4:30 p.m. Deadline for submissions of applications for the seat. Thursday, Aug. 24, 3:30 p.m. The ESD 123 board will meet in a one-hour, closed-door executive session to screen the applicants and announce in a public meeting the two-to-five finalists they have selected to interview. Tuesday, Aug. 29, 4:30 p.m. The ESD 123 board will hold a special public meeting to interview candidates. Afterwards, they will recess into executive session to review and evaluate the qualifications of the applicants, and then reconvene the public meeting to vote on and announce their selected candidate to serve on the Richland School Board. Thursday, Aug. 31, 6:30 p.m. The newly appointed Richland School Board member for Position No. 3 will be sworn in at a regular meeting at the TLAC building in West Richland. After the appointment, it will be up to Richland School Board members Rick Jansons and Jill Oldson, as well as the new ESD 123 appointee, to fill the remaining two vacancies on the board this September and October. One of those appointments will be for Audra Byrds seat, which still has two years remaining. Its expected that candidate will serve the remaining term until the next election in 2025. General election voters on Nov. 7 will choose candidates to elect and fill Position No. 3, as well as Williams Position No. 4 seat. Despite a successful recall, Williams is running for office again and could be back in her seat by the end of the year. During the Aug. 1 primary election, she survived a challenge from a more conservative candidate and earned enough votes to move on to the Nov. 7 general election, where she could be reelected to another four-year term. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on Aug. 9 that it had charged an official of the Defense Ministry for causing a loss of state funds of almost Hr 16 million ($430,000). In 2017, a private company won a tender for the construction of a road on the territory of a military base. The firm requested an advance payment of $430,000 from one of the military units of the Vinnytsia garrison, amounting to 70% of the total sum, the State Bureau of Investigation said. In violation of the agreement, the deputy director of the Defense Ministry's Financial Department permitted the unit to transfer the funds to the company, the Bureau added. According to the investigation, the contractors never carried out the work and effectively stole public money. The SBU said that the authorities are considering removing the charged official from his position and issuing a detention order. The suspect faces up to seven years in prison. Read also: SBU uncovers extortion scheme at Odesa military barracks Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Democrats are launching a political group aimed at recruiting and supporting Gen Z and Millennial candidates to run for office as the party looks to hone in on a demographic that played a decisive role in last years midterms. March For Our Lives co-founder David Hogg and Kevin Lata, Rep. Maxwell Frosts (D-Fla.) campaign manager, on Wednesday launched Leaders We Deserve, which aims to recruit Gen Z and Millennial candidates to run for state legislature and Congress. The group brands itself as an EMILYs List for young people and is looking to support between 15 and 30 state legislature candidates aged 30 years and younger in addition to congressional candidates at or under 35 years old. The groups efforts will be coordinated through a PAC and a super PAC. In an interview with The Hill, Hogg explained that the group will be primarily focused on running candidates at the state legislature level. Although Congress is very attractive and gets a lot of news, thats not where most of these laws are being passed. Were seeing Dont Say Gay; laws being passed. Were seeing anti-trans bills being passed. Were seeing abortion bans being passed across the country, Hogg said, referring to legislation critics have used to refer to a bill Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed banning instruction of gender identity and sexuality orientation in the classroom. Were seeing permitless carry be passed across the country, and its not in Congress necessarily that thats happening the most. Its in state legislatures, Hogg added. Hogg and Lata didnt share any names of candidates the group is endorsing so far, but Lata explained that the group is expected to roll out its first endorsements in the next month or so. Were focusing on open blue seat primaries. So primaries that are basically D+10, where theres a vacancy and a chance for a young person to run for office, Hogg told The Hill. After we work in those primaries, well go to more competitive races in these state legislatures in places like Florida, Texas, Arizona and Georgia to help elect young people that are running in more competitive general election races. The political group will run independent expenditures on the candidates behalf, Lata explained, adding that the group will also be focused on helping candidates navigate the process of running for political office. When you first run for office, it is very hard Running for office is not like anything else. And when youre a young person, its even harder because you dont always have like all the political connections, all the donor connections. And so the idea is like going in and helping out with the mechanics, the fundamentals of the race, Lata said. Leaders We Deserve already has some Democratic institutional support. Among those sitting on the groups advisory board are Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.); Frost; Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.); President Bidens 2020 youth pollster, John Della Volpe, and Democratic state legislators Justin Jones in Tennessee and Sarah McBride in Delaware, among others. The groups emphasis on Gen Z and Millennials comes as the two voting groups played a crucial role for Democrats last cycle as the party maintained its Senate majority and narrowly lost its House majority. Recent polling has shown a decrease in the percentage of young voters identifying as Democrat as polling also shows an uptick in young voters who identify as independent or unaffiliated a potential warning sign for the party who will need to capture the critical voting bloc going into 2024. But Hogg and Lata see potential for Millennials and Gen Z beyond a critical voting bloc one, they say, that could play a role in shifting legislative majorities in red states. If I was to attribute it to an investing analogy, I guess, would be [Republicans] tried to play the S&P 500 in making change where their short term returns are smaller, but over time, they become bigger and more consistent, whereas liberals tend to focus more on being emotional investors, Hogg said, referring to how the parties invest in state legislature races. Every cycle, I see this over and over again, its like, Oh, my God. Lets talk about Michigan. Lets talk about Pennsylvania,' Hogg continued. And it is very important that we talk about those places. But its also important that we talk about the places 10 years from now that could flip [if] we started investing today in young people. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A bipartisan group of senators is pushing for legislation that would limit the amount of forever chemicals contaminating us and our planet. While compromise is rare in politics these days, this one seems like an easy win for public health. Its important news because forever chemicals, also called PFAS, have been contaminating our world for decades as part of common household staples like Teflon. There are thousands of PFAS, and multiple government agencies are studying their impact on people. PFAs are called forever chemicals because they take an extremely long time to degrade. One proposal would require all federal agencies to buy products free of certain forever chemicals. The measure extends regulations already applied to the Department of Defense, according to a Senate description of the bill. Another measure introduced in the Senate would ensure that veterans exposed to PFAS at military installations receive health care and disability benefits. Both bills are at the early committee level. High-level exposure to certain types of forever chemicals may lead to increased cholesterol, problems during pregnancy, and cancer risks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. This bill will set the federal government on a path to a PFAS-free future, Michigan Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat, said in a Senate report on the procurement proposal. The measure would prevent government agencies from procuring cookware, utensils, carpets, furniture, and other items that contain certain PFAS. These products have long been a part of our daily lives, soaking into our very bones. Some government studies report PFAS to be in the blood of most (up to 97%) Americans, according to the CDC. Plastic companies DuPont and 3M recently came under fire for allegedly withholding information about PFAS health risks. The news was detailed by Boston Colleges Annals of Global Health. Peterss Republican colleague, Kansas Senator Jerry Moran, is among the bipartisan group championing the PFAS crackdown. This legislation is an important step to help protect our communities from harmful chemicals and to make certain our families and loved ones remain safe from dangerous toxins, Moran said in a Senate report from the Homeland Security Department. After the committee level, the bills must pass the Senate and House and be signed by the president before becoming a law. You can track the progress at Congress.gov. Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. A group of congressional Democrats visited the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday to tour the recently constructed barriers on the Rio Grande River and look into other controversial border security measures put in place by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R). The group, led by Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), included fellow Reps. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D), according to a release. The group visited the border along the Eagle Pass portion, which Gutierrez represents. The barriers, installed as part of a Texas anti-illegal immigration effort known as Operation Lone Star, have received criticism from both those inside the government and those on the outside. The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Texas for the barriers late last month, alleging Abbott flouted federal law by installing the measures without obtaining the required federal authorization. Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) led a congressional delegation (CODEL) to Eagle Pass, Texas, a statement from Castros office read. The purpose of the delegation was for legislators to see the deadly razor wire and buoys that Texas Governor Abbott installed in the Rio Grande as part of Operation Lone Star and to engage with local leaders and community members about the impact of Operation Lone Star on asylum-seekers and federal immigration enforcement. A few of the lawmakers who visited the border appeared to post reactions from their visit. Garcia posted a video on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, of what seemed to be the barriers. Appalled by the ongoing cruel and inhumane tactics employed by @GovAbbott at the Texas border, the caption of her post read. The situations reality is unsettling as these buoys true danger and brutality come to light. We must stop this NOW! Gutierrez, a candidate running against Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in 2024 for his seat, called Operation Lone Star a failure in posts on X and Facebook tied to his visit. Standing alongside members of the Texas Congressional delegation today in Eagle Pass to discuss the failure of Operation Lone Star and the humanitarian crisis Greg Abbott and his allies have inflicted on our border, he said. Jackson Lee posted a video of herself on social media looking out at what appeared to be the floating barriers, calling for more humane treatment when it comes to immigration. We are seeing clearly what Abbotts Operation Lone Star program is doing to women and children, the caption on her post read. The inhumane treatment from this program is not solving our immigration problem but is causing a spectacle at the border. Castro also posted commentary on social media, sharing wa video of himself in front of the buoys and later showing more of what he said is a public park. In the video, he called the floating barriers, razor wire and Abbotts border operation as a whole barbaric. Everyone needs to see what I saw in Eagle Pass today, the posts caption reads. Clothing stuck on razor wire where families got trapped. Chainsaw devices in the middle of buoys. Land seized from US citizens. Operation Lone Star is barbaric and @GovAbbott is making border communities collateral damage, he added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Orlando-area prosecutor ousted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday hit back at the shock suspension, calling the stunt a smokescreen to distract from DeSantis spiraling presidential campaign. Monique Worrell is now the second democratically elected state prosecutor to lose her job to a DeSantis power grab. The governor attributed Worrells suspension to her being too forgiving on crime, despite her comfortably winning 67 percent of the vote in Orange and Osceola counties in 2020. I am your duly elected state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that, Worrell said in a press conference Wednesday. Florida Prosecutor Reveals Real Reasons She Landed in DeSantis Crosshairs The executive order suspending Worrell cites neglect of duty and incompetence, and is part of DeSantis anti-woke crusade. Worrells practices and policies have too often allowed violent criminals to escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct, thereby endangering the innocent civilians of Orange and Osceola counties, the governors office said in a statement. DeSantis did the same thing to Tampa prosecutor Andrew Warren for defying a state abortion ban last year. Warren challenged it in courtand lost. In January, a federal judge acknowledged that the Florida governor violated his own states constitution and a prosecutors free speech rights by firing him, but held back from stopping him. Critics at the time warned that DeSantis would feel emboldened to strike againespecially as he continues to falter on the campaign trail. He needed to get back in the media in some positive way that would be red meat for his base, and he will have accomplished that today, Worrell said Wednesday. Worrell had long been on DeSantis target list, according to government emails that were exposed in Warrens case. She had also clashed regularly with Orange County Sheriff John Mina, who claimed she was too soft on crime and didnt pursue harsh enough charges for repeat offenders. Tension simmered further in March after a local shooting in which a news reporter, a 9-year-child, and a woman were killed randomly. The suspect, 19-year-old Keith Moses, had been released early from prison on prior convictions for aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, and more. DeSantis office demanded Worrell hand over records of Moses prior cases but, as she told them, all but one offense was from before her time in office. Last July, Worrell alleged that Mina, in a meeting involving DeSantis, was trying to provide the governor with evidence that the governor could use to justify my suspension. Ron DeSantis Dumb, Failed Strategy to Campaign on Culture War Bullshit The governor has the authority to suspend a state officer under Article IV, Section 7 of the Florida Constitution. DeSantis appointed former judge Andrew Bain to replace Worrell as state attorney of the 9th Judicial Circuit for the duration of her suspension. Worrell nevertheless vowed to challenge her suspension in court despite acknowledging that its likely permanent. She said she also plans to run for re-election in 2024. I know Andrew Bain personally, I think hes a great guy, Worrell said Wednesday. Im not going to, you know, take any hits against him. This is the work of the governor. And the person who we should all be concerned about is the governor. She said she believed most Floridians didnt realize who and what they were voting for in the last election cycle, saying nobody could have foreseen DeSantis extreme pivot to tyranny. I dont think anyone who voted for him then could have foreseen the attack on democracy that would have followed from his reign, Worrell said. Elected officials can be removed simply for political purposes and on a whim by the governor. No matter how you feel about me, you should not be OK with that. Democrats in Florida released a flurry of statements with a similar tone. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) wrote, WE WILL NOT stand for this blatant abuse of power and fascism in our state. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democratic state representative in Orlando, said DeSantis ousted one of Americas only Black female prosecutors, and installed a stooge... to save his failing presidential campaign. He took no questions [at his press conference] because hes a coward. DeSantis has been pining for the 2024 GOP nomination but has fallen far behind former President Donald Trumpthe very man whose support helped usher him into the governor's mansion in 2019 and kept him there in 2023. In recent months, his office has taken increasingly extreme rightwing positions that seem to be a ploy to energize angry Republican voters by showing his zeal for harming progressive causes. He has started bureaucratic councils to limit what books students can read at public school libraries, implemented changes that have restricted what advanced placement classes children can take, and keeps tightening limits on kids discussing homosexuality or their own same-sex parents in class. 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. Republican presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis is leaning into his military background amid a staffing shakeup that has sparked speculation around his campaign. The Florida governors campaign released a digital ad Wednesday highlighting his background as a Navy officer who earned a bronze star after serving in the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG) in Iraq. "When our country was under attack, Ron DeSantis fought back," a narrator says in the video. WATCH: "Ron DeSantis embodies service over self," the narrator continues. "And the father of three young children he understands the importance of the fights ahead and why we must never back down. Ron DeSantis the fighter we need as President." Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis delivers remarks at the 2023 Christians United for Israel summit on July 17, 2023, in Arlington, Virginia. DESANTIS TO UNVEIL PLAN TO RIP WOKENESS OUT OF THE MILITARY READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP DeSantis is currently the only Republican running for president who has served in the military. The Republican unveiled his "Mission First" military policy in South Carolina last month, promising to "rip the woke out of the military and return it to its core mission." "There was no greater honor than knowing I was wearing the cloth of my country when I served in the military, but our nations once-proud fighting force has been infected and paralyzed by a political agenda," the governor said in a July 18 statement. "We must restore a sense of confidence, conviction, and patriotic duty to our institutions and that begins with our military." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to members of the media after an event on Thursday, July 27, 2023 in Chariton, Iowa. The plan says DeSantis, as president, will end all Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) hirings, Critical Race Theory-based trainings, and the like, as well as elevate warfighting and readiness as the top priority across the military. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL IN THE LEAD OFF STATE OF IOWA The video comes one day after DeSantis replaced campaign manager Generra Peck with a trusted political adviser who has worked with him for years but has little campaign experience. Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (C) and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn (R) listen to the National Anthem at Nunns "Operation Top Nunn: Salute to Our Troops" fundraiser on July 15, 2023 in Ankeny, Iowa. DeSantis handed the role over to James Uthmeier on Tuesday, pulling the staffer up from his original position as chief of staff to the DeSantis' gubernatorial office. The change, confirmed by Fox News Digital, is the latest in a weekslong "reload" of the DeSantis campaign amid disappointing poll numbers in the 2024 GOP primary race. Critics have pointed to the recent staff shakeups as evidence of a collapsing campaign, but Uthmeier argued that DeSantis still "knows how to win." The DeSantis campaign late last month told top financial contributors that a "reset" was underway. DeSantis officials acknowledged during a meeting with leading campaign donors and bundlers that they spent too much money since DeSantis launched his White House bid. Fox News Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. Wind and solar power pollute the Earth and make life miserable. Recent global and local heat records reflect natural temperature cycles. And people who champion those beliefs are fighting oppression. These are some of the themes of childrens videos produced by an influential conservative advocacy group. Now, the videos could soon be used in Floridas classrooms. Floridas Department of Education has approved the classroom use of material from the Prager University Foundation, which produces videos education experts say distort science, history, gender and other topics. And those researchers fear that the nations third-largest state has opened a door that will help spread the videos to classrooms in other states. Florida is the first state to allow PragerU materials in public schools, where teachers will have the option of showing the five- to 10-minute videos in their classrooms. PragerU CEO Marissa Streit says the videos will rebalance schools that have been hijacked by the left. Young kids are being taught climate hysteria," Streit said in an interview. "Theyre hearing that the world is coming to an end, and we think that there needs to be a healthy balance. The climate is always changing, Streit added, repeating a climate-denial motto that rejects fossil fuel burning as the cause of continuing record-high temperatures. For now, Florida has approved using PragerU videos only in civics and government for younger children. Some PragerU climate denial videos are classified under non-climate categories, which could enable their use in Florida. Floridas approval is alarming because children will watch the videos when they are at their most impressionable stage, in kindergarten through 5th grade, said Adrienne McCarthy, a researcher at Kansas State University who tracks PragerU. Extreme ideas are presented as common beliefs in many videos, she said. They can take these right-wing, controversial ideas and cloak them in seemingly harmless and friendly rhetoric, McCarthy said. Then they create this kind of facade of normal conservative beliefs, and they use authoritative figures [in the videos] in order to convince the audience. Its also targeted at the parents themselves, saying that if you want to be a good parent, you should be teaching your kids this, McCarthy added. Glenn Branch, deputy director of the National Center for Science Education, said Florida is effectively supporting parents and teachers who want to tear down accurate climate science lessons. Floridas approval may be telling climate change-denier teachers about the availability of these materials, Branch said. Teachers who want to teach climate change accurately could feel coerced to do otherwise by hinting that there are resources out there with the opposite view, and people are going to be pressuring you into using them. Climate-denial talking points, verbatim Florida Department of Education spokesperson Cassie Palelis said in a statement that the PragerU material aligns to Floridas revised civics and government standards and is no different than many other resources, which can be used as supplemental materials in Florida schools at district discretion. PragerUs videos use talking points common among global warming skeptics to frame climate science and policy. Many of the videos attack renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. An eight-minute video, Poland: Anias Energy Crisis, exemplifies how PragerU introduces climate denialism to children by subtly attacking established science and the people concerned about global warming. In the video, teenager Ania is concerned about climate change because of what she learned at school. Climate-denial talking points are introduced almost verbatim in the trusted voice of Anias mother and father. Anias parents tell her that the climate has always cooled and warmed long before carbon emissions were a factor and that climate action is pointless until China and India cut their emissions. Ania also hears that renewable energy is unreliable and too expensive. Ania repeats her parents' claims in class and is shunned by her teacher and classmates. Her sadness lifts, however, when her grandfather tells her about life under Nazism in World War II. Ania feels empowered because her grandfather says fighting oppression always takes courage. A PragerU video about a child in Africa features a narrator calmly attacking solar and wind because their batteries break down and become hazardous waste and because it's risky to rely on things like wind and sunlight, which are not constant. Streit, the PragerU CEO, said she wants to ensure schools frame climate science as a debate. A goal of her organization is to reach children when they are at their most impressionable. Thats why Florida approved the PragerU Kids channel content, she said. The science is actually contrary to what most educational institutions that have been really controlled by one ideology are saying, Streit said, rejecting decades of peer-reviewed research by some of the worlds top science agencies showing that humanity is warming the planet at a dangerous rate. There is debate about the severity of the changing of the climate as well as the pragmatic solutions. PragerUs goal is to develop a turnkey curriculum that can be expanded to as many states as possible, Streit said. She expects to announce soon that more states have approved PragerU content and will use it for classrooms in all grades. PragerU is developing a curriculum module that could be used for course credit in high school, Streit said. DeSantis leads the way PragerUs foray into approved classroom use comes as conservative states and politicians aggressively seek to dismantle curriculum in African-American history and LGBTQ issues. The leader has been Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican running for president. DeSantis recently faced loud, bipartisan condemnation after education officials in his government released new curriculum standards that say enslaved people gained personal benefits from a lifetime of forced labor. Less documented are the conservative efforts to tear down climate science and to promote in classrooms the use of fossil fuels. Florida is just the latest state to open the door to climate disinformation. Texas changed its science curriculum to require that schools teach positive lessons about fossil fuels. Its an effort to downplay accurate climate science and to influence the national textbook market, since Texas is one of the biggest consumers of educational materials in the U.S. Climate scientists long ago determined that fossil fuel use is driving rapid global warming and pushing the planet toward dangerous tipping points. Most states center their climate change curriculum around that consensus. Only a small number of researchers with legitimate academic credentials doubt the consensus science, and PragerU videos feature many of them. PragerUs website contains thousands of videos, which have a variety of classification tags to help users find its videos on topics such as civics, financial literacy or government. Climate denial videos, including some pushing conspiracy theories like the Great Reset," are classified with tags other than climate change, such as government, global issues, life lessons and freedom, which lets them qualify for approved use outside of science classes. PragerU also has materials that avoid partisan slants, including videos explaining the Electoral College and the offices of the president and vice president. In Florida, DeSantis has long assailed what he says is liberal indoctrination in education. PragerU co-founder Dennis Prager, a nationally syndicated conservative radio host, has proclaimed that his PragerU materials are specifically designed for our indoctrination. Its true we bring doctrines to children,Prager told the conservative group Moms for Liberty at a conference in Philadelphia in July. But what is bad about our indoctrination? PragerU has produced anti-climate policy videos since shortly after it began in 2009. The Prager foundation has received millions of dollars from the billionaire brothers, Farris and Dan Wilks of Texas, who made their fortune in fracking. Wilks funding also was essential to the growth of The Daily Wire, a popular website and media company that routinely pushes climate disinformation. PragerU has received additional funding from foundations that oppose climate regulations such as the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. PragerUs video library goes far beyond climate change and introduces viewers to a worldview framed around the belief system of the far right. PragerU CEO Streit said her group has tapped into angry parents who want their politics reflected more in classrooms. Many of us, as parents, dont feel like were being heard, Streit said. We feel like were being gaslit, so were hoping that this product will better explain to everyone what we want to see in our childrens schools. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Republican National Committees (RNC) loyalty pledge ahead of the first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee later this month. The Hill Elections 2024 coverage The pledge states that the candidate will support the eventual nominee of the partys primary and that the candidate will not participate in any debate the RNC has not sanctioned. The pledge is a part of the criteria Republican candidates must meet to qualify for the first presidential primary debate set for Aug. 23. According to DeSantiss campaign, the pledge will not impact DeSantiss recent agreement to participate in a debate moderated by Fox Newss Sean Hannity against Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. DeSantis joins businessman Vivek Ramaswamy as the only other Republican candidate to have both met the other qualifications for the first debate and signed the pledge. The pledge has proven to be a sore spot for some of the other 2024 Republican contenders. Former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) told CNN in June that he would not sign the pledge, noting the scenario in which former President Trump becomes the nominee. I wont be signing any kind of pledges, and I dont think that parties should be trying to rig who should be on a debate stage, Hurd told the network. I am not in the business of lying to the American people in order to get a microphone, and Im not going to support Donald Trump, he continued. And so I cant honestly say Im going to sign something even if he may or may not be the nominee. Meanwhile, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) called the pledge a useless idea last month. Im going to take the pledge just as seriously as Donald Trump took it in 2016, he told CNN. As youll remember, [former White House chief of staff] Reince Priebus had to go up to Trump Tower to get him to sign it, to ask him to do so, he continued. He did, and then we went to a subsequent debate, and we were all asked if we would reaffirm our support of whoever the nominee was going to be by raising our hand. There were 10 of us on the stage, nine of us raised our hands. The one who didnt was Donald Trump. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Installing campaign signs for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, before a campaign event in Osceola, Iowa, July 27, 2023. (Christopher Smith/The New York Times) When WinRed, the company that processes nearly all online Republican campaign contributions, recently released its enormous trove of donor data for the first half of the year, donations were conspicuously absent for one presidential candidate: Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. It was no technical glitch. The DeSantis campaign worked with WinRed in a way that prevented the disclosure of donor information, ensuring that the campaigns small donors would remain anonymous, according to a person familiar with the campaign. The arrangement appears to be the first of its kind for a presidential campaign since WinReds founding four years ago and could presage a return to an era in which far less information on small donors is made public, at least for Republicans. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times Representatives for DeSantis declined to describe details of the arrangement. The person familiar with the campaign said the aim was to prevent other campaigns from poaching DeSantis donors. But the move has other effects, including obscuring exactly how many or how few online donations DeSantis has received. His dependency on larger contributors has been a source of concern for his campaign, after his first financial report last month revealed that less than 15% of his $20 million haul had come from donors who gave less than $200. News emerged Tuesday that DeSantis had replaced his campaign manager as part of a broad shake-up. Matt Mackowiak, a Republican consultant based in Texas, said he was not convinced of the value of concealing small donors Generally, small donors dont care about disclosure, he said but he also did not see much of a threat to transparency in the campaigns arrangement. To me, the single most important aspect of the transparent philosophical debate is: Is somebody buying influence? Mackowiak said. Youre not going to buy anyone with a $200 or less donation. Until recent years, he noted, small donations were never broken out in federal campaign finance disclosures. In a sense and to the all but certain dismay of those who push for transparency the move by the DeSantis campaign suggests a return to a previous era when those contributions remained anonymous. WinRed was set up in 2019 as a conservative answer to ActBlue, a nonprofit group that since 2004 has served as the central platform to process online donations for Democratic candidates and causes. ActBlue has been widely credited with establishing Democratic dominance in small-dollar fundraising, and Republicans had long been eager for their own version. Unlike ActBlue, the heart of WinRed is a for-profit company. But its political action committee, like ActBlues, has served as a conduit for contributions to campaigns. Donors would give to the campaign through a webpage run by WinRed, which then distributed the money to it. In the 2020 election cycle, WinRed received and forwarded more than $2.2 billion in online contributions; ActBlue was a conduit for more than $4.2 billion. While political campaigns are not required to itemize contributions less than $200, the PACs for WinRed and ActBlue have to provide information on every donor. Their filings offered the public the only details about campaigns small-dollar contributions. WinRed has fought the requirement that it disclose every donor. It is currently in litigation with the Federal Election Commission and seeks to raise the threshold to $200, arguing that the requirement is burdensome and is not in keeping with the drastic growth of small-dollar donations. A spokesperson for WinRed did not respond to requests for comment. WinRed recently started offering merchant accounts, in which the company acts not as a conduit, but as a typical payment processor. DeSantis campaign chose this option, the person familiar with the campaign said, cutting WinReds political action committee and its disclosure requirements out of the picture. It appears to be the first time a presidential campaign has opted for this arrangement. The former CEO of WinRed, Carl Sceusa, is currently the chief financial and chief technology officer of the DeSantis campaign. The difference in disclosure is vast. WinReds filing last week showed that former President Donald Trumps main fundraising committee processed 1,328,930 donations in the first six months of the year. It showed nothing about DeSantis, whose campaign reported 15,462 donations above $200 on his campaigns FEC filing. There was no information about the donors who gave less than $200. His campaign has said he has topped the 40,000 donors needed to make the first debate stage, but only a fraction of them are now disclosed. Using the payment processor model allows them to not have to itemize those donors, said Adav Noti, senior vice president and legal director at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit campaign ethics group. Thats a business question, not a legal question. The vendor arrangement raises some legal questions, Noti said: First, whether WinReds merchant arm is, itself, a de facto political group, which would have to register as a political action committee. FEC rules are pretty clear that payment processors cant be partisan, Noti said. The strategy may be most notable for what it could suggest to competitors about DeSantis campaign. To the extent that unitemized contributions could tell you something about a candidate that might be valuable, its that they are regional, in one place, Mackowiak said. The only thing I can think of is that their small donor base may be primarily Florida-based, and they didnt want to appear like a regional candidate. c.2023 The New York Times Company Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Orlando-based State Attorney Monique Worrell on Wednesday, claiming that she was prioritizing her political agenda while failing to pursue appropriate charges in serious cases. DeSantis made the announcement on Wednesday, alongside Attorney General Ashley Moody and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass. Prosecutors have a duty to faithfully enforce the law, DeSantis said. Ones political agenda cannot trump this solemn duty. DeSantis suspends Florida prosecutor: DeSantis suspends Central Florida prosecutor, points to her 'political agenda' DeSantis detailed a series of cases over the past two years where those accused of gun crimes, drug-trafficking and other offenses received reduced sentences or had charges lessened or dismissed in Worrell's circuit. DeSantis didnt take any questions after the announcement, which ended as Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd held up a placard with a well-known meme depicting a cartoon image of Worrell in a house on fire saying, This is fine. Worrells suspension marks the second time DeSantis has suspended an elected official. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd holds up a visual displaying a popular meme that he photoshopped State Attorney Monique Worrell into during a press conference held by Gov. Ron DeSantis so he could announce the suspension Worrell on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Who is Monique Worrell? Worrell is the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, overseeing Orange and Osceola counties. She is the first State Attorney of Caribbean descent and the second African American elected in the state of Florida, according to her government biography. She was elected to the position in November 2020 after running on progressive platform with endorsements from Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Bernie Sanders, as reported by Fox 35 Orlando. She was elected with 67% of the vote in 2020 in Orange and Osceola counties. Worrell succeeded Aramis Ayala, who had been the first Black state attorney ever elected in Florida. She is a proponent of criminal justice reform. Previous to being elected as State Attorney she was the chief legal officer at a criminal justice reform nonprofit REFORM Alliance. She has also been a clinical law professor at the University of Florida College of Law and the founding director of the University's Criminal Justice Center. Andrew Warren case thrown out: Florida Supreme Court throws out lawsuit of ousted state attorney Andrew Warren Why DeSantis suspended Monique Worrell DeSantis laid out a list of claims against Worrell that he believes justify the suspension. Those claims include: Pattern or practice to avoid minimum mandatory sentences for gun crimes Pattern or practice to avoid minimum mandatory sentences for drug-trafficking offenses Pattern or practice to allow juvenile offenders to avoid serious charges and incarceration altogether Pattern or practice to avoid valid and applicable sentencing enhancements Pattern or practice limiting charges for child pornography Pattern or practice withholding adjudications in situations not permitted under Florida law DeSantis said that prosecutors have a discretion about which cases to bring to court, but believes Worrell abused that discretion and effectively nullified certain laws in the state of Florida. Cases DeSantis named three cases as examples DeSantis mentioned three cases during the press conference, including a shooting that happened over the weekend that involved a man who shot and injured two Orlando police officers. Lorenzo Larry case Lorenzo Michael Larry, 17, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly shot and killed his 16-year-old girlfriend, DeShayla Ferguson, while she was 20 weeks pregnant in Orange County. He was arrested in November 2022 and is still awaiting trial. DeSantis pointed out that Larry had previously been arrested in May 2022 for charges including carrying a concealed firearm, possession of a firearm on school property and criminal possession of a firearm by a minor but was released. He further claimed that Worrells office did not act on any of the charges until after he was accused of killing his girlfriend. However, DeSantis claims are murky because Larry was initially arrested as a juvenile, and court records do not reflect prosecutors' actions prior to the case being transferred from the Juvenile Division to the Circuit Criminal Division on Dec. 7, 2022. Orange County home invasion DeSantis described another case involving a juvenile offender that occurred in 2018. A suspect allegedly invaded an Orange County home and robbed the occupants at gunpoint, according to DeSantis. The suspect was charged with multiple counts of armed burglary with a firearm, robbery with a firearm and false imprisonment, which Desantis says carries a 10-year minimum sentence with a maximum of life in prison. DeSantis claims that Worrell decided not to prosecute five of the charges and withheld adjudication on the remaining charges. The suspect was sentenced to 51 weeks of jail time. Daton Viel case The last case DeSantis spoke about involved an incident over the weekend involving a man who shot and critically injured two Orlando police officers during a traffic stop. The suspect, Daton Viel, has an extensive criminal history with felony charges stemming back to 2016 that include burglary of dwelling, attempted burglary of occupied conveyance, robbery, third-degree grand theft auto, aggravated stalking, trespass on designated construction site, burglary of structure, criminal mischief, two counts of sexual battery of a person between 12 and 18 years old and lewd or lascivious molestation. Andrew Warren suspended: DeSantis suspends Democratic state attorney he accuses of being 'woke,' not enforcing laws DeSantis and Worrell have past history DeSantis questioned Worrell in March over her prosecution decisions for a juvenile suspect charged with shooting multiple people, including a TV reporter and a 9-year-old girl, according to the Associated Press. Worrell issued a letter in return, admonishing the governor's office for using back channel methods to try to get the information. According to her response, the governor's letter, addressed to a district employee, read "this is happening all over the country where these prosecutors are not following the law. Worrell went on to criticize the Governor for interfering with her work to further his own campaign. "The Governor had people fishing around Orange and Osceola counties to see which cases he can single out from over 100,000 cases our office has processed since I have taken office, while he prances around Southeast Asia on his dilapidated presidential campaign tour," Worrell wrote in the letter. "He seeks to exploit his political agenda against me." Contributors: Kinsey Crowley - USA Today, John Kennedy - Capital Bureau | USA Today Network This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Why did Gov. DeSantis suspend Florida State Attorney Monique Worrell? TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday once again suspended an elected Florida prosecutor from office, this time removing a central Florida Democrat that the Republican governor contended was too lenient with criminals and was endangering the public. The move drew sharp criticism from the target of the suspension State Attorney Monique Worrell as well as Democrats, who called DeSantis a dictator and said his actions were designed to draw attention to his struggling presidential campaign. The governors office had been telegraphing dissatisfaction with Worrell for months, including raising questions about how her office had handled past arrests of a 19-year-old man who was ultimately arrested for allegedly killing three people in Orlando, including a television reporter. DeSantis, during an early morning press conference from the state Capitol where he announced the suspension, cited several examples of where he contended Worrell had failed to pursue minimum mandatory sentences for criminals or did not fully prosecute both adults and juveniles who later went on to commit other crimes. One of those the governor highlighted was a 17-year-old who allegedly shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend just months after he had been initially charged with gun crimes. We had a duty to act to prevent this dereliction of duty, DeSantis said. Prosecutors do have a certain amount of discretion about which charges to bring. What this state attorney has done is abuse that discretion and has effectively nullified certain laws in the state of Florida. Fox News posted a story on the suspension just moments before DeSantis started the news conference. Worrell, who talked the media just outside the Orange County courthouse on Wednesday, called DeSantis a tyrant and said she remained a duly elected prosecutor who the governor removed for political reasons. This is simply a smokescreen for Ron DeSantis failing and disastrous presidential campaign, Worrell said. He needed to get back in the media in some positive way that would be red meat for his base. The action came just one day after DeSantis reshuffled his presidential campaign, as he tries to close the gap between himself and former President Donald Trump. DeSantis sidelined his campaign manager and brought in his chief of staff, James Uthmeier, to take over the operation. He replaced his campaign manager yesterday and I guess today is my turn, said Worrell, who said she was exploring potential legal options. She also vowed to continue her plans to run for reelection in 2024. This is the second time that DeSantis has removed an elected prosecutor from office during his time as governor. He suspended Hillsborough prosecutor Andrew Warren a year ago over several decisions the Democratic elected official made, including signing a pledge that he would not enforce a newly adopted ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Warren challenged his suspension in both state and federal court but has been rebuffed so far in his effort to get reinstated. Warrens suspension, however, was sharply criticized by a federal judge who said that the governors office had not thoroughly investigated Warrens actions before deciding to suspend him. But in Worrells case, the governors executive order includes more than 20 pages of documents and reports that it said highlighted problems with her office. The governors press operation also handed out summaries from 10 different criminal cases that they said showed that Worrell had allowed murderers and other offenders to obtain reduced sentences. Worrell, during her remarks, called the allegations a false narrative and said that recent statistics showed that crime had dropped in Orange County and the city of Orlando. She asserted that she has run afoul of some in law enforcement because she had prosecuted rogue cops. DeSantis acted just two days after Worrell pushed back against criticisms from a local police union over the criminal history of a man who shot two Orlando police officers over the weekend before he was killed by a SWAT team. The man, Daton Viel, was out on bond after authorities charged him with sexual assault. Worrell said she had no control over what bond amount was set by the judge in the case. Under Florida law, the governor has the authority to suspend elected officials, though the power is usually reserved for those who are accused of criminal wrongdoing. Democrats reacted furiously to the suspension, saying it was a politically moved action targeting a part of the state run by Democrats. This is absolutely disgusting, said state Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando). State Attorney Monique Worrell is a duly elected official and the only Black woman serving as State Attorney in Florida right now. Her removal is a complete slap in the face to Orange and Osceola county residents and another example of Gov. DeSantis eroding our local control and democracy. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.) said in a statement, we saw this coming from a mile away with his presidential campaign up in flames, wanna-be dictator Governor Ron DeSantis is taking a page out of his tired playbook by unconstitutionally suspending a duly elected State Attorney to breathe life back into his tired conservative persona. Top Republicans, including Attorney General Ashley Moody and House Speaker Paul Renner, supported DeSantis actions. Moody pushed back against assertions that the suspension was politically motivated by pointing out that Worrell had dismissed cases or declined to prosecute individuals at a much higher rate than Democratic prosecutors in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. Renner, in a social media post, commended DeSantis for doing what Mrs. Worrell and her rogue colleagues refuse to do put the safety and well-being of our residents and millions of visitors to Central Florida first. But suspended prosecutor Andrew Warren, who called the Worrell suspension a tantrum by DeSantis due to his floundering campaign, said someone could always question prosecutorial discretion or the discretion of law enforcement to prioritize murder investigations over drug charges. Thats what elections are for, Warren told reporters Wednesday. Seven of the eight Democratic members of Floridas congressional delegation also sharply criticized DeSantis and demanded Worrells immediate reinstatement. The governor does not have the right to dismiss an elected official from office just because shes not serving his radical, political agenda, the delegation said in a statement. Thats not grounds for suspension. We demand the Governor reinstate her immediately. DeSantis appointed Andrew Bain, a circuit court judge from Orange County, to fill Worrells post. Bain, a Black man, was first appointed to the bench by DeSantis back in 2020 and then won a full term during the 2022 elections. Bain sent out an email to employees in the state attorneys office where he vowed to roll back several policies that had been put in place by Worrell. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) suspended Democratic State Attorney Monique Worrell on Wednesday for an alleged neglect of duty. The state of Florida is a law-and-order state, and that means we support the men and women who wear the uniform, who protect and serve. It means we have strong policies to hold criminals accountable for their misconduct, DeSantis said at a press briefing. Prosecutors have a duty to faithfully enforce the law. Ones political agenda cannot trump this solemn duty. Refusing to faithfully enforce the laws of Florida puts our communities in danger and victimizes innocent Floridians. Accordingly, I am today announcing the suspension of State Attorney Monique Worrell from the 9th Judicial Circuit, effective immediately. Im appointing Judge Andrew Bain to take over as state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit, he added. Worrell was elected to serve as the state attorney for Floridas 9th Judicial District in 2020, and was running for reelection in 2024. DeSantis said Worrells administration of criminal justice in the 9th Circuit has been clearly and fundamentally derelict so as to constitute both neglect of duty and incompetence. Prosecutors do have a certain amount of discretion about which cases to bring and which not, but what this state attorney has done is abuse that discretion, and has effectively nullified certain laws in the state of Florida. That breaches her duties that she owes to the people of Florida under our state constitution, and provides the basis for the suspension, DeSantis said. Worrell blasted DeSantiss decision to suspend her at a press conference held later on Wednesday morning, calling the Florida governor a weak dictator. If we are mourning anything this morning, it is the loss of democracy, she said. I am your duly elected state attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that. This is an outrage. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) cited an incident from over the weekend that left two Orlando police shot as an example of her accused dereliction of duties during the press conference. She said Worrell had not filed a motion for pretrial detention for the shooting suspect, who was awaiting trial for the alleged rape of a girl, according to court records. We are fortunate to have a Governor committed to the rule of law and holding officials especially those elected to protect the public accountable for not doing the jobs they swore an oath to do, Moody said in a statement. Ms. Worrell abdicated her responsibility as the circuits top prosecutor and her actions undermine the safety and security of our state and Floridians. This is not the first time DeSantis has suspended a state attorney. Last year, he suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren for neglect of duty after the prosecutor refused to enforce bans on abortion and transgender surgeries. This story was updated at 11:51 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell for "dereliction of duty" on crime via an executive order on Wednesday. DeSantis' office says that Worrell, whose jurisdiction includes Orlando, has routinely allowed murderers and other violent offenders to "escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct." The governor is tapping Florida judge Andrew Bain to replace Worrell as the state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit. "The practices and policies of her office have allowed murderers, other violent offenders, and dangerous drug traffickers to receive extremely reduced sentences and escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct. In some cases, these offenders have evaded incarceration altogether," DeSantis' office wrote in a statement. "State Attorney Worrells practices undermine Florida law and endanger the safety, security, and welfare of the communities that Ms. Worrell was elected to serve," it continued. TRUMP'S RIVALS FOR THE 2024 NOMINATION SPLIT ON HIS LATEST INDICTMENT: TRYING TO STAY OUT OF PRISON Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell for "dereliction of duty" on crime via an executive order on Wednesday. DeSantis highlighted the move in a news conference Wednesday morning alongside several other Florida officials. The officials, who included Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, stated that Worrell routinely avoided mandatory minimum sentencing for gun crimes and drug trafficking offenses, as well as allowing juvenile offenders to avoid serious charges and incarceration. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP She also allegedly limited charges against child pornography offenders and avoided sentencing enhancements such as those based on prior offenses. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL IN THE LEAD OFF STATE OF IOWA Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd holds up an internet meme depicting State Attorney Monique Worrell ignoring clear problems. The governor went on to tell reporters that he was confident the Florida constitution granted him authority to remove Worrell. This is the second time DeSantis has taken drastic action against a Florida prosecutor who he says failed to do their jobs. He also suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren in August 2022 for refusing to enforce the state's abortion ban. That suspension was upheld in court in a January decision from a federal judge. WHERE TRUMP, DESANTIS, REST OF THE FIELD STAND IN LATEST POLL IN KEY PRIMARY STATE Ousted Florida State Attorney Andrew Warren holds a press conference in Tampa, Florida, on Aug. 17, 2022, after Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended him of his duties, in part for refusing to enforce abortion laws. Worrell's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. A video of a wild brawl that erupted Saturday in Montgomery, Alabama, when a cruise ship worker was attempting to dock is going viral and Gmac Cash took notice. The Detroit rapper, well known for the viral songs "Big Gretch" about Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and "Giant Slide" about the infamous Belle Isle slide, decided to mark the moment in a new rap anthem called, "The Montgomery Brawl." A video of the incident at Montgomery's Riverfront Park, shared Sunday on social media, shows a dock worker, a Black man, arguing with a white man about what the Montgomery Police Department later said was a private pontoon boat blocking the dock space needed to park a riverboat. It escalated when another white man rushed in and punched the employee. The two men began fighting when other white men attacked the employee. After the fight, a separate video shows a group of people approaching the pontoon boat, and more fighting broke out. This was really a big moment for us, Gmac Cash said, referencing the Black community. It shows us coming together, uniting finally." On Tuesday, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert named three suspects involved in the incident: Richard Roberts, 48; Allen Todd, 23; and Zachary Shipman, 25 all identified as white males. None of the three are Montgomery residents. Police said one man is in custody and arrangements are being made for the others to turn themselves in. Montgomery police is also requesting for a Black man seen wielding a chair in the video, Reggie Gray, to contact the department. More Gmac Cash: Belle Isle Giant Slide's wild rides featured on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live,' in new song 'Big Gretch': Gov. Whitmer responds to rap song made about her Albert said the investigation is ongoing and that more charges are possible. Gmac Cash, whose real name is Gerald Allen, posted his song Monday on Twitter and has received more than 1.3 million views as of Tuesday afternoon. (WARNING: Video contains violence and explicit language. Viewer discretion advised.) He can be heard rhyming out shout-outs to many of the happenings in the brawl, including a mention to the bro that could swim, referencing the teen who was seen swimming across the water to the brawl. You know they got the saying, We cant swim, Gmac Cash said. So that was good to see him swim. Other lyrical mentions by Gmac Cash in the song include the hat throw-off that took place at the beginning of the brawl, a "Rock Bottom"-like wrestling move, and the unc with the chair, referring to a Black man seen on video picking up and wielding a now-infamous white folding chair. More: Why Detroit ranks as one of 'best cities' for music and some think it should be No. 1 The initial brawl video sparked an instant social media firestorm filled with memes, skits, video productions and passionate commentary, which raged for days online. The chair in particular was made into a t-shirt now being sold on multiple websites, and inspired a resurfaced meme of the popular quote from former U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm: If they dont give you a seat a the table, bring a folding chair. In Detroit alone, Facebook mentions about the brawl flooded timelines. Brittni Brown, the head publicist of the public relations firm The Bee Agency, reposted a viral meme with the text: Our Ancestors looking down on Montgomery. Its funny, but I promise you this is how our ancestors feel, Brown said. National reactions were rampant, too. On Instagram, a popular site called The Shade Room posted a group of people posing for a photo holding what they believe to be the infamous chair from the fight. Other social media commenters commemorated the date of the event, some even giving it a name. August 5th is National (Explicit) Around and Find Out Day, @iam_dcarter commented under an Instagram post related to the event on @theshaderoom. On Sunday, the day after the fight, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed posted to Twitter: Last night, the Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job. Warrants have been signed and justice will be served. Last night, the Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job. Warrants have been signed and justice will be served. This was an unfortunate incident which never should have occurred. As our police pic.twitter.com/5cywOwA6Uz Mayor Steven L. Reed (@MayorofMgm) August 6, 2023 Reed is the first Black mayor of Montgomery, a city well known for its history of racial oppression and being the birthplace of the modern American civil rights movement. Gmac Cash said he too is aware of Alabama's history, and part of his inspiration for doing the brawl rhyme came from it. He said he believes this moment represents how exhausted Black people are with the treatment they receive from some white people and its time for it to stop. It's nothing like us," Gmac Cash said. We are honestly the best people on the planet to me. But I feel like this is a moment that shows we can come together, we have each other's back and that's what we should do all the time in every situation instead of sitting back watching with a camera phone. USA TODAY and The Montgomery Advertiser contributed. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit's Gmac Cash writes song about Montgomery riverfront brawl A Black woman was put in a compromising position by the Detroit Police Department while she was eight months pregnant and is now suing them after being falsely accused of a crime. Earlier this year, Porcha Woodruff was in the middle of her morning routine with her children when police unexpectedly knocked on her door that morning, according to CBS News. When Woodruff greeted them, she was shocked to learn they were at her home with a warrant for her arrest in connection to a carjacking and robbery. Confused as to why she was being accused of the crime, she and her fiance asked officers to review the name on the warrant to ensure they were at the correct home. While in police custody at the Detroit Detention Center, the 32-year-old was told the victim of the crime picked her from a picture that was used in a lineup following her being suggested as a suspect via facial recognition technology per court documents. The incident in question happened in the Bessemore and Gratiot Ave. area, which has a high rate of robberies and assaults, The Detroit News reported, on Jan. 29 after the victim left a BP gas station. He told authorities he stopped by the gas station with a woman he had sexual intercourse with earlier that day. He claimed he was robbed by a man that spoke to the female passenger while she was inside the gas station and stole some of his personal belongings before driving off in his car. According to the lawsuit, Detroit Police Detective LaShauntia Oliver was selected to spearhead the investigation. Two days after the robbery, the victims cell phone was returned to the gas station by a random lady. When this information was shared with the detective, she got BPs security camera footage and submitted a facial recognition request in hopes to help identify the women who returned the phone. Although the alleged thief was arrested on Feb. 2 while he was riding around in the vehicle, he was not shown a picture of Woodruff to confirm the woman he interacted with was indeed Woodruff. Oliver was able to obtain Woodruffs current drivers license but instead showed a mug shot from a 2015 arrest that was separate from this case. After the victim of the crime was shown a line-up of several women that included the photo of the plaintiff, he chose Woodruff as the suspect he was with during the carjacking. In addition, it wasnt until she was questioned by Oliver that she discovered the female suspect was never said to be pregnant. She was held for nearly 12 hours after being indicted and charged with carjacking and robbery, given a $100,000 personal bond and told not to leave the state before she was released. Her fiance immediately took her to a local hospital to receive medical attention since she was experiencing contractions due to dehydration and stress caused by the mistaken arrest. Since the resolution was quick, she was able to go home the same day. On March 6, she appeared in court for her preliminary examination and the case was dismissed due to Wayne County Prosecutors Office deeming the police departments lack of evidence, according to the lawsuit. Kym Worthy, a member of the prosecution team released a statement that the case was justified due to the facts on record. The warrant as signed by the APA in this case was appropriate based upon the facts, Worthy said. This was reviewed by a supervisor before it was authorized. There was a not in custody warrant presented for the female suspect in the case. In the Detroit Police Department warrant package, there was a Detroit Police Department facial recognition record suggesting the woman was a suspect. The photo was placed in a six pack (head shots ) and the victim viewed it an picked her out. He stated that she was the person that he had spent several hours with on the day he was robbed. Detroit Police Chief James White released a statement that dictated he disagreed with this outlook and mentioned his team is looking into what went wrong in this case to prevent it from happening again. I have reviewed the allegations contained in the lawsuit. They are very concerned. We are taking this matter very seriously, but we cannot comment further at this time due to the need for additional investigation, he said. We will provide further information once additional facts are obtained and we have a better understanding of the circumstances. Because these false arrests have occurred more than a couple of times, the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is asking the Detroit Police Department to terminate the use of faulty facial recognition technology. Its deeply concerning that the Detroit Police Department knows the devastating consequences of using flawed facial recognition technology as the basis for someones arrest and continues to rely on it anyway, ACLU of Michigan senior staff attorney Phil Mayor, said in a statement. As Ms. Woodruffs horrifying experience illustrates, the Departments use of this technology must end. Furthermore, the DPD continues to hide its abuses of this technology, forcing people whose rights have been violated to expose its wrongdoing case by case. DPD should not be permitted to avoid transparency and hide its own misconduct from public view at the same time it continues to subject Detroiters to dragnet surveillance. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California was hospitalized for a short time Tuesday after a fall, according to a spokesperson, the latest in a string of health issues for the US Senates oldest member. Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home, the spokesperson said in a statement. All of her scans were clear and she returned home. Feinsteins fall was described as a minor slip and did not involve steps or stairs, according to a source familiar with the situation, who added the 90-year-old was taken to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. She has been calling friends who heard the news and is described as being in good spirits, telling them she didnt even get a Band-aid, the source added. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a statement after Feinsteins fall, saying they spoke on the phone Wednesday morning. She said she suffered no injuries and briefly went to the hospital as a precaution, said Schumer, a Democrat from New York. Im glad she is back home now and is doing well. TMZ first reported Feinsteins fall. Concerns for Feinsteins health have grown in the past year, after her hospitalization for shingles in February led to an extended absence from the Senate. When Feinstein returned to Capitol Hill in May, her office confirmed that she had suffered multiple complications during her recovery from shingles, including Ramsay Hunt syndrome and encephalitis. While the encephalitis resolved itself shortly after she was released from the hospital in March, she continues to have complications from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a spokesperson told CNN at the time. She has also appeared confused at times, disputing the length of her absence and her diagnoses. Feinstein told CNN that she did not have encephalitis, noting, It really has never been diagnosed properly, and calling it, really a bad flu. During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing at the end of July, Feinstein had to be prompted to vote aye by Chairwoman Patty Murray, a Washington state Democrat. When it was the Californians turn to vote, she began to read her prepared remarks, before an aide stopped her and Murray told her just say aye. Her office told CNN after the hearing, 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 office added, 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. Some Democrats mostly in the House have openly called on her to resign. In May, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said Feinstein should retire. I think criticisms of that stance as anti-feminist are a farce, in a post on the social media platform Bluesky. Other House Democrats have also pushed for her resignation, arguing that her absence from the Senate Judiciary Committee slowed down the process of confirming judicial nominees, a point Feinsteins office disputed. Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York told CNN, yes, she should resign. You know, shes had a very long and stellar career, you know, but missing that many votes, you know, it stops us from moving forward with judge nominations, he added. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota agreed. I respect the heck out of Sen. Feinstein, and I think shes an extraordinary American who served the country with grace and effectiveness. But I also think its fairly obvious that competency matters now more than ever, and the ability to show up, he told reporters in May. He added, And it saddens me to say, but I think, frankly, its up to those around her, her closest ones, its up to senators, its up to Californians to make that decision. But Im gonna call it like I see it, and I think this job is a tough one when youre at your best, let alone when youre compromised, or infirm and I think thats pretty clear. This story has been updated with additional developments. CNNs Jessica Dean contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) was hospitalized on Tuesday after taking a tumble in her San Francisco home, her spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. After TMZ first reported on the health scare, Feinsteins spokesperson told The Daily Beast that she was briefly hospitalized for a minor fall. She reportedly tripped over a chair in her kitchen and remained at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center for about an hour or two. All of her scans were clear and she returned home, the spokesperson said. In a statement to NBC News, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he checked in with Feinstein on Wednesday morning. She said she suffered no injuries and briefly went to the hospital as a precaution, he wrote. Im glad she is back home now and is doing well. Its Time for Dianne Feinstein to Resignfor the Good of the Country Over the past year, the 90-year-old senators health has significantly deteriorated following a hospitalization in February for shingles. During her three-month absence from the Senate, Feinstein missed more than 90 consecutive votes, delaying judicial nominations. When she returned to the Senate floor in May, Feinstein appeared frailer than ever, with an aide steering her around as she entered the Capitol in a wheelchair. Although the senator has been reluctant to divulge many details of her illness, a report from The New York Times revealed Feinstein suffered severe complications from the shingles, including inflammation of the brain and Ramsay Hunt syndromea neurological condition that can paralyze the face. Some of her Democratic colleagues have called Feinsteins fitness to serve into question. At a recent vote on a defense appropriations bill, others had to remind her to just say aye as she seemed to forget protocol and instead ramble on about her opinion of the bill. Months before, Feinstein reportedly got feisty with a journalist, confusingly insisting, No, Ive been here and Ive been voting when she had, in fact, been absent for months. Recent legal filings from Feinsteins fight to gain control of her late husbands estate also showed her daughter holds power of attorney over the senator. A lawyer representing two co-trustees in that case said in a statement to the Times that it was unclear why a sitting United States senator would require someone to have power of attorney over her. If youre a member, and you become a shadow of your former self, you should resign, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) previously told Insider. Once youre no longer the best person to represent your state, you have a duty to move on. Feinstein has announced that she plans to retire at the end of her term in January 2025. A handful of both Democratic and Republican politicians are already vying for her seat. 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. Senator Dianne Feinstein was taken to the hospital after falling at her home in San Francisco, according to multiple outlets. Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home, a Feinstein spokesperson told TMZ Wednesday. All of her scans were clear and she returned home. The 90-year-old senator was missing from the chamber for nearly three months earlier this year due to a particularly bad bout of shingles. That illness led to her contracting Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which causes facial paralysis and vision and balance impairments, as well as encephalitisan inflammation of the brain that can cause lasting memory or language problems, sleep disorders, bouts of confusion, mood disorders, headaches and difficulties walking, according to The New York Times. When she did finally return to Congress, she seemed completely unaware that she had been missing at all. She is also increasingly reliant on her staff to direct her on how and when to vote. Just say aye, a colleague told her in one particularly awkward moment last month. This is the second-oldest U.S. Senate in history. Two-thirds of Californians believe Feinstein is no longer fit to serve. Sen. Dianne Feinstein was hospitalized Tuesday evening after falling at her home. This is just the latest setback for the Senate's oldest member. Feinstein previously missed months of votes after contracting shingles. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein was hospitalized after tripping and falling in her San Francisco home. Feinstein stayed at a nearby hospital Tuesday night, TMZ first reported. Feinstein went to the hospital as a precaution and quickly returned home, Adam Russell, a Feinstein spokesperson, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home," a Feinstein spokesperson said in a statement shared with Insider. "All of her scans were clear and she returned home." Feinstein, the Senate's oldest member, has struggled with health issues for months. The California Democrat missed nearly three months of votes in Washington earlier this year after she contracted shingles. At the time, congressional Democrats grew increasingly frustrated with her absence, as it made it more difficult to move President Joe Biden's judicial picks beyond that committee. Feinstein has said she will not run for reelection in 2024. She has repeatedly rejected calls to resign, including from fellow Democrats. In recent weeks, Feinstein has been the subject of multiple instances that have heightened questions about her standing. She appeared confused during a Senate Appropriations Committee vote. She also mistakenly voted in favor of a GOP-led amendment before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She later corrected herself. It has also come to light that her daughter, Katherine Feinstein, a former San Francisco judge, holds power of attorney over her legal affairs. Power-of-attorney agreements can be invoked for any number of benign reasons, including convenience. The existence of the agreement has furthered speculation about her standing. Her office has declined to provide any details about that or any other agreements. Despite efforts by Democrats to limit some of her power, Feinstein continues to lead two subcommittees and serves on some of the most powerful and influential Senate committees, including the appropriations, judiciary, and intelligence panels. Read the original article on Business Insider Dianne Feinstein has gotten around in a wheelchair since her return to the US Senate from a shingles diagnosis The oldest member of the US Senate was taken to hospital on Tuesday after "a minor fall in her home", a spokesperson for her office has confirmed. The fall at Senator Dianne Feinstein's home in San Francisco, California was first reported on Wednesday by TMZ. "All of her scans were clear and she returned home." her spokesman Adam Russell said in a statement. It is the latest incident in a string of health concerns plaguing the 90-year-old Democratic lawmaker. Ms Feinstein, who has been in the US Senate since 1992, has faced questions for months - including from members of her own party - over alleged memory and cognition issues. Earlier this year, she missed nearly three months of votes after being homebound in San Francisco following a shingles diagnosis. Since returning to Capitol Hill, she has taken on a lighter schedule, gets around in a wheelchair and has frequently shown confusion during hallway interviews, committee hearings and floor votes. Last month, widely-circulated footage from a committee vote showed Ms Feinstein launching into a speech in support of the measure as those around her frantically whisper "just say aye". The former San Francisco mayor has announced plans to retire from Congress at the end of 2024, but she has resisted calls to relinquish the seat before her term expires. Her fall on Tuesday comes amid a New York Times report that Ms Feinstein's only child Katherine holds power of attorney over her wealthy mother's legal affairs amid an escalating family feud. "The financial conflict is another element that makes the end of her career sad to people who have known her in the high points of her career," Jerry Roberts, a Feinstein biographer, told the Times. Calls for generational change in the ranks of America's political class have grown louder in recent months. Google searches for the word gerontocracy - a form of oligarchical rule by elderly people - soared after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell froze mid-sentence during a press conference last month. Mr McConnell, 81, was loudly heckled with chants of "retire" as he spoke at an event in his home state of Kentucky on Saturday. The trend extends beyond Congress, with US voters gearing up for a presidential election that looks likely to pit Democrat Joe Biden, 80, against Republican Donald Trump, 77, in a rematch. Polls show that large numbers of voters from both parties share concerns about the advanced age and mental acuity of both men, particularly Mr Biden, already the nation's oldest president. How did the Maui fire start? What we know about the Lahaina blaze Deadly wildfires in Hawaii, which killed over 100 people and forced thousands to evacuate, were fueled by a mix of land and atmospheric conditions that can create "fire weather." A massive blaze destroyed much of the historic town of Lahaina, on Maui, and the search for victims continued as hundreds remained missing. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Sunday there is "very little left" of Lahaina, where more than 2,700 structures have been destroyed in what is now the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. Green said he expects the death toll to keep climbing. "There are more fatalities that will come," Green told CBS News. "The fire was so hot that what we find is the tragic finding that you would imagine, as though a fire has come through and it's hard to recognize anybody." How to help those affected by the Maui wildfires While Maui grapples with the devastating losses and officials work to implement relief and recovery plans, many people have raised questions about how the fires began and whether anything could have been done to prevent such a disaster. What caused the Maui fire? An investigation is underway to determine what initially sparked the wildfires, and the cause has not been officially determined. Investigators are looking into whether downed power lines and decisions by Hawaiian Electric, the state's primary power company, played a role. Much of Hawaii was under a red flag warning for fire risk when the wildfires broke out, with dangerous high wind conditions caused by Hurricane Dora, a Category 4 storm that was moving across the Pacific Ocean hundreds of miles south of the Hawaiian islands. "We don't know what actually ignited the fires, but we were made aware in advance by the National Weather Service that we were in a red flag situation so that's dry conditions for a long time, so the fuel, the trees and everything, was dry," Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, commander general of the Hawaii Army National Guard, said at a briefing Wednesday, Aug. 9. That, along with low humidity and high winds, "set the conditions for the wildfires," he said. The earliest blaze reported by Maui County officials was described as a brush fire in the Olinda Road area of Kula, a town in the island's Upcountry region, where wildfires eventually burned through about 700 acres and claimed 19 homes. On Tuesday, Aug. 8, Maui County shared the first details about a Kula brush fire that had forced evacuations early that morning. A video clipped from security camera footage at the Maui Bird Conservation Center located along Olinda Road in Makawao, directly adjacent to Kula appears to show a flash in the woods around their property at 10:47 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 7. The Washington Post originally reported on the video, which the conservation center shared to its Instagram page over the weekend. In that social media post, Jennifer Pribble, a senior research coordinator at the organization, suggested the flash may have happened after a tree fell on a power line during strong winds. "I think that is when a tree is falling on a power line," Pribble said on Instagram. "The power goes out, our generator kicks in, the camera comes back online, and then the forest is on fire." A wildfire is seen on the Hawaiian island of Maui, August 8, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. / Credit: Courtesy of Dominika Durisova via Reuters Echoing wildfire experts, Gov. Green said Friday that he believes a confluence of weather conditions contributed to the ignition and spread of the blazes. "It is a product, in my estimation, of certainly global warming combined with drought, combined with a super storm, where we had a hurricane offshore several hundred miles, still generating large winds," Green told CNN. "The winds were just getting out of control. Power lines were down everywhere.," Maui resident J.D. Hessemer, who owned a business in Lahaina, later told "CBS Mornings." "We just decided it was not safe to stay around for the day." The National Weather Service noted in a tweet before the fires started that significant differences in atmospheric pressure between the hurricane and the air north of Hawaii formed a pressure gradient over the islands which, when combined with dry conditions, posed a serious threat of fires as well as damaging winds. "While Hurricane Dora passes well south with no direct impacts here, the strong pressure gradient between it & the high pressure to the north creates a threat of damaging winds & fire weather (due to ongoing dry conditions) from early Mon to Wed," the agency said at the time. Claims surfaced in the following days that Hawaiian Electric, which operates Maui Electric and services 95% of the state overall, did not implement precautionary safety measures included in an emergency plan to reduce wildfire risks ahead of the storm. Citing documents, a Washington Post report noted that the provider did not shut off electricity to areas where strong winds were expected and could spark flames. A spokesperson for Maui Electric told CBS News in a statement that some steps were taken to mitigate the possibility of fires sparking before hurricane winds arrived. "Hawaiian Electric has a robust wildfire mitigation and grid resiliency program that includes vegetation management, grid hardening investments and regular inspection of our assets," the company's statement said. "The company has protocols that may be used when high winds are expected, including not enabling the automatic reclosure of circuits that may open during a weather event. This was done before the onset of high winds. ... At this early stage, no cause for the fire has been determined." Jennifer Potter, a former member of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, told the news site Honolulu Civil Beat that she believes "there should have been greater alarms raised" by the commission to Hawaiian Electric as forecasts began to warn of the hazardous wind conditions. Potter said the utilities commission should have pushed the electric company to implement a power shut-down protocol ahead of time to mitigate wildfire risks, noting that Hawaii has seen a rise in both the size and intensity of fires in recent years. Firefighting efforts and emergency response A number of agencies were called to respond to wildfires on Maui as the blazes spread rapidly over the island on Tuesday, Aug. 8, although weather conditions linked to Hurricane Dora hindered some of those efforts. National Guard helicopters activated as part of the state's emergency response to the wildfires were grounded as the wind gusts picked up that evening. A state emergency proclamation authorized the deployment of National Guard troops and extended the state of emergency. President Biden approved a federal disaster declaration on Thursday, Aug. 10. Maui's warning sirens were not triggered as the fast-moving fires began to spread. Instead, the county used emergency alerts sent to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations. When asked by reporters on Aug. 16 whether he regretted not activating the sirens, Herman Andaya, chief of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, responded "I do not." "The public is trained to seek higher ground in the event that the sirens are sounded," Andaya said, noting that the sirens are generally used to warn of tsunamis or approaching storms. "Had we sounded the sirens that night, we were afraid that people would have gone mauka (mountainside), and if that was the case, they would have gone into the fire," Andaya said. "So that is the reason why, it is our protocol, to use WEA [Wireless Emergency Alerts] and EAS [the Emergency Alert System]." Andaya explained that the agency's "internal protocol" for wildfires is to use both WEA text alerts sent to cell phones and the EAS, which are alerts sent to television and radio. "In a wildland fire incident, the (siren) system has not been used, either in Maui or in other jurisdictions around the state," Andaya said. However, with power knocked out in the area and no television or radio, residents reported receiving no text alerts or television or radio notifications. Making matters worse, residents said the fire hydrants ran out of water, hindering firefighters' ability to contain the blazes. FEMA officials confirmed there was an issue that affected the hydrants' water supply. Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez announced Aug. 11 that her agency would conduct a "comprehensive review of critical decision-making and standing policies leading up to, during, and after the wildfires." What about Hawaii's warning sirens? Hawaii has a statewide outdoor warning siren system, which can be used to notify residents ahead of natural disasters or human-caused events, including tsunamis, hurricanes, dam breaches, flooding, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, terrorist threats and hazardous material incidents, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. However, the island's warning sirens were not activated on Aug. 8. Addressing reporters on Aug. 16, Herman Andaya, chief of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, defended his decision not to activate the sirens. "The public is trained to seek higher ground in the event that the sirens are sounded," Andaya said, noting that the sirens are generally used to warn of tsunamis or approaching storms. "Had we sounded the sirens that night, we were afraid that people would have gone mauka (mountainside), and if that was the case, they would have gone into the fire," Andaya said. "So that is the reason why, it is our protocol, to use WEA [Wireless Emergency Alerts] and EAS [the Emergency Alert System]." WEAs are text alerts sent to cell phones and the EAS uses television and radio, Andaya explained. Hawaii's official government website lists "wildfires" as one of the hazards the siren alert system can be used for. However, with power knocked out in the area and no television or radio, residents reported receiving no text alerts or television or radio notifications. In the wake of the criticism over the response to the fire, Andaya, who CBS News learned had no background in disaster response, resigned his position on Aug. 17 citing "health reasons." "Everybody who has ever lived in Hawaii knows the warning sirens. It goes off once a month, every month, at 12 noon and it blares. And if it doesn't, it gets fixed because that is our first line of defense," Rep. Jill Tokuda of Hawaii said said Aug. 13 on "Face the Nation." "The reality is, with those warning signs, it tells all of us to turn on the television or look on our phones or turn on the radio," she went on. "With how fast this burn was ... if you turned on your phone, if you turned on a radio, if you even could ... you would not know what the crisis was. You might think it's a tsunami, by the way, which is our first instinct. You would run towards land, which in this case would be towards fire." As the fires raged, crews rescued 17 people who jumped into the Lahaina harbor in an effort to escape the flames, the U.S. Coast Guard said. On Front Street, a popular tourist destination, business owner Alan Dickar described seeing buildings on both sides of the street "engulfed" in flames. "There were no fire trucks at that point; I think the fire department was overwhelmed," Dickar told CBS Honolulu affiliate KGMB-TV. Speaking later to CBS News' Patrick Torphy, he added: "Maui can't handle this. ... A lot of people just lost their jobs because a lot of businesses burned. A lot of people lost their homes. ... This is going to be devastating for Maui." How do wildfires usually start? Almost 85% of wildfires in the United States are caused by humans, according to the National Park Service. Fires that are sparked this way can result accidentally from leaving campfires unattended, burning debris, using various kinds of equipment and discarding cigarettes improperly. Intentional acts of arson are another source of human-caused wildfires, the agency says. Lightning and volcanic activity are two natural causes of wildfires, although officials note that lightning strikes are a much more common catalyst. Certain weather can ignite and help spread fires, with strong winds, low relative humidity, unstable atmospheric conditions and thunderstorms contributing to what meteorologists call "fire weather," said Nick Nauslar, a meteorologist and former weather forecaster at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center, in a 2018 FAQ published by the agency. Most often, lightning strikes a tree and ignites a fire, but strong winds can also spark power lines that go on to ignite wildfires when there is dry brush or grass in the area, according to NOAA, which says wildfires can spread quickly in hot, dry and windy conditions especially when those conditions happen simultaneously. The wildfire season has been severe in Canada and across North America this year, as warm and dry conditions persist while various sections of the continent experience record heat and drought as a result of climate change. Fire damage is seen on Aug. 12, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. / Credit: Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images Maui Fire officials had warned in an alert issued Tuesday, Aug. 8, that "erratic wind, challenging terrain, steep slopes and dropping humidity, the direction and the location of the fire conditions make it difficult to predict path and speed of a wildfire." It noted that "fires can start at a far distance from their source" when wind pushes embers upward and sparks are ignited downwind. "The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house," said Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea in a statement included in the alert. "Burning airborne materials can light fires a great distance away from the main body of fire." Where are the fires in Maui? The Lahaina wildfire was one of four blazes that broke out on Maui on Aug. 8, scorching a combined 5.7 square miles. Three of the four fires were still burning as of Aug. 17. Two of the fires had originally been referred to as a single blaze, the Upcountry/Kula fire. But Maui County officials said on Aug. 17 they were determined to be two fires with "distinct origins" and, moving forward, they would be reported separately as the Olinda and Kula fires, officials said. Those two fires broke out on the eastern side of the island and have destroyed 19 homes. Terrain surrounding the fires in the Upcountry region made extinguishing the flames difficult, and firefighters battling those two blazes were still dealing with "hot spots in gulches, forests and other hard-to-reach places," officials said. The Olinda Fire has scorched 1.69 square miles and was 85% contained as of Aug. 17, while the Kula Fire burned about one-third of a square mile and was 80% contained, officials said. The Lahaina fire, which has burned 3.39 square miles, was 89% contained on Aug. 17, with officials reporting "no active threats at this time." The county has noted that even when a fire is 100% contained, that does not mean it has been extinguished but that firefighters had it "fully surrounded by a perimeter." Map shows the location of fires on the island of Maui, Hawaii, on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023. / Credit: AP Harford County investigators share video of suspect in Rachel Morin murder Retail theft on the rise nationwide Real estate developers try to capitalize off Maui wildfires Did you shop online at Sephora in Missouri between 2015 and 2021? If so, you may qualify for a payout in a recently decided class-action lawsuit against the makeup giant. Automatic refunds will be provided to eligible consumers, the lawsuit decisions website reads. The amount of your payment will depend on the total amount of money you were originally charged, the number of (people) eligible for a refund, and the total amount of money available to the settlement class. In order to qualify for a payment, you must have bought at least one Sephora product online or through another remote outlet between March 1, 2015 and June 30, 2021. Products you purchased in person at a brick and mortar store dont qualify for this settlement. Your Sephora order must also have been shipped to you at an address in Missouri from a location outside of Missouri, and Sephora must have overcharged you for taxes on your purchase. However, you dont have to track down old receipts to prove that you meet these qualifications. If you qualify, you will automatically get a refund. These refunds will be issued soon unless you have already decided to exclude yourself from the settlement. Once the $1.77 million settlement amount has paid court fees, lawyers fees and refunds to eligible Sephora customers, the remainder of the money will be donated to the nonprofit Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. Do you have more questions about class action lawsuits in Missouri or Kansas? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com. Failed Republican gubernatorial candidate and election denier Kari Lake is reportedly considering jumping into Arizonas Senate race, Axios reported. The former news anchor and darling of the MAGA Republican right rose to prominence thanks to her promoting lies about the 2020 presidential election and calling for the decertification of election results. Last year she lost to Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs but has refused to concede and has taken her complaints to courts, which have summarily rejected her attempts to overturn the election. In May, Maricopa Superior Court Judge Peter A Thompson said Ms Lake failed to prove that Maricopa, where Phoenix is located, did not verify signatures on mail-in ballots. Since then, shes become a fixture in right-wing media and at conservative gatherings such as the Conservative Political Action Conference, where she gave the Reagan Dinner speech. Earlier this week, she campaigned for Bernie Moreno, who is running for Ohios Senate seat, and praised fellow MAGA Republican Sen JD Vance, who won his race. I'm really, really excited about [Mr Vance], I'm super excited that Bernie Moreno's going to be in the Senate. And if they're in the Senate, I just might have to join them, she said. Former president Donald Trumps campaign praised Ms Lake and the idea of her running for Arizonas Senate seat. When President Trump gets back in the White House he's going to need fighters like Kari Lake in Washington, DC to help enact his Agenda 47, senior Trump adviser Caroline Wren told Axios. Arizonas incumbent Sen Kyrsten Sinema has not indicated whether she will seek another term in the Senate. In 2018, she became the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Arizona in 30 years. But Ms Sinema left the Democratic Party to become an independent in December. Rep Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) announced he would run for Arizonas Senate seat as a Democrat and outraised Ms Sinema in the last fundraising quarter. But despite her consistent opposition to many parts of his agenda, Ms Sinema joined President Joe Biden when he designated the greater Grand Canyon as a national monument on Tuesday. But a poll from Noble Predictive Insights showed that Ms Sinema would trail both Mr Gallego and Ms Lake in a hypothetical three-way matchup. French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Niger President Mohamed Bazoum at the Elysee Palace on July 23. Little more than a month later, Bazoum was overthrown (Ludovic MARIN) Niger's new military rulers on Wednesday accused France, the country's traditional ally, of releasing captured jihadists and breaching a ban on air space on the eve of a key summit on the Sahel's latest crisis. Leaders of the West African bloc ECOWAS are to meet in the Nigerian capital Abuja to weigh their options, with diplomacy apparently edging out military intervention for now. Two weeks after a coup that toppled elected president Mohamed Bazoum, the regime accused France of having "unilaterally freed captured terrorists" -- a term for jihadists conducting a bloody eight-year-old insurgency. The jihadists then allegedly gathered to plan an attack on "military positions in the tri-border area", a hotspot region where the frontiers of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali converge, according to the statement issued by the coup leaders, called the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP). "Events of an extreme gravity are unfolding in Niger as a result of the behaviour of the French forces and their accomplices," it declared. It urged security forces to "raise their alert level across the country" and the public "to remain mobilised and vigilant". The regime also accused France of having flown a "military plane" from neighbouring Chad into Niger air space on Wednesday, defying a ban imposed on Sunday. The French government rejected the allegations. "France firmly denies the new unfounded accusations by the putschists in Niger," said a joint statement by the French defence and foreign ministries. - Key summit - They also rejected the claim that France, which has around 1,500 soldiers stationed in Niger to aid anti-insurgency efforts, had released any jihadist prisoners. It added that the flight had been approved and coordinated with Nigerien armed forces, "an authorisation confirmed in writing". Thursday's summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) takes place under the chairmanship of Nigeria, the regional superpower and advocate of a hard line against the coup. Struggling to stem a cascade of coups among its members, the bloc gave Niger's military rulers until last Sunday to reinstate Bazoum or face potential use of force. But the coup leaders remained defiant, and the deadline passed without action. On Tuesday, a bid to send a joint team of ECOWAS, UN and African Union (AU) representatives to the capital Niamey was rejected by the coup leaders. But in a twist a day later, a former emir of the Nigerian city of Kano revealed that he had met with the coup leaders to help mediate the crisis. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi told Nigerian state television he had spoken to coup leader General Abdourahamane Tiani and would deliver a "message" to Tinubu, though he was not an official government emissary. "We came hoping that our arrival will pave the way for real discussions between the leaders of Niger and those of Nigeria," said Sanusi, who is known to be a close friend of Tinubu. ECOWAS and Nigeria have said they will pursue all options to resolve the crisis, and the United States emphasised hopes for a "peaceful" outcome even though it too had been rebuffed. - Fears over Bazoum - The leader of the United Nations on Thursday added to a chorus of concern about the welfare of 63-year-old Bazoum, who was detained on July 26 by members of his presidential guard. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced "the deplorable living conditions that President Bazoum and his family are reported to be living under", according to a UN statement. CNN reported Wednesday that Bazoum was being kept in isolation and forced to eat dry rice and pasta. In a series of text messages he sent to a friend, the ousted president said he had been "deprived of all human contact since Friday", with no one supplying him food or medicine, the network reported. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was "greatly worried" about Bazoum's safety, after speaking to him by phone. It is the fifth coup in Niger since independence from France in 1960 -- and the fourth in the ranks of the 15-nation ECOWAS since 2020. Bazoum's election in 2021 had helped Niger cement close ties with France and the United States, which have major bases and troop deployments in the country. - Sahel crisis - Countries in the fragile Sahel are battling a jihadist insurgency that erupted in northern Mali in 2012, spread to Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015, and is now causing jitters in states on the Gulf of Guinea. The bloody campaign has been devastating for those three countries, which have turbulent histories and are among the poorest nations in the world. Mali and Burkina Faso have also seen coups in recent years and fallen out with France, the region's former colonial power. France last year withdrew its forces from those countries and refocussed its anti-jihadist strategy on Niger. bur-stb/ri/leg/cwl The most common argument for raising the threshold to pass a citizen-led ballot initiative goes something like this: Raising the required percentage of votes protects [a state] Constitution from deep-pocketed, out-of-state interests. Thats the exact language Republicans used in Ohio this week in their attempt to pass Issue 1, which would have raised the threshold required for constitutional amendmentsfrom a simple majority to 60 percent of the vote. But citizen-led ballot initiativesoften referred to as a form of direct democracyare widely popular. Thats why Ohio Republicans scheduled their recent vote in the political exhaustion of August: in hopes of depressing turnout. This plan did not come to fruition: Massive turnout resulted in a blowout win on Tuesday night for the side seeking to preserve the status quo, paving the way for Ohioans to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution by a simple majority vote in November. In the press, the Ohio vote was treated as a referendum on abortion because, for all intents and purposes, that was the end it served. Republicans hoped to increase the threshold to 60 percent solely to have a chance at defeating an upcoming ballot initiative amending the Ohio Constitution and enshrining Ohioans right to make and carry out [their] own reproductive decisions. But abortion is widely popular too. Thats why Kansas Republicans scheduled their special election on abortion in August 2022 as well. Things didnt go as theyd planned: In that year, there were six ballot measures dealing with abortion. In every single case, voters sided with the pro-choice opinion. Finding themselves on the unpopular side of kitchen-table issuesand facing the backlash of motivated votersRepublicans around the country have taken steps to limit the potential of direct democracy as voter-supported measures like abortion, cannabis, minimum-wage increases, and Medicaid expansion become more common on the ballot. And Republicans have largely remained on message, insisting that limiting their constituents ability to change their constitution is necessary for the protection of their constituents. A Republican state senator in North Dakota who proposed a 2023 resolution to increase the threshold from a simple majority to 60 percent told a Senate panel, Our constitution is being changed by out-of-state monies and out-of-state residents. In Arkansas, the Republican state representative sponsoring a similar measure in 2022 said, Our initiative and constitutional amendment process is really susceptible to big-money out of state interests. Republicans in Missouri were more honest about their motivationsthe Republican House speaker said, If the Senate fails to take action on [ballot initiative] reform, I think the Senate should be held accountable for allowing abortion to return to Missouri. In order to thwart the will of their voters, Missouri Republicans hoped to raise the threshold on ballot initiatives to 57 percent. When that attempt failed, the Republican Senate president promised that limiting Missourians ability to amend their constitution will be a legislative priority in the 2024 session. The only state that currently requires a 60 percent threshold to pass constitutional amendments is Florida, which raised its requirement in 2006. At the time, Republicans arguedyoull never guessballot initiatives have become a vehicle for well-financed special interest groups to protect their interests via the states most sacred document. Ironically, the top donor for the effort to increase the threshold was the National Association of Home Builders, which you might justifiably characterize as a well-financed special interest group. In reality, Florida increased its threshold for constitutional amendments because then-Governor Jeb Bush spent years fighting a citizen-approved amendment to build a high-speed rail system across the state. Bush eventually succeeded in scrapping the project and then, as a final power grab, ensured Floridians would have a more difficult time amending their constitution in the future. Its another spot of dark irony that the Florida amendment to increase the voter threshold to 60 percent passed with only 57 percent of the vote. Its tempting to dismiss the Republican efforts to limit the effectiveness of ballot initiatives as simply another facet of their anti-democracy policies. However, the effort to limit citizens access to their constitutions is, to some extent, a bipartisan problem. Professor John G. Matsusaka of the University of Southern California, who authored the book Let the People Rule: How Direct Democracy Can Meet the Populist Challenge, told me that both parties attempt to chip away at direct democracy but Republicans do it a lot more and especially in the last 20 years, its been almost all Republicans doing this. In a recent paper studying the backsliding of direct democracy over the past six decades, Matsusaka found that 62 percent of anti-direct democracy proposals originated from Republican-controlled legislatures, 17 percent from Democratic-controlled legislatures, and the rest from divided legislatures. In California, Democrats in the State Assembly recently passed a bill that would require at least 10 percent of signature collectors to be unpaid volunteers. The bills democratic sponsor told the Los Angeles Times that Californias ballot initiative system has been subverted by a small, disgruntled, well-funded, well-powered set of interests that often undermine the collective will of the people of California. Jeb Bush remains the only governor who has successfully increased the threshold to pass ballot measures. However, other Republican governors have shown disregard for ballot measures whenever their constituents implement constitutional amendments that they dont care for. In South Dakota, 54 percent of voters approved an amendment to legalize recreational marijuana. Governor Kristi Noem threw it out on a technicality, and the South Dakota Supreme Courtwhich has been appointed entirely by Republican governorssided with Noem. Noems government has previously attempted to increase the threshold for ballot measures related to taxes. A proposed 2022 amendmentwhich has its roots in South Dakotas citizen-led effort to expand Medicaidwould have required a 60 percent majority to increase taxes. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the amendment, and South Dakotas boosted Medicaid system later expanded health care to over 52,000 South Dakotans. Medicaid expansion is similar to reproductive rights, cannabis reform, and minimum-wage increases, in that its increasingly found traction on the ballot. Voters in several Republican states have recently used direct democracy to expand their Medicaid systems. Similarly, in the past 10 years, there have been 14 ballot measures to increase the minimum wage. All of them have passed. Like the Kansas vote on abortion a year ago, the Ohio vote yielded a much higher voter turnout than Republicans had hoped for. And make no mistake: The defeat of Ohios Issue 1 is undoubtedly due to that large turnout. However, theres little evidence to show that ballot measures drive turnout in general elections. In the upcoming general electionwhich seems destined for a rematch between Biden and Trumpexperts generally agree that ballot measures effect on turnout will be difficult to quantify as the top of the ticket offers such a divisive matchup. But that doesnt negate the importance of ballot issues or their effect on the political landscape. Professor Daniel Smith of the University of Florida told me that ballot measures have these spillover effects; it could be not only turnout but increasing political knowledge and civic engagement. Increasing political participation more generally because citizens are now being asked to exercise their voice. On Tuesday, Ohioans turned out in droves to exercise their voices and to retain their ability to exercise their voices. The early voting figures alone tell a storyat least 578,490 Ohioans turned in early ballots for the Issue 1 vote. Only 288,700 Ohioans voted early in the 2022 election, according to The Columbus Dispatch. But while the effort to limit direct democracy was defeated in Ohio, theres no indication that Republicans are likely to slow their efforts to silence the will of their constituents. Sarah Walker, director of policy at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, told me: From that very beginning point when you file [a ballot initiative], were seeing legal challenges starting almost immediately. And were seeing it at every step throughout the process. And furthermore, once an initiative is voted on and is meant to be enacted, we are watching significant attempts to undermine the intent of the ballot initiatives by legislatures. Some of those challengeslike Kristi Noems fight to keep citizen-approved cannabis illegal in South Dakotahave been successful. In Missouri, voters expanded Medicaid and the Republican-controlled General Assembly refused to fund the expansion. But legislatures attempts to fight the wills of their constituents is not a new phenomenon. Professor Matsusakas study found a burst of antidirect democracy measures between 1995 and 2005. Of course, the political landscape of America is much different than it was at the turn of the century. Voters are more engaged. The 2020 election featured the second-highest percentage of voter participation in American history. And in post-Roe America, theres no indication that voters are more likely to stay homeeven if Republicans in Ohio, and other state legislatures around the country, dearly wish that they would. Film director William Friedkin, who died Monday at age 87, was best known for The French Connection and The Exorcist, but he also directed two high-profile and controversial gay-themed movies The Boys in the Band and Cruising. Both have received some condemnation of how they portrayed gay and bisexual men, but both have also been reevaluated in recent years. The Boys in the Band came out in 1970, two years after the Mart Crowley play it was based on premiered off-Broadway; Crowley also wrote the screenplay. The film starred all the actors who originated the roles onstage. It depicts a group of New York City gay and bi friends meeting for a birthday party for one of their number. They drink excessively, use recreational drugs, and snipe at each other. Friedkin, who was straight, once claimed to have been cruised by a gay man on Fire Island, which he was visiting as research for doing the film, and getting out of there as quickly as my legs would take me, according to a 1980 article by Edward Guthmann in the journal Cineaste. The play and the film were criticized at the time and later for portraying queer men as dysfunctional and self-loathing. The objections were mainly to the source material, not Friedkins direction. Crowley has a good, minor talent for comedy-of-insult, and for creating enough interest, by way of small character revelations, to maintain minimum suspense, Vincent Canby wrote in The New York Times upon the movies release .There is something basically unpleasant, however, about a play that seems to have been created in an inspiration of love-hate and that finally does nothing more than exploit its (I assume) sincerely conceived stereotypes. He did praise Friedkins direction as clean and direct, and, under the circumstances, effective in a film that takes place mostly in one space, party host Michaels apartment. However, Village Voice critic Andrew Sarris found the characters more sympathetic but pleading too much for viewers' acceptance. Crowley wants to have it both ways, describing the vitality and vivacity of the homosexual milieu with his left hand while bemoaning the immaturity and instability of the homosexual condition with his right, Sarris wrote in 1970. Ultimately the characters bid blatantly for audience sympathy. Crowleys work was reevaluated in light of a 2018 Broadway production, starring all queer actors, and 2020 Netflix film with the same cast. From a 21st-century perspective, viewers could see that the problems of the men in Boys came not from being gay but from living in a homophobic world. And as Crowley said, he was not trying to represent all gay men. Friedkin was relatively unknown when The Boys in the Band was released, but by the time of Cruising he was acclaimed and famous. Hed won the Best Director Academy Award for The French Connection, which came out in 1971, and been nominated for The Exorcist, a box-office smash in 1973. When it was reported that he was shooting Cruising, for which he was the screenwriter as well as director, gay activists were deeply concerned. Cruising, based on a 1970 novel by Gerald Walker, tells the story of an ostensibly straight New York City police officer going undercover in S&M bars in pursuit of a serial killer of gay men. Al Pacino was cast as the policeman. Arthur Bell, a Village Voice writer, penned a column describing Friedkins Fire Island story, and went on to say that Cruising promises to be the most oppressive, ugly, bigoted look at homosexuality ever presented on the screen, the worst possible nightmare of the uptight straight, and a validation of Anita Bryants hate campaign. Bell encouraged gay people to protest at the films New York locations, which they did. Bell said hed put out a contract on the movie; Friedkin said it would actually alleviate the violence against gays in the country. Some activists tried to stop its release, but United Artists did release it. Guthmann observed that it neither incited violence nor impressed film reviewers. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that the plot structure is a mess and that the movie implies that Pacinos character may be doubting his heterosexuality but never explores this issue in depth. It seems to make a conscious decision not to declare itself on its central subject, Ebert remarked. Some critics demonstrated more than a touch of homophobia in their reviews, describing the S&M bar settings as bizarre, while Canby said Friedkin portrays them with far more leering attention to detail than most people will find necessary. However, there were reports that Friedkin cut much sexually explicit footage from the film in order to avoid a X rating. The 2013 movie Interior. Leather Bar, from James Franco and Travis Mathews, reimagined this footage. In the new millennium, reviewers were finding Cruising homophobic, just as the activists against it were saying during its making. In its shameless excavation and exploitation of the killer-queen archetype the homosexual so riddled with self-loathing and guilt that they feel an insatiable urge to kill and punish others the film is bad politics and dodgy, flawed filmmaking, but its weirdly resonant and thoroughly haunting all the same, A.V. Club contributor Nathan Lee wrote in 2007. New York Times writer Scott Tobias, recommending Friedkin films to stream in the wake of the directors death, acknowledged the problems with Cruising but found some things to praise about it. Its an understatement to say that Friedkin does not approach the material with the sensitivity his doubters might have wished for, but the locations have an almost tactile griminess to them, and Pacinos performance roils with inner torment, he said. Friedkin, during the making of Cruising and after, defended himself against allegations of homophobia. Anyone who knows me or knows anything about me knows that I am not antigay, he told Janet Maslin in The New York Times in 1979. I dont make a film because Im against something. For that matter, I dont make a film because Im for something don't make propaganda. If anything, all the films Ive made are enormously ambiguous. And some reviewers have recently said that Cruising deserves reevaluation. Its clear that the film is intended as a subversive take on the status quo of its time, Peyton Brock, a trans woman and LGBTQ+ rights activist, wrote at Collider. She added, Despite the film showing the gay BDSM scene as dark and mysterious, it never condemns the scene's members; rather, only the killers and wrong-doers who would invade it. Friedkin wasnt wrong for making a movie that ultimately tells a subversive and risque story, and the protestors were not wrong for putting up their guards against another perceived attack on their community, an all too real threat at the time, she went on. However, its time to put aside the prejudices and judgments of the past, and to allow Friedkins film to speak for itself. Whether viewers see it as a subversive statement against police and the status quo; a well-made, engaging thriller; a compelling time capsule of the 70s/80s NYC gay BDSM scene; or all of the above, Cruising is worth a whole lot more than reactionary condemnation, Brock concluded. Alista Lineburg is not a lawyer, but she assumed the role when she couldnt find one to help her discharge $146,000 of federal student debt in bankruptcy. The process requires a separate lawsuit against the government, something that many lawyers refuse to take on given the time, expense and difficulty of winning. Lineburg, 49, knows this all too well. Even when the bankruptcy court tried to assign her counsel, there were no takers. The attorney called, and she said, You cant win this, Lineburg recalled. So she pressed on, alone. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times And despite the odds, she won her case. I feel like I can finally get ahead, said Lineburg, who lives in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. She was laid off from her information technology job in June, just two months after clearing her decades-old debt, from an undergraduate degree and a masters in business administration. Unlike credit card, medical and other consumer debts, student loans dont automatically disappear in bankruptcy. Debtors need to take an extra legal step both challenging and costly known as an adversary proceeding. But more people in bankruptcy are beginning to use a legal process introduced in November by the Biden administration that is supposed to make the ordeal easier, fairer and more transparent by establishing clearer legal standards and allowing debtors to present their case on a simplified form. Lineburg started her proceeding last summer and may have benefited when the new legal pathway was introduced in the fall. This is a game changer, said Latife Neu, a bankruptcy and student loan lawyer in Seattle who has successfully used the new pathway on behalf of clients. This is a tool that has been missing from my toolbox for the entirety of my career. The new process is less risky and less expensive. We can project whether the borrower has a good chance of success before the case is ever filed. Increased Filings, but Moving Slowly The long-standing position of prior administrations has been to fight nearly every case in which a borrower was seeking to discharge their debt. The Department of Justice hasnt entirely backed down, but in coordination with the Education Department, it has provided guidelines to its army of government lawyers on which circumstances would permit a discharge to debtors, who can now detail their financial situation on a 15-page attestation form. Malissa Giles, a consumer bankruptcy lawyer in Roanoke, Virginia, has filed six attestation forms so far, winning three full discharges and expecting more. She called the turnaround huge. But experiences with the application have been somewhat mixed. Some consumer lawyers report that the guidelines are being implemented unevenly, making them feel as if the fate of their case depends on the government lawyer they are assigned. Others have said they understand that the early days will be bumpy, because all parties are clumsily figuring out how the process works. More student debtors in bankruptcy may be motivated to try, now that the White Houses plan to cancel up to $20,000 in federal debt has been derailed by the Supreme Court, and federal loan payments will come due again after a three-year pause. Thats not usually the case. In each of the five years before the pandemic, roughly 250,000 people who had student debt filed for bankruptcy, according to a 2020 analysis by Jason Iuliano, an associate professor of law at the University of Utah. But only a tiny fraction of them less than 1% filed an adversary proceeding to seek a discharge. Thats just 480 people annually, on average. After the new process was introduced, 460 adversary proceedings were filed by the end of July, according to the Education Department. Thats up from 338 the month before, a 36% jump. Two-thirds of those borrowers were using the simplified process. Iuliano said that the pace was cause for cautious optimism but that there were tens of thousands who are eligible and havent filed. Most of the new cases, however, havent been settled and theyre moving slowly. Since mid-November, fewer than 45 debtors have received a full or partial discharge, according to the Education Departments recent response to an information request from the National Student Legal Defense Network, an advocacy group. It is life-changing for the people affected, but it is still not having the impact of the systematic change that was the goal, said Aaron Ament, the president of the advocacy group. A spokesperson for the Education Department said that the number of cases where borrowers will receive relief will grow as courts continue to issue final decisions. Shades of Gray in Eligibility Marilena Burdett, 64, squeaks by on a monthly Social Security check of roughly $1,000. Until May, she had $105,000 in student debt from a two-year degree that took more than three decades to complete. There were too many stops and starts to count, punctuated with obstacles along the way: Divorce. A custody battle. Thyroid cancer that remained undiagnosed for three years. Job loss. A fight with a community college to release a transcript. Burdett, who lives in Silverton, Oregon, eventually received her associate of arts degree in 2016. After filing for bankruptcy last summer, she started the legal proceeding to discharge her student debt in October, the month before the simpler process became available. Like Lineburg, she started the process on her own. But after the court paired her with a pro bono lawyer, he helped her assemble the attestation form in early February. You fill in the blanks to explain your circumstances and why you think you can never repay the loan, or explain the hardship it would impose, which in my case, seemed obvious, she said, adding that her monthly payments exceeded her Social Security check. Her debt was discharged three months later. But there are still concerns for debtors whose cases may have more shades of gray. Even with the clearer guidelines, the new policy still uses the same legal standard that discouraged borrowers from bringing the cases. Discharging student debt has become far more difficult over the past four decades. Borrowers must demonstrate that their loans create an undue hardship a standard that has been interpreted differently across the country. Most courts use a rigid standard known as the Brunner test, which is named for the 1987 case that established it: Marie Brunner filed for a discharge of her debt less than a year after she had completed a masters degree. The case created a three-part test: Is the debtor unable to maintain a minimal standard of living while making the payments? Has the debtor made a good-faith effort to pay the loans? And is the debtors situation likely to persist for a significant portion of the repayment period? Under the new guidelines, each piece of the test becomes easier to pass if the debtor can check certain boxes. For example, if a debtors expenses equal or exceed their income, they may satisfy the first question. Being older than 65 or having loans in repayment status for at least 10 years, for example, would fulfill the last question. Indeed, not all cases will be so clear-cut. Karen Bentley, a consumer bankruptcy lawyer with Neeley Law in Chandler, Arizona, said receiving discharges was much easier for debtors with circumstances hewing closely to those laid out in the guidelines. We can show the debtor never graduated. The loans are 10 years old. We have a more clear definition of what a medical hardship will look like, she said. But most people dont fit into that cookie-cutter mold, and I know that is where I am running into difficulty, Bentley added. She has one client who has received a discharge, several others who are close and 14 other cases in the works. George Thomas, a lawyer based in Leawood, Kansas, said his clients, a couple in their 50s with more than $300,000 in debt from a pair of associates degrees, were denied a discharge through the new form. Part of their student debt private debt and loans made through the Federal Family Education Loan program wasnt even eligible for the new process. They are pushing the low-hanging fruit through the conveyor belt, but they are not making the bold adjustments to address the problem in a comprehensive way to move the needle, Thomas said. A Long and Narrow Path to a Discharge Lineburg, who won her lawsuit to clear $146,000 in student debt without a lawyer, started her case in June 2022. But after the new attestation form became available five months later, the bankruptcy judge presiding over the case said the two parties should try the simplified method before going to trial. He postponed the trial to the following April. It wasnt an easy case. Lineburg said she had been earning around $80,000 before taxes, enough to raise questions about her ability to pay in the future. They were telling me it wasnt so cut and dried, she said. She began to think the government might release only a portion of her debt, which she began borrowing in 2004, when she was about 31, through 2011. Lineburg attended Lake Erie College with hopes of moving beyond factory floors and retail jobs. While attending classes, she worked in the colleges financial aid office and later in its IT department. She knew nothing about IT, but it piqued her interest, and she used the opportunity to learn. She later moved into a more advanced role there. But when she left that job to start an IT consulting business, she said, she accumulated credit card and other debts. She went back to work for an employer, earning roughly $40,000. I exhausted all of my resources trying to start a business, said Lineburg, who has three grown sons. I had to get back into the field. I had to help my boys through college. It got out of hand. It was just a tough time. That led to her bankruptcy filing, and she was able to reopen her case to file the adversary proceeding last year. The government lawyers asked to see her earnings history and proof that she had mobility issues. She provided a note from a doctor stating that she had a degenerative hip condition and sent her earnings history from the Social Security Administration, which showed she had been earning much less for most of the past 15 years before her case. That was a crucial document, she said of the earnings statement, adding that it also helped that the judge, who was retiring, kept the negotiating parties on a schedule and oversaw their mediation until Lineburgs debt was discharged. Tammy Branson, a senior paralegal at Branson Law in Orlando, Florida, is hopeful about what she called the biggest change to consumer bankruptcy in two decades. Will we wipe them all out? Probably not, but if we even get a partial discharge where they can afford to pay some of it back and discharge the difference, thats a great result, she said. c.2023 The New York Times Company Back-to-school spending is expected to reach record levels this year as families with kids in K-12 are planning to spend an average of about $890, according to the National Retail Federations annual survey. This amount includes school supplies, electronics, clothes and shoes. The federations survey also found that 67% of respondents have seen higher prices for school supplies. While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that prices for all major categories of goods increased 3% from June 2022 to 2023, prices for educational books and supplies specifically decreased 2.7% over the same period, providing some reprieve during the back-to-school season. To help you navigate the sometimes chaotic school supply aisles this year, the BND went shopping at five different stores in the metro-east and compared the price of a sample basket of school supplies. Keep reading to learn how we did it and what we found. How we did this price comparison We looked at the school supply lists for several local schools and compiled a sample basket of 10 items from the elementary, middle and high school lists. The basket consisted of: 1 box of #2 pencils (18-24 count) 1 box of colored pencils (24 count) 1 pack of highlighters (5 count) 1 pack of erasers (2-3 count) 1 12 wood ruler 1 pack of 3 x 5 ruled index cards (100 count) 1 1 durable binder (with view cover) 1 plastic folder (with pockets and prongs) 1 spiral notebook (wide- or college-ruled, 70 sheets) 1 pack of loose leaf paper (wide- or college-ruled, 150-175 sheets) We chose five stores that sell school supplies during the back-to-school season: two big-box stores (Target and Walmart), one office supply store (OfficeMax), one discount store (Dollar General) and one drugstore (Walgreens). We shopped at locations in Belleville and Fairview Heights on Aug. 4. For each item in the basket, we documented the in-store price, before sales tax, of the cheapest available version. When an item was on sale, we took that price, since most stores have consistent sales during the back-to-school season. The results We found that for our 10-item sample school supply basket, Walmart had the lowest total basket price, followed by Target, Dollar General, OfficeMax and Walgreens, which had the highest total basket price. The price difference between Walgreens and Walmart was $10. The three stores with the lowest basket price Walmart, Target and Dollar General had fewer items on sale but low prices nonetheless. OfficeMax and Walgreens had more items on sale, but the sale prices were often still higher than the regular price of items at the other stores. Walmart, Target and OfficeMax had the widest selection of products and brand availability, while Dollar General and Walgreens were more limited. One item we saw on many school supply lists was a calculator, specifically from the brand Texas Instruments. We didnt include this brand-specific item in the basket because it wasnt available at Dollar General or Walgreens. As of Tuesday, a Texas Instruments 30X IIS Scientific Calculator was on sale for $9.88 at both Target (regularly priced $16.99) and Walmart (regularly priced $11.00). At OfficeMax, the same calculator was on sale for $14.99 (regularly priced $18.89). A Texas Instruments 84 Plus Graphing Calculator was on sale for $96.99 at Target (regularly priced $139.99), $96 at Walmart (regularly priced $139) and $105.99 at OfficeMax (regularly priced $133.69). Another option which could save you some money on this high-ticket item is Facebook Marketplace, where many people are selling their used graphing calculators at a fraction of the store price. More money-saving tips In future years, you may be able to take advantage of back-to-school tax holidays. The sales tax holiday for school supplies that Illinois had last August is not returning this year. State Rep. Kevin Schmidt has introduced new legislation to establish a tax holiday for certain school supplies from Aug. 2-11, 2024. If passed, the bill would reduce the sales tax on school supplies from 6.25 to 1.25%. (Missouri still had its back-to-school tax-free weekend this year from Aug. 4-6.) Shopping during sales is another way to save, but as our comparison found, the sale price at one store may still be higher than the regular price at another store. Many stores have price-matching policies that can be advantageous though, including Walmart and Target. Store-brand products are often cheaper than their name-brand equivalents, but not always. Sometimes, a sale or coupon can bring the price of the name-brand product down to compete with the store-brand product. You can usually find physical coupons in an insert in the Sunday newspaper, or you can print them on coupons.com. Many stores apps also have digital coupons you can clip to your account that will be automatically applied at checkout. You can often use coupons on sale items and in conjunction with a stores rewards programs to increase your savings (but read the fine print in ads and on coupons to be sure). The Krazy Coupon Lady website has several resources available to help you with back-to-school savings. They do the leg work of tracking sales and coupons, posting when they find a good deal. They also have back-to-school sales guides for many stores and a school supply stock-up price list, which lets you know the lowest price you can find for items this year. If your budget is really tight this year, there are plenty of giveaways happening in the community. Were compiling a list of them here. This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIMEs politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. In early 2019, one of the Democrats white-shoe super PACs huddled with its deep-pocketed donors to talk strategy and dropped something of a bombshell. Priorities USAs leaders had prepared a $100 million spending plan for must-win presidential states that included Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida. They were also looking to spend an undetermined sum in states on the cusp like Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and New Hampshire. The path to 270 electoral votes and the White House would go through those states, the strategists argued. Ohio did not make the cut, a major shift from four years earlier. In fact, Ohio was ranked between Texas and Iowa in terms of competitiveness in 2020. In other words: not terribly. The thinking around Washington on Ohio as an out-of-reach luxury for Democrats hasnt changed. The only Democratic candidate for statewide Ohio office to win since 2012 is Sen. Sherrod Brown. The state party seems to churn in lurches. Thomas Suddes, the states leading political columnist, rightly dubbed Ohio Democrats endangered species in his post-mortem of 2022. The state twice went for Trump by 8 points. Latent sexism played a big role in Hillary Clintons loss there, and it certainly didnt help Democrats 2022 nominee for Governor, Nan Whaley, in her campaign that lost 85 of Ohios 88 counties. Trumpian politics of grievance, grudge, and victimhood made him a more appealing choice to more Ohioans than Middle Class Joe Biden, even if Biden did manage to become the first Democrat to get to the White House without Ohio since J.F.K. (No Republican in the two-party era has ever done so.) So you see why Ohio hasnt been atop many national strategists reasons for optimism. Ohio was just not a good ROI, a senior Democrat told me this week. Any money we put there was to make the other guys spend, too. Well, he might want to at least put a pin in that verdict, given the outcome of a ballot measure Tuesday night that was a clear stand-in for the current fight over access to abortion. My TIME colleague Sanya Mansoor has a great break-down of the vote that was nominally about changing the process of amending the Ohio Constitution. The GOP effort to make it harder to enshrine access to abortion in Ohio fell apart, and it wasnt even close. The measure failed along the lines of 57-43. That means the citizen-led ballot initiative to add a right to abortion access to the state constitution will only need the support of a simple majority to pass in November. Given Tuesdays results, that seems eminently reachable. Ohio is just the latest in a streak of states whose voters have shown a strong interest in protecting or expanding abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Courts gutting of a federal right to that medical procedure. But its Ohio, no? The state that was an afterthought to the Democratic Partys biggest donors in recent years. If out-of-state dollars could pour into the state to turn back efforts to thrash abortion rights, why couldnt they do the same for candidates? Thats the question a lot of Washington will be asking this week with major implications for the White House and control of the Senate. So far, the Biden campaign has gone on the air to the tune of about $1.6 million in eight states, but has not spent any money on ads in Ohio. In briefings with donors, top Biden advisers have cast Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania as their route to win. Theyre also tiptoeing into North Carolina with its shifting demographics and some inside Bidens orbit have a parochial interest in playing in Florida, home to Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. Ohio, at least for now, remains on the White Houses wishlist, not a must-have. That instinct is not entirely irrational. Ohio, objectively, has grown more partisan in recent years. Rural counties have deepened their hue of red and the urban ones have gone darker blue. But the shift leftward in Ohios cities is lagging others in the region. (A terrific London School of Economics political science blog explains that data here.) But the basic gist is this: Ohios three biggest citiesCleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnatiare politically closer to Des Moines and Indianapolis than reliably blue Philadelphia, and thus insufficient offsets in otherwise red states. For instance, strategists can count on 70% support for Democratic nominees in Philadelphia, while Cincinnati broke for Biden with 57% support. And, unlike other states that went blue, Ohios three biggest counties account for just 44% of the population; Philadelphia makes up for 57% of Pennsylvanias population. Ohio skeptics argue there just arent enough voters in Ohios big Democratic cities to offset deficits in suburban and rural areas. Yes, but this might not be the whole story. Brown, the states senior Senator, is on the ballot next year, and hes one of national Democrats top priorities for defense-at-all costs. Democrats can afford to lose just one of the 23 incumbent seats on the map next year and stay in power. Brown already announced he is running again, and the Republican race to challenge him is likely to become a messy affair on par with the nasty 2022 primary for the seat being vacated by Sen. Rob Portman. For Democrats facing a tough map of defending seats in Montana, West Virginia, and Arizona, any breathing room in Ohio is a welcome development. With both Biden and Brown on the ticket in Ohio in 2024, Democrats might just have a shot at breaking the Trumpist hold over the Buckeye State. The abortion-minded vote this week only adds to the optimismperhaps ill-placed, admittedlythat Ohio may be poised to roar back to swing-state status. After all, Brown has been preaching Ohios competitive nature to anyone who will listen, and his ear on Ohios political tuning fork is as good as they come. Hes hardly a heretic inside the admittedly contracting Democratic clubhouse, and was widely considered a strong contender for a 2020 presidential race if he wanted to try. Then theres the states history in presidential politics, encumbered with all of its limits. For years, it was assumed without question that Ohio was the archetypal swing state. The 2008 general election saw the nominees drop in some 50 times ahead of Election Day. In 2004, that number was 40. So baked-in was the reputation that a well-received 2006 documentary played up the unofficial credo of the political class: As goes Ohio, so goes the nation. Its a Midwestern adaptation of New Yorks lyrical belief that if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. That sentiment was hard to find last year, when I spent the last week of the 2022 campaign talking with voters and candidates from Cincinnati to Cleveland, Toledo to Chillocothe. It seemed like the states Democratic base was on an apathetic autopilot despite some novel attempts to rally behind Bidens accomplishments. There were reasons to keep finite money out of the state. But Tuesdays results stand to, if not start a pipeline of campaign cash into Columbus, at least invite a conversation about whether writing off Ohio as a lost cause might have been premature. After all, history and math can only take a political idea so far. Sometimes, the voters themselves reveal an opportunity, one that exists beyond spreadsheets and pivot tables. Occasionally, the organic ideas that seem mad on legal pads but prove sage come election night. Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the D.C. Brief newsletter. Write to Philip Elliott at philip.elliott@time.com. Yahoo News Former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted on criminal charges by a Georgia grand jury in connection with their attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Yahoo News spoke with a legal expert who explains why this indictment might be the most consequential of all. WASHINGTON Special Counsel Jack Smith obtained a search warrant for former President Donald Trumps long-dormant Twitter account in January, according to a court document unsealed Wednesday. Twitter turned over Trump's Twitter information in February, three days late, and a federal judge fined the company $350,000 for missing the deadline. The revelation of the Trump search warrant, which was accompanied by an order that Twitter not disclose the warrant, is outlined in a decision last month from a federal Court of Appeals that upheld the judge's decision to hold Twitter in contempt. Special Counsel Jack Smith speaks to the press at the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC, on June 9, 2023, announcing the unsealing of the indictment against former President Donald Trump. The newly unsealed ruling, which includes some redactions, deals more with Twitters response to the search warrant than Smith's case against Trump for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. The Justice Department obtained the search warrant on Jan. 17, 2023 as part of its investigation into Trump. A district court found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses," according to the appeals court opinion. "Moreover, the district court found that there were 'reasonable grounds to believe' that disclosing the warrant to former President Trump 'would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation' by giving him 'an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior, (or) notify confederates." The warrant directed Twitter to produce data and records related to the @realDonaldTrump Twitter account, according to the document. The government also obtained a nondisclosure order, which prohibited Twitter from disclosing the existence or contents of the search warrant to any person. On his Truth Social account, Trump protested that the Justice Department "secretly attacked my Twitter account, making it a point not to let me know about this major 'hit' on my civil rights." Grand jury investigations are secret by law so that suspects do not know what prosecutors are looking at. Smith sought information about Trumps Twitter activity before and during the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Twitter, then led by CEO Jack Dorsey, suspended Trumps account shortly after that attack. Trump's Twitter account was later reinstated after business mogul Elon Musk purchased the company. The appeals court ruling in the X case also provided some background on the investigation into Trump: "Since November 18, 2022, Special Counsel Jack Smith has overseen an ongoing criminal investigation into potential interference with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election." Trump also used Twitter during his months-long effort to overturn his losses to in several states, actions that are at the heart of Smiths indictment. Trump last week was indicted by a federal grand jury on four felony counts for conspiring to steal the 2020 election from President Joe Biden, including actions that led to the Capitol insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. In June, he was indicted on federal grand jury on charges related to the hundreds of classified documents seized from his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Search warrant gives Jack Smith access to Trump's Twitter account The Russian invaders have destroyed about 81,500 private residential buildings in Donetsk Oblast, and completely destroyed or partially damaged 5,400 apartment buildings [since the beginning of the full-scale invasion ed.]. Source: Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, quoted by Voice of America news outlet Details: Kyrylenko said that the Russians also destroyed more than 1,300 social infrastructure facilities in Donetsk Oblast, including hospitals, schools and kindergartens. In addition, Kyrylenko noted that the Russians destroyed 90 transport infrastructure facilities, including bridges, junctions and crossings. Kyrylenko added that the Ukrainian government controls 51% of the territory of Donetsk Oblast, which is still home to 492,000 people. 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! Two patients with a rare genetic condition where the organs in the chest and abdomen develop in a reversed, or mirrored image, from their normal position received double-lung transplants at Northwestern Medicine. Photo by Engin Akyurt/Pixabay Dennis Deer woke from surgery in utter disbelief that he was breathing normally. He'd been on supplemental oxygen for two years, and "I didn't know what it was like not to have something on my face," said Deer, 51, a Chicago-area politician and psychologist. "I immediately said, 'Where is my oxygen?' And my wife said to me, 'Well, you don't need the oxygen anymore,'" Deer recalled. Deer wasn't buying his wife's reassurance. "I said, 'Give me my oximeter.' So I put the oximeter on my finger. It was 99%. And I was like, 'Wow.'" Deer, a Cook County commissioner, is one of two patients who recently received a rare double-lung transplant at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. Deer and the other patient, Yahaira Vega, both have a rare genetic condition where the organs in the chest and abdomen develop in a reversed, or mirrored image, from their normal position. This was the first time these sort of transplant surgeries had been performed at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, doctors said. "It's an important milestone for us because it's rare enough to do one lung transplant for this condition, forget about doing two in the span of one month within the same health system," said Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern Medicine. Mirror images The condition, situs inversus, made both patients' lung transplants an "interesting dilemma," Bharat said during a media briefing on Monday, which also happened to be a shared birthday for Deer and Bharat. "The inside of the body is essentially a mirror image of itself, so the right lung is where the left one should be and the left lung is on the right side and the heart is flipped," Bharat said. "So when we take the old lungs out of an individual, we have to tailor the new normal lungs to fit into this chest cavity, which is essentially a mirror image of itself." Surgeons had to perform on-the-fly modifications to place and attach the donor organs for Deer and Vega, Bharat said. Situs inversus affects about 1 in 10,000 people, but it doesn't always lead to health problems. Although the organs are reversed, they still function. "In fact, many of the patients with this condition don't even realize they have this until they seek medical attention for something unrelated," Bharat said. But Deer developed an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation and scarring of the lungs, requiring a transplant. Deer has needed a transplant for some time now, but doctors told Deer that he needed to lose 100 pounds before he could get on the waiting list. "It took me a year and some change, but that's when I came back to see them and that's when my process actually started," he said. 'Bird in a cage' In December, Deer was sworn in as a county commissioner from a hospital room as he struggled with shortness of breath. Deer got on the donor list for new lungs at the end of March, and spent the next several months on supportive oxygen at Northwestern Memorial. He underwent a successful transplant on May 22. Vega, 27, of Elgin, Ill., needed a lung transplant because she also was born with another rare disorder that frequently accompanies situs inversus, called primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). PCD prevents the tiny, hairlike structures in a person's airway from removing germs and pollutants, causing excess mucus to build up. In a single day, Vega could fill an entire 32-ounce cup with mucus, said Dr. Catherine Myers, a pulmonologist with the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute. "Over time, she started getting progressively sicker with more infections and worsening of this mucus," Myers said during the media briefing. Vega said her condition made her feel like a "bird in a cage." "It really gives you an identity crisis, having an invisible disability, because growing up, you know, kids can be brutal. Growing up looking perfectly fine but internally I'm a mess, it was difficult," Vega said. "I felt like I since I looked like everybody else, I tried to act everybody else and be like everybody else, but I wasn't like everybody else," Vega continued. Getting back to laughter Vega also faced the opposite problem as Deer -- she needed to gain weight to be considered for transplant. "I was falling underweight pretty rapidly and was about 76 pounds, and in order to be qualified for the surgery, I had to be at least 82 pounds, so that was a struggle," Vega said. Vega was listed for a double-lung transplant in April. She spent nine days on a waiting list before receiving her new lungs on April 28. Vega said she's most looking forward to using her new lungs to laugh. "I have always believed that laughter is the best medicine, and maybe I'm biased because I think I'm hilarious," Vega said. Unfortunately, her lung ailment stifled her laughter. "When I was sick, I could never really laugh, like those ugly snorty kind of like piggy laughs, because I would always be choking on my mucus or coughing, and then it would cause frustration and then it would cause other negative emotions," Vega said. Vega is still not strong enough to laugh. When she is, "I just know I'm going to have the ugliest laugh ever," she said. Deer, who serves as chair of health and hospitals for Cook County, plans to make organ donation and equitable access to transplants one of his platform topics. "We're both walking miracles," Deer said of himself and Vega. "Now I can breathe. Now I've got new lungs on the inside. And I'd be remiss if I did not say a huge thanks to the donor family. Somebody thought well enough to be willing to donate their lungs, or be an organ donor. "I am going to become an ambassador" for organ donation, Deer added. "Somebody out there saved my life. Helped me continue to be a father to my young daughter, continue to be a husband to my wife. For that, I'm grateful." The doctors noted that 10% to 25% of patients who need lung transplants die while on the waiting list. "Only around 2,000 to 3,000 lung transplants are done in that in North America every year, and we see at least 150,000 patients die from COPD alone," Myers said. "That's one lung disease, and obviously it is not the only lung disease. Our need for this therapy vastly outpaces the supply, and it also limits our ability to do some of these riskier procedures just because we do have a limitation in organs." More information The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration has more about organ donation. Copyright 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved. A Dover man will remain in the Morris County Correctional Facility as he awaits his next hearing in the death of a homeless man found under a highway overpass near Route 15 and Route 46 in Dover in late July. Wilfredo Cabrera-Masariegos consented to detention when appearing before Morris County Superior Court Judge Thomas Critchley last Wednesday. Police claim that Cabrera-Masariegos, 34, hit 47-year-old Rene Rivera Hernandez with a rock before fleeing the scene. He is charged with second-degree manslaughter, third-degree possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Cabrera-Masariegos' attorney, Elizabeth Martin, said her client is looking to resolve the case "as soon as possible." More: Three homeless deaths in two weeks have Dover, Morris officials searching for solutions Morris County news Neighbors fume as Parsippany OKs warehouse zone next to big housing project "He currently is not a United States citizen," Martin said. "He's looking to be deported back to Honduras where he can be with his family." When asked by Critchley if he understood he had the right to a detention hearing, Cabrera-Masariegos said he wanted the court to deport him so he could go back home to work and provide food for his family. Critchley told him he understood that but did not have jurisdiction over whether or not he would be deported as those are federal regulations. Critchley said he understood that Martin is looking toward a speedy resolution to his case and that depending on what unfolds, it would then be determined by Federal Custodies if he would be deported. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Dover NJ man consents to jail in homeless man death An uncrewed surface vessel known as the Arabian Fox was out front as part of a group of US Navy and Coast vessels during a recent transit of the Strait of Hormuz. A semi-autonomous drone boat recently helped escort a number of U.S. naval vessels during a recent high-profile transit through the volatile Strait of Hormuz linking the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The group of ships that were part of the transit included the U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Thomas Hudner carrying senior commanders. For years now, the service has been using this particular region as a place to test and evaluate new uncrewed platforms through real-world missions, such as keeping watch on Iranian forces and helping to guard high-value friendly assets. The Navy released the picture, seen at the top of this story, of the L3Harris Arabian Fox uncrewed surface vessel (USV) out in front of the other ships in the group as they passed westward through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf on August 6 earlier today. Beyond USS Thomas Hudner, the Navy's Lewis and Clark class cargo ship USNS Amelia Earhart and the U.S. Coast Guard's Sentinel class cutter USCGC Charles Moulthrope are also seen in the image. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) had announced yesterday that its commander, U.S. Army Gen. Michael Kurilla, as well as Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, had joined the Thomas Hudner as it made the transit. Cooper is head of Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and U.S. Fifth Fleet. This is not the first time Kurilla and Cooper have done something like this. The two officers visited the Ohio class nuclear ballistic missile submarine USS West Virginia somewhere in the Arabian Sea last year, which was a highly unusual disclosure of that boat's presence in the region at all. CENTCOM commander Army Gen. Kurilla, second from the right, and U.S. Fifth Fleet/Naval Forces Central Command commander Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, second from the left, during their visit to USS West Virginia in 2022. CENTCOM Very similar to the Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed 13 (MAST-13) that L3Harris built for the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) in the United Kingdom, Arabian Fox is a 13-foot-long USV reportedly capable of reaching speeds up to 40 knots and having a maximum at-sea endurance of 36 hours. It is equipped with an MX-10MS sensor turret with electro-optical and infrared full-motion video cameras, as well as robust communication and artificial intelligence (AI) enabled control suites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5fQ_sfxPvs Arabian Fox can sail semi-autonomously along set routes and features an autonomous collision avoidance capability that allows it to sail safely together in close proximity to other vessels. During the USV's time in the Middle East already, L3Harris has demonstrated the ability to control it using line-of-sight datalinks, via a mesh network made up of various assets. Arabian Fox has already made multiple transits of the Strait of Hormuz alongside other U.S. naval vessels this year, but the one on August 6 was particularly significant given the presence of Gen. Kurilla and Vice Adm. Cooper. Arabian Fox, in front, alongside the US Coast Guard's Sentinel class cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr., in the middle, and the Navy's Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Paul Hamilton, at rear, during a previous transit of the Strait of Hormuz in May 2023. USN Helping to provide additional situational awareness as part of a larger group of naval vessels, especially high-value assets like warships carrying top officials, is fully in line with the kinds of mission sets that the Navy has been looking at for smaller USVs. The additional set of 'eyes' that a platform like Arabian Fox can provide is especially relevant in the Strait of Hormuz where the potential threat picture is diverse and there is limited space to maneuver. If Iran were to try to block access to the Strait of Hormuz, it would be able to call upon an arsenal that includes missiles, kamikaze drones, and naval mines. In addition to fleets of small crewed fast attack boats that they can use to swarm larger vessels, the Iranians also have remotely operated suicide boats. This is a capability they have demonstrated as a real threat through their assistance to Houthi rebels in Yemen. The value of explosive-laden drone boats has only been underscored more recently by Ukraine's active use of them against Russian ships and other targets. Historically, smaller crewed patrol boats, which the Navy has been steadily divesting, have provided this kind of close escort in the Strait of Hormuz, often together with larger warships, and similar waterways elsewhere around the world. Close-in defense is particularly important when it comes to countering swarms of small boats, crewed or uncrewed. When it comes to defending against drone boats in the future, it may well be the case that the best option is the employment friendly ones. Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) type missions have also been a key focus for the Navy's Task Force 59, to which Arabian Fox is currently assigned. Created in 2021, Task Force 59 has been using strategic waterways around the Middle East as real-world environments to test and evaluate new uncrewed platforms, including aerial drones, USVs, and uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV), as well as related AI-driven technologies. The unit, which other branches of the U.S. military are now emulating, has also been contributing to real missions, like helping monitor malign Iranian activities. This has already led to direct altercations with Iranian forces, including one incident where they briefly seized a pair of the task force's Saildrone USVs in the Red Sea last year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=417vEblGm1o "We have said all along that Iran poses the most pressing threat in the region. There have been a number of growing threats, from a maritime perspective, facing commercial vessels that are transiting regional waters, and those threats are well reported," Navy Cdr. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesperson for NAVCENT and Fifth Fleet, told The War Zone in an interview earlier this year. "And Iran has often been behind them. That's a common thread." "That's why we feel that strengthening our existing partnerships and accelerating innovation are key. And those two things are intertwined," he continued. "And those two things are reflected in our establishment of Task Force 59 and how we have moved out and are integrating these new technologies." The Strait of Hormuz is a particularly strategic waterway and potentially dangerous chokepoint. Nearly 90 percent of all oil produced in the Persian Gulf, which accounts for around 20 to 30 percent of all global oil exports, exits the region via the Strait. Iran, which controls one side of the Strait, routinely threatens to blockade it in retaliation for actions taken by the United States and others. Just in the past month or so, the U.S. military has significantly reinforced its presence in this part of the world, including with the deployment of the USS Thomas Hudner and F-35 and F-16 fighters. This is in response to a string of seizures and attempted seizures of commercial vessels by Iranian forces earlier this year. This includes an incident last month where Iranian personnel opened fire on a commercial tanker off the coast of Oman, but where American naval forces intervened to prevent its capture. No one on the tanker was injured and it suffered no significant damage, according to the Navy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFYGbTNBepw A Navy Amphibious Ready Group carrying a Marine Expeditionary Unit has now also arrived in the region for a scheduled deployment. There have been reports that the U.S. government is considering making Marines available to guard commercial vessels by deploying aboard them. Task Force 59's work has impacts beyond the Middle East. The unit's work is helping the Navy to explore and refine its still-evolving concepts of operations for integrating more robust USVs and UUVs into routine operations, as well as just gain relevant real-world experience in this regard. The Navy, as well as the Marine Corps, have a stated interest in fielding larger numbers of increasingly diverse USVs and UUVs that can take on a wide array of missions beyond ISR, including electronic warfare and stand-off strike, and do so at relatively low cost. These platforms also have the benefit of being able to operate well forward of crewed vessels, helping to keep the latter further away from known and unknown threats. The Navy has already test-fired a multi-purpose SM-6 missile, which can be employed against aerial and surface threats, from a containerized launch system mounted on a larger USV. The Marines are also working to acquire a fleet of Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessels (LRUSV) that can perform ISR missions and be armed with loitering munitions for launching precision strikes on targets at sea or ashore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6F49rv-Dxw At the same time, significant questions remain about exactly how the Navy, especially, will proceed with its uncrewed plans. The service has gotten pushback from Congress in recent years over concerns it has not fully fleshed outs how it expects to use various tiers of USVs and UUVs. Still, USVs like Arabian Fox helping to escort larger groups of U.S. Navy ships look set to be an increasingly common sight, especially in congested and potentially dangerous waterways like the Strait of Hormuz. Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com Dua Lipa must face lawsuit claiming she copied 'Levitating' FILE PHOTO: Premiere of "Barbie" in London By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge in Manhattan said the British pop star Dua Lipa must face a lawsuit accusing her of copying her 2021 megahit "Levitating" from a 1979 disco song. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla on Tuesday said songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer could try to prove "substantial similarity" between "Levitating" and their song "Wiggle and Giggle All Night." Lawyers for Lipa and her record label Warner Records did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The lawsuit, filed in March 2022, claimed that "Levitating" shared "compositional elements" with "Wiggle," most significantly by duplicating its opening melody. Defense lawyers argued that it was implausible to believe that Lipa, 27, heard "Wiggle" before writing "Levitating." Failla agreed, but said the plaintiffs alleged "just enough facts" to argue that the songs were so "strikingly similar," including by sharing a "repetitive rhythm" and "signature melody," that Lipa must have copied theirs. "The court cannot foreclose the possibility of plaintiffs meeting the undoubtedly high bar of proving striking similarity," Failla wrote. Jason Brown, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, in a statement said they "have great respect for the artists of today but if their material is used there must be proper attribution and compensation. We look forward to conducting discovery and taking this case to trial." Failla's opinion does not cover the plaintiffs' claim that "Levitating" copied another song, "Don Diablo," to which they owned a copyright. "Levitating," from Lipa's album "Future Nostalgia," spent 77 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 U.S. singles chart, and was the No. 1 song on Billboard's 2021 year-end chart. In June, a federal judge in Los Angeles dismissed a lawsuit accusing Lipa of copying "Levitating" from a 2017 song by the Florida reggae group Artikal Sound System. Another lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on July 31 claimed that Lipa never got permission from the musician Bosko Kante to include his "talk box" recording in remixes of "Levitating." The case is Larball Publishing Co et al v Lipa et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 22-01872. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler) NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare as seen in the bright flash on the top right on Oct. 2, 2022. The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares and which is colorized in orange (NASA/SDO) The Earth narrowly avoided being hit by a cannibal solar flare but has been lashed by powerful enough blasts to disrupt communications. In recent days, space weather forecasters had warned that the Earth could be hit by a range of powerful flares that have been ejected from the Sun. Particular warnings focused on the cannibal flare, which was forecast to potentially glance Earth. Cannibal solar flares are formed when a later blast catches up with one that was ejected earlier, and consumes it. The energy of the two is combined, which can make them far more powerful than flares that are released on their own. The latest cannibal flare appears to have missed Earth, however. Forecasts had suggested that it was only expected to glance the planet, and so a miss was perhaps likely. The Earth was struck by an X-class flare, however. That is the most potent category of solar flares, and can cause considerable disruption on Earth. This time around, space weather experts warned that the blast was enough to disrupt radio and navigation signals in North America. It was measured as an R3 blackout on a scale that runs from 1 to 5 which meant that areas in the US and Canada as well as on the Pacific Ocean were at risk of having radio signals and navigation disrupted. The Sun moves through a cycle of activity every 11 years, during which it releases more and less coronal mass ejections or CMEs, and it is currently in a particularly busy part of that cycle. Those CMEs can bring energetic flares that hit Earth and could one day cause considerable problems on the planet, disrupting energy grids and other important infrastructure. The latest flare was measured at X1.5 and is the 20th such X flare to have hit the Earth in its current period. It came out of a particularly active part of the Sun, and followed other, weaker flares, the UKs Met Office said. Nonetheless, experts said the minor ongoing solar radiation storm was waning and that it did not expect significant disruption in the coming days. Months after a closed-door settlement, the Easterday family is giving up its attempt to bring a controversial Boardman, Ore., mega dairy back online. Easterday Dairy told a federal judge in March that they had reached an agreement with the former landowner, Canyon Farms II and Fall Line Capital, in a $14 million lawsuit over how the land was being managed. The details of that settlement were unclear at the time because it was agreed to outside of court, with no public records entered explaining the settlement. They asked for an extension in May to work out the deal, but the case had effectively been closed. Easterday Dairy is run by Cole Easterday and his brothers, Clay and Cutter. Theyre the sons of former Easterday Farms and Easterday Ranches president Cody Easterday. Their father is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for a ghost cattle scheme that defrauded Tyson Foods out of more than $250 million. Cody Easterday of Easterday Ranch and Farms, is shown in this file photo at the Easterday Dairy outside of Boardman, Ore. Canyon Farms, which bought the Lost Valley mega dairy after its bankruptcy in 2019, wanted Easterday off the property after new allegations of nitrate contamination were brought to light by the Oregon Department of Agriculture last summer. Easterday was asking to be paid out of their self-financed purchase of the dairy property or given a new easement to monitor nitrate used on adjacent leased farm land they no longer had access to. Now it appears Easterday Dairy and Canyon Farms came to an agreement to sell the property back to the California-based company. The $15.2 million sale of the property was recorded by Morrow County last week. Its still unclear how the sale breaks down, but Canyon Farms is once again the propertys owner. Lost Valley ran the dairy, the second largest in the state at the time, in the 73000 block of Homestead Lane in Boardman for about 18 months before shutting down and declaring bankruptcy. Easterday initially bought about 700 acres where the dairy sat, and leased the other 6,500 acres to farm. They entered an animal waste management plan that required nitrate monitoring and remediation from the ODA required to obtain a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation permit that would eventually allow them to bring cattle back on the property. After the first year, Canyon Farms declined to renew their lease, bringing in Walther Farms as the new tenant. They paid Easterday $2 million to terminate the lease at the time, according to court records from the familys bankruptcy case. Easterday had recently asked the ODA to reconsider an alleged violation and notice of noncompliance of the animal waste management plan involving fertilizer spills that allegedly happened last summer on the adjacent property because they did not have access to the area where the spills were said to have occurred. In a request for reconsideration sent to the ODA, Easterday said the spills had actually occurred on the portion of the land Walther Farms had been managing and provided what details they could about the spills given their inability to directly access the area. Easterday Dairy had been removed from that property in the months before the ODA inspector found the fertilizer spills. They did provide documentation showing that the only tank they owned that was noted by the inspector was not leaking. Overfertilizing allegations Easterday Dairy had originally bought the 736-acre production area in 2019 in a self-financed deal for $16 million and was leasing the larger 6,542-acre farm land. At the time Cody Easterday was still running the company. The ODA found that in the first season after the brothers took over farming the property, Easterday Dairy had intentionally overfertilized the property, according to ODA documents. Fall Line cited the ongoing bankruptcy of the Easterday family businesses and findings by the state that said Easterday Dairy had been intentionally over-applying liquid fertilizer, in their bid to oust Easterday from the leased property last summer. Revoking the easement that allowed Easterday to access the property left the Easterdays responsible for monitoring nitrate application on land they couldnt access. File photo Walther Farms continued monitoring and reporting to the ODA during this time, according to court documents. The bankruptcy case, which did not include the spun-off Easterday Dairy, was settled late last summer. Around the same time, Easterday Dairy filed the lawsuit against Canyon Farms because the dairy said they could not comply with the nitrate plan without having access to the property. The dairy was asking for $14 million of their investment back in order to quit the production land, or for damages. Easterday Dairy was denied a Confined Animal Feeding Operations permit because of the heavy nitrate contamination caused by the former owner, Lost Valley Farms mega dairy, and the ODAs findings that the Easterdays over applied nitrate-based fertilizer after taking over the property. Without that permit, restarting the dairy would be impossible, as they could not have animals on the land. The water source for the dairy is an aquifer that is at particularly high risk for contamination. According to a 2018 Statesman Journal article, the aquifer was classified as protected in 1976 due to dwindling water levels. Nitrate contaminated water cannot be boiled to make it safer. While animals have not been on the property since Easterday Dairy took over, they have farmed the fields and the liquid fertilizer used contains nitrates. It is the over-application of fertilizer at issue. The remediation plan breaks down the 7,500-acres into fields with allowable amounts of fertilizer that can be applied to each. Some fields allow for none at all. Easterday Dairy is required to regularly monitor nitrate levels and take corrective measures. Easterday Dairy was ordered to adhere to the animal waste management plan to remediate the nitrate for nine consecutive months after it was found that they had allegedly intentionally over fertilized the property by more than 800,000 pounds of nitrate-based fertilizer during the 2021 crop season, according to ODA documents included in the lawsuit. In subsequent filings the Easterdays have maintained they did not overfertilize the fields. In order for Oregon officials to reconsider the animal feeding permit, Easterday would have had to show they were complying with the remediation plan for nine consecutive months. The cutoff date for consideration for the permit was originally set for December 2022, making it increasingly unlikely they would have been able to obtain the permit if the clock was reset in June 2022 due to the notice of noncompliance related to the spills on the land they were no longer managing. Canyon Farms could choose to lease the dairy portion of the land for farming, as long as they abide by the nitrate plan. Family legal issues The Easterday family has been embroiled in legal issues since December 2020 when it came to light that Cody Easterday had stolen more than $250 million in a wire fraud scam that federal prosecutors dubbed a ghost cattle scheme. Tyson Foods operates this beef processing plant near Wallula, Wash., southeast of the Tri-Cities. Easterday had been charging Tyson Foods for the care of more than 265,000 head of cattle that never existed. Segale Properties was also defrauded after loaning Easterday money for the care and feed of the ghost cattle. Cody Easterday pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, but remained out of prison for more than a year while he helped navigate a massive bankruptcy lawsuit for the familys Easterday Farms and Easterday Ranches businesses. The bankruptcy settlement schedule was finalized last summer, and Cody Easterday was sentenced to 11 years in prison in October 2022. Tyson estimated their total loss, including lawyers fees and other costs, added up to more than $260 million. Segale was owed about $11 million. Judge Stanley Bastian set Easterdays total restitution at $244 million. He reported to a federal prison in California in December, but has filed two lawsuits against Tyson Foods in an attempt to reduce the amount of money he has been ordered to pay back. So far only about $70 million total has been paid back, leaving Cody Easterday owing more than $170 million to Tyson and $7.5 million to Segale. A sales associate sets out guns at Burbank Ammo & Guns. Proposed legislation would make it easier to enforce California laws that prohibit convicted felons from possessing guns. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press) California law imposes a lifetime ban on any felon (and anyone convicted of specified misdemeanors) from buying, owning, possessing or receiving a gun. Defendants who are not in custody have to turn over their firearms within five days of conviction. Its one of the nations strongest gun restrictions. But enforcement is cumbersome and spotty. Courts too often close criminal cases without first confirming that all guns have been relinquished. Every year, about 5,000 names are added to the states Armed and Prohibited Persons System, an only-in-California database that cross-references registered gun owners with people who have lost the right to possess firearms because of felony convictions or other restrictions. Read more: Editorial: Gun violence is America's way of life and death That means thousands of people who once lawfully possessed guns but are no longer authorized to have them still do. Assembly Bill 732 by Assemblymember Mike Fong (D-Alhambra) would tighten the process in part by shortening the deadline to 48 hours for people convicted of felonies and qualifying misdemeanors to give up their firearms. More importantly, it would block judges from closing their criminal cases, even after convictions, until the firearms are turned over. Judges like to close their cases and move through their dockets, so theyd be a lot more likely to give the relinquishment portion of criminal proceedings their full attention. Read more: Editorial: Monterey Park shooting is horrific, but all too familiar It is no coincidence that Fongs district includes Monterey Park, which on Jan. 21 saw the deadliest shooting rampage in Los Angeles County history. A gunman killed 11 people and injured nine others before killing himself. The gun he used was already illegal under California law. But like other firearms restrictions, this one is motivated by high-profile gun violence and is intended to help curb it in other situations. Californias gun mortality rate used to be about average but now is among the nations lowest, thanks in large part to a mosaic of laws that restrict firearm access by people presumed dangerous. Fongs bill, now in the Senate, would be one such law. Read more: Editorial: Domestic abusers still have access to guns. That has got to change There is disagreement over whether the felon-in-possession ban would be embraced or rejected if it ever comes before the U.S. Supreme Court. The courts opinions have expressed an increasingly expansive interpretation of the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. In District of Columbia vs. Heller in 2008, the court ruled that Americans have a right to guns for self-defense in their homes, but the opinion included this often-cited line that appears to favor California firearm relinquishment laws "nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill." Read more: Editorial: Mass shootings are America's parade of horribles Things are less clear after last years ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. vs. Bruen, which struck down a New York law requiring a person to show a special need before being granted a license to carry a concealed weapon. The court in Bruen said constitutionality of a gun restriction turns on whether its consistent with this Nations historical tradition of firearm regulation. The court will soon consider whether to overturn laws that restrict gun possession by people who are clearly dangerous although not convicted, and those convicted but not necessarily dangerous. California has laws in both categories. Read more: Editorial: The Supreme Court won't settle the 2nd Amendment dispute, but it can prevent disaster Quite alarmingly, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in February struck down a Texas law that requires people to give up their guns when a domestic violence restraining order is issued against them. The plaintiff in U.S. vs. Rahimi was not (yet) convicted of a felony but was obviously dangerous, with a documented history of injuring his girlfriend and firing his gun in anger at others. Yet, the court reasoned, the U.S. had no domestic violence restraining orders when the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791, so under the Bruen decision, the ban violates the 2nd Amendment. The Supreme Court has accepted the case for review. Read more: Editorial: National suicide plays out one murderous mass shooting at a time Then in June, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Range vs. Attorney General that a federal felon-in-possession ban cannot constitutionally apply to a person convicted of a nonviolent crime in Pennsylvania. Not only were there no such bans against nonviolent convicts in the 18th century, the majority wrote, but there were no lifetime bans even against violent felons who had served their sentences and returned to their communities. That case too may appear before the Supreme Court. Read more: Editorial: California gun laws under threat by right-wing Supreme Court Fong's bill does not create a new felon-in-possession ban. It simply makes an existing California law easier to enforce. The Senate should pass it when it returns from its recess next week even though the law it supports may be in jeopardy. 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. This is what we believe to be true about Florida parents: They dont want the government indoctrinating their kids, or usurping their own decisions when it comes to belief systems, sexuality, faith or politics. Thats true of Republicans. Of Democrats. Of those who have rejected partisan labels, and those who dont care about politics at all. Politicians understand that as well. Thats why they often pitch their most egregious efforts to interject themselves into those family conversations as responses to attacks on parental freedom from the other side. Liberals and conservatives alike have used this as their battle cry. But only rarely has it been weaponized to the level seen over the past few years in Florida. Two recent stories make it abundantly clear that state officials dont just want to protect children. They want to indoctrinate them using just those words. The first story comes from the revelation, by the Sentinels Leslie Postal and the Florida Freedom to Read Project, of a secretive hire by the Florida Department of Education. Terry Stoops is head of the new Office of Academically Successful and Resilient Districts, housed in the state Department of Education, and his job appears to be aimed at collaborating with school board members across the state who share the far-right ideology thats been spreading throughout Floridas K-12 system. We say appears to be because this office seems to be under some official cloak of invisibility so far as state officials are concerned. Repeated public records requests have failed to unearth even the most basic data about Stoops operation, including Stoops salary, a listing of how many people work there and the new offices budget. Nor can we find any legislative or budgetary mention of this office. We did find one additional hire, and advertisements on higher-education job boards for one or possibly two other positions. But thanks in large part to records unearthed by the Freedom to Read Project and Postal, we know what hes up to. They obtained emails and his calendar, which shows that, in the first months on the job, he reached out to conservative school board members and far-right advocacy groups such as Moms for Liberty. His emails reveal a chummy, conspiratorial tone. On May 10, for example, he emailed Orange County School Board Alicia Farrant, a Moms for Liberty member elected to the board in November. I watched some of the very misguided public comments at last nights school board meeting. I just wanted to pass along a note to thank you for serving on the board and standing up for families, Stoops email said. Other emails and requests for online meetings went out to conservative school board members but not others. Even with the secrecy, its clear what Stoops job is. This department seems formed for the sole purpose of ensuring the DeSantis agenda is worked into policy, Stephana Ferrell, one of the founders of Freedom to Read, said. It is using tax payer funds in a very deliberate, political way. Thats not the only way Floridas education system is being infiltrated by far-right views. As the Miami Herald reported, the state recently signed off on curriculum prepared by far-right nonprofit PragerU, co-founded by conservative radio host Dennis Prager, as consistent with state standards on civics and government. PragerU makes no bones about its mission: It aims to turn children into conservatives. Consider this comment, from a speech earlier this year before Moms For Liberty: Its true we bring doctrines to children, Prager told the group. But what is the bad about our indoctrination? This is a curious mindset for state officials to endorse, after DeSantis and others railed against woke ideology infiltrating public education which started off with an attack on alleged critical race theory material that DeSantis falsely claimed was being disseminated in Floridas public schools. Since then, the state and school districts have been caught banning books because they merely mentioned diverse cultures or acknowledged the existence of non-heterosexual couples; outlawing policies aimed at increasing cultural awareness and launching numerous attacks on the concept that schools should be a safe, respectful space that accepts the everyday realities that Florida students encounter. There have even been laws and policies that could put students in danger particularly, moves to undermine fair treatment of transgender students, or out LGBTQ students to their parents. And weve seen the national expressions of disgust over attempts to inject Jim Crow-era ideology into official Florida curriculum, including one passage suggesting that slavery was somehow beneficial to the miserable souls trapped in its loathsome embrace. This does not align with Floridas heritage as a state where all people are welcome and treated with respect. And we suspect it clashes badly with what most Florida parents are trying to teach their children. Because weve come to understand, over the years, that most Floridians liberal and conservative place a high priority on raising their children as decent human beings. They teach their children to treat other people with courtesy and kindness, even those with whom they disagree. They want their children to be educated with honesty and facts, not fringe theories of the right or left. Its time for those parents to speak up, Republicans and Democrats alike, and tell state leaders: Educate our children with facts, and let us see to the rest. They are not pawns, and we are tired of seeing them used that way. _____ Rosa Jimenez speaks with her mom in Mexico after being released from federal custody in San Antonio in 2021. The Travis County District Attorney's Office exonerated Jimenez on Monday. The wheels of justice can grind slowly and painfully. For Rosa Jimenez, wrongly convicted of choking a child who later died, justice took 20 years, consuming nearly half her life. It finally prevailed Monday in a Travis County courtroom. There, Travis County District Attorney Jose P. Garza moved to dismiss the murder charge against Jimenez, saying there was no credible evidence she was responsible for the 2003 death of 21-month-old Bryan Gutierrez, who suffered a severe brain injury from oxygen deprivation while Jimenez was babysitting him. Gutierrez died three months later. On Monday, Judge Karen Sage of the 299th Judicial District Court of Texas, who overturned Jimenez's conviction in 2021 and ordered her release from prison pending a new trial, upheld Garzas motion to dismiss Jimenez's murder charge. Sage apologized to Jimenez, saying the justice system failed her. When we fail to see that justice is done, its not just the accused that suffers, its our whole system, including the victims of tragedies and criminal acts, Sage said. In this case, the family of a child who died very tragically has been told for almost two decades that he passed away in a way that we now know is physically impossible, given the science. Forensic experts helped prompt fresh look at Jimenez case The decision came after the Travis County District Attorney's Office conducted an in-depth review of the evidence through its trial division and victims services and conviction integrity units. The evidence included the testimony of pediatric airway experts who concluded that the choking incident was a tragic accident. Four state and federal judges also reviewed the case and said Jimenez was likely innocent, the childs death unintentional, and that she deserved a new trial. However, Attorney General Ken Paxton blocked it. No parent should have to endure the loss of a child, and our hearts go out to the Gutierrez family. But that Jimenez, who had no previous criminal record or history of child abuse, was forced to sit in a prison cell for almost two decades while evidence of her innocence mounted, is a harsh reminder that the criminal justice system is not perfect. Too often, prosecutors and judges refuse to reconsider cases when new facts emerge. Fortunately for Jimenez, a New York-based group that advocates for the wrongly incarcerated took up her case in 2018, and Garza listened. Vanessa Potkin, Jimenezs attorney and director of special litigation at The Innocence Project, told the Editorial Board that hundreds, if not thousands, of people are sitting in prison cells across the country because of wrongful murder convictions, especially in the deaths of children. "When a child dies, it's just a devastating tragedy, but it doesn't always mean that somebody's accountable, or that some unlawful conduct caused it to happen," Potkin said. Jimenez's exoneration is another blow to the already battered reputation of Paxton, who refused to consider new evidence in her case or hear testimony from pediatric airways experts who disputed the prosecution's initial assertion that Bryan Gutierrez could not have forced a large wad of paper towels into his mouth. Paxton refused to intervene even after former Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore, who brought the charges against Jimenez, admitted that her trial was flawed. They (the attorney general's office) had no desire to listen to the new evidence, and they were purely committed to procedure over substance, Potkin told the Editorial Board. They never would sit down and listen to the facts. In fact, they said it didnt matter. Once a conviction is handed down, it's often difficult to get district attorneys to reconsider even when new evidence warrants it. We credit Garza for his willingness to take another look at Jimenez's case. Jimenez needs a kidney donor, shows grace after her exoneration Now 41, Jimenez now lives in New York City with advanced kidney disease, hoping to find viable match for a transplant. The Innocence Project has set up a web page to help her find a kidney donor. To say that Monday morning was emotional for Jimenez is an understatement: News of her exoneration came as she scrolled through cell phone photos of her new granddaughter, who was born almost at the exact time she learned she was exonerated. Instead of lashing out at a system that wronged her, Jimenez demonstrated grace. I feel grateful, Jimenez said at an impromptu New York news conference on Zoom after the hearing. Grateful for everybody that supported me, everybody that believed in me. Its a new life. My grandbaby just arrived five minutes ago. A new grandbaby, a new life. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Editorial: Rosa Jimenez exonerated in child's death Donald Trumps lawyers have already begun sounding out what the former presidents defense is going to be to charges that he tried to subvert the will of voters and prevent the peaceful transfer of power to Joe Biden. His assertion that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him is speech protected by the First Amendment, theyll argue. Trump likely will also claim he indeed believed he was the victim of election fraud, even if that notion was wholly baseless. And he might chalk up his actions to bad postelection advice from his lawyers. No one would be surprised, however, if the anchor to his defense turned out to be an all-out effort to stall, delay, drag out. If Trump were to win the 2024 election before trial, he could effectively shut down the federal cases pending against him and could in turn show special counsel Jack Smith the door. Consider what one of Trumps lawyers, John Lauro, said during an interview on NBCs Today show Aug. 2. Smith had more than three years to build a case against Trump, so why cant Trump have the same amount of time to craft a defense? Why dont we make it equal? Lauro told NBCs Savannah Guthrie. The bottom line is that they have 60 federal agents working on this. Sixty lawyers, all kinds of government personnel, and we get this indictment and they want to go to trial in 90 days. Does that sound like justice to you? The former president is entitled to ample time to build his defense in this latest indictment, and in previous charges in New York relating to hush payments made to a pornographic actress and charges in Florida that he illegally kept classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort and tried to prevent the federal government from getting them back. Thats due process, and like any other criminal defendant, Trump deserves a right to fair trial and the right to get up to speed with every facet of the prosecutions case against him, no matter how voluminous that case is. That doesnt mean, however, that Trump gets to forestall justice by churning out a series of delay tactics aimed at running out the clock. In the case revolving around Trumps attempts to subvert the 2020 election, its on U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkans shoulders to ensure that the former president doesnt stall his way out of a verdict. Chutkan has yet to set a trial date. Appointed to the federal bench by Barack Obama, the 61-year-old jurist is an experienced trial judge with a reputation for meting out tough sentences for individuals convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. We believe she has the right perspective on the events of that horrible day. In handing down a tough sentence on one of the rioters in the fall of 2021, Chutkan said, The country is watching to see what the consequences are, adding, There have to be consequences. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the latest charges and to charges in the previous two indictments. Like any defendant, he is presumed innocent. Were confident Chutkan will oversee this trial fairly and just as important, expeditiously. A complicating factor in the proceedings surrounding all three cases is the fact that Trump is a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination who, as it stands now, leads in the polls by a wide margin. Moreover, its possible scheduling might be made even messier by a fourth indictment: Prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, are looking into whether Trump should be charged for his alleged role in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Chutkan, however, should not concern herself with Trumps campaign schedule. Nor should any other judge presiding over a criminal case against the former president. Judges in these cases against Trump have a single, paramount assignment ensuring that justice occurs fairly and unimpeded. That means resisting any ham-handed attempt by Trumps lawyers to stave off trial proceedings. Succumbing to such attempts could allow Trump to sidestep accountability an unspeakable prospect given the sheer contempt that the former president displayed for this nations democratic ideals in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, and on that day. Theres another reason why the trials Trump faces, particularly the election subversion charges, should be firewalled from any Trump team stalling. If Trump is guilty of attempting to undermine democracy, Americans should know that before they vote in the 2024 presidential election. Its hard to imagine anything more disqualifying or more antithetical to what it means to be president than that. ______ Health care, infrastructure and education emerged as the chief priorities for El Paso's state House and Senate delegation during a panel discussion sponsored by the El Paso Chamber. The chamber held its annual Legislative Wrap-Up Tuesday afternoon, giving El Paso's legislators an opportunity to look back on the 88th session of the Texas Legislature and discuss what's ahead. State Rep. Lina Ortega, who recently announced that she would not be seeking reelection next year, was asked about the delegation's biggest challenges in the coming years her response: education, health care and infrastructure. More: State Rep. Lina Ortega announces she will not seek a fifth term in the Texas Legislature Those three policy issues, Ortega said, represent both a necessity to citizens and an accelerant for the city's economy. "We've got to make sure that we have jobs," Ortega said, "that people get paid well in order to keep them here." She praised efforts this session to take the first steps toward establishing a law school in El Paso, noting that El Paso is "the only large urban city in the United States that does not have a law school." The El Paso Chamber hosted the 88th Legislative Session Wrap-Up on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, at the El Paso Community Foundation Room in Downtown El Paso. Regarding health care, Ortega said that Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents in the country and a dire need for more health care professionals El Paso, she said, is even worse. "Any delegation, and I know they're all doing their part, needs to continue along those three lines," Ortega said. Legislators cite cancer center, higher education investments among session's biggest wins The discussion was moderated by Dr. Richard Pineda, director of the Sam Donaldson Center for Communications Studies at the University of Texas at El Paso. He asked the delegation to describe this year's top accomplishments, and nearly all of El Paso's legislators pointed to funding for a new cancer center and the numerous investments in higher education. This year's state budget includes $65 million for a comprehensive cancer center at Texas Tech, bolstered by a $25 million donation Aug. 8 from El Paso car dealer Steve Fox. State Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-El Paso, believes it will have "transformative effects" on the region. More: El Paso lawmakers saw success in Texas legislative session "People deserve to have health care access," she said. "Getting that additional investment for the cancer center is going to save lives." Ortega likewise referenced the cancer center, as well as funding for a psychiatric hospital and funding increases for universities and community colleges as accomplishments that will "immensely help people from this community." Those health care and education investments get to the heart of what business owners need when setting up shop in a new community, state Sen. Cesar Blanco said a "skilled and healthy workforce." "I think the Legislature has made some inroads this session," Blanco, D-El Paso, said, "sadly, the state of Texas dropped in terms of one of the best places to do business. And I think ... we need to do everything we need to do to ensure we remain competitive." Rep. Lina Ortega speaks at the 88th Legislative Session Wrap-Up hosted by the El Paso Chamber on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, at the El Paso Community Foundation Room in Downtown El Paso. Education in Texas is 'at a crossroads' While legislators hailed increased funding for education, some expressed concern over the state of education in Texas, which could spell trouble for the state's economy. Blanco pointed to attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education, which he said could stand in the way of some businesses moving to Texas. "There's good, there's bad," Blanco said, "but for the most part the state is making those investments to ensure we remain competitive." For Gonzalez, who also works as an educator, the state of education is of chief concern. "Education in our state is at a crossroads," she said, noting that partisan politics have begun to be a part of education discussions, which were generally immune from such infighting. "I think that's a very dangerous road we are starting to go on." Rep. Mary Gonzalez speaks at the 88th Legislative Session Wrap-Up hosted by the El Paso Chamber on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, at the El Paso Community Foundation Room in Downtown El Paso. Despite the increased funding, Gonzalez said the state has to be diligent in addressing the ongoing teacher shortage if it hopes to maintain a skilled workforce capable of attracting new business investments. "Without teachers or professors or an eco-system in education that works," she said, "we're never going to have that workforce. We have to be very vocal and I think business folks have to be vocal about this." Democratic delegation describes difficulties working in Republican-controlled Legislature While El Paso's delegation was able to pass a slew of bills this session, legislators described how they have been able to accomplish so much despite working in the political minority. El Paso's entire delegation is made up of Democrats, which are greatly outnumbered in both the Texas House and Senate. "We all operate in the political minority and that is difficult and it has become more difficult over time," said state Rep. Joe Moody, who asserted that the hyper-partisanship that defines Congress has made its way into the Texas Legislature. "That has slowly crept into our political reality as well. More: State Rep. Joe Moody running for reelection in Texas House, declines district attorney bid "Our mode of operation is to make sure we're all on the same page when it comes to priorities for El Paso. We know that on a number of big-ticket items ... it's going to be very challenging for us to get things across the finish line. It becomes a very complicated numbers game at times." For state Rep. Claudia Ordaz, the newest member of the El Paso delegation, the move from El Paso City Council to Legislature meant getting used to a slower pace and work that relies heavily on relationships. "The state is very much relationship driven," Ordaz said. "A lot of politics." Where council action is constituent focused, Ordaz said, legislators are constantly dealing with staff, advocacy groups, lobbyists and hundreds of other legislators. Rep. Claudia Ordaz Perez speaks at the 88th Legislative Session Wrap-Up hosted by the El Paso Chamber on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, at the El Paso Community Foundation Room in Downtown El Paso. But a priority for her has been creating a "different narrative about what the border means, what it stands for" as anti-immigrant rhetoric continues to heat up in Texas. "For us, we need to ensure we're taking care of our people," Ordaz said, "and make sure we're telling that narrative about what the border really means." For Ortega, working Republican-controlled House means having to "tippy-toe" around hot-button issues. That strategy has paid off, she said, and El Paso's legislators continue to accomplish "a lot of good things." "I'm proud to have served with this delegation," Ortega said. "Obviously, we don't always vote the same ... but we are, on things that affect this community, we are very united." This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso state delegation looks back on 88th Texas legislative session Elon Musks Twitter refused to comply with a federal search warrant for Donald Trumps Twitter account, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for the social media company, according to court documents released Wednesday. Special counsel Jack Smith obtained the warrant in mid-January and served the warrant to Twitter, now called X, alongside a nondisclosure order. The order barred the social media platform from informing Trump that his account would be searched. After being served the warrant, however, the company took several days to respond. Twitter then filed a motion to vacate the nondisclosure order on February 2, arguing the order violated the First Amendment, and refused to comply. The company demanded that U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell, who was overseeing the case at the time, block enforcement of the search warrant until the matter was resolved. Instead, Howell found Twitter in contempt and fined the platform $50,000 a day, doubling for each day of noncompliance. Twitter still did not comply with the warrant until February 9, resulting in a total of $350,000 in fines. Twitter appealed the ruling, but in July, an appeals court upheld Howells decision, the documents released Wednesday show. The district court found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses, the three-judge panel said in its ruling. Moreover, the district court found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that disclosing the warrant to former President Trump would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation by giving him an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior, [or] notify confederates. Its not yet clear what Smith was looking for on Trumps account. The former president favored Twitter over every other form of communication, and used the platform to push his election fraud conspiracies and encourage his followers to come to Washington on January 6, 2021. Many people arrested in connection with the January 6 insurrection said they felt that Trumps tweets were a direct call to arms. Smith could try to use Trumps tweets to demonstrate a pattern of behavior, part of proving one of the conspiracy charges against the former president. Trump was charged last week with trying to overturn the 2020 election and faces four counts of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to corruptly obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against the right to vote. A white woman went berserk on a Latino couple over the weekend, stopping cars in an Albuquerque mall parking lot to tell the pair to leave the country and go back to Mexicoall because they used a crosswalk. On Sunday, Jonathan Gonzalez posted a TikTok of the incident that has since gone viral, garnering millions of views. According to local outlet KOAT 7 Action News, Gonzalez and his girlfriend were shopping at the Coronado mall during New Mexicos tax-free weekend and started to walk through a parking lot crosswalk when a driver wouldnt let them pass. Then, he said the woman began to follow them. I was scared for my girlfriend because she was walking alongside where the woman was driving," Gonzalez told the outlet. "The woman wouldn't stop yelling and honking. She didn't put her window down, but when we turned around, she got out of the car." In the video, a Volkswagenwith its drivers door left openhas blocked cars outside of a Barnes & Noble. Cops ID and Charge White Antagonists in Wild Alabama Dock Brawl Get your ass out of my fucking country! a woman wearing sunglasses screams into the camera. I put my life on the line for this country, not your fucking shithole! Go back to Mexico, you shithole! Then, the woman claims to a liberal bystander that Gonzalez pushed her car. In a second video Gonzalez posted, the woman continues arguing outside of the Volkswagen. Who you gonna call?! she shouts. The cartel?! In a separate video filmed by Johan Breur and uploaded by his fiancees aunt, who goes by @smmontoya11, cars repeatedly honk their horns while the woman argues with bystanders and other drivers. Who the fuck are you?! the woman yells. You want a part of this?!...Mind your own fucking business! Bye, Karen! Bye, Karen! a driver screams at the woman. Breur told The Daily Beast Wednesday that he was waiting for his fiancee, who was inside the mall, when the angry woman attempted to take a few swings at the Latino couple. He claimed the woman was upset because she didnt want to yield to the couple while driving. It was crazy she would move to New Mexico if she had issues with Mexicans. Then I got confused because she started yelling at the liberal guy and bringing up that he was white, Breur said. Eventually she drove off aggressively giving everyone the finger. Comments across social media kept pointing out the irony of the woman living in New Mexico while being anti-Mexico. Karen who lives on Mexican land hates people from Mexico. Hmm. human rights for all, sheesh (@fosterdadlance) August 8, 2023 She lives in New Mexico, and she has a problem with Mexicans, one user on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, wrote. A racist in New Mexico I find ironic for some reason, another user tweeted. Mexico is right in the name lady! Dana Miskova (@TraktorofLA) August 8, 2023 The womans identity has not been confirmed, and Gonzalez told KOAT that he did not file a police report. However, the incident was still traumatic. Something like this is not fair, he said. To be treated this way is not fair, because anyone that would go to my home country in Mexico, they would be treated really good. We would accommodate them; we would feed them. Mexico is not bad. Gonzalez did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara is negotiating with the parties to resume the Black Sea grain agreement. Source: European Pravda; Anadolu The Turkiye leader noted that "the solution to this problem depends on the fulfilment of their promises by Western countries" without specifying what kind of promises they are discussing. "Putin, like us, is sensitive to the issue of access of our African brothers to grain. I think we can find a common language on this issue," Erdogan added, pointing to a recent conversation with the Russian President. Background: Early reports indicate that Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, held talks on the grain agreement with Hakan Fidan, Turkiye Foreign Minister. Before that, Hakan Fidan, Turkiye Foreign Minister, said that Turkiye would try to revive the grain agreement, which was thwarted by Russia. Early reports say that the expected visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Turkiye may take place at the end of August. On 17 July, Russia announced the suspension of the grain agreement and threatened "risks" to the parties who decide to continue the initiative without the participation 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! Eric Holder, who led the Department of Justice as attorney general under President Obama, criticized the Biden Justice Department's approach to prosecuting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in an interview at the inaugural TIME Impact House in Martha's Vineyard on Tuesday. To be frank, I think that the Justice Department could have done a better job, Holder said, noting that the focus on members of the mob who stormed the building came at the expense of attempts to bring to justice the alleged architects of the plot, including former President Donald Trump. In the wide-ranging interview, Holder, a leading advocate for the Democratic Partys voting rights and redistricting efforts, also called on business to defend affirmative action practices and projected the odds of Trump being convicted before the 2024 election. In your recent bookOur Unfinished March, you describe the moment when you went to Selma with President Obama and Rep. John Lewis. You said one of the reasons you wanted to be there was because, you wrote, for the first time, Americans were making it harder, not easier, to vote. Would you say that's still true today? Yeah, I think it's definitely true. The arc of American voting history has been with stops and starts. But generally, the arc has been to make it easier to vote, make the vote more inclusive.There are a whole range of anti-democracy things that are going on in our nation right now. What do you make of the recent lawsuit against the Fearless Fund in Atlanta, filed by affirmative-action opponent Edward Blums group, American Alliance for Equal Rights? I think it's almost inevitable that what we saw in the Supreme Court decision, to essentially gut affirmative action when it came to higher education, was going to spawn similar lawsuits with regard to other aspects of our societybusiness being among them. This lawsuit is something that I think has to be fought in every way that we can. And I think the business community, too, typically underestimates the strength that it has. If the business community were to say, Don't do anything, Supreme Court, to hinder our ability to do things, to keep ourselves diverse, to keep our focus on making us a more inclusive societythe studies show this has an impact on our bottom line. Companies that are perceived to be or have the reputation for being more diverse do better than another company that is seen as or has a reputation for being less diverse. If the business community can make the moral case, and then also make the economic case, that I think can have a huge impact. Do you see progress happening in that effort? We see where the Supreme Court has gone with regard to affirmative action in higher education. So now, what will happen in another sector? Will we get into the fetal position? Or will there be a robust response to say, Not here. Not this sector. The U.S. justice system is not designed to move quickly. What is the likelihood that we could have a complete trial and conviction of the former President Trump prior to the 2024 presidential election? I think that the last case that was indicted, the Jan. 6 case with the former President as the single defendant, that case is designed to be tried before the electionThat's the way the case was constructed. Logically, you would have tried that case and charged also the un-indicted co-conspiratorsBut I think the determination was made by the Justice Department to go against only the former PresidentAnd those folks will be indicted later on. I think there's a better than 50% chance that that case will actually go to trial and be decided before the election. But I think that will be at the expense of the case in Manhattan, the case that will be brought in Georgia, and probably at the expense of the documents case in Florida as well. I think this will be the first case. To be frank, I think that the Justice Department could have done a better job. In what way? By focusing more on those who constructed Jan. 6, while at same time focusing on the foot soldiers. Theyve done a great jobwith regard to the people who are actually in the building. I think the initial thought was, well, we'll start from the bottom and work our way up. And I think that has that cost the Justice Department time. I think the appointment of the Special Counsel really sped up the Justice Department process, but I would have hoped that the Justice Departments focus would have been on the architects of Jan. 6 a little sooner than it was. I think the Jan. 6 Committee was really the spur to the Justice Department. You said earlier this summer that if the former President is convicted of a crime, and then elected President, that you expect the Senate to impeach him and remove him from office. What gives you reason to believe that the Senate would do that? I keep waiting for sanity, logic to raise its wonderful head.Let's just assume this case goes to trial. Donald Trump has been convicted. Donald Trump is elected. I'm not sure that you can pardon yourself. There's a real legal question as to whether or not you can pardon yourself. So let's assume that that he can. And he actually takes office. But there's also nothing in the Constitution that says, if you're a convicted felon, you can't serve if you're in prison. These are mind-boggling kinds of things. The Founding Fathers did not anticipate this. And it would seem to me that if he, in fact, were convicted, and a convicted felon were head of the United States government, that, some degree of sanity, some degree of logic would say that that's an impediment to a well-functioning executive branch, and the Congress would use its powers to remove him. This interview has been condensed and edited. Write to Sam Jacobs at sam.jacobs@time.com. Iran reliable, influential partner of BRICS: FM Xinhua) 10:46, August 09, 2023 TEHRAN, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Tuesday that his country is a "reliable and influential" partner of the BRICS bloc. He made the remarks at the end of a conference titled "Iran and BRICS: Prospects for Partnership and Cooperation" in the Iranian capital Tehran, according to a statement published on the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website. The foreign minister praised the positive condition of Iran's political and economic connections with BRICS nations, highlighting the importance of enhancing economic bonds among all parties. Referring to Iran's expressed interest in becoming a member of the five-country coalition through a letter in June, Amir-Abdollahian stated that collaboration between Iran and BRICS has already begun in specific sectors, such as energy and transportation. "Iran is a reliable and influential partner in bilateral and multilateral cooperation thanks to its strategic and unique geographical location, huge energy reserves, especially oil and gas, cheap and short transportation and transit network, young and expert manpower and modern scientific and technological achievements," he noted. BRICS is an acronym for five major emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) The Escambia County Sheriff's Office is investigating a drive-by shooting that occurred Tuesday night on Ben Sasser Drive. ECSO spokesperson Morgan Lewis told the News Journal deputies responded to the 7000 block of Ben Sasser Drive after receiving reports that someone was firing a gun from a truck traveling down the street. "We located several shell casings upon arrival," Lewis said. "No one was injured and there was no property damage." Lewis said an investigation is underway. Shooting investigation: ECSO investigating argument that led to 5 people shooting at each other near Mobile Highway More FHP: Milton man on John Deere tractor hit by semitruck on Interstate 10 After receiving the shots fired call, one of the ECSO deputies hit a driver while one the way to the scene on Patricia Drive, according to Florida Highway Patrol. While the deputy had her lights and sirens activated, a pickup truck attempted to pull into a driveway instead of pulling over and stopping, which is Florida law. Both drivers received minor injuries, according to the FHP release, and the deputy was transported to a local hospital by EMS. Lewis also confirmed the deputy only sustained minor injuries. FHP says the driver of the pickup truck was cited for failure to move over. This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia County drive-by shooting under investigation by ECSO By Dawit Endeshaw ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) -Ethiopia's military has pushed local militiamen out of two towns in the Amhara region, residents said on Wednesday, in its first big battlefield breakthroughs since fighting erupted last week. The Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) gained control on Tuesday of the centre of Gondar, Amhara's second-biggest city, and entered the holy town of Lalibela on Wednesday after militiamen left, the residents said. Ethiopian Airlines, meanwhile, announced that flights to Gondar and Amhara's capital, Bahir Dar - where fighting has also occurred - would resume on Thursday. Gondar and Lalibela were among the towns where the Fano militia overran the ENDF last week in Ethiopia's most serious security crisis since a two-year civil war in the northern Tigray region ended last November. The part-time militia draws volunteers from the local Amhara population. It was an ally of the ENDF during the Tigray war but the relationship later deteriorated over accusations the federal government was trying to weaken Amhara's defences against neighbouring regions, which the government denies. The government of Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country and one of its biggest economies, declared a state of emergency on Friday and rushed soldiers to the frontlines. Spokespeople for the government and military did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. An evening curfew has been imposed on Gondar, Lalibela and four other areas until August 23, as well as a ban on public meetings, parades and similar activities in Amhara without state permission, the government said in a statement. A Fano militiaman from Gondar told Reuters that the ENDF, backed by anti-riot police and pro-government militiamen, had pushed the Fano fighters out of the city on Tuesday. "It was intense fighting. ENDF was using tanks. Our fighters were just using Kalashnikovs," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. A local official in Gondar said the military was "almost in full control of the city". Another Gondar resident said he had seen the military enter the city centre on Tuesday afternoon. Two Lalibela residents told Reuters that ENDF troops entered the town on Wednesday morning following intense fighting on Lalibela's outskirts the previous day. Two residents in Bahir Dar said calm had returned on Wednesday after several days of fighting. Amhara's regional administration said in a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday that Gondar and the regional capital Bahir Dar had been "freed" from Fano, but the statement was no longer there on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the regional administration did not respond to a request for comment. Little information has filtered out of Amhara about the human toll of the fighting so far, but Lalibela residents told Reuters on Tuesday that more than a dozen combatants had been killed over the previous days. (Writing by Aaron Ross, Editing by William Maclean, Peter Graff and Angus MacSwan) Von der Leyen said it was 'heartbreaking' to see the devastationg wrought by the flooding (Jure Makovec) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday offered 400 million euros from the bloc's solidarity fund as part of a package to help flood-hit Slovenia. And she made it clear that, in her view, climate change had played a role in the disaster. Four Slovenians and two Dutch tourists died in last week's flooding, which also flooded tens of thousands of houses. "We will make accessible 400 million euros, 100 million of them still this year and 300 million euros next year" from the solidarity fund, von der Leyen told reporters after touring affected areas. "It was heartbreaking to see the devastation that the rain and the flooding and the mudslides have caused," von der Leyen said. Slovenia could also request 2.7 billion euros from the EU's "Next Generation" fund, she said. In addition, 3.3 billion euros of cohesion funds already allocated to the country until 2027 could be repurposed. Von der Leyen was speaking at a joint news conference with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob. "Several tens of thousands of houses have been flooded and several thousands of families are in despair today wondering how they will survive the next weeks and months," Golob said. He urged the EU Commission to release the funds as soon as possible. Golob has described rains and flooding that hit two-thirds of the Alpine country of two million as its worst natural disaster since independence over three decades ago. - Climate change blamed - The flash floods and landslides that began Thursday submerged large swathes of central and northern Slovenia, cutting off access to villages and disrupting traffic. Clean-up operations are continuing with the help of neighbouring countries. The government is still assessing the damage, but it says it could come to several billions of euros -- up from an earlier estimate of half a billion. Streets in the town of Crna na Koroskem -- that were cut off for several days in northern Slovenia -- were still covered in mud on Wednesday. Bulldozers were clearing earth and gravel from the river banks and roads. "Most likely there will be more situations (natural disasters) like this in the future, and we should prepare," said Golob. "Certainly in this natural disaster, climate change played a role without any question," said von der Leyen. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is unequivocal about the impact of human activity on global warming. It recently noted that climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. bk-kym/pvh By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union countries have started laying the groundwork to impose the first sanctions on members of the junta that seized power in Niger last month, European sources told Reuters on Wednesday. The new military leaders have so far rejected international diplomatic efforts at mediation. Neighbouring countries backing the armed takeover called on the United Nations to prevent a military intervention threatened by other West African states. An EU official involved in sanctions work and an EU diplomat said the bloc has started discussing the criteria for punitive measures. The official said that would include "undermining of democracy" in Niger and was likely to be agreed soon. "The next step would be sanctions against individual members of the junta" deemed responsible, the EU diplomat said. National officials were discussing the matter on Wednesday, said the official and another EU diplomat. All three sources spoke under condition of anonymity. Agreement by all 27 EU member states is required to impose sanctions and it was not immediately clear when that could happen. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) were due to meet on Thursday after their deadline passed for reinstating Niger's ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. "The EU is ready to support ECOWAS's decisions, including the adoption of sanctions," said Peter Stano, the EU executive's spokesman on foreign policy. EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss the Niger situation, including sanctions, at a meeting in Toledo, Spain, on Aug. 31. The EU, one of the biggest providers of aid to Niger, said already last month it was suspending security cooperation and financial support that had been set at 503 million euros ($552 million) in 2021-24 to help improve governance and education. On Wednesday, a former rebel leader and politician launched a movement opposing the junta, in the first sign of internal resistance to army rule in Niger since the July 26 coup. ($1 = 0.9111 euros) (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska, additional reporting by Andreas Rinke in Berlin and Crispian Balmer in RomeEditing by Angus MacSwan and Gareth Jones) An influential evangelical leader said conservative voters are looking for alternatives to Donald Trump in the 2024 campaign for the White House because the former president presents our biggest risk of losing. Bob Vander Plaats, a staunch conservative who leads the Family Leader organization in Iowa, told CNNs Dana Bash that theres an exhaustion level right now, about a complaint about the past, the continuing indictments and the more indictments coming. People just really, they want to turn the page to the next generational leader, somebody with a fresh vision, he continued. And I think Iowas wide open for that person to emerge. I believe that the former president, although hes done a lot of great things, he presents our biggest risk of losing in 2024, Vander Plaats said. So therefore, we need to choose, and choose well. Vander Plaats has never endorsed Trump, but reportedly voted for him in 2016 and 2020. He endorsed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2008, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in 2012 and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in 2016. The Christian leader wrote an op-ed in October 2020 encouraging his community to support Trump, saying he would vote for the former president despite misgivings about his character. Evangelical voters played a key role in Trumps 2016 victory. Vander Plaats has become more emphatic in his criticism of Trump in recent months, calling out what he described as repetitive rhetoric, a fixation on the past and a lack of vision for the future. Trump, who has been indicted three times this year on dozens of felony counts, is nonetheless the front-runner for the Republican nomination, polling significantly ahead of his nearest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Vander Plaats had positive things to say about DeSantis chances, despite his struggling campaign, telling Bash the candidate and his wife had accompanied him to church recently and received a warm reception. Watch the interview below. Tom Malian says his dry cleaning shop is struggling to stay afloat as a strike by actors and writers brings the Los Angeles entertainment motor to a halt (Robyn Beck) In his dry cleaning shop near the Warner Bros. and Disney studios, Tom Malian looks in despair at a carousel mostly empty of the shirts, jackets and pants it held before Hollywood went on strike. Film and TV production ground to a halt 100 days ago when writers downed their pens, only to be joined on the picket lines in mid-July by actors. The double strike emptied offices and sets in and around Burbank, in the suburbs of Los Angeles. "If nobody's in the office, no clothes are coming in, it's as simple as that," says 56-year-old Malian, who gets around 70 percent of his business from studio employees. In an effort to cope with the downturn, Malian has shortened his opening hours, cutting staffing costs. But it's not enough to cushion the blow. "My bills are all the same, expenses are all the same, that makes me sweat," he says. Restaurants and cafes in the area are all eerily quiet; even during what should be the lunchtime rush, many tables are empty. "It's hurting everybody at this point," says Malian. - Company town - Despite its sprawling size, Los Angeles is almost as much a company town as any in America dominated by a single industry. Its caterers, florists, clothing stores, grocers, realtors and swimming pool cleaners are all, to a greater or lesser extent, dependent on the $70 billion a year in salaries that film and television production generates. When this economic motor stalls, the city begins to seize up. The last time writers went on strike, in 2007-2008, they were out for 100 days, a stoppage that took a $2.1 billion bite out of California's economy, according to an analysis by the Milken Institute. The current double whammy of actors and writers is the first since the 1960s. At issue for both labor groups in the age of streaming is better pay and residuals, and the role of artificial intelligence, which they fear the studios would like to use to replace them. As things stand, neither the unions nor the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the body that represents the studios, seems prepared to give ground -- a worrying prospect for those on the periphery of the industry. "I own four cars and only one car is working," said Boris Sipen, who runs a chauffeuring business. "I lost about 75 percent of the business." Without premieres, screenings, and the countless meet-and-greets that oil the wheels of the industry, his only work now is taking people to and from the airport. Most of his drivers are at home without pay, and he does not know how much longer he will be able to keep things ticking over. The indefinite postponement of the Emmy Awards -- put on the back burner because there are no writers to pen the script, and no celebrities to accept the awards -- was a terrible blow. The gala evening, which customarily takes place in September, is usually a major earner for him. - Haircut - Politicians in the Democratic Party-dominated state are starting to express their concerns, and to nudge the two sides back to the negotiating table. Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom said he had offered to serve as mediator, and on Friday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was ready "to personally engage" to get talks moving. "It is critical that this gets resolved immediately so that Los Angeles gets back on track," she said. In her hair salon near the Warner Bros. studio, Roxanne Schreiber says she is also hoping for a compromise. Clients are starting to postpone their appointments, or opting for a simple, cheaper cut instead of something more elaborate, as they look to trim costs and eke out their savings. "It's just going to trickle down," the 39-year-old told AFP. "People aren't going to shop as much." Schreiber's car lease expires in October, and instead of trading up, she now wonders whether she'll have to keep the older vehicle. "I think I might just hold on to it, because who knows? There's a lot of financial insecurity tied into this for everybody." But despite her personal situation, she is clear who she thinks should be taking a haircut in these talks -- the likes of Paramount and Netflix. "We all know that the studios are making money from streaming," she says, echoing the unions' line. "And they are not sharing it." rfo/hg/amz/des Robert Reich explained why he believes Donald Trump really is a fascist. The Clinton-era labor secretary, in a new YouTube video, listed the five elements of fascism as rejecting democracy in favor of a strongman leader, the glorification of warriors, the promotion of nationalism under one superior race, stoking rage against elites, and marginalizing women and the LGBTQ+ community. And these five elements find exact expression in Donald Trump, he said. Trumps uniquely American version of fascism is rooted largely in white Christian nationalism, said Reich. The GOP is mostly heading in that direction, he added. Its not enough to call Trump and those promoting his ideas authoritarians, when what they are really advocating is something far worse, fascism. Watch the video here: Related... A former NYPD officer alleging that he was wrongfully terminated due to his friendship with former President Trumps one-time adviser Roger Stone is pushing forward with his federal lawsuit despite a judge dismissing some aspects of the cased related to First Amendment protections. Sal Greco alleges that then-NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, Deputy Commissioner Legal Matter Ernest Hart, Commanding Officer of the Internal Affairs Bureau Group Daniel Cutter and Internal Affairs Group Sergeant Jeremy Orenstein "collectively investigated and terminated him due to his personal familial and political relationships" with Stone, Kristin Davis, members of the OATH Keepers and Proud Boys and "others who support Trumps America and the political paradigm of Making American Great Again[.]" The lawsuit, filed in August 2022, makes allegations including that the defendants violated his First Amendment rights of free speech and association. In a new order Tuesday, Brooklyn Senior U.S. District Judge Frederic Block said the defendants motion to dismiss was granted in part and denied in part, ruling that Grecos First Amendment "intimate association claim" and his New York Labor Law claim related to alleged discrimination on the basis of political activities undertaken outside an employees working hours were dismissed. OATH KEEPER, ROGER STONE GUARD GETS 4 YEARS FOR JAN. 6 CHARGES Roger Stone, former adviser to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, speaks at the Turning Point Action conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, July 16, 2023. However, the judge also wrote that Greco has a valid expressive association claim and that "qualified immunity is inappropriate at this stage." Block allowed the claim that Sewell, Hart, Cutter and Orenstein could have retaliated against Greco for his political support of Stone. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The lawsuit goes after each defendant individually and in their official capacities as employees of the NYPD. "I am pleased by the courts decision to allow this case to move forward and prove that the defendants terminated me not only because of my friendship with Roger Stone, but my support for President Donald Trump. I look forward to my day in court," Greco told the New York Daily News, adding that he was fired following a "14-year unblemished record of service." "The main argument is preserved and going forward," Grecos lawyer Eric Sanders added, saying he "looks forward to discovering further evidence to prove these defendants retaliated against Mr. Greco because of his support of the MAGA Movement coined by President Donald J. Trump." Tuesdays order reiterates how NYPD Assistant Deputy Commissioner Paul M. Gamble issued a report in June 2022 that found Greco violated four out of five alleged department disciplinary infractions. The department took issue with Greco associating with someone who had engaged in criminal activities. Stone was found guilty in November 2019 of obstructing a congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, but Trump later commuted that sentence in 2020. Roger Stone is seen on the screen as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. TEAM INVESTIGATING TRUMP CLASSIFIED DOCS INCLUDES SEASONED DOJ OFFICIALS WHO PROSECUTED HIS TOP ALLIES The NYPD also said they took issue with Greco informally assisting Stones security detail in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5-6, 2021. Greco is said to have driven Stone and Davis to their hotel on Jan. 5 along with OATH Keepers co-founder Joshua James. Greco testified that he carried his NYPD-issued off-duty firearm to accompany Stone to a barbershop and flashed his NYPD identification to Secret Service agents in a failed bid to get Stone into Trumps speech. Stone ended up not attending the event, and Greco drove Stone back to the airport to leave Washington, D.C. Gamble also found Greco violated department policy in failing to cooperate with the NYPDs internal investigation into his activities in connection to the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Still, Gamble found "insufficient evidence that Greco knew he was associating with members of organizations advocating hatred or prejudice." Roger Stone, longtime political ally of then-President Trump, waves as he arrives for a status hearing in the criminal case against him brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., April 30, 2019. Gamble concluded that Greco will likely "forever be compromised in the eyes of the public and his fellow police officers," and that he was "guided by his own moral compass rather than the provisions of the Patrol Guide." In recommending his termination, Gamble wrote that Grecos continued service with the NYPD "would be corrosive to the mission and values" of the department. Sewell agreed, and Greco was terminated on Aug. 4, 2022. Regarding Stone, Greco claims to have been "very close friends" with him and "friends and family since 2018." They communicated over Instagram and text message and met several times, including at the Capitol on Jan. 5-6, 2021. The judge on Tuesday noted Grecos relationships with Stone and Davis fall "outside of the familial arena" and are not protected by the Constitution. The J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, DC. Alex Brandon/AP An FBI veteran said his superiors suppressed investigations of Trump, Insider can exclusively reveal. "Are we going to do public corruption or not?" the whistleblower said to Insider. He said his boss ordered him to stop investigating Giuliani and the Trump White House. A veteran FBI counterintelligence agent says his supervisor told him to stop investigating Rudy Giuliani and to cut off contact with any sources who reported on corruption by associates of former President Donald Trump, according to a whistleblower complaint obtained by Insider. The agent, who served 14 years as a special agent for the bureau, including a long stint in Russia-focussed counterintelligence, claimed in a 22-page statement that his bosses interfered with his work in "a highly suspicious suppression of investigations and intelligence-gathering" aimed at protecting "certain politically active figures and possibly also FBI agents" who were connected to Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs. Those figures, the statement claims, explicitly included "anyone in the White House and any former or current associates of President Trump." The statement, which was prepared for staffers of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was apparently leaked and posted in mid-July to a Substack newsletter. Insider has independently obtained a copy of the complaint and verified its authenticity but has not corroborated all of its claims. In an interview with Insider, the whistleblower said he was motivated by a desire to improve the FBI, which he says is "essential, as imperfect as it is," because of its sweeping power to hold "policymakers accountable, whether they're on the left or the right." "This is a decision point," he said. "Are we going to do public corruption or not?" Insider is withholding the name of the whistleblower because he has made claims about retaliation from the FBI, where he remains an employee, and because he is now seeking whistleblower protections from Congress. "It's highly unfortunate that this statement wound up being leaked and published," said Scott Horton, an attorney representing the whistleblower. "We're in the preliminary stages of a confidential process. I'm unable to make any other comment." The whistleblower told Insider that he was finally ordered to stop investigating Giuliani and the rest of the Trump White House in August 2022, after months of what he said were persistent efforts to frustrate his work, at a meeting with three FBI supervisors at a bureau field office. Insider was able to support the agent's account of the meeting with a second source who had knowledge of what took place. He said the meeting had been called to discuss the 14-year veteran's job performance. As one of the bureau's few Russian-speaking counterintelligence specialists, he maintained a network of overseas sources that had been utilized by agents across the country to investigate everything from money laundering to political corruption, his statement said. He said his work had been recognized with eight consecutive years of "excellent" or "outstanding" performance appraisal reports running from 2010 to 2018, and he had been tapped to help verify information obtained by investigators working for Robert Mueller during his time as special counsel. But in the August 2022 meeting, he was called onto the carpet to discuss "performance issues and concerns" and was given suggestions for how to improve, the agent's account provided to lawmakers said. The directions he received included a strict prohibition on filing intelligence reports relating to Giuliani or any other Trump associate. The agent said the 2022 meeting was the culmination of a yearslong effort to frustrate his investigations into potential wrongdoing by political figures in Trump's circle, stretching back to Trump's stint in the White House. He said in January 2022, he filed an internal complaint under the Whistleblower Protection Act alleging "numerous acts of intelligence suppression of my reporting related to foreign influence and the Capital riots, retaliatory acts and defamation of my own character." In one case, the statement said, the agent developed information from confidential informants that Giuliani had done paid work for Pavel Fuks, a Ukrainian oligarch and "asset of the Russian intelligence services." (That charge was previously reported by Rolling Stone.) Kateryna Roshuk, a spokesperson for Fuks, noted that Fuks had done business with Giuliani's company Giuliani Security & Safety not Giuliani himself. "Mr. Fuks paid GSS (not Giuliani) under the contract the terms of which are confidential, including payment," she wrote. She denied that Giuliani ever lobbied for Fuks or that Fuks had paid him $300,000, allegations referred to in the whistleblower's statement. The whistleblower also said he looked into claims that Giuliani had fraudulently raised money from investors to produce a never completed film about Joe Biden in the months before the 2020 election. The agent's reporting on Giuliani wasn't received well in the bureau's New York field office, his statement said. "In the midst of my reporting involving Giuliani, which had previously been identified by my supervisor as 'high impact,' my management told me they received a call from a supervisor in NYFO, who they did not identify," the statement says. "This supervisor had taken issue with my reporting." The whistleblower said he didn't know who the upset supervisor was. But he added: "The conduct of my supervisors and the timing of their actions made plain that reporting concerning Giuliani and a group of people surrounding him with existing or historical ties to the Bureau gave rise to this retaliatory action." The statement points to Charles McGonigal, the now-indicted former head of FBI counterintelligence in New York, as one possible source of the apparent "suppressive efforts." Spokespeople for Giuliani and Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment; nor did attorneys representing Fuks and McGonigal. The FBI's national press office declined to comment. Not only did the complaint and other documents reviewed by Insider say the agent's superiors ordered him to stop working on these leads, but they also said the superiors ordered, in early 2022, that the FBI informant who had provided the best intelligence on Giuliani's activities be "closed" cut off from further FBI contact. The statement said the order came from the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, a headquarters-based unit established by Director Christopher Wray in 2017 and charged with combating foreign influence. It remains unclear how much of the friction described by the whistleblower's statement stems from left versus right as opposed to field versus headquarters. The month the whistleblower says his bosses ordered him off Trumpworld investigations was a pivotal one for the Bureau's investigations of the former president. On August 8, their agents executed a search warrant on Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, recovering more than 100 records with classified markings that became key evidence in his first federal indictment; a special counsel-led prosecution led to a second Trump indictment in early August over efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Giuliani too was raided by the FBI, in April 2021, although that probe concluded without charges in late 2022. The agent said months before he was told to stop looking at Giuliani and the rest of Trump's circle, he met with the same high-ranking supervisor to pass on information he had received from his confidential sources about Hunter Biden and his ties to Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company that had paid Hunter Biden $83,333 a month to sit on its board. "My supervisors were delighted that I had collected this information about Burisma," the agent wrote in his statement. But the agent said when he tried to talk about what their sources had to say about Giuliani, his boss's reaction was very different. The supervisor "forcefully interrupted" him and ended his presentation, he wrote. The whistleblower's story offers a different perspective from the ones laid out by three other FBI whistleblowers who testified before the GOP-led Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, some of whom have admitted accepting financial support from right-wing groups. Those whistleblowers complained that the bureau was biased against Trump and his supporters, that the crackdown on January 6 insurrectionists went too far, and that they had faced retaliation from the bureau for their conservative views. In the interview with Insider, the new whistleblower said that he had approached the GOP subcommittee, led by Rep. Jim Jordan. But when the subcommittee's staff learned from the whistleblower that the Hunter Biden information had been handled appropriately, their interest dwindled, the whistleblower said. "The FBI made a diligent attempt to run the Biden material to the ground," the whistleblower said. "It wasn't slow-played. Chairman Jordan should not be using this as an example to show that the FBI is biased against the right." Russell Dye, a spokesperson for Jordan, denied the whistleblower's allegations that the committee was cherry-picking witnesses who claimed to be able to implicate Biden. "We would under no circumstance ever tell a whistleblower that we weren't interested in their story," Dye said. "We have had plenty of whistleblowers come forward about issues not relating to the president," he added. Dye said the committee was still weighing what to do with the information that the whistleblower had given them. Even before the emergence of this new whistleblower, there had been ample evidence of individual FBI agents with pro-Trump partisan sympathies. Jared Wise, an FBI supervisor who left the bureau in 2017, now stands accused of joining the insurrectionists on January 6, 2021, breaking into the Capitol, and shouting, "kill 'em! Kill 'em!" at rioters as they attacked the Capitol Police line. Further up the chain of command, bureau leadership perhaps intimidated by Trump's "deep state" rhetoric and his treatment of former senior FBI personnel such as James Comey and Peter Strzok has resisted investigating the former president. A Washington Post investigation found that more than a year passed before the bureau formally opened a probe into connections between the Trump White House and the January 6 violence. Other reporting by the Post showed that senior FBI officials attempted to push back on plans by Justice Department prosecutors to search Mar-a-Lago without Trump's permission. Some FBI agents were reportedly satisfied by an assertion made by Trump's legal team that he'd turned over all his classified documents, and wanted to close the Mar-a-Lago government records investigation down. The FBI is ideologically diverse and decentralized, with 35,000 employees spread out across 56 field offices from Anchorage to San Juan. The glimpse of one field office provided by the new whistleblower could be more indicative of a risk-averse bureaucracy struggling to balance its law-enforcement duties with its increasingly fragile public image than a politically motivated cover-up. The whistleblower recounts how one of his sources, code-named Genius, won the trust of racist extremists whom the bureau investigated for their role in the January 6 violence. Genius was able to do so because he had credibility on the far-right political fringe. Nevertheless, the whistleblower claims, the FBI ordered that the source be closed, supposedly for making the same kinds of "inappropriate" comments on social media that had earned him access to some of the leaders of the insurrection. The agent's decision to make a formal statement to Congress appears to have been a last resort. He said he previously approached the FBI's internal ombudsman with his concerns. He said in December 2021, he submitted an official whistleblower complaint to the head of his field office. Under federal law, that complaint should have protected him from internal reprisals. But his account said his superiors responded with punishments, disciplining him for errors in paperwork and reassigning him to a new post outside of his longtime area of expertise, one that required a multi-hour commute from his home. Those experiences, he told Insider, are part of what compelled him to share what he knows with Congress, not to harm the FBI but to improve and correct public misperceptions. "There are people in the FBI who are biased," he said. "We aren't robots. But the bureau itself has integrity. It's necessary. Despite the scars that I bear, I believe that the majority of my colleagues are doing the right thing." This story has been updated to include a statement from a spokesperson for Pavel Fuks. Mattathias Schwartz is Insider's chief national security correspondent. He can be reached by email at schwartz79@protonmail.com. Read the original article on Business Insider Rammed back into the bushes, out past destroyed Bradleys and ageing Humvees, the Soviet-era T72 lowers its turret to fire. Its targets are Russian positions, imperiled by Ukraines push south, just past the building over the horizon. Three rounds whistle into the distance, the tank is spotted, and is gone in a swirl of dust. The frontline near Robotine has been the focus of Ukraines renewed counteroffensive. And for troops here, the fight has been as tough as it has been to hear critical Western analysis of its pace. They have been dealt a tough hand: taking on a prepared Russian military, with donated NATO equipment thats not always kept at NATO service standards. The Humvee in which CNN was driven to the front becoming the first media to reach this part of Ukraines counteroffensive had threadbare tires. They are wrong, says Vitaly, a tank operator from the 15th National Guard, of Western criticism of their progress. We have success. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It depends on how fortified they (the Russians) are. The Russian troops had a year to get ready, he notes, adding: The biggest problem is underestimation of the enemy. That is less of an issue for the troops here, who must speed past the destroyed US-donated Bradleys that litter the road after their earlier, troubled assaults. During a week spent with troops around the town of Orikhiv, CNN saw a palpable improvement in morale as some advances appeared to be made. All the service members that spoke to CNN are identified by their first names or callsigns only, due to security concerns. Destroyed buildings in the city of Orikhiv in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, which has been pummelled for months by Russian bombardment. - Brice Lane/CNN First access to the counteroffensive Lotos, a tank unit commander, says the telegraphing of the attacks focus in the press did not help. It wont be as easy as in Kharkiv. Here the enemy was ready, unfortunately. Everybody chatted for months that we would move here. He adds: We expected less resistance. They are holding. They have leadership. It is not often you say that about the enemy. Yet the major handicap Ukraine faces in this already difficult fight is palpable in the cratered streets of Orikhiv. Russian air superiority is taking Ukrainian lives daily, with half-ton bombs landing frequently sometimes 20 in as many minutes. Beyond the view of Ukraines armchair critics is a fast-trained, motivated army being asked to use Western donations to achieve a swift breakthrough against a Russian army that has had a year to lay minefields and fortifications a difficult feat at the best of times. But Kyiv has one extra handicap. It is attempting this without something NATO militaries would insist on: air superiority. Ukraines air force is smaller, and NATO has yet to deliver F-16s, meaning that the threat of a Russian Su-35 overhead often forces troops here to head to the bunkers. Life underground is nerve-shredding. A Russian rocket or guided glide bomb could hit at any time, and they have been showing some accuracy, says one Ukrainian soldier. Ukrainian troops constantly relocate and hide their vehicles at every opportunity to frustrate Russian targeting. Still, vast destruction has plagued Orikhivs main buildings. The invincibility point, a converted school where the few remaining civilians received handout food and could wash, was hit in June, killing five. That building and several nearby are leveled, and smoke from another blast that morning still smolders. The smell of death haunted one apartment block that was torn through by a missile. Some streets of the town smell of explosives. Military casualties are not declared. CNN joined soldiers of the 15th National Guard Brigade, which has been fighting in Ukraine's renewed counteroffensive near Robotine. - Brice Lane/CNN A Ukrainian tank fires from a treeline towards Russian forces on the country's southern frontline. - Brice Lane/CNN Among the most closely hunted of Ukraines forces are Orikhivs military medics, whose lives are spent mostly underground, their last two triage points bombed. Their bunker is where they wait, nocturnal even in the day, a cardboard Sharpie sign saying Night club on the wall. Only dark humor fits here and death is close enough to be shrugged off. When they hit further than 100 meters away from us we dont pay attention, says one medic, Eugene. If its closer we just laugh hysterically. His colleague Vlad adds: I tell everybody, we will all die. But a bit later. Maybe in 50 years. Thirst for revenge Disrupting casualty evacuations appears to them to be a Russian priority. The Russians let the ambulance get to the casualty, Eugene says. But as soon as we load them, they unleash everything on us. Anti-tank rockets, grenade launchers, mortars. We lost five wheels on our APC during two days of the assault. Eugene adds that they rarely treat casualties at the collection point. We do everything inside (the ambulance) at high speed. And the road isnt the best one. What was our speed record? 180 km an hour. A colleague of Vlad, a medic with the 15th National Guard, was killed on Friday in a Russian artillery strike while on operation. - Brice Lane/CNN After months of headlines about Russian incompetence and disarray, they are learning that Moscows better troops the paratroopers on the southern frontlines have not forgotten their training. You shouldnt honor the enemy, says Vlad. But dont underestimate him. There is little danger of that in this team, who lost a colleague on Friday to artillery fire during an operation. Andrei, aged 33, was hit when traveling in his car. They buried him Monday. The men linger in a silent gaze when they talk about racing to one of their own. We went there immediately, says Eugene. Another team picked up his driver who got lucky. And I got the hardest thing I ever did pick up the body and deliver it to the morgue. The smell of death haunts the streets of Orikhiv, which is frequently targeted by Russian airstrikes - Brice Lane/CNN Vlad adds: His family, his mother They are in temporarily occupied territories. They couldnt even come to the funeral. At another casualty evacuation point near Orikhiv, shells fly back and forth over the head of another medic, Julia, as she describes their morale. We are still optimistic but not as we used to be. Assaulting is emotionally easier. It was very hard standing in defense for 18 months. She says many of the wounded they treat seek to return to the frontline. They know its not going be the same they wont be in the assault squad. But they want to come back. Because thirst for revenge is very strong. Hatred is very strong. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Kenneth Chesebro, a lawyer connected to then-President Donald Trump, first outlined a scheme to install false slates of electors to overturn the 2020 election in a previously secret internal campaign memo prosecutors have signaled forms a key segment in the timeline of the Trump team's effort's transformation into a criminal conspiracy. The existence of the Dec. 6, 2020, memo was revealed in Trump's latest criminal indictment last week, though details about its contents were unclear. The New York Times obtained a copy of the communication, which shows that Chesebro knew at the outset that he was presenting "a bold, controversial strategy" that the Supreme Court would "likely" reject in the grand scheme. He argued that the plan would home in on claims of voter fraud and "buy the Trump campaign more time to win litigation that would deprive Biden of electoral votes and/or add to Trump's column." The strategy would have involved the false Trump electors going through the same motions in mid-December as real electors. On Jan. 6, Vice President Mike Pence could then count those slates of votes rather than the certified ones for President Joe Biden. Though that basic plan was already known to the public, the prosecutor-described "fraudulent elector memo" details information about the plot's origins and the discussion around it. Amid those new details is Chesebro's suggested "messaging" strategy to explain pro-Trump electors' meetings in states Biden won. That campaign would call that step "a routine measure that is necessary to ensure" Congress could count the correct electoral slate if legislatures or courts later found that Trump had actually won in those states. The Dec. 6 memo showed that Chesebro suggested Pence could count purported Trump electors from a state as long as a lawsuit was already pending there challenging Biden's declared victory. He also proposed informing the public that the Trump electors would be meeting on Dec. 14 as an added precaution. "There is no requirement that they meet in public. It might be preferable for them to meet in private, to thwart the ability of protesters to disrupt the event," he wrote, adding: "Even if held in private, perhaps print and even TV journalists would be invited to attend to cover the event." Chesebro had previously also proposed creating slates of alternate electors in November 2020 in Wisconsin to protect Trump's rights in the event he later won a court battle and was deemed that state's certified winner by Jan. 6 as had occurred with Hawaii in 1960. The indictment, however, which describes Chesebro as Co-Conspirator 5, noted that his Dec. 6 memo was a "sharp departure" from the Wisconsin proposal, ultimately spearheading what prosecutors called a criminal scheme to concoct "a fake controversy that would derail the proper certification of Biden as president-elect." "I recognize that what I suggest is a bold, controversial strategy, and that there are many reasons why it might not end up being executed on Jan. 6," Chesebro wrote. "But as long as it is one possible option, to preserve it as a possibility it is important that the Trump-Pence electors cast their electoral votes on Dec. 14." Three days later, Chesebro drafted specific instructions for how to create fraudulent electors in multiple states in another memo, which the Times first reported, along with the Nov. 18 communication, last year. "I believe that what can be achieved on Jan. 6 is not simply to keep Biden below 270 electoral votes," Chesebro wrote in the newly revealed memo. "It seems feasible that the vote count can be conducted so that at no point will Trump be behind in the electoral vote count unless and until Biden can obtain a favorable decision from the Supreme Court upholding the Electoral Count Act as constitutional, or otherwise recognizing the power of Congress (and not the president of the Senate) to count the votes." Chesebro and his lawyer did not respond to the Times' requests for comment, nor did a Trump spokesperson respond to an email request for comment. "Read the memo written by unindicted co-conspirator Kenneth Chesebro laying out his plan to steal the election. He said he was 'not necessarily advising' adopting the 'controversial' plan," former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti tweeted. "A stain on the legal profession and a dark chapter in our history," Read the memo written by unindicted co-conspirator Kenneth Chesebro laying out his plan to steal the election. He said he was not necessarily advising adopting the controversial plan. A stain on the legal profession and a dark chapter in our history. https://t.co/W6OMSmbJPe Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) August 9, 2023 "You know it's a problem when your lawyer is not willing to say he's advising you to follow the plan he's proposing," he added. When crooked Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro laid out his plan to steal the election, he said he was not necessarily advising adopting the controversial plan. You know its a problem when your lawyer is not willing to say hes advising you to follow the plan hes proposing. pic.twitter.com/dPmF8z90dH Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) August 9, 2023 Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. Prosecutors are still hearing evidence in the investigation even after filing charges against the former president, sources told the Times. Last year, the House committee released emails obtained by its investigators that showed Chesebro had sent copies of the two previously reported memos to allies in the states participating in the fake electors plot. Chesebro, however, did not attach his Dec. 6 memo outlining the scheme to those messages. "While John Eastman became a household name and hung out at the White House with Trump, the real architect of the fake elector strategy and the related 'Pence can decide!' theory was always Ken Chesebro," MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. While John Eastman became a household name and hung out at the White House with Trump, the real architect of the fake elector strategy and the related Pence can decide! theory was always Ken Chesebro. https://t.co/aJ5xi2K9GI Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) August 9, 2023 Like in the November memo, Chesebro cited Harvard Law School professor Laurence Tribe's writing to support his arguments that the deadlines and procedures outlined in the Electoral Count Act are unconstitutional and that state electoral votes do not have to be finalized until Congress' Jan. 6 certification. Chesebro had worked as a research assistant for Tribe as a law student and went on to help him represent Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 election. He called Tribe "a key Biden supporter and fervent Trump critic" in his descriptions of the professor's legal views alongside writings from other liberals to buttress a messaging strategy. It would be "the height of hypocrisy for Democrats to resist Jan. 6 as the real deadline, or to suggest that Trump and Pence would be doing anything particularly controversial," he wrote. In an essay published Tuesday on legal website Just Security, Tribe pushed back against Chesebro's "gross misrepresentation of my scholarship" in his Nov. 18 memo. Tribe asserted that, in quoting a clause from a law review article he wrote about Bush v. Gore to buttress the notion that the only real legal deadline is Jan. 6, Chesebro took his argument, which was only "discussing the specifics of Florida state law," out of context. Tribe also countered Chesebro's argument by citing a constitutional treatise where he wrote that a past Congress can't restrict the actions of a later Congress, which Chesebro used to support his claim that parts of the Electoral Count Act are unconstitutional. Tribe clarified that he meant Congress can pass new legislation changing such a law. "The 12/6 Memo repeats the same misrepresentation of [Tribe's] work as did Chesebro's 11/18 Memo. Chesebro knew better," NYU Law professor Ryan Goodman, who once served as a special counsel to the general counsel in the Department of Defense, wrote on X. "Looks like he was creating a false sense of legal legitimacy - as part of the criminal scheme." 2. The 12/6 Memo repeats the same misrepresentation of @tribelaw's work as did Chesebro's 11/18 Memo. Chesebro knew better. Looks like he was creating a false sense of legal legitimacy - as part of the criminal scheme. NYT's quotes @tribelaw's articlehttps://t.co/tVA0EhMthM Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) August 9, 2023 Read more about the Jan. 6 case Donald Trump has continued to attack special counsel Jack Smith and vowed to keep talking about his criminal case over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election even as prosecutors seek a protective order to stop the former president and his team from publicly disclosing evidence. Referring to Smith as a "thug prosecutor" and a "deranged guy," the ex-president campaigned in New Hampshire on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. His insults came just days after the Department of Justice asked a judge to approve an order limiting Trump from publicly disclosing evidence in the 2020 election case. "Trump's personal attacks on prosecutors, on judges and on their families may play well with the core of his political base, but in the context of the cases against him and the judicial processes he faces, he is not doing himself any favors," James Sample, a professor at Hofstra University's School of Law, told Salon. The judge presiding over the case has set a hearing regarding the protective order for Friday morning. Following his rally on Tuesday, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, launching an attack on U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. "If a protective order is imposed, the judge will likely spell out the consequences for its violation in the order itself, and those consequences could include additional charges or even the possibility of being held in contempt," Sample said. Judge Chutkan has a number of options if Trump violates the protective order, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani and president of Los Angeles-based West Coast Trial Lawyers told Salon. Her options range from fining him to holding him in contempt and even potentially putting him in jail. "But is a judge actually going to jail Donald Trump in the middle of a presidential campaign? Probably not," Rahmani said. "Judge Chutkan will probably admonish Trump for violating her protective order, but she won't really do anything about it So far, no judge has been willing to hold Trump in contempt and jail him, but that may change if he continues to flout Judge Chutkan's orders." Trump's legal team has contended that the prospective order is too broad and instead requested that the judge put in place a version that is "less restrictive" so that the order doesn't curtail his freedom of speech as protected by the First Amendment, a sentiment Trump reiterated during his Tuesday speech. "I will address this matter," Trump said at the rally. "They won't infringe upon my First Amendment." He said he needs to be able to answer reporters' questions about the case and that failing to do so is "not good for votes" as he seeks to defeat Biden. The ex-president also cited the movie "2000 Mules," which alleged widespread voter fraud in the last presidential election. Their claims of election fraud have been repeatedly debunked by election security experts. "Trump's First Amendment claims are preposterous," Sample said. "We criminalize all manner of illegal activity. Witness tampering and making threats against witnesses and jurists jeopardizes not only the safety of individuals, but the integrity of the judicial process. Trump wants the sweet the protections afforded to criminal defendants without the bitter, the commensurate obligations required for fair processes. He shouldn't and won't get to have it both ways." While Trump has First Amendment protections to speak about the case, especially when he is campaigning, that does not give him "free rein" to attack the judge, prosecutors or witnesses, Rahmani added. "In the context of this court case, documents aren't speech, so Trump has no First Amendment rights to disseminate documents that are subject to a protective order," he added. "We're in uncharted waters. Never before has a leading candidate for president been under indictment. Trump will be given more freedom to speak publicly about the case than the typical criminal defendant." Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. Trump is also facing indictments in both New York state court and federal court in Florida. Additionally, there is a possibility of state charges in Georgia, where he attempted to challenge his loss in the 2020 election. The former president has denied any wrongdoing in any of the cases against him and instead called for the DOJ to be prosecuted for misconduct. He has repeatedly attacked Smith on social media and referred to the ongoing probe as a witch hunt. "Trump is facing one more indictment to be filed any day now with Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis coming after him," Rahmani said. "Already, the wheels are coming off for Trump and his legal team as they handle three criminal cases and a couple of major civil trials coming up in New York. Trump and his lawyers aren't always on the same page. His legal bills are ballooning, which should be concerning even for a man as wealthy as him. What happens when one more case out of Georgia gets added to the pile?" Read more about Trump's attacks on Judge Chutkan An explosion rocked the Russian city of Vladivostok near a naval base on Aug. 9, and a video showing a flying object hovering for an extended period in the area has gone viral. The corvette Gromky of the Pacific Fleet was involved in a training exercise to defend Vladivostok from a hypothetical aerial strike by an adversary, at the time, according to the press service of the Eastern Military District of the Russian Federation. The air defense systems of the corvette Gromky identified targets, prepared the air defense for deployment, and practiced the algorithm of actions during a simulated air attack. Read also: Russians pretend they destroyed Ukrainian Leopards but showcase own losses Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) has prohibited witnesses from disclosing what occurred in Vladivostok, according to local lawyer and politician Maxim Chikhunov. In the morning, FSB workers arrived and questioned us. Our neighbor advised us not to talk about what happened to anyone, he said. Read also: Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine A new state report urges New York's schools to exercise caution in their use of constantly evolving biometric identifying technology, such as facial recognition. "Discernable risks" outlined in the report include biometric data breaches, mistaken identification through facial recognition flaws, and students being turned away from school because of technological errors. "Compromised biometric facial data could result in the disclosure of physical characteristics that cannot be replaced, as compared to a credit card or social security number, which could be changed if necessary," said the report by the state Office of Information Technology Services and the state Education Department. Facial Recognition System concept. The state Legislature required the study of how biometric identifying technology is being used in New York's schools or could soon be used. The report was based on a survey sent to every school administrator in the state and other interested parties, such as vendors and civil rights groups. It was also open to the public, so teachers, parents and students could respond. Just under 1,000 respondents completed the survey in its entirety. In the next few weeks, the State Education Commissioner will make a decision on whether biometric identifying technology can be used in public schools. Half of respondents: might consider future use New York schools reported little or no use, so far, of handprint, retina/iris patterns, DNA sequencing, or voice or gait recognition to identify or track students, though "fingerprint scanning has been shown to be effective for making school lunch payments, managing student and staff attendance, and checking out library books," the report said. "This is not an issue we've heard a lot from districts about," said Robert Lowry, deputy director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, of biometric technology in schools. "It appears that districts are being cautious." Time will tell how the technology evolves and what the level of interest in using it in schools is, Lowry said. Facial recognition technology is already in some schools, the report said, to verify students' identities for online courses and tests, as well as attempts to measure how engaged students are, going as far as scanning for facial expressions that might show when a student is bored or frustrated. Westlake High School students in Thornwood, arrive on the first day of school, Sept. 1, 2022. But it's not in many schools. Only seven out of 212 data protection officers for school districts reported they used facial recognition technology. Five of the seven reported they only used it for teacher and staff attendance. Over half of respondents said their districts might consider future use of facial recognition technology. Forty-two reported they used other biometric identifying information for attendance, lunch payments and access to devices. There aren't any federal or New York state laws that require standards for the use of biometric technology, the report said, and there isn't any comprehensive legislation in Albany about using biometric technologies on residents. New York education law favors local control and decision-making by school districts. Schools using biometric identifying technology may need to create policies around such use, the report said. The report is at the end of this article. Here are highlights from the report: Privacy When it comes to privacy, the report said some technologies are less risky than others and that in certain circumstances, school districts can share personally identifying information with third-party contractors. Keep your personal data secure. Biometric data is considered personally identifying information. State law requires the State Education Department "to promote the least intrusive data collection policies," which would seem to restrict the use of biometric data. The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act requires schools to get written consent from parents before disclosing personally identifying information, which include biological and behavioral characteristics. But there are exceptions. FERPA allows schools to share personally identifying information with "contractors, consultants, volunteers, or other third parties" who are providing legitimate educational services. Privacy advocacy groups have expressed concern over "mission creep" when a technology is intended for one use but is then used for something else. An example is security cameras being used to monitor student behavior. Facial recognition technology, and voice and gait identifiers, could be used without someone's knowledge. No respondents to the survey reported that their district is using voice or gait identifiers. The use of fingerprint, handprint, and retina and iris patterns could carry less risk because they are typically collected with someone's consent and have less chance of error. Civil Rights The potential for facial recognition technology to have higher rates of false positives for certain populations, such as people of color, non-binary people, children and the elderly, could be problematic under civil rights laws. If the technology was found to disparately impact any protected groups, such as race, national origin or age, schools that receive federal funding could be subject to penalties. "Students and children especially might be at higher risk of their pictures being utilized in facial recognition databases without their parents consent," the report said. "Additionally, the use of FRT could have a negative effect on student intellectual development and behavior, as this type of surveillance has been shown to erode student anonymity and impact how students behave and think of themselves, potentially becoming detrimental to the social and emotional well being of students in educational settings," the report said. Citing Lindsey Barrett, staff attorney at Georgetown University Law Center, the report noted that if shared with law enforcement, facial recognition technology could mean earlier exposure to the criminal justice system for students. Safety Facial recognition technology can be used for everyday tasks like paying for school lunch or checking out a library book. But it can also be used in the name of safety: screening visitors, managing access to school buildings and certain rooms, tracking someone in a building and disciplining students. "Many claims have been made about the potential of FRT security systems to make schools safer, but little information is available about real-life situations where technology detected and helped prevent violent incidents," the report said. The survey asked school administrators whether facial recognition technology was connected to law enforcement in any way. No respondents reported that their systems were providing information to law enforcement. Contact Diana Dombrowski at ddombrowski@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @domdomdiana. Read the report here: This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NYS report urges schools to be cautious with facial recognition tech The FBIs Detroit Field Office said it is joining the effort to find two Black teen sisters missing from their adoptive parents home since June. The Roscommon County Sheriffs Office said Tamara Perez, 15, and her sister Iris Perez, 14, were last seen June 28 near their home in Prudenville, Michigan, about 180 miles northwest of Detroit. Tamara Perez - FBI The sisters and their adoptive parents moved from Florida to Michigan around March of 2023, according to the FBI. A day after the girls went missing, the sheriffs department shared images of a white Jeep Cherokee leaving the area where the sisters had last been seen. Iris Perez - FBI The FBI says Iris has a star tattoo on the left side of her neck. The sisters have ties to Port St. Lucie and Lake Worth, Florida, and Winchester, Tennessee, according to officials. CNN has reached out to the Roscommon County Sheriffs Office and the FBIs Detroit and Miami field offices for additional comment. According to 2021 FBI data, Black people make up 31% of missing person reports but only 14% of the US population. White people, meanwhile, make up 54% of missing person reports and 76% of the US population. Black families say they often struggle to get the police to take their missing person cases seriously. On the other hand, cases of missing White women and children are often treated with urgency and thrust into the national spotlight, Black families say. Anyone with tips on the Perez sisters whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Roscommon County Sheriffs Office at 989-275-5101 or the FBI. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The FBI has published wanted posters for Olivia Pollock and Joseph Hutchinson III, former Polk County residents indicted in relation to the U.S. Capitol riot. Both became fugitives shortly before their schedule trial in March. The FBI has published wanted posters for two former Polk County residents who fled while awaiting trial on charges related to the U.S. Capitol attack. The federal agency released images of the posters as it continues to search for Olivia Pollock and Joseph Hutchinson III, both listed as fugitives. Both removed their GPS ankle monitors days before they were scheduled to face trial in March and did not appear in court, according to federal authorities. Pollock, 32, a longtime resident of the Lakeland area, is charged with assaulting law-enforcement officers; entering and remaining in restricted grounds; disrupting government activities; and engaging in violence on the U.S. Capitol grounds. Hutchinson, 27, lived in the Lakeland area before moving to Georgia after his indictment in June 2021. He is charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding officers; aiding and abetting; entering a restricted building or grounds; violent entry; and disorderly conduct. Pollocks younger brother, Jonathan Pollock, has been a fugitive since he was indicted in June 2021. He is accused of assaulting officers at the U.S. Capitol, among other charges. The posters for Olivia Pollock and Hutchinson describe them as armed and dangerous. Were asking for the publics help in locating Olivia Pollock, Joseph Hutchinson, as well as Olivias brother Jonathan Pollock, whos been a fugitive since June of 2021 following a search and arrest warrant operation at the familys home in Lakeland, FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge David Walker said in a news release. The FBIs role in fugitive matters is not to determine guilt or innocence. Our role is to bring the accused before the appropriate court and allow the judicial process to take its course. Three other Polk County residents have also been indicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 riot. One has pleaded guilty and another was convicted at trial. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: FBI wanted posters target ex-Polk residents facing Jan. 6 charges Craig Deleeuw Robertson, who posted violent threats against president Joe Biden and other officials online, was shot dead during an FBI raid on Wednesday - FBI UTAH/UNPIXS A man who threatened to assassinate Joe Biden in Utah was shot dead by the FBI hours before the president arrived in the state. Craig Deleeuw Robertson, who was in his early 70s, died when special agents raided his home to arrest him in Provo, south of Salt Lake City. Mr Biden was immediately briefed on the raid while he was still in New Mexico, before he headed to Utah. Photographs posted by Robertson on social media showed he had an arsenal including a laser-sighted sniper rifle, various semi-automatic weapons, and camouflage gear known as a ghillie suit. Authorities had been investigating him since April, and the FBI was first alerted in June. An official told ABC News the threats were credible. Before the raid, prosecutors had filed a complaint with a judge charging Robertson with making threats against the president, interstate threats, and threatening law enforcement officers. Social media posts by Robertson showed him in camouflage used by snipers Robertson, who was in his 70s, also made threats against Kamala Harris Robertson died when special agents raided his home to arrest him in Provo, south of Salt Lake City Mr Biden is currently visiting the western United States and was scheduled to fly late on Wednesday from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Salt Lake City. In a social media post on Monday, Robertson wrote: I hear Biden is coming to Utah. Cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle. Welcom (sic), buffoon-in-chief! He had also made threats against Vice President Kamala Harris. In one social media post last September he wrote: The time is right for a presidential assassination or two. First Joe then Kamala!!! FBI agents at the scene of the shooting in Provo, Utah - AP The complaint included pictures Robertson had posted of his guns, including one semi-automatic rifle he called a Democrat eradicator. He also made threats against US Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York Attorney General Letitia James. According to the complaint Robertson described himself as a MAGA Trumper. He had a woodworking business but did not renew his licence after it expired last year, according to local records. On social media he said he had worked for 45 years as a structural steel and welding inspector before retiring and starting the woodworking business, which specialised in custom designs. The US Secret Service, which protects the president, said it was aware of the FBI investigation involving an individual in Utah who has exhibited threats to a Secret Service protectee. Robertson shared images online of the weapons he had stashed in his house An FBI spokesman said: The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously. It said the shooting of Robertson was under review. Robertson had also made threats against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. In one social media post detailed in the complaint Robertson said he was heading to New York to fulfill my dream of iradicating (sic) Mr Bragg. The FBI raid took place at 6.15am (1.15pm BST) on Wednesday, with Mr Biden due to arrive in Utah later in the day. Robertson was armed when FBI agents arrived at his home. Later, a broken window could be seen next to the door of the house and the blinds inside were askew. Mr Bidens trip to Western states had already seen him visit the Grand Canyon on Tuesday. In a speech there he mistakenly referred to the Grand Canyon as one of the nine wonders of the world. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. The James R. Browning U.S. Courthouse in San Francisco is headquarters for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press) After a conservative student group successfully sued their California community college for taking down "anti-communist" fliers posted on campus, a federal court has denied the school's appeal. The decision issued Thursday by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an injunction against Clovis Community College, which had appealed the October ruling by a federal judge. The case stems from a 2021 dispute in which several fliers were posted by students belonging to Young Americans for Freedom, a conservative student group, and were subsequently taken down by administrators after they received complaints about their content. The Fresno Bee reported the fliers displayed "anti-communist" sentiments. The school's flier policy had prohibited "inappropriate or [offensive] language or themes," according to court documents. "The district court did not err in determining that there was likely a substantial amount of protected speech that would be potentially chilled by the Flyer Policy," the appellate decision read. The school's policy was later modified in 2022 to remove the clause. Alejandro Flores, the lead plaintiff and former YAF president, reacted to the decision in a statement made to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonprofit that advocates for free speech and represented the plaintiffs in the case. The news from the Ninth Circuit is a huge victory for free speech, Flores said. "But this isnt the end of our legal battle against the school. Were ready to keep fighting so that we can hold the college accountable for censoring speech they disagree with. In a statement, the college's Office of the General Counsel said the ruling only addressed the flier policy of the school, which had been changed months before the initial ruling. "The campus continues to respect the Free Speech rights of all students," the statement read. "Nothing in the opinion addresses any of the allegations against the District employees. "The District will continue to defend its position as deemed necessary, given the allegations presented by the Plaintiffs," it concluded. 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. A federal judge on Wednesday put a permanent halt to a lobbying ban approved by voters in 2018, striking down a provision in the state constitutional amendment that bars officeholders from earning money in their private lives as lobbyists. U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom in Miami sided with Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rene Garcia and Javier Fernandez, the mayor of South Miami, who argued that the amendment language was too broad and poorly defined to comply with federal First Amendment protections on free speech. Bloom had imposed a temporary injunction in February and her ruling on Wednesday makes it permanent. The amendment was placed on the 2018 ballot by the Florida Constitutional Revision Commission, a citizen-led group that has the power to recommend changes to the Constitution every 20 years. The sponsor of the amendment, former Senate President Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican and member of the commission, was quoted as saying that the goal of the amendment was to nail shut the revolving door between public office and private lobbying. Voters approved it with 78.9% in favor. The ruling said Gaetz argued that the purpose of the amendment was to end the practice of officials in public office leaving for lucrative careers lobbying the agencies they previously headed or by serving on the county commission while simultaneously lobbying another local government that has interconnected interests. But Bloom concluded that while the advocates of the constitutional amendment attempted to remove any potential conflict of interest from officeholders who were receiving income from lobbying firms, she said there had been no evidence that the problem exists. Six-year ban remains in place Although the judge struck down the lobbying ban for officeholders, she left intact another portion of the law that bans elected and appointed government officials from lobbying the agencies they represented for six years after leaving them. That provision, which took effect on Jan. 1, led to several state and local elected and appointed officials leaving their posts last year, sometimes before their terms expired, to avoid being snagged by the lobbying ban. Until this year, there was only a two-year ban. Several elected officials have made a career out of serving in one branch of government part of the time and working as a lobbyist for special interests and clients before county and city commissions, the Legislature and Congress. Lobbying firms also like to hire former elected officials because of the power they wield and relationships theyve built. In 2020, the Florida Legislature implemented the constitutional amendment by passing a new law specifying that beginning on Jan. 1, 2023, elected officials could no longer lobby other agencies or governments on issues of policy, appropriations, and procurement. Garcia, a former state senator, is a vice president at New Century Partnership, a consulting firm that he said offers lobbying services. Fernandez is a lawyer. Both said the new law prevented them from exercising their right to free speech by lobbying government. Its a huge win, not only for me, but it is a huge win for all of us that are looking to petition our government for those who want to be able to choose who they want to petition their government, Garcia said in an interview. He said that if the provision had remained in the law, competition for lobbyists would have been restricted and governments would have been denied the ability to obtain the representation they wanted. Appeal of the ruling is a possibility The state may appeal the ruling, or the Legislature could come back next year and rewrite the implementing language to avoid violating First Amendment protections. Kerrie Stillman, executive director of the Florida Commission on Ethics, said Wednesday that they are reviewing the judges order in the case and will be working closely with our legal counsel to determine next steps. Bloom ruled that the implementing language approved by the Legislature was content-based, overbroad restrictions on speech and violated the First Amendment. She also noted that that although the state argued that the law was needed to prohibit quid pro quo corruption, the state did not prove its case. Defendants offer no explanation as to why quid pro quo corruption or its appearance is more likely when a public official lobbies on behalf of anothers interests as opposed to his own, she wrote. Bloom suggested there were other approaches the state could have used to avoid conflicts of interest. Other states have managed to exclude the practice of law from lobbying restrictions without creating a content-based regulation of speech, she wrote. The judge dismissed other plaintiffs in the case, including former Miami Shores Council Member Crystal Wagar, Palm Beach County Commissioner Mack Bernard and Leon County Commissioner William Bill Proctor. The case was filed against Attorney General Ashley Moody, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, and members of the Florida Commission on Ethics. Representing the plaintiffs were Scott Hiaasen and Kendall Coffey of Coffey Burlington PL, Ben Kuehne and Michael T. Davis of Kuehne Davis Law, P.A., Robert H. Fernandez of the RHF Law Firm LLC, and Ronald L. Book of Ronald L. Book, P.A. Mary Ellen Klas can be reached at meklas@MiamiHerald.com and @MaryEllenKlas A federal jury in Columbus awarded a former Ohio Highway Patrol trooper more than $2.6 million in damages and lost wages after determining she was discriminated against because of her gender and sexual orientation. The civil lawsuit, filed by Stacey Arnold Yerkes in May 2019 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio in Columbus, went to trial on July 31. After six days of testimony, the six-person jury found in favor of Yerkes, awarding her more than $1.3 million in compensatory damages, more than $624,000 in back pay and more than $684,000 in front pay, or pay lost had she continued to work.. Yerkes, who identifies as gay, filed the lawsuit against the Highway Patrol, where she worked from 1994 to 2018, and four of her direct supervisors in the Findlay district's criminal patrol unit in northwestern Ohio. Yerkes had alleged that she was targeted for discipline because of her gender and sexuality and received discipline that was out of line with what her male, heterosexual coworkers received. Yerkes' lawsuit gave examples such as being disciplined for being one minute late for her shift, compared to male colleagues who arrived 26 minutes late, and discipline for leaving her cruiser running and unattended outside the Highway Patrol post, something she alleges male colleagues did with no disciplinary action taken. The situation came to a head, according to the lawsuit, when Yerkes was asked to show a tattoo on her forearm that she had covered with a medical sleeve. Yerkes refused to show her tattoo, which may have been in violation of OHP policy had it not been covered by a medically approved sleeve. Yerkes filed a complaint internally with the OHP that she said in the lawsuit was never investigated. The complaint was related to how Yerkes believed she was being discriminated against and harassed because of her sexual orientation. In late January 2018, Yerkes filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regarding her treatment. Three days later, the lawsuit stated, the disciplinary process regarding her violation of the department's tattoo policy began. On Feb. 9, 2018, Yerkes was offered a last chance agreement, a document often used in discipline by law enforcement agencies that requires a person to have no disciplinary actions against them for a period of time or risk termination, according to the lawsuit. Yerkes said that a condition of the agreement was that she withdraw the complaint she filed with the EEOC, which she refused to do, the lawsuit states. On Feb. 12, 2018, Yerkes retired in lieu of being fired from the patrol. While Yerkes worked in northwestern Ohio, the lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio because the state Highway Patrol's headquarters are located in Columbus. The OHP, which was represented at trial by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office, denied all the allegations. After deliberation, the jury found in favor of Yerkes on all four questions posed to them, including whether Yerkes was a victim of retaliation. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jury awards former Ohio trooper $2.6M in sexual discrimination lawsuit FILE - This Oct. 4, 2007 file photo shows Tim Mapes, chief of staff to Illinois House Speaker Madigan at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill. A federal prosecutor has told jurors that evidence would show the former chief of staff lied to a grand jury to protect his boss. That assertion came during opening statements at the perjury and obstruction of justice trial in Chicago of Tim Mapes. He served for almost two decades as Madigans chief of staff. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) CHICAGO (AP) The trial of a former chief of staff to longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan opened Wednesday with a federal prosecutor arguing that the defendant lied under oath to a grand jury to protect his boss. The 68-year-old Tim Mapes, who served for almost two decades as Madigans chief of staff, faces single counts of perjury and attempted obstruction of justice. A conviction on the obstruction count alone carries up to 20 years in prison. Mapes lied repeatedly when he testified in 2021 to a grand jury investigating Madigan and others. In opening statements, the prosecutor told jurors Mapes specifically lied when he said he couldnt recall any relevant details about Madigans ties to Michael McClain, who was a Madigan confidant, the Chicago Tribune reported. The defendant lied. Not just once but again and again and again, to prevent the grand jury from finding out what Madigan, a Democrat, was up to, prosecutor Diane MacArthur said. Federal jurors in May convicted four defendants of bribery conspiracy involving the states largest electric utility. Prosecutors said McClain, two former ComEd executives and a former utility consultant arranged contracts, jobs and money for associates of Madigans to ensure proposed bills boosting ComEd profits became law. For decades, the 81-year-old Madigan was one of the most powerful state legislative leaders in the nation. Then in 2022, he was indicted on charges that included racketeering and bribery. A year before his indictment and amid speculation that he was a federal target, he resigned from the Legislature as the longest-serving state House speaker in modern U.S. history. In her opening Monday, defense lawyer Katie Hill told jurors Mapes never intentionally misled the grand jury, saying he simply couldn't remember many details about which he was asked. Hill likened the questions Mapes was asked to a pop quiz at a high school reunion. She asked jurors if theyd be able to remember the color of their prom corsages or who was class president their junior year, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Tim Mapes did not lie in the grand jury, Hill said. He did not attempt to obstruct justice. The first prosecution witness Monday was a former House Majority Leader Greg Harris, a Democrat from Chicago, who explained to jurors how state government works. He also described the power Madigan yielded as speaker. Madigan has denied any wrongdoing. The indictment accused Madigan, among other things, of reaping the benefits of private legal work that was illegally steered to his law firm. The last few years have seen a wave of anti-trans Republican legislation introduced across the country, and much of it has become law. To name just a few examples: In 2016, North Carolina and South Dakota banned transgender kids from using public bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity. Over two years ago, Idaho banned transgender women students from competing on sports teams that align with their gender identity. And last year, Alabama became the second state to ban gender-affirming care for minors and the first to criminalize doctors who provide it, threatening them with up to 10 years in prison. The same organization was behind these laws: Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal powerhouse that drafts, lobbies for, and defends anti-LGBTQ legislation and policies. This year alone, 500 bills have already been introduced around the country. And ADFs power is only growing: The nonprofit organizations annual gross receipts doubled from $52 million in the 2016 fiscal year to $104 million in fiscal year 2022. Its perhaps not surprising, given the rise of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric on the right in recent years, that ADFs hateful agenda would be so well funded. But research by The New Republic and the OptOut Media Foundation has found that much of the organizations money actually comes from charities tied to Americas largest investment firms, including Fidelity, Vanguard, and Schwab. Other notorious anti-LGBTQ organizations, such as the Family Research Council, as well as groups espousing anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, and white nationalist ideology, also get much of their funding from these major mainstream charities. Over the last decade, dozens of organizations designated as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center have received more than $200 million from these types of charity funds, as well as from community foundations. Whats more, these funds allow Americans to donate to bigoted organizations without revealing their identitywhile also getting a tax break for it. Each year, some 140 million American adults give around $500 billion to charities, donations they can then deduct from their taxes. And one way of giving has become increasingly popular with wealthy Americans: donor-advised funds, which are charitable accounts managed by third parties. When someone deposits money into a donor-advised fund, they immediately earn a charitable tax deduction; plus, they can transfer appreciable assets such as stock into the account without having to pay the capital gains tax that would normally accompany the sale of ones earnings. For a fee, financial professionals reinvest the money to make it grow. Whenever clients feel like itas in, many years later, if everthey can advise the fund manager on how much and to which organizations their donations should go. The fund manager almost always obliges. DAFs are popular and fast-growing because of the tax benefits and the convenience, Roger Colinvaux, a law professor at the Catholic University of America, told me. Donors get the best tax benefits available, without having to fully give up control of their funds. But heres the catch: When someone puts money or assets into a donor-advised fund, its no longer their money. They get the charitable tax deduction, since theyre actually donating to the donor-advised fund sponsor, a 501(c)(3) charity that then legally owns the money and has full discretion over where it goes. That also allows the donors to remain anonymous, both to the public and even to the IRS. So if someone wanted to fund, say, a white nationalist hate group but didnt want the media or the government to catch wind of it, theyd use a donor-advised fund. Thats exactly what many Americans are doing. Fidelity Charitable is the biggest public or private charity in the nation by donations received, having taken in over $15 billion in contributions in the 202122 fiscal year. (While the organization is incorporated separately from Fidelity Investmentsthe former is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the latter a private for-profitit employs Fidelity Investments to manage its clients money, handing over some of the clients fees in exchange.) Over the last eight fiscal years, Fidelity Charitable doled out more than $25 million to Southern Poverty Law Centerdesignated hate groups. ADF got the most, at $8.7 million, and among the other anti-LGBTQ recipients, the Family Research Council ($1.9 million), Family Watch International ($1.1 million), and the American Family Association ($800,000) topped the list. Like ADF, the Family Research Council has attempted to link homosexuality and pedophilia. While activists like to claim that pedophilia is a completely distinct orientation from homosexuality, evidence shows a disproportionate overlap between the two, wrote Family Research Council president Tony Perkins on his groups website in 2010. It is a homosexual problem. Family Watch International, which promotes anti-LGBTQ policies around the world, also links gay men and pedophilia. The American Family Association, which advocates for traditional moral values in media, has called homosexuality a poor and dangerous choice and claims its a threat to public health. The biggest known funder of SPLC-designated hate groups in the United States by far is the National Christian Charitable Foundation, an ideological donor-advised fund sponsor that pulled in over $3 billion in contributions in 2021. It has funneled over $130 million into anti-LGBTQ hate groups from 2014 to 2021, including: $93 million to ADF, $20 million to the Family Research Council, $14.6 million to the American Family Association, and $1.2 million to Liberty Counsel. Its not just anti-LGBTQ groups that are receiving windfalls from these funds. We tracked over 1,100 contributions from 91 donor-advised fund sponsors and community foundations (which operate the same way as donor-advised funds) to 60 organizations designated as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center, amounting to nearly $210 million since 2014. (These dont include many donations from 2022 and 2023, since most of those tax records are not yet available.) In addition to Fidelity Charitable, several other donor-advised fund sponsors linked to reputable investment firms are high on the list: Schwab Charitable, at third, has given $12 million to hate groups since 2014, and Vanguard Charitable, at fifth, has given $7.2 million. While much of this money is funding anti-LGBTQ organizations, its also going to other hate groups. Fidelity Charitable has committed $240,000 to white nationalist hate groups since its 2015 fiscal year, most of it going to the VDARE Foundation and the New Century Foundation, which publishes American Renaissance. These two notorious organizations are known for spreading racist myths, and both have been cited in white nationalist mass shooters manifestos or social media posts. Fidelity Charitable also has donated $9 million to anti-Muslim groups, including $4 million to the David Horowitz Freedom Center and $2.2 million to the American Freedom Law Center. Vanguard Charitable, meanwhile, has donated millions to anti-immigrant outfits, such as the Center for Immigration Studies and Federation for American Immigration Reform , since fiscal year 2014. Both groups fearmonger about immigrants in an effort to restrict immigration to the U.S., and they are influential in conservative politics, the former having been closely tied to Stephen Miller and the Trump White House, and the latter frequently sending its representatives to lobby and testify before Congress. None of the donor-advised fund sponsors named in this story replied to requests for comment. Major donor-advised fund sponsors rarely change their giving policies, likely fearful of lawsuits from angry clients. But smaller foundations do sometimes bow to pressure. The Inland Northwest Community Foundation, a charity that rebranded as the Innovia Foundation, resisted calls to stop funding the VDARE Foundation for years. But in 2020, after the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Council on American-Islamic Relations published a report that included Innovias financing of VDARE, the foundation came out with an anti-hate policy and cut off hate groups. As Innovias ex-CEO Mark Hurtubise wrote in Sludge, the Council on Foundations, the accrediting body for community foundations, could incorporate a serious diversity, equity, and inclusion policy into its national standards. And during the last session of Congress, when Democrats controlled both houses and the White House, lawmakers could have held hearings on how the IRS grants tax-exempt status to hate groups and on its lax oversight of donor-advised fund sponsors. With the House now in the hands of Republicans, who often collaborate with some of the hate groups funded by donor-advised fund managers and recently succeeded in cutting funding to the IRS, this is extremely unlikely. This piece was written in partnership with the OptOut Media Foundation. Apple has released the trailer for horror series The Changeling, starring Get Out's LaKeith Stanfield. Would you even know if you crossed into a fairy tale? a voice asks in the eerie trailer for the eight-part series. It focuses on a couple, Apollo (Stanfield) and Emma, who reconnect after she returns from a trip to Brazil. While there she went to a forbidden waterfall pool and met a creepy old witch with different coloured eyes and a sinister cackle. The witch ties a red string around her wrist and tells her that she will have three wishes that come true, and once they do the string will fall off. But if she cuts it off prematurely, really bad things will happen. Obviously, her other half goes and cuts it off. Apple TV+ Related: Director Jordan Peele confirms amazing Get Out fan theory Bad things start happening, Emma goes missing, people start breathing out smoke, and there's all sorts of weird imagery going on. In the trailer we also hear talk of portals and trespassing in another world, and it's all very intriguing. The official synopsis describes it as "a fairytale for grown-ups. A horror story, a parenthood fable and a perilous odyssey through a New York City you didnt know existed." The show has been adapted from the book of the same name by Victor LaValle. Melina Matsoukas who has directed music videos for Rihanna, Beyonce, Kylie and Lady Gaga has helmed the pilot episode. Apple TV+ Related: Jordan Peele reveals another Get Out alternate ending In addition to Stanfield, the series stars Clark Backo (Letterkenny), Adina Porter (The 100), Alexis Louder (Copshop), Jared Abrahamson (Hello Destroyer) and Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring. The Changeling will premiere on Apple TV+ on September 8. New episodes will drop weekly on Fridays after that. You Might Also Like The Florida Education Department and the College Board appeared to come to a resolution over the inclusion of LGBTQ topics in the states Advanced Placement Psychology classes. That hasn't stopped some school districts from going forward with plans to scrap the course. On Thursday, the College Board, a nonprofit education organization that administers AP courses and the SAT, said the state effectively banned the course because of its content about sexual orientation and gender identity. The following day, however, the state Education Department said the course can be taught in its "entirety in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate." As of Tuesday, officials and educators from six Florida school districts told NBC News that they would still not be offering the course this school year. Citing an "evolving educational landscape" and "the continued uncertainty of teaching the AP Psychology course," officials at Flagler Schools, the district serving Flagler County in northeastern Florida, said in a statement Monday that they will be swapping AP Psychology for an International Baccalaureate psychology class, another college-level course offered to high schoolers. Similarly, officials in Hillsborough County Public Schools which includes the city of Tampa and educates over 1,800 high school students sent a letter to parents and teachers saying the district will be offering an Advanced International Certificate of Education psychology class, another alternative college-level course, in place of AP Psychology, acknowledging that "the timing of this change is not ideal." And in a phone call Tuesday, a spokesperson for Brevard Public Schools, a district about 50 miles east of Orlando, said it was also abiding by the Education Department's initial guidance, referring NBC News to a statement from the district last week. "In essence, if we dont teach all of the content, our students will not receive AP credit. If we do teach all of the content, our instructors will violate the law," the statement said. "Therefore, we will not offer AP Psychology at any of our high schools this year." The Florida Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The College Board declined to comment. The latest standoff over the course began Thursday, when the College Board announced that the Education Department had effectively banned AP Psychology in the state by instructing Florida superintendents that teaching foundational content on sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal under state law. Floridas Parental Rights in Education act, or what critics have dubbed the Dont Say Gay law, restricts the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in the states classrooms. The Education Department denied Thursday that it had banned the course, though it did not answer questions on whether it tried to restrict the courses LGBTQ content. Then on Friday, in a letter shared with school superintendents, Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said the department "is not discouraging districts from teaching AP Psychology." In fact, the Department believes that AP Psychology can be taught in its entirety in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate and the course remains listed in our course catalog, Diaz wrote. The College Board responded to the departments Friday guidance with a mix of hope and skepticism. While district superintendents continue to seek additional clarity from the department, we note the clear guidance that, AP Psychology may be taught in its entirety, the College Board said in a statement Monday. We hope now that Florida teachers will be able to teach the full course, including content on gender and sexual orientation, without fear of punishment in the upcoming school year. Florida's so-called Don't Say Gay law which Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is running for president, signed last year gives parents the right to sue school districts if they believe the district violates the measure. It prohibits classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through eighth grade or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards in public and charter schools. Supporters of the law say its about allowing parents to have control over their childrens education, while opponents say it unfairly targets the LGBTQ community. The College Board, on its AP Psychology course and exam description, described the class LGBTQ content as teachings on how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development. In the statement the organization shared on Thursday, it said lessons regarding sexual orientation and gender identity have been included in the course since it was created 30 years ago. Rachel Chapman has been teaching AP Psychology in Orange County public schools for 17 years. She said the course teaches students definitions of sexual orientation and gender identity, and that students have "organically" brought up LGBTQ identities during class discussions on several occasions. Rachel Chapman. (Courtesy Rachel Chapman) Chapman, 42, said that regardless of the Education Department's apparent reversal, her school district will also not offer the course due to the fear of "legal ramifications." Over the last few days, she has been learning a new curriculum for an alternative psychology course. Students can still receive college credit for the new course, but she described the coursework as less comprehensive. "Not knowing what is going to happen sometimes within the next day is frustrating," Chapman said. "Its frustrating, and its stressful, and its just going to cause more teachers to leave the profession." Chapman added that she's received about a dozen messages from her former students in recent days, with some saying the course had inspired them to apply to college and to take other rigorous classes while still in high school. "It absolutely is breaking my heart that students won't get that same opportunity," she said. More than 28,000 Florida students took AP Psychology one of the most popular AP courses in the state in the prior academic year, the College Board said in its statement Thursday. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A group of Democratic Florida state lawmakers blasted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for suspending State Attorney Monique Worrell (D) on Wednesday, criticizing the governor for his dereliction of duty. But lets talk about what Floridas failing governor now losing presidential primary candidate doesnt want us to talk about, Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon said at a press conference. Lets talk about Governor Ron DeSantiss dereliction of duty since he mentioned it today. Governor, you are not above the law, Nixon continued. Where does it end? When is enough truly enough? Floridians deserve better than this. You know it, I know it, and from your poll numbers dropping, America knows it, too. You want to talk about dereliction of duty, you need to look in the mirror. Worrell was elected to serve as the state attorney for Floridas 9th Judicial District in 2020 and was running for reelection in 2024. The Florida governor suspended Worrell on Wednesday, saying her administration of criminal justice in the 9th Circuit has been clearly and fundamentally derelict so as to constitute both neglect of duty and incompetence. Worrell criticized DeSantis over her suspension, labeling him as a weak governor. Other Florida Democrats also slammed the decision, decrying it as politically and racially motivated. This is political pandering, State Rep. Michele Rayner-Goolsby said at the press conference. This is a man that has a failed presidential campaign and that he is really trying to reignite it on the backs of Black people, specifically Black women, as in State Attorney Monique Worrell, and so it is disappointing to see that this complete overreach has happened. State Rep. Anna Eskamani, who represents Orlando, called the suspension anti-democratic. This is absolutely disgusting State Attorney Monique Worrell is a duly elected official and the only Black woman serving as a State Attorney in Florida right now, she said in a statement. Her removal is a complete slap in the face to Orange and Osceola County residents and another example of Governor DeSantis eroding our local control and democracy. This politically motivated action by the Governor in a predominantly Democratic part of the state should alarm everyone. DeSantis is extreme, unfit to serve, and must be held accountable. Worrell and her supporters have claimed that the move is just as much about DeSantiss presidential campaign as it is about state politics. Just days ago, Monique spoke out against Floridas new education standards; standards that would teach our children that there was some kind of benefit to slavery, the Florida Democratic Party said in a statement. Rons extremist administration has consistently targeted the rights and freedoms of Black and brown Floridians, and the suspension of State Attorney Worrell the only Black woman state attorney in Florida is clearly racially and politically motivated. His campaign is going through a major shake-up as support wanes; he replaced his campaign manager Tuesday. DeSantis is also under pressure from major donors to change its strategy. He fired about a third of his campaign staff last month. The governor is at about 16 percent support for the GOP presidential nomination, according to recent national polling averages. Thats down from about 20 percent when he launched his campaign officially in late May, and a significant fall from January, when early polls put him nearly neck and neck with former President Trump. Trump retains a large lead in the race, according to polls, with about 52 percent support. DeSantis received the second-most support of any candidate. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. ORLANDO, Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced the suspension of Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell, a decision that has been looming over the prosecutor since February, when the governor condemned her office following a deadly shooting spree in Pine Hills. At a press conference, DeSantis said Worrell and her office has been clearly and constitutionally derelict in her duty and said her policies justify her removal from office. Andrew A. Bain, a judge in Orange County, has been appointed by the governor. DeSantis said Worrell had a pattern or practice to avoid minimum mandatory sentences for gun crimes, drug trafficking offenses and a pattern to allow juveniles to avoid serious charges or incarceration altogether. He also accused her office of limiting charges for child pornography. It does not accomplish anything to prosecute a case with no intent to stop crimes, Bain said. I will make this office accountable to the community we serve and ensure criminals who poison society, cause mayhem and murder are held accountable under the law. At a press conference two hours after her suspension was announced, Worrell said she will fight the decision in court. She will also continue her campaign for reelection. I am your duly elected state attorney and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that, she said, adding that under this tyranny, elected officials can be removed simply for political purposes and by the whim of the governor, and no matter how you feel about me, you should not be OK with that. Worrell said her suspension, which comes as DeSantis campaign for president has been falling behind former President Donald Trump in the race for the GOP nomination, was a smoke screen for Ron DeSantis failing and disastrous presidential campaign. Republican voters are expressing less interest in woke issues that have been at the forefront of DeSantis campaign, recent polling shows, and want a nominee more focused on law and order. He needed to get back in the media in some positive way that would be red meat for his base and he will have accomplished that today, she said, calling the governor the man who single-handedly destroyed democracy in the state of Florida. Lingering conflict before suspension In announcing Worrells suspension, DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody both cited the shooting in downtown Orlando that left two police officers injured last Friday as an example of the consequences from Worrells policies. On Monday, two days before her suspension, Worrell rebuked accusations from police union officials who said her office should have done more to keep the man accused of shooting the officers behind bars when he was arrested earlier this year. Worrell said the 28-year-old with a lengthy criminal history was out on bond at the discretion of the judge over the case. She noted that bond decisions are not made by prosecutors. The police unions criticisms were the latest of many public denouncements of Worrell by the heads of the largest law enforcement agencies in the Ninth Circuit, as well as GOP officials including U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and DeSantis. DeSantis general counsel Ryan Newman sent a letter to Worrells office days after the governor came out against her office demanding records from the Pine Hills shooters previous cases which, except for a misdemeanor marijuana offense, occurred before Worrell took office in January 2021. The letter also demanded records of every instance in which a person arrested for a felony or in violation of probation was not charged by her office. Worrell complied with the request and immediately labeled it an effort to build a case to eventually justify her suspension. She has said Orange County Sheriff John Mina and Osceola Sheriff Marcos Lopez interviewed local law enforcement as well as spoke to her former employees to find out if she has policies of non-prosecution to aid the governors office. Both sheriffs have denied this. However, DeSantis Public Safety Czar Larry Keefe testified in November that, while soliciting complaints from Florida sheriffs about their local prosecutors, he spoke with Mina, who had grievances about Worrell similar to the ones against Andrew Warren, a former Hillsborough County prosecutor suspended by DeSantis last year after he pledged not to prosecute those seeking or providing abortions or gender-affirming health care. Warrens case seeking to be reinstated was thrown out in June by the Florida Supreme Court, which found that Warren waited too long to file a petition. In an unsigned statement Wednesday, Minas office said he was not invited to attend the governors press conference announcing Worrells suspension. DeSantis was joined by two sheriffs from other circuits, both of them Republicans: Polk Countys Sheriff Grady Judd and Brevard Countys Wayne Ivey. Our focus at the Orange County Sheriffs Office is to protect our community from violent criminals, the statement said. We rely on our partnership with the State Attorneys Office to ensure those offenders are held to account and kept off our streets. We look forward to working with Judge Andrew Bain in his new role as State Attorney. Bain at the news conference said he will aim to restore our relationship with our fellow justice partners in law enforcement. Officials, courts react On Wednesday morning, a flyer was being passed around the courthouse in Orlando announcing Worrells suspension and the pause of court proceedings. There is no court this morning, the flyer said. Please go to your office or work station as you normally would and begin your normal work tasks. According to an email from Lisa Munyon, chief judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit, all court proceedings were paused until 1:30 p.m. State Rep. Anna Eskamani and Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried called the move by the governor politically motivated. This is absolutely disgusting State Attorney Monique Worrell is a duly elected official and the only Black woman serving as State Attorney in Florida right now, Eskamani said in a statement. Her removal is a complete slap in the face to Orange and Osceola County residents and another example of Governor DeSantis eroding our local control and democracy. This politically motivated action by the Governor in a predominantly democratic part of the state should alarm everyone. DeSantis is extreme, unfit to serve, and must be held accountable. Ron DeSantis has gone too far, said Fried in a statement. Monique Worrell is a devoted public servant one who was elected overwhelmingly by her constituents. This political hit job threatens our democracy and undermines the will of the people. The Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in a statement accused DeSantis of weaponizing government. Gov. DeSantis is once again exceeding his authority, said the organizations president, Luke Newman. He has disregarded the will of the people in an effort to make a personal political splash. Each of the 20 elected state attorneys in Florida have wide discretion in choosing which cases to prosecute. Warren, the former Hillsborough County prosecutor, said Worrells suspension was [a]nother illegal and unconstitutional attack on democracy by a small, scared man who is desperate to save his political career. Warren in a statement added that DeSantis wants to be a bully, but hes actually a coward who has repeatedly violated the rule of law and the will of the voters to cover up his own weakness. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, a Democrat and former sheriff, said he lacked the information to defend the actions of the state attorney or the inactions of the state attorney, while adding that the governor apparently has his reasons. What Ive said before is that there has to be a high bar to remove an elected official from office and I dont know what all the reasons were there, he said. Judge Bain takes over As a county judge, Bain handles civil disputes involving $30,000 or less. He was appointed to the position by DeSantis in 2020. Before that Bain, 37, worked as a prosecutor for about seven years in the Orange-Osceola circuit, handling cases involving misdemeanors, felonies and juvenile delinquencies. Speaking alongside the governor Wednesday morning in Tallahassee, Bain cited his prior experience working at the agency alongside longtime homicide prosecutor Pam Davis and former state attorney, now Circuit Judge Jeff Ashton as having shaped his philosophy. He called state attorney a very simple job. We are here to prosecute crimes and to hold people accountable. My plan is to bring back that simple understanding, get back to the basics of what were here to do, he said. During his time overseeing criminal cases in county court, Bain ranked last among Orange County criminal judges in a judicial qualification poll by local defense attorneys, with respondents describing him as state-leaning or prosecution-biased. During a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters, Bain confirmed his membership in the Federalist Society, a powerful conservative legal organization. DeSantis has often selected the groups members when making appointments, including to Floridas Supreme Court. I am a member simply for this reason: My grandmother was a sharecropper, so when she came time to harvest her harvest in her family and the landowner shorted her, she had no legal recourse because the judges made the laws, he said. And thats purely unfair. And that stuffs been going on forever. The society says it advocates for a textualist and originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, rather than for judges to interpret the law. Its unjust that somebody would not know what the law is before they showed up in court, he said. That seems to be an unfair process that you cant, we cannot sustain in our society. The new chief assistant state attorney will be Ryan Williams, according to a source familiar with the situation. Williams ran against Worrell in 2020. He received 9,157 votes in the Democratic primary, the least of any of the four contenders. Williams previously worked at the Orange-Osceola State Attorneys Office, including under Worrells predecessor, Aramis Ayala. But Williams left the office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit, where he prosecuted murder cases that Scott, as governor, reassigned from Ayalas office due to her opposition to pursuing the death penalty. _____ (Ryan Gillespie and Mark Skoneki of the Sentinel staff contributed to this story.) _____ The Miami-Dade police department is hauling dozens of cars out of a lake in the county. Miami-Dade Police Department Divers say they found 32 cars in a Florida lake while following leads in decades-old cold cases. On Tuesday, the Miami-Dade police department started hauling up cars from the bottom of the lake. A Miami-Dade PD spokesperson confirmed at least one of the cars is a stolen vehicle. Florida police are working to pull dozens of old cars recently found submerged in a muddy lake and authorities say the vehicles could potentially be linked to cold cases. At least one of the sunken cars recovered from the lake in the city of Doral has already been confirmed stolen by police. Members of the Miami-Dade Police Department and the Doral Police Department began hauling the rusted cars out of the lake on Tuesday morning after volunteer divers on a mission to solve missing persons cases found more than 30 of them at the bottom of the lake. As of Wednesday afternoon, four vehicles have been recovered, including an Acura Legend, a Ford Econoline 3500, and a Cadillac Sedan DeVille, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department. Det. Luis Sierra, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department, told Insider that investigators learned one of the cars had been stolen and that he expects more to have the same outcome. Sierra added that the vehicles "are really old cars" and have "probably been in that lake for a long time." "There was no car that was there from the 2000s," he said. At least one of the cars pulled from the lake in Doral has been confirmed stolen, police said. Miami-Dade Police Department Sierra explained that investigators will continue to check the VIN numbers on the cars as they pull them up to see if any of the vehicles were involved in past crimes. It's "absolutely" possible the cars could be linked to a myriad of cold case crimes, Sierra said. "We're not gonna discard the possibility of some type of fraud that also can occur and some other type of foul play like a homicide," Miami-Dade Police Department spokesman Det. Alvaro Zabaleta told USA Today. A team of divers working for a private company discovered the cars, reported Miami television station WSVN 7News. Ken Fleming, one of the divers, told 7News that his team has been following the trail on multiple cold cases, some involving people who have been missing for three to four decades. Florida police have been working to pull the recently discovered cars up from the Florida lake. Miami-Dade Police Department One case involved a person who disappeared when driving to the airport from Pinellas County. This lead brought the divers to a lake near Northwest 87th Avenue and 13th Terrace, 7News reported. Videos obtained by 7News showed the divers swimming through murky water and finding multiple cars rotting at the bottom of the lake. "When we discover a spot like this with multiple vehicles, it pretty much indicates that a crime where they're disposing the vehicles and hiding them from law enforcement," Fleming told 7News. "In this spot, we're near the airport, it's a large body of water, it has easy access to get into, so we would target that as a potential foul play spot," Fleming added. Read the original article on Insider Because of Florida's dont say gay law prohibiting sexually explicit classroom materials or topics in schools, students in a Florida district will only read excerpts from Shakespeares plays instead of the complete works. This is just one example of the consequences of the law on the state's education curriculum. To comply with Floridas new legislation, Hillsborough County Public Schools have updated their curriculum guides to avoid pornography or obscene depictions of sexual conduct. In addition, the district said the revised state standards would also encourage students to read a more variety of books, the Associated Press reports. In the classic Romeo and Julie, Shakespeare suggests premarital sex between the underage couple, and many other Shakespeare plays use titillating puns and innuendo. School district officials said that schools will have Shakespeares works available for checkout at their media centers. The district considers the change harmless. First and foremost, we have not excluded Shakespeare from our high school curriculum. Students will still have the physical books to read excerpts in class, a district statement read. Curriculum guides are continually reviewed and refined throughout the year to align with state standards and current law. On Tuesday, Floridas Education Commissioner recommended that students read Romeo and Juliet in August, further confusing the situation, the wire service noted. Also, there may be a temporary end to the controversy surrounding a book ban elsewhere in Florida. Since Floridas dont say gay law was passed, a favored childrens book about two male penguins hatching a chick together had been banned from being distributed to Orlando-area Lake County students. After students and the authors of And Tango Makes Three filed a federal lawsuit on First Amendment grounds in June, the district recently reversed course and asked a judge to dismiss the claim as moot. According to Florida education officials and school board members who filed motions Friday, age restrictions on And Tango Makes Three were lifted. The Florida Department of Education indicated that the limitation applied to classroom instruction only. According to the American Library Association, this book is among the 100 most censored books in the past decade. Republicans have been crusading against LGBTQ+ books and topics in schools nationwide. The National Weather Service has issued another excessive heat warning for South Florida. The warning runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday in Miami-Dade and Broward and 10 a.m. to 7 pm. in the Keys, according to the weather service. The region also was under a warning on Tuesday. And it may not end here. Forecasters say high temperatures and an even higher heat index could stick around the rest of the week. After an excessive heat warning ended Tuesday night, National Weather Service meteorologist Will Redman noted theres a strong possibility that more will follow. An excessive heat warning is issued when an area will have the heat index hits 105 degrees or higher within the next 12 hours. Wednesdays warning includes Miami-Dade, Broward and the Keys, according to CBS News Miami meteorologist Lissette Gonzalez. We could keep these heat warnings going through Friday, she said. The weather service said Wednesdays high temperatures will rise to the mid- to upper-90s, and could feel like 116. Excessive heat advisory in parts of Florida. Why is it so hot? Redman said one cause of such high heats spawning watches and warnings could be the compounding of two weather events. For South Florida, July is usually when drier weather causes excessive heats with August seeing temperatures pitching down. It is a little abnormal to be this dry, he said. However, a potential dust layer from Africa and a stronger than usual area of high pressure in the northeast United States could be creating a perfect breeding ground for extremely high temperatures, he said. Recent extreme weather is credited to a heat dome preventing hot daytime temperatures from cooling overnight, forecasters say. Whats a heat index? The heat index indicates how hot it feels to the human body when relative humidity is factored with the actual air temperature. The higher the index, the more life-threatening it becomes for people to be exposed to direct or indirect sunlight. Even if the index is only between 90 to 103 degrees, you could suffer heat exhaustion if outside long enough. Recently, South Florida has been in what the NWS calls the danger zone. When the index hits between 103 to 124 degrees, people are even more likely to suffer heat exhaustion. Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, who danced with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding, has moved to Russia and settled in the village of Petrushovo, Ryazan Oblast. Source: European Pravda, citing local media Details: Kneissl made headlines in 2018 when Putin attended her wedding. The two were photographed dancing. Kneissl during a holiday in the Russian village of Petrushovo During an interview with Russian media, Kneissl said she was renting a vacation house in the village of Petrushovo, Ryazan Oblast, about 350 kilometres southeast of Moscow. Kneissl was spotted attending a village celebration on 5 August, at the end of which she addressed the locals in Russian. "I am now living in Petrushovo, and I like this atmosphere. I like the way children play here. The atmosphere here is incredible, not only now but, it seems, every day. When I look outside, I see chickens, ducks, goats it's my world, it's also my world as I used to live in a small village in Austria," she said. In an interview with a local media outlet, Kneissl said she would stay in the village for at least another month. She did not specify whether she would spend longer, as she "does not know what her future holds". Earlier, Kneissl delivered a speech at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, and last week, she attended the Russia-Africa Forum. Responding to whether she maintains ties with Putin, Kneissl said she last saw the Russian president in 2019. Background: Kneissl served as Austria's Foreign Minister from 2017-2019 and joined the board of Russian oil giant Rosneft as an independent director in 2021. She resigned from the Rosneft board in May 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Kneissl's personal website says, "Karin Kneissl involuntarily left her home country as a result of persistent death threats and a de facto ban on working in Austria". 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 former mayor of a small Northern California city faces a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence after he reportedly parked his vehicle on the front lawn of the towns police station last week and verbally abused officers. Frank Crawford, the former Marysville mayor, was taken into custody Friday at the Marysville Police Department on Sixth Street. Crawford was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, said Marysville police Lt. Adam Barber. The arrest occurred about 11 a.m. Friday after Crawfords red SUV was driven onto the Police Departments front lawn, Barber said. There were no injuries reported. Barber said the incident resulted in some slight lawn damage. Officers at the scene noticed Crawford was exhibiting signs of impairment that morning as he reportedly screamed at the officers about wanting to pay traffic tickets. Barber said Crawford was uncooperative and abusive toward the officers, calling them pigs. Crawford was booked on the misdemeanor charge at the Yuba County Jail and was later released on $2,500 bail, according to the Yuba County Sheriffs Office. Attempts by The Sacramento Bee to reach Crawford on Tuesday were not successful. The former mayor is currently a member of the Board of Trustees for the Marysville Joint Unified School District. Crawford has held that seat since 2010, and his term is expected to end in 2026, according to the school districts website. Randy Davis, the school boards president, said the school district was notified on Friday that Crawford had been taken into custody by law enforcement on suspicion that he was driving under the influence. The (school) district is conducting its own related internal investigation into the matter, Davis said Tuesday in an email to The Bee. Since that process is ongoing, the district may not comment further at this time. The Appeal-Democrat newspaper, which first reported news of Crawfords arrest on Friday, contacted Davis on that same day. We know Mr. Crawford is still recovering from a severe accident that occurred a couple of months ago and we keep him in our prayers, Davis said on Friday in an email to the Appeal-Democrat. Officers at the scene of Fridays incident reported that Crawford also said he was willing to take a breathalyzer test, but he instead sucked on the devices tube instead of blowing his breath into it, Barber said. Crawford then tried to run from the officers, who grabbed and handcuffed him before he was taken to a hospital to obtain a blood test, according to the Police Department. Barber said the officers took Crawford to the hospital before he was booked at the county jail. The day before his arrest, Crawford announced his intent to run for the Yuba County Board of Supervisors District 2 seat in the March 5 primary election, the Appeal-Democrat reported. A former assistant clerk in the Village of Horseheads faces felony charges after investigators allege she pocketed nearly $4,000 in payments owed to the village. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced a joint investigation between his office, New York State Police, and the Chemung County District Attorney's Office resulted in the arrest of 49-year-old Tammy Miele. Miele, who served as an assistant village clerk from 2017 to 2022, is charged with grand larceny and corrupting the government, both felonies. During her tenure, Miele accepted cash payments for the village, including payments from multiple residents who wanted to pay their water bills. The joint investigation and forensic analysis revealed Miele accepted cash payments from residents but never deposited the funds into the village bank account. Criminal justice Watkins Glen man who killed classmate was denied parole. Why another hearing is scheduled Instead, she allegedly altered the village accounting system to delete any balances owed by the taxpayer and pocketed the money, DiNapoli said. Miele, who was terminated by the village in September 2022, is accused of stealing $3,548 through the scheme. Additionally, Miele allegedly used $450 of village funds to pay her personal New York State Electric & Gas bill, investigators said. Community First Arena's future in Elmira: Tell us what you'd like to see at the downtown venue "Ms. Miele allegedly used her position to defraud the Village of Horseheads for her personal gain and altered village records to cover her theft," DiNapoli said in a news release. "My offices investigation and our partnership with District Attorney (Weeden) Wetmore and the state police have ensured that she will now be held accountable for her actions." Miele was arraigned on the charges in front of Justice Christopher Pelchar in Village of Elmira Heights Court. She is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 6. Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Former Horseheads assistant village clerk accused of stealing funds A former professor at Butler University in Indianapolis pleaded guilty to child pornography offenses on Monday after being charged in January 2022. Former philosophy professor Tiberiu Popa, 53, was charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography last year, online records show. As part of the plea deal, eight of the counts were dropped. Popa is reportedly required to serve two years of probation. He was originally scheduled to serve jail sentences that were later suspended by the deal, according to FOX 59 Indianapolis. Police were first tipped off when they noticed Popa's email was used to upload 24 files of child pornography to an online program, FOX 59 reported. The illicit photographs reportedly showed children between 4 and 6 years old. FORMER FLORIDA TEACHER ALLEGEDLY TIPPED OFF TO TEEN SEX ARREST BY DEPUTY IN CUSTODY AFTER TRAVELING TO MEXICO Former philosophy professor Tiberiu Popa, 53, was charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography and pleaded guilty to two. Authorities obtained a warrant to search Popa's home and electronics, where they found a child pornography folder on his computer. The children in the images were between 6 and 10 years of age. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP According to court documents obtained by FOX 59, Popa denied looking at child pornography at first but later said he viewed it out of curiosity. He told investigators that he was "repulsed" by the images, but tended to seek out shocking material when he was depressed. INDIANA RECYCLING PLANT CITED BEFORE MASSIVE FIRE CAUSED EVACUATION ORDERS, CANCELED SCHOOL Entrance sign at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Popa was a chairperson and professor at Butler's Department of Philosophy, Religion and Classics. He was dismissed by the university when the charges were announced. "We are deeply disturbed by these allegations of such an abhorrent crime," Butler University said in a previous statement. Butler University's campus green in Indianapolis, Indiana. Fox News Digital reached out to Butler University for a statement, but has not heard back. Former Vice President Mike Pences national security adviser Keith Kellogg who endorsed Donald Trumps reelection campaign on Tuesday urged Pence to finish certifying the 2020 election TONIGHT while the US Capitol was still being secured during the January 6, 2021, insurrection. Kelloggs private comments became public when a top Pence aide, Marc Short, read aloud from the email exchange in an interview Tuesday with CNNs Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room. In the email, Kellogg told Short he would recommend you stay on Hill and finish the Electoral College issue TONIGHT. When Short replied that this was their intention, Kellogg said it was not a good but a GREAT plan and further encouraged Pence to close this thing out. These private comments sharply diverge from what Trump and his team wanted Pence to do that night. Trump allies Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman asked Pence and GOP lawmakers to further delay the Electoral College certification even after the riot was quelled, according to the federal indictment against Trump, as well as evidence uncovered by the House select committee that investigated January 6. On January 6th, Keith was clearly supporting the vice presidents actions, Short said in the CNN interview. I know that hes still on Donald Trumps payroll and perhaps thats why hes saying something different today. Kellogg currently works for the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump nonprofit that employs many former Trump administration officials. Kelloggs attorney John Coale told CNN that Shorts comments in the interview were BS. Kellogg added in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Short failed Pence the day of the attack. The public war of words between Kellogg and Pences camp erupted earlier Tuesday, when Kellogg endorsed Trump instead of Pence, who is also running for the Republican presidential nomination. On Truth Social, Kellogg said he was disappointed in Pences recent actions regarding President Trump likely a reference to Pences recently ramped-up criticism of the former president, in the wake of the criminal charges against Trump in connection with January 6. Pence has often chosen the passive route, avoiding confrontation. This lack of assertiveness combined with an overreliance on failed political consultants like Marc Short has demonstrated a laissez-faire leadership style unworthy of the presidency, Kellogg said in the online post. The tension between Trump and his former vice president has been a consistent narrative of the GOP primary race. Pences team announced on Monday that he had met the criteria to qualify for the first Republican debate, which will take place on August 23. It remains unclear if Trump who has a commanding lead in the polls will show up. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Zachary Cohen contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com One of the Army's largest bases has been barely able to keep its food services up and running for months, according to soldiers stationed there and dining facility schedules reviewed by Military.com. The situation at Fort Cavazos, Texas -- previously known as Fort Hood -- has left some junior enlisted with few options for meals, as top officials on base struggle to juggle logistics while most of its cooks are on deployments, missions or serving field training and other events. The base had only two of its 10 major dining options open every day for much of the summer, with three others open only during limited times. The closures forced many soldiers to drive long distances across base, sometimes an hour round trip for their meals. Read Next: 'I Have These Skills:' An American Veteran's Death Fighting in Ukraine But not all junior soldiers have vehicles, and the base provides only a limited shuttle service, with none dedicated to dining facilities. The service is so limited that some service members interviewed by Military.com didn't even know it exists. "For months, one [dining facility] was open and was a more than 30-minute drive for my soldiers," said one noncommissioned officer, who spoke to Military.com on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. "All the soldiers were going to that one. It's unmanageable during the workday." In some situations, the base posted conflicting schedules or confusing guidance on what meals were being provided at which dining facilities. One facility had a sign on the door stating that it was "closed for dinner," but it didn't note which specific days it was closed or days when other meals were not available. Base officials also did not post updated dining facility schedules on social media, although two of the base's dining facilities -- Iron Horse and Patriot -- were reopened in the past week, which should start alleviating traffic jams and logistical hurdles in providing more accessible meals for soldiers. At the heart of the issue is the dining facilities not having enough Army cooks to run them. A rotation to the National Training Center, or NTC, and support for a cadet training exercise at Fort Knox, Kentucky, took many cooks off base. Dining facilities have been a key focus in the Army's discussions on boosting the quality of life for soldiers. That has included access to healthier foods and staffing those facilities with civilians so Army cooks can focus on feeding troops in the field. However, the service has made no notable progress on those efforts. Army officials are eyeing allowing soldiers to use their meal cards at non-military restaurants on base, such as Panera and Qdoba, an idea that is currently being piloted at Fort Drum, New York. -- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon. Related: Army Secretary Says She Wouldn't Want Her Daughters Living in Some Army Barracks HACKENSACK A police sergeant is suing the city, alleging he was improperly demoted after a probationary term as lieutenant because of his complaints against department leaders. The lawsuit, filed last week by Sgt. Sean Briggs in state Superior Court in Hackensack, is the fourth by an officer against the city since Police Director Raymond Guidetti was appointed to lead the department last August. As in the other officers suits, Briggs alleges that Guidetti, a 25-year state police veteran who was brought in to reform the department after a report revealed widespread problems, violated state law by overstepping the bounds of his civilian position. Briggs, who was named the internal affairs supervisor in January and was promoted to lieutenant the next month, claims he was demoted despite earning positive reviews and top marks on a lieutenants examination. The plaque on the wall behind the desk sergeant in the Hackensack Police Department. The suit names Guidetti; Lt. Benny Marino, Guidettis former administrative aide; Michael Antista, the former officer in charge of the department; Cassandra Seshadri, the citys personnel director, and City Manager Vincent Caruso as defendants. Briggs says in the suit that an aide to Antista, allegedly acting under the direction of Guidetti, improperly reviewed a portion of a file related to an investigation of insubordination against Marino. Guidetti asked witnesses involved in the investigation to send their recollections of the events to him, despite guidelines that as a civilian director he should not have a role in internal affairs investigations, the suit says. Later that month, Guidetti removed Briggs from his internal affairs position and reassigned him to the patrol bureau, an action the police director had no legal authority to take, according to the suit. When Briggs complained to Antista, then the officer in charge, his complaints were not investigated, the suit says. Guidetti then named Marino the new internal affairs supervisor outside of his authority, according to the suit. In April, Briggs was told he was the subject of an investigation. Then, in June, Seshadri informed him he had failed the probationary period based on the number of internal affairs complaints, and he was demoted to sergeant, despite getting a satisfactory review from his supervisor, Capt. Francesco Aquila, and he was left off the promotional list. That same day, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office told Briggs the investigations found that the charges against him were unfounded, the suit says. In July, Briggs submitted a letter to Caruso for consideration for lieutenant. But days later, Guidetti entered several counseling notices for incidents that allegedly occurred months before, which Briggs says is in direct retaliation for his letter of interest in the lieutenants position. More: Abandoned as a newborn in a Teaneck apartment building, a man seeks answers 77 years later Briggs then complained to the Prosecutors Office about the notices. Later, after Antista said he would remove the counseling sessions, he was reassigned from his position as officer in charge before he could remove any further discipline from Briggs file, the lawsuit said. The lawsuits, filed by the same lawyer on behalf of several disgruntled senior officers, will not dissuade city officials from making reforms in the Police Department, said Nick Bond, a spokesman for the city. We recognize that police reform is difficult and there will always be those who oppose change, but the city remains steadfast in seeing what it believes are vital improvements through under the leadership of our police director, he said. We will, of course, vigorously contest this latest lawsuit in court, as we have in all the others. The other three officers suits make similar allegations against Guidetti, claiming he improperly acted outside the bounds of his appointed civilian position. Aquila filed a complaint in June saying he was pressured to retire after airing his concerns about Guidetti. Capt. Darrin DeWitt filed a similar suit in January, alleging retaliation after he complained that the police director overstepped his authority within the department and that contracts were being awarded through political patronage. And Lt. Anthony DiPersia filed a suit in November 2022 saying he faced retaliation and hostility after he protested the hiring of Guidetti. DiPersia then filed an amended complaint last month after a judge dismissed his suit in April. Robert Tandy, an attorney representing Briggs and the other three officers, said a civilian directors authority is limited under state law, regardless of the duration of any past law enforcement service, training, or experience. When Guidetti was hired last summer, his three-year contract at $195,000 a year specified that the police director would act under the discretion of the city manager. More: One incumbent running for Hackensack school board in a field of nine candidates But in March, the City Council amended the city code designating the police director as the appropriate authority of the police department. The city is bound by all statutory and case law and may not, through city ordinance or resolution, attempt to circumvent the law by conferring police powers or functions upon a civilian director, Tandy said. Unlike sworn law enforcement officers, a civilian police director cannot carry a badge or weapon, wear a uniform, drive a police car or examine confidential police reports. Unfortunately for many officers within the department, they have no other recourse but to file lawsuits when repeated complaints of unlawful activity go unanswered and ignored, Tandy said. Failure to address such complaints of unlawful conduct within the department will rot an agency to its very core. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Fourth Hackensack NJ police officer files lawsuit against city The second Republican presidential debate, which will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on September 27 in California, will air on Fox Business, according to news release from the Republican National Committee. Univision and Rumble will also partner with Fox Business on the debate. Fox will air the first two Republican presidential primary debates. The first debate will air on Fox News on August 23 in Milwaukee. On Wednesday, CNN obtained a copy of the RNCs candidate pledge that the party is requiring to participate in its debates. It prohibits participation in unsanctioned debates, requires candidates to support the Republican nominee in the general election and bars them from running as an independent or on another partys line. I agree to appear in only Primary and General Election debates that have been sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, pursuant to Rule 10(a)(11) of The Rules of the Republican Party, the pledge reads. I acknowledge and accept that if I fail to sign this pledge or if I participate in any debate that has not been sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, I will not be eligible to participate in any further Republican National Committee sanctioned debates. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley have signed RNC loyalty pledges, a Republican source told CNN. Others are expected to sign this week, according to the source. Front-runner for the Republican nomination and former President Donald Trump told Newsmax Wednesday that he does not plan to sign the loyalty pledge and said that he will announce next week whether he plans to attend the first primary debate. Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who has yet to reach the donor and polling thresholds to make the debate stage, told Laura Coates on CNN Primetime Wednesday that he would not sign the pledge. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Dana Bash, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn and Aaron Pellish contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The possibility of military intervention in Niger appears to have faded (ALAIN JOCARD) Two weeks after the coup in Niger, France has abandoned its tough tone on the crisis and is now inclining towards diplomatic solutions, with military action seemingly ruled out for now, experts said. West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS had given coup leaders a deadline of last Sunday to reinstate elected president Mohamed Bazoum, or face potential use of force. But the Niger's new rulers defied the ultimatum and it elapsed with no action being taken. The leaders of ECOWAS -- the Economic Community of West African States -- meet again on Thursday in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. On the eve of the deadline, France loudly showed its support for ECOWAS, saying it "firmly and resolutely" backed the bloc's efforts to restore Bazoum. But Paris' latest declaration on Tuesday was cautious and measured, marking a clear shift from the earlier, more combative stance. France stands by its policy of backing efforts to "restore democracy" in Niger, but believes it is up to ECOWAS "to take a decision on how to restore the constitutional order in Niger, whatever that decision may be," said a diplomatic source, asking not to be named. The statement came after US acting deputy secretary of state Victoria Nuland went to Niamey to speak with coup leaders. But she acknowledged her talks made no headway and was unable to meet the new strongman, General Abdourahamane Tiani, or the detained Bazoum. - 'About diplomacy now' - Bertrand Badie, a professor at the Sciences-Po university, said France's early belligerent tone was gone. "It's no longer about military intervention, it's no longer about denying this government all legitimacy, it's about diplomacy now," Badie told AFP. "They're backing away from what they said at the start." Niger's new government has accused France repeatedly of planning military action, a charge that Paris denies. France's more hawkish tone at the weekend notable contrasted to calls for dialogue by Germany, Italy and the United States. Respective coups in Mali and Burkina Faso in 2020 and 2022 had forced the pullout of French troops from those countries deployed to fight a jihadist insurgency in the Sahel region. President Emmanuel Macron has since staked a lot on the relationship with Bazoum. Paris has 1,500 troops in Niger, most of whom are deployed at a major air base neary Niamey. The United States also has around 1,000 military base, also at a key base. Badie at Science-Po said that France's early stance had been "abnormally confident and aggressive" and Paris was now on the back foot. "There is no doubt that France is losing the diplomatic initiative here," Badie said. - 'A little freewheeling' - "Silence and restraint are not necessarily bad things," observed Jean-Herve Jezequel, director of the Sahel project at the International Crisis Group (ICG). France "is not the best-placed (country) to lead this dialogue" with Niger's new rulers, he said. France may have erred tactically by rejecting the right of Niger's coup leaders to cancel bilateral military agreements, Jezequel argued. "By being intransigent, France prompted the military to harden their position" and enabled them to build up support among the public, he said. There have been anti-French protests in Niamey, with signs outside the French embassy trampled on, although Paris warns against exaggerating the extent of anti-French feeling and suggests Russian disinformation is to blame. Thousands also gathered on Niamey on Sunday in a show of popular support for the coup. France may have boxed itself into a diplomatic corner, said Francois Gaulme, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), a think tank. He said it was a "contradiction" that France, having accepted previously to pull its troops out of Mali and Burkina Faso following military takeovers there, was now denying Niger the right to the same treatment. "I find French diplomacy a little freewheeling," he said. This could become painfully obvious if ECOWAS does indeed find a diplomatic solution to the crisis. "French diplomacy would find itself deeply humiliated," Badie warned. Such an outcome would be seen across the region as an indication of France's "structural inability... to emerge from a post-colonial attitude," he said. The Niger crisis is a sign that "the times of a strong French military presence in the Sahel is over," said Jezequel. There is "now also a question mark over its future in West Africa," he said. dt/jh/sjw/ri The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has claimed that Ukrainian special services were behind the blowing up in June of a gas pipeline in the settlement of Koreiz in occupied Crimea, and that the saboteur has been detained and allegedly admitted his involvement in it. Source: RIA Novosti Details: Security forces detained a Russian citizen who in June "under the instructions of the Ukrainian special services blew up a gas pipeline" in the Crimean settlement of Koreiz. The detainee reportedly "confessed". In addition, 2 kg of explosives were allegedly found on him. The Russian FSB has opened a case under an article on terrorist attacks. On 23 June, the media reported on an explosion of a gas pipeline in Koreiz that left 500 consumers without gas. 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! A Georgia grand jury will likely hear Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis case focused on the efforts to overturn the 2020 election result in the state next week, according to multiplenewsreports. CNN reported Willis is expected to take two days to present her case to jurors. Willis had previously said charging decisions would be delivered by the end of this month, as anticipation builds over whether thrice-indicted Donald Trump will face yet more criminal charges over his bid to stay in power despite being defeated by Joe Biden. Trump seems to be prepared for that outcome, saying Tuesday: I should have four [indictments] by sometime next week. George Chidi, an independent journalist, and Jen Jordan, a former state senator, who have both received subpoenas to appear before the grand jury, said Tuesday afternoon that they had not received 48-hour notices to appear this week, according to The New York Times, indicating that the jurors wont hear the case until next week. The Fulton County DAs office has not commented on the reports. Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican, also confirmed this week that he has received a grand jury subpoena. Security measures have already been stepped up outside the Fulton County courthouse in anticipation of indictment announcements. Police officers surrounded the building and barriers have also been set up. During an earlier interview Willis had indicated her work on the case was nearly done. Weve been working for two and a half years, Willis told Atlanta TV station 11Alive late last month. Were ready to go. Willis opened her investigation in early 2021, following the release of a phone call then-President Donald Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, pressuring him to find 11,780 votes to reverse his loss in the state. She convened a special grand jury that worked over seven months and interviewed 75 witnesses in their probe into the 2020 election. That grand jury recommended charges in the case, but had no power to issue indictments. Trumps efforts to stop Willis investigation also failed in court after a judge ruled he had no legal standing to do so. While being the subject (or even target) of a highly publicized criminal investigation is likely an unwelcome and unpleasant experience, no court ever has held that that status alone provides a basis for the courts to interfere with or halt the investigation, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote. Georgias Supreme Court had previously rejected another attempt to stop the probe. Trump has repeatedly slammed the Georgia probe, calling it a witch hunt, and also attacked Willis, who has been subject to racist threats over her work in the investigation. Shes got a lot of problems, Trump said. But she wants to indict me to try to run for some other office. The former president has already faced criminal charges over his scheme to interfere with the 2020 election result, which culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, following a Justice Department investigation led by special counsel Jack Smith. The indictment listed four felony charges against the former president, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. He was also prosecuted this summer over his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House in another investigation overseen by Smith. Earlier this year, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump over his role in a hush money payment scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Despite his legal troubles, though, he remains the front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, leading his opponents by double digits. Related... The Atlanta-area district attorney investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies has been lining up witnesses to appear before a grand jury in order to craft a narrative around how Trump and his supporters tried to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election in the Peach State, according to people familiar with the matter. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is expected to spend two days presenting her case before a grand jury next week. Willis could seek several indictments as she eyes a sweeping racketeering case that could cast Trump and several of his associates as operating as a criminal enterprise in their endeavors to upend Georgias election results. If Willis proceeds with racketeering charges, I think she is going to tell a story, said Georgia State law professor Clark D. Cunningham. The story of how one person at the top the former president really marshaled an army of people to accomplish his goal which was to stay in power through any means. The witnesses Willis has subpoenaed include former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former Georgia Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan and independent journalist George Chidi. All of them previously testified before a special purpose grand jury that was tasked with investigating the Trump case and heard from more than 75 witnesses. But Georgia law is unusual in that special purpose grand juries which have broad investigative powers are not permitted to issue indictments. When the subpoenaed witnesses appear before the regular grand jury, those grand jurors will hear the witnesses testimony for the first time with a narrower purpose at hand: to approve or reject indictments. The witnesses that have been summoned to testify speak to various prongs of Willis investigation, from conspiracy-laden presentations that Trumps associates including former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani made before Georgia lawmakers in 2020, to the convening of fake electors to try to thwart President Joe Bidens victory in the state. She can also rely on her internal investigators to present evidence that was previously collected by the special purpose grand jury. In a case of this magnitude, probably the indictment has been drafted and reviewed for months, Michael J. Moore, former US attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, told CNN. If theres anything left to be done, Moore said it was likely final tweaks and finishing touches. The indictment, word-for-word, is going to be flyspecked. Youre making sure there are no errors in it, Moore said. And youre making sure you have enough pieces to prove each count. Willis office declined to comment. A sweeping RICO case Willis launched her investigation into Trump in early 2021, soon after he called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and pressured the Republican to find the votes necessary for Trump to win the state of Georgia. At a campaign event Tuesday, Trump continued to insist it was a perfect phone call. Her investigation has steadily expanded, and Willis has been weighing racketeering charges in the Trump case. RICO the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act is a statute the district attorney has spoken fondly of and used in unorthodox ways to bring charges against teachers as well as musicians in the Atlanta area. In 2015, Willis was thrust into the national spotlight as a Fulton County prosecutor when she used Georgias racketeering statute to charge teachers, principals and other education officials in an Atlanta Public School cheating scandal. After a 7-month trial, Willis secured convictions for 11 of the 12 defendants charged with racketeering and other crimes related to cheating that was believed to date to early 2001, when scores on statewide skills tests began to rise in the 50,000-student school district. The reason that I am a fan of RICO is, I think jurors are very, very intelligent, Willis told reporters in 2022 at a press conference about a gang-related indictment. They want to know what happened. They want to make an accurate decision about someones life. And so, RICO is a tool that allows a prosecutors office and law enforcement to tell the whole story. Soon after Willis embarked on her Trump investigation, she retained attorney John Floyd known for his depth of knowledge in racketeering cases to assist her office. In addition to allowing prosecutors to weave a narrative, Georgias racketeering statute allows investigators to pull a broader array of conduct into their indictments, including activities that took place outside of the state of Georgia but may have been part of a broader conspiracy. Those convicted of racketeering charges also face steeper penalties, a point of leverage for prosecutors if they are hoping to flip potential co-conspirators or encourage defendants to take plea deals. Undaunted by federal indictment Willis team has forged ahead with plans to make charging announcements in the coming weeks, even as special counsel Jack Smith charged Trump with four federal counts related to his efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 presidential election. A hefty chunk of the conduct in the indictment was related to efforts to flip the election results in Georgia. Trump has pleaded not guilty in that case. The former presidents legal team believes he is likely to face his fourth indictment in the coming days, people familiar with the matter told CNN. At a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Trump complained about the cases stacking up against him, adding, I probably have another one. He also railed against the Fulton County district attorneys case. I challenge the election in Georgia which I have every right to do, which I was right about frankly and they want to indict me because I challenge the election, Trump told the crowd, even though his efforts to challenge the election results in court failed and no evidence of widespread voter fraud has ever emerged. Still, the biggest risk Willis runs at the moment may be in public perception if she moves ahead with a Trump indictment, said Moore, the former US attorney. It starts to look like shes just piling on because the same things that are in her indictment are also in the federal indictment, Moore predicted, though he has not been privy to drafts of Willis potential indictments. Im not sure shes got anything new to talk about. At an event last week at Atlanta Technical College, Willis told reporters she had reviewed the special counsels federal indictment against Trump for election interference but said it would not affect her plans in Georgia. Asked what she would say to critics who question the purpose of her case in the wake of the federal indictment, Willis said, That I took an oath. And that oath requires that I follow the law. And if someone broke the law in Fulton County, Georgia, that I have a duty to prosecute and thats exactly what I plan to do. CNNs Jason Morris and Zachary Cohen contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Channel 2 Action News has learned a Fulton County grand jury could begin hearing evidence as soon as next week in the election interference case involving former President Donald Trump here in Georgia. There are currently two grand juries that have been empaneled for this term and have already been hearing regular cases on the docket. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her assistants will present evidence to one of those grand juries next week, which will then decide if that evidence is enough to move the case forward. An indictment means that the grand jury thinks theres enough evidence to go before a more traditional jury, Emory University law professor Fred Smith said. RELATED STORIES: Smith told Channel 2s Richard Elliot that when a grand jury is presented with a case, its a one-sided proceeding with only the prosecution presenting evidence and witnesses. In this case, some of those witnesses include former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and former state Sen. Jen Jordan, both of whom have been subpoenaed. Attorneys for Trump and his associates will not be in the room and, under state law, will not be able to present their side. That, Smith said, comes only after a potential indictment during a trial. If he is in fact indicted, he will have an opportunity under the Constitution to present his own defense, Smith said. The grand jury is just the first step in a long legal process leading to a trial. Smith reminds us that an indictment requires a much lower threshold than a conviction. It doesnt mean that one is necessarily guilty. Anyone whos indicted, they can continue to have the presumption of innocence unless and until the government meets their burden in a court of law, Smith said. RELATED NEWS: Fairway police officer Jonah Oswald, 29, was killed in the line of duty in August 2023, after he was shot as officers pursued two suspects at a QuikTrip in Mission, Kansas. (The Lenexa Police Department) Officials have announced a fundraiser to help the family of a Fairway police officer killed after a shooting Sunday at a Mission QuikTrip. Jonah Oswald, 29, was a four-year veteran of the Fairway Police Department and a husband and father to two young children, said Police Chief J.P. Thurlo. In a statement Monday night, Thurlo said Oswald made the ultimate sacrifice while carrying out his oath to serve and protect. Officer Oswald was an integral part of our team and made significant contributions to our department and to the Fairway community, Thurlo said. We will remember him as a warm-hearted individual whose hard work and passion touched the lives of many. The shooting unfolded early Sunday after a police chase that began in Lenexa ended at a QuikTrip at 4700 Lamar Ave. in Mission, just west of Fairway. Officers from area departments responded to assist with reports of a stolen car whose driver allegedly hit a police vehicle and fled. Two suspects were seen running into the convenience store when officers responded to arrest them. Gunfire erupted, and Oswald was critically injured, while a male suspect 40-year-old Shannon Wayne Marshall of Ashland, Tennessee was killed. Another suspect, Andrea Rene Cochran, 32, of Goodlettsville, Tennessee, was charged Tuesday morning in Johnson County District Court with three felonies and a misdemeanor, including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, theft and reckless driving. The Johnson County Officer-Involved Critical Incident Investigation Team, which is comprised of various area law enforcement agencies, is investigating the shooting. The Buckner Police Department, where Oswald started his career in law enforcement in 2018, also shared their condolences in a statement posted on Facebook. We have had many officers come and go from our department, but only one Jonah Oswald, the department said. Some officers say that he was a very optimistic person and didnt know how to have a bad day. He loved encouraging people to reach their goals in life, and he would always offer help wherever you needed him. Anna Spoerre and Bill Lukitsch contributed to this report. Among the massive condominiums that have risen in the last 25 years along New Jersey's Hudson River waterfront, few could rival the plan to build four high-rise towers on a fetid and fallow piece of land in Edgewater at the center of a costly toxic cleanup and a federal investigation. At 720 feet high, the four-tower structure on the Quanta Resources Superfund site and an adjacent property would be the fourth-tallest building in New Jersey. Plans also call for 2,000 residential units, a parking garage, a plaza structure and a clubhouse, according to a permit approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection. But the immediate future of the site which is owned by developer Fred Daibes and has been linked to an ongoing federal probe of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez remains uncertain. Looking north over the Quanta Superfund site in Edgewater. The area surrounding the site is slated for at least three toxic cleanups over the next several years after an earlier project to stabilize pollution on site took four years to complete. Federal environmental officials said they will scrutinize plans to pile-drive columns into the ground for any building foundation, fearing that it could disturb the pollution left in place. Federal prosecutors investigating Menendez are now looking into a lucrative real estate deal involving the Quanta site, The Wall Street Journal has reported. In December, Daibes sold a 23.7% stake in the Quanta site and adjoining properties for $45 million to Heritage Advisors, a London-based investment firm led by a member of the Qatari royal family. Daibes, whose large-scale housing developments helped transform the Edgewater waterfront along the Hudson River from an industrial hub to an upscale bedroom community, pleaded guilty in April 2022 to federal banking charges under an agreement with prosecutors that would allow him to serve probation instead of a maximum prison term of 30 years. He is expected to be sentenced in October, 19 months after his guilty plea. Sentencing in federal courts normally occurs just a few months after a guilty plea. Federal investigators are looking into whether Menendez or his wife accepted luxury gifts, including a Mercedes and a Washington apartment, from Wael Hana, the head of IS EG Halal Certified, according to WNBC and NBC New York. The Edgewater-based company has obtained exclusive rights to certify halal products to be exported from the U.S. and elsewhere to Egypt. Menendez acknowledged the investigation last year. He has established a legal-defense fund and has said the probe will amount to nothing. A spokesperson for IS EG Halal told NorthJersey.com the company was awarded its contract with Egypt without any assistance whatsoever from Senator Menendez or any other U.S. public official. Connections between Daibes and Hana Daibes, who has donated more than $20,000 to various Menendez political campaigns and PACs over the years, owns an office building adjacent to the Quanta site one of the properties in which the sheikh's investment firm bought a 23.7% share. Daibes Enterprises uses space in the building. Hana operates IS EG Halal from offices on the same floor. There are other connections between the two men. Hana lives at The Alexander, a luxury Edgewater apartment building that Daibes owns. Federal investigators are looking into whether Sen. Robert Menendez or his wife accepted luxury gifts, including a Mercedes and a Washington apartment, from Wael Hana. Hana lives in The Alexander, a luxury apartment complex owned by developer Fred Daibes. And in 2019, East-West Funding LLC, one of Daibes' companies, assumed the debt Hana had accumulated from a check cashing case. Hana had been sued in 2013 by a check cashing business that claimed he had passed six bad checks totaling more than $150,000. Daibes' company bought the debt for $50,000. Bergen County attorney Antranig "Andy" Aslanian told NorthJersey.com that Hana met Daibes through him they sometimes went for drinks at a restaurant the developer used to own. Hana also met Nadine Arslanian, Menendez's wife, through Aslanian, long before Menendez married her. Aslanian, who acknowledged being subpoenaed by federal prosecutors last year, has done legal work for Hana. Ties between the Menendez investigation and Daibes began to surface in the spring, when state Sen. Nick Sacco, the longtime Democratic mayor of North Bergen, received a subpoena from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan requesting correspondence related to Menendez, Arslanian and Daibes. More: NJ business owner with stark change in fortune is at center of Menendez investigation More: Daibes sentencing pushed back again, causing experts to ponder link to Menendez probe It also asked for information regarding the Palisades Cliffs Protection and Planning Act, a bill co-sponsored by Sacco that would protect his constituents views of New York City by restricting the height of any proposed building at the foot of the Palisades from rising above the cliffs sightline. Daibes' proposed Quanta development would rise several hundred feet above the sightline. The bill has stalled in Trenton, with considerable opposition from trade unions. Phil Swibinski, a spokesman for Sacco, said the mayor is not the target of any investigation and was "only approached as a potential witness." Property a barren wasteland Daibes bought three plots of land that make up the Quanta Superfund site more than 10 years ago for $42.25 million, and had an ambitious plan to build a mixed-use development that climbs into the sky, with views down the Hudson River toward Manhattan. Today the property is still a barren wasteland six years after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a controversial remediation project conducted by contractors for Honeywell, the international conglomerate that inherited the environmental liability of the site. The Quanta Superfund site abuts the Hudson River in Edgewater, across from Manhattan. Daibes' onetime partner on the site Hongkun USA, a global real estate company pulled out of the deal when the cleanup process took longer than expected, according to a letter from a Daibes lawyer to a judge in December. The letter asked the judge to allow Daibes awaiting sentencing in the bank charge case to visit Qatar to pitch another investor, Heritage Advisors of London, an investment management firm founded by Sheikh Sultan bin Jassim Al Thani of Qatar. The investment firm subsequently bought a 23.7% share of the Quanta site and adjoining properties for $45 million, records show. Heritage did not respond to a request for comment. Messages left for Daibes and his attorney and e-mails sent to Hongkun USA were not returned. The phone number for Hongkun's New York office has been disconnected. The DEP permit to build the four towers on the Quanta site was taken out three years ago by a subsidiary of Hongkun, which is no longer in the picture. The permit, which is valid through September 2025, can be transferred, but that would have to meet certain conditions. No transfer requests had been made as of late July, said Larry Hajna, a DEP spokesman. Pollution dates to the 1870s Pollution at Quanta and its adjacent sites date to at least the 1870s. Coal tar for paving and roofing was manufactured there for almost a century, and waste was often dumped onsite and into the adjacent Hudson River. When Edgewater was still an industrial hub, a chemical plant next door at what is now the City Place condominium and retail complex manufactured sulfuric acid, leaving arsenic as a byproduct. The Quanta site would later be home to a waste oil facility, where tanks of oil laced with toxic PCBs were stored and had leaked. The property became a federal Superfund site almost 25 years ago, and many residents had hoped a toxic eyesore would soon be cleaned up. A no trespassing sign at the Quanta Superfund site in Edgewater. But in a controversial move, the EPA chose a plan 10 years ago to entomb the underground pollution at the site instead of excavating it. That $78 million plan had drawn criticism from some residents and environmental groups as a pave and wave solution in lieu of more expensive excavation, but EPA officials said excavation would have been more disruptive to neighbors. Work began in 2017 and finished in 2021. There were delays when fumes from the site drew concerns from residents who live around Quanta. Meanwhile, in 2018, Daibes was indicted on charges of conspiracy to circumvent lending limits set by Mariner's Bank, which Daibes himself had founded. Movement by Daibes and his partners to develop Quanta were slowed by the remediation and the investigation. Still, a subsidiary of Hongkun, Daibes' earlier partner on the site, obtained permits in 2020 from the DEP for the tower project. The permits, obtained by NorthJersey.com through a public records request, cover three plots of land spanning 115 to 145 River Road the heart of the Quanta Superfund site and last through September 2025. But it's unclear if that will be enough time to begin construction. Multiple cleanup projects still to come Cleanups that were postponed decades ago by regulators to allow developers and local officials to build other complexes and expand infrastructure around Quanta still need to be resolved, EPA officials said in a recent interview. Much of it is cleanup work that was delayed 20 to 30 years ago when regulators deferred to development demands as Edgewaters waterfront was aggressively transforming from a dilapidated former industrial hub to an upscale bedroom community with stunning views of Manhattan. Quanta Superfund in Edgewater, NJ on Tuesday Aug. 1, 2023. A plume of arsenic needs to be removed from under the adjacent City Place condo and retail complex. In 2003, EPA allowed developers to build a road into the complex over high concentrations of arsenic as a temporary measure, with an agreement that it would eventually be cleaned up. Coal tar and other pollution from Quanta will be removed from under River Road. In 1995, the EPA allowed Bergen County and a private developer to widen the road over a portion of the site that had not yet been cleaned up. Doing so propelled the development of thousands of condo and apartment units. But it left the contamination in place. The largest cleanup plan was unveiled this month: a $163 million project to remove and cap pollution in the Hudson River that came from the Quanta site. The EPA is reviewing proposals from Honeywell for the cleanup of River Road and the groundwater contaminated with arsenic beneath the City Place property, said David Montoya, the agencys lead remedial project manager. No redevelopment plans for the Quanta site have been submitted to the EPA, which would have to sign off on them. But plans for the four towers are at least six years old. The real estate website New York Yimby first published renderings in 2017. Of particular concern to the agency is pile-driving into the ground to secure a building foundation, said Rich Puvogel, an EPA official supervising the ground portion of the site. Since the pollution has not been removed, driving columns into the ground could disrupt the entombed coal tar and other contaminants, causing them to spread. If the proposed towers or any other housing development is built on the site, a deed notice will be issued alerting future owners that contamination exceeding residential standards is still on the site, Puvogel said. Other than that, EPA officials said they cant speculate on what the agency would approve and challenge in terms of redevelopment. All I can say is that EPA will ensure that any plans are protective of the remedy whenever we receive them, Montoya said. Staff writer Ashley Balcerzak contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bob Menendez probe, toxins leave Edgewater NJ housing's fate unclear Parents and guardians in Fort Worth ISD and other local school districts, here is some information to consider when you hear people repeating parental rights arguments about books, curricula and materials. Extremist groups are repeatedly claiming that our parental rights are being taken away. This is simply not true. As a FWISD parent and advocate for teachers, librarians, counselors and school administrators, I can tell you that in this district, our rights with respect to public education are and always have been intact. The student registration process alone makes this obvious. When a parent or guardian registers a FWISD student for the school year, he or she is presented with options for specific supplemental curriculum, such as instruction on how to prevent violence, abuse, exploitation or suicide. If you wish to review the curriculum materials before you opt in or out, all you have to do is contact your students campus or the district office. It is the choice of the parent or guardian whether that instruction will be provided to their student, not the choice of the school. Parents can also go to the FWISD library website to see what books are available in the school library. Simply go to the FWISD library services page and select school library catalogs. There is also information for parents that outlines recent legislation in Texas and how it affects our public school libraries. If there are books that you do not want your student to have access to, simply talk with your schools librarian; they are more than happy to work with you. But it is not your place to make those decisions for the students of other parents, just like it is not your right to opt someone elses student in or out of supplemental curriculum during registration. Your parental rights extend to your students education, not to the education of others. Parents of FWISD students can also contact the FWISD library department at any time about their catalogs and policies. I had an awesome conversation with the director of media services, Victor Chapa. He is passionate and knowledgeable, and he took time to answer all of my questions. I have always made it a priority to develop relationships with my students teachers, librarians and administrators. Whenever I have asked them for more information or contacted them to advocate for my student, they have always accommodated me and encouraged me to reach out again in the future. Both of my FWISD students have had classmates whose families held religious beliefs that did not align with certain curriculum or activities at their public elementary, middle or high school. On those occasions, the parents of those students each contacted the school to explain the situation, and without exception, those parents were respected and accommodated. Their students were able to opt out of curriculum and/or activities that did not align with their beliefs and were provided with alternative activities or blocks of instruction. Their religious liberty was protected. I trust and respect the administrators, educators and librarians in Fort Worth public schools and will always approach them with respect, setting the example for my kids to do the same. There is a lot of misinformation out there claiming that parental rights are being taken away; I have never had mine infringed upon by anyone in FWISD. Think critically. Find out the facts. Talk with your childs school administrators, educators and librarians. Above all, lets work together so that all FWISD students can have a safe and productive school year. Amy Ramsey is a lifelong resident of Fort Worth with two children enrolled in Fort Worth ISD schools. She is operations director for Defense of Democracy, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for public-school teachers, librarians and administrators. 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. A group of LGBTQ veterans who were dismissed from the U.S. military because of their sexuality are suing the Department of Defense for denying them honorable discharges and listing their sexual orientations on their service records. In a class action lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the plaintiffs are asking for the department to grant them honorable discharges so they can access all veteran benefits, including health care, college tuition assistance and loan programs. They are also requesting that language be removed from their discharge documents that notes their sexualities, arguing that the documents which the plaintiffs say must be provided to access some veterans benefits violate their privacy. Our government and leaders have long acknowledged that the militarys discrimination against LGBTQ+ service members and what was done to me was wrong, one of the named plaintiffs, U.S. Army veteran Steven Egland, said in a statement. The time has come to rectify it by correcting our records. All of those who served deserve to have documents that reflect the honor in our service. A spokesperson for the Department of Defense declined to comment on the pending litigation. Some of the plaintiffs were dismissed under the military's 1993 dont ask, dont tell policy, which permitted gays and lesbians to serve as long as they remained closeted, while others were discharged due to previous laws that barred gays and lesbians from military service, according to a statement from the plaintiffs lawyers. More than 13,000 service members were discharged from the U.S. military for violating the dont ask, dont tell (DADT) police, according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, an LGBTQ research organization. Since the policys repeal, advocates for LGBTQ veterans have asked the U.S. government to automatically adjust the discharge status of former service members and issue an apology. In 2017, the Trump administration placed a ban on transgender Americans from openly serving and enlisting in the military, which the Biden administration lifted in 2021. Democratic members of the House and the Senate introduced separate measures in 2021, urging the government to apologize for the mistreatment of LGBTQ service members. Tuesdays lawsuit notes that there is an existing application process by which veterans can request changes to the status of their discharge, but the suit argues the process is complicated and intimidating. The currently available discharge upgrade process is burdensome, opaque, expensive, and, for many veterans, virtually inaccessible, a statement from the plaintiffs lawyers reads. The process not only takes months or years, but also requires veterans to prove that an error or injustice warrants updating their discharge papers to the very entity that caused the error or injustice, despite the Governments own acknowledgement that DADT was discriminatory. Without changes from the Department of Defense, the suit argues, the Governments ongoing discrimination against LGBTQ veterans will continue. Because of the circumstances and language of my discharge, which served as a painful reminder of the trauma I experienced, I was never able to proudly say that I served my country, Egland said in his statement This article was originally published on NBCNews.com The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a man is in critical condition after he shot at people at a Gordon County business, led officers on a chase and then got into a shootout with police. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] According to the GBI, 43-year-old Courtney Wilkerson shot at employees inside Mannington Mills flooring company in Calhoun Tuesday morning before he drove to Adairsville. The Adairsville Police Department, the Bartow County Sheriffs Office, and the Georgia State Patrol received an active shooter BOLO for a blue Chevy Silverado pickup around 1:45 p.m. At some point, they spotted Wilkersons vehicle and started to chase him. TRENDING STORIES: Wilkerson started shooting at officers during the chase, according to the GBI. Wilkerson eventually crashed into a cement mixer on Highway 140 near I-75 and went off the road. After the crash, he continued to shoot at officers, who returned fire, critically injuring him. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Channel 2s Richard Elliot was the only reporter at the scene Tuesday during the aftermath of the crash, where he saw dozens of shell casings on the ground. Its unclear what led to the shooting in Calhoun or if Wilkerson has a connection to the business. The GBI is conducting an independent investigation of the shooting. This is at least the third officer-involved shooting in Georgia in the last 24 hours. A man was shot to death in Walton County overnight after shooting at officers. The GBI is also investigating an officer-involved shooting in DeKalb County early Wednesday morning. Gen Z is under scrutiny for avoiding bar tabs, but people are pointing out that's the norm outside the US An American criticized Gen Z for "paying with credit cards and closing out on every round" in a bar. While some agreed, a TikToker said that this was "literally how you buy drinks everywhere else." It's sparked a heated discussion about bar-tab etiquette across different countries. People have been left baffled by a post on the recently rebranded social-media platform X, formerly Twitter, suggesting that "closing out on every round" is "psycho behavior." Willy Staley, a story editor at The New York Times Magazine, sent out the post on July 14. "At the bar last night, the Zoomers were all paying with credit cards and closing out on every round," Staley wrote. "This is psycho behavior. Someone needs to teach these children how to go to the bar." Zoomers, also known as Gen Zers, encompass those born between the mid-to-late 1990s and the early 2010s. So far, the post has 7.5 million views, and it has stirred debate about bar etiquette in different countries. While some Americans agreed that paying for your drinks after each round was unusual, as a tab for the evening tends to be the norm, others said that it's not typical in many parts of the world. Haley Horton, a TikToker, responded to the post in a video on July 17. "It's when I read things like this that I sit back, and I think to myself, 'I am really not as culturally American as I think I am' because I read this and I went, 'Huh?'" she said. Horton told viewers that she had lived in the UK since she was 18 and had limited experience going to bars and clubs in the US. She said that when she and her boyfriend went to visit the US last year, they paid for their drinks after every order because that's how they were used to paying for drinks everywhere else. "We had absolutely no idea it was a faux pas," Horton said in her video. "The 'psycho behavior' that this man has described is literally how you buy drinks everywhere else." In one post, an X user called Lawrence Krubner wrote: "Where the hell do you live that people pay after each round? I've been all over Europe and I've never seen people pay after each round. "Normal, sane people wait till the end of the evening, and then pay one bill for the entire evening. If you live in a country where it is normal to close out after each round then you live in a nation of psychopaths." Horton and many other viewers seemed shocked by this response. Bar tabs keep a running total of charges that people accumulate while in a bar. They help bartenders to reduce the number of transactions in an evening and make it easier for them to handle complex orders and serve large groups. While bar tabs are a staple of the US bar experience, they are less common in many European countries. In the UK and other parts of Northern Europe, customers will often order rounds of drinks at the bar and pay in the moment, while servers in some parts of Southern Europe will bring a check to the table at the end of an evening but not expect customers to leave their credit cards at the bar up front. Several people questioned the logistics of running a tab and asked how it would be possible to split the check if you're waiting until the end to pay it. "It's not 'closing out,' it's making a purchase," one viewer said. "Isn't the crazy thing leaving your card somewhere for a whole night?" Horton added that paying for drinks as you got them was the norm only in bars and that it didn't apply to restaurants. Cultural differences are a common source of discourse on social media. Americans who have traveled abroad have frequently documented their experiences in other countries to the surprise of many viewers, while others have shared their own culture shocks from living in countries outside the US and gone viral as a result. Read the original article on Insider A coastal Georgia man is dead after police said a tree fell on his car while he was driving through storms Monday evening. The Chatham County Police Department said Gregory Scott, 66, was killed while driving along LaRoche Avenue around 8:15 p.m. He was the only person in the car when the tree fell on it, killing him. TRENDING STORIES: Police said Scott worked for Chatham County as a risk manager for the countys Occupational Safety, Risk Management and Disability Services Department. WJCL-TV reports that there were wind gusts of about 60 mph in that area when the tree fell Monday night. The TV station reports that Scott leaves behind a wife and children. IN OTHER NEWS: A federal court in Jacksonville sentenced Anthony Jermaine Robinson, 31, Covington Georgia, to 42 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard also sentenced co-defendant, Kiana Fina Alphonse, 29, Covington, Ga., to 36 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, false representation of a social security number and aggravated identity theft. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] According to court documents and public records, deputies from Columbia County Sheriffs Office stopped Robinson in a car for a cracked windshield in 2019. During a search of the vehicle, the CCSO found counterfeit social security cards and drivers licenses of other individuals. Credit cards in the name of other people and multiple phones were also found. During the investigation, CCSO determined that Robinsons cellphone contained text messages between himself and Alphonse on instructions on how to fraudulently set up business accounts at banks using fraudulent documents for non-existent businesses, identification documents and Social Security numbers. Read: Former JSO officer pleads guilty to COVID relief fraud Robinson and Alphonse used the personally identifiable information (PII) of multiple victims with counterfeit drivers licenses from the state of Washington and Delaware. Those forged drivers licenses contained the PII of the victims but with a photo of Alphonse. Alphonse visited multiple banks and set up a number of fraudulent business bank accounts in the name of their victims. These accounts were then used as part of a scam to defraud victims with online purchases of nonexistent cars. The Department of Justice said that once the bank accounts received money from victims, Robinson, Alphonse and co-conspirators withdrew the money for their own use. Read: Another Jacksonville COVID relief fraud case results in guilty plea Robinson is also serving a prison sentence for violating parole on a fraud related crime. Hes also wanted on violation of probation warrants from South Carolina and Columbia County on two unrelated financial crime cases. The court ordered both Robinson and Alphonse to pay $9,463.32 in restitution to the victims they defrauded. Robinson had pleaded guilty on Feb. 8, 2023 and Alphonse pleaded guilty on Apr. 26, 2023. [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. Previously, these tanks were used in the Belgian army Germany has transferred 25 more Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine after they were bought from Belgium by arms maker Rheinmetall, the Germany Defense Ministry said on Aug. 9. The military aid package [for Ukraine] includes 25 Leopard 1 tanks, five armored repair and recovery vehicles, and two train tanks, the ministry stated. Reports emerged in the Belgian media on Aug. 7 that a batch of the countrys Leopard 1 tanks had been bought by unknown country and would be transferred to Ukraine. The German newspaper Handelsblatt subsequently reported that Rheinmetall had purchased 50 tanks from Belgium in order to re-equip them, and would then send up to 30 of them to Ukraine. Read also: Germany and Poland will soon agree to build repair center for Ukraines Leopard tanks German Ambassador The tanks in questions were decommissioned by the Belgium several years ago. In order to save money, the countrys military command decided to scrap its tank fleet. Belgium had refused to donate its decommissioned Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine due to extremely high operational costs. Read also: Germany expands state guarantees for investing in Ukraine Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine (Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Olaf Scholzs government on Wednesday approved a top-up of Germanys special Climate and Transformation Fund by more than 30 billion to about 212 billion ($233 billion) for the period 2024 through 2027. Most Read from Bloomberg The mechanism, which is known by its German acronym KTF and is not part of the regular federal budget, is designed to help speed Germanys transition to an emissions-free economy. It will pay for climate-protection measures, such as financial aid for the replacement of fossil-fuel boilers with heat pumps, as well as investments in semiconductor production and expansion of railway infrastructure, among other things. The fund is overseen by Economy Minister Robert Habeck of the Greens and is part of a wider trend in Europe of governments trying to accelerate the process of cutting harmful emissions to help meet the continents ambitious climate targets. It enables Habeck to push ahead with investment in Germanys green transition, while allowing Finance Minister Christian Lindner a fiscal hawk from the business-friendly Free Democrats to restore a constitutional limit on net new borrowing that was suspended to help address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the energy crisis. The overall price tag for future-proofing Germanys energy system is projected to amount to over $1 trillion by 2030, according to BloombergNEF. Read more: Germany Faces $1 Trillion Challenge to Plug Massive Power Gap The costs include investments in upgrading power grids and above all new generation to manage the phase out of nuclear and coal plants, handle increased demand from electric cars and heating systems, and meet climate commitments. Following cabinet approval, which was confirmed Wednesday by the finance ministry, the financing plan for the KTF will now be sent to parliament for ratification. Heres a breakdown of the approximate funding allocations for the years 2024 through 2027, as set out in a draft of the financing plan obtained by Bloomberg: 63.5 billion to ease the burden on citizens and companies 60.7 billion for building modernization 18.6 billion for ramping-up hydrogen industry 13.8 billion to help expand electro-mobility 12.5 billion for railway infrastructure 12.2 billion for semiconductor manufacturing The fund is partly financed from revenues from European emissions trading with expected income of 8-13 billion per year and via the national carbon price with projected revenue of 11-22 billion per year. According to the draft document, the government also plans to use 19.2 billion in 2024 from a separate fund for military spending and 46.8 billion from the Economic Stabilisation Fund, which was created to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic. --With assistance from Petra Sorge. (Updates with cabinet approval starting in first paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. German-made Taurus cruise missiles would significantly enhance Ukraines capacity to defend against the Russian invasion due their superior characteristics compared to UK and French counterparts, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian TV broadcasters on Aug. 9. Of course, the Taurus missile is yet another cruise missile that would greatly enhance our capabilities, said Ihnat. Read also: Ukraine asks Germany for its long-range precision Taurus missiles The missile has somewhat more robust tactical and technical characteristics than its French and English analogues." Read also: UK Storm Shadow missiles hit strategic bridge in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, military confirms For several months, the Ukrainian military has been using Anglo-French Strom Shadow/SCALP-EG air-launched cruise missiles to deliver deep strikes at key nodes in the Russian military logistics network across the occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine. Read also: Kuleba and Blinken further discuss ATACMS missiles On Aug. 6, German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that two prominent members of Germanys Social Democratic Party, headed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, advocate for Berlin to transfer over Taurus missiles to Ukraine. On Aug. 3, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius once again stated that Germany would not transfer Taurus to Ukraine, citing Washingtons reluctance to provide Kyiv with ATACMS 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 An attorney in Germantown filed a lawsuit Monday after he said the City of Germantown did not fulfill a public records request for documents relating to a diesel fuel spill that leeched into the city's drinking water supply. Kevin Snider filed the records request at the start of an investigation into potential actions the people that retained his firm may take in the wake of the city's tap water being contaminated. Germantown residents first reported smelling diesel fuel when using their water on July 20, and shortly after the city issued an alert that told residents to avoid drinking, and using, tap water. Many residents spent the next week without access to tap water in their homes and the all-clear was given July 27. Initially, Germantown officials said the diesel spill was around 100 gallons, but that number was later upgraded to "no more than 300 gallons" at a town hall event hosted by the city. A water fountain has a do not drink sign placed on it within the football facility at Houston High School in Germantown, Tenn., on Monday, July 24, 2023. Players were drinking out of water bottles at practice as Germantown residents continued to be advised not to drink the citys tap water after it was discovered on Thursday that a generator was leaking diesel fuel into an underground reservoir. At that event, multiple residents said they still smelled diesel in their water, even though panelists at the town hall said water from fire hydrants was tested and was drinkable. The city also said that the employee responsible for the diesel spill was no longer working for the city during the town hall. The Tennessee Public Records Act requires a response within seven business days. When Snider did not get one, he filed the lawsuit. After learning of the lawsuit from The Daily Memphian, the City of Germantown sent Snider a letter saying that the city responded properly, but that the records would not be available until Sept. 5. In the letter, Germantown City Attorney John R. McCarroll III said Snider's request was "exceedingly broad." "Why in the world would we have to wait until Sept. 5?" Snider said. "At the very least you should have some documents here that are available now. In particular, if you said that the water was clear to drink on July 27, I would like to believe that those documents backing up that claim would be available right now because that was some time ago." Snider said he filed the records request prior to the start of the business day July 27, the same day the water was cleared to be used again. He said the response deadline began when the city's records department opened that same day. His lawsuit was filed on Aug. 7, eight business days after his records request was filed. In its letter to Snider, McCarroll wrote that the documents requested would be made available on a rolling basis, with the first batch being made available by the end of the week. Snider's lawsuit, filed in Shelby County Chancery Court, requests judicial intervention to gain access to the documents, but he said he would drop the lawsuit if the City of Germantown began giving him the documents. Germantown mayor Mike Palazzolo, along with other city leadership, hosts a town hall for Germantown residents in relation to the water crisis due to diesel leaking into a water reservoir on August 3, 2023 at the Germantown Performing Arts Center in Germantown, Tenn. A resident holds a sign that reads fix our infrastructure as she asks an array of questions to the panel. "Candidly, if you want the lawsuit to be done, deliver us the documents," he said. "It really is that simple. This is not a lawsuit that is seeking monetary damages and claims. It's a lawsuit to get the documents you have." Snider's lawsuit, though not asking for an explicit monetary amount, does request that the court grant "all reasonable costs involved in obtaining the records, including reasonable attorneys' fees" if it finds that the City of Germantown knew the records were public and "willfully refused to disclose it." More: Germantown residents, businesses begin return to normal after water restrictions lifted In response to that clause of the lawsuit, McCarroll said the city had not violated the Tennessee Public Records Act and "demands" that the lawsuit be dismissed. "The city has not violated the TPRA at all, much less knowingly and willfully," McCarroll wrote in the letter. "Given these circumstances, the city demands that you promptly dismiss the lawsuit filed earlier today. Otherwise, the city will seek an award of attorney fees and expenses for having to defend this baseless lawsuit." Germantown mayor Mike Palazzolo, along with other city leadership, hosts a town hall for Germantown residents in relation to the water crisis due to diesel leaking into a water reservoir on August 3, 2023 at the Germantown Performing Arts Center in Germantown, Tenn. A resident voices his concerns from the audience. Germantown officials have argued that they were, and continue to be, transparent about the fuel spill, but Snider said the slow pace at which the city will release records does not indicate transparency. "The information so far that has been, for lack of a good legal term, slowly trickling out by Germantown, in our opinion, doesn't make a lot of sense," Snider said. "They're not giving out the documentation to back it up. There doesn't appear to be any transparency here. If you're saying this is what happened, show us the documents to back up your version of events." Snider said confusion and uncertainty over the safety of their drinking water has residents fearful that their water might not be completely clean. "I've never seen anything like this," he said. "There are residents in Germantown legitimately scared to death right now. I had an elderly woman come to our front desk at my office this morning and say she saw some of the news clips and said, 'I just don't know what to do.'" Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Germantown sued over records about diesel spill into water supply German authorities arrested an officer of the military procurement agency on suspicion that he was passing sensitive information to Russia, the Bild newspaper reported on Aug. 9, citing the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office. According to the report, Thomas H. had been in contact with the Russian Consulate in Bonn and the Russian Embassy in Berlin since 2023 on his own initiative. The suspect was employed by the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support, responsible for developing and procuring defense technology. "The Federal Public Prosecutor today arrested a German officer who is strongly suspected of having worked for a foreign secret service," German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann wrote on Twitter. "Thank you to everyone who was involved. Vigilance remains the order of the day." According to Bild, the authorities issued an arrest warrant against Thomas H. on July 27, after which he was brought before the investigating judge on Aug. 9. The suspected spy currently remains in custody and if convicted, faces up to 10 years in prison. On Dec. 22, the German authorities arrested an employee of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) for spying for Russia. Read also: Poland detains Belarusian suspected of spying for Russia Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The German government announced on Aug. 9 the hand-over of the latest military aid package to Ukraine, including two Patriot air defense system launchers. Ukraine operates at least two Patriot systems, one provided by Germany and another by the U.S. Berlin pledged two new launchers during the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11. The latest package from Germany further includes 10 BV206 all-terrain vehicles, over 6,500 rounds of 155mm smoke ammunition, four Vector reconnaissance drones, five border protection vehicles, six truck tractor trains with six semi-trailers, and two load-handling trucks. Berlin also delivered 100 MG5 machine guns, 40,000 first aid kits, explosive ordnance disposal material, binoculars, and safety glasses. As Russia escalated its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine's south in recent weeks, Ukrainian officials have appealed to the West to provide more batteries of advanced air defense systems, such as Patriots or SAMP/T. According to Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukraine's Presidential Office, the country needs between 10 to 12 Patriot batteries to protect the whole country. Read also: US official: US to announce new military aid for Ukraine Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Supreme Court is reinstating a regulation aimed at reining in the proliferation of firearms without serial numbers, called ghost guns. Also in the news: Three men have been charged with assault following a brawl that broke out on a dock in Alabama and went viral. Voters in Ohio rejected a GOP-backed proposal that would have made it tougher to protect abortion rights. I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Working for 10,000 steps today? There's no need. Now, here we go with Wednesday's news. Supreme Court backs Biden's tougher federal rules on 'ghost guns' A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday backed a Biden administration effort to regulate ghost guns, temporarily allowing the government to require manufacturers of the untraceable weapon kits to conduct background checks on customers and mark their products with serial numbers. Biden last year required companies selling parts that can be assembled into guns to adhere to the same rules as other gunmakers. The Supreme Court's ruling arrived on its "shadow docket," where such emergency cases are handled. The court did not decide whether the rule is legal. Rather, the court allowed regulation to stand while the case continues. Read more "Ghost guns" are displayed at the headquarters of the San Francisco Police Department in San Francisco, on Nov. 27, 2019. Voters reject Issue 1 in Ohio special election Ohio voters rejected a ballot measure in Tuesday's highly charged special election that would have made it more difficult to change the state's constitution. The vote is a blow to Ohio Republicans who wanted to hamstring a November ballot question on abortion rights. Republicans pushed for the election to try and preempt the ballot question that would enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution. The higher threshold required would have made it difficult, if not impossible, for the November proposal to succeed, based on polling figures. Read more A Texas judge sided with women who were denied abortions after dangerous pregnancies. People celebrate the defeat of Issue 1 during a watch party Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio. More news to know now What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. World watches Montgomery riverfront brawl A video taking over social media shows an incident on an Alabama dock where an employee argued with several people about a pontoon boat blocking the space needed to park a riverboat. The brawl began Saturday night when Damien Pickett, the co-captain of an Alabama River cruise ship, the Harriott II, tried to dock at its designated spot but was blocked by a private boat. A different boat picked up Pickett and brought him to the pier so he could try to talk to the owners of the private boat to allow the Harriott II to dock and its 227 passengers to disembark, officials said. Several people associated with the private boat attacked Pickett after they exchanged words for several minutes, police said. It's an incident that's taken on a life of its own, with the online video creating odd comparisons to events like the Boston Tea Party. One of the three men charged was in custody and the other two were set to turn themselves in on Tuesday, said Montgomery Police Chief Darryl J. Albert. Thousands of Los Angeles city workers stage a 24-hour strike Thousands of city workers in Los Angeles abandoned their jobs Tuesday in a one-day strike, calling attention to their claims of unfair labor practices and what they say is the city's unwillingness to bargain in good faith. The strike is the first work stoppage for employees in America's second-largest city in more than 40 years. About 11,000 city workers for SEIU Local 721, including sanitation workers, heavy-duty mechanics and engineers at the Los Angeles International Airport, custodians at public schools and lifeguards staged the walkout and took to picket lines early Tuesday. Read more Biden will reinstate a labor rule shelved by Reagan, giving construction workers a pay boost. SEIU Local 721, a union representing county and city employees across Southern California, said that more than 11,000 Los Angeles city workers will participate in the strike. Just for subscribers: These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Tory Lanez sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion Rapper Tory Lanez asked the judge for mercy just before he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. Tuesday brought an end to a dramatic trial that created a cultural firestorm in the hip-hop community, churning up issues including the reluctance of Black victims to speak to police, gender politics in hip-hop, online toxicity, protecting Black women and the ramifications of misogynoir, a particular brand of misogyny Black women experience. In a written statement Monday, Megan Thee Stallion said she has suffered daily since Lanez shot her in the feet three years ago. Read more This combination photo shows rapper Tory Lanez performing at the Festival d'ete de Quebec, July 11, 2018, in Quebec City, Canada, left, and Megan Thee Stallion at the premiere of "P-Valley," June 2, 2022, in Los Angeles. Quick hits Photo of the day: Biden designates new national monument on tribal lands near the Grand Canyon President Joe Biden announced a new national monument north and south of Grand Canyon National Park on Tuesday to preserve Native American cultural sites and protect the region from new uranium mining, the administration confirmed. Read more US President Joe Biden (C) gestures after signing a proclamation to designate Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona on August 8, 2023. Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this subscribe to USA TODAY here. Associated Press contributed reporting. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Ghost guns,' Ohio election, abortion, Montgomery brawl, Los Angeles strike, Tory Lanez, Megan Thee Stallion: Daily Briefing EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify that Reps. Neil Friske and Angela Rigas did not help Rep. Steve Carra form the "Grand New Party" political action committee, however, they appeared at Carra's press conference announcing the PAC and both have donated money to the entity. OTTAWA COUNTY Ottawa County's recent hire for senior executive aide is 23-year-old Jordan Epperson, of China Township in St. Clair County. Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs declined to share Epperson's name with commissioners Tuesday, Aug. 8, saying only that hed made a hire. More: Ottawa Impact commissioners approve new senior aide position to assist John Gibbs Commissioner Jacob Bonnema asked Gibbs for an update Tuesday on the new position, which was narrowly approved by the board in March. Gibbs said the new hire will start Aug. 21. County Administrator John Gibbs speaks with members of the public duiring the board's meeting Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in West Olive. The news seemed to surprise Bonnema, who asked if the person's name had been made public. Gibbs said he and human resources knew the name. Bonnema asked when the board would find out. Gibbs said he'd let him know at any time. Bonnema asked: How about now? Im not going to get into that right now, Gibbs said. I dont want it to be a public spectacle. But multiple county officials, granted anonymity to protect themselves from retaliation, confirmed to The Sentinel that Epperson has been tapped for the job. Epperson is a former legislative aide to Northern Michigan State Rep. Neil Friske, a far-right Charlevoix Republican who, along with Grand Rapids Rep. Angela Rigas supported fellow Rep. Steve Carra's formation of the "Grand New Party. The political action committee supports like-minded candidates in races for state, county and school board positions. Friske and Carra voted against banning child marriage and conversion therapy practices for LGBTQ+ children though both measures passed. Friske has also defended the 16 members of the Michigan GOP who allegedly acted as false electors for Donald Trump in 2020, calling them patriots. According to social media, Epperson is a 2018 graduate of Algonac High School and recent graduate of Michigan State University. Although it wasn't known by publication time what degree he holds, he posted on his Twitter account that he'd been accepted to MSU in 2017 and was planning to pursue a major in criminal justice. He's linked to several prominent far-right Republicans in the state, including Friske and Carra and former MIGOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock one of the 16 charged for allegedly acting as a false elector. Epperson is also linked to Joel Studebaker, former chair of the Ottawa County GOP, who left the position weeks later to become chief of staff for MIGOP Chair Kristina Karamo. She was nominated for the role by Ottawa County Board Chair Joe Moss. John Gibbs sits at the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners table Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, after being named the county's new administrator. According to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by a Port Sheldon Township resident and obtained by The Sentinel, the county received 30 applications for the executive aide position between March 28 and May 26. Although the names of the applicants and the dates on which they applied were made available, their applications and resumes were not provided (Epperson applied April 5). The position upgrades an existing executive assistant job. The change was approved in March by the Ottawa Impact majority on the county board, only two months after Gibbs started as county administrator. The upgrade came at a cost of $37,349.08, raising the cost for the position to $132,218.89 including benefits. Salary for the position increased from $54,101 to $81,538 a $27,437 increase. County Administrator John Gibbs sits during a board meeting Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in West Olive. Those opposed to the position questioned what Gibbs would have left to do between an upgraded assistant and deputy county administrator a position that became vacant in late July after the resignation of Patrick Waterman. Gibbs said the position was made necessary by changes on the board, resulting in less consensus. I understand that previously most of the votes by the board were 11-0, Gibbs said in March. There wasn't necessarily a lot of oversight or deliberations done on decisions. Being hands-on versus 11-0 requires more resources and more eyeballs on things. That's one of the reasons I do need this position in an upgraded capacity. Subscribe: Receive unlimited access to your local news coverage Gibbs said the aide would help him take notes during meetings, organize follow-ups and help keep track of who he's met with. He compared the position to a chief of staff role. The deputy county administrator position was posted Monday, Aug. 7, and closes at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1. The salary range is $129,416-$162,239. Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman and executive editor Sarah Leach at newsroom@hollandsentinel.com. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Gibbs refuses to name executive aide in public. Here's who he is A lawyer for the suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann is opposing a request for a DNA swab, arguing in court papers that prosecutors failed to meet probable cause standards to compel the 59-year-old Manhattan architect to do so. As reported by the Long Island newspaper Newsday, the attorney, Danielle Coysh, said allegations against Heuermann could be read as rising to the level of a reasonable suspicion, but not as meeting standards that would compel her client to provide a DNA sample. Related: Authorities excavating yard of suspect in New Yorks Gilgo Beach killings Heuermann, 59, was arrested on 14 July. He has pleaded not guilty to first- and second-degree murder charges in the killings of three women: Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello. Their remains were found on Gilgo Beach, a secluded stretch of coastline in Long Island, New York, in December 2010. Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the killing of another woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose remains were found near those of the other women. All four sets of remains were found in the same spot, wrapped in burlap. Prosecutors have said they linked Heuermann to one of the killings using mitochondrial DNA from a pizza crust and napkin from a discarded pizza box, and from hair on material used to restrain and transport a body. Without a direct DNA sample, defense attorneys could argue at trial that DNA from the pizza crust and napkin are not from the suspect. In court papers, Newsday said, Coysh said prosecutors had no evidence establishing the defendant Rex A Heuermann actually ever came into contact with the items in question. The partial remains of another woman found on the same stretch of coastline have been identified 27 years after she went missing. The woman formerly referred to as Jane Doe No 7 is now known to have been Karen Vergata. Her family last heard from her on Valentines Day 1996. The identification is the latest in a series of killings that has produced 11 sets of human remains. Most have been identified. Not all are believed linked to the Gilgo Beach suspect. Authorities are actively investigating if Heuermann is linked to other unsolved cases. Former Houser Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said he supports the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Biden but advised Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to go very slow in the process. Open the inquiry, but go very slow, Gingrich told NBC News. We should open the inquiry, because it allows them to ask a broader range of questions, Gingrich continued. But we should move very, very, very slowly beyond that. McCarthy said last month that the findings from GOP probes into the Biden familys foreign business activities rise to the level of an impeachment inquiry. McCarthy has pointed to two IRS whistleblowers who alleged prosecutors slow-walked an investigation into Bidens son Hunter Bidens tax crimes, as well as millions of dollars from foreign sources that allegedly moved through shell companies to Biden family members and associates. Gingrich led the impeachment of then-President Clinton in the late 1990s, which some criticized as an overreaching probe. Republicans would end up losing seats in the 1998 election, spurring Gingrichs resignation soon after. Gingrich previously told The Washington Post that an impeachment inquiry into Biden was a good idea but that impeachment itself is a terrible idea, and he said he had told McCarthy as much. Gingrich is among several GOP figures who have urged caution on the impeachment inquiry, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) who warned Republicans against falling into the trap of impeachment. Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) called McCarthys remarks impeachment theater meant to distract from budget negotiations. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A teenager was arrested Tuesday on assault charges after allegedly verbally harassing an Asian family on the subway and then assaulting another passenger. Because the arrested girl is 16 years old, her name was not released. She turned herself into the NYPD on Tuesday morning at about 9.45am, according to the New York Post. A video of the incident shows the teenager attacking both 51-year-old Susan Young, a Nevada mom sitting with her 11-year-old twins, as well as Joanna Lin, who filmed the encounter. The teen was charged with two counts of assault Tuesday, and although police were reportedly considering hate crime charges, she wasnt charged with any; both Ms Young and Ms Lin told the Post that they do not think the girl harassed them because of their race. One of the girls stood up and went to Joanna and just punched her. I mean, punch, punch, punch, like repeatedly. I saw at least three, maybe two or three, Ms Young told The Post, prompting her to stand up from her seat. Thats when another girl approached the Nevada mom, and because she was screaming at her, Ms Young pushed the girl away to try to get to Ms Lin. Then, the 16-year-old turned her attention to the mom, Ms Young explained to the outlet. Well, as soon as I made contact and pushed her shoulders away, they all came after me. I backed up, but the girl in the white t-shirt came slugging at me She grabbed my hair, I grabbed her hair, and I basically just grabbed onto her hair to shield my face because she was swinging, Ms Young recalled. The bystander gave her thoughts on the teens arrest to The Post. I am relieved that she made the decision to turn herself in. In a perfect world, I would love if she can issue an apology to myself and Sue Young, and promise to never ever do this again, Ms Lin told the publication. I also hope she gets therapy, counseling, and mentorship needed to move up from here. According to the police department, the assault took place at around 8pm on August 3 on an F train at West Fourth Street-Washington Square station. It is not clear from the video how the confrontation began. From there, however, things allegedly escalated. The video shows one of the women who had allegedly been hurling abuse at the Asian family run towards the camera, at which point it cuts out. In one of the captions for the video, Ms Lin wrote that This ferocious one runs over to hit me. I put down my phone to cover my head and took the blow (ow). WANTED for ASSAULT: on 8/3 at approx 8PM, a 51 y/o female victim was riding on a s/b "F" train at West 4 St when she got into a dispute w/ 3 UNK females. One of them made an anti-ethnic remark, pulled her by the hair & punched her. Any info? Call or DM @NYPDTips at 800-577-TIPS pic.twitter.com/fl7z4i3EzA NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) August 6, 2023 According to an NYPD tweet, which identified the victim in the case only as a 51-year-old woman, the assailant made an anti-ethnic remark, pulled her by the hair & punched her. The victim has since identified herself as Sue Young a 51-year-old from Reno, Nevada who was visting New York on vacation with her family. The altercation continued as the subway sped towards its next stop, where the passengers got off the train and Ms Lin reportedly helped the family file a police report. Video of the attack, which quickly went viral, sparked outrage in New York. The attack comes more than three years after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic led to a spike in anti-Asian hate crimes in the city and around the country that left some AAPI community members fearful for their safety in public. The NYPD formed an Asian Hate Crime Task Force in 2020, though its unclear whether that task force is involved directly in any way in the investigation into the attack. Ms Young, for her part, told NBC that she does not believe the people who verbally harrassed her and her family members were motivated by racial hatred and warned about the limited effectiveness of a carceral response. These are very young girls, Ms Young told NBC News. Somebody or something or some circumstance has made a big impression on them whether its historical pressure, societal pressure, social pressure. Using law enforcement to curtail this, Im not sure if thats going to fix the problem. It just seems like its a more underlying issue that we, as a society and as a community, need to hold everybody accountable, not just law enforcement. Government allegations against Google Search design rest almost entirely on "opinion and speculation," a federal court says. A Department of Justice (DOJ) case accusing Google's search business of violating federal antitrust laws can go forward, per a new ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. But the court rejected many of the government's core claims about Google's allegedly anticompetitive conduct. The DOJ and state partners claim that Google has violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by maintaining its dominant position in the search engine and search advertising sphere through "exclusionary practices." On some of the government's claims, "there remain genuine disputes of material fact that warrant a trial," Judge Amit Mehta wrote in a ruling which was unsealed on Friday. But Mehta also dismissed several portions of the lawsuit regarding anticompetitive conduct claims, including the assertion that Google's search engine page was designed to unfairly harm competitors like Yelp and Amazon and claims related to Android compatibility agreements, anti-fragmentation agreements, Google Assistant, Android Open Source Project, and Internet of Things devices. "This is a significant victory for Google, knocking out several claims and narrowing the range of activities at issue for trial," David Olson, a law professor at Boston College, told The Washington Post. The ruling comes in one of two federal antitrust cases filed against Google (both civil, not criminal, cases). The first was filed in 2020 and concerns the company's search business. The second was filed early this year and concerns Google's advertising business. Both were filed in conjunction with multiple state attorneys general. "While the DOJ and states originally filed [the 2020 cases] separately, the suit has since become mostly consolidated," notes The Verge. DOJ and the states accused Google of numerous forms of anti-competitive behavior. Mehta dismissed four of the lawsuit's claims and allowed three to move forward. One of the claims dismissed relates to Google's treatment of "Specialized Vertical Providers," or SVPs, which the judge describes as "companies focused on niche marketslike Expedia or Tripadvisor for travel, OpenTable for restaurant reservations, and Amazon or eBay for shopping." The states say Google unlawfully limits the visibility of SVPs on Google's search results page, and that this and Google's data terms for SVPs weaken their position and harm search and search-advertising competition. But "plaintiffs' theory of anticompetitive harm rests on a multi-linked causal sequence that relies not on evidence but almost entirely on the opinion and speculation of its expert, Professor Jonathan Baker," noted the judge. "Remarkably, not one of Professor Baker's opinions, on which these fact assertions are based, cites to any record evidence." One of the claims that can go forward relates to the company making Google the default search engine on Android phones. This claim seems especially silly, given that many people enjoy having some presets (like a default browser, search engine, etc.) come on their phones and Android users can easily change their default search engine if they wish to do so. The government is literally making a federal case out of the fact that consumers might have to take less than five minutes to switch their default search engine settings if they don't want Google as their default search. But this wouldn't be the first time the federal government has gotten weirdly in a tizzy over default tech settings. Part of the government's big antitrust case against Microsoft in the '90s and early 2000s was over the company bundling its Internet Explorer browser with its Windows desktop software. Mehta's ruling that some of the government's claims against Google must go to trial "sets the stage for the first major tech monopoly trial since the federal government took Microsoft to court in the 1990s," notes The New York Times. The trial is scheduled to begin on September 12. FOLLOW UP Ohio Issue 1 defeated. A Republican-backed measure meant to make it harder for voters to amend Ohio's constitution has failed. Ohioans voted on the measure, dubbed Issue 1, in a special election yesterday. With 97 percent of votes counted, no votes on Issue 1 were besting yes votes by 57 to 43 percent. Among other things, Issue 1 would have changed the threshold for passing a constitutional amendment ballot initiative from a simple majority to 60 percent. Issue 1 was championed in large part by abortion opponents seeking to make it harder for Ohioans to pass an abortion-protective amendment on the state's November 2023 ballot. A big defeat of Ohio's Issue 1 is a win *for* abortion rights it makes protecting abortion rights easier. But it would be a mistake to conclude that all these Issue 1 voters plan to vote for abortion rights in November. We can see plenty of anti-abortion areas voting no tonight Rachel Cohen (@rmc031) August 9, 2023 "A higher than expected number of Ohio's registered voters cast ballots in this special August election that was set by supermajority Republican state lawmakers who oppose abortion," notes NPR. let's take a step back, & remember: just months after ending summer elections, Ohio Republicans backtracked & organized a special election (that took a lot of money to organize) with *nothing* on the ballot other than a referendum asking voters to GIVE UP political power! Taniel (@Taniel) August 9, 2023 "Voter opposition to the proposal was widespread, even spreading into traditionally Republican territory," the Associated Press points out. "In fact, in early returns, support for the measure fell far short of former President Donald Trump's performance during the 2020 election in nearly every county." FREE MINDS Free Speech Coalition sues over age-verification law. The Free Speech Coalition (FSC), an adult industry trade group, is suing over a Texas law that would require online porn platforms to verify the ages of all visitors and display a "Texas Health and Human Services Warning." The law is set to take effect on September 1. "Compliance will be enforced by the state's attorney general, with potential fines of up to $250,000 if a minor is found to have accessed sexually explicit material," notes Bloomberg Law: Minors could still circumvent age checks via services that virtual private networks and other avenues despite verification measures sites adopt, the [Free Speech Coalition's] complaint argued. Content filtering at the browser or the device level would allow parents to block adult sites effectively "without impairing free speech rights or privacy," it added. "But such far more effective and far less restrictive means don't really matter to Texas, whose true aim is not to protect minors but to squelch constitutionally protected free speech that the State disfavors," the lawsuit said. The plaintiffs also alleged that the mandatory warning notice stating porn's detrimental effects applies "an orthodox viewpoint on a controversial issue" and includes "statements that are a mix of falsehoods, discredited pseudo-science, and baseless accusations." The litigants claim that the Texas law infringes protections provided by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, thereby violating the Sixth Amendment's supremacy clause. The Free Speech Coalition has previously filed lawsuits against similar measures in Utah and Louisiana. "Texas is not only forcing sites to put their visitors' privacy at risk, they are forcing them to broadcast misinformation and pseudoscience about sex and sexuality," said FSC Executive Director Alison Boden in a statement. "We are standing up not only for the rights of adult businesses and creators, but for the rights of adult Texans to access legal content in the privacy of their own home, without having to submit to surveillance or propaganda." See also: "A Ham-Handed Bill Attacks the First Amendment in the Name of Protecting Minors From Online Harm" FREE MARKETS The Supreme Court pauses order vacating federal firearms regulations. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) regulations "expand the definition of 'firearm' beyond what Congress enacted in the Gun Control Act (GCA)," explains The Volokh Conspiracy's Stephen Halbrook: ATF adopted two final rules in 2022. In the first, ATF expanded the definition of "firearm" far beyond that enacted by Congress. In the second, ATF expanded the definition of "rifle" beyond that in the National Firearms Act (NFA) to include configurations that it previously deemed not to be rifles. Both of these new regulations increase ATF's grip on both the firearm industry and consumers, exposing them to a wider net of criminal prohibitions under the GCA and NFA. A U.S. district court in Texas has vacated the ATF regulations and a court of appeals affirmed this ruling. But the Supreme Court has now put those rulings on hold as the case plays out. "Five Justices then voted to extend the stay pending final disposition of the case," notes Halbrook. QUICK HITS "State courts have become hot spots in the national abortion debate, with Utah's top court and a Kansas judge considering Tuesday whether their state constitutions require them to block or invalidate laws regulating the procedure more than a year after Roe v. Wade was overturned," reports the Associated Press. Qualified immunity may protect FBI agents who abused the no-fly list. "The online movement known as cop-watching or First Amendment auditing has swelled in popularity in recent years," notes The Washington Post. "In an attempt to kick-start his sputtering presidential bid, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has shifted his focus toward economic issues and away from the culture war obsession that defined the early stages of his campaign," points out Reason's Eric Boehm. "The pivot is a welcomeand probably necessarychange that gives DeSantis an opportunity to talk about actual conservative policies rather than seeking new ways to threaten to use state power against private entities the governor dislikes." How the pandemic shifted America's geography of income. The South Korean government is trying to play matchmaker. A lawsuit complaining that Texas Pete hot sauce is made in North Carolina can proceed. The post Google Will Go to Trial Over Preloading Apps and Search Engine on Phones appeared first on Reason.com. A sign outside of an early voting location in Columbus, Ohio, where voters are considering making it harder to amend the state's constitution. Samantha Hendrickson/AP Ohioans issued a major rebuke to Republican officials on Tuesday night. Voters rejected a gambit to get ahead of an abortion rights vote this November. The result illustrates that the GOP is still struggling to figure out how to talk about abortion post-Roe. So goes Ohio. That's how a generation of political pundits used to respond to swing state's results on presidential election nights, knowing that it could almost reliably predict control of the White House. Ohio is much redder now, but Tuesday's results in an early face-off over abortion rights illustrate a much more troubling bellwether for the GOP. Ohioans did not explicitly vote on abortion rights on Tuesday. Regardless, they sent a major rebuke to key state Republican leaders as they rejected an effort to get ahead of a November abortion vote. Not long after 8 p.m., just a half hour after polls closed, margins were so lopsided that Decision Desk HQ and the Columbus Dispatch projected that voters would reject the proposed amendment. The hastily-scheduled special election on Issue 1 was about whether to increase the threshold necessary to amend the state's constitution. The timing and even the comments of some Republicans made clear it was about abortion, though. Specifically, conservatives wanted to deal a potentially lethal blow to an abortion rights amendment before voters even consider it this November. It failed. Progress Action Fund Trying to claw back voters' power is now the latest gambit to fail in the wake of Roe's reversal. The Ohio results illustrate that more than a year later, Americans remain animated over the Supreme Court gutting abortion rights. Issue 1 sparked turnout that the Columbus Dispatch reported surprised election officials. They may try to find a safe harbor in the culture war du jour, but Americans are far more agitated about abortion restrictions than worried about their gas grills. Just a few years ago, abortion was still a taboo issue in Democratic politics. Their leaders defended the Hyde Amendment that banned most federal funds from being used for an abortion. Now, strategists are plotting votes guaranteeing abortion rights in just about every state they can find. Abortion rights activists have now stood down efforts to pass restrictions in Kansas, Kentucky, and Montana. Meanwhile, they've written abortion protections into the constitution in states such as Michigan. Ohio may very well join its neighbor later this November. Conservatives were elated that they realized their decades-long effort to gut Roe. Instead, it has turned into a reoccurring nightmare whenever the issue is on the ballot. Anti-abortion groups that were once in almost lockstep with GOP leaders are warring with presidential candidates and lawmakers who refuse to back nationwide abortion bans that range from unpopular (15 weeks) to a near-career ender (6 weeks). This is not to say abortion opponents have struck out. Roe's reversal opened the door to abortion bans that were ready to go. Abortion rights activists have been left to fight a bevy of court battles with limited successes in often heavily conservative courts. More states are trying to enact greater bans, such as Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed a ban on almost all abortions after 6 weeks into law. Some Republicans want to go even further, by restricting pills used for medicated abortions or by limiting out-of-state travel for abortions. Polls show those types of restrictions are almost comically unpopular. Tuesday's result may quickly be the least of the GOP's worries. The prospect of the issue coming up in a key 2024 state is becoming more likely each day. Activists in Arizona have already taken steps to put the issue on the ballot next year. Read the original article on Business Insider Dennis Willard, spokesperson for One Person One Vote, celebrates in Columbus after Ohio Issue 1 is projected to fail. Jay LaPrete/AP Ohioians issued a resounding rejection of a GOP-led gambit to stymie abortion rights. Republicans had to hope to raise the threshold for constitutional amendments in a bid to get ahead of a November vote. Their effort sparked a massive turnout and lopsided margins in the state's biggest cities. Even some rural counties voted against them. Ohio voters on Tuesday in large cities and even some rural counties issued a resounding rejection of a Republican-led power grab that sought to short-circuit a major abortion rights vote this November. While votes are still being counted, every major news organization projected that voters rejected Issue 1, a constitutional amendment that would have changed the threshold for future amendments to 60% and made it more difficult for advocates to get more questions in front of voters. While proponents tried to cast their effort more broadly, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose made clear that it was geared toward stopping a proposed amendment that would enshrine basic protections for abortion rights into the state constitution. "Ohio Dems were proud to play a part in stopping this power grab by out-of-touch politicians most notably Frank LaRose, who is now officially Ohio's biggest loser," the Ohio Democratic Party crowed on Twitter. Massive turnout in Ohio cities As of 10:30 p.m. EDT, it appears that Issue 1 opponents drove up major margins in the three Cs the nickname for Ohio's three largest cities, Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati and the suburban counties that encompass them. Take Franklin County, home to Columbus and the Ohio State University: opponents to the issue hold a 50-point advantage with an estimated 95% of the vote in, according to The New York Times. The same lopsided advantage was mirrored in the major campus-based precincts. In comparison, then-Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat, held a 32-point advantage in Franklin in 2022 when he went on to lose to now-Sen. JD Vance by just over 6 points statewide. The true depth of the coalition was seen across the map. In response, Republicans could only muster that their focus was now on November. "The people of Ohio have spoken," Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens said in a statement, per the Ohio Capital Journal. "It is now time to turn our attention to November." As Cook Political Report's Dave Wasserman pointed out, Issue 1 could fail in Delaware County, a northern Columbus suburban county that has backed every Republican presidential candidate since 1916. With more than 95% of the expected votes in, Issue 1 was even failing in Ashtabula County. In comparison, Vance won it by 18 points just under a year ago. Progress Action Fund It's not the first time a generally red state came out big for abortion rights Turnout thus far shows the makings of a familiar pattern that abortion rights advocates used to both expand protections and thwart restrictions in a series of votes last year. Just like in Kansas, the first state to vote on abortion. The combined data so far may be the most worrying sign for the GOP. Even in the immense hyperpartisan era we live in, the issue continues to demonstrate cross-party appeal as Tuesday's lopsided results illustrate. It also seems pretty clear that more than a year removed from Roe's reversal, Americans remain animated about the future of abortion rights. Tuesday's result means abortion advocates are in a strong position come November. They will still only have to reach a simple majority to enshrine rights covering an abortion up until fetal viability, roughly up to 22 weeks of pregnancy, into the state constitution. In comparison, Ohio Republicans pushed a so-called "fetal heartbeat" ban into law that would outlaw almost all abortions after roughly 6 weeks. The law is currently on hold, but the stakes of the potential amendment are abundantly clear. As in other states, Issue 1 opponents likely banked a sizable lead in early voting. Just under 642,000 Ohioans voted early, smashing turnout in recent elections, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Over 63,000 Ohioans voted early this past weekend alone. In comparison, 263,000 Ohioans voted early last May in races that featured contested US Senate and gubernatorial races. The early turnout for Tuesday's special election is more than four times the amount of early votes that were cast in statehouse primary races last year. While Tuesday was a clear annoyance for senior Ohio GOP officials, it's what's to come that may really scare national Republicans: abortion rights activists continue to seek out states where they can put the issue on the ballot. Their next target is Arizona. Read the original article on Business Insider Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona speaks at an event in Scottsdale on November 8, 2022. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin Rep. David Schweikert voted twice last year against a bill to provide health benefits to veterans. But now, he's urging his constituents to sign up to receive benefits from the program. It's the latest example of Republicans touting legislation that they initially opposed. Last year, Rep. David Schweikert voted not once, but twice against a bill to provide health benefits to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their service. Now, the Arizona Republican is urging his constituents to sign up for the benefits created by that same legislation. "You don't want to miss out on this opportunity," wrote Schweikert in an e-newsletter sent to constituents on Monday, urging Arizona veterans to sign up by Wednesday, August 9 in order to receive an extra year's worth of benefits. Schweikert also posted similar messages on both Twitter and Facebook. Rep. David Schweikert (@RepDavid) August 3, 2023 The bill known as the "Honoring our PACT Act" was a bipartisan bill that expanded the benefits and services that the Department of Veterans Affairs could provide to service members who may have developed an illness as a result of exposure to toxins. That includes "burn pits" on military bases, where the military disposed of chemicals, plastics, and human waste via open-air fires. President Joe Biden who has blamed burn pit exposure for his late son Beau's brain cancer urged Congress to pass the bill during his first State of the Union address in 2022. The initial version of the legislation later passed the House in March 2022, and then a Senate-amended version passed the House again in July 2022. In both instances, Schweikert was among the Republicans who voted against the bill. Biden later signed the bill into law on August 10, 2022. Insider reached out to Schweikert's office for comment on why he did not support the bill, but did not receive a response. According to the US Census, more than 41,000 veterans live in Schweikert's Scottsdale-area district. It's the latest example of Republican lawmakers touting programs created by legislation that they voted against. In June, Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama celebrated the fact that his state had received $1.4 billion in federal funding to expand access to broadband internet, despite voting against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which appropriated the money for the program. His spokesman told Insider at the time that though Tuberville believed the bill included wasteful spending, his state now deserved its "fair share" and that Tuberville was "proud to advocate for this funding to go to Alabama." Read the original article on Business Insider Watch John Kings full report from Iowa on CNNs Anderson Cooper 360 at 8 p.m. ET. The homes are nearly identical, dotting both sides of the curvy road in a middle-class subdivision. But one stands out: 10 solar panels newly attached to its sloping roof as the crew links the system to the electric meter. The finishing touch: a new Midwest Solar magnet attached to the junction box. Chris Mudd is the hands-on founder and CEO. He checked in with the crew, made a point of thanking the homeowner for her business and then took a moment to reflect on Midwest Solars swift progress. Our first 12 months I think we averaged three or four systems a month. It was tough. Today, we are doing 15-20 systems a month, Mudd says. We lost money the first year we were in business and were going to make money our second year. I think thats good. Starting a business from scratch is very difficult. Yes, he says, some of the credit goes to President Joe Bidens clean energy initiatives particularly tax incentives for solar systems. Absolutely, Mudd says. There are lots of grants available to business owners. The tax credit is at that 30%. Absolutely. But Mudd is a lifelong Republican, would prefer that tax credit money instead be spent on a border wall and is rooting for a Donald Trump comeback beginning here in Iowa to make that happen. Do I think Donald Trumps perfect? No, Mudd says. Personally, Im not a big fan of who he is and what he does and how he lives. But I think the decisions and things that he did for the country were good. Our conversation was the day after the former president was indicted again by a special counsel, this time on charges stemming from Trumps effort to stay in power after losing the 2020 election. My visit to Iowa was part of a new project designed to build relationships with voters and to see the 2024 campaign through their eyes and their experiences as the cycle unfolds. The first-in-the-nation GOP caucus state is our first foray for the obvious reason: Trump at the moment is the formidable favorite to win the Republican nomination and, if he is to be stopped or even stalled, it would likely have to come early in the process. John King conducts a roundtable discussion in Cedar Falls, Iowa. - Allison Malloy/CNN I think hes the best guy for the job, Mudd tells us. I wonder why they are attacking him so hard. Why are they going after this guy so hard? Does everybody really believe what happened was exactly the way that the government is laying it out today? I dont. Mudds distrust runs deep, and like many Republicans, still includes the 2020 presidential vote count even though there is no evidence of widespread election fraud that would have affected the outcome. Did something happen to that election? Mudd asks. You know, we have six states change late at night, from the trajectory of where they are going. I remind him that this was because some states counted early ballots first, and others counted the ballots cast on Election Day first. Biden, for example, had a big lead in the early hours of the count in Ohio and Texas, because they counted early ballots first, but he ultimately lost both by wide margins as all ballots were counted. Pennsylvania and Georgia were among the states where Election Day votes were counted first, and Trump led in early returns but faded as the counting turned to votes cast early. Mudd does not dispute this but says he would have more confidence if states followed the same procedures. A Republican family divided Families like the Mudds, to borrow a phrase, are what makes America great. Jim Mudd Sr. was an AM radio voice, who started a small advertising business in Cedar Falls in 1981 at the suggestion of a local Iowa car dealer. Mudd Advertising now employs 85 people and has clients from coast to coast. This American Dream family is also living Americas political divide. Dad and three sons are loyal Republicans; two daughters are Democrats. The Republicans dont watch and dont trust CNN. But they are beyond gracious and kind to CNN visitors. They revere former President Ronald Reagan, yet the Trump effect and the Fox effect on todays Republican Party is abundantly clear in an hour-plus conversation around a Mudd Advertising conference table. Nothing about that deal is the American way, I dont think, Mudd Sr. says of the latest Trump indictment. Of the eight family and friends around the table, only one voices opposition to Trump. Tracey Mudd, Chris wife, says she does back most Trump policies. It is more of his tone, she says. He kind of rubs me the wrong way sometimes. No one at the table raises a hand when asked if anyone supports US financial and military assistance to Ukraine. The explanation from Rob Mudd is stunning, and no one at the table disputes it. I dont believe what we are being told about Ukraine, he says. You dont have to be smart to connect the dots, right. And so, is the war to cover up sins committed so that you can cover your tracks? Too much money thats been thrown over there. The unfounded allegation that Bidens support for Ukraine is somehow linked to his son Hunter Bidens overseas business dealings sounds like an old Tucker Carlson show open. So, I try this question: You think all the NATO countries would do what Biden told them to do to cover up some Hunter Biden business deal? Rob Mudd doesnt hesitate. It all depends on (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky and how much dirt he has on Biden to keep the money coming. When I suggest thats out there, there is laughter around the table. One big goal of this project is to better understand Americas divide, and this is just the beginning. The kindness and goodwill around the table despite clear disagreements over what is true are an encouraging first step. Jim Mudd Jr. is for Trump, but says he is also impressed with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamys promise to slash the federal bureaucracy. Beyond those two, the 2024 candidate who has piqued his interest the most is Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. I think he is a really good guy, Mudd Jr. says. His father agrees: He sounds like a real genuine individual to me. Hes smart and hes even minded. Hes open minded, I should say. CNN reminds the group RFK Jr.s family is unhappy with his primary challenge to Biden. And that he has pushed views on vaccines and other issues that reputable scientists consider conspiracy theories and dangerous. The conversation is polite, cordial. And it vividly captures the countrys red state-blue state divide, which includes what you think of Trump and where you get your news. I think its nearly impossible to know what is true, Chris Mudd says. Because theres so many theres a little bit of truth in every lie. Its hard to distinguish whats really true and whats not because there is a little bit of truth in everybodys angle. Another takeaway of the conversation is that the roughly half of likely GOP voters who are backing Trump are a loyal group, to say the least. There is that other half to consider, of course. Looking for something different Sioux City is 212 miles west of Cedar Falls and was a Trump stronghold in the 2016 caucuses. Attorney Priscilla Forsyth was raised Republican but switched to the Democrats while in law school. Her caucus experience includes backing Howard Dean in 2004 and John Edwards in 2008. But she attended a small Trump event in 2016 and liked what she heard. He does have charisma, I mean, whether you like him or not, he does, Forsyth says in an interview at the Woodbury County courthouse. I liked his policies. Shes attended three Trump rallies and, for the most part, isnt bothered by his aggressive language and attacks. But his effort to stay in power after losing the 2020 election was a turning point. You have to respect the system, Forsyth says. Otherwise, the system falls apart. While she doesnt flatly rule out voting for Trump again, Forsyth is shopping for a new candidate. King interviews Priscilla Forsyth at the Woodbury County Courthouse. - CNN I think the country needs to move on, she says. I think we need to get rid of Biden. I think we need to get rid of Trump. I think we need to move on. So theres at least modest evidence some past Trump supporters are looking elsewhere. But beating him here, or wounding him here, would require a giant change in the current GOP math. Watch the booming Des Moines suburbs over the next five months to see if there is any evidence that is happening. The population in Metro Des Moines is up about 60,000 voters just from 2016, and the suburbs are Trumps kryptonite. I dont appreciate the negativity, the character, says Jaclyn Taylor, a single mother and entrepreneur who lives in suburban Waukee. Taylor supported Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2016 caucuses, but voted for Trump in November 2016 and again in 2020. She sighs when asked how she would vote if there is a Biden-Trump rematch. I dont know. Its very difficult. I really cant answer that question. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott intrigues Taylor. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley does, too. Sometimes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as well. John King visits a construction site in Clive, Iowa, with Jaclyn Taylor. - CNN Betsy Sarcone is also a single mom and a real estate agent who lives in nearby Urbandale. DeSantis tops her list at the moment, but she, too, wants to take her time and is not a fan of the six-week abortion ban signed by the Florida governor. I dont feel it is my place to judge, Sarcone says. I think that is up to them. Sarcone was a Florida Sen. Marco Rubio supporter in the 2016 caucuses and, like Taylor, voted for Trump against Hillary Clinton and again against Biden. But if 2024 is a 2020 rematch, Sarcone says she would back Biden because she would feel abandoned by the GOP. I think the victim mentality has run its course, Sarcone said of Trump. I see the party as the party of personal responsibility and for this man to still be on the national stage representing the Republican Party is very troubling to me. Both suburban mothers are feeling 2016 deja vu five months before Iowa casts the first 2024 votes. Shopping around is an Iowa tradition, but both understand that a splintered field eventually helps Trump, as it did in 2016. And both say their goal is to talk to friends as the January caucuses approach, with the hope they can agree on one Trump alternative. I think the moderates need to band together, Sarcone says. Weve got to find one that works. Taylor says she is having the same conversations, because its a no-brainer, right? For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com FILE - This booking photo released by Sherburne County Jail shows Anton Lazzaro. The formerly well-connected GOP donor convicted of giving teenage girls gifts, alcohol and money in exchange for sex was sentenced Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, to 21 years in prison. (Sherburne County Jail/Star Tribune via AP, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A formerly well-connected GOP donor convicted of giving teenage girls gifts, alcohol and money in exchange for sex was sentenced Wednesday to 21 years in prison on sex trafficking charges. Anton Tony Lazzaro was found guilty in March by a federal jury of seven counts involving commercial sex acts with five girls ages 15 and 16 in 2020, when Lazzaro was 30. The charges carried mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years with a maximum of life in prison. Prosecutors had requested a 30-year sentence for Lazzaro. They likened Lazzaro to financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was arrested in 2019 on federal charges accusing him of paying underage girls for massages and then abusing them at his homes in Florida and New York. The defense asked for no more than 10 years. Hes a sex trafficker," prosecutor Laura Provinzino said. "One who has shown absolutely no remorse. He has accepted no responsibility for his crimes. U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz came down in the middle and had harsh words for Lazzaro. He said Lazzaro showed sympathy to only two people during the trial to himself and Jeffrey Epstein. And the judge said he was struck by the soulless, almost mechanical nature of how Lazzaro exploited the girls. Its almost as if Mr. Lazzaro set up a sex trafficking assembly line, Schiltz said. One of the victims called Lazzaro a child predator in court Wednesday and said she continues to be impacted by his actions. I still see him in my nightmares, in my panic attacks, in men in their thirties. Putting Tony behind bars will save so many girls," she said. The mother of a different victim addressed Lazzaro directly. The damage you caused my daughter, mentally and emotionally, you didnt just cause that damage to her. You caused it to me and my family and all these victims and all of their families," she said. "You stand up here and you dont even care. Youre justifying your actions. I hope you rot in hell. The Associated Press does not typically name victims of sex crimes. Lazzaro, who has said the charges against him were politically motivated, maintained his innocence, denying that he paid any of the girls explicitly for sex. I take a lot of offense to the government and courts notion that I perjured myself in this trial. ... Grooming behavior is the word you used," he said. "If thats the case, then I suppose anyone who gives someone a gift, whether it be a cheap gift or a million dollars, is grooming their companion for sex. OK? If thats the standard that were going to apply, then I dont know how theres any standard to apply. Defense attorney Daniel Gerdts said afterward that they were looking forward to the appeal. Lazzaro's indictment in 2021 touched off a political firestorm that led to the downfall of Jennifer Carnahan as chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota. His co-defendant, Gisela Castro Medina, who was 19 at the time, formerly led the College Republicans chapter at the University of St. Thomas. She pleaded guilty to two counts last year. She testified against Lazzaro and faces sentencing in September. Prosecutors argued during his trial that Lazzaro enlisted Castro Medina, who he initially paid for sex, to recruit other teenagers preferably minors who were white, small, vulnerable or broken. He often sent cars to take the girls to his luxury penthouse condo at the Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis, they said. Gerdts had argued that the governments salacious prosecution was based on completely unfounded allegations. Lazzaro has denied paying for sex, saying the government targeted him for political reasons and because of his wealth. Carnahan, the widow of U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, of Minnesota, resigned a week after the charges against Lazzaro were unsealed. She denied knowing of any wrongdoing by Lazzaro beforehand and condemned his alleged crimes. But his arrest fueled outrage among party activists. Allegations surfaced that Carnahan created a toxic work environment and abused nondisclosure agreements to silence her critics. Carnahan and Lazzaro became friends when she ran unsuccessfully for a legislative seat in 2016. He backed her bid to become party chair in 2017 and attended her 2018 wedding to Hagedorn. They hosted a podcast together for a few months. Lazzaro also helped run the campaign of Republican Lacy Johnson, who failed to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, of Minnesota, in 2020. Pictures on Lazzaros social media accounts showed him with prominent Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. He gave more than $270,000 to Republican campaigns and political committees over the years. Several recipients quickly donated those contributions to charity after the charges became public, including U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, of Minnesota, who received $15,600 but suffered no repercussions. Emmer became majority whip in January. The sources of Lazzaros wealth have been murky. Defense filings have called him an up-and-coming real estate owner and entrepreneur. Items seized from him included a 2010 Ferrari and more than $371,000 in cash. The government put his net worth in a bond report at more than $2 million but said its calculations didnt include his extensive but hard-to-trace cryptocurrency holdings. It noted that the search yielded multiple types of foreign currency, plus precious metals worth more than $500,000. ___ Trisha Ahmed 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 under-covered issues. Follow Trisha Ahmed on Twitter: @TrishaAhmed15 House Republicans probing the foreign business dealings of President Bidens family members are arguing that they do not have to show direct payments to the president in order to demonstrate corruption. The new argument comes as Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other Republicans have floated opening an impeachment inquiry into the president over issues revolving around his familys business dealings, and could forecast future Republican messaging on the matter. The argument is reflected in a memo released Wednesday by House Oversight and Accountability Republican staff that outlines millions of dollars from foreign sources that flowed to Hunter Biden and his associates. Focusing on payments from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan that occurred when Joe Biden was vice president, the memo adds further details about transactions that had been previously reported, including details from a Senate GOP report about Biden family foreign business dealings. It is the third memo based on bank records obtained by the committees Republicans, who say that the probe has identified over $20 million in payments from foreign sources to Biden family members and their associates so far. None of the memos have identified payments to President Biden directly, or that it directly benefited him. President Bidens defenders purport a weak defense by asserting the Committee must show payments directly to the President to show corruption, the memo said. This is a hollow claim no other American would be afforded if their family members accepted foreign payments or bribes. Indeed, the law recognizes payments to family members to corruptly influence others can constitute a bribe. The memo also noted that the committee has not yet subpoenaed records from the Biden family. Republicans have sought to use testimony from Hunter Biden associate Devon Archer, who spoke behind closed doors to lawmakers last week, to augment their arguments of corruption. Archer testified that then-Vice President Biden would greet his sons business associates when put on speakerphone. Though Archer said the conversation never went past pleasantries, Republicans argue that the presidents participation at all helped his son sell the appeal of access to the vice president and that it shows President Biden was not truthful when he said during the campaign that he had never talked to his son about his business dealings. Its clear Joe Biden knew about his sons business dealings and allowed himself to be the brand sold to enrich the Biden family while he was Vice President of the United States, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said in a statement. The House Oversight Committee will continue to follow the money trail and obtain witness testimony to determine whether foreign actors targeted the Bidens, President Biden is compromised or corrupt, and our national security is threatened. Comer in his statement was referencing Archers testimony that Ukrainian gas company Burisma hired Hunter Biden because of the value of the Biden brand, which included the then-vice president. Democrats, though, dismissed the memo and accused Republicans of changing their investigatory standards. Comers memo doesnt show anything about President Biden. And faced with his inability to uncover any evidence that President Biden did anything wrong, Comer is now explicitly moving the goal posts, said Ian Sams, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement that none of the transactions in the memo involved the president and establish that he was not involved in his sons business dealings. Rather than concede this basic fact, Republicans have repeatedly twisted and mischaracterized the evidence in a transparent and increasingly embarrassing attempt to justify their baseless calls for an impeachment inquiry and distract from former President Trumps dozens of outstanding felony criminal charges in three different cases, Raskin said. In the section of the GOP memo that argued direct connection to the president would not be needed to show corruption, a footnote pointed to a Justice Department guide to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act saying that payments or gifts to an officials family members could indirectly corrupt or influence a foreign official. Mike Koehler, a professor and expert on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, said that law only applies to offering promising things of value to a foreign official meaning it would not apply to Biden. But Republicans appear to point to the law as a principle rather than in saying it applies to the president. Koehler said the law has been enforced in instances like a foreign officials family member receiving an internship they were not qualified for. Republicans did not explicitly accuse President Biden of accepting a bribe. But the GOP memo released Wednesday does insinuate a connection between Russian billionaire Yelena Baturinas payments to Archers company and her not being included on a sanctions list following Russias invasion of Ukraine. As first revealed in the Senate 2020 memo, Baturina in February 2014 wired $3.5 million to Rosemont Seneca Thornton. Hunter Bidens lawyer said at the time that he was not a co-founder of the firm and was not a beneficiary of that money, according to CNN. Archer said in his testimony last week that Hunter Biden was not involved in that deal. But the new House Oversight GOP memo aims to show connections between the firm and Hunter Biden. Archer and Rosemont Seneca Partners a separate entity formed by Hunter Biden, Archer and others were listed as beneficiaries of Rosemont Seneca Thornton, it says. Of the $3.5 million, according to the GOP memo, approximately $1 million was transferred to Devon Archer, and the remainder was used to initially fund a new company account, Rosemont Seneca Bohai, which Devon Archer and Hunter Biden used to receive other foreign wires. The memo also noted that then-Vice President Biden attended a dinner at Cafe Milano in Washington, D.C., with Baturina, Archer, Hunter Biden and others in the spring of 2014 after she had sent the wire. Archer testified last week that the dinner was like a birthday dinner, and then-Vice President Biden came to dinner, and we ate and kind of talked about the world, I guess, and the weather. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The U.S. State Department has created the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy to respond to infectious diseases. Battling HIV/AIDS will be a top priority, but the bureau will also focus on other health threats, including preventing pandemics. Health security is now a component of U.S. national security and foreign policy. The latest United States government agency aims to protect the country against outside health threats. As this is now deemed a national security issue, its a State Department mission to make it happen. The State Department launched the new Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy with the overarching mission of fortifying global health security architecture. The aim is to prevent, detect, control, and respond to infectious diseases. This is all part of a plan to integrate global health security as a core component of U.S. national security and foreign policy, according to a statement from Antony Blinken, Secretary of State. By leveraging and coordinating U.S. foreign assistance, the bureau aims to foster robust international cooperation, he said, enhancing protection for the United States and the global community against health threats through strengthened systems and policies. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the vital role the United States must play in addressing global health and health security issues. John Nkengason, the Biden administrations global AIDS coordinator, will lead the bureau focusing on both HIV/AIDS and unknown potential threatsreferred to as Disease X. We need to be more intentional and really consider global health security as national security, Nkengason told NPR. Citing the lives and dollars lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, he says theres a global need to strengthen disease surveillance systems, reenforce supply chain management systems, and decentralize production of health security commodities. As Nkengason told PBS, the recent pandemic taught us that a threat anywhere in the world is a threat everywhere in the world. He noted that it took only 20 days for COVID-19 to spread to 66 countries after first being recognized in China. The goal of the new bureau is to elevate diplomacy in order to help countries coordinate to address disease threats, advance health security as part of foreign policy, and coordinate domestic efforts as a tool in responding to disease outbreaks. When disease[s] emerge, he said, they move very quickly. Nkengason currently leads the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), started by then-president George W. Bush in 2003. That program is scheduled to end this fall and hasnt been extended, so some of the work thereNkengason told NPR that the program has saved 25 million lives and prevented the transmission of HIV/AIDS to 5.5 million childrencould transfer to the new bureau if not renewed. No matter the future of PEPFAR, the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy is tasked with crafting a diplomacy and security plan to handle infectious disease, including Disease X. We are in an era, Nkengason told NPR, that we cannot plan only for the disease that we havethat we should plan for the long haul. You Might Also Like CANANDAIGUA, NY Canandaigua City Council is backing five projects from community groups seeking first-of-its-kind grants from Ontario County, although it rejected support for a city project. What has the county now doing its best imitation of Santa Claus during the holiday season? Funding is available from the county through the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The intent is to fund projects that support the development and expansion of arts, cultural, and recreational opportunities from nonprofits, private entities, and municipalities that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. This program is intended to improve the accessibility, availability, and quality of arts, cultural, and recreational facilities available to the people of Ontario County. A recent web information session indicated 30 unique visitors so there is interest in the program, and the county is hoping to see at least 20 completed applications, according to Deputy County Administrator Alissa Bub. The deadline to apply for grants will be extended to midnight Aug. 18. "We're so excited about these resources from the federal government and the flexibility to use them in the community so we want as many applicants as possible," Bub said. A resolution of support from the municipality where a project is proposed is a requirement. More information on projects outside of Canandaigua is expected in the days ahead, but here are some of the projects looking for grant money. Made in the shade Further shading visitors from the elements at the Central on Main, above, and Commons Park could lead to more events at both city of Canandaigua locations. The downtown Business Management Association is seeking funding for shade structures at the Central on Main outdoor dining area and at Commons Park, both of which are city owned. Investments in both have led to more use, according to Business Improvement District Manager Denise Chaapel. But the only downfall is that visitors are exposed to the sun and wind, and in winter, snow. Having the structures would enable for both locations to host more events, Chaapel said. Ghost of Roseland Park Here's what The Ghost of Roseland could look like on Canandaigua Lake. A group seeking to place public art on Canandaigua Lake also is seeking funds. Artist Benji Carr of Cohocton was selected to create a small-scale metal sculpture of the former Roseland Park, which would be erected atop a stanchion, a holdover from the park in Canandaigua Lake. Roseland operated from 1925 until 1985. The artwork will sport five attractions, all of which would move slowly at the same time, driven by hydraulics and an electric motor. A carousel, Ferris wheel, and other rides, atop a roughly 8-foot base, would call to mind the park, only in miniature. Other fundraising efforts are underway to help make the project a reality. Ontario County Historical Society The organization is seeking funding for a feasibility study of expanding the museum at 55 N. Main St., Canandaigua. Built in 1914, the Georgian Revival building was designed by famed architect Claude Bragdon and houses all sorts of items from the county's past, including an Abraham Lincoln life mask. The museum also is home to a research library, education programs and exhibits. Ontario Pathways The volunteer group is seeking funding for an art project involving three sections along the 25-mile trail that travels through several communities including a portion of Canandaigua. Up to 30 pieces of art would be placed along the trail and after a time, those artworks would be replaced by other works. Help with CPR The Canandaigua Emergency Squad is seeking funding for three Lucas Chest Compression systems that provide continuous cardiopulmonary resuscitation compressions. They would be located at recreational areas where ambulance personnel may be limited. No-go for city park paving After showing an initial interest in paving the path in Kershaw Park, Canandaigua City Council instead will let it be. City officials had sought $150,000 to pave paths at Kershaw, Lakefront and Baker parks. The city would have kicked in $37,500. According to City Manager John Goodwin, each of the parks saw an increase in use during the pandemic years. Paving the paths would not only allow for more use think bicycles, for example but also lead to more year-round use, Goodwin said. Although the idea received support at Councils finance committee meeting Aug. 1, the full council voted Thursday night against the idea by a 5-3 vote, with one abstention. The path at Kershaw was meant to be somewhat closer to nature, according to Councilmember Stephen Uebbing. I kind of like it the way it is, Uebbing said Councilmember Renee Sutton said the work would make the parks more accessible and enjoyable for all seasons. More about the grant The county is soliciting grant applications for projects that respond to the negative impacts of COVID-19, involve investment in the arts, cultural activities, or the creation or enhancement of active or passive recreational opportunities, and support the recovery and economic resilience and/or quality of life in Ontario County. Funds will be provided on a reimbursement basis and an eligible 25% match is required for nonprofit and municipal applicants, and a 50% match is required for business applicants. Applications and program information are available online at ontariocountyny.gov/communitygrant. This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Ontario County to provide American Rescue Plan Act grants for projects Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said former President Trump is likely to share evidence publicly in his 2020 election fraud case, whether or not the judge imposes a protective order that would prevent him from doing just that. I think that he wants to derail this case. I think that he wants to be able to know whats going on in the indictment and with the grand jury so he can derail this case, Grisham said Tuesday on CNN. Its Donald Trump, and he doubles down on everything. If somebody tells him no, then hes immediately going to do the opposite, she added. Federal prosecutors in Trumps 2020 election case requested a protective order last week that would stop Trump from discussing significant amounts of evidence in the case, including grand jury details and witness testimony. Trumps legal team has pushed back on the move, and has set a hearing on the motion for Friday. In their request, prosecutors cited Trumps penchant to discuss case details, witnesses and other figures on social media. In response, Trump made various attacks on Truth Social against former Vice President Mike Pence believed to be a key witness in the case in addition to prosecutors and the judge herself. I can almost guarantee you that if the judge rules in Trumps favor, he will absolutely put things out there in an attempt to derail the case, because that only makes it draw out longer, it gives him more time to potentially win the election and drop all the charges against himself, Grisham said. Federal prosecutors have emphasized speed in Trumps 2020 election case, to the protest of Trumps legal team, with experts saying a trial is possible before the 2024 election. Trump was indicted on four charges including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and conspiracy against rights over allegations he conspired to overturn the 2020 election using fraudulent Electoral College votes. His next court appearance in the case is scheduled for Aug. 28, when a trial date is expected to be set. Trump has been indicted twice before, once in a federal case alleging he mishandled classified documents and once in New York state related to alleged hush money payments. The grand jury in a Georgia state investigation into similar 2020 election claims is expected to decide on whether to charge Trump in the coming weeks. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. An American nurse and her child kidnapped in Haiti nearly two weeks ago have been freed, according to the Christian charity she worked for. El Roi Haiti confirmed "the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil" and her young daughter, who has not been named. Ms Dorsainvil was working at a local ministry site outside Port-au-Prince on 27 July when the two were taken. Armed gangs have carved up the capital city, kidnapping and killing at will. Hours after the kidnapping, the US State Department ordered non-emergency government personnel and the family members of embassy officials to leave Haiti. "Do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure," the agency's updated travel advisory read, warning that the abduction of US citizens is "widespread". Ms Dorsainvil is the wife of El Roi's founding director, Sandro Dorsainvil. The Christian non-profit previously said it was working with authorities and partners to negotiate the mother and daughter's safe release. They are believed to have been freed on Tuesday night. Originally from the state of New Hampshire, Ms Dorsainvil first visited Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and has worked as a school and community nurse since 2020. The organisation described her in an earlier statement as "a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family". "She had lived in Haiti for multiple years, showing love and care in a variety of ways before coming on staff with us, but has had a heart for the hurting since she was a child," it added. Mr Dorsainvil grew up in poverty in Port-au-Prince, according to the charity. In 2014 he graduated from a high school in the state of Montana. 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 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. Last year, a man claiming to be a Russian soldier fighting in Moscows war in Ukraine started posting triumphant videos from what he claimed was the battlefield on a Chinese social media app, applauding Russian fighting and calling for a Kremlin victory. But things started to get fishy when the supposedly Russian soldier peddling anti-American and pro-Kremlin narratives around the war had impeccable Chinese pronunciation in his videos, according to the South China Morning Post. When the account started suggesting that its fans buy allegedly Russian products from himincluding vodka, beer, and milk powdersocial media users began ferreting out signs that the account was likely a fraud. The social media account, called Pavel Korchati, ran the scheme on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, spinning numerous fake stories that appear aimed at stoking anti-American sentiment. In one case, he stood in front of what he said was a power plant, where he claimed to have captured a U.S. military adviser. The account has claimed to battle the U.S. military in Ukraine, as well, without providing any evidence to back up the claim. (Even though some Americans have volunteered to fight in the war on behalf of Kyiv, as The Daily Beast has reported, the United States has officially said that it does not have boots on the ground in Ukraine.) Ex-Marine Reveals Crushing Sneak Attack on Putins Men In addition to his pronunciation, some users noted that the IP addresses the supposed Russian fighter was using were in the Henan province inside China, according to The Straits Times. Users noted that this matched his accent as well. Some of the places the user filmed himself he claimed were in Ukraine were actually in Henan, the South China Morning Post reported. Douyin has since banned the account, but the entire saga has raised concerns about growing Russian influence and pro-Moscow propaganda proliferating online in China. Before Douyin nixed the account, users on the app were able to chime in with Pavel and wish Russia well, expressing sentiments that appeared aimed at boosting the Moscow-Beijing alliance. Please take care and be safe, brother from Russia, one user commented, according to Rest of World. Long live Russia-China friendship! Its not just Pavel, either. Other users have posted videos claiming to be from Russian soldiers fighting in the war, according to Douyin. The fraudulent accounts are the latest layer of the complicated information space Beijing and Moscow share around war and conflict. Beijings reaction to Russias war in Ukraine has been mixed since Russia invaded last year. At first, Xi Jinping was caught off guard by the way Russian President Vladimir Putin was conducting the war in Ukraine, according to a U.S. intelligence community assessment. China has officially claimed that it is neutral in the war, and has sought to step into a mediator role for the conflict, issuing a so-called peace plan earlier this year. But between the lines, Beijings message and actions lean pro-Russia. Beijing has been providing nonlethal aid to Russia to aid the war effort, according to the State Department. And although Beijing branded its proposal as a peace plan, it leaned into Moscows narrative of territorial expansion and lacked stipulations that would have Russian troops withdraw from Ukrainian territory. (Putin himself has praised the plan.) Chinese state media outlets have adopted the Russian terminology for the war as well, calling it a special military operation instead of a war, like the Kremlin. They have backed up fake Russian accusations that the United States was funding biological weapons in Ukraine and blamed the U.S. government as the instigator behind the war. When the U.S. drove five waves of NATO expansion eastward all the way to Russias doorstep and deployed advanced offensive strategic weapons in breach of its assurances to Russia, did it ever think about the consequences of pushing a big country to the wall? a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson asked last year? For Putin and Xi, who share strong sentiments that the United States unipolar power must be countered on the world stage, a shared information space is likely to continue to thrive. Top U.S. Spy Spills on Putins Drastic Secret Plan to Win War China has been working to align other countries with Russian messaging on the war in Ukraine. Earlier this year, China asked foreign embassies in China to avoid displaying political propaganda at a time when the only signs at Western embassies were those signs supportive of Ukraine, according to EuroNews. China spends billions of dollars on spreading disinformation, including pro-Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine, the Biden administrations special envoy on countering disinformation James Rubin said earlier this year. In the communication space, the alignment between China and Russia is near complete, Rubin said, admitting that the State Department is likely lagging behind in combatting misinformation. We as a nation and the West have been slow to respond, and it is a fair judgment that we are facing a very, very large challenge, he said. Not everyone in China feels the same nationalistic sentiments about the war in Ukraine, as The New York Times has reported. The propaganda overlaps between China and Russia arent limited to war topics. Another apparent fake propaganda account from a user in China, which went by the account handle Russian Babushka (the Russian word for grandma) has been accused of using face-swapping technology to pose as a Russian woman praising Chinese culture, according to The China Project. Social media users in China have, in some cases, latched onto Russian propaganda about Putin and his manliness and strength in recent months during the war as well, calling him handsome daddy and noting that Daddy Putin is the best, according to Foreign Policy. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A nonprofit organization that tracks online hate speech pledged to keep pushing forward with its goal of holding tech companies accountable, even as the group fends off a lawsuit from the worlds wealthiest man, Elon Musk. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), the U.K.-based watchdog group, found itself in the crosshairs of Musks latest offensive move in response to civil society groups that are pushing to keep X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, free of the hate speech and misinformation that has run rampant since Musk took control of the company in October. CCDH is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization funded by philanthropic trusts and members of the public, according to its website. Imran Ahmed, the chief executive of the CCDH, said the foundation will vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit. [Musk is] claiming that hes a defender of free speech while trying to shut down a nonprofit civil society body. It is pure double speak, Ahmed said. Why is X suing? The complaint, filed last week after the CCDH publicly revealed the company threatened to take legal action, centers on the CCDHs reports about the spread of hate speech and misinformation online. X alleges the organization unlawfully scraped data from the platform in violation of the platforms terms of service and hurt the companys revenue after advertisers paused spending on what was Twitter. Ahmed told The Hill the argument is so weak that even those supporting Musk seem confused by it. For example, long-shot Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was named in a CCDH report published in March 2021 about prominent spreaders of anti-vaccine misinformation, posted on X that he would be happy to join @elonmusk in a libel lawsuit against this sketchy outfit. Its not a defamation suit, Ahmed said. In the actual complaint that theyve put forward, they havent claimed defamation at all. Theyve claimed contract violation, he added. The Hill reached out to Kennedys campaign and the attorney representing X for comment. The lawsuit is the latest escalation of Musks hostile relationship with civil society groups since he bought Twitter for $44 billion in October. The CCDH was among civil society groups that urged advertisers in November to boycott spending on Twitter over layoffs Musk made that they feared could impede content moderation methods. The situation continued to heat up in the weeks and months that followed, as Musk rolled back content moderation methods and let previously banned users, including former President Trump, back online. In addition to the boycott over Musks changes, though, the CCDH regularly publishes reports about misinformation across other sites. For example, its 2021 Disinformation Dozen report about anti-vaccine content, which is cited in Xs complaint, focused on the spread of the content across Twitter, as well as Youtube and Meta-owned platforms Facebook and Instagram. Tech companies typically push back on the reports, arguing that only the company has access to their data and dispute the findings, but Ahmed said the group has never seen a lawsuit like the one filed by X. Ahmed called Musks behavior a nakedly authoritarian and antagonistic stance towards independent civil society bodies. A second battle in the House The lawsuit is part of a multi-pronged fight the CCDH is now at the center of. Just days after X filed the lawsuit, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent a letter to the CCDH looking into any interaction the organization had with the federal government and social media companies. In his letter, Jordan said the organization appeared to have played a role in this censorship regime by advising the government and social media companies on so-called misinformation. Ahmed said the CCDH retained counsel and will comply with Jordans requests, but that the questions Jordan is asking are misguided. They keep asking us the same question, Give us all your government contracts, he said. And were like, We dont have any. We dont want to take money from government or from tech or from social media companies. Because how can you criticize governments for failing to regulate and platforms to self-regulate If you are owned by them, Ahmed added. As part of its plans to defend itself in the case, the group is putting an even larger emphasis on grassroots fundraising. On the website, the group put out a call to ask for donations for its legal fund to fight back against Elon Musk. The CCDH said that as the committee probe and lawsuit play out, it will continue with its work to publish reports about online hate speech and misinformation across platforms. Even Monday, a week after the lawsuit was filed, the group put out a report about the spread of harmful eating disorder content from artificial intelligence-powered chatbots. I think they thought that we were a bunch of children that they could stamp on, but were not. Were a bunch of extremely motivated professionals, he said. For Ahmed, that fight is personal. While working for the British opposition Labour Party during the Brexit debate, his colleague and lawmaker for the Labour MP Jo Cox, a vocal advocate for Britain remaining in the European Union, was fatally shot and stabbed. Thomas Mair was arrested and charged shortly after, and later sentenced to life in prison for the murder, NPR reported. My conviction to change things for the better comes from grief. And theres nothing that he could do that could stop me from continuing my mission, Ahmed said. Updated at 10:20 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. As a teenager, Prince Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, the second son of the present king of Thailand, was left in little doubt about the contempt in which his father held him. Not content with banning Vach (pronounced Vatch) from the country along with his siblings, his father, the mercurial King Maha Vajiralongkorn, refused to pay his school fees at Harrow. His half-sister from a later marriage, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, was installed as heir apparent instead of him after a series of feuds in the court of Thailands royal family. When Vach moved to America to train as a lawyer, he was forced to hawk vacuum cleaners door to door to make ends meet. But everything changed in December last year when Princess Bajrakitiyabha was struck down by what is thought to be a massive brain aneurysm while out walking her dog. She is now widely believed to be in an irreversible coma, although the palace has not confirmed this. Still, it was regarded by many as almost miraculous when social media footage emerged this weekend of Vach, 42, arriving at Bangkok airport after an absence of almost three decades. 1140763204 Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn (C), Queen Suthida (R) and his daughter Princess Bajrakitiyabha (3rd L) in Bangkok. Daily News/AFP via Getty Images On Tuesday, confirmation of his presence in the country came via an official visit to a childrens charity in Bangkok. Vach told reporters: I am delighted to return... I have been away for a long time, 27 years It is like a dream come true to be back. Vach, who is seen as a pro-reform modernizer, is now being talked about as the new heir apparent in fevered gossip across the nation. There have been reports of ordinary Thais weeping at the possibility of a liberal, progressive, American-educated lawyer who counts former German President Christian Wulff as a friend, taking on the throne after the regressive proto-medievalism of King Vajiralongkorns reign. Official and online local media will not breathe a word of the speculation, however, for fear of breaking the countrys harsh so-called lese-majeste rules, which prohibit even jokes being made about the monarch, on pain of a maximum of 15 years of imprisonment. These rules are still enforced by the countrys courts, which are effectively controlled by the military after a coup in 2014. The coup leaders cleverly used the monarchy, which is still revered and deified by huge swathes of the population, to confer legitimacy on itself. A recent example of this was provided by the banning of a new book, entitled Rama X: The Thai Monarchy under King Vajiralongkorn edited by exiled writer Pavin Chachavalpongpun. The book was the subject of a notice in the Royal Gazette saying its importation or sale was banned under the countrys strict laws. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Chachavalpongpun said that the kneejerk response to his new book, which is an anthology of writing about the monarchy by a variety of writers, showed the monarchys weakness and paranoia. Any regime that is strong wouldnt have to worry about a book, said Chachavalpongpun, who wrote two of the chapters himself. My views are well-known, and of course I am not going to write a book celebrating the monarchy, but the fact they have banned it before even reading the book shows how ridiculous they are. The palaces extreme sensitivity to criticism certainly coincides with a moment of danger and crisis for King Vajiralongkorn, 71, who is facing an unprecedented political challenge after Princess Bajrakitiyabhas hospitalization. She has been on life support ever since she was taken ill, with informed sources saying she is in a somatic coma. In May this year, an anti-establishment and anti-royal political party won a sweeping electoral victory, on a ticket of reining in the limitless power of the royal family, fuelled in part by the information vacuum around the succession, as well as a half-decade of stories about the kings excesses and eccentricities. These astonishing tales make their way into the country via the internet despite local rules. The notorious stories have have included the king buying a fleet of 38 jets for his personal use; renting out entire floors of German hotels for months on end to house his multiple wives and concubines; persistent rumors that he is dying of HIV-related illnesses, and the allegation that he broke his sisters ankles by jumping on her legs after she failed to approach him by crawling on her belly as custom dictates. The opposition party Move Forward won 151 out of 500 seats in the House of Representatives, and subsequently put together a pro-reform coalition of 312 seats. However the 250 seat senate, stuffed with royal and military appointees, refused to confirm its leader as prime minister. Negotiations continue but it seems likely an avowed monarchist will shortly be given the job and form an anti-democratic minority administration. Many observers have assumed that the country is bound to slide back into authoritarianism and illegitimate rule. Chachavalpongpun, for example, told The Daily Beast, Things have definitely been getting worse. However the arrival of Vach is a truly remarkable development, and there are real signs that he could make big changes if he were to ascend to the throne. In an intriguing Facebook post on July 10, Vach reposted a quote from The Economist which attacked the regime for having stacked the senate with its stooges in a reckless attack on democracy which it warned could spark a disorderly transition. Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, 42, the second-eldest son of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn speaks to well-wishers at the Foundation for Slum Child Care supported by the Royal Family, in Bangkok, Thailand, August 8, 2023. Athit Perwaongmetha/Reuters Andrew MacGregor Marshall, a former Reuters bureau chief in Bangkok with excellent contacts among the Thai elite who writes the Secret Siam Substack, cautioned that Vach may yet find his wings clipped by the military and establishment blob that still controls much of the countrys day to day workings. There is a strong likelihood that he will be the next monarch, Marshall told The Daily Beast, That is the only explanation for why he has been allowed back. I think he will be a good monarch and he would be popular and he would undoubtedly want to start the process of reform. The question is whether he would actually be able to effect those changes or whether he would end up being manipulated and thwarted by the entrenched palace networks. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. By Nate Raymond (Reuters) -A federal judge has blocked the state of Hawaii from enforcing a recently enacted ban on firearms on its prized beaches and in other areas including banks, bars and parks, citing last year's landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling expanding gun rights. U.S. District Judge Leslie Kobayashi in Honolulu on Tuesday concluded that the prohibitions likely infringed on the rights of permit-carrying gun owners to carry firearms in public under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. Those restrictions were enacted after the conservative-majority Supreme Court in June 2022 declared for the first time that the Second Amendment's guarantee of a person's right to "keep and bear arms" protects an individual's right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense. That decision, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, announced a new test for assessing firearms laws, saying restrictions must be "consistent with this nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation." The ruling prompted Hawaiian lawmakers to pass a bill that Democratic Governor Josh Green signed into law in June that sought to comply with the decision while deterring gun violence by barring firearms in "sensitive places." The measure was challenged by three Hawaii residents and the gun rights group Hawaii Firearms Coalition. The state argued the law was consistent with historical gun regulations and served a state interest in protecting public safety. But while Kobayashi acknowledged the important role beaches play in Hawaii's economy, "the state does not provide any evidence that this nation has a historical tradition of regulating or prohibiting the carrying of firearms on beaches." Kobayashi, an appointee of Democratic then-President Barack Obama, said Hawaii's ban on guns in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol likewise failed due to the "confounding" and "curious" way the Supreme Court defined what constitutes a "historical tradition" of gun regulation. "We profoundly disagree with this decision and will request that the decision be put on hold pending further proceedings," First Deputy Hawaii Attorney General Matt Dvonch said in a statement. Alan Beck, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, hailed the judge's temporary restraining order, saying Kobayashi "faithfully applied Supreme Court precedent and came to the correct result." (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; editing by Jonathan Oatis, Robert Birsel) Hawaii declared a state of emergency Tuesday over hurricane-driven wildfires that have burned down buildings and forced evacuations in recent days. Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke (D) serving as acting governor issued the emergency proclamation due to the effects of Hurricane Dora, which is churning far south of the islands. The wildfires are burning in Maui and Hawaii counties, according to the press release. We are closely following the wildfires caused by the strong winds of Hurricane Dora, Luke said. The safety of our residents is paramount, and this emergency proclamation will activate the Hawaii National Guard to support emergency responders in the impacted communities. Luke told CNN early Wednesday that 911, cell service and landlines were down. She is serving as acting governor while Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) travels out of state and is slated to return Aug. 15. Green said Luke has his full support, adding his thoughts are with the residents and businesses affected by Hurricane Dora. The emergency proclamation will allow the government to activate the National Guard and release emergency funds to address the impacts of Hurricane Dora. The Honolulu National Weather Service issued high wind and fire weather alerts as the storm developed south of the islands, noting wind gusts could get up to 60 mph. Breezy easterly trade winds will strengthen and become strong and potentially damaging this evening, and will continue through Tuesday, the weather service posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Dry air from the east will limit rainfall through Wednesday. Hurricane Dora will continue moving westward far south of the Hawaiian Islands. Maui firefighters are continuing to battle wildfires in two locations, but the high winds forced the grounding of the fire crews helicopters on Tuesday. In addition, Hawaiian Electric reported that about 13,000 customers were without power on Tuesday. The Associated Press contributed. Updated at 11:25 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Evacuations are underway on Hawaiis Big Island and Maui as wildfires fueled by Hurricane Dora tear through buildings and push some to jump into the ocean to escape the flames. The Hawaii National Guard was called in to support emergency workers following a proclamation issued on Tuesday by Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke the acting governor during Governor Josh Greens out-of-state travel. In the Pacific Ocean south of the Hawaii archipelago, category four Hurricane Dora is pushing on the fires with winds of 130mph. At about 5am ET on Wednesday, it was located about 740 miles southwest of Honolulu, according to the National Hurricane Center. Maui hospitals have been overwhelmed with people suffering from burns and smoke inhalation, Ms Luke told CNN, adding that the difficulty in transporting patients between facilities is impeding the emergency response. We are already in communication with other hospital systems about relieving the burden the reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support because Maui hospital cannot do extensive burn treatment, she told the network. In addition to dealing with disaster, were dealing with major transportation issues as well. Key Points 911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down' VIDEO: Roadside devastated as Hurricane Dora and wildfire tears through island VIDEO: Roadside devastated as Hurricane Dora and wildfire tears through island 14:12 , Lucy Leeson Hurricane Dora is tearing through the island of Hawaii in apocalyptic scenes as people flee into the sea to escape terrifying wildfires. Multiple evacuations are taking place across the islands in the popular tourist area of Maui County. Sevral fires have destroyed homes and buildings across Maui and Lahaina as footage shows whole areas enguled in flames. Acting Governor Sylvia Luke has issued an emergency proclamation and activated the Hawaii National Guard. Authorities say multiple structures have been burnt and power lines down as flames are fuelled by strong winds from the hurricane. 911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down' 14:12 , Gustaf Kilander Hawaii Lt Gov Sylvia Luke told CNN that the fires are impeding their efforts to transport patients between hospitals. We are already in communication with other hospital systems about relieving the burden the reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support because Maui hospital cannot do extensive burn treatment, she said. In addition to dealing with disaster, were dealing with major transportation issues as well. She added that some areas of the islands have been completely cut off. 911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down. Thats been part of the problem. The Maui County has not been able to communicate with residents on the west side, the Lahaina side, Ms Luke told the network. What we are trying to do is deploy individuals to go into areas with satellite phone service. We have only been in contact with perhaps one hotel because the one hotel, the people in charge of that hotel have satellite phones, the former Hawaii House representative said. Thats the only way you can make connection. Its impeding communication. Its impeding efforts to evacuate residents and we are very concerned about that. Six people have died and more have been injured by wildfires sweeping the Hawaiian island of Maui, officials say. Thousands are without power or cell phone service due to fires that are being fuelled by winds from a nearby hurricane in the Pacific Ocean. Several blazes are also burning on the Big Island, also known as Hawaii island, a neighbouring island to Maui. Officials say search and rescue efforts are still ongoing. But they warn that the death toll may rise. Authorities have evacuated neighbourhoods, closed roads, and opened shelters to host thousands of evacuees. An emergency order has been signed discouraging people from coming to Maui, which is a popular tourist destination. "We have shelters that are overrun, we have resources that are being taxed, we are doing whatever we can" for local residents, the state Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke said during a news briefing on Wednesday morning local time. On Maui, about 4,000 visitors are trying to leave the island, said state transportation official Ed Sniffen. Thousands there are also without cell service, due to about 29 power poles collapsing. The full scale of the damages to homes and businesses is not yet clear, officials say. Maj Gen Kenneth S Hara, who is in charge of the emergency response, said the priority at the moment is "saving lives, preventing human suffering, and mitigating great property loss". More than 12,000 people in the state of Hawaii are currently without power, according to PowerOutage.Us. Much of the destruction has taken place in the Maui island town of Lahaina. Parts of the town were destroyed or severely damaged by the blaze. One local resident told media that every boat in the town harbour was burning. The US Coast Guard said it had rescued 12 people after reports of residents fleeing into the water to escape the fires. The fire in the town of Lahaina was still burning on Wednesday Maui County Mayor Richard Missen confirmed the six fatalities, but said he was not yet able to provide further details. There were also at least 20 injuries, including a firefighter who suffered smoke inhalation. Three patients are in critical condition. He warned the total number of fatalities could rise as emergency responders conduct search and rescue operations as well as evacuations. A full assessment of the damage could take "months," Ms Luke said in Wednesday's briefing. She also said that "there are concerns about potential riots" in the aftermath. Parts of Lahaina were destroyed or severely damaged by the blaze The Lahaina fire is one of at least seven ongoing in Hawaii. About 13,000 people live in the city situated on the western part of the island of Maui. Local resident, Dustin Kaleiopu, told Hawaii News Now that his house was among those destroyed in the fire. "Everything that we'd ever known was gone. Our church, our schools, every single memory we had on this household," he said. "Everything was gone in the blink of an eye." "There is no Lahaina," resident Kekai Keahi told the Associated Press news agency. "Lahaina no exist anymore." Officials say they have yet to determine the full scale of the damage from the wildfires That fire is one of several in Hawaii fuelled by strong winds by Hurricane Dora hundreds of miles offshore, low humidity and dry air, according to the National Weather Service's Honolulu office. Local officials have said that the winds have complicated efforts to use helicopters for firefighting operations. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) and the US Marines are assisting in firefighting and search and rescue operations, the White House said on Wednesday. Fema is also working towards providing emergency supplies, including water, food, cots, and blankets. On Tuesday night, Ms Luke issued an emergency declaration and activated the state's National Guard. Fires in Hawaii are typically smaller than those which plague California and other parts of the western continental US. Experts have warned, however, that they are often more damaging, as Hawaii's ecosystem evolved without fires before the arrival of humans. A raccoon found in Columbus tested positive for rabies at the state laboratory Tuesday, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The raccoon was in the area of Buena Vista Road near Eastwood Drive. Authorities are asking residents who have come into contact with a raccoon to contact the Columbus Environmental Health Office (706-321-6170) or Columbus Animal Care & Control Center (706-653-4512). The state health department offers the following advice related to rabid animals: Do not pick up or handle any stray or wild animals. Report any animal bites and/or scratches to Columbus Animal Care & Control Center and the Columbus Environmental Health Office. Contact Columbus Animal Care and Control Center to report any animals that are behaving strangely or aggressively. If your pet or livestock is behaving strangely or is njured, contact your local veterinarian immediately. Teach children about the dangers of stray and wild animals. Have all your dogs and cats vaccinated against rabies. If you are bitten or scratched by any animal: Wash and rinse the wound thoroughly for several minutes. Apply a disinfectant. Seek medical attention immediately. Report the bite/scratch to Columbus Animal Care & Control Center or the Columbus Environmental Health Office. This is at least the third report of a rabid animal found within Columbus city limits this year. A dog found in the 43rd street area of Columbus tested positive for rabies in March, and a raccoon found in the Forest Avenue area tested positive in April. A raccoon found in the area of Midland Road/County Line Road in Midland tested positive for rabies in April as well making this at least four rabies reports within Muscogee County this year. Kit Connor (Nick) and Joe Locke (Charlie) in "Heartstopper." Netflix While watching the new season of "Heartstopper," I keep feeling jealous and angry. The show celebrates queer love in high school, which is something I never experienced as a gay kid. The teenagers in the series are also more mature than the men I go on dates with as an adult. Netflix's "Heartstopper" is a relatively simple story. There are no enemies to lovers, there is no unrequited love, and there is no big tragedy. It's merely about two teenage boys who fall in love. So I never thought the second season would make me rethink my dating life as a gay man and my childhood trauma. Although the show can be cringe and sanitized at times, I can't help but find myself beaming with excitement at some of the scenes. Under all that excitement though, there is something else. I'm also feeling jealous, angry, and frustrated while watching this show. It reminds me of all the things I'm missing out on when it comes to queer love. 'Heartstopper' showcases a fantasy-like adolescence for queer kids that I was never lucky enough to experience In the show, Nick and Charlie have a whirlwind romance. They kiss in secret during school hours, they text each other sweet nothings, and they are surrounded by queer friends who affirm them. My middle and high school years in Long Island were nothing like that. For the most part, there were only a few openly gay guys in my entire school, and we mostly kept our distance from each other. I think we subconsciously knew that if we interacted, it would only underscore what made us so different. It would only bring more unwanted attention to us. I watched my straight high school friends get in and out of relationships, go on dates, kiss in cars, and hold hands in the hallways. I was left out of all of that. I never got to experience any type of romantic relationship during my adolescence as Nich and Charlie do in "Heartstopper." I can't help but feel jealous of that. Of course, "Heartstopper" is a straight-washing of the queer experience and offers a dream-like example of adolescent romance, but I can't help but wonder why queers my age couldn't have had the same experience growing up. Instead, most of us were forced to hide and suppress who we are to protect ourselves from ridicule. I missed out on high school romance, and this series rubs exactly what I was missing in my face. It's also been difficult to watch a show where the teens are more emotionally mature than the men I've had dates with recently Nick and Charlie have an alarmingly mature relationship. They communicate their feelings, work through their problems by talking them through, and they know exactly when and how to help each other. And they are teenagers. When I was young, I was fine missing out on high school romances because I was promised "it gets better," and I convinced myself I would be able to have what everyone else had some time in the future. But I'm starting to see that it might, in fact, not get better. Dating gay men in New York City is an endless pattern of men telling me they aren't ready to commit to anything serious. Or it's men who don't know how to communicate beyond a "What's up?" text at 1 AM. Or it's men who rather run in the opposite direction than face their feelings. The fact that the teens in "Heartstopper" are more mature than the 30-something adults I go on dates with makes me frustrated. I know I shouldn't compare my dating life to a fictional teen show, but the series poignantly highlights everything I'm missing out on. Ultimately, I'm glad the younger generations get this type of representation When I was growing up, there were no shows like this on TV. If there was one queer character on a network series, they were usually a side character with no storyline and just punchlines. I'm glad that queer kids today get to watch "Heartstopper" and see that it's OK to be out in school, it's OK to get a boyfriend, and it's OK to fall in love just like most heterosexual high schoolers have been able to do forever. I hope this show can teach kids what a healthy and mature relationship looks like and that it's possible for them too. I hope the next generation of queer people can live and love confidently something I am still striving for. Read the original article on Insider The Chrysler PT Cruiser gets a bad rap. It was an instant hit upon release, but over time it's been derided for its design which, while very popular at the time, hasn't aged well. If it had a Hemi V8 from the start, maybe it wouldn't be so uncool. A company called American Gasser Hot Rod Shop out of Saginaw, Michigan had the same thought and built such a car. Now we can all enjoy it. The Cruiser was purchased brand new in the early 2000s by its current owners. They're a retired couple in their 70s who drove the car in its stock form for a long time. Replacing it with something new seemed inevitable, but instead of buying a new daily driver, they approached the pros at American Gasser. After some discussion, the Hemi Cruiser idea came into view and the couple, Bruce and Kay, pulled the trigger. The result is a super clean build that retains "as much of the factory interior as possible" while receiving a few exterior alterations to match the vehicle's new drivetrain. The 5.7-liter Hemi crate motor was not an easy fit, but I spoke to Justin Airbets from American Gasser who says this sort of thing is what the company specializes in. Despite doing a complete drivetrain swap, he tells me "all the factory interior panels, seats, and even the console were retained and fully functional, even with the added transmission tunnel and raised trunk floor." That last part indicates how tough this build really was. The PT Cruiser only ever had front-wheel drive, and the Hemi Cruiser is rear-wheel drive. A Ford 9-inch solid rear axle, located by four triangulated links, sits in the place of the PT's old beam axle. The front subframe and suspension were likewise replaced with Mustang II parts, as the existing PT Cruiser parts wouldn't do. The interior had to remain as stock as possible at the owners' request. All of the factory interior switchgear and features are still functional as a result, which is harder than it sounds to figure out with a complete drivetrain swap. The couple decided to depart convention with the PT Cruiser's exterior instead of making it a total sleeper, though. You probably won't be surprised to hear that in terms of sporty aftermarket body panels for the car, "Not many options are available." Furthermore, "what parts are available dont fit well." Airbets says a lot of time was spent making it all bolt up to the company's standards. The result speaks for itself. The build was rounded out with a full stainless exhaust, wheels from Rocket Racing, and Wilwood brakes. It was revealed at the 2023 Detroit Autorama in all of its glory. https://www.tiktok.com/@slingshot302/video/7229329502269099306 "Bruce and Kay have recently taken delivery of the car and plan to drive and enjoy it all summer," Airbets told me. And it's no garage queen. "Between taking it to car shows, trips to the grocery store, and everything in between, this car will be getting a workout." If only more PT Cruiser owners were as ambitious as this couple. Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com This article originally appeared at The Hartmann Report. Used by permission. Donald Trump conceived and led an insurrection against the United States and must be banned from public office, per the 14th Amendment. The campaign to keep him off the ballot should start at the state level, and in some ways already has. Georgia citizens tried to prevent Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from running for re-election and lost for lack of clear and convincing evidence, according to the Georgia judge, that she gave "aid and comfort" to the Jan. 6 insurrection. (Greene testified over 80 times during the proceeding that she "could not remember" details of her role in promoting the insurrection.) But New Mexico citizens succeeded in removing Couy Griffin, founder of Cowboys for Trump, from his office as county commissioner after he was arrested at the Capitol in the midst of his attempt to overthrow our government. Now it's time to do the same with Trump, and to do it in as many states as possible. The tool being used in both the above cases is Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which reads: No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. The dictionary definition of an insurrection is "a rising or rebellion of citizens against their government, usually manifested by acts of violence." That's exactly what Donald Trump called into being and led against our nation after he lost the popular vote by 7 million ballots and was crushed by a 306-232 margin in the Electoral College. Even John Eastman, the attorney who wrote the infamous "coup memo" for Trump, claimed it was an insurrection along the lines of America's separation from Britain, declared by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. In an interview last week, Eastman said: Our Founders lay this case out. There's actually a provision in the Declaration of Independence that a people will suffer abuses while they remain sufferable, tolerable while they remain tolerable. At some point abuses become so intolerable that it becomes not only their right but their duty to alter or abolish the existing government. Yes, "altering or abolishing the existing government" is definitely an insurrection, and that's exactly what Trump and Eastman tried to do by preventing the guy who won the election, Joe Biden, from taking his place as president of the United States. The 14th Amendment was passed in the wake of the Civil War and the clear object of Section 3 was to prevent former Confederate insurrectionists from holding public office. At the time, the concern was that particularly in the Southern states enough former Confederates might be elected to public office that a brand-new secession or insurrection could take off. Today, we face a similar threat. And, if anything, it's increasing: At the website formerly known as The Donald, where much of Jan. 6 was organized, Trump cultists are already calling for death to people who oppose his efforts to recapture the White House in 2024. Donald Trump led an attempt to overthrow the government of the United States an attempted insurrection which included his acolytes storming the U.S. Capitol with such violence that nine people, including four police officers, died. But the evidence is also clear that, even if the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol hadn't happened, what Trump organized and tried to execute was an insurrection. As the bipartisan Jan. 6 House select committee unanimously concluded: Under Section 3 of the Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment, an individual who previously took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, but who has "engaged in an insurrection" against the same, or given "aid or comfort to the enemies of the Constitution" can be disqualified from holding future federal or state office. The Committee believes that those who took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and then, on January 6th, engaged in insurrection can appropriately be disqualified and barred from holding government office whether federal or state, civilian or military absent at least two-thirds of Congress acting to remove the disability pursuant to Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. That same committee also referred Donald Trump to the Department of Justice for prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 2383 for "assisting and providing aid and comfort to an insurrection." That law, sometimes referred to as the Rebellion and Insurrection Act, says : Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States. While Jack Smith has not charged Trump under this act (presumably because it would drag out a trial), a conviction in federal court is not necessary for a state court to remove him from the ballot in that state. This issue has been repeatedly litigated, as Free Speech for People (FSP) has outlined in an extensive legal brief, and it can even be handled by a local judge (who can be upheld or overruled by state appeals courts and supreme courts). Just a few weeks ago, FSP submitted a request to the secretary of state here in Oregon, LaVonne Griffin-Valade, explicitly saying: On January 20, 2017, Trump swore an oath to support the Constitution as an officer of the United States, i.e., as president. The events of January 6, 2021 constituted an "insurrection" within the meaning of Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment, and Trump "engaged" in that insurrection within the meaning of Section Three. Consequently, he is disqualified from holding "any office" under the United States including the presidency. As a result, he is ineligible to appear on the presidential primary ballot in Oregon. Along with the Mi Familia Vota Education Fund, FSP has submitted similar demands to the secretaries of state in California, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. So far, no state has responded with any meaningful action, but this is early days. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. MoveOn is running a national petition drive calling on federal legislators to pass a law explicitly saying that Trump incited and led an insurrection and is therefore ineligible to run for president. At the moment it has over 330,000 signers. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has prepared an extensive report summarizing the legal and historical rationale for Trump being barred from the ballot in every state. Red states, of course, won't go along with this, but all it would take is a handful of blue states particularly swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to put a ballot ban into place, effectively preventing him from ever regaining the title and power he held and abused between Jan. 20, 2017, and that date in 2021. This is a serious and legitimate effort. Even if Trump doesn't end up the GOP's nominee, it's important to put this ban into place in multiple states to lay down a marker against future MAGA-type Republican demagogues who would similarly seek to overturn a fair and free election and thus end democracy in America. And while the effort to keep Marjorie Taylor Greene off the ballot in Georgia failed, it's worth trying again leading up to the 2024 election for the other members of Congress who are known to have, at the very least, given "aid and comfort" to the insurrection effort. They could include Tommy Tuberville, Rick Scott, Roger Marshall, John Kennedy, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz in the Senate, and Andy Biggs, Scott Perry, Paul Gosar, Mo Brooks, Matt Gaetz, Louie Gohmert and Lauren Boebert in the House. In each case the action can be taken at the state level, or even at the county level in the case of members of the House. It was at that level, after all, where Couy Griffin was disqualified from public office in a court of law. Read more about the Trump indictments and 2024 Electric bus and truck maker Proterra is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from a federal court in Delaware. The Burlingame, California, company is a major supplier of buses to transit systems across the nation. A statement on Proterras website Monday said that it intends to maintain normal operations and will file motions with the court to use existing capital to keep funding operations, including paying employees, vendors and suppliers. The company has two locations in South Carolina: one in Greenville developing vehicles and one in Greer producing manufacturing battery systems. The Greenville facility opened in 2010 and manufactures electric buses. As of 2021, Proterra in Greenville employed 350 workers. The Greer factory opened in 2022. The company sells heavy truck, van, bus and off-highway equipment equipment in the U.S., European and Asia-Pacific markets. Chapter 11 bankruptcy, often referred to as reorganization bankruptcy, allows the company to operate its business, and with court approval, borrow new money. Filing for Chapter 11 means a plan to reorganize the debt is proposed and voted on by affected creditors. Proterra is at the forefront of the innovations that are driving commercial vehicle electrification. We know were building industry-leading products that our customers want and need, said Gareth Joyce, Proterra CEO. The foundation we have built has set the stage for decarbonization across the commercial vehicle industry as a whole, and we recognize the great potential in all of our product offerings to enable this important transformation. This is why we are taking action to separate each product line through the Chapter 11 reorganization process to maximize their independent potential. Last March, the companys Q4 report revealed a $1.3 billion backlog in contracted orders due to supply chain and logistics issues. In 2021, President Joe Biden virtually toured the plant in Greenville. While our best-in-class EV and battery technologies have set an industry standard, we have faced various market and macroeconomic headwinds, that have impacted our ability to efficiently scale all of our opportunities simultaneously. As commercial vehicles accelerate towards electrification, we look forward to sharpening our focus as a leading EV battery technology supplier for the benefit of our many stakeholders, said Joyce. Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this story. Check back for updates. Savannah Moss covers Greenville County politics and growth & development. Reach her at smoss@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What Proterra Chapter 11 filing means to Greenville, Greer operations Armed with scrub brushes, young scuba divers took to the waters of Floridas Alligator Reef in late July to try to help corals struggling to survive 2023s extraordinary marine heat wave. They carefully scraped away harmful algae and predators impinging on staghorn fragments, under the supervision and training of interns from Islamorada Conservation and Restoration Education, or I.CARE. Normally, I.CAREs volunteer divers would be transplanting corals to waters off the Florida Keys this time of year, as part of a national effort to restore the Florida Reef. But this year, everything is going in reverse. As water temperatures spiked in the Florida Keys, scientists from universities, coral reef restoration groups and government agencies launched a heroic effort to save the corals. Divers have been in the water every day, collecting thousands of corals from ocean nurseries along the Florida Keys reef tract and moving them to cooler water and into giant tanks on land. Marine scientist Ken Nedimyer and his team at Reef Renewal USA moved an entire coral tree nursery from shallow waters off Tavernier to an area 60 feet deep and 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 Celsius) cooler. Even there, temperatures were running about 85 to 86 F (30 C). Marine scientist Ken Nedimyer collects still-healthy elkhorn coral fragments for moving. The tree structure keeps the corals free of harmful algae. Reef Renewal USA Their efforts are part of an emergency response on a scale never before seen in Florida. The Florida Reef a nearly 350-mile arc along the Florida Keys that is crucial to fish habitat, coastal storm protection and the local economy began experiencing record-hot ocean temperatures in June 2023, weeks earlier than expected. The continuing heat has triggered widespread coral bleaching off Florida in particular, but also beyond. By mid-August, coral bleaching had been reported in the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This is particularly devastating because some of the healthiest remaining coral reefs are in the southern Caribbean. Scientists worry they may be seeing the sixth mass bleaching of Caribbean corals since 1995 and the third within the past 12 years, and the heat is likely to continue. A bleached mound of coral at the Cheeca Rocks monitoring site in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary that had been previously tagged shows the coral skeleton. NOAA AOML While corals can recover from mass bleaching events, long periods of high heat can leave them weak and vulnerable to disease that can ultimately kill them. Thats what scientists and volunteers have been scrambling to avoid. The heartbeat of the reef The Florida Reef has struggled for years under the pressure of overfishing, disease, storms and global warming that have decimated its live corals. A massive coral restoration effort the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Mission: Iconic Reef has been underway since 2019 to restore the reef with transplanted corals, particularly those most resilient to the rising temperatures. But even the hardiest coral transplants are now at risk. Reef-building corals are the foundation species of shallow tropical waters due to their unique symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae in their tissues. During the day, these algae photosynthesize, producing both food and oxygen for the coral animal. At night, coral polyps feed on plankton, providing nutrients for their algae. The result of this symbiotic relationship is the corals ability to build a calcium carbonate skeleton and reefs that support nearly 25% of all marine life. Unfortunately, corals are very temperature sensitive, and the extreme ocean heat off South Florida, with some reef areas reaching temperatures in the 90s, has put them under extraordinary stress. A boulder brain coral, Colpophyllia natans, before and after bleaching during the 2014 marine heat wave in the Florida Keys. Photos by Michael Childress and Kylie Smith When corals get too hot, they expel their symbiotic algae. The corals appear white bleached because their carbonate skeleton shows through their clear tissue that lack any colorful algal cells. Corals can recover new algal symbionts if water conditions return to normal within a few weeks. However, the increase in global temperatures due to the effects of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities is causing longer and more frequent periods of coral bleaching worldwide, leading to concerns for the future of coral reefs. A MASH unit for corals This year, the Florida Keys reached an alert level 2, indicating extreme risk of bleaching, about six weeks earlier than normal. The early warnings and forecasts from NOAAs Coral Reef Watch Network gave scientists time to begin preparing labs and equipment, track the locations and intensity of the growing marine heat and, importantly, recruit volunteers. This years maximum sea surface temperature (top chart) and degree heating weeks (lower chart), a measure of accumulated heat stress, are the highest since record-keeping began. Adapted from NOAA At the Keys Marine Laboratory, scientists and trained volunteers have dropped off thousands of coral fragments collected from heat-threatened offshore nurseries. Director Cindy Lewis described the labs giant tanks as looking like a MASH unit for corals. Volunteers there and at other labs across Florida will hand-feed the tiny creatures to keep them alive until the Florida waters cool again and they can be returned to the ocean and eventually transplanted onto the reef. Degree heating weeks is a measure of accumulated heat stress over the previous 12 weeks. At 4-degree Celsius-weeks (7.2 Fahrenheit-weeks), corals experience stress that can lead to bleaching. Above 8 C-weeks (14.4 F-weeks), they are likely to experience bleaching. NOAA Coral Reef Watch Protecting corals still in the ocean I.CARE launched another type of emergency response. I.CARE co-founder Kylie Smith, a coral reef ecologist and a former student of mine in marine sciences, discovered a few years ago that coral transplants with large amounts of fleshy algae around them were more likely to bleach during times of elevated temperature. Removing that algae may give corals a better chance of survival. Youth members of Diving With a Purpose attend a training session and coral maintenance dive with the Islamorada Conservation and Restoration Education team in Islamorada, Fla. I.CARE Smiths group typically works with local dive operators to train recreational divers to assist in transplanting and maintaining coral fragments in an effort to restore the reefs of Islamorada. In summer 2023, I.CARE has been training volunteers, like the young divers from Diving with a Purpose, to remove algae and coral predators, such as coral-eating snails and fireworms, to help boost the corals chances of survival. Monitoring for corals at risk To help spot corals in trouble, volunteer divers are also being trained as reef observers through Mote Marine Labs BleachWatch program. Scuba divers have long been attracted to the reefs of the Florida Keys for their beauty and accessibility. The lab is training them to recognize bleached, diseased and dead corals of different species and then use an online portal to submit bleach reports across the entire Florida Reef. The more eyes on the reef, the more accurate the maps showing the areas of greatest bleaching concern. Ian Enochs, a research ecologist and lead of NOAAs Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab Coral Program, found that every coral in the Cheeca Rocks area had bleached by Aug. 1, 2023. NOAA AOML Rebuilding the reef While the marine heat wave in the Keys will inevitably kill some corals, many more will survive. Through careful analysis of the species, genotypes and reef locations experiencing bleaching, scientists and practitioners are learn valuable information as they work to protect and rebuild a more resilient coral reef for the future. That is what gives hope to Smith, Lewis, Nedimyer and hundreds of others who believe this coral reef is worth saving. Volunteers are crucial to the effort, whether theyre helping with coral reef maintenance, reporting bleaching or raising the awareness of what is at stake if humanity fails to stop warming the planet. This article was updated Aug. 18, 2023, with bleaching reported in other countries. 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: Michael Childress, Clemson University . Read more: Michael Childress 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 field of corn in the Panhandle near Dumas in June 2013. Some farmers in the High Plains region of Texas are trying innovative techniques to protect their soil despite rising temperatures. Credit: Jerod Foster for the Texas Tribune LUBBOCK Jeremy Brown was reading his Bible one day when he had a thought about the farmers who would be tending the land after him. He wondered: Will I have done enough to leave behind acres capable of growing a crop in an unstable climate? I see myself as a steward of Gods creation, said Brown, who farms near Lamesa. I started thinking, What does it mean to have good soil? To answer that question, the fourth-generation farmer changed the practices that hes known his entire life. First, he started growing organic cotton. Then he upped the ante he turned to regenerative agriculture, which puts a focus on the health of the soil year-round rather than how much he harvests in the fall. Texas farmers see the impacts of climate change first-hand, as long droughts and merciless heat waves have made the states agriculture industry lose billions of dollars. In the High Plains, some farmers, like Brown, are looking to regenerative agriculture or organic practices of nearly 250,000 farms in Texas, there are only 383 organic certificates statewide as a way to conserve water and keep their soil healthy. [Texas farmers are worried one of the states most precious water resources is running dry. You should be, too.] The practices are not widespread or a guarantee, but those farmers are hopeful the practices will eventually pay off as Texas continues to grow hotter and drier. Katie Lewis, a soil scientist for Texas A&M AgriLife in Lubbock, said she saw an increase in farmers turning to regenerative practices last year when cotton crops failed. That was a really good indicator that they want to improve the overall health of their soil and get to a point where they can start implementing these practices, Lewis said. Its all about farmers figuring out what works best for them and their farms. Brown is the first to admit that some regenerative practices are still a challenge for him in dry West Texas. When he first started, Brown said it was a complete failure. He was learning from farmers in wetter climates. Brown said it can take anywhere from five to 10 years to see a farm flourish after switching to regenerative agriculture. But the setbacks havent stopped him from pursuing regenerative agriculture on his farm, about 62 miles south of Lubbock. Instead, he focuses on the six principles of soil health, uses what works and makes adjustments when needed. The principles of soil health still apply, but how you implement them can be different depending on your environment, Brown said. We tried to rotate crops, but when you look at everything we do out here, cotton is what I grow best, so Ive adapted for that. In the last three years, Brown has given himself more space when he plants for most of his acres, which gives him room to establish a crop to cover and protect the soil from overheating and drying out. In turn, he uses less water because the soil can hold moisture. Brown uses other techniques too, such as changing the kind of crops he plants on certain sections of land, not disturbing the soil through traditional tilling, and using livestock to graze and for natural fertilizer. We are using cover crops and livestock as our nitrogen to improve the fertility and health of the soil, Brown said. Especially the livestock because you need to manage them and move them every day, you cant just put them out there and let them be. Eric Simpson is another farmer who has shifted to regenerative agriculture. His family owns Atl Do Farms near Shallowater, about 12 miles northwest of Lubbock. With hardly any rainfall since June, he says it has been a tough growing season but his crops are in better shape this year than they would have been otherwise. I think all the practices weve put in place have allowed us to conserve as much moisture as possible, Simpson said. As much as we can prepare for the rain, the better off well be. For Simpson, preparing for the rain means growing winter cover crops so there is a living organism in his land at all times. Simpson primarily grows corn, sunflowers and pumpkins, and plants commodities such as radishes, winter wheat, and Austrian winter peas. The cover crops act as natural mulch, and Simpson leaves the residue to help protect the land. During the summer when its extremely hot, Ive got the ground covered by this organic matter so the sun is not making direct contact with the soil, Simpson explained. And, I dont have the dirt blowing around as much when its windy. The coverage has also helped the neverending concern that plagues High Plains farmers water availability. After getting incredible amounts of rain at the start of the summer, 200% of the normal rainfall in the Panhandle and 130% in the Lubbock area according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the ground has dried up once again. Simpson has leaned more into irrigating his crops this year because of the weather, but he feels better about using it since his practices make the most out of the water hes pumping out. I would be losing a lot of water to evaporation from the heat and the wind if the soil wasnt covered, Simpson said. Even though its been hard to adjust at times, Simpson said he sees a difference. Six years ago, his pumpkin patch wilted under the sun and in drought conditions. Now, his pumpkins are looking better in the same conditions, and he credits regenerative agriculture. A drought is a drought, so it doesnt necessarily make things easier, Simpson said. But I see the results and I feel hopeful for implementing these practices. Lewis, the soil scientist, farms with her husband in Terry County, about 40 miles southwest of Lubbock. Some practices, such as rotating crops, are hard for their farm, so she understands how some farmers might be hesitant to incorporate them. However, she is confident that regenerative agriculture practices will be more common in the future of the High Plains. I try to encourage farmers, who do have some irrigation water left, to start implementing some of these practices, Lewis said. So their soil is in a better state and able to capture and store moisture better. Disclosure: Texas A&M AgriLife has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. The full program is now LIVE for the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 21-23 in Austin. Explore the program featuring more than 100 unforgettable conversations coming to TribFest. Panel topics include the biggest 2024 races and whats ahead, how big cities in Texas and around the country are changing, the integrity of upcoming elections and so much more. See the full program. A highly debated topic meant voters showed up in high numbers for the August election in Ohio. There was only one thing, Issue 1, on the ballot for August, but the underlying topic of Abortion access is on the ballot for November. This meant election officials saw higher-than-expected voter turnout. Thats what people look at, if they believe its important, they will come out and vote, Jeff Rezabek said. Rezabek is the Montgomery County Board of Elections director. He said Montgomery County had a 37 percent voter turnout on Tuesday, almost four times higher than a typical August election. He expects November will also easily surpass normal totals. >> August Special Election Results In an off-year election we could see presidential year-type numbers, thats how passionate we are looking at this, Rezabek said. This could mean voter turnout in November is as high as 70 percent in November, he said. With an abortion-related constitutional amendment on the ballot, he also expects an uptick in something else. We know there will be many more advertisements as well, that drives voter turnout, Rezabek said. News Center 7 previously reported that more than 85 percent of the money spent on advertising about Issue 1 came from outside the state. Industry sources said groups from outside the state spent almost $16 million opposing Issue 1. Out-of-state groups supporting Issue 1 spent close to $11 million. There are already estimates that spending on the constitutional abortion ballot issue in November will escalate even further. Im always excited to vote, I like to vote, Kathy Edington of Troy said. >> Tonight democracy won; Ohio Lawmakers, organizations react to rejection of Issue 1 Voters News Center 7 spoke with Tuesday told us they enjoyed exercising their right to vote, but not all were excited about where the money for advertising campaigns came from. Miles away from where youre being affected and theyre in there trying to help you, Eric Edington said. There is very little rest for election workers as they will be processing mail-in ballots that can be dropped off. For the November election, in-person early voting starts as early as October. Majora Carter, owner of the Boogie Down Grind, poses for a portrait in the Bronx in New York on Monday, July 24, 2023, in New York. Hip-hop rose from the ashes of a borough ablaze with poverty, urban decay and gang violence. From breaking to graffiti writing to MC-ing or rapping, the block parties and various elements of hip-hop served as an outlet for creativity and an escape from the hardships of daily life. Carter, 56, said I do find it ironic that one of the richest parts of American culture comes from a place that is still one of the poorest parts of our country. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman) BRONX, NEW YORK (AP) Before it was a global movement, it was simply an expression of life and struggle: a culture that was synonymous with hardship and suffering, but also grit, resilience and creativity. Hip-hop rose from the ashes of a borough ablaze with poverty, urban decay and gang violence. It was music that had the sound of a city in collapse, but also had an air of defiance, said Mark Naison, history professor at Fordham University in the Bronx. Block parties and the various elements of hip-hop served as an outlet for creativity and an escape from the hardships of daily life. The four foundational elements of hip-hop DJing or turntablism, MCing or rapping, B-boying or break dancing and graffiti writing emerged from the Bronx as a "cultural response to a community that was institutionally abandoned, said Rodrigo Venegas, also known as Rodstarz of the hip-hop duo Rebel Diaz, made up of two Chilean brothers in the Bronx. You want to cut our art programs? Were going to turn the whole city into a canvas. You want to cut our music programs? Were going to turn turntables into instruments. You want to silence our communities? Then were going to grab these microphones and use our voices, Venegas said. Subway cars heading into Manhattan were covered in graffiti in the 70s and 80s, after young writers tagged their names and messages from top to bottom. At a time when New York City politicians disparaged the Bronx and deemed it unworthy of investment, it was a way for teenagers and young adults to express themselves and take control of their narrative. It was a way to feel like we mattered, said Lloyd Murphy, who tagged his name as Topaz1." We saw New York City and the trains going by as a billboard to put your name on and say, Im somebody. Hip-hop eventually expanded across New York City, then to different parts of the country and the world. But as artists and hip-hop giants mark the 50th anniversary of a multi-billion dollar global industry this month, the original birthplace of the movement remains the poorest section of New York City. The Bronx has yet to capitalize off of the culture it created in any significant way. At the time of hip-hop's inception, the Bronx had the highest poverty rate of not just New York City, but of all 62 counties in New York state. Fifty years later, it holds that same status. I do find it ironic that one of the richest parts of American culture comes from a place that is still one of the poorest parts of our country, said Majora Carter, an urban revitalization strategist and founder of The Boogie Down Grind, a cafe in the South Bronx that has images of old hip-hop party flyers from the 70s and 80s lining the walls and classic hip-hop jams playing over the speakers. Carter, 56, grew up just blocks away from where the cafe now sits in Hunts Point and lived the realities of urban blight. Her brother was killed in gang violence and she saw her neighborhood fall prey to drugs, prostitution and violent crime throughout her childhood. The earliest hip-hop culture was a reflection of those difficult realities in the South Bronx. Poverty was the flavor of the day, said Murphy, who also grew up in the South Bronx in the 1960s. He remembers multiple families crammed into public housing units, sometimes up to 15 people living in a two or three-bedroom apartment, sharing the space with rats and roaches and dealing with negligent landlords. New York City as a whole was facing bankruptcy in the 70s, and the Bronx, which was already suffering from disinvestment, redlining, resident displacement and white and middle-class flight, descended into urban decay. Privately-owned housing buildings across the borough went up in flames, often set ablaze by landlords themselves for insurance money. The Bronx was on fire, and Vietnam veterans often missing limbs, addicted to heroin and other drugs found themselves returning home to a war zone. Life in the Bronx was bleak, and Murphy said his neighborhood of Fort Apache was infamous for its violent crime. The world was not flowers and butterflies and sunshine, especially if you were living in the Fort Apache section of the South Bronx, said graffiti writer Edward Jamison, also known as Staff 161. In December, 1972, Jamison painted an entire subway car with an image of the Grim Reaper, because thats what I knew. Originally, the Fort Apache neighborhood was supported by the Black Panther Party. They worked security and distributed food through programs around the neighborhood. When they left, block crews filled the void. Those turned into street gangs. A block crew was the protector of that block and the street gang was the security for the community, more than the police department, Murphy said. We felt forgotten. We felt like we were our own world where we just had to fend for ourselves. And we did. It took the murder of peace keeper Black Benjie of the Ghetto Brothers, a gang and music group in the South Bronx, for rival gangs to convene and sign a peace treaty. It was this truce that paved the way for block parties to be held in the Bronx, and for residents from different neighborhoods to attend them freely, without fear of street violence. In the wake of that peace treaty, 18-year-old Clive Campbell, also known as DJ Kool Herc, threw a back-to-school party with his younger sister in the recreation room of an apartment building on Sedgwick Avenue one August day in 1973. Herc introduced the attendees to the break extending the musical beat between verses to allow for longer periods of dancing. A musical phenomenon was born. Its very easy to look at the Bronx during this period in terms of deficits, redlining, disinvestment, white flight, the loss of economic opportunity, Naison said. But during those years, the Bronx was also creating more varieties of popular music than any place in the world. For those who call the Bronx home today, it can be an uphill battle to counter the narrative that their neighborhoods are a lost cause. Were literally trying to give people reasons in our community to feel as though theres something worthwhile about it that all of the hype that we hear in the media about how awful these neighborhoods are, that there are actually amazing things going on in them, Carter said. After years of proposals, the Universal Hip-Hop Museum is expected to open its doors in 2025. The hope is that the development, which will include affordable housing and retail space, will make the South Bronx a destination for tourists and New York City residents, and will capitalize off of the legacy of hip-hop. But in the poorest section of New York City, some are cautious when it comes to new buildings. The Mott Haven neighborhood, a waterfront enclave located in the South Bronx, has undergone a wave of new development in recent years, and many residents fear gentrification and displacement. In 2021, the poverty rate for the district that includes Mott Haven was about 36%. You have hip-hop museums being built in The Bronx that I view, personally, as concessions to the real estate buyouts that have been happening here, Venegas said. Venegas and his brother grew up in Chicago but formed their musical identities after moving to the Bronx in the early 2000s. They lead workshops and host events at the BronxArtSpace to support the culture of hip-hop in the Bronx as the birthplace of the movement, with a particular emphasis on using it as a tool in struggles against oppression, from the Bronx to around the world. "Were trying to maintain the legacy of hip-hop through liberation, he said. Amid the commemorations and celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the Bronx basks in a momentary spotlight for its contributions to a global movement. For the early pioneers who shaped and molded an entire culture out of their daily plight, that value cant be fully measured. These kids had everything taken away from them, and they created something to give their lives direction, meaning, safety, and a sense that their talent meant something, said Mark Naison. Big money? Nobody involved in Bronx hip-hop made big money. But they saved lives. They gave lives meaning. __ Noreen Nasir is a New York-based member of the APs Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on social media: https://www.twitter.com/noreensnasir. [Source] The historic Lahaina town in West Maui, Hawaii, has been nearly reduced to rubble as the wildfires send residents jumping into the harbor water to escape the fast-moving flames. The emergency proclamation: Since Tuesday, the flames have ripped through the historic town, destroying homes and businesses and shutting down schools and roads. As an emergency proclamation was issued, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Hawaii National Guard were authorized to rescue people from the community and from the ocean by Lahaina. As of Wednesday morning, 12 people all listed in stable condition were rescued by the Coast Guard. Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke also issued an emergency proclamation for Maui air travel, discouraging non-essential travel in order for the state to prioritize scarce resources for Maui residents who desperately need assistance. Worst in 30 years: The wildfires have forced thousands to evacuate their homes during what is believed to be the worst natural disaster in Hawaiis history since Hurricane Iniki in 1992. All the Hawaiian Islands are under a red flag warning through 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday. More from NextShark: 'I miss my children so much': Why an American father is walking endlessly on a treadmill in Seoul Its just so hard. I cant get a hold of any of my family members. I still dont know where my little brother is. I dont know where my stepdad is. Everyone I know in Lahaina, their homes have burned down, Lahaina resident Tiare Lawrence, who compared the scene to an apocalypse, told Hawaii News Now. Wildfire has engulfed businesses on Front Street in downtown Lahaina in West Maui, home to 12,000 people. The Coast Guard is responding to people who were forced to go into the ocean due to the flames. More from NextShark: Burglar pulls off $250,000 Pokemon heist of Minnesota shop after smashing through a wall Video credit to Alan Dickar, a local resident of Lahaina. pic.twitter.com/8uiyHQP55B Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) August 9, 2023 Loss of life is expected: There were more than 14,000 power outages reported across Maui County and extended outages are to be expected. The full scope of the devastation and the number of deaths or injuries are not currently known. However, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said that some loss of life is expected, according to CNN. "We have suffered a terrible disaster in the form of a wildfire that has spread widely as a result of hurricane-force winds in the region and underlying drought conditions. Maui and the Big Island both experienced significant fires. Much of Lahaina on Maui has been destroyed and hundreds of local families have been displaced." Cause of the wildfires: Wildfires burned across Hawaii after dry conditions and strong winds passing through the state from Hurricane Dora, a Category 4 storm, ignited the blaze. The fire in Lahaina town is reportedly only one of at least seven other wildfires statewide that firefighters are battling against amid bad conditions. Phoebe Price carries her dog Arnold along with a sign on a picket line outside Netflix studios on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, in Los Angeles. The Hollywood writers strike reached the 100-day mark today as the U.S. film and television industries remain paralyzed by dual actors and screenwriters strikes. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) NEW YORK (AP) TV late-night comedy scribe Greg Iwinski, 38, was still only an aspiring writer when Hollywood writers held their landmark strike in 2007-2008. But as he manned the picket lines Wednesday the day the current strike hit its 100th day, matching the length of the previous one he was keenly aware of all the history involved. I got a residual check yesterday for a show I worked on, because people went on strike in 1960, before I was even born, he said. And so knowing that we could be doing that for people 60 years from now is incredibly motivating. And yes, said Iwinski, who has written for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and other shows, 100 days is a long time but he is prepared to strike as long as it takes. Today is our 100th day of striking and we're striking for the same thing we were on Day One, which is a fair contract, he said. We have the same two pages of proposals and the studios have not yet responded to all those proposals ... so I guess until that happens, we'll still be out here. Wednesday's milestone comes as the U.S. film and television industries remain paralyzed by dual strikes by its actors and screenwriters. There's no foreseeable end a negotiating session last week involving Hollywood studios and streamers and the striking writers ended with little progress. Television networks are a month away from starting a new fall season, and broadcasters have already put contingency plans in place for programming that excludes their most popular scripted series. Hollywoods actors began their strike July 14, creating the first dual strike since 1960. Issues at play for both unions include the use of artificial intelligence and residuals related to streaming. The Writers Guild of America held special pickets marking the 100th day in both New York and Los Angeles. Outside the Netflix offices on Broadway in Manhattan, the scene had an upbeat feel. A steady stream of protesters both writers and their actor allies in SAG-AFTRA danced, pounded on drums and chanted slogans as they marched around the city block. Befitting writers, signs were markedly creative: This Barbie is striking!!! Not Kenough. The only free writing you deserve is this sign. Writers make people happy (and sad). And the simple: No wages, no pages. Nicole Conlan, a striking comedy writer for The Daily Show, said that despite being on strike since May 2, she's been so busy organizing on the picket lines that I woke up today, the 100th day, and it feels like we've just started. We dont want to be out of work, said Conlan, 33, but the mood is very high because we still have all this support after 100 days. Compared to previous strikes, it really feels like people understand what were doing and people still are really throwing their support behind us." The things that we're fighting for apply not just to the industry but to the entire economy, Conlan said. In every industry people can see Wall Street and tech finding a way to make careers into gig jobs so even though we do a very weird kind of job, writing, it's easy for the layperson to see our jobs becoming gig jobs, and to see how that applies to their job as a nurse, or as a flight attendant, or as a construction worker. Vicki Winters, a standup comic who was picketing alongside the writers, played the drums as her colleagues marched. Corporate greed has got to go, said Winters, 66. They are taking advantage of the workers of the Screen Actors Guild, the Writers Guild, pretty much every worker thats at the ground level ... while billionaires, millionaires choose a number they pull out of the air, like Im going to pay myself $11 million, and meanwhile the guy downstairs is going to make $7.25 an hour. Abdulrahimzai was sentence to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 29 years for the murder of Thomas Roberts - PA The Home Office had been aware an Afghan asylum seeker was a possible terror threat a year before he murdered a young man in a row over a rental e-scooter, an inquest heard. Thomas Roberts, 21, an aspiring Royal Marine, was stabbed to death by Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai as he acted as a peacemaker in an argument between the killer and his friend in Bournemouth, Dorset, in March last year. Abdulrahimzai, who arrived in the UK in December 2019, claimed he was 14 years old when he entered the country but the courts discovered he had been 18. It also emerged that Abdulrahimzai was put in foster care on his arrival in the UK despite being a convicted criminal. He was given a 20-year prison term for murdering two people with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in Serbia. Abdulrahimzai was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court in January to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 29 years, with immigration minister Robert Jenrick saying he was likely to be deported at the end of his sentence. A pre-inquest review into the death of Mr Roberts heard the Home Offices Prevent anti-terrorism programme had been aware of Abdulrahimzai. Adam Farrer, representing the Home Office, told the hearing: We were given instruction that there is to be a further review by the Prevent homeland security department within the Home Office. As we understand it, in 2021 Mr Abdulrahimzai was referred to Prevent due to concerns that he was susceptible to terrorism. He added that the review had been launched into this development. Mr Farrer said a review of the Home Offices role in processing Abdulrahimzais immigration status had been completed but this would be restricted as it could reveal procedures used when processing applicants. He told the hearing: The review is an internal report commissioned by the Home Offices professional standards unit to review the actions taken by the Home Office in relation to Mr Abdulrahimzai and it was commissioned on the basis it would not be published, it is a private, internal report. The report contains day-to-day policies which are public but also operating processes, detailed background security processing which are highly sensitive which could be used by those who wish to abuse the asylum process if they were aware of how the Home Office deals with criminal checks. For example, it is well known that if you are a minor or a child there are different rules than if you are an adult as we saw in this particular sad case, Mr Abdulrahimzai claimed to be a minor when he was first encountered by Home Office employed staff. Thomas Roberts, 21, was stabbed to death by Abdulrahimzai as he acted as a 'peacemaker' in an argument Coroner Rachael Griffin criticised the Home Office after the father of Mr Roberts, Philip Roberts, revealed to the hearing that he had not received any contact regarding the reviews into his sons killer as well as for failings in disclosing information to her office. She said: I am astounded that Tommys family have not been told about the review and I am sure you will feed that back and I would urge them to get in contact as soon as possible. Its totally unacceptable what has happened over the past six or seven months as we have chased our tails to find out what has happened. Ms Griffin also asked Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to provide details of its age assessment checks carried out on Abdulrahimzai as well as for Dorset Police to provide their files on the case and details of any internal review carried out. Mr Roberts also asked the coroner to check with police about reports that police were aware that Abdulrahimzai had been carrying a knife in the days before his sons death. The inquest was adjourned for a further hearing on January 9 2024. 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. CHICAGO Although it was 30 years ago, Margarita Quinones-Pena still remembers hugging her grandfather goodbye when her pregnant mother took her and her older sister by the hand to make their way to Chicago from Mexico to meet their father. She was 3 years old. Though the memories are blurred, the feeling of leaving the place she knew as home has never faded, she said. She is now 33 and still has not been able to return. Tita, as she was called by her beloved grandfather, is undocumented. She was brought to this country unauthorized as a child. For a long time, she was ashamed of her status and felt powerless, until she eventually realized that thanks to her familys resilience, they had created a home of their own in Chicagos Little Village neighborhood, despite all their struggles and sacrifices. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather, be proud of the sacrifices our parents have made and our resilience to succeed despite being undocumented, said Quinones-Pena, now a software engineer, a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago and a yoga instructor. Thankfully, she said, in 2012 she became a Dreamer, or a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program created under then-President Barack Obama, which provided her with a work permit and protection from deportation. Her journey, she said, was in fact a homecoming. And it is one that she shares with hundreds of other children of immigrants, whether they were brought here decades ago or are children of the migrants who are now arriving in Chicago by the thousands. Homecoming is the name of the childrens book Quinones wrote based on her story to honor her journey and to empower herself, her family and other undocumented children, she said. I want them to know what is possible, she said. All of the books proceeds will be donated to help immigrants currently seeking asylum in Chicago, Quinones-Pena said. On a recent Sunday, Quinones-Pena celebrated her book launch by reading it to a group of migrant children who live at a community-run shelter in the Pilsen neighborhood, with her parents by her side. In Chicago, more than 11,000 asylum-seekers have arrived over the last year. Many families with children continue to live in temporary shelters. The book, which includes an illustration of Quinones-Pena and her family looking at the historic Little Village Arch, is in Spanish and English. She shares her memories of crossing the border on a Halloween night dressed up as a princess with her mother and older sister, who was 4. She recalls those who helped them along the way and describes eventually reuniting with her father in Chicago. At the end of the book, Quinones-Pena shares the origin of the story with pictures of her family. It is followed by a portion where children who read it can write their own immigration journey. The project, she said, was born out of love for her family and the desire to come to terms with her own story. Sharing her truth and finding power in it was liberating, Quinones-Pena said. There are hundreds of people who have experienced this, but we feel the need to hide it. Or we just never talk about it out of shame or fear that we will be judged or even punished for it, she said. There are about 600,000 DACA recipients in the U.S., but nearly 3 million undocumented youths are eligible for relief, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Even if they are eligible, most cannot apply to the program because it was halted during former President Donald Trumps administration and is working its way through the courts. As a child, I didnt fully understand what was happening, but it was this journey that dictated who I would become, Quinones-Pena wrote in the book. Although we are currently protected from deportation, we live with limited rights and despite our contributions and knowing no other home, we do not yet have a path to citizenship. For most of her life, she was secretive about her status, afraid of stigma and judgment, not even sharing it with her partner. With the book, she wants recently arrived children to know that there is nothing wrong with being undocumented. They, too, can call this city a home, she said. For most of her life, Quinones-Pena did not know the full story of how her mother was able to cross the southern border, pregnant and with two toddlers. About two years ago, Quinones-Pena finally decided to ask her mom, she said. With tears in her eyes, her mother, Antonia Quinones, opened up while the two sat in the kitchen. It wasnt easy, recalled her mother, now 63. It was a memory that she had buried away, trying to forget the painful experience. But it was incredible, Quinones-Pena said, Instead of being embarrassed or ashamed, I realized it was such a beautiful story because of the intentionality and community that came together to help us get here from the beginning. That needs to be celebrated, Quinones-Pena said. In 1993, Antonia Quinones decided to leave their native town of Santiago Papasquiaro in Durango, Mexico, to meet with her husband, Eduardo Quinones, in Chicago. For years, Eduardo had traveled back and forth, but it wasnt enough to keep the family together, Antonia recalled. I wanted my family to be together, she said. But I also knew that their father returning to live in Mexico was not realistic. So even though she was pregnant, she made her way to the border. It was a sacrifice, but it was worth it, she said. I know many people dont understand it, but as parents, we make those decisions for our children; it was all for them. The family settled in Little Village, or La Villita, and Antonia worked in maintenance and care, and Eduardo, now 66, as a factory worker, among other jobs. Despite their undocumented status, they were able to put their three daughters through college. When Quinones-Pena gifted the book to her mother on Mothers Day, she said Antonia had no words. She did not want her daughter to publish the book, worried that Margarita would be criticized. But Quinones-Pena was inspired when the first few buses of asylum-seekers began to arrive in the city. So she taught extra yoga classes and saved as much money as possible to get the project started. Im so proud of my daughter because she is so strong, said her father. Quinones-Pena is the only one in her family who is still undocumented. Though she has DACA, she does not have a path to citizenship, one that would allow her to visit Mexico. Her parents became citizens after a family member sponsored them, but due to complicated immigration policies, Quinones-Pena could not be included in the process. Her older sister, Maria Cecilia Quinones-Pena, 34, is now a citizen by marriage and her younger sister, Veronica Quinones, 29, is a citizen because she was born in Chicago. But I dont lose hope, Quinones-Pena said. It was a promise she made to her now-deceased grandfather. She has faith that one day she will return to the place where she was born, to the plaza where her grandfather used to sell seeds to make a living while she played with her older sister. Regardless of her residency status, Quinones-Pena said, the Southwest Side of Chicago will forever be home. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann defeated state Sen. Chris McDaniel in the states bitter Republican primary for lieutenant governor, staving off a primary challenge for one of the most powerful positions in Mississippi government. Tuesdays results are the culmination of a contest that divided conservatives and turned increasingly nasty in its final weeks. Hosemann, 76, is seeking a second term as lieutenant governor after serving three terms as secretary of state. He had called McDaniel a pathological liar and accused his campaign of despicable behavior. McDaniels loss Tuesday was his third unsuccessful campaign for higher office after two failed bids for U.S. Senate in the past decade. The four-term state legislator of Ellisville, hammered Hosemann throughout the campaign cycle for, in his view, being insufficiently conservative. On the campaign trail, Hosemann touted a teacher pay raise, millions in new funding for public education, and a budget surplus. McDaniel said the incumbent appointed too many Democrats to committees chairmanships in the state Senate. The candidates also brawled over their commitment to restricting abortion rights. In the November general election, Hosemann will face business consult D. Ryan Grover, who ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination. The winner will preside over the 52-member Mississippi Senate, appointing senators to committees and naming the committee leaders. Lt. Gov. Delbert Houseman announces his bid for re-election at the Great Southern Club in Gulfport on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Chris McDaniel speaks to the media and his supporters as his race for Lieutenant Governor looks uncertain at Biloxi Visitors Center in Biloxi on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Educator Tiffany Longino, who ran a low-budget campaign for the Republican nomination, finished a distant third. The Republican primary for lieutenant governor was one of several races to watch in Mississippis party primaries. Republicans currently hold all eight statewide offices and a majority in the state House and Senate. Primary runoffs are Aug. 29. The general election is Nov. 7, with runoffs Nov. 28. Here are the results of other statewide contests: Governor Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on Tuesday won the Republican nomination as he seeks a second term, setting up a general election contest against Democrat Brandon Presley in the heavily conservative state. Reeves defeated two first-time candidates: John Witcher, a physician who has criticized COVID-19 vaccinations, and David Hardigree, a military veteran. Presley, a cousin of rock n roll icon Elvis Presley, ran unopposed. Presley said the Nov. 7 general election would come down to which candidate has got guts and the backbone to stand up for the people of Mississippi and which candidate has consistently showed us that he will do whatever his lobbyist buddies want him to do and will not stand up for the people of Mississippi. Presley planned to take the stage at his victory party to See See Rider, the song Elvis Presley often used as walk-on music. The candidate said he would not sing, though. Attorney General Republican incumbent Lynn Fitch and Democratic challenger Greta Kemp Martin won their party primaries after running unopposed. Fitch was first elected attorney general in 2019 after two terms as state treasurer. Under Fitch, the state attorney generals office argued the case that the U.S. Supreme Court used in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion rights nationwide. Kemp Martin is an attorney for Disability Rights Mississippi. She says Fitch was wrong to push the case that overturned Roe v. Wade, and women are worse off because Mississippi and some other states have restricted womens access to healthcare. Secretary of State Republican incumbent Michael Watson and Democratic challenger Shuwaski Young won their party primaries after running unopposed. Watson was elected secretary of state in 2019 after three terms in the state Senate. He says his office is working to build confidence in Mississippis election process. That has included backing a law to strengthen proof of citizenship requirements for voting and shoring up paper trails for voting machines. If re-elected, Watson says he will conduct post-election audits in all 82 counties. Young worked in the Department of Homeland Security during Barack Obamas presidency and in the Secretary of States Office under Democrat Eric Clark and Republican Delbert Hosemann. Young launched his campaign for secretary of state after running unsuccessfully for Mississippis 3rd District congressional seat in 2022. Young wants to expand early voting and allow online voter registration. He also pledged to work with Republicans to monitor the states voter rolls. Treasurer Republican incumbent David McRae and Democratic challenger Addie Green won their party primaries after running unopposed. McRae was first elected treasurer in 2019 after running unsuccessfully for the office in 2015. He says he opposes screening investments based on corporations environmental, social and governance strategies. Green is a former Bolton alderwoman and has run unsuccessfully for other offices, including treasurer in 2019 and state agriculture commissioner in 2015. She says Mississippi should set a $15-an-hour minimum wage, up from the $7.25 federal minimum. Auditor Republican incumbent Shad White and Democratic challenger Larry Bradford won their party primaries after running unopposed. White was appointed by then-Gov. Phil Bryant in 2018 and was elected to a full term in 2019. Whites office investigated the misspending of $77 million of federal welfare funds that were diverted to allies of Bryant. The Republican former governor has not been charged with a crime. Bradford, a former mayor of Anguilla, says he would focus on protecting public money and would not get distracted by hot-button social issues. He criticizes White for attacking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives at public universities. Insurance Commissioner Incumbent Mike Chaney has defeated Mitch Young in the Republican primary. In the general election, he will face Bruce Burton, who won the Democratic primary after running unopposed. Chaney was elected insurance commissioner in 2007 after serving in the state House and Senate. He says he has focused on making insurance more affordable, and he has touted efforts to investigate complaints and help residents recover from natural disasters. Young, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2015, served in the U.S. Navy from 1979 to 1999. He said Mississippis insurance industry needs to be better regulated. Burton is a Belzoni-based attorney. He has run unsuccessfully for other offices, most recently in 2022 for a judgeship on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Agriculture Commissioner Republican Andy Gipson, a former state representative who has been agriculture commissioner since 2018, won the Republican primary after running unopposed. Former Gov. Phil Bryant first appointed him to the vacant job. Gipson was then elected agriculture commissioner in 2019. Three candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination: Robert Brad Bradford, Bethany Hill and Terry Rogers. Bradford is the emergency manager director in Adams County. Hes a military veteran and a fourth-generation farmer from the Mississippi Delta. Hill grew up on a farm in north Mississippi, and she publicly supported the effort to legalize medical marijuana in the state. Rogers, 19, is the youngest candidate in the race. He says he supports having a Future Farmers of America chapter in each high school to encourage young people to consider agriculture jobs. House Democrats have introduced legislation aimed at making sure former President Trumps federal trial on the 2020 election is broadcast to the nation. A resolution calling on the Judicial Conference, the U.S. courts policymaking body, to allow criminal proceedings for the former president to be "broadcast to the American public" was introduced late last week by Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa. Trump pleaded not guilty in a Washington, D.C., courtroom last week to four counts related to his and allies alleged efforts to overturn his presidential election loss. The resolution accused Trump of having "knowingly spread misinformation to deceive the American public about the results of the 2020 presidential election" and conspiring to "overturn the legitimate results" of that race. INDICTMENT OF DONALD TRUMP IS A 'TERRIBLY TRAGIC DAY' AND SHOWS SPEECH IS NOW 'CRIMINALIZED': TRUMP ATTORNEY Former President Trump pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts in the third indictment against him within six months. It also pointed out that the myriad of legal challenges to the 2020 vote count "have been refuted by a variety of judges, State election officials, and the Department of Homeland Security." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP While Trump was not charged with inciting the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, the House Democrats text said he "led a violent insurrection on the United States Capitol in which a pro-Trump mob breached the Capitol, leaving 5 dead and many more wounded due to the violence he incited." TRUMP INDICTED ON CHARGES OUT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL PROBE INTO JAN 6 "Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the House of Representatives calls on the Judicial Conference of the United States to authorize that the trial of former President Donald J. Trump for his alleged crimes related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection be broadcast to the American public," it said. SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH SAYS JAN 6 FUELED BY LIES FROM TRUMP, PRAISES HEROES WHO DEFENDED CAPITOL The resolution is sponsored by six other Democrats, including Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who led a letter to the Judicial Conference last week calling to televise this trial and another for Trumps handling of classified documents. He cited the need for "timely access to accurate and reliable information surrounding these cases and all of their proceedings, given the extraordinary national importance to our democratic institutions and the need for transparency." Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., led a similar letter on the issue last week. Federal courts largely do not allow cameras, with a few exceptions. Fox News Digital reached out to a Trump spokesperson for comment but did not immediately hear back. Trump attorney John Lauro told Fox News Sunday over the weekend that he would "love to see" the former president's trials televised. "Im convinced the Biden administration does not want the American people to see the truth. And they acted on it by filing this protective order, which is an effort to keep important information about this case from the press," Lauro said. Moderate Republicans and those in competitive districts have largely lined up behind Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other GOP leaders as they have acquiesced to the evolving demands from hard-line conservatives. But their patience is wearing thin. Heres the deal. Youve already used up the three genies that I have, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said. From here on out, Im gonna be taking care of home base. The 2024 election cycle is shaping up to be one where its every man, woman and child for themselves. And a lot of members that are in tough seats, Gonzales said. In a sign that the clashes between conservatives and more moderate Republicans could get more difficult to manage, House leaders punted floor consideration of an agriculture funding bill until after the August recess. Members of the House Freedom Caucus and their allies had pushed for even lower spending levels and other policy reforms, while more moderate members took issue with those demands and a provision that would nullify a Biden administration rule expanding access to the abortion drug mifepristone. But hard-line conservatives have for months kept up a successful pressure campaign to push the GOPs slim majority further to the right. GOP leaders accepted conservative demands to add culture war amendments on issues like abortion and diversity initiatives to the annual defense authorization bill a move that sunk Democratic support for the traditionally bipartisan legislation. After a conservative revolt over that shut down floor activity in June, the House Appropriations Committee agreed to craft appropriations bills at levels lower than the caps set out in the debt limit deal McCarthy struck with President Biden. McCarthy has also inched closer to opening an impeachment inquiry into Biden in relation to the chambers probes of Hunter Bidens foreign business activities, pleasing conservatives. But his cautious messaging has also gotten support from moderates who warn that rushing into impeachment could threaten those in swing districts. Its all added up to make the partys vulnerable members increasingly nervous. If we keep members in swing districts we put them on the plank every single week, were gonna have huge problems. And it may be too late for that, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said. Theres only so much people can take before they say enough is enough, Mace said. Democrats have already jumped on swing district Republicans for going along with some of those votes, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) frequently poking Republicans for voting to reverse the Pentagons policy to pay for travel expenses for servicemembers who seek abortions. Its ridiculous for these Republicans to claim to be moderates on abortion rights when they vote to pass far-right Freedom Caucus priorities that chip away at womens freedoms and restrict access to abortion care, DCCC spokesperson Nebeyatt Betre said in a recent statement specifically about freshmen New York Republicans. Their phony rhetoric cant hide their blatantly anti-choice voting record. Perhaps adding insult to injury, many of the messaging provisions theyve been forced to take votes on, like the Pentagon abortion policy, are unlikely to make it into the final version of the bill approved by the Senate. Still, vulnerable Republicans are staying on message. The one provision the other side is talking about is federal funding of abortion, said Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), one of those New York first-term members. Weve said for years as a country, as a Congress, the federal government would not spend its resources funding abortion. Theyve changed their position. The week before the House left for a long recess, McCarthy brushed off a question about moderates who worry about appeasing the conservatives too much, saying the reporter had not quoted anyone specific. And the week before that, he laughed in response to a question about the Freedom Caucus taking credit for forcing amendment votes on the defense bill, saying that he does not think the group is running the House. The Speaker and other top Republicans have taken to teasing the press corps for writing about the divisions in the party that threaten their bills, saying disagreement is a normal part of the democratic process that comes with a more decentralized GOP leadership style. I begin to refer to them as the five stages of the D.C. press cycle of doubt, McCarthy said at a recent press conference. When I come in on Monday, the No. 1 question you ask me is not about policy, but can we pass it? The doubt, despair of how great a challenge it will be to my speakership. After we pass it, you say, That really wasnt a big deal, McCarthy said glossing over the fact the agriculture funding bill was forced to be delayed after internal disagreement. Some Republicans are expressing confidence that important bills will not be pulled too far because of the will of the majority of the GOP and the House as a whole. The reality is, the majority of the conference is where they are. And as the amendment process plays out, as long as we have the ability to debate those issues on the floor and have our votes, I think well do what we need to do, Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) said. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) said he is open to hearing the opinions of extremists on either side of the aisle, but wants to make sure the majority view is respected as well. Whether youre in highly competitive ones like mine, or whether youre in solid red or blue ones, theres still people in there that want to see government function and just being, you know, a naysayer to be a naysayer, Nunn said. Just being here so that you can have a Sunday morning talk show slot is not the way to govern. Hard-line conservatives, though, are not concerned about the gripes from moderates and vulnerable members. Asked what he would say to moderates who are frustrated by the pressure from conservatives on spending bills and beyond, former House Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) responded: Now you know what I felt like for seven years when the moderates are trying to cram crap down my throat. Mychael Schnell contributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee issued another report Wednesday criticizing President Joe Biden and his family for allegedly corrupt international business dealings, but critics including the White House said the report is a political hatchet job that offers no proof that Biden was involved. The committee, led by Chairman James Comer, said in the report that it plans to continue to investigate Biden to find evidence of corruption, even as it acknowledged that it had no evidence that he financially benefited from the myriad foreign business dealings of his son Hunter. During Joe Bidens vice presidency, Hunter Biden sold him as the brand to reap millions from oligarchs in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine, Comer said in a statement accompanying the release of committee report. It appears no real services were provided other than access to the Biden network, including Joe Biden himself. And Hunter Biden seems to have delivered. The 19-page report was titled, Third Bank Records Memorandum from the Oversight Committees Investigationinto the Biden Familys Influence Peddling and Business Schemes." Devon Archer, Hunter Biden's former business partner, passes through the security checkpoint as he arrives on Capitol Hill to give closed-door testimony to the House Oversight Committee in the Republican-led investigations into President Biden's son, in Washington, Monday, July 31, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) ORG XMIT: DCSA101 Critics said the report, and Comers statement, marked a clear shift in strategy by the committee from one claiming it had the goods implicating Biden in corrupt schemes while he was vice president to one in which it says the lack of any such evidence must mean that he was involved. This stunt from Comer is just more of the same no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden, no new information to tie him to Hunter Bidens business, and another desperate attempt to keep this bogus investigation alive said Kyle Herrig, executive director of the Congressional Integrity Project. Comers fishing expedition continues to reel in nothing in a desperate attempt to distract from Trump. The White House said the new Comer committee report is part of a continuing effort by Republicans to smear Joe Biden without any evidence or even information suggesting wrongdoing. Today House Republicans on the Oversight Committee released another memo full of years-old news, innuendo, and misdirection but notably missing, yet again, is any connection to President Biden, said Ian Sams, White House spokesperson for Oversight and Investigations. Perhaps that is because as recently as last week the House Republicans own self-proclaimed hero witness who was going to be able to come under oath and tell us exactly what role Joe Biden played testified that President Biden never discussed these business dealings and was not involved. The 19-page memo released by House Oversight Republicans is based on bank records highlighting millions of dollars that Hunter Biden and his business associates received from a wide array of business arrangements overseas while his father was serving as vice president to President Barack Obama. Few of the details appear to be new. But the memo details what it describes as new and damaging information, including payments from Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan that occurred during Bidens vice presidency. The Committee has now identified over $20 million in payments from foreign sources to the Biden family and their business associates, the report said. The report also rehashes prior claims of corrupt dealings related to how Hunter Biden and former business partner Devon Archer allegedly used the business development and policy advisory firm Rosemont Seneca Entities to bring in millions from oligarchs in Europe and Asia. And it mentions other business relationships between Hunter Biden and Archer that it claims were suspicious or corrupt, including payments by a Ukrainian oligarch while they were on the board of directors of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings LLC. More: 5 takeaways from Devon Archer's testimony on Joe and Hunter Biden: 'There was no business conversation' The new report is full of references to Archer, and says his recent congressional testimony supports the Committees findings, which have repeatedly alleged that Joe Biden himself was personally involved in and benefitted from Archers and Hunter Bidens overseas business dealings. But after months of describing him as a smoking gun who would prove deep corruption within what Republicans described as the Biden Crime Family, Archers testimony July 31, if anything, appears to exonerate Joe Biden. For instance, Archer testified that Hunter Biden put his father on the phone with clients before his father was elected president, but that they did not discuss business. He also told lawmakers the vice president was not involved in their financial dealings, despite the contacts, and that he had no knowledge of wrongdoing by Joe Biden. And while Joe Biden at times has said he had no involvement with his son's business dealings at all, Archer testified that he did reach out and call his son -- but only to check up on him, especially when he was grappling with drug addiction and other problems. "But, you know, Hunter spoke to his dad every day, right? And so in certain circumstances, when you're in -- you know, if his dad calls him at dinner and he picks up the phone, then there's a conversation," Archer testified. "And the, you know, the conversation is generally about the weather and, you know, what it's like in Norway or Paris or wherever he may be. But that was -- yeah, that happened." More: 'How's the fishing?' Devon Archer testifies Joe Biden never talked business when put on phone In their new report, the House Oversight Committee didnt mention those kinds of details from Archers testimony. Instead, it said, No one in the Biden Administration or in the (House Democratic) Minority has explained what services, if any, the Bidens and their associates provided in exchange for the over $20 million in foreign payments. The Committee plans to gather additional bank records in the near future and continue following the money trail, it said. The White House on Wednesday jumped on that discrepancy, saying it was further evidence that House GOP members are trying to unfairly accuse Biden of wrongdoing, potentially as part of an effort to try and impeach him. This has been a pattern: time after time, Comer hypes up self-proclaimed bombshell findings about President Biden, and time after time, he fails to provide any actual evidence, White House spokesman Sams said. Todays release is yet another flop. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House GOP claims Biden corruption in new report, critics don't see it Eleven families staying in Chelmsford were not found alternative homes in the city About 400 Afghan refugees are leaving temporary hotel accommodation in Essex this week, the BBC has been told. The families are being moved to a mixture of permanent and temporary housing, although some are having their hotel stays extended. Colchester City Council said one household was rehoused 500 miles away in Inverness and others in Norfolk, Oxford and the north of England. The Home Office said it was not in their "best interests" to be in hotels. The refugees were given settled status in the UK under schemes introduced after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in 2021. Naqeeb Khilji and his son left their hotel room in Chelmsford The BBC visited Mr Khilji's Chelmsford hotel room in June The government started warning councils in April the hotel accommodation would be withdrawn. "To move people on has been a challenge for the Afghan refugees and their children," said Colchester council's Liberal Democrat leader David King. "It's a difficult place to be but it's much better than when we got the notice three months ago." Colchester Liberal Democrat council leader David King said the process had been "emotional" for the refugees More than 24,000 Afghans were relocated between August 2021 and December 2022, many of whom worked for the Ministry of Defence. The government said 10,500 of them had so far been given homes. In Essex: Families have been moved from four hotels in recent days in Colchester, Chelmsford, Southend and Harlow Four households in Colchester were found homes within the borough, the council said, but others were relocated elsewhere, including seven in Norfolk and one in Inverness Seven households in Colchester are technically homeless and still in a hotel None of the families in Chelmsford have been found homes within the city and instead moved to Harlow, Watford and Peterborough Chelmsford City Council's Liberal Democrat leader Stephen Robinson earlier this month said the government had "let [Afghans] down" because of "unsatisfactory" accommodation All 11 households in Harlow were moved from their hotel Refugees were leaving a Southend hotel on Tuesday Mr King said trying to rehome the Afghan families in Colchester had contributed to an 800,000 overspend in the council housing budget. However, a government spokesperson said councils were being given 7,000 for every Afghan being moved out of hotels. "Hotels are not, and were never designed to be, long-term accommodation for Afghans resettled in the UK and it is not in their best interests to be living in hotel accommodation for months or years on end," added the spokesperson. Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830 The wildfires in Hawaii damaging buildings and leading to evacuations are spurred on by heavy winds coming from Hurricane Dora off the islands coast. The storm was moving west across the Pacific Ocean hundreds of miles south of Hawaii on Wednesday. To the west of Maui, residents scarpered into the ocean to avoid the fires and smoke. County officials said they were rescued by the US Coast Guard. Winds reached up to 45 miles an hour, with gusts of up to 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The agency told residents on social media to secure their property and to prepare for lost power and travel disruptions. The category four storm was more than 700 miles south of the state capital Honolulu late on Tuesday and it was not expected to make landfall, The New York Times reported. A meteorologist at the Weather Services office in Honolulu, Robert Bohlin, told the paper that while the hurricane wasnt directly responsible for the worsening conditions in the island state, it has made the winds stronger in the area. By Tuesday, the fires in Hawaii and Maui counties had scorched hundreds of acres, lieutenant governor Sylvia Lake said in her proclamation activating the National Guard. Shes acting governor while Governor Josh Green travels out of state. There were more than 14,000 customers out of power in Hawaii County on Wednesday, according to poweroutage.us. The 911 emergency reporting system was down in West Maui early on Wednesday, where residents were urged to make direct calls to the police department, according to county officials. Areas of Maui were placed under orders to evacuate. Two shelters were shut down as the flames closed in, with those inside being moved on to other locations. Margo Brousseau, 52, told The New York Times that she was able to smell the smoke at the Kihei Community Center before it was closed. Ms Brousseau is visiting with her family they were planning on staying the night in a van in the shelters car park. They had rented the vehicle after their Tuesday night flight home was cancelled. She told the paper that the airline staff told them that there is nowhere we can put you because all of these hotels dont have power and all these people are being evacuated from their own resorts, so we dont have anywhere to offer you. The Weather Service said that a red flag warning was in effect for some parts of the Hawaii islands, meaning that they were, or would soon be, under critical fire conditions. The winds in Hawaii are set to slow on Wednesday as a high-pressure system to the north is decreasing in strength and Hurricane Dora moves further west, according to the Weather Service. Hurricanes have spurred wildfires in the past not just by the winds giving fires a push but also by giving them more fuel to burn. Hurricane Michael took down large amounts of trees in Florida in 2018, making them a prime target for wildfires in the state last year. In March 2022, University of Florida fire ecologist David Godwin wrote for The Conversation that Hurricane Michael had a catastrophic impact on timber in the region. The hurricane dropped most of the standing trees into a jumbled mess that piled up on the ground. He added that a forest fires regular fuel load, as in the total mass of burnable stuff on a site is less than 10 tons per acre. Following the hurricane in the Florida panhandle, surveys found that there were more than 100 tons per acre in parts of the area. Thats off the charts. Everyone involved saw this storm had tremendous potential to affect wildfire activity for years to come, Dr Godwin added. In most fires within the region, only the ground cover and understory vegetation burn. Here, almost the entire forest is now on the ground branches and trunks that normally wouldnt be available to the fire are dead, dry and ready to burn. UAE president meets with U.S. national security advisor Xinhua) 10:48, August 09, 2023 DUBAI, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday met with visiting U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues, reported the official news agency WAM. During the meeting held in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, the two sides "discussed the close, strategic ties between the UAE and the U.S., and expressed their shared interest in further strengthening these bonds," said the report. They also discussed regional and international developments and stressed the importance of taking joint actions to ensure peace and stability in the Middle East, the report added. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) An aerial view shows what remains of buildings in the historic town of Lahaina, Maui, after fast-moving wildfires moved through, killing six people on the island. Photo by Carter Barto/EPA-EFE Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Devastating wildfires burning on Maui's west side and on the Big Island of Hawaii have killed six people, as officials warn the death toll could rise. Hundreds of families have been displaced as evacuations of residents and tourists from the beach resort island continue. The fast-moving flames were fanned Wednesday by Hurricane Dora's high winds, reaching up to 80 miles per hour, amid the islands' drought conditions. The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora has passed well south of the Hawaiian islands and the hurricane's strong winds are expected to ease over the next 24 hours. While decreasing winds could help firefighters, none of the fires on Maui have been contained. On the Big Island of Hawaii, two new brushfires erupted Wednesday. "Mauna Kea Beach and lower Kohala Ranch areas remain under blaze. Safety measures are in place," Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth said. Devastating wildfires, burning on Maui's west side and fanned by Hurricane Dora's high winds, have killed six people and destroyed much of Lahaina. Photo courtesy of County of Maui/X President Joe Biden expressed his condolences Wednesday evening and ordered all available federal assets on the islands to help with the response. "Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones in the wildfires in Maui, and our prayers are with those who have seen their homes, businesses and communities destroyed," Biden said in a statement. "The Hawaiian National Guard has mobilized Chinook helicopters to help with fire suppression and search and rescue on the Island of Maui. The U.S. Coast Guard and Navy Third Fleets are supporting response and rescue efforts. The Army is providing Black Hawk helicopters to fight the fires on the Big Island," Biden added. The Department of Transportation is also working with commercial airlines to evacuate tourists from the islands. During a press briefing Wednesday, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. confirmed the six deaths and warned the number of those killed in the fires is expected to go up. "I'm sad to report that just before coming on this, it was confirmed we've had six fatalities," Bissen told reporters. "We are still in a search and rescue mode." Much of the historic town of Lahaina has burned, as some residents and tourists were forced to escape the flames by going into the ocean, prompting numerous water rescues. "We've had many dwellings -- business, structures -- that have been burned, many of them to the ground," Bissen added. More than 2,100 people were being housed in four emergency shelters in Maui, according to the mayor's office. Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation Wednesday while urging tourists not to travel to Maui. There is no 911 service on Maui's west side, where most of the island's beach resorts are located. "Today, we signed another emergency proclamation, which will discourage tourists from going to Maui," Luke said. "Even as of this morning, planes were landing on Maui with tourists. This is not a safe place to be." The proclamation activates the National Guard, among other actions. Luke is acting as governor while Gov. Josh Green is out of state until Aug. 15. Earlier Wednesday, Green said he would cut his trip short and was in the process of traveling back to Hawaii. "We have suffered a terrible disaster in the form of a wildfire that has spread widely as a result of hurricane-force winds in the region and underlying drought conditions," Green said in a statement Wednesday. "Maui and the Big Island both experienced significant fires. Much of Lahaina on Maui has been destroyed and hundreds of local families have been displaced." Green added that he has been in touch with the White House and that Hawaii will be submitting a request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration. "Our state appreciates the incredible outpouring of concern and prayers from the world. We won't forget the aloha you have already begun to share with us." The Kahului Airport in Maui is sheltering about 1,800 people who have had flights canceled and delayed, according to the Hawaii Department of Transportation. "HDOT worked with airlines/TSA to shelter passengers for safety's sake as wildfires continue to burn in Lahaina and upcountry," the HDOT tweeted Wednesday. #MauiFires #hitraffic alerts: Acting @GovHawaii issued emergency proc discouraging non-essential air travel to Maui. @SouthwestAir and @HawaiianAir issuing travel advisories for travelers with flights to, out of, and through OGG. pic.twitter.com/K4y0xZ0mmk Hawaii DOT (@DOTHawaii) August 9, 2023 As authorities discourage non-essential travel, United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have waived fees for ticket changes. As of Wednesday, all schools on the island of Maui, with one exception, were closed due to the fires. The American Red Cross is managing a shelter in Pukalani and asking people to bring their own food and bedding. Hawaiian Electric said in a statement that some 12,400 customers in West Maui were in the dark Tuesday night as crews worked to repair about 30 downed utility poles and multiple spans of power lines. Hawaiian Electric warned customers Wednesday to plan for extended outages. Dora was located about 700 miles south-southwest of Honolulu, and moving west at 23 mph with sustained winds of 130 mph, according to an 11 a.m. HST update from the National Hurricane Center. The latest forecast from the Central-Pacific Hurricane Center predicts Dora could last into early next week. "Several wildfires are burning across parts of Hawaii, fueled in part by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing to the south," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wrote earlier Wednesday in a post on X, which showed a satellite view of the islands being battered by strong winds. Several #wildfires are burning across parts of Hawaii this week, fueled in part by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing to the south. @NOAA's GOESWest was tracking the hotspots and smoke from the fires as they burned across parts of Maui and the Big Island yesterday evening.... pic.twitter.com/WzApS2ddTi NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) August 9, 2023 The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 each year. In August, warm ocean temperatures throughout the region are the norm, which can trigger and intensify tropical storms and hurricanes. Based on Delaware Emergency Management Agency reporting, we know that Delaware can be especially vulnerable to coastal storms because of location and because, at 60 feet above sea level, Delaware sits at the lowest average elevation of any state. In short, the best advice for Delawareans during Hurricane Season is, Be prepared. That advice applies to everyone, including small business owners. Working with the U.S. Small Business Administration to support Delawares entrepreneurs, I know that so much of the First States finest small business successes comes from meticulous preparation. Business owners pour everything they have into working and re-working the business plans that become their roadmap to success. Despite all of that careful groundwork researching the market, weighing funding options, and more business owners often overlook developing a disaster plan for their business. But making a disaster plan for your business now can help your business stay open or reopen quickly when disaster strikes. Thats why the SBA supports planning with a variety of resources, including details on how to build a preparedness kit, checklists, safety tips, online courses, videos, webinars, etc. And, Delawareans can rest assured that, when disasters like hurricanes and tropical storms do strike, the SBA can help. Once disaster strikes, the SBA has staff on the ground working, often as part of within FEMAs Incident Command System. After a declared disaster, you can expect the SBA and FEMA to conduct a Preliminary Damage Assessment and Survey, coordinate and collaborate on responses and assistance center locations, and establish a Joint Field Operations Center for coordination. Remnants of Hurricane Ida caused heavy flooding along Vandever Avenue in Wilmington, Delaware Through FEMA Disaster Response Centers and the SBAs Disaster Loan Offices, financial help is available to impacted non-farm businesses of all sizes, homeowners, and renters through low-interest, long-term loans for losses not covered by insurance or other means including FEMA assistance. The SBAs disaster program is the agencys only direct loan program. Under it, we offer two types of loans physical and economic injury to assist those affected re-establish with access to low-interest and fixed rate capital during a difficult time. To qualify for SBA disaster loans, there must be physical damage to property in a declared disaster area. Those who are in need must first apply to FEMA and their insurance company to see what assistance they qualify for, and then apply with SBA. Delawareans are well aware that Hurricane season has battered the First State in recent years. This month, we close in on the second anniversary of the remnants of Hurricane Ida, including flood damage in New Castle County. Damage from that storm northern New Castle Countys Brandywine Creek broke its previous flood record by nearly three feet and hundreds of buildings sustained flood damage resulted in President Joe Biden declaring a major disaster in New Castle County. And, just one year prior, Tropical Storm Isaias caused damage in Pennsylvania and Delaware, touching off three tornadoes in Delaware and resulting in an SBA disaster declaration for affected areas that qualified. In the wake of both storms, SBA helped with recovery, offering low-interest loans to qualifying businesses, non-profit organizations, homeowners, and renters affected by the storms. This Hurricane Season, and year-round, the SBA stands at the ready to support recovery when disaster strikes. Now, and in the future, if you are in need of SBA disaster assistance, go to www.SBA.gov/Disaster and follow the link at the top of the page, visit a Disaster Recovery Center near you, call us at 1-800-659-2955, or email us at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information Michelle Harris is the Delaware district director for the the U.S. Small Business Administration. Michelle HarrisSBA This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Delaware hurricane season: How U.S. SBA can help I caught a flight. My destination: Flavor Town. I recently visited Sundae Scoop in Virginia Beach which offers delicious homemade ice cream, sundaes, floats and more. The daily flavors range from chocolate to ube to birthday cake. A couple of nondairy options are also available. Philip and Sibs Harrell opened the spot last year in the Kempsville Crossing Shopping Center to bring people together and put smiles on their faces. Philip, an Army veteran, attended Scoop School located in Wildwood, Missouri, to learn about the ice cream business, equipment and recipes. I ordered an ice cream flight with four flavors and sat at one of the two tables that is large enough for families or meeting strangers. Most people got their cones, cups and prepackaged pints to go. There were more than five weekly flavors to choose from; I settled on the strawberry caramel pecan, and lavender berry, which Harrell recently created. The strawberry and caramel blend was intriguing and had my spoon showing favorites. It reminded me of a deconstructed taffy apple but with fresh strawberry slices, faint caramel and toasted pecan. The lavender and berries worked beautifully together. Floral and fruity notes danced on my tongue without tasting like perfume. Fresh blueberry bits showed up periodically to let me know they were at the party too. My other two ice cream selections also made me happy. The pistachio was packed with nuts; I felt like swinging my legs back and forth like a delighted kid. It made me slow down, chew and enjoy the smooth creamy moments in between the crunchy bites. Scrumptious. My go-to is the salted caramel buttered pecan. Ive had it at Sundae Scoop before; its consistently good. The frozen treat is a buttery sensation with its pecan pieces, ribbons of caramel and a touch of salt in each bite. Yummy. I tried the root beer float on a return trip. It consisted of vanilla ice cream and A&W Root Beer. I felt nostalgic: young and carefree without any bills. I enjoyed the creamy bubbly as I slurped down the yesteryear. Ill travel to Flavor Town again. Rekaya Gibson, 757-295-8809, rekaya.gibson@virginiamedia.com; on Twitter, @gibsonrekaya ___ If you go Where: 1832 Kempsville Road, Virginia Beach Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Monday, noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday Prices: Ice cream starts at $4.85; sundaes $9.25 to $14; floats $6.50 to $7.15 Details: sundaescoopva.com An Idaho man has been indicted on federal charges after prosecutors say he used a rifle to shoot at two hydroelectric power stations along the states border with Oregon, damaging both facilities. Randy Scott Vail, 58, of Meridian, is now facing two counts of destruction of an energy facility following the alleged incidents in early June, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Idaho. "The indictment alleges that on June 8, 2023, and continuing into June 9, 2023, Vail used a rifle to shoot at the Hells Canyon Dam hydroelectric power station and the Brownlee Dam hydroelectric power station, causing damage to both," the attorneys office said in a statement. "The damage resulted in significant interruption and impairment of a function of the facilities," the statement added. "The dams are owned and operated by Idaho Power Company and produce, transmit, store, and distribute electricity to Washington, Idaho, and Oregon." NEARLY ALL TEENS INVOLVED IN IDAHO YMCA CAMP BUS CRASH HAVE BEEN RELEASED TO THEIR FAMILIES In court documents, a Washington County deputy said he was called to the area of the Brownlee Dam around 12:30 a.m. on June 9 to investigate a report of a man on a white motorcycle firing shots at that dam and at the Hells Canyon Dam, according to KTVB. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The station, citing a probable cause affidavit, reported that the deputy and a colleague then spotted the motorcycle heading east on Highway 71 and gave chase. At one point during the pursuit, Vail, according to police and court documents, was allegedly traveling 80 mph in a 25-mph zone, KTVB also reported. IDAHO POLICE FATALLY SHOOT MAN WHO CALLED FOR HELP, THEN ATTACKED OFFICERS When Vail was brought to a stop, the deputy wrote in the affidavit that he was found carrying a pair of bolt cutters, two tire-repair cans "full of what smelled like gasoline" and a case containing two rifles, the station says. The shootings in total caused more than $100,000 in damage, The Associated Press reports, citing an indictment. Federal prosecutors say if convicted, Vail faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. "U.S. Attorney Hurwit credited the cooperative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington County Sheriffs Office, the Adams County Sheriffs Office, and the Meridian Police Department, which led to the charges," the attorneys office said. "U.S. Attorney Hurwit also thanked the Ada County Prosecuting Attorneys Office, the Adams County Prosecuting Attorneys Office, and the Washington County Prosecuting Attorneys Office for their collaboration in the prosecution of the defendant." Unequal income shapes perceptions of Scotland's economic health, and a wealth of new analysis has just dropped, from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). The report highlights regional inequality within Scotland, as its most prosperous areas are slowed up by the oil and gas industry that has fuelled their local economies. It also looks at the gaps between high and low earners. While Scotland has less poverty and less inequality than its southern neighbour, that difference has been eroding. You don't hear much about 'levelling up' within Scotland. It's a Whitehall term, dating back a couple of prime ministers. A political project to close the gulf of opportunity between London and its prosperous south-east neighbours and the parts of the country which feel - in many cases rightly - that they have been left behind. Some of the funds reach Scotland with a union flag prominently attached but most of the political project is aimed at parts of the north of England. England is a large and populous country with a sprawling confusion of weak local governance and that makes the devolution of power and distribution of funds a big task. In Scotland, we haven't heard so much about devolving power out from Holyrood. Perhaps it's because of the party in government. The clue is in the name. They are not just the Scottish party but the Scottish National Party. Sixteen years ago, the party's approach to local government began with Alex Salmond triumphantly signing an 'historic concordat' of mutual respect with councils. This was intended to be a contrast with the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition years, when Holyrood had difficult relations with local councils. The agreement also brought in the freeze on council tax rises. The SNP government then applied the harshest squeeze of the austerity years to local authority budgets. That came with a return to ring-fencing for Nicola Sturgeon's priorities such as childcare. Under Humza Yousaf, the relationship has returned to an agreement on councils being treated with more respect, with less ring-fencing of budgets, an "expectation" that services will be "delivered at a local level unless agreed otherwise", and periodic reviews of council powers. Playing catch-up The role of Holyrood in funding councils is partly to equalise across them, securing an equivalent level of public service whatever the tax base. Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire complain they have long come out of that badly. It's one reason the city centre has not benefited from the same regeneration and modernisation funds as poorer council areas to the south. Hence, the disputed efforts to catch up in Union Terrace Gardens and Union Street. Aberdeen has not benefitted from urban regeneration funds Now, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has provided evidence that the north east has a case for more help from St Andrew's House in Edinburgh. The region's relatively high employment and high earnings, fuelled by oil and gas, have slowed closer to Scotland's average. Hourly pay was once 30% higher than the Scottish average but the last decade has seen that drop to a 14% premium. The Highlands and islands have many pockets of employment in offshore work but it has not been doing as well as those on the other side of the Spey. Average hourly pay, which was 6% below the national average, has fallen to leave a 10% shortfall. Dumfries and Galloway has not had the same energy boom as the north, nor the benefit of as much infrastructure spending. It ranks as the lowest-paid council area in Scotland. At 16.10 per hour, that's around 2 below average, and 10 below the highest paying area, East Renfrewshire. The IFS story is about Scotland playing catch-up with the rest of the UK. And if you exclude London as an outlier because it distorts such figures with super-high pay for financiers, lawyers and oligarchs, much of Scotland has in fact grown to match the UK over the earlier parts of the past two decades. From 2002 until around 2014, Scotland was catching up at a healthy pace. That stalled around 2014, when the global oil price tanked and both jobs and pay in the offshore industry also took a dive. They've only partially recovered in the past three years of spikes and volatility and remain constrained both by uncertainty about the UK tax regime and the political uncertainty as to whether a new burst of investment will be encouraged or discouraged by Downing Street after the next election. The IFS says all of the slowing up of Scotland's national earnings growth can be explained by the slowing up of the nation's north and north east. Its analysis has positive things to say about some of those parts of Scotland which have struggled out of de-industrialisation in recent decades. West central Scotland has done a lot of catching up in employment and earnings. It's been clear since at least the start of the century, even as oil and gas production declined, that Scotland was no longer the poor relation of the United Kingdom but in many ways typical of its economic performance. The IFS analysis underlines that. Conundrum The report also puts a spotlight on poverty and differences in income inequalities, which have been flagged up as a top priority for Humza Yousaf. Scotland has had lower measures of inequality than the rest of the UK - in other words, it's less unfair - but drawing on data from before the pandemic, it was moving closer to the UK position. The household close to the top of the Scottish earnings spectrum (technically, the 90th percentile) has recently had income 5.7 times more than the person equally close to the bottom. The comparable figure for the UK peaked above a seven-fold multiple of earnings, before falling slightly. Taking those two people as examples is intended to strip out the distorting effect at both extremes. The most recent available figures show less of a gap in Scotland between middle and high earners than in other parts of Britain but a similar gap between middle earners and those on the lowest income. Food banks have become a sign of growing poverty Scotland's level of poverty, at 19%, is reckoned to be around three percentage points lower than the average south of the border. Much of this is explained by housing costs. Scotland has a significantly higher share of renting households in social housing than the rest of the UK (59% to 45%) and those in social rented housing are paying lower rents than those south of the Border. The report uses statistics from 2017 to 2019 to show the proportion of children in relative poverty at 24% compared with 30% in the rest of the UK. It signals that future studies can expect to see an impact on the poverty figures from that 25 weekly Scottish Child Payment for those on lower income, which was increased and expanded less than a year ago. But it warns the Scottish government of limits to its largesse with welfare benefits, and also limits to the returns on increased tax rates for higher earners. Scottish government has been focussed on that sort of inequality and less so on the geographical variety. But of course, politics comes back into this when elections loom. And politics is geographical. While the SNP is fighting to retain seats across Scotland, the IFS highlights what it calls "a conundrum". Scotland's levelling up challenge is whether to focus more attention on helping parts of Scotland that have slowed but remain relatively well off, or on those that have been catching up but remain worse off and which are still recovering from the decline of older industries. These school counselors have seen it all, and they want to share advice on how to manage expectations during this stressful time. These school counselors have seen it all, and they want to share advice on how to manage expectations during this stressful time. As summer ends and school returns, with it can come the headaches of college application season. It can be an unimaginably stressful time for young people facing big decisions. And, unfortunately, how the adults talk to them about this decision can be making it much more difficult. School counselors know this all too well. Brian Coleman, the counseling department chair at Jones College Prep in Chicago and the 2019 School Counselor of the Year by the American School Counselor Association, said that a lot of his role is around helping folks cope with their anxiety not avoid it, or ignore it but cope with the reality that theres so many factors that they dont control. HuffPost talked to several school counselors across the country to hear their big donts when it comes to the language we could be using with students, particularly when it comes to college. Heres what they shared about what kind of invalidating, discouraging things they would never say to young adults: 1. You wont be able to afford this, so dont bother applying. I would never discourage students from attending a university because of costs. Often students are encouraged to attend a community college because its low-cost or free, said California-based high school counselor Jose Cardenas. There is an opportunity cost that students may be unaware of. Students can miss out on valuable opportunities such as networking, study abroad programs, and in some cases they may have a different quality of education. But you can talk about the reality of a colleges sticker price without crushing a young persons dream. Steve Schneider, a school counselor at Sheboygan South High School in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, said a fairer way to manage a students expectations is to highlight the importance of diversifying the lists of where students apply. I might say to a kid, Keep that one on the list. That sounds like its gonna be a great fit for you. But lets diversify your list. Like thats an expensive school. Families and students may not know the ultimate cost of college until a student learns which colleges accepted them and how much financial aid or scholarships the student will receive, he noted. Get the official offer, and then make a decision about whether you can afford it or not, Schneider said. But its also possible to get a sense of affordability, so that students and families can manage expectations before decisions must be made. Coleman said that U.S. colleges that receive federal funding must have a net price calculator on their website, and using these calculators is what he advises students and families to do for every school they are interested in. That is arguably the most important thing that a family can do during the list creation phase, Coleman said. The affordability piece cannot be ignored, and thats where a lot of the heart pain and heartbreak comes during the application season. 2. Any predictions like, You will or wont get in if you apply here. The school counselors all advised against giving predictions about which schools a student will or will not get into. Its OK to be real about, This is the acceptance rate at [the University of California, Berkeley], this is last years graduating class, and giving information, but never saying to a young person, whether its a student or your child, like, Oh, youd never get in. Not taking that hope away I think is important too, said Alma Lopez, lead school counselor and coordinator at Livingston Middle School in California and the 2022 School Counselor of the Year by the American School Counselor Association. Sometimes, theyre gonna get that rejection letter, and they dont need the rejection at home, Lopez said. Other times, it will work out in their favor. 3. You need to go to this school because its the best. Schneider said the presumed prestige of an institution can show up in conversations to students with language like, This is the best school to go to, so make sure you apply to that one. If youre not listening to the kid, then you shouldnt be talking to them.School counselor Steve Schneider But, he noted, anytime the conversation puts an institution in front of the student, I think theres potential there for a problem. If youre not listening to the kid, then you shouldnt be talking to them. Check your biases about the type of education the student in your life should pursue and focus on listening to what they are telling you about their career goals, Schneider said. Sometimes theres some presumptions and assumptions about undervaluing a two-year associate degree, he said, sharing examples of adults saying that pursuing anything other than a four-year degree is settling or a waste of time. In reality, If youre somebody who is pretty financially aware, you might actually realize that a two-year program can get you where you want to be, Lopez said. You can encourage a student to pursue more options, but be careful about whether you put down different types of education than your own preference to do so. For example, I think you might be underselling the fact that you could probably be successful on a four-year campus. Thats a way different conversation than saying to a kid, Youre too smart to go to community college, Schneider said. 4. I dont want you to apply there because its too far from family. It can sometimes be scary for a family to imagine their child leaving home and moving outside of a close radius to their family. I have seen some families struggle with this idea and even discourage students from applying to certain universities because it isnt the one the parent wants them to attend, said California-based high school counselor Alexis Goddard. Distance from home is a fair consideration when applying to colleges, but one better way for families to frame this conversation would be for them to have them earlier in the application process and by joining the student on school visits when they can, she said. I think the important thing to do is talk about all of the options their child has, including schools that may be farther away than the parent wishes. Going to visit schools together, having an open discussion on the pros and cons of each school, and how they felt when they visited can be a huge help, Goddard added. 5. Im your guardian. You should go where I want you to. How you are raised shapes who you are, and that can carry over into how students and their families approach college decisions. As a result, Coleman said he would never tell a student either to do what their parents say or to never listen to them. Instead, I would probably say something thats more in the middle of like, Well help me understand how your parents or guardians or caregivers are going to be involved in this decision-making process for you, he said. Some students come from a very collectivist family model, some from a very independent model. And I dont know what that is, and I dont know what works for each family. Being more inquisitive, and less presumptive I think is really important there, Coleman said. 6. Youll have a great time just like I did if you go here. Sometimes, adults can project assumptions that a students experience will mirror the experience they once had. But theres a way to share your story without making it all about you. For families that do have college education, I think sharing that experience and story with your young person is so important. But then also recognizing that, you know, maybe they dont want to be a legacy at the college you went to, Lopez said. Be mindful to the feedback a student may be sharing about your favorite university. If they take over the conversation about, Oh, its going to be great, its going to be fine, youre going to have a great experience, because I did. If the adults theyre talking to arent taking the time to listen to what the concerns are...that type of stuff doesnt really help the kid, Schneider said. One big piece of general advice that could prevent future conflicts? Dont assume that you know what a student wants if you havent asked them. My clear dont would be dont assume you know what your child is wanting for their own future if you havent asked the questions, Lopez said. 7. Follow your heart. This is well-intentioned advice that is not actually all that helpful for students. Your heart is part of it, but so is your brain.School counselor Brian Coleman Follow your heart just is so broad and so vague, and...doesnt come back to those tangible, specific items or perspectives or pieces that we want to encourage students to research on, get more information on and make more thoughtful decisions, Coleman said. Your heart is part of it, but so is your brain. He recommended more specific questions for reflection such as: 1. Is this a good academic match for you? How do you know? Based on what evidence is this a good fit for you? How do you know its going to be a good fit for who you are who you want to be? 2. Is this affordable for you and your family? How do you know? 3. How excited are you? And why? What about this institution excites you? How do you know thats exciting for you? What makes you passionate about this experience? Based on all those factors together, Coleman said students can then see which colleges rank on their lists. Its not about the rankings of these schools. Its more about what school is best for you, he said. 8. Theres only one right decision, and you have to stick with it. Choosing where you go to college is a major decision, but it will not make or break your career. You may need to take a break from school or transfer to a different institution after you make your first choice and thats perfectly OK. Lets normalize that theres a lot of pressure and stress on this one decision. But its one of so many decisions, Coleman said. Ultimately there is no singular right career trajectory. As media mogul Oprah Winfrey would put it, when youre facing a crossroads, its more helpful to ask yourself, What is the next right move? This is a big decision that youre making by collecting a lot of different factors. And youre going to make the best informed decision that you can. And also you may need to pivot, Coleman said. I dont want anyone to feel like they failed if they pivot in any way. Related... CHICAGO The first 75 or so arrivals stepped out of buses at Union Station clutching clear plastic bags that held few possessions. This was almost a year ago. Each had been to the United States-Mexico border with the hope of immigrating to this country. Once there, they were put on buses bound for the self-styled sanctuary city of Chicago. Many did not speak English. Some spoke English, but felt more comfortable speaking Spanish. Most came from Venezuela and Nicaragua and Cuba. They were mothers and children and fathers and single men and single women, and they shared two things in common: They had become participants in a political protest by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott against federal immigration policies and, after arriving in the Loop, they would be filing out lots of paperwork. Paperwork primarily in English. Katarina Ramos, managing attorney for the National Immigrant Justice Center, based in Chicago, thought immediately of Alejandra Oliva, who was in her late 20s yet preternaturally assured. Oliva had been promoted recently at NIJC and was working on policy, but Ramos required a pragmatic, efficient hand. The situation was fraught and chaotic. She had heard the buses were coming; then she had heard they werent coming. Then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot had asked advocacy groups to handle what Ramos calls the Legal Immigration 101 walk-through. Plus Texas wouldnt even say when buses would be here, Ramos recalled, and whenever we tried to make a deal with the bus company to get a little notice, Abbotts office would push back. Oliva, who is now 30 and lives on a quiet Sauganash neighborhood street in a classic Chicago bungalow, was among the first to greet the migrants. She is an essayist and immigration activist and author her memoir, Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration, was published earlier this summer by Astra House but Oliva has become particularly appreciated for her role as a translator. Working overnight in the days before the first bus came, she put together a website for the new undocumented arrivals, all in Spanish. Before anyone reached the paperwork stage, she streamlined the greeting process. One by one, Oliva said, you would meet these couples, many with the same questions, which had not been answered yet. Questions as basic as What is asylum? And what did it say on this form (usually in English) about Immigration and Customs Enforcement? Sometimes it was a question of how to check in with ICE or simply how to change an address. Eventually, inevitably, there is paperwork. Applications, statements, histories. Its such an obvious detail, yet, in our bottomless debates about immigration, we forget a frequent truism: Though the U.S. government does not have an official language, most of its applications and forms demand a degree of fluency in English for prospective citizens. Oliva, who writes in Rivermouth about working on the U.S.-Mexico border and helping migrants tell harrowing histories in the narrow boxes of government forms, has since become an outspoken advocate for language justice, a concept developed by educators Alice Johnson and Roberto Tijerina with a pretty straightforward premise: Everyone has a right to communicate and to be understood in their own languages, in ICE meetings, on applications, at town halls. In a strictly practical sense, as a historian of immigration myself, that paperwork (being filed by migrants who enter the U.S.) is a transcript for any historians 100 years from now, said Rachel Buff, chair of the history department at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Its almost our sacred responsibility to get their stories right. What a person had to do to get here, what it took to leave all of that only enters the records through these very moments of translation. I have walked for five days and I am worried about gangs in my village thats not going to cut it. What Alejandra is calling for, in a broad sense, is cultural bilingualism as a kind of responsibility. What Oliva does and she is quick to point out is far from unique; she is one of many such translators across the country helping migrants complete paperwork to explain their life stories. But Alejandra is particularly patient and able to step back and calm a situation, Ramos said. All without losing focus on who she is doing this for. In this work, you get people who want to save migrants. Alejandra works with, not helps, them. She takes a persons fear and every reason they may be afraid to return to their home, then she recognizes something that a lot of people tend to forget about all this: This person will get one chance to get this paperwork right. As Oliva writes in Rivermouth: The U.S. government is not the Catholic Church, but it does require asylum-seekers to be saints. Translating a migrants story into government parameters takes many shapes, but without help, the result often drifts away from the messiness of real life and into the beats of a known and understood narrative. By the time Johannes Favi worked with Oliva, he had left the small African nation of Benin and had been living in Indiana for nearly a decade. He already had two children and a wife and was going through the process to receive a green card, but ICE held Favi in 2019 and sent him to a Kankakee detention center for 10 months. After he sued the government for violating his right to due process and not supplying proper protection during a pandemic, he was released and then asked to speak about his experience for a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on immigration and citizenship. Alejandra has no legal power, he said in an interview. But the time she takes to help prepare your story you always hope you know someone who can bring change to your life, you know? From a language standpoint, when youre telling your story as an immigrant, you can get confused. Youre probably still traumatized. I was still living here and adjusting to this life. Then you get arrested in front of your kids; you dont know when you will be released. On Fridays at 5 a.m., they call out names and you dont know where you are going next or even if you may be out of the country in 48 hours. People get desperate. I have seen people (in detention) use bedsheets and hang themselves. Alejandra helped me focus my story, in a way so you are not unknowingly harming yourself. She will tell you the truth even if it hurts. I like that opinion. To have someone like Alejandra in front of you, it made me what I am today and inspired me to be more like her. Which is what I do. Favi lives in Chicago now and works as the deputy director of Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants, a nonprofit that advocates for housing and human rights for asylum-seekers. On a recent weekday morning, Oliva sat in her dining room with a hand below the table steadying her dog, Chico, and the other signing onto a Zoom talk that she was leading. It was about trauma and translation workers. About 100 participants were allowed and 150 signed up. Her long black swoop of hair streaked with blonde fell across her face, which stiffened in concentration yet somehow also exuded serenity. A water bottle and notebook sat off-camera. When the talk began, she offered advice for not looking judgmental during translations. She fielded questions about the ways translating emotionally draining stories can affect the mental health of a translator. Someone asked if its natural for translators to feel anger toward those in their personal lives who complain about petty things. (I have definitely known that feeling, she said.) She talked about when a translator, a neutral party, should convey emotions. Then someone described a heated situation when they felt caught between lawyer and migrant. Oliva said its important to remind everyone they are not talking to her but to each other. Still, its understandable if a translator working with migrants finds themselves in an uneasy place. She said, We are expected to walk this line between being an interpreter and being an advocate for whomever is talking. Its not unusual to find yourself saying: I am not the one saying these things. On the other hand, an interpreter should not expect to hold themselves to a robot calm. An uneasy place, indeed. When she arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border, during the so-called migrant caravan situation of 2018 and 2019, she immediately found advocates who wanted to do good but held romantic notions of humanitarian work. Paperwork is not romantic. At her dining room table the other day she explained in a single gesture, spreading her arms wide and saying with a beatific smile: At last! Here I am everyone! Except, bureaucracy is not romantic. There are government immigration apps that presume a migrant owns a smartphone. Humanitarian volunteers who dont speak Spanish. Migrants quickly lose whatever hope they came with. Buff, who volunteered at the border during those caravan days, met Oliva there. She recalls sitting around with volunteers in San Diego after a long day on the border: This woman said the next time she does this she would stay in Tijuana because it was more of an authentic experience. Alejandra said something like, Oh, I dont know, I also like there to be toilet paper in a bathroom. You can get some very naive people who want to help, who virtue signal, and they are not necessarily the ones who stick with it. If you want to do this because you are a good person and thats it, you do not last. Alejandra comes at it from a deep spiritual and political motivation. She can be skeptical of things since there is no question shell be back tomorrow. Oliva first went to the border while she was a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, though she was more interested in becoming a writer than a preacher. She frames her work with migrants in near-religious tones. She does not take on their pain, but believes in honoring it, she says. Her relationship with organized religion itself is strained. She grew up evangelical but found her own moral foundation different from the morals the church wanted to install in me. She moved to Chicago in 2019 to work with the NIJC, but grew up in Massachusetts and Texas. Her mother was born in Brownsville, Texas, at the border; her father is from outside Mexico City. He earned a doctorate in business and worked for Harvard Business School; the family was well-off, she said. So there was never difficulty with their paperwork. Money, of course, buys good lawyers. She began volunteering as a translator while still enrolled as a student at Columbia University in New York. At first, she stumbled her way around I-589s, the government application for asylum. An attorney can explain (a migrants story) more, which could lead to an appointment with a forensic specialist who can get into the specifics of how someone was harmed. But for a lot of people, its a much different process. You get these tiny boxes to explain what bad things happened. It has to fit in there. What do you fear? Have you been harmed? You have like 200 words, and so it gets boiled down to awful declarative sentences. So it can be comforting (for the asylum-seeker) to have someone there with eyes on them. At the border, there were not enough volunteer Spanish speakers, so you would end up accompanying people, doing this weird very specific direct service. Everything is uncertain, theyre scared; they just want to know if everything will be OK. But I can stand there and explain the process. Which is just nonstop. And its not just that their story needs to be compelling, it needs to be consistent. If I asked you what you had for breakfast last week, your memory might change. But youre helping someone who probably has just gone through a lot of trauma and you are helping them fill out paperwork and prepare their narrative, which is not just a memory but the memory of what happened. Oliva sits back and takes a breath. Rivermouth, which is focused on her work with migrants, gnaws and gnaws at unsettled feelings of how much help is accomplished within a system so deeply arbitrary. She writes about the fallacy of believing you can cross a border the right way; the lines of people waiting to be processed when some days no one is called and others 600 are called; credible fear interviews conducted by law enforcement who dont require evidence yet scrutinize every inflection. You realize you have to be open to messy feelings, she said in her dining room, not long after she quit NIJC to focus on writing. You have to realize none of what you do feels special. Its hard to figure out a way of doing it that doesnt feel self-serving. Im guilty of it myself. Its boring, but its also important to know this, that you cant go in and hand out sandwiches and fix things. She pets her dog a moment. Again, I am not the only one who does this, but these documents are important, at least to journalists. We forget that. We dont give someones story the right level of care. We think of a good story as one that fits a government box. Look, when I work on an asylum application, I care more about filing it out correctly and keeping you safe than doing a story justice, so to speak. When I help storytelling, its often because (the immigrant) needs a certain audience, like a politician, to care and empathize. But in general, you give your full attention and presence. You show the person going through all this, no, they might not have any control over (some things) right now, but lets at least make sure they have control over this part of this process, which is their story. The upper house of India's parliament greenlit the country's first data protection act on Wednesday, facing no resistance as opposition leaders opted out of participation. The bill -- which is set to become law once it receives approval from the President of India, which is highly probable as it's just a formality -- grants the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government greater control over how tech companies process users' data amid concerns that the law will be used to increase surveillance. The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill allows companies to transfer some user data abroad and imposes penalties on companies for breaches in data security. Furthermore, it provides New Delhi with a legal framework to ensure adherence to these regulations and enforce a penalty of up to $30 million for violations and non-compliance. The bill also bars companies from processing personal data that could negatively impact a child's wellbeing, requires verifiability of parental consent for processing personal data of children, and mandates companies to delete user data once it no longer fulfills its original business intent. Murali Rao, Cybersecurity Consulting Leader at EY India, said in a statement that there are "implementation complexities that could prove to be a challenge for organizations while complying with the requirements of the bill." The bill allows the Indian government to waive compliance requirements for certain data fiduciaries, such as startups. The bill was approved by the lower house of the parliament last week even as some lawmakers in the opposition denounced many of its aspects. India's IT Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, refuted claims that there was insufficient consultation in drafting the bill. He said Wednesday that the government took input from 48 organizations, consulted with over three dozen ministries, and considered more than 24,000 comments during the preparation of the legislation. "This bill is very pro-citizen and pro-privacy," he said in the upper house of the parliament Wednesday. "This bill is very much in the spirit of the government where we would like to ensure that every citizen's data is fully protected." In a briefing with reporters on Wednesday evening, Vaishnaw said the government has started to work on the implementation of the legislation and the rollout will be apparent "very soon." "This is a very, very big change in the entire digital economy. So, we will take every step with proper checks, proper balance, proper verification; we must make it a robust mechanism," he said. The bill, six years in the making, was abruptly withdrawn last year and a version of it was withdrawn in 2019 after many of its proposals rattled Meta, Google and other tech giants. The members from the opposition skipped participation in the voting on Wednesday, prompting criticism from Vaishnaw, who alleged that the opposition members' action is a disservice to the 1.4 billion citizens. The introduction of the legal framework coincides with the surge in digital services in the world's most populated country, which is also the largest market by users for Meta and Google. The South Asian nation's growing emphasis on data privacy, which has been evolving over the past few years, mirrors similar initiatives undertaken in many other countries and regions. The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill empowers New Delhi to restrict public access to certain information if it is believed to be in the public's interest. Under this act, a government-appointed Data Protection Board is established with an advisory role, allowing it to suggest blocking public access to specific computer resources or platforms. Such recommendations can be made if the data fiduciary has been subjected to financial penalties on more than two occasions. If content blocking is to be enabled by central government on the recommendation of the board then there has to be a strong framework detailing the criteria for blocking, quipped EY's Rao. Advocacy group AccessNow said: "An effective, world-class data protection law requires core tenets: an independent regulator; actionable rights and remedies; clarity on cross-border data flows; and business certainty and meaningful accountability from all data collectors, including the government. The bill is devoid of each of these." The bill has introduced some relaxations compared to an earlier draft proposed by New Delhi. Specifically, companies that handle personal data can now transfer it to any other country for processing, unless the central government has explicitly restricted such transfer. This is a departure from the initial version which only allowed data transfer to destinations specifically identified by the government. Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia Pacific Policy Director at AccessNow, said last week that the legislation "enables government-led invasions of privacy and the expanding of surveillance," and "obscures the right to information which is crucial for accountability from public officials." But "it's a win-win, for government and big tech." The Internet Freedom Foundation, another advocacy group of digital rights, said the law lacks adequate measures to prevent "over-broad surveillance," whereas the Editors Guild of India said it believes the law will hamper press liberty and weaken the right to information law. Jagmeet Singh contributed to the report. An Indiana law makes it a crime for individuals to approach within 25 feet of a police officer if ordered by that officer to back away. However, on Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit challenging the law, arguing that it infringes upon individuals' First Amendment right to record and observe police. In March, the state legislature passed a law making it a misdemeanor to "knowingly or intentionally [approach] within twenty-five (25) feet of a law enforcement officer lawfully engaged in the execution of the law enforcement officer's duties after the law enforcement officer has ordered the person to stop." "Our public safety officers have important work to do, and their jobs often involve dangerous and unpredictable situations," Rep. Wendy McNamara (REvansville) said in a February press release. "The goal of this bill is to give officers another tool to help control a scene to maintain their safety and the public's safety." The problem, according to the ACLU, is that the law allows police to effectively prevent journalists and other bystanders from recording their activityor even watching them in action. For example, Donald Nicodemus, the plaintiff, says that he was prevented from filming police during an investigation of a shooting. The suit also alleges police failed to properly enforce the law, and that they instructed Nicodemus to back up over 50 feet. "There was no basis for forcing Mr. Nicodemus to move even further back from the areafully across the streetwhere police [were] conducting their activities. However, Mr. Nicodemus complied as he had been threatened with arrest." "The unbridled discretion given to law enforcement officers by [the law] allows for and invites content and viewpoint-based discrimination," the complaint continues, concluding that the law "violates the First Amendment as it gives police officers unbridled discretion to prohibit citizens from approaching within 25 feet of the officers to observe their actions, even if the actions of the citizens are not and will not interfere with the police." Lawsuits challenging similar laws have succeeded before. For example, an Arizona law that would have banned filming within 8 feet of a police officer was blocked by a federal judge last year. "Arizona already has other laws on its books to prevent interference with police officers," wrote Judge John J. Tuchi in a preliminary injunction, adding that if the goal "is to prevent interference with law enforcement activities, the Court fails to see how the presence of a person recording a video near an officer interferes with the officer's activities." The post Indiana Law Lets Cops Push Bystanders Back 25 Feet. A New Lawsuit Says It's Unconstitutional. appeared first on Reason.com. (Bloomberg) -- Indonesia is again delaying the opening of a China-funded high-speed train, citing safety concerns. Most Read from Bloomberg The soft launch of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway will be pushed back to September, instead of Aug. 18, even if the commercial opening is still set for Oct. 1, its operator said on Tuesday. The company needs more time to prioritize the safety and comfort of customers, it said in the statement. The implication is more political than technical as Jokowi had expected the rail commencement to be part of independence day commemoration, said Sulfikar Amir, an academic at Singapores Nanyang Technological University who researches on Indonesias infrastructure. This delay will only worsen the public image of this project. President Joko Widodo has a habit of setting infrastructure milestones around Indonesias independence day on Aug. 17. He also plans to celebrate the national day at the new capital next year. The postponement deals another blow to Jokowis flagship project, which has already suffered land disputes, cost overruns and accidents that led to years of delay. The rush to get the countrys first high-speed rail running well before he steps down next year could compromise safety. Construction flaws have plagued other projects in Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, including cracks found at hydropower plants in Ecuador and Pakistan. Transport analysts have criticized the rail operators move to seek a temporary operating permit, instead of a full license that would require a certain safety, manpower and maintenance standards, local newspaper The Jakarta Post reported on Tuesday. We must not force the issue of operating licenses without any guarantee of safety, said Sutanto Soehodho, who teaches transportation at the University of Indonesia. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. A newly revealed letter has put a wrinkle in the narrative that gender reassignment surgeries dont happen in Kentucky. A University of Kentucky Healthcare executive, according to a letter dated March 2 of this year sent to a Republican legislator, said that the schools Transform Health clinic in Lexington performed a small number of non-genital gender reassignment surgeries on minors, such as mastectomies for older adolescents. This contradicts what many pushing back on Kentucky Republicans fight to ban certain medical care for transgender minors, including Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, have been saying: that the surgeries dont take place in Kentucky. Beshear himself said this in a recent campaign advertisement defending against Republican attacks. Ive never supported gender reassignment surgery for kids, and those procedures dont happen here in Kentucky, Beshear said. While its true that Beshear has never explicitly supported the surgeries for minors Republicans have argued to the contrary citing his veto of the controversial Senate Bill 150, an omnibus bill that included a ban on all gender reassignment surgeries for minors the letter refutes the governors second claim. Cameron, in a press release following a first report of the news from the conservative-leaning Washington Free Beacon, said Beshear cant stop lying on this score. We know for a fact that gender reassignment surgery for kids was taking place in Kentucky. Andy Beshear sided with his far left allies and vetoed a bill to ban these procedures. Andy is lying in the middle of an election to mislead voters, Cameron said. But while many in the GOP are taking a victory lap following the revelation, some have stated that non-genital gender reassignment surgeries (also known as top surgeries or mastectomies) arent often the focus of these discussions. The letter, from UK Healthcare Chief Physician Executive Jay Grider, also states definitively that the clinic does not perform genital gender reassignment surgery on minors. Indeed, these types of surgeries on minors are not considered best practice in the United States and are performed in this country very rarely, Grider wrote. The term gender reassignment surgery is broad, and can include changes to a persons genitals, chest and/or face. UK Healthcare divides the procedure into two categories top surgery, referring to the creation or removal of breasts and bottom surgery, referring to removal of genitalia assigned at birth and recreation of genitalia that conforms with ones gender identity. Jay Blanton, a spokesperson for the University of Kentucky, stressed that the non-genital gender reassignment surgeries performed at Transform Health performed were exceedingly rare and that they have completely stopped since the passage of SB 150. He said that the clinic performed a small number of the surgeries on minors who are almost adults, stating that the clinic hadnt performed the surgery on anyone as young as 14. These procedures are rare and have occurred only with the evaluation, discussion, and consent of parents/guardians. Indeed, in recent years the numbers of these procedures have been so small that providing a number would potentially identify a patient, thus violating their privacy under federal law, per our provisions for complying with HIPPA, Blanton wrote. Emma Curtis, who vied for the Democratic nomination for a House seat earlier this year and was a visible activist against Senate Bill 150, said Republican responses to the letter dont distinguish between genital and non-genital gender reassignment surgeries. The conflation of the two is misguided at best and dangerous at worst. Its extremely disappointing to see the willingness of a political party to use trans kids, who are already one of the most vulnerable populations, as political pawns, Curtis said in an interview. She also noted that every advocate against SB 150 that she knew of was A-OK with a ban on any form of gender reassignment, genital and non-genital, as long as access to mental healthcare, puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy for older adolescents was protected. The latter two items were banned by SB 150. Alex Floyd, Beshears re-election campaign spokesperson, called Camerons campaign, which touted the recent report, flailing and divisive. Floyd also said that the campaign didnt know about the letter and its contents until the report from the Free Beacon on Monday. The governor has consistently said he doesnt support these procedures. Through today, no reports from the medical community of such surgeries have been provided to the governors office. Both the Fairness Campaign and multiple healthcare systems have reported that these surgeries are not being performed. With regards to the letter, the governor reiterates his opposition to these surgeries, Floyd wrote. Timing of letters release Curtis, who is transgender, also questioned the timing of the March letters release. The release of the letter today, more than 5 months after it was received by Rep. Tipton, is a disingenuous attempt to use a semantic error to create confusion and fear about Gov. Beshears stance on transgender issues ahead of Novembers election. The willingness of the Republican Party to treat trans youth as expendable political props and the refusal of many in the Democratic Party to combat this vile disinformation campaign only further endangers the lives and safety of our trans youth, Curtis tweeted. Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, said that she quoted the letter on the Senate floor at one point during the debate. A statement from Kentucky House GOP spokesperson Laura Leigh Goins indicated that the tipping point for Tipton, who chairs the House Education Committee, to go public with the letter was Beshears recent false, very public claims on the subject. Its a totally hypocritical, election year flip-flop from Governor Beshear, Tipton said in a statement from the Cameron campaign. Earlier this year, I got a letter proving that gender reassignment surgeries were happening in Kentucky. We passed a bill to protect our kids. Andy Beshear vetoed it. The only reason these surgeries are not happening in Kentucky now is because we overrode the Governors veto. Blanton did not respond to further questioning on why UK didnt publicly, beyond the letter, mention the practice during the hot debate over SB 150 or if they informed Beshears team. The UK administrations reticence on this front before the recent publication of the March letter has rankled some in the activist ranks. Rebecca Blankenship, the states first openly transgender elected official and executive director of Ban Conversion Therapy Kentucky, said it made her livid. This represents an appalling betrayal of the public trust by UK Healthcare, UK administrators, and the UK board of trustees, Blankenship tweeted. By withholding this information, the University of Kentucky has thwarted our legislatures attempts to make responsible public policy, deliberately deceived and embarrassed pro-LGBT advocates, and denied the public the right to hold our public institutions accountable. A spokesperson for Norton Healthcare, a sizable healthcare provider in the Louisville area, told the Herald-Leader that we do not and we have not performed gender reassignment surgeries for minors. University of Louisville Health said in a statement that it does not perform gender reassignment surgeries on minors. OVER THE MARIANA ISLANDS The airmen have five seconds. Poised next to nearly three tons of cargo plastic barrels of water these loadmasters aboard a C-17 airlifter know the stakes. If they airdrop the precious supplies too early, the cargo ends up in the Pacific Ocean. Too late? Same result. When the countdown hits zero, the barrels zip down the open ramp and dip off the edge. White parachutes unfurl and the cargo sails to its destination: a dirt strip on the edge of Tinian, the tiny island outpost 100 miles north of Guam. New Zealand Army Pvt. Alexander Lam Sam and Staff Sgt. Geoffrey Troughton inspect and clean pallets on July 11 to prepare for a coalition airdrop near Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The airdrop, part of Mobility Guardian 23, showed how the U.S. and its allies are capable of resupplying remote areas. (Staff Sgt. Bailee Ann Darbasie/Air Force) This practice run is part of a bigger test, a race with higher stakes: How quickly could the Air Force respond to a Chinese attack on Taiwan? We stand united with our partners and allies for a free and open Indo-Pacific, said Gen. Mike Minihan, the Air Forces top mobility officer. Were ready, were integrated ... and we can handle any mission set that our civilian leaders choose for us to accomplish. The Pentagon views China as Americas top competitor in military strength, technology development and global influence. Defense leaders are also wary of Beijings growing aggression toward Taiwan, the democratically self-governed island that maintains military and trade ties with the United States but is claimed by China. Thats why, for the first time, the U.S. Air Forces massive biennial training exercise for airlift and aerial refueling brought together around 3,000 troops and 70 mobility aircraft, such as the C-130 and A400 airlifters and the KC-46 tanker, from the United States and six allies to the Pacific. For two weeks in July, the training, known as Mobility Guardian, helped solidify the use of the so-called Second Island Chain the string of archipelagos from Japan to the Mariana Islands to Indonesia as a key logistics hub for the U.S. and its allies in a future war. It was a test of several crucial questions: How quickly can the Air Force get there? What and who does it need to bring? And can the airmen do it all themselves? The answers began more than 8,000 miles away in Charleston, South Carolina. Royal Australian Air Force Cpl. Charlotte Roe, left, and U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jason Livingston, both C-17 loadmasters, watch other C-17s fly over the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands July 12 during Exercise Mobility Guardian 23. (Tech. Sgt. Sean Carnes/Air Force) Back to the future On a scorching, muggy morning at Joint Base Charleston July 3, Air Force Times began an exclusive 10-day trip with Air Mobility Command to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. Airmen milled around the Installation Deployment Readiness Center, a one-stop shop for last-minute paperwork checks, briefings and vaccinations before shipping overseas. They were preparing to deploy as the 437th Air Expeditionary Wing, the unit that would lead Mobility Guardian from a makeshift headquarters at Andersen. Their goal was to bring to life the Air Forces vision of a speedier, more holistic approach to combat tours. It marks a fundamental shift in how the Air Force thinks about fighting in the Pacific. For the past two decades, the war on terrorism has relied on a stream of airmen who cycle through well-established bases around the world. Sometimes that requires deploying an entire squadron for one mission; other times, airmen are tapped piecemeal from different squadrons or bases to fill open jobs overseas. Now airmen who work under the same wing at home will deploy together as one team, with a built-in air staff to manage missions and morale. Along with more predictable schedules and ample training, the Air Force hopes the new approach will lead to more capable expeditionary units that can function away from brick-and-mortar bases. [U.S. Central Command], quite frankly, has created some bad habits with how we employ our assets, said Lt. Col. Jake Parker, Mobility Guardians lead planner. We have a very robust infrastructure, and we got so reliant on that, that now we dont have the ability to pivot from one place to the next. For 437th Operations Group commander Col. Carlos Berdecia, Mobility Guardian was a chance to tackle new challenges after the U.S. militarys tumultuous 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. Joint Base Charleston had a hangover from [Operation Allies Refuge], because we did so well. We were the last ones on the ground, said Berdecia, a career C-17 Globemaster III pilot who served as expeditionary wing commander for the exercise. There had to be something to say, I need to focus on whats next. U.S. Air Force Col. Carlos Berdecia, who served as 437th Air Expeditionary Wing commander during the Mobility Guardian exercise, poses in front of the flightline at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, July 18. (Airman 1st Class Caleb Parker/Air Force) Revamping how the Air Force goes to war means reviving practices like deployment lines that fell by the wayside during the war on terrorism and before todays youngest airmen were born. Its almost back to the future, Berdecia said. Theres some knowledge that hasnt been retained. Breaking open [regulations] that havent been looked at, making sure were doing things by the book, is really important. That muscle memory isnt necessarily there, so were trying to build that right now. Outside the deployment center, tan and olive luggage bound for Guam and Australia lined the parking lot and piled up on trucks; a staffer handed out first-aid supplies in the lobby. Airmen filed inside for briefings on what lay ahead. Mobility Guardian is an opportunity to show the world what the U.S. and its allies can do, they were told, so take it seriously. Be respectful to locals as Guam recovers from Typhoon Mawar, the strongest storm to hit the U.S. territory since 2002. And they were warned: Guam is a popular destination for Chinese intelligence officers, so be wary of strangers in bars and the questions they ask. For added protection, troops were told to turn off geolocation services on their devices for the duration of the exercise. Then airmen headed down the hallway to a counter where administrators ensured their paperwork was in order, from survival training certificates to medical documents, and picked up printed deployment orders and dog tags. Master Sgt. Justin Braden, a combat communications specialist, said it was a chance to interact with the airmen, soldiers and Marines who would rely on that equipment for their own training around the region. Were supposed to go with generators and nothing, and set up initial comms, Braden said aboard a C-17 Globemaster III as it prepared to leave Charleston for Australia. Were getting to do more of what were supposed to be doing when you go on deployment. Airmen from Joint Base Charleston, S.C., work in a trailer at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, July 18 as part of the 437th Air Expeditionary Wing's air staff for the Mobility Guardian exercise. (Staff Sgt. Bailee Darbasie/Air Force) Getting there The exercise formally kicked off July 5 with one of its toughest challenges: rushing dozens of planes and thousands of airmen to the Pacific in record time. Air Force leaders have said that deploying in a matter of hours or days by air, rather than weeks or months by sea, can deter Chinese and North Korean aggression in the region. It also gives commanders more options to respond if a crisis erupts. No one wants a conflict. Were doing this to show our adversary that we want peace in [U.S. Indo-Pacific Command] and we can all exist here together, said Lt. Col. Jason Walker, 61st Expeditionary Airlift Squadron commander. But this is the line. Do not cross it. The 8,100-mile trek from South Carolina to Guam starts with a 10-hour flight to Honolulu, plus another seven hours to the southernmost point in the North Pacific. Getting to Japan or Australia takes even longer. For comparison, the journey is farther than Afghanistan, and the Pacific lacks the network of large, U.S.-run bases across Europe and the Middle East where airmen are used to stopping for sleep and equipment. And though Air Mobility Command regularly travels around the Pacific, those flights are scheduled farther in advance and with fewer planes at once. The 628th Air Base Wing and 437th Airlift Wing from Joint Base Charleston, S.C., prepare to depart for Guam on a C-5 Galaxy July 5 as part of the Mobility Guardian exercise. (Tech. Sgt. James Cason/Air Force) Most airmen made the trip in three or four days; all reached their destination within a week or so. Minihan called the outcome a game changer. Walker said his airmen flew from Arkansas to Guam in 38 hours, and to the Philippines in 42 hours a first for Little Rock Air Force Bases C-130s, which fly lower and slower than larger cargo jets. One British airman boasted that the Royal Air Force was able to reach the Pacific in under 21 hours. It was made possible by maintainers who stretched their limits and tackled last-minute problems; schedulers who navigated the puzzle of aircraft and crew availability, cargo and passengers, destinations and timing; and pilots who worked in shifts between naps in the back of the aircraft. Still, crews faced plenty of hiccups. Some were turned away from Australia due to bureaucratic complications; others were slowed by weather, broken jets, disconnects when new crews werent ready to go, or small gas tanks that required frequent refueling. C-17 maintainers from Travis AFB in California were stuck in Hawaii when their jet broke en route to Guam, said Master Sgt. David Moser, a Globemaster III maintenance superintendent. Another jet did reach Andersen, but airmen couldnt offload their equipment or personal belongings because of confusion over biosecurity inspections. Then the team fell several hours behind schedule because jet fuel trucks were slow to arrive and carried less gas than those at Travis. Its what Gen. Minihan wants ... to see, Moser said. How do you work when youre stressed out? We need to see how we fail when it fails, so that way, when real-world situations do arise we can be more proactive, he said. Long flights presented an opportunity for Air Mobility Command to study how to safely handle extensive missions across several time zones. For Mobility Guardian, the command allowed its crews to take stimulants like Modafinil or sleeping pills to control their circadian rhythm. Go and no-go pills are commonly used in the combat and intelligence communities but have remained off-limits for mobility pilots. A lot of the crews reported feeling better than expected when we got here, said Walker, who said he opted for sleep and caffeine rather than drugs. I wouldnt do it again tomorrow. But it definitely wasnt as bad as we thought it would be. In the fight On the ground in Guam, another experiment was unfolding. The Air Force has long relied on the rest of the U.S. military to set up its bases of operations around the world. Now Air Mobility Command wants to become the services own maneuver force that opens airfields and launches flight operations. For Mobility Guardian, that job fell to the 621st Contingency Response Group. The Air Forces in-house rapid-reaction teams specialize in clearing the way for air operations and directing forces in austere locations. A team of 88 contingency response airmen began arriving in Guam on July 3, where they marshaled themselves into the airfield and got to work building the exercises deployed headquarters on the far edge of the flightline at Andersen AFB. Over the course of six days, the exercises footprint in Guam grew from 25 people and one aircraft to 1,100 people and 27 aircraft from seven countries. First came satellite communications, so the contingency response team could talk to the aircraft that began arriving within hours. Then came a logistical hub where airmen could unload planes and prepare them for their next flights out. The 437th Air Expeditionary Wing operated out of a makeshift camp of trailers, known as Forward Operating Base LFG, during the Mobility Guardian 2023 exercise at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. (Tech. Sgt. James Cason/Air Force) The site became known as Forward Operating Base LFG (lets f***ing go) a camp of about a dozen air-conditioned, generator-powered trailers arrayed around a small hangar filled with aeromedical evacuation supplies, airdrop cargo and towering stacks of water bottles. A black flag bearing a skull and crossbones fluttered overhead. Contingency response handed off control of the base to the air expeditionary wing staff at noon on July 10 54 hours after Berdecias team landed in Guam. That put the wings air staff in charge of ensuring life in the field ran smoothly: Procuring more than 650 roast beef sandwiches for boxed lunches. Ensuring dozens of port-a-potties were regularly serviced. Figuring out who, exactly, owned the fleet of 53 rental cars. It was a smaller, more austere footprint than the Air Force had envisioned. Because of Typhoon Mawar, the Category 4 storm that hit Guam May 24, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had taken over an area at Guams international airport that the Air Force had planned to use. That brought more jets and airmen to Andersen, where leaders worried that the influx of people would strain already-struggling resources. Its a very congested operation a ballet of those elephants out there, 621st Contingency Response Group commander Col. Daniel Mollis said. Troops from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand and the U.S. conduct mission planning during Mobility Guardian 23 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, July 9. Portions of this image were blurred for security reasons. (Tech. Sgt. Joseph Pick/Air Force) Airmen charted each days planned missions on large whiteboards and handed out paper copies of their flight profiles a way to navigate differences in each countrys security clearances and software that wouldnt list non-U.S. flights. Leaders tasked airmen with moving troops and equipment in support of other U.S. and allied exercises around the Pacific, like the U.S. Air Forces Northern Edge. When not on real-world missions, they practiced skills like aeromedical evacuation. Island-hopping in the Pacific offered the chance to practice refueling aircraft with gas pumps on the ground, and with engines running, to reduce reliance on tanker jets. The Air Force found theres a greater demand for those operations across the joint force than expected, a spokesperson said after the exercise. Airmen also practiced launching and landing airlifters at steep angles on unlit, short runways. Those assault landings can protect aircraft from incoming fire, and prevent them from damaging the plane by overshooting smaller-than-usual airstrips. Pilots and crews flew missions on jets from other countries to learn from their foreign counterparts, and maintainers swapped tips on how to repair the airframes they have in common with their allies. Airman 1st Class Trenton McGregor, a C-17 maintenance crew chief, said the exercise pushed his team to anticipate a jets needs before it returned to base, and to work more efficiently with fewer people and tools. You have to learn to adapt and ... spread out between different people, he said. Guys that normally dont do my job are having to do my job, and Im having to go out and help these guys that I dont know too much about. Were all learning on the fly. A U.S. airman, left, and a U.S. Marine unload a AH-1Z helicopter from a C-5 Galaxy at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin July 13. The C-5 transported two Venom helicopters for Marine Rotational Force Darwin and Exercise Talisman Sabre, which Mobility Guardian participants helped receive and unload. (Airman 1st Class Stassney Davis/Air Force) Unexpected emergencies tested the coalition, too. On July 10, the U.S. Coast Guard called for help to save 11 people whose 21-foot boat was in danger of capsizing in rough waters off the coast of Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Air Force said. Planners at Andersen dispatched French A400 and Canadian CC-130J airlifters to find and maintain contact with the boat until U.S. Navy rescue forces arrived. Mobility Guardian participants also rescued a hiker who fell down a cliff, and transported a 10-day-old newborn with an enlarged heart from Yokota Air Base in Japan to the United States for emergency medical care. Capt. Mike Thomas, who guided the exercises daily operations as the agnostic white cell, said the coalition planning cell did far better than expected at navigating the daily grind. The scariest thing that you can see as a mission commander or an air planner is if you walk into a mission planning cell and its quiet, because that means that nobodys talking, nobodys actually highlighting problems, he said. When we walked into the coalition mission planning cell, it was just humming. Coalition participants praised the chance to work through problems unlike those they faced with the U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq. Its funny when youre working on each side of the [International Date Line], because sometimes we are [on] the 14th, but some guys are still [on] the 13th, and even when youre trying to discuss in Zulu time, its Zulu on which day? said Col. Franck Bottero, who led Frances delegation to the exercise. We are using the same procedures, but considering the size and different spokes, I think its quite new for us. Airmen from multiple countries noted that the American penchant for process meant the U.S. planned missions more cautiously than others, forcing foreign airmen to move slower as well. The U.S. has a lot of very well-established systems and processes, which is very required for the large scale that the U.S. forces have. In Australia some things can be more agile, said Flight Lt. Peter Spearman, who led Royal Australian Air Force C-17 operations at Mobility Guardian. That sometimes is useful, especially being able to change regulation when it is limiting us. Maj. Michael Bakke, with the 621st Mobility Support Operations Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., prepares as a Japanese C-130 Hercules lands at Baker Landing Zone on Tinian, U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, July 12 during Mobility Guardian. (Airman 1st Class Kadielle Shaw/Air Force) In the coming months, the coalition will try to turn lessons learned into future fixes. Mobility Guardian highlighted the need to work in smaller teams with enough tools to do the job if others take longer to arrive, to remove the red tape that keeps cargo on jets too long, to ensure all airmen are communicating using the same apps, and to invest in equipment like secure radios and the militarized version of SpaceXs Starlink. It has illustrated the frustrations of trying to navigate the Pacifics many airfields and finicky weather, and the opportunities that arise from sharing airmen and jets. And it showed airmen that even with a fraction of their team on the ground, demand for air mobility assets never lets up. Berdecia said the exercise proved the difficulty of starting from scratch, even with support from contingency response and the local base. We have proven that this concept works, he said. We will continue gathering lessons learned, as small as they can be all the way to as large as they can be, and adjust for the next Mobility Guardian and/or real contingency that would call for this type of structure. Theres plenty that isnt ready for primetime yet. But Mobility Guardian showcased what could be: A more self-reliant, swift-moving international air coalition in even the remotest places. A U.S. Army cavalry squadron, freshly arrived from Hawaii, loitered at the edge of camp on July 13. An airman nodded in their direction. The Armys here now, he told Berdecia. Berdecia smiled back. And look who got them here. Federal lawmakers are looking to protect workers amid a perilous heatwave throughout New Mexico, with temperatures soaring well into the triple digits throughout the state in recent weeks. Southeast New Mexico could be facing the worst of it, with high temperatures forecast at 105 degree each day this week, according to the National Weather Service, with Las Cruces predicted to heat up to 99 or 100 degrees. Alamogordo was forecast in the high 90s throughout the week, and further north in Farmington was most predicted to have highs in the 90s and upper 80s. More: Are pecans driving New Mexico's drought? Heat, lack of rain predicted in coming weeks To address the seemingly rising summer heat in New Mexico and throughout the American West, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) cosponsored a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate July 26 to increase federal protection for workers in high-heat conditions. The Auncion Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury and Fatality Prevention Act was named for a grape farm worker in California who died in 2004 after picking grapes for 10 hours in 105-degree heat. It would require the U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to development federal safety standards for workers in both indoor and outdoor environments. More: High heat and fire danger close portions of Guadalupe Mountains National Park Wednesday U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) As the climate crisis delivers record breaking heat, our country needs better protections for those working in dangerously high heat, Lujan said. Farmworkers have the highest rates of heat-related illness. This is especially concerning given that many children work in the agricultural sector." OSHA reported excessive heat cost the lives of at least 121 workers between 2017, and 2022 and Lujan said the bill would be especially helpful to his state as it grapples with intensifying heat Lujan said was exacerbated by climate change. This legislation requires the Department of Labor to establish safety standards such as paid breaks in cool spaces, reliable access to water, and time limitations on heat exposure to ensure the safety of New Mexicos workers, Lujan said. More: Extreme heat and wind cause fire restrictions at Carlsbad Caverns National Park If passed by Congress, the bill would require workers be given breaks while in high-heat settings, access to water and emergency response if suffering heat-related illness. The federal government currently lacks such federal standards argued U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Cali.), who sponsored the U.S. House of Representatives equivalent legislation which was cosponsored by U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM). The escalating climate crisis has led to sweltering temperatures and to a distressing increase in cases of workers collapsing and even losing their lives due to excessive heat, she said. To value our workforce and protect peoples safety and lives, this bill will establish comprehensive and enforceable federal standards addressing heat stress on the job. More: Blistering summer heat threatens wildfires, strains power grids in southeast New Mexico Xcel Energy offers relief for high summer power bills amid intense heat Aside from physical danger, high heat can also mean bigger electricity bills as air conditioners in New Mexico are on full blast throughout the summer, warned Adrian Rodriguez, president of Xcel Energys New Mexico-Texas operations. The utility serves most of eastern New Mexico and parts of West Texas, a region facing below-average rainfall and higher-than average heat this summer meaning higher electricity bills as users cool their homes. Rodriguez said customers facing higher-than-normal bills can apply for payment plans through the company, reporting Roswell had the highest above-average heat at about 5 more than normal, while Lubbock, Texas was 3.7% hotter than average. More: Want to beat the summer heat? These 10 lakes in New Mexico offer cool water experiences We understand our customers are operating on tight budgets, and a high bill can create a lot of anxiety, Rodriguez said. This summer has been an especially difficult one because of extreme heat, but our customer care representatives are standing by to discuss these high bills and can provide options that will help customers manage their payments. Canda Henry, senior director in Xcel Energys Customer Care Group based in Amarillo, Texas said payment plans are made on a case-by-case basis and typically last for three to six months. Customers facing loss of income or other hardships that prevent them from making payments can talk with one of our personal account representatives, who can connect them with agencies in their area that offer help with utility bills, Henry said. Xcel also recommended customers reduce energy bills by timing air conditioning use to when most people are home, using ceiling fans and opening indoor doors to help circulate cool air. Closing drapes during the day, turning off electronics when not in use and switching to more energy-efficient light bulbs can also reduce energy use during the summer heat, the utility said. Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Lujan leads bill to protect workers amid intense heat in New Mexico Authorities are investigating after they say two people were found dead in a South Boston apartment complex Wednesday afternoon. Officers responding to the area of Patterson Way and Rev. Burke Street around 1:39 p.m. for a death investigation found two bodies inside the complex, according to Boston Police. The circumstances surrounding the deaths are under investigation and the identities of the deceased have not been released. Although the investigation remains active, police say the deaths dont immediately appear to be suspicious. No further information was immediately available. 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 Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi vowed Wednesday that the Islamic republic's mandatory dress code, including laws requiring women to wear the hijab, or headscarf, would be enforced as a growing number of Iranian women shun the head coverings. Raisi's warning came almost a year after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody, after she was detained for breaking the hijab rules, sparked the biggest protests against Iran's ruling clerics in decades. "I am telling you that the removal of the hijab will definitely come to an end, do not worry," Raisi said Wednesday at a commemoration ceremony for Iranian fighters killed in Iraq and Syria. A woman holds a placard with a picture of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini during a protest against her death, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. / Credit: Markus Schreiber / AP The crowd cheered Raisi as he made the remarks about enforcing the hijab requirement. The Iranian president said some of the women who have declined to cover their heads in public recently were "ignorant" and "needed to be woken up" helped to understand that they are not serving the national interests of their country. But a "small number" of women, he claimed, had been "trained by foreigners" in an "organized" bid to undermine Iran's government. Iranian authorities have taken a firmer line against women flouting the hijab laws in recent months, after an increasing number of women started appearing unveiled in public. Iran's new President-elect Ebrahim Raisi speaks during his first press conference since election win in Tehran, Iran, June 21, 2021. / Credit: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty In April, Iran's deputy attorney general Ali Jamadi told state media that anyone who encouraged women to remove the hijab would be prosecuted in criminal courts and would have no right of appeal against any conviction, according to Reuters news agency. Authorities have also increased surveillance, installing more cameras on streets in a bid to identify unveiled women. In July, Iran's morality police, the notorious enforcers of the Islamic republic's strict religious laws, returned to the streets with a new campaign to force women to wear the headdress, the Associated Press reported. The morality police had previously pulled back from public view after Iran faced its worst political turmoil in years following Amini's death last September while she was in the force's custody. A police motorcycle burns during a protest in Tehran on Sept. 19, 2022. / Credit: WANA NEWS AGENCY via REUTERS Amini's death led to months of huge demonstrations across the country, with thousands taking to the streets for marches often led by women and young people. The protests largely subsided earlier this year after a heavy-handed crackdown saw more than 500 protesters killed and nearly 20,000 detained. Is the Federal Reserve done raising interest rates? Tampa mayor discovers $1.1 million worth of cocaine on fishing trip Ukraine to get more tanks as counteroffensive continues Iraq's Media and Communications Commission has issued a directive instructing all media and social media platforms in the country to refrain from using the terms "homosexual" or "homosexuality" and instead use "sexual deviancy." The decision, reported widely by Iraq's state and private news outlets, was made to safeguard societal values and public order, the commission said, noting that the terms "homosexuality, homosexual, and Gender" hold undesirable connotations within Iraqi society. Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr burn posters depicting an LGBTQ+ flag during a protest in Karbala, Iraq, June 29, 2023, sparked by the burning of a Quran in Sweden. / Credit: MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP/Getty While no specific penalties were immediately established for noncompliance with the new directive, a government representative indicated that fines could be introduced. Iraq's national penal code does not contain explicit provisions criminalizing homosexuality, though the country's judiciary authorities often invoke provisions in laws related to the preservation of "public morals" to prosecute people for same-sex acts. The legal ambiguity has resulted in discrimination, abuse and even fatal attacks against the LGBTQ community in Iraq, and rights group Amnesty International said the new directive could make things worse. Aya Majzoub, the organization's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, in a statement, called the Iraqi media regulator's order "the latest in a series of attacks on freedom of expression under the guise of respect for 'public morals,'" blasting it as a "dangerous move that can fuel discrimination and violent attacks against members of the LGBTI community." Amnesty called on Iraqi authorities to "immediately overturn this decision and ensure they respect the right to freedom of expression and non-discrimination for everyone in the country, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation." Attitudes toward LGBTQ people across the Arab world are shaped by a combination of cultural and religious factors. Islamic texts, including the Quran and the hadiths, the latter of which are a recollection of quotes attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, denounce same-sex relationships. Some hadiths advocate for the death penalty in cases of public engagement in homosexual activities. Many Muslim-majority nations have long resisted efforts to advance LGBTQ rights, including by opposing global initiatives at the United Nations. A coalition of 57 U.N. member states, many of which have Muslim majorities, previously cosponsored a statement opposing LGBTQ rights at the U.N. General Assembly, and in 2016, 51 Muslim-majority states prevented 11 gay and transgender advocacy organizations from participating in a high-level U.N. meeting on combating AIDS. Weeks before World Cup, rights group says host Qatar mistreats LGBTQ people The degree of punishment for homosexuality varies from country to country. In seven nations, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran, Mauritania, and the United Arab Emirates, homosexual acts are still punishable by death. Afghanistan reintroduced the death penalty for homosexual acts after the Taliban retook control of the country in 2021. Even in predominantly Muslim countries where homosexuality is legal, such as Jordan, LGBTQ venues are often targeted and shut down, and patrons are often subjected to violence and hostility. Watch: Virgin Galactic launches first space tourism flight Football player gives his scholarship to hardworking teammate Conservatives attack corporate diversity programs in wake of affirmative action ruling A fishing boat is moored along a branch of the Euphrates River in Al-Hamza town near Hilla in central Iraq, where river water levels have fallen (Ahmad AL-RUBAYE) Iraq's rising temperatures and protracted drought are a "wake-up call" for the world, United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said in Baghdad on Wednesday. Turk spoke to AFP during a visit to Iraq, which the UN says is one of the five countries in the world most touched by some effects of climate change. Iraq has been experiencing its fourth consecutive summer of drought, and temperatures in parts of the country including the capital Baghdad, and in the far south, have been around 50 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit). "Rising temperatures plus the drought, and the fact that the loss of diversity is a reality, is a wake-up call for Iraq and for the world," Turk said. "When we look into the situation of these communities we look into our future," he added. "The era of global boiling has come and here we can live it and see it on a daily basis," Turk said at the end of his four-day visit, echoing comments by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last month. Guterres had said: "The era of global warming has ended. The era of global boiling has arrived." He called for immediate and bold action, after scientists confirmed July was on track to be the hottest month in recorded history. In addition to declining rainfall and rising temperatures, Iraqi authorities say upstream dam construction by Turkey and Iran has affected the volume of water in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers through Iraq. In Iraq's far south, high salinity has harmed fishing in the Shatt al-Arab waterway, where the Tigris and Euphrates converge before spilling into the Gulf. Turk, who visited the south, told a news conference that he was shown by community leaders and others "pictures of the lush date palm trees that -- just 30 years ago -- lined parts of the now dried-up Shatt al-Arab waterway". Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani has vowed that battling climate change would be one of his priorities, but activists say little has been done. Turk told the news conference there had been reports "of violence, intimidation and death threats against environmental activists" in Iraq. One of them, engineer Jassim al-Assadi of Nature Iraq, the country's leading conservation group, was abducted for two weeks in February and held by armed men. gde/hkb/it Elisha Yered, 22, right, is led handcuffed by officers during an appearance at the Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Yered is one of two Israeli settlers arrested on suspicion of involvement in the killing of a Palestinian man in the West Bank on Friday. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) JERUSALEM (AP) An Israeli settler suspected of involvement in the killing of a 19-year-old Palestinian man in the West Bank last week was released from detention on Wednesday and transferred to house arrest, a Jerusalem court said. The Israeli judge said there was insufficient evidence to extend the detention of the radical Jewish settler, Elisha Yared. The court also ordered a second Israeli settler accused of shooting and killing the 19-year-old Qusai Matan to remain in custody while being hospitalized for wounds sustained during the attack last Friday on the Palestinian herding village of Burqa. For Matar's family and other Palestinians, Yared's transfer to house arrest seemed to underscore the sense of impunity enjoyed by Jewish extremists in the occupied West Bank. They did something that is so horrific, so immoral, said Matans 34-year-old uncle, Hamam. We can only expect these attacks to continue. The killing of Matan near the West Bank city of Ramallah enraged Palestinians and drew condemnation from human rights groups and foreign diplomats. In a rare statement, the United States Office for Palestinian Affairs denounced the killing of Matan as a terrorist attack" a phrase typically reserved for Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians and urged full accountability and justice. A mob of armed Israeli settlers stormed into the West Bank village last Friday, torching at least two cars and opening fire at Palestinians who thronged the street. Matan was killed and four other Palestinians were wounded. The Israeli military said that Matan was shot after an altercation between Palestinians and Israeli settlers escalated, leading Israeli settlers to open fire and Palestinians to hurl rocks and fireworks. The episode added to an intense surge of violence that has gripped the West Bank and Israel in recent months. Matan's family on Wednesday said that the court decision to place Yared under house arrest diminished their already grim expectations for justice. That they could shoot a young, innocent man in the neck and walked home, that tells you everything about the occupation," his uncle said. Matan was shy and good-humored, Hamam added, and had dropped out of high school to work at a spice shop in Ramallah and support his family. He was recently engaged to be married. Our whole country is grieving," he said. Police have accused the two Israeli settlers Yared and Yehiel Indore of causing death, obstructing justice and committing a nationalistically motivated arson attack. The defendants claim that they were acting in self-defense. Yared, wearing a lime-colored knitted skullcap, long Orthodox hair locks called payots and a green T-shirt, grinned as he entered the courtroom. He left the hearing singing and dancing down the stairs, videos showed, surrounded by clapping supporters. The case has also stirred controversy in Israel because Yared worked as a spokesperson for a lawmaker in the far-right Jewish Power party led by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ultranationalist settler leader Ben-Gvir, known for his anti-Arab rhetoric and stunts, helped propel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power late last year and continues to exert pressure on his right-wing government. In recent months, groups of radical Jewish settlers have increased their attacks on Palestinian towns and villages, attacking civilians and vandalizing property. Netanyahu's government has vowed to take a harder line on Palestinians and assert greater control over the occupied West Bank. A Jew who defends himself and others against the murder of Palestinians is not a murder suspect, but a hero who will receive my full support, Ben-Gvir wrote on Twitter this week about the arrests of Yared and Yehiel. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians seek those territories for their hoped-for future state. Rights groups say the settler enterprise leads to a deep power imbalance in the West Bank, where Palestinians are prosecuted in military courts with an extremely high conviction rate, while Israelis are charged in civilian ones, if at all. The Israeli human rights group Yesh Din reported in February that out of more than 1,500 investigations of violence, property crime, seizure of Palestinian land and other offenses allegedly committed by Israeli citizens against Palestinian civilians since 2005, only 7% had led to indictments. JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Wednesday to release at least 200 million shekels ($54 million) to Arab towns after his finance minister's decision to withhold them drew accusations of racism. Netanhayu said the money would be transferred after a review but gave no details on what that would entail or how long it would take. His spokesperson declined further comment. "Israel's Arab citizens deserve what all citizens do and I'm committed to this. I demand this of all government ministries and it will be carried out following an evaluation to ensure that funds are transferred for their designated purpose Israel's Arab citizens," Netanyahu said in a statement. At the same time, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich doubled down on the fund freeze at a press briefing. Echoing his earlier announcement, Smotrich, a member of Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition, told reporters on Wednesday that he was withholding budget funds marked for Arab local councils out of fear that the money would end up in the hands of criminals and terrorists. Arab community leaders said the minister was guided by racism. "The finance minister is continuing his campaign of incitement against Arab society and its elected leaders," said the National Committee of Arab Local Councils in Israel. Arab citizens, most of whom are descendants of Palestinians who stayed in the new Israeli state after the 1948 war surrounding its creation, make up about a fifth of Israel's population. Palestinian citizens in Israel have for decades faced social and economic disparities with Jewish citizens, including high poverty, overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure and poorly funded schools. The funding, earmarked for basic services and development in 67 Arab local councils, is an effort to correct years of insufficient budget allocations and to narrow the gaps between Jewish Israeli and Palestinian communities, said Ameer Bisharat, CEO of the National Committee of Arab Local Councils in Israel. (Reporting by Henriette Chacar; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) Ukrainian forces seem to have crossed defensive lines in Kherson Oblast after a raid across the Dnipro River, though their position remains uncertain, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported in its Aug. 8 analysis. According to the ISW, multiple Russian war bloggers said that around seven boats carrying Ukrainian troops disembarked on the east bank of the Dnipro River, near Kozachi Laheri. They reported that Ukrainian forces managed to breach Russian defenses and push forward by up to 800 meters. At the same time, head of the Russian-installed administration in the oblast, Vladimir Saldo, played down reports about the Ukrainian landing. He contended that Russian artillery attacks forced the Ukrainian boats to retreat and said there are no Ukrainian troops in the area. "Saldo was likely purposefully trying to refute claims of Ukrainian presence in this area to avoid creating panic in the already-delicate Russian information space," the ISW writes. The ISW maintained a position of caution, however, noting the lack of visual evidence that there is a sizable presence of Ukrainian personnel or vehicles near Kozachi Laheri. The current reports suggest a more limited raid across the Dnipro River, rather than a broader Ukrainian operation. The ISW report also touched on diplomatic relations between China and Russia. A recent discussion between Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi following peace talks in Saudi Arabia may point to an increasing divide over Russia's war in Ukraine. The Russian and Chinese foreign ministries presented divergent views of Lavrov and Wang's conversation, with the Chinese ministry characterizing it as "an exchange of views." The portrayal of the talks by the Chinese Foreign Ministry may imply that the Kremlin is losing satisfaction with China's efforts to advance its peace proposal internationally. This coincides with the ISW's earlier assessments indicating that China does not want the 'no-limits' partnership Russia seeks. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Counteroffensive is challenging, says Zelensky as Western pressure mounts Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. An Italian cheese maker died this week after thousands of cheese wheels fell and crushed him in his warehouse. Giacomo Chiapparini, 74, was checking over his stock Sunday night when a shelf buckled, dropping as many as 15,000 wheels of cheese on him in an avalanche. Each wheel weighed as much as 84 pounds, the BBC reported. Firefighters responded after neighbors reported a sound "like thunder" from the warehouse. The search for Chiapparini took 12 hours before authorities located his body. The firefighters told the AFP that they determined Chiapparini used a machine to rotate and clean the cheese wheels, which may have disturbed the shelf. An investigation will determine the full story of how the collapse occurred, but a local official believed the machine must have malfunctioned. TWO DEAD AS ITALIAN CREWS RESCUE DOZENS OF MIGRANTS FROM MULTIPLE SHIPWRECKS OFF COUNTRY'S SOUTHERN COAST Giacomo Chiapparini, 74, died following a shelf collapse in his warehouse that dumped thousands of cheese wheels on him. The Chiapparini warehouse in Lombardy contained 25,000 wheels of Grana Padano, a hard cheese similar to Parmesan. The economic damage totaled around $7.7 million in losses. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP As if the loss of the family patriarch was not enough to grapple with, the family has to race to preserve what they can of their remaining stock. MAFIA BOSS IN HIDING BUSTED AFTER HE'S SPOTTED CELEBRATING SOCCER TEAM WIN Men work in an aging warehouse of Parmesan and Grana Padano in Fiorenzuola d'Arda (Piacenza Province), Italy, on Jan. 1, 2012. The cheese wheels have to remain in a climate-controlled warehouse, and the summer weather is enough to spoil the remaining supply if they are not moved quick enough. "The family, his wife Angela and two children, cannot understand what happened," Bortolo Ghislotti, president of the local agricultural district, told Italian outlet Il Giorno. "But now we are looking for some colleague willing to keep all the wheels which otherwise would have to be thrown out." ITALIAN POLICE DOG SNIFFS OUT JAW-DROPPING STASH IN SUITCASE Men work in an aging warehouse of Parmesan and Grana Padano in Fiorenzuola d'Arda (Piacenza Province), Italy, on Jan. 1, 2012. Ghislotti compared the damage to what happened to "the king of cheeses" following an earthquake in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy in 2012. The earthquake damaged the warehouses of the Parmigiano-Reggiano consortium, which held 360,000 wheels of cheese costing over $200 million. Chiappriani had helped out the consortium at that time, taking 10,000 of the wheels to conserve them and limit the already catastrophic losses. The Chiappriani family has produced their Grana Padano cheese since 2006, the New York Post reported. A neighbor told reporters that Chiappriani himself worked night and day to help support his family, including his wife, children and grandchildren, who have survived him. Court documents revealed that Special Counsel Jack Smith obtained a search warrant for former President Donald Trump's Twitter account. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Special Counsel Jack Smith obtained a search warrant for Donald Trump's Twitter account in January, new court documents reveal. After news about the documents broke, Trump called the search a "major 'hit' on my civil rights." The documents show that Twitter, which had just been purchased by controversial billionaire Elon Musk in late 2022, had initially resisted complying with the warrant. A federal judge held Twitter, now called X, in contempt and levied a $350,000 fine, according to an order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upholding the lower judge's rulings last month and unsealed Wednesday. Twitter was directed to produce information relating to the account @realDonaldTrump. The warrant came with a nondisclosure order forbidding the company from notifying anyone about the existence of the warrant. The documents show that Twitter, now known as X, had resisted complying with the warrant. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/ UPI Details about the target of the search was not revealed. In a public copy of the sealed indictment, the warrant was said only to direct Twitter "to produce information to the government related to the Twitter account" belonging to the former president. "Twitter initially delayed production of the materials required by the search warrant while it unsuccessfully litigated objections to the nondisclosure order," the court documents read. "Although Twitter ultimately complied with the warrant, the company did not fully produce the requested information until three days after a court-ordered deadline." Twitter appealed after the decision from the district court judge, which held the company in contempt and imposed the hefty sanction for the delay. In its appeal, Twitter took primary issue with the nondisclosure order over the warrant, itself, stating that the order violated the First Amendment and the Stored Communications Act. Twitter also said the district court should have stayed the enforcement of the warrant until after the dispute over the nondisclosure order was resolved. The appeals court upheld every point of the district court's decision, including that Smith had probable cause to search for evidence of criminal offenses. The upper court noted that the Stored Communications Act establishes procedures for law enforcement to obtain evidence from electronic service providers such as Twitter and specifically allows for the government to seek nondisclosure orders. The law outlines five specific incidents in which a nondisclosure order can be sought, including the possibility of flight from persecution, destruction of evidence and intimidation of witnesses. This warrant was sought as part of the indictment Smith reached with a grand jury criminally charging the former president for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which led to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump has also been indicted in another federal case stemming from Smith's probe of the former president's retention of top-secret information after the end of his term in office. In that case, Trump has been hit with charges including obstruction -- an indication of why Smith may have sought the nondisclosure order relating to the warrant. The appeals stated as much in its unsealed decision. "The district court found that there were 'reasonable grounds to believe' that disclosing the warrant to former President Trump 'would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation' by giving him 'an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior or notify confederates," the appeals court decision reads. "The warrant required Twitter to turn over all requested information by Jan. 27, 2023." The nondisclosure order was to remain in effect for 180 days after its issuance, meaning it would have expired on July 25. "We'll get back to you soon," a spokesperson for X said when reached by UPI. After the news broke, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to complain. "Just found out that Crooked Joe Biden's DOJ secretly attacked my Twitter account, making it a point not to let me know about this major 'hit' on my civil rights," Trump said in a statement. "My Political Opponent is going CRAZY trying to infringe on my Campaign for President. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Does the First Amendment still exist? Did Deranged Jack Smith tell the Unselects to DESTROY & DELETE all evidence? These are DARK DAYS IN AMERICA!" After Musk bought Twitter late last year, he reinstated banned accounts of controversial figures, including Trump, who had previously been permanently banned several days after the Jan. 6 riots in Washington. At the time, Twitter said it was banning Trump because his tweets had been misleading for months leading up to and after the November presidential election. After a poll in late 2022, Musk reinstated Trump's account, but the former president has not returned to the platform, instead choosing to rely on his Truth Social platform for messaging. WASHINGTON John Eastman, an ex-lawyer for former President Donald Trump, said in a court filing on Friday he is concerned special counsel Jack Smith might bring charges against him tied to Trump's most recent federal indictment. An attorney for Eastman told USA TODAY that he is most likely the second of six co-conspirators listed in the indictment against Trump over his alleged effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. In the aftermath of the 2020 election, Eastman promoted a strategy of finding Trump-supporting electors in battleground states and tasking former Vice President Mike Pence with disqualifying the real electors. The State Bar Court of California opened disciplinary proceedings including potential disbarment against Eastman earlier this year. The State Bar's Office of Chief Trial Counsel alleged Eastman violated his duties to the U.S. and California state constitutions by participating in the scheme to overturn the 2020 election results. Eastman requested a California judge delay his disciplinary proceedings in the court filing on Friday because he says he could face federal charges stemming from Smith's investigation into the alleged efforts to steal the 2020 election. Chapman School of Law professor John Eastman testifies on Capitol Hill in 2017. Eastman was also a former lawyer for former President Donald Trump. Here's what to know about Eastman, a likely co-conspirator in the 2020 election indictment. How was John Eastman involved in Donald Trump's 2020 election bid? Eastman served as a lawyer for Trump after the former president filed lawsuits in state courts seeking to overturn their 2020 electoral results. Eastman also drafted a memo that laid out a six-step plan for Pence to overturn the election results Eastman argued that Pence had the power to toss out real electors in the 2020 election and help Trump win reelection by supporting fraudulent electors in their place. Pence, however, rejected Eastman's theories and refused to support the effort to prevent the certification of President Joe Biden's victory in the presidential race. On Jan. 6, 2021, Eastman delivered a speech during Trump's rally in Washington that preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The special House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol issued a criminal referral to the Justice Department for Eastman, alongside Trump. Eastman requested a potential pardon from Trump after the attack on the Capitol, but the former president did not agree to grant him one. But some experts predict that Eastman will remain loyal to Trump. Paul Rosenzweig, a former federal prosecutor, told USA TODAY "Pancakes flip. Eastman won't." In a process known as "flipping," prosecutors often use the implied threat of potential criminal charges to pressure suspected co-conspirators into cooperating against their main target. Eastman clerked for Clarence Thomas, worked at Chapman University Eastman, 63, received his bachelor's degree from the University of Dallas and later attended law school at the University of Chicago. He also received a Ph.D. at Claremont Graduate School. After receiving his law degree in 1995, Eastman served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Eastman also spent time as a law professor at the Chapman University School of Law. He served as the school's dean from 2007 to 2010. He retired from his role as a professor at the university in January 2021, after an outpour of criticism following the attack on Jan. 6. Elizabeth Eastman, Eastman's wife, also attended Claremont Graduate School, where she received a Ph.D. in political science. The couple have two children, a son and a daughter. Contributing: Josh Meyer, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is John Eastman? What to know about ex-Trump lawyer's 2020 scheme Jacksonville Sheriffs Office said its investigating after a body was found in the lake behind the Starbucks at River City Marketplace. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< According to JSO, the Homicide Unit responded to the area after calls about a floating individual and a floating body were made. Action News Jax is working to learn more and will update you when more information becomes available. Read: JSO: 2 women dead after shooting and crashed into moving train in San Marco [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. An information session held tonight at the JTA Administration Building in downtown Jacksonville provided taxpayers with an opportunity to gain insight into the proposed commuter rail connecting Jacksonville and St. Augustine. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The session addressed inquiries about a potential plan that could bring a First Coast Commuter Rail spanning nearly 40 miles to Northeast Florida. Locations of various stations were discussed, including JTA Headquarters, Baymeadows, and Avenues Walk area. Joshua Turner, Assistant Vice President and Southeast Urban Design Practice Leader shed light on the nature of the discussions. It was very clear that there were a lot of unanswered questions, said Turner. The proposed First Coast Commuter Rail, depicted on a map showcasing its route from downtown Jacksonville to St. Augustine, has generated interest and anticipation among the local community. Turner emphasized that the ongoing conversations about the rails potential were centered on broader concepts such as real estate development and economic opportunity. During the community workshop, Turner showcased conceptual renderings of how certain areas around the planned commuter rail stations might appear in Jacksonville. However, he made it clear that the potential station locations presented during the study did not represent the final configuration of the commuter rail system in Northeast Florida. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Among the attendees with concerns and questions was Caleb Taylor. Expressing his worries about the impact on the Baymeadows and Avenues Walk areas, Taylor highlighted an infrastructure concern, saying, If the best-case scenario works and all of this goes perfectly. You still have no sidewalks on Southside Blvd. So its going to be hard to funnel people into that, other than driving. The information session was held as a precursor to a community meeting tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. in St. Augustine. At the meeting, community members will get another chance to seek clarification and discuss the proposed commuter rail project. [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. The trial lasted for a week, but a Polk County jury took only about two hours to find an Urbandale man guilty of beating his wife to death in 2020. Dustin Sample, 38, was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder in the Dec. 12, 2020, death of his wife Mary. Jurors heard evidence that first responders, summoned by Dustin Sample's call to 911, found Mary Sample deceased in the couple's bedroom with severe facial injuries. Dustin Sample told investigators he'd taken the family dog for a walk and didn't know what had happened to her. As the jury heard over the weeklong trial, Sample had a history of domestic violence toward his wife. Several of her coworkers testified they'd seen Mary Sample come to work hiding bruises that she admitted to them were from her husband. Prosecutors presented text messages between the couple showing Dustin Sample repeatedly apologizing in response to photos of his wife's injuries. Prosecutors also asked the court for permission to show a cell phone video, recorded by the couple's young son, in which Dustin Sample could be heard striking her. Judge Lawrence McLellan, though, ruled the full video was too inflammatory to be shown to the jury. Sample's lawyers, though, argued that his wife's injuries were the result of an accidental fall caused by intoxication. "The evidence will show she fell and suffered a blunt force trauma injury to her head. The evidence, or lack of evidence, will show Dustin Sample did not assault and injure his wife on Dec. 12, 2020," attorney Jesse Macro said in his opening statement. Client a 'jerk,' but victim of a rush to judgment, defense attorney says Defense attorney Nicholas Bailey acknowledged in closing arguments that Dustin Sample had been a "jerk" and "domestically violent." But he said investigators nonetheless rushed to judgment when they found Mary Sample dead in her home. "That's the real story to this case. Law enforcement from the very get go when they arrived on scene there in Urbandale ... believe that Dustin Sample, he's the husband, he's there, he must have been the cause of it," Bailey said. More: Fatal homeless camp beating in Des Moines results in 50-year prison sentence Prosecutors responded that Sample, prior to calling for help, had made efforts to clean up the scene, and that his wife's death came as she was attempting to leave the abusive relationship. "He could not let that happen," prosecutor Meggan Guns said. "He could not let the woman that he controlled leave him and take his son because of his love for power and control." Closing arguments ended shortly after noon Wednesday, and the Polk County Attorney's Office announced the guilty verdict at about 2:20 p.m. Sample will be sentenced at a later date, and faces a mandatory term of life in prison without parole. From July: Marshalltown man sentenced to life in prison for 2021 robbery, murder of Casey's employee Staff writer Noelle Alviz-Gransee contributed to this report. William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa man guilty of murder in wife's domestic violence homicide A recent U.S. Department of Justice audit determined that the Providence-based Refugee Dream Center needs to do a better job of tracking how it spends federal funds. Between 2018 and 2021, the organization received a total of $400,055 in grants intended to aid refugees who are the victims of crimes. There's no indication that it failed to provide those services, according to the audit conducted by the DOJ's Office of Inspector General, which was released on Tuesday. However, because mandatory pieces of paperwork were missing or deemed inadequate, the Refugee Dream Center needs to "remedy" $456,094, according to the audit report. It's not yet clear what form that will take, or whether the Refugee Dream Center will have to return any funds. A recent U.S. Department of Justice audit determined that the Providence-based Refugee Dream Center needs to do a better job of tracking how it spends federal funds. Executive Director Teddi Jallow is seen in this file photo making up baskets of supplies for clients. Why did the Refugee Dream Center face scrutiny? The Refugee Dream Center describes itself as a "post-resettlement refugee agency" that serves 2,600 refugees, helping them to become integrated and self-sufficient. It was founded in 2015 by Omar Bah, a refugee from The Gambia who served as executive director until last year, when he stepped down to run for Congress. At the time, the organization said that Bah would take on a new role as director of programs and his wife, Teddi Jallow, would replace him as executive director. Jallow, a fellow refugee from The Gambia, formerly served as the Refugee Dream Center's director of partnership and community building. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Before the change in leadership, the Refugee Dream Center received three grants funded by the DOJ's Breaking Barriers program, "which helps refugee victims of crime break cultural barriers such as stigma, inability to navigate the American society, language challenges, lack of knowledge of relevant places to access services, and misconstrued notions of a victim's rights and protections," according to the acronym-heavy (and jargon-laden) audit report. Those grants were awarded to the group by the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety's Grant Administration Office, which decides how to distribute the money on the local level. Federal rules require periodic audits of organizations that receive the grants, which are funded by court fines and forfeited bail bonds. Stephanie Logan, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Inspector General, said in an email that the Refugee Dream Center was not audited in response to specific concerns. Political Scene: What's changed (and what hasn't) in 20 years of RI politics? New book dives deep. What did the audit uncover? Government auditors "reviewed victim case files and witnessed victims receiving services," and got no indication that the Refugee Dream Center was failing to serve crime victims, the report states. However, they couldn't determine exactly which services were specifically being offered because of the federal grants. The organization tracked its daily interactions with refugee crime victims, but "did not differentiate those being served through its Breaking Barriers program," the audit report says. Personnel costs were another issue. According to the audit report, 86% of the grant funding went toward staff salaries and benefits. But there wasn't any documentation indicating how many hours of staff time were actually devoted to the federally-funded program, as opposed to the other work that the Refugee Dream Center carries out. Additionally, the Refugee Dream Center "lacked comprehensive written policies and procedures and did not have well-designed processes to ensure accurate reporting of program progress," the report states. Auditors were also concerned that "there were no formalized policies and procedures related to grant financial management." To receive the government funds, the Refugee Dream Center had to provide a 20% "match" from other sources, which would have added up to $114,046. Auditors were unable to verify that the organization met that requirement, "because it did not maintain records that clearly indicated the source, amount, and timing for its match contributions," the report states. What happens now? The Office of the Inspector General deemed both the $342,048 that went to personnel costs and the $114,046 that was supposed to be available from matching funds to be "unsupported," and recommended that the Refugee Dream Center "remedy" those amounts. It's unclear whether the organization will have to pay any of that money back. Logan said that was a question for the DOJ's Office of Justice Programs, which supplied the funding, and did not immediately respond to an inquiry. In a June response to a draft version of the Office of the Inspector General's findings, Jallow said that the Refugee Dream Center has already "taken significant steps to remedy the unsupported costs." Timesheets have been updated to comply with federal requirements, and "now accurately reflect the daily work routines covered by various grants, including specific references to funders and time periods," she wrote. Additionally, Jallow said, the Refugee Dream Center has been "actively collaborating" with DPS's Grant Administration Office to address the issue with the matching funds. "Together, we are working towards obtaining grant matching waivers to resolve the unsupported costs associated with the match requirement," she wrote. Jallow said the organization had also made the other changes recommended in the audit, such as creating a more formalized set of policies and tracking exactly how many crime victims were being served through the Breaking Barriers program. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Justice Department: Refugee Dream Center must better track its spending Reboots rarely equal their beloved predecessors, so it comes as a joyous surprise to discover that Justified: City Primeval (currently airing weekly on FX) is just as great as the six-season 2010-2015 show that preceded it. And credit for that triumpheven beyond its fantastic writing, directing and supporting castgoes to its peerlessly cool star, Timothy Olyphant. Once again donning a Stetson and jacket-and-button-down uniform, a holstered pistol poised on his hip, Olyphant slides comfortably back into the role of U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens in Justified: City Primeval, an eight-episode adaptation of Elmore Leonards novels City Primeval and Fire in the Hole that gives him a change of scenery (Detroit, vs. his native Kentucky) and pits him against a fresh foe (Boyd Holbrooks menacing Oklahoma Wildman Clement Mansell). Despite a different environment and adversary, however, Raylan remains the most compelling gunslinger in modern fiction, a hybrid of old-school quick-draw stoutness and laconic confidence, and new-school wit and impudence. Hes a bad (i.e., good) man with a badge, and hes the lifeblood of the series return, which boasts the spirit of its ancestors and, also, of Leonards inimitable crime stories. The 55-year-old Olyphant has lent his talents to myriad film and TV efforts over the course of his decades-long career, but Justified remains his crowning achievement, and one thatalong with HBOs tremendous Deadwoodforever solidified his Western bona fides. One second playfully charming and mischievous, the next steely-eyed intimidating, Olyphants Raylan is a character whos both preternaturally composed and always struggling to harness his wayward impulses (such as his notorious desire to shoot first and ask questions whenever). Hes a cocky hero with a rebellious streak, dedicated to doing things the legal way but also compelled to take matters into his own hands when the situation demands it, and Olyphant embodies his contradictions with a charisma thats second to none. Justified: City Primeval proves another great vehicle for Raylan and, consequently, its headliner, providing him with a tangled-up case that grows messier, and more thrilling, by the minute. Its a revival that plays a familiar tune in a thoroughly new key, and better still, its forthcoming finale (not to be spoiled here!) suggests that it may be the start of an entirely new Justified run. Ahead of that highly anticipated August 29 conclusion, we spoke with Olyphant about revisiting Raylan, working with his daughter, and what the upcoming bombshell ending means for the series future. Theres no movie or TV line I quote more frequently than Raylans statement, If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, youre the asshole. Is there a particular Raylan line that you often hear, or particularly like? First of all, that quotea man named Graham Yost deserves all the credit for that. I had nothing to do with it; I just said it. That was one of the good ones. And its not lost on me, how those writers gave me so many cool things to say. Thats why were sitting here talking. So I thank them. Justified: City Primeval Rekindles Everything That Made the Original a Perfect Show As for quotes, there are so many fucking good quotes! I cant help but always go back to the beginning. I remember Damon Herriman, when he says, alright, Im going to go outside and then Im going to come back in! [laughs] I remember that moment being so good. I remember sitting across from Walt [Goggins], when he asked me if that story was true about giving a guy 24 hours to get out of town, and then he said, how about I give you the same deal and give you 24 hours to get out of town, and I got to say back to him, Now youre talkin. [laughs] I remember reading that in the scriptit was from the short storyand I thought, God, thats so good. I dont know if people appreciate how good a reply that isNow youre talkin. Not to make a meal out of this question, but it went back to the previous scene where he [Walts Boyd Crowder] was talking about all the problems in the world are the Jews, and hes not the problem, and Im basically saying, I dont know what the hell youre saying. But when he says, Ill give you 24 hours and then Ill kill you, Im like, OK, now I understand the words that are coming out of your mouth. Thats amazing. Did you always see yourself as someone cut out to be a Western-style hero? Theres no upside, Nick, to me saying yes to that question [laughs]. You understand that, right? Why would it have been a big surprise to anyone, you know? Anybody who knew me freshman year in high school would have said, oh, this guys going to be a badass on TV one day! As they duct-taped me to a pole, they thought, this guy might one day be the coolest dude on television. And Im not saying I am! Im just saying, thats what youre implying. No, I didnt see it coming! Look, man, I hadnt even thought about acting until I was in my twenties. I came to it late; I didnt figure it out for a while. Following Justified and Deadwood, youve done some other roles (in Fargo, and The Mandalorian) that play off that Western persona No, NickI am cashing in, buddy! Im milking this thing for all its worth. I have no qualms about it. But did you ever fear that you might get pigeonholed in such parts? Im going to tell you a story, and forgive me for dropping a name, but the most amazing, talented Eric Stonestreet said he read an article where they asked me if I was concerned about being typecast. He read that and said out loud to himself, As whata badass? [laughs] Like, whats the fucking problem? Whos had trouble with that problem? So no, Ill take it. Its been a ball. And you know what, they still let me step out of it and go play goofballs in other things and come back. Im getting away with murder and having a good time. Chuck Hodes/FX Do you own a personal collection of Stetsons? I have hats. I do have hats. Not the one like he wears, but Im a fan of the hat. Deadwood's revival (Deadwood: The Movie) came about because the series never received a proper end. Justified, however, definitely wrapped itself up. If it [City Primeval] doesnt work, weve got no one to blame but ourselves. Because of that situation, was there any hesitation about revisiting the show? No. I had so much fun working with these folks. I told them, even when we were ending it, give us a couple of years and lets talk again. I thought the time away would give us an opportunity to come back and look at it fresh, and to have just as much fun if not more fun. It would free us up creatively. Im super-proud of the result, because I thought the writers took a big swing. The willingness to take Raylan out of Kentucky, to bring in essentially an entirely different cast, and to trust that we wouldnt lose the audience and that it would still feel like the show. My experience doing it, and now having seen it, is that its such a subtle but brilliant idea. It was so much fun, it brought so much energy to everyone involved. It was a really fun game to play: how different can we make it, and yet trust that itll still feel like Justified. How Justified: City Primeval Pulled Off Reviving One of TVs Greatest Shows Ever Did you discuss how to retain the shows spirit, given those big changes? We had the book to work from, and that jump-started the conversation. So we had a skeleton. Then we had the story of Raylan having a teenage daughter. Those two things excited us. I think those two ideas, of putting him in a totally different location where he feels a bit like a fish-out-of-water, and then taking a teenage daughter with him, both excited us. We just trusted that between Elmores book and the fact that we all did the show for six years, we wouldnt be capable of not making it our show. It would inevitably speak the same language. We had the opportunity to screen it in Austin with an audience, and it was so gratifying to hear how much they enjoyed it. The laughter was so lovely to hear, and reminded us of how funny it was, and how cool it was. You could just feel they were blown away at the end of that episode. And I was like, Jesus, if they like this, wait until they see the next twoepisodes two and three are just like, holy crap! They have no idea whats coming after that. Have you seen the ending? I have seen the ending, and I know were not allowed to spoil it. But I can tell you that when I watched it on an early weekend morning, I nearly woke everyone up with my cheering. [laughs] I had nothing to do with that ending. Dave Andron, Michael Dinner and the gangthat was their baby. I simply said, fuck yeah, go for it. But I admit, thoughthe first time I watched it, I was really shocked. [laughs] And I knew it was coming! It was so strange and wild to see that ending. I honestly told them, because it kept bugging me for days, I kept thinking, wow! You cant do that ending if you dont deliver everything prior, you know? That ending doesnt work. So I was like, guys, its a bold idea! [laughs] As far as Im concerned, they pulled it off. And everything that precedes the ending holds up. Chuck Hodes/FX I dont want to say anything that counts as a spoiler Its alright, I dont think weve said anything so far that ruins it. But perhaps it only makes people cant wait to see it. I also know creatively, if we were to bring this show back again, and there was a way to do another chapter, these charactersthe ones that are still standing [at the end of City Primeval]I would want to see them all again. Which is a real testament to what the writers achieved in a single season. As far as new characters go, the main one is homicidal Clement Mansell, whos playedfantasticallyby Boyd Holbrook. Were you happy that they introduced a new adversary, versus immediately going back to the established Raylan-Boyd Crowder well? First of all, Im thrilled to hear you say that. Its a testament to Boyd Holbrooks work, and I dont disagree with youI thought what he did was amazing. Im not going to lie to you, I had concerns. I didnt have concerns about the storyline, and the idea of bringing in this new villain. To some degree, we did it in the show. We always had the luxury, because we had the Boyd character and Walt Goggins, and he brought this electricity that is still, to this day, unmatched. Its just marvelous what he did. But we had seasons where Margo Martindale was the villain of the year. And Ive seen James Bond movies, I know how it works. So I didnt have a problem with the concept. I was actually concerned that we werent going far enough away. There was a part of me that was voting for not doing the character from the book; we strip it for parts and we make the character completely different, and maybe a totally different ethnicitythat kind of thingjust to get further away from that part of the region of the country. Thats why its more of a testament to what Holbrook did, because I thought what he did was totally different than anything wed seen before. He really does find a way to match Raylans magnetism, which is no small feat. Ill tell you another confessionIm also a little guilty of thinking, is he too cool? [laughs] Because part of the dynamic between Walt and I was that Walt had this electricity, and quite frankly, thats what lets me be more subtle and understated, because youre playing off this other energy. Thats what make those things work. But Holbrook brought this weight, this gravitas, where I think people will feel like, oh no, this guy will fuck Raylan up. He could kill Raylan. This is one of the scariest bad guys Elmore Leonards ever created. Hes a scary dude, and he doesnt seem altogether there, because he seems to genuinely have aspirations of rock stardom, which is one of my favorite things [laughs]. He's really concerned about his singing voice. Anyway, I think he did a great job. Im thrilled to hear you enjoyed it. But I wouldnt tell Aunjanue Ellis that you thought he was the biggest addition to the show, because I thought she was a force to be reckoned with as well. FX I dont mean to take away from her great work! Or, for that matter, from anyone elses, because the new cast membersincluding Vondie Curtis Hall, Marin Ireland and Norbert Leo Butzare all so great. And that includes your daughter Vivian, who co-stars alongside you. How did that come about? It came about like, my wife asked, theres a teenage daughter in the show? And Im like yeah. She goes, Vivian could play that part. And I was like, I guess youre right [laughs]. She was going to live with us for the summer, so why not get her a decent job? Vivian has always wanted to be an actor. Shes acted in school plays; weve just never let her act professionally when she was a kid. But Ive known her her whole life, and shes an actor. I didnt know I was an actor until my mid-twenties, but I knew when she was like 4, this girl is an actor. When the opportunity was right there in front of us, my wife and I discussed it. When you discuss something like that, you have to discuss it assuming it will be a success. Its not, should we let her audition and shes never going to get the job. We have to say, should we let her audition knowing she could get this job, and then, as parents, are we sending her on a path toward something that could be somewhat regrettable, even in success? [laughs] You obviously decided it was a risk worth taking. We both thought, no, shes got it. She can handle it. We brought it up to her and she was interested as soon as I mentioned there was an opportunity. I told her shed have to audition, and Id let the producers know that if shes going to audition, they could expect her tape to be submitted to the casting director. She worked really hard. I read opposite her for her audition, so when she sent it in, I knew how good it was. I knew that everyone was really nervous to get it, and how uncomfortable a conversation with me would have to be when they say, oh, it was really great, Tim, but But thats not what happened. As soon as she delivered it, within like minutes, my phone started blowing up. They were like, holy shit, has she acted before? I said, no, school plays. I told those guys, look, I wouldnt have mentioned it to her if I didnt think she could do it. It was really fun, just working with her on the audition. She was really willing to work hard. Timothy Olyphant: I Know What Happens to Raylan at the End of Justified Anyway, you know the rest. She got the gig. I did not engage in those conversations; I said Im going to stay out of this because I know its uncomfortable for everybody involved. They sent me an email saying, weve looked at everyone and shes our first choice. And I said, I cant wait to tell her. It was a very special experience. Lastly, are you hopeful that, following City Primeval, theres more Justified to come? I was texting Michael Dinner this morning, and Ill tell you what I told him, which is, I love this show. I had a blast doing it. And I hope we get to do more. Keep obsessing! Sign up for the Daily Beasts Obsessed newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. 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. Appearing in the musical A Chorus Line might seem like a major departure for Kansas City acting icon Nathan Darrow, even if the role doesnt require him to sing. But Darrow, best known to most of the public especially outside of Kansas City for his TV roles in House of Cards, Gotham and Billions, was a stage actor long before TV producers came calling. So which is his first love, the stage or the screen? I consider myself an actor who will do whatever, Darrow said. Thank goodness this is a hypothetical question. But if somebody came and put a gun to my head, I would say I would do theater. His credits support that. The Shawnee Mission North High School graduate has been a stalwart on Kansas Citys stages for years. Nathan Darrow rehearses with the cast of A Chorus Line, which runs Aug. 10-27 at Music Theater Heritage. In fact, when A Chorus Line opens Aug. 10 at Music Theater Heritage, Darrow will complete what is akin to hitting for the cycle in Kansas City theater. He has starred in productions at the big six of local professional theaters: Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Actors Theatre, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, Unicorn Theatre, New Theatre Restaurant and now MTH. (We dont include Starlight Theatre because almost all of its shows are national tours.) His local parts, which date back almost 20 years, have ranged from the seriousness of King Henry V to the silliness of Leading Ladies (which required acting in drag). He also starred in the oddball comedy Duck Hunter Shoots Angel at a seventh area professional theater, the now defunct American Heartland Theatre. Darrow, who now lives with his wife and two dogs in South Orange, New Jersey, most recently returned to his hometown for Hamlet at the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival in 2017 and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at KC Rep in 2019. Nathan Darrow starred in Hamlet at the 2107 Heart of America Shakespeare Festival. So maybe a musical at MTH isnt so far-fetched. I love the play and I love Kansas City, he said. Also, the practical reality is that the theater reached out and asked me if I wanted to do it. The timing was fortuitous given that the Screen Actors Guild strike has shut down TV work. He is also a member of Actors Equity, so he can still work in live theater. The strike comes on the heels of the pandemic, which shut down both screen and stage work for months, so it hasnt been a great time for professional actors. During the fallow time of the pandemic, Darrow worked as an emergency medical technician. Even when theres no strike, that doesnt mean Im not grateful for the work, Darrow said. As this play brings to light, its kind of a brutal life. When people see you on TV a few times, they think youve got this whole thing planned out and your career is all set. Thats not the way it is. Even some very big actors Ive talked to say the same thing. You cant be sure whats coming next. Darrow played bodyguard and Secret Service agent Edward Meechum on Netflixs House of Cards from 2013 to 2016 (pictured here in Season 2). Before the pandemic, Darrow had a solid run on TV, first in his signature role as Secret Service agent Edward Meechum on Netflixs House of Cards (2013-16), then as the villain Mr. Freeze in Gotham (2015-18), as well as recurring parts in Billions (2016-19) and Preacher (2016-19). His most recent TV credits were guest spots on FBI (2020) and Law & Order (2022). Meanwhile, he has done plays at Lincoln Center Theater in New York, the Old Vic Theatre in London and American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, among many other venues. In the past year, he appeared in a world-premiere adaptation of Dial M for Murder at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego and in Shakespeares The Winters Tale at the Hartford Stage in Connecticut. KC actor Nathan Darrow played the villainous Victor Fries, aka Mr. Freeze, in Foxs Batman-based Gotham. Darrow said he doesnt have any TV or stage jobs on the horizon, but hes developing a one-man show in which he replicates every word and gesture from The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. Hed like to bring that to Kansas City, too. I want to do it anywhere and everywhere, he said. For now, hes enthused being part of the cast of a professional musical for the first time in A Chorus Line. Featuring music by Marvin Hamlisch with classic songs such as What I Did for Love and One (singular sensation), it won nine Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1976. Darrow plays Zach, a director and choreographer who is auditioning dancers for a show. In 2007, Nathan Darrow performed in Iron Kisses with Karen Errington at the Unicorn Theatre. What draws me to this role is the play itself, he said. Its really a fascinating work about making art in all its aspects, and how the actors are drawn to the work and need to do it. Zach, who was portrayed by Michael Douglas in the 1985 movie adaptation, is a non-singing role with a bit of dancing. Darrow doesnt rule out the idea of taking on a full singing part one day. I sure love singing, and I love musicals, he said. I now love very much being with this group of people. A Chorus Line The musical, starring Nathan Darrow, runs Aug. 10-27 at Music Theater Heritage in Crown Center. $39-$65. musictheaterheritage.com. In the New Theatre Restaurants 2006 production of Leading Ladies, Nathan Darrow, right, played a title role, appearing here with Joicie Appell. Nathan Darrow in Kansas City Before starring in A Chorus Line, Nathan Darrow starred in a string of professional productions in Kansas City: Bright Ideas, Unicorn Theatre, 2004 Painted Alice, Unicorn Theatre, 2005 The Retreat From Moscow, Unicorn Theatre, 2005 The Pillowman, Unicorn Theater, 2006 Duck Hunter Shoots Angel, American Heartland Theatre, 2006 King Henry V, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, 2006 Leading Ladies, New Theatre Restaurant, 2006 Iron Kisses, Unicorn Theatre, 2007 Romeo and Juliet, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, 2007 Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Kansas City Actors Theatre, 2007 Translations, Kansas City Actors Theatre, 2008 The Little Dog Laughed, Unicorn Theatre, 2008 Hamlet, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, 2017 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, 2019 The Kansas Historical Society was awarded a $100,000 grant that will support returning the remains of Native Americans in the museums possession to their tribes. The U.S. Department of the Interior award announced Monday will fund a coordinator in Kansas who will focus on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, a federal law passed in 1990 mandating the return of remains. The laws implementation has been slow across the country for many reasons: Missing documentation, inadequate funding and the belief held by some institutions that they are the rightful owners have complicated the process. According to data from the National Park Service, the historical society has the remains of at least 310 Native Americans. The vast majority were from in Kansas, but the origins of some remain unknown and at least one came from Ohio. The NAGPRA coordinator will work to classify remains that are not yet affiliated with a tribe. Nikki Klarmann, state archaeologist at the Kansas State Historical Society, said some of the unaffiliated remains can be linked to a tribe by identifying the time period they are from or a location. The coordinator will also re-evaluate remains that the historical society received under the Unmarked Burial Sites Preservation Act, a state law that made the museum the state repository for remains. Some of the remains classified under the state act may fall under NAGPRA, Klarmann said. Once an inventory is more complete, Klarmann and the coordinator can begin to send out notices and collaborate with tribes to get the remains returned. Klarmann said she aims to get all the ancestors held by the historical society returned. It feels like those goals are being seen, she said. I want to make meaningful changes. The position will be funded for two years and Klarmann said she hopes they can hire the coordinator by October. Kelly Ripa says its depressing, but she doesnt expect to see a woman in the White House in her lifetime. This goes regardless of political affiliation: Women have to deal with so much bulls in every facet of life, Ripa said on her Lets Talk Off Camera podcast with SiriusXM released Wednesday. But when it comes to politics, take that and put it to the 100th power, the LIVE with Kelly and Mark host said. Women in politics, Ripa said, Have to be tough, but not too tough. They have to look good, but not too good. They cant be emotional, but they cant be cold. Or theyre too strong or not strong enough. Or what if she gets her period will she launch a nuclear weapon? I mean, its just the absolute crap that they have to deal with, added Ripa, 52. Asked by one of her podcast co-hosts if the country will ever see a female president during Ripas life, the TV personality replied, I unfortunately do not. Its scary. Its sad. Its depressing. Its demoralizing. its disheartening, Ripa continued. And why? Its that pesky thing whats it called again? A vagina, Ripa said. Ripa also discussed Sen. Amy Klobuchars experience as a woman in the male-dominated Senate. The Minnesota Democrat, who ran for president in 2016, is one of 25 female senators. Promoting her book, The Joy of Politics, on Ripas podcast, Klobuchar recalled spearheading a 2018 resolution that allowed Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) the first senator to give birth while in office to bring her baby onto the Senate floor. I often think that there needs to be an anatomy class administered to the older gentleman and now some of the women in the House and the Senate because I believe some of them dont know how babies are made or where they come from, or how it works at all, Ripa told Klobuchar. Theres this genuine out of sight, out of mind mentality when it comes to women working while also raising their families, Ripa, a mom of three, continued. And theres a lot of young people now that seem to have adapted that same sensibility of women, for whatever reason, cannot work while being mothers, or if they are working and raising their children it is somehow impacting their ability to do their job, she said. I think that sometimes people just want to dismiss you and maybe its a convenient excuse sometimes, Klobuchar said. Or they just have an image, especially in the Senate, where we still have an overwhelming number of men, the lawmaker added. Were up to about 25 percent women in the Senate, which doesnt really reflect the population. And its just very easy for people not to imagine that youre a senator, Klobuchar said. Klobuchars book The Joy of Politics: Surviving Cancer, a Campaign, a Pandemic, an Insurrection, and Lifes Other Unexpected Curveballs was released in May. Updated at 2:06 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A local man seen on surveillance video allegedly stealing at least $1,000 worth of lobster and meat from a Little River restaurant at least twice last month has been nabbed. According to a police report, cops responded to the Off Site Nano Brewery at 8250 NE Second Avenue, on a burglary call on the morning of July 26. One of the owners of the eatery known for its Super Good chicken sandwiches told officers that upon walking into the business at around 9 a.m. he noticed the door to the freezer, where perishable food was stored, open. Off Sites surveillance video shows a man in a short sleeve shirt and shorts climbing a shopping cart to climb over a fence, then throwing several packages into a bin and fleeing the area, in the middle of the night. The defendant is seen throwing what appears to be packs of food over the rear gated fence, the complaint says. At approximately 2:51 a.m., the suspect is seen using a black cart to assist him to climb back over the gated fence to leave. The defendant is then seen loading the packets of food into the red shopping cart and leaving the area. The individual matched the description of a shirtless person who also appears on surveillance footage in the back of the business on July 23, similarly chucking several packs of comestibles into a trash bin, then hauling the stash away with a handcart at around 4:30 a.m. Cops tracked down the suspect, who was out on bond previously charged with trespassing and possession of cocaine, at his nearby home on Saturday and placed him under arrest. Joseph Putzulu, 55, was charged with two felony counts of burglary of an unoccupied structure and one count of third-degree grand theft. Alix Dorsainvil, right, an American nurse working in Haiti, has been released after being kidpanned (El Roi Haiti) An American nurse and her daughter have been released after being kidnapped from a medical mission in Haiti. Alix Dorsainvil of New Hampshire was working for the nonprofit Christian ministry El Roi Haiti providing healthcare services when she and her young daughter were abducted by kidnappers in late July. Ms Dorsainvil is married to the founder of El Roi Haiti, Sandro Dorsainvil. On 9 August a blog entry went live on El Roi Haiti's website announcing that Ms Dorsainvil had been released. It noted that she was being held in the capital, Port au Prince, and that she and her daughter were safe. "It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti," the group said on its blog. "Today we are praising God for answered prayer!" Ms Dorsainvil was well-loved in her local community; after she was taken, protesters marched on the capital with signs testifying to her work as a nurse and demanding that she be released. The ministry has asked for privacy for the Dorsainvils in the wake of the kidnapping. "There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation, so we are asking that no attempts be made to contact Alix or her family at this time," El Roi said in its statement. "We will continue to release information as appropriate on our website. Please keep checking back. And again, thanks for all of the prayers and support through this incredibly difficult time." Haitians take to the streets of Port-au-Prince to protest against insecurity, as deteriorating conditions have led to hundreds of women and children being kidnapped in the first half of 2023, according to the United Nations Some 300 women and minors were kidnapped in Haiti by criminal gangs in the first half of this year, UNICEF said Monday, warning of a disturbing rise in abductions that leave "deep physical and psychological scars." The surge in abductions threatens "both the people of Haiti and those who have come to help." (Richard PIERRIN) An American nurse and her child who were kidnapped in Haiti nearly two weeks ago have been freed, her employer said Wednesday. "It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti," the Christian aid group said in a statement. "We are so thankful for everyone who joined us in prayer and supported us during this crisis." Dorsainvil and her child were kidnapped near Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on July 27, just days after the US government ordered its nonessential personnel out of the impoverished Caribbean country due to spiraling insecurity. 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," the group said when it first announced her abduction. It described her at the time as a "deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family." The group did not provide details on the release or who was involved in securing the freedom of Dorsainvil and her child, and urged people not to try to contact the family. "We will continue to release information as appropriate on our website," El Roi said. The United States welcomed reports of the release. "We have no greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. "We express our deepest appreciation to our Haitian, and US interagency partners for their assistance in facilitating their safe release," the US official added, acknowledging the victims "have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally." The kidnapping came after the State Department issued an updated travel advisory saying Americans in Haiti should depart "as soon as possible ... in light of the current security situation and infrastructure challenges." Washington has 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. This week UNICEF warned of an "alarming spike in kidnappings" in Haiti, saying some 300 women and minors were abducted by criminal gangs in the first half of 2023. That six-month number is close to the total registered for the entirety of last year and is triple the 2021 tally, the United Nations children's agency said in a report, adding that many women and children in Haiti face "unthinkable terror" at the hands of the pervasive gangs. mlm/st An American nurse and her child have apparently been released by their kidnappers in Haiti after they were abducted in late July from a small health clinic near the capitol of Port-au-Prince. The nonprofit Christian ministry El Roi Haiti said in a Wednesday blog post that Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were still recovering and did not release any further details on the release. There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation, so we are asking that no attempts be made to contact Alix or her family at this time, they wrote. There was no immediate word from the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, which closed this week amid soaring gang violence. American authorities were investigating the kidnapping. Dorsainvil, of New Hampshire, served as the community health nurse for school children with El Roi. She was kidnapped by a group of armed men who infiltrated El Rio and demanded a ransom of $1 million. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. An elementary school in West Seattle was hit by several bullets, which was discovered after staff saw kids handling a spent casing in the playground. At about 10:32 a.m. Monday, staff at Highland Park Elementary School saw bullet damage to the building after they saw two kids with the spent casing. Seattle police that responded noted damage to a floodlight and damage to the outside of the building where the floodlight was located. Staff told officers the floodlight had been working Thursday, but was found damaged on Friday. There are currently no suspects. (photo: YouTube) Guest Opinion. In May, at the Cannes Film Festival press conference after the debut of Killers of the Flower Moon, Lily Gladstone (Blackfeet/Nimiipuu) sat, in measured grace, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, and Martin Scorsese, speaking as an Indigenous woman in a place traditionally held by white males. Measured grace is the term she used to describe Mollie Burkhart, the Osage woman she plays a mother who watched her mother and sisters die around her, all in suspicious circumstances, while Mollie suspected her husbands involvement. The film examines the Osage murders of the 1920s, in which dozens of tribal members were murdered for their oil rights by their white relatives or trustees. Scorsese describes the film as an exploration of trust and betrayal, both between spouses and between white society and the rest of America. The film lays bare widespread greed and white supremacy, causing Scorsese to explain that it is not a whodunnit, but a who didnt do it. At the microphone, Gladstone minced no words. After describing the importance of turning the big lens onto the Osage murders, she asked, Why the hell does the world not know about these things? Our communities always have. Gladstones question was not just for filmmakers, but for historians, novelists, book publishers, textbook writers, teachers, and politicians. There was one more individual on the dais at the press conference, Osage Chief Standing Bear. He described how Scorseses consultation with the tribe evolved into collaboration, creating a partnership that restored lost trust. Scorsese and DiCaprio explained how, in working with the tribe, they revised the script to tell the story from the perspective of Gladstones Mollie. DiCaprio, originally cast to play an FBI hero, instead plays Mollies husband. Thus, for possibly the first time in a big Hollywood production, Natives became the protagonists of their own story. Besides exemplifying new standards for consultation and collaboration with tribes, for how to tell Indigenous stories, for replacing white savior narratives with Indigenous voices, the film also demonstrates that there are stories from Native America, largely untold or erased outside of their communities, that can speak to a larger audience, to everyone as individuals in a diverse society. Videos of Gladstone, already widely known for a beloved cameo in the series Reservation Dogs, went viral across Indian Country. Regarding the coming film, many Natives were cautiously optimistic. Hollywoods relationship with Native America is particularly ugly, and still lags far behind its gradual improvement with other marginalized peoples. Until now, for example, Natives had few equivalents of Selma, Twelve Years A Slave, or Hidden Figures, or even historical fiction such as The Color Purple, Moonlight, and The Help. We do have an entire genre of films, Westerns, that normalize ethnic cleansing and portray Natives as wild savages or bumbling sidekicks. The paucity of films that offer a truly Native perspective from a Native lead character is shocking. The Searchers showed that a white man can become as savage as an Indian, Little Big Man put the Sand Creek massacre on the big screen, Dances with Wolves illustrated a range of human emotions in Natives, and Wind River accurately portrays several contemporary Native issues. While these were all significant steps, none of these films center Native agency, and they all have white leads. Smoke Signals is an exception, though it would not generally be considered a major motion picture. The Last of the Mohicans is non-fiction written for a white audience, portraying Natives as going extinct. Geronimo: An American Legend failed to collaborate with the tribe or use Native writers. Lacking this input, it became a predictable and boring tale relying only on the information coming from US officials at the time. There is no shortage of potential material for the big screen. The Trail of Tears, the Plains wars, the saga of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce, and the Long Walk of the Navajo all offer a canvas that would make Tarantino drool, and relationships that would attract the pen of Shonda Rhimes. Just the Navajo taking refuge at Fortress Rock in Canyon de Chelly is an epic American drama. Yet these stories are invariably told if they are told at all from the perspective of colonizers, or presented as distant backstories, shadows in a prehistoric mist. Yet, if told from a Native perspective, with the richness of Native backstories and relationships, they would not only fill a hole in erased history but offer opportunities for education, understanding, and inspiration. They also offer opportunities for collaborations with Native writers and filmmakers. We could go well beyond the 1800s into the past or present. For example, the story of the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving could be retold from the perspective of Massasoit, the Great Sachem of the Wampanoag, who diplomatically manipulated the Pilgrims on multiple occasions. His political maneuverings are well-known in the academic literature but unknown to the American public. There are dinner table stabbings, bloody flags, calculation and deceit from a death bed, and a wedding imbued with political import. Imagine a retelling of the story of Sacajawea, a missing Indigenous teen girl, set in the present. Abducted at Three Forks (still a town today) and then trafficked to another man looking for work, she discovers some frackers headed to her remote hometown and gets him a job with them, so they inadvertently return her home. There is a whole continent full of untold history buried under layers of stereotypes and caricatures. There is the Pueblo Revolt, Tecumsehs efforts to form a united front, the life and death of Zintkala Nuni (Lost Bird), Ishis life in Berkeley, and the occupation of Alcatraz. Our communities know these stories of desperation, survival, perseverance, hope, trust, and resilience. Lily Gladstone, later in that same press conference, described how the cast and crew, together with the Osage, immersed themselves in the story, allowing it to find them and change the script. Scorsese echoed her, saying that each meeting with the tribe grounded me and re-oriented me as to what were doing here on earth. The good news is that there are more opportunities, for there are so many more stories to be told. Stephen Carr Hampton is an enrolled citizen of Cherokee Nation. He lives in Port Townsend, Washington, where he is an active member of the Cherokee Community of Puget Sound. He is the author of the Memories of the People blog. About the Author: "Elyse Wild is senior editor for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. " Contact: ewild@indiancountrymedia.com Kim Kardashian shared her experience undergoing a Prenuvo MRI scan. The treatment is popular among celebrities, who tout its supposed ability to detect disease early. But experts say it can result in unneeded diagnostic testing that can do more harm than good. Reality star Kim Kardashian said she underwent a full-body MRI scan with a new company that claims it can help save lives by providing early detection of a variety of diseases. The startup that Kardashian used to get her scan, known as Prenuvo, claims it can detect 500 abnormalities and diseases. The company is becoming a favorite among celebrities able to fork over $2,500 for a whole-body scan. In a Tuesday post on Instagram, Kardashian shared a photo of herself posing with a Prenuvo MRI machine in scrubs and called the technology "life saving." She also wrote that the scans had "really saved some of my friends lives." "The Prenuvo full-body scan has the ability to detect cancer and diseases such as aneurysms in its earliest stages, before symptoms arise," Kardashian wrote in her caption. "It was like getting a MRI for an hour with no radiation." Kardashian isn't the first person in her family to promote the practice of MRI scans as a preventative health solution. In an episode of "The Kardashians" that aired in July, matriarch Kris Jenner also underwent a screening at Prenuvo where she was given the all-clear on her health. In fact, as Insider's Palmer Haasch reported, the body scan is just one of the many times the billionaire family has promoted expensive healthcare inaccessible to most people outside of elite circles. A representative of the company previously told Insider that they did not "pay for sponsorships." Representatives for Prenuvo did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Prenuvo is a glorified MRI machine Getting a Prenuvo scan is like getting an MRI, because it is, in fact, an MRI machine. Just like all MRI machines, the Prenuvo creates three-dimensional images of structures inside the body. MRI machines, including Prenuvo, do not use X-rays (radiation). Typically, MRI machines are used by doctors to evaluate and diagnose a wide range of conditions, including tumors, cardiovascular conditions, and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis. The founders of Prenuvo say the scan can identify abnormalities preemptively, leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment. If the scan finds something abnormal, patients can take their results to their primary care physician for a follow-up. The company also claims its machine is more innovative than those used in hospital settings. "Most MRI scans rely on anatomical imaging, which simply shows organ structures," Andrew Lacy, co-founder of Prenuvo, previously told Insider. "Core to Prenuvo's imaging protocols is a heavy reliance on the combination of anatomical imaging together with newer functional imaging techniques, which increases the ability of MRI to accurately discriminate many conditions." A Prenuvo scan comes with a hefty price tag: $1,000 for a torso scan, $1,800 for a head-and-torso scan, and $2,500 for a whole-body scan. They do not accept insurance. Doctors think Prenuvo may do more harm than good "It's a terrible idea," Dr. Matthew Davenport, vice chair of the American College of Radiology's Quality and Safety Commission, previously told Insider. Getting a Prenuvo scan could cause harm by encouraging patients to undergo unnecessary diagnostic testing, Davenport said. MRI scans are very sensitive, and therefore more likely to pick up on things that look abnormal but aren't. In doing so, previously unconcerned patients may follow up with a risky diagnostic test such as a biopsy an invasive procedure used to identify whether or not cells are cancerous that ultimately isn't necessary. The American College of Preventive Medicine also does not recommend whole-body scans for asymptomatic people, citing a lack of evidence for their effectiveness. Although Kardashian wrote that Prenuvo scans have saved some of her friends' lives, the company has not published any data demonstrating that the scan can catch diseases early or improve people's health. Representatives for Kardashian did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Insider A new coronavirus variant, EG.5, now accounts for the largest proportion of Covid infections in the U.S., according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over a two-week period ending on Saturday, EG.5 which some health experts on social media nicknamed Eris made up an estimated 17.3% of new cases nationwide. Thats up from just under 12% during the prior two-week period, and less than 1% as of late May. EG.5, like the other strains that have gained dominance in the U.S. over the last year-plus, is a subvariant of omicron. More precisely, its considered a descendant of the XBB lineage of the virus. After EG.5, the next most common subvariant, XBB.1.16, accounts for just over 15% of new cases, while XBB.2.23 makes up around 11%. Globally, EG.5 accounted for 11.6% of weekly cases in mid-July, up from 6.2% four weeks earlier, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO has categorized it as a variant under monitoring, which is a step below variants of interest or concern. The U.K. began monitoring for EG.5.1 a descendant within the larger EG.5 umbrella in July, according to the U.K. Health Security Agency. As of July 20, the variant made up 14.5% of cases there. The spread of EG.5 comes as the U.S. logs its first increase in hospitalizations of the year. More than 9,000 people were hospitalized with Covid in the last week of July, up from about 6,300 at the end of June. However, three experts interviewed for this story said there is not yet evidence that EG.5 is responsible for the rise in hospitalizations. Plus, they said, this summers hospitalization rates are still relatively low, and far below the December 2022 peak of over 44,000 weekly Covid hospitalizations. Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said there is no evidence that EG.5 infections cause more severe illness than other omicron subvariants. EG.5 has likely evolved to become more transmissible than its predecessors, however, as evidenced by its prevalence, Barouch said. But he suggested that widespread immunity from a combination of vaccinations and past infections should keep most people safe from severe illness. With EG.5 and likely future variants that will come through the summer, this fall, this winter, we will likely see an increased number of infections and cases, Barouch said. But my hope is that we will not see a dramatic increase in severe disease because we have, what I call, a wall of population immunity. The updated Covid boosters set to be distributed this fall are not designed to target EG.5. Rather, the Food and Drug Administration asked Moderna and Pfizer in June to target the XBB.1.5 subvariant in their new boosters, since that was the dominant strain at the time. Pfizer said last week that it expects the FDA to sign off on its updated shot by the end of this month. Experts said the new boosters may nonetheless offer some protection against EG.5, since the strain is similar to other XBB subvariants. They have nearly identical spike proteins, and thats the basis of the vaccines, said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University. So when the Covid boosters get available this fall, they should be a really nice match for this variant. Pekosz said its not yet known whether the CDC will issue a general recommendation that all people get the updated boosters, or just people over 60 years old. Although some experts continue to debate the usefulness of new Covid boosters for the general population relative to those most vulnerable to severe illness, Pekosz said he thinks it would be smart for most people to get the new shots. Its been a while since we had the bivalent boosters last year, and the variant XBB.1.5 and EG.5 are pretty different from what was in the last booster vaccine, he said. There is not yet clinical data about the most common symptoms of EG.5, but theyre unlikely to differ much from those caused by other omicron subvariants, according to Dr. Shan-Lu Liu, co-director of the Viruses and Emerging Pathogens Program at Ohio State University. These symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, muscle aches and headache. Once we entered the omicron era, the virus has changed from infecting the lungs to more infecting the upper airway, Liu said. But symptoms should be pretty common to the previous SARS-CoV-2 infections." This article was originally published on NBCNews.com The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado that hit Mattapoisett Tuesday at 11:20 a.m. was an EF1, whipping 95 mph winds, spanning .9 miles long and 300 yards wide. According to the NWS, "the storm was on the ground for approximately three minutes. The storm moved to the northeast at approximately 20 miles per hour and lifted off the ground on North Street just north of Eldorado Drive. Numerous large pine and maple trees were uprooted falling in several directions. There were also numerous pine trees along the path that were snapped off between 10 and 20 feet above the ground. The most concentrated damage was found along Eldorado Drive by Granada Court." According to a press release from the town of Mattapoisett, around 11:45 a.m. Mattapoisett "experienced severe weather in the areas of Tinkham Lane, Acushnet Road and North Street, north of the 195 Interchange. "As a result ... there has been damage to homes and vehicles as well as a significant number of downed trees impacting roadway access and downing power lines." According to the release, the town's water treatment plant "is believed to have sustained damage" but was still functional. No injuries had been reported, the release said. A history of twisters: Tornadoes in Massachusetts since 1950 Residents sit on their steps watching the clean up after a tornado hit North Street in Mattapoisett. The tornado touchdown about 11:30 a.m. on Aug 8. The National Weather Service is still investigating the details. Damage reported in Mattapoisett At 11:18 a.m. EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Mattapoisett, or near Marion, moving northeast at 20 mph, NWS reported in its warning, which expired less than a half hour later. While the town's press release noted the "possibility that a tornado touched down within the town," NWS confirmed its presence around 1:30 p.m. on social media. NWS later released a report identifying the tornado as an EF1 with 95 mile per hour winds, a length of about .9 miles and width of about 300 yards. NWS reports the "start location" of the tornado as the intersection of Acushnet Road and Hereford Hill Road. According to the report, the tornado lasted about three minutes, with a "start time" of 11:20 a.m. and "end time" of 11:23 a.m., dissipating near North Street, north of Eldorado Drive. What is the EF scale Tornadoes with an Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale rating of 1 entails three-second gusts of 86-110 miles per hour. The scale runs from 0 (65-85 miles per hour winds) up to 5 (over 200 miles per hour.) According to NWS, common damage indicators of EF-1 tornados include damage to small barns and "farm outbuildings." According to the NWS, the EF Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories: EF0 is weak with 65 to 85 mph winds; EF1 is weak with 86 to 110 mph winds; EF2 is strong with 111 to 135 mph winds; EF3 is strong with 136 to 165 mph winds; EF4 is violent with 166 to 200 mph winds; and EF5 is violent with winds over 200 mph. Where is Mattapoisett, Massachusetts? Mattapoisett is a town in southern Plymouth County. It is located northeast of New Bedford along Buzzards Bay. The I-195 interstate runs through the community of just over 6,500 people. A first-time experience "I'm 73 years old; never experienced a tornado in my life," said Mattapoisett resident Marcia Mitchell, who described the location of her home as being about 150 feet away and diagonally across from where the tornado struck. "It wasn't like a train, but it certainly like a 'woosh'-ing sound." Mitchell said she and Pat Harrington, who lives at the same residence, were home with their granddaughter when they noticed tornado warnings being transmitted to multiple electronic devices around the house. "So we started to get away from the windows in the house and then the transformer across the street blew up and the sky just lit up. It was like a warzone," Mitchell said. "So it was after that we gathered our granddaughter, went down in the basement and stayed there." The tornado touchdown about 11:30 a.m. on Aug 8. The National Weather Service is still investigating the details. Keep up with the latest: Police investigating fatal collision in New Bedford parking lot Monday, no charges filed What's with all the tornado warnings? With tornado warnings having been issued in the area several times this summer, NWS meteorologists said we're in the midst of an unusual weather pattern. "We have an upper-level trough... and that's helping create an unstable atmosphere," said NWS meteorologist Andy Nash. On the current weather situation, Nash said Tuesday that NWS would be working to analyze data and draw conclusions. *This article may be updated throughout the day. This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Mattapoisett tornado was an EF1: Details on the Massachusetts storm Kyivan Rus was one of the most developed states of medieval Europe, lasting from around the late ninth to the mid-thirteenth century. It played a significant role in the history of the continent and the future East Slavic nations. The territories of Kyivan Rus included much of modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, and western parts of Russia. Located in the center of trade routes, it was a link between Europe and the Arab East. At its height in the mid-11th century, it stretched from the Baltic Sea to the northwest and the Black Sea to the south. Its center was Kyiv, Ukraine's modern-day capital. Fueled by Russia's neo-imperial rhetoric, Russian President Vladimir Putin has portrayed Russia as the only successor to the medieval state, despite its center having been in Kyiv. Russia has built its entire history through links to medieval Rus, the name of which it appropriated centuries after Kyivan Rus' demise. Historical work on Kyivan Rus also contributed to a misunderstanding of the states history. According to historian Paul Magocsi, "For the longest time, English language writings did not distinguish the name Rus from Russia," resulting in the "conceptually distorted formulation Kyivan Russia. Kyivan Rus met its decline in the thirteenth century when the Mongols invaded and sacked Kyiv, creating a centuries-long gap between the medieval state and modern-day eastern European countries. And while Kyivan Rus is certainly the first stage in the evolution of the modern Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian peoples, the early Slavic state encompassed a massive territory with many different people living under it, undermining any modern state's claim as its sole inheritor. How did Kyivan Rus originate? The origins of Rus and the foundation of Kyivan Rus have sparked a centuries-long debate that continues to this day. Scholars have debated whether Kyivan Rus was created by the political self-organization of East Slavic tribes or if they invited outsiders, the Varangian Rus people (a group of Vikings) from Scandinavia, to come and create it for them. Most of our knowledge of the period comes from the Primary Chronicle, written by the Kyivan monk Nestor at the beginning of the 12th century. Some of its details are questionable, having been written much later after the events. The Primary Chronicle tells of the first of several powerful East Slavic tribes, most notably the Polianians. According to the Primary Chronicle, their chief, Kyi, built a town along with his brothers Shchek and Khoryv and sister Lybid in the fifth century and called it Kyiv. According to the chronicle's version of events, around the mid-ninth century, groups of East Slavic and Finnic tribes, at the time vassals of the Varangians, had set out to rule themselves. Failing to do so peacefully, they sent an invitation to Varangian Rus nobles to rule over their lands. Read also: How Russia has attempted to erase Ukrainian language, culture throughout centuries The Primary Chronicle says that upon receiving the invitation, the Rus' sent three brothers, Rurik, Sineus, and Truvor, to govern Staraya Ladoga (another chronicle calls it Novgorod), Beloozero, and Izborskall located in modern-day Russia. After his brothers' deaths, Rurik moved to Novgorod. As the story goes, two of Rurik's boyars, Askold and Dir, were sent to Constantinople and, on their way, stopped in Kyiv. Along with other Varangians, they managed to establish control over the city. In the late ninth century, the new Varangian ruler of Novgorod, Oleh, came to Kyiv, killed Askold and Dir, and united the northern and southern lands, proclaiming Kyiv the capital and the mother of Rus cities, thus establishing the state that would later come to be known as Kyivan Rus. "Although one can and should question many details of (the Primary Chronicle)...the legend probably echoes the actual consolidation of power by one group of Vikings in the forested regions of eastern Europe between present-day Velikii Novgorod and Kyiv," Harvard historian Serhii Plokhy points out in his book on Ukrainian history titled The Gates of Europe. Who are the key figures of Kyivan Rus? In addition to Oleh (also referred to as Helgi), the growth and expansion of Kyivan Rus in its first two centuries are associated with his three successors, Ihor, Olha, and Sviatoslav, as well as subsequent rulers who developed Kyivan Rus lands and carried out several reforms. Olha of Kyiv, who reigned from 945-962, was the only woman to rule Kyivan Rus and is widely known for her supposed harsh revenge on the Drevlians tribe, the tribe that assassinated her husband Ihor. Revolts against extortive tax collection practices had become commonplace (the Drevlians having likely revolted for this very reason), leading Olha to improve tax collection practices through the introduction of pogosti, or administrative centers, that organized tax payments locally as opposed to by central authorities. She was also the first member of the ruling family to convert to Byzantine-rite Christianity and is perhaps best known for improving Byzantine-Rus relations. The "Golden Age" of Kyivan Rus is marked by the reigns of Volodymyr the Great and Yaroslav the Wise. During his reign, which lasted from 980 to 1015, Volodymyr expanded the borders and merged the remaining East Slavic tribes that were still not under Kyivan Rus' rule. He also changed the administrative system of the state by dividing the land and assigning his sons to rule as local princes, subordinating them to the prince of Kyiv and ending tribal autonomy. To unify tribes and consolidate his power, Volodymyr also carried out a religious reform he accepted Byzantine-rite Christianity and allegedly ordered the baptizing of his subjects in the Dnipro River. Following the reform, he began building Orthodox churches, including the Church of the Tithes in Kyiv, which was destroyed several times throughout its history and never rebuilt. Volodymyr's baptism, however, has been the source of great controversy, with disagreement among scholars as to why Volodymyr accepted Christianity and when exactly the baptism occurred. According to some historians, Volodymyr may have already been baptized and agreed to be re-baptized in order to please the Byzantine emperor. Volodymyr's son, Yaroslav the Wise, followed in his father's footsteps and continued to increase Kyiv's significance by erecting many landmarks, including the Golden Gate of Kyiv and the Saint Sophia Cathedral, the center of church-state politics and cultural life of Kyivan Rus. Gold onion domes of the St. Sophia Cathedral and its bell tower, dating back to the 11th century, and the monument to hetman Bohdan Khmelnitsky in central Kyiv. (Getty Images) Yaroslav ruled Kyivan Rus from 1019 until his death in 1054. Yaroslav also focused on strengthening European ties through marital diplomacy. His daughters were married to the kings of France, Norway, and Hungary, while his sons married a princess of Poland, the sister of the bishop of Trier in Germany, and a Byzantine princess. Yaroslav is remembered not only for his diplomacy and architectural treasures but also for his desire to implement political unity. He created a legal code called the Ruska Pravda (Rus Truth) and rules of political succession, ordering future sons to respect the authority of the Kyivan prince. How did Kyivan Rus meet its end? Constant conflicts between local princes left Kyivan Rus vulnerable to foreign attacks. In 1240, the Mongols managed to capture and practically destroy the city, precipitating what is considered to be the end of Kyivan Rus. During the invasion of Batu Khan in 1240, Kyiv was part of the Halych-Volhynia principality ruled by Danylo Halytskyi, who had captured the city in 1239. While the Kyivan Rus state ceased to exist as such, local princes were largely allowed to continue to rule over their patrimonies if they recognized the authority of the Mongols and paid tribute. This generally preserved the political and socioeconomic structure of Kyivan Rus, according to scholars. The fragmentation of Kyivan Rus following the Mongol invasion gave rise to three powerful independent states: Halych-Volhynia, located in central and western parts of modern Ukraine, and Vladimir-Suzdal and Novgorod, both located primarily in what is now Russia. Read also: How Russia has attempted to erase Ukrainian language, culture throughout centuries Danylo Halytskyi, the ruler of the Halych-Volhynia principality, resisted the Mongols and tried to build opposition seeking Western support from Hungary, Poland, and Lithuania. He also requested support from Pope Innocent IV, who later sent a delegation that crowned Danylo Halytskyi as the King of Rus. Halych-Volhynia and Vladimir-Suzdal both claimed the name Rus for the lands they now ruled over but followed very different paths. The intermingling of different populations, social changes, and distinct politics transformed society and formed two separate states with their own characteristics. Halych-Volhynia was integrated into European affairs and was eventually divided between Poland and a new rising power the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The latter was also able to conquer Kyiv in 1362, over 100 years after it fell to the Mongols. Meanwhile, Mongols ruled over parts of what is now Russia for nearly 200 years, during which time Moscow was founded by Yuriy Dolgorukyi around 1147 and rose from being a small settlement in the Vladimir-Suzdal principality to a center of power and key vassal of the Golden Horde. During this time, old East Slavic languages, already considered to be distinct, officially split into two branches Ruthenian (West Rus language) became the official language in Lithuania, and Old East Slavic became standardized in the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Ukrainian and Belarusian languages are believed to derive from Ruthenian, while Russian evolved from the Old East Slavic. How has Russia distorted the history of Kyivan Rus? From the mid-15th century, the Grand Duchy of Moscow set its eye on expanding its borders. Moscow's new ideology would center around the fact that all the territories once part of Kyivan Rus needed to be gathered into one. In 1547, Ivan IV of Moscow, known later as Ivan the Terrible, was crowned Tsar of all Rus, despite having no control over most of the former Kyivan Rus principalities that became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The name Tsardom of Russia became interchangeable with that of the Tsardom of Muscovy. On Oct. 22, 1721, Russian Tsar Peter officially changed the country's name from the Tsardom of Russia to the Russian Empire, thus fully appropriating the name of Kyivan Rus and shaping its imperial identity. He also proclaimed himself as the emperor of all of Russia. Read also: Empty Kherson art museum in despair after entire collection stolen by Russia A couple of decades later, Catherine the Great would see an urgent need to write a new version of Russian history, fueled by the rapid expansion of the Russian Empire during her reign. On Dec. 4, 1783, Catherine issued an order to set up a "Commission for making notes about ancient history, mostly of Russia," which was tasked with fulfilling her vision of history. This version effectively proclaimed the Russian Empire as the successor to Kyivan Rus. Six months before Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin published an article calling Ukrainians and Russians the offsprings of "ancient Russian statehood," distorting history and claiming Russia as the only heir of Kyivan Rus. In fact, Putin didnt even mention the name Kyivan Rus in his essay, instead referring to it as Ancient Rus. Russia has also sought to purge its own national history of the links between modern-day Ukraine and Kyivan Rus, despite an obvious historical relationship between the two. One month after the start of Russia's all-out war against Ukraine, Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported that employees of the Prosveshcheniye group, Russia's largest educational publisher, were urged to reduce and sometimes even omit references to Ukraine and Kyiv from all school textbooks, including ones that make connections between Ukraine and Kyivan Rus. In attempting to create historical continuity between modern-day Russia and Kyivan Rus, Russia has sought to legitimize its right to rule over Ukrainian lands and justify its aggression against Ukraine. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Water breaks through the dam at Braskereidfoss, Norway, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Authorities in Norway say a dam has partially burst following days of heavy rain that triggered landslides and flooding in the mountainous southern parts of the country. Communities downstream already had been evacuated. (Cornelius Poppe/NTB Scanpix via AP) COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) A dam in southern Norway partially burst Wednesday following days of heavy rain that triggered landslides and flooding in the mountainous region and forced downstream communities to evacuate, officials said. Authorities initially considered blowing up part of the dam at the Braskereidfoss hydroelectric power plant on the Glama, Norways longest and most voluminous river. The idea was to prevent communities downstream from being inundated by using a limited, controlled blast to release pressure on the dam. But that proposal was scrapped after water later broke through the structure, police spokesman Fredrik Thomson told reporters. The damage from a possible explosion of the concrete plant would be so great that it would serve no purpose, Thompson said. Now officials are hopeful that they will see a gradual, even leveling of the water, Thompson said. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre warned that flooding would continue to be a threat as excess water flows downstream. This is by no means over, he said. It could be the highest water level in 50 years or more." The dams generators stopped working early Wednesday after a power grid failure, plant operator Hafslund Eco said in a statement. An automatic system that should have opened the floodgates to release water failed. Rapidly rising water then spilled over the dam and into the power station itself, which caused major damage, officials said. Huge volumes of water were pouring over the western parts of the dam, Thomson said. The water ripped apart a two-lane road and fences that ran across the top of the dam. Per Storm-Mathisen, a spokesman for the power station operator, told the Norwegian news agency NTB that the water diversion seemed to be going well. At least 1,000 people live in communities close to the river in the area, and authorities said that all were evacuated before the dam began to fail. In other developments Wednesday, a Norwegian woman in her 70s died after falling into a stream the day before. She managed to crawl up onto the bank, but because of the floods, it took rescue teams several hours to bring her to a hospital, police said. More than 600 people were evacuated in a region north of Oslo, and police in southern Norway reported that the situation there was unclear and chaotic. All main roads between Oslo and Trondheim, Norways third-largest city, were closed, according to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. We are in a crisis situation of national dimensions, Innlandet County Mayor Aud Hove said. People are isolated in several local communities, and the emergency services risk not being able to reach people who need help. The weather system known as Storm Hans has battered parts of Scandinavia and the Baltics for several days, causing rivers to overflow, damaging roads and knocking down branches that injured people. Scientists have not done the intricate data analysis needed to see how much, if any, human-caused climate change played a role in the flooding. But they have long warned that, as the world warms, extreme storms will produce larger amounts of rain in bigger bursts. One major reason is that the warmer the air is, the more water it can hold. Also, many scientists say changes in the jet stream the atmospheric currents that propel weather systems often lead to storms stalling over places and dumping more rain. Those changes could be connected to climate change. Two hydrologists said the conflict between old dams and heavier amounts of rain is becoming a more frequent problem. University of Virginia hydrologist Venkat Lakshmi said his research shows that older dams are unprepared to handle rainfall that comes in heavier, harder-to-manage bursts. Many of those dams were designed to withstand floods that were supposed to happen only once a century, but those events are now happening much more often, he said. This type of conflict between climate and our hydrological infrastructure, such as dams, is going to become more common, said UCLA hydrologist Park Williams. As rainfall intensifies, reservoirs and dams "will be increasingly out of tune with the changing climate. Meanwhile, the flooding in southern Norway and central Sweden carried away sheds, small houses and mobile homes. Norwegian meteorologists predicted that up to 30 millimeters (1.2 inches) of additional rain could fall by Wednesday evening, saying the quantities are not extreme, but given the conditions in the area, the consequences may be. In neighboring Swedens second-largest city, Goteborg, large parts of the harbor were under water. Weather agencies for both countries issued urgent warnings. Erik Hojgard-Olsen, a meteorologist with the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, told the Aftonbladet newspaper that the weather was unusual for this time of year. "It is exceptional to have such a low pressure (system) as Hans, which has brought so much rain for several days in a row, he said. Especially for being a summer month, it has lasted a long time. The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate said record high flood levels were recorded in several places in the Drammensvassdraget, a drainage basin west of Oslo, the capital. Erik Holmqvist, a senior engineer at the agency, said four lakes. including the Randsfjorden, the fourth-largest in Norway, were particularly vulnerable to flooding. We have to go all the way back to 1910 to get the same forecasts for the Randsfjorden, Holmqvist told the VG newspaper. ___ Associated Press Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report. A veteran Los Angeles police officer working in the jails has been arrested on suspicion of theft and fraud after a stolen debit card was used at a home improvement store. Edmond Babaians, 42, who was assigned to the Custody Services Division, was booked on a felony warrant by the LAPD's internal affairs unit Tuesday. A woman reported that her debit card was missing after she had been at a department facility. She told investigators several transactions had been made with the card, according to her bank statement, and she obtained security system photographs of a man using the card to make purchases at a home improvement store. The woman turned over the images to LAPD investigators, who identified the theft suspect as Babaians, according to an LAPD statement. While the department did not describe the fraudulent purchases, a felony warrant generally means theft of more than $950. "The allegations of an officer breaking public trust are extremely troubling, and there must be accountability," LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in a statement revealing the arrest late Tuesday. Read more: Female commander fired after drunken incident calls out LAPD 'double standard' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also emphasized the accountability of sworn officers. Our police officers must be held accountable to the highest standard," she said in a statement. "I want to acknowledge and thank Chief Moore and LAPD leadership for swiftly taking action on this serious matter." She added that the Police Department's integrity "is of the utmost importance, and we must continue to act with transparency and accountability to build trust with all Angelenos" Babaians has worked as an LAPD officer for 16 years. He was booked in LAPDs Valley Jail Section and later released on his own recognizance, a bail standard implemented by the Los Angeles County Superior Court for such an offense. He was relieved of his police powers and was assigned to home pending the outcome of the LAPD's administrative and criminal investigation. Moore said the Police Department is cooperating with the L.A. County district attorney's office, which will explore charges against the officer. 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. A family is suing Davis Funeral Home and Memorial Park after the home cremated 41-year-old Loren Chavez by mistake (Google maps) A woman who was killed in a murder-suicide was inadvertently cremated before her open-casket funeral, and now her devastated family has filed a lawsuit against the Las Vegas funeral home, calling the apparent blunder a systematic failure. Loren Chavez, 41, was fatally shot on 17 September 2022 and found dead next to her husband Raymundo Chavez, 43, who died by suicide, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported last year. Her grieving family had planned to see her one last time with an open-casket funeral at Davis Funeral Home and Memorial Park. But when they dropped off clothes for Ms Chavezs body, staff members at the funeral home could not find her in the system, the lawsuit claims. They then discovered she had been cremated by mistake. Mike Wilfong, the funeral homes general manager, confirmed to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that an accidental cremation did occur and that the staff members are doing everything we can to resolve the issue. But in the lawsuit, Ms Chavezs parents said that seeing their daughter one last time and burying her body was very important to them and their religion. They are suing Davis Funeral Home and Memorial Park, Legacy Funeral Holdings of Nevada LLC. for negligence and seeking $15,000 plus attorney fees. The familys lawyer Christian Morris said an accidental cremation should have never happened. You have a system of checks and balances in these funeral homes, so this isnt just like a one-off, its a systematic failure, Morris said. Ms Chavez was a beloved daughter, sister, and mother, according to her Legacy.com obituary. Finger Lakes wineries have received several state and national accolades over the past couple of months. USA Today 10Best Reader's Choice poll Chateau Frank, at Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery in Hammondsport, was built in 1886. Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery on Keuka Lake won best winery tour for the second straight year in the USA Today 10Best Reader's Choice poll. The poll cited the historic winery's 1886 Food and Wine Experience, in which guests participate in a guided tour followed by a seated wine tasting paired with seasonal small bites. The 1886 Food & Wine Experience takes place within the historic Chateau Frank. Each day features a different vineyard or winemaking experience, which are offered at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, May 18 through Oct. 30. The cost is $75 per person. Dr. Frank also took third place in the category of Best Wine Tasting Room. "Their modern tasting rooms provide knowledgeable staff, exceptional views and personalized experiences for their guests," the website noted. Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery, at 9749 Middle Road in Hammondsport, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Experience! The Finger Lakes placed eighth in Best Wine Tour Companies. Its tours on Cayuga, Seneca and Keuka Lakes give guests behind-the-scenes and curated experiences not typically available to the general public. Hillick & Hobbs Estate in Burdett has their rows of grapes planted east and west. Hillick & Hobbs in Burdett placed ninth in Best New Winery Experiences, noting that its dry rieslings are crafted by award-winning winemaker Paul Hobbs. The winery was one of the first in the Finger Lakes to mimic winegrowing in the Mosel region of Germany, with vines running up and down the slopes surrounding Seneca Lake. Visitors can book tastings or bottle service and take in panoramic views of the lake. More about Hillick and Hobbs: How this Finger Lakes winery became a legendary winemaker's most expensive project yet The picturesque Finger Lakes wine region was named the 4th-best wine region in the poll. The top finishers were Paso Robles, California; Temecula Valley, California; and Grand Valley, Colorado. Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts, and 10Best editors narrow the field to select the nominees. The winners are determined by online voting. 10Best.com was acquired by USA Today in January 2013. New York Wine Classic The New York Wine Classic, which was held in July, included 749 entries from 108 wineries from across New York state. A total of 10 platinum, 320 gold, 294 silver, and 81 bronze medals were awarded. Two Finger Lakes wines were named best in their categories. The Boundary Breaks 2022 Gewurztraminer was named best white wine. The Keuka Spring Vineyards 2021 Blaufrankisch was named best red wine. There were also several Best of Class winners from the Finger Lakes: Best Fortified (port-like): Weis Vineyards non-vintage One Eighty Three Dessert Wine Best Gewurztraminer: Boundary Breaks 2022 Gewurztraminer Best Gruner Veltliner: Dr. Konstantin Frank 2021 Gruner Veltliner Best Iced Wine (frozen After Harvest): Boundary Breaks 2020 Riesling Ice Wine Best Lemberger/Blaufrankisch: Keuka Spring Vineyards 2021 Blaufrankisch Best Other Red Vinifera Varietal: Dr. Konstantin Frank 2020 Reserve Saperavi Best Other Vinifera White Varietal: Sheldrake Point Winery 2022 Blanc De Noir Gamay Best Petillant Naturel (Pet-Nat): Toast Winery 2022 Petillant Naturel, White Muscat Best Petit Verdot: Chateau LaFayette Reneau, 2018 Estate Petit Verdot Best Red Blend (Vinifera & Non-Vinifera): Knapp Winery, non-vintage Pasta Red Reserve Best Riesling (Dry) / Best Overall Riesling: Anthony Road 2017 Art Series Riesling Best Riesling (Medium Dry): Sheldrake Point Winery 2021 Estate Riesling Best Riesling (Medium Sweet): Dr. Konstantin Frank 2021 Reserve Medium Sweet Best Riesling (Sweet): Weis Vineyards 2021 Winzer Select A Riesling Best Syrah: Chateau LaFayette Reneau 2018 Estate Syrah Best Traminette: CuKi Fine Wines 2016 Serenity Traminette Best White Blend (Vinifera): Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards non-vintage Schooner White Blend The New York Wine Classic is annually hosted by The New York Wine & Grape Foundation. For a full list of medalists, click here. Finger Lakes International Wine & Spirits Competition Fox Run Vineyards is on Seneca Lake. The Finger Lakes International Wine & Spirits Competition, a charitable wine and spirits competition, was held in Rochester from June 12 through 14. Award-winning wines and spirits from the competition will be showcased at an auction and dinner to benefit Camp Good Days & Special Times on Oct. 28 at the Holiday Inn Downtown. The winners from the Finger Lakes were: Best in Class Unoaked Chardonnay: Bright Leaf Vineyard 2021 Unoaked Chardonnay Best in Class Off Dry Riesling: Fox Run Vineyards 2021 Semi-Dry Riesling Best Brandy: Alder Creek Distillery Nashi Pear Brandy Best Flavored Vodka: Mushroom Spirits Distillery Shiitake Vodka For a complete list of medalists click here. Food, drink and culture reporter Tracy Schuhmacher holds a Level 3 Wine certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET). Send winery news to TracyS@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Awards and accolades for the Finger Lakes NY wine region in 2023 The lawyer for the teen accused of killing OShae Sibley at a gas station last month because the Brooklyn dancers voguing offended his Muslim religion claimed his client is actually a good Christian boy with many Black friends. Much of the attack was caught on surveillance video. Dmitry Popov, 17, has been charged as an adult with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the death of 28-year-old OShae Sibley on Saturday, July 28. Popov is accused of stabbing Sibley after he and a group of friends used antigay and anti-Black slurs as they objected to the Brooklyn dancers vogueing, allegedly saying it offended their Muslim faith. Popov pleaded not guilty to the charges at a court appearance in New York City on Monday. In a series of interviews with the media, his lawyer, Mark Pollard, denied the accusations his client used antigay and racist language during the incident. Pollard instead described Popov as a good Christain boy to local Fox affiliate WPIX when responding to accusations his client is a Muslim or uttered the offensive language. I can tell you unequivocally, my client denies that," Pollard told the NY Daily News. Hes not Muslim. He has many Black friends, and his brother is married to a Black woman, Pollard also told the NY Daily News. Nothing in his background makes me think he hates Black people or the LGBTQ people, and he denies that." At a press conference on Saturday, NYPD assistant chief Joe Kenny disputed those claims, instead alleging Popov taunted Sibley and his friend with anti-gay and anti-Black words. As the group began to yell at Mr. Sibley and his friends, they began to call them derogatory names and used homophobic slurs against him, Kenny said at a press conference. They also made anti-Black statements, all while demanding that they simply stop dancing. Witnesses reportedly accused Popov of saying stop dancing here and we are Muslim and get that gay sh*t out of here before the attack turned deadly. Sibley was stabbed late in the evening of Saturday, July 28 at a gas station in Brooklyn. The professional dancer had been with friends voguing to Beyonce when a group of men confronted them. After an escalating verbal dispute, a fight broke out and Popov alleged stabbed Sibley. Security cameras captured the incident on video. Police said Popov stabbed Sibley once in the chest before fleeing the scene. Prosecutors in court on Monday claimed Popov shaved his hair in an attempt to disguise his appearance immediately after the stabbing. He is also alleged to have turned off his phone as well. He surrendered to authorities on Friday and remains in custody. Eleven people were killed when a fire tore through a pair of attached vacation homes hosting people with disabilities in an eastern French town early Wednesday morning. The tragedy rattled French society, which in August usually sees much of the country go on vacation. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and Minister of Solidarity and Families Aurore Berge traveled to the scene of the fire in Wintzenheim, a small town near the German border about 315 miles (500 kilometers) east of Paris, just hours after after the blaze had been contained. Its clearly an terrible tragedy, Borne said. Firefighters were alerted to the blaze kilometers) east of Paris, at 6:33 a.m., according to Philippe Hauwiller, the towns head of rescue operations. First responders arrived to the scene 14 minutes later, where 17 people had already evacuated. Eleven people were still inside. Given the intensity of the flames on their arrival, Hauwiller said it was more than likely that those who hadnt made it out were already dead by the time firefighters were on the scene. The 500 square-meter (5,400 square-foot) facility had been hosting people with disabilities and members of a charitable association with them during the summer holidays, according to the regions deputy prosecutor, Nathalie Kielwasser. The building itself was comprised of two rental homes, one on the ground floor and another on the floor above. Everyone staying on the ground floor managed to escape, while just five of the 16 staying on the first floor got out, Kielwasser told reporters. We dont know exactly why they were trapped by the flames, she said. At least 16 members of the group had been visiting Nancy, a city about 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of Wintzenheim, authorities said. Authorities deployed 76 firefighters, four fire trucks and four ambulances to the blaze. - Sebastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images One official said that those inside the building could not escape from the blaze. - Sebastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images Nathalie Klotz, a Wintzenheim resident, woke up at 7 a.m. to the sound of sirens blaring and people screaming. She told BFMTV that opened her shutters and saw fire trucks, ambulances and big plumes of smoke in the distance. Klotz moved to the garden to get a better look at what was happening. From there she saw the building alight, with flames several meters high burning from the roof. Morgane Buch, who lives next door to the building that went up in flames, awoke early Wednesday to check on her baby. When she looked out of her childs window, she noticed someone standing near her car. The woman told Buch, maam, leave, its burning! Authorities deployed 76 firefighters, four fire trucks and four ambulances, and the blaze was brought under control by 9 a.m., the prefecture said in a statement. Wintzenheim Deputy Mayor Daniel Leroy said all the visitors were adults, believed to be between 27 and 50 years old. The building where they were staying completely destroyed, by the fire, and only the ground floor remained, he said. Authorities do not know what caused the blaze. Kielwasser, the deputy prosecutor, said officials will investigate if the building met all the safety standards to host such a large group of people. President Emmanuel Macron offered condolences to those affected and thanked first responders in a statement. Faced with this tragedy, my thoughts go out to the victims, to the injured, to their loved ones. Thank you to our security forces and our mobilized emergency services. CNNs Maya Szaniecki contributed to this report For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A dog is a mans best friend, or so the saying goes. Furry companions ride with owners practically everywhere from the park, to family vacation and even to run errands. Whether your dog joins car rides in its own designated seat or in your lap as you drive, there are laws in place to ensure a dogs safety in a moving vehicle. Heres what California Highway Patrol told us about state laws for a dog riding in its owners lap while driving. Can dogs legally be in their owners laps while they drive? Officer Ricardo Ortiz, spokesman for CHP, said the California Vehicle Code does not specifically address this issue. It could be argued that a dog or animal riding in the owners lap while they are operating a vehicle can be a hazard, Ortiz said. California Vehicle Code Section 22350 states no person can operate a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or cautious due to visibility that might endanger the safety of persons or property. When a dog is riding in the owners lap while the owner is driving, Ortiz said the animal can present a hazard with its unpredictable movements, behavior, visual obstruction and obstruction of the vehicles controls by the driver. It could be articulated that the safe speed of operating a motor vehicle with an animal in your lap is in fact zero miles per hour, Ortiz said. Ultimately making a case for the driver of that vehicle to be in violation of the basic speed law. Can you receive a citation for driving with your dog in your lap? Ortiz said he personally has cited a violation for distracted driving due to a dog being on their owners lap. Distracted driving is considered anything that diverts a drivers attention from the roadway ahead or the safe operation of the vehicle, Ortiz said. Is it safe for your dog to ride in your lap while driving? The vehicles safety equipment including air bags and seat belts are not designed to function with an animal in the lap of a driver. If a collision were to occur, Ortiz said this can cause a significant hazard to the animal and others in the vehicle. While the vehicle code does not specify safety methods for the transportation of animals within a vehicle, California Vehicle Code Section 23117 does regulate how to secure an animal if it is riding in the back of a vehicle. The section states that No person driving a motor vehicle shall transport any animal in the back of the vehicle in a space intended for any load on the vehicle on a highway unless: The vehicle has side and tail racks to a height of at least 46 inches The vehicle has installed means of preventing the animal from being thrown out The animal is tethered The animal is protected by a secured container or cage, which will prevent them from being thrown, falling or jumping from the vehicle This vehicle code does not apply to the transportation of: Livestock A dog whose owner either owns or is employed by a ranching or farming operation who is traveling in a rural area or who is traveling to and from a livestock auction A dog for purposes associated with ranching or farming 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. On Tuesday, Tennessees Republican Governor Bill Lee managed to infuriate people on both sides of the gun control issue by officially calling the states legislature into special session, a move in response to the massacre in March of six children and adults at Covenant School in Nashville. Gun control advocates and the states few Democratic legislators accuse Lee of breaking promises and betraying Covenant families because his session agenda is primarily mental health and criminal justice; only two of the 18 session topics directly address firearms. Many in Lees own party, which holds a supermajority in the General Assembly, are livid with him for pushing any reform at all. The Republican Party State Executive Committee adopted a resolution last week demanding Lee not even call the session; they fear it will only spark more protest from inside and outside Tennessee and force them to cast some unpopular votes. Another view: Tennessee lawmakers, do your duty and act on public safety in the special session | Plazas Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns. We must stop vilifying bipartisanship Lee is in a lonely place right now. I know. Ive been there. But its also exactly where he needs to be. I urge him to keep traveling no matter the personal or political cost. I believe if he does, he will not only save lives but be part of the solution to one of Americas most corrosive civic problems: vilification of bipartisanship, a cornerstone of our democracy. From left, Sarah Shoop Neumann, Melissa Alexander,Tommie Steinberg, Jennifer Duffey, listen while David Teague speaks during a press conference for Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows, at Cordell Hull State Office Building in Nashville , Tenn., Wednesday, July 19, 2023. I dont know the governor and dont share his party affiliation. Im a lifelong Democrat from Connecticut, a state that is almost as blue as Tennessee is red. But in December 2012, I was the incoming Speaker of the House when a heavily armed killer opened fire on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, killing 20 children and six adults. It remains the deadliest elementary school shooting in US history. Immediately following the massacre, Connecticut residents demanded bipartisan gun control legislation from state lawmakers. In this, they were the same as people across the country then and today. A recent Vanderbilt Unity Poll found 79% of Americans surveyed want their elected officials to work with members of the other political party even if it means compromising some of their values and priorities. Furthermore, 81% of Americans and 75% of Tennesseans support red flag laws to prevent gun violence, according to the Vanderbilt Poll. Another View: Republican lawmakers have nothing to fear from a gun safety special session | Column Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee. How Democrats and Republicans successfully worked together Nevertheless, just as Republican legislators in Tennessee want to ignore the will of the people in 2023, Connecticut Democrats wanted to ignore the will of the people in 2013. With a significant majority in both the state House and Senate, they tried to ram through a bill that made no concessions to Republicans concerns of overreach. They expected me to sign it. But I refused to abandon bipartisanship and no special bill could reach the floor without my signature. Instead, I trusted my Republican friends to negotiate in good faith. For this, I was called a traitor by those who did not agree with me. The weeks following were the loneliest of my career, but well worth it. We ultimately reached a breakthrough that was the most fair to the most number of people. To the majority. Thats the heart of democracy. No one gets everything. Everyone gets something. In our case, the public overwhelmingly supported the legislative changes we enacted. And efforts to strike down our legislation in the courts were denied thanks to a reasoned approach achieved through bipartisan collaboration. The interests of the citizens of Connecticut were advanced. I do not suggest that the challenges facing Governor Lee during the upcoming session, scheduled to open Aug. 21, are the same as the ones we faced in Connecticut. Each state has its own rules governing the passage of new legislation. I do suggest that bipartisanship and compromise are the true work of government and that Lee should do everything he can to break the current win-at-all costs-approach of his party. Another view: Williamson County leaders: Gov. Lee, reconsider special session | Opinion Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee. Resurrect the art of compromise Vanderbilt professor John Geer, who leads the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy and is the architect of the Unity Poll, has said of legislative supermajorities, They are undemocratic; they not only steamroll over the minority, but subvert the will of the majority. Lee, and the handful of Republicans who seem to be willing to work with him, have no shot at breaking the states undemocratic supermajority overnight. They have little choice but to attempt incremental change consistent with the wishes of their constituents. While this approach will win Lee no popularity contests in the legislature, his efforts may prove valuable far beyond any laws ultimately crafted. Because all eyes are on Tennessee right now. Will its supermajority yield, even a bit? Will a red-state governor and legislature give the majority of Tennesseans what they say they want? If they do, will other supermajority states take note and perhaps follow suit? Brendan Sharkey As someone whose life and state were forever changed by gun violence, I hope this happens. There is only one way to end the slaughter of our children. We must come together and in politics, that means coming to the table and resurrecting the dying art of compromise. Brendan Sharkey was Speaker of the House in Connecticut from 2013 to 2017, and now practices law, owns a renewable energy firm and is working on a book about his experiences as Speaker titled Breakthroughs . This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Here's how Tennessee can pass bipartisan legislation on gun violence Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 A group of LGBTQ+ veterans who were kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation filed a federal civil rights suit on Tuesday over the Defense Department's failure to grant them honorable discharges or remove biased language specifying their sexuality from their service records following the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" in 2010. The class action lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of five veterans, claims the Pentagon's failure to correct this "ongoing discrimination" represents a violation of constitutional rights. "Requiring LGBTQ+ veterans to first bear the stigma and discriminatory effects of carrying indicators of sexual orientation on their [discharge papers] and then navigate a broken record correction process to seek resolution violates their constitutional rights to equal protection, informational privacy, property, and due process protected by the Fourteenth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution," the suit says. It's been more than a decade since the military lifted its longstanding ban on gay and lesbian troops. But thousands of those discharged under past discriminatory policies like "don't ask, don't tell" are still carrying less than honorable discharges today, depriving them of the full spectrum of benefits including VA loan programs, college tuition assistance, health care and some jobs. Over the past six months, a CBS News investigation documented the Pentagon's long-running failure to restore honor to the service records of thousands of veterans who were deprived of veterans benefits after their military careers were cut short. The reports documented the way these veterans' often traumatic separation from the military shaped the course of their lives. A Pentagon spokesperson told CBS News the department does not comment on pending litigation, but in an earlier statement said that the military has an existing process consisting of a short two-page application for veterans seeking a change to their discharge. The department said "legal representation is not required to apply for a discharge review" and that the discharge review boards "continue to strive to finalize 90% of all cases within 10 months as required by statute." "Forced to relive the trauma" But the lawsuit, prepared by the Impact Fund, Legal Aid at Work and King and Spalding LLP, lays out what plaintiffs allege is a "constitutionally inadequate" response. "The process places the burden on individual veterans to spend months or years obtaining old personnel records before they can even file the applications that will then take months or years to be processed, on top of the years since their discriminatory discharges," the complaint alleges. "The application process is opaque; many veterans must hire lawyers to assist them. Individual veterans are forced to relive the trauma of their discharge, carrying the burden of proving discrimination to the very institution that discriminated against them." The lawsuit is not seeking monetary damages. Instead, it asks the Defense Department to systematically upgrade these veterans' discharge papers, known as DD-214s, and remove all indicators of sexual orientation, instead of placing the burden on the veteran to apply themselves. A DD-214 is so important to a veteran's post-military life that it comes with a warning: "This is an important record. Safeguard it." Veterans aren't just asked for their DD-214 when accessing their VA benefits, but also when applying for a job, a loan or even an apartment. "Every time they have to show that document they are essentially outed involuntarily," said Jocelyn Larkin, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs. "This case is not about damages," Larkin said. "This case is about simply changing that piece of paper because the effect of changing that piece of paper is so incredibly consequential for our clients." While the full scope of past discrimination against gay and lesbian service members remains unknown, Larkin believes the lawsuit could at least help some 35,000 veterans already identified by a Defense Department Freedom of Information Act request and first reported by CBS News in June. The figures revealed at least 35,000 service members from 1980 to 2011 "received a discharge or separation because of real or perceived homosexuality, homosexual conduct, sexual perversion, or any other related reason." The true figure could be significantly higher. According to the most recent data available from the Pentagon, just 1,375 veterans have been granted relief in the form of a discharge upgrade or correction to their record. "I was willing to serve and die for my country" Sherrill Farrell is one of five plaintiffs from across three service branches bringing the lawsuit. The 62-year-old from McQueeney, Texas, joined the Navy in 1985, following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather who served in the Air Force and Army respectively. Having grown up on military bases all over the world, Farrell saw firsthand the opportunities the military could provide and planned to make a career in the Navy. Sherrill Farrell, one of the five plaintiffs in the suit against the Pentagon over discriminatory discharges. / Credit: CBS News But soon after arriving at her first duty station, Farrell says a casual conversation about gay clubs with a bunkmate landed her in front of Navy investigators. Weeks later she was kicked out and handed her discharge papers, a DD-214. Despite otherwise positive performance reviews, the military discharged her "under other than honorable conditions" due to "homosexuality." "It hurt, because my country's telling me I'm not good enough to serve because of who I love, not because of anything else, just because of who I love," Farrell said. Farrell is hopeful she'll get the discharge she wants, but after 37 years it's as much a part of her story as any honorable discharge she may one day get. "My plan is once they change my discharge, I'm going to frame both of those DD-214s and hang them up because I want the world to know that or the country to know that I was willing to serve and die for my country," Farrell said. "The kids today don't know. The ones that have the benefits, they don't know what some of us went through for them to have these benefits. And it's time for them to know." In a statement to CBS News in February, the Defense Department said it "has conducted several outreach campaigns to inform all veterans who believe they have suffered an error or injustice." The department also referred us to a statement from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the 10th anniversary of "don't ask, don't tell," acknowledging there is "more work to do, particularly as it relates to righting old wrongs." Austin also encouraged those who believe they were unjustly discharged to contact their military department's board for correction of military records or discharge review board. Sneak peek: The "Unsolvable" Murder of Roxanne Wood Ford delaying production goals for electric vehicles Here's how fake electors allegedly tried to change 2020 election results for Trump Lil Tay in the trailer for her show, "Life With Lil Tay." The Zeus Network A statement on Lil Tay's Instagram page says the braggadocious influencer is dead. But her father declined to confirm the news, and no public corroboration has emerged. Lil Tay's ex-manager also told Insider he couldn't "definitively confirm or dismiss" the news. An Instagram post saying 15-year-old internet star Lil Tay had died prompted confusion Wednesday as no other sources publicly came forward to confirm the news. The announcement emerged on the verified Instagram page belonging to Lil Tay, whose real name is Claire Hope. The statement called the internet star's death "sudden and tragic" and "entirely unexpected." It also suggested her brother, Jason Tian, had died as well. The statement didn't give causes of death for either and said the deaths were under investigation. But law-enforcement agencies in Los Angeles and Vancouver, British Columbia two cities where Lil Tay is known to have lived told Insider there were no active death investigations involving Hope. "It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire's sudden and tragic passing," the Instagram message said. "This outcome was entirely unexpected and has left us all in shock. Her brother's passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief. "During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding Claire and her brother's passing are still under investigation." It's unclear who published the message. Lil Tay's mother, Angela Tian, previously told Insider that Jason Tian at one time controlled the Instagram account. In 2019, Insider reported that the star's account was used to level baseless allegations against her father during a bitter custody dispute. When reached for comment, Lil Tay's father, Christopher Hope, told Insider he could not comment on the Instagram post and declined to answer whether his daughter was still alive. Similarly, Harry Tsang, the star's former manager, told Insider that the situation called for "cautious consideration" and that he could not confirm or deny the news. "Given the complexities of the current circumstances, I am at a point where I cannot definitively confirm or dismiss the legitimacy of the statement issued by the family," Tsang told Insider in an emailed statement Wednesday. "This situation calls for cautious consideration and respect for the sensitivities involved. My commitment remains focused on delivering updates that are both reliable and appropriately timed." Neither the police nor the medical examiner in Los Angeles had information on an investigation into the death of anyone named Claire Hope. The Vancouver Police Department also said it had no reports of her death and wasn't investigating the case. Lil Tay grew up in Vancouver. The news of the Instagram post quickly traveled across the internet. Lil Tay became famous in 2017 when she was nine years old for her brash on-screen persona, with curse-laden monologues boasting about mansions, cars, and bundles of cash. In 2018, she disappeared from the internet after a video leaked with a voice behind the camera feeding her lines, which was speculated to be the voice of her brother. A battle then ensued for the future of her career, with her manager Tsang, her father, and her promoter Chris Jones on one side and her mother and her brother on the other. In 2021, Lil Tay's Instagram account became active after years of dormancy when posts, seemingly from her brother, accused their father of physical and emotional abuse and stealing all of Tay's money. Hope denied these allegations with a cease-and-desist order to Instagram at the time. Angela Tian did not immediately respond to a request for comment following Wednesday's Instagram post. Editor's Note: This story was updated to reflect the uncertainty over whether Lil Tay died, and now includes a comment from Lil Tay's former manager. Read the original article on Insider Lil Tay, Rapper And Social Media Star Who Went Viral For Controversial Videos, Dies At 14 | kouji okafuji via Getty Images Claire Hope, the social media personality and rapper known as Lil Tay, died at 14. On Wednesday, her management company confirmed her passing with an Instagram post from her account. It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claires sudden and tragic passing, the post read. We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain. This outcome was entirely unexpected and has left us all in shock. The post revealed that Tays brother had also recently died, though his identity was not confirmed. Her brothers passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief, the Instagram post continued. It concluded by asking fans for privacy as the family grieves. During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding Claire and her brothers passing are still under investigation, it read. Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her. The Canadian pre-teen rose to stardom in 2017 at the age of 9. Her association with trending rappers, social media antics and crowning herself the youngest flexer of the century helped her gain over 3 million followers. Her shock value included videos with massive amounts of cash and kicking a dent in the side of a $200,000 luxury car to prove shed bought it rather than renting it despite being too young to drive. In 2018, her brash online persona went too far when her content often showed her using controversial language and slurs such as the N-word. According to the New York Post, she issued a public apology for her use of derogatory language, saying: I really apologize to everyone I offendedIm not racist at all, during an episode of her short-lived reality series Life with Tay, which streamed on the Zeus Network. Her last Instagram post was in June 2018. Variety stated the teens disappearance from the public eye was possible due to a custody battle between her parents. A suspicious Instagram Story with the words help me launched speculations about her family situation and safety. Tays Instagram was wiped clean until months later when a series of abuse allegations against her father, Christopher Hope, was reportedly posted to her page. The post insinuated her father had court-ordered the teen to return to Canada to profit from her. In a 2018 interview with The Daily Beast, her lawyer claimed the allegations were fabricated. The outlet followed up with the young teen to get her story. The influencer and her mother, Angela Tian, refrained from divulging too much information. Right now Im in a bad situation and I dont want to talk about these things, she said at the time. The family drama was quiet until 2021 when Tays older brother, Jason Tian, posted a GoFundMe campaign seeking $19,000. He claimed the young girl needed financial support in court to combat her abusive and absentee father. At the time of publishing, there were no details regarding how Lil Tay or her brother died. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has won Tuesdays Republican primary election over two lesser-known challengers. The Associated Press called the race about 8:15 p.m. Reeves will advance to the November general election where he will face off with Democrat Brandon Presley, who won the Democratic primary because he was unopposed. Reeves defeated two first-time candidates: John Witcher, a physician who has criticized COVID-19 vaccinations, and David Hardigree, a military veteran. Presley, a cousin of rock n roll icon Elvis Presley, ran unopposed. If you want to keep up with vote totals from key statewide races, check out this live interactive map from the New York Times. The NYT will be updating their map with election results throughout the night Tuesday. State and House races to watch Lieutenant Governor: Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann is seeking another four years and is facing two Republican challengers, most notably Chris McDaniel of Jones County who is hosting a watch party in Biloxi. Live updates: See results in the 2023 Mississippi Coast primary election House races: In District 111, which covers Pascagoula and other parts of Jackson County, Rep. Charles Busby is running uncontested for transportation commissioner. Three Republicans are running for his seat. In District 115, which covers Biloxi and parts of DIberville, Randall Patterson is retiring. Three Republican challengers are vying for the seat. Attorney general Republican incumbent Lynn Fitch and Democratic challenger Greta Kemp Martin won their party primaries after running unopposed. Fitch was first elected attorney general in 2019 after two terms as state treasurer. Under Fitch, the state attorney generals office argued the case that the U.S. Supreme Court used in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion rights nationwide. Kemp Martin is an attorney for Disability Rights Mississippi. She says Fitch was wrong to push the case that overturned Roe v. Wade, and women are worse off because Mississippi and some other states have restricted womens access to healthcare. Secretary of State Republican incumbent Michael Watson and Democratic challenger Shuwaski Young won their party primaries after running unopposed. Watson was elected secretary of state in 2019 after three terms in the state Senate. He says his office is working to build confidence in Mississippis election process. That has included backing a law to strengthen proof of citizenship requirements for voting and shoring up paper trails for voting machines. If re-elected, Watson says he will conduct post-election audits in all 82 counties. Young worked in the Department of Homeland Security during Barack Obamas presidency and in the Secretary of States Office under Democrat Eric Clark and Republican Delbert Hosemann. Young launched his campaign for secretary of state after running unsuccessfully for Mississippis 3rd District congressional seat in 2022. Young wants to expand early voting and allow online voter registration. He also pledged to work with Republicans to monitor the states voter rolls. Treasurer Republican incumbent David McRae and Democratic challenger Addie Green won their party primaries after running unopposed. McRae was first elected treasurer in 2019 after running unsuccessfully for the office in 2015. He says he opposes screening investments based on corporations environmental, social and governance strategies. Green is a former Bolton alderwoman and has run unsuccessfully for other offices, including treasurer in 2019 and state agriculture commissioner in 2015. She says Mississippi should set a $15-an-hour minimum wage, up from the $7.25 federal minimum. Auditor Republican incumbent Shad White and Democratic challenger Larry Bradford won their party primaries after running unopposed. White was appointed by then-Gov. Phil Bryant in 2018 and was elected to a full term in 2019. Whites office investigated the misspending of $77 million of federal welfare funds that were diverted to allies of Bryant. The Republican former governor has not been charged with a crime. Bradford, a former mayor of Anguilla, says he would focus on protecting public money and would not get distracted by hot-button social issues. He criticizes White for attacking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives at public universities. Insurance Commissioner Incumbent Mike Chaney has defeated Mitch Young in the Republican primary. In the general election, he will face Bruce Burton, who won the Democratic primary after running unopposed. Chaney was elected insurance commissioner in 2007 after serving in the state House and Senate. He says he has focused on making insurance more affordable, and he has touted efforts to investigate complaints and help residents recover from natural disasters. Young, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2015, served in the U.S. Navy from 1979 to 1999. He said Mississippis insurance industry needs to be better regulated so it can avoid the problems that have beset disaster-prone states like Florida. Burton is a Belzoni-based attorney. He has run unsuccessfully for other offices, most recently in 2022 for a judgeship on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Agriculture Commissioner Republican Andy Gipson, a former state representative who has been agriculture commissioner since 2018, won the Republican primary after running unopposed. Former Gov. Phil Bryant first appointed him to the vacant job. Gipson was then elected agriculture commissioner in 2019. Three candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination: Robert Brad Bradford, Bethany Hill and Terry Rogers. Bradford is the emergency manager director in Adams County. Hes a military veteran and a fourth-generation farmer from the Mississippi Delta. Hill grew up on a farm in north Mississippi, and she publicly supported the effort to legalize medical marijuana in the state. Rogers, 19, is the youngest candidate in the race. He says he supports having a Future Farmers of America chapter in each high school to encourage young people to consider agriculture jobs. The Associated Press contributed to this report Mississippi Coast voters chose sheriffs in all three counties and sent other races to runoffs during 2023 primary elections on Tuesday. Most races were on the Republican ticket, which means voters chose winners on Tuesday for races that did not result in runoffs and that have no challengers in the November general election. Here are the headlines from Tuesday night. See election results in Mississippi Coast counties Tate Reeves wins GOP primary for governor Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has won Tuesdays Republican primary election over two lesser-known challengers. The Associated Press called the race about 8:15 p.m. Reeves will advance to the November general election where he will face off with Democrat Brandon Presley, who won the Democratic primary because he was unopposed. Blake Kaplan, 8:30 p.m. Heres more. Delbert Hosemann wins GOP primary for lieutenant governor Incumbent Delbert Hosemann has won the Mississippi primary race for lieutenant governor, beating out Chris McDaniel and Tiffany Longino, the New York Times has called. Blake Kaplan, 11:45 p.m. Matt Haley wins Harrison County sheriffs race Matt Haley wins the Harrison County sheriffs race with 53% of the vote. Mary Perez, 9:20 p.m. Haley defeated long-time deputy Louis Elias. Haley took an early lead but the race grew tight about halfway through the night and the two candidates were separated by just 12 votes around 8:30 p.m. Haley maintained his lead and faces no Democratic challenger. Heres everything to know about the races called in Harrison County. Read more about Haley and Elias here. Sheriff Ricky Adam wins in Hancock County Sheriff Ricky Adam reclaims his seat as Hancock County sheriff. Justin Mitchell, 9:27 p.m. He defeated a field of three Republican challengers. With no Democratic challenger, Adam will once again serve as sheriff of Hancock County. Heres everything to know about the races called in Hancock County. Read more about Adam here. Sheriff John Ledbetter wins in Jackson County John Ledbetter wins the Jackson County Sheriffs race with 65% of the vote. Allen Frazier, 10:54 p.m. Ledbetter was named interim sheriff after former sheriff Cong. Mike Ezell retired in January. Ledbetter led the race throughout the night and defeated three Republican contenders. He will not face a Democratic challenger. Read more about Ledbetter here. Hancock County Chancery Clerks race heads to runoff There will be a runoff in the Chancery Clerks race between Tiffany Lee Cowman and Kodie Koennen. Justin Mitchell, 9:27 p.m. Earlier Tuesday night, Cowman took some districts in Diamondhead, which were expected to be a stronghold for Kodie Koennen, a former Diamondhead councilman. The runoff will take place Aug. 29. The winner of that primary will face Democrat Henry Ward in the November general election. Read more about Cowman and Koennen here. Dan Cuevas beats incumbent Beverly Martin for Harrison County District 1 Supervisor Dan Cuevas pulls an upset, beating incumbent supervisor Beverly Martin in Harrison County District 1. Cuevas won 1,795 votes to Martins 1,630. Mary Perez, 9:21 p.m. Incumbent Supervisor Beverly Martin took a small and early lead about 8:30 p.m. But just after 9 p.m., Cuevas had pulled ahead. There are no Democratic challengers, so Cuevas win decides the supervisors race. Other supervisor races called in Harrison County Other winners in the Harrison County Supervisor races are Rebecca Powers in District 2, Kent Jones in District 4 and Nathan Barrett in District 5. Mary Perez, 9:28 p.m. All three led their races throughout Tuesday night. For the full list of Harrison County candidates, read more here. Races called in Jackson County In the results for the Supervisor District 2 race, Incumbent Ennis Morris has 925 votes. Felix Fefe Fornett had 553 votes and Mitch Ellerby had 465. Allen Frazier, 10:52 p.m. Here are other results from Jackson County: K. Shane Langfitt wins Constable District 3 with 57% of the vote. Allen Frazier, 11 p.m. Jason Thornton wins Justice Court District 3 with 60% of the vote. Allen Frazier, 10:58 p.m. Randy Bosage wins race for Board of Supervisors District 5 with 55% of the vote. Allen Frazier, 10:56 p.m. For the full list of Jackson County candidates, read more here. Heres how the night played out in Hancock County The second precinct has been counted in Hancock County, with Ricky Adam continuing his lead in the sheriffs race and Tiffany Lee Cowman advancing slightly ahead of Bradford in the Chancery Clerk race. There are still several precinct boxes to count. Justin Mitchell, 8:15 p.m. The first precinct, Waveland west, has been called in Hancock County and Ricky Adam is leads his competitors in the sheriffs race. The chancery clerks race is neck and neck, with Jordan Bradford receiving 151 votes and Tiffany Lee Cowman garnering 147 out of 484 total votes. Justin Mitchell, 8:05 p.m. Boxes have started to arrive at the Hancock County courthouse in downtown Bay St. Louis. Dozens are inside waiting for the count to start. Supporters of Sheriff Ricky Adam are gathered on the lawn outside waiting for results. Justin Mitchell, 7:40 p.m. For the full list of Hancock County candidates, read more here. Hosemann leads in Lieutenant Governors race Live updates: Reeves, Presley win primaries for governor, plus more MS election results Over half the states votes are in, and incumbent Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has taken the lead against challenger Chris McDaniel, who is having an election night party in Biloxi. Hosemann has about 53 percent of the vote so far, with McDaniel getting about 42 percent. McDaniel had a lead earlier in the night, but it did not hold up for long. Blake Kaplan, 9:29 p.m. House races: Jimmy Fondren won District 111, which covers Pascagoula and other parts of Jackson County, with 70% of the vote. District 115, which covers Biloxi and parts of DIberville, will head to a runoff between Zachary Grady and Felix Gines. Grady has 47% of the vote over Gines, a Biloxi councilman, but did not get the needed 50%. When will remaining races be called? Votes will be counted into Tuesday night. Races with three or more candidates will be decided if any candidate gains more than 50% of the vote Tuesday night. Undecided races will head to an Aug. 29 runoff between the top two candidates. Military personnel will be receiving discounts on their automobile liability insurance premium for 2023-2024, thanks to the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI). According to the LDI, all Active-Duty Military servicemembers, Louisiana Air National Guard and Louisiana Army National Guard personnel should receive a discount of twenty-five (25%) percent of the premium for automobile liability coverage. This discount is defined in La. R.S. 22:1266. Commissioner of Insurance, James Donelon said, After having served for 33 years in the Louisiana Army National Guard, Ive seen many of the challenges members of the military face when they are deployed. There are several protections in place to help make it easier for veterans to deploy and establish a career upon returning home. We are pleased to do our part to help provide relief on auto insurance rates for those who are serving our country. More: Commissioner Jim Donelon visits Shreveport to discuss the insurance crisis Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: What to know about about the new Louisiana military insurance discount At the end of May 2023, he was detained near Siversk, Bakhmut district A terrorist of the Russian-controlled Luhansk puppet authority, or Luhansk Peoples Republic (LPR), has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, the Office of Ukraines Prosecutor General reported on Facebook on Aug. 9. The convicted man had been engaged in mining Ukrainian military positions in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the office said. He was detained near the town of Siversk in the Bakhmut area in late May 2023. At trial, he was found guilty of encroachment on Ukraines territorial integrity and inviolability, and membership of an illegal organization. Read also: Ex-Olenivka prison camp warden charged for torturing POWs by SBU The resident of the village of Vrubivske in Luhansk Oblast joined the 2nd Army Corps of the LPRs Peoples Militia in November 2019, the prosecutors said. He became a communications officer and during his service, the perpetrator guarded a military unit, maintained combat vehicles, and carried out orders to strengthen the LPRs defense. In September 2021, he was appointed a sapper of a separate engineering and sapper company of the 2nd Army Corps of the LPRs Peoples Militia. Read also: Russian occupiers tortured dozens of Ukrainian women in Kherson prison 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 Five hundred jobs are at risk in Lurgan as a refrigerated transport company has been earmarked for closure. Morgan McLernon is a subsidiary of English-based Culina Group. Culina Group issued a statement confirming a proposal to shutter the business. A spokesperson said: "A period of meaningful consultation has now been entered into with those colleagues affected." Morgan McLernon's website stated the company has more than 140 vehicles and has been in operation for over 50 years. Its clients include Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Asda and Aldi. In 2017, Culina Group bought a majority share in Morgan McLernon, making the Lurgan business the largest haulage operation in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. 'Devastating news' Sinn Fein MLA John O'Dowd expressed concern at the development. "This announcement will be devastating news for the workers at the company and for the local economy," the representative for Upper Bann said. "It should not be lost on anyone that the company has pinned much of the blame for this announcement on the Brexit fallout," he said. Mr O'Dowd said that in the absence of an executive, he would be contacting the Permanent secretary at the Department of Economy, asking what they can do to support the company and its workers. The Democratic Unionist Party MP for the area, Carla Lockhart, also reacted to the news, describing the company as a "major employer" in her constituency. "I have been shown the letter from management to workers which explains that, despite their best efforts, this decision has become unavoidable because of the negative implications of Brexit in Northern Ireland which are of course defined by the difficulties arising from the imposition of a border down the Irish Sea." CHICAGO The personal data of about 2,000 Lurie Childrens Surgical Foundation patients was leaked earlier this year following a security breach in the foundations billing software. Patients affected by the breach saw their Social Security numbers leaked to a still-unknown party, along with their names, dates of birth and addresses. The breach took place between March 29 and April 14 of this year, and affected patients found out on April 28, according to a Tuesday news release from Lurie Childrens Hospital. Lurie Childrens Surgical Foundation is a nonprofit associated with Lurie Childrens Hospital. The group raises money for secondary surgical procedures Lurie patients may need including cardiac surgery, fetal surgery and transplant surgery so that specialized care can be provided regardless of patients ability to pay. NextGen Healthcare, the company contracted to run the foundations billing software, does not know who it was that accessed the confidential data, though a forensic investigation is underway. NextGen does not believe that patients actual medical records were accessed in the breach, according to the news release. The company will work with credit monitoring company Experian to offer two years worth of free consulting services related to fraud and identity theft to the 1,997 impacted patients. Lurie Childrens Hospital declined to comment further on the breach and its lasting effects. In a story that sounds too made up to be true comes the origin of the M1 carbine. A predecessor to todays M4, the M1 was the first military rifle to host the floating chamber and short-stroke piston, both of which are mainstays in modern firearms. Using high-pressure gas to operate semi-automatic guns, this new technology changed the way guns as we know them exist. But whats even more impressive about the tech is that it was created by a convicted murdererwhile he was incarcerated. David Marshall Carbine Williams, was convicted of murdering Deputy Sheriff Alfred Jackson Pate, who was attempting to seize Williamss distillery. In 1921, prohibition was in full swing, and Williams went guns blazing at Pate and other deputies, attempting to put him out of business. After being hit with two bullets, Pate died and Williams was arrested for his murder in Godwin, North Carolina. Just four months later, he was charged with 30 years of hard labor and sent to the Caledonia State Prison Farm in Halifax County, North Carolina. Wiliams demonstrating some of his M1 carbine technologies. (Public domain) Soon into Williamss sentence, it was noted that he had a natural affinity for machinery, especially guns. He was given access to the on-site machine shop, where Williams would build his own tools and service guns of the prisons guards. During this time, Williams conceived the idea of self-loading firearms. He is said to stay up late each night, writing possible solutions and drawing blueprints for different types of guns. And while Williamss mother got him in touch with different patent lawyers, he was unable to obtain legal protection for his ideas while imprisoned. Behind bars, Williams engineered and created four semi-automatic rifles, using high-pressure gas as a source of power. By creating the floating chamber/short-stroke gas piston, he made headlines with his guns. Today, a display with these models and Williamss process sits in the North Carolina Museum of History. Due to his success in machinery, Williamss family decided he would be more help to the world outside of prison, rather than in it. They began asking for his sentence to be shortened. They soon got his arresting sheriff, and the widow of Pate to join their cause. In 1927, just six years after he was put in prison, they submitted a formal commute request to the governor of North Carolina. M1 carbine creator "Carbine" Williams in a late-life interview. (Public domain) While records show that the governor shorted his sentence to 10-20 years, Williams was released in 1929, just shy of eight years of his sentence. He was able to file for and obtain multiple patents for his unique gun designs and features. He went on to work for major gun companies, including Colt, Remington, and Winchester, as well as working with the U.S. Department of War. President Joe Biden speaks at the Arcosa Wind Towers, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, in Belen, N.M. Biden is making the case that his policies of financial and tax incentives have revived U.S. manufacturing. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) WASHINGTON (AP) The nation's most prominent gun safety groups are joining together to back President Joe Biden in 2024, an early endorsement that underscores Biden's grip on key Democratic coalitions as the party seizes on gun policy as a politically advantageous issue ahead of his reelection campaign. The endorsement represented the first time the groups have jointly announced support for a presidential candidate. The groups include Brady and its youth-led arm, Team Enough; Community Justice Action Fund; Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action; and Giffords. It also follows similar joint endorsements from abortion rights groups, labor unions and climate organizations a strategy meant to demonstrate Biden's strength among various party constituencies as he faces nominal primary challengers and skepticism from many Democratic voters over whether he should run for a second term. In their endorsement, the groups pointed to the Biden administration's record in establishing policies meant to reduce gun violence most notably a bipartisan law enacted last year that marked the most comprehensive effort to restrict access to firearms in three decades. President Biden and Vice President Harris are leading the strongest gun-sense administration in American history, a title they have earned by doing everything in their power to protect our families and communities, said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action. In all, the groups represent 15 million members. The endorsement also comes as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at an Everytown event in Chicago on Friday. Officials said the endorsement allows them to make an early and frequent contrast with Republican presidential hopefuls who are seeking to loosen gun laws at a time when gun violence is on the rise in the U.S., while mobilizing voters critical to Biden's re-election strategy, such as suburban women, voters of color and younger voters. Bidens rhetoric has grown ever stronger around guns, including routinely calling for banning so-called assault weapons, political term to describe guns most often used in mass shootings with the capacity to kill a lot of people quickly. And he pushes a platform restricting guns that was all but politically unthinkable for Democrats as recently as Barack Obamas term. We have taken the politics of yore and turned them on their head," said Peter Ambler, the executive director of Giffords. "It is now a scarlet letter, not a badge of honor, to have the NRA endorsement." Ambler also added that Biden is not just the beneficiary of a shifting politics on this issue, he is one of the people that shaped the politics of this issue through his decades of service in the Senate. Indeed, Biden has a lengthy and often personal history with the various gun groups. In its endorsement, Brady noted that the organization worked alongside Biden in 1994, when he was a senator, to pass a federal ban on certain high-powered firearms. Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., who was nearly killed in a mass shooting in 2011 and the namesake of one of the groups that endorsed Biden, has spoken about the support from the then-vice president as she recovered from her injuries. His aides say Biden has long understood that calling for tougher gun laws resonates with Americans, particularly after meeting with countless survivors and family members of gun violence victims, which has emboldened him to speak frequently about the topic. I think one of the things thats most exciting about being president is that you can help change the conversation and change the narrative by being willing to go out there and speak boldly about an issue, said White House staff secretary Stefanie Feldman, who previously worked at the Domestic Policy Council. And he has done that since day one of his administration, even back on the campaign in 2020. In separate endorsements, Giffords, Everytown and Brady threw their support behind Biden in March 2020 a time when the former vice president was campaigning to lock up the Democratic nomination against independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Community Justice Action Fund did not endorse in 2020. With their very first executive action on public safety, President Biden and Vice President Harris made historic investments in community violence intervention, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to treating gun violence as the public health emergency that it is, and taking the most significant strides toward ending this crisis in decades, said Greg Jackson, executive director of Community Justice Action Fund. Just over half of voters want to see nationwide gun policy made more strict, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 94,000 voters nationwide conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago. And there are clear partisan divides. About 9 in 10 Democrats want stricter gun laws, compared with about 3 in 10 Republicans. In addition to last year's bipartisan law, Biden issued an executive order that cracked down on ghost guns, homemade firearms that lack serial numbers used to trace them and are often purchased without a background check. Hes also moving to tighten regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces like one used in a Boulder, Colorado shooting that left 10 dead. And last month, he announced another order that aimed to stiffen background checks to buy guns, promote more secure firearms storage and ensuring law enforcement agencies get more out of the bipartisan law enacted last summer. President Biden and Vice President Harriss unflinching commitment to ending gun violence has been evident from Day One, said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. Julie Chavez Rodriguez, campaign manager for Biden's reelection, said Biden and Harris were humbled to receive the endorsement and added that the work is far from over, as MAGA Republicans in Congress continue to side with the NRA and stonewall common-sense legislation that would save American lives. Most Americans across party lines say they are concerned about rapidly developing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, according to a poll released Wednesday. In a survey of 1,001 registered voters in the United States, 62 percent of respondents said they were mostly or somewhat concerned about growth in AI, 21 percent said they were mostly or somewhat excited about it and 16 percent said they were totally neutral. Voters affiliated with both political parties said they thought AI could eventually pose a threat to the existence of the human race 76 percent of all respondents, including 75 percent of Democrats and 78 percent of Republicans. Seventy-two percent of voters surveyed also said they preferred slowing down the development of AI. Survey results also showed broad policy consensus in favor of regulating the AI industry. The vast majority of respondents, 82 percent, said they dont trust tech company executives to self-regulate, and 56 percent of voters said they would support having a federal agency regulate the use of AI compared to 14 percent who would oppose a federal agency and 30 percent who were unsure. The survey, conducted by YouGov, was the first poll commissioned by Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute (AIPI), a think tank aimed at measuring public opinion on AI and providing policy expertise and analysis on the issue. The data is clear Americans are wary about the next stages of AI and want policymakers to step in to develop it responsibly, AIPI Executive Director Daniel Colson said in the press release. At a time when nearly every issue is polarized, theres a broad consensus among Americans that policymakers need to decide what path AI development should take, Colson continued. In the coming years, AI will become increasingly pervasive, transforming various aspects of our daily lives. As a result, the country is in need of an organization to provide the general public and policymakers with polling, information, and research that will play a key part in regulating the technology. The poll comes at a time when Congress continues to weigh the best approach to regulating the rapidly developing industry. While many AI executives have asked for lawmakers help in providing guardrails on the industry, some have expressed concern that Congress does not have the necessary expertise to enforce appropriate regulations. The poll was conducted online from July 18-21. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. FILE PHOTO: Dairy cows eat grass in a paddock on the New South Wales south coast near the town of Nowra SYDNEY (Reuters) - Malaysia has temporarily suspended live cattle and buffalo imports from Australia, the Australian government said, days after Indonesia paused some imports after lumpy skin disease (LSD) was detected in a small number of cattle after arrival. Australia was urgently engaging with its Malaysian counterparts to lift the curbs while confirming the country remained free from the disease, Australia's chief veterinary officer, Mark Schipp, said on Wednesday. "We understand this decision was based on Indonesia's advice that they will not accept cattle from four specific export establishments following detection of LSD in exported Australian cattle after they had arrived and spent time in Indonesia," Schipp said in a statement. Indonesia, the largest market for Australian live cattle exports, last week placed some restrictions even as officials sought to allay fears by conducting rapid diagnostic testing. Schipp said his department was working to finalise the investigation into the health status of the impacted cattle. Australia is free of LSD and cattle exports to Indonesia continue from other facilities. LSD, which causes blisters and reduces milk production, is a highly infectious viral disease affecting cattle and buffalo that is transmitted by insect bites. It poses no risk to humans. Australia did not specify the number of shipments that will be impacted by Malaysia's decision. (Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Matthew Lewis) A South Carolina circuit court judge has approved a multi-million wrongful death settlement in the Richard Alex Murdaugh crime saga, and a portion of that hefty insurance payout will go to help animals in need in Mallory Beachs hometown of Hampton County. Mallory Beach died Feb. 24, 2019, in a highly publicized Beaufort County boat crash that helped expose the Murdaugh crime saga and led to two hotly contested lawsuits against multiple parties, including Murdaugh and Gregory M. Parker and his Parkers Corporation convenience store chain. While Parker personally refused to buckle, his insurance carriers did, and on July 27, Judge Daniel Hall signed an order approving roughly $18 million in total insurance settlement payouts to boat crash survivors, including $15 million to the family and estate of Beach. As part of that order, $130,000 of the legal fees owned to Beach family attorney Mark Tinsley and other attorneys involved will go to Mals Palz, a nonprofit founded in Beachs memory to raise money for improvements to, or the construction of, a new animal shelter in Hampton County. "We were so moved by how the Beach family has dealt with everything they have been through, we wanted to make sure Mal's Palz is able to succeed," said Tinsley. "We hope others will follow us and help, too." In addition to this donation, a 2021 GLS450 Mercedes owned by the Murdaugh family will be sold, with the proceeds also donated to Mals Palz. Where is the $15 million Beach settlement money coming from? According to court documents, Gregory M. Parker, Inc. d/b/a Parker's Corporation had three layers of insurance, which each contributed to the payout: Utica National Insurance Group with a policy limit of $1,000,000; Evanston Insurance Company with a policy limit of $10,000,000; Startstone Specialty Insurance Company with a policy limit of $10,000,000. One of the parties involved in the lawsuit was the Estate of Margaret Kennedy Branstetter Murdaugh. Margaret Maggie Murdaugh, who was murdered in June 2021, was named in the 2019 wrongful death suit over allegations that she and Alex Murdaugh knowingly allowed and condoned the drinking and reckless behavior of their late son, Paul, who was charged in the fatal boat crash but was also murdered before he could stand trial. This photo ran with the obituary announcing the deaths of Maggie Murdaugh and her youngest son, Paul. As part of this settlement, the estate of Maggie Murdaugh made an offer of $517,892.03 plus Maggies 2021 GLS450 Mercedes to compromise and settle any potential disputed claims. The total settlement amount to the Beach family and estate was $15,517,892.03 plus the sales proceeds from the Mercedes received from the estate. In addition, much smaller settlement payouts were approved to the other boat crash survivors, who had filed separate personal injury lawsuits. How will the Beach wrongful death settlement be distributed? Renee Beach, the mother of Mallory Beach and the Personal Representative of her estate, was represented by Mark B. Tinsley of Gooding & Gooding, P.A., Roberts "Tabor" Vaux, Jr. of Vaux Marscher Berglind, P.A., and John S. Nichols of Bluestein Thompson Sullivan, LLC. Per agreements, these attorneys will receive one third of the gross recovery, plus any additional costs. The legal fee portion totals $5,172,630.68, to be broken down as follows: Mals Palz charity - $130,000 Gooding & Gooding, P.A. - $3,591,973.01 Vaux Marscher Berglind, P.A. - $1,200,657.67 Bluestein Thompson Sullivan, LLC - $250,000.00 9. The legal expenses for all law firms total $147,926.85. The Beach family and estate will receive the balance after legal fees and legal costs. Beach family attorney Mark Tinsley, standing, argues his case as the Parker's defense table, at right, look on. Is that the end of the Mallory Beach civil suits? It was clearly noted on the judges order of approval that these settlements do not end the wrongful death case. Murdaugh himself has not settled the case, as court-appointed receivers continue to hold and control his assets while he is facing roughly a dozen lawsuits and ongoing criminal charges. A related 2019 personal injury lawsuit filed by Beach against Parkers, alleging harassment and civil conspiracy after the filing of the original wrongful death suit, remains ongoing. In fact, a July 20 court filing reports that attempted mediation and alternate dispute resolution in that case has failed, and the two parties are at an impasse. The case has not been scheduled for trial yet, however. Follow Michael DeWitt's reporting as The Hampton County Guardian/Greenville News and the USA Today Network continue to follow cases related to the Murdaugh crime saga. Follow DeWitt on Facebook and on Twitter at @mmdewittjr for the latest updates. This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Lawyer Tinsley to donate portion of Beach death settlement to Mals Palz The News A Utah man under investigation for allegedly making credible threats against U.S. President Joe Biden was shot and killed during an FBI raid Wednesday, ABC News reported. Officials began investigating the man in April, and the Secret Service was notified in June. The man was said to have made threatening online posts and suggested he was planning to take physical action against Biden and others, according to ABC. The threats had been deemed credible, leading the FBI to execute an arrest and search warrant at the mans home in Provo, Utah, early Wednesday. The FBI told ABC that the incident is under investigation. Know More According to an FBI criminal complaint, a copy of which was provided to Semafor, the man had made a series of posts over several months about wanting to kill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, and two New York-based prosecutors investigating Trump: Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. On Aug. 6, three days before Biden was set to visit to Utah, the suspect wrote that he would dust off his sniper rifle and get out his ghillie suit a type of camouflage clothing designed to look like grass. I therefore believe this is [a] knowing and willful true threat to kill or cause injury to President Biden using an M24 sniper rifle while being concealed by a ghillie suit during President Bidens visit to Utah, an FBI agent wrote in the complaint. Last September, he posted online: Hey Merrick Garland, you Demented Weasel, Send your FBI Swat Team to my house. Im a MAGA TRUMPER. You wont because I fight back against cowards!!! FBI agents visited the man at his home in March after a social media platform tipped off authorities. After the visit, he allegedly made a series of posts threatening the agents if they visited again. A man has been arrested in connection to a deadly shooting that took place at Glendale park last Wednesday afternoon. The man was identified as 54-year-old Eron Corrales, known by the moniker of Diablo. The shooting happened at about 4 p.m. at Bonsall Park South, near West Bethany Home Road and North 59th Avenue, and left an unidentified 53-year-old man dead. The arrest came after an investigation by Glendale police and extensive interviews with witnesses, surveillance cameras and evidence gathered at the scene. According to court documents, police saw people running away from the park last week and responded. As officers arrived, they found a victim lying on the ground. Firefighters arrived at the park and pronounced the man dead. The victim had three gunshot wounds on his right torso, right shoulder and head. Arrest made: Glendale police arrest man in connection with fatal shooting at park Several people reported only hearing gunshots before running away. Police said one witness did report seeing the suspect approach the victim, who was lying under a tree, talking to him, and then shooting. According to court documents, there were reports of the victim telling the suspect to stop selling drugs at the park. That same witness also reported seeing the suspect running to the parking lot and fleeing in a car. Police said another witness identified Corrales by his moniker name of Diablo and described him as a bald Hispanic man. Police said they used surveillance cameras near the parking lot and around the city to track and identify the car that the suspect used to flee. It was described as a blue, four-door Volkswagen. Another surveillance camera saw that the car had a license plate from California, with the driver matching the description of Corrales, police said. The car was tracked back to Enterprise Car Rentals. Court documents report that Corrales used the car as an insurance replacement car from June 28 to Aug. 5. Police asked witnesses to identify Corrales from a photo lineup, with one witness identifying him as the shooter at the park, police said. 3 arrested: 4 shot near Glendale hotel at Westgate Police were then able to find the Volkswagen car parked at a house registered under Corrales name. While under police surveillance, Corrales conducted a drug deal with a man at a bus stop on West Bethany Home Road, police said. Officers talked to the man and said they learned Corrales was selling dollar pills. Court documents show these pills were identified as fentanyl. Afterward, Corrales returned to his home and left again in the blue Volkswagen. Police then conducted a traffic stop related to the suspected drug deal and arrested Corrales. Police, with a search warrant, said they found two guns inside a backpack in the blue Volkswagen. The backpack also had 300 grams of fentanyl, multiple scales and money, police said. Police said they searched inside his house and found ammunition similar to the ones found at the scene of the homicide. Corrales was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of weapons possession and another count of drug possession for sale. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man arrested in connection to deadly shooting at Glendale park A Harrisburg man is in the Butler County Jail after police say he assaulted a nurse in an attempt to go to jail. Imoan Hudson, 26, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment for allegedly striking a nurse at Butler Memorial Hospital on Saturday. The nurse told officers Hudson, who earlier called 911 and said he was on house arrest with an ankle monitor and wanted to go back to jail, approached the nurses station and said he was having a panic attack. When the nurse asked him for his finger to get a reading, he allegedly punched her on her cheek and shoulder, according to the complaint. The nurse told officers that Hudson kept saying he wanted to go back to jail and she believes he punched her so he could. Hudson is currently in the Butler County Jail. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 24. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: $1 million-winning Mega Millions ticket sold in Lawrence County Woman takes Lyft hundreds of miles, fires gun where child lives with foster family, police say Woman mowing lawn gets hit with snake dropped by hawk; then the hawk attacked VIDEO: Postal worker robbed of master key in Pittsburgh DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts When Kevin Tome gets ready for the day, its still dark outside. Thats why the 53-year-old Pennsylvania dad didnt notice he had put his shirt on inside-out before leaving home. And it wasnt until he bought a Match 6 lottery ticket that he realized his mistake, according to an Aug. 8 news release from the Pennsylvania Lottery. When I bought the ticket, the lady at the counter said, You know your shirt is on the wrong way, Tome recalled to Pennsylvania Lottery officials. And while he didnt know it at the time, that inside-out shirt might have been his lucky charm, according to the release. He had won big during the June 20 evening drawing but he didnt learn about his life-changing news until after a co-worker asked him a question the next day. My co-worker asked me, Dont you play Match 6? I said, Yes, I do, Tome told lottery officials. He said, Well there was a winning ticket sold in Youngsville, you may want to check your ticket. Tome waited until his lunch break, then he headed to his car to check his ticket, according to the release. My numbers matched! I was shaking! Tome recalled. It appeared he had won the $1.86 million Match 6 jackpot. But he wasnt sure if he could believe his eyes. I asked my co-worker to look at the ticket and he said, Holy cow you won! Tome told lottery officials. I told my boss I had to leave and went home to tell my wife. She started screaming! Now, Tome thinks his shirt mishap turned out to be good luck, according to the release. Advice I have for other players out there is you have to play to win, and wear your shirt inside out, it might be your lucky charm, he said. Tome plans to use some of his winnings to buy a new car and help his two daughters with college tuition, officials said. The winning ticket was sold at Brokenstraw Beverage Inc. in Youngsville, about 140 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families. If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website. Lottery player thought ticket was a bust then she scratched off the last lines Firefighter feels excitement in the air after lottery win. Then comes disappointment Mom wins big Powerball prize in Missouri but her son thought it was a prank BEAVER A man found guilty of raping children from two area communities was sentenced Tuesday afternoon to decades in prison. According to online Beaver County Court records, Eduardo Aviles, 37, was sentenced to 56 to 112 years in prison for the rape of two 5-year-old victims residing in Beaver and Lawrence counties. According to investigators, Aviles raped and sexually assaulted the children multiple times when they were in his New Sewickley Township home. Aviles was arrested in November and charged with 45 counts of rape, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse with a child less than 13 years old and unlawful contact with a minor. According to court documents, police initially began to investigate Aviles in 2019 after receiving a tip through the PA Childline that he had inappropriate and sexual contact with underage victims. Found guilty: Jury finds Beaver Falls man guilty of dozens of child rape charges Police interviewed several minors throughout the case who identified Aviles as the man who had inappropriate contact with him, which led to a lengthy investigation into the incidents. When appearing before the court in May, a jury heard evidence collected by investigators and handed down a guilty verdict. This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Beaver County man found guilty of child rape sentenced to 56 to 112 years Armed police at the scene of a shooting at Grady Hospital in Atlanta (Fox5) An Atlanta-area hospital was placed into lockdown on Wednesday afternoon after gunfire erupted in a nearby car park. The Atlanta Police Department (APD) said in a statement it was called to a parking deck near Grady Memorial Hospital at around 1.15pm. Officers quickly took one suspect into custody who was believed to be involved in the shooting. The APD said several cars had been damaged by gunfire, but there were no reported injuries. Police are seeking several other suspects who they believe are known to one another. They stressed there was no active shooter situation. An eyewitness told FOX5 that they heard up to 30 gun shots, which sparked chaotic scenes as people tried to flee the area. Grady Memorial Hospital the 10th largest public hospital in the United States was briefly placed on lockdown. In a statement to WSBTV, the hospital said: Grady Hospital was on lockdown for a short time due to reports of gunshots fired on the second level of one of our parking decks. The hospital is no longer on lockdown and normal operations have resumed. There was never an active shooter inside the hospital. In May, a gunman opened fire in a waiting room at Atlantas Midtown Medical Associates killing one person and injuring four others. Coast Guard veteran Deion Patterson was arrested after an hours-long search and has been indicted on one charge of murder and four charges of attempted murder. The raid took place at Craig Robertson's home in Provo, Utah A man who posted violent threats against President Joe Biden and other officials online was shot dead during an FBI raid on Wednesday. Agents were attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Craig Robertson at his home in Utah, just hours ahead of a planned visit to the state by Mr Biden. A criminal complaint said Robertson posted threats on Facebook against Mr Biden and a prosecutor pursuing criminal charges against Donald Trump. The FBI declined to give more details. The raid happened at about 06:15 local time in Provo, about 40 miles (65 km) south of Salt Lake City. A criminal complaint outlined messages that Robertson made on Facebook including pictures of guns and threats to kill Mr Biden and Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney leading an investigation into a hush-money payment by Mr Trump to an adult film star. According to the complaint, other messages targeted US Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Robertson posted on Facebook: "I hear Biden is coming to Utah. Digging out my old ghillie suit and cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle." It was just one of dozens of violent messages and photos of weapons posted on two of Robertson's Facebook accounts. The complaint said Robertson came to the attention of federal agents in March after he posted a threat against Mr Bragg on Truth Social, the social network owned by Mr Trump. The company alerted the FBI's National Threat Operations Center. FBI agents then visited the suspect, who told them that the post was a "dream" and ended the conversation by saying: "We're done here! Don't return without a warrant!" Later posts by Robertson referenced his encounter with the agents, showed him in camouflage used by snipers, and repeatedly threatened public officials. The messages continued as late as Tuesday, when he posted: "Perhaps Utah will become famous this week as the place a sniper took out Biden the Marxist." Mr Biden will make his first visit to Utah as president on Thursday, with a visit to a veterans' hospital and a fundraising event in Park City. Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene bellowed with laughter when at a recent town hall a supporter suggested executing political rivals. Ms Taylor had a q&a session with Gordon County residents when she was asked about the penalty for treason. We know that treason has been released and nobody is prepared to answer for it. Something has got to be done. Its treason. Our country, our Constitution has been stomped on repeatedly. ... People have got to be tried for treason, an audience member said. To that, Ms Greene retorted yes. Then another supporter chimed in adding, And death penalty causing Ms Greene to roar with laughter. I think were ending on the right note, Ms Greene said. In 2021, a CNN review of Ms Greenes social media from before she ran for Congress to represent Georgias 14th Congressional District found that repeatedly call for the execution of Democratic politicians including former President Barack Obama and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In a Facebook post in 2018, Greene went on a rant about the Iran Deal from Mr Obamas tenure as president. Then a supporter commented on the post, Now do we get to hang them ?? Meaning H & O ???, referring to Mr Obama and Ms Hillary Clinton. Greene replied, Stage is being set. Players are being put in place. We must be patient. This must be done perfectly or liberal judges would let them off. This article was originally published in Maryland Matters. A long-standing effort to provide low-income schools with federal grants to improve building infrastructure and internet connectivity has been reintroduced in Congress by Democratic U.S. lawmakers with support from Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D), and others. According to a Monday press release, the Rebuild Americas Schools Act would establish a $100 billion federal grant program and a $30 billion tax credit bond program for high-poverty schools to fund physical and digital infrastructure improvements. Van Hollen has been a supporter and cosponsor of the initiative when the bill was first introduced in 2019, and then again in 2021. But neither of those previous efforts were successful. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter We must ensure that our students and educators have modern school buildings and facilities that support their success rather than rundown infrastructure that hinders progress, Van Hollen said in a written statement. This legislation will help bring our schools and classrooms into the 21st century, ensuring that they dont stand in the way of our childrens opportunity to receive a quality education, he added. This year, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) are again leading the legislative effort, and Van Hollen joins more than a dozen other co-sponsors for a third try to get the bill over the finish line. Related Marylands Humble Mission: Build the Nations Best, Most Equitable School System According to a 2022 report from Marylands Interagency Commission on School Construction, the average age of a school in the state is 31 years, with Baltimore City Public Schools having the highest number of aging school buildings. The effects of aging facilities can impact a students ability to learn, according to the press release, as students can miss hours of instruction time due to power outages or bad pipes. According to the press release, the federal grants would not only go to schools in greatest need for infrastructure repairs, but would also encourage green construction practices and improve access to high-speed broadband internet connection. The Rebuild Americas Schools Act would also encourage projects to use American-made iron, steel and other manufactured products. Chronic neglect of Americas public schools has forced students and teachers across the country to learn and work in outdated and hazardous school buildings. Moreover, dilapidated and poorly ventilated school facilities pose significant health threats that make it harder for teachers to teach and students to learn, Scott, the House bill sponsor, said in a written statement. The story was originally published at Maryland Matters. BOSTON Communities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts experienced a wild Tuesday morning with flash flooding north of Boston and tornadoes reported along the southeast coast. The National Weather Service office in Boston confirmed the tornadoes briefly touched in the town of Mattapoisett and Barnstable. Photos from local emergency management officials showed several large Pine and Maple trees that were uprooted by the EF-1 twister with winds estimated to be around 95 mph around Mattapoisett. METEOROLOGISTS CONFIRM EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE ON THURSDAY According to the NWS, tornadoes are not a rarity in the state but are hardly a frequent occurrence. During an average year, the state sees around three tornadoes, many of which are on the lower end of the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The scale runs from an EF-0, which is considered to be the weakest of all tornadoes, to an EF-5, which has winds of at least 200 mph and is capable of incredible damage. Tuesdays tornadoes were the third and fourth reported in Massachusetts so far in 2023. On July 16th, an EF-0 tornado touched down in the community of North Brookfield, and on July 29th, an EF-1 caused damage in Foxboro. Meteorological summer is when the state typically sees its most tornadic activity and is when the deadliest tornado to impact New England rolled through more than five decades ago. According to the NWS, an F-4 tornado flattened Worcester and surrounding communities on June 9, 1971, causing 94 fatalities and a 2023 damage equivalent of more than $500 million. A tornado is assigned a rating from 0 to 5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale to estimate its intensity in terms of damage and destruction caused along the twisters path. BASEBALL FANS AT FENWAY PARK WADE THROUGH FLOODWATER AS STORMS FORCE SUSPENSION OF METS-RED SOX GAME Flooding was reported in communities north and west of Boston, as more than six inches of rainfall occurred in a period of only a few hours. The highest rainfall tally was reported in Lawrence, and water rescues were witnessed in Cambridge and North Andover. In Essex County, first responders reported a senior housing center with approximately 150 residents had to be evacuated due to high water. The Cambridge Fire Dept. rescued a driver from a flooded parking lot on Tuesday. And in Cambridge, firefighters responded to a vehicle that attempted to maneuver through too high of water in a flooded parking lot. Due to rainfall rates of between 1-2" per hour, the NWS issued a Flash Flood Warning for more than half a dozen counties throughout Massachusetts, but as of Tuesday afternoon, many of the alerts were either canceled or expired. There were no reported injuries associated with Tuesdays wild weather, and most power was restored in the hours after the storms. Doppler radar rainfall estimate A massive explosion rocked a factory in the Moscow region Wednesday, injuring dozens and blowing out windows in nearby buildings, local officials said. At least 56 people were hurt with six in intensive care as a result of the blast at the Zagorsk optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad, northeast of the Russian capital, the district administration said in a post on Telegram. Videos of the blast geolocated by NBC News show a huge mushroom of smoke rising over the plant. One taken by nearby residents and posted to social media shows the moment a huge, fiery blast takes place behind a parking lot. Smoke fills the air after an explosion at a facility in Sergiyev Posad outside Moscow on Wednesday. (Twitter) The incident happened around 10:40 a.m. local time (3:40 a.m. ET) in a pyrotechnics warehouse rented on the territory of the plant by a "private company," Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said on Telegram. Russia's federal investigative agency said it launched a criminal probe into the incident, citing a "violation of industrial safety requirements for hazardous production facilities," but said it was trying to establish the cause of the blast. Emergency services were now going through the debris at the plant, which has been evacuated along with a nearby kindergarten, the governor said. Russian state news agency Tass quoted the health ministry as saying three people had been rescued from under the rubble in serious condition. People living in nearby houses had their windows shattered by the explosion, Vorobyov added, and a nearby sport complex was also partially damaged. Blast rocks facility outside Moscow (Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev / Telegram) Vorobyov did not say what caused the blast, but Russian state media reported, citing emergency officials, that a human factor was behind the explosion. Local deputy Sergey Pakhomov also said a violation of technological processes was to blame, without elaborating. Russian state media reported that the plant makes optical devices for law enforcement agencies and civilian use. The explosion comes amid an unprecedented number of drone attacks on the Russian capital and the surrounding region that the Kremlin has blamed on Ukraine. Early Wednesday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that two drones were shot down by air defense systems over the capital. He said there was no information on any casualties. Vorobyov told reports at the site of the blast that investigators have so far not confirmed if a drone could have been involved in the incident. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A huge explosion at an optical equipment factory near Moscow on Wednesday left dozens of people hurt and prompted emergency evacuations from surrounding buildings, authorities said. A gray mushroom-shaped cloud towered above the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant (ZOMZ) in the town of Sergiyev Posad, around 40 miles northeast of Moscow, in the wake of the blast. Explosions Rock Moscow in Brazen Early-Morning Drone Attack The towns administration said on Telegram that a total evacuation was in effect at all the plants buildings and workshops, while the Tass state news agency reported that 30 people had been hurt. Of those, 19 were rushed to hospital and three were so seriously injured that they are being treated in intensive care. An emergency service source told RIA Novosti that a preliminary investigation found that the explosion was caused by a violation of the technological process. The plant reportedly manufactures night vision goggles and binoculars for the Russian military. Well, turns out the explosion at Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant near Moscow was just a little oopsie in a pyrotechnics warehouse. You know, typical 'violation of the technological process.' Just a regular day at a military plant producing optical sights, thermal imagers, pic.twitter.com/lK8e7THA0T Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) August 9, 2023 The blast came after Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed two drones had been shot down as they tried to attack the Russian capital late Tuesday. And as authorities in the Moscow region were scrambling to deal with the fallout of the blast in Sergiyev Posad, residents hundreds of miles away in Voronezh reported hearing several explosions. Local authorities said there was no cause for alarm, however: The blasts were attributed to military training in the area. The same explanation was provided by authorities in Vladivostok, in the Far East of the country, where residents reported a loud explosion at a military base followed by the arrival of police, firefighters, and the Federal Security Service, according to the independent outlet Astra. A local politician and human rights activist, Maksim Chikhunov, took to Telegram to claim residents in the area had been told to keep their mouths shut about the explosion. FSB officers came in the morning and questioned us. They told the neighbor not to tell anyone about what happened, an unnamed resident was quoted saying. The press service of the Eastern Military District said the commotion was simply the result of troops practicing repelling a simulated air attack. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A lifelong lottery player from Maryland almost had a nervous breakdown when she won $50,000 in July. She had never won such a large prize, she told state lottery officials. Little did she know, two weeks later she would beat that by a long shot, according to an Aug. 8 news release from Maryland Lottery. The lucky 67-year-old from Oxon Hill, Maryland, just claimed the first top prize of $1 million in a new $20 game. She continued her lucky streak from when she won big off a Pick 5 ticket in a July 23 drawing. Meet Mrs. Millionaire, she told her husband. The winner, a retired Veteran Affairs employee, played the new game with her husband, who is a Vietnam veteran. The winning ticket was the last of five scratch-off tickets they had bought. He was pointing at the ticket and said, I think we won this much, the woman told officials. We just couldnt believe it because we just won $50,000 in July. The grandmother of six shared that the money will go toward home renovations, her grandsons college tuition and her retirement fund, according to the release. She also said she looked forward to spoiling her husband, who often spoils her. The Prince Georges County woman had used the date of their wedding anniversary in the Pick 5 drawing that led to her first big win, she told officials. Tickets for the $1 Million Royale game went on sale July 17, according to lottery officials. Six top prizes of $1 million remain, in addition to smaller payouts. Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families. If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website. Dad of 5 nearly blacked out when he saw big win from lottery scratch-off in Maryland Mega Millions ticket worth $3.3 million was sold in California. Heres where Wife tells husband not to let kids in on big Maryland lottery win. It was too late Lottery player hits $1.58B Mega Millions jackpot in Florida. Where was ticket sold? Tech veteran Chris Messina and writer/podcaster Brian McCullough are launching a new $15 million fund aimed at AI startups. The backers include tech luminary investors and founders such as Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, and Dennis Crowley, who are all investing personally. McCullough has been running his Ride Home Fund for two years now, a fund which grew out of his hosting the Techmeme Ride Home podcast. Messina, formerly of Google, Uber, and a previous AI startup founder, is also famed as being the the inventor of the hashtag. Handily, he is also the number 1 product hunter on Product Hunt, which renders his ability to boost products fairly unique. Over email, McCullough told me: Not only has our inbound and deal flow switched to 90% AI, Chris was like: The people coming off the bench right now are people that didnt bite at crypto, didnt bite at web3, but theyre going now and theyre people you would invest in whatever theyre doing next, by definition. He adds that given the layoffs at all the tech platforms, university graduates arent getting job offers from Big Tech companies any more, so they are punting for quick $100k to $500k checks to just go with this AI idea" he says. Its the best talent of the previous generation and the best talent of this generation pulling the trigger at the same time. It's almost a perfect storm situation, he added. The fund plans to be the first check in at pre-seed or seed and deploy all its capital in the next 12-18 months. The 506c fund and fundraising will close on October 31. As a 506c fund, any accredited investors can become LPs, so long as they can stump up the minimum $100,000 required. Messina is finally jumping to the VC side of the table after being a prolific angel investor. Over an email interview, I asked Messina how investors are going to avoid the pitfall of the current AI hype cycle, which may well pull them into over-valued companies? We believe this is a generational reset in how people use technology. Considering my experience building the social web, I see a similar shift now as I did back in 2005, he said. Generative AI changes how software will be built and used beyond what the iPhone started 16 years ago. It lead to generational software companies like Airbnb and Uber (where I worked), which applied new technological capabilities (GPS, payments, notifications) to alter how people understood and coordinated transportation and housing. We're similarly bullish that companies that we invest in now will have a similar lead in redefining calcified industries. We're investing in the productization of generative AI by founders who come equipped with tactical knowledge of vertical spaces like compliance or do-it-yourself repairs (yes, we're writing checks already), he added. However, given that the larger players in AI - the foundational platforms - are as big as they are, what will make it possible for small startups to compete against these leviathans? The opportunities we're investing in are too small and bespoke for the big incumbents to focus on, he told me. They're creating general purpose platforms that can't, by definition, be too finely trained on any particular application space. Furthermore, designing the best experiences with generative AI requires deep knowledge of and empathy with customers from specific industries both of which big tech companies typically lack (again, something I can speak to having worked at Google). They simply can't move fast enough with sufficient product elegance to win the markets we believe are up for grabs, he said. I also asked him what hurdles AI investors face, given there are already things such as the blocking of AI crawler bots happening. We get people asking us all the time: where is the moat? Where will the value accrue? There are plenty of risks, but blocking AI crawler bots isnt the top of that list. We think the people waiting for clear sailing are insane and will be kicking themselves in 18 months, he added. Given Messina's quite pivotal role at so many successful tech companies in the past, perhaps this is the signal that the AI startup boom really has now kicked off? Authorities in Mexico have shuttered pharmacies in the resort cities of Cancun, Tulum and Playa del Carmen after finding an array of irregularities at 23 of the 55 locations they visited, including serious concerns such as selling expired and potentially counterfeit medications. The four-day series of raids, dubbed Operation Albatross by the Mexican government, comes months after a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that drug stores in major tourist destinations across Mexico were selling counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine. Its not clear whether anyone was charged criminally, but federal health officials in Mexico said in a statement Tuesday that authorities made 21 product seizures, netting a variety of drugs they plan to test for adulterants including fentanyl. The raids in the Yucatan Peninsula come weeks after a similar operation on the opposite side of the country led to four arrests and the confiscation of nearly 25,000 pills from pharmacies in Los Cabos. Read more: Some pharmacies in Mexico passing off fentanyl, meth as legitimate pharmaceuticals Drugstores in Mexico have long sold a wide range of medications over the counter, including many that would require a prescription in the U.S. Until recently, drug market experts had generally believed pills sold in stores unlike those sold on the street were at least what store owners and packaging said they were. Then in February, The Times published an investigation after testing pills from pharmacies reporters visited in Tijuana, San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. In each city, some of the pills sold over the counter as either oxycodone or Adderall tested positive for fentanyl or methamphetamine. A UCLA research team recorded its findings around the same time. Over the next few weeks, reporters identified at least half a dozen people who had overdosed or died after taking pills they bought from pharmacies in Mexico. For years, grieving families had been alerting members of Congress and federal officials of the risk. But the U.S. State Department didnt explicitly warn the public about the danger until March . On June 14, The Times published a broader investigation documenting the problem across the country including in Tulum and Playa del Carmen, two of the three cities authorities targeted in Operation Albatross. Of the 55 pills Times reporters purchased nationwide, more than 50% were fake. More than a third of the purported painkillers were actually fentanyl, and 80% of the Adderall samples contained either methamphetamine or, in one case, MDMA. Read more: Mexican authorities raid pharmacies in inquiry into fentanyl-tainted pills At the time, a federal prosecutor in Mexico told reporters that officials were interested in The Times investigation and hoped to file a complaint for potential prosecution. Weeks later, a judge greenlit the raids on pharmacies in Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, which netted a cache of money and boxes of pills. For months, Chelsea Shover, a researcher at UCLA, has been calling for answers and action in response to the Times findings and similar results in four northwestern Mexico cities that she and a team of other researchers documented earlier this year . "Stopping the sale of counterfeit pills in individual pharmacies is an important step, and it's good to see that happening," she said. "It's also important that governments continue to warn travelers and locals about this issue because there's still probably lots of other pharmacies where this is happening." The recent raids in Quintana Roo came in response to various citizen complaints, authorities said in the Tuesday statement, adding that millions of tourists visit the area each year. Some pharmacies were so intent on targeting tourists that they would only sell the irregular pills to foreigners, according to the statement Mexican health officials issued in conjunction with the countrys navy, which aided in the operation. When Times reporters visited Mexico earlier this year, they found that many pharmacies selling counterfeit pills were in bustling tourist districts and hotel zones. Store clerks often spoke to customers in English and offered prices in American dollars. Read more: Fentanyl-tainted pills now found in Mexican pharmacies from coast to coast In Tuesdays statement, health officials also said some of the pharmacies targeted in the raids offered advertising cards that included their addresses and phone numbers. They raised concerns about whether the pharmacies sold prohibited drugs and medications without required prescriptions. Over the course of five trips to Mexico this year, reporters picked up more than two dozen such cards. In many cases, the phone numbers did not work or no one responded. Aside from concerns about counterfeit and expired medication, in the Tuesday statement health officials also said they found pharmacies operating without necessary health licenses, stocking pills without proper documentation from drug suppliers and giving out prescription medications without a doctors signature. Some stores were missing patient data or didnt have proof that they could legitimately possess the controlled drugs they had on hand. Mexican health officials went on to say that they are working to protect people from businesses that skirt regulations and improperly sell controlled drugs, which can potentially endanger the health, and even the lives of the people who consume them. 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. After a spat between the Florida Department of Education and the College Board over gender identity and sexual orientation lessons in a college-level high school class, Miami-Dade County Public Schools will offer the Advanced Placement Psychology course this school year, Superintendent Jose Dotres told the School Board in a memo Wednesday. Asked whether the course would be altered in any way, Miami-Dade school district spokeswoman Jackie Calzadilla said in an email: No, all learning targets will be addressed throughout the course. Broward County Public Schools said Wednesday it will treat AP Psychology as an elective and parents will need to sign a document that allows their children to take the course. Recognizing the depth and breadth of topics covered in AP Psychology and in line with the importance of prioritizing student well-being and parental choice, we have decided to make enrollment for this elective an opt-in process that expressly requires parental consent, said Broward Superintendent Peter Licata. The first day of classes in Miami-Dade Schools is Thursday, Aug. 17. The first day in Broward is Monday, Aug. 21. The College Board, the New York City-based nonprofit that manages AP courses in the United States, announced Thursday, Aug. 3, that it would not recognize the AP Psychology course in Florida and wouldnt give students college credit for it because a new state law forbids teachers from instructing about sexual orientation and gender identity, material that has been part of the course for 30 years. The move would impact more than 25,000 students in Florida. We are sad ... the statement reads at the top. The state has said districts are free to teach AP Psychology only if it excludes any mention of these essential topics. The College Board said any course that censors required content cannot be labeled AP or Advanced Placement. Therefore, Florida schools wouldnt be able to use the AP Psychology designation on student transcripts news that left teachers who had taught the class for years alarmed and students who had planned to take the class for college credit upset. Thousands of colleges and universities across the country consider AP credits for admissions, scholarships and other student-related decisions. More than 28,000 Florida students took AP Psychology in the 2022-23 academic year, according to the College Board. After the College Board said it would not recognize the Florida AP Psych course, Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz sent a letter to school superintendents the next day, Friday, Aug. 4, that said the state believed the psychology course could be taught after all. Dotres credited that Diaz correspondence in his memo to the School Board Wednesday. Diaz, Dotres said, wrote that the Department [of Education] believes that AP Psychology can be taught in its entirety in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate and the course remains listed in our course catalog. Therefore, M-DCPS will continue to offer AP Psychology during the 2023-24 school year, Dotres told the nine School Board members. Diazs letter particularly the wording age and developmentally appropriate caused confusion among some districts, which had to decide quickly about whether to offer the course as the school year is about to start. School starts Thursday in Monroe and Palm Beach counties. Florida Virtual School, an online platform for students K-12, still hadnt decided what to do as of Wednesday afternoon. Under the guidance of Floridas Department of Education, we are evaluating next steps with the College Board AP Psychology course that is offered online through our schools, a note on its website reads. If your child is already enrolled, more information will be communicated as soon as it is available, including any potential changes to your childs enrollment and alternative, viable course options. The Miami-Dade Police Department is recovering multiple cars found submerged in a lake in Doral, Florida. Divers working for a private company to investigate a missing person cold case said they found 32 cars while exploring a lake nestled in an industrial park west of Miami. They notified the police, which began pulling the vehicles from the lake Tuesday morning. The cars they removed Tuesday date back to around the 1990s and all have been connected to stolen vehicles. They expect that many will help close decade-old stolen car cases, but they have not ruled out the possibility of finding new evidence linked to homicide cold cases. Without being able to confirm how many cars are littered on the bottom of the lake, police are likely to need several more days to finish the extraction. Here is what they found on the first day of vehicle recovery. First car found in the lake confirmed stolen Miami-Dade police representative Alvaro Zabaleta told WFLA that the first car pulled from the lake was confirmed to be stolen. MDPD spokesperson Luis Sierra later confirmed with USA TODAY that the car is a Acura Legend, which was last made in 1995, according Cars.com. The final number of cars in the lake is not yet confirmed due to low visibility, but Doral Police commander Alicia Neal said it is approximately 30. Police also pulled out a Ford Econoline van, Cadillac Sedan DeVille and a Ford Crown Vic on Tuesday. All four cars are linked to stolen vehicle reports dating as far back as 1996, according to Neal. Zabaleta said they expect all cars to be of an older make and model as they were likely dumped before the surrounding commercial area, including a Walmart Supercenter, a car dealership and several popular chain restaurants, was built. The New York Times reported that some cars in the lake could have dated back to an international feud in the 1970s and 1980s between Colombian drug cartels and the United States government. Cars discovered in Florida lake: 32 vehicles found in lake by divers working missing person cold cases Miami-Dade police investigators began pulling submerged vehicles from a lake in Doral, Florida on Aug. 8, 2023, after volunteer investigators said they found dozens of cars and trucks in the lake. Police won't rule out possibility of new evidence in cold cases Zabaleta said the the MDPD team investigating homicide cold cases hasn't been led to this lake before, but they would not rule it out as a possibility. Based on the first vehicle that was pulled, he expected that they were stolen and discarded after a joy ride. But they will continue to examine the recovered cars for evidence linked to outstanding cases. "We're not gonna discard the possibility of some type fraud that also can occur and some other type of foul play like a homicide," Zabaleta said, noting that the detectives investigating deaths were on the scene. Miami-Dade police investigators began pulling submerged vehicles from a lake in Doral, Florida on Aug. 8, 2023, after volunteer investigators said they found dozens of cars and trucks in the lake. Volunteer divers found cars while working missing person cold case Divers Ken Fleming and Doug Bishop with United Search Corps work on a volunteer basis to investigate missing persons cold cases, they told 7News Miami. The organization works on cases that could have started up to 40 years ago. They were investigating a case where someone drove from Pinellas County to the Miami International Airport to pick up a relative and never returned. They targeted this lake because it is nearby the airport with easy access, which could lend itself to foul play. When they found 32 cars, the divers suspected it was a dumping ground for ongoing criminal activity. When we discover a spot like this with multiple vehicles, it pretty much indicates that a crime where theyre disposing the vehicles and hiding them from law enforcement, Fleming told 7News. Miami-Dade Police Department divers assist with pulling one of approximately 30 cars out of a lake in Doral, Florida, on August 8, 2023. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Doral lake cars recovered by Miami police divers: What they're finding A downed A/C unit has put a stop to all elective surgeries in the Miami VA Healthcare System as crews work to fix the issue, the hospital told the Miami Herald on Tuesday. The move comes at a time when excessive heat warnings continue to plague Miami-Dade County. The Miami VA plans to reschedule surgeries based on patient needs and moved some to other parts of the facility, at 1201 NW 16th St., to mitigate any potential risk and out of an abundance of caution, Director Kalautie S. JangDhari said in a statement. Crews had to take one of the hospitals primary chillers offline while conducting routine fixes in order to clean it. Until this work is done, elective surgeries will remain paused. READ MORE HERE: Everythings gone up. Nurses at Miami VA hospital rally for higher pay Registered Nurse Bill Frogameni believes this isnt a simple one-off problem its in fact a piece of a much larger issue. This is part of a failure to invest in the infrastructure that supports our veterans and makes for a safe workspace for nurses and all the other staff, said Frogameni, who is the director of the Miami VAs National Nurses United, the union of registered nurses. An acute failure From Frogamenis understanding, the medical surgical floors are affected which has led to patients being relocated. Such patients dont need critical care; but they cant go home. Multiple nurses told him there was a moldy smell emanating from one hospital floor from which patients were removed, he told the Herald. The air conditioning system going on the fritz is something that happens nearly every summer, he said. And with South Floridas continued excessive heat warnings, it only spells trouble for the Miami VA. To have an old building like that where the air conditioning is failing, you have vulnerable patients and staff working 12 hour shifts, it is horrendous. It is absolutely unconscionable, he said. This is the second time, he remembers, that it has been so hot that patients needed to be moved around. A/C issues occur so consistently that spot chillers were installed around the hospital during the summer months, he said. A few chillers put up earlier this year were reduced but never went away. Its an acute failure, part of a chronic problem, he said. Were talking about its so hot you have to move patients or they risk dying. This isnt just isolated to the summer. Even in the winter, Frogameni says temperature regulation becomes an issue again as rooms become too cold. Were there for the veterans and they dont get to leave. Their really sick, he said. They are at the point where they cant really care for themselves...and that is our greater immediate concern. Micromax Informatics once had a firm grip on the local mobile phone market in India, for a time passing stalwarts like Samsung, icons like Apple and many more to be the biggest handset maker of them all. But a mix of stronger (and cheaper) competition, the rapid pace of technology development and the ongoing market slowdown have left it spinning. While some believe that it still has some life in it yet as a mobile brand, sources and filings point to something else: It's eyeing to step into mobility, specifically into the area of electric vehicles. But that change in gears is also coming with a lot of bumps. TechCrunch understands that the New Delhibased company has axed dozens of jobs both at its headquarters in Gurugram as well as branch offices across the country, cutting into its ranks in sales, product, testing, R&D and logistics, and the rest of the business. Several top executives, including the company's chief business officer and chief product officer, have also resigned in the last some months. Its most recent smartphone model launched as far back April 2022. Micromax declined to comment about the job cuts and other details of this story. To the public, for now, the company remains a mobile phone company, although many cracks are showing. Reports on social media show the company's reluctance to handle consumer complaints. Distributors and retailers are having a hard time with their inventory because there is little demand for Micromax phones from consumers. And basic searches on the Micromax brand on Google from 2008 -- its first year in mobile -- lay bare the general decline in chatter about the company. There have also been reports about how the company is gearing up, among other similarly struggling older brands, to redouble its efforts to recover. "[The] market is very competitive now, focused around the top five or six brands," said Navkendar Singh, associate vice president at market research firm IDC. Micromax, having dropped from its position at the top of that list, is as good as forgotten. The EV move would come in the form of a new brand and focus, at least initially, on two-wheel electric vehicles, according to three individuals who recently left the company. A shift to urban mobility from mobile phones would not be the first time that Micromax reinvented itself. Founded in 2000 by Vikas Jain, Rahul Sharma, Sumit Kumar Arora and Rajesh Agarwal, Micromax first started life as a small IT firm, making its first move into phones only in 2008. The initial journey of the company relied on low-cost feature phones. Affordable Android smartphones and tablets entered the frame some time after, dovetailing with a rising consumer class in India that wanted the latest gadgets but didn't have the money to buy a Samsung, Nokia or BlackBerry device -- let alone an iPhone. The company chose a price disruption strategy to swiftly dethrone Samsung from its leadership position in the Indian smartphone market, making it one of the trailblazers in the first wave of cheap, sub-$200 smartphones. Utilizing its supply chain in China, Micromax launched a range of inexpensive smartphones and tablets that attracted the masses, tapping directly into their aspirational inclinations: Some models directly mimicked Apple's iconic iPhone designs. In 2014, Micromax poached Samsung's country head for mobile and digital imaging Vineet Taneja and appointed him the CEO. By 2015, it was selling millions of mobile phones a month and generating around a couple billion dollars in revenues in a year. The growth in its business helped the company partner with Big Tech companies like Google and Microsoft to launch smartphones based on their respective mobile operating systems. The first market problems started in 2014, when Xiaomi and other Chinese vendors started to get considerably more focused on India, disrupting Micromax in the same way that Micromax had disrupted Samsung before it: with highly affordable, Chinese-made models across different price segments. Having been a trailblazer by manufacturing some of its models in India, Micromax also worked closely with Chinese suppliers like Tinno Mobile to bring newer lines of low-cost smartphones to the market. It wasn't enough, though, and by 2016, Taneja was out. "China-based vendors managed to get quality devices, high specifications and the latest technology at affordable prices with huge marketing and channel spends," Singh said. "Indian vendors were just not able to compete in any of these levers product, marketing, channel, etc. As a result, they lost the market to brands like Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo and Samsung." Micromax was challenged also due to a state-level move. The Indian government, in September 2014, introduced its flagship "Make in India" program, schemes to incentivize global manufacturers to localize production in the country. Newer market entrants, taking the domestic manufacturing route with its tax breaks and other incentives, started to roll out even cheaper handsets. The third big blow came in September 2016, when billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries introduced Jio, its 4G network. Testing on the network was closed to a select group of brands. And Micromax -- with no 4G-ready handsets given its focus on the low end of the market -- was not one of them. "Micromax didn't anticipate the movement from 3G to 4G so quickly," said Ajay Sharma, former business head at Micromax. Other Indian vendors were also impacted, he added. The troubles with sales also started to flare up tensions between founders and executives, which in turn impacted Micromax's attempts to raise capital. According to the data available on PitchBook, the company raised a total of $98.02 million. The most recent post-money valuation is noted as $745.57 million, although that dates from 2010. Former investors include Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India & SEA), Sandstone Capital and TA Associates. The last audit report filed with the Indian regulator shows that Wagner, an affiliate of TA Associates, sold its entire remaining equity stake to Placid Holdings in January 2020 and that the company bought those shares back from Placid Holdings in March 2022. The company had been in talks to raise a whopping $1.2 billion from Alibaba. But the deal never closed reportedly due to disagreements between Micromax and Alibaba over future strategy for the business. All of this was being played out amid the ambitions of Micromax's founders and management. The company may have gained its popularity as an Indian vendor, but it did not want to remain limited to India. The company entered Russia, South Africa and the Middle East: It hired former India sales director of Research in Motion (BlackBerry) Amit Mathur as the head of its international business and created a separate supply line to cater to the demand in the global markets. The company also tapped Australian actor Hugh Jackman as its brand ambassador. Micromax brand ambassador Hugh Jackman, seen in an advertisement at an office of theirs. Micromax roped Australian actor Hugh Jackman as its brand ambassador. Image Credits: Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg via Getty Images In Russia, where the company became the third largest handset vendor a couple years after debuting in 2014, Micromax followed in the footsteps of Fly Mobiles, which was also operating in the Russian market, according to a former company executive. Fly Mobiles was originally based in the U.K., but a majority stake in its India and SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) business was acquired by Indian company SAR Group in 2011. Within one year of kicking off its global operations, Micromax started creating separate supply lines dedicated to its overseas markets. This helped the company control its volume and offer different models catering to the demand for specific markets. Micromax also started generating profits from its global operations. However, Micromax's global market presence began to decline after its business in India experienced a downturn. "The profits were not to the extent that we could sustain and move to the next level as far as the branding is concerned. We were doing it obviously, but we needed support from India," the former executive said. With margins shrinking at the company, in February 2017, Mathur left and was not replaced. Micromax eventually sunset its global business operations. Some former executives believe that Micromax's founders could have handled the situation better if they had given a free hand to others coming on board. That was despite the fact that the founders were working on separate businesses simultaneously. Sharma co-founded an EV startup called Revolt Motors in 2019 (sold to New Delhibased RattanIndia Enterprises in January). Jain also has accessories-focused startup Play Design Labs, which produces wearables and audio devices. An angel investor and two-time startup founder who works closely with Micromax said the founders' decision to run Micromax alongside other businesses suggests a lack of trust and confidence in their own venture. "I personally felt that when all your energy and fire are there with one particular brand and then every day you want it to grow, then nobody can stop it," echoed a top-level executive who left the company earlier this year. "If you are not being able to devote that time, how will an organization survive?" The four founders are said to have different qualities that helped the company compete against global brands in India and international markets. While Jain is good at building relationships, Sharma is stronger at brand building and marketing, Arora at handling the technical side, and Agarwal at managing finance, say sources. "The good part is they [complement] each other," a former executive who worked closely with the founders for over four years said. Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma. Image Credits: Pradeep Gaur/Mint Home team fumble In 2020, Micromax attempted a comeback in smartphones in India. But instead of launching new features, it focused on stoking anti-China sentiment, in the wake of a skirmish between Indian and Chinese army soldiers in June. It ploughed $61 million into the plan with a mantra of "more R&D" to take on Chinese smartphone vendors. Micromax launched two new smartphone models in 2020 under its "In" series to mark its return in the market. To compete directly with Chinese models, both phones were priced in the sub-$150 segment. The company later expanded the lineup to five models. But the whole endeavor was a flop. And a former Micromax executive said that even if anti-China sentiment was part of the strategy, the timing was all wrong: The launch happened in early November over four months after the skirmish. "By that time, the iron had become cold. It, in fact, had a negative impact because the Chinese vendors started saying, 'We are more Indian than Indians,'" the executive said, referring to Xiaomi's claim that it made 99.5% of its phones in India. Then in 2021, Micromax finally teased the launch of its first 5G smartphone. Two years on, that phone has yet to materialize. Farther afield, Micromax was also looking to partner with some carriers in the U.S. to enter North America, according to a person familiar with the plans. That, too, never happened. Instead, it continued to see revenues decline. Micromax's total revenue dropped drastically to a mere $94.26 million in 2022, compared to $1.33 billion in 2016. Smartphone shipments fared no better, dropping to just 370,000 in 2022 from 9.65 million in 2016, according to IDC data. Micromax was not alone in its struggles to compete against Chinese vendors in India. Lava International, Karbonn Mobiles and Spice Mobility also all threw their hats into the ring. Lava, with a focus on 5G, has seen some growth in recent months, but Karbonn Mobiles and Spice Mobility, the two companies that worked with Google alongside Micromax to launch its first Android One program in India, have left the smartphone market. Micromax Lava smartphone shipments in India from 2016 to 2022, demonstrating both of their declines Micromax and Lava smartphone shipments, according to IDC. Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch Some have fared better. Data shared by market analyst firm Counterpoint also shows that while Micromax saw an 80% year-on-year decline in its overall shipments in 2022, Lava's smartphone shipments grew 85% year-on-year. The company also recently launched its midrange 5G phone called Agni 2 to take on similar options from Xiaomi and Samsung. Micromax, in contrast, has had no new models in the pipeline, according to people who worked at top positions in the company until March. Shuffles and layoffs While attempting a turnaround, Micromax has also cycled through a number of other executive moves in the last several months, including hiring and then losing both Luke Prakash Andrew as its chief business officer and chief product officer Sunil Loon. Co-founder Rahul Sharma, who had been the key face of the company for the last several years, resigned from his managing director's position in April 2021. The board appointed Vikas Jain, one of the other co-founders, as the new managing director, a three-year role that would expire April 2024. Sharma stayed on as a non-executive director, per regulatory filings. Micromax co-founder Vikas Jain Vikas Jain, co-founder of Micromax Informatics. Image Credits: Billy H.C. Kwok/Bloomberg via Getty Images People familiar with the matter said Sharma stepped down because of the botched comeback plan. "Somewhere down the line, [the founders] realized that they didn't have any new things obviously to build up the scale or Micromax again," a source told TechCrunch. Sharma was also behind the 2014 ill-fated launch of YU Televentures, a joint venture between now-discontinued operating system maker Cyanogen and Micromax that aimed to take on Xiaomi and its sub-brand Redmi in the country. And the company has also inevitably had wider layoffs. Earlier this year, Micromax's executives contacted some of its employees and asked them to look for new jobs as their existing roles were no longer required. Close to 100 jobs particularly in the sales and services teams were reduced as a part of the cost-cutting measures, an executive who also left the company in March told TechCrunch. The company also started winding down its sales team in various states in the last few months, remaining only in a few states where it had some distributors, the executive said. The cut in the sales team has made it difficult to shift stock to retailers, which has in turn led Micromax to use the more limited, lower margin cash-and-carry channel, where retailers do not get an option to return any stock left. (Typically, vendors give retailers a time frame to return the inventory they cannot sell.) This has in turn also soured relationships between the brand and its retail channel. Micromax's existing auditor SR Batliboi and Associates also resigned in June, after nearly nine years of working with the company, over not getting their demanded fee, per a recent regulatory filing. Moving ahead? The reduction in workers and switching to a new auditor may reduce costs, but it also begs the question of how Micromax will manage its next venture. Two sources said that Micromax has started renovating one of its offices in Gurugram to kick off its work on the new project exploring the EV market, but few employees remain at Micromax to staff the business transition. But the transition has already been months in the making. In February this year, Micromax founders Jain, Rajesh Agarwal and Sumeet Kumar incorporated a company named Micromax Mobility, per regulatory filings. Although Sharma also had a small stint in the EV market with Revolt Motors, his name is not attached to the new venture's filings. A source said that Micromax directors started discussions and prepared documentation for the mobility business earlier this year. The company did not brief most of its top-level management about the move. Jain declined an interview, and he also declined to answer a list of questions shared over email related to recent the job cuts, plans with the EV venture and future of the company in the smartphone market. TechCrunch also attempted to contact Micromax's media relations multiple times, with no success. Micromax's failure in the smartphone market sends a stark warning to other handset makers that want to compete on price alone. Even if it can draw a line under its own misadventures, it remains to be seen if the company can make the shift to the EV market, which is already crowded. So as Micromax moves out of the frying pan that is India's mobile phone market, that doesn't keep it out of the fire. Those that might pose a threat include Ola Electric, Ather Energy, and traditional automobile players such as Bajaj and Hero Electric. The Modesto Irrigation District has approved a plan to sell excess Tuolumne River water to farmers just outside its boundaries who rely on wells. The board voted 5-0 on Tuesday to charge $200 per acre-foot for this water, more than double an earlier proposal. The supply will allow these farmers to reduce groundwater pumping as part of a state mandate for sustainable aquifers. It is expected to be available in seven out of the 20 years in the contracts. MID has been selling excess water via board votes based on a single years conditions. It happened this year as well as in 2019 and 2017. Tuesdays vote allows farmers to make long-term investments in pipes and other devices for tapping MID canals. Groundwater is one of our treasures in this community, Director Robert Frobose said, and we need to protect it for our next generations. The staff estimated that up to 15,000 acres could get the water each year. MIDs core service area is about 58,000 acres. The Main Canal diverts the Tuolumne near La Grange, but most of the district lies well to the west. This bypassed zone has an aquifer long stressed by farm pumps. The program allows out-of-district sales in years defined as wet or above normal. They will not happen when conditions are average or worse. Initially proposed price drew criticism The board had earlier discussed charging $80 for the first acre-foot and $60 for each of the next three. An acre-foot is enough water to cover one acre a foot deep. Typical crops need three to four acre-feet over a growing season. Critics said the price was too low. Many cited the adjacent Oakdale Irrigation District, which charges $200 for an acre-foot of excess water from the Stanislaus River. It has been available in nine out of 10 years, much more often than MIDs plan. Frobose made the motion to bump the price to $200 and got unanimous support. The vote was 3-2 to approve the overall program. Directors John Boer and Janice Keating favored postponing the matter to the next meeting so other details could be fleshed out. Those details include the contract duration and whether some excess water should be held back to later in each irrigation season. California contends with massive flows Groundwater recharge has been much discussed as California deals with this years massive runoff. It also is being done in restored river floodplains and in artificial percolation ponds. Even with all of that, the Tuolumne and other rivers carried plenty of water out to the Pacific Ocean. This was noted at the MID meeting by Julia Stornetta, general manager of the much smaller Stanislaus Mutual Water Co. This is water that is not being used right now, she said. ... It is going out toward the Golden Gate Bridge and into the ocean right now. Dana Willis is passionate about herbal wellness and wants to share her knowledge of natural products and holistic healing with her community through her business: Sacred Products. Since she was 16-years-old, Willis has embodied the entrepreneurial spirit and continued to develop her business. She participated in pop-up events in Sacramento for a couple of years before being made aware of the opportunity in Sacramentos midtown district. The CLTRE Club, located at 1409 16th St., provides an opportunity for local entrepreneurs to experience having a brick-and-mortar location for their business and allows their products, goods, or services to become easily accessible to the public. CLTRE is an acronym with two meanings: Community led transformative real estate and Creating leverage to ready entrepreneurs. Willis, 21, has only been a part of the CLTRE Club for two months but shes been able to expand her business and introduce herself to people shes never met. Sacred Products owner Dana Willis stands with her merchandise on Aug. 3 at CLTRE Club, a Sacramento venue that helps new business owners establish a brick-and-mortar location. In addition to holding space for small businesses, the pilot program is also a co-working space and the site for various community events. We have this pilot program we wanted to run because of the need that we see for entrepreneurs that are on this brick-and-mortar journey, said CLTRE Club co-owner, Roshaun Davis. CLTRE comes in with mentors, partners to really fill those gaps for them over a six-month period. He said its fairly new and will last until the end of the year. Davis hopes to continue this effort beyond 2023. The mission is just to shift the cultural landscape in Sacramento by the year 2040, Davis said. We say without you, there is no culture. CLTRE Club held its soft opening in May 2023, and a grand opening event in June. Its created by the partnership between CLTRE, a sister nonprofit organization to Daviss Unseen Heroes, and Capitol Area Development Authority, a public agency aimed at enhancing the environment in Sacramento. Most costs are covered by CADA. Businesses donate 5% of their sales to CLTRE and pay $125 to cover utilities. There are currently nine small businesses that operate out of CLTRE Club: Black Coffee Roastery, Cleo Cartel, La Pop Shop, Lingers, Pila Kava, Pony, the Savage Hand, Thriftstorefly and Sacred Products. Currently, they are at the maximum capacity and are not accepting new businesses. The public is welcome to use the outdoor patio Wi-Fi to work remotely during store business hours, noon to 8 p.m. daily,or as an al fresco dining experience. There will be food trucks on site every second Saturday of the month. From pop-up to brick-and-mortar Many of the CLTRE entrepreneurs are in the infancy of owning their own small business. Mersadez Hogan, a born and raised Sacramento resident, has aspirations of stepping into entrepreneurship by owning her own thrift store. CLTRE Club made that aspiration a reality when they allowed Hogan to bring her business, Thriftstorefly, to the midtown community space. Hogans business idea started as a thrifting hobby in 2017 when she hosted her event at Robertson Community Center in Del Paso Heights. She would pride herself in searching for the most trending threads at an affordable price. She posted her new finds on social media and soon developed a following of people who were impressed that she could be so stylish from head-to-toe without burning a hole in her pockets. Thriftstorefly owner Mersadez Hogan sits with her merchandise on Aug. 3 at CLTRE Club, a Sacramento venue that helps new business owners establish a brick-and-mortar location. She received multiple compliments on her wardrobe whenever she stepped out of the house. People eventually reached out to Hogan for help on how to stylize their wardrobe at a low cost. Hogan morphed this opportunity into different events such as closet clean outs or community pop-ups where she would collect donations, sometimes from her own closet, to resell into the community. I wanted to create a central place or a platform for people to brag about their Goodwill finds and things that they find on clearance, Hogan said. Basically just a community of people who like to look fly, but without breaking the bank. This was the beginning of her business idea, Thriftstorefly, a pop-up thrift store. She wanted to leave her footprint in a sustainable fashion. Hogans store separates from other outlets because she specializes in having plus size clothes available for purchase. Motivated by the support of her community to open a brick-and-mortar location, Hogan was introduced to the CLTRE Club by a neighbor and friend. She said it was the perfect opportunity for her to work with others and learn the business aspect. It was like the missing component to give me the extra push to dream big that it could be possible for Thriftstorefly to be its own brick and mortar plus size thrift store, which is an element that I know Sacramento is missing to have just an exclusively sustainable fashion thrift store for sizes large and up, Hogan said. When Hogan held her soft opening in CLTRE Club on July 27, she was overwhelmed with the amount of support she received from the community. Her plan is to have an official grand opening on Sept. 9. Although Thriftstorefly carries sizes for all shapes, it emphasizes plus size garments. Many shoppers were ecstatic at all of the different options available for extended sizes. Sacramento really showed up and showed out, Hogan said. The amount of people who just pulled up and were so happy that Im here. The amount of strangers, people that I never met, that stopped by and thanked me for carrying extended sizes. Like thats what really touched me, being able to offer extended sizes for a demographic of people that its a little bit harder to find clothes for. Preparation through mentorship Hogan isnt the only one seeing their business become a brick-and-mortar shop for the first time. Dante Williams has been on a mission to share his coffee Black Coffee Roastery with the world. Williams is a genuine lover of coffee. Like many, hes had his occasional trips to Starbucks or Peets Coffee. Things changed though when a friend introduced him to Temple Coffee Roasters in Sacramento. They were known for their specialty coffee. Black Coffee Roastery owner Dante Williams holds some of his products on Aug. 3 at CLTRE Club, a Sacramento venue that helps new business owners establish a brick-and-mortar location. Once Williams had it, he could never go back to regular coffee. Williams took a chance on himself after suffering from burnout working in nonprofit management for 8 years. He decided to go back to law school. In the spring of 2020, Williams was informed that his classes would be moved to online due to COVID-19 forcing people to work or learn remotely from home. With extra downtime, Williams found out that he could roast his own coffee beans. He did his research and ended up buying a $10 hot air popcorn machine on OfferUp. He was so enamored with the taste that never looked back to spending his money on coffee. He wanted to make it himself each time. It turned out that he would turn a profit by selling bags of coffee beans to classmates. He created a logo and worked on a name. Williams posted his product on Facebook, just to see the traction it would create. He ended up having a waitlist of 30 people anxious to taste his coffee. I was at that point, Im like, Oh snap, we might have something here, Williams said. I went and got my business license, my permit to be able to roast and started from there. He said it was only supposed to be a side-gig while he was in school, but the more bags he sold the more satisfaction he felt. He had his online business and he was making appearances at different farmers markets on the weekends. I found myself working harder than I was ever working before, but enjoying (this) more than Ive ever worked, Williams said. Ive always heard people talk about how their work is their passion and it doesnt feel like work because they love it. Black Coffee Roastery is pretty visible throughout Sacramento as Williams has supplied coffee bags for the governors mansion, Hyatt Regency and Sacramento Co-Op Natural Foods grocery store, in addition to its appearance at the Midtown Farmers Market every Saturday. Its the first time in Williams life where he actually loves what he is doing, and it doesnt feel like work. In certain areas and aspects, he feels fulfillment in what hes doing. Williams said CLTRE Club is a unique opportunity that has allowed him to gain an understanding of owning a business, behind the scenes of just selling coffee. Ive already learned a lot with the permit process, electrical plumbing, all these different components that you have to consider when youre in a brick and mortar space. That will prepare us for when we do get that long term space, said Williams. He desires to do everything at a high level, so fittingly his next step is to venture out and open a shop of his own. Were really just getting started, Williams said. (Were) excited about once we are fully permitted to be able to get people in the door, get our name out there and get the experience we need to do this at a more permanent location. Special counsel Jack Smith appears to be far from wrapping up his investigation into former President Donald Trump's post-2020 election scheme and his team has held at least one interview this week related to the finances of the ex-president's political action committee, according to Politico. Smith's team on Monday interviewed Bernie Keris, a former New York City police commissioner and longtime associate of former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, according to the report. Prosecutors questioned Kerik in a "closed-door" interview about how the Save America PAC raked in huge amounts of cash between Election Day and the deadly Capitol insurrection. Kerik's lawyer, Tim Parlatore, told Politico that prosecutors were shining a "laser focus from Election Day to Jan. 6." Parlatore also shared that prosecutors asked several questions about Boris Epshteyn, an attorney who currently works on Trump's campaign and as his in-house counsel, as well as Justin Clark, who was the deputy campaign manager of Trump's re-election. Though Trump's election subversion indictment did not include any financial crimes, Politico reported that the interview with Kerik demonstrates, at the very least, "the clearest indication of Smith's focus" since the special counsel handed down the indictment against Trump. Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that Save America's funds were dwindling after Trump was forced to pay out numerous lawyers amid his seemingly-unending indictments and court cases the PAC reported less than $4 million in its account after starting last year with more than $105 million. The floundering PAC was even forced to request a whopping $60 million dollar refund from pro-Trump super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., with the New York Times reporting that the refund was issued to Save America in installments seemingly timed to Trump's various legal woes. "I don't know that calling it a refund changes the fundamental illegality," Adav Noti, a former lawyer for the Federal Election Commission's litigation division and leader of watchdog group, Campaign Legal Center, told The Times. As the report noted, "the pro-Trump super PAC and Trump-controlled PAC must be independent entities and are barred from any coordination on strategy." "So for the super PAC and the Trump PAC to be sending tens of millions of dollars back and forth depending upon who needs the money more strongly suggests unlawful financial coordination," Noti added. The New York Times also noted that, in the months after Trump left the White House, allies of Giuliani encouraged him to use Save America's money to pay Giuliani for legal services following the election. Various legal experts have identified the former New York City mayor as one of six co-conspirators listed in Smith's indictment of Trump. "This isn't over yet," tweeted Frank Figliuzzi, a former senior FBI official. "When you raise millions based on a fraudulent claim, you've committed a crime. And, you just might have to give those millions back." Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, who served on special counsel Bob Mueller's team, wrote that he is watching "for a criminal case about the Trump PAC and forfeiture allegations/seizures." He added that the case would "not need to go all the way up to Trump before Jack charges folks and seizes assets." NPR reported last year that, per the House Jan. 6 committee's findings, "the Trump campaign took $250 million in donations from supporters that it said would go to an election defense fund to pay for legal fees to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. But the fund was never actually created, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., one of the committee members, said in the panel's second public hearing." "Instead, the money went to the Save America political action committee." Read more about Jack Smith's cases Hundreds of migrants wait in line in front of a reception center in New York's Roosevelt Hotel in search of free accommodation (TIMOTHY A. CLARY) The migrant crisis in New York, where large numbers of asylum seekers are arriving daily, may well cost the United States' most populous city $12 billion over three years, Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday. The city's legal obligation to provide free emergency housing to anyone in need, a right-to-shelter mandate unique in the country, is being put to the test with the arrival of nearly 100,000 asylum seekers since April last year. Authorities here estimate each migrant is costing New York an average of $383 per day. "The city has already spent $1.45 billion in fiscal year 2023 to provide shelter, food, and services to tens of thousands of asylum seekers," Adams, a Democrat, said in a statement. But as the city nears the 100,000 mark for new arrivals since the spring of 2022, "without further support, new cost estimates based on current trends show that the city has the potential to spend upwards of $12 billion over three fiscal years without policy changes," he said. That amounts to more than four percent of the city's budget. Adams described "an unprecedented state of emergency" in this American city built by immigrants, where dozens of mainly West Africans seeking a better life were seen sleeping outside a Manhattan hotel last week. Nearly 200 shelters, hotels, schools and other emergency venues have been set up to house the more than 57,000 asylum seekers currently in the city of 8.5 million people that is America's financial capital and a global tourism destination. The migrants are relying on the mandate for food, clothing, and health care, along with schooling for the thousands of minors who have arrived with their parents and often need language learning. New York "cannot continue to manage this national crisis on its own," said Adams, a Black former police officer who hails from the moderate wing of the Democratic Party and who is seeking help from the federal government. "New Yorkers' compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not." The mayor wants work permits expedited so that immigrants can make a living, and is calling on federal officials to declare a state of emergency to better manage the crisis at the US border with Mexico and to distribute asylum seekers more equitably throughout the country. New York continues to receive buses dispatched from southern states like Texas, governed by Republicans, which protest what they claim are overly permissive immigration policies by Democratic President Joe Biden's administration. "New Yorkers did not create an international humanitarian crisis," Adams said, "but our city's residents have been left to deal with this crisis almost entirely on our own." af-mlm/jh Mike Pence was dragged online after his 2024 presidential campaign posted an ad filmed at a gas station, in which the former vice president appears to be pretending to pump gas while vowing to make American energy independence a priority if elected. Hey, everybody, Pence says at the start of the ad. He then pulls a nozzle from a gas pump and sticks it in the tank of a red pickup truck. A beeping sound seeming to indicate he hasnt yet selected a form of payment or type of gas makes noise consistently as he complains about President Bidens handling of the nations fuel needs. Meanwhile, Pences hand doesnt appear to be squeezing the lever that causes gas to pour from the nozzle. Social media users largely seemed to miss Pences message due to the ads many distractions. The beep lol, joked one commenter. And the 2.2 million people people who viewed the ad on Pences X social media page in its first 24 hours online didnt hold back on emoticons, including laughing faces and a clown emoji. The gas tank cap was already off when he exited the pickup, noted another observer. Pences floundering campaign has recently been fueled by the slogan Too Honest. He said that label was given to him by his old boss, former President Donald Trump, when the VP expressed discomfort in helping Trump remain in office after losing the 2020 presidential election. Pences unwillingness to cooperate with Trump in the endeavor has made him wildly unpopular with many Republicans. A Five Thirty Eight poll published Tuesday showed Trump leading all GOP candidates with 52.4% of the 2024 vote, while just over 5% of Republicans support Pence. Trump supporters called for Pence to be hanged as he was sheltered from them inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 uprising to stop the certification of Joe Bidens presidency. The 64-year-old conservatives father helped build a midwestern chain of gas stations that once boasted more than 200 operations when he was growing up in Indiana, according to The Associated Press. That empire left behind more than $20 million in contaminated ground that had to be cleaned up at taxpayers expense when it collapsed. _____ Ukraine will need at least $42 billion in foreign financial aid in 2024 due to high defense and security expenditures, Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in an interview on Aug. 9. "Now (in this year), we have $42 billion in...external financing. For the next year, we are planning no smaller amount than that," Marchenko said. "Why? Because we plan the budget of the security and defense sector at the level of 2023." According to the minister, Ukraine secured financing for 2023, but it has not been yet confirmed that it will also receive the necessary aid in the following year. As of today, the future financial aid includes $55 billion in a four-year aid package from the EU, Marchenko commented. He added that the International Monetary Fund will also provide support and voiced hope that the U.S. will contribute as well. The EU proposed a four-year financial assistance package for Ukraine worth $55 billion on June 20, a sum to be covered by individual member states. The plan encountered opposition from Hungary, however. Marchenko noted that for successful negotiations, Ukraine must also demonstrate its ability to fill the budget using internal resources. This includes an estimated Hr 1.3 trillion ($35 billion) in tax revenues. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Aug. 3 that Ukraine plans to spend Hr 1.8 trillion (about $48 billion) from the state budget on the defense and security forces in 2023. Ukraine faces not only growing defense expenditures due to the full-scale Russian invasion but also reconstruction and recovery costs. The World Bank's assessment in March said that Ukraine will need at least $411 billion for its future recovery, amounting to 2.6 times Ukraine's projected gross domestic product in 2022. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russias war costs Ukraine $50 billion annually, PM says Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Minyon Moore, the former Biden adviser who served on the board of directors of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation last year, will chair the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the party announced Tuesday. Moore, a Chicago native who currently serves as a co-chair of the DNCs Rules and Bylaws Committee, previously served on Hillary Clintons presidential campaign and as assistant to the president and director of White House Political Affairs under President Bill Clinton. "I am thrilled for the opportunity to serve as Chair to the 2024 Democratic National Convention in my hometown of Chicago, Illinois," Moore said in a DNC press release. "I am grateful to the team members who have already been working hard, and know that through their work, and the strong team we continue to build, that this convention will be a success," she said. Minyon Moore speaks onstage during the dedication ceremony of the Coretta Scott King Peace and Meditation Garden and Monument at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center & National Historic Site on April 27, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. BIDEN SUPREME COURT NOMINATION ADVISER ON BLM BOARD OF DIRECTORS, DESPITE WH DISTANCING FROM DEFUND MOVEMENT The press release made no mention of Moore briefly serving on the board of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation in 2022. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP While Moore was listed as a board member during the groups February 2022 tax filings, she was absent from the registration forms submitted in Florida and Oklahoma on behalf of the group on April 28, 2022, signaling she had stepped down, the Washington Examiner reported at the time. The DNC did not respond to Fox News Digital's inquiry seeking clarification. Moore, who has been described by media outlets as an informal adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris, was tapped in February 2022 to advise President Biden during his nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, Fox News Digital reported at the time. In 2020, Moore served as a member of the advisory council of the Biden-Harris transition team. She is also a former CEO of the DNC and currently leads the public affairs firm Dewey Square Group. The convention is slated for Aug. 19-22, 2024, in Chicago. Moores involvement with the BLM movement followed painstaking efforts by Biden and mainstream Democrats to distance themselves from the anti-police rhetoric of the defund the police movement embraced by the party's progressive wing. Several Miss Universe Indonesia candidates have registered police complaints accusing organisers of sexual abuse. The contestants were asked to take off their tops for "body checks" and photographs two days before the finals on 3 August, one of their lawyers said. The organisers allegedly told the women they had "to examine any scars, cellulite or tattoos on their bodies". "I feel that my rights have been violated," one of the contestants said. "It has affected me mentally. I have had trouble sleeping," she said, speaking to the media, alongside other complainants, earlier this week. Local television blurred their faces in the broadcasts to protect their identities. Mellisa Anggraeni, a lawyer who represents three of the contestants who complained, said many others will come forward. Police in capital Jakarta issued a statement saying they would investigate further. The Miss Universe Indonesia Organisation will investigate the allegations, its owner celebrity Poppy Capella said in a statement. The global Miss Universe Organisation also said it was looking into the matter and that it takes allegations of sexual impropriety "very seriously". While body checks are normal in the country, contestants are not usually asked to strip naked, said Maria Harfanti, a former Miss Indonesia. She added that organisers also often ask for the contestants' BMI or body mass index to check their body proportions. In Monday's press conference, one the complainants said that the body checks were done in a closed room, but there were some men also present. The door was not completely shut, giving people outside a view, she added. While beauty pageants have long been allowed in Indonesia, organisers are careful not to offend conservative sections of the society. In 2013, the Miss World pageant cancelled its bikini round when it was staged in the largely Muslim nation. Miss Universe, which is now on its 73rd edition, is popular in South-east Asia, especially in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, where winners go on to become celebrities and social media influencers. Its owner Anne Jakrajutatip a Thai transgender woman and media mogul, who has sought to revamp the brand to make it more inclusive by allowing married women, transgender women and single mothers to compete. Pijar Anugerah is a reporter with BBC News Indonesia Voters across Mississippi headed to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in statewide, legislative and local county primary races. While some of these races will give a clear picture of general election matchups, others in places where only candidates of one party are running effectively serve as the general election. The Clarion Ledger will provide live updates throughout the evening. Election results: Check back here for results as they come in. 11:33 p.m.: Hosemann wins primary for lieutenant governor Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann speaks to reporters after voting in the party primary at his precinct in Jackson on Tuesday. In the most hotly contested of the statewide primaries, Lieutenant governor Delbert Hosemann has defeated challenger Chris McDaniel in the race for the states No. 2 job. The contentious race was called at 11:33 by Decision Desk HQ, an election results reporting agency providing results and race calls for the USA TODAY Network. McDaniel, an ultra-conservative firebrand of a state senator, had attempted to brand Hosemann as Delbert the Democrat, but the message didnt stick. Hosemann had nearly 32,000 votes more than his opponent, whom he had accused of never accomplishing much in the state senate, which the lieutenant governor supervises. About 93% of the vote had been tallied. More on the Lt. Governor primary: Hosemann defeats McDaniel in MS lt. gov. primary, then calls for campaign finance reform 10:55 p.m.: McDaniel makes speech Chris McDaniel speaks to the media and his supporters as his race for Lieutenant Governor looks uncertain at Biloxi Visitors Center in Biloxi on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Chris McDaniel made an appearance at his election night event at the Biloxi Visitors Center at about 10:30 p.m. and made a speech without conceding as the race was still 52% for his opponent Delbert Hosemann to McDaniel's 43%. A third Republican challenger Tiffany Longino had 5.4% of the vote. 10 p.m.: Crisler is 'disappointed' in race results, blames voter turn-out Marshand Crisler hosted friends and close family at his home in North Jackson and watched the results come in with his wife, Eva Crisler, who is a candidate, running for the Hinds County Board of Supervisors District 1 seat. Crisler said he was disappointed with the race results and blamed it on voter turnout, saying more education is needed when it comes to the importance of voting. Hinds County elections: Tyree Jones wins handily in sheriff's race. See supervisors winners Crisler also questioned the timing of a federal indictment released in April that accused him of accepting bribes and selling ammunition to a convicted felon while serving as interim sheriff in 2021. He believes it has impacted his chances of winning in the race. You have to be suspicious about the timing because allegedly this happened two years ago, so why wait? Crisler said. If Im honest, Im absolutely suspicious of the timing of this indictment. He did say he wishes Jones the best during his time as Hinds County Sheriff. I wish him well. I hope he certainly spends a lot of time speaking with his constituents and speaking with other law enforcement experts to develop a comprehensive plan to address crime in a very effective and efficient way, Crisler said. So I just wish him godspeed and good luck in whatever direction his career takes him. 10 p.m.: McDaniel supporters gather, wait Guests mingle during a watch party for Chris McDaniel, a candidate for Mississippi Lieutenant Governor, at the Biloxi Visitor Center in Biloxi on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Friends and supporters of Lt. Gov. candidate Chris McDaniel gathered at the Biloxi Visitors Center Tuesday night. McDaniel, who was trailing incumbent Delbert Hosemann, had not yet made an appearance at the party as of approximately 9:15 p.m. and guests mingled and watched the returns while listening to live music and dining. 9:55 p.m.: Hosemann widens lead in GOP lt. gov. primary With nearly two-thirds of the votes counted statewide, incumbent Delbert Hosemann had extended his lead in the race to retain the lieutenant governors seat against State Sen. Chris McDaniel. Hosemann had 124,570 votes tallied as of 9:55 p.m., good for about 51.64% of the vote. McDaniel had 103,804 votes, good for 43.03%, with 63% of the total votes for the state recorded. Tiffany Longino may be playing a factor into the race, with more than 13,200 votes cast for her, good for about 5.38% of the vote. 9:40 p.m.: Tyree Jones declared winner in Hinds County sheriff race In the Democratic primary for sheriff, which was a repeat of the special election with incumbent Tyree Jones and former interim-Sheriff Marshand Crisler, Jones ran away with the race. With 29% of the vote counted, Jones recorded 5,398 votes to Crisler's 870. Jones captured 85.91% of the vote. The vote was called by Decision Desk HQ, an election results reporting agency providing results and race calls for the USA TODAY Network. 9:35 p.m.: Tate Reeves thanks supporters Tate Reeves supporters mingle as they wait for the arrival of the governor at his watch party at the Old Capitol Inn in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Gov. Tate Reeves' brother Todd introduced him to the crowd gathered at the Old Capitol Inn to celebrate Reeves being declared the winner of the Republican primary Tuesday night. He has done exactly what he promised, Todd Reeves said. He has taken care of the people of Mississippi. I'm proud that we were taught to keep God first in all we do. He said in the coming three months, you will hear some terrible lies about Tate and our family, but quoting from a song, he said, around here, we take care of our own. Right now. I want to introduce you to one of our own, Gov. Tate Reeves. Tate Reeves thanked Mississippians and his wife, Elee. I want to thank all of you here tonight who have prayed for us, Tate Reeves said. I want to leave this state better than I found it. our state is headed in the right direction. Mississippi has the momentum. And this is Mississippi's time. He said Mississippi will never be last again and that Mississippi is the envy of the nation. He said his opponents are Biden, Bennie and Brandon. Ladies and gentlemen, we are not going to let Biden, Bennie and Brandon run our lives, Tate Reeves said. He touted some of his administrations accomplishments, including in education and the economy and said Mississippi has the smartest students in the country and that the per capita income in the state is up 30% while business investment in Mississippi is at a record high bringing good jobs with them. He promised to eliminate the state income tax and said under his administration Mississippi has the largest tax cut in the states history, while at the same time teacher pay has risen above the regional average. He also touted the investment in the Capitol Police to make our capital city safer. 9:06 p.m.: Hosemann surges to strong lead The counties in the Jackson metro area have helped incumbent Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann to a strong lead over Chris McDaniel as of 9 p.m. With about 24% of the states ballots counted, Hosemann led by around 6,800 votes, which was better than a 7.5% lead. The race was the most hotly contested of the statewide contests this year, with many of the other primaries seeing blowouts. 9:05 p.m.: Tyree Jones thanks supporters Friends and supporters or Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones turned out for his election watch party in downtown Jackson with approximately 80 people watching the result roll in.Jones, a Democrat who had taken an early lead in the race against his primary opponent, Marshand Crisler, said he is excited to see how the night turns out.I want to thank God and my beautiful family for the continued support as well as the community, Jones said. I look forward to sharing the night and conversation those who came out to support tonight. With 29% of the vote in Hinds County tallied, Jones had nearly 86% of the total vote. 8:50 p.m.: Reeves to speak at party More than 100 people gathered at the Old Capitol Inn in downtown Jackson Tuesday night for Gov. Tate Reeves election night party. Speaking shortly before most media had declared Reeves the winner, Joan Fabbri, a member of the Mississippi Republican women, said Gov. Tate Reeves is a devoted husband and father. His values and principles are aligned with the values and principles in Mississippi, Fabbri said. I respect that. That's why he should be governor. Reeves brother, Todd, was scheduled to speak at 8:30 p.m. before Reeves speaks around 9 p.m. State Treasurer David McRae, who spoke before Todd, said it was a great night for the Republican Party. "After tonight, we are all Republicans," McRae said. "We are all going to get along, and there will not be a single Democrat in the state as long as we're in charge." Terry Reeves, the governors father who attended the party said, All they have to do is look at his record. And what he has done for the state, mentioning education and the economy. Harold Weess, a retired Trustmark employee who was at the party said he has known Tate Reeves since he was 12 or 13 years old. I think he has done a wonderful job, Weess said. He will do what he thinks is right. He will not let someone else dictate to him. He is just a brilliant person cannot say enough good about him. 8:40 p.m.: Lt. governor race neck and neck The race for lieutenant governor has tightened. With about 10% of the vote counted, State Sen. Chris McDaniel has now received 18,697 votes to incumbent Delbert Hosemanns 18,552. Thats a lead of .36%. Only 8% of Hinds County had been counted as of 8:40, with Hosemann possessing a strong lead in the states capital and most populated county. The tight race is a culmination of an aggressive campaign. Reeves declared winner in GOP primary Gov. Tate Reeves has been declared the winner of the GOP primary in the race for the governor's seat. Reeves, the incumbent, had around 71% of the vote with 7% of the state's ballots cast. John Witcher sat in second with 19.7% of the vote. The vote was called at 8:21 by Decision Desk HQ, an election results reporting agency providing results and race calls for the USA TODAY Network. 8 p.m.: McDaniel takes early lead in lt. gov race, bolstered by Memphis area Early returns showed firebrand State Sen. Chris McDaniel with a lead over incumbent Delbert Hosemann in the Republican race for lieutenant governor. McDaniel was bolstered by counties in North Mississippi, including the Memphis area. With 57% of the votes counted in DeSoto County, McDaniel had 49.62 % of the vote in that county to Hosemanns 42.65%. Overall, McDaniel led by about 6.5 percentage points at 8 p.m., with 6,383 votes to Hosemanns 5,504. Only 3% of the votes statewide had been counted, and results could change dramatically over the course of the evening. 7 p.m. Rankin County Districts 4 and 5 After work, voters filled up the hallways at Oakdale Baptist Church precinct in Rankin Countys District 4. The precinct had more than 15 people waiting in line at 6 p.m. Modean Cross, the precincts poll manager, said there were no issues with any equipment failure or rowdy voters throughout the day. The only problem her precinct experience was having to ask a child, who came with their mother, to turn his shirt inside out because it had the name of one of the candidate's names on it, which is illegal. Cross estimated that more than 800 people had voted thus far. At the Flowood Library precinct in Rankin Countys District 5, the voting line was out the door. The precinct is the second biggest in Rankin County serving over 4,000 voters. Brandon City Hall is the largest and serves over 5,000. Poll manager Bill Gilmore said he estimated the precinct saw around 900 voters today. Gilmore said that around 6 p.m., the power had gone out partially in the voting room, but no voting machines were affected. 7 p.m. Polls are now closed, results to come Polls closed in Mississippi at 7 p.m. Though long lines were a rarity across the state throughout the day, if someone is still in line and was there before 7 p.m., they can still vote as long as they remain in line. Results will be posted live on the Clarion Ledger website for statewide and Hinds County races. Election results: Check back here for results as they come in. 2 p.m.: Brandon City Hall, Rankin County, District 3 The Brandon City Hall precinct reported approximately 800 ballots submitted by 2 p.m. Poll Manager Margaret Thompson said the majority of voters so far have been seniors over 60. Thompson has been a poll manager for 25 years. "When we opened this morning we were busy, it was lined-up," Thompson said. "It's slowed down, but it's picking back up." 1:48: Light turnout at Madison polling place Ronnie Sims Ronnie Sims of Madison was one of approximately 500 voters who had cast their ballots in party primaries by 1:45 p.m. at the Pilgrim Rest MB Church polling place Tuesday. We have a lot going on in Mississippi, Sims said. It is very important to vote. Sims said the abortion issue and races for governor and lieutenant governor were important to him in Tuesdays primaries. Turnout was light throughout the day at the Madison polling place compared to other elections, poll workers said, adding they were hopeful the turnout numbers would pick up later in the day. Campaigns signs line the road Tuesday afternoon outside the Pilgrim Rest MB Church polling place. Approximately 500 people had voted by 1:45 p.m. Tuesday. 1:45 p.m.: Voting varies in Crystal Springs Louis Dixon of Crystal Springs makes his selections for the primary election in Crystal Springs at the J. T. Biggs, Jr. Memorial Library where poll workers reported a light Republican turnout, but higher than average Democratic turnout. A steady stream of voters came through the J. T. Biggs Jr. Memorial Library in Crystal Springs during lunch. "We're having a pretty good day," said poll manager Linda Tobias. "We're up to 241 Democrats voted. For a primary, it's a little higher (than average)." On the Republican side, only 46 votes were cast. "They've been slow coming in," said Linda Murray, receiving and returning manager. "It's always slow over here on the Republican side." Louis Dixon came in during lunch to cast his votes. In the primary election, he said a local race is of most interest to him. "The most important race for me is probably the Copiah County supervisor because we're concerned about what's happening in the community," Dixon said. "We want to see that we're doing all we can to meet the people's needs." On a statewide level, he said the Lt. Governor's race will be a concern for him in the General Election. "The Lt. Governor's race is very important," Dixon said. "We realize so much change is going on in Jackson and in our schoolhouses. We want to see less ungodliness going on and we want someone who is straightforward." 12:45 p.m.: Confusion over machines at Jackson precinct On Tuesday morning Clarion Ledger reader Joanna Greene described via email difficulty voting at the precinct located at Jackson Fire Station 26. Greene said she only intended to cast a ballot for governor, but when she fed her paper ballot into the machine an error message popped up. She said she was instructed to complete the other sections of her ballot, but she only wanted to vote in the governor's race. Voters are not required to vote in every race on the ballot. Green said she was then told she could void her ballot and come back later, which she said she planned to do. Shirley Harrison, of the Hinds County Circuit Clerk's office, said Tuesday afternoon that after she heard from Greene county election commissioners were sent to the precinct. Harrison said that the poll worker at the precinct is new and did not know that a voter can confirm they want to leave sections blank when the machine responds with the error message, and if they do so the vote will be counted. "The commissioner went out to tell the workers what the process is," Harrison said. "The election commission did not do the training. The training is done by the Republican and the Democratic parties. This is a party election, not a county election. I don't know if she did not go to training, if she did not hear that in training, I don't know, but she has been retrained today." Harrison emphasized that poll workers for primary elections are trained by the state's political parties, not by Hinds County election commissioners. "I do apologize to the voters for the misunderstanding, but they were not trained by the Hinds County election commission," Harrison said. A spokesperson for Secretary of State Michael Watson said that their office has been in communication with Hinds County throughout the day, and they were looking into the matter. 1 p.m.: Rankin County, Districts 1 and 2 At noon, poll workers reported a steady turnout all morning at the Trinity Baptist Church. The church is a precinct in Rankin County's District 1. An estimated 300-350 have hit the polls so far in the morning, according to Steve Roberts, the precinct's poll manager. Roberts said he expects it to pick up once the school day is over, as well as into the night when voters get off work. A constant stream of voters made their way into the precinct at Lakeside Presbyterian Church located in Rankin County. A line of 10 voters was waiting patiently with more making their way inside at 1 p.m. Poll manager Michelle Loftin counted more than 450 ballots submitted so far. First time voter Qadre Latiker, 18, said he was slightly nervous as he made his ways to the polls. A graduate of Northwest Rankin High School, Latiker was voting alongside his mother, Latisha, who, as a present for his birthday and Easter earlier this year, gave him a voter registration sheet. "It was a little nerve-racking because there's a lot of names, but I did a little research on who I was voting for," Latiker said after voting. For the Latikers, voting is a way of life, Latisha said. "It's amazing because it was the first time with my son," Latisha said. "Voting is a lifestyle, it's a habit, it's who we are. So, voting is never not an option, but doing it with my son for the first time was one of the most amazing experiences." Latiker is moving to Tallahassee in a few weeks to attend school at Florida A&M University, but he still plans on participating in Mississippi elections. "I'll be an absentee voter, but I'm still voting," he said. 11:15 a.m.: Turnout in Northeast Jackson low but steady A sign marks the voting place at the Christian Life Center at New Jerusalem Church in Northeast Jackson on Aug. 8. At the precinct at New Jerusalem Church in Northeast Jackson poll workers said turnout had been slow, but typical for a non-presidential election. As of 11:15 a.m., 127 people had voted in the Democratic primary, and 50 people had voted in the Republican primary. 11 a.m.: Rain moves across state As rain moves through most of North and Central Mississippi, showers could be seen in Hinds and Madison counties Tuesday morning. Supporters of candidates could still be seen holding signs in the rain on major roads like Lake Harbour Drive in Ridgeland and Old Canton Road in Jackson. 8:30 a.m.: Voting in Hattiesburg is moderate In Hattiesburg, candidate supporters waved signs along Hardy Street near the Hardy Street Baptist polling place. Poll workers said voting has been moderate since the polls opened at 7 a.m. Voting also was off to a good start at Hattiesburg Cultural Center precinct. Voters were turning out at a steady pace, poll workers reported. Voting in the Arcadia-Sunset neighborhood was brisk at the Community Bible Church precinct. Supporters of Forrest County District 1 supervisor candidate Gentry Mordica hold up signs as motorists pass by outside Hardy Street Baptist Church precinct. Forrest County District 1 supervisor candidate Wesley Clark supporters hold up signs as motorists pass by outside Hardy Street Baptist Church precinct. 7 a.m. Polls Open, with some location changes Polling places across Mississippi opened at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 7 p.m. Two precincts had their locations changed in Hinds County as of late Monday. Precinct One, typically located at the Eudora Welty Library, was moved next door to the Old Capitol Inn due to accessibility issues for voters with disabilities. In Clinton, the precinct previously located at Sumner Hill Middle School was moved to the Clinton Fire Station. Voters stand in line to cast their ballots in the primary election as soon as the poll opened at Jackson Fire Station 26 in Jackson on Tuesday morning. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi elections live updates: Governor, Lt. Governor results Mississippi GOP Gov. Tate Reeves will now officially face Democrat Brandon Presley to seek his second term in Novembers general election. Reeves defeated John Witcher, a doctor who has criticized COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine mandates, and David Hardigree, a veteran, in Tuesdays GOP primary. Both challengers were first-time candidates, and Presley ran unopposed in his primary. The national Democrats think Mississippi is theirs for the taking, Reeves told supporters Tuesday night. Theyve circled our state, and theyve hand-picked their candidate. These national Democrats think they can use him to inject their liberal ideology into Mississippi under the guise of being a moderate. Democrats have looked at Mississippi as an opportunity for a potential pickup in the upcoming gubernatorial election because Reeves has faced low approval numbers and has been namechecked in an ongoing welfare scandal in the state. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, said Mississippi may be the sleeper for Democrats to win the state. Presley announced his campaign in January and has advocated for eliminating a 7 percent tax on groceries and expanding Medicaid coverage to low-income workers whose employer does not provide private health insurance. Presley, a second cousin of Elvis Presley, has campaigned against Reeves by saying the governor does not care about working people. This race is going to come down to which candidate, and I believe thats me, has got guts and the backbone to stand up for the people of Mississippi and which candidate has consistently showed us that he will do whatever his lobbyist buddies want him to do and will not stand up for the people of Mississippi, Presley said. The Associated Press contributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Almost 250 phones are stolen every day in London, according to Met Police data Calls are being made for phone firms to help reduce thefts after police data revealed a mobile was stolen every six minutes in London last year. The Met Police says 90,864 phones, or almost 250 a day, were stolen in 2022. The London mayor and Met commissioner have urged mobile industry bosses to "design out" incentives to steal them. Mobile UK, representing UK networks, said measures were in place to "combat" theft. Leading phone makers Apple and Samsung have been asked to comment. In an open letter, mayor Sadiq Khan and Met chief Sir Mark Rowley said software designers must "develop solutions to make this crime less rewarding". They urged mobile phone providers to work with City Hall and police as new figures show that mobile phone crime is driving the rise in robberies and thefts in the capital with 38% of all personal robberies last year involving a phone being stolen. Statistics also show nearly 70% of all thefts in London last year related to mobile phones. In previous years, car manufacturers have worked with police to substantially reduce the thefts of car radios and sat navs by integrating them into vehicle dashboards. The mayor of London and Met Police chief joined a patrol working to tackle mobile phone robberies and theft in west London Speaking on the new data, Sir Mark said: "The current practice of allowing stolen mobiles to be re-registered by new users within the phone industry inadvertently enables a criminal market which drives robbery, thefts and violent offending in London. "We've been really clear there are root causes of violence we cannot tackle alone. "We need partners to step up to the plate and work alongside us to break this cycle of violence." 'Potential nightmare' However, tech expert Jake Moore expressed scepticism of what Mr Khan and Sir Mark's have called for, given the vast volume of mobile phones circulating in the UK. "It would cause a potential nightmare, and you could find people accused of owning a stolen phone when it's actually theirs," he said. "Proving legitimate purchase, especially from second-hand websites that many people use, would be challenging. "I can't see any company enforcing this. It just escalates into a bigger problem." Police data shows young people are disproportionately involved in robberies, both as victims and perpetrators, with those aged between 14-20 particularly at risk of being targeted by criminals. Mr Khan said "the spiralling cost of living threatens to exacerbate the drivers of violence and robberies, which we know disproportionately impact young people." He added it was "simply too easy and profitable for criminals right now to repurpose and sell on stolen phones". Mobile UK added: "We welcome the opportunity to work with the Met, the mayor's office, device manufacturers and the wider industry to continue to reduce this crime further." Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk The Modesto City Council heard often-heated protests Tuesday night about the fatal police shooting of Trevor Seever. One man was escorted from the council chamber by police after loudly and profanely stating his case. The people were reacting to the July 21 court ruling that former officer Joseph Lamantia will not be tried for voluntary manslaughter. Just one Lamantia supporter spoke, a woman who said over Zoom that the December 2020 shooting was justified. Several speakers said they feared that Lamantia would be rehired. He was terminated in March 2021 for violating the Police Departments use-of-force policy in the shooting. This city should not allow this individual to return back to the city of Modesto Police Department, period, said Samuel White-Ephraim, a leader with the NAACP of Modesto/Stanislaus. With charges dropped, Lamantia may seek job back Lamantia appealed his termination, but an administrative hearing was stayed pending the outcome of the criminal case, according to his attorney Roger Wilson. Now that the charge against Lamantia has been dismissed, arbitration can proceed, Wilson said. Seever was shot on the grounds of the Church of the Brethren on Woodland Avenue. Investigators said he previously had posted on social media about wanting to kill police and had purchased a gun the day before. Seevers family said he was in a mental health crisis but did not pose a threat. No gun was found on him after he was shot by Lamantia. The city agreed this April to pay $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit from the family. Lamantia underwent a preliminary hearing to determine whether he should face a manslaughter trial. Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Carrie Stephens ruled that Lamantia had a reasonable fear for his safety when he shot Seever. This was noted by Meghan Tazir, who during Tuesdays council meeting identified herself as a friend of Lamantias. She also mentioned the Seever familys settlement of the civil suit. Perhaps if they are so outraged that no accountability had been taken, they should give that money back, Tazir said. Seevers death helped prompt the creation in May of a new system for monitoring police. It includes a nine-member volunteer board and a law firm that reviews how the department investigates officer-involved shootings and other critical incidents. During periods of public comment at its meetings, the City Council continues to hear complaints about police shootings. The speakers are limited to five minutes. A man who identified himself only as Stephen continued to shout after Mayor Sue Zwahlen noted he had reached the limit. Two police officers already on hand for security asked him to leave the chamber. I live in a town where murderers are aided and abetted by politicians, he said on his way out. Some of the recent council protests have involved Paul Chavez Jr., shot and killed in July 2022. Officer Sam Muncy was later cleared by the District Attorneys Office. Teresa Clutter, Chavezs mother-in-law, joined in the protest against Lamantia. Do not re-employ this man, she said over Zoom. Do not give him the right to kill again freely and without consequence. Ex-officer could be decertified The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) also has the authority to decertify peace officers for acts of serious misconduct. That would bar them from being hired by any other agency in the state that participates in the POST program, the vast majority of which do. The commissions power to decertify officers took effect Jan. 1 under Senate Bill 2. Acts of serious misconduct include excessive use of force or failing to intervene when witnessing another officer using excessive force; lying or abusing power in an investigation; demonstrating bias or participating in a law enforcement gang; and sexual assault. Modesto Police spokeswoman Sharon Bear said Lamantias case was sent to the commission in May and it has three years to make a decision. The commission has a growing list of over 50 current or former officers whose certifications have either been suspended or revoked or given up voluntarily. Lamantia was not on that list of Thursday. Wilson said, A decision by POST to decertify Officer Lamantia should not occur until Officer Lamantia has exhausted his administrative hearing process. A hearing officer has the authority to modify and even dismiss alleged policy violations raised by the Department. Those hearings can take months or even more than a year. The commission estimated it will field more than 16,000 reports of serious misconduct per year and that about 3,500 will have sustained findings, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. A monumental data breach has exposed the names and rank of all 10,000 serving police officers in Northern Ireland, with the body representing the force warning of incalculable damage should it end up in the wrong hands. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has apologized for mistakenly sharing sensitive data in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request seeking to understand the numbers of officers in the organization. Police in Northern Ireland remain under threat and have been regularly targeted in long years of conflict over British rule in the region. The data breach comes just months after a serving Northern Irish police officer was left fighting for his life after being shot multiple times in front of his young son in February. Seven men have been charged with attempted murder over the attack, with two were also charged with membership of a proscribed organization, the Irish Republican Army (IRA), a paramilitary group which seeks the end of British rule in Northern Ireland and the reunification of Ireland. We operate in an environment at the moment where there is a severe threat to our colleagues from Northern Ireland-related terrorism, and this is the last thing that anybody in the organization wants to be hearing this evening, said Chris Todd, PSNIs senior information risk owner, at a news conference in Belfast on Tuesday evening. Todd said the breach was the result of simple human error in response to a routine FOI request. An FOI request can provide public access to information held by public authorities, unless there is good reason for authorities to withhold that information. In detailing the number of staff across the organization, a PSNI member of staff embedded the data with the surname, the initial, the rank or grade, the location and the department, for each of our current employees across the police service, said Todd. The spreadsheet was published online at around 2.30 p.m. Tuesday and was visible for more than two hours before being taken down. Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd apologized to PSNI officers at a news conference Tuesday. - Rebecca Black/AP Although it was made available as a result of our own error, anyone who did access the information before it was taken down is responsible for what they do with it next. It is important that data anyone has accessed is deleted immediately, said Todd. Northern Irelands Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said it was appalled by the potentially calamitous breach. This is a breach of monumental proportions. Even if it was done accidentally, it still represents a data and security breach that should never have happened, Liam Kelly, chair of the federation, said in a statement. Inadequate or poor oversight of FOI procedures must be addressed and addressed urgently. New safeguards are obviously required to prevent this from ever happening again, he said. Kelly said many serving officers do everything possible to protect their police roles, due to heightened security concerns in Northern Ireland. Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today program on Wednesday, Kelly said that PSNI officers operate under the veil of the highest potential threat. What youve got here is a spectrum of officers. People like myself and the senior management in police, its public knowledge that we are police officers, its public knowledge where we work, but there are a lot of officers in our service who dont have that freedom available to them, for all manner of reasons, he said. He said legal action is something we will consider once the investigation concludes. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed that Russian air defense successfully targeted and eliminated two drones near the city's periphery on the night of Aug. 9. The Russian state news agency TASS later alleged that two combat drones simultaneously approached Moscow from the south and southwest. One drone was reportedly intercepted near Domodedovo, and another shot down near Minsk Highway. No information on specific drone types or the purpose of the attack was disclosed. Sobyanin said there is currently no information about casualties resulting from falling debris. He also claimed that emergency services have been dispatched to the site. On July 30, a drone strike damaged two floors of a Moscow building where certain Russian ministries were located. A following strike on Aug. 1 inflicted damage to the 21st floor of the same building, known as the "Moscow City" building. Russia blamed Ukrainian forces for the drone strikes. Kyiv has not claimed direct responsibility for the attacks. Read also: From Moscow to Novorossiysk: The list of attacks on Russian soil Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A Maryland mother of five whose body was found near a popular trail after disappearing Saturday was the victim of a homicide, authorities said as they asked the public to submit photos or video if they were in the area over the weekend. Rachel Morin, 37, went missing Saturday evening after her boyfriend said she planned to walk at the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, a town about 30 miles northeast of Baltimore. A body was found near the trail on Sunday, and Robert Royster, Harford County Sheriffs Office public information officer, confirmed to HuffPost that it was Morins. Richard Tobin, Morins boyfriend, reported her missing, telling police that she had left around 6 p.m. and that her car was parked at the trailheads parking lot. A massive search was launched early Sunday morning, and a volunteer found Morins body just after 1 p.m. off of the trail, authorities said. Rachel Morin is a Maryland mother of five whose body was found near a popular trail after disappearing Saturday. Rachel Morin is a Maryland mother of five whose body was found near a popular trail after disappearing Saturday. Investigators have not identified a suspect, and Sheriff Jeff Gahler told WBAL on Monday that Morins killing could be a random event. In a news conference Monday, Gahler told reporters that he couldnt say whether there was an ongoing threat to the community but that the sheriffs deputies would provide increased patrols on the trail throughout the week. The sheriff said there are no surveillance cameras in the trails parking lot or public areas. Its always known to be a pretty safe place, Gahler said in a news conference Monday but urged people to keep aware of your surroundings, avoid a predictable routine when exercising, buddy up with someone they know, and consider carrying a whistle or other alert device. If you were on the Ma & Pa Trail on Saturday, or near the trail or trail heads and took photos or video, we are asking if you would please share them with investigators, the sheriffs office said on Facebook. There could be something helpful in one of your photos that might bring us one more piece of the puzzle. As of early Tuesday, authorities said they had received nearly 100 tips. Morin and Tobin had not been dating very long. He updated his Facebook status to in a relationship on Aug. 1, and Morin said that she had Only started taking pics few weeks ago in an Aug. 3 Facebook post with two snapshots of the couple. In one picture, she is visibly sunburned, noting that the couple had been From the beach to the mountains. Investigators have not identified a suspect, and Sheriff Jeff Gahler told WBAL that Morins killing could be a random event. Investigators have not identified a suspect, and Sheriff Jeff Gahler told WBAL that Morins killing could be a random event. Tobin, whose criminal history of misdemeanor assault and drug charges has come under scrutiny from would-be internet sleuths, defended himself on Facebook on Sunday. I love Rachel, I would never do anything to her, let the family and I grieve, he said in response to his original relationship update, where hundreds of people had expressed suspicions about his guilt including links and screenshots of his rap sheet. Yes, I have a past but I also have 15 months clean and have changed as a person. Please, he said. In a GoFundMe for funeral and memorial expenses, Morins sister, Rebekah Morin, said, It is with devastating sadness and a broken heart that our family has been hit with yet another heartbreak. Just over a week earlier, the sisters 4-month-old niece, Lily Beth Morin, had died suddenly, Rebekah Morin said in a GoFundMe she had posted then to help with funeral and medical expenses. Authorities have no immediate plans to release Morins cause of death. Related... Read the full article on Motorious If you havent taken extra steps to secure your bike, you should For the past three years, weve been covering the increase in motorcycle thefts nationwide. Yet as pointed out recently by Forbes, the National Insurance Crime Bureau claims motorcycle thefts are now on a three-year run with steadily increasing rates. Check out which exotic car brand is poised to set a new sales record here. The prediction is that well over 4,000 motorcycles are being stolen in the United States every month this year. Last year, the average was 4,561 per month, with the peak coming from May to October. There might be a few reasons for the trend, which is headed in a similar direction as car theft rates, including the fact that motorcycle sales have seen a nice bump since the covid era. Yet again, California is the number one state for volume of motorcycle thefts at 9,838 swiped in 2022. For reference, when we reported on this issue in 2020, the 2019 total in California was 6,913. There is good news: nationwide, 41% of bikes reported stolen had also been reported as recovered later. What might shock some people is to learn that according to NICB Honda is the lead motorcycle brand for thefts at 10,631 for 2022. Yamaha, Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki, and Suzuki rounded out the top five in that order. Sadly, motorcycles are easier to steal than cars since they can be loaded into a truck, van, or other vehicle and carted off. Theyre also easier to chop for the selling of parts illegally. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to secure your ride. Just like with cars, your best defense is parking in a secure, private building, especially overnight. Dont just rely on a garage door opener to keep thieves out but take steps to physically secure the track. If you have to park outside, choose a well-lit spot with foot traffic and surveillance cameras if possible. Wherever you park, dont leave your key anywhere near or on the motorcycle, even if it is in a locked building. Consider installing a GPS tracker or two on your bike. You can also look into alarms and locks/chains, although many dont provide the type of ironclad protection you might want. Images via Facebook Sign up for the Motorious Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinsky said via social networks on Aug. 9 that he has been declared a suspect of the falsification of official documents in a case related to his recent travel abroad. The MP is being investigated for a vacation abroad during wartime, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and State Bureau of Investigation announced on Aug. 3. The authorities believe he traveled under the pretext of accompanying his father for medical treatment outside of Ukraine. However, Dubinsky's father went abroad without him and returned to Ukraine before the lawmaker. According to Ukrainska Pravda, his trip became public when a Health Ministry document requesting his permission to travel was leaked. He was supposed to return by July 10, but at the end of July he was featured in an Instagram post by his girlfriend who was on holiday in Barcelona. Dubinsky allegedly spent several weeks on holiday in Italy, Croatia, and Spain in July. The forgery charge relates to how the MP "was able to sign and send official documents" during his stay abroad. The evidence of Dubinsky not being in Ukraine on the days the documents were signed "may indicate their forgery," the Bureau said. On Aug. 5, the Bureau searched the office of Volodymyr Kolodyuk, the lawmaker's assistant, according to media reports. The MP said the charges were politically motivated and that the authorities were "cynically interfering in the personal life of my family." Dubinsky is an independent MP. He was removed from President Volodymyr Zelensky Servant of the People party in 2021 for "violating the statute and disobeying the party's governing bodies." Read also: Investigative Stories from Ukraine: Russia hits Ukraine with missiles that once belonged to Ukraine Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Global South confident in building equal, orderly multi-polar world 13:53, August 09, 2023 By Huan Yuping ( People's Daily For some time, discussions on the "Global South" have proliferated around the world. The term refers to the whole of emerging economies and developing countries, and mirrors their collective emergence on the international stage. As profound changes unseen in a century are evolving rapidly in the world today, these discussions signal an intensifying aspiration of these nations for independent development, solidarity, and cooperation. These countries are becoming a non-negligible force in the international landscape. I. In the 1950s and 1960s, some countries that had broken free from the shackles of colonialism and embarked on the path of independent development began using the "South" concept to indicate the systemic inequality between developing countries and industrialized countries, or the "North." Over several decades, the "Global South" has always pursued peace, development, fairness and justice. The current focus on the "Global South" has its special context. Since the Ukraine crisis escalated, the international community's attention to peace, security and development has been raised to new heights. Some major countries in the West are exploiting the crisis to stir up camp confrontation, and continue to pressure countries whose positions differ from theirs. They even attempted to coerce emerging markets and developing countries to pick sides. Some Western countries frequently wield unilateral sanctions as a weapon, exerting impacts on the stability of global finance, energy, transport and supply chains. This further drags down the struggling world economy. Facing such a complex and grim situation, emerging markets and developing countries have maintained a rational attitude. They support peace talks, promote dialogue and negotiations to resolve the Ukraine crisis, firmly resist the hegemony of a few Western countries, and explicitly oppose all forms of unilateralism and the forming of blocs and exclusive groups targeted against particular countries. Recently, the summit of the EU-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was held in Brussels, Belgium. During the summit, Latin American countries rejected unilateral demands put forward by the EU on issues such as the Ukraine crisis and trade negotiations, insisting on their own reasonable positions. This once again demonstrated the increasing focus of emerging markets and developing countries on safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests on the international stage, and on gaining a bigger say in the global governance system. The sobriety demonstrated by emerging markets and developing countries in a volatile world fully demonstrates their rising strategic independence. Some international observers believe that the world is witnessing a new "non-aligned movement" as more and more countries are refusing to submit to the United States and pick a side. Former director of Policy Planning for the U.S. Department of State Anne-Marie Slaughter believes that developing countries' reactions to the Ukraine crisis represent a much bigger shift in the international order than most American and European analysts give credit for. A Washington Post article wrote that the non-Western world, the long-neglected Southern Hemisphere, or what is usually referred to as "the rest," is making its voice heard. The increasing confidence demonstrated by the "Global South" on the international stage highlights the diverse values and interests of the developing world, reflecting the urgent need to safeguard peace and development and defend fairness and justice. II. From a long-term historical perspective, the focus on the "Global South" is an inevitable result of the collective rise of emerging markets and developing countries. During the Cold War, many developing countries had no choice but to survive between the cracks of the two major camps, with no strategic independence to speak of. Today, the "Global South" represents the vast majority of the world's population and accounts for half of the global economy. It now stands in a completely different historical position, with an even stronger desire for peace, development and cooperation, as well as greater determination for solidarity and self-strengthening. Its ability to resist hegemony and power politics has significantly improved. Independence is the political foundation of the "Global South." Most developing countries had once been invaded, colonized or plundered. They cherish peace and independence. However, power politics and hegemonic practices are disrupting world peace and have become the biggest destructive factors challenging international peace today. The "Global South" remains highly vigilant about this and jointly opposes all forms of hegemony and power politics, Cold War mentality, camp confrontation, interference in other countries' internal affairs, and double standards. It plays a crucial role in maintaining world peace and stability. Development and rejuvenation are the historical mission of the "Global South." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that without fundamental reforms, the richest countries and individuals will continue to pile up wealth, leaving crumbs for the communities and countries of the Global South. As the global economic recovery lacks momentum, developing countries face particularly daunting development challenges. Standing at a critical juncture of global development, the "Global South" widely believes that the international community should work together to make global development more inclusive, universal and resilient, and accelerate implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The world should adhere to win-win cooperation, reject narrow-minded beggar-thy-neighbor and selfish policies, abandon unilateral approaches that monopolize development advantages, safeguard equal development rights for all countries, and promote common development and prosperity. Equity and justice are the common proposition of the "Global South." A few Western countries incite ideological confrontation, form exclusive cliques, undermine international solidarity and impede global cooperation. The "Global South" generally believes that the international community should unwaveringly uphold the international system with the UN at the core and the international order underpinned by international law. It holds that state-to-state relations should be coordinated and regulated through proper institutions and rules, and the strong should not bully the weak. Decision should not be made by simply showing off strong muscles or waving a big fist. Multilateralism should not be used as pretext for acts of unilateralism. The "Global South" rejects the "rules-based international order" hyped and imposed on the developing world by Western countries. It advocates making the international order more just and reasonable, continuing to increase the representation and voice of emerging markets and developing countries, and promoting the building of an equal and orderly multi-polar world. In recent years, the "Global South" has seen increasing highlights on the international stage. The 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change successfully established a loss and damage fund to provide financial assistance for vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters. Countries including China, South Africa and Brazil are committed to promoting a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis and steadily building international consensus for peace talks. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is steadily advancing its membership expansion, with its cooperative philosophy gaining wider influence. The BRICS countries are exerting growing influence, with more countries applying to join. The rise of emerging markets and developing countries has not only led to historic changes in the international balance of power, but also brought new ideas about handling international affairs, injecting new vitality into the entire international relations system. III. In June this year, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa remarks at the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact deeply resonated with emerging markets and developing countries: African countries "felt like we were beggars when we needed access to vaccines." He noted that Western countries were hogging vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic while African countries were helpless when they needed vaccines most. In February this year, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also expressed similar disappointment at the Munich Security Conference. He said some Western countries only took care of themselves and disregarded other countries in urgent need of help. In the eyes of the "Global South," some Western countries have long dominated international affairs and prioritized self-interests while neglecting their international responsibilities. Facing the increasingly confident "Global South" in strong demand of strategic independence, a few Western countries feel unaccustomed, uncomprehending, and even furious. They have resorted to threats, inducements, and division, which reflects their ignorance of the history of emerging markets and developing countries, their neglect of the realistic needs of the "Global South," as well as their arrogant and biased detachment from reality. Since this year, on multiple occasions like the G7 summit and NATO summit, some Western countries have stepped up their empty show of "paying attention" to emerging markets and developing countries. However, the value of such "attention" can only be tested by actions. If these Western countries really valued the "Global South," they should not have fueled the flames in Ukraine and caused the crisis to expand and prolong, or even labeled calls for ceasefire from emerging markets and developing countries as "unacceptable." They should not have imposed sanctions and "decoupled" when the "Global South" faced development difficulties, which added serious risks to global economic recovery. They should not have paid only lip service without following through on official foreign aid commitments and funding support for developing countries to cope with climate change. Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, pointed out in his article "The west must recognize its hypocrisy," that many countries view the United States and European major countries as "selfish, self-satisfied and insincere," and this view makes perfect sense. The "Global South" should not be an arena for international political rivalry, nor should it become a tool for major power competition and geopolitical games. If Western countries really value the "Global South," they should keep pace with the times and adjust their thinking on international affairs. They should earnestly abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, earnestly respect the rights of emerging markets and developing countries to independently make policies and develop, patiently listen to the latter's demands, and help them develop and address global challenges like climate change. Singaporean scholar Kishore Mahbubani said, a reality that the West must accept is that the people of non-Western countries, who today comprise almost 90 percent of the world's population, want a bigger say in global affairs. The world can only make the right decisions to strengthen multilateralism and the international order based on the UN Charter, otherwise "disorder" will dominate the world, he noted. China is an ex-officio member of the "Global South" and will always be a member of the big family of developing countries. The increasingly louder voice of the "Global South" in international affairs fully demonstrates that the historical trend toward greater democracy in international relations is unstoppable. As emerging markets and developing countries play an increasingly important role in global governance, the forces defending the basic norms of international relations, upholding international fairness and justice, and promoting world peace and development will continue to grow. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Du Mingming) As Kansas continues to experience a drought, Tuesday nights storm provided the Wichita area with some much-needed rain. While the official recorded total taken at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport was 1.16 inches, the National Weather Service got reports of around 3 inches across Sedgwick County, specifically 3.2 inches near Colwich and 2.9 inches near Valley Center. Those were some of the higher amounts that we had, anywhere kind of between 2 to above 3 inches, throughout especially the northern part of the county, NWS forecaster Vanessa Pearce told the Eagle Wednesday morning. Including the 1.16 inches reported after last nights storm, that brings the current years total rainfall to about 5 inches below normal. Its a good amount, but ... we still have a little bit to go, Pearce said. The forecaster noted if you look at precipitation levels since June, this summers rainfall amounts are looking above normal. Even with Tuesday nights rain, the county is still experiencing a drought, with the northeast half of the in an extreme drought and the southwest in moderate drought status, according to the weather service. As of 710AM...most of the storms have moved out of the Wichita and Hutch metros. Most of the activity with heavy rain is now located over Marion/Chase/Wilson/Woodson/Allen and Neosho counties. Be on the lookout for flooded roads and low water crossings. #kswx NWS Wichita (@NWSWichita) August 9, 2023 Drought in Kansas Kansas has been experiencing drought-like conditions for more than a year. Id say about August of last year, we started to see more noticeable impacts of extreme to moderate drought in [the] southern, southeastern part of Kansas, [and] it just spread out, NWS forecaster Janet Salazar told the Wichita Eagle in June. Some relief from the drought was expected by late summer, but not enough to officially put an end to the conditions. Another change could be due to the transition to the El Nino weather pattern, which could bring lower-than-average temperatures to the area. El Nino occurs when water in the central Pacific Ocean is warmer than usual, affecting weather worldwide. The U.S. Drought Monitor, last updated with data through Aug. 1, shows much of Kansas is experiencing drought. Note: This graphic will automatically update as new data becomes available. The drought in the state has led to Wichita officials to take measures to preserve the citys water. You can visit the citys website for tips on how to conserve as the drought continues. When can Wichita expect the next heatwave? After weeks of triple-digit heat, Wichita saw less intense temperatures in recent days, but that could soon change, Pearce said. The normal this time of year is around 92 degrees, but Wichita will see heat back to the mid- to upper-90s starting this weekend. Youll have the higher values, and near to above normal, and kind of cool down a little bit, and back up again, Pearce said. [Thats] how it goes around here. Looking at the forecast, Wichita is expected to see a high of around 94 degrees Friday and of 95 Saturday. Sunday could see a high of 92, while Monday will be a little cooler, with a high of 88 degrees. Tuesday is expected to see a high of 91. A wildfire is spreading rapidly across the Big Island and Maui due to winds from a category 4 hurricane. County of Maui on Facebook Multiple Maui residents were rescued after jumping in the ocean to avoid harsh weather. A wildfire is spreading rapidly across the Big Island and Maui due to winds from a category 4 hurricane. The rescued "individuals were transported by the Coast Guard to safe areas," officials said. Multiple residents of Maui had to be rescued after jumping into the ocean to escape intense wildfires sweeping the Hawaiian island, officials said in a press release Tuesday night. "The Coast Guard has been responding to impacted areas where residents are entering the ocean due to smoke and fire conditions," the update from Maui Mayor Richard Bissen at 9:45 p.m. local time Tuesday said. The update added that "individuals were transported by the Coast Guard to safe areas." Cell phone service, 911 service, and some landlines are down in parts of Maui because of the wildfires, lieutenant governor Sylvia Luke said on Wednesday morning. Maui's mayor did not say how many people entered the ocean to escape the fires. CNN reported that 12 people had jumped into the ocean and were saved to avoid the horrific conditions brought about by the fire. Two brush fires started blazing Tuesday on Hawaii's Big Island, one in the North Kohala District and the other in the South Kohala, according to a news release posted by officials Tuesday. Strong winds from Category 4 Hurricane Dora are helping to spread the fires quickly across the Big Island and Maui, officials warned in a Facebook post on Tuesday. "Maui Fire officials warn that erratic wind, challenging terrain, steep slopes and dropping humidity, the direction and the location of the fire conditions make it difficult to predict path and speed of a wildfire," officials said. Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said in the release: "The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house." A late Tuesday update from the National Hurricane Center said winds from Dora were clocking in at 130 mph, while the storm was about 740 miles southwest of Honolulu. Read the original article on Insider Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward expressed his opposition Tuesday against a man who has petitioned Gov. Gavin Newsom for clemency over his conviction in the shooting death of an 18-year-old. Ward said Richard Miguel Garcia participated in the killing of Arturo Bello in Orosi on Aug. 28, 2009. Garcia, who was 23 at the time, did not pull the trigger but did exchange words with the victim, Ward said in a letter to the California governor. Garcia was found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder in aiding and abetting the violence. He was sentenced to 40 years to life and is held at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran. In no way was inmate Garcias sentence a miscarriage of justice that deserves clemency, the letter says. Inmate Garcias lack of violent history and the circumstances surrounding the offense does not mitigate his violent conduct. The governors office told The Bee this week that every person who applies for clemency gets the same scrutiny, but added the process is confidential. Information regarding the governors clemency deliberation process is confidential and were not able to discuss individual cases, the office said in a statement. All applications receive a thorough investigation and review, and the governor carefully considers the input he receives from all stakeholders. Investigators say Rodney Zayas of Orosi, who was 22, was the shooter who killed Bello, striking him multiple times. Zayas was convicted of felony homicide by a jury in May 2011, records show. Garcia, Zayas, and two others were mourning the loss of a relative who had been killed in a gang shooting, the district attorneys office said. They had been drinking beer for several hours in a cemetery. They decided to go mobbing, which is slang for looking for rival gang members, prosecutors said. While driving through Orosi, they happened upon Bello and another victim before Zayas got out of the car and fired about five rounds, prosecutors said. Bello, who was not armed, was struck multiple times and died while the other victim was able to flee, prosecutors said. The men were stopped a short time later by deputies after the car was seen moving at faster than 75 mph, investigators said. A weapon was found in the car. Prosecutors say that while Garcia did not fire a weapon, he vocally supported the hunt for rival gang members. He said F--- em when seeing the victims. Garcia told detectives he never thought that that would happen, when asked about the shooting, prosecutors said. (Bloomberg) -- Twitter Inc., now rebranded as X, was fined $350,000 for defying a judges deadline to comply with a Justice Department search warrant for records related to Donald Trumps social media account, according to a court opinion unsealed on Wednesday. Most Read from Bloomberg The ruling revealed that Special Counsel John Jack Smiths office obtained the warrant as part of its investigation into Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Prosecutors had asked a judge to bar Twitter from revealing the warrants existence, arguing that alerting the former president would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation by giving him an opportunity to destroy evidence or change his conduct. But Twitter objected to the nondisclosure order, claiming it violated the companys First Amendment free speech protections, and appealed. In the 3-0 opinion, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit rejected Twitters objections to the nondisclosure order and upheld the fine against the company. The social media company ultimately complied with the warrant, the opinion showed. Judge Florence Pan, who was appointed to the court by President Joe Biden, wrote that prosecutors had offered unquestionably compelling reasons to stop Twitter from notifying Trump about the search warrant, and that the governments interests were particularly strong because of the subject of the investigation efforts to undo a valid national election. Biden Going CRAZY In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination for 2024 criticized how the special counsels office had handled the warrant issue. Just found out that Crooked Joe Bidens DOJ secretly attacked my Twitter account, making it a point not to let me know about this major hit on my civil rights, he wrote. My Political Opponent is going CRAZY trying to infringe on my Campaign for President. Trump was indicted on Aug. 1 on felony charges that he conspired to obstruct the election. He has pleaded not guilty. Read More: Trump Indicted on Federal Charges in 2020 Election Probe A spokesperson for Smith declined to comment on the opinion. A representative of X didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Xs lawyer, Ari Holtzblatt of WilmerHale, didnt respond right away. He is also representing the company against a lawsuit by Trump over his suspension from the platform following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Evidence of Criminal Offenses The fight between the special counsel and Twitter unfolded largely in secret court proceedings until Wednesday, when the DC Circuit ordered a redacted version of its July 18 opinion unsealed. Smiths office had obtained a search warrant for data and other records related to Trumps @realDonaldTrump account in mid-January, according to the opinion. The district judge who signed off on it US District Judge Beryl Howell, then the DC courts chief judge found probable cause at the time to search the account for evidence of criminal offenses. The DC Circuit noted that the Justice Department had trouble serving Twitter with a copy of the warrant and the nondisclosure order because the companys website for legal requests was inoperative. Prosecutors were able to notify a lawyer for Twitter within a few days. The DC Circuit panel also featured Judge Nina Pillard, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, and Judge J. Michelle Childs, who was appointed by Biden. $350,000 Fine In objecting to the nondisclosure order, Twitter also argued that it would bar Trump from having a chance to raise executive privilege challenges. The company maintained that it shouldnt have to comply with the warrant until that issue was fully litigated. Howell ruled against the company and ordered it to comply by Feb. 7; the original deadline had been Jan. 27. Twitter missed that new deadline and didnt produce all of the records until the evening of Feb. 9, triggering the monetary sanctions. The judge adopted the governments proposal for how to calculate the sanctions $50,000 per day of noncompliance, doubling that rate every additional day and pointed out that the company had been sold to Elon Musk for more than $40 billion and that Musks net worth was more than $180 billion at the time. The judge issued another opinion in March, finding the nondisclosure order was narrowly tailored to protect the compelling interest of safeguarding the integrity and secrecy of an ongoing criminal investigation. On June 20, the government alerted the district judge that it would allow Twitter to notify Trump about the warrant. Twitter paid the fine, but it was held in an escrow account while it pressed its appeal, according to the opinion. The appeals court also held that Howell wasnt required to wait to rule on the contempt issue and delay the governments access to evidence in a criminal investigation until it resolved the merits of Twitters challenge to the nondisclosure order. The case is 23-5044, US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit (Washington). --With assistance from Aisha Counts. (Adds details and context throughout, starting in fourth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. The eye-poping new trailer for the queer comedy Rotting in the Sun is here, and believe us youre going to want to see it. If you're doomed to live in torment, nothing can keep you from it. That is your fate. begins the trailer for Rotting in the Sun. The film is the latest from Writer-director Sebastian Silva (Crystal Fairy, Nasty Baby). The film premiered at Sundance 2023 where it impressed audiences with its biting humor and clever plot twits. Rotting which is being called a darkly funny and refreshingly audacious meta-comedy takes aim at the business of filmmaking and our lets be honest self-obsessed culture. In the film, Silva is a depressed director who is unwinding at a Mexican gay beach town (and taking in the, ahem, scenery. While on the beach he meets gregarious Instagram influencer Jordan Firstman (played by himself). Charmed by Jordan Sebastian who pours on the compliments about his work, Silva eventually agrees to collaborate on an upcoming project. Then things take a mysterious and bizarre turn. When Jordan arrives back in Mexico City, Sebastian is nowhere has ghosted and has gone MIA. Rather than let it go Jordan embarks on a wildly unpredictable, quasi-detective journey to discover where the influencer has disappeared to. Rotting in the Sun heads to theaters on September 8. Check out the trailer below. www.youtube.com ROTTING IN THE SUN | Official Trailer | MUBI Jacky Calanchinis daughter complains about being dragged to basket-weaving classes the same way other kids might complain about piano lessons. But just like other parents, Calanchini knows shell eventually be grateful for it. A few years ago, some of us women wanted to learn basketry in our community, but that information was so spread apart, Calanchini said. Now, within five or six years, our kids are using and identifying the plants and the types of baskets already. Calanchini is the curator of collections and a member of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians tribal council. She helped put together the Sacramento History Museums recently-opened exhibit, located in Old Sacramento, which features the Momtim Pewinan people. Nothing in the exhibit is a relic, Calanchini said. Its living culture created in the last five years by nine tribal makers who have carried on traditional crafting techniques including Calanchinis daughter. The third-floor exhibit, which opened to the public on July 23, features four full-sized mannequins dressed in traditional attire as well as toys, tools, baskets and formal regalia. Sacramento History Museum director Delta Pick Mello worked alongside Calanchini, SSBMI exhibits and collections director Sigrid Benson and others in the tribe to bring the exhibit to life. The museum had previously worked with the SSBMI to write a land acknowledgment statement and plan school trip educational programming, so when they decided to refresh a preexisting American Indian exhibit, they quickly reached out for feedback. According to Calanchini, these days its almost trending for groups to reach out to local tribes about creating land acknowledgments, or with questions about other projects. But Calanchini said people dont always take the tribes recommendations, so it was meaningful to her that the history museum let them have so much influence over how their stories were displayed. I knew for a fact I didnt want it to be a historic type of exhibit, Calanchini said. I didnt want black-and-white. I didnt want sepia filters. I wanted color and vibrancy. Because almost every item was created new for the exhibit, the exhibit curators were able to merge two goals in how the tribe wanted their culture to be presented to the world: the desire to retain traditional crafting techniques, and the desire to save certain pieces of their culture for their own community, rather than placing them on display. The regalia items, which typically would not be appropriate to display in a museum setting, are treated as educational items, Benson said. They havent been danced in, they havent been utilized in ceremony, they were created specially for this exhibit, so that folks can see them and just start to understand whats going on in ceremony. For other pieces of the exhibit, traditional materials like dogbane were exchanged for newer materials like cotton string. In addition to certain materials being in low supply or hard to access today, much of the traditional material the tribe does have access to, according to Benson, is reserved for creating ceremonial regalia for tribal members to wear. Substituting alternate materials doesnt make it any less educational, doesnt make it any less valid, Benson said. But those choices are to reserve for the community what is most valued. The artists who created pieces for this exhibit made very active choices about the materials they used. Benson also talked about embracing the living culture of the SSBMI, and growing and adapting with the materials available to them now just as their ancestors would have done as time went on. In this way, they arent just historians, but contemporary artists, Benson said. Their tribes culture exists in the present, not only the past. We showcase contemporary cultural artwork of todays community, Benson said. That is the way to completely bypass all of those notions of erasure. You just cant ignore that contemporary art is made by contemporary artists. Coming full circle on the banks of the Sacramento Our connection to this land and these rivers is sacred and timeless, said Malissa Tayaba, the vice chair of the SSBMIs tribal council. The Sacramento History Museum stands on traditional Nisenan land, and the SSBMI is a federally recognized tribe with a heritage linked to the Nisenan, Maidu, Miwok and Native Hawaiian peoples. They consider themselves Momtim Pewinan, or River People. Calanchini said that their matriarchs, or ancestral grandmothers, did their best to stay as close as possible to the land even after non-Native people moved to the area. Though the SSBMI relocated to an El Dorado County rancheria in the 2010s, where Calanchini now lives, she said she still feels a connection to Sacramento. I grew up in West Sacramento and used the bike trail network to get around, and I just feel so connected to the space, Calanchini said. Its an honor to (have this exhibit) here. Tayaba said that she believes that the tribes grandmothers love of the land is carried within each of (their) descendants, and that one of the ideas they are trying to convey in the new exhibit is a deep, continuing connection to the area. The Momtim Pewinan exhibit demonstrates we are still here, we still come back to the rivers to gather traditional and cultural materials, Tayaba said in a speech unveiling the exhibit. Some of those plants and animals are encompassed in this exhibit in various ways. Whether it is our basketry, regalia or other cultural items, we are happy to share our story and elements of who we are with all of you. Waking up the sleeping knowledge of ancestors When the women of the SSBMI decided they wanted to bring their basket-weaving traditions back to life, they relied on two surviving baskets as models. The women traveled around California to talk to elders and experts and try to regain some of the lost knowledge, according to Calanchini, and discovered just how much of it was spread apart or even just wiped out. Thats why, explained Tayaba, they created the TEK department it stands for Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and is referenced in much of the signage displayed at the exhibit. As Calanchini put it, theyre hoping to find the sleeping knowledge and wake it up for our communities. The exhibit highlighted TEK by referencing the River Peoples connection to the salmon and water in the Sacramento River that their people relied on for generations. The salmon need water, just as people need water, Tayaba said. Part of TEK is our duty and responsibility to care for these other living beings. Water is alive to us. All of the plants, all of the animals, those are our other relatives, because our creation stories come from this land. So what happens to them is our livelihood also. A $100 million grant program for Tribal Nature-Based Solutions was announced on July 31 by the California Natural Resources Agency, and will offer funding to Californias Native American tribes to build projects and programs to protect culturally important natural resources, such as the Sacramento River or California forests. CNRA is currently seeking nominations for a panel to review project proposals for the grant, and is hosting a series of three webinars on Aug. 1, 8 and 9 to provide information to interested grant applicants on the application process and timeline. Pick Mello said that she hopes the Sacramento History Museum exhibit is just the first step of an ongoing journey to illuminate the native history of the area. We have much more work to do tomorrow and next week and many months to come and years to come, Pick Mello said. But for tonight, we celebrate. If you go Where: Sacramento History Museum, 101 I St., Old Sacramento. When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The exhibit will be in place for at least two years. Cost: Admission is free for Sacramento History Museum members or children 5and under, $5 for kids ages 6-17, and $10 for adults. There are also reduced rates of $2 per person for up to four people with evidence of Snap EBT through the Museums For All initiative. Information: sachistorymuseum.org/exhibits/momtim-pewinan The USS Constitution, the worlds oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat, underwent a drydock period from 1973-1974 prior to her bi-centennial celebration. During that time, large pieces of red oak were removed and replaced with white oak; including pieces of her deck and hull ribs. (US Navy Photo by Civilian Public Affairs Officer Max Lonzanida/Released) Wanna guess where one of the largest Navy installations by land mass is? A few hints: It's in a double-landlocked state, it's basically a quirk of history that the Navy even owns it, and it's vital to the preservation of the oldest active warship in the world. It's Naval Support Activity Crane in Indiana. Yeah, it's named so inconspicuously that it could be a setting in The Simpsons. And while Indiana has a little Great Lakes frontage thanks to Lake Michigan, NSA Crane is 200 miles from even that bit of moisture. So, how did a massive section of boring forest far from the water become an essential Navy base? The growth of Naval Support Activity Crane The Naval support activity came about thanks to a twist of history. According to National Geographic, the government originally purchased 40,000 acres of land there as a part of the New Deal. The feds scooped up land that was unfarmable and otherwise hard to develop, infusing cash into communities. Then, just before American entry into World War II, the Navy realized that 100% of their ammunition stores were within range of a carrier attack from the coast. Someone did the math and realized that hitting a double landlocked state like Indiana required flying almost 600 miles. (If you're curious, the closest bit of ocean to NSA Crane is the Chesapeake Bay, but we don't recommend attacking from there since you'd have to fly right over the well-defended National Capital Region.) And so the Navy moved into Crane, Indiana, and stored massive amounts of ammunition there. It also conducted tests of new ordnance. In the years after World War II, the importance of NSA Crane dwindled as the Navy slowly expended its stockpiles. But then Navy officers spent a bunch of money on white oak to restore the USS Constitution. The oldest warship in active service The world possesses just one active warship named by George Washington: USS Constitution. The ship is 225 years old, nearly as old as the document it is named after. But, like the Ship of Theseus, almost nothing of the original ship remains. The tall ship saw combat in the Quasi-War with France, the Barbary War, the War of 1812, and more. In the War of 1812, Constitution earned the nickname Old Ironsides when it fought HMS Guerriere and the crew watched British cannonballs bounce off the ship's white oak sides as if they were made of iron. Those white oak sides were a secret of its defensive power and of its reliability in the water. White oak is susceptible to some pests, but it's naturally watertight and strong. But ships made of white oak need to be overhauled regularly. The Navy, naturally careful with a ship that's nails were forged by Paul Revere, brings Constitution in for drydock and overhaul every 10 years. And that requires trees, especially white oak. 160324-N-NZ935-070 CHARLESTOWN, Mass. (March 24, 2016) Boatswains Mate Seaman Charles Jones, from Inver Grove Heights, Minn. and assigned to USS Constitution, conducts post fire checks on a 40mm gun mount after it was fired. Constitution fires one 40mm 200g round for morning and evening colors. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joshua Hammond/Released) How the white oak crowns the Constitution That refit every 10 years requires old, old white oaks. The Navy aims to use trees 110 to 125 years old and 120 to 130 feet tall in repairing the ship. And the perfect spot to harvest those trees is NSA Crane in Indiana. White oaks used to be plentiful in the U.S., but the traits that made them great for ships also made them great for homes, railroads, and more. Americans harvested millions of white oaks and didn't plant many. But the land at NSA Crane was full of them, and the Navy kept planting them. Now, the Navy maintains a 40-acre Constitution Grove on the base and can pull additional oaks from the rest of the forest as needed. The Navy only harvests 25% as much white oak as grows every year, meaning that it's entirely sustainable as long as the forest remains otherwise healthy. Which is good because all wooden warships required massive numbers of trees to build and maintain. U.S. foresters harvest the trees when the Navy puts in requests for the wood. And the Navy only requests what it needs for repairs after inspecting the ship in drydock. Any leftovers after the Navy gets what it needs are sold to private industry, helping fund the forestry service's operations at NSA Crane. If you want to see the oldest warship in active service, tours are free at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Massachusetts. Or check out the virtual tour on Google Maps. The Navy plans to extend the service life of four guided-missile destroyers that were slated to be retired in the coming years, adding four or five years to each of the warships standard 35 years of service. Under a plan announced last week, the destroyers Ramage and Benfold will see their services lives extended to fiscal 2035 and fiscal 2036, respectively, according to the Navy. The destroyers Mitscher and Milius will each have their service life extended by four years, to FY34 and FY35, respectively. Mitscher was commissioned 29 years ago, while Ramage entered service 28 years ago. Benfold and Milius joined the fleet 27 years ago. The move follows a similar service life extension announced in March for Arleigh Burke, the first destroyer in the class. Navy will extend service life of destroyer Arleigh Burke It reflects the sea services desire to maintain fleet size and capability in a time of intense competition for defense dollars, while showing Congress that the service can spend judiciously. While the Navy scrapped a plan in 2020 to extend the service lives of every destroyer in the fleet, the sea service is now analyzing each ship in the class to determine whether extending its life makes sense. These extensions align to Secretary of the Navy [Carlos Del Toros] commitment to Congress during the FY-24 posture hearings to analyze service life on a hull-by-hull basis and extend the correct ships in order to be good stewards of resources invested in the U.S. Navy by the American people, said Rear Adm. Fred Pyle, head of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Surface Warfare Division, in a statement. Each of the four ships has received Baseline 9 upgrades to its Aegis combat system via the destroyer modernization program, which provides comprehensive midlife upgrades to the ships. Based on analysis by the Navys technical community, these extensions were feasible because each ship properly adhered to lifecycle maintenance plans and were well maintained in good material condition by their crews, the Navy said in a release announcing the life extensions. The Navy has 73 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in service and is continuing to evaluate the feasibility of extending each ships service life. While extending the service lives of these destroyers partly reflects concerns about maintaining the size of the fleet, it also takes other factors into consideration, according to Bryan Clark, a retired submarine officer and and director of the Hudson Institute think tanks Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. For one, upgrades are getting easier, and the Navy already keeps amphibious assault ships, aircraft carriers and ballistic missile submarines in service for 45 years or more, Clark said in an email. The original 35-year life of the (Arleigh Burke) class was based on an expectation that they would become obsolete before they got too old to maintain, he said. With increasingly digital Aegis, combat system upgrades are getting easier and less expensive. Money for new destroyers remains limited, and the readiness of that fleet is uneven as well, Clark said. The plan to extend the life of all destroyers was first announced in 2018; it would have modernized every ship in the class under a no destroyer left behind approach that was later scuttled. The Navy took five years to announce these extensions because, in part, the condition of ships was not well understood, Clark said. There are many more ships whose service lives have not been extended because their condition is not well understood enough. Law enforcement leaders say four people now suspected of being involved in the shooting of a 10-year-old girl started a gun battle with a deputy who was responding the sounds of gunfire in a North Carolina neighborhood Tuesday night. The girl was shot just before 9 p.m. in the 1500 block of North Jackson Street, Salisbury Police said. She was in stable condition as of Wednesday afternoon at the hospital, Salisbury Police Chief P.J. Smith said at a news conference. The girls grandfather identified her as Zyamir Zy Henderson, a rising fifth grader at Overton Elementary School, WBTV reported. Rowan County Sheriffs Lt. David Scott was in the area of the initial shooting even before the 911 call was made and began jogging down the residential street to see where the shots came from, according to Rowan Chief Deputy Jason Owens. The driver sped toward Scott and he believed the car was trying to hit him, according to a sheriffs office news release. At least two people inside the car began shooting at Scott and he moved from the road to avoid being hit or shot, Owens said. Scott, according to the chief deputy, fired back at the suspects car. No one in the car was injured, Owens said. The car traveled a short distance and crashed, investigators said Wednesday. Scott was not hurt but Owens said he was in great danger during what he described as a gun battle. Four passengers left the vehicle and continued to fire shots in the direction of Lt. Scott, according to the sheriffs news release. Hes very very fortunate those guys were a bad shot, Owens said. The sheriffs office and the police department are jointly investigating the exchange of gunfire, while Salisbury Police are investigating the shooting that left the 10-year-old injured. No arrests have been made. Smith said police have contacted three people who were in the car at the time. Its unclear what led to the first shooting but Smith said the young girl was not the intended target of the suspect who fired. She was shot and injured while in the driveway of a home. The shot came from a car, Smith said. We have an innocent 10-year-old female victim who got injured ... who should have started her first day of school today but was unable to due to the senseless, violent act of somebody over something that was unrelated, Smith said. Around 20 shell casings were collected from the scene, including from rounds fired between the deputy and the car. Owens said the sheriffs office contacted the State Bureau of Investigations because a deputy fired his gun at suspects. But because the deputys shots did not injure anyone, he said, the SBI will not investigate the shooting. Editors Note: Past|Present is a new video series from The Star that travels through time to show how scenes Kansas City depicted in vintage postcards look today. Have a postcard youd like to share with our team? Tell us about it here. With its Italianate flourishes and five porches, including one thats been described as an onion or acorn, the Pickering House has been an Olathe landmark for nearly 140 years. The rambling two-story house on Park Street (sometimes called New Liberty Hall) was built over a 10-year span starting in the 1870s. It was the home of Isaac O. Pickering, a Ohio-born lawyer whod served as a major in the Union Army. Pickering later served as mayor of Olathe for two terms. He also ran for governor of Kansas on the Prohibition ticket. Its a little ironic because the house, a few blocks from the Johnson County Courthouse, often served as a backdrop for grand gatherings and events. Pickering died in 1923, but the property remained in the family until 1961. By then, the carriage house and some of the lavish plantings around it had already been removed. In the 1990s, the Pickering House was added to the National Register of Historic Places and converted to a bed and breakfast that operated until 2003. Unoccupied for several years after that, the aging structure deteriorated at an alarming rate. To the point that the city slated it for demolition in 2011. Terry Presley, an Olathe resident who had long admired it in better times, purchased the home and began renovating the exterior in 2015. He told the Star in a 2018 article about his progress, and his plans for bringing the same loving care to an interior that includes such features as a curved walnut staircase. Looking for more Kansas City history? Why theyre toasting George Washington at the Mahaffie Farmstead Whats an interurban have to do with Johnson County history? Whats Your KCQ? has the answer The remains of the castle on KCs Vine Street never fail to fascinate us MOSCOW, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Russia's national security service said on Wednesday it had arrested a suspect in Crimea who blew up a gas pipeline. According to a statement by the Federal Security Service, the saboteur is a Russian citizen involved in "a sabotage and terrorist act at the energy infrastructure facility of the Republic of Crimea." The detainee confessed to collaborating with special services of Ukraine to carry out terrorist attacks in late June, the statement added. A white supremacist seething over the continued detention of two neo-Nazis accused of conspiring to rob an Upstate New York bank threatened to attack the U.S. power grid if the bumbling pair were not released and left unmolested by law enforcement. Thats according to a bulletin issued in April by the South Dakota Fusion Center, a component of the states Office of Homeland Security and part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys National Fusion Center System, which combines local, state, and federal resources in the effort to track and investigate criminal and terrorist threats. The document, which is marked For Official Use Only and was first obtained by The Daily Dot via a Freedom of Information Act request, says the threat was posted to Telegram by an unidentified individual who shared four diagrams of electrical grid transformer equipment along with two terse demands: 1. Release our men 2. Leave them alone there after [sic]. Failure to do so will result in more attacks on infrastructure. It was displayed under the heading, Free Doc Grimson and Luke Kenna, which refers to an online alias used by Michael Brown Jr., 41, and alleged co-conspirator Luke Kenna, 43. The hapless duo were arrested late last year after Kennas tan minivan was pulled over by police in Gloversville, New York for a minor traffic violation. When the officer approached the vehicle, he noticed that his walkie-talkies signals seemed to be getting jammed, according to the federal complaint charging Kenna and Brown with conspiracy to commit bank robbery. Kenna, dressed in all-black from head-to-toe, including a ballistic vest, told cops he didnt have any ID on him. But a diary sitting next to him on the front seat contained a step-by-step bank robbery scheme laid out in full, the complaint says. Its [sic] coming up to the end of the year and I am flat broke with nothing but a gun and a dream, Kenna wrote in the diary on Nov. 19, 2022, the complaint states. Im going to fulfill my destiny one way or another. And Its going to take bold action to do so. I have already set in motion a plan to start it all off. Im writing a screen play [sic] on a movie about 3 guys that rob a small bank and set off with a large amount of cash and get set up for things to come so as to keep their families safe and sound, Protected. The diary entries and messages found on Kennas cellphone further implicated Brown, a Pennsylvania native, and a third man, 29-year-old Virginia resident Brian Tierney, who was arrested in January, according to court records. Brown pleaded guilty in June, and is awaiting a Nov. 3 sentencing date. Kenna is set to plead guilty on Aug. 17, according to court records. Browns attorney, Lauren Owens, declined on Wednesday to discuss the matter, saying she does not comment on active cases. Kennas attorney did not respond to a request for comment. As of Aug. 9, Tierney is still set to go to trial on Oct. 30. In an email Wednesday afternoon, Tierneys lawyer, Terence Kindlon, told The Daily Beast he entered into some negotiations on behalf of his client with prosecutors two weeks ago, but that they didnt reach a resolution. Pending an Aug 14 consultation with Tierney, his case proceeds apace, Kindlon said. Gun and a Dream: Feds Reveal Neo-Nazi Duos Wild Bank Robbery Scheme After robbing the bank with Brown and Tierney, Kenna planned to hold up a restaurant where he once worked, in order to throw some terror into them for payback and also to get some funds up, the complaint says. According to investigators, Kenna runs Tyr Tactical Training, teaching primitive survival skills. The Tyr rune is an ancient Germanic symbol that was appropriated by the Nazis in their attempts to create an idealized Aryan/Norse heritage, according to the ADL, which said the so-called warrior rune was used by the leadership schools of Hitlers brownshirts and at least one Waffen SS infantry division. The complaint against Kenna, who has been connected to the Wolves of Vinland, a neo-pagan hate group with roots in Virginia, says his social media profiles feature imagery consistent with white supremacist ideology, including the Nazi Black Sun, confederate flags, and pagan symbols/runes. Brown, a former paramedic, runs a neo-Nazi Telegram channel and sells knives and training courses through a company called Black Market Tactical. The trio allegedly began cooking up the bank robbery in mid-November 2022, discussing their plans in a group chat on Threema named the SS Screenwriters Guild. Tierney went by the screenname Wodanaz, which the complaint against him says is likely a reference to the god in Germanic and Norse paganism also known as Woden or Oden associated with death, war, battle, and royalty. The three men agreed to split the loot equally, according to prosecutors. Kenna suggested the crew not take too long planning, ya know, some people take years and years, its a little too much, and not take too short, not to just jump in and do it like a junkie, the complaint against him states. It says Kenna was eager to get this paper jew money while it lasts, according to a message he wrote to the others. Physical attacks on the U.S. power grid rose by more than 70 percent in 2022, compared to a year earlier, a CBS News analysis found. Domestic extremists pose the most acute and immediate threat, according to experts. 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 A newly revealed memo authored by a Trump-allied attorney laid out a sweeping strategy for organizing Trump supporters to serve as fake electors in the wake of the 2020 election, shining new light on the origins of an alleged scheme that is central to the most recent indictment of former President Donald Trump. The six-page memo dated Dec. 6, 2020, was authored by attorney Kenneth Chesebro and circulated among Trump campaign lawyers and associates, two people familiar with the matter tell CBS News. The New York Times obtained and published the memo for the first time on Tuesday. The document, signed by "K.C.," was one of a series of memos crafted by Chesebro and John Eastman, a conservative attorney, that formed the proposed legal basis for the ultimately unsuccessful fake elector scheme. The indictment alleges the plan "evolved over time from a legal strategy to preserve the Defendant's rights to a corrupt plan to subvert the federal government function by stopping Biden electors' votes from being counted and certified." The House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol cited two other memos written by Chesebro in its final report, but the committee apparently didn't obtain the Dec. 6 document. One Trump campaign lawyer who testified before the committee said he remembered seeing the document but lost access to his emails after he left his job. But CBS News has learned that special counsel Jack Smith has all or nearly all of the Trump campaign's emails, including documents that were coming in and out, a possible explanation for how prosecutors obtained the Dec. 6 memo. What the Chesebro memo says The memo was dated exactly one month before Jan. 6, 2021, when Congress would meet to count the Electoral College votes and seal Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. It detailed a scheme in which groups of Trump supporters in six contested states won by Mr. Biden could organize to cast alternate electoral votes one week later on Dec. 14, when the legitimate members of the Electoral College would meet and certify their states' results. The alternate slate of electors, the memo says, would submit their own certifications. Chesebro said the vice president could then count these electoral votes instead of the legitimate votes on Jan. 6 to upend the election results and potentially keep Trump in the White House. Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preside over a Joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 Electoral College results on Jan. 6, 2021. / Credit: J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images "[I]t it is important that the alternate slates of electors meet and vote on December 14 if we are to create a scenario under which Biden can be prevented from reaching 270 electoral votes, even if Trump has not managed by then to obtain court decisions (or state legislative resolutions) invalidating enough results to push Biden below 270," Chesebro wrote. The existence of the memo was mentioned in last week's federal grand jury indictment against the former president, charging him with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. He has pleaded not guilty and denies wrongdoing. Chesebro wrote he thought the dispute over the electoral count could ultimately reach the Supreme Court if the six states' votes were contested. Even if the justices sided with Mr. Biden, Chesebro wrote, such a strategy "would guarantee that public attention would be riveted on the evidence of electoral abuses by the Democrats, and would also buy the Trump campaign more time to win litigation that would deprive Biden of electoral votes and/or add to Trump's column." This memo was separate from the plan crafted by Eastman, the conservative lawyer who argued in a now-infamous memo of his own that Vice President Mike Pence could intervene in the electoral count on Jan. 6. Pence has emphatically and repeatedly insisted he lacked the authority to reject the legitimate votes of the states. The memo published by The Times lays out key logistics for organizing the fake slates of electors, citing state and federal laws about how and when presidential electors must meet. The document also includes a "messaging" strategy to portray the scheme "as a routine measure that is necessary to ensure that in the event the courts (or state legislatures) were to later conclude that Trump actually won the state, the correct electoral slate can be counted in Congress in January." In the memo, Chesebro admitted his strategy was "bold" and "controversial," and said, "I'm not necessarily advising this course of action," while explaining the potential steps in detail. Attempts to reach Chesebro for comment on Wednesday were unsuccessful. What the indictment says about the memo The Dec. 6 memo expanded on a Nov. 18 document that Chesebro also authored. In that document, he pushed for an alternate slate of electors to organize in Wisconsin, a plan that soon grew to encompass six more states. Last week's indictment references both documents and identifies their author as Co-Conspirator 5. It said the Dec. 6 memo, dubbed the Fraudulent Elector Memo, "marked a sharp departure from Co-Conspirator 5's Wisconsin Memo, advocating that the alternate electors originally conceived of to preserve rights in Wisconsin instead be used in a number of states as fraudulent electors to prevent Biden from receiving the 270 electoral votes necessary to secure the presidency on January 6." The indictment said the Dec. 6 memo advocated "setting up a fake controversy that would derail the proper certification of Biden as president-elect." A third document on Dec. 9 allegedly contained more detailed instructions about how the fake electors could "mimic" legitimate electors, according to prosecutors. Chesebro has not been charged with a crime by the special counsel. The indictment says the Nov. 18 and Dec. 6 memos reached Co-Conspirator 1 likely Rudy Giuliani on Dec. 7, 2020. Chesebro, Giuliani and others soon began contacting attorneys in the "contested" states who could help with the fraudulent elector effort, according to the indictment. "Cheseboro worked with Rudy to try to get people in the states to get together as electors," one former Trump campaign staffer told CBS News. "He and Eastman were pushing this." On Dec. 14, the fake electors convened in seven states for what the indictment calls "sham proceedings" to falsely certify Trump as the winner in their states. They then submitted phony certifications to Congress and the executive branch, following instructions laid out in Chesebro's Dec. 9 memo, the indictment said. Pence ultimately rejected the scheme to recognize the fraudulent electors on Jan. 6. Soon after he publicly stated he would not intervene, a mob of Trump supporters breached the Capitol. The next court date in Trump's federal case is set for Friday in Washington, D.C., when the judge will hear arguments over a proposed protective order requested by the government. Prosecutors worry Trump could improperly disclose confidential evidence ahead of trial, while Trump's attorneys have said a broad protective order would infringe on his First Amendment rights. LGBTQ+ veterans sue Defense Department to have discharges changed How climate change is making Hawaii more prone to wildfires July 2023 declared hottest month on record Russia's Wagner mercenary group is "taking advantage" of instability in Niger, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told the BBC. The country has been ruled by a junta following the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum nearly two weeks ago. There have been suggestions the coup leaders have asked for help from Wagner, which is known to be present in neighbouring Mali. Mr Blinken said he did not think Russia or Wagner instigated Niger's coup. However the US was worried about the group "possibly manifesting itself" in parts of the Sahel region, he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme "I think what happened, and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but... they tried to take advantage of it. "Every single place that this Wagner group has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed," said Mr Blinken. "Insecurity has gone up, not down". He added that there was a "repeat of what's happened in other countries, where they brought nothing but bad things in their wake". Both the US and France operate military bases in Niger as part of operations to disrupt jihadist groups operating in the wider region. Niger became the main base for French troops after they were told to leave Mali following a coup there. 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. The group's fighters have been accused of widespread human rights abuses in several African countries. Despite this, there has been speculation Niger's army has asked Wagner for assistance as the country faces the possibility of military intervention. On Monday, US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland held what she described as "difficult and frank" talks with the coup leaders, whom she said understood the risks of working with the mercenaries. Mr Bazoum, who is currently being detained, has also spoken of his concerns about Wagner's influence in Africa. "With an open invitation from the coup plotters and their regional allies, the entire central Sahel region could fall to Russian influence via the Wagner Group, whose brutal terrorism has been on full display in Ukraine," he wrote in an opinion piece for the Washington Post published last week. It is currently unclear if Wagner fighters have entered the country but the prominent Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel Grey Zone said on Monday that some 1,500 of its fighters had recently been sent to Africa. It did not specify where on the continent they had allegedly been deployed. Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin has urged the junta to "give us a call" in a voice message uploaded to Telegram on Tuesday. "We are always on the side of the good, on the side of justice, and on the side of those who fight for their sovereignty and for the rights of their people," he said. Map Niger is a former French colony and the coup has led to a wave of anti-France and pro-Russian sentiment in the country - similar to that experienced by neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, which have both pivoted towards Moscow since their own coups. The two countries, which are both suspended from West African regional bloc Ecowas, sent a delegation to Niamey to reassure the coup leaders they will come to their defence against the other West African nations and their Western allies if needed. "I would like to remind you that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have been dealing for over 10 years with the negative... consequences of Nato's hazardous adventure in Libya," Mali government spokesperson Abdoulaye Maiga said during the visit. "One thing is certain, [Mali's] President Goita and [Burkina Faso's] President Traore have clearly said no, no and no. We will not accept military intervention in Niger. They are coming for our survival." Meanwhile Niger's junta has refused to receive a delegation of representatives from West African regional bloc Ecowas, the African Union and UN, which was due to arrive in the capital Niamey on Tuesday. In a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday, the coup leaders said the group's security could not be guaranteed because of "public anger and revolt" over sanctions imposed by Ecowas. Ecowas had given Niger's coup leaders until Sunday to stand down and restore Mr Bazoum to the presidency and are now due to meet on Thursday to decide what to do next. Niger's junta has appointed the country's former finance minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, as the country's new prime minister following the coup. Mr Zeine replaces Mahamadou Ouhoumoudou, who was in Europe during the coup. Demonstrators hold placards and Niger flags as they gather outside the country's embassy in Paris in support of President Mohamed Bazoum The US and UN are concerned about the health and safety of Niger's elected President Mohamed Bazoum, who has spent more than two weeks under house arrest. "We are greatly worried about his health and his personal safety and the personal safety of his family," a US state department spokesman said. The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) had given Niger's coup leaders until Sunday to stand down. Ecowas said on Thursday it was still considering all options. "No option is taken off the table, including the use of force as a last resort," Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, who chaired a meeting of Ecowas leaders, said. "We remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting Niger in the journey towards peaceful democratic stability," he added. Ahead of the meeting, Muslim clerics from northern Nigeria, which shares a long border with Niger, had urged President Tinubu against using force to oust the coup leaders. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was concerned about the reportedly "deplorable living conditions" Mr Bazoum and his family were in. Earlier, his party said they were being detained under "cruel" and "inhumane" conditions, Reuters news agency reported. Mr Bazoum was deposed on 26 July. Since then, a military junta has ruled Niger while Mr Bazoum has been kept in the presidential palace. Members of the junta have made no comment about the ousted leader's condition. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Mr Bazoum and assured him of the US's ongoing support, Washington said. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller added: "As time goes on, as he's held in isolation, it's a situation that is of growing concern to us." Mr Bazoum's political party, PNDS-Tarayya, claimed in a statement that Mr Bazoum and his family had no access to running water, electricity, fresh goods or doctors. The statement echoed previous comments made by Niger's elected prime minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, who has said Mr Bazoum was being held with his wife and son without electricity or water. The head of the presidential guard, Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, claims he now runs Niger, while the junta appointed ex-finance minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, as the new prime minister following the coup. A new cabinet has now been announced by the junta, despite leaders across West Africa demanding that they end the military takeover. The new regime has also closed Niger's airspace until further notice, citing the "threat of military intervention" from Ecowas. On Wednesday, Gen Tchiani met influential Nigerian Muslim cleric, former Emir of Kano Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, in a bid to mediate the crisis. It was one of the first meetings the coup leader has held, having previously shunned several envoys including Nigeria's most senior religious leader, as well as delegates from the US, UN and African Union. Also on Wednesday, France denied accusations from Niger's military junta that it was trying to destabilise the country. Niger is a former colony of France, having received independence in 1960. Coup leaders claimed French aircraft had breached the country's airspace and French soldiers had freed captured jihadists in order to attack military positions. "France firmly denies the new unfounded accusations by the putschists in Niger," the French defence and foreign ministries said in a joint statement quoted by AFP news agency. They added that the flight had been authorised by Niger's military. The junta in Niger say it will resist any "aggression" by Ecowas and Western powers Both the US and France operate military bases in Niger as part of operations to disrupt jihadist groups operating in the wider region. Niger became the main base for French troops after they were told to leave Mali following a coup there. As part of diplomatic efforts, two envoys of President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria have met the junta in the capital Niamey. Lately, Sgt. Maj. Carlos Ruiz has been telling enlisted Marines to reflect on what pulled them toward the Marine Corps in the first place. Then he asks them to think about the moment when they first held the eagle, globe and anchor pin that signified they had officially become Marines. Did you cry? Ruiz will ask. Of course we didnt cry, Sergeant Major, is the invariable answer, according to Ruiz. No, you probably shed a tear, right? is Ruizs usual response. Because it felt like winning. And maybe some have not experienced the feeling of winning, or accomplishing something. Meet the next sergeant major of the Marine Corps In time, a leader will help create the kind of community that once drew you to enlist, Ruiz then tells those Marines. And then you may become a leader who will do that for others. Can I create what someone created for me, for those Marines? Ruiz told reporters Aug. 1 at the Pentagon. Thats something that Ive been working through lately. Ruiz, the outgoing sergeant major of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces South, will step into the role of sergeant major of the Marine Corps on Thursday during a ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington. He will begin what is likely to be a four-year term, amid a gummed-up confirmation process in the Senate that means some of the militarys top officer jobs are now filled by acting instead of confirmed leaders. In the discussion with reporters Aug. 1, the soft-spoken sergeant major mostly declined to wade into specific items on his agenda. I think I want to listen, first, to the force, he said. But he talked about his own journey in the Marine Corps, the broad strokes of the issues he plans to take on and the values he hopes to instill in Marines. Ruiz came to the United States from Sonora, Mexico, at age 11 and went to high school in Arizona. When he was trying to enlist, he was still getting comfortable with English and had to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery entrance exam three times, he said. I think if I had to take the ASVAB today, Id probably be OK, said Ruiz, who now holds a bachelors degree in organizational management from the University of Arizona Global Campus, according to his official biography. In a LinkedIn post shortly after Ruiz was announced as the next top enlisted Marine, Lt. Gen. David Bellon, commander of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Corps Forces South, wrote of Ruizs doggedness in trying to enlist, He never quit. He has not quit since. Ruiz graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in 1994 and became a supply warehouse clerk, according to his bio. Regardless of his job, he thought of himself as a Marine first, he told reporters. He did stints as both a recruiter and a drill instructor, two notoriously tough jobs. Recruiting duty taught him how to persevere in the face of rejection, he said. Making Marines taught him discipline, attention to detail and intensity. Through all of that, Im probably a better father, a better husband, not just a better Marine, Ruiz said. Ruiz did one tour in Iraq and two in Afghanistan, according to his bio, plus deployments to Kuwait and on a Marine expeditionary unit. As a sergeant major, he most recently served as the senior enlisted leader of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces South. Many of the Marines he led there are reservists who are no obligated to serve in the Marine Corps: They come because they want to, Ruiz said. To keep those Marines flying across the country and taking time away from their family each month, Ruiz said, the Corps needs to continue to give them a vision of the future of the Marine Corps and how they fit. Active duty Marines are also volunteers, he stressed. If we dont continue to invest in medical, pay, housing, what is the value proposition for service? Ruiz said. These quality-of-life issues for Marines and their families have been areas of focus for Ruizs predecessor, Sgt. Maj. Troy Black. As the top enlisted Marine, Ruiz said, he wants to emphasize pride and discipline, which were also focuses of the recent guidance to the force from Gen. Eric Smith, the acting commandant. On the topic of relaxing the beards policy which is, mostly, no beards Ruiz declined to wade in. I dont know, he said with a laugh. I think Ill stay away from that one for now. But he said, I just think, OK, you could have been whatever your job is anywhere else, and you chose to be a Marine. And you knew there was this crazy demand on your fitness, your mental toughness, your uniforms, the discipline. Dont be mad when I hold you to the standard you wanted to be a part of. Ruiz will become the senior enlisted adviser to the commandant at an unusual moment in Marine Corps history, when there is no official commandant. Smith, the assistant commandant, took on the duties of commandant July 10, after the statutorily required departure of his predecessor, now-retired Gen. David Berger. Smith is also the White Houses pick to become the next commandant. But the refusal of Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, to confirm senior military nominees, in protest of the Defense Departments abortion policies, has left Smith without Senate confirmation and without a designated assistant. The White House in July nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney for the assistant commandant job, but Mahoney is also stuck in the Senate limbo. So of the three perhaps most prominent Marine leadership positions commandant, assistant commandant and sergeant major of the Marine Corps only the last will be filled with the permanent choice for the job until at least September, when the Senate is set to reconvene. We continue to march, Ruiz said of the confirmation delay. We continue to move forward. The military coup in Niger is threatening to engulf the region in a broader conflict while endangering a key U.S. security partnership in West Africa, where instability has given rise to growing terrorist threats. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet Thursday to discuss the situation in Niger and potential action, after the coup leaders failed to reverse course by a Sunday deadline set by the regional group. ECOWAS could impose economic sanctions or deploy military forces to the teetering country, where junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani is standing by his self-imposed rule after toppling Niger President Mohamed Bazoum late last month. The crisis could shift the global balance of power in the region, as Niger has been a key Washington ally and hosts 1,100 U.S. troops largely deployed for counterterrorism efforts. Bryan Stern, founder and CEO of the international search and rescue nonprofit Project Dynamo, which works in West Africa, noted the Niger junta has already exchanged supportive signals with Russias mercenary company Wagner Group, which has sown instability across the region. Stern, a military veteran, said the U.S. is in a tough spot but should send a strong message that it wont pack up and leave by bolstering its defenses and limiting evacuations to nonessential personnel. We have a very, very long track record of imposing administrative things on war, which doesnt really work, he argued. So we demand a guy who just overthrew a government that he leave the White House in Niger? Why would he do that? Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said the U.S. has paused military activity and training in Niger while it pushes for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, but said there was no planned withdrawal from the country. The United States does not want to abandon Nigerians that weve partnered with, Singh said at a Tuesday press conference, referring to joint forces stationed in Niger. Niger is, of course, an important ally within the region when it comes to counterterrorism and other operations, [and] it sends an incredibly effective message that we have not changed our force posture, that we have not taken our troops out right now. Flights to Niger have been shut down amid the crisis, which the U.S. has so far refused to call a coup. Western diplomats are still working to resolve the crisis peacefully, pushing for the release of Bazoum and the restoration of the constitutional government though the window for mediation appears to be rapidly closing. Diplomacy is certainly the preferred way of resolving this situation, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a Monday interview. What we are seeing in Niger is extremely troubling and provides nothing to the country and its people. On the contrary, the interruption of this constitutional order puts us, and many other countries, in a position where we have to stop our aid, our support, and this will not benefit the people of Niger. A United Nations spokesperson Tuesday said the organization also supports the diplomatic route and was in touch with ECOWAS about solutions. Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland traveled to the capital of Niamey on Monday to speak with junta leaders and representatives. Nuland said in a call with reporters after the meeting that the conversations were extremely frank and at times quite difficult. It was not easy to get traction there, Nuland said. They are quite firm in their view on how they want to proceed, and it does not comport with the constitution of Niger. However, Tchiani has rejected attempts to mediate the tensions. The military ruler says he seized power from the democratically elected Bazoum because of widespread economic insecurity and festering violence, though it may have arisen from Bazoum considering removing Tchiani from his post, according to analysts. Daniel Eizenga, a research fellow with the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University, which is funded by the Pentagon, said Tchiani likely understands that negotiations at this moment would result in the dissolution of his power. So the military leader is waiting it out to see if he can retain his hold on power and survive economic sanctions, Eizenga added. But those sanctions could quickly lead to major cuts to military paychecks, eroding his key base of support. The reality is they have relatively little leverage. Their only card to play here is that theyre holding the legitimate president hostage, Eizenga said. And so long as theyre starved of recognition from the broader region and they continue to face the sanctions that theyve been placed under, I think theyre gonna find that the room that they have to govern is pretty small. ECOWAS is made up of 15 member nations in West Africa, including Niger itself. The bloc has a shaky history in trying to restore order in countries embroiled in conflict, with economic sanctions usually doing little to resolve crises. The regional grouping has used force to restore order before, most recently in Gambia in 2017 after the ruling president failed to step down after an electoral defeat. The presence of ECOWAS troops alleviated the incident without a clash. But ECOWAS intervention has a violent past. In Liberia, during a civil war in 1990, troops helped restore order but were also accused of human rights abuses. Complicating the issue is a coalition of military juntas within West Africa. Four of the ECOWAS member nations are ruled by self-imposed military leaders and are suspended from the body. Two of those suspended members, Burkina Faso and Mali, have supported the coup in Niger and may react strongly to military intervention, according to Eizenga. He said both nations lacked the resources for a full-fledged war, but the political divide points to a growing regional problem. Politically speaking, I think were seeing a kind of shift in the tides of a resurgence of military government, he said. And a very strategic effort on the part of these military juntas to try and put forth an ideological background for military government that has largely been absent from this region in the last 25 years. Its unclear whether a broader conflict involving ECOWAS would create more chaos or promote stability in Niger. Stern, of Project Dynamo, said the Biden administration needs to carefully decide whether to back ECOWAS in any decision they make. We need to see how it unfolds, he said, adding Washington needs to weigh the moral, legal, ethical decision and thats always the safety of Americans and the preservation of life. And then, of course, regional stability. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Mohamed Bazoum, the democratically elected president of Niger, said he is being kept isolated and forced to eat dry rice and pasta by the military junta who overthrew him and are refusing to cede power despite international pressure. In a series of text messages to a friend, Bazoum said he has been deprived of all human contact since Friday, with no one supplying him food or medicine. Bazoums messages were given to CNN with the ousted presidents consent. Bazoum said he has been living without electricity for a week, as have many Nigeriens. Nigeria supplies much of neighboring Nigers electricity but cut off the power in response to the coup. All of the perishable food he was supplied with has since gone bad, and he is now eating dry pasta and rice. Despite his isolation, Bazoum has been in contact with the outside world. Though denied the chance to speak with acting US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland during her visit to Niamey, the Nigerien capital, on Monday, Bazoum spoke by phone with her boss Secretary of State Antony Blinken a day later, the State Department said. Protesters hold a Niger flag during a demonstration on independence day in Niamey on Thursday. - AFP via Getty Images Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, the prime minister in Bazoums government, told French TV that the president was in good spirits despite being held in a catastrophic situation. Hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the political conflict, however, have begun to fade. Nulands meeting Monday with senior coup leaders lasted more two hours, consisting of extremely frank and at times quite difficult conversations. A Tuesday face-to-face meeting that was supposed to take place in Niamey between the junta and representatives from the United Nations, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was canceled at short notice. Junta leaders said in a letter that postponement of the meeting was necessary in this atmosphere of threatened aggression against Niger. However, Mahamadou, Bazoums prime minister, told French state-funded broadcaster TV5-Monde that the junta would like to continue dialogue with ECOWAS, the bloc that has been leading the regional response to the political crisis in Niger. ECOWAS leaders are due to meet on Thursday in Nigeria to discuss the coup, though specifics regarding the gathering remain unclear. The regional bloc had given the junta one week to return to their barracks and reinstall Bazoum, but that deadline came and went on Sunday without any change. ECOWAS has maintained that its preference is to find a diplomatic solution to the standoff, but has not ruled out using force to restore constitutional order and bring Bazoums government back to power. On Monday, the Nigerien military brought troop reinforcements into the capital to prepare for a potential foreign intervention and reassure nervous residents, some of whom have either fled the city or began stocking up on necessities. The junta may now face more organized internal resistance to its rule as well. Rhissa Ag Boula, a minister in Bazoums government and former rebel leader, announced the formation of an anti-junta resistance group that will work to reestablish order in Niger. The group, Resistance Council for the Republic (CRR), urged the military to stand down and arrest the juntas apparent leader, Abdourahamane Tiani, in a statement. The council also warned that that it will use all necessary means to eliminate this perfidious practice of questioning peoples choices by rogue and irresponsible soldiers. Ag Boulas movement could draw support among the Tuaregs, an ethnic minority in Niger. He led several Tuareg rebel factions in the 1990s and 2000s in fights against the central government before being integrated into the political process by Bazoums predecessor. Col. Maj. Amadou Abradamane, a spokesman for the junta, accused France of violating Nigers airspace, which the country had closed on Sunday due to the threat of military intervention. The aircraft was in Nigerien airspace for five hours starting at 6:39 a.m. and had willingly cut contact with Niger air traffic control, Abradamane alleged on Wednesday. He said that the aircraft had taken off from Chads capital Ndjamena. CNN has requested comment from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French military. CNNs Joshua Berlinger, Joseph Ataman, Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com After the ultimatum given to Nigerien putschists by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to restore toppled president Mohamed Bazoum expired on August 6, 2023, online posts claimed that Nigerias leader Bola Tinubu who is also the regional blocs chairman sought the approval of his countrys Senate to declare war on Niger but was denied. However, this is not what happened. Tinubu wrote to inform the Senate about the ECOWAS resolutions regarding the coup and asked for support in implementing them. Although the Senate responded by urging a diplomatic resolution to the Niger crisis, it commended Tinubu and ECOWAS for their prompt response and position taken and pledged total support to the regional bloc. On August 5, 2023, American YouTuber Jackson Hinkle claimed in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that Tinubu had written to his countrys Senate to seek approval for military intervention in neighbouring Niger and was rejected. A screenshot of the false post, taken on July 7, 2023 Hinkle has a history of posting pro-Russian and far-right commentary, including false claims about the Ukraine-Russian war (here and here). In Nigeria, news sites (here and here) and Facebook accounts (including here and here) made the same claim. Hinkles post includes a photo of Tinubu greeting French President Emmanuel Macron. Soldiers led by former presidential guard commander General Abdourahamane Tiani ousted Bazoum on July 26, 2023 (archived here). After an emergency session called by Tinubu, ECOWAS demanded Bazoum be reinstated within seven days from July 30, 2023 (archived here). The regional bloc sent a delegation to Niger on August 3, 2023, to do whatever it takes to ensure a conclusive and amicable resolution of the situation in Niger, according to a statement from Tinubus office. Ahead of the ultimatum deadline which expired on August 6, 2023 without Bazoum being reinstated Tinubu wrote to inform Nigerias senators about ECOWAS resolutions and request support for their implementation. He did not, however, ask for approval for Nigeria to send troops into Niger, nor did the Senate turn down a request of that nature. Senate response Following the receipt of his letter, the Nigerian Senate debated its contents in a closed session on August 4, 2023. The session did not include a vote on Tinubus letter, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said on August 5, 2023. Akpabio said that during the plenary Tinubu had sought the support of senators for the successful implementation of the ECOWAS resolutions. After its initial emergency meeting, ECOWAS said in a July 30, 2023 communique containing its resolutions that it would explore all measures including the use of force if constitutional authority was not restored (archived here). But Akpabio insisted Tinubus letter did not ask for the approval of the parliament or the approval of this Senate to go to war as being erroneously suggested (archived here). The Senate urged Tinubu and other ECOWAS leaders to continue to explore political and diplomatic options to resolve the crisis, said Akpabio. However, reading the resolutions of the Senate in response to Tinubus letter during the plenary, Akpabio pledged the Senates total support to ECOWAS leadership under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in resolving the Nigerien crisis and returning the country to democratic governance. Nigerian constitution To declare war on Niger, the Nigerian president must seek approval from the countrys national assembly, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives. According to Section 5 (4a) of the Nigerian Constitution, approval must be given by both chambers of the assembly at a joint session (archived here). Section 5 (4b) says that the president must seek and receive the prior approval of the Senate before sending troops on combat duty outside Nigeria. However, Section 5 (5) empowers the president after consultation with the National Defence Council to deploy Nigerian troops on combat duties outside the country if he is satisfied that the national security is under imminent threat or danger. But the president must seek the approval of the Senate within seven days of the start of combat. The Senate is mandated to either grant the approval or refuse the said consent within 14 days. Crisis summit Since the ultimatum expired, efforts by ECOWAS and the United States to convince Nigers new rulers to hand back power to Bazoum have made little headway (archived here). ECOWAS has not ruled out military intervention, Tinubu said ahead of a crisis summit in Nigerias capital Abuja, scheduled for August 10, 2023. However, he still believes diplomacy is the best way forward to resolve the crisis, according to his spokesman Ajuri Ngelale. No options have been taken off of the table, Ngelale said on August 8, 2023. The Niles Police Department has recruited a pack of five feral cats to fight the rodent population in the village. Five cats named Mickey, Tom, Polo, Star and Robin, who have been getting food and shelter for as much as three years from a Niles resident who enjoys cats, are being officially deployed as rat-catchers in the area around the 7800 block of Nordica Avenue. Police said the cats will serve as natural curbs to the rats who have taken up residence in Niles, where officials have attributed an uptick in the vermin population to restaurants closing during the pandemic. In March, the village board approved an ordinance to regulate feeding wildlife in an effort to curb rats. In an email to Pioneer Press, Niles Police Sergeant Dan Borkowski said the village is basing the program on a similar initiative in Chicago. The cats have already lived in the area for some time, said resident Sarwat Hakim. Asked how the feral cat pilot program would be different from the preceding three years, Borkowski said the police department would be trying to keep the cats in a more defined territory. Our Animal Control officer recently assisted the resident with obtaining a shelter for the cats, so our hope is the cats will remain closer to their home shelter during this pilot program, Borkowksi wrote. Hakim said she came upon the first cat in a nearby area of the Cook County Forest Preserve. We thought she must be hungry so we started feeding her and she settled down with us, she said. That was about three years ago. That cat then had four kittens, forming the group thats living in the Nordica Avenue area, she said. An additional 15 kittens were placed at a nearby animal shelter or with friends and neighbors, she said. Hakim said her hope is that residents are friendly to the cats and give them space: Theyre outside and theyre harmless, they just want to eat the mice and thats it, she said. They are together all the time, she said. They play together, they sleep together, they eat together. I pray nobody harms them. They are so innocent and adorable. And as pest controls, the animals appear quite effective: I havent seen any rats for a long time, she said. The village animal control officer has connected Hakim to a facility to spay and neuter the animals, police said. The cats will be loose for a two month pilot, police said. At the end of the period, police said they would evaluate the success of the program through resident feedback and rodent complaint statistics. The villages main tool to combat rats are bait stations, Borkowski said. If the cat approach is effective, he said the department would look at expanding the range of the program and work with an organization that provides feral cats for vermin control purposes. The L.A. city attorney's office has announced that no charges will be filed against L.A. City Councilman Kevin de Leon, shown, and an activist after the two got into a caught-on-video kerfuffle with each other last year. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon and the activist with whom he got into a physical altercation late last year both criticized the city attorney Wednesday after it was announced that no criminal charges would be filed over their fight at a community event. Authorities decided last week not to press charges against activist Jason Reedy, who was involved in the caught-on-video kerfuffle, Reedy and De Leon confirmed to The Times on Wednesday. Reedy said he learned during a telephone hearing that there would be no charges against himself or De Leon. The news was first reported by Knock LA reporter Jon Peltz. "I'm relieved I'm not being charged as I was the one that was assaulted and attacked," Reedy said. "I am absolutely disappointed to see that the city attorney did not feel the need to charge Kevin de Leon, but it is what it is at this point." Read more: Police investigating City Hall audio leak search home of two labor federation staffers De Leon echoed Reedy's disappointment over the lack of charges though in the reverse saying the city attorney put "politics over public safety." "Im very disappointed in [City Atty.] Hydee Feldstein Sotos decision not to prosecute Jason Reedy," he said in a statement. "He assaulted a woman on my staff, a community member and me at a childrens Christmas toy giveaway." The melee erupted at a Lincoln Park toy giveaway and holiday event on Dec. 9 the same day De Leon infuriated protesters by making his first appearance at a City Council meeting following the leak of an audio recording that revealed him and other politicians in a conversation that featured racist and derogatory remarks. Video from the event shows a Santa-hat-wearing De Leon being mobbed by activists including Reedy. The activists were recording and yelling at De Leon, including calling him a racist. As De Leon attempted to exit a main room into a back area, someone pushed Reedy out of the way of the door, the video shows. De Leon exited the room and tried to close the door behind him, but Reedy followed, and the two stood chest to chest for a moment, Reedy with his hands up, the video shows. Crowded by others, a brief struggle began. De Leon grabbed Reedy and pushed him, throwing him into a table. Read more: Violence between L.A. Councilman Kevin de Leon, activist caught on video, sparks debate The councilman placed the blame on Reedy and other activists in a statement at the time, saying he was "violently and physically assaulted by self-proclaimed activists at a community holiday event." The escalating rhetoric is hitting a fever pitch, transcending from verbal threats into actual acts of violence and must end before more serious harm or loss of life occurs, the statement said. Violence is not free speech and has no place in politics or democracy. An aide to De Leon and another person at the toy giveaway also told police that they were hit by Reedy, according to a copy of a police report obtained by The Times. One said Reedy punched him in the hand three times. The other said Reedy elbowed her in the face. Reedy, through his lawyer, denied hitting her. "We did not observe any visible injuries on any of the victims," officers wrote in the report. The city attorney's office did not respond to requests for comment. Reedy, for his part, renewed his call for the council member to step down over his participation in the secretly recorded conversation. Asked about De Leon's statement, Reedy said video of the toy giveaway incident "speaks for itself." "In his world, everyone is to blame except himself," Reedy said in a text message to The Times. "And for once, he should take responsibility for his despicable actions." 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. Fireworks light up the sky during the National Day Parade at Singapore's Padang on Aug. 9, 2023. Singapore held a National Day Parade on Wednesday to celebrate its 58th anniversary at Padang, an open playing field near the iconic Marina Bay, with a military show, performances and fireworks. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) SINGAPORE, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Singapore held a National Day Parade on Wednesday to celebrate its 58th anniversary at Padang, an open playing field near the iconic Marina Bay, with a military show, performances and fireworks. Singaporean President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong joined thousands of audiences in the celebration. The city-state showcased its defense asset, including tanks, armored vehicles, missile systems and police fast-response vehicles during the parade to mark the achievement of the country's "Total Defense" policy. The ground forces showed their fire and combat tactics to the audience. Singapore's air force dispatched 21 aircraft, including helicopters, fighter jets and transport planes, for aerial display. Eight skydivers of the country's "Red Lions" team also performed at the event. A skydiver of "Red Lions" team performs during the National Day Parade at Singapore's Padang on Aug. 9, 2023. Singapore held a National Day Parade on Wednesday to celebrate its 58th anniversary at Padang, an open playing field near the iconic Marina Bay, with a military show, performances and fireworks. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) Fireworks light up the sky during the National Day Parade at Singapore's Padang on Aug. 9, 2023. Singapore held a National Day Parade on Wednesday to celebrate its 58th anniversary at Padang, an open playing field near the iconic Marina Bay, with a military show, performances and fireworks. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) Skydivers of "Red Lions" team perform during the National Day Parade at Singapore's Padang on Aug. 9, 2023. Singapore held a National Day Parade on Wednesday to celebrate its 58th anniversary at Padang, an open playing field near the iconic Marina Bay, with a military show, performances and fireworks. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) Aircrafts fly in formation during the National Day Parade at Singapore's Padang on Aug. 9, 2023. Singapore held a National Day Parade on Wednesday to celebrate its 58th anniversary at Padang, an open playing field near the iconic Marina Bay, with a military show, performances and fireworks. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) Fireworks light up the sky during the National Day Parade at Singapore's Padang on Aug. 9, 2023. Singapore held a National Day Parade on Wednesday to celebrate its 58th anniversary at Padang, an open playing field near the iconic Marina Bay, with a military show, performances and fireworks. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) Aircrafts fly in formation during the National Day Parade at Singapore's Padang on Aug. 9, 2023. Singapore held a National Day Parade on Wednesday to celebrate its 58th anniversary at Padang, an open playing field near the iconic Marina Bay, with a military show, performances and fireworks. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) (230809) -- MOSCOW, Aug. 9, 2023 (Xinhua) -- This photo shows a damaged window at the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) Skydivers of "Red Lions" team perform during the National Day Parade at Singapore's Padang on Aug. 9, 2023. Singapore held a National Day Parade on Wednesday to celebrate its 58th anniversary at Padang, an open playing field near the iconic Marina Bay, with a military show, performances and fireworks. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) A respected conservative judge who advised the former Republican vice-president Mike Pence not to attempt to overturn the 2020 election believes Donald Trump has destroyed the Republican party. Related: US special counsel obtained search warrant for Trumps Twitter account American democracy simply cannot function without two equally healthy and equally strong political parties, J Michael Luttig told CNN on Wednesday. So today, in my view, there is no Republican party to counter the Democratic party in the country. And for that reason, American democracy is in grave peril. American democracy has by most measures been in grave peril since 6 January 2021, the day Pence, as vice-president, took Luttigs advice and refused to attempt to block congressional certification of Joe Bidens election win. A mob Trump told to fight like hell attacked the Capitol, some chanting for Pence to be hanged. The effort failed but nine deaths have been linked to the riot, including law enforcement suicides. More than a thousand people have been charged and hundreds convicted, some with seditious conspiracy. Last week, the special counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump on four counts relating to election subversion. Trump, 77, pleaded not guilty, as he has to 74 other criminal counts, in New York over hush-money payments to a porn star and federally regarding his retention of classified information. Trump also faces cases concerning his business affairs and his treatment of women. In New York this week, regarding a civil suit in which Trump was found liable for defamation and sexual assault, a judge said it was not defamatory to call the former president a rapist. Trial dates are piling up, most during the Republican primary next year. Nonetheless, Trump leads Ron DeSantis of Florida, Pence and the rest of the field by more than 30 points, firmly on course to face Biden again. In Congress, his far-right supporters maintain a grip on the House as they seek to impeach Biden. Luttig told CNN: A political party is a collection and assemblage of individuals who share a set of beliefs and principles and policy views about the United States of America. Today, there is no such shared set of beliefs and values and principles or even policy views as within the Republican party for America. Trump, he said, was a danger more so today than last year, when Luttig testified to the House January 6 committee. A respected conservative judge who was considered for the supreme court under George W Bush, Luttig made a tremendous impact with his January 6 testimony. Speaking on primetime television, Luttig said: I believe that had Vice-President Pence obeyed the orders from his president and declared Donald Trump the next president of the United States [he] would have plunged America into what I believe would have been tantamount to a revolution, within a constitutional crisis. On Wednesday, Luttig also told CNN he did not think Trump could avoid conviction for election subversion. The evidence is overwhelming that the former president knew full well that he had lost the election, he said. Norfolk Southern has agreed to improve safety training and provide medical support for union rail workers at the site of a derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, after settling safety violations with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Department of Labor announced Wednesday. The violations were levied against the railway after a cargo train derailed in East Palestine in February, leaking hazardous chemicals into the air and water. The company has agreed to implement a medical surveillance program for workers who helped clean the wreck and rebuild tracks, in addition to mandating hazardous material safety training and paying nearly $50,000 in fines. This agreement will improve the safety and health controls in place for Norfolk Southern employees who responded and help educate the rail operators employees on the lessons learned so they are prepared should another emergency occur, OSHA regional director Howard Eberts said in a statement. The railway settled the agreement with OSHA and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division-International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents rail workers who build and maintain tracks and infrastructure. OSHA cited Norfolk Southern for four violations, saying the company did not have an adequate emergency response plan and did not properly enforce protective equipment requirements. The nearly 2-mile cargo train derailed overnight Feb. 3, causing an explosion that sent flames high into the air and covered the region in thick smoke. About 20 of the derailed cars contained vinyl chloride, a toxic chemical. An overheated wheel bearing caused an axle to fail, according to a government investigation. A lack of federal regulation also played a part in the derailment. Remediation efforts have continued for months. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) called on the Biden administration to declare a major presidential disaster last month to free additional resources for the effort. DeWine said residents in the area have continued to report medical conditions and concerns about air quality. Norfolk Southern said the company is committed to remediation efforts. The health and safety of our employees is paramount, he said. Weve reached a resolution that provides more training for our people, exceeding OSHA requirements, and makes our responses even safer, a spokesman told The Washington Post. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) announced Tuesday that his state will ease restrictions on student teachers to address difficulties in recruiting and retaining educators. The request for emergency rulemaking to temporarily allow expanded use of student teachers came from the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) as it calls for help to address the states teacher shortage. Our administration has reviewed the request pursuant to N.D.C.C. 28-32-03, sought and received input from districts across the state, and agrees that emergency rulemaking is reasonably necessary. Therefore, your request is granted, Burgum said in his letter to ESPB. As the ESPB executive director has stated, this is a Band-Aid, not a permanent solution. This emergency action simply gives local school boards and administrators additional flexibility and retains local control in determining how to fill teacher openings with the best interests of students in mind, he added. The governor is also creating a task force to tackle the challenges the state is having in keeping teachers. With support of a facilitator, this task force will have a very clear purpose: to identify policies and practices that will help establish a pipeline of quality professional educators who receive the support they need to be their best so that our students receive the world-class, taxpayer-efficient education they deserve, said Burgum, who is also seeking to be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. Since the pandemic, states have taken different actions to address the teacher shortage as many in the field have left and new recruits are hard to come by. Florida allowed veterans to become educators to help combat the lack of educators in the classroom. Other states have eased teacher certification rules and made it easier for out-of-state educators to work in their schools. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. For decades, Republicans had bamboozled the press into believing that the country was "bitterly divided" over abortion. Mainstream media misled Americans into believing that this was practically a 50/50 issue nationally and that abortion rights were deeply unpopular in the red states. Responsible pollsters kept trying to correct the narrative, pointing out that strong majorities of Americans believed it should be a right. But Republicans and their handmaidens in the "both sides"-obsessed press kept relying on shoddier polls that used ambiguous or misleading language to exaggerate the opposition to abortion. Republicans started to believe their own B.S., convincing themselves that the public, at least in red states, would be fine with abortion bans. Well, ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, bringing a flood of state-level abortion bans, both Republicans and the press have quickly learned what the better pollsters had been trying to tell them: Americans do not like abortion bans. In every state where abortion rights have been put on the ballot, no matter how red, voters have turned out to protect their rights. As many pro-choicers have been saying for years, people may vaguely say they're "against" abortion when the idea is abstract, but they sure as hell want the keep the option open in case they're the ones facing an unwanted pregnancy. Instead of acceding to this reality, however, Republican leaders have decided that they will do whatever it takes to force abortion bans on resistant populations, even if the cost is dismantling democracy and grinding unrelated government functions to a halt. So it was in Ohio, when it became clear that pro-choice activists had already cleared the various high bars to put abortion rights on the ballot in November. The effort resulted in nearly half a million petition signatures in 55 counties, well above the number needed to get a proposed constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights before voters this fall. Republicans know they can't win if it's up to the voters to decide. So they aimed to take that right away, scheduling another ballot initiative in August to raise the bar from a simple majority to 60% for future ballot initiatives to pass. By scheduling the vote in August and making it about election technicalities, Republicans hoped to trick voters into voting against abortion rights. In a sign of how much voters are both aware of the stakes and ready to fight, however, it appears the GOP effort has yet again failed. Astonishingly, more than 3 millions voters turned out, a reminder that abortion rights aren't just popular, but a highly motivating issue for voters. The GOP is the party of Donald Trump, so it will not surprise readers to learn that Republican talking points around this ballot initiative were dishonest in every conceivable way. Of course, they denied Issue 1, the ballot initiative on the ballot Tuesday, was about abortion. Instead, the Republican arguments were pure gaslighting, pretending that the only way to protect voter rights is to take away voter rights. Republican Sen. J.D. Vance coughed that bit of incoherence up Tuesday, on Twitter (which I refuse to call "X"). Were actually trying to make it harder for out of state special interests to rewrite the Ohio constitution. Vote yes on 1 today to tell Nancy Pelosi to mind her own business. https://t.co/xUKfhqntzS J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) August 8, 2023 This is, of course, a flat out lie. Letting Ohio voters vote on the state's Constitution is not about "out of state special interests." But even that understates the dishonesty on display by Vance here, because it's an objective fact that the "out of state special interests" trying to manipulate this situation were mostly on the anti-choice side. As the Washington Post reported, "The coalition supporting the measure, called Protect Our Constitution, is funded almost entirely by billionaire Illinois business owner Richard Uihlein, who contributed $4 million of the campaign's $4.8 million." Meanwhile, the largest in-state contribution behind Issue 1 came from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, and was only $150,000. Why, you might ask, was the Ohio Chamber of Commerce involved? Part of the reason is that, despite the bland-sounding name, the group is a far-right organization and has been for decades. But mostly it's because the group saw Issue 1 as a way to insulate corporate power from any kind of public accountability, by making it harder for voters to pass laws protecting labor rights, the environment, or increasing taxes that cut into corporate profits. Indeed, it takes very little digging to see how the anti-democratic impulses behind this ballot initiative and the anti-abortion politics fueling it are so intertwined as to be inseparable. Uihlein isn't footing the bill for Issue 1 just because he's hostile to reproductive rights. He's hostile to voters having the right to choose their own leaders and is a cheerleader for Trump's efforts to overthrow democracy. As the Ohio Capital Journal reported in May: Last July, the Chicago Tribune reported that he was a major contributor to the "March to Save America" rally that preceded the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The younger Uihlein also has given nearly $8 million since 2016 to the Tea Party Patriots, another group that was instrumental in putting on the Jan. 6 rally. Uihlein has continued to support assaults on American democracy since. He gave support to Doug Mastriano, last year's failed gubernatorial candidate from Pennsylvania who attended the Jan. 6 rally and who falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. Uihlein also supported Jim Marchant, an election denier and conspiracy theorist who lost his 2022 bid to become Nevada's top elections official. Want more Amanda Marcotte on politics? Subscribe to her newsletter Standing Room Only. The press often treats the struggle over abortion rights and the struggle over voting rights as two discrete issues, but in ways large and small, they're the same issue. There's the 10,000-foot view, where both are ultimately a question over autonomy and self-governance. Republicans don't believe ordinary people should be allowed choices, whether it's over the choice to reproduce or a choice at the ballot box. It's also psychological. Conservative bitterness over abortion rights has come to justify their assaults on democracy. But, as these follow-the-money patterns show, it's also that anti-democratic forces exploit the abortion issue to drum up support for anti-democratic initiatives that end up having negative impacts on every aspect of life, from worker rights to environmental regulation. What is remarkable about the abortion issue is how much it crystallizes voter attention on the larger issues of democracy. Even though the wording of Issue 1 was deliberately banal, voters knew full well what the result would be: Abortion bans, overriding the clear will of voters. So they turned out in astounding numbers, striking down a ballot initiative that would not just undermine abortion rights, but help dismantle the ability of voters to control their own governance. Turns out the people can and will rally for their rights. Sadly, that just means Republicans will get angrier and more determined to block the democratic process. Read more about the right's war on reproductive freedom A public notary entangled in with what prosecutors says was the abduction and beating of a homeless man by two Hialeah cops reached an agreement this week that will require him to take the stand against other defendants if called upon. But the likelihood of Juan Prietocofino testifying against two of the three other defendants charged in the case is far from certain. Theres been no indication during pre-trial hearings and motions that former officer Rafael Otano was ever interacted with Prietocofino. And Miami-Dade Administrative Judge Andrea Wolfson has yet to decide if statements made by Prietocofino are admissible in former Officer Lorenzo Orfilas case. The officers, both fired from the Hialeah Police Department, have been charged with the kidnapping and battery of Juan Ortega Gutierrez, a vagrant who shop owners at a Hialeah strip mall found bothersome and who state prosecutors say was misled by police and driven to a wooded area several miles away by the former officers, who beat him and left him there. What is more likely is Prietocofino, 52, testifying against private investigator Ali Amin Saleh, whose office he works in and who has been charged with paying the alleged victim to sign an affidavit that would have cleared the two officers of any wrongdoing. Prietocofino, who was facing a single count of fraudulently notarizing that affidavit, avoided possible jail by agreeing to five years probation. Prietocofinos attorney Avelino Gonzalez, through a legal assistant, refused to comment. Salehs attorney Stephen Lopez said he wasnt concerned Prietocofino could harm his clients defense. He [Prietocofino] and he alone committed notarial fraud and thats why he pleaded guilty, said Lopez. Orfila Attorney Ben Kuehne deferred to Judge Wolfsons eventual decision on whether she will allow information from Prietocofino into his clients case. And Otano Attorney Michael Pizzi said theres been no indication of any connection between his client and the notary. It doesnt affect him because theres been no allegation by anyone that was aware of or attempted to get statements from Gutierrez, Pizzi said. Judge Wolfson has decided to separate trials for the two officer and Saleh. Otanos is set to begin Aug. 21. No date has been set for either Orfila or Saleh, who has been charged with witness tampering. The kidnapping and battery cases revolve around the interaction between the two former officers and Gutierrez on the afternoon of Dec. 17, 2022. Prosecutors with the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office say Orfila, 23 and Otano, 27, drove Gutierrez, handcuffed, to a wooded area several miles from where shopkeeper had complained about him being unruly. There, the state says, the two officers beat Gutierrez and left him after telling him they were taking him to jail. He was discovered afterward walking down the road by an off-duty Hialeah officer. Gutierrez told the officer he was knocked unconscious and woke up with cuts and bruises. The former officers are facing possible life sentences. Prosecutors say GPS in a patrol car shows Gutierrez was transported to an area 6.6 miles from where the officers found him at the strip mall. Gutierrez told the officer he was knocked unconscious and woke up with cuts and bruises. Saleh became involved a few weeks later when, prosecutors claim, he showed up at the same mall Gutierrez had been taken from by the officers and tried to convince him to accept $1,350 and sign an affidavit saying he was not battered and that the cops did no wrong. Kerry Phillips latest art installation is a bunch of junk. Literally. The Miami-based artist has been working on her first solo museum exhibition at The Bass in Miami Beach, and she wants you to come help her out. Her show, called Between the mundane and the miraculous, is set to officially open Aug. 17. But in the meantime, anybody is welcome to come into the gallery shes installing her art in and even help her build it. Phillips art may not be what visitors would expect to see at a museum, though. It looks more like a chaotic thrift store than a gallery space. [This] is usually the hidden part of my process, Phillips said. In the center of the room is a growing, rectangular pile of stuff. Old furniture, luggage, TVs, light fixtures, roller blades, blenders. Its all somewhat precariously stacked and balanced on top of each other. (Phillips screws some items to each other to prevent an avalanche.) And the walls surrounding the pile are lined with even more stuff. A neatly organized group of lamps, glassware, mirrors, a whole box of yarn, an assortment of vintage appliances that actually still work. Cushions removed from chairs. Drawers removed from desks. An entire trash bin of random pieces of wood. A blood red carpet with a funky pattern hangs on one wall of the gallery. Its from Phillips childhood bedroom. So, what is going on in here? And where did Phillips get all this stuff? Artist Kerry Phillips gives a tour to Olivia Gora and her father Jan Gora, of Miami, through items she has collected through the years as she engages visitors to observe and engage with her as she builds the installation of the piece for her coming solo exhibit titled Kerry Phillips: Between the Mundane and the Miraculous. at the Bass Museum in Miami Beach opening August 17th. on Friday, August 04, 2023. Pedro Portal/pportal@miamiherald.com Until Aug. 13, visitors are invited to pick up whatever item they want and place it on the pile however they want. Before the exhibition opens, Phillips will place a carpet on top the pile with the layers of objects visible around the edges. Itll look like a cross section of the Earth, Phillips said. The show will be on view until Oct. 22. And shes been inviting museum visitors to collaborate with her on other elements of her exhibition. Last Saturday, Phillips held a workshop at the museum where she invited people to bring a small found, forgotten or broken object they no longer need and a few cups of dirt from around their home. Participants used the objects and dirt to make artwork inspired by dirt daubers, a type of wasp that sometimes make their nests on forgotten, random objects, like old house paint brushes. Phillips is also asking people to donate clean glass jars and lids, preferably without labels, for another part of the exhibition. The truckload of stuff in the museum gallery, much of which has been used and reused in Phillips past artworks, is usually housed in her studio. Its a collection years in the making, she said. There are things her parents threw out, things she bought from thrift stores, things that friends and neighbors wanted to get rid of. And every time she says shes done collecting more stuff for her art, she finds something cool. If I had a bumper sticker, it would definitely say, I brake for trash, Phillips said. Everything has potential to be used for something Much of her artwork is about the meaning people find in mundane, everyday objects. Phillips doesnt just collect things, she said. She collects stories. Detail of the installation by artist Kerry Phillips made with items she has collected through the years for her coming solo exhibit titled Kerry Phillips: Between the Mundane and the Miraculous. at the Bass Museum in Miami Beach opening August 17th. on Friday, August 04, 2023. Pedro Portal/pportal@miamiherald.com Random things in Phillips collection and artworks remind viewers of special people or moments in their lives, she said. Maybe an old cookie tin reminds you of your grandmother who kept sewing supplies in one. Or a broken video game machine reminds you of your childhood. In the big pile was a small, wooden rocking chair. Phillips got it from a neighbor who used to recline on it while breastfeeding her baby. Nothing in here is worth anything, she said. Its not precious or a diamond or an antique that you would inherit from someone, but we still assign meaning to a lot of things. Originally from Denton, Texas, Phillips is inspired by her family and the items they held onto throughout the years. Her parents grew up on farms, where absolutely nothing goes to waste. Like many families, Phillips said, her parents were experts at repurposing things for others uses, especially containers. Its the classic conundrum, she said. Once you finally get the nerve to throw something out, you end up finding use for it the next day. Children and grandchildren of immigrants in South Florida can relate. Tubs of butter turn into reuseable containers for chicken soup. Plastic Publix bags are repurposed for throwing out cat litter and lining small bathroom trash cans. Did we mention the sewing supplies in cookie tins? Nothing was trash. Everything has potential to be used for something, Phillips said. You had to make do with what you had. Detail of the installation by artist Kerry Phillips made with items she has collected through the years for her coming solo exhibit titled Kerry Phillips: Between the Mundane and the Miraculous. at the Bass Museum in Miami Beach opening August 17th. on Friday, August 04, 2023. Pedro Portal/pportal@miamiherald.com On top of all of that is the question of sustainability. In a world where most products on the market arent built to last anymore, Phillips artwork sparks conversations on how things can be reused instead of thrown away. The oddest stuff delights me. Even with all this stuff that Ive had to add to my collection, I cant just throw it away after. That doesnt even make any sense to me. Thats so wasteful, Phillips said. So Im gonna have to try to rehome these objects because I dont need them. Its like a balance between trying to get rid of stuff but also not throwing things away because they have potential and they need to be used for something. See the creative process Phillips work shows us the beauty in the material world while encouraging people to participate in the art, said James Voorhies, the museum curator. Usually, museum visitors only get to see the finished artwork and perfectly ready exhibitions. Phillips installation is a rare opportunity for people to see the creative process and make connections with each other, he said. She creates these exhibition contexts where people are invited to slow down and think about their relationship to materials and the memories that those objects and materials hold individually, Voorhies said. It kind of forms a community momentarily, even around talking about those relationships and materials. The response from the public reflects that, Voorhies said. Artist Kerry Phillips gives a tour to Leon Benoit Hurs and his parents Cecilia Garcia-Hurs and Pablo Hurs of Texas, through items she has collected through the years as she engages visitors to observe and engage with her as she builds the installation of the piece for her coming solo exhibit titled Kerry Phillips: Between the Mundane and the Miraculous. at the Bass Museum in Miami Beach opening August 17th. on Friday, August 04, 2023. Pedro Portal/pportal@miamiherald.com When people walk into the gallery, Phillips is there to greet them. Visitors and Phillips strike up conversations about the artwork, the stuff and the stories they have related to stuff. She recalled one couple who walked in. The man told her that the very cluttered gallery felt familiar to him. He helps people who struggle with organization declutter their homes. Two sisters from New York came in, spent 10 minutes browsing the items and told Phillips they were worried their idea for the pile was dumb. Phillips encouraged them to just go with their first instinct. A family from Texas with a young boy stopped by. The boy enthusiastically asked Phillips about her artistic process and picked out a spot to fit a briefcase in the nook of a desk. One woman gathered some items that reminded her of her father and placed them on the pile. Phillips noted that those items would eventually get covered up and offered to move it to a more visible spot. Its OK, the woman said. I know its there. Phillips show isnt really about the stuff. Its about moments like these. Across all of the things that try to divide us, we have this connection through these objects that are totally meaningless, Phillips said. Except that we have the power to imbue them with meaning. Kerry Phillips: Between the mundane and the miraculous Where: The Bass Museum of Art, 2100 Collins Ave., Miami Beach When: Until Aug. 13, visitors are welcome to contribute to the artwork by visiting the Harrison Gallery during regular museum hours. The show is officially on view from Aug. 17 to Oct. 22. Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., Closed Monday-Tuesday Info: $15 for general admission ticket; https://thebass.org/art/between-the-mundane-and-the-miraculous/ This story was produced with financial support from The Perez Family Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work. The nurse from New Hampshire and her daughter who were kidnapped in Haiti last month have been released, according to El Roi Haiti, the non-profit she works for. Alix Dorsainvil and her child will soon be back home after being kidnapped the morning of July 27 near El Roi Haitis Port au Prince campus. It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti, El Roi Haiti said in a statement Wednesday. There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation, so we are asking that no attempts be made to contact Alix or her family at this time. Alix serves as the faith-based humanitarian groups community health nurse and is married to the 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 issued a travel advisory to Haiti on July 27, telling Americans in the country to leave and citing kidnapping threats. On Wednesday the State Department welcomed the release of Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter. We express our deepest appreciation to our Haitian and US interagency partners for their assistance in facilitating for their safe release, said State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller. I will say that we welcome the reports of their release. We have no greater priority, of course, than the safety and security of US citizens overseas. We express our deepest appreciation to our Haitian and US interagency partners for their assistance in facilitating for their safe release. 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 NEW YORK The flow of migrants into New York City includes a large number of families with children, adding another layer of complexity to a situation Mayor Eric Adams says is already at the breaking point. New York City, Adams said Wednesday, is on track to spend a staggering $12 billion on housing and caring for migrants by mid-2025. The influx of children, just weeks before schools are due to reopen, will require the city to act on multiple fronts from preparing local public schools for their arrival to providing emergency housing that keeps children out of large group settings. Last month, the number of families with children in the citys care was growing by roughly 47 households each day, according to data provided by the Mayors Office of Management and Budget. That figure had more than tripled since the city budget was adopted earlier this summer, when 15 families with children were being added to the daily count. When you talk about families with children, which we see is the substantial increase that were getting, the largest percentage everything changes, Adams said at a news conference at City Hall. We cant use the congregate shelter settings, he added. You have to make sure they are in school, that they have all the proper school supplies that come with it. So its just an entire new dynamic that we have to do when we continue to get a large proportion of our migrant asylum-seekers families with children. An estimated 18,000 newly arrived students had enrolled in city public schools by the end of last school year, city data show. The mayor declined to gauge how many school-aged children could enroll this fall, saying the number is continuing, growing and moving. Adams said theres still a shortage of the ideal number of Spanish-speaking teachers in local schools, but insisted Schools Chancellor David Banks and the education department will be able to get migrant students what they need. Were going to step up to the plate, like we have, he said. His remarks came a day after Adams said the city may be too cash-strapped to hire more bilingual teachers who speak students home language, suggesting the migrant crisis was not just a problem for the mayor but for the city as a whole to address. Adams renewed that call Wednesday, encouraging New Yorkers to teach English as volunteers through after-school programs and at churches. We need that help, and we have a lot of Spanish-speaking residents in the city, he said. Principals will likely find some relief through recent changes to the citys primary school funding formula. The city is sending an additional $90 million through the Fair Student Funding formula that prioritizes schools with students in temporary housing including the migrants in shelters and high concentrations of children in poverty or learning English. But city officials did not say if a $2,000 per student boost for schools receiving six or more homeless children that was allocated last year would be renewed for the next term. The city is also turning to the State Education Department to assist asylum-seeking students, but that help is unlikely to be financial. Adams chief of staff and city education officials met with state leaders Monday to discuss the arrival of large numbers of asylum seeker and migrant students, according to a joint statement from Chancellor Lester Young and Commissioner Betty Rosa. While the Department cannot provide districts with information on individual prospective students and unfortunately does not exercise control over the availability of emergency funds to support an unanticipated increase in student population, we offer a wealth of resources on instructional practice and policy implementation, said Young and Rosa. State education spokeswoman Keshia Clukey said the department has offered to connect school districts interested in enrolling migrant students with New York City education officials looking for other school systems to place families. Police respond to Rockaway Beach at Beach 59th Street in Queens, New York City after a swimmer was attacked by a shark. Gardiner Anderson/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images A shark attacked a woman this week while swimming at a popular New York City beach. Lifeguards saved the woman using the rope from a buoy as a tourniquet, the New York Post reported. The 65-year-old swimmer reportedly lost about 20 pounds of flesh as a result of the shark attack. A shark attacked a woman this week while swimming at a popular New York City beach in an incident believed to be the first shark bite encounter there in 70 years. Fast-thinking lifeguards at Queens' Rockaway Beach bolted into the ocean to rescue the 65-year-old woman when they heard her "crying for help" on Monday evening, chief lifeguard Jose Diaz told the New York Post. The swimmer was just "just treading water, relaxing" when she was bitten on her left leg while about 10 feet offshore, Diaz said. Lifeguards pulled her out and saved her by using the rope from a buoy as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, he added. "We saw that she was bitten," Diaz told the news outlet. "The blood was coming out a lot so they gave her a tourniquet with the buoy, which has a rope, and they tied it so she doesn't bleed to death." The Post reported that the shark bite victim, identified as Tatyana Koltunyuk, lost about 20 pounds of flesh as a result of the attack. "She lost a lot of blood," Diaz told the newspaper. "The artery came right out. You could see the bones and everything. It was crazy." Diaz, a longtime lifeguard, said that he's never seen an incident like this one. "We go swimming like every other day. We go swimming with the lifeguards and we see sharks but they don't really do anything to us. This is the first time this happened. It's weird," he said. "Everybody's afraid to go into the water now. I don't blame them," Diaz added. The New York City Fire Department told Insider that medics who responded to a report of a "major injury" just before 6 p.m. rushed the woman to a local hospital in stable condition with serious injuries. Her wounds were "consistent with a shark bite," a fire department spokesperson confirmed. The shark attack believed to be first on Rockaway Beach since 1953 shut down the beach on Tuesday as a "safety precaution," said the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Read the original article on Insider New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) on Wednesday redoubled his calls for federal assistance to house asylum-seekers, touching a sore spot in his relationship with the White House. In a speech from City Hall, Adams underscored his resolve to be welcoming toward immigrants but said the estimated price tag over the next three years is unsustainable. New Yorkers could be left with a $12 billion bill. So, while New York City will continue to lead, its time for state and federal government to step up, he said. The city has already received about $140 million in federal funding for shelters, more than any other city away from the southwest border. But, like other jurisdictions that attract newly arrived asylum-seekers, New York is struggling to house and feed a population that includes many people who cant legally work in the United States. Adams joined a fast-growing group of Democrats calling on the Biden administration to speed up the process for asylum-seekers to get a work permit; currently many have to wait about six months from the time of their application to start working. They want to work. This is nothing more anti-American than not letting people work, said Adams. Imagine the boost to our nations economy if we were to fill the hundreds of thousands of jobs that need workers right now. Its the right thing to do. And it is smart economics. Because working illegally can undermine an applicants chances, many asylum-seekers avoid working without Department of Homeland Security (DHS) authorization. The demands have created some frustration in the Biden administration because its expanded legal pathways for asylum-seekers already circumvent the legal requirement to wait 180 days to apply for work papers. Asylum-seekers paroled into the United States either through the Biden administrations program for citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti and Nicaragua or through the CBP One app are not subject to the wait, meaning they are eligible to apply for work papers as soon as they file an asylum application. Those work papers are currently being processed in six weeks for Cuban, Venezuelan, Haitian and Nicaraguan nationals, and in two months for others, according to a DHS official. The complexities of the immigration system could mean a number of the asylum applicants sitting idle might already be eligible to apply for work papers and not know it. But frustration is growing amid a persistent need for workers in the economy and an idle population raring to work and instead living off humanitarian aid. Democrats including Reps. Dan Goldman (N.Y.) and Jesus Chuy Garcia (Ill.) are leading calls for the administration to amp up its use of measures such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS)and to speed up work permits for asylum-seekers. In May, New Yorks congressional Democrats joined to call for work papers for asylum-seekers. Adams gave a shoutout to Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D), who issued a state of emergency Tuesday over dwindling shelter resources and joined calls on the Biden administration to break open the executive toolbox. Healeys state of emergency announcement came in the form of a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. While many Republicans in Congress may be holding up critical reform, the White House can help us now. I agree with Massachusetts Governor Haley. The federal government must take action, said Adams. Adams also recognized a DHS team sent to the city to assess the situation this week. That team is expected to identify areas where New York and the federal government can better collaborate, review their findings with city officials and report their findings to Mayorkas, according to a DHS official. Still, Adams is treading on thin ice with the administration. In May, he was dropped as a surrogate from President Bidens reelection campaign in part over an April press conference where Adams declared the city was being destroyed by the migrant crisis. The White House deferred to DHS for comment on this story. On Wednesday, Adams went out of his way to praise current asylum-seekers and the citys long history as a migrant mecca. For centuries, immigrants have made that impossible journey, that leap of faith searching for freedoms sake, a shot at the American dream. And the asylum-seekers who have arrived in our city since last spring are writing a new chapter in this timeless story, he said. Those comments could stave off some criticism from immigrant advocates whove panned the mayors approach to the issue in the past, but his policy prescriptions are unlikely to sway the Biden administration. Apart from asking for federal dollars for New York shelters and work permits for asylum-seekers, Adams stuck to his proposal for the state and federal governments to lead decompression strategies. We need the federal government to lead a decompression strategy at the border so cities and states across the nation can do their part to shelter asylum-seekers. Because cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and El Paso cannot be left to shoulder a national crisis without the proper aid, he said. In a January op-ed in The Washington Post, Adams defined decompression as a strategy at the border that evaluates asylum claims, establishes a plan for each migrants arrival before entry into the United States and a system to fairly distribute newcomers regionally. The mayors proposal steps on the toes of the administrations core border management strategy, which tightened some asylum requirements while opening new pathways for select migrants to seek asylum in the United States. For the administration, the highly politicized border is a touchy subject. The administration has staunchly defended its policies, both publicly and in court, where last week it won an appeal to keep its asylum policy in place while lawsuits filed against it play out. That win means the administration will continue its carrot-and-stick approach for the time being, an approach federal officials credit with restoring some sense of order despite a flawed immigration system. But Adams said New York is bearing the brunt, waiting for the feds to step in. New Yorkers compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not and our partners at the state and federal levels know this. We continue to face impossible decisions about allocating our resources, and that means a lose-lose for our most vulnerable New Yorkers, as well as those seeking asylum, he said. Updated at 6:18 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Two trade groups in the United States have expressed their support for TikTok and its creators in their legal battle to prevent the state of Montana from banning the popular social media platform. NetChoice, a national trade association that includes major tech platforms, and Chamber of Progress, a tech-industry coalition, filed a friend-of-the-court brief, or Brief of Amici Curiae, in support of TikTok late Monday, said a release by NetChoice on Tuesday. "Montana's effort to ban TikTok is, ironically, the sort of authoritarian conduct that the state purports to oppose," said Nicole Saad Bembridge, NetChoice's associate director of litigation, in the release. "Americans' access to information on the internet cannot be dependent on local politicians' individual preferences. The Court should enjoin the TikTok ban to ensure the internet stays open and free," said Bembridge. On May 17, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte enacted a complete ban on the app over supposed "national security" concerns, making Montana the first state nationwide to ban TikTok and prohibit mobile application stores from offering TikTok within the state. The ban is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2024. On the same day, five TikTok content creators filed a lawsuit against the state's attorney general over the ban, arguing that it would prohibit Montana residents from using the popular app, infringing on their First Amendment rights. Los Angeles-based TikTok also filed a suit on May 22 to stop the ban, saying it violated multiple constitutional rights, including First Amendment free speech rights, infringed on the federal government's exclusive authority to administer foreign affairs and hurt local residents. NEW YORK Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday sharpened his appeal for state and federal aid by presenting steep new cost projections for the tens of thousands of migrants in New York Citys care. If we dont get the support we need, New Yorkers could be left with a $12 billion bill, he said in a formal address to the public from City Hall. The $12 billion is the estimate by summer of 2025 if the flow of migrants continues apace with current numbers, Adams said. Administration officials had previously forecast that the cost would reach more than $4 billion by next summer. The new estimation of $4 billion annually for three years, is a significant portion of the city's budget that is currently $107 billion. By comparison, the NYPD's annual budget this year is $5.8 billion. "The immigration system in this nation is broken; it has been broken for decades," Adams said, declaring: "Today, New York City has been left to pick up the pieces." Nearly 100,000 migrants have arrived to the city since the spring of 2022, Adams said. While tens of thousands have moved on from the city, with new arrivals expected, the number of those remaining in the citys shelters and emergency housing facilities could balloon to 100,000, Adams said. We are past our breaking point, the mayor said. Still, he vowed not to close the doors on those who need shelter. New York City is legally required to provide beds and care in a timely manner under its unique Right to Shelter law. Despite the law, migrant men found themselves sleeping for days on the sidewalk outside a midtown Manhattan intake center last week. The images were circulated on social media and received national news coverage. While those using cardboard boxes as beds have been limited to single adults, an administration official told POLITICO last week that families with children may also soon be on the street for lack of space. More than $140 million in federal funds have been allocated to New York City for the support of migrants. Officials with President Joe Bidens administration have noted to POLITICO that Adams and members of New Yorks congressional delegation met two weeks ago in Washington with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. A DHS team is currently in New York City to assess the crisis. Gov. Kathy Hochuls administration has provided state-owned sites for migrant shelters, including the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, and will reimburse the city for the costs of operating other facilities. More money will be required from the State of New York and I knew that," Hochul told reporters Wednesday after an unrelated event in Brooklyn. "And Ive been talking about that even prior to the adjustments in the mayors estimates on the cost. She said the state budget includes $1 billion toward housing, National Guard assistance and legal services for migrants. She said shes talked with state legislative leaders about an additional $1 billion in the next budget. Hochul said state leaders continue to scout for sites for larger-scale housing. She said shes been in constant contact with Adams as well as the White House, pressing them, like City Hall has, for mechanisms to allow migrants to work legally. "We are fully committed to helping the city out," she said. In pleading Wednesday with Biden for more help for the newcomers, Adams invoked the president's predecessor. As President Obama has said, the mayor said, We were once strangers, too. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misstated the amount of the NYPD budget. NEW YORK (AP) With thousands of migrants still arriving in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday renewed his appeal to the federal government to help the city avert a budgetary crisis as expenses mount now projected at $12.2 billion by the end of next year because of the influx of people coming from the southern U.S. border seeking temporary care and shelter. Our compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not. This is the budgetary reality we are facing if we dont get the additional support we need, Adams said during an address that sought to put the onus on the Biden administration to help relieve his city from the growing financial burden. New Yorkers did not create an international humanitarian crisis. But our citys residents have been left to deal with this crisis almost entirely on our own, the mayor said. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently dispatched a small team to New York City to help determine how the federal government should respond. The federal government has so far promised the city $140 million to help, although the city has yet to receive any of that money. A city spokesperson later clarified that requests for that money have been made but the delay could be because of routine bureaucratic reasons. Since the spring of 2022, nearly 100,000 migrants have arrived in New York City seeking shelter. With the city's shelters near capacity and more migrants arriving, the crisis is unlikely to abate anytime soon. As of Sunday, the city said it was housing more than 82,000 people, including nearly 30,000 children. The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless, among the mayors most vociferous critics, echoed the mayors plea for help. This is a moment that requires the full resources and authority of government from all levels, and the city should not have to shoulder the response without meaningful assistance from both the Biden and Hochul administrations, the groups said in a statement. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul does not dispute the city needs more money, saying it is far more expensive than anyone had imagined. She said she expects to ask lawmakers in Albany to provide another $1 billion to help the city, on top of the $1 billion already allocated. __________ An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the amount that the federal government had allocated to help New York City with its migrant crisis. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it misstated that amount. It is $140 million, not $160 million. City Department of Health experts may find it hard to keep up with the latest scientific research going forward including on critical topics like pandemic preparedness as the agency was recently forced to close down its Public Health Library due to budget cuts, the Daily News has learned. The William Hallock Park Memorial Public Health Library, located in Long Island City, has for decades provided department epidemiologists and the public with access to peer-reviewed medical journals, databases, books and other research materials, on site and electronically as well as via loans. The library is named after renowned bacteriologist William Hallock Park, credited for creating vaccines to treat and prevent diphtheria. But the department informed staff this summer that it is shuttering the library due to cost-saving directives ordered by Mayor Adams earlier in the year. As part of the recent budget cuts, we have to make the very tough decision to close the Public Health Library, an internal memo obtained by The News reads. As of July 1, 2023, we will no longer renew journal and database subscriptions. The memo adds that most of the departments journal and database subscriptions wont expire until December, meaning staff can access them until then. After that, access to subscription-based material will end, according to the memo, but officials in the Adams administration said the physical location where the library collections are stored will at least for now remain open to department staff. Still, an epidemiologist who worked for the department during the early days of COVID-19 said subscription-based medical journals were critical for pandemic-related research and expressed worry that the elimination of such resources could impact the agencys ability to prepare for future public health emergencies. It was so important during COVID to see what [researchers in] Israel were doing, to see what [researchers in] the U.K. were doing the U.S. made policy off of Israel because they had so much data, said the epidemiologist, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern of not being able to work with the city again. We just went through a giant pandemic where lots of people died. If thats not enough to justify investing in public health, what is? the expert added. Word of the librarys closure comes as the city has seen an uptick in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations this month. In addition to servicing department staff, the physical library space has been open to the public by appointment, a resource mostly used by independent researchers and university students. However, because of the cost-cutting directive, public access is going away altogether. An attempt to make an appointment to visit the library returned an email informing The News that, As of July 2023, the Public Health Library is closed; we are no longer accepting public access appointments. A spokeswoman for Mayor Eric Adams confirmed public access is no more. She also said that as of July 1 the library is no longer staffed by librarians but Department of Health employees can still visit it and access books and other materials on site, though they can no longer take them out as loans. While saying there are currently no plans to end access to the physical library for department staff, the spokeswoman did not rule out that could change in the future. Shari Logan, a spokeswoman for the Health Department, argued that staff should not be impacted by the scaling back of the library because the agency will make its physical collections available in digitized form and offer alternatives to subscription-based journals that ensure that staff continue to have the information they need to do their work. But the alternative resources the department plans to provide do not appear to be commensurate with subscription-based journals, according to a list made available to agency staff this week. The list, which was shared with The News, shows the department will direct staff to make use of Google Scholar, the Public Library of Science and other free online databases to access research materials. The list also recommends using the New York Academy of Medicine and HighWire Press for accessing interlibrary materials and journal writings though it notes those resources can come at a cost. Its unclear if the department plans to pay for staff to access such materials going forward, or if staff would have to go out of pocket themselves. The Adams spokeswoman said thats not yet clear, but pointed to the Health Departments statement that it will ensure that staff continue to have the information they need to do their work. A Department of Health researcher who spoke on condition of anonymity due to not being authorized to talk to the press told The News free databases like Google Scholar are not adequate replacements for subscription-based journals. This is going to make it much harder for people to get the information they need to do their job and protect New Yorkers, the staffer said. Its taking a tool out of the hands of the workers. Among the most widely used medical trade publications behind paywalls are the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Annals of Internal Medicine. The combined annual subscription cost for those two journals for a single person is nearly $600, their websites show. Annual subscription rates to those journals for institutions like public health agencies range in the thousands of dollars. Jay Varma, an infectious disease expert who served as former Mayor Bill de Blasios top COVID adviser, said that while some research material is publicly available on the web, the closure of the Public Health Library is troubling. It is just another example of how poorly funded public health is, Varma said. Even the largest city health department in the country one that relies on scientific evidence to shape the policies for over 8 million people is unable to fund access to the books and journals in which that evidence is published. Its unclear how much money the citys saving by closing the library. Adams spokeswoman would not say. The library closure is part of the 4% spending cut Adams ordered nearly all city agencies, including the Department of Health, to enact in April for the 2024 fiscal year, the spokeswoman confirmed. The April savings initiative was the third budget belt-tightening measure implemented by the mayor since he took office. The Department of Health which was subject to all three managed to in total shave more than $140 million in spending over the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years under the savings initiatives, budget documents from Adams office show. During this springs budget negotiations with the City Council, Adams drew criticism from left-wing lawmakers for seeking such cuts. Adams has countered the cuts are necessary to hedge against a ballooning city budget deficit that could grow as large as $7 billion within the next five years. A police officer is accused of stealing a debit card and using it at a home improvement store, California police said. Officer Edmond Babaians, a 16-year veteran with the Los Angeles Police Department who works in the departments jails, was arrested on counts of burglary and theft of a debit card, LAPD said in an Aug. 8 news release. The allegations of an officer breaking public trust are extremely troubling and there must be accountability, Los Angeles police Chief Michel Moore said in the release. Police said they started an internal investigation after a womans report of a missing debit card. The woman said she last remembered having her card when she was inside a police department facility and later noticed unauthorized charges on her bank statement, police said. After the woman got photos of the suspect using her card to make purchases at a home improvement store, she gave them to investigators, according to police. The suspect was identified as Babaians, who was released on his recognizance following his arrest, police said. Until the departments investigation is complete, Babaians, who was relieved of his police powers, will be assigned to home, police said. Contact information for Babaians or an attorney who could comment on his behalf was not immediately available. Police chief paid for sex acts with underage girl while wearing his uniform, feds say Police officer took photos up a childs shorts, NJ prosecutor says. Arrest made Cop worked at Whole Foods while on the clock for hundreds of hours in DC, police say Civilians might be evacuated from 53 settlements located near the areas where hostilities are taking place in the Kupiansk district, Kharkiv Oblast. Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Details: Kharkiv Oblast officials might introduce mandatory evacuation of civilians, especially children. Syniehubov said that around 11,000 civilians, including 600 children, might be evacuated. Syniehubov explained that the evacuees will be given temporary housing in safer areas and will receive other forms of help. Quote from Syniehubov: "The evacuation is being carried out as a preventive measure, as enemy forces have ramped up shelling in border-adjacent settlements near the front. Enemy forces continue to terrorise civilians, including by conducting airstrikes. Our goal is therefore to save the lives of as many civilians as we can." Background: On 5 August, Russian forces attacked a blood transfusion centre in Kruhliakivka, Kupiansk district. 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! Despite some technical issues with online submissions, officials are encouraging applications for payouts connected to historic legislation aimed at helping veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service before an important deadline passes. President Joe Biden signed the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act better known as the PACT Act a year ago on Aug. 10, 2022, expanding Department of Veterans Affairs health care benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. Although there is no deadline to apply for future claims, veterans and survivors who file or submit an intent to file by Aug. 9 may be eligible to have their benefits backdated a year to when the bill was signed. Otherwise, applicants will only be eligible to receive payouts back to their date of filing. (The sign-up link is here.) As many as one in five veterans living in America today could receive new health care or disability payouts thanks to the measure, Military Times previously reported. The high influx of interested applicants however has caused technical issues for some veterans and survivors submitting their online intent to file, as well as prolonged wait times for those looking to call the VA, according to VA spokesman Terrence Hayes. Veterans see historic expansion of benefits for toxic exposure About 18% of individuals who submitted their intent to file received a website error message on Aug. 8, Hayes noted in a release. If you received one of these messages, dont worry! We have logged your intent to file and saved your effective date for benefits, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough said on social media. The VA website for filing a PACT Act claim is not down, Hayes said in the release, adding that the department will continue to collect intent to file submissions despite the outgoing error messages. Lawmakers in Congress, however, are still demanding answers as to what took place. I am requesting that VA provide me with daily updates on its efforts to contact veterans to assure them of receipt of their intents to file and provide them with any necessary further information or required next steps, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a letter. Tester added that he wants an overview of what caused the technical difficulties and how VA will address the weakness in the system in the future. The PACT Act creates presumptive-condition status for a list of cancers, respiratory illnesses and additional ailments linked to burn pit exposure and other toxins like Agent Orange for generations of veterans who served during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the first Gulf War, the Vietnam War and a number of other deployments in between those campaigns. Since the bill was signed into law, the VA has received nearly 786,000 disability claims under the PACT Act, processed almost 435,000 and approved more than 348,000, The Associated Press reported. About 111,000 veterans who are believed to have experienced toxic exposure have enrolled in VA health care since the law was enacted, the outlet added. The department has paid out more than $1.4 billion, Military Times previously reported. These benefits and services from the PACT Act can be lifesaving, Biden said in a video message last month, encouraging veterans and family members to apply for the payouts. The president is scheduled to mark the bill signing anniversary at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Aug. 10, according to The Associated Press. McDonough and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also encouraged veterans to apply in a video message last month, noting that current service members planning to leave the military can also apply for VA disability benefits up to six months before separation. Advocates and government officials met Aug. 9, offering praise for the bills implementation while also eyeing further progress still to be made. While theres a lot to celebrate and recognize that has gone well with the PACT Act implementation, the fight is not over, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin said during the virtual event. Theres still more to get done and that pressure needs to be there from the veteran community, he noted, citing the need to accelerate the processing of claims. One voice in the veteran community who has tirelessly worked to apply that pressure is Rosie Torres, co-founder of the veterans group Burn Pits 360, whose husband suffers from complications from illnesses that began after he was exposed to toxic fumes during service in post-9/11 Iraq. Its a beautiful feeling personally to my family and my husband and I to witness history unfold, Torres told Military Times regarding the one-year anniversary of the bill signing. While she applauded the passage of the PACT Act, Torres said there is still work to be done, including receiving more clarity on the recent tech issues, adding additional illnesses to the list of presumptive conditions and expediting the process for diagnosing veterans with various, often invisible wounds of war. Veterans or their family members can also get information about PACT Act benefits by visiting the VAs website or by calling 1-800-MYVA411 (1-800-698-2411). Military Times Leo Shane III contributed reporting to this story. Editors note: this story was updated on Aug. 10, 2023, with additional links to sign up for benefits. Many metro-east drivers encounter roundabouts on a regular basis, but you may still come across those who dont follow the rules and make it a more stressful experience. Residents of Belleville, East St. Louis, Maryville, Highland, Waterloo and anyone who often passes through the towns might see roundabouts on their daily commute. A map from the Illinois Department of Transportation shows more than 10 roundabouts across the metro-east and southern Illinois. Heres where theyre located: The roundabout has evolved since its 1905 debut. Originally, vehicles entering the roundabout had the right-of-way, and cars already in the circle were required to yield, according to a 2017 News-Democrat Answer Man article. The traffic flow for roundabouts has since changed, however. Heres what to know about safely traversing roundabouts in southwestern Illinois and the St. Louis region. How should you navigate roundabouts in Illinois and Missouri? Since an English reform in 1966 launched the modern roundabout revolution, roundabouts have given the right-of-way to those already within the circle, requiring entering vehicles to yield before proceeding. The Illinois Department of Transportation offers a guide on driving through roundabouts: Yield when you approach a roundabout and watch for pedestrians in the crosswalk. Look to the left as you near the dashed yield line and yield to traffic already in the circle. Once you see a gap in traffic, enter the circle and proceed to your exit. Look for pedestrians as you exit and make sure you stay in your lane as you navigate the roundabout. In a multi-lane roundabout, choose a lane before entering the roundabout. Signs posted near the roundabout will direct you to the appropriate lane based on whether you want to [exit the roundabout at a destination on your left], go straight or make a U-turn. Choose either the left lane as you enter the roundabout or choose the right lane if you want to make a right turn. Pedestrians and bicyclists always have the right-of-way when crossing the street, the state transportation department continues, and drivers must yield to them before entering intersections. If you approach the roundabout at the same time another vehicle is entering, the car that arrives first should go first, the state agency says. But drivers should always yield to traffic coming from the left. Circling a roundabout more than twice is considered careless driving by Illinois transportation officials, who recommend planning ahead and exiting carefully. In a roundabout with multiple lanes, you may cautiously change lanes if the white line is dashed. Illinois law prohibits changing lanes over solid white lines. When changing lanes, officials say you should first check your mirrors and potential blind spots and use your turn signal. The Illinois Rules of the Road 2023 document says drivers should also use their turn signal when exiting roundabouts or rotaries. Roundabouts offer convenience, as well as enhanced safety, acccording to Missouri officials. Traditional intersections with stop lights have between 20 to 30 potential spots where crashes could occur, the Missouri Department of Transportation reports, and roundabouts have eight. Roundabouts are a great alternative to a signalized intersection when a high volume of traffic needs to get through with the least amount of inconvenience, the states tranportation website reads. The minimized number of conflict points coupled with slower speeds can result in a 76% reduction in crashes, along with fewer crash-related injuries, the Missouri Department of Transportation website continues. This article was inspired by a readers suggestion. Please contact mhoward@bnd.com with ideas for future stories. Ohio Senate President Matt Huffmans speaks to reporters after Issue 1 failed to pass. Paul Vernon/AP Ohio Democrats Chairwoman Elizabeth Walters mocked a Republican who complained about Issue 1. Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman had complained proponents didn't have enough time to campaign. But it was Ohio Republicans who pushed for the amendment to stymie abortion rights to be on the August ballot. Ohio Democratic Party Chairwoman Elizabeth Walters on Wednesday mocked a senior Republican official who complained that they did not have enough time to campaign for an effort to stymie abortion rights. "Like, saying the obvious thing out loud, you picked the date dude," Walters said during a call with reporters. "What was surprising about it, you know?" Walters, who appeared to briefly be at a loss for words, said she was "trying very hard for you guys not to have to bleep me out later." Walters was referencing Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman's comments to reporters Tuesday evening after it became apparent that the GOP-led Issue 1 would fail by a large margin. Republicans wanted to make it harder to amend the state constitution, an effort proponents said was to diminish outside influences. But Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who was involved in pushing Issue 1, made it clear it was "100%" about stopping an abortion rights amendment that will be before voters this November. "One thing that hurt us in the election was the length of time of the campaign," Huffman told reporters, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. Ohio Republicans hastily set the special election after previously moving to outlaw most August elections, citing low turnout. State Rep. Brian Stewart, who help lead the Issue 1 push, was only able to get a final vote on his proposal on the last day possible to set it for an August election, the Capital Journal previously reported. Republicans previously missed the deadline put the issue before voters in May. Huffman's comments are just the beginning of recriminations for key Republicans involved in pushing Issue 1. Former Govs. John Kasich and Bob Taft, both Republicans, strongly opposed raising the amendment threshold. Despite the results, Huffman made clear that he has not given up on future efforts to pass something similar to Issue 1. "But perhaps not in the same kind of atmosphere that we have had over the past 10 or 12 months," Huffman told reporters. Read the original article on Business Insider On Tuesday, Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected Issue 1, a ballot measure designed to take power away from voters. Its just the latest in a series of examples of how the Republican Partys hostility toward abortion rights may be unwittingly motivating even moderate and center-right voters to support abortion access. Its the Streisand Effect, brought to us by Samuel Alito. Issue 1 would have raised the threshold of victory for public referendums in the Buckeye State from 50 percent plus one vote to 60 percent, and make it more difficult for citizens to get a referendum on the ballot in the first place. With Roe v. Wade Gone, Men Will Have a Lot Less Sex Most people paying attention could have called this from the Detroit side of Lake Erie. Early voting and mail-in voting numbers helped shatter records for an off-year, off-month election. Issue 1 failed for the same reason that a measure offering voters the opportunity to add extra potholes to all the roads might fail. It was, essentially, a proposal to further empower a gerrymandered far-right legislature in a state that consists primarily of people who fancy themselves moderates, at the expense of the states citizens, who are already disempowered due to Ohios cartoonishly anti-democratic gerrymandering. Among Issue 1s many issues were what it aimed to blockand sloppy attempts by the far-right to lie about Issue 1s purpose and intent. Ohios far-right is so used to getting its wayand is so disconnected from the actual views of Ohioansthat it seems like they actually believed theyd get away with pissing on their constituents legs and telling them that its raining. Tuesdays special election wasnt even supposed to happen. Back in January, Republican legislators canceled the August special election. But they changed their tune in May, when it was clear that supporters of abortion were gathering signatures in order to get an initiative on the ballot that would have put Ohio abortion rights up to a public vote in November. Then, suddenly, mysteriously, the legislature had a change of heart. The August special election was added back into the calendar, and the only issue being considered would be Issue 1. Volunteer Amelia Klein helps voters cast their ballots during a special election for Issue 1 at the Schiller Recreation Center in Columbus, Ohio on Aug. 8, 2023. Adam Cairns/USA Today Network via Reuters Polling shows that just shy of 60 percent of Ohio voters support abortion access in the state. Nevertheless, after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the states far-right government got busy passing and enacting a six-week abortion ban, apocryphally known as a Heartbeat Law. The ban is currently caught up in legal challenges, so as of now, abortion is legal in Ohio up to the point of fetal viability, around 22 weekstechnically. But whats legal on paper and whats available in practice arent exactly on speaking terms. Infamously, a ten-year-old rape victim caught up in the bans legal back-and-forth was forced to travel across state lines to Indiana to receive an abortion. Ohios zealot attorney general, Dave Yost, after doubting the existence of the girls case in the first place, used that as an opportunity to get into a public slapfight with the doctor who provided the girls care. Supporters of Issue 1 did their damnedest to gaslight Ohio voters into believing that Tuesdays special election was about anything but abortion. (Its about freedom! Its about keeping special interest groups out of Ohio!) The Right Needs to Ask: Why Do These Racists Keep Getting Hired by Us? But thats a hard sell when anti-abortion zealots have been openly in support of Issue 1, and have stated publicly that its purpose is to curtail abortion access. To that point, the Cleveland Plain Dealer quotes Mike Gonidakis, the president of Ohio Right to Life, during its coverage of the vote. (Just as the far-right is overrepresented in a gerrymandered state government, so, too, are men overrepresented in organizations that exist solely to regulate womens bodies. Call me when you get pregnant, Mike.) Ohio should be a warning to anti-choice conservatives around the country that a lot of people hate their bad ideas. Actually, there were several warnings to anti-choice conservatives across the U.S. before Tuesday. Voters do not support putting government officials between a woman and her gynecologist. People dont want laws to project an image of a jowly AARP-eligible small-time politician peering judgmentally over the stirrups. We are a divided nation, but a definitive percentage of votersand an even more definitive percentage of reproductively capable votersagree that this is fucking creepy. Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan and Ohio Right to Life president Mike Gonidakis meet with people after speaking about Issue 1 at the Marion County Republican Party headquarters in Marion, OH on July 13, 2023. Maddie McGarvey/For The Washington Post via Getty Images Conservatives could have learned their lesson from Kentucky. Or Montana. Or Michigan. Or Kansas. Or Wisconsin. In each of these purple-to-red states, abortion was on the ballot after Roe fell, and in each of those states, voters chose to support abortion rights or reject abortion restrictions. But if theres one thing the anti-choice movement cannot learn, its to take the W. After the Dobbs decision left laws regulating abortion up to the statesundoing decades of legal precedent and throwing millions of American women back to the 1960sSupreme Court Justice Samuel Alito smarmed that if Americans wanted abortion rights, they could always vote for them. At the time, the comment seemed like a gloat from a man confident that resistance to his agenda was futile. But voters responded to Alitos challenge by accepting it. Abortion has galvanized voters across the country, in unexpected places, and the passion surrounding it is not waning. New CNN polling out on Tuesday found that 64 percent of Americans do not support the Supreme Courts ruling to overturn Roe v. Wadethe same percentage who said they disapproved of Dobbs right after Dobbs was officially announced. And 84 percent of voters say that sharing their view on abortion with a candidate is either essential or very important. The GOP Is the Party of Fuck You And yet. The GOP, like an untrained mutt, cannot stop rolling in the stench of the dead squirrel that is their extreme position on abortion access. They are at the bottom of a hole, and their best pitch is to keep digging. There are nine other states, besides Ohio, where citizens can amend the constitution via public referendum. Will the GOP Streisand Effect its way to a post-Roe worldwhere American women have more access to abortion than they did before Alito flapped his yap? Is the American pro-choice movement Sideshow Bob in a parking lot full of rakes (or coat hangers)? Time will tell, but voting patterns point to yes. Lets see what innovative Gaslight The Vote tactics the Ohio GOP has up its sleeve for November. 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 On the heels of Ohio voters' rejection of a proposal to make it more difficult to amend the state constitution, organizations on both sides of the abortion rights debate are girding for their next fight over a ballot measure that, if approved, will enshrine abortion access in Ohio's founding document. Known as the "Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety," prospects for the proposed amendment received a boost from the results of Tuesday's special election in Ohio, where voters weighed in on one issue: whether to raise the threshold for approving constitutional amendments from a simple majority, 50% plus one voter, to a supermajority, or 60%. The measure, called Issue 1, failed to garner the majority support it needed to pass, keeping in place the century-old rules for changing the Ohio Constitution at the ballot box. People celebrated the defeat of Issue 1 during a watch party Tuesday, Aug. 8, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio voters resoundingly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it more difficult to pass abortion protections. / Credit: Jay LaPrete / AP The outcome of the contest means that for abortion rights to be protected in the state constitution, the proposed amendment on the ballot in November will need to secure the backing from a simple majority of Ohio voters who go to the polls in the general election. "The 111-year-old process tried and true in Ohio will continue to be the process for this core issue that opponents of abortion have said they wanted returned to the states, and now this decision is going to be made by the state of Ohio and the voters of Ohio come November," Kelly Hall, executive director of The Fairness Project, told CBS News. "It's absolutely appropriate that it's decided by the majority of Ohians and Ohioans are not beholden to the views of a 40% minority." The reproductive rights proposal qualified for the November ballot last month, with Secretary of State Frank LaRose announcing enough valid signatures had been submitted to put the issue of abortion access directly to voters. The proposed amendment, the final language of which will be drafted by the Ohio Ballot Board, provides that every individual has the right to make their own reproductive decisions, including on contraception and abortion. The measure also prohibits the state from interfering with that right, but allows abortion to be prohibited after fetal viability, generally around 22 to 24 weeks into a pregnancy. Ohio law currently bars abortion after 22 weeks, though the state has on the books a ban on the procedure after embryonic cardiac activity is detected, generally around six weeks gestation and often before a woman knows she is pregnant, which went into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The six-week law, though, was blocked by a state court while a legal challenge moves forward. A July poll from USA Today and Suffolk University found that 58% of likely voters back the abortion rights amendment, a measure of support that, if unchanged, indicates the measure will pass in November. In anticipation of the fall vote, and buoyed by the defeat of Issue 1, pro-abortion rights advocates reiterated they are now turning their focus to the November election and safeguarding abortion access. "Ohioans still have a voice and an opportunity this November to ensure families have the freedom to make decisions that are best for them, free from government meddling and interference," said Rhiannon Carnes, spokeswoman for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, the coalition behind the reproductive rights amendment. NARAL Pro-Choice America, a pro-reproductive rights group, will be supporting Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights in the run-up to the November election, including by mobilizing 137,000 members in Ohio, Ryan Stitzlein, the group's vice president of political and government relations, said. "Yesterday, a stark majority of voters sent a clear message of support for reproductive freedom," Stitzlein said in a statement to CBS News. "If I were an anti-abortion extremist in Ohio, I'd be quaking in my boots." A woman attending a rally in favor of elevating the threshold to amend Ohio's constitution on Sunday, Aug. 6, in Norwood. / Credit: Darron Cummings / AP Key to the campaign in support of the abortion rights measure will be ensuring Ohio voters understand the stakes of the ballot measure, as well as the logistics surrounding the November election, such as how to vote, where to vote and when to vote, Hall, of The Fairness Project, said. "Both sides of Issue 1 did try to connect the dots for voters between Issue 1 and the abortion rights issue," she said. "Voters resoundingly rejected Issue 1 and that's a good sign in the right direction for the supporters of Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights." The Fairness Project, a progressive group that helps organize and support ballot measures, will be lending support financially and with manpower, Hall said. Anti-abortion rights organizations are also mounting their own efforts, but with the goal of beating the proposed amendment in November. Protect Women Ohio, an organization that opposes abortion rights, launched a $5 million statewide television ad campaign in March opposing the proposed amendment and has had canvassers going door-to-door since May speaking with voters. Amy Natoce, spokeswoman for the group, said those efforts will continue across Ohio, including with ads on television, radio, online and through the mail. The group plans on spending at least $25 million on the campaign to defeat the proposal and "still has a long road ahead," she said. "We've already been working toward November for months," Natoce told CBS News. "Issue 1 was a step and we're going to continue outreach of educating voters so they know it's not just about abortion. It goes after parental rights and removing protections for unborn and women." Created Equal, an anti-abortion rights group, plans to run TV ads and fly aerial billboards over public venues and major cities urging voters to oppose the abortion access measure, as well as double displays on college and university campuses. "Defeating the abortion amendment in November will establish an anti-abortion beachhead in Ohio from which we can defeat similar pro-abortion measures in other states in 2024. Because as Ohio goes so goes the nation," Mark Harrington, Created Equal's president, said in a statement. "The stakes couldn't be any higher." If voters agree to amend the state constitution to protect abortion access in the fall, Ohio would join a string of other states where the pro-abortion rights position succeeded when the issue was put directly to the electorate. During the 2022 midterm elections, voters in three states approved measures to amend their respective state constitutions to include the right to reproductive freedom: California, Michigan and Vermont. In three other states, Kansas, Kentucky and Montana, ballot measures limiting abortion access were defeated. The outcome of the elections spurred efforts to pursue ballot initiatives enshrining reproductive rights into more state constitutions in 2024. While Ohio is the only state where abortion access will be decided this year, a coalition of organizations announced Tuesday it filed a proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to abortion in the Arizona constitution. Among the groups supporting the initiative is the ACLU of Arizona, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona and NARAL Arizona. State law currently bans abortion after 15 weeks. Why special counsel was appointed for Hunter Biden probe after plea deal fell apart Special counsel appointed for Hunter Biden investigation | Special Report What to know about the new COVID variant EG.5 MEXICO CITY, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- As the Northern Hemisphere recorded the hottest July, countries in the Southern Hemisphere have also experienced unprecedented heat at the beginning of August, the middle of winter, with temperatures in many places up to record high. The temperature in the Chilean capital Santiago stood at 24 degrees Celsius on Aug. 2 and hit 37 degrees Celsius in the town of Vicuna in central Chile on Aug. 1. Chile's national weather agency said several weather stations across the country recorded temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius at the start of August. Data from Argentina's National Meteorological Service showed that in Buenos Aires, the temperature exceeded 30 degrees Celsius on Aug. 1, marking the highest one of Aug. 1 in 117 years. The city's average August temperature is usually between 9 and 18 degrees Celsius. According to data from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts, the current temperature is between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius above what is normal for this time of year in parts of Chile and Argentina. Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist and weather historian, said on social media that South America is living one of the extremest events the world has ever seen. "Unbelievable temperatures up to 38.9C in the Chilean Andine areas in mid winter! Much more than what Southern Europe just had in mid summer at the same elevation: This event is rewriting all climatic books." Meanwhile, in Australia, unseasonable warmth has been lasting for several weeks. "A lack of cold fronts since late July has allowed temperatures to climb up to 10 above average for eight consecutive days," an ABC report said, adding that "the whole of Australia, apart from the WA west coast, was warmer than normal" on Aug. 2. On Aug. 3, the most unusual heat was observed over the southeast states and the capital cities were bathed in sunshine and the warmest maximums in the middle half of winter in more than a decade, the report said. The temperature in Melbourne hit 19.8 degrees Celsius, the warmest in mid-winter for 10 years. Hobart recorded the warmest temperature in mid-winter for 20 years at 19.6 degrees Celsius and Adelaide witnessed 24.7 degrees Celsius, the warmest in mid-winter for 48 years. The scorching winter in the Southern Hemisphere would delay the traditional ski season in Australia. August is peak season when snow depth typically reaches a maximum, but mild weather and rain have eroded the cover during the past few weeks, said the ABC report. At an elevation of 1,620 meters, data showed that a natural snow depth was only 16.5 centimeters, well below the early August average of about 70 centimeters. "Warm winters in Australia can negatively affect some parts of the economy, including the ski industry. It also disrupts flora and fauna and increases the chance of 'flash droughts' -- where drier-than-normal conditions turn into severe drought in the space of weeks. The warm, dry conditions may also lead to an earlier start to the fire season in Australia's south-east," Andrew King, a senior lecturer in climate science at the University of Melbourne, was quoted as reporting. Martin Jacques, a climatologist and professor at Chile's University of Concepcion, explained that while some of the temperature increase is expected during this time of the year due to atmospheric circulation, these extreme temperatures have been exacerbated by El Nino and an increasingly warming planet. "What now seems very extreme could gradually become more and more normal in a few years," Jacques was quoted as saying. Democrats tell theGrio that Tuesdays results in Ohio were an undeniable win for the reproductive rights movement. Democrats are celebrating the rejection of a constitutional amendment in Ohio that is seen more broadly as a win for democracy and the national reproductive health movement. The latest victory for abortion rights is part of a trend that could signal trouble for Republicans in future elections. Shortly after voters in Ohio rejected Issue 1, a proposal that would have raised the threshold in order to make amendments to the state constitution ahead of a major ballot measure this fall to protect abortion rights, President Joe Biden hailed the results in Ohio as a victory for democratic freedoms. Abortion rights advocates rally outside the US Supreme Court on April 14, 2023, in Washington, D.C, speaking out against abortion pill restrictions. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images) Ohio voters rejected an effort by Republican lawmakers and special interests to change the states constitutional amendment process, the president said in a statement released by the White House Tuesday night. He continued, This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own healthcare decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won. Democrats tell theGrio that Tuesdays results in Ohio were an undeniable win for the reproductive rights movement, which candidates have successfully campaigned on against Republicans throughout the country since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer. To date, Democrats have also seen similar wins on the ballot related to abortion in battleground states like Wisconsin and Michigan and even red states like Kansas and Kentucky. It is a win for abortion rights activists [and] people who believe that women should have the right to control their bodies to push back against extremism of the GOP, said former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner. Former Ohio State Senator and current candidate Nina Turner speaks to supporters of The Debt Collective near the U.S. Department of Education as they demand full student debt cancellation on April 4, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for MoveOn & Debt Collective) Turner said Tuesdays vote was yet another clear rejection of extreme Republicans who passed a six-week abortion ban, with no exception for rape or incest, that is currently being held up by the Ohio Supreme Court. While abortion was not technically on the ballot on Tuesday, the results indicate that an upcoming ballot measure on Nov. 7 to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio will be enacted by voters. We can certainly look at it with cautious optimism as it relates to the abortion issue, U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, told theGrio. The congresswoman and former chair of the Democratic Party in Cuyahoga County noted that the polls show that 58% of Ohioans support women and people being able to make their own healthcare decisions. Brown credited Tuesdays rejection of the Republican-led Issue 1 proposal to the broad coalition of folks who wanted to maintain the freedom to make their own decisions as it relates to democracy. The congresswoman said now the work begins to capitalize and build on the momentum of the successful campaign against Issue 1 by getting back on the ground to meet people where they are so that they do not let these MAGA extremist right-wing Republicans continue to do everything they can to undermine and take away our freedoms. Given the several setbacks for Republicans on the issue of abortion, Brown said Republicans should take note of what happened in Ohio and consider readjusting of their playbook across the country, or theyre going to continue to see defeat. Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH) speaks during a press conference on new legislation to support Holocaust education nationwide at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 27, 2023, in Washington, D.C. A bipartisan group of House Members held the press conference to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day and share their stories about their Jewish family members or Jewish constituents in their district. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Political strategist Alencia Johnson noted that when abortion access was directly put on the ballot, the majority of voters including Republicans and Independents vote in favor of keeping it. Despite Republicans trying to cheat and change the rules for themselves in order to impact the outcome, Johnson said, voters saw through it. The former director at Planned Parenthood credited the Ohio results to organizers and the activists who were on the ground educating voters. More specifically, she also tied it to the political power of Black women, who are disproportionately impacted by abortion restrictions and maternal mortality. While we are fighting for our lives, we are also very clear on the way to organize, said Johnson. Some will say, well, you know, a Republican won here, theres no way that this issue could win, and yet Black women actually know how to organize in a very nuanced and coalition-building way that is inclusive of so many people. Its that level of organizing from Black women and other coalitions that will be crucial in the upcoming 2024 elections, she noted. We need to make sure theres a president to keep our Supreme Court judiciary in the right position to protect the work that were doing at the local and state level, Johnson added. But Im hopeful that candidates, party committees, the big advocacy groups, the funders, all of these folks, are investing in Black women organizers and organizations. Turner noted that the No. 1 issue for Black women in Ohio, and likely throughout the country, is the economy. Bridging the issues of abortion and the economy could be one way to build political power at the ballot box. Angela Chapman, 47, of Columbus, Ohio, votes with her 7-year-old son, Noble Johnson-Bey. She is an educator and teaches her son to participate in the democratic process. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Abortion rights and reproductive healthcare access is a pocketbook issue, she told theGrio. Congresswoman Brown said its important for Democrats to remember that abortion is about being able to make your own healthcare decisions. That impacts more than just women; it impacts men, it impacts Democrats, it impacts Republicans, and impacts the rich and the poor, she explained. That is going to be the coalition that well have to stay connected toas we continue to build our message out or the 2024 election. While abortion was in the backdrop of Tuesdays vote in Ohio, Brown said it was largely about protecting the rights of one person, one vote, and the majority rule. She added, It showed that issues are still important, messaging still matters, and that the power still belongs to the people. Gerren Keith Gaynor Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White House Correspondent and the Managing Editor of Politics at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. Please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Ohio vote on Issue 1 continues to signal abortion as winning issue for Democrats appeared first on TheGrio. Voters in Ohio on Tuesday handily defeated a measure put forward by Republican lawmakers to make it more difficult for voters to amend the state constitution. State Issue 1, which would have raised the threshold for passing citizen-proposed amendments to 60%, from 50% plus one, failed 57% to 43% with nearly all votes counted. The measure would have also required signatures from 5% of voters in all 88 Ohio counties, from 44, and ended a 10-day period to fix signature problems. Turnout was high for a typically sleepy one-issue August election, with more than 2.8 million Ohioans casing ballots. Opposition to the measure was widespread, passing even in some traditionally Republican areas and counties that voted for former President Donald Trump. "Tonight is a major victory for democracy in Ohio," Dennis Willard, a spokesman for opposition campaign One Person One Vote, said at a jubilant Tuesday night watch party. "The majority still rules in Ohio." One main animating force behind the election was abortion: The GOP-led Legislature, which passed a six-week abortion ban, scheduled the vote only after it became clear abortion rights groups would get enough signatures to put a constitutional amendment enshrining abortion rights up to about 24 weeks on the November ballot. Polls suggest that amendment would pass with about 58% of the vote. Republican officials who pushed the measure and anti-abortion groups blamed their defeat on insufficient time to mount a proper campaign and the rush of money funding the opposition campaign. At least $32.5 million was spent in the battle over Issue 1, split roughly evenly between supporters and opponents, The New York Times reported, citing Ballotpedia estimates. "Eight in 10 dollars came from donors outside Ohio." "It is a sad day for Ohio and a warning for pro-life states across the nation," Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a national group that spent $6.4 million to support Issue 1, said in a statement. "Millions of dollars and liberal dark money flooded Ohio to ensure they have a path to buy their extreme policies in a pro-life state." A conservative mega-donor from Illinois, Richard Uinlien, donated about $4 million to the yes campaign. Major supporters of the no side include the Sixteen Thirty Fund out of Washington, D.C., at $2.64 million, and the Tides Foundation in California, which donated $1.88 million. Issue 1's defeat is another strong sign that strict abortion bans are a "strategic liability for the GOP," Aaron Blake wrote at The Washington Post. But it also appears "voters don't like having power taken out of their hands." South Dakota and Arkansas voters similarly rejected attempts last year to raise the threshold for referendums to 60 percent. You may also like Homepage Ohio voters on Tuesday sent the Arizona Republican Party a message. Be very afraid. Ohio voters didnt just reject a Republican proposal to make it harder for voters to change the states constitution a move clearly aimed at defeating a proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee a womans right to an abortion. They stoned the thing. Then they tossed it into the street and ran over it. Then they backed up and ran over it again, with 57% of Ohio voters defeating State Issue 1. This, on the very day that abortion rights groups in Arizona launched an initiative drive to enshrine the right to an abortion into our constitution. Voters clearly affirmed abortion rights People celebrate the defeat of Issue 1 during an election night party at the Columbus Fire Fighters Local 67 on Aug. 8, 2023. If I were the Center for Arizona Policys Cathi Herrod, Id be worried. If I were the Arizona Republican Party, Id be frantic. Momentum is not their friend. Already six states including three red ones have sent a message that the right to abortion should be protected in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last year. Voters in the three blue states, California, Vermont and Michigan, actually enshrined the right to an abortion in their state constitutions. Red-leaning voters in Ohio are set to decide whether to join them in November, prompting Tuesdays preemptive strike: the Republicans doomed proposal to raise the threshold for changing the constitution to 60%. An Arizona group wants to do the same Meanwhile, a coalition of abortion rights groups in Arizona took out petitions on Tuesday to put a constitutional guarantee of right to abortion on next years ballot. The Arizona Abortion Access Act is an aggressively written proposal, expanding the right to an abortion from 15 weeks to the point of fetal viability, around 24 weeks. But it also would allow abortion beyond that, if a doctor deems it necessary to protect the physical or mental health of the mother. The language is vague, meaning Herrod the face of Arizonas anti-abortion movement will haul out the horror stories. Its already started. The measure not only allows abortion up to birth but forbids the state from shielding unborn babies from excruciating pain, dismemberment, or any other humane limitation, Herrod said on Tuesday. It quite literally is abortion on demand for any reason, at any stage of development, even partially born. My guess? Herrod will lose on this one Never mind that abortions in the final weeks of pregnancy are exceedingly rare. Terminations at 21 weeks or later account for about 1% of all abortions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. My guess is Herrod and company lose this one. Im not the only one. Theyre in for a tough fight to preserve their way of thinking, longtime Republican political consultant Chuck Coughlin told me. Theyve known that for some time. Its going be on the ballot. Cathis point of view just doesnt represent the majority of the electorate. Voters won't pare back their power Not everyone buys into the idea that Tuesday's Ohio vote was about abortion. Republican consultant Chris Baker points out that Ohio is the third state to reject a GOP proposal asking voters to rein in their own power to enact laws at the ballot box. Another view: Voters, not politicians, should decide abortion issue The Ohio measure was doomed from the start, he told me. You cant discount peoples hostility to ideas that take power away from them. A lot of voters just wont do that and now you have three states where voters not only said no but hell no. Theres a message there for Arizonas Republican legislators, who spend a fair amount of time plotting new ways to limit our constitutional right make laws via initiative. Republicans have real reason to fear As for abortion, polling shows Arizona voters support a womans right to choose to a certain point. Younger voters and women come out especially strong for abortion rights, and this ballot issue will bring them streaming to the polls in this swing state. Thats not great news for Donald Trump or for the Republicans who hope to retake a U.S. Senate seat. (Just ask Blake Masters, whose 2022 Senate campaign never recovered from his early call for a national abortion ban.)Expect a pitched battle as the abortion rights groups take to the streets to collect the 383,923 valid signatures they need to put it on the November 2024 ballot. If I were the Republicans, Id be afraid. Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @LaurieRoberts. Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ohio voters just sent Arizona GOP a message on abortion: Be afraid A proposed constitutional amendment at the center of the abortion rights battle in Ohio is projected to fail, delivering a major win for Democrats and reproductive rights advocates. Voters in the Buckeye State rejected a ballot measure that would have required at least 60 percent of voters to pass any amendments to the state constitution up from a simple majority. The Associated Press called the election shortly before 9 p.m. ET. The proposed constitutional amendment was supported by Republicans and different interest groups, including anti-abortion activists and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Though the proposed amendment does not mention abortion in the text, it was largely seen as an effort to undercut a separate ballot measure in November that aims to enshrine abortion rights into the states constitution. In addition to upping the threshold for the percentage of voters needed to change the state constitution, the August ballot measure would have required groups collecting signatures to put a measure on the ballot to gather a certain percentage of signatures from all of Ohios 88 counties, compared to the previously required 44 counties. It also would have gotten rid of a 10-day cure period for groups in the event that some of the signatures collected and submitted are not valid. The August election faced criticism from Democrats as well as some Republicans, including former Ohio governors from both parties. The election was also scheduled in the summer month despite the fact that Gov. Mike DeWine (R) had signed legislation earlier this year outlawing most August elections. Republicans for their part argued that the election was fair to hold, saying this initiative was needed to stop out-of-state interest groups from trying to influence the state constitution. But one group in support of the August ballot measure has received at least over $1 million from Illinois GOP donor Dick Uihlein. The election also comes as abortion played an outsized role in last Novembers midterms following the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Democrats are positioning to make it a key issue heading into elections this fall and next year. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. In yet another major rebuke of Republicans over abortion rights, voters in Ohio on Tuesday handily turned down a GOP-led effort to make it more difficult to amend the state's Constitution. 62 percent of Ohioans voted against Issue 1, when the Associated Press called the election with 36 percent of the vote in. The measure would have raised the threshold to pass a constitutional amendment from a simple majority to 60 percent, as well as make it more complicated to get citizen-initiated ballot measures before voters in the first place. Both sides of the issue drew national attention and millions of dollars during the lead-up to what was expected to be an under-the-radar, off-year summer special election. Voters saw Issue 1 for what it was: a deceptive power grab designed to silence their voices and diminish their voting power, Dennis Willard, spokesperson One Person One Vote, the main group opposing Issue 1, said in a statement. We defeated Issue 1 because an enormous coalition that spans ideological divides came together to defend democracy. Spencer Gross, spokesperson for Protect Our Constitution, the group supporting Issue 1, said in a statement that the coalition "looks forward to working with the General Assembly on policy for the betterment of all Ohioans, in a manner that honors and respects the legislative process not circumvents it." More than 600,000 people voted early on the issue, far outpacing past August elections in the Buckeye State, which had historically low turnout. The push to raise the threshold, initiated by the GOP-controlled state legislature, came as abortion-rights activists campaigned in support of a separate November initiative that would enshrine abortion rights in the states Constitution. With the November vote on the horizon, the election became a proxy war over abortion rights although proponents of Issue 1 insisted that its not just about abortion, but rather protecting the state Constitution from special interests. Abortion-rights efforts prevailed in states across the country last year, as well as earlier this year in Wisconsin. But raising the bar would have created a new hurdle for the one on the ballot in Ohio this fall, as it's unclear if it would pass a 60 percent threshold. Opponents of Issue 1 rode those national successes from last year, and were bolstered by a cash advantage heading into the election. One Person One Vote raised $14.8 million, while Protect Our Constitution raised $4.9 million, according to state filings. "The resounding rejection of Amendment 1 in Ohio is a victory for democracy, and a blow to special interests that wanted to limit Ohioans power at the ballot box," Julie Chavez Rodriguez, campaign manager for the Biden-Harris reelection campaign, said in a statement first shared with POLITICO. "It speaks volumes that Ohioans showed up in an off-year, August election and their vote will help ensure that the peoples power isnt diminished in forthcoming elections, including a critical referendum on whether women in Ohio will have the freedom to make their own health care decisions." Protect Women Ohio, the coalition against the abortion-rights measure that was also campaigning in support of Issue 1, said in a statement that Tuesday's election results "prove exactly why Ohio's constitution needs and deserves additional protections" and vowed to "defeat the ACLU in November." Issue 1s defeat follows a streak of losses for Republicans looking to make it more difficult to put a measure before voters. GOP legislatures in Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma debated bills in recent years that would implement similar hurdles. Few made it into law, and some of those that did were later struck down by courts. Post-2020, there was so much interest in efforts around voting access, and I think it was a mistake not to include the attacks on the ballot initiative process, which were already well underway in that conversation, said Sarah Walker, policy and legal advocacy director for the progressive Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. This is the first time I'm really seeing that effort [to show] that these things are linked. And ultimately, it's about removing checks and balances to unfettered legislative power. Alice Miranda Ollstein and Holly Otterbein contributed to this report. Ohio voters Tuesday rejected a ballot measure that would have made it harder to amend the state constitution including the addition of a reproductive rights measure that will go before voters in November. Issue 1, being voted on in Tuesday's special election today, asked voters to raise the threshold for amending the Ohio constitution from a simple majority to 60 percent. Local and national media are reporting that Issue 1 has failed; with about half of precincts reporting, 57 percent of the vote was against it, according to the Associated Press. "Tonight, Ohioans claimed a victory over out-of-touch, corrupt politicians who bet against majority rule, who bet against democracy," Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters said at a gathering Tuesday night in Columbus, The Columbus Dispatch reports. "Tonight, Ohioans everywhere have claimed a victory for the kind of state we want to see." The Human Rights Campaign had endorsed the fight against Issue 1 and issued a celebratory statement. Every Ohioan deserves to have their voices heard and their votes counted," said HRC President Kelley Robinson. "Todays victory was essential to ensuring that LGBTQ+ rights, abortion rights, and, more broadly, Ohioans rights and values are reflected in how their state is governed. Voters rejected politicians lies and their attempt to attack LGBTQ+ youth for political gain. Let this be a message to others who try that same playbook. Thank you to the organizers of the No On Issue 1 campaign and the voters who showed up to keep the power in the hands of Ohios people.The fact that the special election for Issue 1 took place was due to the existence of the reproductive choice initiative, which will be on the November ballot. The Republican-led Ohio legislature had enacted a law in January that eliminated August special elections, with lawmakers saying they were too expensive to conduct and had little voter turnout. But in May, legislators did a turnabout. They adopted a joint resolution approving the 60 percent measure and putting it before voters in August. Also, to place future constitutional amendments on the ballot, Issue 1 stated that supporters would have had to get signatures from 5 percent of the voters in every county in the state instead of half the counties, as currently required. But voters soundly rejected Issue 1. Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, had often told reporters that raising the bar for amending the constitution had nothing to do with the proposed reproductive rights vote. But in June, Ohio media obtained a video of him speaking to a Republican gathering the previous month saying it had everything to do with that. "Its 100 percent about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution, the video shows him saying at a Lincoln Day event. The video came through a news service called Scanner Media. The amendment that will go before voters in November includes this language: Every individual has a right to make and carry out ones own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing ones own pregnancy, miscarriage care, and abortion. It would ban state interference with these decisions unless there is a compelling state interest and would allow a ban on abortion after fetal viability, with exceptions if continuing the pregnancy would endanger the patients life or health. State officials announced two weeks ago that the amendment had received enough valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and its national guarantee of abortion rights last year, therefore allowing states to ban or severely restrict the procedure, Ohio began enforcing a law it had passed in 2019 that banned abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, with an exception if the pregnancy is life-threatening. A court has now blocked the state from enforcing it, but reproductive rights supporters point out that writing these rights into the state constitution remains crucial. Opponents of the reproductive rights amendment have run ads linking it to gender-affirming health care for youth, even though it doesnt mention the subject at all. They have latched on to the not limited to language. Protect Women Ohio, the primary group opposing the reproductive rights measure, released an ad in July using images of a gender unicorn and drag queen story hours while claiming that out-of-state special interests that put trans ideology in classrooms and encourage sex changes for kids are hiding behind slick ads. It concludes, You can keep this madness out of Ohio classrooms and protect your rights as a parent by voting yes on August 8th, referring to the special election on the now-defeated Issue 1. Civil rights organizations called this approach both misleading and transphobic. Ohio has not banned gender-affirming care for trans minors, as many states have, but the state House of Representatives has passed a bill to this effect, and it's awaiting Senate action. The bill also would bar trans student athletes playing on the school teams comporting with their gender identity. Meanwhile, the Senate has passed an anti-LGBTQ+ classroom censorship bill that's awaiting action in the House. A coalition of civil rights groups is backing the reproductive rights amendment, while No on Issue 1: One Person One Vote campaigned against the Issue 1. The ads by One Person One Vote focus mainly on the alleged hypocrisy of Republicans and highlight LaRoses comments admitting the August measure was designed to make it harder to enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution, NBC News reports. A poll of registered Ohio voters by USA Today and Suffolk University, released last month, found that 57 percent of respondents opposed Issue 1, 26 percent supported it, and 17 percent were undecided. For the reproductive rights measure, polls have indicated about 59 percent of Ohio voters support it. Dennis Willard, spokesperson for One Person One Vote, celebrates the results of the election during a watch party on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio voters have resoundingly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it more difficult to pass abortion protections. | Jay LaPrete, Associated Press Ohio voters rejected a measure Tuesday that would have made it harder to amend the state constitution, and critics said the ballot measure was an attempt to stop language from being added to the state constitution that would protect abortion. Issue 1, which would have raised the percentage of votes needed to change the Ohio constitution to 60% up from a simple majority, failed with 57% voting against it and about 43% voting for it, according to The Associated Press. More than 3 million votes were cast in the special election. The ballot measure was opposed by four former governors from both parties Democrats Ted Strickland and Dick Celeste and Republicans John Kasich and Bob Taft as well as One Person One Vote, a coalition that included voting rights groups, faith groups, organized labor and advocacy groups. One Person One Vote spokesperson Dennis Willard called Issue 1 a deceptive power grab and called the results a major victory for democracy in Ohio, at the groups election night party, according to the AP. Ohios Republican Gov. Mike DeWine indicated he would vote in favor of Issue 1, saying at a press conference in May that it creates a higher burden in regard to changing the constitution. His office did not release a statement after the ballot measure failed. The group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which opposes abortion, called the results a warning for pro-life states across the nation in a statement and said as long as Republicans take the ostrich strategy and bury their heads in the sand, they will lose again and again. President Joe Biden said in a statement that democracy won in Ohio and he called Issue 1 a blatant attempt to weaken voters voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Related The states two U.S. senators took opposing views on Issue 1 but both argued their side was being opposed by special interests. Ohios Republican Sen. J.D. Vance posted on social media on Election Day that Issue 1 was an attempt to make it harder for out of state special interests to rewrite the Ohio constitution. Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio posted on social media that the election results showed Ohioans rejected special interests and demanded that democracy remain where it belongs in the hands of voters, not the rich and powerful. Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens, a Republican who supported Issue 1, said voters must stop abortion from being a part of our states constitution by voting against future abortion amendment attempts, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. A July USA Today-Suffolk University poll found 58% of likely Ohio voters said they support a constitutional amendment protecting access to reproductive services in the state and 32% said they oppose it. The News Ohio voters rejected a Republican-backed change to their constitution on Tuesday, making the November passage of an abortion rights amendment more likely. Issue 1, which would have raised the threshold for voter-passed amendments from a simple majority to 60%, lost badly in the states biggest cities and suburbs. While voters in the reddest and most rural parts of the state voted yes, the no campaign prevailed even in some places that had trended toward Republicans over the last decade, like northeast Ohio. People saw through the extreme MAGA effort to suppress the vote, said Rep. Shontel Brown, a Democrat who represents Cleveland, where the amendment was failing by a 5-1 margin. People saw through their misinformation. The no campaign organized as the One Person, One Vote coalition narrowly out-spent the yes campaign, with ads that accused the GOP of wanting to take power from voters and hand it to themselves. The yes campaign, backed by anti-abortion groups and the state Chamber of Commerce, warned that liberal groups would push their agenda into the constitution if voters didnt stop them. They cant get things done in the state legislature because Ohios become a conservative state, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose told Semafor in the elections final days, as he barnstormed for Issue 1. Weve caught on to their game and were doing something about it. Other Republicans campaigned for the measure, with defeated Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake rallying on the ground and Mike Pence recording a get-out-the-vote message. But the measures defeat was a particular setback for LaRose, who launched a bid for U.S. Senate while the campaign was underway. Davids view Democrats have done unusually well in special elections this year, buoyed by a base of college-educated voters who are turning out for everything. Thats especially true when abortion is on the ballot and the savvy no campaign hoped voters saw it that way. You saw this play out in Athens County, home to Ohio University, and one of the first places to fully report its votes. Democrat Tim Ryan won it by 20 points last year while losing the U.S. Senate race to Republican J.D. Vance. Issue 1 lost the county by 42 points. The no side didnt just consist of Democrats. It got crucial support from retired Republicans like John Kasich, who were uncomfortable with their successors making it prohibitively hard to amend the state constitution even if, in the short term, doing so would hurt liberals. But abortion rights advocates won the overall argument, exploiting a remark LaRose made to Seneca County Republicans in June: This is 100% about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution. The pro-Issue 1 side tried multiple overlapping messages, warning that liberals would try to pass amendments that ripped qualified immunity away from police and let children get gender-reassignment surgery without parental consent (a claim based on what fact checkers have described as a misleading reading of the abortion initiative). But that quote, and the timing of the election just three months before the abortion rights vote dragged them down. Before the election, one of LaRoses U.S. Senate rivals, Bernie Moreno, said that the secretary of state had screwed up the messaging. The View From An Anti-Abortion Group In a statement, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America blamed the failed vote on the silence of the establishment and business community in Ohio, and urged Republicans to redouble their efforts to counter liberal groups. The View From Abortion Rights Advocates In Ohio, abortion rights advocates turned to their next challenge: Winning in November. Ohioans will turn their focus to rejecting extremism and government control to ensure families have the freedom to make decisions that are best for them, said Rhiannon Carnes, the spokeswoman for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights. The View From Democrats The president, who hadnt taken a stand on Issue 1, celebrated the defeat on Tuesday. This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions, Biden said in a statement. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee predicted Republicans deeply unpopular war on womens rights will cost them district after district, and promised to keep focusing on the issue. Notable Since the Dobbs decision last year, anti-abortion activists have lost related ballot measures in every state theyve been on the ballot. The defeats range from deep blue Vermont, to purple Michigan, to historically ruby red Kansas. Western Heights Public Schools has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a former teacher who accused the district of firing her because she asked to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid contracting the virus. In Oklahoma City federal court, the district agreed to pay $90,000 to Elizabeth Bley, a tenured teacher who accused the district of unlawfully terminating her contract after she requested to conduct virtual teaching from her home because her severe asthma and ulcerative colitis made her especially susceptible to the COVID-19. In the lawsuit, Bley claimed the districts 2020-21 COVID-19 policy required teachers to work virtually at their school site. Citing the Americans With Disabilities Act, Bley claimed she requested to work virtually from home, and that the district approved the request in the first week of August 2020. However, Bley claimed, the district soon after changed its policy on how to request remote work, so she had to ask again. Western Heights Public Schools Lawsuit alleged district removed teacher's access, ignored requests it could accomodate Bley claimed she performed her duties from home until Aug. 13, 2020, when the district mandated she report to her school site and provide a doctors statement if she wanted to pursue working from home. Bley claimed she provided a physicians note the following day. Over the next two weeks, Bley and the district battled over whether she had indeed provided documentation of her disabilities, according to the lawsuit. Around Sept. 1, 2020, the district informed Bley she would no longer be allowed to perform her duties and she would be considered absent without leave unless she met the requirements for paid leave, according to the lawsuit. More: School meals were free for 2 years, but now lunch debt is back on the table in Oklahoma Bley claimed she asked the district to approve her sick leave based on the previous medical documentation she provided. She also provided the district with another doctors statement, according to the lawsuit. Instead, according to the lawsuit, the district removed her access to the student information system and district email software, effectively suspending Bleys ability to do her job. Bley asked that her district computer software and email access be reinstated and that she be paid in full without deduction of sick leave or pay during the districts unilateral suspension of her employment, according to the lawsuit. The district responded by saying it could not determine if Bley had a covered disability under the ADA, or that she was high-risk based on the medical documentation provided and that it did not agree that the risk of contracting COVID-19 constitutes a disability under the ADA, according to the lawsuit. Bley and the district battled for several weeks, including through the historic winter storm from late October into early November, when, Bley claimed, the district required teachers to work virtually from home, which showed the district could allow the accommodation. However, the district did not allow Bley to work from home, docked her pay, refused her ability to use accumulated sick leave, and failed to provide her access to the necessary computer programs during this time, her attorney, Blake Sonne, wrote in the lawsuit. In late November 2020, the district retracted a previous offer of an alternative work site and told Bley to return to her original worksite Nov. 30 that year or else the district would proceed with immediate termination, Bley claimed. Teacher files disability, retaliation claim with EEOC Around the same time, Bley, who claimed to have been diagnosed with severe asthma for about 30 years and ulcerative colitis for about 10 years, filed a disability and retaliation claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. On Dec. 10, 2020, the districts director of human resources, sued a formal recommendation to the school board to terminate Bleys employment for alleged willful failure and or neglect to perform duties pursuant to her contract, according to the lawsuit. In the lawsuit, Sonne wrote that the actions of the district, the school board and Mannixs actions were and are unconscionable, reckless and intentionally in violation of Bleys rights under state and federal law. Meanwhile, the district had not been paying Bley, according to the lawsuit. More: School is back in session in Oklahoma. That comes with changes, challenges, and emotions The district terminated Bleys contract following what she claimed was a sham hearing at a Jan. 7, 2021 school board meeting. Her lawyer claimed the termination was an act of retaliation. A little more than a month later, Bley filed a second claim with the EEOC. Bleys termination violated state law that requires a school administrator to admonish the teacher in writing and establish a reasonable time for improvement before the dismissal of a tenured teacher for willful neglect of duty, according to the lawsuit. Additionally, Ms. Bleys actions do not rise to the nature of willful neglect of duty because it was through the districts actions that she was no longer able to perform her teaching duties, Sonne wrote in the lawsuit. In late June 2021, the EEOC notified Bley that her discrimination claim would be dismissed. A federal investigator wrote that there was not enough evidence to establish Western Heights discriminated against Bley based on her disability. Your request to work from home was denied, but you were offered a school building that had no other occupants to work from, the investigator wrote. Your employment was eventually terminated because you failed to report to your workstation at the high school. You were warned several times that failure to report to your workstation would result in termination of your employment. Federal judge issues summary On May 9, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell issued a summary judgment. Based on statements and evidence, a judge will issue a summary judgment as a final decision to avoid a trial. Russell wrote that given there no students in the classroom, that Bley successfully conducted virtual instruction from her home on previous occasions and the district initially expressed a willingness to implement work-at-home accommodations, a reasonable juror viewing the facts in the light most favorable to (Bley) could conclude that physical attendance was not an essential function of (Bleys) job for the 2020-21 school year. The judge also found that the district explicitly told Bley that a vacant daycare center it offered to her was not offered as an ADA accommodation. These facts, viewed in the light most favorable to (Bley), are sufficient to show that the district failed to reasonably accommodate her disability," Russsell wrote However, Russell also wrote: Although the districts determination that (Bley) did not have a disability and its decision to require her to work from the school site may have been unwise, unfair, and even incorrect, (Bley) has not satisfied her burden to show that the proffered reason for failing to accommodate her, terminating her employment, or denying her leave was merely a pretext for retaliation, Bley wrote. Russell found the district complied by identifying the issue in writing, directing Bley to fix the problem by reporting to work and giving her an adequate amount of time in which to do so. Russell declined to rule on whether Bley was not entitled to any sick leave benefits. Reached by phone, an attorney for Western Heights did not issue a statement but referred The Oklahoman to Russell's summary judgment. Bley and Western Heights entered into the $90,000 settlement on July 24. The settlement will be distributed over three years. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Western Heights Public Schools settles with teacher fired during COVID BANGKOK, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's coconut exports to China under free trade agreement (FTA) privileges surged as demand for tropical fruits peaked during the summer, a Thai commerce official said Wednesday. The Southeast Asian country exported coconuts worth 187.91 million U.S. dollars to China under the China-ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Free Trade Area (FTA) privileges during the middle of the second quarter this year, an increase of 26.96 percent year-on-year, according to the ministry's Department of Foreign Trade (DFT). China ranked as the largest importer of Thai coconuts, accounting for 54.83 percent of the import volume, said Ronnarong Phoolpipat, director-general of the DFT, in a statement, noting that over 80 percent of the coconuts going to China came from Thailand. Due to the continued high popularity among Chinese consumers, over 3.3 billion dollars worth of Thai fruits were exported to China under the China-ASEAN FTA privileges between January and May, according to the DFT. A former top employee of Oldham County Schools is suing its board of education and superintendent, alleging she was fired after refusing to lie on behalf of Superintendent Jason Radford. The lawsuit was filed one day before the start of this school year in Oldham Circuit Court on behalf of Stephanie Anderson, who served as the district's chief financial officer from 2017 until May this year. The suit alleges Radford retaliated against Anderson after she refused to give false testimony in the termination hearing of another top district employee, its attorney. The suit alleges that the attorney, who is not directly named in the suit, was terminated in September 2022 after Radford alleged the attorney was overpaid and knew about it but failed to report the situation. In the aftermath, Anderson said the attorney was paid accurately according to board policy. Claims made in a lawsuit represent only one side of a case. A request for comment was sent to Oldham County Schools on Tuesday evening and had not been responded to as of Wednesday afternoon. After the attorney's termination, Anderson informed Radford in a meeting that the pay was accurate and that she would not support Radford's claim, the suit says. "Stephanie soon began to notice hostility, silent treatment, and uncharacteristic isolation from the Superintendent and his immediate subordinate," the suit states. "She gathered that his anger at her for not assisting in falsely accusing the (Oldham County Public Schools) attorney of fraudulent conduct was not going away easily." The suit further states that at the attorney's termination hearing, Anderson, "also disclosed facts and information that also related to her suspicion that the termination itself amounted to Superintendent Radfords mismanagement of the District, and that the termination amounted to an abuse of his authority." The attorney appealed her termination and documents from that hearing, obtained by The Courier Journal, showed that a ruling was issued in her favor, saying there was no evidence to support Radford's claim that she had been overpaid. Additionally, the ruling said there was no evidence to support three other claims Radford had made against the attorney in her termination letter. The suit on Anderson's behalf alleges the board and Radford violated Kentucky's Whistleblower Act, Kentucky common law, the Kentucky Civil Rights Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. "The process of refusing to aid and abet a fraud was harrowing and exhausting for" Anderson, the suit says. "She had worked with Superintendent Radford for some time, and she had never seen him act so angry at her." Radford was hired by the small district northeast of Louisville in July 2021. The suit seeks a trial by jury along with compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees, and "an amount to be proven at trial for the humiliation, embarrassment, personal indignity, apprehension about past, current, andfuture well-being, physical and emotional distress and mental anguish." Anderson's attorney has not responded to a voicemail left Tuesday night seeking comment. More: Thousands of Oldham County students go back to school This story may be updated. Contact reporter Krista Johnson at kjohnson3@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Lawsuit: Oldham schools chief Jason Radford fired CFO in retaliation There are many things that can influence a persons mental health work, family, environment, and so on. Research shows that substantial life changes can be hard on the psyche, that big transitions can bring major stress, physically and mentally. Veterans and military face many of these types of challenges. While military training and active duty are hard on a soldier, the transition back home is just one of many challenges that can be even more difficult than their work. The difficult transition back to civilian life is one of several factors impacting veteran crises and suicides at a national and local level, according to Keith Looker, manager of the Lacey Veterans Services Hub. He said the pandemic also had a major impact. COVID really brought it to a head, Looker said in a recent interview. Because of this, the Veterans Hub in Lacey is trying to identify soldiers who could be at-risk and reach out to them. The outreach aims to make sure active duty military in the area know about available transition and post-duty resources and how to use them. Resources for WA veterans, active duty military According to Mental Health First Aid, less than half of returning veterans in need receive mental health treatment. Yet active duty military and soon-to-return soldiers in Washington State have a large number of resources available, whether its grants, community organizations or free regional programs. Along with numerous mental health resources, transitional and lifestyle resources are offered as well. In addition to offerings from the Veterans Hub in Lacey, there are numerous additional local and state resources available. The Lacey Veterans Services Hub at 4232 6th Ave SE Suite 101, Lacey, WA 98503. Thurston County, Lacey Veterans Services Hub Washington State Nationwide Food Stamps - 877-501-2233 Grant and Per Diem - 1-800-827-1000 National Call Center for Homeless Veterans - 1-877-424-3838 Veterans Crisis Line - Call 988, then press 1 or text 838255 Examples of community prevention Veteran suicide rates across the country Like any life transition, leaving active duty comes with a plethora of changes. There is a significant lack of structure in day-to-day life when compared to military training and active duty. A nationwide housing crisis impacts these returning soldiers as well, and finding work can be difficult. All of these stressors combined can be hard to manage, especially when caring for a family on top of it all. Research supports the notion that suicide and suicide attempts have increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For years, veterans have had an adjusted suicide rate higher than the non-veteran adult population. The CDC reported an adjusted veterans rate over 50% greater in 2019. Veteran suicide rates in western Washington have been pretty consistent with the rest of the country. Suicide rates among veterans rose steadily between 2001 and 2018, according to data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Rates began to decline in 2018, a trend that held through the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2020, the average veteran suicide rate was 16.8 per day. Members from VFW Post 318 and American Legion Post 100 salute during Lacey Veterans Services Hub grand opening in Lacey. There is a Veteran/Community Council meeting Friday, Jan. 27. The most recently available data from Veterans Affairs is through 2020. But Looker says he has noted a post-pandemic increase, consistent with an increase in active duty soldiers. In recent years, he says there has been an increase in suicide among 25- to 32-year-olds transitioning out of the military. Preventing veteran suicide in WA So how can other people locally help prevent suicide by veterans and active duty soldiers? Looker told McClatchy that making veterans feel like theyre a part of the community can help immensely. Veteran service organizations and community events make a massive difference, according to Looker. He says they used to be more commonplace, but in an increasingly digital world, many have taken a backseat. Building community partnerships can also make a difference for veterans by creating an opportunity to make connections, be social and gain trust in new places. Just stuff like that, helping to build that community partnership and make it feel like they have someone to turn to in that community if they need help, Looker said on ways to help. ONTARIO - Two Columbus area men were arrested on multiple felony counts of receiving stolen property Aug. 4 by Ontario police after officers allege the suspects had stolen property from vehicles in the Planet Fitness parking lot after entering locker rooms to steal car keys and wallets. "Officers located many stolen items to include driver's licenses, wallets, car keys and credit/debit cards. Additionally, items from around the state were located in the vehicle," Ontario police Lt. Tony Grimwood said of the traffic stop. Grimwood said the two suspects said they were using a day pass to take showers at the members-only fitness center when in fact the suspects had in their possession a backpack with a bolt cutter and screwdriver. The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m., police said. Planet Fitness, 2166 W. Fourth St., Ontario Grimwood said an alert staff at Planet Fitness noticed the two men didn't appear to have showered when they exited the fitness center after only about 10 minutes inside the business. A staff member noticed the suspects entering vehicles in the parking lot and the caller was able to give officers a direction of travel and officers made a traffic stop. Anis Hashim Ahmed, 24, and Mohammed Muse, 25, of Columbus, were each charged with multiple counts of receiving stolen property, police said. One of the individuals was charged with possession of drugs, Grimwood said. Grimwood said while the suspects possessed tools needed to cut locks off lockers, it didn't appear they used them to steal items from the locker rooms. Officers were able to locate several of the victims still at the fitness center. Ontario police earlier this summer said unknown suspects got away with stolen items allegedly taken from vehicles in the parking lot at Planet Fitness, 20166 W. Fourth St. Grimwood said it is unknown if the suspects were the same from the Aug. 4 incident. Both individuals were transported to the Richland Count Jail and the case was submitted to the Richland County Prosecutor's Office, police said. If your vehicle ransacked in Ontario, call police Grimwood said officers are hearing of vehicles being ransacked this summer in the city, but in many cases, residents don't report such incidents. He said if residents could call the police department, the department will put officers in the area to focus on the matter. lwhitmir@gannett.com 419-521-7223 Twitter: @LWhitmir This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Two Columbus men charged with multiple cts receiving stolen property Editors Note: Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, is the senior US Senator from Massachusetts and has served since 2013. Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat, is the junior US Senator from Minnesota and has served since 2018. The views expressed here are their own. Read more opinion on CNN. In the early weeks of the pandemic, as a surging virus shuttered child care centers across the country, the two of us got together and outlined a vision for $50 billion in emergency funding to keep centers afloat and preserve a vital safety net for parents. We fought to secure that funding, and we won. Senator Elizabeth Warren - Courtesy The Office of Sen. Elizabeth Warren Now, a new crisis looms for working families: Federal child care funding is about to take a nose dive off a cliff as much of that pandemic relief expires at the end of September, and Republicans refuse to make any new investments in early education funding. If the Republicans have their way, more than 3 million babies will lose their child care at a minimum and millions of parents will be forced to scramble for other arrangements or leave the workforce altogether. Senator Tina Smith - Courtesy The Office of Sen. Tina Smith But there is a glimmer of light. Some members of Congress have indicated they may support increased funding for a few federal programs, including disaster relief and aid for Ukraine. President Joe Biden and Democrats should use this opening and insist that emergency child care funding be part of any supplemental spending package. For decades, the economics of child care in America have been badly broken. Care is hard to find especially for babies too young to enter kindergarten. And even when families are lucky enough to score a spot, the costs are crushing. In fact, Care.coms annual Cost of Care Report found that, on average, American families are spending more than a quarter of their income on child care in 2023. At the same time, child care providers struggle to make ends meet, and workers make poverty-level wages for their powerfully important and difficult work in most states. The Covid-19 pandemic was the latest blow to the industry, but it was also a wake-up call. In normal years, the federal government spends just $13 billion on child care, compared to $712 billion on defense. In fact, the US is 33rd out of the 37 richest nations in child care investments behind Mexico and Romania. But emergency funding reached more than eight out of every 10 child care providers nationwide, providing them with enough money to raise wages temporarily for workers without raising costs for parents. That support also meant millions more parents could go to work knowing their children were in good hands. As the pandemic relief expires, a bad problem will get worse. The child care industry is still short nearly 50,000 child care workers. Child care directors are already preparing to face impossible choices: slashing salaries for child care workers or raising costs on parents. Child care analysts estimate that 70,000 child care programs will close if emergency child care funding expires. That means nearly a quarter of a million child care workers could lose their jobs, and 3.2 million children could lose child care. One way to address this crisis would be for Congress to increase the annual appropriations for child care and early education, but thanks to MAGA Republicans use of the debt ceiling to hold the US economy hostage, Congress is restricted by spending caps. But theres one last sliver of opportunity: Congress is now considering additional emergency funding outside of annual appropriations for disaster relief, the military and Ukraine. Why not address the child care emergency, too? Reporting indicates the Biden administration is preparing a supplemental request for emergency funding. If the president is serious about his commitment to Americas families and his strong track record indicates that he is then that request should include additional funding to address the child care emergency, just the same as for disaster relief, the military and Ukraine. And Congress should approve it quickly. Experts estimate that $16 billion would prevent the child care sector from falling off the pandemic funding cliff, giving child care providers support to retain their staffs and keep open the classrooms that parents rely on. And we know other leaders in the fight for child care funding like our Senate colleagues Tim Kaine and Patty Murray are ready to help get this done. In the longer term, Congress needs to pass the big structural reforms and long-term funding that will permanently fix our broken child care system. This will help to ensure that all families can find high-quality, reliable and affordable child care, and that child care workers are paid the wages they deserve. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Many social justice advocates have noticed the rapid passage of state laws targeting Black history and related book bans. Fewer have seen another civil rights battle, one that, as an advocate, I witness every day: the uphill fight being fought by Black students with disabilities and their families. The failure of many districts to educate students with disabilities, and particularly Black students, is an issue I have seen play out for 20 years. Despite protections under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, students with disabilities have higher rates of lost instruction than their white counterparts, due largely to being disciplined unfairly compared with other students. A quarter of Black students with disabilities were suspended in 2017-18, compared with 11% of similar white students. The risk of Black middle and high school students with disabilities getting suspended is over 40% and higher than for their non-Black peers. Black students with disabilities are also more likely to be referred to law enforcement than other student groups. Its been 69 years since Brown v. Board outlawed school segregation and nearly 60 since additional federal protections were implemented to ensure educational rights for Black children and children with disabilities. Yet, to be a Black child with disabilities in the United States is to face a level of discrimination many would think was a thing of the past. While the disparities are unjust, behind-the-scenes systemic issues such as a lack of understanding of the needs of the Black and disabled communities, lack of capacity to investigate complaints promptly and bureaucratic negligence in not following investigative policies create obstacles to intervening in ongoing racial discrimination. For example, in Virginia, where I live, the Department of Education has failed to correct ongoing injustices by stalling response times and ignoring deadlines, and failing to inform parents of needed information. The pervasive nature of discrimination against Black students with disabilities in Virginia has been widely known to the state legislature and Department of Education, and yet has remained uncorrected. The historical lens of Black children being labeled as disabled or different from the expected relates to slavery, Jim Crow and racist violence, and the false premise that they cant learn is embedded in the public education system. For meaningful change to happen, the Black community must demand more, file complaints and speak up at school board meetings and to state boards of education. Federal civil rights enforcement is one tool to protect the rights of Black children with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Education has agreed to open a systemic complaint against the Virginia Department of Education, and on June 6, the Office for Civil Rights launched an investigation into a complaint of discrimination filed by my organization, Advocating 4 Kids. The complaint represents students and families from across the state. This investigation is important, as it can potentially rectify some of the civil rights abuses against students with disabilities. Related Everybody is Frustrated: Feds Probe Virginias Handling of Special Education All too often, states and districts are not held accountable for denying students with disabilities the education they deserve. If state superintendents know they will not be held accountable by the U.S. Department of Education, a permissive culture continues down to the lowest levels, giving districts and educators leave to openly abuse students and ignore their civil rights. What few may realize, though, is that even a federal investigation is not enough. The Office for Civil Rights lacks the capacity to rigorously enforce civil rights protections. Systemic change is required: new leadership at state and district levels, better enforcement procedures, transparency and oversight, and in the case of Virginia, a call for the General Assembly to ensure funds are allocated to provide historically underrepresented groups and communities with resources and training specific to their needs. The only way trust can be rebuilt in civil rights protections is for governors, elected officials, state departments of education, and local and state board members to hold those violating the rights of students accountable for their actions. This must include training on wrongdoing, development of corrective plans with oversight, data collection on the types of violations that are being reported and withholding of funding. There needs to be a robust push for community engagement within Black and minority communities so parents can understand their rights and the rights of their children, and what to do when they believe a violation has occurred. Lastly, Black parents, advocates and activists must come together to address the root of the problem: Black voices have been excluded from developing special education policies, structures and regulations. Public education in the United States was built upon a white supremacist system that still does not value education for Black students, or those with disabilities. As long as these children and their experiences are overlooked, they will continue to be overrepresented in out-of-school suspension and court referrals. Advocating 4 Kids, Inc is doing our part and is hosting our first Black Collective Network Advocacy Conference, titled Uplifting Black Families in the Disability Community. The national conference will be held virtually Aug. 11 to 13. We aim to provide Black families, advocates and community members with the training to exercise their rights and seek better special education outcomes. Few parents and students understand these rights and how to begin the complaint process when they are violated, and fear of retaliation or feelings of futility can discourage many from trying. However, by coming together and sharing resources, parents can learn to prevent bias and racist disciplinary exclusion practices and policies. The Black and disabled communities must stand in their power and demand that our voices are heard. Disclosure: Andy Rotherham is a member of the Virginia Board of Education and a member of The 74s Board of Directors. A graphic for this year's annual Governmental Research Association conference hosted by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau that reads "Education's Fiscal Cliff: Following ESSER" A version of this essay originally appeared at EdNC. The North Carolina education news outlet EdNC is a member of the Governmental Research Association, an organization of 21 nonprofits from 14 states that collect, analyze and distribute information on governmental activities to help citizens and policymakers improve their communities. As a past president of the association, I was asked to moderate a panel on the looming fiscal cliff facing states and districts at this summers annual conference in Worcester, Massachusetts. As school districts nationwide face a federal funding cliff, government researchers from independent think tanks around the country met in Worcester, Massachusetts, to discuss how municipalities and states are preparing. Since 1914, the Governmental Research Association has been connecting researchers working to improve their communities. This years annual conference was hosted by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter During the pandemic, the federal government issued three tranches of funding totaling $190 billion for school districts. Districts spent this money on everything from one-time costs like HVAC upgrades to recurring costs to address learning loss and student wellness. The last round of funding must be committed by Sept. 30, 2024 just a little more than a year from now. Districts can request 18-month extensions on spending the funds and even longer in extraordinary circumstances. But for most districts, the fiscal cliff is looming large. Its the loss of federal funding thats being used to pay educators that has researchers nationwide concerned. When this money goes away, districts will either have to get funding from other sources or cut back. New HVAC at Hot Springs Elementary in Madison County, NC. (Mebane Rash/EdNC) Reading interventionist at Brush Creek Elementary in Madison County, NC. (Mebane Rash/EdNC) A report issued in March identified 15 states facing the most complex challenges with the fiscal cliff. Courtesy of Education Resource Strategies Massachusetts has a statewide strategy to increase funding for schools that should help districts cope. In the months ahead of the pandemic, the state had been preparing to implement the Student Opportunity Act, a school funding law passed in November 2019. COVID derailed the first year of the plan, said panelist Colin Jones, a senior policy analyst for Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center. In the beginning, it wasnt clear particularly for the low-income districts that were the targets of the reforms that they were going to get more federal aid than they were losing by delaying the plan. There is a false narrative, Jones said, that districts are sitting on piles of cash. That narrative is complicated by the fact that Massachusetts hasnt passed a state budget for 2023-24 even though the fiscal year started July 1, he said. As ESSER fades away, we have to go back to where we were heading, Jones said. States have to assume they are on their own. He noted that the toughest part of the conversation for states that want to address the cliff is where the revenue will come from. Panelist Alexis Lian is director of policy for the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy, which is part of EdImpact, a research consortium designed to support evidence-based spending, analyze the impact of COVID recovery funds and provide a platform for the field to learn from one another and reflect on progress made. EdImpact launched 24 data dashboards for districts in Massachusetts showing planned investments of the federal funding, finding investments focused on academic recovery, including high-dosage tutoring, acceleration academics and high-quality curriculum; and on social emotional and mental health, including implementing Tier 1 of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports, SEL curriculum and mental health literacy. Lian said 90% of district decisionmakers cited challenges deploying stimulus funds. For comparison, McKinsey surveyed 260 school districts nationwide to see how they deployed federal funding. As of July, Lian said, in Massachusetts all of ESSER I funding has been committed, 82% of ESSER II and just 33% $1.1 billion of ESSER III. Courtesy of EdImpact There is an enormous amount of money to still allocate, said Lian. Districts are working incredibly hard to make really difficult, strategic final decisions. Based on their work with districts, EdImpact issued six takeaways for investing the remaining funds, including a coordinated statewide approach to prioritize investments that impact students and can be scaled. Courtesy of EdImpact Panelist Jason Stein, vice president and research director of the Wisconsin Policy Forum, said one important learning from the Wisconsin experience is that as legislation like [the American Rescue Plan] gets debated at the federal level, it can still play out at the state and local level in very different ways from the original intent. The federal legislation authorizing funding contained a maintenance-of-effort provision intended to keep states from reducing their support for public education. Stein said his state has revenue caps that limited the revenue districts could receive the last two years, so there was no increase in state funding. It was in reaction, he said, to a perception that districts were getting so much federal money that there was no need for the state to do its typical funding. Many districts in Wisconsin went on to pass referenda, Stein said, with voters opting to raise their own taxes to increase school funding. Making national news, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat and a former teacher and state superintendent, used his partial veto power and some ingenious editing of the proposed state budget to institute a $325 funding increase per student for the next 400 years through 2425. In North Carolina, where the 115 school districts are facing the fiscal cliff and other threats to enrollment and funding including a proposed expansion of school choice EdNC is looking at district fund balances, which operate like savings accounts, and public school foundations in Durham and Charlotte as tools for districts to cope with revenue pressure, whatever the cause. An actual boots-on-the-ground perspective of the federal funding cliff was shared with researchers by panelist Sara Consalvo, budget director for the Worcester Public Schools. Courtesy of Worcester Public Schools According to Consalvo, her district used federal money to bridge funding for the states Student Opportunity Act, stabilize funding because of changes in enrollment, upgrade and maintain ventilation systems in 44 schools, address learning loss through summer school and afterschool programs, purchase personal protective equipment and technology, and acquire a fleet of new yellow school buses. "STEM-ing into summer!" Students at Jacob Hiatt's Summer Program are using hands on activities design to strengthen Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning. The curriculum also focuses on the importance of working together. pic.twitter.com/D320oCuFYG Worcester Schools (@worcesterpublic) July 21, 2023 The district, which had previously contracted for school bus services, received permission to purchase 165 buses. One of the new school buses in Worcester paid for with federal funds. (Mebane Rash/EdNC) Its been an absolute success, Consalvo said of this one-time investment. The upsides of spending made possible by the pandemic relief funding are held in tension with the reality of the federal fiscal cliff for both district leaders and the researchers watching this drama unfold. As school district leaders look to their 2024 budgets and beyond, says a report called Up in the Air by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, many see that a key lifeline is fraying and about to break. A clash between Republicans in Oregon and Democrats led by Gov Kate Brown, pictured above, has just had major consequences for 2024 (Getty Images) Oregon state lawmakers who sought to halt all legislative business over their unhappiness about bills being considered by the majority-Democrat legislature have just been handed a major defeat. As Republicans have failed to take the state legislature of Oregon in several subsequent election cycles, a group of conservatives began trying a new effort in 2019: Skipping votes they knew their side would lose. It was a novel strategy, and one that seemed effective under state law: A quorum must be present for legislative business to proceed, and the number of Republicans resisting by not showing up prevented key legislation from moving forward. The practice began with legislation regarding efforts to fight climate change, but has expanded and continued for nearly half a decade. Republicans turned to that tactic once again this past May. For more than 40 days, all but two Republican members of the state Senate refused to attend legislative business sessions. Now, voters in the state appear to have reached the end of their patience for these shenanigans. In 2022, a ballot measure that sought to introduce a new law that would disqualify lawmakers from seeking another term should they be absent from 10 legislative floor sessions without permission or excuse was considerd by voters. It passed in a landslide, with nearly 70 per cent of the vote. And the states highest elections authority has just signalled that the measure will go into effect this year, meaning that Republicans whose terms end this year (or after) will be prevented from running for reelection should they meet, or have already met, that threshold. Some of those affected lawmakers could file court challenges against the new law, but its far from certain whether theyd be successful or even take place in time for those lawmakers to run an effective reelection campaign. According to Ballotpedia, 10 members of the state Senate, including nine Republicans and one former member of the party, have already accumulated the 10 absences required to bar them from running for re-election. Orlando police released the bodycam footage showing the moment officers shot and killed a woman armed with two knives. Police said the woman, identified as Rachael Ellis, 32, charged at them with the knives after crisis negotiation teams talked with her over the phone. In the video, Ellis threatens to kill herself or anyone who came to her door. Officers said her boyfriend called 911 to report that Ellis was talking about killing herself and had a knife. The shooting happened July 14 in an apartment complex on Pioneers Way near Lake Nona. Read: Police: Orlando officers shoot, kill woman who charged at them with knives after threatening suicide You can see the video in full here, or a condensed version below. Viewer discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling or texting 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. 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. After suffering a stunning loss in November he couldnt accept, he railed against a corrupt system and claimed to have unspecified constitutional rights. He got caught on tape boasting about the crime, claimed the feds were trying to set him up, attacked a prosecutor, promised to poison the jury pool, and decried what he called a show trial. Ultimately, his fate was sealed on Jan. 20. His name is Christopher Wilkins, not Donald Trump, and he also had a case before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in South Florida. The Daily Beast reviewed thousands of pages of court documents at Miamis federal courthouse last week, as part of an examination of Cannons brief time on the bench, given that the relatively novice judge is presiding over one of the most important cases in American historyand has already made eye-popping decisions that blatantly favor the ex-president who appointed her. The trial of Christopher Wilkins was one of Cannons very first. And the tale, as told in 500 pages of trial transcripts and dozens of court filings, shares eerie parallels with the historic case she now has before her. Judge Cannon Just Set an Incredible Trump Trial Date Cannon is overseeing the criminal case against Trump over the way he hoarded classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. And Cannon keeps handing the former president minor victories at every turn. Last year, when a lawsuit by Trump put the issue before her, she stalled the investigation until an appellate court forced her to back off. When the indictment finally came in June, Cannon was surprisingly assigned the case and immediately limited journalists activity in the courtroom, gave federal prosecutors a hard time, and set a trial date in May 2024five months later than requested by Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith. The timing conveniently gives Trump the ability to compete in all the key primary state races as he seeks the Republican presidential nomination. Just this week, she issued an oddly worded judicial order that went out of its way to reveal the existence of an ongoing federal grand jury investigation of Trump going on somewhere outside of South Floridataken by some legal scholars as a personal snub to the DOJs special counsel. In the meantime, Trump has been railing against the Department of Injustice, calling Smith deranged, complaining about prosecutorial misconduct, and saying that these are bogus cases trying to nail him for a crime that they actually make up. IF YOU GO AFTER ME, IM COMING AFTER YOU! he last threatened on Friday. It was the most belligerent statement yet, following months of public insults directed at prosecutors and judges in Georgia, New York, and Washington warning about retribution from his followers. Unlike U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, whos overseeing his other federal criminal case in Washington and immediately began to consider setting limitations, Cannon has yet to rein him in. But she was nowhere near as accommodating the last time she encountered a case like this. Like Trump, the event that landed Christopher Tavorris Wilkins in front of this federal judge started on a bad day in early November. In Wilkins case, it was the evening of Nov. 7, 2019, and he was sitting in a green chair inside a federal courtroom in Fort Lauderdale. Jurors had just read their verdict, declaring him guilty of transporting firearms illegally and intimidating a witness. As the jurors filed out of the room and Judge William Dimitrouleas thanked them for their service, Wilkins was enragedso much so that he picked up his chair and threw it at the federal prosecutor across the room who was responsible for putting him away: John C. McMillan. USA-TRUMP/DOCUMENTS-JUDGE Pool via REUTERS Ill kill you when I catch you, boy. Kill your fucking ass! Wilkins yelled at him, as court deputies tackled him to the ground. Done me a life sentence on the house, man. When I beat this shit, Im going to kill you. Thats facts, man. Thats facts. U.S. Marshals surveillance footage and a court reporters audio captured the brawl and later got filed as evidence for a future criminal case. Fast-forward more than a year later, and Wilkins found himself before Judge Cannon, facing new charges of assault and threatening to murder a United States attorney. Having already cycled through one defense lawyeryet another Trump similarityWilkins was now at a pretrial hearing trying to dump his second one. His aggressive comments might sound awfully familiar. I would also like to note in regards to the video and audio, because it is being altered. The audio is separate from the video, which is some type of strange, he told the judge, warning her that he was going to tell the jurors everything as he perceived it. I am going to let the jurors know about this government corruption, Wilkins told the judge. I can tell the jurors. It doesnt matter. We wont start no trial. So they will be polluted that would sabotage the trial as well. So, I will show them everything. Cannon seemed to keep her composure, probing whether Wilkins was ready to drop his second lawyer if it meant hed have to represent himself at trialand abide by the rules of evidence. I want an opening statement by myself, and give the jurors every detail about this government corruption, he said. I am going to raise whatever issue I want. The court is not going to permit you to introduce totally collateral, irrelevant subject matter, Cannon countered. This is abuse, Wilkins shot back. If you dont dont want to follow the Constitution, you shouldnt have signed up as a judge. Guess Which Judge Has Been Assigned to Trumps Docs Case Cannon gave him a few days to reconsider. When his trial started a week later, Cannon gave Wilkins a stern warning before commencing the trial. I want to remind you, Mr. Wilkins, that it is the courts intention to ensure a safe and orderly proceeding. You indicated during the pretrial hearing on January 14th that you would, sabotage the trial and pollute the jurors, so I want to be very clear that there will be no allowance for disruptive behavior or violation of court orders, she said, adding that if he acted up, he would be removed from the courtroom to observe the trial via Zoom. The two-day trial that followed went smoothly, without a single outburst from Wilkins. This second jury came back into court after a short afternoon deliberation on Jan. 20 last year. Wilkins is now serving a two-decade sentence at a high security prison in rural Central Florida just outside Trumps favorite retirement-community campaign stop at The Villages. His defense lawyer, Jeffrey Garland, noted at least one detail that sets these two men quite far apart, however. Wilkins had an extremely rough childhood, growing up as one of eight kids surrounded by family members who were either mentally ill or in-and-out of jail. If you just look at him in a normal way, hes a monster. Yes, in some ways thats true. But if you look a little deeper, he was imprisoned in a family and school system that treated him like he was nothing, Garland said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Even in a country which regularly holds the world record for jailing journalists, the case of Turkish investigative reporter Baris Pehlivan stands out. Pehlivan -- whose latest book accused Turkey's last interior minister of having links with organised crime -- is about to be locked up for the fifth time in three years. Having been jailed, released on parole and locked up again, this time Pehlivan has been ordered back behind bars by text message. The order has been widely condemned, with 19 international human rights and media freedom organisations uniting to decry "the repeated judicial harassment of Pehlivan, who is exercising his fundamental right to free speech as a journalist. "Pehlivan has already been incarcerated four times due to his journalism, two of those... for the same sentence," they added. "This order would mark his fifth time behind bars." The journalist said he was informed by the Turkish justice ministry on August 2 that he had to turn himself in at the Marmara Detention Centre, formerly known as Silivri prison, where many of the critics of Turkey's government are held, on August 15. Pehlivan and six other journalists were sentenced to three years and nine months in prison in 2021 for reporting the funeral of a member of Turkey's MIT secret services who was operating in Libya, where Ankara supports the UN-recognised Tripoli government. While his death has never been denied by the Turkish authorities, the reporters were charged with revealing "state secrets". - 'Abusive prosecutions' - Pehlivan, editor in chief of the OdaTV website and a contributor to the secular daily Cumhuriyet, was conditionally freed on May 15, then sent back to jail for a day after multiple cases were opened against him. On Wednesday, Turkey's justice minister cancelled a meeting with the main opposition party about the case at the last minute, to the fury of the CHP MPs. "A few minutes before the meeting, the minister announced that he had something very important to do," said CHP MP Ali Mahir Basarir. Pehlivan -- whose name means wrestler in Turkish -- said he was resigned to turning himself in "for the fifth time". "I have neither killed nor raped anyone," he wrote on Twitter, now known as X. "I have never sold anyone drugs." In its open letter to the Turkish government, press freedom groups including PEN International and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called upon Ankara to "reverse the decision to reimprison Pehlivan and end the systematic judicial harassment against him and other journalists." It also highlighted how the journalist was targeted after co-writing a book, "SS", about the then interior minister Suleyman Soylu, in which he accused him of "having ties to organised crime". The press freedom groups said Pehlivan's parole was revoked before he was even charged with insulting Soylu, who is deputy chairman of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party. Soylu has denied being linked to the Turkish mafia despite being named by exiled mob leader Sedat Peker in a series of sensational YouTube videos, which detailed alleged ties between politicians and the criminal underworld. RSF's Erol Onderoglu said the "threat of prison hangs over the press at every turn" in Turkey, which came 165th out of 180 countries in its latest press freedom index. Pehlivan "should not spend another day in prison", he told AFP. "The truth is that he is constantly the victim of abusive prosecutions." Twenty journalists remain behind bars in Turkey despite 15 being released last month, according to press freedom groups. ach/bg/dth/fg/gw DAMASCUS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian lawmaker said on Wednesday that Iran rejected all violations of Syria's sovereignty, urging the United States and Turkiye to end their "occupation" of Syrian land. In a statement released after his meetings with Syrian officials in Damascus, Vahid Jalalzadeh, chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, reiterated Iran's strong support for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "We reject any violation of the Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity. We also reject the continuation of any occupation of Syrian land by the U.S. and Turkiye," the statement quoted him as saying. While calling for "an immediate end to the Turkish and U.S. occupation" of Syrian territories, Jalalzadeh said he hoped that the occupied land would be returned to the Syrian government. Carlos Garcia-Galan, a manager for NASAs Orion program, points out auxiliary engines that were built by Aerojet Rocketdyne in Redmond, Wash., for Orions service module in a spacecraft selfie from the Artemis 1 mission. The engine nozzles can be seen in the top left corner of the image. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) REDMOND, Wash. Space industry contractors in the Seattle area had their turn in the spotlight this week during a nationwide victory lap celebrating last years successful Artemis 1 round-the-moon mission. Without your engines we cant go anywhere, Carlos Garcia-Galan, an integration manager for NASAs Orion spacecraft, told employees and VIPs at Aerojet Rocketdynes Redmond facility today. We cant get to the orbit of the moon, we cant get out of the orbit of the moon, we cant do any orbital adjustments. Aerojets Redmond operation provides the auxiliary engines for the Orion moonships European-built service module as well as reaction control system thrusters for the service module and for the upper stage of NASAs Space Launch System, the rocket that sends Orion into space. Aerojet also refurbishes the Orion Main Engine. Other components for Orion and SLS are built at other facilities operated by Aerojet Rocketdyne, which officially became an L3Harris Technologies company last month. Aerojets hardware goes to Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for Orion. Lockheed Martins Orion program manager, Tonya Ladwig, said Aerojet leads the list of Washington state subcontractors for the space capsule development effort. General Dynamics OTS Bothell facility and Mukilteo-based Systima are also high on the list. Ladwig said celebrations took place at all three businesses this week. Aerojet employees in Redmond gather to celebrate Artemis Is success. (Aerojet Rocketdyne Photo) VIPs show off a commemorative Artemis 1 citation awarded to Aerojet Rocketdyne. From left: Lockheed Martins Tim Norick, Aerojets Erica Raine and Ken Young, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, Lockheed Martins Tonya Ladwig and NASAs Howard Hu. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) The Artemis team also presented Aerojet with a thank-you banner. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) Weve been doing these victory lap tours all over Europe, all over the United States, thanking our supply chain, Ladwig told GeekWire. Its been fun to connect with the teams and make them realize they really are a part of history. The victory-lap celebrations looked back at NASAs Artemis 1 odyssey an uncrewed test flight that used the first-ever SLS launch to send an Orion capsule on a looping trip that went around the moon, ranged nearly 40,000 miles beyond the moons orbit, and ended back on Earth with a Pacific Ocean splashdown. NASAs Orion program manager, Howard Hu, cycled through the greatest hits in a video chronicling the Artemis 1 mission. Ive seen this video, I think, over a hundred times, and it always brings back such great memories, he told the Aerojet audience. I equate it to when you have a big, important milestone. You get married, you have kids, or theres something else that happens in your life. You look at pictures or you watch the video again, and just all those emotions come back. This weeks events werent merely an exercise in nostalgia, however. Visiting VIPs also talked up Artemis 2, which is currently set to send four astronauts around the moon late next year. If all proceeds according to plan, that mission would be followed by a crewed lunar landing that could take place by as soon as 2025, during Artemis 3. Aerojet Redmond has already delivered all of its Orion hardware for Artemis 2 and 3, and is currently working on the hardware for Artemis 4 and 5, said Erica Raine, a senior program manager at Aerojet whos overseeing the work in Redmond. U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, the Democrat who represents the district including Aerojet Redmond, noted that more than 13,000 workers are employed by more than 100 space companies in Washington state and that many of those workers are playing roles in NASAs Artemis moon program. Thats why I introduced a resolution in Congress that would recognize the Redmond Space District for its historic contributions to American spaceflight, she said. Like the other VIPs, DelBene talked up the future as well as the storied past. Ill continue to push for the federal resources that are needed to make sure that we have the resources to build and execute the Artemis project and NASAs other visions. And Im excited to watch the first manned Artemis launch next year, DelBene said at the Aerojet event. All of you are doing an incredible part of contributing to that, and I know it will carry the vision and hard work of so many here in Washington, folks here at Aerojet Rocketdyne, along with it. More from GeekWire: FILE PHOTO: Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks to the members of the media at his residence in Lahore Pakistan court rejects jailed Imran Khan's plea to suspend conviction FILE PHOTO: Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks to the members of the media at his residence in Lahore By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -A Pakistani high court on Wednesday turned down an appeal by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan that his conviction on corruption charges be suspended, his lawyer said, suggesting it was unlikely he would be released on bail anytime soon. Khan, 70, has been at the centre of political turmoil since he was ousted last year as prime minister in a no-confidence vote, raising concerns about Pakistan's stability as it grapples with an economic crisis. He has been barred from holding any public office for five years since he commenced a three-year prison sentence on Saturday on charges of unlawfully selling state gifts acquired by him and his family during his 2018-2022 tenure. The court asked the concerned authorities to respond to Khan's plea to be moved to an A-class jail cell in a prison in Rawalpindi, which has better facilities that he is entitled to as a former prime minister, his lawyer Naeem Panjutha said outside the court. The case was adjourned for an indefinite time, Panjutha said, adding; "Our request to suspend the conviction wasn't accepted." The court will issue a written order later in the day. Khan, who has denied any wrongdoing, was arrested at his Lahore house and is currently in a prison near Islamabad. (Reporting by Asif Shahzad, Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Nick Macfie and Bernadette Baum) Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, center, Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf, left, and Raja Riaz, opposition leader in National Assembly pose for a photo with lawmakers of the National Assembly at the end of the last session of the current parliament, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Pakistan's prime minister took a formal step Wednesday toward dissolving parliament, starting a possible countdown to a general election, as his chief political rival fought to overturn a corruption conviction that landed him in a high-security prison over the weekend. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) ISLAMABAD (AP) Pakistans president on Wednesday dissolved the National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, a first step in the countdown to a general election by mid-November. The move came as the country's top opposition leader is fighting to overturn a corruption conviction that landed him in a high-security prison over the weekend. A statement from President Arif Alvi's office said he acted on the advice of the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in disbanding the lawmakers as the assembly's five-year term is ending. Usually, such a step is a formality and a general election would typically have to be held within 90 days. But this year there's a twist. A delay until the spring is possible if Pakistan's election commission opts for redistricting ahead of an election, based on the results of a recent census. The uncertainty over the election date coincides with the legal and political drama surrounding Sharif's predecessor and national cricket hero, Imran Khan. The 70-year-old popular opposition leader was convicted by an Islamabad court on Saturday of concealing assets and was sentenced to three years in prison. Khan has appealed the conviction, which effectively removes him from the election campaign at a time when his party seemed to be doing well in the polls. The Islamabad High Court, where his appeal is being heard, said Wednesday that it wants to hear from the government and Pakistan's election commission before making a decision on whether to overturn the conviction and order Khan's release. The commission last year disqualified Khan from holding public office for five years, accusing him of unlawfully selling state gifts and concealing assets as premier. Khan was notified of his disqualification again on Tuesday, following his sentencing. The court adjourned on Wednesday without setting a date for the next hearing, dealing a blow to Khan's legal team which has argued he is being held in unacceptably tough conditions at Attock prison, about an hour's drive from Islamabad. The court's eventual ruling could be appealed and heard by Pakistans Supreme Court. Since his arrest at his home in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday, Khan met only once with one of his lawyers, Naeem Haider Panjutha, at Attock. Panjutha and other lawyers represented Khan in court Wednesday while the ex-premier remained in prison. Arguing for Khan's release, Panjutha said Khan did not violate any laws and that his arrest was illegal. We were not properly heard today, he later told reporters. In a separate petition Monday, Khan's team asked for his transfer to a prison with special cells for high-profile detainees, including politicians. Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 but remains a popular figure in the country, has denied the charges. Meanwhile, Sharif addressed his last Cabinet meeting Wednesday. He said he had faced multiple challenges, including the country's worst economic crisis and devastating floods which killed 1,739 people and caused $30 billion in damage in Pakistan last summer. Pakistan was able to negotiate a 3 billion bailout package with the International Monetary Fund, potentially saving the country from defaulting on its debt repayments. Sharif then spoke to parliament, saying he would ask the president to approve the dissolution of the lower house which could pave the way for a parliamentary election by mid-November, but the government could delay the vote by several months if it decides to redraw constituencies first. After the parliament is dissolved, the next step is for a caretaker government to be installed to run day-to-day affairs until the next election. Sharif exerts some influence over the selection of the caretaker prime minister but has not revealed his top choice. He will continue to work as premier until the caretaker prime minister is sworn in, likely this week. Sharifs ruling Pakistan Muslim League party is expected to face tough competition from Khans party though Khan himself would be unable to take part unless his conviction is overturned. Under Pakistans laws, no one with a criminal conviction can lead a party, run in elections or hold public office. Khan was previously arrested in May on corruption charges, triggering a wave of violent protests across the country. Pakistans Supreme Court ordered his release days later, saying his arrest was illegal. Khan, since his ouster, has insisted that his removal from power was a conspiracy by Washington, Sharif and the Pakistani military accusations that all three have denied. PANAMA CITY BEACH The city manager now has more unilateral decision-making power during select emergencies. The Panama City Beach City Council on Tuesday approved the second and final reading of an ordinance to give the city manager the authority to make governing decisions during natural, technological and human-made emergencies without the approval of the council. Such situations might include hurricanes or terrorist attacks. This adds to an existing ordinance put in place in April 2022 that gave the city manager the same authority during civil emergencies. The ruling came in the wake of "Panamaniac," an unsanctioned event that created a dramatic spike in crime throughout the area. "Time is of essence," Councilman Phil Chester said. "Bottom line, I think it's a good tool. If we need to come in and take care of the (city manager) if something goes wrong, we can. ... I think we need to have it (and) implement it." "We can always call an emergency meeting and undo anything in a matter of hours," Mayor Mark Sheldon said. "This lets us be more responsive to something and less reactive." The ordinance allows the city manager to quickly act during such emergencies without wasting time waiting for the City Council to call an emergency meeting to determine the city's next steps. This might include creating curfews, blocking roads, halting alcohol sales or closing businesses. Without the updated ordinance, it took an emergency City Council meeting to enact an official state of emergency in the aftermath of a hurricane or terrorist attack in Panama City Beach. Such meetings can only be called by either the mayor or three members of the council. The Panama City Beach City Council approved the final reading of an ordinance to give the city manager more emergency decision making power. An official state of emergency must be in place before city employees are eligible for disaster pay something the city can be reimbursed for by the federal government. If a devastating hurricane were to hit PCB, it might take a day or so before an emergency meeting could be organized by the City Council. Meanwhile, there still might be emergency decisions that need to be made decisions that without the updated ordinance could not happen until an emergency meeting occurs. Along with giving the city manager more authority during emergencies, the updated ordinance set at 42-day limit for how long the City Council could extend any emergency measure enacted by the city manager. Officials have said this timeline was added to be uniform with the sate Legislature. Any executive emergency decisions made by the city manager can only last up to 72 hours without a vote by the council. "Everything in the ordinance exists in state statute," Councilman Michael Jarman said. "This is not manufactured for our own pleasure. The state of Florida, in its statute, grants these powers to a local municipality, whether we have an ordinance or not. "This ordinance gives us clear instructions as to how we are going to exercise those powers and how we will control them. ... This is not a willy-nilly ordinance, nor can it be applied as such. There are many checks and balances." First reading: Panama City Beach council ready to give city manager more authority during emergencies The update to the ordinance was introduced during a City Council meeting in July, where Mary Coburn was the only member of the council who said it was a bad idea. Noting that her opinion has not changed, Coburn also voted against it on Tuesday. Sheldon, Chester and Jarman voted in favor of the update. Councilman Paul Casto, who voted with the majority during the first reading, was not at the Tuesday meeting to cast a final vote. The ordinance passed 3-1. "I understand civil unrest," Coburn said. "I voted for taking action and putting the (previous) ordinance out, but this expands that ordinance to natural, technological or other manmade disasters that have occurred or are imminent, whether or not the county or the state recognizes that emergency. "To me, that is broad and overreaching. ... I do not think it is necessary, and I think that it could have dire consequences." This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Beach allows city manager more power in emergencies Parkland survivor and activist David Hogg speaks to the crowd during in the second March for Our Lives rally in support of gun control on Saturday, June 11, 2022, in Washington. The rally is a successor to the 2018 march organized by student protestors after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Parkland survivor and activist David Hogg speaks to the crowd during in the second March for Our Lives rally in support of gun control on Saturday, June 11, 2022, in Washington. The rally is a successor to the 2018 march organized by student protestors after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg is teaming up with the campaign manager for Congress youngest-ever member to launch a new group aiming to get young people elected to state legislatures and Congress. The new group, Leaders We Deserve, will back people under the age of 30 running for state legislatures and people under the age of 35 running for the House of Representatives. Hogg, well-known for his activism with the gun safety group March for Our Lives, is leading the group alongside Kevin Lata, the campaign manager for Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), the first member of Gen Z elected to Congress. We need to elect more young, fearless progressives to Congress, and especially our state legislatures, the 23-year-old Hogg says in a video announcing the group. So many times in our nations history, young people have led the vanguard of change. Join us as we build off that legacy and reshape the balance of power. The far-right is threatening everything we care about, & young people are leading the fight back. But far too often, the path to public office is closed to young leaders. Thats why were launching Leaders We Deserve to elect young, fearless progressives across the country. pic.twitter.com/hycAriiIZS Leaders We Deserve (@Leaderswedeserv) August 9, 2023 What were trying to do here is basically be an EMILYs List for young people, Hogg told HuffPost in an interview, referencing the group backing women who support abortion rights that often plays a queenmaker role in Democratic primaries. We want to come in in the early days of a campaign, helping them get up and running. Leaders We Deserve will have a regular PAC to directly aid candidates and a super PAC to support candidates with advertising while not directly coordinating with them. The group plans to focus mostly on state legislatures in states seemingly in the process of flipping from red to blue, including Georgia, Arizona and Texas. It will also support a handful of congressional candidates in deep-blue districts like the one Frost triumphed in. Frost is a member of the groups advisory board alongside Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Rob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) Two high-profile state legislators Delaware State Sen. Sarah McBride, who is a heavy favorite to win that states congressional seat, and Tennesse State Rep. Justin Jones, who recently won back his seat in the state legislature after state Republicans expelled him from the legislature following a gun control protest earlier this year. Hogg and Lata took pains to emphasize the group is not aiming to oust incumbent Democrats and isnt inherently opposed to older people remaining in office. While millennials and Generation Z will make up 48% of the potential electorate in 2024, just 32 of Congress 535 members are under the age of 40. This is not about being against older people by any means, Hogg said. This is about creating a cross-generational coalition. He noted the Baby Boomer generation was inspired by their upbringing to enact the earliest environmental protection laws and arms control treaties in a way similar to how millennials and Gen Zers are inspired to act on climate and gun control. When older generations went through nuclear bomb drills, they went on to pass the largest arms reduction treaties in history, Hogg said. I dont think its dissimilar to what young people are going through with school shooter drills. I think we need to have people in office who understand the anxiety of not knowing if youre going to survive math class. Related... The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's Parliament, passed in the first reading on Aug. 9. a bill restoring the obligation of political parties to report on their funding. "(The bill) is aimed at minimizing the potential oligarchic influence on political parties, improving the mechanisms of public funding and state control over the activities of political parties," First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Korniienko wrote on his Telegram channel. "Its main goal is to restore reporting by political parties and verification of their reports," he added. If the bill is adopted as law, it will return the mandate to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption to ensure legal restrictions on the financing of political parties. The obligation for political parties to submit their quarterly reports on property, income, and expenses was adopted in 2015 as part of reforms on political financing. However, the measure was suspended on April 2, 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the suspension, only 7.4% of registered parties submitted their financial reports by Oct. 2021, the Ukrainian news outlet LB.UA reported. The situation was further complicated by the start of the full-scale invasion, as martial law provided the parties with an additional reason not to publish their financing. As stipulated by Ukraine's anti-oligarch law, oligarchs are banned from financing political parties or other political activities. Read also: Defense Ministry uses martial law to seize oligarchs assets Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. After more than a month as a fugitive, Paterson Healing Collective member Terrance Drakeford was arrested this week on charges accusing him of being part of a 4th Ward drug gang. Drakeford was apprehended on Tuesday and had his initial appearance in federal court that afternoon, the United States Attorneys Office said. Drakefords lawyer did not seek bail and he is being detained in federal custody, according to authorities. Police have not released details of Drakefords arrest, such as where it happened. Federal authorities in June named Drakeford among 15 suspects in a probe targeting alleged members of the UpTop gang that reportedly sells heroin and fentanyl near the Incca Village housing complex. Drakeford is accused of being part of the gang and making drug deals while he was employed by the Healing Collective as a violence intervention specialist. The federal complaint described him as a rank-and-file member, and not one of the leaders of the alleged gang. NJ news Future of massive North Jersey towers uncertain amid toxic cleanup, Menendez investigation Drakeford was part of a Healing Collective contingent that went to Los Angeles to get an award for its anti-violence work on the weekend before the U.S. attorney announced the charges against him and other alleged UpTop members. The Healing Collective has not revealed what impact Drakefords arrest had on his employment status. The group, which works in partnership with St. Josephs University Medical Center, gets its funding from state and federal grants. Law enforcement sources said Drakeford was ranked among Patersons 10 most wanted fugitives after the charges were filed against him. Those sources said Drakeford was apprehended by the New Jersey State Police Fugitive Unit. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson Healing Collective activist arrested in drug case Oklahoma County jail CEO Brandi Garner and her management team are crafting plans to boost pay rates for employees at the facility. Jail workers, both their number and their quality, were identified in a yearlong investigation by The Oklahoman as among the worst problems afflicting the jail and allowing it to become one of the deadliest in the nation. Conditions at the jail were so bad the U.S. Department of Justice characterized the facility as a largely unsupervised tower of chaos and violence. Kok-Cheng See, the operation's interim finance director, told members of the Oklahoma County Jail Trust this week the operation could tap into about $1.1 million in surplus funds it currently has on hand to boost the starting pay for new hires. The jail also wants to raise current employees' salaries to try to keep them from leaving for more attractive employment opportunities elsewhere. More: Broken Trust: How the Oklahoma County jail leadership failed those it sought to protect Currently, the jail employs 265 people, while Oklahoma County provides enough funds to employ 320. Chronic understaffing at the jail was cited as one of key reasons for a death rate among inmates at the jail that was four to five times greater than experienced at some of the nation's most troubled jail systems. See and other officials said the average starting pay at other jails in Oklahoma was about $50,000 a year, while the jail trust currently only pays $38,226. Most jail employees earn less than $50,000 a year Here's what the jail currently pays its employees annually: Cadet (new hire): $38,226 Corporal (a rank attained after one year of employment): $42,336 Sergeant: $46,572 Staff sergeant.: $53,556 Lieutenant: $57,348 Captain: $69,108 Jail's financial picture has improved in Fiscal 2023 The jail ended Fiscal 2023 with about $1.1 million in surplus funds after collecting revenues of $39.7 million. It had $1.5 million in the bank on Aug. 7 after paying July's bills. Among the factors contributing to the surplus, See said, were: $32.9 million paid by Oklahoma County from its general fund for the jail's operations. The jail's receipt of more than $640,000 in American Rescue Plan Act dollars from Oklahoma County. $500,000 paid by Oklahoma City to the trust at the end of the fiscal year for jail services it provided to the police department during the previous 12 months. A payment of $323,000 from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for housing inmates at the jail while they await prison bed space (It paid $185,000 to the jail the previous year). $433,000 previously collected from detainees for medical assessment fees during their processing into the jail over the first two years the trust operated the facility. The jail's operating expense for fiscal 2023 of $38.5 million included payroll and benefit expenses $754,000 below budget, and maintenance and operation expenses that were $369,000 below budget. Pay issue raised by jail trustee after financial report presented Jail trustee Sue Ann Arnall asked about a possibility for pay increases after being told by See the jail expects to be able to maintain its financial surplus into coming months. "This is low bar for the work they do, but I just want to try to get our employees' salaries to at least $50,000 a year. How do we get there?" Arnall asked. See said that the current surplus could help. He added that workers' pay could be increased by a vote of the trust without needing approval from the county, provided its personnel costs remained within budget. More: Grand jury says Oklahoma County jail should go back to sheriff. But he doesn't want it. "We have to pay better to recruit better," he said. "Every month, we have people we are training who quit because they have found another job. Turnover is our biggest expense." A proposal to increase the pay for jail employees is expected to be brought before the trust in September, See said. The trust, formally known as the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority, is a nine-member board that took over control of the jail from the sheriff's office in 2020 after a groundswell of public anger over inmate homicides, suicides, drug overdoses, escapes, guard misconduct and other issues. Garner became interim CEO of the jail after the former director resigned in December as a multicounty grand jury investigated the operation and later issued a scathing report about its ongoing problems. Garner was hired as the operation's CEO in May. Oklahoma County jail CEO Brandi Garner Garner said she views the surplus as somewhat of an emergency fund that needs to be used wisely and agrees raises are sorely needed. The jail's starting pay is the lowest for any job offered by Oklahoma County's government, while the work its employees are expected to do is extremely dangerous inside of a facility "that is just awful." Her assessment was confirmed by The Oklahoman's jail investigation. A review of thousands of documents and interviews with jail personnel, inmates and their families, public officials, incarceration experts and others revealed that the jail was chronically and dangerously understaffed. "I need more people," said Garner. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma County jail leaders considering pay raises for workers Retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg (R), former national security adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence, defended his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, and his endorsement of former President Trumps White House bid, in response to harsh criticism from former Pence chief of staff Marc Short, in an interview Tuesday. Kellogg and Shorts exchange began after Kellogg endorsed Trump for president in 2024 and sharply criticized Pence, who he said lacks the bold and decisive leadership that we have seen in President Trump. While I respect [Pences] service to our Nation, I must express my disappointment in his recent actions regarding President Trump. It is not the decisive leadership that we have seen from President Trump. Where President Trump is bold and unafraid to challenge the status quo, Pence has often chosen the passive route, avoiding confrontation, Kellogg said Monday in his endorsement. This lack of assertiveness, combined with an overreliance on failed political consultants like Marc Short, has demonstrated a laisse-faire leadership style unworthy of the Presidency, Kellogg continued, referring to Pence. In a Tuesday interview on CNNs The Situation Room, Short took aim at Kellogg, who he said recently nominated Pence for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I dont think is consistent with his comments of him lacking leadership skills, Short said. Short also criticized Kelloggs actions on Jan. 6. Short claimed Kellogg did not stand at his post that day and, instead, was down on the rally, encouraging people to march on the Capitol. Short also read from an email he received from Kellogg Jan. 6, 2021, when Kellogg said, according to Short, I recommend you stay on the Hill and finish the Electoral College issue tonight. When Short told him that was the plan, Kellogg reportedly responded saying, Thats not a good plan, thats a great plan. Close this thing out tonight. Kellogg fired back on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, defending his Jan. 6 actions by claiming to be carrying out his appropriate duties. He also said he nominated Pence for the Presidential Medal of Freedom because it was my hope to bring both sides back together. Saying I was encouraging people to march on the Capitol is blatantly false and slanderous. I was standing my post. NSA was out of town, and DNSA was off that morning. It was policy to have a senior national security figure with POTUS at all times. That was me, Kellogg wrote Tuesday night, in response to Shorts comments in the interview. It was my hope to bring both sides back together with the PMoF. You didnt even try, and failed your principal, he added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Mike Pence is heading to the debate stage USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page looks ahead to the first Republican primary presidential debate. Plus, USA TODAY Pentagon Correspondent Tom Vanden Brook explains why the Ukrainian counteroffensive is making little progress, how will the First Amendment defense play out in former President Donald Trump's Jan. 6 case?, Ohio voters reject a controversial measure, and the Supreme Court backs Biden administration efforts to regulate ghost guns. Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text. Taylor Wilson: Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Wednesday, the 9th of August 2023. Today, an early look at the first Republican primary debate. Plus, whether the Trump legal team strategy could hold water, and why Ukraine's counteroffensive is having limited success. Former Vice President Mike Pence became the eighth and possibly last candidate to qualify for the first Republican primary debate on August 23rd. For more on his qualification and why the debate matters, I spoke with USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page. Thanks for making the time, Susan. Susan Page: It's always a pleasure to be with you. Taylor Wilson: So, former Vice President Mike Pence has qualified for the first Republican presidential primary debate. Susan, why did it take him so long to qualify? Susan Page: Well, it's really been an illustration of the political problems he has. He had more trouble than other candidates, other leading major candidates, in getting to the threshold that you needed to reach to get on the debate stage, which is 40,000 unique donors to your campaign. He did okay in the polling requirement, but he had some trouble raising the money. It is a big relief to his supporters that he has finally gotten over that line. Taylor Wilson: And who else can we expect on the stage? Susan Page: There are eight candidates who have qualified for the stage, but we don't know if one of them is going to show up. And that is Donald Trump, who says there's no good reason for him to show up because he has such a big lead. Why should he go in and let people at 1% and 2% and 3% in the polls get on stage and give him trouble. Some people think Trump will show up anyway, but whether he's there or not, the other candidates who'll be there, it is a big opportunity for someone like Vivek Ramaswamy, a candidate many Americans don't know yet, a big opportunity for him. A big opportunity for Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor who is trying to regain his footing in this race. And I'll mention one more. Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor has become the chief critic, the leading critic of Donald Trump. So he is ready to be on stage as well. Taylor Wilson: And Susan, you wrote about some ways that this first GOP debate can boost or break campaigns. Why might this debate be so pivotal? Susan Page: Well, debates, you get a big audience, you get a chance to make a good impression and you get a chance to make a bad impression. And I remember in 2012, I was covering Rick Perry, three term Texas governor. When he jumped in the race, he was at the top of the polls. He went to a debate, he couldn't remember what three agencies of government he had vowed to dismantle if he were elected. And then he said, "Oops." And that was the moment that defined his campaign not in a good way. He didn't make it long after the New Hampshire primary. Taylor Wilson: And you mentioned Trump, Susan. If he doesn't show up, could the first debate help convince him to join the next one? Susan Page: It could, I think in two ways. One, if he's really taking a lot of fire on stage, he might want to be on stage the next time to respond to it. And a second reason he might be in the second debate, even if he skips the first, is maybe one of these other candidates will gain some traction from a standup performance in the first debate. That might lure Donald Trump back onto stage again as well. Taylor Wilson: All right, USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page with terrific insight for us as always. Thank you, Susan. Susan Page: Thank you. Taylor Wilson: Former President Donald Trump's attorneys have repeatedly claimed that he's protected by the First Amendment in the 2020 election interference case. But legal experts say that such an argument may not hold up in court. Joan Meyer, a partner at the law firm Thompson Hine, told USA TODAY that Trump is charged with a scheme to defraud and other criminal violations that cannot be defended by arguing that his statements were just free speech. And David Super, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown University said that the First Amendment will likely not play a significant role in the trial for the case. He notes that the indictment is clear. It's not charging Trump because of his disagreement with election officials over the outcome of the 2020 election. Instead, it's charging him with a range of illegal acts, including submitting fraudulent electors certificates with others. Trump is expected to argue that he legitimately believed the election was stolen from him. Joan Meyer says that the question of intent to defraud will be central to the case. A controversial Ohio measure has been rejected by voters. USA TODAY Network Ohio called the race around 8:00 Eastern last night, with the no vote leading 68% to 32%. The election was the result of a months-long fight that began last year, when Republicans introduced a plan to tighten the rules for constitutional amendments. Supporters argued they wanted to keep controversial policies out of the constitution and reserve it for the state's fundamental rights and values. Critics argued the ballot measure was a power grab that would restrict the rights of citizens to place an issue on the ballot. Ohioans appeared to vote largely with the opponents. Republicans made it clear they wanted to hold the election before November when Ohio residents will decide whether to enshrine reproductive rights in the Constitution. That turned yesterday's election into something of a proxy war on the abortion debate. Ukrainian forces have had limited success with a counteroffensive in the country's East in recent weeks. I spoke with USA TODAY Pentagon correspondent Tom Vanden Brook for the latest on the war and what happens next. Thanks for hopping on, Tom. Tom Vanden Brook: Good to be here, Taylor. Taylor Wilson: So starting here, why has such little progress been made in the Ukrainian counter offensive? Tom Vanden Brook: There are a couple of reasons. The main one that senior officials have told me about are these minefields that the Russians laid over the winter when the weather prohibited much in the way of fighting. There was fighting obviously, but not a lot of advances. The snow and the cold and mud prevented large scale maneuvering. So the Russians used that time to lay pretty elaborate defenses. And the one that's really slowing the Ukrainians down are these minefields. Taylor Wilson: And Tom, another winter is really right around the corner, just a few months off. How big of a factor will that be in this conflict and does it hurt one side more than the other? Tom Vanden Brook: Well, it's a big concern, Taylor. It's August already and it's going to be fall shortly in Ukraine and the rains are going to start falling there and the fields will get muddy. It'll be very difficult to maneuver armored vehicles. So there's a limited amount of time that the Ukrainians have to take advantage of this weather to mount an offensive. And they still have not breached many of these minefields. Some of them, they have, we're told, but time is not on their side at this point. Taylor Wilson: Have there been any recent successes for Ukraine in its fight back against Russia? Tom Vanden Brook: As I just mentioned, they have apparently breached some of these minefields. They have not been able to exploit that so that there would be a breakthrough yet. That's what the Pentagon is hoping for. They've also taken back some territory from the Russians, but I'm told they're talking about tenths of a mile at a time. These aren't big breakthroughs like they were last fall, that people may remember in northern Ukraine, where the Russians just basically turned tail and ran. Taylor Wilson: So Tom, do all these issues mean that Russia is doing exactly what it set out to do, to accomplish with this invasion? Or are they seeing serious problems as well? Tom Vanden Brook: Well, I think their initial thought was they were going to roll through Ukraine quickly, within days or weeks, and topple the Zelenskyy government and install their own puppet. That obviously didn't happen. They still have Crimea, which they seized in 2014, and much of the eastern portion of Ukraine that they essentially rolled into at the same time. They've paired back their expectations significantly, but they still occupy about 20% of Ukrainian territory. Taylor Wilson: And Tom, is all this a question of Ukraine needing more aid? Weapons? Or what's the solution to getting out of the muck? Tom Vanden Brook: Different schools of thought on that, Taylor. If you talk to some folks on Capitol Hill, like Senator Richard Blumenthal is on the Armed Services Committee, he thinks that we should be speeding more sophisticated weaponry, particularly F-16 fighters, which are more than on the table now. They're setting up training for Ukrainian pilots in European countries, but they're still months, at least, away from being fielded. And those would allow the Ukrainians to protect their forces on the ground from, for instance, attack helicopters that the Russians are using to keep them from bridging these minefields. So weapons like the F-16 longer range, a rocket fired artillery, that kind of thing. I should mention that American Abrams tanks will be there in the fall as well. Not one of these things is going to turn the tide. It's possible that they'll have more success if they get more sophisticated weapons, but the Russians still have a lot of armor and they still have a lot of people. Taylor Wilson: All right, Tom Vanden Brook, thanks as always. Tom Vanden Brook: Thanks, Taylor. Taylor Wilson: A divided Supreme Court yesterday backed a Biden administration effort to regulate so-called ghost guns. The move temporarily allows the government to require manufacturers of the untraceable weapon kits to conduct background checks on customers and mark their products with serial numbers. Ghost gun kits typically allow people to purchase parts that can then be built into a weapon without the usual regulations that come with an assembled gun. President Joe Biden, last year, required companies selling the kits to stick to the same rules as other gun makers, including keeping records that help police trace the weapons. The High Court's decision pauses a lower court's ruling and allows the Biden administration to enforce the rules while an underlying case continues. And before we go, today is National Book Lovers Day. Grab your favorite paperback or hard cover and make some time to read today, if you get the chance. Thanks for listening to 5 Things. If you like the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. And if you have any comments, you can reach us at podcasts@usatoday.com. I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pence qualifies for debate, Trump's defense approach: 5 Things podcast KHARTOUM, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Six Sudanese intelligence officers were killed during clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Omdurman city, north of the capital Khartoum, the Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday. "Six of the best intelligence officers fell in Omdurman axis," the ministry said on its Facebook page. Violent clashes continued on Wednesday between the Sudanese army and the RSF in Omdurman, eyewitnesses said. Both sides on Tuesday claimed to have killed and wounded hundreds of soldiers on the other side. The Sudan Doctors Syndicate, meanwhile, said in a statement on Wednesday that "the old neighborhoods of Omdurman and Karari neighborhood came under heavy bombardment with various types of heavy weapons, resulting in many deaths and injuries." The Alnaw hospital in the Al-Thawra area is in need of surgical personnel and emergency supplies as well as donations of blood of all types, said the syndicate. Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, resulting in at least 3,000 deaths and more than 6,000 injuries, according to figures released by the Sudanese Health Ministry. Republican presidential candidates Mike Pence and Vivek Ramaswamy exchanged barbs after the former vice president said he was deeply offended by Ramaswamys comments that he does not believe the 9/11 Commission. Pence, in an interview with the Union Leader in New Hampshire, addressed Ramaswamys comments that the conservative entrepreneur made to Blaze TV when he was asked whether he believed the government about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. I dont believe the government has told us the truth, Ramaswamy said. What Ive seen in the last several years is we have to be skeptical of what the government does tell us. I havent seen evidence to the contrary, but do I believe everything the government told us about it? Absolutely not, Ramaswamy added. Do I believe the 9/11 Commission? Absolutely not. Pence told the Union Leader the comments deeply offended him. I understand he was probably in grade school on 9/11 and I was on Capitol Hill, Pence said. I think comments like that, conspiracy theories like that, dishonor the service and sacrifice of our armed forces who fought against our enemies determined to kill us, the former vice president added. Ramaswamy responded Tuesday night on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, writing in a lengthy post that he believed the U.S. government had lied to the public about basic facts of Saudi Arabias involvement in 9/11, until documents were declassified and they changed their story 20 years later. Ramaswamy, who has seen a bump in the polls in recent weeks, went on to argue the U.S. government has lied to the public about other matters, including unidentified aerial phenomenon, the origins of COVID-19, and Hunter Bidens laptop. This fuels rampant public distrust. There is no credible evidence that 9/11 was an inside job, but ironically, when the government systematically lies about Saudi involvement and the media runs interference, that lends plausibility to an otherwise unlikely claim, Ramaswamy wrote. Theres no such thing as a noble lie, he added. With all due respect to the former VP, the reason the people dont trust the government is because the government doesnt trust the people. The Hill Elections 2024 coverage Pence and Ramaswamy have qualified for the first GOP primary debate, which is scheduled for Aug. 23 in Milwaukee. A RealClearPolitics average of GOP primary polls shows Ramaswamy running in third place at an average of 6 percent, with Pence right behind him at 5 percent. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Former Vice President Mike Pences presidential campaign on Tuesday released an energy plan with the goal of overtaking China as the worlds number one energy producer. Pences new plan is largely focused on promoting fossil fuels and removing climate-related regulations. We can lead the world once again to a more prosperous and a secure future for America with energy independence and American energy leadership, Pence said in a video accompanying the plan. While the U.S. is the worlds second-largest energy producer overall, it is the largest producer of oil and natural gas. Pence joined the crowded Republican primary field in June but has gained little traction as former President Trump remains far ahead of the rest of the pack. Pences campaign website said that if he is elected, he will immediately take executive action to review and remove any Biden-era regulation that cuts energy production, gets in the way of energy production or economic growth or increases consumer prices. Pences critiques echo Republican criticism of President Bidens energy policies as focusing too much on green energy and climate change, at the expense of boosting fossil fuel production. However, Biden has also frustrated environmental groups with moves such as approving a massive oil drilling effort in Alaska known as the Willow Project. Pences plan particularly highlights regulations on power plants and refineries that turn oil into gasoline and other fuels as targets for repeal. While many pieces of the plan focus on promoting oil and gas, it also says that Pence would take an all of the above strategy in the White House and notes that renewables serve a place in Americas energy future. However, his plan does not lay out any strategies aimed at mitigating climate change. That is consistent with the Republican presidential field, which has largely ignored the issue despite record heat and frequent natural disasters. The world is burning from a record heat wave. GOP presidential candidates are shrugging The plan calls for lifting rules that limit gasoline with high ethanol content which could bring economic benefits to corn-producing states including Iowa, where the first primary caucus will be held. Pence also said he would lift limitations of mining on federal lands and seek to expedite the approval of rare earth mineral extraction and processing. He also pledged to cut approval time for energy projects in half. Congress recently passed, and Biden signed, legislation aimed at shortening the timeline for environmental impact studies on energy projects. He also said he would scrap the Justice Departments Office of Environmental Justice, which seeks to protect underserved communities from experiencing undue pollution burdens. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed on Aug. 8 that U.S. President Joe Biden "has given the green light" to allow and support the training of Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets. "Denmark and the Netherlands are taking the lead on training," Singh said, adding that she "doesn't have any further updates at this time when it comes to specific pilots being trained." Politico reported on Aug. 4 that the first group of Ukrainian pilots that will participate in F-16 training have been identified, citing unnamed U.S. sources. Eight Ukrainian pilots fluent in English are ready to begin training on the fighter jets as soon as formal training plans are drawn up by European allies and approved by the United States. Additionally, 20 more pilots with minimal English skills are available to start language instruction in the U.K. within the month. A total of 32 Ukrainian pilots have been named to possibly take part in the training program, yet English language competency remains a significant obstacle. Last month, the U.S. said it will allow European countries to train Ukrainians on F-16 fighter jets in a potential boon for Ukraines efforts to counter Russias air superiority. In May, Biden had informed G7 leaders that the U.S would support a joint effort with allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth generation aircraft, including F-16s, though it was unclear at the time when that training would start. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Counteroffensive is challenging, says Zelensky as Western pressure mounts Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A missile is launched from a US HIMARS system during joint drills in northern Australia. The Pentagon says Australia could be a proving ground for new advanced weaponry (ANDREW LEESON) Australia could be a testing ground for US hypersonic and other long-range precision weapons under the AUKUS pact, a top Pentagon official told AFP on Wednesday. US Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said Australia's contribution to the three-way AUKUS agreement, which includes Britain, "doesn't always have to be dollars". The pact was signed in late 2021 and is seen as a way of countering China's growing clout in the Asia-Pacific region. Work under AUKUS has so far focused on supplying Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, a fleet capable of travelling stealthily over vast distances and striking foes at long range. But the pact is increasingly focused on developing advanced capabilities such as long-range precision firing, artificial intelligence and hypersonic weapons. Wormuth said Australia could be a proving ground for these weapons. "One thing Australia has in spades is long distances and relatively unpopulated land," she told AFP in a telephone interview from Washington. "A challenge for us in the United States when it comes to hypersonics or even some of our things like the precision strike missile -- which is not a hypersonic weapon but has very long ranges in some of its increments -- for us to find open spaces in the United States where we can actually test these weapons, it's a challenge. "Australia obviously has a tremendous amount of territory where that testing is a little bit more doable -- so I think that's a unique thing, as an example, that the Australians bring to the table." China has denounced the AUKUS pact as undermining peace in the region -- a charge that Washington, Canberra and London reject. But critics have also asked whether it is truly cooperative, or whether the United States, because of its size and overwhelming military power, will dominate. Wormuth said she expected the two smaller partners to pitch in and "have skin in this game -- and they do". "The sense I got certainly from talking to senior Australian officials is they're not doing this to make us happy, they're not doing this just for fun," said the Pentagon official, who visited Australia last week for the Talisman Sabre multinational military exercise. "They're doing this because they see it as in their own national interest in terms of being able to meet the different challenges that they see in the theatre." - 'Prohibitively expensive' - Facing Russia's war in Europe, threats from North Korea and a more bellicose China, the United States has sought to bolster its defence alliances and put more advanced capabilities into the hands of allies like Australia, Ukraine and Taiwan. For much of the Cold War, it was Washington's policy to be able to fight two major wars at once. Wormuth admitted that today, budget constraints, US public opinion and the relative strength of Russia and China make such a doctrine impossible. "I think there is a recognition that when you look at the size of our military, when you look at the size of the defence budget that the American taxpayer is willing to pay for, we... don't plan to fight more than one major war at a time," she said. Instead, the United States hopes its alliance and nuclear arsenal will "discourage opportunistic aggression". "Given the sophistication of the Russian military and the Chinese military today, to try to size our military to hypothetically handle two wars at a time would be prohibitively expensive". sm/arb/mtp The Pentagon is not only keeping U.S. troops in place in Niger but pointing to their presence as a vote of confidence in the people of the West African nation, even as hope for a restoration of the democratically elected government begins to dwindle. "We're going to continue to engage from a military standpoint," Sabrina Singh, a Defense Department spokeswoman, told reporters at a briefing Tuesday. "I think the fact that our force posture has not changed sends a message that we're committed to the region, we're committed to Niger." The country has been a partner in the U.S. efforts against terror groups in the region -- including the location of an American drone base -- but was thrown into turmoil last month when its military rose up and deposed the first democratically elected and seated president in decades, leaving the future uncertain. Read Next: Fort Cavazos Soldiers Have Been Without Proper Access to Food for Months "We are hopeful that there will be a diplomatic resolution to this attempted coup that took place in Niger," Singh said, notably referring to the situation as an "attempted coup." Pentagon officials have been cautious about using the term "coup" since it carries legal implications for U.S. foreign policy and military assistance. The Pentagon statement comes less than a day after a top State Department official gave a grim assessment of the situation in the African nation after having met with the leaders of the military junta that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum from power two weeks ago. The news became public in the early hours of July 27. "These conversations were extremely frank and at times quite difficult," Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland told reporters on a call Monday. Nuland said she met with the leader of the junta -- Brig. Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou -- as well as three colonels supporting him. "They are quite firm in their view on how they want to proceed, and it does not comport with the constitution of Niger," Nuland said. Meanwhile, French news outlet Le Monde reported Tuesday that the junta led by Barmou has begun to consolidate power in the country by appointing its own prime minister and several top military officers to key government posts. Singh stressed that the U.S. does not want to "abandon Nigeriens that we've partnered with that we've trained with over many years," before adding that "Niger is, of course, an important ally within the region when it comes to counterterrorism and other operations." However, one of the beneficiaries of this training has been Barmou himself. Nuland noted that he "is somebody who has worked very closely with U.S. Special Forces over many, many years." Several media outlets, including The New York Times, reported that Barmou was trained at Fort Benning, Georgia (now renamed Fort Moore), and that he attended the National Defense University -- self-described as the "nation's premier joint professional military education institution" -- in Washington, D.C. The Pentagon even released images of Barmou meeting with and embracing the head of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, less than two months ago. "So, we were able to go through, in considerable detail, the risks to aspects of our cooperation that he has historically cared about a lot," Nuland told reporters. Meanwhile, the role of the Wagner group -- a cadre of mercenaries controlled by the Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin -- continues to remain an unsubstantiated but ever present worry among U.S. officials. Singh said that the Pentagon continues to see the mercenary group "trying to take responsibility for activities that happen within Africa," but she was quick to add that officials "have seen no indications they have anything to do with the events in Niger and have not seen any assistance so far flown in from Wagner forces." Nuland said she raised the topic of the mercenary group with Barmou but added that she "would not say that we learned much more about their thinking on that front." Meanwhile, Singh did say that the Pentagon's continued presence in the country is heavily contingent on American citizens and service members being safe from harm. "If their lives are at risk, of course, we're going to make that change and, of course, we will address that," Singh said. -- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin. Related: Pentagon Keeps Troops in Niger Despite Putsch, Maintains Contact with Some Military Leaders A soldier with U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces take part of the attack on the secret hideout of ISIS leader Hamza al-Homsi on Thursday on February 16. Central Command said in its July report, released on Wednesday, that Islamic State activity had dropped dramatically in that month. File Photo by SDF/UPI Aug. 9 (UPI) -- The Pentagon said on Wednesday that U.S. forces have seen a "dramatic reduction" in activity from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and they remain committed to stamping out what remains of the militant group in both countries. In its July monthly review, U.S. Central Command said it assisted in 31 operations with its coalition partners in both countries last month, killing five Islamic State operatives and detaining another 30. "Thanks to the efforts of our coalition-supported partners, we have seen a dramatic reduction in ISIS activity and effectiveness across our area of operations," Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Joint Resolve (CJTF-OIR) commanding general, said in a statement. "We remain committed to advising, assisting and enabling our partners in the lead toward an enduring defeat of ISIS," he said. Central Command said it partnered in 20 operations in Iraq and 11 in Syria in July. Officials said it captured 24 operatives in Iraq and another six in Syria. U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces take part of the attack on the secret hideout of ISIS leader Hamza al-Homsi on Thursday on February 16. Central Command said in its July report, released on Wednesday, that Islamic State activity had dropped dramatically in that month. File Photo by SDF/UPI "Our partnership with the Iraqi Security Force and Syrian Democratic Forces is crucial to addressing challenges posed by ISIS within the region," said Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, Centcom commander. "Our partners remain aggressively engaged to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS." The United States has about 900 troops in Syria assisting independent Syrian forces fight the Islamic State in the western part of the country while the Syrian government, backed by Russia, fights a civil war against forces opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Last month, the U.S. warned Russia about "unprofessional" actions Russian pilots have taken against U.S. drones operating in Syria. The Pentagon reported that a Russian fighter dropped flares in front of the drones. Editors Note: Find Thursdays Maui wildfires story here and live coverage here. At least six people have died in the wildfires that are ravaging parts of Maui, torching entire communities to the ground and leaving behind apocalyptic scenes of ash and debris. Richard Bissen Jr., the islands mayor, announced the death toll in a Wednesday news conference, but did not offer further details about the deaths and said authorities are still conducting search and rescue operations. So far, more than a dozen people had to be rescued from the ocean, among them two young children, Maui County officials said. Several people are also unaccounted for, Bissen added. And many community members have been gripped with anxiety for their loved ones safety after flames began swallowing neighborhoods. I have not slept in over 24 hours. I spent all night, all through the morning scrolling through my phone looking for family members, Dustin Kaleiopu, who lost his home to the fire, told CNNs Erin Burnett Wednesday. In the early Wednesday morning hours, Kaleiopu and his grandfather awoke to howling winds and quickly saw the blaze approaching their home. They fled shortly after 4 a.m. When Kaleiopus father went to the home an hour later to check that they had safely evacuated, there was nothing left. Our entire street was burned to the ground, Kaleiopu said. The fires on Maui started spreading widely Tuesday fueled in part by violent winds from Hurricane Dora, churning more than 800 miles away decimating homes and businesses, launching urgent rescue missions, knocking out power and communication services, and even forcing some people into the ocean to avoid being burned. On Wednesday afternoon, officials on the island urged visitors to leave Lahaina and Maui as soon as possible, reporting a mass bus evacuation was ongoing and there were available flight seats. As a result of three fires that have occurred that are continuing here on our island we have had 13 evacuations from different neighborhoods and towns, weve had 16 road closures, weve opened five shelters, Bissen said, noting more than 2,000 people were staying at shelters. Local people have lost everything, said James Kunane Tokioka, the states business, economic development and tourism director, at the news conference. Theyve lost their house, theyve lost their animals and its devastating. Scores of structures on Maui have been burned to the ground, the mayor said. Most of them were in the historic town of Lahaina, a touristic and economic hub on the west side of the island. Its where Claire Kents home was too. It happened so fast, she told CNN. I heard the first explosions of the gas stations exploding and then I saw the black smoke a couple streets away and within half an hour we were out the door. A charred boat lies in the scorched waterfront after wildfires devastated Maui's city of Lahaina on August 9, 2023. - From Mason Jarvi/Reuters Kent was at a friends home and never got to pick up anything from her house before they evacuated. We didnt even realize we werent going to get to go back, she said. But within an hour, the inferno had consumed the neighborhood, and had swallowed cars on the road Kent and her friends were using to evacuate. It was, she said, like something out of a horror movie. Bissen said helicopters were using water drops over Maui Wednesday to help suppress the flames. The fires are still not contained. Meanwhile, crews on Hawaiis Big Island were also working Wednesday to contain multiple brushfires there, including a blaze that was threatening structures in one community and was 60% contained, according to fire officials. Hawaiis governor, who was on a personal trip this week, said he was rushing back to the state Wednesday. 911 and cell service disrupted Search and rescue efforts in Maui Wednesday were made even more complicated after the wildfires cut off power and disrupted 911 and other communication services in parts of the island, Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke told CNN. 911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down, Luke said. Thats been part of the problem, that Maui County has not been able to communicate with residents on the west side, Lahaina side. Destroyed buildings smolder after the wildfires in Lahaina. - From Mason Jarvi/Reuters Satellite phones have been the only reliable way to get in touch with some areas, including hotels, the lieutenant governor said. The island is home to about 117,000 people. Our hospital system on Maui, they are overburdened with burn patients, people suffering from inhalation, she said. The reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support because Maui hospital cannot do extensive burn treatment. Thousands of animals were also displaced by the fires, the Maui Humane Society said in a Facebook post, pleading with residents who can to foster pets to make space for more animals, including some who may be injured. The disaster also has wiped out power to more than 12,000 homes and businesses in Maui, according to PowerOutage.us. Smoke billows near Lahaina on August 9, 2023. - From Dustin Johnson/Reuters Video footage shot by Air Maui Helicopter Tours over parts of the Lahaina area shows entire blocks were decimated by the flames, with little but ruins and ashes left, and everything still engulfed in a thick, hazy smoke. We were not prepared for what we saw. It was heartbreaking, it looked like an area that had been bombed in the war, Richie Olsten, the director of operations for the tour agency, told CNNs Jake Tapper Wednesday. Its just destroyed. In my 52 years of flying on Maui, Ive never seen anything like that in my life, Olsten added. Tourists are being discouraged from going to Maui, Luke told reporters Wednesday. Today we signed another emergency proclamation which will discourage tourists from going to Maui, she said. Even as of this morning, planes were landing on Maui with tourists. This is not a safe place to be. What the weather looks like next Dora, a powerful Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph, was about 860 miles southwest of Honolulu Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect. The state likely experienced its most intense winds Tuesday, seeing wind gusts reaching up to 80 mph, said meteorologist Ian Morrison with the National Weather Service office in Honolulu. But those effects are quickly dwindling. Wind speeds lowered Wednesday and are expected to further decrease Thursday and Friday, according to Morrison. The worst of the winds are certainly behind them as the wind gusts will decrease into the 20 to 30 mph range on Thursday, CNN Meteorologist Taylor Ward said. Still breezy, but much better than the 50 to 80 mph gusts that were observed Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. Dropping winds doesnt mean the fires will go away, Morrison warned, but added the drop will likely help firefighters working to contain the blazes. Little rain is expected on the Big Island and Maui this week, and it will be limited to the eastern side of the island, Ward said. CNNs Taylor Romine, Chris Boyette, Sara Smart, Joe Sutton, Raja Razek, Caroll Alvarado, Derek Van Dam, Robert Shackelford, Aya Elamroussi, Kara Nelson, Cheri Mossburg, Jennifer Gray, Eli Masket, Ross Levitt and Kelly McCleary contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com India is producing one-third less heat-trapping gas for every dollar generated by its economy, officials say. From 2005 to 2019, Indias carbon emissions roughly doubled, but its economy grew even faster. As forests expanded and renewable power came online, it was able to cut the total amount of carbon produced per dollar of economic output. In just 14 years, India trimmed the carbon intensity of its economy by 33 percent, two officials told Reuters. India has been able to completely decouple its economic growth from its carbon emissions, said one official, who declined to be named. Looking ahead, the government is aiming for a 45 percent drop in carbon intensity by the end of this decade, though it could reach that goal as early as 2025, analysts say. By 2070, India aims to each net-zero emissions. In support of this target, it pledged more than $4 billion for low-carbon energy earlier this year. Climate scientist Jayaraman Srinivasan, of the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, praised the funding, but, he told Nature, it will take many decades of consistent policy to transition from coal, oil, and gas to renewables. ALSO ON YALE E360 As Himalayan Glaciers Melt, a Water Crisis Looms in South Asia A man was shot and killed during an FBI raid early Wednesday morning in Utah, the FBI confirmed to CBS News. Special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence in Provo at 6:15 a.m. local time when the subject was shot and killed, officials said. The man allegedly posted threats online against President Biden and others, including Biden's family and former President Obama. Video recorded by neighbors, and obtained by CBS News, showed the raid, during which apparent flashbangs were seen. One neighbor told CBS News they heard about six gunshots and said the man's body was eventually brought out to the street. A criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Utah and obtained by CBS News details graphic threats gathered during an FBI investigation against a number of public officials. The suspect named in the complaint, Craig Deleeuw Robertson, was charged with three federal counts, including threats against a president. Authorities have not publicly confirmed the man who was killed is the man named in the complaint. Online posts also showed an intent to kill Mr. Biden, the complaint said. In a post dated Aug. 6, Robertson allegedly wrote, "I hear Biden is coming to Utah," and that he was "cleaning the dust off his M24 sniper." The complaint showed photos of the suspect with a long-range rifle and a type of camouflage known as a ghillie suit. The complaint in United States District Court against Craig Deleeuw Robertson, featuring threatening online postings by Robertson, is photographed in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. / Credit: Eric Risberg / AP Mr. Biden made a scheduled visit to Utah later on Wednesday. According to the complaint, the FBI had been investigating Robertson for five months for also allegedly making threats against officials including Attorney General Merrick Garland, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, all of whom are overseeing criminal or civil proceedings against former President Donald Trump. According to the complaint, Robertson wrote in a March social media post that he would be traveling to New York to fulfill his "dream" of killing Bragg. Sara Cook, Andres Triay and Ed O'Keefe contributed reporting. COVID-19 EG.5 variant spreading through U.S. Iran moves 4 Americans to house arrest, lawyer says, in possible first step in their release Watch: Virgin Galactic launches first space tourism flight As soon as some people hear the word gratitude in a conversation about well-being, they turn away with an eye roll, off in search of something more complicated and sophisticated. That is unfortunate. Far from being something sentimental and superfluous, the power of gratitude to affect lives is backed up by a surprising amount of science. I was recently invited to address an event organized by the students in the top-rated dental school in the U.S. It was an evening of appreciation in which about 30 certificates of appreciation were awarded to faculty members. The event was held in a university ballroom with a large screen at the front showing photos of the individuals one at a time throughout the evening. Alongside the photos were two or three student comments about the positive impact these teachers had made in their lives and education. I was struck by the power of this event, and also by how rare it seemed. According to the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, only 10% of employees say they express gratitude to their colleagues every day, and 60% say they never or very rarely express it. This is unfortunate because abundant evidence exists that experiencing and expressing gratitude has important positive effects on individuals, on families and on organizations. For example, a great deal of research has been conducted on the relationships between experiencing gratitude and resulting heart rhythms and heart health. In one summary of a broad array of studies, the authors concluded that gratitude is inherent not only in humans, but also in primates such as monkeys. The expression of gratitude is universal, they discovered, across all cultures and peoples. Many associations between gratitude and human health, well-being and mortality have been well-established. Its almost dizzying to consider the variety of gratitude consequences, including enhanced cognitive processing of sensory information, improved health and increased longevity, cognitive flexibility and creativity, highly ordered and coherent patterns in heart rhythms, increased efficiency of fluid exchange, filtration and absorption between the capillaries and tissues, and enhanced heart rate variability (which approaches the highest levels possible when these virtuous states are experienced). Furthermore, gratitude has been proven to make people less lonely and sick less often. It boosts immune functioning, alleviates aches and pains, and reduces the lifetime risk for depression, anxiety, substance abuse and even suicide. It even helps people sleep better at night. How much would you be willing to pay for a bottle of pills promising even a fraction of these things, and without any side effects? Well, for people who practice gratitude, they are here for the taking and completely free, aside from the cost of a little personal effort. How to exercise this muscle Dont miss that word practice. Its easy to talk about people who are naturally grateful as if the quality were innate. But the research is clear: this is something we can get better at and it doesnt take complex, expensive interventions. In one study of patients with Stage B heart failure, half were asked to keep a daily gratitude journal for example, writing down three things for which they were grateful every day. After three months, their hearts had healthier resting rates and showed significantly fewer biological signs that their heart disease was getting worse compared to those patients not keeping a gratitude journal. Related Several studies have been conducted in high school and college classrooms in which students were assigned to keep a journal during a semester. In these investigations, half the students were assigned to write down each day things for which they were grateful, or the best things that happened to them during the day. The other half wrote down events, interactions, or problems they encountered. At the end of the semester, students who kept gratitude journals experienced fewer physical symptoms such as headaches and colds; felt better about their lives as a whole; were more optimistic about the coming week; had higher states of alertness, attentiveness, determination and energy; reported fewer hassles in their lives; engaged in more helping behavior toward other people; experienced better sleep quality and had a sense of being more connected to others compared to the other students. In addition, they were absent and tardy less often and had higher grade-point averages. Experiencing gratitude had a significant impact on student classroom performance as well as their personal lives. Gratitude changes the brain Dont be mistaken in thinking this is just a psychological effect. In another study of individuals entering psychotherapy for depression and/or anxiety, half of the patients were assigned to write a letter of gratitude to another person each week for three weeks. These were compared with other therapy patients who either wrote about their deepest thoughts and impressions, or did not write at all. Three months later, brain scans were conducted and a variety of well-being measures were collected. Regardless of gender, age or initial levels of depression or anxiety, uniquely positive and significant changes in brain activity were observed in the grateful letter writers, compared with others. In particular, areas of the brain most attuned to positive emotions, learning and positive activity were substantially affected (this was true even if the letters were never sent). Remarkably, the positive effects of the gratitude intervention were found months later to be greater than the effects of the therapy itself. As Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast teaches, It is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. Give thanks in all things In my own organization-level research, gratitude has been associated with improvements in productivity, quality of outputs, profitability, innovation, customer retention and employee turnover. In these trying times, where many organizations are facing pressure, economically and otherwise, this awareness is even more valuable. Indeed, resilience and financial performance have been shown to be significantly higher in organizations with high scores in demonstrating gratitude. Like a life jacket that protects against drowning in deep waters, this simple practice can buffer those we work with and love against suffocating negative emotions such as envy, hostility, irritation and worry helping center the mind on the good in the present moment and helps us recognize and value what is, rather than dwelling endlessly on what could be. This is clearly relevant to everyone who could use some extra strength in these trying times. Perhaps the biblical counsel to give thanks in all things and live in thanksgiving daily should not be tucked away in ancient texts, or cross-stitched on a wall. From a basic public health perspective, the collective prescription of expressing gratitude remains a wise and especially effective one, if we wish to help the organizations in which we live and work become healthier, happier and more productive. Its simple: find more ways to verbalize or write your gratitude, be that publicly or privately in a journal. Few things will do you (or the world around you) more good, more quickly. Kim Cameron is the William Russell Kelly Professor of Management and Organizations at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He was formerly the dean of the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Gerald Katabazi, a Ugandan coffee businessman, checks on a batch of freshly roasted coffee beans at his coffee roastery in Kampala, Uganda on Aug. 7, 2023. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua) KAMPALA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Delegates from Africa's 25 coffee-producing countries are meeting in the Ugandan capital of Kampala with the aim of influencing the African Union to make coffee a priority crop on the continent that will pull millions of people out of poverty. Experts argue that once the continent's political leadership understands the power of coffee in transforming economies, it will bolster the continent's efforts to internally trade the "strategic commodity" but also speak with a united force on the international market. The meeting, dubbed the 2nd G-25 Heads of State Africa Coffee Summit, is convening from Aug. 7 to Aug. 10 under the theme "Transforming the African Coffee Sector through Value Addition," which is in line with the theme of the 2023 African Union agenda that focuses on accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Ezra Suruma, Uganda's former finance minister and an economist, told Xinhua in a recent interview that the 25 coffee-producing countries meeting together to speak with one voice is a major step in efforts to influence the international market. "Coming together like for example petroleum countries have been coming together and influencing, we would also have more influence on the product that we have," Suruma said. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said at the meeting that Africa is losing a lot of income to the international market that continues to prefer taking coffee in its raw form. He told the delegates that out of the 460-billion-U.S.-dollar global coffee value, the coffee-producing countries only take 25 billion dollars and Africa gets only 2.4 billion dollars. "A non-coffee producing country like Germany earns 6.85 billion dollars!! This is part of the iniquities of the present global parasitic system," Museveni said. The president said Africa must stop exporting products in their raw form but add value so that they can fetch more foreign exchange that can be used to fast track development. Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde urged international coffee trading companies to support coffee-producing African farmers technically and financially in the value-addition process. Zewde said Africa should have a united and coordinated promotion of African coffee and fair price for the product in the global market. Solomon Rutega, secretary general of the Inter-African Coffee Organization, said the coffee-producing countries have embarked on urging the non-coffee-producing countries to buy from them. He said there are talks with South Africa which largely buys its coffee from Brazil, adding that countries in the Maghreb region including Algeria and Morocco have been urged to buy coffee directly from Africa instead of buying from Europe. Rutega said Africa is also looking at emerging markets like China where it can sell coffee as a finished product. Gerald Katabazi, a Ugandan coffee businessman said all efforts made to boost coffee earnings are good at the policy level but countries need to take an extra step to address the logistical challenges that the traders face. Also, countries still have many non-tariff barriers which affect trade, he said. Rutega is optimistic that the coming into force of the AfCFTA agreement will help address some of the non-tariff barriers. The World Bank estimates that the AfCFTA will increase Africa's income by 450 billion dollars by 2035 and increase intra-African exports by more than 81 percent. According to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, this single market trade agreement will enable the African economy to reach the 29-trillion-dollar mark by 2050. This photo taken on Aug. 7, 2023 shows samples of raw coffee beans at a local coffee roastery created by Gerald Katabazi in Kampala, Uganda. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua) Ezra Suruma, Uganda's former finance minister and an economist, speaks to Xinhua on the sidelines of the 2nd G-25 Heads of State Africa Coffee Summit in Kampala, Uganda on Aug. 7, 2023. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua) Workers roast coffee beans with a machine at the coffee roastery created by Gerald Katabazi in Kampala, Uganda on Aug. 7, 2023. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua) This photo taken on Aug. 7, 2023 shows coffee beans in roasting process at a local coffee roastery created by Gerald Katabazi in Kampala, Uganda. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua) Six Phenix City restaurants, lounges and bars received perfect scores in the latest health inspections, according to the Alabama Health Department. All 22 Phenix City food service establishments inspected between June 26 and July 18 were considered to be in satisfactory compliance. Alabama state law generally requires food service establishments to be inspected at least three times a year depending on the type of food being prepared. Convenience stores may be inspected once a year. Restaurants are placed in one of four categories that determine the re-inspection schedule and use of enforcement actions: Scores of 85 to 100 are considered to be satisfactory compliance and inspected on a routine schedule Establishments that score between 70 to 84 require a follow-up inspection within 60 days Scores of 60-69 require follow-up and re-inspection within 48 hours Establishments that score below 60 are closed immediately No restaurant in Phenix City failed their routine inspection in the latest reports. Here are the scores for other restaurants inspected last month. Perfect food safety scores 14th Street Grill, 812 14th Street American Legion Post 135, 511 13th Street Lily B Rose, 1222 10th Ave Papa Johns Pizza, 2033 Highway 280 Bypass Smokems BBQ, 17A Ashwood Drive Thai Thai Cuisine, 1112 Highway 280 Bypass Other restaurants receiving a satisfactory grade Aces on 80 Bar & Grill, 3928 Highway 80 West Suite A&B Applebees Neighborhood Grill & Bar, 2090 Highway 280 Bypass El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant, 1015 Highway 280 Bypass Fat Momma Lucys, 3909-A Highway 80 German Foods, Gifts and More, 711 13th Street Hardees, 1300 Highway 280 Bypass Hidden Grill, 1400 10th Court Jacks Family Restaurants #362, 3507 Retail Drive Kentucky Fried Chicken #0521, 1802 Stadium Drive Off The Hook Seafood, 203 South Seale Road Pizza Hut, 3618 Highway 431 North Popeyes Restaurant, 3540 Highway 280/431 North Subway #4510, 2020 Highway 280 Bypass Subway Sandwichs & Salads, 2319 Lee Rd 427 Taco Bell #029081, 2059 Highway 280/431 North Yardbirds, 5407 Summerville Rd. Suite B A Chinese Coast Guard ship launches what the Coast Guard says is a warning water cannon spray in the direction of a Philippine vessel at an unknown location at sea By Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Wednesday denied making an agreement with China to remove a grounded warship that serves as a military outpost in South China Sea, and said if there ever were such a deal, it should be considered rescinded. The Philippines maintains a handful of troops aboard the World War Two-era Sierra Madre at the Second Thomas Shoal, known by Manila as Ayungin shoal, which is located inside its 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). China on Monday accused the Philippines of reneging on a promise made "explicitly" to remove the ship, which was grounded in 1999 to bolster its territorial claims in one of the world's most contested areas. "I'm not aware of any such arrangement or agreement that the Philippines will remove from its own territory its ship," Marcos said in a video statement. "And let me go further, if there does exist such an agreement, I rescind that agreement now". Jonathan Malaya, National Security Council assistant director general, earlier challenged China to produce evidence of the promise. "For all intents and purposes, it is a figment of their imagination," he said. China's embassy in Manila said it had no comment. China and the Philippines have been embroiled for years in on-off confrontations at the shoal, the latest on Saturday. The Philippines accused China's coast guard of using water cannon to impede a resupply mission to the Sierra Madre. The Philippines was "committed to maintain" the rusty ship on the shoal, Malaya said, adding it was "our symbol of sovereignty in a shoal located in our EEZ". An EEZ gives a country sovereign rights to fisheries and natural resources within 200 miles of its coast, but it does not denote sovereignty over that area. The Philippines won an international arbitration award against China in 2016, after a tribunal said Beijing's sweeping claim to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea had no legal basis, including at the Second Thomas Shoal. China has built militarised, manmade islands in the South China Sea and its claim of historic sovereignty overlaps with the EEZs of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Jay Batongbacal, a maritime expert at the University of the Philippines, said control of the Second Thomas Shoal was not only strategic for China but it could be "another ideal place to build a military base." (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty) Social media posts claim photos show a multimillion-dollar property recently purchased by the daughter of Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov. This is false; the luxury villa in Cannes, France has been on the market since October 2021, according to a real estate firm and the owners of the house . "Ukraine Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov just purchased this 7 million euro mansion in Cannes, France for his daughters wedding present," says a July 17, 2023 post on Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X." "Oleksii Reznikov is said to have a net worth of 1 million... just in case you wondered where all the money was going." Screenshot of a post on Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X," taken August 8, 2023 Another post sharing the video says: "Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov must be a happy man. Congrats on the extravagant mansion in Cannes, France for his daughter's wedding gift. Who needs transparency when you have American taxpayers funding your lavish lifestyle." The same claim circulated in a July 20 episode of "The Jimmy Dore Show" viewed more than 140,000 times, as well as in Czech social media posts. The original July 12 video from TikTok user Vladyslav Yashchenko racked up 1.8 million views. The narrator claims that in June 2023, Reznikov's daughter bought a villa in the city of Vallauris that has a swimming pool, an elevator and seven bedrooms. "Reznikov does not care about our country, about the soldiers who give their lives for it," the Ukrainian voiceover says. But AFP found no evidence supporting the claims. Through a reverse image search on Google, AFP found several listings advertising the property for sale as of August 9 (archived here and here). The Cannes-based firm Michael Zingraf Real Estate is listed as the "sole agent" for the house (archived here). Using satellite images, visual clues and nearby landmarks, AFP geolocated the property on Google Maps. Screenshot of a property for sale taken from Michael Zingraf Real Estate's website on August 8, 2023 Screenshot from Google Maps taken August 8, 2023 Michael Zingraf Real Estate says the house has eight bedrooms and costs 11.75 million -- not 7 million, as the post claims. An agency representative told AFP on July 27 that claims about the property's sale are "entirely false" and that the house was still for sale. "On behalf of the Michael Zingraf real estate agency, as the sole agent handling the sale of this property, I can confirm that the property has not yet been sold to anyone," the representative said. "I can also confirm that it is still available for the price advertised on our website." The firm said the property has been listed since October 2021. A member of the Dutch Roozen family, which French records indicate owns the house, confirmed to AFP on August 7 that the property "is still for sale." "It has never been the subject of negotiation or contact of any kind with foreign clients," the person told AFP. Old images Contrary to the claims swirling online, Reznikov's daughter was married around 10 years ago -- and other photos shown in the clip are not new. Screenshot of images in a TikTok clip taken August 7, 2023 Reznikov posted the photo on the right in 2013 (archived here). It shows the defense minister and his daughter Anastasia Reznikova on her wedding day. Ukrainian news outlet Channel 24 picked up the photo when Reznikov took office in 2021. The article says he has been married twice, has a son from his first marriage and has a daughter named Anastasia. The photo on the left shows Reznikov with his second wife Julia Zoria, whom he married in 2020. Zoria shared the picture on her Facebook page in November 2021 (archived here). AFP has previously debunked other misinformation about Russia's invasion of Ukraine here. Anastatia works at a Mexican restaurant in Aberdeen and is studying for a degree in philosophy and physics at university A physics student who won a place on Virgin Galactic's second commercial flight into space kept the dream news a secret from her colleagues. Anastatia Mayers and her mother Keisha Schahaff will be the first mother and daughter to go to space on Thursday. But the 18-year-old's co-workers only learned of her voyage from a news report posted in their work group chat. They will be tuning in to watch the scheduled launch in New Mexico at 15:30 BST. Julia Lisicka, a manager at the Mexican restaurant FreshMex in Aberdeen, said the news about Anastatia had come as an "extraordinary surprise". Staff learned about it after one of the restaurant's owners posted an article about it in their work group chat. Julia Lisicka, (centre) and the staff at FreshMex will be watching Anastatia take off on a laptop "It was very funny because she never mentioned it," Julia told BBC Scotland News. "We were like laughing 'did you book off the day that you're flying to space?'. "She never said a word, it was a secret until it came out through the news. We're very excited for her." The mission Anastatia and her mother will embark on is named Galactic 02. It is the first commercial space flight with paying customers onboard. The advertised price for a ride on the rocket plane has been as high as $450,000 (350,000). A previous Virgin Galactic spaceflight reached a height of 279,00ft (85km) Keisha entered the competition for a place onboard after seeing an advert for it pop up while on a Virgin Atlantic flight. She was travelling to the UK from Antigua in the Caribbean to sort out her daughter's visa as Anastatia had decided to study at the University of Aberdeen. She is currently enrolled there and studying for a degree in philosophy and physics. 'Dream' journey Dr Ross MacPherson, the head of undergraduate physics at the university said he is looking forward to hearing about her experience first-hand. "We're all really excited about it. There's only been I think 620 people who have been into space and now one of our students is one of them so it's fantastically exciting," he said. "We're in the physics department so being in space, being an astronaut - that's something a lot of us have as a dream. I think a lot of us are excited for term to start again to talk to her about the experience." Anastatia will be the second-youngest person to go to space. The launch window for the Galactic 02 opens at 08:30 local time (15:30 BST) and it will be blasting off from a spaceport in New Mexico. Julia said she and others working at FreshMex will be tuning into watch the takeoff in-between rolling burritos. "We're going to get a laptop, put the transmission on and just watch it all together," she said. "She's very much into girl power so she always said that she wants to inspire little girls around the world. "It's very inspiring for little girls and even us bigger girls - Ana is younger than me and I'm very much inspired." The matriarch for the Wagner family, whose members have been convicted or are facing charges in the 2016 Pike County murders, has filed a new claim trying to have her name removed from a separate wrongful death lawsuit. >> Downtown Dayton restaurant named as one of top 100 restaurants in the Midwest Fredericka Wagner, mother of George Billy Wagner Sr., wants to be removed from a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Rhoden family in connection with the Pike County massacre, according to our media partners at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati. Frederickas attorneys claim she didnt know about the familys plan to kill the Rhoden and Gilley family members and did not help cover it up. Fredericka once faced criminal charges tied to the murders, where eight members of the Rhoden family were killed execution-style while asleep in their beds, but those were later dropped. Four members of the Wagner family, George Billy Wagner Sr., his wife Angela and sons George and Edward Jake Wagner, were arrested in 2018 and charged with the murders. Tony Rhoden, a surviving brother of two of the Rhodens who were killed, sued the Wagners for wrongful death and stop them from making money off the case, the station reported. Those who were found dead in their four homes or nearby on April 22, 2016, include Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40, Dana Rhoden, 37, Hannah Hazel Gilley, 20, Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16, Clarence Frankie Rhoden, 20, Gary Rhoden, 37, Hanna May Rhoden, 19, and Kenneth Rhoden, 44. A Pike County jury found George Wagner IV guilty in November 2022 on 22 charges, including multiple murder charges, after deliberating for just over seven hours. He was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. >> Jury finds George Wagner IV guilty on all charges >> George Wagner IV gets life without parole for 2016 killings Angela and Jake Wagner have both pleaded guilty to the murders and in exchange for the removal of the death penalty from the case. As part of their plea deal, Angela and Jake testified in Georges trial and must testify at the trial of George Billy Wagner Sr. >> Jake Wagner pleads guilty to 8 counts of murder >> Angela Wagner pleads guilty to conspiracy in Pike County killings This trial is not set to begin until 2024. Authorities have identified the two people killed and one person injured in a deadly plane crash at North Perry Airport last week. Pilot Felipe Becerra Cardenas, a 31-year-old from Pembroke Pines, and passenger Shelby Thomas, a 23-year-old from Port Wentworth, Georgia, were killed Saturday, Pembroke Pines police said. Jamal Hall, a 25-year-old from Decatur, Georgia, was another passenger on the flight and was injured. He is still receiving medical treatment. Cardenas was set to take the two Georgia residents on a discovery flight at the time of the crash, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Its a type of flight designed to spur a persons interest in taking flying lessons, added Aaron McCarter, an NTSB air safety investigator. Shortly after taking off at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, the plane crashed in between the runways. Cardenas was killed at the scene and Thomas died at the hospital. McCarter and the NTSB are looking into what caused the crash, which has not yet been determined. The high heat South Florida has been experiencing could have been a factor, he said. UPDATE 9:36 a.m.: Geraldine Kelly has been located and is safe, according to Pittsburgh police. _____________ ORIGINAL STORY: Pittsburgh police are asking for the publics help to locate a missing 76-year-old woman. Geraldine Kelly is described as 5 feet, 3 inches tall and 130 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. She was last seen at UPMC Shadyside Hospital on Aug. 8 while visiting a family member. Kelly was last wearing a blue sweatshirt with white stripes on the sleeves, blue and white jeans, and pink and white Crocs. She may be carrying a brown purse. She does not have a phone with her and she could be trying to get home to North Braddock. Anyone with information is asked to call 412-323-7800 or 911. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Woman takes Lyft hundreds of miles, fires gun where child lives with foster family, police say Former Beaver County man could serve up to 112 years behind bars for rape of 2 children Educators react to Gov. Shapiros signing of state budget VIDEO: Postal worker robbed of master key in Pittsburgh DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts Poland will deploy additional 2,000 soldiers to support the Border Guard stationed at the Belarusian border, Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) on Aug. 9. The newly announced reinforcements, which will be deployed in the Lublin and Podlaskie provinces within the next two weeks, come in addition to the 2,000 soldiers already stationed at the border along with the Border Guard units, the PAP said. While the Border Guard earlier requested only 1,000 soldiers as reinforcements, the Defense Ministry decided to send twice the number. "The reinforcement will not be 1,000, but 2,000 soldiers. Such a decision was made by the Security Committee...and by (Defense) Minister Mariusz Blaszczak," Wasik told the PAP. The situation on the Polish-Belarusian border has been growing tense for the past two years. Since 2021, Minsk has been sending migrants mainly from the Middle East to the borders of Poland and the Baltic countries, facilitating an artificial migrant crisis. Recently, the tensions surged again as Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group fighters began pouring into Belarus following their short-lived uprising against the Kremlin. Since then, Wagner mercenaries conducted military exercises with Belarusian soldiers in Brest Oblast near the Polish border. On July 29, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki claimed that 100 Wagner mercenaries had been deployed near the Suwalki Corridor, a strategic strip of land between Poland and Lithuania that also divides Belarus from Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. Adding to the growing tension, two Belarusian helicopters violated Polish airspace on Aug. 1 While the prime minister warned earlier that Wagner fighters can try to infiltrate Poland from Belarus, Wasik told the PAP that the mercenaries do not threaten Polish security "in a tactical sense." Read also: Belarus Weekly: Helicopters violate Polish airspace; Wagner moves closer to border Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Harvesting in the Kyiv Oblast, the beginning of August 2022 Poland called on the European Union to help boost port capacity to allow more Ukrainian grain shipments through the Baltic Sea, while insisting it will keep a sales ban on Ukrainian crops, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus told Bloomberg on Aug. 8. We need to help Ukraine and we understand that, Telus said in an interview in Warsaw. We are thinking of building ports that will be exclusively for grain transportation, so-called agro-ports. Poland is already in early talks with neighboring Lithuania about moving phytosanitary controls from its border to Lithuanian ports, a move aimed at speeding up the transit of Ukrainian grains. While Baltic Sea terminals are an alternative, the bulk of shipments will still pass more through southern ports, he said. Read also: Brazils voice critical in convincing Russia to return to grain deal, says Blinken Ukraine grain exports through Polish ports climbed to 260,000 tons in June, the minister said. Thats more than double levels seen earlier this year and likely to increase as Russias exit from the Black Sea grain deal forces Ukraine to seek alternative routes. At the same time, Telus reiterated that Poland wont end a domestic ban on Ukraine grain sales when it expires in mid-September. We need to build real solidarity corridors through which Ukrainian products will go deep into Europe, he said. Earlier Poland estimated investments in the development of its logistics infrastructure to boost the export of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products at EUR 1 billion. Read also: Russian invaders ship out stolen Ukrainian grain via Mariupol and 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 The victim of a deadly shooting in the parking lot of an arcade early Sunday morning has been identified as a 33-year-old Bradenton man. Dwight Evans Jr. was found at the Gold Rush Arcade at 5107 17th Street West at around 2:30 a.m. Sunday with multiple gunshot wounds, the Manatee County Sheriffs Office said in a news release Wednesday morning. Deputies say a tourniquet was applied to his leg and he was taken to HCA Florida Blake Hospital, where he later died. The parking lot is used as an overflow for Touch of Class Lounge on 51st Avenue at night, the sheriffs office said. The sheriffs office said on Sunday that evidence was collected from the parking lot and deputies are following several leads. No arrests have been made as of Wednesday morning. Homicide detectives are still seeking information on what led up to the fatal shooting, and it is considered an active investigation. Anyone with information can contact the Manatee County Sheriffs Office, who along with the Gold Star Club of Manatee County is offering an additional $5000 for information leading to an arrest in this case. Manatee County Crime Stoppers has already offered up to $3,000. Anonymous tips can be made by calling 866-634-8477 (TIPS) or submitted online at the Manatee Crime Stoppers website. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa greets supporters during a campaign rally in Harare, Zimbabwe, Aug. 9, 2023. Zimbabwe will hold elections on Aug. 23. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua) HARARE, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday said the country has attained food security during a campaign rally in Harare, the national capital, to drum up support for his ruling ZANU-PF party in the upcoming harmonized election on Aug. 23. "We are food secure, we shall continue to remain food secure," Mnangagwa said amid loud cheers from party supporters. "We addressed the question of food security at the household level." Mnangagwa, who came to power in 2017, is seeking reelection for a second five-year term in the election which will also see voters choosing members of parliament and local council representatives. "We are in our third year of food security, and we are confident that in spite of climate change, we will build dams. We are promoting irrigation throughout the country to make sure we have enough irrigation in the country to irrigate our land to give us enough food each year," he added. According to the agriculture ministry, Zimbabwe, which has been supplementing a grain deficiency with imports, is now food secure after achieving bumper wheat and maize harvests this year. Mnangagwa said despite the sanctions imposed by Western nations on the country over the past two decades, Zimbabwe continues to make notable economic progress. In addition, he urged Zimbabweans to maintain a peaceful environment as the election approaches. Voters who spoke to Xinhua were excited about the coming election. "I am ready for this, and I even mobilized some of my friends, some of my people, my children for Aug. 23," said Petronella Matsvaire, a voter from Marondera, a city near Harare. "We have done the groundwork. The preparations are all going well, we are just waiting for Aug. 23," said another voter Joseph Shambare from Harare. Mnangagwa's ruling ZANU-PF party's major challenge in the election appears to be from the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change, which is led by Nelson Chamisa. Supporters of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa cheer up during a campaign rally in Harare, Zimbabwe, Aug. 9, 2023. Zimbabwe will hold elections on Aug. 23. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua) A supporter of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa is seen during a campaign rally in Harare, Zimbabwe, Aug. 9, 2023. Zimbabwe will hold elections on Aug. 23. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua) A fourth person has been charged in connection with a brawl Saturday at a riverfront dock in Montgomery, Alabama, police said Thursday. Mary Todd, 21, has been charged with third-degree assault and was being held Thursday in Montgomerys municipal jail, Montgomery police said. The other three charged were Richard Roberts, 48, who faces two counts of third-degree assault, and Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, who face a count each of third-degree assault, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert has said. They were taken into custody earlier this week, Albert said. The fight between those charged, identified by authorities as White, and a Black co-captain of a riverboat stemmed from a dispute over a dockside parking spot, authorities said. It quickly escalated into a widespread brawl in which, according to one witness, a racial slur was used. The incident, which was caught on video and has captured national attention, largely broke down along racial lines in a city with both a fraught history of racial violence and a proud place in the civil rights movement. You could hear men yelling f**k that n***er as the Black co-captain tried to move a pontoon boat occupying the riverboats docking location, the mother of a victim in the altercation alleged in a sworn statement to police. However, police still believe the brawl was not racially motivated, and the co-captain said as much when interviewed by authorities a second time, Albert told CNN on Wednesday. We believe what he is saying, and what he is saying is that he does not believe it was racially motivated whatsoever, Albert said. If more evidence comes forward. If theres more proof that this leaned toward more of a hate crime, we will amend those charges and charge appropriately then, he added. CNNs attempts to reach the four people charged or their legal representation for comment werent immediately unsuccessful. The four are scheduled to be arraigned on September 1. From left, Zachary Shipman, 25; Richard Roberts, 48; Allen Todd, 23; and Mary Todd, 21, face assault charges. - Montgomery Police Department The victims in the assaults were identified as Damien Pickett, the co-captain, and a 16-year-old White boy who had transported Pickett to the dock in a small boat. The witness also alleged in her sworn statement that Roberts punched her son the 16-year-old in the chest as he attempted to pull people off of the co-captain, who video shows was knocked to the ground and struck by a group of several White people. She also alleged another man in the group said he was getting his gun, at which point he was tackled by an employee of the riverboat, the Harriott II. CNN is not identifying the mother or the victim because he is a minor. A man seen wielding a chair in social media videos during the brawl is being asked to contact police, Albert said. Authorities looked into whether there was enough evidence to charge for a hate crime or inciting a riot, but the actions did not meet the criteria, Albert said at Tuesdays news conference, though he told CNN Tuesday night authorities could amend charges as necessary as the investigation continues. Calling Montgomery the birthplace of civil rights, Albert told CNN, We know how contentious this was back in the 60s, the 50s, the 70s. We dont want to go back to that, and were not going to go back to that. We are going to make sure were going to get it right the first time, so its going to be a slow and methodical process to ensure justice for all. In all, 13 people were detained and questioned for several hours Saturday before being released, the chief said Tuesday. I dont think were near finished, the chief said. We have a lot more work to do on this. We have hundreds of videos and witness statements at this time, and I would say at this point it is highly likely that more arrests and more individuals will face charges, Albert told CNN on Tuesday night. Heres what else we know about what unfolded at the riverfront dock Saturday and the ongoing investigation: Fight stemmed from dispute over docking spot It all began around 7 p.m. Saturday when the Harriott II riverboat carrying 227 passengers returned to the waterfront and tried to dock in its designated, reserved spot but found the private boat docked in its space, the chief said. The Harriott and its passengers waited for around 45 minutes as the captain tried to reach the operators of the boat using the PA system and they were only responded to with obscene gestures, curse words and taunting, Albert said. Pickett, the co-captain, was then picked up from the riverboat by another vessel and brought to the dock to try to have a conversation with the boat owners and get them to move, Albert said. There, the boat owners confronted the captain in a very hostile manner, the chief said. The co-captain was doing his job, the chief said. He was simply trying to move the boat in just enough to where the cruise ship could park safely in its identified location. However, it quickly escalated. Pickett was attacked by several members of the private boat, the chief said. The co-captain received treatment at a local hospital later that night, Albert added. Several crew members of the Harriott II then came to Picketts defense, according to the chief. The Harriotts captain first called police to report a disturbance at 7 p.m., then police received another call at 7:15 p.m. The first officers arrived at the scene 7:18 p.m., according to the police chief. The fight was brought on by reckless individuals who did not use good judgment and caused an event that certainly was avoidable, Reed said during Tuesdays news conference. That said, the police department reacted very swiftly and very intentionally to address the matter, as did other citizens in the community. Asked Wednesday about others who joined the brawl, Reed said, We would have preferred obviously that maybe they break it up, but he understood emotions were running high. Its easy to Monday-morning quarterback the situation when youre not in it, but I certainly understand those who took the notion to try to defend someone they thought was being mistreated. Investigators looked into hate crime charges The police chief said local investigators worked with the FBI to examine whether to file hate crime charges in this case. We were unable to present any inciting-a-riot or racially biased charges at this time, Albert said at the news conference a sentiment Reed echoed Wednesday morning on CNN, adding authorities continue to ask for witnesses to share video or audio evidence with investigators. I think its important for us to understand that there was a young White dock worker or someone who worked on the boat who also tried to help and who was attacked as well, said Reed, Montgomerys first Black mayor. The police department had spent hours investigating what happened to ensure that they get it right, the chief told CNN. Knowing Montgomerys history, knowing all the civil rights things that we went through here in the city of Montgomery and what the means to the nation, we were very amped-up to get this right, Albert said Tuesday night. As new developments come forward, we will amend charges as necessary If it rises to the level of hate crimes, if it rises to the level of inciting a riot, or whatever that looks like we will do just that, Albert said. As the video of the brawl went viral online, it turned the spotlight on Montgomerys racial history. The city played a central role in the transatlantic slave trade, as enslaved people would arrive on its riverfront to be sold in the citys slave markets. It later became the birthplace of the civil rights movement, after Rosa Parks refusal to give up her bus seat to a White man in December 1955 led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the first major protest against segregation. Montgomery has built a culture of moving forward and reconciliation of our past, City Councilwoman Marche Johnson told CNN News Central on Wednesday. She pointed to the presence of the Equal Justice Initiative, its museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which stands in honor of lynching victims. Were fertile ground for reconciliation, right? But right now what I see is a country coming together from all walks of life to want to know what can we do next, she said, how can we resolve this, how can we come together as communities on two separate aisles and really truly resolve the past and move forward to the future. Brawl was caught on video The brawl on the dock grew as more people joined Saturday. - X/@myteks The incident was captured in now-viral social media video, showing it escalating from the initial interaction with the co-captain and then eventually turn into a large melee and police responding to break up the altercation. The footage shows a shirtless White man charged and shoved the Harriotts employee, who flung his hat into the air. The shirtless man then threw several punches at him, and a group of several other White people knocked the worker to the ground and started hitting him, the footage shows. At one point, a young White male wearing a life jacket came over to the scene and was struck by one of the shirtless White men, the video shows. The fight escalated further, with other groups of people entering the fray, and a person aboard the boat jumped into the water and swam toward the fight, the video shows. After a short break in the action, the Harriott II pulled in to the dock and a second round of fights began, the footage shows. As the fighting continued, a Black man could be seen hitting two other people with a folding chair before he was detained by police, the footage shows. Another person could be seen going from the dock into the water, according to the video. Witness Christa Owen, who was on the Harriott II with her family, described feeling like a forced spectator as she watched the co-captain get attacked from the boat. She said she filmed video of the confrontation and showed it to a police officer after disembarking. It was a very helpless feeling. I know how helpless that man must have felt, she told CNNs Sara Sidner on Tuesday night. Owen said the co-captain was just doing his job and trying to get us to dock so that we could leave the boat and enjoy the rest of our evening. The men on the pontoon boat did not listen to the captains request over and over again and this guy was saving our night. So when he was assaulted, it was just mind-blowing unnecessary attack, Owen said. CNNs Eric Levenson and Christal Hayes contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The Police Service of Northern Ireland has launched an investigation into the theft of documents featuring the names of more than 200 serving officers from a vehicle. The files, which include a spreadsheet containing information about staff, along with a police issue laptop and radio, were allegedly stolen from a private vehicle in Newtownabbey, near Belfast, on July 6. It comes as the PSNI declared a critical incident with Simon Byrne, Northern Irelands Chief Constable, cutting his family holiday short to deal with the crisis. It apologised for compromising the data of all 10,000 of its officers and staff in a data breach that revealed their rank, surname, initial, location and departments online for up to to three hours. Mr Byrne is due to answer questions from politicians about the incident which has sparked widespread concern. The Police Service of Northern Irelands Senior Information Risk Owner, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd said: Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the theft of documents, including a spreadsheet containing the names of over 200 serving officers and staff. The documents, along with a police issue laptop and radio, were believed to have been stolen from a private vehicle in the Newtownabbey area on 6 July. We have contacted the officers and staff concerned to make them aware of the incident and an initial notification has been made to the office of the Information Commissioner regarding the data breach. This is an issue we take extremely seriously and as our investigation continues we will keep the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Information Commissioners Office updated. 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. UPDATE 11:19 a.m.: A Columbus police officer was injured in a shooting between police and a suspect in Columbus Wednesday morning. The shooting happened around 6:50 a.m. in a shopping plaza in south Columbus where officers were responding to a robbery call, according to our news partners at WBNS in Columbus. >> Back to School: Increase in enrollment at local school district prompts changes to bus routes Columbus Police Sgt. Joseph Albert said the initial report was that a man with a firearm was robbing a person in the parking lot. When officers arrived on the scene, gunfire was immediately exchanged between the suspect and multiple officers, according to Albert. An officer and the suspect were both hit at least once. The officer and suspect were taken to Grant Medical Center. The suspect died from their injuries just after 7:20 a.m., WBNS reported. The officer was in critical condition, but his condition has since improved. Albert told WBNS that multiple firearms were found at the scene. He added that a person was arrested on scene, but their involvement in the incident is unknown at this time. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting. Atlanta police are looking for some men who may have been involved in a scuffle that cost one man his life. Police say David Dominguez-Reyes suffered a laceration to the head on June 27 at a gas station on MLK Dr. NW. Ten days later, Dominguez-Reyes died from his injuries. Investigators are now releasing surveillance video that shows men at the gas station the night Dominguez-Reyes was attacked. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Police believe a group of men beat and robbed Reyes. Reyes mother was able to make it from Mexico in time to say a final goodbye. Maria Guadalupe Reyes Sanchez told Channel 2 Action News she arrived to see her son take his last breath because he was disconnected from life support right before her eyes. TRENDING STORIES: Anyone who recognizes the men in the video should contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Two people were arrested Wednesday morning for allegedly assaulting a woman and stealing her purse outside of a bank. Keith Fauth, 50, of Haverhill, and Christine Brogna, 51, of Laconia, New Hampshire, are both charged with assault and battery on a person over 60, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60 and unarmed robbery of a person over 60. Officers responding to the parking lot of Metro Credit Union on Main Street around 9:42 a.m. for a report of a purse snatching that occurred found a 61-year-old victim who was allegedly shoved to the ground, according to Tewksbury Police. She was transported to an area hospital for treatment of her injuries. Shortly thereafter, police were provided a description of the two assailants, as well as the car they drove off in. Patrol officers say they found the suspect vehicle a little over a mile down the road at 1928 Main Street and conducted a traffic stop. Both suspects, identified as Fauth and Brogna, were arrested without incident. They will be arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Lowell District Court. I am extremely grateful for the quick action of our patrol officers who were not only able to bring these individuals into custody, but also able to retrieve the victims stolen items, said Chief Ryan Columbus. Authorities say this was not a random act of violence and the parties were acquainted earlier in the day. 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 astronaut to launch with Texas-based Axiom Space for mission to the ISS Poland's second-ever astronaut will launch with Houston-based company Axiom Space on a future mission to the International Space Station. This week, the American private company Axiom Space, Poland and the European Space Agency signed an agreement to send a European astronaut to the space station. This marks the second ESA astronaut agreement to fly with Axiom Space. Previously, Axiom Space signed a similar letter of intent with Swedish National Space Agency to send a Swedish astronaut on a January 2024 mission. ARTEMIS II ASTRONAUTS MEET THEIR SPACECRAFT AHEAD OF LATE 2024 MOON LAUNCH While the ESA has not officially announced the Polish astronaut who will launch to the ISS, there is only one Pole in the European astronaut corps. Sawosz Uznanski, 39, was part of the ESA astronaut class of 2022. If Uznanski is selected to fly on the mission, he will become the second Polish astronaut to achieve spaceflight. According to the Supercluster astronaut database, Miroslaw Hermaszewski became the first person from Poland to complete a space mission. He launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket and spacecraft in 1978, completing a 7-day mission. Waldemar Buda, Minister of Economic Development and Technology of Poland, said in a statement the Polish astronaut selected will have an opportunity to test Polish technology in space. "For our companies, this is a unique opportunity to gain flight heritage, which will be proof of the quality of Polish products," Buda said. "The educational aspect is also important for us, as we hope it will result in the interest of many young people in the space sector." WATCH AS WIND TURBINE SNAPS, COLLAPSES IN GERMANY AFTER POSSIBLE LIGHTNING STRIKE Polish news outlet Notes from Poland said Buda noted in his announcement that the approval is pending, but he is hopeful Uznanski will be selected for the Axiom Space mission. "This reinforced engagement will enable new possibilities for Poland to lift its capabilities in the fast-emerging domain of space," ESAs Director General Josef Asbacher said in a statement. "While the cooperation with Axiom Space opens new opportunities for our ESA astronauts." Axiom Space manages the mission, including training, the company purchases rides to the ISS from SpaceX using the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Axiom Space completed its second private mission to the International Space Station in May and has signed an agreement with NASA for the third and fourth missions. Ax-3 will launch in January 2024 and include the first ESA astronaut to fly with Axiom Space. A popular San Luis Obispo sandwich shop closed its doors July after 15 years in business. Located at 1901 Broad St., the Broad Street Giant Grinder Shop was known for its East Coast-style grinders featuring fresh ingredients such as pastrami, meatballs and mozarella cheese. Business owner Brad Fuller opened his sandwich shop in Manhattan Beach in 1970. The Connecticut native and his wife relocated to San Luis Obispo County in 2008, where he opened his 10th sandwich shop at the Broad Street location. After retiring at the end of 2019 and putting Broad Street Giant Grinder Shop on the market, Fuller sold the shop to husband-and-wife team Marty Budinger and Libby Waterbury, who had run the restaurant for the past three years. According to a post on the Broad Street Giant Grinder Shop Facebook page, Budinger and Waterbury made the decision to close due to a number of challenges faced by many small businesses nationwide. We have struggled with this decision, but know it is the best for our family at this time, the Facebook post read. Battling a pandemic, labor shortages, supply chain issues and skyrocketing food costs has taken its toll. The sandwich shops final day was July 28. According to the Facebook post, Budinger and Waterbury were clearing out the shop in preparation for new tenants that will be an amazing addition to the neighborhood. They did not name the new tenants or specify when they would open in the Broad Street location. Budinger and Waterbury will remain in San Luis Obispo, where their twin children are attending their final years at San Luis Obispo High School, according to the post. Marty and Libby are taking a moment to rebuild their mental reserves so they can continue to find ways to engage in this wonderful community for years to come, the post read. Requests for additional comment from Budinger and Waterbury were not immediately returned Tuesday afternoon. PORT ST. LUCIE Police are investigating after a 25-year-old man was found dead with a gunshot wound at Savannas Preserve State Park - Evans Creek, and the person or people responsible are suspected to have left the area, officials said. At 3:11 p.m. Tuesday, Port St. Lucie police went to the park on the west side of South U.S. 1 just south of Southeast Crosstown Parkway after a 911 call about a shooting. Port St. Lucie police are investigating after a 25-year-old man from Miami was found dead with a gunshot wound at Savannas Preserve State Park - Evans Creek on Aug. 8, 2023. Officers arrived on scene and found an adult male in the roadway deceased from an apparent gunshot wound, police said. Acting Assistant Chief Marc DiMeo said police met the 911 caller at the park entrance. He initially advised that the person he was with had been shot," DiMeo said. Police later reported the 911 caller, who is not from the area, indicated "an individual shot his friend and then fled the scene in a vehicle." Port St. Lucie police are investigating after a 25-year-old man from Miami was found dead with a gunshot wound at Savannas Preserve State Park - Evans Creek on Aug. 8, 2023. Police are investigating the incident as a homicide, DiMeo said. Acting Police Chief Richard Del Toro said investigators believe the 911 caller and the others traveled to the area together, but the circumstances weren't immediately clear. The main thing I wanted to get across to the public right now is there is no immediate threat to the area," Del Toro said Wednesday afternoon. "We believe this to be an isolated incident where the suspect and the victims knew each other. The deceased was identified as a 25-year-old man from Miami. Police did not publicly release his name, citing Marsy's Law. Introduced in memory of a young woman murdered by her ex-boyfriend, Marsys Law was created to offer crime victims a slate of rights, including protecting them and their families from harassment by their attackers. Some law enforcement officials have interpreted the statute as applying to any victim, as well as to law enforcement officers being entitled to privacy and having their identity protected. Port St. Lucie police are investigating after a 25-year-old man from Miami was found dead with a gunshot wound at Savannas Preserve State Park - Evans Creek on Aug. 8, 2023. Del Toro said the 911 caller was was questioned and released Tuesday. We're working on multiple suspects at this time," Del Toro said. "So we haven't narrowed that down just yet. A thorough search of the area was completed with assistance from the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit, Port St. Lucie Police Department Drone and K-9 Unit, police said. Those with information are asked to call police at 772-871-5037 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 800-273-TIPS. Back to school: Threats to Treasure Coast schools, students not frequent but keep deputies alert What happened to Brock Hackworth?: St. Lucie sheriff's officials continue investigation of remains of man found in rural area Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on Twitter @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-692-8936. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Police investigating after body found off South U.S. 1 FILE - The Oregon Senate is seen in session at the state capitol in Salem, Ore., Thursday, June 15, 2023. Oregon's elections chief says the 10 Republican state senators who had more than 10 unexcused absences during the most recent GOP walkout can't run for reelection in 2024. Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade made the announcement Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in a bid to clear up confusion over reelection rules following the 2023 walkout. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The 10 Republican state senators in Oregon who racked up more than 10 unexcused absences during a walkout in the most recent legislative session can't run for reelection in 2024, the states elections chief said Tuesday. Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade made the announcement in a news release to clear up confusion over how reelection rules would affect those senators. Under Measure 113, which was approved by voters in 2022, lawmakers with more than 10 unexcused absences were supposed to be disqualified from being reelected for the following term. But some Republicans raised questions over the measure's vague wording, sparking confusion over what the consequences of the walkout would be for boycotting senators. My decision honors the voters intent by enforcing the measure the way it was commonly understood when Oregonians added it to our state constitution, Griffin-Valade said. She has directed the Oregon Elections Division to implement an administrative rule to clarify the stance, which she said is consistent with that of the Oregon Department of Justice. Senate Republicans said they would challenge the rule in court. We believe the plain language of Measure 113 allows for members to run again in 2024 elections, Senate Republican Minority Leader Tim Knopp said in a statement. After GOP lawmakers in Oregon boycotted the Legislature in 2019, 2020 and 2021, voters last November approved a ballot measure by an almost 70% margin that was supposed to stop walkouts. Lawmakers with 10 or more unexcused absences would be disqualified from being reelected in the next term, according to the measures title and summary. But the text of the measure which is now part of the state constitution says disqualification applies to the term following the election after the members current term is completed. That means, Republicans argue, that boycotters who are up for reelection in 2024 could be candidates despite having over 10 absences because their current terms end in January 2025 with the disqualification coming for the 2028 election. Griffin-Valade's office sought to dispel that notion in its Tuesday news release. The Secretary found no suggestion prior to enactment in the voters pamphlet, media, or otherwise that the measure was understood or intended to allow absent legislators to serve an additional term after accumulating too many absences, and then be disqualified the term after that, the release said. Courts have found that the text of adopted ballot measures must be interpreted according to voters' intent, the release added. Senate Republican Minority Leader Tim Knopp was among the 10 GOP senators with more than 10 unexcused absences during the 2023 legislative session, which ended in June after being stalled by the six-week walkout the longest-ever to grip the Oregon Legislature. Of those 10 lawmakers, six have only one legislative session left in their terms. One of the six, Bill Hansell, has announced he will retire when his term ends. Johnson Countys election office is reviewing three petitions aiming to overturn Prairie Villages form of government and remove half of the City Council to determine whether they can legally be placed on the November ballot. But Prairie Villages city attorney said during the councils standing-room-only meeting Monday that the petitions failed to meet several legal requirements, signaling they are likely to go nowhere. A vocal group of residents organized over the past year to oppose the citys efforts to allow for more affordable housing. The Stop Rezoning group has been collecting signatures on petitions to limit rezoning, strip the mayor of powers and halve the 12-member council. The six members elected in 2021 would automatically be ejected from their seats. Johnson Countys legal counsel determined earlier this spring that the groups petitions failed to meet legal requirements. But after collecting enough signatures, the group through attorney Rex Sharp, husband of council candidate Lori Sharp submitted three of their ballot initiatives to the city and county election office last week. The Johnson County legal department raised several compliance questions ... about noncompliance with Kansas law, Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson said during the meeting. Its unclear whether those legal compliance problems were shared with prospective (petition) signers. But upon first review, it appears those issues may not have been addressed. Members of the opposition group still are urging officials to let the initiatives be decided by the voters this fall. They came out in force to voice anger and disappointment with city leaders during Mondays meeting. Thousands of homeowners have spoken. Are you still not listening? resident Pam Justus said. Resident Karen Gibbons argued that the initiatives would put Prairie Village in line with the norm of other cities with smaller councils. Prairie Village does have a large council for its size, with the same number of members as in Overland Park and Kansas City. Gibbons pushed back against those who call the initiatives to remake the city government radical. She said the Stop group has been called, old, racist, NIMBYs, trolls, liars. Do you wonder now, while we have massive support from Prairie Village residents and just months before the election, we do not believe what you say? Youve changed your attack, your spin and your purpose numerous times over the year that Ive been actively watching. We do not believe you will back away from your original plans. Some council members said members of the group spread misinformation and failed to disclose the language of the petitions as they were being circulated. And some called the effort to overturn the citys government and remove council members from their seats midterm unconstitutional. Councilman Greg Shelton, elected in 2021, argued that either the group misunderstands the law and is over-promising to petition signers, or has co-opted the housing initiative as a political ploy to sow discord and discontent in our community as a means of trying to regain some political power after their preferred candidates were defeated in the past two elections. Why the sudden need for all this upheaval? Shelton said. Especially since so many of the leaders of the Stop Prairie Village group actually served on this council and never felt compelled to pursue similar measures while they sat in these seats. Stop Rezoning signs have been cropping up in yards across Prairie Village, as neighbors protest the citys idea to amend zoning laws to allow for more duplexes, apartment buildings and townhomes. Housing war in Prairie Village Red Stop Rezoning signs have been cropping up in yards across Prairie Village over the past year, as the council has debated whether it should change zoning laws to allow for more affordable housing. Officials argue Prairie Village needs a more diverse housing stock, in the city where average home prices topped $536,000 last year, and where smaller homes keep getting torn down to make way for McMansions. They say current zoning laws largely prohibit the construction of duplexes, triplexes, row houses and small apartment buildings, or basically anything other than single-family homes and large apartment complexes. As the city prices out many working- and middle-class families and retirees, some feel it is time that Prairie Village does something to ensure housing is available for teachers, police officers, firefighters and others who work in the city. Last summer, the council voted to support the city housing committees recommendations, which included amending zoning regulations. But that has set off a firestorm in the northeast Johnson County city of 23,000, with several homeowners opposing any zoning changes that could possibly lead to developers building higher-density housing. Many joined the Stop group, which includes some former council members and current candidates. Members argue the city is already too dense and built out to add multi-family housing they worry would ruin the character of their neighborhoods. Homeowner James McGrath told The Star in an email that the zoning changes would be developer friendly and will allow outside interests, not neighbors, to come in and build without considering neighbors and the communitys interests. More multifamily will just increase density to an already fully built city. City leaders have slowed their discussions as neighbors raise more concerns. And the council voted to mostly take single-family areas out of the discussion, and focus on allowing mixed-use projects in zoning areas with multi-family and commercial space. But the Stop group has been unimpressed, arguing on Monday that if the city had addressed their concerns they wouldnt be packing the council chambers. Some said the city should be more focused on making Prairie Village more affordable for current homeowners. Now the housing debate has morphed into a full-blown political battle over how the city government is run. A Prairie Village home built in 1955 in the Indian Fields neighborhood is prepped for demolition to make way for a new, larger home. Effort to overhaul Prairie Village The Stop group submitted its three petitions to the city and county election office last week. One would change the citys definition of rezoning and restrict ordinances that would allow for accessory dwelling units, or granny flats, as well as other dwellings with more than one family living on a single-family lot. City code currently allows for those granny flats but only if they are attached to the main house and follow other strict regulations. Officials have debated amending those restrictions. More than 3,700 people signed that petition, according to a letter to the county from Rex Sharp. The second petition would abandon the citys mayor-council form of government, including cutting the number of council seats in half and removing all of the members elected in 2021. And the third would establish a mayor-council-city manager form of government that would limit the mayors powers and have only one council member per ward. Those petitions both had more than 2,100 signatures, according to the letter. The mayor and current council are elected to represent their residents. They clearly arent listening to the hundreds of people that have attended the meetings, written emails and spoken at meetings, McGrath said in an email. All these residents just want to be heard and have a say. That is why the petitions are so important, to let the citizens have a say/vote. I would hope they would be in support of that and eager to hear from the residents. In addition to having enough signatures, the initiatives must meet several requirements under state law to be valid and placed on the ballot. Prairie Village City Attorney David Waters said the petitions do not fix the problems raised by the county this spring, when the group submitted five initiatives for review, and legal staff said they did not meet statutory requirements. Councilman Chad Herring questioned that during Mondays council meeting. Why would people bring before us petitions that they expect are going to be illegal, or at least considered to be so, if not to try to raise ire against this council? When we have an obligation to follow the constitution of the state of Kansas and follow the law, Herring said. Were not permitted to advance illegal matters. I think the answer is theres a desire to increase anger at the elected officials of the city. Herring, who was elected in 2019, called efforts to undermine the 2021 election, unreasonable, unconstitutional and probably illegal. Waters said there are several legal problems with the petitions, including missing language required under state law that says the person circulating a petition must believe each signature is genuine. Waters said that by omitting the language, there is no verification that the person signing it is who they say they are. And signatures could be invalidated, he said, if residents signed a blank page missing the required language. Another simple error is that state law requires the petitions to include the language, Shall the following be adopted? But the group failed to add that sentence to the petitions regarding the form of government. Both Waters and the county legal department also disagree with having two separate petitions, one abandoning the form of government and another establishing a new one. If one passes and another doesnt, Waters said this could produce conflicting election results. Waters said state law also requires that if a new form of government were to pass, the governing body would be elected under that structure at the next regular city election, which would be in 2025. But the groups petitions call for half of the council to immediately be removed. Only the six who win in November would be in office. He said the petitions also should establish terms of office. But the initiatives only state that the currently elected at large Mayor shall serve two year terms. Waters said the petition does not establish the terms of office for future mayors. Mikkelson ran unopposed for mayor last year. Earlier this summer, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe rejected four requests to recall Mikkelson, partly because the mayor sits on the board of United Community Services, which promotes affordable housing solutions. Howe determined the requests had no legal grounds. Councilman Ron Nelson, who was elected in 2021, argued, there are other reasons behind this movement, as it seems not to be anything about the petitions, because the petitions are not well written. The petitions have not been shared. If you want to run against somebody, then you run against them. You dont do it the chicken way and then file a petition after somebodys been elected to either remove them from office or just take out six of us. Some city officials said that if residents are interested in changing Prairie Villages form of government, there are more productive ways to have that discussion. Waters pointed to Lawrence, where the city formed a task force to study the form of government and is putting the matter on the ballot. Johnson County Election Commissioner Fred Sherman will review the legality of the petitions, but Waters said the timeframe for that is unclear. Sherman previously told The Star that ballot language must be approved by Sept. 1 for the November election. Busy harvest scenes on 'Liqiu,' the first day of autumn People's Daily Online) 13:53, August 09, 2023 Farmers pick fresh grapes in Huailai county, Zhangjiakou city, north China's Hebei Province, on Aug. 8, the first day of autumn on the Chinese lunar calendar. (Photo/Sun Huijun) On Aug. 8, "Liqiu," the first day of autumn according to the Chinese lunar calendar, was celebrated with scenes of abundant harvest across China. Orchards and farms were brimming with ripe fruits and vegetables, ready to be picked, painting a vibrant picture of prosperity. During the first half of the year, China enjoyed an adequate supply of vegetables, keeping prices stable and low. The output of various produce saw year-on-year increases, with beef up by 4.5 percent, mutton by 5.1 percent, dairy by 7.5 percent, eggs by 2.9 percent, and seafood by 4.5 percent. This production growth contributed to a downward trend in prices, reflecting ample supply. Approximately 110 million mu (7.3 million hectares) of land has been dedicated to vegetable cultivation this year, marking an increase of more than 1 million mu compared to the same period last year. Zeng Yande, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, emphasized that the thriving rural economy in the first half of 2023 has played a vital role in supporting the country's goals of steady growth, employment, and stable commodity prices. A farmer picks peaches at an orchard in Yongle township, Nanming district of Guiyang city, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo/Qiao Qiming) A farmer picks dragon fruits at a farm in Yangjia town, Fucheng district of Mianyang city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Aug. 8, the first day of autumn on the Chinese lunar calendar. (Photo/Chen Dongdong) Villagers harvest lotus roots at a lotus pond in Guanfu village, Huangtugang town, Zhangshu city, east China's Jiangxi Province, on Aug. 7. (Photo/Bao Gansheng) Workers unload swimming crabs at a dock in an aquatic products market in east China's Zhejiang Province on Aug. 7. (Photo/Chen Yongjian) (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Du Mingming) ISLAMABAD, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) of Pakistan arrested seven drug traffickers in various operations across the South Asian country, an ANF spokesperson said on Wednesday. The spokesperson said in a statement that the ANF conducted six separate operations and seized 32 kg of drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine-filled capsules, intoxicated tablets and hashish. According to the official, the force detained a passenger with 300 grams of heroin concealed in beauty cream when he was leaving for Saudi Arabia at the Islamabad International Airport. In another operation, a couple was arrested at the Islamabad International Airport when they were trying to get a boarding pass for Qatar, he said, adding that a total of 60 methamphetamine-filled capsules were recovered from their possession. Separately, 297 grams of narcotics were recovered from a parcel confiscated from a courier office in eastern Rawalpindi City. The parcel was booked from the Netherlands to the southern port city of Karachi. Separate cases have been registered against the arrested accused while further investigations are under process, said the ANF officials. President Joe Biden waves to the media and dignitaries as he begins to walk down the stairs from Air Force One at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News President Joe Biden arrived in Utah on Wednesday afternoon, hours after a Provo man who had made repeated violent threats against the president was killed by FBI agents. Air Force One landed at the Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City, less than 50 miles from Provo, at 4:24 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time. Military personnel were there to greet the president. The president was joined by over a dozen White House staffers, including press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and national climate adviser Ali Zaidi. Biden is in Utah to deliver a speech on veterans health and attend a campaign fundraiser Thursday. Upon stepping out of the planes door, Biden waved at the dignitaries and media awaiting him on the tarmac. He walked down the stairs and saluted Maj. Gen. Michael J. Turley, Adjutant General, Utah Joint Force Headquarters, Utah Air National Guard; and Col. Robert Taylor, Wing Commander, 151st Air Refueling Wing, Utah Air National Guard. He then greeted Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, first lady Abby Cox, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, with whom he interacted for several minutes. The president boarded a black limousine at 4:41 p.m. alongside the Coxes, Mendenhall and Wilson and departed the runway. The presidents limousine was flanked by a motorcade of over a dozen vehicles, including Utah Highway Patrol and unmarked SUVs. Biden was briefed on the FBI shooting earlier Wednesday, a White House official said. He did not take questions from the media upon his arrival in Salt Lake City. Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney were not at the base when Biden arrived, nor do they plan to attend his speech on Thursday. President Joe Biden talks with Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Salt, Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson after visiting with Gov. Spencer and first lady Abby Cox on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Air Force One pic.twitter.com/966meYAAcb KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) August 9, 2023 Related Craig Robertson, an elderly man living in Provo, was shot and killed as FBI agents attempted to serve a search warrant at his home Wednesday morning. In the weeks and months preceding Bidens arrival in Utah, a Facebook page under Robertsons name made multiple violent threats toward the president and other elected officials, including asking whether the state will be known as the place a sniper took out Biden the Marxist. On July 27, a post on the page said, Hey FBI, you still monitoring my social media? Checking so I can be sure to have a loaded gun handy in case you drop by again. Robertson shared the post again two days ago. ABC News reported that the FBI began investigating the mans threats in April and the Secret Service was notified in June. President Joe Biden looks over at Utahs First Lady Abby Cox as they talk in his car after the president arrived on Air Force One at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Related Biden will deliver remarks Thursday morning, the one-year anniversary of the PACT Act. The presidents speech at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center is expected to discuss the PACT Acts health care benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. On Thursday afternoon, Biden will participate in an invite-only campaign fundraiser in Park City. He will return to Washington after the speech. The president arrives in Utah after a three-day swing through the western United States. On Tuesday, he designated a new national monument outside Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Biden visited Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Wednesday. Related President Joe Biden walks down the steps from Air Force One as he arrives at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News President Joe Biden talks with Governor Spencer Cox after his arrival on Air Force One at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News President Joe Biden and Governor Spencer Cox talk prior to leaving after the president arrived on Air Force One at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Governor Spencer Cox and first lady Abby Cox talk with President Joe Biden as they ride his in his car after he arrived on Air Force One at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News National Media document the arrival of President Joe Biden as he arrives on Air Force One at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Local Utah media document the arrival of President Joe Biden as he arrives on Air Force One at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News President Joe Biden walks down the steps from Air Force One as he arrives at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Governor Spencer Cox and first lady Abby Cox walk around to join President Joe Biden in his car as he arrives at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News The presidents motorcade arrives next to Air Force One at to take President Joe Biden away after his arrival at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Air Force One with President Joe Biden aboard makes its approach at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Air Force One with President Joe Biden arrives on board arrives at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Air Force One with President Joe Biden arrives on board arrives at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News President Joe Biden walks toward Governor Spencer Cox as he arrives at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News President Joe Biden arrives on Air Force One at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News London-based Pretiosum Ventures has reached the first close of what TechCrunch understands could eventually be a $20 million second fund. Founded in London in 2019 by Yana Abramova, the solo GP fund invests in "infrastructure" startups (enterprise SaaS, fintech, and web3). Pretiosum (a witty inflexion of the Latin word pretiosus meaning "precious") typically writes checks in the $250,000 to $500,000 range in a "follow-on" manner. Yana Abramova, Pretiosum Ventures Yana Abramova, Pretiosum Ventures Abramova sits on Cambridge Universitys Judge Business School alumni board and was previously an ambassador at Tech Nation (recently acquired by Founders Forum). As one of Europes very few female GPs, Abramova backs startups at the pre-seed, seed, and occasionally at the Series A stage. To date, Pretiosum has co-invested in startups alongside Cherry Ventures, Greycroft, Seedcamp, IQ Capital and Y Combinator. Ive noted before that theres a new wave of solo GP VCs coming to Europe, even if we think it might be tough out there, especially in the U.S. The trend has only just begun in Europe, and I very much doubt it will stop just because we are in a new, bearish cycle. As I wrote in June, this model of VC has arrived late enough in Europe for it to become a more viable way forward for many European startups. We have already seen the launch of Underline Ventures, started last year by Bogdan Iordache in Romania, as well as the launch of Hypernova, a $25 million fund of funds that plans to invest not only in other funds but also directly into startups. A previously unseen internal memo from the 2020 Trump campaign describes in detail the plot by Donald Trump and his lawyers to subvert election results in six states, according to a copy obtained by The New York Times. The memo describes a three-pronged plan to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Bidens victory on 6 January 2021, that involved coordinating with Republican electors and campaign attorneys in six states, as well as Mike Pence. It also emphasized the importance of the participation by all six states and messaging about this being a routine measure as well as logistics regarding what is now known as the fake electors scheme. The letter was written by Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney associated with Trump who is believed to be one of six unnamed co-conspirators in the indictment against Trump over his attempt to subvert the results of the 2020 election. Much of Chesebros actions have been revealed through previous memos and through the January 6 investigation last year, but this memo brings further details to light about the fake electors scheme that he concocted. It was addressed to a Wisconsin lawyer, James R Troupis, the lead attorney for the Trump campaign in Wisconsin, who oversaw the fake electors scheme in his state. Troupis filed a lawsuit in December 2020 asking the Wisconsin supreme court to throw out hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots, saying they violated voting requirements. The court ultimately rejected the lawsuit. Chesebro wrote to Troupis that it seems feasible the Trump campaign could subvert Bidens victory. His plan would force the Members of Congress, the media, and the American people to focus on the substantive evidence of illegal election and counting activities in the six contested States, provided three things happen. He then lays out those three steps, describing a plan in detail. According to Chesebros plan, Republican electors in all six states Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin would meet and cast votes for Trump on 14 December 2020, the deadline for electors to send their votes to Congress for certification in January. Attorneys in each of the six states would simultaneously file lawsuits that would lead to either a Trump victory or a Biden loss which would be pending on 6 January, the certification date. Finally, on the day Congress meets to certify the electors votes, Pence, presiding over the joint session, takes the position that it is his constitutional power and duty, alone, as president of the Senate, to both open and count the votes, and that anything in the Electoral Count Act to the contrary is unconstitutional, according to language from the memo. Pence, who is running against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, has lashed out against his former ticket-mate and his gaggle of crackpot lawyers for plotting to overturn the election. According to the indictment, Trump repeatedly pressured Pence to participate in the plan, to which the vice-president replied: You know I dont think I have the authority to change the outcome. The indictment identified six co-conspirators, including one who is widely believed to be Chesebro. Co-Conspirator 5, thought to be Chesebro, assisted in devising and attempting to implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding. The indictment also described the previously unseen 6 December 2020 memo as a sharp departure from an earlier and previously reported memo that Chesebro sent to Troupis outlining a plan to use alternate electors to send votes for Trump to Congress for certification amid a recount even though Biden won the state. I recognize that what I suggest is a bold, controversial strategy, and that there are many reasons why it might not end up being executed on January 6, Chesebro wrote in the 6 December 2020 memo. But as long as it is one possible option, to preserve it as a possibility it is important that the Trump-Pence electors cast their electoral votes on December 14. Trump pleaded not guilty on all counts in the 6 January case, which charged him with three counts of conspiracy and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding certifying the electoral vote. This article was amended on 10 August 2023. The certification of Joe Bidens victory took place on 6 January 2021, not 2020 as an earlier version said. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday to approve spending close to $1 billion for a new intake and mental health annex at the Main Jail downtown. An attorney for the county advised the board that the expensive construction project was the only option to address a consent decree and improve conditions at the jail because staff had not come up with a Plan B. Dozens of members of the public spent over an hour and a half pleading with the board not to move forward with the new annex. Voting against the resolution, Supervisor Patrick Kennedy said, I dont think our pencils sharp enough. ... Do I think a facility is necessary? Yes, but Im not here yet. The price tag is just too much for me to swallow. Building costs alone for the project have ballooned by $200 million since supervisors first approved the expansion in December. At that time, the projected construction cost was $450 million. Eight months later, more than $50 million of new construction outlays plus soft costs such as permitting fees and furniture that were not included in the original estimate have brought the total to $654 million. The spending approved Tuesday amounted to $925 million in bond debt, partly to account for even higher expenditures. While the supervisors approved the increased spending, the board has yet to authorize the county to issue the 30-year bonds. Yet the new total represents a huge sum for the county, whose total annual budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year is $8.4 billion. The consent decree itself doesnt say thou shalt build anything, said Supervisor Phil Serna, who voted no. The debt service is something that taxpayers and future boards and Sacramento County residents that arent even born yet are going to be strapped with. The stated purpose of the new annex is to address the Mays Consent Decree, entered into in 2019. It requires the county to improve conditions at the two jail facilities run by the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office though, as Serna noted, it does not expressly require the construction of this new facility. While critics of the resolution who spoke at Tuesdays board meeting proposed a suite of alternatives, including a significant reduction in the jail population, county staffs recommended moving forward with the plan. If the board doesnt proceed with the staff recommendations, what I think happens is we get a letter (from the lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the Mays case), probably by the end of the week, notifying us, Wheres Plan B? said county counsel Rick Heyer. And I dont know that we would have a Plan B at this point. Liz Blum, a co-founder of Decarcerate Sacramento, begged the board to at least make sure you fully understand all alternatives, all options. She pointed to the consent decrees emphasis on jail population reduction, which attorneys for the plaintiffs have repeatedly reaffirmed. Others who spoke before the board emphasized transformative programs and projects the county could undertake with even a fraction of the money the board ultimately approved for the annex. The resolution passed Tuesday does not require the county to spend close to $1 billion on the project, but it gives officials the option to do so. According to a timeline presented to the board, construction would begin in 2026. The annex would not open before 2028. Supervisors Rich Desmond, Sue Frost and Pat Hume voted for it, all saying they hated to do so. Serna, whose district covers northwestern parts of the county and much of the city of Sacramento, voted against the mental health annex in December and again this summer. Kennedy, whose district covers south Sacramento and adjacent unincorporated areas including Vineyard, voted for it in December but against it Tuesday. I freely admit there is clearly a need for improved conditions in our jail, improved availability of resources for mental health treatment in our jail system, Serna said from the dais. But when its approaching the numbers that it is at this point, I feel more strongly than I did back in December, that I dont want to necessarily look back and say that, for different reasons, that I was boxed in, and I had no other choice. We all know what animals do in a corner. Why fund a mental health annex at the jail? In 2019, the county entered into the Mays Consent Decree as part of a class action lawsuit filed by incarcerated people represented by lawyers from Disability Rights California, the Prison Law Office and Cooley LLP. The suit alleged inhumane and unconstitutional conditions at the Main Jail and the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center near Elk Grove. The lead plaintiff in the case, Lorenzo Mays, spent eight years in solitary confinement awaiting trial, experiencing deepening depression, hallucinations and, with a lack of sunlight, a vitamin D deficiency. As part of the decree, if conditions do not improve, the court could appoint a receiver to make decisions for the county to bring the jails into compliance. One speaker at the meeting pointed out that the voices of inmates themselves appeared to be missing from Tuesdays deliberations. Persons who are incarcerated and formerly incarcerated, like myself, we are also constituents, said Marjorie Beazer, a mother and a jail reform consultant who spent two years in Sacramento County jails. Are we having these conversations with the inmates currently, and those who are former inmates, yes or no? Who is better to speak to my pain points? ... When you have not walked a mile in my shoes, you cant speak for me. What you will do is speak to me, you will speak about me. She also pointed out the racial implications of the move. On the day of the boards deliberations, the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office reported that 1,269 people incarcerated in the jails were Black, 39% of the jails population. That contrasts with U.S. Census Bureau figures that Black people make up just 11% of county residents. Beazer, who is Black, noted that the officials and contractors discussing the jail expansion all appeared to be white. When I look at the people ... sitting inside (the jails) whose voices cannot be heard here today, they look like me. And the people standing there talking about multi-billion dollar building, she said, dont. A seven-year investigation into a former building program at Horry County Schools yielded numerous allegations of bribery, but no proof of illegal or improper conduct was discovered. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division received a request from the S.C. Attorney Generals Office in December 2015 to investigate the improper award of the districts construction contract to Firstfloor Energy Positive, according to SLEDs final investigative report, recently obtained by The Sun News from a Freedom of Information Act request. The AGs office was initially contacted by a Charleston attorney on behalf of Charles and McKenzie Jordan, the report states. Charles Jordan had previously owned Chancel Construction before it was taken over by his son McKenzie. The company had been sold in 2007 to M.B. Kahn Construction, which was one of the companies competing with Firstfloor to build five new schools for the district. Charles Jordan later told SLED investigators he felt he had an obligation as a county taxpayer to report his concerns about building cost inaccuracies and misleading contractual clauses crafted by Firstfloor, according to the report. Neither Charles nor McKenzie Jordan responded to voicemail messages seeking comment. The district had awarded the $220 million contract to Firstfloor in October 2015 despite submitting the highest bid of the companies being considered nearly $60 million above the budget the district had initially set. What was SLED investigating? A significant portion of SLEDs investigative report focuses on the apparently close relationship between former HCS board chairman Joe DeFeo and Firstfloor CEO Robbie Ferris. DeFeo pressured fellow board members and staff on the selection committee to favor Firstfloor, according to multiple people interviewed by SLED. He ultimately signed the final contract, which was outside of standard protocol for the district, multiple staff members have said. Keith Powell, a contracted school board attorney at the time the contract was awarded, told investigators that everyone associated with the project was concerned and wondered why DeFeo was so involved in the process. DeFeo was aggressive and would just talk about anything to get his way, Powell told SLED, according to the report, which noted that Powell had no information to prove the former chairman was being paid by Ferris or anyone associated with Firstfloor. DeFeo died in 2018 before investigators had a chance to interview him, the report states. SLED first investigated Ferris in 2019. Its unclear in the report why investigators waited years between an initial round of interviews with HCS personnel in late 2015, early 2016 and a second group of subjects in 2019. A SLED spokeswoman did not respond to questions about that gap or the gap between finishing those 2019 interviews and finalizing the report, which is dated Sept. 12, 2022. Ferris admitted to investigators that he met and spoke frequently with DeFeo to update him about the construction project and answer any questions from him or other board members, but denied ever giving or offering anything of value to DeFeo or any board member, the SLED report states. SLED HCS investigative report by David Weissman on Scribd Ferris could not be reached for comment prior to publication. SLED agents served a search warrant in 2019 to obtain records for bank accounts associated with Ferris and his companies, and they found no apparent irregularities in those documents, according to the report. Investigators did interview every other HCS board member from that time besides DeFeo, and each one denied being offered or receiving any type of bribe or having knowledge of any other board member receiving gifts related to the construction project. Moving past the controversy 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson informed SLED last December that his office was declining prosecution after reviewing investigators case file. Current HCS Board Chairman David Cox, who was a board member at the time, told The Sun News hed always felt the instigation of the SLED investigation was a hit piece. He didnt know who initiated the inquiry before being told by The Sun News, but he wasnt surprised to find it was someone associated with a company that had a financial interest in competing with Firstfloor. Cox also lamented the grief the investigation and associated press caused Ferris and Firstfloor, which suffered harm to its reputation despite doing nothing wrong and providing great school buildings. HCS spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier told The Sun News the district is aware of SLEDs findings and the closure it brings to this matter, and is looking forward to the start of the 2023-24 school year. Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida, suspended the top prosecutor in Orlando on Wednesday, claiming dereliction of duty on crime. In return, the prosecutor said DeSantis, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, was a weak dictator acting undemocratically and for political reasons. Monique Worrell, the ninth judicial circuit state attorney, is the second Democratic prosecutor DeSantis has removed. Last year, the governor suspended Andrew Warren of Tampa over his supposedly woke agenda, including pledging not to enforce a 15-week abortion ban and supporting gender transition for minors. A legal battle over that decision continues. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Worrell said: Elected officials are being taken out of office solely for political purposes Under this tyranny, elected officials can be removed simply for political purposes and by a whim of the governor and no matter how you feel about me, you should not be OK with that. This is simply a smoke screen for Ron DeSantis failing and disastrous presidential campaign. He needed to get back in the media in some positive way. That would be red meat for his base. And he will have accomplished that today. Trailing Donald Trump in the Republican primary, and having recently replaced his campaign manager amid reports of a campaign in free-fall, DeSantis made his announcement about Worrell on a break from the presidential trail. Worrells practices and policies have too often allowed violent criminals to escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct, thereby endangering the innocent civilians of Orange and Osceola counties, DeSantiss office said in a statement. In an executive order, DeSantis accused the second African American elected state attorney of neglecting her duty to faithfully prosecute crime in her jurisdiction. The 15-page order accused Worrell of allowing practices and policies that systematically permitted violent offenders, drug traffickers, serious-juvenile offenders, and pedophiles to evade incarceration. It alleged such practices and policies included non-filing or dropping meritorious charges or declining to allege otherwise provable facts to avoid triggering applicable lengthy sentences, minimum mandatory sentences, or other sentencing enhancements, especially for offenders under 25 years old. Worrell was also accused of overseeing low prison admission rates for crimes involving lewd and lascivious behavior, which includes possession of child pornography and other sex crimes against children. In his own news conference, DeSantis said that while prosecutors do have a certain amount of discretion about which cases to bring and which not, Worrell abused that discretion. DeSantis said he was nominating a former judge, Andrew Bain, to serve during Worrells suspension. Worrell told reporters: If we are mourning anything this morning, it is the loss of democracy. I am your duly-elected state attorney for the ninth judicial circuit. Nothing done by a weak dictator can change that. I am a fighter and I intend to fight. I will not be quiet. I will not sit down I will continue to stand for democracy. I will continue to protect the rights of the disenfranchised. I am proud to tell you that this will not stop me from running for re-election. My re-election will continue. Earlier this year, DeSantis and Worrell exchanged barbs over the case of Keith Moses, a 19-year-old believed responsible for the killings of three people, including a journalist and a nine-year old girl, in shootings in Orange county in March. According to reports, Mosess criminal history includes eight felonies and 11 misdemeanor cases, all bar one having occurred while he was a juvenile. His only crime as an adult was possession of drug paraphernalia and cannabis, in 2021. Worrells office did not prosecute, due to the amount found. Following the shootings, DeSantis said Worrells office, which announced in May that it would seek the death penalty against Moses, may have permitted this dangerous individual to remain on the street. You have to hold people accountable, DeSantis said, adding: [The] state attorney in Orlando thinks that you dont prosecute people and thats the way that you somehow have better communities. That does not work. Worrell fired back, saying: For this tragedy to be politicized, its shameful and we should all feel that way about it. Painting a narrative that theres something that prosecutors could have done to keep this individual off the streets is just not true. After protests, the Anderson County librarian now carries a gun. Thats where we are now. | Opinion The library director swiveled her chair to the right, reached into a desk drawer, and showed me her gun. Have you always carried a gun? I said. No, she said, demonstrating how she tucks it up underneath her arm when she walks to and from the library parking lot. I started carrying a gun on June 2nd, the day after we put up the pride display and all the threatening phone calls. I was at the library to talk with director Demaris Hill about the recent appointment of a man named Bobby Proctor to our library board. Hill has lived and worked here in Lawrenceburg for only a year and a half, but she was aware that Proctor had led a raucous protest to ban books and the Pride display in June 2021. As I recently wrote, Proctor did not file an application; he simply called up a magistrate he knew on the Anderson County Fiscal Court and was chosen over four excellent candidates who had applied. The Cambridge Dictionary defines this as cronyism the situation in which someone important gives jobs to friends rather than to independent people who have the necessary skills and experience but per Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 173.730, enacted into law by the legislature in 2022, county judge-executives can decline applications and appoint whomever they choose. Anderson Public Library director Hill is new to Kentucky. In her office, she puts the gun back in the drawer and tells me she was born and raised in Indiana, and most recently worked at the library in Gainesville, Fla.. Why did you choose to come here, not only to Kentucky but to Lawrenceburg? I said. I had choices, she said, job opportunities in other states and larger cities, but I love horses and had that dream of moving to a small, rural town, you know, the slower pace and the peace and quiet. I shared that I moved here for the same reasons. We both laughed (uncomfortably) at the irony. With regard to the library appointment, she explained how she had worked hard to get the best possible candidates to apply for the open board position. She posted information on the library website and Facebook page, encouraged people to apply, and attended Fiscal Court meetings to present the applications and answer questions. You should have heard how dismissive they were of everyone in those [Fiscal Court] meetings, she said. I wish theyd have just told me how they were going to do it so I wouldnt have wasted everybodys time. I obtained the audio recordings of the meetings Hill described. This is what transpired in the July 18 meeting after the Fiscal Court had rejected all four applicants for the board position. Magistrate Rodney Durr says Bobby Proctor reached out to him and makes a motion for his appointment. Susan Akers, a 72 year-old woman who had applied for the position, interrupts and asks if she can ask a question. The applications that have been turned in so far, Akers says, what qualifications do they not meet and what qualifications are you looking for? Im just asking, what is it about the ones who have been turned in? Why do they not qualify and what are you looking for? Judge Executive Orbrey Gritton mentions his beliefs and the beliefs of the court a few times. Ms. Akers states that this is pretty general and asks what he means. Gritton replies that [the new board member] should have the beliefs that we have. Akers asks what those beliefs are. Ms. Akers, Gritton says, youve been pretty tough on us in the past. You get on the opposite side of us . There is garbled cross-talk on the recording, and Gritton apologizes for his tone. If my name is associated, Gritton says, Im going to make sure they stand for what I stand for. And Im not talking politics . I called Gritton to ask about the library board appointment. He did not return my call. I sent an email asking if he was aware that Proctor led a protest to ban books in 2021 and to define what he meant in the July 18 meeting by his beliefs and what I stand for. What did he mean when he said to Akers, You get on the opposite side of us? He did not respond. Meanwhile, thanks to the the Republican supermajority in Frankfort, local elected officials can appoint their cronies to local boards based on their beliefs. Thanks to Kentucky Republicans, we now have a book banning preacher on our library board, and due to the ignorant vitriol they stirred up with Senate Bill 150, the library director carries a gun to work. Thanks to Kentucky Republicans, the dream of moving to a small, rural, Kentucky town for the slower pace and peace and quiet no longer exists. Teri Carter is a writer and gun control advocate in Anderson County. Police officers and staff in Northern Ireland had their personal details shared online on Tuesday On Tuesday, the names of police officers and staff in Northern Ireland, where they were based and their roles were published on the internet. A continuing threat against officers from dissident republicans means they must be extremely vigilant about their personal security. The data was made public, in error, by police as they responded to a routine freedom of information (FoI) request. But what does that mean, and how did it happen? Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, members of the public are entitled to request information held by public authorities. In principle, the act allows for people to know about the activities of certain bodies, unless there is a valid reason for withholding that information - in this case, a matter of security. On 3 August, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) received a FoI request from a member of the public which asked: "Could you provide the number of officers at each rank and number of staff at each grade?" What they got back was not only a numerical table, but, by mistake, a huge Excel spreadsheet. This was referred to by the police as "the source data" and should not have been released as part of the FoI. Everything which was provided under the FoI, including the spreadsheet, was then published on an FoI website, What Do They Know, on Tuesday afternoon, making it publicly available. It was removed after two-and-a-half hours at the PSNI's request, once they became aware of it. Each line contained multiple pieces of information from the top of the organisation down. This included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit they work in, including sensitive areas such as surveillance and intelligence. It also included people on career breaks which could explain why the list exceeded the current size of the PSNI's workforce,. According to the PSNI's website, it currently employs 6,812 full and part-time officers and 2,437 support staff The Data Protection Act 2018, which is the UK's implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), means employers can hold certain data about their employees without their permission. However, employers must follow a strict set of "data protection principles" to ensure that data is handled in an appropriate way. Firms committing infringements on those regulations can face a maximum fine of 17.5m. Lawyer and data protection expert Ibra-Him Hasan said there were "serious questions to be asked" of the PSNI in terms of its procedures for dealing with FoI requests. "It's important to bear in mind all public sector organisations receive such requests for information usually these are routinely dealt with quite easily without disclosing any personal data," he told the BBC's Talkback programme. "This is about life and limb in this particular case." He said an FoI response should not rest on a single member of staff, which is what is suspected to have happened on this occasion, and multiple checks were required before publication. "When you're attaching Excel spreadsheets you may feel that you've anonymised the information but a few clicks you could reveal the source data behind the statistics," he explained. "It's a training issue, it's an awareness issue, but also just people checking each other's work to ensure they haven't inadvertently disclosed the background information." This article was originally published in Florida Phoenix. Sixty-one school districts will begin classes for students on Thursday as the Florida Department of Health is reporting a nearly 20% increase in new COVID-19 cases. Only 26% of elementary school-aged children, ages 5 to 11, are vaccinated against the disease. There were 12,869 COVID cases posted on July 21, compared to 15,170 on July 28, according to the current health department report. The analysis was published Aug. 4. Over the full 10 weeks, new cases of COVID started at 5,423, on May 26, then steadily rose. By June 23, the COVID cases were at 7,320. By July 28, the figure was 15,170, according to a biweekly report from the state health department. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter The increase in positive cases in counties such as Brevard, Hillsborough, Palm Beach and Pasco was higher than the state average. In Hillsborough, 1,144 people were tested positive, the highest number of cases in counties where children will be going to school this week. Broward and Miami-Dade counties had larger numbers, but those counties, and a few others, will not begin school until later this month. While U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized in April the current bivalent vaccines for people 6 months of age and older, the number of vaccine doses administered in Florida has declined to 885 within the past 10 weeks. There are no COVID-19 vaccination requirements in Florida public schools. And there are no mask requirements in Floridas public schools. Though the increase in COVID cases is concentrated among adults, more than 1,000 school-aged children contracted COVID-19, based on two categories, ages 5 to 11 and 12 to 19. Teachers in the vast majority of school districts are already in their classrooms this week. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Diane Rado for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter. Any inconvenience governments can impose will eventually be abused as a tool of arbitrary punishment. Take, for example, the no-fly list and related watchlists, which are supposed to contain the names of known and suspected terrorists so they can be monitored and their movements restricted. From day one, placement on the list has been misused to punish innocent people who won't do what federal agents command. Now FBI agents caught abusing the system want qualified immunity to shield them from consequences as people they mistreated seek justice through the courts. Violating Rights to Gain Compliance "Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, FBI agents unsuccessfully attempted to pressure a group of innocent Muslims, including Muhammad Tanvir, to become informants for the Bureau," notes the Institute for Justice (I.J.), which filed an amicus brief in Tanvir v. Tanzin. "Tanvir and the otherswho were all either American citizens or lawful permanent residentsdeclined to become informants, because doing so goes against their sincerely held religious beliefs. FBI agents then harassed the group and placed them all on the No-Fly List." The Center for Constitutional Rights acts as co-counsels for the plaintiffs alongside the CUNY School of Law's CLEAR Clinic. They sued under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) on the grounds that the plaintiffs' Muslim faith forbids them to inform on coreligionists. The defendantsFBI agents who put Tanvir and the other plaintiffs on the no-fly listprotested that the RFRA doesn't provide for monetary damages against government officials who violate rights, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled otherwise in an important 2020 decision written by Justice Clarence Thomas. Violating Rights Without Consequences The next question is whether the law shields federal employees from consequences. After the Supreme Court ruled that the agents could be individually sued, the U.S. Department of Justice argued the agents are entitled to qualified immunity because it wasn't "clearly established" that their conduct "imposes a substantial burden" on the plaintiffs' rights. It's an illustration of a serious problem with the law. "Qualified immunity shields government officials from financial liability, even if they have violated the Constitution, so long as they have not violated 'clearly established law," wrote Joanna Schwartz of the UCLA School of Law in 2019. "According to the Supreme Court, the law is only clearly established if a prior decision has held very similar facts to be unconstitutional. Officers are entitled to qualified immunity even if they have engaged in clear misconduct, and even if they knew what they were doing was wrong." Unfortunately, in February of this year, U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams agreed with the government. "The Court therefore construes the right presented by Plaintiffs' claims here as the right not to be pressured by law enforcement to inform on members of their religious communities through the coercive or retaliatory use of the No Fly List," Abrams wrote on the way to dismissing the case. "The Court concludes that such a right was not clearly established at the time of the alleged violations." How are federal agents supposed to know that arbitrarily sticking people who defy them on terrorism watch lists is wrong? After all, it's just how they get things done. Violating Rights as Standard Practice It really is how they get things done. In 2021, The Intercept's Murtaza Hussain wrote about Aswad Khan's mistreatment by the FBI when he refused to be an informant. That same year, Ahmad Chebli, a U.S. citizen, described a similar ordeal. "Agents threatened my family and me," he wrote. "They said that if I didn't agree to become an informant, my family would be investigated, my wife and I could be arrested, my children could be taken away, and my wife's immigration status could be at risk." Chebli was finally removed from the No Fly list after the ACLU sued on his behalf. Watchlists aren't supposed to be used this way. In 2014, a federal district judge declared the byzantine process for people to challenge their inclusion on the no-fly list unconstitutional and ordered better guarantees of due process. But as Chebli's case demonstrates, it's easy for the government to put people on the lists and then pull them off years later only after they've gone through the hassle and expense of filing a federal lawsuitif they ever do. With no further consequences, that leaves administrative tools like the No Fly List available for ongoing abuse. Qualified immunity makes matters worse, since it shields government employees creative enough to distinguish recent abuses from those that went before. It's a game that goes on forever so long as officials can persuade judges that they've violated individual rights in a slightly novel way. More than a few people see the ease with which names can be placed on watchlistsgrowing from a handful to hundreds of thousands in the decade after 9/11as a feature rather than a bug. "If you're too dangerous to board a plane, you're too dangerous, by definition, to buy a gun," then-President Barack Obama huffed in 2015. During the pandemic, everybody's favorite authoritarian public health czar, Anthony Fauci, toyed with listing the unvaccinated. Airlines lobbied for including the names of unruly passengers, turning a supposed national security tool into a bouncer for drunk assholes in the sky. Many people want an easy method for severely punishing those who offend them, which is a problem in itself. But it's an even worse problem because easy methods for punishing people invite abuse. Violating Rights Shouldn't Be Shielded by Law "There is this mythology surrounding the war on terrorism, and the F.B.I., that has given agents the power to ruin the lives of completely innocent people based solely on what part of the world they came from, or what religion they practice, or the color of their skin. And I did that," Terry Albury, a former FBI agent who went to prison for leaking bureau documents about such practices, told The New York Times. "I helped destroy people. For 17 years." Ironically, Albury was himself subjected to "special administrative measures" in prison, he says, for acting against the FBI and for needling the Bureau of Prisons. "Qualified immunity should not exist at all. It certainly should not apply to RFRA," says Institute for Justice Senior Attorney Patrick Jaicomo. "But if it does, the court should at least grapple with the fact that a constitutional violation occurred" and explicitly say so to prevent government officials from claiming in the future that they didn't know "coercive or retaliatory use of the No Fly List" (in Judge Abrams' words) was illegal. Qualified immunity shouldn't exist and neither should easily abused administrative punishments. They're two terrible aspects of government that make each other much worse. The post Qualified Immunity May Shield FBI Agents Who Abused the No-Fly List appeared first on Reason.com. SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party decided on Wednesday to submit a letter to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council to protest Japan's planned discharge of radioactive wastewater into the ocean. Lee Jae-myung, chief of the Democratic Party, held a signing ceremony for the allegation letter, together with Woo Won-shik, head of the party's prevention committee, on the release of Japan's nuclear-contaminated wastewater. The letter was scheduled to be submitted later this month to the UN special rapporteurs on toxics, human rights, environment and right to food after recruiting additional petitioners from the civil society. The Democratic Party said in the letter that the dumping of the radioactive wastewater into the marine environment will violate the fundamental human rights convention and the scientific safety standard and principle. The party noted that the dumping will pose serious risks to the marine environment and the enjoyment of human rights of affected populations including future generations, stressing that alternatives should be actively considered and pursued according to safety standards. Amid wide criticism from both home and abroad, the Japanese government has been pushing to dump the nuclear-contaminated wastewater this summer from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was hit by a massive earthquake and an ensuing tsunami in March 2011. Qualifying has ended for fall elections in Rapides Parish and across the state. Qualifying for fall elections in Louisiana has ended, and some Rapides Parish officials were returned to office without opposition. Clerk of Court Robin Hooter and Coroner Jonathan Hunter were two officials who drew no challengers for their offices. Three Rapides Parish Police jurors Teddy Fountaine III, Sean McGlothlin and Jay Scott also were returned to office. In addition to statewide and legislative seats, voters in Rapides Parish will choose candidates for sheriff through constable. Here's what you need to know: Primary election: Saturday, Oct. 14 Early voting for Oct. 14 primary: Sept. 30-Oct. 7 General election: Saturday, Nov. 18 Early voting for Nov. 18 general: Nov. 3-11 Early voting will be held at the Rapides Parish Courthouse, 701 Murray St. in downtown Alexandria, and at Kees Park Community Center, 2450 La. Highway 28 East in Pineville. Gloves off: Louisiana governor race heats up on first day of qualifying Vote, and get your sticker! Check out Louisiana's latest popular 'I voted' sticker and the New Orleans artist's muse Get information on who qualified for races across the state here at the Louisiana Secretary of State's website, sos.la.gov. Here is who has qualified for races in Rapides: Sheriff: Mark Wood (incumbent), Republican "Kris" Cloessener, independent Clerk of court: Robin Hooter (incumbent), Republican Assessor: Richard I. "Rick" Ducote Jr. (incumbent), Democrat Josh Pace, Republican Coroner: Jonathan Hunter (incumbent), Republican Police Juror, District A: Davron "Bubba" Moreau (incumbent), Republican "Matt" Page, Republican Police Juror, District B: Joseph "Joe" Bishop (incumbent), Republican Randy Wiggins, Republican Police Juror, District C: Craig Smith (incumbent), Republican Alex Robertson, Republican Police Juror, District D: Theodore "Teddy" Fountaine III (incumbent), Democrat Police Juror, District E: Joel "Joey" Short, Republican Danny Bordelon, Republican Travis Herrington, Republican Police Juror, District F: Oliver "Ollie" Overton Jr. (incumbent), Democrat Clarence Reed, Democrat Police Juror, District G: Sean McGlothlin (incumbent), independent Police Juror, District H: Parrish W. Giles, Republican David Johnson (incumbent), Republican Police Juror, District I: Jay Scott (incumbent), Democrat Justice of the Peace Ward 3, 2nd Justice Court: James Rauls III, Democrat Constable Justice of the Peace Ward 5, 2nd Justice Court: Russell J. "Rusty" Miller (incumbent), no party Debra Goleman, Republican This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Clerk, coroner, 3 Rapides jurors draw no opposition as qualifying ends Maryland detectives investigating the homicide of missing mother-of-five and fitness fanatic Rachel Morin have said they have already received 90 tips from members of the public about her final movements. Morin, 37, was last seen heading to the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air at around 6pm on Saturday evening, according to the Harford County Sheriffs Office. After she failed to return home that night, her boyfriend reported her missing. Then on Sunday afternoon, a Maryland father discovered a womans body in a tunnel off the trail which was later confirmed to be Morin. I kept telling them to search the tunnels because I had a feeling about those tunnels, Michael Gabriszeski told a local news outlet. Harford County sheriff Jeffrey Gahler announced that Morins case is now a homicide investigation at a press conference that evening. The sheriff said that police currently have no suspects on their radar. Rebekah Morin, the deceaseds sister, started a GoFundMe to pay for funeral expenses. As of Wednesday morning, it has raised over $39,500. Key points Rachel Morin last seen alive heading to Ma and Pa hiking trail in Maryland Maryland mom killed just a week after her baby niece died Mother-of-fives boyfriend breaks silence over death to deny involvement Morins sister launches GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses Investigators receive over 90 tips from public in Morin case Community very concerned after Rachel Morin found dead 14:00 , Ariana Baio Harford County Sheriff Jeffery Gahler said for a small community with low crime, Harford County is shaken by the death of Rachel Morin. We are a county that enjoys very low crime, Mr Gahler told Fox News Digital. Mr Gahler said police have no suspects in the investigation into Morins homicide. He said it could have been an act of random violence or something more planned. Our community is rightly very concerned, Mr Gahler said. Rachel Morins infant niece died one week before she went missing 13:00 , Ariana Baio Eight days before Rachel Morin went missing, her baby niece unexpectedly died. On GoFundMe, Rachels sister, Rebekah, created a GoFundMe on 28 July for her brother and sister-in-law whose three-month-old baby, Lily Beth, passed away. This precious baby girl passed away unexpectedly and has left us all with heartbreaking sadness. Lily Beth was always happy and her smile and giggle won the hearts of everyone who came in contact with her, Rebekah wrote in the GoFundMe description. On Facebook, Rebekah posted that she was heartbroken the day her niece died. More than a week later, Rachel was found dead on the side of a hiking trail. Investigators receive over 90 tips in Morin case as man who found body says he had a feeling she would be in trail tunnels 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad Maryland homicide detectives investigating the murder of missing mother-of-five Rachel Morin have said they have already received 90 tips from members of the public about her final movements. In a statement issued on Tuesday, officers appealed for further information: Detectives are asking your your help. If you were on the Ma & Pa Trail on Saturday, or near the trail or trail heads and took photos or video, we are asking if you would please share them with investigators. There could be something helpful in one of your photos that might bring us one one more piece of the puzzle. As of this morning, we have already received nearly 90 tips from concerned community members in reference to the murder of Rachel Morin. Thank you for all the support you have given. Meanwhile, the local man who found her body, Michael Gabriszeski, has told WMAR: I got down and searched the tunnels because I had a feeling about these tunnels. And I walked forward to search the one tunnel, and they searched the one, and thats where they found her. [I hope she can] find a final resting place in her family so that that door can be finally closed. [So] they can get the investigation on and hopefully catch the person that did this trifling act. GoFundMe raises more than $39K 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad Rebekah Morin, the sister of Rachel Morin, has raised more than $39K to pay for her sisters funeral expenses and any additional finances needed for her sisters five children. The fundraiser, which was set up after Morin was found deceased on the side of a trail in Bel Air, had raised $39,562 as of Wednesday morning. We appreciate all those who have shared, donated and thoughtful words, Rebekah wrote in an update on the GoFundMe. Sheriff confirms foul play was involved in Rachel Morins death 09:00 , Ariana Baio On Sunday night, Rachel Morins boyfriend Richard Tobin took to social media to state his innocence while also making reference to his lengthy criminal rap sheet. I love Rachel, I would never do anything to her, let the family and I grieve, Mr Tobin wrote. Yes I have a past but I also have 15 months clean and have changed as a person. Please. Court records show Mr Tobin has two arrests for second-degree assault, and separate arrests for violating restraining orders, malicious destruction of property and drug possession dating back to 2014 Mr Tobin has also faced charges of being a fugitive from justice, resisting arrest and disorderly intoxication, according to Maryland judiciary case search records. Mr Tobin has not been named as a suspect, or accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the homicide inquiry. Mr Tobin only confirmed his relationship with Ms Morin in a Facebook post on 1 August, five days before she was reported missing. Timeline in Rachel Morin case 07:00 , Ariana Baio Saturday, 5 August 6pm Rachel Morin is last seen heading out to run on the Ma & Pa Trail in northern Maryland. 11.23pm The boyfriend of Rachel reports her missing after she does not return home. Police begin searching for Rachel on the trail and surrounding areas. Sunday, 6 August 1pm Body of female victim located off of the Ma & Pa Trail is reported to police. Monday, 7 August Police confirm the body found on the rail is Rachel Morin. Police ask for video and photo tips 05:00 , Ariana Baio #Alert Rachel Morin Investigation If you were on the Ma & Pa Trail on Saturday, or near the trail or trail heads and took photos or video, we are asking if you would please share them with investigators. Please send it to Sgt. Maddox at maddoxc@harfordsheriff.org. Harford Sheriff (@Harford_Sheriff) August 8, 2023 What is The Ma and Pa Trail? 03:00 , Ariana Baio Rachel Morin was reported missing on Saturday night, and after law enforcement appealed for information to find the mother of five, a body was found on The Ma and Pa Trail on Sunday afternoon. The 6.25 mile (10km) trail gets it name from the former Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad corridor that ran through the town of Bel Air in Harford County. The track was dismantled in the 1950s, and later turned into a heritage trail along the railroads former route. It consists of a 3.3mile section through Bel Air and a 1.7mile segment in neighbouring Forest Hill. According to Alltrails.com, the trail is moderately challenging and takes around 2 hours and 25 minutes to complete. In the wake of Ms Morins death, authorities have warned hikers to take particular care and be aware of their surroundings. Watch: Maryland mom of five Rachel Morin was killed just a week after her baby niece died 01:00 , Ariana Baio Community walk being held for Rachel Morin Wednesday 9 August 2023 00:00 , Ariana Baio Members of the Harford County community are being invited to take part in a memorial walk for Rachel Morin, the 37-year-old mother of five who was found dead on the side of a trail. Harford County council member Jessica Boyle Tsottles posted on Facebook inviting people to walk the Ma & Pa Trail where Morin was last seen and eventually found. In order to unite as a community and empower the women of Harford County. Join us as we walk the Ma & Pa trail together. The walk is set to take place at 6.30pm Rachel Morin was found dead on a popular Maryland hiking trail. Her sister says she did not go willingly Tuesday 8 August 2023 23:00 , Ariana Baio Rachel Morin left her home in Bel Air, Maryland, at around 6pm on Saturday 5 August, and headed to a popular hiking trail just outside of town. When the mother-of-five failed to return that night, her new boyfriend Richard Tobin called police at about 11pm to report her missing, according to Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler. The next morning, the 37-year-olds car was located at the Williams St entrance to the Ma and Pa Trail. At 1.07pm on Sunday, a member of the public called 911 to report finding a womans body near the trail. Sheriff Gahler said at a press conference on Sunday night that a homicide investigation was underway as they awaited formal identification and cause of death from the medical examiners office. Bevan Hurley reports: Rachel Morins homicide probed as sister says she did not go willingly ICYMI: Harford County police rule out connection to other missing woman Tuesday 8 August 2023 22:00 , Ariana Baio Officials in Harford County have ruled out any connection between the disappearance and suspected homicide of Rachel Morin and a second woman who went missing in the area the same day. Karen Elliott, 58, was last seen at her home in Bel Air at around 2.20pm on Saturday afternoon. Harford County Sheriffs Office said she was wearing a green shirt and blue jeans and was seen heading into the wooded area behind Cypress Drive. A search for the missing woman has so far not yielded any information as to her whereabouts. In Sunday nights press conference, the sheriff insisted that there is no connection between her disappearance and Morins case. We believe there is no danger to the community in the case of Karen Elliott, the sheriffs office said in a statement. On Monday, police announced that Ms Elliott was located alive and unharmed and that no foul play is suspected in her disappearance. Watch: Authorities search around Ma & Pa trail before identifying Rachel Morin Tuesday 8 August 2023 21:00 , Ariana Baio Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler and a visible group of Deputies on ATVs are here at the Ma & Pa trail in Bel Air today. Gahler tells me investigators are unable to say right now if the homicide of Rachel Morin was targeted or random. @FOXBaltimore pic.twitter.com/2cHcWraNDS Amy Simpson (@AmySimpsonTV) August 7, 2023 Rachel Morins car was found outside of trail Tuesday 8 August 2023 20:30 , Ariana Baio After Rachel Morin failed to return home from her job on Saturday, her boyfriend Richard Tobin called the police at about to report her missing. The next morning, the 37-year-olds car was located at the Williams St entrance to the Ma and Pa Trail. Authorities recovered the vehicle on Sunday morning, and it is being processed for evidence, the sheriffs department said. Who was Rachel Morin? Tuesday 8 August 2023 20:07 , Ariana Baio Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old woman from Maryland, was found deceased near the side of a trail in Bel Air on Sunday. Law enforcement in the Harford Police Department said Morins death was a homicide with foul play suspected. According to reports, Morin was a fitness enthusiast who was going on a run at the Ma & Pa Trail at the time of her disappearance. A friend of Morins, Becca Dill, described her as a fighter who found strength in her faith. Ms Dill told The Baltimore Banner on days [Morin] felt defeated or abandoned by the world she would read scripture. Morins best friend, Claudia Brown, wrote in a Facebook post that, Rachel was so unabashedly herself: witty and genuine, brilliant, daring, and headstrong. Her spirit would light up the room and her smile was contagious. She added that her faith was strong. Rachel Morin, 37, was a fierce protector of her children and loved them with all of her heart, a close friend wrote in a social media tribute (Harford County Sheriffs Office) Ms Brown wrote that Ms Morin had been divorced, and was a fierce protector of her children and loved them with all of her heart. Ms Morin had worked as a model and appeared on the cover of Owl Magazine, Harford Community Colleges student publication, where her brother John Morin worked as a technical director. She also started her own cleaning business, East Coast Cleaners, in 2019, according to Open Corporates. Rachel Morins boyfriend says he would never do anything to her Tuesday 8 August 2023 19:32 , Ariana Baio On Sunday night, Rachel Morins boyfriend Richard Tobin took to social media to state his innocence while also making reference to his lengthy criminal rap sheet. I love Rachel, I would never do anything to her, let the family and I grieve, Mr Tobin wrote. Yes I have a past but I also have 15 months clean and have changed as a person. Please. Court records show Mr Tobin has two arrests for second-degree assault, and separate arrests for violating restraining orders, malicious destruction of property and drug possession dating back to 2014 Mr Tobin has also faced charges of being a fugitive from justice, resisting arrest and disorderly intoxication, according to Maryland judiciary case search records. Mr Tobin has not been named as a suspect, or accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the homicide inquiry. Mr Tobin only confirmed his relationship with Ms Morin in a Facebook post on 1 August, five days before she was reported missing. Catch up with the Rachel Morin story Tuesday 8 August 2023 19:06 , Ariana Baio Rachel Morins homicide probed as sister says she did not go willingly Sheriff confirms foul play was at play in Rachel Morins death Tuesday 8 August 2023 18:30 , Ariana Baio One day after she went missing, Rachel Morin was found dead on the side of a trail in northern Maryland. While it is still early in the investigation, this was no accident, Jeffery Gahler the Harford County Sheriff told Fox News Digital. This is not an accidental death or an incident where she took her own life. This is foul play on the part of another," Mr Gahler said. Morins sister, Rebekah Morin, echoed similar statements on a GoFundMe page that she created for her sister. Rebekah wrote: This was not an accidental (sic) death, and she did not go willingly and she deserves a funeral worthy of her her beauty. Investigators are unsure who is responsible for Morins death whether it was random or someone she knew but they are asking for the publics help in collecting tips and information. Rachel Morins sister grieves her sister in Facebook post Tuesday 8 August 2023 18:00 , Ariana Baio Watch: Harford Police Department press conference Tuesday 8 August 2023 17:30 , Ariana Baio No suspect in Rachel Morin case yet Tuesday 8 August 2023 17:00 , Ariana Baio Investigators in the Harford County Sheriffs Office do not have an official suspect yet in the case of Rachel Morin. Jeffery Gahler, the Harford County sheriff told WBALTV that they are unsure whether or not Morins death was targeted. "We do not have a solid suspect. Not knowing whether this was a targeted event specific to Rachel, we are going to say, yes, be aware, be thinking there could be somebody out here and this is a random event," Mr Gahler said. Mr Gahler urged the public to be vigilant when walking along the Ma & Pa Trail and said there will be increased patrols along the trail. Timeline in Rachel Morin case Tuesday 8 August 2023 16:30 , Ariana Baio Saturday, 5 August 6pm Rachel Morin is last seen heading out to run on the Ma & Pa Trail in northern Maryland. 11.23pm The boyfriend of Rachel reports her missing after she does not return home. Police begin searching for Rachel on the trail and surrounding areas. Sunday, 6 August 1pm Body of female victim located off of the Ma & Pa Trail is reported to police. Monday, 7 August Police confirm the body found on the rail is Rachel Morin. ICYMI: Maryland police confirm body found on trail is missing mom-of-five Rachel Morin Tuesday 8 August 2023 16:00 , Ariana Baio A spokesperson for the Harford County Sheriffs Office told The Independent that the medical examiners office had identified the body as that of 37-year-old Rachel Morin, on Monday. The spokesperson could not provide a cause of death, what injuries she suffered, or whether any suspects have been identified. Morin was reported missing after she failed to return from a hike on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, about 30 miles northeast of Baltimore, on Saturday night. Her body was found by a member of the public along the 6.25m (10km) trail just after 1pm on Sunday. Bevan Hurley reports: Maryland police confirm body found on trail is missing mom-of-five Rachel Morin Police ask for publics help in Rachel Morin investigation Tuesday 8 August 2023 15:30 , Ariana Baio Investigators in the Harford County Sheriffs Office are asking for the publics help in obtaining information related to the case of Rachel Morin. If you were on the Ma & Pa Trial on Saturday, or near the trial or trail heads and took photos or video, we are asking if you would please share them with investigators, the Harford County Sheriffs Office wrote on Facebook. There could be something helpful in one of your photos that might bring us one more piece of the puzzle (sic). Anyone with photos, videos or information is being asked to share them with Sergeant Maddox at maddoxc@hartfrodsheriff.org. Rachel Morins infant niece died one week before she went missing Tuesday 8 August 2023 15:00 , Ariana Baio Eight days before Rachel Morin went missing, her baby niece unexpectedly died. On GoFundMe, Rachels sister, Rebekah, created a GoFundMe on 28 July for her brother and sister-in-law whose three-month-old baby, Lily Beth, passed away. This precious baby girl passed away unexpectedly and has left us all with heartbreaking sadness. Lily Beth was always happy and her smile and giggle won the hearts of everyone who came in contact with her, Rebekah wrote in the GoFundMe description. On Facebook, Rebekah posted that she was heartbroken the day her niece died. Over $35k raised for Rachel Morin Tuesday 8 August 2023 14:30 , Ariana Baio A GoFundMe supporting the family of Rachel Morin and funeral costs has raised over $35,000. Rebekah Morin, the sister of Rachel, started the fundraiser on Sunday to help pay for funeral expenses and a memorial. I have made a gofundme to help my mother, Patty Morin with funeral costs. There was no life insurance in place, Ms Morin wrote in the GoFundMe description. If there are any remaining funds they will go towards things her 5 children may need. Please share, donate, comment and keep this going.Once we have made the arrangements I will update with service dates and times. If you wish to donate directly please message me on Facebook. Days later, over 800 people donated to help support the Morin family. Ms Morin said they raised the goal amount of money they want to raise and thanked those who donated. We had no idea the amount of people she touched, even in just her everyday life. We want all those who loved her to grieve with us and celebrate her life. We would also like to raise enough to get a headstone that is fitting for her and we did not take into account the fees. We appreciate all those who have shared, donated and thoughtful words. Mom-of-fives new boyfriend breaks silence over death Tuesday 8 August 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp Rachel Morins new boyfriend has broken his silence after a body believed to belong to the mother-of-five was found close to a walking trail in Maryland. Richard Tobin took to Facebook on Sunday to deny any involvement in her death. I love Rachel, I would never do anything to her, let the family and I grieve, he wrote. Yes I have a past but I also have 15 months clean and have changed as a person. Please, he added, apeparing to reference his prior criminal record. His denial came as hundreds of people wrote on his Facebook page in the comments section under his recent relationship status post. On 1 August four days before Morin disappeared Mr Tobin changed his status to in a relationship with Morin. Two days later on 3 August, Morin had posted images of the couple together, writing: Only started taking pics few weeks ago.. but these are a few of my favorites . From the beach to the mountains. Richard Tobin changed his status to in a relationship with Rachel Morin on 1 August (Facebook) Rachel Morins boyfriends criminal history revealed Tuesday 8 August 2023 13:03 , Bevan Hurley On Sunday night, Rachel Morins boyfriend Richard Tobin took to social media to state his innocence while also making reference to his lengthy criminal rap sheet. I love Rachel, I would never do anything to her, let the family and I grieve, Mr Tobin wrote. Yes I have a past but I also have 15 months clean and have changed as a person. Please. Court records show Mr Tobin has two arrests for second-degree assault, and separate arrests for violating restraining orders, malicious destruction of property and drug possession dating back to 2014 Mr Tobin has also faced charges of being a fugitive from justice, resisting arrest and disorderly intoxication, according to Maryland judiciary case search records. Mr Tobin has not been named as a suspect, or accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the homicide inquiry. Mr Tobin only confirmed his relationship with Ms Morin in a Facebook post on 1 August, five days before she was reported missing. Richard Tobin has denied involvement in his girlfriend Rachel Morins death as homicide probe launched after womans body found (Facebook / Rachel Morin) Harford County police rule out connection to other missing woman Tuesday 8 August 2023 12:30 , Rachel Sharp Officials in Harford County have ruled out any connection between the disappearance and suspected homicide of Rachel Morin and a second woman who went missing in the area the same day. Karen Elliott, 58, was last seen at her home in Bel Air at around 2.20pm on Saturday afternoon. Harford County Sheriffs Office said she was wearing a green shirt and blue jeans and was seen heading into the wooded area behind Cypress Drive. A search for the missing woman has so far not yielded any information as to her whereabouts. In Sunday nights press conference, the sheriff insisted that there is no connection between her disappearance and Morins case. We believe there is no danger to the community in the case of Karen Elliott, the sheriffs office said in a statement. On Monday, police announced that Ms Elliott was located alive and unharmed and that no foul play is suspected in her disappearance. Karen Elliott, 58, was last seen at her home in Bel Air (Harford County Sheriffs Office) Rachel Morins sister says death is not accidental and she did not go willingly Tuesday 8 August 2023 12:03 , Bevan Hurley Rachel Morins family has described her death is not accidental and said the mother-of-five did not go willingly. In a heartbreaking post on a GoFundMe campaign page, Morins sister Rebekah wrote: It is with devastating sadness and a broken heart that our family has been hit with yet another heartbreak. My sister, Rachel Morin went missing on Saturday August 5 2023 around 6pm. In less then 24 hours her body was found by local law enforcement. It has only been a week since my niece Lily Beth passed away from SIDS, and I find that I have to make yet another gofundme to help my mother, Patty Morin with funeral costs. There was no life insurance in place. She added: This was not an (accidental) death, and she did not go willingly and she deserves a funeral worthy of her her beauty. If there are any remaining funds they will go towards things her 5 children may need. Please share, donate, comment and keep this going. Authorities strongly believe a body found on a Maryland hiking trail on Sunday is 37-year-old mother Rachel Morin (GoFundme) Maryland police confirm body is that of missing mother-of-five Rachel Morin Tuesday 8 August 2023 11:30 , Rachel Sharp Maryland police have confirmed that the body found along a hiking trail in Bel Air is that of missing mother-of-five Rachel Morin. Morin, 37, was last seen heading to the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air at around 6pm on Saturday evening, according to the Harford County Sheriffs Office. She failed to return home that night and her boyfriend reported her missing. On Sunday morning, Morins vehicle was found in the parking lot at the entrance to the popular walking route. Hours later, at around 1pm that afternoon, a member of the public discovered a womans body close to the trail. On Sunday night, the Harford County Sheriffs Office said that they believed the body belonged to Morin but were waiting for official confirmation. In a statement on Monday, a spokesperson for the sheriffs office confirmed the tragic news. Earlier this afternoon, we received confirmation from the state medical examiner that the body recovered was that of Rachel Morin, they said. We are asking people if they have information to please stop forward and give that to the sheriffs office instead of discussing it on social media. Rachel Morins boyfriend says he would never do anything to her as homicide probe launched Tuesday 8 August 2023 11:03 , Bevan Hurley The boyfriend of a Maryland mother-of-five has denied involvement in her death, after police launched a homicide probe into the death of a woman whose body was found on a popular hiking trail. Rachel Morin, 37, disappeared after reportedly heading out for a hike on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Hartford County, at around 6pm on Saturday. Her new boyfriend Richard Tobin, 27, reported her missing at around 11pm that night after she failed to return, Hartford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler told a press conference on Sunday. Full story below. Rachel Morins boyfriend denies involvement as homicide probe launched Hikers warned to stay vigilant Tuesday 8 August 2023 10:03 , Bevan Hurley On Sunday, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler has said that there may still be a danger to the public, and urged anyone hiking the Ma and Pa Trail to be vigilant. Thankfully we dont have too much violent crime in Harford County, but when we have one, I prefer when I can stand here and tell you that the suspect has been arrested or that its a targeted crime. I cant tell you that is the case, he said. He urged anyone hiking trails in the area to carry a whistle toan alert device, pay attention to their surroundings, and notify family and friends of their plans. Sheriff Gahler also pleaded with the public to call 911 immediately if they spotted anything suspicious, and come forward with any information that might be relevant to the homicide inquiry. The Ma and Pa Trail where Rachel Morin was last seen alive (Harford County Sheriffs Office/Google) Who is Rachel Morin? Tuesday 8 August 2023 09:03 , Bevan Hurley On social media, Rachel Morin posted touching photos with her children, and with family and friends. Rachel was so unabashedly herself: witty and genuine, brilliant, daring, and headstrong. Her spirit would light up the room and her smile was contagious, her best friend Claudia Brown wrote in a Facebook post after her death. Her faith was so strong, Ms Brown wrote that Ms Morin had been divorced, and was a fierce protector of her children and loved them with all of her heart. Ms Morin had worked as a model and appeared on the cover of Owl Magazine, Harford Community Colleges student publication, where her brother John Morin worked as a technical director. In 2018, she shared photographs from a trip to New Zealand to visit John, who was working as a photographer in the town of Whakatane. In a post in February, Ms Morin shared a foreboding quote to her Facebook page: Risk can be dangerous, but routine can be deadly. Comfort has killed more dreams than daring ever did. Ms Morin also started her own cleaning business, East Coast Cleaners, in 2019, according to Open Corporates. Rachel Morin, 37, was a fierce protector of her children and loved them with all of her heart, a close friend wrote in a social media tribute (Harford County Sheriffs Office) What is The Ma and Pa Trail? Tuesday 8 August 2023 08:03 , Bevan Hurley Rachel Morin was reported missing on Saturday night, and after law enforcement appealed for information to find the mother of five, a body was found on The Ma and Pa Trail on Sunday afternoon. The 6.25 mile (10km) trail gets it name from the former Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad corridor that ran through the town of Bel Air in Harford County. The track was dismantled in the 1950s, and later turned into a heritage trail along the railroads former route. It consists of a 3.3mile section through Bel Air and a 1.7mile segment in neighbouring Forest Hill. According to Alltrails.com, the trail is moderately challenging and takes around 2 hours and 25 minutes to complete. In the wake of Ms Morins death, authorities have warned hikers to take particular care and be aware of their surroundings. The Ma and Pa Trial, viewed from the Williams St trailhead, where Rachel Morins car was located on Sunday morning (Google Maps) Woman found safe in separate Harford County missing persons inquiry Tuesday 8 August 2023 07:03 , Bevan Hurley A woman reported missing from Hardford County has been found safe, according to law enforcement. Karen Elliott was located alive and unharmed at 4pm on Monday, the Harford County Sheriffs Office said. No foul play is suspected in her disappearance. Officials had earlier ruled out a link with the Rachel Morin homicide inquiry. The mother-of-five from Bel Air was reported missing on Saturday, and a body was found on the Ma and Pa Trail on Sunday afternoon. Rachel Morins boyfriend says he would never do anything to her as homicide probe launched Tuesday 8 August 2023 04:03 , Bevan Hurley The boyfriend of a Maryland mother-of-five has denied involvement in her death, after police launched a homicide probe into the death of a woman whose body was found on a popular hiking trail. Rachel Morin, 37, disappeared after reportedly heading out for a hike on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Hartford County, at around 6pm on Saturday. Her new boyfriend Richard Tobin, 27, reported her missing at around 11pm that night after she failed to return, Hartford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler told a press conference on Sunday. Full story below. Rachel Morins boyfriend denies involvement as homicide probe launched Hikers warned to stay vigilant Tuesday 8 August 2023 03:03 , Bevan Hurley On Sunday, Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler has said that there may still be a danger to the public, and urged anyone hiking the Ma and Pa Trail to be vigilant. Thankfully we dont have too much violent crime in Harford County, but when we have one, I prefer when I can stand here and tell you that the suspect has been arrested or that its a targeted crime. I cant tell you that is the case, he said. He urged anyone hiking trails in the area to carry a whistle toan alert device, pay attention to their surroundings, and notify family and friends of their plans. Sheriff Gahler also pleaded with the public to call 911 immediately if they spotted anything suspicious, and come forward with any information that might be relevant to the homicide inquiry. The Ma and Pa Trial, viewed from the Williams St trailhead, where Rachel Morins car was located on Sunday morning (Google Maps) Who is Rachel Morin? Tuesday 8 August 2023 01:03 , Bevan Hurley On social media, Rachel Morin posted touching photos with her children, selfies at the gym and spending time with and friends. Rachel was so unabashedly herself: witty and genuine, brilliant, daring, and headstrong. Her spirit would light up the room and her smile was contagious, her best friend Claudia Brown wrote in a Facebook post after her death. Her faith was so strong, Ms Brown wrote that Ms Morin had been divorced, and was a fierce protector of her children and loved them with all of her heart. Ms Morin had worked as a model and appeared on the cover of Owl Magazine, Harford Community Colleges student publication, where her brother John Morin worked as a technical director. In 2018, she shared photographs from a trip to New Zealand to visit John, who was working as a photographer in the town of Whakatane. In a post in February, Ms Morin shared a foreboding quote to her Facebook page: Risk can be dangerous, but routine can be deadly. Comfort has killed more dreams than daring ever did. Ms Morin also started her own cleaning business, East Coast Cleaners, in 2019, according to Open Corporates. Rachel Morin was last seen alive heading off on the Ma and Pa Trail (Harford County Sheriffs Office) Rachel Morin was found dead on a popular Maryland hiking trail. Her sister says she did not go willingly Monday 7 August 2023 23:00 , Bevan Hurley This was not an (accidental) death, and she did not go willingly and she deserves a funeral worthy of her beauty, Rachel Morins sister Rebekah wrote on a GoFundme page to raise money for her burial and provide for her five young children. Full story below. Rachel Morins homicide probed as sister says she did not go willingly Woman found safe in separate Harford County missing persons inquiry Monday 7 August 2023 22:15 , Bevan Hurley A woman reported missing from Hardford County has been found safe, according to law enforcement. Karen Elliott was located alive and unharmed at 4pm on Monday, the Harford County Sheriffs Office said. No foul play is suspected in her disappearance. Officials had earlier ruled out a link with the Rachel Morin homicide inquiry. The mother-of-five from Bel Air was reported missing on Saturday, and a body was found on the Ma and Pa Trail on Sunday afternoon. Who is Rachel Morin? Monday 7 August 2023 20:48 , Bevan Hurley On social media, Rachel Morin posted touching photos with her children, selfies at the gym and spending time with and friends. Rachel was so unabashedly herself: witty and genuine, brilliant, daring, and headstrong. Her spirit would light up the room and her smile was contagious, her best friend Claudia Brown wrote in a Facebook post after her death. Her faith was so strong, Ms Brown wrote that Ms Morin had been divorced, and was a fierce protector of her children and loved them with all of her heart. Ms Morin had worked as a model and appeared on the cover of Owl Magazine, Harford Community Colleges student publication, where her brother John Morin worked as a technical director. In 2018, she shared photographs from a trip to New Zealand to visit John, who was working as a photographer in the town of Whakatane. In a post in February, Ms Morin shared a foreboding quote to her Facebook page: Risk can be dangerous, but routine can be deadly. Comfort has killed more dreams than daring ever did. Ms Morin also started her own cleaning business, East Coast Cleaners, in 2019, according to Open Corporates. Authorities shared photographs of Rachel Morin after she was reported missing on Saturday (Harford County Sheriffs Office) Missing hiker found dead in Arizona Monday 7 August 2023 20:20 , Bevan Hurley In an unrelated incident, a hiker who went missing on a trail near Phoenix was found dead after suffering from an apparent heat-related illness. Jessica Lindstrom, 34, a mother of four who worked as a registered nurse in Oregon, was visiting family in the area last week when she vanished, friends told news outlets. Ms Lindstrom went on a hike at the Deem Hills Recreation Area around 8.30am on Friday, Phoenix Police Department said. Full story below: Mother-of-four found dead on hiking trail near Phoenix Hikers warned to stay vigilant Monday 7 August 2023 19:30 , Bevan Hurley On Sunday, Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler has said that there may still be a danger to the public, and urged anyone hiking the Ma and Pa Trail to be vigilant. Thankfully we dont have too much violent crime in Harford County, but when we have one, I prefer when I can stand here and tell you that the suspect has been arrested or that its a targeted crime. I cant tell you that is the case, he said. He urged anyone hiking trails in the area to carry a whistle toan alert device, pay attention to their surroundings, and notify family and friends of their plans. Sheriff Gahler also pleaded with the public to call 911 immediately if they spotted anything suspicious, and come forward with any information that might be relevant to the homicide inquiry. Rachel Morins boyfriend says he would never do anything to her as homicide probe launched Monday 7 August 2023 19:03 , Bevan Hurley The boyfriend of a Maryland mother-of-five has denied involvement in her death, after police launched a homicide probe into the death of a woman whose body was found on a popular hiking trail. Rachel Morin, 37, disappeared after reportedly heading out for a hike on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Hartford County, at around 6pm on Saturday. Her new boyfriend Richard Tobin, 27, reported her missing at around 11pm that night after she failed to return, Hartford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler told a press conference on Sunday. Full story below. Rachel Morins boyfriend denies involvement as homicide probe launched Newscom The global movement against free trade and capitalism that burst into public consciousness at the 1999 protests against the World Trade Organization coalesced around the idea that Western elites had ensnared Third World nations in a debt trap to coerce them into adopting neoliberal policies. When poor nations couldn't afford to repay what they owed the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), these Washington-based organizations agreed to restructure the loans of debtor countries, if they would agree to move in the direction of privatization, deregulation, and free tradea policy agenda pejoratively termed "shock therapy." Leftist leaders like Hugo Chavez claimed that this was part of a pattern of elite subjugation of Latin America that stretched back to Christopher Columbus. He used it as evidence to support Venezuela's turn toward Cuba-style socialism. Columbia University's Joseph Stiglitz, a former chief economist at the World Bank and a Nobel Prizewinning critic of free market capitalism, promoted the same narrative. He blamed the Washington Consensus for pushing policies he deemed too radical and wrongheaded to ever get through in the U.S. Unlike Stiglitz, Alex Gladstein identifies as a classical liberal. The Human Rights Foundation, where he works as chief strategy officer, condemns socialist dictators like Chavez for their crimes against humanity. Yet in his recent book Hidden Repression: How the IMF and World Bank Sell Exploitation as Development, Gladstein argues that the story told by the radical left about these two organizations is largely correct. His work over the last few years has focused on "monetary colonialism," in which the U.S. and European nations use their control of global currency to override the sovereignty of poor nations in Latin America and Africa. The fix, he says, is for the world to transition to bitcoin, a form of freedom money that no country or corporation can manipulate or control. Reason sat down with Gladstein at the Miami Bitcoin Conference in May to talk about his new book. Photo Credits: James W. Prichard/ZUMAPRESS.com; James W. Prichard/ZUMAPRESS.com; Erik Castro/BlackStar Photos/Newscom; Jim Bryant/UPI Photo Service/Newscom; Jim Bryant/UPI Photo Service/Newscom; Seattle Municipal Archives, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Steve Kaiser from Seattle, US, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Ph0kin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; geraldford from Seattle, via Wikimedia Commons; Joe Goldberg from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Xinhua News Agency/Newscom; Li Ye Xinhua News Agency/Newscom; Michael Brochstein/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; AgnosticPreachersKid, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Lev Radin/Sipa USA/Newscom; Mihail Siergiejevicz/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; imageBROKER/Inga Backen/Newscom; Franco Trovato Fuoco/dpa/picture-alliance/Newscom; Allison Sales/dpa/picture-alliance/Newscom; Dilma Rousseff, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Walter Vargas from San Cristobal, Venezuela, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; nicolas genin from Paris, France, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; SIU MUI LUN ALAN/Newscom; World Economic Forum, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Shiny Things, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; APK, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; MohitSingh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA/Newscom; imageBROKER/Wibke Woyke/Newscom; Jimmy Villalta/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; CY, Meng, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Music Credits: "K," by Night Rider 87, via Artlist. The post Was the Radical Left Correct About the IMF and World Bank? appeared first on Reason.com. Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "murdering Mother India" in violence-hit Manipur state. "They killed India in Manipur. Their politics killed India in Manipur," Mr Gandhi said in parliament amid uproar from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. He was speaking during a no-confidence motion debate that the opposition have brought against Mr Modi's government. A vote is due on the motion on Thursday after the debate ends. Mr Modi's government won't lose the vote as his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have a majority in parliament. But opposition leaders say the debate will force Mr Modi to speak on the ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur state. More than 150 people have died and tens of thousands have been displaced in Manipur since early May, when ethnic clashes broke out between the majority Meitei group and the tribal Kuki minority. Mr Modi only publicly addressed the violence weeks later, after a video that showed two women being paraded naked by a mob sparked global outrage. Speaking in the house, Mr Gandhi said that for Mr Modi, Manipur was not important. "Our prime minister did not go to the state because for him, Manipur is not a part of India." The Congress party leader added, "They killed India in Manipur. Their politics has not just killed Manipur, but it has killed India in Manipur. They have murdered India in Manipur." Mr Gandhi's comments sparked protests from BJP leaders who accused him of trivialising India's name. "You are not India, for India is not corrupt. India believes in merit, not in dynasty," BJP MP and federal minister Smriti Irani said. The comment was a reference to the Nehru-Gandhi family, one of India's most renowned political dynasties, that ruled India for much of its history since independence in 1947. Mr Gandhi's speech came days after he returned to parliament for the first time since he was convicted in a criminal defamation case. He had lost his lawmaker status in March after he was sentenced to two years in jail. He was reinstated as MP on Monday, two days after the Supreme Court suspended his conviction. On Monday, he visited the parliament building after paying respects to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the complex where he was welcomed by opposition leaders. The parliament session, which began on 20 July, has been marked by protests from opposition leaders who have demanded that Mr Modi address the house on the violence in Manipur. This is the second time that Mr Modi's government is facing a no-confidence motion since it came to power in 2014. In 2018, a lawmaker had moved a motion over the issue of granting a special category status to Andhra Pradesh state. It was defeated after a 12-hour debate. The ongoing no-confidence debate is also a chance for a newly-formed opposition alliance of 26 parties - called INDIA - to display their unity. The alliance, which was formed in July - aims to take on Mr Modi's BJP in the general elections next year. BBC News India is now on YouTube. Click here to subscribe and watch our documentaries, explainers and features. Read more India stories from the BBC: The signing of a Republican Party pledge that all candidates will eventually support the party's presidential nominee is underway, with White House hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy becoming the first to agree to the language drawn up by the Republican National Committee (RNC). First reported by the Washington Post and confirmed by Fox News, Ramaswamy, with his signature, became the first candidate to formally qualify for the Aug. 23 Republican debate hosted by Fox in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel made the "Beat Biden pledge" a requirement for her party's candidates to be able to participate in its official debates, a rule that flies in the face of former President Donald Trump's previous suggestion he might not support the eventual winner of the Republican nomination. THESE REPUBLICANS HAVE MET QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE FIRST GOP PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE Vivek Ramaswamy, chairman and co-founder of Strive Asset Management, speaks at the Republican Party Of Iowa's annual Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, US, on Friday, July 28, 2023. According to the pledge, candidates must affirm they will only appear in debates sanctioned by the RNC, and, should they fail to sign the pledge or participate in a non-RNC sanctioned debate, they will not be able to participate in any further party sanctioned debates. "Additionally, I affirm that if I do not win the 2024 Republican nomination for President of the United States, I will honor the will of the primary voters and support the 2024 Republican presidential nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden," the pledge goes on to say. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party," it adds. KAMALA HARRIS TO HOLD GRASSROOTS RECEPTION ON WEALTHY MARTHA'S VINEYARD RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel speaks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Institute's "A Time for Choosing Speaker Series" at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on April 20, 2023 in Simi Valley, California. In addition to the pledge, candidates must also reach 1% in three national polls , or 1% in two national polls and two state-specific polls from the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada in order to qualify for the debate. The polls must also be recognized by the RNC and must be conducted on or after July 1. Additionally, to reach the debate stage, candidates must have 40,000 unique donors to their campaign committee (or exploratory committee), with "at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20+ states and/or territories," according to the RNC criteria. Fox News' Jessica Loker and Kyle Morris contributed to this report. A jury trial began Tuesday at the DuPage County Courthouse in the case of a former Naperville North High School student accused of violating a municipal ordinance by stealing a fellow students AirPods, a rare escalation for a low-level civil allegation. A Naperville police officer assigned to Amara Harris school issued her a ticket in 2019, when she was 17. Harris lawyers maintained Tuesday that she picked up the other students AirPods accidentally, mistaking them for her own. The prosecution argued that Harris knew the AirPods in her possession didnt belong to her because the serial number matched the packaging on the other students set. The case has spanned nearly four years and prompted debates over the widespread practice of police ticketing students at school, documented last year by the Tribune and ProPublica in the investigation The Price Kids Pay. A six-person jury will decide the case, which could span three days. Tuesday marked the first time in at least a decade that a Naperville ordinance violation advanced to trial. Because Harris case involves a civil violation, the burden of proof is less than for a criminal charge. Prosecutors must show only that a preponderance of the evidence supports the allegation, or that it more than likely happened. The maximum penalty for violating the theft ordinance is a $500 fine, in addition to a $100 court fee. Theres no threat of jail time. In an opening statement, one of Harris lawyers, Juan Thomas, recounted a recent experience where he said he accidentally walked to the wrong rental car. He said people of all ages make mistakes, and it would be easy to unintentionally pick up someone elses similar-looking white AirPods. When was the last time a 17-year-old kid checked the serial number on their AirPods? he said, adding that Harris has no history of disciplinary action in high school or at Spelman College. Thomas is one of two well-known civil rights lawyers representing Harris, who is now 20. Prosecutor Joseph Solon Jr. said the owner of the AirPods shared a class with Harris, and in that class students were required to put their backpacks in a closet. The AirPods owner, who also testified Tuesday, said she kept them in a zippered pouch in her backpack. She said she first noticed the AirPods were missing in the afternoon and told her father that evening. He informed the school that the AirPods were lost. A few days later, she said, a friend texted her a photo of the friends computer. The student said she had previously paired her AirPods with that computer, and the photo showed the same AirPods still paired but with a new name Amaras AirPods. The student said she reasoned that Harris took the AirPods during the class they shared, and she reported it to a dean. The dean then involved a school resource officer, who later gave Harris the ticket for theft. The student said during cross-examination that she never saw Harris reach into her bag and take the AirPods, but the class they had together was the only time her bag was left unattended that day. Juan Leon, the school resource officer, said he used discretion to issue the ticket after Harris mother, Marla Baker, refused to talk to him. He said he originally considered giving Harris a station adjustment, meaning Harris would have talked with police and might do community service with a parents consent. S. Todd Yeary, Harris other attorney and the former chief executive officer of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, said Leon had no evidence that Harris knowingly took the AirPods before writing the ticket. Solon argued that possessing the AirPods carries a knowing element. He later said that changing the name on the AirPods meant Harris must have known they were not hers. Naperville North dean James Konrad testified that when he first learned about the missing AirPods, he had no reason to believe there was any wrongdoing. He said he had a good relationship with Harris. Harris didnt receive any discipline from the school. Harris lawyers asked that Judge Monique OToole end the case, arguing that the prosecution hadnt established that Harris knowingly took the AirPods. OToole declined. They said some of the witnessess testimony was contradictory, and that Leon issued the ticket essentially because he was ticked off at Baker. ProPublica and the Tribune first reported on Harris case last year as part of The Price Kids Pay, in which reporters documented 12,000 tickets Illinois students received over nearly three years for violations including possession of vaping devices, disorderly conduct and truancy. Fines associated with the tickets can run into the hundreds of dollars. The investigation also found that Black students at Naperville North High School were almost five times more likely than their white classmates to receive tickets. Most students who receive municipal ordinance citations admit liability and pay the fine. Because of the lower burden of proof, fighting the tickets is difficult and costly. Baker said the family spent about $2,000 on legal fees before a nonprofit organization chipped in to help. A Naperville spokesperson previously said the case hasnt cost the city extra money because a city prosecutor is handling it. The trial will continue Wednesday, with more school employees likely called as witnesses. Harris may also testify. rjohnson@chicagotribune.com Columns of smoke rise from wildfire in Odeceixe, southern Portugal, as temperatures soar there and in neighbouring Spain (Patricia DE MELO MOREIRA) Temperatures are expected to hit 44 degrees Centigrade (111 Fahrenheit) in Spain and Portugal on Wednesday as the two countries boil under their third heatwave of the summer. With huge forest fires raging across southern Portugal for the fifth successive day, Spain's weather service warned that the average temperature across the country could hit a 70-year record. "This will probably be the hottest five August days in 73 years," said AEMET, the state meteorological agency, with almost the whole country under red weather alerts. Winds and extreme heat are also driving fires that have devastated 15,000 hectares of trees in neighbouring Portugal over the past few days. The biggest blazes are in the southern Odemira region, where more than 1,500 people have been evacuated with the fires reaching the Algarve, a hugely popular tourist destination. But firefighters tackling the wildfires said they were bringing them under control Wednesday, with a fall in temperatures and greater humidity at the coast helping stem the spread as hot air moves east. Experts say the recurring heatwaves, which have been getting longer and more intense, are a consequence of climate change. The Iberian Peninsula is bearing the brunt of climate change in Europe, with droughts and wildfires becoming more and more common. Spanish firefighters were using up to a dozen water bombers to slow the spread of the flames around Valencia de Alcantara in Extremadura close to the border with Portugal. "We evacuated our clients to a hotel in Alcantara," said Joaquin Dieguez, the owner of a holiday cottage. "But we are really worried because we have an enormous forest here with century-old oak trees. It's awful," he added. First estimations suggest that 350 hectares of trees have gone up in smoke. The blaze comes after 573 hectares were destroyed in wildfires in Portbou in Catalonia in the northeast, with 450 acres of trees lost by another fire near Bonares in Andalusia in the south. mdz-lf/chz/lch/fg The widespread protests against Reddits API changes reached a boiling point last month after the company forcibly reopened r/malefashionadvice the largest subreddit that stayed dark after the blackout booted the moderators, and appointed new ones. The moderators of r/malefashionadvice (MFA) opted to keep the subreddit private after the blackout, despite warnings from Reddit to reopen it. When the moderators refused to comply, Reddit admins replaced the entire mod team with users who had little to no experience moderating fashion spaces. The subreddit has effectively fallen apart since the takeover. Remaining subreddit members are mourning the loss of the accessible fashion community that r/malefashionadvice once provided. Reddits apparent disregard for its moderators, many of whom spend hours a day shaping subreddit culture, has been at the center of the clash between the company and its users. Subreddits that provide community and resources, meanwhile, are crumbling without the moderators and core users that kept them alive. With over 5.5 million subscribers, r/malefashionadvice is the most prominent casualty in Reddits power struggle with its moderators. Derek Guy, the menswear writer known as dieworkwear, said that r/malefashionadvice has been practically useless since Reddits takeover. By pushing out moderators and alienating the power users who make up the core of these niche hobbyist communities, he said, Reddit is shutting down the few spaces that are welcoming to new hobbyists. At the end of the day, all of these communities are held together by the quality of the enthusiasts people who do this stuff for the love of it and you cant replicate nerds who spend hours every day moderating debates about pants, Guy tweeted. In June, thousands of subreddits went dark to protest Reddits API pricing, which effectively shut down popular third-party apps like Apollo because of the high fees. Participating subreddits went private during the blackout, preventing users from posting or commenting, and shutting out non-subscribers from seeing the community entirely. The blackout lasted for 48 hours, with many subreddits opting to stay dark until Reddit rolls back its API changes. The protest has been largely led by unpaid moderators, who rely on third-party apps for moderation tools that Reddit lacks. Since the blackout, Reddit has threatened to remove moderators who continue to participate in the protest, and has replaced top moderators in a slew of popular subreddits. Users in r/SubredditDrama and r/ModCoord are keeping track of subreddits undergoing hostile takeovers, including r/MusicTheory, r/Diving, r/Snackexchange, r/spotted, r/beyondthebump, r/Formula1, r/2meirl42meirl4meirl, r/Canning, and r/Piracy. The former top moderator of r/beyondthebump, a subreddit for new parents, said they believed their removal was in retaliation for shutting down the subreddit during the blackout. I believe that even smaller moderators will be removed by the admin team over time," they wrote in a r/ModCoord post. Rather than being targeted, I believe that reddit saw the opportunity to remove me and took it. A spokesperson for Reddit said that the company is enforcing the moderator Code of Conduct, and if mods abandon a community, Reddit will replace them with new mods. Public subreddits that have been indefinitely made private are considered abandoned, and Reddit has a practice of reactivating private, high-subscriber communities that are being camped on. The Code of Conduct exists to ensure that mods arent acting against the interests of their community members, the spokesperson said. Its also about protecting our users right to assemble and discuss topics theyre passionate about, the statement to TechCrunch continued. Redditors want to reddit, and mods want to mod. We want mods who want to mod to be able to do so. "The loss of MFA is part of a larger development online of making hobbies less accessible for people who are just starting out." Protesting subreddits that went dark before Reddit forcibly opened them, like r/malefashionadvice, have pushed users to migrate to Discord and Substack to maintain their communities during the ongoing protest. Mens fashion has gotten more expensive, the designs have gotten more conceptual. Its just a less friendly environment to the guy whos just trying to figure out how to dress in the office, and I think thats terrible, Guy told TechCrunch. The loss of MFA is part of a larger development online of making hobbies less accessible for people who are just starting out. Unlike many fashion spaces online, r/malefashionadvice did not revolve around high-end, avant garde designs. Though many of the most popular posts portrayed users in very sophisticated, tasteful outfits, the majority of threads revolved around teaching guys how to dress for everyday life. It was one of the few fashion forums that incentivized constructive criticism and discouraged snark. In an increasingly snarky social media landscape, earnest communities like r/malefashionadvice are sorely needed to make spaces feel welcoming to noobs, Guy said. One Reddit user described r/malefashionadvices default style recommendations as a very specific blend of approachable and normie, but also in line with contemporary trends. https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js Other subreddits criticized r/malefashionadvice as basic the default advice of pairing Uniqlo shirts with Clarks boots was a running joke both in and out of the subreddit but as Guy pointed out, the basic uniform was inexpensive without looking cheap. It was the only forum where, if you were a guy and you have just no clue about anything about clothing, you could go there and find a sidebar full of useful resources, Guy continued. And you could ask questions, and very informed people with sophisticated knowledge and taste would help you. On July 1, r/malefashionadvice went private. Two weeks later, Reddit admins requested that moderators open the subreddit within three days, or the company will remove them. Reddit removed the moderators on July 20, and then posted a call for new moderators. We more or less have been expecting the removal for the past few days, a moderator identified as Walker told The Verge last month. The call for new moderators was heavily trolled by Reddit users. Comments applying for the vacant position, as archived on r/SubredditDrama, accused Reddit of wanting fresh free labour to replace the old unpaid serfs, and vowed that this community will not accept scab mods. Ive never moderated anything in my life and I dress like a toddler, please make me a mod I promise that Ill eat the boot and not just lick it, another commenter said. The moderators eventually appointed by Reddit have controversial post histories. Under the post announcing the new moderators, former r/malefashionadvice moderator GloriousStonerHoes pointed out that one of the appointed moderators had been banned from the subreddit multiple times. In the now-deleted comment, which has been archived in another post on r/SubredditDrama, the former moderator questioned why two of the new moderators were selected despite never posting on r/malefashionadvice before. MFA used to be a pretty tight-knit community where the moderators were not power mods most only modded mfa, a few modded one or two other fashion-related subs, GloriousStonerHoes said. He also noted that one of the newly appointed mods had made racist and xenophobic comments in r/britishcolumbia. That user has since been removed as a moderator of r/malefashionadvice. Another former moderator known as trend_set_go criticized the new appointments as peak sus. This is a textbook definition of deposing old guard with someone who knows nothing of the history of the community, trend_set_go said. Now that the subreddit is open again, the r/malefashionadvice community is protesting the new moderator appointments by relentlessly trolling mod posts. Under a daily thread about fashion advice, a user asked, what pair of shoes goes best with a black t shirt and slim fit chinos that i just pissed five minutes ago? Multiple Reddit-appointed moderators appeared to quit, or were removed, from r/malefashionadvices mod team. The community is now unmoderated, except for two bot accounts. Baffled users who werent up to date on the power struggle have asked the community to fill them in. What happened here? one user asked in a post this week. https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js Migrating to the other menswear subreddits wasnt an option, since those spaces revolve around more specific, high-end styles. Reddit user zerg1980 commented that r/malefashion, for example, wouldnt really help someone trying to dress better for work or for going out to dive bars. Guy described r/malefashionadvice as a feeder subreddit. Most fashion spaces are geared toward specific styles, from obscure streetwear brands to bespoke tailored suits to high-end Japanese denim. Its difficult to wade through the sheer amount of niche discussions online when youre just starting out, he said. General forums like r/malefashionadvice provide spaces for beginners to figure out what they like before they eventually migrate to more niche styles. Users discussed forming a new subreddit, but others pointed out that the core of the community who were well-versed in mens fashion and could guide other users were gone for good. The power users who were the most active, and typically the most helpful, would be hesitant to start another subreddit because their problem is with Reddit, Guy said. Many subreddits are instead migrating to Discord. But Discord essentially functions as a chatroom, not as a forum, and sorts discussion in chronological order instead of vote count. Though topics in r/malefashionadvices Discord server are organized into different channels, advice and conversations can be lost in the countless messages. Reddits wealth of information is so vast that its often regarded as a better search engine than Google. Searching through Discord threads, on the other hand, is far more difficult than looking for information on Reddit. We are creating an environment where its very difficult for someone to get into this hobby because the information has become squirreled away, Guy continued. These forums have died. Theyre shifted to Discord, which is not searchable. Former r/malefashionadvice moderator GloriousStonerHoes told TechCrunch that the subreddit's Discord server is highly organized, and that Discord includes native features that were only available on Reddit by using third-party apps. The server's questions and advice channel, for example, is a series of forum-like threads that are tagged as "Recommendations," "Wardrobe overhaul," "Dress code check," "ID'ing items," and more. "On Discord, you can search through messages from specific users, in specific channels, or from a specific time, which was a feature that was only possible on Reddit through third-party services," he said. Those third-party services depended on the analytics and data collection platform Pushshift, which Reddit banned earlier this year because the site violated Reddit's updated Data API terms. Reddit became so useful as a search tool because posts are indexed into Google, GloriousStonerHoes said, but its native search feature was "notoriously useless." Most users instead used Google to search for information, and "appending 'malefashionadvice' to the end." Discord messages aren't indexed, which is a "major drawback," so the server's mods use the bot Answer Overflow to index threads. The mods also run a Substack of long-from content contributed by the community. "I'll also mention that since starting the Discord, we've had an explosion of growth, and the Discord server has roughly 5x-15x the activity of the subreddit depending on the day, in terms of messages sent," GloriousStonerHoes said. "About 90% of our regular contributors are on Discord now, and many people have become regular contributors who were not on Reddit, and they have been great additions to the MFA community." The discontent is not exclusive to r/malefashionadvice. Reddit stamped out its user revolt, as Gizmodo reported, but in its Pyrrhic victory, may have irrevocably damaged its relationship with its users. Many subreddits just arent the same. Even though it didnt capitulate to user demands, the site faces a worse prospect: losing relevance. Users pointed out that the replacement moderators of these subreddits had little, if any, expertise in the topics they were tasked with moderating. One of the new moderators of r/Diving was torn apart for only having 21 dives under their belt an amateur count compared to the hundreds of diving experiences that the previous moderators had. Some questioned if the moderator could provide accurate and safe guidance with such limited experience. Niche hobby spaces depend on power users who are willing to put in the time and effort to cultivate a community. Without knowledgeable moderators to guide discussions, subreddits are overtaken by useless posts, Guy said. Even if they dont actively oppose Reddits API policy, if the most active users on a subreddit only see unhelpful or spam content, they wont come back. So you then lose the second tier of people who dont have a strong opinion about the original management issue, but they need to get something out of it. You only go back to the community if the discussion is interesting, Guy said. And if the discussion is no longer interesting, then you leave, and then as a result, the discussions get even worse because youve lost the second tier of high power users. The summer protests against Reddit may not have swayed Reddits policy changes. But they undoubtedly made an impact on the sense of community that once made Reddit so popular. Reddark, a site that tracks protesting subreddits, reports that at least 1,800 subreddits are still private or restricted, including r/fitness, r/bestof, r/meirl, r/curlyhair, r/streetwear, r/OnlyFans101 and r/ZeroWaste. Many subreddits are continuing to protest by going dark every Tuesday. In comments on r/ModCoord, users noted that their favorite subreddits are becoming flooded with spam and irrelevant posts because the moderators have stopped stepping in. Others said theyve seen a drop in engagement on posts, and a decline in fresh content. This week, a moderator of the still-dark r/Googlemaps asked for advice after receiving an ultimatum message from Reddit. User Sbatio told them that its their decision to comply by reopening the subreddit, but that Reddit as a site is permanently damaged. Reddit sucks since this all went down, Sbatio replied. They won but its dead. ASHEVILLE AdventHealth in Hendersonville received a citation from regulators for failing to allow a behavioral health patient to speak to a patient advocate. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services dictated that the hospital must establish a process for prompt resolution of patient grievances and must inform each patient whom to contact to file a grievance in a Statement of Deficiencies and Plan of Corrections obtained by Citizen Times public records request. Regulators completed the corresponding survey May 12. Details about the specific interaction that led to the citation were redacted. Charles Epstein, legal communications specialist for NCDHHS said that the state made redactions to this and other records produced according to state laws protecting identity theft, sensitive public security information and privileged patient information. To address the regulators citations, AdventHealth proposed updates to its patient complaint and resolution policy. The updated policies needed approval from the state by June 6; the Citizen Times has requested that the state and AdventHealth provide documentation concerning this approval. AdventHealth spokesperson Victoria Dunkle declined to release the documentation, saying in a Aug. 8 email to the Citizen Times that it was against company policy. NCDHHS has not responded to this Citizen Times request. AdventHealth in Hendersonville According to the AdventHealth Plan of Correction, the Hendersonville hospital was required to submit various forms of corroboration that they complied with the plan of correction. The plan of correction provided by AdventHealth notes that the current process identify policy gaps that lack specific procedural instructions for escalating patient complaints and grievances. Annual education provided to the workforce lacks content about Patient Rights, specifically related to complaint and grievance escalation. AdventHealth proposed several changes to address the deficiency including adding a patient rights violation as an example of a grievance, creating a procedure for escalating patient complaints, developing reporting and escalation instructions for patient right violations and for connecting patients to advocates. More: Group therapy sessions never happened, Asheville opioid facility lawsuit alleges AdventHealth in Hendersonville AdventHealth Hendersonville changed its name from Park Ridge Health in 2019. The hospital planned to re-educate their employees on the processes for addressing patient grievances, which according to Dunkle, they achieved. As part of the plan of corrections, AdventHealth also created procedures for educating new employees. According to the plan of corrections, the hospital planned to hang posters in every patient room in certain sections of the hospital listing the contact information for every department leader. More: HCA executive responds to attorney general over claim of Mission cancer care understaffing More: Henderson County sued for racial discrimination and 'intolerable' workplace Dunkle reiterated these actions in a statement to the Citizen Times. AdventHealth Hendersonville took immediate action to address the request from the state survey, she said. NCDHHS granted AdventHealth an initial certification to open a 67-bed acute care hospital in Buncombe County. Nearby competitor, Mission Hospital, which was purchased by for-profit HCA Healthcare in 2019, is challenging the states ruling. AdventHealth is a nonprofit hospital system based in Florida that has more than 1,600 locations around the country. More: Abortion? LGBTQ care? Unions? AdventHealth, steeped in church doctrine, gives its stance Mitchell Black covers Buncombe County and healthcare for the Citizen Times. Email him at mblack@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @MitchABlack. Please help support local journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times. This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: AdventHealth in Hendersonville cited by NC health department COLLEGE STATION, Texas The summer heat wave, along with increased wind speeds in the forecast, have created a dangerous environment for wildfires across parts of the Lone Star State. For the past two weeks, areas of Texas have already been experiencing elevated fire weather, with triple-digit temperatures, relative humidity under 25% and wind speeds of 10-15 mph. In fact, as of Wednesday, Texas A&M Forest Service has counted 140 fires burning nearly 14,000 acres of the Lone Star State in the past seven days. This week, however, the fire hazard is expected to escalate. The remnants of a wildfire are seen burning on August 08, 2023 in Hays County, Texas. "Those wind speeds are going to increase by about 5-10 miles an hour, and it's going to push us into critical fire weather," said Logan Scherschel, fire analyst with Texas A&M Forest Service. "Subtle increases of 5-10 miles an hour in wind speeds during the summer fire season have huge impacts on fire spread and fire growth," he added. TEXAS WILDFIRE DESTROYS SEVERAL HOMES AS HEAT, DRY WEATHER CONSPIRE AGAINST FIREFIGHTERS One of the main reasons for this "critical" fire risk is the amount of fuel currently available for wildfires. The fuel comes in the form of grasses, shrubs and trees that have dried out, due to six weeks of persistent, triple-digit temperatures, according to Scherschel. Additionally, a large amount of this fuel is available, as the wet spring allowed the plant life to grow abundantly prior to the heat wave. Members of the Hays County Emergency Service Districts and the Kyle and Buda Fire Departments rest together while combating a wildfire during an excessive heat warning on August 08, 2023 in Hays County, Texas. "Right now, with the triple-digit temperatures, all that heating of the surface creates a low-level instability, and it creates a very efficient burning environment for wildfires," Scherschel said. "All the fuels preheated, basically, by these triple-digit temperatures." 2 TEXAS FIREFIGHTERS INJURED AS FIRE WEATHER DANGER INCREASES ACROSS PLAINS This sets the stage for extreme fire behavior, allowing the fires to easily transition from burning grasses and leaf litter to creeping their way up into the dry canopies of trees. Scherschel likened lower-lying plant life, such as juniper and yaupon, as providing a ladder for fires to make their way from the ground to the canopies. As the wind speeds are expected to increase the fire potential this week, by the weekend, the wind speeds and fire potential are forecast to drop, albeit slightly. Scherschel cautioned that there will still be a significant fire potential. Members of the Hays County Emergency Service Districts and the Kyle and Buda Fire Departments look on as a helicopter prepares to drop water on a wildfire during an excessive heat warning on August 08, 2023 in Hays County, Texas. About nine out of 10 wildfires are caused by human activity, and they are not necessarily arson-related, according to Scherschel. Because of the significant impact humans can have on fires, Scherschel asked Texas residents to consider how their activities may impact the wildfire danger. While debris burning may easily come to mind as one of those activities, others also include welding and grinding on fences, mowing and construction work, which can also throw sparks that can ignite fires. HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER "So, just be very mindful of the things you're doing," Scherschel advised. "Anything that could cause a spark could start a wildfire when we're under this kind of critical fuel dryness combined with critical fire weather." He added that manmade infrastructure, such as power lines, may also be a fire hazard. Lightning from thunderstorms may start fires, as well. As of Wednesday, burn bans are in effect for 176 of Texas' 254 counties. PHNOM PENH, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has not only promoted infrastructure development and connectivity across continents, but also given an opportunity to countries to boost trade and economic potential, a Cambodian scholar said on Wednesday. Seun Sam, a policy analyst at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said China, with its rapidly growing economy, vast market, and technological advancements, has emerged as a global powerhouse. "It has become a strategic partner for many nations seeking economic opportunities and technological advancements," he told Xinhua. "With its BRI, China promotes infrastructure development and connectivity across continents, offering a chance for countries to enhance their trade networks and expand their economic potential," he said. BRI, a reference to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was initiated by China in 2013 to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes. Over the past decade, over 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations have signed documents under the BRI framework, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Aug. 4. Sam said under the BRI, China has been actively involved in financing and supporting major infrastructure projects in Cambodia, such as constructing roads, bridges, expressways, hydropower plants, airports, and ports as well as the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone. "These projects have not only improved connectivity within Cambodia but also enhanced its regional connectivity, contributing to economic growth and development," he said. "By furthering cooperation in this domain, Cambodia can continue to modernize its infrastructure and enhance its connectivity with China and other neighboring countries." Sam said China's investment in energy infrastructure has also helped alleviate Cambodia's power shortages and fostered sustainable development. "The construction of hydropower plants, solar panel farms, and power transmission networks has increased the country's energy production capacity, reducing dependence on costly imported energy sources," he said. He said the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone has attracted foreign investments and boosted Cambodia's manufacturing sector, leading to job creation and increased exports. Investments in Cambodia under the BRI have also stimulated the construction and real estate sectors, leading to the development of modern residential and commercial properties across the country, he added. Sam said that China has a vast consumer market and is known for its manufacturing capabilities and Cambodia can gain access to this market, exporting its products and expanding its export base. "This can boost Cambodia's economy, create employment opportunities, and enhance the standard of living for its citizens," he said. Sam said China's expertise in technology, agriculture, and education can also help Cambodia achieve sustainable development goals and address key challenges such as poverty alleviation, food security, and human resource development. The scholar also noted that a strong Cambodia-China relationship has not only yielded numerous benefits for both nations, but also contributed to promoting peace, security, stability, development, and prosperity in the region. "Forging closer ties between the two countries will provide mutual benefits in a journey toward building a high-quality, high-level, and high-standard Cambodia-China community with a shared future," he added. U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop knows hes taking a calculated risk by foregoing a reelection bid for Congress in a red district to run for attorney general in a state that hasnt elected a Republican to that position in more than a century. But, he told reporters Wednesday in Charlotte, its a risk he believes is worth taking to avoid getting caught up in a status quo in Washington that he said prevents real change from happening. He expressed frustration about a slow process despite having a lot of dynamism among Republicans. One of the aspects of the status quo in Washington that I described is people who rest on their laurels, people who do safe things, Bishop said at a news conference after a Republican Women of Greater Charlotte lunch in SouthPark, his first public appearance since declaring for the race. Bishop, who currently represents North Carolinas 8th Congressional District, announced his candidacy for state attorney general Aug. 3 during an appearance on WBT radio. In Congress, hes made headlines for his role with the Freedom Caucus, a band of ultraconservative Republican representatives known for being willing to delay legislation, stop debt ceiling deals and stall House Speaker Kevin McCarthys ascent to the speaker position. Hes served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019, winning reelection in 2022 with about 70% of the vote, after stints with the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, North Carolina House of Representatives and North Carolina Senate. Redistricting could also shake up the landscape of his current congressional district, he added. While congressional representatives dont have to live in their district, Bishop moved into his earlier this year, selling his Charlotte home and moving to Waxhaw, records show. Bishops AG platform The chance to be attorney general of his home state also is exciting, Bishop said. I think it is an opportunity to come back to serve one of the interests that is most challenged in our society today: law and order, he said. If elected, Bishop said a top priority will be to to be a voice for law enforcement, claiming without evidence that efforts by Democrats to defund the police have led directly to rapid increases first of homicides and then of all violent crime. The attorneys general in the states have emerged as a very potent force in keeping federal agencies and the federal bureaucracy within bounds, Bishop added, citing cases brought by Republican attorneys general that have made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, including the recent ruling on student loan forgiveness. Not constructive to seek stages, Bishop says In Congress, Bishop and the Freedom Caucus have gone to battle with McCarthy in ways that have at times paralyzed the House, with Bishop among its leaders. Among those flare-ups: typically noncontroversial votes about rules for bills that turned testy as revenge for McCarthy agreeing to a debt ceiling deal with President Joe Biden. Bishop said Wednesday hes proud of his work with the caucus, which he said is trying to work on changing the way the House works, and to have made media appearances on its behalf while in Congress. But, he said, he ultimately feels its not very constructive for politicians to seek stages. Some folks accuse me of this, and its just not true. Thats why Im doing this, he said of his run for attorney general. If I want to go and pump up my profile or get clicks or whatever, I keep doing what I was doing, and Id be more outrageous and stay at it. But the call is to get in the fight, get in the effort in whatever way at a particular moment you believe you can best serve. Bishop said he wont step back in terms of asserting myself as attorney general, but that he doesnt desire media attention. Ill be out there and continue to take the arrows or whatever, but I dont yearn for that, and Ive never clung to it, he said. State of the AG race in North Carolina Floridas U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and Colorados U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, both also members of the Freedom Caucus, have endorsed Bishops campaign on social media. Bishop has also picked up an endorsement since announcing from The Republican Attorneys General Association and the Club for Growth, a conservative Super PAC thats in the past helped raise millions in North Carolina. Hell face Tom Murry an Army veteran, attorney, prosecutor and former N.C. House member in the Republican primary. Theres speculation U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson, of Charlotte, will seek the Democratic nomination for attorney general, the Observer reported previously. Jackson said previously hes waiting until updated congressional maps are released to make a decision about his future. Attorneys Tim Dunn and Charles Ingram have already announced their candidacies in the Democratic race. Asked about Jacksons potential candidacy Wednesday, Bishop said he thinks some of the speculation is driven more by the media than Jackson himself. I think hes delighted to be in Congress and I think he really wants to stay there, he said. Current North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, is running for governor in 2024. As to who should succeed him in the House, Bishop said its not his place to pick a candidate. I think it sort of disrespects the public, disrespects the voters to try to pick your successor, he said. A federal judge in Idaho ruled a longtime death row inmate may have a legal claim that the state violated his constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment when officials repeatedly scheduled his execution without the means to carry it out. Idaho has sought to execute Gerald Pizzuto by lethal injection five times since his 1986 first-degree murder conviction, including three times in the past two years. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill for the District of Idaho last week rejected the states request to dismiss Pizzutos claim that rescheduling his execution several times violated his Eighth Amendment rights, allowing the case to move forward. Attorney General Raul Labrador made Idahos latest attempt to execute Pizzuto, securing a death warrant in February for a March execution date. But Winmill, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, indefinitely paused Pizzutos execution, which would have been the states first in 11 years. Winmill ruled he needed time beyond the scheduled execution date to review a separate case filing from Pizzutos attorneys with the nonprofit Federal Defenders Services of Idaho. In their lawsuit filed the day Labrador announced the planned execution, Pizzutos attorneys argued that the state had operated in bad faith by obtaining death warrants while knowing it lacked the lethal injection drugs required under Idaho law to execute their client. Winmill rejected similar arguments from Pizzutos attorneys of possible due process violations, protected under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. But he granted that Pizzutos claims of mental anguish and psychological torture against Labrador were plausible the low legal threshold required for the case simply to receive a hearing, he wrote. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill for the District of Idaho granted a death row inmates legal challenge that repeat death warrants could constitute a violation of his constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment. As Pizzuto describes it, defendants repeated rescheduling of his execution is like dry firing in a mock execution or a game of Russian roulette, Winmill said in his ruling. With each new death warrant comes another spin of the revolvers cylinder, restarting the 30-day countdown until the trigger pulls. Not knowing whether a round is chambered, Pizzuto must re-live his last days in a delirium of uncertainty until the click sounds and the cylinder spins again. Pizzuto was convicted of bludgeoning to death Berta Herndon and her nephew Del Herndon at a remote cabin north of McCall in summer 1985, and is one of eight inmates on Idaho death row. Today, he is terminally ill with late-stage bladder cancer, and has been under hospice care for more than three years. Through the lawsuit, Pizzutos attorneys seek to prohibit the state from pursuing future death warrants for their client as well as prevent prison officials from any execution preparations until they can prove an ability to carry out an execution by lethal injection. Labrador: We followed the law Labrador, a former Idaho congressman, acknowledged in his Feb. 24 announcement of the latest death warrant for Pizzuto that state prison officials did not possess the needed lethal injection drugs. The same issue also delayed the prior attempt to execute Pizzuto in December 2022, and was confirmed again by prison officials at Winmills request in March. Idaho law is clear: Those who commit the most egregious crimes deserve the ultimate punishment, Labrador said in a statement in February. Pizzuto was sentenced to death. We followed the law and obtained a new death warrant. Through an office spokesperson, Labrador declined an Idaho Statesman request for an interview about Winmills ruling, and Deputy Attorney General Jeff Nye, chief of the attorney generals criminal division, declined to comment, citing pending litigation. The ongoing obstacle of acquiring lethal injection drugs, because drug manufacturers refuse to sell them to prison systems, created a de facto moratorium on capital punishment in Idaho, state officials have said. Labrador helped draft a bill this year to add a firing squad as the states backup execution method, which Gov. Brad Little signed in March and took effect in July. Idaho hasnt executed a death row inmate since June 2012, and just two in almost 30 years. The states preferred method is lethal injection, at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution near Kuna, with a firing squad as the backup method after a new law took effect in July. The Idaho Department of Correction is still developing firing squad execution procedures and plans for overhauling a cell block inside the Idaho Maximum Security Institution near Kuna where they could take place, state prisons spokesperson Jeff Ray told the Statesman in an email. IDOC was allotted up to $750,000 for the prison renovation project, and design work is expected to start next month, he said. Pizzutos attorneys also declined a Statesman request for comment about Winmills decision. In response to Labrador securing a death warrant in February for their client, Deborah Czuba, supervising attorney of the nonprofits unit that oversees death penalty cases, said in a statement that the attorney generals decision demonstrates a clear lack of professionalism and a cruel disregard for the emotional torment it causes Mr. Pizzuto, as well as the stress and anxiety it creates for everyone else involved. Winmill has yet to schedule a date to hear arguments in Pizzutos capital punishment challenge on arguments of Eighth Amendment violations. Bill Lee is wise to hold a special legislative session focused on public safety, but the reason why might surprise you. Lets first dismiss the fluffery around the issue, and then get to the brass tacks of why conservatives should support the August session. Republican elected officials from across Tennessee have expressed misgivings about legislation involving protective orders and just about any other laws which would burden gun ownership. Theyre no more political extremists than the legions of Tennessee voters who put them in office. An expansive reading of the Second Amendment isnt a close political issue in Tennessee outside of a handful of progressive enclaves in the metropolitan areas. Many Republicans grew up safely around firearms and then had their perspectives affirmed by the gun lobby and generations of sympathetic lawmakers. Like it or not, the current status quo is undoubtedly the most effective way to protect the Second Amendment. Start with no, and force proponents of gun restrictions to drag Republicans kicking and screaming to their point of view. I wish more Republicans had the same approach to government censorship, but thats another column. Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns. Public safety concerns about public safety arent a good look Dont think for a minute that a conservative approach to the Second Amendment makes us unfeeling in that position. For years, I personally heard haunting screams of a mother who lost her child to gun violence. My heart genuinely breaks for the families of The Covenant School victims and the many more who dont make the headlines. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, holds his hands in the air during a vote to expel him from the House of Representatives at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, April 6, 2023. House Speaker Cameron Sexton appears behind him. Republicans can both express empathy to victims of violence and simultaneously be suspicious of restraints on the Second Amendment. We do owe it to our fellow Tennesseans to have the discussion, and we shouldnt fear the outsiders who will undoubtedly descend upon the state and attempt to push the legislative process into chaos. Republicans should also be smart enough to realize that citing public safety concerns about a session designed to address public safety isnt a good look. Opponents of gun rights can lawfully protest or face the consequences of violating the law. We should have a little faith in law enforcements ability to keep protestors, legislators, and the public safe. Having the more limited timeline of a special session helps them do that more effectively. Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee. Restraining any liberties is not the solution Standing on conviction and voting ones conscience is a requirement for public office. If lawmakers are afraid of liberals with megaphones, they should find other employment options. Show up for your principles. Take the interviews. Engage in the civil give and take that makes America great. Republicans also need to think through some of the knee-jerk reactions before examining concrete legislative proposals. For example, Speaker Cameron Sexton has expressed more interest in expanding the utilization of Tennessees involuntary and voluntary commitment laws than engaging the discussion over emergency protective orders involving guns. Put another way, theres more of a willingness to discuss solutions which take away individual liberty itself before entertaining one which implicates guns. In the world of burdening constitutional rights, one solution seems exponentially more draconian than the other. While the Tennessee Republican Partys executive committee may certainly ask for public safety measures to be considered in the next regular session, theyre missing the most obvious reason to have it in August: The circus. Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee. Lets not avoid issues of violence With a special session, Lee firewalls the next regular session. Put it all out now. Let the votes fall where they may. National gun control groups will unleash their media attacks. Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, and Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, will appear on CNN for another 15 minutes. The legislature will undoubtedly enact some laws and reject others. Then, were done. When Democrats try to drag the issue into the next regular session, Republicans can remind them that they already had their shot. Lee will survive if the legislature votes against his legislation. Frankly its good for Republicans not to look like a mindless monolith. Nobody should be concerned that the special session will magically vault Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, into a competitive Senate bid against Marsha Blackburn. Theres a reasonable conservative case for having a special session on public safety even for lawmakers who dont support extreme protection orders. Cameron Smith, columnist for The Tennessean and the USA TODAY Network Tennessee Republicans have strong backing on Second Amendment issues. The worst case scenario is looking like were trying to avoid the issue of violence in our communities instead of addressing it with confidence and fidelity to the Constitution. USA TODAY Network Tennessee Columnist Cameron Smith is a Memphis-born, Brentwood-raised recovering political attorney raising four boys in Nolensville, Tenn., with his particularly patient wife, Justine. Direct outrage or agreement to smith.david.cameron@gmail.com or @DCameronSmith on X, formerly known as Twitter. Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor to letters@tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Republicans have nothing to fear from a gun safety special session Ahead of a key court hearing Thursday, Republicans have released a series of documents indicating that the Biden administration pressured Facebook to reduce or remove content related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has deemed these releases the Facebook Files, and has promoted them on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Jordans branding is an effort to link them to the Twitter Files, a series of internal documents released by Elon Musks X this past winter that were extensively covered by conservative media. Jordan has claimed that the pressure from Biden administration officials on Facebook primarily in 2021 rises to the level of government coercion of private companies and is a violation of the First Amendment. However, court decisions in recent years have established that coercion requires the threat of state power. The lack of any specific threats in the Biden administration messages would make it hard for Jordan to prove his case in court. Republicans also widely claim that the actions of social media companies to remove, label or restrict content is censorship. But what legal precedent there is would support the opposite conclusion that companies have a First Amendment right to editorial discretion, to control what speech appears or does not appear on their property. What are the 'Facebook Files'? For the last two weeks, Jordan who chairs the House Oversight Committee has released a series of internal communications between Facebook and the Biden White House, mostly from 2021. The documents were obtained after Jordan used his power as House Oversight Chairman to insist that Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebooks parent company, Meta, be held in contempt of Congress if Meta did not provide documents requested by the committee. Meta Platforms Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, center, leaves federal court after attending the Facebook parent company's defense of its acquisition of a virtual reality app developer, Within Inc., in San Jose, Calif., on Dec. 20, 2022. (Laure Andrillon/Reuters) The documents show ongoing and extensive discussions between White House officials and Facebook executives about content related to COVID-19 in the spring and summer of 2021, as the Biden administration was promoting the vaccine developed under the Trump administration. Can someone quickly remind me why we were removing rather than demoting/labeling claims that Covid is man made before May? Nick Clegg, Metas president of global affairs, wrote on July 14, 2021, to several Facebook officials. Clegg, a former deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom, was referring to the contested theory that COVID-19 was developed and accidentally released by the Chinese government. A colleague not identified in Jordans document wrote back: Because we were under pressure from the administration and others to do more," adding, "We shouldnt have done it. We stopped removing [it] in May. That exchange illustrates the dynamic at play in all the communications. Biden officials aggressively pressed Meta and Facebook to restrict the spread, or remove altogether, posts from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tucker Carlson and others, arguing that the content violated Facebooks own standards. Facebook often resisted, but tried to placate the administration when it could. Even those who say the government should communicate robustly with tech companies about their content decisions have said that Biden officials behaved improperly. The government should not be pressuring websites over speech, wrote Mike Masnick at Techdirt.com. Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs and Britain's former deputy prime minister, at a service of thanksgiving for Lord Heywood in Westminster Abbey in London on June 20, 2019. (Henry Nicholls/Pool/Reuters) But Jordan has argued that the documents prove that the Biden [administration] abused its powers to coerce Facebook into censoring Americans. This is an area of the law that is still in flux. Some legal precedent, however, suggests that the Biden administration did not violate the First Amendment rights of Facebook users unless it also threatened the platform with retaliation. A public-official defendant who threatens to employ coercive state power to stifle protected speech violates a plaintiffs First Amendment rights, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2015. Jordan, meanwhile, is still saying that executives at Meta, Facebook's parent company, could be held in contempt if it does not cooperate. Contempt is still on the table and WILL be used if Facebook fails to cooperate in FULL, he wrote on X on July 27. The 5th Circuit Court hearing Jordans Facebook Files gambit comes ahead of the latest court hearing on these issues. On Thursday, a three-judge panel from the 5th Circuit is scheduled to review a ruling handed down July 4 by federal Judge Terry Doughty, of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. President Biden delivers remarks on his administration's conservation efforts on the day he signs a proclamation establishing the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni, or Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, at the Historic Red Butte Airfield in Tusayan, Ariz., on Aug. 8. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Doughty, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, found that the Biden administration had created a federal regime of mass censorship that was biased against conservatives. Doughty ruled in favor of a lawsuit brought by the states of Missouri and Louisiana against the Biden administration. But Doughtys ruling was halted by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which granted a request for a temporary stay of the decision while it is appealed. The 5th Circuit is considered to be one of the most conservative federal appeals courts in the country. Doughtys ruling has been widely criticized for his very broad definition of what coercion means. The judge interpreted public statements in the media by government officials as coercive of social media companies. But in March, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco tossed out a lawsuit suing Twitter for removing a user who made false claims about the outcome of the 2020 election, after the account was flagged by the California Secretary of States office. The 9th Circuit found in OHandley v. Weber that agencies are permitted to communicate in a non-threatening manner with the entities they oversee without creating a constitutional violation. A great white shark spotted off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in 2022. Joseph Prezioso/Getty Images Researchers said they were shocked to find out that two great white sharks had become friends. The sharks, Simon and Jekyll, have traveled more than 4,000 miles together up the Atlantic Coast. A scientist said finding these "buddies" was surprising because white sharks were usually solitary. Turns out that even chronically single apex predators may need companionship sometimes. Researchers were shocked to discover that two great white sharks typically solitary creatures had seemingly become friends and had traveled thousands of miles together. Scientists at Ocearch, a nonprofit research organization, first tagged Simon and Jekyll with location trackers in December off the coast of Georgia, according to the group's website. Ocearch said in a video posted on Facebook that scientists had since learned that the sharks had traveled practically side-by-side for more than 4,000 miles up the Atlantic Coast to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Great white sharks travel hundreds of miles north from Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas in the summer to search for gray seals. Canda's rebounding seal population attracts the predators, Live Science reported. Why are these two great white sharks sticking together? "This is potentially groundbreaking," Bob Hueter, the chief scientist at Ocearch, said in the Facebook video, adding, "We've never seen anything quite like this before." Heuter continued, "White sharks lead a very solitary existence. We don't really expect to see these white sharks staying together, but Simon and Jekyll, they seem to be buddies in the sense that they're going in the same place at the same time." Heuter said in the video that Ocearch was planning to conduct genetic analyses on samples of the sharks' DNA to determine whether the pair were brothers or half-brothers. They're both juvenile sharks, with Simon weighing in at 434 pounds and 9 feet 6 inches long and Jekyll at 395 pounds and 8 feet 8 inches, according to their profiles on Ocearch's website. Gray reef sharks, sand tigers, and hammerheads form social groups to some degree. Yannis Papastamatiou, a professor at Florida International University, said behavior varied from shark to shark even though great white sharks were usually solitary. Some are friendly, and others prefer to be alone. Read the original article on Business Insider Schools in Florida are planning to only show excerpts of works by Shakespeare to children, in a bid to skirt around the raunchy content in his plays. In a move that has been condemned by some teachers as absurd, plays including Romeo and Juliet will be taught using extracts, rather than the entire texts. Theres some raunchiness in Shakespeare, reading teacher Joseph Cool, from Gaither high school in Hillsborough county, told the Tampa Bay Times. Because thats what sold tickets during his time. The publication reports that school boards believe they can educate pupils about the Bard while avoiding anything racy or sexual. This news comes in the wake of the Parental Rights in Education Act rightwing legislation commonly known as the dont say gay law due to its crackdown on teaching about gender and LGBTQ+ issues. The Parental Rights in Education Act requires that material that is sexual in nature should solely be used in classes dedicated to sexual health or reproduction. Mr Cool added: I think the rest of the nation no, the world, is laughing us. Taking Shakespeare in its entirety out because the relationship between Romeo and Juliet is somehow exploiting minors is just absurd. He argued that students would absolutely not learn as much from the texts, or form as much of a connection with them, by just reading excerpts. The switch to excerpts is, in part, an attempt to help students meet state Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking, with teachers giving pupils a broad range of knowledge based on one whole novel and excerpts from five to seven books or plays. The dont say gay law was established in March last year by Ron DeSantis, the rightwing Republican governor who is now running to be his partys 2024 presidential nominee. In July, a teacher keeping track of books that have been temporarily pulled for review by Floridas Orange County government, revealed that titles by Shakespeare have been restricted to only 10th through 12 graders, while other popular works like The Fault in Our Stars, Into the Wild, and Catch-22 have been put on the restricted list because of sexual material. Ariana Grande and George Takei were among the celebrities to condemn the bill in 2022, and its passage followed student walkouts across the state. Ron DeSantis (REUTERS) Opponents have argued that the legislation chills discussion of LGBTQ+ people and issues, and stigmatises LGBTQ+ children and families. Actor Whoopi Goldberg said at the time that the bill is shaming LGBTQ+ children and punishing teachers who want to help them. DeSantis also recently expanded the law to include teaching to students up to the 12th grade the prohibition of teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity had previously applied to students up to the 3rd grade. And he recently signed legislation that would restrict abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, which is before most people know they are pregnant. A retired U.S. Army soldier is facing federal charges that accuse him of stealing a Humvee from Fort Stewart and plowing into a building at the Georgia base in July, federal prosecutors said. After stealing the Humvee, the man, 39, of Dublin, Georgia, barreled through the front doors of Fort Stewarts Third Infantry Division Headquarters building on July 10, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Georgia. A person at the scene pinned him down until Fort Stewart Military Police arrived and detained him, a criminal complaint filed in court says. Hes accused of causing more than $1,000 worth of damages, according to the criminal complaint. This photo shows the scene of the crash at Fort Stewart on July 10. The retired staff sergeant was indicted on charges of damage to government property and theft of government money, property or records, the attorneys office announced in an Aug. 9 news release. The indictment was filed Aug. 8, according to court records. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison, prosecutors said. Statesboro-based trial lawyer Troy Marsh, who represents the man, declined a request for comment from McClatchy News on Aug. 9. Prosecutors didnt provide a motive for the incident. However, the criminal complaint says the act was intentional based on the mode and precision. The man has a prior criminal history involving arrests for driving under the influence and disorderly conduct, according to the criminal complaint. He joined the Army in June 2002 and served until July 2013 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic, Army spokesman Bryce S. Dubee told McClatchy News in a statement on Aug. 9. During his military service, he was deployed to Iraq from January 2005 to January 2006 and again in September 2008 to August 2009, according to Dubee. He received several awards during his career, Dubee said. Dubee declined to comment on the charges as its Army policy not to discuss matters in ongoing litigation. Three Marines were found dead near NC coast, military says. Cause of death announced Military spouse kept his second, third marriages a secret and stole $364,000, feds say Pregnant soldier was found strangled to death in 2001. Now, man is arrested in Florida Black soldier feared for his life during traffic stop, suit says. He wants $1 million Treamon Dominic Lacy, a 39-year-old retired U.S. Army staff sergeant hailing from Dublin, Georgia, has been indicted for his involvement in the July crash into Fort Stewarts Third Infantry Division Headquarters building. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The indictment, which was announced by Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, charges Lacy with Damage to Government Property and Theft of Government Money, Property, or Records. The charges laid against Lacy carry serious implications, potentially subjecting him to a maximum statutory sentence of up to 20 years in prison. In addition to incarceration, Lacy could face substantial financial penalties and be required to make restitution for the damage caused. According to the indictment, on July 10, Lacy allegedly stole a Humvee from a motor pool at Fort Stewart and deliberately drove it into the front doors of the U.S. Armys Third Infantry Division Headquarters, resulting in significant damage to the building. Notably, Lacy had legitimate access to Fort Stewart due to his status as a retired U.S. Army staff sergeant. Its essential to emphasize that criminal indictments only contain charges, and individuals accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. The case will be prosecuted on behalf of the United States by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Z. Spitulnik. The circumstances surrounding this incident have prompted discussions about the potential vulnerabilities within military installations and the importance of maintaining robust security protocols to prevent unauthorized access and potential acts of vandalism or sabotage. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [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. A defense lawyer for suspected Long Island serial killer Rex Heuermann argued in court filings Tuesday that prosecutors have failed to show probable cause connecting him to a DNA sample taken from a pizza box outside his office as she failed to convince a New York judge to deny the district attorney's request for a cheek swab. There is no shortage of pizza in New York City, where the 59-year-old Heuermann built his architecture firm. However, the FBI allegedly observed Heuermann discarding a pizza box outside his Manhattan office before his arrest in July and with it, lab testing allegedly found DNA matching evidence at the Gilgo Beach crime scene with the body of victim Megan Waterman, 22. HOW UNTRACEABLE BURNER PHONES HELPED POLICE BUST ALLEGED GILGO BEACH SERIAL KILLER The defense filing asserts that prosecutors failed to show a direct connection between Heuermann and the pizza box, leaving open the possibility that the DNA belongs to someone else who happened to be eating pizza right outside Heuermann's Fifth Avenue office more than a decade after Waterman's murder. "The People (prosecutors) essentially concede that they have no evidence establishing that defendant Rex A. Heuermann actually ever came into contact with the pizza crust or the used napkin found in the discarded pizza box," Heuermann's court-appointed lawyer Danielle Coysh wrote. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "By the People's own admission, the nexus between the partially eaten pizza crust and used napkin and the defendant Rex A. Heuermann is at best a matter of conjecture and assumption, not fact," she added. Coysh also took issue with a witness description of the man believed to be the last person to see another victim, Amber Costello, 27, alive. "There is no claim defendant Rex A. Heuermann was ever identified through either a corporeal or photographic identification as that person," she argued. REX HEUERMANN'S WIFE PICTURED FOR FIRST TIME AS SHE FILES FOR DIVORCE FROM GILGO BEACH SERIAL SLAYING SUSPECT Megan Waterman was 22 years old when she vanished on June 6, 2010, on security video from a Holiday Inn Express hotel in Hauppauge, New York. Suffolk County police found her remains on Dec. 13, 2010, near Gilgo Beach during the search for Shannan Gilbert. Judge Timothy Mazzei, however, granted the prosecution's request for a swab, while also granting Coysh's request that the defense be present when it is taken. "The DNA found on the pizza crust and napkin, will yield probative material evidence, whether it is inculpatory or not," he wrote in a decision obtained by Fox News. GILGO BEACH SUSPECT REX HEUERMANN STALKED EX-COP AFTER TRAIN ALTERCATION, RIDER SAYS Coysh did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to six counts of murder for the deaths of Waterman, Costello and Melissa Barthelemy, 24. Suffolk County prosecutors have also described him as the prime suspect in the death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, whose remains were found near the other three. Amber Lynn Costellos remains were found near Gilgo Beach, New York, on Dec. 13, 2010. Prosecutors said in court last week that they planned to turn over more than 2,500 pages of documents and over 100 hours of video to the defense. In addition to the pizza box DNA and a description of the suspect from Costello's former pimp, investigators also used phone records to zero in on Heuermann after a new task force was created to investigate the cold case in 2021. GILGO BEACH MURDERS: THE INVESTIGATION IN PHOTOS Melissa Barthelemys remains were found near Gilgo Beach, New York, on Dec. 11, 2010. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said last month that police also found Heuermann's wife's DNA on some of the victims, believed to have been transferred there without her presence. She was out of town during each of the murders and has not been accused of a crime. Her husband allegedly met sex workers on the internet and through dating apps, then killed them and dumped their bodies on a remote stretch of Ocean Parkway about 45 miles east of New York City, near his suburban home in Massapequa Park. Maureen Brainard-Barnes was 25 years old when she was last seen alive in July 2007. She was reported missing on July 14, 2007. Police discovered the four women's remains while searching for another missing woman, Shannan Gilbert, who vanished after calling 911 in another beach community on the same parkway. Six other bodies were also recovered nearby. WATCH: GRIM TIDE ON FOX NATION Heuermann is due back in court Aug. 15. He faces up to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if convicted. File photo. A motorcyclist wears a patch on his riding vest declaring his opinion of Washington states mandatory motorcycle helmet law. (File photo) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says wearing a helmet is the single most effective way to protect yourself from head injury and death while riding a motorcycle. It also recommends wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle or scooter. In Missouri, 99 out of 123 motorcycle crashes in 2020 that resulted in death involved riders without a helmet, according to the NHTSA, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation that is focused on safety. In Kansas, 27 out of 65 crashes that ended in death involved a rider not wearing a helmet. As a safety practice, wearing a helmet is recommended whether the law requires it or not. And laws requiring helmet use vary by state. The NHTSA reported in 2020 that helmet laws made a difference: In states without universal helmet laws, 57% percent of motorcyclists killed were not wearing helmets, compared to 11% in states with universal helmet laws. Is it legal to ride without a helmet in Missouri or Kansas? Heres what the laws in each state say: Is it legal to ride without a helmet in Missouri? Yes, if you are 26 or older. Missouri statute 302.026, signed in 2020, repealed the states universal helmet law and says that motorcyclists ages 26 and older can ride without a helmet, if they have both medical insurance and proof of financial responsibility. If youre under the age of 26, you have to wear a helmet, no matter what your insurance or financial situation is. The statute also says riders must be covered by a health insurance policy or other form of insurance which will provide the person with medical benefits for injuries incurred as a result of an accident while operating or riding on a motorcycle or motortricycle. There are no laws in Missouri that require cyclists to wear helmets while biking, or moped users to wear helmets when riding on their scooters. It is recommended that you do wear a helmet to prevent serious injury in case of an accident. Is it legal to ride without a helmet in Kansas? Yes, if you are 18 or older. Kansas law allows people to ride motorcycles without a helmet at a younger age than in Missouri. Kansas law requires that everyone less than 18 years old wear a U.S. Department of Transportation-approved helmet while riding a motorcycle or moped, according to Kansas Highway Patrol. The Kansas law says, No person under the age of 18 years shall operate or ride upon a motorcycle or a motorized bicycle, unless wearing a helmet which complies with minimum guidelines established by the national highway traffic safety administration pursuant to the national traffic and motor vehicle safety act of 1966 for helmets designed for use by motorcyclists and other motor vehicle users. Kansas law includes requirements for eye protection. Kansas motorcyclists are required to wear eye protection unless their motorcycle has a windscreen thats at least 10 inches high. According to highway patrol, eye protection can be protective glasses, goggles or transparent face shields that are shatterproof and impact resistant. There is no age exception for motorcyclists wearing eye protection. As in Missouri, there are no laws in Kansas that require cyclists to wear helmets while biking. Here also, it is recommended that you do wear a helmet to prevent serious injury. BERLIN, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The German government is seeking migration agreements with Georgia, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and is preparing for talks with Kenya and Morocco to regulate the recruitment of skilled workers and to simultaneously prevent illegal migration, according to the Tagesspiegel newspaper report recently. Georgia and Moldova were "a priority because here we could immediately reduce irregular migration, and both countries wish for partnerships," Joachim Stamp, special representative of the German government for migration agreements, was quoted by the newspaper as saying on Tuesday. More than 10 percent of the rejected asylum applications in Germany come from Georgia and Moldova, which is why an agreement would ease the burden on municipalities and courts in the country. In the first six months of the year, the number of unauthorized entries into Germany rose by more than half year-on-year to 45,338, the Federal Police said. The number of human smuggling cases also increased. According to official data, Germany's net migration rate (inward minus outward) rose to a record 1.5 million people in 2022. Most new immigrants to Europe's largest economy arrive from Ukraine, followed by Syria, Afghanistan and Turkiye. Germany's liberal immigration policy has become a cause of social tensions. According to a recent Civey survey for Focus magazine, 83 percent of Germans fear that taking in refugees leads to problems concerning security, the housing market or the social system. There is already a major shortage of skilled workers in Germany, making the country's aging population dependent on immigration. According to the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the shortage could reach 7 million workers by 2035 unless sufficient countermeasures were taken. The German government has recently passed a new law to facilitate the immigration of skilled workers from countries outside the European Union (EU). Migration deals with countries such as Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan provide further opportunities for recruitment. During his visit to the above countries last week, Stamp said he had met "very committed and competent young workers who speak German very well and are needed as skilled workers in our country." Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's leader Xi Jinping deliver a joint statement following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow in March. MIKHAIL TERESHCHENKO/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images Xi is frustrated that Putin won't seek peace in Ukraine, reports say. China has touted a 12-point peace plan for Ukraine that Russia hasn't pursued. China recently attended a peace summit in Saudi Arabia that was described by Russia as "doomed to fail." China's leader, Xi Jinping, has been Russian President Vladimir Putin's most important international backer amid the war in Ukraine, with the authoritarian leaders declaring a "no limits" partnership from the outset of the conflict. But as the war drags on, it seems that China's patience with the Kremlin may be beginning to wear thin, reports say. A Russian insider told The Institute for the Study of War, a military think-tank, that Moscow had rejected a 12-point peace plan touted by China in February. They added that members of the Chinese elite were growing increasingly frustrated with the Kremlin's intransigence. The Financial Times reported that Chinese diplomats who were at a summit to discuss a potential resolution to the conflict in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia last weekend were keen to show "China is not Russia." A European diplomat present at the discussions told the FT that China's presence showed Russia was "more and more isolated." Russia mocked the meeting, saying it was "doomed to fail." Xi and Putin bond over opposition to US China has provided Russia with vital diplomatic and economic support during the conflict, handing Putin a lifeline at a time when Western nations severed their economic ties to Russia and sought to isolate the state over its actions in Ukraine. Military analysts have told Insider that Xi and Putin shared a deep resentment of US global power and Xi saw the Ukraine war as a way of delivering a blow to the US, Ukraine's most important international backer. But core differences remain between the leaders. Xi has not yet provided Russia with the military support it's requested in Ukraine and has aggravated Moscow by refusing to approve a new gas pipeline from Siberia that'd give the Kremlin's revenues a crucial boost. China has also shown signs of being rattled by June's Wagner Group uprising against the Kremlin and being anxious about Russia's nuclear threats against its Western foes. China's attendance at the Jeddah summit was a further indication of the growing distance between Moscow and Beijing. Some military experts say China is attempting to perform a balancing act, offering key backing to Russia while seeking to avoid aggravating Ukraine's European allies, whose economies Beijing relies on. "It aims to demonstrate to the West that it is interested in advancing a diplomatic settlement to the warand to remind the West that it may be the only country capable of inducing Russia to change course. It also hopes to earn plaudits beyond the West," Ali Wyne, an analyst with the Eurasia Group, told Insider. China refused to attend a June summit held to discuss Ukraine's peace demands in Denmark. Its plan to end the war was dismissed by the US as hugely biased in favor of Russia and as an assembly of Russian talking points. But the FT reported participants at the Saudi conference hailed China's attendance as a massive win for Kyiv in its bid to diplomatically isolate Russia, with China reportedly agreeing to attend future conferences. Some military analysts say Xi sees important clout to be gained in playing the role of international peace broker and has successfully mediated recent discussions between longtime regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia. But Wyne said excessive faith in China's intervention to secure peace in Ukraine might be misguided. There is little evidence "that China will fundamentally recalibrate its ties with Russia in an attempt to end the war," he said. "Beijing believes that its relationship with Moscow can help it to offset growing military and economic pressure from the West." Read the original article on Business Insider The Harriott riverboat remains docked Tuesday in Montgomery, Alabama. Three people have been charged in a fight Saturday on the floating dock that was captured on video by spectators. The Harriott riverboat remains docked Tuesday in Montgomery, Alabama. Three people have been charged in a fight Saturday on the floating dock that was captured on video by spectators. On Monday morning, when precisely everyone Black and with a social media profile was talking about the Montgomery Riverboat Reparations Royal Rumble, I opened up Threads, the new Meta-led social media microblogging platform that went live a month ago as a Twitter killer. Even though the app is on the home screen of my iPhone, I dont often think to see what folks are threading about. But I was thirsty for more scuttlebutt on the Alabama rumble. I scrolled down three days worth of posts from celebrities and people I know in real life. I saw a bunch of motivational quotes and ruminations about life, but not one post about how several of my skinfolk made the ancestors proud with good old-fashioned hair-pulling, folding-chair-slamming, river-tossing vengeance. Not one. Thats when I realized Threads is probably doomed. Indeed, the world is still on the search for a replacement for the erstwhile Twitter (now called X in what has to be the worst corporate rebrand since the new Gap logo.) Owner Elon Musk has spent the nearly 10 months since purchasing the service doing what he can to repulse users and advertisers alike, and so many want out but finding a worthy successor has proved challenging. Threads became the fastest-growing social media in historyin large part because it offered near-seamless integration from Instagram, which has more than 2 billion users, and because it launched in the same week that Musk imposed a temporary limit on viewing tweets, which invited so much backlash he dialed that back quickly. It didnt take long for Threads to give me Google Plus vibes: a good idea with questionable execution. In the beginning, there was a decent amount of people posting on my feed, but compared to Twitter, it feels aesthetically bland. Theres a good reason millions of users have already abandoned Threads: Its missing core functionality that would make it a genuine X killer, including the ability to send direct messages, hashtag topics, search engine functionality, desktop functionality or a For You feed. (Whats Threads if I cant log on and click on Spreadie Gibbs? Seriously, dont click on this hyperlink. Youve been warned.) And, if were being honest with our god and that part of ourselves we reveal to our therapists, the fact that you cant post or search the dirty stuff in Mark Zuckerbergs Candy Land universe will keep many of you right there on the Bird app. (Oh, and user beware: Leaving Threads has the trash trojan horse of requiring you to also delete your Instagram account.) Xs July viewing limitation also drove a lot of Black people to Spill, a social media app that was launched by former Twitter employees (and the only Black guys in the room) Alphonzo Phonz Terrell and Devaris Brown. In contrast to Threads, Spill has visual flair to spare. Its designers wanted for it to be the new haven for Black Twitter (Black Spill?) while also allowing other marginalized communities to engage without being attacked unlike the petri dish of Musks X, where the digital red carpet is rolled out for shitty human beings to type whatever shitty things their imaginations can conjure. Everybody whos in Black Twitter or any of these other communities knows that its powered by Black women. Setting all the trends is part of that but also getting way more hate than any other group. and then just any marginalized group. If youre queer, youre in certain historically targeted groups overseas, its awful to be online and be on social, Terrell said on AfroTech. Spoutible is another Black-created social media app with the aim of mitigating bullying. Creator Christopher Bouzy based Spoutibles design on his own Twitter analytics service Bot Sentinel, which is designed to spot and clip bad-faith posters, or spouters, as it were. Building a platform like Twitter is not difficult, he told Wired. All it is is a fancy message board youre just taking peoples posts and storing them in a database. Though I love the idea of supporting Black social media, neither Spill nor Spoutible have a lot of traction in an environment in which weve gotten used to the functionality of X. Even as we want so desperately to tell Musk to shove it up his white supremacist-courting ass, were still hitting that stupid white X imposed on a black background on our phones to see about the latest mess. We also need to keep it a buck and acknowledge that any social media platform with a decent number of followers will likely contain all the things we hate about social media. Data collection is one of the biggest enduring social media gripes. If you have a profile on any of the major platforms and about 90% of Americans do youve likely already contributed the data equivalent of several pints of blood. Though Ive done it several times before, I was a bit annoyed as I handed over my email and phone number to sign up for Spill. Even Threads wants to collect a bunch of your data, which Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey took as an opportunity to bust a shot as a means to promote his own social media platform, Bluesky. Bluesky is a decentralized social media network, which means your private information isnt being collated in one space and monetized. That makes it much harder for a hacker to jack your info and use it for nefarious means. (The new Ashley Madison documentarydemonstrates the consequences of giving up your sensitive information with the aim of being a piece of shit.) Zuck promised Threads would be decentralized, but that isnt the caseso far, which shouldnt come as a surprise from a company that was forced to shell out $725 million in a data breach settlement. Besides, folks say they want decentralized apps like Mastodon, but who do you know on Mastodon? Though X has become a haven for neo-Nazis and men who love their Oakley glasses, the inconvenient truth is that these asshats are catalysts for Black Twitter (I cant bring myself to type Black X) content. Racism, intolerance and general foolery drive social media, and we secretly like the mess, which is why reality television is still kicking when everyone thought it was an early aughts fad. Will people bring negative content from X to discuss on Threads? If thats the case, why not just stay on X? As long as social media offers some degree of anonymity for people to voice their unfettered opinions, theyll abuse that privilege on any platform. I believe app creators count on this, regardless of how much they claim to be anti-bullying. Social media app creation is not an act of noblesse oblige. Everyone wants to have the most followers and to eventually make money from you. Given this, Im unconvinced that a world with more social media options is a better place. I have friends who believe its all cancerous regardless of who is running the app and simply reject them all. Sadly, I lack such discipline as long as Tony Baker cat videosexist, social media has me. Robbie Robertson, guitarist and chief songwriter for rock outfit The Band, penned iconic songs from the 1960s and 70s including 'The Weight' and 'The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down' (KEVIN WINTER) Robbie Robertson, guitarist and main songwriter of the seminal rock group The Band, has died, his manager said in a statement. He was 80 years old. As the ringleader of the Canadian-American group, Robertson penned The Band's most iconic songs including "The Weight," "The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down" and "Up On Cripple Creek." His manager said in a statement Robertson was surrounded by family at the time of his death, which followed "a long illness." Prior to his work and leadership with The Band, Robertson was a key collaborator with none other than Bob Dylan, touring with him and playing on the album "Blonde on Blonde." Born July 5, 1943 in Toronto, Canada with both Mohawk and Jewish roots, Robertson worked on traveling carnivals in his early teenage years, before joining, and starting a variety of bands. "I've been playing guitar for so long I can't remember when I started," he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1968. "I guess I got into rock and roll like everybody else." He joined the backing band of Ronnie Hawkins, a rockabilly star, when he was just 16, where he eventually met fellow musicians Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Levon Helm. The group formed a strong bond, and they became Dylan's backing band in the mid-1960s for his infamous first electric tour. They also played with the icon on his much-bootlegged "basement tapes." - 'The Last Waltz' - After several name changes, the musicians became known as The Band. Robertson's history-minded compositions were masterful yarns that evoked the wilds of America and the characters who colored them, and in particular focused on the American South. "The Weight" is a regular on all-time greatest songs lists. A folk tune with country and gospel elements as well as Biblical allusion, it's considered a classic of the American songbook. The group played Woodstock and cut a string of albums including "Music from Big Pink," "The Band" and "Cahoots." The Band split up in 1976 with a farewell concert in San Francisco, immortalized on film by director Martin Scorsese in "The Last Waltz." The film, theatrically released in 1978, has become known as a critically acclaimed pioneering rock documentary. It also ushered in Robertson's longtime collaboration and friendship with Scorsese, who hired the guitarist as a musical supervisor on a string of his films including "Casino" and "Gangs of New York." At the time of his death Robertson had been working on a follow-up to his memoir "Testimony," and had just completed scoring Scorsese's "Killers of The Flower Moon" which is set for release this fall. Hailing his friend as "a giant," Scorsese called Robertson "a constant in my life and work." "Long before we ever met, his music played a central role in my life -- me and millions and millions of other people all over this world. The Band's music, and Robbie's own later solo music, seemed to come from the deepest place at the heart of this continent, its traditions and tragedies and joys," Scorsese said in a statement. "His effect on the art form was profound and lasting." Robertson didn't tour again after "The Last Waltz" but did release a string of solo albums starting in 1987, when he dropped "Robbie Robertson." He remained a beloved figure of American rock and folk, both for his guitar chops and his poetry. "I thought of a couple of words that led to a couple more," he told Rolling Stone in 1969, asked how he penned the classic "The Weight." "The next thing I know I wrote the song," Robertson continued. "We just figured it was a simple song, and when it came up we gave it a try and recorded it three or four times." "We didn't even know if we were going to use it." mdo/md Robbie Robertson, best known for his work as the lead guitarist for The Band, has died, his manager confirmed. He was 80. At the time of his death, Robertson, along with Garth Hudson, was one of just two surviving members of The Band, which rose to prominence as Bob Dylan's backing band in the 1960s. The Band played at Woodstock in 1969 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Robertson's manager Jared Levine said Robertson died following a long illness, "surrounded by his family." Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist for the legendary rock group The Band, at The Village recording studio in West Los Angeles on Feb. 6, 2014. / Credit: Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Born Jamie Royal Robertson in Toronto, Canada, he joined the Hawks, backing Ronnie Hawkins, with drummer and future The Band member Levon Helm, at age 16. The other future members of The Band keyboard player Hudson, bassist Rick Danko and pianist Richard Manuel would later also join the Hawks. The Hawks began backing Dylan in 1965 after the iconic folk musician went electric. In 1967, the group changed its name to simply The Band. One year later, they released their debut album, "Music From Big Pink," named for the house in West Saugerties, New York, where the group had been living when they wrote many of the songs included on the album, including the rock classic, "The Weight." Bob Dylan and the Band perform at Madison Square Gardens, (L-R) Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson and Bob Dylan, in New York on 29th January 1974. / Credit: Gijsbert Hanekroot That was followed by hits like "Up On Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" before the group's star-studded farewell concert, released as both an album and film called "The Last Waltz." Dylan and Hawkins joined The Band for performances at "The Last Waltz," held on Thanksgiving Day in 1976 at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom, along with other '60s and '70s rock icons including Dr. John, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. It was Robertson's idea to end The Band at the time, a move which soured the relationship between him and Helm. "That don't make sense," Helm told CBS News' Anthony Mason in 2007. "Have a big 'goin' outta business' concert." The two were also at odds over songwriting credit for many years, with Helm accusing Robertson and manager Albert Grossman of taking too much credit for what the drummer maintained was a collaborative writing process between the band members. When asked by Mason in 2016 if he and Helm ever patched things up, Robertson said, "As much as I loved him and admired his extraordinary musical talent, I could not do the bitterness anymore." "But when they called me and said, 'He's in the hospital, and he's dying,' I went right to the hospital, and I sat with him, and I held his hand." "I sat there and thought about a lot of the beautiful things that we have been through together. And I was happy for that moment to kind of wash away any dark clouds." After the breakup of The Band, Robertson released six solo albums. His 1987 eponymous debut featured Hudson and Danko, along with the band U2 and Peter Gabriel. Robertson also worked on several film scores and soundtracks throughout his career, most notably for Martin Scorsese, who directed "The Last Waltz." Robertson wrote original music for "Raging Bull," "The King of Comedy," "The Color of Money" and, most recently, "Killers of the Flower Moon." He produced the soundtrack for "Casino" and worked in some fashion, be it song and score writing or music production, on multiple other Scorsese movies. "Robbie Robertson was one of my closest friends, a constant in my life and my work," Scorsese said in a statement to CBS News. "I could always go to him as a confidante. A collaborator. An advisor. I tried to be the same for him." "Long before we ever met, his music played a central role in my lifeme and millions and millions of other people all over this world. The Band's music, and Robbie's own later solo music, seemed to come from the deepest place at the heart of this continent, its traditions and tragedies and joys." "It goes without saying that he was a giant, that his effect on the art form was profound and lasting. There's never enough time with anyone you love. And I loved Robbie." Iran moves 4 Americans to house arrest, lawyer says, in possible first step in their release Watch: Virgin Galactic launches first space tourism flight Red Cross, others mobilize to respond to Hawaiian wildfires US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan during a visit to Riyadh in June (AHMED YOSRI) A spate of high-profile visits by US officials to Saudi Arabia underscores how ties have warmed amid talks over a potential deal that would see the Gulf kingdom recognise Israel, analysts say. Less than a year after US President Joe Biden warned of unspecified "consequences" for Riyadh during a dispute over oil supply, he is dispatching top aides to meet Saudi royals at a rapid clip. Over the weekend, his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, landed in Jeddah for a summit on Ukraine - his third visit to Saudi Arabia in just a few months. While bilateral sessions - including during a three-day tour by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June - have touched on topics from terrorism to Yemen, the prospect of normalising Saudi-Israeli ties has been a mainstay agenda item, fuelling rosier exchanges even if it is still seen as a long shot. "US-Saudi ties have warmed unquestionably in recent months," said Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the government. "Dialogue has just gotten much more extensive and friendly and this subject is driving that." The hurdles to an actual deal remain high: Riyadh is reportedly bargaining hard for benefits like security guarantees and assistance with a civilian nuclear programme with uranium enrichment capacity. And Saudi officials have long vowed not to normalise relations with Israel before the conflict with the Palestinians has been resolved. All the same, coordination between Washington and Riyadh is today "better now than at any point in the last two years", said Hesham Alghannam of the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in Riyadh. "It's much warmer and closer. It's not perfect, but it's the best moment since President Biden came into office." - Familiar friction - The issues bedevilling the decades-old relationship are well-known, from flare-ups over human rights to Saudi concerns about Washington's reliability as a security partner. Those concerns took on new importance after attacks on Saudi oil facilities in 2019, claimed by Yemen's Huthi rebels but widely attributed to Iran, temporarily halved crude output. Saudi officials were deeply disappointed by the tepid response of then-US president Donald Trump's administration, which they believed undermined their traditional oil-for-security trade-off. Growing cooperation with Moscow and Beijing highlights how, as Alghannam put it, Riyadh is no longer content to place "all the eggs in the American basket". The Saudis also leaned on China to broker a landmark rapprochement with Iran announced in March, something the Biden administration was in no position to do. Yet it is important not to exaggerate any slip in Washington's status, Alghannam added. "No major power has a significant military presence in the region other than the US, and this will be the case for many years to come," he said, a point driven home by the recent deployment of 3,000 US military personnel to the Red Sea, part of a beefed-up response after tanker seizures by Iran. - 'Onus on Israel' - During last October's dust-up over oil production, both sides were rankled by the stern exchanges that ensued, said John Hannah, a former US senior foreign policy official who has been visiting the kingdom for three decades. "It extended to the point of very senior (Saudi officials) saying, 'OK, you may be re-evaluating the relationship and may have questions about the future of this partnership, but let us tell you we do as well,'" Hannah recalled. Even then, though, a genuine rupture was never seriously considered, as the Saudis were simultaneously pitching normalisation terms that would lock in long-term cooperation with Washington. The recent flurry of visits and "serious discussions aimed at taking security ties to new levels" indicate "a much improved atmosphere between top decision makers", said Hannah, now with the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. The new US-Saudi closeness has not gone unnoticed elsewhere, including among Palestinian officials who hope Riyadh will insist on an independent Palestinian state. "I hope that the Saudis will stick to that position and not yield to any kind of pressure, intimidation, coming from the Biden administration or any other power outside of that," Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki said last week. Alghannam said Riyadh needs to know whether the Israelis are "actively working towards making tangible progress on resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict". He added: "The onus now lies not on Saudi Arabia, but on Israel, to demonstrate its readiness for peace with the kingdom." rcb/dv In this image released on July 27, 2023 by the Center of Legal Resources Romania, a malnourished child lies on an improvised bed in the basement of a care home in in the village of Bardesti in the central Romanian Mures County. The Centre for Legal Resources, or CLR, which conducted an unannounced inspection of the home, found alarming levels of neglect and abuse, saying that, on top of 23 residents inside the main building, seven more were found living in appalling conditions in a dingy basement beneath. Four of the residents who had severe disabilities, they said, were "lying on mattresses soiled with feces, urine, and blood." (Center of Legal Resources via AP) BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) After receiving distressed text messages from a young man worried about the conditions his friend was living in at a social care home in central Romania, Georgiana Pascu arranged an impromptu visit to inspect the facility. In the beginning, we were quite sure there is nothing there, said Pascu, program manager at the Center for Legal Resources, a rights group. She said that a day earlier, state authorities had carried out an inspection of the care home for older and disabled people, and no issues had been flagged. But what she and her colleagues uncovered at the care home in the village of Bardesti, she said, was outrageous inhuman. There was a very young woman who looked malnourished, she didnt move, she didnt speak at all she was lying on the basement floor, she told The Associated Press. There was another young woman, she was crying and asking for water. The nongovernmental organization discovered six residents in late July living in the Little House of Mins cluttered, dingy basement surrounded by construction materials in addition to 23 people living on the floors above. Four residents with severe disabilities were lying on mattresses soiled with feces, urine, and blood, with flies on them, they said, who couldnt defend themselves and couldn't ask for help. The team of three from the Center for Legal Resources immediately called the emergency services, and police and ambulance crews arrived, but even they called for backup, Pascu said. Hours later, a resident directed Pascu to what she describes as a small secluded room with just a bed inside where two residents lived with no artificial or natural light. The NGOs findings triggered a judicial investigation and follow similar discoveries in other private institutions. So far, two Cabinet members were forced to resign over what Romanian media have dubbed the horror homes scandal. The discovery is just the latest in a string of disturbing revelations that have made front-page news in the local media, spotlighting the impact corruption can have on the socially vulnerable in Romania, which joined the European Union in 2007. One of the main conditions of Romanias accession to the EU was that it crack down on endemic corruption, but it remains one of the blocs most corrupt members, according to Transparency International. In early July, police raids at three separate care homes in Ilfov County near Bucharest also uncovered widespread abuse and neglect of older and disabled people. Images emerged of residents tied to beds in filthy rooms, some exhibiting signs of physical abuse and appearing rake-thin. In those cases, Romanias anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said that two organized criminal gangs accused of human trafficking and other charges were formed in 2020 to exploit people with disabilities or in vulnerable situations. Prosecutors said residents were subjected to unpaid labor via acts of coercion as well as physical violence, and weren't given enough food. Prosecutors launched a criminal investigation and said there are more than 20 suspects in the case. DIICOT detained three people after the findings at the Little House of Min, which it alleges formed a criminal gang in 2020 to commit the crime of human trafficking, and that residents were subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment through acts of physical and mental aggression. Residents were being exploited under the guise of an association that withheld their state benefits payments or sums sent to them by friends and relatives, prosecutors said. Instead of the money going toward the residents care, it was mainly used for the benefit of the members of the group. Two local officials were fired over the findings and the authorities shuttered the home. The AP contacted the young man who had raised concerns to Pascu about the Little House of Min, but he wasnt authorized to talk because hes considered a victim in the legal case. Doru Constantin, a spokesperson from Mures County social services, confirmed to the AP that the Little House of Min was checked by inspectors a day before the NGOs discovery, but said they didnt find anything because they didn't have access to the basement of the building. I cant believe even now something like this could happen in our county, he added. President Klaus Iohannis has called the revelations a national disgrace and said measures must be taken to cut evil from the roots. One of the Ilfov care home bosses, DIICOT alleges, was squandering residents money on prostitutes, drugs and parties. He is also being investigated for abuse of office by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, which is also investigating two social inspectors for corruption who carried out favorable checks on his home in May. Family Minister Gabriela Firea, who is reported to have close ties to that care home boss, was forced to resign amid the sprawling scandal, as was Labor Minister Marius Budai. They both denied knowledge of care homes woes. Alin Mituta, a Romanian legislator at the European Parliament, asked the European Commission in July if it planned to investigate Romanias abusive care homes issue, which he said directly violated the blocs Charter of Fundamental Rights. The responsible Romanian authorities, Mituta said, were made aware of these issues but no action was taken. European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper said in a statement sent to the AP on Wednesday that the Commission is deeply concerned by this case as there is no place for mistreatment of vulnerable people in the EU, adding it can't comment on ongoing investigations. The recent revelations have also brought back memories of when Romanias communist-era orphanages gained international exposure after communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu was executed in 1989. In the early 1990s, images were broadcast around the world of thousands of children abandoned in orphanages where they existed in squalid conditions. Bianca Albu, a Romanian investigative journalist who first reported on the Ilfov care homes six months ago along with her colleague Ovidiu Vanghele, said their report didnt initially yield any attention from the local or national authorities. She fears that these problems are happening all over Romania. Its like a disease, she said. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu expressed gratitude last week to the NGOs that exposed abuses in the welfare system." It is obvious that the Romanian state needs help, he said. We need to close this chapter of abuse. ___ Stephen McGrath reported from Sighisoara. ___ This story has been corrected to reflect the correct spelling of former Family Minister Gabriela Firea's first name. It is Gabriela, not Gabriel. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended another top prosecutor on Wednesday, claiming State Attorney Monique Worrell, a Democrat, was too soft on crime in her Orlando-area district. Prosecutors have a duty to faithfully enforce a law. Ones political agenda cannot trump this solemn duty, DeSantis said at a press conference Wednesday morning. Accordingly, I am today announcing the suspension of State Attorney Monique Worrell. Worrells office did not immediately return a request for comment. DeSantis who is running for the Republican presidential nomination has repeatedly criticized Worrell, a progressive and reform-minded prosecutor who was elected to her office in 2020. Worrell is Black; DeSantis is white. In April, Worrells office warned that DeSantis had targeted her, writing in a letter that DeSantis seeks to exploit his political agenda against me and that his office was trying to build and justify a baseless case against a prosecutor he simply disagrees with politically. In her own fiery press conference on Wednesday, Worrell claimed that DeSantis office has been pursuing her for over a year. Under this tyranny, elected officials can be removed simply for political purposes and from the whim of the governor, and no matter how you feel about me you should not be ok with that, Worrell said. This is simply a smoke screen for Ron DeSantis failing and disastrous [presidential] campaign. He needed to get back in the media in some way that will be red meat for his base. DeSantis, who was once seen as a potential threat to Donald Trump in the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination but has since fallen in the polls, has made fighting woke a central part of his presidential campaign. Among his better-known policies in Florida are the anti-LGBTQ+ laws known as Dont Say Gay, which prohibit discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, and the Individual Freedom Act, popularly known as the Stop WOKE Act, which restricts how businesses and public schools can address issues around race. State Attorney Monique H. Worrell was suspended by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. State Attorney Monique H. Worrell was suspended by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. In his executive order suspending Worrell, DeSantis accused her of authorizing or allowing practices or policies that have systematically permitted violent offenders, drug traffickers, serious-juvenile offenders, and pedophiles to evade incarceration, when otherwise warranted under Florida law. Worrell, whose suspension is effective immediately, will be replaced by Andrew Bain, a member of the conservative legal group the Federalist Society. Some of the conflict between DeSantis and Worrells office comes from individual cases, such as that of Keith Moses, a 19-year-old Black man who allegedly went on a shooting spree in Pine Hills on Feb. 22 that killed three, including a local journalist and a 9-year-old child. Following the shooting, DeSantis called Moses a threat to society and accused Worrells office of negligence for not prosecuting him for an earlier marijuana offense. As of August, Moses has pleaded not guilty and is being held awaiting trial. While Worrell has said she is against enforcing the death penalty, her office announced in May she would pursue it due to Florida law. Worrell, for her part, accused DeSantis of politicizing the shooting in order to undermine her. Her fellow Black women prosecutor colleagues, as well as fellow Democrats, rallied behind Worrell following the suspension. I think DeSantis actions are appalling, blatantly political and a foreseeable usurpation of power by a demagogue seeking to revoke the will of the voters that elected this Black woman into office, Marilyn Mosby, former states attorney for Baltimore, told HuffPost. This is yet another ill-contrived strategy to attack progressive prosecutors and maintain the status quo. I pray that the people of Florida see past the illusions and resist his wicked scheme. Kim Foxx, Cook County states attorney in Chicago, sharply criticized DeSantis, noting the broader attack on Black women prosecutors in large cities. Like so many of Governor DeSantis irresponsible actions, removing DA Worrell is desperate and pathetic. It is not only racist and sexist, but it laughs in the face of democracy and justice. As his political ambitions are crumbling, this action is his sad attempt to rally whats left of his base, and as a result, real people suffer. I am disgusted, Foxx told HuffPost. This is the latest salvo in the unrelenting national attacks on Black women prosecutors in the last six years. Black women make up less than 2% of elected prosecutors, and our simple existence is revolutionary. In a statement, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried supported Worrell. Ron DeSantis has gone too far, Fried said, calling the suspension a political hit job. Rons extremist administration has consistently targeted the rights and freedoms of Black and brown Floridians, and the suspension of State Attorney Worrell the only Black woman state attorney in Florida is clearly racially and politically motivated, the statement continued. The Florida Democratic Party is demanding the immediate reinstatement of Worrell. Other Democrats also rallied behind Worrell. In a statement, Rep. Maxwell Frost, whose district encompasses Orlando, laid into DeSantis. For months, this Governor has chosen to not only attack but abuse the power of his office to feed red meat to his conservative base and remove elected officials who threaten his agenda, he said. There is only one person in our state whose administration has been clearly and fundamentally derelict, so as to constitute neglect of duty and incompetence and its the person sitting in the Governors Mansion. DeSantis office did not immediately reply to HuffPosts request for comment. The decision comes almost a year after DeSantis suspended another Democratic prosecutor, State Attorney Andrew Warren of Hillsborough County, also for supposed incompetence and neglect of duty. The suspension came two months after Warren co-signed a letter with other progressive prosecutors that criticized DeSantis-backed bans on abortion and trans health care in Florida. Warren is now suing DeSantis over his dismissal, saying his First Amendment rights were violated. Related... Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, 42, is the second of the Thai king's four estranged sons This week people in Thailand have been distracted from the endless wrangling to form a new government by the unexpected arrival, from the US, of a cheery-looking, 42 year-old Thai lawyer, visiting the country of his birth for the first time in 27 years. Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse is the second of four estranged sons of King Vajiralongkorn. Until now they were widely believed to have been stripped of their royal status and to have no place in the line of succession to the throne. But the succession became problematic after the king's eldest daughter Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the most plausible heir, collapsed last December. She is still in a coma and seems unlikely to recover. For years there has been quiet talk in Thailand about the possibility of one of the estranged sons being rehabilitated and brought back to play a royal role. Mr Vacharaesorn's unannounced visit could be the start of such a rehabilitation, although there has been no official statement from the palace. He is one of five children born to King Vajiralongkorn's second wife Sujiranee, a former actress whom he divorced in 1996. Mr Vacharaesorn and his three brothers, who were at school in UK at the time, were in effect banished from Thailand with their mother, and have lived in the US since then. His sister, Princess Sirivanavari was brought back to Thailand to live with her father. In the past the four sons occasionally published letters appealing for reconciliation with their father, and to be allowed to return to Thailand, to no effect. Mr Vacharaesorn has spent his first three days in Bangkok partly as a tourist, rediscovering the city, visiting temples, enjoying Thai food and riding in a tuk-tuk. He told journalists coming back was like a dream come true for him. But has also had what appear to be official engagements, meeting Thailand's most senior religious figure, the Supreme Patriarch of the Buddhist Sangha who is appointed by his father, and visiting a childcare centre sponsored by the palace. Many Thais will interpret this as showcasing his potential for royal duties. Mr Vacharaesorn at a children's home supported by the royal family in Bangkok Back in the US he has been the most visible of the four sons, very active in the Thai community there and openly supportive of the Thai monarchy. He appears to be the one who is most suited to and interested in taking a higher profile role in the royal family. Until her collapse last year Princess Bajrakitiyabha was seen as the most accomplished of the king's children who are living in Thailand. She is a lawyer who had worked with the UN and been Thailand's ambassador to Austria. The King's youngest child, Prince Dipangkorn, who is 18, is believed to suffer from some learning difficulties, and it was widely assumed that Princess Bajrakitiyabha would play the role of regent, or even become queen, on the death of her father. Thai succession law leaves it to the monarch to designate his successor, which King Vajiralongkorn has not yet done. So could Mr Vacharaesorn, a successful and popular figure back in the US, fit the bill? It is far too soon to say. More likely this will be seen as an exploratory first visit, with further trips in the future to see how he copes in the public spotlight, and with the rigid protocol and sometimes Byzantine politics of Thailand's royal court. And it is impossible to know what King Vajiralongkorn's views are on this. People in his inner circle have been known to go in and out of favour quite suddenly, sometimes disappearing from public view. Whoever organised this return of a prodigal son will be doing so with understandable caution. Voting company Smartmatic tore into Rudy Giuliani for fabricating excuse after excuse to avoid handing over documents in its $2.7bn defamation suit involving him and Fox News for spreading misinformation about the 2020 elections. After the 2020 elections, the voting system company filed a $2.7bn lawsuit against Fox News, as well as former New York City mayor Mr Giuliani and attorney Sidney Powell, after the network ran numerous reports which alleged the firm conspired with Venezuelas socialist government to steal the 2020 elections from Mr Trump. The dog ate my homework. I have to wash my hair. I cant go out, Im sick. Since the dawn of time, people have made up excuses to avoid doing things they do not want to do. This is exactly what Giuliani has done here, Smartmatic wrote in court filings on Monday. The company accused Mr Giuliani of half-heartedly performing manual searches on his devices resulting in outcomes that were both absurd and inadequate after he said he had misplaced his iPhone. Smartmatic claimed he only provided two public tweets to the company in response to their comprehensive document requests to establish whether he is telling the truth about not being able to afford a vendor to handle their data request. Fox News and other defendants have denied the allegations. Last year, Mr Giuliani counter-sued Smartmatic to recoup legal fees for defending himself against the lawsuit and the defamation lawsuit, which he called as baseless and which he claimed interfered with his constitutional right to speak freely on issues of public concern. Smartmatic is now urging a New York state judge to compel Mr Giuliani to provide the requested documents and to furnish a financial statement that substantiates his assertion of being unable to afford an external vendor for the extensive discovery demand. Additionally, Smartmatic is seeking sanctions against Mr Giuliani and requesting he cover a portion of the companys legal expenses even as his legal bills seem to be piling up. Mr Giuliani has said in a sworn affidavit to the company that he lost his iPhone he used between November 2020 and April 2021 and he was able to search for documents on a cloud-based backup of his phone. He said he did a manual search of his current iPhone and iPad, but was not able to find any text messages with the keywords that Smartmatic is seeking as part of the discovery process. The Smartmatic lawsuit is just one of the various legal battles that Mr Giuliani is facing. In the latest, he was named an unindicted co-conspirator in special counsel Jack Smiths investigation in which Mr Trump was criminally charged for his attempts to overturn the 2020 elections. Rural Kentucky stands at an economics crossroads. Balancing Kentuckys energy portfolio and rural development can restore those communities and chart a new path forward. With the elections this November, now is an excellent time to ask the gubernatorial candidates to present their vision on energy, agriculture, and rural development policy which can aid development in rural Kentucky. In my view, energy and agricultural integration is vital to Kentuckys rural economy. Projections show rural populations are plummeting in several counties in southeastern Kentucky. By charting a policy path forward that spurs integration and innovation, diversified rural development, and adding value to local resources, would promote a sustainable economy. This plan should encompass traditional fossil fuels, renewables, biomass, and deployment of emerging technologies to produce sustainable power and fuel, along with new value-added products, such as hydrogen, rare earth elements, and graphene. We must accelerate our embrace of renewables, compromise on the use of fossil fuels, and target infrastructure investment on post-mining sites and industrial parks left vacant for decades. Firstly, capitalizing on our abundant natural resources, the policy must reflect integrated use of fossil fuels, renewables, and biomass for energy production as an overarching objective. Fossil fuels should remain part of Kentuckys energy mix but with a transition with cleaner extraction technologies, while investments in renewable energy projects such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric are coupled with fossil fuels to mitigate environmental impact. Further, the abundance of biomass, particularly municipal waste disposal, is a natural fit for rural Kentucky. Reform of waste regulations to spur energy innovation and to eliminate landfilling organic waste would be a critical point. This strategy works for farmers through a hybrid cooperative model that would repurpose thousands of fallow acres and marginal pastures. It would build generational wealth for farming families and create a sustainable market. Secondly, managing our carbon footprint should be part of our rural strategy. Reforestation and agricultural sequestration methods for carbon offset trading should be promoted through a Kentucky carbon exchange, as well as deployment of technologies to repurpose atmospheric carbon as an input for manufacturing. Monetizing carbon would control the impact to industry and consumers, and ensure a robust integrated strategy is implemented. Moreover, fostering investment in hydrogen, rare earth elements, and graphene production derived through innovation redevelopment of fossil fuels and biomass would offer opportunities not imagined even a decade ago. Supporting research and development and promoting public-private partnerships for technological advancements and the construction of hydrogen production facilities would lay the groundwork for an advanced materials and hydrogen economy in Kentucky. With development, must come reform, starting with the public utility monopoly. We must end the power utility monopoly, which fails consumers and stymies innovation. Public utilities hold sway over rural economic development. Their monopoly harms rural Kentucky more than helps. Legislative reform should abolish this monopoly along with legislation to reform the Kentucky Public Service Commission, expanding it to a 14-member body, from the seven Supreme Court District regions, with direct election of its members. Needed reform of centralized grid infrastructure to a decentralized grid comes at a critical time. The existential security threats from China and others makes it vital we rapidly strengthen Kentuckys energy security and infrastructure resilience. This shift includes a comprehensive review of current energy infrastructure, investment in microgrids, and community renewable power development. Should such an attack come, decentralization of our vital energy infrastructure lessens the detrimental impact of such an attack. Adoption of new policy must consider energy consumption and conservation. With utility rates skyrocketing in rural Kentucky, haphazardly enacting legislation that incentivizes energy consumption behemoths, such as cryptocurrency mining companies, to locate in rural communities is foolish without counting the impacts to those communities. Although a potential source of economic development, crypto mines consume massive amounts of electricity directly contributing to spiraling rates and grid instability. A suspension of incentives and an immediate moratorium on cryptocurrency mining operations is needed. Furthermore, increased incentives for energy efficiency retrofits and new construction would ensure economic development does not sacrifice energy affordability. The future of Kentuckys rural communities should be a primary focus for the gubernatorial candidates. Developing an integrated approach for energy and rural development in Kentucky can chart the way for a diversified economy that is sustainable, secure, resilient, and forward-thinking. With legislative support, private sector leadership, technological advancements, and community engagement, Kentucky can lead the way in a new era of energy, agriculture, and rural development. An eighth-generation Kentuckian, Roger Ford resides in Pikeville and is the President of Eureka Energy Corporation. He holds an M.A. in National Security from American Military University, and is authoring a book on energy policy and energy security. Russian conscripts at a local recruitment office, St. Petersburg, on May 20, 2020. Photo by Sergey Nikolaev/NurPhoto via Getty Images Russia accused Ukraine of inciting elderly Russians into attacks on military recruitment offices. The country said Ukrainian fraudsters are scamming Russian elders by threatening their finances. Russia offered no evidence of the alleged phone scam scheme and Ukraine has not yet responded to the allegations. Russia is blaming Ukraine for a recent spate of arson attacks at military recruitment centers, accusing the country of overseeing a scheme to trick elderly Russian citizens into setting the offices on fire. The Prosecutor General's Office of Russia said Tuesday that Ukrainian fraudsters are calling up Russian elders and inciting them to set fire to military recruitment centers in the country by pretending to be police officers or bank employees and gaining access to their finances. The country offered no evidence of the alleged phone scam scheme and Ukraine has not yet responded to the allegations. More than three dozen military registration and enlistment offices have been attacked since the end of July, Russian independent news outlet Meduza reported. The Institute for the Study of War also noted in a July 31 update that Russian civilians were increasingly conducting arson attacks against enlistment offices in both Russia and occupied Ukraine. Several attacks on Russian recruitment centers have been documented since the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022. But the recent uptick in arson coincides with changes the Russian government recently made to the country's conscription processes, including raising the age limit of possible draftees to broaden the pool of men eligible for military service amid the country's mounting manpower problems in Ukraine. Russia, however, is ascribing the arson to Ukraine. In a Tuesday statement, the Russian prosecutor general's office said its citizens have received phone calls from Ukrainian agents pretending to be either bank employees or officers with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The scammers start by alerting the Russian elder to suspicious banking activity, claiming to have either already stolen their money or be searching for the criminals who have robbed them. Some even directly threaten to harm or kill the elder's relatives and friends, the Ministry of Internal Affairs alleged. The scammers then demand that the elder set fire to a military, transport, or banking institution, the Russian agency said. The government said many of the Russians who have been arrested for arson said they only committed the act because they were promised the return of their stolen savings or believed they were helping Russia. Russian state media reported that use of the scheme has exploded in just the last week, tying Ukraine's alleged arson attempts to Russian military gains in Ukraine. The government noted that arson attacks carry up to 20 years in jail. Last week, a 66-year-old grocery cashier was arrested after she was caught on camera using a Molotov cocktail to set fire to a military enlistment office in St. Petersburg. Read the original article on Business Insider Alexander Bogomaz, the Governor of Bryansk Oblast in Russia, claimed that the town of Bila Berezka had been shelled on the evening of Aug. 9. Bogomaz alleged that Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out the attack. The governor said the shelling caused partial damage to several private residential buildings, utility structures, production areas of an industrial plant, a few commercial establishments, and multiple automobiles. Bogomaz did not report any casualties. Bryansk Oblast is located on Ukraine's northeastern border, a region marked by constant shelling. Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the attack. In his video address on July 30, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that it is both "natural and fair" that the war is returning to Russia, though he did not specificy what this entails. Read also: Art under attack: How Russia destroys Ukraines cultural heritage (VIDEO) Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Russian military has chosen Kupyansk as the focal point for its offensive operations The Russian military has chosen Kupyansk as the focal point for its offensive operations, Ground Forces Commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in a comment to NVs sister publication, Ukrainska Pravda, on Aug. 9. The aggressors have assembled a strike force comprised of eight assault units codenamed Storm-Z, leading to intense battles with positions changing hands multiple times, said Syrskyi. The enemys objective is to breach our defenses and reach Kupyansk directly. The current combat operations there are marked by exceptional intensity. Certain positions have changed hands several times in recent days. Russia also attempted to split Ukraines position in the Novoselivske region with a flank assault, aiming to encircle a portion of the brigade units holding the line there. However, these attempts were unsuccessful, Syrskyi said. Our soldiers valiantly maintain their defense, repelling all of the enemys attempts to advance, the commander said. A new, comprehensive strategy that will reinforce military units with the required forces, equipment, and ammunition is being developed to ensure the containment of the enemy and establish conditions for their subsequent defeat, Syrski added. Read also: Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Ukraines attacks on Russian shipping in the Black Sea are having an effect. The lack of Russian ships and grain importers shrinking appetite for business with Moscow amid increased danger in the Black Sea are contributing to the risingcost of exporting Russian wheat, Reuters reported on Aug. 8. The financial and security risks associated with trading with Russia compounded by the Black Sea corridor collapse are driving up freight costs for Moscow and pushing it to use older and smaller vessels run by less established shipping operators, Reuters reported. Even though agriculture exports are not subject to direct European and U.S. sanctions imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Moscow complains that restrictions placed on banking and Russian individuals are hidden sanctions on the food trade. The situation is raising doubts about whether Russia can keep up its level of exports and, if not resolved, could push global wheat prices higher, Reuters stated. Global commodity houses are no longer helping Russia with trading mechanisms. Cargill, Louis Dreyfus, and Viterra stopped their operations with the country on July 1, adding more pressure on Moscow to handle all aspects of grain deals, including transport. Last year, Russia exported a record volume of wheat on ships chartered by international companies and traders. While exports had remained strong, recently Russia has had to source more of its own freight, increasingly relying on a shadow fleet of older vessels typically operated by companies based in Turkey and China, three shipping industry sources told Reuters. There is very little coming out now for international companies, said a shipping executive, who spoke to Reuters anonymously. Most of what is coming out is dealt with by Russian traders using (shadow) fleet ships, which international traders would not touch. Insurance for ships heading to Russias Black Sea ports currently costs tens of thousands of dollars in additional premiums daily, the three sources said, with rates ticking higher following Russias attacks on Ukraines other waterways through the Danube, as well as Kyivs response. Russian grain exports will fall about 8% during the 2023-24 season from Russias high last year of 60 million tons, Russias Agriculture Ministry told Reuters. Russias withdrawal from the grain initiative Russia officially announced the termination of the grain deal on the pretext of repeated attacks on the illegally built Crimea Bridge. Russia had been sabotaging the deal since April by refusing to carry out inspections of ships, as required by the deal, leading to a backlog of unloaded ships. Russia said it was unhappy with the conditions of the deal and demanded that its state agricultural bank be allowed to use the SWIFT interbank transfer system again. The United Nations proposed that a U.S. bank or a specially-created subsidiary bank be set up to allow for Russian payments for agricultural exports, but the Kremlin refused to accept this compromise. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy then offered to extend the grain deal with the UN and Turkey, but without Russian participation. The grain corridor originally mediated by the United Nations and Turkey had allowed Ukraine to export grain from three of its Black Sea ports starting from Aug. 1, 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 Russia is ramping up its efforts to ensure even its youngest citizens fall in line with the official narrative when it comes to the war in Ukraine. The countrys Ministry of Education this week unveiled new history textbooks with sections about what it calls the special military operation in Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea and Western sanctions. Critics say the move is a part of a sustained effort to indoctrinate school children and stifle any independent thinking. Russian President Vladimir Putin has always maintained that Moscows unprovoked aggression against Ukraine is an effort to liberate the country from a Nazi regime and Western influence. He even went as far as suggesting there was no such thing as an independent Ukraine, insisting instead that the country has traditionally been part of Russia and that Russians and Ukrainians are one people. The new textbooks endorse this narrative and include maps that show occupied regions in Ukraine as being part of Russia. Photos of the books published by state media show they call Ukraine an ultranationalist state where all dissent is persecuted and everything Russian is declared hostile. Elsewhere, the authors tell students that when they look for information about Ukraine on the internet, they should remember that there is a global industry for the production of staged videos and fake photos and videos. Russian Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov told state media on Monday the textbooks include sections about the reasons for the start of the special military operation, the purpose of the special military operation, denazification, demilitarization, [and] the entry of new regions into the Russian Federation. Kravtsov also vowed to update the textbooks after the end of the war, as soon as we win, according to RIA Novosti. Katerina Tertytchnaya, an associate professor of comparative politics at University College London, said the new textbooks have not appeared out of the blue. Theres been an increase in school indoctrination efforts through textbooks, the content of the curriculum and extracurricular activities in Russia from 2014 onwards, she said, citing research she conducted with several colleagues that showed a rise in pressure on teachers to promote a patriotic narrative of Russian history after Russias illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. These efforts have only become greater after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. In September, the Ministry of Education launched a new program for all school ages called Conversations about important things. The new book includes quotes from the speech Putin gave justifying his decision to invade Ukraine. - Yuri Kadobnov/AFP/Getty Images According to a statement by the education ministry, the series of lectures is aimed at fostering patriotism, love and service for motherland in children as young as six. The program includes pre-recorded video addresses from top Russian officials including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill. The topics Reunification with Crimea, Traditional Family Values and Russia is the leader in the nuclear industry. Some lessons feature Russias past accomplishments, such as its space explorations, but many center around its role in the world as the defender of other countries. [These lessons] address students as young as six years old to justify the invasion and create support for the war symbols, she added. One piece of material claims Russia is a country that respects the freedom and sovereignty of other countries and asks students to give examples of Russia protecting the sovereignty of other countries. Ian Garner, a historian and the author of Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russias Fascist Youth, said the education changes are part of a much broader transformation of the national culture in Russia into one that is hyper patriotic, hyper nationalist, and hyper exclusive of minorities and everything that is deemed non-Russian. Everything history, social sciences, civics, even geography, sport everything can be squeezed into this narrow box of Russia versus the world, he said. No critical thinking allowed Many countries introduce school children to patriotic ideas and civic values. In the US, students recite the pledge of allegiance in schools in most states, while politicians across the country argue about the contents of textbooks and book bans. Schools in France are required to display French and EU flags, alongside the words of the national anthem. In Russia though, this push is paired with complete erasure of the opportunity to disagree. The regime is investing in education reforms that make it impossible to think critically, that stifle criticism, dissent, or critical thinking of any form, Tertytchnaya said. Any remnants of a free press have been wiped out since the war started. Western publications and social media sites have been blocked online and dissidents, independent journalists and anyone speaking up against Putins regime from inside the country has been silenced. A law that made it illegal to disseminate fake information about the invasion was passed shortly after the war began last year. According to independent human rights monitor OVD-Info, there have been almost 20,000 people detained for protesting against the war in Russia. The book includes a map showing occupied Ukraine as being a part of Russia. - Yuri Kadobnov/AFP/Getty Images Weve seen many examples of teachers having to resign (from) their jobs because they tried to deviate from what was prescribed by the authorities, or children themselves being removed from their parents because they expressed views that oppose the position of the government, Tertytchnaya added. This complete crackdown on freedom of speech means there isnt a force in Russia that can counteract school propaganda. While there are numerous underground initiatives mostly organized by exiled Russians none has the reach needed to make a difference. The state has everything on its side, it has money, it has bodies, it has the stick of being able to jail parents who oppose whats happening in schools, it has the stick of being able to keep teachers quiet but these opposition groups have none of that and therefore everything they do is a drop in the water against this great behemoth of conspiracy theories and nationalism, Garner said. Since coming to power in 2000, Putin has always emphasized the importance of education and programs for young people, pushing for reforms, according to Tertytchnaya. This is a long-term investment policy on the part of the Kremlin, they care about the younger generations and how they see the state and how they interact with it. And its not just Russia. We know autocrats invest in education because they want to make sure that students are socialized in a way that aligns with what they want, she said. She said that research published in the University of Chicagos Journal of Political Economy shows that even small changes in the curriculum can lead to major shifts in society. Research done in China shows that even small textbook modifications do have an effect on how people think and how they engage with the government. Students exposed to new textbooks in China became more skeptical of the free market, for example, in economics, and they were more supportive of the government, she said. Garner agreed that the Kremlin is playing the long game by changing the curriculum, promoting nationalistic pop-culture and funding various military youth groups. What this is all about, is not just encouraging children away from the opposition and the idea that Russia has no future and that the war is futile, but also driving children towards an embrace of militarism, and driving children towards enthusiasm for signing up with the Russian forces, he said. Russias efforts to mobilize hundreds of thousands of citizens to fight in Ukraine last September caused chaos and anger, and prompted large numbers of Russians to flee to the border. The government doesnt want that to happen again, Garner said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Viktor Medvedchuk, Ukrainian businessman and pro-Russian politician with family ties to Vladimir Putin, who had been banned from legal practice in Ukraine, has filed a lawsuit to reclaim this right. Medvedchuk was one of the leaders of the banned OPZZh (Opposition Platform For Life) Ukrainian political party; he is accused of treason in Ukraine and returned to Russia during one of the prisoners of war swaps. Source: the Rukh CHESNO (Moving HONESTLY) website, with reference to lawyer Roman Tytykalo Details: Medvedchuk appealed the ruling of the disciplinary chamber of the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of the Bar (QDCB) of Kyiv Oblast. He is represented by lawyer Oleksii Kalinnikov. In May, the disciplinary chamber of QDCB of Kyiv Oblast approved the complaint of lawyers Roman Tytykalo and Illia Kostin and stripped Medvedchuk of his right to legal practice. Tytykalo remarked that the Kyiv District Administrative Court sometimes does not initiate a proceeding in regular cases, but in this case, the process was very operative. Quote by Tytykalo: "The lawsuit has no perspective since there is no ground for satisfying it. There are two possible scenarios. Taking into account the fact that Medvedchuk has connections in legal, law enforcement and bar communities, I do not exclude that he may attempt to achieve the court ruling in his favour. But it is unlikely. On the other hand, I suspect that it may be a PR not for the Ukrainian but for the Russian audience. In the explanations Medvedchuk submitted to QDCB, he listed the alleged political persecution and alleged repressions for his political views as the motive for filing a complaint and initiating a disciplinary proceeding." Details: Lawyer Oleksii Kalinnikov who represents the interests of Medvedchuk teaches law in the Higher School of Bar of the National Association of Bar of Ukraine, which has been chaired by Medvedchuk's associate Lidia Izovitova for many years. Earlier Kalinnikov represented another fugitive traitor, former Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Pshonka who tried to return valuables, which had been handed over to the National Art Museum of Ukraine, from his house in the settlement of Horenychi in Kyiv Oblast. In addition to this, Kalinnikov represented the interests of the Novyi Svit publishing house, which published several books by Viktor Yanukovych, former Ukrainian President who committed a high treason. Background: In 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, stated that he revoked the Ukrainian citizenship of Viktor Medvedchuk. The Verkhovna Rada (the Supreme Council) of Ukraine stripped Medvedchuk of his parliamentary immunity and changed the Criminal Code of Ukraine to exchange Medvedchuk for the defenders of the city of Mariupol. Medvedchuk, whose daughter is a goddaughter of Putin, and who was one of the leaders of the OPZZh political party, was exchanged for captured soldiers during one of PoW swaps and sent to Russia. The disciplinary chamber of QDCB of Kyiv Oblast stripped Medvedchuk of his right to legal practice. In Soviet times, Medvedchuk was a lawyer of Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus; he is considered guilty of Stus being unjustly convicted and then dying in exile. 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! Aleksandr Bogomaz, the governor of Bryansk Oblast of the Russian Federation, has reported that the village of Belaya Berezka had come under fire on the evening of 8 August. An administrative building, a factory and residential buildings were damaged in the settlement. Source: Bogomaz on Telegram Details: Bogomaz said the attack caused partial damage to several residential buildings, outbuildings, an administrative building, the entrance and production facilities of a factory, several commercial facilities and several private cars. As per the preliminary information from the Russian governor, there were no casualties. 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! Two Ukrainian combat drones headed for Moscow were shot down Wednesday in the latest targeting of the capital this week, Russian officials said, while Ukraine said a strike killed two people in the southern frontline city of Zaporizhzhia. Zaporizhzhia, a key city on the Dnipro River, lies some 44 kilometres (27 miles) from the frontline. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky had initially announced on social media that at least three people had been killed in the strike. His post was accompanied by a video showing a partially damaged church with fire in its courtyard and smoke rising. But Interior Minister Igor Klymenko later revised the Zaporizhzhia toll to two dead and seven wounded. "Fortunately, one person was reanimated," he posted. In Moscow, mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that "two combat drones' attempt to fly into the city was recorded. Both were shot down by air defence". One drone was downed in the Domodedovo area on the southern outskirts of the city, while the second was shot down in the Minsk highway area, west of the capital. A separate explosion at a warehouse just outside the city left one dead and injured more than 50 people, according to officials, sending a plume of smoke into the air. Spared during the early phase of the conflict, Moscow and its environs have seen a growing number of strikes in recent months. The drone attack was at least the third near Moscow within a week. Russia said it downed Ukrainian drones Sunday in the Podolsky district on the capital's outskirts, and again on Monday in the Kaluga region, further from the capital to the southwest. On July 30, Zelensky warned that "war" was coming to Russia, with the country's "symbolic centres and military bases" becoming targets. - Warehouse blast - The warehouse explosion struck the grounds of an optical equipment factory rocked the town of Sergiyev Posad, some 35 miles northeast of Moscow. "One of the victims has passed away. Doctors are fighting for the lives of five others. They have extensive body burns," the state-run TASS news agency quoted a source in a local hospital as saying. Governor Andrey Vorobyov said that over fifty people sought medical help and that some people might still be under the rubble. Video shared by state media showed a ball of flames bursting on the horizon, followed by a shockwave that blew out windows in some nearby buildings. In the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, shelling killed a woman and a young girl, while another two were injured, the city's Moscow-appointed mayor Alexei Kulemzin said on Telegram. Meanwhile, the head of Russia's southern Belgorod region said one person had been killed and four others injured by Ukrainian shelling on a town near the border. The Moscow strike came a day after Russia claimed it had hit a Ukrainian army command post in a missile strike on the eastern city of Pokrovsk, leaving at least nine dead. - German spy? - Pokrovsk sits just 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the eastern frontline, where Ukrainian troops are pushing to break the Russian lines. Ukraine began its long-awaited counteroffensive in June but has made only modest advances to the east and south in the face of stiff resistance from Russian forces. Meanwhile, Russia has launched its own offensive around the city of Kupiansk in northeast Ukraine. The city and its surrounding areas were liberated by Ukrainian forces last September, but Moscow has since renewed its assault on the region. "The intensity of hostilities and enemy shelling is high" in the zone, Ukraine's deputy defence minister Ganna Malyar said Wednesday. Beyond the conflict in Ukraine, Moscow accused Poland and Finland of threatening its security and vowed a response to the multiplication of "threats" to Russia's western frontier. Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, has joined the US-led NATO alliance, while Poland has strengthened security on its border with Moscow's close ally Belarus. "Threats to the military security of the Russian Federation have multiplied in the western and northwestern strategic directions," Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting with military officials. Those risks "require a timely and adequate response," he added. In Germany, prosecutors said a German national working for the military had been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, amid warnings of increased espionage activity by Moscow. "The accused is strongly suspected of working for a foreign intelligence service," the federal prosecutor's office said. bur-sea/jbr/pvh/js Russian artillery shelled a kindergarten in Kherson, injuring a 75-year-old locksmith, the Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported on Aug. 9. "A 75-year-old locksmith suffered light injuries as a result of a (Russian) shelling," the administration wrote on Telegram at around 12:45 p.m., adding that the injured victim is receiving medical attention. At around 1:30 p.m., Russian strikes damaged an energy facility in Kherson Oblast, leaving six settlements in the Bilozerka community without electricity. On Aug. 8, Russian forces launched 66 strikes against Kherson Oblast, injuring two people, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Counteroffensive is challenging, says Zelensky as Western pressure mounts Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has released a video from the site of a Russian missile strike on a residential area in Zaporizhzhya on Aug. 9. At least two people were killed in the missile strike. Read also: Russia strikes Pokrovsk with Iskander missiles: 7 dead, 67 injured, including 2 children "Initially, the information was about three dead; fortunately, one person was successfully resuscitated," Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said in a Telegram post. Zelenskyy added that the rescue operation continues and the injured will receive necessary medical care. And this war crime by Russia will certainly receive a sentence, said the president. Read also: Four killed in Russian strike against infrastructure object in Zaporizhzhya Oblast The response to the Russian terrorists will be on the frontline thanks to our heroic soldiers. Yuriy Malashko, the head of Zaporizhzhya Regional State Administration, reported that attack destroyed a small church and small shops in the Shevchenkivskyi district of the city. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine One person has been killed and 11 civilians have been injured a result of Russian attacks over the past day, regional authorities reported on the morning of Aug. 9. Russian forces targeted the city of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast three times overnight, killing an 18-year-old boy, Governor Serhii Lysak said. Three other men, aged 21, 35, and 44, were injured. Five houses, two farm buildings, a church, and several power lines were damaged. Governor Vitalii Kim reported that Russia had shelled the area around the city of Ochakiv in Mykolaiv Oblast overnight, following an artillery attack during the day on Ochakiv itself. The nearby village of Kutsurub was also attacked on Aug. 8, damaging houses and injuring two teenagers. On Aug. 8, a Russian attack on the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast injured a 14-year-old boy, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported. Syniehubov added that six houses were damaged and two men were injured as a result of a Russian attack on the village of Kozacha Lopan near Kharkiv on Aug. 8. In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russia targeted 21 settlements with 87 strikes over the last day, according to Governor Yurii Malashko. In Orikhiv, a 63-year-old man was wounded. Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of Kherson Oblast, reported on Aug. 9 that Russia attacked Kherson region 66 times over the past day, injuring two people. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Counteroffensive is challenging, says Zelensky as Western pressure mounts Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Russian occupying forces have attacked the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast three times since the evening of 8 August, killing an 18-year-old young man and injuring three other men. Source: Serhii Lysak, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "The aggressor has attacked the Nikopol district three times since the evening. They [the Russian army] deployed heavy artillery to fire on Nikopol and Marhanets hromadas [hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories - ed.]. An 18-year-old young man was killed. Three more people men aged 21, 35 and 44 were injured. They sustained mine-blast injuries and shrapnel injuries." Details: Lysak said the attack damaged the premises of a church, five private residential buildings, two outbuildings, a personal vehicle and several power lines. 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 invaders are using conscripts and convicts for large-scale assaults on Ukrainian positions, and if they manage to achieve results, only then do they send regular military personnel into battle. Source: National Resistance Center Quote: "The military leadership of the Russian Federation uses the practice of using [the] mobilised and Russian prisoners for massive assaults on Ukrainian positions. Only after the command can see the success of such an assault, personnel soldiers are used. Such methods are used practically along the entire front line." Details: According to the resistance, the personnel of the invaders being sent for assaults are not properly trained and equipped for such operations. It is noted that the Russian military leadership is disregarding the heavy losses, since a new wave of mobilisation in Russia is planned for the autumn. 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 mercenary battalion Wagner Group has proven "very adept" at exploiting political unrest in West Africa, but experts remain divided on whether the group caused the instability in the first place. "I don't think that Wagner or Russia are creating the discontent that we are seeing among populations and militaries in this region of Africa," Cameron Hudson, senior fellow (non-resident) for the CSIS Africa Program, told Fox News Digital. "They're certainly looking at it as an opportunity, but I don't think that either the Wagner Group or Russia itself has the power to kind of engineer that discontent as part of some grand strategic design on winning allies in the region," he argued. "I think that would be giving actually Russia too much credit." Nigers security forces seized control of the country last week, detaining Nigers President Mohamed Bazoum in his palace in Niamey. GOLD STAR DAD: WE GOT STONEWALLED LEFT AND RIGHT BY THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, a spokesperson for Nigers security forces, said in a televised statement last week that the countrys constitution was suspended and that Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani was in charge, The Associated Press reported. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Pictures of celebrations following the announcement showed a number of people waving Russian flags and signs saying, "Russie Vivie," or "Long Live Russia." People stand next to Russian and Niger flags while hundreds of supporters of the coup gather in front of the National Assembly in the capital Niamey, Niger, July 27, 2023. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said that while the U.S. does not believe Wagner or Russia has instigated the coup, they certainly "tried to take advantage of it." "Every single place that this Wagner group has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed," Blinken stressed. "Insecurity has gone up, not down," with only "bad things in their wake." Coup supporters unfurl a Russian flag as they take to the streets after the army seized power in Niamey, Niger, on July 30, 2023. Rebekah Koffler, president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting and a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, told Fox News Digital that Wagner is behind "some of the instability in some African countries," and possibly pushing for the political unrest in Niger. "Destabilizing the region and forcing Americans and Europeans to evacuate out of Niger would be consistent with Russias warfighting doctrine, which includes lateral escalation, amid the Russia-US proxy war over control of Ukraine," Koffler explained. SOCIAL MEDIA LIGHTS UP AFTER CHRIS CHRISTIE'S NEW JERSEY GIFT TO ZELENSKYY IN UKRAINE "It is not a coincidence in my view that Russian flags are being waved in Nigers capital city of Niamey today, with anti-Western sentiment gripping the region," she noted. Wagners exiled founder and de facto leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, cheered on the coup, claiming, "What happened in Niger has been brewing for years." Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani and other army commanders held a meeting in the capital, Niamey, Niger on July 28, 2023. Tchiani appeared on national television on Friday and declared himself the new leader of the country. "The former colonizers are trying to keep the people of African countries in check," Prigozhin said. "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." Koffler said that using private military corporations (PMCs) to conduct destabilization operations is part of Russian statecraft, which Vladimir Putin "has used to its fullest during his presidency." Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Niger President Mohamed Bazoum in Niamey, Niger on March 16, 2023. "Wagner routinely conducts covert influence operations as it has a perfect cover and pretext for its presence in the region, having contracts to provide counterterrorism and counter-insurgency training and security assistance to unstable regimes that struggle with domestic insurgencies and militancy," she added. Wagner already has communicated with neighboring Mali, which asked for help after ousting the French military, with many of them moving into Niger. Reports indicate that Wagner could soon arrive in Burkina Faso, too. JAPANESE POLITICIAN TARO ASO CALLS FOR PEACE IN TAIWAN STRAIT AS THE COUNTRY STRENGTHENS ITS DETERRENCE Hudson, however, maintained that Wagner has merely taken advantage of "fissures" in these countries through the use of corrupt security relationships as well as disinformation campaigns and propaganda, and are not "the calculating strategists that were giving them credit for." He instead argued that the U.S. should look at Niger as a worrying indication of how countries in the region feel about its current trajectory, which Washington helped foster. Coup supporters gather for a demonstration at a stadium in the capital city of Niger, Niamey on Aug. 6, 2023. "We've invested billions of dollars in development aid," Hudson said. "We have been a very close partner with the Nigerian military in counterterrorism operations, and we base our entire drone posture for the entire region out of Niger." "I think what's so startling about this turn of events is that Niger was benefiting more than any other state in the region from its relationship with Washington, and still the people and the military chose essentially it to break with that and overthrow this democratically elected government." Niger hosts hundreds of American Special Forces and logistics experts and U.S. drones one of the few countries on the continent to do so, allowing the U.S. to fight against Boko Haram and ISIS affiliates. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland on Monday engaged in what she described as "difficult and frank" talks with the coup leaders in an effort to bring the conflict to a peaceful resolution. 1 DEAD, 2 ARRESTED IN JORDAN DURING THWARTED ATTEMPT TO INFILTRATE THE COUNTRY She described Bazoum as living under "virtual house arrest," and she claimed the coup leaders did not allow her to speak with the detained president. She described the mutinous officers as unreceptive to her appeals to start negotiations. The U.S., along with the West African regional bloc ECOWAS and the United Nations, have all urged the coup leaders to reinstate Bazoum, with neighboring countries threatening to use force if the rebels did not comply. Should the coup not resolve favorably for the U.S., Washington will have a difficult decision to make as they are running low on options in the region. "If you look at the counterterrorism picture in that region, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, are all countries that have seen undemocratic, unconstitutional changes in government in the last two years, all of which are the front line for this fight against terrorism in the region," he argued, adding that he found "none of them particularly attractive partners." "Really, there are no ideal candidates right now for Washington to fall back to," he stressed. "Yes, they could go to Nigeria, they could go to Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, but none of those countries are central geographically speaking, to the fight against terrorism." "They all pose their own fundamental weaknesses and challenges," he added. "There's nothing to say that some of the other countries in the region wouldn't also see a fate similar to Niger, so there is no kind of bedrock of stability that Washington can fall back to. Niger was it." The Associated Press contributed to this report. On Wednesday, 9 August, an air-raid warning was issued for the third time throughout Ukraine due to the threat of launches of Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles. The air raid warning lasted for 25 minutes. Source: an air-raid warning map; Ukraines Air Force on Telegram Quote: "Threat of missile attacks throughout Ukraine! The MiG-31K has taken off. Do not ignore the air-raid warning! " Previously: On Wednesday, 9 August, there were two large-scale air-raid warnings due to MiG-31K takeoffs (one for 44 minutes and the other for 26 minutes). During the second warning, Russian electronic warfare systems simulated the launch of Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. 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 native named as saboteur by Russian occupiers in Crimean gas pipeline explosion Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a man in occupied Crimea for his involvement in a gas pipeline explosion on June 23, Russian propagandist state agency TASS reported on Aug. 9. The FSB said it had stopped the "criminal activity" of a Russian citizen born in 1980, "involved in a sabotage and terrorist act at an energy infrastructure facility in Crimea on the instructions of the Ukrainian Special Service." The suspect allegedly blew up a gas pipeline in the Koreyiz settlement, located in the south of Crimea. He allegedly used an improvised explosive device. Two kilograms of imported plastic explosive C-4, two military electric detonators EDP, two electric igniters, and a homemade charge were reportedly seized from his garage during a search of his property. The identity of the defendant hasn't been disclosed. Read also: Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Russian occupation forces attacked Sumy Oblast 12 times on 8 August. In total, 76 explosions were recorded, and 11 settlements in 7 hromadas came under Russian fire [a 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, with seven explosions. Another mortar attack occurred in Bilopillia hromada, but with 24 explosions. As a result of this attack, two private residential buildings and two outbuildings were damaged. Velyka Pysarivka hromada came under Russian artillery fire, with 19 explosions heard there. The Russians struck Khotin hromada with mortars, with 12 explosions. Znob-Novhorodske hromada came under attack,with three explosions being heard there. The Russians bombardedNova Sloboda hromada, causing three explosions. A mortar attack with one explosion was recorded in Esman hromada. 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 Russian-appointed "authority" of the occupied Crimea has banned the raising of the Crimean Tatar flag at gatherings in schools. Source: Krym SOS ("Crimea SOS") NGO Details: The activists report that schools were also banned from planning some events, such as the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People on May 18. Krym SOS reports that a special commission will work in schools on the eve of commemorative dates, and the planning of such events will be considered as preparation for provocations. There was no written order banning the flag; however, the activists say, representatives of the "administration" of Sergei Aksyonov, the so-called "head" of the peninsula, came to the schools. When asked why the flag cannot be raised, they answer that it "is not stipulated anywhere; there is only the flag of the Russian Federation and that of Crimea." 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! Russians failing to provide medical services in occupied territories, use hospitals for own soldiers Russia is failing to provide medical services in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, the National Resistance Center (NRC) reported on Aug. 9. The Russians only provide treatment to a limited number of locals to use them as human shields, the NRC said. The invaders continue to use health care facilities in the temporarily occupied territories of southern Ukraine to provide medical care to wounded military personnel of the occupying forces, the NRC noted. Those wounded are mainly treated in central district hospitals until full or partial recovery, after which they are transferred to health care facilities in occupied Crimea or Russia. Read also: Russian invaders terrorize Kherson overnight, striking same civilian apartment three times, killing one Earlier, the NRC said that the Russians are expanding their network of informants in the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson Oblast. These collaborators are being used to identify which citizens of Kherson Oblast are loyal to Ukraine, the NRC reported. Read also: Russian attack on Kherson injures at least five civilians, including child Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine The Russian invaders have chosen the Kupiansk front as the main focus of their offensive, creating an offensive group consisting of eight Storm-Z assault units, and intense fighting is ongoing there, with some positions changing hands several times. Source: Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda Quote from Syrskyi: "The enemy's goal is to break through the defences of our troops and advance directly to Kupiansk. The fighting is now extremely intense. Some positions have changed hands several times these past days." Details: Syrskyi said that at the same time, the Russians were advancing from the area of Novoselivske and attempted to cut off the Ukrainian defenders' group with a flank attack and encircle some of the brigade's units holding the defence there, but to no avail. "Our soldiers are bravely holding the defence, repelling all the enemy's attempts to advance," Syrskyi stressed. Syrskyi also said that having visited this front of defence, he and the commanders had discussed possible further actions of the Russians and options for the defenders. As a result, all necessary decisions were being taken to "guarantee the deterrence of the enemy and create conditions for its further defeat". In particular, this includes additional reinforcement of military units with all necessary assets and personnel. Background: On 8 August, Syrskyi visited the combat zone on the Kupiansk front, where he worked with commanders to make operational decisions. 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! OAKLAND, Calif. A war of words is brewing between the two top political leaders in Sacramento, California, over the city's escalating homelessness crisis and approach to enforcing the rules. Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho and Mayor Darrell Steinberg are at odds on how to solve the issue as Ho sent Steinberg a letter on Monday threatening to take legal action and file criminal charges against the city's handling of its unsheltered population. "Our community is caught between compassion and chaos as we reach a breaking point that requiresaction," Ho said in his letter that said Sacramento's homeless population has increased by 250% in the last six years and become "an unprecedented public safety crisis." Ho, who took office in January, said he's considering criminal charges using state public nuisance laws if it doesn't make several homeless-related changes within 30 days. The dispute between Ho and Steinberg in California's capital city comes nearly five months after California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a $1 billion plan to provide 1,200 small homes in cities including Sacramento, San Jose, and Los Angeles as well as San Diego County. Sacramento County has 9,278 individuals experiencing homelessness, according to a 2022 census count by Sacramento Steps Forward, a private nonprofit organization. The figure is a 67% increase from a similar census conducted in 2019 which tallied 5,570 unhoused people in the county. According to a study released in June, nearly a third of all people who are unhoused in the United States live in California. The study, conducted by The University of California, San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, also revealed that almost 90% reported that the cost of housing was the main reason they could not escape homelessness. INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Nearly one-third of nation's homeless population lives in California, new research shows Sacramento DA's changes call for encampments cleared, daytime bans Ho's proposed changes in Sacramento include clearing the city's 16 homeless encampments, creating more temporary emergency shelters, and adding a daytime camping ban where homeless people must put their belongings in storage from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Ho also wants to cite those refusing shelter and hire four more city attorneys to enforce laws. He said his two-page letter comes after his office recently sent a survey to Sacramento residents. The responses included residents claiming being assaulted at gunpoint by an unhoused individual and a homeowner saying she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder due to constant harassment and break-ins by unhoused people living in an encampment across the street from her house. Mayor fires back at Ho's claims On Tuesday, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg took aim at Ho telling reporters he met with the district attorney on July 26 to possibly reach a partnership addressing the city's homeless issues. But instead of a deal, Steinberg said Ho is now threatening legal action. Steinberg said Tuesday that Ho's letter "deflects responsibility, takes credit for programs the city initiated, lacks basic understanding of existing shelter management systems and funding structures, and includes a series of demands that would cripple the city financially." In a news release, Steinberg further said: "The District Attorney offered no substantive partnership in which the courts would work with the city to increase the ability to prosecute quality of life crimes. Instead, the District Attorney demands that the city shoulder the financial burden for prosecuting criminal offenses." During the meeting with the district attorney, Steinberg said he proposed a list of proposals including stricter enforcement of misdemeanor crimes, a comprehensive strategy to prosecute those who commit "quality-of-life" crimes while having a serious mental illness or are under the influence of a controlled substance, finding alternatives for those unhoused who commit low-level offenses and the DA office funding four community prosecutors who would work across the city. "I propose that we all commit to the following guidelines, requirements and principals so that we can deliver real relief to the people suffering on our streets and to our community members," Steinberg said. IS THE AMBITIOUS PLAN WORKING?: LA's move to solve homelessness has moved thousands off the streets. Advocates say the plan is falling short 'Adequately address this public safety crisis' Not to be outdone, Ho responded late Tuesday to Steinberg's comments. "This local crisis has been made worse by local decisions and indecisions," Ho said. "Therefore, we have taken the first formal step towards litigation against the City of Sacramento. However, we are providing the City an opportunity to adequately address this public safety crisis." Shelly Orio, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, declined Tuesday to specify what type of litigation Ho would pursue and which Sacramento city officials could face possible criminal charges. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sacramento homeless crisis sparks war of words between Mayor and DA At least twice over a week, Sacramento has violated a court order against clearing homeless encampments as temperatures hit triple digits. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Unhoused people in the city of Sacramento were supposed to be safe from being booted out of the shade until at least mid-August after a federal court temporarily banned the clearing of encampments amid the heat wave. But at least twice in the last week, the city has violated that court order. On Friday and Monday, when temperatures rose into the triple digits, city-contracted security cleared homeless camps out of the shaded areas surrounding City Hall, a city spokesperson confirmed. The violations have added weight to an ongoing civil rights lawsuit brought last year by the Sacramento Homeless Union, which alleges the city and county have endangered unhoused people during extreme heat conditions and violated their right to bodily integrity by pushing them into more dangerous circumstances. Read more: 'Selling Sunset' star evicting rent-controlled tenants whose landlord set fire to their homes The clearings come as a public fight over how best to handle homelessness rapidly escalates in the capital city. Sacramento Dist. Atty. Thien Ho on Monday lambasted city officials over their handling of homelessness, saying the city is at a "breaking point." He sent a 30-day notice to the mayor with a list of demands, including a citywide ban on daytime camping. Such a request is at odds with the current court order, which city spokesperson Tim Swanson said was violated over the last week as a result of ineffective communication with Allied Universal Security. He called the clearing of encampments amid the heat "unintentional oversights." The city respects the order issued by the federal court and has been working diligently to follow all aspects of it, Swanson wrote. At this time, the situation involving City Hall has been addressed and remedied, with the city proactively informing the Sacramento Homeless Union Monday morning about the mistaken enforcement. Anthony Prince, the lead attorney representing the union, said that wasn't quite the case. Despite ongoing conversations with the city, the Sacramento Homeless Union is leaning toward filing a new motion against the city. That motion would require Sacramento to prove why it should not be held in contempt for the violation. Prince said he was already aware of the sweep Friday and claimed a third had occurred Tuesday morning, which The Times was not able to immediately confirm. I advised them to make certain it didnt happen on Monday, and sure enough it did. And then now we find out also that they did it [Tuesday] morning, he said. Unfortunately, our informal efforts to get the city to abide by this order have been unavailing. It isnt the first time a temporary injunction barring encampment sweeps during periods of extreme heat has been issued to the city. It happened twice last summer at the end of July and again at the start of September. Read more: Is there a market solution to L.A. homeless housing? And now here we are, a year later, Prince said. The city actually approached us in June and said, What will it take for you guys to dismiss your lawsuit? I said, Well, how about putting into place the protections that we had to go to court to get last summer and you refused to do? The most recent complaint, penned by Prince, argues that circumstances are even more egregious this summer due to ramped-up restrictions on encampments that have been passed. The motion points to the ordinance that banned camping on sidewalks , as well as the expansion of areas designated as critical infrastructure where homeless encampments are prohibited including within 500 feet of schools. The complaint also details a sweep in mid-July when officials, citing the sidewalk ordinance, cleared about 30 people who had been sheltering under trees. The city offered to relocate the campers to another encampment at Miller Park, but it was already crowded, with 60 tents on asphalt under direct sunlight, the complaint states. Excessive heat is defined by the city as temperatures above 90 degrees. The complaint included forecasts showing that August was expected to have 21 days when temperatures would reach 90 degrees or higher. Advocates estimate that unhoused people make up about half of the 1,500 heat deaths suffered each year. According to the latest estimate, about 9,300 unhoused people live in Sacramento County a 67% increase from 2019. As the population has increased, so too have daily temperature records . District Judge Troy Nunley granted the motion for the temporary restraining order last week, concluding that the health and welfare of unhoused individuals far outweighed the citys interest in clearing encampments during extreme heat. The restraining order was only issued to the city, although the county was included in the complaint. Swanson said the city respects the order, but is seeking clarity on why the county was not included in the injunction despite employing similar protocols as the city. The county declined to comment on pending litigation. All parties involved in the temporary restraining order were ordered to file a joint statement Wednesday on ways the injunction could be altered to best serve all interests. After that, the court will determine whether to extend, modify or terminate the order. 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. Sacramento police are asking for the publics help in identifying the driver of a dump truck that plowed into a parking lot earlier this summer, injuring one person in the citys Fruitridge Manor neighborhood. The hit-and-run occurred in the 6200 block of Fruitridge Road at 12:43 p.m. June 30, the Sacramento Police Department said. Officers responded to a report of a dump truck style vehicle colliding with at least eight parked cars, one of them occupied, in the parking lot of a Bel Air grocery store. One person from the parked car was hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said. Detectives from the Police Departments major collision investigation unit conducted extensive follow-up and gathered surveillance video from the area. Despite this, all leads have been exhausted and we do not have a license plate for the truck or know who the suspect was, the department said in an email to The Sacramento Bee. We encourage members of our community that may have any information or video of this horrific accident to contact the Sacramento Police Department, the department said. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 916-808-5471. SAN DIEGO One of two teenagers charged in connection with the death of a homeless woman texted he intended to go "hobo hunting" before the violence, a prosecutor alleged Monday, according to NBC San Diego. William Innes, 18, faces the most serious count, first-degree murder, in Monday's charges against the pair in connection with the homicide of Annette Pershal, 68. Armed with an air rifle loaded with pellets, Innes fatally shot Pershal in San Diego's Serra Mesa neighborhood on or about May 8, authorities allege. A makeshift memorial for the victim Annette Pershal in San Diego, Calif., on Aug. 7, 2023. (NBC San Diego) Police responded to reports of a woman down in Serra Mesa on May 8 and called paramedics, who couldnt determine why Pershal was unconscious, San Diego police said in a statement. She was taken to a hospital, where doctors determined that she had been shot several times with a pellet gun and that the injuries were not survivable, police said. Deputy District Attorney Roza Egiazarian said Monday that Pershal was shot in the head, a leg and the torso, according to NBC San Diego. One pellet ruptured her aorta, the prosecutor said. Pershal was declared dead three days after she was found, police said. Egiazarian said in court Monday that Innes sent a group text to contacts who included his co-defendant, Ryan Hopkins, 19, according to NBC San Diego. It said, "I'm going hobo hunting with a pellet gun," according to the prosecutor. Egiazarian said authorities found the possible weapon, a Gamo Shadow Whisper air rifle, in a search of Innes home, according to station. Innes faces additional charges of possession of an assault weapon, banned in California, and failure to apply for serial numbers for two would-be firearms under state legislation designed to thwart ghost guns, essentially untraceable firearms that can be 3D-printed. Hopkins is charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors said he drove Innes to the scene, which NBC San Diego described as a parking lot. Both teenagers, who live in the area, pleaded not guilty after their arrests last week. They remained in jail without bail, according to jail records. Hopkins was scheduled to appear in court Thursday, when he will ask for bail, said his attorney, Vikas Bajaj, the station reported. In court Monday, Bajaj disputed the timing of the hobo hunting text, saying it was sent 12 hours after the shooting, the station reported. He described Hopkins as a good kid with a warm heart. Attorneys for Innes and Hopkins did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NBC News. The San Diego County medical examiners office determined Pershals death was a homicide. The cause of death is pending, and the office is still working on the case, county spokesperson Chuck Westerheide Jr. said. Homicides by air-powered guns are rare. The literature on air weapon deaths yielded only three murders in the United States, a 2019 study by the journal Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine found. Pershal's death comes as the city's homeless a population that has grown beyond 10,000 face crackdowns by police. Responding to complaints about blocklong encampments on sidewalks and in front of businesses, the city has taken the hard-line approach, seen in Los Angeles and elsewhere, of essentially outlawing "unsafe camping" outdoors. People living on the streets also continue to be victimized. In Los Angeles last year, nearly 1 in 4 murder victims was homeless, NBC Los Angeles found. The state has set aside at least $12 billion to address homelessness. Residents and patrons of the area where Pershal, known as Granny Annie, was found unresponsive told NBC San Diego she lived on the streets there for at least seven years. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com The recent summit in Saudi Arabia achieved many of Ukraines key aims, said Presidential Office advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, on Aug 8. "In my opinion, the summit in Saudi Arabia has resolved three fundamental tasks. But have no illusions, of course, there wasn't any sort of breakthrough... It's the beginning of great work... First, the summit has zeroed out the international reputation of Russia," Podolyak said. "Second, we've put Russia outside the parentheses. Thus, a Ukrainian initiative [for peace] has become dominant in creating a post-war world." The summits third accomplishment is apparent in the insulting rhetoric from Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and other Russian officials in regard to the summit and its participants, Podolyak said. "It is especially noticeable in regard to Saudi Arabia as an organizer of the event. It means Russia has started attacking even those taking a neutral stance, moving itself towards full isolation, Podolyak said. Peace summit in Saudi Arabia: What is known Two days of negotiations on the Ukrainian peace formula took place in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 5-6. Ukraine and its Western allies pitched the talks as an effort to rally global support behind appropriate conditions for ending the war, The Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 6. After the talks in Jeddah concluded, diplomats said there was broad acceptance that central principles of international law, like respect for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity, should be at the heart of future peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. In Jeddah, Ukraine and the major developing countries appeared determined to find a consensus. A senior European official said that Ukraine didnt push again for its peace plan to be accepted and other countries werent insisting that Kyiv drop it. Nor was there any disagreement over Ukraines demand for the withdrawal of Russian troops. There was agreement on pursuing more detailed work on the global impact of the war, and most countries attending, including China, appeared willing to meet again in the coming weeks in the current format, with Russia excluded, according to people involved in or briefed on the closed-door talks. The biggest difference between the Copenhagen and Jeddah meetings was attendance more than twice as many countries attended or dialed into talks on Aug. 5. That included European countries, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, and South Africa. While no date has been set for a third meeting, there was agreement on a two-track process to move forward. Ukraine will continue discussions with foreign ambassadors in Kyiv on peace conditions. At the same time, Saudi Arabia plans to propose a set of working groups for specific issues raised in the Ukrainian peace plan, some of which touch on the global impact of the war. 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 SOUTH BEND A group frustrated over the impending closure of Clay High School in 2024 brought their case Tuesday to the St. Joseph County Council. In June, the nonprofit group Save Clay had already sent their plea to Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, asking her to explore making a new district here that would serve Clay families that feel left behind that is, those in the unincorporated parts of St. Joseph County. Jenner hasnt replied yet. So, on Tuesday, local attorney Pete Agostino and Save Clays eight board members came to council with a proposed resolution. In it, the council would urge Jenner to explore the prospect of a new district. Pete Agostino But the resolution also would invite the South Bend Community School Corp.s superintendent to a council committee meeting to answer questions about finances and plans for closing and opening schools. June 22, 2023: South Bend schools to hire transition team to prepare for closure of Clay and Warren Everyone who spoke for the measure Tuesday reiterated that they cannot get clear answers from the school corporation about how money is being spent. They were talking about the $220 million dollar bond referendum that voters in the district approved in 2020, which raised taxes to generate money for building upgrades, teacher raises and new literacy specialists, among other things. South Bend has a windfall of money and is making bad choices, Jean Prichard said. We have no power to hold South Bend schools accountable. There is something wrong when 40% to 50% of tax dollars come from the unincorporated county and theres no school, Agostino said of Clay. South Bend plans to close both Clay High and Warren Elementary schools in 2024. That would be part of large-scale revision of school structures across the district to solve for years of under-enrollment. On Wednesday, South Bend school board President John Anella responded to The Tribune that it wasn't "sustainable" to keep Clay High open while hundreds of student seats are open, especially if it meant pouring millions into building upgrades. He also said that Clay Township still has Swanson Traditional School as a National Blue Ribbon School and that Darden Elementary and Clay International Academy are "thriving schools." Given that, he said he didn't think creating a new school district is "in the best interest" of Clay Township and its existing schools. April 24, 2023: What comes next now that South Bend has decided to close Clay High School and consolidate? The corporation is also seeking to open up new pathways of pre K-8 education as an alternative to the traditional elementary-to-middle school path. The plan requires major investment to renovate existing schools to take on new students, draw geographic boundary lines and align transportation routes to new feeder patterns. In June, The Tribune reported that South Bend school officials planned to hire a temporary transition team to shepherd the consolidation and redistricting and to oversee large capital projects. Agostino wrote in the resolution that the South Bend school board has voted to close, consolidate, repurpose or merge 10 schools in the past seven years. Robert Smith speaks at a South Bend school board meeting in April 2023. Robert Smith, a former assistant principal at Clay who retired from South Bend schools in 2022, echoed those whod believed that the referendum would help to save Clay. I stood by and asked, When is our time for improvements? Smith recalled, having worked 38 years in South Bend schools, 12 of them at Clay. 'Its coming one day.' It never came. Agostino submitted the resolution to the council on Monday, but it failed to get the unanimous vote that it needed to put it on Tuesdays council agenda. It was a 7-2 vote, with Diana Hess and Mark Catanzarite voting against it. Instead, council President Mark Root said the resolution will come to the councils committees meeting on Aug. 22, then to the general council on Sept. 12. Council member Amy Drake, in whose district Clay falls and who has been meeting with Save Clay members for months, introduced the measure. Everyone has stressed to me that the South Bend schools simply don't feel accountable to anyone," she told The Tribune. This is affecting the parents, students and taxpayers we represent. If we can help get them some answers, we think this effort will be worthwhile. It behooves us to find out where all of the referendum money has gone, council member Dan Schaetzle said. About the financial questions, Anella said, "I'm not sure where that's coming from." Anella said most of the information about the referendum spending has already been discussed in public meetings and in documents shared at the school board's website. June 8, 2022: Could Clay Township become its own school district? Heres what it would take for a split. This follows on court filings this summer by Agostinos law firm, alleging that Clays closure could violate the federal court-ordered consent decree, which governs the racial balance in South Bend schools. Members of Save Clay and South Bend school board members Jeanette McCullough and Mark Costello have supported the legal action. The school district has since made a court filing to oppose the claim. And its administration has told news media that its goal is to maintain the racial balance. But Agostino said 42% of students at Clay are minorities, posing a challenge because, he noted, 33 of the schools 61 teachers have left since the corporation decided to close Clay in April. Meanwhile, he said, the racial makeup of the schools faculty has to fall within 15% of the communitys census demographics. Why didnt they make a plan (beforehand) for this and lay this all out? he said to The Tribune. Thats a bad way to do business for the kids. I am devastated, Marcia Hummel, whod served on the South Bend school board for 16 years until 2010, told the council. South Bend schools are headed in a very bad way. Its up to you to stop it. Soon you will end up with no grade school. South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com. This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Save Clay group asks county council help for new school district South Carolinians should expect a rainy and unseasonably warm fall this year, weather forecasts show. It has been another scorching hot summer in South Carolina and while fall will provide some relief, dont count on particularly chilly temperatures. The Palmetto State is headed for a possibly warmer than average summer, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. South Carolina can also expect a rainy season, the administration adds. The fall season officially starts Sept. 23 this year. Heres what weather NOAA predicts for the fall season. NOAA fall predictions NOAA expects a 40% to 50% chance of temperatures leaning above average from September through November in South Carolina. Meanwhile, NOAA predicts a 33% to 40% chance of rainfall leaning above average over the same period. A map of the U.S. that shows seasonal temperature outlooks for September, October and November. Farmers Almanac predictions NOAA isnt alone with its fall weather predictions. The extended forecast from Farmers Almanac also suggests a decent amount of rain during the fall in South Carolina and across the Southeast. South Carolina will end September with widespread showers. The first week of October could have a noticeable temperature drop, followed by possible rainy and blustery weather in the middle of the month. More rain will follow and a bout of possible unseasonably cold weather in time for Halloween, Farmers Almanac predicts. Rain is expected to kick off November, then more temperature drops and pleasant weather until another dose of rain leading up to Thanksgiving. How Farmers Almanac predicts the weather Founded in 1818, the Farmers Almanac uses a secret formula that includes components such as sunspot activity, tidal action, the position of the planet, to predict long-range weather forecasts. The forecasts are typically made two years in advance. Fans of the Farmers Almanac have, over the years, calculated that the predictions are accurate 80-85% of the time. A man was locked up in a Lexington County jail after being arrested for making bomb threats to law enforcement, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said. Jason Ryan Jones, a 37-year-old Fountain Inn resident, was charged with three counts of bomb threats, SLED officials said in a news release. Jones made the threats on July 15 and 16, according to the release. He called the SLED Operations Desk and issued the threats while speaking on a recorded line, officials said. He also provided his name on the calls, arrest warrants show. What do I gotta do to get your attention, Im going to plant a bomb, Jones said, according to arrest warrants. Jones specifically targeted the Fountain Inn Police Department, Simpsonville Police Department and Greenville County Sheriffs Office on the call. Information about why Jones was trying to get SLEDs attention, or why he issued the threats toward the Upstate law enforcement agencies, was not available. If you dont listen to me, Im going to plant a bomb in Fountain Inn PD and Simpsonville and Greenville, Jones said, according to arrest warrants. All of them, you better start f------ listening. Jones was booked at the Lexington County Detention Center, SLED said. The Upstate resident was being held at the Midlands jail because the threats were made while he was in Lexington County, according to arrest warrants. Information about why he was in Lexington County was not available. Bond was set at $500 for each of the three counts, and was posted on July 27, Lexington County court records show. Jones is not currently listed on the Lexington County jails inmate roster. If convicted on the felony charges, Jones faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison for each count, according to South Carolina law. SLED did not say that Jones was in possession of any weapons or explosive devices, and no injuries were reported as a result of the threats. Martian Mystery As our closest planetary neighbor in the Solar System, Mars remains an object of fascination and mystery from the tantalizing traces of liquid water on its surface, to questions about the existence of alien microbes lying in wait in the red dust of the planet's surface. Well, add another mystery to the Red Planet's repertoire: It's spinning faster, every year, and this has scientists stumped. A team of researchers gleaned data from NASA's InSight Mars lander and determined that the planet is spinning 4 milliarcseconds faster every year, Science Alert reports, which basically converts into a tiny fraction of a millisecond being shaved off from a typical Mars day every year. While it doesn't sound like much, it could represent an important clue to the planet's evolution (and where it may be headed in the future), as explained by the researchers who published findings on Mar's accelerating rotation in the science journal Nature. Spin Cycle NASA's InSight Mars lander, which first touched down on the red planet in 2018, has a special instrument called RISE (Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment), which is made up of a radio transponder and antennas, according to a press release from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which managed the lander. Scientists were able to discover the planet's rotational spin and acceleration from relaying radio signals between RISE and NASA's Deep Space Network, big radio antenna complexes on Earth, according to JPL. Researchers would send a radio signal from the Deep Space Network to the lander, which would reflect it back. In this way, they were able to gather data that showed shifts in radio frequencyleading to calculations that shows the planet is speeding up. "Its really cool to be able to get this latest measurement and so precisely," said Bruce Banerdt, InSights principal investigator at JPL in a statement. "Ive been involved in efforts to get a geophysical station like InSight onto Mars for a long time, and results like this make all those decades of work worth it." Martian Puzzles As for the subtle accelerating spin, scientists say further investigation is warranted, but they have a few theories as to why it's happening. It may be that ice collecting in the polar regions is causing this spin up, or it could be a case of "post-glacial rebound," when masses of ice recede and landmass rises as a result. Though the lander powered down in late 2022, scientists anticipate more data coming from the RISE instruments besides the surprising acceleration of Mar's spin, hence pushing back the curtains over our mysterious neighbor. More on Mars: NASA Signs Deal for Nuclear-Powered Rocket That Will Eventually Power Mars Missions Illegal narcotics are routinely seized in the waters off South Florida, and scientists are investigating how the spillage of these drugs namely, cocaine could impact sharks in the area. Scientists Tom Hird and Tracy Fanara studied how sharks would react to ingesting cocaine, and their experiments are featured in Cocaine Sharks, part of Discoverys 35th annual Shark Week. Hird, a marine biologist and shark expert, and Fanara, a research scientist and program manager for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also observed curious behavior in at least two sharks off the Florida Keys, according to Live Science. Hird said the findings didnt prove the sharks had ingested cocaine and that more research is necessary. The deeper story here is the way that chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and illicit drugs are entering our waterways entering our oceans and what effect that they then could go on to have on these delicate ocean ecosystems, Hird told Live Science. The United Nations reported in March that cocaine supply, demand, and seizures have reached all-time highs. If these cocaine bales are a point source of pollution, Fanara told the Guardian, its very plausible [sharks] can be affected by this chemical. Cocaine is so soluble that any of those packages open just a little, the structural integrity is destroyed and the drug is in the water. At least 15 species of sharks live off South Florida, according to a 12-year survey completed in 2021. In one experiment, Hird and Fanara examined whether sharks swam toward fake bales of cocaine or fake swans. In another, the scientists recorded how sharks reacted when fake bales of cocaine were dropped from an airplane into the water, as they could be by smugglers. Hird and Fanara also made a bait ball with fish powder to ethically simulate cocaine. I think we have got a potential scenario of what it may look like if you gave sharks cocaine, Hird said in Cocaine Sharks, according to Live Science. We gave them what I think is the next best thing. [It] set [their] brains aflame. Going forward, Hird and Fanara hope to take blood and tissue samples from sharks to measure their cocaine levels. Cocaine Sharks originally aired Wednesday, July 26. Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. A liberal governor decides that a local prosecutor, elected in a conservative community, is too pro law enforcement, that alleged crimes commited by police officers arent being prosecuted enough. Or that said prosecutor is too close to conservative political causes. So the governor removes that prosecutor from office, defying the will of voters. That governor does that once, then twice. The targets are always prosecutors who ran on a tough-on-crime platform. State attorneys who vowed to fight for criminal-justice reform are left alone. Fox News and conservative media outlets rush to defend those ousted officials. This is undemocratic and anti-American, they say. Now, flip the script, and you get Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. On Wednesday, he removed a second elected state attorney, Monique Worrell, the prosecutor in Orange and Osceola counties. Like Tampas Andrew Warren, suspended last year, Worrell is a Democrat a progressive elected on a promise of reform and diverting people from jail. It seems shes being removed for doing exactly what got her elected. In an executive order, DeSantis wrote that Worrells office has the lowest rate of incarceration among 20 judicial circuits for a series of violent felonies, such as armed robbery and gun crimes. He accused her of not seeking mandatory minimum sentences for serious crimes and of arbitrarily limiting the number of counts for possession of child pornography. The suspension order included reports on incarceration rates from state agencies. Prosecutors do have a certain amount of discretion about what cases to bring and which cases to not, DeSantis said. But what this state attorney has done is abuse that discretion and effectively nullified certain laws in the state of Florida that breaches her duties that she owes to the people of Florida under our state Constitution, and provides the basis for the suspension. Worrell pushed back, saying at a news conference that a Department of Juvenile Justice report included in the order was fabricated by the agency that reports to DeSantis. She said her office has implemented jail diversion programs, and that Floridas culture of lock them up and throw them away has not reduced crime. This feud will guarantee DeSantis a lot of publicity and a platform to sound tough on crime in the GOP presidential primary. With his polling numbers down and his campaign going through a makeover, DeSantis is doing what he does best: finding a new liberal enemy he can crusade against. Except, DeSantis is doing what no other governor has done: abuse his authority to remove elected officials for political points. Florida law gives governors broad authority to suspend people from office, but his predecessors used that power sparingly, normally reserving it for officials who have been arrested, not for ideological reasons. DeSantis doesnt respect democratic norms. He pushes them as far as he can. He has exploited his executive authority and concentrated power in his hands. Hes pushed hard to strip control from local communities on anything from mask mandates to how to teach students about race. Hes opened the door to allowing Tallahassee to control many aspects of life from communities north to south, conservative or liberal. And hes tilted the scale in favor of communities and politicians who toe his line. Even if Worrell has been a bad state attorney, we doubt DeSantis has spent as much time and resources investigating Floridas Republican prosecutors. Worrells suspension has been months in the making. In March, DeSantis general counsel demanded her office turn over documents related to the criminal record of Keith Moses, the suspect in a shooting spree that killed three people in Orlando, including a TV news reporter. DeSantis accused Worrell of allowing Moses to remain free after several arrests and a lengthy juvenile record. Worrell said Moses was arrested once after she was elected in 2020, on a misdemeanor possession of cannabis, but there was no evidence that proved he was carrying illegal marijuana. What got Worrell and Warren on the governors radar were their very public stances on social and racial justice as well as the support they received from groups backed by liberal billionaire investor George Soros, whom conservatives demonize. Warren was suspended after he signed a pledge to not prosecute abortion cases. He and Worrell also signed pledges to not file charges against doctors who provide gender-affirming care, now banned for minors in Florida. One could argue they, too, have been political in exercising their elected duties, but in democracies these issues are meant to be solved at the ballot box, not by a governor who wields the power of his office hypocritically. Click here to send the letter. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, was briefly hospitalized in California after suffering a fall in her San Francisco home, Fox News has confirmed. "Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home. All of her scans were clear and she returned home," a spokesperson for the senator said in a statement. The 90-year-old has suffered from extensive health issues for more than a year, leading many to wonder about her fitness for office. Since her return to the Senate earlier this summer, there have been multiple instances when Feinstein appeared to be confused about what she was doing and what her responsibilities were during hearings. TWO-THIRDS OF CALIFORNIA VOTERS SAY DIANNE FEINSTEIN NO LONGER FIT FOR OFFICE: POLL Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, has been hospitalized in California after suffering a fall in her home on Wednesday, according to reports. Last week, a hot mic caught the senator appearing confused during a routine Senate committee proceeding, when she began reading from her prepared remarks instead of saying "aye" during a roll call vote. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP In addition to her health woes, Feinstein and her daughter are also in a legal battle with the trustees of her late husband's estate. Katherine Feinstein, 66, has power of attorney over her mother and filed two lawsuits against the trustees. A LOOK BACK AT SOME OF SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN'S MOST TROUBLESOME MOMENTS IN THE SENATE Katherine's first lawsuit on her mother's behalf relates to a California beach house owned by the senator's late husband, Richard Blum. The lawsuit argues that Feinstein is seeking to sell the house in order to raise funds for her ongoing medical treatments. Since her return to the Senate earlier this summer, there have been multiple instances in which Sen. Dianne Feinstein appeared to be confused about what she was doing and what her responsibilities were during hearings. The second lawsuit challenges the appointment of two other trustees in Blum's estate: Michael Klein, a longtime lawyer for Blum, and Marc Scholvinck, a business partner of Blum's, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which first reported Katherine's power of attorney status. HOT MIC CATCHES CONFUSED FEINSTEIN BEING TOLD TO VOTE AYE IN AWKWARD COMMITTEE MOMENT The lawsuit argues the pair have withheld Blum's life insurance proceeds from Feinstein, despite her claims that she needs the funds to pay for medical expenses, going on to note Blum's "intent to support his spouse after his death." Sen. Dianne Feinstein has faced ramping scrutiny on her fitness for office. Klein and Scholvnick's attorney, Steven Braccini, has flatly rejected the claim, saying Blum's estate has never withheld any funds that Feinstein has requested. "My clients are perplexed by this filing," Braccini told the Times. "Richard Blums trust has never denied any disbursement to Senator Feinstein, let alone for medical expenses." Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is welcomed back to the Senate Judiciary Committee by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., right, and others following a more than two-month absence, at the Capitol in Washington, May 11, 2023. Feinstein went to a hospital on Tuesday, Aug. 8, after a fall in her home, her office said. | J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press Sen. Dianne Feinstein was hospitalized after experiencing a minor fall in her home in San Francisco, and was discharged on Tuesday, her office said in a statement. Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home, a spokesperson for Feinstein, a California Democrat, told Axios. All of her scans were clear and she returned home. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he spoke to her on the phone Wednesday morning. She said she suffered no injuries and briefly went to the hospital as a precaution, said Schumer, per CNN. Im glad she is back home now and is doing well. The news of her fall was first reported by TMZ. Feinstein, 90, is the oldest sitting U.S. senator. She announced in February that she will not be running for reelection in 2024 but intends to accomplish as much for California as she can in the meantime, as the Deseret News reported. Related But her poor health as of late has been a cause of concern in Congress. Earlier this year, she spent three months away from Capitol Hill to recover from complications caused by shingles. The complications included encephalitis, which caused swelling in her brain, and Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which paralyzed the left side of her face, as The New York Times reported in May. Her leave caused delays in judicial nominations and other Senate business, prompting Feinsteins Democratic colleagues, like Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., to call for her resignation. Sen. Dianne Feinstein was hospitalized Tuesday afternoon after suffering a "minor fall" in her San Francisco home, her office confirmed. Feinsteins spokesperson Adam Russell said the hospitalization was a precaution and that she returned home after all of her scans were clear. The fall occurred in Feinstein's kitchen, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told The Times. San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Capt. Jonathan Baxter confirmed that the agency had responded to a "reported medical emergency" early Tuesday afternoon at an address that property records show belongs to the California senator. In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that he had spoken with Feinstein and that she said "she suffered no injuries." He added: "Im glad she is back home now and is doing well. Feinstein, 90, has faced scrutiny over her health issues and signs of cognitive decline. Last month, she started to deliver a speech during a roll call vote of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and appeared confused when an aide interrupted to stop her. She voted after committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) repeatedly told her to just say, Aye. Read more: News Analysis: It's not just Feinstein. McConnell episode highlights age, vulnerability of U.S. leaders Feinstein's health problems have occasionally derailed her appearances in California. Last week, she failed to show at an event celebrating San Francisco's first cable car trip due to a cough, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The former San Francisco mayor was also absent Wednesday from the Lake Tahoe Summit, an annual meeting of lawmakers who represent the area. Her absence was noted repeatedly as speakers described her contributions to efforts to keeping the lakes waters clear and pristine. Feinstein helped start the confab in 1997 and has regularly attended throughout the years. (She had planned to skip this year's summit even before she fell, her office said.) She has missed half of all Senate votes this year, more than any other senator, according to a ranking by ProPublica. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who was hospitalized for depression earlier this year, was the second-most absent member, missing 36.3% of votes, the nonprofit reported. In May, a majority of Californians said they believed Feinstein's declining health made her unfit for office, according to a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the L.A. Times. And a June survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that her job approval among Californians had dropped from 41% to 31% over the previous eight months, falling below 40% for the first time in the history of the institute's polling. Feinstein's defenders have denounced questions about her fitness for office as sexist and ageist, arguing that aging male lawmakers do not face the same calls to resign. But powerful male politicians have also been unable to escape scrutiny of their fitness to serve in recent months. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), for example, froze midsentence for 32 seconds, unblinking, during his weekly news conference last month before colleagues escorted him away. A crowd jeered at the Republican leader at an event in his home state on Saturday, chanting "Retire! Retire! Retire!" Feinstein missed weeks of votes in the spring while fighting a severe case of shingles. Her absence threatened to delay confirmation of several of President Biden's nominees. She tried to solve that problem by tapping another Democratic senator to temporarily replace her on the Senate Judiciary Committee, but Republicans blocked the effort. In May, she returned to Washington after a nearly three-month absence. She stayed in the city for the two-week Fourth of July recess. She plans to return to D.C. after the Senate's August recess for a funding fight that could lead to a government shutdown. Democrats will need all of their member's votes to help fend it off. Feinstein began her Senate career in 1992 and plans to retire when her term ends in January 2025. Three Democratic lawmakers Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam B. Schiff are running to replace her. Feinstein recently petitioned a court to give her daughter more control over her late husband's trust, alleging it is not paying for her medical expenses. At the Lake Tahoe event Wednesday morning, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said he had spoken with Feinstein and that she was doing well after a little stumble. Why all the fuss? Padilla recounted Feinstein saying to him on the phone when he called to check in. Im fine, Padilla said she told him. Pelosi also spoke at the summit and described how Feinstein had been coming to the lake her entire life. Pelosi said she wished she could be in attendance. It was so unfortunate because this was a minor event, Pelosi said. She said that falling is "something that happens in anybody's kitchen any time," and that Feinstein's caretakers suggested she go to the hospital "to be safe because of her age." Pelosi added: Shes remarkable." Logan reported from Washington and Oreskes from Kings Beach, Calif. Get the best of the Los Angeles Times politics coverage with the Essential Politics newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Sen. Dianne Feinstein suffered a minor fall at her home Tuesday and was taken to a hospital, the latest health-related mishap for the California Democrat. Feinstein, 90, has been at her San Francisco home during the congressional recess that began two weeks ago. Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home. All of her scans were clear and she returned home, a statement from her office Wednesday said. She plans to return to Washington when the Senate reconvenes September 5. Feinstein, a senator since 1992, has had a series of medical setbacks this year and a handful of prominent Democrats, including Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara, have called for her to step down. She was absent from Washington for about three months earlier in 2023 after suffering from shingles and other ailments. Her absence became worrisome for Democrats because the Judiciary Committee, the first stop for confirming or rejecting federal judicial nominees, had a 11 to 10 Democratic majority. Without Feinstein, that became a 10 to 10 tie, and concerns grew that Biden administration nominees would stall. Since returning in May, Feinstein has rarely displayed her trademark energy. She usually gets around the Capitol in a wheelchair. In late July, colleagues had to advise her how to vote at a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting. Feinstein did not vote at one point until told to do so by Chairman Patty Murray, D-Washington. A few days earlier, Feinstein voted for a Republican amendment to a Democratic-authored Supreme Court ethics bill in the Judiciary Committee. Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, advised her to vote yes, so she did. Feinstein is not planning to run for re-election. Her term ends in January 2025, and several prominent Democrats are scrambling to succeed her. Among them are Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee and former tech executive Lexi Reese. There are growing calls for a crackdown on the spike in violent attacks against U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carriers. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Sen. Dick Durbin sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland this week with more than a dozen questions about what is being done to address this problem. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] In addition to my concern about this brazen criminal activity and its impact on victims, I also worry deeply about the downstream consequences of such crime, Durbin wrote. For example, certain neighborhoods may become delivery deserts where residents cannot rely on the mail for delivery of critical items like medication and food. Durbin notes that despite requesting information from the DOJ in April about its efforts to address this issue, DOJ did not provide an informative response about its efforts to work with USPS and USPIS to hold accountable those committing these crimes. Read: How to avoid back-to-school scams that put your money and identity at risk He did point out that USPS has taken steps including starting a nationwide initiative to replace arrow locks with electronic locks, since arrow keys are a major target for thieves. According to USPS, the initiative also includes installing high security collection boxes. The spike in attacks against mail carriers has been a topic of concern on Capitol Hill. Robberies of postal carriers have increased by 78 percent resulting in nearly 500 robberies alone in 2022, said Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) during a May hearing. Durbin is asking the DOJ and USPS about how many prosecutions there have been and whether this problem is being prioritized. He is also asking for details about the process to switch to electronic locks and about efforts to secure election mail. Read: Georgia man and woman to serve time in federal prison for detailed scam USPS confirmed it has received the letter and said it will answer the Senator directly. Durbin has requested a response within three weeks. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] So far, we have not heard back from the DOJ about the letter. 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. Senator Dianne Feinstein was briefly hospitalised on Tuesday after suffering what a spokeperson said was a minor fall in her California home. The fall, first reported by TMZ, is just the latest incident in a climbing number of health-related issues that have troubled the 90-year-old Feinstein in recent months and is likely to contribute to growing concerns about her ability to serve. The senior California lawmaker only recently returned to Congress after an extended absence due to illness; that departure left Democrats unable to subpoena members of the Supreme Court for a spring hearing about ethics in the nations highest judicial authority though its unclear whether she and others on the panel had the stomach for such a move to begin with. Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home. All of her scans were clear and she returned home, a spokesperson told the San Francisco Chronicle. More follows.. FIRST ON FOX: Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Marco Rubio of Florida warned Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Kremlin-linked company trying to buy a storied American media brand. Cotton and Rubio wrote to Yellen on Tuesday regarding the Sun Groups bid to acquire Forbes, calling on the Treasury secretary "to conduct a review and take appropriate action to protect Americas national security" in regard to the proposed acquisition "without delay." "The implications of allowing entities close to the Russian government and the CCP to own and operate an influential American media outlet are grave," the senators warned. "Forbes reportedly holds a significant market share among younger Americans, with tens of millions of monthly users." STEVE FORBES PREDICTS BIDEN WILL NOT BE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY NOMINEE FOR 2024 Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., pictured, and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., warned Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about the Chinese Communist Party and Kremlin-linked company trying to buy a storied American media brand. "This puts Forbes in a unique position to collect and store sensitive personal data on these populations and influence their opinions," they continued. "Further, foreign powers could use Forbes' wide reach to influence voters during close elections. "This is especially significant as Forbes has published stories in recent years documenting the CCPs influence over TikTok and participating in the ongoing genocide of the Uyghurs and other non-Han Chinese ethnic groups in Xinjiang. This reporting would undoubtedly be censored if Forbes is acquired by entities closely affiliated with the CCP." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The GOP senators pointed out that foreign "adversaries have previously attempted to acquire Forbes" last year when "the CCP attempted to buy Forbes through Magnum Opus Acquisition Limited, a special-purpose acquisition company." "Fortunately, that effort was scuttled after the CCPs involvement came to light," Cotton and Rubio wrote. "Our adversaries have tried to further obfuscate their efforts this time to evade scrutiny," they continued. "Sun Group, an investment firm with reportedly close ties to both the Russian government and the CCP, has partnered with a Magomed Musaev, a former Kremlin propagandist, to acquire Forbes." The senators wrote that "Sun Group is reportedly attempting to present the buyout of Forbes as an American venture by employing U.S. surrogates" in the form of 28-year-old entrepreneur Austin Russell, who the senators note has "no media background." Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., pictured, and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote to Treasure Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday regarding the Sun Groups bid to acquire Forbes, calling on Yellen "to conduct a review and take appropriate action to protect Americas national security" in regard to the proposed acquisition "without delay." "Russell is masquerading as the lead buyer of Forbes, claiming to purchase 82% of the company with a mere $10 million," they wrote. "However, it is evident that Russell is merely a conduit for larger foreign investors, with Sun Group alone reportedly investing up to $300 million, nearly 40% of the capital for Forbes. "Adding to these suspicions, Suleyman Kerimov, a U.S.-sanctioned Russian oligarch with ties to Vladimir Putin, reportedly gave Russell $20M to launch his start-up, Luminar. Further, $100 million of the Forbes buyout capital will reportedly flow through two American daughters of businessman Shiv Khemka, the owner and Vice Chairman of Sun Group." Cotton and Rubio noted that the "CCPs participation in this venture is also concerning" and that the "Peoples Republic of Chinas (PRC) State Council, through its ownership of China National Gold Group, has a 70% stake in a Russian gold mine that is co-owned by Sun Group and is one of Sun Groups largest assets." Chinese President Xi Jinpings speech to mark the 100th anniversary of the CCP left experts sounding the alarm over the American press coverage of the communist nation. The senators also highlighted that "Chinas state-owned SAIC Motor, which is supervised by the PRC State Council, reportedly has a lucrative contract with Russells Luminar that tripled Luminars stock in 4 months." "Most of Russells own net worth is tied up in Luminar stock, giving the PRC State Council, through SAIC Motor, significant leverage over Russell," the Republicans warned. "If this acquisition moves forward, the CCP's influence over Luminar, Russell, and Sun Group would translate into influence over Forbes. "Foreign investors would control nearly 50% of the total capital involved in the Forbes acquisition and the lead American buyer appears compromised by foreign influence. Looking at the voting stock of this proposed buyout, the amount that would be held by Russell, Sun Group and Chinese nationals (all of whom are influenced by the PRC State Council) reportedly totals over 90% of the voting stock." Cotton and Rubio wrote it "is evident that the dangers of the proposed Forbes acquisition greatly exceed the acceptable level of risk established by Congress under the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) and by President Biden under Executive Order 14083," and called for a review of the proposal "without delay." Fox News Digital also obtained a memo sent around Capitol Hill by Obama-era National Intelligence Council Chairman Gregory Treverton calling on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to "veto" the proposal. "If it does not, it is high time for Congress to bar Russian and Chinese government-linked entities from owning our news media assets," Treverton wrote. "Neither Russia nor China would ever allow Americans to own their news media, so why would we allow entities with close ties to the Russian and Chinese governments to own ours?" he added. Treverton wrote the "argument for action goes well beyond tit-for-tat reciprocity" and warned that the "national security concerns at risk are serious." "When compared to other business media companies, Forbes has the #1 market share among U.S. Millennials and Generation Z, with tens of millions of American monthly users," he wrote. "Forbes collects and stores sensitive data on millions of Americans." "Given that it analyzes the search results of millions of visitors per month to its websites, Forbes would be a valuable resource for the Russian and Chinese Governments to research the concerns of millions of Americans regarding their business, politics, and the economy," Treverton warned. A Forbes spokesperson told Fox News Digital this "is not the first time outside interests have tried to drive false narratives about this deal." "Austin is the sole decision maker in this acquisition, and he has all capital contractually committed with the majority being American," the spokesperson said. "If the Senators are interested in learning about the transaction, we would welcome the opportunity to meet with them," the spokesperson added. As treasury secretary, Yellen sits at the helm of CFIUS. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sits at the helm of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. Republican lawmakers are not the only ones sounding the alarm on the proposal. In April, progressive California Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell also blasted the deal . Swalwell spokesperson Jessica Gail told Politico the congressman "opposes any efforts by entities linked to the Chinese or Russian government attempting to acquire U.S. media companies." "The Congressman is seeking to learn more before making any formal requests," Gail added. The proposal for the communist country-linked companys acquisition of a U.S. media firm comes as conservative outlets have to navigate the social media landscapes evolving push for censorship. An adversarys takeover of a trusted U.S. media outlet could cause irreparable harm to the nation as well as censor important stories about the atrocities committed by the regimes that lead them. Should the CCP gain any modicum of control over Forbes or another American outlet, the records of their genocide of Uighur Muslims, suppression of Christians and dissidents and military incursions into Taiwan could be wiped away. Fox News Digital reached out to Russell, Sun Group and the Treasury Department, but did not receive responses. NEW YORK After rain moved through the region Thursday, the Northeast is gearing up for even more storms this weekend. This continues the soggy summer theme for millions of Americans, whose outdoor plans have been ruined multiple times over the past two and a half months. The next storm system will roll through Saturday, with strong-to-severe storms possible in the afternoon, according to the FOX Forecast Center. Enough wind shear will be in place for damaging winds, large hail and potentially a tornado or two from the Ohio Valley to New England. These storms will also be decent rainmakers, dropping heavy rain at times. 7 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FLASH FLOODS The rain is falling on already saturated ground from a very wet summer. So, flash flooding will be a concern through Saturday night, the FOX Forecast Center noted. High pressure takes over briefly drying out the coast and ushering in some sun before a cold front from the next storm plows through Sunday morning. The next storm brings another flash flood threat for late Saturday into Sunday. The final system in the series arrives Monday in western New York and Pennsylvania during the day, while the seaboard will enjoy more sun until evening. "High pressure briefly settles in again before the frontal system moves in late Monday," wrote the NWS on New York's forecast discussion. "High pressure returns for mid-week." These storms come on the heels of an early week storm that spawned tornadoes in Upstate New York on Monday and Massachusetts on Tuesday. Residents are still clearing downed tree limbs from yards. Memories of flash flooding and the dozens of water rescues of drivers trapped in their cars are still fresh. A photo showing devastating flooding near the Okemo Ski Resort in Ludlow, Vermont, on Monday, July 10, 2023. So many cities across the Northeast can't handle any more rain. Early July flooded much of Vermont as heavy rains forced rivers out of their banks and through towns, prompting evacuations. Rain fell at a rate of 1-2 inches per hour over Boston in late July. Water cascaded down the stairs of Fenway Park like a waterfall, and officials suspended the Mets-Red Sox game in late July. Hartford, Connecticut, has seen a third more rain than normal for this time of year. That's almost 10 inches more. Portland, Maine; Syracuse, New York; and Albany, New York, have gotten 20% more rain than normal so far this year. A sidewalk memorial outside an Inglewood home where four people were killed in January 2022. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Seven men were indicted this week on murder and other charges related to a shooting rampage in Inglewood, Compton and Los Angeles that left seven people dead and several others wounded nearly two years ago. The alleged gang shootings included the ambush killing of four people at a January 2022 birthday party on Park Avenue in Inglewood that left a scene of blood, bullet holes and balloons one of the city's worst acts of violence in decades. Dist. Atty. George Gascon said Tuesday that a grand jury had handed down a 37-count indictment the previous day in connection with four separate incidents in December 2021 and January 2022. Today, we mark a significant development in our ongoing efforts to combat gun violence, Gascon said. Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said he hoped the indictment, which resulted from a joint investigation with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, would "bring some justice" to the families of the seven victims. The seven people charged are suspected members or associates of the East Coast Crips 118, and they dubbed themselves the "shooter clique," according to law enforcement sources who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly. A video surveillance camera captured the horrific carnage of the shooting. "We believe them to be involved in a South End gang and we believe others that have been involved in as victims also have associations with other rival street gangs," Moore said, noting that innocent bystanders were also caught up in the shootings. The motivation for the shooting, Moore said, stemmed from longstanding gang rivalries, including some that "grew out of a matter of some social media posts or what should otherwise have been inconsequential slight of one person or another." The seven men charged in the indictment pleaded not guilty Monday at their arraignments. The defendants include 24-year-old Kendale Taylor, 30-year-old Cory Ervin, 22-year-old Kalil Santos, 21-year-old Kevin Salter, 33-year-old Terrence Adams, 55-year-old Marvin Linnear and 25-year-old Semaj Brown. Each faces multiple counts for murder, attempted murder, assault and illegal weapons possession. Taylor, Ervin and Santos are accused of shooting up the Inglewood home, an incident that began shortly after 1:30 a.m. at the 20th birthday party of one of the victims, Breahna Stines. The others killed were Teron Whitiker Jr. and Jayden Griffin, both 21, as well as Marneysha Hamilton, Stines' 25-year-old sister. Evidence markers at a house in Inglewood after the shootings. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Tiffney Stines, a family member of the victims, said after the suspects were indicted that she "was elated they are off the streets. I am happy." She added that despite the lengthy investigation, she respected the process. She did not expect arrests to happen overnight, she said, but expects there will now be some justice. According to LAPD and sheriff's investigators, the birthday party attack was the culmination of a killing rampage that began on Dec. 6, 2021, when Taylor, Ervin, Santos, Salter and Adams allegedly drove to an RV park at 195 E. 116th Place and shot multiple bullets into an RV, killing two men. The next day, the four men allegedly drove to an Arco gas station on the 100 block of East El Segundo Boulevard in L.A., where they got out of the vehicle and shot two people sitting in a parked car. A third man sitting in another vehicle was also shot. All three survived. Then, on Dec. 14, 2021, Ervin, Santos and Brown allegedly drove to a residence near Compton, where Brown and Santos fatally shot a man and injured another nearby person. 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. Its been a turbulent week of severe weather for millions of people across the eastern half of the country, and theres a renewed threat brewing in the central U.S. that will have people on alert Wednesday into Thursday. The FOX Forecast Center says the system that sparked storms on Tuesday has shifted to the east, and that will bring severe thunderstorms to Americas Heartland from the central Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley. HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER Tornado Watches were issued for parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas through the late evening. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was also issued for nearly 2 million people in parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee on Wednesday afternoon. The Severe Thunderstorm Watch will remain in effect until 8 p.m. CDT for cities such as Savannah, Lawrenceburg, Columbia, Manchester and Winchester in Tennessee, and in Florence, Huntsville, Russellville, Cullman and Albertville in Alabama. Severe thunderstorms are possible from parts of eastern Kansas and Oklahoma in the central Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley and Southeast on Wednesday. And the SPC has placed areas of the mid-Mississippi and Tennessee valleys in a level 3 out of 5 on its thunderstorm risk scale. Cities in this heightened risk area include Memphis, Nashville, Clarksville and Murfreesboro in Tennessee and Springfield in Missouri. Cities under a level 2 out of 5 risk include Tulsa in Oklahoma, St. Louis, and Birmingham and Huntsville in Alabama and Little Rock, Arkansas. The damaging wind, large hail and tornado threat on Wednesday, August 9, 2023. Millions of people will be at risk of seeing large hail and damaging wind gusts from any of the severe thunderstorms that develop on Wednesday, with areas of the mid-Mississippi and Tennessee valleys seeing a higher risk. In addition, there is a tornado threat on Wednesday, and there are concerns that the threat will extend into late Wednesday night and into the overnight hours into Thursday morning. NIGHTTIME TORNADOES ARE FAR MORE LIKELY TO TURN DEADLY THAN DAYTIME ONES "We have a risk of tornadoes (Wednesday), and the scary thing about our risk today is that its going to last after we go to bed," FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin said. Any time a tornado touches down, there is a risk of death and destruction, but tornadoes that strike communities during the overnight hours are far more likely to turn deadly. Here's how to prepare for tornadoes that touch down during the overnight hours. The risk of tornadoes on Wednesday into Thursday morning stretches from eastern Oklahoma to the Tennessee Valley. "So, the farther you live east in the whole zone, you have a higher potential of an overnight tornado," Merwin continued. "Tennessee, north Alabama, Im talking to you guys." People living and working in the tornado threat area should ensure there are ways to receive severe weather alerts, like downloading the free FOX Weather app, and responding quickly to any severe weather warnings should they be issued. The tornado threat on Wednesday, August 9, 2023. The lowest spot in your home is the safest place, but an interior room like a bathroom or closet can also help protect you should a tornado move through. "You want to limit the possibility of something hitting your body," Merwin said. "So, get into a really small spot if you can, you know, decrease the size of the spot around your head. Thats going to prevent anything that could be hitting your body." Cleanup efforts continue across the eastern half of the country after a deadly severe weather outbreak on Monday. A 15-year-old boy was killed in South Carolina when a tree was uprooted and fell onto a garage he was standing in during the height of the storms. And a 28-year-old man was struck by lightning and killed in Alabama. The severe weather threat also extended into Tuesday, with at least two tornadoes touching down in Massachusetts. The National Weather Service office in Boston confirmed the tornadoes briefly touched in the town of Mattapoisett and Barnstable. Flooding was reported in communities north and west of Boston , as more than six inches of rainfall occurred in only a few hours. The highest rainfall tally was reported in Lawrence, and water rescues were witnessed in Cambridge and North Andover. First responders said a senior housing center with approximately 150 residents had to be evacuated due to high water in Essex County. Severe thunderstorms in the first half of 2023 caused a record amount in insured losses, underscoring the impact of climate change on extreme weather events, according to new research for the Swiss Re Group. A recent report from the group found severe thunderstorms in the first six months of the year caused $34 billion in damages, the highest insured losses ever recorded in a six-month period. Ten events prompted losses of $1 billion and more each, compared to an annual average of six events during the past 10 years. The most affected state was Texas, the report found. With severe thunderstorms as the main driver for above-average insured losses in the first half of 2023, this secondary peril becomes one of the dominant global drivers of insured losses, said Martin Bertogg, head of Catastrophe Perils at Swiss Re. Severe convective storms, which the reinsurer group defines as storms associated with thunder, lightning, heavy rain, hail, strong winds and sudden temperature changes, accounted for $35 billion or 70 percent in insured losses worldwide in the first half of 2023. The report said this number is almost twice as high in a six-month period as the annual average of the past 10 years. Bertogg pointed to the growing risks to large urban areas, noting New Zealand experienced two severe weather events two weeks apart earlier this year. The North Island of New Zealand was hit with a damaging cyclone in February in succession with severe flooding in Auckland, which marked the two costliest weather-related insured loss events in New Zealand since 1970 and amounted to around $2.3 billion in insured losses, the report said. The effects of climate change can already be seen in certain perils like heatwaves, droughts, floods and extreme precipitation, said Jerome Jean Haegeli, Swiss Res Group chief economist. Besides the impact of climate change, land use planning in more exposed coastal and riverine areas, and urban sprawl into the wilderness, generate a hard-to-revert combination of high value exposure in higher risk environments. Haegeli said protective measures need to be taken for insurance products to remain economical for such properties at high risk, and he pushed for further investments in climate adaption. The report pointed to heavy rainfall in May in northern Italys Emilia-Romagna region, where an estimated $600 million was reported in insured losses, marking the costliest weather incident since 1970. The report estimated economic losses to be $10 billion and noted 94 percent of the losses are uninsured in Italy. The report said this highlights the important role insurance plays in closing the protection gap and helping households strengthen their financial resilience against natural catastrophes. Insurance companies recently pulled back in some hard-hit U.S. states as the climate and natural disasters intensify across the country. State Farm, Californias largest homeowners insurer, announced in May it will no longer offer home and property insurance to new customers in California, citing rapidly growing catastrophe exposure. Later in June, Farmers Insurance said it will no longer write new property insurance policies in Florida, blaming catastrophe costs at historically high levels. Swiss Re noted the extreme meteorological events already taking place in the second half of 2023, including last months heat waves in the U.S., northwestern China and southern Europe, and wildfires on several Greek islands and in Italy and Algeria. The report said it is too early to estimate the economic and insured losses for these events. Swiss Re also touched upon the rise in losses from natural catastrophes, which amounted to $120 billion in overall economic losses in the first half of 2023, compared to the $123 billion in the same period last year. This is 46 percent above the 10-year average, the report found. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Sex offender arrested on charges of threatening to shoot and bomb Muslims in a park A sex offender was arrested Monday on two felonies and a hate crime charge after allegedly yelling racial slurs and threatening to "shoot and bomb" Muslim people of South Asian descent at a California park the night before, authorities said. According to 911 callers, Robert Avery, 33, who is white, allegedly yelled racial slurs at "parkgoers" and threatened to "shoot and bomb" them at Heron Landing Park in Rancho Cordova on Sunday night, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. Rancho Cordova is about 15 miles east of Sacramento. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the group was Muslim and of South Asian descent. The Sacramento County Sheriffs Office had initially identified the group of parkgoers as Middle Eastern. Avery also allegedly tried to run people over at the park with a 2012 Honda Insight, the sheriff's office said. Video obtained by NBC affiliate KCRA of Sacramento appears to show someone driving erratically through a park area as bystanders scream in the background. KCRA reported that the people Avery allegedly targeted were Muslim. No one was injured, according to the sheriffs office, which added that witness accounts, video footage, and other evidence led them to identify Avery as the suspect in the case. According to California's online sex offender registry, Avery previously annoyed or molested a child under 18. It is unclear if he served time in jail for that offense. Authorities arrested Avery, a resident of Orangevale, a census-designated place about 10 miles northeast of Rancho Cordova, on Monday morning, according to the sheriff's office. Amar Gandhi of the sheriff's office told KCRA that Avery turned himself in "with the aid of his family" about 12 hours after the incident, after the sheriff's office had publicly identified him as the suspect in the case. Avery was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail shortly after noon on Monday, and is being held on $125,000 bail, online jail records show. He is facing a misdemeanor hate crime charge and two felonies assault with a deadly weapon and making a criminal threat jail records show. It was not immediately clear how much prison time he could face if convicted on the charges or whether he has a lawyer representing him. The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday. A representative for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to a request to provide the incident report. Avery is next due in court Wednesday afternoon. Omar Altamimi, the policy and advocacy coordinator with the Sacramento Valley/Central California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a civil rights and advocacy group, told KCRA that the experience was both disheartening and unsurprising. "Hate crimes have been on the rise, we've been telling people to be safe, be careful, but it's really scary whenever it happens," Altamimi said. Federal data shows that there were more than 130 anti-Islamic incidents reported to law enforcement as hate crimes in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, and that white people were the perpetrators in the majority of the incidents. In California, hate crime reports increased about 20% from 2021, when 1,763 incidents were reported, to 2022, when 2,120 incidents were reported, the state Attorney General's Office announced in June. Anti-Islamic bias crimes in the state rose from 18 in 2021 to 25 in 2022, that report stated. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Parents in a Northern Virginia school district say they cannot access their schools online portal unless they answer a question on the site about their childrens access to sexually explicit materials in school libraries. Conservatives in the district had previously suggested burning books they disagreed with, and critics of the question believe this is an extension of that situation. As parents in Spotsylvania County attempted to log on to the schools portal, ParentVue, last week, they suddenly were asked to choose between the following options: Yes, I want my child to have access to sexually explicit content in the school libraries or No, I do not want my child to have access to sexually explicit content in the school libraries, Washington, D.C.s NBC affiliate WRC reports. Parents of students are required to answer this question on a page titled Explicit Content Access before getting access to their ParentVue account, which allows them to see their students' schedules, grades, and other important records. Some parents showed the news station that they could not access their students records without first responding to the mandatory prompt. Superintendent Mark Taylor denied to WRC that parents were blocked from accessing ParentVue unless they responded to the question. Youre mischaracterizing the truth, he claimed. Their access to ParentVue is not blocked. If they answer yes, if they answer no, if they dont answer, their access to ParentVue is not blocked. But, many parents have reservations about responding to the question because there are no criteria defining what books or content in books are considered sexually explicit. They are concerned that the question being framed the way it has been is confusing, misleading, and possibly a way to justify banning certain books, mostly about or by LGBTQ+ people. I feel like there is no way to answer this without giving them some sort of power. Thats what they are essentially doing. They are trying to empower their own agenda by making you think its giving you a choice, said former Spotsylvania teacher Maria Garcia, a parent in the district. Another mother, who selected yes as her response, explained why she wasnt hesitant about the decision. I dont want to limit the books they have in the library, Michelle Beardsley told the station. A lot of the books that other school systems have gotten rid of, I think, is absolutely ridiculous. Taylor explained in a message to parents why the question was posed. With nearly 400,000 volumes in our school libraries, we want to be vigilant about protecting the wishes of all SCPS parents, Taylor wrote. He added, Your decisions will help guide policy and ensure we respect your concerns and preferences. Taylor says the librarys online book checkout system tracks students whose parents prevent them from accessing sexually explicit material. When Taylor was confronted with peoples concerns about the question, he said it was "a simple question." I disagree with the characterization that thats a loaded question, he said. Its a plain question. Do you want vanilla or chocolate? Coffee with cream or coffee black? Do you want your child exposed to this material or not? Spotsylvania County Public Schools conservative board members proposed banning and burning some LGBTQ+-themed school library books in late 2021. More than a dozen books have been culled since then. Plans in Hillsborough County schools to reduce the works of William Shakespeare to excerpts were met with derision by state education officials on Tuesday. The Florida Department of Education in no way believes Shakespeare should be removed from Florida classrooms, department spokesperson Cassie Palelis told the Tampa Bay Times via email. In fact, eight works by Shakespeare are included in the sample text list within the (state) Standards for English Language Arts, including Hamlet, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. To put a finer point on the message, education commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. included Romeo and Juliet on his August books of the month list, also released Tuesday. Also on the list for high schoolers was Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington. This months book recommendations provide a variety of reading materials that students will find uplifting and will spark a love for literacy, Diaz said in a statement attached to the list. Hillsborough County officials said Monday they were limiting instruction in Shakespeares works in part because of concerns that the sexual content might come under fire as prohibited by new state law. Another reason, they said, was to give teachers time to cover more writing styles so students would perform better on the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking, the state test known as FAST. We have to protect our teachers and make sure they are not at risk, and they dont feel at risk, to be arrested or anything inappropriate happening to them, Hillsborough School Board chairperson Nadia Combs said Tuesday. But first, we try to make sure our kids are exposed to a lot of things that will be on FAST. And I think, why create something controversial if we dont need to? Van Ayres, the Hillsborough school superintendent, emphasized at a meeting Tuesday that the district has not excluded Shakespeare from the high school curriculum. While students will study only excerpts, he said, copies of the full texts will be in the classrooms and can be checked out of the media center. During a July 18 workshop, Pinellas School Board member Carol Cook raised concerns that schools might face problems if they teach books on the state list that have content suspect under the law. Superintendent Kevin Hendrick responded that titles on the list were protected as approved. Palelis said materials on the list should serve as a guide for teachers, schools and districts as they prepare instructional units aligned to the standards. The list refers to Shakespeare and several other materials as exemplar writing. Only one other Florida school district has taken the public step of removing Shakespeare because of concerns in complying with the law on sexual content in books. In early July, the Orange County district pulled four Shakespeare plays, along with dozens of other popular and classic books, saying the move was temporary until the state clarifies what can stay, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The department published a notice in late June that it is developing rules to explain which materials are subject to removal within five days of a challenge over sexual conduct in the pages. The proposed language has not been released. Officials from the Leon County school district also had conversations in mid-July about the fate of the classics under the new law, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. However, they did not remove Shakespeare from the curriculum, spokesperson Chris Petley said. One of the big messages the superintendent has relayed to staff and teachers over the past three to four weeks is respect the law, follow the law, but you cant be afraid of the law, Petley said. Leaders of other Tampa Bay area school districts said they had no plans to preemptively remove Shakespeare. Weve not drilled down into particular authors or texts as a sweeping move, said Karen Jordan, spokesperson for Hernando County schools. Pinellas schools have not restricted any specific authors either, spokesperson Isabel Mascarenas said. Pasco County Schools superintendent Kurt Browning said he did not consider teaching Shakespeare to be a violation of any law, despite its innuendoes and sometimes racy scenes. It is a classic. You have to read Shakespeare in the whole context, Browning said. We dont have any plans to limit access to those materials. Times staff writer Marlene Sokol contributed to this report. Sign up for the Gradebook newsletter! Every Thursday, get the latest updates on whats happening in Tampa Bay area schools from Times education reporter Jeffrey S. Solochek. Click here to sign up. A picture provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office shows a body scanner manufactured by a Chinese company installed in one of the jails. In an effort to reduce overdose deaths in its jails, the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office purchased body scanning equipment in a no-bid process from a company with ties to the Chinese government. The company, Secure Technology Value Systems, describes itself as a U.S. business with a headquarters in State College, Pennsylvania, that specializes in "integrating numerous systems from multiple manufacturers and countries to serve our customers." But STVS formerly went by the name NucTech US. NucTech is a Chinese company that the Department of Homeland Security has assessed as having a close and enduring relationship with the Chinese Government. Pictures of the scanners provided to The Arizona Republic include decals saying the machines were manufactured in Beijing by a Chinese company called Shenmutek Company Limited, which NucTech lists on its product website. NucTech has come under fire from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and was added to the U.S. Department of Commerces Entity List in 2020 for its involvement in activities that are contrary to the national security interests of the United States. Inclusion on the list bans the export of U.S. technology to the entity. Specifically, the Commerce Department report accused NucTech of making lower-performing equipment that impaired U.S. efforts to counter illicit international trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive materials. Lower-performing equipment means less stringent cargo screening, raising the risk of proliferation, the report read. A Department of Homeland Security brief, obtained and published by The Washington Post, details the "continual risks and threats" posed by NucTech. We assess that NucTechs screening and detection systems likely have deficiencies in detection capabilities, which may create opportunities for exploitation by the Chinese Government, the department found. The brief stated the department believed NucTech has a close and enduring relationship with the Chinese Government and accused the company of corruption, bribery, and product dumping to gain an unfair market advantage. Officials at Sheriff's Office were aware of those connections when they bought the scanners for nearly $2 million dollars without a bidding process, a spokesperson confirmed. The Sheriff's Office spoke with its internal information technology department about the matter. But the county's jailers still decided to buy the machines after Deputy Chief Jesse Spurgin, who oversees custody operations at the Sheriff's Office's Fourth Avenue and Towers jails and is leading the scanner project, had an in-person meeting with a company executive. The body scanners are a stand-alone product that do not use a county network, do not have any facial recognition technology, do not require the inputting of officers information, and no X-ray scanners were purchased from STVS, said Sheriff's Office spokesperson Norma Gutierrez Deorta, adding that the scanners are approved for use in the United States. The U.S. Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security werent the only agencies to issue warnings about NucTech. In 2022, European lawmakers warned against allowing bids from NucTech for customs equipment, citing fears that information about goods and travelers from the scanners could be obtained and used by the Chinese government. Nevertheless, Sheriffs Office officials say they did their due diligence. The information was vetted by MCSO, Gutierrez Deorta said. What is the security scanner project? Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone announced plans for the scanner purchase in March in response to the arrest of a detention officer who attempted to carry drugs into one of the county's five jails. He wants to use the machines to scan detention officers, attorneys, volunteers and others who go in and out of the county's jail system each day. In doing so, he hopes to ensure staff arent smuggling drugs into county lock-ups and to reduce deadly overdoses among those incarcerated in the jails. The STVS body scanners are similar to those used in TSA lines at the airport. They use millimeter radio waves to produce black-and-white images of the people being scanned. The machines' software analyzes the images and highlights potential contraband, allowing detention officers to find it. Related: 5 takeaways from Sheriff Penzone, including updates on drug smuggling, low staffing in jails At a news conference last week, Penzone said his teams have installed all of the eight scanners he purchased, but his office was still in the process of hiring and training new employees to run the machines. Penzone said his office has so far only hired 12 of the 46 positions he believes will be necessary to operate the scanners. He said he hoped to have the screening program fully operational by the end of the year. In 2022 there were 18 overdose deaths in county jails. So far this year, there have been eight overdose deaths, Penzone said. Scanner project totals $5.3 million Contracts and invoices obtained by The Republic show the Sheriffs Office purchased eight Millimeter Wave Body Inspection scanners from the company at more than $138,000 apiece. The Sheriff's Office also paid $100,000 for installation, tech support and training, as well as nearly $550,000 for an extended five-year warranty. For another $400,000, they purchased conveyor scanners and training for them, bins, power cables, uniform patches and handheld scanners. Penzone's office footed the bill for all of it with leftover funds from last fiscal year. Some costs of the security screening project, such as the security officers needed to staff the machines, will be ongoing. The jail system is already understaffed, Penzone told The Republic, so he can't take detention officers away from their current duties to do it themselves. And, he said, he prefers to keep a separation between officers and those watchdogging them. County supervisors gave Penzone roughly $3 million to fund those positions this fiscal year. That brings the current cost of the project to just under $5.3 million not including desks, chairs and computers for those manning the scanner stations. Penzone initially gave county supervisors a quote of $5.7 million, which he called aggressive and potentially an overestimate. No-bid contract went to company with history of security threat allegations Penzone said the overdose crisis in the jails was urgent and necessitated buying the body scanners quickly. Normally, any time the county purchases an item that costs $100,000 or more, it must begin an open bidding process, Maricopa County Spokesperson Fields Moseley said. But sometimes, items can be bought without a bidding process through existing contracts. Thats what happened in this case, Moseley said. The purchase was conducted under a contract that Maricopa County has with Safeware Inc., a Maryland-based distribution company that specializes in public safety equipment procurement. Safeware purchased the scanners from Secure Technology Value Solutions. Safeware has working partnerships with several manufacturers, Gutierrez Deorta said, and the Sheriffs Office considered scanners from numerous companies. Multiple vendors were provided an opportunity to provide an online, interactive demonstration of their products and then submit their proposal for our review, consideration and decision, she said. Ultimately, MCSO officials liked that the scanners were specifically made for use in jails and prisons as opposed to airports and stadiums, Gutierrez Deorta said. The scanners are also used by several other law enforcement agencies, including the Delaware Department of Corrections and the Honolulu Police Department. So, the Sheriffs Office purchased them. Safeware did not respond to requests for comment on the contract. Secure Technology Value Systems CEO Barry Johnson said the company was honored to have won the contract with Maricopa County. "STVS has grown into a leading supplier of contactless screening solutions because we provide quality systems and reliable service," Johnson said. "We are a proven partner to a growing number of corrections facilities and law enforcement agencies throughout the US." Have a news tip on Arizona jails? Reach reporter Jimmy Jenkins at jjenkins@arizonarepublic.com or at 812-243-5582. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @JimmyJenkins. Sasha Hupka covers Maricopa County, Pinal County and regional issues for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sheriff's Office purchase equipment from company with ties to Chinese government When Leon Neyfakh moved to New York in 2007, he felt perfectly safe. A lot of people my age have this experience of their parents or other folks who remember the old New York being like, Are you sure that you want to live there? Is it safe to go out at night? the 38-year-old, blue-shirted and bespectacled, says via Zoom from Brooklyn. What are you talking about? You can be on the subway at 3am in New York City now and youre not afraid. But, Neyfakh acknowledges, that picture has become more complicated since the coronavirus pandemic with a perception of danger returning to the city in general and the subway in particular. In May, when military veteran Daniel Penny put fellow train rider Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold, he claimed that he had acted in defence of himself and other passengers. Related: All your friends were dying: revisiting the horrors of the Aids crisis Penny pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Protesters decried Penny, who is white, as a vigilante and described the death of Neely, who is Black, as a lynching. But he was hailed as a hero by Republican politicians and supporters, who raised millions for his defence. Rupert Murdochs Wall Street Journal called him the subway samaritan. By the time this horror unfolded, journalist Neyfakh was already deep into making the sixth season of his Audible podcast, Fiasco, about a subject with inescapable parallels. Vigilante explores a crime that defined an era: the shooting of four Black teenagers by a white man named Bernard Goetz on the subway in 1984. The podcast asks why Goetz received an outpouring of public support, and ultimately escaped conviction for attempted murder, while the four victims Darrell Cabey, Troy Canty, Barry Allen and James Ramseur were marginalised and misunderstood. And through interviews with family members and neighbours, it goes a long way to correcting that imbalance. Neyfakh, host of Fiasco and co-creator of Slow Burn, which grippingly excavated Watergate and the Bill Clinton impeachment, says: We find over and over again, even with the most monumental stories like Watergate, for example, the process he waggles his fingers in the air for emphasis of collective memory is very unpredictable and the things that get stuck in the public imagination are not always correct and theyre not always the most interesting parts. This felt like a story that we could break some new ground on and one in which we could address a lot of issues that are of great relevance today and do so through this prism. I always think of our shows as being raw material for people to think through the world around them in the present day that just has different inputs. In the same way, when people listened to the Watergate season of Slow Burn, the story of Nixon let them think through what was happening with Trump but it didnt require talking about Trump literally. Bernhard Goetz, escorted by detectives. Photograph: AP The first episode of Vigilante paints a picture of New York in the 1980s graffiti-coated subway carriages, sex workers in Times Square, rampant drugs and violent crime, the sort of world that Alec Guinnesss Obi-Wan Kenobi might have described as a wretched hive of scum and villainy. The rate of major felonies murder, rape, robbery, assault was about five times higher than now. Neyfakh elaborates: People say that New York today is unrecognisable to someone who came of age in the 70s or 80s version of it, and a big part of that is crime and the sense that people walked around with that behind every corner might be a guy in a trench coat whos going to hold them up. Times Square was a very different place than it is today. Today, theres Muppets and Looney Tunes walking around. Back then, it was kind of known as a den of sin where you didnt want to go after dark. New York in the 80s was nationally thought of as a dangerous place and it was: the numbers were quite staggering and they were much higher than than they are today. That was a trend that was true around the United States in big cities. The number of reported major crimes in the US had tripled since the mid 1960s and so there is the sense that the country was going to hell and that New York was going to hell; it had already gotten there. People talked about it as a cesspool. The presence of graffiti all over and in every subway car made people feel like no one was in charge. On 22 December 1984, Goetz, a 37-year-old electronics engineer, was riding the subway when four Black teenagers asked him for money; he later told police he feared they were going to rob him. He pulled out a handgun (bought in Florida and brought to New York illegally) and opened fire, shooting all four of the young men. Three recovered but Cabey was paralysed and suffered permanent brain damage. Goetz initially fled the scene but later turned himself in to the authorities. He faced charges related to the shooting and went to trial in 1987. He was acquitted of attempted murder, after a jury concluded that his fear of being a crime victim was reasonable, but found guilty of illegal firearms possession. In 1996 a civil jury found the shooting unjustified and awarded Cabey damages. The shooting held up a mirror to American society, sparking debates about vigilantism, self-defence, gun control and race relations. Some people saw Goetz as a folk hero, standing up to crime in a menacing city, while others condemned him for taking the law into his own hands with excessive force. His victims were marginalised and attacked in the press. Neyfakh reflects: The Goetz shooting became a sensation and cause for so many people because people were inclined to see him as someone who stood up to the crime problem. The outpouring of support for him was immense and very public. After Goetz shot these four teenagers he disappeared into the subway tunnel and went on the run for about nine days. During that period, no one knew who he was. He took on the status of a folk hero, in part because people didnt know anything about him. The NYPD set up a tip line for anyone who knew anything about who this guy might be as they were looking for him. Instead of getting tips, they were flooded with phone messages from people who said this guy should run for mayor, whoever he is. The media played a big part in shaping the narrative and is the subject of episode two. This shooting happened towards the beginning of Rupert Murdochs career in America as a newspaperman. The New York Post [owned by Murdoch] and the Daily News were locked in this very intense tabloid war. Not to overstate things but the Goetz story was fodder for that media war. Its an important early chapter in the evolution of the Rupert Murdoch empire in the United States, Neyfakh says. Darrell Cabey in 1996. Photograph: Ralph Ginzburg/AP But what shocked Neyfakh most was the volume of vitriol and hatred aimed directly at the victims. They were described in the press as street toughs. People didnt have a lot of time for making distinctions between them or understanding who they were or what kind of lives they had led. There was not a lot of interest, he says. Darrell Cabeys sister, who was much younger than him, told us about growing up not really knowing that much about what happened to her brother but occasionally getting a crazy phone from some lunatic who wanted to say something nasty to them. Two lawyers who represented Cabey and his mother in a civil lawsuit against Goetz shared hate mail that the Cabey family had received. Its a shock to the system to imagine someone so angry at this person who got shot and so motivated to tell them they wish theyd been killed or to tell his mother that she should have had an abortion, Neyfakh says. There are always going to be people who have those impulses and indulge those impulses. Its probably not something that even a lot of social progress or political progress can just eradicate. The National Rifle Association seized on the case as an opportunity to promote gun ownership and expand their market beyond rural areas to cities. As for Goetz, he is still living, devoted to squirrels and vegetarianism and entirely unrepentant. Neyfakh notes: He never showed remorse. He said in an interview that he gave, which is on tape and features quite prominently in the show, that he wished he had done worse. He said, I would gouge their eyes out if I could have and I wish I had killed them. Goetz felt he had done what he had to do basically and hes held that line ever since. The journalist resists the temptation to condemn the past as a foreign country or assert moral superiority for the present. While much has happened in the past four decades the election of Barack Obama, a racial reckoning over the police killing of George Floyd it would be naive to assume that such a case would play entirely differently today. Kyle Rittenhouse, who at 17 killed two people at an anti-racism protest in 2020, was acquitted on all charges and embraced as a mascot by Republicans. Neyfakh recalls: I experienced this a little bit when we made season two of Slow Burn about the Clinton impeachment and Monica Lewinsky and people were like, Boy, weve come a long way, wed never treat a woman this way now. Everyone got to feel good about how much progress weve made with the culture. There is a little bit of a risk sometimes when we look back at the past and feel flattered. We shouldnt lose sight of the fact that you can never really tell how much things have changed. Fiasco: Vigilante is now available on Audible Miami Township has secured state funding to help make a popular roadway safer for pedestrians. The township has secured $1.5 million in grant funding for safety improvements along Kingsride Drive between State Route 741 and Lyons Ridge, according to a media release. The Miami Crossing Joint Economic Development District and Choice One Engineering conducted a safety study to see what improvements need to be made along the roadway to make it safer for those walking. >> Downtown Dayton restaurant named as one of top 100 restaurants in the Midwest There are no existing sidewalks on either side of Kingsridge Drive. People walk along the side of the road now, in the grass, and it is simply not safe for them to access businesses and bus stops, Alex Carlson, Miami Township community development director, said. By working to install new sidewalks, crosswalks and roadway islands to control traffic, safety will increase tremendously. The proposed $3.1 million Kingsridge Drive project is scheduled to start construction in 2027. Sixto Rodriguez at Way Out West 2013 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Photo courtesy of Kim Metso/Wikimedia Commons Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Sixto Diaz Rodriguez, a musician and the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man, died Wednesday. He was 81. "It is with great sadness that we at Sugarman.org announce that Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has passed away earlier today," the announcement of his death on his website reads. His cause of death was not revealed. "We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his daughters -- Sandra, Eva and Regan -- and to all his family," the announcement reads. "May His Dear Soul Rest In Peace." A documentary directed by Malik Bendjelloul focused on the quest of two South Africans to find out what happened to Rodriguez, who never quite reached fame in the United States as a folk artist in the 1970s. The film, Searching for Sugar Man, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature during the 2013 Academy Awards. Bendjelloul died just over a year later. Rodriguez' career began in 1970 when he recorded his first of just two studio albums. Neither received domestic commercial success. Rodriguez found work as a day laborer, earned a philosophy degree from Wayne State University and became politically active making unsuccessful runs for city council and mayor of Detroit, as well as the state senate, according to The Detroit News. However, his music reached success in international markets including South Africa, where his compilation At His Best went platinum, and Australia where he toured twice in the late 1970s as his career started to fade at home. Ultimately, Rodriguez' daughter Eva found websites dedicated to him in South Africa where he was rumored to have either shot himself dead or overdosed on heroin. Rodriguez clarified that he was still alive and his career took off for the second time, according to The Hollywood Reporter. His albums were rereleased and he began touring again in 2008. The release of the documentary further boosted his career. "I told him, 'In South Africa, you're bigger than Elvis,'" devout fan Stephen Segerman, a figure in the documentary, told The Detroit News in 2008. Rodriguez told the newspaper that he always considered himself a musician "but reality happened." On July 29, Russian forces were peppering members of Chosen Company -- a volunteer group composed of military veterans fighting against the Russian invasion -- with mortars, heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and grenades in eastern Ukraine. Marine veteran Lance Lawrence, who had recently returned to fighting after being hospitalized due to a ricochet round hitting his wrist, was killed in the conflict. Lawrence is one of nearly 20 American veterans who have been killed fighting for Ukraine, a total that has steadily increased as the conflict has largely faded from the nightly news. A second American veteran, former Army officer Andrew "Dubs" Webber, was also killed in the same operation. Lawrence and Webber were in the middle of the brutal combat that has characterized the Ukrainian offensive to reclaim territory that Russian forces quickly gobbled up in the early days of the conflict, which commenced in February 2022. The nearly 18 months of war have seen a steady stream of American veterans head to Ukraine, both to fight and to provide training and aid to forces that have managed to repel Russian troops, despite early predictions of imminent conquest. Read Next: Want to File a PACT Act Claim? Do It by August 9. Here's Why. Weeks before his death, while recovering from the wrist injury, Lawrence sat receiving medical care. But it wasn't the wound that seemed to be bugging him. "I think he was more pissed off that he got blood on his new uniform than actually getting shot," a volunteer who served with Lawrence and goes by the moniker Brit told Military.com. Brit's name, and those of several other volunteers, is being withheld in order to protect their identity, given security concerns surrounding fighting in Ukraine. In the four-plus months he was with his volunteer unit, Lawrence, a former Marine Corps machine gunner, had earned a reputation as a weapons expert and hard-charger. Military.com spoke to more than half a dozen people who knew Lawrence, either from his time in the Marines or Ukraine. Volunteers who are quoted under pseudonyms provided Military.com with pictures, messages or both connecting themselves to Lawrence. An image that emerged of the Marine showed a consummate heavy weapons guru with a cheeky magnetism that boosted morale in the most austere environments. It was in those conditions that Lawrence was drawn to that he seemed to thrive most. His family did not return Military.com's requests for comment, but released a statement saying, in part, that "he was known for his unwavering determination, infectious smile and compassionate nature. He was a down to earth person who gave a helping hand to anyone who needed it," according to Task & Purpose. A Marine, ''Til the Day He Died' Without any prior combat experience, Lawrence stepped foot into the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. "He felt the calling," Brit, who shared pictures of Brit and Lawrence together, told Military.com. As Lawrence's medic, Brit recalled many conversations with the Marine veteran. "He spent all his life practicing war, never got to go. He was like, 'I have these skills, there's people out there that need it. Let me go.'" Lawrence joined the Marine Corps in August, 2013 -- nearly a decade to the month before he was killed. He enlisted as an 0331, Machine Gunner. Elijah Sisney served with him and remembered a day that Lawrence came back from time off with a military machine gun symbol tattooed on the inside of his trigger finger. After a deployment on the USS Iwo Jima to the Mediterranean, Sisney recalled a brutal run of training back stateside. They had been rucking all day in the heat and were "smoke-checked," a term Marines use to describe being exhausted. Sisney was huddled up in his sleeping bag with heaters for cooking meals tucked under him for warmth -- the squad was miserable and cold. "He had this bottle of booze that he pulled out of his back," Sisney remembered. "He thrived on that kind of stuff. It never knocked him down at all. He rolled with every punch that was given. And just in a moment like that, he pulls out a bottle and it's a big morale boost." Lawrence told most of his comrades in Ukraine that he'd been a contractor after leaving the Marine Corps in 2016 before arriving in Ukraine. "He always said, 'I made a lot of money back in the States. But I gave that all up to come here and help,'" Grim, a Marine veteran and volunteer, remembered Lawrence saying. Lawrence left for Ukraine in February. He met Brit and another volunteer, Plomo, near the beginning of March, and all three clicked instantly. They were struck by Lawrence's kindness; Plomo, a former Colombian Marine, said that he was short on funds and Lawrence paid for his food for a month without saying a word to anyone. Around this time, Lawrence also connected with a group called Protect A Volunteer, a Ukraine-focused organization that links volunteer soldiers with donors. The group provided Lawrence with uniforms, according to internal records and messages reviewed by Military.com. "If you look at all of the things that he could have asked for help with -- all kinds of different expensive equipment -- he asked for uniforms," Rachel Jamison, a lawyer and director of the organization, told Military.com. "That's a really humble request, which I think says exactly about who he is," she said. "Just somebody who wanted to be there and wanted to do good and didn't ask anything of anybody." Eventually, Lawrence earned a spot in Chosen Company as the unit's fire support group leader. Grim said that it was his natural leadership and competency that got him placed into the integral position. "He performed exceptional or he wouldn't have been in a leadership position," said Ryan O'Leary, a Global War on Terrorism veteran and the commander. Fierce Fighting By July, the world was watching Russia react to a failed rebellion the month before. Yevgeny Prigozhin and his private military group launched a campaign against the Kremlin, but failed to march on Moscow over reported disagreements with the Ministry of Defence. For Chosen Company, July was an apparently busy season for fighting. A video O'Leary posted on Twitter just three days before Lawrence and Webber, the former Army officer, died went viral. It showed the unit riding into combat. As tributes for the veterans poured out on social media, the State Department confirmed the deaths of two unnamed U.S. citizens on July 29, 2023, from "a drone attack in Ukraine." Members of Chosen Company did not go into detail about the battle, either citing operational security or because they were not there. The latter reason haunts some of Lawrence's friends. Grim, who is back stateside, said that he is alive today because of Lawrence, who convinced him to take a job back home. Plomo shared encrypted messages he had exchanged with Lawrence after the shrapnel injury, not long before he died. "Dude, [I'm] half mad because you got wounded without me," Plomo wrote. "Please keep safe, bro. I really love you. I don't want to [lose] you." "I'll be safe man and I love you too, brother," Lawrence replied. "The next time [I'm] gonna keep you safe," Plomo wrote. "With my life." -- Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at drew.lawrence@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @df_lawrence. Related: Wagner Handoff, DNA Tests: Remains of Special Forces Vet May Finally Be Coming Home from Ukraine The Ada County Commission may allow traffic cameras used for criminal investigations to be added to local roads, adding another tool for law enforcement while worrying some with concerns about civil liberties. Many intersections in Ada County already have cameras. But those devices are run by the Ada County Highway District. They are used to keep track of and regulate traffic. The cameras do not record footage, the agency has said. The Ada County Sheriffs Office wants to install cameras that would track license plates and car descriptions, which could be used to assist investigations. Were looking for this thing, can you tell us if it came through here? Sheriff Matt Clifford told the commission at a Monday meeting describing how the cameras would work. Theres no appetite to use it for any kind of traffic enforcement or infractions. Traffic cameras installed around Ada County could look something like this, and would track license plates and vehicle descriptions for use by law enforcement. If police were looking for a particular vehicle description, they could use the cameras to search whether a car matching that description had recently passed through a particular intersection. Or, if police knew the license plate of a suspect, they could set up an alert that would notify them if that license plate were photographed. The company that makes the cameras, Rekor, programs them to store data for 60 days, but the Sheriffs Office said that limit could be adjusted. The data is stored physically on the cameras, the Sheriffs Office said, and is accessed via an internet connection. Commissioner Ryan Davidson is queasy about the cameras. He worries they could be abused by the government. The County Commission had prepared to give the cameras a green light in July when Davidson asked to delay approving the agreement to get more information. On Tuesday, the commission again tabled the agreement until later this month. The concern from the public is were moving towards more and more digital oversight, cameras on every street corner, he said on Monday during a meeting between the two agencies. He said he wants the county to have a policy that would prevent overzealous use of the cameras. Davidson said he strongly opposes red-light or speeding cameras. He said he wouldnt want to create a network of cameras that could be used to catch people with expired vehicle registrations or license plates. Though Clifford said the cameras would largely be used to find suspects of felony crimes, Davidson said somebodys going to propose that eventually. Davidson also said he was worried about the data getting hacked, and whether a Sheriffs Office employee could potentially abuse the system by tracking an ex-partner. Clifford said he couldnt rule that out, but said new hires go through background checks and take an oath before joining the department. We have to do our best to sort those people out that are going to do that, Clifford said. And if they do, then we have to take care of it and hold them accountable. Some Idaho law enforcement agencies use similar camera systems, including Meridian, Nampa, Coeur dAlene and Post Falls, the Sheriffs Office said. Nampas cameras were used to find a Nampa man who was later convicted of murdering a man with whom the suspect lived after the victims body was found in Star. YAKUTSK, Russia (Reuters) - Smoke from fires raging across Russia's vast forest wilderness has engulfed the far eastern city of Yakutsk, forcing citizens to close doors and windows despite the summer heat, and to wear breathing masks. Emergencies have been declared in seven regions of Russia due to the fires, according to Russia's forestry service, which collates satellite data on the fires. Around 4,000 people are involved in fighting them. The worst-hit areas are the vast Yakutia region, also called the Sakha Republic, followed by the Khabarovsk, Amur and Krasnoyarsk regions, Andrei Konoplyov, Yakutia's deputy ecology and forestry minister, told Reuters Television on Wednesday there were currently 111 forest fires in his region alone, covering 1,800 sq km (695 sq miles). Yakutsk resident Lyubov Kolesova said she would usually be opening her windows for relief from the oppressive summer air: "But now, because of the smog, we can't open the windows at home or in the car. Only people with air conditioners and fans are spared. Its actually a bit easier in the street because its windy today. But when you are staying in one place or at home, its not very comfortable." Russia is home to more than one fifth of the world's forests, which are crucial to the regulation of the global climate. Its boreal - or "taiga" - forests of mainly birch, pine, spruce and fir are the world's largest forest region, covering an area about four times the size of India. (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Town in the Lower Shabelle region in Somalia At least six people have been killed in an explosion targeting a passenger bus outside Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. The explosion happened in the Lower Shabelle region on Wednesday, the Somali News Agency said. Another 12 people, including children, were injured, according to the regional governor. The bus was travelling from the port city of Marka to Qoryooley, a district further south in the region. No group has yet come forward to admit responsibility for the attack. Governor Mohamed Ibrahim stated that a terrorist group had carried out the explosion - but did not disclose the name of the suspected group. In the past, al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for similar attacks. In May, the group destroyed a military base housing Ugandan forces with the African Union peacekeeping mission, using suicide bombers. Al-Shabab were also behind the 2013 four-day siege on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, where 67 people were killed and 150 injured. The group has been fighting since 2006 to topple Somalia's central government and implement its own governance, based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. The group once occupied large areas of Somalia, but have been increasingly pushed back by government counter offensives, supported by allies including the US, Turkey and the African Union. The Somali government declared war on the militant group when President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud came to power in May 2022. Earlier this week, Somali security forces killed 25 al-Shabab militants in a planned raid on the Hiran region. A local consultant will take part in the Deca-Ironman challenge to raise money for artificial-intelligence (AI) radiotherapy-planning software. Stuart Gillett, from Murhill, Somerset, will take part in the ultra race in Mexico starting on 24 September. The challenge comprises of a 24-mile (38.6 km) swim, a 1,129-mile (1,802 km) cycle and a 262-mile (421km) run. Mr Gillett, who is a head-and-neck surgeon at the Royal United Hospitals (RUH) in Bath hopes to raise 10,000. He is fundraising in conjunction with RUH's trust charity RUHX to buy computer radiotherapy AI software for the new RUH Dyson cancer centre. The RUH Bath NHS Foundation Trust says the software will provide cutting-edge radiotherapy planning to benefit cancer patients by freeing up consultant oncologists to concentrate on face-to-face care. A Deca-Ironman is ten continuous ironman races - ten times the standard iron man distance. Mr Gillett, 48, who is already the current UK record holder for 3x and 5x Ironman distance triathlon said he has been waking up at 04:00 BST to train before work. "I use my commute to complete most of my training. I will either run or cycle to work, or swim during my lunchbreak. "At the weekends, I try and do longer runs and cycles," he added. Mr Gillett is an ears-nose-and-throat consultant and a head-and-neck-cancer surgeon. He previously completed the Quintuple Ironman in 75 hours, 15 minutes and 22 seconds. He came third overall and broke the previous British record by over 24 hours. Mr Gillett said: "The human body can do far more than we give it credit for. It's only when you start pushing yourself you realise actually what you can achieve." Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk One month after his mother died, a Pennsylvania man began collecting her Social Security benefits, according to federal authorities. The theft began in March 2012, officials said, and continued through May 2019. Now, the 40-year-old Pittsburgh man has been indicted by a federal grand jury, according to an Aug. 8 news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He has been charged with theft of funds from the Social Security Administration. Authorities said the man is accused of stealing more than $60,000 of government benefits he was not entitled to receive. He did not have a defense attorney listed in public court records as of Aug. 9. If convicted, hell face up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. He could also face up to three years of supervised release following any time in prison. Social Security worker used fake children and disguises to steal benefits, feds say Sister steals over $64,000 in disability benefits from dead brother for years, feds say Daughter cashed in on dead moms benefits for years in Pennsylvania, feds say a white swirl on the moon's dark surface, with small craters interspersed throughout the landscape South Korea's space agency has released new images of the moon to mark the anniversary of the launch of its first lunar probe. The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) launched on Aug. 4, 2022, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and, after a four-month-long voyage, entered lunar orbit in December. The spacecraft, also known as Danuri , has been carrying out its science mission ever since. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) released new images from the moon mission via social media, linking back to the institute's pages . Related: Missions to the moon: Past, present and future close-up view of a crater on the moon, with the blackness of space in the background Images include views of Reiner Gamma, a so-called swirl, which features a localized magnetic field and marks a bright spot within the Oceanus Procellarum region. Another shows shadows inside Amundsen Crater, close to the lunar south pole and a potential landing site for NASA's Artemis 3 mission, which is slated to put astronauts on the moon in late 2025. Another southern feature captured by Danuri is Drygalski Crater, showing the central peak inside the impact crater. 1 . (2022 8 5 ) 1 . ! https://t.co/5iNocaC8oo #_ #25_ #__ pic.twitter.com/mSEgY7BM0zAugust 7, 2023 See more RELATED STORIES: Danuri: Facts about the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) Moon facts: Fun information about the Earth's moon South Korean moon probe snaps picture of NASA's powerful lunar orbiter (photo) Other images have been previously released from cameras aboard KPLO, including those showing the phases of Earth as seen from lunar orbit. Also aboard Danuri is ShadowCam, a NASA-funded hypersensitive optical imager. The camera builds on optics from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and provides unprecedented views into shadowed craters by collecting sunlight reflected off nearby landforms and light reflected from our planet onto the moon, or " Earthshine ." ShadowCam also snapped LRO in a test of the camera's abilities. Danuri is planned to orbit the moon for around a year. Data collected from Danuri will help support the planning of NASA's Artemis program . Salt Lake Police investigate a scene in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. The boyfriend of a St. George mother has been charged with child abuse homicide in connection with the death of the womans 2-year-old daughter. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News A LaVerkin man has been arrested in connection with the death of his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter. Randy Holt Lessing, 29, was charged Wednesday in 5th District Court with child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony and obstructing justice, a second-degree felony. On July 19, 2-year-old Emmaline Marie Mitchell "was unconscious and unresponsive when she was admitted to St. George Regional Hospital." Doctors discovered that she had "significant trauma to the brain and head," according to a police booking affidavit. Emmaline was flown by medical helicopter to University Medical Center of Southern Nevada due to the extent of her injuries. She died on July 24, the affidavit states. Police say Lessing, who is the boyfriend of Emmaline's mother, told them the toddler "must have flung herself backward" off her bed while "throwing a tantrum" and hit her head. Doctors, however, concluded that "Emmaline's injuries were obviously consistent with child abuse," the affidavit alleges. Lessing was arrested Tuesday evening. Police have requested that he be held without bail pending trial, noting that his girlfriend's family has "expressed their concern for their safety in fear that Randy will retaliate" against them. A memorial for Emmaline and celebration of life will be held on Aug. 19. "Bring plants and flowers that remind you of her, to decorate the space. We will drink some sparkling cider and raise a toast to Emmaline Marie Mitchell and talk about memories of her with everyone else and celebrate her life together," according to the event listing on Facebook. "We hope for the day to be full of joy and love like she would want, not like a classic funeral because, oh boy, would she be bored." Emmaline's mother, on Facebook, said her daughter was a "precious soul." "She had a contagious smile and laugh that could turn any day into the best day," said her mother, ZzKora Ringger Fullmer. "Emmaline loved all animals, especially her puppy Opal. Kitties and duckies were some of her favorite friends. Emmaline was always a happy little girl and rarely had a bad day." Emmaline died of shaken baby syndrome, according to her mother, who also stated her daughter's organs were donated after her death "to help others have a better life." A GoFundMe account* that was set up by a family member while Emmaline was in the hospital is now raising money to help her mother. *KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk. Yahoo Sports McLaren looked like it was heading nowhere early in the season, but over the last four races the team has come around in dramatic fashion. Stormy afternoons expected around Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday are likely to improve throughout a long launch window ahead of liftoff of SpaceX's next Falcon 9 Starlink mission. According to an update issued by forecasters with Space Launch Delta 45, when the launch window opens at 9:41 p.m. EDT on Aug. 10, SpaceX teams might have to contend with a 50% chance of "go" conditions. That's expected to improve to 80% "go" by the end of the window near 2 a.m. Friday, August 11. "Thunderstorms will favor the Atlantic side of Florida as (a) subtropical ridge axis remains south ofthe Space Coast," forecasters said. "Luckily, the launch window extends past the typical life span of the convection, creating good chances weather will clear by the end of the window." Forecasters expect the main concern for Thursday's liftoff to be lingering clouds associated with the thunderstorms that could produce lightning around the Cape. SpaceX is expected to announce a targeted liftoff time from the Cape's Launch Complex 40 soon. Boeing's Starliner remains grounded: More delays mean a flight date isn't possible until sometime next year Draper Labs expansion: $2.2 million land purchase in Titusville near Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex The Falcon 9 rocket's payload for Thursday's flight, dubbed Starlink 6-9, is the latest batch of dozens of Starlink internet satellites. Operating about 340 miles above Earth, the constellation delivers connectivity to nearly 2 million customers in remote and hard-to-reach locations. Should teams need it, another opportunity to launch is available around the same time 24 hours later on Friday, Aug. 11. "On Friday, long-range models suggest the subtropical ridge axis will begin to shift northward, slightly decreasing the storm coverage near the spaceport," forecasters said. The 230-foot rocket is slated to fly along a southeastern trajectory threading between Florida's Atlantic coast and the Bahamas. About eight minutes after liftoff, the 162-foot first-stage booster is expected to target a drone ship landing in the Atlantic Ocean. Forecasters projected weather conditions to be "low risk" for the booster's recovery. If it launches on time, SpaceX's latest mission will mark the 41st launch from the Space Coast this year. For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule. Contact Jamie Groh at JGroh@floridatoday.com and follow her on Twitter at @AlteredJamie. Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Weather questionable for next Cape Canaveral SpaceX Falcon 9 liftoff Special Counsel Jack Smith obtained a search warrant for Donald Trumps Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, earlier this year, according to newly revealed court documents. Twitters initial resistance to complying with the Jan. 17 warrant resulted in a federal judge holding the company, now called X, in contempt and levying a $350,000 fine. A federal court of appeals upheld that fine last month in a sealed opinion. On Wednesday, the court unsealed a redacted version of that opinion, revealing details of the secret court battle for the first time. Although Twitter ultimately complied with the warrant, the company did not fully produce the requested information until three days after a court-ordered deadline, according to the 34-page opinion by a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The district court thus held Twitter in contempt and imposed a $350,000 sanction for its delay. Its unclear what Smith was seeking from Trumps account. Trump used the account actively in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, promoting false claims of election fraud, calling his supporters to Washington to stop the steal and mounting attacks on his rivals. Obtaining data from Twitter might have revealed patterns about Trumps use of the account, whether others had access to it and whether there were any draft statements that were unsent. Smith obtained an indictment of Trump last week on charges related to his efforts to subvert the 2020 election. The document was replete with references to Trumps tweets, including his Dec. 19, 2020, call for supporters to descend on Washington for a wild protest on Jan. 6, 2021, as well as his tweet, amid violence at the Capitol, attacking his vice president, Mike Pence, for refusing to single-handedly upend the election. The indictment suggests Trump, not any surrogate or aide, issued the tweets. The existence of the warrant shows that prosecutors acquired access to the inner workings of what was once the most powerful megaphone in American politics and perhaps on the world stage. Trump was banned from Twitter just days after Jan. 6, after the company found his tweets to be in violation of its terms. Elon Musk, who took over Twitter last year, restored Trumps access, but the former president has not yet tweeted from the account since his return. Twitters fight with Smiths team was rooted in prosecutors decision to serve the warrant along with a nondisclosure order that prohibited Twitter from notifying Trump or anyone else about the warrants existence. Based on ex parte affidavits, the district court found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses. Moreover, the district court found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that disclosing the warrant to former President Trump would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation by giving him an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior, [or] notify confederates, the appeals court noted. Twitter complained that the order violated the First Amendment and that the federal judge overseeing the matter at the time U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell should have blocked enforcement of the search warrant until the objection was resolved. The appeals court endorsed Howells decision, saying that even disclosing part of the warrant to Trump would have jeopardized the ongoing criminal investigation. [T]he whole point of the nondisclosure order was to avoid tipping off the former President about the warrant's existence, the panel ruled in an opinion authored by Judge Florence Pan, a Biden appointee. The other two judges on the panel were Biden appointee Michelle Childs and Obama appointee Cornelia Pillard. The judges emphasized that the nondisclosure order was temporary and reasonably tailored to protect the significant probe. The company, they noted, remained free to raise general concerns about warrants or nondisclosure orders, and to speak publicly about the January 6 investigation. The opinion describes the Justice Departments difficulties in initially making contact with Twitter which had only recently been taken over by Musk to serve the search warrant. Prosecutors first attempted to contact the company on Jan. 17 via its website for legal requests but found the page to be inoperative. On Jan. 19, the company finally connected with prosecutors but did not immediately comply with the warrant. On Jan. 25, when prosecutors prodded Twitter again, the companys counsel claimed she had not heard anything about the warrant. Finally, on Feb. 1, four days after the production deadline, Twitter raised a legal objection to the nondisclosure order. Although the company did not question the validity of the search warrant, it asserted that the nondisclosure order was facially invalid under the First Amendment," Pan noted. Twitter informed the government that it would not comply with the warrant until the district court assessed the legality of the nondisclosure order. On Feb. 2, Twitter filed a motion to vacate the nondisclosure order and Smiths team sought a contempt order from Howell. Howell held Twitter in contempt and approved fines beginning at $50,000 a day, doubling for each day of noncompliance. The court adopted that suggestion, noting that Twitter was sold for over $40 billion and that its owner's net worth was over $180 billion. Twitter did not object to the sanctions formula, the appeals court noted. Twitter did not fully comply until Feb. 9, resulting in the $350,000 fine. POLITICO revealed early details of this fight in May, though little information was discernible at the time. A prominent lawyer for Twitter and a lawyer detailed to Smiths team were seen at the courthouse ahead of oral arguments in the sealed case. State Council stresses work on flood relief, rebuilding 16:00, August 09, 2023 By HOU LIQIANG ( Chinadaily.com.cn The State Council, China's Cabinet, has stressed the principle of putting people and their lives first as the country strives to cope with the ongoing flood season, which has seen extreme and devastating rainfall. Rescuers ferry an injured villager to safety in Beijing's Mentougou district on Tuesday. As of Sunday, more than 5,500 residents had been evacuated from their homes in the district, which was hit by heavy rainfall and flooding triggered by Typhoon Doksuri. JU HUANZONG/XINHUA The flood season is not yet over, so more typhoons are expected to make landfall in the country and some areas may be hit by regional downpours. This means that the country may have to simultaneously face the tasks of disaster control and post-disaster reconstruction, according to a statement issued on Tuesday after a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Qiang. It stressed that authorities across the country should thoroughly implement President Xi Jinping's instructions on flood control work. Upholding the principle of putting the people's interests first and that nothing is more precious than people's lives, the statement called for the rolling out of effective measures to enhance flood control and emergency response and all-out efforts to safeguard people's lives and property, as well as ensure social stability, the statement said. Local governments and relevant departments should have adequate precautionary measures for possible major floods and potential major risks. Work on situation assessment and early warning should be further ramped up, and the key areas for flood control should be closely monitored, it said. All flood control and emergency rescue measures should be implemented in a detailed manner, and more efforts should be made to guard against secondary disasters, the statement noted. Authorities in flood-hit areas should spare no efforts to search for the missing in order to minimize the number of casualties, it said. They should also make every possible effort to meet the basic needs of the affected people, and ensure that they have access to food, clothing, temporary shelter, clean drinking water and timely medical services. The statement emphasized environmental disinfection for epidemic prevention as another key task in post-disaster relief, saying that adequate measures should be put in place to ensure that there are no major epidemics after major disasters. In moves to restore normal production and daily life as soon as possible, governments in areas affected by devastating floods should accelerate the repairing of roads and infrastructure for power and water supplies and communications, it said, adding that importance should also be attached to stabilizing market supply and the price of commodities. The statement also pointed to the need to make urgent efforts to restore damaged farmland and agricultural infrastructure, stressing that authorities should also take measures to improve the supply of agricultural materials. It pointed out that local governments should move into action to rebuild houses destroyed by floods to ensure that people can return home or move into new houses with adequate heating facilities before winter. They should forge ahead with the reconstruction of schools, so that all students will have safe facilities to return to in the coming semester, as well as other public buildings, such as hospitals and nursing homes. The statement underscored the importance of a forward-looking approach on post-disaster work in northern China, noting that governments in the region should strengthen the planning for and construction of infrastructure for water resources management to enhance their capacity to tackle flood and drought disasters. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Wu Chaolan) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 8) Casket of the voice actor JM Canlas, younger brother of actors Jerom and Elijah Canlas, who recently passed away was donated to a 17-year-old boy who was mistakenly killed by the police last Aug 2. Ang galing mo talaga JM! [You're really great JM!]. Jm donated his casket to Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar, also 17 years oldan EJK (extrajudicial killings) victim, his older brother Jerom wrote in a Facebook post. READ: Voice actor JM Canlas dies at 17 The post also called for justice for Baltazar. The teenage boy was shot and killed by cops while he and his friend were cleaning the boat that they used for work. The incident happened during the police's search for a wanted suspect. READ: 6 Navotas cops relieved from post, face reckless homicide complaints for fatal shooting of minor The police officers failed to positively identify the target and immediately opened fire on the two youngsters on the boat, the post read. When the shooting stopped, the police officers did not even bother to verify or retrieve the boy who fell into the water and kept onlookers at bay, it added. After the incident, the police admitted that they mistakenly identified Baltazar as a murder suspect. Speaking to CNN Philippines' Balitaan on Wednesday, Navotas City police chief Col. Allan Umipig said administrative complaints were also filed against the involved police officers, who are currently detained. In a statement on Tuesday, Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service Inspector General Alfegar Triambulo said he has directed the District Internal Affairs Service in the Northern Police District to investigate Baltazars death. As of this press release, the District Internal Affairs Service is already at the pre-charge investigation phase. At this stage, the IAS studies the charges to prosecute, the statement read. Special counsel Jack Smith obtained a search warrant for former President Donald Trumps Twitter account in January, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday. Twitter, now known as X, was initially resistant to complying, resulting in a $350,000 fine from the district court. The social media giant argued that the warrants nondisclosure order, which prohibited it from notifying anyone about the warrant, violated the First Amendment. Twitter ultimately complied with the order several days after the February deadline. News about the warrant was revealed in a federal appeals court decision rejecting Twitters claim that a lower court judge shouldnt have held the company in contempt of court and imposed the fine. We affirm the district court in all respects, the appeals court wrote in its July ruling. Twitter was fined $350,000 for refusing to comply with the search warrant. Twitter was fined $350,000 for refusing to comply with the search warrant. Twitters non-compliance came under the tenure of billionaire Elon Musk, who finalized his purchase of the company in October. Musk has been vocal about protecting what he views as free speech on the platform and has reinstated several previously banned accounts, including those belonging to Trump, neo-Nazis and other alt-right figures. However, Musk also temporarily banned the accounts of journalists whove covered his Twitter acquisition, its tumultuous aftermath and the companys plummeting value. News of Smiths search warrant comes about a week after his investigation into Trumps role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and his effort to thwart democracy resulted in yet another indictment for the former president. Trump was charged with four criminal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of an official proceeding. Trump, whos running for the GOPs presidential nomination, pleaded not guilty and denies any culpability. He was also charged with dozens of counts in two other indictments: a New York case concerning a hush money payment made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels and a federal case over his handling of classified government documents. The former president is also facing a potential indictment regarding his attempts to falsify 2020 election results in Georgia. CORRECTION: A prior version of this story incorrectly said the Justice Department fined Twitter. It was the district court that did so. Related... FILE- Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe inspects a military guard of honor after arriving at the parliamentary complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 3, 2022. Sri Lankas president said on Wednesday, Aug.9, 2023 that he will strengthen provincial governments to meet long-standing demands for self-rule from the ethnic Tamil minority, an issue that led to a bloody quarter-century civil war in the island nation. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) Sri Lankas president said Wednesday he will strengthen provincial governments to meet long-standing demands for self-rule from the ethnic Tamil minority, an issue that led to a bloody quarter-century civil war in the island nation. The provincial councils were introduced in Sri Lanka in 1987 after neighboring India intervened to resolve the ethnic conflict. But the system has not been fully functional because Tamil separatist rebels rejected the deal and successive governments usurped powers given to the provinces. President Ranil Wickremesinghe in a speech to Parliament said he will take steps to prevent confusion, overlap and intervention from the central government in provinces exercising their powers. But he said provinces would not be allowed to exercise police powers immediately since opposition by the majority ethnic Sinhalese could derail the process. Tamil lawmakers have demanded a federal system short of separation and say the provincial system is far from meeting their demands. Sri Lanka's Tamil community, who make up about 11% of the country's 22 million people, consider themselves a separate nation unified with the rest of the island by the British colonial rulers. The separatist civil war broke out in 1983 after years of failed attempts since independence to share power within a unified country. India, which has its own sizable Tamil population, intervened in 1987 and signed an agreement with Sri Lanka to resolve the conflict through a provincial council system. Some Tamil armed groups accepted the deal as a starting point to be strengthened later. But the Tamil Tigers, the largest group, rejected it and continued to fight for separation. Government troops crushed the Tamil Tigers in 2009 and since then the government has faced international pressure to resolve the power-sharing issue through talks. With or without Donald Trump on the stage, the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee this month will have the power to boost or break campaigns five months before a ballot is cast. Which is why supporters of Mike Pence were relieved Monday when he became the eighth and perhaps last candidate to qualify, although the vulnerabilities of his bid have been on display as the former vice president struggled to meet the fundraising threshold required to participate. Showing up matters, especially for everyone who isn't the frontrunner. A standout performance on Aug. 23 at the Fiserve Forum where, by the way, the eventual nominee will be crowned at the GOP convention next summer would spotlight a long-shot contender in a good way; an "oops!" misstep could create a viral moment with the opposite effect. Debates are a chance for the politically ambitious to audition not only for the job of president but also for vice president or, say, a Cabinet post. But failing to make the cut risks branding a candidate not as a long shot but as a no shot, unable to meet qualifications set by the Republican National Committee that include attracting contributions from at least 40,000 unique donors and winning at least 1% support in three recognized national polls or two national polls and a poll in a state that holds an early contest. Plus pledging to support the party's eventual nominee, a promise that some candidates apparently plan to make with their fingers crossed. With a formidable lead in hand, Trump says there's no good reason for him to subject himself to a forum where he would face the same questioning and time limits as those he regards as politically inferior. "Why would you let someone that's at zero (percent support), or one, or two, or three, you know, be popping you with questions?" the former president demanded last month in an appearance on Fox News, which is hosting the debate and has urged him to participate. Anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum are slated to moderate. Besides Trump and Pence, the half-dozen other contenders who say they have met the requirements include North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. Here are five reasons why being on stage matters so much. 1. Swimming with the big fish Burgum is not exactly a household name outside the nation's 47th most populous state, so the North Dakota governor and software billionaire has gotten grudging credit for calculating how to buy his way on stage anyway. He offered a $20 Visa or Mastercard gift card to the first 50,000 people who donated at least a dollar to his campaign. That helped him not only reach the fundraising threshold but also get a burst of publicity, although some of it centered on whether the expensive maneuver violated campaign finance laws. He insists it didn't, and he got what he wanted, which is a chance to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with better-known rivals and make his case. Ramaswamy, a political newcomer, will also be making a first impression with many voters from the debate stage. Some other presidential hopefuls with at least as much political experience haven't gotten there yet, among them former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and former Texas congressman Will Hurd. The clock is ticking; they've got until 48 hours before the debate begins to qualify. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum talks with supporters after he announced his bid for the Republican nomination for President, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in Fargo, N.D. 2. The dangers of 'oops!' Rick Perry, a three-term governor of Texas, led the GOP presidential field when he jumped into the 2012 contest. Then came 60 seconds on a debate stage. "It's three agencies of government when I get there that are gone Commerce, Education and the, um. What's the third one there?" He looked to his rivals on stage for help. Ron Paul didn't know; Mitt Romney suggested it might be the Environmental Protection Agency. "EPA, there you go," Perry said, grabbing Romney's lifeline but then acknowledging that wasn't right, either. "But you can't name the third one?" moderator John Harwood asked in what was hardly be called a "gotcha" question. "I can't the third one; I can't," Perry admitted. "Sorry. Oops!" The brain-freeze moment went viral, of course. It defined Perry's candidacy, more politically delicious and damaging because the wound was entirely self-inflicted. By the opening Iowa caucuses two months later, and after some other stumbles, he finished a distant fifth and was soon out of the race. For the record, the third agency Perry had repeatedly pledged to dismantle was the Energy Department. That also happens to be the department he headed as secretary during the Trump administration. 3. The world's most powerful job fair The primary debates are an audition for the White House, but they are also an opportunity to try out for other roles. Vice president, for example. If Trump is the nominee, he is guaranteed to be looking for a replacement for running mate, given that Pence is expected to be a crucial witness against him in his trial on federal charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election. "Let them debate so I can see who I MIGHT consider for Vice President!" Trump posted recently on Truth Social. Scott and Haley could be on his list of prospects. Ramaswamy might be, too. The debate is a chance to show political agility, although preserving the option of being No. 2 to Trump will also mean walking a delicate line, avoiding too much criticism of his political record and his legal travails. In the 2016 campaign, Haley didn't win the nomination but she did land the post of U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, a valuable foreign policy asset in her current campaign. In 2020, a solid performance in debates helped Pete Buttigieg jump from being the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, not exactly a traditional political launch pad, to become Transportation secretary in the Biden administration. 4. Pressing an agenda Then there's policy. So far, Trump's escalating legal troubles, including three criminal indictments and counting, have dominated the Republican campaign. Reporters have been more likely to ask whether they would, if elected, pardon a convicted Trump than what economic philosophy would guide them in the Oval Office. The two-hour debate is likely to offer some focus on the issues that energize their campaigns and divide their ranks. Continued U.S. aid to Ukraine for its war with Russia, for instance, and what steps to endorse on abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders waged two credible presidential campaigns that gave him a platform in primary debates to espouse his core issues to a wide audience, including a $15-an-hour minimum wage and a "Medicare for all" health care plan. He failed to win the nomination either time, in 2016 or 2020, but he helped pull the Democratic Party to embrace more progressive policies. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses the crowd before publicly signing the Stop WOKE Act in April 2022. 5. Getting Trump there next time Could the first debate entice Trump to join the second one? An effective line of attack against the former president, waged in his absence, might convince him that he wants to be around to respond the next time. If the opening forum gives some other contender traction, he also might want to take the opportunity to knock him or her down to size. The next sanctioned debate is set for Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. To participate, candidates will need at least 50,000 unique contributors in 20 states or territories, and to score at least 3% in two national polls or in one national poll and two polls from separate states with early contests that is, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada. For candidates who want to meet the higher ante for the second debate, the key to getting on stage could be this: Do well in the first one. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Five ways how the first GOP debate can boost or break campaigns WARWICK A man wanted for participating in the sex trafficking of a teenage girl in Fall River was arrested after five years as a fugitive, state police said on Wednesday. In a press release, the Massachusetts State Police said members of their Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested Thomas Almeida, 57, as he waited to leave on a flight departing from T.F. Green International Airport this past Sunday. The Fall River Police Department obtained a warrant for Almeida's arrest in 2018 that included a charge of sexual conduct with a child under 18. "The victim in the case, a juvenile, was held against her will, drugged, and forced to engage in sexual acts," state police said. Massachusetts State Police patch. Almeida fled the state, likely to Florida, in 2018 before he could be arrested. On Sunday, Aug. 6, the Fall River police's Major Crimes Unit received information that Almeida was back in the Fall River area and reached out to state police for help locating him. "Investigators developed information that Almeida was at TF Green International Airport awaiting a return flight to Florida," the press release read. Police arrested him at the Jet Blue Terminal "without incident" that afternoon. Two perpetrators already sentenced Two people connected to the same case have already been charged and sentenced to lengthy stays in prison. Gabriel Machado, at the time a Fall River resident, pleaded guilty to trafficking a person for servitude, aggravated statutory rape of a child, posing a child in sexual acts, possession of child pornography and kidnapping a minor by a relative over his treatment of a girl who was 15 when he first began sexually assaulting her. The victim ran away to Machados home in early 2016. Machado hid her at his apartment while he abused and trafficked her, keeping her out of school and actively hiding her from police who were looking for her. Police executed a search warrant and found the victim in Machado's apartment in December of 2016. In 2019, Machado was sentenced to 30 to 40 years in prison, plus 10 years of probation. The defendant engaged in some of the most depraved and despicable conduct that I have ever seen," Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said of Machado at the time. District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III speaks with reporters outside of the Fall River Justice Center in a Herald News file photo Machados co-defendant and former girlfriend, Tracy Fortier, pleaded guilty to raping and participating in the scheme to prostitute the same victim. She was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. Machado admitted to prosecutors that he prostituted the victim to several men including Almeida in exchange for money, drugs and images of the assaults. Almeida will return to Massachusetts to face trial in Bristol County and could face additional charges, state police said. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Man wanted in Fall River sex trafficking case arrested at airport FALL RIVER Hes only been on the job for four months, but Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Brian Arrigo took a day-trip to the SouthCoast on Tuesday to check out some of DCRs assets like Horseneck Beach State Reservation in Westport, Heritage State Park and Battleship Cove in Fall River. The former mayor of Revere, a position he held for seven years, Arrigo was appointed by Gov. Maura Healey in April to lead DCR, the agency that oversees the commonwealths 450,000 acres of beaches, parks, forests and open space. Im grateful for the opportunity to learn about the SouthCoast and bring it back with me to Boston and to make sure we are making truly informed decisions and how we invest our dollars, said Arrigo, while standing at the boardwalk in Heritage State Park with Big Mamie in the background. New Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Brian Arrigo gets a tour of Battleship Cove in Fall River from local legislators on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. A $7 million makeover: Lt. governor visits Battleship Cove with funding for Fall River's State Pier The tour was hosted by state Sen. Michael Rodrigues and attended by some of the area's Statehouse delegation. Arrigo said hes been consistently amazed by the DCR's properties as he settles into his new role and sees some of the work that needs to be done. But when you see gems, the investment and the opportunity that lies in certain areas, and certainly on the SouthCoast we see that very clearly, said Arrigo. Battleship Cove Executive Director Meghan Rathbun, left, leads Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Brian Arrigo on his first tour of Battleship Cove in Fall River on Aug. 8, 2023. Healey in Fall River: Governor on a daylong listening tour with business community State legislators share their wish list for Greater Fall River It was Arrigos first time at Battleship Cove. Right before Arrigo was given a tour of the Battleship Massachusetts the museum that is docked on DCR property abutting the State Pier, which the state agency also owns Rodrigues joked that during their travels that day, the commissioner was given an extensive wish list by the delegation. Rodrigues said the top item on his wish list, which he expressed to the administration and the commissioner, has recently been delivered to the city. That was the $7 million appropriation in the new budget to repair the docks where Battleship Cove's collection is berthed, announced last week by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll during her tour of the maritime museum. Thats big capital money, its part of the capital improvement plan, and that was our first meeting in partnership with MassDevelopment, said Rodrigues, referring to the agency that runs the State Pier. Thats critical because if that part of the pier fails, there is no access to the Battleship. Promoting outdoor tourism: A TV crew is coming to Fall River's rail trail and the state forest. Here's why. That part of the pier is also critical because it's where all the power and water and utilities come onto the ship, said Rodrigues. Arrigo said the funding is good for two fiscal years. And Rodrigues said people have been impressed with the investments DCR has made the last few years at Horseneck Beach, including a fund that allows for an ambulance and two paramedics on site between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., shortening critical response times. And they gave us a wish list too, said Rodrigues. We need to get equipment to move some gravel around, especially after storm events, said Rodrigues. State Rep. Carole Fiola of Fall River walks with Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Brian Arrigo at Battleship Cove in Fall River on Aug. 8, 2023. Arrigo: Fall River should keep up momentum to develop waterfront When Healey appointed Arrigo, she spoke of his work transforming the Revere waterfront, which boasts stewardship of the countrys oldest public beach: Revere Beach. As a former mayor of a Gateway City like Fall River with a burgeoning waterfront of its own, Arrigo was asked if he had any advice for a city bent on successful redevelopment. Seeing things getting done, or starting to get done, its taking advantage of that momentum that is created and not stopping, said Arrigo. If you have a vision, if you have a north star, surround yourself with really great people. Arrigo said it is important to build trust with the public sector, the private sector and the private nonprofit sector. Take full advantage of folks in power and help leverage certain funding sources and get to work, said Arrigo. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: DCR chief Arrigo: Fall River needs 'momentum' to develop waterfront The Steel Border unit, which is part of the Offensive Guard, has destroyed a Murom-M Russian video surveillance system. Source: State Border Guard Service Quote: "While conducting aerial reconnaissance on the Kharkiv front, servicemen of the 15th Mobile Border Guard Unit discovered a Russian Murom-M video and thermal surveillance system. A kamikaze drone operator destroyed the enemy system with an accurate strike." Details: Press service of the State Border Guard Service clarified to Ukrainska Pravda that the incident took place the day before. For reference: Murom-M is a long-range visual surveillance system equipped with an optical camera with a powerful zoom. "Murom can detect a human at a distance of up to 10 kilometres, and a thermal imager can detect a car 8 kilometres away and people 4 kilometres away in the dark. 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! Ron Freitas, candidate for San Joaquin County District Attorney, stands while fallen soldiers are honored at the Memorial Day observance Monday, May 30, 2022, at Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium in Stockton. The 7-Eleven store clerks who can be seen beating an alleged thief with a stick in a now-viral video will not face any criminal charges, the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday. "The Stockton 7-Eleven store clerks are not, and have never been, suspects of the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office," District Attorney Ron Freitas said. "Any investigation going forward is to hold accountable the individual who threatened and attempted to rob them." The video, which has now been viewed millions of times and made national headlines, was filmed July 29 at the 7-Eleven on South Center Street, right across from Stockton Police Department headquarters. In the five-minute clip, a man wearing a blue mask can be seen emptying shelves of cigarettes and other products into a trash can. "Ain't nothing you can do, man, until police come here," a witness can be heard telling the employees as the masked man attempts to leave the store with the trash can. That's when the employees decide to intervene. One quickly grabs the trash can and pins the man to the ground while the other beats the man with what appears to be a wooden stick. He strikes the man nearly two dozen times. It wasn't the first attempted robbery at 7-Eleven's South Center Street location that week, police said. On July 28, an employee of the same location reported that a man entered the business, went behind the counter, and threatened to shoot the employee if he tried to stop him. The man then took several packs of cigarettes and other items and placed them in a large garbage bag before fleeing, police said. Then, on July 29, an employee reported that the same man from the previous incident entered the store and demanded money while imitating a gun with his hand. The employee did not comply, and the man grabbed several food items and placed them in a garbage bag before fleeing, police said. At some point later in the morning, the man is believed to have returned to the store, police said. That's when the incident captured in the video occurred. Stockton police said they were unaware at the time of the attempted robbery. Tyrone Frazier, 42, was arrested in connection to the series of robberies at 7-Eleven, burglary, and other outstanding warrants, police said Tuesday. While some have applauded the employees for protecting their business and property, lawmakers in California are hoping to push through legislation that would ban retail staff from stopping thieves that are stealing from their stores. Senate Bill 553, submitted by Sen. Dave Cortese, passed the State Senate in June and progressed to policy committees in the State Assembly. Crime has become a hot button issue in recent years, particularly retail theft. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, spoke about the 7-Eleven incident on his podcast "Verdict with Ted Cruz" Monday. "Crime has gotten out of control with activist DAs that have been elected by George Soros and those on the left not prosecuting criminals when they commit crimes, catch-and-release policies, defund the police policies, and driving police basically insane by not allowing the laws that are on the books to lock people up," Cruz said before adding that the incident in Stockton was "a great example of this." Cruz criticized local law enforcement agencies for "going after" the employees. Several media outlets reported that the alleged thief was being investigated for robbery while the employees were being investigated for assault. Lee Neves, a spokesperson for the district attorney's office, said the office wanted to put those claims to rest and make it clear that the employees were not being investigated. "There were politicians, mainly Ted Cruz, who were fanning the worst flames possible," Neves said, "coming out and saying the district attorney wasn't going to charge him (the alleged thief) and claiming that the district attorney was a typical California district attorney like George Gascon and Pamela Price. Clear misinformation." Prosecutors received an outpouring of calls from community members asking for the employees to be pardoned, according to Neves. "At no point were we looking at the store clerks as suspects and we're not going to charge them as suspects for what happened," he said. Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton 7-Eleven store clerks in viral video won't face criminal charges DOVER Strafford County has signed a deal with the state to provide 16 beds at Riverside Rest Home for nursing home eligible citizens needing behavioral health care. At their regular meeting on Aug. 3, Strafford County Commissioners signed a contract with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services to make 16 behavioral health long-term care beds available in a secured unit at the county nursing home. Riverside Rest Home in Dover is run by Strafford County. County Commission Chair George Maglaras said having the contract with the state means the county will be paid by the state to operate the unit. "It's a secured unit," said Maglaras. "We are working now on the internal structure we need and making sure key personnel are in place. We know there is a great need, and we want to make sure we can give options first to residents of Strafford County." Strafford County Administrator Ray Bower said he watched what was happening in the state in terms of mental health services and thought the county could help. "I reached out to the state and said I think we can work together here," said Bower. "The state and the county negotiated a contract ($340,000) to retool that closed unit and make it work for this need. It works for the county as well, because we get reimbursed at a higher level than for a normal Medicaid resident." Bower said the contract will go to the governor and Executive Council next for approval, and if they sign off, the county is ready to start, with beds opening up as soon as September. Riverside already has a behavioral health unit (22 beds), one of only three nursing homes in the state to have this feature (Cheshire and Hillsborough being the other two). The new beds will be an extension of their current services. Last year, the state announced it would not challenge a federal court order giving it until May 2024 to stop holding people having mental health crises in hospital emergency rooms for days, even weeks. Patients must now be given a hearing on their case within three days, Bower said. "We took four patients from the state last year when former DHHS commissioner Lori Shibinette was trying to place patients," said Bower. "We have the infrastructure and licensed, skilled staff to work with them. In fact, three of the patients were able to be reintegrated into the nursing home population. Just because a person starts on that unit, does not mean they must remain there." Bower said 16 patients is a slightly fluid number. In a traditional setting at Riverside, there are two residents per room. The designated unit is a 20-bed one. "Sometimes behavioral health residents do not do well with a roommate, so that's where our estimate comes from," he said. "Perhaps some of the patients will be fine in that setting but we are assuming at first, most will not. They have their own set of issues, mostly language, (there) can be some violence. We have staff who are skilled in handling behavioral health and maybe we can work with some of them and reintegrate them to a more traditional setting." The patients going to Riverside will not be young people. Bower said to take them at Riverside, they need to be nursing home eligible. Bower said that relies mainly on a person's ability to handle their activities of daily living (ADL). "That means their ability to care for themselves, cooking, bathing, but also being able to understand and manage their own medications," said Bower. "It can depend on whether or not they have help, whether there is anyone for them to rely on." Meanwhile, the state is looking to build a dedicated behavioral health hospital. The Department of Health and Human Services is working on an agreement with SolutionHealth to support the construction of a new facility in Southern New Hampshire with 120 beds: 72 for adults, 24 for older individuals with geropsychiatric issues, and 24 for children and adolescents. Care provided by the facility will prioritize the needs of involuntary patients while serving voluntary patients as well, those with co-occurring issues, and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Strafford County nursing home and NH create 16-bed mental health unit Strong, widespread thunderstorms were rumbling into the Kansas City area Wednesday morning, possibly impacting the morning commute with low visibility and ponding of water on the roads, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy rains and lightning are expected from the storms as they roll through, along with gusty winds of 30 to 50 mph. There could be some areas that see wind gusts of 60 mph. Local Radar Image Drivers out and about on Interstate 35, 29 and 49 can expect their morning commute and errands to be affected by the storms, the weather service said. Thunderstorms moving into the KC Metro now, the weather service said about 6:20 a.m. on X, formerly known as Twitter. Expect a wet commute with periods of heavy rain and gusty winds. Strong, widespread thunderstorms are rolling into the Kansas City area around 6:20 a.m., according to the National Weather Service in Kansas City. Heres the expected timing. Widespread severe weather is not expected. There could be some flooding, especially in areas that have seen the most rain over the last week, the weather service said. Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to redevelop Wednesday afternoon and evening. The strongest storms are expected to be south and east of the Kansas City metro area, mainly south of Interstate 70. Gusty winds, large hail and heavy rains with possible flooding are the primary hazards. Weather watches and warnings A live data feed from the National Weather Service containing official weather warnings, watches, and advisory statements. Tap warning areas for more details. Sources: NOAA, National Weather Service, NOAA GeoPlatform and Esri. Open Using wearables for measurement, scientists found that cellphone use significantly impaired the students' balance and gait stability. Photo by StockSnap/Pixabay It seems obvious that texting and walking can be a dangerous duo, but now a new Australian study offers solid evidence of the dangers. Emergency room doctors Dr. Michael Levine and Dr. Matthew Harris, who were not involved in the study, weren't surprised by the findings. "I think we've had, this summer, several people who either have been distracted while walking and have been hit by a car or been hit by a bicycle," said Harris, from Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y. "I've definitely seen people stepping off curbs when they were not supposed to, not seeing cars come... because they were too busy looking at their phone when they should have realized where the sidewalk ended," added Levine, from UCLA Health. "So, I've seen all different permutations of people getting injured from texting and walking across the street." For the study, Australian researchers recruited 50 students from the University of New South Wales and had them go through four exercises. One was to text while sitting, another was to walk without texting, another was to have them walk and text, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog," and the last one was to have students walk and text the same message while going through a walkway specifically designed by one of the scientists to have tiles slip out of place. Using wearables for measurement, the scientists found that cellphone use significantly impaired the students' balance and gait stability. They also found that more hazards in the texters' way led to reduced texting accuracy. The findings were published Tuesday in the journal Heliyon. Here's a video describing the experiment: "When not working, I like to go surfing," said senior study author Matthew Brodie, a senior lecturer in biomedical engineering at the University of New South Wales. "Sydney beaches, such as the beautiful Bondi beach, are world famous, but on any day it seems as many as 80% of people, both younger and older, may be head-down and texting. I wondered, is this safe? Is this the future we want to live in? What is it about texting and smartphone use that is hyper-addictive?" This prompted Brodie to conduct this research on texting and walking. "I'm not sure that this study itself is as applicable to real-world environments as we would like or as I would like, but I definitely think that the authors probably got the conclusions correct," said Levine. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that around 8% to 9% of all fatal motor vehicle collisions in the United States are due to distracted driving, which includes vehicle and pedestrian collisions. But it's not just from texting -- one U.S. study found an association between headphone use by pedestrians and injuries or fatalities from train or car collisions. Of the 116 deaths reported between 2004 and 2011, 68% were male and 67% were under the age of 30. "Developmental neuroscience makes younger adults most at risk," said Brodie. "Texting, social media and other apps are addictive and provide an immediate socio-emotional reward. "During adolescent brain development, the mismatch between the earlier development of the socio-emotional network [sensitive to the stimuli and rewards of texting] and the later development of the cognitive control network [that regulates risky behavior] means that these people will value the rewards over the risks" he noted. Brodie said curbing texting and walking deaths may only require some creative technology. "I would call for the manufactures of the smartphones to take responsibility for the technology they are producing," he said. "Long before the current explosion of many health tracking apps, my previous research showed the sensors in mobile phones could be used to detect walking," Brodie said. "Therefore, a safety screen lock to prevent texting, social media use or other visual distractions while walking would be straightforward to implement." More information: For more on pedestrian safety, visit the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Copyright 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday confirmed that he will fly again to the United States in November to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting. This years APEC events will be hosted by San Francisco, California from Nov. 12 to 18. I look forward to joining fellow APEC leaders in California later this year," Marcos said during the courtesy call of US-ASEAN Business Council members at Malacanang. "This will be my third trip to the US since I assumed office." After becoming president, Marcos first travelled to the US in September 2022 to attend the 77th United Nations General Assembly. In late April this year, he returned to the US for a five-day official visit. Marcos said that with energy security high on the economic agenda, he is particularly interested in discussing during APEC possible solutions that align with the Philippines climate goals and support his administrations plans to transform the country into an upper middle-income economy by 2025. All efforts to increase the number of power sources lean towards clean energy, the president said. That being the case, I am interested in the potential of nuclear energy, especially in light of new technologies and innovations that allow the use of smaller scale, modular, nuclear reactors, and other advanced [reactors] technologies that we see as being safer and more efficient than the more traditional designs of nuclear power production, he added. Besides meeting with his counterparts from across the globe, Marcos is also expected to hold more discussions with American business groups on possible investments in the country, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez earlier said. Marcos attended last years APEC Summit in Thailand, citing climate change as the overarching concern among world leaders. FILE - People board a truck as they leave Khartoum, Sudan, on June 19, 2023. A leading human rights group called Friday Aug.4, 2023 on the United States and the United Nations to impose further sanctions on the Sudanese individuals "responsible for the atrocities" in Darfur, as evidence of scorched-earth attacks mount. The northeast African country plunged into chaos in April when monthslong tensions between the military, led by Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, exploded into open fighting in the capital of Khartoum, and elsewhere. (AP Photo, File) UNITED NATIONS (AP) Nearly four months of brutal fighting is driving Sudan to collapse with millions of people trapped in a humanitarian calamity and the possibility of a new ethnic conflict spilling into the region, U.N. officials said Wednesday. The dire briefings to the U.N. Security Council by Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee and the U.N. humanitarian agencys operations director, Edem Wosornu, painted a grim picture of escalating clashes and no sign of an end to the conflict, which the government said in June had killed more than 3,000 people. No figures have been released since then. Wosornu said the countrys descent into a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe has only deepened with more than 4 million people fleeing their homes and over 20 million more than half the population facing high levels of food insecurity, or serious hunger. The fighting pits forces loyal to top army Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan against the paramilitary forces commanded by his rival, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, and clashes have continued especially in the capital, Khartoum, and nearby cities and the vast western Darfur region, which became synonymous with war crimes and genocide two decades ago. Pobee told the council that neither side is achieving victory nor making any significant gains, and the Sudanese people are facing unimaginable suffering. She pointed to indiscriminate and sometimes targeted attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, large-scale sexual violence and children being killed, victimized or at risk of being recruited to fight. The abduction and killing of human rights defenders in Khartoum and Darfur are also on the rise, she said. Pobee, who is in charge of Africa in the U.N. political affairs department, called for a negotiated solution to end the war as soon as possible. The longer this war continues, the greater the risk of fragmentation and foreign interference and erosion of sovereignty and the loss of Sudans future, particularly its youth, she said. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who chaired the meeting, said the United States was appalled that the U.N. special envoy for Sudan, Volker Perthes, was replaced by Pobee as the U.N. briefer after the Sudanese government threatened to end the U.N. political mission in Sudan. She said she spoke to Perthes, a key mediator in the conflict who was declared persona non grata by the Sudanese government in June, and called its threat outrageous and unacceptable. Sudans U.N. Ambassador Al-Harith Mohamed told the council that a new perspective was needed to understand whats going on in Sudan because viewing it as a military engagement between the rival generals and their supporters will not lead to a resolution. He claimed the conflict was the result of foreign-backed aggression supported by regional powers. As for peace prospects, he said, multiple initiatives cause confusion and Sudan welcomes the African Union road map, which includes coordination between all regional and international efforts as well as the importance of an immediate and permanent cease-fire. Pobee recalled the fighting in Darfur that began in 2003 by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias against people of Central or East African ethnicities and warned that the current fighting, especially in West Darfur, continues to reopen the old wounds. This is deeply worrying and could quickly engulf the country in a prolonged ethnic conflict with regional spillovers, she warned. The U.S. ambassador told the council there were credible reports that Dagalo's Rapid Support Forces and allied militias have carried out atrocities in West Darfur, including killings based on ethnicity, widespread sexual violence and the burning and looting of homes and villages. She called this an ominous reminder of the Darfur atrocities that led the U.S. to determine a genocide was taking place in 2004. And she said the United States was gravely concerned by the reported buildup of the paramilitary forces near El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which poses a threat to non-Arab populations in the area. The Security Council must speak out with one voice for an end to bloodshed, peace and a future where Sudan is back on the path of democracy, Thomas-Greenfield said. FILE PHOTO: The United Nations headquarters building is pictured though a window with the UN logo in the foreground in the Manhattan borough of New York August 15, 2014. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Sexual violence is being committed in Sudan on a "sickening scale," while fighting in the Darfur region is reopening "old wounds of ethnic tension" that could engulf the country, United Nations officials told the Security Council on Wednesday. "The alarming accounts of sexual violence that are heard from people who have fled to Port Sudan are just a fraction of those being repeated at a sickening scale from conflict hotspots across the country," said senior U.N. aid official Edem Wosornu. War broke out on April 15 - four years after the overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir during a popular uprising. Tensions between the army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which jointly staged a coup in 2021, erupted over disagreements about a plan to transition to civilian rule. "The fighting in Darfur continues to reopen the old wounds of ethnic tension of past conflicts in the region," Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, a senior U.N. official on Africa, told the council. "This is deeply worrying, and could quickly engulf the country in a prolonged ethnic conflict with regional spillovers." In the early 2000s "Janjaweed" militias - from which the RSF formed - helped the government crush a rebellion by mainly non-Arab groups in Darfur. Some 300,000 people were killed, the U.N. estimates, and Sudanese leaders are wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and crimes against humanity. The current war has seen more than 4 million people flee their homes, of which 3.28 million are internally displaced and over 900,000 have crossed the borders into Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and other countries, according to the International Organization for Migration. "The humanitarian impacts are made worse by credible evidence to suggest serious violations of international humanitarian law by both the SAF and the RSF which could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity," Britain's U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward told the Security Council. Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva said Moscow was concerned by the situation in Sudan and pledged support for the Sudanese authorities. She accused Western countries of interfering with the Sudanese internal political process and slammed the use of unilateral sanctions. Both sides in the Sudan conflict have claimed military advances in recent days but there are no signs of a decisive breakthrough. Efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United States to secure a ceasefire have stalled. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters after the council meeting that both sides were responsible for ethnic and sexual violence, adding: "There are no innocents here." Sudan's U.N. Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed told the Security Council that Sudanese troops "are not involved in any sexual or gender violence and the party involved in this atrocity is very well known." In response to a request for comment, the RSF said allegations of rape by their forces were being promoted by supporters of Bashir's regime aligned with the army. The RSF would cooperate with any independent investigation into such allegations or into claims of violations against civilians in Darfur, the group's media office said. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; additional reporting by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Stephen Coates) In a July decision in the case of VanDerStok v. Garland, Judge Reed O'Connor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas paused the implementation of some Biden administration Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF) regulations on so-called "ghost guns." These kits of non-fireable materials are purchasable online and, with some machining, can be turned into functional homemade guns that would lack any government-ordered serial number and thus be "untraceable." Yesterday, the Supreme Court, in a one-page order with no analysis, decided that the District Court opinion stopping the enforcement of those anti-"ghost gun" regulations (specifically, "the Final Rule, Definition of 'Frame or Receiver' and Identification of Firearmscodified at 27 C.F.R. pts. 447, 478, and 479 (2022)") is "stayed pending the disposition of the appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and disposition of a petition for a writ of certiorari, if such a writ is timely sought." In other words, those BATF regulations do still have legal force. For a small preview of how things might go if this case is considered fully by the Supreme Court after the appeals court does its thing, four justices did not join this order: Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Clarence Thomas. The Biden administration believes that "untraceable firearms" represented, as reported by The New York Times, an "urgent public safety and law enforcement crisis." As the Times explained, the regulations at issue "did not ban the sale or possession of kits and components that can be assembled to make gunsbut it did require manufacturers and sellers to obtain licenses, mark their products with serial numbers and conduct background checks" on buyers. Jennifer VanDerStok and those on her legal team think that the Gun Control Act of 1968 and its strictures were not meant to apply to such items and that BATF lacks authority, under current law, to insist that they do. In their original August 2022 suit, VanDerStok and her team declared that "President Biden has both expressed and advanced his intentions to expand federal firearm regulations regardless of whether Congress concurs, in contravention of the constitutional limits on Executive authority." Writing on the original District Court decision in VanDerStok at Reason back in July, J.D. Tuccille hit the heart of the Biden-era BATF rules' overreach: [P]ressured by the Biden administration, the ATF tried to extend firearms regulations to a lot of things that aren't guns but could, with work, become one. Now a federal judge is injecting some sense, ruling in a lawsuit that bureaucrats can't just decide that inert objects are guns. As Tuccille explained: For years, through a page still on its website, federal gun regulators assured the public that "ATF has long held that items such as receiver blanks, 'castings' or 'machined bodies' in which the fire-control cavity area is completely solid and un-machined have not reached the 'stage of manufacture' which would result in the classification of a firearm." That's good sense unless you look forward to background checks and government scrutiny every time you visit the hardware store where all sorts of items that could be turned into guns are sold. Americans, for excellent reasons, have the right to own weapons and a curtailed right (at least as far as the courts are concerned) to carry them. The right to make guns should logically follow quite easily from this. That right should not present particularly difficult or fresh rethinking for the Supreme Court, given current doctrine concerning the Second Amendment. Jacob Sullum explained at Reason back in March how: The ATF's about-face in service of Biden's gun control agenda threatened to destroy an industry that catered to DIY gun makers based on the agency's previous interpretation of the law. Tactical Machining, one of the original plaintiffs in this lawsuit, said the agency's edict, which transformed legal businesses into criminal enterprises, would wipe out more than 90 percent of its revenue. What's at issue in the VanDerStok case is not core Second Amendment rights but rather questions of a regulatory agency's authority to redefine the law. It was that overreach on BATF's part that Judge O'Connor tried to overturn. (Tuccille gave a detailed explanation in April 2022 of how much chaos and confusion in the world of gun parts sales and adjustments is inherent in the poorly written BATF 2022 regulations.) Whether or not the Courts or the administration recognize or honor either the core right protected by the Second Amendment or the procedural question about whether administration bureaucrats can change laws to suit them when it comes to homemade gun making, the government certainly can't stop the technologies of communication and production that allow "ghost guns" to flourish. The post Supreme Court Lets Biden's 'Ghost Gun' Regulations Stand Pending Ongoing Lawsuit appeared first on Reason.com. An aerial shot of The Institute of American Indian Arts, a tribal college in Santa Fe, New Mexico This article was originally published in Indian Country Today. Although the U.S. Supreme Court effectively ended affirmative action in college admission decisions with its June 29 decision, the ruling will not affect tribal colleges and universities, administrators said. The Supreme Court effectively ruled 6-3 in the case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. The ruling means most colleges and universities can no longer consider race when it comes to the admission process. However, that wont affect tribal institutions. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Nothing is going to change at tribal colleges, and tribal colleges are open-door institutions. Theyve always been open-door institutions. Thats going to stay their policy, said president and CEO of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium Carrie Billy, Dine. They are place-based institutions, culturally grounded, chartered by their tribes or the federal government, but serving the local community, and theyre going to continue serving that community regardless of this decision. Its difficult to compare Native student enrollment at tribal colleges and universities to mainstream institutions, Billy said. Related Harvard Ruling Will Put Spotlight on College Elitism, Georgetown Economist Says TCUs are required to collect information based on a students enrollment in a federally recognized Indian tribe, she said. Only a handful of other institutions are required to collect this type of data, and no institutions except TCUs are required by the federal government to verify that they are only counting as American Indian/Alaska Native those students who can document their enrollment status. Most, if not all, mainstream colleges and universities rely entirely on self-reporting when it comes to determining tribal identity of students. This means if a Native student doesnt indicate they are a tribal citizen, then they are not counted as such. This policy can be flawed, Billy said. Nonetheless, the high courts decision will impact Native students attending mainstream institutions, which concerns Billy. Our concern is for those students, you know, our children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, parents, who attend other institutions of higher education and also for you know, just for all people of color, and underserved communities. Everyone deserves an equal access to affordable higher education, she said. So were very concerned about that. Data from 2016 from the American Indian Higher Education Consortium showed that tribal colleges and universities accounted for 67 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native student enrollment in higher education compared to mainstream universities that collected similar data. Billy added that she has not heard much from Native students, which she attributes to the decision having been handed down during the summer, and she expects to hear more after the school year starts. At the time of the decision, national Native organizations shared their disapproval. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium said the court essentially attempted to slam doors of higher education shut but promised that its advocacy on behalf of Native students would not stop. We were here before affirmative action, and we will be here strong, resilient, and sovereign after the Supreme Courts decision this week, a statement from the organization said. Fawn Sharp, National Congress of American Indian president, Quinault, echoed that sentiment, calling the decision exceptionally disappointing. While everyone deserves to be considered on their merits, it does more harm than good to ignore the fact that Native people were subject to genocide, colonization, and assimilation, Sharp said in a June 30 statement. Only when these realities are confronted head-on will meaningful progress be made, which is why the National Congress of American Indians will continue to fight to bring visibility to these issues and look for solutions to ensure future generations have access to the education so many of our past generations did not. The decision comes closely after a trend in the last couple of years in which universities or states adopted tuition waiver policies directed specifically at enrolled tribal citizens. Billy said these waivers are tailored specifically to Native Americans not as a racial group, but as a nod to the political relationship between the states and the tribes. A number of states and higher education institutions have long offered some type of tuition waiver for Native students. Both the Montana and California university systems offer a waiver. The University of Maine has had one in place since the 1930s, and more recently, the University of Arizona offered free tuition to Native students enrolled in a federally recognized tribe in Arizona. Oregon State University offers in-state tuition to any student of a federally recognized tribe. The tuition discounts that state governments enact are for members of either federally recognized tribes or state-recognized tribes in their state thats, again, a political relationship. Its not a race-based program, Billy said. So this decision should have no effect on them. Partnerships between public institutions and tribes are going to be important moving forward. Appearing on Native America Calling in early July to discuss the decision, Julia Wakeford, policy director for the National Indian Education Association, said the ruling will show how serious colleges and universities are about ensuring diversity on their campuses. A number of these universities and colleges have come out saying that they stand by and will do whatever they can within the letter of the law, to make sure that there remains diversity on their campuses, said Wakeford, who is Mvskoke and Yuchi. This story was originally published at Indian Country Today. On Monday, a Ukrainian diplomat suggested key parliamentary factionsincluding those in Scholzs own SPD partyhave reached a consensus in support of transferring some of Germanys KEPD-350 Taurus stealth cruise missiles to Ukraine to aid in its struggle against invading Russian forces. Ukraine first formally requested the air-launched German-Swedish weapon in May. Until now, the administration of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has opposed giving long-range strike weapons to Ukraine on the grounds they could be used to strike targets deep inside Russian territory, potentially leading to dangerous escalation. One MP from the SPD, Andreas Schwarz, is public in his support for Taurus. And the MP speaking on behalf of the SPDs foreign-policy group, Nils Schmid, said he wouldnt rule out the possibility on condition such transfers were in concert with the United States. But such a transfer would be Scholzs decision to make with council from the Ministry of Defenseand he and defense minister Boris Pistorius have yet to indicate a change in their policy. Only last week, Pistorius stated that the time for us to make a decision has not yet come, and that these weapons were not our top priority. Time will tell whether shifting political winds affect Scholzs stanceand if they do, how soon that change occurs. The KEPD-350 is broadly comparable to the Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG stealth cruise missile developed jointly by the UK and France, which began supplying Storm Shadows to Ukraine in spring and summer, breaking the taboo on long-range weapon transfers. The first official view on the French SCALP EG missile on Ukrainian Su-24 pic.twitter.com/SXEBjNdFWi Special Kherson Cat (@bayraktar_1love) August 6, 2023 Ukraine had given England assurances that it would not attack targets on Russian soil, which leaves eligible areas invaded and occupied by Russia back in 2014-2015 available such as Crimea, and swathes of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Germany would surely condition Taurus transfers on such an assurance, too. Growing support in Berlin for transferring Taurus likely springs from the observation that Storm Shadow/SCALP proved effective for Ukraine, yet didnt result in the dreaded escalation from Russia. Nor did Ukraine use the Western-supplied missiles in controversial ways. Effectively, the bluff was called on Russias deterrent threats. A transfer to Ukraine would result in the first-ever combat use of Taurus, which is currently not in production. Germany claims that it only has 150 Taurus missiles operational out of the 600 received by the Luftwaffe from 2005 to 2010. However, manufacturer Taurus Systems (a two-thirds German, one-third Swedish joint venture) claims that the operational number is closer to 300. Its unclear how many of the remainder could be refurbished back into service, and how quickly that could happen. What Can the Taurus Do? Each aluminum-skinned KEPD-350 Taurus measures 5.1 meters long and weighs just over 1.5 tons (3,100 lb.) Upon launch from an aircraft, fold-out wings, X-shaped maneuvering tail fins, and a powerful American Textron P8300-15 turbofan engine (AKA Williams F122) allow the boxy missile to cruise to target at 460 to 690 miles per hour, out to a range of 310 miles. Handout - Getty Images A laptop-based mission planning system programs a Taurus missiles flight path and target reference images pre-mission, making it relatively easy to bolt-on the large weapon to Soviet Su-24M bombers Ukraine has already adapted to deliver Storm Shadow missiles. Upon being launched, a Tauruss Tri-tech navigation system fuses multiple sensors and reference libraries to continually track its position and correct its course. Those include a ground-scanning infrared-imaging sensor, an on-board terrain map library for image-matching navigation, a laser-gyroscope built by Northrop-Grumman for inertial tracking, a radar altimeter for terrain-reference navigation, and a 12-channel jam-resistant GPS receiver. This allows Taurus to execute precision strikes even when GPS signals are being jammed, as Russia is doing with increasing frequency to reduce accuracy of GPS-guided rockets given to Ukraine. ILA-Boy/CCA-SA3 - Wikimedia Commons A KEPD-350 can approach its target using one of five attack modes: low-altitude approach at 100 feet that pops up to high altitude, another pop-up mode at a shallower altitude, a dive attack from high altitude, an air-bursting surface-skimming overflight, or an even shallower trajectory approach for entering cavern-like structure or hangars built into mountains/cliff sides. For the typical pop-up attack, a Taurus missile lunges upward on the final approach, giving the IR-imaging sensor in Tauruss nose a better vantage to search below for a structure matching a 3D model of its pre-assigned target. Once identified, the missile dives at 90 degrees towards the targets roof. If the missile cant find its target, its programmed to crash somewhere it wont cause collateral damage. KEPD stands for Kinetic Energy Penetrator and Destroyerhinting at its two-stage MEPHISTO warhead, which weighs 1,090 pounds and is equipped with two laser rangefinders. Moments before impact, the missile releases a precursor shaped charge weighing 220 pounds that blasts a hole in a hardened structure or underground bunker. That allows the larger 7.5-foot-long 880-pound penetrator to drop inside. Thanks to its PIMPF void-sensing smart fuse, the penetrator itself can be programmed to explode after having pierced through, say, a certain number of floors in an underground facility. So, Taurus spells very bad news for personnel and weapons sensibly sheltered in underground bunkers to protect against such strikes. It can also use a two-way datalink to allow for remote control by an operator while it transmits back video imagery. That could enable the missiles use against moving targets, such as ships or ground vehicle columns, as well as a reconnaissance role for battle damage assessments before the weapon hits its target. Taurus Versus Storm Shadow Taurus and Storm Shadow share many similar capabilities, including a stealthy radar cross-section that greatly reduces the attrition caused by enemy air defenses. The Tauruss MEPHISTO warhead may be more effective at piercing and shattering bridge spans. Ukraine has frequently targeted bridges with its Storm Shadow missiles with mixed results. I might be going against the grain with this one, but I am not yet convinced by Ukraine's approach to bridge-busting, which is an extremely challenging endeavor. This is because bridges are stury structures that can withstand multiple hits, even from 2,000 pound bombs. 1/ pic.twitter.com/iqbenGNcZL Fabian Hoffmann (@FRHoffmann1) August 6, 2023 But the biggest difference is range, thanks to Tauruss more powerful and fuel-efficient turbofan engine. Storm Shadow officially has a range of 155 miles, though other sources hint that the actual figure may be more like 250 or 350 miles. While the range of Storm Shadows given to Ukraine remains unclear, export Storm Shadows typically are constrained to the lowest figure. Meanwhile, Taurus has a range in excess of 310 milesby some accounts, it may be as high as 430 miles. This would make it easy to comprehensively hit Russian bases across Crimea and eastern Ukraine, and allow Ukrainian Su-24s to launch further back in Ukrainian controlled airspace for their own safety. Of course, that could enable strikes deeper into Russian territory including central Moscow. However, Ukraine has understandably held to promises not to use Western weapons for strikes on Russian soil, given its hopes to continue receiving such arms. Germany could also impose locks on missiles pre-delivery to block targeting beyond Ukraines border. A Taurus-M model can also carry alternative payloads. It can dispense multiple 35-pound STABO rocket-propelled bombs designed to shatter concrete runways, or SMArt 155 parachute-deploying anti-tank bomblets which scan for armored vehicles below using an radar and infrared sensors. The latter are already deployed in combat by Ukrainian artillery. Ok, I told you about the good news an hour ago. Here is the confirmation video: 2 russian tanks were destroyed 1 SMArt round Coordinates 49.213183, 38.179750 - courtesy of @DefMon3 https://t.co/Vgceht3AK9 26th Brigade pic.twitter.com/NmFp8b2IsC Constantine (@Teoyaomiquu) April 13, 2023 Origins of the Taurus Germany began developing Taurus in the mid-1990s after a failed attempted cooperation over Frances Apache anti-runway missile, which evolved into the French-British Storm Shadow. Taurus was intended for compatibility with the DWS-24 (renamed DWS-39) weapon dispenser that Germany developed with Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors for its Tornado IDS strike jets. After a relatively rapid multinational testing process, Germany procured 600 Taurus missiles for 570 million (roughly $684 million USD in the exchange rates of the day), implying a rough unit cost of about $1.1 million apiece and including whatever extras were bundled in the deal. These were delivered between 2005 and 2010, and integrated both on Luftwaffe Tornados and newer 4.5-generation Eurofighter Typhoon jets. AFP Contributor - Getty Images Sweden also successfully integrated Taurus onto its JAS-39 Gripen jets, but didnt order any. But Taurus did score a couple export clients. Spain bought 43 Tauruses for its FA-18 Hornet jets for 57 million, while South Korea purchased 260 of a version called the KEPD-350K with a variant GPS receiver and anti-jamming system. Mounted on South Koreas customized F-15K Slam Eagle fighter bombers, the Taurus actually plays a critical role in Seouls kill chain defense strategy designed to destroy North Korean command-and-control of dug-in nuclear and conventional missile forces as rapidly as possible in the event of a war. South Korea and Germany are also working on a smaller-size KEPD-350K2 variant that could be carried on the formers FA-50 Golden Eagle light fighter jets. Taurus Systems has proposed a few variant Taurus missiles, including models designed to launch from the open rear ramp of cargo aircraft (Taurus T), or surface-launched from containers that could be plonked onto trucks or ships (Taurus CL). A mysterious Modular Payload model was possibly intended for electronic warfare or microwave-weapon payloads (Taurus MP or HPM). Theres also a reduced-mass variant (KEPD-150 Taurus-L) with smaller fuel supply and warhead, and a proposed anti-ship model. Taurus's Potential Impact on Russia's War in Ukraine Should Scholz supply Taurus missiles to Ukraine, the most important impact would simply be expanding Ukraines long-range cruise missile stockpile, which it must use very selectively given limited quantities built. According to Fabian Hoffmanan expert on missile technology at the University of OsloUkraines Storm Shadow/SCALP inventory will likely peter out between October of 2023 and January of 2024, depending on how many France and England donated. Depending on how many Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG ALCMs has received, and assuming Ukraine maintains its current rate of consumption of about 75 missiles per month, it will run out of long-range strike capabilities somewhere between October 2023 and January 2024. 1/ pic.twitter.com/BoZxt9eHwO Fabian Hoffmann (@FRHoffmann1) August 7, 2023 Thus, donating Taurus would result in a greater ability for Ukraine to sustain or even intensify deep strikes to degrade Russian logistics, command, and control in support of Ukraines slow-moving counter offensive. That said, Tauruss expanded range also would improve Ukraines strike options across Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk, making it impossible for Russia to keep depots and command posts out of range while on occupied soil. It could facilitate attacks on Russian ships deeper into the Black Sea, and enable hard-working Su-24M bombers of Ukraines 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade to stage from bases and launch their weapons further back from Russian fighter patrols and ground-based missiles. Russia has repeatedly tried and failed to destroy those Su-24s on the ground. Meanwhile, Germany may consider refurbishing its hundreds of non-operational Taurus missiles, and restarting production to replenish and enlarge its inventory as well as sustain any it may give to Ukraine. Hoffman notes that the idea of a second Taurus order has been raised, but that restarting production would take one or two years. Thats why the best time to start preparations for renewed production was yesterday and the second-best time is today. You Might Also Like The Susan B. Anthony List (SBA), an anti-abortion rights group, railed against Ohios rejection of a constitutional amendment at the center of the abortion rights battle in the state. Ohio voters Tuesday rejected a ballot measure, known as Issue 1, that would have raised the threshold for changing the states constitution from a simple majority to a 60 percent supermajority. Abortion advocates were against the proposal, arguing it wouldve made it more difficult to pass a separate ballot measure in November that would enshrine abortion rights in the states constitution. It is a sad day for Ohio and a warning for pro-life states across the nation, a statement from SBA read Tuesday night. Millions of dollars and liberal dark money flooded Ohio to ensure they have a path to buy their extreme policies in a pro-life state. Tragically, some sat on the sideline while outsider liberal groups poured millions into Ohio. The statement claims progressives funneled millions from outside groups to mislead the people of Ohio. Campaign finance data shows the push against Issue 1, called One person One Vote, raised nearly 85 percent of its $14.8 million in contributions from outside Ohio. Several of the largest donations came from so-called dark money groups who are not legally obligated to disclose their donors, including progressive Sixteen Thirty Fund, based in Washington, D.C., and the Tides Foundation, a social justice group based in California. Protect Our Constitution, the committee in support of Issue 1, also received contributions from outside of Ohio. Billionaire Illinois business owner Richard Uihlein contributed $4 million of the committees nearly $4.9 million. Travis Ridout, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, previously told The Associated Press it is increasingly common to see out-of-state money in state-level races, especially in polarizing issues like abortion. The SBA said in its statement that a coalition of pro-life Ohio residents attempted to fight parent rights opponents, but the silence of the establishment and business community in Ohio left a vacuum too large to overcome. The organization argued that attacks on state constitutions are the national playbook of the extreme pro-abortion Left. So long as the Republicans and their supporters take the ostrich strategy and bury their heads in the sand, they will lose again and again, the statement continued. In November, Ohio voters will decide on the ballot measure that would establish a fundamental right to reproductive freedom with reasonable limits. Akin to the standard once set under Roe v. Wade, the amendment would allow abortion up to the point when a fetus can survive outside of the womb, usually around 24 weeks into a pregnancy. The proposed amendment states that every individual has a right to make and carry out ones own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing ones pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion. The Associated Press contributed. This story was updated on Aug. 9 at 12:45 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The man who was arrested in Germany earlier this year and initially faced charges in connection with the sexual assaults of two Sacramento State students pleaded no contest to physically assaulting them and will be sentenced to prison later this month, according to the Sacramento County District Attorneys Office. Nida Muhammad Niazy, 32, appeared in Sacramento County Superior Court on July 28 and entered the plea to assault, while charges of sexual assault including a count of rape were dismissed in a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, according to Sacramento County Chief Deputy District Attorney Dawn Bladet. The defendant pleaded no contest to assault using force likely to produce great bodily injury, Bladet said Tuesday in an emailed statement to The Sacramento Bee. A second count of assault was waived on conditions of restitution and a stay away/no contact agreement with the victim. The charges carry a two-year state prison sentence, Bladet said. Niazy was wanted by Sacramento State police in connection with two separate incidents of sexual assault: one on Aug. 21, 2022, near campus; and the second Sept. 18, 2022, on campus, according to Sacramento State Police Chief Chet Madison. Authorities said Niazy left the country Nov. 5 when he boarded a commercial flight from San Francisco to Switzerland. The FBI obtained a warrant for Niazys arrest shortly afterward, in December, officials said. The suspect was found in February in Germany by local law enforcement with assistance from FBI and Interpol agents. Niazy was originally arrested on multiple felony charges including intent to commit rape, assault by means of force and rape by means of force, according to the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office. Law enforcement announced Niazys arrest in February; he was extradited and booked into jail in Sacramento in late May, jail records show. Niazy is scheduled to appear in Sacramento Superior Court on Aug. 25 for his sentencing hearing, Bladet said, where he faces a sentence of two years in prison. He is currently held in the Sacramento County Main Jail without bail. Police are searching for a suspect they say stole a car at knifepoint in Bostons downtown area Tuesday morning. Officers responding to the area of 37 Merrimac Street around 10:28 a.m. found a victim who had reportedly been threatened with a knife in a carjacking incident, according to Boston Police. The suspect is described as a white man between 30 and 40 years of age with facial hair wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with a large white Under Armor logo on the chest, blue jeans, black and gray sneakers carrying a black backpack. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police. 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 murder suspect caught on camera shooting an ex-con romantic rival to death in a Staten Island deli three years ago has been nabbed in South Carolina, cops said Wednesday. Abdul Olasupo, 26, is charged with murder, manslaughter, attempted murder and reckless endangerment for the July 22, 2020, slaying of 25-year-old Kaseem Scott at the Holland Deli in Arlington. The two men were in an ongoing argument over a woman when the shooting took place, a police source said. Olasupo is also accused of nearly killing a woman in the store an innocent bystander who had the misfortune of getting between Olasupo and Scott. After a three-year manhunt, members of the NYPD Regional Fugitive Task Force found Olasupo hiding out in South Carolina, cops said. Task Force members apprehended Olasupo in mid-July, cops said. A South Carolina judge ordered him extradited back to New York earlier this week to face charges. The killer was in the Holland Deli on Richmond Terrace near Holland Ave. at about 9:30 p.m. when he pulled a gun and shot Scott, surveillance video recovered from the store shows. The suspect lived down the block from the deli at the time, and his victim lived around the corner, police said. Surveillance video recovered from the store shows the killer, whos wearing a surgical mask, brush past a woman in blue as she reaches for a roll of paper towels on top of a refrigerator. When Scott walks into the killers aisle, the gunman swivels around and fires a single shot. The panicked woman ducks to the ground and the blast breaks the glass refrigerator door, the video shows. Scott was struck in the chest. He was rushed to Richmond University Medical Center, where he died. Detectives quickly identified Olasupo as the shooter, but he had already fled the city, cops said. Scott had just gotten out of prison a week before his death, after he was conditionally released on parole in a gun possession case, cops said. Scott survived a February 2017 shooting at Touch Gentlemens Club on Victory Blvd. but was arrested after police found a gun in his home. He told police he got the gun for his protection, according to a law enforcement source, and pleaded guilty to a gun possession charge that December in exchange for four years behind bars. Olasupo was ordered held without bail when he was arraigned in Staten Island Criminal Court Wednesday afternoon. With Liam Quigley The Florida state attorney suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday was defiant in her response, saying his move was purely political and represents a loss of democracy. If we are mourning anything this morning, it is the loss of democracy, Monique Worrell said Wednesday. I am your duly elected state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit, and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that. This is simply a smokescreen for Ron DeSantis failing and disastrous presidential campaign, she added. Worrell was elected to the 9th Judicial Circuit which includes Orlando in 2020. A career judicial reform advocate and former law professor, she ran on a platform of ending cash bail and increasing police accountability. This is an outrage. Three years ago I was elected by the people of the 9th Judicial Circuit to lead this circuit, and yes, to do things unconventionally, to do things differently, she said. I did exactly what I said I was going to do and that is what you want from an elected official. DeSantis suspended Worrell over neglect of duty and incompetence, he announced Wednesday morning, saying she was too lenient and declined to charge for some crimes. Prosecutors have a duty to faithfully enforce the law, DeSantis said. Ones political agenda cannot trump this solemn duty. Refusing to faithfully enforce the laws of Florida puts our communities in danger and victimizes innocent Floridians. Worrell argued that DeSantis suspension the second time he has suspended a state attorney was improper and did not follow procedure. Usually, suspension is reserved for the most extreme circumstances, including a state attorney being charged with a crime or not being able to work. But under this tyranny, elected officials can be removed simply for political purposes and by a whim of the Governor, she said. No matter how you feel about me, you should not be okay with that. DeSantis suspended state attorney Andrew Warren last August after he said he would not enforce the states bans on abortion and transgender surgeries. Warren, whose judicial circuit included Tampa, plans to run for reelection in 2024 after a court tossed out his attempt to challenge the suspension. He said DeSantis was acting like a bully in suspending Worrell. Another illegal and unconstitutional attack on democracy by a small, scared man who is desperate to save his political career. He wants to be a bully, but hes actually a coward who has repeatedly violated the rule of law and the will of the voters to cover up his own weakness, Warren said on X, formerly called Twitter. DeSantiss move has also outraged Florida Democrats, including first-term Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), who represents Worrells circuit in Congress, harshly denounced DeSantis. WE WILL NOT stand for this blatant abuse of power and fascism in our state. Its a sad day in Orange County & Florida, Frost said on X. Over 60% of voters in Orange/Osceola County voted Monique Worrell for State Attorney, then Gov DeSantis removes her from office. Fascist Gov DeSantis hates Democracy, he added. The suspension will also have a significant impact on Worrells family, she said. Unlike law enforcement officers, suspended state attorneys do not get paid or receive benefits while on suspension. My husband and I work to support our three children. A substantial portion of that support has now been stripped away as a result of political gamesmanship, Worrell said. This should not happen in a democracy. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) Six personnel of the Navotas police were relieved from their posts and now face homicide complaints after they fatally shot a 17-year-old boy who they thought was the suspect they were hunting down. Speaking to CNN Philippines' Balitaan on Wednesday, Navotas City police chief Col. Allan Umipig said administrative complaints were also filed against the involved police officers, who are currently detained. Jeraldine Tolentino, sister of the victim Jemboy Baltazar, also confirmed they have filed homicide complaints against the six law enforcers before the Navotas prosecutor's office. Umipig said Baltazar's death appeared to be a "case of mistaken identity." The official said the shooting happened on Aug. 2 in Brgy. NBBS Kaunlaran, Navotas City during the police's search for a wanted suspect. Authorities immediately proceeded to the location upon receiving information that the suspect was hiding in a boat there. They then discovered that there was a boat with two people inside, one of whom was Baltazar. "'Yung isa po ay nag-stay lang po doon sa bangka at itong biktima po, dahil siguro sa takot, ay tumalon po sa tubig. At ito naman pong mga pulis na involved na anim ay nagpaputok po," Umipig said. [Translation: The other one stayed inside the boat while the victim, maybe because of fear, jumped into the water. And the six policemen involved opened fire.] The police officers claimed what they fired were warning shots aimed at the water, Umpig said. They also didn't know that the victim jumped into the water, he added. Baltazar's siblings said the bullet went through his head then to his nose. The guns used during the incident were confiscated and will go through ballistic examination to determine who shot the victim, police added. In a statement, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas condemned the fatal shooting of the minor, noting that it is "a harsh reminder of how the Philippine National Police brutally killed Kian Delos Santos in 2017 under the Duterte administration's war on drugs." "It is appalling that young lives are being cut short due to the trigger-happy actions of law enforcement officers. This shoot-first-ask-questions-later attitude is a manifestation of the culture of impunity in the country which continues to intensify under the Marcos Jr. administration," she added. Brosas called for accountability and justice for Baltazar's death. CNN Philippines correspondent Kaithreen Cruz contributed to this report. For hundreds of Beaufort County residents, a trip to the drugstore was synonymous with the bright, bubbly smile of Jillian Angner, an honorary member of her second family at Blufftons Ulmer Family Pharmacy. Angner died Saturday at age 25, five months after a vicious Okatie shooting put her in critical condition. She leaves behind her 6-year-old son, Aiden. We will miss her smile and her daily dedication to help our business grow, pharmacy co-owners Cindy and Cathy Ulmer announced via Facebook on Tuesday. She loved helping people and taking care of them. We would not be the business we are today without her. She will forever be a part of the Ulmer familly. Born in New Jersey in 1998, Angner later moved to the Lowcountry and graduated from Bluffton High School. After obtaining her license, she began work as a pharmacy technician at the Ulmer Family Pharmacy. Angner was driving her son to school the morning of March 2 along Okaties Harrison Island Road when sudden gunfire struck the car, leaving the woman with multiple gunshot wounds and in critical condition. She was taken to a Savannah area hospital, where she fought her hardest for five months before being taken off life support, her family said. Her son was not injured during the shooting. Just one week after the incident, Beaufort County deputies arrested 28-year-old Bluffton resident John Shea, who had dated Angner for a short time in 2022, charging him with two counts of attempted murder in connection with the shooting. He was denied bond in late June and remains in custody at the Beaufort County jail, records show. Jillian Angner was driving her 6-year-old son Aiden to school in Okatie the morning of March 2 when she was shot multiple times, leaving her in critical condition. In the wake of Angners death, one count of attempted murder could be upgraded to a murder charge for Shea. The 14th Circuit Solicitors Office has not yet made a decision but will proceed according to the cases new developments and new evidence, spokesperson Jeff Kidd told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette on Wednesday. Angners visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Sauls Funeral Home in Bluffton, followed by a funeral mass at 11 a.m. Saturday at Hilton Heads St. Francis by the Sea Catholic Church, according to her obituary. Jillian Angner worked as a pharmacy technician at Ulmer Family Pharmacy in Bluffton, where she quickly found a second family among the Ulmers. Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaks during an interview with Sky News Arabia in Damascus DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday tamped down expectations for his country's renewed ties with the Arab world, in his first televised interview since Damascus's membership of the Arab League was restored in May. In comments to Sky News Arabia in Damascus aired on Wednesday, Assad also said a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan could not happen due to a dispute over the withdrawal of Ankara's troops from rebel-held northwest Syria. Assad, 57, had been widely isolated over his crackdown on demonstrations that erupted against him in 2011 but the deadly earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey in February fast-tracked a resumption of ties with the Arab world and with Ankara. On Wednesday, Assad appeared to lower expectations for both tracks, including a summit with Erdogan. "Our goal is (Turkey's) withdrawal from Syrian territory, while Erdogan's goal is to legitimise the presence of Turkey's occupation in Syria," Assad said. "Therefore, the meeting cannot take place under Erdogan's conditions." "Why would Erdogan and I meet? To drink beverages?" 'ILLOGICAL' ACCUSATIONS Assad won a warm welcome at the Arab League's summit in Jeddah in May, where he also held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Asked what he expected from the Arab world, Assad said, "I cannot expect, I can hope," adding that it was "unrealistic to expect that... these relationships, which began to look closer to normal, would lead to economic results within months." Syria's economy is in dire straits following the collapse of the local currency to all-time lows, tightening sanctions, the financial meltdown of neighbouring Lebanon and the loss of many of its oil-producing regions in the northeast. Assad said the worsening living conditions had discouraged displaced Syrians - who number in the millions - from returning to their homeland. Arab states have pressured Syria to rein in what they say is a flourishing drug trade - particularly the amphetamine-like drug captagon - in exchange for closer relations. Assad said it was "illogical" to accuse the Syrian state of involvement in drug smuggling, adding that his country had a "shared interest" with Arab states in fighting it. Top Syrian officials - including Assad's brother Maher - have faced a new spate of sanctions in recent months from the United States and European Union over their alleged involvement in drug smuggling. Those measures have added to the Caesar Act of 2020, seen as the toughest and widest round of sanctions on Syria yet. "The Caesar Act is an obstacle, no doubt, but we managed in numerous ways to bypass this law," Assad said. He said Syria had been in "intermittent" talks with the United States but that he did not expect any results from them. He did not mention Austin Tice, the U.S. journalist who disappeared while reporting in Syria a decade ago. Washington is in talks with Damascus over his fate. (Reporting by Laila Bassam, Maya Gebeily and Kinda Makieh; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Gareth Jones) TAIPEI (Reuters) - Ten Chinese air force aircraft entered Taiwan's air defence zone on Wednesday accompanying five Chinese warships engaged in "combat readiness" patrols, the island's defence ministry said, the second such incursion this week. Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, has repeatedly complained of Chinese military activity near it over the past three years, as Beijing steps up pressure to try to force the island to accept its sovereignty. Taiwan's defence ministry said that starting at around 9 a.m. (0100 GMT), it detected a total of 25 Chinese aircraft engaging in operations out at sea, including J-10 and J-16 fighters, as well as H-6 bombers. Of those aircraft, the ministry said 10 had either crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides, or entered the southwestern part of Taiwan's air defence identification zone, or ADIZ. Those aircraft were acting in coordination with five Chinese warships engaging in "combat readiness" patrols, it said. Taiwan's military dispatched ships and aircraft to keep watch, the ministry said. The ADIZ is a broad area Taiwan monitors and patrols to give its forces more time to respond to threats, and Chinese aircraft have not entered territorial Taiwanese air space. On Sunday, Taiwan reported a similar level of activity by Chinese warplanes and warships near the island. China staged war games around Taiwan in April after President Tsai Ing-wen returned home from a visit to the United States where she met U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Last August, it also held war games around Taiwan to protest against a trip to Taipei by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Taiwan Vice President William Lai leaves for the United States this week on his way to Paraguay on what is officially only a transit but which has angered China. It was China's "priority" to stop Lai from visiting the United States, Beijing's ambassador to the U.S. said last month. Taiwan's democratically elected government rejects China's sovereignty claim and says only the island's people can decide their future. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard) History buffs can journey back in time when the tall ship San Salvador returns to Morro Bay this week. The San Salvador sailed into Morro Bay Harbor on Tuesday. The ship will remain docked at South T Pier off Embarcadero for nearly two weeks as part of the Pacific Heritage Tour presented by the Maritime Museum of San Diego and hosted by the Morro Bay Maritime Museum, according to an event website The multi-masted galleon is a full-scale replica of the vessel used by explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who became the first European to explore present-day California in the 16th century. Visitors are invited to discover the captivating stories of exploration and early encounters with the native Salinan Tribal Members who fished Morro Bays Pacific Coast in 1542, the event site said. Dockside tours of the San Salvador are available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Aug. 20. Admission is $12, or $10 for seniors and active military service members and $8 for children ages 4 to 17. Kids 3 and under are free. For more information, or to buy tickets, go to my805tix.com/e/sansalvador. Twenty-five packages of cocaine were found in the Atlantic Ocean by Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Caster in late July while she was on a fishing trip with her family. Photo courtesy of Chief Border Patrol Agent, Miami Sector, Walter N. Slosar Aug. 8 (UPI) -- While on a fishing trip with her family in late July, Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor reeled in a big catch -- about 70 pounds of cocaine valued at some $1.1 million dollars. The seizure occurred July 23, with the chief border patrol agent of the Miami Sector, Walter Slosar, saying in a statement at the time that his agents recovered the narcotics concealed in bricks wrapped in what appears to have been cellophane and adorned with a picture of a pink and blue butterfly. He said the drugs were "discovered by a recreational boater" in the Florida Keys. That "recreational boater" has now been revealed to be Castor. "Mayor Jane Castor is never off duty," the City of Tampa said in a Monday statement on Facebook. Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor discovered a bag containing $1.1 million worth of cocaine last month in the Atlantic Ocean while on a fishing trip with her family. Photo courtesy of City of Tampa Bay/Website The mayor told the Tampa Bay Times that the drugs were found in a package adrift in the Atlantic Ocean as she and other family members were fishing for mahi-mahi from a boat. While other family members were perplexed by the package bobbing in the ocean, Castor -- who spent 31 years in the Tampa Police Department including as its first woman chief -- said she knew what it was. They hauled the package aboard their vessel and Castor marked the location on her watch before heading back to their rental property as she called the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the mayor told the local newspaper. Border Patrol agents then took possession of the package, which contained 25 bricks of cocaine, according to the federal law enforcement agency, CNN reported. "We appreciate the ongoing support from our boating community. Thanks to the efforts of this Good Samaritan, 70 pounds of cocaine are in federal custody and off our streets. We encourage the community to immediately report suspicious activity to local authorities," Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Adam Hoffner said. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor discovered 70 pounds of cocaine while fishing with her family in the Florida Keys. Tampa mayor Jane Castor was fishing off the Florida Keys with her family when she reeled in something unexpected 70 pounds of cocaine. While out on the boat in late July, Castor's brother saw what he thought was debris in the water, WTVT-TV in Tampa reported. "Thought it was shade as opposed to something shady, right?" Castor told the station this week. 'That would be a bail of cocaine' The Castor family hauled the heavy package onto the boat and discovered a split in the wrapping that revealed individual packages, according to the Tampa Bay Times. "Closer we got, I was like, 'Oh, that would be a bail of cocaine,'" Castor told WTVT. Castor later told the Tampa Bay Times that she saved the location of the discovery on her watch and headed back to the family's vacation rental. When she got cell service again, Castor called the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. The family lugged the packages onto the dock and waited for them to arrive. Walter Slosar, chief patrol agent with the Border Patrol's Miami sector, posted a picture of the cocaine on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Slosar said the drugs have an estimated street value of $1.1 million. Over the weekend, Border Patrol agents in the Miami Sector seized 70 lbs. of cocaine that was discovered by a recreational boater in the #FloridaKeys. The drugs have an estimated street value of approx. $1.1 million dollars. #miami #florida #drugbust #Mondaymorning pic.twitter.com/etaiuwXrcK Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar (@USBPChiefMIP) July 24, 2023 SWORD IN THE... SAND?: What to do if you find a weapon or artifact on a Florida beach Law enforcement background Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that the mayor made a drug bust of sorts. Before her current job, Castor spent 31 years with the Tampa Police Department. She was the city's first female police chief when she got the job in October 2009, according to the mayor's website. Castor served in that role for six years and spent about eight years working in narcotics with the department, according to the Tampa Bay Times. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tampa mayor Jane Castor finds 70 pounds of cocaine off Florida Keys FILE PHOTO: A Target shopping cart is seen in front of a store logo in Azusa By Jody Godoy (Reuters) - A conservative legal organization sued Target on Tuesday on behalf of an investor, saying the retailer misrepresented the adequacy of its risk monitoring when customer backlash over LGBTQ-themed merchandise caught it by surprise. America First Legal filed the lawsuit in Florida federal court on behalf of investor Brian Craig against Target, chief executive Brian Cornell and the company's board of directors. America First is a nonprofit group headed by Stephen Miller, a former adviser to ex-President Donald Trump. The lawsuit is the latest in a legal battle in which conservative legal groups and Republican legislators are challenging corporations that have enacted policies on social issues such as race and gender. A spokesperson for Target did not immediately reply to requests for comment on Tuesday. Craig claimed Target's board misstated its oversight of "social and political risks" to the company, focusing on the wishes of progressive activist investors and failing to account for potential backlash from customers. In May, Target pulled some LGBTQ-themed merchandise linked to Pride Month, citing increased confrontations between shoppers and employees and incidents of products being thrown on the floor. Craig, who owns 216 Target shares, said the board falsely said it monitored social and political risk while focusing only on the risks associated with not achieving its ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals. The board "misrepresented its oversight because the board monitored only one side," Craig said in the lawsuit. Craig seeks damages for the decline in Target's share price caused by the consumer reaction and for a judge to rule the company violated U.S. securities laws. The case is Craig v. Target Corp. et al., No. 23-00599, U.S. District Court, Middle District Of Florida. (Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) By the time Tarpon Springs city commissioners were to vote Tuesday on how to proceed with two finalists for city manager, they had the candidates applications and resumes for less than a week. Commissioners had interviewed the finalists three days earlier, first in private and then in a public meeting. But they did not receive the resumes of the other roughly 20 applicants cut by a search firm until Tuesday morning, a day after Commissioner Panagiotis Koulias requested them. With a majority of commissioners unhappy with the finalists or the process, the commission voted unanimously Tuesday to postpone the search for six months, leaving longtime City Manager Mark LeCouris in the position. But Koulias and Commissioner John Koulianos went further, accusing Mayor Costa Vatikiotis of steering a flawed recruitment process toward his preferred candidate in his role as the liaison between the commission and the search firm. The bottom line is not only have we rushed the process, but the feeling out there is weve been funneled to one candidate, Koulias said. Vatikiotis denies he steered the process in any way. But the dramatic accusations and fumbled city manager search reflect a commission that has fractured since the majority of its members were elected in unity in March 2022. In April, Koulias demanded Commissioner Mike Eisner resign for a series of allegations, including that Eisner used his wife to relay information to other commissioners, which Eisner denies. Eisner responded by filing a complaint against Koulias with the Florida Commission on Ethics for a variety of grievances, including that Koulias called me a nobody. The state later dismissed the complaint. Our reputation is rotten in the county and Im embarrassed, former Mayor Anita Protos told the commission Tuesday. On Monday, the day before the commission was scheduled to vote on the city manager finalists, Vatikiotis wrote his colleagues a memo outlining motions that could be made to move forward with either finalist Fort Myers Assistant City Manager John Lege or former Huntsville, Texas, Deputy City Manager Rick Rudometkin. But Koulianos said it was lined up toward Lege because Vatikotis had already touted Lege to people in the community, leaving Rudometkin without a chance because of all the backdoor gossiping. This is influence in every way to get a vote done and get it done fast, Koulias said of the memo. Eisner said either finalist would be a fit for the city. Commissioner Craig Lunt said he wasnt satisfied with either candidate. But Koulianos questioned how Lege could have been a finalist at all, compared to a seasoned administrator like LeCouris, when Lege has never served as a city manager. I dont want to be directed, Koulianos said. Im not a pawn on a chessboard. The push to advance a search for a new city manager accelerated during the 2022 campaign, when Vatikiotis, Koulias, Eisner and Lunt backed the concept for new administration. But the new commissioners did not push the issue immediately once in office. Vatikiotis on Wednesday said that was because there was unfinished business the city had to sort out before a search process could begin. But Koulianos suggested the reason was because the mayor agreed for LeCouris to stay an extra year if he kept his head down and was a good boy. LeCouris declined to comment. From the dais, Koulianos stressed it is known that LeCouris wants to remain city manager. When he asked LeCouris in private talks why he hasnt spoken up during the search for his replacement to say he doesnt want to retire yet, Koulianos said LeCouris responded: I made a deal, Ive got to stick to it. On Tuesday, residents lined up to support LeCouris, saying he should not be pushed out prematurely after he dedicated 45 years to the city as a police officer, police chief and city manager. If you dont want him here, live up to your campaign promises, make a motion, vote and fire him, resident Dean Prodromitis said. If not, stop with all the theatrics. Hes dedicated his whole life to this city and needs to be respected a little bit better. Koulias was the most vocal on the 2022 campaign trail about ousting LeCouris. Although he said he still wants to see new leadership before the end of his term, he said once in office he realized the timeline to find a new city manger was not so urgent. He said the tremendously flawed process that imploded Tuesday showed how important it is to conduct a thorough and transparent search to find the most qualified candidate. Koulianos also said now is not the time to be changing leadership when the city is facing the potential of multiple lawsuits. Former City Attorney Tom Trasks law firm has already sued the city for public records he alleges are being withheld, documents that could show commissioners defamed him during his time with the city. And Morgan Group, a Texas development firm, has said it will pursue a lawsuit if the city does not issue building permits for its planned apartment complex on the Anclote River, a project approved by the previous commission. The city is facing two significant possible lawsuits, big ones, Koulianos said. You guys lit the flames on them with rhetoric and action, and that fire is coming. Joseph Osborne likes to set off his drone to capture pictures and videos when he takes a break from his work as a tattoo artist. Mostly, it's just an opportunity to practice his hobby. But this weekend, he found something interesting. On Saturday, Osborne's drone captured video of lifeguards from Flagler Beach in Florida working to rescue a stranded swimmer. The video shows a group of at least four lifeguards using buoys to reach what appears to be a person on a boogie board who had been pulled out too far by the current. Bystanders looked on from the beach as the lifeguards successfully pulled the swimmer back to shore. Osborne told Fox 35 he was surprised but thrilled to capture the video by chance. "It was definitely a rehearsed thing... with their buoys and their lines, and they use them in unison," he said. "Very impressive. I thought it was very neat." GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts with Premium+ According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water. Currents can move at speeds of up to 8 feet per second. In 2023, 70 people have died in surf zones across the United States as of July 27, according to National Weather Service (NWS) data. Almost all - 65 - of those fatalities have been from rip currents. The U.S. averages about 100 rip current fatalities per year, according to the NWS. The NWS provides the following guidance for swimmers to avoid rip currents: Swim at a lifeguard-protected beach. Never swim alone. Be cautious at all times. If in doubt, don't go out. Stay at least 100 feet away from piers and jetties, as permanent rip currents often exist alongside these structures. Experts advise that if caught in a rip current, it is best to swim parallel to shore until free of its influence. After swimming parallel to the coast for about 50 to 100 yards, a trapped swimmer should begin swimming on an angle, away from the rip current and toward the shore. When swimming parallel to the shore fails to work, The United States Lifesaving Association recommends calmly treading water and waiting out the current until it's possible to swim safely back to shore. If around a rip current victim, expert guidance is to get immediate help from a lifeguard or call 911. Throw the victim something that floats - a lifejacket, cooler, inflatable ball or buoy are some examples. Yell instructions on how to escape. Remember, many people drown while trying to save someone else from a rip current. 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. Chicago Cubs' Mike Tauchman hits a solo home run off New York Mets relief pitcher Drew Smith in the eighth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) NEW YORK (AP) With all the talk about the eye-popping numbers Cody Bellinger and the Chicago Cubs are putting up at the plate lately, perhaps Jameson Taillon and their unheralded bullpen are getting a little overlooked. Mike Tauchman hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning and Taillon retired his final 16 batters to win his fourth straight start as the surging Cubs beat the New York Mets 3-2 on Tuesday night. Bellinger also went deep and Yan Gomes had an RBI double for the Cubs, who won for the 16th time in 21 games. They moved within 1 1/2 games of first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central and just ahead of Cincinnati in a crowded wild-card race for the league's final playoff spot. It's really electric, closer Adbert Alzolay said. I feel like, just as a team right now, the chemistry is so good that we just want to be here, we just want to be around each other. Pete Alonso hit an early two-run homer for the sinking Mets that culminated in an amusing back-and-forth trot around the bases because of a replay review. New York has lost seven of eight since trading Justin Verlander and other veterans at last week's deadline. Tauchman also made a tough catch in deep right field to help keep the Mets from scoring in the eighth. Julian Merryweather retired 2022 big league batting champion Jeff McNeil with runners at the corners to end the inning. Alzolay worked a one-hit ninth for his 15th save in 16 tries. He started a 1-6-3 double play on Daniel Vogelbach to close it out. You've just got to be ready for those moments, Alzolay said. When I saw the ball I was like, hell yeah, the ball is here, now we can make a double play and go home. Taillon (7-6) allowed three hits in seven innings and improved to 5-0 with a 2.17 ERA in his past six outings. He struck out seven, walked none and did not permit a baserunner after Omar Narvaez's two-out double in the second. Just the work between starts, I really think I've found a good scouting method, a good note-taking method, Taillon said. With one out in the eighth, Tauchman sent a payoff pitch from Drew Smith (4-4) to left-center for an opposite-field homer that put Chicago in front for the first time. When you get into 3-2 counts which I think we lead baseball in you have to lower your sights a little bit from where youre supposed to throw the ball to certain hitters to get them out, Mets manager Buck Showalter said. Bellinger launched a solo shot off starter Carlos Carrasco in the fourth, adding to his recent tear and extending his hitting streak to 10 games. Gomes tied it with an RBI double in the fifth following a leadoff walk to Christopher Morel. It's been fun, Bellinger said. I think that no matter what happened the previous day, we all come in with a plan. And that's kind of allowed us to have success whether we win or lose the day before. SUZUKI SPEAKS Slumping right fielder Seiya Suzuki, who recently lost his everyday job with the Cubs, spoke with reporters before the game and acknowledged that teammates who are swinging better right now should be in the lineup. He said hes been too hesitant at the plate, but he remains confident and needs to step up and work harder to earn his starting spot back. I think its all about just being more relaxed in the box, Suzuki said through a translator. Its really important just to stay simple, not to think too much. Suzuki is hitting .249 with nine homers, 37 RBIs and a .715 OPS in his second major league season since arriving from Japan and signing an $85 million, five-year contract. Hes batted third, fourth or fifth 73 times for Chicago this season. TRAINERS ROOM Cubs: All-Star RHP Marcus Stroman (right hip inflammation) threw a bullpen. The team hopes Stroman can return from the injured list when eligible Aug. 16. ... RHP Brad Boxberger (strained right forearm) and RHP Ethan Roberts (Tommy John surgery) were scheduled to face hitters at the club's complex in Arizona. Mets: Struggling RF Starling Marte (strained right groin) was examined by a doctor in Philadelphia and felt better after receiving an injection. He'll be cleared for light activity in the next few days, the team said. There's no timeline for Marte's return, but Showalter expects him back this season. ... Right fielder DJ Stewart was scratched with a sore wrist. UP NEXT Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (4-6, 3.98 ERA) pitches Wednesday night in the finale of the three-game series. Hendricks was tagged for a season-high seven runs all in the fourth inning during last Friday's loss to Atlanta at Wrigley Field. He is 4-1 with a 2.62 ERA in six career starts against the Mets. After recovering from a shoulder tear, Hendricks made his season debut May 25 versus the Mets at home and took the loss, allowing five runs (three earned) over 4 1/3 innings. Mets: LHP David Peterson (3-7, 5.65 ERA) has a 2.05 ERA in 10 games, four starts, since returning from Triple-A Syracuse on June 27. The last time he faced the Cubs, he got only one out and was charged with five runs and three walks in a loss at Citi Field in September 2022. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) The country has no plans yet to deploy more Philippine ships in Ayungin Shoal due to a shortage of vessels, according to Armed Forces (AFP) Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr. "Well, right now we don't have any plans of adding more ships that we're going to moor at the Ayungin Shoal," Brawner told CNN Philippines' Politics As Usual on Wednesday. "Not a good plan because definitely we will need all of our ships to be able to sail our seas and we don't have enough ships," he added. Over the weekend, the Chinese Coast Guard used water cannons on Philippine vessels on a mission to resupply troops on board the BRP Sierra Madre. The World War II-era ship was intentionally grounded in Ayungin Shoal in 1999 to serve as the country's military outpost in the West Philippine Sea. READ: Sending supplies to BRP Sierra Madre within PH rights, cannot be meddled with READ: Marcos: Rescind deal with China to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal if it exists WATCH: Matthew Smith - NCA A former teacher at the prep school once attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who paid 65,000 for sexual photos of children as young as seven, has been jailed for 12 years. Matthew Smith was described as a master manipulator for soliciting the images while working at a British school in Nepal. The sinister 35-year-old recruited teenagers in India to groom children and offered to pay their school fees in exchange for sexual images. He was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court, having previously admitted 17 counts of child sex abuse levelled against him. Smith was appointed deputy head of pastoral care at Thomass prep school in Battersea in September last year following five years teaching in Nepal. But in November, he was arrested by the National Crime Agency after investigators discovered he was sharing abuse material on the dark web. At the time of his arrest, Smith was online, speaking to a teenager in India, encouraging him to send sexual images of a younger child for money. Investigators later established that Smith had paid the same teenager and another Indian boy, a total of 65,398 to abuse children over a five-year period. Chat logs showed how he would instruct the men to perform sex acts on boys and then send videos and images in return for payment. He also gave one of them advice on how to befriend children and build their trust with a view to abusing them. Smith had spent a number of years working in schools, orphanages and NGOs across Nepal and India. Investigators recovered 120,000 indecent images of children from Smiths devices as well as evidence he had abused children himself while working in India. Following his arrest, Smith pleaded guilty to the initial offences but last month was charged with a further 17 counts including the rape of a child 13, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and arranging the sexual abuse of a child. Master manipulator Mr Justice Griffith said at the sentencing on Wednesday: You had gone to Chennai in India at the age of 24. You were there for three years then moved to Nepal where you worked at a school until July 2022. [A psychologists report] relates your reason for going to the subcontinent as being your love of the time in Chennai, adventure and holidaying opportunities in the Himalayas. I am afraid your computer shows a much more sinister reason. Helen Dore, Senior Officer of the National Crime Agency (NCA), said: Matthew Smith is a prolific offender and master manipulator, who coerced young men into abusing children on his behalf. He constantly sought out opportunities to gain access to children but was adept at hiding his sexual interest in them. He conducted his offending while working as a teacher and head of pastoral care a deep betrayal of the trust placed in him. Its clear Smith has absolutely no empathy for his victims and the harm he has caused them. He presents a very real and significant risk to children, but this investigation has ensured he will spend a long time in prison. Unforgivable breach of trust None of the charges related to his time at the 20,000-a-year Thomass prep school, which was attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte until the end of the last academic year. A spokesman for Thomass Battersea said: We have been shocked and appalled beyond measure by this matter and are grateful for the work of the police and courts in bringing this man to account. Mr Smiths employment at the school, which commenced in September 2022, was terminated with immediate effect when the school first learned of the charges against him in November. While the National Crime Agency has confirmed that none of the matters under investigation related to the school or its pupils, these deplorable actions constitute an unforgivable breach of trust and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted or damaged by them. As always, we remain absolutely committed to the ongoing safety and well-being of our pupils and our whole school community. 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. Tech companies led multiple revolutions in what office work looks like in this century. Google was the most well-known company to turn its offices into a "campus" with the amenities of a large resort, from free lunch to recreation, all designed to keep employees happily toiling away at the office as long as possible. They were the first to bring back defunct open-office plans that made cubicles and individual offices obsolete, and they took co-working spaces global. Are they now tanking the office as we know it? Or are they starting to claw their workers back from coffee shops and home office spaces, restoring the status quo ante of office work? It depends on who you ask. Conflicting data It's no secret that commercial real estate has been one of the sectors most stung by the Covid-19 pandemic, with national office vacancy rates up all over the country. Some believe there may even be a commercial real estate bubble that could pop and plunge the economy into a 2008-style tailspin. At the forefront of these developments are tech companies, whose meteoric rise in the 2010s helped blunt the overall effects of the Great Recession and drove a tremendous expansion in the commercial real estate sector during that decade. In June, CNN reported that some tech giants, including Google, were implementing measures to get employees back to their offices, roiling workers who had moved or bought houses far from the office with the expectation of indefinite remote work but cheering small business owners and city comptrollers who rely on these workers for revenue. But the debate over remote work long predates pandemic-era shifts in work modalities. Way back in 2013, Yahoo CEO Melissa Mayer ruffled feathers by abolishing the company's work-from-home program. "To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side by side," Mayer said in a memo announcing the move. After all, the idea that the frisson of in-person socializing and collaboration in the office leads to creativity in innovation is deeply ingrained in tech circles. "If you want innovation, then you need interaction," San Francisco State University Management Professor John Sullivan told The New York Times in the wake of Mayer's announcement, citing research suggesting that while remote workers may be more productive, they aren't as innovative. That innovation can be found within or between companies where people work near one another. According to The Wall Street Journal, a 2022 working paper that studied co-working spaces found that "working in such close range allowed for socialization, which in turn led to idea sharing about the types of technology the startups were using as part of their overall tech infrastructure." If innovation is or is perceived by management as crucial to their success, they are likely to continue looking for ways to entice employees to work together. That ethos drove the continued investment by tech firms in office space even in the darkest days of the pandemic. In February 2022, The New York Times reported that "the industry's search for land has been so extensive that it has surged through longtime tech hubs like Silicon Valley and into areas not traditionally known for their tech scenes." Tech giants like Alphabet (Google's parent company) and Apple were so flush with cash that they could "continue constructing offices without worrying about how much money they stand to lose if the buildings become obsolete." Swift contraction But that optimism is increasingly hard to square with developments in some markets, including New York City. In July, Curbed claimed that large tech companies including Kickstarter, Meta, Twitter, Uber and Yelp were reducing or eliminating their office footprints in Manhattan. The New York Times reported that music streaming service Spotify was abandoning 16 floors of World Trade Center 4 and that Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Twitter rival Threads, was pulling out of hundreds of thousands of square feet of Manhattan real estate. Large tech firms have also paused or bailed on real estate developments in cities like Atlanta, where Microsoft retreated from a planned project called Quarry Yards, and Arlington, Virginia, where Amazon has paused a major office expansion. The retreat from office space is affecting Silicon Valley as well, where The Wall Street Journal reported in June that office vacancy rates in San Jose hit 17% (up 6% from before the pandemic) and 25% in San Francisco. Unsurprisingly, those two cities featured the largest percentage of tech jobs as a share of overall employment opportunities before the pandemic. But the largest office vacancy rate in the country right now is in Houston, according to CommercialEdge, meaning that other factors are clearly at play in terms of the health of local commercial real estate markets, including completion of preplanned office projects during and after the pandemic that brought much more capacity online. Throughout the 2010s in the U.S., tech companies overtook the finance sector to become the predominant player in commercial real estate markets. But those offices aren't evenly distributed by city. While smaller metro areas like Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City saw absolute growth in the tech sector throughout the 2010s, the overall trend was for an increased concentration of jobs, and thus office space, in a small number of major cities. The top 10 metro areas for tech jobs accounted for over 47% of job growth in the sector between 2010 and 2018, according to Brookings' Mark Muro, who lamented that the tech economy is "unleashing forces that benefit only a select group of elite regions, often to the detriment of everyone else." Yet the very cities that most benefited from the post-recession tech boom are among those grappling hardest with commercial real estate vacancies. But rising office vacancy rates nationwide make it clear that tech firms aren't the only ones struggling to make sense of the new working landscape. And this remains an almost uniquely American crisis. In Asia and Europe, for example, return-to-office rates have been much higher. A February 2023 missive from The Wall Street Journal noted that in some Asian cities, "more people are in the office nowadays than before the pandemic," a function of shorter commute times, as well as less space for remote work at home than the typical American residence. The bottom line It's unclear whether these developments are permanent or driven by temporary struggles in the technology sector overall, which is undergoing a contraction. Deadline reported in June that 100,000 jobs in tech had been shed by both smaller and larger firms over the past year. That means that even firms that are committed to a future that includes office work are scaling back their footprints, both to accommodate new realities and smaller workforces and to "right-size" their office space for the reality of hybrid work schedules. So while it's clear that there's a tech-driven pullback in the commercial real estate market today, it's far less certain that the retrenchment is permanent. You may also like Homepage UPS said in an earnings call that drivers would make about $170,000 annually in salary and benefits at the end of the five-year contract with its union. Jim Young/Reuters The average UPS driver could get $170,000 in pay and benefits in five years' time in a new contract. Tech workers said the boost could make UPS driver pay competitive with tech salaries. Some tech workers said they felt "underpaid" in comparison while others said UPS drivers had difficult jobs. The average UPS driver could get six-figure pay under a new contract, and tech workers have mixed feelings about it. During an earnings call on Tuesday, UPS CEO Carol Tome said that by the end of its five-year contract with the Teamsters union, the average full-time UPS driver would make about $170,000 in annual pay and benefits, such as healthcare and pension benefits. The comments were made after UPS came to a tentative agreement to head off a potential strike in July with Teamsters, the union that represents about 340,000 UPS delivery drivers and package handlers. The agreement has yet to be officially approved by union members, but the results of a vote on the issue are set to be announced later this month. Some tech workers on social media pointed out the salary boost could make the drivers' salaries more competitive with white-collar employees and big tech workers responded with a mix of ire and appreciation for the union. "This is disappointing, how is possible that a driver makes much more than average Engineer in R&D?" a worker at the autonomous-trucking company TuSimple wrote on Blind, an anonymous job-posting site that verifies users' employment using company emails. "To get a base salary of $170k you know you need to work hard as an Engineer, this sucks." It's important to note that the $170,000 figure represents the entire value of the UPS package, including benefits, and doesn't represent the base salary. UPS drivers currently make an average of about $95,000 a year with an additional $50,000 in benefits, the company says. The average median salary for an engineer in the US is $103,845 with a base pay of about $91,958, Glassdoor indicates. It also indicates that TuSimple research engineers can make between $161,000 to $250,000 in compensation. Other tech workers on Blind expressed a similar level of discontent. Insider didn't independently verify the users' identities. "I'm not demeaning other people but putting into perspective how much it takes for a swe or finance person to make that kind of money!!" a worker at the healthcare-services company Centene wrote in a separate Blind thread. Meanwhile, several workers, including a Meta worker, said that software engineers were "underpaid." The TuSimple worker wrote: "the engineers that created that truck he drives are more important because the impact to society is higher, including providing a tool for work." "$300k in the bay is like $90k in most of the country tho," a Microsoft worker said on Blind. "The drivers are making it in LCOL," they said, referring to low-cost-of-living areas. While some workers on Blind argued that UPS would pay its drivers more than its software engineers, data from Glassdoor indicates software engineers at the company make between $111,000 and $168,000 a figure that is likely to increase in five years' time when the average UPS driver package hits $170,000. 'What they do is important work' UPS drivers are required to be extremely active on the job, are required to lift and organize heavy packages, and have faced issues with working in extreme heat. LM Otero/AP Despite some tech workers' resentment, many workers pointed out UPS drivers work under difficult conditions. "Stop behaving like an elitist!" an Amazon worker wrote on Blind. "Why do you [think] someone driving long haul should make less than an engineer? What they do is important work. How do you think the grocery stores get stocked or your favorite stores? It's these long haul drivers risking their lives driving 12 hour days sometimes in harsh weather." Other people in tech challenged workers to consider what it would be like to take on the demanding role of a driver at UPS. Insider previously reported that UPS drivers were required to be extremely active on the job, lift and organize heavy packages, and have faced issues with working in extreme heat. UPS workers often must work holiday shifts, which are known for being grueling as package volume increases. "I'd love for you to meet my dad who has delivered for UPS for over 35 years, hauls 100s of packages in the 105+ degree Texas heat, is literally Santa Claus in Dec, and does it for 9+ hours a day at 67 yo," the user Claire Vo wrote on X. "Have fun not being allowed to take any PTO between the week of thanksgiving and new years," another worker wrote on Fishbowl. On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the company had an over 50% uptick in the number of people searching for jobs at UPS after the tentative agreement was announced. Though, the publication reported new employees would have to work their way up to the role of UPS driver as the company requires its workers to first put in time working inside its warehouses. Read the original article on Business Insider When a harsh winter storm in Texas left thousands without heat or water in 2021, Senator Ted Cruz packed his bags and headed with his family to the warmer climes of Mexico. He was chided for his actions then. And now, as he went on a Twitter attack on CNN, asking them to move elsewhere, he was reminded of that time he went abroad when things were tough in his home state. On Tuesday, CNN published an article about a family that moved to Italy. The Dawkins family bought a property in Latronico in the southern region of Basilicata, for a just over $45,000 wanting to connect with Ms Nadine Dawkins Italian roots. After hearing my nonnas stories, I always felt a connection to Italy, she told CNN Travel. And then George Floyds murder in 2020 was the final push the family needed to move to a neighborhood within a national park surrounded by hot springs. Basically, police brutality towards Black people, mass shootings from domestic terrorists, and just the overall hate in this country is why we are leaving the USA, Ms Dawkins told CNN Travel. When Mr Cruz saw the article on the social media platform now called X, he pounced on it asking the left leaning media organization to move. If @cnn hates America so much, they are welcome to move elsewhere Mr Cruz said on Twitter. If @cnn hates America so much, they are welcome to move elsewhere. pic.twitter.com/w2TMW99oSX Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) August 8, 2023 However, Cancun Cruz as many referred to him in the backlash that followed his decision to travel to Mexico, was soon reminded of the time he jumped ship and went abroad during the brutal winter storm. Says a man who flees his state for cancun anytime theres a thunderstorm, a Twitter user replied to Mr Cruzs tweet. Says a man who flees his state for cancun anytime there's a thunderstorm JuiceLord (@RvrLrd) August 8, 2023 While another user mocked Mr Cruz saying Strong words for someone that left to Mexico during a state/national crisis. Following the backlash to his trip to Cancun, Mr Cruz booked an earlier return flight, calling his decision to leave the country a mistake. I was trying to be a dad, and all of us have made decisions when youve got two girls who have been cold for two days and havent had heater power, and theyre saying Hey, look we dont have school why dont we go, lets get out of here. I think there are a lot of parents that would be like, Look, if I can do this great. Thats what I wanted to do, he told the TV station KTRK at the time. [But] really from the moment I sat on the plane, I began really second-guessing that decision, and saying Look, I know why were doing this, but Ive also got responsibilities, and it had been my intention to be able to work remotely, to be on the phone, to be on the internet, to be on Zoom, to be engaged, but I needed to be here and thats why I came back, Mr Cruz said. FILE - Two women hug at a memorial at the entrance to The Covenant School on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 unveiled a sweeping list of public safety issues he wants lawmakers to address during an upcoming special session prompted by a shocking Nashville school shooting earlier this year that resulted in the deaths of three children and three adults. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping list of public safety issues he wants lawmakers to address during an upcoming special session prompted by a shocking Nashville school shooting earlier this year that resulted in the deaths of three children and three adults. The proclamation includes 18 different topics the Republican governor wants lawmakers to consider, such as mental health, gun storage and school safety policies. But notably, it allows lawmakers to discuss Lee's proposal to limit dangerous people's access to guns. As our nation faces evolving public safety threats, Tennessee remains vigilant and is taking continued action to protect communities while preserving the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens, Lee said in a statement, adding that he has worked with the General Assembly to identify practical measures to strengthen public safety." Earlier this year, Tennessee's GOP-dominated Statehouse refused to consider tightening the state's relaxed gun laws in the days following a shooter opening fire at The Covenant School, a private elementary school in Nashville. Instead, legislative leaders hustled to adjourn and ignored the pleas from distraught families to enact meaningful change surrounding gun control Despite the Legislature's initial defiance, Lee promised he would convene a special session and stressed that lawmakers needed more time to listen and discuss his proposal. Yet in the weeks since, Lee has remained mum on whether he has enough support for his bill that would keep guns away from people deemed likely to pose a threat to themselves or others. Lee has also maintained his proposal is not a so-called red flag law, which he has described as a toxic political label meant to draw lines in the sand. To date, 19 states have red flag laws on the books many enacted after tragedies. Florida notably did so after the deadly 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Law enforcement officials had received numerous complaints about the 19-year-old gunmans threatening statements prior to shooting and killing 17 students. The laws, which allow courts to issue extreme risk protection orders, are intended to temporarily remove guns usually for up to a year from people showing signs of potentially violent behavior. In many cases, family members or law enforcement must petition a court for an order. GOP leaders and gun rights advocacy groups have encouraged Lee to abandon the special session, and others have publicly declared their resistance to supporting any sort of gun control measure. On the other hand, parents of students at Covenant, gun control advocates and Democratic lawmakers have pushed for firearms restrictions in hopes of preventing another deadly tragedy. Both sides have bought numerous advertisements ahead of the special session, which kicks off Aug. 21. Shortly after Lee released the broad proclamation, Democratic leaders pushed back, saying it falls short. For such a broad call, this proclamation somehow manages to miss the target," Democratic state Rep. John Ray Clemmons said in a statement. "Gov. Lee has again wilted in the face of the legislative supermajority. The winners here are special interests and extremist legislators holding our state hostage. The clear losers are Tennessee families and school children. The fight this spring over whether to change Tennessees gun laws was further heightened when Republicans expelled two young Black lawmakers, both Democrats. Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were expelled over a breach of decorum rules for their protest on the House floor, where they called for the GOP to pass gun control measures after the school shooting. Their white colleague who joined them in protest, Democratic Rep. Gloria Johnson, was spared by a single vote. Jones and Pearson were temporarily appointed back to their seats. After Pearson and Jones won special elections last week, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter Monday to House Speaker Cameron Sexton on Jones behalf seeking confirmation that Jones will be restored to his committee assignments for the special session. Sexton has previously said lawmakers who are appointed arent given committee seats until they are elected. In a statement, Sexton said no committee decisions have been made yet for the Aug. 21 special session, saying he will announce assignments that week. Sexton and other legislative leaders added in a separate statement that they are looking forward to "the opportunity to strengthen public safety and mental health resources without infringing on the rights of law-abiding Tennesseans. Angel Bumpass talks to members of the media with her lawyers Seth Segraves, left, and William Massey, right, after her case was dismissed at the Hamilton County Courts Building in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. (Matt Hamilton/Chattanooga Times Free Press via AP) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) A Tennessee judge dismissed the case against a woman who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in the slaying of a man who was bound with duct tape and robbed when she was 13 years old. Hamilton County Judge Amanda Dunn on Tuesday dismissed the first-degree murder and aggravated robbery convictions of Angel Bumpass, 28, news outlets reported. Bumpass was 24 when she was convicted in 2019 in the slaying of Franklin Bonner, 68. A medical examiner determined he suffocated after being bound to a kitchen table with duct tape covering his feet, arms, nose and mouth in 2009. The case had gone cold until prosecutors reopened it in 2018 and found Bumpass fingerprints matched those taken from the duct tape. A co-defendant, Mallory Vaughn, was acquitted. At trial, the defense had argued that witness testimony was flawed and evidence was weak. Bumpass was granted a new trial by a judge and released from jail in September 2022. She has maintained her innocence and she drew support from those who said her conviction was unjust, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. Bumpass attorney, William Massey, previously told the newspaper that discussions about the case with prosecutors included the results of a polygraph test, which are not allowed in court but were submitted in hopes of showing Bumpass was not involved in Bonners death. Massey submitted a second polygraph result, as requested by District Attorney Coty Wamp. Both results showed Bumpass passed the test, Massey said. Wamp said there is a missing suspect, maybe more, in Bonner's death. We know that there is at least one person responsible for this criminal offense who has not yet been located or identified as a suspect," Wamp said. "It is my opinion that we must refocus our efforts on identifying the individual who did this. Massey, Bumpass' Memphis-based lawyer, said he was not expecting Tuesday's outcome. We were getting ready to go to trial, Massey said outside the courtroom. Bumpass said she is living with her two daughters in Kentucky and is trying to rebuild her life. She thanked her supporters. I feel happy and blessed, Bumpass said. Gov. Bill Lee faces growing opposition from his own allies for his proposed special legislative session to address public safety and gun violence. Elected leaders in Williamson County, his home county, wrote a letter calling on him to cancel the session before it even began. Over the weekend, the executive committee of the Tennessee Republican Party followed suit. But, on Tuesday, Lee did the hard and the right thing to fulfill his commitment and officially call lawmakers back to Nashville on Aug. 21 to debate and hopefully, act on doing something to help make Tennesseans safer. Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns. This is not just about The Covenant School shooting This is not a frivolous call. This is an aggrieved response to the tragedy that befell The Covenant School in Nashville when a mass shooter entered the campus and slew six people, including three 9 year-olds, before being stopped and killed by police. One of the victims was a dear friend of Tennessees First Lady Maria Lee. People signs one of the six wooden crosses placed at a makeshift memorial by the entrance of the Covenant School Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Three children and three school staff members were killed by a former student in Mondays mass shooting. However, its not just about Covenant. Its about addressing the growing insecurity of the public as firearms have become the No. 1 killer of children and as law enforcement faces greater threats from stolen weapons being used against them. During the special session, lawmakers can consider 18 points ranging from criminal justice reform to mental health care and from encouraging safe storage of firearms to enacting temporary orders of protection. Both proponents and opponents of the special sessions are criticizing the governor for going too far or not going far enough. One thing is very clear though: Bill Lee has shown over his five years in office that he is not going to infringe on or limit the Second Amendment rights of any citizen. Mind you, the U.S. Supreme Court in its 2008 Heller permits states to restrict firearms from people who were convicted of a felony or suffered from a mental illness, for example. Over the last several years, the guardrails have eroded in Tennessee. There is permitless carry of firearms, which means there is no longer a need for citizens to learn about the law and their responsibility as it comes to firearms usage and storage. Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee. Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee. Stop kicking the can down the road Its not enough to say that law-abiding citizens have nothing to worry about. They would prefer not to be threatened, hurt or killed. The state has a responsibility to protect the general welfare of the public and, despite a horrific tragedy that begged for action, lawmakers kicked the can down the road during its regular legislative session earlier this year. Waiting until next year is too late. Now is that time to do the hard work. Now is the time for meaningful action. David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063 or email him at dplazas@tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will Tennessee lawmakers act on public safety with special session? Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus criticised Texas governor Greg Abbott for deploying cruel and inhumane tactics like razor-tipped buoys as part of his controversial effort to lock down the US-Mexico border. Today was eye-opening, Rep Sylvia Garcia of Texas wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, sharing a video of orange buoys used in the Rio Grande which are separated with blade saw-like barbed disks. Seeing the barbaric, inhumane, and ungodly practices in my home state of Texas. This is beyond politics and crosses a line into human rights violations. Everyone needs to see what I saw in Eagle Pass today, said Texas congressman Joaquin Castro in his own dispatch from the border. Clothing stuck on razor wire where families got trapped. Chainsaw devices in the middle of buoys. Land seized from US citizens. Operation Lone Star is barbaric and Governor Abbott is making border communities collateral damage. The Texas governor has insisted that the buoys and razor wire hes installed across the border between the state and Mexico will save lives by deterring migration. However, as The Independent has reported, advocates and Texas troopers are warning the tools are already putting people at risk. Appalled by the ongoing cruel and inhumane tactics employed by @GovAbbott at the Texas border. The situation's reality is unsettling as these buoys' true danger and brutality come to light. We must stop this NOW! pic.twitter.com/XPc4C8Tnl0 Rep. Sylvia Garcia (@RepSylviaGarcia) August 8, 2023 In July, a Texas state border medic named Nicholas Wingate went public with allegations that the border barriers were already causing severe injuries, and that he and his fellow troopers were ordered, as part of the governors Operation Lone Star, to push exhausted migrants back into the river and refuse to offer them water. (The state denies this order existed.) I believe we have stepped over a line into the inhumane, he told his superiors, in messages shared with media outlets. Last week, Mexican officials informed the state of Texas that two bodies were found in the Rio Grande: one ensnared in Governor Greg Abbotts controversial floating border wall, and another in a nearby area. Critics allege the border build-up cause these deaths, though the cause of death for the two people found hasnt been determined yet. Guardsmen watch as migrants try to cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into the US near Eagle Pass, Texas, in July (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Despite years of border security installations and billions invested across multiple state and federal administrations, migration continues to increase, hitting a record in December. Its been proven time after time that these so-called prevention through deterrence strategies dont work, Fernando Garcia of the Border Network for Human Rights told The Independent last month. They have not stopped immigration flows, but what they have done is they have put immigrants at risk. Its very likely that with [the floating buoy wall] they are looking for more remote and isolated places to come across so that whenever they are in danger by heat exhaustion, by drowning, they will not have anybody to help them, he added, saying he worries it could be a record year for migrant deaths in the Rio Grande. Members of Congress and human rights activists arent the only ones taking issue with the border barriers. Last month, a local kayak guide in Eagle Pass named Jessie Fuentes sued the state, arguing it doesnt have authority to erect a floating border barrier in the Rio Grande. Youve taken a beautiful waterway and youve converted it into a war zone, he toldThe Independent. The Department of Justice has also sued the state, arguing it violated federal waterways laws. Texas has insisted it has legal authority to carry out such measures, some of which it argues are allowed under a controversial reading of the US Constitution granting states war powers when theyre under invasion. Legal experts told The Independent this is a mistaken reading of the clause, which was intended to cover invasion by military forces, not regular immigration by civilians. The theory that Abbott is relying on here is that the influx of undocumented individuals is an actual invasion. That also doesnt pass muster, Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Centers Liberty & National Security Program, told The Independent. A Texas man likely died from heatstroke while he was in Arches National Park in Utah, his sister said. He was there as part of an interstate journey to scatter their father's ashes, the sister added. Her brother was likely dehydrated, she said. Park rangers found an empty water bottle next to his body. A Texas man likely died from heatstroke while he was on a trip to a national park in Utah to spread his dad's ashes, his sister said, according to The San Antonio Express-News. James Bernard Hendricks, 66, became disoriented from a combination of high altitude, heat, and dehydration while in the Arches National Park, his sister, Ruth Hendricks Brough, said in a social media post, citing park rangers. She said that Hendricks had embarked on an interstate journey to scatter their father's ashes, with his ultimate destination Mount Rose near Reno, Nevada, their father's longtime residence. Hendricks had documented the trip on social media, referring to it as a "Final Journey with My Father," which had previously included visits to the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon National Park for ash scattering, according to posts. The National Park Service said in a press release that it had initiated a search for a man reported overdue on August 1. The search led them to Hendricks' vehicle at the Sand Dune Arch Trail parking lot, and subsequently to his off-trail location. In her social media post, Brough said that rangers had found an empty quart-sized water bottle near the body. She added that her brother had been taking a powerful diuretic for blood pressure hydrochlorothiazide which can cause severe dehydration. Brough also said in her post that her brother had done extensive hiking and camping before reaching Utah. In an interview with the Express-News, Brough said: "He was loved by countless people because he was an unusually kind, sweet person who made friends easily. Now all these people are grieving. It was a horrible shock." The National Park Service and Grand County Sheriff's Office are investigating the death, according to CBS News. Neither immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Read the original article on Insider As forecasters sound the alarm about another potentially wet California winter fueled by El Nino, Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking urgent but controversial measures to prevent a repeat of the devastating floods that befell the state this year. An executive order signed by the governor this month will streamline levee repairs and debris removal to help protect and prepare communities for another inundation. Last winter, dozens of levee breaches around the state sent stormwater rushing into communities killing several people and causing considerable damage. Restoring levees, river channels and other elements of the state's aged flood infrastructure is crucial to public safety. But critics say Newsom's order also comes at the expense of several rules and regulations designed to protect the environment. "Managing California water by executive order is bad business," said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. "Whether it's drought or flood, we have to set proper science-based environmental standards and regulate according to those standards for the protection of people." Read more: Age, drought, rodents and neglect weaken California levees, heightening flood danger Among the items outlined in the executive order are emergency repairs to levees directly affected by this year's floods, including portions of the Tulare Lake Basin and areas along the Pajaro and San Joaquin rivers. Such work is needed. In March, water spilled from canals and broken levees into farm fields in Tulare County, spurring the rebirth of the long-dry Tulare Lake and leaving thousands of acres under feet of water, which officials say could take years to dissipate. Only weeks earlier, the swollen Pajaro River burst through its worn-down levee, flooding the entire town of Pajaro and sending its roughly 3,000 residents into a months-long exile from their homes. Officials in Pajaro said the executive order was long in the making, as politicians in flood-prone regions have been urging the governor to make it easier to protect their communities. "The governor made clear after the storms that he would do whatever was necessary to help expedite efforts along the levee and basin, and this was our key ask," said Zach Friend, Santa Cruz County supervisor and a member of the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency Board. The levee that was breached in March had been slated for an upgrade and new construction when the flooding happened, but the work had not yet begun. With a new threat of storms later this year, he said that every burden removed to make the project a reality "has the potential to save lives and livelihoods in the Pajaro Valley." Read more: Deadly results as dramatic climate whiplash causes Californias aging levees to fail But the order will also suspend a number of environmental laws, regulations and criteria including elements of the California Environmental Quality Act to fast-track the work. Among the suspended items are laws and regulations that guide alterations to lakes and streambeds. Certain water quality rules and permitting procedures were also waived to help expedite clearing and maintenance of flood control channels. Barrigan-Parrilla said such decisions reflect a lack of long-term flood planning and emergency preparations. "Environmental regulations are always the first to go, rather than doing the hard, long-term work of building water sustainability and flood management plans," she said. Deirdre Des Jardins, an independent water researcher and advocate, said similarly the emergency order doesn't address the larger issue: that Californias flood control infrastructure suffers from inadequate maintenance and funding. She called the order "a Band-Aid on just a huge, huge issue of long-term inadequate maintenance of flood control channels." Des Jardins has been calling for significantly more funding to prepare California for severe flood risks, saying state and federal investments are failing to keep up with intensifying risks due to climate change. "It is going to be expensive to deal with. And the state needs more of a plan. This is not a plan. This is just scrambling," Des Jardins said. Read more: Before disastrous flood, officials knew Pajaro River levee could fail but took no action However, some experts said the fast-tracked rules could make sense when applied judiciously. The onset of the state's wet season is only months away, and future storms could bring considerable flood risk. "The high-flood-risk areas that were so dramatically exposed during this last rain and snow season, those are areas where those projects have just got to get done, and they've got to get done quickly," said Mark Gold, director of water scarcity solutions at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "As we saw, low-income communities were disproportionately impacted in such a major way, and we just can't let that happen." Gold also voiced concerns about some of the strategies outlined in the order, including an item that allows for as much as 30% of native vegetation to be removed from stream channels. The rule doesn't include any recommendations or requirements for how the removed material should be disposed of, meaning it could end up in a landfill, he said. "We have a state that's doubling down on nature-based solutions, we're seeing vulnerability with sea level rise that's hugely concerning ... and yet, there's not a sentence in here on beneficial reuse of the sediment that's removed," Gold said. What's more, the order defers many permitting decisions to the federal Army Corps of Engineers, which helps manage many of the state's dams, reservoirs and other water infrastructure. "The feds' review of these types of projects is generally a lot less rigorous than the state," Gold said. "And so that's why this matters." Read more: El Nino has officially arrived, signaling a warmer world and possibly a wetter SoCal Much of the executive order is predicated on the arrival of a second wet winter, which looks likely but is not guaranteed. El Nino, the climate pattern in the tropical Pacific, arrived earlier this summer and is expected to gain strength as the year progresses. El Nino is associated with hotter global temperatures and wetter conditions in the state, particularly Southern California. Long-term precipitation outlooks from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are inconclusive about what to expect in most of the country. However, the agency says there is a 90% chance that El Nino will persist through the winter. There is reason to expect wetter conditions from the system. The El Nino winter of 1997-98 brought powerful precipitation to California, including a series of storms that ended with 17 deaths and more than half a billion dollars of damage in the state. The 1982-83 El Nino was linked to near-record-setting precipitation in the northern Sierra and one of the state's costliest flood seasons in decades, which saw decimated piers and thousands of damaged homes. But in 2015-16, a strong El Nino failed to deliver significant rain, flooding and other anticipated effects in Southern California, ultimately dropping only about 6 inches of rain. Newsom's order follows other actions taken in response to this year's flooding. In May, the governor allocated $17.2 million to help fortify the Corcoran levee, a critical piece of flood control infrastructure that protects the city of Corcoran and its sprawling prison complex from the flooded Tulare Lake. He also signed executive orders in February and March that allowed the state to reroute hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water from the storms into areas where it could percolate into the ground and replenish aquifers drained by years of drought. That move also stoked the ire of some environmental groups, which said the diversions allowed for lower flows in the San Joaquin River and would probably be harmful for Chinook salmon, among other concerns. 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. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) The Senate eyes reopening hearings on confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) before the proposed 5.768-trillion budget for 2024 is approved, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Tuesday. The national government has earmarked 9.2 billion in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF). According to Zubiri, an oversight committee was created to look into the use of the CIF of government agencies. "Nagsagawa kami ng oversight committee on intelligence fund. Kausap ko si Sen. [Sonny] Angara, chair ng Committee on Finance. Bubuksan natin ang mga hearing sa oversight committee kung tama ba ang paggastos ng 2023 intelligence and tinatawag na confidential funds," he said. [Translation: We are creating an oversight committee on intelligence fund. I was talking to Sen. Angara, chair of the Committee on Finance. We will open hearings of the oversight committee to know if the 2023 intelligence and confidential funds were used properly.] "Ang gagawin namin sa Senado (What we will do in the Senate), we will activate a Special Committee on Review of Intelligence Funds. We will have hearings before actual discussion of the national budget," he added. Zubiri said if there is misuse of the funds, the issue will be raised before the government agencies. Therefore, we can make decisions kung dadagdag ba tayo dyan or babawasan natin sila or status quo ang mga pondo," he added. [Translation: Therefore, we can make decisions if we will add or reduce their budget or maintain the status of the funds.] With fewer volunteers at a shelter, the animals spend more time in their cages, causing more stress, higher risk of disease, more behavior problems and a lower chance of adoption. Dogs pay price for shelter mismanagement On July 3, 12 Manatee County animal shelter volunteers were told Your services are no longer required. No reason was provided. The Manatee County Animal Welfare Shelter has a history of retaliating against volunteers. In 2020, Manatee County fired me for seeking relief for dogs housed outdoors in summer heat. (My lawsuit cost Manatee County $113,000 in legal fees, plus the settlement.) Poor management is the cause of deteriorating shelter conditions, staffing shortages, injuries and hostility toward volunteers. The Constitution requires that defendants be told why they are being accused and that they be allowed to reply. In this country we believe in treating people fairly. These volunteers only crime was to speak up against suffering. The dogs pay the price. These volunteers have had their lives turned upside down. If the Manatee County commissioners do not right this injustice, voters need to remember that on Election Day. David Daniels, Bradenton Dont be fooled: No negotiating with Iran This is in response to a letter Aug. 7 that called for the U.S. to negotiate with Iran. The cold, hard reality is that the Iranians have no real intention of actual negotiation (US should talk, trade with Iran, Aug. 7). One of the scientists who worked for me in Washington was a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency inspection team and made repeated inspection trips to Iran. Upon arrival, the team members passports were confiscated and they were locked in their hotel until it was time to return. The team was not debriefed and they had no input into the final report. Reportedly, the final report on the successful inspection was written and distributed by no more than a few top IAEA officials, none of whom made any trips to Iran. Thomas C. Brown, Parrish Paying slavery reparations a complex matter Who will pay reparations for slavery and who will be paid? Before you donate your hard-earned money to this cause, check it out. There were Black and American Indian slave owners. Plus, slavery was worldwide. How exactly is anyone going to determine who owes and who pays? We see history through the eyes of the scholars, and sometimes the politicians. It depends on how they see it. Do your own research and decide what you believe. Larry J. Tracy, Sarasota Coming of age back home Age is only a number, but when the number hits three digits you take notice. As I approach my 100th birthday in September, I am truly coming of age, returning again to my favorite place. I came to Sarasota in 1978 to serve as pastor of Tatum Ridge Baptist Church. I remained there as a minister for 23 years. Originally from Greenville, South Carolina, I served over 50 years in ministry in seven Florida churches. I was also a certified teacher and taught in Sarasota for many years. While recently going through my files, I discovered I had taught full time or substituted in every Sarasota County school! Sarasota is not only a beautiful place to live it also holds many joyful memories. In my ministry over the years, I practiced the following words of St. Francis of Assisi: You want to know one of the best ways to win people over and lead them to God? It consists of giving them joy and making them happy. I am happy to be back home. Rev. John T. James, retired pastor, Tatum Ridge Baptist Church, Sarasota This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Loss of a dozen volunteers harms animals at Manatee shelter Tierra Allen was detained in Dubai in April. Courtesy of Tina Baxter. A TikToker from Texas was detained in Dubai in April on accusations of shouting during an argument. Tierra Allen took a flight to the US on Tuesday, the nonprofit that helped secure her return said. Detained in Dubai said it was unclear whether the criminal charges against Allen would be dismissed. A social-media influencer from Texas who was stuck in Dubai for months after being detained boarded a flight back to the US on Tuesday, according to the international nonprofit that helped secure her return. Radha Stirling, the CEO of Detained in Dubai, said in a press statement that Tierra Allen's travel ban had been lifted after she went to a police station and agreed to pay a deposit of 5,000 dirhams, or about $1,069. Allen, who has more than 180,000 followers on her TikTok account, was prohibited from leaving the United Arab Emirates in May after a man accused her of shouting during an argument and filed a legal case against her. Her mother, Tina Baxter, told Insider last month that Allen was involved in a minor collision in Dubai while riding in a rental car driven by her friend on April 28. Local police briefly handcuffed Aleen before releasing her and telling her to go to the car-rental company to collect her belongings from the vehicle, her mother said. When she went to the offices of the company, however, they demanded a large sum of money in return, which led to an argument. Detained in Dubai said Allen's passport was confiscated after she was detained for "screaming in public." Although her release was secured on Tuesday, the nonprofit said her departure wasn't without incident. "She nearly didn't make it through airport immigration and thought she would be jailed but all worked out and Tierra is now relieved her nightmare has come to an end," Stirling said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Stirling said Allen was pulled aside by immigration at the airport. "I was so scared. I thought they were sending me to jail," the 29-year-old woman said in a WhatsApp message shared by Detained in Dubai. The influencer was instead told that she was banned from returning to the UAE. Stirling said Allen had no intentions of returning to the country. Allen received a voice note from Dubai's judicial branch an hour before takeoff that said another travel ban would be issued against her if she didn't settle the civil claim by the following morning, Detained in Dubai said. Insider reported last week that the car-rental company was demanding $10,000. Although Allen has now been released, the nonprofit said it was unclear whether the criminal charges and the civil suit against her would be dismissed. It's also unclear whether Allen could be issued an Interpol Red Notice that would notify law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest her. "The UAE has a habit of convicting foreign nationals in absentia, and issuing civil judgments against them, followed by the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice," Stirling said in the press release, adding: "We will be vigilant in ensuring that she will not be subjected to further persecution by the UAE in the form of Interpol abuse." Interpol and Dubai Courts did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Read the original article on Insider An Idaho judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by a TikToker against a University of Idaho professor and the faculty members legal counsel. Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco on Tuesday dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit filed by Ashley Guillard, a social media personality from Texas who accused Rebecca Scofield of being involved in last Novembers killing of four U of I students in Moscow. In his decision, Patricco also quashed Guillards attempt to summons Scofields lawyers Wendy Olson, Elijah Watkins and Cory Carone but denied the professors request to be awarded attorney fees. During an hourlong hearing on July 21, Guillard stood by her countersuit against Scofield, who still has a defamation lawsuit against the TikToker pending. Scofield filed that suit last December after Guillard persisted in saying online that the professor was involved with the fatal stabbings. Police arrested Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old former graduate student at Washington State University, in the student homicides. Kohberger has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder. His next court hearing is set for Aug. 18, and his trial is scheduled for early October. Police in Moscow issued a press release in December announcing that Scofield was not a suspect in the deaths of Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21; and Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20. At the hearing, Olson argued that the many claims made in TikToks against Scofield lacked plausible facts. The judge agreed in his ruling, saying Guillards many assertions were arguably so outrageous as to be clearly baseless. In court documents, Olson said Guillard has been exploiting the tragedy in Moscow for personal gain online. Olson said Guillard has made hundreds of TikTok videos about her investigation of the killings. This is not a case where facts are missing. This is a case where facts do not exist at all, Olson said of Guillards countersuit. Olson argued that Guillards accusations against the professor were based solely on spiritual research, not concrete evidence. Guillard claimed that the First Amendment protects her practice of spiritual research and said a ruling against her would mean the court is opposing her First Amendment rights. Olson argued that religion cannot be used as a shield to cover up illegal activities, and cited the TikTok claims made by Guillard as evidence. If you wanted to do animal sacrifice, well fine, but you cant go sacrifice your neighbors dog, Olson said. Tim Mapes, the ousted gatekeeper and longtime chief of staff of former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, deliberately lied and misled a federal grand jury because he wanted to protect the boss, a federal prosecutor charged Wednesday. Truth matters, Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur said. The Mapes defense team countered with a far different picture: Mapes did his level best in giving answers during an intimidating grand jury process but simply could not remember details about key questions prosecutors asked about Madigans political association with a top confidant. Besides, a Mapes attorney argued, Madigan jettisoned Mapes in 2018 from the longtime speakers government and political operations, a move that froze him out following a scandal at the height of the national #MeToo movement. The opening statements launched in earnest the closely watched Mapes jury trial, which carries high political stakes. Mapes is the second major Madigan insider to go to trial in the sweeping corruption scandal that led last year to Madigans indictment. Madigans confidant for decades, Michael McClain, already was convicted in the ComEd Four trial this year and is Madigans co-defendant in next years racketeering trial on charges that the once-powerful speaker ran a criminal enterprise. Mapes is accused of lying before a March 2021 federal grand jury investigating the far-reaching Madigan corruption case. Prosecutors allege Mapes lied in response to questions about the tight alliance between Madigan and McClain, a lobbyist and former lawmaker. Mapes sudden exit from the Madigan team shocked Springfield, prompting one Madigan loyalist to testify Wednesday that Mapes departure left him devastated. In presenting the government case, MacArthur contended Mapes perverted the grand jury process and jeopardized the corruption investigation against Madigan with false testimony. The defendant lied. Not just once but again and again and again, to prevent the grand jury from finding out about Madigans actions, she said. Mapes and McClain were in deep with Madigan, prosecutors said, indicating it would be implausible to think Mapes wasnt looped in on their plans even after Mapes was unceremoniously cast aside. This was a tight inner circle, including and surrounding Michael Madigan, MacArthur said. Madigan, McClain and Mapes. They shared communications, they relied on each other and they performed tasks for each other over the years. Katie Hill, Mapes attorney, countered that the government has it wrong, saying Mapes did not lie. Jurors likely would not be able to remember, for example, the color of their prom corsage or who won a specific high school ballgame, Hill contended, just like Mapes could not remember details of what happened in conversations a few years ago. Hill said Mapes listened and answered very carefully, saying it was not the time to speculate. This is not the time to guess. But MacArthur contended a series of answers Mapes gave to the grand jury clearly showed he was protecting his longtime boss. That included, MacArthur said, whether McClain had passed along any insight about private meetings with Madigan even after Madigan ousted Mapes in a 2018 scandal. Mapes said that wouldnt happen, which MacArthur told jurors was a lie. And when Mapes was asked if he knew whether McClain performed any sort of tasks or assignments for Madigan in 2017 and 2018, Mapes said, I dont recall. MacArthur contended that was another lie. The defendant, through his answer, falsely stated under oath that he did not remember any anything, MacArthur said. Any. Anything. Hill disputed the allegations, saying prosecutors chose to charge Mapes over a few statements cherry-picked from the grand jury session. Only once during his testimony was Mapes provided with a document or recording that could have refreshed his memory, she said. Hes a 60-something-year-old man, hes being given whats basically a test of memory, hes scared, the environment is terrifying, and hes aware the government has all of this on tape, Hill said. Hill maintained Mapes was limited to what he actually knows and an appearance before a grand jury is not the time to start making assumptions, not the time to start guessing. And while McClain might have told Mapes directly at times about assignments discussed with Madigan, Mapes knew that McClain was prone to exaggerating, Hill said. Someone in Tims position would not have considered what McClain said to be the gospel truth about what Madigan actually said or wanted, Hill said. Tim knew better than to presume he knew anything about those private conversations. Further, Hill maintained Mapes did not always know what Madigan was up to because the then-speaker played his cards close to his vest. But MacArthur countered with Mapes own words. She used a comment that Mapes had made previously to underscore how he viewed his role with Madigan: I always try to protect him, I mean, thats my goal. Its like in marriage. Despite the decades of Mapes and Madigan working closely together, though, Hill maintained the two men were not close friends and confidants. She sought to buttress her point by saying that, once Madigan made Mapes walk the plank in 2018, Madigan ices him out. In 2018, Madigan ousted Mapes within hours of a downstate staffer accusing him of sexual harassment and fostering a culture of sexism, harassment and bullying. Mapes disputed the allegations, but Madigan forced him to leave the prominent roles as chief of staff, House clerk and executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois a trio of powerful positions all aimed at supporting Madigan, the longest-serving lawmaker to run a legislative chamber in American history. Madigan has testified during a deposition in a separate civil case that he told Mapes to resign. The details of the allegations that prompted Mapes departure were not presented to the jury Wednesday. Instead, a prosecutor read a stipulation that Mapes left following allegations of inappropriate workplace professionalism. When Mapes testified before the grand jury in 2021, he was granted immunity on the condition that he would tell the truth, but prosecutors alleged he lied anyway. Prosecutors first witness was former House Majority Leader Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat, who took the stand in part to give jurors a civics lesson about how state government is structured and run. In addition, Harris testified that Madigan and McClain worked closely together and Madigans position as House speaker gave him immense power in the legislative process. But it was Tom Cullen, the prosecutions second witness, who drew the most attention. Cullen served as a top political guru on Madigans government staff in the 1990s and stayed involved in House Democratic campaigns for years after he began working as a lobbyist. Cullen also acknowledged the close working relationship Mapes had with McClain and Madigan through a variety of government and political duties. Mapes was known to strike fear into staffers, but Cullen testified under prosecution questioning that Mapes was fair but tough. Andrew Porter, a second Mapes attorney, sought to polish Mapes image by asking Cullen if he found Mapes to be a man of integrity. I do, Cullen responded. Moments later, Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Schwartz noted that Cullen was a die-hard supporter of Madigan, too. Your loyalty to Speaker Madigan ran deep, ran for decades, she said. You were willing to protect Speaker Madigan even at times when it led to great personal cost to yourself, isnt that right? Correct, Cullen responded. And, referencing Cullens high opinion of Mapes integrity, Schwartz asked: Were you there in the grand jury when Mr. Mapes testified? I was not, Cullen said. Cullen testified that he received a nontarget letter, meaning he would not be prosecuted in the Mapes case. Sitting quietly at the defense table, Mapes, 68, looked a little grayer and a little balder than in the days when he used to charge through the Illinois House, barking orders at lawmakers and staffers. He faces single counts of perjury and attempted obstruction of justice, the latter charge worth a maximum of 20 years in prison. rlong@chicagotribune.com mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott is vowing to continue his fight against fentanyl traffickers after a man was recently caught in Lexington County with hundreds of pills containing the lethal substance. Scott said he remains committed to passing his Fend Off Fentanyl Act a sanctions and anti-money laundering bill aimed at helping to combat the countrys fentanyl crisis after 20-year-old Jakob Regan Dator was arrested Monday for allegedly possessing nearly 600 fentanyl pills in Lexington County. In South Carolina, our police officers are hard at work saving lives and targeting fentanyl traffickers, Scott said in a tweet Tuesday, citing Dators arrest. Ill never stop fighting to pass my FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which would crack down on the Mexican cartels funneling this poison into our communities. Dators arrest and Scotts pledge follow a new fentanyl trafficking law in South Carolina, signed by Gov. Henry McMaster earlier this month. Previously, there was no law specifically dealing with fentanyl in the state. Scotts proposal would enhance current U.S. law on fentanyl trafficking, aiming to provide U.S. government agencies more leeway in tackling illicit supply chains involving suppliers and traffickers. The bill also ensures that sanctions are imposed not only on the illicit drug trade, but also on the money laundering that makes it profitable. The bill was included in the U.S. Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, an essential step toward the bill becoming law. Mexican traffickers and Chinese drug suppliers are fueling Americas fentanyl crisis, Scott said last month in a news release. My FEND Off Fentanyl Act targets the financial assets of these criminal groups, cutting off their income right at the source. South Carolinas new law makes it a felony to knowingly possess two grams of fentanyl or a fentanyl-related substance. A person faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for a first offense, up to 10 years in prison and a $7,500 fine for a second offense, and up to 15 years and a $10,000 fine for third and subsequent offenses. People who traffic fentanyl now face anywhere from seven to 40 years in prison, depending on which offense theyre convicted of and how much they are selling. Dator is one of the first to be charged under the new state statute and now faces a mandatory sentence of at least 25 to 40 years in prison and a $200,000 fine. In South Carolina, our police officers are hard at work saving lives and targeting fentanyl traffickers. Ill never stop fighting to pass my FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which would crack down on the Mexican cartels funneling this poison into our communities.https://t.co/2yEO0WewUv Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) August 8, 2023 Prison life apparently isnt sitting well with Todd Chrisley. The Chrisley Knows Best star was convicted in June 2022 of federal charges including tax evasion and bank fraud. The 54-year-old patriarch began his 12-year sentence at Floridas Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola in January, and just isnt loving the place. His gripes include weak air conditioning, zero privacy and no hair dye, his daughter Savannah Chrisley said in a July episode of her Unlocked podcast. Its a nightmare, she said, adding that her mom Julie is also having her own issues at Kentuckys Federal Medical Center on a seven year stretch. Its awful. Considering the couples previous digs two separate mansions in Nashville, worth about $9 million combined their whining is understandable. That said, Forbes called his white collar crime prison one of the cushiest in America back in 2009. If youve got to do time, you may as well do it off the Gulf of Mexico, says the magazine of the 35 year old camp, adding that getting there is a snap... Pensacola has its own airport. Still, its no Four Seasons. Chrisleys attorney Jay Surgent told The Los Angeles Times that not only is his famous client feeling the effects of being locked up physically, but emotionally. Hes still very energetic, but I think hes suffering from anxiety in not knowing whats happening on the outside with his case, said Surgent, who added that also causing him stress is people photographing him while he sleeps. The lawyer also alleges that paparazzi hang around outside the facility to try to get shots of Chrisley while outside exercising and looking not as polished as he used to on the USA Network show. For starters, his daughter admitted on her podcast that Chrisley is no longer a blond: Newsflash, they dont sell hair color in commissary so, of course, his hair is gray. As for the AC? A representative for the Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on any anecdotal allegations but did tell the LA Times that all its facilities follow Environmental Protection Agency and other official guidelines. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is monitoring the ventilation at the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Pensacola, the representative said via email. Every BOP facility, including FPC Pensacola ... have contingency plans to address a large range of concerns or incidents, including ventilation temperatures, and is fully equipped and prepared to implement these plans as necessary. Ohio politicians and organizations are sharing their reactions after voters rejected Issue 1 Tuesday. Ohio will maintain its existing simple majority requiring 50 percent plus one vote to pass a constitutional amendment in the state. Those against the issue have been the first to send their reactions to the outcome. By rejecting State Issue 1, Ohioans rejected special interests and demanded that democracy remain where it belongs in the hands of voters, not the rich and powerful, Sen. Sherrod Brown said. President Joe Biden also issued a statement in reaction to the decision. Today, Ohio voters rejected an effort by Republican lawmakers and special interests to change the states constitutional amendment process. This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own healthcare decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won, he wrote. >>RELATED: Ohio voters reject State Issue 1, maintaining simple majority to pass constitutional amendments Organizations such as NARAL Pro-Choice America also voiced their support. Ohioans support for abortion access and reproductive freedom was never in question. From defeating Issue 1 tonight to submitting nearly twice the amount of signatures needed to get a measure protecting abortion access on the ballot in November, Ohio voters have made clear that they will settle for nothing less than reproductive freedom for all, a spokesperson for NARAL Pro-Choice America said. While others, such as National Right to Life said the vote would promote dubious values. Changing the Ohio constitution should require a higher vote threshold than a simple majority, said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. Sadly, voters rejected raising the threshold and opened the door to outside interest groups coming into Ohio and promoting their dubious values. Secretary of State Frank LaRose called the outcome an assault coming on our constitution: The radical activists that opposed Issue 1 are already planning amendments to shut parents out of a childs life-altering medical procedure, force job killing wage mandates on small businesses, prevent law abiding citizens from protecting their families and remove critical protections for our first responders. Ive said for months now that theres an assault coming on our constitution, and that hasnt changed, LaRose statement said in part. Now that Issue 1 has failed, the focus will go to Novembers election where voters will decide on amending the state constitution to add abortion rights to it. Tory Lanez Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Shooting Megan Thee Stallion | Johnny Nunez via Getty Images Tory Lanez has been sentenced to ten years in prison for shooting fellow Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. Lanez, whose real name Daystar Peterson stood before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Herriford. Prosecutors sought a 13-year sentence for Lanez, stating that he lacked remorse and failed to accept any accountability for his actions. In a statement shared with New York Times, prosecutors stated Lanez was a campaign to humiliate and retraumatize the victim. The defendant actively invited harassment of the victim by spreading misinformation to his large following in an effort to galvanize the public against the victim and even the prosecution team without any regard to the dangers it posed, prosecutors expressed in the sentencing memorandum. The defendant has weaponized misinformation to his large following to such a degree that it has left a lasting traumatic impact on the victim. After receiving his sentence, Lanez spoke for several minutes before the court. He stated that he still cared about Megan and that she was someone I still care for dearly to this day. Lanez acknowledged Megan as a victim, saying she was his friend. He then went on to mention they bonded over the loss of their mothers. We both lost our mothers. We would sit there and drink, and drink until we got numb. Lanez also admitted that he said some very immature things that he shouldnt have and revealed some secrets that he shouldnt have. Tory spoke for several minutes. He said he still cares about Megan. He called her "someone I still care for dearly to this day" regardless of what she may think of him. He said "the victim's my friend." He talked about bonding with her over the loss of their mothers. Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) August 8, 2023 As Blavity previously reported, Lanez was found guilty of all three felony charges on December 23, 2022. Charges included assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. Lanez faced a maximum of 22 years and eight months in prison and potential deportation to Canada. The 31-year-old rappers lawyers filed a motion for a new trial. They argued that social media posts and tattoos were used to cause disfavor to their client. The judge denied their motion for a new trial in May. During the new trial hearing, Lanez pleaded with the judge to show leniency during the judgment. Please dont ruin my life. I could be your son. I could be your brother, he pleaded. Lanez has been held in a Los Angeles County Jail since his conviction. During the deliberation of his sentencing, journalist Meghann Cuniff reported 70 letters of support for the rapper had been presented to the judge for him to review. Reportedly, one of those letters came from fellow rapper Iggy Azalea. She had collaborated with Lanez late last year. The collaboration sparked dating rumors between the two artists. In her letter, she allegedly asked the judge for a sentence that would be transformational, not life destroying. That jailer didn't talk in court, but the chaplain did. (I should be able to get the letters, but maybe not today.) Judge Herriford said Iggy Azalae's letter asks him to impose a sentence "that is transformational, not life destroying." Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) August 7, 2023 Azalea would later tweet several points of clarification as to why she sent the letter of support. For the record: 1. I have not been in touch with tory for months, I have no reason to be, but I do wish him well. 2. I dont support anyone. the whole thing is full of oddities. My letter never mentioned anything in regard to what happened that night. 3. I was told this NOT IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) August 8, 2023 It was also reported that Lanezs father, 6-year-old son, and fellow inmates wrote letters supporting the Toronto-born rapper. Meg did not attend the hearing, but prosecutors read a written statement from the rapper, saying, Ive not experienced a single day of piece (peace) since the shooting. She also included a message for the judge regarding her wishes for Lanezs sentencing. Mercy is for people who show remorse, and Lanez has shown none, her letter continued. She ended her statement with, For once, the defendant must be forced to face the full consequences of his heinous actions and face justice. Megan said she struggled with whether to attend in person, and her absence should be seen as her preserving her mental well being. She said since Tory shot her, "I've not experienced a single day of piece." "He lied to anyone that would listen," Megan said of Lanez. Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) August 7, 2023 The trial took viewers and fans through numerous twists and turns as it played out in the courtroom and on social media. Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, said an argument broke out in the car in July 2020 after she left a gathering at Kylie Jenners home with Lanez and her friend Kelsey Harris. The 27-year-old said she was walking away from the SUV when Lanez fired shots at her feet and told her dance b***h. I started walking away, and I hear Tory yell, Dance, b***h!' Megan said, according to Newsweek. She added that she saw Lanez pointing a gun at her. I froze. I just felt shock. I felt hurt. I looked down at my feet, and I see all of this blood, Megan said. It was later revealed that the argument stemmed from the rappers having a previous physical relationship that turned sour after Lanez admitted that he had also slept with Harris. The WAP rapper also stated that Lanez apologized for wounding her and attempted to bribe her and Harris with a million dollars each to keep quiet. While on the stand, Harris pleaded the fifth and recanted her statements identifying Lanez as the shooter. Evidence of text messages between her and Megan regarding the evidence proved her corroboration with the rappers story of Lanez welding the gun. Court documents stated that Megan initially told responding officers that her injury resulted from stepping on glass. She testified that she was worried about how snitching on Lanez would affect her music career. The hip-hop star said she had not experienced a 'single day of peace' since being 'viciously shot' by Lanez - AP Rapper Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for shooting and wounding hip-hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford handed down the sentence to 31-year-old Lanez, who was convicted in December of three felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. The sentence brings an end to a dramatic trial that created a cultural firestorm in the hip-hop community, churning up issues including the reluctance of Black victims to speak to police, gender politics in hip-hop, online toxicity, protecting Black women and the ramifications of misogynoir, a particular brand of misogyny Black women experience. Judge Herriford said it was difficult to reconcile the kind, charitable person and good father many people described Lanez as being during the sentencing hearing, with the person who fired the gun at Megan. Sometimes good people do bad things, Judge Herriford said. Actions have consequences, and there are no winners in this case. Megan testified that Lanez fired the gun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding in July 2020, after leaving a pool party at Kylie Jenners Hollywood Hills home. She had to have surgery to remove bullet fragments. Megan Thee Stallion testified that Lanez fired the gun at the back of her feet - Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times Since I was viciously shot by the defendant, I have not experienced a single day of peace, Megan said in a statement read by a prosecutor on Monday. Slowly but surely, Im healing and coming back, but I will never be the same. Lanez asked Judge Herriford for mercy just before the judge delivered his sentence. Lanez requested either probation or a minimal prison sentence. If I could turn back the series of events that night and change them, I would, Lanez continued. The victim was my friend. The victim is someone I still care for to this day. He added: Everything I did wrong that night, I take full responsibility for. Before the sentencing, Sonstar Peterson, Lanezs father, choked back tears as he talked about how the rappers mother died when he was 11, just days after she first showed symptoms of the rare blood disorder that would lead to her death. I dont think anybody ever gets over that, he said of their youngest child, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson. But his music became his outlet. Dozens write letters on Lanezs character Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major-label albums. His last two reached the top 10 on Billboards charts. Megan Thee Stallion, now 28, was already a major rising star at the time of the shooting, and her prominence has surged since. Born Megan Pete, she won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and she had No. 1 singles with Savage, featuring Beyonce, and as a guest on Cardi Bs WAP. The elder Peterson, who is a Christian minister, was one of several people who gave statements on Lanezs character and charitable giving as did the mother of Lanezs young son, who spoke in court about his qualities as a father. Dozens more wrote letters to Judge Herriford, including rapper Iggy Azalea, who asked the judge to hand down a sentence that was transformative, not life-destroying. Judge Herriford said Lanezs son, who is about six years old, also sent in a handwritten letter, but the judge did not describe it further. Lanez has been jailed since his conviction. A chaplain from Los Angeles County jail said on Monday in court that Lanez has led daily prayer groups that have eased tensions in the protective custody unit where he has been held. Lanez asked Judge Herriford for mercy before he handed down his sentence - Getty Images Judge Herriford denied a motion from Lanezs defence attorneys for a new trial on May 9. Such motions immediately following a conviction are common and rarely succeed. Attorneys for Lanez had argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict him and some of the evidence presented to jurors should not have been allowed. The lawyers argued Megans testimony that Lanez urged her not to go to the police because he was on parole and would be in serious trouble was both untrue and an improper allowance of prior bad acts. They said DNA evidence that prosecutors used to argue Lanez was the likely shooter fell well short of industry standards. Lawyers for Lanez had said in a sentencing memo that he should get only probation and be released from jail to enter a residential substance abuse program. They plan to appeal the conviction. Judge Herriford found earlier on Monday that Megan was an especially vulnerable victim when she was shot, but that Lanez was not especially cruel or callous in firing at her. She has permanent scarring, physically, Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott said in court. And she certainly will have emotional scarring for the rest of her life. 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. Canadian rapper Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years for shooting fellow musician Megan Thee Stallion. Lanez shot Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion in the feet during an argument between the pair after a party in 2020. He was found guilty on three gun-related charges in December and has been held in jail since. The shooting, which polarised the music world, left Megan Thee Stallion needing surgery to remove bullet fragments from her foot. The LA District Attorney, George Gascon, said after the verdict that her fame "has brought an important spotlight on the issue of violence against women". The shooting occurred during the journey home from a pool party hosted at reality star Kylie Jenner's Hollywood mansion. Prosecutors had asked the judge for a 13-year prison sentence. They said Lanez, 31, deserved a lengthy sentence for shooting a "vulnerable victim" on a quiet residential street, and for waging "a campaign to humiliate and re-traumatise her" after the attack. Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, has had seven US top 10 albums in the past seven years. He was convicted of three felonies: assault with a semi-automatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. His lawyers argued he should get probation and time in a drug treatment programme. It is unclear if Lanez is now facing deportation to Canada. Jose Baez said his client planned to appeal due to "significant issues" with the trial. Outside court on Tuesday, he cited a lack of DNA evidence against Lanez in relation to the shooting, adding that the rapper's DNA was not found on the gun used. Mr Baez added that he believed Lanez did not receive a fair trial. 'I did wrong that night' Lanez himself read a statement to the court before the sentencing. While he has maintained his innocence during and since the trial, he said on Tuesday that he accepted "responsibility" for what "I did wrong that night", without saying exactly what he was referring to. "There's been this misconception about me being this monster or not having remorse, that's just not true," the star told the court, according to the Press Association. "That night was a night that everyone was drunk... I said some very immature things. If I could turn back the series of events... I would, but I can't. "But to think that I am some sort of callous individual is not the case. The victim was my friend... [and] she still is to this day. "I did wrong that night and I take full responsibility and culpability for it." Megan Thee Stallion was shot in the foot by Lanez on a journey home from a party hosted by reality star Kylie Jenner in 2020 'I will never be the same' The shooting happened when the pair left Jenner's home with two other people in an SUV in the early hours of 12 July 2020. Megan, real name Megan Pete, told the court she got into an argument with Lanez over their previous sexual relationship. The row escalated and led to the pair insulting each other's careers. She said she demanded to be let out of the vehicle, at which point Lanez started shooting at the ground and shouted at her to "dance". During the trial, Lanez's lawyers suggested Megan's friend Kelsey Harris, who was in the vehicle, may have shot her friend out of jealousy. She denied that. In a victim impact statement that was read in court on Monday, Megan said: "Since I was viciously shot by the defendant [Lanez], I have not experienced a single day of peace. "Slowly but surely, I'm healing and coming back, but I will never be the same." Hip-hop stars take sides Other witnesses who spoke on Monday included Lanez's father, who talked emotionally about the effect on his son of the death of his mother when he was 11, and a prison chaplain who said Lanez had been leading daily prayer groups. The judge said he had received more than 70 letters in support of Lanez from his family and friends, including rapper Iggy Azalea, who called for a sentence that would be "transformative, not life-destroying". Following the shooting, other famous names in the hip-hop world also took sides about who was telling the truth. Rapper 50 Cent apologised to Megan for suggesting she lied about being shot by Lanez, while Drake appeared to reference the shooting in his lyrics. After the sentencing, Tanishia Wright, director of victim services at the District Attorney's office, told reporters: "Violence against black women and girls is a long standing national epidemic that has long been overlooked and under-reported. "Women of colour more times than not do not come forward to report victimisation due to the fear they will not be believed." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri has urged the executive department to file a complaint against China with the United Nations following the water cannon incident at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). Zubiri said he had enough of China's recent "atrocities" in the WPS, and diplomatic protests and note verbales sent by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will not suffice to stop China's actions. "Those acts done were completely illegal and therefore a complaint should be filed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea with the UN," said Zubiri. "Not just note verbale. With due respect sa DFA, sa dami na ng note verbale, sa dami ng diplomatic protestpuwede na i-gift wrap Chinese embassy sa Metro Manila, hindi tayo pinapansin," he added. [Translation: Not just note verbale. With due respect to the DFA, with the number of note verbale, with the number of diplomatic protestswe can gift wrap the Chinese embassy in Metro Manila, yet we are still ignored.] Last week, the Senate unanimously adopted a resolution condemning China's incursion in the WPS and its continued harassment of Filipino fishermen. http://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/8/1/senate-resolution-wps.html According to Zubiri, as the incident was taking place at Ayungin Shoal, China's ministry of foreign affairs could not be reached. "Hindi nga nila sinasagot yung ating hotline. Banggit ng undersecretary of foreign affairs, tinatawagan nila hotline ng Ministry of Foreign Affairs hindi sila sumasagot. They only answered four hours after the incident. Cold line yon, that's not a hotline," he added. [Translation: They are not answering the hotline. The undersecretary of foreign affairs said they called the hotline of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but they did not answer. They only answered four hours after the incident. That's a cold line, not a hotline.] Zubiri said he took this as "an insult to our diplomatic efforts of friendship and cooperation." Derek Chauvin's deadly 2020 assault on George Floyd, carried out in broad daylight and in the presence of multiple witnesses who recorded it on their cellphones and later testified at Chauvin's murder trial, was an appalling spectacle that generated bipartisan outrage across the country. That outrage was compounded by the fact that two other Minneapolis police officers, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, helped Chauvin pin a handcuffed Floyd face down to the pavement for nine and half minutes, while a third officer, Tou Thao, not only failed to intervene but also actively stopped bystanders, including an off-duty firefighter who was trained as an EMT, from coming to Floyd's aid. The state sentence that Thao received this week caps three years of legal proceedings that aimed to assign responsibility for Floyd's death. Unsurprisingly, Chauvin, who was the senior officer on the scene and the main assailant, received the most severe prison sentences: more than 22 years in state court for unintentional second-degree murder and 21 years in federal court for willfully violating Floyd's constitutional rights under color of law. But contrary to what you might expect based on his indirect and largely passive role in killing Floyd, Thao's punishment substantially exceeds the penalties that Kueng and Lane received. Although that distinction is open to debate, there are plausible reasons to think it is justified. "Suffice it to say that I think your culpability is less than Mr. Chauvin but well above Mr. Kueng and Mr. Lane," Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill told Thao at his sentencing hearing on Monday. "As an experienced senior officer," Cahill emphasized, Thao "was in the best position to save George Floyd." The 57-month sentence that Cahill imposed on Thao for aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, a crime with a "severity level" of 8, is the top end of the range recommended by state guidelines. It is six months longer than the sentence that prosecutors wanted and 16 months longer than the sentence that Thao's lawyer suggested. By comparison, Lane and Kueng, who pleaded guilty to the same state crime, received sentences of 36 months and 42 months, respectively. All three officers also received federal sentences30 months for Lane, 36 months for Kueng, and 42 months for Thaoafter being convicted at trial of violating the same statute that Chauvin pleaded guilty to violating. The Supreme Court has said such dual prosecutions, based on the same underlying conduct, do not amount to double jeopardy even when the two crimes involve the same elements. The federal charges nevertheless seem duplicative, driven by a desire to send a message rather than considerations of justice. But in this case, they will have little practical impact, since the state and federal sentences will run concurrently and the former are longer. Thao, for example, will be eligible for parole after serving 38 months, two-thirds of his state sentence. By then, taking into account "good time" credit, he will have completed his federal sentence. According to the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports, "Thao's state sentence will add an extra 70 days to his incarceration." The Associated Press says "Thao will be returned to federal prison to finish that sentence before he is transferred to a Minnesota state prison to serve out the remaining few months with credit for time served." Both the state and federal sentences, however, reflect a judgment that Thao's conduct was worse that Lane's or Kueng's, which may seem counterintuitive. Lane received the lightest sentence in both state and federal court, possibly because he twice suggested that Floyd should be rolled from his stomach onto his side, a position in which it would have been easier for him to breathe. (Chauvin rejected that suggestion both times.) But unlike the other two officers, Thao did not directly participate in the assault on Floyd. During Thao's sentencing hearing, Cahill mentioned one reason why he nevertheless viewed Thao as more culpable: Unlike Lane and Kueng, partners who were both rookies, Thao, who was Chauvin's partner, had been employed by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) for eight years. Because of Thao's experience and status, Cahill thought, he was better positioned to stop Chauvin's assault and to insist that Floyd receive CPR after he became unconscious, which happened about five and a half minutes into the prone restraint. Cahill also noted that Thao, who launched into a 23-minute speech peppered by biblical references during the sentencing hearing, continued to insist that he had done nothing wrong, saying, "I did not commit these crimes." It is not clear whether Thao's insistence on his innocence played a role in the sentence he received, although Cahill thought it was worth mentioning. "After three years of reflection," he said, "I was hoping for a little more remorse, regret, acknowledgment of some responsibility and less preaching." The 117-page opinion that Cahill issued in May, when he found Thao guilty, includes additional details that illuminate the judge's assessment of Thao's culpability. Thao waived his right to a jury trial and agreed that Cahill's verdict would be based on the evidence presented during Chauvin's state trial, during Thao's federal trial, and in "24 supplemental exhibits submitted by the State." That evidence, Cahill concluded, "overwhelming[ly] proves that Tou Thao aided and abetted manslaughter in the second degree on May 25, 2020." That charge required showing that Thao "knowingly" aided a "grossly negligent act" that resulted in Floyd's death. "Thao knew his three fellow officers were on top of Floyd, restraining Floyd in the prone position with knees forcefully and unrelentingly pinning down his neck, his middle back, and his lower back with arms also restraining Floyd's legs and his handcuffed arms (held behind his back while he was in the prone position)," Cahill wrote. "Thao knew that this prone restraint was extremely dangerous because it can cause asphyxiathe inability to breathethe exact condition Floyd repeatedly told the officers he was suffering. Yet Thao made the conscious decision to aid that dangerous restraint: he actively encouraged the other three officers and assisted their crime by holding back concerned bystanders, declining to render medical aid to Floyd, not instructing any of the other three officers to render medical aid to Floyd, and not permitting any of the bystanders to render medical aid to Floyd, including the off-duty Minneapolis firefighter on the scene trained in CPR." The active encouragement that Cahill perceived included Thao's early, abandoned suggestion that the officers restrain Floyd with a hobble, which connects the subject's bound feet to his waist or handcuffs. After the other officers "did not answer immediately," Cahill noted, "Thao suggested 'why don't we just hold him until EMS' arrives, adding 'if we hobble a sergeant's going to have to come over.'" When Thao appealed his federal conviction, he presented his hobble suggestion as evidence that he did not "willfully" violate Floyd's rights. "Thao grabbed the hobble from the squad car and asked if the other officers wanted to use it, but Chauvin declined," the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit said when it rejected Thao's appeal last week. "Thao notes that he suggested using the hobble, which would have put Floyd in the side-recovery position. But Thao made this suggestion within the first minute of Floyd's restraint, so it doesn't account for his failure to intervene for the remaining eight minutes Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's neck." In the opinion explaining his verdict, Cahill gave a somewhat different account and went further than the 8th Circuit, viewing the rejected hobble as incriminating. "If properly employed, that hobble would have saved Floyd's life," he wrote. "But Thao encouraged the other officers not to use the hobble and instead to 'hold on' and continue the physical restraint by which his three fellow officers were bearing down on Floyd, forcing him into the unyielding concrete of the street, drastically inhibiting his ability to breathe effectively. Thao's stated reason? 'If we hobble him, the sergeant is going to have to come out' to complete paperwork for a 'use of force review' mandated by MPD policy whenever the hobble device was deployed. The short of it: Thao did not want to follow the proper protocol and the work it would entail. George Floyd died as a result." In his federal trial, Thao gave inconsistent testimony regarding the hobble. He said he worried that the need to remove it would impede medical aid when an ambulance finally arrived (by which time Floyd was already dead). He also claimed, even less plausibly, that EMTs would have had to wait until the sergeant completed the paperwork documenting the use of the hobble. Cahill dismissed both of those self-serving explanations, which he thought beggared belief. The hobble aside, there was ample evidence that Thao, who was standing just a few feet from the other officers, was aware of what was happening. He conceded that he repeatedly looked in that direction, as body camera video confirmed. He claimed that the knee-on-the-neck restraint used by Chauvin was not "uncommon," because officers had been "trained on it." But he also acknowledged that it was not the same as any of the techniques taught by the MPD. Thao could hear Floyd as he loudly complained, no fewer than 27 times, that he could not breathe. Thao explicitly dismissed those cries, agreeing with his colleagues that Floyd must have been getting plenty of air because he was still talking. Thao heard and responded to comments from the horrified bystanders, who repeatedly noted that Floyd was not resisting, warned that his life was in danger, and berated Thao for not intervening. The off-duty firefighter repeatedly urged the officers to check Floyd's pulse and twice moved to help him, only to be ordered back by Thao. Thao could hear Kueng when he finally checked for a pulse about six minutes after the prone restraint began and said he could not detect one. Kueng checked again, with the same result: "I can't find one." Thao heard that too, but he and the other officers still did not attempt CPR, which might have saved Floyd's life. Thao described himself as acting like a "human traffic cone" during the incident, implying that he was distracted by the task of keeping the bystanders under control. But the witnesses, while angry, were never aggressive, and they complied with Thao's commands. He did not call for backup, did not enlist the help of a park police officer who was already at the scene, and admitted that nothing the bystanders were doing prevented him from objecting to the continued restraint or performing CPR. Thao's comments to the witnesses suggest he was blithely indifferent to Floyd's fate. In addition to erroneously insisting that "he's talking, so he's fine," Thao made a joke of Floyd's predicament, saying, "This is why you don't do drugs, kids." Thao later cited Floyd's drug use as a reason for keeping him pinned, saying he seemed to be experiencing "excited delirium," making his behavior unpredictable. As Cahill noted, excited delirium is a controversial diagnosis that is not recognized by the American Medical Association or the American Psychiatric Association. In any event, Floyd was not displaying the signs that are supposedly characteristic of that condition, and MPD training advises that suspects thought to be experiencing it should be placed in the "side recovery position" as soon as feasible, precisely because of the asphyxia danger to which Floyd succumbed. Lane evidently took that training to heart. "Should we roll him onto his side?" he asked about four minutes after Chauvin pinned Floyd, citing concern about "excited delirium or whatever." Yet Thao, who avowedly agreed with that diagnosis, said he thought it justified maintaining the prone restraint, even though he conceded that police are not supposed to continue using force against a non-resisting suspect based on the fear that he might start fighting in the future. Thao flouted his training and MPD policy, which condemns disproportionate force, requires officers to intervene when their colleagues use it, and demands that they render medical aid, especially when a suspect becomes nonresponsive and slips into unconsciousness, which he conceded should be viewed as "a red flag." During his federal trial, he also testified that he knew "keeping someone in the prone position can make it harder for them to breathe," although in this case he stubbornly disregarded that risk. Cahill's opinion makes a persuasive case that Thao "knowingly" helped Chauvin kill Floyd. Fair-minded people might nevertheless question whether Thao's conduct, outrageous as it was, justified giving him a sentence 15 months longer than the one imposed on Kueng, who was even closer to Floyd and continued helping Chauvin hold him down, without objecting, until after he stopped talking, became unconscious, and had no detectable pulse. But in light of Thao's eight years on the job, he surely should have recognized the abuse he was witnessing, and he should have been more confident than the rookies in doing something about it. The post Is Tou Thao More Culpable Than the Other Cops Who Helped Derek Chauvin Kill George Floyd? appeared first on Reason.com. Fifty pages into the 2019 book Red, White & Royal Blue, playwright/screenwriter Matthew Lopez knew he wanted to bring the tale of transcontinental romance between the son of the U.S. president and an English prince to the big screen. It was about page 50 that I knew I wanted to make this movie, said the Tony Award winner during a recent interview. I fell madly in love with it. Amazon Prime already had plans for the movie, and Lopez was one of the last ones to join the project. He adapted the book by Casey McQuiston for the movie he also directed. Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz and Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry in Prime Videos Red, White & Royal Blue. The 2-hour rom-com, which premieres on Amazon Prime on Aug. 12, follows the budding but complicated romance between Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the U.S.s first female president, and Prince Henry of Great Britain. Love does get royally complicated as the movie opens up with Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) not too happy about attending a royal wedding where Prince Henrys older brother ties the knot. The American all-too-happily paints the prince (Nicholas Galitzine) as snobby based on an earlier encounter. The evening goes downhill after the two get into a heated argument, knock down a skyscraper of a wedding cake on themselves and immediately get buried in an avalanche of frosting and cake. RW&RB While the media has a field day with Cakegate, Claremont-Diaz flies home to deal with his mom (Uma Thurman). The president is facing a tough re-election and cant have such a scandal sink her campaign, so she directs her son to patch things up. Political scion and the prince grudgingly pose for the cameras and downplay the wedding day spat, but they start a friendship that blossoms into much more than that and creates another headache when a British tabloid gets its hands on steamy text messages between the two lovers. Lopez, who won a Tony for his 2019 play The Inheritance, jumped at the chance to direct the movie. It didnt take long for me to know that this was going to be a movie, and that I wanted to make it, said Lopez, who grew up in Florida the son of schoolteachers. Why a movie and not a play? You cant beat the locations! Buckingham Palace, the Oval Office, the White House, and all those great locations, said Lopez. It really, really wanted to be a movie. And I really wanted to shoot in all of those beautiful locations. Lopez doesnt see much difference between directing a play and a movie. I got to take a lot of the things I learned as a playwright about storytelling and apply it to this movie, he said. Theres a lot of overlap between the two disciplines. But, he admits to having to learn quickly about making a movie. A major challenge was finding the right actors for the leading roles. Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz and Uma Thurman as President Ellen Claremont in in Prime Videos Red, White & Royal Blue. We spent about five months casting this film and looking at hundreds and hundreds of actors for these parts, said Lopez. When Lopez first met Chicago native Zakhar Perez and British actor Galitzine, they both really, really stood out very quickly as real possibilities. That chemistry sparked when the two met via Zoom for a script reading. It took a long time to find them, but it was very obvious that they were our guys. In the end, love trumps a foreign altercation. Will there be a sequel? If the movie is well received and there is demand for it, and if Taylor and Nick want to do one, Ill be happy to do a sequel, said Lopez. At a glance Red, White & Royal Blue Director: Matthew Lopez Screenplay: Matthew Lopez and Ted Malawer Cast: Taylor Zakhar Perez, Nicholas Galitzine, Clifton Collins Jr., Stephen Fry, Uma Thurman, Sarah Shahi, Malcolm Atobrah Time: 1 hour, 58 minutes Rated: R The Holiday Inn Express on Summer Street in Worcester, one of the locations where migrants are taking shelter. WORCESTER The families coming into Worcesters Holiday Inn Express could be mistaken for tourists, especially at this time of year. Families with children, suitcases and backpacks, consulting maps and asking for directions. You might not think these people had actually fled their homes in fear for their lives, with the hope of starting new ones here. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise of Haiti in July 2021, the countrys security situation has rapidly deteriorated, with gang activity running virtually unchecked. According to USA TODAY, the United Nations estimates the gangs now control about 80% of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, and conduct hundreds of kidnappings each month. The decision to leave is not one taken lightly, explained Martine Louis, a refugee herself, who arrived from Haiti about a month ago, but people have to consider the very real risk to their familys safety. The gangs kidnap people and demand exorbitant ransoms, she said, and sometimes kill the kidnapping victim anyway once the family pays. Most recently, an American nurse and her daughter were kidnapped on July 27 in Port-au-Prince. Their release was announced on Wednesday. Haitian refugees coming to Worcester in increasing numbers Louis is a member of the Haitian Refugee Taskforce, formed in Worcester to better handle the increasing influx of refugees arriving in the city, with more coming in almost every day. On Tuesday, Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency due to the shortage of available shelter for refugees arriving in Massachusetts. In Worcester, Mayor Joseph Petty and City Manager Eric Batista released a statement in support of the declaration, announcing the formation of a New Arrivals Task Force that will work with the community to provide both immediate and long-term solutions. "The pressure that this shelter shortage is causing impacts every single person living in the second largest city in New England," said the statement. "We call on everyone who lives and works in Worcester to come together and show in a demonstrable way that we are a welcoming, inclusive city that acts based on love, compassion, and integrity." The Haitian Refugee Task Force, which was formed in October, is made up of representatives from churches and nonprofit organizations, who work with the City of Worcester to provide food and shelter. Organizations including Friendly House, South Middlesex Opportunity Council and the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance arrange accommodations at local hotels such as the Holiday Inn Express and Quality Inn. There are currently about 500 Haitian refugees in Worcester, said Lesa McWalters of the First Unitarian Church in Worcester, who is another member of the task force. While the hotels where they are being housed are technically open for business, most are nearly full. "We're sending people out to Westborough, Northborough and Shrewsbury," she said. The Days Inn in Shrewsbury on Route 9 is already filled to capacity. McWalters estimated it costs $100 per day to shelter and feed a single family. Each organization covers the costs at their partner hotel. Earlier this month, $100,000 out of the state's fiscal 2024 budget was earmarked for Friendly House by Sen. Robyn Kennedy, D-Worcester, to operate the Center for New Americans in Worcester. The city offers English conversation courses, a citizenship class, and a monthly immigration attorney clinic through the Worcester Public Library, while the Worcester Public Schools offer English classes through their Adult Learning Center. Bureaucratic limbo Despite being refugees fleeing violence, many of these people are still in a bureaucratic limbo, not officially classified as refugees or asylum seekers. This uncertainty is an even greater issue in the long run than food, shelter or clothing, said McWalters. The biggest problem is the paperwork they need to work here, she said. One of the most important services provided is guiding the new arrivals through the legal process that will allow them to start looking for jobs, support themselves and get their own home. We are doing our best to give back by contributing to our communities, said Louis. Currently, Haitian refugees are given temporary protective status, so they cannot be deported yet, but without the correct paperwork, said McWalters, that could soon change. The process moves at a glacially slow pace, said Louis. Some of [the refugees] have been here for months, she said, gesturing to the lobby of the Holiday Inn Express on Summer Street. Something needs to be done. In an email statement, Thomas Matthews of the Worcester city managers office stated that the city is working with local advocates to streamline the entry for refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants. The goal is to employ a navigator to serve as a liaison to social service and government agencies so that individuals and families can obtain the necessary services, resources, paperwork, and support, said Matthews, saying that the city has allocated $40,000 towards the position. Matthews said more information about this pilot position will be announced soon. Worcester has been very welcoming, said Louis. She said she hopes that the task forces work and the increasing urgency of the situation will serve to rally support from the local Haitian community, to help the refugees integrate. We love our country, and we want to stay there, said Louis. But its a risk to do that now. We hope to go back one day." This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Haitian refugees in Worcester shelter in hotels, await work permits A tree trimmer required rescue after a fall from a ladder left him impaled on a metal fence, California firefighters reported. Firefighters with the Lakeside Fire Protection District responded to the incident Tuesday, Aug. 8, in Lakeside after getting a call for help, the agency said in a news release on Facebook. It hurt me looking at him, neighbor Roger Buck told KSBW after the accident. Buck said he ran to the mans rescue after hearing his cries. He was a good two or three feet off the ground and he was pretty much hanging there, Buck told the station. I held him up as long as I could. Firefighters cut away part of the fence before taking the injured man to a hospital, the release said. It is imperative to leave any impaled objects in place and have a surgical team remove them as removing the object in the field can cause further injury, firefighters said. The fence impaled the 50-year-old tree trimmers left arm but did not go through, firefighters told KGTV. He was reported in stable condition. Lakeside is about 25 miles northeast of San Diego. Bart the Chihuahua needs a bath then a rescue when tub time goes awry. See the video Climber dangles unconscious after 20-foot fall from cliff, Oregon rescuers say Phony $100 bills scattered at famed waterfall put hikers in danger, Oregon officials say A trio of miniature autonomous NASA rovers will soon head for the moon, with the aim of boosting the efficiency of exploration missions. The four-wheeled, carry-on-suitcase-sized moon rovers known as Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration (CADRE) will work as a team and carry out tasks with only initial, high-level input from humans. The intrepid trio will travel to the moon aboard Intuitive Machines ' third lunar lander, IM-3 , as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Launch is scheduled for 2024. Related: Missions to the moon: Past, present and future The mission will target the intriguing Reiner Gamma region, one of a number of mysterious lunar swirls with an associated local magnetic field. The Reiner Gamma swirl is located in Oceanus Procellarum ("Ocean of Storms"), on the western edge of the near side of the moon and just north of the equator, where midday temperatures could reach up to 237 degrees Fahrenheit (114 degrees Celsius). CADRE's rovers will be lowered onto the surface of the moon via tethers and find a spot to catch sunlight and charge their batteries. They will then spend the rest of the roughly 14-Earth-day-long lunar daytime carrying out experiments in order to test their capabilities. While their mission will be brief, it could influence exploration in the long term. By taking simultaneous measurements from multiple locations, the rovers will seek to demonstrate how multi-robot missions could potentially enable new science or support astronauts. "Our mission is to demonstrate that a network of mobile robots can cooperate to accomplish a task without human intervention autonomously," said Subha Comandur, the CADRE project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, in a statement . "It could change how we do exploration in the future. The question for future missions will become: 'How many rovers do we send, and what will they do together?'" Comandur added. The trio will receive orders from their lunar lander, divide tasks among themselves and decide how to execute their plans safely. "The only instruction is, for example, 'Go explore this region,' and the rovers figure out everything else: when they'll do the driving, what path they'll take, how they'll maneuver around local hazards," said JPL's Jean-Pierre de la Croix, CADRE's principal investigator. "You only tell them the high-level goal, and they have to determine how to accomplish it." RELATED STORIES: NASA's Artemis program: Everything you need to know NASA drawing on Apollo to design Artemis moonwalkers' tools NASA picks 2 companies to build next-gen spacesuits The rovers will carry out their roles under the gaze of a monitoring camera atop the 13-foot-tall (4 meters) lander. These roles include driving in formation and avoiding obstacles, with each robot exploring a patch of lunar surface covering 4,300 square feet (400 square meters) while using stereo cameras to create a topographic 3D map. The rovers also carry ground-penetrating radars, which will provide a glimpse as far as 33 feet (10 m) into the subsurface. A successful run will show that a multi-spacecraft approach could help us explore hazardous but scientifically rewarding planetary body terrain, mission team members said CADRE is one of four sets of payloads flying on IM-3. The Nova-C Lander will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and carry a total mass of roughly 203 pounds (92 kilograms) of investigative mission payloads. Amazon Indigenous activists and climate campaigners demonstrate on the sidelines of a summit in Belem, Brazil on saving the world's rainforests (Evaristo Sa) Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urged wealthy nations Wednesday to fulfill their unkept promises to fund developing countries' fight against climate change, at a summit on saving the world's tropical forests. Vowing to act as a bloc in future climate negotiations, the eight South American countries that share the Amazon basin and nations from the Caribbean, Africa and Asia called on the industrialized world to do more to protect Earth's disappearing tropical forests, vital buffers against global warming. "It's not that Brazil needs money. It's not that Colombia or Venezuela need money. Mother Nature needs money, it needs financing, because industrial development has destroyed it over the past 200 years," Lula told a news conference. But he and other leaders at the summit faced criticism themselves over their failure to adopt a pledge to stop illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030 and ban new oil exploration, as climate campaigners and Indigenous groups had urged. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) expressed its "great concern at the lack of a common goal to end deforestation" at the closely watched summit. Brazil's main Indigenous organization meanwhile chastised leaders for not doing more to protect native lands, which experts say are one of the best defenses for forests. "We hope all this effort at dialogue won't come down to empty words," said the Association of Brazil's Indigenous Peoples (APIB). - Competing views - The two-day summit was a key test for veteran leftist Lula, who returned to office in January vowing "Brazil is back" in the fight against climate change, after four years of destruction in the Amazon under far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro. The meeting started Tuesday with an agreement by the eight countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) to launch an alliance to fight deforestation. But they stopped short of adopting a timeline. Colombian President Gustavo Petro meanwhile called in vain for the region to adhere to his pledge to ban new oil wells. "If we're on the verge of extinction and this is the decade when the big decisions have to be made... then what are we doing, besides giving speeches?" he said. Despite Brazil's vows to chart an ambitious roadmap to save the Amazon, the summit instead wrapped up with a rebuke of wealthy nations by the participants -- ACTO members Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, plus invitees the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Indonesia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. "We express our concern regarding the non-fulfillment by developed countries of their commitments," including annual aid equivalent to 0.7 percent of GDP and $100 billion a year in climate financing for developing countries, they said. They also lashed out at "protectionist trade policies disguised as environmental protection," an apparent swipe at the European Union's new law banning imports that fuel deforestation. - Eyes on UN talks - Home to an estimated 10 percent of Earth's biodiversity, 50 million people and hundreds of billions of trees, the vast Amazon is a vital carbon sink. But scientists warn its destruction is pushing the world's biggest rainforest dangerously close to a tipping point, beyond which trees would die off and release carbon rather than absorb it, with catastrophic consequences for the climate. Deforestation in the Amazon is driven mainly by cattle ranching, though it is fueled by a murky mix of corruption, land-grabbing and organized crime including illegal drugs, arms, gold and timber trafficking. In Brazil, the world's top exporter of beef and soy and home to 60 percent of the Amazon, the destruction has already wiped out around one-fifth of the rainforest. Held in Belem, Brazil, at the mouth of the Amazon river, the summit was also something of a dress rehearsal for the 2025 UN climate talks, which the city will host. The United Arab Emirates, which will host the next UN climate talks in December, sent its special envoy for climate change, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber. Al-Jaber, chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), vowed to "keep the pressure on donor countries" to meet their unfulfilled climate finance pledges, in his first major statement on the need to protect and invest in nature as a core pillar of climate progress. mel/jhb/md Donald Trump is running a campaign advert attacking a Georgia district attorney just days before she is expected to become the latest prosecutor to indict him. The commercial, which is airing in Atlanta and other cities, takes shots at Fulton County DA Fani Willis who has been investigating the former presidents alleged attempts to overturn Joe Bidens win in the state in 2020. Ms Willis is believed to be ready to present charges in her investigation to an Atlanta grand jury next week, while Mr Trumps one-minute advert will run in the city from Wednesday to Sunday, according to the advertising tracking firm AdImpact. A campaign aide told NBC News that it will also air in New York, Washington DC and nationally. It was initially released on Sunday and accuses Ms Willis of wrongdoing, as well as mentioning special counsel Jack Smith and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg by name. Ms Willis has been investigating Mr Trumps alleged election interference, which includes his infamous phone call to Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, in which he demanded that he find him the 11,780 votes he needed to beat Mr Biden. Ms Willis has also investigated a scheme to put in place an alternate slate of presidential electors. It comes just a day after Mr Trump shockingly attacked Ms Williss sex life and baselessly claimed that she had an affair with a gang leader. Theres a young racist in Atlanta ... They say she was after a certain gang and she ended up having an affair with the head of the gang or a gang member, claimed Mr Trump during a speech in New Hampshire on Tuesday. This is a person who wants to indict me. Shes got a lot of problems. But she wants to indict me to try and run for some other office Wants to indict me for a perfect phone call, this was even better than my perfect call on Ukraine. And he added: I challenged the election in Georgia, which I had every right to do and they want to indict me because I challenged the election. Last week Mr Trump posted a video on Truth Social featuring a Rolling Stone headline about Ms Willis defending rapper YSL Mondo in 2019, and falsely claiming that she got caught hiding a relationship with a gang member she was prosecuting. There is no suggestion or evidence that Ms Willis had any romantic relationship with the rapper, who described mother-to-son type of talks with her, reported the magazine. Mr Trump has already been indicted on federal charges that he tried to overturn the 2020 election and a separate federal case over alleged retention of government documents at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. He has also been charged by the Manhattan DA in a hush-money case linked to the 2016 presidential election. That case relates to allegations he paid off a porn actress he had allegedly had an affair with while his wife was nursing their newborn son. WINDHAM, N.H. In his first stop in a crucial early voting state in the Republican presidential nominating calendar since his arraignment in federal court last week, former President Donald Trump blasted the latest federal charges he's facing, complaining that they'll keep him off the campaign trail. Speaking to supporters at a campaign event in Windham, New Hampshire on Tuesday, Trump called his two federal indictments "bulls---," and blamed President Biden for his legal controversies. The former president's stop in New Hampshire came in the wake of his indictment and arraignment last week on charges he attempted to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. Trump, whos making his third straight White House run, this spring became the first sitting or former president in U.S. history to be charged with a crime. TRUMP INDICTMENTS MAY DOMINATE 2024 RACE - IT WILL BE INESCAPABLE And in early June Trump was indicted and arraigned in federal court in Florida on criminal charges that he illegally retained national security records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, following the end of his term as president and that he obstructed federal efforts to recover the documents. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "How can my corrupt political opponent, crooked Joe Biden, put me on trial during an election campaign that Im winning by a lot, but forcing me nevertheless to spend time and money away from the campaign trail in order to fight bogus, made-up accusations and charges," Trump argued. TRUMP ARRAIGNMENT: FORMER PRESIDENT PLEADS NOT GUILTY "Im sorry, I wont be able to go to Iowa today, I wont be able to go to New Hampshire today because Im sitting in a courtroom on bulls--- because his attorney general charged me with something," Trump claimed. Trump's comments sparked chants of "bulls---" from the crowd of a couple of thousand supporters who were packed into a hot and humid high school gymnasium in this Republican stronghold in southern New Hampshire. Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the high school in Windham, New Hampshire, on August 8, 2023. While Trump reiterated his criticism of Biden, the president has largely refrained from discussing Trump's legal controversies and has repeatedly stressed that he's had no contact with the Justice Department over the investigations of his predecessor in the White House. Trump pleaded not guilty in federal court in Washington D.C. last Thursday to four counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. IT'S TRUMP'S RACE TO LOSE 6 MONTHS AHEAD OF GOP PRIMARIES, CAUCUSES The indictment came after Trump was informed that he was a target in the probe into his actions and state of mind on Jan. 6, 2021, and in the lead-up to that infamous day when right wing extremists and other Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. The attack temporarily disrupted congressional certification of Biden's Electoral College victory over Trump. The indictment alleges that Trump pursued unlawful means of discounting legitimate votes and subverting the 2020 presidential election results and that he corruptly obstructed and impeded the certification of the electoral vote. Trump railed against the indictments throughout his nearly 90 minute speech and doubled down on his unproven claims that the 2020 election was "rigged," "stolen" and "disgusting." Trump also charged that that prosecutors are trying to restrict his rights guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution, which is an argument that his lawyers in the case have highlighted. "You know, they want to take away your freedom of speech," the former president argued. "The case is a ridiculous case. It's a First Amendment case. But we don't want Trump to speak." Trump, who's the commanding front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, spotlighted a number of polls that he said showed him way ahead of his rivals. And he said that "every time I get indicted, I like to check the polls," which elicited laughter from the crowd. The former president reiterated that "one more indictment and I think this elections over." Trump campaign senior adviser in New Hampshire Steve Stepanek told Fox News that when it comes to the former president's indictments, "We ignore it. We are focused on building the ground game and pushing forward and thats just background noise as far as were concerned." Stepanek, a co-chair in New Hampshire of Trump's 2016 campaign who later served as state GOP chairman, said that the indictments get Trump supporters "more aggravated and dedicated. Period." LICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP James Geschwindner, a longtime Trump supporter from Loudon, New Hampshire, told Fox News following the campaign event in Windham that the indictments "absolutely" fuel his support for the former president. "There's no way he doesn't have my vote." Geschwinder said that the indictments are"backfiring. Every time that they attack him, he goes up." WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. Record numbers of criminal cases are tried in Floridas Southern District every year, where attorneys ready to join a blockbuster fight should be easy to come by, former prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys say. But Carlos De Oliveira, the latest defendant charged alongside Donald Trump in the alleged mishandling of classified government documents, has yet to secure a lawyer who can practice in the state, delaying his plea in a pattern some say is playing into Trumps attempt to draw out the case. Attorneys for Trump have argued that the trial should take place much later than the May date set by the judge, citing the scope of the indictment and Trumps status as a presidential candidate. Delaying the trial could have significant political implications for Trump, who is running to return to the White House. Trump will face primary voters in May and, if he wins the Republican nomination, general election voters in November 2024, and the contents and outcome of a trial could weigh heavily on voters. That De Oliveira, 56, of Palm Beach Gardens, had obtained counsel in Washington but no one to represent him in Florida was comical and almost funny, said Dick Gregorie, a 40-year veteran of Floridas Southern District known for his prosecutions of the late Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega and leaders of the Medellin and Cali drug cartels. Image: Mar-a-Lago (Steve Helber / AP file) I think thats comical, Gregorie said. Heres a guy from Palm Beach and he can find a lawyer in Washington, D.C., but in the busiest criminal district in the country, in the Southern District of Florida, hes not able to find a lawyer? Its almost funny. Appearing before a federal judge in Miami last week, De Oliveira, wearing a navy suit and glasses and without a local attorney, was unable to enter a plea. It was a reprise of the two delays that led Walt Nauta, Trumps personal aide who is also indicted in the classified documents case, to postpone entering his not guilty plea. The district has no shortage of legal firepower, said Philip Reizenstein, a former Miami-Dade County prosecutor. Were very active as defense attorneys, Reizenstein said. We dont just roll over and plead guilty. Mark Schnapp, a veteran federal prosecutor who led the criminal division at the U.S. attorneys office in Miami, said, I dont know whats taking so long. Schnapp said De Oliveira had to know he would be charged ahead of time. Typically the government will contact targets to let them know theyre going to be charged and offer them opportunities to cooperate, former prosecutors said. A source familiar with the matter said De Oliveiras legal team was informed ahead of time that the government intended to seek an indictment. The source said the defense was offered a chance to explain why he should not face charges. But even after the charges were announced in a superseding indictment and De Oliveira made his first court appearance, his defense team was still working to lock down local counsel. This is a delay tactic, said Dave Aronberg, the state attorney in Palm Beach County. Ill walk outside in a couple of minutes. Im going to trip over at least three lawyers who are admitted into the Southern District of Florida. Youve got to watch your step. Yet despite the historic challenge of wanting to represent a former president, veterans of the South Florida legal world who spoke to NBC News said other issues could be complicating the decision. The cost of securing an attorney independent from Trumps operation could prove a daunting challenge for workers targeted by federal investigators in the special counsels probes. Gregorie pointed to potential conflicts with Trump, who promised to find De Oliveira an attorney, according to the updated indictment. Trumps Save America fundraising group spent at least $20 million on legal fees in the first half of the year, some of it with the firms of lawyers who have signed on to represent his employees, federal records show. Its surprising, in a sense, because its one of the biggest criminal cases in the country, said Marcos Jimenez, a trial lawyer and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. For De Oliveira, a former maintenance worker at Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate accused with him and Nauta of conspiring to subvert federal investigators efforts to retrieve sensitive classified documents from Trump in his post-presidency, the stakes could not be higher. Prosecutors allege that De Oliveira lied to the government by denying he had any knowledge of boxes of classified files, despite his role in moving them, and then tried to delete security video at the Palm Beach club after the Justice Department sought to obtain it. Trump called De Oliveira, and the two spoke for more than 20 minutes, according to the indictment. He later approached another employee, identified as Yuscil Taveras, and informed him that the boss wanted the video deleted, prosecutors allege. That employee, who was once represented by a lawyer shared with another Trump defendant, sought new counsel last month. De Oliveira, who is set to appear before the federal judge assigned to the case Thursday, faces a delicate path that could lead to new challenges down the line. This is a question of how is this guy going to pay for his lawyer? And if he is being paid by Trump, that lawyer has got to say: Listen, my job is to represent you. Some of the things Im going to recommend to you may not be what Mr. Trump wants, Gregorie said. That may be a real difficulty. Former prosecutors for the Southern District said lawyers face their own liabilities, including the financial peril of a defendant who loses the means to pay or the threat of landing in the very public crosshairs of Trumps ire. If a lawyer signs on to a case in Florida and the defendant stops paying, youre stuck, Schnapp said. Reizenstein said: Unspoken among my colleagues who wanted to work for the president within a group of certain people who were being consulted [was] a cost-benefit analysis. Literally there were lawyers who were asking themselves how much is your reputation worth. Because a lot of people who take on the representation end up getting damaged themselves. That was an undercurrent within the Miami legal community when he was looking for lawyers, Reizenstein said of Trump. Said Kendall Coffey, a former U.S. attorney for Southern Florida: Lawyers associated with Donald Trump have had bad luck. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com GOP strategists and pollsters expect former President Trumps criminal trials to divide their party, creating a challenge for the Senate and House Republican candidates who will have to walk a fine line on the issue. Trumps legal troubles and his escalating battle with the Department of Justice will become a litmus test in GOP primaries next year just as Trumps claims that the 2020 election was stolen helped define candidates as MAGA-aligned in 2022, GOP strategists say. Candidates running in swing states and districts, especially Republicans trying to appeal to independent and college-educated women, will have to keep their distance from Trumps legal problems, which could become a major liability for the GOP in the general election, they say. Whit Ayres, a prominent Republican pollster, said Trump has major problems, particularly with college-educated women. They have basically moved away from the Republican Party at this point and become a core part of the Democratic coalition, he said. That doesnt mean theyre gone for good. With different candidates and a different appeal, I think many of them could come back to the Republicans. But Trump has driven away a great many college-educated women at this point. Sign up for the latest from The Hill here At the same time, Republicans in competitive primaries need to be careful not to alienate Trumps core supporters, who make up an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the GOP electorate. If he is the nominee in 2024, he will be zero help. Hell be a drag on the ticket, he will be a drag on Republicans, especially down-ballot Republicans, said Brandon Scholz, a Republican strategist in Wisconsin, where Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) is up for reelection. This is where you divide the Republican Party into two camps, Scholz said. One camp says, Let the president figure out his own legal problems. We run on our own. Were not here to talk about Donald Trumps legal problems. Then theres the other half who will just say, Its a political attack and its not deserving and they didnt do it to Joe Biden, he said. I just dont think the Republican Party is going to have a consistent message regarding Trump, theyre going to be split. Trials vs. primaries Polls show Trump dominating the GOP field, leading his nearest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by an average of 38 percentage points in recent national polls. He faces as many as four criminal trials and two civil trials over the next 18 months, which means his courtroom dramas will likely coincide with primary election dates, when Trump will be on the ballot in some states along with candidates battling for Senate and House nominations. For example, in Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, four Senate battleground states where there may be competitive GOP primaries, the presidential and down-ballot primaries are scheduled for the same dates: June 4 in Montana, March 19 in Ohio, April 23 in Pennsylvania and May 14 in West Virginia. Ive seen Trump recently made a joke on the trail, One more indictment and I got this thing in the bag, said Ohio-based Republican strategist Matt Dole, referring to how Trumps legal battles have rallied Republican voters behind him. But he warned that the legal fights could have a different impact on independent and moderate voters in the general election. He may have the primary in the bag but it certainly will have an impact on the general election, he said. Trumps trial in Manhattan on 34 felony charges related to his payment of hush money to an adult film actress is scheduled to begin on March 25, while his trial in South Florida on 40 criminal charges related to his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago is scheduled for May. Special counsel Jack Smith has called for a speedy trial for Trump in Washington, D.C.s, district court on four Jan. 6-related criminal charges, prompting speculation the Department of Justice wants to wrap up the trial before the Republican presidential convention scheduled for mid-July in Wisconsin. Trump also faces the start of a defamation trial involving the writer E. Jean Carroll on Jan. 15 and a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James accusing Trump and his family business of committing loan and insurance fraud. Jamess office announced last week its case is ready for trial. Trump faces another criminal trial in Georgia, where Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is preparing to charge him with trying to overturn the results of the states 2020 election. When you get right down to it, this is going to be a s show, Scholz said. Every trial with Trump, its going to be witnesses on the stand, its going to be statements. Its going to be a story to itself. I dont know when those trials would end, how soon before November 2024, but for every day they get closer to the election the worse its going to be. Arizona is a worry for the GOP Some Senate Republican strategists are already writing off their partys chances of winning the Arizona Senate seat now held by Kyrsten Sinema (I) because former television news anchor Kari Lake, a Trump acolyte who embraced his claims of election fraud, is viewed as a front-runner for the GOP nomination. A looming question ahead of next years primaries is whether some candidates will echo Trumps attacks on the Department of Justice and broader legal system to ingratiate themselves with Trumps core supporters. Thats the strategy that Don Bolduc, a former Army brigadier general, employed in 2022 when he won the Senate Republican nomination in New Hampshire by insisting that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election. Bolduc tried to reverse course before the November general election by claiming he had done a lot of research and came to the conclusion the election was not stolen. He wound up losing the race by 9 percentage points to Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.). Ayres, the GOP strategist and pollster, noted a great many election-denying candidates won their primaries before getting crushed in the general election. He said the criminal charges against Trump for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election will likely play into next years races the same way that his claims of election fraud did in the midterms. But he warned that Republicans who take that position could find it comes back to hurt them in the general election. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. (CNN) Chinas top diplomat Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart that Beijing remains impartial on the war in Ukraine, a day after a Chinese delegation participated in international talks on ending the conflict that included Kyiv, but not Moscow. In a call Monday, Wang stressed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that China and Russia are trustworthy and reliable good friends and partners. On the Ukraine crisis, China will uphold an independent and impartial position, sound an objective and rational voice, actively promote peace talks, and strive to seek a political solution on any international multilateral occasion, Wang said, according to a readout of the call released by Chinas Foreign Ministry. The call followed two-day talks hosted by Saudi Arabia, where around 40 nations including key Ukraine allies the United States, Britain and Germany, as well as India and a number of Middle Eastern nations, met to discuss the resolution of the conflict, nearly 18 months since Moscows invasion began. The group agreed on the importance of international dialogue to find common ground that will pave the way for peace, according to official Saudi media. Lavrov appreciates and welcomes the constructive role played by China toward a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis, Chinas Foreign Ministry said in their readout of Mondays call. A role for China in peace-making? Ahead of the talks in Jeddah, Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Chinas participation a super breakthrough and a historic victory. Ukraine and its Western allies have long expressed hope that China and its leader Xi Jinping, a self-described friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, could play a role in pushing Moscow toward peace. Both Xi and Putin see the other as a critical partner in reshaping what they see as an American-led world order hostile to their aims. China has continued to bolster its economic, diplomatic, and security ties with Russia, despite Putins invasion of Ukraine, which Beijing has never condemned. It did not send a delegation to previous international talks in Denmark in June, despite attempting to position itself as a potential peace broker on the conflict in recent months. Chinas participation in the Jeddah talks comes as the country has strengthened its ties with Saudi Arabia, and has been ramping up efforts to rekindle its relationship with key economic partners in Europe amid economic woes and ongoing friction with Washington. Beijings reputation in Europe has been significantly damaged by its support of Russia. Chinas special envoy on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, who led the delegation, had extensive contact and communication with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis listened to all sides opinions and proposals, and further consolidated international consensus, Chinas foreign ministry told Reuters in a statement Monday. CNN has reached out to the ministry for comment. Chinas participation in the talks did not appear to alter its own stance on the conflict, however. Beijing would continue to strengthen dialogue based on its 12-point position on a political settlement to the crisis, the ministry said following the talks, according to Reuters. That proposal, which Beijing put forward earlier this year, calls for peace talks to end the conflict. But it departs significantly from Ukraines own vision for peace in that it urges a ceasefire without also calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops an outcome critics say would help Moscow consolidate its illegal wartime gains. Ukraine and Russia remain publicly committed to prerequisites for direct negotiations that the other side finds unacceptable. Work closely and strategically Chinas proposal was also discussed during the Monday call between Wang and Lavrov, according to the Chinese foreign ministry, with its readout quoting Lavrov as saying Russia highly endorses it. The conversation also emphasized their alignment in the international arena more broadly, with Wang calling for both sides to work closely and strategically to promote a multi-polar world and democratization of international relations terms used to express their shared vision for a world order where Western nations hold less sway. An official Russian account of the call published by state-run news agency Tass said the two once again confirmed unanimity or broad consonance of Moscow and Beijings approaches to world affairs. They noted their rejection of the Western blocs confrontational policy toward Russia and China, its attempts to contain their development by means of sanctions and other illegitimate methods, Tass said. The call was also the first between the two since Wang was reappointed Chinas foreign minister following the shock ouster of his successor Qin Gang, who was suddenly replaced without explanation in late July after only six months in the role. Wang was previously foreign minister for roughly a decade before being promoted to lead the ruling Chinese Communist Partys foreign affairs arm late last year. He now holds both posts. Lavrov congratulated his Chinese counterpart on his appointment and wished him great success in his new demanding role, Tass said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "China assures Russia it remains impartial on Ukraine war after attending Saudi peace talks" Former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Windham, N.H., on Tuesday. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP) Former President Donald Trump lashed out at Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis at a campaign rally on Tuesday, baselessly accusing her of having an affair with a gang member as another criminal indictment against him looms in Georgia. CNN reported Wednesday that Willis is expected to seek more than a dozen indictments against Trump and his allies next week when she presents the findings of her long-running 2020 election interference investigation before a grand jury. The Atlanta prosecutor launched her investigation into Trumps efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 election shortly after a recording of a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call of Trump pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes was made public. Joe Biden carried Georgia by 11,779 votes. What did Trump say, exactly? Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis at a hearing in Atlanta on Jan. 24. (John Bazemore/AP) They say theres a young woman a young racist in Atlanta they say she was after a certain gang and she ended up having an affair with the head of the gang or a gang member, Trump told his supporters in New Hampshire. And this is a person who wants to indict me for a perfect phone call. The possible indictment in Georgia would be the fourth in five months for Trump, the first former president ever to be criminally charged. If the grand jury votes to indict him, that would come amid a flurry of other developments in the two ongoing federal cases against Trump, who remains the prohibitive frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination. Judge sets hearing on protective order in Jan. 6 case Trump arrives at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., as he heads to Washington to face federal conspiracy charges over his efforts to subvert the 2020 election. (Alex Brandon/AP) In Washington, D.C., the judge overseeing the federal case stemming from Trumps efforts to hold on to power following his 2020 loss has summoned lawyers for the prosecution and defense to appear on Friday to hear arguments over the prosecution's motion for a protective order after Trump, in a social media post, appeared to promise revenge on anyone who goes after him. "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, IM COMING AFTER YOU!" he wrote in an all-caps missive on Truth Social. The Justice Department had asked U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to limit what information Trump and his legal team could share publicly about the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith, including "witnesses, judges, attorneys, and others associated with legal matters pending against him." Trump's lawyers did not object to a protective order but requested that the judge put in place a version that is "less restrictive" than the one proposed by the government. At his rally Tuesday, Trump referred to Smith as a thug and assured his supporters that he wont stop talking about the case. "I will talk about it," he said. "Theyre not taking away my First Amendment rights." DOJ's use of multiple grand juries under review Special counsel Jack Smith speaks on June 9 after unveiling federal charges against Trump over his handling of classified documents after he left office. (Jose Luis Magana/AP) On Monday, the Florida judge overseeing the classified documents case against Trump ordered Smith to explain why his team used a grand jury in Washington to continue gathering evidence after it had already indicted the former president in Florida using a grand jury in Miami. Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, is reviewing the involvement of multiple grand juries after Trumps lawyers raised the issue. In June, Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta, were indicted by a federal grand jury on 38 counts stemming from the DOJ's investigation into Trumps handling of classified documents and alleged efforts to obstruct the probe. Late last month, the grand jury returned a new version of the indictment that added more obstruction counts and an additional co-defendant, Carlos De Oliveira, an employee at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort. In a motion filed last week, the government said it continued to use grand juries in Florida and Washington after indicting Trump to investigate further obstructive activity." A K-9 officer secures the area around the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on Tuesday. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday baselessly accused the Fulton County, Ga. district attorney investigating his efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the state of once having an "affair" with a "gang member," Rolling Stone reports. "They say there's a young woman a young racist in Atlanta they say she was after a certain gang and she ended up having an affair with the head of the gang or a gang member. And this is a person who wants to indict me [] wants to indict me for a perfect phone call," Trump alleged of Fani Willis during a New Hampshire campaign event. Trump's accusations appear to be a wild misrepresentation of a 2019 case Willis handled. A video he posted to Truth Social dubbing Willis a member of a "fraud squad" of prosecutors politically targeting him featured over the claim the headline of Rolling Stone's January interview with YSL Mondo, a co-founder of the Young Stoner Life (YSL) record label who Willis represented during a 2019 aggravated assault case. Willis would later prosecute YSL's other co-founder alongside 13 other defendants in a RICO case accusing the music group of affiliations with gang violence around Atlanta. According to Mondo, Willis' prosecution of Young Thug contradicted the impression he had of the prosecutor when she represented him. "I done had auntie-to-nephew, mother-to-son type of talks with her. I know this not her character," he told Rolling Stone, alleging there were "other people that's behind her pulling strings." Though Trump's video included the claim, there's no indication that Willis hid her representation of the rapper or that their relationship was romantic in nature. Attendees cheer as Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Windham High School in Windham, N.H., on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. (David Degner / New York Times) As lawyers for Donald Trump float various legal arguments to defend him in court against an onslaught of criminal charges, the former president has settled on a political defense: Im being indicted for you. In speeches, social media posts and ads, Trump has repeatedly declared the prosecutions a political witch hunt, and he has cast himself as a martyr who is taking hits from Democrats and the government on their behalf. They want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom, Trump told the crowd at a campaign event in New Hampshire on Tuesday. They want to silence me because I will never let them silence you. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times In two previous campaigns, 2016 and 2020, Trump presented himself to voters as an insurgent candidate who understood their grievances and promised to fight for them. Now, however, Trump has made his 2024 race principally about his own personal grievances attempting to convince supporters to see themselves in him. He continues to argue, falsely, that the 2020 election was stolen from him, and to present it as a theft also against his voters. The legal jeopardy he faces from multiple indictments, he tells followers, is the sort of persecution that they, too, could suffer. There is evidence that the message is resonating. Lorraine Rudd, who attended Trumps appearance in New Hampshire, said that after his third indictment last week, in a point-by-point 45-page account of his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, she felt that she, too, could be wrongly prosecuted. If they can do it to him and take him down, they can come for me, Rudd, a 64-year old Massachusetts resident, said. She said she firmly agreed with Trumps false claim that he won the 2020 election. What, am I next? she said. In March, when Trump announced his candidacy before any indictments, he told supporters, I am your retribution. The shift to the recent plaint of I am being indicted for you suggests a further tailoring of his campaign pitch, as he paints the criminal cases against him as an effort to prevent him from returning to the White House. In June, after being charged with retaining government secrets, Trump told a Republican gathering in Michigan: Essentially, Im being indicted for you. On Aug. 3, the day of his third indictment, for seeking to overturn the 2020 election, Trump posted on his social media site that facing fraud and obstruction charges in Washington was an honor because, as he wrote in all caps, I am being arrested for you. Portraying himself as a victim of the criminal justice system and echoing themes from when he faced an investigation over Russian influence in the 2016 campaign and his first impeachment has served to consolidate Republican support around Trump. Since his very first indictment, in New York in March, on charges related to payments to a porn star, Republican voters have buoyed Trump in polls. Congressional Republicans, mindful that the party base has largely embraced Trumps lies about the 2020 election, have leaned into investigations of what they call the weaponization of federal law enforcement. And many of Trumps 2024 Republican rivals have repeated his pledge to fire the FBI director and end the Justice Departments traditional independence from the White House. In a New York Times/Siena College poll released last week, before Trumps latest indictment, 71% of Republican voters said he had not committed serious federal crimes and that Republicans needed to stand behind him. When a long-shot challenger of Trump, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, told a Republican gathering in Iowa recently that the former president was running not to represent people who supported him in 2016 or 2020 but to stay out of prison, Hurd was booed. In public comments, Trumps lawyers have indicated they will mount a free-speech defense in the latest case related to the 2020 election. They have argued that anything Trump said leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot was merely aspirational requests. Those include lying about widespread fraud to voters, pressuring Pence to ignore the Constitution and asking Georgias secretary of state to find enough additional votes to help him win the state. The former president and his allies in the conservative media and in Congress are simultaneously waging a battle for public opinion by accusing Hunter Biden, President Joe Bidens son, of misconduct in business dealings and trying to tie allegations of shady practices to Biden himself when he was vice president. Investigations led by House Republicans have turned up no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden, but the effort has convinced many Republicans that Trumps indictments are part of a conspiracy to divert scrutiny from Biden and his family. On Tuesday, Trump promised to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Biden, his likely political rival should he win the GOP nomination. He also continued his personal attacks on Jack Smith, the special counsel in the federal cases against Trump, calling him deranged. And without referring to her by name, he criticized Fani Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, who is Black, as a racist. She is overseeing a separate investigation into alleged efforts by Trump and his allies to interfere with the election in the state, where he lost to Biden. With Trump dominating every Republican primary poll, a few 2024 rivals have lately been more direct in challenging him on the subject of the 2020 election. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week that of course Trump lost reelection in his most blunt acknowledgment yet of a reality he has tiptoed around for three years. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who could be a star witness in a trial focused on Jan. 6, said that Trump pushed him to essentially overturn the election. Roughly an hour northwest of Trumps rally Tuesday night, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of Trumps toughest critics in the race, mocked the former presidents proclamations. As Im walking around Ukraine, hes waltzing into a courtroom in Washington, D.C., to tell us that hes being indicted for us. For us! How lucky are we! That we have such a selfless, magnanimous leader, Christie said, prompting laughter and a sprinkling of applause. Because you know that the government was coming to get you and on their way to get you, lo and behold, they came across Donald Trump and they said, Okay, we wont get you, well get him, for you. The narrative of unfair persecution by the criminal justice system, which Republicans as the party of law and order once staunchly defended, has taken strong root among Trumps supporters. Steve Vicere, who drove all the way from his home in Florida to see Trump in New Hampshire, said the indictments were a diversion and represented attempts by Democrats to stop Trump from regaining power. Everyday freedoms are being systematically taken away, and nobody ever gets held accountable, Vicere, 54, said. Dean Brady, a limo driver from Newmarket, New Hampshire, embraced Trumps message that he was taking a hit on behalf of his supporters. Hes representing us, Brady, 60, said. Hes not in it for himself, he could quit this and just go on with life. Hes up there because he loves America and he cares about us. But not all Republican voters embrace Trumps sense of victimhood. Jean Davis, who attended a barbecue in Iowa on Sunday to hear seven of Trumps GOP rivals, said that his latest indictment ought to disqualify him as a candidate. Her husband, Russ Davis, who supports DeSantis, said that if Trump were to become the nominee, his chances of defeating Biden would be next to nothing. There are so many people on the Republican side who just cant get past his loud mouth, he said. c.2023 The New York Times Company During a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump spewed a litany of personal grievances and attacks on his political opponents on both sides of the aisle. Those among the targets: Chris Christie, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and more. The 2024 candidate once again smeared Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as a racist, and baselessly suggested she had an affair with a gang member. They say theres a young womana young racist in Atlantathey say she was after a certain gang and she ended up having an affair with the head of the gang or a gang member. And this is a person who wants to indict me [] wants to indict me for a perfect phone call, he said. In 2019, when Willis was a defense attorney, she represented rapper YSL Mondo in an aggravated assault case. The rapper would later tell Rolling Stone, I done had auntie-to-nephew, mother-to-son type talks with her. Apparently it was this innocuous comment that Trumpwith the help of right-wing commentatorsspun into the accusation of an affair. Trump: Christie is eating right now, he cant be bothered. Sir, do not call him a fat pig pic.twitter.com/urrfzIGgkv Acyn (@Acyn) August 8, 2023 Referencing both his own criminal indictments and the GOPs efforts to launch an impeachment inquiry against Biden, Trump fumed that the president was totally dishonest and crooked. At the same time, the thrice-indicted ex-president unironically claimed that he didnt talk this way five weeks ago due to his respect for the office of the president. (Hes been calling Biden crooked since at least April.) After having to show up to three courts since AprilNew York, Florida and Washington, D.C.Trump said hed prefer to be in the south of France rather than in the U.S. A potential fourth indictment in Georgia this month may require another arraignment and plea. "I'll be the only politician in American History not allowed to speak because of our corrupt system"" "Hi everybody...please vote for me"bye pic.twitter.com/A1L1xdsK3N miguelifornia (@miguelifornia) August 8, 2023 After trying out a couple juvenile lines about Christies weight, the GOP 2024 presidential frontrunner then went on a truly Trumpian tangent about how he decided to strip Hillary Clinton of his favorite nickname for her and officially bestow it upon President Joe Biden. I even changed his name. I took it away from Hillary, and we call him Crooked Joe. Instead of Sleepy Joe, we call him Crooked Joe. I retired it, he proudly declared. That was a great day for Hillary. I said were removing the name from Crooked Hillary. Now we call her Beautiful, Beautiful Hillary, such a beautiful woman, and were giving it to Biden because hes a crooked person. Neither President Biden nor his son, Hunter, were immune from Trumps barbs. The target of House Republicans investigation into the Biden familythat has so far been far from fruitfulHunter Biden was recently expected to agree to a plea deal over tax and gun crimes, until it fell through at the last minute. Colleague Shares Jan. 6 Emails From Ex-Pence Adviser Who Endorsed Trump At some point, Trump said, Joe is gonna have to say, You know, this son thing just isn't working out. Do you agree? This son thing is not working out too good. In the same context, Trump also criticized the Secret Service for wrapping up its investigation into the cocaine found in the White House last month without identifying any suspects or making any arrests. I wonder where that cocaine came from? What happened? That was the quickest investigation Ive ever seen, said Trump, who had suggested not-so-subtly that it belonged to the president and his son. The criticism of Biden continued, with Trump complaining about his indictmentseven though the White House has stayed mum on each of them. Is this going to be the future of America, where a sitting president tells his attorney general to indict the opponent? Trump said, even though Attorney General Merrick Garland tasked a special counsel to pursue the investigations, and a grand jury in Florida and Washington, D.C. voted to indict. Notably, in the run-up to the 2020 election, Trump gave a Fox Business Network interview in which he publicly pressured his attorney general, Bill Barr, to indict Biden and Barack Obama. Unless Bill Barr indicts these people for crimes the greatest political crime in the history of our country, he said of the FBIs investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, then were going to get little satisfaction, unless I win. 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. GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 10: Republican presidential candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures to the audience after delivering remarks June 10, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Trump spoke during the North Carolina Republican partys annual state convention two days after becoming the first former U.S. president indicted on federal charges. Win McNamee/Getty Images Trump's lawyer suggested telling people it was normal for his electors to send in votes in losing states, according to a newly released memo. The idea was part of a larger plan to overturn the results of the 2020 election, the NYT reported. The New York Times was the first to report on and obtain the previously secret memo. One of former President Donald Trump's campaign lawyers, in a previously secret memo, suggested telling people who were skeptical of a plan to overturn the 2020 election using fake electors that it was normal to have Trump's electors vote in losing states. The New York Times first obtained and reported on the memo Tuesday. The previously unknown campaign memo from December 2020 penned by then-Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro outlined a plan to overturn the 2020 election results. Chesebro did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment on the memo. A lawyer for Trump declined to comment when asked by Insider. According to the memo, the plan included having Trump-Pence electors in all six contested states send in certificates with their votes if one of the pending lawsuits looking into possible election interference was decided in the Trump campaign's favor. Chesebro wrote in the memo that their electors' votes, which would be cast in December, as well as news of the plan, would leak before the presidential certification on January 6. "If the Trump campaign ends up deciding to have all of its electors vote on December 14, even in States in which Trump has not been declared the winner, presumably word of this will leak out prior to December 14," Chesebro wrote, adding that "there should be messaging that presents this as a routine measure that is necessary." He said that the Trump-Pence team should tell skeptics that they had their electors cast official votes in favor of Trump "to ensure that in the event the courts (or state legislatures) were to later conclude that Trump actually won the state, the correct electoral slate can be counted in Congress in January just as the Democrats did in Hawaii 1960, which ended up with Hawaii's electoral votes being awarded to Kennedy, even though the litigation was not resolved until after the electors voted." In 1960, Nixon won Hawaii by just 140 votes, Politico reported in 2022. A recount of the votes were underway when presidential electors met to cast their ballots. At the time, Politico reported, Kennedy's elector nominees from the state signed certificates at the same time Nixon's electors did, even though Hawaii's governor had certified Nixon's win. The existence of this campaign memo was revealed in Trump's indictment in connection to the January 6 riot last week, but details of it were not known until the New York Times reported on it Tuesday. The Times reported that prosecutors in the January 6 case against Trump are now using the memo as a link to underline their allegations that the Trump campaign committed a criminal conspiracy in an effort to overturn the election results. Read the original article on Business Insider The father of the 10-month-old killed in a massacre in central California that left six executed has filed a lawsuit against Tulare County officials and law enforcement accusing them of failing to remove the child from an unfit home. Nycholas was shot in the head as he was held by his 16-year-old mother, Alissa Parraz, who was attempting to flee the Jan. 16 massacre before being shot herself multiple times in Goshen, a community west of Visalia, the Tulare County Sheriffs Office has said. The father of the baby and fiance to Parraz, Shayne Maupin, filed the lawsuit Aug. 4, according to court records. The lawsuit claims child welfare service workers and personnel from the Tulare County Sheriffs Office failed to remove the infant from the home despite gang members living there and the discovery of weapons and methamphetamine. It names seven deputies and four child welfare service workers. Tulare County workers and deputies could have prevented the death of the child, according to Wyatt Vespermann, an attorney representing Maupin. The number of red flags and missed opportunities by both Tulare County Child Welfare Services and the sheriffs office are too many to count, Vespermann said in a news release. What happened to this young family is simply unacceptable. Nycholas Parraz, 10 months old, was killed Jan. 16, 2023, along with five others in Goshen. His father filed a lawsuit against Tulare County workers and law enforcment. The damages should be determined by a jury trial, the complaint says. The next hearing is Dec. 6. The Tulare County Sheriffs Office and Tulare County Counsel did not return requests for a comment. Child welfare services and Goshen family Tulare County officials have noted the 10-month-old had been returned to the young mother on Jan. 13, three days before the massacre. Workers had taken the child because the mother who was 15 at the time seemed unable to care for him, officials previously said. The lawsuit says child welfare moved forward with a protective custody warrant on March 2, 2022, but failed to complete their due diligence six days later to identify relatives for potential placement of the child and other requirements. Shayne Maupin poses with Alissa Parraz and their baby, Nycholas, in this undated photo. Parraz and the baby were killed Jan. 16, 2023, in the so-called Goshen Massacre. Maupin filed a lawsuit against Tulare County officials. A county employee determined in September 2022 that one of the relatives living in the home with Parraz was an active gang member previously accused of street terrorism, assault with a deadly weapon, evading police and a number of other charges, the complaint says. Deputies visited the home during a warrant check on Jan. 3, observing weapons, body armor, methamphetamine and bullet holes in the walls of the home, but did not report it unfit for a child, the lawsuit says. The child was returned to his mother on Jan. 13. The lawsuit says child service workers never visited the home before signing off on the reunification. The massacre in Goshen Investigators arrived at a home before 4 a.m. Jan. 16 where six people were shot to death in Goshen, deputies said. The victims included the mother and son, as well as Eladio Parraz Jr., 52; Marcos Parraz, 19; Jennifer Analla, 49; and Rosa Parraz, 72. A 911 caller reported hearing many rounds of gunfire coming from a home on Harvest Avenue near Road 68. Some of the victims were found in the street in front of the home, while others were found in the home, investigators said. The teen mother was found in a nearby ditch, cradling her baby. Investigators said they believe the teen fled and was hiding before a gunman stood over her and fired. Surveillance video caught the mother running away and placing the baby over a fence before jumping over herself. A man with a gun trailed behind her, video shows. The eldest Parraz was shot in her bed and may have been sleeping when killed, investigators said. First responders attempted life-saving efforts on some of the victims, but were unsuccessful. One victim was taken to a local hospital, where he died. Noah Beard, 25, and Angel Uriarte, 35, have been charged with multiple homicides in the massacre. Authorities have said the defendants and two of the victims have Norteno and Sureno gang ties, respectively, and that the massacre was part of a rivalry. After a weekend of shootings that killed three and injured several others, Rochester's community elders and violence prevention workers are calling on residents to turn in those responsible for the violence. "There is a proverb that says, 'If a young person is not embraced by his or her village, they will burn it down to feel its warmth,'" Jerome Underwood, who leads the local nonprofit Action for a Better Community, said at a press conference Tuesday. "Part of that embrace is accountability. If you know people who have inflicted harm on our communities, you need to turn them in. We are not accepting that anymore." Shootings have been trending down this year, but Thursday night kicked off a spate of violence that forced organizers to cancel the planned Puerto Rican pride parade and led to increased police patrols throughout the weekend. In total: Flanked by community elders and violence prevention workers, Anthony Hall (center) addresses a spate of shootings that killed three and injured several others between Aug. 3 and Aug. 5, 2023. Hanif Abdul-Wahid, a member of the Black Agenda Group, said gun violence in Rochester is the result of a small population of repeat shooters. If the community bands together, he said, it has the power to prevent future tragedy. Those that gathered Tuesday encouraged residents to report what they know about shootings and homicides, either through the anonymous 'Report It' app launched by the city earlier this year or by contacting any of the violence prevention organizations listed in this story. "We don't need the National Guard," City Council President Miguel Melendez said. "We need the community guard. We have to take ownership and hold each other accountable." Rochester NY shootings: Where the numbers stand This weekend's shootings brings the number of individuals shot in Rochester this year to 186, according to data from the Rochester Police Department. There have been 32 homicides 26 of which were gun deaths. Last year at this time, the city recorded 220 shooting victims and 44 homicides. By those totals, the number of shooting victims is still down nearly 16% and homicides are down 27% when compared to the same timeframe last year. Resources for people impacted by shootings in Rochester NY Rise Up Rochester meets the immediate needs of victims of violence and their families food, safe housing, transportation while connecting them to long-term, wraparound services through other agencies. Call 585-454-3060 for support. Community Resource Collaborative offers resources for young adults affected by violence, including guidance around housing, employment, mental health and more. Call 888-444-1060 for support. Pathways to Peace is a team of street-level mediators that works to diffuse potentially violent disputes and redirect youth from gang or drug activity. Call or text 585-428-7233 for support. ROC the Peace runs support groups for mourning parents or caregivers who lost someone to violence and raises awareness for the city's unsolved homicides. Contact 585-708-9787 for support. Untrapped Ministries offers job preparedness programs while working to improve young adults' social and emotional development. Call 585-489-3392 for support. Kayla Canne reports on community justice and safety efforts for the Democrat and Chronicle. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com or on Twitter @kaylacanne. This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester leaders say they need tips to help solve fatal shootings Twitter, the platform now known as X, was fined $350,000 after being held in contempt for failing to provide timely access to former President Trumps account, as ordered by the court, according to a newly unsealed court filing. The fine was imposed after special counsel Jack Smith secured a search warrant of the account in connection with Trumps efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election. His office sought the warrant in January 2023. The social media company did not fully produce the requested information to Smith until three days after a court-ordered deadline, according to the filing. The company did ultimately comply with the courts order. The government also obtained a nondisclosure agreement that allowed the warrant to remain secret, meaning Twitter could not even tell Trump that a warrant had been obtained for his account. That decision came after the D.C. District Court determined there were reasonable grounds to believe that disclosing the warrant to Trump would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation by giving him an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior [or] notify confederates, according to the filing. When the government first attempted to serve Twitter with the warrant Jan. 17 through its website for legal requests, the website was inoperative, but two days later, on Jan. 19, the warrant was successfully served there, according to the filing. A week later, when the government requested an update, Twitters counsel said she had not heard anything about [the] [w]arrant. On Feb. 1, Twitter challenged the governments nondisclosure order under First Amendment objections and said it would not comply with the warrant until the court determined the legality of the order. The district court ultimately sided with the government, holding the social media platform in contempt. Trump was arraigned on four charges in connection with his efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 election last week. The first hearing in that case before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan will be held Friday. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Even as Florida Democrats still do not have an official challenger to rival U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in next year's election, the specter of a primary election a year from now is raising concerns. According to three sources with close knowledge of the conversations, former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell appears ready to take on Scott, who said in January that he would seek re-election in 2024. Mucarsel-Powell, originally from Ecuador, served one term in the U.S. House after winning the South Florida District 26 seat in the 2018 blue-wave election that saw a record 117 women win their races. She lost her 2020 bid for re-election to Republican Carlos Gimenez, who won a second term last November. Two sources with knowledge of her plans said Mucarsel-Powell has committed to running against Scott and is getting ready with a team to launch a campaign. The sources also said in separate conversations that state Rep. Fentrice Driskell of Tampa is also considering a run. However, they said that top state Democrats prefer that Driskell, who serves as Florida House Minority Leader, run for governor in 2026. One of the biggest concerns that political strategists engaged in these discussions said they harbor is the need to avoid a primary battle next August. Scott is personally wealthy and will have many millions of dollars to spend on his campaign as well as bruising attack ads. The 2024 Democratic senatorial nominee in Florida will need every dollar he or she can raise to strike back at the incumbent. Jackson McMillan, a Tampa political strategist and fundraiser for Democrats, said the party needs to avoid a primary so that their nominee has more than a year to gather strength. "Leaves us with, like, three months, barely, to flip a hotly contested seat we're going to be out-funded on. I know the ideal from the party is that we only have one candidate," McMillan said if a primary battle ensues. No matter what there is going to be a primary, McMillan said, because one Democrat already filed in the race against Scott: Phil Ehr, a 26-year U.S. Navy veteran who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz last year. Scott already enjoys the advantage of being an incumbent in a trending red state. As of June 30, Republicans hold a voter registration edge of nearly 542,000 above Democrats. Democratic political strategists insist they still have hope, largely because Scott has not been the most popular figure since launching his political career in 2010. He has won his three statewide elections, twice for governor and the 2018 U.S. Senate race, but by the slightest of margins. This year, just after Scott announced his Senate re-election plans, President Joe Biden clobbered him in the State of the Union message by denouncing the senator's plan to sunset all federal programs that are not reauthorized every five years. Placed under a national heat lamp, Scott backtracked by agreeing to exempt Medicare and Social Security as well as Veterans Administration and national defense programs from his proposal. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, seen here in 2018 with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, left, and Abby Finkenauer, D-Iowa, may seek to return to Washington next year. Clarifying sunset program language: Rick Scott is on 'damage control,' but enough to hurt his 2024 re-election chances? Primaries are part of politics, but are they helpful at all? Others, however, say a Democratic primary may not be such a bad outcome. Mitchell Berger, an important Democratic donor and fundraiser, said he supports "healthy" primaries where candidates focus on policy instead of attacking one another. He said those contests help build "infrastructure" among supporters, and that resources from each candidate are consolidated at the end of a primary when a candidate wins. "It's going to be a tough race, no matter what," Berger said. "But healthy primaries, where there's a good and respectful competition, are much better than anointing a candidate." Scott's own primary: Rick Scott draws a primary challenge. But is he really vulnerable after a rough year? Kevin Wagner, a pollster and chair of the political science department at Florida Atlantic University, agreed that a costly primary would be counterproductive for a party's eventual nominee. "If the Democrats are going to have any chance to race against an incumbent senator, they're going to have to be fairly well financed and pretty unified," Wagner said. "If they can't do that, they're going to have a lot of trouble in the job." But the role of fundraising can be overstated, too. Democrat Val Demings, who challenged U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio last year, was one of the top raising and spending candidates in the nation with about $75 million in campaign spending, yet she lost against Rubio by double digits. Either way, Wagner said, Democrats need to ramp up enthusiasm for whoever their nominee is. "The big problem for the Democrats is not whether they have a primary or not. The big struggle for them is to have a message and the resources to generate the enthusiasm and the turnout they need to be successful in the state, and that's been the big problem we've seen in the last couple of cycles," Wagner said. Which other Democrats could possibly run for U.S. Senate against Rick Scott? Mucarsel-Powell has experience in federal office, and the fact that she represented a Miami-Dade County seat, Democrats say, is a plus. The county has long been a Democratic bastion but turned red in the 2022 midterm elections. Mucarsel-Powel is also a senior adviser to Giffords, a gun-safety group founded by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was critically wounded in a shooting in 2011. No Democratic challenger yet: Celebrity athletes and traditional politicians against Scott, but still no one Democrat Driskell, an attorney, has been a rising star in the state Democratic Party since her election to a Tampa-area Florida House district in 2018. State Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach, said that he and others have encouraged Driskell to run for governor, and he said she would be "the most qualified candidate" to seek the governor's mansion. "She's an exciting candidate. She's double Ivy League, and she's down to earth," Powell said. "She is somebody who can motivate the crowd. She drives the needle." Another name frequently mentioned in the U.S. Senate conversation by political strategists is Jennifer Jenkins, a Brevard County school board member. Jenkins recently introduced Vice President Kamala Harris prior to her remarks in Jacksonville on July 21, in which Harris lambasted the Florida Board of Education's changes to African-American history courses from kindergarten through 12th grade. Jenkins said in an interview in June that she was considering running against Scott but had not made any final decisions, yet sources in her circle told The Palm Beach Post that she would not run if other name-recognized candidates ran to avoid fighting in a primary. Stephany Matat is a politics reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY-Florida network. Reach her at smatat@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Democrats seek challenger to Rick Scott, but not a primary (CNN) The world got its first preview last month of what summer will be like at 1.5 degrees of global warming a threshold that scientists warn the planet should stay under, yet one that it has flown increasingly close to in recent years. The average global temperature in July, the hottest month on record by far, was around 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the pre-industrial era that ended in the mid-to-late 1800s, the European Unions Copernicus Climate Change Service reported Tuesday. The announcement came after a series of deadly heat waves and remarkable record-breaking temperatures for several continents, as well as unprecedented ocean heat around the globe. Copernicus scientists say its the first summer month that has surpassed 1.5 degrees, offering a glimpse of future summers. The 1.5-degree threshold is significant because scientists consider it a key tipping point for the planet, beyond which the chances of extreme heat, flooding, drought, wildfires and food and water shortages will become even more unfavorable for life as we know it. Its the goal that scientists chose in the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement to minimize the damage of the climate crisis while affording time to wean society and the economy off planet-warming fossil fuels. Its also not something thats tracked by the day or month. Scientists are particularly concerned that global temperature will stay above 1.5 degrees for the long term. Through 2022, the world had warmed around 1.2 degrees. While breaking the 1.5-degrees-Celsius threshold for a day or a week or a month is not the same as breaking it for the long-term average, it is important to monitor how frequently, and for how long, we exceed this threshold, Rebecca Emerton, scientist with Copernicus, told CNN. As temperatures continue to rise, the effects will continue to become more serious. The last few years have made it abundantly clear that the world is already feeling alarming effects of the climate crisis that many are not prepared for. If the planet continues to heat up, Emerton said the world will face even more extreme weather than what much of the planet has already experienced. Weve seen the impacts these kinds of events are already having on people and on our planet, and so every small part of a degree of warming is significant, Emerton said. According to Berkeley Earth, an environmental data nonprofit, there have only been 10 other months that were warmer than 1.5 degrees Celsius above their historical average, with March 2023 being the most recent. Before that, the other months that have been 1.5 degrees warmer than pre-industrial times have occurred during winter or early spring. Berkeley Earth Lead Scientist Robert Rohde said surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius in July is the first time that threshold has ever been crossed during the summer in the Northern Hemisphere, which makes this a critical moment for the planet. While the past unusually warm winters are notable, observing extreme warmth in summer is likely to have greater direct impacts on peoples lives, Rohde, who is not involved with the Copernicus report, told CNN. Adding 1.5 degrees Celsius in winter makes for a mild winter but doing it during summer can give rise to unprecedented extremes. Although Rohde said it is likely that 2023 will be the warmest year on record, its unlikely that 2023 as a whole will be 1.5 degrees warmer than pre-industrial times. The year-to-date average is still below 1.5 degrees Celsius, and we find it unlikely that the rest of 2023 will be warm enough to bring the whole year average above 1.5, he said. Copernicus scientists noted that as El Nino continues to develop, the world may witness more of these unprecedented temperature breaches. Even if the climate crisis does not accelerate, but continues on its current trajectory, we will see more days, weeks, months and years with record-breaking temperatures, and other impacts on our Earth system, Emerton said. We need to be doing all that we can to reduce emissions and limit future warming. This story was first published on CNN.com, "July hit a crucial warming threshold that scientists have warned the world should stay under" Lebanese army members gather near the area where a lorry was overturned in the town of Kahaleh Two killed in clash between Lebanon's Hezbollah, Christian villagers-sources Lebanese army members gather near the area where a lorry was overturned in the town of Kahaleh BEIRUT (Reuters) -Two people were killed in Lebanon on Wednesday in an exchange of fire between Hezbollah members and residents of a Christian village after a truck belonging to the heavily armed Shi'ite group overturned in the area, security sources said. A member of the Iran-backed Hezbollah and a resident of the mountain village of Kahaleh were killed in the clash, some 12 km (7 miles) southeast of Beirut, the sources said. The sides accused each other of starting the deadly clash. It marked the most serious confrontation between Hezbollah and its Lebanese opponents since deadly clashes in Beirut nearly two years ago, threatening to worsen sectarian tensions as Lebanon is paralysed by deep political and economic crises. Local lawmakers from the Lebanese Forces, a Christian party opposed to Hezbollah, accused the group of transporting weapons in the truck. Hezbollah said the vehicle was its property and accused "militias" in the area of attacking its crew, saying a man "protecting the truck" was wounded and later died. In a statement, it said an exchange of fire had taken place with "the attacking gunmen". It did not say what was on the truck. The local office of the Lebanese Forces party accused "an armed group" accompanying the vehicle of firing at civilians, leading to the death of a man identified by the sources as a Christian resident of Kahaleh. Fadi Bejjani, 64, was identified as the victim by his son Youssef, who told Reuters the pair had tried to get close to the truck after it flipped over. "We were a meter away but couldnt see what was inside the truck. At least three men started shooting at us two with machine guns and one with a pistol. My dad fell to the ground but there was so much gunfire that we couldn't get to him for three minutes," Bejjani, 39, said. The truck had overturned on a downhill turn near Kahaleh on the main road between Syria's capital Damascus and Beirut. Residents swiftly shut down the road around it. Nazih Matta, a parliamentarian representing the area from the Lebanese Forces party, accused Hezbollah of transporting weapons to Beirut on the truck. "A man from Kahaleh was killed - this is totally unacceptable," Matta said in televised comments. Abdo Abou Khalil, an official from Kahaleh, said residents intended to keep the road around the overturned truck closed. MTV Lebanon and Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed aired earlier footage of men in plainclothes shooting rifles in the street. They later showed Lebanese troops deployed around the lorry at night while a crane worked to remove wooden crates from it. The contents of the truck were not visible, but large groups of residents were still gathered around. Lebanon's caretaker premier Najib Mikati spoke to army commander General Joseph Aoun and called for "calm and wisdom" while a formal investigation takes place. Hezbollah, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, is Lebanon's most powerful group. It has fought numerous conflicts with Israel and deployed fighters to support President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war. Its arsenal has long been a point of conflict in Lebanon, where its opponents accuse the group of undermining the state. Two years ago, seven people were killed - followers of the Hezbollah group and its ally, the Amal Movement - as they gathered for a demonstration against a judge investigating the 2020 Beirut port explosion. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea at the time denied allegations by both parties that gunmen loyal to his party targeted them with sniper fire. (Reporting by Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam; Writing by Maya Gebeily and Tom Perry; Editing by Chris Reese, Leslie Adler and Jonathan Oatis) BEIRUT (Reuters) -Two people were killed in Lebanon on Wednesday in an exchange of fire between Hezbollah members and residents of a Christian village after a truck belonging to the heavily armed Shi'ite group overturned in the area, security sources said. A member of the Iran-backed Hezbollah and a resident of the mountain village of Kahaleh were killed in the clash, some 12 km (7 miles) southeast of Beirut, the sources said. The sides accused each other of starting the deadly clash. It marked the most serious confrontation between Hezbollah and its Lebanese opponents since deadly clashes in Beirut nearly two years ago, threatening to worsen sectarian tensions as Lebanon is paralysed by deep political and economic crises. Local lawmakers from the Lebanese Forces, a Christian party opposed to Hezbollah, accused the group of transporting weapons in the truck. Hezbollah said the vehicle was its property and accused "militias" in the area of attacking its crew, saying a man "protecting the truck" was wounded and later died. In a statement, it said an exchange of fire had taken place with "the attacking gunmen". It did not say what was on the truck. The local office of the Lebanese Forces party accused "an armed group" accompanying the vehicle of firing at civilians, leading to the death of a man identified by the sources as a Christian resident of Kahaleh. Fadi Bejjani, 64, was identified as the victim by his son Youssef, who told Reuters the pair had tried to get close to the truck after it flipped over. "We were a meter away but couldnt see what was inside the truck. At least three men started shooting at us two with machine guns and one with a pistol. My dad fell to the ground but there was so much gunfire that we couldn't get to him for three minutes," Bejjani, 39, said. The truck had overturned on a downhill turn near Kahaleh on the main road between Syria's capital Damascus and Beirut. Residents swiftly shut down the road around it. Nazih Matta, a parliamentarian representing the area from the Lebanese Forces party, accused Hezbollah of transporting weapons to Beirut on the truck. "A man from Kahaleh was killed - this is totally unacceptable," Matta said in televised comments. Abdo Abou Khalil, an official from Kahaleh, said residents intended to keep the road around the overturned truck closed. MTV Lebanon and Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed aired earlier footage of men in plainclothes shooting rifles in the street. They later showed Lebanese troops deployed around the lorry at night while a crane worked to remove wooden crates from it. The contents of the truck were not visible, but large groups of residents were still gathered around. Lebanon's caretaker premier Najib Mikati spoke to army commander General Joseph Aoun and called for "calm and wisdom" while a formal investigation takes place. Hezbollah, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, is Lebanon's most powerful group. It has fought numerous conflicts with Israel and deployed fighters to support President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war. Its arsenal has long been a point of conflict in Lebanon, where its opponents accuse the group of undermining the state. Two years ago, seven people were killed - followers of the Hezbollah group and its ally, the Amal Movement - as they gathered for a demonstration against a judge investigating the 2020 Beirut port explosion. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea at the time denied allegations by both parties that gunmen loyal to his party targeted them with sniper fire. (Reporting by Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam; Writing by Maya Gebeily and Tom Perry; Editing by Chris Reese, Leslie Adler and Jonathan Oatis) Two people were killed Tuesday night when the vehicles they were driving crashed head on, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said. The two-vehicle collision happened at about 6:50 p.m. in Laurens County, according to Lance Cpl. Brittany Glover. A 2006 Ford Mustang was driving north on S.C. 101, Glover said. A 2020 Nissan Rogue was heading south, but was in the northbound lane, according to Glover. Near the intersection with Lakeview Drive, the Mustang swerved into the southbound lane to avoid a collision, but the Rogue also moved into the southbound lane and the SUV hit the car head on, Glover said. The drivers of both vehicles died at the scene, according to Glover. The Laurens County Coroners Office has not publicly identified the victims. Glover said the drivers were the only people in each vehicle, and no other injuries were reported. There was no word if either of the drivers were wearing seat belts. The crash happened close to Exit 16 on U.S. 385 in the Gray Court area. Information about what caused the SUV to originally veer into oncoming traffic was not available, but the crash remains under investigation by the Highway Patrol. Through Sunday, 599 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported. At least 12 people have died in Laurens County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 24 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported. Chicago police said two restaurants were victim to armed robbers overnight on the Southwest sides in the Brighton Park and Ashburn neighborhoods. The latest restaurant robbery happened shortly before 12:45 a.m. Wednesday in the 3900 block of South Archer Avenue. Three armed males entered a fast food restaurant and announced a robbery. The robbers took a cash drawer and robbed eight customers of their property, police said. A 35-year-old employee suffered a minor laceration to his shoulder and was taken in good condition to St. Anthonys Hospital. Earlier Tuesday night, an armed male tried to rob a restaurant in the 3900 block of West 79th Street, police said. Shortly before 9 p.m., an armed man entered the business and announced a robbery. A 35-year-old delivery driver struggled with the robber and was shot in the right leg, police said. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he was listed in fair condition. No one was in custody, and detectives were investigating. Fishing boats are anchored as they evacuate from typhoon Khanun at a port in Seogwipo on Jeju island Typhoon Khanun lashes southern Japan, South Korea, another storm looms Fishing boats are anchored as they evacuate from typhoon Khanun at a port in Seogwipo on Jeju island TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) -Flights were cancelled and trains halted on Wednesday as heavy rain from Typhoon Khanun pounded southern regions of Japan and South Korea, just as another storm approached from the east to threaten Tokyo ahead of Japan's peak summer holiday season. Khanun could make landfall at the southeastern South Korean port city of Tongyeong on Thursday, before tracking up the Korean peninsula, authorities said. North Korea's state media KCNA also said on Wednesday that industries such as textile mills there were working to minimise potential damage by typhoons and downpours. The storm is currently in the sea south of Kyushu, Japan's southwestern main island some 860 km (530 miles) from Tokyo, after wreaking havoc in the southwestern Okinawa region. It is maintaining its strength and moving at an unusually slow 10 kph (6 mph), meaning the wind and rain will linger for longer. Areas of Kyushu have already been inundated with a whole month's worth on rainfall in the past week, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The agency issued heavy rain and high wind warnings to many parts of southern and western Japan, prompting automakers including Toyota to suspend some production. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida cancelled his attendance at a ceremony on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, in Kyushu. Railway operator West Japan Railway Co suspended some bullet train services in Kyushu, while a baseball game scheduled there was cancelled. South Korea issued its highest alert as Khanun forced the cancellation of nearly 80 flights and the closure of dozens of sea routes and roads, the interior ministry said. On Tuesday, officials evacuated more than 30,000 scouts from their campsite in the southwest ahead of the typhoon, the latest snag to hit the World Scout Jamboree. President Yoon Suk Yeol has ordered authorities to prevent any further damage especially in regions hit by last month's torrential rain. Another storm, Lan, had formed in the Pacific Ocean south of Japan and was predicted to strengthen as it heads north, possibly affecting Tokyo early next week, JMA said. The two storms arrive at the start of Obon, Japan's peak summer holiday season when many people leave big cities for their ancestral hometowns. (Reporting by Mariko Katsumura, Elaine Lies, Chang-Ran Kim in TOKYO, Hyonhee Shin in SEOUL; Additional reporting by Joyce Lee; editing by Miral Fahmy) U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a vocal advocate for addressing a shortage of child care options in Washington, visited the site of a proposed early learning center on Monday in Whatcom County. Plans are underway to create the Whatcom Early Learning Center in the Meridian School District, which will use the site to offer a solution to child care deserts in the rural parts of the county, according to the Whatcom County Early Learning Center information guide. The center plans to have space for up to 120 children who are infants through 5 years old. There would be extended hours and days of operation as a way to support working families. This is exactly what we need to be doing. We need child care available for people to go to work. We need to train people to be child-care providers and we have to have facilities that are accessible to people in their own communities, and this facility is exactly what thats all about, said Murray, D-Washington, during her tour. There also is a proposal for infant to early childhood mental health services because the state has identified a prevalence in mental disorders in children. A meta-analysis of studies published between 2006 and 2020 estimated a 20.1% prevalence for diagnosable mental disorders in children ages 1-7, the guide said. The Meridian School District also will serve as a place for the proposed Whatcom County Skills Center, which would increase career and technical education opportunities for students. This is done through a partnership with the Northwest Career and Technical Academy, which has its own skills center in Skagit County, according to the Meridian School District website. The school district is awaiting federal funding of $4 million to be approved by Congress, which was requested by Murray. This is a connection that stems from establishing a skills center that will serve all Whatcom County schools. When we did the feasibility study, we discovered theres a large number of women who arent in the workforce because of children, said Meridian Schools Superintendent James Everett. Murray met with Everett and Lynette Brower, director of the Northwest Career and Technical Academy, to discuss the plans. Prior to Murrays visit, she toured a number of small businesses in Bellingham to discuss revitalization efforts and visited a Rural Broadband Project site to talk about expanding internet access in the county. Murray told the Bellingham Herald that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, a lot of child-care centers were shut down. Many parents could not find child care or places to work, and the problem soon ballooned into a crisis. According to the guide, over 85% of Whatcom County businesses are challenged by lack of staffing due to a lack of early learning and child care facilities. Everett said the Whatcom Early Learning Center will help bring more families back into the workforce. At approximately 10,000 square feet, this center would provide an infant room, two toddler preschool classrooms, a transitional kindergarten room, ancillary service areas and an adult classroom for skills center and college students, the website states. The Whatcom Early Learning Center is slated to be ready in 2026, the website said. As a sizzling summer comes to a close, students and teachers across the U.S. could be returning to hot classrooms at schools that are not equipped to deal with sweltering temperatures. Large portions of the country have been placed under heat alerts and warnings over the summer, with many people struggling to stay cool at home or unable to pay high electric bills, risking their power being shut off. Meanwhile, schools across the country many with students scheduled to return in August are scrambling to keep buildings cool, with experts saying aging infrastructure and budget woes are contributing factors. Around 36,000 schools nationwide need heating, ventilation and air conditioning updates, the Government Accountability Office found in a 2020 report, the most recent statistics available. And it's a problem that isn't just prevalent in traditionally hotter parts of the country, but also in cooler-weather climates, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University's Healthy Buildings Program. "We saw the heat dome across the U.S. this summer and this is just the beginning of extreme heat," he said. "A major problem is that schools in traditionally cool-weather climates are not prepared. In fact, many of these schools were built to retain heat." In Philadelphia, 90 schools were forced to close early in June because of heat. The district has taken action to mitigate hot weather concerns at the start of the school year, said Oz Hill, the district's chief operating officer. The start date for the upcoming school year was moved from late August to Sept. 5 "to reduce the likelihood that extreme temperatures would impact our ability to provide in-person instruction." Schools on the West Coast have also been forced to close early when dealing with excessive heat. "We've underinvested in school infrastructure in our country for at least four decades and we de-prioritize the importance of a healthy school building on teacher health and student health," Allen said. There are around 100,000 public schools in the U.S. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the building conditions in schools an overall grade of D+. According to the most recent report card, the best estimates indicate an annual funding gap for public school facilities across the country of at least $38 billion. In a 2020 study, the Center for Climate Integrity estimated that by 2025, 156 school districts serving nearly 1.3 million students will see at least 30 more days over 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the school year than they did in 1970. California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania will each face more than $1 billion in new cooling equipment costs by 2025, according to the center. Researchers also found that Idaho, Indiana, Maryland and Utah will face $500 million each in added school air conditioning equipment costs by 2025. About 28% of all public schools were built before 1950, and 45% of all public schools were built between 1950 and 1969, according to government data. But much of the infrastructure wasn't designed for extreme heat, such as the temperatures many parts of the U.S. have seen in recent years. "The climate's changing fast and our buildings are not. Our buildings are not keeping up," Allen said. In Arizona, which regularly deals with unrelenting heat, many students returned to school in mid-July, and almost all districts will be back in session by the end of this week, according to the Arizona Education Association. High heat in the 90s and above 100 degrees Fahrenheit starts in May and continues through September, giving districts little choice but to start the school year when it's still hot out. "The thought was 'if we open up earlier, this will allow some of these students who do not have air conditioning at home at least a place of safety in a school,'" Arizona Education Association president Marisol Garcia said. And problems can start even before the school day begins because many students walk to school. "A mile when it's already 90, 92 degrees in the morning is a lot for those kids," Garcia said. "It's a hike and that's fine, but then they're going to come to school dehydrated, they're going to come to school sweaty, they're going to come to school already tired." When it's too hot out, students may not be able to leave their classrooms for recess or lunch, Garcia said. That means that they will miss out on physical activity and chances to see friends from other classes. Their teachers, who will need to stay in the classroom with them, will also lose planning time. In some situations, schools get hot enough that students are sent home, forcing them to miss out on valuable learning time. Students learning in hotter environments tend to learn less and perform more poorly on tests, according to a study published in the American Economic Journal. Researchers looked at temperature data and the standardized test scores of 10 million students between 2001 and 2014. They found that without air conditioning, a 1-degree Fahrenheit hotter school year reduces that year's learning by about 1%. Heat can also lower students' ability to concentrate and make them feel tired. School air conditioning appears to offset 73% of the learning impact of hot school days for the average student. An opportunity to change the situation arrived during the COVID pandemic. President Biden's American Rescue Plan included allocating about $170 billion in funds for schools. The funds were to be used to reduce class size, modify space and improve ventilation, but Allen says the money isn't being used properly. "We have had hundreds of billions of stimulus dollars directed at schools. It's irresponsible that that money has not been spent towards improving ventilation, filtration, cooling," he said. Meanwhile, Allen is pushing for investment in ventilation, filtration and cooling to ensure students and teachers are working in comfortable and safe environments. He said he wouldn't put a dollar amount on the price of updating school buildings but instead emphasized that the focus should be on the cost of having kids out of school. "Better air quality in schools is associated with better reading scores, better math test scores, fewer asthma attacks, teachers out less often," he said. "This is an absolute no-brainer. It's not hard, it's not expensive and there are multiple benefits to student health, student thinking, student performance." Many still struggling with high living costs despite cooling inflation Iran agrees to release 5 imprisoned Americans in exchange for billions in frozen funds Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio assassinated after rally The Treasury Department Wednesday said U.S. sanctions against Belarus are being expanded on the third anniversary "of the Belarusian authorities falsification of the August 2020 presidential election." Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) seen in Belarus, Dec. 19, 2022. Photo by Kremlin Pool / UPI Aug. 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday it is expanding sanctions on Belarus on the three-year anniversary of the Belarusian authorities falsification of the August 2020 presidential election. The expanded sanctions target eight individuals and five entities while identifying one aircraft as blocked property. Treasury said in a statement that the action targets "several entities involved in the Belarusian regime's continued civil society repression, complicity in the Russian Federation's unjustified war in Ukraine, and enrichment of repressive Belarusian regime leader Alyaksandr Lukashenko." The targets include three state-owned companies, one Belarusian government agency as well as two sons and the wife of Belarus President Lukashenko. "Today's actions disrupt the state-owned enterprises and key government officials the authoritarian Lukashenko regime relies on to generate substantial revenue to support its fiercely undemocratic and repressive policies," said a statement from Treasury's Brian Nelson. Lukashenko sons Dzmitry Aliakseevich Aleksin and Vital Aliakseevich Aleksin and his wife Ina Vladimirovna Aleksina were all sanctioned for running key transportation and tobacco companies serving as "wallets" streaming money to Lukashenko and his inner circle, according to the Treasury Department. Belarus state-owned airline Belavia Belarusian Airlines was included in Wednesday's expanded sanctions. An Belavia-operated aircraft used by high-ranking Lukashenko regime figures was included in the sanctions. The plane is EW-301PJ, a Canadair Regional Jet CR-200ER aircraft. The Minsk Aviation Plant 407, described by Treasury as "a key facility for Belarusian production to meet Russia's civil and military aircraft demand," was sanctioned. Treasury said companies and individuals associated with repression of media and civil society working through the Department of Financial Investigations of The State Control Committee of the Republic of Belarus (DFR) were also sanctioned. The Treasury Department said they are "responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, actions or policies that prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms (including freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, association, religion or belief, and movement) by individuals in Belarus." The expanded sanctions included Byelorussian Steel Works Management Company of Holding Byelorussian Metallurgical Company (BSW), which provides millions of dollars of revenue to the Lukashenko regime. The General Director of that company, Dmitriy Aleksandrovich Korchik, was included in the sanctions as was a Miami-based joint venture with BSW called BEL-KAP-STEEL LLC. Thursday the EU expanded its sanctions against Belarus targeting sensitive goods and technologies in response to Belarusian support of Russia's Ukraine invasion. The EU also sanctioned 38 former and current Belarus officials Aug. 3 alleging serious human rights violations that contribute to "the repression of civil society and democratic forces." According to the U.K. Ministry of Defense intelligence update on Aug. 9, the Russian merchant tanker Sig was "attacked and disabled near the Kerch Strait" on Aug. 4 by a sea drone, or Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV). The night before, a Russian Navy landing craft stationed in Novorossiysk was damaged in a similar attack. CNN and several Ukrainian media outlets cited sources in Ukraine's security service who said that the attack on the Olenegorskiy Gornyak on Aug. 4 was the result of a joint operation between the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Ukrainian Navy. The U.K. Defense Ministry said that the attack was a "significant blow to the Black Sea Fleet" and "represents the largest Russian naval vessel seriously damaged" since last April, when Ukraine sunk the cruiser Moskva. According to the intelligence update, attacks using sea drones "are increasingly a major component of modern naval warfare and can be turned against the weakest links of Russias sea supply lanes." Unlike the Olenegorskiy Gornyak, the Russian merchant tanker is technically a civilian vessel. However, the U.K. Defense Ministry said that it has long been contracted to transport fuel and military supplies from Russia to Syria. The ship became critical for supplying Syria since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since February 2022, Russian military ships are not permitted to pass through the Bosphorus and into the Mediterranean. The intelligence update added that two days before the attack on the Sig, the Russian navy allegedly prevented a similar attack on patrol boats that were escorting Russian merchant vessel Sparta IV, which also transports supplies for the Russian military to Syria. The Kyiv Independent's source in the Defense Ministry confirmed that Ukrainian military intelligence conducted a naval drone attack on Russian patrol ships in the Black Sea, 340 kilometers (211 miles) southwest of occupied Sevastopol, overnight on Aug. 1. Read also: Official: August especially successful for Ukrainian air, naval drones Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russia's Black Sea Fleet warships take part in the Navy Day celebrations in the port city of Novorossiysk on July 30, 2023. STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images Ukrainian drones are attacking Russian ships and tankers, wrecking critical sea supply lanes. The latest incident involved a drone hitting a Russian tanker near the Kerch Strait, UK intel said. Without a navy, Kyiv has increasingly relied on uncrewed surface vessels for its naval warfare. Ukraine doesn't have a naval fleet, but it's filling the gap with dangerous drones that terrorize Russian ships and disrupt critical sea supply lanes, especially in the Black Sea. On August 4, Russian merchant tanker Sig was "attacked and disabled near the Kerch Strait," the UK Ministry of Defense said in a Wednesday update. The UK reports adds to claims the attack was done by a uncrewed surface vessel just days after a similar incident involving the Olenegorsky Gornyak warship, which was badly damaged by a first-person view drone ship the same day. Although Sig was a civilian vessel, UK intel says it's "long been contracted to ship fuel and military supplies between Russia and Syria," and Moscow's forces in Syria have relied on Sig and other civilian vessels since Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine in February 2022. Russian warships have repeatedly fired missiles into Ukraine, and now are threatening merchant ships that enter Ukraine's ports. It's the latest incident involving Ukrainian sea drones hitting vital Russian naval targets, weakening sea supply lanes and proving Kyiv to be a scrappy, formidable naval force while lacking an actual fleet beyond some patrol boats. "The attacks show that USV operations are increasingly a major component of modern naval warfare and can be turned against the weakest links of Russia's sea supply lanes," the UK intel update said. Ukraine has made the development of sea drones a priority, even crowdfunding for what they call "the formation of the world's first naval fleet of drones." Part of the success of Ukraine's USVs has been their relatively inexpensive manufacturing and use. An expert previously told Insider the remotely operated, cheap-but-effective waterborne drones give Ukraine an "asymmetric advantage," stressing Russian defenses and resources. The drones also pack a punch, as seen in the damage done to the Olenegorsky Gornyak landing ship, and can be hard for Russian guns and missiles to hit if they arrive in a fleet or can't be spotted at night. Read the original article on Business Insider (CNN) Vatican investigators looking into sexual abuse allegations at a Roman Catholic society in Peru have completed the first stage of their audit and will issue a report in the coming months, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told CNN Friday. The first stage, gathering information, was concluded last Saturday. Now they will be working on the documentation they have, in order to present a report in the coming months, Bruni said. Asked last Wednesday about the investigation, Pope Francis said: We are working on this. We are trying to bring the situation to light. Pope Franciss special envoys, Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, arrived in Perus capital Lima at the end of July to investigate sexual abuse allegations at Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana, or Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV). The visit was announced by Perus Episcopal Conference on July 22. SCV said its members, who were summoned by the Vaticans envoys, have collaborated diligently and reiterated its commitment to working with the Vatican. It added that the society has provided updated documentation on a reparation process for the victims. SCV, which has chapters across Latin America, has been mired in scandal since allegations emerged that its founder, the layman Luis Fernando Figari, had sexually abused several young male recruits. In 2016, Figari denied the allegations publicly for the first time. Im innocent, totally innocent. I come here to tell the truth because the authorities have not allowed me to speak, Figari told reporters in Rome. He also claimed SCV authorities banned him from speaking and traveling to Lima. A few months later, in 2017, a criminal case against him and other SCV members for sexual abuse, kidnapping, serious psychological injuries, and illicit association to commit a crime was dropped by Perus prosecutors office. Peruvian prosecutors said in the case of sexual abuse, none of the alleged victims came forward and the crime fell under the statute of limitations. A criminal case against Figari and other SCV members, alleging kidnapping, serious psychological injuries, and illicit association to commit a crime, is still ongoing. In 2017, SCV published a two-part report by international experts that found that more than a dozen men and three women had reported of being sexually abused when they were young adults by SCV members. None of those accused of abusing a minor remain attached to the Sodalitium, except for Luis Fernando Figari, who by determination of the Holy See has been separated from community life, SCVs superior general at the time said at the start of the report. SCV said in 2017 Figari had been removed from the community, banned from contacting members, and prohibited by Vatican authorities from returning to Peru. Fulfilling the order of the Holy See, Mr. Figari will be provided with the adequate conditions for a restrained life, of seclusion and prayer, due to the serious acts committed, it added at the time. Catholic leaders in Peru have welcomed the Vaticans inquiry. I think it is excellent that this matter is investigated in depth, that the people involved are listened to and I am sure that the report will be fair and objective for the good of all, Perus Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos said in a statement. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Vatican investigates sexual abuse allegations at Roman Catholic society in Peru" Ukraine makes small gains near Bakhmut, other centers on Eastern front The Ukrainian Defense Forces are continuing their counteroffensive in the Bakhmut, Berdyansk, and Melitopol directions with limited gains achieved near Urozhaine, Pryiutne, and Verbove, the General Staff's press office reported on Aug. 9. Russian troops tried to advance unsuccessfully in the areas of Novokalynove, Avdiivka, Pivnichne, Mariinka, Novomykhailivka, and Staromayorske. The occupiers suffered huge losses in personnel, weapons, and equipment. The enemy has strongly resisted the Ukrainian counteroffensive and is maneuvering and calling up its reserves. Read also: Ukrainian officer describes combat in Avdiivka, supply & funding problems The Ukrainian counter-offensive: Latest Ukrainian forces have breached the first line of Russian defenses in southern Ukraine in some areas of the front, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Aug. 4. The newest thrust of Ukraines counteroffensive is toward Ukraines southeast, The New York Times reported on July 27. The counteroffensive operation is complicated with large areas of mined land and relentless enemy artillery fire. Read also: Zelenskyy visits frontline soldiers in Avdiyivka, Donetsk Oblast Ukrainian defenders described the initial phase of the operation as chaos, reported the Financial Times, adding that Kyiv has changed tactics to avoid heavy losses. Ukraines Armed Forces knocked Russian invaders from their positions south of Avdiyivka in Donetsk Oblast, a spokesperson for Ukraines General Staff, Pavlo Kovalchuck said on Aug. 2. 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 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. Key Points Russia claims two Ukrainian drones downed near Moscow 30 German-made Leopard 1 tanks coming for Ukraine via Belgium New Wagner tent city being built 15 miles from Belarus-Ukraine border, Kyiv group claims Ukraine detains woman accused of spying on Zelensky for Russia Independent TV: Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenskas interview with Bel Trew Ukraine and Russia confirm Kyiv hits Chonhar bridge to Crimea Forty-five injured in blast at optics factory northeast of Moscow 11:56 , Eleanor Noyce A blast rocked an optics and optical electronics factory in the town of Sergiev Posad, 50 km (30 miles) northeast of Moscow, on Wednesday, injuring at least 45 people, local authorities said. Emergency services said the blast appeared to have occurred in a warehouse containing pyrotechnic equipment, the state news agency TASS reported. The popular online news channel Mash said it had been rented by a pyrotechnics firm. Twenty-three people were admitted to hospital, including 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. Smoke rises from the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant in the city of Sergiev Posad, Moscow Region (AP) Russia to reinforce western borders following surge in drone attacks on Moscow 11:28 , Eleanor Noyce Russia has pledged to reinforce western borders following reinforcement from Nato, with the ramped-up security arriving after a surge in drone attacks on Moscow. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed the plans at a meeting with the Collegium of the Defence Ministry on Wednesday. Shoigu said NATO-member Poland had already announced plans to strengthen its military, and he expected significant NATO forces and weaponry to be deployed in Finland, which has just joined the U.S.-led Western alliance. On Wednesday, 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. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said whilst one drone was shot down near Domodedovo, where one of Russias biggest international airports is located. Another was downed near the Minsk motorway. Kyiv has never claimed responsibility for attacks inside Russian territory, but the Russian defence ministry dubbed the incident a terrorist attack. Meanwhile, Poland has confirmed it will send 2.000 troops to its frontier with Belarus, twice the number requested by the Border Guard, to stem illegal crossings and maintain stability. Poland has worried increasingly about the border area since hundreds of battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus last month at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus started military exercises near the border this week, and Lukashenko said several times that he is restraining Wagner fighters who want to attack Poland. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visits the advanced command post of the group of troops 'Center' in the zone of the 'Special Military Operation', 4 August (EPA) Child killed, two injured by shelling in Donetsk - Russian-installed official 14:30 , Eleanor Noyce A child was killed and two people were injured when a Ukrainian artillery shell hit a two-storey building in Donetsk, the Russian-appointed head of the region, Denis Pushilin, said on Wednesday on his Telegram channel. The Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine had been partly under the control of pro-Russian separatists since 2014 until Moscow announced last year that it was annexing the province. Russia, which early last year launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that it calls a special military operation, says Ukrainian forces shell the Russian-controlled parts of the Donetsk region on a daily basis. Missile depot workers to escalate strike action 14:00 , Eleanor Noyce Workers at a Ministry of Defence missile depot have voted to escalate strike action in a dispute over pay. GMB Scotland members at the munitions complex in Beith, North Ayrshire, which supplies missiles to Ukraine, will walk out for two weeks from 21 August. The union warned the strike at the complex, which is run by Defence, Equipment & Support, will disrupt shipments. However, the Ministry of Defence said the walkout will have no effect on our ability to provide capability to Ukraine. The forthcoming action comes after four days of targeted strikes in recent weeks failed to secure a resolution. The union claims a two-tier culture has developed at the depot and said the pay gap between craft workers who assemble the munitions and non-craft colleagues, who support their work and prepare equipment for transport, has tripled to 18,000. According to the union, extra payments and bonuses have been made to managers and craft workers in recent years but not to non-craft colleagues earning less than 21,000 a year. Ukraine has partial success in south, deputy defence minister confirms 13:30 , Eleanor Noyce Ukraine has had partial success in the south of the country, the deputy defence minister has confirmed. Our defenders had partial success in the direction of Urozhayne, Priyutne and Verbove. Now they are fixed at the achieved boundaries, Hanna Maliar said. All the necessary decisions to strengthen our stability were quickly made on the spot by the commanders and command of the eastern group of troops, Ms Maliar added. Both in the east and in the south, the enemy is currently suffering significant losses in personnel, weapons and equipment. Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska warns children are losing the will to live over Russias war 13:00 , Eleanor Noyce Ukraines children are losing the will to live the countrys first lady has warned in an emotional plea for help over the struggle to retrieve tens of thousands of children disappeared into Russia. In an exclusive interview for Independent TV from the heavily-guarded presidential office in Kyiv, Olena Zelenska said the Ukrainian authorities will soon be launching a new initiative with international partners to try to find and return at least 19,500 children they believe have been abducted into Russian territory. This estimate is woefully low, the first lady said, as Kyiv has received reports that Russia had cleared out whole orphanages. So far Ukraine has only managed to bring home 380 of the missing children. Bel Trew has the exclusive: Ukraines Olena Zelenska warns the countrys children are losing the will to live ICYMI: Ukraine accuses Russia of targeting rescue workers in latest missile strikes 12:25 , Eleanor Noyce Kyiv has accused Moscow of targeting rescue workers after an eastern Ukrainian city was hit with two missiles in quick succession the first destroying buildings before the second hit emergency crews clearing the scene. The strikes on the downtown district of the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region killed at least seven people, including an emergency official, and wounded more than 80 others, most of them police officers, emergency workers and soldiers who rushed to assist residents, Ukrainian officials said. The Iskander missiles used in the strikes on Monday evening have an advanced guidance system that increases their accuracy. The two strikes hit within 40 minutes of each other, said Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. The tactic is called a double tap in military jargon. It is one that Russia has previously used during Syrias civil war. My colleague Chris Stevenson reports: Ukraine accuses Russia of targeting rescue workers in latest missile strikes Russia to build up forces in west to counter NATO threat - Shoigu 11:48 , Eleanor Noyce Russia will build up forces at its western borders following Finlands accession to the U.S.-led NATO alliance, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told the governing board of the ministry on Wednesday. In opening remarks to the Collegium of the Defence Ministry, Shoigu said NATO-member Poland had already announced plans to strengthen its military, and that he expected significant NATO forces and weaponry to be deployed in Finland, whose inclusion has almost doubled the length of Russias land border with NATO. The collective West is waging a proxy war against Russia, he said, according to his ministry, pointing to its unprecedented support for Ukraine in supplying tens of billions of dollars worth of weaponry to help Kyiv repel Russian forces. Shoigu called the entry of Finland into NATO and the future entry of Sweden a serious destabilising factor. The two Nordic states abandoned generations of neutrality that had held throughout the Cold War to seek NATO membership following Russias invasion of Ukraine early last year. On Finnish territory, it is likely that additional military contingents and strike weapons of NATO will be deployed, capable of hitting critical targets in the northwest of Russia at a considerable depth, Shoigu said. Today, at the meeting of the Board, we will consider issues related to the creation of the Leningrad and Moscow military districts with the simultaneous strengthening of groupings of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on our western borders. He said Poland had announced its intention to build the most powerful army on the continent, and had become the main instrument of the anti-Russian policy of the United States of America. Shoigu said the number of NATO military units from outside the region stationed in eastern Europe had increased by two-and-a-half times since February last year and that they were now 30,000-strong in total. These threats to Russias military security require a timely and adequate response. We will discuss the necessary measures to neutralise them at the meeting and make appropriate decisions, he said. ICYMI: Foreign Office to act over sanction-busting by Russian allies after dramatic plea from Ukraines first lady 11:45 , Eleanor Noyce The government is reviewing its sanctions on Russia after a dramatic intervention from Ukraines first lady Olena Zelenska condemning loopholes that allow Moscow to fund its invasion. The Foreign Office has expressed its fury over sanctions-busting efforts by Russian allies to use a third country to continue trading with Moscow despite the hefty economic measures imposed since Russian president Vladimir Putin launched his invasion. The government is weighing how it can act and hopes to move imminently, The Independent can reveal. Read more: Foreign Office fury at sanctions-busting by Russian allies after Zelenskas plea What Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska wants the world to know 11:15 , Eleanor Noyce In a rare interview the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, has spoken to Independent TV about her work rebuilding Ukraine in the middle of war, the pressures on her family and concerns for the future of her country. From the presidential palace, she told The Independents Bel Trew about the need to reconstruct cities despite the fighting raging on, about building cutting-edge facilities to treat the countrys war-wounded and fighting stigma on trauma around the country. Watch the full interview on Independent TV, across mobile and connected TV. What Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska wants the world to know Russia to build up forces at western borders - Shoigu 10:59 , Eleanor Noyce Russia will build up forces at its western borders, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told the Collegium of the Defence Ministry on Wednesday, according to the ministry. Shoigu said NATO-member Poland had already announced plans to strengthen its military, and he expected significant NATO forces and weaponry to be deployed in Finland, which has just joined the U.S.-led Western alliance. Russian officials say 2 drones approaching Moscow were shot down overnight, blame Ukraine 10:45 , Eleanor Noyce Russian air defenses shot down two drones aimed at Moscow overnight, officials said Wednesday, in what they described as Ukraines latest attempt to strike the Russian capital in an apparent campaign to unnerve Muscovites and take the war to Russia. The drones were intercepted on their approach to Moscow and there were no casualties, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. The Russian Defense Ministry described it as a terrorist attack. One of the drones came down in the Domodedovo region south of Moscow and the other fell near the Minsk highway, west of the city, according to Sobyanin. Domodedovo airport is one of Moscows busiest. Read more: Russian officials say 2 drones approaching Moscow were shot down overnight, blame Ukraine Poland to send 2,000 troops to Belarus border - PAP 10:28 , Eleanor Noyce Poland will send 2,000 troops to the Belarus border to support the Border Guard, Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik told state-run news agency PAP on Wednesday. How many casualties has Russia suffered in Ukraine? 10:15 , Eleanor Noyce Establishing accurate data on the number of military casualties sustained since Russias invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022 is difficult for two reasons. The severity of the fighting on the ground and the fact that both sides are inclined to keep their cards close to their chests to avoid damaging morale especially at a time when the war is entering a pivotal new stage. The Kremlin, in particular, is unlikely to admit to high fatality rates among its troops because to do so would amount to a confession that Vladimir Putins spurious war to de-Nazify Russias neighbour state is not going according to plan and, in fact, represents a monumental miscalculation on the part of its leader, who is already under pressure at home over the attempted uprising by Wagner Group mercenaries. Joe Sommerlad reports: How many casualties has Russia suffered in Ukraine? Sixteen injured in blast at factory northeast of Moscow - TASS 09:59 , Eleanor Noyce A blast rocked an optical-mechanical factory in the town of Sergiev Posad, 50 km (30 miles) northeast of Moscow, on Wednesday, injuring at least 16 people, TASS cited emergency services as saying. It said the blast appeared to have occurred in a warehouse containing pyrotechnic equipment. The popular online news channel Mash said the warehouse had been rented by a pyrotechnics firm. Unverified footage on social media showed a huge column of smoke, and high-rise buildings with windows blown out. The facility was being evacuated, TASS said. The factory in Sergiev Posad produces optical equipment, with the Russian security forces among its clients. However, TASS cited emergency services as saying they did not suspect that 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. Voices: Britain and the West must win the economic war for Ukraine and freedom 09:45 , Eleanor Noyce It is heartening that the government has responded with such alacrity to calls from Olena Zelenska, Ukraines first lady, to tighten the sanctions regime on Russia. As she pointed out so forcefully in her exclusive interview with The Independent, many states friendly to Russia are assisting the Kremlin in getting around international sanctions imposed on key individuals and on the wider Russian economy. Sanctions have had an impact on the Russian war machine, and the exit of many Western industrial groups has denuded its ability to manufacture weapons. However, as Ms Zelenska reminds us, it is tempting for states such as Turkey, Kazakhstan and Armenia to try to leverage some short-term tactical gains from covert assistance to Russia. Even more damaging to Ukraine has been the studied yet misguided neutrality of the likes of South Africa, Brazil and India, while Iran and North Korea, experts in the field of sanctions-busting, have given Vladimir Putin plenty of advice as well as hardware. Read more: Britain and the West must win the economic war for Ukraine and freedom Eleven injured in blast at factory northeast of Moscow - TASS 09:42 , Eleanor Noyce A blast rocked an optical-mechanical factory in the town of Sergiev Posad, 50 km (30 miles) northeast of Moscow, on Wednesday, injuring at least 11 people, TASS cited emergency services as saying. It said the blast appeared to have occurred in a warehouse containing explosive equipment. The authorities were evacuating the facility, TASS said. Fortum fights to sell seized Russian assets and get compensation 09:20 , Eleanor Noyce Finnish utility Fortum still hopes to sell its Russian assets and get compensation for their seizure by the Kremlin via arbitration, its chief executive told Reuters. Fortum is one of a handful of companies with assets placed under temporary control by Moscow in response to the European Unions sanctions since the start of Russias war in Ukraine, which prompted over a thousand Western firms to exit Russia. In the second quarter, Fortum wrote off the entire value - 1.7 billion euros ($1.9 billion) - of its seven thermal power plants and a joint-venture portfolio of wind and solar plants in Russia, after Moscow placed them under its control by presidential decree in April. We still hold legal ownership of the businesses, but we dont get any information, dividends or loan paybacks from there, CEO Markus Rauramo said in his first interview about the subject. We do still pursue their sale, he added. Rauramo did not give further details about that, but said Fortum had been in advanced talks with a potential buyer for the asset portfolio, which he described as well-invested, profitable, efficient and the best that exists in Russia. Before the seizure, Fortum and its unidentified potential buyer had presented their plans to the Russian government commission that gives permission for foreign-owned asset sales. Instead of approving the deal, Russia announced the seizure, which came as a surprise and without any warning, Rauramo said. Finding the right buyer is crucial, experts and executives at companies that have successfully left Russia have told Reuters, with close relations to government officials seen as a real advantage. President Vladimir Putins seizure decree was published late on 25 April and new management took control of the Russian unit, PAO Fortum, the following lunchtime. Fortum has started legal proceedings to seek compensation for the seizure on the basis of international investment protection agreements which Russia has signed, Rauramo said, adding the arbitration would begin next year. We aim to get the value of our possessions back and we believe that we will get some compensation, he said. Why did Russia invade Ukraine? 09:12 , Eleanor Noyce Russias special military operation in Ukraine has been raging for one year now as the conflict continues to record devastating casualties and force the mass displacement of millions of blameless Ukrainians. Vladimir Putin began the war by claiming Russias neighbour needed to be demilitarised and de-Nazified, a baseless pretext on which to launch a landgrab against an independent state that happens to have a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukraine has fought back courageously against Mr Putins warped bid to restore territory lost to Moscow with the collapse of the Soviet Union and has continued to defy the odds by defending itself against Russian onslaughts with the help of Western military aid. Read more: Heres why Putin really invaded Ukraine Ukraine accuses Russia of targeting rescue workers in latest missile strikes 08:50 , Eleanor Noyce Kyiv has accused Moscow of targeting rescue workers after an eastern Ukrainian city was hit with two missiles in quick succession the first destroying buildings before the second hit emergency crews clearing the scene. The strikes on the downtown district of the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region killed at least seven people, including an emergency official, and wounded more than 80 others, most of them police officers, emergency workers and soldiers who rushed to assist residents, Ukrainian officials said. My colleague Chris Stevenson has more: Ukraine accuses Russia of targeting rescue workers in latest missile strikes 18-year-old boy killed in Russian shelling attack 08:41 , Eleanor Noyce An 18-year-old boy has been killed in a Russian shelling attack on Nikopol, Ukraines prosecutor generals office has said. Three men were also wounded in the attack, which damaged a church, private houses, farm buildings, cars and power lines. Priority measures are being taken to fix the crimes committed by the army of the aggressor country, the prosecutor generals office said. Nikopol is in southern Ukraine, to the right of the Dnipro River. Russians blamed for shock cyber attack hitting millions of UK voters 08:19 , Eleanor Noyce Russia is suspected of being behind the cyber attack on the Electoral Commission which left the data of 40 million UK voters exposed, sparking fears of an attempt to interfere with British democracy. The elections watchdog apologised after revealing that it first detected the complex hack in October 2022. But the breach had happened more than a year before, in August 2021. Britains intelligence services have detected evidence linking the attack to Russians, according to The Times and The Telegraph, after the commission asked GCHQ to investigate the breach. Adam Forrest reports: Russians blamed for shock cyber attack hitting millions of UK voters Poland to hold parliamentary elections in October in shadow of Ukraine war 06:55 , Eleanor Noyce Polands president announced Tuesday that the country would hold its parliamentary election on Oct. 15, marking the official start of an electoral campaign that has informally been underway for months and is being shaped by Russias war against Ukraine. President Andrzej Duda said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the elections for the 460-seat lower house of parliament, the Sejm, and for the 100-seat Senate will both take place on that Sunday. Politicians will be elected for a four-year term. The election campaign begins during rising anxieties in Poland over the presence of Russia-linked Wagner mercenaries across the Nato nations northeastern border in Belarus, where they have arrived by the thousands since a short-lived mutiny in Russia in June. Tensions have also been growing with ally Ukraine, to the countrys southeast, over grain imports and historical memories of past ethnic conflicts. (AP) Russia claims two Ukrainian drones downed near Moscow 06:29 , Arpan Rai Russia has claimed it has shot down two Ukrainian drones near Moscow today, one near a major airport to the south of the city and one to the west of the capital. An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack with unmanned aerial vehicles was prevented over the territory of the Moscow region, the defence ministry said, adding that two UAVs were destroyed by air defences. One was shot down near Domodedovo, where one of Russias biggest international airports is located, and another near the Minsk motorway, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Kyiv has never claimed responsibility for attacks inside the Russian territory. Ex-Nato chief says F-16s slowed down due to Putins intimidation 06:16 , Arpan Rai Former supreme commander of the Nato allies forces has said the wests promised assistance with F-16 for Ukrainian pilots has been slowed down as the war-hit nations allies do not wish to provoke Russia. There is restraint regarding quick action due to fears that Mr Putin may cause certain important events. As I have said many times, the situation with the F-16s is just the case, retired general Philip Breedlove said. He added that many countries are prepared to train Ukraines pilots on F-16, as confirmed after the Nato summit in Lithuania last month, and preliminary plans to initiate that were developed. However, the main slowdown is taking place inside the US, the former top official said. Russias policy, he said, of intimidating the West on fighter jets is showing effectiveness. "Mr Putins ground forces are failing him on the battlefield. But Putins war of intimidation, his war to deter the West, is a resounding success. And this is what he works hard [on], the former Commander of Nato forces in Europe said. This intimidation led to deterrence, and slowed down things like sending the F-16s," he said. Making liberation of Crimea more achievable, says Zelensky 05:51 , Eleanor Noyce Volodymyr Zelensky has said he and his administration are making the liberation of Crimea more achievable as he stressed on details on deoccupation of the illegally annexed peninsula. Today, I also held a meeting on the content of our return policy, specifically regarding Crimea and its reintegration. It is obvious that after the liberation of Crimea from occupation, economic opportunities, personal security for people, and a sense of real freedom, which has not been there since 2014, will return there, Mr Zelensky said in his late night address. He added: But all of this should not be just abstract - every detail of the de-occupation of Crimea should have a specific meaning. How exactly normal life returns. What exactly this means for Crimea and for all our people. This should be clear to everyone. Step by step, we are making the de-occupation of Crimea more and more achievable and well-thought-out. The Crimean Peninsula has been a battleground, with drone attacks and bombs seeking to dislodge Moscows hold on the territory and bring it back under Kyivs authority, despite the Kremlin vocally claiming the territory as its own. Mr Zelensky has vowed to retake the diamond-shaped peninsula that Vladimir Putin had illegally annexed in 2014. President Volodymyr Zelensky listens to the state anthem during a ceremony on the occasion of the Day of the Signal Forces of Ukraine, 8 August (UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER) How many casualties has Russia suffered in Ukraine? 05:43 , Andy Gregory Establishing accurate data on the number of military casualties sustained since Russias invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022 is difficult for two reasons. The severity of the fighting on the ground and the fact that both sides are inclined to keep their cards close to their chests to avoid damaging morale especially at a time when the war is entering a pivotal new stage. My colleague Joe Sommerlad takes a look here: How many casualties has Russia suffered in Ukraine? Zelensky vows retaliation against Putins forces in Black Sea 05:05 , Arpan Rai Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed retaliation from Ukraine against Russia in the Black Sea in a bid to prevent the blockading of its waters that could hurt the import and export of grains and other trade. If Russia continues to dominate the Black Sea, outside its territory, blockading or firing at us again, launching missiles at our ports, Ukraine will do the same. This is a just defence of our opportunities, of any corridor, Mr Zelensky said. We dont have that many ships. But they should clearly understand that by the end of the war, they will have zero ships, zero, the war-time leader said. The Ukrainian president has also called on Russia to stop firing at Ukrainian ports which is hindering the trade in the region. Watch: Ukraines First Lady criticises other countries for circumventing Russian sanctions 04:35 , Andy Gregory 30 German-made Leopard 1 tanks coming for Ukraine via Belgium 03:55 , Arpan Rai Once assets for Belgium, dozens of second-hand Leopard 1 tanks are now being readied for Ukrainian forces fighting the Russian invasion, an arms trader who finalised the deal said. The tanks, all of 50, have been sold to an undisclosed European government at a confidential price, said Freddy Versluys, CEO of defence company OIP Land Systems. He said the tanks were bought from the Belgian government more than five years ago. The fact that they leave our company proves that we asked for a fair market price and someone was more than happy to take them, Mr Versluys said in a post on LinkedIn, accompanied by a picture of tanks next to a bottle of Ukrainian vodka. These tanks are now being transported to a factory for a substantial overhaul, he said, adding that some of the tanks would be used for spare parts while others would be repaired. It could be four to six months before they are on the battlefield in Ukraine, the official said. According to German newspaper Handelsblatt, arms maker Rheinmetall has acquired the tanks and would prepare most of them for export to Ukraine. Of these, 50 tanks would be refurbished at Rheinmetall factories in Germany and 30 overhauled models would be made ready for export. It did not name any government as being behind the deal. The coveted Leopards have been at the centre of a public spat since early this year after Belgian defence minister Ludivine Dedonder said the government had explored buying back tanks to send to Ukraine but had been quoted unreasonable prices. Kremlin rushes out schoolbook praising Putins Ukraine invasion 03:26 , Andy Gregory Russian students will be reading a coursebook that praises Valdimir Putins invasion of Ukraine on their national curriculum when they return to school next month as the Kremlin seeks to control the historial narrative around its war provided to young people, my colleague William Mata reports. The Kremlin is said to have ordered the rapid writing of the coursebooks, which will be aimed at 17-year-olds, with Ukraines Western allies seeking to make Moscow a global pariah over the invasion of its neighbour. Education minister Sergei Kravtsov unveiled the book at a press conference on Monday and said the material aimed to convey the aims [of the Ukraine offensive] to schoolchildren. Kremlin rushes out schoolbook praising Putins Ukraine invasion Finland and Norway ban Yandex from transferring data to Russia 02:17 , Reuters Finnish and Norwegian regulators said on Tuesday they had banned Russian tech group Yandex and its Netherlands-based partner Ridetech International from transferring to Russia any personal data of customers of Yandexs Yango ride-hailing app. The Finnish DPA (data protection authority) has become aware of a legislative reform that will enter into force in Russia at the beginning of September, under which the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation will have the right to receive data processed in taxi operations, the regulator said in a statement. The Yango ride-hailing service, which operates in 14 countries including Finland and Norway, is one of many services offered by Yandex, often dubbed Russias Google. There is an acute risk to privacy as Russian authorities could potentially monitor the movements of Norwegian citizens via Yango, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority said in a separate statement. Yango said it was studying the requests from Norwegian and Finnish regulators and intended to fully comply with new requirements. It said it processes data in strict compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and EU legislation. Independent TV: What Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska wants the world to know 01:09 , Andy Gregory In a rare interview the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, has spoken to Independent TV about her work rebuilding Ukraine in the middle of war, the pressures on her family and concerns for the future of her country. From the presidential palace, she told The Independents Bel Trew about the need to reconstruct cities despite the fighting raging on, about building cutting-edge facilities to treat the countrys war-wounded and fighting stigma on trauma around the country. Video report: Pokrovsk reduced to rubble after Russian strike hits hotel, killing eight Wednesday 9 August 2023 00:03 , Andy Gregory Russian missiles kill nine, destroy hotel in eastern Donetsk, Ukraine says Tuesday 8 August 2023 23:06 , Reuters Russian missiles struck the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk twice on Monday night, killing nine people, wounding scores and destroying apartments and a popular hotel, officials said. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that 82 people were wounded in the attack, and rescue operations in Pokrovsk, about 45 miles southwest of Bakhmut in eastern Donetsk, had been completed. Everyone is provided with the necessary assistance. There are two children among the wounded, Mr Zelensky said in his evening address. Separately, Russian-installed Donetsk mayor Alexei Kulemzin accused Ukraine in a social media post of shelling the city of Donetsk, killing three people and wounding 10 on Tuesday. In the Pokrovsk strikes, two missiles hit the centre of the city, which had a pre-war population of about 60,000, within 40 minutes of each other, witnesses said. Pictures posted online by officials showed that Druzhba (Friendship) Hotel suffered a direct hit, with several floors missing. Deal struck to send German-made Leopard 1 tanks from Belgium to Ukraine Tuesday 8 August 2023 22:25 , Andy Gregory Some 50 Leopard 1 tanks which once belonged to Belgium have been bought by another European country which plans to provide them to Ukraine, the arms trader who did the deal has said. The German-made tanks were at the centre of a public spat earlier this year after Belgiums defence minister said the government had explored buying back tanks to send to Ukraine but had been quoted unreasonable prices a predicament faced by several governments who had recently discarded arms as obsolete and now find them in high demand, and often owned by private companies. Freddy Versluys, chief executive of defence company OIP Land Systems, who bought the tanks from the Belgian government more than five years ago, told Reuters he had now sold all 50 tanks to another European government, which he could not name due to a confidentiality clause. The fact that they leave our company proves that we asked for a fair market price and someone was more than happy to take them, Mr Versluys said in a post on LinkedIn, accompanied by a picture of tanks next to a bottle of Ukrainian vodka. He said the tanks were now being transported to a factory for a substantial overhaul. Some of the tanks would be used for spare parts while others would be repaired, he said. He estimated it could be four to six months before they are on the battlefield in Ukraine. Germanys Handelsblatt newspaper reported that arms manufacturer Rheinmetall had acquired the tanks and would prepare most of them for export to Ukraine. Editorial | Britain and the West must win the economic war for Ukraine and freedom Tuesday 8 August 2023 21:39 , Andy Gregory In our latest editorial, The Independent argues that the West must intensify its efforts in the financial war to ensure Ukraine gains the edge in its fight for freedom and the international rule of law. It states: It is heartening that the government has responded with such alacrity to calls from Olena Zelenska, Ukraines first lady, to tighten the sanctions regime on Russia. As she pointed out so forcefully in her exclusive interview with The Independent, many states friendly to Russia are assisting the Kremlin in getting around international sanctions imposed on key individuals and on the wider Russian economy. Sanctions have had an impact on the Russian war machine, and the exit of many Western industrial groups has denuded its ability to manufacture weapons. However, as Ms Zelenska reminds us, it is tempting for states such as Turkey, Kazakhstan and Armenia to try to leverage some short-term tactical gains from covert assistance to Russia. Even more damaging to Ukraine has been the studied yet misguided neutrality of the likes of South Africa, Brazil and India, while Iran and North Korea, experts in the field of sanctions-busting, have given Vladimir Putin plenty of advice as well as hardware. China, though more circumspect about supplying single-purpose lethal material, hasnt strayed too far from its no limits partnership with Moscow. Even Saudi Arabia, which recently hosted an international conference on the war with president Volodymyr Zelensky in attendance, has proved unhelpful in managing the post-invasion energy crisis. Britain and the West must win the economic war for Ukraine and freedom Ukraine accuses Russia of targeting rescue workers in latest missile strikes Tuesday 8 August 2023 20:55 , Andy Gregory Kyiv has accused Moscow of targeting rescue workers after an eastern Ukrainian city was hit with two missiles in quick succession the first destroying buildings before the second hit emergency crews clearing the scene. The strikes on the downtown district of the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region killed at least seven people, including an emergency official, and wounded more than 80 others, most of them police officers, emergency workers and soldiers who rushed to assist residents, Ukrainian officials said. The Iskander missiles used in the strikes on Monday evening have an advanced guidance system that increases their accuracy. The two strikes hit within 40 minutes of each other, said Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. The tactic is called a double tap in military jargon. It is one that Russia has previously used during Syrias civil war. Our international editor Chris Stevenson has the full report: Ukraine accuses Russia of targeting rescue workers in latest missile strikes Where is the Zyabrovka airfield? Tuesday 8 August 2023 20:24 , Andy Gregory A new tent city capable of housing some 1,000 Wagner mercenaries is being built in Belarus just 15 miles from the border with Ukraine, a group in Kyiv has claimed. The Ukrainian National Resistance Centre, a group established by Kyivs army in March 2022, alleges that the new camp at the Zyabrovka airfield will likely be used to simulate subversive activities on the border with the Chernihiv region. Belarus tent city to house 1,000 Wagner troops being built 15 miles from Ukraine border, Kyiv claims Tuesday 8 August 2023 20:05 , Andy Gregory A new tent city capable of housing some 1,000 Wagner mercenaries is being built in Belarus just 15 miles from the border with Ukraine, Kyiv has claimed. The Ukrainian National Resistance Centre, which was set up by Kyivs army following Russias invasion, alleges that the new camp at the Zyabrovka airfield will likely be used to simulate subversive activities on the border with the Chernihiv region. The goal of such a campaign is to force European countries to reduce their support for Ukraine by simulating a military threat to them, the group claims, warning of attempts At the initial stage, within the framework of such an information operation, there is an imitation of the deployment of the Wagner PMC camps and the introduction of narratives into the information field that the mercenaries are ready to attack the EU. German offers to keep Patriot air defence systems in Poland for rest of year Tuesday 8 August 2023 19:49 , Andy Gregory Germany has offered to extend the deployment of three Patriot air defence units to Poland until the end of the year. An extension beyond the end of 2023 is not foreseen, Germanys defence ministry said in a statement. Along with the Patriot systems, some 300 German soldiers have been based in the Polish town of Zamosc, some 30 miles from the Ukrainian border, since the start of the year to protect the southern town and its crucial railway link to Ukraine. ICYMI: UK launches crackdown on sanctions-busting by Russias allies Tuesday 8 August 2023 19:22 , Andy Gregory Britain has announced its largest ever crackdown on third countries aiding Russia after a dramatic plea from Ukraines first lady in an interview with Independent TV. Foreign secretary James Cleverly said the 25 new sanctions would allow those assisting Moscows illegal invasion nowhere to hide. It follows Olena Zelenskas warning that without urgent steps to clamp down on loopholes that allow Moscow to fuel its war the conflict risks continuing endlessly. The Independent revealed on Monday that the government was hoping to act on the problem imminently. UK launches crackdown on sanctions-busting by Russias allies Republican US senator claims Ukraine cant defeat Russia Tuesday 8 August 2023 18:54 , Andy Gregory Putin and Ramaphosa discuss Brics summit, Kremlin says Tuesday 8 August 2023 18:24 , Andy Gregory Vladimir Putin has held a phone call with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, according to the Kremlin. The two presidents discussed preparations for the upcoming Brics summit, as well as bilateral cooperation. Mr Putin will not attend the Johannesburg summit in person, after concerns were raised that South African authorities could be obliged to arrest him under the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. Russia further aligns with Iran in hitting out at unacceptable Western sanctions Tuesday 8 August 2023 18:00 , Andy Gregory Russia has criticised unacceptable Western attempts to maintain sanctions on Iran despite the collapse of a 2015 deal intended to restrain Tehrans nuclear program in return for relief from the curbs. After a meeting of their deputy foreign ministers in Tehran, Russias foreign ministry said Moscow and Iran were unanimous in believing that the failure to implement the deal stemmed from the erroneous policy of maximum pressure pursued by the United States and those who think similarly. Former US president Donald Trump quit the deal known as the JCPOA in 2018, leaving economic sanctions in place, and Irans relations with the West have been deteriorating ever since, as it has accelerated its nuclear programme. Sources told Reuters in June that European diplomats had informed Iran they planned to join the US in retaining sanctions on Irans ballistic missile programme that are set to expire in October under the nuclear deal. The three reasons given for this were: Russias use of Iranian drones against Ukraine; the possibility that Iran might transfer ballistic missiles to Russia; and depriving Iran of the benefits of the nuclear deal. Russias foreign ministry said the meeting emphasised the unacceptability of any attempts on the part of the West to impose some new schemes and approaches to solving problems related to the JCPOA, which imply damage to legitimate and mutually beneficial Russian-Iranian cooperation in various fields. Video report: Pokrovsk reduced to rubble after Russian strike hits hotel, killing eight Tuesday 8 August 2023 17:27 , Andy Gregory Polish presidential election to be held on October 15 with Ukraine a key concern Tuesday 8 August 2023 16:59 , William Mata Polands president announced on Tuesday that the country would hold its parliamentary election on October 15, marking the official start of an electoral campaign. The vote is set to be influenced and shaped by Russias war against Ukraine. President Andrzej Duda said on Twitter, that the elections for the 460-seat lower house of parliament, the Sejm, and for the 100-seat Senate will both take place on that same date. Lawmakers will be elected for a four-year term, and the party with the most votes will be tapped to form the next government. Polls show that Law and Justice, the conservative party which has governed Poland since 2015, is heading toward the election as the most popular party, but is likely to fall short of an outright majority in parliament. UN condemns Russian action as violation of any principle of humanity Tuesday 8 August 2023 16:51 , William Mata United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, described the latest attack as absolutely ruthless and said it was a serious breach of international law and violated any principle of humanity. Russia fired two missiles into Pokrovsk residential areas in a so-called double tap strategy that Ukraines government said targeted aid workers. Since the beginning of Russias invasion in February 2022, 78 employees of Ukraines State Emergency Service have been killed and 280 have been wounded while responding to Russian missile strikes, according to agency spokesperson colonel Oleksandr Khorunzhyi. Ukraine says it prevented Russian hacking of armed forces combat system Tuesday 8 August 2023 15:20 , William Mata Ukraine has said it has stopped Russian hackers from penetrating the Ukrainian armed forces computer systems. The Ukrainian SBU security service said on Tuesday that Kremlin hackers are increasingly trying to sabotage and gain information through the sphere, although Russia has denied this. As a result of complex measures, SBU exposed and blocked the illegal actions of Russian hackers who tried to penetrate Ukrainian military networks and organise intelligence gathering, SBU said on the Telegram messaging app. The service said hackers tried to gain access to sensitive information on the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the location and movement of the Defence Forces, their technical support. Cleverly: Nowhere to hide for those helping Russia Tuesday 8 August 2023 15:01 , William Mata The British foreign secretary has said there is nowhere to hide for those helping Russia - after handing out a fresh round of sanctions. James Cleverly said on Tuesday that the UK has imposed 25 new sanctions on individuals and businesses in Russia and Belarus. Those sanctioned include companies based outside Russia but said to be supplying drones and microelectronics to Mr Putins defence industry, the Foreign Office said. Mr Cleverly said: Todays landmark sanctions will further diminish Russias arsenal and close the net on supply chains propping up Putins now-struggling defence industry. There is nowhere for those sustaining Russias military machine to hide. Alongside our G7 partners, the UK has repeatedly called on third parties to immediately cease providing material support to Russias aggression or face severe costs. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly (PA Wire) Ukraine says Russia targeted rescue workers with a 'double tap' missile strike Tuesday 8 August 2023 14:15 , William Mata Ukraine has said that the second of two missiles aimed at a residential area in Pokrovsk was intended to target rescue workers. The dead in the Monday evening strikes in the city of Pokrovsk were five civilians, one rescuer and one soldier, Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko has said. Dozens more were wounded, most of them police officers, emergency workers and soldiers who had rushed to the scene to assist residents. Russia has since the start of the war aimed artillery and missiles at the exact same spot it struck around 30 minutes earlier, often hitting emergency workers who had deployed at the scene. It is called a double tap in military jargon and a tactic the Russians also used in Syrias civil war. All of (the police) were there because they were needed, putting their efforts into rescuing people after the first strike, Ivan Vyhivskyi, chief of Ukraines National Police, said Tuesday. They knew that under the rubble were the injured they needed to react, to dig, to retrieve, to save. And the enemy deliberately struck the second time. (REUTERS) Russia says it hit Ukrainian command post in Pokrovsk region - reports Tuesday 8 August 2023 13:50 , William Mata Russias defence ministry on Tuesday said that the Kremlins forces had hit a Ukrainian command post in Pokrovsk, the Interfax news agency reported. The eastern region was hit by missiles twice on Monday night, killing at least seven people and injuring 88. In the attack, flat blocks and apartments were destroyed. It is understood that rescue efforts are continuing into Tuesday afternoon. Communal workers clean an area at the site of an apartment building destroyed during a Russian missile strike (REUTERS) Britain provides more detail on the sanctions it is giving out Tuesday 8 August 2023 13:30 , William Mata Britain has said its 25 sanctions to Russian and Belarusian individuals will aim to stop Vladimir Putin accessing foreign military supplies. Earlier on Tuesday, the foreign office said it was giving 19 Russian sanctions and six to Belarus in addition to those already in place. The Foreign Office said those sanctioned include businesses based outside Russia but said to be supplying drones, microelectronics and attempting to supply arms to Russia. Three Russian companies operating in the electronics sector have also been sanctioned, the department added. British foreign secretary James Cleverly said: Todays landmark sanctions will further diminish Russias arsenal and close the net on supply chains propping up Putins now-struggling defence industry. There is nowhere for those sustaining Russias military machine to hide. Foreign secretary James Cleverly (PA Wire) Death and injury toll update Tuesday 8 August 2023 13:10 , William Mata Ukrainian authorities have said that the two explosions in Pokrovsk have now led to seven deaths and 88 injuries. It had previously been reported by Ukrainian authorities that eight had died - but this figure had been widely downscaled by all reports to seven by Tuesday lunchtime. Rescue efforts are continuing to be made. (REUTERS) Putin has equipped Russian guard with heavy weaponry - says UK Tuesday 8 August 2023 12:50 , William Mata Russia has reportedly signed a law to allow the Russian National Guard to be equipped with heavy weaponry. British intelligence has stated on Tuesday that the decision was made following the aborted Wagner mutiny - although it is disputed as to what role the Russian guard played in that incident. President Putin signed into law a measure which will allow Rosgvardia, the Russian National Guard, to be equipped with heavy weaponry, the UK Ministry of Defence said on Twitter. A sprawling organisation of up to 200,000 frontline personnel, Rosgvardia was created in its modern form in 2016 and is led by Putins former bodyguard Viktor Zolotov. The decision to strengthen the force follows the abortive Wagner mutiny of June 2023. Despite Zolotovs claim that his force performed excellently during the mutiny, there is no evidence that Rosgvardia carried out any effective action against Wagner: exactly the sort of internal security threat it was designed to repress. With Zolotov previously suggesting that heavy equipment should include artillery and attack helicopters, the move suggests that the Kremlin is doubling down on resourcing Rosgvardia as one of the key organisations to ensure regime security. This is the most difficult time of the war - Western allies say of Ukraine situation Tuesday 8 August 2023 12:41 , William Mata Western officials are reportedly braced for what they consider to be the most difficult time of the war for Ukraine. US representative Mike Quigley said our briefings are sobering, and that they remind us of the challenges we face. This is the most difficult time of the war, he told reporters. Theyre still going to see, for the next couple of weeks, if there is a chance of making some progress, an unnmaed diplomat told CNN. But for them to really make progress that would change the balance of this conflict, I think, its extremely, highly unlikely. Rescuers are at work near a damaged residential building following Russian missiles strikes in Pokrovsk (AFP via Getty Images) Britain adds 19 Russian designations to sanctions list and six to Belarusian list Tuesday 8 August 2023 12:30 , William Mata Britain has reportedly added almost 20 designations to its Russia sanctions list and six to its Belarus sanctions regime. The government said on Tuesday that it would be adding the 19 Russian firms to the list and it has also released a new map showing that Ukraine is trying to push back. The graphic, released via Twitter, has shown that Kyiv forces are pushing back in Orikhiv and Vuhledar. The illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is continuing. The map below is the latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine 08 August 2023 Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/j92ICY6NCA#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/T9nW0B3lxD Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) August 8, 2023 US announces first of its Abram tanks will arrive in Ukraine by September Tuesday 8 August 2023 12:30 , William Mata The US has announced its first set of its Abram tanks will arrive in Ukraine by September. Army acquisition chief Doug Bush said on Monday that the first shipment has been signed off - with the US having pledged in January it would send 31 Abrams to Ukraine. Mr Bush said in a briefing: They have to get to Europe, and then to Ukraine, along with all of the things that go with them. Ammunition, spare parts, fuel equipment, repair facilities. So you know, its not just the tanks, its the full package that goes with it. Thats still on track. An Abram tank (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Russian students to get pro-Putin take on invasion in new school coursebook Tuesday 8 August 2023 12:10 , William Mata Russian students will be reading a coursebook that praises Valdimir Putins invasion of Ukraine on their national curriculum when they return to school next month as the Kremlin seeks to control the historial narrative around its war provided to young people. The Kremlin is said to have ordered the rapid writing of the coursebooks, which will be aimed at 17-year-olds, with Ukraines Western allies seeking to make Moscow a global pariah over the invasion of its neighbour. The full article is here. Sergei Kravtsov, Russian education minister (AFP via Getty Images) Zelensky makes statement on anniversary of conflict in Georgia Tuesday 8 August 2023 11:50 , William Mata Volodymyr Zelensky has shared a video message on the 15h anniversary of the Russo-Georgian War. In the five day conflict in 2008, Russia was able to set up bases in South Ossetia and Abkhazia . Mr Zelensky tweeted: Every year on this day, the world remembers Russian aggression against Georgia. Fifteen years have passed. The Russian occupation remains - this wound on the body of the Georgian state remains. Many words have already been said that if the world had been decisive back in 2008, many things would have been different. Back then already Russia should have realised that the aggressor pays the highest price for aggression. It must definitely realise this now. August 7. Every year on this day, the world remembers aggression against . 15 years have passed. The Russian occupation remains - this wound on the body of the Georgian state remains. Many words have already been said that if the world had been decisive back in 2008, many pic.twitter.com/o4OWjVLiqA (@ZelenskyyUa) August 7, 2023 Poland to send additional troops to Belarus border Tuesday 8 August 2023 11:30 , William Mata Poland has committed to sendig additional troops to the border with Belarus, the countrys PAP news agency has reported on Tuesday. Around 1,000 more personnel could be sent to counter attempts to cross the frontier illegally, the deputy interior minister told PAP. Due to the dynamic situation on the Polish-Belarusian border... the Minister of National Defence ordered that the request be implemented and that additional soldiers be assigned to patrol the Polish-Belarusian border, a defence ministry statement read. In recent weeks, soldiers from the Wagner mercenary group have appeared near the border. Pictures: Rescues made in the rubble Tuesday 8 August 2023 11:10 , William Mata Emergency services assess the damage (AP) Responders check on a casualty (AFP via Getty Images) Rescue workers attend the site (REUTERS) A wounded woman is carried to an ambulance (UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE/AFP) Further details about missile attack in Pokrovsk Tuesday 8 August 2023 10:45 , William Mata Here are the facts of the missile attack in Pokrovsk: - Two missiles were fired into a residential area in Pokrovsk, in Donesk region to Ukraines east, on Monday night. - The strikes came 40 minutes apart and a hotel as well as a residential flat block were hit directly while a pizzaria was also struck. - President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia used Iskander ballistic missiles while it has also been reported that responders to the first blast were killed in the second. - Interior minister Ihor Klymenko said seven people, including five civilians, were killed. But other reports have claimed that the death toll is now eight. - As of Tuesday morning, emergency services have resumed attempting to clear the rubble. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, rescuers work on the scene of a building damaged after Russian missile strikes in Pokrovsk (AP) Accounts from the scene: My window fell on me' Tuesday 8 August 2023 10:23 , William Mata Pokrovsk residents have shared their accounts of the Russian missile strike on a flat block which has killed two people and injured many more. Among those killed in the second blast have been reported to be first responders to the initial one which struck 40 minutes or so before. Kateryna, a 58-year-old resident of Pokrovsk, told Reuters: A flame filled up my eyes. I fell down on the floor, on the ground. My eyes (hurt) a lot. Another resident, 75-year-old Lidia, said: Suddenly this [a curtain] flew out and wrapped me up. Then the window fell on me. "My back has cuts. I just got back from the hospital... My knee and my thigh have cuts." A wounded local resident is seen in her destroyed flat in an apartment building destroyed during a Russian missile strike (REUTERS) Search continues for survivors in rubble after attack in Pokrovsk Tuesday 8 August 2023 10:09 , William Mata Rescuers are searching for survivors amid the ruins afer Russian missiles hit a residential building in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, on Monday. Ukrainian Emergency Services were out in force on Tuesday morning to try and find any hope in the rubble after the attack which has killed at least eight people. Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk's military administration, said on Telegram that at least 67 people have been confirmed to be injured. Today we are overwhelmed with pain, anger, tears, the Pokrovsk military administration wrote on Facebook. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, rescuers work on the scene of a building damaged after Russian missile strikes in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region (AP) Putin orders increased production of very effective drones Tuesday 8 August 2023 09:49 , William Mata Vladimir Putin has ordered the increased production of kamikaze attack drones as the war escalates. The Russian president was seen in television footage on Monday night asking the head of state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec to increase the number of these weapons. Drone warfare is becoming an increasing part of the battle with Ukraine and Mr Putin is looking specifically for Kub and Lancet drones which have proved difficult for Kyiv forces to counter. Mr Putin has called the drones very effective. Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Rostec state corporation CEO Sergei Chemezov in Moscow (via REUTERS) At least eight dead after missile strike on flats in Pokrovsk Tuesday 8 August 2023 08:47 , William Mata At least eight people have died and many more could be wounded after two Russian missile strikes on the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk. Rescue efforts are currently ongoing and president Volodymyr Zelensky has commented that the flat block at the centre of it was an ordinary residential building. A hotel that is popular with journalists covering the war was also hit as was a pizzeria. Pokrovsk is 43 miles from Donetsk and 30 miles from the battle frontline. Mr Zelensky tweeted: The city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region. Donbas, from which Russia is trying to leave only broken and scorched stones. Two missile strikes. An ordinary residential building was hit. Unfortunately, there are victims. Rescuers and all necessary services are on the scene. The rescue of people continues. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk region, said the number wounded is now 31. Among them are 19 police officers, five rescuers and one child, he added on Telegram. The city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region. Donbas, from which Russia is trying to leave only broken and scorched stones. Two missile strikes. An ordinary residential building was hit. Unfortunately, there are victims. Rescuers and all necessary services are on the scene. The rescue of pic.twitter.com/zsIA7dR6HR (@ZelenskyyUa) August 7, 2023 The Security Service of Ukraine released these pixelated images of the accused women on August 8, 2023. Security Service of Ukraine Ukraine's security agency says it's uncovered a spy ring that passed military information to Russia. The women are accused of high treason and could face life in prison if found guilty. Ukraine's intelligence service said the women fed Russia info on Ukrainian troop movements. Counterintelligence officers have unmasked an all-female ring of spies who were aiding Russia's invasion with military intelligence, Ukraine's Security Service announced on Tuesday. The group, based in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, passed information on to both the FSB Russia's main spy agency and the mercenary Wagner Group, according to the announcement. The Ukrainian security agency, known as the SBU, said that Russia recruited the women before last year's full-scale invasion began, adding that they had been on "standby" until recently. Their identities have not been made public. The SBU said that while three of the women remained in their hometown of Pokrovsk, northwest of the city of Donetsk, the fourth moved to Russia to coordinate their activities and is still at large. The agency said the three women in Pokrovsk were caught as they went about their reconnaissance, covertly snapping photos of Ukrainian facilities and targets. It claims that the women had been using a secure-chat app to inform Russia about the numbers and movements of troops and vehicles in the region. The SBU said they paid particular attention to attack helicopters, combat planes, and heavy armored vehicles. The intelligence agency published text messages purporting to have been exchanged between the women, with most of the specifics blurred out. Insider was unable to independently verify the claims, and it is unclear if the women have admitted or denied the accusations, which amount to high treason. They could face life imprisonment if found guilty, according to the announcement. The news comes a day after the SBU said it had uncovered a plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The agency said it had arrested a female informant who passed along vital information on the leader's movements during a visit to the Mykolaiv region, in the south of Ukraine, to launch an airstrike there. The agency said that the SBU gaining advanced knowledge and enacting extra security measures purportedly foiled the plan. It is unclear if the woman arrested was a part of the alleged spy ring. Read the original article on Business Insider Ukraines counteroffensive may be struggling on the ground, but it is increasingly taking the fight to Russia by air and by sea. In recent weeks, a spate of attacks on high-profile targets have either been acknowledged by or linked to Kyiv. All have also involved the use of either aerial or sea drones, signaling an apparent shift in Ukraines effort to wear its invader down. Unable to overcome Russias battlefield defenses so far, Ukraine appears to be turning to its own campaign of attrition that includes deploying new weapons in its vow to see the war returning to Russia. Doubling down on drones On Friday morning, images of a damaged Russian naval ship limping back to port spread across social media. Russia acknowledged the attack, but not the damage. A day later, a Russian oil tanker was targeted near a strategic bridge in the Kerch Strait that links Russia to the annexed Crimean Peninsula. This time, Russian officials called it a terrorist attack on a civilian vessel, acknowledging the damage. On both occasions Ukraines security service let it be known that it was behind the attack, even sharing video from onboard naval drones packed with pounds of explosives as they approached and hit the ships. The Russian-built bridge spanning the Kerch Strait, a pet project of President Vladimir Putin that is considered illegal by Ukraine, was also targeted by sea drones last month. And the attacks at sea came as the Russian capital has been targeted by waves of aerial drones. While authorities said all attacks were repelled including a new assault early Wednesday several office towers have been damaged, while the frequency and relative ease with which the drones continue to penetrate Moscows air space have left many residents with a sense of unease. These setbacks for the Kremlin contrast with action on the ground, where Ukraines counteroffensive, launched in June, has been slower than expected after Russian forces dug into heavily mined defense lines. With its conventional forces fixed and without aerial or naval supremacy, the drones are really the only way that Ukraine can strike back, Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a national security think tank, told NBC News. Why sea drones? While Russia has long assaulted Ukrainian cities with Iranian-supplied drones and Ukraine has fought back with its own aerial drone attacks, sea drones are emerging as a new and strong capability for Kyiv to challenge Moscows maritime dominance, analysts said. There is little publicly available information about them, Cancian said, but they are probably an indigenous system that was helped by the U.S. and the West. The naval drones appear to be fairly small and ride low to the surface, making them hard to detect, he said. Like aerial drones, they are also unmanned, meaning there is no risk of personnel loss but unlike the unmanned aerial vehicles, they can carry a much heavier load of explosives, he added, making them a more potent weapon. The drones also appear to be composed of components that are readily commercially available and not hard to procure, involving a propulsion system derived from a civilian jet ski and guidance that seems to rely on satellite communications, said Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow in sea power at the London-based Royal United Services Institute. Like aerial drones, they can also be quite cost-effective, he said. So even if you lose a few, but you destroy an expensive warship or damage it, the model pays for itself. While Russia has taken countermeasures against such drones, including physical barriers and nets at the entrances to key ports, the longer range Ukraine is now displaying with naval attacks stretches defenses across a much wider area, which includes not just Crimean, but also domestic ports, Kaushal said. A psychological effect? The recent sea drone attacks are in many ways a continuation of the efforts Ukraine appears to have first started late last year, with Cancian describing them as an expansion of that capability. Should Ukraine start to mass produce and launch its sea drones at Russian ships and ports in incessant waves, Moscow could be left scrambling, said Ben Caves, a defense and security expert at Rand Europe, a not-for-profit research institute. The sheer number could overwhelm Russian defenses and force Moscow to use much more expensive ammunition and other valuable resources to take out volleys of drones coming at its naval assets, he said. Russia Moscow Drone Attack (Kirill Zykov / Sputnik via AP) Last week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to return the war to Russia to its symbolic centers and military bases. He also warned in an interview Sunday that Russia could be left with no ships by the end of the war if it continues to attack Ukrainian ports. The countrys key Black Sea ports have been repeatedly bombed by Russia since it pulled out of a United Nations-brokered deal that allowed Kyiv to still export its grain, crucial to the global food supply. The sea drone attacks last week showed that Kyiv is getting more audacious in its ability to launch these weapons far from within its territory, Caves added, and its bound to have a psychological effect on Russia. Putin, he said, has claimed military superiority, but appears unable to defend against these very small projected forces that are able to sneak behind the lines. For months, military analysts have said the Kremlin has been settling in for a long war, hoping that the war of attrition will favor Russia by exhausting Ukraines human, economic and military potential. There is a perception in Russia that time is on their side and they only need to wait this out, Kaushal said. But Ukraine has been trying to disabuse them of this, he added, on the ground and with drones in the air but now increasingly at sea, by demonstrating that as the war wears on, Russia will also bear the brunt. It is a very useful thing for the Ukrainians to demonstrate, Kaushal said. Thats the more long-term goal. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Ukraines parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has called on foreign parliaments, governments, and international organizations to withhold their recognition of sham elections organized by Russia, in a statement posted by Holos party MP, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, on Telegram on Aug. 9. Russia plans to hold pseudo-elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson oblasts, the MP said. Russias attempts to legitimize its unlawful annexation of Ukraines temporarily occupied regions highlights its refusal to cease armed aggression against Ukraine. This underscores its commitment to pursuing expansionist and neo-colonial policies towards neighboring nations, Zheleznyak, said. Read also: No elections during martial law in Ukraine, official says The intention of Russian occupiers to conduct unlawful elections for local authorities on Sept. 10, 2023, within the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson oblasts, reveals the deterioration of Russias electoral system, rendering it incapable of upholding democratic norms within society, Zheleznyak said. Pursuing these plans casts doubt on the legitimacy of all electoral processes within the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as the outcomes of elections at all levels within Russia. Read also: Iran supports territorial integrity of Ukraine The Ukrainian parliament has called on residents of the temporarily occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson oblasts to abstain from participating in the illegal elections, if possible. Previously, reports indicated that Russia intended to hold elections for the so-called legislative bodies and representative bodies of municipal formations in the occupied territories of Ukraine on Sept. 10. However, on July 3, the head of Russias Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, stated that Russia might postpone the so-called elections in the event of escalated conflict in the region. Read also: Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Key developments on Aug. 9: Germany transfers 2 Patriot launchers in latest aid package Minister: Ukraine will need at least $42 billion in foreign financial aid in 2024 Russian media claims explosion at industrial plant outside Moscow Poland to deploy additional 2,000 soldiers to Belarusian border MP investigated for vacation during wartime declared suspect of document forgery. Berlin announced on Aug. 9 that two additional Patriot launchers were handed over to Ukraine in Germany's latest military aid package. Germany pledged the Patriot launchers to Ukraine during the NATO summit in Vilnius in early July. The use of two Patriot missile systems in Ukraine's air defense was first confirmed by Ukraine's Air Force in late April. One was provided by Germany and the other by the U.S. The latest military aid package from Germany also includes 10 BV206 all-terrain vehicles, over 6,500 rounds of 155mm smoke ammunition, four Vector reconnaissance drones, five border protection vehicles, six truck tractor trains with six semi-trailers, and two load-handling trucks. Additionally, Berlin delivered 100 MG5 machine guns, 40,000 first aid kits, explosive ordnance disposal material, binoculars, and safety glasses. Read also: Investigative Stories from Ukraine: Russia hits Ukraine with missiles that once belonged to Ukraine Minister: Ukraine will need at least $42 billion in foreign financial aid in 2024 Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in an interview on Aug. 9 that Ukraine will need at least $42 billion in foreign financial aid in 2024. According to Marchenko, Ukraine secured financing for the rest of 2023, but it has not yet been confirmed as to whether or not the necessary amount of aid will be received next year. "Now we have $42 billion in...external financing. For the next year, we are planning no smaller amount than that," Marchenko said. "Why? Because we plan the budget for the security and defense sector at the level of 2023," he added. Marchenko noted that for successful negotiations, Ukraine must also demonstrate its ability to fill the budget using internal resources, including an estimated Hr 1.3 trillion ($35 billion) in tax revenues. Read also: Ukraine may be winning worlds first cyberwar Russian media claims explosion at industrial plant outside Moscow Russian state media said on Aug. 9 that an explosion took place at the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant northeast of Moscow, injuring 22 people. The plant develops and manufactures optical and optoelectrical devices for the military, law enforcement agencies, industries, and healthcare in the town of Sergiev Posad. Russian state-controlled news outlet TASS claimed the source of the explosion was caused by "human error" and originated in a pyrotechnics warehouse rented by a third company on the site of the plant. However, the explosion occurred after weeks of drone attacks on Moscow and other locations throughout Russia. Read also: From Moscow to Novorossiysk: The list of attacks on Russian soil Poland to deploy additional 2,000 soldiers to Belarusian border Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) on Aug. 9. that Poland will deploy an additional 2,000 soldiers to the Polish-Belarusian border. The 2,000 additional soldiers will be deployed to the Lublin and Podlaskie provinces within the next two weeks. Currently, there are already 2,000 soldiers stationed at the border along with the Border Guard units, the PAP said. While the Border Guard earlier requested only 1,000 soldiers as reinforcements, the Defense Ministry decided to send twice the number. "The reinforcement will not be 1,000, but 2,000 soldiers. Such a decision was made by the Security Committee...and by (Defense) Minister Mariusz Blaszczak," Wasik told the PAP. For the past two years, tensions have been escalating along the Polish-Belarusian border. Beginning in 2021, Minsk has orchestrated the movement of migrants, primarily from the Middle East, to the borders of Poland and the Baltic countries, effectively generating an artificial migrant crisis. Tensions have flared once again since Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group mercenaries began streaming into Belarus following their short-lived "rebellion" against the Kremlin, which stopped short of reaching Moscow. Wagner mercenaries have been conducting military exercises with Belarusian soldiers in Brest Oblast near the Polish border. On July 29, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki claimed that 100 Wagner mercenaries had been deployed near the Suwalki Corridor, a strategic strip of land between Poland and Lithuania that also divides Belarus from Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. Two Belarusian helicopters also violated Polish airspace on Aug. 1. While Morawiecki warned earlier that Wagner mercenaries can try to infiltrate Poland from Belarus, Wasik told the PAP that the mercenaries do not threaten Polish security "in a tactical sense." Read also: Belarus Weekly: Helicopters violate Polish airspace; Wagner moves closer to border MP investigated for vacation during wartime declared suspect of document forgery Lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinsky said on Aug. 9 that he had been declared a suspect in the falsification of official documents for a case related to his recent travel abroad. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the State Bureau of Investigation announced on Aug. 3. that Dubinsky was being investigated for taking a vacation abroad during wartime. The authorities believe he traveled under the pretext of accompanying his father for medical treatment outside of Ukraine. However, Dubinsky's father went abroad without him and returned to Ukraine before him. Dubinsky allegedly spent several weeks on holiday in Italy, Croatia, and Spain in July. As reported by Ukrainska Pravda, Dubinsky's trip became public when a Health Ministry document requesting his permission to travel abroad was leaked. Dubinsky was slated to return by July 10. However, he was featured in an Instagram post by his girlfriend during a holiday in Barcelona at the end of July. The forgery charge relates to how the MP "was able to sign and send official documents" during his stay abroad. The evidence of Dubinsky not being in Ukraine on the days the documents were signed "may indicate their forgery," the Bureau said. Dubinsky said the charges were politically motivated and that the authorities were "cynically interfering in the personal life of (his) family." Dubinsky is an independent lawmaker. He was removed from President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party in 2021 for "violating the statute and disobeying the party's governing bodies." Ukrainian authorities have prohibited lawmakers and other government officials from traveling abroad during the full-scale invasion after several took "business trips," including in exotic locations. Read also: Increased attacks on Crimea disrupt Russian logistics, attempt to derail its southern defenses Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Reports of a Ukrainian military incursion across the Dnipro River into the left bank of Kherson Oblast have yet to be confirmed, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine, Hanna Malyar, said on Aug. 9. The armed forces and the General Staff do not confirm this information at this time. We urge everyone to once again trust only official sources, Malyar said. Everything provided by the General Staff and the Defense Ministry is information that ensures the safety of our military operations. Read also: Ukrainian counter-offensive continues unabated, says intel chief Earlier, the U.S. think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), released a statement that Ukrainian forces had reportedly conducted a military operation near the village of Kozachi Laheri on the occupied left bank of Kherson Oblast. This move was allegedly made possible by weakened Russian defenses in the area. Read also: Ukraines southern advance slowed by enemy mining, fortified high positions ISW analysts referred to reports by Russian correspondents on Aug. 8, indicating that Ukrainian forces utilized seven vessels, each carrying around six to seven individuals, to execute the operation on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, close to the settlement of Kozachi Laheri. Subsequently, Ukrainian military forces purportedly breached the Russian defense lines, advancing approximately 800 meters inland. Ukrainian forces appear to have conducted a limited raid across the Dnipro River and landed on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast, although it remains unclear whether Ukrainian troops have established an enduring presence on the east bank, the analysts said. 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 Ukraines border guards banned the entry of a 71-year-old Russian who lived in Ukraine and sympathised with the ideology of the "Russian world." Source: State Border Guard Service Details: The man was halted by law enforcement officers at the Starokozache checkpoint in Odesa Oblast, on the border with Moldova. It appeared that since 2003, the Russian passport holder has had a permanent residence permit in Ukraine. He was travelling from abroad, accompanied by his daughter, a citizen of Ukraine. Despite his long-term residence in Ukraine, the man endorsed the ideology of the "Russian world" (the idea of Russian supremacy in various areas of life ed.). During filtration measures, the border guards and representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine found content in his mobile phone indicating adherence to the Russian aggressive policy. It is indicated that even during communication at the checkpoint, the Russian expressed his displeasure that the dates for celebrating holidays or anniversaries were changed and other symbols of Russian imperialism were abandoned in Ukraine. For his adherence to the policy of the Russian state, border guards banned a man from entering Ukraine for a period of three years. 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 Ukrainian military successfully struck a Russian army command post in the occupied city of Nova Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast, the militarys Centre for Strategic Communications, StratCom Ukraine, said on Aug. 9. Russia's command post in occupied Nova Kakhovka was hit at about 10 am, StratCom reported, without revealing any further details. Video evidence of the attack on Nova Kakhovka was posted by StratCom on Facebook. The video shows smoke rising over the city. Data about Russian casualties hasn't been provided at the time of publication. Read also: Ukrainian counter-offensive likely to last for many months Blinken Earlier, the U.S. think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), released a statement that Ukrainian forces had reportedly conducted a military operation near the village of Kozachi Laheri on the occupied left bank of Kherson Oblast. This move was reportedly made possible by weakened Russian defenses in the area. Read also: Thirty explosions rock occupied Kakhovka, Russians suffer significant losses mayor's adviser ISW analysts referred to reports by Russian correspondents on Aug. 8, indicating that Ukrainian forces utilized seven vessels, each carrying around six to seven individuals, to execute the amphibious operation on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, close to the settlement of Kozachi Laheri. Ukrainian military forces purportedly breached the Russian defense lines, advancing approximately 800 meters inland. Ukrainian forces appear to have conducted a limited raid across the Dnipro River and landed on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast, although it remains unclear whether Ukrainian troops have established an enduring presence on the east bank, the analysts said. Ukraine's General Staff hasn't commented on the matter, though Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar cautioned about sharing information. The AFU launched the counter-offensive in Ukraine's south in the beginning of June. Ukrainian forces have breached the first line of Russian defenses in southern Ukraine in some areas of the front, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Aug. 4. 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 Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said Ukrainian forces probably carried out a limited raid across the Dnipro River and landed on Kherson Oblasts eastern bank. However, it is currently unclear whether the Ukrainian military managed to gain grounds on the rivers left bank. Source: ISW Details: ISW noted that several Russian milbloggers stated on 8 August that on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River near the village of Kozachi Laheri, Ukrainian forces landed up to seven boats carrying six to seven people each, broke through the Russian defences and advanced 800 metres deep. ISW noted that one of the Russian milbloggers said the Russian command recently relocated a "prepared grouping" of Russian airborne personnel from Kozachi Laheri to Zaporizhzhia Oblast, replacing them with mobilised soldiers, weakening the Russian defence in this area. ISW claimed that Volodymyr Saldo, Russian-appointed puppet leader in Kherson Oblast, downplayed the achievements of Ukrainian paratroopers, saying Russian artillery repelled a Ukrainian boat attack. "However, the majority of prominent Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces managed to utilise tactical surprise and land on the east bank before engaging Russian forces in small arms exchanges, and Saldo was likely purposefully trying to refute claims of Ukrainian presence in this area to avoid creating panic in the already-delicate Russian information space," ISW stated. ISW emphasised that they will continue to provide a conservative assessment of the situation on Kherson Oblasts eastern bank until they receive visual confirmation of a long-term Ukrainian presence near Kozachi Laheri or other settlements located on the eastern bank. ISW noted that they have not yet seen any visual evidence, indicating the presence of a significant number of Ukrainian military personnel or equipment near Kozachi Laheri. "The current pattern of Russian reporting is more consistent with a limited cross-river raid than a wider Ukrainian operation. Ukrainian officials have not commented on operations in this area as of this writing," ISW added. 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 Armed Forces most often shoot down Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters Another Russian helicopter has been downed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the early hours of Aug. 9, announced the General Staffs press service on Telegram. Today, our soldiers brought down another helicopter belonging to the Russian occupiers. The specific model of the helicopter is yet to be determined, the report stated. No further details were available. This is the 313th Russian helicopter to be eliminated since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The enemy has also lost 315 aircraft and over a quarter million soldiers. Ukrainian defenders from the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade destroyed a Russian attack helicopter Ka-52 on Aug. 7, using an anti-aircraft missile system in the vicinity of Robotyne within Zaporizhzhya Oblast. 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 Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has approved an appeal to the parliaments and governments of foreign states, international organisations and their parliamentary assemblies regarding Russia's intentions to hold "elections" in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts, slated for 10 September. Source: Yaroslav Zhelezniak, member of the Holos political party on Telegram; Interfax-Ukraine news agency Details: 287 MPs voted "for" draft resolution No. 9581. The document notes that "another attempt by Russia to justify an illegal attempt to annex temporarily occupied parts of the territory of Ukraine indicates its unwillingness to end the armed aggression against our state and its intention to continue the aggressive neo-colonial policy towards neighbouring countries." The Verkhovna Rada is to turn to the parliaments and governments of foreign states, international organisations and their parliamentary assemblies not to recognise the legitimacy of any "elections" in the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine or the structures that organise such elections. At the same time, Ukrainian parliamentarians consider it necessary to call on the international community not to recognise the legitimacy of any legislative body of the Russian Federation elected in the temporarily occupied parts of the territory of Ukraine. The MPs also want to warn the international society not to recognise the "elected" bodies, which, as a result of such illegal elections, will include representatives of the occupation administrations of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, and not to allow the participation of delegations of such Russian authorities in the work of international organisations. The document also calls on the world to recognise that the illegal actions of the Russian Federation once again confirm the impossibility of holding peace talks until the Russian occupation forces leave from the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine in its entirety. In addition, the Verkhovna Rada suggests calling on international monitoring structures to ignore possible requests from Russia to send observers to the "elections" of local authorities in the temporarily occupied parts of the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts. Note: The so-called "single voting day" will be held in Russia on 10 September 2023. On the same day, the Russians plan to hold sham elections in the temporarily occupied territories 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! Ukrainian forces launched a daring surprise raid across the Dnipro River in which they broke through Russian lines of defence. The river divides liberated Ukrainian territory on one bank and Russian-occupied land on the other, and for months it has served as part of the frontline in southern Ukraine. Russian military bloggers said that up to seven boats, each carrying up to six troops, arrived on the Russian-occupied bank, apparently under the cover of darkness, and advanced 800m. Blogger Trinadtsatyi, posting on the Telegram messaging app to more than 150,000 followers, said a number of Russian soldiers were allegedly killed or taken captive during the raid. Images circulating on social media appeared to show captured soldiers. While the fog of war makes such moves difficult to confirm completely, monitors of Russia's invasion said there was clear signs of a major battle. The Russian-imposed head of the occupied part of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, claimed the Ukrainian raid had been repelled, but the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) based in the US which tracks movements on the battlefield said the limited raid certainly appeared to have some success. While Russian forces did appear to push back the Ukrainian troops some, the ISW said "Saldo was likely purposefully trying to refute claims of Ukrainian presence in this area to avoid creating panic". The ISW said of the raid: The majority of prominent Russian [military bloggers] claimed that Ukrainian forces managed to utilise tactical surprise and land on the east bank before engaging Russian forces in small arms exchanges". Data from the past 24 hours in this area appear to confirm that there was significant combat, likely preceded or accompanied by artillery fire, the ISW added. The raid is said to have happened during an apparent rotation of Russian troops, as more experienced fighters were redeployed towards Zaporizhzhia in the south and the Donbas region in the east. Both are frontlines involving heavy fighting. Ukrainian forces have tried a number of times to cross the river, as gaining a foothold on the Russian-occupied bank would open the door to push further into Moscow-held territory. This latest raid appears to be the most significant attempt since a similar operation was launched by the Ukraine's 73rd marine special operations unit. In Russia, one person was killed and more than 50 were injured in a blast on Wednesday at the site of a factory that makes optical equipment for Russia's security forces in the town of Sergiev Posad, 30 miles (50km) northeast of Moscow, local authorities said. Emergency services said the explosion occurred in a warehouse containing pyrotechnic equipment, state news agency TASS reported. The state outlet also quoted emergency services as dismissing early reports that the blast could have been caused by a drone attack, many of which have taken place in Moscow and the surrounding area in recent weeks. Russia's Investigative Committee, Russia's top law enforcement agency, also denied that. Russia blames Ukraine for such attacks, and while Kyiv rarely claims such assaults, officials are happy to play up the disruption and suggest that the war is coming home to Russia. As a case in point, before the factory explosion, Russian officials said air defenses had shot down two drones aimed at the capital overnight, and they accused Ukraine of an attempted attack. One of the drones came down in the Domodedovo district south of Moscow, and the other fell near the Minsk highway west of the city, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Moscow Domodedovo Airport is one of the Russian capital's busiest airports. It wasn't clear where the drones were launched, and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment. Mr Sobyanin said there were no casualties. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report By Maya Gebeily BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations is set to resume aid deliveries into rebel-held northwestern Syria via a crossing that has been a lifeline for the region, after aid workers said Damascus appeared to loosen terms that had led to a weeks-long pause. The aid deliveries from Turkey via the Bab al-Hawa crossing stopped in July when Western powers and the Syrian government's main ally Russia failed to agree on extending a U.N. Security Council mandate for the operation. Syria then gave unilateral approval - but on terms which the U.N. rejected as unacceptable. After weeks of diplomacy, a Syrian government letter sent to the United Nations this week and seen by Reuters did not mention the rejected conditions. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed an "understanding" with Damascus on using the Bab al-Hawa crossing for six months, his Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said on Tuesday. The northwest is the last major bastion of rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad in the 12-year-long Syrian war, and millions of people there depend on U.N. aid. NGOs and individual states have long organised unilateral aid convoys into the northwest, but U.N. agencies will not cross the border without government or Security Council approval. The U.N. had been using Bab al-Hawa since 2014 with Security Council authorization. Syria rejected the operation as a violation of sovereignty. The terms set by Damascus in July included barring the U.N. from engaging with what it calls "terrorist organizations" in the rebel-held region. They also limited who could oversee and facilitate deliveries to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). An Aug. 5 letter sent by U.N. emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths to Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh and seen by Reuters said the U.N. "may need to engage with different actors in north-west Syria" while it conducted aid operations. It also said that his office, not the ICRC and SARC, held the mandate to oversee operations in northwest Syria and that the ICRC and SARC did not have sufficient presence in that region to take over such humanitarian work. In an Aug. 6 letter, Sabbagh thanked Griffiths "for the clarifications on some of the essential operational modalities" and said Syria "looks forward to the involvement" of the ICRC and SARC "when circumstances permit", without mentioning the earlier conditions. The Syrian government did not immediately respond to questions on whether it had loosened the preconditions and why. 'DEVIL IN THE DETAIL' The spokesperson for the U.N.'s Guterres said late on Tuesday that Syria had reaffirmed its "consent" in recent days to the crossing's use and that the agreement would allow the U.N. and partners to provide cross-border aid "in a principled manner that allows engagement with all parties". A spokesperson for the U.N.'s humanitarian operations agency OCHA said the agency was "ready to resume aid operations through the Bab al-Hawa crossing as soon as possible". Sherine Ibrahim, Turkiye director at CARE International, said the letters "did not mention the previous conditions related to ICRC/SARC or not working with de facto authorities". But that hadn't fully allayed concerns. "When we read these letters, we don't see the detail and as we know the devil is always in the details," she said. A Damascus-based aid worker told Reuters that Syria's letter indicated it "accepts U.N. principles" and that aid could now resume through Bab al-Hawa without the "new conditions". The announcement came as Syria extended unilateral permission for two other border crossings from Turkey to be used to bring in aid, which it had initially granted in the wake of the Feb. 6 earthquake. Tanya Evans, country director at the International Rescue Committee, noted the approval agreed for the use of Bab al-Hawa expires in February, in the depths of winter, raising concerns about the ability to scale up the aid response. Evans said the IRC preferred the security and stability of a long-term Security Council resolution over the Syrian government's unilateral and short-term approval. (Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Tom Perry, Sharon Singleton and Gareth Jones) An aid convoy enters rebel-held northwestern Syria in July 2023 after passing through the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the border with Turkey (OMAR HAJ KADOUR) The United Nations says it will resume aid deliveries to rebel-held areas of northern Syria via Turkey after reaching agreement with Damascus -- a deal that raises concerns among relief groups who want Syrian authorities kept out of the process. Under a 2014 agreement, most international aid had passed through the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey without the authorization of Damascus. But last month, the Security Council failed to reach consensus on extending the mechanism, and the UN said a subsequent Syrian offer to keep the crossing open for another six months contained "unacceptable" conditions. Late Tuesday, a UN spokesman said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "welcomes the understanding reached yesterday by the United Nations and the government of Syria on the continued use for the next six months of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing." The deal followed "engagement" between UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths and Damascus for the world body and its partners to keep providing assistance "at the necessary scale and in a principled manner," the statement said. The Syrian government's previous conditions included that the UN cooperate with it fully and not communicate with "terrorist organizations" -- a reference to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda that controls the Syrian side of the Bab al-Hawa crossing. "The fact that we have the understandings in place is itself a sign that the issues were resolved," UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters on Wednesday. More than four million people live in rebel-held areas of northern and northwestern Syria, many of them in overcrowded, impoverished displacement camps. - 'Get the trucks moving' - In recent weeks, several international organizations had expressed fear that allowing Damascus control over the flow of aid to rebel-held areas could result in limiting access to those most in need. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) voiced alarm at the announcement. "We are concerned that the removal of certainty and security provided by Security Council authorization will impact the ability of humanitarian organizations, and particularly Syrian NGOs, to operate effectively," the relief group said in a statement. "The Security Council resolution was one guarantee that provided communities in the northwest some comfort knowing their access to lifesaving assistance was supported and protected by the international community." The IRC added that the deal's expiry in February, "at the height of next year's winter season, raises significant concerns about the ability of the response to scale up to meet needs given the lack of predictability." Hiba Zayadin from Human Rights Watch told AFP the arrangement was "not a tenable alternative for the UNSC (Security Council) resolution." "I don't see how such an agreement made with the very government that has long obstructed and weaponized aid can guarantee principled humanitarian aid delivery into the northwest," Zayadin added. According to Haq, aid deliveries via Bab al-Hawa will resume "as soon as possible." "It may take some days, obviously, to get the trucks moving," he said in New York. - 'Unacceptable' - The UN announcement came hours after it said Syria had extended for another three months the use of two other crossings -- Bab al-Salam and Al-Rai -- which were opened following a devastating February 6 earthquake. Civil war erupted in Syria after President Bashar al-Assad's government crushed peaceful protests in 2011. The conflict has killed nearly half a million people and driven half the country's pre-war population from their homes. Russia last month vetoed a nine-month extension of the Bab al-Hawa mechanism and then failed to muster enough votes to adopt a six-month extension. Damascus regularly denounces the UN aid deliveries as a violation of its sovereignty. Its ally Moscow has been chipping away at the Security Council deal for years. The White Helmets rescue group, which operates in the northwest, said the UN had "ignored the demands and pleas" of Syrians and allowed the government to control cross-border aid into the opposition bastion. "Placing the fate of life-saving aid for millions of innocent people in the hands of those who killed them, forced them from their homes and robbed them of their rights is unacceptable," it said on social media. bur-rh/nr-sst/mlm Dozens of doohickeys have been scavenged and reinstalled indicators, coordinators, gauges for pressure and altitude, a bright red button to release the cargo. One thing Ive learned is anything red on the plane, you only touched in an emergency, explained Katherine Cuddy, standing on a ladder positioned inside the cockpit. That red thing up there, its the emergency bomb release. This was the escape hatch. Cuddy and her fellow aviation enthusiasts with the South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation can tell you almost anything youd like to know about the B-25C Mitchell Medium Bomber they have been restoring for the better part of a decade. The aircraft has been a fascination to South Carolinians and beyond for nearly a century. Almost 80 years ago, as soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy, a crew on a training mission crashed the plane into Lake Greenwood. It sat 35 feet below the surface for 40 years. Its taken another 40 years to see the plane restored. Ron Skipper show a restored B-25c at Owens Field Airport on Monday, August 7, 2023. Skipper hosts open houses on the second Saturday of every month at the hangar. Crash and recovery The right wing hit the water first, pulled down by the propeller. The plane sputtered, bounced across the lake a few times, steadied and then sank. Just before it happened, I remember looking out, and there was a guy standing up in a row boat to my left, Col. Daniel Rossman recalled to reporters several years ago. I thought, If were eye to eye, my God, were too low. It was D-Day June 6, 1944. As their colleagues stormed the beaches of Normandy, practice teams at the Greenville Army Air Base ran piloting drills. Some reports suggested the airmen wanted a closer look at sunbathing beauties and flew the craft, nicknamed Skunkie, too low. Rossman, who was on board at the time, has denied that rumor, saying they were told to practice a variety of emergency procedures. The instrument cluster of a restored B-25c at Owens Field Airport on Monday, August 7, 2023. However it happened, the aircraft sank. It stayed underwater for almost two decades. In 1983, 39 years after it crashed, a crew of Navy divers descended into the lake to retrieve the military artifact. Locals offered their lake houses for a base of operations, Duke Power provided a barge, and a handful of other businesses offered their assistance as well. The plane was raised to much fanfare more than 1,500 people came to watch, according to a retelling of the days events documents by the Historic Aviation Foundation. The planes historic value was elevated by it being the only known and intact aircraft left from a fleet that trained the men who perpetrated Doolittles Raid on Japan. The South Carolina State Museum helped see the planes exterior restored in time for a 1992 reunion of the Doolittle Raiders. But in the years after that, the plane changed hands several times. At one point, it was listed on eBay, said Ron Skipper, chairperson of restoration for the aviation foundation. It was that listing that led to the founding of the foundation, Skipper said. Ron Skipper and Katherine Cuddy show a restored B-25c at Owens Field Airport on Monday, August 7, 2023. Some local guys here, pilots and aviation enthusiasts, said this airplane has been in South Carolina since 1942, it does not need to go anywhere else. Its very unique to any state, having an artifact like this, he said. So they pulled together their money, bought the plane and founded the South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation. Restoration Hangar Y-1 at Columbias Hamilton-Owens Airport is decked out with war memorabilia. Official uniforms, authentic shrapnel, maps and magazines are lined up next to the massive dual-engine B-25C Bomber, which is so large the wing tips needed to be removed to get it inside the hangar. The aviation foundation holds open house events here, usually once a month, hoping to raise the public knowledge of American history and the people who have served to honor it. Katherine Cuddy show a restored B-25c at Owens Field Airport on Monday, August 7, 2023. Cuddy attended an open house at the hangar and decided to volunteer and help with the restoration. Katherine Cuddy wandered into one of these open houses eight years ago. The theme was womens history, and Cuddy was looking for something to do. Having grown up helping her grandpa with planes, she was enamored with the aircraft that loomed over her. I have hundreds of people say, Id like to get involved, and then they never show up, Skipper recalled. The following Monday night, she walks in, she goes, Well, I dont know a thing about airplanes, but she wanted to help. Cuddy has since helped rebuild the planes cockpit, bombardier and navigators area. Were kind of starting in the front and working our way back, she said. David Mosley makes a rib for the bomb racks in a B-25c at Owens Field Airport on Monday, August 7, 2023. Mosley and other volunteers reference service manuals for the military aircraft when fixing or replacing parts. Shes one of about seven regular volunteers who have been working every Monday and Thursday night from 5 to 9 p.m. to rebuild a piece of history. The plane isnt finished. The bomb bay is currently being restored, and there are a few other loose ends as well. It wont fly again. The airframe is too corroded after 40 years underwater. The work is also slow moving, partly because it can be so difficult to find the necessary pieces, Cuddy said. They rely on eBay and other online forums, as well as a handful of B-25 restoration experts who are known for having a lot of equipment. The planes future The Historic Aviation Foundation hopes that one day, South Carolina will have an aviation museum of its own. Their B-25 would be the centerpiece, Skipper said. A restored B-25c at Owens Field Airport on Monday, August 7, 2023. Inside the plane are replicas of equipment and other items common for airmen in World War II. South Carolina has a rich aviation history that goes back to the 1920s, he said, explaining that if they had the funds, the group would like to create a museum dedicated to military and civilian aircraft. For now, however, they focus remains on restoring the storied B-25. The group receives donations through its open houses, as well as the occasional new volunteer. A restored B-25c at Owens Field Airport sports the tail number from General Jimmy Doolittles B-25b on Monday, August 7, 2023. The plane is not capable of flight without more extensive renovations. This Saturday, the group is hosting an open house to celebrate 40 years since the bomber was raised from Lake Greenwood. Members of the Navy diving team will be in attendance, as will a variety of military vehicles and military impressionists. The event is Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Jim Hamilton-L.B. Owens Airport, at Hangar Y-1 right next to the terminal. The South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation is having an open house to commemorate the 40 year anniversary of the B25C Mitchell being raised from Lake Greenwood, SC> HUNTSVILLE, Ala. The U.S. Army has begun developmental testing of its future missile defense radar in a new, two-phased approach, according to Brig. Gen. Frank Lozano, the services program executive officer for missiles and space. The Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, or LTAMDS, will serve as the radar in the Armys future Integrated Air and Missile Defense system. Congress mandated that the Army field an LTAMDS battalion of four sensors by December 2023. The Army awarded Raytheon, an RTX company, a contract to build LTAMDS prototypes in 2019. But program officials have had to make some adjustments over the past few years in order to meet congressional requirements because of integration challenges and supply chain delays caused by COVID-19. The Army has since made progress with the LTAMDS program, Lozano told Defense News in an interview at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium here. The service received the six required prototypes from Raytheon and completed contractor verification testing a few weeks ago, he said, adding, That went very well. Five of the systems are at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, and the sixth remains with Raytheon at its Andover, Mass., facility for testing. The service has now begun developmental testing, but will proceed in two waves, Lozano explained. The LTAMDS radar has three arrays; a main one and two in the back that give it the ability to see threats from 360 degrees. Last year, when I first came on board, through some system engineering reviews, we realized that trying to do all 360 degrees of tracking was too much to take on at once, he said. As a result, the first year of testing will focus on the main array and the second year, in 2024, will be dedicated to full-sector capability testing, incorporating the back two arrays, Lozano said. In order to meet congressional requirements, the Army is providing the first four LTAMDS prototypes to the formation designated as the first unit equipped with primary sector capability by December 2023, Lozano said. That step will provide residual combat capability that already exceeds legacy radar capability,he said. Once the second phase of developmental testing is complete, the Army will conduct an operational assessment in the first quarter of FY25 that will lead to an Engineering and Manufacturing Development decision in FY25, a preliminary step toward eventual serial production. The Army is also required to field three additional LTAMDS for the defense of Guam. The service plans to procure five total systems in FY24 to cover the Guam requirement; the other two will be test assets, Doug Bush, the Armys acquisition chief said earlier this year. The US will ban American investment in some areas of China's high-tech sector, including artificial intelligence, adding to strained relations between the two superpowers. US firms will also be asked to disclose what investments they make in China in high-tech sectors. The much-anticipated move gives the US government new power to screen foreign dealings by private companies. The US said the measure would be narrowly targeted. However, it is poised to further chill economic relations between the world's two largest economies. China said it was "very disappointed". The US "has continuously escalated suppression and restrictions on China," said Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington. He added that White House claims that the US was not seeking to hurt China's economy or separate the two countries did not match its actions. "We urge the US side to honour its words." The order by US President Biden formally kicks off the push to craft rules to bar American businesses from investing in firms from "countries of concern" that are active in quantum computing, advanced semiconductors and certain areas of artificial intelligence. The government will also require US firms to notify the Treasury Department of investments in firms working on a wider range of artificial intelligence and semiconductor technology. The rules are not expected to apply to so-called portfolio investments, in which firms invest passively in companies via the stock market, but are focused on active investments made by private equity, venture capital and other firms. They will now enter a public comment period, which is expected to further clarify what kinds of investments are off-limits. The rules are not expected to go into effect for months. In a briefing with reporters, senior administration officials said the measure was a "national security action, not an economic one". They said the US remained committed to open investment. Sarah Bauerle Danzman, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said the approach outlined on Wednesday was narrower than some of the other proposals under debate, but still represented an "unprecedented" expansion of government oversight. "It is definitely a big deal and it certainly represents quite a break from past policy," she said. Controls on outbound investment are rare among advanced economies, currently present only in Japan and Korea, according to a 2022 report by the US-China Investment project. In the US, prior restrictions on China trade have relied on limiting sales of sensitive technology by US firms and screening Chinese investments in American companies. The Trump administration has also barred investments in firms tied to China's military. The latest measure has widespread support in Washington, where it is seen as fixing a regulatory gap concerning financial flows that risks allowing American money and know-how to to flow into China and assist its military ambitions. China's He Lifeng welcomes Janet Yellen during a meeting in Beijing The US has been trying to build international support for the investment curbs with some signs of success. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in May said the government would consider curbs on outbound investment; the European Commission put forward a proposal focused on investments in sensitive technologies earlier this summer. It is not clear how significantly the order would affect flows of investment. China was the number two destination for foreign investment in 2022, behind the US, but many reports suggest money flowing into the country from the US and elsewhere has dropped sharply as geopolitical relations sour. In the UK, a recent survey by the Institute of Directors found that one in five UK importers had already switched investments away from the country due to geopolitical tensions. The value of US foreign direct investment transactions in China dropped to roughly $8bn last year, the lowest level in nearly two decades, according to the Rhodium Group. China has responded to the curbs with its own rules, including limits on exports of some critical minerals used to make computer chips. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who visited China in July to try to ease tensions, said last month she did not think the coming curbs would have a fundamental impact on the investment climate in the country. But Ms Bauerle Danzman, a professor of international studies at Indiana University, said despite US efforts to target its restrictions, the ill-defined nature of some of the technologies in question, many of which also have consumer uses, means the clampdown risks becoming too broad. She warned that could ultimately hurt the US, by raising costs for businesses and isolating the country from technological advances. "Whether this is good or bad is going to depend on implementation," she said. "The US government has to be very careful not to allow this to expand and expand and it needs to find ways to have some amount of exchange of information in ways that don't challenge national security so that we're not cutting ourselves off from opportunities for new scientific discoveries." By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States and Canada issued new sanctions against Belarus on Wednesday, designating several entities and individuals over alleged human rights abuses and support for Russia amid the war in Ukraine. The U.S. Treasury Department said it designated eight individuals and five entities to a sanctions list for allegedly funding the Belarusian government. "This action targets several entities involved in the Belarusian regimes continued civil society repression, complicity in the Russian Federations unjustified war in Ukraine, and enrichment of repressive Belarusian regime leader Alexander Lukashenko," the Treasury Department said in a statement. Canada imposed sanctions against nine individuals and seven entities, with the list including government officials, judges, the head of Belarusian state television, the country's defense ministry, and military manufacturing and technology firms, the Canadian government said in a separate statement on Wednesday. Lukashenko has repeatedly accused the West of trying to topple him after mass protests against his rule erupted in 2020 in the wake of a presidential election the opposition said he had fraudulently won. Lukashenko said he had won fairly, while conducting a sweeping crackdown on his opponents. Western sanctions have been imposed on Belarus over the years in relation to that alleged crackdown and election fraud. Minsk also allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory to send troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year. The individuals and entities targeted in the U.S. sanctions include three state-owned enterprises and the director and a subsidiary of one of those enterprises, the Treasury Department said. It added the sanctions also targeted four employees of a Belarus government agency, three individuals facilitating sanctions evasion in support of Lukashenko's government, and one aircraft identified as blocked property. Among the companies targeted was the state-owned Belavia Belarusian Airlines and Byelorussian Steel Works Management Company, which produces steel products and was previously sanctioned by the European Union as well. A Florida-based joint venture with Byelorussian Steel Works named BEL-KAP-STEEL LLC was also sanctioned by the Treasury Department, the Treasury Department said. Belarus, led by Lukashenko since 1994, is Russia's staunchest ally among ex-Soviet states. In May, Russia moved ahead with a decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. The Treasury Department on Wednesday also issued two general licenses related to Belarus. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh, Susan Heavey and Rami Ayyub in WashingtonEditing by Caitlin Webber, Nick Macfie and Matthew Lewis) Wang Yi to visit Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia Xinhua) 17:15, August 09, 2023 BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia from August 10 to 13, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Wednesday. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will visit at the invitation of Singaporean Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Zambry Abd Kadir and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn, Mao added. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the Belt and Road Initiative, a foreign ministry spokesperson said the same day, adding that Southeast Asian countries have been at the forefront of advancing the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and they are important partners for Belt and Road cooperation. China's relations with Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia have maintained a sound momentum of growth. China and Singapore have established an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership. China and Malaysia have reached common understandings on jointly building a community with a shared future. China and Cambodia are working to usher in a new era of building a high-quality, high-level and high-standard China-Cambodia community with a shared future, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said that China hopes the visit will bolster strategic communication with the three Southeast Asian countries, put the new characterization of the China-Singapore relations into action, achieve solid progress in building a community with a shared future both with Malaysia and with Cambodia, deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and bring the bilateral relations to new heights. China stands ready to work with the three countries to implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, boost economic recovery, safeguard peace and tranquility, deepen exchanges and mutual learning and make even greater contribution to peace, stability and development of the region and beyond, the spokesperson said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) FILE - A livestock helicopter pilot rounds up wild horses from the Fox & Lake Herd Management Area on July 13, 2008, in Washoe County, Nev., near the town on Empire, Nev. A legal battle over the U.S. government's ongoing capture of thousands of wild horses in Nevada, where over two dozen mustangs have died in a weeks-long roundup goes before a judge Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, as opponents try to prove it's illegal and should be stopped. (AP Photo/Brad Horn, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) RENO, Nev. (AP) Over the objections of wild horse advocates, a judge cleared the way Wednesday night for the U.S. government to continue capturing thousands of mustangs in Nevada despite the deaths of 31 horses during the weekslong roundup. In a ruling from the bench after a seven-hour hearing in Reno, U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks said he was denying Wild Horse Education's bid for an emergency order to halt the roundup the nonprofit advocacy group argues is inhumane and illegal. The fact is, I don't have evidence that would support the granting of a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order, Hicks said. The judge said the deaths of the horses were tragic. But he said that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management appears to be complying with the law and doing everything it can to gather the mustangs as humanely as possible from the range to cull overpopulated herds. These tragedies are going to occur when you have gathers, so I cannot find there are inhumane treatments with these incidents, Hicks said. The stallions, mares, foals they are beautiful animals but at they same time they are wild animals. There are going to be some that are lost, he said. Of little consolation to horse advocates, Hicks said he agreed with their claim that the federal agency illegally denied them access to observe one of the mustang traps because it required passing through private land owned by a man who didn't want the public there. But the judge said bureau officials assured him the roundup in that particular area was complete and a similar situation wouldn't occur again. I'm of the view that was a constitutional violation," Hicks said. "But I'm also of the opinion that is moot. ... It's behind us. Government lawyers representing the Bureau of Land Management said the deaths among 2,500 horses gathered since July 9 were unfortunate but expected. They said the free-roaming animals pose a threat to the ecological health of public rangeland. Horse advocates argued the deaths were unnecessary, resulting from inhumane tactics being used to expedite removals from public lands where pregnant mares and young foals were being chased in summer heat across rocky high desert into makeshift corrals. The roundup halfway between Reno and Salt Lake City is scheduled to continue through Aug. 22. Laura Leigh, founder of the Nevada-based Wild Horse Education, said Wednesday night that she was extremely disappointed in the ruling. We are discussing with our attorney our options on how to proceed with the underlying complaint to address the lack of enforceable humane standards, she said in an email to The Associated Press. Although the Judge said that our Constitutional Rights to view one of the traps was likely violated, he did not see any necessity to restrain BLM from doing it again," Leigh said. He trusted that BLM's statement that there would be no further trapping on private property with access denial. Government lawyers said in earlier court filings the horse advocates have been trying to inflame emotions with photos and videos of injured mustangs trying to flee helicopters and wranglers on horseback. One with a broken leg was chased for 35 minutes before it was euthanized. Deaths are tragic, but they are a known and anticipated part of wild horse gathers that must be weighed against the harm the same horses face under drought and overpopulation conditions if the gather cannot be completed, Justice Department lawyers wrote. The agency says the 31 deaths are within the average mortality rate of 1% to 1.2% for wild horse gathers conducted from 2010 to 19. Despite plaintiffs sensational allegations, there is nothing out of the ordinary ... and nothing to suggest the conditions of these gathers have been unusually dangerous to the horses, government lawyers said. Horse advocates said the mustangs have been made scapegoats for damage most often caused by taxpayer-subsidized cattle grazing the same limited forage on the high-desert range at much higher numbers. Among other things, they said in a lawsuit filed July 26, the roundup is illegally based on an outdated environmental review that fails to reflect current conditions on the range. They said it also ignores evidence the herds are still in the midst of foaling season when the use of helicopters is largely prohibited. Democratic U.S. Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada is pushing legislation in Congress to outlaw the use of helicopters altogether. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have come to an agreement in principle on a deal that would see the country formally recognize Israel, according to a new report. The deal, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, would see the recognition come in exchange for concessions to Palestinians, U.S. assistance in building a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia and with U.S. security guarantees. U.S. officials reportedly told the Journal that the Biden administration wants Saudi Arabia to assure them that they will have economic and military distance from China. The discussions reportedly began in earnest after National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah in late July. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office also did not immediately respond. NETANYAHU OFFERS TO NEGOTIATE JUDICIAL REFORMS THROUGH NOVEMBER, ISSUES 'CALL FOR PEACE AND MUTUAL RESPECT' The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have come to an agreement in principle on a deal that would see the country formally recognize Israel. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, fielded a question about whether there have been talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Kirby said he did not have any information about this but said the administration would be supportive. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "I don't know. That's really a question that would have to be put to the Israelis or the Saudis. We certainly encourage a process towards normalization," Kirby said. "We certainly encourage bilateral dialog between those two countries. But really, the degree to which there is or isn't, that kind of conversation is really for them to speak to." BIDEN DROVE HISTORICALLY CLOSE MIDDLE EAST ALLIES INTO THE ARMS OF AMERICA'S GREATEST ENEMIES, EXPERTS SAY Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to meet with President Biden since Israel's latest elections, but a National Security Council spokesman says a meeting will take place later this year. Kirby also noted that President Biden has plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu some time "in the fall somewhere in the United States," with details yet to be finalized. The two leaders have yet to meet face to face since Netanyahu began his current term. An agreement between the three countries would follow a rocky few years for relations between President Biden's administration and Saudi Arabia. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre framed the regime as "siding with Russia" in late 2022 after it decided to cut oil production despite U.S. requests not to. Biden had also come into office vowing make a "pariah" of the Saudis due to their human rights record, but he then paid a visit to the kingdom in mid-2022. Discussions of a deal began in earnest after National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah in late July. The discussions have now reportedly come down to the specifics of an eventual deal. U.S. officials reportedly hope to finalize the Saudi deal within nine to 12 months. Negotiations for the deal come after former President Donald Trump's administration negotiated the Abraham Accords, which saw a number of Arab countries formalize ties with Israel. SAN DIEGO The mother of a U.S. Navy sailor charged with providing sensitive military information to China encouraged him to cooperate with a Chinese intelligence officer, telling her son it might help him get a job with the Chinese government someday, the prosecution said Tuesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Sheppard made the accusation at a hearing in federal court in San Diego in urging the judge not to release Jinchao Wei, who was arrested last week on a rarely used espionage charge. Prosecutors did not name the woman in court. As a result of that The Associated Press could not try to find her or people who could comment on her behalf. Wei is one of two sailors based in California accused of providing sensitive military information to China including details on wartime exercises, naval operations and critical technical material. Prosecutors have not said whether the two were courted or paid by the same Chinese intelligence officer as part of a larger scheme. Navy sailors arrested on charges tied to national security, China The Justice Department charged Wei, 22, under a Espionage Act statute that makes it a crime to gather or deliver information to aid a foreign government. Both sailors have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors have said Wei, who was born in China, was first approached by a Chinese intelligence officer in February 2022 while he was applying to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, and admitted to the officer that he knew the arrangement could affect his application. Even so, prosecutors say he provided the officer detailed information on the weapons systems and aircraft aboard the Essex and other amphibious assault ships that act as small aircraft carriers. U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman for the Southern District of California, center, speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, in San Diego. Two U.S. Navy sailors have been arrested and accused of providing sensitive military information to China. (Meg McLaughlin/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP) In arguing against his release, Sheppard told the court on Tuesday that when Wei went home for Christmas to see his mother, who lives in Wisconsin, she was aware of her sons arrangement. She also encouraged him to keep helping the Chinese intelligence officer because it might get him a job someday with Chinas Communist party after he leaves the U.S. Navy, Sheppard said. The AP asked Weis defense attorney Jason Conforti in an email if he could speak on behalf of Weis mother and provide a response to the prosecutions allegations. The AP also asked if he could provide contact information for her. The attorney did not immediately respond to the email. Sheppard told the court that the intelligence officer told Wei that he and the Chinese government were willing to fly him and his mother to China to meet them in person, and that Wei searched online for flights to China this spring. Sheppard said the officer also told Wei to buy a computer and phone to pass the information, and that if Wei provided a receipt, the Chinese government would reimburse him for the expenses. Conforti told the court that Wei is not a danger to the community and no longer has access to any military information. Sheppard countered that Weis actions put thousands of sailors at risk by revealing sensitive information on Navy ships. The judge ruled to keep him in federal custody without bond. The indictment alleges Wei included as many as 50 manuals containing technical and mechanical data about Navy ships as well as details about the number and training of Marines during an upcoming exercise. Sheppard said Wei has made $10,000 to $15,000 in the past year from the arrangement. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison. The Justice Department also charged sailor Wenheng Zhao, 26, based at Naval Base Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, with conspiring to collect nearly $15,000 in bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for information, photos and videos involving Navy exercises, operations and facilities between August 2021 through at least this May. The information included plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, which detailed the location and timing of naval force movements. US Plays Down Talk of Breakthrough on an Israel-Saudi Accord (Bloomberg) -- The US and Saudi Arabia continue to work on a framework aimed at Saudi recognition of Israel in exchange for US security guarantees for Riyadh though the Biden administration signaled Wednesday theres still a long way to go. Most Read from Bloomberg There is no agreed-to set of negotiations, theres no agreed-to framework to codify normalization or any of the other security considerations that we and our friends have in the region, John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, told reporters. But there is a commitment by the administration to keep talking, and to keep trying to move things forward. People familiar with the kingdoms stance echoed those comments, saying theres no guarantee of success in the talks. Israeli assets rose after the Wall Street Journal, citing American officials it didnt identify, reported that Washington and Riyadh had agreed on the broad outlines of a deal. The officials warned they faced long odds but were hopeful they could decide on finer details within a year, the newspaper reported. Theres been a flurry of activities on multiple nodes, but it feels vastly premature to suggest that even a framework deal is imminent, said Brian Katulis, vice president of policy at the Middle East Institute in Washington. From domestic politics in each country to the regional instability created by Iran and its proxies, Katulis said an agreement is unlikely to be completed before the end of this year and perhaps not before the 2024 US elections. Core Issues The US and Saudi Arabia must agree on three core issues: the civil nuclear program the kingdom is seeking, security assistance and an executive agreement on defense not a mutual-defense treaty that would require US Senate approval, according to Aaron David Miller, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Were dealing with two of the most problematic partners in this little arrangement, Miller said, citing a lot of animus between President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as well as strained relations between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, told journalists Monday that we are waiting for the Americans to give us a complete plan regarding Saudi normalization. We expect to see a proper plan or proposal by the end of the year, he said. Netanyahu told Bloomberg on Sunday that his country and Saudi Arabia will deepen economic and business ties even if they dont formally recognize each other. Read more: Netanyahu Says Bet on Israel and Saudi Arabia Deepening Ties Still, a deal would have enormous economic consequences for investors, Netanyahu said. If they had to bet on it, right now Id bet on it. But I cant guarantee it. The shekel strengthened and stocks in Tel Aviv advanced on the Wall Street Journal report. A potential agreement could boost investor confidence in the country at a time when the governments plans to overhaul the judiciary have triggered mass protests and a selloff in financial markets. The currency gained as much as 1% to 3.68 per dollar on Wednesday before paring its advance. The benchmark stock index rallied 1.4%. Biden, who is keen for Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel, sent National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to the kingdom last month, partly to discuss the issue. Riyadh has expressed frustration in recent months over Israels deteriorating relations with the Palestinians typified by the recent raid on a refugee camp in the West Bank and incendiary comments by some far-right members of Netanyahus coalition. Analysts expect Washington to seek concessions from Israel on behalf of the Palestinians, but suggest those could be limited to assurances that the door remains open to a two-state solution, to which the Biden administration remains committed. Earlier: Arab States Sour on Israel in Blow to US Aim of Saudi Peace Pact Privately, the Saudis have asked for firm defense guarantees from the US, access to top-notch American weaponry and for the White House to allow it to enrich uranium domestically as part of a plan to build nuclear power plants. Normalization would be a significant coup for Israel. While its signed historic diplomatic deals with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan since 2020, Saudi Arabia is the biggest economy in the Middle East, with the government investing trillions of dollars to diversify from oil. In addition, its the guardian of Islams two holiest sites at Mecca and Medina. --With assistance from Andras Gergely, Jordan Fabian, Vivianne Rodrigues and Alisa Odenheimer. (Updates with reporting from Saudi sources.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions against Belarus on Aug. 9, targeting eight individuals and five entities, including the country's state airlines. The announcement comes at the three-year anniversary of the fraudulent 2020 Belarusian election, in which dictator Alexander Lukashenko solidified his grip over the country through the falsification of votes and mass repressions. The latest sanctions package is aimed at those entities or individuals involved in the regime's oppression of its population, those that are complicit in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, or those helping Lukashenko's personal enrichment. Among the targeted companies are three state-owned enterprises, including the country's flag carrier Belavia Belarusian Airlines, Byelorussian Steel Works Management Company (BSW), one of the largest state-owned companies in the country manufacturing steel products, and Minsk Civil Aviation Plant 407, which produces aircraft components. Dmitriy Korchik, the general director of the BSW, has also been added to the sanctions list. The Treasury Department extended sanctions against BEL-KAP-STEEL LLC, a small Florida-based firm in a joint venture with BSW. The sanctions further include the three members of the Aleksin family, who run businesses in the country's tobacco and transportation sectors. Alexey Aleksin is also a close confidant of Lukashenko, providing funds to the dictator and his inner circle, the Treasury Department said. The U.S. also sanctioned the Department of Financial Investigations, an investigative arm of Belarus's Financial Intelligence Unit, for its role in the crackdown against the media in the country. Four of the government agency's officials have been also included on the sanctions list. The EU imposed new sanctions against Belarus less than a week ago, extending the ban on exports of highly sensitive goods and technologies contributing to Belarus' military and technological enhancement. Read also: Belarus Weekly: Helicopters violate Polish airspace; Wagner moves closer to border Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The US Department of State has said they support Ukraine in the fight against Russian spies, commenting on information about the alleged preparation of an assassination attempt on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to Mykolaiv Oblast. Source: Ukrinform citing Matthew Miller, Spokesperson for the US Department of State Details: Miller said that Washington saw reports of a potential assassination attempt on Zelenskyy, but it was up to the Ukrainian side to comment on the details. "We fully support Ukraines general efforts to hold people accountable for those activities," Miller noted. Miller also reported that the US has been observing Russian espionage and intelligence activities in Ukraine for some time. Background: The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) reported on 7 August that it had detained a Russian informant preparing a Russian air strike on Mykolaiv Oblast during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit. 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! FBI special agents shot and killed a Utah man Wednesday while attempting to arrest him for allegedly making threats against President Joe Biden ahead of the presidents trip to the state. FBI SWAT agents were giving commands to the man when he pointed a gun at them, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the incident. The man, Craig Robertson, was facing three federal charges, including threats against the president as well as influencing, impeding and retaliating against federal law enforcement officers by threat. Investigators noted that Robertson appears to owns a sniper rifle and several other firearms. Some of the threats happened just ahead of Bidens planned trip to Utah on Wednesday evening. I HEAR BIDEN IS COMING TO UTAH, one threat read, according to prosecutors. DIGGING OUT MY OLD GHILLE SUIT AND CLEANING THE DUST OFF THE M24 SNIPER RIFLE. WELCOM, BUFFOON-IN-CHIEF! Robertson also posted online threats in recent months against other Democratic politicians and prosecutors who have brought cases against former President Donald Trump. The case comes amid heightened vitriol aimed at national and local leaders in the lead-up to the 2024 election and what FBI Director Christopher Wray has called an unprecedented level of threats against FBI agents. In a post on Monday Robertson said, Hey FBI, you still monitoring my social media? Checking so I can be sure to have a loaded gun handy in case you drop by again. Biden was briefed on the matter Wednesday in New Mexico, where he delivered remarks on manufacturing before his scheduled travel to Salt Lake City. The FBI is reviewing an agent-involved shooting which occurred around 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 in Provo, Utah. The incident began when special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence. The subject is deceased, an FBI spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. The spokesperson continued: The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBIs Inspection Division. The US Secret Service, which is responsible for protection of high-level government officials, including Biden, referred questions to the bureau. The Secret Service is aware of the FBI investigation involving an individual in Utah who has exhibited threats to a Secret Service protectee, a Secret Service spokesperson said. Robertson also allegedly made threats on Facebook against Attorney General Merrick Garland including a picture of a semi-automatic handgun with the caption Merrick Garland eradication tool and a description of a dream about killing the attorney general. Other politicians who he allegedly made threats against included Vice President Kamala Harris, New York State Attorney General Letitia James and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. In one Truth Social post highlighted by prosecutors, Robertson took aim at New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has brought criminal charges against Trump stemming from a hush-money scheme before the 2016 election. Robertson wrote: Heading to New York to fulfill my dream of iradicating [sic] anothertwo-but political hach [sic] DAs. The post, cited in court documents, continued: I want to stand over Bragg and put a nice hole in his forehead with my 9mm and watch him twitch as a drop of blood oozes from the hole as his life ebbs away to hell!! FBI agents approached Robertson at his house in March about a social media post, investigators wrote in an affidavit. Robertson would not speak to the agents, saying, I said it was a dream! and Were done here! Dont return without a warrant. After the interaction, Robertson allegedly repeatedly threatened FBI agents online. One such Facebook post included in court documents said: TO MY FRIENDS IN THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF IDIOTS: I KNOW YOURE READING THIS AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW CLOSE YOUR AGENTS CAME TO BANG. Delivering the White Houses first public comments about the incident, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby on CNN This Morning Thursday praised the law enforcement response and deferred questions about the investigation to the FBI. This is really not about just the rhetoric, its about the actions that that can sometimes go with that rhetoric, Kirby said. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Josh Campbell and Nikki Carvajal contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A Utah man was shot and killed Wednesday morning during an FBI raid linked to threats against President Biden and other Democratic officials. The FBI said the incident occurred after special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence in Provo, Utah. Sandra Barker, spokesperson for the FBIs Salt Lake City field office, said the shooting is under review by the FBI and declined to offer additional details, calling the incident an ongoing matter. Secret Service spokesperson Alexi Worley said in a statement that it is aware of the FBI investigation involving an individual in Utah who has exhibited threats to a Secret Service protectee. Craig Deleeuw Robertson of Provo was under investigation for making threats against Biden and facing a charge of that crime, according to a sealed criminal complaint obtained by The Hill. I hear Biden is coming to Utah. Digging out my old ghillie suit and cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle. Welcome, buffoon-in-chief! Robertson allegedly said on social media, according to the complaint. Biden is expected to depart New Mexico later Wednesday bound for Utah, where tomorrow he is to deliver remarks and attend a campaign reception before returning to the White House. Robertson was also facing charges of interstate threats for allegedly threatening New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg who is prosecuting the hush money case against former President Trump and influencing, impeding or retaliating against federal law enforcement officers by threat. Other threats were made against Vice President Kamala Harris, New York State Attorney General Letitia James and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, according to the sealed complaint. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A Utah man who made threats against President Joe Biden was shot and killed by FBI agents in Provo, Utah (SCOTT OLSON) A Utah man who made threats against Joe Biden was shot and killed by FBI agents on Wednesday, just hours before a visit by the US president to the western state. The Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed that a suspect was killed when special agents tried to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence in Provo, a city south of Salt Lake City. The bureau declined to identify the slain man, saying an investigation was ongoing, but he was named in a complaint filed by federal prosecutors in Utah as Craig Robertson. According to the complaint, Robertson, who was in his early 70s and described himself as a "MAGA Trumper," repeatedly threatened Biden and others in posts on social media. "I hear Biden is coming to Utah," Robertson said in a post this week. "Cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle. "Welcom (sic), buffoon-in-chief!" In addition to Biden, the complaint said Robertson had also made threats against Vice President Kamala Harris and US Attorney General Merrick Garland. "The time is right for a presidential assassination or two," one post said. "First Joe then Kamala!!!" He had also threatened to shoot Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, who has filed charges against former president Donald Trump for allegedly paying election-eve hush money to a porn star. The complaint also included pictures from social media postings by Robertson of his extensive collection of guns, including a semi-automatic rifle he called a "Democrat eradicator." Biden is currently visiting the western United States and is scheduled to fly later Wednesday from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Salt Lake City. The US Secret Service, which protects the president, said it is "aware of the FBI investigation involving an individual in Utah who has exhibited threats to a Secret Service protectee" but provided no further details. cl/mlm Utah School District To Pay $2M Settlement To Family Of 10-Year-Old Black Girl Who Died Of Suicide | Todd Wright Utahs Davis School District will pay $2 million to the family of Isabella Izzy Tichenor, a 10-year-old girl who died of suicide after being bullied at her school. It is one of the largest civil rights settlements ever in the state, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. The agreement ends the familys fight for justice for Tichenor, culminating in a lawsuit last year. After the girls death in November 2021, the family asked for $14 million. The district and the family issued a joint statement on Tuesday, announcing the news and reflecting on what this means for the future. Davis School District is committed to making schools a safe and welcoming environment for all, the district said. A statue of Tichenor will reportedly be put inside her schools library. The district has also hired Jackie Thompson, an educator and civil rights activist, to help with necessary reforms and offer training, as the Department of Justice requires. Just because you win some money, [it] doesnt compare to the child not being there, Brittany Tichenor-Cox, the 10-year-olds mother, said in a news conference. Isabella Izzy Tichenor died by suicide last Saturday after allegedly being bullied by classmates: https://t.co/lrvpr7yqOo pic.twitter.com/eGrALDP8rY azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) November 15, 2021 Tichenor experienced bullying from both students and educators at her school. The investigation concluded that she was the target of race-based bullying, which included her being called racist names and being told she smelled because of her skin color. The girl was also the target of comments relating to her having autism and was threatened with a gun. The investigation found that educators also issued derogatory remarks after the girls death. The school was found to have ignored at least one abuse report and not appropriately investigated. Her mother says she saw no warning signs before her daughters death. I didnt know she thought like that; I was so involved with her at school, she said. You dont know what a child is going through mentally. This pushed her to become an advocate against racism experienced by children in schools. I still want to be able to help a lot of kids out there. Im going to continue to spread her name, she said on Tuesday. Tichenors experience is not an isolated case in the state of Utah. Davis School District paid $200,000 to the families of three students who experienced racial discrimination this year. Tichenors death also came after the U.S. Department of Justice issued a report about Utah school districts mishandling of reports of racism. The girls experience is not an isolated case throughout the country either. Suicide death rates for Black American girls between the ages of 13 and 19 increased by 182% from 2001 to 2017, according to a 2019 study published in the Journal of Community Health. Some experts regard bullying as one of the leading causes of death by suicide in Black youths. Being bullied can definitely have an adverse impact on depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and attempt, Amanda Nickerson, the director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention at the University at Buffalo, told TIME. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology found a strong correlation between racial discrimination and depression among Black teenagers. Experts point to additional mental health resources, training for school staff, and education on Black history as potential solutions. A Venezuelan migrant has been accused of raping a woman in front of a 3-year-old child, authorities announced on Tuesday. Jesus Guzman-Bermudez is accused of restraining the victim by holding their head down while raping her in a hotel room in Cheektowaga in Erie County, New York, last week. Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced that Guzman-Bermudez, 26, was arraigned on Friday on one count of rape in the first degree, one count of unlawful imprisonment in the second degree, one count of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of harassment in the second degree. He was held without bail and faces a maximum of 25 years in prison if convicted. Prosecutors say the suspect and victim knew each other, and the alleged crime is said to have occurred in front of their 3-year-old child who was also present in the hotel room. SINEMA LIVID NEW YORK CITY GETS FEDERAL FUNDS TO HELP WITH MIGRANT CRISIS "It wasn't like an incident where this individual went out in town, grabbed some victim and took them back to the hotel room. That's not the case here. They clearly knew one another," Flynn told WBEN. He stressed that it is only the fourth incident among migrants in the county. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "The first three were petty larceny, so very small crimes, minor offenses. This is obviously much more serious," he said. "But four out of over 500, obviously, the vast majority over 95% are abiding by the laws and behaving." The announcement immediately drew criticism from state Republicans, who have objected to the transport of migrants to their communities as part of New York Citys strategy to cope with what it says is an overwhelming migrant surge. "This disgusting individual was brought to Western New York courtesy of failed Democrat sanctuary and open border policies which have created chaos across our country, state and now here in Western New York, "Senate Republican leader Rob Ortt said in a statement. "All while hardworking, tax-paying New Yorkers and Americans continue to foot the bill." MASSACHUSETTS GOV DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY DUE TO SURGE OF MIGRANTS; CALLS FOR FEDERAL ACTION It marks the latest fallout from the migrant crisis, which has overwhelmed the southern border and caused knock-on effects in states and cities across the country. New York City has been overwhelmed by the approximately 54,000 migrants it is caring for in its shelter system, some of whom have been bussed there from Texas. The city earlier this year began bussing migrants elsewhere in the state. On Tuesday, Massachusetts became the latest liberal jurisdiction to declare a state of emergency over the number of migrants, calling for additional funding from the federal government and immigration reform to allow migrants to work. BIDEN ADMIN SENDING SURGE OF ICE SPECIAL AGENTS TO BORDER AMID INCREASE IN MIGRANT NUMBERS Meanwhile, Border Patrol agents have documented a number of encounters with sex offenders at the southern border. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens announced on Tuesday that agents encountered six previously convicted sex offenders at the southern border. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, is sending ICE special agents to the border in increasing numbers while also putting out fresh calls for federal employees to volunte e r to aid Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in processing and other tasks. Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report. A group of LGBTQ+ veterans is suing to make the Pentagon automatically upgrade the discharge characterizations of troops kicked out under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" or similar earlier bans on gay service members and to remove references to their sexuality in discharge paperwork. While veterans who were discharged under the policy that banned gay and lesbian troops from serving openly can apply to have their discharges upgraded, the lawsuit argues the application process is "burdensome," "opaque" and violates veterans' constitutional rights. "Requiring LGBTQ+ veterans to first bear the stigma and discriminatory effects of carrying indicators of sexual orientation on their DD-214s, and then navigate a broken record correction process to seek resolution, violates their constitutional rights to equal protection, informational privacy, property, and due process protected by the Fourteenth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution," says the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in federal district court in San Francisco. Read Next: Fort Cavazos Soldiers Have Been Without Proper Access to Food for Months "The service of LGBTQ+ veterans deserves respect and honor equal to that of other veterans," the lawsuit adds. "LGBTQ+ veterans are entitled to relief from the Government's ongoing discrimination through the removal of separation narratives and codes that identify their sexual orientation, modification of codes that prevent re-enlistment, and upgrades to their discharge statuses as needed." The lawsuit asks for the court to require the Defense Department to undertake a comprehensive review of every discharge under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and earlier bans, and to make the department systematically upgrade discharges and remove references to sexual orientation from DD-214s. The lawsuit was filed by legal advocacy groups the Impact Fund and Legal Aid at Work and law firm King & Spalding on behalf of five veterans who were discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" or predecessor policies: Navy veterans Sherrill Farrell, James Gonzales and Lilly Steffanides; Army veteran Steven Egland; and Marine Corps veteran Jules Sohn. The lawsuit also seeks class-action status on behalf of all veterans whose DD-214s reference their sexual orientation as a reason for discharge and were given less-than-honorable discharges. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was implemented during the Clinton administration with the intention of being a compromise between a full ban on gay service members and open service, but in practice was effectively a ban on gay troops that resulted in an estimated 14,000 discharges. It was repealed in 2011, but veterans have described lasting harm from the policy more than a decade later. Estimates vary for how many troops were discharged under both "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and predecessor bans. But Defense Department data obtained by Legal Aid at Work through a Freedom of Information Act request found that more than 35,000 troops were discharged between 1980 and 2011 because of "real or perceived homosexuality, homosexual conduct, sexual perversion or any other related reason," with more than 29,000 receiving less-than-honorable discharges, according to the lawsuit. Having a less-than-honorable discharge cuts off access to some Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, including home loans, tuition assistance and health care. For example, one of the plaintiffs, Gonzales, never went to college because he could not afford it without GI Bill benefits and has had to rely on "sporadic" medical care from nonprofits for his HIV because he can't get VA health care, according to the lawsuit. In 2021, on the 10th anniversary of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the VA said it would issue new guidance to ensure veterans who were discharged based on sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status could have full access to benefits. But veterans have said there has been little follow-through on that promise. In addition to the lack of VA benefits, having DD-214s that reference their sexuality forces veterans to out themselves in any situation in which they might need to prove they are a veteran, such as on a job application, the lawsuit argues. For example, one of the plaintiffs, Egland, chose to forgo a higher salary provided to veterans when he started teaching because his DD-214 identifies his sexual orientation, according to the lawsuit. "Having an updated DD-214 would bring me so much healing and would restore my own pride in my service to this country," Egland said in a news release on the lawsuit. "I believe every veteran deserves this, regardless of their sexual orientation. Our government and leaders have long acknowledged that the military's discrimination against LGBTQ+ service members -- and what was done to me -- was wrong. The time has come to rectify it by correcting our records." -- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel. Related: Veteran Advocates Sue over 'Discriminatory' Fertility Treatment Policies at DoD, VA People celebrate the defeat of Issue 1 during a watch party Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio voters have resoundingly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it more difficult to pass abortion protections. Credit - Jay LaPreteAP Ohioans voted against a measure that would have made it harder to change the state constitution on Tuesday, securing a crucial victory for abortion-rights advocates before a fall vote. Issue 1 failed in Tuesdays special election, according to the Associated Press. There was huge turnout for a special election: nearly 700,000 advance ballots were cast in the early voting period, according to the AP, which is more than double the early vote in the previous primaries in 2022 and 2018. The vote on Issue 1 garnered national interest and extra significance because Democrats are trying to enshrine abortion protections in the state constitution through a November citizen-led ballot initiative. Republicans, in turn, proposed Issue 1, which would have increased the voting threshold from a simple majority to 60 percent of the vote. Failing to pass Issue 1 on Tuesday could be decisive for the vote this fall, which will still be decided by a simple majority: A USA Today/Suffolk University survey that polled 500 likely voters in July found that 58% supported a constitutional amendment that would add abortion protections. Read More: What to Know About Ohio's Abortion Ballot Initiative The result in Ohio could have national implications. While it was a resounding defeat for Republicans, conservatives in other states are still likely to try to limit the power of ballot initiatives, experts say. After the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion last year, many abortion-rights advocates turned to ballot initiatives to protect the procedure as state legislatures enacted bans around the country. Six states had abortion-related measures on the ballot in 2022. All six were victories for abortion-rights advocates, including those in more conservative states such as Kansas and Kentucky. Ohio isnt the first state where Republicans tried to make it more difficult to pass these measures in response. Republicans in Missouri tried and failed to approve a similar measure earlier this year. North Dakotas Republicans are also planning to increase the voting threshold. We've seen more and more states turning to the initiative process to ensure abortion rights and, as that has happened, we've also seen the ascendance of these efforts to limit the force of direct democracy, says Melissa Murray, law professor at New York University. Ohios Issue 1 also included other restrictions, such as requiring signatures to be collected in all 88 counties, instead of 44, and eliminating the 10-day grace period to ensure all signatures are valid. Republicans have stressed that Issue 1 was intended to keep special interests out of Ohio politics. Millions of out-of-state dollars funneled in from supporters and critics of Issue 1. We have a constitution that is very easy to amend compared to the rest of the country and out of state special interest groups know that, so they come into our state, often with these unlimited national dollars, says Amy Natoce, press secretary of Protect Women Ohio, which opposes the November abortion ballot initiative. Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose previously said that the proposed procedural change was about "keeping a radical, pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution." He later told the AP his comments were taken out of context. Abortion remains legal in Ohio until fetal viability, around 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy. The proposed constitutional amendment would preserve that right. An abortion ban that applies after roughly six weeks of pregnancy has been temporarily blocked by courts and is being appealed. While abortion-rights groups and progressive politicians cheered Tuesdays result, the failure of Issue 1 may be a short-lived victory for Democrats, Murray warns, if other states follow suit: Republicans will be counting on people getting tired and not keeping up, she says. Write to Sanya Mansoor at sanya.mansoor@time.com. Newly unsealed search warrants reportedly reveal the shocking words a 6-year-old Virginia student allegedly uttered after brandishing a gun at school and shooting his teacher in the classroom. "I shot that b---- dead," the boy said on Jan. 6, 2023, just moments after the shooting, according to Amy Kovac, a reading specialist at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. Kovac rushed into the classroom afterward and restrained the child until police arrived. The unsealed warrants, reported by local news outlets Tuesday, described how Kovac had heard a gunshot and witnessed several children run out of the classroom. Their teacher, 25-year-old Abigail Zwerner, also dashed out, bleeding from the hand and upper torso before she collapsed in the front office and was rushed to the hospital. The warrant says Kovac went into the classroom where she found the boy standing by his desk with the gun next to him on the floor. LAWYERS FOR VIRGINIA TEACHER SHOT BY 6-YEAR-OLD FILE $40M SUIT DETAILING HOW SCHOOL ALLEGEDLY IGNORED WARNINGS Abigail Zwerner was shot in the abdomen Jan. 6, 2023, by a 6-year-old student. "I did it," the boy also said, according to Kovac. "I got my moms gun last night." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Earlier in the day, two students had told Kovac they saw the boy with a gun in his backpack, the warrant says. Kovac and a school administrator are said to have searched the students backpack at recess but did not find the firearm inside at that time. Zwerners legal team filed a $40 million lawsuit against the Newport News School Board and certain administrators in April. Her lawyers contend that several school employees, including Zwerner herself, had warned administration before the shooting unfolded. When interviewed at the hospital after the shooting, Zwerner told investigators she had separated her first grade class into two groups after recess for a reading activity when the boy pulled out the gun. "What are you doing with that?" the teacher said she asked, before the boy fired a shot at her. Deja Taylor, right, arrives with attorney James Ellenson, left, to the Newport News Sheriff's Office in Newport News, Virginia, on April 13, 2023. VIRGINIA TEACHER SHOT BY 6-YEAR-OLD STUDENT IN CLASSROOM SAYS SHE'LL NEVER FORGET THE LOOK ON HIS FACE The warrant says Zwerner told investigators there had been multiple "disciplinary incidents" involving the same student leading up to shooting. They involved physical violence and threats of violence, which had been reported to school administrators, the warrant adds. Days after the shooting, investigators interviewed the boys former kindergarten teacher. The retired Newport News elementary school teacher, who had been assigned to Richneck Elementary School, told police how she had been choked in September 2021 by the same boy said to have shot Zwerner. The warrant notes how limited school records pertaining to the boy obtained from Child Protective Services did not include any information about the alleged choking described by the kindergarten teacher, so it is possible that the incident and "possibly others were not readily provided by Newport News Public Schools." Taylor turned herself in April, the Newport News Police Department said. Though the boy has not been charged, his mother, Deja Taylor, faces two counts: felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count of leaving a firearm in a way that could endanger a child. In lieu of a bench trial, a plea hearing is scheduled for Aug. 15. Taylors attorney, James Ellenson, has previously told WTKR that the boys mother was suffering from mental health issues following an ectopic pregnancy and a miscarriage. Taylor has also pleaded guilty to federal charges of being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Her next court appearance in that case is Oct. 18. The security threat cannot be minimised. Names and work details of every officer and civilian staff member in Northern Irelands police service, some working in the most sensitive areas, including with MI5, have been made public with the obvious risks that entails. Details of more than 10,000 people, their names and ranks and work locations were inadvertently released in the one part of the United Kingdom where the terrorist threat levels have been raised from substantial to severe which means that attacks are not only possible, but highly likely. There has not been a leak of this magnitude in recent times and senior police and intelligence officers have been meeting to work out what damage limitation measures, including heightened personal protection for many, need to be taken. Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland Secretary, spoke about how the leak was deeply concerning, adding my officials are in close contact with senior officers and are keeping me updated. The threat is self-inflicted. The police service mistakenly published the information in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request on Tuesday. Surnames, initials, the ranks, work addresses and departments of all PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) staff were made public. Home addresses were not included, but it would not be difficult for those determined to do harm to track at least some of these down. The main terrorist threat, at present, comes from dissident republican groups, in particular the New IRA, the breakaway faction from the Provisional IRA, which has rejected the Good Friday Agreement and continues the strife which claimed 3,700 lives in three decades of bombings and shootings. The organisation claimed responsibility for the shooting of an officer earlier this year. Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was left seriously injured in the attack in Omagh. Two police officers, two prison officers and two British soldiers have been killed since the signing of the agreement in 1998 and there have been many other attempted murders. The soldiers, Sapper Mark Quinsey and Sapper Patrick Azimkar, were shot dead in 2009. Corporal Stephen Carroll of the PSNI the same year, and Constable Ronan Kerr in 2011. The prison officers, David Black and Adrian Ismay, were killed in 2012 and 2016. Another dissident republican group, Arm na Poblachta (ANP) which carried out an attempted bombing outside a Londonderry police station, announced last March that not just officers, but also their families, were legitimate targets. Petrol was poured as youths exchanged projectiles at Belfasts Peace Gate with their faces covered during clashes in April 2021 (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Information about officers involved in fighting organised crime has been leaked. This also presents a grave risk. Both nationalist and loyalist paramilitaries have long been associated with criminality. But there has been a huge increase in former and current members being involved in the drug trade and extortion since the end of The Troubles. One example is that of the well-armed South East Antrim Brigade of the UDA (Ulster Defence Association) which, say the police, is extensively engaged in narcotics trafficking. Members have been accused of murder and threatening the lives of journalists and politicians. Doug Beattie, the leader of the UUP (Ulster Unionist Party), has said the group has threatened to kill him twice. It is unsurprising that Liam Kelly, the chairperson of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI), has stressed the monumental risk his members are facing and condemned the way the breach has unfolded. He said: Even if it was done accidentally, it still represents a data and security breach that should never have happened. Rigorous safeguards ought to have been in place to protect this valuable information which, if in the wrong hands, could do incalculable damage. The men and women I represent are appalled by this breach. They are shocked, dismayed and justifiably angry. Like me, they are demanding action to address this unprecedented disclosure of sensitive information. We have many colleagues who do everything possible to protect their police roles. A Florida-based voting rights group is planning to protest Gov. Ron DeSantiss (R) suspension of State Attorney Monique Worrell (D), saying the governor abused his power and undercut the democratic process. Equal Grounds is planning to protest outside the Orlando City Hall at 7 p.m. Thursday to rail against DeSantiss Wednesday decision to suspend Worrell, according to a flyer posted by Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) on X, formerly known as Twitter. The voting rights group called on DeSantis to reverse his decision and to stop using Black Women and voters as a pawn in his pursuit of the White House. This reckless pattern of removing political opponents from office is not how we should govern in Florida, the group said in a statement. In his announcement of her suspension, the Governor claims that Attorney Worrell abused discretion. Not only is that a matter of opinion, but the discretion Attorney Worrell exercises is afforded to her by the state constitution and is consistent with the other 19 State Attorneys throughout the state. Worrell was elected to serve as the state attorney for Floridas 9th Judicial District in 2020 and was running for reelection in 2024. The Florida governor suspended Worrell on Wednesday, saying her administration of criminal justice in the 9th Circuit has been clearly and fundamentally derelict so as to constitute both neglect of duty and incompetence. Worrell criticized DeSantis over her suspension, labeling him as a weak governor. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida blasted DeSantis for the move. Kara Gross, legislative director and senior policy counsel of the ACLU of Florida, said the Florida governor will do whatever he can in order to keep his power and control over the state, regardless of what the people want or how they voted. Ousting elected officials because you disagree with their leadership and installing hand-picked individuals to take over their job responsibilities is what happens in authoritarian regimes, not democratic nations, Gross said in a statement. In a democracy, you cant just remove elected officials who you dont like. Elections matter. This matters. The whole country is watching. Florida Democrats were quick to criticize DeSantiss decision, with many leaders labeling the move as racially and politically motivated. Frost, who represents Worrells circuit in Congress, said he plans to attend the planned protest. WE WILL NOT stand for this blatant abuse of power and fascism in our state. Its a sad day in Orange County & Florida, Frost said on X. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A government shutdown might actuallysome would say probablyhappen this fall. And abortion is at the center of the risk. But its not Democrats who are wielding power to hold up critical spending bills. At least not in the House. Moderate House Republicans, many from battleground districts, are squabbling with members of their own party on whether to advance a controversial provision that would overturn federal guidance allowing mifepristone, a pill that can induce an abortion in the first two months of pregnancy, to be sent by mail. At the crux of the holdup is the political risk for moderates in taking votes on abortion-related issues. Public opinion is against Republicans on reproductive rights. The Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last year was a driving force for GOP underperformance in the midterms. And virtually every proposal made by House Republicans on restricting abortion access has become fodder for Democratic hopes of winning back the majority in 2024. GOP Rep Flip-Flops on Asshole Abortion Bill: Just Travel Vulnerable Republicans are twisting themselves in knots because they know when these bills attacking reproductive freedoms receive a floor vote, they will cave to the MAGA extremists in their party, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Viet Shelton told The Daily Beast in a statement. They will say anything to cover up the fact that, in the end, they will support a national abortion ban, Shelton said. (The National Republican Congressional Committeea House Republicans campaign armdid not respond to a request for comment on whether the group is concerned about vulnerable Republicans voting on such a hot-button issue.) With just weeks left until the government funding deadline on Sept. 30and Congress out until Sept. 5theres not an easy solution in sight. The abortion pill provision was passed out of committee as part of an agriculture spending bill, which generally funds the Department of Agriculture and federal food assistance programs. But that umbrella also extends to the Food and Drug Administration, which currently oversees guidance that allows mifepristone to be sent by mail. Republicans from battleground districtsnamely those President Joe Biden won in 2020have been voicing concern over the provision and seeking to have it removed from the final package. According to reports, roughly a dozen moderate GOP members have been pushing leadership on the issue. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) in July said states and the FDAnot Congressshould be deciding whether mifepristone, which is typically used with misoprotol to induce an abortion, can be mailed. A spokesperson told The Daily Beast his position hasnt changed since late July. Reps. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and Anthony DEsposito (R-NY) have also publicly expressed opposition to the provision. Both previously criticized a ruling from a Texas federal judge that would have banned mifepristone nationwide. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), who narrowly won her seat last year, also told Axios she would not be able to support the bill if the language remains included. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) has also indicated he believes the question on mailing mifepristone should be left to the states. Judge Temporarily Blocks Wyomings First-in-the-Nation Abortion Pill Ban Other moderates havent completely dismissed concerns over the provision, but are ready to move on one way or another. Rep. David Valadeo (R-CA), one of the most vulnerable House Republicans in 2024, voted the bill out of committee, though he thinks it's imperfect. A Valadeo spokesperson told The Daily Beast his main issue with the agriculture spending bill is with cuts to nutrition programs, and that the mifepristone amendment will not be a make or break issue for him. As it's written, the agriculture bill does indeed include proposed cuts to nutrition programs, including for low-income mothers and children. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had hoped to pass the agriculture spending bill in the full House before members went home for August recess. But he was evidently unable to wrangle the necessary support. Of the 12 spending bills the House must pass annually as part of the government funding process, only one has passed in the full House so far. If the House, Senate and White House cant agree on new spending levels before the September deadlinewhich seems increasingly likelyCongress can pass a continuing resolution. As its called in congressional jargon, a CR would carry on last years spending levels for a set amount of time, buying lawmakers a few more days, weeks or months for negotiations. The problem, however, is that some House conservatives have already said theyd oppose a continuing resolution, seeing as itd carry on spending levels set last year when Democrats held the House, Senate and White House. And of course, those same conservatives could hold up passage of the bills themselves for a slew of other reasons, like if they think spending levels are too high, or certain provisions dont make it through. In fact, theres a good chance theyll find something to object to, because they can, and doing so has worked repeatedly for them this term. Inside the Secretive Network of Abortion Pill Vigilantes Even if the mifepristone amendment passes the House, theres sure to be opposition in the Senate. The White House has also said the president would veto the agriculture bill as is, specifically citing disapproval of the cuts to spending programs and the mifepristone amendment. In the meantime, House Democrats are sharpening their knives. If the GOP wants to enact a nationwide ban on abortion care, then lets have that debate and lets hold that votebut lets do it in the open, so the American people can judge each members action for themselves, Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), chairs of the pro-choice caucus, said in a statement. Hijacking these critical funding bills to try to sneak through an extreme anti-abortion agenda that a vast majority of Americans oppose is reprehensible. House Republicans should be ashamed of themselves, they said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Mercenaries of the Wagner Group private military company currently stationed in Belarus, do not represent a direct or indirect threat to NATO, Alliance spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in an interview with Polish news agency PAP on Aug. 8. In the interview, Lungescu said that NATO has significantly strengthened its defense presence on its eastern flank in response to Russia's aggressive posturing. Read also: Polands Foreign Ministry formerly protests violation of airspace by Belarus, NATO also reacts Furthermore, according to her, the Alliance continues to do everything necessary to deter any threat and protect every centimeter of its member countries' territory. NATO closely monitors all military activities in Belarus, said Lungescu. We do not see any direct or indirect military threat from Wagner PMC mercenaries to our allies, but we remain vigilant. On July 29, Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki announced that over a hundred Wagner mercenaries had headed towards the Suwalki Gap a 100-kilometer stretch between Poland and Lithuania that connects the Baltic countries' territory with Poland and other NATO countries, as well as separates the territory of the Russias Kaliningrad Oblast from Belarus. NV He referred to these actions as a "dangerous situation" and a "step towards further hybrid attacks on Poland." Read also: Poland detains Belarusian spy collecting intelligence about the Polish ports and military facilities Morawiecki suggested that Wagner mercenaries could disguise themselves as Belarusian border guards and assist illegal migrants in infiltrating Polish territory. Additionally, the PM stated that the mercenaries might attempt to penetrate Polish territory under the guise of illegal migrants, creating "additional risks." 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 Federal regulatory agencies have fined 11 financial institutions a combined $549 million for using off-channel messaging apps (WhatsApp, iMessage, Signal and text messages) for conversations about trades and other business. Securities laws require investment firms and banks to preserve communications records and ensure employees only carry out business through authorized channels. The firms did not maintain or preserve the substantial majority of these off-channel communications, in violation of the federal securities laws, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) wrote in a statement today. The Wall Street firms were fined over half a billion dollars in penalties for using messaging apps instead of email, approved messaging platforms or other easily archived channels. Firms penalized by the SEC include Wells Fargo ($125 million), BNP Paribas ($35 million), SG Americas Securities ($35 million), BMO Capital Markets ($25 million), Mizuho Securities ($25 million), Houlihan Lokey Capital ($15 million), Moelis & Company ($10 million), Wedbush Securities ($10 million) and SMBC Nikko Securities America ($9 million). Meanwhile, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) fined Wells Fargo ($75 million), BNP Paribas ($75 million), Societe Generale ($75 million) and Bank of Montreal ($35 million). Recordkeeping failures such as those here undermine our ability to exercise effective regulatory oversight, often at the expense of investors, said Sanjay Wadhwa, the SECs Deputy Director of Enforcement. The Commissions message could not be more clear recordkeeping and supervision requirements are fundamental, and registrants that fail to comply with these core regulatory obligations do so at their own peril, said CFTC Director of Enforcement Ian McGinley. Federal regulators said all firms admitted to the facts about unapproved communications in agreeing to the penalties. As described in the SECs orders, the firms admitted that from at least 2019, their employees often communicated through various messaging platforms on their personal devices, including iMessage, WhatsApp, and Signal, about the business of their employers, the SEC wrote in a statement. The firms did not maintain or preserve the substantial majority of these off-channel communications, in violation of the federal securities laws. By failing to maintain and preserve required records, certain of the firms likely deprived the Commission of these off-channel communications in various SEC investigations. Both government agencies stressed that the problem was pervasive and not limited to entry-level employees and junior staff. The failures involved employees at multiple levels of authority, including supervisors and senior executives, the SEC said. During a Wednesday morning news conference outside the Orange County Courthouse, Monique Worrell spoke out strongly against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who suspended her as the Ninth Judicial Circuit state attorney several hours earlier. Worrell repeatedly described the governors decision as political gamesmanship and political shenanigans. This is the moment weve all been waiting for: It is the loss of democracy, she said. I am your dually elected state attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that. This is an outrage. DeSantis cited a neglect of duty when he announced Wednesday morning that he was immediately suspending Worrell. Click here to read his full executive order on her suspension. He appointed Ninth Circuit Judge Andrew Bain to take over as Orange-Osceola County State Attorney during Worrells suspension. Read: Gov. Ron DeSantis suspends Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell Justice does not prevail in the state of Florida at this time, Worrell said. This should not happen in a democracy. She said she was elected by voters three years ago differently and unconventionally and asserted that she had been transparent about how she would run her office. Elected officials are being taken out of office solely for political purposes, and that should never be a thing, Worrell said, describing DeSantis as an individual who has single-handedly destroyed democracy in the state of the Florida. DeSantis described Worrells administration as clearly and fundamentally derelict, constituting neglect of duty and incompetence. Monique Worrell held a news conference to discuss her suspension as Orange-Osceola state attorney. Ninth Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell speaks at a press conference in August 2023. Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell hosted a crime summit in response to high-profile shootings on Monday. Central Florida Spotlight: Monique Worrell After weeks of public disagreement between Worrell and local law enforcement, Worrells office hosted two training days to build better cases. The Orange-Osceola state attorney is defending the actions of her office after the Osceola County sheriff claimed drug traffickers weren't being prosecuted. State Attorney Monique Worrell speaks at an event in Feb. 2023. State Attorney Monique Worrell, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, and Orange County Sheriff John Mina stand during a press conference on community violence. Ninth Judicial Circuit Court State Attorney Monique Worrell speaks to a crowd on Dec. 6, 2022. 9th District State Attorney Monique Worrell during a press conference in June 2022. Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell said Friday no charges will be filed against the Orange County deputy who shot and killed Salaythis Melvin outside the Florida Mall in August 2020. Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell announced Monday a new narcotics unit to investigate and prosecute high-level drug trafficking cases. Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell is trying to bridge the gap between Central Florida residents and the criminal justice system. Monique Worrell sat down with Channel 9 investigative reporter and anchor Daralene Jones for about 45 minutes to talk about Ayalas decision, changes shes already made in the office and the reforms she campaigned on. Democrat Monique Worrell won in the primary election, and now faces Independent Jose Torroella. It is my duty as governor to ensure that the laws enacted by our duly elected Legislature are followed, he said. The people of Central Florida deserve to have a state attorney who will seek justice in accordance with the law instead of allowing violent criminals to roam the streets and find new victims. During her news conference, Worrell mentioned that DeSantis had fired his presidential campaign manager a day earlier. I guess today is my turn, she said. He is replacing me. Worrell thanked her staff during the news conference, saying I know this is an unsettling time for you. Read DeSantis full executive order suspending State Attorney Monique Worrell She also said that while law enforcement officers are often suspended with pay while they are under investigation, now that she has been suspended, she will no longer be paid or have benefits for her or her three children, who return to school Thursday. Worrell said two of her deputy chief assistants were also fired, one of whom has five children to support. She said she has assembled a legal team prepared to fight the governors decision in court but said that the fight will be challenging because some of the judges she could face have been appointed by DeSantis. I am a fighter, and I will fight, she said. This will not stop me from running for reelection. Watch: State Attorney Monique Worrell discusses Daton Viels criminal history 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. Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Animal rescuers in Britain said a pigeon is recovering after being struck by a car and surviving an 80-mile drive while trapped behind the front grille. The East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service said the Cotterell family was traveling from their Hassocks, Sussex, home to spend the day in Bentworth, Hampshire, when they collided with the bird. We were about 10 minutes away from Bentworth when we had what we thought was a near miss with a pigeon. We couldn't see the bird anywhere so thought the bird must have flown off. We had no idea the pigeon was trapped behind the grill for the rest journey and our return home later in the day," Katherine Cotterell told East Sussex WRAS. The family drove all the way home before a pedestrian walking past their house alerted them to the pigeon's plight. "It was only when a passing pedestrian knocked on our door in the evening that we noticed the pigeon behind the grill, so we phoned round and East Sussex WRAS said they would help," Cotterell said. Trevor Weeks, operations director for East Sussex WRAS, responded to the home. "At first I was not sure how the pigeon even managed to get inside as the grill appeared intact. It was only on closer inspection that you could see a crack in the grill which must have been caused by the force of the pigeon hitting it. I'm not surprised that they didn't notice it being in there," Weeks said. The pigeon was taken to the organization's veterinary facility, where it was found to have a few minor injuries and a possible clavicle fracture. Officials said the bird is stable and is expected to make a full recovery. Water firms in England and Wales are not revealing how much sewage is being pumped into rivers, lakes and coastlines, the Liberal Democrats say. The party says all 10 water and sewerage companies failed to disclose how much sewage had been discharged, in response to its requests for the data. This could amount to a "scandalous cover-up", it argued. Industry body Water UK called the claim "fabricated and completely false", saying firms were fixing the problem. A spokesperson said water companies were investing billions of pounds in deploying around 50,000 monitors across overflows and in rivers, and publishing measurements of spills, oxygen levels and different pollutants almost in real time. "Only a tiny handful of monitors record volume. We could expand this, but bills would go up to pay for it. "We would prefer to get on and actually fix the problem rather than delaying progress by installing ever more monitors that would tell us nothing whatsoever about actual impact," the spokesperson added. Earlier on Wednesday, it emerged that the UK's six largest water firms were facing legal action over claims they under-reported pollution and overcharged customers. Water UK dismissed the allegations as "entirely without merit", saying customer bills were already adjusted when sewage commitments were not met. The Lib Dems said it was "staggering" that companies revealed only how long sewage discharges lasted, not the number of litres released into rivers and seas. This information was essential for understanding the environmental impact of such incidents, the party argued. There was already public "outrage at water companies destroying the environment with sewage discharges", a spokesperson added. The Lib Dems said they had tried to establish the volume of pollution through Environment Information Requests - similar to freedom of information requests - but were told the data did not exist. Last year, a parliamentary committee found that more than two billion litres of raw sewage had been dumped into the River Thames over two days in 2020 following a storm. Despite this, Thames Water told the Lib Dems it "does not record the volume of wastewater discharged into the environment via storm overflows". Thames Water told the BBC its current monitoring equipment could not measure volumes and was not designed to do so. What mattered most, it said, was stopping the need for spills, and it had recently published improvement plans for more than 250 sites. Other companies across England and Wales said the monitors they used measured only the frequency and duration of spills, not volume. Bills warning Scottish Water, which is publicly owned, does record and publish data on the volume of sewage discharged, but only a small proportion of these storm overflows are monitored. In Northern Ireland, discharges are not routinely monitored and the last time such information was released was in late 2021. Water UK said companies were instructed to measure the environmental impact of spills by monitoring their frequency and duration - and had already installed these monitors in 90% of storm overflows. Modelling discharge volumes would not add anything useful and requiring volume monitors would cost billions of pounds which would be paid for by customers, it warned. The Lib Dems said the industry in England and Wales was either not telling the truth about holding volume data or the monitors installed were inadequate. Its previous requests for information had found nearly a quarter of monitors were faulty or had not been fitted throughout 2021 and 2022, the party added. Lib Dem environment spokesman Tim Farron said: "These water firms could be guilty of a scandalous cover-up. 'Get tougher' "We have no idea how many billions of litres of sewage are being pumped into our precious rivers and lakes. "The true extent of environmental damage caused by this scandal is completely unknown. We don't even know how much sewage is being pumped into bathing areas and shellfish water." In June, an investigation by the Marine Conservation Society found that around 6,000 emergency overflows - separate from the storm overflows water companies typically monitor - were not being recorded. Emergency overflows are supposed to be used only in critical situations, such as if there is an electrical failure at a pumping station. But more than 90% are not monitored for volume, duration or frequency. Companies are required to monitor only those that have the potential to discharge into shellfish waters. Mr Farron said: "Ministers need to get tougher on these water firms by demanding they fit proper sewage monitors which are up to the job. "The government is letting water firms get away with faulty and flawed monitors." In March, the Environment Agency reported that water companies had released raw sewage into rivers and seas in England for more than 1.75 million hours in 2022 - averaging 825 spills per day. The riverfront worker who was attacked said he held on for dear life as a group of white boaters jumped him in a large brawl that broke out at the Montgomery Riverfront in Alabama on Aug. 5. In a handwritten account he filed with law enforcement after the Aug. 5 melee and obtained by NBC News, Dameion Pickett recalled what happened the day when the men refused to move their boat so a dinner cruise riverboat could dock. A tall, older white guy came over and hit me in the face. I took my hat off and threw it in the air, he wrote. Somebody hit me from behind. I started choking the older guy in front of me so he couldnt anymore, pushing him back at the same time. Pickett has not made a public statement regarding the incident and did not respond to NBC News' request for comment. Videos that went viral on social media showed a group of white men attacking Pickett. The footage caused an outcry, with the Montgomery mayor addressing the altercation and police issuing arrest warrants. Allen Todd, 23, and Zachery Shipman, 25, have been charged with one misdemeanor count of assault in the third degree, a spokesperson for the Montgomery Police Department said. Another man, Richard Roberts, 48, faces two third-degree assault charges and turned himself in on Aug. 8. A fourth suspect in the case, Mary Todd, 21, turned herself in on Aug. 10 and was charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault. A fifth suspect, Reggie Ray, 42, turned himself in on Aug. 11 and was charged with disorderly conduct. Police had previously sought Ray after he was seen wielding a folding chair in the melee on social media videos. So what exactly happened? Read on for a full explanation of this now-viral incident. What happened at the Montgomery Riverfront A large brawl broke out Saturday, Aug. 5, shortly before 7 p.m. at the Alabama capital after Pickett attempted to clear a dock along the river so that the Harriott II Riverboat could dock, witnesses told NBC News. The brawl was fueled by alcohol and adrenaline, witnesses also said. When a group of rowdy boaters refused to move their pontoon at the Montgomery Riverfront, they attacked Pickett when he untied their boat to make way for the riverboat, witnesses said. In video shared with NBC News, after a group of what appears to be white men ran along the dock to attack the worker, who is Black, more people joined in and appeared to defend Pickett. Other footage shared with NBC News shows people punching and shoving one another, with one person falling into the water as police struggled to contain the chaos. The Riverfront is a popular destination with a park, stadium, amphitheater and riverboat. What police say about the fight Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert, in a news conference on Aug. 8, confirmed that a group of private white boaters had attacked a Black dockworker, identified as Pickett. Later, police would identify Pickett as the assistant boat captain of the riverboat. He had been trying to move the private boaters' pontoon to make way for the riverboat. As passengers aboard the riverboat more than 200 waited at least 30 minutes, Pickett tried to get the rowdy private boaters to move. Several members of the private pontoon group then attacked Pickett, Albert said. Albert added that police arrived on the scene at 7:18 p.m. local time about 18 minutes after the riverboat captain had called. He said 13 people were detained, questioned and then released. What did the attacked dockworker say about the incident? In a handwritten statement filed with police and obtained by NBC News, Pickett said he asked the group five or six times to move their boat. When he and a dockhand were ignored and given the finger, he says, they untied the groups pontoon boat, moved it three steps to the right and re-tied it to a post so the Harriott II could dock. By that time, two people ran up behind me, Pickett wrote, adding that a man in a red hat yelled, Dont touch that boat motherf---er or we will beat your ass. He said the men continued to threaten him and then one of them called another man over. They both were very drunk, Pickett wrote, adding that then the pontoon boat owner went over started getting loud He got into my face. This belongs to the f---ing public. I told him this was a city dock. Thats when the brawl began. Pickett wrote, A tall, older white guy came over and hit me in the face. I took my hat off and threw it in the air. Somebody hit me from behind. I started choking the older guy in front of me so he couldnt anymore, pushing him back at the same time. Adding, Then the guy in the red shorts came up and tackled me I went to the ground. I think I hit one of them. Sharing more recollections from the fight, he said, I cant tell you how long it lasted. I grabbed one of them and just held on for dear life. Pickett was eventually helped by other people but noticed the brawl was getting out of hand, writing, One of my co-workers had jumped into the water and was pushing people and fighting. He added that his nephew joined the melee and he had also seen his sister being choked during the fight. As more chaos ensued, the riverboat had not been tied to the dock but Pickett helped the passengers off the boat. He wrote that he apologized for the inconvenience. They all said I did nothing wrong. Some of them were giving me cards with their names and numbers on it. Some said they had it all on film, so I pointed them out to MPD, he added. After the altercation, he was treated at the emergency room where he was treated for bruised ribs and bumps on his head. What witnesses say about the brawl Witnesses told NBC News a similar version of events. Christa Owen said she was aboard the Harriott II with her husband and daughter when the brawl broke out. What was hard is we were all on the boat and witnessing our poor crewman being attacked by these guys, and we couldnt do anything about it, Owen said. It was really difficult to watch, and, like I said, we felt helpless, because we were forced to be spectators, Owen added. Owen was among those who recorded the altercations, explaining that it was inexcusable behavior. Additionally, Leslie Mawhorter also on Harriott II, added: They just didnt think the rules applied to them. It was so avoidable. This never had to have happened. Everything just spiraled from there. I knew something was going to go down, because their attitude was just, You cant tell us what to do. They were going to be confrontational regardless of who you were, Mawhorter continued. Have police made any arrests? Four men and one woman are facing charges, according to police: Richard Roberts, 48; Reggie Ray, 42; Allen Todd, 23; and Zachery Shipman, 25, and Mary Todd, 21. There was no need for this event to take the path it did, Albert told reporters earlier this week. The people of Montgomery, were better than that. Were a fun city, and we dont want this type of activity to shed a dark eye on what this citys all about. Was the fight racially motivated? In the press conference on Aug. 8, Albert said investigators do not believe the incident was racially motivated. He said that the local FBI and district attorneys offices are involved in the ongoing investigation. I dont think you can judge any community by any one incident. I think its important for us to address this as an isolated incident, one that was avoidable, Albert said. One that was brought on by individuals who chose the wrong path of action. What the mayor of Montgomery said about the altercation On Sunday, Aug. 6, Mayor Steven L. Reed released a statement saying that justice will be served after individuals attacked a man who was doing his job. Last night, the Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job. Warrants have been signed and justice will be served, the statement posted on social media read. This was an unfortunate incident which never should have occurred. As our police department investigates these intolerable actions, we should not become desensitized to violence of any kind in our community. Those who choose violent actions will be held accountable by our criminal justice system, the statement concluded. Reed shared how he felt about the incident during a press conference on Aug. 7. "I feel like its an unfortunate incident. Our statement that we put out the other day is that its something that shouldnt have happened and its something that were investigating right now," Reed said. "Well continue to go through that process before we take any additional steps." When asked if Reed thought the incident was racially charged, he said the brawl is still under investigation, and that authorities are "investigating all angles." The investigation is ongoing. EDITOR'S NOTE (Aug. 11, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. ET): Previous police statements listed the man attacked as Damien Pickett and one of the suspects as Zachary Shipman. On Aug. 11, officials corrected their names' spellings to Dameion Pickett and Zachery Shipman. This story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced he suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell, a Black Democrat and elected prosecutor for Orange and Osceola counties, on the grounds that she failed to pursue stronger charges in serious cases. The 2024 presidential candidate took a brief break from his campaign to return to the Florida Capitol and announce Worrell's suspension with Attorney General Ashley Moody and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass at his sides, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. "Prosecutors have a duty to faithfully enforce the law," DeSantis said in the announcement. "One's political agenda cannot trump this solemn duty." DeSantis declared that Federalist Society member Andrew Bain, an Orange County judge who is also Black, will serve as state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit in Worrell's absence. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell, effective immediately, for neglect of duty, incompetence, and not pursuing harsh enough criminal prosecutions. DeSantis suspended another duly elected state prosecutor, Andrew Warren, in August 2022. pic.twitter.com/WE6m0DhS2N The Recount (@therecount) August 9, 2023 Worrell in response vowed to challenge the move in court and run for re-election while addressing a crowd outside her office in Orlando. "If we're mourning anything this morning, it is the loss of democracy," she said. "I am your duly elected state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that." The attorney's brief pause was filled with the applause and cheers of her audience. "This is an outrage," she added. If we are mourning anything ... it is the loss of democracy. I am your duly elected state attorney ... and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that. This is an outrage. State Attorney Monique Worrell (D) reacts to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) suspending her from office pic.twitter.com/lUbNx7FX2Q The Recount (@therecount) August 9, 2023 DeSantis took no questions following his announcement and was accompanied by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, who bounced praise of the governor's actions between pauses for applause from DeSantis supporters in attendance. Judd went on to hold up a placard that splices an image of Worrell into a burning cartoon house saying, "This is fine," a modification of a viral meme that instead features a cartoon dog. The "This is Fine" meme made an appearance at DeSantis's announcement that he was removing a progressive DA - one original, one with the DA (Monique Worrell) in place of the dog. pic.twitter.com/8mzbk5q9l2 David Weigel (@daveweigel) August 9, 2023 "None of this would have been possible if we didn't have a governor, Gov. DeSantis, who said 'I'm going to do what's right,'" Judd said of the appointment of Bain. Worrell has been the subject of Central Florida law enforcement criticism for declining to bring more serious charges against people in several high-profile shootings and other violent crime cases. In his announcement, DeSantis cited a series of cases over the past two years in Worrell's circuit where individuals accused of gun crimes, drug-trafficking and other offenses received reduced sentences, lesser charges or had charges dismissed altogether. During her press conference, however, Worrell pushed back, arguing that crime in her circuit has decreased. In April, Worrell accused the governor of pursuing "this witch-hunt to establish a basis for the removal of another duly-elected prosecutor" after she learned that a Central Florida Republican Party official had sought prosecution data from her office in connection to human trafficking cases. DeSantis' suspension of Worrell is "another illegal and unconstitutional attack on democracy by a small, scared man who is desperate to save his political career," according to former Florida State Attorney Andrew Warren. DeSantis removed Warren, a twice-elected Democrat in Tampa, from his position last year after Warren signed pledges asserting he would not pursue criminal charges against people seeking or providing abortion or gender transition treatments, alongside policies that lower the chance of charges for certain low-level crimes. Warren challenged his removal in a federal lawsuit in September. Though U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled in January that DeSantis' move against the prosecutor violated the state's and the country's Constitutions, Hinkle said he lacked the authority to reinstate Warren. Worrell was elected in 2020 with 67 percent of the vote in Orange and Osceola counties. On her office's website, she outlines the office of the state attorney's goals. "While engaging in the day-to-day prosecutorial function, we likewise seek to reform and improve the criminal justice system by measuring success in the courtroom and the community," the site said. She succeeded Aramis Ayala, who had been Florida's first Black state attorney. Ayala, a Democrat, had also been at odds with DeSantis' predecessor, then-governor and now Sen. Rick Scott, over her refusal to pursue the death penalty in capital cases, prompting him to reassign more than two dozen cases. The Republican attorney general whom Ayala had unsuccessfully challenged last year, Moody, made a case against Worrell, saying that she had dismissed over 16,000 charges against defendants in the past year, more than any other Florida state attorney. She noted that those dismissals were significant in comparison to that in Palm Beach County, where Democrat Dave Aronberg serves, which had a quarter of the number of dismissals. "Officers may arrest you, they risk their lives arresting you. But if you're in the 9th Circuit, nearly half the time, the state attorney will not follow through," Moody said. "That is incredibly dangerous to people in the 9th Circuit." For DeSantis, Worrell's suspension comes a day after he overhauled his presidential campaign, replacing his campaign manager with his governor's office chief-of-staff as he continues his bid for the Oval Office. DeSantis appeared to have been building a case against Worrell for some time with his general counsel demanding at the end of February that Worrell turn over emails, reports and documents connected to a 19-year-old man accused of killing three people in Orlando. The governor had decried her earlier prosecutions of the suspect, who had a record of arrests as a juvenile and was on probation when he allegedly committed a shooting spree. The general counsel wrote Worrell asking how the suspect was permitted to "remain on the streets after multiple arrests, including one your office has refused to prosecute." DeSantis described his Wednesday actions as an effort to bring prosecutions in the Democratic-leaning 9th Judicial District into compliance with state laws. "Prosecutors do have a certain amount of discretion about which cases to bring and which not, but with what this state attorney has done is abuse that discretion and it effectively nullifies certain laws in the state of Florida," DeSantis said. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. Florida State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, a Democrat, decried DeSantis' removal of Worrell as "another example of his extreme anti-Democratic stances" on X, formerly known as Twitter, emphasizing that Worrell was the only Black woman serving in that office in the entire state at this time. Worrell's "removal is a complete slap in the face to Orange and Osceola County residents and another example of Governor DeSantis eroding our local control and democracy," Eskamani wrote in the statement. "This politically motivated action by the Governor in a predominantly democratic part of the state should alarm everyone. "DeSantis is extreme, unfit to serve, and must be held accountable," she concluded. My statement in response to Governor DeSantis removing our duly elected State Attorney @MoniqueHWorrell. This is another example of his extreme anti-Democratic stances. It is so sick. pic.twitter.com/GnvSk6xX1O Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (@AnnaForFlorida) August 9, 2023 "Over 60% of voters in Orange County voted for Rent Stabilization and then Gov DeSantis essentially overturned it. Over 60% of voters in Orange/Osceola County vote @MoniqueHWorrell for State Attorney, then Gov DeSantis removes her from office," U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, D-Fla., tweeted. "Fascist Gov DeSantis hates Democracy." Over 60% of voters in Orange County voted for Rent Stabilization and then Gov DeSantis essentially overturned it. Over 60% of voters in Orange/Osceola County vote @MoniqueHWorrell for State Attorney, then Gov DeSantis removes her from office. Fascist Gov DeSantis hates Democracy. pic.twitter.com/WtAeoxUCLv Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@MaxwellFrostFL) August 9, 2023 Sherrilyn Ifill, former president of the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund, called DeSantis' move "the new voter suppression." Im telling you, this is the new voter suppression. https://t.co/25HN8wuoJZ Sherrilyn Ifill (@SIfill_) August 9, 2023 "He accuses this D.A. of neglect while he travels around the country collecting $ for his personal fantasy of being president - while still no solution to the housing insurance crisis, leprosy on the rise, teachers are leaving the profession, & residents [leaving] the state," she added. "Disgrace." He accuses this D.A. of neglect while he travels around the country collecting $ for his personal fantasy of being president - while still no solution to the housing insurance crisis, leprosy on the rise, teachers are leaving the profession, & residents lving the state. Disgrace. https://t.co/WYp6FwQyvW Sherrilyn Ifill (@SIfill_) August 9, 2023 Read more about Ron DeSantis Newly-published results of a large-scale trial found Wegovy, one of the brand names of the controversial weight loss drug semaglutide, appears to have substantial heart health benefits findings that could finally convince insurers to begin covering the injectable medication. In a press release, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk asserted that the 2.4 mg dose of semaglutide which differentiates Wegovy from Ozempic, its popular-yet-notorious 1 mg semaglutide counterpart that's become a household name for its weight loss effects is associated with lowered risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in people over the age of 45 with higher body mass index (BMI) readings but no history of diabetes. Specifically, it slashed the risk of heart attacks by 20 percent, the double-blind trial found. It also, of course, assisted in weight loss among those given the active drug instead of the placebo to lose weight. The late-stage trial named SELECT began in 2018 and enrolled more than 17,000 people across six continents. While it's not the first to look into semaglutide's cardiovascular health benefits, its timing couldn't be better. The drug's popularity has soared even as insurers continue refusing to cover the $1,300-per-month medication for anything but diabetes and some of those patients have seen their claims denied, too. In an interview with the Financial Times, BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman argued that the findings of this landmark trial would make it "unethical" for insurers to continue refusing to cover semaglutide drugs, which include the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic, and Moujnaro. The good news comes with caveats: SELECT trial's findings have yet to be peer-reviewed, and Novo Nordisk has only published the-top line summary of its findings. And concerns remain about some of the adverse health effects of semaglutide, and its problematic adoption by the problematic weight loss industry writ large. Just a few weeks ago, CNN reported that doctors have increasingly seen patients who developed gastroparesis, a debilitating condition in which one's stomach becomes paralyzed, after they took injectable semaglutide. Even without that extreme side effect, one of the scientists who pioneered the drug warned that its main mechanism, which suppresses appetite by mimicking the gut hormones released upon eating to fullness, can also straight up remove the pleasure of food. "What happens is that you lose your appetite and also the pleasure of eating, and so I think theres a price to be paid when you do that," Danish biomedical researcher Jens Juul Holst, a University of Copenhagen professor whose work led to the creation of semaglutide's predecessor, told Wired earlier this year. "If you like food, then that pleasure is gone. The craving for food for some people is taken away." Holst insisted that people often don't stay on drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic because it takes away food pleasure, which could, in theory, effect the continued use of semaglutide for its heart health benefits, too. Like the classic Billy Ray Cyrus meme, there's plenty more to consider regarding Wegovy than its manufacturers and proponents are letting on but then again, anything that gets Big Pharma out from under the plausible deniability of not being able to cover patients? For anyone who doesn't work in Big Pharma: A straight-up win, caveats and all. More on popular medicines: Adderall Shortage Culprit Finally Identified: Big Pharma, Of Course A Long Island grandmother forgot to drop her granddaughter off at day care before heading to work on a hot summer day. A football player in Tampa Bay who didn't see his 2-year-old daughter run into a swimming pool. A mother who struck her 6-year-old daughter with a boat's propeller at Lake Pleasant in Arizona. An adult who owned a rifle in a home where two kids were playing with play Nerf guns in Alaska. In each case, a child died while under their parent or guardian's watch tragedies that are becoming an all-too-familiar American horror story. People tend to be very judgmental when something like this happens and they try to make monsters out of parents, said Jannette Fennell, the founder of the national nonprofit organization Kids and Cars Safety. "They feel like if they make a monster out of them, then this thing wont happen to them. But this can and does happen to anybody. Simple unintentional injury leading to child deaths, in most cases, doesn't lead to criminal charges or jail time. Often, prosecutors elect not to file charges because there is no criminal intent as well as the stark reality that losing a child from an accident is often considered punishment enough. But experts wonder if there is a way to prevent such deaths or at least, make parents pay more attention to their children. Each year in the United States, thousands of children lose their lives because of a mistake or faulty memory of otherwise responsible parents. The legal term is called "unintentional injury" that occurs without intent of harm or purpose. And even when prosecutors decide to pursue charges, the decision is based on whether purposeful negligence can be proven, and the jail sentences are often short, experts said. Many advocates for child safety told USA TODAY the deaths can be prevented with solutions as simple as added safety measures in cars, restrictions on who accesses guns and swim lessons for young kids. Yet the roadblocks to get there have been a massive undertaking to overcome. Meanwhile, children across the nation are left vulnerable each year. And there's no national uniformity for how the cases are handled by law enforcement. Prosecutors and police said that arrests and charges vary among cases across the country, even in those with similar circumstances to one another. In what cases have children died of unintentional injury? More than 9,400 children and teenagers died from unintentional injuries, including "motor vehicle crashes, suffocation, drowning, poisoning, fires, and falls" in 2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Several children this summer have died at the hands of parents or guardians. Hot cars: A 14-month-old child died in Smithtown on Long Island in a hot car when her grandmother forgot to take her to day care and left her in a car seat, police said. After working for eight hours, the woman drove to pick the child up from daycare before she realized the child was still in a car. The toddler was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. There was no arrest made in the case and an investigation is ongoing, according to Suffolk County Police. About 15 children ranging from the ages of 5 months old to 4 years old have died this year after being left in a hot car, according to the National Safety Council. More than 1,054 children have died in hot cars since 1990, according to a database of the deaths compiled by Kids And Cars Safety. The states with the highest number of deaths of kids between 1990 and 2022 include Texas (146), Florida (111), California (65), Arizona (47), Louisiana (44) and North Carolina (44.) Heat waves have made it more dangerous. 14 children have died in hot cars in 2023. There have been 15 hot car deaths so far in 2019. Firearms: On July 30 in Alaska, a young child killed another child with a rifle while the two were playing with Nerf guns at a home in Mountain Village. Alaska State Troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel told the Anchorage Daily News the child found the rifle in the home. Authorities declined to tell the outlet the ages of the children. "No charges will be filed in this tragic accident," said McDaniel to USA TODAY. At least 85 people have died as a result of unintentional shootings by kids in 2023, according to a database from the activist, nonprofit organization Everytown for Gun Safety. An additional 156 have been injured. Boats: In late July at Lake Pleasant in Arizona, a 6-year-old girl died in a boating accident when she was struck by her mother who was driving the boat. There hasn't been an arrest made nor charges filed, and an investigation into the case is ongoing, said Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Thousands of boating accidents lead to fatal outcomes for children each year. Of the 636 total people who died from boating accidents last year, 54 of them were children and teens, according to data from the U.S. Coast Guard. Girl, 6: The latest child to die or be injured in boating accidents this summer across US Swimming pools: In early May in Tampa, Florida, the 2-year-old daughter of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett died in a family swimming pool after she fell inside. There haven't been any charges filed, said Erin Maloney, a spokesperson for the District Attorney's office. CDC data shows drowning is the most common reason for death among children who are 1 to 4 years old. And it's the second most common cause of death behind car crashes for kids and teenagers who are 5 to 19 years old. The CDC estimates there 4,000 unintentional drownings across the nation per year, and that the fatalities are more common during the summer. How often are unintentional injury cases prosecuted? Although cases of unintentional injury leading to the death of children can be similar, they vary widely when it comes to prosecution. The likelihood of prosecution often depends on whether the death happened under the watch of a parent or caretaker and the ability to determine malicious intent, experts said. Each case is fact-specific and doesnt really allow for a blanket policy on how all of these cases should be handled," said Amy Clausing, a spokesperson and assistant prosecuting attorney for the Hamilton County (Ohio) Coroners Office, about child deaths due to unintentional injury. Clausing recalled a Cincinnati case last summer of a mother who slept next to her 6-week-old child and suffocated the boy while they were sleeping, almost a year after her 6-week-old daughter died under similar circumstances. Brooke Hunter, the mother, was indicted for involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment in October 2022. At the time of the first incident, Hunter was advised of the dangers of co-sleeping. Because of the prior incident, the Hamilton County Coroners Office ruled the second childs death a homicide, Clausing said. A 2023 data analysis from the nonprofit organization Kids and Cars Safety looked at 1,051 hot car deaths since 1990. It shows that more than half of cases do not result in a conviction, while about one-third result in a conviction of varying degrees." And the "overwhelming majority of hot car deaths do not involve abuse, neglect, or prior history with CPS, drugs or alcohol," the group reports. Many defendants take a plea deal to avoid the possibility of jail time and because they are unable to fight a legal battle after the tragic loss of a child, the report found. The legal outcomes of hot car deaths vary drastically even between cases with nearly identical circumstances." In the case of hot car deaths, about 53% are caused by parents failing to see their child in the backseat often because of changes to the parent's typical daily routine that disrupts their brain pattern and leads to memory failure, said David Diamond, a psychology professor at the University of South Florida. Guardians and parents are protected by the legal notion of "mens rea," Latin for "guilty mind," which refers to criminal intent. Typically, for an offender to be determined guilty, prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant had a culpable state of mind, Diamond said in a 2021 report. The aftermath of grief: 'The parent's parenting may be called into question' Aside from anxieties about the involvement of the law, a parent or caretaker who unintentionally kills a child is left with the grief and further repercussions of the loss. Those can include isolation and an array of emotions from loved ones. Dr. Gail Saltz, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the New York Presbyterian Hospital at the Weill-Cornell School of Medicine, said that to a parent, losing a kid is really the most stressful thing that can happen to a person." Grieving for one's child becomes even more complicated for parents who lose the support of friends and family after their child's death. There may be other people who either directly or indirectly amplify the (parents) guilt," said Deborah Carr, a professor of sociology at Boston University. The parents parenting may be called into question, even if theres no basis for that questioning. James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley who was allegedly involved in the school shooting that killed 4 students and injured seven others at Oxford High School earlier this week, were arrested in a building in Detroit early Saturday. What prevention efforts are there? And how can parents keep kids safe? Several advocacy organizations have lobbied for legislation that would create solutions and save kids who are at risk every year. Many said they face roadblocks from legislators and the companies that make potentially deadly products including cars and guns involved in tragic deaths. Fennell and her organization Kids and Cars Safety for decades have pushed for legislation to make cars safer and have offered tips to help parents remember when they have a child in the car. Fennell advises parents to always check the backs of their cars before walking away and ensure that visual reminders of the child's presence such as the child's diaper bags or sweater are in the front seat. Parents should also set up agreements with their day care to notify them if the child doesn't show up, she said. On swimming pool deaths, counties and states are leading initiatives to address water safety and to provide free or subsidized swim lessons to low-income children. In 2014, a group of nonprofits and governmental organizations formed an initiative called Water Safety USA and this year published an action plan with nearly 100 recommendations to achieve water safety. Experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics encourage parents to securely fence swimming pools on all four sides and ensure the fence is at least 4 feet high, with no opening under it. At swimming pools, especially during parties or gatherings, adults should designate a "water watcher" who is in charge of keeping an eye on all children in and near the pool, the group recommends. And tubs, buckets and above-the-ground pools filled with water should not be left unattended and should be drained immediately after use, according to the group. Gun prevention advocates, including the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety, have lobbied for effective firearm safety. "Its not just the child whos injured or killed who is affected by these incidents," said Annie Andrews, an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina in a summer 2021 conversation with Everytown, according to the organization's website. "Its their siblings and their cousins and their parents and their entire community." The group, in conjunction with the nonprofit organization Safe Kids Worldwide, recommends that Americans, to prevent tragedies, "secure all guns in their home and vehicles," "model responsible behavior around guns," and "ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes." Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez, Thao Nguyen, Grace Hauck, USA TODAY; The Associated Press Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @kaylajjimenez. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Many kids lose their lives every year as a result of parents' mistakes Fans will remember Dodie Brown for the many characters she brought to life on Kansas City stages, in productions such as Mame, The Sound of Music, Steel Magnolias, My Fair Lady and On Golden Pond. But her daughter says Brown would want to be remembered for her joy. Her joy, celebrating life every day, even when she was at the age when there were challenges, daughter Melissa Cooper said Wednesday. She found the joy in every day. Thats how I remember her. She really did live her life well. The grande dame of Kansas City theater died Aug. 1 at home in Kansas City. She died of natural causes, Cooper said. Smashing reviews have poured in of an acting career that spanned more than 50 years on Kansas City stages. A packed house is expected next month at a celebration of her life. Dodie Brown teamed up with Don Knotts for several productions at the New Theatre & Restaurant, including On Golden Pond. Brown became a close friend of Knotts and his family. Kansas native Dolores Dodie Katherine Myers Brown made her name at the citys popular dinner theaters Tiffanys Attic Dinner Playhouse and Waldo Astoria, which combined to become the New Theatre & Restaurant in Overland Park, where she was considered the figurehead. Brown also made notable appearances at the American Heartland Theatre and Missouri (now Kansas City) Repertory Theatre. On her last two outings, Brown went to church and then to see the musical Dreamgirls, currently at New Theatre, said Cooper, who lives in Overland Park. New Theatre audiences watched Don Knotts, Jamie Farr, Morgan Fairchild, Marion Ross, Sally Struthers, Tom Bosley and a playbill of other celebrities perform with Brown. Dodie Brown, left, and Sally Struthers starred as widows who make monthly trips together to their husbands graves in The Club of Hearts at the New Theatre in 2005. Often, she got louder applause than the guest stars from Hollywood. Every star she did shows with, they adored my mother, said Cooper. She impressed them, this local girl from Hutchinson, Kansas, and Kansas City. Browns obituary mentions that she died surrounded by the treasures of a life well-lived, just as she wished. Struthers made a painting for her. And Cooper found a book with a heartwarming inscription from M*A*S*H star Mike Farrell among her mothers things after she died. Knotts, who, like Farrell, starred with her in On Golden Pond at the New Theatre, became a close friend. He once told The Star that Brown could have done very well in New York. But Cooper said her mom told people she chose to be a big fish in a small pond, where she could put family and community first. The people in the audience havent just watched me perform for years, they know me, Brown once said. Its just a lot of good friends. Dodie Brown and Kansas City actor Ron Megee danced together in the New Theatres 2014 production of Shear Madness, starring Richard Karn. Mourning a theater legend Dolores Katherine Myers Brown, known to all as DODIE, left this world as she entered it with a bigger than life presence, delighting audiences from the little girl dancing in front of her adoring grandmother, to the vast number of theater audiences who cheered her hundreds of stage performances, reads a memorial on the New Theatre website. Fans have left hundreds of comments on the New Theatre Facebook page. She was one of a kind. Ill remember her smile. Im a greeter at the theatre. Every time I saw (Dodie) she treated me like a friend. She will most definitely be missed. Loved her in all of the plays we saw her in, over the past 35 years. Everyone loved my mom, said Cooper. She touched a lot of people throughout the world. Brown famously never revealed her age, though many a journalist tried to get it from her. Her high school outed her many years ago as a member of its Class of 1950. But year of birth is typically listed in an obituary, and Cooper decided it was time. At this point I think we can tell the truth, she said. So this is the big reveal in Dodie Browns obituary: She was 90. Dodie Brown shared the New Theatre stage in 2014 with Charles Shaughnessy, best known for The Nanny. In Harvey, she played Mrs. Betty Chumley to his Elwood P. Dowd. All those heart-shaped rocks Fans would not be surprised to know that Brown was just as vivacious and charming off stage as she was when performing. She taught her two daughters that everyone deserves to be treated the same, whether they carry mail, collect trash or walk red carpets. In interviews over the years, friends and directors spoke fondly of Browns generous spirit, demonstrated by her practice of presenting people with heart-shaped rocks. The rocks found her, she didnt find them, she would say. Youd never believe how many have come to me, Brown told The Star in 2005. Sometimes I see them, sometimes friends bring them to me. The first one came to me after my mother died. They tell me everything is going to be all right. She was known for paying forward the gifts she felt had come her way in life. In 1994 she founded the New Theatre Scholarship Guild, a nonprofit that has raised more than $1 million for future theater artists. The guild has awarded 17 scholarships to students attending regional universities, including the University of Kansas, Kansas State University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. One of the best. RIP, Dodie, the KU theater and dance department wrote on the New Theatre Facebook page. We certainly will carry on your star spirit here at the University of Kansas. We thank Dodie for her enthusiasm toward and support for our creative Jayhawks. In that 2005 interview with The Star, Richard Carrothers, co-founder of New Theatre along with Dennis Hennessy, marveled at the mystical, spiritual energy that travels with her in life. It comes from the fact that she is doing what she was born to do. When Browns alma mater, Hutchinson High School, added her to its Wall of Honor, the alumni association quoted Browns grandmother, who once told her: Youve been doing that jumping around ever since you were a little girl. Brown used to stage plays on her grandmothers porch. Destiny found her in high school, where she performed in both drama and music. In 1954 Brown graduated from KU, where she earned a masters degree in music education. Even after she began acting, Brown used her days off to direct the St. Peters and All Angels Episcopal Church Choir. Dodie Brown was married 63 years to Robert Buddy Brown. He died in 2020, also at the age of 90. They had two daughters. She taught music at Old Mission Junior High School in Roeland Park until she married former Navy pilot Robert Buddy Brown. They adopted two daughters and were married for 63 years. He died in 2020 during the pandemic, but not from COVID, said Cooper. As the girls got older, Brown began acting in amateur plays at places like the Barn Players Theater in Prairie Village before her professional career took off. In an interview with The Star several years ago, Cooper called being the child of a working actor a really interesting way to grow up. I used to read lines with her while I rubbed her feet, she loved that, Cooper said. I served hors doeuvres and drinks at the parties, and there would be stars sitting there enjoying dinner just like everyone else. Cooper began to cry when she talked about how she and her sister, Jennifer Brown Harnick, came into their mothers life. Brown chose them. My sister and I were adopted. and I was the lucky one because she saved me, Cooper said. I dont think i would have had anywhere the existence I did. Actress Dodie Brown and her daughter Melissa Cooper of Overland Park. Family first As much as Brown adored her life upon the stage, New Theatre officials wrote, it was her family that stole the biggest part of her heart. One of Dodies greatest joys was welcoming, each summer, all her grandchildren, Katherine, Robert, Reese, Maggie & Dean for Cousin Camp, the theater shared. In a 2003 interview with The Star, Brown herself made those priorities clear. I have a family a husband, two children, three grandchildren, one on the way. Thats my life, she said. There was a really ditzy gal here one time, a kind of flash-in-the-pan, sexy little gal from California. And I remember people interviewing her and shed go, Oh, acting is my life. I thought, Oh, dear. She disappeared. But we all went around going, Oh, acting is my life. A Celebration of Life service will take place at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, at New Theatre & Restaurant, 9229 Foster St. in Overland Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to The New Theatre Scholarship Guild or the Dodie Brown Musical Legacy Fund at St. Peters and All Angels Episcopal Church in Kansas City. Brown didnt like to wish her fellow actors luck before a performance with the usual break a leg. It felt too negative. So before she went on stage, she told her colleagues, Ding ding! Everyone knew what she meant, her daughter said. The final bow is yours, Ms. Brown, the New Theatre wrote. Ding-Ding. You were the best! Actress Dodie Browns career spanned more than 50 years on Kansas City theater stages. She died Aug. 1 at age 90. An F-16. Ukraine says these fighter jets are crucial for its counteroffensive against Russia to succeed. US Air Force Ukraine's Western allies are wary of antagonizing Vladimir Putin, an ex-NATO commander said. The West is delaying the delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine as a result. Ukraine says the fighter planes are crucial if its counteroffensive is to succeed. The West is delaying the process of giving F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine because it is wary of antagonizing Russian President Vladimir Putin, a former NATO chief said. Ukraine has been requesting F-16 planes for about a year, saying the fighter jets are essential if its to be able to defeat Russia, whose air force is bigger and better equipped. Philip Breedlove, former Supreme Commander of the NATO Allied Forces in Europe, told Voice of America that Putin had succeeded in intimidating the West and delaying delivery of the fighter planes. Breedlove, who was NATO chief from 2013-2017, said that several countries were willing to start training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s, but brakes had been put on the process in the US. "There is restraint regarding quick action due to fears that Mr. Putin may cause certain important events. As I have said many times, the situation with the F-16s is just the case," Breedlove said. "Mr. Putin's ground forces are failing him on the battlefield. But Putin's war of intimidation, his war to deter the West, is a resounding success. And this is what he works hard [on]. This intimidation led to deterrence, and slowed down things like sending the F-16s," he added. Russia has repeatedly menaced the West with threats of nuclear attacks over its support for Ukraine. Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, said that delaying sending the planes could prolong the conflict, and increase the risk of the US getting dragged in. "Sending ATACMs and F-16s to Ukraine now is less risky for the US than letting the war endure for longer," he tweeted. In July, at the NATO summit in Lithuania, Ukraine said a formal agreement had been reached to begin a training program for pilots flying F-16s, pending US approval. It is unclear when this will begin. In recent weeks Ukraine has launched a ground offensive aimed at driving back Russian forces, but its made only incremental advances against well-fortified Russian positions. Ukraine says F-16s could help turn the tide in the campaign, preventing superior Russian aircraft from attacking Ukraine's forces on the ground, TIME reported. Read the original article on Business Insider The News Analysts are concerned that Western governments lack of urgency in offering tangible support for Ukraine may be hampering the countrys counteroffensive. Weve collected key analysis you should read about how Western indecision and waning support from some countries might be impacting Ukraines ability to defend itself against Russia. Insights Ukraines allies have one glaring deficiency: Their inability to move quickly on decision-making, according to Jack Watling, a senior research fellow of land warfare with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a U.K.-based security think-tank. Watling wrote that governments waited too long to commit to support for Ukraines counteroffensive, and fulfillment of that support was still unfinished. Had the decision to equip and train Ukrainian forces been taken and implemented when the requirements were identified in the autumn, Ukraine would have had a much easier task in reclaiming its territory, he noted. The delayed response to Ukraines needs meant real-time battlefield losses, allowing Russian forces to fortify territories they occupied in Ukraine. Moscows troops were able to move without fear of Ukrainian-operated Western tanks or munitions. That same lag is ongoing now and it risks lengthening the war: If the past year of the conflict has shown anything, its that this kind of vacillation is costly. It not only squanders additional Ukrainian lives, but it also makes a protracted, grinding conflict more likely, wrote Brady Africk. Public support for the war in the U.S. is waning. A recent poll found that a slim majority of Americans oppose delivering additional aid to Ukraine, with 51% of respondents saying that the U.S. has already done enough for the country. Thats a significant change from earlier this year, when 68% of Americans believed the U.S. could be doing more to help. Those who support continued aid largely believe that it should be delivered in funding, rather than munitions or arms. WeWork said Tuesday it has substantial doubt about its ability to stay in business, according to the companys second quarter earnings release. As a result of the Companys losses and projected cash needs, combined with increased member churn and current liquidity levels, substantial doubt exists about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern, said WeWorks Interim Chief Executive Officer David Tolley. WeWork went public in 2021, after it had tried to do so two years earlier in 2019 but was forced to delay its initial public offering (IPO) amid questions over the companys value and corporate governance. The fallout led to reports of excessive spending from former CEO and founder Adam Nuemann, who later stepped down. The New York-based office-sharing company said its ability to stay in business is dependent on the outcome of the managements plan to improve liquidity and profitability over the next 12 months. The company said it plans to reduce rent and tenancy costs by negotiating more favorable lease terms, limit capital expenditures and seek additional capital by issuing debt, stock or selling assets. WeWork leases buildings and divides them into spaces to sublet to its members, including freelancers, small businesses, and startups who do not want to pay for a permanent space. The company experienced an increase in operating expenses over time and depended on cash infusions from investors. The company reported a net loss of $397 million in the second quarter, an improvement from the net loss of $635 million in 2022. Tolley did note the companys revenue growth, writing, In a difficult operating environment, we have delivered solid year-over-year revenue growth and dramatic profitability improvements. Excess supply in commercial real estate, increasing competition in flexible space and macroeconomic volatility drove higher member churn and softer demand than we anticipated, resulting in a slight decline in memberships, Tolley continued. Tolley said the company is confident in its ability to meet the evolving workplace needs of businesses of all sizes across sectors and geographies. The Associated Press contributed to this report. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. WeWork has gone from being a star of the sharing economy with billion-dollar dreams to facing the possibility of shutting its doors (Patrick T. Fallon) Embattled office-sharing firm WeWork on Tuesday warned US regulators that it is worried about its survival. Citing financial losses, cash needs, and a drop in memberships, WeWork said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that "substantial doubt exists about the company's ability to continue as a going concern." The fate of the New York-based company depends on the "successful execution of management's plan to improve the company's liquidity and profitability," it said in the filing. WeWork's plan for the year ahead includes restructuring, negotiating more favorable terms on leases, beefing up membership and possibly even issuing debt or selling off assets, the SEC filing said. WeWork has lost billions of dollars during the first six months of this year, with macroeconomic conditions weakening demand for its shared office spaces, the company told regulators. WeWork's share price has been below a dollar for months and fell to 16 cents in after-market trading on Tuesday. WeWork has been trying to turn the page on Adam Neumann, its co-founder and former leader whose antics tired investors. The company has been in trouble since Neumann's forced departure in late 2019 following WeWork's failed IPO, in which the company's valuation fell from $47 billion to less than $10 billion. WeWork had been a celebrated star in the sharing economy that put a mammoth footprint in the commercial real estate of major cities around the globe. Its collapse led to Neumann's departure and cost the main shareholder, Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, billions of dollars. gc/md WeWork said Tuesday that is has "substantial doubt" about its ability to continue as a going concern. Its stock fell nearly 25% in after-hours trade. Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images WeWork warned Tuesday that it had "substantial doubt" about its ability to keep operating. The company reported a loss and a decline in memberships in its second-quarter earnings. Still, its CEO said WeWork is confident it can continue to meet the needs of its customers. Co-working company WeWork is apparently in troubled waters. In its second quarter earnings report on Tuesday, the company said there's "substantial doubt" about its ability to keep going as a business. The company issued what's known as a "going-concern" warning. Publicly traded companies typically issue these when they're worried, broadly speaking, that they don't have the money to pay their bills over the next year, an S&P Global report on the topic explains. As for WeWork, its statement pointed to "losses and projected cash needs, combined with increased member churn and current liquidity levels." The company's stock tanked nearly 25% in after-hours trade following the release. (It closed normal-hours trade at just 21 cents down more than 95% over the past year.) Still, WeWork said in a statement to Insider that it's confident it can execute on a turnaround plan. "Although we have more work to do, the talent and energy of the WeWork team is extraordinary and we are resolutely focused on delivering for our members for the long term," David Tolley, the company's interim CEO, said in a statement. "The company's transformation continues at pace, with a laser focus on member retention and growth, doubling down on our real estate portfolio optimization efforts, and maintaining a disciplined approach to reducing operating costs." He pointed to what he called "excess supply" in commercial real estate, along with increased competition when it comes to offering flexible work space, as challenges for the business that led to higher member turnover and softer-than-expected demand. The company also reported a decline in memberships. The warning doesn't mean anything immediately changes for WeWork customers. "We are confident in our ability to meet the evolving workplace needs of businesses of all sizes across sectors and geographies, and our long term company vision remains unchanged," Tolley said. WeWork reported a net loss of $397 million on consolidated revenue of $844 million for the quarter. It also outlined a plan for the coming year that it said will include reducing rental costs, raising capital, and increasing revenue by improving sales and reducing the number of canceled memberships. WeWork's warning of its uncertain future comes after several months of tumult. In May, the company saw the departure of its CEO, Sandeep Mathrani, who stepped into the role in 2020. In April, the company was asked to issue a press release saying it was in danger of being delisted from the NYSE because its stock had been trading at less than $1 per share for too long. And in March, the company struck a deal with some of its creditors, including Softbank, to cut its debt by $1.5 billion, according to Bloomberg. Read the original article on Business Insider A pair of suspects wanted for beating up a Black ferry co-captain and instigating a massive riverside brawl on Saturday in Montgomery, Alabama, finally surrendered to authorities on Wednesday night after a brief period on the lam. The Montgomery Police Department confirmed to The Daily Beast that both Allen Todd, 23, and Zachery Shipman, 25, turned themselves in to police today and have been charged with one count of Assault 3rd degree (Misdemeanor). The pair had seemingly refused to surrender for just over 24 hours, following a Tuesday press conference in which Montgomery Police Chief Darryl J. Albert said they were about to give themselves up imminently. When questioned by The Daily Beast, police would not go into further detail on their whereabouts during the period in which they were unaccounted for. Richard Roberts, a 48-year-old also involved in the massive melee, turned himself in to the police on Tuesday in the nearby town of Selma. He faces two third-degree assault charges. Richard Roberts Montgomery PD Appearing on CNN This Morning early Wednesday, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed confirmed that Shipman and Todd inexplicably didnt turn themselves in to police in Selma as expected on Tuesday. And since they didnt, we may have to go pick them up and give them a ride, Reed said. A Montgomery police spokesperson confirmed the duo were still at-large as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, but didnt divulge other details, saying the investigation is active and ongoing and there were no updates at this time. Albert said Tuesday that 13 people were detained after the brawl on Saturday but released shortly after because police didnt have the wealth of video evidence that subsequently went viral online. He expects more charges will come after cops finish reviewing the dozens of videos taken of the incident. Riverboat Captain: Wild Dockside Attack on My Deckhand WAS Racially Motivated Despite the brawl appearing to be divided on racial lines and witnesses suspecting race was a factor, Albert said Tuesday his investigators decidedto that pointthey didnt have enough evidence to file hate crime charges. Albert said the brawl broke out after the trio of white men jumped Damien Pickett, a Black riverboat worker whod peacefully asked the men to move their pontoon boat so the riverboat filled with passengers could dock in its reserved spot. Citing court documents, CNN reported Wednesday that a witness told cops she heard Picketts assailants yelling the slur, f--k that n---r as they descended upon him. As Pickett was being beaten, Albert said others came to his aid, with a full-out brawl breaking out in a matter of moments. 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. Biden orders ban on certain US tech investments in China By Karen Freifeld, Andrea Shalal and David Shepardson NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order that will prohibit some new U.S. investment in China in sensitive technologies like computer chips and require government notification in other tech sectors. The long-awaited order authorizes the U.S. Treasury secretary to prohibit or restrict U.S. investments in Chinese entities in three sectors: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies and certain artificial intelligence systems. The administration said the restrictions would apply to "narrow subsets" of the three areas but did not give specifics. The proposal is open for public input. The order is aimed at preventing American capital and expertise from helping China develop technologies that could support its military modernization and undermine U.S. national security. The measure targets private equity, venture capital, joint ventures and greenfield investments. Biden, a Democrat, said in a letter to Congress he was declaring a national emergency to deal with the threat of advancement by countries like China "in sensitive technologies and products critical to the military, intelligence, surveillance or cyber-enabled capabilities." China said on Thursday it is "gravely concerned" about the order and that it reserves the right to take measures. The order affects normal operation and decision-making of enterprises, and undermines the international economic and trade order, a statement from the Chinese Commerce Ministry read. The ministry also said it hopes the U.S. will respect laws of the market economy and the principle of fair competition, and refrain from "artificially hindering global economic and trade exchanges and cooperation, or set up obstacles for the recovery of the world economy". The Chinese foreign ministry said the country was "strongly dissatisfied" with and "resolutely opposes the U.S.'s insistence on introducing investment restrictions on China", having also lodged solemn representations with the U.S. China urged the U.S. to fulfill Biden's promise of no intention to decouple from China or obstruct China's economic development, the ministry said in a statement. In a separate statement Hong Kong's government said the US restrictions were "unreasonable measures" against the special Chinese administrative region and said that they "hindered and disrupted normal investment and trade activities." "The measures undermine the international economic and trade order and damage the economic and commercial interests of American companies themselves", the Hong Kong government said, adding that it created more uncertainty for global economic growth. SEMICONDUCTORS A PRIORITY The proposal focuses on investments in Chinese companies developing software to design computer chips and tools to manufacture them. The U.S., Japan and the Netherlands dominate those fields, and the Chinese government has been working to build homegrown alternatives. The White House said Biden consulted allies on the plan and incorporated feedback from Group of Seven nations. "For too long, American money has helped fuel the Chinese militarys rise," said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. "Today the United States is taking a strategic first step to ensure American investment does not go to fund Chinese military advancement." The regulations will only affect future investments, not existing ones, Treasury said, but it may ask for disclosure of prior transactions. The move could fuel tensions between the world's two largest economies. The Chinese embassy in Washington said it was "very disappointed" by the measure. U.S. officials insisted the prohibitions were intended to address "the most acute" national security risks and not to separate the two countries' highly interdependent economies. Republicans said the order was rife with loopholes, such as only applying to future investment, and was not aggressive enough. SOME EXEMPTIONS EXPECTED The order will prohibit some deals and require investors to notify the government of their plans on others. The Treasury said it anticipates exempting "certain transactions, including potentially those in publicly traded instruments and intracompany transfers from U.S. parents to subsidiaries." The Chinese tech industry, once a magnet for U.S. venture capital, has already seen a drastic decline in U.S. investment amid intensifying geopolitical tension. Last year, total U.S.-based venture-capital investment in China plummeted to $9.7 billion from $32.9 billion in 2021, according to PitchBook data. This year so far, U.S. V.C. investors only put $1.2 billion into Chinese tech startups. The measure is expected to be implemented next year, a person briefed on the order said, after multiple rounds of public comment, including an initial 45-day comment period. REPUBLICAN SEES MANY LOOPHOLES Republican Senator Marco Rubio said the Biden administration' plan was "almost laughable." "It is riddled with loopholes, explicitly ignores the dual-use nature of important technologies, and fails to include industries Chinas government deems critical," he said. A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington said the White House had not heeded "Chinas repeated expression of deep concerns" about the plan. The spokesman said more than 70,000 U.S. companies do business in China. The restrictions will hurt both Chinese and American businesses, interfere with normal cooperation and reduce investor confidence in the U.S., he said. The Semiconductor Industry Association said it hopes the order will enable "U.S. chip firms to compete on a level-playing field and access key global markets, including China." Emily Benson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a bipartisan policy research organization, said key questions are how the plan affects U.S. allies and how China responds. (Reporting by David Shepardson, Andrea Shalal, Stephen Nellis, Max Cherney, Krystal Hu and Karen Freifeld; additional reporting by Idrees Ali, and Liz Lee in Beijing and Farah Master in Hong Kong; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Jonathan Oatis, Cynthia Osterman, Michael Perry and Jane Merriman) Editor's note: A Delaware Online/The News Journal investigation found that the state has failed to police assisted living facilities in the past decade, even as high numbers of abuse, neglect and falls are reported to the Division of Health Care Quality. State surveyors had not inspected many of these assisted living communities for years. Six families spoke to The News Journal about one facility in particular, Arden Courts, in which they say their loved ones faced abuse and neglect. Interviews with experts, advocates and caregivers say the issues at Arden Courts represent the larger concerns of the state of dementia care in Delaware. Editor's note: A graphic was deleted from this story after the state health department informed The News Journal that it gave a reporter incorrect information. They regularly found their loved ones at Arden Courts soaked in their own urine. One fall, then another and another. Bloody bandages not properly changed. One family member received anonymous, threatening text messages. Arden Courts is soo sick of your (expletive), one of the texts reads, which was reviewed by The News Journal. Find that (expletive) a new place of residence. Three families described to Delaware Online/The News Journal the poor care they say their mother, wife and best friend, respectively, received at Arden Courts. They make up the six families who spoke to The News Journal about abuse and neglect they believe their loved ones faced while residing at the assisted living facility. All of the families initially chose Arden Courts because it advertised its expertise in dementia care. But many also spoke of how they later felt trapped in their decision. Despite seeing poor care, many felt they had nowhere else to go. Its not just Arden Courts. Interviews with other Delaware families and analysis of inspection records show the significant care and neglect some assisted living residents have faced in the past decade. One facility, State Street, was repeatedly cited over the years for residents leaving the facility without supervision. From 2013 to 2014, five residents with dementia went temporarily missing without the staffs knowledge, according to a state inspection report. In 2018, the facility was also cited for insufficient staffing and failing to prevent residents from being sexually abused. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: They trusted this assisted living to protect their mother. Then came the call on Christmas The state has imposed a total of $98,000 in fines on State Street, the most of any assisted living facility in the past decade, according to data The News Journal obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. In August 2022, the Division of Health Care Quality penalized Arden Courts with a three-month provisional license because it was not meeting state standards. An Arden Courts spokeswoman said the organization believes this was issued to provide more time to supply additional information requested as part of the routine license renewal process. To our knowledge, the provisional license was not related to any specific patient care concern, the spokeswoman said. The state would not comment on what regulations Arden Courts failed to meet. A health department spokesman said a provisional license is used as a remedy when a long-term care facility is in substantial but not full compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Friends and caregivers Maggie Goonan and Ken Creasey stand outside Goonans home in Middletown. Creaseys wife and Goonans mother were friends at Arden Courts. Creasey and Goonan become close when they began to have bad experiences at the facility. The News Journal sent detailed questions to Arden Courts regarding the claims made by family members. The facility declined to answer, citing residents' privacy concerns. In a statement, the facility said it strives to create a safe and secure environment for all our residents and is committed to ensuring their emotional and physical well-being. We focus on working closely with residents and families to address any concerns in a timely manner, the statement also reads. All of the families interviewed said they believe the care at Arden Courts contributed to their loved ones decline or death. "Your expectations are that your loved one is going to be comfortable, they're going to be safe. You're going to maintain their dignity, said Ken Creasey, whose wife lived at Arden Courts. And that just wasn't happening. Please dont make me go back there Maggie Goonan did not want to send her mother back to Arden Courts. But she felt she had no choice. In the course of five years, her mother, Alecia LaScala, lived in three assisted living facilities. Arden Courts seemed to be the one place that could handle Alecias disruptive behaviors, a symptom of her dementia. Arden Courts never called Goonan in the middle of the night as the other places did, asking her to come to the facility to handle her mother. But when she took her mother out to dinner, Alecia would plead with her daughter: Please dont make me go back there. Goonan moved Alecia to Somerford Place, an assisted living facility closer to where she lived. Four months later, Alecia fell and broke her back. I had to go crawling back to Arden Courts with my tail between my legs, begging them to take her back, Goonan said. She had issues pretty quickly when she got back there. Goonan said she felt grossed out each time she stepped into Arden Courts. She once hired a cleaning service to scrub her mothers room. She said she found food in her mother's sheets, on her clothes and in her hair. Her mom was regularly soaked in urine. They looked like they crawled out of a dumpster, she said of the residents appearances. Maggie Goonan with her mother, Alecia LaScala Goonan said she never felt a sense of urgency from Arden Courts when she asked the staff to address her mothers complaints of being in pain. It sometimes took days or weeks, she said, to get an X-ray or receive necessary medication. In one instance, on Dec. 30, 2018, Alecia fell out of her wheelchair. Arden Courts told Goonan that they assessed her mother and she appeared to be fine. But when Goonan took her mom out of Arden Courts for a New Years Eve party, she kept crying that she had pain in her abdomen. Goonan said she asked for an X-ray to be done, which she said took days to do. She heard her mother scream while she was going through the testing. Goonan recalled being told on Jan. 4 that the X-rays did not show any signs of injuries, even though her mother was still saying she was in pain. Almost one week later, Goonan visited Arden Courts. She found her mother in the dining room, with her head down on the table. WATCHDOG REPORTING: She was a geriatric nurse. Why did it take Delaware so long to realize she was neglected? Im in so much pain, she recalled her mother telling her, as tears streamed down her face. Goonan then fired off an email to Arden Courts, asking for her mother to be taken to ChristianaCare the next day. That morning, Goonan received a call that her mother was found out of her bed, screaming. She was taken to the emergency room, where Goonan said they discovered Alecia had a fractured L2 and T12 vertebrae, which controls muscles in the abdomen. In April 2020, Alecia was hospitalized for severe dehydration. Goonan had been concerned about her mothers drinking and eating since the private aides she paid for were not allowed into the facility at that time due to the onset of COVID-19. She said she dropped off a case of Gatorade for her mother to drink on April 6, according to her personal notes, asking the staff to help encourage her mother to drink it. Goonan said a camera she set up in her mothers room showed it remained unopened days later. On April 16, Alecia was hospitalized for severe dehydration. Doctors told Goonan that her mother had kidney damage due to dehydration. In September, Alecia was hospitalized for dehydration again. Days later, Arden Courts served Goonan discharge papers, with the facility citing that it could no longer meet Alecias needs. Through a state ombudsman, Goonan filed a motion to dismiss, arguing Arden Courts did not provide the required documentation showing that it could not take care of Alecia, according to the documents obtained by The News Journal. Facilities also are not allowed to discharge a person in hospice. During a November 2021 hearing, Arden Courts officials said Alecia would be allowed to stay at the facility if she remained on hospice and hospice provided services for her. That July, Goonan decided to take her mom out of Arden Courts. Alecia was bedbound by that time, Goonan said, since the facility declined to transfer her to a recliner. A cousin of Goonans, who worked in home health care, offered to care for Alecia in her Delaware City home. Alecia was transported there on a stretcher in the fetal position, Goonan recalled. She was barely responsive and nonverbal. Goonan estimated that within about 36 hours, her mother was sitting up, laughing and smiling. That's what a little bit of care does, she said. Alecia died in March at the age of 79. Ken and Gerry Creasey She was in bed till the day she died Across the hall from Alecia lived Gerry Creasey. Goonan became close friends with Gerrys husband, Ken Creasey. Creasey said he began to realize how Arden Courts was not equipped to care for his wife, Gerry, as her dementia continued to progress. Around 2019, Gerry broke her hip after an unwitnessed fall, Creasey said. She had surgery and went through rehabilitation. After her first fall, I asked: What's your fall prevention program? The answer that I got was, Well, with the disease they fall a lot, Creasey said. This response shocked Creasey, who previously worked at the Delaware Psychiatric Center as a risk manager and safety officer. He spent years investigating care issues at the state-run facility and prided himself on being well-versed in Delaware code. He then realized assisted living facilities, even those with dementia care units, have a different set of regulations. He learned caregivers did not need to be certified nursing assistants and that registered nurses are not required to be staffed at night. The unexplained injuries continued. A black eye. More falls. All incidents Creasey thought could have been prevented. Then, Gerry fell and broke her hip again. The family, this time, decided to not put Gerry through a second surgery. They werent sure she would be able to recover from the strenuous rehabilitation. Creasey said the facility told him that Gerry would be more comfortable in bed all day. He was also told she was too heavy to lift, meaning that she spent her days isolated from others. The staff, Creasey said, also wasnt rotating her every two hours like they said they would. Once Gerry went into the room, she started to go downhill, Creasey said. She was in bed 'til the day she died. Gerry died in 2022 at the age of 74. At the funeral, Goonan, along with Gerrys daughter Susan, held Kens hands as they followed Gerrys casket into the chapel. Friends and caregivers Maggie Goonan and Ken Creasey are featured at Goonans home in Middletown, Monday, June 19, 2023. Creaseys wife and Goonans mother were friends at the Arden Courts assisted living facility causing Creasey and Goonan to become close when they began to have bad experiences at the facility. I wasn't worried for myself, but I was very worried for her The text messages began in December 2022. They came shortly after the mysterious phone calls were made to Jane Lees home. No one ever said anything on the other line. Just before 5 p.m. on Dec. 15, Lee received nine text messages that just said Betty Lou. The final one that night read: B----. Lee had served as her best friend Betty Lou Carrows power of attorney. The two had lived together for 40 years before Carrows dementia progressed in 2018. Lee recalls how Carrow was confused about what Lee was doing in their home and began barricading herself in her room. She moved into Arden Courts shortly after. Betty Lou Carrow Like Goonan and Creasey, Lee noticed a change in the quality of care after the beginning of the pandemic. She regularly found Carrow soaked in her own urine. Carrow also fell often. Lee worried about her friends eating and drinking. By 2022, Carrow was frail and declining. She entered hospice around that time. A week before the messages came in, Lee wrote to Arden Courts about how she was frustrated that Carrows bed was broken. Carrow changed rooms because the wing she lived in had closed. Lee emailed Arden Courts leadership less than two hours after receiving the text messages. She felt there was a connection to the facility since it was the only place that had Lees phone number regarding Carrow. She asked in her email, reviewed by The News Journal, for the facility to see if the phone number is associated with an employee. I am not asking you to tell me who, Lee wrote. I AM asking that you confront this employee and ensure that Betty Lou comes to no harm. If she is not kept safe, I will know where the responsibility lies. Lee said she received no response from Arden Courts. When she texted the mysterious number the next day about how these messages were reported to the police, the number replied: Shut up b---- shes going to die anyway. The first anonymous text message Jane Lee received in December 2022. I wasn't worried for myself, but I was very worried for her, Lee said in an interview. She was so vulnerable and she couldn't even tell me if somebody was hurting her. Arden Courts declined to answer questions regarding these text messages, specifically if leadership responded to Lees emails and if an internal investigation was ever conducted. On Feb. 3, 2023, Lee received a final text message from the same number this time, it mentioned Arden Courts. Lee said she again informed the facility. She said the executive director told her she warned her staff against this behavior, despite previous refusals to do so. The final text message Jane Lee received from the unknown number. A health department spokesman said the DHCQ investigative unit conducted an investigation into the text messages. It was then referred to law enforcement. Lee filed a police report with New Castle County police. But no charges ended up being filed. The phone number appeared to be fake, police said. Ultimately, there was no information about the suspect. Later in February, Lee noticed that Carrow had injured her right shin. There was a skin tear that required two bandages to cover it. The bandages continued to be bloody for three weeks, she said. It took about two weeks, Lee said, for an Arden Courts doctor to prescribe an antibiotic. When Lee applied lotion to Carrows legs, which she said she did every day, she noticed two weeks later that her friends left leg was fiery red and tender. Carrow was in pain. Carrow refused food and drink on March 31 and by the next day, she was unconscious, Lee said. Lee said it took the facility eight hours to get a prescription for liquid morphine. Carrow died April 4 at the age of 90. Does your family have an experience with a Delaware assisted living facility? Fill out this form. To contact reporter Meredith Newman, email her at mnewman@delawareonline.com or call her at 302-256-2466. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware dementia care under fire from families who say it failed them Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected a Republican-backed ballot measure Tuesday that would make it harder to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, delivering a major win for reproductive rights supporters. Issue 1 asked voters to decide whether to raise the threshold of support required for future state constitutional amendments to 60%. Currently, just a majority is needed. The measure also proposed toughening rules for groups trying to place future measures on the ballot by requiring them to obtain signatures from voters in all of Ohios 88 counties, instead of the 44 now required. In addition, the measure would have eliminated a 10-day curing period during which groups are allowed to gather additional signatures to replace any previous signatures that officials deem invalid. Voters, however, resoundingly rejected Issue 1, according to an Associated Press projection. With 97% of precincts reporting, 56.7% voted against the measure, while 43.3% voted to support it, according to the Ohio Secretary of States office. The defeat means a proposed amendment on the ballot in November will require just a simple majority to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. The result is a clear win for reproductive rights advocates in Ohio, whod long said that Issue 1 was designed to make it harder for their abortion measure to pass in November an argument that several Republican lawmakers in the state have admitted to as well. It's also another victory more broadly for abortion-rights groups, who have enjoyed a clean sweep of victories in all seven states where, in the 14 months since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, abortion rights were on the ballot. Ohio voters have resoundingly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it more difficult to pass abortion protections. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete) (Jay LaPrete / AP) Tuesday's outcome further demonstrates how abortion remains a major liability for GOP candidates. Polling has shown that voters across the country broadly favor abortion protections a fact that Democrats put at the center of a successful strategy last year to keep control of the U.S. Senate, fend off a red wave in the House and win several governorships. That approach has also won races for Democrats in off-year contests. Groups that worked to defeat Issue 1, as well as Democrats at the state and national level, lauded the decisive win with even President Joe Biden weighing in. "Today, Ohio voters rejected an effort by Republican lawmakers and special interests to change the states constitutional amendment process," Biden said in a statement. "This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won," he added. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, whose re-election race in the state has also begun to center around the issue, tweeted, "By rejecting Issue 1, Ohioans rejected special interests and demanded that democracy remain where it belongs in the hands of voters, not the rich and powerful." And Rhiannon Carnes, a spokesperson for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, part of the coalition of groups supporting the November measure, said that "Ohioans saw Issue 1 for what it was an attempt to deny our families a voice, even when it comes to our most personal decisions." The proposed November amendment is designed to counteract Ohios heartbeat bill, which snapped into place immediately after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. That law effectively bans most abortions with exceptions for the health of the pregnant woman and in cases of ectopic pregnancies but it remains temporarily blocked by a state judge. Tuesdays race, which under normal circumstances would most likely have been a sleepy, late-summer off-year special election, drew national attention and massive spending in ads from groups on both sides of the issue, because of the contests direct ties to the topic. Several 2024 Republican presidential candidates also expressed their support for Issue 1. Former Vice President Mike Pence released a digital video urging Ohioans to vote yes, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, an Ohio resident, had a video explaining why he voted for the measure. Groups opposing Issue 1 spent nearly $15.9 million on ads, almost all of it coming from a single group One Person One Vote according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. Groups urging a yes vote spent a combined $10.7 million on ads, many of which attempted to tie the proposals in both the August and November races to parental rights restrictions. The measure on the ballot Tuesday didnt explicitly mention abortion, but reproductive rights groups maintained for months that it was designed to make it more difficult for voters to pass their own proposed amendment in November. Those groups repeatedly accused Republicans in the state of hypocrisy over their decision to schedule the August election at all. Aug 2, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Multidenominational faith leaders from the Greater Columbus area gather to speak out against Issue 1 in a Faith Votes No rally at Washington Gladden Social Justice Park downtown. (Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network) In January, Ohio Republicans enacted a law that effectively scrubbed August special elections from the states calendar, with several GOP legislators calling them expensive, low-turnout endeavors that werent worth the trouble. But months later, as reproductive rights groups moved closer to placing their own proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot, state Republicans reversed themselves and scheduled the August election. Then, in June, local news outlets published a video of Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose a U.S. Senate candidate acknowledging that the purpose of the summertime ballot measure was 100% about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution. The ads by One Person One Vote focused mainly on those comments by LaRose. Pressed during an interview with NBC News over whether he would regret his approach if his side were to lose Tuesday, LaRose said, No, its better to fight and lose than never fight at all when its a worthwhile cause. But he also blamed groups opposing Issue 1, arguing they'd run "a very dishonest ad" that he said took his comments out of context. LaRoses involvement also propelled the Issue 1 contest to the forefront of the Ohio Senate race. "Im grateful that nearly 1.3 million Ohioans stood with us in this fight, but this is only one battle in a long war," LaRose said late Tuesday in a statement issued by his Senate campaign. "Ohioans will see the devastating impact of this vote soon enough. ... Ive said for months now that theres an assault coming on our constitution, and that hasnt changed. Im just getting started in the fight to protect Ohios values," he added. Some Ohio Republicans appeared to acknowledge that getting Issue 1 placed on the ballot lacked proper forethought. "Maybe we should spend more time thinking through things before taking this step," state Rep. Jamie Callender told NBC News on Monday, responding to a question about what the lesson for the GOP would be if the measure were to fail. "Im not sure if I would have voted to put it on the ballot if it wasnt in that rushed format, if it wasnt a special election," he added. Meanwhile, groups opposing the measure also frequently emphasized how passing it Tuesday would have marked a major change to the constitutional amendment process: State law has required only a simple majority to pass constitutional amendments since 1912. Several former Republican officeholders, including GOP ex-governors, publicly opposed the measure. The proposed 60% threshold would almost certainly have complicated the prospects to pass the proposed November amendment. Public polling has found that about 59% of Ohio voters support including abortion rights in the state constitution just shy of the newly proposed higher threshold. Instead, Ohio becomes the latest red state following ones like Kentucky and Kansas where abortion-rights advocates have won a ballot measure battle in the year since the Supreme Courts Dobbs ruling. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com When most people think about a summer vacation, the goal is usually much-needed rest and relaxation from their daily job responsibilities. Dr. Keren Wilson of Winchester Hospital takes a different approach; one that is Positively Massachusetts. She goes to the Dominican Republic every year to provide medical care to children who otherwise would go without it. Dr. Wilson travels about 4-5 hours on a bus from Santa Domingo to Barahona where she sees crushing poverty. Many of the houses have no running water. Many of them dont even have floors...you ask the kids, When do you have a belly ache? And a lot of them say, When I dont have food. Many of them would go without medical care too, if not for the annual trip Dr. Wilson makes from Winchester Hospital. She provides all kinds of health screenings for the children and sees everything from fungal infections to scabies and lice. I would say a lot of GI issues, and again, this is primarily because of sanitation issues with the water. Sometimes the food is contaminated, she said. For the past four years, Doctor Wilson has traveled to the Dominican Republic with other medical volunteers and suitcases full of medicine. I actually love it because youre going there and youre just treating patients. Youre not worried about the computer. Youre not worried about insurance. Youre just able to be in the moment. Her trip is sponsored by the non-profit Children of the Nations, an organization that provides medical care and other services in some of the poorest countries in the world. Cheryl Cuthbertson, the organizations vice president of engagement and sustainability, said that everyone loves Doctor Wilson. Shes so easy to work with and she loves being there and its just something that she commits her life to every year, and we are just so grateful that she does. Doctor Wilson brings her two teenage daughters on the trip, believing these visits provide life lessons. Despite recent cases like New Hampshire nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter being abducted in Haiti, Doctor Wilson says she feels safe in the Dominican Republic. Shes already thinking about next summer. I want to try to get a vision screening going for well-child checks. Each time we go, we try to add another screening. Its all about improving the quality of life for so many children, even though theyre more than 1,500 miles from where she usually practices. What I am really hoping to do is know that Ive made a difference, right? Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Henry Cavill has been making news lately. From recent headlines swirling about being replaced as Superman in the DCU to talk about his many upcoming projects in 2024 (including starring in the Guy Ritchie war film Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare), the former Witcher star is getting covered left and right. But amid all of this excitement, fans may have missed that the actor has been mourning the loss of a beloved family member this summer. Shortly before the first installment of The Witcher season 3 dropped on Netflix on June 29, the actor shocked fans with heartbreaking news. Uploading an unexpected emotional post on Instagram, Henry revealed the death of his dog Meat (whom he shared with his girlfriend Natalie Viscuso) earlier this year. "Back in April, our French Bulldog, Meat, died," he wrote in June. "He lived a very long life (14 and a half years) and his last years were filled with adventure and fun. Nevertheless his passing hurt. It hurt a lot. Life must go on, however, and it did, but there was a hole in our hearts that needed nourishing." While the Enola Holmes star reflected on how the loss of his pet certainly impacted him, he and Natalie found a way to heal from it. Showing off pictures alongside Kal (another one of the couple's dogs) he disclosed that they adopted a brand-new puppy named Baggins. "There is no replacing Meatboi, but Natalie and I have opened a new chapter in our lives, in a few ways, and this little chap is one of them!" he continued. "This is Baggins! Kal is being a rather tropey grumpy old man, and Baggins is ever enthusiastic to make friends. Baggins is a little wonder and also a little terror, just as puppies should be, and he is indeed nourishing our hearts." It didn't take long before Cavill's fans rushed to his side to send support. "How precious... I'm sure they'll be the best of friends [and] Kal will be Baggins' fierce protector as well. ," one person wrote on Instagram. "So sorry for your loss. But the addition of a little spark does help," another commented. "I am so sorry for your loss, but grateful youre starting a beautiful new chapter with Baggins. ," a different follower noted. Looking ahead, the Man of Steel alum has a lot on his plate. Apart from his new pet and starring in the aforementioned Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare flick, he's gearing up for the February 2024 release of his new film Argylle along with a plethora of huge names attached to it, including Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine OHara, John Cena, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, and Samuel L. Jackson. You Might Also Like A woman who lost a chunk of her leg in a shark attack at a popular New York City beach was saved by a pair of hero lifeguards who jumped into action and used sweatpants to make a tourniquet. The 65-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, was swimming alone in the ocean at Rockaway Beach just before 6pm on Monday when a shark bit her left leg, the city parks department said in a statement. The bite left a gaping wound several inches wide and deep, according to a photo shared with The Associated Press. Bill McDonnell, 24, and Romeo Ortiz, both lifeguards at the beach, sprung into action when they heard the womans screams and pulled her from the water. The duo got crafty and used the sweatpants and rope from an orange rescue float as a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding, Mr McDonnells mother Janet McDonnell told the New York Daily News. Their quick thinking saved that womans life, Ms McDonnell said. Her son, who works as a substitute teacher during the school year, has also been a lifeguard for the last eight summers. She said Mr McDonnell told her that the whole back of her leg was gone. He didnt think she was going to make it. She was bleeding profusely. He said he was just holding her hand ... They actually thought she was going to bleed out on the beach in front of everybody. A woman was in critical condition after a shark attack on Monday off Rockaway Beach in Queens (Citizen App) The woman was rushed to Jamaica Hospital where she is listed in stable condition, a hospital spokesperson told The Independent. It was definitely a group effort, Ms McDonnell added. It was great that they had some senior lifeguards there to jump in. If the lifeguards didnt step in and do that crafty tourniquet first, I dont know if [police] would have made it on time. A city worker who was at the beach during the attack recalled the frightening scene as the woman struggled to swim back after the attack. Chunks were washing up on the beach, he told the Daily News. The beach was closed on Tuesday but reopened on Wednesday. Though this was a frightening event, we want to remind New Yorkers that shark bites in Rockaway are extremely rare, Parks spokeswoman Meghan Lalor said. We remain vigilant in monitoring the beach and always clear the water when a shark is spotted. The bite appeared to be the most serious shark attack in New York waters since at least the 1950s, said Gavin Naylor, the program director of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida, told the Associated Press. He said the bite mark was most consistent with a juvenile white shark, though he said it may have also been a bull shark or sandbar shark. This is a very severe injury from something thats powerful and unambiguous, he added. Its very deliberate. Shark sightings and minor bites have become more frequent in New York waters, as the predators are drawn closer to shore by a growing population of bait fish that have flourished under recent conservation efforts. In the past two summers, at least 13 swimmers reported being bitten off the coast of Long Island, surpassing the total of reported bites throughout New York history prior to 2022. None of the recent injuries were considered serious, however. On Rockaway Beach, a bustling city shoreline that often attracts more than 100,000 people in a single day, officials have repeatedly closed stretches of water after shark sightings in the past two summers. A Delta Air Lines plane on the tarmac at San Antonio International Airport in Texas. Robert Alexander/Getty Images In June, a crew worker was "ingested" into a plane's engine at San Antonio International Airport. A passenger is suing Unifi Aviation, the man's employer, after reportedly witnessing his death. She is seeking $1 million for "intentional infliction of emotional distress," among other things. A woman is suing Unifi Aviation after she reportedly witnessed one of the company's employees fatally "ingested" into a Delta airplane's engine, according to documents viewed by Insider. The suit, filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas, says passenger Mackenzie Hill was returning to San Antonio, Texas, from Los Angeles on June 23. Hill was in California "for a church conference and graduation ceremony," having just completed a two-year program for "equipping women for ministry," per the suit. According to the lawsuit, Hill says she noticed the employee, identified as 27-year-old David Renner, who worked for Unifi and offered ground handling operations support for Delta Air Lines, "coming uncomfortably close" to the plane as it was taxiing to the gate around 10:25 p.m. While seated in window seat 11A near the "captain's side engine," the suit says Hill witnessed Renner getting sucked into the engine. The airplane's crew instructed passengers to shut their windows and kept them seated for 15 minutes, per the suit. Hill offered to stay behind to give a statement but was told she didn't need to. The suit says flight staff were unaware that investigators were looking for witness statements. The local medical examiner later ruled Renner's death a suicide, per KBTX. Renner's estate is also listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, though his family members did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Delta, which was not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, declined to comment for this story when reached via email. Still, a representative for the company directed Insider to a previous statement released in June. "We are heartbroken and grieving the loss of an aviation family member's life in San Antonio. Our hearts and full support are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time." Per the suit, Hill has since experienced "nightmares and flashbacks" and has PTSD as a result. "She's recovering, but she feels permanently damaged," James Wood, Hill's attorney, told Insider. "She feels permanently scarred by what happened." The lawsuit alleges that Unifi was aware of Renner's mental state and "could have prevented this incident from occurring." According to the lawsuit, Renner reportedly posted "alarming" messages on social media regarding his mental health in the years leading up to his death. Social media posts included in the lawsuit were from 2018; Wood told Insider they did not find more recent messages. The lawsuit also says Renner was arrested last year for criminal trespass on private property. The charge was filed, but prosecutors declined to pursue it. A Delta Air Lines plane in flight. AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images Per the suit, Hill is alleging "various claims against Unifi and the former employee's estate, including claims for negligent hiring, supervision, and retention; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and alleged violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act." Hill is now requesting a jury to award damages in the following areas: Mental anguish, both past and future Physical impairment in the past Loss of wage-earning capacity, both past and future DTPA treble damages Reasonable and necessary medical expenses, both past and future Attorney fees for DTPA claims According to court documents viewed by Insider, Unifi denies "each and every allegation" listed in the lawsuit. In a statement emailed to Insider, a spokesperson for Unifi Aviation wrote: "Although Unifi Aviation does not typically comment on pending litigation, we believe the claims asserted by Ms. Hill do not have any merit and intend to zealously defend ourselves. We continue to keep David Renner's family and loved ones in our thoughts and prayers." Wood said that roughly 100 people were on board the flight but that no one else had come forward as a witness. He told Insider he put Unifi on notice in July but never heard back and resorted instead to filing a lawsuit. Read the original article on Insider The two protestors caused more than 5,000 of damage to the Barclays branch Two women have been found guilty of criminal damage after they smashed the windows of a bank in Norwich. Barclays on St James' Court was attacked in April 2021. Extinction Rebellion later claimed its members carried out the damage using hammers and chisels. The environmental activist group has been linked to other attacks on Barclays branches across England over what it says is the bank's support for fossil fuel projects. Green Party councillor Amanda Fox, 52, of Kilderkin Way, Norwich, and Jennifer Parkhouse, 69, of Vale Green in the city, were found guilty of causing more than 5,000 of damage following a trial at King's Lynn Crown Court. They will be sentenced at Huntingdon Crown Court in November. Barclays has previously said: "We are determined to play our part in addressing the urgent and complex challenge of climate change." Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830 The World Bank says it is halting new loans to Uganda because a new anti-gay law contradicts its core values. Homosexual acts were already illegal in Uganda, but anyone now convicted faces life imprisonment under the new law which was enacted in May. The World Bank said it was committed to helping all Ugandans without exception to "escape poverty, access vital services, and improve their lives". Uganda dismissed the move by the World Bank as unjust and hypocritical. Its ambassador to the United Nations called the move super "draconian". In a tweet, Ambassador Adonia Ayebare said it was time to rethink the World Bank's work methods and the board's decisions. The Anti-Homosexuality law imposes the death penalty for so-called aggravated cases, which include having gay sex with someone below the age of 18 or where someone is infected with a life-long illness including HIV. After deploying a team in May to Uganda, the World Bank released a statement on Tuesday saying the law "fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group's values". It noted its vision "includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality". As a result, the World Bank said "no new public financing to Uganda will be presented to our Board of Executive Directors" pending a review of the efficacy of new measures put up in the context of the new legislation. In response to the World Bank's decision, Uganda's state minister for foreign affairs Okello Oryem queried the consistency of the move compared to other countries. "There are many Middle East countries who do not tolerate homosexuals, they actually hang and execute homosexuals," she said, according to Reuters news agency. "In the US many states have passed laws that are either against or restrict activities of homosexuality... so why pick on Uganda?" The legislation has been condemned by Ugandan campaign groups, which have instituted court action to annul the legislation on the grounds that it is discriminatory and it violates the rights of LGBTQ+ people. But it remains unclear when hearings will begin. The World Bank joins the US in imposing sanctions against Uganda over the Anti-Homosexuality law. E. Gordon Gee, the president of West Virginia University, is planning to retire after his contract expires. According to our affiliate WBOY, Gee announced the plans at a WVU Faculty Senate meeting on Monday evening. The university announced on July 31 that Gees contract would be extended. Thank you to the Board for their faith in me and in the vision we share for this great University. I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to continuing the important work we are doing. I love this University and the people of this state.https://t.co/J5t0aZmvad E. Gordon Gee (@gordongee) July 31, 2023 After the extension, Gees contract is set to expire on June 30, 2025. His first term at WVU was from 1981 to 1985. Gee became president again in 2014, after a six-year stint at Ohio State University. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Primanti Bros. celebrating 90 years of operation with 33-cent sandwiches Tuesday Heinz Field makes a comeback thanks to Kraft Heinz donation to Aliquippa School District Its everywhere: A look at how officials are handling the drug problem in Pittsburgh VIDEO: Police report details conditions in North Fayette home where 27 dachshunds were seized DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts The New York Police Department (NYPD) is searching for an individual who is accused of verbally harassing an Asian family on the subway and then assaulting another passenger. According to the police department, the assault took place at around 8 oclock in the evening on August 3 on an F train at West Fourth Street-Washington Square station. A video of the incident taken by another passenger, Joanna Lin, shows a group of three young women shouting across the subway carraige at an Asian family with two young children. It is not clear from the video how the confrontation began. From there, however, things allegedly escalated. The video shows one of the women who had allegedly been hurling abuse at the Asian family run towards the camera, at which point it cuts out. In one of the captions for the video, Ms Lin wrote that This ferocious one runs over to hit me. I put down my phone to cover my head and took the blow (ow). WANTED for ASSAULT: on 8/3 at approx 8PM, a 51 y/o female victim was riding on a s/b "F" train at West 4 St when she got into a dispute w/ 3 UNK females. One of them made an anti-ethnic remark, pulled her by the hair & punched her. Any info? Call or DM @NYPDTips at 800-577-TIPS pic.twitter.com/fl7z4i3EzA NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) August 6, 2023 According to an NYPD tweet, which identified the victim in the case only as a 51-year-old woman, the assailant made an anti-ethnic remark, pulled her by the hair & punched her. The victim has since identified herself as Sue Young a 51-year-old from Reno, Nevada who was visting New York on vacation with her family. The altercation continued as the subway sped towards its next stop, where the passengers got off the train and Ms Lin reportedly helped the family file a police report. Video of the attack, which quickly went viral, sparked outrage in New York. The attack comes more than three years after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic led to a spike in anti-Asian hate crimes in the city and around the country that left some AAPI community members fearful for their safety in public. The NYPD formed an Asian Hate Crime Task Force in 2020, though its unclear whether that task force is involved directly in any way in the investigation into the attack. Ms Young, for her part, told NBC that she does not believe the people who verbally harrassed her and her family members were motivated by racial hatred and warned about the limited effectiveness of a carceral response. These are very young girls, Ms Young told NBC News. Somebody or something or some circumstance has made a big impression on them whether its historical pressure, societal pressure, social pressure. Using law enforcement to curtail this, Im not sure if thats going to fix the problem. It just seems like its a more underlying issue that we, as a society and as a community, need to hold everybody accountable, not just law enforcement. Zac Goldsmith - who quit the government over its alleged climate change "apathy" - has said he is "very tempted" to back Labour. The Conservative peer criticised his own party for not having "a clear answer" to what he called the "biggest challenge we've ever faced". He told the BBC's HARDtalk he was "desperately hoping the Conservative Party comes to its senses." But he was seriously looking at switching his support to Labour. "The simple truth is there is no pathway to net zero and there's no solution to climate change that does not involve nature, massive efforts to protect and restore the natural world. "And at the moment, I'm not hearing any of that from the Labour Party if I do, if there's a real commitment now the kind of commitment, frankly, that we saw when Boris Johnson was the leader, then I'd be very tempted to throw my weight behind that party and support them in any way I could." Lord Goldsmith is a close ally of former prime minister Boris Johnson and was the government's international environment minister until he quit in June, after being among those accused of interfering in an MPs' inquiry into partygate. In a scathing resignation letter, he said he had been "horrified" at the government abandoning its environmental commitments and withdrawing its leadership on the world stage. As international environment minister, the former MP and London mayoral candidate travelled the world championing the UK's environmental initiatives, as well as promoting legislation to ban trophy hunting. In his HARDtalk interview, Goldsmith also said the government can't meet its target to spend 11.6bn over five years in international climate change programmes. "It's great that the government is saying that they're committed to 11.6, but mathematically, it is impossible for us to meet that target. "Unless the Treasury intervenes, unless the prime minister intervenes, it's simply impossible. "If you look at the trajectory of expenditure, in order to fulfil that promise the first year of the next government, which may or may not be this government, it might be the Labour Party, will have to spend over 80% of all of its bilateral aid on climate finance and that it obviously is not going to happen." Rishi Sunak has insisted he cares about reaching net zero but that the 2050 target needs to be achieved in "a proportionate and pragmatic way". The prime minister told LBC last week he wanted to leave the environment in "a better state than we found it in" for his two daughters. Mr Sunak is facing pressure from some Conservative MPs to review the government's green policies, after the party's surprise win in the Uxbridge by-election, when it capitalised on anger over London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone (Ulez). You can watch the full HARDtalk interview with Lord Goldsmith on BBC News on Thursday and on the BBC World Service Radio on Friday - or on the BBC iPlayer. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, has held the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Staff meeting within a "close circle" of the military, to discuss the ongoing Ukrainian offensive. Source: Zelenskyy on Telegram Quote: "Today's Supreme Commander-in-Chief Staff meeting is in a special format. The narrowest circle of people and utmost attention to a single topic our offensive. We conducted an in-depth analysis of the current situation, planned future steps, assured the provision of the troops with everything necessary, and analysed the enemy's actions." Details: There were reports by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Commander of the Tavriia Operational and Strategic Group of Forces; and Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine at the meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Staff. 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! Zora Bar & Rooftop owner Edwin Allen III suffered a setback Tuesday in an ongoing legal battle with the city of Des Moines after a jury found him guilty of serving minors after 9 p.m. at the Ingersoll Avenue nightclub. District Associate Judge Kristen Formanek ordered Allen, 45, to pay a $400 fine, higher than the minimum of $105 but less than the maximum of $800, after Assistant City Attorney Luke Desmet said the bar owner had tried to do everything in his power to shift blame away from himself in the matter. Zora, which has been up for sale since March, closed late last month under city and state pressure. In an interview Tuesday before the jurys verdict, Allen said the misdemeanor case was important because hes been trying to prove the city has been acting recklessly in its quest to have Zora declared a public nuisance. The city filed its case against Allen in July, citing what it said were shootings, assaults and riotous behavior. Allen, who is also a Des Moines landlord, countersued, demanding $10 million. He filed the suit under his own name, but has since hired David Leitner, a local attorney he's used before, to represent him. A state judicial disciplinary commission has recommended Leitner be disbarred for financial and other misconduct in several cases. That action is pending before the Iowa Supreme Court. More: Zora closes; owner Edwin Allen III files $10 million lawsuit against Des Moines Allen in his counterclaim alleged the city had failed to allow him due process before filing the case against him. The city has filed to dismiss his suit, saying the Iowa Constitution does not permit damages claims for due process violations and that it is not a due process violation, in any case, for the city to file a civil action. Allen claims he sought Des Moines police help Earlier in August, Allen failed to win approval of a request that city's Zoning Board of Adjustment designate Zora a bar after a state audit found that, as a restaurant, it was in violation of a requirement that it derive at least half its revenues from sales of food. Allen opened Zora, a custom, three-story nightclub, in 2021 at the busy corner of Ingersoll and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. With a patio, two rooftop levels, large garage-style doors that can be opened in good weather and a show kitchen, it reportedly cost $5 million to build. The club has received heavy social media criticism following incidents of violence, including the Nov. 26 shooting death in its parking lot of 29-year-old Alonzo Lee Kearney, for which no one has been charged. Allen said Thursday that before the city filed its lawsuit against him, he had asked Des Moines police spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek, who had criticized Zora, for more help in patrolling the area outside the bar. He also said he invested in additional surveillance cameras and hired security guards. He said hes never been cited once for a noise violation, though that has been a major source of public complaints against the bar, and said most of the police calls outside the bar were triggered by circumstances beyond his and his staff's control. Parizek declined to comment Tuesday, referring to a statement he made before the city filed its nuisance suit. In that statement, he said ongoing issues at the bar had prompted a considerable number of focused patrols in the adjacent Woodland Heights neighborhood. "In addition to assigning officers to monitor large crowds during concerts and other events, our officers have recovered multiple firearms and a variety of drugs during traffic stops of vehicles leaving the Zora property," he said. Bar owner has faced multiple legal problems Earlier this year, Allen pleaded guilty to a lesser charge to resolve stalking charges against him. Prosecutors said that at the request of Steve McFadden, another embattled Des Moines bar owner who was in Florida at the time, he tracked McFaddens ex-girlfriend to a bar and dog park and kept an unwelcome eye on her there. Allen received a conviction for misdemeanor disorderly conduct. He also is embroiled in an ongoing civil case involving one of his residential tenants, who alleges he demanded sex in exchange for reduced rent. In that suit, plaintiff Cyndi Collins claims Allen sexually harassed her, encouraged her to rent an apartment from him, then demanded she have sex with him in exchange for a rent reduction. When she refused, he reportedly attempted to evict her, and even after she moved out, she said, he found her new residence and told her new landlord she had committed tenancy violations. Leitner filed a motion to dismiss Collins' complaint for allegedly failing to exhaust other administrative remedies a move that got the attorney in more trouble. Unlike other types of discrimination complaints, housing complaints have no such administrative requirements, something Collins' attorneys said they told Leitner before he filed to dismiss the case. In a July 19 order, Judge Paul Scott found Leitner was "acting in bad faith" and was "at a bare minimum negligent" in filing the frivolous motion, and ordered Leitner to pay Collins' attorney fees for having to respond. Her attorneys say that amounts to $1,290. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Zora owner Edwin Allen III fined for allowing minors in Des Moines bar Every morning I close the curtains in our bedrooms to keep the afternoon sun from beating in. More importantly, we leave our programmable thermostat alone, and experts advise the best way to stay cool and save energy is to resist turning down the thermostat. A recent article in The Washington Post explains cranking down your thermostat will only strain your air conditioner, which already has to work harder when its hot out, without really cooling down your house any faster. It also increases your energy use, placing more pressure on the electricity grid and potentially contributing to blackouts or brownouts during periods of high demand. And, more importantly, it contributes to global warming. People are dying from heat in increasing numbers. Though Central Virginia has been lucky this summer, globally July was the hottest month in recorded history. Even at normal temperatures, folks lucky enough to have AC are likely to tinker with it too often. When the indoor temperature is warmer than your thermostat setting, your system turns on. But setting the thermostat really low doesnt increase your air conditioners cooling capacity. Continuously running the AC guzzles energy and can shorten the lifespan of your system. A study conducted on the University of Georgias campus in Athens in summer 2014 found people reported feeling comfortable in indoor temperatures anywhere between 71 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Think how many homes and businesses keep their thermostats even lower, requiring you to wear a sweater to bear it. If we cant sit indoors in short sleeves, there is something wrong. Talk to your employer if you work in an icy setting. When youre not at home for extended periods of time, experts advise setting your thermostat 5 to 10 degrees warmer. Programming your thermostat to a higher temperature for eight hours per day could result in an annual energy savings of as much as 10%. The time of day you do a temperature setback also matters. Hot afternoons are when demand is highest and when a setback is most useful. Its also when you should avoid using other appliances. Remember, though, that air conditioners also are critical for dehumidifying, which is a major part of keeping you feeling cool and comfortable, so turning them too high can be problematic. Ceiling fans also make the air feel cooler and typically require little energy to run. Other tips to beat the heat include avoiding using appliances such as dishwashers, ovens, stovetops and dryers, which can make spaces hotter and more humid and force your air conditioner to work harder. Summer is the time to look for no-cook recipes, use an outdoor grill and hang clothes on the line. Use cold water when washing clothes. When (and if) its cool at night, open your windows, but close them in the morning before the air warms up again. As the planet continues to heat up, we have to find multiple ways to cool down more efficiently and use fewer fossil fuels. The trial date for a man accused in connection with a November 2022 shooting death at the Iron & Ale restaurant has been delayed again as the court awaits the results of a mental health evaluation, Lynchburgs top prosecutor said. Derek Allen Lewis, 32, who faces a second-degree murder charge, among several others, in the November 2022 shooting death of Tyler Shane Johnson, 28, at the Iron & Ale restaurant in Cornerstone, originally was scheduled to stand trial in July. However, according to Lynchburgs Commonwealths Attorney Bethany Harrison, Lewis case was continued again until the September docket call. This is the second delay in the trial of Lewis, whose original trial date was set for July 5 to 6. In June, a joint motion for continuance was agreed upon by all parties, as Lewis counsel attempted to have his mental health evaluated prior to trial. However, at the time, due to the number of referrals for the chosen provider, counsel was forced to seek an evaluation from another provider. Additionally, counsel for Lewis at the time said it needed more time to prepare for trial, court documents showed. In February, three charges were certified against Lewis in Lynchburg General District Court. Shortly after, court documents showed five additional charges were obtained against Lewis through direct indictment by a grand jury. In total, Lewis faces eight charges: second-degree murder; use of a firearm in commission of a felony; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; shooting in commission of a felony; possession of a concealed weapon in commission of a felony; malicious discharge of a firearm in an occupied building; discharging a firearm in a public place resulting in bodily injury; and the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Lewis is due to appear in court again on Sept. 5, records show. According to testimony during a preliminary hearing, Tomas Williams, a patron at Iron & Ale that evening, said he saw Lewis at the second-floor bar; and at one point, he saw Lewis erasing the writing on the restaurants specials board. According to Williams, Johnson approached Lewis, asking him to leave that alone, adding the establishment was a family restaurant. Williams testified the two went their separate ways until another interaction, where Lewis asked Johnson if he wanted to take this outside, to which Johnson agreed and said, Lets go outside. Williams said he saw Lewis pull up his shirt at the top of the staircase on the second floor of the restaurant, where he said he saw the handle of a gun. He then said he heard a loud gunshot from point-blank range, and Johnson dropped immediately in the second floor of the restaurant. Lewis immediately reached down to gather some belongings he had dropped after the shot was fired, Williams testified, and proceeded down the stairs to leave the restaurant, where another man followed behind him. Williams said he later noticed a single shell casing at the top of the staircase. During the February hearing, Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Dianna Baker played footage from three surveillance cameras from the incident for the judge and defense. Detective David Dubie testified the Lynchburg Police Department matched surveillance footage of Lewis to a photo of him from their internal database. According to a news release from LPD, Lewis was arrested the following day at the Jacksonville International Airport in Florida at about 2 p.m. Lewis remains in custody while awaiting the court proceedings. As the world commemorates the International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples on August 9th, the Wildlife Conservation Society has issued the following statement by Sushil Raj, Executive Director of the WCS Rights and Communities Program, and Dawa Yangi Sherpa, Social Safeguards Technical Specialist in the WCS Rights & Communities Program: The first International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples was celebrated on August 9, 1995 following a resolution by the UN General Assembly in 1994. Subsequently the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) was adopted on September 13, 2007 after more than two decades of negotiations. This year the UN Declaration turns 16- years-old, and we continue to push for a paradigm shift to make it a reality across the conservation sector. The UN Declaration enshrines minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of Indigenous Peoples around the world derived and articulated from binding international human rights instruments. These are also expressed as fundamental rights in the constitutions of some States and in rights under domestic law with increasing recognition across several countries. Since the adoption of the UN Declaration, numerous global efforts have been made to implement its provisions such as a World Conference on Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations, a focus on parliamentarians around the world, and most recently the adoption of the General recommendation N.39 on the rights of Indigenous women and girls. Although global narratives are shifting and some global institutions are making explicit commitments to respect, protect, and fund the realization of Indigenous Peoples rights, we are not seeing adequate progress on the ground, especially in the areas of governance, land and resource rights. This requires us to change approaches as different stakeholders operate across a range of governance models from supporting Indigenous-led conservation to opening the aperture for human rights in state-led conservation models of protected area management. In order to address some of the challenges within the sector and look towards a different approach, WCS convened a meeting of stakeholders on conservation and human rights in February 2023 to identify and build collective pathways forward. Foremost in this discussion was the recognition that the relationship of human beings with nature is broken which has led us to our current predicament. However, we are fortunate that the solutions to address our intersecting crises of mass extinction of species, biodiversity loss, climate change, and global health pandemics are right in front of us. The conservation sector has human rights obligations, as well as an opportunity to build on and learn from pathways defined by Indigenous Peoples in many places. Indigenous Peoples territories frequently overlap with the highest levels of ecological integrity that inherently store vast amounts of carbon, are more resilient to climate change, and their protection reduces the likelihood of future zoonotic pandemics, providing benefits locally and globally. We therefore need to recognize Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, learn from Indigenous values of relationship, reciprocity, reconciliation, return of culture, and highlight benefits from Indigenous-led governance that yield such high integrity ecosystems, when working with governments and other stakeholders. As we seek to build inclusive conservation the sector can be guided by these value systems especially in contexts where rights are denied in order to find structural solutions at the national, regional, and global levels. The conservation sector is a collective of states, nongovernmental organizations, business enterprises, philanthropy, and broader civil society. It is this collective that can support the reformation and change of laws and practice by implementing the rights enshrined in the UN Declaration, especially for the protection of Indigenous Peoples who are environmental rights defenders on the front lines of some of the last remaining high integrity ecosystems. We also need to match the calls for global transitions with ground realities as policy makers are asked to move from exclusive market approaches to diverse valuations of nature that navigate pathways to reconcile peoples quality of life with life on Earth. Non-Indigenous and Indigenous scientific approaches can work in tandem as long as there is respect for Indigenous Peoples ways of knowing and being, and full equity in collaborations. As we see calls for transitions in governance that focus on self-determined development, recognition of customary land, and inclusive decision making, alongside calls for financial transitions to direct funding and a paradigm shift in traditional philanthropy, we can weave culture-based solutions into nature-based solutions with the UN Declaration as our guide. So what does all of this look like in practice? The Wildlife Conservation Society has been supporting the Bunong Indigenous Peoples in Cambodia since 2007 to secure Indigenous Communal Land Titles to protect lands and natural resources within the protected areas of Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary and is helping resolve conflicting claims to land as they arise through a detailed land inventory process in coordination with local authorities. Supporting Bunong Indigenous Peoples land rights has contributed to the prevention of 27,000 hectares from being deforested within a threatened yet high integrity ecosystem. In the Greater Madidi landscape of Bolivia, we have provided technical support for decades to the Tacana, Leco, Tsimane-Mostene and more recently Uchupiamona and Esse Ejja through their Indigenous institutions to secure land tenure and develop, implement and monitor their Life Plans. We are also supporting the establishment of a direct access funding mechanism to support indigenous territorial management, informed by the life plans, as well as Indigenous- led studies related to mercury contamination caused largely by illegal mining activities in the headwaters, that adversely impact their territories and health. However, it is not sufficient to secure land tenure alone. Self-determined territorial management of Indigenous lands also requires direct funding to Indigenous communities in the Greater Madidi landscape where $11.4 million is needed over ten years for 1.5 million hectares. This is approximately one third of the cost of management of an equivalent area within a protected area in Bolivia. And in Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we continue to implement a paradigm shift by increasing the space to respect and protect human rights in a state-led model of governance. Cultural rights programming and revitalization, intergenerational transmission of knowledge, and the leadership of young people alongside elders is vital to preservation of heritage. As we commemorate this International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples, it is imperative that we continue to address the intersecting crises of climate, biodiversity loss, and global health. This has to be done by protecting Indigenous land and resource rights across high integrity ecosystems and working collaboratively on new paradigms. We must continue to find opportunities to scale impact across countries, landscapes, and seascapes for the greater realization of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and for the protection of our planet. Entrepreneurs in Pottawattamie County will soon benefit from a resource hub and co-working place under development by Advance Southwest Iowa. Google announced a $250,000 grant Tuesday as part of a larger announcement that the company is investing $350 million more in its Council Bluffs data center to Advance Southwest Iowa to build out the hub, which has been in the planning stage for years. Paula Hazlewood, CEO of Advance Southwest Iowa, said Google is providing the seed funding for the project. "This is going to get us off the ground," Hazlewod said. Hazlewood said the project originated more than five years ago after a need was identified in Pottawattamie County for a centralized resource center for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Conversations started with the Iowa West Foundation and other partners. Advance Southwest Iowa is the economic development agency serving Council Bluffs and other communities in Pottawattamie County. The organization describes itself as "a one-stop shop for economic development with a focus on business attraction, retention, entrepreneurship and site development." The new hub will provide an improved office for Advance Southwest Iowa with sufficient space to host its partners, such as the Small Business Development Center at Iowa Western Community College. Additional details on the hub are expected to be announced in the coming days by Advance Southwest Iowa, which is still working on a rendering of the space. That announcement is planned to take place at the future site of the hub, which wasn't identified Tuesday. During Google's announcement at its Council Bluffs data center on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst praised the company's donation to support entrepreneurship in southwest Iowa. "You have just given them a leg up on that opportunity," Ernst said. Hazlewood credited Niki Ferguson, manager of entrepreneurial development, with bringing the resource hub to fruition, calling it Ferguson's "brainchild" and praising the connections she's built over the years, including with the NewBoCo startup accelerator in Cedar Rapids. Ferguson said she's excited about the progress but notes there's still a lot of fundraising to do before the hub is launched. "We have the entrepreneurs. We have resources in our community. We have a disconnect, and a way of bringing those folks together," Ferguson said. Once it's up and running, the hub will provide a space for entrepreneurs to develop and test their products, bring in coding classes and other training, offer informal and formal networking opportunities and generally bringing "like-minded individuals together." A centralized location will give businesses that need a mailbox, a full office or just a place to set up a laptop with a hotspot somewhere they can go and also connect with other resources aimed at helping them grow. "Part of this progress is really identifying and working with our community partners," Hazlewood said. One of Advance Southwest Iowa's initial partners is providing them with a physical home. Georgi Ivanov, an Olympic wrestler in 2016 and a graduate Lewis Central High School, is partnering with Advance Southwest Iowa to provide the physical real estate for the hub. He said he acquired the investment property through the Iowa West Foundation, in addition to space for his wrestling training club at the Iowa West Field House. Ivanov said that Ferguson helped get him publicity for his current businesses The Best Wrestler and software company Zuptu and invited him to join the board of Advance Southwest Iowa. "I really wanted to make my mark a little bit in the community that's given me so much," Ivanov said. "I wanted to really support future entrepreneurs to be successful, and we can create and develop more leaders in the community, and after that those leaders will improve the community overall." Hazlewood said that the Iowa West Foundation, with Ivanov's assistance, saw the value in transforming the real estate into a space that's community-minded. She said Iowa West has not provided direct funding for the hub initiative. Advance Southwest Iowa has done research across the state and country into what works best for a startup accelerator, and Ferguson said they plan to start small and build out into a fully developed facility. "There are so many businesses, very successful businesses, that are being run out of someone's house," Ferguson said. "They don't need a storefront. They don't need the public coming in, but they still need a space where they're able to conduct their meeting, just be around other folks and not be isolated." Hazlewood said the hope is to open the hub in the first quarter of 2024, with a build-out taking place over the winter. Council Bluffs police added second-degree murder to the list of charges pending for a man arrested in connection with the death of a Council Bluffs woman. Ivan Brammer, 61, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in May on an outstanding warrant for abuse of a corpse and second-degree theft. On Wednesday, police announced that Brammer also will face a charge of second-degree murder. He was already being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail on the previous charges. A second opinion from a forensic pathologist, which reported the cause of death as "traumatic asphyxia due to neck compression," led to the upgraded charge, Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said in a news release. The crimes are alleged to be related to the disappearance of Ilene Gowan, 60, of Council Bluffs. Gowans daughter reported her missing on Feb. 15 of this year after her mother had not been seen or heard from since Feb. 13. Gowan was last seen with Brammer, her former boyfriend, in his truck on Feb. 13. Her body was located on Feb. 26 in a roadside ditch near Crescent in the area of 152nd Street and Old Mormon Bridge Road. Video evidence from city cameras and private businesses show Brammers movements the morning of Feb. 13, while phone records indicate both he and Gowan were in the area of Carter Lake that morning, according to the Council Bluffs Police Department in an affidavit shared with news media. When Brammers truck is seen on camera returning to Council Bluffs that morning, it appears something is different with the way Gowan is sitting or positioned in his truck, the affidavit states. At multiple locations with different angles and views, it appears Gowan is awkwardly slumped in the passenger seat, according to police. Later that morning, phone records indicate both parties phones go off network at the same time. Brammers truck is later seen returning home without Gowan. He is seen carrying unknown items from his truck to the dumpster at his apartment building. Though Gowan was not seen in Brammers truck after 11:20 a.m., messages were sent and received by her phone in the area of Gowans residence after 1 p.m. that day. Police report inconsistencies in Brammers story across multiple interviews. Brammers actions and activities are completely out of the ordinary following this event and he suddenly has his truck ... crushed and shredded at an auto recycler company, according to the arrest affidavit. The State of Iowa Medical Examiners Office, after Gowans autopsy, indicated an unknown cause and manner of death. Gowan had multiple injuries on her body, but none determined to be life threatening, according to the medical examiner. The trial of the Davenport man accused of kidnapping and and murdering Breasia Terrell will start Thursday in Scott County. Henry Earl Dinkins waived his right to a jury trial Tuesday, opting to have his case heard in front of judge. The trial is slated to start at 9 a.m. Thursday. The trial was moved from Scott County to the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids after the Iowa Supreme Court granted a change of venue April 22, 2022. Jury selection began Tuesday, but jurors were sent home when Dinkins' attorneys announced his decision. Scott County Attorney Kelly Cunningham leads the prosecution, while Dinkins is represented by Chad Frese and Joel Waters. District Court Judge Henry Latham ruled Tuesday that Dinkins' trial can be held in Scott County since he will not face a jury. The prosecution and the defense offered no objection to the move. Breasia was 10 years old when she was reported missing July 10, 2020, after spending the night with her younger brother at the apartment of his father, Dinkins. Dinkins immediately became a person of interest in Breasias disappearance. On March 22, 2021, two fishermen found human remains in a nearly hidden pond three miles north of DeWitt. The next day, investigators from the Division of Criminal Investigation finished removing the remains from the pond. Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorski confirmed on March 31, 2021, the remains were those of Breasia Terrell. Dinkins was charged with Breasia's murder on May 5, 2021. Then-Scott County Attorney Mike Walton announced the charges during a news conference at the Davenport Police Department. Dinkins has been in one jail or another since July 10, 2020. First arrested for violations of the sex offender registry, Dinkins was held in the Scott County Jail before being moved to the Clinton County Jail. On April 12, 2022, he was moved to Marshall County Jail to be closer to his attorney. On Oct. 7, 2022, Latham granted a request to delay the trial filed by Dinkins attorney, Chad Frese, in order to allow them adequate time to prepare. On Dec. 9, 2022, Latham scheduled Dinkins jury trial for Aug. 8, 2023. In recognition of TS Banks century anniversary and the approaching annual Donia Days, TS Bank recently presented a gift of $5,000 to the City of Macedonia for tuck-pointing restoration and outside building maintenance at City Hall. Macedonia was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest and most historic towns in southwest Iowa. It originated on the east side of the Nishnabotna River in 1846, but because of frequent flooding and the coming of the CB&Q Railroad it was moved to its present location in 1880. There are findings of the Mormon Trail winding through the town and nearby countryside, and it has rich building designs from both the 19th and 20th century along main street. In addition to the $5,000 gift, TS Bank is a proud partner of Donia Days, a three-day event set for Aug. 18-20. TS Bank will be present at the parade and the kids carnival. As part of the banks 100th birthday celebration, bank employees will also be handing out 100 free cake pops by Lilypops at the branch after the parade. The Macedonia Market will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19 and TS Bank will be open on Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. There will be various food trucks, bed races, citywide garage sales, corn hole tournament, live music and more throughout the three-day weekend. TS Bank is a strong advocate for expanding businesses and helping communities grow. TS Bank purchased the bank building in 2000, remodeling the interior, bringing back some of the original look and feel, including removing a lowered ceiling and restoring arched windows. With its rich history in Macedonia, TS Bank is excited to be part of this next phase of growth, preservation and promotion of its many attractions. We are proud to serve southwest Iowa and help our local rural communities thrive, Vice President of Consumer Banking with TS Bank, Lacey Sampson, said in a news release. To learn more about the projects in Macedonia and find the Donia Days schedule, visit macedoniaiowa.com. Weather Alert ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON MONDAY TO 10 PM CDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 110 expected. Minimum overnight temperatures are forecast to remain at or above 75 degrees. * WHERE...Portions of west central Iowa and east central and northeast Nebraska. * WHEN...From noon Monday to 10 PM CDT Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && French President Emmanuel Macron has not been invited to the BRICS summit a group of five countries comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The announcement was made by South Africas Minister of Foreign Affairs, Naledi Pandor, at a press briefing on Monday August 7, to review preparations for the BRICS summit, South Africa is hosting in Johannesburg from August 22 to 24. Naledi Pandor mentioned the guest list, which includes 67 leaders from African and Southern countries. It had already been established that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be attending the summit virtually, and would be represented by Sergei Lavrov. However, Naledi Pandor also made it clear that the French President had not been invited. Emmanuel Macron had clearly announced his desire to attend this BRICS summit, notably through his Minister of Foreign Affairs. To justify the French presidents possible attendance as an observer, Catherine Colonna explained during a visit to South Africa at the end of June that we need to talk to understand each other and find solutions. At the time, her South African counterpart was not totally opposed to this possibility. The idea ultimately flopped, as Naledi Pandor confirmed on Monday that no such invitation has been sent out, a decision taken in consensus with the other BRICS countries and one that will not displease the Kremlin. Moscow felt that such an invitation would be inappropriate, given Frances position on the war in Ukraine and its membership of NATO. The possibility of a Western head of state taking part in the meeting came as a surprise when it was first mooted, but it is in fact in line with Emmanuel Macrons statement to the French press during his visit to China that he rejects a bloc-to-bloc logic and advocates European strategic autonomy. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen expects to talk a lot this next year about whats in the states new voter ID election law. Evnen stopped by The Telegraphs offices Tuesday as part of a series of initial press visits to discuss how voters can cast ballots and satisfy the 2023 law they mandated by signing initiative petitions and adopting a state voter ID constitutional amendment last year. His office will be putting this word out repeatedly through press outlets and social media before the May 14, 2024, primary the first election that will require voter ID and the Nov. 5, 2024, general election. The good news, Evnen said, is that 97% to 98% of Nebraskans already have the two main types of photo ID: a state-issued drivers license or ID card. Legislative Bill 514, which Evnens office wrote at the request of state Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, outlines several other types of ID that Nebraskans can present in person at the polls or copy to include when voting early. But for most voters, Evnen said, satisfying voter ID will be simple: Show your drivers license or state ID at your polling place or election office on Election Day, get your ballot and vote. I dont think its going to be a large problem, because people have to show their IDs for everything, he said. This is nothing they should find out of the usual or extraordinary. LB 514 also says that if you want a state-issued ID and you dont have the money, the state DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) will issue it to you for free if youre using it for voting purposes. The U.S. Supreme Court has mandated free access to state ID cards in rulings on voter ID, Evnen said. The state Bureau of Vital Statistics will provide a free certified copy of ones Nebraska birth certificate if its needed to obtain a state ID card. LB 514 says people with a reasonable impediment the lack of allowable documents, disability, illness or a religious objection to being photographed can fill out a form when they register to vote. Evnen stressed that the 2022 initiative wasnt all the Legislature had to satisfy in crafting LB 514, which senators passed 38-1 and Gov. Jim Pillen signed on June 1. The voter ID bill had to be practical to implement and meet the requirements of the initiative, but it also had to satisfy the U.S. Constitution, he said. In my view, that bill does all three of those things, Evnen said. If you dont already have a drivers license or state ID card, LB 514 says eligible voters can present one of the following documents to satisfy the law: A U.S. passport. A military ID card. A Native American tribal ID card. A photo ID issued by a Nebraska college or university. A photo ID issued by a Nebraska state agency or local government. People who live in assisted-living centers, nursing homes or skilled care facilities also may present a record from that facility with their name and photo. Medicare requires those facilities to keep such records, Evnen said. As long as the above records have the voters name and photo, theyll be valid under voter ID even if theyre expired. People who forget to bring their photo ID to the polls can vote provisionally on Election Day. But LB 514 says theyll have to present a valid photo ID at their county election office on or before the Tuesday after the election. Evnen said Nebraskans asking for early ballots will have to provide their drivers license or state ID number on their ballot application form. County clerks or election commissioners employees will look up that number in preparing their early ballot. Those who apply for early ballots in writing must include a copy of one of the allowable photo IDs or their reasonable impediment certification when they mail or deliver their application, Evnen said. Eleven Nebraska counties, including several in the Sandhills, conduct all their elections by mail. When their voters return ballots, Evnen said, theyll have to insert a copy of an acceptable ID document or write their drivers license or state ID number in an indicated space on the envelope. The (sealed) flap will cover those numbers, so theyll only be seen when theyre opened in the election office by an election official, he said. The secretary of state added that his office and the state DMV are working on legally allowable methods under federal law to verify a voters U.S. citizenship if evidence suggests the voter isnt a citizen. Nebraskans who register to vote already must swear under penalty of law that theyre a citizen, Evnen said. They can be charged with a state felony if theyre lying. But we are not permitted to delay registration while we check on it, he added. What we can do is accept it, put them on the rolls and use what resources we can to confirm it. Should evidence turn up that the voter isnt a citizen, well ask them to reconcile it, although they do not have to do that. We cannot take them off the rolls. Thats not allowed under federal law. Either way, Evnen said, his office can turn over evidence to the appropriate county attorney should it appear that a registered voter lied on oath about being a U.S. citizen. But were not going to jump to conclusions, he said. Well give people the opportunity to rectify it if theres contrary evidence. The state Elections Division in Evnens office is developing a webpage with a link to LB 514 and other information on voter ID. Visit sos.nebraska.gov/elections/voter-id. Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images Congressman Jamie Raskin became a familiar face on TV as the lead prosecutor for Donald Trumps second impeachment trial, and then as a member of the House Select January 6 Committee. In both settings, the Maryland Democrat, who was a longtime law professor at American University before entering politics, laid out a detailed and damning assessment of the former presidents actions, delivering impassioned closing arguments that invoked both the American ideal and his own personal tragedy. Since then, Raskin has remained one of the most outspoken lawmakers on January 6. In the wake of Jack Smiths new indictment of Trump which built on the work of the committee I spoke with Raskin about why he thinks Trumps case is so weak and what Republicans in the House feel about the latest developments. Ill start with something you said on Meet the Press the other day, which is that Trump lawyer John Lauros defense of his client on free-speech grounds was deranged. As a constitutional lawyer yourself, do you think his team can do any better than that? I think theyve probably zeroed in on their least laughable defense, but the problem is that theres no First Amendment right to overthrow an election or subvert the constitutional order. I was responding to Trump having called Jack Smith deranged, and I said what was really deranged was the argument that theres a free-speech right to overthrow democratic institutions. Ive thought about the arguments they could make, and Ive certainly played with the First Amendment one, because Alan Dershowitz was making the same pitch during the impeachment trial which was even more ridiculous, because that didnt even go to a criminal prosecution. That was just about whether a president who wages war on his own government in an attempt to stay in office illegally has a free-speech right to do that. Here, at least, they can claim that theres a criminal prosecution taking place. But of course its a prosecution taking place over his conduct, and conduct is braided with speech. Thats true with respect to antitrust conspiracies, insider trading, robbery. Its very hard to conduct a bank robbery without the robber speaking and telling the teller what to do, but none of it excuses the conduct, which has a culpable and punishable quality to it. Im still trying to wrap my head around the question of Trumps state of mind. I recently spoke with Timothy Heaphy, lead investigator on the January 6 Committee, and he said it would be helpful if Jack Smith could prove that Trump knew what he was saying was untrue. I know this is all about Trumps conduct, not speech, but if he legitimately thought that the election was stolen and took these actions, would that hurt the case much? Maybe you could peel off one juror if they could actually prove that Donald Trump really believed it, but it doesnt work for two reasons. The first, of course, is that Donald Trump did not believe it and could not have believed it. We have lots of evidence collected by the January 6 committee demonstrating that he did not believe the election was stolen. For one thing, Steve Bannon and Roger Stone were out there saying that Donald Trump was going to assert fraud even though they were well aware that he was going to lose the election. I was also saying that, for the record. It was predictable. Right. But Trump was also going around saying stuff like, Can you believe I lost to this guy? And he was making plans to leave fully aware that he had lost the election. In any event, lets say youre convinced that your bank has cheated you out of money, and your personal lawyer, the White House counsel, and the attorney general tell you that youre wrong, and 60 federal and state courts tell you that the bank is right and that youre wrong, but you still believe it. Youre just outraged. That does not give you a right to rob the bank or a defense in the event that youre prosecuted for robbing the bank. In other words, his mistake about what the law is cannot excuse his criminal conduct. Thats one of the first things you learn in law school that ignorance of the law is no excuse. And when he says he believes John Eastman and not the White House counsel, and not the attorney general and not his personal lawyers, hes just saying that he made a mistake about the law. But a mistake about the law does not excuse criminal conduct. You cant just go through 60 subordinates until you find the 61st who tells you what you want to hear, to paraphrase something I read about this. And that implies he didnt really believe it, which of course he didnt. And assuming he really believed it, it doesnt make any difference. I mean, you could really believe that your bank ripped you off, but it doesnt give you the right to go in with a gun and rob the bank. During your time on the January 6 committee, was there a particular moment when you realized that Trump might be criminally responsible, that you would want to make a referral for prosecution? We had no time for discovery of course we just had three weeks to get ready but I thought it could lead to a treason trial. Treason is the only criminal offense thats defined in the Constitution, and its defined as levying arms against the government or adhering to the enemies thereof. And I thought it was possible that there would be sufficient evidence to demonstrate that he had committed treason. And there have been lots of people whove been convicted of seditious conspiracy, which means conspiracy to overthrow the government. One can see the contours of Donald Trumps relationship with the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers through Roger Stone and Steve Bannon and some others. But again, the evidence there is not fully fleshed out. Yeah, thats what Heaphy said as well, that without clear communications the way they have with some of the Proud Boys leaders and Oathkeepers leaders, it would be tough to prove. Trump made a false observation that theres filth all over Washington. He left Washington with filth and blood and other substances all over the Capitol, and that was the result of the chain of events he set into motion. The right-wing groups had permits to assemble on January 20. They were planning on having counter-inaugural protests. It was Trump who convinced everyone to change their permits from January 20 to January 6, telling everyone that it wasnt over yet Be there, will be wild. He was the one who turned the peaceful transfer of power into a locus of violent conflict. To what extent are you concerned about this trial falling right in the middle of a general election, given that Trump is the clear favorite to win the GOP primary? Look, this is America. Theres always another election taking place. I mean, we had elections that continued throughout the Civil War. We didnt change any elections. Im not suggesting that we cancel 2024 or anything, just that it might have been better to do this, say, last year. One of the bad habits that Donald Trump has gotten the whole country into is second-guessing the criminal-justice system and prosecutors. So Im going to resist the temptation to do that. One can wish that it had happened earlier, but thats just the nature of things. Have you heard much, if anything, about the new indictments from rank-and-file Republicans in the House? No members of Congress have really been rushing to defend him specifically on these charges, even though a lot of them are Trump supporters. Well, most of them are still in the tank for Donald Trump, and so theyre saying that it would be in the best interest of the country not to proceed with criminal charges. But, of course, the rule of law does not ask the question of what a public-opinion poll would tell us is in the best interest of the country. The rule of law obligates prosecutors to proceed when crimes have been committed and those crimes are of serious gravity. So essentially, a number of my colleagues are really asking for a two-tiered system of justice. I dont think they want to give anyone the right to try to overthrow the electoral processes, steal the presidency, but theyre saying that a former president gets a pass for that, and that just cant be right. Then they say it takes us down the road to being a banana republic if the government prosecutes former politicians. And I respond: On the contrary, it takes us down the road to a banana republic if we dont prosecute politicians. But you havent heard any Republicans privately cheer this on while publicly denouncing it. Lets see Well, there arent too many of those left. Its just the true believers now. Yeah. I mean, its the ones who are sleeping on the floor listening to tapes all night. Thats unsettling. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Long lines for early voting in Ohios special election. Photo: Samantha Hendrickson/AP After the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade last summer, Ohio voters put an initiative on the ballot to amend the states constitution to protect a right to an abortion. They were following in the footsteps of voters in several other states who have done the same in the face of Republican-led efforts to ban abortion outright. But then Ohios Republican-controlled legislature (whose own near-total ban on abortion is snagged in the courts) tried to pull a fast one. Republican lawmakers created a single-issue August special election in which voters would confront a constitutional amendment called Issue 1 that would raise the threshold for voter approval of future amendments (beginning immediately) from a simple majority to 60 percent. The idea, of course, was to make passage of the abortion-rights amendment in November significantly more difficult. On Tuesday night, though, their sneak attack failed, and Issue 1 was defeated. The Associated Press called the race for No on Issue 1, with the initiative being rejected by a 3-2 margin with a bit less than half the expected vote counted. Eventually the no vote wound up winning by a 57 percent to 43 percent margin. Turnout was over a third of the voting-eligible populations, about double the turnout in the last Ohio statewide single-issue special election in 2018. Extremely heavy early in-person voting in Ohios left-leaning urban areas, especially over the last weekend, made it clear what was likely to happen, and showed how the GOPs stealth strategy failed. The idea was to sneak Issue 1 past pro-choice voters who might not turn out for a single-issue election in a blazing-hot August, or who might not realize the vote was really aimed at denying abortion rights. As the Associated Press observed in July, Republican backers of Issue 1 were blatantly duplicitous about what they were up to: Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who supports the measure, has previously called Issue 1 a win for good government that protects Ohioans from out-of-state special interests. But he had a different tone at a Seneca County dinner for Lincoln Day in May, when he said that the August measure is 100 percent about keeping a radical, pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution [E]arly summer messaging on social media and in churches has consistently urged a yes vote on the August amendment to protect life and thats just one example of the loaded messages confronting voters during the campaign. Abortion-rights advocates sounded the alarm, and an aroused and even angered pro-choice majority mobilized, as has happened across the country since the fall of Roe. From August through November of 2022, there were ballot initiatives either confirming or denying state constitutional rights to an abortion in six states (California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, and Vermont), which were all won by pro-choice voters. Were going to see additional ballot tests during the 2024 presidential election cycle, most likely in Arizona, Iowa, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, and South Dakota. In Ohio, about all the forced-birth lobby achieved was to divert some of the money stashed away by reproductive-rights advocates for the November initiative. But its actual passage seems very likely now, with the average of polls showing that 57 percent of Ohio voters supporting it. (Those numbers also show that had Issue 1 passed, the November abortion rights initiative would have indeed been in trouble). Another pro-choice win in November could create new tensions between Republicans and their disappointed anti-abortion-movement allies and shine a light onto a path Democrats might follow to overperform their recent Ohio showings in the 2024 elections, when, among others, Democratic senator Sherrod Brown will be on the ballot. Beyond the partisan implications, the nationwide pro-choice winning streak among voters continues, and women in one more red state can feel relatively safe against the malice of their legislators. Kansas, Kentucky, now Ohio: Abortion rights are very popular. Photo: Jay LaPrete/AP During the half-century when Roe v. Wade was law, anti-abortion advocates and their Republican allies frequently complained that the right of the people to determine abortion policy had been stolen by the unelected Supreme Court. It became a classic wedge issue benefiting the GOP, as frustrated traditionalist Catholics and conservative Evangelical Protestants left the Democratic Party in droves, providing votes and grassroots muscle to the GOP for decades. This legacy culminated in the devils bargain that cultural conservatives struck with Donald Trump in 2016. Well, in the 13 months since the newly conservative Supreme Court created by Trump reversed Roe and the people regained that right (which in reality meant the right to deny other people reproductive rights), voters in red and blue states alike have wherever possible used this freedom to restore the rights the courts and Republican legislators have sought to steal. It happened again on Tuesday in Ohio, the Republican-trending former battleground state where voters decisively rejected a sneaky GOP bid to make it harder to write abortion rights into the states constitution through a ballot initiative in November. This is the seventh statewide abortion-ballot measure since Roe was reversed, and pro-choice forces have won every one of them, even in conservative states like Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, and now Ohio. When Ohio voters (more than likely) enact the constitutional amendment Republicans failed to block, the tally will be 80. And in 2024, voters in at least seven states will decide on measures to protect or deny abortion rights. If the rout continues, giving the people control over abortion policy may be quite the pyrrhic victory for the anti-abortion movement and even more so for the GOP whose electoral fortunes could be caught in the powerful backlash to Roes reversal. That backlash is already the prime suspect in the disappointing 2022 midterm results for Republicans who expected a red wave that never quite materialized. But the depth and breadth of popular commitment to abortion rights going into what may be an apocalyptic 2024 presidential cycle remains significantly unclear. It should be understood, however, that the option of using direct democracy to restore abortion rights via citizen-initiated constitutional amendments that circumvent Republican legislators (as has now happened in both Michigan and Ohio) is available only in a total of 16 states. Voters may also fight back in cases where GOP lawmakers are trying to abolish state constitutional abortion rights that have been recognized by state courts and need voter ratification of their handiwork (thats what happened in 2022 in Kansas and Kentucky). But to a significant extent, the fate of the right to choose in many politically contested states will continue to depend on partisan control of major offices, including legislative chambers, governorships, and in some cases elected judges. And thats aside from the power of Congress to preempt state abortion laws if one party or the other secures a trifecta and can overcome a Senate filibuster. So even in states with no abortion ballot test on tap in 2024, the subject will very much be on the ballot via the two polarized pro-choice and anti-abortion major parties. The pro-choice state-ballot-measure winning streak, the impact of the subject on key 2022 races, and bountiful polling showing pro-choice majorities in all but the most conservative corners of the country have combined to convince many Republican operatives and even elected officials that the subject is a loser for the GOP. When Donald Trump said just that at the beginning of 2023, it produced a lot of consternation among anti-abortion advocates who had previously adored him for his successfully redeemed promise to appoint justices who would overturn Roe. The Ohio results will convince even more Republicans that the 45th president was right. Perhaps they will even whisper to their abortion-obsessed allies in and beyond religious conservative circles to show some patience, keep their mouths shut, and help the GOP obtain enough power to give their friends what they want when political conditions are more favorable. But now that Roe is gone, abortion politics is a 24/7 business, and anti-abortion activists are out of patience; thats particularly true among the newer and more militant organizations like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and Students for Life. They are eager to use the competitive Republican presidential-nomination contest to increase, not hide, their leverage over the GOP, and Trumps candid remarks on abortion politics have encouraged his rivals to pledge greater allegiance to the cause. Mike Pence and Tim Scott have both leapt to embrace the hard-core position of favoring a national six-week abortion ban. Ron DeSantis has punctuated his effort to run to Trumps right by bragging to Iowans about the six-week ban (deemed too harsh by Trump) he signed in Florida. Its possible Trump will cruise to the nomination without renewing the vows underlying his marriage of convenience to the anti-abortion movement, and abortion will recede as a 2024 campaign issue. But national Democrats, who know a good wedge issue when they see one, almost certainly wont let general-election voters who pledged to protect abortion rights and who worked hard to abolish them. We dont have a partisan breakdown of the vote from Ohio (the state does not have voter registration by party), but there were clear indications the No on Issue 1 coalition included quite a few Republican voters, as did the similar pro-choice coalitions in other states with previous abortion-ballot measures. The Washington Posts Philip Bump has presented county-level data comparing 2020 partisan-vote margins to abortion-ballot measures in Ohio and five other states (California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, and Montana) and the results are striking: In Ohio, about one-fifth of counties that voted for Trump in 2020 opposed Issue 1. The same pattern held in the six states included above. Of the 510 counties included in the analysis, only two counties that voted for Biden in 2020 also opposed access to abortion. Among Trump-voting counties, 81 supported that access. To use the parlance of political observers, abortion, particularly when presented to voters directly, is an effective wedge issue for the left. In a hypothetical Biden-Trump general-election rematch, a significant number of anti-Trump Republicans and Republican-leaning independents will be under pressure to defect to Biden, as a decent number did in 2020. Abandoned pro-choice swing voters of every background will have another reason to conduct their own protest against the GOP, or at least split their tickets. The prominence of the issue will be enhanced in the media and the minds of voters by conspicuous abortion-rights ballot measures that will face 2024 voters in DeSantiss Florida, and perhaps in ultra-battleground Arizona. Its just not a good look for todays allegedly populist, anti-elite GOP to deny people fundamental rights or even the power to determine policies affecting their fundamental rights. Abortion rights could be the populist cause of the next decade or so. Thats a real problem for those who oppose those rights and the Republican political party so many of them call home. Photo: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images For about a week there, it looked like Sam Bankman-Fried was going to get off on one of the most serious charges against him thanks to something of a technicality. When he was facing extradition from the Bahamas last December, the government in Nassau had only agreed to send him to the U.S. on fraud charges for allegedly running a massive cryptocurrency scam at his company FTX. Prosecutors wrote that in order to keep American treaty obligations to the Bahamas, they would scratch the charge that SBF conspired to make illegal political donations designed to put forward industry-friendly crypto legislation in Congress. It did not mean Bankman-Fried was getting away with it, as he still faced a dozen other charges, including securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. But some observers felt that the charge was dropped because he was in too big to fail/jail territory for the campaign-finance donations: A trial could tarnish the reputation of senators who had accepted his campaign donations, including Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, and Susan Collins,. But that speculation is now moot: On Tuesday, prosecutors wrote to Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is overseeing the case, informing him that a superseding indictment coming next week will make clear that Mr. Bankman-Fried remains charged with conducting an illegal campaign finance scheme. The prosecutors intend to include the allegations that tens of millions of dollars in customer deposits were used to make campaign donations as part of the wire-fraud and money-laundering charges. According to the letter, the superseding indictment coming down next week will charge Bankman-Fried with seven out of eight counts he initially faced back in December 2022 wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to defraud the Federal Election Commission. His trial is scheduled for October 2. (In March 2024, he will be on trial again for charges brought later in the investigation, including for allegedly bribing Chinese officials.) As Bankman-Fried awaits the new indictment, hes also waiting to hear back on whether or not he will spend the rest of his time before the trial in jail or in house arrest at his parents $3.5 million Palo Alto home. After he violated his parole several times this year, prosecutors claimed that Bankman-Fried had also engaged in witness tampering by leaking details from the diary of his ex-girlfriend, former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison. Judge Kaplan has not yet made a determination on the matter. The Sissongo bag, the product of a collab between Eadem and Cameroon-based fashion brand OMOL, is named after the tall grass leaves abundant throughout Africa. Made from natural raffia, it comes in green, orange, and burgundy and would be perfect for carrying all your essentials on a night out. You can snag the bag on its own or as part of a bundle that includes the skin-care brands cult-favorite Dew Dream, Milk Marvel, and Cloud Cushion. Job seekers and employers looking for new employees will have a chance to connect Thursday at Lee County's job fair. The Department of Human Resource's job fair will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the Lee County Meeting Center at 205 South 10th St. It will offer networking opportunities, resources for job seekers and onsite interviews. The event will welcome about 45 vendors ranging from Krispy Kreme and T-Mobile to Catholic Social Services and the East Alabama Mental Health Center. There will also entities to help with housing issues, child care assistance, veteran affairs and more. The fair has a registration QR code on its digital and paper flyers, but walk-ins are welcome to attend the event. It has been organized by Antony Yancy, the Alabama Resources for Enrichment, Self-Sufficiency, and Employability Training (A-RESET) case manager at the Lee County DHR. When Yancy took the job in April, he was immediately tasked with hosting a job fair for the DHR. Yancy had previously worked in food assistance and had never hosted a job fair by himself, but he welcomed the challenge and the support from his partnering agencies in the surrounding counties. My partners have been very helpful in carrying some of the water for me," Yancy said. "They helped me with the flyers. Theyre getting the information out. His office has community partners because Yancy is the A-RESET case manager for Lee County, Russell County and Chambers County. His contracted community partners are Childcare Resource Center in Opelika, Circle of Care in the Valley and Chambers County area, Southern Union State Community College and Chosen Family Connections in Russell County. The partners have helped Yancy spread the word about the job fair, contact vendors and highlight small businesses owners at the event. Yancy has invited four owners, including owner of Grandma Vals Lemonade Valarie Canady, to be part of the Entrepreneur Spotlight. So they're going to be there showing how they basically got their business off the ground, Yancy said. I want them to be able to see you can do it for yourself, here are some people who can tell you how they got it out of the mud. Yancy, in conjunction with his four partner agencies, works with almost 200 clients at any one time, and once someone leaves the program there is always another person to take that spot. According to a Lee County DHR press release, there are 17,000 individuals receiving food assistance from SNAP in Lee County alone. Most are employed, but theyre looking for better jobs to become more self-sufficient. That is where Yancy says he does not mind the work load, because he can see his work finally pay off. A lot of them come from situations where not only would they feel like they couldn't do it, but this person before them didn't do it. And this person before him didn't do it, Yancy said. It's rewarding to see them when the light comes on. And they start to believe in themselves, that they can do this. Auburn University will close Cambridge Hall for the entire 2023-24 academic year after heavy rain led to moisture concerns at the off-campus student dormitory. Crews were repairing water intrusion issues from severe summer rainstorms when they discovered additional moisture concerns further exacerbated by significant rainfall and extreme heat and humidity throughout July and early August, said S. Bryan Rush, the associate vice president of Student Affairs at AU. Auburn Housing sent out an email to students on Tuesday notifying them about the issue days after students started arriving to campus to move-in. Following careful considerations with multiple campus safety units and external experts and with abundant caution, we have made the difficult decision to close Cambridge Hall for the 2023-24 academic year, Rush said. The closing was announced just days after Cambridge residents began arriving at Auburn for move-in. Its about a week before classes begin on Aug. 16. The residence hall was expected to house 305 students this year. Cambridge residents were redirected to hotels while Auburn continued to address the water intrusion issues and moisture concerns. The university supplied the hotel accommodations free of charge to the parents and students while they continued to assess the problem. After the closing was announced, Auburn said it will continue to provide the hotels through the end of August. Auburn is doing everything possible to alleviate the inconvenience and stress caused by this situation. Students will continue to have university-provided hotel accommodations through Aug. 30 and a student transition emergency allowance is being provided to assist with the costs associated with securing off-campus housing. The university is working with local property managers to identify, Auburn University said in a statement sent to O-A News. That emergency allowance will be a $5,000 emergency transition payment that will be processed through the students eBill, along with a full reimbursement of students fall 2023 rental payment. Students will also receive an upgraded meal plan of 10 meal swipes per week and an extra $500 in their declining balance. AU has offered university-provided storage to the displaced students, which will be available through Sept. 8. The storage comes with an option for scheduled delivery to students new residences. The college will continue to work with apartment complexes and properties across the area to identify vacancies. There is currently a rolling list of apartments with confirmed vacancies being provided to students and parents. University Housing will also be hosting a virtual property fair for students in search of housing. On day three of the Grady Wayne Wilkes capital murder trial, forensic scientists and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) investigators explained the evidence collected and cataloged from the scene of the May 2019 shooting. On May 19, 2019, four Auburn police officers, Evan Elliot, Ron Askelson, Webb Sistrunk and William Buechner, responded to a domestic disturbance call in Arrowhead Trailer Park off Wire Road in Auburn. After knocking on the door of the trailer, witnesses said Wilkes opened the door wearing body armor and carrying an AR rifle. According to testimony and the body camera footage played in court, Wilkes opened fire on the officers, wounding Elliot and Sistrunk and killing Buechner. Elliot was shot in the elbow. Sistrunk was shot in the shoulder, and Buechner was fatally shot in the shoulder and neck, which injured his spine and lungs. After an overnight man hunt, Wilkes was found and arrested on May 20, 2019. He faces one count of capital murder and three counts of attempted murder. Prosecutors have decided to seek the death penalty. On Monday and Tuesday, jurors heard testimonies from the three surviving officers, other officers that responded to the shooting, Wilkess ex-girlfriend and a witness who was in the park the night of the shooting. Jurors also saw body camera footage, dash camera footage and photos. On Wednesday, Lee County District Attorney Jessica Ventiere brought in several forensic scientists and an ALEA investigator who worked on the case. Jason Dinunzio, with ALEA State Bureau of Investigation, testified that he was brought on to the case shortly after the shooting occurred in 2019. He was responsible for taking photos of the scene, collecting evidence and placing markers at the scene. Dinunzio collected blood samples found around the trailer and gun shell casings. He also recovered the body camera that fell off of Sistrunk and the handguns that Elliot and Sistrunk had dropped. Dinunzio told the jury that he found 11 fired .223 caliber (5.56 caliber) cartridge cases on the trailer porch where Wilkes was living. He collected five cartridge casings of the same caliber on the ground between the cars on the edge of the gravel and three near Wilkess vehicle. Investigators also found two dirt lines in the grass caused by two bullets. Dinunzio said they dug up the grass and dirt and found two projectiles. Ventiere showed the jurors Askelsons police car door, and Dinunzio pointed out the bullet holes and marks from the shooting. Michael Dugan, who works for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in the Firearm and Tool Mark section at the Montgomery laboratory, went into more detail about the firearm and the bullets used in the shooting. The firearm in this case is what is commonly referred to as an AR-style firearm. Its a Smith & Wesson model MP15 5.56 NATO caliber firearm. Its a semi-automatic rifle, Dugan said. With each pull of the trigger, it will fire until the magazine is empty or something malfunctions with the firearm. Dugan said the weapon has two separate safety features, a manual safety that can be turned on or off by the user and an internal safety called a disconnect. If the manual safety is on, the weapon will not fire. The internal safety prevents the firearm from being able to fire in a fully automatic manner, Dugan told the members of the jury. Dugan said a laser sight and a scope were submitted to him with the firearm. He said he examined the rifle and 19 fired cartridge cases collected from the scene. The State rested Wednesday afternoon after Ventiere called their last witness. The trial will continue Thursday at 1 p.m. with a witness called by the defense. ...who gets the money if you sell a company to someone else (besides lawyers I guess)? Reply Thread Link Shareholders, some executives will have unit agreements (as incentive for them to stay in a company that could be sold/isnt profitable yet). Reply Parent Thread Link lawd, I hate this world so much Reply Thread Link Pay your writers and actors you corrupt fucks. Reply Thread Link How about all of these studios stay separate entities but just have deals with each other to share streaming services instead of creating a gazillion different ones and eating each other alive? Reply Thread Link so should I sell my Apple stock before this stupid deal tanks it even more? Reply Thread Link So these networks now can't survive..what a joke. Reply Thread Link the state of antitrust legislation in this country is so laughable Reply Thread Link And if you get mergers blocked by antitrust, they'll just sell a company to private equity which will suck it dry and then close it ASAP. That's totes gonna happen to Simon & Schuster since it's merger into Penguin Random House was blocked (thankfully) so Paramount sold it to a private equity firm that has signaled S&S will have to pay off its debts of over $1 billion ASAP or else. And first thing that's gonna happen will def be job cuts. Reply Parent Thread Link Private Equity: let us launder your money and fly on private jets 5x a day Reply Parent Thread Link I was just thinking that. And Paramount was so short sighted too. Many many books are adapted into media sources right now. You own it. Get that P+ content far easier. Reply Parent Thread Link seriously unreal Reply Parent Thread Link Even worse in Canada. Reply Parent Thread Link what is even the point of the US having anti-trust laws at this point? Reply Thread Link power and control <3 Reply Parent Thread Link Sing it, Marina. Reply Parent Thread Link Selling the channels to apple would probably be the most beneficial move as they don't have a cable presence, but it would not jive with their image and programming, at least with Disney channel. Would it undergo a serious revamp? I mean modern Disney channel isn't for me 90% of the time so it doesn't matter to me, I'd just be interested in how the brand identity changed. I feel like any channel sold to apple would become self serious and dramatic. Reply Thread Link Apple would want the IP, not the networks. The article is floating the idea that theyd load all the channels and local stations they own with debt and sell them off to PE. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah its interesting about what is the Disney brand these days, I was asking a friends relative and her friends (all teenagers) what were their favourite Disney movies and all of them said a film that was Marvel. Whereas I was expecting something Disney animation/princess related because thats the Disney I grew up with. Edited at 2023-08-09 08:36 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Oh that's so interesting to hear and really surprising to me as well. Reply Parent Thread Link well i mean teenagers are less likely to be into core disney stuff than the offshots targeted to them (marvel and star wars) so of course they're gonna say those lol, my niece and nephews (eldest is 7, youngest is 2) love "disney" stuff like micky, encanto, etc Reply Parent Thread Expand Link So shit got too real. So weirded out by this networking busine$$ merge this doesnt end too well Reply Thread Link ANTI-TRUST WHEN Reply Thread Link i still don't think this is going to happen but honestly what the fuck ever if you're gonna lay me off just give me a solid severance Reply Thread Link Looking forward to Disney-Apple-Meta and Alphabet-Microsoft-Walmart one day Reply Thread Link How dare you leave apartheid local man out of this! Reply Parent Thread Link Aramco is going to buy it So sorry Aramco-tesla. The US may stop the sale of space x Reply Parent Thread Link Walphasoft rolls right off the tongue Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah, it feels like its all turning into Amazooglesoft or something. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link "AOL-Time-Warner-Pepsico-Viacom-Hallibur ton-Skynet-Toyota-Trader-Joe's" indeed Reply Parent Thread Link okay... who cares? Reply Thread Link literally why are yall so upset? Reply Parent Thread Link Imagine playing monopoly but a player (who isn't you) owns everything and you still have to play. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Back in June, the chief executive of Danish wind turbine major rsted said the British government needed to provide more financial support for the wind industry because of rising costs. Then, Siemens Gamesa, the wind power unit of Siemens Energy, began issuing warnings about its business performance due to failures in the wind turbines it produced. Last month, Swedish Vattenfall pulled out one of the biggest offshore wind projects in the UK. The utility cited soaring costs that made the project unviable. Higher costs, technology problems, and persistent supply chain problems have turned into a triple curse for the wind industry, not without its own help: wind, like solar, has been marketed as much cheaper than alternatives. The latest news from the sector suggests the industry is only now remembering it also needs to make a profit in addition to wind farms. If a project which is by far the biggest in the world, with all these opportunities, can only become investable after having worked intensively for a year with everything, its hopefully also a stark reminder to the British government that something must change. This is how the chief executive of rsted, Mads Nipper, put things when he complained the British government was not providing enough support for the companys projects. The reason that rsted and other wind developers are unhappy with the British government is that it is offering them fixed prices for the electricity their wind parks will produce in the future. The reason the governmentand European governments as wellis offering fixed prices is that wind is supposed to be cheap, and politicians need to bring their voters bills down. Yet costs in the wind power industry have jumped by between 20% and 40% since February 2022, the Financial Times reported in June. And the fixed price for wind-generated electricity sealed in government contracts before is no longer high enough for the developers to stay in the black. It is inconceivable that others are not having a difficult time, rsteds Nipper said at the time and he was right. Barely a month after he made his complaints speaking to the FT, the same outlet reported Vattenfall had quit the Norfolk Boreas project after it saw its costs soar by 40%. What we see today, it simply doesnt make sense to continue this project, Vattenfall chief executive Anna Borg said at the time. Its important to invest only when our return requirements are met, she added. With Norfolk Boreas, thats not the case any more. While this was happening, executives from Siemens Energy predicted the company would probably manage to soften the blow from its wind turbine business and glide through its financial problems with relatively moderate losses. They were proven extremely wrong earlier this month when the wind turbine makers parent, Siemens Energy, reported a loss of over $3 billion for the latest quarter and said it would likely book a full-year loss of almost $5 billion, or 4.5 billion euro. The chief executive of Siemens Gamesa, the wind turbine-producing arm of the parent company, summed things up: We sold turbines too quickly [that] had not been sufficiently tested. So, the wind industry is grappling with, on the one hand, significantly higher costs and, on the other, turbine failures. The only solution they seem to see as possible is more government support. And, hypothetically, higher electricity prices for end consumers to make their projects viable again. Meanwhile, BP delivered something of a slap in the face of the wind industry by announcing it would build two offshore wind projects in the Irish Sea without any government support. The report came out earlier this month, and Bloomberg noted in its coverage that The move would be unusual for a market that has always relied on government subsidies for construction. ADVERTISEMENT Indeed, the move would be highly unusual if it came from the wind farm industry. Yet it comes from a Big Oil major that has been raking in billions in the past 12 months thanks to higher oil and gas prices. BP can afford to invest in offshore wind without subsidies. Even if it makes a financial loss, it getspotentiallybetter green credentials. A Big Oil major can afford to take a hit. Big Wind majors, it seems, cannot. Also BP, in partnership with TotalEnergies this time, recently won a $14-billion tender for the construction of an offshore wind park in Germany. Wind power companies could not compete with that bid, it seems. Its little wonder, given their cost troubles. The implications of these troubles may be serious. First, it would slow down the planned pace of new wind power capacity additions in Europe, jeopardizing ambitious targets. Second, it might see the wind industry squeezed on its own turf by Big Oil, which, thanks to its oil profits, can take bigger risks than wind power companies. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Lake Maracaibo, which is South Americas oldest lake and forms part of a crucial regional ecosystem, is dying. The five thousand square miles ecologically diverse body of water, which is home to 145 species of fish, sits at the heart of one of the worlds richest petroleum-producing regions. The lake formed around 36 million years ago and is considered the largest natural lake in South America despite being connected to the Caribbean Sea. Over a century of oil production in Venezuelas prolific 25,000 square mile Maracaibo Basin, where over 30 billion barrels of crude oil have been lifted, has left Lake Maracaibo heavily polluted. Thin films of oil and algae blooms frequently coat the lakes surface, while petroleum slicks are regular occurrences. Due to the magnitude of pollution, which intensified after Hugo Chavez launched his 1999 socialist Bolivarian revolution, the damage now appears irreversible. Lake Maracaibo is situated near the center of the Maracaibo Basin. The first petroleum discovery in the geological body was made in 1914 at the town of Mene Grande, which was followed by Royal Dutch Shell discovering the La Rosa oilfield in 1922. By 1928 commercial oil deposits under Lake Maracaibo had been identified. It is estimated that the Maracaibo Basin contains a fifth of Venezuelas vast oil reserves, which at 303 billion barrels, are the worlds largest and responsible for roughly two-thirds of the crisis-torn countrys petroleum production. Estimates vary, but it is believed there are up to 44 billion barrels of crude oil contained in the geological body which have yet to be discovered. There are reputedly more than 10,000 oil-related installations dotted around Lake Maracaibo and along with thousands of miles of petroleum industry pipelines crisscrossing the body of water. Much, if not all, of that aging energy industry infrastructure, including pipelines, storage tanks and derricks, has fallen into disrepair, leaving it heavily corroded and steadily leaking crude oil into the lake. According to a 2021 North American Space Agency (NASA) report, most of the crude oil entering Lake Maracaibo is coming from a vast network of aging submerged pipelines that have fallen into disrepair and are not even mapped. Oil spills are also coming from above-ground storage tanks, drilling platforms and transportation vessels. The situation is so severe that in June 2023, the Venezuelan environmental group, the Blue Environmentalists Foundation, known in Spanish as Fundacion Azul Ambientalistas (Spanish), warned of a state of emergency at Lake Maracaibo. According to the conservation group, founded in 1986 at the University of Zulia in Maracaibo, oil slicks are responsible for the widespread death of marine wildlife in what was once a highly biodiverse body of water. For years, local fishermen who make their living from Lake Maracaibo have complained of a persistent black sludge coating their boats, equipment, clothing and catches. At the end of each workday, those fishermen not only have to clean oil from there but are forced to use raw gasoline to remove the oil sludge from their hands and equipment, leaving them with prickly rashes. Crude oil oozing into Lake Maracaibo from rickety and heavily corroded infrastructure isnt the only problem. An array of frequent algae and duckweed blooms are also choking the lake causing oxygen levels to fall and killing marine life. In the latest development, a thick greenish film, known locally as verdin, is coating up to 70% of Lake Maracaibo (Spanish). This is the result of a photosynthetic organism, cyanobacteria which is tolerant to oil and is feeding on excess nutrients in Lake Maracaibo. The film prevents light from entering the lakes waters, creating an aquatic greenhouse effect. This, along with the organism emitting a toxin, is killing whatever marine life is left in Lake Maracaibo. The verdin outbreak saw the Blue Environmentalist Foundation declare that the water bodys ecology is collapsing (Spanish) with claims that a combination of the verdin and frequent oil spills has led to parts of the estuary being filled with dead zones that have no marine life. The frequency of oil spills in and around Lake Maracaibo is only growing as the autocratic Maduro regime desperately seeks to squeeze every barrel of oil out of operational assets. The Venezuelan Observatory of Environmental Human Rights (OVDHA) estimated in a 2022 report that 1,000 barrels of oil per day are being discharged into Lake Maracaibo. The Observatory of Political Ecology of Venezuela counted 86 oil spills across the country during 2022 (Spanish) compared to 77 a year earlier. More than a third of those 2022 spills, 31 in total, occurred in the state of Zulia in or around Lake Maracaibo. A member of the observatory Elsa Rodriguez, said, There are more and more reports of spills,. She then went on to say that many spills go unreported, which along with national oil company PDVSA refusing to provide official data and Carcas failure to acknowledge spills, makes it impossible to quantify the true scale of the catastrophe. The rising volume of oil oozing into Lake Maracaibo has paralyzed the local fishing and tourism industries from which local communities eke a living. This is destroying what is left of the local economy in a country suffering from a deep and long-running economic crisis. The ongoing leakage of crude oil into Lake Maracaibo, combined with a dearth of clean-up efforts, means that after more than two decades, the damage could very well be irreversible. The latest announcement from Maduro that he has allocated resources to clean-up efforts and created a special plan of attention (Spanish) for the recovery of Lake Maracaibo underscores the gravity of the situation. Nonetheless, it is too little too late in a country where a dictatorial regime is determined to pump as much crude oil as possible regardless of the degradation that occurs. This is aggravating the already colossal environmental catastrophe underway in Venezuela. By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com ADVERTISEMENT More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: At some point, fossil fuel sales will stop growing. How soon? You can make the projections, the ones that start with overall demand, and the ones that look at each individual use of fuel. We suggest that you might assess their plausibility using a simpler technique. Years ago at an economic seminar, we witnessed one of the worlds greatest econometricians fill an entire blackboard (they had them then) with equations to explain the growth of the economy. Another economist rose to say that he could explain the economy as well with five equations. Then he said he could do an even better job of projecting by connecting the points with a ruler and extending the line. So, lets get out the ruler. Figure 1 shows the relationship between real gross domestic product, population and energy consumption for the world, real numbers through 2022 and an estimate for 2027 made by extending the lines. Figure 1. World GDP, population and gross domestic product (2012 = 100) These trends have prevailed for decades. Energy demand (grey line) grows less than half as much as the economy (blue line), but slightly faster than population (green line). It is difficult to argue convincingly that something will come along big enough to upend these relationships over the short term. After all, the bulk of the buildings, vehicles, machinery and people that account for most of the energy consumption are already in place, and demand patterns change slowly. In 2012-2022, global real GDP grew at 3.0% per year, energy demand at 1.4% per year, and population at 1.1% per year. Related: Iraq Unwilling To Resume Crude Exports From Kurdistan To Turkey That tells us about the global demand for energy but not about the primary energy sources. Figure 2 breaks down the production by fuel, mainly oil, coal, and natural gas. Figure 2. Global fuel mix (2012, 2017 and 2022) in exajoules You might conclude, rightly, that, in the main, nothing much changed. Nuclear power has gone nowhere, and probably wont revive for a while longer, given the time it takes to build a nuclear generating plant. The really attractive hydro locations have already been dammed up and the difficulty of siting new ones has slowed development, so do not expect much from hydro either. Coal demand has held up, thanks to Chinese demand and the rush to burn coal due to the Ukraine wars destruction of normal supply chains. But there is little pressure to build new coal plants and a lot of pressure to close old ones down. Over the ten-year period, oil consumption has grown 0.8% per year, natural gas 1.7% per year, and renewables 12.5% per year. Now for a few vital statistics which we will extend to 2027 using the ruler technique. The extrapolated renewable estimate for 2027 is relatively close to international government agency projections made by examining the plans of developers. Once the renewables get into service, they, like hydro and nuclear generation, go to the front of the line in the power dispatch queue, displacing fossil-fueled generation either because they have a preference or they are cheaper. That means they will have an immediate impact on usage of coal and natural gas, both electric power-generating fuels, rather than on oil, which does not count much in electric generation. What might affect the accuracy of these projections? The strength of the economy certainly would. A stronger economy would require more energy, and with hydro and nuclear fixed and large scale renewables requiring several years of preparation, fossil fuels would have to fill the gap. A weaker economy, of course, would require less fossil fuel consumption. European government initiatives to reduce energy demand might succeed, too. And the recent launch of so many hydrogen production projects could raise renewable output and dampen demand for fossil fuels. And there is always war to upend projections. Bottom line: it looks as if fossil fuel consumption as a whole slows down and peaks in five years (more or less), but oil will peak later because, initially, the renewable boom will reduce the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation faster than electrification of transportation. ADVERTISEMENT Business implications: if you are planning a big project, something like a pipeline for Vaca Muerta or to connect eastern Mediterranean gas to Europe, think about the implications of dumping a big new supply into a barely growing market. Will you get the price you want and your money out quickly enough? Just asking. By Leonard Hyman and William Tilles for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: While oil markets continue to paint OPEC+ cuts as bullish, these actions can just as easily be interpreted as signals of continued weak demand through the end of the year. The assumption that the global economy is set for a soft landing is one that shouldnt be taken for granted, with plenty of worrying signals in the market. Oil prices have surged recently, with headlines promising $100 oil before the end of the year, but there are plenty of bearish factors that traders cant afford to ignore. Oil prices have recently experienced a notable surge, marking a shift from their extended stay in bearish territory. A combination of OPEC+ committing to output reductions, a substantial withdrawal from crude oil inventories, and optimism regarding the potential of a soft landing for the global economy appear to be the primary driving forces behind this rally. This optimism, however, appears to ignore the plethora of bearish factors that remain in play in todays oil market. Over the past six weeks, both Brent and WTI have seen significant gains of 15.4% and 18.2%, respectively. A central factor contributing to this upswing is OPEC+'s ongoing commitment to reducing production. This development can be analyzed in two ways. On one hand, the persistence of production cuts implies impending supply constraints, thus signaling a bullish trend. On the other hand, these supply reductions stem from concerns surrounding oil demand. As elucidated in my recent article, there is plenty of reasons to interpret these output cuts as bearish rather than bullish. Clear indications of a global economic slowdown are emerging, yet these signals are conveniently being disregarded by oil bulls. For instance, the US non-manufacturing PMI dropped from 53.9 to 52.7 in June. Concurrently, the manufacturing PMI has sustained a nine-month downward trajectory a streak of losses unseen since the 2008 Financial Crisis. The Conference Board's Leading Economic Index (LEI) accentuates this downturn, recently sliding from 106.9 in May to 106.1 in June an unprecedented 15-month consecutive decline, marking the lengthiest continuous decline since 2009. Economic activity in the Eurozone is similarly facing a decline. The region's economic performance has suffered a significant blow in recent months, evidenced by a sharp decrease in business output. The HCOB flash PMI, a pivotal indicator for business output, has revealed a noteworthy drop, signifying the most substantial contraction over the past eight months, starting from July. The Flash Eurozone Composite PMI Output Index dwindled from 50 in June to 48.9 in July, reflecting a second successive reduction in activity following five months of growth. The Eurozone's PMI has fallen to 42.7 from June's 43.6, compared to 49.3 last year. New orders have plunged to levels unseen since 2009, while service sector orders experienced their initial decline in seven months. The slowdown has also manifested in labor markets, with work backlogs hitting their lowest point since February 2013. Germany, the cornerstone of the European economy, continues to grapple with significant challenges. The economy contracted by 0.1 percent in the first quarter of 2023, alongside its manufacturing PMI plummeting to a 38-month low of 41. Drastic declines in new work orders, owing to reduced demand and weak economic activity, have been observed. Job creation has also been severely impacted, now at its lowest point in two years. China, the world's second-largest economy, has consistently disappointed investors and analysts as its post-COVID reopening failed to gain momentum. The country recently reported another widespread decline in business activity, with its PMI reaching 49.3 in Julymarginally higher than June's 49. Since March 2022, the index has indicated contraction (below 50) for 12 out of the 17 months thus far. Moreover, the various measures aimed at stimulating growth within China have proven insufficient. ADVERTISEMENT In light of these compelling indicators, it becomes evident that the global economy is treading toward a recession. Given these circumstances, the production cuts should not be interpreted as a sign of supply shortage; rather, they underscore the concerns that contribute to an imminent decline in demand. Consequently, the ongoing oil price rally is likely temporary. I project a ceiling of around $90, with substantial resistance likely around $85. The likelihood of the US entering a recession increases as we approach the end of 2023. The global market sentiment currently appears muddledan aspect I monitor through the Market Sentiment Tracker for Primary Vision Network. I anticipate that bearish sentiment will soon prevail, coupled with profit-taking, ultimately causing oil prices to plummet to the lower $70s or mid $60s. My expectation is that oil prices will reach the lower $60s before the year concludes. By Osama Rizvi for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The oil industry, including companies BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies, was the industry that suffered the greatest financial losses from leaving Russia, an analysis by the Financial Times has revealed. Out of total losses of some 100 billion euro, or some $110 billion, the losses incurred by Big Oil majors account for about 40%. Next were utilities, which account for over 15% of the total losses. BP last year booked an impairment cost of $24 billion on its Russian business after it left the country. The supermajor had a minority stake in Rosneft. The 19.75% interest accounted for around 50% of BPs total oil and gas reserves and a third of its oil and gas production. Shell reported a writedown of $5 billion on its exit from Russia last year but said that would not affect its oil and gas profits. It was one of the first companies to declare it would leave Russia after the Ukraine invasion. TotalEnergies, on the other hand, was slow to exit. The French supermajor had a stake in an LNG project led by Novatek and, in late 2022, Total said it would drop it and leave, taking an impairment of $3.7 billion since it could not sell it back to Novatek because of the Western sanctions on Russia. Related: Indias Imports Of Saudi Crude Oil Plunge By 34% Earlier in the year, TotalEnergies said it would incur an impairment of some $4.1 billion on its exit from Russia, to be booked in its first-quarter 2022 report. The biggest portion of that impairment came from the Arctic LNG 2 project of Novatek and the reduction in gas reserves TotalEnergies had to book with its pullout. According to FT calculations, TotalEnergies total cost of leaving Russia came in at $14.8 billion. Yet these were only the direct hits to the supermajors. The Financial Times studied their more recent financial reports to calculate the losses, meaning those impairment charges were just the start. The calculations also did not include the surge in oil and gas prices last year. That surge certainly benefited oil and gas companies, somewhat cushioning the blow for BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies, but at the same time, it delivered a blow to all other companies that had already booked billions in losses from their pullout from Russia. Meanwhile, BP, Shell, and Total booked the biggest individual writedowns on their Russian operations when they left because of the size of their exposure to the local oil and gas industry. Yet higher oil and gas prices more than made up for those impairments as the three booked a combined 95 billion euro in profits, equal to some $104 billion and more than twice as high as the combined impairment costs of around $40 billion. Carmakers such as Volkswagen and Renault, as well as chemicals producers, also suffered hefty losses from their exit from Russia. But there are also some multinational majors such as Nestle and Unilever that remain in Russia. Banks, including Unicredit and Raiffeisen, also continue to operate in the country, although both have said they were looking for a buyer for their Russian businesses. Utility companies such as Uniper and Wintershall Dea also lost billions from leaving Russia, with the total cost coming in at 14.7 billion euro, equal to about $16 billion. Even so, more than half of European businesses that were operating in Russia prior to 2022 remain in the country, according to the Kiyv School of Economics, a research institute. Prior to 2022, these totaled 1,871 entities, according to the KSE data. ADVERTISEMENT A couple of Japanese energy majors also remain in Russia despite G7 sanctions, to which Japan is a party. The government in Tokyo last year judged the stakes Japanese companies held in the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 oil and gas projects as critical for the countrys energy security. As a result, the Japanese shareholders in these projects were offered to retain their stakes, which they did. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Almost twenty years to the day after Ambassador Joseph Wilson wrote his op-ed What I Didnt Find in Africa about his visit to Niger to confirm if the country was supplying Saddam Hussein with uranium yellowcake, the U.S. found itself again focused on the African country. On 26 July, Nigers president, Mohamed Bazoum, was ousted by his presidential guard, and the guard commander and coup leader, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, was named president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland. It was the seventh coup in the region since 2020, not including a previous attempt in Niger in 2021 that was put down by the same presidential guard. The coup was condemned by the U.S., France, the UK, the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, numerous African governments, and ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States. The ECOWAS deadline to reinstate President Bazoum was ignored by the generals, and Nigers new leaders closed the countrys airspace and accused foreign powers of preparing to attack. ECOWAS leaders will now meet in Nigeria on Thursday to discuss next steps. Last week, the ECOWAS military leaders prepared a plan to reinstate President Bazoum, which will probably be discussed at the Thursday meeting. However, the Nigerian Senate has rejected military intervention in Niger and without Nigeria, which has a 1,600 kilometer border and the largest military in the region, nothing will happen. Last week, the deputy leader of the military government visited Mali to request the "rapid deployment of Wagner forces to [Niger] to help the military regime. And Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said his troops would be able to help Niger - what one researcher called a nightmare scenario for the U.S. in Africas Sahel region. Related: Iraq Unwilling To Resume Crude Exports From Kurdistan To Turkey The military government in Niamey received pledges of support from neighbors Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea. Algeria condemned the coup, and Libya said the takeover was not acceptable. However, last week the chief of staff of the Algerian Army visited Moscow for a meeting with Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu and Niger was surely discussed. According to the BBC, Wagner Group appeared in Libya in 2019, backing General Khalifa Haftar, a longtime U.S. asset. Libya, whatever it said last week will be focused, first and foremost, on avoiding another surge in refugees that followed the 2011 NATO attack on the Ghaddafi government. If Wagner can revive its network in Libya, Russia may have a secure overland route and air corridor to Niger. If Algeria and Libya allow the transshipment of material to Niger possibly to restore order and prevent another exodus of refugees to Europe the coup government would garner significant relief and access to the sea lanes. Media concern has focused on the fact that Niger is a supplier of uranium, and is a key supplier to France, though France also buys uranium from Kazakhstan. The French nuclear fuel cycle company, Orano, which operates a uranium mine in Niger reported its operations were not hindered or endangered. Though uranium attracts more news coverage, Nigers biggest export is gold, which accounted for over 70% of exports in 2021. The military government reportedly halted uranium and gold exports to France, though Reuters later reported that Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso not halting exports of uranium and gold. One thing that got halted, however, is the $13 billion USD, 5,600-kilometer Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) which was slated to deliver 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to Europe. The pipeline would riun from Warri, Nigeria, via Niger, to the Hassan RMel gas hub in Algeria where it would connect to existing gas pipelines to Europe. The pipeline is a joint effort by Algeria, Nigeria, and Niger, and in July 2022 the countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of the pipeline. The delay of the project comes at a bad time for Europe as it recently lost gas from the Nord Stream pipelines due to sabotage, and the East Med pipeline after the U.S. government killed it by raising environmental objections. The two pipelines were expected to deliver 120 bcm of gas per year. After the loss of Nord Stream, Europe was forced to import liquified natural gas (LNG) from the U.S. at a higher price than it was paying the Russians. The presence of Wagner troops in Niger is enough to stop the pipeline unless someone steps in, a country like China for example, which is typically risk averse, but has a long history in Africa, but may be interested in scooping up another 30 bcm of gas every year. The three founding governments havent foreclosed additional partners but a previous Algerian energy minister said, "only partners that can bring something to the project, not just money, should be there." Of course, it might be easier for China to just add capacity in Nigeria where it is a major investor, but Nigeria is also unstable due to an ongoing insurgency in the Niger Delta. And Russia may get a vote, or a piece of the action, as the military government in Niger has aligned itself with Moscow with its request for the intervention of Wagner PMC, and Moscow will want to capitalize on the goodwill from the Russia-Africa Summit in July, which ended with no revived grain deliveries (yet) but Russia did cancel $23 billion in debt. On the other hand, sending the gas north will allow Beijing to deepen relations with Morocco, Algeria, and Libya, the latter of which has agreed to coordinate its national development plans with Beijings Belt and Road Initiative via the Five Year Plan for China Arab Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation (2022-2026) in recognition of Chinas long-term economic involvement in Libya. China is now developing Algerias El Hamdania Central Port, Algerias largest and first deep-water port. China also helped complete the 750-mile East-West Highway connecting Algeria to Morocco and Tunisia, and about 1,000 Chinese companies operate in Algeria, their way eased by the wavier of the 51/49 requirement that required majority Algerian ownership of all new businesses with the exception of strategic sectors. According to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, Algeria has the worlds 11th - and 16th -largest proven reserves of natural gas and oil, respectively, and was the 10th-largest natural gas producer as of 2019. It is also estimated to have the worlds 3rd -largest recoverable shale gas reserves. The country exports 85% of its gas to Europe. ADVERTISEMENT Algeria has the fourth-largest economy in Africa with a 2021 GDP of $167.98 billion. Oil and gas income increased by 70% in the first half of 2022, and energy income is expected to total $50 billion by end of year. The World Bank reported Algerias economy expanded by 3.9% year-on-year during the first nine months of 2021, after contracting by 5.5% in 2020, largely due to increased European gas demand. Hydrocarbons account for 95 percent of export revenues and about 40 percent of government income. If China doesnt take the gas but agrees to deliver it to Europe it will increase its influence there, just as the U.S. did by increasing deliveries of LNG after it stopped the Nord Stream and EastMed pipelines. The European Union seeks a long-term strategic partnership for natural gas and electricity with Algeria. And France is seeking to repair relations via economic cooperation, though China is now Algerias biggest trade partner. If Europe expects more energy from Algeria or elsewhere in Africa, though, it may have to pay up to finance expansion of production, or participate in the TSGP, though that may be opposed by Washington if it will dent lucrative U.S. liquified natural gas sales to Europe or offer relief to Niger. And France may find it cramped in the cockpit if it has to share participation with China. Ideally, the U.S. should be interested in anything that brings more oil and gas online and stabilizes the market. But it also has to consider if its involvement in Niger would help prop up Frances troubled colonial empire in Africa, or to give China entree to more opportunities in Africa, a region it has habitually ignored and will again as soon as Niger is sorted out or at least fades from the front page. By James Durso for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: China joined international diplomatic talks in Saudi Arabia on August 6 for a two-day summit with officials from 40 countries designed to find a framework for peace in Ukraine. But does it signal a new tack for Beijing? Finding Perspective: China sent its special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, who offered support for the summit and called for another round of talks through the format that includes countries from the West and across the Global South. The summit -- which also included representatives from the European Union, India, and the United States -- excluded Russia and centered upon putting momentum behind a 10-point peace formula developed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Several observers saw China's presence as a sign that it was willing to play a more constructive role in pushing for peace talks, but there's plenty of signals that show Beijing is playing its own game here. China unveiled its own 12-point peace document in February and Alexander Gabuev, the director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, was skeptical that Beijing was changing its stance on the war, arguing that while the economic and reputational costs for standing by Russia are rising, the longer term strategic calculations of keeping Russia by its side remain the same for China. This was reaffirmed when Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on August 8 and assured him that China hadn't wavered on its partnership with Moscow. Why It Matters: China is hoping that it can use its diplomatic track record and openness to dialogue on Ukraine to cement its status as the Global South's superpower and showcase its leadership credentials in the process. Mark Leonard, the director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in a recent article for Politico that think tankers and policymakers in China are focused on appearing constructive around ending the war while at the same time ensuring that Moscow will continue to stand by Beijing in rewriting the Western-led world order. The focal point for establishing this new non-Western order are the so-called "nonaligned" countries across Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere in the Global South -- many of the same ones that were in Saudi Arabia over the weekend. Beijing has invested tens of billions of dollars over the last decade in boosting its global image and it has so far yielded mixed results, according to a series of new polls. A recent Pew Research poll found that two-thirds of respondents from the 24 countries surveyed viewed China unfavorably, while only 28 percent held a favorable opinion. Anti-China sentiment has also reached new highs in Argentina, India, and Brazil, according to the poll. But there are important divisions here. The majority of the countries surveyed were Western, with African countries like Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa showing much more favorable views of China in comparison. While souring public opinion in the West and countries like India marks its own type of foreign policy failure for China, the story is different in Africa and the Middle East. Public opinion polls by Afrobaromter and Arab Barometer, show that majorities in Africa and the Middle East tend to view China favorably -- although, the Afrobarometer data found that both China and the United States were slipping in recent years as competition between them accelerates. ADVERTISEMENT These global divisions and the larger battle for hearts and minds have now carried over to the diplomatic stage around Ukraine. By RFE/RL More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: ADNOC Gas, the natural gas unit of the UAEs state energy giant ADNOC, has awarded a $3.6 billion contract to expand its gas processing infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates. The contract was awarded to a joint venture between Abu Dhabis National Petroleum Construction Company Co. PJSC (NPCC) and Tecnicas Reunidas of Spain. The scope of the contract includes the commissioning of new gas processing facilities which will enable an optimized supply to the Ruwais Industrial Complex. This capital project represents ADNOC Gas latest investment in its gas processing infrastructure and underscores our commitment to responsibly meeting our customers current and future energy demand for natural gas and its feedstock, said Ahmed Mohamed Alebri, Chief Executive Officer of ADNOC Gas. ADNOC is betting on natural gas at home and abroad and works under a plan to boost production and exports. The plan includes new approaches and technologies to enable increased gas recovery from existing fields and develop untapped resources, ADNOC Gas says. ADNOC Gas reported last week revenues of $10.6 billion for the first half of 2023, compared to Pro Forma Adjusted Revenue of $13.3 billion for the same period of 2022. The lower revenues were the result of the pricing environment. Our recent signing of significant long-term LNG agreements and our domestic investments demonstrate that we remain ideally positioned to meet both local and international demand, while further decarbonizing our operations in line with the UAEs Net-Zero 2050 ambition, as we continue to deliver value for our shareholders over the longer-term, Ahmed Alebri, Chief Executive Officer of ADNOC Gas, said last week. Also last week, ADNOC announced it would buy 30% of the Absheron gas field in the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan by acquiring stakes from the current partners in the field, TotalEnergies and SOCAR. After completion of the transaction, TotalEnergies and SOCAR will each own 35% in Absheron, and ADNOC will have 30% in the gas and condensate field, where first gas was achieved last month. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com ADVERTISEMENT More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Canadian government is considering the sale of a stake in the troubled Trans Mountain pipeline project to Indigenous communities. Per a report by Bloomberg, which cited documents from the office of Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland, Ottawa is prepared to fund the sale itself so the communities dont risk their own money. The news breaks days after Reuters reported that the federal government in Canada had guaranteed some $2.2 billion worth of new loans for the expansion projects, which have encountered cost overruns and delays due to strong environmentalist and political opposition. Fierce opposition in British Columbia eventually forced Kinder Morgan, the project operator, to reconsider its commitment to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline, which would increase the daily capacity of the pipeline to 890,000 barrels per day from 300,000 bpd. Back in 2018, the government of Canada reached an agreement with Kinder Morgan to buy the Trans Mountain expansion project and related pipeline and terminal assets. Over the past few years, the price tag for the expansion project has ballooned from an initial C$7.4 billion, or $5.5 billion, to some C$30.9 billion, equal to around $23 billion. The guarantees come a year after Ottawa guaranteed C$10 billion in loans for the project, equal to some $7 billion. Yet although the government took the Trans Mountain project off Kinder Morgans hands, it never intended to be the permanent owner of the project. Reports about indigenous stakeholding are not new but so far this has not translated into actions. Now, per the documents cited by Bloomberg, the federal government plans to set up a special investment vehicle for the stake purchase, with the possibility for the vehicle to be used more than once for further stake purchases. ADVERTISEMENT Some Canadian oil companies are making higher production plans in anticipation of the pipeline expansion already, even though most of their oil will likely continue going south instead of west to Asia. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Assets under management of sovereign wealth funds in the Gulf Cooperation Council have expanded to $4 trillion over the past two years driven by higher oil prices. This is the outtake of a report from S&P Global, as carried by The National, which noted that the amount is greater than the combined sovereign wealth fund assets of Asia, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa. GCC sovereign wealth funds have largely benefitted from external surpluses generated by the latest energy revenue windfall across the region to increase their global footprint and deepen their foray into global markets through diversified sectoral buys, S&P Global Market Intelligence MENA principal economist Jamil Naayem said, as quoted by The National. Oil prices soared last year following Russias invasion of Ukraine and although they have since declined significantly, benchmarks are still much higher than they were two years ago. As a result of these swelling assets under management, Gulf Cooperation Council sovereign wealth funds are making substantial investments, too, the report revealed. Last year, of the 10 largest investment deals with the participation of state entities, five came from GCC sovereign wealth funds. Of these, the UAE accounted for 62% of the total capital poured into these investments, while Saudi Arabia accounted for 28%. Qatar accounted for 10%. Although investments in large advanced economies and prominent emerging markets are likely to continue in the next few years, GCC SWFs will also recycle part of the petrodollar inflows in peer Middle East and North African economies in need of external financing. Egypt and Turkey are a case in point, S&Ps Naayem also said. In addition to a fuller investment war chest, the Gulf and the UAE specifically has enjoyed a strong year in listings, too. Early this year, the state oil and gas major, ADNOC, listed its gas division, which brought the countrys listing proceeds for the first quarter alone to $2.3 billion. That sent the UAE to the top spot for IPO proceeds in the region. ADVERTISEMENT By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Iran expects to increase its oil production by 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) to reach 3.5 million bpd output by the end of next month, the head of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said on Wednesday. At the time when the current Iranian administration took office in 2021, the country was producing 2.2 million bpd of oil, NIOCs chief executive Mohsen Khojastehmehr was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency. Iranian oil output is set to hit 3.5 million bpd by the end of the Iranian month of Shahrivar, or September 22, 2023, the executive added. Last month, Iran was already producing 3.1 million bpd of oil, the highest level in nearly five years, a member of the energy committee at the Iranian Parliament said in July. Iran has boosted output by nearly 1 million bpd since President Ebrahim Raisi took office in August 2021. Iranian oil production increased from 2.2 million bpd back then to 3.1 million now, Hossein Hosseinzadeh, a member of the energy committee at the Iranian Parliament, the Majlis, told Iranian news agency IRNA. According to estimates by Argus, the last time Iran produced that much oil was in October 2018. That was the year in which then-U.S. President Donald Trump re-imposed sanctions on Irans oil exports after withdrawing the United States from the nuclear deal. Per OPECs secondary sources in its latest Monthly Oil Market Report, Iranian crude oil production stood at 2.754 million bpd in June, up by 56,000 bpd compared to May, and higher than the 2022 average of 2.554 million bpd. Iran itself has not reported production figures to OPEC since the U.S. sanctions on its oil industry returned in 2018. ADVERTISEMENT The higher oil production in recent months has been supported by stronger Iranian exports to China, Venezuela, and Syria. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, neighbors to the north looked on with a blend of anxiety and dismay. Fast-forward two years and Kazakhstan has just finished giving the red carpet treatment to a Taliban delegation for a business forum that took place in Astana on August 2-3. The event, which was attended by 300 officials and private sector representatives from both countries, produced $200 million in commercial deals that mainly comprised commitments by Kazakhstan to supply Afghanistan with grain and flour. Artur Akhmetov, head of Altyn Grain Group, an exporter of agricultural products, told reporters that his company had signed a contract with the Afghans to supply them with wheat worth $23 million, equivalent to 100,000 tons, per year. The deal comes as a relief to local grain exporters who have been fighting a losing battle against their Russian peers. At a recent roundtable of the Grain Union of Kazakhstan, Alexander Malov, a representative of the lobby group, complained that Kazakhstan has over the past few years lost considerable ground to cheap Russian exports in Kyrgyzstan and Iran. The certainty of future food deliveries from Kazakhstan is also a relief to Kabul. Last year, Afghanistan imported 1.28 million tons of Kazakh flour, becoming one of the top three buyers of the commodity, along with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan alone buys up some 70 percent of Kazakh flour exports. Kazakhstan in turn imports mainly sweet, non-alcoholic drinks from Afghanistan. In the hope of advancing its agenda of boosting grain exports to Afghanistan, Kazakhstan is pressing for timely construction of a grain terminal on Turkmenistans eastern border. The ascendancy of the Taliban did little to constrain economic relations between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. Bilateral trade last year rose to $1 billion, twice as much as in 2021, the year that the Taliban seized power. Astana says it wants that figure to rise to $3 billion by some unspecified date in the future. Kazakhstan aspires to hit that target through diversification. Trade and Integration Minister Serik Zhumangarin said at the Astana business forum that Kazakh exporters intend to supply Afghanistan with more "food products, petrochemical, chemical, metallurgical, light, machine-building industry goods" worth $500 million. Media have reported that the food exports will also include beef, lamb, ready-made flour, and confectionery products. Zhumangarin stressed that the Afghan market is important for Kazakhstan not only because of its large population of 40 million, but also because it has access to large markets in nearby Pakistan and India, as well as the Middle East, which Kazakhstan is especially eager to cultivate as an export destination. The warmth of the Kazakh governments dealings with the Taliban has left some perplexed, however. The arrival of the Afghan delegation in Astana generated a flurry of wry online commentary about how the same government that had dubbed demonstrators involved in the January 2022 unrest as terrorists was now greeting members of an organization that is still legally designated a terrorist group with open arms. When quizzed by journalists on this point, deputy General Prosecutor Zhandos Umiraliyev conceded that the Taliban indeed remains a proscribed organization in Kazakhstan. ADVERTISEMENT [This ruling] still holds legal force today. The idea of it being revised has not yet been raised. But at the same time, I would like to inform you that, according to the Foreign Ministry, in order to counter threats to regional security, our country is committed to the sustainable development and stability of Afghanistan, Umiraliyev said. Meanwhile, Aibek Smadiyarov, a representative of the Foreign Ministry, said that the Talibans diplomatic presence in Kazakhstan was conditional. One stipulation was that the activity of Taliban envoys in Astana be limited only to matters concerning trade and economic affairs. Another was that the diplomatic mission would not use the flag or any other symbols alluding to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, whose existence remains unrecognized by Kazakhstan. By Almaz Kumenov via Eurasianet.org More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: NEW YORK (AP) Trucking company Yellow Corp. has declared bankruptcy after years of financial struggles and growing debt, marking a significant shift for the U.S. transportation industry and shippers nationwide. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which was filed Sunday, comes just three years after Yellow received $700 million in pandemic-era loans from the federal government. While a Chapter 11 filing is used to restructure debt while operations continue, Yellow, like other trucking companies in recent years, will liquidate and the U.S. will join other creditors unlikely to recover funds extended to the company. Yellow fell into severe financial stress after a long stretch of poor management and strategic decisions dating back decades. In 2019 two trucking companies, Celadon and New England Motor Freight, file for bankruptcy protection and liquidated. Former Yellow customers and shippers may face higher prices as they take their business to competitors, including FedEx or ABF Freight, experts say noting Yellow historically offered the cheapest price points in the industry. It is with profound disappointment that Yellow announces that it is closing after nearly 100 years in business, CEO Darren Hawkins said in a news release late Sunday. For generations, Yellow provided hundreds of thousands of Americans with solid, good-paying jobs and fulfilling careers. Yellow, formerly known as YRC Worldwide Inc., is one of the nations largest less-than-truckload carriers. The Nashville, Tennessee-based company had 30,000 employees across the country. The Teamsters, which represented Yellows 22,000 unionized workers, said last week that the company gave legal notice for a bankruptcy filing and shut down operations in late July following layoffs of hundreds of nonunion employees. Teamsters general president Sean OBrien called the news unfortunate but not surprising in a July 31 statement pointing to the financial chaos at Yellow. This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry, he said. The Wall Street Journal and FreightWaves reported in late July that the bankruptcy was coming noting that customers had already started to leave the carrier in large numbers and that the company had stopped freight pickups. Those reports arrived just days after Yellow averted a strike from the Teamsters amid heated contract negotiations. A pension fund agreed to extend health benefits for workers at two Yellow Corp. operating companies, avoiding a planned walkout and giving Yellow "30 days to pay its bills, notably a total of $50 million owed to the Central States Health and Welfare Fund. A Yellow spokesperson said Tuesday that the company previously request a short-term deferral of the pension contributions plus interest, but the funds denied that request. Yellow blamed the nine-month talks for the demise of the company, saying it was unable to institute a new business plan to modernize operations and make it more competitive during that time. The company said it has asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware for permission to make payments, including for employee wages and benefits, taxes and certain vendors essential to its businesses. Yellow has racked up hefty bills over the years. 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. The Teamsters supported the $700 million loan when it was first announced. A congressional probe recently concluded that the Treasury and Defense departments made missteps in the decision and noted that Yellows precarious financial position at the time of the loan, and continued struggles, expose taxpayers to a significant risk of loss. As of June 30, Yellow had paid $67 million in cash interest on the loan, which is due in 2024, the company said. A group of Omaha Public Schools special education students are having to switch schools because there are no teachers to serve them. Earlier this week, the district notified roughly 140 families of elementary students by email and phone that their childs school has zero special education teachers this year. Parents then had the choice to accept a school reassignment for their child or to decline special education services if they remained. Staff limitations require us to update how we deliver some special education services, the email said. There is a shortage of qualified special education staff in our school district and across the country. During the spring and summer of 2023, our special education staff worked proactively and tirelessly to find solutions. Susan Christopherson, chief academic officer for OPS, said while reassignments have happened in the past, this is the highest number the district has experienced. The change affects three specific schools in North Omaha: Central Park, King and Walnut Hill. All three buildings have zero special education teachers despite the districts efforts to recruit staff, Christopherson said. This is not an opportunity that we wanted to have, to be honest, Christopherson said. I think that we were doing all that we could, up until the very last moment that we could, to see what we could do to not have to do some of these shifts and changes. Christopherson said if a family chooses to keep their child at one of the three elementary schools, they would need to withdraw consent for receiving special education services from OPS. If they choose reassignment, the district would provide complete transportation to the new building. Like many districts around the U.S., OPS has been affected by severe special education staff shortages, especially in the years since the pandemic. This has kept some special education students from receiving the services they need because schools arent equipped with adequate staff and resources. More than 20% of special education positions in Nebraska public schools remained unfilled last year, according to the latest data from the State Department of Education. OPS is starting the school year with a shortage of 160 special education teachers. Thats an increase from last years count of 129. High student caseload numbers can make it difficult for school staff to fulfill every students special education services. Christopherson said the average caseload for the 2023-24 school year is 35 students, but she didnt have specific numbers for elementary or secondary teachers. Last year, teacher union officials said caseloads stretched to roughly 50 students per teacher in some schools. Christopherson said the district carefully chose the distribution of student reassignments to ensure balanced teacher caseloads. The district has offered professional development to special education staff in an effort to help them serve student needs, she said. This summer, administration boosted special education teacher compensation by giving them 7% more than the regular teaching salary schedule. The base teacher salary for the 2023-24 school year is $45,000, plus all full-time staff receive a $4,500 retention stipend. Christopherson said the district is going to increase recruitment efforts this year to help attract more staff. Last year, officials advertised in more than 20 states and had more than 130 recruitment events. Every effort is being made to help people to better understand what a strong, amazing community we have in the city of Omaha and the quality of experiences that they could have as a teacher here within the Omaha Public Schools, Christopherson said. In a school board meeting on Monday, OPS interim Superintendent Matt Ray said the district is working tirelessly to recruit and retain staff. We understand a change to how we deliver some services brings a range of questions and emotions. and we are committed to answering every question we can, he said. We care very much about the students and families we serve. Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of August 2023 ASHLAND, Neb. The United States must have calmer conversations about immigration reform to solve the countrys workforce shortage and continue to grow the economy, a national business leader said here Tuesday. Christine Scullion, the U.S. Chamber of Commerces executive director of government affairs, made her plea at an event hosted by the Nebraska, Omaha and Lincoln chambers of commerce at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. The annual Federal Legislative Summit brings together the states congressional representatives, as well as business, agricultural and state government leaders. Scullion told the group that immigration issues dont need to be resolved in one grand compromise and can be addressed in pieces. Those pieces can include border security as well as making it easier for people to immigrate legally or work in the country temporarily. The worker crisis is the border crisis they are one and the same, she said. The workforce challenges in the United States are massive. But in her comments to the group, U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer offered a pessimistic view about the chances of having discussions about immigration and related workforce issues that go beyond bumper stickers. Nebraskas senior senator said she supports a step by step by step approach and thinks the Senate could get something done that way. But she said one side insists on comprehensive reform, while she believes the first step must be to secure the border. Until we get that, its going to be difficult to bring the sides together, Fischer said. As we stand now, I dont see that happening. Other members of the all-GOP delegation sounded a similar note, supporting proposals to address limited immigration problems while putting the priority on border security. Sen. Pete Ricketts, for example, said he is interested in a proposal to let asylum-seekers work while in the U.S. waiting to see if they can gain asylum status. He also is co-sponsoring legislation to give legal resident status to children of people with long-term work visas. These children grew up in the U.S. but are not legally allowed to stay once reaching adulthood. Rep. Don Bacon, who represents the Omaha-based 2nd District, is backing a proposal to recycle unused visa allocations from previous years and add them to current allocations. And he supports another plan to streamline the process for approving seasonal worker visas, typically for agricultural workers. Bacon also voted for the Secure the Border Act, which passed the House but is not expected to get through the Senate. Among other things, the act would require construction of a border wall and end the practice of catch and release, under which border crossers are released to the community while awaiting hearings in immigration court. On other topics, Fischer said Congress likely will not finish work on the new five-year farm bill by the end of September and will end up extending the current bill temporarily. Fischer, who is on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said work on the bill has hit some bumps in the road. But she expressed confidence that the Senate would come up with a strong, bipartisan measure and that it would hopefully get done in a timely manner. Rep. Adrian Smith, who represents the sprawling 3rd District, said he wants to make sure that crazy stuff doesnt end up in the farm bill, particularly ideas that come from the West Coast. Although he did not name it, he appeared to be referring to a California law that bars the sale of pork, veal and eggs from animals whose confinement failed to meet certain minimum space requirements. The law was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court this year but has generated concern among livestock producers nationally. Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of August 2023 BLOOMINGTON Lab Coffee at the Yoga Lab, 207 S. Prospect Road in Bloomington, is this weeks pick for Eats of the Week. Engaged couple Abby Lyons and Adam Ghantous opened the combination yoga studio and coffee shop in September 2021. The business motto is Be Well, and the coffee component of the business was added as part of an emphasis on relationship-building. We wanted to create something that was a little bit more personal, said Ghantous, who also works as a financial adviser. Our goal isnt to make as many drinks per hour as much as its taking our time with everything that we do. Lyons, a former classroom teacher, obtained her yoga teacher certification in 2015 and began teaching yoga in Ohio. She then worked at a few studios when she moved back to the Bloomington-Normal area. Early in their relationship, she mentioned her desire to open a yoga studio. Lets do it, replied Ghantous, and so they did. It was his idea to add the coffee component, which was driven by an emphasis on relationship-building. Most studios, Lyons said, are built on transaction. Its like, you pay your money, you take your class and you leave, she said. But at Yoga Lab, the coffee and acai bowls is really driven towards allowing people to stay and have a place to connect, and get to know each other and build relationships. The yoga studio, however, is not the Bloomington-Normal couples full time gig. Lyons works full-time as she owns a consulting business and works in schools to offer educational consulting. Popular menu items include the classic berry bowl, which is the go-to standard bowl of an acai base topped with granola, banana, strawberries, blueberries, almond butter and honey, and the super fruit bowl, which includes mango, strawberries, blueberries, chia seeds and coconut on top with honey and goji berries. The business also offers catering an acai bar for various events, such as weddings and reunions. The most popular drink is the Miel (honey in Spanish and Italian), a latte made with honey, cinnamon, milk and espresso. Our menu is very small compared to most places, Ghantous said, but we want to make everything that we make extremely well, and we dont make our drinks super sweet. The Yoga Lab offers 30 classes a week, including power and restorative yoga as well as yoga with heat. Participants can pay for classes individually through a drop in rate or purchase a membership, billed monthly or annually. The business offers rentals of its lab, a flexible workspace that guests have used for various meetings and events. It also hosts a podcast studio. Lyons praised the team yoga teachers and baristas working to make the business successful. I have 100% confidence knowing that every single person on our team is fulfilling the mission because they themselves are practicing yoga and and connecting with people, and they really live out the values of what we have to offer, she said. As far as the future, Ghantous and Lyons hope to change lives for the better. In the coming weeks, Ghantous said, he will help with filming of a documentary about a program that incorporates yoga practice into recovery from addiction. Lyons said she hoped to pursue a similarly positive mission for the Yoga Lab and perhaps expand into a nonprofit arm. Our dream is to build a spot with the vision of it being the community wellness lab, Lyons said. Our business has an emphasis on well-being and so having all of those things under one roof in one space that has huge glass windows and offers a lot of natural light that is one of big goals we have for the future. We would love to host mental health experts, have therapists in there to have it really be a space for well-being where people can get everything they need in one spot. Russian officials say air defenses have shot down two drones aimed at Moscow overnight. They say the unmanned vehicles were Ukraines latest attempt to strike the Russian capital in an alleged campaign to unnerve Muscovites and take the war to Russia. Moscow's mayor said the drones were intercepted and there were no casualties. It wasn't clear where the drones were launched from, and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment. Ukraine usually neither confirms nor denies such attacks. Meanwhile, at least 31 people were injured in a factory explosion north of Moscow on Wednesday, according to a regional official. The blast occurred on the grounds of a factory that makes optical equipment for the army. (Photo : Scott Olson/Getty Images) The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Biden administration to bring back a regulation on "ghost guns" that seek to address rising gun violence in the country. The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday in favor of United States President Joe Biden's administration in bringing back regulations addressing the use of "ghost guns" in the country. Ghost guns are firearm kits that people can purchase online and assemble into untraceable homemade weapons. In defending the Supreme Court's ruling, administration officials said that such firearms had recently soared in popularity, especially among criminals prohibited from buying regular guns. Ghost Gun Regulation The brief order of the high court did not include any reasons related to the decision to bring back the regulation, which is common when the justices act on emergency applications. The order was also provisional, which leaves the regulation in effect while a challenge moves forward in the courts. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Amy Coney Barrett also ruled in favor of the regulation, joining three liberal members of the court, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, forming a majority for the final ruling, as per the New York Times. On the other hand, Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch, and Brett M. Kavanaugh noted dissents. Like the other judges, they did not give details on their decision in the ruling. The Biden administration's regulation on ghost guns was issued in 2022 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and worked to broaden the bureau's interpretation of the definition of the word "firearm" in the country's Gun Control Act of 1968. In the Biden administration's emergency application, Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar said the change was needed to respond to the "urgent public safety and law enforcement crisis posed by the exponential rise of untraceable firearms." While the measure does not ban the sale or possession of ghost guns or stop a person from buying them, it does require compliance with federal laws that impose conditions on the commercial sale of such weapons, according to CNN. Read Also: Texas: Austin Police Suspends Less-Than-Lethal Shotgun Usage, but Only Temporarily Addressing Rising Gun Violence These restrictions include requirements that commercial manufacturers and sellers of ghost guns must mark their products with serial numbers and keep records to allow law enforcement to trace them when they are used in crimes. United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas Judge Reed O'Connor held that the ATF had gone beyond its authority in promulgating the rule and blocked it across the nation in late June. However, a federal appeals court declined to put two key challenged provisions of the regulation on hold. But the Biden administration has repeatedly argued that the regulation is needed to address gun violence in the nation. The measure also requires manufacturers to perform background checks on anyone who wants to buy the parts, which is typically done for whole commercial firearms purchases. The Justice Department had also argued for the need for the regulation after it told the court that local law enforcement agencies had seized more than 19,000 ghost guns at crime scenes in 2021, which represented a tenfold increase in just five years, said Fox News. Related Article: NYC Doctor Charged With Sexually Assaulting Unconscious Patients @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. How Time Flies is a daily feature looking back at Pantagraph archives to revisit what was happening in our community and region. 100 years ago Aug. 9, 1923: Citizens from all walks of life will assemble at the Consistory temple tomorrow afternoon in tribute to President Warren Harding. Brief addresses will be given by Dr. Harry Howell, ex-commander of the Louis E. Davis Post of the Legion; Miss Nellie Parham, city librarian; Ed Carmody; C.B. Hughes; Alderman Frank Donovan; and ex-Gov. Fifer. 75 years ago Aug. 9, 1948: The first memorial in Bloomington to McLean County Service Men and Women will be erected on the east side of the courthouse square this fall by the American War Mothers. The 7-foot drinking fountain will be dedicated Oct. 19. Mrs. Mattie E. Darnall is fund chairman. 50 years agoAug. 9, 1973: Bloomington public school officials are still hot on the trail of the Bloomington post office. Superintendent George Stimeling first proposed the building as a possible site for an administrative service center for the district July 11. 25 years ago Aug. 9, 1998: After a four-year wait, the Prairie Aviation Museum at the Central Illinois Regional Airport has added a retired UH-1 Huey heavily associated with the Vietnam War to its display of military aircraft. The partly disassembled helicopter was moved from storage at Chicagos Midway Airport to its final resting spot at the museum, where a crane operated by Ralph Hafley of Halfey Crane Service was used to hoist it in place. 101 years ago: See vintage Pantagraph ads from 1922 Gerthart's Union Gas and Electric Co. Hoover Dr. J.A. Moore Dentists Moberly & Klenner W.P. Garretson W.H. Roland Pease's Candy Thor 32 Electric Washing Machine The Kaiser's Story of the War Ike Livingston & Sons Gossard Corsets Cat'n Fiddle 'Stolen Moments' Case Model X The Johnson Transfer & Fuel Co. The Pantagraph want ads Franklin Motor Car Co. 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' Calumet Baking Powder Mayer Livingston & Co. Newsmarket 'The Emperor Jones' 'California Fig Syrup' The World Bank said on Tuesday it would halt new lending to the Ugandan government after concluding that its anti-LGBTQ law, which has been condemned by many countries and the United Nations, contradicts the bank's values. In response, the East African country dismissed the move as unjust and hypocritical. A World Bank team traveled to Uganda immediately after the law was enacted in May and determined that additional measures were needed to ensure projects were being implemented in line with the bank's environmental and social standards. "No new public financing to Uganda will be presented to our Board of Executive Directors until the efficacy of the additional measures has been tested," the bank said in a statement, adding that such measures were now under discussion with Ugandan authorities. "Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group's values. We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a livable planet can only succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality," the bank said. "We remain committed to helping all Ugandans - without exception - escape poverty, access vital services, and improve their lives." World Bank President Ajay Banga, who took office in June after the Ugandan law was enacted, has come under pressure to respond to the Ugandan law. On June 15, 170 civic groups urged Banga to take "specific, concrete and timely actions" in response to the Uganda anti-LGBTQ law, including suspending future lending. Uganda's state minister for foreign affairs, Okello Oryem accused the bank of hypocrisy, saying they were lending to countries in the Middle East and Asia that have the same or harsher laws on homosexuality. "There are many Middle East countries who do not tolerate homosexuals, they actually hang and execute homosexuals, in the United States of America many states have passed laws that are either against or restrict activities of homosexuality ... so why pick on Uganda?" he said. "The World Bank has been put under pressure by the usual imperialists." The World Bank had provided $5.4 billion in International Development Association financing to Uganda by the end of 2022, including many health and education projects that could be affected by the new law. The existing portfolio will continue to disburse funds, even as new lending is put on hold, a World Bank source said. Private sector projects backed by the International Finance Corporation and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) would proceed only "on a selective basis," the bank said in a separate note to staff seen by Reuters. It said the IFC and MIGA would also implement additional measures to "ensure inclusion and non-discrimination as needed." Source: Reuters Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video In a recent series of visits to NIA Regional offices across the nation, Prof. Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), engaged with staff to bolster their dedication to the National Identification System (NIS) Project. The tour, which began on June 6th, covered 16 regional offices including Ho, Dambai, Tamale, Bolgatanga, Nalerigu, Wa, Damongo, Techiman, Takoradi, Cape Coast, Kumasi, Sunyani, Goaso, Sefwi-Wiawso and Accra. Prof. Attafuah's interactions with the 16 Regional and 276 District Registration Officers shed light on concerns over conditions of service and the sustainability of the NIS Project. Addressing the challenges stemming from shortages of blank cards since July 2022 and backlogged card issuances post the 2020 mass registration, Prof. Attafuah reassured the staff about the project's steadfastness. He announced that Government would ensure the availability of blank cards by mid-August 2023, enabling NIA to resume operations at full capacity. Discussions during the visits delved into ways of improving registration services and revenue streams. Plans include setting up Premium Registration Centres in key cities and towns, and expanding the number of locations for registering foreigners resident in Ghana for over three months under the Foreigner Identification Management System (FIMS) Project. Another crucial focus was resolving the backlog of card issuance nationwide. Additionally, strategies were outlined for the registration of the outstanding population aged 15 and above. Prof. Attafuah also clarified the process for registering Ghanaians aged 0-6 years, in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service and the Births and Deaths Registry. For those aged 6-14 years, collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) was detailed. The visits provided a platform to address disciplinary matters, including the dismissal of 10 staff for various registration offenses and misconduct. Emphasizing NIA's commitment to excellence, the engagements identified new ways to deepen staff dedication and enhance communication within the organization. Prof. Attafuah highlighted training opportunities covering topics like law, integrity and patriotism, industrial relations, and administrative justice. The visits have laid a strong foundation for NIA's ongoing journey to be a cornerstone of Ghana's national institutions, contributing to the nation's growth and prosperity. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The "Girls in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)" programme, an initiative of the Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation in Accra, has benefited 100 girls from three areas. The girls came from the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions and were hosted by American Tower Corporation (ATC) Ghana, a programme partner. The Girls in ICT programme aims to improve the digital skills of young women and girls interested in careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), specifically ICT. It is also intended to encourage girls and young women to pursue STEM education and employment. The girls were led through robotics sessions by facilitators who taught them about the design, building, operation, and use of robots. Additionally, they participated in several problem-solving and critical thinking exercises where they collaborated on ICT-related topics in teams or groups. Speaking at the event on Tuesday, the CEO of ATC Ghana, Ashutosh Singh, emphasised how important it was to them to prepare the next generation of STEM professionals, particularly girls. As a result, they had worked closely with the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization and remained a key sponsor and stakeholder of the initiative. This initiative also aligns with our Digital Communities sustainability project where we have built 10 fully equipped ICT learning centres across the country to provide ICT education for school children and residents in underserved and unserved communities. Plans are underway to build more Digital Communities this year. In recent years, we have witnessed significant strides in bridging the gender gap in the tech sector, but we must acknowledge that there is still much work to be done. I believe that this disparity is not due to lack of talent or capability but rather, the lack of opportunity and encouragement. That is why programs like girls in ICT are very crucial. We as a company, are here to provide you with support, encouragement, and resources needed to pave your path to the industry, he intimated. The ICT industry is a vast and dynamic landscape, encompassing a wide range of fields such as software development, data science, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and so much more. There is a place for each one of you in this ever-evolving digital realm, and your contributions will help shape the future of society. Remember that it is okay to dream big, to aim high for the stars, and to have ambitions beyond what others might expect of you. Embrace your passion and let it guide you on your journey. Pursue your interests fearlessly, and do not be discouraged by the challenges you may encounter along the way, he stated. Ashutosh Singh assured the girls that their abilities, suggestions, and distinctive viewpoints were priceless contributions to the field of technology. He praised the ministry for the project and the girls' instructors and mentors for their contributions, and he urged them to keep up the good work. ATC Ghana engineer Ethel Kumassah urged the girls to pursue their dreams, believe in themselves, pursue STEM education, and "know that the sky is only but a limit." Junior High School (JHS) Two student Ahwenepa Osei Yaa from the Nkoranza Methodist School in the Bono East Region was enthusiastic about the course of study, especially because she had learned more about robotics. She also stated that she had decided to pursue a career in computer programming. Emmanuella Segbenu, a student, also praised the Ministry and ATC for the programme and urged them to continue holding it so that additional girls may take advantage of it. 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 Former CPP General Secretary, James Kwabena Bomfeh alias "Kabila" has rebuked the Minority in Parliament for threatening to picket the Bank of Ghana should the Governor and his deputies refuse to resign within 21 days. The Minority accused the Governor of Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr. Ernest Addison and his deputies of malfeasance, therefore seeking their immediate resignation. Call To Resign Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson speaking to journalists during the National Democratic Congress "Moment of Truth" series on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, accused Dr. Addison of mismanaging BoG resulting in an IMF bailout. "We in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) saw the red flags and have consistently warned of the mismanagement of the financial sector by the Governor of the Central Bank and his team of incompetent deputies. "Only last week, the Annual Report and Financial Statement of the Bank of Ghana was released. This report depicted the catastrophic decline of the Bank into a bottomless pit. The report revealed the following astonishing facts: 1. The Bank of Ghana recorded a staggering loss of GHS60.8 billion, which is equivalent to $6 billion. This is twice the amount we are to receive from our recent IMF bailout. This means the recklessness and mismanagement of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana has cost the nation twice what we are struggling and sacrificing to receive from the IMF amid major conditionalities," a statement read by Ato Forson outlined. It is in view of this that the Minority together with the NDC is calling on the Governor and his deputies to lay down their working tools. "We are resolved to embark on popular action to occupy the Central Bank and drive out the team of inept, callous and criminal mismanagers of the finances of this country and Save the Bank of Ghana. "The March to Ensure Accountability will begin in 21 days if the Governor of the Bank of Ghana does not do the needful and pack bag and baggage out of that sacred institution that he has so desecrated", the statement further read. Kabila To Minority To Kabila, although the Minority has the right to picket the Central Bank, it is however unconstitutional the way and manner they want to undertake this action. He noted that the constitution has specified the clear path to address their concerns and advised them to follow the constitutional path. "Picketing is a constitutional right but I'm saying, as Members of Parliament, it's imposed on them to use the prescribed constitutional route which is to follow the constitution to petition and remove a Justice of the Supreme Court other than the Chief Justice. It's constitutionally enshrined," he said on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' show. He also advised the authorities of the Bank of Ghana to be responsive and alert on clarifying issues to make things clear to the people of Ghana on matters relating to the bank and their activities. "We are not in the best of times, so burden bearers are further burdened with the responsibility to make sure we know what they are doing." 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 Kwamena Duncan has slammed the Leader of the Minority in Parliament, Cassiel Ato Forson over the Minority's threat to picket the Bank of Ghana (BoG) after issuing a 21-day ultimatum to the Governor and his deputies to resign. The Minority has accused the Governor of the BoG, Dr. Ernest Addison and his deputies of financial malfeasance and request their immediate resignation. Addressing the media during a "Moment of Truth" series on Tuesday, an event organized by the National Democratic Congress to set the records straight, Ato Forson stated; "We in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) saw the red flags and have consistently warned of the mismanagement of the financial sector by the Governor of the Central Bank and his team of incompetent deputies." Establishing the facts of their case, he said; "Only last week, the Annual Report and Financial Statement of the Bank of Ghana was released. This report depicted the catastrophic decline of the Bank into a bottomless pit. The report revealed the following astonishing facts: 1. The Bank of Ghana recorded a staggering loss of GHS60.8 billion, which is equivalent to $6 billion. This is twice the amount we are to receive from our recent IMF bailout. This means the recklessness and mismanagement of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana has cost the nation twice what we are struggling and sacrificing to receive from the IMF amid major conditionalities." He noted that the NDC and the Minority want the Governor and his deputies to step down, stressing "we are resolved to embark on popular action to occupy the Central Bank and drive out the team of inept, callous and criminal mismanagers of the finances of this country and Save the Bank of Ghana". But Kwamena Duncan, tackling the issue on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, went ad hominem on the Minority Leader. He rebuked Ato Forson saying since he replaced Haruna Iddrisu as the leader of the Minority, he has brought no significant transformation to the team. "What value has he added? What has he brought on board? What is that special thing that was seen in him that made the party change Haruna Iddrisu and bring him?", he questioned. He also ridiculed Ato Forson's fluency in English Language stating "as a leader, his grammar is poor". 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 Bernard Allotey Jacobs has registered his utter displeasure with the decision by the Minority in Parliament and the National Democratic Congress(NDC) to picket the Bank of Ghana if the Governor, Dr. Ernest Addison and his deputies don't comply with their order to resign within 21 days. The opposition party accuses the Governor and his deputies of mishandling the bank resulting in the bank losing a whopping 6 billion dollars. "We in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) saw the red flags and have consistently warned of the mismanagement of the financial sector by the Governor of the Central Bank and his team of incompetent deputies. "Only last week, the Annual Report and Financial Statement of the Bank of Ghana was released. This report depicted the catastrophic decline of the Bank into a bottomless pit. The report revealed...Bank of Ghana recorded a staggering loss of GHS60.8 billion, which is equivalent to $6 billion. This is twice the amount we are to receive from our recent IMF bailout. "This means the recklessness and mismanagement of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana has cost the nation twice what we are struggling and sacrificing to receive from the IMF amid major conditionalities," a statement read by Minority Leader, Ato Forson outlined. They indicated their resolve "to embark on popular action to occupy the Central Bank and drive out the team of inept, callous and criminal mismanagers of the finances of this country and Save the Bank of Ghana", stressing "the March to Ensure Accountability will begin in 21 days if the Governor of the Bank of Ghana does not do the needful and pack bag and baggage out of that sacred institution that he has so desecrated". Allotey Jacobs has excoriated the Minority's decision stating they "are creating tension" in the country. He, therefore, issued a warning to them saying "what I want to tell the Minority is that look at what is happening in the west coast of Africa. Don't create tension and don't think that something will happen for you to get something". "It will not be possible but rather you will create some kind of thing that cannot be described," he exclaimed while delivering his submissions on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show. 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 Bank of Ghana is said to have lost over 60 billion cedis equivalent to 6 billion dollars last year. According to a statement read by the leader of the Minority in Parliament, Cassiel Ato Forson, during an NDC event dubbed "Moment of Truth" on Tuesday, August 8, 2023; a Bank of Ghana (BoG) report depicted a "catastrophic decline" of the bank. He disclosed "the Bank of Ghana recorded a staggering loss of GHS60.8 billion, which is equivalent to $6 billion. This is twice the amount we are to receive from our recent IMF bailout". The Minority accused the Governor of the bank, Dr. Ernest Addison for this loss and therefore calls on him together with his deputies to resign from office. "This means the recklessness and mismanagement of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana has cost the nation twice what we are struggling and sacrificing to receive from the IMF amid major conditionalities", Hon. Ato Forson iterated. They further revealed; "The bank has also recorded a negative equity of over GHS55.1 billion. What this simply means is that the Bank of Ghana is insolvent. In other words, the once prestigious Bank of Ghana, the mother of all banks in Ghana, has been bankrupted and collapsed by this NPP economic management team led by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia with the complicity of the Governor of the Central Bank." Read full statement below: Your browser does not support iframes. 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 Professor Smart Sarpong has lauded the Minority in Parliament after they revealing some information about the Bank of Ghana during their "Moment of Truth" event held on Tuesday, August 8, telling the media the Bank of Ghana, last year, lost over GHc 60 billion. The Bank of Ghana, according to a statement read by the leader of the Minority in Parliament, Cassiel Ato Forson, recorded a "catastrophic decline" in 2022. The bank, he disclosed, "recorded a staggering loss of GHS60.8 billion, which is equivalent to $6 billion. This is twice the amount we are to receive from our recent IMF bailout". "This means the recklessness and mismanagement of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana has cost the nation twice what we are struggling and sacrificing to receive from the IMF amid major conditionalities", Hon. Ato Forson asserted. The Minority further revealed "the bank has also recorded a negative equity of over GHS55.1 billion. What this simply means is that the Bank of Ghana is insolvent", adding "in other words, the once prestigious Bank of Ghana, the mother of all banks in Ghana, has been bankrupted and collapsed by this NPP economic management team led by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia with the complicity of the Governor of the Central Bank". They accused the Governor of the bank, Dr. Ernest Addison for this loss and say he and his deputies must resign from office within 21 days. Addressing the issue on Peace FM's panel discussion programme "Kokrokoo", Professor Smart Sarpong, a Senior Research Fellow of the Kumasi Technical University, noted that regarding this BoG matter, the Minority has been a better source of public information. He wondered why the bank authorities have failed to lead the conversations regarding activities of the bank and delivering reports and explanations to the public to dispel doubts and misconceptions. "It tells you that the Minority, in this case, has become a better source of public information than the Bank of Ghana," he told Kwami Sefa Kayi. To him, it is unfortunate that the bank has been poor on feeding the public with relevant information and giving clarifications on matters and advised the authorities to review their public relations. 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 National Communications Officer of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi says his party will make sure the Governor of the Bank of Ghana leaves office with immediate effect. He told NEAT FMs afternoon political talk show, 'Me Man Nti' that preparations are underway to stage a Kume preko kind of demonstration to ensure governor Dr Ernest Addison vacates his post. We will besiege the Bank of Ghana Governor and his deputies to leave the premises of Bank of Ghana. We have given him 21 days to resign, Sammy Gyamfi reiterated his partys position on the Governor. According to Sammy Gyamfi, the Governor together with the Board have disregarded the Bank of Ghana Act, which had contributed to the Bank losing close to over GH60 billion. He said if the Bank that has a supervisory role over other banks could not respect the very Act that established it, then the Bank has no moral right to collapse other banks for flouting Ghana's banking regulations. He also accused the leadership of the Bank of increasing the salaries of staff by more than 60 per cent despite the economic hardships in the country. Watch video below Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video (Photo : Richard PIERRIN / AFP) (RICHARD PIERRIN/AFP via Getty Images) The United States Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, announced that it would be temporarily closing amid "rapid gunfire" as chaos in the region continues with rising gang violence. The United States Embassy located in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has chosen to close temporarily after officials reported "rapid gunfire" amid rising gang violence in the region. The chaos in the region in the last few months has culminated in the United States encouraging non-essential personnel to leave the nation in July. Officials cited the alleged threat of kidnappers that could target the workers in Haiti. Haiti US Embassy Temporarily Closes In a statement in late July, the embassy said that because of the recent armed clashes between gangs and law enforcement personnel and the threat of violent crime and kidnapping, the Department of State recommended that American citizens prepare to leave Haiti as soon as possible via commercial means. The situation comes after a nurse from New Hampshire and her daughter were reportedly kidnapped in the region amid the chaos and are still missing. In the first quarter of this year, gang violence in the region has risen by 28%, and the senior UN representative in Port-au-Prince earlier this year told the UN Security Council that last year, they saw an overall level of gang violence that had not been seen in decades, as per The Hill. Officials noted that violence has resulted in at least 165,000 Haiti residents leaving their homes to seek temporary shelters. As many as 100,000 individuals were left without food as the nation is currently suffering from famine. Last month, the United Nations World Food Program pulled out of the country due to what officials said were budgetary limits. The UN organization added that almost 5 million Haitians did not have enough food. The United States also backed a United Nations plan last week for a multinational police force located in Haiti that Kenya would lead. This force would work to fight against gang violence in the region, particularly in Port-au-Prince. Read Also: China-Philippines Water Cannon Dispute Could Turn Into Superpower Conflict, Warn Experts Rising Gang Violence On Monday, the situation culminated in rising tensions in the Haitian capital as thousands of protesters marched in the streets, calling out against the gang violence in the region. It is a situation that resulted in the death of a police officer last week, according to Reuters. Law enforcement personnel reported that the chaos resulted in government vehicles being set ablaze as protesters faced off against police as they demanded protection and assistance. Eyewitnesses also said that authorities later used tear gas to disperse the crowd of demonstrators. A young protester, identified only as James, said he was marching against the rise of gangs in the region, which has negatively impacted health care and security amid a growing number of kidnappings and homicides. The embassy's closure announcement also told personnel they would be restricted to Embassy compounds until further notice. It added that travel between the compounds was temporarily prohibited, saying that some routes could have been impacted due to the violence. The announcement also urged US nationals in Port-au-Prince to completely avoid the area around the diplomatic compound and any areas with demonstrations and large gatherings of people, said CBS News. Related Article: Scouts Visiting South Korea Evacuate from World Scout Jamboree Site @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea, has recalled fondly how Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia stood in the dock at the Supreme Court to defend the New Patriotic Party in the 2012 election petition. Welcoming Dr. Bawumia to Kyebi, as part of the Vice President's campaign tour of the Eastern Region, the MP called for a massive endorsement for Dr. Bawumia to be NPP flagbearer for the 2024 elections, highlighting his significant contributions to the party over the years. He also commended the Veep on his assistance and support to President Akufo-Addo as well as his depth of knowledge. He reminded the party faithful about the role of Dr. Bawumia in the landmark case for the party, stressing his utmost respect for Dr. Bawumia. "Some people are saying we are doing Dr. Bawumia a favour. This is ridiculous if you consider Dr. Bawumia's commitment to our party and the amount of service he has rendered to the party," Atta Akyea told the party faithful. "Dr. Bawumia has worked so hard for the NPP and contributed so much to the Government of President Akufo-Addo as Vice President. "The day I had so much respect for Dr. Bawumia and I was convinced God has blessed him was when he stood in the box alone and defended the NPP at the Supreme Court. I am a Lawyer and I know it is not easy to be in the Dock, let alone a high profile case like that." "I have 5 very good friends among the 10 people contesting and I go way back with some of them. But the truth is that Dr. Bawumia is most deserving and the best to lead us to victory." "NDC have set a trap for us, hoping that we won't elect Dr. Bawumia. But let me tell you that if we don't elect Dr. Bawumia as our candidate, NPP will be humiliated in the next election, so, Abuakwa South, let us vote for him massively, just as we did for Nana Akufo-Addo", Hon. Atta Akyea opined. The Abuakwa South MP asked the party faithful to massively vote for Dr Bawumia, pleading with them to focus on the bigger picture that the Vice President is the best candidate to break the eight for the NPP. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Charismalogo, the incredible Afrobeat Afro Fusion artiste from Ghana, is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated release of his EP titled "Change My Life." This extraordinary musical compilation promises to captivate listeners worldwide with its infectious beats, soul-stirring lyrics and transformative energy. Drawing inspiration from the rich cultural roots of Ghana and infusing it with elements of Afrobeat and Afro Fusion, Charismalogo has crafted a musical journey like no other. With "Change My Life," he aims to create an immersive experience that transcends boundaries and uplifts the human spirit. The EP "Change My Life" is a labor of love reflecting Charismalogo's passion, talent and unwavering commitment to his craft. Each track is carefully crafted to showcase the artist's versatility, vocal prowess and knack for storytelling. Listeners can expect a seamless fusion of traditional African rhythms, contemporary melodies and powerful messages that resonate with the soul. Charismalogo's music has always been known for its ability to evoke emotions and inspire personal growth. With "Change My Life," the artiste takes it a step further, weaving together tales of love, resilience and self-discovery. The EP serves as a powerful reminder that music has the power to transform lives and ignite positive change in society. The release of "Change My Life" marks a significant milestone in Charismalogo's career solidifying his position as a rising star in the Afrobeat Afro Fusion genre. The EP is set to captivate audiences with its infectious energy and undeniable authenticity, leaving a lasting impression on fans and music enthusiasts alike. Charismalogo's profound storytelling ability combined with his unique vocal style sets him apart as one of the most promising Afro Fusion artistes on the international stage. The EP's tracks effortlessly blend traditional African sounds with contemporary influences, creating a sound that is distinctly Charismalogo. "Change My Life" is set to be released and will be available on all major streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. Fans and music lovers alike are invited to embark on this transformative musical journey, immersing themselves in the captivating melodies and heartfelt lyrics that Charismalogo has to offer. Charismalogo's EP "Change My Life" is evidence of their commitment to creating timeless music that leaves a lasting impact. With each track, the artiste invites listeners to join him on an extraordinary musical odyssey that has the power to change lives and inspire personal growth. Enjoy the EP here: https://ditto.fm/change-my-life-charisma Connect with him: https://charismalogomusic.com/ Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Concentrations of potentially harmful chemical compounds in dust collected from air filtration systems on the International Space Station (ISS) exceed those found in floor dust from many American homes, a new study reveals. In the first study of its kind, scientists analyzed a sample of dust from air filters within the ISS and found levels of organic contaminants which were higher than the median values found in US and Western European homes. Publishing their results in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, researchers from the University of Birmingham, UK, as well as the NASA Glenn Research Center, U.S., say their findings could guide the design and construction of future spacecraft. Contaminants found in the "space dust" included polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), "novel" brominated flame retardants (BFRs), organophosphate esters (OPEs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). BFRs and OPEs are used in many countries to meet fire safety regulations in consumer and commercial applications like electrical and electronic equipment, building insulation, furniture fabrics and foams. PAH are present in hydrocarbon fuels and emitted from combustion processes, PCBs were used in building and window sealants and in electrical equipment as dielectric fluids, while PFAS have been used in applications like stain proofing agents for fabrics and clothing. However, their potential human health effects have led to some of them being banned or limited in use. PCBs, some PFAS, HBCDD and the Penta- Octa-, and Deca-BDE commercial formulations of PBDEs, are classed as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the UNEP Stockholm Convention. In addition, some PAH are classified as human carcinogens, while some OPEs are under consideration for restriction by the European Chemicals Agency. Co-author Professor Stuart Harrad, from the University of Birmingham, said, "Our findings have implications for future space stations and habitats, where it may be possible to exclude many contaminant sources by careful material choices in the early stages of design and construction. "While concentrations of organic contaminants discovered in dust from the ISS often exceeded median values found in homes and other indoor environments across the US and western Europe, levels of these compounds were generally within the range found on earth." Researchers note that PBDE concentrations in the dust sample falling within the range of concentrations detected in US house dust may reflect use on the ISS of inorganic FRs like ammonium dihydrogen phosphate to make fabrics and webbing flame retardant. They believe that the use of commercially available off-the-shelf items brought on board for the personal use of astronauts, such as cameras, MP3 players, tablet computers, medical devices, and clothing, are potential sources of many of the chemicals detected. Air inside the ISS is constantly recirculated with eight to 10 changes per hour. While CO 2 and gaseous trace contaminant removal occurs, the degree to which this removes chemicals like BFRs is unknown. High levels of ionizing radiation can accelerate aging of materials, including breakdown of plastic goods into micro and nanoplastics that become airborne in the microgravity environment. This may cause concentrations and relative abundance of PBDEs, HBCDD, NBFRs, OPEs, PAH, PFAS, and PCBs in ISS dust to differ notably from those in dust from terrestrial indoor microenvironments. Scientists measured concentrations of a range of target chemicals in dust collected from the ISS. In a microgravity environment, particles float around according to ventilation system flow patterns, eventually depositing on surfaces and air intakes. Screens covering the ISS HEPA filters accumulate this debris, requiring weekly vacuuming to maintain efficient filtration. Material in ISS vacuum bags comprises of previously airborne particles, clothing lint, hair and other debris generally identified as spacecraft cabin dust. Some vacuum bags were returned to Earth for studies of this unique dust, with a small sample shipped to the University of Birmingham for analysis in the study. More information: Stuart Harrad et al., Persistent Organic Contaminants in Dust from the International Space Station, Environmental Science & Technology Letters (2023). dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.3c00448 Journal information: Environmental Science & Technology Letters This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: High-energy M-EELS spectra from Sr 2 RuO 4 . a, Conceptual illustration of reflection M-EELS experiments from a cleaved Sr 2 RuO 4 surface. b, Fixed-q (in r.l.u.) energy-loss scans for a selection of q values along the (1,0) crystallographic direction, taken at T = 300 K. These spectra were obtained by dividing the M-EELS matrix elements and scaling the curves as described in ref. 37. At small momenta (q < 0.16 r.l.u.), the spectra show a broad plasmon feature that peaks at 1.2 eV. At larger momenta, the data show an energy-independent continuum as was observed previously in Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+x (ref. 37). Credit: Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06318-8 In 1956, theoretical physicist David Pines predicted that electrons in a solid can do something strange. While they normally have a mass and an electric charge, Pines asserted that they can combine to form a composite particle that is massless, neutral, and does not interact with light. He called this particle a "demon." Since then, it has been speculated to play an important role in the behaviors of a wide variety of metals. Unfortunately, the same properties that make it interesting have allowed it to elude detection since its prediction. Now, a team of researchers led by Peter Abbamonte, a professor of physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, have finally found Pines' demon 67 years after it was predicted. As the researchers report in the journal Nature, they used a nonstandard experimental technique that directly excites a material's electronic modes, allowing them to see the demon's signature in the metal strontium ruthenate. "Demons have been theoretically conjectured for a long time, but experimentalists never studied them," Abbamonte said. "In fact, we weren't even looking for it. But it turned out we were doing exactly the right thing, and we found it." The elusive demon One of the most important discoveries of condensed matter physics is that electrons lose their individuality in solids. Electric interactions make the electrons combine to form collective units. With enough energy, the electrons can even form composite particles called plasmons with a new charge and mass determined by the underlying electric interactions. However, the mass is usually so large that plasmons cannot form with the energies available at room temperature. Pines found an exception. If a solid has electrons in more than one energy band, as many metals do, he argued that their respective plasmons can combine in an out-of-phase pattern to form a new plasmon that is massless and neutral: a demon. Since demons are massless, they can form with any energy, so they may exist at all temperatures. This has led to speculation that they have important effects on the behavior of multi-band metals. Demons' neutrality means that they do not leave a signature in standard condensed matter experiments. "The vast majority of experiments are done with light and measure optical properties, but being electrically neutral means that demons don't interact with light," Abbamonte said. "A completely different kind of experiment was needed." A serendipitous discovery Abbamonte recalls that he and his collaborators were studying strontium ruthenate for an unrelated reasonthe metal is similar to high-temperature superconductors without being one. Hoping to find clues to why the phenomenon occurs in other systems, they were conducting the first survey of the metal's electronic properties. The research group of Yoshi Maeno, a professor of physics at Kyoto University, synthesized high-quality samples of the metal which Abbamonte and former graduate student Ali Husain examined with momentum-resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy. A nonstandard technique, it uses energy from electrons shot into the metal to directly observe the metal's features, including plasmons that form. As the researchers were looking through the data, though, they found something unusual: an electronic mode with no mass. Husain, now a research scientist at Quantinuum, recalled, "At first, we had no idea what it was. Demons are not in the mainstream. The possibility came up early on, and we basically laughed it off. But, as we started ruling things out, we started to suspect that we had really found the demon." Edwin Huang, a Moore Postdoctoral Scholar at UIUC and condensed matter theorist, was eventually asked to calculate the features of strontium ruthenate's electronic structure. "Pines' prediction of demons necessitates rather specific conditions, and it was not clear to anyone whether strontium ruthenate should have a demon at all," he said. "We had to perform a microscopic calculation to clarify what was going on. When we did this, we found a particle consisting of two electron bands oscillating out-of-phase with nearly equal magnitude, just like Pines described." The importance of just measuring stuff According to Abbamonte, it was no accident that his group discovered the demon "serendipitously." He emphasized that he and his group were using a technique that is not widely employed on a substance that has not been well studied. That they found something unexpected and significant is a consequence of simply trying something different, he believes. "It speaks to the importance of just measuring stuff," he said. "Most big discoveries are not planned. You go look somewhere new and see what's there." More information: Ali A. Husain et al, Pines' demon observed as a 3D acoustic plasmon in Sr 2 RuO 4 , Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06318-8 Journal information: Nature This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Earth's magnetic field extends from the planet's core and has a vast impact on everyday life. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab At the center of Earth is a vast ball of metal, the planet's core. While unreachable without the help of Jules Verne, it can be studied and plays a vital role for the world. The iron-nickel interior generates a magnetic field that protects the planet from harmful radiation and allows life to flourish. Exactly how this magnetic field is created, and whether it is the same on other worlds, are open questions. Iron oceans New research is revealing more about planetary cores and magnetic fields than ever beforeand hinting at changes that take place 3,000 kilometers under people's feet. Earth has a solid inner core about 1,200 km across, surrounded by a liquid iron outer core that extends another 2,200 km. In the outer core, as the liquid metal circulates it generates a magnetic field. "We're trying to understand the dynamics of the big iron oceans that are present in planets like Earth," said Michael Le Bars of the French National Center for Scientific Research, or CNRS. "The flow in there is responsible for the magnetic field of the planets. And this magnetic field is one of the key ingredients for life." Le Bars studied these matters as part of a European project that received EU funding to spur advances in the field including through laboratory experiments. Called FLUDYCO, the initiative ran from mid-2016 until the end of 2021. In labs, Le Bars and his team injected dye into a water-filled rubber ball and then rotated it to deform the sphere, simulating tidal distortions in Earth's core. They also popped a balloon containing a liquid metal called Galinstan inside water to simulate the formation of a planetary core. Finally, the researchers tracked the interaction of lower and higher density water to study the convection and turbulence of an outer core. The team found that there were three ways to drive circulation inside a liquid iron core. Worldly ways The first was by metallic iron swirling in the outer core. This process, called convection, results from the cooling and solidifying of the planet's core. Another method was tidal forces caused by the gravitational push and pull of a nearby objectperhaps like the magnetic moon Ganymede, which orbits Jupiter and is named after a Trojan prince in Greek mythology. The third involved crystals of solidified iron forming in the liquid outer core and driving the circulation, a reverse of the solidification happening in Earth's core. "It's snowing iron ice crystals towards the inside and mixing the fluid," Le Bars, Marseille-based director of research at CNRS, said of the third method. "It's a very strange process." What remains unclear is exactly which worlds would have which method to produce their metallic fields or whether other processes might be involved for gas giants like Jupiter. "Each planet seems to be different," said Le Bars. "We don't know if Ganymede's core is convecting or snowing." A European spacecraft launched in April 2023 and due to reach Jupiter in 2031 will orbit Ganymede and could produce revelations about its core, perhaps helping to ascertain how worlds like this generate a magnetic field. In Earth's solar system, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune also have substantial magnetic fields. Orbit observation Another way to investigate planetary cores is to make indirect measurements of them. Researchers from the FLUDYCO project used lab models to simulate the flows in planetary cores. Credit: T. Le Reun & M. Le Bars (IRPHE) and G. Hennenfent (Le Chromophore) An EU-funded project called CoreSat has been doing this from orbit by using three European Space Agency satellites that study changes in Earth's magnetic field. The initiative, due to wrap up in August 2023 after five and a half years, is led by Chris Finlay of the National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark near Copenhagen. Earth's magnetic field can strengthen and weaken, altering its structure including the locations of the magnetic poles by tens of kilometers a year, or sometimes even flip in polarity entirelysomething thought to happen every few 100,000 years or so. Finlay says the satellites are showing how the magnetic field is changing. Using data from the satellites, Finlay and his colleagues have been seeking a clearer picture of the magnetic field at the boundary between Earth's lower mantle and the outer core. Magnetic signal A major difficulty has been picking out the magnetic field signal from the core among the other magnetic fields produced at and above Earth's surface. One technique has been to monitor Earth's upper atmosphere and its aurora at the poles and identify a cleaner signature of changes in the core's magnetic field. The goal is to have systems that can predict how the magnetic field is going to change over the coming decades, according to Finlay. "It's been challenging," he said. "We'd like to do something like in weather forecasting, where they have models of the general circulation of the atmosphere and make forecasts." Studying changes in the core's magnetic field is important for understanding the habitability of Earth and other worlds. Nowhere are these changes more noticeable than in the South Atlantic region. Underground hurricanes Off the coast of South America, Earth's magnetic field weakens more than 50%. While the cause of this phenomenon known as the South Atlantic Anomaly is unknown, projects like CoreSat are providing additional information. "We've been able to see more details," Finlay said. "We're still working on it." It appears that, down at the boundary of the core and mantle underneath the anomaly, the magnetic field is reversed. That could be a sign of weather-like systems in the outer core caused by temperature differences and the rotation of the planet. "In the same way you get cyclones and hurricanes in the atmosphere, we also have that happening in Earth's core," said Finlay. "This organizes the convections into large circulations in the outer core." That said, the swirling inside Earth occurs at much slower speeds20 km a year compared with wind velocities of up to 250 km an hour in hurricanes. Even with the advances in research, there is much still to learn about planetary interiors and the implications are broad. "Today we are looking at other planets to find life on them," said Le Bars of CNRS. "To have life, you need a magnetic field to protect the planet." More information: FLUDYCO CoreSat 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: Slash-and-burn in the rainforest. Credit: University of Innsbruck Many of the world's ecosystems are overloaded and facing tipping points. This also threatens their many services that are essential for our survival and which are usually taken for granted. These include, for example, fresh drinking water, breathable air and plant pollination. One approach to protecting ecosystems is the so-called Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES). However, critics fear that this approach could displace other, morally based motivations for environmental protection. A study by Esther Blanco, professor of economics at the University of Innsbruck, now shows that this is not the case. Crowding out as main concern "PES are programs that pay landowners to conserve nature," explains Esther Blanco. "They are a way of assigning value to nature itself, so that landowners see it as valuable in its pristine state and not just for its productive use. For example, a tree is given value without having to be cut down and processed into timber." PES are thus a tool to change the notion that benefits derived from nature are free. An estimated 550 PES programs are running worldwide, and an estimate of $36 billion is invested annually through them as payments to conservation. However, PES can be discontinued for a variety of reasons, such as political motivation or because a program is coming to an end. One fundamental concern about PES is frequently repeated by critics: putting a price on nature could lead to conservation being viewed solely in financial terms and demotivate people from conserving nature for other reasons that were important to them in the past. "These motivations include pride in one's conservation efforts, a sense of responsibility, moral values and social norms," says Blanco. This displacement of original motivations by monetary incentives is called the "crowding out effect" in economics. If payments are discontinued, motivation will be lostsuch is the concern. Study shows lasting motivation In a newly published study, Blanco compared landowners in Colombia who had stopped receiving PES payments with those who had not or were still receiving them. She found that there was no crowding out effect. The landowners showed motivation even after the payments were stopped and continued to protect the ecosystems on their land. This main concern about PES could therefore not be confirmed. Blancos' research is focused on sustainability and addresses the influence of institutions on cooperative behavior in fostering greener, fairer, knowledge-based societies and she has studied PES in depth. "PES are very often used in the fight against climate change. A good example is the REDD+ initiative, which aims to make forests financially attractive as carbon reservoirs," says Blanco." My opinion on climate policies is very pragmatic: if they are effective and increase well-being and equity, they should be used. Single policy solutions for climate protection will not be enough, in my opinion. I see the best hope in a policy mix that includes compensation for those who do more to protect the climate." As a next step, Blanco plans to find out if the results of her study can be generalized to other settings. She has conducted several economic experiments on the characteristics of PES programs to find positive interactions between donors and recipients. "It would be very interesting to apply some of these findings in field settings, similar to what we did to the study recently published", says Blanco. "For example, we have the very robust result that compensation works best when relative effort is compensated with relative rewards, i.e. those who put in more effort also receive more compensation. When compensation is distributed equally to all, regardless of effort, we cannot observe an increase in effort. One of the things we are currently working on is testing these results in the field." More information: Esther Blanco et al, No crowding out among those terminated from an ongoing PES program in Colombia, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2023.102826 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: Columns of smoke rise from wildfire in Odeceixe, southern Portugal, as temperatures soar there and in neighboring Spain. Temperatures soared across Spain and Portugal on Wednesday as the two countries boil under their third heat wave of the summer. As huge forest fires raged across southern Portugal for the fifth successive day, Spain's weather service warned that the average temperature across the country could hit a seven-decade record. "This will probably be the hottest five August days in 73 years," said AEMET, the state meteorological agency, with almost the whole country under red weather alerts. The highest temperatures occurred in Andalusia, according to data from AEMET shortly before 7 pm (1700 GMT), in Roda de Andalucia where the mercury hit 44.6 degrees Celsius (112.3 Fahrenheit), and at the Granada airport where the temperature reached 44.1 Celsius. "The average temperature" in Spain this Wednesday "will probably be a record since 1950", Aemet added. Winds and extreme heat are also driving fires that have devastated 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of trees in neighboring Portugal over the past few days. The biggest blazes are in the southern Odemira region, where more than 1,500 people have been evacuated with the fires reaching the Algarve, a hugely popular tourist destination. Wildfires in Portugal. But firefighters tackling the wildfires said they were bringing them under control Wednesday, with a fall in temperatures and greater humidity at the coast helping stem the spread as hot air moves east. Experts say the recurring heat waves, which have been getting longer and more intense, are a consequence of climate change. The Iberian Peninsula is bearing the brunt of climate change in Europe, with droughts and wildfires becoming more and more common. Spanish firefighters used up to a dozen water bombers to slow the spread of the flames around Valencia de Alcantara in Extremadura close to the border with Portugal. "We evacuated our clients to a hotel in Alcantara," said Joaquin Dieguez, the owner of a holiday cottage. "But we are really worried because we have an enormous forest here with century-old oak trees. It's awful." The most dangerous fire burning Friday, in Valencia de Alcantara in the southwest, was "stabilized", the regional government reported. First estimations suggest that 350 hectares of trees have gone up in smoke. The blaze comes after 573 hectares were destroyed in wildfires in Portbou in Catalonia in the northeast, with 450 acres of trees lost by another fire near Bonares in Andalusia in the south. 2023 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Graphical abstract. Credit: Biological Conservation (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110203 Monash University researchers supporting Zoos Victoria to breed the Critically Endangered Helmeted Honeyeater with another subspecies to improve genetic health and fitness, have found that the benefits of such genetic mixing outweigh any risks. Small woodland birds in the Meliphagoidea superfamily include a Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, common in Eastern Australia. But one of its subspecies, the Helmeted Honeyeater known for its head feather helmet, is Critically Endangered with fewer than 200 birds remaining. Its remanent population can be found in the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Area and became one of Victoria's faunal emblems in 1971. Like many other isolated populations of small size, the Helmeted Honeyeater lost much of its genetic diversity in recent years, making it vulnerable to a changing environment. Moreover, its reproductive fitness is significantly reduced by inbreeding: the most inbred birds raise only 1/10th of the total number of offspring raised by the least inbred birds. The addition of genetic variation from another population is required to reduce inbreeding and rescue fitness of the Helmeted Honeyeater. Dr. Alexandra Pavlova, from the School of Biological Sciences, and her colleagues, including researchers from Zoos Victoria, are leading a genetic rescue program for the Helmeted Honeyeater by breeding it with another subspecies. Genetic enhancement must come from a different subspecies because the Helmeted Honeyeater is the last of its kind. "Genetic rescue via gene flow from genetically diverse sources is the most effective way to improve fitness of isolated inbred populations," Dr. Pavlova said. "However, when the only potential source of immigrants is a different subspecies that diverged long ago and occupies a different environment, genetic rescue may lead to reduced fitness of admixed offspring or maladaptation." "Test cases are needed to evaluate how to manage such potentially risky rescues to deliver enhanced population fitness." Findings of a breeding trial conducted over five years at Zoos Victoria's Healesville Sanctuary are described in a paper published recently in Biological Conservation. Captive genetic rescue efforts are underway with a closely related Gippsland subspecies that diverged from the common ancestor with Helmeted Honeyeater thousands of years ago and has distinct morphology, mobility, and habitat preferences. Short-term reproductive fitness was assessed for captive pairings of 'pure' Helmeted Honeyeater pairs, first- and second-generation inter-subspecific crosses, and backcrosses to Helmeted Honeyeater, taking into consideration sex, breeding season, age at breeding, and wild or captive origin of the parents. "We have observed that, compared to 'pure' pairs, most admixed pair-types more readily formed a pair and built a nest, raised more nestlings, and had chicks that were less male-biased, with no signs of reduced fitness," Dr. Pavlova said. "Our study is significant because it provides a positive example of how potentially 'risky' rescue options could help improve population genetic health and fitness. This is particularly important, because risky gene flow sources are becoming the only choice for many populations." Dr. Pavlova said to maintain local adaptation, fitness monitoring should continue after release of the birds into the wild. More information: Alexandra Pavlova et al, Benefits of genetic rescue of a critically endangered subspecies from another subspecies outweigh risks: Results of captive breeding trials, Biological Conservation (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110203 Journal information: Biological Conservation 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: This image shows the difference in size between Pacfic Coast Feeding Group whales and their Eastern North Pacific counterparts. Credit: K.C. Bierlich, GEMM Lab, Oregon State University. Gray whales that spend their summers feeding off the coast of Oregon are shorter than their counterparts who travel north to the Arctic for food, new research from Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute shows. Both males and female gray whales in the subgroup known as the Pacific Coast Feeding Group are smaller than those in the larger group of Eastern North Pacific whales. The females average 3 feet (about 1 meter) shorter, and males average 1.5 feet (half a meter) shorter, said the study's lead author, K.C. Bierlich, a postdoctoral scholar in the institute's Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory. "That is a significant difference in size. We also found that the Pacific Coast Feeding Group whales had slightly smaller skulls and flukes," he said. "It's a surprising findingwe have not thought about these whales being different in this way before." The findings, published today in the journal Biology Letters, raise new questions about the health, behavior and management of the Pacific Coast Feeding Group, said study co-author Leigh Torres, an associate professor at Oregon State who leads the GEMM Lab. Most of the roughly 16,000 gray whales in the Eastern North Pacific population cruise past Oregon's coast as they migrate south between October and December to their winter breeding grounds in Mexico, and again in March as they return to feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi seas between Alaska and Russia, where they spend the summer. But whales in the Pacific Coast Feeding Group, which number 212, spend their summer months feeding in coastal waters of Oregon, as well as northern California, Washington and southern Canada. Since 2015, Torres and her research team have been studying the health and habits of the Pacific Coast Feeding Group, also known as Oregon's "summer resident" gray whales, because of their unique ecology and elevated exposure to human activities in some locations, including boat traffic, noise and pollution. Researchers use a drone to study gray whales off the coast of Oregon. Credit: Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory, Oregon State University The work includes using photographs to identify individuals, nets to capture fecal samples, and drones to capture aerial images for measuring the body size of individual whales. These methods provide researchers with a lot of information about the whales' health and environment in a non-invasive manner. "What is really unique about our data on the Pacific Coast Feeding Group is that we know these whales really well," Bierlich said. "We see the same whales every year and can identify individuals based on unique markings, use sighting history from photo identification to estimate their age, collect fecal samples to determine their sex, and use drone imagery to measure their length, skull and fluke size." "A big question our research group has been debating for a while is why these whales come here instead of going farther north like the larger group," he said. Bierlich, whose research interests include using non-invasive tools such as drones to study whale health and behavior, saw an opportunity to compare the Pacific Coast Feeding Group and the Eastern North Pacific whales. He used a combination of historic whaling records, data from stranded animals, observations from airplanes and information collected through modern non-invasive techniques including drones and began to see differences between the two groups. "When we look at the growth curves for the two populations, we see that they grow at the same rate, but reach different final lengths," he said. "That raises some interesting questions: Is this size difference normal for this group of whales and they are a healthy population, but just differently shaped? Or is this difference a sign that they are stressed, unhealthy or not getting enough to eat?" Reduced size and length are common adaptations for animals when resources are limited, Bierlich noted, but the difference also could be attributed to an adaptation to the conditions of the region. A gray whale captured via drone off the coast of Oregon. Credit: Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory, Oregon State University "These whales live in a very shallow environment, feeding in the kelp forest near shore, so the differences could be a reflection of their environment," he said. "Their smaller body size and shorter skulls and flukes could potentially help them feed more effectively in this habitat compared to the deeper waters where the Eastern North Pacific whales feed." The findings may also have implications for future population management. "Being smaller means these gray whales may have less energetic storage available to support reproduction or response to disturbance and injuries," Torres said. "More research is needed to understand what may be driving the size differences between the two populations." In the United States, the Pacific Coast Feeding Group is managed as part of the larger Eastern North Pacific Group. The differences in size could raise questions about whether the Pacific Coast whales should be managed separately. "With only 212 Pacific Coast Feeding Group whales, these whales might require different management strategies compared to the 16,000 whales in the Eastern North Pacific," Bierlich said. Additional co-authors include Oregon State's Ally Kane, Lisa Hildebrand, Clara Bird, Alejandro Fernandez Ajo, Josh Stewart, Ines Hildebrand and James Sumich and Duke University's Joshua Hewitt. The Marine Mammal Institute is part of Oregon State's College of Agricultural Sciences and is based at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. More information: K. C. Bierlich et al, Downsized: gray whales using an alternative foraging ground have smaller morphology, Biology Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0043 Journal information: Biology Letters This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The novel photoanodes suppress the undesirable internal and external losses associated with photoelectrochemical water splitting, resulting in an unprecedented photon-to-current conversion efficiency of 12.79%. Credit: Professor Sanghan Lee from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Korea Currently, hydrogen is mainly produced by natural gas, which, unfortunately, also generates greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide as by-products. Scientists argue that hydrogen produced this way, while economical, is not truly sustainable, and thus requires a more eco-friendly approach for its generation. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting based on solar energy is one such promising approach. However, its widespread application is limited by a lack of efficient photoanodes for catalyzing the rate-limiting oxygen evolution reaction (OER), an important reaction in PEC water splitting. Recently, organometal halide perovskites (OHPs) have emerged as a promising photoanode material on this front. Unfortunately, OHP-based photoanodes suffer from two undesired losses that limit their efficiency. One is an internal loss resulting from a recombination of photogenerated charge carriers (required for electricity generation) within the anode itself, which, in turn, hinders water splitting. The other is external loss due to the slow reaction kinetics of water splitting, resulting in a loss of charge carriers at the interface of the anode and electrolyte. Against this background, a team of researchers from Korea and U.S., led by Professor Sanghan Lee from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology and including Associate Professor Jangwon Seo from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, has now developed a highly efficient OHP-based photoanode using a rational design approach, which overcomes the above limitations. Their study was published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. "The high efficiency of the photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting was achieved through the simultaneous suppression of internal and external losses of photogenerated carriers," highlights Prof. Lee. In their work, the team fabricated a novel Fe-doped Ni 3 S 2 /Ni foil/OHP photoanode in three steps. They first synthesized the Fe-doped Ni 3 S 2 catalyst for OER on Ni foil through a hydrothermal method followed by a chemical conversion. They then separately fabricated the OHP photovoltaic cell consisting of SnO 2 electron transport layers (ETLs) through spin coating. Finally, they combined the two components to obtain the photoanode. The team found that adding glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTMACl) to the anode passivated the defects at the OHP/ETL interface, effectively suppressing the undesired charge carrier recombination within the anode. Further, it enhanced the light-soaking stability of the OHP cell, a crucial factor in real-world PEC water splitting. Additionally, the high catalytic activity of Fe-doped Ni 3 S 2 ensured a high OER rate at the anode, reducing the loss of photogenerated carriers within the electrolyte. Consequently, the Fe-doped Ni 3 S 2 /Ni foil/OHP photoanode exhibited an unprecedented applied bias photon-to-current conversion efficiency of 12.79%, higher than that reported for OHP-based photoanodes in existing studies. Overall, this study provides important insights into the prospects of rationally designed OHP-based photoelectrodes, as Prof. Lee highlights: "The proposed technology is expected to contribute to the vitalization of the hydrogen economy and carbon neutrality by enabling a large-scale and eco-friendly hydrogen production using solar energy without external voltage in the next 10 years. This, in turn, will help realize hydrogen as an ideal renewable source of energy in the future." More information: Hojoong Choi et al, Suppression of Undesired Losses in Organometal Halide PerovskiteBased Photoanodes for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting, Advanced Energy Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202300951 Journal information: Advanced Energy Materials Provided by GIST (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology) (Photo : Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey declares a state of emergency amid a surge of migrants who are seeking shelter within the state. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency for her region amid a surge of migrants who are seeking shelter which has caused a strain on state resources. During a press conference at the State House on Tuesday, Healey said that there are nearly 5,600 families who are currently housed in Massachusetts' emergency shelter system. She added that this number represented an 80% rise compared to the number seen a year ago. Massachusetts State of Emergency In her statement, the Massachusetts governor said that the numbers were being driven by the surge of new arrivals who have gone through what she said were the "hardest journeys imaginable." Healey added that asylum seekers are the face of the international migrant crisis. Healey argued that the migrants came because they found their original home too dangerous to live in due to various circumstances. She added that Massachusetts has and will always be a beacon of hope, compassion, humanity, and opportunity, as per CBS News. The governor also delivered an "urgent and formal appeal" to the federal government to have barriers removed, expedite federal work authorizations, and help the funding for new shelters in the state. Massachusetts is currently the only state in the U.S. that has a "right-to-shelter" law, which guarantees homeless fugitives access to emergency shelters. Healey is not the sole government official who has looked to take emergency actions amid the rising number of undocumented immigrants relocating to northeast states in the last few months. In a similar situation is New York City Mayor Eric Adams who in May asked a judge to relieve the city from its own right-to-shelter obligation. On Tuesday, representative and candidate for state Senate Peter Durant called for the Massachusetts governor to file legislation to repeal the state's housing mandate law. He said that the state's homeless shelters have already been maxed out. Read Also: Los Angeles: Over 11,000 Local Workers Go On 24-Hour Strike to 'Shut Down' City Growing Migrant Crisis With the current situation, migrants who are waiting for their asylum rulings are able to get U.S. work permits. However, they need to wait nearly half a year before they can apply, based on information provided by the Immigration Reform Law Institute. While work permits can be issued after 30 more days, they usually take more time due to various delays, according to the New York Post. On the other hand, Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll urged Bay State residents to consider the possibility of opening their homes to migrants. She argued that this is not a crisis that the state's family shelter system was designed to handle properly. She noted that for the past few months, the state government and its providers have been working tirelessly to stretch the system as far as it could go. However, Driscoll said that they need more people to work on the matter because it truly needs a team effort. In July, Healey noted that there were roughly 100 families a day who were seeking shelter and highlighted the issue of declining numbers of people leaving the shelter. She also said that costs were hitting $45 million every month on programs, said Fox News. Related Article: Supreme Court Rules To Bring Back Regulation on Ghost Guns @ 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: Two major climate events dominated the last 66 million years of climate change. Credit: TiPES/HP An analysis of the hierarchy of tipping points suggests that during the last 66 million years, two events set the scene for further climate tipping and for the evolution of the climate system in particular. If the anthropogenic climate change of today leads to complete deglaciation, the evolution of Earth's climate will be influenced on a geological time scale, the authors suggest. The work by Denis-Didier Rousseau, Universite Montpellier, France; Witold Bagniewski, Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, France; and Valerio Lucarini, University of Reading, UK is published in Scientific Reports and is part of the European TiPES project on tipping points in the Earth System. Inspired by a theory of evolution The new insight into the history of climate change was inspired by the theory of punctuated equilibrium, which ranks evolutionary changes into hierarchies. The idea was introduced in the 1970s by Eldredge and Gould as an alternative to classic evolution theory. Punctuated equilibrium proposes that some evolutionary changes determine the evolution of a species more than others. It also explains why species have a tendency to adapt in short evolutionary spurts, rather than gradually over time. Rousseau and colleagues speculated that a similar approach of ranking the importance of historical climate changes through tipping events might prove equally beneficial. For that, they applied advanced statistical methods to two series of climate data with clear signs of critical transitions. The results indeed suggest that the idea of hierarchies in the evolution of the climate system can lead to new insights. The analysis reveals that two major events out of ten dominated the evolution of the Earth's climate system over the last 66 million years. A hierarchy of climate tipping events The first event was the Chicxulub meteor impact in Mexico, which killed off the large dinosaurs approximately 65.5 million years ago. This catastrophe marked the beginning of a very warm period with high levels of CO 2 . For the following 30 million years, this regime dictated which climatic changes were possible and kept it within the regime of hot and warm climates. The second crucial event was the tipping point associated with the glaciation of the Southern hemisphere 34 million years ago, when the Antarctic continent was isolated at the South Pole due to plate tectonics. The forming of the large ice sheet led to the glaciation of the North as well, and marked the beginning of a considerably colder type of climate on Earth, again dictating the scope of future climate changes. The analysis additionally suggests that our current global climate system still belongs to the latter climate regime and still depends on the existence of the gigantic ice bodies built within the Coolhouse/Icehouse era. Serious repercussions In the event that the ice sheets should not withstand anthropogenic global warming, the deglaciation will therefore represent a landmark tipping point similar to the two that have dominated Earth's history, leading to a new, unknown climate landscape. "The ice sheets are key components in the present climate system. But they are very sensitive. They presently experience a negative mass balance, and there are numerous reports of evidence of melting under the impact of the current climate warming, translating a trend towards a potential tipping point that could accelerate the disappearance at least of Greenland and West Antarctica, with serious repercussions for our societies" says Rousseau. "Crossing tipping points has been a recurrent feature in climate evolution. Our study reveals a better understanding now of the mathematics of such events. As a consequence, strategies of adaptation to and mitigation of climate change should now take into account the possible destabilization of tipping elements," adds Lucarini. More information: Denis-Didier Rousseau et al, A punctuated equilibrium analysis of the climate evolution of cenozoic exhibits a hierarchy of abrupt transitions, Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38454-6 Journal information: Scientific Reports This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain Despite broad scientific consensus that climate change has more serious consequences for some groupsparticularly those already socially or economically disadvantageda large swath of people in the U.S. doesn't see it that way. A recent national survey study found that just over one-third of U.S. adults believe climate change is impacting some groups more than others. Nearly half feel that climate change impacts all groups about equally. And when the question referenced race in climate impacts, even fewer people believed some groups are more adversely affected than others. "Our earlier research showed that the American public misperceives who is concerned about environmental issues, and we're wondering why that's the case," said Jonathon Schuldt, associate professor of communication in Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and executive director of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. "And one thought we had was, 'Is the American public even aware of the unequal impacts of environmental issuesspecifically the unequal impacts of climate change?'" Schuldt said. "Our findings suggest many people might not be." Schuldt and Adam Pearson, associate professor and chair of psychological science at Pomona College, are co-authors of "Public Recognition of Climate Change Inequities Within the United States," which published Aug. 7 in Climatic Change. In 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, "Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability," concluded that human-induced climate change "has caused widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people, beyond natural climate variability. Across sectors and regions the most vulnerable people and systems are observed to be disproportionately affected." For this study, Schuldt and Pearsonwho were co-authors last year on a study proposing that misperceptions of others' concerns about COVID-19, climate change and other issues are a form of social misinformation that can undermine the trust needed to address global threatsanalyzed data from two national surveys they conducted in May and August-September 2022. For the first study, the question posed to 1,084 respondents was, "Do you think that climate change affects some groups more than others, or does it affect all groups about equally?" In the second study, a total of 1,017 respondents were randomly assigned either the original question or one of two alternative questions: "Do you think that climate change affects some groups in the U.S. more than others, or does it affect all groups in the U.S. about equally?" or "Do you think that climate change affects some racial groups more than others, or does it affect all racial groups about equally?" For the first study, just 37% of respondents felt climate change impacts some groups more than others; 46% felt it affected all groups about equally, and 17% weren't sure. For the second study, when the question included the term "racial groups," just 22% felt some groups were affected more than others. Fifty-seven percent felt all racial groups were affected about equally. Democrats were more likely than Republicans, and younger people more likely than older people, to believe climate change affected some groups more than others. Still, Schuldt said, the misperceptions exist across all groups. "It's still only a minority of Democrats who are choosing the 'some more than others' response, which is the correct response," he said. "That's a little surprising to us. It does seem like there is this sort of 'common threat' or 'great equalizer' perception when it comes to climate change, that may prevent people from seeing or acknowledging these inequities." The biggest surprise, he said, was that when race was included in the question, the belief that some groups were more affected than others was so much weaker. "That's remarkable to us, because race is a robust social predictor of exposure to climate-related hazards," Schuldt said. "It suggests that calling attention to one of the main factors that puts people at risk might actually backfire." Schuldt is hoping that this and future research on climate justice leads to more awareness by the public, and consequently, legislation that can make a real difference. "We know a lot about Americans' climate change attitudes, but we know relatively little about their perceptions of climate injustice," he said. "We think there's a need for survey researchers to study these in more depth, so that we can track them over time and see how well they predict support for policy aimed at reducing climate inequities in the years to come." More information: Jonathon P. Schuldt et al, Public recognition of climate change inequities within the United States, Climatic Change (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s10584-023-03594-1 Journal information: Climatic Change 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: Box Canyon Dam. Credit: IOP Publishing Dam constructions have flooded over 1.13 million acres (4,570 km2) of tribal land in the US contributing to the historic and ongoing struggle against land dispossession for Indigenous peoples in the United States. New research, published in Environmental Research Letters, has identified that a region of tribal land larger than the state of Rhode Island has been submerged by dams in the US. The findings raise concerns about the destruction of ecosystems, cultural heritage, and livelihoods. The new study shows that dams have significantly contributed to land loss of Native people, a factor that has not been fully quantified until now. Over the centuries, colonial settlers and the federal government have acquired over two billion acres from Native nations through various policies, including forced removal, allotment, and the reservation system. The study considers data from federal Indian reservations and Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Areas (OTSAs) alongside the locations of nearly 8,000 dams across the United States and the size of their reservoirs. The research reveals that 424 dams have flooded 1.13 million acres of tribal land in the US. Heather Randell, Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography at Penn State University, says, "The consequences of dam-induced land loss are far-reaching. The disruption of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems not only devastates natural resources but also destroys culturally significant sites. The impact on local communities' livelihoods and displacement from their ancestral lands is equally severe." Recommendations proposed by the research team include the prioritization of dam removal wherever feasible, along with exploring alternatives such as tribal ownership or funding for dam repairs and improvements in cases where removal is not viable. "In the wake of recent federal legislation addressing aging infrastructure in the United States, it is important to prioritize removing dams that have flooded tribal land," Randell continues. "This is an opportunity to address historical land dispossession and to respect the sovereignty and rights of Indigenous communities." 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: Glasgow aims to be carbon-neutral by 2030. Credit: Ulmus Media/Shutterstock More than two-thirds (67%) of the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change originated in cities in 2020. It is not surprising, therefore, that mayors have joined national politicians in setting targets for reducing emissions within their jurisdictions. Many UK cities have committed to achieving net zero ahead of the government target of 2050 (in Scotland, it is 2045). Manchester aims to be net zero by 2038, Liverpool and Birmingham by 2030. Nottingham expects to become the first carbon neutral city in the UK as early as 2028. Are these pledges realistic? How much can cities and local councils actually do on their own to achieve net zero? A lot, certainlybut their capacity to cut emissions is constrained. Drastically reducing urban emissions will require reform of sectors ranging from transport to electricity generation and home heating. Many of the policies capable of changing public behavior, encouraging investment in new technology and restructuring the economy in order to do this, cannot be implemented by city hall. Setting targets is one thing Ambitious targets provide a reference point, an expression of where we want to end up rather than a detailed road map for getting there. Setting a net zero target indicates a city is pulling in the same direction as national government. But unrealistic targets, or failure to communicate the scale of coordinated and complex changes needed to achieve them, risk undermining confidence in the overall campaign, especially if progress turns out to be more complicated than was initially implied. The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, recently tried to capitalize on the supposed disaffection with air pollution measures among voters in London by insisting his government's plans to achieve net zero by 2050 won't "unnecessarily give people more hassle and more costs in their lives". Policies may also falter if there is insufficient coordination between city planners, business leaders and politicians. In a recent paper, I looked at some of these issues in Glasgow with fellow researchers. Glasgow is an interesting case, a Scottish city that can trace its large population and wealth to the industrial revolutionand the rich deposits of coal and iron ore it dug up to fuel heavy industries. The city suffered as a result of deindustrialisation. From relying on fossil fuels to support its development, Glasgow now seeks to be a leader in the green economy. In 2019, Glasgow city set a target to be net zero by 2030. It aims to link this transition with the regeneration of the city through the Glasgow Green Deal, which has three objectives: reduce emissions and build resilience to environmental change, create jobs, and tackle poverty. The latest data suggests emissions for Glasgow city fell 47% between 2005 and 2021. Significant progress, but much of this decline was driven by national efforts to decarbonize the electricity system; very little can be attributed to local policies. Greener electricity (dark green bar) accounts for 39% of Glasgows emission cuts since 2005. Credit: BEIS, Author provided Glasgow's reduced emissions (2005-2021): Achieving them is another Whatever cities say about their targets, their ability to dictate the pace and scale of the transition to net zero will be determined by the balance of power between national and regional policymakers. Take transport, for example. Glasgow's transport emissions comprised 28% of the city's total emissions in 2021, with emissions from motorway traffic actually increasing in absolute terms from 2005. Trunk roadswhich carry nearly half the city's trafficare the responsibility of the devolved Scottish government in Edinburgh, while fuel taxes are decided by the UK government in London. Responsibility for public transport is similarly mixed. The local rail network is overseen by the Scottish government-owned ScotRail, but bus regulation is the responsibility of the city council. The city council can implement some localized road policies, including congestion charging and workplace parking levies. But clearly, without the cooperation of both the UK and Scottish governments, decisions made in Glasgow will not affect the bulk of the city's emissions. It's also unclear how to count these emissions in the first place. Does a car journey taken by someone living nearby which passes through the city count towards Glasgow's total? And what about emissions from businesses based in Glasgow that make goods consumed elsewhere? International and domestic air travel (such as flights from Glasgow Airport) is a major source, but it's not included among the emissions the city tracks or aims to eliminate. Glasgow's own estimate of its emissions, published annually, only reports these sources within unhelpfully broad categories. What's more, the multiple agencies involved in reaching net zero include businesses, community groups and nonprofits, many of which lie outside the authority of a city council. Figuring out where their capacity to cut emissions begins and ends, and predicting how any changes they make will affect other agencies and the achievement of other objectives, is complicated. But Glasgow's experience suggests cities can play a positive role in this process by convening local groups and asking them to focus their efforts on net zero. Targets are an important way of doing that, but the tougher work of managing and coordinating these efforts cannot be ignored. This is where the UK government's recent backsliding on net zero is likely to have the biggest impact. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: piRNA biogenesis pathway in the Drosophila germline. The Drosophila ovary has 1620 ovarioles containing 14 different developmental stages of egg chambers. The piRNA precursors transcribed in the nucleus are transported to the nuage, which is located on the cytoplasmic side of the nuclear membrane. At the nuage, Tej, Vas, Spn-E, Krinmp, and other proteins accumulate, and Aub and Ago3 cleave piRNA precursors and complementary-sequenced transposons. In the nuage, Tudor domain proteins cooperate with PIWI family proteins, and piRNAs are generated via the ping-pong amplification pathway, which is conjugated with the degradation of transposon transcripts. Credit: 2023, Toshie Kai, Tejas functions as a core component in nuage and precursor processing in Drosophila piRNA biogenesis, Journal of Cell Biology You're likely familiar with RNA, the molecule that plays an important role in protein production and gene expression control. Perhaps you're less familiar, however, with PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA), a special type of RNA that protects the genome from mutations. Now, researchers in Japan have shed light on how these critical molecules are formed by the dynamics of several associated proteins in the germline of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. In a new study researchers from Osaka University have clarified how the proteins Tejas (Tej), Vasa (Vas), and Spindle-E (Spn-E) contribute to the creation of piRNAs, which are found in the gonads and help protect the genome from mutations or deletions caused by transposons that may be passed on through reproductive cells. The article, "Tejas functions as a core component in nuage assembly and precursor processing in Drosophila piRNA biogenesis," was published in Journal of Cell Biology. In Drosophila, piRNAs first appear as long sequences, known as precursor transcripts, which are processed in membrane-less cellular compartments called "nuage" and turned into their shorter forms as functional piRNAs. These nuage are composed by the interactions of RNA-processing proteins, PIWI family proteins, and a group of proteins known as the Tudor-domain-containing (Tdrd) proteins. Of those, Tej, a Tdrd protein, has been previously shown to play a key role in the piRNA pathway, with a major reduction in piRNAs observed in the absence of Tej. However, the role that Tej plays in the generation of piRNA is not fully understood. The research team set out to investigate the molecular function of Tej during piRNA biogenesis. "We first evaluated the detailed function of Tej in the Drosophila ovary and confirmed that Tej is involved in processing precursor transcripts with two RNA-processing helicases: Vas and Spn-E in the nuage," explains lead author of the study Lin Yuxuan. "In the mutant germ cells that lack Tej, we observed that Vas and Spn-E are not properly assembled in the nuage, indicating that Tej plays a critical role in recruiting Vas and Spn-E to the nuage." AlphaFold prediction of the interaction regions for TejSpn-E proteins. Heterodimeric structures of Tej (right, red) and Spn-E (left, blue) are predicted using AlphaFold v2.2. The C-terminal conserved region of Spn-E (blue) predicted to interact with Tej-eSRS (red) was experimentally proven in the Drosophila ovary. Credit: 2023, Toshie Kai, Tejas functions as a core component in nuage and precursor processing in Drosophila piRNA biogenesis, Journal of Cell Biology By generating variants of Tej that lack specific regions of the protein, the investigators could identify which areas of Tej are crucial for interacting with Spn-E and modulating the mobility of Vas. They found that one distinct region, termed the "Spn-E recruit site," contributes to the recruitment and maintenance of Spn-E in the nuage. Another distinct region, known as the intrinsically disordered region, affects both the ability of Vas to move within the nuage and the dynamics of other components of the nuage. "Our study demonstrates that Tej is a key component of nuage formation and piRNA processing," says senior author Kai Toshie. "By recruiting Vas and Spn-E, Tej facilitates nuage formation, allowing the processing of piRNA precursor transcripts into their mature, functional forms." Tej interacts with Spn-E and Vas and has a role in processing piRNA precursors. In Drosophila germ cells, Spn-E localizes to the nuage in the perinuclear membrane region via the eSRS motif in Tej. In contrast, the Lotus domain of Tej facilitates Vas localization to the nuage. This complex is involved in the processing of piRNA precursors, and the IDR of Tej provides mobility to the TejVas complex in the nuage, contributing to its role as a component of a non-membrane organelle. Credit: 2023, Toshie Kai, Tejas functions as a core component in nuage and precursor processing in Drosophila piRNA biogenesis, Journal of Cell Biology Disruption of piRNA formation is known to cause infertility. The research team's insight into the formation of nuage and piRNA processing mediated by Tej in Drosophila germline may help to uncover the mechanisms underlying reproductive disorders, including infertility, and may contribute to the development of new fertility drugs. More information: Yuxuan Lin et al, Tejas functions as a core component in nuage and precursor processing in Drosophila piRNA biogenesis, Journal of Cell Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202303125 Journal information: Journal of Cell Biology 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: Sampling locations in Monmouth County, NJ. The regional context is shown in the inset, with the sampling area marked in red. On the main map, the proportion of samples found in excess of the NJ State water quality threshold for Enterococcus is indicated by the color of the symbol. Station SEA1 was sampled May 2019Aug 2019 (n = 13), while all other stations were sampled the entire period (n = 36 each). Credit: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (2022). DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10788-0 Surfers at beaches where stormwater drainage pipes discharge into the ocean risk catching more than waves on a rainy day. Monmouth University researchers studying the influence of weather and ocean conditions on microbial pollution found that within 624 hours of moderate rainfall, enterococcus bacteria levels exceeded state health safety standards about half the time at these beaches. While rain is a known driver of illness-causing microbial pollution at New Jersey beaches, this was the first peer-reviewed study to formally investigate the linkage. The research is published in the journal Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. Endowed Professor of Marine Science Jason Adolf and Specialist Professor Jeff Weisburg of Monmouth University's Biology Department collected water samples with students on dry days and following storms at five Monmouth County beaches with outflow pipes in 2019 and 2020. The research was conducted both in the summer bathing seasonwhen the state monitors pollution levels weeklyand from SeptemberMay, which is not a time period regularly monitored by the state. Although the throngs of beachgoers largely vanish after Labor Day, the fall and winter months are considered prime surfing season for the Jersey Shore, and its waters remain crowded with riders taking advantage of hurricane swells. "Without a system on the beach to warn them, surfers could unknowingly be exposed to bacteria that can cause respiratory infections, nausea, abdominal pain and fevers," said Dr. Weisburg, whose research focus is immunology and disease. "Since the restrictions on which beaches you're allowed to surf at are lifted in the off season, surfers should take advantage of the other beaches open to them and steer clear of outfall pipes during and after rains." The samples were tested for enterococcus levels and checked for relationships with data for three important drivers: precipitation, which transports animal waste and other pollutants to beaches via stormwater discharges; water temperature, which determines how easy it is for bacteria to thrive; and tide stage, which can control whether the pollutants are diluted or concentrated. Model accurately predicts microbial pollution based on environmental data The research found that rainfall within 624 hours of sampling and higher water temperatures were the best predictors of high enterococcus counts, although exceedances of the state regulatory threshold of 104 colony-forming units (CFU) per 100 mL seawater were found in all seasonseven in seas as cold as 44 degrees F, following rainy periods. Although not an explicit part of this study, observations during sampling suggested that these bacteria spikes subsided quickly at these sites, within one or two days of occurring. The researchers created a model that could predict the likelihood of bacteria spikes at the sampling sites with accuracy based on data for rainfall accumulations, water temperature and water levels. When the model focused on sites having stormwater drainage in the surf zone, its predictions that levels would exceed the state threshold were correct 69% of the time; it was a perfect 100% when it predicted levels would stay safely below the threshold. Adolf said a model of this type, if expanded statewide, could be used to augment the state's own system for monitoring water quality and advising bathers when the ocean is unsafe. New Jersey regularly samples on Mondays and only follows up with tests on Tuesdays or beyond if it detects a CFU count above 104. The five sampling sites offered case studies in how the setup of outfalls could impact the results. A site where overflow water drained from Wesley Lake in Asbury Park had the highest percentage of samples above the threshold. The percentage was lowest at Neptune Boulevard in Deal, where the water drained into a sandy dune area that essentially filtered it before it reached the ocean. The results were more consistent at Roosevelt Avenue in Deal, and South Bath Avenue and Ocean Place in Long Branch, where the pipes all drained stormwater into the surf zone area. The researchers also used the model generated in this study to "back cast" enterococcus levels at the same beaches using about 20 years of historical hourly rainfall, water temperature, and water level data. The output was used to test the efficacy of different sampling scenarios. "Over the long term at the sites we studied, you're going to detect about one in seven exceedance events if you're only sampling one out of seven days because the nature of rainfall is random and the response of microbial pollution is rapid," Adolf said. "If it happens to rain on the weekend or early Monday, you're going to get a lot of exceedances when you measure on Monday. But if it rains on Tuesday through Saturday, the beaches we studied are likely to exceed enterococcus levels within 24 hours and will probably be clear by the following Monday. We recognize the logistical challenges to daily sampling, but our research suggests you can supplement weekly monitoring with modeling that predicts the water's safety based on environmental parameters which are already being measured all the time." The study was co-authored by Monmouth graduates Kelly Hanna and Victoria Lohnes, with research contributions by Monmouth graduates Maria Riley, Skyler Post, Ariel Zavala, and Erin Conlon. Associate Professor of Geography Geoffrey Fouad made important editorial contributions to the paper. More information: Jason E. Adolf et al, Enterococcus exceedances related to environmental variability at New Jersey ocean beaches, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (2022). DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10788-0 Provided by Monmouth University This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain A recent claim by South Korean researchers that they have created a material which works as a superconductor at room temperaturelong a holy grail of physicshas been met with huge excitement on social media but skepticism from scientists. Superconductors can carry electrical currents with zero resistance, unlike traditional materials such as copper which lose part of the charge as heat. Since the phenomenon was discovered in 1911, thousands of superconducting materials have been foundbut to work, all have to kept at extremely cold temperatures and high pressure, limiting their real-world applications. So the race is on to find a material that superconducts at room temperature, which could lead to transformational technology that could help fight climate change, supercharge quantum computing and even boost levitating high-speed trains. Late last month, a little-known group of South Korean physicists posted a preprint studywhich has not been peer-reviewedannouncing that their material, called LK-99, can superconduct at room temperatures and ambient pressure. They also posted a video of a small piece of the material levitating above a magnet as evidence of the feat. The news was soon trending on Twitter, driven largely by fevered speculation among amateurs, while scientists around the world rushed to create the material and test whether it was the real deal. Large laboratories in China and India were the first to report their findings, both determining the material could not superconduct at room temperature. But that does not yet rule out successful replications in the future. Several preprints looking at the theoretical side have suggested that LK-99 could at least be capable of the long-sought feat. 'Trial by Twitter' In the midst of the social media hypea rarity in the often dry world of materials scienceexperts in the field have called for patience. Susannah Speller, a researcher at Oxford University who has worked on superconducting materials for more than 20 years, told AFP that "trial by Twitter is not going to replace the standard scientific process for checking and verifying work". If the scientific community has come across as a bit negative, it is because "we've been trained to be skepticaland we've seen this all before," Speller said. Julien Bobroff, a physicist at France's Paris-Saclay University, said that "we have been hearing announcements about superconductors coming in from the cold for the last 30 to 40 years, and most have turned out to be wrong." Indeed, late last year the prestigious Nature journal retracted a 2020 study claiming that a material conducted electricity without resistance at 15 degrees Celsius (59 Fahrenheit). So why has the reaction been so different this time around? Both Speller and Bobroff pointed to the video posted by the South Korean researchers, which offered a visual element that created a wow-factor on social media timelines. However, Speller said that "there are lots of things that can levitate that are not superconductorsit's not a test for superconductivity." 'Not convinced' Superconductors kept at low temperatures such as -250C already have a range of uses, including in MRI medical scanners, the Large Hadron Collider, and some high-speed levitating trains in Japan. If the world does stumble onto a true room-temperature superconductor, perhaps the biggest impact would be on the electrical grid. Currently, 10-15 percent of electricity is lost as the energy travels from power stations to homes. The amount of energy saved by a room-temperature superconductor could therefore be the equivalent of "removing one or two nuclear reactors in France," said French physicist Brigitte Leridon. So how likely is that the LK-99 is the material that scientists have spent 120 years searching for? Speller said she would be "fairly surprised" if LK-99 turned out to be a room-temperature superconductor, adding: "none of the evidence I have seen thus far is compelling." Amalia Coldea, a superconductivity expert at Oxford, told AFP that "so far, I have not been convinced". Even if it turns out that LK-99 is a room-temperature superconductor, "it may not be the answer to all our technological wishes anyway," Speller emphasized. The material, a mineral called apatite which has some lead atoms replaced by copper atoms, is more like the ceramic in a teacup than metal, she said, meaning it will likely be difficult to bend into useful wires. As for LK-99, further tests are expected to reveal more about its superconducting potential in the coming weeksthough a definitive answer could take some time. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence," said British scientist Toby Perring. 2023 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The researchers used their new system to make a variety of detailed 3D structures, including a 3D woodpile structure (a & b), a 20-micron-diameter buckyball (c) and two cubical box frames (d). The images were acquired with an electron microscope. Credit: Cuifang Kuang, Zhejiang University Researchers have developed an easy-to-build, low-cost 3D nanoprinting system that can create arbitrary 3D structures with extremely fine features. The new 3D nanoprinting technique is precise enough to print metamaterials as well as a variety of optical devices and components such as microlenses, micro-optical devices and metamaterials. "Our system uses a two-step absorption process to realize 3D printing with accuracy reaching the nanometer level, which is suitable for commercial manufacturing," said research team leader Cuifang Kuang from the Zhejiang Lab and Zhejiang University, both in China. "It can be used for a variety of applications such as printing micro or nanostructures for studying biological cells or fabricating the specialized optical waveguides used for virtual and augmented reality devices." Conventional high-resolution 3D nanoprinting approaches use pulsed femtosecond lasers that cost tens of thousands of dollars. In Optics Letters, Kuang and colleagues describe their new system based on an integrated fiber-coupled continuous-wave laser diode that is not only inexpensive but also easy to operate. "This new approach helps make 3D nanoprinting accessible to scientists, even ones who are not familiar with the optical systems typically used for this type of fabrication," said Kuang. "It could eventually lead to low-cost desktop 3D nanoprinting devices that could offer precision nanoprinting to anyone." Creating a simple setup 3D printing objects with a feature size of approximately 100 nm typically requires a technique called two-photon absorption. This involves using expensive femtosecond lasers to achieve precision 3D photon absorption that solidifies, or polymerizes, a liquid resin that is sensitive to light. Recently, an approach called two-step absorption has been developed as an alternative to two-photon absorption developed by Vincent Hahn's research team at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. It uses a special photoinitiator called benzil together with a single light source to create polymerization. In the new work, the researchers developed a simplified and faster 3D nanoprinting two-step absorption system that uses a 405-nm-wavelength integrated fiber-coupled laser. For 2D or 3D printing with the new system, the laser beam from the single-mode polarization-maintaining fiber is collimated and directed onto galvanometric mirrors. It is then focused into the photosensitive material with a high-numerical aperture microscope objective. Printing tiny objects "The simple system does not need a large number of optical components to modulate the laser beam, which saves money and produces less optical aberrations, or errors," said Kuang. "It is also highly stable and compatible with most commercial microscopes." The researchers demonstrate their 3D nanoprinting system by using it at low speeds to print 2D line gratings and 3D woodpile nanostructures with a lateral period of 350 nm. Using a faster scan speed of 1000 micron per second, 2D gratings with sub-200-nm resolution and sub-50-nm linewidth can still be fabricated with laser power less than 1mW. The researchers are now working to improve the writing speed and quality of the technique while maintaining high resolution. This will make the system practical to use for even more applications. More information: X. Liu et al, High-resolution 3D nanoprinting based on two-step absorption via an integrated fiber-coupled laser diode, Optics Letters(2023). DOI: 10.1364/495286 opg.optica.org/ol/abstract.cfm?uri=ol-48-16-4300 Journal information: Optics Letters Provided by Optica 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: Amazon Indigenous activists and climate campaigners demonstrate on the sidelines of a summit in Belem, Brazil on saving the world's rainforests. Nations from Brazil to Indonesia met Wednesday to seek a plan to save the world's tropical rainforests, a day after South American leaders drew criticism for failing to adopt a pledge to protect the Amazon. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has gathered leaders and high-level officials from South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia in the city of Belem, at the mouth of the Amazon river, for a two-day summit on charting shared strategies to protect the world's tropical forests, key buffers against climate change. But environmentalists sharply criticized the first day's outcome: a joint declaration by the eight South American nations that share the Amazon basin, which failed to include pledges to stop illegal deforestation by 2030 or ban new oil exploration, as climate activists and Indigenous groups had urged. The eight-country Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) expanded its focus Wednesday, meeting with the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Indonesian envoys to seek a common path forward ahead of the next UN climate talks. "Tropical forest countries need to have the weight and voice we deserve in the international arena," Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told the meeting. "Developed countries need to do their part... They need to fulfill their funding pledges to help developing countries on climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development." The conference also included representatives from Norway, the top donor to Brazil's Amazon Fund to protect the world's biggest rainforest, and France, which shares a piece of the area via the overseas territory of French Guiana. French President Emmanuel Macron voiced his support for the cause in a message read out by France's ambassador to Brazil. "It is urgent to act to protect our forests and end deforestation," he said. The United Arab Emirates, which will host the COP28 UN climate talks in December, sent its special envoy for climate change, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). 'The planet is melting' The Belem summit is something of a dress rehearsal for the UN climate talks that the northern Brazilian city will host in 2025. But despite Brazil's pledges to launch an ambitious roadmap to save the Amazon, the closely watched summit failed to impress observers on its first day. The Amazon countries' joint declaration "has no clear measures to respond to the urgency of the crisis," said Leandro Ramos of environmental group Greenpeace's Brazil office. "There are no targets or timelines to stop deforestation, no mention of an end to oil exploration," he said in a statement. Home to an estimated 10 percent of Earth's biodiversity, 50 million people and hundreds of billions of trees, the vast Amazon is a vital carbon sink, reducing global warming. But scientists warn its destruction is pushing it dangerously close to a tipping point, beyond which trees would die off and release carbon rather than absorb it, with catastrophic consequences for the world's climate. Marcio Astrini, head of the Brazil-based Climate Observatory coalition, said the nearly 10,000 word "Belem Declaration" adopted Tuesday amounted to "just a list of promises." "The planet is melting, temperature records are being broken every day... It is not possible for eight Amazonian leaders to fail to put in a declaration in bold letters that deforestation must be zero," he said. Vieira characterized the declaration as just a first step. "In order to make sure our shared vision doesn't just remain on paper, we'll have to adopt concrete actions with a sense of urgency," he said. "We can't reach the point of no return in the Amazon." But regional leaders are divided on a timeline to end deforestation and the issue of oil exploration. The debate comes as Brazil eyes opening new offshore oil fields at the mouth of the Amazon river and Ecuador heads for a referendum this month on halting drilling on a strategic oil bloc on the Yasuni Indigenous reservation. 2023 AFP Washington County Historical Societys Local History Book Club will meet from noon until 1 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 11, at the East Hebron Presbyterian Church, 6559 State Rt. 22, Hebron, NY and at the one-room schoolhouse across the street from the church. The school is maintained by the Hebron Preservation Society. Washington County Historical Society membership is not required for participation. The discussion will focus on the history of one-room schoolhouse education in Washington County. Attendees are asked to read the chapter on Education in the book Hebron A Century in Review, or to read Kaufmans The American One-Room Schoolhouse. (Photo : Arif ALI / AFP) (ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images) Pakistan has banned former Prime Minister Imran Khan from politics for the next five years following his arrest over allegedly selling state gifts during his tenure from 2018 to 2022. Pakistan has banned its former prime minister, Imran Khan, from politics for five years following his arrest over allegedly selling state gifts during his tenure from 2018 to 2022. The decision was revealed in a statement that was released by the Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday. The individual was previously found guilty last week during a corruption trial and subsequently sentenced to three years of imprisonment. Imran Khan Barred from Pakistani Politics for Five Years Khan's trial relates to an inquiry that was conducted by the election commission which found him responsible for unlawfully selling state gifts during his time as prime minister. Law enforcement personnel arrested the former prime minister at his home in Lahore after a court's ruling on Saturday and they transported him to the capital of Islamabad. Despite the accusations against him, Khan has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and his PTI party said over the weekend that they have lodged an appeal in the Supreme Court against the decision regarding the prime minister, as per CNN. Khan, in a video that was recorded before his arrest over the weekend, asked his supporters to peacefully protest to ensure their "freedom and human rights." He added that he was going through this "struggle" for the future of the country's children. The 70-year-old former prime minister was ousted during a parliamentary no-confidence vote last year. Since then, he has led a populist campaign against the country's current government that is led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Khan has accused the current administration of colluding with senior military leaders to remove him from office and keep him out of Pakistan's politics. However, the current Pakistani government has denied that Khan's arrest was politically motivated or that there was an attempt to keep him from participating in this year's elections. The former prime minister's arrest in May in relation to a separate case resulted in violent clashes between his supporters and law enforcement personnel. Read Also: Indian Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi Reinstated to Parliament Allegedly Selling State Gifts In a statement, Pakistan's Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Marriyum Aurangzeb, said that Khan has to be held accountable for his deeds in law. She argued that there was nothing political about the situation, saying that it is simply a person who has been proven guilty being arrested, according to BBC. The alleged state gifts that Khan sold were estimated to have been worth roughly $635,000 and included Rolex watches, a ring, and a pair of cufflinks. Now, the former prime minister's aide, Zulfikar Bukhari, said that they are confident that they would be able to reverse the decision on Khan. The petition by Khan's legal team allegedly wrote that the conviction of the prime minister was made without lawful authority and was tainted with bias. They argued that Khan did not receive an adequate hearing regarding the case. The legal team added that the court rejected a list of witnesses for the defense only a day before a verdict was reached. They argued that this was a "gross travesty of justice, and a slap in the face of due process and fair trial," said Aljazeera. Related Article: Poland's President Declares General Election on October 15 @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Feeder Canal Alliance wants to move its priority list of maintenance projects for the canal and towpath higher on the New York State Canal Corp.s priority list. The alliance says the state group is ignoring some of the infrastructure maintenance and repair needs of the roughly 200-year-old canal. Pattie Simone, the executive director of the alliance, says she hopes her group can work more closely with the Canal Corp. We feel like were at a pivotal moment, Simone said during a recent tour of two locations along the canal. The group is getting more volunteers, and about 100,000 people use the Feeder Canal Towpath annually. People love to walk the towpath trail or kayak in the canal, Simone said. Bird watchers flock to it. Simone said, what they need more importantly is to partner with the Canal Corp. people to get us on the priority list. Howard Raymond, the president of the groups board, said that the Canal Corporation owns the canal and much of the property surrounding it. The alliance owns some but cares for more than they own. Often they cannot act without approval from the Canal Corp. Were the stewards of it, he said. Were here and ready to go. The Canal Corp.s Shane Mahar said he understood there was some tension between the two groups but said they have had a long-standing relationship including a permit that allows the alliance to do some work on corporate property without a formal request. Both have had leadership changes recently, and Mahar faulted that for some of the misunderstanding. A new corporation head in the Champlain Canalway, Mike Coon, has taken over, and Simone was named executive director of the canal this year after Jeanne Williams retired. I was told that we have a meeting this afternoon with some of the folks up there regarding our roles and responsibilitiesI would say its an ongoing conversation, Mahar said on Tuesday Aug. 8. He sees the talks as a reset, but at many points said he believe answers could be found. We value our relationship with the Feeder Canal Alliance people, he said. Local resident Patrick Morris reached out to The Post-Star last week with photos of trees blocking the canal near Haviland Cove. Walking the trail from the bridge towards downtown there are trees down (in the canal) everywhere. It has (gone) from a jewel of the city to a neglected waterway, he wrote. The Post-Star shot photos on Friday of the downed tree. Morris said that he attempted to reach the Canal Corporation, but nothing had been done. When asked directly about this issue, Mahar said the corporation is responsible for trees in the waterway. He said he would look into the problem. Morris wrote back later in the day that he saw an official-looking truck heading to the scene. The towpath that the alliance cleans and cares for was the path that mules and people used to drag long, narrow barges along the feeder canal. Now, it is a largely flat path used by cyclists, pedestrians and joggers. Along the canal in Hudson Falls are coal silos recently given to the alliance by the Touba family. The alliance has turned the silos into educational spaces. However, the alliance wants more to happen, such as improvements at the Five Combines Locks in Kingsbury. That series of locks drop the canal about 130 feet over just a few hundred yards. The locks have not been functional for decades and are overgrown with small trees and bushes. The bridges over the locks have been closed off, and brush and over growth on one side has overtaken paths and a sluice run of water. Were looking forward to what can be, Simone said at the Five Combines site, but it requires that the Feeder Canal rise on the priority list. We own the infrastructure and are responsible for the big repairs, Mahar said, but every year, there is competing priorities. He added that the bridges at the Five Combines were installed by the alliance, and it is his belief that they were not maintained properly. He said the state has a $140 million annual budget for 524 miles of commercially active, navigable canalways. The Feeder Canal is on the list, but navigable canals take priority. The corporation and their owner, the New York Power Authority, first look at repairs that would save lives and property, often fixing locks or dams near private property first. With the reset of the relationship between the alliance and the state, Mahar said he is hopeful that the discussions will result in action items soon for Feeder Canal repairs. Were going to get there. I wouldnt lose hope yet, he said. Editor's note: Scroll down for a video with Executive Director Pattie Simone, or click here. Clarification: This story originally said that the historical site at the Silos on the canal in Hudson Falls was a "museum." We intended that word to indicate the sort of materials there and that people can see a portion of history while on that site. The Feeder Canal Alliance does not own or run any museums, so we pulled the use of the word. From a press release: As part of a statewide effort to facilitate college admissions, State University of New York last month sent constituents in community college service areas instant admission letters, informing them they are accepted into their nearest college for the Fall 2023 semester. Given the number of adult learners SUNY Adirondack welcomes each year 18 percent of students are older than 25, with some well into their 60s and 70s the college extended the offer to adult residents who earned a high school diploma or its equivalency. Jenny Postlethwaite, director of College Access and Student Services at SUNY Adirondack said, "We have removed barriers to applying to college, and the vast majority of students are eligible to receive financial aid, further clearing the way to earning a degree. Statewide, nearly 100,000 residents qualify for free tuition at SUNY colleges. Those interested whether they received a letter or not can visit sunyacc.edu/apply and enter the code ADMIT. Those who attended SUNY Adk in the past and are interested in returning should visit connect.sunyacc.edu/register/returningstudentform, or contact SUNY Adk's Office of College Access at admission@sunyacc.edu or 518-743-2264. LOS ANGELES (AP) A judge sentenced rapper Tory Lanez to 10 years in prison Tuesday for shooting and wounding hip-hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford handed down the sentence to the 31-year-old Lanez, who was convicted in December of three felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. The sentence brings an end to a dramatic trial that created a cultural firestorm in the hip-hop community, churning up issues including the reluctance of Black victims to speak to police, gender politics in hip-hop, online toxicity, protecting Black women and the ramifications of misogynoir, a particular brand of misogyny Black women experience. Herriford said it was difficult to reconcile the kind, charitable person and good father many people described Lanez as being during the sentencing hearing with the person who fired the gun at Megan. Sometimes good people do bad things, Herriford said. Actions have consequences, and there are no winners in this case. Megan testified that Lanez fired the gun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding in July 2020, after leaving a pool party at Kylie Jenners Hollywood Hills home. She had to have surgery to remove bullet fragments. Since I was viciously shot by the defendant, I have not experienced a single day of peace, Megan said in a statement read by a prosecutor on Monday. Slowly but surely, Im healing and coming back, but I will never be the same. Lanez asked Herriford for mercy just before the judge delivered his sentence. Lanez requested either probation or a minimal prison sentence. If I could turn back the series of events that night and change them, I would, Lanez continued. The victim was my friend. The victim is someone I still care for to this day. He added, Everything I did wrong that night, I take full responsibility for. Lanez appeared stunned while the sentence was read, but had no audible reaction. His family and fans in the courtroom also remained quiet after the sentence. The rapper was given about 10 months of credit for time hes served since his conviction in December. Were extremely disappointed, Lanezs lead attorney Jose Baez said outside the courthouse. I have seen vehicular homicide and other cases where theres death, and the defendant still gets less than 10 years. Baez called the sentence really just another example of someone being punished for their celebrity status and someone being utilized to set an example. And hes not an example. Hes a human being. Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, was repeatedly praised by prosecutors for her bravery in testifying during the case and enduring online campaigns of hatred directed at her. I hope that Miss Petes bravery gives hope to those who feel helpless, said Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon of Megan at a news conference after the sentencing. During Monday's session, Lanezs father, Sonstar Peterson, choked back tears as he talked about how the rappers mother died when he was 11, just days after she first showed symptoms of the rare blood disorder that would lead to her death. I dont think anybody ever gets over that, he said of their youngest child, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson. But his music became his outlet. Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major-label albums. His last two reached the top 10 on Billboards charts. Megan Thee Stallion, now 28, was already a major rising star at the time of the shooting, and her prominence has surged since. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and she had No. 1 singles with Savage, featuring Beyonce, and as a guest on Cardi Bs WAP. The elder Peterson, who is a Christian minister, was one of several people who gave statements on Lanezs character and charitable giving as did the mother of Lanezs young son, who spoke in court about his qualities as a father. Dozens more wrote letters to Herriford, including rapper Iggy Azalea, who asked the judge to hand down a sentence that was transformative, not life-destroying. Herriford said Lanezs son, who is about 6 years old, also sent in a handwritten letter, but the judge did not describe it further. Lanezs family and supporters have packed the courtroom; during the trial, they contended his prosecution was unjustly brought on by Megan and powerful figures in music. After the verdict was read in December, Lanezs father denounced the wicked system that led to his sons conviction; on Monday, Sonstar Peterson apologized to Herriford for the outburst. Lanez has been jailed since his conviction. A chaplain from Los Angeles County jail said Monday in court that Lanez has led daily prayer groups that have eased tensions in the protective custody unit where he has been held. Herriford denied a motion from Lanezs defense attorneys for a new trial on May 9. Such motions immediately following a conviction are common and rarely succeed. Attorneys for Lanez had argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict him, and some of the evidence presented to jurors should not have been allowed. The lawyers argued Megans testimony that Lanez urged her not to go to police because he was on parole and would be in serious trouble was both untrue and an improper allowance of prior bad acts. And they said DNA evidence that prosecutors used to argue Lanez was the likely shooter fell well short of industry standards. Lawyers for Lanez plan to appeal the conviction. Herriford found earlier Monday that Megan was an especially vulnerable victim when she was shot, but that Lanez was not especially cruel or callous in firing at her. She has permanent scarring, physically, Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott said in court. And she certainly will have emotional scarring for the rest of her life. Photos: The best of the 2023 BET Awards A Mays Landing man is accused by federal agents of keeping explosive devices in his home. Robert J. Moser, 31, is charged with possessing destructive devices after police found a pair of explosives while responding to an overdose at his home, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Tuesday in a news release. Moser was set to appear in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Skahill on Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Police found two explosive devices resting on Moser's bedroom dresser when they responded to a call about him overdosing March 17, according to a criminal complaint written by Shoshannah Heskeyahu, a special agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Moser faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Hamilton Township police responded to the home about 9:30 p.m. after Moser's mother called 911, reporting her son was unconscious from a possible drug overdose, the criminal complaint states. Moser was found in an upstairs bedroom on the floor beside his bed, the document states. While administering the overdose reversal drug naloxone, an officer saw the explosive devices on the dresser. One was described in the criminal complaint as having an over 6-inch cardboard tube and containing a quantity of potassium perchlorate and nitrate, as well as metal pieces, with a fuse attached. Another was said to have a 12-inch mortar tube, a plastic cup containing five metal dart tips, a lighter, layered tape and the same explosive combination. Other associated objects, such as wires, fireworks, battery-powered items, screws, bolts, unidentified liquids, an aerosol can and duct tape, were found inside a bedroom closet, the complaint states. Following the discovery, the bedroom was sealed off before the Atlantic City Police Department's Bomb Squad responded to secure the items, the complaint states. Federal prosecutors did not say whether Moser had a motive for having the devices. MILLVILLE The New Jersey Division of Civil Rights is suing the citys municipal court over alleged bias against Hispanic defendants, a claim brought before state officials by a judge last year. The division contends Hispanic litigants were likely susceptible to missing work or altering childcare arrangements because they were not given a choice to appear before Judge Jason Witcher virtually, the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office said Tuesday. Witcher last year, in an open session, accused the court of cherrypicking Latino-sounding surnames when scheduling in-person appearances, which the court at the time held on Mondays. The lawsuit announced Tuesday was filed by state Attorney General Matthew Platkin and state Civil Rights Director Sundeep Iyer, according to a news release. The litigation is the result of a months-long investigation into Witchers claims. The Attorney Generals Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. New Jerseys laws forbid discrimination on the basis of national origin. That anyone in the City of Millville had to face discrimination from any public entity is disappointing, disheartening and unacceptable, Platkin said in a statement. Such practices only serve to erode the publics trust. New Jersey is committed to eliminating discrimination, no matter where it occurs. Witcher, who has been a local judge since 2010, declined to comment on the lawsuit. Beginning in June 2022, the citys municipal court began in-court sessions on Mondays, reserving Wednesdays for virtual appearances, which have become common practice since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Attorney Generals Office said. Judge suing state judiciary over alleged retaliation of Millville court bias claims MILLVILLE The local judge who alleged Latinos were being discriminated against by the city An interpreter was used for in-court sessions but was rarely used for Wednesdays, the Attorney Generals Office alleges. While the in-person interpreters services were available for 25% of the days that court was in session between June 13, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2022, English-to-Spanish translation was used for 95% of court appearances by litigants needing the service. The virtual interpretation service therefore provided Spanish interpreting services for less than 5% of court appearances by litigants who needed Spanish interpreting services during that time, the Attorney Generals Office said. Iyer on Tuesday said this showed the court failed to uphold promises of equal treatment. The complaint we are announcing today reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring that our institutions of public trust treat all New Jerseyans fairly and equally, Iyer said in a statement. Witcher became vocal about what he claimed to have seen in the courtroom, pressing state officials for an investigation into the practices. His claims prompted calls for action by lawmakers and Hispanic advocacy groups, specifically the Latino Action Network, who, in January, repeated demands for state-led probes. Findings from the state Administrative Office of the Courts, however, differ from those of the Civil Rights Division. In February, the Administrative Office said its investigation failed to find evidence supporting Witchers claims, making recommendations about how an interpreter could be used better to improve the municipal court. NJ fairly, fully handles weak claim of bias at Millville court Claims of ethnic discrimination, especially when made by a government official, must be take The investigation found no direct evidence that Millville Municipal Court officials were denying individual defendants the opportunity to appear for court virtually because they had a Hispanic/Latino-sounding surname or a need for interpreting, the Administrative Offices report said. The investigation uncovered no evidence of a written or unwritten scheduling policy in the Millville Municipal Court that discriminates against defendants with Hispanic/Latino-sounding surnames. According to the report, more than 2,500 defendants appeared in Millville Municipal Court from Oct. 5 through Dec. 14. Of 492 defendants categorized as having Hispanic/Latino-sounding surnames, 330 defendants were scheduled for virtual sessions and 162 were scheduled for in-person court events, according to the report. More than 94 percent of cases were scheduled consistent with the Supreme Courts order. The report outlines several statewide reform measures designed to raise awareness of the availability of interpreting services for both virtual and in-person court events. As part of those reforms, information about interpreting services will be added, in English and Spanish, to municipal court notices, opening statements delivered before court proceedings and the municipal courts page of the Judiciary website. The Judiciary interviewed 10 state court employees and spent more than 500 hours reviewing Millville Municipal Court files, listening to audio recordings of court sessions and interviewing relevant staff, according to the report. Court staff reviewed more than 3,000 cases scheduled during the period, according to the report. Meanwhile, Witcher is suing state court officials for retaliation over the claims made against him within the past year. The lawsuit alleges the retaliation and the offices failure to accommodate his medical needs have caused Witcher mental stress. William F. Cooke, a lawyer representing the state in that case, said his clients have not breached any constitutional, statutory, common law, or contractual duty owed to Plaintiff, according to a lawsuit response filed Friday. BUENA About 100 people gathered Tuesday evening to remember four people, including two children, killed in a house explosion last week. With a backdrop of firetrucks hiding what was left of the home in the 300 block of Northwest Boulevard, the crowd surrounded a stretch of grass in front of the property beside a walking path adjacent to a rail line. Family members were in attendance, rallying the crowd for prayers as they continued to mourn. Two other children, ages 1 and 16, remained in a Philadelphia hospital with severe burns. An organizer for the event said the two hospitalized children are doing well. The family declined to address the fatal blast with the media. Throughout the gathering, some in the crowd shared hugs and joined in prayer before lighting candles, which were later surrounded by pictures of the dead. The blast happened about 10:30 a.m. last Thursday. Two children, ages 2 and 3, who have been identified publicly only as Lyanni and Leovani, and two men, ages 52 and 73, died in the incident. Authorities say the case is being treated as a criminal investigation. Cause of fatal Buena explosion and fire remains unknown, police chief says The cause of a fire triggered by an explosion at a Buena home last week remains unknown, police said Monday. Franklin Township police, who patrol the borough, are leading the investigation with the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office. Police Chief Matthew DeCesari said he planned to release more information next week, possibly including the names of the victims. We are not complete with the investigation into the cause as of yet, DeCesari said Wednesday. Residents heard a roaring explosion about 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Several nearby walked out to find the home, its roof caved in, fully engulfed by a three-alarm fire. Three of the missing victims were found by Thursday evening with the help of a State Police K-9 Unit. The fourth victim was found about 2 p.m. Friday at the base of the destroyed structure, according to a previous news release. The first body recovered was one of the children, followed by the two men, DeCesari said. The last body taken from the site was the second child. Minotola firetrucks assembled back to back hid the rubble from the crowd Tuesday. Behind the trucks, the charred remains of the two-story home remained. The blast left behind a hole that appeared to be the basement. At least two neighboring homes were damaged by the blaze, displacing their tenants. Vigil scheduled for victims of Buena house fire A vigil is planned for the victims of last week's deadly Buena house fire that claimed four lives, including two small children. While destruction hid behind the trucks, hope for the family and friends thrived on the opposite side. Tuesday evenings vigil had been in the works since about Saturday, said Anna Feliciano, its lead organizer. Irma Rodriguez, the mother of the 2- and 3-year-old victims, shared intentions for a public vigil earlier this week. Rodriguez, who appeared Tuesday night, reached out to Feliciano for help planning the meetup. She is a very close friend of my daughters, said Feliciano, 47, of Vineland. Out of respect for her being a young mother, I stepped in to make this happen for her and her children. Many attendees wore pink and red, two favorite colors of the children, said Feliciano, who was working last Thursday at the time of the blast. I feel for her (Rodriguez) because I know what its like to be a mother, Feliciano said. Its for her and the father of the children. I just want them to make sure that they have their farewell to their children respectfully. Its not about me, and its not about the community. Its about the children and the parents. By 6 p.m. Tuesday, several people stood beside a makeshift memorial in front of the property, leaving flowers and looking at photos of the deceased. Some brought refreshments before others arrived, others balloons and candles. By 7:30 p.m., a crowd had built and was saying prayers to honor those lost. About a half-hour later, attendees began lighting candles, sharing the flames with one another. Fourth body recovered in Buena fire Authorities confirmed Friday that all four bodies have been recovered from a deadly house fire in the Landisville section of Buena. About 50 candles were left burning in front of the memorial by 8:30 p.m. Brian Slusarz, 23, of Franklin Township, was among those grieving with the community Tuesday. His friends live next door to the home destroyed by the explosion, he said. Everyone is supporting each other, everyone has got each others back and everyone is trying to help each other the best they can, Slusarz said. GALLERY: Buena remembers those lost in house explosion VINELAND A four-alarm blaze destroyed a city church late Monday night. Bystanders spotted flames coming from inside the Voice of Deliverance New Covenant Church in the 1400 block of East Chestnut Avenue about 10 p.m., fire Chief Lou Tramontana said Tuesday. The evangelical church holds services weekly and also offers programs for young adults, according to its website. A church representative couldn't immediately be reached for comment Tuesday. The first firefighters at the church watched as flames began building in the church's rear, Tramontana said. Arson is not weather. Massive fire that Destroyed the Voice of Deliverance New Covenant Church in Vineland, New Jersey may be weather related. pic.twitter.com/IJXAHBGEpK Tired of being politically correct (@USBornNRaised) August 8, 2023 Officials don't believe anyone was inside the church when the fire started, Tramontana said. The fire was extinguished within about two hours with help from about 70 firefighters across five companies. One firefighter suffered a minor eye injury, but no one else was harmed, Tramontana said. The fire was being investigated by the local fire bureau with help from the New Jersey Fire Marshal's Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Tramontana said. The scene was still being cleared Tuesday afternoon. ATLANTIC CITY Its not just about hair, Shayne Hefferon said as she trimmed a strangers hair for free last week on Kentucky Avenue. Hefferon, owner of Hairoin Salon in Mays Landing, volunteered to give free haircuts to the homeless and people in need as part of a community outreach program hosted by nonprofit Angels in Motion. Its physical, human contact, and its taking time to make someone else look better, which can make them feel better, Hefferon said. The program is personal for Hefferon, who previously struggled with addiction. Shes 12 years sober now and tries to help others whenever she can, she said. Hefferon said helping someone change their appearance can make a huge difference in how they feel. Volunteers from Just Cuttn Up Barber Shop on Atlantic Avenue also came to offer their services Aug. 9. A man who identified himself as Chris G. from Atlantic City got his hair buzzed by Kenya Nellom from Just Cuttn Up. He said he doesnt often have the opportunity to get a haircut. It means a lot, he said. Its big for me. Officials, public staying curious about Atlantic City Rescue Mission's intent for Ram's Head Inn County and township officials say they still know little about plans by the Atlantic City Rescue Mission to reopen the Ram's Head Inn in Galloway Township as a restaurant that would serve as a revenue source for the nonprofit. Angels in Motion hosts weekly outreach programs for the homeless and addicted, according to Co-Director Lisa Bee. Every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., they provide food, hygiene bags and access to a variety of health services. The programs typically bring out up to 100 people, Bee said. About 440 people in Atlantic County were experiencing homelessness in January 2023, according to the annual Point-in-Time count. About 37% of Atlantic City residents live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Angels in Motion provides people with blessing bags, filled with donated snacks, toiletries and a resource pamphlet with contacts for medical help, shelter or treatment. Rowan Medicine and Hope One Atlantic County, a mobile response unit for people struggling with addiction, were both on site. Last week, Angels in Motion partnered with volunteers to offer free haircuts as well as a mobile shower, courtesy of If Not For Grace Ministries. Our hope is to build relationships to help get people off the street and get back on their feet, Bee said. We always want to meet them where theyre at, not keep them where theyre at. Co-Director Susan Long said she also struggled with addiction and homelessness, and understands the importance of showing kindness and helping to boost someones self-esteem. Rio Grandes tent dwellers may have until Monday to vacate Time may be running out for those who live in Middle Township's homeless encampments, with a new township ordinance banning living in tents. Residents there said they may have to be out of the area by Monday. Long said she started volunteering in Philadelphias Kensington neighborhood in 2014 and was amazed to see so many volunteers serving out of love. We want people to know help is out there. Were here for them, we love them and well meet them where theyre at, Long said. Former state Assemblyman John Armato said he volunteers in honor of his son, whom he lost to addiction. It makes it easier when youve been there, Armato said. Bee also lost her son, Matthew, to addiction, and she teared up as she reflected on her reasons for volunteering. We do it in their honor, she said, hugging Armato. We do it to give back. Terry Luma said he and his wife, Sue, started their faith-based nonprofit If Not For Grace in Atlantic City in 2017, and now bring their mobile shower to outreach programs around New Jersey. God has put us in this place because Ive been here before, Luma said. City waiting on Atlantic City Electric to finish demos, police cameras, more Officials at Wednesday's CitiStat meeting said they could finish efforts to improve public safety if Atlantic City Electric would act on stalled projects. Luma said they give showers to whoever needs them, and their goal is to help get people back on their feet. I love doing this. Im 63, and I will do this until I die, Luma said. Bee said multiple local restaurants donate food for their Wednesday programs, including Chickies & Petes, Luigis Restaurant in Ocean City and Hannah Gs in Ventnor. Dozens got in line as Chickies & Petes arrived with trays of macaroni and cheese, salads and more. Volunteers handed out turkey sandwiches, water and Gatorade, which Bee said was donated by local families. Its good to give back to the community, said Chickies & Petes kitchen manager Chris Dougherty. The restaurant donates to the program once a month and typically makes enough to feed about 100 people, Dougherty said. Bee said any food not eaten is donated to other community organizations such as the Salvation Army, Covenant House and the Boys & Girls Club. Bee and Long share the same mission for the outreach programs: to be there for those who need help. People arent going to come out and say they need or want help. We just let people know were here, Long said. GALLERY: Haircuts for the homeless in Atlantic City STONE HARBOR A growing split between the mayor and Borough Council in this usually staid seaside resort resulted in a council vote to censure Mayor Judith M. Davies-Dunhour over comments made at the previous meeting. The fight centers on councils decision to name Manny Parada borough administrator, an appointment Davies-Dunhour opposed. Parada started with the borough about a year ago and has served as interim administrator since council fired former Administrator Bob Smith in February. At the August meeting, council approved a resolution to censure Davies-Dunhour for criticizing an employee in July. At that meeting, Davies-Dunhour argued against naming Parada to the job on a permanent basis. It is the opinion of the majority of the members of council that Mayor Davies-Dunhours actions in this regard were intentionally disruptive and/or abusive and that her actions and conduct frustrated the orderly conduct of business of the borough council, the resolution reads, in part. The resolution points out that the mayor does not have a vote in the matter. Davies-Dunhour had criticism of her own for the council. I chose to express my doubts and misgivings on this appointment, and I will not be bullied into silence by individuals (who) have decided theres no room for a dissenting opinion, she said at the meeting. Theres no legal basis for this whatsoever. Who are you, council, to decide when my speech needs to be silenced? Council member Robin Casper was the only vote against the resolution to censure the mayor. There are six members of council. Carmen Marotta brings the live music for free to South Jersey For the past 30 years and 12 years, respectively, Carmen Marotta, 67, of Egg Harbor Township, has hosted free concerts on the beach in Somers Point and at Kennedy Plaza on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Parada did not respond to a request for comment. Davies-Dunhour said the matter should not have been discussed in open session. She said she begged council to hold a closed-door meeting before the vote. All actions of governing bodies, such as a borough council, must take place in public per New Jerseys Open Public Meetings Act, as must most discussions. There are some exceptions, including for a quorum of a governing body to talk about contract negotiations and personnel matters, but the vote still must take place in public. At the July meeting, a closed session was on the agenda, but a majority of the council voted against having it. Council member Jennifer Gensemer said the discussion should be held in public, saying the council values transparency. Council member Bunny Parzych praised Paradas work for the township and said he was a perfect fit for the job. Casper, however, said the decision puts too much power in a single person, saying if Parada were to leave Stone Harbor or if he were unable to work, it could cause significant problems for the borough. Parada also heads up Stone Harbors Department of Public Works. At the July meeting, Davies-Dunhour suggested some matters were being discussed outside of the public meetings. Under New Jersey law, a quorum of a public body cannot legally discuss matters of public business outside of a formal meeting, at which minutes are taken, although a subcommittee can be formed with fewer members than a full quorum. But most open public meetings experts say a series of separate discussions on the same topic among a majority of members would also constitute a violation, such as if a member were to contact other members one at a time to advocate for a specific vote. At the July meeting, Davies-Dunhour said members should be spending more time preparing for the meetings, rather than ensuring there was a majority to support a resolution. From the archives: Stone Harbor teen Taylor Swift on her way to country music stardom In 2004, before Taylor Swift was a household name, we went to her summer home in Stone Harbor to interview her. Here's what she said about her hopes and dreams then. I just worry that were getting dangerously close to violating the Open Public Meetings Act, she said. Davies-Dunhour said all of the council members but Casper were aware of the plan to appoint Parada as full-time administrator. There shouldnt be that much discussion taking place before we get here. At the July meeting, Gensemer said Stone Harbor has to look at new ways to operate, potentially to include combining positions or having less defined roles in municipal government to allow workers to do more. She said the borough can no longer afford what she called bloated government. Were going to have to find new ways to do things so that we can afford our future, she said. Our financial obligations are staggering. Gensemer said Wednesday that Parada had strong and enthusiastic support in the community for the job, and said the mayor had previously criticized the the council over transparency. She said council had little choice but to censure Davies-Dunhour, which was done after a closed-door portion of the meeting. "It was a very unusual step. It was historic," Gensemer said. "It's not something that the council wanted to do. We were hoping that the mayor would apologize and we wouldn't have to do it." Davies-Dunhour said Parada makes about $180,000 a year as the administrator and the head of public works. The mayor said the borough needs an experienced administrator, and faulted Parada for his communication with her office. Under Stone Harbors form of government, the mayor is the chief executive of the borough. Most appointments are made by the mayor, with the advice and consent of council. In an interview after the council meeting, Davies-Dunhour said she has tried to work cooperatively with council, but tensions are building. I think the last six months have been a little rocky in Stone Harbor, she said. Officials in the city of Lebanon worried that the amount of state money distributed from Tennessee agencies based on 2020 census figures wasn't keeping pace with the city's explosive growth. So they reached out to the U.S. Census Bureau to ask about conducting another head count, or "special census," for the city on the edge of metro Nashville. But Lebanon officials balked at the $880,000 price tag and decided to do it themselves. "We think we can do it cheaper," said Paul Corder, planning director for Lebanon, which has a population of 44,000 residents. Their census is rolling out later this summer. Officials hope to spend less than half the federal quote for a count that accurately captures Lebanon's rapid growth, with a goal of bringing in just under $1 million extra each year in state funding through the end of the decade. The bureau's special head counts don't change political maps, unlike the federal census every decade, but they can lead to more state and federal funding. Communities that request them, or conduct their own, have to decide whether the cost they'll pay outweighs possible revenue gains, said Tim Kuhn, director of the Tennessee State Data Center. The National Conference of State Legislatures said it doesn't have data on how many states permit DIY censuses, but it's more common in states that have procedures for them, including Tennessee. After the 2010 census, 54 communities in Tennessee conducted their own special censuses, with none seeking help from the Census Bureau. Since the 2020 census, several Tennessee communities pursued their own second counts, including La Vergne and Cumberland Gap, as have three communities in Washington state: Sumas, Toledo and Springdale. In North Carolina, only municipalities with fewer than 500 residents can conduct DIY censuses. The resort town of Fontana Dam has 13 residents, according to the 2020 census, but local officials expect that to double or triple once their recount is approved. In Seven Springs, a special census bumped the population from 55 to 69 residents. Smaller communities like these probably won't see a huge change in their state funds, said Michael Cline, North Carolina's state demographer. "But folks in these local communities usually know who is living in their community by name," he said, "and want to get it right." Lebanon's special census will ditch the federal practice of asking for demographic information and only count names of residents at each address. The city also can reach people where the Census Bureau can't, like at Little League games, Corder said. DIY censuses can be useful for getting more funding but they also can be problematic, with concerns over keeping information confidential and accurately counting residences such as dorms and people who live in the state part-time like snowbirds, said Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant and a former congressional staffer who specializes in census issues. The Census Bureau doesn't track or provide support for communities that do their own censuses, it told The Associated Press. So far, only a single municipality Pingree Grove, a village in Illinois signed a contract for the Census Bureau to conduct a repeat head count following the 2020 census, at a cost of $373,000. The village, almost 50 miles northwest of Chicago, grew by almost 6.5% to more than 11,000 residents in the two years after the 2020 census. The decade before, the population more than doubled. Hundreds of new homes were built there since the last census, and it's planning to annex another 981 homes. Village officials want to account for that when it comes to federal and state funding. "Things are just constantly moving here, and we want to make sure we capture all of that growth," said Amber Kubiak, village president. "In the past decade when we were growing so rapidly, we waited and realized we should have done something about that sooner." Which large US cities have grown the most since 2016? Which large US cities have grown the most since 2016? 21 large cities added 100,000 or more residents since 2016 Boom cities, boom credit scores Where are all these new people coming from? A Florida man was sentenced to 127 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Ricky Fernando Duckworth, 41, of Jacksonville, Florida was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Gulfport. READ NEXT: Biden-Harris Administration Launches New Efforts to Strengthen America's K-12 Schools' Cybersecurity According to court records, on March 19, 2019, investigators through an undercover agent purchased two ounces of 98% pure methamphetamine from Duckworth in Moss Point, Mississippi. On November 16, 2021, Mr. Duckworth was indicted by a federal grand jury. He pled guilty on March 28, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor- led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. READ MORE: U.S. Navy Service Member Allegedly Transmitted Sensitive U.S. Military Information to a Chinese Intelligence Officer @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Big Oil groups have been relentless in their mission to lift restrictions on oil and natural gas exploration and drilling along the outer continental shelf, which runs about 3 miles off the coast of New Jersey. Their latest tactic? Working through shadow groups like Save Long Beach Island and the American Coalition for Ocean Protection to stifle offshore wind development. More offshore drilling should no longer be an option. Do we not remember the Anitra oil spill at the mouth of the Delaware Bay? It devastated 50 miles of New Jersey coastline, causing tar balls to wash ashore in Stone Harbor, Avalon, Ocean City, Longport, Margate, Atlantic City, Brigantine, and as far north as Holgate. The spill also directly harmed bird species like the piping plovers, whose environment wasnt fully restored until five years after the spill. New Jersey doesnt have to go down this destructive path again we can, and should, support forwarding the offshore wind development projects that Big Oil is so desperately trying to delay. The synergy of economic benefits offshore wind brings to South Jersey partnered with the advancement of the states renewable energy objectives is a true win-win. As people work toward meeting Gov. Phil Murphys renewable energy objective and President Bidens national offshore wind agreement, they must keep in mind the opportunity cost of delaying these critical projects. For one, this project is an economic boon for the state and will create job opportunities here in New Jersey. Three of the proposed offshore wind farm projects are estimated to inject $4.7 billion into the states economy and create over 10,000 jobs thousands of which will be union construction jobs thanks to a project labor agreement. This also helps keep students coming out of schools like Atlantic Cape Community College, Stockton University and Rowan University in-state with abundant opportunities to fill critical roles within offshore wind development. Moreover, developing offshore wind farms is the right thing to do for the environment. This project specifically enables the state to continue pioneering the path to 100% clean power by 2035 by providing 7,500 megawatts of renewable energy; enough to power more than a third of the homes in the state. This is a massive step towards securing the governors goal of 11 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2040, which could power 3.2 million homes. Additionally, by securing America an energy independent future we can bolster its national security and foreign oil import deals will no longer determine foreign policy outcomes. Despite these clear benefits, Big Oil and the extreme-right politicians they have in their pockets are trying to halt the project altogether by spreading misinformation. In fact, more than 80% of Facebook posts that mentioned wind energy contained misinformation about offshore wind farms and whale populations, according to a report released March 23 by the nonprofit Media Matters for America. But developing offshore wind hasnt always been such a politically polarizing issue. In 2010, New Jersey passed the bipartisan Offshore Wind Energy Development Act with Gov. Christies approval, creating incentives for the development of offshore wind energy in New Jersey. At the time, Christie said offshore wind development, not liquified natural gas, was the right path to pursue because not only is it good for the environment, but its going to help us create jobs. When deciding whether or not to pursue wind energy, the decision should be obvious. One of these choices will help alleviate threats to the environment and supply New Jersey with an influx of jobs. The other will continue the destruction of the environment while oil corporations laugh all the way to the bank. Its time to move New Jersey forward. Caren Fitzpatrick, of Linwood, is a commissioner of Atlantic County. The Father of the Nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, had visited the Government House - now known as Maharashtra Raj Bhavan, the stately official residence of the Governor, at least thrice, - during the British Rule, an official said here on Wednesday. The Raj Bhavan has released a 11-minutes documentary coinciding with the 81st anniversary of the historic Quit India Day on Wednesday (August 9). The presenter, the Governors Media Advisor Umesh Kashikar narrates in an interesting manner the three times when Gandhiji was hosted by the then Governors of Bombay Province. The first visit was on January 14, 1915 when the young Barrister Gandhiji had just arrived here from South Africa after launching his epochal anti-Apartheid movement, and was already a hero in his motherland. The second time, Gandhiji came to Raj Bhavan on April 16, 1931. The very next day, on April 17, 1931, Gandhiji visited Raj Bhavan the third time. The documentary can be accessed at this link: https://youtu.be/HwILgRdZ0KA. IANS Thomson Federal Prison has been placed on modified operations, or lockdown, since last week due to an assault. Local 4070 Union President Jon Zumkehr said that an inmate assaulted a staff member, which resulted in the lockdown and prompted no visitations over this past weekend. Zumkehr is the president of the American Federal Union of Government Employees Local 4070, which represents staff at the federal prison. "When that happened, that triggered a lockdown," Zumkehr said. "All the inmates were secured in their cells and we are going through lockdown procedure." The union is working hand-in-hand with the management at Thompson throughout the investigation procedure. The prison continues to be on lockdown until deemed safe for inmates and staff. The staff member was treated at the prison last week and was released back home. Thomson currently houses a total of 1,326 inmates with 1,198 inmates at the federal prison and 128 inmates at the minimum security satellite camp. In an e-mail to the Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus, the Federal Bureau of Prisons also confirmed that a lockdown went into effect at the prison Tuesday, Aug. 1. The lockdown is a temporary change to some institution operations that include adults in custody, programs and/or services. Institutions are placed on lockdown when an incident occurs and needs to be thoroughly investigated. No further information was provided from the Federal Bureau of Prisons regarding the lockdown. Thomas Bergami, who was appointed warden in March 2022, is no longer at Thomson. Zumkehr said Bergami and his executive staff team all left on the same day and that it happened suddenly in July. The Federal Bureau of Prisons did not provide information on Bergami's departure from Thomson but said he is still employed with the bureau. Since Bergami's departure, Zumkehr said, Associate Wardens from different institutions have been coming to Thomson and providing help and leadership the past few weeks. Since the temporary leadership has taken over, staff morale is up with appreciation lunches happening, better communication between the union and executive staff, and programs such as more education classes being offered to the inmates, he said. The union also has started a hiring push for more correctional officers. For those interested in applying, Zumkehr said they can come to the prison Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to apply. Staff will be available to help with the application. In July 2022, staff and the union were calling for the immediate removal of Bergami and sent a letter to the United States Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco citing "an abundance of serious incidents", a departure of correctional officers, and alleging Bergami failed within his position of trust and placed the staff, inmates, and communities at risk. Jury selection in the change-of-venue trial of the Davenport man accused of killing Breasia Terrell was stopped Tuesday. Henry Earl Dinkins opted for a bench trial. A judge, instead of a jury, will hear the case in Scott County and reach a verdict. The trial was moved from Scott County to the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids after the Iowa Supreme Court granted a change of venue April 22, 2022. Jury selection began Tuesday, but jurors were sent home. Scott County Attorney Kelly Cunningham will lead the prosecution, while Dinkins is represented by Chad Frese and Joel Waters. Ten-year-old Breasia Terrell was reported missing July 10, 2020, after spending the night with her younger brother at the apartment of his father, Dinkins. Dinkins immediately became a person of interest in Breasias disappearance. On March 22, 2021, two fishermen found human remains in a nearly hidden pond three miles north of DeWitt. The next day, investigators from the Division of Criminal Investigation finished removing the remains from the pond. Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorski confirmed on March 31, 2021, the remains were those of Breasia Terrell. Dinkins, accused of killing Breasia, has been in one jail or another since July 10, 2020. First arrested for violations of the sex offender registry, Dinkins was held in the Scott County Jail before being moved to the Clinton County Jail. On April 12, 2022, he was moved to Marshall County Jail to be closer to his attorney. On Oct. 7, 2022, District Court Judge Henry Latham granted a request to delay the trial filed by Dinkins attorney, Chad Frese, in order to allow them adequate time to prepare. On Dec. 9, 2022, Latham scheduled Dinkins jury trial for Aug. 8, 2023. Dr. Jeremy Thomas, a Texas native, has felt a warm welcome from the Quad-Cities since beginning his presidency at Black Hawk College in June. "I've had a really good time getting to know people in and around the Quad-Cities," he said. "I've been invited to more stuff than I could possibly ever attend." Growing up around eastern Texas' timber industry and married to an Ohio-raised "Midwestern girl" Thomas and his family met the area with a sense of familiarity. "So, this (the Quad-Cities) looks a little bit like home," he said. On campus, Thomas credits the energy from the Black Hawk community. "The way I often describe it, is everybody is really pulling hard and trying to get us somewhere," he said. "My challenge is getting all of that energy to flow in one direction because we have stuff going on all the time, across the whole district. That's exciting." So far, Thomas has focused on getting to know the college and the surrounding community hoping to identify needs, wants and how best to tailor those toward students and the community. The number one thing he's learned? "They want to see more college leadership," Thomas said. Whether it's volunteering at campus events, or even just showing up and being present Thomas wants the Black Hawk community to expect to see their new president getting involved. Thomas describes his leadership style as "leading from the middle." "If you're leading from the front, it becomes about you," he explained. "If you lead from the back, it's about making sure you never get hit, because everybody's out in front." By leading from the middle, Thomas can both take control and step back when needed. Moving forward, Thomas looks forward to expanding Black Hawk's direct to workforce-based programs, especially advanced manufacturing. "We're going to have that kind of introduction training on both the QC and East campuses," he said. "That's really geared towards getting people into manufacturing at an entry level, so then that 'wets their appetite' to want to keep going." Black Hawk's ongoing $40.8 million renovation project at the Quad-Cities campus excites Thomas, too. "We want to draw students back to campus, and that's a great opportunity to do that," he said. Still, with the pandemic likely forever changing the student learning landscape, Thomas plans to continue exploring and offering different ways of delivering classes at Black Hawk, be it in-person, virtual or hybrid. With over 20 years of leadership experience in higher education, Thomas served as the Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) provost prior to Black Hawk. "My background has predominantly been in enrollment. So, how do we tell a new generation that we (higher education) serve a purpose?" he said. "Today's generation (of college students) want to be able to see that checkered flag from where they start, and we have to be able to connect those dots for them." While perceptions may vary, Thomas believes the purpose of higher education is workforce development. "We are a pathway to getting employment," he said. "We don't go to school just to be smarter, we go to school to provide. We have to express that, and I don't think we've always done a particularly good job of that in higher education." Funding will continue to be a challenge, Thomas suspects, prompting higher education leaders to "get more creative" with donors and business partnerships. Thomas also hopes to translate his experience working with local industry partners. "In responding to how to meet their needs," he said. "And, at the same time, meet the education side." To illustrate this, Thomas shared an anecdote from his tenure at OCCC, where the school formed a partnership with Prairie Surf Media within roughly two months for an intensive 'Grips & Electric' course to meet upscaled workforce demands. "We responded immediately to what they needed," he said. "Now, they're working into a more stackable credential." To him, the biggest higher education issue right now is a hesitancy towards change. "Today's higher education system is built off the Industrial Revolution We've had two or three different types of revolutions since then, including the digital one, so the world has changed," Thomas said. "We've got to have those mixed modalities in order to meet students' needs the school that figures that out is gonna be the one that really makes an impact on student learning." Simply offering those non-traditional options to students isn't enough, he continued, Black Hawk should aim to "be better than just about anybody else." "It has to be quality, (students) have to actually learn and have outcomes on the other side." Photos: Black Hawk College Class of 2023 Commencement at the Vibrant Arena at the MARK The Board of Regents unanimously approved Tuesday a University of Iowa request to buy most of Iowa City-based Mercy Hospitals assets for $20 million without asking questions about the deals finances, including how the price was determined, where the money will come from and what will happen with the $63 million Mercy owes on publicly-issued bonds. I'm 100% behind this, Regent Nancy Dunkel said of the deal disclosed Monday, when Mercy Iowa City filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in U.S. Bankruptcy Court and announced the UI had signed a letter of intent to acquire substantially all its operating facilities and assets. Regents spokesman Brock Ascher told The Gazette: The bankruptcy court will determine what happens with Mercys debt, but the state will not be responsible. Under the proposed purchase agreement, the university will not be obligated to pay, discharge, perform, or assume any debt, obligation, expense, or liability of sellers. To a question from regent David Barker about timing of the sale, UIHC Associate Vice President for Legal Affairs Joseph Clamon said the court ultimately will dictate that, but Mercy and the university are seeking an aggressive timeline. That's what's in the best interest of the patients and employees of that institution, Clamon said. The specific request, he said, is that the assets auction for which UIHC is the first bidder, establishing the minimum price takes place no later than the end of September. And then the matter would be resolved, we would hope, in October or November, Clamon said. Obviously, that is a request that's going to be made by Mercy Iowa City, but we would support that request and we support moving quickly. Mercy approached UI UI President Barbara Wilson in presenting the proposed deal to regents said Mercy "did approach us and ask us to submit a bid to continue their long tradition of health care in our community and beyond. The universitys $20 million offer differs from the $605 million package it offered in 2021 to take ownership of Mercy and make it the centerpiece of a new UIHC community division, according to an investigation by The Gazette. UIHCs 2021 offer included $85 million in capital investment over 10 years, split between Mercys unfunded pension liability and workforce development efforts. It committed the remaining $520 million over the decade to grow and reestablish service lines, and upgrade facilities, equipment, and technology. No deal materialized because none of the entities that submitted indications of interest, including the UI, were willing to move forward, Mercy attorney Felicia Perlman told a bankruptcy judge Tuesday. So Mercy continued its managing partnership with Des Moines-based MercyOne, which began in 2017 even as the hospital continued to look for an off ramp. And at the end of 2022, the UI reengaged with Mercy on an offer to take over the hospital that would have required a bankruptcy filing, Perlman said. Mercy brought in bondholder Preston Hollow Community Capitol of Texas, which invested $41.8 million in Mercys 2018 bond issue, on the offer. But, Perlman said, They were not interested in moving forward with the bankruptcy filing and a purchase that was below the level of debt. So Mercy focused its conversations on getting Preston Hollow up to speed on the financial situation of the hospital and exploring alternative transactions. Perlman said Preston Hollow brought in ToneyKorf Partners to lead a restructuring until, on June 8, the bondholder asked that ToneyKorf be replaced. In the end, (Mercys) board concluded that replacing TonyKorf would cause substantial harm to the operations and increase the hospital's instability, Perlman said. "In addition, the increased cost of replacing a management team was value-destructive, given the liquidity challenges already facing the hospital. Preston Hollow and Computershare Trust Company asked a District Court last month to intervene in what it characterized as Mercys financial free fall by appointing a receiver. The impact of that request was significant, Perlman said. Numerous calls were received asking if the hospital had closed, she said. Patients canceled procedures, interview candidates canceled their interviews, and there was an increase in employee resignations. Seeking to stabilize the hospital, Perlman said, Mercy went to work on finding a new partner. Recognizing the importance of Mercy to the community, the university stepped up and renewed its offer to purchase the hospital, she said. During the regents meeting, Wilson reiterated the goal of continuing uninterrupted care for Mercy patients as it goes through the bankruptcy proceedings and pending sale. We share a goal to preserve the ability to offer health care access to a wide variety of individuals, both in the community and beyond, she said. Noting increasing pressures on health care across Iowa as its population ages, patients present with increasingly complex needs and hospitals and clinics face a shortage of physicians and nurses Wilson said UIHC remains committed to its mission of care for all citizens of the state. UIHC has 866 inpatient beds on its main campus, including 190 in its six-year-old Stead Familiy Childrens Hospital. Its planning a new 842,000-gross-square-foot tower that would include multiple floors of inpatient units at 48 beds a floor. And that construction comes in addition to a new $525.6 million UIHC hospital campus underway in North Liberty adding 469,000 square feet to the UIHC footprint. Mercy Iowa City, which has no affiliation with Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, has 194 acute care beds, a 23-bed nursery, 28 primary and specialty care clinics and a medical staff of 250 physicians, among 1,350 total employees. Photos: University of Iowa end-of-season celebration honoring the NCAA runner-up women's basketball team One man was injured after a shooting involving the South Dakota Highway Patrol around 10:03 a.m. Wednesday at the Big D gas station at 2800 Junction Avenue in Sturgis, according to officials. The officers involved were not injured, as reported by the South Dakota Attorney General's Office. The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation is looking into the shooting. According to the AG's office, DCI will process the crime scene, conduct a forensic examination of all collected evidence, interview officers and witnesses, and will review all video cameras from the area. After the investigation is complete, DCI will issue a case report and shooting summary, which the Attorney General Marty Jackley will review for a final determination on the officers action. The release of the summary is anticipated within 30 days. The AG's office said the highway patrol is cooperating in the investigation. The Sturgis Police Department stated it and the Meade County Sheriffs Office are assisting DCI in its investigation. The SPD asked anyone with images or videos related to the shooting to upload them. Anyone with information about the shooting can contact the Meade County Dispatch Center at 605-700-6650. This story will be updated as information develops. Local teens with Down syndrome are gaining job skills, social skills and confidence as they help feed hungry bikers. American Legion Post 311 in Piedmont and the Ups of Downs Family Support Group in Rapid City formed a new partnership for this years rally. This is the 24th year Post 311 has served daily breakfasts and dinners during the Sturgis rally. All the meals are prepared by a team of volunteers. The teens, along with Ups of Downs board members, assist with the dinnertime rush by bussing tables, refilling beverages and generally helping the kitchen crew ensure theres plenty of food. During rally week, volunteer cook Kim Anderson and a team of kitchen volunteers prepare made-to-order breakfasts and comfort food dinners such as roast beef, fried chicken, and turkey and dressing. Having additional help from the teens has been a godsend, Anderson said. Theyre putting out desserts and making sure theres plenty of those out, and if we need more salad or bread, theyre quick to tell us we need that, Anderson said. And since we do paper plates, its not heavy for the kids to have to worry about anything (when theyre clearing tables). The teens and board members began helping with the meals on Aug. 4, the opening night of the rally. The partnership has already proved so successful that Post 311 invited the Ups of Downs group to help next year, according to Anderson. Its absolutely wonderful, she said. It has been so positive. Were so tickled. It has been really fun watching them blossom. We sure enjoy them. I hope they enjoy us, Anderson chuckled. They have been so wonderful to help. Im a retired special ed teacher so I have a heart for them. Each night, a team of three teens, Ups of Downs board president Darcy Peterson and other board members who have Down syndrome have assisted Anderson and the other kitchen volunteers. Most nights, the dinner crowd has entirely been bikers though many locals showed up on Monday night for Post 311s popular chicken and homemade noodles. Mona Drolcs son David, 16, is one of the teens helping at Post 311. Theyre going out there every night interacting with bikers, and the smiles that we are getting from everybody its just unbelievable, Drolc said. The bikers are really enjoying it. Drolc is thrilled that diners have been taking time to ask questions and learn more about the teens and their aspirations. Theyre asking who we are. The kids are introducing themselves and when kids take their plate, the people say thank you. Theyre so gracious, Drolc said. This partnership with the American Legion has been so wonderful, and the opportunity they are giving our kids, what theyre giving back to our kids, is just amazing. I cannot say enough about what Post 311 is doing for us. Its an experience our kids have never been given the opportunity to do, she said. Our kids are learning valuable skills, including the importance of volunteering in the community, working with others and communication. Drolc also praised Peterson, saying shes a role model for kids with Down syndrome and their families. Peterson, 44, has Down syndrome. People just love her. Shes a wonderful human being, Drolc said. She lives on her own. She has her own job. She is very much a pillar that we can look at and say, We can get the rest of our kids to be like that. If Darcy can do it, (my child) can do it. The Ups of Downs Family Support Group provides support, education and social activities for families of children with Down syndrome. Their ongoing mission is to promote awareness, inclusion and acceptance of people with Down syndrome, Drolc said. The Ups of Downs started in 2000 and became a nonprofit organization in 2003. The group offers educational workshops and a variety of social and recreational activities, such as movie nights at the Elks Theatre for kids with Down syndrome and their families, Drolc said. The majority of our members are right here in western South Dakota. Were just trying to allow individuals with Down syndrome to have a life that is full of excitement and opportunities so they can be the best they want to be, Drolc said. We want our kiddos to be out there thriving. The nonprofit groups biggest event each year is its Down syndrome awareness walk, which will be Sept. 16 at Founders Park in Rapid City. Registration starts at 11 a.m. and the walk is at 1 p.m. The walk is open to everyone in the community, Drolc said, and its a fundraiser for Ups of Downs Family Support Group. Contact upsofdownsblackhills1@gmail.com for more information about Ups of Downs and the Down syndrome awareness walk. Rally meals at Post 311 Through Aug. 12, American Legion Post 311 is serving breakfast from 7 a.m. to noon and dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Breakfast is $9 and dinner is $14 to $18. American Legion Post 311 is located at 101 Pine St. in Piedmont. Go to facebook.com/sdpost311/ for the rally menu and more information. "We look forward to seeing our biker friends each year when they come back to see us," Anderson said. They enjoy seeing a familiar face, visiting with the locals and eating good satisfying food. We like to leave them with good old South Dakota hospitality. A drizzly morning didn't stop motorcycles from lining up on the historic streets of Deadwood Monday for the 16th annual Legends Ride, which brings riders and celebrities together in fun-filled adventure to benefit local charities. Before the ride, an Arlen Ness custom motorcycle and original art were auctioned off. Hundreds of riders then began at the Franklin Hotel before embarking on a scenic ride through the Black Hills, ending with a visit to Freedom Field at the Buffalo Chip and a special reception afterward. Legends riders have raised more than $2 million over the course of the event, benefitting organizations like the South Dakota Motorcycle Museum, Special Olympics Rapid City-Rapid City Flame, and Treasured Lives. "It's all humbling to me; it's just all from the heart," said Sturgis Buffalo Chip President Rod "Woody" Woodruff. First-time Legends Ride rider C. Thomas Howell, an actor and musician known for his roles in "The Outsiders," "Red Dawn" and "E.T.," said he was honored to be a part of this year's event. He praised the opportunity to support veterans and local organizations, saying that's what he loves about bikers they get stuff done. "When we can come together and unify and help others, there's nothing like it," he said. "It just makes everybody feel good. It's great to receive, but it makes you feel better to give." One of the organizations benefitting from the bikers' generosity is Special Olympics South DakotaRapid City Flame. Flame Coordinator Monica Burgess said the funding they receive is absolutely critical in making sure their athletes receive opportunities to practice and compete. "With the funds we've gotten from the Legends Ride, we are able to provide our athletes with facilities for example, the bocce complex, a gem transportation, softball fields, that equal typical students' capabilities," she said. "It's amazing." Since its inception in 2008, the Legends Ride has attracted celebrities from Aerosmith's Steven Tyler to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and even actor R. Lee Ermey. Members of the South Dakota Democratic Party have announced the date of an emergency meeting of the SDDP State Central Committee to recall the current Democratic Party Chair, after members alleged she violated the state party constitution. The meeting will be at 11 a.m. Aug. 19 at Drifter's in Fort Pierre, where the petition to recall Jennifer Slaight-Hansen will be presented, according to a joint resolution from 15 county Democratic Parties and two state central committee members sent on Tuesday. The SDDP called on Slaight-Hansen to resign by the end of July after allegations were made on July 22 that she violated four parts of the state party constitution and created a hostile work environment that led the former SDDP Executive Director, Dan Ahlers, to resign at the beginning of August. The SDDP initiated the recall process on Aug. 3. Slaight-Hansen was elected chair in February and took over in April following the death of former chairman Randy Seiler. The constitutional violation allegations include Slaight-Hansen improperly fired two staffers, hired two interns and was preparing to create a new job position, all without the approval of the executive board and the executive director. The fourth violation alleged she'd failed to effectively communicate with the 11 Democrats in the state legislature. Slaight-Hansen told the Argus Leader on Aug. 3 she had not anticipated being accused of violating the state party constitution. "This came so out of left field, out of the blue. I had no idea this was coming," Slaight-Hansen said regarding the Legislative letter that contained the allegations. As of Wednesday, at least 74 people had signed the recall petition out of a total of 120 eligible voters who can vote for the SDDP chair role, according to an email from Senate Minority Leader Reynold Nesiba (Sioux Falls), and reviewed by the Argus Leader. The 74 signatures are more than enough for what is needed to trigger the recall election process. At least half of the 120 eligible voters had to sign. The signatures will be vetted by a verification committee appointed by the SDDP Executive Board ahead of the emergency meeting. A proposed agenda sent in the SDDP memo Tuesday includes a review of the concerns regarding the actions of Slaight-Hansen, adopting rules for the recall process, a vote for the recall of the SDDP and the subsequent vote of an appointment of an interim SDDP vice chair if needed. A Chair Pro Tem will be appointed at the meeting to serve as a neutral facilitator. "It is our duty to resolve this challenge facing our Party with all due speed, for the good of the South Dakota Democratic Party and our ability as community, county, and legislative leaders to prepare for the 2024 election cycle. This is a duty to our Party, our state, and the people we serve," Nesiba wrote in the email reviewed by the Argus Leader. "It is abundantly clear that this is the prudent thing to do for our Party, as has been determined by so many County Party leaders statewide who have signed a petition for recall." (Photo : Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) Six months after an investigation warned that Mexican pharmacies were selling foreigners Oxycodone, Percocet, and Adderall, Mexico shuttered 23 Caribbean resort pharmacies. Mexican authorities have taken decisive action against pharmacies located in Caribbean coast resorts. Closing down 23 drugstores after suspicions emerged that they were peddling counterfeit pills, including substances like Oxycodone, Percocet, and Adderall, as per Independent. Mexican Targets Counterfeit Pill Trade in Tourist Areas This latest development follows a research report that had warned about such practices six months ago. These counterfeit pills were reportedly being sold to foreigners without prescriptions, posing serious health risks. The crackdown, conducted over four days, specifically targeted drugstores in prominent tourist destinations such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. The Navy Department spearheaded this operation, which revealed alarming irregular sales practices at nearly half of the inspected 55 pharmacies. The Navy's findings indicated that these pharmacies were often catering exclusively to tourists. This alarming practice was further highlighted by advertisements for these pills, including the convenience of home delivery services. During the inspections, outdated medications and pills with no clear supplier record were discovered, alongside blank or unsigned prescription forms. The seriousness of this situation is highlighted by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) study published earlier this year. The report disclosed that 68% of the Mexican pharmacies visited in northern Mexico cities had sold Oxycodone, Xanax, or Adderall. Shockingly, 27% of these pharmacies were found to be selling counterfeit pills. These pills were often misrepresented as controlled substances like Oxycodone, Percocet, and Adderall, even containing dangerous substances like fentanyl, a synthetic opioid far more potent than morphine. Chelsea Shover, an assistant professor-in-residence of medicine at UCLA, stressed that these counterfeit pills pose severe overdose risks. The US State Department also issued a travel warning about these pills in March, stating that they could contain potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. While the Navy's recent inspections did not confirm fentanyl-laced pills, they did seize medications for testing to determine the presence of fentanyl. Fentanyl, known for its potency, has been responsible for a significant number of overdose deaths, particularly in the United States, according to EFE. Read Also: Scientists Develop Cows That Produce 50% Less Methane, Major Breakthrough in the Fight Against Climate Change Massive Liquid Meth Seizure Disguised as Mezcal by Authorities In addition to the pharmaceutical concerns, Mexican authorities also made a significant methamphetamine seizure. A large shipment of liquid methamphetamine, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, was discovered in a shipping container disguised as mezcal, an alcoholic beverage made from distilled agave. This seizure comes as part of the ongoing efforts by Mexican marines to combat drug smuggling. So far this year, they have seized more than 124 tons of methamphetamine across the country. This incident is a testament to the enduring battle against drug trafficking and the complexities involved. As Mexican cartels resort to innovative methods to transport drugs, the need for heightened vigilance remains crucial. Whether it's the dangerous trade in counterfeit pharmaceuticals or the smuggling of powerful narcotics, the authorities' relentless efforts are essential to safeguard public health and security. Also, 11,520 tequila bottles intended for export to Australia that really contained pure liquid meth worth $1 billion were stopped by Mexican Navy inspectors in April of this year. About 8,640kg of meth was found in the bottles, which also were seized near the Pacific coast harbor of Manzanillo. The bottles contained a brownish liquid that resembled tequila. On that occasion, sniffer dogs also alerted the marines, resulting in drug testing of the cargo, Dailymail reported Related Article: Weight Loss Drug Lowers Risk of Death From Cardiovascular Diseases by 20%, Study Claims @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Grisette owner Donnie Glass is opening a new cocktails and oysters spot called Beaucoup in the former Commercial Taphouse location at 111 North Robinson St. I have long loved Commercial Taphouse, and I am flattered to have a hand in the next evolution of the address, Beaucoup, Glass said. Hell be partnering with Grisettes longtime bar manager, Eli Adams, on Beaucoup, which will focus on Old World inspired comfort food, raw oysters, cocktails, beer and wine. The joint will undeniably remain a neighborhood bars bar, Glass said. Its not going to be fancy, but we will remain true to the culinary ethos that we do at all of our spots a radical commitment to local and seasonal cuisine, cooked soulfully, from scratch, by people that care. Its been slow and steady, Glass said about the renovations. We have contractors coming in next week to speed things along. He described the Beaucoup concept as a sort of Parisian dive that will serve oysters and cocktails. Glass also operates Jardin in the Fan. Commercial Taphouse opened in 1993 and served as a major introduction for Richmond to craft beer. It was originally owned by James Talley, who sold it to An Bui, owner of Mekong and The Answer Brewpub, in 2014. Bui closed the restaurant in 2016, and it reopened under Joseph Miller in late 2016, featuring beer on 16 taps, as well as Mexican and American dishes. Miller announced the closing of his version of the Commercial Taphouse in early June. Under Glasss restaurant group, the Beaucoup space will also serve as a production space to support Grisette and Jardin. The space will support the baking demands of all three restaurants, as well as allow Jardin to eventually expand into an all-day bakery/cafe to complement its evening gig as a wine bar, Glass said. There is no opening date set yet. Well keep you posted as soon as we hear more. Richmond area restaurants opened in 2023 Red Hibachi & Beer Basically Halal Rams House Bar + Kitchen Torchy's Tacos Midlothian Burtons Grill & Bar Ellie's Hot Dogs & Ice Cream Click A Wine Spot The Queens Tea Room Smashed RVA Shake Shack Luxe New American Bar & Grill Slurp! Slay Burgers Mariscos Mazatlan Eggs Up Grill Seafood Palace Fat Boy boil A Taste of Nostalgia 88 Street Food Acacia Midtown Odyssey Lost Letter RVA Stanley's Hibachi House Main St. Dragon Nokoribi Urban Myth Street Food Revel Market & Bar Genovas Pizza Station & Take Out Kitchen Brick House Diner Mayu Sushi & Thai Wok This Way Boiling Crab Richmond Raising Cane's ChefSuite BigWife's La Fogata Grit Coffee The Brass Tap Penny's Wine Shop A.M. Kitchen Company Verseau Bistro Chic'n & Beer Bar West Sidecar Cocktail Lounge Soul N Vinegar Wong's Tacos Elegant Cuizines Rio Grande Tex-Mex Grill Mi Casita Restaurant Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. Suzy Sno Diablo Doughnuts RVA Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, have grown in popularity and become a point in the conversations nationally about increasing the housing supply. An ADU is a small unit on the same property as a single-family residence. They can take different forms detached or attached unit, converted garage, basement and more. The Richmond City Council will meet on Sept. 18 to consider a proposed ordinance that would make it easier for a Richmond homeowner to add an accessory dwelling unit, permitting such structures by right. Councilwoman Katherine Jordan said allowing ADUs by right is a proven strategy for affordable housing and helping homeowners supplement their income. Through the Planning Departments meetings, our District meetings and individual outreach, residents have strongly expressed their support for ADUs, Jordan said. Where we have repeatedly heard concerns is the interplay between the ADU regulations and the rules on short-term rentals. She said she has been planning to vote for the proposal but would like to see the short-term vote first. City officials are trying to boost compliance among short-term rental properties that are operating without required permits. RVA YIMBY, or Yes In My BackYard, is a group of greater Richmond-area residents who advocate for more affordable and abundant housing. It created a petition to ask the city of Richmond and the Planning Commission to pass the ordinance on ADUs without revisions to help alleviate the housing shortage and strengthen private property rights. Currently, a homeowner must go through a long and expensive public hearing process that allows neighbors to weigh in on what an owner can do with their private property, the petition states. The groups goal is to not have the ordinance watered down and to keep it by right, as well as increasing housing of all kinds, keeping it in every residential district for renters and tenants ensuring long-term use, YIMBY member Charles Yang said. Someone who is looking for housing in Richmond, under this ordinance, would be able to rent the unit, and the landlord would be the owner of the unit. I know there are different discussions about ways to modify (the ordinance) that we think would restrict the availability of those ADUs to be rented out to tenants, Yang said. Obviously, we wouldnt support that because we ultimately want to increase the housing supply for people that live in Richmond. Im actually fairly optimistic that in this coming legislative session, well see even more action. On the state level, the tentative solutions to affordable housing in Virginia included bills referring to accessory dwelling units and affordable dwelling units. All three bills in the House of Delegates died in this years session. Del. Angelia Williams Graves, D-Norfolk, a real estate broker, said she is cautious when it comes to ADUs. Do I think it could work? I do. But I am cautious for folks that dont always have the financial resources but see an opportunity to make money and not be able to do proper maintenance upkeep, Graves said. She voted against defeating two measures on ADUs that ultimately died in the House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee. One measure, from Del. Betsy Carr, D-Richmond, would have broadened authorization for any locality to amend its zoning ordinance to provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program. A bill from Del. Sally Hudson, D-Charlottesville, would have established authority and requirements for localities in the development and use of accessory dwelling units. Graves said ADUs for affordable housing look good on paper, but the reality could present more problems than solutions, such as the regulation of these units and asking the questions like whether someone has an extension cord running through the property, or if they have enough money to start the project properly. Another factor is the additional density to the cities, she said. When looking at a city like Richmond, parking is already difficult to find without adding another residence, Graves said. Im a real estate broker by profession, and some of the things that I see dont always have to do with the cost of the unit, but it also has to do with how we help people earn more money, she said. Richmond Association of Realtors CEO Laura Lafayette said the association supports ADUs for more residential units on the ground, affordable options, and creating rental income. Richmond and Hanover County both currently require a special exemption permit to add an ADU, while New Kent County is the only jurisdiction that has them by right, according to the associations guide. The typical pushback is people not wanting more density in their neighborhood, creating more traffic and parking issues, Lafayette said. The fact that we have a busy vibrant city where people are living or visiting, and youve got to drive around the block once or twice for parking and get it, on a rainy day, thats not the best thing that you want to do, she said. But, ultimately, thats a sign of vibrancy. Top five weekend events: Richmond Jazz Festival, Carytown Watermelon Festival Carytown Watermelon Festival Richmond Jazz and Music Festival Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton JamPacked Craft Beer & Music Festival RVA Rapper's Delight Wrapped in a tarp beneath the sheet metal roof of a Richmond City shed is a forgotten memorial to the fallen officers of Richmonds police department. The sculpted statue of a police officer wearing full uniform carrying a little girl and her teddy bear was created as an image of sacrifice and public service. That heroic image has a completely different meaning for other Richmond communities that have a contrasting relationship with the institution of policing. Retired police officer Glenwood Burley has been cordially, but incessantly, trying to elicit support from anywhere he can. His mission is getting the statue out of storage and restoring it to a proud place back in public. His eyes are set on the grounds of Virginia Capitol Square. Hes looked to Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, the City Council, state and federal politicians and two governors, without garnering much support. Many have responded with complete silence. When the protests rolled around in 2020, the memorial became a target. Demonstrators splattered the Richmond Police Memorial in red paint. Burley said hed caught wind that a group was planning to take the head off of the statue. He moved quickly with help from the City to put it into storage. I think things have changed since 2020 The memorial has become something of a political hot potato in Richmond after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, and the subsequent protests against policing that broke out in the city. Those protests largely centered around the death of Marcus-David Peters who was killed by a Richmond police officer in 2018.The 2020 protests were largely peaceful, but Richmond police tear gassed protesters at the Robert E. Lee monument. Months of protests in 2020 were largely peaceful though at a moment of inflection, police hit demonstrators with tear gas. But to Burley, the statue still represents the mission that police officers are sworn to uphold. He carries a plaque that accompanies the statue in his car with him everywhere he goes. That plaque has the names of all 28 officers that have died in the line of duty since it was founded. Its symbolic of sacrifice. There are nine men on that plaque that were killed during my 23 years. Some I drank with, many I worked with, went to Christmas parties with, attended ceremonies and picnics, Burley said. They died sacrificing, and Im blessed that Im here. The thing thats disheartening is that (their sacrifice) doesnt seem to be given any reverence by the citizens of the city. The statue itself previously stood outside of the Richmond Coliseum. The arena had not yet closed but the memorial had become overgrown, littered with garbage and largely forgotten. Burley was instrumental in raising money and creating a committee to find it a new home near the Carillon at Byrd Park in 2016. That wasnt the only time the statue was defaced. Burley said it was vandalized with red paint four other times during its four-year stint in Byrd Park. Burleys quest has centered its sights on the Virginia State Capitol because he said it is the only place it will be safe from more vandalism. It hurts me, it cuts to my emotions to lose people that you worked with, Burley said. And then to know at 81 years old Im rattling around in my black van, and I have the plaque underneath of some carpet in my van because I want the marker with the names to be with me wherever we go. He acknowledges that the public as a whole has not been supportive, but that silence from elected officials is the unexplainable part of it. Moving the statue to the Capitol would require a proposal to be reviewed by the Capitol Square Preservation Council to present findings to the governor. The governors office would have to accept the statue as property of the Commonwealth and then it would be added as a capital project in the state budget. Attempts to contact the local officials Burley reached out to were often unsuccessful. That list includes names like Stoney; U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-Va.; state Sen. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico; and Richmond police. McClellans office said it had no record of Burleys attempted contact, and didnt comment on the issue, while Richmond Police acknowledged the request but didnt respond after a week. Richmond City Councilmember Reva Trammell said that she would be a supporter of wherever Burley wants to put the statue. I think people have realized that we need our police. I think things have changed since 2020, Trammell said. Still, the symbolism around Richmond Police Memorial is intricate, with different groups taking contrasting messages. A police memorial feels similar to a Confederate monument Allan-Charles Chipman is the executive director for Initiatives of Change USA, a network of people who create conversations around healing inequities related to race, gender, religion, politics, language and education. For some people, especially in the African-American community who have experienced police brutality and the entirety of the (criminal justice) system, a police memorial feels similar to a Confederate monument, Chipman said. You have some community members who say a policing experience has led to the death of my daughter or my family or my loved one. Richmond Police Memorial isnt the only symbol thats been tucked away in storage without a certain future. Protests that coalesced around the Robert E. Lee monument resulted in a living protest monument of graffiti, signs, photographs of people killed by police violence and wooden boxes filled with plants around the perimeter of the circle. It was called the most important piece of protest art since WWII by the New York Times Style Magazine. Chipman said there was a great deal of tension around the removal of the old Confederate monuments pedestal. The statue itself was taken to the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia. Its pedestal, the piece with most of the graffiti, was put into storage until a decision could be made on its future. Fences were also erected around the monuments circle keeping protestors out of the monument for months before it was removed. It would be very strange to take down and cover up a memorial for what policing has meant for one part of society and then push to put into Capitol square, another narrative of what policing means, Chipman said. The public might be more willing to examine one part of that narrative than the other, Chipman said. Its important to us especially when talking about the public memory not to pick and choose the narratives which get told but make sure that people can understand the proper history and the entire perspective of what it is. Former Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham also voiced his support for Burley. If I was still the chief, I would be pushing to have it back and trust me, it would have been back by now, back where it was (at Byrd Park), Durham said. Durham was the chief of police when Peters was shot and killed in 2018. He announced his resignation six months later saying that he was burnt out, and had nothing else to give. He said then that Peters death specifically had taken a toll on his thoughts. He acknowledged that police can often have tense relationships with the public but maintained that defacing the statue was an unacceptable and cowardly act. As human beings theres different ways that you can air your grievances without taking it out in a statue that cant cause you harm, Durham said. If an officer causes you harm, speak to the police department, dont take it out on a statue. Durham was a pivotal ally for Burley when moving the statue from both the Coliseum and Byrd Park, helping garner attention from city leaders and administrators while he was still chief. Thats not just a memorial for people who lost their lives but thats a memorial for the family, Durham said. They will take their children, grandchildren, great, great, great grandchildren. They have nothing to come and see now. Durham said Capitol Square was a prime location for the memorial, though he ultimately favored a return to Byrd Park amid the political lift it could take to put it at the Capitol. Like Burley, he says hes also amazed by the silence. It baffles me that whenever theres a loss of life in law enforcement. Theyre the ones on the frontline, people always offer their thoughts and prayers. But, where are you now? Durham said. Those officers who have dedicated their lives to service and lost their lives protecting the communities that they represent. Chelsea Higgs Wise, executive director of the nonprofit Marijuana Justice, said its important to make some decision over the future of these symbols in storage, whether its to create more conversation or just make a decision and leave them in the past. The question is about, will these monuments rise again, because there has been no concrete plan. Are we now going to spend another century deciding what to do with them? It is a worry, Higgs Wise said. Higgs Wise said the goal should be moving public consciousness beyond these symbols to create actual policies that benefit underserved communities in Richmond, often communities of color. If you parallel what that means for Black survival and just policymaking, were also in a state of limbo where weve been asking for so much help for so long, Higgs Wise said. These indecisive measures around monuments are also parallel to what happens to Black survival. Collection: Newly named Richmond police Chief Rick Edwards Virginia Commonwealth University has always been a bit of an oddity, created by the legislature in 1968 through the merger of Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia. The former was once an arm of the public co-educational College of William & Mary. The latters origins are in private males-only Hampden-Sydney College. Fifty-five years on, this marriage still something of a shotgun affair has been shaped by promise and problems: the promise of serving as a comprehensive urban university with a richly diverse student body. The problems synonymous with its multifaceted character, most notably the ever-increasing expense of accommodating it and whether that cost makes dollars and sense. Michael Rao has made most of these calls since becoming VCU president in July 2009. As an Indian American, Rao is a symbol of the university he leads. With academic and health campuses at opposite ends of Broad Street that it says contribute $1.5 billion to the Richmond economy, cash-strapped VCU with 28,408 undergraduate and graduate students, a decline of 3,000 since Raos appointment is majority-minority. Black, Asian and Hispanic students make up 52% of its enrollment. That diversity is supposed to be good for business, in theory, helping produce a workforce that looks like Virginia. But are Rao, the states longest-serving university president and one of its highest paid, and VCUs two governing bodies comprised largely of gubernatorial appointees leading the university in a businesslike manner? Reporting by the Richmond Times-Dispatchs Eric Kolenich and others suggests the reality is otherwise. The collapse of VCUs plan to erect a 17-story tower on city-owned property at the western edge of its medical campus is not only a consequence of a post-pandemic contraction in the commercial property market, but a dispute at the highest levels of the university, and of which members of VCUs governing body, the board of visitors, knew little if anything. The fight pit that eventually forced-out head of VCU Health, Dr. Art Kellermann, against Rao, an education specialist who also leads the authority that runs the hospital and on whose watch the top brass of the health care program has turned over a confounding three times. Kellermann, an emergency medicine expert, didnt last three years. VCUs revolving door is not confined to the health campus, home of the medical, nursing, dental and pharmacy schools. At the academic campus, seat of VCUs front office, the departures of seasoned, well-connected state government veterans people who can be enormously helpful to a university president have not gone unnoticed. All this recalls a defining feature of Raos tenure: that from its earliest days when even some of his biggest fans on the board of visitors expressed buyers remorse and insisted on hiring an out-of-state consultant to, in effect, tutor him on how to be a big-school president chaos and confusion can dwarf advances and accomplishments. Theres been a four-fold spike in fundraising over Raos years at VCU and Richmonds skyline has been remade with the construction of a pediatric hospital developments for which Rao was rewarded with an 8% pay raise in 2022, pushing his base pay north of $700,000. That figure doesnt include expensive perquisites befitting a president. The failure of the proposed office and education high-rise on the site of the citys shuttered public safety building spotlights a troubling issue: that spirited disagreement, a supposed feature of academe, is discouraged at VCU, especially if its seen as inconsistent with Raos agenda. From the political rubble of the health campus project are emerging questions some now asked by the board of visitors, which hires and fires the schools president about red flags raised by Kellermann as well as the white-shoe law firm that advises the hospital authority, Hunton Andrews Kurth, and where VCUs new rector, Todd Haymore, heads the Virginia economic-development program. Their concerns, as laid out in Kolenichs reporting: the project could have had the university bleeding millions of dollars, with the building barely filled. That puts in focus another headache for higher education, in general, and VCU, in particular; with birth rates falling and more people less convinced a four-year degree is their meal ticket, the universitys acceptance rate is approaching 94%. Someones got to foot the bill for faculty, extra-curricular activities and all that bricks and mortar. Just-announced layoffs help but at the expense of those now out of work. The deal was torpedoed, but not before VCU Health got stuck paying $73 million what passes for a kill fee to the banking firm peddling the project as a safe investment for pension funds and other institutional investors. There apparently were opportunities to pull out of the deal sooner and, presumably, at a lower cost. But VCU kept Rao-ing the boat, depicting the project as essential to maintaining goodwill with Richmond and its mayor, Levar Stoney, an all-but-announced candidate for the 2025 Democratic gubernatorial nomination whos betting that big, shiny objects will entice voters. Embarrassing headlines and an investigation by an outside law firm finally got the attention of the board of visitors as the principal overseer of the university. Its representatives on the hospital authority, who had pledged to keep secret the troubled deal from the board of visitors have been replaced. And backstairs murmurings of a leadership shakeout are persistent. Though some things havent happened, yet, an investigation by the General Assemblys watchdog agency, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, as demanded by Raos nonstop tormentor, former Gov. Doug Wilder, who teaches public policy at the VCU school that bears his name, or the intervention of Gov. Glenn Youngkin by way of board appointments tailored to shake up the school, as was the case with selections for the University of Virginia governing panel. JLARC could decide on an inquiry when it next convenes in October or wait until directed by the legislature when it returns in January for its winter session. Having made two rounds of appointments of VCU trustees in as many years, Youngkin has near-total control of the board and will have a majority of loyalists in place by next June, though he conceivably could press for replacements sooner. Maybe VCU has already paid obeisance to Youngkin, rejecting as a requirement a racial-awareness course sought by students. The school says it hasnt the money for such a program; that making it optional is far less expensive. Plus, the university ducks the political cost of crossing Virginias anti-woke governor. Obamacare health insurance costs in Virginia are set to spike next year because the General Assembly budget impasse means a financial deal that cut premiums has now lapsed, a State Corporation Commission analysis shows. The analysis projects individual coverage would rise by 28.5% in 2024, after the reinsurance program the state financed in tandem with a much larger federal sum cut this years premium rates an average of 17.2% from 2022s average premium rates. The reinsurance program essentially is a backstop that covers the cost of health insurers biggest claims. That reinsurance had enabled the insurers to cut their premium rates to reflect the benefit of the backstop. According to the analysis, the main reason for the expected spike is the end of the reinsurance program, which this year reimburses health insurers for part of the cost reimbursing health insurers in the Affordable Care Acts individual market for claims between $40,000 and a $155,000 cap, so that the insurers are out of pocket for 70% of the cost. Reinsurance is a great program, which has had a big impact in keeping coverage costs down, said Doug Gray, executive director of the Virginia Association of Health Plans. The people who will be hit hardest by this are the ones who pay for all their coverage out of pocket, he said. People whose coverage is subsidized wont feel it as much as entrepreneurs, (people in) professions, small business owners, whose income is above the trigger for Obamacare subsidies, he said. The lack of reinsurance will drive up the costs insurers need to cover through the premiums they charge by 26.4%, the SCC analysis found. The budget impasse is over Gov. Glenn Youngkins push for $1 billion in tax relief. The version of the budget that the Republican-led House of Delegates passed included Youngkins tax cuts, while the version the Democratic-led state Senate passed did not, preferring to redirect the money to further increases in K-12 school supports and behavioral health, above the increases Youngkin proposed. Since then, House Appropriations Committee chair Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, has proposed a compromise that would convert most of Youngkins ongoing tax relief into one-time payments. He is asking Senate negotiators to turn some of their proposed spending increases into one-time expenditures. Senate budget negotiators have said theyll make a counterproposal. Tied up in that big dispute is the need for the money committees to say how large a reduction in premiums the state wants to target with the reinsurance. A bigger reduction target requires a commitment of more state money but draws down federal funds much faster. While analysis by the actuarial firm Oliver Wyland stated a 5% target would cost the state $41 million and draw down about $110 million of federal money, a 20% target would cost the state $56.5 million and draw down $498 million in federal money. In addition to the impact of the reinsurance programs lapse, relatively modest rises in hospital costs and somewhat larger ones for prescription drug costs also contribute to the SCC forecast of an average 28.5% increase in premiums. In contrast, Obamacare insurance for small groups, which did not participate in the reinsurance program, are set to rise 5.1%, in part because of increases in benefits which are set to raise insurers costs 1.4%. The reinsurance program for 2023 will likely require $331.9 million from the federal government by the end of this year, while Virginias contribution could be $43.4 million. The final figure depends on how often the reinsurance program kicks in to cover part of a claim. But since the General Assembly budget impasse didnt make clear what target the state is aiming for, SCC insurance regulators had to assume thered be no reinsurance, the analysis stated. According to state regulation, health insurance rates are supposed to generate enough premium income to cover at least 80% of claims, which is why insurers savings in claims costs from reinsurance are reflected in the premiums they charge. Proposed increases The analysis included rate filings for popular plans from several companies. HealthKeepers Inc., the states largest health insurer, for instance, filed for SCC approval of a 16.9% increase for its Anthem HealthKeepers Silver X plan in Richmond. A 40-year-old would pay $477.48 a month for this coverage next year. Cigna Health Insurance, asked for a 24.1% increase on its Connect Bronze 6500 plan. A 40-year-old in Richmond would pay $373.80 a month for this coverage next year. Aetna Health proposed a 28.3% increase for its 2024 Va Silver $ plan in Richmond, where a 40-year-old would pay $424.70 a month Sentara Health Plan proposed a 20.9% increase for its Sentara Direct Silver 6600 in Hampton Roads, where a 40-year-old would pay $472.78 a month next year. The SCC analysis said the individual market is healthy. More insurers are offering coverage in more places, with at least two companies in every part of the state, the analysis stated. Insurers are projecting a 10% increase in the number of people enrolling for coverage, thanks to American Rescue Plan subsidies, the analysis stated But it is concerned about the small group market, where enrollment is projected to increase by 2% next year but would still be 11% below where it was five years ago. 7 developments from Wednesday's Virginia General Assembly session Youngkin's scorecard Senate rejects Youngkins attempts Decision on 2 dozen policy changes Hemp Rights restoration Abigail Zwerner Welcomes and goodbyes California authorities receive extradited man wanted for burglary, battery and homicide Mexico City, Mexico A Mexican national wanted in the state of California has been extradited from Mexico. On Tuesday, Federico C was handed over to waiting U.S. federal agents at the Mexico City International Airport. Federico C was transferred back to the U.S. where he will face charges of burglary, battery and homicide for events that occurred in Tulcare Country, California. According to a statement from the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR), Federico C, a person of Mexican nationality, was wanted by the Superior Court of the State of California of Tulare County, for the crimes of burglary, battery and homicide after robbing a home and shooting a man inside who subsequently died from his injuries. In February 2022, Federico C entered the home of a man and shot him twice, causing wounds to his leg and abdomen which caused his death, they reported. The Government of Mexico granted the extradition of Federico C to the Government of the United States after he was located and detained in the city of Colima, in the state of Colima. FGE requires additional funding to deal with 200,000 case file backlog Riviera Maya, Q.R. The FGE of Quintana Roo will be requesting an increase in funding to hire staff to deal with more than 200,000 backlogged case files. State Attorney General head Raciel Lopez Salazar says more than 400 people plus equipment and supplies are needed to deal with the years of backlog. He said his request for the additional funding will depend on the XVII Legislature since the 2023 budget has already been approved and set. He said for this year, the FGE has a budget of 963,697 million pesos, of which 85 percent is for payroll for the current 1,800 workers and the remaining 15 percent for operations, which is limited, he said. Even with the 1,800 employees, he said they need additional skilled bodies to deal with the files. He said the FGE needs at least 100 public ministries, 80 experts and 250 ministerial agents as well as vehicles, supplies and travel expenses. With this, a budget extension will be requested from the State Congress to not only deal with the 200,000 files, but also obsolete computer equipment. His request will be submitted despite the decree by Governor Mara Lezama to reduce resources to the autonomous bodies. Although it is true there are deficiencies, we have a strategy and plan that requires will and commitment to recover peace and tranquility in the state. It is a strategy that has an impact on the budget and we are going to manage resources before Congress to achieve a robust and consolidated Prosecutors Office to recover peace and tranquility in the state, he said. While he did not provide the needed budget figures, he did say that they are in the analysis process. Why the gnashing of teeth over the recent Supreme Court decision on affirmative action? Why have some schools responded by eliminating legacy admissions? What does the controversy tell us about how we understand the university itself? Others have observed that affirmative action debates almost always involve questions of admission into elite universities. The debates are seldom, if ever, about who gets to work assembly lines and construction sites. This raises the question as to why these schools became so intent on diversity as an institutional goal. One way to get at this question is to review the Kalven Report issued by a faculty committee at the University of Chicago in 1967. The University of Chicago had long been at the forefront of creating equal opportunity for students regardless of race or sex. Their first class in 1890 had an African American student. By 1943 some 45 African Americans had earned Chicago PhDsmore than at any other university. Despite racism at the school, administrators and faculty diligently cleared a path for qualified candidates. The university had no need to be coerced by law to create a school that included everyone in its mission of educating people, not trying to solve the problem of racism. The report itself was written during a time of enormous social upheaval. The antecedent event animating the report was a student sit-in over the Vietnam War. Student and faculty protesters believed the school had ceased to be relevant, too stodgy and too removed from the concerns of the day. Allan Bloom summarized the phenomenon in The Closing of the American Mind: You dont have to intimidate us, said the famous professor of philosophy in April 1969 to ten thousand triumphant students supporting a group of black students who had just persuaded us, the faculty of Cornell University, to do their will by threatening the use of firearms as well as threatening the lives of individual professors. A member of the ample press corps newly specialized in reporting the hottest item of the day, the university, muttered, You said it, brother. The reporter had learned a proper contempt for the moral and intellectual qualities of professors. Servility, vanity and lack of conviction are not difficult to discern. The professors, the repositories of our best traditions and highest intellectual aspirations, were fawning over what was nothing better than a rabble; publicly confessing their guilt and apologizing for not having understood the most important moral issues, the proper response to which they were learning from the mob; expressing their willingness to change the universitys goals and the content of what they taught. [Emphasis added.] Not much has changed, and there remains a battle for the soul of the university. That will come as no surprise to most readers, but many will mistake the nature of the conflict. They might assume that it is between those who indoctrinate versus those who educate. Or they will assume it is between ideologues and those who advocate for free speech. Or they will assume it is a battle between liberals, who populate the university in large numbers, and conservatives, who make up only a small percentage of the faculty. Or they will assume it is now the so-called co-curricular bodies and their radicalism. The successful relabeling of support offices as equal to teaching was an enormous assault on both the integrity of the faculty and the very purpose of the university, and resulted in universities where teaching and research became ancillary. This seemingly minor point tells us much about the current battle for the soul of the university. The University of Michigan now has 163 full-time employees staffing their DEI office. The battle involves conflicts over the very purpose of the university. It is the battle between those who, like the authors of the Kalven Report, see the purpose of the university to be the creation and dissemination of knowledgethat is, researching and teaching within a discipline and a tradition of inquiryand those who think the university is there to solve social problems. The radicals of the 60s have repopulated themselves by producing a generation of faculty who have all the passion but none of the literacy of their teachers; and in some instances, those 60s radicals, like Verkhovensky in Dostoevskys Demons, were shocked and dismayed when their progeny turned on them. Little did they understand the nihilism at the core of their own teaching. While our own moment is more fraught than the time that brought forth the Kalven Report, we would do well to revisit it. The report reaffirmed the central purpose of the university: to generate and disseminate knowledge. While many institutions can concentrate on social reform, only the university is capable of accomplishing its special task, and it will fail in that task if it attempts to take on other responsibilities. Its authority is related to its function. Additionally, other institutions will perform the tasks of social reform better because they will be run by people who actually know what theyre doing. The average faculty members grasp of politics is ripped from the headlines. Having a Ph.D. in chemistry doesnt make one an expert in the detailed nuances of political action and constitutionalism. The Kalven Report affirmed a fundamental Aristotelian principle: that any particular action must aim at an end that is intrinsic to the practice it is engaged in. A professional athlete who is in it only for the money is pursuing an extrinsic end and will never attain excellence. A man who goes into politics only so he can get women is also pursuing an extrinsic end. The same goes for institutions. They exist in a seamless interaction of deed and purpose. The fundamental purpose of a church is to preach the word and administer the sacraments. If it commits itself to social reform, it becomes something other than a church. With reference to the university, the Kalven Committee observed it is not a social club, it is not a trade association, it is not a lobby. Once the purpose of the university has changed, so will the behaviors that maintain it. If the purpose of the university is to effect social change, then agents inside the university will no longer be interested in the creation and dissemination of knowledge but will instead be interested in shaping students into agents of social change, and that social change will always be what the majority of the faculty want it to be. The writers of the Kalven Report wisely observed that: Since the university is a community only for these limited and distinctive purposes, it is a community which cannot take collective action on the issues of the day without endangering the conditions for its existence and effectiveness. There is no mechanism by which it can reach a collective position without inhibiting that full freedom of dissent on which it thrives. It cannot insist that all of its members favor a given view of social policy; if it takes collective action, therefore, it does so at the price of censuring any minority who do not agree with the view adopted. In brief, it is a community which cannot resort to majority vote to reach positions on public issues. After the death of George Floyd, many colleges issued statements restating their commitment to social or racial justice, as if we were all supposed to know what was meant by that. But the university should not take stands on such issuesthat is a faculty prerogative. The Kalven Report addresses this dynamic very concisely: The instrument of dissent and criticism is the individual faculty member or the individual student. The university is the home and sponsor of critics; it is not itself the critic. It is, to go back once again to the classic phrase, a community of scholars. To perform its mission in the society, a university must sustain an extraordinary environment of freedom of inquiry and maintain an independence from political fashions, passions, and pressures. Trends and fashions are what teenagers follow, not well-educated adults. But most faculty and administrators walk around with their fingers in the air testing the prevailing winds and believe that such nonresistance demonstrates their virtue and critical thinking skills. They then try to get the college to commit itself to their preferred positions, and college leaders, as Bloom said, are servile and lack conviction. Not fully believing in or understanding the purpose of the university, they will quickly capitulate. Only by being the university can it play its role as a social critic: Its domain of inquiry and scrutiny includes all aspects and all values of society. A university faithful to its mission will provide enduring challenges to social values, policies, practices, and institutions. By design and by effect, it is the institution which creates discontent with the existing social arrangements and proposes new ones. Universities cannot be concerned with being relevant, except ensuring faculty relevance as regards research and teaching. What faculty do off campus politically is their business, but once they are on campus it becomes everyones business because the integrity of the whole enterprise is at stake. We would be outraged if our doctors or nurses shared their political opinions with us and, whats worse, made the quality of their care contingent on our agreement, yet this is exactly what happens in the academy. Students are a captive audience and are expected to nod in agreement and repeat nostrums on exams as a condition of receiving a decent grade. I heard way too many stories from students about this abuse of faculty power. This is more than just an abuse of power: it robs students of their singular opportunity to be people who know things other than their professors political opinions. It also misspends other peoples money, many of whom disagree with the faculty. But most importantly, it destroys the integrity and necessity of the enterprise. If thats all the university is, who cares? Who would defend such a thing? The defense of the university rests on its studious attention to intrinsic purposes. Granted, the university is a major player in our social life. Its not as if university administrators have no interest in social and political affairs, but they must be guarded in responding to the news of the day. They should comment on social and political trends only when those trends threaten the integrity of the intrinsic purposes of the school. From time to time instances will arise in which the society, or segments of it, threaten the very mission of the university and its values of free inquiry. In such a crisis, it becomes the obligation of the university as an institution to oppose such measures and actively to defend its interests and its values. Weighing in on political issues not only threatens the integrity of universities but also ensures that the divisions of political life will infect campus life. The unifying principle of commitment to searching for knowledge will be subordinated to the interests of the most powerful factions. As I indicated above, our current moment is no less fraught than what the University of Chicago faced in the 60s. Many schools issued statements following the Dobbs decision declaring their unequivocal support of Roe. And then there were all the statements issued in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the election of Donald Trump. Fortunately, some schools have returned to the principles articulated in the Kalven Report. In recent months, a handful of colleges, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of California at Berkeley, and Princeton University, have reflected on, or declared their commitment to, a 55-year-old report crafted during a similarly contentious time in American history. Complaints that the Kalven Report does little more than defend the status quo should read it more carefully and realize that the status quo that is being defended is the historical mission of the universitya precious heritage that needs defending now more than ever. The genius of the Kalven Report is that it allows for universities to be places where debate can take place precisely because the university takes no stand on political questions. Sadly, too many schools have embedded a particular point of view in its administrative and curricular structures, thus both bypassing and stifling free inquiry. So which approachresearch and teaching or social reformis a greater defense of the status quo? Which position has less intellectual humility? Which position is more likely to fulfill the colleges central purpose? The Courts decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc., by reminding us that diversity is an extrinsic good and not an intrinsic one, also reminds us of the universitys animating principle. BLACKSBURG For Rick Johnson, the town is a small community where his many friends and neighbors are able to talk to each other about the things they believe are going well and not going so well. Johnson, 70, said he has found the current dissatisfaction level with town council to be significant and has come to a perhaps bold conclusion. It is larger than its ever been, probably in the history of Blacksburg, said Johnson, whos lived in town for three decades. So, Johnson is launching a write-in campaign in hopes of winning a seat on town council and ultimately adding a voice that he says would be far more responsive to the citizens than the elected body has been in recent years. Election success for write-in candidates are often long shots due to some of the conditions they face. But not this year in Blacksburgwhere there are only two ballot candidates for three seats. The two candidates who already filed to run are incumbents Michael Sutphin and Jerry Ford Jr. Councilman John Bushs term also ends this year, but he decided against running again after spending just over a decade in office and even more time overall in service to the town. Im very confident, and very confident for a number of reasons, Johnson said when asked about how he sees his chances of winning. Johnson said he has connections in town to a number of organizations and people, a number of whom he said are disappointed with how the current town council has acted on issues. Johnson is retired, but he had previously spent well over a dozen years as the director of Housing and Dining Services at Virginia Tech. Later, he was an associate vice president for Student Affairs at Duke University, a position he held until he retired in 2017. This run for council isnt Johnsons first go at public office as he had over a decade ago served on the Montgomery County School Board. Johnson said since his retirement he has been looking for ways to continue serving the community. Ive always wanted to be of service to my neighbors and the community, and thats why I served on the Montgomery County School Board for four years, he said. As far as town matters are concerned, he said he and other neighbors have the impression that several members of council often seem to already have their minds made up on issues long before voting on them. He said he and others see it as a major waste of time for them to come out to meetings to express their stances on matters, only for council to issue a vote that goes against their concerns. Johnson pointed to a number of past measures council needed to approve before certain developments could move forward as proposed. The projects Johnson said he and neighbors have raised significant concerns about included the Glade Spring Crossing housing development, a townhome development behind the Kroger on South Main Street, a Sheetz store and gas station near the First & Main shopping center and ongoing hotel plans for Midtown, a development occurring on the old town middle school site. Its not that people are necessarily against the hotel. Theyre against the size of it and impact on infrastructure, roads, sewer and water, he said. Town council continually doesnt listen to citizens. Johnson said hed like to pursue affordable housing developments that propose the right dimensions, density, location and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhoods. Johnsons concerns bear similarities to ones that have been expressed by the Council of Citizens for Blacksburg, a group that was formed earlier this year with the goal of ultimately adding several new faces to town council. The Council of Citizens has expressed strong concerns over councils direction in recent years with developments. The group has argued the town is being overdeveloped, a problem they said is straining the localitys resources and services. While hes well aware of the group, Johnson said he is not formally endorsed by them at the moment. Johnson said he plans to ask for the groups support, as well as other organizations in town. Im asking all citizens for their backing, he said. Everyone believes the overdevelopment in Blacksburg and lack of respect for citizens is alarming. I want all of their support. A trucking company has been cited by environmental regulators for a tanker wreck that spilled about 3,200 gallons of diesel fuel into the James River near Buchanan. Pilot Travel Centers agreed to pay $18,705 to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality as part of an agreement that resolves an investigation of the incident. There was no fish kill or other environment harm documented by DEQ. Shortly after midnight on Aug. 11, 2022, a Pilot tanker truck ran off Interstate 81 and overturned in the median, not far from a bridge over the river. The northbound lanes of Interstate 81 were closed for several hours as a hazardous materials crew worked to contain the spill. Nearly half of the fuel the truck was carrying made its way into the river. An unknown amount also spilled onto the ground, requiring the removal of about 20 tons of contaminated soil, according to a consent order recently posted to DEQs website. In a statement Tuesday, Pilot said it cooperated fully with DEQ to ensure the fuel was removed from the water and soil and disposed of properly. A follow-up investigation by the Department of Environmental Quality determined that no further action was required as there was no risk to surrounding water wells, the environment or human health, the company said. (Photo : Photo credit should read DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN/AFP/GettyImages) The alleged kidnapper who imprisoned a woman in a makeshift cinderblock jail appeared on Judge Judy under one of his numerous identities. The astonishing case of Negasi Zuberi, who was recently apprehended for a series of heinous crimes including kidnapping, sexual assault, and alleged domestic abuse, has taken a new twist with revelations about his past appearances on the popular television show 'Judge Judy.' In an intriguing turn of events, it has come to light that Zuberi, who had presented himself under the alias 'Justin Hythe,' featured on an episode of 'Judge Judy' where he sought damages from his ex-partner, Alycia Westfall, as per Dailymail. Negasi Zuberi Case The case revolved around a glass bottle thrown by Westfall at Zuberi and the alleged damage of his suits with bleach. Ultimately, the show's verdict ruled in Zuberi's favor, with Westfall being ordered to pay him $2,500. What makes this case even more shocking is the recent exposure of Zuberi's criminal activities. He was arrested on July 16 after kidnapping a woman in Seattle and holding her captive in a cinderblock cell at his Oregon residence. Zuberi has also been linked to at least four violent sexual assaults spanning across multiple states. Zuberi's appearances on Judge Judy' are just a glimpse into his complex and deceitful life. He had used multiple aliases, including Justin Hythe, Justin Joshua Hyche, Sakima Zuberi, and Justin Kouassi. His ability to navigate these different identities allowed him to obscure his true intentions, both on the television show and in his criminal pursuits. The recent revelations also underscore the importance of heightened vigilance and thorough investigations. Zuberi's ability to evade the law for an extended period and commit such heinous acts raises questions about the efficacy of monitoring individuals with multiple identities, according to Fox News. Read Also: US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Temporarily Closes After Officials Report 'Rapid Gunfire' Amid Rising Gang Violence Zuberi's Dark Trail Prompts FBI Investigation Furthermore, the alleged domestic abuse case filed against Zuberi in 2020 hints at a pattern of abusive behavior. The court documents, filed under the alias Justin Kouassi, contain disturbing claims of physical violence, financial abuse, and even emotional trauma inflicted on Zuberi's partner and her children. Zuberi's criminal activities have left a trail of victims in his wake, prompting the FBI to launch a thorough investigation into his actions. The agency is probing the possibility of more victims and additional methods he might have employed to exert control over women, including the use of drugged drinks. As this chilling saga unfolds, it serves as a stark reminder of the complexities of criminal behavior and the lengths some individuals will go to deceive and exploit others. The intersection of televised appearances, aliases, and dark crimes highlights the need for a more robust approach to identifying and apprehending individuals who engage in such dangerous behaviors. The FBI is requesting any further victims who may have come into touch with Zuberi, who has connections to ten different states over the past ten years, to report any possible additional attacks. California, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama, and Nevada may be among the other states, reported by SFGate. Related Article: International Child Sex Abuse Inquiry Leads to Nearly 100 Arrests Following FBI Agent Fatalities @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Following the official opening of Valley Metros Third Street Station in June, there was confusion over the second building on the downtown Roanoke site, which appeared to be unused. The building, which had been referred to in plans and construction documents for the station as the Greyhound Building but is now called Building #2 was intended to contain a waiting room for Greyhound bus passengers and be leased to Greyhound as a ticketing station like its counterpart at the Campbell Court station. However, general manager of Valley Metro and the Greater Roanoke Transit Company, Kevin Price, said that due to Greyhounds hesitancy to lease the building, Valley Metro decided to instead use it to expand the Third Street Stations services. We couldnt wait, so we decided to go ahead and do some things we always wanted to do and make it more convenient for folks that need the extra service, Price said. Right now there are customers who have to come here [the Valley Metro administrative building] to do certain things, they will be able to do them in that building. Price said that Building #2 will become a customer service station, which will provide Valley Metro customers to purchase S.T.A.R. [Specialized Transit Arranged Rides] passes, create discount ids for people who qualify for discounted fare, and speak with a customer service provider for any questions that fall beyond the scope of the main stations information officers. Were trying to get it open, and I think weve done a good job, Price said. This has been a long process, and weve made a point to develop something right the first time, so were going to take our time to put our ducks in a row and do this part of the facility right the first time too. Price said that the customer service stations plan call for it to be open by the fall, but it could be by later this summer. He stated that because the decision was made late in planning, the phased development of the station meant the construction company was occupying the space until the official Third Street Station opening, so Valley Metro could not have Building #2 ready then. Greyhound buses continue to use the lanes of the Third Street Station, and Price said that while no agreement has been finalized, Greyhound will keep the station as a bus stop only. He said that Building #2s waiting room for Greyhound passengers will still be a functionality of the station. They have permission to come onto the property, were just waiting for checking boxes and bureaucracy there, Price said. Well do some negotiating and see what their needs are and what ours are, but our main objective was to get the center open and get it in use and convenient and working properly. Price said that Building #2 will also be used for public input sessions in the event that there is a public hearing related to transit services or for Valley Metro plans. He also said that the price tag for the station will not be impacted at all by the change in plans. While working with the city of Roanoke on the creation of the $17.3 million Third Street Station, Valley Metro obtained funding from state and federal organizations. Jennifer DeBruhl, Director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Transit, which provided some funding for the station, said that so long as the Building #2 is used to facilitate public transportation, there would not be a with a potential situation with some funding being at risk to be returned. Greyhound was envisioned to be a user of this facility, but theyre not the only user of the facility, DeBruhl said. What is required for the use of funds is that the facility is used for multi-modal transportation. And you have the Smart Way bus, youre adjacent to the Amtrak station, youve got Valley Metro, it is a true multi-modal facility. Debruhl said that she was not worried in the slightest about Valley Metro fulfilling the funding obligations. Price expressed his belief that Building #2 was going to provide more value with the customer service station than it would have if used as intended, saying: At the end of the day its going to be a service that I think the passengers are going to enjoy. Gov. Glenn Youngkin made the third stop on his parents matter conversation tour Tuesday morning, joining state Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, at Crestview Elementary School in Henrico County. The event was a chance to tout bills that have passed and bills that the administration plans to keep fighting for, along with listening to the audience for concerns and suggestions. The parent-focused conversations have featured GOP candidates running in competitive districts in this years General Assembly contests where a handful of hard-fought districts give each party a chance to gain the majority. Youngkin emphasized parents role in their childrens education during his successful campaign for governor in 2021. Dunnavant faces Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, in Henricos Senate District 16. At previous parents matter conversations, Youngkin was joined in Salem by Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County and in Prince William County by Bill Woolf, who faces Del. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, in Senate District 30. All 140 legislative seats are up for election in November. For Youngkin to accomplish more of his agenda as governor, Republicans would need to keep control of the House of Delegates and flip control of the Senate to the GOP. Youngkin noted the 2022 passage of Dunnavants Senate Bill 656, which requires schools to notify parents of assignments that contain sexually explicit content so that they can choose whether to have their child opt out of it with a replacement assignment. I will not hear any more that an educator thats taken a class on age-appropriate education for a child knows more than I do about what is appropriate for my child to learn, Dunnavant said to applause from the crowd. After she and Youngkin had spoken, a microphone was passed around to members of the audience who wished to add their input. Several participants raised concerns about social media. One man implored legislators and Youngkin to explore laws that would prohibit transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming medical care. Youngkin did not clarify when speaking with reporters following the event whether he would support such measures, but he did say that he wants local school boards around the state to adopt his administrations model policies for transgender students as a starting point to future conversations. The previous administrations policy did not require parents to be at the table, Youngkin said of policies in Gov. Ralph Northams administration that did not require schools to notify parents if a student began using a different pronoun or needed to use a bathroom that did not match their assigned sex at birth. We have to first get parents back to the table, and thats where my full attention has been, Youngkin said. Well have good discussions around these other issues. But I have got to move first in order to have our model policies adopted by all the jurisdictions. As with Northams model policies, some localities say they will not follow the governors new guidance, and Henrico County has yet to take a stance. But Youngkin said local school boards dont have a choice. One of the top concerns several parents at the event voiced was a call for tighter restrictions on social media for children and teens. Earlier this year, Youngkin unsuccessfully pushed for a law to require parental consent for minors under 18 to sign up for social media sites. Suetterlein and Del. Emily Brewer, R-Suffolk, carried the measures, which failed to pass this year. Youngkin hopes the measures fare better next session. (Brewer also is in a closely contested race for state Senate, facing Del. Clinton Jenkins, D-Suffolk, in Senate District 17.) Some parents and the governor also noted the mental health impact of social media use and the strain that the COVID-19 pandemic placed on learning. Youngkin, who has pushed for an increase in mental health funding, stressed that it is critical to progress under his Right Help Right Now plan. House and Senate budget negotiators continue to seek an agreement on revisions to the two-year state budget. As he has echoed repeatedly this summer, Youngkin said Tuesday that he needs a budget. When the General Assembly adjourned its 2023 session, it had yet to agree on a budget. Youngkin says there is sufficient revenue for $1 billion in tax cuts in addition to investments in key priorities. Senate Democrats have been pushing for a larger investment in the states schools. While chatting with the media after the event, Youngkin said he is frustrated. We can invest in behavioral health. We can invest in education, we can invest in law enforcement, we can make government work better. We can in fact, reduce tax burdens on Virginians, he said. We have plenty of money to do all of it. The Trump factor Asked about the latest indictment against former President Donald Trump, Youngkin again criticized what he termed a two-tiered justice system. When asked if he thinks Trump bears any responsibility for the violence that occurred when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Youngkin did not clarify, but he condemned the violence. The violence that happened on January 6 is unforgivable, Youngkin said. Theres no room for violence in this nation, certainly not in our nations capital, but anywhere. This is the moment where we got to step up and say, how are we going to hold people accountable? In this case, theres no excuse for any violence (on) January 6. You have permission to edit this collection. Edit Close District attorney threatens to charge officials in California's capital over homelessness response The district attorney in Sacramento is threatening officials in California's capital city with legal actions over the city's handling of the homelessness crisis CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers. " " Color guard of African-American engineers, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 1943. Buyenlarge/Getty Images The Massachusetts Institute of Technology had its first African-American graduate, Robert R. Taylor, in 1892. It was only 25 years later, in 1917, that the university gave its first civil engineering diploma to an African-American. For quite a while throughout history, engineering was almost entirely the domain of white men. Although Caucasian males still dominate the profession in the U.S. (only 5 percent of engineers are African-American, only 13.4 percent are women of any race, according to one 2011 report), it's important to recognize the significant legacies that Black men and women have created in the field [source: Koebler]. Advertisement In this article, we'll head from the copy machines at work to the satellites in space and meet some African-Americans who aren't just pioneers for their race but are trailblazers in their profession. Researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) and the Security Research Institute (SRI) in Australia are developing a digital cyber security "licence" for Australian students and teachers. ECU School of Education Associate Professor Nicola Johnson said the license would be similar to ceritficates handed out throughout a child's school years, for tasks ranging from swimming lessons to using a pen. "Each student moves up in levels based on their evidence of achievement according to set criteria," Professor Johnson said. "The proposed digital cyber security licence for school students would help kids be their own first line of defence against cybercrime and comprise appropriate stages for primary school aged children continuing into secondary school." The researchwhich is partly funded by the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centreshows licences are a major step towards improving cyber education in schools, boosting the future digital workforce and protecting kids online. Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC) chief executive Rachael Falk said it's vital children learn about the risks and benefits of being cyber aware from a young age. "We live in a world where smartphones, iPads and computers are part of young people's lives more than ever before," she said. "A program like this is a positive way to ensure they're prepared and educated about cyber safety." Professor Johnson said teachers and schools would also be able to obtain a digital cyber security licence, to help implement cyber secure and cyber hygienic best practices from basic to advanced stages. Cyber-crime awareness campaign Following a series of public workshops involving cyber experts, educators and policy makers held in Perth, Western Asutralia in late 2022, the new report also calls for a national awareness campaign targeting Year 7 to 12 students. "The concept is like the Slip Slop Slap skin cancer campaign in Australia, but in this case about the danger of being online rather than in the sun," Associate Professor Johnson explained. "We can get it right for WA students, teachers, and schools to better prepare and equip society to reduce cyber-crime and increase resilience to illicit cyber behaviours. "Just like ocean swimming safety, we must teach our children about the lurking sharks; teaching our young primary students the basics of cyber hygiene and cyber awareness is crucial." Step-up security Western Australian educators currently spend around six hours teaching English in pre-primary to year six. When it comes to technology education, that drops significantly from pre-primary to year 8 to just two hours per week. Professor Johnson also said everyone should use password managers, multifactor authentication and update their devices regularly. "It's not just about learning and teaching, it's also about having a national conversation about behavioural change to help address the high level of risk that individuals face online every day," she said. "Schools are the perfect place to start that conversation to protect our most vulnerable. "Teachers need professional learning to develop their knowledge and cyber hygiene practices so they can confidently teach relevant aspects of cyber security as they go about their everyday teaching." Provided by Edith Cowan University Telford Mews mixed-income housing in Leduc, Alta., is one of three pilot developments designed to bring Canada's new Healthy Community Guidelines to life. Credit: Faith Kampen, Housing for Health Telford Mews, a mixed-income housing development in Leduc, Alta., is pioneering healthier retirement living by adopting Canada's newly released Healthy Community Guidelines. Developed by the University of Alberta's Housing for Health initiative with funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada, these guidelines promote physical activity, healthy eating, and social connections through thoughtful building and neighbourhood environment changes. Residents of Telford Mews experience a welcoming stairwell flooded with natural light and a sign reminding them to use the stairs for better well-being. The building's restaurant offers healthier breakfast and lunch options, such as coconut mango chia bowls and vanilla blueberry oatmeal, alongside standard menu choices. A move-in package includes a map to nearby healthy amenities, encouraging walking access to essential services like a grocery store. Designed as one of three pilot projects, Telford Mews showcases how building and site design, along with neighbourhood amenities, can align with the new Healthy Community Guidelines to support healthier lifestyles among residents. These guidelines resulted from extensive consultation and collaboration over nearly three years, engaging over 100 partners, including urban planners, architects, developers, health professionals and community leaders. "Our strategies to promote healthy living encompass a wide range of approaches that can be implemented at minimal to no extra cost," explains Karen Lee, director of Housing for Health and an associate professor in the Division of Preventive Medicine at the U of A. "From incorporating healthy amenities in and around housing, to using art and coloured paint to entice people into spaces we want them to use, like the stairs, and wayfinding signage for healthy amenities, these changes can have a significant impact on public health." Evidence suggests that even simple changes to our building and neighbourhood environments can have substantial effects on public health. Non-communicable illnesses, like heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung diseases, are now the leading causes of death in Canada and globally, as reported by the World Health Organization. Informed by experiences from New York City, where similar multi-sector collaborations led to positive health outcomes, the Canadian guidelines aim to support various partners, including municipalities, builders, public health advocates, and communities, in planning, designing, building, and maintaining healthier living spaces. The focus on physical activity, healthy eating, and social connections helps combat key risk factors for health issues. The guidelines emphasize improving housing designs and housing proximity to healthy retail businesses to promote walking and access for those who can't drive, like seniors. Additionally, they provide recommendations for better signage, sidewalks, and transit access, even in rural and smaller communities. Besides Leduc, other pilot projects in Alberta include an affordable housing development for seniors in Edmonton and a seniors' complex in Whitecourt that includes independent living, supportive living and dementia care. Provided by University of Alberta The research team custom designed a photonic integrated circuit containing a high-speed optical modulator. Credit: Dr. Sam Palermo Data centers that store, process, and distribute data connect our world. Because of this growing demand, there is an increased need to share information as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, there is limited bandwidth within traditional data processing systems which makes this a challenge. Texas A&M University researchers have received a grant from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advanced Chip Engineering Design and Fabrication program. The three-year project aims to advance the bandwidth and energy efficiency of circuits used to communicate in high-performance computing systems. Dr. Sam Palermo, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M, will serve as the project's principal investigator. Palermo will be working alongside co-principal investigators, electrical and computer engineering professor Dr. Kamran Entesari and associate professor Dr. Pao-Tai Lin. The research team intends to co-design and integrate electronic and photonic systems, combining custom-designed high-speed electronic front-end transceivers that interface with advanced photonic devices and materials, to increase the data distribution's bandwidth and energy efficiency. Co-designing and co-optimizing these electronic and photonic integrated circuits will allow for scaling in data center traffic capacity to support the always-increasing demand for networked devices driven by emerging applications in artificial intelligence, communications, computing and sensing. "The proposed technology will enable energy-efficient coherent optical transceivers that will allow for dramatic scaling in data center traffic capacity to support the unprecedented growth in networked devices driven by emerging applications like connected automobiles," Palermo said. To bring this project to fruition, Palermo will leverage his expertise in front-end transceivers designed for optical interconnect systems; Lin will design and fabricate the advanced photonic devices applying high-performance electro-optical materials; and Entesari will bring his expertise in high-frequency circuits. The team will also collaborate closely with researchers at the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan, funded through the National Science and Technology Council of Taiwan (NSTC). NSF jointly supports this project, in partnership with NSTC's Department of Engineering and Technologies, through the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station. More information: www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAw storicalAwards=false Provided by Texas A&M University College of Engineering 2023 Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists. Credit: New York Academy of Sciences The Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences today announced the three Laureates and six Finalists of the 2023 Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists. The Awards honor outstanding postdoctoral scientists from academic research institutions across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut in three disciplinary categories: Chemistry, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Life Sciences. The Blavatnik Regional Awards jury, consisting of distinguished scientists and engineers from across the New York Tri-State region, selected one Laureate in each of the three categories who will receive a $30,000 unrestricted prize and two Finalists in each category who will be awarded $10,000 each. In the 2023 competition, there were 121 outstanding nominations from 28 academic institutions in the New York metropolitan region (Tri-State Area). The 2023 Blavatnik Regional Awards Laureates and Finalists will be honored during National Postdoctoral Appreciation Week, which recognizes the significant contributions that postdoctoral scholars make to U.S. research and discovery. The 2023 Ceremony of the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, will take place at the American Museum of Natural History in New York on September 19, 2023. "Congratulations to this year's Regional Awards Laureates and Finalists. We look forward to their future significant discoveries," said Len Blavatnik, Founder and Chairman of Access Industries, head of the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Nicholas B. Dirks, the New York Academy of Sciences' President and CEO, said, "Congratulations to the 2023 Blavatnik Regional Awards Laureates and Finalists. This year's Regional honorees are driving cutting-edge research, making important contributions to the area's current and future scientific excellence. Many are publishing research at rapid speed, taking creative risks in their research, while actively working to create a more diverse STEM workforce. These are the young scientific superstars we should be watching." 2023 Chemistry Laureate, Joonho Lee, PhD, (quantum chemist) nominated by Columbia University was recognized for developing the first quantum gas microscope on single, ultracold molecules and applying this technique to explore important phenomena relevant to high-temperature superconductors and other quantum materials. Yan's work opened a new venue to study complex quantum phenomena previously inaccessible by other instruments and holds great potential in future quantum technologies. Yan has recently joined the faculty at The University of Chicago. Credit: New York Academy of Sciences The 2023 Blavatnik Regional Awards Laureates in the three award categories are: Chemistry Joonho Lee, Ph.D., (quantum chemist) nominated by Columbia University was recognized for the development of state-of-the-art quantum chemistry algorithms for classical and quantum computers. Lee's work aims to provide a microscopic understanding of emergent functional materials, including solar cells, electrocatalysts for the hydrogen economy, and optoelectronics. Lee has recently joined the faculty at Harvard University. Physical Sciences & Engineering Zoe Yan, Ph.D., (physicist) nominated by Princeton Universitywas recognized for developing the first quantum gas microscope on single, ultracold molecules and applying this technique to explore important phenomena relevant to high-temperature superconductors and other quantum materials. Yan's work opened a new venue to study complex quantum phenomena previously inaccessible by other instruments and holds great potential in future quantum technologies. Yan has recently joined the faculty at The University of Chicago. Life Sciences Yanxiang Deng, Ph.D., (biomedical engineer) nominated by Yale University was recognized for developing a novel microfluidic method for "spatial-omics" to profile expression of RNA, proteins, and epigenetic markers across spatially organized groups of cells in tissues. Deng's work has allowed us to construct a map of how RNA, proteins, and epigenetic markers are expressed across groups of cells with respect to cells' relative positions. This work provides critical insight about how cells in different regions change their behavior during processes like development and disease. Deng has recently joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. The following postdoctoral researchers have been named Finalists in their respective categories: 2023 Life Sciences Laureate, Yanxiang Deng, PhD, (biomedical engineer) nominated by Yale University was recognized for developing a novel microfluidic method for "spatial-omics" to profile expression of RNA, proteins, and epigenetic markers across spatially organized groups of cells in tissues. Deng's work has allowed us to construct a map of how RNA, proteins, and epigenetic markers are expressed across groups of cells with respect to cells' relative positions. This work provides critical insight about how cells in different regions change their behavior during processes like development and disease. Deng has recently joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. Credit: New York Academy of Sciences Chemistry Elena Meirzadeh, Ph.D., (materials chemist), nominated by Columbia University was recognized for synthesizing a molecular two-dimensional form of carbon that has opened up a new class of materials with enormous potential applications in energy storage and tunable optoelectronics. Her new carbon crystals are formed from superatomslarge molecules made from many atomsand they have a higher thermal conductivity than other forms of molecular carbon, making them uniquely able to dissipate heat. Meirzadeh has recently joined the faculty at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Brittany M. White-Mathieu, Ph.D., (chemical biologist) nominated by Cornell University was recognized for advancing the field of chemical imaging to further our understanding of lipids and their role in cellular function and disease, including cancer. She has created a revolutionary method, Lipid Expansion Microscopy, that enables super-resolution imaging of lipids within cells using widely available instrumentation. White-Mathieu's work enables direct study of these compounds in cellular membranes where critical cell signaling events and nutrient exchange occur. White-Mathieu will begin a new faculty position at the University of New Hampshire in late August 2023. Physical Sciences & Engineering Micah Goldblum, Ph.D., (computer scientist) nominated by New York University was recognized for substantial contributions to various aspects of deep learninga leading technique of artificial intelligence. His work has not only transformed our understanding of the foundations of deep learning, but also improved its data security. Goldblum also broadened the application of deep learning in data-scarce situations, such as leveraging large volumes of diagnostic data for common diseases to improve diagnoses on rare ones. Adam Overvig, Ph.D., (applied physicist) nominated by CUNY Graduate Centerwas recognized for developing a new paradigm for manipulating light and thermal radiation using metasurfacessurfaces of artificial materials with nanoscale structures. Overvig's metasurface designs enable new ways to control the behavior of light with unprecedented precision and efficiency, and are promising for a wide range of applications including electronic communications, medical imaging, quantum computing, and more. 2023 Physical Sciences & Engineering Laureate, Zoe Yan, PhD, (physicist) nominated by Princeton University was recognized for developing the first quantum gas microscope on single, ultracold molecules and applying this technique to explore important phenomena relevant to high-temperature superconductors and other quantum materials. Yan's work opened a new venue to study complex quantum phenomena previously inaccessible by other instruments and holds great potential in future quantum technologies. Yan has recently joined the faculty at The University of Chicago. Credit: New York Academy of Sciences Life Sciences Valerie A. Tornini, Ph.D., (developmental biologist) nominated by Yale University was recognized for identifying roles for novel micropeptides hidden in the vertebrate genome and chromatin regulators that tell early brain cells which kind of cell to become, to then regulate behavior of the whole organism. Tornini showed that these micropeptides and chromatin regulators have crucial roles in early neurodevelopment using zebrafish models. Furthermore, Tornini identified links between mutations in chromatin modifier genes, the resulting behaviors, and autism, informing our understanding of how to therapeutically manipulate these behaviors to treat developmental disorders. Qiancheng Zhao, Ph.D., (neuroscientist) nominated by Yale University was recognized for exploring how our brain senses internal states, such as blood pressure fluctuations, food digestion, and breathing rhythms in a process called interoception. Zhao has characterized the vagal sensory neurons, a key body-brain axis in interoception, responsible for sensing numerous and diverse body signals and relaying them to the brain with incredible precision. Zhao's work has demonstrated that vagal sensory neurons employ a combinatorial strategy to code the essential features of an interoceptive signal, including the 'visceral organ', 'tissue layer', and 'sensory modality', thus facilitating effective body-to-brain communications. About the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, established by the Blavatnik Family Foundation in 2007 and independently administered by The New York Academy of Sciences, began by identifying outstanding scientific talent in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In 2014, the Blavatnik National Awards were created to recognize faculty-rank scientists throughout the United States. In 2017, the Awards were further expanded to honor faculty-rank scientists in the United Kingdom and Israel. For updates about the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, please visit www.blavatnikawards.org or follow us on Twitter and Facebook @BlavatnikAwards. About the Blavatnik Family Foundation 2023 Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists. Credit: New York Academy of Sciences The Blavatnik Family Foundation supports world-renowned educational, scientific, cultural, and charitable institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, and across the globe. Led by Len Blavatnik, founder and chairman of Access Industries, the Foundation advances and promotes innovation, discovery, and creativity to benefit the whole of society. Over the past decade, the Foundation has contributed more than $1 billion to over 250 organizations. See more at www.blavatnikfoundation.org About the New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, not-for-profit organization that since 1817 has been committed to advancing science for the benefit of society. With more than 20,000 Members in 100 countries, the Academy advances scientific and technical knowledge, addresses global challenges with science-based solutions, and sponsors a wide variety of educational initiatives at all levels for STEM and STEM-related fields. The Academy hosts programs and publishes content in the life and physical sciences, the social sciences, nutrition, artificial intelligence, computer science, and sustainability. The Academy also provides professional and educational resources for researchers across all phases of their careers. Please visit us online at www.nyas.org. Media contact Kamala Murthy, kmurthy@nyas.org, +1 (347) 526-8480 More information: Please contact Kmurthy@nyas.org for media inquiries or additional graphics Provided by New York Academy of Sciences (Photo : Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Ohio voters have rejected Issue 1 in a special election which many see as a major victory for pro-abortion supporters. Voters in Ohio rejected a closely watched proposal known as Issue 1 that would have made it much more difficult to change the state's Constitution in what is seen as a victory for pro-abortion rights supporters. The proposed Constitutional amendment most likely failed to pass because it could not garner the majority support it needed. With only a little under half of precincts reporting, the measure was doomed to fail by a margin of 57% to 42% two hours after polls had closed. Ohio Voters Reject Issue 1 Proposal That Issue 1 proposal would have increased the threshold for approving future changes to the state's Constitution through the ballot box from a simple majority. This would have raised the previously required 50% plus one vote to 60%. In a statement on social media, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio said that by rejecting Issue 1, Ohio residents were rejecting special interests and are demanding that democracy remain where it belongs, which is in the hands of voters and not the rich and powerful, as per CBS News. The result of the special election on Tuesday maintains the lower bar that has been in effect since 1912 and could also pave the way moving forward for the approval of the proposed Constitutional amendment that is on the ballot in November. That particular measure seeks to protect abortion rights. A poll from July from the USA Today Network and Suffolk University revealed that 58% of Ohio voters supported efforts to enshrine abortion access in the state's founding document. Almost 700,000 Ohio residents voted early, either in-person or by mail, far greater than the number of early votes cast during the May 2022 primary election. In a Tuesday statement, United States President Joe Biden said that the measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters' influence and erode the freedom of women to make their own healthcare decisions. Read Also: Georgia: Children Might Need Parental Consent Before Using Social Media Protecting Abortion Rights On top of raising the threshold to change the Constitution, Issue 1 would have removed a 10-day "curing" period. During this time, groups are allowed to gather additional signatures to replace any previous signatures that officials deem invalid, according to NBC News. The proposal being shot down also marks another victory for abortion-rights groups who have recently enjoyed a clean sweep of victories in all seven states where abortion rights were on the ballot 14 months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The vote's outcome also shows how abortion is still a major liability for Republican candidates. Various polls have shown that nationwide, voters broadly favor abortion protections, which Democratic lawmakers used as the center of a successful strategy last year to keep their control of the Senate. The recent vote comes as the Ohio Legislature passed some of the United States' strictest curbs on abortion last year. Lawmakers have banned the procedure as early as six weeks into a woman's pregnancy, said the New York Times. Related Article: Ron DeSantis Replaces 2024 Campaign Manager in Major Organizational Shift @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. FLORENCE, S.C. The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce has announced its guest speaker for the 2023 Membership Luncheon set for Sep. 20 will be Jeff Deaton, Managing Director at AESC U.S. Deaton will address the more than 500 business and civic leaders who will attend the Chambers fall luncheon. In his role, Deaton is responsible for US business operations in Florence, Bowling Green KY, and Smyrna, TN. AESC is a global leader in developing next generation EV battery technology and will be opening operations here in Florence County soon. The AESC Florence site will support a partnership with BMW Group, supplying technology-leading battery cells for next generation electric vehicle models produced at BMWs Spartanburg, SC. plant. The new AESC operations will have a positive economic impact on the Pee Dee Region going well beyond the expected $810 million, 1.5-million-square-foot electric factory and the 1,170 jobs it will bring. Mr. Deaton will provide a detailed look at the scope and expanse of this business endeavor and what it means for Florence and South Carolina, said Florence Chamber President, Michael Miller . The event will also include the announcement and presentation of the Business Person of the Year, which is sponsored by Wells Fargo. The luncheon will be held at the Florence Center, doors will open at 11:30 a.m. and the program begins at noon. Registration is $40 for members, $50 for non-members and $475 for a reserved table of 8. To register go to https://www.flochamber.com/event/2023-annual-membership-luncheon/ or call the Chamber at 843-665-0515 for more information. HARTSVILLE, S.C. When Preston Duffee takes the outdoor stage for Hartsvilles Downtown Block Party on Aug. 18, it will be yet another checkmark on a list of dreams accomplished. I can remember when I was about 15 and Hartsville held an All-American Block Party to celebrate, said the Duffee. I watched it and thought, man, it would be really cool to play on the city stage. So yeah, Im really excited and looking forward to performing at the downtown block party. When 22-year-old Duffee looks back on how many of his dreams have been realized over the last 12 months his appearances on American Idol, recording his first song, and then releasing his first song he said he can hardly believe it. Its been pretty amazing, he said. I thank God and I feel truly blessed. On Aug. 11, he will realize yet another dream when he takes the stage at Township Auditorium in Columbia as the opening act for country music legend Clint Black. They are expecting a crowd of 1,500 to 2,000, so it will be the biggest live gig Ive played, for sure, said Duffee. As one can imagine, the Hartsville native has been quite busy since his audition on American Idol back in February when judge Katie Perry said she felt she was looking at a young Luke Bryan after he sang and played the first song he ever wrote, Something to Write About. It was written about the emotional turmoil he experienced after his mother committed suicide. It also has a strong faith theme, which is found in most all of Duffees songwriting: Then he told me son all you need to do Is think of all that Ive done for you And how everything that youve been through Has made you into the man you are now And it dawned on me that he was right God, I wish that I could see things through your eyes When Im looking round Yeah, maybe all the hard times are something to write about. The song would eventually reach No. 6 on the ITunes country charts and No. 10 on the overall charts. Its a song that just came from my heart about what I had gone through, said Duffee. Its about how God helped me through it. Most of what folks saw on television was taped. Duffee auditioned for the show in New Orleans in October. A lot of us were there for six days, taping all the segments, recalled Duffee. The schedule was pretty crazy. He advanced to Hollywood Week, which was recorded in December. Duffee said contracted COVID-19 just before they taped the Showstoppers round. I was so sick, he said. It was the worst sick of my life. It was horrible. I was just musclin through it. While he did not make Top 26, he did turn a lot of heads and garnered a great deal of national attention. Its definitely given me a launch to the next level, said Duffee. Its a big checkmark on my resume. I think it proved my worthiness without having to work quite as hard to prove it. When asked what the most important takeaway from his experiences on Idol, Duffee said it was taking care of himself physically and to be prepared for the many demands of being an entertainer. You have to stay healthy and take care of yourself, he said. We were up at 6 a.m. in the morning, shooting videos at 7, and singing at 10. Then you were doing interview after interview, talking to Ryan Seacrest, and then singing again. It was a real grind. Some of the other contestants said This aint for me, but not me. As hard as it was, I loved it. A lot of folks think its just showing up and performing, but theres much more time invested than what you might think. Life After Idol Since his appearance on Idol, Duffees calendar has been full. Hes recorded and released several songs, including Aint It Just Like You, and I Believe. He recently traveled to Nashville with his band to record five new songs and plans to release one of them every two months. The first No Way Out, was released last Friday. Thats my focus right now, pushing social media with these songs, and seeing how they do, said Duffee. Duffee said it was a pair fundraisers, one held by his church family at Hartsville Church of God and another by Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee, that helped fund the recording session. I cant begin to thank them enough, he said. Hes also been playing lots of shows across the Pee Dee Region and Myrtle Beach area. Some of the shows he performs by himself and others with his band, which includes guitarists Ryan Rhodes and Niles Lewis, Tyler Tuten on drums, and Jake Parlor on bass guitar. Travis Wright will join the band on steel guitar for the Clint Black show. Wright played steel guitar on Something to Write About. Duffee said he is greatly appreciative of his bandmates. They have a lot more experience than I have, so I trust them for advice, he said. Theyre also a lot more musically gifted than I am. The band will join him at Township this weekend for the Clint Black show. Duffee said it was the management at Township that contacted him. Looking for an opening act, Township reached out to the owner of Steel Hands Brewery in Sumter to recommend a local artist. I played there a year or so ago, said Duffee. He remembered my name, threw it out there and they contacted me. It was a total God thing. Hes hoping the show can lead to even more opportunities. Moving Forward Duffee still has not gotten used to his newfound celebrity status. I signed two no, threeautographs at Sam Kendalls the other night, he said. Its kind crazy. What keeps Duffee humble is his faith. I truly believe that God honors obedience and I do my best to be as obedient as I can in whatever it may be, he said. Duffee said he tries very hard not to let his newfound popularity go to his head. He can think back to his very first public performances in 2019 at Wings & Ale in Hartsville when Justin Anderson invited him to come up on stage and play a couple of songs. After hearing him, the restaurants owners asked if he wanted to come back and perform regularly. I didnt have decent equipment, so I had to take out a loan, Duffee recalled. And now, four years later, hell walk onto the College Avenue stage and perform for his hometown at the Downtown Block Party. It sometimes still doesnt seem real, he said. As far as the near future, Duffee says he wants to spend more time with his girlfriend, Hailey Corbin, who he met earlier this year while playing at The Corner Bar in Bishopville. Hes also planning a trip to Nashville to write with who he says are some incredibly talented folks. And for the distant future, only time will tell. Duffee says will continue to pursue his dreams and be very thankful for every opportunity that comes his way. God has been very, very good to me, he said. FLORENCE, S.C. For the sixth consecutive year, McLeod Regional Medical Center has received the American College of Cardiologys NCDR Chest Pain - MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award. McLeod is one of only 262 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor and one of eight hospitals in the state of South Carolina for 2023. The award recognizes McLeod Regional Medical Centers commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that McLeod has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations. To receive the Chest Pain - MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, McLeod Regional Medical Center has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain - MI Registry for two consecutive years (2021 and 2022), and performed at the highest level for specific performance measures. Full participation in the registry engages hospitals in a robust quality improvement process using data to drive improvements in adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart attack patients. It is an honor to award McLeod Regional Medical Center with the Platinum Performance Award for their valuable national leadership and dedication to meeting comprehensive performance measures in patient care, said Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. The receipt of this award indicates that McLeod remains committed to providing top quality, guideline-driven care for heart attack patients. Their success ensures patients are receiving the highest quality cardiovascular care. This award is a team effort involving medical providers, nurses, technicians, and EMS all working collectively in the care of heart attack patients, said Dr. Alan Blaker, Executive Medical Director, McLeod Heart and Vascular Institute. It is through their hard work and dedication that patients receive such excellent care. They are key to us achieving this award and I thank everyone for their important work. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. A heart attack occurs when a blood clot in a coronary artery partially or completely blocks blood flow to the heart muscle. Treatment guidelines include administering aspirin upon arrival and discharge, timely restoration of blood flow to the blocked artery, smoking cessation counseling and cardiac rehabilitation, among others. With a heart attack, time is of the essence, said Blaker. It is important that chest pain always be taken seriously. Most of the damage from a heart attack occurs in the first several hours. Therefore, the earlier you get to the hospital, the better chance you have of surviving a heart attack with less muscle damage. Anyone who believes they may be experiencing any of the signs of a heart attackpain in the chest, shortness of breath, and a recurrent discomfort that feels like indigestion should not ignore the pain. Call 911 and if you are able, take an aspirin. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) staff will begin treatment when they arrive at your location and continue care on the way to the hospital. Chest Pain - MI Registry empowers health care provider teams to consistently treat heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines and establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety and outcomes of care provided for patients with coronary artery disease, specifically high-risk heart attack patients. Chest pain is the number one symptom of a heart attack. Sometimes the pain comes and goes quickly, and sometimes it is a dull but persistent sensation, but its always something that should be checked. The American Heart Association lists the following common signs and symptoms you should know: Heart Attack Signs Pain in the chest, shoulders, neck, arms or jaw Pressure or discomfort in the chest Sweating Nausea Shortness of breath Fainting For more information on the McLeod Heart and Vascular Institute Heart Program visit McLeodHeart.org. FLORENCE, S.C. Nariman Mahmoud Masoud, 35, of Florence,and Susan Masoud, 34, of Tampa, Florida, were sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to unemployment insurance benefits. Nariman Masoud was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in the Bureau of Prisons, to be followed by a two-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Nariman Masoud was ordered to pay $604,074.00 in restitution. Susan Masoud was sentenced to 24 months of probation and ordered to pay $454,074.00 in restitution. United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III imposed the sentences, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for South Carolina. Evidence presented to the court showed that both defendants engaged in a scheme with others to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the scheme, members of the conspiracy submitted applications in four states Arizona, New York, Florida, and South Carolina using the personal identifying information of other individuals, sometimes without the persons permission. In some instances, members of the conspiracy would apply for benefits in multiple states using the same individuals information. Members of the conspiracy then received the funds associated with the fraudulent claims, primarily through either direct deposit or debit cards. The investigation revealed a total of 69 fraudulent claims associated with the scheme, resulting in a total loss of $454,074.00 in unemployment insurance funds. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Departments response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justices National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the New York State Department of Labor, the Arizona Department of Economic Security, and the Small Business Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hummel is prosecuting the case. A general view of the Miss Universe titleholder crown Force for Good during the crown unveiling press conference at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center seen in this photo from January 2023 (Getty Images) Six Miss Universe Indonesia contestants have claimed they were sexually harassed by the events organisers and have registered a police complaint against them. The candidates of the Miss Universe Indonesia pageant said they were asked to remove their tops for body checks in a room full of 20 people, including men. They also alleged they were then photographed topless, according to the lawyer of the contestants. The attorney said the alleged sexual abuse took place two days before the finals of the beauty contest in capital Jakarta on 3 August. The organisers allegedly told the contestants they were conducting these checks to examine any scars, cellulite or tattoos on their bodies. One of the complainants said in a press conference that she was asked to pose inappropriately. I felt like I was being peeked on. I was very confused and uncomfortable, said a woman whose face was blurred by broadcaster Kompas TV. I feel that my rights have been violated, another contestant said. It has affected me mentally. I have had trouble sleeping, she said. The lawyer for the women also claimed several other contestants will come forward with allegations of sexual abuse. Jakarta police spokesperson Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko said a report from the contestant has been received and the matter is being investigated. The Miss Universe Organization said on Tuesday that it had been made aware of the allegations and they will investigate it. Miss Universe takes allegations of sexual abuse and impropriety extremely seriously. Providing a safe place for women is the Miss Universe Organizations utmost priority, it said. Even as body checks are normal in competitions, contestants are not asked to strip. The organisers usually ask for contestants Body Mass Index to know their proportions. While beauty pageants have long been held in Indonesia, the organisers in the worlds most populous Muslim nation remain cautious against offending conservative groups. Story continues In 2013, the Miss World pageant had to do away with its bikini round after objection from religious groups. The Miss Universe contest, the 73rd edition of which will be held in El Salvador late this year, remains popular in southeast Asian and south Asian countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. The winners go on to become social media influencers, actors and celebrities after winning the pageant. The Miss Universe Organization was bought by Thailands celebrity media tycoon and transgender rights advocate Jakapong Anne Jakrajutatip last year. After a $2m deal, the Thai transgender woman has worked to revamp the company to make it more inclusive of transgender, single and married women. Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya holds a photo of imprisoned Belarusian activist Sergei Tikhanovsky, her husband, at a rally of supporters in Vilnius on the third anniversary of a disputed election (PETRAS MALUKAS) Western powers on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on Belarus three years after mass pro-democracy protests crushed by strongman President Alexander Lukashenko, whose government lashed out at criticism on the anniversary. Lukashenko, an ally of Moscow who has ruled Belarus since 1994, was widely accused of falsifying the results of the August 9, 2020 election to give himself a sixth term. The fallout led to the biggest protests in recent Belarusian history that were put down with force. Three years on, nearly 1,500 people are in jail and tens of thousands more have fled the country. The United States, which already has sweeping sanctions on Belarus, said it was taking further action including against state carrier Belavia, making business dealings with the airline a crime, and blacklisting a tobacco mogul close to Lukashenko. The State Department said it was also banning visas to 101 Belarusian officials, judges and others accused of subverting democracy. "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," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller renewed support for exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and activists who are pressing for "free and fair elections and a peaceful and sovereign Belarus." In coordinated action, Canada announced new sanctions and said there were parallel actions planned from the European Union, Britain and New Zealand. "There can be no impunity for human rights abusers, and the Belarusian regime's support for the Russian leadership's brazen acts will not go unpunished," Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said. Lukashenko has allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory to attack Ukraine. - 'Hackneyed false accusations' - Three years on, Minsk appeared defiant. Story continues "Despite illegal sanctions, the closing of airspace and blocking of borders, information pressure, provocations from some EU members, Belarus has been able to retain and strengthen its statehood," the Belarusian foreign ministry said in a statement. It accused the EU of pursuing an "aggressive policy" and called on it to recognise Lukashenko as the winner of the 2020 election. Minsk said EU officials were using the anniversary of the vote for "hackneyed false accusations against Belarus." Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell commemorated the protests that were suppressed with "extreme brutality." "Today, three years later, the situation is worse than ever for those who dare to voice any criticism of the system," he said in a statement. According to rights group Viasna, there are 1,494 political prisoners in Belarus. Borrell also said that Minsk has become a "threat to regional and international security" and an "accomplice" to Russia's war in Ukraine. "This complicity has allowed the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia to the Belarusian territory," Borrell said. He also said the EU was "worried" about Belarus hosting Russian Wagner fighters, who staged a short-lived rebellion against Russia's military leadership. Borrell said the EU will "continue putting pressure on the Belarusian regime as long as needed" and "supports the efforts of the Belarusian democratic movement." bur/gw-sct/cl DAKOTA CITY A Sioux City man was sentenced to up to 25 years in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage girl at a South Sioux City home on Christmas. Michael R. Brown, 34, pleaded guilty in June in Dakota County District Court to first-degree sexual assault and no contest to generating a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct. He was sentenced Tuesday to 15-25 years in prison on each count. District Judge Bryan Meismer ordered the sentences to be served concurrently, or at the same time. Brown had sex with the girl in her room in the South Sioux City home on Dec. 25 and used a cellphone to record video of the interaction. The teen told a South Sioux City police officer Brown had tried to touch her prior to Dec. 25. When interviewed by police, the girls father said Brown had been texting him and asking him when the girl was going to be home. SIOUX CITY -- Learn about a community in rapid change during "History at High Noon: Sioux City in Transition 1960 - 1969" from 12:05 - 12:45 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Sioux City Public Museum, 607 Fourth St. History curator Matt Anderson will showcase images from the turbulent decade, which saw the opening of Interstate 29, the completion of the Floyd River and Missouri River flood control projects, the first River-Cade celebration, the advent of Iowa Beef Processors (IBP), the construction of the first suburban shopping centers and the passage of s school bond issue that thoroughly reorganized the city's junior and senior high schools. SIOUX CITY The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors Tuesday night voted to adopt an ordinance to allow accessory use of solar power for private power production in the county. The new ordinance also requires conditional use for properties zoned general industrial if utility-scale solar installations are to be built there. The board did not approve the conditional use of utility-scale solar arrays on property zoned as agricultural preservation land. The supervisors plan to revisit the issue of conditional use of utility-scale solar on agricultural preservation land at a hearing next month. In a roll-call vote, supervisors Matthew Ung, Daniel Bittinger, Jeremy Taylor and Mark Nelson voted in favor. Supervisor Keith Radig cast the lone "no" vote. Much of the more-than-three-hour meeting Tuesday was devoted to the issue of solar arrays on agricultural preservation land. Radig, who has positioned himself in the past as an opponent of the "tyranny of zoning," made the most forceful case among the five members of the all-Republican board to allow conditional use of solar arrays on agricultural preservation land. "Ultimately, again, it's a property-rights issue," said Radig, who pointed out that he'd heard of potential solar installation projects in Woodbury County that could be an investment, collectively, of around $662 million. "On average, it's around $1,000 per acre paid to farmers. So you're talking about $4 million paid to Woodbury County farmers every year, that we're just going to say, 'You know what, we don't need this spent in our county,'" he added. The other supervisors were more tepid on the issue, favoring what Taylor described as "deliberative, careful and cautious" consideration of the matter. "Without parameters up front, I think it's too loose, it's way too open, and it's too subject to interpretation," Taylor said. "And I guarantee you, we'll be in some sort of lawsuit, because all of a sudden a developer will be told, 'Here are the five, six, eight different conditions that you have to meet.' And (they'll say), 'Whoa, why didn't you tell me that up front? If I had known that up front on slope, on the percentage of acres, on setbacks, or whatever it is, then I would've developed the project along those lines.'" The majority of all the land in Woodbury County is zoned agricultural preservation, under which designation "land uses that are compatible with agriculture and farming are allowed." Certain other, non-ag uses -- everything from archery ranges to rail switch yards to mobile homes to cemeteries to pipelines -- must be reviewed by the Zoning Commission and approved by the Board of Adjustment through an application process on a case-by-case basis. Utility-scale solar farms are not among these conditional uses, and as such cannot be permitted in most of the county. Under current practice, if landowners wanted to lease a certain number of acres of land zoned under agricultural preservation to a utility company for a solar installation, they'd need to have the land rezoned. Such "spot zoning" is nearly unheard-of. MidAmerican Energy Company has indicated it has no plans to expand its solar footprint in Woodbury County. NextEra Energy, another utility, has signaled a desire to explore new solar installations in the county. Under the original proposal, utility-scale solar projects on agricultural preservation land would not have been automatically permitted. Rather, such projects would have had to go through an extensive review process, during which objections could be made to a given solar installation. "So I'm not sure it's realistic to think that it would necessarily blanket an entire parcel or something like that," Ung said, citing the "high bar" solar proposals in the county would have to clear, with "meetings longer than we have, on each of these projects." The supervisors approved the first reading of the zoning ordinance change on a 4-1 vote last week. Some of the supervisors expressed hesitation in expanding utility-scale solar into agricultural land at the time, but there were no residents who spoke out against the idea at that meeting. At this week's meeting, roughly 10 people took to the podium to air their concerns. More residents were opposed to the solar panel proposal than were in favor of it. Their reasoning ranged from concerns that solar panels would put agricultural land out of productive use forever, to aesthetic concerns, to an implicit distaste for green energy projects. Similar arguments were heard almost one year ago to the day, when residents spoke up in opposition to wind turbines as the supervisors looked at wind-turbine setback distances. "When I hear green energy, it makes my ears perk up. One of the things that we do in Iowa is, we grow food for people. And there's a lot of talk out there right now about overpopulation and not enough food. Well, why would we take thousands of acres out of food production to make solar energy when they can put it somewhere else," said a woman who identified herself as a farmer from Sergeant Bluff. "If you live out in the country, your expectation is, you're not going to be by industrial uses. And these solar 'farms' are not farms, they're not part of agriculture," said another speaker from Sergeant Bluff, who added that, in her estimation, solar panels would reduce the value of adjacent farmsteads due to buyers not wanting to live near solar panels. TALLINN, Estonia On the battlefields of Ukraine, the fog of war plagues soldiers. And far from the fighting, a related and just as disorienting miasma afflicts those who seek to understand what's happening in the vast war. Disinformation, misinformation and absent information all cloud civilians understanding. Officials from each side denounce devious plots being prepared by the enemy, which never materialize. They claim victories that cant be confirmed and stay quiet about defeats. None of this is unique to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Any nation at war bends the truth to boost morale on the home front, to rally support from its allies, to try to persuade its detractors to change their stance. But Europes largest land war in decades and the biggest one since the dawn of the digital age is taking place in a superheated information space. And modern communications technology, theoretically a force for improving public knowledge, tends to multiply the confusion because deceptions and falsehoods reach audiences instantly. The Russian government is trying to portray a certain version of reality, but its also being pumped out by the Ukrainian government and advocates for Ukraines cause. And those people currently also have views and are using information very effectively to try to shape all of our views of the war and its impact," says Andrew Weiss, an analyst at the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace. Even before the war began, confusion and contradiction were rife. Russia, despite massing tens of thousands of soldiers on the border, claimed it had no intent of invading. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy consistently downplayed the likelihood of war an alarming stance to some Western allies although the defense of Kyiv showed Ukrainian forces were well-prepared for just that eventuality. Within a day of the wars start on Feb. 24, 2022, disinformation spread, notably the Ghost of Kyiv tale of a Ukrainian fighter pilot who shot down six Russian planes. The storys origin is unclear, but it was quickly backed by Ukrainian official accounts before authorities admitted it was a myth. One of the most flagrant cases of disinformation arose in the wars second week, when a maternity hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol was bombed from the air. Images taken by a photographer for The Associated Press, which had the only foreign news team in the city, appalled the world, particularly one of a heavily pregnant woman being carried on a stretcher through the ruins. The brutal attack flew in the face of Russian claims that it was hitting only targets of military value and was avoiding civilian facilities. Russia quickly launched a multi-pronged and less-than-coherent campaign to tamp down the outrage. Diplomats, including Russias U.N. ambassador, denounced APs reporting and images as outright fakes. It claimed that a patient interviewed after the attack who was standing and appeared uninjured and the woman on the stretcher were the same person and that she had been a crisis actor. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov alleged Ukrainian fighters were sheltering in the hospital, making it a legitimate target. The patient who was interviewed muddied the situation by later claiming she had not given journalists permission to cite her and saying she had not heard planes over the hospital before the blasts, suggesting it could have been shelled rather than bombed. Russian authorities seized on those statements to bolster their claims, although the woman confirmed the attack itself was real. A week later, Mariupols main drama theater was destroyed in an airstrike even though the word children was written in Russian in large letters in two spots around the theater to show that civilians were sheltering there. The blast killed as many as 600 people. Russia denied the attack, claiming again that Ukrainian fighters were sheltering inside and that the fighters themselves blew up the building. The Russian ministry almost daily makes claims of killing dozens or hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers, which cannot be confirmed and are widely believed to be inflated. Sometimes the fact of shocking destruction cannot be denied, but who caused it is disputed. When a renowned cathedral in Odesa was heavily damaged in July, Ukraine said it was hit by a Russian missile; Russia said it was hit by the remnants of a Ukrainian defense missile. The disastrous collapse in May of the Kakhovka dam, which was under Russian control, brought vehemently competing accounts from Russia which claimed it was hit by Ukrainian missiles and Ukraine, which alleged Russian forces blew it up. An AP analysis found Russia had the means and motive to destroy the dam, which was the only remaining fixed crossing between the Russian- and Ukrainian-held banks of the Dnieper River in the frontline Kherson province. Both sides play at demonizing the other with claims of the others devious plans. Sometimes one alleges the other side is preparing a false-flag attack, as when Ukraine claimed Russia planned missile strikes on its ally Belarus in order to blame Ukraine and to draw Belarus troops into the war. In the war, fog shrouds both events that occur and didnt occur and obscures understanding of what may occur next. And it does not creep in on little cat feet, but spreads instantly as Russia and Ukraine each take advantage of social media, messaging apps and the world's hunger for news to put forth both facts and deceptions. Photos: Russia's war in Ukraine reaches the 500-day mark (Photo : Photo by Phil Mislinski/Getty Images) A US Navy sailor accused of providing classified military secrets to China was persuaded by his mother to help a Chinese intelligence officer to gain a government job. The case of Jinchao Wei, a US Navy sailor facing espionage charges, has taken a new turn with allegations that his mother actively encouraged him to collaborate with a Chinese intelligence officer, suggesting it might secure him a job with the Chinese government in the future, as per ABC News. These revelations came to light during a recent hearing in federal court in San Diego, where Assistant US Attorney Fred Sheppard made the accusations in a bid to prevent Wei's release. New Twist in US Navy Sailor's Case Jinchao Wei, aged 22 and originally from China, is one of two California-based sailors accused of sharing sensitive military information with China. The information reportedly included details about wartime exercises, naval operations, and critical technical data. While prosecutors have not explicitly connected the two sailors' actions to the same Chinese intelligence officer, the charges revolve around a common theme of providing classified information to aid a foreign government. According to prosecutors, Wei was approached by a Chinese intelligence officer in February 2022 while he was in the process of applying for US citizenship. Despite recognizing that such an arrangement could impact his application, Wei allegedly cooperated by divulging intricate details about weapons systems, aircraft, and amphibious assault ships used as small aircraft carriers. During the recent court hearing, Sheppard outlined how Wei's mother, residing in Wisconsin, was aware of her son's dealings with the intelligence officer. She purportedly encouraged him to continue assisting the officer, even suggesting that his cooperation could lead to a future job within China's Communist Party after leaving the US Navy. Sheppard's statements revealed a seemingly supportive role of Wei's mother in the alleged espionage activities. The defense attorney for Wei, Jason Conforti, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the accusations against Wei's mother, according to The Guardian. Read Also: Hundreds of Cancer Cases Reported at Montana Missile Sites, Air Force Finds Carcinogens Espionage Cases Unveil Family Involvement and Information Leak Meanwhile, Sheppard informed the court that the Chinese intelligence officer promised to fly both Wei and his mother to China for an in-person meeting. The officer also instructed Wei to purchase a computer and phone for transmitting information, offering reimbursement for the expenses upon receipt submission. Conforti asserted that Wei poses no threat to the community and no longer has access to sensitive military information. However, Sheppard argued that Wei's actions jeopardized the safety of numerous sailors by revealing critical Navy ship information. Ultimately, the judge ruled to keep Wei in federal custody without bail. The indictment against Wei alleges that he may have shared up to 50 manuals containing technical and mechanical data about Navy ships. Furthermore, details about the number and training of Marines during upcoming exercises were also part of the leaked information. Sheppard disclosed that Wei had allegedly earned between $10,000 and $15,000 from this arrangement over the past year. If convicted, Wei could face a life sentence. In a parallel case, sailor Wenheng Zhao, 26, stationed at Naval Base Ventura County near Los Angeles, was charged by the Justice Department with conspiring to collect bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for information, photos, and videos related to Navy exercises, operations, and facilities. This included sensitive details about a significant US military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region. As these cases unfold, they shed light on the intricate web of espionage activities and the role that external pressures, even from family members, can play in driving individuals to engage in activities detrimental to national security. The accusations underscore the complexities inherent in the realm of espionage and its potential implications for international relations and military operations, Navy Times reported. Related Article: China-Philippines Water Cannon Incident: Dispute Could Turn Into Superpower Conflict, Warn Experts @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa Google announced Tuesday it is investing an additional $350 million this year to expand its Council Bluffs data center. The money is on top of the $5 billion Google has already invested in the area since it broke ground about two decades ago, according to Allie Hopkins, Googles head of data centers for Iowa and Nebraska. The expansion will support artificial intelligence innovation and the services that people use every day, she said. The announcement was made at a press conference inside the center, located at 10410 Bunge Ave. It was attended by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. In a news release, Google indicated a Nebraska announcement would be coming soon after this one. Asked for details, Hopkins declined to say what would be announced. Data centers are huge digital warehouses where information is stored and where online interactions and transactions take place. They require reams of capacity for computer servers and data storage. Overall, global internet usage has grown 20-fold since 2010. And lifestyle changes since the pandemic, with the rise of working from home and more online shopping, have only helped to further drive the demand for data centers. The rise of artificial intelligence has become another recent driver. According to Dgtl Infra, the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area is home to at least 20 data centers from a dozen different providers. Data centers gobble up incredible amounts of power for big ones, as much as a small city. And Omahas data center growth is leading whats believed to be the largest spike in demand for electricity in the Omaha Public Power Districts 77-year history. To meet that growth, Omahas public customer-owned electric utility is now looking to spend some $2 billion to nearly double its generating capacity over the next decade. Top Journal Star photos for July 2023 Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group. Dear Care and Feeding, I live in a small neighborhood and have two kids, 2 and 4. We have been letting our kids play with a few other neighborhood kids during COVID. My kids do not attend day care or preschool and are with me or my spouse for child care. Recently, while the kids were all hanging out in my backyard, my neighbor brought her 2-year-old son over, let him interact with the kids, then told us he wasnt feeling well. My husband noticed right away that he did not look well and removed our kids from the group. Two days later, her son was again playing outside. I took one look at him and he looked terrible. I told her that because her son was ill, we were unable to play with him that day. She then brought him over to our other neighbors to play with their two kids. The next day, I had to be the mean lady who sent these kids away, after telling them because they were playing with someone sick, we could not play. Advertisement I am beyond furious as to why my neighbor is allowing her ill son to play with others. This is not the first time this has happened, and she usually says something like Its not anything serious I cant control what our other neighbors do/feel, but I am angry that now my kids have to lose play time with friends. We do not go anywhere else or see any family due to the pandemic, and my oldest kid really loves playing with all the kids. Do you have any advice on how to handle this; I dont want to have weird drama with my neighbors, but I also want them to understand that what they are doing is crazy and irresponsible. Thanks. Advertisement Advertisement The Meanie Dear Meanie, Im afraid youre not going to be able to get them to understand that theyre being irresponsible. And, in the Before Times, I doubt that a kid with the sniffles would have even been noticed in a playgroup. All you can control is the choices you make for your own kid. Whats complicated here is that youre doing a bit of a Rear Window thing to see what other kids the Diseased Child has come in contact with. Keeping in mind that just as you have no reason to think this kid has COVID-19 or has had COVID-19 on any of the previous occasions, you have no idea what any of these other kids are doing or touching or licking when youre not looking directly at them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If someone brings a visibly ill kid over, send them home. If you dont want your children around kids who you know previously interacted with a sick-looking kid, are you planning on waiting 14 days? Because at that point, I would just give up on playing with the neighborhood kids and be happy you have a 2- and 4-year-olds and a backyard and let them amuse themselves. I just dont see a way you can relax and also play with the neighborhood kids. It would absolutely be better if people didnt take their sick kids places, but they do, and you just dont have the time or energy to police that. Theres no email or proclamation nailed to the local doors that will change anyone elses behavior. Advertisement Help! How can I support Slate so I can keep reading all the advice from Dear Prudence, Care and Feeding, Ask a Teacher, and How to Do It? Answer: Join Slate Plus. Advertisement Dear Care and Feeding, My son is 6 and starting first grade remotely. Overall, he is a bright and happy kid. He adores his 2-year-old sister and has a few close friends. He is also deeply introverted, emotionally sensitive, a perfectionist, and prone to develop deep interests in topics that he exclusively wants to talk about (for hours). His preschool teachers recommended that we get him assessed as gifted starting at about 2, but we werent in a rush. Our public schools assess all kids entering kindergarten, and that seemed early enough. The tests in kindergarten indicated he was a bright kid, but not qualifying for (or near qualifying for) gifted services. He was happy in his kindergarten class and his teacher indicated he was on grade level, and so honestly, we stopped thinking about it. Advertisement Advertisement When school went remote last year, it became clear that there was a pretty big discrepancy in what he was doing at school and what he does at home with us. For example, he can do addition with two- or three-digit numbers, simple multiplication, and understands negative numbers. These are things that we taught him from his questions (e.g., why is 8 minus 6 not the same as 6 minus 8?); were not drilling him on math worksheets or something at home. In school, he is doing simple single-digit addition. Or he can read Pokemon cards fluently to play the Pokemon card game and likes for us to read him chapter books meant for older kids (think Harry Potter) but has no interest in reading books himself. Advertisement Basically, the school is telling us that unless his assessment tests (which they do a couple of times a year on an iPad) demonstrate what we see at home, he will not receive anything extra in school. His classroom teacher can do some differentiation, but it is fairly limited with a full class and even harder in a remote environment. So we seem stuck in a place where he is completely bored with his schoolwork but not advanced enough to get more challenging material in school. This is also feeding into his perfectionist tendencies where if he gets anything wrong at all, he says he is bad at math/reading/whatever. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We will continue to support him as best we can outside of school, but I would appreciate an outside opinion on what, if anything, we should try to do in school. Would you recommend having him assessed outside of school? Is there another way that schools can support in-between kids that were missing? Advertisement Bored in No Mans Land Dear BiNML, To be extremely frank with you, you seem to have a smart and normal kid who is not yet hitting the benchmarks for the gifted program, and you should just continue to let him do more challenging things at home. Most kids are bored at some of their schoolwork or struggle with some other aspect of it, and especially during a pandemic, this is not worth you trying to get an outside assessment the school wont pay any attention to anyway. All classes have a mix of kids who are quicker on the uptake than others and those who are struggling just to keep up. Teachers have the ongoing challenge of trying to give help to those who really need it while also not boring anyone to tears. They are testing multiple times a year for the gifted program! If he makes it there, hell make it there. Hes 6. I would worry more about his perfectionist tendencies, worry less about him being Technically Gifted, and try to supplement his education with things he enjoys challenging himself with. Advertisement If you missed Thursdays Care and Feeding column, read it here. Discuss this column in the Slate Parenting Facebook group! Dear Care and Feeding, A few years ago, one of my best friends, Jane, moved away with her husband and son (Thomas) for new jobs. I miss her terribly, but its difficult to visitits a few hours away, and I dont have a car. If I visit, I take the train, which has a limited schedule, and isnt cheap, so my stays consist of an overnight. Because of that, its hard to find the time. She occasionally comes back to my city for work, and a couple of times all three of them have come for the day. Recently, I made my first visit in almost seven months (I had planned a visit sooner, but then COVID-19 struck). I learned that Jane is having a difficult timebeing around her husband and 4-year-old son 24/7 is trying, the general state of our country is depressing, and she has no support network where she lives. Its a town thats between suburban/rural where its difficult to meet new people, and none of her friends or family live close by. My heart aches for her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because I mainly work from home now, and also generally have more free time on my hands, Jane is hounding me to come visit more. She has even offered to pay for the train, or come get me herself. The problem is that I cannot handle being around Thomas for that long. Hes not a bad kid, but he has absolutely no boundaries because Jane doesnt set any. For instance, both mornings of my last visit, she let him come into the guest bedroom and wake me up at 6:30 a.m., declaring, He just misses you so much he couldnt wait any longer! He will constantly nag for attention, like tug on me and scream in my face, COME LOOK AT THIS! when Im in the middle of a conversation with Jane, or demand Janes attention, which she will immediately cater to. Another specific example: I was playing with him for a bit while Jane and her husband made dinner. Thomas threw one of his toys at me, and I said very sternly to him, You do not throw things at people, it hurts and its not nice. He ran crying to Jane, and I heard her say, Oh honey, Im sorry she made you cry! Advertisement Advertisement I really hope I dont sound like a kid hater, because Im notthe majority of my friends have children and I truly enjoy time with them! But being around Thomas for at least 24 hours is just not at all appealing. I keep making vague, lame excuses, and I can tell Jane is hurt. So how do I handle this? Please advise! Troublesome Thomas Dear TT, Let me immediately reassure you that there was nothing inappropriate in how you responded to having a toy chucked at you by a 4-year-old, and Janes response to your reasonable boundary was silly. Im also sure he is also bored and acting out and kids do love waking people up and pulling attention, so I think she may very well be just floundering and letting things slide. Advertisement Advertisement Now, you mention you recently made your first trip in seven months. Thats a pretty long time. I think 24 hours of irritation after seven months is an acceptable sacrifice for an isolated best friend who is clearly desperate to see you. But now shes pushing for more frequent visits, because youre working from home. You need to decide how often you can handle 24 hours of Thomas and then say working from home has really ramped up! Ive made time for our next few visits out here, but they wont be able to be as common as wed like and then give her dates for her calendar so she knows when youre coming and thus isnt always asking you when youll be out next. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And be honest with yourself! Dont overcommit to visits, but also remember you can set boundaries for your stays, like I actually take a while to fall asleep, can you keep Thomas out of my bedroom until 8? or I have a work call, Ill go take it on a walk! You clearly love and miss Jane, and finding a number of visits you can live with AND making them more survivable is absolutely achievable. For more of Slates parenting coverage, listen to Mom and Dad Are Fighting Dear Care and Feeding, I am the mother of a bright but immature 11-year-old daughteran only childwho still (she claims) believes in Santa. She sat down the other day to start composing her list of this years requests to the North Pole, although she will be 12-years-old in December. She has the absurd idea that Santa can deliver gifts such as bunk beds! Advertisement I thought that I could gently disabuse her of this fantasywhich, yes, I instilled in herby having her write an essay answering questions such as these: Why is it that Santa delivers so much less to kids in poor families than he does to kids in affluent families? Why are we sending money through a charity to support a child in Bangladesh if she can just ask Santa for whatever she needs? Advertisement Advertisement All I got from that exercise was this annoyed response: Well, Mommy, it seems like from these questions that you dont believe in Santa! Do I just sit her down and tell her the truth? Or should I let her continue with this childish fantasy? Advertisement Frustrated Mom Dear FM, Starting early with these this year! Look, shes almost 12 and kids at school are going to make fun of her. Sit her down immediately and say very sweetly that Santa isnt real, its just a way some families express love and generosity to one another, and how fun it is that now that she knows the secret, she can get to be Santa for other people too. If she really didnt know, shell be sad and then get over it. If she did know, and was just hoping to game the system for bunk beds, shell get over that, too. Nicole More Advice From Slate I had a professor last semester who I am really, literally in love with. Shes married with a kid and I think straight, so its not something I would ever even attempt to act on. She just offered to be my adviser, and I was obviously ecstatic and said yes. The problem is, I have a couple of tattoos related to her. One is a small word in her handwriting, which is really cute, distinctive handwriting, that I got sort of in the spirit of unrequited love, and because it was a positive affirmation shed written on some of my work, and having her say something like that about something I wrote just meant a crazy amount to me. My question is: Do I need to make sure to keep them covered whenever I know Im going to be seeing her? Will she be creeped out and hate me if she sees them? The sidewalk along the Mobil gas station in Midwood, Brooklyn, still bears the stains of OShae Sibleys blood. Although news crews have been taking turns reporting from the area, where the dancer and choreographer was fatally stabbed on July 29, customers continue to line up at the pumps and life in the neighborhood seems to have returned to normal. But the story of Sibleys killing is only beginning to unfold. The earliest coverage of the incident came from local news outfits, which reported eyewitness testimony that implied the suspected killer was motivated by strong religious convictions and anti-gay prejudice. A report from Gothamist included an interview with Summy Ullah, who claimed to have observed the incident from inside the gas station where he worked that night, describing a group of teens who confronted Sibley and his friends as they danced to Beyonce while pumping gas. They were saying, Oh, were Muslim, so dont do this in front of me, Ullah recalled hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Otis Pena, a close friend of Sibleys whose birthday OShae and other friends were celebrating that day, also made several posts to social media that laid out his account of what had happened. Yall killed him for being gay. Because were gay pumping gas, a teary-eyed Pena said in a 14-minute Facebook Live video posted the night of the stabbing, Yall stabbed my brother in the chest, saying were Muslim. We dont want that gay stuff around here. Visibly shaken, Pena remembered Sibley as a beacon of light. The New York Police Department announced it was investigating this crime as a potential hate crime. Advertisement Advertisement From there, the killing became national news. Some outlets echoed the eyewitness testimony without filling in the blanks on their own. But outlets that have a history of giving Muslims unfavorable and often error-ridden news coverage foregrounded the suspected religious motive. Muslim Teen Charged in Gay Mans Fatal Stabbing at Brooklyn Gas Station: Clearly a Hate Crime, read the New York Posts headline. Though the testimony only described that at least one of the teens was Muslim, the Post concluded that the killer must have been Muslim, too. Advertisement The New York Post also published an op-ed by Douglas Murray, a commentator known for pushing the anti-Muslim clash of civilizations idea, titled Media Ignores Muslim Killing of Gay Man Because It Doesnt Fit Narrative. Ironically, his piece ignored that virtually every major news outlet did report on the stabbing, just to browbeat them for not centering the presumed faith of the suspect, a detail that had not yet been confirmed. Had the group who confronted Sibley and his friends been white and shouted that they didnt like gay people, or black people, this country would be in meltdown right now, Murray wrote. The media are actually covering it up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Daily Mail put Muslim in both its headline and lede. Conservative outlets like the Post Millennial and PJ Media also put Muslim in their headlines. Anti-Muslim internet pundits made much hay of linking the death of OShae to an implied Muslim thirst for blood, and forums like /r/conservative had a field day detailing an intersectional trainwreck in which a Muslim killed a Black gay man. Even a few ostensibly liberal internet users flirted with Islamophobic tropes. This past weekend, however, the teenage suspected killer, Dmitriy Popov, turned himself in, and his attorney released a statement identifying him as a good Christian boy. And it became clear which media outlets had actually struggled to fit the facts into their narrative. Advertisement In the meantime, theyd done some real damage. By the time I arrived in Midwood to do my own newsgathering last Wednesday, many of the Muslims in the community had already erected mental defenses: They smelled the medias stereotyping. The suspect had not yet turned himself in, and it was largely assumed by most, based on those initial reports and the flood of commentary, that the suspect had been religiously motivated. As reporters still lined the streets, their microphones and notepads in hand, I sought my own quotes from local Muslims. But those headlines were an obstacle. Advertisement Advertisement I stood just steps from the gas station, attempting to stop people walking down the street. Midwood is not by any means a Muslim neighborhood. Most shops catered to the local Jewish community, though passersby were as diverse as any neighborhood in the borough. Most turned down my interview requests. I dont know anything, one person said. Im staying out of this, said another. I spent several hours at the intersection, attempting to gauge the communitys response to what seemed to be a potential hate crime. And what I found was a reluctance to grapple with that issue at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Inside the smoke shop where the alleged killer was said to have sometimes worked, I asked the man behind the counter if he was interested in discussing the killing. He agreed when he noticed that I was also of Egyptian descent. Advertisement Sibley and his friends were coming back from the beach. They were wearing swim shorts. I saw them, he told me in Arabic. When I asked him about reports that the suspect might be a 17-year-old Muslim, he scoffed. I heard that some of them might have been Muslim. I dont know, he said. Advertisement He, like almost everyone I spoke with, declined to give his name, but before I left, he asked that I publish something nice about the neighborhood as well. We see what goes on in Egypt. So even if stuff like this happens sometimes, its still a safe and relaxed place in comparison, he said in Arabic. A man walking his dog near the gas station initially declined to stop but turned and asked me what I was doing out of curiosity. After I explained, he told me he had grown up in the area but returned after moving away for a few years because he believed Midwood was safer than much of the rest of Brooklyn. We see this kind of stuff in the hood, but out here, this isnt what you would expect to see, he explained. Advertisement Advertisement Its kind of crazy that this whole thing is getting any media attention at all, because people get into fights all the time, the man told me. When I asked about the possible religious motivation, he gave me an irritated look. The guy talking to reporters, saying he heard the Im Muslim thing? He works at Burger King [in the gas station]. Hes sitting at the fryer with a headset on. Youre telling me he heard what was being said outside of the building? In the parking lot? he said. Did you see the surveillance video? he asked me confrontationally, his eyebrow raised. I told him that I had watched the clips shared online and by broadcast news outlets in the days following the attack. Then you saw that the kid was trying to back away from those guys, right? he asserted. Advertisement He was referring to the full security footage that began circulating online soon after the attack. (You can see it here.) The recording, which has no audio, makes it challenging to see exactly what happened but offers a few details as to how the encounter escalated. About three minutes into a confrontation reportedly instigated by homophobic remarks, Sibley and his friends seem contented enough to turn their backs on the flock of teens and return to their vehicle at the gas pump. The teens also retreat back into the shop, but one teen, the suspected killer, remained outside recording on his phone and yelling out at Sibley and his friends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an instant, Sibley and his friends turn back around and speed toward the suspect, who slips his hand into his pocket and slowly backs away. One of Sibleys friends attempts to flank the suspect by coming around a parked SUV. A bystander intervenes and holds Sibley back as the suspect continues backing away, but Sibley breaks free and lobs toward the suspect. They both disappear behind the corner for a moment and quickly reappear, showing the suspect moving backward as he thrusts his arm forward, presumably with the knife in hand, then quickly running away. Advertisement To the man I spoke to walking his dog, this moment in the video cut against any report that framed this as a religiously motivated hate crime. The kid is a minor. And you see these grown men with their shirts off, rushing him. What is that kid supposed to do? Just let them beat him up? he asked, his voice filled with frustration. I continued to stand on the corner, talking to pedestrians. It was a while before another man agreed to discuss what he knew. He too requested anonymity. The kid is a nice kid, he said, describing the suspect. He says hi to everyone as he walks past around here. Ive known him for two years. Some of them are Muslim, but theyre not Muslim in that way. They dont have long beards or dress modestly or whatever. And Im pretty sure that kid isnt even Muslim! I asked him what he thought about Islam being described as the motive in the press. The news is making it seem like he stabbed the guy because he was gay, he said, glancing disdainfully at a news crew framing its shot of the gas station. Theyre ignoring the surveillance tape that shows them trying to punch the kid. Thats actually Islamophobic, he declared defensively. Watch the tape, he said. Advertisement Advertisement People may watch the footage and disagree about what happened at the Mobil. What is clear now is that a suspect has turned himself in and hes not Muslim. It doesnt make the killing of OShae Sibley less infuriating or less tragic nor does it rule out the possibility that prejudice played a role. But it does change the story that so many outlets got over their skis in order to telland shows us just how eager they were to tell it. The people I met in Brooklyn were resistant to the notion that the killer was motivated by Islam. In part it was because they knew those kids. But I also think they were wary of a reckoning that, sooner or later, Muslim American circles will need to have over a rising tide of homophobia in their communities. Advertisement Sibleys killing came just after 130 Western Muslim leaders signed onto a public letter voicing opposition to the LGBTQ+ community. An op-ed by Wajahat Ali lamented that by joining in the Republican-led moral panic against school boards and libraries for providing materials with LGBTQ+ themes to students, Muslim leaders are engaging in the same style of bigotry to which they were once subjected. Advertisement Advertisement Related From Slate Ron DeSantis Attempt to Erase Trans People From Florida Schools Is Now Underway Read More I recently reported on this trend by zeroing in on a movement in Dearborn, Michigan, which has the largest per capita population of Muslims in America. There, several school board meetings were shut down after they were flooded with fierce protest by locals. This clip from a Texas-based imamOmar Suleiman, a young Muslim leader who is widely heralded for his progressive stances and political activismonly scratches the surface at the types of videos that have gone viral on social media. In it, in his signature calming voice, he answers the question Do you support the LGBTQ agenda? with I do not. He goes on: It is important for us collectively as a community to actually oppose any agenda or ideology that is contrary to the Quran and the Sunnah, which he says is also the view of any Muslim that is committed to the Quran and the Sunnah. Advertisement Advertisement I am a Muslim who is committed to the Quran and the Sunnah, though I am ashamed to see so many leaders adopting the view that it is not enough to be Muslim, but rather that its necessary to diminish and hurt another community in order to be fully committed to our own. Its especially worrying at a time when there has been an uptick in anti-LGBTQ+ violence, which the Anti-Defamation League connects to the baseless grooming conspiracy theory. This shouldnt be us. Donald Trumps Islamophobia-abetted rise to the presidency unleashed a spree of anti-Muslim violence across the country, leaving many of us afraid to appear too visibly Muslim in public. That rhetoric begets real-world violence was a lesson I heard Muslims preach over and over again. This much is better understood by Muslim Americans than mostor so I thought. Advertisement Theres been a sense of relief that the suspect in Sibleys killing wasnt Muslim. Im not sure that feeling is deserved. Of course our community doesnt want to be perceived as violent, hateful, or backward. But there is work many Muslims should undertake after this saga that goes beyond protecting their own community, like removing the stigma around being neighborly toward LGBTQ+ people. This killer was not Muslim, but it feels like a real danger that, amid rising homophobic hate, another one could be. A Pew survey six years ago found that Muslim Americans were more likely than evangelicals to be accepting of homosexuality. I worry how those results would look today. We can learn from the story that almost got told. Before I get into the specifics of exactly who is overseeing the federal trials of former President Donald Trump, can I just start out by acknowledging that America has always picked judges in pretty bizarre ways? In the old days, there was literally a wheel, and you would spin the wheel, and it would land on a certain judge, and that would be the judge to hear the case, said Mark Joseph Stern, our resident expert on the courts here at Slate. He says courts ditched the whole wheel thing a little while back. I think different courts use different procedures, and its generally electronic. But still, the randomness remains. The goal is noble. Random assignments make it harder for the prosecution or the defense to curry favor with a person who controls their fate. But also? For regular criminal defendants in the system, it means that based on random chance, you might be assigned to a judge who decides to give you a really lenient sentence or you might be assigned to a judge who gives you an incredibly harsh one, and you have no control over it, Stern said. There is a huge amount of arbitrariness thats built into it. Advertisement And for special counsel Jack Smith, his wheel has landed on two very different jurists when it comes to prosecuting Donald Trump. In Florida, where Trump is charged with mishandling classified documents, Judge Aileen Cannon is overseeing the case. Shes new to the bench. A Trump appointee. In Washington, meanwhile, where Trump faces charges for his role in Jan. 6, Judge Tanya Chutkan is in charge. Shes got nearly a decade behind the gavel. She was appointed during the Obama years. Advertisement Its going to be like going from a frozen Chicago winter in Judge Cannons courtroom to the beach in Anguilla, in Judge Chutkans courtroom, in terms of how Jack Smith is treated, Stern said. What weve seen from Judge Cannon already suggests that she is really kind of angry with the government, unhappy with Jack Smith, not pleased with how this case has been handled so far and expressed in ways that I myself do not think are necessarily appropriate. Whereas with Judge Chutkan, she has, I think, dealt with both sides very fairly, and so its going to be whiplash for Jack Smith. Advertisement On Tuesdays episode of What Next, we took a deeper look at both of these judgesand why two of the most consequential trials in our countrys history could be decided in very different ways. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mary Harris: Lets go a little bit deeper into who these judges are and their biographies. Lets start with Judge Aileen Cannon. This is the Florida judge overseeing the classified documents case. Shes pretty new, right? What do we know about her? Mark Joseph Stern: Yeah, Judge Cannon is so new that she was appointed to the district court and assumed office while Donald Trump was planning the very coup at issue in the Jan. 6 case. She took office on Nov. 13, 2020, so Trump was already well into his plot to overturn the election by then. She was actually born in Colombia, so she is an immigrant, and she came to the United States relatively young. She was a corporate lawyer and then served as a federal prosecutor for some years, and Ill say I was surprised by how many mistakes shes already made. Advertisement What kind of mistakes do you mean? In one case, during voir dire, which is when youre picking the jury in a criminal case, she excluded the defendants family members from the courtroom, and that is crazy. The right to a public trial is guaranteed by both the First and Sixth amendments. Its literally right there in the text of the Constitution. And the Supreme Court has ruled explicitly that that right attaches during voir dire because its a crucial phase of a criminal prosecution. And she kicked out the family of the defendant for no reason other than she alleged that there werent enough seats in the courtroom. When you have to choose between issuing an unconstitutional order and making some extra space in your courtroom, you choose the latter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In another case, she forgot to swear in the jury. That might sound like a technicality, but its actually a really important part of this entire system. It also just sounds really basic. Yeah, its fundamental. If you watch Law and Order, you know you have to swear in the jury for Gods sakes. And shes only overseen four criminal trials from start to finish with a jury during her short time on the bench. How has this lack of experience played out once she was handed the Trump case? The worst part so far happened in 2022, at a much earlier stage of this case. After the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago for the classified documents, Donald Trump went to her court and asked her to essentially halt the investigation and prohibit the government from looking at the classified documents that it had seized. That is not something that is done. Its a made-up idea that criminal defendants just dont really get to do, yet she issued an order purporting to halt the investigation and prohibit the government from looking at these materials as part of a criminal investigation. That was the first time in the history of the American republic that a judge has purported to block an investigation into a criminal matter before an indictment. That had never happened before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And she got called out for this. Twice. Brutally slapped down by two very conservative panels on the 11th Circuit, who essentially accused hercorrectlyof creating a totally different standard that applies exclusively to Donald J. Trump and said, Thats not how we do law in this country. You dont get to seize this newfound power to shut down a criminal probe just because the guy in question happens to be Donald Trump. Thats not how it works. Advertisement Is it possible that Judge Cannon learned her lesson here? And I ask this because after she began weighing in on the Trump case more formally this summer, an analysis in the New York Times concluded that for now shes the jurist defenders have describedlevel-headed and not beholden to the man who appointed her (Trump). It sounds like you disagree with that pretty firmly. Advertisement Well, yes, I disagree. Look, there hasnt been a whole lot of action so far. She hasnt had a chance to rule on some of the most important motions that get filed before a trial begins. Thats when we discover if she is truly a real judge, or if shes just a Donald Trump MAGA defender in robes. So, that New York Times piece struck me as egregiously premature, and frankly, some of her conduct already including a very recent order and some of her scheduling orders do not seem on the level to me and are sort of flashing warning signs that she is indeed the same judge who ran interference for Trump in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Lets talk about Judge Tanya Chutkan. This is the D.C. judge overseeing the Jan. 6 case. What do we know about her? Shes been on the bench much longer. Thats right. Tanya Chutkan was a Barack Obama appointee, and she also is an immigrant, like Judge Cannon. She was born in Jamaica. But her legal career was very different from Judge Cannons. She, after working in private practice, became a public defender. She was one of the relatively few public defenders who Barack Obama elevated to the federal bench. This was a big criticism of Obama, that he mostly elevated prosecutors and snubbed public defenders. It was a big deal that he chose her, and she was confirmed 95 to 0. And now she has been on the bench for about a decade, and shes proved herself to be extremely competent, extremely efficient, very respectful to both sides, not the kind of judge to lose her temper Advertisement Advertisement What do mean when you say that? Like, if youre walking around the courthouse, what are people whispering about Judge Chutkan? Theyre whispering nothing, which is ideal. There are some characters on the district court here in D.C. She is not really an outsized ego or anything. Advertisement Advertisement Judge Chutkans also been really involved with overseeing Jan. 6 cases, like the rioters that the DOJ has charged. When you look at her track record for other Jan. 6 cases, not the one against Trump, what does it tell you about her style and her approach? Judge Chutkan is known as one of the more stringent sentencers in Jan. 6 cases. She has on several occasions issued sentences that are higher than what the prosecutors recommend. Thats not incredibly unusual. The sentencing guidelines are flexible, and judges issue on the higher end or even over what prosecutors want all the time. Advertisement But in some of these cases, the prosecutors werent even asking for jail time at all, right? And shes like, Sorry, no, you go to jail. Thats right. Now, it might not be for a very long time, but she has made a point of saying that this was an attack on democracy, that this was attack on our most basic institutions, and that the American people need to see the real-life consequences of engaging in this kind of violence. The fact that her sentences are on the higher end on this court can in part be attributed to the fact that there are some Donald Trump appointees on this court who really seem to view Jan. 6 as a lesser crime and are not handing down sentences that are nearly as stringent as what prosecutors are asking for. Advertisement Advertisement And Judge Chutkan has previously ruled against Trump too, right? Advertisement Yes. Judge Chutkan handled this really important case from last year where Donald Trump was trying to block the release of a number of important documents relating to Jan. 6 that Congress wanted to get a hold of. He tried to assert executive privilege over them, even though he was, of course, no longer president. And Judge Chutkan blocked that request, allowed the documents to be released to Congress, and said, Presidents are not king, and Donald Trump isnt even president, so he certainly has no right to block this release, especially when Joe Biden, who is president, said that he was fine with the documents turning over to Congress. Advertisement Donald Trump is certainly trying to make it look like Judge Chutkan is a partisan hack. In fact, hes asked for his trial to be moved to West Virginia. Any chance of that actually happening? No, certainly not. We can turn back to the Constitution here and see that it requires that criminal trials be held in the venue where the crime took place. There are extremely rare exceptions to that. Like, where its a super small town, and there was ubiquitous biased media coverage and 100 percent of potential jurors were irreparably tainted by this coverage. But thats it. As a rule, you get tried where the crime took place. Ill say that Trumps efforts here, its not just about Judge Chutkan, its about the jury pool. Hes pointed out that the District of Columbia is majority Democratic, that more than 90 percent of voters chose Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden over Donald Trump. And so hes claimed that that poses a total risk of bias that cant be overcome, so the trial must be moved to get an impartial jury. But thats not what impartial means when were talking about juries. It doesnt mean that the jurors cant have opinions or political leanings. So, all of that, all of those arguments, I dont think theyre going to fly at this court, at the D.C. Circuit, or at the Supreme Court. I think this trials going to happen right here in the District of Columbia Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This week, both of these judges, Aileen Cannon and Tanya Chutkan, issued rulings that showed just how different they may be as judges. Can you explain exactly what happened here? Yeah, as folks may be aware, Donald Trump has a problem keeping his mouth shut when he is in legal peril. He loves to post. He loves posting. Heroic levels of posting here. Not long after his arraignment in D.C. on Thursday, he posted on Truth Social, If you go after me, Im coming after you. Which is just a straight threat. Lets be real. Right, right. Whether its a true threat that could be prosecuted on its own, thats a different question, but whether its quite obviously designed to intimidate Jack Smith, yeah, duh. Of course it is. Advertisement And at, like, 10 p.m. Jack Smith is like, Hold it. Exactly. He turns around and files whats known as a protective order, telling Judge Chutkan, Hey, look, we as prosecutors have to turn over the evidence that we have to the defendant. A lot of that evidence, a lot of the materials that we have are super sensitive, and it seems to us that this defendant has a clear vendetta against us as prosecutors and is not someone we can trust to keep all of those highly sensitive materials to himself. He poses a risk of releasing, revealing, leaking some of these materials to the world, which could have all kinds of negative downstream effects. Advertisement Its sidestepping this free speech issue that Trumps team likes to bring up a lot. Advertisement It reminds me a lot of how Jack Smith also declined to charge Trump with incitement to insurrection, which was very much open to him, which was advised by the Jan. 6 committee as a possible charge, which was the basis of Trumps second impeachment. But Smith did not bring those charges almost certainly because he recognized that Republicans would claim this was an infringement on free speech, that he was criminalizing political speech by charging incitement. And so, he sidestepped that question by bringing these other charges that were rooted more clearly in conduct. Advertisement This whole episode has illustrated how Chutkans going to handle the case because Trump came in with his lawyers and said, We need more time to respond to this. We dont have time to respond over the weekend. And Chutkan shut that down and said, Absolutely not. You better answer by Monday at 5 p.m. You do not need more time. This case is rolling along. This is going to be a speedy trial as required by law. So, answer this man, and Ill issue an order, but youre not going to run down the clock on me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, we have Judge Chutkan moving speedily along. Meanwhile, on Monday, Judge Aileen Cannon delivered a really different kind of order. What did she say? This order is relevant to Donald Trump but specifically pertains to Walt Nauta, who is the Trump body man and assistant who was indicted alongside him in the Mar-a-Lago case. He famously was accused of taking documents from their storage area and secreting them away in the shower and bathroom at Mar-a-Lago so that investigators wouldnt find them. And theres a big problem here, which is that Nautas current lawyer, whos named Stanley Woodward, represents people who are probably going to testify against Nauta at trial. A little conflict of interest there. Advertisement It would be sort of like if you were a witness to a murder, and I represented you, and then I turned around and also represented the murderer. Awkward. And so, Smith came in and asked for a hearing in the 11th Circuitits called a Garcia hearingjust so that the court could hear about this conflict of interest and decide whether Nauta could waive concerns about this or whether there needed to be further steps taken, including potentially an independent counsel Advertisement Advertisement How did the judge respond when this was brought to her? This is just incredible to me. She comes in and first she says, OK, well, you filed all of this supplementary material thats classified or secret or incredibly sensitive. You filed that with me under seal, but I dont think you should have done that. So Im going to strike it all. So shes saying you didnt justify keeping this under seal even though it pertains to an ongoing grand jury investigation, which is, just again, very odd. If you hate the government always in these cases, then youre like, Yeah, stick it to the feds. Make em say more. I understand that perspective, but its just very weird to say you have to prove why this secret stuff should be kept secret. Advertisement But the second thing she did, which I think is even weirder, is that she noted that these witnesses are testifying in a grand jury thats in D.C. She said, Oh, I see youve got this grand jury in D.C. thats still looking into the classified documents case, and I dont like that. And so, because Ive noticed that youre doing this, I am going to force you to now file a kind of jump-scare motion explaining why you are allowing this proceeding to continue to investigate matters pertinent to my case. Advertisement Advertisement It seems like she is maybe running down the clock, which everyone knows is Donald Trumps No. 1 legal strategy that hes used to great effect in the past. It really feels to me like she is building in a ton of buffer time in between each filing. And that disincentivizes Jack Smith from filing further motions because every time he makes a request to Judge Cannon, its going to become a monthlong odyssey that poses the very real risk, as we draw closer to the new year, of pushing this trial even further back. And if it goes much further back, then eventually Judge Cannon says, Well, now were too close to the 2024 election, and we have to wait, and if Trump wins, we know what happens after that. Advertisement Advertisement Are judges more partisan than they used to be? Or is it just that were seeing it more now? First of all, weve never really had a case like this. This is uncharted territory, and so, weve never had the opportunity to see how federal judges will behave themselves when the president who appointed them is facing prison time. That is the main difference between this and every other prosecution thats ever occurred in the United States. But I also think that, yeah, the way weve begun to select judges, especially on the right, specifically with Donald Trump, was to say, OK, Federalist Society, send me your most extreme ideological conservatives, and I will put them on the federal judiciary. So, I do think every aspect of the judiciary is becoming more politicized, and this is maybe the chickens coming home to roost with Judge Cannon overseeing a case that shes not qualified to handle and on which she seems to have a very strong bias. Advertisement Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday. But if progressives like you dont trust Cannon and conservatives dont trust Chutkan, what does that mean for the outcome here? Well, frankly, I fear that if Donald Trump is either acquitted or if Cannon throws out the case or does whatever she can to ensure that Trump gets off scot-free, that everyone on the left is going to be like, This was an unfair trial. If Judge Chutkan comes in and does her level best to conduct a fair trial and does everything right and is the consummate professional, and Donald Trump does get prison time, everyone on the right is going to say, This wasnt a fair trial. This was an incredibly biased, partisan witch hunt against Donald Trump. Theres an integrity gap between how the two parties are treating the judicial system at this moment with regard to these cases, and its going to be impossible to get everybody on board. Its almost certain that one of them will go up to the Supreme Court, and Im kind of scared to imagine what happens either way when the Supreme Court hands down a decision that either lets off Trump from consequences for Jan. 6 or holds him to the laws that Smith has charged him under and says, Yes, this is a legitimate prosecution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One way or the other, theres going to be an incredibly fiery response thats not going to be great for the Supreme Court, thats not going to be good for the judiciary. But this is what Republicans said would happen when they refused to remove Trump from office and disqualify him from running for president again. Mitch McConnell went up on the Senate floor and said, Well, let the criminal system handle this. Well, thats where we are. The criminal system is handling it, and well just have to see whether the criminal system has the capacity to do so or whether its all going to come toppling down under the weight of a totally unprecedented and kind of frightening prosecution. The whole legal system floats on our collective belief that its real. And if we stop believing that, Im not sure what happens next, but Im not looking forward to learning. 29-year-old Daniel Sancho Bronchal, the son of the famous Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre, was accused in Thailand of murdering and dismembering a man with whom they had an intimate relationship in the past. Daniel Sancho pleaded guilty to murder, and Thai police said the investigation is ongoing, and authorities are continuing to search for the remaining remains of the murdered man. 29 years old Daniel Sancho Bronchalo pleaded guilty to murdering the 44-year-old before a Thai court on Monday Edwin Arrieta Arteago, whose body parts were found by police last week in a landfill on the island of Koh Pha Ngan. Sancho told the Spanish news agency EFE that Arrieta pursued him and was obsessed with him. In addition, Daniel Sancho is said to have been in an intimate relationship with the murdered 44-year-old Colombian plastic surgeon for at least a year in the past and came to Thailand on vacation. Sancho said he killed Arrieta after a dispute over sex and money. Sancho went to the police and pleaded guilty to murder After parts of the human remains were discovered last Thursday, Sancho went to the Koh Pha Ngan police station to report Arrieta missing. DNA analysis later revealed that the remains belonged to Edwin Arrieta. When the police questioned Sancho again on Friday, he confessed to the murder, the BBC reports. On Sunday, the son of a famous Spanish actor took the police to seven different places where he dumped the dismembered body parts of the victim, which he put in plastic bags after the murder. Sancho is currently in prison on the island of Koh Samui. Daniel Sancho Bronchalo with his father and Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre, best known for his role as Julian Martinez in the TV series El Ministerio del Tiempo. Photo: Profimedia Daniel Sancho comes from a well-known Spanish acting dynasty. His mother is an actress Silvia Bronchaloand his grandfather is a late actor Felix Angel Sancho Gracia. Read more: News Have they found the mass murderer behind a string of murders of women on beaches? Trends After 27 years, the case of the legendary rappers murder has been revived Planet TV The star admitted: Problems from my childhood still haunt me today If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more. Whether youre a professional welder or a novice DIYer, you know the importance of a good protective mask. A welding mask or helmet is a piece of personal protective equipment designed to protect the eyes, face and neck from burns, sparks, and harmful light. You should never weld without wearing a helmet. You can get what is called a passive welding helmet, which has a fixed dark lens that doesnt change. There are also auto-darkening welding helmets, which adjust the lens tint according to the task. There are also different lens shades for different tasks, so be sure to check the recommended tint level for your project. A handy guide is available here. 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Buy on Amazon TAKAFORCE Panoramic Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Looking for an Iron Man welding helmet? Look no further! TakaForces auto-darkening welding helmet is designed to look like Iron Mans mask, but it also has its share of other great features. It has a hemispherical design for a panoramic viewing area, 4 arc sensors, and sensitivity control. Buy on Amazon Save Phace Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Perhaps youre more of a Spiderman person. If thats the case, Save Phace makes this auto-darkening welder helmet, which features a 180-degree ADF holder for its impressive 23 sq. in. viewing area. Additionally, it has high-quality adjustable halo headgear, an extremely lightweight design, and an adjustable sensitivity knob. Buy on Amazon Antra True Color Wide Shade Range Auto Darkening Welding Helmet This welder helmet features a passive FULLTIME UV/IR filter, a double-layered auto-dimming LCD shutter, and 4 arc sensors. An optimized high-output solar panel helps extend the battery life, while the fully automatic lens eliminates flipping the hood. This helmet is said to be very lightweight and also durable. Buy on Amazon DEKOPRO Welding Helmet DEKOPROs welder helmet has been noted as being comfortable yet functional, with the added bonus of coming in several designs. Its equipped with sensitivity and delay settings for different environments and task durations and has a 6 sq. in. viewing area. Buy on Amazon FAQs Why is it essential to use a welding helmet? A helmet is crucial for the protection of a welders eyes and face. Welding produces harmful ultraviolet and infrared rays that can cause immediate and long-term damage to the eyes, such as welders flash or cataracts. The helmets also provide protection against sparks, spatter, and debris, ensuring the safety of the facial area during the welding process. Whats the difference between passive and auto-darkening welding helmets? Passive welding helmets have a fixed shade lens, usually around shade #10, and wearers have to flip the helmet up when not welding and down before striking the arc. On the other hand, auto-darkening helmets come with lenses that automatically adjust their shade based on the brightness of the arc. This allows for more continuous work without needing to flip the helmet up and down, offering both convenience and increased safety. How often should I replace the lens on my welding helmet? The frequency of lens replacement largely depends on usage. If you weld daily, its a good practice to check your lens for any signs of wear or damage regularly. In an environment where theres a lot of debris or spatter, lenses may need replacing more often. As a general rule, if the lens appears scratched, cracked, or if the auto-darkening feature is inconsistent, its time for a replacement. Can I use the same welding helmet for different types of welding? Yes, most modern welding helmets are versatile and can be used for various welding processes like TIG, MIG, and stick welding. However, its essential to ensure that the shade range of your helmets lens is appropriate for the type of welding youre performing. Some processes may require a darker or lighter shade for optimal protection and visibility. How should I maintain my welding helmet to ensure its longevity? Proper maintenance can significantly extend the life of your welding helmet. Regularly wipe down the helmets exterior with a soft cloth to remove dust and debris. Clean the lens as per the manufacturers recommendations to prevent scratches or damage. Store your helmet in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight when not in use. Periodically inspect your helmet for cracks, damages, or malfunctioning parts and replace them as necessary. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Save money on shipping costs for your Amazon purchases. Plus, enjoy thousands of titles from Amazons video library with an Amazon Prime membership. Learn more and sign up for a free trial today. More constituencies instead of one in the national election could change things for the better, an expert says. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share Share Twitter Facebook Whatsapp E-mail Link to the page If the elections were to turn out based on the latest survey by the AKO polling agency, approximately 30 Slovak districts would not have any representatives in the parliament. In this article, the daily Sme assumed, for the sake of simplicity, that voters would not circle candidates and that the mandates would be shared by the highest-ranking candidates on the lists of parties. Among them, up to a third have permanent residence in Bratislava. This is partly due to the capital city effect - a large number of the elites leaving corners of Slovakia to settle in Bratislava, where there are more job opportunities. But an even more important factor is the system of a single constituency. The creation of a candidate list is a decision of the close leadership of the party, which is mostly concentrated in Bratislava. The representation of various Slovak distrcits on the parties' candidate lists, with most - 54 - being from Bratislava. Districts coloured in deep grey would not have any representation. (Source: SME) According to electoral geographer Tibor Madlenak from Matej Bel University in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, the system of a single constituency does not force party leaders to look for personalities in the regions. Party leaders are basically comfortable with this system because no one threatens their power. Although many candidates from the Slovak regions can be found on the lists, as the daily Sme analysis shows, the higher on the list, the more often they come from the western Slovakia districts. Slovakia remains unsuccessful in tackling homelessness. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share Share Twitter Facebook Whatsapp E-mail Link to the page The number of homeless people in Slovakia increased threefold, from around 23,000 to more than 70,000, in a decade, according to the latest census. Alexandra Karova, head of Vagus, a civic association for the homeless in Bratislava, said the rise was partly due to different methodology used in the last census in 2021 compared to the previous survey from 2011, the Sme daily writes. She added though the real number of homeless in Slovakia could actually be much larger as what is generally considered homeless is vague -internationally accepted Ethos typology describes homeless people as not only those who sleep in public spaces outside, in shelters or abandoned buildings, but also people whose housing may be under threat, including someone in an abusive relationships. Related article Related article Charity furniture project for homeless launched Read more But as well as revealing a large increase in the numbers of homeless in Bratislava, the census also dispels some stereotypes about them. Many homeless people went to university While the common image of a homeless person is of an unkempt itinerant in a sleeping bag, these type of people actually comprise only a fraction of them. Of the 71,076 homeless, at least 20,000 have jobs, mostly doing various part-time and occasional, or sometimes illegal, work. Most often they are machine operators, construction workers, craftsmen, or shop assistants. At least 1,700 homeless in Slovakia have a university degree. They also come from virtually all age and social groups - roughly a fifth of homeless are people on maternity and parental leave, and about 11,000 are children under 14. Homelessness overlooked by politicians Slovakia remains unsuccessful in tackling homelessness, as the issue is often not considered a political topic. Nevertheless, some progress has been made in the form of pilot projects in the Housing First concept in which homeless people are first provided with a home and then supported in finding a job or securing health care. The technocratic government is also expected to draw up concrete measures to deal with homelessness. Its hot outside, yall. And if you want to stop in to grab a coffee at a nearby cafe while taking your four-legged friend on a stroll, what are you to do? If its too hot for you, its too hot for them. Luckily, for the denizens of Brooklyn at least, theres an all-new dog-friendly cafe that wholeheartedly welcomes in your furry friends. Boris & Horton, the self-described New Yorks first dog friendly cafe, has just opened a new location in the Williamsburg neighborhood. Their second cafe, B&H is serving up coffee from nearby roaster Variety and offers a caffeinated respite from the heat for human and dog alike. So grab a latte with your lhasa apso, a cappuccino with your corgi, a doppio with your doberman, or even a mocha with your mutt. Boris & Horton welcomes each and every one. The 2023 Build-Outs of Coffee is presented by DONA. The 2023 Build-Outs of Coffee is sponsored by La Marzocco, Pacific Barista Series, Acaia, and Marco Beverage Systems. As told to Sprudge by Logan Mikhly. For those who arent familiar, will you tell us about your company? Were New Yorks first dog friendly cafe and we just opened our second location in Williamsburg. Can you tell us a bit about the new space? We build out our spaces to be 100% DOH compliant so that customers can eat and drink alongside their pets. Theres a cafe side and a dog side and dogs can roam freely on the dog side while customers enjoy Variety Coffee and a full food menu. Whats your approach to coffee? We see ourselves as quietly excellent. We strive to bring third wave principles and quality to a customer base whose coffee preferences span from bodega coffee, light and sweet to carbonic maceration. In order to achieve this, we focus on getting the little things right: having kick-ass drip and a beautiful espresso that shines alone and provides a foundation for milk drinks. Then we take these fundamental products and find ways to present them to our customers that dont feel pretentious or intimidating. That means chatting as much or as little as a customer would like about whats in their cup today, and only bringing up that weve changed our single origin drip when asked about it. We do our best to honor the labor and dedication that it took to get the coffee from the soil to our cups by approaching each bean as a new endeavor, and we love the dual challenge of maximizing the potential of every coffee we serve while keeping our menu decidedly approachable. Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up? Weve got the Rolls Royce of espresso machines, the La Marzocco GB5 S3 AV with scales and are excited to be brewing and kegging our own cold brew shortly. Weve got some guest coffee features from local roasters in the pipeline that well shout out on our Instagram as they get closer. Stay Tuned!!! How is your project considering sustainability? We take extra care to avoid waste and be parsimonious in our recipes. Specifically for us, this has meant finding a nice equilibrium between turbo shots and traditional espresso to reduce our coffee usage by lowering our dose. Additionally, were aiming to be completely single-use-plastic-free by the end of our first full month. Whats your hopeful target opening date/month? Its open Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that youd like to mention? Sure, Cocozza Group, E.G Designs, and Jen Levy Creative Thank you! The 2023 Build-Outs of Coffee is presented by DONA. The 2023 Build-Outs of Coffee is sponsored by La Marzocco, Pacific Barista Series, Acaia, and Marco Beverage Systems. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/american-farmer-russia-to-become-worlds-number-one-agricultural-powerhouse-1112487115.html American Farmer: Russia to Become World's Number One Agricultural Powerhouse American Farmer: Russia to Become World's Number One Agricultural Powerhouse US-born farmer Justus Walker, also known as the Merry Milkman, has fulfilled his American dream in Russia's Altai, a region in western Siberia. 2023-08-09T18:48+0000 2023-08-09T18:48+0000 2023-08-09T18:48+0000 us russia canada siberia americans opinion agriculture food farmers europe /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 Justus Walker was born in the US and came to Russia in 1993 along with his parents, who were Protestant missionaries, soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union. His parents went back home in 2000, while Justus stayed. He founded his first farm in the Krasnoyarsk region, eastern Siberia, where he met his future wife, Rebecca. In 2016, Justus, Rebecca, and their three children moved to the Altai region, famous for its vast grasslands and mountainous landscape.Russia's Land Inexpensive Compared to US or CanadaWhile speaking about the benefits of farming in Russia, Justus drew attention to the fact that land there is relatively inexpensive. When one starts a farm in the US, Canada, or elsewhere, the most expensive item is land, he explained.That means that the investment to return ratio is high in Russia when it comes to farming. While it's not easy to make money in farming, in Russia one can pay back one's original investment in five to seven years, he pointed out. That's absolutely unprecedented compared with farming startups in the US, Canada, or anywhere else in the industrialized world, per Walker.Does the Russian State Help Farmers?The Russian state provides assistance to entrepreneurial farmers, Walker continued.However, one program the Walkers did take advantage of is the Farmer's House law. The law which was adopted two years ago permits farmers to build a permanent dwelling on their land. Earlier, restrictions with regard to residential houses on arable lands and meadows in Russia were aimed at protecting rural lands from mass housing development. The 2021 legislation allows a farmer to build a house on rural land, albeit with some limitations. First, the construction of a farm house is allowed only on land owned by the farmer. Second, the area that can be used for placing a farm house is limited: it should be no more than 0.25% of the land. Third, the size of the house should be no more than 500 square meters.The other program, mentioned by Justus, is a program for rural electrification: "You can get really, really huge discounts, pretty much for free, frankly, to get the power, up to 10 kilometers of power lines, to your land if you are actually a functioning farmer," he explained.What if an American Farmer Wants to Move to Russia?When asked what advice he would give to Americans who are considering potentially moving to Russia, Justus responded that one should come on an extended visit first: "So get as long of a visa as you can," he said, adding that one should go to different places, volunteer on a farm or somewhere else, go touring, and go visiting."Also, one of the things that you really want to compare when you're comparing countries is not comparing Moscow to New York, because that comparison is like, okay, so you've got a major financial capital of the world being compared to a major financial capital of the world. Of course, those two things are going to look rather homogenous. But compare the kind of town that you are familiar with in America, like a 5,000-person town, with a 5,000-person town in Russia," he said, stressing that each country has its own specifics.Why Russia's Agricultural Sector Has Huge PotentialPer the Merry Milkman as Russian netizens call him for his sparkling sense of humor and kindness Russia has the potential to become the world's agricultural powerhouse, second to none."Well, I mean, it's not about perfect conditions," Justus explained. "I think that the Russian mentality itself is very self-deprecating in the sense 'Oh, you know, we're so north, oh, my goodness!' How they even say it in English, 'zone of high-risk of agricultural, whatever, blah, blah.' And this always sounds to me like some kind of an excuse for people to not do anything. Because it's like, you look at comparative climates in other countries like, you know, southern Canada or North Dakota, which are worse conditions, largely, than the vast majority of the areas that people would want to farm in Russia and yet they're very productive."While obviously not being some sort of "Mediterranean paradise," Russia is no worse than any other country and, what's important, has a lot more resources than other states, according to him. https://sputnikglobe.com/20180805/goat-farmer-in-volgograd-1066975853.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230707/russia-exported-record-60mln-tonnes-of-grain-in-2022-agricultural-year-1111724378.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230725/farm-bill-must-protect-us-small-farmers-encourage-climate-change-mitigation-1112138869.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230725/russian-african-leaders-to-adopt-declaration-joint-action-plan-at-summit---diplomat-1112126248.html russia canada siberia altai altai region altai territory 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 russia, justus walker, american farmer in russia, altai region, altai krai, russian farmers, russia agriculture, russia grain, us farmers, what factors promote farming in russia, average farm size in russia, what are farms like in russia, what prevents farming in most areas of russia, number of farmers in russia, what is the main grain crop in russia, grain deal United States (US) President Joe Biden confirmed he is visiting Vietnam soon since the Vietnamese Communist Party chief wanted to boost ties. The President of the United States (POTUS) is gearing up for a voyage to Vietnam. Biden says the move comes in response to the enthusiastic call from the nation's Communist Party chief to enhance ties with the US. Biden Says He is Visiting Vietnam 'Shortly' As per Reuters, President Biden reveals that he is set to head to Vietnam "shortly." He further disclosed that the "head of Vietnam" wanted to meet him on a phone call before July ended. Biden made the revelation amid his speech at a political fundraiser in New Mexico. The POTUS vies for a Presidential nomination in the upcoming 2024 US elections. The President says he is heading to Vietnam "shortly." CNN reports that Biden claims the Southeast Asian country "wants to change our relationship and become a partner." The White House refused to divulge more details regarding Biden's visit to Vietnam. A spokesperson says they have "nothing further to share at this time." The visit would be Biden's first to Vietnam as President. The two countries have had a complicated history, but they have sought to improve relations in recent years. Read Also: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling's 'Barbie' Movie Banned in Vietnam Over Misleading World Map Biden Says Vietnam Communist Party 'Desperately Wants to Meet' Him According to the South China Morning Post, Biden disclosed during a separate fundraiser last July 28 that the "head of Vietnam" called him. He further states that the Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong "desperately wants to meet with me when I go to the G20." The Group of 20 is holding a summit in India between September 9 to 10. The visit would be Biden's first to Vietnam as President. The two countries have had a complicated history, but they have sought to improve relations in recent years. The POTUS states that the current global situation provides the two nations "an opportunity to change the dynamic." Biden's visit will likely focus on several issues, including trade, security, and climate change. Vietnam is a trading partner of the US, and the two countries have worked together on multiple security issues, including maritime security in the South China Sea. Related Article: POTUS Joe Biden Wants Nigerien President Bazoum's Immediate Release, Says US Will Stand With Niger's People @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/back-to-the-moon-russias-luna-25-lander-mission-in-facts-and-details-1112487032.html Back to the Moon! Russia's Luna-25 Lander Mission in Facts and Details Back to the Moon! Russia's Luna-25 Lander Mission in Facts and Details On August 11, a Soyuz rocket will blast off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East carrying a very important cargo: the first Russian lunar module to be sent to the Moon in nearly 50 years! How will the module get to there? What will its mission be? Check out Sputnik's infographic for details. 2023-08-09T17:54+0000 2023-08-09T17:54+0000 2023-08-09T18:37+0000 multimedia infographic earth russia moscow roscosmos vostochny cosmodrome luna-25 (moon-25) soyuz /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/08/09/1112486876_0:0:1280:720_1920x0_80_0_0_ba7aaebfd325ddf86e90bce3b39b9442.png The assembly of the Soyuz-2.1b rocket with a Fregat upper stage and Luna-25 lunar module on board has been completed in preparation for Friday's mission. This will be the first time that Moscow has sent an automated scientific module to planet Earth's lunar satellite since 1976. The previous mission, Luna-24, was the third Soviet mission to return a sample of lunar soil from the Moon, and involved drilling two meters into the surface, stowing the sample in a special return capsule, and rocketing it back to Earth for analysis. The mission was a major success, and in 1978, Soviet scientists studying the returned samples were able to definitively confirm the presence of water on the Moon, a hypothesis long held by astronomers and astrophysicists, but never conclusively proven before this discovery. Luna-24 became the last human spacecraft to reach the Moon until 2013, when China's Chang'e 3 robotic explorer touched down on the lunar surface - an event that signaled a major breakthrough for the People's Republic's space program.This time around, Russia's Luna-25 will be traveling to the Moon's South Pole, once again in search of water, but also volatile cosmic compounds. As an added bonus, Roscosmos expects the mission to help fine-tune Russian soft-landing technology for future missions, take measurements to help scientists studying the lunar exosphere, and hopefully, determine the interaction of solar winds with the upper regolith layer of the lunar surface. Russian scientists believe the Moon's polar regions are some of the most promising areas for exploration and discovery of new important information not only about Earth's satellite, but the solar system and even the galaxy in general, given previously obtained evidence of many volatile compounds of cosmic origin, including complex extraterrestrial molecules which have slammed into the Moon, carried aboard comets, over millions of years.Thanks to advances in communications technology, the new Russian Moon mission will enable the transfer of scientific information back to Earth at speeds of up to 4 Mbps, with Luna-25 expected to operate over a one year period before its mission is complete.The Luna-25 mission has been a long-time coming, with initial plans for its launched hatched back in the late 1990s, but delayed, first due to financial constraints, and then as Roscosmos focused on other priorities. Work on the lander, formerly known as Luna Globe, proceeded in 2005, with the failure of the Fobos-Grunt mission in 2011 further setting back launch preparations. A series of modifications and improvements to the original module and mission accumulated, and on July 11, 2023, the Luna-25 was finally delivered to the Vostochny Cosmodrome.Luna-25 will launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome at 2:10 am Moscow time (August 10, 11:10 pm local time) with a backup launch set for August 12. If everything goes to plan, the module will make a soft landing on the Moon on August 21-22. earth russia moscow Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Ilya Tsukanov Ilya Tsukanov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ilya Tsukanov russian lunar program, luna-25, russian space program, moon exploration, vostochny cosmodrome, roscosmos, russian lunar module, when russia landed on moon https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/confirmed-us-pressed-pakistani-government-to-oust-imran-khan-over-neutrality-on-ukraine-1112492001.html Confirmed: US Pressed Pakistani Government to Oust Imran Khan Over Neutrality on Ukraine Confirmed: US Pressed Pakistani Government to Oust Imran Khan Over Neutrality on Ukraine WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States pressured the Pakistani government to oust now-former Prime Minister Imran Khan over his neutral stance on Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, independent US media reported Wednesday, citing a classified Pakistani cable. 2023-08-09T17:54+0000 2023-08-09T17:54+0000 2023-08-09T17:54+0000 imran khan pakistan ukraine russia state department world /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/07/1b/1097839006_0:13:3061:1735_1920x0_80_0_0_3037eedf5b18b4a6cec5b2c266e3388b.jpg The report indicated that US officials warned their Pakistani counterparts in a meeting on March 7, 2022 that bilateral relations with Pakistan would be jeopardized if Imran Khan remained in power. US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and then-Pakistani ambassador to the US Asad Majeed Khan were said to have taken part in the meeting.The Biden administration was infuriated that Imran Khan went through with a planned visit to Moscow regardless of Russia launching its operation in Ukraine. In the spring of 2022, while he was still prime minister, facing pressure from the US and the European Union to condemn Russia, Khan famously asked the West whether he thought Pakistan was its "slaves."Lu, according to the report released Wednesday, warned privately that if the situation involving Khan wasnt resolved, Pakistan would be isolated by its Western allies.State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, in response to the revelations, said he would not comment on private diplomatic discussions, but claimed that, nothing in these purported comments shows the United States taking a position on who the leader of Pakistan should be.The outlet reporting on the secret cable said it was provided by an anonymous source in Pakistani's military who said he does not have any ties to former prime minister or his party. On Saturday, media reported that an Islamabad court has sentenced Imran Khan to three years in prison after finding him guilty of "corrupt practices" in the Toshakhana case. On May 9, Khan was taken into custody on corruption charges after an Islamabad High Court (IHC) hearing in the Al-Qadir Trust case, where he had gone to seek bail in several cases filed against him. Following his arrest, supporters launched mass protests across the country, resulting in violent clashes with police and attacks on government and military facilities. At least eight people died and about 290 were injured in the unrest. In October 2022, Pakistan's election commission stripped Khan of his parliamentary mandate as well as the right to be elected and appointed to both the country's federal and regional legislatures for five years after finding him guilty of selling 52 valuables stored in the Toshakhana, Pakistan's national treasury, and concealing information about personal gifts he received. In April 2022, then-opposition leader and current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Khan had sold state treasures in Dubai worth a total of 140 million Pakistani rupees ($500,000). Khan has dismissed the charges against him as a politicized "witch hunt." https://sputnikglobe.com/20230808/goal-of-imran-khans-arrest-to-keep-ex-pakistani-pm-out-of-elections-1112461506.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230805/ex-pakistani-pm-imran-khan-sentenced-to-3-years-in-jail-over-corruption-1112407513.html pakistan 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 imran khan, us pressure, united states, pakistan, meddling, interference https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/declassified-files-reveal-manhattan-project-chief-hid-radioactivity-dangers-from-public-1112495432.html Declassified Files Reveal Manhattan Project Chief Hid Radioactivity Dangers From Public Declassified Files Reveal Manhattan Project Chief Hid Radioactivity Dangers From Public A research group specializing in once-secret files has published a new dossier revealing that the director of the top secret effort to build an atomic bomb lied to lawmakers and the public about the dangers posed by radioactivity. 2023-08-09T21:35+0000 2023-08-09T21:35+0000 2023-08-09T21:34+0000 americas manhattan project nuclear bomb radioactive materials oppenheimer nuclear weapons /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/107304/68/1073046825_0:210:1502:1055_1920x0_80_0_0_3c58f7babaa301cfe4f99752e26f6cb6.png The files were released on Monday by the National Security Archive, a private research organization based at George Washington University in Washington, DC.The findings show US Army Gen. Leslie Groves, who oversaw the Manhattan Project, lied to Congress and the American public about the harmful effects of radiation exposure. They also reveal J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the Los Alamos lab at the center of the project and the subject of a recently released major motion film, knew about Groves deception and did nothing to correct it.At first, Groves claimed the radioactive materials were harmless out of simple ignorance, but later it became deliberate deception, the files show.The day prior, Groves told reporters that radiation had caused no deaths, dismissing reports in Asian newspapers as propaganda. While the Imperial Japanese government had announced its surrender on August 15, the war was not formally concluded until the peace treaty was signed on September 2.Later reports from November of that year described further cases of radiation sickness among Japanese victims. One report by the Manhattan Projects chief medical officer, Stafford Warren, dated November 27 described thousands of cases in Japanese hospitals that were consistent with the effects of radiation poisoning, which US scientists had already closely documented up-close after several of their own suffered catastrophic irradiation and died while developing the atom bomb.Groves acknowledged many had died from radiation exposure, but claimed it was from the time the bomb went off and not from fallout. In a shutter-inducing moment of the testimony, he claimed radiation victims would die without undue suffering. In fact, they say it is a very pleasant way to die.Other documents show that while the atom bomb was still in development, the scientists already feared a toxic cloud of radioactive dust could be stirred up by the weapons explosion and loiter in the air for hours after the detonation. They urged Groves to evacuate the test site prior to the Trinity blast that July, but Groves dismissed their fears, accusing them of being a Hearst propagandist - that is, a writer for a notorious muckraking newspaper.Five days after the Trinity test, on July 21, 1945, Warren wrote in a document included in the dossier that the dust outfall from the various portions of the cloud was potentially a very serious hazard over a band almost 30 miles wide extending almost 90 miles northeast of the site, adding that there was still a tremendous amount of radioactive dust floating in the air.However, nine days later, Groves told US Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall that no damaging effects are anticipated on the ground from radioactive materials by using the weapon. https://sputnikglobe.com/20210423/us-honey-still-contains-radioactive-fallout-from-1950s-nuclear-weapons-tests-study-finds-1082703522.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230806/hiroshima-nuclear-bombing-1112421762.html americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Fantine Gardinier Fantine Gardinier News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Fantine Gardinier manhattan project; robert oppenheimer; nuclear bombs; nagasaki; hiroshima https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/door-for-resumption-of-black-sea-grain-initiative-remains-open---russian-ambassador-to-us-1112475448.html Door for Resumption of Black Sea Grain Initiative Remains Open - Russian Ambassador to US Door for Resumption of Black Sea Grain Initiative Remains Open - Russian Ambassador to US The door for the resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative remains open, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said. 2023-08-09T04:26+0000 2023-08-09T04:26+0000 2023-08-09T04:26+0000 world russia anatoly antonov black sea grain deal /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/05/1b/1110628593_0:70:3391:1977_1920x0_80_0_0_4050ab60efb2859e1e7af1e7eb9b68ba.jpg "Russia as a responsible power, interested in easing the burden of the poorest states, repeatedly, including at the highest level, has made it clear that the door for the resumption of the 'grain deal' remains open. All that is needed from the United States and its allies is to eliminate distortions in the implementation of interrelated agricultural agreements not in word, but in deed as well as eliminate the piled up barriers that impede the access of Russian agricultural exports to world markets," Antonov told reporters. He dismissed statements about exceptions from anti-Russian sanctions. The ambassador condemned US attempts to put pressure on developing countries. "Thus, they are trying to ditch the responsibility for systemic distortions in the work of the interconnected Istanbul food agreements. Shift the focus of the general publics attention from the fact that the export of grain from the territory of Ukraine did not correspond to the initially declared humanitarian goals," he said.On July 22, 2022, the United Nations and Turkey brokered the agreement with Russia and Ukraine to establish a humanitarian maritime corridor to transport grain and fertilizer from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports. Moscow has since agreed to extend the agreement several times despite criticizing the non-implementation of the portions of the agreement pertaining to Russia, but it then decided to let it expire on July 17. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230802/putin-erdogan-discuss-black-sea-grain-deal-and-energy-cooperation-1112341339.html 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 black sea grain, russian ambassador, resumption of the black sea grain initiative https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/ecowas-military-intervention-unlikely-to-help-crisis-in-niger---russian-foreign-ministry-1112479452.html ECOWAS Military Intervention Unlikely to Help Crisis in Niger - Russian Foreign Ministry ECOWAS Military Intervention Unlikely to Help Crisis in Niger - Russian Foreign Ministry The intervention of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) military is unlikely to help normalize the situation in Niger, Alexey Zaytsev, the deputy director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Wednesday. 2023-08-09T09:36+0000 2023-08-09T09:36+0000 2023-08-09T11:52+0000 africa alexey zaytsev russia russian foreign ministry economic community of west african states (ecowas) niger /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/08/01/1112318379_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_058bc2273afccc32f0fa6629e8444af9.jpg "We support the mediation efforts undertaken by the African community in order to assist the Nigeris in overcoming the current crisis. At the same time, we proceed from the fact that the intervention of ECOWAS troops in a sovereign state is unlikely to contribute to both the achievement of lasting peace in Niger and the stabilization of the situation in the subregion as a whole" Zaytsev said at a briefing.The official noted that a small number of Russians live in Niger and have not been involved in any incidents there.On July 26, Niger's presidential guard removed Nigerien President Bazoum from power. The guard's commander, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, proclaimed himself the country's new leader. The caretaker National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland closed the country's borders, brushing aside security agreements with France, the country's former colonizer.The Economic Community of West African States gave military leadership one week to reinstate Bazoum and restore order, hinting that it would resort to military intervention otherwise. Its ultimatum expired this past Sunday. Mali and Burkina Faso, also ECOWAS members, have rejected the intervention scenario in Niger, showing discord in the ranks of what is generally considered a pro-French regional alliance. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230808/cia-veteran-nulands-niger-trip-meant-to-intimidate-threaten-new-government-1112465911.html africa russia niger 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 intervention of economic community of west african states, situation in niger, normalize the situation https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/fbi-agents-shoot-kill-utah-man-reportedly-planning-threats-against-biden-1112493681.html FBI Agents Shoot, Kill Utah Man Reportedly Planning Threats Against Biden FBI Agents Shoot, Kill Utah Man Reportedly Planning Threats Against Biden A man was shot and killed during a confrontation with FBI agents in a central Utah city on Wednesday morning, the federal law enforcement agency said. 2023-08-09T19:16+0000 2023-08-09T19:16+0000 2023-08-09T19:16+0000 americas utah joe biden fbi raid killed /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/107440/84/1074408435_0:106:2048:1258_1920x0_80_0_0_45564ae4131b5cd81c6bae6591300c3b.jpg According to local reports, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) told reporters the incident occurred while agents were serving a warrant in the city of Provo, south of Salt Lake City.However, more information was obtained by US media through informal anonymous tips. Two officials briefed on the case claimed the raid was in connection to alleged threats made against US President Joe Biden and others.The anonymous officials said the investigation began in April and included the US Secret Service, which provides the security detail for the head of state and other senior leaders. The man was being investigated for making threatening posts online, which they later came to believe he was preparing to translate into physical action. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230731/report-fbi-contracted-firm-that-circumvented-federal-blacklist-to-buy-nso-spyware-1112308719.html americas utah Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Fantine Gardinier Fantine Gardinier News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Fantine Gardinier fbi; president biden; provo utah https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/fear-keeps-japan-un-silent-on-us-responsibility-for-nuke-bombings---us-senate-hopeful-1112476034.html Fear Keeps Japan, UN Silent on US Responsibility for Nuke Bombings - US Senate Hopeful Fear Keeps Japan, UN Silent on US Responsibility for Nuke Bombings - US Senate Hopeful Japanese officials and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres avoid saying that the United States is responsible for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki because they fear Washington's reaction, independent candidate for the US Senate from New York State Diane Sare told Sputnik. 2023-08-09T04:37+0000 2023-08-09T04:37+0000 2023-08-09T10:55+0000 world hiroshima nagasaki japan the united nations (un) us /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/08/09/1112481412_0:68:3000:1756_1920x0_80_0_0_e52097c279b1a76513dd8e229257f896.jpg None of the Japanese politicians who spoke at last week's memorial service for the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima mentioned that the bomb had been dropped by the United States. Remembering the victims of the bombings, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres did not name the country responsible either. Sare pointed out that such countries have realized that it might be wiser to work with China and Russia, who actually work on bringing about economic development, rather than with a self-described ally who is willing to blow up pipelines, shut down food production and steal technology, among other measures. "I think, obviously, people know it was the United States that dropped the atomic bombs, but I also think they are too afraid of offending the Caligula-like leadership we have right now," she said. "People do things that are irrational. That's what we're seeing, and maybe... the countries are hoping not to provoke us. I really don't know what the great benefit is of not telling the truth. Perhaps they also don't feel the world is in that much danger. But, I think having such a big gathering does indicate that they do realize the danger. So, maybe they think they're being subtle." Sare also said US leaders should consider how the United States should be run. The United States dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945. Some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 74,000 in Nagasaki were killed as a result of the bombings, and the vast majority of them were civilians. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230807/shadows-of-death-grim-reminders-of-atomic-bombing-in-hiroshima-1112434765.html hiroshima nagasaki japan 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 nuke bombings, japanese officials, hiroshima and nagasaki https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/germanys-patriot-air-defense-systems-to-remain-in-poland-until-end-of-2023---reports-1112484713.html Germany's Patriot Air Defense Systems to Remain in Poland Until End of 2023 - Reports Germany's Patriot Air Defense Systems to Remain in Poland Until End of 2023 - Reports WARSAW (Sputnik) - Poland has received confirmation from Berlin that the deployment of Germany's Patriot air defense systems on Polish territory will be extended until the end of this year, Polish media reported on Wednesday. 2023-08-09T13:28+0000 2023-08-09T13:28+0000 2023-08-09T13:28+0000 military poland germany polish defense ministry nato patriot /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/106374/54/1063745410_0:67:744:486_1920x0_80_0_0_a8da00aaf472791f1f2027447acdd4eb.jpg The Polish Defense Ministry has been informed that the German anti-aircraft contingent Patriot will remain in southeastern Poland at least until the end of 2023, Polish state news agency PAP reported. German media group Funke reported in late April that Berlin allegedly intended to remove its Patriot air defense units from the eastern borders of Poland and Slovakia as early as 2023, after the relevant agreements expire. The German Defense Ministry, however, denied the reports, saying that the complexes were needed to protect the NATO allies' eastern borders. Berlin offered Warsaw three of its Patriot units after a Ukrainian missile fell in Poland in November 2022, killing two people. Prior to this, shortly after Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, a Dutch-German air and missile defense task force also deployed a Patriot detachment in Slovakia as part of efforts to reinforce NATO's eastern flank. https://sputnikglobe.com/20221014/poland-integrates-patriot-complex-into-national-air-defense-system---minister-1101863044.html poland germany 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 patriot air defense systems, polish territory https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/gop-memo-hunter-sold-biden-brand-for-at-least-20-million-during-joes-vice-presidency-1112492628.html GOP Memo: Hunter Sold 'Biden' Brand for At Least $20 Million During Joe's Vice Presidency GOP Memo: Hunter Sold 'Biden' Brand for At Least $20 Million During Joe's Vice Presidency Companies related to the Biden family received a whopping $20 million from foreign nationals during Joe Biden's vice presidency, as per the GOP-led House Oversight and Accountability Committee. 2023-08-09T18:48+0000 2023-08-09T18:48+0000 2023-08-09T18:48+0000 americas joe biden hunter biden gop white house washington dc us pay to play influence peddling burisma /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/107001/33/1070013318_0:0:1921:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_fb51c6f98375d4dbd0c8f6daccf5005f.jpg On August 9, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability Majority Staff released a third bank records memorandum within the framework of the ongoing investigation of the Bidens' alleged influence peddling schemes.The committee identified over $20 million in payments from foreign sources to the Biden family and their business associates during Joe Biden's vice presidential tenure.Per House GOP investigators, Biden family members and partners routinely collected money from Ukrainian, Kazakh, Chinese, Russian, and Romanian nationals in exchange for protection, assistance, and access to then-Vice President Joe Biden.The memo also referred to the change of the White House's narrative regarding Joe Biden's apparent involvement in his son's business dealings. While, previously, Team Biden had claimed that Joe was unaware of Hunter's financial activities and never discussed them, now they say that the "President was not in business with his son." Still, the White House staff refuses to comment about this departure from previous statements, the memo noted.Commenting on the release of the third memo, Committee Chairman James Comer opined that the data obtained by the committee confirms the assumption that the Bidens, including Joe, were involved in "pay-for-play."Comer particularly drew parallels between bank records and Hunter's partners getting access to then-Vice President Biden, including two dinners in April 2014 and 2015 at Washington, DC's Cafe Milano. Most recently, US renowned legal scholar Jonathan Turley brought focus on the discussions surrounding Joe's visits to Cafe Milano. The lawyer noted that the testimony by Devon Archer Hunter's longtime business partner indicated that the elder Biden had indeed spent time with his son's clients and was aware of Hunter's business schemes. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230804/ex-biden-partner-hunters-ties-to-burisma-part-of-influence-battle-in-ukraine-1112396640.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230806/pants-on-fire-team-biden-reportedly-lied-about-joes-dinner-with-ukrainian-burisma-exec-1112425884.html americas washington dc ukraine kazakhstan china russia romania Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ekaterina Blinova hunter biden, joe biden, pay to play, influence peddling, house gop investigation into bidens, biden brand, burisma, ukrainian oligarch mykola zlochevsky, devon archer, rosemont seneca, hunter biden tax crimes, federal investigation hunter biden, hunter biden indictment, joe biden 2024 reelection bid https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/how-will-ukraine-conflict-end-1112483930.html How Will Ukraine Conflict End? How Will Ukraine Conflict End? In this weeks episode of the New Rules podcast, host Dimitri Simes Jr. speaks with Alexander Mercouris, geopolitical analyst and cohost of The Duran, about how Zelensky blackmails the United States, how NATO will respond to Ukraine's battlefield struggles, and the obstacles to meaningful peace talks. 2023-08-09T14:15+0000 2023-08-09T14:15+0000 2023-08-09T14:15+0000 new rules radio ukraine ukraine crisis russia west volodymyr zelensky nato ukrainian counteroffensive attempt /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/08/09/1112483686_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_74eb3c97a4f08309b8f138498260e919.jpg How Will Ukraine Conflict End? In this weeks episode of the New Rules podcast, host Dimitri Simes Jr. speaks with Alexander Mercouris, geopolitical analyst and cohost of The Duran, about how Zelensky blackmails the United States, how NATO will respond to Ukraine's battlefield struggles, and the obstacles to meaningful peace talks. The Ukrainians will do everything they can to disrupt negotiations. They will try to goad the Russians into extreme reactions, which they can then capitalize on to build-up opposition to Russia in the West. And of course, they will pull every lever that they can in the United States and Europe with people who are sympathetic to themselves. They will do everything they can to disrupt the peace process.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik. ukraine russia west Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Simes Dimitri Simes Dimitri 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 Simes Dimitri new rules, who's winning in ukraine, ukraine counteroffensive, nato's proxy war in ukraine, what is happening in ukraine A Black teacher in Nevada, Texas, lost her job after her series of "racist" tweets about white people instantly went viral. The Texas School District confirms that it has already fired the teacher who posted "highly offensive statements." Nevada Black Teacher Fired Over Viral Racist Tweets About White People A Nevada black teacher finds herself at the center of a storm after her "racist" tweets led to her dismissal from work. As per a news story by Newsweek, the Mesquite Independent School District dismissed one of the teachers at the Thompson Elementary School due to her "alarming, racist" remarks online. The Texas School District refused to name the dismissed school teacher due to "privacy restrictions." In a recent post on X, formerly Twitter, the school district says, "The employee is no longer a part of the Mesquite ISD organization and is not eligible for rehire." It turns out that the Texas school district only learned about the "alarming" and "racist" tweets of the Thompson Elementary teacher at 4 pm local time on August 8, Tuesday. In the same statement, the school district also took the chance to assure everyone that the "highly offensive" posts of the teacher "do not reflect the values and standard of the Mesquite ISD." It further condemned the actions of the dismissed elementary teacher. Read Also: Nevada Woman Sentenced to 5 Years Prison for Hiring Hitman on Dark Web to Kill Her Ex-Husband Texas Teacher's Says She 'Enjoys Being a Racist' While the school district refused to name the dismissed teacher, Fox News reports that a first-grade teacher, Danielle Allen, recently posted a series of "racist" posts on X using a pseudonym. The teacher's tweet, laden with derogatory language, bore striking similarities to the recent incident. The teacher, who identifies herself as a "Black supremacist," used an account that goes by the name "Claire Kyle" to post her racist remarks. However, a day before the Texas school district dismissed the unnamed elementary teacher, Allen laid out a different story. She says she "just talked to the school board and [her] job is safe." She explained to them that her posts were merely "a joke." She posted a video wherein she seemingly walked into elementary school halls. The black teacher blurted out, "Twitter thinks they can take my job away from me," adding, "You all will never call me unemployed." A ccording to The New York Post, the self-proclaimed Black supremacist teacher declares that she "enjoys being a racist," and that she is "never changing." One of her posts expressed her disgust when her sister dated a white man. She even joked that he had already asked her boyfriend to kill him. Related Article: Two Tennessee Law Enforcement Officers Charged with Federal Civil Rights and Obstruction Offenses in Excessive Force Case @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/humbled-western-officials-admit-ukraines-counteroffensive-extremely-unlikely-to-succeed-1112483143.html Humbled Western Officials Admit Ukraines Counteroffensive Extremely Unlikely to Succeed Humbled Western Officials Admit Ukraines Counteroffensive Extremely Unlikely to Succeed Ukraine kicked off a massive summer counteroffensive along a 1,000 km frontline with Russia in the Donbass, Kherson and Zaporozhye in early June, confident that its troops NATO training, arms and intelligence support would ensure victory. Two months on, more and more Western officials have privately conceded that the counteroffensive has failed. 2023-08-09T12:52+0000 2023-08-09T12:52+0000 2023-08-09T12:52+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine john kirby mike quigley ukraine russia nato russian defense ministry us proxy war ukrainian counteroffensive attempt /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/08/09/1112482850_0:143:2955:1805_1920x0_80_0_0_fdca159056c6b3e85f03fcc42b990d2d.jpg Ukrainian success in ongoing counteroffensive operations is becoming less and less likely to imagine as Kievs Western patrons receive sobering assessments on the situation at the front, US and Western officials with access to up-to-date intelligence briefings have told US media.Our briefings are sobering. Were reminded of the challenges they face, House Appropriations Committee member Congressman Mike Quigley, in turn, said. This is the most difficult time of the war, Quigley, who recently traveled to Europe to meet with US commanders training Ukrainian forces, added.We all recognize this is going harder and slower than anyone would like including the Ukrainians but we still believe theres time and space for them to be able to make progress, one senior US official said, putting a brave face on what appears to be an increasingly desperate situation.Theyre making progress and they are its incremental and its slow and its not without its difficulties, but they keep trying. Theyre still at it. There is active fighting along that front, they are definitely trying to push forward. How far theyll get, where that will be, what kind of breakthrough they might be able to achieve? I dont think anybody can say right now, Kirby said.But privately, informed officials apparently believe the situation is even worse, and that Ukrainian troops havent even broken through a single Russian defensive line.Officials also offered insights into the string of attempted Ukrainian terror bombing and drone attacks inside Russia, saying that the lack of progress and staggering losses incurred on the front has motivated attacks in the Russian hinterland to try and show Russian vulnerability, as one senior US military official put it.Growing Recognition of Need for Peace TalksOfficials privately admitted that the unrealistic expectations which Kiev had at the start of the counteroffensive on pushing Russian forces back have now been replaced with pressure on Ukraine by some of its Western patrons to restart peace talks, and even consider the possibility of territorial concessions.In some sense, the blame game has already begun, with President Zelensky telling attendees of the Aspen Security Forum last month that Ukraine wanted to start its counteroffensive in the spring, but didnt, because frankly, we [did not have] enough munitions, and armaments, and not enough properly trained brigades. I mean properly trained in these weapons.Last month, Western officials blamed Ukraines tactics for the stalled counteroffensive, assuring that Ukrainian forces approach, not the quality of Western arms assistance and training, or the wisdom of sending Ukrainian troops on the offensive against entrenched Russian positions without air cover and artillery superiority, were to blame for the counteroffensives failure. These claims sparked an angry rebuke from Ukraines top commander.Even the controversial deployment of deadly and dud-prone US cluster bombs does not seem to have helped, with Ukrainian commanders and troops reporting staggering losses as high as 75 percent during advances, and saying that heavily dug in Russian troops have resorted to spreading out over wide areas to avoid heavy losses.Russias Foiled Peace PlansThe Russian Defense Ministry, which has kept a tally on estimated Ukrainian losses since the start of the conflict, reported last week that Ukraines military had suffered over 43,000 troops killed in operations against Russian forces, not counting foreign mercenaries and casualties of long-range Russian strikes in rear areas. Up to 4,900 pieces of military equipment, including 1,800 tanks and armored vehicles, including Abrams and Bradley IFVs, have also been lost in that time, according to the MoD.Western officials increasingly frank admissions (mostly on an anonymous basis, for now) on the calamitous state of Ukraines counteroffensive highlights the senselessness of the Ukrainian crisis which could have been resolved in the spring of 2022, or even the winter of 2015, while it was still localized to the Donbass, had Western powers not systematically torpedoed Russian-proposed peace plans.But after we withdrew our forces from Kiev, as we had promised, the Kiev authorities, just like their masters usually do, dumped [the treaty] into the dustbin of historyThey rejected this, Putin said.Putins remarks appeared to confirm earlier reporting that now former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was urgently dispatched to Kiev last spring to sabotage the peace talks so that, to quote Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, NATO could try to weaken Russia.Amid the West's growing recognition that the counteroffensive has failed, President Putin said late last month that the ball is in Ukraine's court regarding potential future peace talks. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230808/us-senator-ukraine-cant-win---theyre-a-junior-high-team-playing-a-college-team-1112455927.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230808/russian-troops-quickly-adapting-to-ukraines-us-provided-cluster-bombs--reports-1112469392.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230807/ukrainian-pow-we-learned-about-kievs-counteroffensive-from-tiktok-1112436567.html ukraine russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Ilya Tsukanov Ilya Tsukanov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ilya Tsukanov ukrainian counteroffensive, counteroffensive, ukraine, russia, nato, united states, proxy war, proxy conflict The ICC in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin and commissioner for childrens rights Maria Lvova-Belova, alleging the unlawful transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia. Russia repeatedly denied any forceful transfer of children, explaining that it's held evacuations to remove individuals away from the front lines of hostilities with Ukraine and places them in safe locations away from hostilities. It's worth noting Russia does not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction as it is not a party to the Rome Statute. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/moodys-downgrades-us-banks-neocons-freak-out-as-russians-and-chinese-patrol-near-alaska-1112473082.html Moody's Downgrades US Banks; Neocons Freak Out as Russians and Chinese Patrol Near Alaska Moody's Downgrades US Banks; Neocons Freak Out as Russians and Chinese Patrol Near Alaska US Neocons exhibit glaring hypocrisy as they argue for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea but try to claim sovereignty over international waters near Alaska. 2023-08-09T04:05+0000 2023-08-09T04:05+0000 2023-08-09T11:23+0000 the critical hour radio alaska taiwan niger haiti pakistan ukraine japan /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/08/09/1112472925_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_c00617b2f18d85a890dab879e83673d6.png Moody's Downgrades US Banks; Neocons Freak Out as Russians and Chinese Patrol Near Alaska US Neocons exhibit glaring hypocrisy as they argue for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea but try to claim sovereignty over international waters near Alaska. Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Ukraine. The Washington Post claims China was involved in illegal hacking operations against Japan and other nations. Mark Sleboda argues that international cyber war battles between great powers are a normal part of international competition, and the US is the world's leader in cyber warfare. He also reminds us that the US sent thousands of its own emails to Mali due to a typing error and that the US has no intentions of moving towards peace in Ukraine.Alexander Mercouris, host of "The Alexander Mercouris Show" on YouTube, joins us to discuss the collapse of the Ukraine conflict. Western propaganda has been pushing a trope in which the Ukraine conflict is a simplistic battle between the forces of good and an evil dictator. Alexander Mercouris argues that complex, sophisticated nations such as Russia and China are not being taken seriously and that the neocons will look for scapegoats in their efforts to find an off-ramp.KJ Noh, peace activist, writer, and teacher, joins us to discuss China. President Biden signed a new bill that will cement economic ties between the US and Taiwan. KJ Noh argues that this is just another insult to China in that it gives Taiwan the status of an independent nation. He argues that the message of this legislation is clear, and it shows the US plan to hollow out the one-China principle and work to contain China.Dr. Linwood Tauheed, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins us to discuss the economy. The World Bank claims to be tracking inequality and working to alleviate its negative effects on the poor. Dr. Tauheed argues that the methods used to create and maintain data are intentionally flawed and are being used to mislead the public. He also contends that the UAW union is pushing for better benefits and will have some success.Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, joins us to discuss the Middle East. The US is sending 3,000 troops to the Middle East in an escalation against Iran. Laith Marouf argues that the US cannot control the shipping lanes and transportation choke points due to technological advances by Iran and its allies.Dr. Radhika Desai, author and professor in the Department of Political Studies and Director of the Geopolitical Economy Research Group at the University of Manitoba in Canada, joins us to discuss Capitalism, the Cold War, and the nuclear arms race. Traditionally, the issue of nuclear arms and the accompanying threat to humankind is rhetorically separated from the contradictions of capitalism. Dr. Desai argues that the United States has been the driving force behind the development and proliferation of nuclear weapons in a quest for world domination. She also ties capitalism to the nuclear arms race.Dr. Jemima Pierre, associate professor of Black studies and anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, a member of the Black Alliance for Peace, and an editor of the "Black Agenda Review" segment of the Black Agenda Report, joins us to discuss Africa and Haiti. The US is pushing for another armed invasion of Haiti, and the United Nations is considering authorizing the move. Dr. Pierre says there has been a frenzy in Western media designed to support a Western intervention. She argues that the UN has controlled Haiti through the core group since 2004. Additionally, Dr. Pierre says that the US empire has forced the current corrupt government onto the Haitian people and keeps it in power.Ajamu Baraka, former VP Candidate of the Green Party, joins us to discuss the international struggle against colonialism and imperialism. The Black Alliance for Peace has released a statement supporting the fight against European domination on the African continent. Ajamu argues that all Africans and African descendants should condemn the US-led move for military intervention in West Africa. He believes that Western imperialism is losing its neo-colonialist grip on Africa.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik. alaska taiwan niger haiti pakistan ukraine japan Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Wilmer Leon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.jpg Wilmer Leon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Wilmer Leon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.jpg the critical hour, cyber war battles, cyber warfare, ukraine conflict, ties between the us and taiwan, nuclear arms race, armed invasion of haiti, military intervention in west africa https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/new-stage-of-trade-war-set-us-to-ban-investments-in-chinas-high-tech-1112478353.html New Stage of Trade War Set: US to Ban Investments in China's High-Tech New Stage of Trade War Set: US to Ban Investments in China's High-Tech The Biden administration is reportedly to slap American investments in certain sensitive technologies in China deemed a security risk with new restrictions. 2023-08-09T14:37+0000 2023-08-09T14:37+0000 2023-08-09T14:37+0000 us china joe biden janet yellen economy /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/08/09/1112478459_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_457c426eb8e27c009e78b7c2bcde1643.jpg Washington is planning to yet again dip into its vast toolbox of anti-China measures, according to a US media report. The Biden administration is reportedly set to slap American investments in certain sensitive technologies in China deemed a security risk with new restrictions, according to sources cited by the outlet.The executive order that the Democratic POTUS intends to release Wednesday will purportedly target American private-equity and venture-capital investments in Chinese technology companies spanning three high-tech sectors: semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence (AI).What this means is that investments in some forms of the above-cited technologies would be banned, while US oversight to screen American transactions in China in the three sectors would be boosted.Any Americans doing business in China that fail to comply with these proposed rules and stop short of informing the US government about such investments may face fines, stated the insiders, adding that the violators could be forced to divest themselves of their stakes. It should be noted that the new rules would ostensibly cover only future transactions, and not applying to portfolio investments in Chinese stocks and bonds.The effort is purportedly aimed at stopping American dollars and expertise from flowing to China, which could then allegedly use them to develop cutting-edge technology to advance its military capabilities.Before entering into force, the measures would be put up for feedback from businesses and other organizations. Pending that, the rules would be finalized in several months' time. The report added that technically, the bans would also apply to investments into other adversaries. However, practically, they would be targeting only US investments into Chinese companies. The report underscored that the measures might be followed up with more restrictions on investments between the two countries in subsequent years.There has not yet been any official comment from the White House.US-China Trade TussleThe executive order cited above is believed to have been around two years in the making. When US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was readying for her July visit to Beijing for high-level economic talks with her counterpart, billed as part of Bidens directive to "deepen communication between the United States and China on a range of issues," these investment curbs were already reportedly being hammered out. It is noteworthy how this differs from the rhetoric coming from Washington about trying to "salvage relations" with the Asian powerhouse.After Chinas envoy to the US Xie Feng warned earlier this month that Beijing would retaliate if Washington went ahead with the restrictive measures, Yellen responded by assuring that the curbs would be narrowly tailored.The mulled investment clampdown comes on the heels of the spiraling US-China chip rivalry, with Washington slapping restrictions and expanding investments in the domestic chip industry in a bid to get ahead in the race. In response, Chinas Ministry of Commerce recently announced that it would restrict exports to the US of rare earth metals, such as gallium and germanium, which are used to manufacture semiconductors. Beijing said it needed to protect its national security and interests.This is just the beginning, former Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wei Jianguo said last month, warning that Chinas tool box has many more types of measures available should Washington try to retaliate against the rare earths semi-ban. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230808/china-says-eu-must-lift-export-restrictions-to-balance-bilateral-trade-1112461761.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/biden-plans-to-ink-surbs-on-us-investments-in-chinas-high-tech-sectors-soon-1112244373.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230808/cruel-realities-await-us-partners-in-anti-china-semiconductor-trade-wars-1112447346.html china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Svetlana Ekimenko american investments, sensitive technologies, china high tech companies, china security risk narrative, investment restrictions. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/report-workers-at-uk-munitions-plant-supplying-ukraine-to-strike-over-low-wages--1112473367.html Report: Workers at UK Munitions Plant Supplying Ukraine to Strike Over Low Wages Report: Workers at UK Munitions Plant Supplying Ukraine to Strike Over Low Wages Workers at a United Kingdom munitions plant that supplies missiles to Ukraine are going on a two-week strike over wages and bonuses, UK media reported on Tuesday. 2023-08-09T00:32+0000 2023-08-09T00:32+0000 2023-08-09T00:32+0000 military us united kingdom (uk) ukraine uk defense ministry scotland foreign military aid /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/103505/37/1035053771_0:73:1000:636_1920x0_80_0_0_95281732a0682f60796736be575e1bde.jpg Some 50 workers who handle and load missiles at the Defence Equipment & Support plant in the town of Beith, the county of Ayrshire in southwestern Scotland, the United Kingdom, have allegedly been short-changed by a pay and bonuses deal given by the rocket-assembly plant.Louise Gilmour, the secretary of the GMB trade union in Scotland, said its members, who carry out "non-craft" roles at the plant, are now being paid up to 18,000 UK pounds ($23,000) less each year than other "skilled employees" after the plant's management significantly increased their wages to prevent the drain of the personnel by private defense companies. "A two-tier culture has been allowed to embed itself in this workplace and risks good working relationships now and in the future," Gilmour told the media.The union has won the support for the dispute from Ukrainian trade unions, the report said. The Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine was cited in the report as saying the plant played "a crucial role" in supplying Ukraine with munitions, urging the plant's executives to settle the dispute "as soon as possible." A UK Defense Ministry spokesperson said the strikes at the plant, which assembles the Storm Shadow and Brimstone missiles being supplied to Ukraine by the ministry, would not affect the delivery of weapons. The official added the ministry remains "open to dialogue with GMB to discuss the issues raised and work towards resolving them." Russia has condemned foreign military support of Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned the West last year that all weapon shipments to Ukraine would be treated as a legitimate target for Russian forces amid the Russian military operation in Ukraine. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230808/us-claims-confidence-in-current-ukraine-aid-ahead-of-anticipated-new-package-reveal-1112470901.html united kingdom (uk) ukraine scotland 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 uk munitions plant, ukraine military aid, low wages, strikes, https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/russian-flag-in-hands-of-african-anti-colonialists-has-spooked-west-1112464634.html Russian Flag in Hands of African Anti-Colonialists Has 'Spooked' West Russian Flag in Hands of African Anti-Colonialists Has 'Spooked' West The sight of the Russian flag at demonstrations in support of Niger's military leadership has scared Western nations. Koffi Kouakou said that Russia had a long history of aiding African struggles against colonialism. 2023-08-09T10:01+0000 2023-08-09T10:01+0000 2023-08-09T11:01+0000 niger africa russia france colonialism neocolonialism west africa sub-saharan africa sahel region /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/08/08/1112466671_0:0:2952:1662_1920x0_80_0_0_85a857b8f479132010f7a13bd774cf8b.jpg Nigeriens waving the Russian flag has French, US, and other Western leaders "spooked," an academic says.The military leadership that deposed Mohamed Bazoum as president has defied an ultimatum from former colonial power France and regional bloc ECOWAS to return him to power.In turn, the new government has ordered France and the US to vacate their military bases in the West African country and has halted sales of uranium ore to France, where it accounts for one-third of electricity generation.Political Analyst Koffi Kouakou told Sputnik that it was "fascinating" to see the "paradox" of Western leaders blaming Russia for the military takeover in Niger when their own armed forces trained the officers responsible for similar events in neighboring countries."The Russian flag has been just appearing almost everywhere now. It's got symbolism to it, but it's also got practicality to it," he said.To Africans, Russia represents cooperation, economic development, and an alliance against imperialism, the academic stressed. By contrast, the West is painting Russia as a malevolent force on the continent."They want Russia to help them," Kouakou said. "The suspicion of the US-led Western world is to say 'Russia is behind it.' But people are just waking up in Niger, in Mali and Burkina Faso, in the Central African Republic, and I think the flag now has become a symbol that it's helping them to rally around the idea of freedom.""The old traditional British English word for flag was 'standard,' which means something that stands for something, something that's really flying out."The visit to Niger this week by US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland the architect of the 2014 Euromaidan coup in Ukraine has failed to intimidate the country's new rulers into restoring Bazoum to the presidency or lifting their embargo on uranium supplies to France."If you take a serious assessment of Western legacy, especially France and the UK and Europeans and now the United States... if you take a look at the assessment of their legacy of colonialism, 'the relationship,' it's just not been positive at all," Kouakou said.The academic said the series of military takeovers in France's former colonies in West Africa was not unsurprising or unpopular. "When we hear about the United States in Niger or in the Sahel, it's about building military bases. When was the last time you heard that the US is building a serious infrastructure, railroad, manufacturing to build different plants and helping people do serious commerce?"For more in-depth analysis of the top news stories, tune in to our Sputnik Radio show Fault Lines. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230808/niger-crisis-sparks-fears-in-france-that-paris-being-squeezed-out-of-africa-by-russia-china-us-1112457076.html niger africa russia france west africa sub-saharan africa sahel region Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 James Tweedie https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/08/1c/1080307270_0:3:397:400_100x100_80_0_0_7777393b9b18802f2e3c5eaa9cbcc612.png James Tweedie https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/08/1c/1080307270_0:3:397:400_100x100_80_0_0_7777393b9b18802f2e3c5eaa9cbcc612.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 James Tweedie https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/08/1c/1080307270_0:3:397:400_100x100_80_0_0_7777393b9b18802f2e3c5eaa9cbcc612.png niger military takeover, ecowas intervention in niger, nigerien ban on uranium sales to france https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/support-for-ending-ukraine-aid-growing-in-us-congress-society---senate-candidate-1112477167.html Support for Ending Ukraine Aid Growing in US Congress, Society Support for Ending Ukraine Aid Growing in US Congress, Society Support for ending financial assistance for Ukraine is increasing among US lawmakers and the American people, independent candidate for the US Senate from New York Diane Sare told Sputnik. 2023-08-09T06:08+0000 2023-08-09T06:08+0000 2023-08-09T11:11+0000 world samuel house ukraine russia us senate aid us congress vladimir putin united kingdom (uk) /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/07/15/1112025929_0:159:3078:1890_1920x0_80_0_0_071fc01cff4abd038033e161bc4015bf.jpg "I have to tell you, it is shifting," Sare said. "I believe the support for ending this funding actually is growing and I would say in the American people, it's the overwhelming majority." Sare noted that the recent vote in the Senate on having an inspector general for Ukraine aid also proves that. While the amendment failed in a 51-48 vote, it nonetheless showed the increasing number of lawmakers who say they'd like to know where the money is going. When asked why many US lawmakers strongly support arming Ukraine, Sare said, "I think a lot of them don't have a clue." Sare stressed that the supply of US weapons to Ukraine should stop. "This war of Ukraine, the arming of Ukraine - it's the most corrupt regime, maybe in the world. The weapons are turning up in the hands of Mexican drug cartels," she said. "We have a horrible crisis on our border, partly because we're supporting drug cartels all over the world. I think these are of a piece and if we could stop the funding of Ukraine, that would be a major step toward cleaning up a lot of corruption in our foreign policy." Believing that Ukraine is going to win the war against Russia is a "fiction," and the US should stop "living in a fantasy," she stated. A poll published last week showed that 55% of Americans oppose Congress authorizing additional funding to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, while 45% disagree. The US has committed more than $75 billion in various types of assistance to Ukraine since February 2022. A major part, or nearly $50 billion, has been spent on weapons and related military equipment.No peace initiatives on Ukraine will work until the United States and the United Kingdom abandon their goal to "destroy Russia," Diane Sare said.Several countries, including China and a group of African nations, have set out their road maps toward peace in Ukraine, but none has been approved by Kiev.When asked whether she sees any of the proposed initiatives as a possible way forward, Sare stated, "I think so, with a giant caveat.""Which is that the United States and Britain have to change their desire, the goal of the destruction of Russia," Sare said. "The United States and Britain, unfortunately, are capable of sabotaging anything. Somehow, we must shift the United States and so far the Congress hasn't gotten the message, but I think that is actually critical to getting this conflict to end."Commenting on what a possible negotiated solution to the Ukraine conflict may be, Sare noted, "That is really not for me to say.""I think that Putin has expressed very legitimate security concerns which were ignored at the beginning of the process," she said. "I think there was an agreement that they had nearly reached with the help of Turkey mediating in March - April of 2022. It might be wise to start from that position."Sare believes certain outcomes would be inevitable, including that Ukraine would have to be neutral and not acquire nuclear weapons.Saudi Arabia hosted Ukraine peace talks in Jeddah over the weekend, having invited representatives from some 30 countries, but not Russia. The Jeddah meeting is a follow-up to a similar conference held in Denmark in June. The Copenhagen meeting failed to produce any joint statements.Moscow has said it is open to peace negotiations if Kiev recognizes the territorial gains Russia has made since the launch of its military operation in February 2022. Ukraine has banned its officials from engaging the Russian government in talks as long as President Vladimir Putin is in power.The US Congress has a role to play in investigating the attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines because it was not consulted on them in violation of US law, Diane Sare said.Sare said she believes the US government was involved in the attacks on the pipelines because President Joe Biden announced on February 7, 2022, before Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, that the United States would end the pipelines.The candidate also cited reports alleging that then UK Prime Minister Liz Truss sent a text to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying "it's done" just after the blasts.Sare also referred to an article of investigative journalist Seymour Hersh regarding the deep sea diving equipment and remote explosive devices used to attack the pipelines, noting that only a few countries in the world have such capabilities."This is why I'm convinced that it's the United States, the United Kingdom, probably Denmark, Norway - that is what Seymour Hersh says. They all had a role in destroying these pipelines," she said. "I would hope that people would not let go of it. I think it's something that really has to be answered. It's glaring. But that's our job. That's my job. That's the job of others to insist that the truth comes out."The Nord Stream pipelines, built to deliver gas under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, were hit by explosions in September 2022. The pipeline's operator said that the damage was unprecedented and it was impossible to estimate the time repairs might take.Denmark, Germany and Norway have left Russia out of their investigations into the attack, prompting Moscow to launch its own probe on charges of international terrorism.The freezing of Russia's assets by the United States is an act of theft prompting other countries to get rid of the US dollar, Diane Sare stressed.Sare said Americans should not wonder why people around the world want to eliminate their holdings and reserves of the US dollar given the US government's actions regarding Russia and Afghanistan, among others."You saw what we did to Afghanistan. First we occupied the place for 20 years. We prop up a guy who flees the country with the cash falling out of the helicopter. Then we say we don't know why the Afghan people didn't fight for such a person. Then we say we don't like the Taliban and we steal $7 billion from their central bank," she said.Sare also criticized the sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies on Russia, Cuba, Syria and other nations as being against international law.Sare, a candidate for the US Senate in the 2024 elections, said she would demand a review of every single one of the sanctions to determine whether they were necessary or made any sense.After the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, Western countries imposed comprehensive sanctions against Russia, including the freezing of nearly half of the country's foreign currency reserves, amounting to about $300 billion.Moscow has repeatedly said that attempts to confiscate frozen Russian assets are an expropriation of property in violation of international law. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik that Russia would do everything possible to return the seized assets. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230804/majority-of-americans-oppose-additional-us-funding-for-ukraine---poll-1112392442.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230801/amlo-to-sputnik-mexico-sees-no-point-to-ukraine-peace-talks-without-russia-1112313508.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230627/danish-security-service-says-investigation-into-nord-stream-sabotage-ongoing-1111497127.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230722/eu-unable-to-seize-russian-assets-under-the-guise-of-helping-ukraine---media-1112061083.html ukraine russia united kingdom (uk) Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International ending ukraine aid, us congress, us lawmakers https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/top-officials-from-russia-china-discuss-peaceful-nuclear-energy-cooperation-1112492332.html Top Officials From Russia, China Discuss Peaceful Nuclear Energy Cooperation Top Officials From Russia, China Discuss Peaceful Nuclear Energy Cooperation MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Alexey Likhachev, the director general of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, and Zhang Kejian, the head of the China Atomic Energy Authority, have held talks to discuss the prospects for cooperation between Moscow and Beijing in the peaceful nuclear energy sector, Rosatom said on Wednesday. 2023-08-09T17:19+0000 2023-08-09T17:19+0000 2023-08-09T17:59+0000 economy rosatom china russia cooperation /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/107652/09/1076520997_0:193:3071:1920_1920x0_80_0_0_1a738f554d61004c91331d277976a764.jpg The 27th meeting of the ChinaRussia nuclear subcommittee, co-chaired by Likhachev and Zhang, took place in St. Petersburg earlier in the day. In March, as part of the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow, Russia and China signed a comprehensive program on long-term cooperation in the field of fast neutron reactors and the closed nuclear fuel cycle until 2024. The document covers several key areas, including the expansion of cooperation in current projects, as well as the implementation of new projects related to fast neutron reactors, uranium-plutonium fuel production and spent nuclear fuel management. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230803/atomic-partnership-russia-delivers-nuclear-reactor-to-chinese-power-plant-1112369363.html china 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 russia, china, cooperation, rosatom, china atomic energy authority, energy, nuclear, atomic, power, peaceful, nuclear energy https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/ukraine-defeat-ominous-to-team-biden-admitted-by-us-press-1112488800.html Ukraine Defeat Ominous to Team Biden Admitted by US Press Ukraine Defeat Ominous to Team Biden Admitted by US Press The Western media recently admitted that the Ukrainian military has bogged down. What's behind this abrupt change of heart about Kiev's counteroffensive? 2023-08-09T17:00+0000 2023-08-09T17:00+0000 2023-08-09T17:00+0000 us world joe biden daniel lazare volodymyr zelensky ukraine kiev white house russia opinion /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/07/1e/1112256022_0:158:3081:1891_1920x0_80_0_0_9293928e4bd0ca4760b7d71633e7c9b9.jpg Having lauded the Kiev regime's resolve and the Ukrainian military's resourcefulness for quite some time, the US mainstream press has suddenly changed its tune, being forced to admit that the well-advertised Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed. Some established American newspapers went even so far as to report that the US military tactics had proven almost useless on the Ukrainian battlefield.As of August 4, Ukraine had lost more than 43,000 soldiers and over 4,900 units of various weaponry, including 26 planes, nine helicopters, 1,831 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, including 25 German-made Leopard tanks, seven French-made AMX wheeled tanks, and 21 US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), as well as 747 field artillery guns and mortars, since the beginning of Kiev's counteroffensive, per Russia's Ministry of Defense. Thus, Ukraine's attrition rate is so high it could hardly be ignored by Western politicians and corporate press."These articles are not a ploy. That's not how the US mass media works. They're honest," Lazare said. "CNN is telling it as it sees it, in its own limited way. And after months of pro-Pentagon propaganda, where CNN essentially toed the Defense Department line all the way, essentially now it realizes it can't do that much longer because the facts are running strongly against it. So CNN, The New York Times, Politico, etc., are forced to recognize the reality of what's happening in Ukraine. And it's extremely negative from a US perspective. I think it is a sobering-up process. They are alerting their readers to how dangerous and negative the situation in Ukraine is becoming in terms of American strategic interests. And therefore, they are preparing them for worse to come. But it's honest in the sense that no one is bribing CNN and it has no ulterior motive in mind. It simply is telling the truth in its own half-witted, politically distorted fashion."Still, those who have followed the Ukraine conflict from the very beginning have already noticed that the US media's prognoses don't work. So, for them the Ukraine counteroffensive failure was hardly surprising, per US independent journalist and geopolitical analyst Max Parry."Recent polls even published by CNN show the tide of public opinion is turning against sending more aid to Ukraine, but the White House continues to request more ammunition for Kiev. Eventually the jig is going to be up for the Biden administration as we approach an election year and the American people realize theyve been deceived by the media and Washington," the journalist continued.Stalled Counteroffensive Will Backfire on Biden and DemsThe US press has warned that the "stalled Ukrainian offensive" could represent a huge political problem for President Volodymyr Zelensky in the US. However, it's not Zelensky's whose political future is at stake: Joe Biden and his team are likely to face repercussions ahead of the 2024 election, too, according to Lazare."Everything is riding on this war," Lazare said. "Joe Biden's political fortunes, the Democrats, the very future of US democracy, and the fact that the offensive seems to be failing means that Joe Biden's prospects are looking extremely grim. We don't know how this all will work out, but clearly the counteroffensive is hopelessly bogged down. There is little chance of any kind of breakthrough before the fall. And I think that the US has gotten itself into a real military mess yet again."Some US observers suggest that Biden does not have a coherent strategy in Ukraine and, what's worse, doesn't have a Plan B for a face-saving exit. Earlier this week, on his Twitter page (X), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democratic presidential candidate, accused Biden and then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson of disrupting the peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine in March 2022."Is it worth the cost already being paid tens of thousands of dead youngsters and families?" Kennedy wrote on Twitter on August 7. "Billions of American dollars drained from our food banks, our hospitals, our schools and instead detonated in foreign skies to rip young flesh from bone? Higher gas bills, higher grocery prices, higher utility bills, higher housing costs, and too little money in your bank account to pay for them? Tell me, President Biden, how is it worth all this to fight a war that could have ended a month after it began?" https://sputnikglobe.com/20230804/ukraines-attrition-rate-suggests-counteroffensive-is-over-1112393002.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230804/judge-andrew-napolitano-biden-doesnt-have-coherent-strategy-in-ukraine-1112373103.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230723/wests-hopes-for-breakthrough-in-ukraines-counteroffensive-dashed-1112089912.html ukraine kiev 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 2023 ukrainian counteroffensive, russian special operation in ukraie, war in ukraine, ukraine counteroffensive, ukrainian offensive failure, best ukraine war map, ukraine war latest news today, ukraine war map 2023, how is ukraine counteroffensive going, ukraine war update, joe biden 2024 reelection bid https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/us-europe-seek-control-over-amazonia---bolivian-president-1112475760.html US, Europe Seek Control Over Amazonia US, Europe Seek Control Over Amazonia The United States and Europe are secretly seeking control over Amazonia (Amazon basin), Bolivian President Luis Arce said. 2023-08-09T04:31+0000 2023-08-09T04:31+0000 2023-08-09T06:28+0000 world bolivia caribbean brazil amazon /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/08/09/1112475603_0:200:2933:1850_1920x0_80_0_0_3a72ff3ad0c1e888b18e85054db89186.jpg "The Amazon region has strategic resources, it is a source of drinking water and minerals. Latin America and the Caribbean countries are a priority of the US national security strategy, which means that [the region] is of interest not only to the Department of State, but also to the US Department of Defense... The deployment of military bases in the region and in Amazonia is something that should attract our attention, we should be vigilant," Arce said. "In this regard, we are concerned that Europe adheres to the same position: some are seeking to control Amazonia by military means, others - with the help of non-governmental organizations. We do not accept attempts to secretly control Amazonia," he said. Brazil is hosting the Amazon summit on Tuesday. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230106/brazil-rejoins-community-of-latin-american-caribbean-states-1106076002.html bolivia caribbean brazil 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 united states and europe, olivian president luis arce, amazonia Georgiana Pascu, a program manager for a rights group, said the Center for Legal Resources planned an impromptu inspection of the institution after getting anxious text messages from a young guy concerned about his friend's circumstances at a social care home in central Romania. A non-governmental group found 23 individuals living on the floors above and six people living in the Little House of Min's cramped, dirty basement, surrounded by building equipment. A Court Inquiry (Photo: BILLION LIM/AFP via Getty Images) Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA: Two elderly women chat while sharing their meal together at the King George V Silver Jubilee home in downtown Kuala Lumpur, 08 March 2007 They said that four severely disabled individuals were resting on beds that were "soiled with feces, urine, and blood, with flies on them," and that they "couldn't defend themselves and couldn't ask for help," as reported by The Associated Press. When the three-person team from the Center for Legal Resources summoned the emergency services, police and ambulance workers showed up shortly. Still, even they requested backup, according to Pascu. A homeowner pointed Pascu to a modest, "secluded room" some hours later. Two individuals resided there, "with only a bed inside" and "neither artificial nor natural light." The NGO's findings sparked a court inquiry after comparable revelations in other private organizations. As a result of what Romanian media has nicknamed the "horror homes" scandal, two Cabinet members have already been forced to leave. The discovery is just the most recent in a spate of unsettling revelations that have been featured on the front page of the local media, highlighting the effects that corruption can have on Romania's most vulnerable citizens. Romania joined the European Union as a member in 2007. Its membership in the EU largely depended on it taking steps to combat pervasive corruption. However, Transparency International reports that the country is still among the most corrupt in the union. Read Also: Home Health Caretaker Stabs Patient to Death, Motive Still Unknown Other Elderly Home Raids in the Country Early in July, police raids at three different care facilities in Ilfov near Bucharest also discovered extensive elder and disabled person abuse and neglect. Pictures of people chained to beds in filthy quarters, some looking rake-thin and showing evidence of physical torture. In those instances, Romania's anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, claimed that two organized criminal gangs accused of human trafficking and other crimes were established in 2020 to "exploit people with disabilities or in vulnerable situations." Prosecutors claimed residents were subjected to unpaid labor via coercion and physical violence and weren't provided enough food. According to prosecutors, over 20 individuals who have opened a criminal probe are reportedly involved in the case. After discovering that the Little House of Min had created a criminal gang in 2020 "to commit the crime of human trafficking," and that its inmates had been subjected to "inhumane and degrading treatment" through acts of physical and psychological violence, DIICOT detained three people. Prosecutors claimed that residents were being taken advantage of under the pretext of an organization that withheld their state assistance payments or money provided to them by friends and family. The funds were primarily spent "for the benefit of the members of the group," rather than for the welfare of the residents. According to DIICOT, one of the managers of the Ilfov nursing home was wasting money on parties, drugs, and prostitutes. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate, which is also looking into two social inspectors for corruption after they performed favorable inspections on his property in May, is looking into him for abuse of office. Related Article: Former Moldovan President Dodon Warned That Pro-EU Stance Could Lead to NATO Presence in Chisinau @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/us-senate-candidate-says-nato-dinosaur-of-an-institution-should-be-dissolved-1112477409.html US Senate Candidate Says NATO 'Dinosaur of an Institution,' Should Be Dissolved US Senate Candidate Says NATO 'Dinosaur of an Institution,' Should Be Dissolved NATO is a relic and should have been abolished after German reunification, independent candidate for the US Senate from New York Diane Sare told Sputnik 2023-08-09T06:29+0000 2023-08-09T06:29+0000 2023-08-09T06:29+0000 world ukraine russia nato us /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/10/1082090658_0:105:2000:1230_1920x0_80_0_0_d292cc6ab0c7610b3b9730de8ab7c763.jpg "I think NATO should be dissolved. I think it should have been dissolved when Germany was reunified," Sare said. "I think frankly, it's dead already. I mean, you know, there's so much dissent within NATO already as it is. It is a dinosaur of an institution. So I don't think it's really going to be around that much longer." The future of the alliance depends on how long some of its members in Europe "who are bearing the brunt of the insanity of the current American and British leadership want to stick around and play that game having their economies destroyed," she continued. The candidate declined to speculate on how the alliance would fall apart, but expressed belief that "it's simply not going to be able to continue" because "it's really a dead institution." NATO has not stopped expanding since the dissolution of the rival Warsaw Pact and collapse of the Soviet Union, drawing the ire of Moscow. The relationship took a nosedive over a 2014 change of power in Ukraine and Crimea's accession to Russia. In December 2021, Russia requested guarantees that the alliance would not expand eastward to include Ukraine and Georgia, but was refused. In February 2022, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine. NATO responded by deploying even more troops to the eastern flank. At the Vilnius summit in July this year, the alliance reaffirmed that Ukraine will become a NATO member and removed the requirement for a Membership Action Plan to accelerate its accession after the conflict with Russia ends. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230805/what-is-nato-treatys-article-5-1112406460.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 us senate candidate, nato, german reunification, diane sare Georgian Downs hosted the third leg of the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series for freshman trotters on Tuesday (Aug. 8) evening and Willys Home Run continued her series sweep with an open lengths victory in a $100,400 division for two-year-old fillies. James MacDonald sent Willys Home Run out of post three and to the top. Separating herself from her competitors through every panel, Willys Home Run posted fractions in :29.3, :59.1 and 1:28 before winning by 4-1/4 lengths in 1:56.1. Classy Royale (Jody Jamieson) finished second and Valuable Miss (Trevor Henry) was third. It was the two best fillies in the division so far, Jodys filly, and mine, MacDonald told Ontario Racing. Ideally I wanted to be forwardly placed, or ahead of Jody if I could, and just in a spot where I could get a chance to race her and let her be great, and it worked out tonight. Kyle Fellows trains Willys Home Run for the partnership of Dr. Sara Gatchell, Jake and Reg Higgs, and Yolanda Fellows. In four starts, the daughter of Archangel-Rite Outa The Park has now moved her career earnings to $157,300 to go along with a record of 3-1-0. She paid $3.20 to win. Shes a strong filly with a big strong gait. Around the last turn Jody inched out off my back and I was confident I had quite a bit of trot left, said MacDonald. I just tapped her on the tail and the second I asked her she just took off. Shes developing into a very good filly and passing every test with flying colours. Despite broken equipment, No One followed a gate-to-wire journey to win the second OSS Gold division for freshman trotting fillies on the evening card, a race worth $101,300 in purse money. Driven by her trainer, No One was sent forward from post four by Bruce Richardson as the gate pulled away. No One secured the lead and maintained a 1-1/2-length cushion as she clicked out panels in :30, 1:00.1 and 1:29.1. Down the stretch, Evolving (James MacDonald) quickly closed the gap en route to the wire, but No One stuck her head out to win in 1:58.3. Mass Cara (Trevor Henry) rounded out the top three. Richardson owns No One (Lookslikeachpndale-Stormont Kate) as she won her first race in three starts, producing $75,698 in earnings. Willowtime and Bob McClure held nothing back in their field of nine trotting colts going for $103,100. McClure and the Mark Etsell trainee were not fazed by the 33-1 longshot odds or post nine and left hard from the gate. Willowtime hit the quarter in :28.4, nine lengths ahead of his opponents. As he swooped by the half in :57.4 and three-quarters in 1:27.2, Willowtime had opened up to a 12-length advantage. With a :30.3 last quarter, Willowtime finished a full two seconds and 10 lengths ahead of the field in 1:58. Maestro Seelster (Travis Cullen), off at odds of 39-1, finished second with 69-1 longshot What About Elmo (Jason Ryan) third. After three qualifying miles, it was the career debut for the freshman Lookslikeachpndale-Sos Respect colt owned by Mark Etsell, Terry Devos and Peter Porter. Willowtime paid $67.70 to win. Soar Higher wrapped up the OSS action for the evening at Georgian, taking home the winner's share of the $102,200 purse for two-year-old trotting colts. Mrstery Deal (Sylvain Filion) was the early pacesetter for the mile and took the field to the quarter in :29. Soar Higher and James MacDonald sat to the right of Mrstery Deal through the opening panel. I wanted to take advantage of his good gait -- he trots really nice and had good gate speed -- so I took him out there as good as I could, said MacDonald. It didnt work out, so I had to take a hold and I was lucky to get in a spot. Myretirementdream (Jody Jamieson) took command before the half in :58.4, pushing Mrstery Deal back to second and Soar Higher into third along the rail. An outer charge sparked by Masstercraft (Trevor Henry) brought himself into second and shuffled Mrstery Deal and Soar Higher back by one more as the third quarter pole was reached in 1:28.1. After a stretch battle, Soar Higher prevailed by a neck in 1:57.3 over favoured Myretirementdream. Maastercraft finished third. I had horses around me, and I thought if I got lucky, I could get out, said MacDonald. I was able to slide out on Trevors back and then in the last turn I flipped him out three-wide and it turned into a great trip." Bax Stable, Brad Grant, David Hudson and Harbor Racing Stable LLC co-own the Resolve-Glide By gelding as he won his first race and moved his record to 1-2-1 in four starts. Trained by Matthew Bax, Soar Higher has now banked $90,195. He paid $6.20 to win. To view Tuesday's harness racing results, click the following link: Tuesday Results - Georgian Downs. Influential French trotting stallion Ready Cash, a two-time d'Amerique champion, has passed away at the age of 18. Haras de Bouttemont, home of the stallion, reported on Wednesday, Aug. 9 that Ready Cash succumbed to colic overnight despite all the efforts made to save him. Trained by owner Philippe Allaire and Thierry Duvaldestin during his racing career, Ready Cash won 40 of 70 races lifetime earning 4,282,300 / C$6,315,285. He was the richest French trotter in history at the time of his retirement. The son of Indy De Vive-Kidea won the prestigious Prix d'Amerique in 2011 and 2012 and was also a two-time winner of the Group I Prix De France and champion of the Prix de Paris along with numerous other graded stakes. A standout stallion that transformed the French trotting breed, his offspring include Prix d'Amerique champions Bold Eagle, Face Time Bourbon and Readly Express. For the past seven years, Ready Cash topped the sire list in France for winning offspring. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Ready Cash. On the heels of another harmful algae bloom invading a section of Lake Anna, another area of the 13,000-acre manmade lake is now clear of the growths that have led to no-swim advisories the past six summers. The Virginia Department of Health announced on Monday that the summers first no-swim advisory, issued in late June for the Upper Pamunkey Branch, is no longer in effect. Samples were collected on July 18 and 31, which produced the necessary two consecutive acceptable levels and a swimming advisory is no longer needed. A no-swim advisory remains in effect for the Upper North Anna Branch of the lake. The VDH issued the advisory for that area of the lake based on July 31 tests. The tests revealed unhealthy amounts of algae blooms in the area known as the Sandbar, from the upper inundated waters of the North Anna arm of the lake downstream to the Rt. 522 Bridge, according to health department. Harmful algae, called cyanobacteria, can appear when nitrogen and phosphorus pollution combine with warm water temperatures. The toxins can cause a skin rash, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The algae can affect people and pets alike. The health department and the Virginia Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force monitor the lake and provide updates online. This marks the sixth straight summer algae blooms have resulted in no-swim advisories at the Lake Anna, a popular recreational destination that also cools the Dominion Energy North Anna nuclear power plant. Last year, the lake was added to the states list of impaired waterways because of the algae blooms. The state and the Lake Anna Civic Association have been investigating causes and remedies for the lake, with one treatment test proving successful in some areas of the lake, including the Upper Pamunkey. The association is raising funds to further treat the lake, according to the LACA website. Roma Italian Restaurant has been a staple in the terminal of Western Nebraska Regional Airport for the past four years. Owner Noti Berisha is working to make sure that remains the case. Cousins Noti Berisha and Alex Gabric, both from Dallas, founded the restaurant and leased the space from the airport. The space had seen a carousel of restaurants prior to Romas opening and the venue has provided some much needed stability to the space. Currently, the business is going through some restructuring as Berisha and Gabrica have decided to go their separate ways. Berisha is buying his cousin out of the business and will continue to operate it. Berisha was quick to point out that while the two are no longer business partners, they remain friends. Were still good friends and good buddies, Berisha said. He even told me if You ever need help, call me, but he decided to take a different way. The restaurant has been popular with Scottsbluff area customers as well as travelers, according to Berisha. He himself has also enjoyed living in the area and has been happy to provide another dining option to residents and travelers. I love it here, I love this town and I decided to stay and just continue as much as I can, he said. It seems the restaurant will be here to stay for years to come. Berisha has discussed a change in lease with the Airport Board in the hopes of extending Romas stay. Previously, the restaurant owners had been on one-year leases that have been renewed every year. Berisha has requested that the next lease be extended to three years to ease some of the administrative burden. I was asking for at least three years please, he said. I dont need to go every year and continue. He said he is hopeful that his request would be approved by the board at its next meeting later this month, saying he was 99% sure that he would sign for at least three more years. Airport Director Raul Aguallo said he is optimistic about the change in ownership as well as the extension of the lease. He said he felt that once the changes were made the public would not even notice a difference. (Berisha) has asked if we can get longer term leases and we are happy to do that, Aguallo said. The lease is not the only thing that Berisha hopes to change as he takes sole control of the reins at Roma. He also hopes to make some changes to the decor and atmosphere of the restaurant to give it a more romantic feel. Couples when they walk in, I want them to spend time here and have good conversations and memories. He said he also hopes that families would continue to enjoy the restaurant and use it for celebrations like birthdays and anniversaries. Id like them to have good memories in this restaurant with the ambience, atmosphere, food, service and everything, Berisha said. He was also appreciative of the airport as a venue as well as his customers both from town and out of town. He was quick to thank his staff as well for their parts in the restaurants success. Im going to take care of me and my wife and, of course, our helpers, he said. Without help, I cannot do anything here so Im glad to have good helpers on my side. Last month, Scottsbluff City Manager Kevin Spencer had the opportunity to join what is known as a tiger cruise aboard the USS Nebraska. Tiger cruises allow civilians to board and tour naval vessels like the USS Nebraska. The USS Nebraska is an Ohio-Class ballistic missile submarine that was commissioned in 1993 and currently sails out of Bangor Trident Base in Washington. The sub is nicknamed Big Red after the UNL Cornhuskers. Spencer had been invited to visit the vessel through the Nebraska League of Municipalities. He was able to attend along with several other area leaders and businessmen. It was really the opportunity of a lifetime, Spencer said. I wish everybody who might have an interest in that or wanted to go to something like that had the opportunity to go, because it was just awesome. Spencer began his journey out of Denver International Airport, where he flew from to the airport in Seattle along with the 18 other attendees. From there, they spent the night on Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Washington and departed early the next morning to rendezvous with the USS Nebraska. The group boarded an offshore supply vessel and headed out to the Pacific. Offshore supply vessels are civilian craft used to resupply offshore installations like oil rigs. Attendees spent roughly four hours on the ship traveling out to the Pacific They were provided with a tour of the ship as well as breakfast. After they had arrived at their destination, they finally saw what they had came to see. The USS Nebraska surfaced, and a hatch came open and submariners came out and they winched over a catwalk and we walked across it and went on the submarine, Spencer said. They spent roughly eight hours on the sub as it traveled back to Bangor, Washington, and were able to learn about the sub as well as its crew. Spencer said he impressed, not only with the sub itself, but with the crew many of whom he remembered to be as young as 22. You could tell just smart, smart young men with engineering type backgrounds or interests, and they had been out for 90 days at that point, he said. True to its name, Spencer said Big Red was decorated with Cornhusker memorabilia and even the crew members were involved in carrying forth the Husker spirit, ending each transmission with Go Big Red. He described a signed helmet in a glass case built into one of the walls as well as a signed photo of the stadium and decorations throughout the galley. The galley was decorated in Nebraska stuff, Nebraska covers all the chairs and the galley had a big N in the back. Spencer said he was appreciative of the experience and, at times, had difficulty putting it into words how much he enjoyed being able to visit the sub and see what life is like on deployment for these young men and women. He even had the opportunity to crawl down one of the torpedo tubes and sign his name on the end of the tube. He went on to say one of his favorite parts of the trip was being able to interact with the crew on the sub. You just come out and you just get filled with pride, because it kind of renews your faith in everybody, he said. Those are really great young men and women. Earlier this year, the Biden administration proposed tailpipe emissions standards that would require up to two-thirds of new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. to be electric vehicles in just eight years. These standards threaten the availability of gas-powered vehicles needed in agriculture. They also dont consider how less densely populated states like Nebraska lack the infrastructure for electric vehicles. I condemned these detached-from-reality EPA mandates when they were first announced. Last week, I introduced the Flex Fuel Fairness Act to counter the negative impacts of Bidens mandate. This legislation will encourage private sector innovation and level the playing field for a proven Nebraska solution: ethanol. As written, the Biden EPAs standards would tilt the scales in favor of electric vehicles (EVs). Big government mandates like this stifle private sector innovation. They also limit the potential of market-led solutions. Government bureaucrats have no business picking winners and losers like this. President Bidens focus on expensive, burdensome EV mandates is a mistake that disregards the proven benefits of flex fuel vehicles (FFVs). FFVs are cars and trucks designed to accommodate higher ethanol blends like E30 and E85, which have 30% and 85% ethanol, respectively, in the fuel used to fill up the vehicle. The Flex Fuel Fairness Act I introduced with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) would level the playing field for FFVs. The bill adjusts the formula Bidens EPA is using to mandate auto manufacturers move almost exclusively toward EVs. The bill instead encourages manufacturers also build more FFVs. Providing a meaningful incentive to encourage the manufacturing of FFVs would support the increased use of E30 and E85 across the country. Biofuels like ethanol are a proven Nebraska solution that more states would benefit from embracing. The higher-blend ethanol gas that FFVs run on saves consumers money at the pump. It reduces our dependence on foreign oil and creates good jobs right here in America. Its also good for the Nebraska farmers and ranchers who produce ethanol. More FFVs would go a long way in combatting the worst impacts of the EPAs regulation while still benefitting our environment. Department of Energy studies have shown that FFVs running E85 reduce lifecycle emissions by 31% compared to gasoline. Our bill would give auto manufactures who make FFVs the credit they deserve for doing that. More FFVs would also provide a different choice for consumers who dont want to be forced into EVs. Additionally, instead of increasing dependence on foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party who mine the minerals needed for EV batteries, FFVs increase the need for American-made biofuels. There are a lot of ways to fight Bidens overregulation nightmare. Ive joined with Republicans in the House and Senate repeatedly to use Congressional Review Act legislation to attempt to overturn Bidens mandates. Im also proud to have worked with our attorney general when I was governor to fight them in the courts. The third option to attack these mandates is through legislation that changes the very rules Biden is using to enforce them. The Flex Fuel Fairness Act is one such effort. In Nebraska, we let market-driven solutions dictate how we address challenges. Consumers make choices that work best for them and their families. The private sector innovates in response to consumers preferences. Government shouldnt be dictating either. I continue to oppose these burdensome regulations and will use any method to fight them. The Flex Fuel Fairness Act is one way to do this and push back on the Biden administrations top-down government approach. Taylor Loyd was greeted as a celebrity Sunday. She posed for photos, signed autographs and even received the key to the city from Mayor Costi Kutteh. And the celebrity greeting was for good reason. Loyd, the first Miss Statesville to win the Miss North Carolina crown, returned for her first trip home since winning the title in June. I am so thrilled to represent Statesville, Loyd said. After all, Loyds mother, Cinamon Hinshaw Loyd, held the title 30 years ago. Its also how her parents, Ashton and Cinamon, met. For more than three hours Sunday, Loyd entertained those gathered at the civic center with songs and witty banter, showing why she was clearly the right choice for the state pageant judges earlier this summer. She was also greeted like a celebrity by Kutteh and state Rep. Jeff McNeely, who invited her to come to Raleigh and be recognized on the House and Senate floor. She is a beautiful young lady both inside and out, he said. One of the younger pageant queens, Ryanne Squibb, 8, Miss Sampson County Outstanding Teen, and her mom, Lora, was thrilled to be able to see Loyd as Miss North Carolina. We met Taylor about three years ago and we are so excited, she said. Ryanne got a hug from Loyd after the new title holder signed her sash. Kutteh said welcoming Loyd back to Statesville was a treat. Today is a great day to be mayor of Statesville, he said. He presented her with the key to the city, which she eagerly accepted. She said her mother was honored with a key to the city during her time as Miss Statesville, and now the two women have another connection to share. And the crowd at the civic center also got the chance to wish Loyd a happy birthday a few days early. A cake was brought out and the crowd sang Happy Birthday. Loyd said despite her ties to the pageant life, she didnt get involved until she was a teen, and her entry in the Miss Statesville pageant was her first try for that title and her first chance to compete for Miss North Carolina. Ryan Pegarsch, Miss Statesville pageant director, said he met Loyd years earlier and knew shed make a good representative for the city. And then last year, Loyd told him she was ready to compete for the title. And when she went to High Point in June to vie to be the 85th Miss North Carolina, he said, early on it was apparent she had a good chance to bring home the crown. He said that when the two remaining contestants were Loyd and Miss Durham Abby Britt, the moment between the announcement of the second runner-up and first runner-up seemed eternal. I think I about passed out, he said. Loyd said that moment was a little different for her. I wanted that moment to last forever, she said. She said standing on that stage with Britt, and the two sharing that special moment, was special, but admitted it was nerve-wracking waiting for who would be the first runner-up and who would wear the crown. Pegarsch said the moment was also bittersweet because the longtime director of the Miss Statesville pageant, Danny Davis, was not there to see it happen. Davis died in August 2017. Still, he said, he felt like Davis was there. When they announced Abby Britt I felt this kind of hands on my shoulder and I knew exactly Danny was dancing in heaven, that he got to welcome Miss North Carolina back to Statesville, he said. For Loyd, bringing home the title was a confirmation of what she can achieve. In an earlier pageant, she finished in second place photogenic. I decided I could do more than second place at photogenic, she said. And do more she did. Susan Williams, executive director of the state pageant, described Loyd as an absolute delight. Addressing Ashton and Cinamon, Williams said, thank you so much for allowing us to borrow your daughter for this year. Williams said Loyd will be a great representative for North Carolina. I am so proud of you, she said. During the event Sunday, Loyd sang a number of songs, and displayed her musical talent which is representative of her platform, Healing Hearts Through the Arts. Lloyd said she began to embrace the idea of music as a healing factor after her younger brother, Preston, was severely injured in a lawn mower accident when he was 4. She said she played and sang to him as he was recovering, and she saw music provided a healing power. A student at UNC, Loyd said, she plans to continue to teach music therapy in a clinical setting. For the next few months, Loyd will be traveling around the state as the new Miss North Carolina and preparing for her chance to compete for the title of Miss America. The date and place of the national pageant is still up in the air, but Loyd said, shes already preparing for the event. McNeely and Kutteh are convinced Loyd will be the new Miss America, and a bigger celebration will be in the offing. I look forward to getting together to celebrate Miss America, Kutteh said. The US Army has chosen American Rheinmetall-led Team Lynx to advance to the third and fourth phases of its five-phase Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program, which would soon replace the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). Team Lynx would go head-to-head with General Dynamics in winning the potential $45 billion contract to replace the four-decade-old workhorse, some of which were sent to Ukraine in its war against Russia. Previously, the two competitors were joined by BAE Systems, Oshkosh Defense, and Point Blank Enterprises, but they were either eliminated or have withdrawn from the program. Read Also: Germany Places Billion-Euro Order with Rheinmetall for Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicles What Happens in Phases 3 and 4? The two teams left in the program would submit a detailed design of their vehicles in phase three, which the Army has redesignated as the XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (MICV) Unlike the Bradley's turret, which needed to be manned in order to operate, the XM30 would have the option of controlling the turret system remotely to ensure crew safety. Both entries should also design the vehicle to be tracked and have a hybrid-electric drive. It should also be capable of housing a 50mm autocannon, or a 30mm autocannon with the ability to upgrade to the 50mm caliber. The Army also demanded the vehicle to have a reduced crew size of two (commander and driver) with space to carry six infantrymen. Team Lynx, a joint venture between American Rheinmetall, Textron Systems, Raytheon Technologies, L3Harris Technologies, Allison Transmission, and Anduril Industries, said their vehicle would have a virtual third AI-powered crew member who would act as gunner and loader. Meanwhile, General Dynamics said it would offer the Griffin III technology demonstrator based on the Ajax scout vehicle chassis. The contract's total cost exceeds $700 million, according to The Defense Post. In the fourth phase, both teams would build seven to 11 prototypes of the XM30 vehicle to evaluate its performance. After this, the Army plans to down-select one of the vendors for low-rate initial production in the fifth and final phase near the end of 2027, with fielding expected to begin by 2029. Related Article: Hungarian Defense Force Received the Initial Lynx KF-41 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Made by Rheinmetall @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The countries endorsing normalization with Assad are becoming increasingly uneasy, Riad Maoases writes in al-Tareek. The Arab countries supporting normalization sought stability within Syria and aimed to curb the production and trafficking of drugs, particularly Captagon. Syria had become a major producer and exporter of this drug to neighbouring Arab Gulf nations, exacerbating concerns. Global customs statistics revealed substantial quantities of Captagon pills seized since 2016, with a significant portion evading confiscation. Reports from Western media and economists indicated that this illicit trade contributed an estimated $6 billion annually to the Syrian regimes budget, with devastating societal consequences due to drug addiction. Moreover, the normalization supporters hoped to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees, especially from Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. The decision to normalize relations with a regime under American sanctions stemmed from the desire to distance the Syrian government from Iran and to urge the withdrawal of Iranian-backed militias from Syria. Additionally, the Arab countries wished for the Syrian regime to engage in a political process aligned with the step-for-step plan outlined in UN Resolution No. 2254. This plan, presented by UN envoy Geir Pedersen and endorsed by Jordan, received approval from other Arab counterparts. The question that arises now is whether any of these aspirations have been realized in the three months since Bashar al-Assads reintroduction at the Arab Summit. The countries endorsing this normalization, led by Gulf states, are becoming increasingly uneasy as they await indications of the Assad regimes intent to alter its course on various fronts, which, as of now, remains largely unchanged. The regime itself has shown disappointment and defiance, even after receiving promises of financial support and Gulf investments to aid Syrias struggling economy and reconstruction efforts. In terms of achieving stability within Syria, recent events have proven the opposite. Almost immediately after the agreement, Russian aircraft, regime forces, and Iranian militias resumed bombing opposition-held areas, resulting in civilian casualties, destruction, arrests, and torture. The Syrian regimes actions have defied the expectations of the normalization proponents. Instead of showing signs of change, the regime has deepened its ties with the Iranian regime. New agreements have been forged, and Iranian President Ibrahim Raisis visit to Damascus yielded several memorandums of understanding. Additionally, the arming of Iranian-backed militias within Syria has escalated. Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Ismail Qaanis unannounced visit to Syria underscored this, although Israeli airstrikes on their positions soon followed. Ongoing reports indicate the movement of Iranian planes and trucks across Syrian and Iraqi borders, often prompting Israeli responses. The stagnation in Arab normalization can be attributed to the Syrian regimes reluctance to adhere to the provisions of the Arab initiative, particularly those led by Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The regime has not fulfilled its commitment to combat drug smuggling and production, nor has it shown genuine dedication to a political solution. Instead, it has assumed a victorious stance, demanding the oppositions submission. Furthermore, there appears to be a divergence among Arab nations regarding the implementation of UN Resolution 2254, which outlines the solution for Syria. In a telling sign, Saudi Arabia has halted the reopening of its embassy in Damascus, indicating growing reservations about their relationship with the Assad regime. In conclusion, the hundred days since Bashar al-Assads reentry into the Arab fold have cast doubt on the success of the normalization process. The initial hopes for stability, drug control, refugee returns, and political engagement have faced significant challenges and setbacks, highlighting the complexity of the Syrian situation and the limitations of the Arab nations influence in shaping the regimes behaviour. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Tabbaa questioned why Syrian students are all inclined toward pursuing higher education and university degrees, according to al-Souria Net. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has issued a decree to appoint a new Minister of Education, replacing the former minister, Darem Tabbaa. The decree designates Dr. Mohammad Amer Mardini as the new Minister of Education. Mardini previously held the position of Minister of Higher Education within the government from 2014 to 2018, and he has also held various teaching positions in both governmental institutions and universities. The Controversy Surrounding University Education The decision to remove Darem Tabbaa, the former education minister, comes a month after he made controversial statements that have stirred up debate. During a radio interview, Tabbaa questioned why Syrian students are all inclined toward pursuing higher education and university degrees. He advocated for students to enter the labour market directly after completing their compulsory education, drawing a parallel with practices in Europe. Tabbaas assertion was that all young individuals in Syria aspire solely to become university professors, a perspective that sparked widespread mockery and resentment on social media platforms. He argued, Around the world, the educational hierarchy typically culminates with the baccalaureate, and even in Europe, education concludes after the tenth grade. He further elaborated, stating that after completing mandatory education, students should engage in vocational training and professions that contribute to the nations development. Tabbaas comments prompted calls for his resignation due to the backlash they generated. Criticism also emerged regarding the handling of this years high school exam grading process under Tabbaas leadership. Numerous students voiced their complaints and grievances, branding the current academic year as the most challenging ever. The circumstances surrounding Darem Tabbaas dismissal and whether it was influenced by his recent controversial statements have not been publicly disclosed. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. The Iranian representatives are scheduled to conduct official discussions with Prime Minister Hussein Arnous, according to al-Watan. Al-Watan reports that a delegation from Irans Shura Council, led by the Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Vahid Jalalzadeh, arrived in Damascus on Monday for a series of meetings with senior Syrian officials. The Iranian parliamentary delegation comprises not only Jalalzadeh but also other committee members: Hossein Noushabadi, Hassan Hemmati, Abbas Kalro, and Javad Karimi Ghodoosi. Additionally, Hossein Assadi, the secretary of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Shura Council, is part of the delegation. During their three-day visit to Syria, the Iranian representatives are scheduled to conduct official discussions with Prime Minister Hussein Arnous, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Faisal Mekdad, and Peoples Assembly Speaker Hammoudeh Sabbagh. Sources from Al-Watan indicate that the talks will encompass a range of topics of mutual interest between the two nations and will focus on enhancing parliamentary cooperation. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. yrian individuals residing in Jordan are currently confronted with a fresh humanitarian challenge, according to Syria TV. Syrian individuals residing in Jordan are currently confronted with a fresh humanitarian challenge that looms over them. This predicament has arisen following the World Food Programs difficult decision to discontinue its provision of food aid. This decision is a direct consequence of an unparalleled funding shortfall. Consequently, the World Food Program has undertaken a gradual reduction in aid for refugees residing outside the designated camps. This reduction has affected approximately half a million refugee beneficiaries, with a shift in focus towards extending assistance primarily to the most vulnerable families, starting this month. Unfortunately, around 50,000 refugees are slated to be entirely excluded from the monthly aid distribution. Turning to the refugees residing within the camps, the World Food Program has also revealed a significant reduction in food assistance. Specifically, all 119,000 Syrian refugees housed within the Zaatari and Azraq camps will experience a reduction of one-third in their food aid allocation. Unprecedented funding crisis I received a message informing me about the reduction in coupons, shared Nassif Qatif, a Syrian refugee residing in Jordan. For Qatif and his family, including his wife and three children from Hama, this aid was their sole means of sustenance. Qatif, unable to work due to a foot injury, expressed, Our world has drastically narrowed. With no breadwinner, UNHCR staff visited my home multiple times, aware of my foot injury and my incapacity to work. Despite this, the aid has been curtailed, citing the direst cases. Are there others more in need than us? Can there be a refugee without any need for even the slightest support? Atheeb al-Ali, another Syrian refugee in Jordan, conveyed to Syria TV, All Syrians here rely on God and these coupons. We occasionally find work as day labourers, earning meagre dinars per hour, which are quickly absorbed by rent, expenses, and the harsh reality of life. How are we to cope? How do we proceed after this disheartening news? This assistance is crucial for bolstering Syrian refugees, particularly given the severity of the crisis and the exorbitant cost of living in Jordan. Without it, they will encounter significant challenges in securing adequate sustenance. Khawla Asaad Mansour, yet another Syrian refugee in Jordan, finds herself in a similar predicament. Initially receiving 23 dinars per person, this amount has now dwindled to 15 dinars per person, totalling 90 dinars (equivalent to US$127). Khawla carefully calculates her monthly expenses to navigate through the month safely. For instance, she requires 130 Jordanian dinars for monthly rent, 17 dinars for utilities, 100 dinars for groceries, and 50 dinars for her infants. Her familys allowance barely covers a third of these essential expenses, making it evident that the reduced coupons fail to meet their needs. While these coupons never fully covered her expenses, they did offer some support, Khawla emphasized. Upon completing her calculations, Khawla confronts a harsh reality that doesnt always align with her meticulous planning: the aid reduction, her husbands inability to obtain a work permit, and discussions with fellow Syrian neighbours about potential repatriation to a country they miraculously escaped from. These factors weigh heavily on her mind. Khawla reveals that debts have begun to accumulate, forcing her to turn to the Womens Fund for a loan to alleviate her financial burden. Repaying the loan requires an additional 70 dinars per month, pushing her to take up house cleaning jobs. Before the decision to cut food subsidies for some and terminate them for others, UNHCR released a report highlighting the debt struggles of Syrian refugees in Jordan. The report indicated that 62 percent of refugees currently rely on credit to purchase food, and 11 percent are compelled to sell off their productive assets. The report, titled Vulnerability Assessment Framework: Demographic Survey of Refugees in Host Communities, revealed that 62 percent of individuals facing severe shelter vulnerability also confront heightened risks related to sanitation and hygiene, based on a survey of 6,427 refugee households within Jordans host communities. Additionally, the report noted that 17 percent of individuals grappling with severe basic needs also experience significant health challenges, while 15 percent of those facing severe educational barriers also grapple with profound food insecurity. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Among those deceased was an officer named Issa Taha Hammoud, holding the rank of "major", according to al-Modon. The Alma Center, a Hebrew organization, reported that an Israeli attack took place on Monday at dawn, targeting warehouses in the vicinity of Mneen, situated along the road between al-Tal and Sednayah, to the north of the Syrian capital, Damascus. According to the Israeli Research and Intelligence Center, the assault resulted in the death of four military personnel from the regimes air defence units on Mount Qasioun. Rockets were launched in an attempt to intercept the Israeli attack. Among those deceased was an officer named Issa Taha Hammoud, holding the rank of major. It was noted, however, that Hammoud was not attired in the uniform typically associated with regime air defence units; instead, he was linked to artillery and rocket forces. This peculiar presence raised questions about the targeted munitions. It was suggested that the attack might have been directed at advanced weaponry designated for regime forces, the Iranian Axis, or Hezbollah. PCHR (Palestinian Centre for Human Rights) expressed uncertainty regarding whether the attack was aimed at a site affiliated with regime forces or the Shiite Axis. The suspicious presence of Hammoud at the scene prompted speculation. Israel generally refrains from targeting regime force sites unless they serve as infrastructure for Iranian weaponry or the activities of the Shiite axis, such as the Fourth Division or the Imam Hussein militia. In the early hours of Monday, a series of Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of four Syrian military personnel and two fighters associated with pro-Iranian factions, as reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. This observatory highlighted that the Israeli raids were focused on military installations and storage facilities where pro-Iranian combatants were stationed, located near Damascus military airport. Similar strikes took place in the vicinity of Dimas airport and the surrounding area of al-Kiswah in the southwestern outskirts of the capital. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Joel Medina, the fire chief who spurred a criminal inquiry this year into former and current employees of Columbia River Fire & Rescue for improper pension benefits and unchecked credit card spending, was suddenly fired by three newly elected fire district board members Tuesday night. The union-backed board members, in their second meeting on the board, added a new item to the monthly agenda at the last minute and voted to immediately terminate Medina. The decision followed two votes of no confidence in Medina this year by the local firefighters union, which is in arbitration with the St. Helens-based district over a disputed contract. The new district board members then quickly appointed battalion chief, Michael Gorsuch, as the interim fire chief. Gorsuch appeared by video at the meeting. One of the new board members who voted to fire Medina, Richard Fletcher, had been identified in a forensic audit of district finances as among a handful of former employees who had been improperly classified to receive higher firefighter retirement benefits even though they were ineligible. Fletcher worked as a mechanic for the fire district. Fletcher, who now serves as treasurer of the board, joined with board members Ryan Welby and Austin Zimbrick in the 3-1 vote to fire the chief. Gary Hudson, who has served on the board for six years and retired from the fire district as a division chief in 2002, was the lone member who objected. He said he was caught off guard and had no idea about the resolution that had been added to the agenda during Tuesdays meeting. If you think this doesnt look like collusion, its kind of embarrassinganother nail ... for the district and you all, Hudson said as he voted against ousting Medina. The new board chair, Kelly Niles, abstained. He said he didnt support the chiefs firing but would have supported placing him on administrative leave instead. The Columbia County prosecutors office and state police earlier this year launched a criminal investigation into the fire departments past handling of finances after Medina raised questions about unusual credit card expenses, improper pension classifications and the handling of the districts nearly $13 million budget. The previous board, which governs the fire district, also hired a forensic auditor to investigate district finances after Medina brought the concerns to its members. The auditor identified eight former non-firefighter employees who were enrolled for years in the state retirement system at a more lucrative rate that is reserved for only paid firefighters. Columbia River Fire & Rescue currently has 35 full-time paid firefighters. The previous board hired Medina in December 2020 from out of state after a national search. Medina last year hired another outsider and former colleague of his, Jimmy Sanchez, to serve as division chief of finance to help make sense of the districts spending and budget after the longtime civilian finance manager left. Medina was the first to question the improper pension classifications, drawing ire from those directly affected in the district and others also misclassified from nearby fire districts. He also eliminated three administrative jobs to reduce district spending. Three women who lost their jobs at the fire district sued the agency after they left, alleging sexual harassment by Medina. The three say they were subjected to inappropriate sexual comments and a hostile work environment. Medina has denied the allegations and claims the suit is part of a campaign against him for trying to protect taxpayer dollars. The suit amounts to retaliation and discrimination, said Medina, who is Latino. The district has a lot of significant problems and acquiescing to the union isnt the answer, Medina told The Oregonian/OregonLive after he was fired. He walked out of the meeting after board members directed him to turn in his badge and uniform immediately. Medina said the district needs experienced, educated serious people to make difficult decisions to tackle long-standing problems, and that is what my administration has done. Aaron Schrotzberger, president of the St. Helens Professional Fire Fighters Association IAFF Local 3215, later in the meeting cited the unions two votes of no confidence in Medina in the past year, which complained of Medinas unprofessionalism, his inability to manage district finances and what the union called his failed leadership. The union also called for the firing of Sanchez and Deputy Chief Eric Smythe. The union remains locked in a contract dispute with the district. The two board members who negotiated the contract, Hudson and former board chair Hans Feige, said during a recent arbitration hearing that they negotiated an across-the-board 2% raise for all employees, with a $7,500 bonus stipend for paramedics. They said they wanted to get rid of the prior 10% premium pay previously afforded to firefighters who are paramedics and instead offer the stipend. But the contract that was signed by both sides included a wage table as an appendix, which rolled in the 10% premium pay for firefighter paramedics. That would mean the district would pay firefighter paramedics the 10% premium, plus a 2% across-the-board-increase, and the $7,500 stipend. District representatives said thats not what it had negotiated in the language of the contract, and the district wont be able to afford such increases without layoffs. The union filed a grievance. Did the district at any time raise the issue that, in effect, you were double dipping you were getting 10% plus the lump sum? arbitrator Eric Lindauer asked union vice president Aaron Peterson during a recent arbitration hearing. Peterson said the union assumed the district was aware of what was in the table before it signed the contract. He said no one from the district raised any concerns about what was in the table until after the contract was ratified. I think theres responsibilities on both sides in not making clear what their intentions were during the course of their negotiations, Lindauer said. He urged the two sides to try to reach a resolution on their own. If not, the arbitrator said he expected to issue his ruling in October. Medinas sudden termination and the unions call for the firing of his finance division chief and deputy chief spurred the resignations hours later of two of three Columbia County Civil Service Commission members. Commission members Tammy Armentrout and Mouhamad Zaher submitted their resignations by email. The commission reviews potential new hires for the county and sets bylaws governing recruitment and promotions. I learned that tonight this board terminated Chief Medina and entertained termination of District Chief Sanchez, and Deputy Chief Smythe. I can no longer in good conscience support an organization that treats these individuals and the administrative staff with the disrespect and disloyalty that has been in abundant display over the past several months, Armentrout wrote by email. I will not be a bystander to it. The actions of the current board are clearly and intentionally putting this community at risk for their own personal financial gain. This is very clearly evidenced many times, but most recently by nominating and electing a person who is under investigation for financial wrongdoing as the treasurer of the organization. A Montana man charged with committing a Woodland drive-by shooting in May pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than a decade in prison Wednesday morning in Cowlitz County Superior Court. David Wayne Lewis, 42, of Kalispell, Montana entered a guilty plea to first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement and a drive-by shooting charge. He was sentenced to roughly 10 years in state prison plus three years of community custody for his involvement in the Woodland shooting that wounded a male driver. Judge Marilyn K. Haan also installed a no-contact order. A verbal and physical altercation between the victim, Lewis, and Lewiss brother, on May 20 at Woodlands Astro gas station on Hoffman Street, escalated into the brothers firing multiple gunshots while driving, according to the cases probable cause statement. The victim told authorities one of the suspects punched him in the back of the head, so he retaliated with a punch, reentered his Honda Accord, and sped away. The suspects chased the victim, eventually driving in the opposite traffic lane and firing multiple shots from the passenger side, the report states. In fear for his life, the victim took the 911 dispatchers advice and drove to the Woodland Police station, where he parked near the intersection of East Scott and Old Pacific Highway and met a police officer. The victim told authorities the same person who punched him at the gas station also shot at him. The probable cause statement says the victims Honda was riddled with bullet holes, with his rear windshield broken. Out of the 20 rounds fired at the victim, one bullet grazed his right leg and left seven bullet holes in the victims Honda Accord, the report states. According to court documents, Thomas Henry Lewis, 40, of Woodland, the brother and accomplice of David Wayne Lewis, has also pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and a drive-by shooting charge in July. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 20. Portland and Multnomah County leaders drew attention Monday to increasing traffic deaths and urged people to drive more slowly and not get behind the wheel while drunk or high. Their comments attracted several dozen protesters who blasted politicians for failing to propose concrete solutions to stem the tide of deaths. Portlanders need to know that our city is in the midst of an epidemic of traffic fatalities, City Commissioner Mingus Mapps said from a podium outside City Hall. Portland could cut traffic deaths in half today if Portlanders embrace just two common-sense practices. Number one, dont speed. Number two, dont drive impaired. Thats always been true, shouted Lois Leveen, a Portland resident who alerted other cyclists to the news conference and led chants demanding safe streets and repeatedly interrupted Mapps and other speakers. I hear your rage and I hear your frustration, Mapps said. And I share it. This July set a 10-year record for deaths in one month, Mapps said, with 13 deaths. With 44 traffic deaths so far this year, compared to 39 by the same time in 2022, Portland is on track to exceed last years record-setting death toll, said Portland police sergeant Ty Engstrom. Pedestrian deaths have driven much of the increase in traffic deaths since the pandemic, officials said, with a record 28 pedestrian deaths last year, nearly double the pedestrian deaths in 2018. Despite the rancor outside City Hall, the half-dozen officials speaking at the podium presented a show of unity, underscoring their message that the way to tackle the problem is together. Everyone has a role, they said. Mapps said hes working with the state on addressing deaths on Powell Boulevard, a state-owned highway that he said is Portlands deadliest street. Engstrom said the city is ramping up traffic enforcement, with more staff now on the traffic division, reversing some of the drastic cuts made during the pandemic. For two years, he was the only full-time employee in the division, he said. Now, the team is back to two-thirds of its original size, with coverage seven days a week from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. And Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said Multnomah County is committed to investing in safer road design, more automated enforcement and a holistic public health approach. But Pederson added, Its not work that we can do alone, echoing Mapps request that people not speed and not drive impaired. We need your engagement as a community to make change possible, she said. As they spoke, Ted Buehler of Portland lay on the cement in poses mimicking a cyclist hit by a car, changing positions every five to 10 minutes. The news conference coincided with Multnomah Countys release of an analysis of traffic deaths in 2020 and 2021. Using medical examiner reports, the county health department found that speeding played a role in 42% of fatal crashes; nearly a quarter of traffic deaths involved homeless people; and 84% of those who died had drugs or alcohol in their system. The health department didnt examine what percent of crashes were caused by people impaired by drugs or alcohol, but noted that a 2020 city report found that 20% of all fatal crashes that year were related to impairment. Leevan was just as indignant after the press conference as she was when it began. I heard nothing specific from the city about real change, she said. We cant get to Vision Zero with zero vision. Buehler, who spent more than half an hour lying on the cement, said he hopes that, in some small way, he helped the issue with his die-in, a protest method he said worked effectively in the Netherlands in the 1960s. Historically, the only way to get City Hall to prioritize traffic safety is to get them to respect the dead, Buehler said. And Buehler cited a viscerally personal reason for his presence at the news conference that day: I dont want to die. Intel acknowledged its plans for a mammoth investment in its Oregon research factories Wednesday, describing a multibillion-dollar expansion and modernization of our facilities aimed at restoring the companys manufacturing lead. The Oregonian reported last week that Intel had quietly filed plans for such an expansion with state regulators in July. Intel didnt respond to a request for comment at the time or explain why it is planning to expand and upgrade its Oregon factories now. The chipmaker offered a little more context Wednesday in an opinion piece by Al Thompson, Intels vice president for government affairs, posted on Intels website. Thompson hailed the passage of the $52 billion federal CHIPS Act a year ago. He said the federal money was helping enable billions of dollars in capital spending for previously announced projects in Arizona, New Mexico and Ohio. Then, Thompson made Intels first public mention of its proposed Oregon expansion. He said billions of dollars in spending will put the company on a path to regain process technology leadership and continue to advance Moores Law. Moores Law is the maxim that predicts rapid growth in computing power from advances in semiconductor technology. Confirmation of Intels Oregon expansion plans amounted to just a paragraph in Thompsons commentary and offered no clues as to how quickly Intel plans to move. Last months regulatory filings in Oregon are vague on timing, describing work stretching from 2025 to 2028. Its not clear from the release whether Intel plans to complete its expansion within that time frame. Intel didnt respond Wednesday morning to a request for additional comment on its Oregon plans. The July filings with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality detail upgrades to Intels 30-year-old D1A factory in Aloha and a fourth phase to Intels passive D1X research factory at its Gordon Moore Park campus near Hillsboro Stadium. Gov. Tina Kotek notified state lawmakers last week that she plans to award $90 million from the Oregon CHIPS Act, approved during this years legislative session, to help fund an unspecified Intel project. Sources familiar with the funding say the money will go to the Oregon factory expansion described in the regulatory filings. Intel hasnt contacted Hillsboro planning officials to begin discussions on building permits for the proposed expansion, according to the city. The companys filings with state regulators last month say the new projects will double Intels Oregon greenhouse gas emissions and significantly increase emissions of other atmospheric pollutants. That will make Intel a major source of pollution under federal environmental laws, triggering additional review by Oregon and U.S. regulators. Wednesdays opinion article suggests Intel will also seek a share of the federal CHIPS Act money for the project. The Biden administration said Wednesday that more than 460 companies are seeking CHIPS Act money. Intel is Oregons largest corporate employer, with more than 22,000 workers affiliated with its research, manufacturing and administrative offices in Washington County. Semiconductors are Oregons largest export, and Intels products account for most of that. The company develops each new generation of its microprocessors in Hillsboro, then duplicates the manufacturing process at factories in Arizona, Ireland and Israel with plans to add leading-edge factories in Ohio and Germany. Intel announced the first phase of its D1X research factory in 2010 and has expanded twice in Hillsboro since then. The third phase, a $3 billion expansion, opened last year. The next phase of growth, whenever it takes place, will be a major economic boost for the state. Each prior expansion at D1X brought thousands of construction workers and contractors to Intels 450-acre manufacturing campus in Hillsboro during years of construction. Intel said the latest phase added 2,000 factory technicians after it opened. New Relic announced that Virgin Australia has deepened its partnership with New Relic to enhance the delivery of online services to its customers. Virgin Australia understands the critical role online services play in delivering exceptional customer experiences. By using New Relic to establish a more proactive observability posture, Virgin Australia gains deep insights into its digital infrastructure, enabling faster troubleshooting and continuous improvement of its online and internal services. As part of Virgin Australias digital transformation, the New Relic observability platform has been deployed across mobile applications, websites, existing custom applications, and the airlines new microservice platform to proactively monitor the availability of these critical services. New Relic has become an essential integrated toolset for Virgin Australia, providing unparalleled efficiency and observability at every level, said Virgin Australia Head of Infrastructure and Support Simon Lawrence. The real-time data, flexible query-based thresholding and smart deviation detection have substantially reduced noise and the time required to configure actionable alerting, allowing us to get on the front foot to proactively detect, respond, and resolve incidents. Implementations and benefits include: Reduction in resolution time: Through automatic correlation with underlying infrastructure, end-to-end traces, and code-level performance statistics, Virgin Australia has significantly reduced the time from detection to remediation. Through automatic correlation with underlying infrastructure, end-to-end traces, and code-level performance statistics, Virgin Australia has significantly reduced the time from detection to remediation. Reduction in critical system P1 and P2 alerts: New RelicAlert management is a key driver for detecting degradation in service performance and providing a single source of truth for support staff to identify issues quickly. New RelicAlert management is a key driver for detecting degradation in service performance and providing a single source of truth for support staff to identify issues quickly. Improving developer productivity: The entire development team can focus more on tasks that deliver value to customers, rather than manually monitoring logging and infrastructure tools. The entire development team can focus more on tasks that deliver value to customers, rather than manually monitoring logging and infrastructure tools. Lower investigation time: Using New Relic application performance monitoring (APM), engineering teams can get ahead of issues as soon as they arise to minimise any impact on the end-user experience. Using New Relic application performance monitoring (APM), engineering teams can get ahead of issues as soon as they arise to minimise any impact on the end-user experience. Improving business-level reporting: Engineering teams can use New Relic dashboards to proactively communicate the health of the digital business with company stakeholders. Virgin Australia is also in the process of rolling out New Relic Log Management to further improve visibility across its entire stack. Virgin Australia is an iconic brand that prides itself on delivering the best customer experience in-flight and online, said New Relic ANZ Regional Vice President Jason Leonidas. New Relic is proud to have played a role in their transformation and we look forward to supporting the further rollout of New Relic as their systems and infrastructure evolves. The New Relic observability platform democratizes data beyond the typical backend users, making it available to groups such as customer service, support, product, sales, marketing, and business executives. Having this data front and center empowers organizations to effectively visualize the relationships among developers, operations, and customers with a curated business performance dashboard that gives teams an overview of how users are experiencing their applications. Knowing how customers use or abandon applications and services helps brands improve infrastructure and adjust strategy. In the northeastern part of France, a fire that broke out at a vacation home for individuals with disabilities resulted in the deaths of ten people and left one person missing on Wednesday, August 9. Firefighters reported discovering the remains amid the wreckage of the structure, which had formerly served as a barn. Rescuers said there was little possibility of finding any survivors. For the holidays, a group of people from Nancy rented out the private cottage in Wintzenheim, which is located in the Haut-Rhin and is close to Colmar. "Minor mental disabilities" was used to characterize the visitors. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on X: "A fire broke out early this morning in a building for [disabled] people at Wintzenheim in the Haut-Rhin. Despite the rapid and courageous intervention of firefighters, whom I salute, there were regrettably a number of victims." Un incendie sest deroule tot ce matin dans une structure accueillant des personnes handicapees a Wintzenheim, dans le Haut-Rhin. En depit de lintervention rapide et courageuse des sapeurs-pompiers que je salue, plusieurs victimes seraient a deplorer. Lintervention se poursuit. Gerald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) August 9, 2023 Also Read: France Police Arrest German for Allegedly Holding Wife Captive for 12 Years Fire at Vacation Home in Haut-Rhin According to The Guardian, Fire Department Lt. Col. Philippe Hauwiller said the remains were located on the ground level and had been positively identified by drones. Hauwiller said the fire had already spread throughout the structure by the time they arrived, within a quarter of an hour. He explained that 17 individuals had made it out of the building, but unfortunately, given the circumstances, 11 others were trapped in the building for whom there was nothing that could be done. Reportedly, the intensity of the fire meant that the victims were likely already dead when firemen arrived. Damage to the house had made it difficult to recover their remains, he added. "Everyone from the ground floor was able to escape, but not everyone on the first floor could reach the exits." Secretary General of the Haut-Rhin prefecture Christophe Marot, who was there at the tragic scene, stated, "The search continues. We are almost sure that the missing persons have died." Authorities in the area said that the blaze began at about 6:30 AM local time and was extremely violent before being brought under control by 76 firemen relatively quickly. One person was transported to the hospital after being among the 17 persons who were able to leave the premises. It has been stated that one of the eleven missing is a member of the traveling party. The local police in Strasbourg have started looking into the cause of the fire as part of their inquiry. It is believed that the group from Nancy first arrived on July 29 and was supposed to stay until August 19. French President Emmanuel Macron offered his condolences to the victims, the injured, and their loved ones. Hauwiller added that Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne was on her way to Wintzenheim and would arrive on Wednesday afternoon. Also Read: The Sky Is Falling: French Woman Allegedly Struck by Meteorite While Having Coffee @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TSMC, Robert Bosch GmbH, Infineon Technologies AG, and NXP Semiconductors N.V. announced a plan to jointly invest in European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) GmbH, in Dresden, Germany to provide advanced semiconductor manufacturing services. ESMC marks a significant step towards construction of a 300mm fab to support the future capacity needs of the fast-growing automotive and industrial sectors, with the final investment decision pending confirmation of the level of public funding for this project. The project is planned under the framework of the European Chips Act. The planned fab is expected to have a monthly production capacity of 40,000 300mm (12-inch) wafers on TSMCs 28/22 nanometer planar CMOS and 16/12 nanometer FinFET process technology, further strengthening Europes semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem with advanced FinFET transistor technology and creating about 2,000 direct high-tech professional jobs. ESMC aims to begin construction of the fab in the second half of 2024 with production targeted to begin by the end of 2027. The planned joint venture will be 70% owned by TSMC, with Bosch, Infineon, and NXP each holding 10% equity stake, subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions. Total investments are expected to exceed 10 billion euros consisting of equity injection, debt borrowing, and strong support from the European Union and German government. The fab will be operated by TSMC. This investment in Dresden demonstrates TSMCs commitment to serving our customers strategic capacity and technology needs, and we are excited at this opportunity to deepen our long-standing partnership with Bosch, Infineon, and NXP, said Dr. CC Wei, Chief Executive Officer of TSMC. Europe is a highly promising place for semiconductor innovation, particularly in the automotive and industrial fields, and we look forward to bringing those innovations to life on our advanced silicon technology with the talent in Europe. Dr. Stefan Hartung, chairman of the Bosch board of management: Semiconductors are not only a crucial success factor for Bosch. Their reliable availability is also of great importance for the success of the global automotive industry. Apart from continuously expanding our own manufacturing facilities, we further secure our supply chains as an automotive supplier through close cooperation with our partners. With TSMC, we are pleased to gain a global innovation leader to strengthen the semiconductor ecosystem in the direct vicinity of our semiconductor plant in Dresden. Our joint investment is an important milestone to bolster the European semiconductor ecosystem. With this, Dresden is strengthening its position as one of the worlds most important semiconductor hubs that is already home to Infineons largest frontend site, said Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon Technologies. Infineon will use the new capacity to serve the growing demand particularly of its European customers, especially in automotive and IoT. The advanced capabilities will provide a basis for developing innovative technologies, products and solutions to address the global challenges of decarbonization and digitalisation. NXP is very committed to strengthening innovation and supply chain resilience in Europe, said Kurt Sievers, President and CEO of NXP Semiconductors. We thank the European Union, Germany, and the Free State of Saxony for their recognition of the semiconductor industrys critical role and for their true commitment to boost Europes chip ecosystem. The construction of this new and significant semiconductor foundry will add much needed innovation and capacity for the range of silicon required to supply the sharply increasing digitalization and electrification of the automotive and industrial sectors. 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: Google and OpenAI, which has received massive funding from Microsoft, are leaders in the field. Artificial intelligence firms must ask for permission before using copyrighted text and images to generate content, a consortium of news groups said on Wednesday. Media organizations including AFP, Getty Images and the Associated Press said in an open letter that AI tools risk shattering their business models, flooding the web with misinformation and breaking copyright laws. AI tools like chatbot ChatGPT and image generators DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion and Midjourney exploded in popularity last year with their ability to generate a wealth of content from just brief text prompts. However, the firms behind the tools, including OpenAI and Stability AI, already face lawsuits from artists, authors and others claiming their work has been ripped off. Wednesday's open letter from news organizations including European Pressphoto Agency and Gannett/U.S. TODAY is the latest attempt to influence the debate by organizations that have much to lose if AI firms continue to scrape material from the internet without restrictions. Watermarking pledge "Generative AI and large language models make it possible for any actor, without regard to their intent, to produce and distribute synthetic content at a scale that far exceeds our past experience," the news groups wrote. They listed potential problems including copyright breaches, a flood of false or biased content, and the creation of a vicious cycle where media groups can no longer fund journalism to provide reliable information. The organizations said they wanted to be part of the solution and called for talks to ensure legal access to content. AI firms have attracted billions in investment and all big tech firms have pivoted towards the technology, with Google and Microsoft leading the way. Major companies in the field have formed several coalitionsincluding the Partnership on AI and the Frontier Model Forumand largely push for self-regulation. They committed in July to taking measures like watermarking AI content and have broadly pledged to fight misinformation, but with no specific timetables or measures. However, little has been said about copyright, which is likely to be a much thornier and potentially expensive issue. Google used a public consultation in Australia earlier this year to call for a "fair dealing" exception in copyright law specifically to allow data mining for AI. 2023 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The hardware used by the ETH researchers with one of the computer chips that are susceptible to the Inception attack. Credit: Kaveh Razavi / ETH Zurich Everyone has, at one time or another, experienced how dreams can influence our moods and actions. However, putting an idea in somebody else's head while they are dreaming in order to make them do something specific once they wake up is still the stuff of science fiction. In the 2010 movie "Inception," Leonardo di Caprio's character tries to get the heir of a wealthy businessman to break up his father's empire. To do so, he shares a dream with the heir, in which through clever manipulation, the heir's convictions about his father are subtly altered, leading him to abandon his late father's business. While sharing dreams and planting such ideas is impossible in reality, something very similar has recently been achieved in the world of computers. A team of researchers at ETH Zurich led by Kaveh Razavi, professor in the Department of Information Technology and Engineering, has demonstrated a serious vulnerability of certain CPUs (central processing units) whereby an attacker can plant the equivalent of an idea in a victim's CPU, coax it into executing certain commands, and thus retrieve information. Razavi and his colleagues present their research at the conference USENIX Security 2023 this week. A complex attack While Razavi's research paper contains names that are reminiscent of James Bond and disaster movies"Spectre" and "Meltdown" make an appearancethe bulk of it is intricate computer science. "In fact, much like the movie of the same name, the Inception attack is particularly complex and difficult to explain," says master's student Daniel Trujillo, who found this new attack during his thesis work in Razavi's group, supervised by Ph.D. student Johannes Wikner. "Still," Wikner adds, "the crux of the matter with all these attacks is rather simplenamely, the fact that a computer's CPU has to make guesses all the time, and those guesses can be tampered with." In modern computers, guesses are needed because during the execution of a programa game, say, or a web browserthe CPU has to make hundreds of millions of decisions per second. At certain points in the execution, the following command may depend on a choice made based on some information that has to be retrieved from the computer's memory. CPUs have become incredibly fast in recent years, but the speed at which data can be transferred from the memory (DRAM) to the CPU has not been able to keep up with that acceleration. As a result, the CPU would have to spend a lot of its time waiting for fresh data in order to make a decision. Speeding up by guessing This is where guessing comes into play: Based on past experience, the CPU creates a kind of look-up table and uses it to make a guess as to the most likely next step, which it then executes. In the vast majority of cases, the CPU is right and thus saves a lot of valuable computing time. Occasionally, however, it makes the wrong guess, and such a misprediction can be exploited by an attacker to gain access to sensitive information. "The Spectre attack, which was discovered in 2018, is based on such mispredictions," says Razavi, "but initially it seemed that manufacturers had found ways to mitigate it." In fact, chip manufacturers have provided features for partly deleting the look-up table when switching between security contexts (that is, when the sensitive kernel of the computer is accessed) or adding a bit of information that tells the CPU whether or not a prediction in the look-up table was created in the kernel, and can therefore be trusted. Planting an idea in a CPU Nevertheless, Razavi and his co-workers set out to test whether even with the new security measures an attack could be launched. After a lengthy search, they stumbled upon something strange: "It looked as though we could make the CPUs manufactured by AMD believe that they had seen certain instructions before, whereas in reality that had never happened," says Trujillo. Just like in the movie, the researchers could plant an idea in the CPU while it wasin a sensedreaming. As a consequence, the look-up tablewhich the CPU continuously creates from past instructionscould, once again, be manipulated. Since the CPU was convinced that the entries in the look-up table originated from instructions it had seen before, the security feature that was meant to ensure that only trustworthy predictions are taken into consideration was bypassed. In this way, the ETH researchers were able to leak data from anywhere in the computer's memory, including sensitive information such as the hash of the root password. Serious vulnerability That, of course, is a very serious security vulnerability, so Razavi informed AMD in February to make sure they had time to come up with a patch before the research paper was published (AMD assigned the number CVE-2023-20569 to the vulnerability). "We have shown this concept of a new class of dangerous attacks, which is particularly relevant in the context of cloud computing, where several customers share the same hardware," Razavi says, "It also raises questions for the future." For instance, he wants to find out if there are other, similar attacks and whether an "Inception"-like attack is also possible on CPUs from other manufacturers. More information: Trujillo D, Wikner J, Razavi K: external pageInception: Exposing New Attack Surfaces with Training in Transient Execution. 32nd Usenix Security Symposium, 2023. https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity23/presentation/trujillo 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 Huge streams of data pass through our computers and smartphones every day. In simple terms, technical devices contain two essential units to process this data: A processor, which is a kind of control center, and a RAM, comparable to memory. Modern processors use a cache to act as a bridge between the two, since memory is much slower at providing data than the processor is at processing it. This cache often contains private data that could be an attractive target for attackers. A team of scientists from Bochum, Germany, in cooperation with researchers from Japan, has now developed an innovative cipher that not only offers greater security than previous approaches, but is also more efficient and faster. They are presenting their work at the prestigious Usenix Security Symposium in Anaheim, California (U.S.). The team includes Dr. Federico Canale and Professor Gregor Leander from the Chair of Symmetric Cryptography, Jan Philipp Thoma and Professor Tim Guneysu from the Chair of Security Engineering, all from Ruhr University Bochum, as well as Yosuke Todo from NTT Social Informatics Laboratories and Rei Ueno from Tohoku University (Japan). Cache not well protected against side-channel attacks until now Years ago, CASA PI Professor Yuval Yarom, who has been at Ruhr University since April 2023, discovered that the cache is not well protected against a certain type of attack. The serious Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities made headlines at the time because they affected all popular microprocessors as well as cloud services. Caches are unobtrusive, but they perform an important task: they store data that is requested very frequently. Its main function is to reduce latency. If the CPU had to fetch from slower RAM every time it needed to access data, this would slow down the system. This is why the CPU fetches certain data from the cache. However, attackers can exploit this communication between CPU and cache. Their method: They overwrite the cache's unsecured data. The system requests the data from main memory because it cannot find it in the cache. This process is measurably slower. "In so-called timing side-channel attacks, attackers can measure the time differences and use them to observe memory accesses by other programs. Thus, they can steal private keys for encryption algorithms, for example," explains Jan Philipp Thoma from the Chair of Security Engineering. Innovative mathematical solution While patches have been developed to fix the vulnerability for certain attacks, they have failed to provide provable security. However, the team from Bochum and Japan has now come up with an innovative solution: "Our idea is to use mathematical processes to randomize the data in the cache," explains Gregor Leander, who recently received an ECR Advanced Grant for his research. This randomization in the CPU's caches can help prevent attacks by disabling attackers from removing data from the cache. "The interdisciplinary approach of cryptography and hardware security considerations is a novelty in computer security. While there have been previous ideas for randomized cache architectures, none have been very efficient and none have been able to completely withhold strong attackers," said Tim Guneysu, who heads the Chair of Security Engineering. The new SCARF model uses block cipher encryption, a completely new idea for the field, according to the researchers. "Normally, we encrypt data with 128 bits, in the cache we sometimes work with 10 bits. This is a complex process because it takes much longer to mix this data with a large key," said Gregor Leander. The large key is needed because a shorter encryption of such small amounts of data could be more easily broken by attackers. The aforementioned randomization usually takes a lot of time. This would limit the functionality of the cache. In contrast, SCARF uses block ciphers to operate faster than any previous solution. "SCARF can be used as a modular component in cache architectures and automatically ensures securei.e. unpredictablerandomization with simultaneously low latency, i.e. response time," explains Jan Philipp Thoma: "He concludes: "With SCARF, we offer an efficient and secure solution for randomization." Double protection by combining with ClepsydraCache The work done by the researchers can therefore have a fundamental impact on protecting sensitive data in the digital society. In addition, the researchers, in collaboration with other colleagues, present another work at this year's Usenix Security Symposium that can be combined with SCARF. The paper, "ClepsydraCachePreventing Cache Attacks with Time-Based Evictions," likewise introduces a new idea for cache security. Jan Philipp Thoma, Gregor Leander, Tim Guneysu and CASA PI Lucas Davi from the University of Duisburg-Essen are also involved. It was also developed in close collaboration with researchers from the Department of Integrated Systems at RUB. "ClepsydraCache relies on cache decay combined with index randomization. Cache decay means that data that is not used for a longer period of time is automatically removed from the cache," explains Jan Philipp Thoma. Data security benefits from such a mechanism, as it reduces the number of cache conflicts. Those conflicts would slow down the process and might also lead to data leakage with the help of the side-channel attacks described above. The researchers were able to prove that their proposal can withstand known attack vectors and can be easily implemented in existing architectures. Interdisciplinary work leads to successful research The compatibility of the two "SCARF" and "Clepsydracache" works could therefore make future generations of caches more secure than ever beforewithout affecting their performance in any way. The teamwork thus shows that the interdisciplinary approach pursued by the Cluster of Excellence CASA "Cybersecurity in the Age of Large-Scale Adversaries" can lead to groundbreaking research results. More information: CARFA low-latency block cipher for secure cache-randomization, 32th USENIX Security Symposium, 2023, Anaheim, U.S., Pre-Print: www.usenix.org/system/files/us ecurity23-canale.pdf Preventing cache attacks with time-based evictions, 32th USENIX Security Symposium, 2023, Anaheim, U.S., Pre-Print: www.usenix.org/system/files/se _48-thoma-prepub.pdf 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: Worldcoin Millions of people worldwide are lining up to stare into a silver sphere about the size of a bowling ball so their irises can be scanned in exchange for online identity verification and "free" cryptocurrency. The silver spheres, known as "Orbs", are part of the Worldcoin platform, which officially launched in July 2023 after an 18-month testing phase. Led by Sam Altman (chief executive of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT) and entrepreneur Alex Blania, Worldcoin offers users a "digital passport" known as World ID and small allocations of a cryptocurrency token also called Worldcoin (WLD), "simply for being human". Worldcoin aims to provide a "proof of personhood" to distinguish humans from artificial intelligence (AI) systems online. However, critics say the company is essentially bribing people to hand over highly sensitive biometric data. Governments are taking note: the Worldcoin platform has already been suspended in Kenya, and is under investigation in several other countries. Gaze into the Orb Users can download the WorldApp on their mobile phone, then find their "nearest Orb". The Orb uses iris scans to uniquely identify a person. Once the person has their iris scanned, they receive a World ID which will function as an online ID much like a Google or Facebook login. World ID is meant to be different because it can prove the user is humanand more private, because it does not link to other personal information about the user. Despite the "digital passport" label, World ID is not intended to reveal or verify a user's identity in the conventional sense. It merely establishes the user as "a unique and real person", rather than a bot. In most countries, the user is also entitled to units of WLD cryptocurrency once their iris scan is complete. The Worldcoin website currently lists 60 Orb locations worldwide, particularly in Europe, Asia, North America and South America, and notes there will also be Orb "pop-ups". At the time of writing, there appear to be no Orb locations in Australia, so people in Australia cannot earn WLD tokens "for being human". But they can purchase the WLD cryptocurrency via certain cryptocurrency exchanges and download the World App, which also functions as a cryptocurrency wallet. Cash for eyeballs jeopardizes human rights Altman is a key player in the AI boom that supposedly makes Worldcoin necessary, so critics have suggested he is "simply profiting from both AI's problem and solution". When the Worldcoin platform officially launched, after signing up some 2 million users in a testing phase, Altman said the Orbs were scanning a new user every eight seconds. In Kenya, the launch saw "tens of thousands of individuals waiting in lines over a three-day period to secure a World ID", which Worldcoin attributed to "overwhelming" demand for identity verification. Independent reporting suggests the promise of "free" cryptocurrency was a more common motive. In most locations, Worldcoin offers a "genesis grant" of 25 units of its WLD cryptocurrency when users scan their irises. (The value of WLD fluctuates, but the grant has been worth around US$50, or $A75, over the past month.) People queuing for the Orb in Kenya told the BBC "I want to register because I'm jobless and I'm broke," and "I really like Worldcoin because of the money. I'm not worried about the data. As long as the money comes." Worldcoin says an iris scan can be used as "proof of personhood." Credit: Worldcoin Orb operators are also paid for each user they sign up. Critics have labeled this strategy of paying people to scan their irises as dystopian and equivalent to bribery. Offering money for sensitive data arguably makes privacya human righta luxury only the wealthy can afford. People experiencing poverty may risk future harms to meet their immediate survival needs. 'Cataloging eyeballs': the risks of using biometric data Worldcoin uses irises for verification because every iris is unique and therefore difficult to fake. But the risks of handing over such data are very high. Unlike a driver's license or a passport, you cannot replace your iris if the data is compromised. Surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden has criticized Worldcoin for "cataloging eyeballs", and tweeted about the unacceptable risks: "Don't use biometrics for anything. [] The human body is not a ticket-punch." Worldcoin claims the iris scans are deleted after being converted into a unique iris code, which becomes the user's World ID. The World ID is then stored on a decentralized blockchain, with the aim of preventing fakes or duplicates. However, the iris scan is only deleted if the user opts for the "Without Data Storage" option (which may mean they need to return to an Orb to re-verify in the future). If the user selects the "With Data Storage" option, Worldcoin states the iris scan is sent via encrypted communication channels to its distributed data stores where it is encrypted at rest. In either case, the user must simply trust the company to delete the biometric data, or appropriately secure it against misuse. There have been many instances in which Silicon Valley companies have promised to secure data and to strictly limit its use, only to break those promises by disclosing the data to other companies or government agencies or failing to secure it against attack. Journalist Eileen Guo also points out that Worldcoin has not yet clarified whether it still uses stored biometric data to train AI models and whether it has deleted biometric data collected during its test phase. And despite the supposed security of biometric scanning, there have already been reports of fraudulent uses of the Worldcoin system. For example, black market speculators are alleged to have persuaded people in Cambodia and Kenya to sign up for Worldcoin and then sell their World IDs and WLD tokens for cash. Regulatory action Regulators in several countries are taking action. The Kenyan government has now suspended Worldcoin's activities, stating regulatory concerns surrounding the project "require urgent action". The Communications Authority of Kenya and Office of the Data Protection Commissioner say they are concerned about the offer of money in exchange for consent to data collection; how securely the data are stored; and "massive citizen data in the hands of private actors without an appropriate framework". The German privacy watchdog is investigating Worldcoin's business practices with support from the French privacy regulator, which called Worldcoin's data practices "questionable". The UK Information Commissioner's Office has announced it will investigate Worldcoin, referring to the high risk of processing special category biometric data. While there are no Orbs in Australia yet, the federal privacy regulator has previously found some companies in breach of the privacy law for failing to obtain valid consent for the use of biometric data and collecting it when it was not reasonably necessary. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Taiwan has reported a total of 10 Chinese aircraft entered its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) Wednesday (August 9) while accompanying five Chinese warships engaged in "combat readiness" patrols. According to the Taiwanese defense ministry, the incursion was the second Beijing's military forces have done this week. The incursion began at 09:00 local time (01:00 UTC) when it detected a total of 25 Chinese aircraft engaging in operations out at sea, including J-10 and J-16 fighters, as well as H-6 bombers, of which 10 of them crossed into Taiwan's ADIZ. Taiwanese authorities also said they dispatched ships and aircraft to keep watch over the intruders' movements. Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, has repeatedly complained of Chinese military activity near it over the past three years, as Beijing steps up pressure to try to force the island to accept its sovereignty, Reuters reported. However, Taiwan's democratically elected government rejects China's sovereignty claim and says only the island's people can decide their future. Read Also: China-Philippines Water Cannon Incident: Dispute Could Turn Into Superpower Conflict, Warn Experts War Games for Intimidation Another incursion incident was reported by Taiwan Sunday (August 6), when a similar level of activity by Chinese warships and warplanes near the island. The incidents were two of the latest China made in the past few months. In August last year, Beijing held war games around Taiwan to protest against the trip made by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In April, China also staged war games after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen returned home from her US trip to meet Pelosi's successor, Kevin McCarthy. Meanwhile, Taiwanese Vice President William Lai is scheduled to travel to the US this week on his way to Paraguay on what is officially only transit but which has angered China that they made it a "priority" to stop Lai from visiting, as per the Chinese ambassador to the US. Related Article: China's 'Chasing Dreams' Documentary Shows Army's Preparations to Strike Taiwan @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TROY, Mo. Drought has pushed livestock producers to hunt for emergency hay. If you are lucky enough to have hay, take special care to reduce waste this year, University of Missouri Extension specialist Charlie Ellis says in a news release. This is a good year to pinch pennies and plan on doing some extra labor. Proper feeding reduces waste and lowers costs with a bonus of improving animal behavior and performance, says Ellis. Several factors figure into how farmers will reduce waste based on preferences, labor availability and climate, he says. Ellis gives these tips: No hogs at the cattle trough. Cull aggressive animals that push out other animals and prevent them from getting their fair share. Clean your plate. Make animals clean up hay before giving them seconds. Target feeding daily only what they will consume. Save the best for last. This reduces spoilage and improves palatability. Feed outside-stored hay first, then feed hay stored inside. Right size, right place. Choose the right size and type of feeder. Match feeder size to herd size. Place feed on a pad or elevated surface in a well-drained area. Ellis calls unrolling hay the bed and breakfast of the hay world. Bullies and wallflowers have equal access to hay, unlike at rings, where boss cows can intimidate their more timid counterparts. When feeding in winter, rolling out hay also reduces hoof damage and compaction in the feeding area. It also can help overseed pastures with legumes and distributes nutrients back onto the ground. Some styles of bale feeders are more efficient than others. There is less waste when feeding square bales in open rings rather than large bales in an open ring. Large, round unrolled bales fed in rings have 45% waste and are the least efficient, according to MU research. Restrict time of access with feeders to improve body score counts, increase milk production and reduce hay waste, he says. Ellis allows at least 30 inches of bunk space per cow when bunk feeding and provides one bale per 10 cows when ring feeding. Divide cows into groups based on age and pecking order. He also recommends feeding at the same time each day. Daily feeding reduces food costs and waste. The less hay you put out at one time, the more you save, especially if you do your own labor, he says. If buying hay, he says: Test hay to make sure it meets the nutritional needs of your herd. Know the hays age, how it was stored and how it was wrapped. Buy by the ton. 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 Microsoft has patched a total of 74 flaws in its software as part of the company's Patch Tuesday updates for August 2023, down from the voluminous 132 vulnerabilities the company fixed last month. This comprises six Critical, 67 Important, and one Moderate severity vulnerabilities. Released along with the security improvements are two defense-in-depth updates for Microsoft Office (ADV230003) and the Memory Integrity System Readiness Scan Tool (ADV230004). The updates are also in addition to 30 issues addressed by Microsoft in its Chromium-based Edge browser since last month's Patch Tuesday edition and one side-channel flaw impacting certain processor models offered by AMD (CVE-2023-20569 or Inception). ADV230003 concerns an already known security flaw tracked as CVE-2023-36884, a remote code execution vulnerability in Office and Windows HTML that has been actively exploited by the Russia-linked RomCom threat actor in attacks targeting Ukraine as well as pro-Ukraine targets in Eastern Europe and North America. Microsoft said that installing the latest update "stops the attack chain" leading to the remote code execution bug. The other defense-in-depth update for the Memory Integrity System Readiness scan tool, which is used to check for compatibility issues with memory integrity (aka hypervisor-protected code integrity or HVCI), takes care of a publicly known bug wherein the "original version was published without a RSRC section, which contains resource information for a module." Also patched by the tech giant are numerous remote code execution flaws in Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) and Microsoft Teams as well as a number of spoofing vulnerabilities in Azure Apache Ambari, Azure Apache Hadoop, Azure Apache Hive, Azure Apache Oozie, Azure DevOps Server, Azure HDInsight Jupyter, and .NET Framework. On top of that, Redmond has resolved six denial-of-service (DoS) and two information disclosure flaws in MSMQ, and follows a number of other problems discovered in the same service that could result in remote code execution and DoS. Three other vulnerabilities of note are CVE-2023-35388, CVE-2023-38182 (CVSS scores: 8.0), and CVE-2023-38185 (CVSS score: 8.8) remote code execution flaws in Exchange Server the first two of which have been tagged with an "Exploitation More Likely" assessment. "The exploitation of CVE-2023-35388 and CVE-2023-38182 is somewhat restricted because of the need for an adjacent attack vector and valid Exchange credentials," Natalie Silva, lead content engineer at Immersive Labs, said. "This means the attacker needs to be connected to your internal network and be able to authenticate as a valid Exchange user before they can exploit these vulnerabilities. Any person who achieves this can carry out remote code execution using a PowerShell remoting session." Microsoft further acknowledged the availability of a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit for a DoS vulnerability in .NET and Visual Studio (CVE-2023-38180, CVSS score: 7.5), noting that the "code or technique is not functional in all situations and may require substantial modification by a skilled attacker." Lastly, the update also includes patches for five privilege escalation flaws in the Windows Kernel (CVE-2023-35359, CVE-2023-35380, CVE-2023-35382, CVE-2023-35386, and CVE-2023-38154, CVSS scores: 7.8) that could be weaponized by a threat actor with local access to the target machine to gain SYSTEM privileges. Software Patches from Other Vendors In addition to Microsoft, security updates have also been released by other vendors over the past several weeks to rectify several vulnerabilities, including GREELEY A special use permit approved by the Greeley County Commission Tuesday paves the way for a wind farm that will be built southwest of Greeley. The commission approved the motion on a 3-0 vote. The members of the board are Jordan Foltz, Dennis Wadsworth and Joe Leslie. Forty-one turbines will be built as part of the commercial wind farm project The permit was requested by Greeley Wind II LLC, which was identified on the agenda as NextEra Energy Resources. The resolution refers to the project as a utility-scale wind energy conservation system. Foltz, the boards chair, said the electricity will interconnect to the Nebraska Public Power transmission system. In approving the motion, the board approved a list of 42 conditions that must be met. About 50 people attended the meeting, which was held in the old Sacred Heart gymnasium. NextEra Energy Resources, based in Juneau Beach, Fla., was represented at the meeting by Omaha lawyer David Levy. Were grateful that the county issued the permit, Levy said after the meeting. Before making the motion, Foltz said the commissioners have listened to testimony from all sides for approximately nine months working our way through this. My personal opinion is that no project is perfect, Foltz said, adding that he has serious concerns about the long-term viability of a commercial wind farm at this point. This would be an easy decision if it was my personal decision. However, it is not. As a county commissioner, I have a duty to listen to all sides of the argument, Foltz said. Hes listened to comments on both sides and respects them, he said. Hes weighed every facet of the issue and has taken great care to apply the proper standard of voting, as is my duty, Foltz said. In the field of renewable energy, Nebraska is unique because its the only state in the country where electric utilities are publicly owned, Foltz said. Nebraskans vote for the people who sit on the boards of those utilities, he said. In 2021, Foltz said, the board of directors of the Nebraska Public Power District, the largest utility in the state, voted in favor of adopting a nonbinding decarbonization goal of zero emissions by 2050, which means that Nebraska is now the only Republican-controlled state in the U.S. which plans to fully decarbonize the electricity sector by mid-century. The states two other major utilities, Omaha Public Power District and the Lincoln Electric System, have committed over the past few years to reach net zero emission by 2050 and 2040 respectively, Foltz said. With the announcement of Nebraska Public Power District, almost every single Nebraskan could get 100% of their power from a zero carbon source by mid-century. In ruling on the conditional use permit, Foltz said, the commissioners have to follow the comprehensive plan and regulations that were in place at the time of the application. It would be unethical, lacking in integrity and be downright illegal to say to an applicant well, this is what we have in place, but were now going to change the rules to exclude you, Foltz said. What was the standard 10 years ago really doesnt serve us now, Foltz said. The Greeley County planning and zoning book, passed in 2015, does not meet our future needs. And make no mistake, Greeley County needs to be more progressive, Foltz said. Foltz believes that the terms and conditions set out in the resolution will protect the countys taxpayers and citizens to the fullest extent possible, he said. Foltz said he hopes that people whove taken part in recent wind farm discussions will stay involved. Greeley County Commissioners and the planning and zoning board approved permits for essentially the same project in 2016 and 2019, but those permits have expired, Foltz said. Foltz and Wadsworth pointed out that Greeley County has passed a moratorium on any renewable energy permit applications. Wadsworth said the board has tried to keep an open mind all the way through this, listening to both sides. Commissioners tried to come up with the best decision they could, Wadsworth said. I can say weve all put countless and countless hours of thought into this, probably more than most of you think. Wadsworth agreed with Foltz that the planning and zoning regulations are outdated. But public hearings were held back in 2015, and people expressed their opinions, Wadsworth said. Public hearings were also held in 2016 and 2019, when the previous applications were approved, Wadsworth said. So everyone had a voice in this, he said. Sometimes, things slip through the cracks, I guess you could say, and hindsight is always 20-20, Wadsworth said. Should we have done things differently in the past? Maybe, Wadsworth said. Those are things that need to be talked about moving forward, he said. With the moratorium in effect, people are encouraged to give their input, he said. Wadsworth said hes not 100% in favor of the project. A yes vote doesnt necessarily mean that we believe in wind energy. Ill flat tell you that. Im being honest, I guess, Wadsworth said. The bottom line is they applied for a special use permit and thats what were voting on is the special use permit. Its not whether we believe in wind energy or what we believe in, Wadsworth said. Commissioners were voting on the special use permit that was in front of them, he said. Commissioners realize the issues involved, Wadsworth said. I think weve done a good job trying to put together conditions here to satisfy everyone the best we can, Wadsworth said. The conditions address land owners and the possibility of decommissioning the turbines. The conditions talk about aerial spraying, road plans and everything that we can look at, said Wadsworth, who seconded the motion. One of the speakers in opposition was Robert Bernt, whos a member of Greeley County Alliance for Wise Energy. Other opponents of the project spoke later in the meeting, after the vote was taken. Bill Spelic said if the project was taken to Greeley County voters, it wouldnt have passed. Spelic held up a NextEra brochure, in which the company says it puts the community first. Spelic said the wind farm wasnt done for the community. Its all about money, he said. Charlotte Jarman said she was disappointed in the commissioners. They know in their heart that their vote was wrong, she said. A longer story about this subject will run in The Independent later this week. Cuc Phuong National Park crowned top in Asia for 5 consecutive years By Trang Nguyen Wed, August 9, 2023 | 6:18 pm GTM+7 Vietnam's Cuc Phuong National Park has been honored at the World Travel Awards 2023 as Asia's Leading National Park for the fifth consecutive year. Cuc Phuong National Park. Photo courtesy of Ninh Binh Tourism portal. Established in 1962, Cuc Phuong National Park is the oldest national park in Vietnam. Located 120 kilometers southwest of Hanoi and nestled between the provinces of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa, Cuc Phuong boasts an engaging cultural and wildlife heritage and enchanting scenery. The ancient forest harbors over 2,234 vascular and non-vascular plants, 122 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 135 species of mammals. There are also an incredible 336 documented bird species. Visitors in April and May are blessed with the chance to see literally thousands of vibrant butterflies. Admission for adults is VND60,000 ($2.55), for students VND20,000 ($0.85), and for children VND10,000 ($0.43), while children under five enter for free. The ceremony for Asia's Leading National Park Awards 2023 is scheduled to take place on September 6 in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam has also been named among Asias leading destinations in 2023 by the World Travel Awards. The World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Today, the brand is recognized globally as a hallmark of industry excellence. On August 6, Vietnam was named Asias new tourism hotspot by U.S. travel site Travel Off Path, which said the country is quickly becoming one of the most popular vacation destinations in Southeast Asia. The U.S.-based travel website identified three reasons for the rising popularity: adjusted visa requirements; well-preserved natural beauty; and a focus on tourism growth. Travel Off Path also mentioned Vietnams long coastline, which stretches for an incredible 3,260 km, and energetic cities as popularity factors. "When people think of travelling to Southeast Asia, Thailand is usually the first destination that comes to mind. But if you want to avoid the crowds of tourists in Thailand, then there is an emerging force for tourism in the region that is ripe for exploration - Vietnam," the website said. In a report released in mid-July, Vietnam was ranked ninth among the world's 10 most welcoming countries in an annual survey commissioned by Expat Insider of the international organization InterNations. "With Vietnam coming in ninth place, it is obvious that expats feel welcome there. The friendliness towards foreign residents, rated positively by 83 percent, might have a positive impact on expats general well-being," an InterNations report said. In early June, the country was named among the seven best countries to visit in Southeast Asia by British newspaper The Independent. "A similarly popular choice for Brits travelling around Asia, Vietnams various areas of natural beauty are among the most coveted in the region. "Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Danang are the best destinations for those who want to experience Vietnamese cities (Danang also has beach areas), while Hoi An is sometimes referred to as the Venice of Vietnam due to its canals, alongside its well-preserved Ancient Town comprised of wooden Chinese shophouses and French colonial buildings," it wrote. In May, leading Australian travel site Traveller named Vietnam among the world's eight budget-busting destinations perfect for family holidays. Danish A.P. Moller-Maersk to build logistics center in southern Vietnam By Tri Duc Wed, August 9, 2023 | 2:06 pm GTM+7 Denmarks integrated container logistics firm A.P. Moller-Maersk will build a major logistics center in Binh Duong province. Rene Piil Pedersen, managing director at A.P. Moller Singapore Pte Ltd, made the statement at a Tuesday meeting with Binh Duong Vice Chairman Nguyen Van Danh. The firm aims to learn more about Binh Duongs development path and industrial ecosystem to prepare for the investments and long-term operation. Binh Duong Vice Chairman Nguyen Van Danh (R) delivers a gift to Rene Piil Pedersen, managing director of A.P. Moller Singapore Pte Ltd,, at a meeting in the southern province on August 8, 2023. Photo courtesy of Binh Duong newspaper. Maersk entered Vietnam in 1991 and now employs over 1,300 people, the executive added. Besides, Maersk focuses on sustainable development and added value for society, the executive emphasized. The firm now operates five warehouses in Binh Duong, covering 151,000 square meters in key logistics locations of the province. As many as 50% of those facilities use solar energy and apply energy-saving initiatives, such as energy-saving bulbs and economical use of lighting, water, and paper as warehouse materials. Welcoming the investment, Danh asked relevant provincial agencies and departments to support the Danish firm. The southern province, also an industrial hub of Vietnam, is focusing on building a modern traffic system, developing an industrial ecosystem, improving urban areas, training a high-quality workforce, and ameliorating the investment environment. Total freight transport in Vietnam reached more than 1.3 billion tons in the first seven months of this year, up 15.3% year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office. Road traffic accounted for the biggest portion of 949.7 million tons, followed by the domestic waterways with 285 million tons. Sea transport, railway, and aviations figures were 66.1 million tons, 2.6 million tons, and 0.2 million tons, respectively. Binh Duongs figure in the period was 187.17 million tons, up 11.5% year-on-year, accounting for 14.4% of the countrys total. German pharma giant to ship billions of tablets from Vietnam to Europe By Nguyen Thuy Wed, August 9, 2023 | 9:00 pm GTM+7 German pharmaceutical giant Stada Group will ramp up drugs production at both its Vietnam factories and significantly boost exports to Europe, says CEO Peter Goldschmidt. Vietnam would serve as a supply hub for the group in the future, he said Wednesday at the opening of Stada Vietnams new head office in Ho Chi Minh City. We employ 2,000 dedicated people in Vietnam, which is our most important market in Asia, he noted. Stada Group CEO Peter Goldschmidt (4th, left) joins the ribbon cutting ceremony for Stada Vietnams new head office in Ho Chi Minh City on August 9, 2023. Photo by The Investor/Tuong Thuy. Both factories of the group are located in the central province of Phu Yen. The newer one, called Stada Plant, has European Union Good Manufacturing Practices (EU-GMP) certification for all production lines; while the first one, Pymepharco, has the certification only for some parts. Well continue to invest and expand our business in Vietnam, Goldschmidt said. Stada Vietnam is poised to send its first shipment to Europe this November. The newer plants annual capacity of 1.5 billion tablets will serve the companys European export plans, Stada Vietnam TechOps head La Quang Hoa told The Investor. It will increase to four billion in the years to come. The first plant has an annual capacity of 1.4 billion tablets, he added. Hoang Cong Duc, head of the companys site supply department, said the shipment planned to Europe in 2024 is 90 million tablets and this will increase to 2.5 billion by 2026. He told The Investor that the Stada tablets made in Vietnam will be transported to Germany, Romania, and Serbia, from where they will be distributed in European markets. Outlining the groups future plans in Vietnam, Goldschmidt said that both plants will also launch a broad range of consumer healthcare products and further develop the production of generic drugs. The two plants are dedicated to expanding the export of high quality made-in-Vietnam products to Europe and continue to ensure affordable access to essential medicines for the Vietnamese people, Goldschmidt said, adding that this would foster pharmaceutical growth in the country. The new Stada Vietnam plant will play a crucial role in avoiding shortages in Europe based on the dedication and strong engagement of our highly-qualified Vietnamese employees, he emphasized. Stada Group CEO Peter Goldschmidt speaks at the launch of Stada Vietnam's new head office in Ho Chi Minh City, August 9, 2023. Photo by The Investor/Tuong Thuy. Vietnam has around 2000 of the groups 13,000 employees the world over. Stadas Vietnam investment commitment serves as compelling evidence that Vietnam represents a favorable and appropriate destination for high-value production within an ambitious industry, said Marko Walde, chief representative of AHK, the German Chamber of Commerce, for Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. It also showed how the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement facilitates and encourages German investment in Vietnam, he added. At the Wednesday event, Stada Vietnam donated an artificial kidney filtration machine to the Phu Yen General Hospital. Vietjet launches new Vietnam-Australia direct route By Trang Nguyen Wed, August 9, 2023 | 2:43 pm GTM+7 Vietjet on Monday announced a direct route connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Perth, linking Vietnams most dynamic city and the beautiful Western Australia state. The new route has increased the number of flights between Vietnam and Australia operated by Vietjet to 38 per week. On November 21, 2023, Vietjet will officially launch the Ho Chi Minh City-Perth route with two return flights per week. The flights from Ho Chi Minh City will take off at 1:35 p.m. (local time) on Tuesdays and Saturdays, land in Perth at 9:20 p.m. (local time). In the opposite direction, flights will depart from Perth International Airport at 11:20 a.m. (local time) and land at Tan Son Nhat Airport (Ho Chi Minh City) at 5:05 a.m. (local time) also on Tuesdays and Saturdays. A Vietjet Air plane. Photo courtesy of the carrier. On August 5, Vietjet commenced a direct route connecting HCMC to Indonesias Jakarta. The route is Vietjet's third direct service between Indonesia and Vietnam. With seven flights per week taking just three hours on modern aircraft, Vietjets new flights provide more travel option between HCMC and Jakarta, two leading urban centers. The direct service linking Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City will make it easier and more affordable than ever for Vietnamese to visit Jakarta and vice versa. More direct flights between Vietnam and Indonesia will further create abundant opportunities for seamless travel, business collaborations, and boosting bilateral trade, tourism, and cultural exchanges," said Vietjet vice chairman Nguyen Thanh Son. Daily flights depart from HCMC at 09:35 a.m. and arrive at 12:30 p.m. in Jakarta. The return flight takes off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) in Jakarta at 1:30 p.m. and arrives at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City at 4:40 p.m. (all in local time GMT+7). In addition to the new HCMC-Jakarta route, the airline will also increase flights between Bali, HCMC and Hanoi, offering 84 flights a week between Vietnam and Indonesia from August 12. The carrier will launch 5-hour direct flights between HCMC and Tiruchirappalli, India on November 2, 2023 with three return flights per week. Flights from HCMC to Tiruchirappalli will take off on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m., and land at 11:30 p.m. (local time). Flights from Tiruchirappalli to HCMC will take off at 00:30 a.m. and land at 7 a.m. (local time) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. With the new direct route from HCMC-Tiruchirappalli, Vietjet has officially increased its total number of flights connecting Vietnam with India to nearly 70 per week. Previously, Vietjet on August 2, jubilantly welcomed the first non-stop flight connecting Vietnam's ancient capital of Hue with the South Korean capital of Seoul, marking the first flight transporting Korean tourists to the new terminal at Phu Bai airport. The first connection between Hue and Seoul was a charter flight operated by the Vietnamese budget carrier, bringing international tourists to the ancient and poetic town of Hue. Hue-Seoul is the second international route operated by Vietjet from the new terminal at Phu Bai airport in central Vietnam. Previously, Vietjet was the first airline to launch international flights from Phu Bai to Kunming city, China. Vietnam welcomed 6.6 million international arrivals in the first seven months of the year, up 5.9 times year-on-year and equal to 83% of the country's yearly target. South Korea was the largest source with nearly 1.9 million arrivals, accounting for one third of the total, followed by China with 738,000 and the U.S. with 445,000. On June 24, Vietnams National Assembly approved a government proposal to extend the validity of tourist e-visas to 90 days with multiple entry, starting August 15. Since the country reopened to tourism after a prolonged hiatus courtesy of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam has only been granting 30-day, single entry visas. Under the new policy, foreigners with valid visas will be able to enter and exit Vietnam multiple times without having to apply for new visas each time. The National Assembly also agreed to extend the stay of visitors from countries that are unilaterally exempt from visas from 15 to 45 days. This adjustment will also take effect on August 15. Travel firms said they're organizing longer tours to take advantage of opportunities that the new 90-day visa policy may bring when it takes effect. NASA's "Mission Equity" initiative was described as "a comprehensive effort to assess expansion and modification of agency programs, procurements, grants, and policies, and examine what potential barriers and challenges exist for communities that are historically underrepresented and underserved" when it was launched in June 2021 on orders from the Biden White House. In other words, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) has become the standard by which NASA makes choices. Eric Schmitt from Missouri and Ted Cruz from Texas, two Republican senators, rightfully criticized NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and what Schmitt called the "misguided woke policies related to climate change and diversity, equity, and inclusion" put forth by the Biden administration during a hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee in May of this year. President Biden tweeted about the new Artemis program, referring to "Artemis" as the twin sister of the Greek god Apollo: "This ship will enable the first woman and the first person of color to set foot on the lunar surface." Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized in a speech to the National Space Council that "The Artemis Program will return American astronauts to the Lunar surface, and as Madam Director mentioned, it will include the first woman and person of color." (Photo: by Alex Wong/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 07: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an East Room event at the White House on August 7, 2023, in Washington, DC. President Biden hosted the Houston Astros at the White House to honor their 2022 World Series victory. When it comes to sending American astronauts back to the moon, the Biden White House and the NASA agency that is under its authority appear to be driven by identity politics. With the launch of Artemis III, NASA hopes to go back to the moon at the earliest in 2026. Four astronauts will travel on that voyage on the Orion spacecraft. Read also: NASA Puts the Brakes on Lithium Mining at Site Used to Calibrate Satellites Biden and Identity Politics Some critics have accused Biden of using identity politics to advance his own agenda. They argue that he is more interested in making a statement about diversity than in actually achieving his goal of returning to the moon. Others argue that Biden is simply being realistic about the need to attract a diverse pool of talent if the Artemis program is to succeed. There is no doubt that identity politics has played a role in Biden's approach to the Artemis program. However, it is important to note that he is not the only one who has used this approach. The Trump administration also made diversity a priority for its space program, and it appointed several women and people of color to key positions. Ultimately, the question of whether or not Biden is using identity politics to advance his own agenda is a matter of opinion. However, there is no doubt that he is committed to making sure that the Artemis program is inclusive and representative of all Americans. Related article: NASA, SpaceX Eye Potential Orbital Boost To Add Years of Operational Life to Hubble Space Telescope @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Information Security Cloudflare Offers Zero Trust Program Free to Small K12 School Districts Internet security company Cloudflare announced a new initiative at the recent White House Back to School Safely: Cybersecurity for K12 Schools event: it will provide Zero Trust cybersecurity for small public school districts up to 2,500 students at no charge, and with no time limit. The program is called Project Cybersafe Schools. Cloudflare noted that small school districts often lack the ability or funds to protect themselves against cyberthreats. Yet, those threats are increasing, the company said: During the second quarter of 2023 alone, it blocked 70 million security breach attempts every day in the U.S. education sector. The company also cited examples of ransomware attacks in 2022 against large school districts in Los Angeles and Albuquerque that compromised the data and safety of tens of thousands of students. Cloudflares Cybersafe program aims to take the following actions: Safeguard inboxes from targeted cyberattacks to protect against multiple threats, including multichannel phishing, credential harvesting, and others; Stop confidential student data leaks by preemptively blocking phishing, Business Email Compromise attacks, malware-less fraud, and more; and Improve browsing by preventing users from going to harmful content like ransomware or phishing sites with DNS filtering. As a member of the governments Joint Cyber Defense Collective, Cloudflare says its program complies with the Childrens Internet Protection Act. As another school year is set to begin, we are committed in tandem with the White House to help our nations schools better protect themselves so they can focus on what they do best: teaching students, said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. School districts interested in signing up can go directly to the application page. A New Era for K-12 Cyber Resilience In a ransomware attack, malicious actors lock up data and systems, holding them hostage in an effort to extort a fee from the victim. The rising frequency of this type of attack has profound implications for K12, beyond just the potential financial loss. Download this Emerging Tech & Trends Checklist to learn why across the K12 cybersecurity landscape, its a time of both peril and promise. SPRINGFIELD Memorial Health is laying off hundreds of employees, primarily in leadership, administrative and support positions, in response to financial troubles, officials said. The layoffs, 20% of which are leadership positions, were brought on by "current national and statewide economic trends negatively affecting the health care industry," the hospital system said in a statement to Lee Enterprises on Tuesday. "Several hundred" employees are impacted by the layoffs, Memorial said. The reduction represents 5% of the system's total salary and benefits. Memorial Health operates hospitals in Decatur, Springfield, Taylorville, Lincoln and Jacksonville and primary care facilities across central Illinois. Departing employees will receive a severance package, a health insurance stipend and support resources, Memorial said. Some may have the chance to transfer to different roles within the organization. This is a difficult decision that was made after careful analysis and implementation of other cost-saving measures. Memorial Health is not immune to national trends, such rising cost of supplies and equipment, high cost of labor and shifting trends in payer reimbursements, Ed Curtis, Memorial Health president and CEO, said in the statement. "We are committed to continuing to provide the highest quality of care for the communities we serve, and this action, while painful, enables us to focus on our core mission," Curtis said. In response to an emailed list of follow-up questions from Lee Enterprises, a Memorial spokesperson said the system has no further comment. The layoffs come as Decatur Memorial Hospital is still absorbing new patients after unit closures at HSHS St. Marys Hospital in Decatur. The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board in June unanimously approved St. Marys request to permanently close its advanced inpatient rehabilitation, obstetrics and newborn nursery, pediatrics and inpatient behavioral health services. After the review board decision, DMH President and CEO Drew Early told Lee Enterprises his hospital saw a major influx in the obstetrics and newborn units. We're over 100 additional births this year versus this time last year, Early said in June. It's been something we've been able to absorb. It's taken some adjusting. Anytime you move large volumes of patients like this, you know, there's a learning curve. After the St. Marys closures, DMH became the primary center for baby births and obstetrics care in Macon County. DMH saw 600 babies born at the hospital in 2022. Administrators expect that number to near or top 1,000 by the end of this year. DMH made significant financial investments to support those anticipated high birth rates, including a 24/7, in-house laborist service. Per Beckers Hospital CFO Report, at least 76 hospitals and health systems nationwide have cut jobs due to financial and operational challenges so far this year, as of Aug. 8. History photos: Decatur Memorial Hospital people and places through the years Surgery room Adding a wing in 1967 1959 operation Nursing school CO2 laser Blood pressure check View from above Open house cardiac care Nursing and Care Unit New lobby Expansion open house Decatur Memorial Hospital in 1976 Decatur and Macon County Hospital new lobby Decatur and Macon County Hospital 1969 expansion Name change to DMH Waking up in the morning is tough & many people are searching for that opportunity that makes them excited to get up and go to work! If you canhere are why experts say you have not yet found your dream job. A 40-year-old man is accused of shooting a Denmark man to death on Monday afternoon. Kurtino Damon Weathersbee of Blythewood is facing charges of murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent felony. Hes accused of shooting 48-year-old James McCreary, of Old Town Road, multiple times with a 9 mm handgun before fleeing the scene, according to S.C. Law Enforcement Division affidavits. Witnesses provided information that helped agents identify the alleged killer, the affidavits say. The shooting incident was reported at around 3:45 p.m. Bamberg County Sheriff Kenny Bamberg and deputies discovered McCrearys body on the ground of a Cardinal Road yard in Denmark. Medics from MedShore Ambulance service attempted lifesaving measures, but werent successful. Bamberg asked SLED to investigate the case. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources, the Denmark Fire Department and first responders also responded to the scene. Weathersbee remains at the Bamberg County Detention Center. A circuit judge may consider setting his bond at a later date. If Weathersbee is convicted, he faces up to life in prison. Denmark Technical College honored local heroes and first responders at its annual fall semester faculty and staff summer institute. Among those honored were Bamberg County Deputy Dwayne Duckson and Denmark Technical College Public Safety Officer Shannon Branch. The officers were recognized for their efforts to assist S.C. Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. B.A. Frazier on the morning of April 16. Rodney Bond, police chief at Denmark Technical College, presented Duckson and Branch with plaques for demonstrating heroism, skill, resourcefulness, sound judgment and exceptional merit in the face of adversity. While en route to a domestic violence call around 3:30 a.m., Duckson observed Frazier on the side of U.S. Highway 78 in Denmark. Duckson stopped to assist with the traffic stop. As Frazier was writing the speeding ticket, Duckson thought that the driver of the vehicle was acting strangely. The subject was constantly looking out of the side view mirror and acting very suspicious. Trooper Frazier also realized his activities were not normal, he said. According to Duckson, Frazier approached the vehicle to issue the ticket and compare the identity of the driver to the provided license because it did not look like the suspect. Duckson was on the passenger side of the car when the driver reached out the window and shot Frazer in the face. Duckson immediately returned fire and the driver, still in his vehicle, sped off. Duckson rendered aid to the injured officer, alerted paramedics and informed other officers of where the suspect was headed. At that time, I had to react to make sure Trooper Frazier was OK and to make sure that we had eyes on where the suspect was going, he said. Upon hearing officer needs assistance, shots fired on the radio, Branch left campus to assist. Branch was only three miles from the incident. Its adrenaline. I work pretty closely to Sgt. Duckson at night, and hearing him on the radio and hearing his voice kind of got me amped up, he said. Branch says his quick response was automatic, because day one from the academy, thats what they want you to do, whether its one of yours, another agency or even another area. Bond commended the officers for their heroic actions. Were talking 3:30 in the morning. Anybody that lives in South Carolina knows the roadways dont have lights. It takes a lot of courage and heart to face gunfire at night, Bond said. He also acknowledged the Bamberg County Sheriffs Office, Emergency Medical Services workers and the South Carolina Highway Patrol. I want to make sure that we recognize all of the other agencies that were a part of the manhunt for the subject and supported the trooper at the scene of the incident, he said. The pursuit ended in Branchville after the suspects vehicle crashed into a house. Derrick Edward Gathers, 37, of Augusta, Georgia, was charged with two counts of attempted murder, possession of weapon during the commission of violent crime and failure to stop for blue lights. He was denied bond and, if convicted, faces up to 60 years in prison. Duckson says Frazier is recovering. Right now Trooper Frazier is doing good. We had a fundraiser a couple of weeks ago in the County of Bamberg and he came out with his family. Hes doing very well and looking to get back on the job, he said. Duckson said, They say hero, but its a part of my job. I would do it for anybody and I will continue to do my job. But I really appreciate the recognition from the County of Bamberg and Demark Technical College. During the event, the college also recognized its nursing department and department of public safety. Bond says the presentation is the first of a series that will honor local heroes and first responders. Minority row crop farmers from the South and Southeast will tour a Rowesville row crop farm on Friday, Sept. 8. The National Black Growers Council (NBGC), a group of predominantly minority row crop farmers, will tour Mahogany Farms LLC owned by Rowesville row crop farmer Antron Williams during the NBGC's model farm series of farm field days. The free tour is open to the public. Registration is from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. at 131 Poplar St., Bowman. The farm field day demonstration and tour will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. A luncheon to be held after the tour is not open to the public. The NBGC is a group of multigenerational producers who advocate for the best interests of Black farmers locally, statewide, and nationally. The group promotes agriculture in the United States and abroad. The origins of the National Black Growers Council date back to 2006 when a group of Black row crop farmers met to address issues vital to the viability of their operations. In 2010 those farmers formerly organized as a non-profit organization. NBGCs mission is to improve the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of Black row-crop farmers. The NBGC Board of Directors consists of 12 farmers who operate farms in 11 Southern states from Virginia to Texas. Collectively, the board farms nearly 60,000 acres of row crops. Various wildlife conservation organizations estimate only approximately 5,000 panthera tigris tigers remain in the wild. This alarming number equals a roughly 95% decrease in wild tigers in the past century or so. Endangered since 1986 due to multiple factors, including loss of habitat due to human activity as well as poaching to illegally sell tiger parts for use in traditional medicine, tiger numbers have dwindled dramatically in recent decades. These devastating statistics prompted Clemson University President and member of the Global Tiger Initiative Council Jim Clements, Ph.D. to act in 2017. He chartered the Tigers United University Consortium, a group of tiger mascot universities in the Southeastern U.S. comprised of Clemson University, Auburn University, Louisiana State University and the University of Missouri, to help save the remaining population of wild tigers. Clements appointed former Clemson Dean Brett Wright as director of Tigers United to connect key university stakeholders to the highest-level conservation officials in India, the worlds preeminent tiger range country where more than 70% of the worlds tigers roam. Tiger Habitats Along with poaching, a dramatic reduction in tiger habitats has contributed to the decline of the species. Tigers currently exist in 10 of the On his most recent trip to India, Wright traveled with distinguished guest Wendy York, dean of the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business at Clemson University and honorary member of the Global Tiger Forum. After touring the country and speaking with government officials, York and Wright see a different path to success in tiger protection. Business. Poaching, at its core, is a business proposition. In areas with few economic opportunities, the black market sale of exotic, endangered animals presents a way to earn more money than the local economy can provide. In India, where tiger numbers are on the rise after decades of conservation efforts, community-based eco-development committees focus on a business solution: making poaching obsolete by creating jobs and providing ways to bring products to market. Wendy York Wendy York, dean of the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business at Clemson University, met with Divya Khandal of Dhonk Crafts to learn mo We can create a ring of protection around places like the Periyar Tiger Reserve by developing a true economic alternative to poaching, explained York. We met with businesspeople who gather wild honey, grow spices and create beautiful fabrics, but they need a way to get these goods to market. Business solution Eco-development committees across India are making progress in creating opportunities and standardizing markets for local businesses. During her visit, York spoke with a variety of entrepreneurs, including Divya Khandal of Dhonk Crafts. Located in Ranthambore, an area known as the tiger capital of India and home of the Ranthambore National Park and Tiger Reserve, Dhonk Crafts works specifically to create sustainable livelihood opportunities for the tigers neighbors by up-skilling them in traditional arts and crafts. Get The Times and Democrat app today Local news has never been this personal. Free to download. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access. After seeing the entrepreneurial spirit of Khandal and others who are determined to take control of their future and create a positive impact on tiger conservation, York brainstormed with Wright to create an outline for what she hopes will become a set of academic programs that create amazing student experiences and unique faculty research opportunities all while strengthening the local economies that surround tiger reserves in India. It makes sense that, given a safer way to support their families, people will work to preserve the asset that brings a lot of tourists into the area to purchase their goods and services, said York. Ecotourism can contribute to the success of these local economies, but the animals have to thrive alongside the businesses in order for this to work. Connecting Clemsons business leader and, thus, classes of brilliant business students to this amazing landscape of people and wildlife in India will, we believe, produce profitable outcomes for both sides an incredible and meaningful learning experience for Clemson students and numerous benefits for the areas eco-development committees, commented Wright. Tigers United Consortium In April 2023, Tigers United University Consortium sent a team of Clemson University administrators, faculty and Ph.D. students to India to le York looks forward to supporting Wright as he and his team develop proposals for faculty and student programming that could include learning experiences, research opportunities and industry engagement all designed to elevate endangered tigers and impact the economies that protect them. Its a wonderful opportunity for our faculty and students to think more globally, said York. All animals play a part in the balance of nature, and we have a responsibility to be mindful of the impact of our actions. On her trip to India, York joined a cadre of Clemson University representatives, from Ph.D. students to faculty and administrators: Lori Dickes, associate professor and associate chair, Department of Political Science; Aby Sene-Harper, assistant professor, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management; Sarah White, professor and nursery Extension specialist, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences; Cameron Smith, Ph.D. student, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management; Ifeanyi Ogbekene, Ph.D. student, Department of Political Science. Small differences, big changes For individuals who wish to make a difference, York recommends supporting the Tigers United University Consortium at Clemson University and the local businesses that will help to protect tigers and other endangered animals by providing a financial alternative to poaching. We have a real responsibility, said York. We each can make a small difference, even when we cannot travel to India. The kidnapping of American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter in Haiti has ended, according to a statement from Dorsainvil's employer. As stated in the release, "It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child, who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti. Today we are praising God for answered prayer." Because there is still so much to comprehend and recover from, the group requested that no one get in touch with Dorsainvil or her family, CNN reported. Mother and Daughter Finally Freed Dorsainvil and her daughter were taken hostage from the community ministry in Port-au-Prince, where she works. El Roi Haiti is the name of the organization. The city's gangs regularly abduct members of the community for financial gain, demanding ransom in exchange for release. Although locals make up the vast majority of victims, sometimes foreigners are taken hostage. While on the route north of the capital in 2021, a local gang kidnapped 17 missionaries from the United States and Canada, imprisoning them for almost a month. According to United Nations research, between January and June of this year, authorities in Haiti recorded 1,014 kidnappings, including 256 women, 13 girls, and 24 boys. The US Department of State expressed alarm about the security situation in Haiti on the day Dorsainvil and her daughter were kidnapped. On July 28, the agency issued an order for all but essential federal employees to leave the country. Dorsainvil, a nurse originally from New Hampshire, relocated to Haiti when her husband was offered a job at a Haitian school, where she could provide nursing care to the students there, according to a video posted on the nonprofit's website. In the 2021 newsletter produced by Sandro Dorsainvil's high school in Montana, Lustre Christian High School, the pair tied the knot in Haiti in January of that year. See Also: US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Temporarily Closes After Officials Report' Rapid Gunfire' Amid Rising Gang Violence Rally for Safety Earlier this week, thousands of Haitians went to the streets of Port-au-Prince to demand safety from the violent gangs that have been ravaging their towns. Protesters spent two hours chanting, "We want security!" as they made their way from the violent Carrefour-Feuilles neighborhood to the peaceful Champ de Mars in the city center and finally to the official residence of the prime minister. According to reports, tear gas was used by police to disperse the crowd. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Mose in 2021, gangs have taken control of as much as 80% of Port-au-Prince. They are promoting fear and violence in areas where poverty is already at crisis levels. Protesters have vowed to keep the revolution going despite the murders of nearly 200 people since then as gangs take control of Haiti's understaffed and under-resourced police force. See Also: US Considering Placing Kenya in Charge of Thousands of Police Officers in Haiti @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (TBTCO) - Tuan toi, Chu tich Cuc Du tru Lien bang My (FED) Jerome Powell se phat bieu ve trien vong kinh te tai hoi nghi chuyen e kinh te Jackson Hole hang nam cua FED tai thanh pho Kansas, voi su tham du cua lanh ao cac ngan hang trung uong hang au the gioi. Cac nha au tu se xem xet bai phat bieu rat uoc mong oi nay e tim manh moi ve trien vong lai suat, ma FED a nang len muc 5,25% en 5,5% vao thang truoc, muc cao nhat trong 22 nam. Ba Lagarde, Chu tich ECB cung phat bieu tai hoi nghi. BEIRUT Caretaker Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Bou Habib, announced Monday that Lebanon has "concluded an agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] regarding the transmission of data related to all Syrian refugees present on Lebanese territory." The request from Beirut had been pending for several months against a backdrop of a rise in anti-Syrian rhetoric in Lebanon. Bou Habib made the announcement following a meeting with a UNHCR delegation, the state-run National News Agency reported. "I am pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement between Lebanon and the UNHCR regarding the submission of data for all refugees," the minister said. "This marks the end of a long process of negotiations that began nearly a year ago," he continued. "This agreement serves the interests of both Lebanese and the UN, as well as those of donors, by preventing individuals who illegally exploit the benefits provided by the UNHCR from depriving more deserving individuals." Bou Habib added that he believes receiving this data is Lebanon's "sovereign right," as the country has the right to know the identity of all individuals present on its territory. Use of data When contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, a Lebanese diplomatic source explained that "this data will be transmitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within the next three months and includes complete personal information of individuals benefiting from UNHCR's assistance." The source specified that once received, this data will be used by General Security to "compare the names of individuals benefiting from this assistance with those of individuals crossing the border" between Lebanon and Syria, which is not allowed in order to maintain refugee status. The source added, "99 percent of Syrian refugees present on Lebanese soil are primarily here for economic reasons, not security. According to international law, refugee status [and therefore their right to benefit from UNHCR's financial assistance] is granted to individuals who are in danger upon returning to their country, not to those who make frequent trips back and forth." Commitment to the principle of 'non-refoulement' UNHCR affirmed in a statement that the agreement reached between Lebanon and the organization "is in accordance with global data protection standards." "The Lebanese Government committed not to use any data shared for purposes contrary to international law," the agency added. At the same time, Beirut has "reaffirmed its commitment to the principle of non-refoulement and its obligations under international and domestic law," UNHCR stated. It clarified that implementation modalities are still under discussion between the two parties. When contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, UNHCR did not provide any details on the subject beyond those provided in its official statement. In late April, Lebanese authorities announced a series of measures targeting Syrian refugees. The measures had been agreed during a meeting at the Grand Serail chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Among these measures, the ministers and security officials present had specifically called on UNHCR to provide Beirut with its data on the presence of Syrians in Lebanon, and urged the international community to participate in refugee care. These decisions were made after a majority of political parties demanded the return of Syrian refugees a call that the international community has so far refused to endorse due to the lack of a political solution to the Syrian conflict and the assessment that the security situation is not conducive to the refugees' return. POWELL Sobering news resulting from a multi-year Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance program by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department between 2018 and 2022 shows significant increases in the fatal disease for the states prized mule deer and elk herds. In one herd, the prevalence rate is calculated at 65% in mule deer bucks, and there are concerning increases in infected elk, including hunt areas popular for Big Horn Basin hunters. The disease, which typically kills infected animals within two years after initial exposure, now occurs in 34 of Wyomings 37 mule deer herds, and 15 of the states 36 elk herd units. The report also reveals that the disease is increasing in younger mule deer bucks and does, which is changing the dynamics of herds. Because CWD positive animals only live two years, the average age of the herd slowly shifts to those younger animals and older animals become rare, said Hank Edwards, the departments Wildlife Health Laboratory supervisor. Obviously, since females are the foundation of the herd, as prevalence increases and more females become infected, the reproduction, growth and resilience of the herd is constrained, he told the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission at the July meeting in Wheatland. The news doesnt get any better. The department is also concerned the disease will continue to worsen due to the presence of protein prions in the environment, which can persist on the ground for years after an animal dies. As more and more prions get deposited, our ability to control this disease is going to become really constrained because then its the environment driving the show, not animal to animal [contact], Edwards said. Environmental exposure can occur when an animal comes into contact with contaminated soil, plants or hay, and contaminated surfaces such as mineral licks and carcasses. We know that these prions can persist in the environment for a very long time, at least 16 years, Edwards said. There was a time when scientists thought equilibrium for the disease would be somewhere between 30% and 50%, based on numbers with other wildlife diseases studied by the department. But news out of Canada has opened the eyes of department scientists to an even worse case scenario. Prevalence rates among male mule deer in the South Saskatchewan River Valley are in the range of 85%. Females have a prevalence rate of 35%. Weve seen a tenfold increase in infection rates in the last decade, said Iga Stasiak, provincial wildlife health specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, in a recent press release. To give the commissioners an idea of the impact of prevalence rates that high, Edwards said the number of deer dying per year from the disease is approximately half that of the prevalence rate (because the disease kills within about two years of infection). For example, the prevalence rate for CWD in the Greybull River herd is more than 40% for both mule deer and white-tailed bucks, meaning about 20% of the herds bucks will die each year at that rate. The states highest prevalence rate is in hunt areas near Pavillion in Fremont County. The prevalence in mule deer bucks there reaches almost 65% and 24% in females. Rates are also concerning in the Upper Shoshone and Shoshone herd units near Powell and throughout the Bighorn Mountain range. Not enough samples were collected in the Clarks Fork herd to make a determination. Cody Region Wildlife Management Coordinator Corey Class recently reported the Shoshone River herd in hunt areas 121 (west of Powell) and 122 (south and southwest of Powell) had a prevalence rate of about 45%. Area elk herds with reported infections include the Cody Region and throughout the Bighorns. Rates for area elk infections are about the same for males and females, running about 5% or less, but the prevalence rate is about 11% in the Iron Mountain herd in southeast Wyoming. CWD is a progressive disease that affects the brain, spinal cord, and many other tissues of farmed and free-ranging ungulates. The Centers for Disease Control suggests deer, elk and moose testing positive for CWD should not be consumed. Wyoming is moving toward school vouchers even as lawmakers have been warned that courts could strike them down as unconstitutional. Members of the Joint Education Committee met in Cheyenne on Tuesday to debate a series of draft bills that would drastically reshape K-12 schooling in Wyoming, putting more power and money in the hands of parents. One of the most significant bills would create a statewide school voucher system for some Wyoming families, allowing them to put public funds toward private schools, tutoring and other educational services for the first time. Yet, as the panel weighed the bill proposed by Speaker of the House Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, lawmakers heard that their efforts could run afoul of the Wyoming Constitution. Officials from the Legislative Service Office acknowledged that the Legislature is in unknown territory as lawmakers look to navigate the state constitution as part of a broad push by conservatives to expand school choice in Wyoming and across the country. When I was looking at it, I decided, Well, I want to try to make this as constitutional as I can, Sommers said. Sommers proposal would create an entirely new education savings account, or voucher program, run through the state superintendent of public instruction and Wyoming Department of Education. The state would give families who make less than 250% of the federal poverty level $3,000 per child each year to go toward educational costs. The money would support educational services, including tuition to a private school and tutoring, as well as school uniforms, textbooks and advanced placement test fees. The Legislature would fund the program with $40 million in general fund dollars, though lawmakers would need to designate more money so that the Department of Education could hire additional staff to run the new program. As it stands, half of the money would go to families with K-12 students, while the other half would go toward paying for preschool and early childhood education. The program would not exclude religious organizations, allowing families to use the money to pay for Catholic schools. My intent was to provide a vehicle for funding for both school choice and early education, both of which I believe are important to parents in the state of Wyoming, Sommers said. Sommers used bills that failed during the last legislative session as a basis for the draft, including proposals by Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, and Rep. Ocean Andrew, R-Laramie, which would have allowed any family to access $6,000 per child in state funds to put toward education. However, he said he narrowed and altered the program to avoid potential conflicts with the state constitution. The Wyoming Constitution broadly prohibits the state from giving residents money except for necessary support of the poor, which Sommers said led him to limit the families who could participate in the program. The draft bill also includes the requirement that students with vouchers take statewide standardized tests to ensure that they have access to the adequate education guaranteed by the state constitution. However, Tania Hytrek, an administrator with Legislative Service Office, warned that even with the changes the school voucher system could run up against the Wyoming Constitution. A Legislative Service Office memo submitted to the committee last month highlighted six separate constitutional concerns. The Wyoming Constitution bans giving state funds to religious organizations and any person, corporation or community not under the absolute control of the state, both of which prove a legal challenge for a school voucher system. Wyoming also has an extensive history of court rulings that have concluded the state constitution guarantees the adequacy and equity of funding, a principle with which the voucher system could conflict, according to the memo. Hytrek told lawmakers that the final fate of a school voucher system would likely be decided by the courts. I dont know that anyone can sit at this table and tell you definitively this is constitutional or its not constitutional, she said. There hasnt been a case like this before the Wyoming Supreme Court. There hasnt been a case like this before the United States Supreme Court taking into consideration Wyomings constitutional provisions and our school finance litigation. Lawmakers on the committee struggled to find a clear path forward, debating how to advance a school voucher system while avoiding the constitutional concerns. Rep. Martha Lawley, R-Worland, said lawmakers had to find a middle ground between their goal of expanding school choice and the Wyoming Constitution. [Its] a matter of balancing some of those interests and going too far, she said. Some of those who testified backed school vouchers but said that Sommers proposal didnt go far enough, further clouding questions around the constitutionality of the draft bill. Dicky Shanor, the chief of staff for State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, said Degenfelder supported school vouchers but believed that lawmakers should expand the program to every family with K-12 students in Wyoming while also increasing the stipend. We really need to look at that $3,000 amount and get it closer to what the per-pupil expenditure is because the consequence of not doing that is providing almost a false option, Shanor said. If its not enough, no ones going to use it and then the program will be determined to be a failure. Rep. David Northrup, R-Powell, the chairman of the House Education Committee, ultimately announced that the panel will move forward with the bill, amending and voting on it during the groups November meeting. As the committee continues to ready a school voucher system ahead of the 2024 legislative session, Brian Farmer, the executive director of the Wyoming School Boards Association, encouraged lawmakers to stick with he said was a guiding principle in the states K-12 schooling. When you receive public dollars dollars from a state of Wyoming they must come with accountability and they must come with transparency, he said. 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. CODY The controversy over the proposed Cody temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints became more polarized last week, as LDS representatives said they would not consider another location besides Skyline Drive. It was a gut punch that they never considered it, because that would fix all the dissent, said Carla Egelhoff, a member of the Preserve Our Cody Neighborhoods. The location is the one thing thats not OK about this building. LDS representatives also said potential litigation would be costly for the city and its residents, who would likely lose in the courts, and cited a federal law protecting religious rights. It was clearly a threat, said Terry Skinner, a member of the Preserve Our Cody Neighborhoods. Its a financial threat to the citizens and city of Cody. Those exchanges occurred Thursday during a Zoom meeting that included lawyers with Kirton McConkie of Salt Lake City for LDS; POCN attorney Deb Wendtland of Sheridan; and four POCN members. Church officials did present two changes to the temple plans, which they described as very generous concessions, Egelhoff said. But to her, the offer to lower the 101-foot tower by 16 feet was a non-starter, because its three times the maximum height allowed in their rural-residential zone. Yet, she added, the LDS officials said the reduction was the most they could do and still maintain the integrity of the temple. The other change would limit the parking lot lighting to 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., or 18 rather than 24 hours a day, unless the temple were being used. There was no concession, Skinner said. The lot would be lit on Sundays and Mondays, Egelhoff added, even though the temple wouldnt be in use and the gates would be closed. I think they were very oblique about firm lighting plans, she said. Furthermore, those changes would be off the table if the issue goes to court, LDS officials told the group. Theyre holding it over us like the sword of Damocles, Egelhoff said. Modifications to the architectural lighting were also mentioned, but no definite plan emerged, Skinner noted. Thats one of my objections that Ive repeatedly raised, said Egelhoff, citing the Casper temple will have flood lights illuminating every wall in the tower. This has created such an uproar, Skinner said, which would disappear if the temple were proposed for a commercial zone. And in that zone, lighting wouldnt be an issue, Egelhoff added. The LDS officials said they prefer an illuminated building with some enhanced lighting, she said, in a way that is respectful to you as neighbors. Legal issues Loyal Hulme of Kirton McConkie opened the meeting by saying the church wanted to find common ground. Skinner said he attended to gather information that hed report to POCN. Most of the discussion, about 90%, was by LDS officials, he added. We took notes, Skinner said. LDS has already filed two lawsuits against the city contesting procedures by Codys Planning and Zoning Board. Hulme said the legal moves were made to preserve the churchs rights. He also cited the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), which Congress passed to strengthen the right of incarcerated individuals to assert their religious principles and to help religious institutions avoid state regulations of their property through zoning restrictions, according to www.mtsu.edu. Hulme said his firm successfully argued several cases based on RLUIPA. But our research of RLUIPA cases that his law firm participated in found none that they won, Egelhoff said. Further, Skinner said, RLUIPA doesnt say you dont have to follow certain building codes. Still, Hulme said at the meeting that he felt the church had complied with all city regulations, and that if the issue goes to court, we really do believe its a strong case. New arguments surface Two new arguments against the proposed location of the Cody temple emerged Friday: one about the status of Skyline Drive and the other about protecting views. They were presented during a meeting with members of Preserve Our Cody Neighborhoods, city planning and zoning board members Carson Rowley and Josh White, and city attorney Scott Kolpitcke. Terry Skinner of POCN said his group told city officials that Cody ordinances are neutral by applying equally to everyone, so that negates the RLUIPA argument. He also said the city council adopted the Cody Master Plan in March 2014, so it is the law. The plan mentions the goal of dark skies. Regarding Skyline Drive, Skinner said its narrow width and lack of sidewalks means its insufficient to handle the increased traffic the temple will likely generate. Further, the bridge over the canal beyond the temple site is only 23-feet wide. As to building heights, Skinner said the P&Z board required Cody Labs to lower its building on Road 2AB so it wouldnt project above the bluff and thus protect the view. The company was also required to aim outdoor lighting down to protect night skies. GUARDIAN Holdings Ltd is not just sold as a rock, it is as solid as bedrock, its chief executive officer Ian Chinapoo has said, as he assured that the group, even in the face of recent concerns, remains both stable and reliable. At the end of the day we know who we are, we know we are very, very, very strong, we know our investments are all over the world, we know that we are well diversified, we know that we have a business that has honoured every single claim, Chinapoo told the Express during a sit-down interview at his Westmoorings office. The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) announced Wednesday (August 9) they would be making next-generation 2-nanometer semiconductor chips at its newest plant in Kaohsiung once it was completed. A company spokesman told local media the start date of mass production has yet to be decided, but they would be starting their test run in their Hsinchu county factory by 2025. The 2nm chips TSMC planned to produce could achieve processing speeds 10% to 15% faster than 3nm chips, which are currently the most advanced in the market. Production of such chips would be crucial as it would be expected to have strong demand from fields such as artificial intelligence, Nikkei Asia reported. TSMC also decided Tuesday (August 8) they would allocate roughly $6 billion for capital investments in Taiwan, including the construction of its Kaohsiung facility. TSMC holds a roughly 90% market share in advanced semiconductors, all of which it produces in Taiwan. It had intended to produce older legacy semiconductors in Kaohsiung but considered a change in plans after the demand for computer chips started flagging in late 2022. A third facility in Taichung was also slated to fulfill the production of 2nm chips in the future. "We will need to make adjustments to the supply of water and electricity given TSMC's updated plans," Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai told reporters Wednesday. "We will work closely with TSMC to ensure construction goes smoothly." Read Also: YouTube's New Homepage Blocks Video Recommendations When Watch History is Turned Off TSMC Expands to Dresden Meanwhile, TSMC earlier announced they would be teaming up with three European technology firms to build a chip-making facility in eastern Germany as part of its efforts to diversify its production locations and markets. The company said they would invest 3.5 billion ($3.8 billion) and own 70% of the joint venture in Dresden. The Germany-based Robert Bosch and Infineon Technologies, and Dutch firm NXP Semiconductors would each contribute 10% of the shares, according to a New York Times report. TSMC's Dresden plant, which would begin construction by 2024 and chip production by 2027, would be its first location in Europe, which would be an advantage for Germany, which has been seeking out manufacturers of microchips to support its large automotive industry, as well as for building other devices. "This investment in Dresden demonstrates TSMC's commitment to serving our customers' strategic capacity and technology needs," TSMC CEO C.C. Wei said in a statement. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said having TSMC in the country would make it become "the major location for semiconductor production in Europe." Related Article: Sony Doubles PlayStation Gaming Sales Projection Despite Weak First-Quarter Earnings @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Several Government and Opposition MPs listed their lands and properties on Form B of their declaration forms to the Integrity Commission, a search by the Sunday Express has found. There has been controversy over Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowleys non-declaration of his Inez Gate, Tobago, townhouse on Form B of his declaration filed for 2019 to the Integrity Commission. As was widely expected, the local government election (LGE) resulted in a repeat of the control of the 14 local government bodies being split 7-7 between the PNM and UNC. Crumbs of votes were sprinkled on the minor parties. We have reconfirmed our propensity to condemn ourselves to continued political stagnation. When faced with obstacles, there are those who conquer, and there are those who take it one step further and obliterate. Jaspreet Jas Mathur, the dynamic CEO of Limitless X Inc, embodies the latter. In his lifes journey, Jas forged the path of obliterating challenges, serving as a beacon of empowerment, motivation and giving. Born 38 years ago in New Delhi, India, Jas was destined to defy convention. His relentless ambition took root in his youth, fostering his passion for entrepreneurship and innovation. Unveiling his talents as a webmaster and internet marketer, he skillfully navigated through the intricate paths of the world wide web, laying the foundation for the globally recognized serial entrepreneur he is today. However, Mathurs journey was riddled with challenges. He struggled with a hurdle that numerous individuals face, but only a few manage to overcome: extreme weight gain. The journey was difficult, but so was Mathurs determination. Channeling his unyielding drive, he initiated a monumental body transformation, ultimately shedding an astounding 250+ pounds. His profound transformation journey wasn't only physical. It was also a mental and emotional metamorphosis that reshaped his philosophy toward life and its many challenges. "I chose my career out of a desire to empower others to transform and reach their pinnacle," Jas says. "The transformation is not just about changing your body it's about changing your mindset. Once you change your mindset, the possibilities are limitless." And limitless is the ethos Jas exemplifies. After triumphing over his weight loss battle, he forged ahead, defying norms and shattering glass ceilings. Today, his portfolio brims with multiple companies, each generating more than $100 million annually. His business acumen has proven instrumental in taking one of these companies public under the ticker symbol VYBE an accomplishment that showcases his determination, perseverance and prowess. His philosophy of success can be summed up in his own words: "Every challenge is a stepping stone, an opportunity to evolve. I faced my biggest fear and turned it into my greatest strength. That's the secret to unstoppable success." This statement highlights Mathurs belief in adversity as a catalyst for transformation and growth. From the crowded lanes of New Delhi to the commanding boardrooms of American entrepreneurship, Mathurs story is a masterclass in audacity, resilience and relentless forward motion. His trajectory stands as a reminder that no matter the magnitude of the challenge, no hurdle is insurmountable when met with tenacity, unwavering dedication and an indomitable spirit. However, for Jas, success is not solely about personal accomplishment. It's about uplifting those around him, fostering growth and spurring transformation. As a leader, he gives generously, sharing knowledge and inspiring others to defy their limitations, embarking on their unique transformational journeys. Indeed, Jas Mathur is not just a CEO, entrepreneur or transformational figure. He is an architect of dreams, meticulously building bridges of hope and possibilities. His life's work serves as an invitation to us all: to face our obstacles, embrace our potential and eviscerate our limitations. Through the saga of his life, Jas Mathur compels us to ask ourselves: What is our limitless? And more importantly, How do we reach it? His answer is clear: Through perseverance, passion and the unyielding belief in our potential. The secret to success, according to Jas Mathur, is not about avoiding obstacles it's about obliterating them. Lee Enterprises newsroom and editorial were not involved in the creation of this content. Q: I booked a trip for two to Costa Rica through Overseas Adventure Travel last year. It included pre-trip and post-trip extensions and round-trip airfare from San Francisco. I also paid for a business class upgrade, which cost $2,032 per person. In late December 2022, I received a call from Overseas Adventure Travel advising that it had canceled the pre-trip portion due to a lack of interest. I had to rebook the airline tickets because the departure date would now be different. Because we were only two months from departure, the cost for this rebooking was an additional $1,056 per person, which the agent advised I would have to pay. I appealed the decision to the executive contacts on your website, but never got a response. During the trip, I spoke to some of the travelers who indicated they had inquired last October about the pre-trip. Overseas Adventure Travel told them that the pre-trip had been canceled, but the company waited another two months to advise me of the cancellation. If it had told me immediately, once the decision was made, that the pre-trip was canceled, the airfare would have been much less than it was two months before departure. Julie Brown, San Ramon, California A: Youre right. Overseas Adventure Travel bears some responsibility for the increase in your costs. If it knew that your pre-trip was canceled, it should have told you immediately. Instead, it appears the company waited several months, and its no secret that airfares start to rise as you get closer to your departure date. Overseas Adventure Travels terms are clear that the company is not responsible for any losses you may incur as a result of cancellations. Im also troubled by the way the company handled your request for help. You started with a polite phone call and then followed up in writing, first through the customer service department and then to an Overseas Adventure Travel executive (as you note, I list their names and numbers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org). When I spoke with several customer service reps at Overseas Adventure Travel, they told me that they never respond to written correspondence and that we needed to call them, not write to them, you told me. They also refused to let me speak with a supervisor or manager. I have a problem with that kind of customer service. A company should always answer its customers, even if its to politely say no. If youre considering a tour with Overseas Adventure Travel, its helpful to know that they will hold you responsible for their schedule changes, at least when it comes to airfare. Also, they may not respond to your emails. I contacted Overseas Adventure Travel on your behalf. A representative responded to me. Regarding Ms. Browns experience with customer service, we have expanded our traveler support team and extended our hours of operation to address the high volume of inquiries, the representative told me. We spoke with Ms. Brown, and she accepted a $2,100 certificate in compensation for this issue. This summer heat records have been shattered all across the state, and it's only going to get worse. So far, Arizona's efforts to combat climate change have been far too timid. Some things that need to be done 1. Mandate white roofs, white roads, and white (or pastel) exterior walls like an American version of a Greek Santorini. 2. Mandate solar water heating for all buildings and homes 3. Offer tax incentives to employers and employees to encourage the latter to live close to work. 4. Push hybrid/electric cars 5. Push energy efficient homes. The science behind the color white is simple and irrefutable. Black asphalt roads and other dark surfaces should be phased out and banned altogether. Haven't you had the experience of driving in a white car after driving in a black one? Former Nigerien rebel leader and politician Rhissa Ag Boula has launched his counter-coup movement, opposing the junta led by Abdourahamane Tchiani in Niamey late last month. In a statement Wednesday (August 9), Ag Boula has formed the Council of Resistance for the Republic (CRR), which aimed to restore ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, who is currently still held under house arrest and forced to eat dry rice and pasta as he refused to cede his power. "Niger is the victim of a tragedy orchestrated by people charged with protecting it," his statement said. The announcement came as diplomatic efforts to reverse the coup have stalled after Tchiani 's military government rejected the emissaries sent by the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). They have also refused entry to other African and United Nations (UN) envoys Tuesday (August 8), resisting pressure to negotiate before a summit on Thursday (August 10), at which ECOWAS heads of state would discuss the possible use of force. Despite being physically isolated, Bazoum has been in contact with the outside world. He wrote an article for the Washington Post on August 3, calling on the US to prevent Russian influence from seeping into his country. He also got to talk to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Tuesday even if he did not have the chance to meet with his envoy, Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, during her visit to Niamey the day before. Nuland's purpose for visiting Niger was to meet with senior coup leaders, which she described as "extremely frank" and "quite difficult." Meanwhile, Nigerien Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou told French media Bazoum was in good spirits despite being held in a "catastrophic situation." Niger's coup leaders also said France violated their airspace after they closed it on Sunday due to the threat of military intervention. French authorities have not yet made any statements on the matter as of this report. Read Also: West African Leaders Finalize Intervention Plan in Niger Coup as Negotiations With Junta Slow Down Growing Discontent Against Coup Leaders Ag Boula added in his statement he and his council supports ECOWAS and other international actors seeking to restore constitutional order in Niger, saying his group would make itself available to the bloc for any useful purpose. Other members of the CRR said several Nigerien political figures had joined the group but could not make their allegiance public for safety reasons. Ag Boula became known for his role in uprisings by Tuaregs, a nomadic ethnic group present in Niger's desert north, in the 1990s and 2000s. Like many former rebels, he was integrated into the democratic government under Bazoum and his predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou, Al Jazeera reported. The statement made by Ag Boula and his influence in the northern part of Niger is expected to bring worry to the Niamey junta. Support from Tuaregs would be key to securing the military government's control beyond Niamey's city limits. Meanwhile, democratic ECOWAS member states like Nigeria seek to have Bazoum reinstated to his post as it had been relatively successful in containing a deadly campaign by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State which has devastated the Sahel region. Related Article: Thousands of Niger Residents Gather To Show Support to Rebel Leaders who Refused To Reinstate Ousted President @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Joe Gauci is known as Malta Joe, after his pastizzi company, but he might never learn Maltese. Hes old enough to be retired and its a difficult language, thanks to Maltas unique position in the Mediterranean Sea. While at its core, the language mixes Sicilian and Arabic, its vocabulary and grammar reflect the island nations generations of colonization. English has been an official language since 1934, when it replaced Italian as the language of British administrators. Allegiance to Britain also made Malta a vulnerable target during World War II used by Britain to attack Axis powers in Egypt, Libya and Italy; the Axis targeted the island. Nowhere during the war sustained as many bomb attacks for as long as Malta did. After the war ended, Joes parents left for America. Like many immigrant parents, they wanted their children to acclimate to the culture. They spoke Maltese fluently all the time, especially when they didnt want us knowing what they were saying. [But] they didnt teach us, because their parents said it would be too hard for us already being Maltese. They regret not teaching us, and I regret not learning, Joe said. But theyd tell Joe about their homeland, about its beauty and the horrors of war. His parents lost friends in air raids, when children would wait until the bombing stopped to go out to play, only to be hit by the loose British counter shots falling down from the sky. He also learned about being Maltese in the kitchen. Everything was surrounded by the next meal, he said. Were making our pasta, preparing the figs, preparing the fruit, getting the salads ready, shucking oysters or clams, deneedling the prickly pears, he said. Sometimes his mom would send him to the deli to pick up soda or water, and sometimes shed ask for his help making pastizzi. The night before they would have guests over, they would start laminating the dough. By morning, 12 pastries would be ready. If you didn't spend time in the kitchen with grandma, in the kitchen with mom, you don't learn these things, Joe said. Fortunately with me, many people didnt spend time with their grandmothers and dont know how to make pastizzi. Pastizzi are a savory pastry and signature treat of Malta, where each neighborhood, each block, has its own pastizzeria. In form, they are most similar to the sfogliatella you might have tried at Roma Imports. Like a sfogliatella, its a laminated pastry, coiled into a roll and pressed into the shape of a lobster tail. A pastizz, though, can be used as a medium for a variety of fillings, not just sweet ricotta (though Joe will sell you a sweet ricotta-filled pastizz). Each pastizz is molded by hand into its signature shape, in a process that Joe calls walking down the stairs, gently pressing each layer of lamination out into a spiral. The technique requires finesse: lamination is a delicate process and when the team works on the pastries they have to move quickly before the dough becomes too slippery. And yet, there's a rusticness to the form, with its hand-pressed layers and unique shapes. When the internet came along, Joe searched for pastizzi and could not find them anywhere. It was part of my motivation for starting this, he said. At Malta Joes, you can order pastizzi filled with an aromatic, vegetarian split pea curry or a traditional Maltese corned beef. His filling stands out as much as his pastry, warmly spiced with onions, cumin and turmeric. Joe is working on shipping out the dough in long rolls, so Maltese across the country can fill their pastizzi with their own favorite flavors, like rabbit or squid. When Joe would help his mother in the kitchen, it would take them all night to make a dozen pastries. He knew, to make a business out of pastizzi, hed have to make hundreds every day. So he went back to Malta, seeking advice from the most successful pastizzierias on the island. Register for more free articles. Log in Sign up Its different on Malta. The competition is fierce. Theres five big companies doing it, I told you how small [the island] was. It was so hard getting anyone to teach me how to do it because they were worried Id open up a shop next door and put them out of business. Im using those techniques today. Im developing the pastizzi culture here, he said. Joe now has a factory of his own, which he converted last year from a laundromat. While you might be able to find pastizzi in individual bakeries across the country in Astoria, Queens, perhaps; another in Dearborn, Michigan many metropolitan areas, like Chicago and LA, are pastizzi deserts. The factory is only here because Joe is here: he and his now ex-wife moved to Tucson from New York City to retire and enjoy the recreation and weather. We both had jobs she was a marketing executive, I was a recording engineer. (But wed) come here for two weeks, pack everything into the two weeks we were here. Wed rent a motorcycle. Hiking, restauranting, cry the day we were packing to go home, cry on our plane going back to New York. We knew we were going to come and retire here, Joe said. Thats how I fell in love with it. I like it. I love the saguaros, the desert. Its very romantic to me. The people are nice. All that, he said. Joe makes his pastizzi accessible to others across the country by air mail. I'm a part-time weatherman when Im shipping them out, he said. I need to know if it's bad weather in Memphis, even if I'm selling to California. This is a logistical quirk of his shipping company, which has a central processing center in Tennessee. If it rains there, the dough will spoil during the wait. Here in Tucson, we can avoid the shipping hassle by picking up the pastizzi frozen in bulk at his factory at 3452 E. Milton Road. As far as the neighborhood goes, its like the Willy Wonka factory, he said. Its not much to look at from the outside, but inside, its magical. But Malta Joes got its start as a food truck at the Rillito Farmers Market, 4502 N. First Ave., on Sundays, and you can still find him there, slinging pastizzi hot from the oven 8 a.m. to noon. This is your chance to interface with Joe yourself. His warmth and frankness collide in a prism of facial expressions louder than his booming voice. Hes eager to talk about Malta: he posts three times a day on a Facebook page of fun facts about the country and will give anyone who asks a lecture about Maltese history. The oldest known standing manmade stones on Earth are on Malta. The Monolithic Era, when man found how to use tools and technology, made temples. Stone on top of stone. These temples are older than Stonehenge, way older than the pyramids. No one knows who made them or what theyre for, but theyre on Malta, he said. Joe has worked to embody what it means to be Maltese. He moves with the confidence and precision of an athlete when hes making pastizzi: rapidly cutting a log of dough in mechanically precise portions, turning a piece of dough like putty in the right shape in seconds, before it gets too warm from his touch. He wears a Catholic necklace because the first Christian converts were in Malta. On the way to Rome (where hed be on trial), Saint Paul and the people on that boat were shipwrecked on Malta, he said. St. Paul preached to the people on the island and made the first Christians. In his factory, Joe has created a pilgrimage of its own. Maltese families come from across the country to teach their children about Maltese culture and food. A lot of (customers are) traveling between LA and Texas. They GPS me and get a whole box of something to eat on the way to Texas. To see their faces: heres my daughter, heres my son. Showing them all this Maltese stuff, he said. If they know they can get pastizzi, they make it a destination. You have pastizzi, hand it over. Heres our children. They need to know of pastizz. SUPREME COURT WASHINGTON The Supreme Court for now reinstated a regulation aimed at reining in the proliferation of ghost guns, firearms without serial numbers that have been turning up at crime scenes across the nation in increasing numbers. The court on Tuesday voted 5-4 to put on hold a ruling from a federal judge in Texas that invalidated the Biden administration's regulation of ghost gun kits. The regulation will be in effect while the administration appeals the ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans and potentially the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with the court's three liberal members to form the majority. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas would have kept the regulation on hold during the appeals process. Neither side provided an explanation. The Justice Department told the court that law enforcement agencies seized more than 19,000 ghost guns at crime scenes in 2021, a more than tenfold increase in just five years. "The public-safety interests in reversing the flow of ghost guns to dangerous and otherwise prohibited persons easily outweighs the minor costs that respondents will incur," Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, wrote in a court filing. The new rule, issued last year, changed the definition of a firearm under federal law to include unfinished parts, such as the frame of a handgun or the receiver of a long gun, so they can be tracked more easily. Those parts must be licensed and include serial numbers. Manufacturers also must run background checks before a sale as they do with other commercially made firearms. The requirement applies regardless of how the firearm was made, meaning it includes ghost guns made from individual parts, kits or 3D printers. The rule does not prohibit people from purchasing a kit or any type of firearm. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, struck down the rule in late June, concluding it exceeded the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' authority. O'Connor wrote that the definition of a firearm in federal law does not cover all parts of a gun. Congress could change the law, he wrote. Lawyers for individuals, businesses and advocacy groups challenging the rule told the Supreme Court that O'Connor was right and that the ATF departed from more than 50 years of regulatory practice in expanding the definition of a firearm. James D. Watts Jr. Tulsa World Scene Writer Follow James D. Watts Jr. 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 Like many small business owners, Carlos Lopez is happy to help support the communities that support him. It's just that the usual methods of showing that support such as serving on committees and other extra-curricular activities are difficult to work into the already packed schedule of someone trying to run a couple of restaurants. So Lopez made helping other local businesses a part of the concept of his newest restaurant, District Burger, which opened a few months ago in Broken Arrow's downtown Rose District, just across the street from Lopez's other restaurant, the Californian-Mexican restaurant Dos Bandidos. "Broken Arrow has been great to me the city government, the business community, the customers, everybody," Lopez said. "But when you're running between two restaurants all day, you don't have a lot of free time for much else. That's why I decided I would work with local ranchers and other area businesses for most of what District Burger will offer. "I really wanted to source everything locally," he said. "But that gets problematic when you're talking about produce and things like that. And because we use only the breast of the chicken in our sandwiches, it's simpler to get those from a commercial supplier. So right now, what we source locally are what I call the Three Bs: beef, bread and beer." The local beers on tap at District Burger come from Nook Brew Co. in Broken Arrow, with three varieties that change seasonally. The buns for the sandwiches are made by Pancho Anaya, the Tulsa-based bakery best known for its traditional Mexican pastries. And much of the beef that goes into the burgers at District Burger comes from Orchard Road Farms in Colcord, which specializes in grass-fed beef, as well as free-range chickens and the eggs they produce. Lopez said he gets a custom grind of different cuts from Orchard Road for his burgers. Two other area ranches provide the beef used in the specialty burgers. Big Grass Beef in Newkirk raises the grass-fed, grass-finished beef that is at the heart of the cleverly named Big Grass Burger. "A lot of places have grass-fed cows, but they switch to using commercial feeds to finish," Lopez said. "Grass-finished beef is usually leaner, and it doesn't have the hormones or other chemicals that can be in some other types of beef." Grand Cattle Company near Grand Lake, which raises Japanese black Wagyu cattle, supplies the Wagyu beef for the restaurant's Wagyu Burger. Most of the Wagyu beef one encounters on Tulsa-area menus which is usually in such fine-dining places as The Hemingway, Basque, Lowood and the Summit Club comes from Grand Cattle. The menu for District Burger is compact: six appetizers, six burgers, two chicken sandwiches, two vegetarian options and two salads. Drinks include milkshakes, beer on tap or in bottles and cans, and a full bar with nine listed cocktails. Stoppered bottles of chilled water are brought to the table with the menus. For a recent weeknight dinner, we started with an order of the fried pickles ($8) and continued with the Prime Burger ($13) and the Big Grass Burger ($18). Both burgers come with a side of fries seasoned with garlic and rosemary. The pickles basic wavy-cut hamburger dill slices were coated in a light, nicely seasoned batter. They were good enough on their own, but came accompanied by a quintet of sauces in small plastic cups. We especially enjoyed the garlic aioli and the jalapeno ranch, which had the grassy flavor of its titular pepper with little heat, but the regular ranch, the Thousand Island dressing and the chipotle mayo were all appealing. We were not asked if we wanted a particular cook on our burgers, so they came to us cooked close to medium-well. In the case of the Prime Burger, this wasn't a concern, as the burger uses two relatively thin patties, and the condiments of lettuce, a rich mayonnaise, American cheese and caramelized onions provided more than enough juiciness. The Big Grass Burger is a single 8-oz. patty that more than eclipsed its bun. I broke off a piece of this overhang and ate it straight; even cooked to this temperature, the meat was tender, juicy and profoundly beefy, with a well-seared crust that contained just enough salt. It comes topped with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and more of those caramelized onions, which are cooked in the beef tallow rendered from the burgers into an almost jammy consistency. I had asked for the addition of shoulder bacon on the burger (a $2.50 upcharge), which might have been gilding the lily. The house-made bacon is brined and not smoked, and was tasty enough I pulled most of it off the burger to enjoy on its own. The fries, which have a slight coating to them, were crispy, and the rosemary and garlic flavor was subtle but definitely present. Other choices include a fried chicken sandwich with Buffalo sauce, a grilled chicken sandwich with pesto and fresh mozzarella, and vegetarian sandwiches that use a black-bean patty augmented with Mexican flavors, and an Impossible Burger that includes toppings such as cucumbers for crunch and hummus to mimic the unctuousness of melted cheese. During our interview and photo shoot, I was able to sample the Wagyu Burger ($20), which is dressed with cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, a jalapeno jelly and a truffle sauce. The combination of flavors was well-balanced, but the flavor of the meat wasn't as satisfying as that of the Big Grass Burger. But there are those who would disagree. Lopez took a moment from our interview to greet a customer, who informed him that she had been "dreaming about that Wagyu burger" that she had sampled a few days before. "She's been here several times," Lopez said. "I see a lot of customers who come here two, three times a week." Lopez has next to the door a poster that features the ranchers from whom he gets his beef; Austin Blenden of Big Grass Beef was featured when we were there. "There's a QR code so that people can learn more about these local businesses and order products from them directly if they want," Lopez said. "I'm wanting to work with more local ranchers, maybe have them create a burger for us that we could run as a special." The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Lydia Fletcher Tulsa World Scene Writer Follow Lydia Fletcher 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 Dewayne Bryan is not one for the spotlight, especially when it comes to his son Zachs fame. Yet, as fans continue to sell out Zach Bryan shows across the country, the spotlight on Dewayne, Zach and the entire Bryan family continues to grow. Though Zach was born in Tokyo, Japan, during his fathers naval service, he spent most of his years in Oologah, around 30 miles outside of Tulsa. Dewayne said Zach began writing poetry around age 12 and was given his first guitar by his grandfather a few years later. At 17, Zach followed his fathers footsteps and joined the U.S. Navy. During his service, which involved deployments to Bahrain and Djibouti, Zach began posting the songs hed written on social media. Soon after, people began to flock to his videos, appreciating the raw lyricism and Americana style. Dewayne said Zach eventually took some leave time from the Navy to record his debut album, DeAnn, which released in 2019. The all-acoustic album features complex coming-of-age topics such as love, survival and grief which is especially present, as the album is named after his late mother. Soon, Zach was on his way to international stardom with the release of Elisabeth and the "Quiet, Heavy Dreams EP in 2020. Now signed to Warner Music Group, he has accrued over 6.3 billion global streams to date. Zacharys always had this jump off a cliff and build his wings on the way down attitude, Dewayne said about how his son approaches life. Sometimes its frustrating, but I think hes maintained it through this. Dewayne said regardless of this haphazard approach, he thinks Zach is making strong business decisions and appreciates his son staying humble through the process. One of these decisions was the release of American Heartbreak, a two-hour, 34-track album. This decision proved successful, and Zach had two more releases in 2022. His song Something in the Orange became the longest charting country single for a male artist on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts after being there for 65 weeks as of July 31. I cant keep track of all this, to be honest, said Dewayne about his sons achievements. Theres just no way to describe what its like being the parent of this person. Party dad Zach Bryans Burn Burn Burn tour will be at the BOK Center on Friday, Aug. 11, and Saturday, Aug. 12. Charles Wesley Godwin and JR Carroll are the opening acts. While both nights of the tour are sold out, QuikTrip is presenting free pre-show parties both nights outside BOK Center before the shows. Dewayne is hosting the parties. Once tailgates like this are planned, Dewayne said he loves finding artists to perform for those attending the pre-show party as well as those awaiting barricade spots in line. Performers for Friday include Zac Wenzel, Adara Kay, Garrett Brown and Cam Allen on the main stage and Jacob Hoss Miller and Addi Gastelum on the acoustic stage, which is in front of the venue line. Saturdays performers include Carly Nash and Conner Wilson, Austin Dixon with Jeremy Sutddard, Ramsey Thornston, and Casey West on mainstage and Emily Hollingshed and Kaden Madden on the acoustic stage. Dewayne said they will be performing mainly original works with a few covers, as well. The reason I chose these artists, in a time when there are so many, is character, creativity, selfless spirit of giving and a true love of music, Dewayne said. These kids will play as hard for one as they would for 5,000. Along with hosting a pre-show with QuikTrip, Dewayne said he is hosting a post-show party at bars near the arena. The pre-shows are free to attend, and the post-show has a $10 cover, which gives attendees access to all three venues: The Hunt Club, Inner Circle Vodka Bar and Cabin Boys Brewpub. Each venue will have a set of performers, as well, so attendees can experience a full night of live music. Performances begin as early as 9 p.m. and conclude when the venues close. Dewayne also encourages those who couldn't get tickets to Zach Bryans tour to attend a pre-party and then other shows happening that night at venues like Lowdown and Cains Ballroom, and then return to the post-party. 'Where the real fans are' The Zach Bryan Fan Group on Facebook has over 147,000 members from across the globe. The group wasn't something Dewayne started, but he has become highly involved in the group and often comments and communicates with the fans. He also works hard to make sure fans from all over have the opportunity to connect and hear his son's music. Dewayne said he not only watches Zachs success grow but has noticed more people recognize him and his wife, Anna, at shows, especially since hosting tailgates. Though his tradition of wearing bib overalls and wacky shoes may make him more recognizable, Dewayne said some fans have crossed personal boundaries, including searching for private contact information. Dewayne said this has been especially noticeable to him in the last year, and the fight for privacy isn't just something his son struggles with now. Everything he does is under such scrutiny now, said Dewayne about how fame has impacted Zach. Hes still a 27-year-old young man. He still needs to have fun. Despite this, Dewayne and Anna said they love interacting with the fans and want to foster the community that supports Zach. One of the ways he said he does this is with Dad Comps, which are tickets arena venues give him to place in the hands of fans. Dewayne said he uses them to give fans the opportunity to either see the show or see it from a better view. And while he tries to attend as many shows as possible, he makes sure to have a designated ticket fairy to hand out the 10 tickets hes allotted when hes not there. People ask me all the time why are you back here, cant you be in VIP or something?, Dewayne said. Yeah, I can, but this is cool. This is where the real fans are. More events Zach Bryans return to Oklahoma for concerts at BOK Center will be accompanied by two Oklahoma Smokeshow street parties, presented by QuikTrip. The free events feature local musicians on a main and acoustic stage each night, as well as drinks, yard games and food trucks. Oklahoma Smokeshow WHEN: 4-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday WHERE: Third Street and Denver Avenue Friday performers: Zac Wenzel, Adara Kay, Garrett Brown, Cam Allen, Jacob Hoss Miller and Addi Gastelum Saturday performers: Carly Nash and Conner Wilson, Austin Dixon with Jeremy Studdard, Ramsey Thornston, Casey West, Emily Hollingshed and Kaden Madden Post-show party Begins at 9 p.m. with performances by Casey West, Wes Nelson, Brian Dicus and the Mercenaries, Levi Walker and Ty Smith. There is a $10 cover charge that gets attendees into all three venues (Inner Circle Vodka Bar, Cabin Boys Brewpub and The Hunt Club). The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. 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 A Tulsa man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to a firearm charge in connection with a threat he reportedly made to staff members at a Veterans Affairs clinic in Tulsa. Zachariah Kade McGuire, 32, admitted to calling the Ernest Childers Outpatient Clinic in Tulsa, 8921 S. Mingo Road, and threatening to kill staff there if he was not quickly prescribed medication, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma. Within an hour of the phone call on Nov. 14, McGuire entered the clinic with a loaded gun, the release states. McGuire threatened to kill staff at a federal facility and arrived prepared to execute that threat, U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson said in the release. He said the staff and officers at the clinic took quick action and averted a tragedy. Officers arrested McGuire on site and found a loaded revolver and seven plastic zip ties on him. Earlier that day, McGuires mother had called to schedule an appointment for him for Dec. 13. Following that call, McGuire is alleged to have called back and left a voicemail on which he threatened to murder members of staff, the Tulsa World reported previously. You will make me an appointment and prescribe me my meds, or I will murder you, the voicemail said. You have 30 minutes to do so, or I will be coming up there and start to murder people. The voicemail was reported to the Veterans Affairs police. McGuire wandering the clinics second floor when officers found him. He acknowledged having a gun on him when the officers asked him if he had a weapon, the prosecutors office said. Following his arrest, McGuires mother posted his bond and told investigators that she had been unaware of his intentions when she drove him to the clinic but that she assumed he was planning to hold his doctor hostage. The day after McGuires arrest, Tulsa police received information from a local record store saying he had previously come to the store to sell records. In the store, McGuire mentioned that if he did not receive help from the VA, then he would get a gun and go back, court records state. McGuire was previously arrested by Tulsa police on a complaint of shooting with intent to kill a teenager who ran through McGuires backyard as he fled from police in 2019. McGuire was not charged in that case due to Oklahomas stand your ground law. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of a firearm in a federal facility and could face up to five years in federal prison, according to the news release. A sentencing date has not been set. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton 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 Although Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education could not take any action about the districts accreditation status Monday night, the topic colored the boards four-hour meeting. Monday marked the local boards first meeting since the Oklahoma State Board of Education acted on a recommendation from State Superintendent Ryan Walters and delayed taking action on TPS accreditation until Aug. 24. Walters' actions prompted multiple parents and teachers to take to the podium during citizens comments Monday to express their frustrations and fears. If this was really about TPS kids, there wouldnt be a threat against our accreditation two weeks before school starts, TPS parent Rachel Simpson said. If this was really about TPS kids, there would have been an offer to help months ago rather than mudslinging. Although the Oklahoma State Department of Educations accreditation office recommended that Tulsa Public Schools be accredited with two deficiencies, Walters has said all options are on the table regarding the accreditation status of the states largest public school district. Among those options still on the table are not accrediting it or allowing for the Oklahoma State Department of Education to take over management of the district, similar to the situation almost 500 miles south with the Houston Independent School District. It is 11:59 p.m. on the clock of destiny for TPS, board member Jennettie Marshall said during the boards 90-minute discussion of the districts accreditation status. We are under attack. If youre not keeping up with Houston, if we continue the course were on, thats where were headed. That shouldnt be. We cant afford to lose our educators, support groups and people who provide wraparound services. We cant afford for this district to lose its accreditation. This is the largest district in the state of Oklahoma. We have children who depend on us. Have we dropped the ball? Absolutely, in many ways. We are working to make the gains that it will take to get back on top of education. I believe before anyone should threaten this district with the loss of accreditation, they need to come sit down at the table and ask how they can help implement a plan. Monday nights meeting drew an overflow crowd more than 45 minutes before the posted start time and saw Superintendent Deborah Gist be greeted by a standing ovation prior to the meeting. Both during the board meeting and speaking with reporters afterwards, Gist said she had not watched Walters press conference from earlier Monday, but she still pushed back on several of the claims he made, including that more than $1 million was missing in a self-reported embezzlement case involving a now-former district administrator. The matter is still under federal investigation. We dont know how much is missing, and neither does the state superintendent, unless he has been collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who has told us it is highly inappropriate for us to comment given theres an active investigation, Gist said. However, none of what weve seen adds up to $1 million. Also raised during Walters press conference was the districts performance on standardized tests and the most recent round of state report cards, which saw 24 TPS sites receive an F. Those objections were also raised by ELena Ashley, who questioned why they were not part of the accreditation process. Im the only board member to offer any kind of pushback, she said. I see you people rubber stamp things week after week. What Im trying to bring to the forefront is that we are failing our children daily. However, during the boards discussion of the districts accreditation situation, board President Stacey Woolley asked the capacity crowd if any had heard directly from Walters office about how to better support students or improve students academic outcomes. No one raised a hand. When the same question was posed to administration and board members, Gist acknowledged that she and Walters had a brief phone conversation after the Fathers Day storms that scattered more than 2,400 cubic yards of debris across the districts sites. The only board member to raise a hand was Ashley, who said she initiated the contact. Another board member, Diamond Marshall, said later during the course of the discussion that she previously reached out but got no response. If we want to talk about improving education, we have to look at the person in charge of education for the state, she said. He is not acting in the best interest of kids. I texted him and did not get any response. Instead, Im seeing headlines of him parading around with Ms. Ashley talking about the constitutionality of prayer in schools. Meanwhile, the lone voting item to draw any discussion at Monday nights meeting was an agreement with the Aunt Flow Corp. to provide up to $150,000 worth of menstrual supplies for any TPS students or staff member who needs them. The supplies will be available for free in womens and gender-neutral restrooms across the district. Along with objecting on the grounds that parents should be notified if their student has a menstrual issue at school, Ashley also took exception to free pads and tampons being accessible not only to male students but also to district employees. Our employees are already getting paid, Ashley said. Do all employers do that? Do we have an extra $150,000 so that all staff and students can have their health issues taken care of? Ashley previously voiced her objections to the proposal at a July 31 community meeting that she hosted. However, after nearly 20 minutes of discussion, the item passed by a 5-1 vote. Along with acknowledging that the district already provides toilet paper, soap and other bathroom necessities at its sites, several board members noted that Ashleys suggestion of going to the school nurse instead of keeping pads and tampons in the restrooms is not always feasible, as not all campuses have a full-time nurse on staff. The likelihood of always having a nurse in the building is nonexistent, Jennettie Marshall said. I dont know if any of us can just speak to our bodies and say: Dont do this right now. Related content Tulsa World coverage of State Superintendent Ryan Walters State Superintendent Ryan Walters staged a second press conference here Monday to criticize school district leadership amid a looming decision about whether state accreditation for Tulsa Public Schools will be renewed. He said no decision has been made about whether he will recommend to Gov. Kevin Stitts appointees on the Oklahoma State Board of Education to greenlight a state takeover like the one newly underway in Houston. The boards next monthly meeting is set for Aug. 24. Instead, he said he had come to Tulsa to push local school district leaders to reorient finances to serve students, adopt a new plan to increase reading proficiency scores on state-mandated tests to the state average by the end of the 2023-24 academic year, and dramatically reduce the number of Tulsa school sites with a failing grade on state school report cards. Walters told reporters he had met with Tulsa Superintendent Deborah Gist on Friday, but he said he is not satisfied that local leaders have a bold enough plan to improve student outcomes urgently. He cited TPS student reading proficiency rates that fell from 21% in 2017-18 to 12.9% in 2021-22. He also said he issued Gist new demands for documents to produce for his state agencys fact-finding mission ahead of the next State Board of Education meeting. Does he think Gist should resign? Walters never used the r word in his response, but he made it clear that he would like to see Gist gone. There should be a new superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools, he said. When you see this type of leadership and you see this type of performance, Tulsans deserve better. Shes been here seven years. The trajectory is not good. We dont see any serious plans to improve that. The state superintendents press conference was held at the Tulsa County Republican Party Headquarters on 51st Street. Meanwhile, three miles to the north, dozens of parents, students, teachers and community members carried signs in support of the district outside the Tulsa Public Schools Education Service Center before Monday nights regularly scheduled school board meeting. Tulsa Public Schools is a system that has problems, Julia Karlak said, holding a sign reading I Am Yo Soy Tulsa Public Schools. However, my daughter went through here. She now works for the U.N. and speaks three languages, so thank God for TPS. The public meeting room was at capacity more than 45 minutes before the meeting started, prompting district officials to open overflow rooms to accommodate the crowd. A junior at East Central High School, Jocelyn Perez was also among the people lining the buildings northern sidewalk. Ive seen changes, she said. I think we still have a lot to do, but weve come so far. This is a chance to step up and prove what we can do. Were literally here rallying. Back at the press conference, Walters used charts to back up his claims. One, that TPS spends 52% of its funding on administration and only 48% on classroom instruction, is not backed up by his state agencys own school spending transparency website. The per-pupil spending amount at TPS matched up $11,863. But in addition to instruction, many of the other spending categories that Walters described in his press conference as administrative are for students. Those include instructional staff, student support services, student transportation and child nutrition. Walters also hammered TPS for financial mismanagement, citing a self-reported embezzlement case involving a now-former TPS administrators handling of $364,000 in vendor contracts, which is still under investigation by federal law enforcement officials. Walters claims there is far more money missing in the case more than $1 million, he said Monday. When pressed for the source of that higher figure, Walters responded: auditors, as well as employees within the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Im speaking to all Tulsans parents, teachers, to all taxpayers, Walters said. This is what we want to see for Tulsa Public Schools. We want to see an increased academic performance for all kids. We want to see increased financial accountability in the district. I wanted to be in Tulsa today to talk to Tulsans and tell them how serious we are. A few weeks ago, Walters held a press conference on the front lawn of the Tulsa Public Schools Education Service Center to blast the school board president for writing an email that he believes violates the religious freedoms of another local school board member. That event quickly descended into chaos as protestors and supporters turned out in droves, drowning out speakers at the lectern by shouting at each other and at speakers. At this second press conference, held not in a public place but at Walters political partys headquarters, access at the front door was restricted to individuals who could produce press credentials, even though the state of Oklahoma has no such official identification. Multiple state employees from the Oklahoma State Department of Education were present inside, and Walters used large posters with the Oklahoma state logo at the bottom during his presentation to the media. Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton contributed to this report. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton 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 Along with pushing back on some of his claims, officials with Tulsa Public Schools said they have had no direct contact with state Superintendent Ryan Walters regarding any specific plans to address his concerns about the district. Speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon, Superintendent Deborah Gist said that while she did meet in person with Walters Friday, she has yet to receive any concrete guidance from him as to how the district could address his concerns about TPS test scores or reach the goals he laid out in a Monday afternoon press conference, including increasing reading proficiency scores on state-mandated tests to the state average by the end of the 2023-2024 school year. He has no plans, she said. He has presented no plans. He has not described or discussed any plans or efforts around supporting not just Tulsa Public Schools, but the state as a whole. Although the Oklahoma State Department of Educations accreditation office recommended that the district be accredited with two deficiencies, Walters has previously said that all options are on the table regarding the accreditation status of the states largest public school district. The Oklahoma State Board of Education voted in July to accept his recommendation to delay taking action on the districts accreditation until Aug. 24 a week after TPS starts classes. Among those options still on the table are not accrediting TPS or allowing for the Oklahoma State Department of Education to take it over, similar to the efforts going on almost 500 miles to the south with the Houston Independent School District. Gists remarks Tuesday mirrored the response to two questions publicly raised Monday night during the TPS boards 90-minute discussion of the districts accreditation situation. Board President Stacey Woolley asked the TPS employees in the capacity crowd at the Education Service Centers Selman Room if any had heard directly from Walters office about how to better support students or improve students academic outcomes. No one raised their hands. When the same question was posed to administration and board members, Gist acknowledged that she and Walters had a brief phone conversation after the Fathers Day storms that scattered more than 2,400 cubic yards of debris across the districts sites. The only board member to raise a hand was ELena Ashley, who said she initiated the contact. Another board member, Diamond Marshall, said later during the course of the discussion that she previously reached out but got no response. In lieu of suggestions regarding academics, Gist said Fridays in-person meeting with Walters was focused more on the districts financials, which were also brought up during Mondays press conference. Walters previously claimed that under Gist, TPS had three years of audits that questioned the districts financial situation and financial safeguards. A self-reported embezzlement case involving a former TPS administrators handling of vendor contracts was flagged during the districts most recent independent audit and is the subject of an ongoing federal investigation. Gist has publicly acknowledged the embezzlement case, but said she told Walters Friday that his remarks regarding the districts independent audits were not accurate. Its categorically untrue, she said after Monday nights board meeting. I told him that on Friday when we sat down. Either he didnt understand how audits work or was actively ignoring the facts of how audits work. One or the other. We shared the information. That was on Friday. Todays Monday and it is still being repeated. Gist also pushed back on Walters claim that more than $1 million was missing in the embezzlement case involving a now-former district administrator. We dont know how much is missing, and neither does the state superintendent, unless he has been collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who has told us it is highly inappropriate for us to comment given theres an active investigation, Gist said. However, none of what weve seen adds up to $1 million. Meanwhile, grassroots efforts have started to mobilize in opposition to the threat of a potential state takeover or loss of accreditation. Dozens of parents, students, teachers and community members carried signs in support of the district outside the Tulsa Public Schools Education Service Center before Monday nights regularly scheduled school board meeting. Along with high school students hosting an email and phone banking event Tuesday evening, a petition from group calling themselves Protect TPS has garnered more than 2,000 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon in opposition to the potential accreditation penalties. The petition will be presented to the Oklahoma State Board of Education at its Aug. 24 meeting when it is slated to consider TPS accreditation status. The father of a TPS kindergartener, Levi Patrick was among the speakers during Monday nights citizens comment period. Along with announcing the Protect TPS petition, Patrick voiced his concerns about the implications of a state takeover. Im afraid, he said. Im afraid of the constant attacks from a certain leader and that theyre a distraction. Im afraid that these attacks are causing fear among our teachers. Im honestly afraid that a hand-picked superintendent will replace Dr. Gist and that person would not be accountable and answerable to you (the board). TPS superintendent Deborah Gist speaks after school board meeting. Kevin Canfield Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Kevin Canfield 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 A city task force charged with formulating long-term strategies for addressing homelessness unveiled nine short-term policy recommendations on Tuesday. The initiatives include establishing a low-barrier shelter, providing locations for unsheltered homeless people to sleep, adding kennel services in shelters and clarifying city ordinances to make it clear that it is against the law for people to block a sidewalk. The Housing, Homelessness & Mental Health Task Force is also recommending that the city strengthen its trespassing ordinance and give the parks director the authority to regulate open containers and the consumption of alcohol in city parks. Also proposed is that Mayor G.T. Bynum issue a directive to the Tulsa Police Department clarifying that officers are to enforce city ordinances the same for everyone regardless of their housing status. Bynum established the task force in December and is one of its dozen members. He presented the recommendations to the A Way Home for Tulsa Leadership Council on Tuesday afternoon. A Way Home for Tulsa is a consortium of more than three dozen nonprofit organizations, service providers and government entities working to make homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring. There are a lot of longer-term things, but we realize people dont want to just wait for things that three, four years down the road they are going to see an improvement, Bynum said of the task forces work. There are things that we can be doing right now that we think will have a tangible, positive benefit. The recommendations announced Tuesday would not be funded through the $75 million in housing funds included in the Improve Our Tulsa 3 capital improvements package Tulsans are voting on Tuesday. Bynum has said previously that those funds would be spent on housing that is typically not driven by the private sector, such as shelters, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing. The city has more than $8 million in federal funding available from opioid settlements, the American Rescue Plan Act and other sources to pay for implementation of the initiatives, Bynum said. The goal is to begin taking action on them within the next month. The task force recommendations for a low barrier shelter, emergency temporary housing and kennels are a great step toward more pathways to permanent housing for unsheltered Tulsans, said Becky Gligo, executive director of Housing Solutions. I look forward to continuing the conversation as we shift to longer term solutions to address our housing crisis. In the most recent point-in-time count, conducted earlier this year, 1,133 people in Tulsa County identified themselves as homeless a 6.6% increase from 2022. In June, 2,832 unique individuals received services for the homeless, according to Housing Solutions. Here is a summary of the task forces nine recommendations: 1. Partner with the Tulsa Day Center to create an emergency temporary housing program aimed at getting 100 unsheltered homeless people off the streets immediately and into the queue for long-term housing. 2. Partner with the Tulsa Housing Authority to identify long-term units for homeless people. The THA board would also consider a policy change in which THA would prioritize chronically homeless individuals. Bynum stressed that those individuals who participate in either the Day Center or THA programs would continue to receive case management services. 3. Have the city issue a request for proposals for what is expected to be an approximately 70-room low-barrier shelter. A low-barrier shelter removes obstacles to entry and allows such things as pets and partners. It is intended to meet people where they are in life. Bynum said the low-barrier shelter would operate on a referral basis, with individuals coming primarily from other shelters and hospitals. Through its discussions, the task force learned that hospitals often hold homeless patients because they have no place to release them, Bynum said. A gap in services exists, he said, between hospitalization and when a person returns to a shelter. (The hospitals) said if we could have one place that these folks could be referred to and that we can send the home-health people to administer the care for them that would be ideal, Bynum said. 4. Provide more kennel facilities to the Tulsa Day Center. It was brought to our attention that there are a whole lot of folks that would go to the Day Center but they dont because they dont have adequate kennel facilities for pets and people arent allowed to bring their pets into the building, Bynum said. So were going to fund additional kennel facilities at the Day Center to increase utilization of that existing facility. 5. Request that the Tulsa Park and Recreation Board adopt a rule giving Parks Director Anna America the authority to regulate open containers or consumption of alcohol in individual parks. Bynum said it would not be characterized as a citywide ban on alcohol in parks. If there are specific parks where its problematic and I think the Parks Department feels like there probably are, especially in downtown that could be regulated, he said. The parks now under consideration for such regulations are within the Inner Dispersal Loop: Chapman Park, Plaza of the Americas, Legacy Park, Gunboat Park North, Gunboat Park South and John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park. 6. Ask the City Council to reconsider the sidewalk ordinance it discussed last year, which would have given law enforcement the authority, after a warning, to ticket or arrest an individual for obstructing a sidewalk. I think weve been able to revise it a bit just to make clear all were asking for is that human bodies cannot block a sidewalk, Bynum said. Everything else is largely, we think, taken care of. 7. Ask the City Council to reconsider increasing the penalties in the citys trespassing ordinance, as was proposed last year by Councilor Lori Decter Wright. Right now, you can trespass on somebodys private property and there is no jail time associated with the potential penalties, Bynum said. We think that that ought to be an option for the judge if they feel it is necessary. Bynum said recommendations 6 and 7 are not intended to criminalize homelessness. He pointed out that the city has established several diversion programs, including the Sobering Center and the Special Services Docket. The city also is about to hire a mental health coordinator. Theres all sorts of alternatives and diversion tactics that we will have in place and do have in place for folks to utilize, but just giving someone a free pass to do these things we cant do that, Bynum said. 8. Have the mayor request trespassing letters from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and the railroads. Bynum said the Police Department, with those letters, could enforce city ordinances without having to wait for somebody from ODOT (or other state agencies) to show up on site and ask them to take action, because well have the letter on file. 9. Have the mayor issue a directive to TPD clarifying that they are to enforce our ordinances equally on everyone regardless of their perceived housing status, Bynum said. Its already illegal in Tulsa to build a campfire in a park. Its illegal to bathe in a fountain. Its illegal to litter. It is illegal to be publicly intoxicated or to urinate in public, and these have not been enforced as to the level that I think they should be, he said. The task force does not want police officers, as they have in the past, to be portrayed as the bad guys who are trying to make life difficult for somebody in a difficult situation, Bynum said. Its important that officers know city leadership expects them to enforce our ordinances on everybody, knowing that there are other diversion options available for people who do need help, Bynum said. Mack Haltom, executive director of the Tulsa Day Center and current chairman of the A Way Home for Tulsa Leadership Council, said he was encouraged by the recommendations that focused on getting people housed. Of course, thats what we do here, Haltom said. I think it is an opportunity to really enhance the services that we can do. Hopefully, we can make a difference with some of the recommendations that are coming our way at the Day Center, for sure. The task forces recommendations are part of a larger strategy Bynum and other community leaders have set in motion not only to address homelessness but also to tackle the overall housing shortage in Tulsa and the lack of mental health services that can sometimes contribute to a persons becoming homeless. Tulsa needs 12,900 housing units of all types and price points over the next decade, according to the Tulsa Citywide Housing Assessment released earlier this year. Theres a whole bunch of other stuff that were still working our way through, Bynum said of the task force. We just wanted to get these initial things that we can act on right now, get the ball rolling on them, rather than wait on our assessment of everything else. In addition to Bynum, the task force members include Cassia Carr, deputy mayor; James Wagner, director of the Department of City Experience; Travis Hulse, city housing policy director; Becky Gligo, Housing Solutions executive director; Zack Stoycoff, Healthy Minds Policy Initiative executive director; Michael Junk, QuikTrip manager of public and government affairs; Tom Biolchini, 2023 Tulsa Regional Chamber chairman; and City Councilors Jeannie Cue, Crista Patrick, Lori Decter Wright and Phil Lakin. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. A dump truck driver last year may have never seen an oncoming Amtrak train before it was too late, federal investigators concluded in a report, finding that a steep, poorly designed railroad crossing in rural Missouri contributed to last years fatal Amtrak derailment that killed four people and injured 146 others. The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday that the 45-degree angle where the road crossed the tracks made it hard for the dump truck driver to see the approaching train, and the steep approach discouraged the truck driver from stopping beforehand. The safest rail grade crossing is no rail grade crossing. But at the very least, every road-rail intersection should have an adequate design to ensure proper visibility so drivers can see oncoming trains, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said. Communities across the country deserve safer crossings so these types of accidents dont happen again. The NTSB said the dump truck driver ignored a stop sign before continuing through the crossing near Mendon at a speed of about 5 mph (8 kph). The train was only able to slow 2 mph to 87 mph (140 kph) after the crew saw the truck approaching and slammed on the brakes. The NTSB has previously said investigators didn't find any problems with the train's brakes or other mechanical issues. The engineer blew the train's horn as required as he approached the crossing, but the dump truck driver still inexplicably continued across the tracks. After the train tore the dump truck apart, state troopers found the speedometer needle stuck at 5 mph and the tachometer still displaying 1,100 rpm. The crossing didnt have any lights or signals to warn that a train was approaching. Before the crash, area residents had expressed concerns for nearly three years about the safety of the crossing because of the lack of visibility. Another dump truck driver who witnessed the crash told investigators that he also typically ignored the stop sign at the crossing because the steep grade of the gravel road entering the crossing made it hard to start up again for the trucks loaded with rock for a nearby levee project that were equipped with manual transmissions. Investigators said the grade approaching the crossing was much steeper than the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recommends. The road dropped 39 inches (0.99 meters) over the 30 feet (9.1 meters) approaching the tracks. Experts recommend that the approach to a crossing shouldn't slope down more than 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) in that span. The state Transportation Department had put the $400,000 project to add lights and gates at the crossing on a priority list, but it hadn't received funding before the derailment. The Mendon crossing was closed immediately after last year's crash. State officials will announce a $50 million plan to upgrade rail crossings statewide along tracks that passenger railroads use Thursday. Those projects will focus on the 47 passive crossings on three tracks that carry passenger trains although the NTSB said last year that Missouri has about 3,500 crossings like that statewide. Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said the railroad appreciates Missouri's efforts and it will keep working to improve safety. By making improvements on routes used by Amtrak a high priority, the state of Missouri is making a commitment to grade crossing safety that is a model for other states, Magliari said. Roughly half of all rail crossings nationwide some 130,000 of them are considered passive without any lights or arms that automatically come down when a train is approaching. For years, the NTSB has recommended closing passive crossings or adding gates, bells and other safety measures whenever possible. The U.S. Transportation Department recently announced $570 million in grants to help eliminate railroad crossings in 32 states but that funding will only eliminate a few dozen crossings. Federal statistics show that roughly 2,000 collisions occur every year at rail crossings nationwide, and last year nearly 250 deaths were recorded in car-train crashes. The people killed in the Amtrak derailment included the dump truck driver, 54-year-old Billy Barton II, of Brookfield, Missouri, and three passengers: Rochelle Cook, 58, and Kim Holsapple, 56, both of DeSoto, Kansas, and 82-year-old Binh Phan, of Kansas City, Missouri. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said up to 150 people also were injured. The Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it hit the rear right side of the truck near Mendon. Two locomotives and eight cars derailed. The train had 12 crewmembers and 271 aboard. Following the derailment, several lawsuits were filed against BNSF, a Fort Worth, Texas-based freight railroad that owns and maintains the tracks involved. A BNSF spokesperson said the railroad will review the NTSB report closely for suggestions to improve rail crossing safety. At BNSF, nothing is more important than safety, including for the communities in which we operate, the railroad said in a statement. We continue to invest in grade crossing safety by maintaining crossings, working to help develop public service campaigns and educational resources and investing in new technologies. Amtrak and BNSF estimated that the derailment caused roughly $4 million damage to their equipment and tracks. Associated Press writer Tom Krisher contributed to this report from Detroit. A man working for Germany's armed forces, or Bundeswehr has been arrested Wednesday (August 9) on suspicion of spying for the Kremlin. The alleged spy was arrested in the city of Koblenz in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Prosecutors said the suspect approached the Russian consulate in the city of Bonn as well as the Russian embassy in Berlin. German attorney-general Marco Buschmann commended the work of federal prosecutors, saying the suspect was an officer in the German military "strongly suspected" of working for a foreign secret service, as per German public broadcaster DW. What Was Known of the Spy So Far In a statement, German authorities have identified the alleged spy as Thomas H., saying he visited the Russian offices "on his own initiative" multiple times since May and offered his compensation. Prosecutors added the man worked for the Bundeswehr's procurement agency, the Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support department, and allegedly provided information on his work to the diplomatic missions with the intention of having it passed on to a Russian secret service agent. Read Also: German Government Eyes Budget Cut To Control Debt But Increases Military Spending Der Generalbundesanwalt hat heute einen deutschen Offizier festnehmen lassen, der dringend verdachtig ist, fur einen auslandischen Geheimdienst tatig gewesen zu sein. Ich danke allen, die daran beteiligt waren. Wachsamkeit bleibt das Gebot der Stunde. Marco Buschmann (@MarcoBuschmann) August 9, 2023 German Security Officials: Beware of 'Aggressive' Russian Espionage In the wake of the arrest, German domestic security agency BfV warned the public of an "aggressive Russian espionage operation," due, in part, to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The BfV's annual report said Russian intelligence services were trying to "bring new employees to Germany." "In the future, a more clandestine and aggressive Russian espionage operation is to be expected as well as cyberspace activities originating from Russia," it added. According to Politico, the arrest was not the first time German defense or security personnel have spied for the Kremlin, as there were two arrests already made in 2022. In mid-April, Germany expelled a number of Russian diplomats over espionage concerns, after which Moscow ordered over 20 German diplomats to leave Russia. A month later, Russia limited the number of German personnel in the country to 350, effectively expelling hundreds of members of staff of diplomatic missions and other institutions. In response, Berlin ordered the closure of four of Russia's five consulates in Germany. Related Article: Germany Pledges to Have Best-Equipped NATO Army Division in Europe by 2025 @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. CHICAGO Abortion wasnt technically on the ballot in Ohios special election. But the overwhelming defeat of a measure that would have made it tougher to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution this fall was the latest indicator that the issue remains a powerful force at the ballot box. The election saw record turnout for whats typically a sleepy August election date and sets up another battle in November, when Ohio will be the only state this year to have reproductive rights on the ballot. It also gives hope to Democrats and other abortion rights supporters who say the matter could sway voters their way again in 2024. Thats when it could affect races for president, Congress and statewide offices, and when places such as the battleground of Arizona may put abortion questions on their ballots as well. Democrats described the victory in Ohio, a one-time battleground state that shifted markedly to the right, as a major warning sign for the GOP. Republicans deeply unpopular war on womens rights will cost them district after district, and we will remind voters of their toxic anti-abortion agenda every day until November, said Aidan Johnson, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The measure voters rejected Tuesday, known as Issue 1, would have required ballot questions to pass with 60% of the vote rather than a simple majority. With the count nearly completed, votes against the measure, or No votes, received 57% compared with 43% in favor, a lead of almost 430,000 votes. Interest was unusually high, with millions spent on each side and turnout by far the highest for an August election in Ohio, which in the past have been mainly limited to local races. Turnout was even higher than the most recent off-year election in November, when voters in 2017 decided two statewide ballot measures. Opposition to the measure, which became a kind of proxy for the November abortion vote, extended even into traditionally Republican areas. In early returns, support for the measure fell far short of Donald Trumps performance during the 2020 election in nearly every county. The November ballot question will ask voters whether individuals should have the right to make their own reproductive health care decisions, including contraception, abortion, fertility treatment and miscarriage care. Ohios GOP-led state government in 2019 approved a ban on abortion after cardiac activity is detected about six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant but the ban was not enforced because of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, which granted a federal right to the procedure. When a new conservative majority on the high court last year overturned the nearly 50-year-old ruling, sending authority over the procedure back to the states, Ohios ban briefly went into effect. A state court put the ban on hold again while a challenge alleging it violates the state constitution plays out. While the ban was in place, an Indiana doctor came forward to say she performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio who could not legally have the procedure in her home state. The account became a national flashpoint in the debate over abortion rights and underscored the stakes in Ohio. Ohio is one of about half of U.S. states where citizens may bypass the legislature and put ballot questions directly to voters, making it an option that supporters of reproductive rights have increasingly turned to since Roe v. Wade fell. After abortion rights supporters said they hoped to ask voters in November to enshrine the right in the state constitution, Ohio Republicans put Issue 1 on Tuesdays ballot. In addition to raising the threshold to pass a measure, it would have required signatures to be collected in all 88 counties, rather than 44. The 60% threshold was no accident, abortion rights supporters say, and was aimed directly at defeating the Ohio abortion measure. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, six states had elections regarding reproductive rights. In every one, voters supported abortion rights. In Kansas, 59% voted to preserve abortion rights protections, while in Michigan 57% favored an amendment that put protections in the state constitution. Last year, 59% of Ohio voters said abortion should generally be legal, according to AP VoteCast, a broad survey of the electorate. Last month, a poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found the majority of U.S. adults want abortion to be legal at least through the initial stages of pregnancy. Peter Range, CEO of Ohio Right to Life, said he traveled across Ohio talking to people and Ive never seen the grassroots from the pro-life side more fired up to go and defend and protect the pre-born. Access to abortion in Ohio is pivotal to access across the Midwest, said Alison Dreith, director of strategic partnership for the abortion fund Midwest Access Coalition. Nine Midwestern states Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Nebraska, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin are considered restrictive, very restrictive or most restrictive of abortion rights by the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports legal access to abortion. Ohio in particular has always been a destination state for the states around it, Dreith said. If we dont protect abortion access in Ohio, the options just continue to shrink for people seeking care in the Midwest. Abortion in America: How access and attitudes have changed through the centuries 1970s: Roe v. Wade protects women's right to abortion; politics shift 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 About 20 federal officials were in Tulsa on Tuesday morning to begin hearing from tribal leaders across the country about violence against Native American women and attempts to police and and eliminate it. It has really been an important learning experience for my trajectory as an advocate to learn so much from tribal advocates, survivors, Rosie Hidalgo, director of the Office on Violence Against Women, said in opening the 18th annual Government-to-Government Violence Against Women Tribal Consultation. The event runs through Thursday at the Muscogee Nations River Spirit Casino Resort. A 2016 report by the U.S. Department of Justice found that more than 80% of American Indian women had experienced violence and that Indian women were two to three times more likely than other ethnic groups to be victims of stalking or sexual violence. In almost every case, the attacker was non-Indian. Much of this has been attributed to a quirk in federal law that greatly restricted Native law enforcement officers from detaining and prosecuting non-Natives apprehended on Native land. The 2013 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act gave tribes more ability to act in such situations, and the 2022 reauthorization strengthened that. Hidalgo, with 25 years in the field, was part of the effort to push through the 2013 reauthorization. On Wednesday, she recalled Diane Millich, a Southern Ute woman whose testimony about a non-Indian husband who repeatedly abused and ultimately tried to kill her had a major impact on the campaigns ultimate success. There were statistics that were so important. There were talking points about why it was an important policy. There was even legislation that had been drafted. But even that was not enough for us to understand what this was really about until the story of Diane Millich and what it meant for her, Hidalgo said. Tuesdays expected keynote speaker, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, the third-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice, had to cancel because of travel delays, but she was represented by her deputy, Betsy Henthorne. Henthorne said she and other federal officials met Monday evening with tribal officials and that she was inspired by those leaders patience, perseverance and the sheer volume of work that they and all of you are doing to protect Native women and girls and to keep your communities resilient and strong and to take good care of each other. Henthorne said the meeting impressed upon her the importance of prevention efforts that are rooted in tribal tradition and reflect and honor the cultural trends of the community. Thank you for giving us in the federal government a chance to learn from you. Among the federal officials participating Tuesday were Oklahomas three U.S. attorneys, including Clint Johnson of the Tulsa-based Northern District of Oklahoma. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. The prices of rice in the Mekong Delta region are on the rise, challenging rice traders and exporters in Vietnam. Many rice traders said that they have failed to receive a sufficient volume of ordered rice as sellers are waiting for higher prices. Meanwhile, rice exporters are hesitant to sign new rice shipment contracts due to a lack of available grains. Truong Van Chinh, director of Chon Chinh Import Export Company in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the firm had negotiated with farmers on increasing rice prices from the previously pledged levels. The firm and these farmers had earlier reached a consensus on a purchase price at VND7,000 (US$0.29) per kilogram. However, the rate has climbed to VND8,000 ($0.33) a kilogram, forcing the firm to revise the purchase price to get enough rice. Pham Thai Binh, general director of Trung An Hi-Tech Farming JSC, said that sky-high rice prices would affect the rice export contracts which the firm signed when the rates were lower than the current levels. Firms with abundant rice inventories will not be affected when following up on their contracts, but other rice exporters which have yet to access rice sources will be in turmoil due to their previously-signed export agreements, said Binh. Exporters might sustain huge losses if they buy rice at this time when prices are skyrocketing. Meanwhile, global rates are predicted to fall to $620-630 a metric ton from the current $630-640. The Dong Thap Province Department of Industry and Trade will keep a close watch on export activities to promptly remove obstacles facing exporters, said Vo Phuong Thuy, deputy director of the agency. We will work with the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to beef up rice cultivation and provide high-quality grains to meet the need, she added. Workers bag rice for export at Chon Chinh Import Export Company in Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Dang Tuyet / Tuoi Tre Rice prices on an uptrend The prices of fragrant rice of all types range from VND16,000 ($0.67) to VND20,000 ($0.84) per kilogram at Cao Lanh Market in Dong Thap Province. The rice prices have risen VND1,000-2,000 ($0.04-0.08) per kilogram compared to those set last week, according to many rice traders. Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy, who resides in Ward 4, Cao Lanh City under Dong Thap Province, said that she bought a bag of rice and a broken-rice package two days earlier. However, the price of a 50-kilogram bag of rice jumped VND15,000 ($0.63) on Monday. Rice is scarce," said N.L.C., a rice vendor in Rach Gia City under Kien Giang Province. "One day ago, I placed an order for a combined five metric tons of rice from wholesalers in Can Tho City and Tien Giang Province, but I received less than one metric ton. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang has proposed the Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) open its doors to high-quality farm produce from Vietnam, mainly fresh fruits, heard a working session between the Vietnamese official and Mohit Singla, chairman of the TPCI, on Tuesday. The session was part of the fifth meeting of the Vietnam-India Joint Sub-Commission on Trade co-chaired by Deputy Minister Thang and Additional Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry Rajesh Agrawal in New Delhi on the same day. Thang hinted at helping Vietnamese exporters study the Indian market and holding trade fairs and exhibitions to introduce safe, standardized Vietnamese fruits. Dragon fruit is Vietnams only fresh fruit to be allowed to enter India, Deputy Minister Thang said, adding that she expected the TPCI to support Vietnam with agricultural product promotion activities to beef up dragon fruit consumption in the nation. She proposed the TPCI urge the Indian government to remove trade barriers against Vietnamese fruits as soon as possible. At a meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to India Nguyen Thanh Hai, she requested him to keep closely working with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to bolster trade promotion activities in India and strive to lift Indias trade barriers against Vietnamese products. It is vital to create favorable conditions to ship Vietnams potential products, especially fresh fruits, to India, she stressed. Besides, Thang proposed the Indian side smooth the way for Vietnamese airlines to open more air routes between Vietnams big cities and India to develop tourism. The TPCI chairman said that he would forward these propositions to the Indian government to erase challenges facing Vietnamese firms. Speaking at the Vietnam - India Business Forum held on the same day, Deputy Minister Thang said that the two nations should strengthen cooperation in the agricultural, fishery, apparel, footwear, pharmaceutical, fertilizer, machinery, and household appliance spheres. She also emphasized the importance of technology application and digitalization, suggesting joining hands to evolve the logistics sector by opening direct transport routes to save cost and time. Furthermore, she said that Vietnam always encourages Indian investors to expand their operations in the food processing, automobile manufacturing, electronics, infrastructure, and e-commerce fields in the Southeast Asian country. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Severe riverbank collapse along a section of the Saigon River in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, measuring 40 meters in length and over 20 meters in depth, has raised concerns among local residents. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport confirmed that it had been informed of the incident by the Center for Waterway Management. According to the report, the riverbank failure began on August 4. The collapse site is primarily situated within the vicinity of a cafe, along the bank of the Saigon River at 3C Quarter in Thanh Loc Ward, District 12. This specific area also falls within the scope of the national inland waterway, approximately two kilometers away from the Phu Long Bridge. The dimensions of the riverbanks erosion are approximately 40 meters in length alongside the river and extend more than 20 meters into the bank. The eroded section is currently progressively encroaching onto the shore by around 16-20 meters. Concurrently, cracks measuring between six and 10 centimeters have emerged, spanning a length of roughly 30 meters along the river. The pertinent authorities attributed the preliminary cause of the occurrence to factors such as significant tidal fluctuations, strong river currents, and the presence of soft ground. A riverbank section hit by erosion in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, August 8, 2023. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre There were no casualties resulting from the riverbank collapse. However, an area exceeding 800 square meters of land, along with several business assets such as tables, chairs, and plants belonging to the aforementioned cafe, were washed away by the incident. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport specified that the site where the erosion happened was not included in the list of 32 sites along rivers and canals across the city which the municipal administration had previously identified as areas susceptible to riverbank failure. Authorities have taken prompt measures after the occurrence in District 12, instructing the landowner to swiftly secure the affected area with barricades to safeguard the well-being and assets of the populace. In terms of resolutions, the transport department recommended that the Vietnam Inland Waterway Administration for Region III expedite the establishment of a waterway signaling system in the affected zone to alert vessels to speed restrictions during travel. Furthermore, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Waterway Management is tasked with vigilantly monitoring the erosions advancement. This entails close collaboration with local authorities to provide timely alerts regarding the potential continuation of erosion over the forthcoming days. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Dak Nong Province in Vietnams Central Highlands region has declared a state of emergency after severe landslides and earth cracks hit three locations in the area, said a local official on Tuesday evening. The natural disasters struck the Dak Nting reservoir in Dak Glong District, the National Highway 14 section passing through Gia Nghia City, and an area in Tuy Duc District, according to Le Trong Yen, vice-chairman of the provincial administration. The landslide which hit the Dak Nting reservoir measured roughly 400 meters long and some 30 meters wide, endangering the safety of irrigation facilities as well as the surrounding households and areas. Meanwhile, landslides and fissures on the National Highway 14 section showed complicated developments, measuring some 40 meters long and around 4.5 meters deep. The fissures left a significantly negative impact on traffic movement as well as threatened the safety of 16 households and their properties in the affected area. A huge fissure hit the National Highway 14 section passing through Gia Nghia City, Dak Nong Province, located in Vietnams Central Highlands region. Photo: Trung Tan / Tuoi Tre Fissures detected in an area in Tuy Duc have a total length of some 540 meters and are located about 300 meters away from the Dak Ke hydropower reservoir. The natural disasters destabilized the traffic infrastructure system and houses, affecting vehicular movement and the safety of local people, Yen elaborated. Fissures were also detected in an area of Tuy Duc District, Dak Nong Province, located in Vietnams Central Highlands region. Photo: Trung Tan / Tuoi Tre Over the past few weeks, landslides, flash floods, and flooding have hit multiple provinces and cities in Vietnam, especially northern and Central Highlands localities. Last week, authorities in the Central Highlands of Lam Dong evacuated residents from the Dong Thanh irrigation reservoir project in Lam Ha District, where huge cracks led to land subsidence in the nearby area and posed a threat to residential safety. The cracks, measuring five to 10 centimeters wide, appeared in an area of 2.5 hectares around the irrigation lake after torrential rain occurred there for several days. In Dak Nong, land erosion hit two roads in Dak R'Lap District and four other roads and infrastructure facilities in the border district of Tuy Duc. Another landslide also affected a bypass of National Highway 14 in neighboring Dak Lak Province. In the northern mountainous region, Ho Bon Commune in Mu Cang Chai District, Yen Bai Province remained isolated with many villages and the commune center covered in rocks and mud, after it was battered by flash floods last Saturday. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Australian Idol judge Amy Shark has cancelled her upcoming US tour dates telling fans through Instagram she needs immediate surgery. In recent days Ive had some very uncomfortable painful moments and have just found out that I need surgery ASAP. I am choosing to keep the details private but Im all good dw, she wrote. I will need a month to recover, meaning I have to cancel the North American tour next month. Im so sad right now. Im very sorry but I need to focus on my health for a month. I hope you understand and I promise Ill be back as soon as Im recovered. Much love from sad Amy. She was due to begin in Washington on Wednesday, 6 September, ending in Los Angeles on Tuesday, 26 September. Shark, who recently won the Logie for Most Popular New Talent is also expected to return to Australian Idol, which is holding auditions with producers at present and due to commence production anytime between 1st September to 31st March. Seven us yet to formally announce the shows return. Get well soon! Mali's forward Moussa Doumbia controls the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2021 round of 16 football match between Mali and Equatorial Guinea at Limbe Omnisport Stadium in Limbe on January 26, 2022. (Photo by Issouf SANOGO / AFP) (Photo by ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP via Getty Images) The 28-year-old Mali international is one of the many names that the Owls have reportedly shown an interest in in recent months as Xisco looks to add to his Wednesday squad, however with interest from Saudi Arabia it was always potentially going to be a tough deal to get done. Now, according to Foot Mercato in France, the former Reims man has chosen his future destination, and is due to sign a two-year deal with Al Adalah as they look to push for promotion back into the Saudi Pro League following last seasons relegation. Journalist, Sebastien Denis, said on Twitter today, Moussa Doumbia, who also had an offer from Saint-Etienne, will sign in the Saudi second division with Al Adalah for two years despite competition from Al Fateh. The Mali international is expected in Saudi Arabia in the next few hours. After a quiet start to the summer Wednesday have had a busy few weeks on the transfer front, and last week Devis Vasquez became the seventh signing of Xiscos tenure at the club - there are still expected to be more to come. Doumbia played 34 games in Ligue 2 in France last season, scoring 11 goals for Sochaux before it was decided that hed move on at the end of his contract. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon decreased 66 percent in July 2023 compared to the same period last year, reaching the lowest figure for this month in five years (MICHAEL DANTAS) Eight South American countries agreed Tuesday to launch an alliance to fight deforestation in the Amazon, vowing at a summit in Brazil to stop the world's biggest rainforest from reaching "a point of no return." The closely watched summit of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) adopted what host country Brazil called a "new and ambitious shared agenda" to save the rainforest, a crucial buffer against climate change that experts warn is being pushed to the brink of collapse. The group's members -- Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela -- signed a joint declaration in Belem, at the mouth of the Amazon River, laying out a nearly 10,000-word roadmap to promote sustainable development, end deforestation and fight the organized crime that fuels it. But the summit stopped short of environmentalists' and Indigenous groups' boldest demands, including for all member countries to adopt Brazil's pledge to end illegal deforestation by 2030 and Colombia's pledge to halt new oil exploration. "It's a first step, but there isn't a concrete decision, just a list of promises," said Marcio Astrini, head of the Brazil-based Climate Observatory coalition. "The planet is melting, temperature records are being broken every day... it is not possible for eight Amazonian leaders to fail to put in a declaration in bold letters that deforestation must be zero," he added. In his opening speech of the two-day summit, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva emphasized that the "severe worsening of the climate crisis" required action "in unison." "It has never been so urgent," he said in remarks just hours after the European Union's climate observatory confirmed July had been the hottest month ever recorded. Colombian President Gustavo Petro meanwhile called for a massive program to cancel developing countries' debt in exchange for action to protect the climate, linking the idea to the post-World War II "Marshall Plan." Story continues "If we're on the verge of extinction and this is the decade when the big decisions have to be made... then what are we doing, besides giving speeches?" he said. - Vital carbon sink - Seeking to pressure the gathered heads of state, hundreds of environmentalists, activists and Indigenous demonstrators marched to the conference venue in Belem, urging bold action. It is the first summit in 14 years for the eight-nation group, set up in 1995 by the South American countries that share the Amazon basin. Home to an estimated 10 percent of Earth's biodiversity, 50 million people and hundreds of billions of trees, the vast Amazon is a vital carbon sink, reducing global warming. But scientists warn the destruction of the rainforest is pushing it dangerously close to a tipping point, beyond which trees would die off and release carbon rather than absorb it, with catastrophic consequences for the climate. Regional leaders appeared divided on some issues. Colombia's Petro is pushing other countries to adhere to his pledge to ban all new oil exploration -- a touchy subject for some members, including Brazil, whose state-run oil company is controversially seeking to explore new offshore blocks at the mouth of the Amazon River. "Achieving zero deforestation isn't even enough to absorb all our carbon emissions," Petro said. "The solution is to stop burning coal, oil and gas." - Lula test - The summit is something of a dress rehearsal for the 2025 UN climate talks, which Belem will host. Lula, Petro, Bolivian President Luis Arce and Peru's Dina Boluarte were all present. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, absent due to an ear infection, sent Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, while Ecuador, Guyana and Suriname were represented by high-level officials. Arce urged wealthy nations to help fund efforts to protect the Amazon. "All the responsibility for the climate crisis and its consequences shouldn't fall on our shoulders and our economies. We're not the ones who created the crisis," he said. The summit is a key test for veteran leftist Lula, who previously served as president from 2003 to 2010 and returned to office in January, vowing "Brazil is back" in the fight against climate change, after four years of massive deforestation under his far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. Indigenous groups -- whose lands are crucial buffers against the destruction of the world's forests, according to experts -- urged South American leaders to take decisive action. "Our struggle isn't just for Indigenous peoples," said Nemo Guiquita, head of Ecuadoran Indigenous confederation CONFENIAE. "It's for the entire world, so future generations can survive on this planet," she told AFP. mel/jhb/caw/des/md/sco Spotify's AI-powered DJ is making more rounds worldwide. The company behind the popular audio-streaming platform recently announced it is expanding the coverage of its Ai-powered DJ to more countries worldwide, making it available to 50 markets as of press time. Spotify launched its AI-powered DJ feature in February and first expanded its coverage in May. Better Audio Experience Worldwide Spotify mentioned in its announcement that starting on Aug. 8, Spotify Premium users in select markets in Europe, Asia, and Africa, and those in Australia and New Zealand, can now access its AI-powered DJ feature. Despite this expansion, however, Spotify clarified that the Spotify Premium users in these regions can only access its DJ feature in the English version of the app. There is still no word of the feature coming with localized languages; Spotify Premium users in the covered regions can't use DJ with their own language. Fortunately, the DJ feature is still in its beta phase; the company is still testing it. As such, there may be some hope for localized languages coming to the feature in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, Spotify Premium users can utilize DJ to get recommendations for artists they're "bound to love but have yet to discover." The feature is a personalized AI guide powered by OpenAI that will base its service on a Premium user's music taste when choosing recommendations. Interestingly, it will also deliver a commentary on why the feature suggested the tracks it chose to Premium users in a "stunningly realistic voice." Read More: Apple Music Launches Discovery Station, Suggests New Songs to Subscribers Not everything is new though - Spotify's DJ feature will even throw a few of a Premium user's old favorites to keep them interested with its curated list. Even after giving Premium users a curated list, it doesn't stop learning. Spotify mentioned that once its DJ feature gives a Premium user a fresh batch of suggestions, it will review what they enjoyed listening to and suggest more songs based on its latest findings. However, if a Premium user doesn't like the feature's selection, they could tap on the DJ button so the AI could create a new lineup for them to listen to. Accessing the feature isn't difficult as long as a Spotify user is subscribed to a Premium plan and lives in a market where DJ is available. Premium users only need to open the Spotify mobile app on their smartphone, go to the Music feed on Home and tap DJ. They can also find the feature in the "Made for You" hub within the Search tab for easier access. Countries That Now Have Spotify DJ Spotify mentioned that its DJ feature is now available in 50 markets worldwide. These include the countries that already have the feature before Aug. 8, such as the US and Canada (on release) and the UK and Ireland, per Tech Crunch. As of Aug. 8, Spotify's DJ is now available in these countries: Antigua Australia Bahamas Barbados Barbuda Belize Botswana Burundi Canada Dominica Eswatini Fiji Gambia Ghana Grenada Guyana, Ireland Jamaica Kenya Kiribati Lesotho Liberia Malawi Malta Marshall Islands Namibia Nauru New Zealand Nigeria Pakistan Palau Papua New Guinea Philippines Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Sierra Leone Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa Sweden Tanzania Tonga Uganda United Kingdom United States Vanuatu Zambia Zimbabwe Related Article: Spotify Uses OpenAI for Its New 'DJ' Feature That Will Explain Your Recommendations Cruise destinations from Southampton include Norway, the Spanish coast and North America (Image: Matthew Barra/Pexels) Getting away from the hustle and bustle of usual life can be a great way to recharge, and what better way than to take a trip on a cruise from Southampton? There are several leaving from the city in August that are sailing all over the world including the likes of P&O, Fred Olsen and MSC to name a few. In total, there are 24 international cruises listed to depart from Southampton for the remainder of this month, and prices are correct as of August 9, 2023. Here's a selection of some of the journeys you can go on, with a full list being available at the Southampton Cruise Centre website here. Daily Echo: Most cruise destinations from Southampton are in Europe but some venture further out around the world Most cruise destinations from Southampton are in Europe but some venture further out around the world (Image: Canva) World cruises leaving Southampton in August 2023 Wonders & Wildlife Of The Azores & Madeira Provider: Fred Olsen Departing: Sunday, August 13 This 12-night cruise will spend plenty of time at sea, sailing past Santa Maria and Cabo Girao, whilst also stopping off at spots such as Leixoes and La Coruna. At the time of writing, there are fares from 1,599 per person. Mediterranean Provider: P&O Cruises Departing: Friday, August 18 The 14-night cruise will stop off at various locations around the Spanish coast as well as Gibraltar before heading back to Southampton. At the time of writing, there are fares from 1,099 per person. North Cape & Mediterranean Provider: Princess Cruises Departing: Saturday, August 19 A mixture of destinations will be visited in this 28-night cruise, with the first leg going around the Norweigan coast. After briefly returning to Southampton passengers will then take in plenty of coastal Mediterranean spots. At the time of writing, there are fares from 2,376 per person. An Extended Exploration from Scotland to Iceland Provider: Explora Journeys Departing: Thursday, August 24 This 16-night cruise will take in many locations around the UK, including Queensferry, Newcastle, Stornoway and the Isle of Skye before finishing up at Reykjavik. Story continues At the time of writing, there are fares from 8,700 per person. Daily Echo: There will be many cruises leaving from Southampton that will visit Scandinavian countries this month There will be many cruises leaving from Southampton that will visit Scandinavian countries this month (Image: Canva) Southampton and Guernsey Provider: MSC Cruises Departing: Thursday, August 24 If you want a very quick excursion then this two-night cruise that travels from Southampton to Saint Peter Port and back should do the trick. At the time of writing, there are fares from 669 per person. Crown & Kingdom Provider: Regent Seven Seas Cruises Departing: Saturday, August 26 Various locations around the UK shall be visited on this 12-night cruise including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Liverpool and Ringaskiddy. To find out the current fare cost for this cruise call 02380 658 386. Southampton to Copenhagen Provider: Silversea Departing: Sunday, August 27 Before heading to Copenhagen, the 12-night cruise will take in destinations such as Cork, Galway, Ullapool, Scrabster and Skagen. At the time of writing, there are fares from 4,350 per person. Daily Echo: Cruises from Southampton will take in many Mediterranean sights on the routes Cruises from Southampton will take in many Mediterranean sights on the routes (Image: Canva) Northern Europe: Iceland & Norway Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line Departing: Sunday, August 27 The cruise will first visit locations in Belgium and the Netherlands before stopping off at Maly, Geiranger and Alesund. Then it will head to Iceland where it will go to Akureyri and Isafjrdur before finishing up in Reykjavik. At the time of writing, there are fares from 988 per person. Old & New World Medley Provider: Oceania Cruises Departing: Wednesday, August 30 This 18-night cruise will first visit locations in Europe such as Le Havre, Belfast and Dublin. Following that it will sail across the ocean to reach North America to take in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. At the time of writing, there are fares from 7,919 per person. Jo Ritchie lost her brother in 2017 to suicide and started an online exhibition called Projecting Grief profiling people who are bereaved. (Photo: Submitted) 24-year-old Jack took his own life in November 2017 following a gambling disorder. He was teaching in Vietnam at the time of his death, leaving professional photographer Jo devastated. She couldnt imagine being creative in the ways she had previously, but almost six years later, grief has become her creative outlet. Shes now hosting an exhibition on bereaved people in Leeds. The 35-year-old, of Chapel Allerton, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: You have to split your brain into two parts if you're photographing people. It's making that person feel comfortable, and then also having the creative side of your brain switched on, thinking of where youre going to put them and how youre going to pose them. Pictured are writer-photographer duo Laura McDonagh, left, and Jo Ritchie, right. There are now 37 profiles on their website, Projecting Grief. I just couldn't imagine myself being creative like that again and being able to be fun and interesting because it was so far away from how I felt. I remember after he died, someone said to me that if you're at a party and he's in the room, he's the sort of person that you'd like to get to know. He was so fun and he was one of my best friends. Its tragic. After losing Jack, conversations with other bereaved people helped Jo realise that creativity can be a coping mechanism, and grief can be a catalyst for creativity. Jo spoke to and photographed a wedding photographer who would capture nature when she was feeling low, and another woman would make headdresses. Jo said: I found those stories really amazing and inspiring. It gave me hope that you can feel creative again. It will always be painful, but it won't have to be quite as heavy as it feels at the beginning. She then met writer Faye Dawson, who had also lost someone close to her, in 2018 and approached her to interview the women she had photographed. The project grew from there and the photographer-writer duo would reach out to more bereaved people to profile for their online exhibition, Projecting Grief. This month, Jo is putting on a free exhibition of people she has photographed over the past six years as part of the project, and a number of creative workshops in Victoria Gate from August 18 27 with Leeds International Festival of Ideas. Story continues It's not always about the person that died, it's also about the people that have survived that, Jo added. "The project didn't start as my creative outlet. I just wanted to document these stories and then it grew as it did. Later on, I realised that it's come full circle and that it had become my creative outlet. Projecting Grief features people from all walks of life, and tells their stories and the creative hobbies and passions that are in memory of the people they have lost. With 37 profiles and new writer Laura McDonagh on board, Jo said she she feels duty-bound to the community it has created. She added: People are getting something out of it. Its important to keep pushing and keep going, and hopefully one day we will get some funding to cover our costs and to be able to get all over the country. Exploiting DeFi protocols has long become cryptos most popular type of crime, while traditional exchange hacks have become far less frequent. But cybercriminals havent lost all interest in the good old digital robbery. The recent hack of a crypto payment processor CoinsPaid shows that the most industrious cybercriminal groups in the world are still willing to spend formidable resources on breaking into centralized entities. CoinsPaid, a Ukrainian firm registered in Estonia, reported being hacked on July 22, with estimated crypto losses of $37.3 million. According to the CEO Max Krupyshev, the company ended up refunding clients from its own funds. Those customers likely include online casinos, which according to a Blockchain Intelligence Group, are widespread users of CoinsPaid. In a detailed explanation of the incident published Monday, CoinsPaid said that, judging by the thieves on-chain behavior, they were very likely the North Korean Lazarus Group or affiliated with it. To siphon money out of CoinsPaid, the attackers used wallets that included the one spotted in another recent attack attributed to Lazarus the Atomic Wallet hack in June, Blockchain Intelligence Group wrote. The attackers had been targeting CoinsPaid for months before finally pulling off the theft, CoinsPaid said. Fishing and social engineering attempts started in March, including a request from someone posing as a fellow Ukrainian crypto processing startup, who was asking CoinsPaid developers about the firms technical infrastructure, the blog post said. The attackers also tried to bribe CoinsPaid staff and engaged in distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks aimed at the companys servers. Fishing for the gullible employees Then, in July, several employees received lucrative job offerings from LinkedIn accounts posing as recruiters from other crypto companies, including the exchange Crypto.com. For instance, some of our team members received job offers with compensation ranging from 16,000-24,000 USD a month, the blog post said. Story continues After making an initial contact, the fake recruiters asked the employees to install JumpCloud, a platform for user authentication that was reportedly also hacked by Lazarus in July, or other software, presumably to perform a test task. Several employees took the bait and installed malicious software, after which the attackers got access to CoinsPaids infrastructure. During late-European hours on a Friday night on July 21, the attackers got access to CoinsPaids blockchain node and requested a large withdrawal of Tron-based USDT, bitcoin and several ERC20 tokens running on the Ethereum blockchain, Pavel Kashuba, CoinsPaid chief financial officer, told CoinDesk in an interview. The active phase of the attack took about four hours 23 minutes, he said. While the thieves got free access to the companys servers, they did not compromise the private keys for CoinsPaids wallets, CEO Max Krupyshev told CoinDesk: As soon as we switched off our servers, the transfers stopped. He added that, when the firm spun off new wallets with the same keys, those werent drained, confirming that the keys were safe. Cant block this The firm lost money anyway. Most of the stolen funds, in a form of USDT on the Tron blockchain, were swapped for the USDT on Avalanche via cross-chain bridges and then sent to a decentralized exchange SwftSwap, Krupyshev said. Attackers also used decentralized exchanges Uniswap and SunSwap, as well as centralized exchanges Binance, Huobi, Kucoin, Bybit, Bitget and MEXC, according to the post-mortem blog post. Bitcoin was laundered via the Sindbad mixer, which, according to the blockchain intel firm Elliptic, is the most popular mixer for North Korean hackers. CoinsPaid said, although they notified the centralized exchanges as soon as they saw funds moving there, labeling crime-related addresses and taking action by exchanges is a process too slow to keep up with the hackers, who were cashing out in a matter of minutes. Kashuba expressed frustration that law enforcement agencies go slowly in convincing exchanges to freeze criminal accounts. You need to block the money but that money is already gone, he said. The bottom line is exchanges need to pay attention to digital hygiene and adequate training for the staff, Kashuba said. And that goes for all kinds of cybercrime. Martha during happier times in Afganistan (Photo: Submitted) A former Army medic who has been receiving treatment from a Northampton-based veterans service is getting ready to compete in Septembers Invictus Games. Martha Prinsloo, from Lincolnshire, has been sharing her story about how an explosion in Afghanistan completely changed her life. Although her injuries did not impact her straight away, Martha eventually became physically and mentally unwell. She eventually tried to take her own life, which led to her being introduced to Op Courage, an NHS mental health specialist service which assessed her. Martha became traumatised after serving (Photo: Submitted) It was through Op Courage that Martha was referred to mental health charity St Andrews Healthcare based in Northampton where she received life-changing support and treatment for which Martha said she will be forever grateful. The explosion occurred in 2013 when Martha was travelling in a vehicle while on tour when she was blown up into the air after driving over an improvised explosive device (IED). All passengers survived, but from the outside, Martha said everyone thought they were all dead. She said: The smell was putrid and there was just smoke everywhere. It was a massive loud explosion and you could feel the secondary blast go through you if you imagine turning a bass speaker up to full volume, it was a thousand times worse. Now Martha is training hard for September's Invictus Games (Photo: Submitted) I remember us actually going up, down, up, down, and we ended up at an angle where we were hanging and no-one knew if we were alive or not. It looked absolutely horrific when I watched the footage. You see the vehicle, then you dont see the vehicle; you see this dust cloud and then you see the vehicle all of a sudden way up here, above the dust cloud, and then its gone. Its an experience I wouldnt wish on anybody nothing is ever the same after that. Although after the explosion she initially seemed unharmed, the impact of the blast caught up with her during a nursing shift in 2017. It was while she was treating a patient that she went temporarily completely blind with the blindness staying permanently in one eye. Story continues Martha was then medically discharged from the army, but she struggled to settle in to civilian life. Mentally she became unwell with anxiety and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) which led to her entering a depressive state. Martha said at the time she felt like an oxygen thief and that she shouldnt have been brought back out of Afghan alive. The nerve damage sustained from the blast led to her losing her mobility as well, and she eventually tried to take her own life. She said: When I got back from Afghan, there werent any helicopters, there werent missiles going on, there was nothing and it was dead quiet. Its almost like youre staying on edge because youre waiting for something to happen. Youre waiting to grab your rifle and then theres nothing you cant sleep and then youre awake so that adjustment period was absolutely horrific. The support and treatment from St Andrews Healthcares Veterans Service and Op Courage has given her hope again. Now, Martha feels she has a future and is busy preparing for the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany, in September where she will compete in the swimming, powerlifting, and archery categories. Life has made some interesting twists and turns, she said. From cheating death, not just in Afghanistan but with my mental health, to competing at the Invictus Games, Im now finding a way through sport and challenging myself in a different way. Its so easy to fall into that groove of giving up, and its much harder to get out of it, but once you are out, or start to get out of it, its so worth it. As long as youve got a bit of hope to hold onto, youll get through it. Weve got an amazing team of people and we all get along really well, and I think its because weve all got that longing to be a part of something again its ingrained in us. On her life today, she added: I still have all my other struggles, they have not gone away, and the slow deterioration is still there I cant do anything about that. But for as long as I am breathing and theres life in my bones, Im going to do things and Im counting down the days until the Invictus Games. The Royal British Legion, in partnership with the Ministry of Defence, will be taking Team UKs veterans and military personnel to this years Invictus Games. To find out more, visit: www.rbl.org.uk/Invictus Martha is also fundraising to purchase a wheelchair for the Invictus Games click here to contribute. SWNS A young woman has proudly spoken of her amazing tattoo which covers her entire back and bum - but is completely invisible from the front. Alexandra Cornish, 24, opted to get a unique back tattoo - which spans her entire back, bum and the back of her thighs. A tattoo artist herself, Alexandra, from Hillarys, Perth, Australia, took inspiration from Japanese 'bodysuit' tattoos. She got the 3,000 ink done over NINE sessions in a year, taking more than 50 hours to complete in total. The tattoo centres around Princess Wakana and also features flowers, skulls and spiders on a spider web background. She loves seeing people's reactions when they see her from the front, with no visible ink - then she turns around. Alexandra, who is currently living with her partner in Singapore, said: "I never looked at myself originally with a big back piece. "But traditionally with Japanese back pieces, they're supposed to tell the story of the rest of your body and all images link to the back and I liked that. "When people say the back is quite painful, I didnt find it too bad. My waist and tailbone hurt though. "Tattoos like this are designed to be hidden under clothes - and it's good I can have it hidden. "I love having it on display though. I love the contrast of not looking tattooed from the front, but having a heavy back piece. "I do notice people staring when I'm out - but I take no offence. "I put 50 hours into it - I don't care who looks!" Alexandra had two tattoos but nothing on her back when she first reached out to tattoo artist Dan Molloy, based in Perth, Western Australia in January 2021. She already knew him from a previous tattoo he did for her and she feels he is "one of the best artists" in Australia. Initially unsure what she wanted, they came up with an idea around Princess Wakana, the beautiful daughter of Lord Otomo no Sorin, a Japanese feudal lord of the 1500s. She studied magic and had a special connection with spiders which taught her magic spells, according to Japanese art from the 1800s. Alexandra said: "I told Dan I wanted a woman that wasnt too feminine, but nothing too intense, and he suggested Wakana. "Originally I didn't like spiders and I wasn't inclined, but I have always liked magic and fantasy, so I went with it." She explained these back pieces normally only cover the back when done on men because they have broader shoulders. But due to her feminine proportions, it made more sense for the design to stretch lower, and cover her entire bum and the tops of her thighs. Alexandra's first session took place in September 2021. She had to fly to and from Dan's studio Kurikara Fudo Tattoo in Perth from where she was living in Surry Hills, Sydney at the time. The entire tattoo took nine sessions - with some as long as eight hours in one go - and the entire piece took 50 hours to complete. She said: "When people say the back is quite painful, I didnt find it too bad. "Certain parts were better than others. The shoulders, I found so easy. "But I didnt like my waist or ribs. The worst part was the very bottom, my tailbone. "People say the butt is sore but I found that and my thighs ok - I was expecting it to be worse. "The hardest thing was the bruising when travelling for the days after." By August 2022 her back was completed - delayed by travel restrictions in Sydney due to local Covid outbreaks. Since then, she has proudly showed off her unique ink and loves it. While her parents weren't originally big tattoo fans, now they see it as "art" - although not everyone agrees. Alexandra said: "A comment that irks me is 'I like it but I wouldnt get it' - I just dont really care. "It's not on their body! "The way mine is, and where it is a whole design, it looks like art. "Someone else commented that I'm beautiful but the tattoos ruined me. "Someone once asked if I'm worried that men won't be attracted to me - but then why would I be attracted to them? I'm a tattoo artist! "Ten out of ten times someone approaches me, it's about my tattoo - I get it in clubs, the gym, the shop, cafes, everywhere." She said she loves surprising people - who don't expect her to have ink on her back after seeing her from the front. She said: "Personality wise I am friendly and bubbly, I dont have a face where I look like I'll be heavily tattooed. "Its a good contrast. "I still like the look of being heavily tattooed, I love that look, as a tattooer myself. "But for me personally I am not at a point yet where I want that next step. "For now, I'm very content with the 'shock factor'". An aid convoy enters rebel-held northwestern Syria in July 2023 after passing through the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the border with Turkey (OMAR HAJ KADOUR) The United Nations says it will resume aid deliveries to rebel-held areas of northern Syria via Turkey after reaching agreement with Damascus -- a deal that raises concerns among relief groups who want Syrian authorities kept out of the process. Under a 2014 agreement, most international aid had passed through the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey without the authorization of Damascus. But last month, the Security Council failed to reach consensus on extending the mechanism, and the UN said a subsequent Syrian offer to keep the crossing open for another six months contained "unacceptable" conditions. Late Tuesday, a UN spokesman said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "welcomes the understanding reached yesterday by the United Nations and the government of Syria on the continued use for the next six months of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing." The deal followed "engagement" between UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths and Damascus for the world body and its partners to keep providing assistance "at the necessary scale and in a principled manner," the statement said. The Syrian government's previous conditions included that the UN cooperate with it fully and not communicate with "terrorist organizations" -- a reference to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda that controls the Syrian side of the Bab al-Hawa crossing. "The fact that we have the understandings in place is itself a sign that the issues were resolved," UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters on Wednesday. More than four million people live in rebel-held areas of northern and northwestern Syria, many of them in overcrowded, impoverished displacement camps. - 'Get the trucks moving' - In recent weeks, several international organizations had expressed fear that allowing Damascus control over the flow of aid to rebel-held areas could result in limiting access to those most in need. Story continues The International Rescue Committee (IRC) voiced alarm at the announcement. "We are concerned that the removal of certainty and security provided by Security Council authorization will impact the ability of humanitarian organizations, and particularly Syrian NGOs, to operate effectively," the relief group said in a statement. "The Security Council resolution was one guarantee that provided communities in the northwest some comfort knowing their access to lifesaving assistance was supported and protected by the international community." The IRC added that the deal's expiry in February, "at the height of next year's winter season, raises significant concerns about the ability of the response to scale up to meet needs given the lack of predictability." Hiba Zayadin from Human Rights Watch told AFP the arrangement was "not a tenable alternative for the UNSC (Security Council) resolution." "I don't see how such an agreement made with the very government that has long obstructed and weaponized aid can guarantee principled humanitarian aid delivery into the northwest," Zayadin added. According to Haq, aid deliveries via Bab al-Hawa will resume "as soon as possible." "It may take some days, obviously, to get the trucks moving," he said in New York. - 'Unacceptable' - The UN announcement came hours after it said Syria had extended for another three months the use of two other crossings -- Bab al-Salam and Al-Rai -- which were opened following a devastating February 6 earthquake. Civil war erupted in Syria after President Bashar al-Assad's government crushed peaceful protests in 2011. The conflict has killed nearly half a million people and driven half the country's pre-war population from their homes. Russia last month vetoed a nine-month extension of the Bab al-Hawa mechanism and then failed to muster enough votes to adopt a six-month extension. Damascus regularly denounces the UN aid deliveries as a violation of its sovereignty. Its ally Moscow has been chipping away at the Security Council deal for years. The White Helmets rescue group, which operates in the northwest, said the UN had "ignored the demands and pleas" of Syrians and allowed the government to control cross-border aid into the opposition bastion. "Placing the fate of life-saving aid for millions of innocent people in the hands of those who killed them, forced them from their homes and robbed them of their rights is unacceptable," it said on social media. bur-rh/nr-sst/mlm This article is about the World Bank cutting funds to Uganda. In the photo, a grey wall with the World Bank Group sign on it. Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The World Bank, the international financial institution that lends money to the governments of low or middle income countries, has said that it will halt new lending to Uganda due to the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation recently passed in the country. In May, Uganda enacted the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, which further criminalises LGBTQ+ identities in a country where same-sex relations were already illegal under a colonial-era penal code retained after independence. The legislation, which imposes life imprisonment and even the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality has been deemed one of the worlds harshest laws targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Activists, scientists and academics all over the world have condemned the Ugandan law, with the UN Human Rights Office calling it a recipe for systematic violations of the rights of queer people living in the country. On June 15, around 170 civic groups put pressure on World Bank President Ajay Banga to take specific, concrete and timely actions in response to the anti-LGBTQ+ law passed in Uganda. After President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, signed the law in May, the World Bank sent a team to the country to assess whether additional measures would need to be implemented to ensure that all projects funded aligned with the banks environmental and social standards. On Tuesday, August 8, the World Bank released a statement, saying: Ugandas Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Groups values. We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a livable planet can only succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality. This law undermines those efforts. Inclusion and non-discrimination sit at the heart of our work around the world. Ugandas Anti-Homosexuality Act contradicts the @WorldBanks values. After reviewing our portfolio in the context of the new legislation, no new public financing will be presented to our Board of Executive Directors. Read the full statement: https://t.co/ZuoOyT80OI World Bank (@WorldBank) August 8, 2023 No new public financing to Uganda will be presented to our Board of Executive Directors until the efficacy of the additional measures has been tested, it added. Our goal is to protect sexual and gender minorities from discrimination and exclusion in the projects we finance. These measures are currently under discussion with the authorities. Story continues Ugandan Minister for Foreign Affairs Okello Oryem responded to this decision by accusing the World Bank of hypocrisy, arguing that they are lending money to countries with much harsher laws against the queer community. There are many Middle East countries who do not tolerate homosexuals, they actually hang and execute homosexuals, in the United States of America, many states have passed laws that are either against or restrict activities of homosexuality so why pick on Uganda? he said. The World Bank has been put under pressure by the usual imperialists. While the World Bank has now halted new loans to Uganda, funding for already existing projects, including many on health and education, will still be disbursed to the country. The post World Bank cuts off loans to Uganda over anti-LGBTQ+ law appeared first on GCN. Iceland has slashed the price of hundreds of products - Iceland has cut the price of 500 items of household essentials to support Brits in the cost of living crisis. The budget retailer has cut the price of some products by half, as it launches a number of new and exclusive deals. Reduced items include weekly shop essentials such as McCain Home Chips (2.25 kg, was 5, now 4.25), Iceland Chicken Breast Fillets (600g, was 4, now 3.60), and Iceland 6pint Semi Skimmed Milk (was 2.30, now 2.15). Additionally, a third of the supermarkets entire range is now available to Mix & Match which lets shoppers combine any items together in a three for 3, three for 5 and three for 10 multi-buy. Richard Walker, executive chairman of Iceland Foods, said: Families are struggling more than ever as the cost-of-living crisis worsens. Thats why weve invested millions and will continue to do so to keep prices low across key weekly shop items. We know we have a responsibility as a business to support our customers in any way we can and offer great value when people need it most. Iceland Food deals Focused on morning goods and bread and selected grocery items including: Warburtons Toastie Soft Thick White 800g John West Mackerel Fillets in Sunflower Oil Sunny D Tangy Florida Citrus Fusion 1L A range of own brand and branded products across frozen and grocery lines including: Iceland Sweet Peppers Richmond 6 Thick Pork Sausages 308g Babybel Mini Original Cheese This deal has been extended to include grocery and non-food. Iceland Boneless 2 Atlantic Salmon Petal Soft Luxury Soft Toilet Tissue Cathedral City Mature Cheddar Greggs Sausage Rolls, 4 pack My Protein Chicken Tikka with Rice 350g Slimming World Beef Lasagne 550g 500 discounted products In addition, prices have been slashed on 500 weekly shop products including: One of west Africa's most influential leaders insisted on Wednesday that military intervention in Niger remains an option as part of a strategy to force coup leaders to hand back power to the democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum. Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian president, who also chairs the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), still believes diplomacy is the best way forward to resolve the crisis, according to his spokesman. "No options have been taken off of the table," Tinubu's spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said. Bazoum was deposed on 26 July when forces led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani seized power and confined him to the presidential palace in Niamey. The junta has defied calls Ecowas as well as an array of other governments to restore Bazoum. On Thursday in Abuja, Ecowas will meet to thrash out its next move including whether to pursue its threat to send troops into Niger. Response Ecowas imposed trade and financial sanctions on Niger after the coup and issued a seven-day ultimatum to reinstate Bazoum. The soldiers who seized power closed Niger's airspace hours after a huge rally was staged in support of their actions. They also blocked an Ecowas delegation to Niamey on Tuesday claiming that they could not assure the mission's safety due to public anger over the sanctions. On Wednesday, Aichatou Boulama Kane, Niger's ambasador to France, told the French news agency AFP that her son, Idrissa, had been detained Kane, the general manager of Nigers Post Office, is involved in a case of alleged misappropriation of public funds. Read more on RFI English Read also: West African leaders to meet on Niger after junta defies deadline Mali, Burkina Faso send joint delegation to Niamey in solidarity with Niger Junta rallies supporters in Niger as deadline to reinstate president passes Hong Kong: HK, Zhongshan boost co-operation Chief Executive John Lee today met CPC Zhongshan Municipal Committee Secretary Guo Wenhai to exchange views on further deepening Hong Kongs co-operation with Zhongshan. Mr Lee pointed out that as the largest source of external investment in Zhongshan, Hong Kong could contribute to the better integration of the two places in such areas as finance, logistics, trade, technology, management and professional services, in which Hong Kong enjoys an advantage. He stressed that the two cities could work together to promote high-quality development in manufacturing and other industries, which would foster the exchange and growth of young people. Additionally, the Chief Executive thanked the Zhongshan Municipal Government for its long-standing support for Hong Kongs Dedicated Team for Attracting Businesses & Talents as it actively appeals to local enterprises and talent to develop in Hong Kong. Mre Lee said he looks forward to the continuously close co-operation between the two places, with a view to enhancing the understanding of Zhongshan's enterprises and talent of Hong Kongs investment and employment environment. He also stated that Hong Kong will continue to make good use of its advantages as a professional services and financing platform and encourage enterprises to expand their businesses in Zhongshan as well as other Greater Bay Area cities. Noting that the travelling time between Hong Kong and Zhongshan has been significantly reduced since the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Mr Lee said he believes it brings the two cities closer to each other and will facilitate Hong Kong peoples pursuit of entrepreneurship, working, and living in Zhongshan. He added that it will also foster the flow of people and deepen co-operation between the two places, and facilitate their joint promotion of the high-quality development of the bay area. This story has been published on: 2023-08-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. NASA's Orion spacecraft will soon be more than spaceworthy. The crew members of the space agency's Artemis 2 mission are eager to improve the Orion spacecraft they'll be in next year after they visited it for the first time. NASA's Artemis 2 mission, the program's crewed test launch, is set for take-off sometime in Nov. 2024 if everything goes as planned. Measure Twice, Launch Once NASA astronauts Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen had a field day with NASA's Orion spacecraft. According to a report from Space.com, the four astronauts gathered in front of their Orion spacecraft at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and got the chance to explore it from within. Christina Koch, who acts as Artemis 2's mission specialist, mentioned that all of them agreed that they felt chills run down their bodies when they walked up to their spacecraft the first time. She described the experience as "a new way" to bond with her fellow astronauts and the team, per Ars Technica. "It was great to look inside," said Artemis 2 commander Reid Wiseman. He mentioned that the experience he received from his first-time visit to the Orion spacecraft gave him a "good sense of how far along [Artemis 2] is." Read More: Hackers Could Use AI to Steal Credentials Through the Sound of Typing While work on Artemis 2's Orion spacecraft has progressed smoothly, there is still more work to do to make it spaceworthy enough to reach the Moon and back. This fact is evidenced by the stack of speakers surrounding the Orion spacecraft at the Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building. These stacks of speakers will blast the Orion crew module with sounds mimicking the acoustic energy from a rocket launch late this week to test its durability. Fortunately, the four astronauts are eager to help prepare their Orion spacecraft for its 2024 launch and future missions in the future. Wiseman said that he and his fellow crew members are helping influence the design of the Orion spacecraft to help future astronauts take the spacecraft into bigger, much more complex missions. As such, they have to make the spacecraft operate as simply as possible for them. Artemis 2 Mission Launch Date While NASA mentioned that it is planning to launch Artemis 2 sometime in Nov. 2024, it could happen earlier or later than expected depending on the work on Orion's crew module. According to NASA's Jim Free, Orion's crew module is now driving the launch date. Jim Free is responsible for leading the NASA division that develops hardware for the Artemis lunar program. As of press time, preparations for the 2024 launch are a few weeks behind the schedule NASA needs to launch Artemis 2 in Nov. 2024. As such, the spacecraft may go around the Moon in 2025 instead of the planned 2024 launch. Free revealed that Orion's crew module is in the "critical path," and that NASA must get it assembled and tested, then mated to the service module, and turn it over to the ground systems folks here for processing. Related Article: NASA Finally Reveals Its Artemis 2 Astronauts The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Gainesville Campus, in partnership with REACH Georgia, hosted an in-person event July 19 as an opportunity for REACH Georgia scholars to visit the campus and receive information about college preparation. The event seeks to expand on the information provided during the Virtual College Information Day event earlier this year and provide additional information and support for parents of REACH Georgia scholars. "We hope that attendees at this event gained important information about preparing for college and valuable insight into the successful transition from high school to college," Jennifer Herring, special assistant to the vice president of Regional Campuses, said. "We aim to equip students and their parents with information that will help with the transition to college and provide parents with important tips on supporting their students in college." REACH Georgia is the state's first needs-based mentorship and college scholarship program, launched in 2012 as a key component of the state's Complete College Georgia Initiative. REACH Georgia scholars are eighth-grade through 12th-grade students who demonstrate a financial need and are enrolled in a REACH Georgia school system. Actor Son Suk-ku plays the role of Lim Ji-seop in the Netflix's military action series "D.P." Courtesy of Netflix By Lee Gyu-lee Actor Son Suk-ku shared that his latest role as a soldier named Lim Ji-seop in the Netflix original series "D.P.," gave him an opportunity to try a new approach to acting. Actor Son Suk-ku / Courtesy of Netflix "(With the character,) I learned to try creating and shaping the character as I go, exploring what will come out of it, rather than creating and planning the character in a box. It was an opportunity to switch the process. And Lim was the right character to try such an approach," the actor told The Korea Times, during an interview in Gangnam District, Monday. Led by director Han Jun-hee, the military action series follows soldiers Ahn Joon-ho (Jung Hae-in) and Han Ho-yeol (Koo Kyo-hwan), who are part of a special unit called Deserter Pursuit (D.P.) responsible for bringing back soldiers who go AWOL. The two track down deserters facing injustices and corruption in the organization as they learn about what caused the soldiers to abandon their posts. Its second season, which was released on July 28, delves deeper into major cases like a mass shooting in the military triggered by corruption. After the death of a fellow soldier named Cho Suk-bong (Cho Hyun-chul), the two start to stand up against injustice and help correct wrongs. Son portrays an army captain stationed at the same base as Ahn and Han. After graduating from an elite military academy, his only interest is to progress up the ladder of the organization, trying his best to avoid any incident that will jeopardize his ascent. "From Season 1, I thought it would be interesting if my character, Lim, changes gradually if there's Season 2. And I didn't know how it will be portrayed. But when I saw the script (for the second season,) what intrigued me most was the subtle nature of this change," he said. A scene from the series "D.P." / Courtesy of Netflix Hai Phong, Viet Nam Every eighth lunar month, Vietnamese people eagerly celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together. This is an opportunity for family members to reunite, show appreciation and send each other blessings. Besides the brightly lit lanterns and the raucous processions, mooncakes have become a staple on everyones mind once the Moon Festival arrives. Honouring unique traditions of the full moon festivity, Sheraton Hai Phong introduces the 2023s Peacock Mooncake Collection to deliver sincere wishes to friends, partners and loved ones. The mooncake box of this collection draws upon the power, prestige and prosperity of the peacock that Sheraton Hai Phongs signature Cantonese restaurant Yi Ling Ling is inspired by. The design consists of 100 beautiful tail feathers seen in the enchanting creatures plume, exemplifying the peacocks elegant opulence and majestic beauty. Inspired by Yi Ling Ling and the peacocks colours, the primary colours of the mooncake box are white and seagrass green. The peacock pattern on the box is elaborately embossed, along with a sophisticated ceramic lid, culminates into an exquisite gift, carrying the message of prosperity and reunion on the eve of the full moon. Not only is the packaging visually attractive, the Peacock Mooncake Collection 2023 includes four sumptuous flavours: Green Tea, Lotus Seed, Assorted Char Siu and Abalone in X.O sauce (premium). Green Tea (with 1 egg yolk) mooncake is fragrant and refreshing with green tea flavour, bringing a sweet and savoury note to every bite. Lotus Seed (with 1 egg yolk) mooncake introduces a harmonious combination between the natural sweetness of lotus seeds and the savoury components of traditional mooncake, resulting in the perfect balance of different flavour profiles. Special Char Siu (with 1 egg yolk) mooncake introduces multiple layers of bold flavours, representative of Cantonese culinary culture. Abalone and X.O sauce (with 1 egg yolk) mooncake stimulates the taste buds with the rich taste of seafood and a touch of spices from X.O sauce. At the price of VND 899,000 (including VAT) for a four-cake box, customers can also buy separate mooncakes, based on individual preferences: Green Tea, Lotus Seed & Special Char Siu mooncake: VND 198,000/cake. Abalone and X.O sauce mooncake: VND 288,000/cake. With the perfect combination of sophisticated design, finely selected ingredients and meticulous attention to details into the creation of each mooncake, the Peacock Mooncake Collection 2023 will satisfy the discerning palates and aesthetic expectation of every customer. For this years Mid-Autumn Festival, Sheraton Hai Phong hotel offers special promotions for large-quantity and early-bird orders: 10% - 35% discount for orders of 25 boxes or more in a single receipt 15% discount for orders placed and payments completed before 14 August 2023 15% discount for Club Marriott members, applied for orders of 4-cake boxes. The Peacock Mooncake Collection 2023 is currently on sale at Sheraton Hai Phong, Vinhomes Imperia Metropolitan Area, Thuong Ly Ward, Hong Bang District, Hai Phong City. For more information, please refer to the mooncake brochure via the link, contact hotline (+84) 225 3266 888 or email sh.hphsi.restaurants@sheraton.com. About Sheraton Hai Phong As the tallest skyscraper in Hai Phong, Vietnam, Sheraton Hai Phong is regarded as a beacon of development and prosperity. For a premium stay, guests can choose among the collection of 362 rooms and elevated suites, refined to accommodate the needs of leisure travellers and corporate clients. Visiting Sheraton Hai Phong, guests will enjoy the exquisite culinary journey across the most luxurious venues, including modern Lobby Cafe, dynamic Aqua Bar as well as Harbour the sophisticated all-day dining establishment and Yi Ling Ling the hotels signature Cantonese restaurant. In addition to the multifunctional space dedicated to social gatherings, guest can comfortably relax thanks to the hotels 5-star facilities, which include a refreshing four-season swimming pool, well-equipped fitness centre and the rejuvenating Sheraton Spa. As the trusted destination for weddings or important events of various organisations, Sheraton Hai Phongs Grand Ballroom and boardrooms can host from 28 to 900 guests. For more information, visit http://sheratonhaiphong.com and stay connected to Sheraton Hai Phong on Facebook. About Sheraton Hotels & Resorts Sheraton Hotels & Resorts makes it easy for guests to feel welcome at over 430 hotels and resorts in nearly 75 countries and territories around the world. As the most global brand within Marriott Bonvoys portfolio of extraordinary hotel brands sitting at the center of hundreds of communities around the world, Sheraton has a rich heritage in creating a sense of belonging for guests, wherever they are in the world. Sheraton is currently undergoing a major brand transformation, creating a signature community experience for the next generation of travelers and locals alike at properties across the globe. The new vision for Sheraton features intuitive design, tech-forward experiences, and upgrades to everything from public space and F&B to flexible meeting space. To learn more, visit www.sheraton.com. Stay connected to Sheraton on Twitter and Instagram. HA NOI Viet Nam now has a great opportunity to expand its rice market share in the UK after India, the biggest supplier of the grain to this market, banned exports, said Trade Counsellor Nguyen Canh Cuong at the Viet Nam Trade Office in the UK. The UK, home to a community of over 5.5 million Asian-origin people, has high rice demand while it doesnt produce rice. In 2022, its rice import volume increased 4.1 per cent year on year to over 678,000 tonnes while the value rose 7 per cent to more than US$603 million. Last year, Viet Nams rice export to this market grew strongly to approximately 3,400 tonnes worth over $3.7 million, up 24.5 per cent in volume and 34 per cent in value from 2021. However, the country accounts for just 0.6 per cent of the UKs rice import at present, ranking 14th among exporters there, according to statistics cited by Cuong. He said the export ban by India, which makes up nearly 27 per cent of the UKs rice import volume, will trigger a shortage of about 75,000 tonnes of rice in this market in the second half of 2023. The sudden decline in rice supply from India will create advantages for other exporters, including Viet Nam, the Trade Counsellor noted, perceiving that its now a good chance for Vietnamese rice to increase its market share in the UK, especially with favourable tariffs generated by the UK - Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA). Nguyen Hai Nam, chairman of EUTEK Group, which exclusively distributes the rice brand of ST25 Ong Cua in the UK, said that the UK is a great potential market for Vietnamese rice, one of the items exempted from tax under UKVFTA, especially Viet Nam's long-grain rice. Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, product development manager, Longdan Group - one of the largest importers of Vietnamese goods in the UK, said that the demand for importing and consuming rice in the UK has increased sharply since the beginning of the year. She cited that Longdan's imports of Vietnamese rice have so far this year increased by 40 per cent over the same period last year. Though immediate impacts havent been recorded, Indias rice export ban is likely to affect supply sources in the UK in the future and subsequently boost imports from other countries like Viet Nam and Thailand. Meanwhile, consumers now prefer Vietnamese rice to that from Thailand thanks to more competitive prices and quality, she added. Cuong said dealing with no rice supply from India, British importers will switch to buying Vietnamese and Thai rice, indicating that it is an opportunity for Viet Nam to have a higher position in British rice importers' customer lists, mainly including Indian and Thai suppliers who have longstanding partnerships with them. If Vietnamese exporters conduct professional marketing in the British market, such as advertising in English on local media, they can gain a bigger market share, including at the restaurants serving Asian tourists, who make up a large number among the tens of millions of visitors to the UK each year, according to the official. Cuong said Viet Nam is a major rice exporter, but Viet Nam's rice products exported to the UK as well as many other countries have often been sold on the domestic market under the brand name of distributors. Therefore, branding is a long-term solution for Vietnamese rice to maintain market share in the UK once the quality of Vietnamese rice has conquered consumers, Cuong said. Nam said that it also needs the State's management to ensure the product quality of the brands. For example, ST25 fragrant rice was invented by engineer Ho Quang Cua and is recognised as the worlds best. ST25 rice is exported to many European countries, but it has uneven quality because Viet Nams businesses have bought the seed of ST25 rice but produced under different processes. Therefore, according to Nam, it needs to have a unified production process for this kind of rice labelled national brand to retain its rice brand integrity. Cuong has highlighted that to meet the requirements on product quality and agricultural production of the UK as well as Europe, Viet Nams producers need to apply Global GAP standards. The State, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and rice-growing localities need to support farmers in technology and funds to expand the application of Global GAP. That makes importers and distributors in the UK and Europe interested in increasing rice imports from Viet Nam, according to Cuong. He has also recommended that to take advantage of this new export opportunity, the State should provide credit to the businesses to purchase rice exports. Meanwhile, Nam said that Viet Nams rice exporters need to participate in fairs in the UK because the events will bring a great opportunity to find customers. Viet Nams rice exports in the first seven months were estimated to reach about 4.83-4.84 million tonnes. It is expected to export about 7.5 million tonnes of rice in 2023. Following India's imposition of a rice export ban, the export cost of Viet Nam's 5 per cent broken rice rose from $535 to $602 per tonne; and the price of its Jasmine rice jumped from $625 to $690 per tonne early this month. VNS HA NOI The market extended gains on Tuesday, but the increases were capped by stronger selling force and foreign capital outflow. On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index finished higher despite a small correction in the morning trade. The index was last traded at 1,242.23 points, a slight increase of 0.81 points, or 0.07 per cent. This marked its third consecutive rising day. The breadth of the market was still positive as the number of gainers surpassed decliners. Of which, 185 stocks increased, while 161 inched lower. Liquidity on the southern bourse remained high but reduced over the previous session to more than VN23.2 trillion (US$978.17 million), equivalent to a trading volume of 1.19 billion shares. The 30 biggest stocks tracker VN30-Index, however, saw a decrease of 2.87 points, or 0.23 per cent to 1,247.81 points. In the VN30 basket, 18 stocks went down, while nine advanced and three ended flat. The indexs rallies were mainly driven by some large-cap stocks, which led by Vingroup (VIC) with a strong increase of 4.85 per cent. VIC shares also witnessed positive performances last week after hitting ceiling prices for three sessions. The bullish trend was attributed to approval of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over its proposed business combination. The Vietnamnese electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast plans to list in the United States this August through a merger with Black Spade Acquisition. Black Spade is set to hold an extraordinary shareholder meeting to approve the proposed business combination with VinFast on August 10. Vincome Retail (VRE), another name of the Vin family, was the second largest contributor to the markets uptrend today. VRE shares jumped more than 4.7 per cent on Tuesday. Also contributing to the rallies, Masan Group (MSN), Sai Gon VRG Investment Corporation (SIP), Lien Viet Post Joint Stock Commercial Bank (LPB), and PetroVietnam Power Corporation (POW) all surged at least 1.1 per cent. However, many stocks, especially in appealing industries likes real estate, manufacturing and banking, faced stronger profit-taking pressure. The biggest losers were VPBank (VPB), down nearly 2 per cent. It was followed by Hoa Phat Group (HPG), Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ACB), Techcombank (TCB), and Vinamilk (VNM), down in a range of 0.5-1.47 per cent. Property developers Kinh Bac City Development Holding Corporation (KBC), at Xanh Group (DXG), and DIG Group (DIG) reported big losses of 1.69-2.09 per cent. The HNX-Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX) also ended higher at 246.07 points, up 0.39 points, or 0.16 per cent. During the session, nearly 162 million shares were traded on the northern bourse, worth VN2.76 trillion. Foreign investors were net sellers on both main exchanges. Particularly, they net sold VN238.31 billion on HoSE and VN14.16 billion on HNX. VNS HA NOI Land valuation has been said to be a major bottleneck in Viet Nam's socio-economic development, said Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha during a government meeting on Monday. The deputy PM said improper application of methods or the use of subjective, non-transparent, and inaccurate data inputs employed during the valuation process has often resulted in inaccurate pricing and caused revenue losses to the State budget. Additionally, the complexity of valuation methods and the lack of comprehensive and reliable land price databases in the market also contribute to inconsistent results. He said the forthcoming amended Land Law will provide a legal framework to establish a land prices database and land value map for the country. In a report by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), there are currently five different methods to evaluate land prices used by Government agencies: direct comparison, deduction, income, surplus, and land price adjustment coefficient methods. The aim of said methods has been to bring prices closer to market level, minimising losses to the State budget, and ensuring the rights of landowners whose land is being acquired. However, in the last decade, there have been concerns voiced over their shortcomings and limitations. Certain localities are still uncertain in their application, affecting the progress of determining land prices. Some land valuation methods are not suitable for real market information conditions, and the transparency of land use rights is lacking, making them inconsistent with state management on land prices, especially in the absence of a complete land price database. The ministry said it's high time the country reviewed and revised its land valuation methods, as well as created new procedures. In addition, detailed guidance should be given to local authorities to help them with the implementation of such methods. This is especially important as the new approach to land valuation places local governments at the centre with additional autonomy and delegation of power. The new approach should aim to minimise assumptions and subjective preferences, ensure uniformity in selecting and applying these methods, specify the information sources required for applying each method and expand the cases in which the land price adjustment coefficient method can be used. Economist Can Van Luc urged the Government to quickly establish a set of criteria for cases where additional valuation methods are required, with consideration given to data collection capabilities and the conditions of the land being valued. Regarding the surplus method, he said that the law should provide detailed and specific guidelines for determining initial assumptions, such as expected future profits and forecasted incurred costs when implementing projects. Nguyen Tien Thoa, chairman of the Vietnam Valuation Association, said as each method has different application conditions, there must be very detailed and specific criteria and guidelines for each. Land information Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Chi stressed on the importance of a strict and scientific method in collecting land information. "Collecting information is the first, and the most crucial step in the valuation process. Without a proper database of information, it doesn't matter what methods are being employed," said Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Van Tuyen. He said a large number of violations during the process have been committed by Government officials and businesses, often to put lands' value significantly lower than their market level. Representatives from Ha Noi and HCM City, two of the country's largest cities, and the Vietnam Real Estate Association voiced their concerns over a number of issues regarding current legal frameworks, procedures and valuators' responsibility and accountability. The Deputy PM instructed MoNRE, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Construction to closely collaborate with other ministries to clarify the criteria and conditions for collecting information and input data for each specific land plot or project. "The criteria for input information must be standardised, transparent, publicly available, simple, and feasible to serve as the basis for applying the appropriate valuation method," he said. VNS HA NOI A fast-growing international network has become the highlight of Vietjet as the multinational airline constantly reaches new global destinations. The expansion has fueled a boom in trade, tourism and cultural exchange everywhere it flies. Vietjet's success in the international market has earned the airline the reputation of an air ambassador", always striving to lead and connect Viet Nam and other Southeast Asian countries to nearly 100 destinations worldwide. Air transport leader Vietjet has reported a remarkable increase in international passengers, at 3.5 million, in the first half of 2023, accounting for more than 50 per cent of the total 6.9 million international passengers to and from Viet Nam this year. It has become a bridge for global trade, investment, tourism, and cultural exchange. In the second quarter of 2023, the airline opened 11 new international routes to Australia, Indonesia, and India, expanding its flight network to 120 routes (of which 75 are international and 45 domestic). This has made air travel the most convenient, cost-effective means of transport for individuals and businesses between Viet Nam and the Southeast Asian region and major international markets such as Australia, India, Kazakhstan, Northeast Asia, and beyond. Vietjet has aggressively expanded its network to India which is home to over 1.4 billion people, operating seven routes connecting Ha Noi and HCM City with the four major Indian cities of Mumbai, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Kochi. Vietjet's entry into the market has increased the total number of passengers travelling between Viet Nam and India in the first six months of 2023 to over 300,000, nearly five times higher than the 70,000 passengers recorded in the same period last year. Vietjet since mid-April has also opened three direct routes in a row from HCM City Viet Nams economic, cultural, and tourism metropolis - to Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. According to the airlines data, the number of international passengers on the Viet Nam-Australia route averaged 500,000 last year. Since Vietjet launched its new routes in April, however, the number of weekly passengers has doubled, giving way to the projection of over one million passengers by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the fourth route to Australia, connecting HCM City with Perth, is set ready to launch this November. In the Northeast Asian market, Vietjet has been for years operating the largest network between Viet Nam and South Korea (14 routes), Taiwan (eight routes), and Japan (seven routes), and has expanded to over 50 destinations in mainland China. This further solidifies Vietjet's position as a multinational airline and an air ambassador in the global aviation industry. Vietjet's international routes, with reasonable fares and high-quality services, have contributed to connecting cultures, bridging the geographical distance between Viet Nam and Asian-Pacific countries and bringing people in the region closer. They have also promoted tourism and strengthened bilateral investment and trade, further facilitating the economic recovery and development of the countries. Embracing the strategy of back-to-back innovation and constantly introducing premium products and services, Vietjet in the first half of 2023 has launched its business class option with countless privileges for passengers, and the SkyJoy loyalty program which has attracted over eight million members. The airline has also put into operation the modern and environmental-friendly A330 aircraft fleet for flights to Australia, India, Kazakhstan, Japan, and South Korea. Vietjet has actively contributed to the community by providing free flights and maintaining cheap tickets for the people and tourists in the region, living up to the airlines philosophy that everyone can fly in a world where economies and cultures are brought closer than ever. On target In the first six months of 2023, Vietjet's consolidated revenue was VN29.77 trillion (about US$1.25 billion), soaring by 87 per cent year-on-year and representing 120 per cent of the H1 target. Ancillary revenue maintained a high growth rate, reaching VN9 trillion ($378.68 million) a two-fold increase year-on-year and accounting for 40 per cent of the total revenue. Consolidated after-tax profit was recorded at VN387 billion ($16.3 million). Vietjet has safely operated 65,900 flights, transporting over 12.1 million passengers - a year-on-year increase of 30 per cent. The airline has been the market leader in terms of passenger numbers, both on domestic and international routes. The average seat utilisation rate was over 85 per cent while the technical reliability rate stood at 99.63 per cent. Vietjet's fleet consists of 103 aircraft, including 7 wide-body planes. Vietjet also operates a new fleet of aircraft and had large orders with Airbus and Boeing, gaining advantages in operational efficiency and financial performance. Vietjet has been focusing on sustainable aviation development to fly passengers on green flights that are fuel-efficient while reducing CO2 emissions. This is hoped to inspire more actions towards a green future, mitigating the impact of natural disasters and pandemics while bringing better values to the world. The airline has used eco-friendly materials such as meal trays made from local bamboo and areca palm leaves. Vietjet has also accelerated the application of technology and digital transformation, moving towards paperless operations and streamlining processes to improve efficiency and minimise unintended environmental impacts. As of June 30, 2023, Vietjet's total assets reached over VN71.5 trillion ($3.01 billion) while the debt/equity ratio and the liquidity ratio was 1.2 and 1.5 respectively, which were all within good range of the aviation industry. Vietjet has received a BB+ credit rating with a Stable outlook (VnBB+) from Saigon Ratings. It highly regarded Vietjets financial capabilities with solid capital structure, low debt ratio, and resourceful liquidity. Additionally, commercial advantage and diversified business platform helped Vietjet maintain its shareholder capital after the COVID-19 pandemic. Being the largest passenger transporter of all airlines in Viet Nam, particularly on international routes, Vietjet, based on its positive business performance in the first half of the year, is expected to achieve and even exceed its 2023 plan, continuing to contribute to the recovery and growth of tourism, investment, and the economy in general. VNS HA NOI During a forum on promoting economic, trade and investment cooperation between Viet Nam and Iran held in Iran on August 9, National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue proposed that Viet Nam and Iran need to have solutions to develop economic cooperation, trade and investment. The forum was organised by Viet Nam's Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Embassy of Viet Nam in Iran in collaboration with the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA). Chairman Hue said that firstly, the two countries need to remove obstacles and difficulties to soon achieve the goal of increasing bilateral trade value. The two sides also continue to improve the existing legal institutional frameworks to create favourable conditions for businesses and investors. The two countries have built a number of important cooperation frameworks, including the Economic and Trade Joint Committee. The committee's 10th session will be held in the third quarter of this year to discuss solutions to solving the existing difficulties in doing trade and investment. Hue also suggested that Viet Nam and Iran need to step up the activities of working groups on trade exchange and payment. The two countries have signed many agreements on double taxation avoidance, mutual judicial assistance and customs. At the forum, ICCIMA President Hossein Selahvarzi said that the two countries have great potential for economic and trade cooperation. The economies of Iran and Viet Nam are complementary to each other. However, economic and trade cooperation is currently not commensurate with political and diplomatic relations, requiring them to make more efforts to promote this cooperation. Talar Poshti, head of the Iranian Islamic Parliament's Industry and Mining Committee, said that both Iran's National Assembly and Government have solutions to remove difficulties as well as many programmes to promote cooperation with Viet Nam. Those are expected to promote economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries in the future. Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's Economic Committee Pour Ebrahimi expressed his impression of Viet Nam's socio-economic development achievements. He said the Government of Iran wishes to develop economic and trade ties with Viet Nam. He hoped that the visit of Chairman Vuong inh Hue would open a new chapter for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. Chairman Hue believed that the immediate difficulties in business cooperation between the two countries would be removed step by step, contributing to accelerating socioeconomic development. He said Viet Nam is improving the legal system and removing obstacles for foreign investors operating in Viet Nam. He also encouraged the chambers of commerce and industry of the two countries to organise many business delegations to visit each other to study the investment and business environments, and find cooperation opportunities. He shared that the two countries are also promoting the opening of direct flights between Tehran and Ha Noi. Viet Nam is now an attractive and safe destination for foreign tourists and investors. Viet Nam's import-export turnover in 2022 reached US$735 billion, becoming one of the 20 countries with the largest total trade in the world. Regarding foreign investment, Viet Nam has so far attracted more than 37,000 foreign investment projects with a total registered capital of $450 billion, ranked by the United Nations in the top 20 most successful FDI-attracting countries in the world. Meanwhile, the trade value between Viet Nam and Iran rose from $6.5 million in 2001 to $124.5 million in 2021. This value reached $100 million in 2022, and $21 million in the first three months of 2023, according to Viet Nam Trade Office in Iran. Viet Nam has mainly exported agricultural products to Iran such as pepper, cashew nuts, tea and coffee, rubber, vegetables, fruits, seafood, footwear, handicrafts and wood products. It has imported from Iran products such as plastic products, petroleum, rubber, metal products and medicines. Viet Nam has many chances to promote the export of goods to Iran, especially agricultural products due to Iran's high import demand. Iran imports about 470,000 tons each year, worth $700 million. Especially, tropical fruits are very popular in Iran, such as pineapples and mangoes. Vietnamese enterprises can also export other fruits such as dragon fruit, passion fruit, guava, papaya, mangosteen, pomelo to the Iranian market, according to Viet Nam Trade Office. Enterprise meeting On the same day, National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue received ICCIMA President Hossein Selahvarzi and a number of businesses in the fields of building materials and Iranian pharmaceuticals. At the meeting, Selahvarzi emphasised that Iran can supply to Viet Nam products of construction materials, pharmaceuticals and asphalt. He also suggested Viet Nam soon sign an agreement on plant quarantine to remove difficulties for fruit exports of Iran. Chairman Hue highly appreciated the role of the network of ICCIMA's 34 branches nationwide and affirmed that the agreement signed between Viet Nam's National Assembly and Iran's Parliament will create a framework for the two countries' chambers of commerce and industry to promote cooperation in trade and investment. He also suggested the two countries to organise business delegations to learn about each other's investment and business environment. VNS HA NOI Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Wednesday suggested United States' healthcare giant Abbott expand its investment and upgrade the quality of its pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in Viet Nam, thus helping promote the domestic pharmaceutical industry. At a reception in Ha Noi for Robert Ford, Abbott's Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, the PM told his guest that Viet Nam considers the US a leading partner in its foreign policy, and wishes to enhance the bilateral comprehensive partnership in a more practical and effective manner and on the basis of mutual respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and political institutions of each other. The leader used the occasion to thank the US government and businesses, particularly Abbott, for their support to Viet Nam in the COVID-19 fight, and appreciated the groups practical and effective contributions to national economic development as well as the Viet Nam-US relations. Both sides noted with pleasure the outstanding development of the Viet Nam-US ties over the past time, saying the US has become Viet Nam's biggest importer, while Viet Nam has been the US seventh largest trade partner globally and its biggest in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Chinh affirmed that the Vietnamese government always listens to opinions raised by enterprises, including those from the US, and creates optimal conditions for them to expand operations, especially in digital transformation, digital economy, manufacturing and processing, health care, high-tech, and high-quality personnel training. He spoke highly of Abbotts introduction of cutting-edge medical technologies to the Vietnamese market, and asked firms from the US and other countries to further invest in Viet Nam, helping the country in the field of nutrition. For his part, Ford lauded Viet Nam's development achievements, especially in socio-economic recovery post pandemic, as well as the countrys open policies towards enterprises. Viet Nam holds potential for the development of clinical research and large-scale pharmaceutical production, he said, stressing that Abbott will continue its long-term investment in the country. Abbott has been operating in Viet Nam since 1995, with two pharmaceutical manufacturing plants at present. VNS HA NOI The State Securities Commission of Vietnam (SSC) in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) held a ceremony in Ha Noi on Tuesday to launch a manual on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory and reporting. The manual was developed with technical support from the IFC, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the UK National Standards Agency (BSI) in Viet Nam in an attempt to support businesses to make easier GHG emissions inventory and reporting while meeting legal requirements, towards net-zero emissions. According to SSC Vice Chairman Pham Hong Son, the book is useful for businesses in implementing legal regulations on information disclosure about sustainable development. The promotion of green and sustainable finance is a long-term priority of the SSC. The commission has called for active participation of the business community and investors in order to create a sustainable foundation for green growth and sustainable development, he added. Viet Nam has achieved positive results in building a system of legal documents governing sustainable finance, improving standards of corporate governance and information disclosure associated with the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria (a set of standards to measure factors relating to sustainable development and the impact of businesses on the community), capacity building and raising awareness of both regulators and market participants, investors about green financial instruments and sustainable development. Through training programmes on GHG management and reporting, participants learned about the international context, causes and mechanisms of climate change, and sources of greenhouse gas emissions. They were also guided on issues and contents to be included in the report, as well as the process and way of reporting greenhouse gases according to ISO 14064-1:2018. ISO 14064-1:2018 specifies principles and requirements at the organisation level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals. It includes requirements for the design, development, management, reporting and verification of an organisation's GHG inventory. VNS Installation view of "Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s-1970s" at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) in central Seoul. The survey of over 95 works by 29 representative avant-garde practitioners of the period has been co-organized by the MMCA's senior curator Kang Soo-jung and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum's associate curator Kyung An. Courtesy of MMCA 'Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s-1970s' to tour New York, Los Angeles after Seoul run By Park Han-sol The experimental art scene that struck post-war Korea in the 1960s and 1970s like a meteorite is a buried chapter of history that deserves to be revisited or, for most of the world, newly discovered. At a time when the authoritarian government of Park Chung-hee was propagating "chonghwa dangyeol," or "unifying as a whole," as a state motto to push for the country's high-speed industrialization, young artists chose to break away from such a regimented, collectivist mentality and instead went on a hunt to find a language of creative subversion however "bizarre and deranged" it seemed to the rest of society. These provocateurs took cues from modern Western cultural movements such as Neo-Dada, conceptual art and pop art, which were available via heavily limited channels due to state censorship. But they focused on recontextualizing these styles so that their avant-garde art could reflect distinctly local concerns namely, the military dictatorship, breakneck economic growth and the postcolonial search for authentic "Koreanness." What emerged as a result was a genre-defying mix of visceral performances, temporary happenings and process-oriented works that helped the spirited creators find their voice of resistance, albeit momentarily, within a tumultuous sociopolitical landscape. Nam Sang-kyun's "Matter I," (1973, partly remade 2001, 2023), left, and "Matter II" (1973, partly remade 2001, 2023) / Courtesy of the artist "It was certainly a lonely and unappreciated road to walk, especially for the artists coming of age who lacked the actual power to change the system," Kang Soo-jung, senior curator at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), told The Korea Times. "They carried on nonetheless." The museum is hosting "Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s-1970s," a survey of over 95 works by 29 representative avant-garde practitioners of the period, co-organized by Kang and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum's associate curator Kyung An. Following its run in Seoul, the show will travel to the Guggenheim in New York in September as the first North American museum exhibition dedicated to these artists and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles in February 2024. Here are some of the show's highlights that may be worth checking out during a visit to the museum in Seoul or perhaps, in New York or Los Angeles. "Transparent Balloons and Nude" (1968), performed by Kang Kuk-jin, Jung Kang-ja and Chung Chan-seung Jung Kangja Estate / Courtesy of Arario Gallery Jung Kang-ja and the first feminist performance in Korea Jung Kang-ja (1942-2017) was among a very few female artists who were active in the Korean experimental art scene during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In an attempt to take a jab at the academicism tacitly espoused by the "Kukjon" the juried National Art Exhibition held annually since 1949, which, for its first edition, barred a female nude painting from going on display citing public indecency she and her fellow artists Kang Kuk-jin (1939-92) and Chung Chan-seung (1942-94) staged what turned out to be the first feminist performance in Korea: "Transparent Balloons and Nude" (1968). At C'est Si Bon, a live music hall in downtown Seoul, audiences were invited to attach balloons to Jung's semi-naked body and then pop them later on. This happening sent shockwaves immediately through society, with some calling it "outright insane." Here, her body was no longer seen as a sex object but as a cultural agent capable of challenging conservative, preconceived aesthetic tastes and suggesting new artistic perceptions, curator Kang noted. "Murder at the Han Riverside" (1968), performed by Kang Kuk-jin, Jung Kang-ja and Chung Chan-seung / Courtesy of Hwang Yang-ja "Murder at the Han Riverside" (1968), performed by the trio, is another project that takes a more visceral form in its critique of the institutionalized Kukjon. Under the present-day Yanghwa Bridge, Jung, Kang and Chung dug holes in the sand to partly bury themselves and had water poured over them. After coming out of the pits, they went on to write condemning phrases on vinyl clothing "cultural fraudster" (pseudo-artist), "illicit money maker" (bogus great master), "cultural acrobat" (opportunist bandwagon jumper) before burning and burying them in the ground. Such performances and happenings that largely took place outside of the sanitized, white-cube contexts ushered in the advent of a new youthful vision that later came to be known as experimental art. Scenes from Kim Ku-lim's "The Meaning of 1/24 Second" (1969) / Courtesy of the artist, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Kim Ku-lim and his tour de force, 'The Meaning of 1/24 Second' Kim Ku-lim presents a striking cross-section of modern men living in 1960s Seoul, a rapidly industrializing metropolis, through his experimental film "The Meaning of 1/24 Second" (1969). The nine-minute video consists of a quickly edited collage of shots depicting elevated expressways, newly built city landmarks, billboards, overpasses and mass-produced consumer goods visual records of the dynamic reconstruction of the country that was ravaged by war just over a decade earlier. But occasionally, out of the blue, the film is interrupted by scenes of artists exaggeratedly yawning, smoking languidly and spacing out actions that show they refuse to assimilate into the urban montages moving at a dizzying speed. "The sudden appearance of these young creators in the video proactively puts the brakes on the headlong pace of urban growth, thereby visualizing what the true role of art and artists could be in our society," the curator explained. An archival image of the magazine article, published on Aug. 26, 1970, details the incident regarding "A Funeral for the Established Art and Culture" (1970) that was staged by the avant-garde collective, The Fourth Group, on the National Liberation Day, Aug. 15, in Seoul's Gwanghwamun. Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol Kim also helmed the short-lived yet radical avant-garde collective called the Fourth Group, best known for choreographing "A Funeral for the Established Art and Culture" (1970). To declare Korea's cultural independence from "the outdated ideology of the establishment," the members staged a funeral procession in Seoul's Gwanghwamun on Aug. 15 National Liberation Day, carrying a coffin and Korean flags throughout the march. But before they could finish the proceeding, police intervened and arrested the participants for violating traffic laws. This unfinished march came to have surprisingly significant repercussions at a societal level, Kang noted. As Park's authoritarian Yushin regime deemed these youth-led cultural events as degenerate and subversive threats to the systemic power, its censorship began to target not only art, but also popular music, literature and cinema. The government even went as far as issuing a notorious decree on Aug. 29, 1970, just two weeks after the Fourth Group's funeral performance, to mandate limits on the length of men's hair and women's miniskirts the symbols of the so-called "decadent" youth culture. Lee Seung-taek's "Untitled" (1962), left, and "Tied White Porcelain" (1975) / Courtesy of the artist, Gallery Hyundai Lee Seung-taek's use of tradition as avant-garde tool One of the unique characteristics of Korean avant-garde art is its relationship with tradition, according to the curator. "The essence of avant-garde lies in its radical departure from tradition," Kang said. "However, in Korea, the opposite happened, where some experimental artists found a breakthrough via their rediscovery of their cultural heritage." This was made possible due to the country's early 20th-century history, whereby the people were forcibly cut off from their traditional heritage due to the 1910-45 Japanese occupation, rapid modernization and the influx of Western culture. Lee Seung-taek is one of the masters who forged his well-known practice of "non-sculpture" by visually reinterpreting traditional folk items such as earthenware and sickles. Lee Seung-taek's "Untitled (Sprout)" (1963, remade 2018) / Courtesy of the artist, Gallery Hyundai The 1960s and 1970s were a time when the government aimed to determine which sculptural subjects and practices should be deemed appropriate in order to project to its people and the world a desirable cultural image of Korea. The statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin at Gwanghwamun Plaza is one prime example. At the same time, it strove to eradicate folk traditions and shamanism, regarding them as primitive obstacles to the nation's modernization. But Lee put multiple creative twists on such doctrines in his pieces like "Untitled" (1962) and "Untitled (Sprout)" (1963) as he not only actively incorporated folk items into his installations but also challenged the notion of sculptures' "material fixedness" or hardness by having them bear the marks of rope binding. Sung Neung-kyung's "Newspaper: After 1st of June, 1974" (1974) / Courtesy of MMCA Sung Neung-kyung and Space and Time (ST) collective Space and Time (ST), an avant-garde group formed in 1971 that lasted for a decade, had foremost champions of performance art as its members, including Lee Kun-yong and Sung Neung-kyung. Sung's magnum opus, "Newspaper: After 1st of June, 1974" (1974), was born at the third group exhibition of ST. Every morning for the duration of the month-long show, he would arrive early at the museum to pick up the newly delivered newspaper and cut out all blocks of printed text with a razor blade, leaving only the blank margins, images and advertisements. He would attach the tattered pages to the wall, while dumping the cut-out portions of text in acrylic boxes. The next day, he threw out the remaining paper skeleton in another box and repeated the process. The whole act was a tacit commentary on the authoritarian government as the artist crudely mimicked the process of state-led censorship of news media. Despite the looming fear of arrest, he carried on with what he called "a silent protest" against the country's political climate and the eroding freedom of expression. Sung Neung-kyung reenacts his performance, "Reading Newspapers," at the MMCA, June 21. Newsis A related performance work, "Reading Newspapers," was reenacted at the MMCA recently, along with two other performances Kim Ku-lim's "From Creation to Dissolution" and Lee's "Snail's Gallop." The three will also be restaged at the Guggenheim. "When I first performed the piece in the 1970s, because it was during a time of political turmoil, my very act of cutting out and reading the newspaper out loud was already layered with a heavy sense of tension," Sung told The Korea Times. "But now, in 2023, it has an entirely different effect since it can finally be viewed outside of the political context and within the purely artistic, performative realm. It should have been that way from the beginning but our reality just didn't permit that to happen until now." Lee Kun-yong reenacts his performance, "Snail's Gallop," at the MMCA at the MMCA. June 28. Newsis Lee similarly highlighted the changes in the audience's reception of his performance "Snail's Gallop." "I, as an artist, remain the same, because I was 'playing' back then and am 'playing' now. But the audience's perceptions of it seem different. The spectators back then were much more stiff and solemn. Nowadays, however, they are much open to the idea of interacting casually with the performer." Sung Neung-kyung's "An Upside-Down Map of World" (1974) / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol HA NOI A farewell ceremony for Viet Nams Engineering Unit Rotation 2 took place on Tuesday as they set off to carry out the United Nations peacekeeping missions as part of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). Senior Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Viet Nam People's Army and Deputy Head of the Ministry of National Defence's Steering Committee for UN peacekeeping operations, presided over the ceremony. Tan urged all members to unite, overcome challenges, and successfully accomplish their tasks assigned by the United Nations and the Ministry of National Defence. He reminded officers to uphold the image of the Viet Nam People's Army among international friends and local residents in the mission area, and contribute to implementing the Party's foreign policy and enhancing Viet Nam's position in the international arena. Especially, officers must strictly adhere to the regulations of the UN and UNISFA, and the host country's laws, and comply with the disciplines of the military to ensure safety while executing their duties, Tan said. Major General Pham Manh Thang, Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, stated that the Engineer Unit Rotation 2 had received specialised training in professional skills, military operations, foreign languages, and pre-deployment training according to UN guidelines. They had been fully equipped with knowledge about UN peacekeeping, international humanitarian laws, conflict resolution, foreign relations, survival skills, explosive recognition and more, ensuring that all officers and personnel in the unit possessed the necessary capabilities to fulfil their assigned tasks. The Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations closely directed the Engineer Unit Rotation 1, currently stationed at the UNISFA mission area, to conduct an inventory of all equipment, assess quality, report on operational capabilities, and propose maintenance and upgrade plans to meet mission requirements. The department collaborated closely with the Engineer Corps to manage the procurement of supplies, equipment maintenance, and self-sustainability for the Engineer Unit Rotation 2. Viet Nam's Engineering Unit Rotation 2, made up of 203 officers, including 19 females, was established in November 2022 under a decision of the Ministry of Defence. The unit left together with about 300 tonnes of supplies, including equipment, machinery, and food, to serve the performance of duties and daily needs, for one year of working. Most of the supplies will be transported by sea, while the remaining 17 tonnes, mainly food and medicine, by air on a commercial aircraft hired by the UN. In 2022, Engineering Unit Rotation 1 was deployed to the UN mission in Abyei, the first time Viet Nam had sent an engineering team to a UN peacekeeping mission. It also had the biggest number of staff members among the Vietnamese units sent to UN peacekeeping missions. All of its supplies, about 2,000 tonnes, were transported by sea. VNS TEHRAN National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong inh Hue met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran on August 8 as part of his official visit to Iran. Chairman Hue affirmed to his host that Viet Nam always attaches importance to further promoting the friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Iran. The Iranian President hailed the visit by the Vietnamese top legislator as a new step forward in the relationship of the two countries in general and the two parliaments in particular. The two leaders expressed delight at the development of the bilateral ties in the recent past. Based on the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries, they discussed and agreed on measures to enhance bilateral collaboration to match both countries great potential. They reached consensus on increasing the exchange of delegations at all levels and on all channels to further strengthen political trust as the basis for developing the Vietnam-Iran relations across the fields. NA Chairman Hue proposed that the two sides further facilitate market access for each others strong products, especially farm produce and fishery products, organize more investment and trade promotion and business matching events, and encourage partnership in education-training, science-technology and culture-arts. To effectively roll out those measures, the two sides agreed to coordinate to well prepare for the 10th meeting of the Viet Nam-Iran Joint Committee and expedite other bilateral cooperative mechanisms to review and seek measures to enhance cooperation efficiency. The Iranian President hoped that the two parliaments will support and continue to play an active role in reviewing and supervising the implementation of the two countries agreements. NA Chairman Hue conveyed an invitation to visit Viet Nam from President Vo Van Thuong to President Raisi. The Iranian President accepted the invitation with pleasure and expressed his hope to early welcome his Vietnamese counterpart on an official visit to Iran. VNS TEHRAN National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue hosted a reception for President of the Iran-Viet Nam Friendship Association (IVFA) Seyed Kamal Sajjadi in Tehran on August 8 (local time) as part of his official visit to Iran. The top Vietnamese legislator highly appreciated contributions to consolidating and strengthening friendship between the two countries people by Seyed Kamal Sajjadi, who is also co-founder of the friendship association and former Iranian Ambassador to Viet Nam. Hue highlighted the two countries friendship and multifaceted cooperation over the past 50 years, saying the ongoing visit to Iran by the delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly aims to contribute to strengthening cooperation between Viet Nam and Iran across the Party, National Assembly, Government and local channels, especially increasing the people-to-people exchange. IVFA President Seyed Kamal Sajjadi briefed Chairman Hue about his associations operations, such as writing, printing and publishing a book on the land and people of Viet Nam in Tehran, making a film featuring Viet Nams land and people, with an aim of encouraging many Iranian people to travel the Southeast Asian nation, and the coordination between the two countries friendship associations in sharing their operation experience. The IVFA President hoped two countries continue increasing economic-commercial and cultural cooperation. Chairman Hue hailed the IVFA for the associations overall outcomes, saying that in addition to organising people-to-people exchanges, the association gives advice to both sides enterprises, together with the Iranian government, to grant scholarships to Vietnamese students to study in Iran, and send Iranian students to Ha Noi. He hoped that the association continues to increase people-to-people exchanges, contributing to the two countries relations. Highly valuing the initiative to make a film featuring the land and people of Viet Nam, Hue said the Vietnamese Embassy in Iran will serve as a bridge connecting relevant Vietnamese agencies to support production of the film. VNS TEHRAN National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong inh Hue on Tuesday (local time) met officials of the Vietnamese Embassy in Tehran and the Vietnamese community in Iran, as part of his ongoing visit to the Middle-East country. Ambassador Luong Quoc Huy briefed the leader on the operations of the embassy and the situation of the Vietnamese community in Tehran. He said that currently Iran is in need of agricultural products such as melon, pineapple, coconut, rambutan and sweet potato, which are Vietnamese strong exports. Representatives from the Vietnamese community affirmed their sentiments towards the homeland, pledging that they will work hard for the development of both Iran and Viet Nam, while promoting the image of the nation and people of Viet Nam in Iran. Hue highlighted the sound political and diplomatic relations between the two countries, adding that Iran has always supported Viet Nam in both past struggle for national independence and current national construction and defence. He said that both the Speaker of the Iranian Islamic Parliament and the Iranian President agreed that the two countries should further promote their trade cooperation to match their sound political relations and potential of both countries. During the visit, ministries and sectors of the two countries will also sign a number of important agreements on citizen protection and the creation of favourable conditions for investors and businesses of the two sides to foster their collaboration, Hue said. The top legislator underlined that the Party and State always consider the Vietnamese community abroad as an indispensable part of the nation, while prioritising the protection of citizens and focusing on maintaining the Vietnamese language and culture among the Vietnamese community abroad. The NA has adopted a new visa policy for foreigners, and is considering the adjustments of the Law on Nationality and the Law on Election to create optimal conditions for the community to make contributions to the Fatherland, he noted. He expressed his belief that the Vietnamese community in Iran will continue to grow stronger and remain united for common development, while maintaining the language and culture of the nation. VNS HCM CITY Many cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) among children in HCM City are showing severe symptoms, with some requiring mechanical ventilation. The Childrens Hospital No 2 in HCM City is attending to a large number of child patients infected with the disease, Suc khoe & oi song (Health & Life) newspaper reports. Nguyen Ngoc Lam, parent of a patient, said that last Saturday his daughter was running a 38.5 Celsius degree fever, with blisters spreading from her hand to all over her body within hours of onset. After she was admitted to the hospital, she began having rapid pulse and apnea episodes, which required endotracheal intubation. Lam said: She no longer has to stay in intensive care, but within only a few days she lost so much weight, I feel so much pity for her. Dr Tran Ngoc Luu said that the hospitals intensive care unit for infectious diseases and COVID-19 is attending to more than 150 patients, of which over 130 are HFMD cases. The hospital has had to use foldable beds and made use of the hallways to make sure that each child patient has their own bed. At the citys Childrens Hospital 1, Dr Phung Nguyen The Nguyen said that there are also around 140 child patients with HFMD in their care. Dr Nguyen, who is the hospitals head of the intensive care unit for infectious diseases, said that three out of eight HFMD patients in their department need mechanical ventilation. Meanwhile, the hospital also receives new patients infected with the disease on a daily basis. They are usually hospitalised for seven to ten days. Dr Nguyen added that statistics and observation show that the HFMD is currently at its peak with no sign of decreasing. He noted that this year, many of the child patients dont experience high fever but still have severe illness, with more cases of apnea and requiring endotracheal intubation, compared to the previous years. In 2011, HFMD caused death in approximately 150 children, but there were not as many cases requiring endotracheal intubation as today, Nguyen said. According to the HCM City Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the city recorded 2,665 HFMD cases during the week of July 24-30, an increase of 1.4 times compared to the average of the previous four weeks. The rising number of cases is reported in 21 out of the 22 districts in the city (except for Can Gio), with hotspots in Binh Tan, Binh Chanh and Tan Phu districts. Doctors said that one of the main reasons for the early arrival and severity of HFMD this year is the EV71 virus strain, which also caused major outbreaks in 2011 and 2018. HCM City Department of Health has issued a warning to strengthen solutions for disease prevention, as the number of cases is predicted to continue rising in the near future. Dr Luu said that signs of the disease in children include fever, mouth ulcers, and blisters in hand palms, foot soles, knees and elbows. Dr Nguyen recommends that parents and schools take preventive measures by ensuring hygiene and quarantining children who are infected. Patients should be examined at healthcare facilities for detailed monitoring and care instructions for prompt treatment. Dr Nguyen added: Parents should not be too worried because not every case is severe. They should not panic if they see HFMD infections, nor should they neglect to monitor the signs. According to HCM Citys health sector, the disease could continue for another three or four months. The beginning of the school year is usually the peak of HFMD, therefore it is also necessary to strengthen preventive measures to avoid outbreaks. The citys health department recommends that people, especially families with children under five, should regularly wash their hands with soap and clean the surfaces and objects that children come into contact with every day. They should look out for symptoms and take the child to the nearest medical facilities if they show signs of illness. VNS HA NOI Small businesses play an indispensable role in the broad tourism supply chain, yet many are struggling to stay afloat, particularly due to the prolonged economic challenges since the pandemic began. Lan, owner of a bun cha (noodles with grilled pork) stall near the Temple of Literature in the capital city was among numerous small businesses caught in the current economic downturn. Before the pandemic, just one 45-seat tourist bus needed to stop by and I could sell out my stock for the entire day. Now there are only a few walk-in customers every now and then, were lucky if we dont have any leftovers. Its hard to do anything these days, Lan told Vietnamplus.vn. Hai Yen, a nearby teashop owner in the same situation said: We barely made it through the pandemic. Back then there was no customer and I still had to pay VN60 million (US$2,500) of rent each month. Yen made a big decision to move her shop from a small alley to the street front, as more than 90 per cent of her customers were foreign tourists, who were not only enjoying tea but also attending workshops on Vietnamese tea culture. But then the pandemic hit, and now the teashop caters to a modest number of four to five tables on a good day, Yen said. Around Ha Noi, many small contributors to the tourism supply chain, such as cyclo drivers, are also facing uncertainty. Each cyclo ride costs around VN200,000 ($8.4), said Binh, one of the drivers. On lucky days when the weather is nice, I can do around five to seven trips, but there are days when I have nothing to do. Its tough because I need money for food, rent and everything else, said Binh. Seasonal struggle While small businesses in Ha Noi are going through hardship, their location in the major tourist destinations which can welcome visitors all year round is still an advantage. Other localities are not as fortunate. According to Thanh Thao, a homestay manager on Hai Tien Beach in the north central Thanh Hoa Province for the last four years, tourism activities in the area are very seasonal, lasting only from around June to August. She added: This year, even in the peak period the number of customers was only about 70 per cent compared to the previous years. Places are more crowded on the weekend, but on weekdays the occupancy rate is extremely low. In July, there were mid-week days when dozens of rooms were empty. Unable to secure a steady income source from the homestay business, Thao juggles multiple jobs on the side, including selling seafood and providing grocery and cooking services for homestay customers. Out on Hai Tien Beach, fisherman Cuong helps out at his familys drink stall when he doesnt have to go out to the sea, as summer is not the right time for fishing. Cuong said: Many people only come here to take pictures for around two to three hours, they dont really want to stay longer to have a drink. Our business was really sluggish yesterday and the day before. The drink stall of Cuongs family makes roughly VN300,000 ($12.7) a day even during the summer. As the tourist season ends, Cuongs wife will has to close down the stall and help out at construction sites to make ends meet. VNS HA NOI There are currently 25 projects with a total of 75 component projects under the responsibilities of the State Steering Committee for National Key Projects and Important Transport Projects. The Government Office has recently issued Notice No 311/TB-VPCP dated August 7, 2023, which contains the review of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh - Head of the Steering Committee - at the 6th session. Efficient and swift project implementation will significantly contribute to economic growth, especially under the current challenging conditions. This demands that each member of the Steering Committee exerts more effort, focus, determination, strength, and responsibility to accelerate the progress of project execution. The members of the Steering Committee must serve as exemplary models of administrative discipline, adhering faithfully to the Working Regulations of the Steering Committee, and fully participating in all meetings. The Government Office will monitor and report to the Prime Minister on the removal of Steering Committee members who are absent consecutively for two or more times without valid reasons, while also considering responsibilities as stipulated by the Party and the Government. The Prime Minister has requested the Chairmen of the People's Committees of Ha Noi and HCM City to direct and comprehensively resolve obstacles, make efforts to complete and put into operation the Nhon - Ha Noi Station metro line by the end of 2023 and the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line by the beginning of 2024. Mobilise all available resources, urgently implement investment, and construct the remaining railway lines according to the plan to meet the socio-economic development needs of the two cities. Eastern part of North-South Expressway Project at 86 per cent completion The Prime Minister highly appreciates the efforts of the Ministry of Transport, various ministries, departments, localities, Project Management Boards (PMBs), consulting firms, and contractors in the process of implementing critical national and key transport projects. Ministries, departments, and localities have taken strong initiatives to carry out the assigned tasks, and notable achievements include the completion of site clearance work to meet the construction schedule of the East-West highways, the Belt Road 3 of HCM City, and Belt Road 4 of Ha Noi; the Eastern part of North-South Expressway 2021-2025 has reached 86 per cent completion; the completion of land clearance for Terminal 3 at Tan Son Nhat International Airport; the progress of construction materials supply for the North-South Expressway 2021-2025 following the guidance of the Prime Minister; the completion of procedures and commencement of key expressway projects such as Bien Hoa - Vung Tau, Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot, Chau oc - Can Tho - Soc Trang, Belt Road 3 of Ho Chi Minh City, and Belt Road 4 of Ha Noi, increasing the total kilometres of commenced expressway construction from the beginning of the year until now to 1,332km. The Prime Minister commends the proactive efforts of provinces including Cao Bang, Lang Son, Son La, Hoa Binh, Thai Binh, and Binh Phuoc in preparing investment for projects. The progress made by Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) in implementing the Long Thanh International Airport project is welcomed, but further efforts and endeavours are needed to meet the set timeline. More efforts for deadline to be reached The conclusion clearly states that ministries, departments, and localities need to be more proactive and determined, focusing on resolving difficulties and obstacles; reducing administrative procedures, shortening implementation time, and resolutely adhering to the principle of handling tasks within their jurisdiction without pushing, avoiding, or evading. In this regard, the Ministry of Transport directs project owners and relevant agencies to strongly urge and supervise contractors, pooling all resources, taking advantage of favourable weather conditions, and organizing "3 shifts, 4 teams" construction systems to ensure the committed construction progress and meet disbursement plans. Emphasis should be placed on quality management, aesthetics, and occupational safety; resolute handling of underperforming contractors and those violating contractual timelines as per regulations. The directive is firm for contractors to coordinate with localities to expedite the completion of procedures for exploiting construction materials mines, enabling operations by the end of July and early August 2023 for those mines that have been submitted. Survey and incorporate additional stone mines meeting reserves, quality, and favourable land procedures for construction materials mines, and complete procedures for remaining mines by no later than October 2023. This is a prerequisite and the biggest bottleneck to complete the Eastern part of the North-South Expressway project 2021-2025 as scheduled. VNS HCM CITY The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) of HCM City on Monday (August 7) launched the 25th Eureka Award competition for all Vietnamese and foreign students who have a passion for scientific research and are studying at universities, colleges and institutions across the country. The annual competition was co-organised with the Viet Nam National University-HCM City. The Science and Technology Development Centre for Youth under HCYU of HCM City is the standing body of the competition's organising board this year. oan Kim Thanh, head of the Science and Technology Development Centre for Youth, said the Eureka Award competition encourages students to propose their own ideas, new inventions, and specific solutions for the countrys socio-economic development. In the Industry 4.0 era, research is very important and helps train young people to high levels of expertise. The competition is an academic playground for students nationwide, offering them chances to learn, be creative and do research, and fosters their creative capacity, he said. This year, it is looking for the best scientific research works in 14 fields, including pharmaceutical chemistry, medical and pharmaceutical science, biology, information technology, food technology, scientific education, administration - legal, economy, technology, agricultural science, planning - architecture construction, resources and environment, culture and arts, and social science. The candidates research works should be new and creative, and offer solutions for real-world problems. Students can join the competition as an individual or in groups of no more than five members. Each individual or group can register one or more research works. Each school can select and submit a maximum of research works of students for a field. Registration for the competition is open until September 25. From October 1 to 20, the competitions organisers will set up a scientific council to select outstanding research projects for the final round. The final round and the awards ceremony is expected to be held in November at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in HCM City. A scientific council of examiners will be established, including scientists and experts. The awards for each field include one first prize worth VN10 million (US$420), one second prize worth VN5 million ($210), one third prize worth VN3 million (US$126), and consolation prizes worth VN1 million ($41) each. The competitions organisers may adjust the number of prizes. After the awards ceremony, the Science and Technology Development Centre for Youth will assist winners to register their copyrights and intellectual property. The winners research will be supported and introduced to enterprises and organisations for real-world application. They will also be introduced to the Technological and Scientific Incubation Programme for Young People and the city and National Technical, Scientific, and Creative Award in 2024. In addition, a scientific research camp and exchanges with former winners in previous competitions will be held for students participating in the competition. This year, the competition received the companionship of Tam Nguyen Viet Social Charity Fund, the citys Department of Science and Technology and Vingroup Innovation Foundation. The 2022 Eureka Award competition attracted 1,231 scientific research topics of more than 5,000 students from 119 universities, colleges and institutions nationwide. VNS The age of incredibly inexpensive Asian labor is ending due to an aging population and a younger generation less willing to work in factories. The office offers free yoga and dancing lessons, coffee with matcha, and floor-to-ceiling windows. Workers gather at "team-building" sessions monthly to drink beer, drive go-karts and play bowling. That is not a Google Office description but rather a Vietnamese clothing factory. Asia, the world's factory, is witnessing a new trend: young people generally don't want to work in factories. Businesses in the manufacturing industry are attempting to improve the workplace atmosphere. This is also relevant to Western businesses that use the region's cheap labor to produce affordable consumer goods. Read more: Employees average income rises in Q1 As a test of the worldwide manufacturing model that has given the globe access to affordable commodities for the past three decades, the "sunset" of cheap labor in Asia is waning. According to the WSJ, Americans accustomed to fashion and affordable flat-screen T.V.s may soon have to factor in higher prices. According to Paul Norriss, co-founder of UnAvailable Garment in Ho Chi Minh City, you need help to provide you with what you want. "People will have to change their consumption habits, and so will brands," he said. Workers at the UnAvailable factory in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: WSJ Norriss said workers in their 20s - the traditional garment industry workforce - often work for a few years and then leave. He hopes improving the working environment can save the situation. "Everybody wants to be an Instagrammer, a photographer, a stylist, or work at a coffee shop," he says. In response to the workforce crisis, Asian factories have had to raise wages and sometimes adopt costly strategies to retain workers, from improving meal quality to building model education for workers' children. Also read: Labor market bounces back Toy maker Hasbro says labor shortages in Vietnam and China have increased costs. Barbie maker Mattel, which has a large production base in Asia, is also grappling with higher labor costs. Both companies raised prices for the product. Nike, which manufactures most of its shoes in Asia, claims that rising labor costs are to blame for rising product costs. Manoj Pradhan, economist in London, warns U.S. consumers accustomed to relatively stable commodity prices relative to their disposable income will have to think again. "There is a big reversal in demographics," the expert said. China and later other Asian manufacturing centers integrated into the world economy starting in the 1990s. Countries having a reputation for being poor farmers become powerful economic forces. Durable goods like sofas and refrigerators get cheaper. But now those countries face a generational problem. Younger workers determine that life and work should not occur inside factory walls due to their increased education and familiarity with Instagram and TikTok. Another demographic change also plays an important role. In Asia, young people are having fewer kids later in life. As a result, they are less under pressure to earn a reliable income in their 20s. The booming service sector offers less grueling job options like store clerks in malls and reception at the hotel. Read more: HCMC businesses need over 14,000 workers in Q1 The problem is acute in China, where urban youth unemployment hit 21% in June despite factory shortages. Multinational companies have been shifting production from China to countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and India. There, though, industrial owners claim that it is similarly challenging to draw in young workers. Yoga class for UnAvailable workers in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: WSJ The earnings of factory workers in Vietnam have increased since 2011 by more than double to $320 per month, three times the average in the United States, according to data from the International Labor Organization of the U.N. From 2012 to 2021, industrial wages in China increased by 122%. Earlier this year, 25-year-old Nguyen Anh Tuan, a high school graduate, quit his job as a mechanic at an auto parts manufacturer on the outskirts of Hanoi to run Grab. He feels the adjustment was worthwhile because he is his boss, even if he makes less money per hour driving passengers than at the plant. "The supervisors are often harsh on words, which makes me very nervous," Tuan said of his three years at the factory. He said he would only consider returning to the factory if his old salary of $400 per month was doubled. For cheap labor, manufacturers moved to less expensive locations in the past. But now, that is not easy. Some countries in Africa and South Asia have a large workforce but are politically unstable or lack good infrastructure and a trained workforce. For instance, textile companies have fought to enter Ethiopia and Myanmar only to have political unrest impede their business operations. Bangladesh was previously a dependable location for textile production, but restrictive trade laws and crowded ports diminished its desirability. There are many people in India, and businesses are trying to replace China. But even in India, factory managers began complaining about the difficulty of retaining young workers. Many young people prefer a farm life supported by state welfare programs or choose freelance work in the city over living in factory dormitories. Trained engineers leave the factory to join the information technology industry. Asian industrial owners support kindergartens and technical training programs to make work more appealing. Some are moving factories to rural areas, where people are more willing to do manual labor. But that distances them from ports and suppliers and forces them to adapt to rural life, including absenteeism during harvest. Also read: Hanoi in need of 100,000 workers in first quarter 2022 Acacia Woodcraft Vietnam's Taiwanese owner Christina Chen relocated the factory four years ago to facilitate employee hiring. She initially considered industrial zones near Ho Chi Minh City but heard warnings about job hopping rates and soaring wages. She consequently made the rural North of Vietnam her destination. Her employees are often in their 40s and 50s, and some struggle with reading. This requires explaining tasks verbally and using visual illustrations. In return, her workforce is more stable. Christina Chen cherishes young employees. She invites them to participate in decision-making, meets with visiting American shoppers, and shares photos of the company's furniture in its U.S. stores. She thinks that while automation plays a role, many tasks still require human ingenuity. Workers at Acacia Woodcraft Vietnam. Photo provided by the company The labor landscape in Asia is much different than two decades ago. In 2001, Nike reported that more than 80% of its workers were Asian, typically 22 years old, single, and raised in a farming family. The average age of Nike employees is 40 in China and 31 in Vietnam, partly due to the rising aging of Asian nations. Maxport Limited Vietnam, a Nike supplier established in 1995, is witnessing increasingly fierce competition for workers. Now, they must work to improve the working environment, with factory windows flooded with sunlight and thousands of trees around. Young workers are trained to advance. However, they still struggle to attract young people. Do Thi Thuy Huong, a senior compliance officer, claimed that a lack of employment acceptances contributed to the termination of the training program for high school graduates. The average age of Maxport's employees is 30 or above. In Malaysia, factories are dropping the requirement to wear uniforms, which young workers hate, and redesigning workspaces. Manufacturers' representative Syed Hussain Syed Husman said the company is attempting to make the factory more attractive by enlarging partitions and adopting more glass structures, providing natural light and music, and creating an environment akin to an Apple office. Susi Susanti, 29 years old from Indonesia, tried working at the factory after graduating high school. She detests, though, being under management's time constraints. She told her mother that something had to be done. After a six-month training course, she spoke basic Mandarin and began caring for an elderly couple in Taiwan. Her salary was three times higher than when she worked in the factories back home, making her less tired. Susi continues, "When the person I'm caring for gets well, I can unwind." During a business trip to Vietnam at the end of July to attend the Taste of Japan event, Tomisawa Hirokazu, Goodwill Ambassador of Japanese Cuisine, gave many compliments to the local dishes he had experienced. I have had the opportunity to enjoy many Vietnamese dishes and they are very delicious, suitable for many Japanese people and diners from other countries. I believe anyone who has ever tried Vietnamese food will like it and want to travel here, he said at the event. Hirokazu is also president of the Tokyo Chefs Association and has made many contributions to promoting Japanese culinary culture abroad, contributing to spreading and attracting more tourists to the land of the rising sun. Traditional Japanese cuisine has become increasingly popular since it was recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage 10 years ago, he said. Vietnam should take advantage of such opportunities to promote and use cuisine effectively to promote the tourism industry. Attracting international visitors via Vietnamese dishes Taking full advantage Attracting international visitors through the stomach has long been a strategy of the Vietnamese tourism industry. The country set itself the goal of becoming the kitchen of the world many years ago and possesses many advantages to be able to make it a reality. The dream was given a major boost in June when 70 restaurants and eateries in Vietnam were listed in Michelin Selected by Michelin Guide, of which four restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were given stars. The presence of any restaurant on such a list provides compelling benefits not only to the eatery being honoured, but also to the tourism industry of that country as a whole. Michelin-branded restaurants have played a role in attracting visitors. According to proven statistics, each restaurant in the world receiving one Michelin star will increase revenue by 10-20 per cent. If receiving 2 stars, it will increase 30-40 per cent in revenue, and three stars will operate at maximum capacity, said Nguyen Trung Khanh, chairman of the National Authority of Tourism. Vietnamese cuisine has also been named many times on global tourism rankings in recent times. In early 2023, Travel & Leisure Magazine ranked Vietnam on the list of the most attractive culinary destinations in Asia. At the same time, Vietnam also ranked 20th in the top 95 most attractive cuisines in the world by the world food map TasteAtlas. The World Travel Awards 2020 also named Vietnam Asias leading culinary destination. The Telegraph ranked Hanoi second out of 18 cities with the most attractive cuisine, while a CNN travel column rated Ho Chi Minh City as Vietnams culinary capital, as one of 23 cities with the worlds most impressive street food. Of the three common Vietnamese words or phrases included in the Oxford English Dictionary, two are derived from food pho and banh mi. In addition to famous dishes such as pho, bun cha, and spring rolls, Vietnam also possesses many attractive local dishes thanks to the diversity of geography, climate and culture among regions an advantage that is not always widely known. Therefore, after years of struggling to develop culinary tourism, the entry of the Michelin Guide is expected to become a launching pad to bring Vietnamese cuisine closer to the world and make a strong contribution to attracting international tourists, just like its effect on the industry in Thailand. According to figures from the Tourism Authority of Thailand in 2022, the Michelin Guide boosted tourist spending there by 10 per cent annually since it launched five years ago. The industry currently accounts for about 18 per cent of Thailands GDP, of which the contribution from food-related businesses accounts for one-fifth of total revenues. Building a culinary map According to the World Food Tourism Association, more than 80 per cent of international visitors have a need to learn about local cuisine at the destination. Around 25-35 per cent of the travel budget is spent on food and beverage expenses during their trip. However, not all countries can exploit this gold mine well without a proper strategy, besides the usual promotion and advertising programmes. Dinh Minh, chairman of the board at the Seafood World restaurant chain, with nearly 20 years of experience in the culinary business, said that the problem for Vietnamese cuisine lies in impromptu development. The culinary industry lacks investment from big businesses, while the business of Vietnamese people living in the country and abroad is typically spontaneous and individual, Minh said. Minh added that Vietnam needs to build a culinary tourism map. In order to do this, it requires the support of large businesses, starting from choosing the right menu, training human resources in both cooking skills and culinary culture, then bringing them to other countries to work to promote Vietnamese cuisine, he suggested. According to Nguyen Quoc Ky, chairman of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, programmes and products introduced to domestic and international tourists help them discover local cuisine, or even get involved in cooking classes during tours. However, in order to bring cuisine to the world and promote tourism, it is necessary to change the method of promotion and have a clearer orientation from state management agencies so that culinary culture really becomes a national brand, Ky said. One such initiative for promotion began a month ago when the National Tourism Administration signed a contract with Nestle Vietnam to jointly build a digital map of culinary tourism and promote local cuisine. More than 6,000 recipes have been shared by locals on the platform in the time since. Le Bui Thi Mai Uyen, head of the Food Division at Nestle Vietnam, said after the map is completed with about 50,000 recipes, it will be integrated into digital platforms to suggest places to eat and drink that foreign visitors should try when coming to Vietnam. The project will contribute to spreading Vietnamese cuisine more widely. International tourists can not only experience delicious food when travelling to Vietnam, but also can use these recipes to cook for their relatives and friends to enjoy when returning home, Uyen said. Culinary tourism to become national strategic product Vietnam has planned to develop culinary tourism into a national strategic product, contributing to improving the competitiveness and brand of Vietnam's tourism. Hanoi develops night-time tourism to attract more visitors Hanoi's Department of Tourism plans to organise a series of night-time tourism activities to tap the potential of the night-time economy and attract more visitors to the capital city. "Transparent Balloons and Nude" (1968), performed by Jung Kang-ja, Kang Kuk-jin and Chung Chan-seung / Courtesy of Jung Kang-ja, Arario Gallery Jung's solo show at Arario Museum in Space presents her creative evolution beyond 1960s-70s experimental art through self-portraits By Park Han-sol "It takes 15 balloons, a semi-nude woman's body, loud, loud primitive beats and psychedelic lights to make some graduates of art schools claim that they have produced a work of art." So begins the June 9, 1968, article in The Korea Times to describe in a rather dismissive tone what turned out to be the first known feminist, nude performance in Korea, "Transparent Balloons and Nude." Staged at C'est Si Bon, a live music hall in downtown Seoul, in May 1968, the young artist trio Jung Kang-ja (1942-2017), Kang Kuk-jin (1939-92) and Chung Chan-seung (1942-94) invited audiences to attach balloons to Jung's semi-naked body before popping them while the deafening music of John Cage blasted in the background. This so-called "happening" immediately sent shockwaves throughout society, with some calling it "outright deranged." Jung, who was also giving art lessons at a private academy at the time, recalled that all of her students stopped coming to class shortly after the performance. Despite the cynical reception, by transforming the classically objectified image of a female nude into moving, participatory art, Jung here claimed the agency over her own body to challenge the established aesthetic practices and suggest alternative artistic expressions. Jung Kang-ja was among very few if not only female artists who were at the forefront of the country's budding experimental art scene. Courtesy of the artist, Arario Gallery Such an act of creative subversion performed by the young avant-garde artists was what ushered in the advent of Korea's experimental art in the 1960s and 1970s. During the tumultuous period of military dictatorship, state censorship and breakneck economic growth, these spirited creatives consciously went on a hunt to find their own language of resistance via a mix of temporary happenings, installations, photography and video. And Jung was among very few female artists if not the only one at the forefront of the country's budding avant-garde art scene. In fact, she is one of the trailblazers who will be highlighted at the group exhibition, "Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s-1970s," as it tours the Guggenheim in New York in September and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles early next year. But while her provocative experimental works produced against a backdrop of political turmoil form an important chapter of 20th-century Korean art history, her artistic journey did not end there. This is where her latest solo show, "Dear Dream, Fantasy and Challenge," at Arario Museum in Space in central Seoul comes in. The show begins with archive materials detailing the artist's notable projects from the late 1960s to early 1970s, before moving on to present her evolving creative vision grounded in her interest in women's personal and social identity namely, through a series of self-portraits. Artist Jung Kang-ja, second from left, poses in front of her installation, "Kiss Me" (1967), at the Union Exhibition of Korean Young Artists in 1967. The sculpture, which was remade in 2001 under Jung's supervision after the original was lost, will be exhibited at the upcoming group show, "Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s-1970s," at the Guggenheim in New York in September. Courtesy of the artist, Arario Gallery "Murder at the Han Riverside" (1968), performed by Jung Kang-ja, Kang Kuk-jin and Chung Chan-seung / Courtesy of Hwang Yang-ja One can glean from the archive photographs on view Jung's projects that left an indelible mark on the country's experimental art scene. Her installations like "Kiss Me" (1967), which portrays gigantic pink lips made from everyday household objects, and "A Woman's Fountain" (1970), where water drips from a sculpture's nipples, sought to unapologetically represent women's autonomous desires in conservative, male-centric Korean society, thereby questioning its gender and sexual norms. With Kang and Chung, she staged another radical performance, "Murder at the Han Riverside" (1968), which took a visceral jab at the institutionalized art scene at the time. Under the present-day Yanghwa Bridge in Seoul, the trio began by carrying out a self-burial. After coming out of their holes, they wrote condemning phrases on vinyl fabrics such as "cultural fraudster" (pseudo-artist) and "illicit money maker" (bogus great master) before burning them. She also participated in the production of Kim Ku-lim's "The Meaning of 1/24 Second" (1969), known as the first experimental film in the history of Korean cinema. However, it wasn't until August 1970, when Jung marched down the streets of Seoul with her fellow artists with a coffin and Korean flags as part of the street performance, "A Funeral for the Established Art and Culture," that things took a turn. A leaflet for Jung Kang-ja's first solo exhibition, "Mutche-jeon" or "Non-Corporeal Exhibition" (1970) / Courtesy of the artist, Arario Gallery The funeral procession, choreographed by the short-lived avant-garde collective The Fourth Group, drew police attention and was forced to come to a halt midway. Park Chung-hee's Yushin regime deemed these youth-led cultural events which borrowed the form of street protests and took place outside of the white-cube contexts as subversive threats to systemic power, prompting the government to clamp down on experimental art. Jung's first solo exhibition, "Mutche-jeon" or "Non-Corporeal Exhibition," which opened just five days after the incident, was forcibly shut down the next day. "The artist felt frustrated with such reality as her creative efforts continued to be thwarted by the authorities and met with criticism," Chang Yeon-woo, senior curator at Arario Museum in Space, told The Korea Times. "She eventually found marriage as sort of an escape." Installation view of Jung Kang-ja's solo exhibition, "Dear Dream, Fantasy and Challenge," at Arario Museum in Space / Courtesy of Arario Museum in Space In 1977, she moved to Singapore with her two young children to follow her husband, who started a business to export Korean films to Southeast Asia utilizing his experience as a movie director. But life in the new country wasn't as smooth as she had imagined. Her husband's business was failing, and she had to become the breadwinner as an art tutor, while raising her baby son and daughter. But Jung never chose to put down the brush, according to Chang. She turned to "batik," a traditional technique of cloth dyeing in Southeast Asia, but put a twist of her own to the medium. Whereas conventional batik features intricate, repetitive patterns, the artist used the dyed cloth as a stage for her dynamic figurative paintings like "The Room in Singapore" (1979), a self-portrait that visualizes her inner conflict and unstable life in a foreign country. Jung Kang-ja's "The Room in Singapore" (1979) / Courtesy of the artist, Arario Gallery She continued struggling to find a balance between art and livelihood between her creative ideal and reality after her divorce and return to Korea in 1982 with her children. "Throughout her life, she was never in a situation that allowed her to solely focus on her art. There were always challenges financial burden, housework and child care and she had to find solutions all on her own," the curator said. In her self-portraits on display, the artist explores her sense of identity as an artist, mother and homemaker a woman who constantly labors. "Night Blooming Flower" (1988) portrays Jung facing forward with a brush and palette in her hands under a moonlit sky. After a busy day, she was only given a few hours in the nighttime to concentrate on her own canvas work. Jung Kang-ja's "Night Blooming Flower" (1988), left, and "Art Studio" (1977) / Courtesy of the artist, Arario Gallery Meanwhile, the vast panorama of desert seen in "The Sahara" (2011) or the bleeding red lips standing in the middle of a surreal, Dali-esque landscape in "Title Unknown" (2001) recalls countless trips she made to the remote lands of Africa, South America and South Pacific in the late 1980s in search of her own visual language after entrusting her children to her ex-husband. The exhibition ends with "Invited to My Funeral. 71 days since My Surgery" (2015), a prescient depiction of her own funeral that was produced two years before her actual death. "At a time when Jung's contribution to experimental art scene is getting a global spotlight, this exhibition aims to shed light on her personal life as she led a fierce battle in life as a mother, laborer, but more importantly, as an artist who never let go of her creative spirit," Chang said. "Dear Dream, Fantasy and Challenge" runs through Sept. 10 at Arario Museum in Space. The statement was made by the MIC at a media briefing on the afternoon of August 8. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, deputy head of the Authority of Broadcasting, Television, and Electronic Information, answering the media's questions about TikTok Specifically, Facebook blocked and removed more than 224 articles with false information, and those against the Party, the state, brands, individuals, and organisations, fulfilling 90 per cent of the MICs demands. Google removed more than 1,000 offending videos on YouTube, or 91 per cent of the requested total. TikTok removed 19 links that violated the regulations with false information and content, again reaching 90 per cent of the requirement. At the event, Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, deputy head of the Authority of Broadcasting, Television, and Electronic Information, said, "Authorised agencies are continuing to investigate the wrongdoings of TikTok. The official results will be announced soon as they become available." The MIC will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to manage the circulation of cross-border cultural products, especially those that contain content or images that infringe on Vietnam's sovereignty in any unacceptable ways. Vietnam warns of potential ban on TikTok amidst calls for enhanced compliance The Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications has raised concerns about the future of TikTok in Vietnam, emphasising the need for compliance with local laws and cooperation with state management agencies. TikTok probes findings expected in July: Deputy Minister Findings of the probe into TikTok operation in Vietnam are expected to be announced in July, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam said on June 5 at the ministrys monthly press briefing. Le Xuan Huyen, deputy general director of state-run oil and gas group PetroVietnam, last week authorised the publication of a 16-page report on sustainable energy development with a vision to 2050. The report highlighted the difficulty of establishing Vietnams liquefied natural gas (LNG) import infrastructure. Flaws in infrastructure hinder plans for LNG, illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com According to Ta Vu Duy Hoa, deputy director of PetroVietnams Economic and Investment Department, importing LNG is necessary to counteract the annual decline in domestic gas production. His remark recalls a prediction made by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2019 regarding the possibility of Vietnam importing natural gas beginning in 2020. The ability to supply gas through the PM3-Ca Mau pipeline was expected to diminish in 2023 and cease supplying gas by 2028, at which point gas production onshore will drop. As per Hoa, PetroVietnam is maximising resources in an effort to increase supply from two massive gas projects, Blue Whale and Block B, but the majority will not arrive before 2026. Vietnams domestic gas supply is dwindling, which is the primary cause of a decrease in the quantity of gas used by households to generate electricity. In 2023, PetroVietnam will provide approximately 4.3 billion cubic metres of gas for power generation in the southeast region. In 2024, this will be reduced to 3.1 billion cu.m, and by 2030, it will fall to approximately one billion cu.m per year. According to PetroVietnams data, recent initiatives that have run into difficulties have not significantly changed domestic gas production for many years. The operation plan for 2021 of the Block B gas project, the largest gas-to-power project chain in Vietnam, with an estimated annual production of 5.06 billion cu.m, is not as anticipated. Difficulties in the investment preparation of subsequent projects have caused inconsistency in this project chain. In addition, the objective of obtaining the first gas supply from the Blue Whale gas-to-power project chain is unlikely to be met in 2023. The project operator, ExxonMobil, is waiting for a decision from the parent company after obtaining an official document sent to the government at the end of 2020 regarding not submitting development plans for engineering, procurement, and construction. Vietnam requires modern infrastructure to import and store a sufficient quantity of LNG, guaranteeing the stable operation of 13 LNG power projects on the list of essential and prioritised projects in the power sector. According to the gas industry development plan towards 2035, Vietnam will import 1-4 billion cu.m of LNG per year between 2021 and 2025, and 6-10 billion cu.m annually from 2026. Tran Anh Khoa, head of the source and market development at PetroVietnam Gas (PVGAS), stated that the import of LNG must progress in tandem with port infrastructure development in the country. The plan is to bring into operation a series of terminals by 2026, including My Son LNG Terminal, Northern LNG Terminal, and Thi Vai Terminal Phase 2; and increasing capacity to 3-5 million tonnes per year at the same time, Khoa said. Importing significant quantities of LNG in the immediate future is unlikely. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Thap, president of the Vietnam Petroleum Association, told VIR that Vietnam lacks experience in constructing and operating LNG terminals. Vietnam lacks a large-capacity LNG receiving port, a prerequisite for optimising the cost of constructing gas pipeline infrastructure between the port and power facilities, Thap explained. Vietnam is in the process of creating a model for a gas power centre as well as a terminal for LNG import and regasification. Importing LNG is an intricate issue, especially under the current conditions, where the exporter expects a long-term commitment and binding on output, added Thap. Vietnamese importers have not been able to make long-term commitments because, on the one hand, the government does not provide a guarantee and, on the other hand, they fear the risk of mortgaging the projects cash flow. According to Thap, Vietnam imports LNG in a similar manner as other countries in the region and can learn from the likes of Thailand and South Korea. To reduce expenses in gas pipeline infrastructure between ports and power plants, lower electricity production costs, and optimise the system, these nations construct concentrations of LNG power plants with large receiving ports of at least six million tonnes of LNG per year. In accordance with environmental criteria, they also select locations that are advantageous for the construction of an LNG terminal, Thap added. Developers expect smoother LNG policy planning The government has asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to clarify the planning data and feasibility of liquefied natural gas power development towards 2030, which has set a target of almost 24,000MW, accounting for 16.4 per cent of the total power source in the nations draft master power plan. Thi Vai Terminal receives first LNG shipment As PetroVietnam Gas (PV Gas) works to secure a long-term fuel source for further liquefied natural gas (LNG) gas power facilities, the future stable operation of power facilities in Vietnam is being hampered by a lack of infrastructure to import and store sufficient liquefied natural gas. Structure lacking for LNG activities The future stable operation of power facilities in Vietnam is being hampered by a lack of infrastructure to import and store sufficient liquefied natural gas. Key milestones being hit for LNG prospects To utilise the promising land of liquefied natural gas, developers are awaiting supportive policies for infrastructure to help save project costs and contribute to green energy goals. This is the first time the nation's tourism industry has welcomed more than one million international visitors in a month since it reopened in March last year. Vietnam welcomed a record number of international visitors in July In July, the number of domestic tourists also reached 12.5 million, of which 8.3 million stayed overnight. The total number of those travelling domestically in the first 7 months reached 76.5 million. Total revenue from tourism from January to July reached about $18.1 billion, equal to 64 per cent of the year's target. Some of the top international tourist markets witnessed rising visitor numbers in July compared to the previous month, including South Korea (up 6 per cent), China (14 per cent), and the US (7 per cent). However, those from some countries in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia, tended to decrease. The total number of international visitors to Vietnam in the first seven months reached nearly 6.6 million, reaching 83 per cent of the plan. The US ranked third with nearly 740,000 arrivals, Australia stood in ninth with 221,000, and India was 10th with 213,000. The three European countries with the largest number of visitors to Vietnam are the UK with nearly 148,000, France with almost 121,000 and Germany with just under 112,000. "The tourism industry still has a lot of room to continue to grow as it enters the peak international season at the end of the year," according to a report by the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism. In 2023, Vietnam's tourism industry aims to welcome 10 million international visitors, with changes in visa policy and tourism promotion programmes being promoted to support this goal. After worrying that the number of international visitors in the first and second quarters did not grow as fast as expected, Vietnam's tourism industry made a leap to reach 83 per cent of the full-year plan only a month into Q3. Japan, South Korea issue warnings as storm Khanun moves north, Source: FOX Weather/ Youtube The storm, which has been downgraded from typhoon status, has already prompted South Korea to begin the evacuation of tens of thousands camping at the World Scout Jamboree, which was earlier hit by a heatwave. On Wednesday, about 16,000 households were without power as heavy rain pounded Japan's southern island of Kyushu. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of torrential rain and the "surging" risk of "life-threatening mudslides and flooding" in the island's Kagoshima region. The US military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center has designated the system a tropical storm with gusts of up to 130 kph (81 mph). Japan Airlines on Wednesday cancelled 252 flights, affecting some 25,000 passengers, a spokeswoman told AFP. All Nippon Airways scrapped 96 flights, hitting over 10,000 people, a spokeswoman said. The weather system, which killed at least two people in the Okinawa region last week, has already forced organisers to scale down and move inside Wednesday ceremonies marking the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Japan's "shinkansen" bullet train service was also halted in part of its southern route, while many other local commuter and express trains were cancelled, Kyushu Railway said in a statement. In South Korea, where Khanun was expected to make landfall Thursday, nearly 80 flights at 10 airports and dozens of ferry services were suspended. Seoul has raised its crisis alert level to its highest level, with the typhoon expected to have "a direct impact on the whole country" from Wednesday to Friday, said the interior ministry. The presidential office was working around the clock on emergency typhoon watch, Yonhap news agency reported. "We will do our best to respond to the typhoon, so that no human casualties occur, with thorough control and pre-emptive evacuation for the high-risk areas such as underground tunnels and riverbanks," Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Tuesday. Another typhoon, Lan, was meanwhile forming in the Pacific, with gusts up to 108 kph and projected by the Japanese Meteorological Agency to move northwest towards the main island of Honshu in the coming days. From August 11 to September 3, Aristino will contribute 43 US cents to the Mottainai fund from each product sold in its showrooms. The brand will also donate nearly $4,400 more to the Mottainai when customers share the message Wear.Care.Share with the hashtag #ARISTINO10 on social media to invigorate the community and spread this noble mission. Tang Van Khanh, CEO of K&G Vietnam Investment JSC and founder of the Aristino brand, said that after a 10-year development journey, Aristino understands that sustainable value can only come from a heart that is always focused on the community. A decade of receiving love from its customers is a great motivation for Aristino, driving it to share more and call on everyone to support the future of Vietnamese children. Aristinos products are not only focused on aesthetics and luxury, but most importantly, they ensure sustainable value by caring about the environment and society. We realise the common ground between our principles and the sustainable social development activities that the Vietnamese Women newspaper and Mottainai are implementing, Khanh said. Receiving stations for second-hand clothes donations will be located at the 81 Aristino showrooms nationwide. The event took place on the 10th anniversary of both the establishment of the high-end mens fashion brand Aristino and the Mottainai initiative Give Love, Receive Happiness. The Wear.Care.Share campaign was launched with the goal of raising funds to support children who have suffered from traffic accidents, those who are disadvantaged, and many who live in orphanages across the country. Nguyen Thi Thuc Hanh, member of the Central Presidium of Vietnam Womens Union, editor-in-chief of Vietnamese Women newspaper, and head of the organising board of the Mottainai programme, reaffirmed that Mottainai has created various meaningful activities. The cooperation between the two parties will continue to spread Mottainai's human values in the community and the network of love and sharing will be increasingly expanded, Hanh shared. The event also announced the launch ceremony for the Give Love, Receive Happiness club. This will be the destination for benevolent hearts, volunteers, and people interested in Mottainai. After nine years, the Mottainai drive kicked off by Vietnamese Women newspaper has become the largest project in Vietnam to donate second-hand items for humanitarian purposes, honouring a green lifestyle and attracting more than 500,000 participants. The scheme was awarded the 2017 Innovative Women for Sustainable Development Award by the Ministry of Information and Communications and received a certificate of merit for its contributions to Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations from the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam. The Mottainai 2023 programme is expected to be implemented from May to December. According to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security, over the past 10 years, an average of 20,000 traffic accidents have occurred each year, killing 7,000 people and injuring about 16,000 others. Of which, about 70 per cent of the dead and injured were the breadwinners in their family. In addition, in the past two years, the pandemic has left approximately 4,461 Vietnamese children orphaned, including 193 who lost both parents, according to statistics from the Department of Children under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. Manufacturers in various industries are frustrated with delays because of fire prevention policies At a working session on August 1 with the supervisory delegation of the National Assembly Committee for National Defence and Security to review policies on fire prevention, Vice Chairman of Binh Duong Peoples Committee Nguyen Van Danh said the current provisions of the law are not synchronised with amendments of legal documents on this issue. One of the most common problems is the procedure to get an appraisal certificate for fire-fighting equipment at facilities. Inconsistent regulations confuse manufacturers during the construction and operation of their factories, Danh said. Binh Duong requires more specific regulations via implementing Aprils official dispatch on solving issues around fire prevention. Danh also proposed a specific mechanism for localities in the southeast region to flexibly apply regulations, creating improvements to encourage businesses to foster their investment in the province. In a meeting with Binh Duong officials in March, Edward Lewin, vice president of Lego Group, hoped that the province would continue to support the completion of procedures for granting a construction permit because it had not been approved for fire prevention. The province sent documents to the Ministry of Public Security (MoPS) to speed up the progress of fire prevention and appraisal and, as a result, Lego received the appraisal certificate and the construction permit for its $1.3 billion factory in the southern province in April. However, other foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) are not so lucky and remain frustrated over current fire prevention regulations. At a workshop on trade and investment between South Korea and Vietnam in May, Hong Sun, chairman of the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (KoCham) repeated the barriers in getting the appraisal certificate for fire prevention. Many member companies have sent documents to KoCham to express their concern. They reported that problems arise when they build new factories or expand their operation, at which the new regulations on fire prevention and safety are tightened and conflict with the licences for their existing facilities. As a result, many facilities cant be used due to these conflicts, Sun said. He has expressed the same concern over fire prevention and safety at many forums, in particular in a meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and FIEs in April, and the Vietnam Business Forum in May. According to KoCham members, some have invested large amounts to complete fire protection systems for their facilities to comply with all regulations, but after construction ended, appraisals were still not approved. They added that many functions overlap, and some works just need certificates granted by local authorities, but they are still required to be inspected by both the MoPS and the Ministry of Construction (MoC). The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers and the Vietnam Logistics Business Association have also voiced the same concerns. In the context that standards and regulations on fire prevention and control are bottlenecks for the business community, PM Chinh signed the aforementioned dispatch in April which stated that construction works and business units that have difficulties with fire prevention facilities will be classified specifically. After the dispatch was published, the MoC began studying, reviewing, and amending criteria for fire safety for buildings and constructions to correspond with recent tech advances without wasting social capital. The sectors total revenue was estimated at $11.8 billion in July, down 8 per cent compared to June, but up 2 per cent on-year, released at the Ministry of Information and Communications' (MIC) press conference on August 8 to review the performance over the first seven months of 2023 and set objectives for the coming months. At the press conference on August 8 Its state budget contribution was estimated at $362.2 million, falling by 3 per cent on-month and 16 per cent over the same period last year. The accumulated state investment for the first seven months stood at $2.4 billion. Postal service revenue was approximately $213 million, up by 2 per cent compared to June 2023 and more than 10 per cent over July 2022. In terms of the digital economy, its ratio to GDP in the second quarter of 2023 was estimated at 15.26 per cent. Remarkably, Vietnam rose to eighth in the rankings of countries with the highest number of mobile app downloads in the world. Seven applications that maintain over 10 million active accounts include Zalo, Zing MP3, VNEID, Momo Wallet, MB Bank, and My Viettel. Meanwhile, the total revenue of the IT industry in the first seven months was estimated at $72.9 billion, down 7.1 per cent on-year. The fall was blamed on a sharp decline in hardware and electronics export revenue, which often accounts for a large proportion of the revenue structure of the IT industry. The sharpest declines were reported in March, April, and May, with figures of 22.8 per cent, 22.4 per cent, and 16.3 per cent respectively. Addressing the event, Nguyen Phong Nha, deputy general director of the MICs Authority of Telecommunications admitted that the revenue from mobile network operators' traditional services has seen a fall, but there are new driving forces for the growth of the industry. We now have high-speed 4G networks, which create opportunities for businesses and mobile network operators to develop new services. There is also a more favourable legal framework, and in the future, 5G will offer huge potential, he said. The MIC has submitted a decree to the government on national databases, covering their construction, update, maintenance, and exploitation Report No.50/TTr-BTTTT dated July 31. It also submitted a decree guiding some regulations in the Law on Radio Frequencies and amendments to a number of its articles. Also in July, the Law on Electronic Transactions No.20/2023/QH15 was announced. On July 12, at the preliminary meeting of the National Committee on Digital Transformation, the MIC the standing body of the committee announced the results of an assessment of the rate of digital transformation at ministerial, provincial, and national levels in 2022. Compared to 2021, the growth of the national digital transformation index did slow down, but the component indices of digital government, digital economy, and digital society still maintained a high growth rate of 45-55 per cent. According to the MIC, in August, the ministry is setting up some key tasks. It plans to propose a law amending and supplementing the Law on the Press. It will also complete a dossier on a proposal to develop a Law on the Digital Technology Industry to submit to the government for consideration and approval. Furthermore, it aims to finalise plans and draft amendments to Decree No.130/2018/ND-CP, detailing the implementation of the Law on Electronic Transactions governing digital signatures and related authentication services. Finally, it will complete the digital investigation support platform, step up activities to review and detect fraudulent acts in cyberspace, and organise the first National Forum for Digital Economy and Digital Society Development. Plenty of room for digital transformation in banking Digital transformation is a process, not a destination. Nguyen Chien Thang, director of the BIDV Digital Banking Development Centre, spoke with VIRs Hong Dung about the potential rewards. Great opportunities for investment in Vietnams ICT After more than 30 years, Vietnam has been able to compete with other countries in the region in terms of foreign investment attraction in ICT. The industry is increasingly deeply and widely integrating into the global value chain, creating many better conditions for Vietnam to expand the international market. In particular, more and more large enterprises in digital technology consider Vietnam a top destination. The first-ever concert by Korean girl group Blackpink in Hanoi on July 29-30 attracted 60,000 fans, grabbing the attention of the press and social media influencers and subsequently helping popularise images of the host country. Spectator spending on food, transport, and accommodation in Hanoi before and after each show also created tremendous growth for the local economy. Opportunities to stimulate tourism from music events According to statistics from Agoda, the number of hotel room searches in Hanoi in the last week of July ballooned 10-fold compared to the previous week, and increased about 2.5 times compared to neighbouring destinations such as Cambodia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Before the events, flight tickets to Hanoi sold out despite higher prices. Round-trip airfares from domestic destinations to Hanoi increased up to triple compared to weekdays, while round-trip flights from Thailand, China, and some neighbouring countries to Hanoi in the days leading up to the show hit around $340 per trip. According to Hanoi Department of Tourism, the number of visitors to the capital in July reached nearly 2.4 million, up 21.4 per cent over the same period last year. This included more than 380,000 foreign arrivals and about two million domestic tourists, with total tourism revenues of $374 million. Prof. Dr. Bui Hoai Son, standing member of the National Assemblys Committee for Culture and Education, noted that Blackpinks Born Pink world tour has grossed over $163 million in total. The success of the show makes us think more about investing in the cultural industry to create spillover effects to other socioeconomic fields and build Vietnams reputation and brand globally, suggested Son. A week earlier, the WonderFest Music event at Vinpearl Nha Trang, with the participation of American artist Charlie Puth, attracted about 8,000 people. The number of bookings in Nha Trang at the time increased six times compared to normal days, based on Agoda statistics. Some accommodation facilities on Hon Tre island, including Vinpearl, are typically always sold out. Vinpearl CEO Jurgen Peter Dorr said that WonderFest contributes to making Vietnam a must-visit destination on the international tourist map. We look forward to developing WonderFest into a special tourism product, not only for the Vinpearl chain but also an independent brand capable of attracting tourists, contributing to making Vietnam a leading destination in the region and beyond, Dorr said. According to Future Market Insights, the global music tourism market reached $5.5 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $11.3 billion in the next 10 years. While North America and Europe are still the leading regions, Asia-Pacific is also growing rapidly. Neighbouring countries of Vietnam have been quick to seize the opportunity of major performances to attract tourists and promote development. Earlier this year, tourism in Thailand earned more than $20-30 million from Blackpinks concert through accommodation, flight tickets, transportation, and consumption in the five days before and after the show. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said that, along with concerts of other K-pop groups, Blackpinks concert played an important role in promoting the image of Thailand to international friends. Music concerts help generate income for the tourism industry and the economy. BlackPinks concert was an important part of helping Thailand become a music destination in the region. Each concert generates revolving income for the tourism industry and the economy as a whole, said a TAT representative. Meanwhile, Singapore collected more than $35 million from Blackpinks performance in May, while Indonesia earned almost the same amount. In Vietnam, small-scale music nights by domestic artists held in popular destinations such as Dalat, Ninh Binh, and Vinh Phuc have attracted 500-1,000 visitors in recent times. Visitors are often willing to spend on extra services and accompanying products, retail goods, and food when attending performances by top artists. BLACKPINK takes Hanoi by storm on first Born Pink night The most anticipated moment for the BLACKPINK fans in Vietnam officially took place at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on July 29 evening, with the K-pop girl group stepping onto the stage to thunderous cheers. Over 3,000 int'l visitors come to Hanoi for BlackPink concert The Hanoi Department of Tourism on August 5 announced that out of 70,000 peopple flocking to Korean girl band Blackpinks concert at the Hanoi-based My Dinh National Stadium on July 29 and 30, over 3,000 ones are international visitors. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the application of the global minimum tax (GMT) at 15 per cent will make a direct impact on the countrys scheme to draw in investments by large-scale global corporations. Plans manifest to balance GMT impact, illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com In order to address this, the ministry has proposed pilot support policies in terms of training skilled human resources and research and development (R&D) for foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) that are investing in the production of technology and high-tech products at a total of VND12 trillion ($510 million) or revenues of more than VND20 trillion ($851 million) per year; and investing in R&D projects worth over VND3 trillion ($128 million). This assistance will be deducted from the tax obligations of FIEs or paid directly by contributions deducted from the state budget, in the way that several other countries in the region are applying. Nguyen Duc Do, deputy director of the Institute of Economics-Finance at the Academy of Finance, commented that the incentives for every FIE should be considered carefully by the Ministry of Finance. When taxes are no longer favourable, switching to monetary incentives is also reasonable and quite common worldwide, Do said. Do added that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development which initiated the GMT regime, applied on corporations and large companies with a total income of $820 million or more does not prohibit cash assistance. However, the assessment of risks needs to be considered and calculated carefully. Vietnam can both do and learn from other countries because this is one of the competitive factors in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), Do said. In the past, Vietnam has offered favourable taxes to mobilise investment, but numerous enterprises have been reporting losses for many years, even up to 20 years, so tax incentives do not make any sense, he added. The application of the GMT from 2024 will not only help Vietnam increase state budget revenue from additional tax revenue, but also reduce tax evasion, tax avoidance, transfer pricing, and profit transfer. Daniel Borer, who is an economics lecturer at RMIT University Vietnam, said the GMT scheme could discourage investments in low-tax jurisdictions, like Vietnam, as the tax advantages would be diminished. On the other hand, it may encourage funding in countries with robust infrastructure, skilled labour, and attractive non-tax factors, as tax considerations would be less dominant. Vietnam should streamline administrative procedures. This will help draw in more foreign investors. This can be achieved through the implementation of increased digitalisation and enhanced transparency, Borer said. Vietnam furthermore would need to ensure both transparency and accountability in its investment policies and practices. The Vietnamese government can achieve this by establishing clear and consistent rules and regulations, then enforcing them fairly and consistently, he added. Economist Vo Tri Thanh said that Vietnam still has considerable ability to attract FDI. However, it is still necessary for leaders to pay wider attention to various issues including clean land, high-quality human resources, and incentives that in line with international practices, Thanh said. According to the MPIs Foreign Investment Agency, in July, FDI inflows increased by 9 per cent on-year, and in the first seven months of the year, it was 4.5 per cent higher than the same period last year. Around $7.84 billion in newly registered FDI reported a rise of 38 per cent on-year, while $4.14 billion in capital contributions and share purchases saw an increase of approximately 60 per cent on-year. From right, late Samsung chief Lee Kun-hee's wife, Hong Ra-hee, and her children Jae-yong, Boo-jin and Seo-hyun attend Lee's funeral in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province in this photo taken on Oct. 28, 2020. Korea Times file By Yi Whan-woo Three heiresses of late Samsung chief Lee Kun-hee took out more bank loans to pay massive inheritance taxes by putting up their respective shares in the company as collateral, according to a business think tank, Wednesday. Such increases in money lending from banks suggest that "chaebol," or conglomerates family members could be struggling to pay inheritance taxes, which are being disputed for being excessively high compared to that of other OECD member countries. A Seoul-based think tank on corporate analysis, Leaders Index, said the combined amount of loans taken out by Lee's wife, Hong Ra-hee, and his two daughters Boo-jin and Seo-hyun with their company stocks as collateral, increased by 2.19 trillion won ($1.66 billion) to 4.78 trillion won for the past one year. The loans account for 40.4 percent of the value of Samsung stocks belonging to the three heiresses, and also doubled from a year ago, Leaders Index said. It said Lee's son and incumbent Samsung chief, Jae-yong, does not have any secured loans owed to banks. Leaders Index's announcement comes as Korea imposes a maximum inheritance tax rate of 50 percent, far higher than the OECD average of 25 percent and the second-highest only after Japan's 55 percent. Leaders Index said that 36 of the 72 chaebols it monitored had at least one direct family member of each group's owner obtain bank loans by using their company shares as collateral. LG Group chief's five family members also had loans increase from 145.9 billion won to 274.7 billion won, and SK Group's 10 family members have borrowed 557.5 billion won by providing SK and SK Discovery shares as collateral. Rare earth upsides can help beckon foreign capital, Photo: AFP/VNA Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha last week signed Decision No.866/QD-TTg on the master plan for the exploration, extraction, processing, and use of minerals for the next decade and beyond. The plan includes about 2.1 million tonnes of raw rare earth ores to be exploited every year. By 2030, there will be expansion of mining technologies and markets, deep processing of rare earth minerals that have been licensed at several mines in the northern provinces of Lai Chau, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai, and the launch of a rare earth processing factory in Yen Bais Van Yen district. According to the US Geological Survey in 2022, Vietnams rare earth reserves account for 18 per cent of the worlds total rare earth reserves, at about 22 million tonnes, just behind China (44 million tonnes) and followed by Brazil, Russia, Mongolia, and India. Rare earths are composed of 17 elements, most of which play an irreplaceable role in the production of high-tech equipment, chemical technology, semiconductors, electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines, telephones, and aircraft. Based on this, Vietnam is calling for investment in semiconductors. Only the United States, the Netherlands, Japan, and South Korea currently possess top semiconductor technologies, and economist Ha Ton Vinh believes that rare earths are needed for semiconductor manufacturing more than ever. Although China has strengths in reserves and rare earth mining, this country is losing its advantage because developed countries in the semiconductor industry do not transfer mining technology to this country, Vinh said. Chinas rare earth mining technologies are getting old, while Vietnam is emerging with several advantages, and numerous foreign investors are working to exploit rare earths and develop semiconductor manufacturing factories. Khuong Quang Dong, an expert in the automotive industry in France, said that Vietnam should accelerate investment in processing rare earths into strategic materials to supply domestic high-tech industries such as electronics, petrochemical, and especially the semiconductor production. We have been exporting raw materials for too long, and now the plan sets out the tasks for mineral processing clearly. We should determine the target and follow the plan even faster because this is the time to sell processing materials. The better the industry develops, the more surplus value will be generated, Dong said. A month ago, South Korea and Vietnam signed an MoU to set up a supply chain centre for rare earths and other important minerals to ensure a stable supply for South Korean companies, and called on them to invest in Vietnam in manufacturing semiconductors and other high technologies. Reimbursement is estimated at $4 billion by 2030 as a part of official development assistance. Thanks to these upsides, Vietnam is expected to be a new destination for semiconductor manufacturing and other high technologies. The Vietnam-Korea Techno Park Complex inside the South Hanoi Supporting Industrial Park, for example, will focus on microchip manufacturing projects, based on an agreement between Vietnams N&G Group and South Koreas SEIN I&D Group made in June. Also in June, Infineon Technologies AG announced the expansion of operations, establishing a team to develop electronic chips working in Hanoi. This strategy aims to meet the growing demand for functional testing and custom circuit design for Infineons system-on-chip solutions. Infineons goal is to turn the centre in Hanoi into a research and development centre of international standards. In addition, American semiconductor corporation Synopsys is also expanding its operations in Vietnam by transferring investment and training engineers in the country, while USI Electronics of Taiwan and Renesas Electronics of Japan also have factories in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the $2.6-billion Samsung Electro-Mechanics facility in the northern province of Thai Nguyen is manufacturing semiconductors expected to be released at the end of this year, after a rigorous testing process. South Koreas Amkor Technology is also hurrying to build a $1.6-billion semiconductor complex in the northern province of Bac Ninh, which is expected to start manufacturing within the next couple of months. The scale of the global chip market in 2022 was about $600 billion and is expected to rise to $1.4 trillion by 2029, and Vietnam ranks ninth globally in exporting electronic goods. Rare earth prices surge as China tightens grip Prices of rare earths have skyrocketed this year as China moves to consolidate the sector in order to tighten its grip over the highly coveted minerals used in high-tech products, analysts said on Monday. Japan, US, and EU to meet on rare earths Japan said on Wednesday it will host the European Union and United States at a meeting on developing alternatives for rare earths as Chinese controls on the key minerals raise fears of a supply squeeze. China says rare earths practices meet WTO rules China said Wednesday its regulation of the rare earths industry was in line with international rules as it faces international pressure over its control of the crucial elements. Orion Food Vina was the biggest confectionary manufacturer in Vietnam in 2022, and so to take advantage of this strength, the company sees expanding its sales channel for Dutch Mill products at supermarkets, grocery stores, and convenience stores nationwide as the best next step. Dutch Mill has dominated the Thai market since 1984, holding 70 per cent of the market share there, and exports its products to 20 countries. A fertile market with a young population like Vietnam is key to a company with an aim of becoming the number one dairy enterprise in Southeast Asia, Two flagship brands, 'Proyo!' and 'Choco IQ', will be introduced to Vietnamese consumers later this month. Choco IQ is a chocolate-flavoured barley milk inspired by ChocoPie, while ProYo! is a yogurt drink containing 52 per cent naturally fermented yogurt with real fruit juice. An Orion spokesperson said, "Armed with a robust sales strategy, we're poised to rapidly establish a foothold and aim to cement our position as the premier food enterprise in the region." The Vietnamese dairy market was valued at $5.32 billion in 2021, with further growth expected. There are over 1.5 million new babies born each year in Vietnam, with a growing need for dairy products of superior quality. Morinaga Milk Industry launches products in Vietnam Morinaga Milk Industry Company, Japan's leading dairy producer, has officially sold nutritional products made in Vietnam since November. Morinaga Le May JV sets target of $71.7 million revenue in Vietnam Morinaga Milk Industry, a Tokyo-based dairy company, forged a strategic partnership with Le May, a subsidiary of Vietnams Lotus Group, to establish the Morinaga Le May Joint Venture in Vietnam on May 23. All efforts are being made to boost production and business across the board, photo Le Toan Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh last week required the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to continue implementing a proactive and flexible monetary policy. The SBV must continue to reduce lending rates and increase credits in line with the real developments of the market, while boosting money supply into the economy when necessary. The credits must be focused into growth momentum including investment, consumption, and export, PM Chinh stated. In mid-July, PM Chinh also enacted Resolution No.105/NQ-CP on removing difficulties for enterprises, including stress laid on boosting administrative reform. Resolution 105 states that the SBV must specify a credit growth rate of at least 13-15 per cent for the whole of 2023. How to increase credits must be announced immediately via proper measures, with specific quota for credit growth for commercial banks until late 2023, the resolution stated. Sufficient capital must be provided for the economy, with due attention paid to credits for property and for production and business activities in order to support the market and unleash investment capital flows for the economy. The SBV will in August propose a credit package worth VND10 trillion ($416.6 million) for businesses specialised in processing fishery and aquatic products, and other types of credit packages. Also this month, the government will enact a decision on reducing 30 per cent of land rental for 2023. We will also revise and remove business conditions currently stipulated in specialised laws if such conditions are found illegal, unnecessary, infeasible, and unclear. Moreover, the government will also review and revise all kinds of practising certificates in order to reduce their number and save costs for the society, PM Chinh stated at last weeks government meeting on the national socioeconomic situation. The government will also unify, merge, and simplify legal documents in a manner that it will be easy to understand and access, fully ensuring transparency. All costs for enterprises must be reduced and saved, with businesses ability to access to capital and the market to be increased. All efforts are to be made to quickly recover production and business activities and achieve the highest results in economic growth, PM Chinh stated. The government has directed the General Department of Vietnam Customs to coordinate with authorities at all levels in simplifying the current administrative processes or consider applying priority import and export processes to help businesses optimise time and costs, and speed up the import process and procedures for essential commodities and accelerate the export of agricultural products and key export commodity groups. National Assembly deputy Pham Trong Nghia, representing the northern province of Lang Son, said In order to formulate exact solutions for enterprises, it is necessary to thoroughly review and study all challenges at home and abroad, with consultancy from all stakeholders. In late June, the government enacted Decree No.44/2023/ND-CP on VAT reduction until the end of the year, from 10 to 8 per cent for all types of goods and services. Specifically, the VAT reduction policy will help businesses reduce 20 per cent of the percentage for tax calculation when issuing value-added invoices, for goods and services currently subject to the 10 per cent tax rate. What is more, the government has also applied a reduction of the collection rate of 35 fees and charges from July 1 to December 31, equivalent to a decrease in revenue of VND700 billion ($29.1 million) in the state budget in order to support businesses and individuals. In April, the government promulgated Decree No.12/2023/ND-CP on extending the deadline for paying VAT, corporate income tax (CIT), and personal income tax. The decree stipulates a six-month extension for VAT amounts from March-May 2023 and Q1; five months extension for June and Q2; four months extension for July 2023; and a three-month extension for August. When it comes to CIT, the decree stipulated that payment of this type of tax would be extended for the temporarily paid sum for Q1 and Q2 of the tax calculation period in 2023. Specifically, the time for payment extension will be three months as from the date of ending the payment time under the tax management law. It is estimated that the value of the CIT payment extension will be around $1.86-1.9 billion. IMF says Vietnam's fiscal policy should support the vulnerable An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Paulo Medas completed discussions for the 2023 Article IV consultation with Vietnam from June 14-29. Policy credit supporting ex-prisoners in their new lives Policy credit sources from Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) have helped former criminals reintegrate into the community and lead a better life. Agribank ramps up business support with fresh incentives Agribank has launched a wide assortment of capital packages to aid business development as well as help individuals. Major banks such as Asia Commercial joint-stock bank (ACB), Military Commercial joint-stock bank (MB), Sacombank, Techcombank, Vietcombank, and VPBank are among the card issuers who are supporting Apple Pay at its launch. To use the new function, Visa cardholders from the participating banks simply double click and hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a payment terminal to make a contactless payment. Every Apple Pay purchase is secure because it is authenticated with Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode, as well as a transaction-specific, one-time dynamic security code. Apple Pay is accepted by grocery stores, pharmacies, taxis, restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, and many more establishments. The launch of Apple Pay marks a significant milestone in the advancement of cashless payments in Vietnam. Customers can now use Apple Pay with their Visa card and experience a seamless and secure payment method, further enhancing the convenience of digital transactions. Dung Dang, Visa country manager for Vietnam and Laos said, "With the growth of mobile contactless payments in Vietnam, we think consumers will immediately embrace the convenience and security that Apple Pay offers." "They can add their Visa cards to Apple Pay in just a few simple steps before they start enjoying the added benefits of a contactless payment experience that is both seamless and highly secure," Dang continued. Cardholders can also use Apple Pay on iPhone, iPad, and Mac to make faster and more convenient purchases in apps or on the web in Safari without having to create accounts or repeatedly type in shipping and billing information. Apple Pay makes it easier to pay for food and grocery deliveries, other online purchases, transportation, and parking, among other things. Apple Pay can also be used to make payments in apps on an Apple Watch. Security and privacy are at the core of Apple Pay. When Visa cardholders use a credit or debit card with Apple Pay, the card numbers are not stored on the device or Apple servers. Instead, a unique device account number is assigned, encrypted, and securely stored in the secure element, an industry-standard, certified chip designed to keep the payment information safe on the Apple device. Visa joins Vietnams 5th Cashless Day celebration Visa has announced its support for Vietnams annual Cashless Day with a slew of exciting promotions. The initiative strengthens Visas commitment to promoting digital payment adoption and encouraging the digital transformation of Vietnam towards a cashless society. Visa and Vietnam Airlines enhance digital experience for consumers Vietnam Airlines plans to leverage Visas expertise to launch a unique, co-branded product to boost its digital capabilities and improve the customer experience. SAN DIEGO (AP) The mother of a U.S. Navy sailor charged with providing sensitive military information to China encouraged him to cooperate with a Chinese intelligence officer, telling her son it might help him get a job with the Chinese government someday, the prosecution said Tuesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Sheppard made the accusation at a hearing in federal court in San Diego in urging the judge not to release Jinchao Wei, who was arrested last week on a rarely used espionage charge. Prosecutors did not name the woman in court. As a result of that The Associated Press could not try to find her or people who could comment on her behalf. Wei is one of two sailors based in California accused of providing sensitive military information to China including details on wartime exercises, naval operations and critical technical material. Prosecutors have not said whether the two were courted or paid by the same Chinese intelligence officer as part of a larger scheme. The Justice Department charged Wei, 22, under a Espionage Act statute that makes it a crime to gather or deliver information to aid a foreign government. Both sailors have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors have said Wei, who was born in China, was first approached by a Chinese intelligence officer in February 2022 while he was applying to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, and admitted to the officer that he knew the arrangement could affect his application. Even so, prosecutors say he provided the officer detailed information on the weapons systems and aircraft aboard the Essex and other amphibious assault ships that act as small aircraft carriers. In arguing against his release, Sheppard told the court on Tuesday that when Wei went home for Christmas to see his mother, who lives in Wisconsin, she was aware of her son's arrangement. She also encouraged him to keep helping the Chinese intelligence officer because it might get him a job someday with China's Communist party after he leaves the U.S. Navy, Sheppard said. The AP asked Weis defense attorney Jason Conforti in an email if he could speak on behalf of Weis mother and provide a response to the prosecutions allegations. The AP also asked if he could provide contact information for her. The attorney did not immediately respond to the email. Sheppard told the court that the intelligence officer told Wei that he and the Chinese government were willing to fly him and his mother to China to meet them in person, and that Wei searched online for flights to China this spring. Sheppard said the officer also told Wei to buy a computer and phone to pass the information, and that if Wei provided a receipt, the Chinese government would reimburse him for the expenses. Conforti told the court that Wei is not a danger to the community and no longer has access to any military information. Sheppard countered that Weis actions put thousands of sailors at risk by revealing sensitive information on Navy ships. The judge ruled to keep him in federal custody without bond. The indictment alleges Wei included as many as 50 manuals containing technical and mechanical data about Navy ships as well as details about the number and training of Marines during an upcoming exercise. Sheppard said Wei has made $10,000 to $15,000 in the past year from the arrangement. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison. The Justice Department also charged sailor Wenheng Zhao, 26, based at Naval Base Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, with conspiring to collect nearly $15,000 in bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for information, photos and videos involving Navy exercises, operations and facilities between August 2021 through at least this May. The information included plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, which detailed the location and timing of naval force movements. TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) A California man reported missing on a hike in Tucson has been found dead, authorities said Wednesday. Pima County Sheriffs officials say the body of 46-year-old Kyle Chance, of San Diego, was located near the Starr Pass area about 4 p.m. Tuesday. There was no indication of foul play. More information regarding the cause of death will be available at a later date," Sheriffs Deputy Gordon Downing said in a statement Wednesday. The initial indication is that it was related to exposure to the weather conditions." The high in Tuscon was 93 degrees Fahrenheit (33.9 Celsius) Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Downing said Chance started his hike around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday and was reported missing later in the day. The sheriff departments search and rescue crew joined Tucson police, Drexel Heights fire personnel and an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter in the search. Waco police arrested a 38-year-old woman and her 17-year-old son in a shooting police say was caused by a feud between two rival street gangs. Jerriod Antoinette Carpenter and her son, Lorenzo Kennedy, were both booked into McLennan County Jail early Monday morning, each on two second-degree felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Officers were called to the Alon gas station at 4200 W. Waco Drive at about 8:30 p.m. July 30 in response to a shooting, Waco police spokesperson Cierra Shipley said. According to arrest warrant affidavits, surveillance footage showed a black Chrysler 300 arrived at the store just after 8:30 p.m., and Carpenter left the vehicles driver seat to enter the gas station. As she is walking into the gas station, a 15-year-old boy, identified by police in the affidavit as a gang member, exits another vehicle in the parking lot and walks toward the store, while the boys mother stayed in the car. A person police believe to be Kennedy then exited the Chrysler from the backseat and fired a handgun at the boy, who ran back to his vehicle and jumped into the back of the car as it drove away, the affidavit says. The shooter continued firing at the vehicle before he and Carpenter get back into the Chrysler and leave, police reported. The affidavit says responding officers were able to find the 15-year-old boy and his mother and observed several bullet holes in their vehicle. Shipley said no injuries were reported from the shooting. According to the affidavits, investigators identified Kennedy by finding a social media picture of him wearing an orange Texas Longhorns sweatshirt identical to a sweatshirt the shooter was seen wearing in the surveillance footage. The affidavit says Kennedys height, weight and hairstyle match the shooters, though the affidavit reports the shooter had a dreadlock-style hairstyle, while Kennedys mugshot shows him with a short hairstyle. According to the affidavits, Kennedy and the 15-year-old boy he shot at are documented members of rival street gangs that have been involved in multiple cases of deadly conduct and aggravated assault. Carpenter and Kennedy remained in jail Tuesday. Both were given bond of $1.5 million, $750,000 for each charge of aggravated assault. WAHOO Jesus Zaragoza is best known around Wahoo as the man behind local eateries Acapulco Mexican Grill and JCs Steakhouse, among an ever-expanding portfolio of new restaurants. But before Zaragoza ever dipped his toes into the sit-down dining game, he drove an ice cream truck around neighborhoods in Franklin, Tennessee, with daughter Eliza and son Chuy passing out frozen treats to eager children. Zaragoza and his wife Claudia operated that business for 12 years, selling Claudias homemade ice pops and staking out spots at weekend flea markets. So, when Zaragoza opened Ice Cream, You Scream in Wahoo last week, it was a reminder of where his career began. It kind of made me think about where we started, he said. But compared to running full-service restaurants, an ice cream shop is easy business, Zaragoza said. The neveria and paleteria opened on Aug. 2 in a small building on Chestnut Street, last occupied by Mocha Cs coffee shop before that business moved to its current location on Linden Street. Zaragoza gave the building a fresh coat of paint and added lights and potted plants to create some warmth. His goal is to introduce something else new to Wahoos culinary scene. I dont even know if its going to make money or not, he said. But its something different in town. Ice Cream, You Screams menu includes traditional ice cream flavors like chocolate, vanilla, mint chip and cookies and cream, as well as fruit flavors common at neveria shops, like strawberry, mango and mamey a tree fruit native to Mexico and Central America. That flavor has been popular so far with kids who have stopped by on their bikes, Zaragoza said. The menu also features a long list of paletas ice pops in Spanish in flavors like watermelon, coconut, lime and cantaloupe. Most of these flavors are actually made out of fruit, Zaragoza said. If you get a cantaloupe popsicle, it comes with a piece of cantaloupe. If you get a coconut popsicle, it comes with pieces of coconut. So far, the new shop has been a hit, Zaragoza said, especially with kids who come for ice cream on the way home from the Wahoo Aquatic Center. But with a shaded seating area and a location along Chestnut Street, he thinks Ice Cream, You Scream could quickly become a favorite for all age groups. Right now, Zaragoza and his son are the shops only employees, but he said his plan was to get the new business open and attract staff once it gets off the ground. He said the shop will be closed during the winter months and reopen for spring and summer. The main thing that we wanted to do was to get it started, Zaragoza said. Ice Cream, You Scream is the latest addition to the Zaragoza-family restaurant business, and two more restaurants are in the works for Ashland. It keeps him busy, he said, reflecting back on renovations to the Acapulcos current location and to the new ice cream shop. But when you do things that you like, you dont get tired, he said. The next step for Ice Cream, You Scream, Zaragoza said, is to spread the word around town. He says customers can expect ice cream treats made with the same level of care that theyre used to at his other restaurants. Anything that we serve, whether its a popsicle or whatever we serve at the restaurants, I do it like its for me or for my family, he said. Because for me, everybodys family. The Financial Services Commission's headquarters / Yonhap By Lee Yeon-woo KB Kookmin Bank employees and their acquaintances allegedly made 12 billion won ($9.6 million) in illicit profits by stock trading using confidential information, financial authorities said Wednesday. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) and Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) jointly announced that they have notified the prosecution after identifying some KB Kookmin Bank employees, responsible for the securities business of listed companies, having used undisclosed crucial information for stock trading. The authorities allege that these employees leveraged confidential information from 61 corporations, such as details and timings of capital increases, in their trading activities. Once the information was publicly announced, they sold their shares for a profit, realizing illicit gains estimated at 6.6 billion won. Furthermore, these employees are believed to have shared pertinent information with colleagues, family members, and acquaintances. These individuals also gained unfair profits amounting to 6.1 billion won, bringing the total illicit profit to 12.7 billion won. Financial authorities view this incident with grave concern, as bank employees' misuse of confidential information can erode the public's trust in the capital market. They have emphasized that strict actions will be taken against any unethical behavior, especially involving financial institution employees seeking personal gains. The number of employees implicated in the case ranges from 6 to 8. The bank told The Korea Times that a senior official, found guilty, has been suspended from duties, while others are currently under investigation by the prosecution. "We deeply regret the occurrence of such an incident and pledge our full cooperation with the prosecution's investigation," said a KB Kookmin Bank official. In addition to this case, financial authorities discovered that several departments of the bank responsible for securities businesses have been deficient in managing and securing internal information from client firms. In response, the authorities intend to establish accountability for any future infractions and enhance the bank's internal control system. The financial regulator noted that the use of undisclosed information by bank employees is an issue that should be seriously dealt with as it damages trust in the capital market. The regulator added that it would take stern measures against unfair activities by employees of financial firms such as seeking illicit personal profits while enhancing joint investigation in the capital market. "Employees of financial firms who obtain insider information involving listed companies through stock or loan businesses are quasi insiders according to the capital market act. They are subject to criminal punishment if they use the undisclosed information for stock trading or give the information to other people," the financial regulator stressed. DUBUQUE A Waterloo woman has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to a Dubuque apartment where she was living in 2021. Waterloo police arrested Reva Marie Lyons, 52, on Monday on a Dubuque County warrant for one count of first-degree arson and three failure-to-appear warrants. She was then transferred to Dubuque. The charges stem from a blaze at 2265 White St. on the morning of Sept. 7, 2021. Firefighters found smoke coming from the north side of the building and put out the fire. Lyons had been staying at the apartment with her then 18-year-old son. She told investigators her son was asleep and she plugged in a rechargeable flashlight, which sparked and ignited the carpet. She said the fire then traveled to a closet, and she attempted to extinguish the flames with water and a bag of cat litter. But authorities didnt find any trace of cat litter or the flashlight at the fire scene and there were no outlets within five feet of the closet. Investigators determined the fire started in the closet. The landlord told police that Lyons was in the process of being evicted from the apartment for damaging the property earlier, according to court records. At the time of the fire, Lyons was awaiting trial for allegations that she threw a board at a neighbor and stole a security camera. WATCH NOW: Courier fire videos Former church fire, Waverly, Iowa, Dec. 19, 2016 VIDEO: House Fire, Gable St., Waterloo, Iowa 120319 Apartment fire, Jefferson St., Feb. 19, 2016 Duplex Fire, Western Ave., Feb. 9. 2016 Fire, Beaver Ridge Trail, Cedar Falls, Iowa Feb. 5, 2018 Garage/house fire, Seneca Ave., Waterloo, Iowa Dec. 11, 2017 House Fire, W. Second St., Waterloo, Iowa, Oct. 20, 2016 House fire, Marion St., Evansdale, Iowa June 6, 2018 House fire, W. 2nd St., Waterloo, Iowa July 7, 2017 WATERLOO The process of holding a special election to continue the distribution of the local sales tax dollars is now in Black Hawk Countys hands. The Waterloo City Council on Monday unanimously approved a change in how its local option sales and service taxes will be used if a majority of voters agree in the referendum on Nov. 7, which is the general election date. Iowa has a state sales tax of 6% and allows local governments to collect a local option sales tax of up to 1%. According to Iowa Code, 75% of that 1% is determined by each jurisdictions share of population in the county. The remaining 25% is determined by how much property tax was levied by each jurisdiction between 1982 to 1985. With no discussion, the council decided instead of 100% of LOSST revenue going toward road maintenance, 20% will now be used for property tax relief and 80% will be for road maintenance. The only person to comment was resident David Dreyer. Im opposed to taking it out of the street repair fund, he said. We all know, the streets are crap. A lot of them anyway. Since Waterloo represents over 50% of the countys population, it was the government entity that had to initiate the referendum. Every city, as well as the county, has its own language on how the sales taxes are distributed. The current LOSST sunsets or expires at the end of 2025. If more than 50% of voters approve continuing the sales tax, it would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. The contiguous cities of Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Hudson, Evansdale, Raymond and Elk Run Heights vote as a unit. If all cities approved their individual LOSST ballot item except Evansdale, for example, that city would still have to collect the taxes because a majority of the contiguous cities voted for the measure. Dunkerton, La Porte City, Gilbertville and the unincorporated areas of the county are considered noncontiguous meaning the cities dont touch each other due to boundary lines and they decide their own fate. The parts of Jesup and Janesville that are located in Black Hawk County will not have a LOSST ballot measure. County Auditor Grant Veeder said those cities took an action to not have a sunset and vote as a singular unit, rather than in both of the counties they occupy. Since Waterloo initiated a LOSST ballot measure, the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors now has to formally set Nov. 7 as the election date. That is scheduled to happen at its meeting next Tuesday. The county, along with each city, has until Sept. 1 to submit their ballot language to the county auditor. The use of sunsets, which are not required for LOSST, can also be discussed. In fact, most jurisdictions utilizing the revenue dont have sunsets. Supervisors Chris Schwartz and Dan Trelka said at Tuesdays board meeting that they dont know if the county needs a sunset clause. The board also briefly discussed the option of increasing the amount of sales tax revenue allotted to county road and bridge construction. Currently, 50% of LOSST goes toward property tax relief on the county portion of taxes with the other half going to county roads and bridges. Schwartz said he would support 60% of the revenue going toward road maintenance. Its a point of pride to drive around on our roads, he said. You can tell (when youve entered the county) because the roads are so much better. County Engineer Catherine Nicholas gave a short presentation on the costs of construction and what a move to 60% could do for the roads. A 10 point increase would give the county an additional $375,000 for roads and bridges, pave one to two more miles of road, replace half a bridge, help buy a motor grader or do more preventive maintenance. She said roadway construction costs increased 28% in the last 10 years while motor graders which help flatten surfaces during grading projects have increased 45% and rocks have increased 41%. Were spending $200,000 more than we were 10 years ago just on mile rock, she said. Currently, she said many roads and bridges are in excellent to good condition but conditions will deteriorate as time goes on. The county has designated 50% to property tax relief and 50% to county roads since 2008. From 1991 to 2008, 100% was used for property tax relief. The LOSST was implemented in 1991. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday also approved: A contract between the county and P er Mar Security Services of Cedar Rapids for security services at the Courthouse for $427,749 and the Pinecrest building for $142,542 for a three-year term. A 28E agreement between the county and Cedar Falls, where the county will provide the city with $350,000 for the upcoming road reconst ruction of Viking Road. Inflation for pet expenses grew at twice the rate of other consumer products last year Inflation for pet expenses grew at twice the rate of other consumer products last year Pet expenditure inflation leads other household necessities Pandemic pet adoptions may be fueling the rising cost Owners are cutting back on their own expenses to accommodate their pets Special counsel Jack Smith's team obtained a search warrant in January for records related to former President Donald Trump's Twitter account, and a judge levied a $350,000 fine on the company for delay in complying, according to court documents released Wednesday. The details were included in a decision from the federal appeals court in Washington stemming from a legal battle over the warrant that has played out under seal and behind closed doors for months. The appeals court rejected Twitter's claim that it should not have been held in contempt or sanctioned. X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, sent an automated reply to a request for comment, saying it would respond soon. Prosecutors got the search warrant on Jan. 17 directing Twitter to produce information on Trump's account after a court found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses, according to the ruling. The government also obtained a nondisclosure agreement that had prohibited Twitter from disclosing the search warrant, the filing says. The court found that disclosing the warrant could risk that Trump would would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation by giving him an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior" or notify his allies, the filing says. Twitter objected to the nondisclosure agreement, saying four days after the compliance deadline that it would not produce any of the account information, according to the ruling. The judges wrote that Twitter did not question the validity of the search warrant but argued that the nondisclosure agreement violated the First Amendment and wanted the court to assess the legality of the agreement before it handed any information over. The warrant ordered Twitter to provide the records by Jan. 27. A judge found Twitter to be in contempt after a court hearing on Feb. 7, but gave the company an opportunity to hand over the documents by 5 p.m. that evening. Twitter, however, only turned over some records that day. It didn't fully comply with the order until Feb. 9, the ruling says. Smith has charged Trump, in an indictment unsealed last week, with conspiring to subvert the will of voters and cling to power after he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump, a Republican, has pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of Congress' certification of Biden's win. Trump says he is innocent and has portrayed the investigation as politically motivated. His legal team has indicated it will argue that Trump was relying on the advice of lawyers in 2020 and had the right to challenge an election he believed was rigged. Trumps campaign did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Read more: Special counsel Jack Smith's team obtained a search warrant in January for records related to former President Donald Trump's Twitter account, and a judge levied a $350,000 fine on the company for a delay in complying, according to court documents released Wednesday. Exactly 15 years ago, Russia resolutely responded to the dastardly attack on Tskhinval, gave a harsh rebuff to the aggressor. Behind the half-wit Saakashvili stood the collective West, which even then sought to shake up the situation in the immediate vicinity of Russias borders. Our Armed Forces quickly and severely punished the brazen nationalists in five days. We protected our people who lived in Abkhazia and South Ossetia from the enemy. They gave the new states the opportunity to develop with the support of Russia. The United States and its vassals then clearly did not have enough experience. Today they are again waging a criminal war with the wrong hands, trying to wipe Russia off the face of the earth. The entire NATO system is practically openly fighting against us. We have enough forces to solve all the tasks of a special military operation. As in August 2008, our enemies will be crushed, and Russia will achieve peace on its own terms. Victory will be ours! Medvedev This post made me stop and realize something I have hundreds of posts about this situation and with it talked about what the USA did and had done. This was strictly a USA instigated issue, just like Ukraine many years later was and is But, then the realization that I have been in Russia for 17 years Let that sink in. Then wonder, maybe this American knows something about Russia? You bet your life I do and right now the USA and the EU is going against anything and everything I have ever talked about. Dont mess with the Russian Bear. You should not bet your life on false information and right here on WtR it is all recorded Also, my Sweetpea has tolerated me for 18 years. Now that is one tough girl Good thing to have these memories recorded WtR Voters from the Houston Public School District turned down the schools $30.38 million referenda Tuesday with 88% of voters casting ballots against the measures. The referenda ballot had two questions, in which the first question must pass in order for the second one to, and sought to raise property taxes to improve security and safety in school buildings; address accessibility needs; create more classroom space for collaborative learning, science and art; and construct a new auditorium. The first question was for $18.2 million and focused on maintenance needs, safety and academic programming. Only 12% of voters voted yes on question 1, which had 113 votes approving the tax increase with 868 voting against. The second question added $12.1 million for new additions for performing arts at the high school. It had 72 votes yes and 896 votes no. With 1,904 registered voters in the school district, Tuesdays vote saw 981 ballots cast a 52% turnout. Leading up to Tuesdays vote, Houston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Morem she had heard both positive and negative feedback on the referenda from the community. Their voices were definitely heard, Morem said. Well continue to gather feedback from our community. Morem said now its time to figure out how to proceed after the vote. The school board and I will have to decide what we want to do moving forward based on the results, Morem said. The proposals would have financed the bonds over 20 years with the total impact of both referenda on a homeowner with property worth $200,000 would increase the property taxes by $506. If just the first question passed, the same $200,000 home would have an additional $429 in additional annual property taxes. Question 1 would have spent $18.2 million on deferred maintenance, safety and security and academic programming at the elementary, middle and high schools. It would have paid for a new secure entrance and elevator at the elementary school as well as a science, technology, engineering, art and math lab, updated ADA compliant restrooms and a new multi-purpose cafeteria and kitchen while the current cafeteria would be converted into a new music room. At the middle/high school, the vote would have added a new secure entrance and main office, new library/media center, remodeled and expanded cafeteria, collaborative learning centers, an art addition and a new first suppression system with the current library space converted to the main office/entrance. The second question would have funded a new auditorium, flexible learning spaces, band and restrooms at the middle/high school for $12.2 million. A bike race to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis came to the Baraboo area for the first time in its 40-year history. The Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI, which in previous years ran through southeastern Wisconsin, began at Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells over the weekend. Riders chose between 25-, 50-, and 75-mile bike routes through challenging terrain in the states Driftless Area before ending back at the casino. 487 riders participated in the National MS Society-sponsored event and raised over $605,000, according to the events website. Roughly $700,000 was estimated by National MS Society Wisconsin President Rob Multerer. Were really, really pumped to be here because new roads, new area, new hotel, and people are naturally curious about what the roads are like and what the routes are like, said Multerer, who added that the former route traveled from Pewaukee to Whitewater to Madison. So far, so good. People kind of do big loops, back and forth. The 2024 Bike MS event is also due to begin at Ho-Chunk, Multerer said. The 25-mile route traveled through rural Sauk County north of Baraboo, while the 50- and 75-mile routes went through Portage and rural areas of Columbia and Adams counties before finishing at the starting point. It does critical, critical research, Multerer said of the funding raised by the event. 80 cents of every dollar we raise goes to research, funding the mission, and finding cures. It is an incredible sign of support for people living with MS. The fundraiser means a great deal to Milwaukee resident John Haupt, who has lived 51 years with multiple sclerosis. Haupt helped start MSJust Keep Moving, a Waukesha-area nonprofit dedicated to physical activity, research, acceptance, and other factors relating to MS and people afflicted with the disease. This is probably the societys biggest fundraiser of the year, said Haupt. Every dollar counts. Hopefully, its well spent and progress is made. Haupt added that there has been huge progress with treatments for MS since he was first diagnosed. Advancements have been huge, but theres still not a cure, and that is the ultimate goal, said Haupt. The Best Dam Bike Tour WI also hits home for Waukesha-area resident Jackie Mittelstadt, who rode the 25-mile tour and has been participating in the event off and on for 30 years. Her older brother was diagnosed with MS in recent years, and her mother died from the disease at 41 in 1992. Mittlestadt said she loved the new location. I loved the option of the 25-mile because I didnt have a lot of time to train. It was perfect. Its kind of a bittersweet day for me, but a great cause and, hopefully, one day, we can beat this disease. Her mothers death inspired Mittelstadt to join the Bike MS tour in 1993. She has also done Walk MS events sponsored by the National MS Society but was inspired by her older brother to get back on the bike. He also participated in the 2023 Bike MS event. It can get a little overwhelming and very emotional, said Mittelstadt of the support from fellow event riders. GALLERY - 2023 Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI 2023 Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI 2023 Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI 2023 Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI 2023 Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI 2023 Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI 2023 Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI 2023 Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI 2023 Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI 2023 Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI 2023 Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI 2023 Bike MS Best Dam Bike Tour WI U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin visited Portage on Monday to thank community members and the staff of a local counseling and recovery center for their efforts to combat the opioid and fentanyl epidemics. Your work is truly saving lives, Baldwin, D-Madison, told staff of The Harbor Recovery Center. Its a powerful example of how a community can come together to make a difference. I have heard from many Wisconsinites who lost friends, families, neighbors and loved ones to this epidemic, Baldwin said. Sadly we are now seeing a sharp rise in accidental poisonings or overdoses caused by synthetic medications and drugs, like fentanyl. Baldwin said she has a close relationship with the problem, noting her own mother struggled with an addiction to prescription opioids for much of her life. Baldwin pledged to try to expand funding for overdose-countering drugs like Narcan, and making them more readily available, just like fire extinguishers and defibrillators are in schools and office buildings. In a question-and-answer period, Lodi Mayor Ann Groves Lloyd asked what effect Wisconsin Republicans decision in the last decade not to expand Medicaid funding to those above the poverty line had in battling addiction and mental health issues. Baldwin said Wisconsin left about $1.6 billion on the table by not accepting the federal funding. She also noted that nearly 90,000 people are not on Badger Care and could be if the eligibility was expanded. Weather Alert ...Widespread rains and cooler conditions with an increased risk of flooding for parts of western NV and the eastern Sierra through late Monday... * Hurricane Hilary in the eastern Pacific is forecast to make landfall today near the northwestern portion of Baja of California. While this system will rapidly weaken by the time it arrives in Nevada, significant amounts of moisture will bring periods of heavy rainfall to the region this afternoon through Monday. The greatest threat for flooding is across the Basin & Range and the eastern Sierra. However, isolated flooding cannot be ruled out elsewhere across western Nevada and northeast California. Have multiple ways to receive alerts in case flood warnings are issued, and never drive through flooded roadways. * Abundant cloud cover and rainfall will keep afternoon high temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below normal today through Tuesday, with Monday likely being the coolest day. * Stay tuned to the National Hurricane Center by visiting www.hurricanes.gov for the latest on Hilary. ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM NOON PDT TODAY THROUGH LATE MONDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible. * WHERE...A portion of western Nevada, including the following area, Greater Reno-Carson City-Minden Area. * WHEN...From Noon PDT today through late Monday night. * IMPACTS...Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. Storm drains and ditches may become clogged with debris. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - Hurricane Hilary will bring widespread impacts to much of the Southwest through Tuesday. The biggest concern remains flooding from excessive rainfall. While periods of rainfall are possible at anytime over the next 4 days, this afternoon through Monday will be the window where we will have the greatest flooding threat as the remnants of Hilary moves through central Nevada. - 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. && Busan's skyline at Haeundae District / gettyimagesbank By Lee Min-hyung Controversy is arising over the location of an alternative stock exchange (ATS), as Nextrade, a newly established exchange operator, has submitted its plan to place its headquarters in Seoul. Nextrade got its preliminary license to start its business as early as 2025. The company said it would set up its head office in Seoul. But Busan, the second-largest city in Korea, expressed opposition to the move. Nextrade argued that its headquarters should be located in Seoul's Yeouido financial district, nearby most securities firms operating there. However, Busan Metropolitan City countered the argument, saying that, as the Korea Exchange headquarters is located in Busan, the alternative exchange should also be there. Industry officials said the alternative exchange should be in Seoul. "The headquarters of the Korea Development Bank (KDB) are moving from the nation's capital city to Busan, but this was just political pressure," an industry source said. Meanwhile, SK C&C won a contract to establish the platform for the alternative trading system (ATS) for the first time in Korea. Nextrade's new ATS is teaming up with 19 securities firms, three relevant authorities and four IT companies for the establishment of its multilateral trading platform. It has been confirmed what services will be available through the ATS, and investors expect the exchange to engage in stock transactions even at night. For now, investors can buy and sell listed stocks here between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on business days only. Korea Exchange Chairman and CEO Sohn Byung-doo shared his opinion on the establishment of the ATS. "Even if the ATS establishment is a step in the right direction in terms of upgrading the capital market infrastructure here, the ATS should also be subject to similar regulations as the Korea Exchange," he said in January. Despite the exchange operator's cautious reaction, the drive is generally receiving favorable responses as the introduction of the ATS is widely expected to attract more capital to the local stock market. Terna, the operator of the Italian electricity grid, and Steg, the Tunisian electricity and gas operator, have signed a Grant Agreement with the European Commission for 307 million to support Elmed, the invisible interconnection between Italy and Tunisia which will form the electricity bridge between Europe and North Africa. The authorisation procedure was launched by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security in late 2022, and the project is set to receive investments of approximately 850 million. Of these, 307 million have been allocated by the European Commission through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF"), the European Union fund established to support key projects that aim to optimise energy infrastructure in the EU (europa.eu/!Qcx9rB). This is the first time that CEF funds have been allocated to an infrastructure project developed by a Member State and a Third Country. Ternas Chief Executive Officer Giuseppina Di Foggia commented: The signing of the Grant Agreement marks yet another step towards the development of a strategic project for the electricity systems of the two countries and of Europe as a whole. Elmed will enable the development of renewable energy and, at the same time, deliver economic and industrial benefits, attracting investment and creating new jobs. The Italy Tunisia Interconnection will help to integrate the electricity markets and improve energy procurement security thanks to the diversification of sources and, most importantly, the increase in renewable energy production in both Europe and Africa. Once it enters into service, the power line will also enable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to the achievement of the national and international energy and climate targets defined in the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan and the Green New Deal. Furthermore, the World Bank recently granted $268.4 million in financing to Tunisia, in part aimed at building the converter substation (included in the scope financed by the CEF) and in part for internal grid reinforcements necessary to operate the interconnection. The power line will run from the electrical substation at Partanna, in the province of Trapani, to the substation at Mlaabi on the Tunisian peninsula of Cape Bon, for a total length of around 220 km (most of which is submarine cable). It will have a capacity of 600 MW and a maximum depth of approximately 800 m along the Strait of Sicily. The procurement process began last May. To access more information on subsea cables for offshore wind and interconnector projects, as well as transmission intelligence, click here . Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho speaks during a meeting in Seoul in this Aug. 9 photo released by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Yonhap Korea's finance minister said Wednesday the country will spare no efforts to support exports amid signs they are recovering. "Despite some volatility every month, exports are showing signs of improvement," Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said during a meeting with economy-related ministers. Korea's exports fell for the 10th consecutive month in July due mainly to weak demand for semiconductors, but the country reported a trade surplus for the second straight month. Asia's No. 4 economy also logged a current account surplus for the second month in a row in June on the back of a trade surplus and increased dividend payments from overseas, the Bank of Korea's data showed earlier this week. To further support exports, the government said it plans to lift regulations at bonded warehouses, allowing companies to assemble, repair and pack products to increase their value. Korea will also ease regulations for the construction of new bonded warehouses by local firms, it added. "We need to stay vigilant, as there are still global economic uncertainties, including the delayed impact of China's reopening," the finance minister said. Choo said it is also notable that the country is maintaining stable jobs data. "Due to the harsh weather conditions and heavy rains, the number of those employed in the construction and agricultural sectors declined," Choo said. "But the job market is maintaining a stable trend as the unemployment rate also reached a record low." (Yonhap) John Beaver and Erica Perez's beloved East Bay spice shop is serving up its deliciousness in a new store on San Francisco's Fillmore Street. Plus, Benefit Cosmetics is giving back with every brow wax, Goldstories brings bling-y treasures to Hayes Valley, and chic clothing brand Marcella opens its first brick-and-mortar. Pac Heights just got a whole lot spicier...and Oaktown-ier. Oaktown Spice Shop's new SF store. (Kristen Loken) In between grabbing green juice at Jane and clean beauty products at Credo, stop into Fillmore Street's new go-to spot for cooking ingredients: Oaktown Spice Shop just opened its third brick-and mortar and its first in SF. Whether you're looking for amazing single-origin spices or delicious blends, OSS always delivers. Not only is it a Bay Area favorite but the original Oakland shop was named one of the world's best spice shops by Food & Wine. Warm and welcoming, it's impossible to miss the SF shop's cayenne-pepper red exterior. The vibe inside is charming and sleek with products merchandised by category: onion and garlic, spice blends, teas, chiles, and more. Even if you're not much of a cook, it's still worth a whirl through for things like the avocado toast spice blend gift box and other special sets and teas. // 2132 Fillmore St. (Pacific Heights), oaktownspiceshop.com Beautify your brows at Benefit and give back to local women and girls. (Courtesy of Benefit) Get a brow wax and give back. Sounds great, right? All you have to do is book an appointment in August at any of Benefit's SF Bay Area boutiques and $5 of the service's proceeds will be donated directly to partners including Planned Parenthood, Girls Inc., Step Up, and Dress for Success. It's part of the SF brand's larger global philanthropic program Bold is Beautiful, which is dedicated to empowering women. Along with zhuzhing your windows to the soul, shopping is another way to show support: 40 percent of proceeds of all Bold is Beautiful merch (free shipping!) goes to partner charities. On the menu: sweatshirts, tees, hats, socks, and tweezers. Cheers to do-good shoppingand browscaping. // Find your local SF Bay Area boutique at benefitcosmetics.com. Bling-a-ling! Hayes Valley is the place to dig into Goldstories' fresh pop-up. (Courtesy of Annie ONeill/Goldstories) SF native Subikksha Balaje has always been a jewelry girl. Her mom and both grandmothers were all jewelry collectors, and she took note of their love of every pieceand the unique story each behind each one. Her eco-luxe, fine jewelry brand Goldstories pays homage to her family while feeding her own passion for beautiful things. The new jewel-box boutique in Hayes Valley serves as the perfect backdrop for limited-run, solid gold piecesbangles, rings, charms, necklaces, and earrings. They're designed to mix and match with your own heirlooms and everyday faves. Of course, we're thrilled that everything is made in SF using sustainable, recycled gold and ethically sourced gemstones. To celebrate the opening, everyone who shops the pop-up in August gets 10 percent off. // Open daily from noon to 6pm; 542 Laguna St. (Hayes Valley), goldstories.com When the time came, I knew that my mother needed to move into a nursing home. She knew it, too. Because of her poor balance, shed had several falls during the previous year and suffered broken bones that required hospitalizations. It was no longer safe for her to live alone in her apartment, and we could not afford to hire round-the-clock aides to stay with her. Providing her with good care in an appealing, well-run facility seemed to make good sense. Like a trouper, my mother agreed to go. I made the logistical arrangements. And then I felt overwhelming guilt. As I mulled over this big decision we were making, I repeatedly asked myself one damning question: Couldnt I have done more to help her remain in her home? Perhaps I should have withdrawn money from my kids college accounts or my retirement funds to pay for more home care for her, though even having an aide right next to her did not always prevent her from falling. She strongly opposed moving into my house. Yet I still dwelled on having possibly let her down. The decision to move a relative into a nursing home is often among the most excruciating that caregivers make. In one 2019 research study, over 50 percent of caregivers felt at least somewhat guilty about nursing home placement; over 13 percent felt extremely guilty. These percentages are likely to have increased in the last four years, as some Americans have lost confidence in nursing homes after the pandemic revealed many facilities inadequate staffing and infection control. For family members with severe dementia and/or physical disabilities who can no longer care for their own basic needs, however, it is still a necessity to find them 24/7 hands-on care. Every family caregiver wants to do what is right for their family member. All fear future self-recriminations and regrets. How can they make what they believe to be prudent decisions today that they wont kick themselves about tomorrow? Here are some ideas. Capital Raising and Proposed Reinstatement Update Perth, Aug 9, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cyprium Metals Limited ( ASX:CYM ) is pleased to advise that it has received confirmation from ASX that its securities will, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions (Conditions), be reinstated to quotation following the voluntary suspension of its securities on 23 February 2023 (Reinstatement). The Conditions are detailed in the Company's notice of general meeting released today, 09 August 2023. Following receipt of the Conditions, the Company wishes to provide the following updates in relation to the Reinstatement process and Capital Raising (defined below): - Reinstatement1 will now occur following completion of the proposed capital raising, comprising: - the placement to sophisticated and professional investors, in respect of which firm commitments for $24m have been received (Placement); and - the pro rata non-renounceable rights issue to raise up to an additional $5 million (before costs) (Entitlement Offer), (together, the Capital Raising). - To avoid any potential delays with Reinstatement, a transaction specific prospectus for the Entitlement Offer (Prospectus) will now be lodged during the notice period for the general meeting at which all approvals in relation to the Capital Raising will be sought. To view the revised indicative timetable, please visit: https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/E850Q77Y About Cyprium Metals Ltd Cyprium Metals Limited (ASX:CYM) is poised to grow to a mid-tier mining business and manage a portfolio of Australian copper projects to deliver vital natural resources, strong shareholder returns and sustainable value for our stakeholders. We pursue this aim, in genuine partnerships with employees, customers, shareholders, local communities and other stakeholders, which is based on integrity, co-operation, transparency and mutual value creation. Instagram/YouTube Celebrity The former host of daytime show 'The Wayne Brady Show' started to seek help and embarked on a journey of self-discovery as Robin Williams' death greatly impacted him. Aug 9, 2023 AceShowbiz - Robin Williams' death prompted Wayne Brady to embark on a "path to self-discovery." The Hollywood star took his own life in August 2014, aged 63, and Wayne admits that his death "really impacted" him. "After Robin's death, I got involved in certain groups, like Glenn Close's group, Bring Change to Mind, being very vocal about mental health," the actor told PEOPLE. "And not just the buzzword of mental health, but really what do I have to do to function in this big world and still be okay with yourself and more importantly, to love yourself so that you don't hurt yourself? Not even just physically hurting yourself, but not taking care of yourself because you are depressed and frightened and weighed down." Wayne - who recently came out as pansexual - has never been suicidal. However, the actor admits that he has "empathy for those who face those thoughts." He said, "I understand it now. I got to a point where I thought, 'I'm not here, then whatever this pain is, whatever this loneliness is, this soul-crushing loneliness, I could stop it. I could be absolutely pain-free of whatever this is inside of me.' And when I felt that, I went, 'Oh, s***. Okay. let's get to the bottom of it. Let's do it now.' " "I did all the therapy I could do. I was treated for love addiction. It's a part of my journey. I had to start examining why I was looking for myself and happiness in a slew of people. If I marry this person, then everything will be fine. If I date this person, everything will be fine. I'll be good. I'll be fixed." "That is obviously a problem. And so, in doing that work, I now know absolutely that love addiction is borne of trauma. I can't feel any shame around that, just like I wouldn't shame somebody if they said they were addicted to meth or cocaine. That's a sickness." You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity The 1975 frontman almost shaved his hair to prepare for a possible prison stint in Malaysia after kissing bandmate Ross MacDonald on stage during a gig in the country. Aug 9, 2023 AceShowbiz - Matty Healy was worried he would be sent to prison after he kissed his bandmate Ross MacDonald on stage in Malaysia and criticised the country's anti-LGBTQ laws. The 1975 were barred from the Southeast Asian country, where same-sex activity is illegal, last month after the 34-year-old frontman protested the laws by kissing his male bassist Ross during their show at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur on July 21. Now Matty reveals he and Ross nearly shaved their heads in preparation for a potential prison stint. "All I'll say is that I don't give a f*** about any white saviour complex b*******," Matty told the crowd during a show in Hawaii on August 6. "What I'll say is that doing the right thing often requires quite a lot of sacrifice and very little reward. And being seen to do the right thing requires very little sacrifice, and that's when you get all the rewards. And me and Ross nearly shaved our heads because we thought we were going to prison for being f***." The 1975 were performing a headline set on the Friday at the Good Vibes Festival last month when Matty and Ross smooched on stage. The event was scheduled to run the rest of the weekend, but it was abruptly axed by authorities following the controversial kiss. Before kissing Ross, Matty told the crowd, "I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn't looking into it. I don't see the f****** point... of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with." "I'm sorry if that offends you and you're religious but your government are a bunch of f****** r******. I don't care anymore. If you push, I'm gonna push back. I'm not in the f****** mood. I'm sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool. I pulled this show yesterday, and we had a conversation." "We said, 'You know what? We can't let the kids down because they're not the government.' If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can f*** off. I'll take your money, you can ban me, but I've done this before, and it doesn't feel good." Malaysia's Ministry of Communications and Digital said about cancelling the festival in the wake of the pair's smooch, "The Ministry has underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws... we sincerely apologise to all our ticket holders, vendors, sponsors, and partners. We are aware of the time, energy and efforts you have put into making this festival a success, and we value your steadfast support." The rest of The 1975's Asia Tour, which included stops at Jakarta, Indonesia's We the Fest, and a show in Taipei, Taiwan, were also pulled. You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity Elvis' oldest granddaughter has shared some information about her baby daughter, explaining why she used surrogate and the meaning behind the newborn's name. Aug 9, 2023 AceShowbiz - Riley Keough paid tribute to her late grandfather, Elvis Presley, with her daughter's name. The "Daisy Jones and the Six" star and her husband Ben Smith-Petersen had their first child into the world in August 2022, and she's now revealed the tot is named Tupelo Storm Smith-Petersen, with her first name being that of the Mississippi city The King was born in, what Riley thought would be a subtle tribute until the "Elvis" biopic was released. "This is Tupelo. It's funny because we picked her name before the Elvis movie. I was like, 'This is great because it's not really a well-known word or name in relation to my family - it's not like Memphis or something.' Then when the Elvis movie came out, it was like, Tupelo this and Tupelo that. I was like, 'Oh, no,' But it's fine," the 34-year-old actress told the new issue of Vanity Fair magazine. In addition, little Tupelo shares a middle name with her late uncle, Riley's brother Benjamin Keough, who took his own life three years ago. The "Runaways" actress confirmed her baby was born to a surrogate because, while she can "carry children," it felt like the right thing to do because she suffers from Lyme disease. She said, "I think it's a very cool, selfless, and incredible act that these women do to help other people. I can carry children, but it felt like the best choice for what I had going on physically with the autoimmune stuff." Riley recently took a break in Switzerland to explore different treatment options for her condition. She explained, "I have Lyme disease. I used this little break that I have to come and try and see if I can alleviate it a bit. It's a holistic treatment centre and offers all kinds of things that you can't really do in America yet, like cleaning your blood." You can share this post! A customer tries to close her installment savings account at a branch of MG Community Credit Cooperative in downtown Seoul, July 6. Newsis By Lee Yeon-woo The financial industry is taking emergency measures to prevent potential bank runs, following a massive capital outflow at MG Community Credit Cooperative last month. According to sources in the financial industry, Wednesday, the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC), a state-led company that insures deposits for the local financial sector, issued a notice recently seeking a service company capable of establishing a monitoring system for deposits at local savings banks. This system aims to automate data collection regarding deposits at savings banks, which had previously been managed manually. With this system in place, the financial industry will be able to track capital trends in real-time. Relevant officials will be notified if the total amount of deposits and the withdrawal rate of installment savings exceed a certain threshold. "A timely understanding of the deposit trends in savings banks can contribute to financial stability," a KDIC official said. Recent bank runs have been unfolding much faster than in the past. Silicon Valley Bank in the U.S., which had been a funding source for the region for 40 years, collapsed in just 36 hours. Panicked customers opted to withdraw deposits using a mobile application, rather than physically going to the bank's counter. In July, Korea also experienced a concerning event that almost led to a bank run. Alarmed customers began pulling their deposits from MG Community Credit Cooperative due to its escalating delinquency rates. However, the disturbance seemed to settle following the government's active intervention and efforts to reassure customers. Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Rhee Chang-yong noted that the withdrawal rate in Korea would be "100 times faster" than in the U.S. if a similar bankruptcy case occurred. In an interview with a foreign media outlet, Rhee emphasized the need for the country to prepare for the digital era. Accordingly, the BOK has decided to modify its loan system, enhancing its role as a liquidity safety net for depositary financial firms. The central bank affirmed its commitment to promptly determine whether to provide liquidity to non-banking institutions that handle deposits, especially if they face acute financing difficulties or if such challenges seem imminent. In June, the Financial Service Commission also recommended that the KDIC review strategies for addressing liquidity crises. This suggestion came when the commission approved the KDIC's contingency plans for potential insolvency scenarios with financial businesses. Instagram Celebrity On her Twitter account, the 'Fancy' raptress denies supporting the Canadian rapper as she shares her reasoning for writing a letter of support for Tory ahead of his sentencing. Aug 9, 2023 AceShowbiz - Iggy Azalea clarifies her stance on Tory Lanez's shooting case involving Megan Thee Stallion. On her Twitter account, the "Fancy" raptress denied supporting the Canadian rapper as she shared her reasoning for writing a letter of support for Tory ahead of his sentencing. After her letter was mentioned in court on Monday, August 7, Iggy took to the micro-blogging site, which has been rebranded to X, to insist that she wasn't trying to "support" anyone. "I have not been in touch with tory for months, I have no reason to be, but I do wish him well," she explained on her tweet. "I don't 'support' anyone. the whole thing is full of oddities. My letter never mentioned anything in regard to what happened that night," she added. "I was told this was for a judge only, yet it's being discussed in public? I never intended to publicly comment." The 33-year-old Australian star went on to note, "Iam not in support of throwing away ANY ones life if we can give reasonable punishments that are rehabilitative instead. I support prison reform. Period." She also said that she only did what she was asked, which was writing "about my genuine experience and the type of punishment I think he deserves." Concluding her post, the mom of one wrote, "It's not really that interesting but I understand why it's being sensationalized. . . See ya next week to discuss pizza toppings I suppose. Lol." During the latest hearing for Tory's shooting case, a judge summarized the various letters of support he had received for the "Say It" rapper and that included one from Iggy. The judge revealed that in her letter, Iggy asked him to impose a sentence "that is transformational, not life-destroying." Tory eventually learned his fate in a 2-day hearing which started on Monday. Ending the high-profile case, the judge announced that Tory was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of shooting Megan three times following a party at reality star and makeup mogul Kylie Jenner's Hollywood Hills home July 12, 2020. You can share this post! Cover Images/JOHN NACION Music The 'Ric Flair Drip' emcee, who filed a lawsuit against his label nearly a year ago over control of the rights to his solo music, has filed to dismiss the suit with prejudice. Aug 9, 2023 AceShowbiz - Offset is mending another broken relationship in his life. Having been at odds with his own label for months, the rapper has apparently patched things up with Quality Control as he has reportedly dropped his lawsuit against the company. According to TMZ, the husband of Cardi B filed to dismiss the suit against QC with prejudice on Tuesday, August 8, ending nearly a year of battle over control of the rights to his solo music. Sources say Offset will not be rejoining QC as a solo artist, but all disputes and differences between the two parties have been settled. Offset filed a lawsuit against his former label Quality Control in 2022, seeking solo independence. In February of this year, Quality Control requested the judge to dismiss the lawsuit due to a breach of legal agreement. In response to the dismissal request, the 31-year-old hip-hop artist accused Quality Control of "wrongful interference." The rapper's lawyer stated that Quality Control's "wrongful interference with the upcoming release of Offset's new music and continued instance of being credited as the owner of Offset's new solo sound recordings is groundless and unjustified." Offset demanded Quality Control's countersuit against him for breach of contract be dismissed and his lawsuit moved forward. However, one month prior, at the 2023 Grammy Awards which was held on February 5, Offset appeared to be getting along just fine with Quality Control Music CEO Pierre "P" Thomas. The two men looked cordial as they were seen walking together backstage at the music event. Earlier this year, Offset has also squashed his beef with his bandmate Quavo. The surviving members of Migos reunited at a posthumous birthday celebration of their late bandmate Takeoff on June 18. Later in the same month, the duo also performed together for the first time in months to honor Takeoff at the 2023 BET Awards. They surprised the audience and viewers as they took the stage at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles on June 25 to pay tribute to Takeoff with a performance of Migos' song "Bad and Boujee". Offset recently released a new song titled "Jealousy" featuring his wife Cardi under Motown. You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, the 19-year-old son of the Hollywood actor's adopted daughter Drena De Niro, was found dead at his apartment in New York City on 2 July. Aug 9, 2023 AceShowbiz - Robert De Niro's grandson died from a "toxic" combination of drugs. Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, 19, was found dead at his apartment in New York City on 2 July and now autopsy results have shown the teenager had a number of illegal substances in his system when he passed away. The New York City Medical Examiner told the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column Leandro had fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine and cocaine in his system at the time of his death, which has been ruled an "accident". A woman who was arrested in connection with Leandro's death allegedly warned him about the fake oxycodone pills, which were laced with fentanyl, when she sold them. Sofia Haley Marks, 20, has been accused of selling him drugs containing fentanyl, a powerful opioid which is said to be up to 50 times stronger than heroin. According to police documents, obtained by TMZ, texts were found on Leandro's phone from Marks, where she asked him, "do you really need them? I don't wanna kill you. I just don't like serving u them cuz they not script." She is reported to have agreed to sell him three oxycodone pills and two Xanax tablets for $105 before allegedly texting him to say, "don't go overboard with these."The drugs were delivered by car to Leandro around 9pm on July 1 and police say that Marks texted him at 1:50am to ask "u good?" However, he never responded and was found dead the following day. Investigators found "one bag of cocaine, one straw with residue, two blue pills with 'M' and '30' (the oxycodone) and seven rectangular tablets - believed to be Xanax" on a table beside Leandro after his death. Leandro's mother Drena De Niro, who is Robert De Niro's adopted daughter from his marriage to ex-wife Diahnne Abbott, previously claimed her son died after taking pills laced with fentanyl. In a post on Instagram, she alleged, "Someone sold him fentanyl-laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him. So for all these people still f**king around selling and buying this s**t, my son is gone forever." The 51-year-old actress previously confirmed his passing in an emotional post on Instagram. She wrote, "My beautiful sweet angel. I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly. You have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life. I wish I was with you right now. I wish I was with you. I don't know how to live without you but I'll try to go on and spread the love and light that you so made me feel in getting to be your mama . You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you. Im so sorry my baby." You can share this post! Cover Images/Dutch Press Photo Celebrity It has been noticed that Harry's title has been removed on the site, more than three years after he and wife Meghan Markle stepped down from their roles as senior working royals. Aug 9, 2023 AceShowbiz - Prince Harry is no longer referred to as "His Royal Highness" on the British royal family's website. It has been noticed that Harry's title has been removed on the site, more than three years after he and wife Meghan Markle stepped down from their roles as senior working royals. The U.K. news outlet Express stated on Friday, August 4 that the Duke of Sussex was called "His Royal Highness" twice in his bio on the royals' website despite their royal exit in 2020. However, the titles had been removed from the website by Tuesday. According to the news outlet, the royal website did not appear to have been completely updated since the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022. "The Royal Family website contains over five thousand pages of information about the life and work of the Royal Family," Buckingham Palace told the site. "Following the death of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, content has been revisited and updated periodically. Some content may be out of date until this process is complete." In the new report, Harry's profile had also been moved lower on the website's landing page. Harry and Meghan's profiles can now be found beneath those of the working royal family members, while Prince Andrew's is listed last on the landing page. The Duke of York lost the use of his "HRH" title, his military roles and his royal patronages in January 2022 following sexual abuse allegations, which he vehemently denied. Shortly after Harry and Meghan's decision to step away from their royal duties, the Palace issued a statement regarding the couple's new titles. "The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family," said the statement. Despite that, the couple is still formally referred to as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Despite stepping down from his royal duties, Harry is in the line of succession to the throne. He holds the fifth spot behind his brother Prince William, as well as his brother and Kate Middleton's three children, Prince George (10), Princess Charlotte (8) and Prince Louis (5). You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity During an Instagram Live, the Baton Rouge native also says that the Canadian rapper will likely spend a shorter time behind bars after being sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion. Aug 10, 2023 AceShowbiz - Boosie BadAzz (Lil Boosie) has weighed in on Tory Lanez receiving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in a July 2020 incident. During an Instagram Live, Boosie shared his two cents on the matter, saying that Tory would likely spend a shorter time behind bars. "He ain't gon' do nothing but three years on that," the "Wipe Me Down" spitter said on Tuesday, August 8. "Louisiana, he would have got 40 [years]. I got 10 years for third-offense marijuana. Twenty-five grams, a couple grams and some more grams." The Baton Rouge native also believed that things will get better for the "Say It" rapper when he comes back. "He'll be back, stronger than ever. You can't take his talent away. He gon' be back," Boosie noted. Prior to this, Boosie weighed in on the Canadian rapper's shooting case involving Megan. "If he would have went in there and said he wanted to make a deal, [with] them lawyers he got, he could have been doing time in a facility with damn-near nobody around him," Boosie opined back in May. "I know a lot of people like that. They was offered 10 years and they didn't take it. And they end up getting 30," he added. "I seen it all the time. When I was in [prison] they come in there like, 'I ain't doing no 15, mane.' They end up getting big time. I would have tried to get five years." Tory, who was convicted of three felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence, learned his fate in a 2-day hearing which started on Monday. Ending the high-profile case, the judge announced that Tory was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of shooting Megan three times following a party at reality star and makeup mogul Kylie Jenner's Hollywood Hills home July 12, 2020. You can share this post! Solving for Water is the core agenda when it comes to sustainable development as it is at the heart of adapting to climate change. It is a finite and irreplaceable resource - only renewable, if well managed. Thousands of litres of water are used, not only to create our favourite products but also in the process of bringing them to our doorstep. This makes it a responsibility for people and organisations to ensure efficient, equitable and sustainable allocation of this resource. Thats why Leo Burnett, Indias foremost creative agency and AqVerium, the pioneering Digital Water Bank by AquaKraft Group Ventures has created a first-of-its-kind Water Sustainability Score. The worlds first water report card for brands - simply broken down in a 1-100 score, that talks about how water is sourced, used, wasted or recycled in the entire process of creating a product. This initiative not only rates but also helps brands with end-to-end solutions that help them offset their score and take stronger actions to become more water positive. This score is re-evaluated annually. Adopting the Water Sustainability Score acts as a commitment from organisations to bring transparency and accountability to their efficient use of water. Much like compliance logos such as the Cruelty-free, Certified Vegan, Fairtrade, Energy Rating Label and the Recyclable symbol, this score can be displayed on the product, packaging and other corporate material through a unique symbol. Brands from FMCG, lifestyle, electronics, automobile, construction and even airlines, everyone can use this score and show their commitment to water positivity, and give their consumers the choice of choosing a more sustainable product. Speaking about this initiative Rajdeepak Das, CEO & CCO Leo Burnett South Asia and Chairman, Creative Council - Publicis Groupe India said At Burnett, we believe that creativitys true power is in solving real problems of the world. The water crisis is already upon us and adopting the Water Sustainability Score - a first-of-its-kind report card on how water positive a brand really is can bring transparency and accountability in the indiscriminate use of water. This is not just an initiative but a true Humankind idea which has the potential to impact a billion by helping save one of the most important resources for the earth water and take us forward to a water-positive future. Speaking about the joint initiative, Dr Subramanya Kusnur, Chairman & CEO of AquaKraft Group Ventures said The water crisis is real and needs immediate action. A lot has been spoken about Climate with water clearly missing the narrative. We are thrilled to have partnered with Leo Burnett an agency that is known for its impactful work on sustainability to not only amplify this message but take timely action towards this crisis. We already have mapped out water-positive practices and getting brands to pledge towards the Water Sustainability Score can be a game changer in water preservation. To this effect, we have onboarded Bangalore International Airport Limited on AqVerium and verified & validated the Water Audit report provided to us. We are happy to present the first Water Sustainability Score, recognising & incentivising the water positivity of organisations, along with their commitment to sustainability. The first brand to partner with Leo Burnett and AqVerium on this venture is the Bangalore International Airport Limited which is all set to be recognised as a pioneer in its commitment towards water sustainability & stewardship. The Water Sustainability Score was unveiled at the launch of AQUAFLUENCE A Centre of Influence for Water Sustainability on July 25, 2023. AQUAFLUENCE, a joint initiative of the prestigious Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly known as UDCT) & AquaKraft was launched by Honble Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat ji Minister for Jal Shakti, Government of India. In his keynote address the Honble Minister Shekhawat ji said It is very heartening to see Bangalore International Airport Limiteds water sustainability program have voluntarily onboarded themselves on AquaKrafts AqVerium which shows commitment towards corporate water stewardship. The Water Sustainability Score is an innovative way of branding sustainability and will build healthy competition amongst corporates in water stewardship. Authored by Amandeep Kaur, Founder & CEO, Phoenix TalentX Branding | pxtxb.com. Social media platforms have transformed the way people communicate and interact online. These platforms are not just channels for personal expression; they have become essential avenues for businesses to connect with their audience, including potential job candidates. In todays competitive job market, social media helps in creating a positive and influential employer brand image. Building a Deliberate Social Media Strategy Match Target Talent Audience With Relevant Social Platforms To maximize the impact of social media on employer branding, it is essential to identify the target audiencethe candidates the company wants to attract. Different social media platforms cater to diverse audiences. For instance, LinkedIn is ideal for professional networking and B2B connections, making it valuable for recruitment purposes. On the other hand, platforms like Instagram and Facebook are more visually-oriented and can be utilized to showcase company culture and employee experiences. For building audio connections creating Podcasts on Spotify or Apple can be beneficial. Craft Engaging and Authentic Employer Branding Content The key to successful employer branding through social media lies in creating engaging and authentic content. Potential candidates seek transparency and honesty from companies they may work for. Content that highlights the company's values, achievements, employee success stories, and work-life balance can significantly impact candidate perceptions. Consistency and Regularity Keeps Both Current and Future Talent Engaged Posting regular updates and content helps keep the audience engaged and informed. Having a content calendar can ensure a steady flow of relevant content across social media platforms. This calendar should encompass a variety of content types, including job openings, company news, employee spotlights, and industry insights. Leveraging Employee Advocacy Strengthens Employee Engagement Employees can become powerful advocates for the companys employer brand. Employers can organize employee advocacy programs, providing them with relevant content, company social media handles, Hashtags, and incentives to share their stories. Showcase Business Purpose, Company Culture and People Initiatives Social media provides an excellent platform to showcase the companys culture, purpose, and commitment to employee upskilling and wellness. Through photos and videos, companies can share glimpses of team-building activities, CSR events, diversity and inclusion efforts and celebrations, fostering a sense of community and belonging among employees and potential candidates. Engage With Talent By Responding To Their Comments Social media is a two-way communication channel. Organizations must actively engage with candidates and employees by responding to comments, messages, and inquiries promptly. Encouraging conversations and discussions about industry-related topics further positions the company as an expert in its field, attracting like-minded professionals. Handling Negative Feedback and Crisis Management Not all feedback on social media will be positive. Negative reviews or comments can arise from disgruntled employees or candidates who had a poor experience. However, how a company addresses and handles such feedback is crucial to its employer branding. Responding promptly, empathetically, and professionally to negative feedback demonstrates that the company takes concerns seriously and is committed to improvement. Measuring the Success of Social Media Efforts Like any other marketing initiative, measuring the success of social media efforts is essential. Employers can use analytics tools to track key metrics such as reach, engagement, follower growth, and click-through rates. These insights provide valuable data to refine the social media strategy and optimize content for better results. Integrating Social Media with Other Employer Branding Initiatives A successful employer branding strategy requires synergy across various initiatives. Social media should complement other efforts, such as career fairs, employer branding campaigns, and employee referral programs. This integration ensures a cohesive and impactful employer brand message. Conclusion In conclusion, a deliberate, regular social media approach can be a game-changer for employer branding. By using social media platforms strategically, organizations can humanize their brand. Insight Cosmetics, the ultimate destination for all beauty needs, is delighted to announce the collaboration with Bollywood sensation Disha Patani as their esteemed Brand Ambassador. With a focus on promoting holistic beauty and offering safe products for all skin types, this partnership marks a significant step towards empowering individuals to embrace inner and outer beauty. Disha Patani, the embodiment of grace and natural beauty, has long been an advocate for safe skincare and beauty practices. As the face of Insight Cosmetics, she champions the cause of using products that enhance one's beauty without compromising skin health. Disha's dedication to fitness and overall well-being perfectly aligns with Insight Cosmetics' mission of offering a wide range of safe and toxic-free products for all beauty enthusiasts. Disha Patani shares her excitement, "I am thrilled to be associated with Insight Cosmetics, a brand that shares my values and beliefs when it comes to beauty. Beauty is not just about appearance; it's about feeling beautiful from within. I believe in taking care of my body and skin with products that are safe and gentle. Insight Cosmetics provides exactly that - a diverse range of products that cater to all skin types without harmful toxins. I am excited to be a part of this journey and encourage everyone to prioritise their skin health while embracing their natural beauty." Mihir Jain ,The Managing Director of Insight Cosmetics expresses their enthusiasm about this significant collaboration, "Having Disha Patani as our Brand Ambassador is a momentous occasion for Insight Cosmetics. Her commitment to health and wellness resonates deeply with our brand's values. With Disha's support, we aim to reach more individuals and emphasise the importance of a holistic approach to beauty. Together, we will continue to innovate and provide beauty solutions that are not only effective but also safe for every skin type." In celebration of this exciting partnership, Insight Cosmetics is thrilled to launch the exclusive "Lights, Camera, Action" kit. This limited edition kit offers consumers the opportunity to achieve Disha Patani's iconic look. The kit features a curated selection of Insight Cosmetics' best products that have been handpicked by Disha herself, allowing users to recreate her radiant look with ease Onlymyhealth.com, a leading health & wellness website under Jagran New Media, announced the launch of its Tamil arm. Onlymyhealth.com aims to empower individuals across India with its diverse range of health & wellness content in the form of articles and videos which are backed by experts & tailor-made according to the preferences of its readers. Onlymyhealth.com in Tamil will provide valuable health information, tips & tricks, simple home remedies, and other resources which are doctor-verified specifically to target Tamil speaking readers. The website will offer a wide array of content covering fitness, nutrition, mental health, lifestyle, preventive care, IVF, etc. providing Tamil readers with valuable insights and actionable tips to lead a healthy and fulfilling life. Bharat Gupta, CEO, Jagran New Media, says, The rise of localization is an important theme in the current digital landscape. Keeping up with the trend, were doubling our efforts to diversify and expand our offerings in different regional languages while addressing the specific preferences and requirements of our audiences. The recent launch of Onlymyhealth.com in Tamil is a significant step in our mission to provide credible & expert-verified health & wellness resources to Tamil readers while catering to their distinctive sensibilities. This expansion aligns with our commitment to Indic language expansion strategy that ensures our overall mission to improve accessibility, inclusivity, and the well-being of the readers. Megha Mamgain, AVP, Content & Strategy, Health and Lifestyle, Jagran New Media, says, We are thrilled to launch the Tamil arm of onlymyhealth.com and serve the Tamil-speaking community. We acknowledge the role of languages being personal to communities, and we aim to serve content in ways our consumers prefer. At Onlymyhealth.com, we stand steadfast in our commitment to providing credible health resources in a language that resonates deeply with the audiences. With an array of meticulously curated health-related content, we also have stringent editorial policies in place ensuring the accuracy and reliability of content that is validated by doctors, nutritionists, healthcare professionals, and experts. Through this launch, we hope to empower Tamil readers and contribute to their overall well-being. After English & Hindi, this is the third language expansion for Onlymyhealth.com. The Tamil website has a user-friendly interface that will help readers to navigate across content, seamlessly. The guiding light of the platform's credibility will provide the readers with the reassurance that the information they find on Onlymyhealth.com is accurate and rooted in scientific evidence. The platform will also serve as a community hub to help facilitate discussions, share success stories, and connect users with healthcare experts. Tamil-speaking individuals are invited to explore the vast array of health-related content, engage with experts, and join the Onlymyhealth.com community for a healthier and happier life. The Tamil arm of onlymyhealth.com is now live at: https://www.onlymyhealth. com/tamil Indias number one tile company Kajaria today launched its latest Desh Ki Mitti Campaign, celebrating 35 years of excellence, featuring Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Ranveer Singh as brand ambassadors. The 360-degree pan-India campaign's core message, "Hum Alag Hain, Par Ek Hi Mitti Ke Hai," beautifully portrays the unity that binds us as a nation, transcending our diverse backgrounds. Kajaria aims to highlight this unifying spirit while emphasizing its commitment to providing top-tier quality products that stand the test of time. Conceptualized by 82.5 Communications, the campaign's ad film with Akshay and Ranveer perfectly captures the essence of Kajaria's numero uno stature in the industry. Its strategic objective is to reach deeper into Tier 2 and 3 cities, and to cater to the southern markets. The TVC will be released in regional languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. Shot over a span of 5 days in Mumbai and Jaisalmer, the heart of the campaign unfolds through the tale of two Special Forces officers, played by Akshay and Ranveer. Despite their contrasting personalities, they are bound by their love for "Desh Ki Mitti." The film showcases their competitive sides during workout at a gym, engage in dance-offs, or a game of tug of war. However when faced with a Rescue Mission, they unite, leaving everything else behind. Speaking on the campaign launch, Mr. Rishi Kajaria, Joint Managing Director of Kajaria Ceramics, commented, "We are delighted to have two of the biggest names in Bollywood, Akshay and Ranveer, for our new campaign. At Kajaria, our journey has been guided by a deep-rooted commitment to unity and pride for our nation. Both personify the values we stand for - excellence, integrity, and a deep love for the nation. With this campaign, we aim to inspire a sense of pride and togetherness in our customers, reaching every nook and corner of the country." Mr. Chetan Kajaria, Joint Managing Director at Kajaria Ceramics, further added As Kajaria enters its 35th year, this collaboration marks a new chapter for the company, and we look forward to continuing our commitment to providing top-quality products with latest trends and technology with a diverse portfolio. We are proud Indians, and even more proud of being an Indian company. The Desh Ki Mitti campaign fits beautifully with our ideology and commitment of creating the best for our nation. Speaking on this campaign, Akshay Kumar said, I have been associated with Kajaria tiles for more than 6 years. Working in the ad for Kajaria Tiles has been an incredible experience. The film's message of unity and pride resonated deeply with me, and it was an honour to be a part of this inspiring project. Speaking about the association, Ranveer Singh, said The story beautifully portrays the strength of being united for the country. It personifies deep love for nation and that is something my heart is encompassed with. Also the integrity that the brand stands for establishes a strong connect with my persona. I am thrilled to join hands with a brand that embodies excellence and innovation." The Desh Ki Mitti theme, launched six years ago, has made Kajaria stand out in the cluttered advertising space, becoming a benchmark for tile advertising. To ensure maximum visibility and engagement, the TVC campaign will be extended across various platforms, enabling wider reach to audiences nationwide. Visitors look around "A New Encounter: Immersive Gallery of Korean Art" exhibition at the National Museum of Bangkok. Courtesy of the National Museum of Bangkok By Kwak Yeon-soo "A New Encounter: Immersive Gallery of Korean Art," an exhibition at the National Museum of Bangkok (NMB) exploring Korean cultural heritage, has been extended until October due to its huge popularity. The multi-sensory digital art exhibition features two immersive digital videos: "Journey of the Soul" depicting Buddhist beliefs about the afterlife, and "Royal Procession with the People," which features the rituals of the Joseon royal court that embodied Confucian belief systems. It also features two Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara or "Gwaneum Bosal" in Korean sculptures from Korea and Thailand to highlight the long-standing Buddhist traditions and artistic achievements of the two countries. It is jointly organized by the NMB and the National Museum of Korea (NMK). Nitaya Kanokmongkol, executive director of the Office of National Museums at Thailand's Ministry of Culture / Courtesy of Nitaya Kanokmongkol MG Motor India, with 100 years of rich history that stands as a testament to its resilience, innovation, and customer-centricity, is preparing to mark its centenary. Driven by Technology and Smiles, the brand takes pride in its India growth story, fostering communities, promoting diversity, and bolstering the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem. Since commencing its India journey in 2019, MG Motor India has been at the forefront of CASE mobility (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric), starting with MG Hector, Indias first Internet SUV followed by MG ZS EV the first fully-electric Internet SUV. The brand also introduced cutting-edge innovations all MG cars have connected technology* and are up to Autonomous level 2**. The manufacturer also offers an industry-first personal AI assistant and the first-in-segment Autonomous Level 2 technology, both featured in the mid-size SUV - Astor. Continuing with its unwavering commitment to offering advanced and exciting products with a host of smart features and luxury, Indias first ADAS (level-1) SUV- Gloster was launched in 2021 for premium SUV buyers. This year, the company also launched a futuristic and practical urban commuter, MG Comet - The Smart EV, to address the challenges of daily city commuting. MG has been registering significant growth over the last four years and sold around 1,75,000 units (as of date) in India. The brand has also become the 2nd largest EV-seller in India with ZS EV and MG Comet, cumulatively aggregating more than 12,000-unit sales. The company on its 100th year anniversary is dedicated to recognizing and rewarding its loyal customers. MG Motor India is rolling out a 100-day customer campaign with offers including special pricing, exchange benefits, loyalty schemes, extended warranty, and service offers for new customers. Through daily giveaways led by MG dealers, and loyalty bonuses for new cars, MG Motor India expresses its gratitude to its existing customers. MGs customers can visit MG centers to avail the benefits. According to Rajeev Chaba, CEO Emeritus, MG Motor India, As we celebrate MG's historic centenary milestone, we take pride in our journey in India, becoming an integral part of the automotive landscape. From the outset, we envisioned a connected, autonomous, shared, and electric future of mobility and we now proudly stand at the forefront of this transformative landscape. Our customers have been our guiding force, encouraging us to introduce groundbreaking innovations. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of them, and to our stakeholders, partners, and employees for their unwavering trust and support. it is through their support and encouragement that MG has come to be synonymous with technology and smiles, a promise we deliver consistently through meaningful experiences. Today, as we embark on to the next century, our commitment to India remains steadfast." MG is committed to creating a Robust EV Ecosystem in India and working cohesively to develop a 6-way charging solution. The carmaker has reached 330+ Touchpoints in 157 cities and aims to reach 400 in 270 cities. Also, MG Motor has been constantly endeavouring to engage with start-ups to drive innovation through MG Developer & Grant Program the largest mentoring program in the automotive segment. News18 Kerala is proud to present the Kerala Political Conclave, a groundbreaking event that will mark the commencement of our 2024 Election programs. This conclave promises to be a remarkable and enlightening discussion, focusing not only on political and developmental issues within Kerala but also across the nation. The Kerala Political Conclave will be held in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday; August 11, 2023, and will be broadcast live from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. In a never-before-seen gathering, the Kerala Political Conclave brings together the prominent leaders of the three major political parties on one platform. This convergence of political leaders promises to provide unprecedented insights into the state's political landscape. Set to be an engaging two-hour show, the conclave will effectively capture the pulse of Kerala politics, allowing viewers to gain a full understanding of the current socio-political scenario. The participation of renowned figures from many parts of society is a distinguishing feature of the conclave. Their interactions with the political leaders will shed light on various perspectives, enriching the discourse with invaluable insights. The conclave boasts an esteemed lineup of political leaders like Ramesh Chennithala; MLA and Former Opposition Leader, K Surendran; BJP State President, MV Govindan Master; CPM State Secretary representing their respective parties. The entire event will be broadcasted live on television, ensuring that the audience from all corners of the state and the country can tune in to witness this historic event. The major discussion will be "India 2024 - Kerala's Political Vision". At the heart of the conclave lies the focus on Kerala's political vision for India in 2024. The three prominent leaders will engage in a spirited debate, presenting their distinctive viewpoints on this critical subject. Following a detailed and entertaining session for all participants, the leaders will engage in a lively discussion, addressing their party's policies and strategies for the nation. To make the event even more inclusive, the audience will be able to ask questions and voice their ideas during the conclave. The Kerala Political Conclave is set to be a momentous occasion, uniting key political figures and diverse perspectives to articulate Kerala's vision for India. Join us for this thought-provoking and illuminating event as we embark on our path towards a brighter tomorrow. In a bid to keep the spirit of Raksha Bandhan alive beyond borders, FlowerAura, a pioneer of International Rakhi Delivery service, enables customers to effortlessly send their love encapsulated in rakhis across countries such as Canada, the UK, the USA, Australia, UAE, and more, making distance a trivial concern. A range of over 500+ unique SKUs of Rakhis forms an integral part of this service, providing an abundant choice of rakhis sourced from diverse states across India to choose from. From the simple elegance of Mauli and Stone Rakhis from Gujarat, the glittering charm of Kundan and Zari Rakhis from Kolkata, to the intricate artistry of Pachi Rakhis from Rajasthan, the selection is as diverse as it is vibrant, including divine, traditional, bracelet, and more such types of Rakhis. Complementing the rakhi selection, FlowerAura offers a broad collection of rakhi gifts and combos, including traditional Indian sweets, chocolates, dry fruits, plants, etc., encapsulating the spirit of Raksha Bandhan in every package. People can conveniently send rakhi to USA, and other countries, along with gifts and combos to celebrate the occasion in a memorable manner. During a media interaction, FlowerAuras CEO Mr Shrey Sehgal, commented, "In this era of digital connectivity, geographical boundaries should not limit expressions of love and care. Our goal with international Rakhi delivery is to ensure that every brother and sister can celebrate this special bond, no matter the distance. In addition, he also mentioned, We have worked diligently to provide a seamless, user-friendly experience on both our website and mobile application, aiming to deliver love and joy via Rakhis, gifts, and Rakhi combos in just a few clicks." Placing an order has become easy and intuitive through the FlowerAura website and mobile application, focusing on providing a hassle-free experience from order placement to delivery. We has a seamless delivery grid that lets everyone send rakhi to Canada via FlowerAura, in a few clicks, ensuring that the bond between siblings remains undisturbed no matter the distance. With FlowerAura's reliable international delivery service, customers worldwide can now bring the joy of Raksha Bandhan to their sibling's doorstep, keeping the festival's essence alive, irrespective of the miles that separate them. SOTC Travels consumer data reveals high travel intent especially during the festive season across multiple segments driven by multigenerational families. Gujarat features as a key source market for the Company and is witnessing over 50% surge in demand YoY for Diwali Holidays. Therefore, with a focused intent to maximise on the significant demand, SOTC Travel, a leading omnichannel Travel and Tourism Company has unveiled a new campaign targeting the festive season. SOTCs Gujarati Diwali Holidays brand film focuses on family holidays and plays on the stereotypical mother-in-law daughter-in-law dynamics where the films main character the daughter-in-law narrates her holiday plans for the Diwali break with the excitement of taking the whole family on an international holiday. Highlights of SOTCs Gurjar Vishwadarshan Diwali Holidays: Range of destinations : Europe, Vietnam, Turkey, Malaysia and Singapore with Cruise, Bali, Kashmir, Himachal, Sri Lanka : Europe, Vietnam, Turkey, Malaysia and Singapore with Cruise, Bali, Kashmir, Himachal, Sri Lanka Special features : Gujarati cuisine (vegetarian and Jain meals prepared by an accompanying maharaj), each tour comprises of fellow Gujarati co-travellers guided by SOTCs Guajarati speaking tour managers, all-inclusive tours at attractive pricing, departures ex-Ahmedabad/Mumbai, Gujarati snacks provided on every tour : Gujarati cuisine (vegetarian and Jain meals prepared by an accompanying maharaj), each tour comprises of fellow Gujarati co-travellers guided by SOTCs Guajarati speaking tour managers, all-inclusive tours at attractive pricing, departures ex-Ahmedabad/Mumbai, Gujarati snacks provided on every tour Offers: discounts up to Rs. 60,000/- per family, free upgrades to 4/5 star hotels in Asia, spot cash discounts, special gifts on booking and complimentary sightseeing SOTC Travels campaign is being extensively promoted across digital & social platforms, primarily YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Daniel Dsouza President & Country Head - Holidays, SOTC Travel said, Gujarat is a leading source market for us, and we are witnessing over 50% surge in demand YoY for festive travel for the upcoming Diwali season. Also, with schools and offices closing for festive break, the festive season makes for an opportune time to take a much needed holiday with loved ones. To cater to our customers from this valuable market, we have carefully designed holidays to domestic and international destinations, based on their unique preferences. We have added special touches like a Gujarati speaking Tour Manager, special vegetarian and Jain meals specially made by our maharaj accompanying on tour; also guaranteed departures from Ahmedabad/Mumbai for our Diwali special tours. Our tours come with all-inclusive tours at attractive pricing, discounts up to Rs. 60,000/- per family, free upgrades to 4/5 star hotels in Asia, and special gifts on bookings. This is our gift to our Gujarati customers enabling them to indulge in their passion for travel while celebrating their favourite festival. Customers can book their preferred holiday via a video chat or make a request for a call, or select from SOTC Travels omnichannel network that offers choice and convenience via the Companys website, call centre, or extensive retail network pan India. It can be a never-ending process of searching, researching, and getting lost in a sea of reviews and recommendations to find the best beauty products for your skin type, hair type, and skin tone. Beauty is almost as personal as finding the ideal companion. One needs all the assistance possible, including curated information and personalised product recommendations tailored to ones specific beauty needs. Someone who acts as a matchmaker. Tata CLiQ Palette, Indias beauty matchmaker from the house of Tata, is here to play that part in ones beauty journey by personalizing every customers experience to match their unique beauty needs. A one-stop shop for all things beauty, the app provides personalised recommendations on beauty products to consumers based on their specific hair and skin type, beauty goals, and more. It has a curated assortment of authentic products from over 1000+ international and premium brands across categories like make-up, skincare, fragrances, haircare, bath & body, and mens grooming. The brand has roped in renowned actor and beauty aficionado Kriti Sanon as its brand ambassador. The #YourBeautyMatchmaker campaign, created by Havas Worldwide India and starring Kriti Sanon, is a series of films that aims to introduce beauty lovers to this matchmaker that helps them find the right products, connects them with a beauty community, and offers access to tips and tricks from celebrity experts. Kriti Sanon, as the face of Tata CLiQ Palette, perfectly echoes the brands youthful and playful personality as she engages in fun banter with friends and family in the films while she goes on a journey of right-swiping on personalized beauty recommendations from the app. Speaking about the campaign, Mitali Parekh Acharya, Director Marketing, Tata CLiQ Palette, said, "Tata CLiQ Palette is a tech-enabled beauty destination that aims to bring a new approach to how people discover and shop for beauty, which is further reinforced by the #YourBeautyMatchmaker campaign. Kriti Sanons banter in the films is aimed at sparking conversations about fulfilling every individuals unique beauty goals. With our state-of-the-art AI-enabled beauty ID technology, the app helps match every customer with personalised beauty product recommendations. We look forward to consumers finding their beauty match on Tata CLiQ Palette." Commenting on the campaign, Anupama Ramaswamy, Chief Creative Officer, Havas Worldwide India, said, Everyone in the world of beauty is looking for the perfect match. But in the process of looking for it, we find ourselves caught in a continuous loop of researching, looking for the best products, becoming tangled in reviews, and getting confused by advice from friends. Tata CLiQ Palette's Unique Beauty ID technology allows you to flirt with all the possibilities that are tailor-made for you. We hope to create a conversation around personalization in the beauty sector with Kriti Sanon's interesting banter with friends and family discussing the wonderful app in the campaign. Tata CLiQ Palettes revolutionary feature, Beauty ID, cuts through the clutter by asking the user a carefully curated set of questions. This intelligent system collects essential information about your skin type, concerns, preferences, and beauty goals. With this knowledge, Beauty ID harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to analyze the users responses and generate tailored recommendations. Speaking on the partnership with Tata CLiQ Palette, actor Kriti Sanon said, "I am elated to have found my beauty match with Tata CLiQ Palette. I truly believe that beauty is born from our uniqueness and is a deeply personal journey. Tata CLiQ Palette serves as a trusted advisor by understanding ones beauty needs and goals in detail to recommend the right products. As I discover and experiment with my beauty goals with Tata CLiQ Palette, I also look forward to encouraging everyone to be authentic and get their beauty game on by expressing their individual identity". As Indias beauty matchmaker, Tata CLiQ Palette is redefining the way one discovers beauty through a tech-led approach, thus elevating the experience and making shopping for beauty easier. Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Bern, 09.08.2023 - Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis visited Australia and New Zealand from 6 to 9 August. The official talks focused on bilateral relations, the geopolitical situation in the Pacific region and climate change. In New Zealand, the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Switzerland was celebrated and a Memorandum of Understanding to establish diplomatic relations with Niue was signed. In his speech on the occasion of the anniversary of 60 years of diplomatic relations with New Zealand, Mr Cassis paid tribute to the close ties between the two countries, both of which are committed to democratic values and strong multilateralism. During his meeting with New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta, both sides stressed their desire to further deepen cooperation, for example as part of the Small Advanced Economies Initiative, of which both Switzerland and New Zealand are members. "The geographical distance between our countries must not prevent us from joining forces and standing up together for viable global solutions," said Cassis after the meeting. In Wellington, Mr Cassis also met with acting Foreign Minister Mona Ainuu of the Pacific island of Niue. This was the first official meeting of a Swiss federal councillor with a Niuean head of government. Switzerland and Niue intend to establish diplomatic relations in the near future. A Memorandum of Understanding to that end was signed during the meeting. Niue is the only self-governing territory in the Pacific with which diplomatic relations have yet to be established. Australia: strengthening diplomatic relations Australia reopened its embassy in Bern last year, clearly signalling its interest in increased bilateral exchanges. With this trip to Australia, Mr Cassis signalled Switzerland's desire to step up cooperation between the two countries, a fact he underscored during his meeting with Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Canberra on 7 August. Other topics were cooperation in the field of science, the war in Ukraine, the deepening of consular cooperation, and the fight against climate change. Australia aims to host the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in 2026. Mr Cassis underlined the urgency of making rapid progress in the global climate negotiations, citing Swiss expertise in the field of emissions trading and sustainable finance. Both sides reaffirmed their intention to strengthen cooperation in the interests of a rules-based international order, which has become even more critical in the context of the war in Ukraine. In the Australian capital, Federal Councillor Cassis also exchanged views with representatives of Pacific island states. Geopolitical interest in the Pacific island states has grown strongly in recent years. Switzerland is also pursuing growing interests in the Pacific region, for example in the areas of climate change, human rights and disaster prevention. Switzerland is committed to the Pacific island states and supports them, for example, in being represented in international Geneva. Exchange with Swiss communities abroad The Swiss community in Australia, numbering around 26,000 people, is the largest in the Asia Pacific region. New Zealand is also a popular destination for Swiss nationals: some 7,200 red-passport holders live there. Federal Councillor Cassis took advantage of the trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania to meet with members of the local Swiss communities. "I was delighted to meet so many countrymen and women in the last 10 days . I was impressed by the strong attachment to their homeland they expressed at the 1 August celebrations in Sydney, Wellington, Singapore and Jakarta," said Cassis. Mr Cassis is the first member of the Swiss government to visit Australia and New Zealand in ten years. New Zealand was the final destination on Mr Cassis' ten-day trip during which he had also paid a visit to Indonesia and Singapur. Address for enquiries FDFA Communication Federal Palace West Wing CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55 E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch Twitter: @SwissMFA Publisher Federal Department of Foreign Affairs https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Dubendorf, 09.08.2023 - In the scientific journal Nature, an international team including a member of Eawag published a study on the state and development of biodiversity in European inland waters, based on invertebrates. In their study, appearing today, they show that biodiversity in river systems from 22 countries has increased significantly since 1968. However, this positive trend has stagnated since 2010 and many river systems have not been able to regenerate fully. The team therefore recommends additional measures to revive the recovery of biodiversity in inland waters, as freshwater ecosystems still face, and will continue to face, serious pressures including pollution, climate change and invasive species. Even though mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies are flying insects, they spend most of their lives in the water as larvae. "These and many other invertebrates contribute to important ecosystem processes in freshwater bodies. They decompose organic matter, filter water and transport nutrients between aquatic and terrestrial environments. In addition, such invertebrates have long been a cornerstone for monitoring water quality", explains the first author of the study, Prof. Peter Haase of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt. Inland waters are exposed to various anthropogenic pressures due to agricultural and urban land use. They accumulate pollutants, organically contaminated runoff, fine sediments and pesticides, and are also threatened by changes such as the construction of dams, water withfrawal, invasive species and climate change. In response to the poor condition of bodies of water in the 1950s and 1960s, countermeasures were implemented to restore freshwater habitats. "In Switzerland, the widespread incorporation of wastewater treatment plants and the precipitation of phosphorus in sewage treatment plants led to a significant decrease in organic pollution starting around 1980", explains Florian Altermatt. A group leader at the aquatic research institute Eawag and Professor at the University of Zurich, Altermatt was the lone representative of a Swiss research institution involved in the study, contributing data on Swiss insect diversity. Over the past 50 years, these steps have contributed to the containment of wastewater pollution and thus to improvements in freshwater biodiversity. Nevertheless, the number and impact of stressors threatening these ecosystems continue to increase worldwide and the biological quality of rivers remains inadequate in many places. Together with a large international team, a comprehensive data set was investigated consisting of 1,816 time series collected between 1968 and 2020 in river systems in 22 European countries, comprising 714,698 observations of 2,648 species from 26,668 samples. The analyses show that, starting from low levels in the 2nd half of the 20th century, species diversity increased significantly at 0.73 percent per year, as did functional diversity at an annual 2.4 percent and species abundance at 1.17 percent per year over the 53-year period. "However, these increases mainly occurred prior to 2010 and, unfortunately, have remained at more or less contant levels ever since. While this increase in biodiversity in the 1990s and 2000s presumably reflects the effectiveness of water quality improvements and restoration projects, the stagnant trend that followed suggests that past actions have been exhausted", says Peter Haase. According to the study results, freshwater communities downstream of dams, urban areas and farmland recovered less rapidly. Fauna at sites with faster warming also recorded lower increases in species diversity, abundance of individuals and functional diversity. "Communities have not reached the biodiversity they originally had, and species of free-flowing large rivers in particular have become extinct or highly endangered across Europe", says Florian Altermatt. "We conclude from this that some of the efforts to protect biodiversity have been useful, but they have not yet been sufficient, especially since there are currently new challenges, such as climate change." In principle, these findings also apply to Switzerland, he says. "However, there may be other patterns locally. For example, in Switzerland land use is often more intensive, which is due to agriculture and urbanisation." Switzerlands Alpine waters are another big difference to many other countries. These are more strongly influenced by electricity production and the warming of the climate, for example, than rivers in lowlands. Among other things, the research team recommends reducing the input of fertilisers and pesticides from agricultural land, connecting floodplains to reduce destructive flooding, and adapting river systems to future climatic and hydrological conditions. "In future, biodiversity monitoring should also be coupled with the concurrent collection of environmental data. This is the only way we can effectively describe temporal changes within biodiversity, identify environmental drivers and high-risk areas, and maximise biodiversity protection", concludes Haase. Peter Haase et al. (2023): The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt. Nature vol.620, iss.7974. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06400-1 Address for enquiries Prof. Florian Altermatt (Eawag and UNIZH): florian.altermatt@eawag.ch; +41 58 765 5592 Publisher Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology http://www.eawag.ch Rahul Gandhi flexed his muscles during the no confidence motion debate in the Lok Sabha and stated that For PM, Manipur is not India. He added that BJPs politics has murdered India in Manipur BJP is anti-national. Congress Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi had initiated the no confidence debate on Tuesday, saying that the Opposition has brought this motion for Manipur. The 16-hour debate is expected to continue until Thursday (August 10), when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to give his reply. No, BJPs politics has not murdered Manipur; its politics have murdered India in Manipur, Aapne Bharat ki hatya ki hai Manipur mein, aap desh-drohi ho Agar PM Modi Hindustan ki awaaz nahi sunte, toh woh kiski awaaz sunte hai? (You have murdered India in Manipur, you are anti-national, murderers of India If PM Modi doesnt hear the people of India, who does he listen to?) Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha. Earlier on Tuesday, leaders of the Opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A. moved a privilege motion in the Rajya Sabha against Leader of the House Piyush Goyal for addressing some of the Opposition members as traitors. In the Rajya Sabha, the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, is among the six bills to be tabled by the government today. The General Secretary in charge of communications for the Congress Party took to X (formerly Twitter) to express that Nothing less than an apology from him on the floor of the House, when it is ordered, will do. Further, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc staged a walkout of the Rajya Sabha for the rest of the day, citing the Narendra Modi-led Central governments continued refusal to allow an immediate discussion on the Manipur violence issue on the basis of a mutually negotiated Motion, Ramesh shared on X. Meanwhile, speaking for the government during the no-confidence motion debate, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said, The PM says that this is not a no-trust vote; it is a trust in the opposition vote. They want to see who supports them. Manipur violence has put the BJP in an awkward situation. The BJP has completely failed to control the violence in spite of ruling the state and the center. Rahul Gandhi is exposing the BJP on their fake attitude towards the development and harmony in the nation, said a senior Congress leader. After a few days of debate, the Rajya Sabha passed the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi Services Bill. The Bill was passed with 131 members voting in favor of it and 102 voting against it. Apart from the NDA constituents, the Bill got the support of members from the BJD and YSRCP. The Delhi Ordinance Bill proposes that actions like suspensions and inquiries of the national capitals officials would be under the control of the center. On May 19, the Central Government propagated an ordinance that creates the authority for the transfer and posting of Group A officers in Delhi. The ordinance was brought in days after the Supreme Court ruled that Delhis elected government has control over services except in matters of law and order, police, and land. If the ordinance is passed by both Houses of Parliament, the elected government of Delhi will have no authority to transfer its officers. After passing this bill, Arvind Kejriwal would be like a sterilized animal, his wings and claws clipped. Any way he went, he was always hassled by the central government. Arvinds popularity has grown among middle-class families. From the past twenty-five years Delhi never gave mandate to the BJP. AAP has really challenged the BJP in spite of all the tricks being played against him. For three decades, the Congress and BJP played the roles of power and opposition by turns. Being seasoned politicians, they know their limits and have never dared to cross the line. Currently in the Rajya Sabha, there are a total of 245 seats, of which eight are vacant, bringing the total number of seats to 237. The majority mark to pass the Bill in the Rajya Sabha will be 119. On the other hand, the combined numbers of all parties that have extended support to the AAP, including the Congress, are 105. The Delhi Services Bill, formally called Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill 2023, is being tabled in the Indian Parliament and is set to replace a current ordinance that overrides a directive of the Supreme Court that had given command to the government of Delhi over most services. The ordinance has been a major reason for contention between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals Aam Aadmi Party and the central government. On May 11, the Supreme Court of India took the decision in favor of the government of Delhi, giving it complete command over most services in the capital, leaving out public order, land, and police. On May 19, the Center tabled an ordinance that gave authority to the Delhi government to make recommendations to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor on matters of transfer of postings, vigilance, and other incidental issues. The BJP-led Center was slammed by the AAP government for trying to subvert law and order and take control of the bureaucracy in the capital city. Last Thursday (August 3), the Lok Sabha passed a bill that will translate an ordinance into law and give powers to the Center-appointed bureaucrats to overrule the elected chief minister and senior officers in the Delhi government, even as the opposition parties held a walkout. The opposition believes that the passing of this bill is a subversion of the constitutional separation of powers. He added that the country is now seeing coercive federalism. The proposed bill is a representation of a grave chapter in the history of the Indian republic, seeking to ratify an ordinance that in many ways is an assault on our democratic heritage and the spirit of federalism. The Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to replace the ordinance brought by the Centre in May, which excluded services from the legislative competence of the Delhi legislative assembly. The Delhi ordinance was promulgated by the central government a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi, excluding police, public order, and land, to the elected government, headed by CM Arvind Kejriwal. Earlier today, AAP MP Raghav Chadha said the bill is political fraud, a constitutional sin, and will create an administrative logjam. Chadha said that the BJP had been demanding statehood for Delhi for almost 40 years and promised the same in its election manifesto. The AAP leader said that the BJP has destroyed the 40 years of hard work of its leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishan Advani to make Delhi a full state. The Delhi Ordinance Bill will also empower the Lieutenant Governor to exercise their sole discretion on several matters, including those recommended by the National Capital Civil Services Authority and the summoning, prorogation, and dissolution of the Delhi Legislative Assembly. A government that was formed after a movement in 2015 says that the center wants to usurp power. We do not want to usurp power. People have given us power. This Bill is to block the State government from interfering with the centers powers. Amit Shah did not have a single valid argument in favor of the Delhi services bill. It is fundamentally anti-democratic. It is a frontal assault on the regional voice and the regional aspirations of the people of Delhi. It violates all principles of federalism, all norms of civil service accountability, and all models of Assembly-based democracy. It violates the basic structure. This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, shows the North launching its first military spy satellite, Malligyong-1, the previous day, June 1. Yonhap A North Korean propaganda outlet said Wednesday the country will launch satellites at any time, following its failed attempt to launch its first military spy satellite in late May. The North made the pledge in the August edition of the monthly propaganda magazine Kumsu Kangsan, touting the country's past satellite launches as "miracles upon miracles." The North did not specify what type of satellites it will launch down the road, but it is highly likely to refer to its second attempt to launch a military spy satellite. On May 31, North Korea fired the new Chollima-1 rocket carrying its reconnaissance satellite, Malligyong-1, but it crashed into the sea due to the abnormal starting of the second-stage engine. The South Korean military said in July that the North's spy satellite has "no military utility" after it retrieved its wreckage from the Yellow Sea. Experts said the North may seek its second launch in time with the summit among leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan set for Aug. 18, and Seoul-Washington joint military drills scheduled for Aug. 21-24. (Yonhap) Tushar Gandhi, activist and great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and activist Teesta Setalvad were stopped by Mumbai police from attending a protest march today, organisers of the event have alleged. Gandhi was detained and taken to Santacruz Police Station, and Setalvad was asked to stay indoors, a statement by the organisers said. Freedom fighter Dr GG Parikh, now 99 years old, was also stopped from taking part in the protest, they added. The protest, organised on the anniversary of the Quit India Movement against the British in 1942, was titled Shanti March, meaning peace march. A poster of the protest read, Nafraton Bharat chodo, mohabbat se dilon ko jodo (Hate, leave India, lets join hearts with love). The march was from Girgaon Chowpatty to August Kranti Maidan. As I was leaving to commemorate August Kranti Day, the Santacruz police stopped and detained me, citing law and order I am currently at the Santacruz police station, Tushar Gandhi told a agency. This is the first time in his life that Tushar has been subjected to such action by the police, who have waited outside his house since Tuesday night. I am very happy as Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba (Bapu and Ba) were also detained on this historic day by the colonial British Police I am so proud, Tushar Gandhi added. He said he was not served any notice like some other Gandhians and organisations planning to go to August Kranti Maidan to mark the day, nor has he been slapped with any charges. I am just made to sit here They are treating me very cordially Apparently, its under the orders of the Commissioner of Police. As soon as I am allowed to leave, I shall definitely commemorate August Kranti Day and its martyrs, he said. This is nothing but kicking the can down the road a little. The dark future is still there, ready to overpower us. Back in 1975 IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, extended special education services to age 21. Some states are already moving that to age 22. In 2014 the U.K. went to age 25. Having disabled young adults in school with teenagers is happening simply because they dont have enough programs for them when they leave school. Were barely able to deal with growing numbers of children with autism. Now imagine the not too distance future when millions of these children with autism become young adults with autism with no place to go. Despite the surreal spin on autism currently, the truth will come out. Theres no way to avoid it. Weve been trained to be aware of autism, to accept autism and now celebrate it as just another part of all the neurodiversity all around us. Note: we mean the ENTIRE age of autism. Not just us. Though we're getting older too. To quote Fleetwood Mac. By Anne Dachel Remember the REALLY BIG LIE ABOUT AUTISM is that its nothing new. No matter what the latest rate is, its always been that across the population. Autism has never been anything to worry about despite being a condition with none known cause, cure or prevention. Nothing for the adults A truly heartbreaking story from Ireland shows whats coming. (Remember that officially one in every 21 students in school in Ireland has an autism diagnosis, according to this 2022 story. ) On Aug 6, 2023, the story, Families plead for more respite services for adult children was published by RTE. Here a lone mother with an adult son with autism is desperate about shrinking services and about her sons future. She and others like her are an aging population with disabled, dependent adult children who will have to be provided for. VIDEO: Edward Moore is 30 years old. He has autism, and he loves airplanes. He also loves his day service. Weekend respite offered him independence, but those weekends have been reduced. His mother, Angelina, is no longer able to cope. Her health has deteriorated and she needs help. Angelina: His respite has been cutback to two. It was six, and he lives for those. Theres 500 on the catchment area here for residential, and Edward isnt even on that list. What chance has my son got if theyre telling me he isnt even on a list. This is a stockpiling crisis. Do people need to fall before they get any help? Senator Tom Clonan: Angelina and Edwards situation is just one of hundreds and hundreds across the country, and theres nothing for them. Theres no support. Reporter: These packages are in greater demand than ever before. Latest figures from the Health Research Board show theres over 1,700 people need residential care now or within the next five years. Over 1,300 people require overnight respite. Alison Harnett, CEO, National Federation of Voluntary Providers: While the shortage of respite unfortunately is a symptom of a much broader and very serious problem and that problem is the lack of planning for residential support needs for people with disabilities over past decades. For instance in our services which support people with intellectual disability and autism, last year we reported more than fifteen hundred families where the person was supported by a family carer over the age of 70, and more than 450 of those family carers were over the age of 80. Reporter: The agency said additional services are being developed this year supported by a commitment from government with additional funding. In the meantime, parents like Angelina worried that theyll die before they see their children in residential care. And at 62 years of age, without further respite for Edward, Angelina doesnt foresee herself alive into her 80s. Angelina: I love my son and I give everything with the heart and a half, but I know Im going to pass and I know he knows it and hes looking for reassurance mommy is going to be there for me. I want to be able to say, look Edward, mommys kept her promise. Why cant autistic adults go where autistic adults have always gone? There surely are lots of services for them. I knew an autism dad who questioned staff at the last IEP meeting for severely disabled daughter in high school. He asked what programs there would be for Sheryl when she was done with school. He was told, they didnt know, but they were sure thered be something. If there is so little now, think about whats coming. Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism. ### From Skyhorse Publishing The War on Ivermectin: The Medicine that Saved Millions and Could Have Ended the Pandemic #1 Seller in Forensic Medicine By Pierre Kory Dr. (Author), Jenna McCarthy (Author) Big Pharma and health agencies cry, Dont take ivermectin! A media storm follows. Why then, does the science say the opposite? Ivermectin is a dirty word in the media. It doesnt work. Its a deadly horse dewormer. Prescribe or promote it and youll be called a right-wing quack, be banned from social media, or lose your license to practice medicine. And yet, entire countries wiped out the virus with it, and more than ninety-five studies now show it to be unequivocally effective in preventing and treating Covid-19. If it didnt work, why was there a coordinated global campaign to cancel it? Whats the truth about this decades-old, Nobel Prize-winning medication? The War on Ivermectin is the personal and professional narrative of Dr. Pierre Kory and his crusade to recommend a safe, inexpensive, generic medicine as the key to ending the pandemic. Vax-Unvax: Let the Science Speak (Childrens Health Defense) Hardcover Illustrated, August 15, 2023 by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Author), Brian Hooker (Author) Based on over one hundred studies in the peer-reviewed literature that consider vaccinated versus unvaccinated populations. Each of these studies is analyzed and put in context of the difference in health outcomes of vaccinated versus unvaccinated infants, children, and adults. Given the massive push to vaccinate the entire global population, this book is timely and necessary for individuals to make informed choices for themselves and their families. href="https://amzn.to/45chiPo" rel="noopener" target="_blank">at Amazon. B&B boom fuels demand for managers in China China, Africa make fruitful achievements in economic, trade cooperation BRICS cooperation shines with strong appeal Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) It is a travesty that pharmaceutical giant Gileads drug remdesivir (brand name VEKLURY) ended up on the COVID-19 inpatient treatment protocol when a previous trial for Ebola revealed alarming toxicity and death rates, and the COVID-19 trial showed no statistically significant improvement in mortality, just a reduction in the median hospital stay -- a trial endpoint selected only after no improvement in mortality was observed. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s book The Real Anthony Fauci explains that Fauci as head of NIAID and supervising the Gilead trials was already too invested in remdesivir to stop. It suggests that the hospital stay endpoint was favorably tainted by discharging the treatment group early (twice as many of this group had to be readmitted). Critical care physician Dr. Paul Marik insists that due to toxicity problems, Gilead cooked the first COVID-19 study leading to FDA authorization. Early in the pandemic, President Trump, trusting Faucis recommendations, heaped lavish praise on Gilead and remdesivir. When Trump was hospitalized with COVID, he received a cocktail which included remdesivir and was discharged after three days. Ten days later, a large WHO study came out claiming remdesivir was ineffective for COVID, and the MSM collectively mocked Trump for touting it. Well, remdesivir still has FDA approval and is on NIHs protocol, but I dont see the MSM mocking Joe Biden or challenging the public health agencies; maybe theyre too busy suppressing the evidence of inefficacy they themselves cited earlier. Its one thing for the hoi polloi being forced to take remdesivir, but who made that decision for POTUS? Consider this timeline (pieced together from numerous sources): October 28, 2018: Remdesivir and 3 other drugs are entered in a clinical trial for Ebola in Africa funded by NIAID. August 9, 2019: Remdesivir pulled from the Ebola trial after an astonishing 53% mortality rate (the highest of the 4 drugs), with kidney failure and other lethal side effects observed. December 12, 2019: The New England Journal of Medicine publishes the results of the Ebola trial. January 31, 2020: NEJM reports on the rapid recovery of the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the U.S. being treated with, among other things, remdesivir. February 25, 2020: NIAID announces beginning of clinical trial of remdesivir for COVID-19. April 29, 2020 (online; May 16, 2020 print): The Lancet publishes a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center, peer-reviewed study from China on a 10-day infusion of remdesivir for COVID-19, finding it ineffective for mortality reduction or time to recovery, with the study stopped early due to 12% serious side effects for the treatment group compared to 5% for placebo. Data made available for analysis. April 29, 2020: Fauci announces at the White House that due to the improvement in median time to recovery (11 days for the treatment group vs. 15 days for the placebo group), he is unblinding and ending the NIAID/Gilead study, giving remdesivir to the placebo group and making remdesivir the COVID standard of care. May 1, 2020: FDA grants Emergency Use Authorization for remdesivir for inpatients with severe coronavirus who need extra oxygen or mechanical ventilation. May 22, 2020 (prelim; October 8, 2020 final): NEJM publishes NIAID/Gilead report on remdesivir (200 mg loading dose on day 1, followed by 100 mg daily for up to 9 additional days) vs. placebo (for 10 days) for COVID-19, with mortality improvement replaced by time to recovery of 11 (prelim; 10, final) days for the treatment group vs. 15 days for placebo. Serious adverse events were reported as high for both groups (24.6% for remdesivir, 31.6% for placebo). May 27, 2020: NEJM publishes a Gilead-sponsored study showing no real difference between 5-day and 10-day remdesivir for COVID-19 for the given criteria. June 30, 2020: Based on Faucis enthusiastic endorsement, the U.S. buys up the entire world stock of remdesivir. August 21, 2020: JAMA publishes a Gilead-sponsored study showing 5-day remdesivir superior to 10-day remdesivir for COVID-19 for the given criteria. Late August, 2020: The WHO notes a disproportionately high number of reports of liver and kidney problems in patients receiving remdesivir compared to patients receiving other drugs for COVID-19. August 28, 2020: FDA extends the EUA for remdesivir to all patients hospitalized with COVID-19 regardless of severity. October 2, 2020: European Medicines Agency launches safety review of remdesivir due to reports of kidney problems. October 2, 2020: Trump is admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the afternoon for COVID-19. He is given an experimental monoclonal antibody therapy. By late afternoon, Trump has also taken zinc, vitamin D, heartburn drug famotidine, melatonin and his first daily aspirin. In the evening, Trump receives his first infusion of a 5-day course of remdesivir. October 3, 2020: After his oxygen level transiently dips, Trump starts dexamethasone, in addition to supplemental oxygen begun earlier. October 4, 2020: Trump temporarily leaves the hospital to wave to supporters. October 5, 2020: Trump is discharged and returns to the White House, where he continues to receive remdesivir and dexamethasone. October 8, 2020: Trump announces hes no longer contagious and has stopped taking most therapeutics. October 8, 2020: European Union contracts with Gilead to purchase remdesivir in a deal potentially worth more than $1 billion. October 15, 2020 (preprint; October 19, 2020 prelim, NEJM; December 2, 2020 final, NEJM): The WHO publishes the results of a very large multi-country COVID-19 study on remdesivir, 3 other drugs and no drug, finding no benefit at all from any of the drugs on mortality and hospital length of stay. (Side effects not reported.) October 22, 2020: FDA gives approval to remdesivir for COVID-19. October 28, 2020: Science Magazine publishes an indicting article on the very, very bad look of how remdesivir gained FDA approval. December 19, 2020: Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics publishes an article analyzing the WHO safety database revealing a 20-fold increased risk of acute renal failure with remdesivir as compared to 3 other drugs (including hydroxychloroquine) for COVID-19. July 15, 2021: A JAMA study on remdesivir administered to veterans shows no reduction in hospital length of stay. To recap, on Oct. 2, 2020, Trump as a COVID inpatient began a 5-day course of remdesivir. But the timeline of publicly available info before Trump was hospitalized, and possibly the WHO study (whose results were released to Gilead in late September, so Fauci no doubt knew) about to be published, is loaded with negative news about remdesivir (not to mention suspicious behavior by Fauci; see the two April 29, 2020 entries). The only positive news was from the NIAID/Gilead May 22 report not subject to the usual levels of peer review and scrutiny, even then offering at best a decreased length of stay. While decreased length of stay has value in terms of reduced suffering and hospital costs, I dont know about you, but Id rather suffer with the disease a few more days than take on unnecessary and not insignificant risk of organ failure and death. Why didnt Trumps doctors come to the same conclusion? I have not seen anyone ask this. Whether it was woeful ignorance, Trumps previous commitment to remdesivir, blind faith in Fauci, or medical establishment pressure to follow the EUA, it looks like they needlessly risked his life. The FDA recently expanded its approval of remdesivir for COVID-19 to those with kidney problems (!) despite the phase 3 study revealing a significantly higher rate of serious adverse events. The trail of death and destruction already left by remdesivir is heartbreaking. If Trump wins in 2024, maybe he can make things right going forward by getting remdesivir pulled from the COVID protocol. It wont be soon enough. W. A. Eliot is a pseudonym. Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License Rep. Woo Won-shik, second from right, speaks in a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul to explain the Democratic Party of Korea's decision to file a petition with the UN human rights watchdog regarding Tokyo's plan to release wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, Aug. 9. Yonhap Korea's main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said Wednesday it will file a petition with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) opposing Japan's Fukushima water release plan by the end of this month. The DPK argued Tokyo's plan to dump the treated water from the dysfunctional Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean violates various international agreements, and pressured President Yoon Suk Yeol to express opposition to the plan at the trilateral summit between Korea, the United States and Japan scheduled next week. "Through the common sense of the international community and the professional process of an international organization, we will counter acts of polluting the ocean, which not only is the future of the Republic of Korea but the foundation of our life," said Rep. Woo Won-shik, who heads the DPK's committee opposing the water release plan, at a signing event attended by the party's leadership. The UNHCR considers petitions from individuals, organizations or countries regarding incidents of continuous gross violations of human rights. In the petition, the DPK raised concerns about several issues regarding the release plan, including the need for a thorough radiation risk assessment before additional discharges and its doubts on whether the International Atomic Energy Agency properly verified the Advanced Liquid Processing System, used to treat the radioactive water. The DPK plans to gather lobbyists to convey their opposition to the water release plan to the UN human rights watchdog, Woo said. The petition will be delivered around the end of August, after the party gathers signatures from lawmakers and citizens, he added. This decision was reached amid "growing public concern" that Yoon could lend his support to Japan's release plan at the upcoming summit, Woo said. The DPK's leader Lee Jae-myung also pressed President Yoon to strongly oppose the planned release in the upcoming summit, criticizing his administration for "entrusting Japan to decide the safety of our government." (Yonhap) If you once served as Vice President of the United States, polling below 5% in your own party's presidential primary can trigger a stream of unbridled bitterness. Case in point: Mike Pence, who, in a Real Clear Politics poll published through August 2, 2023, polled at 4.8 percent among Republican voters, trailing the previously-unknown Vivek Ramaswamy, who had 5.2 percent. Like a freezing cold bucket of reality splashed onto Pences face, losing to a 37-year-old entrepreneur who, six months ago, nobody ever heard of, has apparently unleashed the floodgates of animosity harbored deep within. Embittered by his demise, Pence now fumes against President Trump, the man to whom he owes the Vice Presidency, seemingly siding with rogue prosecutor Jack Smith. I had no right to overturn the election, Pence told CNN. And on that day, President Trump asked me to put him over the Constitution. But I chose the Constitution. And I always will. He rambles on. Anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be President of the United States. Really, Pence? You chose the Constitution, did you? Thats your spin? The President asked you to overturn the election? To put himself over the Constitution? He said that? Actually, the President suggested sending questionable electors back to state legislatures, for proper consideration, in states where highly irregular tactics had seemingly undermined the election. If, after further consideration, Biden still won, then Biden won. Despite Pences I was for the Constitution and Trump wasnt nonsense, the truth is the Constitution doesn't address the issue, one way or the other. It isnt like some constitutional clause decrees that the President shall not ask the Vice President to send electors back to certain states for certification or clarification. The only reference to the Vice-Presidents role is in the Electoral College Clause (Article II, Section 1, Clause 3), which provides that the President of the Senate (The VP) shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted." Some self-anointed constitutional scholars, say that the VP has no discretion in the Electoral College count, and that his role is primarily ceremonial. In other words, they claim the VP can count, and nothing else. Thats their opinion. But a quick search of the Constitution reveals no reference to the word ceremonial. To the contrary, at least some evidence exists historically that the VPs role is more than ceremonial. In the 1960 election, after a razor-thin back-and-forth between Nixon and Kennedy in Hawaii, Hawaii sent two competing sets of electors to Washington. Upon receiving the competing slates, Vice President Nixon made a discretionary decision. Rather than freezing up, as Pence did, and claiming the Constitution didnt allow him to act, Nixon opened envelopes from competing electors, then presented both sets of Hawaiis electors to Congress, three for Kennedy and three for himself. He then moved that the Democrat slate be counted. In other words, Nixon served as judge over the count, even though the Constitution did not specifically address the procedure Nixon followed. By the way, nobody prosecuted the alternate electors from Hawaii, under some concocted bizarre Jack Smith-like legal theory. Both Nixon and Pence, and other VPs since 1877, operated under the Electoral Commission Act of 1877, passed after the contentious 1876 election between Rutherford Hayes and Samuel Tilden. The 1877 Act did not limit the VPs role only to something ceremonial, but instead, established a procedure for handling competing electors from each state. The Act established a special Electoral Commission with fifteen members, including five members from the Senate, five members from the House, and five Supreme Court Justices. Pence could have arguably sent disputed electors to that Commission. Instead, he acted as if he had no authority to do anything. After the 2020 Election, Congress amended the 1877 Act to declare that the VPs role is only ministerial in nature. But as President Trump has asked, if the VPs role were merely ministerial or ceremonial to begin with, why now pass a law declaring it ministerial? Back to Pences Im for the Constitution but Trump is not babblings, The Constitution is silent on whether Pence, prior to the count, could send electors back to the states for clarification. Pence didnt want to rock the boat. Thats on Pence. But Pence suggesting some clear-cut constitutional divide where he defended the Constitution, while Trump opposed it, is beyond disingenuous. Had Pence said, The President I simply disagreed on a legal interpretation, that would have been one thing. But to portray himself as a Constitutional Hero, and Trump as a villain, such exaggerated bombast undermines the faith that Pence so frequently claims to embrace. President Trump, like millions of Americans, questioned the election process. After all, six states Trump was winning reportedly shut down at 10 PM. In all those states, votes trickled in over the following days for Biden -- one of many major red flags from the 2020 election. Perhaps Pence should learn that defending the Constitution might mean not turning a blind eye, without question, to questionable circumstances that on the surface resemble rampant cheating. The courts have spoken, Pence and his RINO allies like to claim. But consider this: what court heard evidence on what we saw in the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, where election officials shut down, sent Republican poll watchers home at 10 PM, then pulled out pull long black boxes of ballots and ran them through counting machines with no Republican observers present? What court considered ballot-stuffed truckloads to the TGY Center in Detroit, in the dark, early morning hours, where Michigan, like Georgia and four other states, suddenly shut down at 10:00, with Trump winning big time? What court heard evidence shown in the documentary 2000 Mules, evidence on hundreds of thousands of ballots stuffed into drop boxes in the dark of the night, with nobody looking, without any identifiable chain-of-custody as to their source? The answer? Zero. Most courts found form-over-substance reasons to avoid election fraud cases, many citing standing as their reason for dismissal. Not even the Supreme Court, which 20 years earlier, in Bush v Gore, found that different counting procedures in different counties violated the 14th Amendments Equal Protection Clause, would touch this hot potato. Texas v. Pennsylvania in 2020, made Floridas hanging chad controversy look like a harmless Romper Room party. But SCOTUS wouldnt touch it. Trump had every right to ask questions. Perhaps Pence, if he were concerned about constitutional integrity, should have pushed a little harder, too. On that day, as Pence calls it, he seemed all too eager to pal it up with Nancy Pelosi, once the deed was done. Wallowing in bitterness from the realization that he couldnt get elected dogcatcher, Pence now aligns with the Anybody but Trump RINOs, alongside Bill Kristol, George F. Will, and Lincoln Project champagne-sippers like George Conway. Just be honest, Mike. You interpreted the law differently -- probably from fear -- to justify inaction. And thats your right. But youre no constitutional hero. So stop with the false bravado. Your newfound role of whining prevaricator doesnt suit you well. Don Brown, a former U.S. Navy JAG officer, is the author of the book Travesty of Justice: The Shocking Prosecution of Lieutenant Clint Lorance and CALL SIGN EXTORTION 17: The Shootdown of SEAL Team Six, and the author of 15 books on the United States Military, including three national bestsellers. He is one of four former JAG officers serving on the Lorance legal team. Lorance was pardoned by President Trump in November 2019. Brown is also a former military prosecutor, and a former Special Assistant United States Attorney. He can be reached at donbrownbooks@gmail.com and on Twitter @donbrownbooks. Image: Gage Skidmore Can you spare a few thousand square feet of land for a windmill? Well, maybe not you, but surely a farmer can, right? Or a rancher? Or a developer. Whats a few thousand square feet to a land baron? Some people with lots of land can spare that much, especially if the government will pay them a few grand for it. Maybe not you or me, but the other guy. Let him do it. America is a big country. Huge. It doesnt really sound like a few thousand square feet of land for a windmill would have a big impact on land usage in America. But now lets think about where they put windmills. They arent all on farmland but the majority are. They usually cant be on rock, because you have to be able to dig deep to sink those footings, to anchor a giant structure like this. They cant be in the middle of a forest, because you need a path to and from the windmill, for maintenance trucks and wiring. Thats a lot of tree coverage to clear, if its not already open. (see Olivia Murrays fascinating report on Scotlands efforts in this direction, here). Scottish government axes 16 million trees to clear the way for greener solutions And they need to be reasonably close to a regular road. So, for the most part, were talking about farmland. And there are plenty of farmers who are happy to sacrifice a few acres maybe more than a few - for a regular check from the government, or from the power company, or both. Let other farmers grow food for the world. These farmers will take the turbine cash, and have that much less planting and harvesting to worry about every season. And so it is that the 75,000-plus windmills in America today are primarily displacing tens of thousands of square feet of farmland, each yes, reportedly, usually at least several acres each. Permanently. We talk a lot about how inefficient windmills are, but do we really consider every step, every cost? Each one costs a mint to manufacture, usually in China. So they employ Chinese slave labor and pour money (usually heavily subsidized by the U.S. government) into the coffers of the politburo at Beijing. Then each one costs another mint to transport across the ocean by ship, then across the U.S. by truck and rail, using up sometimes scarce transportation space, to be assembled and installed, in an area of land accessible by a road (If there is no road, then such a road needs to be built, too). And then the power generated by the windmill has to be transferred into the electric grid, by power lines that werent there before (it was usually a farm before, after all), so that means the installation of new power lines from the road to that windmill. To every windmill. Then theres maintenance: all the crews who show up every month or two, to add another 60 gallons or so of lubricating oil, and mechanics who visit occasionally to fix whatevers broken and restart them, again and again. Dont forget the regular cleanup duty, as bits and pieces of the dozens or hundreds of birds, big and small - whove flown for the last time right into these industrial slicers, just because they made the foolish mistake of believing that the sky was theirs - have to be collected from the surrounding land to be disposed of. Finally, in the end, when each gargantuan turbine finally reaches the end of its life, crews have to disassemble these oil-and-blood-drenched concrete-and-steel hulks and transport them for burial in massive landfills (Theres no current way to efficiently recycle these things). Both the transportation to the landfill and the deposit therein will cost a tidy sum; you cant get away with retiring one of these things with just a gold-plated watch and a department luncheon. The minority of reporters and pundits who actually think about such things have talked for years about how each and every windmill costs so much to build, transport, and install, that once you disregard the generous government subsidies - it can never objectively produce as much energy or financial value as was expended in its creation. And we talk about the direct damage they do, in all the above side effects the cost of all these subsidies, the pollution of surrounding ground by oil and bird carcasses, the overwhelming of landfills when theyre retired, etc. But perhaps we dont talk enough about how much total farmland is being displaced in pursuit of the questionable goal of making Greta Thunberg stop yelling at us. The obvious footprint is the hundreds of square feet that the structure itself takes up. But theres so much more land to be committed nearby: an unplanted footprint wide enough for the massive blades to turn, a concrete sidewalk around it, often a parking lot for maintenance trucks and their portable cranes, room for nearby support outbuildings, a long access road connecting the windmill to the highway. In total, each wind turbine requires between five and twenty acres of land, occasionally even more, depending on location. Since they usually build these wind farms in groups of dozens of even hundreds of windmills, they can dominate the land usage in an area that was formerly dedicated entirely to farming. You cant plant and harvest over a windmill, or over its sidewalk or its parking lot, or over the access roads that now take over the area. What the installation of each windmill is really doing, frankly, is permanently taking millions of acres of American farmland out of service. Even after you retire a windmill, the subsidy money wont magically reappear, to dig up the foundation, rip up the concrete surrounding it, and tear up all these little access driveways. These cracking, useless driveways-to-nowhere will cover the footprint of a once working farm, rendering much of it unfarmable, forever. Multiply that by the hundreds of thousands of windmills that the Left wants the country to import and install, maybe millions even, in order to facilitate their insane dream of replacing efficient energy sources with this utterly destructive 14th century technology. The fact is undeniable. Even at a conservative estimate of ten acres per windmill, once there are hundreds of thousands of windmills, America will have permanently repurposed millions of acres away from agriculture. An inevitable byproduct of the transformation of our economy from oil, gas, coal and nuclear to windpower is a massive, permanent reduction in the production of American crops the food on which not just America but the world depends. The modern Left has chosen to feed their deranged fear of carbon dioxide over societys moral obligation to provide food for its people. This isnt a mere policy dispute, a disagreement between equally understandable theories. This is an evil choice. An evil prioritization. An evil policy. The Left, which now has an iron grip on our government, chooses eventual starvation, in the service of their warped goals of enriching Chinese slavemasters and serving an apocalyptic fear of the harmless gas that the entire animal kingdom has been uneventfully exhaling since the dawn of time. John F. Di Leo is a Chicagoland-based international transportation professional and consultant. A onetime Milwaukee County Republican Party chairman, he has been writing a regular column for Illinois Review since 2009. His book on vote fraud (The Tales of Little Pavel) and his political satires on the current administration (Evening Soup with Basement Joe, Volumes I and II) are available on Amazon. Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License On August 2, two days before Barack Obamas reported sixty-second birthday, the Jewish journal Tablet published an interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning civil rights historian David Garrow. Asking the questions and providing extensive commentary of his own was the well-traveled journalist David Samuels. Although Garrow is a progressive and Samuels something of a centrist, their evaluation of Obamas tenure in the White House borders on cruel. The exchange between the two deserves to be read in full. Rather than summarize that exchange, I will focus on a few key truths, both those they nailed and those that squirmed away. Most intriguing in the latter category are the questions about Obamas literary talents and about his birth. Garrows opinion matters. His 2017 bio, Rising Star. The Making of Barack Obama, is easily the boldest and most accurate of the Obama biographies. One thing Garrow and Samuels get right is their take on Obama as president. Says Garrow, I think even the fanboy journalists would acknowledge, under a little bit of pressure, that it ended up being an underwhelming, disappointing presidency. On the subject of race relations, Garrow does not equivocate: Theres no question in anybodys mind, that on that score, that scale, the presidency was a total failure. If anything, Samuels was harsher. Once a fan of Obama, Samuels slams his legacy: Americas emerging oligarchy cementing its grip instead of going bust. The rise of monopoly internet platforms. The normalization of government spying on Americans. Race relations going south. Skyrocketing inequality. The rise of Donald Trump. The birth of Russiagate. Says Samuels, It all happened with Obama in the White House, a man he derisively labels, the Magic Negro of the billionaire industrial complex. Both Samuels and Garrow lament as well the demise of American journalism. Writes Samuels in his introduction, Rising Star highlights a remarkable lack of curiosity on the part of mainstream reporters and institutions about a man who almost instantaneously was treated less like a politician and more like the idol of an inter-elite cult. At the same time the media were turning a blind eye to Obama, says Samuels, they spent years broadcasting fantasies about secret communications links between Trump Tower and the Kremlin. One symptom of this fantasy was the ready acceptance of the Steele dossier, packaged and sold on Obamas watch. From the get-go, says Garrow, I realized that Christopher Steeles shit was just complete crap. Obsessed with Trump and still smitten by Obama, the Washington press corps failed, says Samuels, to imagine, let alone report on, Obamas role in government. He believes that Obama is still the man in charge. He points out that Obamas continued residence in D.C. is an historical first for an ex-president. Then too, large parts of White House policymaking belong to Obama in that theyre staffed by his people, who worked for him and no doubt report back to him. More than once, Samuels looks to Garrow for affirmation on this point, but Garrow resists. He knows Obama too well. The number one thing about Barack this past five years is how completely hes vanished, says Garrow. He describes Obama as lazy and adds, He has no interest in building the Democratic Party as an institution And I dont think he had any truly deep, meaningful policy commitments other than the need to feel and to be perceived as victorious, as triumphant. Here, I tend to agree with Garrow. Obama is not a serious man, never was, more the Hirohito of the imperial left than a Tojo. Garrow calls Obama hollow. He paraphrases an intermediary who claimed Barack once said to him that the only two things he wanted were a valet and an airplane. Even Samuels cannot dismiss the possibility that Obama might very well be little more than a celebrity-obsessed would-be billionaire. To the surprise of many readers, the two reporters ventured into several journalistic no-go zones, one of which being Obamas sexual orientation. Garrow speaks candidly about a letter in which the young Obama repeatedly fantasizes about making love to men. As Garrow reports in the paperback version of Rising Star, Obama wrote to girlfriend Alex McNear that he viewed gay sex as an attempt to remove oneself from the present, a refusal perhaps to perpetuate the endless farce of earthly life. Obama continued, You see, I make love to men daily, but in the imagination. My mind is androgynous to a great extent and I hope to make it more so. In researching my 2020 book, Unmasking Obama, I reached out to Garrow for an explanation as to why this passage appeared in the paperback but not in the original. As Garrow told me and as he relates in the interview, he was able to access the original only after McNear sold her letters to Emory University. Obamas flirtation with homosexuality, perhaps ongoing, should have been big news when Garrow revealed these letters five years ago. Like so many details of Obamas life, however, the media have obliged Obama by suppressing an inconvenient story line. When alleged former lover and drug buddy, Larry Sinclair, planned a press conference in 2008, some leftist bloggers launched a petition drive to deny Sinclair a stage at the National Press Club. Others succeeded in getting Sinclair arrested by reporting him to authorities for an outstanding warrant. The mainstream media ignored the story altogether. In their conversation, Samuels and Garrow dance around another touchy subject, the unreality of Obamas literary genius. Samuels, for instance, describes Obamas letters to Alex McNear as poorly written. He says of Dreams, however, The whole books really good. Arguably, the letters are the best part of Obamas clunky pre-Dreams oeuvre, such as it was. His one great solo effort, an 1800-word piece on nuclear disarmament as a senior at Columbia, rivals Michelles misbegotten Princeton thesis for sheer awfulness. No paper trail traces Obamas rise from sophomoric student writer to literary star. In their conversation, neither Samuels nor Garrow addresses its absence. As a way of self-protection, Obama guards his journals as zealously as he has his LSAT scores. He doesnt want the writerliness challenged, Garrows tells Samuels. Its my story and Im sticking to it. The book is so fictionalized. Its so inaccurate. On the right, this comes as old news. In an October 2008 American Thinker article, Who Wrote Dreams from My Father, I made the same point -- Dreams was in no small part fabricated. In this same American Thinker article, I introduced another likelihood, namely that terrorist emeritus Bill Ayers played a major role in the crafting of Dreams. Ayers was a fabricator as well. He called his 2001 memoir, Fugitive Days, a memory book, one that deliberately blurs facts and changes identities and makes no claims at history. Obama learned from his mentor. In writing my own recently published memoir, Untenable: The True Story of White Ethnic Flight from Americas Cities, I felt no need to invent incidents, create composite characters, or shift timelines to make my point. Thats not postmodernism. Thats fraud. So is plagiarism. In his chapter on Kenya, Obama freely pilfered words, phrases, and even events from Kuki Gallmans 1994 memoir, African Nights. Garrow does not get into this, either in the conversation with Samuels or in his book. By October 2008, the textual evidence for Ayerss involvement in Dreams was strong. By the time of my 2011 book, Deconstructing Obama, it was overwhelming. In the interim, the apolitical mainstream biographer Christopher Andersen confirmed Ayerss role in his Obama-friendly 2009 book, Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage. Andersens sources in Obamas Hyde Park neighborhood told him that Obama, with book deadline looming, found himself deeply in debt and hopelessly blocked. At Michelles urging, he sought advice from his friend and Hyde Park neighbor Bill Ayers. Noting that Obama had already taped interviews with family and friends, Andersen elaborates, These oral histories, along with his partial manuscript and a trunkload of notes were given to Ayers. In Rising Star, Garrow put a lie to Obamas famous 2008 campaign canard that Ayers was just another guy in the neighborhood. According to Garrow, Barack and Michelle attended almost nightly dinners with Ayers and his wife Bernardine Dohrn, along with PLO supporter Rashidi Khalidi and his wife Mona. These dinners continued up until the time Obama ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004. Garrow, however, has blinded himself to Ayerss role in the composition of Dreams. Ayers is a skilled writer and editor. In his 2004 book, Resurrecting Empire, Khalidi gave credit where due. "First, chronologically and in other ways comes Bill Ayers, he wrote in the acknowledgements section. As a radical with tenure, Khalidi could afford to give Ayers the public strokes an aspiring politician could not. For all his virtues Garrow shares a flaw common to nearly all mainstream journalists, namely the failure to take seriously information generated by the conservative media. In Rising Star, Garrow fails to cite my Ayers-Obama thesis, even to discredit it. Christopher Andersen gets no mention in the text at all. He and I are relegated to the footnotes. Mine involves a poem that Obama wrote in college called Pop. Garrow writes, Most commentators presumed that Obama had written about his grandfather, Stan Dunham, not Frank Marshall Davis. Among the friendly commentators was New Yorker editor David Remnick. In his 2010 Obama biography, The Bridge, Remnick claims the poem clearly reflects Obamas relationship with his grandfather Stanley Dunham. No, the poem is not about Gramps. It clearly reflects the young Obamas inappropriate relationship with mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, a card-carrying member of the CPUSA, a pornographer, and a man Obama and his pals called Pop. Garrow implies the poem is about Davis, but he attributes that interpretation to unnamed hostile critics. In the footnotes, he identifies those critics as Paul Kengor, a Davis biographer and now the editor of the American Spectator, and yours truly, adding parenthetically, someone who is cited with the greatest reluctance. Ouch! Remnick was meaner still. In The Bridge, he dismisses my theory about Ayers as a mere twinkling in the Webs farthest lunatic orbit, calling it a racist insinuation, one with a particularly ugly pedigree. The Obama fanboys never weary of attributing racism to his critics. It remains the best way to silence high profile conservatives with careers to protect. Remnick, I should add, made a complete botch of Obamas first few years. In a book self-published before the 2008 election, conservative journalist Michael Patrick Leahy successfully deconstructed the sham romance that propped up, in Remnicks words, Obamas signature appeal: the use of the details of his own life as a reflection of a kind of multicultural ideal. These details were manufactured by Obama and his family and spread mindlessly by the likes of Remnick. Not until Garrow confirmed baby Obamas fatherless first year in Seattle did anyone in the mainstream media get the story straight. Not surprisingly, the touchiest of all subjects with Obama was the Kenyan Barack Obama. The attorney assigned to help protect Obamas literary legacy, Bob Bauer, told Garrow before the first of his three off-the-record interviews with the president, Whatever you do, dont ask him about his father. Bauer, a top gun from the Democrats go-to law firm, Perkins Coie, led the legal fight during the 2008 campaign against Democrat attorney Philip Berg. Berg had petitioned to see Obamas birth certificate. With that suit successfully quashed, Bauer was appointed White House counsel. I never paid much attention to birtherism for a large chunk of time, but I know I thought that they were making a mistake by not putting the actual birth certificate out there, says Garrow unprompted. And I think, in retrospect, theres no question that it was horrific political malpractice not to put the birth certificate out there ASAP. Why didnt they? Samuels asks. Responds Garrow unconvincingly, Because Barack was so deeply contemptuous. Samuels offers an even less convincing explanation as to why Obama might have invested so much time and resources in so gratuitous an act of resistance. If Garrow asked Bauer for clarity, his answer does not appear in this admittedly edited interview. Bauer was in a position to know. Finally I decided Id had enough, Obama writes of Donald Trumps challenge in his 2020 memoir, A Promised Land. I called in White House counsel Bob Bauer and told him to go ahead and obtain the long-form birth certificate from its home in a bound volume, somewhere deep in the bowels of the Hawaii Vital Records office. Bauer dispatched Obamas personal attorney Judith Corley, also of Perkins Coie, to secure two copies of the long form birth certificate. Obama went live on national TV in late April 2011 to address the birth certificate issue. The timing was strategic. Planning was well underway for the raid on Osama bin Ladens hideout. Less than a week after the announcement, Osama bin Laden was killed, and the birther controversy was deep-sixed along with him. It should be noted that the same law firm that retrieved the birth certificate commissioned the crap Steele dossier. For the record, Trump never said Obama was born in Kenya. He merely said Obama was hiding something. I believe he was, not the state of his birth, but the date of his birth, and thats a story for another day. Jack Cashills new book, Untenable: The True Story of White Ethnic Flight from Americas Cities, is available in all formats. Image: HarperCollins If you are a career criminal and looking to prosper without fear of the law, California is the place to migrate to. There is perhaps no other place in the U.S. or even in the world where criminals can flourish with such impunity. Videos of criminals ambling across departmental stores, casually picking items from shelves and leaving without paying no longer shock anyone. The employees and owners are usually left with no option but to stand and stare, because these thieves are usually armed and dangerous. It's probably not uncommon for thugs to assign themselves shops that they regularly and repeatedly target. This may seem darkly comedic, but it is actually most heartbreaking. It takes hard earned money to set up a shop and procure products to be sold. Casual pilferage is the destruction of livelihoods. The psychological trauma of being repeatedly robbed and potentially being a victim of violence is equally serious. The situation is so bad that law enforcement officials no longer bother to intervene. Even if they do intervene, liberal pro-crime judges release the thugs back on the streets where they are free to engage in criminal behavior. Recently, another video of another such shop being robbed gained fame on social media. The difference in this video is that the shopkeepers fought back. The extremist in Sacramento and their soft on crime position is forcing people to stand their ground. But here in my city ( Stockton Ca) everyone is fed up. Now lets watch how these store owners are treated for protecting themselves and their livelihood. pic.twitter.com/0hiPCCvFe8 Denise Aguilar (@InformedMama209) August 3, 2023 The incident occurred at a 7-Eleven outlet in Stockton, California back in July. In the video, a masked thug is seen rummaging through shelves in the shop, picking tobacco products and tossing them into a large garbage bin. The employee at the shop is heard trying to reason with the thug and warns him that a call will be made to law enforcement officials. The person video-recording the incident urges the shopkeeper not to intervene. "Just let him go. There ain't nothing you can do. They're not going to do nothing," he says before asking if the owner has insurance. As the robber tries to leave, a store employee grabs his arms and attempts to restrain him. The thief is heard threatening to shoot the employees at the shop. Next, the Sikh owner of the shop rushes towards the thug armed with a stick and repeatedly wallops him, delivering more than 20 blows. The thug seems stunned to receive punishment that too in California, where such behavior is rewarded. "That's called whoopin' your a--! Whoop his a--! Get him!" is what the person making the video is heard saying. Criminals being punished is a rare sight in California. A bit of shock from bystanders is natural. The rogue finally begs to be let go, and the shopkeeper and his assistant comply. They do not call the cops, but let him go, perhaps hoping a lesson has been learned. But it didn't end there; while walking out, the thief also asked for a soda for the road. To this, the bystander says, "What kind of s--- you telling me? You do this s--- and you want a soda? No, no, no. Get the f--- out, man." In a functioning society, the shop owners and their employees would have been felicitated for rising against lawless elements. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, they were doing the job that taxpayers pay law enforcement to do. Secondly, by giving the thug his deserved comeuppance, they probably deterred him from repeating a similar offense. But in California, things don't quite operate that way. KCRA-TV reported that Stockton police said they are investigating the "assault of a 7-Eleven robbery suspect by two workers." Police said that on July 28 at 3:41 A.M., a 7-Eleven worker reported the suspect threatening to shoot the clerk if he intervened and stealing several packs of cigarettes in a large garbage bag before fleeing. On July 29 at 12:27 A.M., a 7-Eleven worker reported the suspect demanding money at the store while simulating that he had a handgun. When the worker didn't comply, the suspect grabbed food items and put them in a garbage bag and fled, again. At some point later in the morning, the thug is believed to have returned to the store, police said, but this time, the employees took matters into their own hands. The walloping emanated out of frustration and fury that are typical when the common man faces repeated experiences of injustice. The Stockton police said they were unaware at the time of that attempted robbery and assault. But around 3:45 A.M., police joined members of the fire department in assisting a man who was requesting medical aid because of pain in his leg and shoulder. The man, who police now believe was the suspected 7-Eleven robber, had said he did not know if he was assaulted. Stockton police said witness video of the 7-Eleven robbery and assault has now linked all the investigations. They said that after their investigation concludes, they will forward the findings to the San Joaquin County district attorney for review. Another interesting fact is that the Stockton police station is located across the road from where the shop is located. Yet there seemed to be no fear in the thug's mind as he targeted the same shop on three occasions within a short period. This is very revealing about the state of affairs in California. So what could the outcome be? A CBS report and even the man who made the video seem to be alleging that the shopkeepers went overboard with their punishment of the thug. The report also mentions violations of the 7-Eleven policy and possible breaking of the law. The extremist in Sacramento and their soft on crime position is forcing people to stand their ground. But here in my city ( Stockton Ca) everyone is fed up. Now lets watch how these store owners are treated for protecting themselves and their livelihood. pic.twitter.com/0hiPCCvFe8 Denise Aguilar (@InformedMama209) August 3, 2023 Don't be too surprised if the shopkeepers are portrayed as villains. Don't be stunned if the shopkeepers are charged with assault and even a hate crime because the thug happens to be black. The criminal welfare system in California will simply not allow violence against robbers. In time, don't be too surprised if California defunds the police, schools, and hospitals, and transfers all of the funds to their criminal welfare system. Perhaps they build seven-star prisons for all their criminals with spas, IMAX cinemas, gourmet cuisine, etc. The "elites" in California have no reason to fear these thugs. They live in gated properties protected by armed bodyguards, and they travel in bombproof vehicles. They can virtue-signal all day while regular people such as the 7-Eleven outlet employees suffer. The silver lining for the shopkeepers, if they are charged, is that they will belong to the criminal class and hence will be protected by the system. Perhaps that is the last resort left for citizens, to take the law into their hands. When matters go haywire, it is worth revisiting the fundamentals. Democracy is meaningless unless there is the maintenance of law and order. When the system of law and order devolves into a system that focuses on the interest of criminals, it gives rise to mobs and vigilantes. The disparity in the application of law is now a common occurrence across the U.S., the victims of this disparity range from the 7-Eleven shopkeepers to President Donald Trump. This is the slow but certain death of American democracy. Image: Twitter screen shot. The Supreme Court as recently as June 2023 ordered changes to a states congressional district map. Similarly, in Reynolds v. Sims (1964) the court ordered that state legislative districts must also be of roughly equal population. Voting rights are clearly an important right. At a minimum most would agree the Court was right to make states approximately equalize the population of US House districts and the districts of one house of bicameral state legislatures. What is also an important right, really a more important right than voting, is the right to life and liberty. The only way someone in the U.S. can lose this right to liberty is by due process of law. That is, one can lose his liberty only by trial by jury unless the accused requests a bench or judge trial or pleads guilty. The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees this right in federal criminal cases and the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees this right in state criminal proceedings. But as is the case that voting rights are watered down by gerrymandering of voting districts, so too is the right to a trial by a jury of ones peers lost when court districts and the resulting jury pool is 75%+ of one particular political view. This issue has been around since at least the 1990s and really the entirety of American history. At times jury bias has been racial, at times political and at times religious. The issue of the jury pool is coming to a head now most dramatically because of the Jan 6th cases, the Trump indictments, the nullification of D.C. juries in the cases brought by special prosecutor Durham and the rise of prosecutorial nullification by highly political prosecutors. This issue of jury pool bias may be made worse as people vote with their feet and move to jurisdictions where their political views are in the majority. We are at a point in the U.S. that everyone seems to recognize that Republicans cannot get a fair shake in a trial in places like D.C., Manhattan etc. At the very least, things are more difficult in some jurisdictions compared to others. Really, Congress and state legislators should act on this problem. Congress should pass a law combining the D.C. circuit with some other circuit at least for purposes of the jury pool, though the Jan 6th cases suggest that groupthink among judges in a particular courthouse can be a problem too. Of course, Congress probably wont act. Congress is not designed to act quickly, but people are having their rights trampled everyday around the U.S. States also may not act either, as politically the legislators may be fine with one standard of justice in, say, New York County (Manhattan) where the voter registration is about eight to one Democrat, another in Suffolk County (Long Island) where voter registration is about even and a third standard in Hamilton County (upstate) where the voter registration is almost three to one Republican, for example. Such different standards may help incumbents of both parties get reelected, but again, people are losing their liberty every day due to this unequal justice under the law. So we are back to the courts. Certainly, if one must face a politically biased jury, ones due process rights are being denied. The Court has already held that exclusion of potential jurors by race denies an accused of due process rights. Certainly, exclusion of potential jurors by drawing districts so that the jury pool consists only of registered Democrats is equally a denial of due process rights, particularly if one is a Republican. If there were only a few such cases, then change of venue motions could handle the problem. Appeals courts could just come down hard on D.C. or other judges who have not granted motions for changes of venue in cases of obviously biased jury pools. But as listed above, there are many high-profile cases in the D.C. venue and D.C. is hardly the only out-of-political-balance jurisdiction in the U.S. An added benefit of more balanced districts is it would be harder to elected nullifying prosecutors in states where these are elected. The Court needs to step up and defend equal justice under the law. Equal justice and the belief that one will be treated equally under the law is a one of the load-bearing pillars of society. Unequal justice, or even the perception of unequal justice, eats at the foundation of this pillar. James L. Swofford is a Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics, aFinance and Real Estate at the University of South Alabama. Image: Pexels, Zachary Caraway Muskegon, MI city clerk Ann Meisch is a hero. She noticed something odd about a woman dropping over 8,000 completed voter forms at the city clerk's office and did something about it. She made a phone call to the Muskegon Police Department and asked them to investigate. Then, according to an article by the Gateway Pundit, [o]n 10/21/20 First Lieutenant Mike Anderson was contacted by Tom Fabus, Chief of Investigations for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's Office. According to the MI State Police report, Mr. Fabus asked for Michigan State Police assistance with a joint investigation of alleged voter fraud being conducted by the Muskegon Police Department and the AG. An investigative task force was formed, and an investigation was initiated." Meisch, who has worked in city clerk offices for 33 years, noticed that "... in her opinion a quantity of the voter registration forms were highly suspicious and possibly fraudulent ... numerous forms appeared to have been completed by the same writer and upon initial examination, addresses on multiple forms were invalid or non-existent." The MI State Police investigator assigned to the case spoke with the female suspect who explained that she was being paid $1150/week "to find un-registered voters and provide them with a form so they can get registered to vote or obtain their absentee ballot." Information was sent to the FBI, which did nothing. "The FBI failed to follow-up on the alleged election crimes according to Michigan election investigator Phil O'Halloran ... the Election Integrity Chair of the Michigan Republican Party." The Michigan State Police continued to investigate and issued a report that detailed a widespread and well funded effort to create fake registrations and absentee ballot forms. It "names 'GBI Strategies' as the organization engaged in what O'Halloran claims is widespread, systemic voter fraud. The Tennessee group is heavily connected to the Biden campaign and various Democrat campaign committees." [T]he organization used rental cars around the state as part of its deployments, naming several of the field locations for their operations. On election night, a suspicious 3:30 AM van delivering the Biden Ballot Dump in Detroit at the facility formerly known as the TCF Center was accompanied by a vehicle registered to a rental car company. The information is documented in a video that is surprisingly still found on YouTube. Michigan State Senator Ruth Johnson, who is a former Secretary of State, told the Gateway Pundit: "My estimate is over 800,000 ballot applications were sent to non-qualified voters in Michigan, including many individuals who moved or died, and even some individuals who were underage or non-citizens. Many were sent to people who had moved out of state." These ballot applications, if turned back in, would cause a live ballot to then be sent to that address by the clerk. Both the ballot applications and the live ballots were not seriously checked for a 'signature match' because Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson purposefully advised clerks to illegally assume and presume the signatures were a match. The full police report can be found in the Gateway Pundit article. Image: J.M. Luijt I am a retired senior. My parents and I have lived through 47% of the time since 1776 when the country was founded, 54% including grandparents. At that time, the family was defined as a husband, wife, biological children, and extended family. Today many seniors had parents who experienced World Wars I and II, the Roaring '20s, the Great Depression, and Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal." Personally, I have memories of World War II and the Korean, Vietnam, and Iraq wars; civil and gay rights; and technology advancements. Together we have experienced 21 different presidents. Our family history is a cornerstone example of American citizenry, including Irish and German immigration. Families gained great wisdom and knowledge from life. They made a huge investment in their country, facing hardships and wars, and they kept the faith. Families have a history of uniting, and together they now realize our country is in serious trouble. A radical and corrupt government agenda has focused on changing the American family that we know and love. Families are an American institution because they offer support and security coupled with unconditional love. Parents almost always bring out the best in members. One lesson my parents taught me was that change will always come and impact values and beliefs. The "All-American Family" was identified in the 1950s. It was based around a secure life. Economic and global instability gave rise to the need for closely defined family units. This led to economic advancement and social order, longer marriages, more children, fewer divorces. Over the past half-century, the structure of the American family has undergone profound changes. The nuclear family, which at one point served as the unchallenged cultural ideal, has slowly been replaced with a more diverse set of social arrangements. Families must now adjust to changes in finances, marriage, society, job, children, education, and religious values. Families accept these challenges but are frightened by the current political changes affecting our society. Families see corrupt leadership, low integrity, ideologies like socialism, and the hatred of religion with its morality. Families replicate values, political attitudes, religion, caring, and protective responsibility. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, "The group consisting of mother, father and child is the main educational agency of mankind." Since our country's founding, parents and grandparents established who was responsible for the education of their children. In the early 1900s, mandatory public education began shifting certain functions into the public sector. For example, the U.S. Supreme Court in 1962 exercised its influence on religion with church/state issues. It did not stop there: activists continued seeking political control, forcing ideologies into our government. Marxist thinking would ensure that children would be educated by the state and not by their parents. Families are now being torn apart by elite government educators. One example: The National Education Association makes it clear that educators should ignore religious values and teach their own revisionist history, and even childhood sexual moral development and identity. It is difficult to find a Democrat political leader with qualities of faith, protection, caring, and patriotism who will support families. The Democrat party has produced progressive leaders who openly ignore the Constitution. They are at war with the family because they know it is a handy way to destroy American society. Families are joining together (Moms for America, for example) and fighting to protect their precious children, given to them by their Creator. The wisdom and knowledge derived from American family history will be a powerful antidote against these attacks. The family's centuries-old American roots will defeat these dysfunctional radicals. Families will be re-established as the center of the American experience. Image: Eric Ward. The fact that a seedy and unregulated Chinese-linked lab containing bioweapons can somehow operate right next door to a naval base in California undetected for months while the FBI simultaneously hunts down every single American that breathed near D.C.s capitol or mentioned anything about stolen elections on social media, makes even more sense in the context of Gavin Newsoms recent press releaseanti-American actors have friends in the highest of places. On August 3rd, Newsoms office announced that California had partnered with the Chinese province of Hainan to fight climate change. What a strange marriage, considering China remains the number one producer of CO2 in the world, and emits more than twice as much as the United States. The objective of the accord, signed by both Newsom and Hainans Vice Governor Chen Huaiyu, read: The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding is to establish a flexible framework between the Participants in order to permit them to collaborate on protecting the environment, combating climate change and advancing clean energy development. So what do those collaborative efforts look like? Among other things, the scheme iterates the implementation of carbon neutrality plans and the deployment of zero emission vehicles along with the phase-out of fossil fuel engines. Almost sounds like wartime language if you were to ask me; neutralizing carbon strikes a familiar chord with, You are the carbon they want to reduce. Furthermore, how do Newsom and Chen intend to coordinate their efforts? From the text: The Participants [California and Hainan] respectively designate the Hainan Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hainan Province, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hainan Province, the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Hainan Province, the Department of Education of Hainan Province, the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Hainan Province, the Department of Transport of Hainan Province, and the Hainan Provincial Administration for Financial Regulation, as well as the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Natural Resources Agency, in coordination with sister agencies such as the California State Transportation Agency, to establish the creation of an action plan to implement the objectives of this Memorandum of Understanding [emphasis added]. Eight state agencies from Hainan, from education to rural affairs to IT, and three California bureaus, designate[d] to enact the measures outlined in the MOU; California is acting like a sovereign nation, and after all, it has every right to. Obviously though, Newsoms political methods are nefarious in naturetightening ties with communist regimes is not in the best interest of the people. But why dont the Republican governors who rant against Joe Biden, a corrupt and rogue FBI, a tyrannical IRS, or any other federal abomination act like the executives they legally are? Why cant I buy incandescent light bulbs anymore? Well, because Kay Ivey wont stand up to the Department of Energy. Why do Texans have to deal with endless invaders and the fallout that inevitably accompanies the hordes? Because Greg Abbott wont defy the diktats of the Department of Homeland Security. Why do Tennesseeans seeking a tax haven still have to pay the federal pizzo? Because Bill Lee wont expel IRS agents and defend his borders against D.C. stormtroopers. Like the federal president, each governor is the top executive; therefore, each governor is bound to execute the law of his land, which at the root of it, is each state constitution, respectively. Alabama didnt ban incandescent light bulbs; a bunch of unelected bureaucrats did. Texas didnt erase the statutes on the books regarding the immigration process; Alejandro Mayorkas just has no respect for the rule of law. Tennessee didnt enact an unapportioned direct tax (in direct violation of Article I, Section 2), rather Abraham Lincoln and corrupted federal interests seized an opportunity to obliterate the prosperity and economic freedom envisioned by the Founders. Republican governors are playing into a system of a federal government supremacy over subject StatesI suspect its an orchestrated slow boiland its incompatible with the Unions original design. The created, or the federal government, is never greater than the creator, or the States. Image: John Trumbull, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Trump lied. He acted corruptly. He conspired to deprive the government of its rightful function. All of these claims in Jack Smith's new indictment depend on it being unreasonable to believe that the 2020 election was stolen. If, on the contrary, it's reasonable to believe that the election was stolen, then it's question-begging it's assuming what must be proved to claim that Trump lied about the election, and acted corruptly, and conspired to impede a key constitutional function of government. For obviously, if it's reasonable to believe that the election was stolen, a responsible politician will attempt to find out whether the election was legitimate before giving up his office to a potential election thief. In that sense, at least prior to January 6, Biden can be presumed to not be a potential election thief only if it's unreasonable to believe that the election was stolen. Is it in fact unreasonable? Well, that's what the court must decide. The court must decide between that extreme belief and the contrasting comparatively moderate belief that it's reasonable to believe that the election was stolen. Trump's lawyers will insist that the court address this fundamental issue, which is necessarily raised by the indictment itself, albeit implicitly, in its conceptual interstices. The court can't rightly avoid addressing the issue. Can the court peremptorily say, "The election wasn't stolen. End of subject"? Hardly! That would be stupefying begging of the question. Courts don't get to employ logical fallacies by stipulating them. (Ideally, they don't employ logical fallacies at all.) It's a logical fallacy to assume what must be proved, which in this case is whether it is reasonable to believe that the election was stolen. Everything else in the case proceeds from that. This is, so to speak, in the nature of the case. It goes with the territory. If it were, by contrast, unreasonable to believe that the election was stolen, then Merrick Garland's prosecutors could perhaps nail Trump on the grounds that he should have known better than to do the things he did following the election, such as acting "corruptly," "conspiring" to interfere with a government proceeding, and so on. But obviously, he can't have known better than to act on the basis of a reasonable belief much less under the circumstances of a nearing deadline (the January 6 certification by Congress, as per the Constitution's balance of powers framework no mere formality). Trump can't do what no one in the history of the world, or any possible world, can do. Even Martians must act on the basis of their reasonable beliefs; hopefully they aren't prosecuted for it. (One dreads to think what a Martian Jack Smith would look like.) The point is, we frequently do not know, in the sense of having knowledge (or justified true belief, in philosophical terminology), whether one side or the other of a conflicted or controversial state of affairs is true. Specifically, we do not know whether it is true that the election was stolen. We are therefore forced to act on the basis of what we are justified in believing. Clearly, this applies as much in the courtroom as in everyday life. Now, a reasonable belief is a pretty good proxy for a justified belief, and an unreasonable belief for a unjustified belief. There may be complicating factors familiar to philosophers, but this is the general situation. You can immediately see how that helps Trump. Since the government bears the burden of proof in a prosecution anyway, but more importantly because logic demands it in this kind of case, Jack Smith and his team must show that Trump was acting on the basis of an unreasonable belief that the election was stolen. It may indeed be reasonable to believe the election was not stolen even Trump, wearing his thinking cap, might admit as much while insisting that such a belief, however reasonable, is mistaken but Jack Smith can't rely on that, and even if he could, it wouldn't do him much good. For it implies that there may be a contrasting reasonable belief that the election was stolen, which Trump could of course assert on his behalf. What the suddenly hapless-seeming prosecutors must prove not beyond a reasonable doubt, but straightforwardly, in ordinary non-legalistic rationality is that it is unreasonable to believe the election was stolen. Logically, they must do this before they can even begin to make any salient points in the courtroom about Trump's culpability. So, front and center in a fair and non-question-begging trial will be the question: is it reasonable to believe the 2020 election was stolen, and why or why not? If the glove (of unreasonableness) don't fit, the jurors must acquit. Jack Smith doesn't get to assume, and make the jurors assume, that it's unreasonable to believe that the election was stolen. That's an extreme view, and he must prove it. (Beware, Jack: appealing to authority, which you will be sorely tempted to do, is another logical fallacy.) None of this, by the way, is about what is often called "the fact of reasonable disagreement" (or the fact of reasonable pluralism, in John Rawls's phrase). Reasonable moral disagreement involves conflicts of values. Reasonableness of belief, inherent in this trial, is not centrally a matter of values and value conflicts, but rather a matter of epistemology. Epistemology the theory of knowledge is about justification and truth. Ideally, these two things are joined at the hip. But sometimes we have one without the other (the "Gettier problem"). The relevance of this to the present controversy and the tribulations of Donald Trump is that, in this case, we can't have the truth of the matter, mainly because the government, including judges, didn't seriously investigate the election, as Trump wanted them to do. So truth that is, the truth of the matter about the election: was it stolen or not stolen? is forced to drop out of the political and legal equation. Justifiedness reasonableness of belief is all that matters. Jack Smith is in the unenviable position of having to prove that it is unreasonable to believe that the election was stolen. "Unenviable" is putting it mildly. If I'm not mistaken, Smith's new indictment has, in effect, given Trump a "get out of jail free" card. More than that, it will give Trump a chance to show the world that the 2020 election was not to put too fine a point on it dubious. A prediction: History will give Jack Smith the nickname "Unlucky Jack." And the moral of the story? It's twofold. First, beware of the insularity of your tribe. And second, if you would slay a king, be sure to kill him. Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. Irish writer Jonathan Swift purportedly said, "All government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery," so I'm demanding reparations, because I certainly do not consent to be "governed" by this gang of thieves. I'll also settle for a 1789 reset. Yesterday, Adam Schiff's office issued a press release to boast about the House member's newest (and maybe most asinine ever) legislative proposal, the PETSAFE Act. From the text: The bipartisan PETSAFE Act would establish a pilot grant program for mobile pet shelters for use during emergencies and major disasters helping pet owners temporarily shelter their pets during evacuations, providing transportation to safe locations, and reuniting pets with owners post-evacuation. (RINO alert for the Floridian readers here: the "bipartisan" support comes from your own Republican congressman Brian Mast, so it sounds like a primary challenger is in order.) What these legislators are proposing is literally taxpayer-funded doggie daycare. Read what Schiff said below: As Californians experience repeated evacuation orderspet owners face the heart-wrenching challenge of finding shelter for their beloved animal companions. Our legislation provides refuge for pets during evacuations, ensuring they are safely and swiftly reunited with their families once it is safe to return home. Families should not have to make the choice between their pets and finding safe shelter during times of crisis. This meme comes to mind: Public Service Announcement for statists: pic.twitter.com/PiaHgIWyvU Olivia Murray (@americaliv1) August 9, 2023 So what exactly do they mean when they say "pet"? Well, from the bill itself: ... an animal, including a dog, cat, bird, rodent, rabbit, or turtle, that is kept in the home as a companion animal rather than for commercial purposes. As with all things government (and the left), this is bound to spiral out of control that list of creatures sure doesn't sound finite, and "in the home" could be up for interpretation (especially when lawyers are involved), so what's to say someone can't have his horse, or elephant, receive "free" mobile pet-sitting? According to Dina Titus, the Democrat cosponsor from Nevada: Anyone affected by a major disaster knows that mandatory evacuations can mean uprooting the most important parts of your life. People are often reluctant to evacuate without their family's furry friends. This commonsense legislation would require FEMA to fund mobile pet shelters to keep animals safe in the midst of disruptive events and an already difficult time. Oh, dear there's that linguistic harbinger again, the word that reliably comes before the despotic overreach..."commonsense." Extorting me to pay for someone else's pet boarding bill is the farthest thing from sensical. With the present (digital) company excluded, I wonder: does anyone even read anymore? I mean, obviously, Schiff, Titus, and Mast have never read the Constitution, that much is clear nowhere, and I mean absolutely nowhere does the document allow for these lawmakers to take such gross license with their delegated power. And what about the common man? Does he read? It certainly doesn't seem so, because if he did, it's unlikely we'd be in the political predicament in which we now find ourselves. Thomas Jefferson, among others, explicitly foretold of the creep toward tyranny, away from a balance of power, and how to avoid such a disastrous scenario. Below is an excerpt from his Notes on the State of Virginia: All the powers of government, legislative, executive, and judiciary, result to the legislative body. The concentrating these in the same hands is precisely the definition of despotic government. It will be no alleviation that these powers will be exercised by a plurality of hands, and not by a single one. 173 despots would surely be as oppressive as one. ... An elective despotism was not the government we fought for; but one which should not only be founded on free principles, but in which the powers of government should be so divided and balanced among several bodies of magistracy, as that no one could transcend their legal limits, without being effectually checked and restrained by the others. ... Nor should our assembly be deluded by the integrity of their own purposes, and conclude that these unlimited powers will never be abused, because themselves are not disposed to abuse them. They should look forward to a time, and that not a distant one, when corruption in this, as in the country from which we derive our origin, will have seized the heads of government, and be spread by them through the body of the people.... Jefferson warned that relatively soon, "corruption" will have seized the heads of government" and "spread by them" through the "body of the people" also known as ... Congress. Image: DonkeyHotey, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, unaltered. Choi Gee-sung, right, former head of Samsung's now-disbanded control tower Future Strategy Office, and his former deputy, Chang Choong-ki, leave the Seoul Detention Center in Euiwang, Gyeonggi Province, after being released on parole in this March 2022 file photo. Yonhap Two former executives of Samsung Group, who were sentenced to prison in connection with an influence-peddling scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye, will not be included in the list of beneficiaries of upcoming presidential pardons, sources said Wednesday. President Yoon Suk Yeol has been considering granting special pardons to a number of people on the occasion of Aug. 15 Liberation Day. This would be the third time Yoon has granted presidential pardons since taking office in May last year. According to the sources, the justice ministry's review committee excluded Choi Gee-sung, a former head of Samsung's now-disbanded control tower Future Strategy Office, and his former deputy, Chang Choong-ki, from Liberation Day pardons in a meeting held earlier in the day. The two former Samsung executives were sentenced to prison terms in connection with a massive influence-peddling scandal that led to Park's ouster in 2016. Both were released from prison last year on parole. The committee made the decision reportedly because both are currently standing trial in a separate case involving the controversial 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates, Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries. An Chong-bum, a former senior presidential secretary for policy coordination under the Park administration, and former Second Vice Culture Minister Kim Chong were also not included. The committee also approved pardons for several big-name businesspeople, including Park Chan-koo, honorary chairman of Kumho Petrochemical Group, and Lee Joong-keun, founder of Booyoung Group. (Yonhap) Wall Street Journal U.K. bureau chief David Luhnow has noticed an interesting explanation for the boiling seas issue that has gotten the global warming crowd so excited, culled from the pages of the prestigious journal Science. Fascinating. Turns out ship pollution may have been helping keep the ocean cooler. Were changing the clouds. An unintended test of geoengineering is fueling record ocean warmth | Science | AAAS https://t.co/iTG1EVNh6n David Luhnow (@davidluhnow) August 8, 2023 Here is the passage, emphasis added: The Atlantic Ocean is running a fever. Waters off Florida have become a hot tub, bleaching the third-largest barrier reef in the world. Off the coast of Ireland, extreme heat was implicated in the mass death of seabirds. For years, the north Atlantic was warming more slowly than other parts of the world. But now it has caught up, and then some. Last month, the sea surface there surged to a record 25C nearly 1C warmer than the previous high, set in 2020 and temperatures haven't even peaked yet. "This year it's been crazy," says Tianle Yuan, an atmospheric physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The obvious and primary driver of this trend is society's emissions of greenhouse gases, which trap heat that the oceans steadily absorb. Another influence has been recent weather, especially stalled high-pressure systems that suppress cloud formation and allow the oceans to bake in the Sun. But researchers are now waking up to another factor, one that could be filed under the category of unintended consequences: disappearing clouds known as ship tracks. Regulations imposed in 2020 by the United Nations's International Maritime Organization (IMO) have cut ships' sulfur pollution by more than 80% and improved air quality worldwide. The reduction has also lessened the effect of sulfate particles in seeding and brightening the distinctive low-lying, reflective clouds that follow in the wake of ships and help cool the planet. The 2020 IMO rule "is a big natural experiment," says Duncan Watson-Parris, an atmospheric physicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "We're changing the clouds." So if it weren't for United Nationsimposed regulations on ship exhaust emissions, there'd actually be a cooler sea. They no doubt put out doom-and-gloom predictions if the rules weren't changed, called global shipping a big bad polluter, and by 2020 got their way on their imposed regulations, claiming to be the experts here. And as one researcher notes, it was effectively an experiment, since the U.N. didn't know what it was doing. Turns out someone was just taking a flying guess at what might make things better to please the science cocktail crowd and grants-givers, and ended up boiling the seas instead of stopping global warming. They effected climate change, just not the climate change they thought they would be getting. Maybe someone should be held accountable for this meddlesome one-size-fits-all on global shipping, which has surely driven up the cost of it and, along with it, consumer prices. But that's not how this crowd thinks. These people would like more regulations to be borne by companies and consumers, with consumers left holding the bag of cost, all to save the earth (and make themselves more powerful in the process). And when they make Larry Lightbulb "mistakes" like this, nobody gets fired for incompetence, or gets a bill from the shipping companies for the added costs. Maybe someone should remember this next time they try to impose another do-gooder regulation to save the planet. What's wrong with this picture? Update: See also Leslie Eastman at Legal Insurrection's post on the matter here. Image: European Space Agency via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 ISO. The year was 1845 and the Cooke's Royal Circus was in town. All of Great Yarmouth was brimming with excitement. The Cookes Royal Circus was a prominent traveling show that traces its origin back to the 1780s in Scotland under the leadership of Thomas Cooke. As the 19th century unfolded, the performing troupe journeyed extensively across Scotland and England, making stops in both major cities and smaller locales. While their expertise encompassed various disciplines like equestrian performances, numerous circus members displayed talents as acrobats, strongmen, and contortionists. At Great Yarmouth, the Cooke's Royal Circus promised a new tricka clown named Arthur Nelson would sail up the River Bure in a washtub pulled by four geese. Depiction of the collapse of the bridge in the Illustrated London News. On 2 May 1845, a large crowd gathered along the riverbanks and upon the suspension bridge to watch the feat. The bridge, constructed in 1829, initially spanned 63 feet, but its dimensions were later extended to 86 feet without consulting its designer, Joseph John Scoles. Furthermore, the bridge's width was expanded by two feet on each side, totaling four feet, to facilitate the passage of two carriages side by sidean alteration not originally part of the bridge's blueprint. Consequently, the bridge was already under strain when a crowd of around 300 to 400 onlookers climbed atop to get a better view of the proceedings in the river below. The clown began his feat on the flood tide, and as he drew nearer to his destination, the crowd rushed towards the south-eastern corner of the bridge. An audible crack marked the failure of one of the rods, followed by the snapping of chains, resulting in the entire south side of the deck collapsing into the river. Panic erupted among the horrified witnesses as they endeavored to aid those struggling to reach safety. Some managed to scramble ashore independently, while boats swiftly joined the rescue operation, retrieving both the injured and deceased from the water. Many of the victims were children who were standing against the parapet railing and were crushed against it by the weight of those behind them. A poster advertising Nelson's stunt. The injured were taken to nearby houses and pubs, and an urgent appeal was issued for medical personnel throughout the town to attend to the survivors. Some 75 bodies were recovered on the day of the accident, though some remained trapped in the wreckage of the bridge. In total, the disaster claimed the lives of 79 individuals, among whom 59 were children. Most of the deceased were under the age of 13, with the youngest casualty being merely two years old. An official enquiry was conducted to determine the cause of the accident, headed by James Walker, former president of the Institution of Civil Engineers. The commission determined that a welding defect was responsible for the tragedy. Additionally, the commission denounced both the subpar materials and labor employed in the bridge's construction, asserting that they did not meet the standards stipulated in the original contractual agreement. In a separate investigation led by William Thorold, an engineer from Norwich, partial blame was placed on the decision to widen the bridge's deck, as well as on the substandard quality of the suspension chain. Thorold's findings aligned with Walker's conclusions, highlighting the imperfect quality of the welding on the scarf joint, which ultimately led to the bridge's collapse. In 2013, to mark the 168th anniversary of the disaster, a granite memorial was erected near the site of the accident to remember the lives that were lost. Photo credit: Happy Snapper/Flickr A couple of days back, Samsung released the August 2023 security update for the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 4, and Galaxy Z Flip 3 in the US. It has now expanded the rollout to cover more foldable smartphones. The Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Fold 2, and Galaxy Z Flip 5G are also now receiving the latest security patch stateside. Like the previous three models, Samsung is initially only covering factory-unlocked units of these foldables with the August SMR (Security Maintenance Release). The update for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes with the firmware build number F926U1UES4FWG7. The official changelog supplied by the company confirms that the latest firmware release doesnt bring anything more than this months security fixes (more on that later). Advertisement Advertisement Its the same story for the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Galaxy Z Flip 5G as well. Unlocked variants of these 2020 foldables are receiving the August update with build numbers F916U1UES4JWG6 and F707U1UES6HWG7, respectively. Once again, the official changelog has only one pointer. The devices are picking up the security fixes that are part of this months SMR from Samsung. Its a fairly big security release, though. The Korean firms updated monthly bulletin reveals that Galaxy devices are getting fixes for more than 80 vulnerabilities this month. As usual, the majority (over 50) of those are Android OS patches coming from Google and partner vendors, with Google confirming two critical fixes. The remaining 30-odd patches (at least one critical fix) are Galaxy-specific and come directly from Samsung. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is also getting the August update in other markets With the latest expansion, Samsung has pushed the August SMR to all of its eligible foldables in the US, except for the newly launched Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5. However, only one of them has received the update in international markets. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is picking up the new security patch in Latin America, where the new build number is F926BXXS5EWG7. The changelog remains unchanged, though. Samsung will gradually push the August SMR to its foldable smartphones in more markets in the coming days. It will also expand the release to cover other phones and tablets. The company has already updated the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S22, Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy A54 5G, and a few others to the August security patch in some regions, but the likes of Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S20 are still waiting for it. We will let you know when the rollout begins for these phones. In some regions, Googles 25th-anniversary celebration is already on the way. This silver jubilee celebration brings lots of goodies for fans in these parts of the world. In countries like Japan, Google offers shoppers up to a 25% discount on purchases from their official stores. For now, this discount offer in celebration of Googles 25th anniversary is not available in all regions. However, the company has little way to help fans engage in the celebration while waiting on the discount offer. Those in other regions can join this celebration by using the new wallpapers that Google has made available for fans. Advertisement Advertisement These wallpapers are available to all and not just Google fans in Japan, so all can make use of them. While the wallpapers are Google Pixel-themed entries, they are still applicable on any device. 25 years is a long time in existence, and you might want to join in on the celebration, heres how you can get the wallpapers. Celebrate Googles 25th anniversary with themed wallpapers and lots more There are two wallpapers available for the celebration of Googles Silver Jubilee. Both wallpapers have the same design but differ in terms of colours. This will appeal to fans with different tastes, with some appreciating the more subtle look and others going for the bold wallpaper option. While sticking to the same design on the two wallpapers, Google uses a bold outline on one and a more subtle appearance for the other. The first wallpaper comes with bold black outlines around all the drawings. All the drawings on the first wallpaper lack individual colours, however, in the background lies the four Google colours. As for the second wallpaper, it comes with a more subtle outline for all drawings. In place of the black outlines, Google uses four colours, one for each drawing. The majority of the artwork stays the same, but Google adds some elements to the second wallpaper and removes some found on the first. To get these wallpapers, you can head over to the Made By Google Japanese official website. By scrolling towards the end of the page, fans will be able to find these wallpapers available for download. In the coming days, Google might also extend its discount offers to other regions in celebration of its 25th anniversary. This is 25 years of creating and innovating technology for consumer benefit. Part of the achievements during this time frame includes Google Search, Pixel, various smart home products, and AI advancements just to mention a few. This Silver Jubilee is worth celebrating, and Google might be cooking something special. Google is evading another antitrust lawsuit after a US district court judge dropped most of the Department of Justice (DOJ) allegations against the company. This could be a great win for Google amid numerous antitrust lawsuits that targeted the tech giant for its anti-competitive practices. Filing antitrust lawsuits against big tech companies has significantly increased in recent years. Government agencies and NGOs believe these companies are using their power to manipulate the market and eliminate their rivals. This behavior results in a monopoly that no other company can ever threaten. One of these lawsuits was filed in 2020 by the DOJ and a group of 38 state attorneys general against Google. Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit accused Google of involving in anti-competitive practices to reduce visitors to competitors websites. For example, the lawsuit stated that Googles search engine deliberately minimizes the visibility of competitors like Yelp, Expedia, and Tripadvisor. A US district court judge dismisses most allegations DOJ made against Google According to Judge Amit Mehtas ruling, the proof provided by the plaintiff against Google relies not on evidence but almost entirely on the opinion and speculation of its expert. Another DOJ allegation the judge dropped was related to the agreements between Google, developers, and Android phone manufacturers. Kent Walker, Googles president of global affairs and chief legal officer, appreciated the judges decision to abandon the case. He also claimed Google services are legal and pro-competitive. Of course, the DOJ has filed another lawsuit against Google for its online advertisement market practices. Google has always been accused of having a monopoly in the online ad market and making efforts to eliminate its ad technology rivals. Google and the DOJ will face off in court on September 12. The tech giant will have an easier job defending itself in the trial. However, some key allegations against Google still remained in place, including making Google the default search engine on mobile browsers. Judge considered this as a violation of antitrust policies. Samsung offers a bunch of optional accessories for its newly launched flagship tablet series, the Galaxy Tab S9. If youre not familiar with them or unsure which one to pick, the company has just released a short promo video showcasing several accessories. The video showcases the standard and slim Book Cover Keyboard, Smart Book Cover, Outdoor Cover, Notepaper Screen, and Privacy Screen. The standard Book Cover Keyboard is a detachable keyboard accessory that comes with a sizable trackpad and a separate back cover with a stand. It supports up to a 150-degree viewing angle, while you can simply detach the keyboard and only use the back cover to extend your viewing angle. It also offers Wireless Keyboard Sharing, allowing you to type on compatible Galaxy smartphones. Advertisement Advertisement This keyboard accessory is priced at $200 for the vanilla Galaxy Tab S9, $230 for the Plus, and $350 for the Ultra. If these prices are a bit too much for you, the Slim version is available at $140, $160, and $200, respectively. It lacks a trackpad but offers pretty much everything else, including an attached back cover and Wireless Keyboard Sharing. Samsung offers these keyboard accessories in Black only. If you dont want a keyboard but a sturdy stand to go hands-free while watching videos or reading on your Galaxy Tab S9, the Smart Book Cover can hold the tablet in both portrait and landscape modes. It also offers protection to the tablets back panel. Samsung has priced this accessory at $80, $90, and $100 for the three models, respectively. You can buy it in either White or Black. The Outdoor Cover, meanwhile, offers military-grade (MIL-STD 810G-516.7) toughness to protect your tablet from drops and bumps. It also comes with a stand, which doubles as a grip for carrying the device around. Samsung has only made this cover for the vanilla Galaxy Tab S9 ($60) and Galaxy Tab S9+ ($70). It is available in Titan color. Samsung also has screen accessories for the Galaxy Tab S9 series Galaxy Tab S9 buyers can also pick a couple of screen accessories. Firstly, theres the Notepaper Screen Panel that makes writing or drawing with the S Pen on your tablet as smooth and satisfying as using pen and paper. People who heavily use the S Pen may find it handy. This accessory will set you back by $45, $50, or $55, depending on your Galaxy Tab S9 model. Last but not least, Samsung offers a Privacy Screen Panel that does precisely what its name suggests. It restricts the viewing angle to about 30 degrees in landscape mode, blocking people around you from seeing what you are doing on your Galaxy Tab S9s screen. It costs $60, $65, and $70, respectively for the vanilla, Plus, and Ultra models. All of these accessories are now available to buy from Samsungs official website. Qualcomm seems to have finalized deals with TSMC and Samsung for the manufacturing of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which will be its first 3nm chip. Noted TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested this in a recent Medium post. Kuo said that the American chip firm has already cooperated with the two foundry giants for the production of its 2024 flagship processor. After having its flagship chips manufactured by Samsung for a few years, Qualcomm switched to TSMC last year because of the formers poor yield rates. The Taiwanese firm manufactured the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in 2022. It will also produce this years Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. While TSMC is ready with its 3nm process node, Qualcomm is sticking to 4nm to keep manufacturing costs down. Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Samsung has improved its advanced semiconductor yield rates in recent months. It is reportedly now on par with TSMC, if not better. As such, Qualcomm is going back to the Korean firm next year. It isnt giving Samsung the entire manufacturing contract for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, though. If rumors are anything to go by, TSMC will manufacture the standard version while Samsung will manufacture the for Galaxy version for its smartphones. Its worth noting that dual sourcing requires more resources working on the same chip for two different foundries. In the case of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, things get even more difficult. While TSMC is sticking to the old-school FinFET transistor architecture for its 3nm solutions, Samsung is switching to the more advanced GAA architecture. So Qualcomm, which recently laid off over 400 employees, will need to efficiently manage its resources. The company has freed up some resources by stopping chip development for Intels 20A node, which is reportedly equivalent to TSMCs 3nm node. So that might help. Meanwhile, Qualcomms decision has put Intels plans for 18A R&D and mass production in jeopardy. The analyst said these plans are now a higher level of uncertainty and risk. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will power Samsungs Galaxy S25 flagships The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will debut at the end of 2024. It will power flagship Android smartphones in 2025, including Samsungs Galaxy S25 series. The Korean firm will use the for Galaxy version manufactured in-house. It may not ship the phones with the Snapdragon chip globally though. Some markets may get an Exynos processor. Samsung is rumored to bring back Exynos as early as next year. The Galaxy S24 series will ship with the Exynos 2400 in Europe, select parts of Asia, and a few other regions. Hopefully, the recent improvements may have addressed all the problems Samsung Foundry has had in the past. Otherwise, the company might have a hard time convincing people to buy Exynos-powered Galaxy flagships. A trusted source has just confirmed one of Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra cameras. This information comes from Ice Universe, who shared the info via Twitter. He talked about the telephoto camera on the device. One of Galaxy S24 Ultra cameras gets confirmed early Ice Universe says that Samsung plans to use a 50MP telephoto camera, with 3x optical zoom. As a reminder, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. Advertisement Advertisement That is basically all the info he shared this time around. We presume that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will include four cameras on the back, though, just like its predecessor. This telephoto camera will be just one of two telephoto cameras back there. The other camera will be the periscope telephoto camera with more zoom prowess. The one on the Galaxy S23 Ultra offers 10x optical zoom, and its possible that will transfer to the Galaxy S24 Ultra too. The other two cameras will be the main one (wide-angle one), which is expected to be the same 200MP one used on the S23 Ultra. In regards to the fourth camera, it will likely be an ultrawide one, but we still dont know the details. The device will launch in the first quarter of next year Samsung will almost certainly announce the Galaxy S24 Ultra in the first quarter of next year. The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ are also expected to arrive alongside the Ultra model. Rumors regarding all three phones are popping up already, though things could change by the time they launch. Its still quite early for details regarding those devices. Were sure plenty more info will surface in the coming months, though, as its usually the case when it comes to Samsungs Galaxy S series. Some rumors even claim that Samsung plans for an Exynos SoC comeback, so some Galaxy S24 models could include it (in some regions). Well see. In this day and age of social media, regulating underage users and preventing them from harmful content is one of the biggest issues for many tech companies. Now, in a recent development, Snapchat has reportedly found itself in hot water with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), the UKs regulatory body for data protection, over alleged mismanagement and inadequate measures to expel underage users from its platform. This investigation follows Snapchats report in March 2023, where they disclosed the removal of a relatively small number of users under the age of 13. While the companys efforts are commendable, another report from the UK media regulator Ofcom suggested that the number of underage users on Snapchat was actually in the thousands. This not only questions the platforms ability to handle children appropriately but also brings to light the legal requirement, according to UK data protection laws, for parental consent when processing data of children under 13 years old. Advertisement Advertisement Snapchat users as young as 11 and 12 are talking to Childline about how they are sending nude images and communicating with adults on the platform. It is vital we see stronger action to ensure young children are not using the platform and older children are being kept safe from harm, said Richard Collard, associate head of child safety online for the NSPCC. Gathering information As part of its standard procedures, the ICO has initiated the preliminary phase of data collection before formally launching an investigation. In this stage, the ICO will issue information notices, which are formal requests for internal data. However, if found guilty, the potential consequences could be substantial, as Snap might be liable to pay a fine of 4% of its global annual turnover, approximately $184 million, based on the companys recent financial results. Snapchats requirements While Snapchat has not yet released an official statement, a spokesperson from Snap Inc. has expressed alignment with the ICOs goal of creating age-appropriate digital platforms. Additionally, the spokesperson also emphasized the companys shared commitment to the principles outlined in the Childrens Code and highlighted the ongoing productive dialogues with the ICO to collaboratively address these concerns. X, the social media app that we previously called Twitter, has an interesting new feature in the works. It is readying the ability to sort posts on user profiles. While you normally see the most recent posts at the top, the new feature will allow you to sort them by likes or engagements. The upcoming feature was announced recently by Andrea Conway, a designer at X. Screenshots posted on the platform show you will be able to sort posts by tapping the Posts tab on profiles. The company seems to be working on three different views currently: Most recent, Most liked, and Most engaged with. The first option will probably be the default. Advertisement Advertisement Conway suggested that the feature is still in development and may look different by the time it rolls out to users. Baby steps, the X designer replied when someone suggested that a time frame would be a nice addition. Users will be able to sort posts by most likes or engagements from the past week or month. It may sometimes be pointless if top posts are from a long time back. This feature shouldnt affect the pinning option that users have. It allows them to highlight their most important post at the top of the chronological feed. Sorting posts should still keep the pinned post at the top. Meanwhile, X already sorts posts by engagements when youre logged out. Visit any profile without logging in and youll see their top posts at the top, rather than the most recent ones. So it appears to be an ongoing work for a while. X will also let you sort comments X is also working on a sorting feature for comments, Conway confirmed. Unfortunately, we dont have estimated launch timelines for either feature. But the good news is that the company has been rushing to release experimental features ever since Elon Musk took it over last year. So we might get the sorting feature soon. We will let you know as soon as we have more information. Amid these interesting developments at X, Musk is preparing to take on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a cage fight. The tech billionaires are expected to announce a date for the fight this week. Musk recently said that the face-off will be live-streamed on X with the proceeds going to charity for veterans. Zuckerberg, meanwhile, cheekily suggested using a more reliable platform to raise money. It remains to be seen if they do fight or were bluffing all along. This photo provided by Gyeonggi Disaster and Safety Headquarters shows a building under construction in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, whose top floor collapsed, burying two workers and injuring five others, Aug. 9. Yonhap Two workers died and four others were injured after the top floor of a building under construction in Anseong collapsed Wednesday, authorities said. The uppermost level of the nine-story building in Anseong, 64 kilometers southeast of Seoul, collapsed onto the floor below at 11:49 a.m., the rescue authorities said. Two Vietnamese workers in their 20s and 30s were initially trapped under the debris. They were recovered while in a state of cardiac arrest but succumbed to their injuries later, they said. Four other injured workers were treated at an improvised medical center set up at the accident site. Authorities initially said five were injured, but revised the number to four. Firefighting authorities deployed 52 personnel to respond to the incident. Police plan to investigate the cause of the accident and whether the involved company and workers adhered to safety rules. The building has a total floor area of about 14,000 square meters, spanning from the second basement level to the ninth level above ground. Construction began at the end of February and was scheduled for completion by late May 2024. (Yonhap) Xiaomi has officially announced the launch date of its next-gen foldable smartphone. The Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 will launch on August 14, in China. The press event will kick off on August 14. The Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 gets a launch date, its coming on August 14 Were still not sure whether this device will see a global launch, though. The first two models did not, but this one might have, though rumors are claiming it will not. Well have to wait and see. Xiaomi probably wont mention anything during the event, but who knows, the company may surprise us. Advertisement Advertisement Having said that, Xiaomi also shared an official teaser video along with this confirmation. You can check out the video by clicking here. If not, weve included some screenshots from that video in the gallery below. All the things you should know are visible in those screenshots. Parts of the phone are shown here. You can clearly see that it will be extremely thin, and that its flat sides will have chamfered edges. Its hinge is also shown here, as is its rear camera setup. It will include four cameras on the back, backed by Leica The Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 will have four cameras on the back, which will be backed by Leica. If we had to guess, wed say that the main, wide-angle camera will be backed by an ultrawide unit, a telephoto camera, and a periscope telephoto camera. Based on rumors, one telephoto camera will offer a 3.2x optical zoom, while the periscope one will support a 5x optical zoom. The phone is also said to be using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. Its main display will allegedly measure 8.02 inches, while the cover display will measure 6.5 inches. Both displays will offer a 120Hz refresh rate. Xiaomi will also utilize LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage. 67W wired and 50W wireless charging was also mentioned in rumors. Android 13 will come pre-installed on the device, with Xiaomis skin included on top of it. SMS may not be nearly as popular as it used to be, but many people still use it. Its still quite essential in a number of ways, and theres a reason why it survived for so long. In some regions, its used more than in others, but many people still use it. If youre using SMS often, chances are you want a really good app to provide you with everything you need. Well, thats why were here. Down below, youll find a list of 10 apps, 10 best SMS apps, to be exact. Do note that these are only our pics, as there are tons of great SMS apps available in the Play Store (do note that theyre not all replacement for your SMS app, though). If youre one to use SMS more than an instant messaging app, then youre in the right place. Well, Google Messages serves as both, thanks to RCS, but thats a whole different story. In any case, youll find quite a bit of information about each of the apps weve listed, so read on if youre interested. Advertisement Advertisement Best SMS Android apps 2023 downloads Below is a little more information on each app, and a direct link for easy downloading. All download links go to the apps Google Play Store listing. Users are always recommended to download apps from Google Play or an authorized app store. Messages by Google Price: Free to download In-app purchases: No Size: Varies with device Google Play rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars As many of you know, Google has its own SMS app, and its called Messages by Google. This is probably the best choice for all users for one simple reason, its quite straightforward and easy to use. Its not packed with unnecessary features or anything of the sort. On top of that, it looks really nice as well, in line with other Google-made products. That being said, Messages by Google is much more than a simple SMS app. This application also serves as your RCS tool. RCS is expected to completely replace SMS at some point, and you can get a taste of it thanks to this app. It enables this app to functions similarly to iMessage, in a way. Once you enable RCS, the app will let you know if its sending a message in form of an SMS message, or an instant message via the web. Thats basically what RCS enables. If the contact youre sending a message to has RCS enabled as well, hes going to be able to receive images, videos, GIFs, etc, all via the Internet. Advertisement Download Messages by Google Textra SMS Price: Free to download In-app purchases: $6.49 Size: Varies with device Google Play rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars Textra is one of the best-looking SMS apps for Android, and one of the most feature-rich ones. This app also performs really well, and it offers tons of customization options for you. You can choose from various different themes, and fine-tune them as well. You can, for example, choose different bubble styles and colors, which is not something many SMS applications enable you to do. If you want, you can also stop SMS messages as the app is sending them, while the slide-to-delete option is also included, and the same goes for the slide-to-call option. The quick reply SMS popup is also an option here, while there are 21 text sizes you can choose from. Various font options are at your disposal, and the same goes for the message blocker. You can pin your conversations to the top of the list, and much more. Download Textra SMS chomp SMS Price: Free to download In-app purchases: $6.49 Size: Varies with device Google Play rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars chomp SMS has been an extremely popular app for Android for quite some time now. The best of all, the app did not deteriorate with time, it only got better. Its now one of the best-looking SMS apps for Android, mainly due to its simplicity. The apps design is quite simple, and yet it seems refined. Delicious, the developer behind the app, did not complicate things unnecessarily here. Advertisement It does look quite simple, and yet it offers you a lot of customizability options. You can customize the screen color, font style, text size, and even the background wallpaper. The app allows you to pin your favorite conversations to the top, while you can also backup your SMS messages from within the app. The SMS blocker option is included, and the app even allows you to use signatures. Weve only scratched the surface here. Download chomp SMS Pulse SMS Price: Free to download In-app purchases: $0.99-$99.99 Size: Varies with device Google Play rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars If you send a lot of SMS messages while youre sitting at your desk, working, why not do it from your desktop computer? Well, Pulse SMS is not the only app that enables this, but it does offer a great experience while you do it. Thats not the only feature this app offers, not even close. Theres quite a long list of them, and well mention some. First and foremost, this is one of the best-looking SMS apps out there. The animations are extremely fluid, and its just an enjoyable experience overall. There are some customization options here, while you can password-protect private conversations. Automatic message backup and restore is possible with a Pulse account, while you can blacklist spammers with ease. The app does come with dual SIM support, while it also supports delayed sending. Advertisement Download Pulse SMS Handcent Next SMS Price: Free to download In-app purchases: $0.49-$39.99 Size: Varies with device Google Play rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars Handcent has been around for a long, long time. The apps latest big iteration brought some much-needed design changes, and it actually looks really sleek now. This app is excellent for theming, as it offers tons of options. You can change the colors, bubble styles, fonts, and much more. Its possible to can change the look of this app to the extreme, and thats not an exaggeration at all. You can set ringtones for specific notifications, while the app allows you to change LED colors, and vibration patterns as well. There are tons of stickers and emojis at your disposal, while the app comes with full Wear OS support. Handcent also allows you to text from your desktop computer, if thats a feature that you need Free cloud backup is included, and much much more. Download Handcent Next SMS GO SMS Pro Price: Free to download In-app purchases: $0.99-$200 Size: Varies with device Google Play rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars Go SMS Pro is yet another app which allows for extreme customization options. This is also one of the most popular third-party SMS apps. In fact, GO SMS Pro can be a bit overwhelming if youre not interested in fine-tuning your experience, thats how many features it has. You can alter the look of your conversations to the max, as shown in an image above. The app does support dual SIM devices as well. Advertisement You can sticky conversations, which essentially means you can pin them. Theres a private box for encrypting messages, while delayed sending is also supported SMS blocker feature is supported for pesky spammers, and the app also has a pop up menu for new messages, and you can customize it. These are only some features this app offers. The app is free to use, but there are tons of in-app purchases you can access. Download GO SMS Pro Mood Messenger Price: Free to download In-app purchases: $0.99-$14.99 Size: Varies with device Google Play rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars If you love using emojis, Mood Messenger is an app you should try. There are tons of animated emojis available here, iOS, Android or Emoji One style emojis. That is not this apps main feature, though, of course. This app also offers that simple, clean design that people seem to love. It does come with a dark mode as well, as does pretty much every app on this list well, the vast majority of them. Mood Messenger does offer you an option of changing fonts and text size, while you can choose between 100 different themes. Changing backgrounds is also an option here, while you can alter bubble shapes and colors too. If you love having full control over notification options, youre in luck. Mood Messenger allows for customizing LED colors, sounds, vibration, and much more. Advertisement Download Mood Messenger YAATA Price: Free to download In-app purchases: $1-$100 Size: Varies with device Google Play rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars If youre looking for a really simple, and yet reliable app, that wont bother with tons of features you wont use well, YAATA is a good option. This app may not be as popular as other options on the list, but it sure is good. Also, it does offer quite a few features, but it doesnt go overboard. You can choose between three quick reply styles here, and set custom vibrations as well. Notification-related customization options are also available, such as ringtones, LED notification light controls, and so on. You can also change swipe actions in the notification shade, if the default ones dont work for you. The apps layout is really nice as well, and you can choose between light and dark variants. A Premium subscription does bring quite a few additional features to the table, if thats something you need. Download YAATA Auto Text Price: Free to download In-app purchases: $1.99-$64.99 Size: Varies with device Google Play rating: 3.9 out of 5 stars Auto Text is not exactly a replacement for your default SMS app. This is an app that enriches your SMS experience, though, an app that you can use in addition to your general SMS application. So, what does this app do, exactly? Well, it allows you to schedule your SMS messages. You can schedule it to go at a specific time, so that you dont have to do it manually. This is a very useful feature for some, and very few apps offer it. In addition to that, the app can auto-reply to a call, SMS, WhatsApp message, and more. You can even set recurring SMS options, if you want. One message can even be scheduled to go out to multiple recipients. All in all, it has proven to be a very useful app to me, at times, and if you need features such as these, the app works really well. The design is also really simple, by the way, which is a good thing. Download Auto Text Super Backup & Restore Price: Free to download In-app purchases: $1.99 Size: Varies with device Google Play rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars Many of us have tons of SMS messages on our phones, and dont want to lose them. Well, theres a way to avoid that, as the Super Backup & Restore app will make sure of it. This is a very powerful app for backing up and restoring your SMS messages, but not only that. It can backup and restore your contacts, apps, call logs, calendars, and pictures. It can be especially useful when youre switching phones. This app has been available in the Play Store for quite some time. It has been quite reliable for me personally, I never had any issues with it. I only use it when Im switching phones, which is quite often, granted, but it never failed, not once. The apps design is also really simple, which is something many of you will appreciate. Download Super Backup & Restore This photo, provided by Jeonnam Fire Services Headquarters, shows a tour bus carrying 36 Scouts from the Swiss contingent after a collision with an inner-city bus in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, Aug. 9. Yonhap A bus carrying Scouts from Switzerland collided with another bus Wednesday on a road in the southern city of Suncheon while heading to Seoul, leaving three Scouts and five others injured, police and fire authorities said. The tour bus, carrying 36 members of the Swiss contingent and a guide, was on its way to the capital when it hit an inner-city bus in Suncheon, about 290 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 12:46 p.m., authorities said. Three Scouts sustained minor bruises, with two of them moved to a nearby hospital for treatment. Five passengers in the city bus were also injured. The Scouts were among the 166-member Swiss contingent who traveled from Saemangeum the previous day and spent the night at a campsite retreat in Suncheon due to a lack of accommodation in Seoul. The rest of the Swiss contingent is safely on their way to Seoul while the affected members will use another bus to return to Seoul. Police and fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the accident. (Yonhap) (ANSA) - ROME, AUG 9 - Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson on Wednesday called for the measure the Italian government presented this week to combat high flight prices to be scrapped. "It's ridiculous, illegal and interferes with the free market, according to European law," Wilson told ANSA. "It must be cancelled. "If it isn't, there will be an impact on Ryanair's ability to operate in Italy". A decree approved by the cabinet on Monday clamps down on the use of algorithms to set flight prices. The government blamed the algorithms for soaring prices in recent months, especially for services connecting the mainland to Sicily and Sardinia The decree bans the algorithms if applied to connections to Sicily and Sardinia; if applied to peaks in demand linked to seasonal factors; and if they lead to the price of tickets or accessory services being 200% higher than the average price. Wilson added that Sicily Governor Renato Schifani's assertion that Ryanair was involved in a price cartel was "nothing but rubbish. "Ryanair has reached over 185 million passengers because we lowered prices and give them value," he said. "We don't need to talk to incompetent companies". Wilson had a meeting with Business and Made in Italy Minister Adolfo Urso earlier on Wednesday. "The Ryanair CEO presented the important development plans (the company) has for the country and the problems it faces," Urso said. "I am willing to meet other companies to see whether the measure can be improved during its conversion into law in parliament". (ANSA). (ANSA) - ROME, AUG 9 - Premier Giorgia Meloni said Wednesday that the government would not make any U-turns on its plans to phase out the 'citizenship wage' (RdC) minimum-income benefit after protests by beneficiaries and assertions by the opposition that it was waging a "war against the poor" with the move. "The government does not intend to turn back on its steps over the citizenship wage because it wants to go from the citizenship wage to the employment wage, which one obtains via work," Meloni said in a video message. The government has come under fire from opposition parties both over the move itself and the way in which it has been handled. Some 159,000 families in Italy were told by text message that their RdC was being cut last month, sparking concern about what will happen to the people losing their welfare cheques amid confusion about the benefits that will replace the citizenship wage. The government, which says the RdC took away people's incentive to find work and was too susceptible to fraud, has since sought to clarify the situation. People considered fit for work will be able to present a claim to social-security agency INPS for the Labour Formation Support (SFL) benefit, which is dependent on them having enrolled on a training programme to help them re-enter the labour market. Households in which there are minors, disabled people or people over 60 will be able to keep receiving the RdC until the end of the year and then claim a new benefit, the inclusion cheque (ADI), worth a maximum of 500 euros a month per individual. The SFL benefit will be worth up to 350 euros a month, payable for a maximum of 12 months. "It was estimated that 300,000 people would lose the citizenship wage," said Meloni. "In the end, 112,000 lost it. "It is reasonable to think that they started to work because they knew that, at a certain point, they would not be able to count on the benefit any more. "So they rolled up their sleeves and started to look for work and found it". She added that the end of the RdC should not have come as a surprise as it was included in the 2023 budget law approved last year. (ANSA). A woman accused of the shooting and acid murder of her Tinder date told a jury she was too petrified to tell police her new boyfriend was the killer, but went on holiday to Jamaica with him days later. Rachel Fulstow, 37, said the first she knew Liam Smith, 38, had come to harm was when her boyfriend Michael Hillier, 39, turned up at her home after the fatal attack. Mr Smith had been lured from his home, shot in the face then had sulphuric acid poured over him as he lay dying, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard. The father-of-two, an electrician from Wigan, was declared dead at the scene, last November 24. Michael Hillier has admitted the manslaughter of Liam Smith but denies murder (Greater Manchester Police/PA) Six days later Fulstow and Hillier, who both deny murder, flew to Jamaica for a two-week break, the court heard. Mr Smiths murder was allegedly prompted by a one-night stand between him and Fulstow, at a York hotel in 2019, which angered her new boyfriend Hillier whom she met more than a year later, the trial has heard. The jury heard Hillier was led to believe the one-night stand, arranged on Tinder, was a non-consensual sexual encounter. Louise Blackwell KC, defending Hillier, said she wanted to examine the fear, love and lies Fulstow had told the jury about in her relationship with Hillier, whom she first met online, in December 2022, on the dating app Hinge. Fulstow told the jury that when she first visited his house on Eccleshall Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, it was a mess, with his dining room and two upstairs rooms containing tents to aid his cannabis production. She denied Hillier paid for everything on nights out, at restaurants and on numerous trips they enjoyed in the UK and internationally. Ms Blackwell said: You knew he was totally besotted with you. Way over and above what you felt for him? Fulstow replied: Yes, potentially. Fulstow said they had broken up in September 2021 and that Hillier was abusive, she was in fear of him and he had once smashed up her house in Andrew Drive, York. Ms Blackwell then showed the jury a series of photographs from Hilliers Instagram account, which included photos of both defendants, smiling or kissing, on nights and days out, at restaurants, on weekend breaks and holidays. One photo showed them at Heston Blumenthals restaurant in London and others on trips to Brussels and Andorra. Liam Smith was shot and subjected to an acid attack before his body was found (GMP/PA) Fulstow said: Behind the photos, there was a lot more going on. Fulstow was also shown photos of them on holiday in Jamaica. Ms Blackwell said: According to you, only days earlier you have heard hes done this terrible thing? Did you ever contact police? Fulstow said she went to Jamaica with Hillier but felt horrendous for what he had done. She added: I just wanted to get through the holiday. I just wanted to go home. Ms Blackwell suggested Fulstow was perfectly happy to be with Hillier and take his money. Hillier has admitted manslaughter but denies murder, along with Fulstow. She also denies a single count of perverting the course of justice. The trial was adjourned until Thursday. Comedian and presenter Hardeep Singh Kohli has been arrested and charged with non-recent sexual offences, Police Scotland has said. The 54-year-old has been released and is due to appear in court at a later date. Kohli, who was brought up in Scotland, appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018 and was runner up in Celebrity MasterChef in 2006. He has previously contributed to the BBCs The One Show as well as several other TV and radio programmes, and has staged shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: A 54-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with allegations of non-recent sexual offences. He has been released on an undertaking to appear in court at a later date. A report of the circumstances has been submitted to the procurator fiscal. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson denied suggesting his party was split over the Windsor Framework in a message sent to party members earlier this month. In an emailed message to party members at the start of August, Sir Jeffrey expressed frustration after claiming the actions of some within DUP ranks, briefing against the party, were damaging its electoral prospects and the cause of the Union. He suggested those briefing against their own party were motivated by a desire to gain media coverage or advance their own personal agenda. It comes as the DUP continues to deliberate on whether to end its ongoing blockade of devolution in Northern Ireland in protest at the internal UK trade barriers created by the contentious post-Brexit arrangements. The party says the recent deal struck by the EU and UK to reform the protocol the Windsor Framework does not go far enough to address its concerns and has made clear that it will not countenance a return to devolution until the Government provides further assurances, by way of legislation, over Northern Irelands place within the UK internal market. In his first media appearance since the leaked email, Sir Jeffrey said there was nothing in my email suggesting there was a split within the party over the Windsor Framework. He said: I was talking about the need for unionists to work together, and I think that is what the vast majority of unionist voters want to see: that co-operation. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was making his first media appearance since the leaked email (Rebecca Black/PA) As you know, Ive been meeting with Doug Beattie and the Ulster Unionists, weve been taking forward our conversations around greater unionist co-operation, and I expect the same within my own party as well. Its important that we (have) good discipline, particularly at this time when our focus is on getting a solution that restores Northern Irelands place within the United Kingdom. He added: But let me be clear: the propositions that we have put to the Government, the paper that went to the Government on the Windsor Framework, was collectively agreed by our party officers, and that of course includes Lord Dodds. But Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said those who did not believe there were rifts within the DUP had been living under a rock. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long suggested there was a deep divide within the DUP (Rebecca Black/PA) She said: It was fairly clear that there were those who were much more hardline about leaving the Executive, for example, others who were willing to remain in the First Ministers office, and keep the institutions running whilst bargaining with the UK Government to address these issues. Those rifts, I dont think, are news. What is news, and it has to have been factored in before that email was written, is that the party leader is appealing for unity, quite publicly. As a party leader, if I wrote an email like that to my party, I would know that that was going to be reported and leaked. So, you do that in the full knowledge that that information is going to be in the public domain, and I think the fact that Sir Jeffrey is pleading publicly with his own colleagues to back him, I think it makes no sense unless there is a deep divide within the party, which simply confirms what I think weve all witnessed over the last 12 months. UUP leader Doug Beattie said the DUP boycott had not worked (Rebecca Black/PA) Ulster Unionist Party leader Mr Beattie also gave his view on the matter, speaking to media after the parties met with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Belfast. Every political party has differences of opinion, whether we call that a split, or whether we call that where people are going in different directions, its really up to him to decide what it is, he said. But I suppose hes articulating the fact that every party will have disagreements. Its up to them to fix them but the bottom line is we need to deal with the issue around the Windsor Framework. The boycott has not worked and has not achieved any workable outcomes. So its better to be in Stormont working to find solutions than it is standing outside complaining about it. A former deputy head at the first school Prince George and Princess Charlotte attended has been jailed for child sexual abuse offences. Matthew Smith paid 65,000 for two teenagers in India to abuse younger children, the National Crime Agency said. The 35-year-old was online asking for sexual images of a child at the time of his arrest. Matthew Smith was deputy head of pastoral care at Thomass prep school in Battersea (Jonathan Brady/PA) Having pleaded guilty to 22 counts, including encouraging the rape of a child under 13, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and arranging the sexual abuse of a child, Smith was jailed for 12 years at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday, the NCA said. Smith, from East Dulwich in south-east London, was arrested by the NCA in November 2022, after investigators discovered he was sharing abusive material on the dark web. The prolific offender was caught just a few months after he had been appointed deputy head of pastoral care at Thomass prep school in Battersea the school George and Charlotte attended until their move to Lambrook School in Windsor in September last year. For the majority of his offending, Smith was living in Nepal, working at a school, and also spent various periods working in orphanages and NGOs across India between 2007 and 2014. He moved back to the UK in July 2022 and began working at Thomass Battersea in September, where he was a deputy head and head of pastoral care, the NCA said. The school was attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte until their move to Windsor last year (Aaron Chown/PA) That summer, Smith posted an online advert looking to secure a flat share, saying he was a primary school teacher and could assist with childcare. He was arrested before he could be taken up on his offer, the NCA said. Smith was sacked by the school when his offending was revealed, and there is no evidence to suggest he committed offences against children based in Nepal or the UK. NCA investigators interrogated chat logs and financial transactions and were able to establish that Smith had paid two teenagers based in India a total of 65,398 to abuse children over a five-year period. Chat logs showed Smith would instruct the young men to perform sexual acts on boys. Officers recovered more than 120,000 indecent images of children which the teacher had saved on a laptop, SD card and on his phone. Smith was made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life. Helen Dore, senior officer at the National Crime Agency, said: Matthew Smith is a prolific offender and master manipulator, who coerced young men into abusing children on his behalf. He constantly sought out opportunities to gain access to children, but was adept at hiding his sexual interest in them. He conducted his offending while working as a teacher and head of pastoral care a deep betrayal of the trust placed in him. Childrens charity the NSPCC said Smiths offending demonstrates why the UK Governments Online Safety Bill is so crucial, because it will finally compel tech companies to do far more to protect children from sexual abuse on their sites. The Bill is a new set of laws designed to protect children and adults online by making social media companies more responsible for their users safety. A spokesman for Thomass Battersea said: We have been shocked and appalled beyond measure by this matter and are grateful for the work of the police and courts in bringing this man to account. Mr Smiths employment at the school, which commenced in September 2022, was terminated with immediate effect when the school first learned of the charges against him in November. While the National Crime Agency has confirmed that none of the matters under investigation related to the school or its pupils, these deplorable actions constitute an unforgivable breach of trust and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted or damaged by them. The UK could leave a major international human rights agreement to help tackle the problem of small boats crossing the English Channel, the immigration minister has said. Robert Jenrick said the Government will do whatever is required, even if that means pulling out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The Government has insisted it can deliver on Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks pledge to stop the boats within the convention. But with the plan to send migrants to Rwanda still facing a Supreme Court battle, there is pressure within the Conservative Party to pull out of the ECHR to make it easier to address the situation. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has previously expressed her personal view that the UK should leave the convention, which is ruled on by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The ECHR is a Council of Europe convention, rather than a European Union one, so the UKs adherence to it was not affected by Brexit. But pulling out of the convention would put the UK at odds with the majority of European nations and could also cause complications over the operation of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland and post-Brexit deals with the EU. Illegal migration is unfair on everyone. Thats why @RishiSunak is leaving no stone unturned to stop the boats. Heres how pic.twitter.com/Od8hmQcCq5 UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) August 8, 2023 On Times Radio, Mr Jenrick would not rule out withdrawal from the convention, saying the Government will do whatever is necessary. You can see from the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary and myself, our total commitment to this challenge, he said. Thats why were working on every possible front. Thats why we have produced the most comprehensive plan, I believe, of any European country to tackle this issue. And well do whatever is necessary ultimately to defend our borders and to bring order to our asylum system. Pressed directly on whether that could include leaving the ECHR, he said: We will do whatever is required, take whatever necessary action is needed. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has previously expressed her personal view that the UK will ultimately have to leave the ECHR (James Manning/PA) Law Society of England and Wales president Lubna Shuja said: Leaving the ECHR would mean the UK would sit as an outlier in Europe, alongside only Russia and Belarus who are already outside of the Convention. This would be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, when the Government already has a perfectly good nutcracker it can use. She said if the Government wants to address problems in the asylum system it could work to bring down the case backlog and address issues with the Illegal Migration Act rather than leaving an extremely successful international agreement designed to protect individual rights and support political stability. Mr Jenrick also warned asylum seekers in the UK that they cannot expect an a la carte selection of accommodation options after some launched challenges to avoid being placed on board the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, Dorset. Some asylum seekers have sought to avoid being placed on the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge in Portland, Dorset (James Manning/PA) He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: The way that the asylum support system operates is that if someone claims to be destitute i.e. they have no way of supporting themselves theres a legal obligation on the Government to step in and provide them with accommodation and meet their basic needs, but we do that by and large on a no-choice basis, not an a la carte menu where you can choose which hotel you want or which location. And so, if you decline the accommodation thats provided, such as the barge, then we will consider removing your asylum support, and that individual would then ultimately have to fend for themselves. He added: Were not making anybody destitute. They would be choosing to do so because they wouldnt accept the perfectly decent accommodation. The minister refused to say how much taxpayers money is being handed to Turkey as part of a deal to improve co-operation to crack down on irregular migration. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the deal with Turkey is mainly about the share of intelligence and information (Aaron Chown/PA) The deal will focus on action to dismantle people-smuggling gangs, with the establishment of a new operational centre of excellence by the Turkish National Police. Supported by the UK, the centre is to focus on addressing organised immigration crime by enhancing the alignment of intelligence between the two nations. A new memorandum of understanding will also facilitate the swifter exchange of customs data, information and intelligence between UK and Turkish authorities, bolstering the collaborative efforts to disrupt the supply chain of materials employed in illegal migration. Mr Jenrick said: We are giving some funding to Turkey. You would expect that because we are going to be working closely with them. But it is not primarily about money. This is mainly about the share of intelligence and information between our world-leading police and security services and their law enforcement authorities, so that, if we find out something important, that can be acted upon quickly, and vice versa. Ministers have continued to back senior Conservative Lee Anderson after he reportedly said asylum seekers complaining about being moved to an accommodation barge should f*** off back to France. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the deputy Tory Party chairman was expressing the deep frustration of a large body of the British public through his remarks about those objecting to being given a bed on board the Bibby Stockholm in Portland, Dorset. I think everyone chooses their own language but I think the point Lee Anderson was making is a fair one which I agree with, Mr Jenrick told LBC. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said on Tuesday that there was a lot of sense in what the former Labour aide had said. Labour criticised the comments, calling them wrong and accusing the Tories of using them to distract from their record on immigration. But despite agreement on the Ashfield MPs barge comments, Mr Jenrick said he did not concur with Mr Andersons argument that the Government had failed to stop migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping the boats one of his five key pledges ahead of next years likely general election. Mr Anderson told GB News on Tuesday: Im not going to sit here and make excuses to anyone. This is out of control. We are in power at the moment, Im the deputy chair of the Conservative Party. We are in Government and we have failed on this there is no doubt about it. We have said we are going to fix it it is a failure. Mr Jenrick told BBC Breakfast he disagreed with that part of the deputy chairmans claims, arguing that weve put in place a number of things in the course of the last few months which are already seeing dividends. People thought to be asylum seekers boarding the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge (Ben Birchall/PA) He said the migrant crisis was an incredibly complex international challenge and proposed that the UK had the most comprehensive plan of any European country to tackle this. The Home Office minister told broadcasters that, as of Wednesday, about 20 men were on board the Bibby Stockholm barge, with the plan to steadily increase that number over several weeks. The Government has said the vessel, which was initially designed to fit about 200 people, has a 500-person capacity, with occupants due to share rooms. While asylum seekers started boarding on Monday, around 20 migrants challenged the decision through lawyers. On those complaining about the accommodation, Mr Anderson told Express.co.uk: If they dont like barges then they should f*** off back to France. Defending the comments, Mr Jenrick told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think what Lee was expressing was the fact that the accommodation we are providing as a country at huge expense billions of pounds a year is decent, it is good quality, it meets our legal obligations. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said he agreed with Lee Andersons comments on those complaining about the barge accommodation (James Manning/PA) It doesnt need to be luxurious, we shouldnt be putting people up in four-star hotels. The barge we are using in Portland that has been the subject of some interest has been used for oil and gas workers, it has been used by other countries. Barges like this are used in Belgium, in the Netherlands. The Scottish Government have used a similar vessel for Ukrainian refugees. So if it is good enough for all those people then it should be good enough for the migrants. But shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the Conservative Government was promoting division and lashing out due its own failures on tackling unlawful migration and the asylum backlog. The senior Labour MP told Today: It is clearly the wrong language to use and it is ramping up the rhetoric as a distraction from the fact the Government is failing. One thing Lee Anderson did say, he did admit that the Government is failing to tackle the boats crisis. What we need is grip rather than gimmicks, we need solutions rather than just this ramping up the rhetoric all of the time. And that is the problem because they are failing, because they have been flailing around for years while they have just made things worse with the policies they have pursued, they have ended up now lashing out trying to promote division and trying to find someone else to blame. That is not what responsible governments do. They should be getting on with trying to solve the practical problems around the gangs and around the backlog. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo addresses an emergency countermeasures meeting of the 25th World Scout Jamboree in an administrative building in Seoul, Aug. 9. Yonhap Prime Minister Han Duck-soo vowed Wednesday the government will provide "impeccable" support for the participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree until the event's conclusion. Han made the pledge in a government emergency response meeting on the jamboree, a day after about 37,000 teenage Scouts and adult volunteers from 156 countries evacuated the Saemangeum campsite due to safety concerns connected to the approach of the powerful Typhoon Khanun. The event was originally scheduled to take place in the reclaimed wetland until Saturday. "The government promises to provide impeccable support until the departure of all Scouts. Although activities in the wetland of Saemangeum were cut short due to the typhoon, the jamboree will continue until the weekend," the prime minister said. "Although there may be fewer opportunities to interact or experience (activities) with participants from other nations, the government will do its best to turn this situation into a new chance to experience the charm of Korea, also known as K-culture," he said. Workers at a Ministry of Defence missile depot have voted to escalate strike action in a dispute over pay. GMB Scotland members at the munitions complex in Beith, North Ayrshire, which supplies missiles to Ukraine, will walk out for two weeks from August 21. The union warned the strike at the complex, which is run by Defence, Equipment & Support, will disrupt shipments. However the Ministry of Defence said the walkout will have no effect on our ability to provide capability to Ukraine. The forthcoming action comes after four days of targeted strikes in recent weeks failed to secure a resolution. The union claims a two-tier culture has developed at the depot and said the pay gap between craft workers who assemble the munitions and non-craft colleagues, who support their work and prepare equipment for transport, has tripled to 18,000. According to the union, extra payments and bonuses have been made to managers and craft workers in recent years but not to non-craft colleagues earning less than 21,000 a year. GMB Scotland secretary Louise Gilmour said: A two-tier culture has been allowed to embed itself in this workplace and risks good working relationships now and in the future. Our members are doing important and responsible jobs and simply want that work to be fairly recognised. Instead, they have seen the gap between their salaries and that of their colleagues stretch wider and wider. Everyone brings different skills to their work and that should be recognised, but the role of our members is fundamental to the effective operation of this important site. Strike Continues at Defence Equipment & Support (DES) in Beith Our members deserve equal recognition & fair compensation for their invaluable contributions to DES and our armed forces.https://t.co/zyoDQ3o4AS pic.twitter.com/kAjiXAArpQ GMB Scotland (@GMBScotOrg) August 4, 2023 They are only asking for fairness and the support they have received, from Scotland to Ukraine, shows why they deserve it. A number of MPs have written to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace urging him to intervene and secure resolution to the dispute, while Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian MP, has urged managers to quickly negotiate an end to the row. She said: The work being done by GMB Scotland members at Beith could not be more important to Ukraine as we fight for our freedom. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: These strikes will have no effect on our ability to provide capability to Ukraine. Pre-planned contingency measures are being implemented at Defence Munitions (DM) Beith to ensure the continued safe and compliant operation of the site. We remain open to dialogue with GMB to discuss the issues raised and work towards resolving them. Buildings across the NHS are in a very bad way and getting worse, with the Government being warned that patients deserve better. It comes after an investigation by the Liberal Democrats found evidence of chemical leaks in patient areas at a number of hospitals in England, as well as broken fire alarms in some facilities. Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said: Keeping patients and staff safe is vital. High-quality care depends on having reliable buildings and equipment. Too many NHS buildings and facilities are in a very bad way and getting worse. Trust leaders have warned long and loud about the eye-watering cost of trying to patch up creaking infrastructure and out-of-date facilities. The multibillion-pound repairs bill is growing at an alarming rate. Data from one Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the party revealed there had been 115 chemical leak incidents at NHS hospitals between June 1 2022 and May 31 2023. Manchester University Trust recorded the highest number of chemical leaks with 22. A statement from the trust said it takes chemical safety extremely seriously. The statement added: As one of the largest NHS Foundation Trusts in the country operating across 10 hospitals, meaningful comparison with smaller organisations is very difficult. Our colleagues are diligent and robust in flagging incidents, no matter how small. For example, one patient in our maternity ward reported a chemical smell, which quickly dissipated. In another incident in obstetrics, a member of staff reported an allergy to the handwash. All incidents are reported using the correct process, and investigated as appropriate to ensure lessons are learned. Another FOI request sought figures on the number of fires in NHS trusts in England during the period, as well as the number of broken fire alarms. Of the 83 trusts that supplied data, there were 297 recorded fires, although the Liberal Democrats said NHS statistics showed there were 1,159 fires across the health service in 2022. Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust had 17 fires during the timespan and also had 17 broken fire alarms. University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust has two fires and 15 broken alarms, while the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust reported one fire but also had 17 broken alarms. Liberal Democrat health and social care spokesperson Daisy Cooper said their findings are shocking. She added: Hospitals are falling apart, with chemical leaks in critical wards and a frightening number of faulty fire alarms. The repair budget for crumbling hospitals is mounting up yet ministers are nowhere to be found. Last month the public spending watchdog said the Government is on track to break a key promise to build 40 new hospitals by 2030. A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) found delays in projects mean the target is not likely to be met. By the watchdogs analysis, 32 hospitals in England classed as new by the definition the Government first used are set to be completed in 2030. Ms Cordery added: Many trusts in the Governments New Hospital Programme were deeply disappointed to learn that their building plans wont be delivered before 2030. It was even more frustrating for those that missed the cut and werent given any funding at all despite expectations. Hospitals and mental health, ambulance and community NHS services need investment for essential projects to overhaul ageing facilities, improving care, supporting staff and giving a lift to their communities. Ms Cooper said patients deserve the dignity of being treated in safe, modern and clean hospitals. Instead we have heard stories of sewage spills and chemical leaks leading to evacuations, she added. The British public pay their fair share and deserve better than this. The Conservative Government needs to step up and fix our hospitals. The Conservative party simply cannot be trusted with the NHS. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: Patient safety is our top priority and we are investing record sums to upgrade and modernise NHS buildings so staff have the facilities needed to provide world-class care. This includes 4.2 billion last year and a further 8.4 billion over the next two years to allow trusts to invest, refurbish and maintain their buildings. We are also building 40 new hospitals by 2030 through the New Hospital Programme, which is now expected to be backed by over 20 billion. Russia is being pointed to as among the potential culprits behind the hack targeting the elections watchdog. The details of tens of millions of voters could have been accessed by hackers who targeted the Electoral Commission, the body confirmed this week. While it said there was little risk that the cyber attack could be able to influence the outcome of a vote, it apologised for the breach in its systems. Cyber security experts believe that the hack bears the hallmarks of a state-backed attack. James Sullivan, director of cyber research at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (Rusi), said that determining the perpetrator was currently just speculation. But he said it was difficult to ignore the usual suspects of Russia and China. Most state-led cyber operations are conducted to gather intelligence and spy. And when we look at some of the data that has been accessed, there was no financial impact from this incident as far as we know. It is most likely that the reason for this intrusion, given the type of data accessed and the length of time the adversary had in the network, fits with a state-led cyber operation, he said. The attack, which was publicly confirmed on Tuesday, was identified in October 2022, but the hackers had first been able to access the commissions systems in August 2021. The hackers were able to access reference copies of the electoral registers, held by the commission for research purposes and to enable permissibility checks on political donations. The registers held at the time of the cyber attack included the name and address of anyone in the UK who was registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, as well as the names of those registered as overseas voters. But they did not include the details of those registered anonymously. The register for each year holds the details of around 40 million individuals, which were accessible to the hostile actors, although this includes people on the open registers, whose information is already in the public domain. The National Cyber Security Centre said it had provided the commission with expert advice and support. Mr Sullivan stressed that whoever carried out the attack has plausible deniability and currently only limited information is known about the hack. But he warned: When we are looking at this, I think it is probably appropriate to look to the usual suspects of hostile actors. We have seen that China conducts a lot of espionage like this They are willing to conduct espionage where they sit in a network for a long period of time. Russia as we know conducts all sorts of cyber operations, from cyber crime to espionage. Mr Sullivan added: The best conclusion we can draw to who conducted this is the fact the threat actor was willing to sit quietly in the network for a long period. That certainly tallies with the type of espionage activity that hostile state actors would carry out. The Rusi expert said the hack highlighted that parts of the UKs democratic process and institutions are targets for hostile actors, so we should all rightly be concerned about that. There are, he added, lessons to be learnt and stressed the need for organisations not to wait to fall victim to a cyber attack before moving to secure their systems. More broadly, Mr Sullivan said it was important to be aware of the psychological impact of hacks on bodies such as the Electoral Commission. They can, he said, undermine trust and confidence in the system and electoral processes and that can be taken advantage of in a number of ways. The SNPs deal with the Greens provides certainty to the party amid a challenging political landscape, Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has said. During a campaign visit to Rutherglen and Hamilton West, he said Labour is acting like it is entitled to win at the upcoming by-election. The Aberdeen South MP was knocking on doors alongside the SNPs candidate, Katy Loudon. Earlier, former SNP leadership contender Kate Forbes suggested her party should check in with members on the Bute House Agreement, which brought the Scottish Green Party into government after the last Holyrood election. Stephen Flynn said Labour may be in for a shock (Andrew Milligan/PA) Speaking to journalists in Cambuslang, Mr Flynn said: Were all democracts, we can disagree without being disagreeable. Its quite clear to me, certainly from speaking to colleagues in Holyrood, that in terms of the Bute House Agreement it offers certainty in what is a very challenging political landscape. Whether we like it or not, Holyrood is very polarised. And we need to make sure we can offer certainty to the people of Scotland in terms of budgets in terms of the policy agenda thats being taken forward. He added: Peoples lives are very uncertain. The last thing they would want is for politicians to be navel-gazing at a time they should be focussed on the cost of living crisis. The by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West was triggered by a successful recall petition for MP Margaret Ferrier, who was suspended from the House of Commons for breaching Covid rules. While a date has not yet been set for the by-election, the seat will be keenly contested by Labour and the SNP. Mr Flynn told the PA news agency: I think the SNPs going to do incredibly well in this by-election. The Labour party seem to be going around like this is already in the bag and I think they may well be in for a shock in that regard. He added: Were very focused on winning in this constituency and I think we can do just that. The Labour party are acting like theyre entitled to win this seat. He said about 1,300 people in the constituency had been impacted by the heinous two-child benefit cap, hitting out at Labours stance on the issue. Mr Flynn said: I think for a lot of people with traditional Labour values and traditional Labour principles, theyre very much shocked the Labour party have decided to go hand in glove with the Conservatives on this. On Angus MacNeil, who was recently removed from the SNP Westminster group, Mr Flynn said he would not give a running commentary on the ongoing disciplinary process. Mr Flynn said he and his colleagues wanted a positive outcome but this was not always possible in politics. First Minister Humza Yousaf told reporters on Wednesday that his party overwhelmingly backs the SNP-Green Party deal. He said: The membership has already of course had a vote, and voted overwhelmingly, 95%, to back the Green deal. Id say to any politician trying to signal or suggest that we should move away from our climate proposals, to tackle the climate emergency would be unwise, particularly in August, the month after July, which is set to be, by the UNs estimate, the hottest month in human history. So I think that its really important that the Green deal remains and of course I stood on a platform just over 130 days ago of retaining that Green deal, that co-operation deal that we have, and Im pleased the SNP members backed me for leadership. Asked what a potential defeat in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection could mean for his leadership, the First Minister said: I dont contemplate defeat. We are working to try to retain that seat and of course win the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election. We know its difficult circumstances Im not going to pretend to your viewers or listeners otherwise. And we know that Labour have already declared victory, but their complacency is for them to address. We will certainly not take a single vote for granted. Water firms have been accused of a scandalous cover-up after being unable to show much sewage they are pumping into rivers and seas. The Liberal Democrats said they tried to find out the volume of pollution through Environment Information Regulations similar to a Freedom of Information request but were told that information does not exist. A parliamentary committee last year found more than two billion litres of raw sewage had been dumped into the River Thames over two days following a storm. Despite this, Thames Water told the Lib Dems it does not record the volume of wastewater discharged into the environment via storm overflows. Other companies across England and Wales said the monitors they use only measure frequency and duration of spills, not volume. Six of these companies now face legal action for allegedly misleading the Environment Agency and Ofwat about the number of times they have discharged sewage, meaning they may have overcharged customers. Water UK has said these claims are entirely without merit. Phosphates in sewage can cause algal blooms in rivers that deprive other organisms of oxygen on hot, dry days (Jonathan Brady/PA) Scottish Water, which is publicly owned, does record and publish volume data, but only a small proportion of its discharges are monitored. In Northern Ireland, sewage discharges are not routinely monitored and the last time information was released was in late 2021 in response to a question tabled in Stormont. The Lib Dems believe that water firms in England and Wales are either not telling the truth about holding volume data, or the monitors they have installed are inadequate. They said previous requests for information found nearly a quarter of monitors were faulty or had not been fitted throughout 2021 and 2022. The partys environment spokesman, Tim Farron, said: These water firms could be guilty of a scandalous cover-up. We have no idea how many billions of litres of sewage are being pumped into our precious rivers and lakes. The true extent of environmental damage caused by this scandal is completely unknown. We dont even know how much sewage is being pumped into bathing areas and shellfish water. A Water UK spokesman said the Lib Dem claims are fabricated and completely false. Water companies are investing billions of pounds to deploy around 50,000 monitors across overflows and in rivers. These will take six different measurements defined by the Government, like spills, oxygen levels and different pollutants. Unmatched anywhere in the world, this information will be published and open for all to see in virtually real time. Only a tiny handful of monitors record volume. We could expand this, but bills would go up to pay for it. We would prefer to get on and actually fix the problem rather than delaying progress by installing ever more monitors that would tell us nothing whatsoever about actual impact. A recent investigation by the Marine Conservation Society discovered around 6,000 emergency overflows separate from the storm overflows water companies typically monitor were not being recorded. Emergency overflows are only supposed to be used in critical situations, such as if there is an electrical failure at a pumping station. More than 90% of them are not monitored either for volume, duration or frequency. Water companies are required to monitor only those that have the potential to discharge into shellfish waters. Mr Farron said: Either these firms are withholding data from the public, which would be an extremely serious offence, or they just arent bothering to fit proper sewage monitors. Ministers need to get tougher on these water firms by demanding they fit proper sewage monitors which are up to the job. The Government is letting water firms get away with faulty and flawed monitors. A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: This Government is the first to require water companies in England to monitor every single storm overflow. The proportion of those monitored has increased from 7% in 2010 to 91% now, reaching 100% cover by end of this year. Greater transparency means we can hold companies to account. For instance, the regulators are undertaking the largest civil and criminal investigations in water company history. This is alongside the increased investment, tougher enforcement and tighter regulation that we are delivering through our plan for water. Water UK and Thames Water have been contacted for comment. An American nurse and her child were released nearly two weeks after they were kidnapped in Haiti, a nonprofit connected to the woman said Wednesday. "It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti," the group said in a message on its website. "Today we are praising God for answered prayer!" Dorsainvil, a community health nurse married to the group's founder and director, Sandro Dorsainvil, and the pairs child, were kidnapped last month from the group's location near Port-au-Prince. Alix Dorsainvil with her husband, Sandro Dorsainvil, founder and director of El Roi Haiti. (El Roi via AFP - Getty Images) The mother and child were serving in the community ministry when they were taken, the organization had said. The State Department said at the time that it was aware of reports of a kidnapping and was in contact with Haitian authorities. The State Department said Wednesday: "Out of respect for their privacy, we will allow individuals to speak for themselves if and when they feel ready. As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally." "We express our deepest appreciation to our Haitian, and U.S. interagency partners for their assistance in facilitating their safe release," the agency continued. Demonstrators demand the release of kidnapped New Hampshire nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Richard Pierrin / AFP - Getty Images) El Roi Haiti, said there is still "much to process and to heal from" and asked for privacy for the family. "We will continue to release information as appropriate on our website. Please keep checking back," the group said. "And again, thanks for all of the prayers and support through this incredibly difficult time." Dorsainvil, from New Hampshire, was asked to provide nursing to students at the organization's school, she said in a Vimeo video posted three years ago. El Roi Haiti, a Christian organization, provides education to about 390 students and hosts other ministries, according to its website. The pair were kidnapped the same day the State Department ordered nonemergency U.S. government employees and families to leave Haiti "due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure." The country, which has been ravaged this century by two devastating earthquakes, has struggled to recover from the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. A United Nations report in June said that gangs had taken over a vast majority of Port au Princes street geography, prompting more than 165,00 Haitians to abandon their homeland. Some Haitians seeking refuge have camped out next to the U.S. Embassy in Port au Prince. Human remains found in a barrel in the Missouri River were identified last week as those of a woman considered a potential witness in the case against a Missouri man accused of holding a Black woman hostage in his basement. At a hearing Monday seeking a bond increase for Timothy Haslett Jr., who is white, prosecutors said the woman found in the barrel, Jaynie Crosdale, "was inside" Haslett's home in Excelsior Springs before he was arrested in October. The Clay County Prosecutor's Office, which did not provide further details, said it presented the evidence to the court. Excelsior Springs police had identified Crosdale as a potential witness in Haslett's case in January and asked for the publics help in finding her. Authorities said at the time that they believed Crosdale had "information about the investigation." She was later found dead after kayakers spotted her body in a blue barrel in the Missouri River, according to NBC affiliate KSNT of Topeka, Kansas. Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Immediately after police identified her remains last week, prosecutors filed a motion seeking a higher bond for Haslett, writing in a court filing that they had "concern for the safety of the community." Prosecutors said Hasletts bond of $3 million was "insufficient to insure the safety of the community and the victim." The court ruled against increasing Haslett's bond. His attorney did not immediately reply to a request for comment Tuesday. The home in Excelsior Springs, Mo., where neighbors raised the alarm. (Sarah Plake / KSHB) Haslett was arrested in October after the 22-year-old unidentified victim escaped from his basement wearing a metal dog collar and ran to neighbors for help. The woman said she had been held captive and assaulted. Lisa Johnson, a neighbor who helped the woman, said she was getting ready for work when she heard a faint "help me" from outside her front door. "She looked straight at me and said 'help,'" Johnson has said. Johnson said that the woman feared that Haslett would kill them both if the police were called but that she called authorities anyway. "I understood where she was coming from at that point. But I did it anyway," she said. Police said they found the woman wearing a metal collar with a padlock and latex lingerie, with duct tape around her mouth, according to a probable cause statement filed in October. The woman said Haslett picked her up in early September and kept her in a small room in his basement, restraining her wrists and ankles with handcuffs, the document said. She said that she had been repeatedly raped and whipped and that she escaped when Haslett left to take his child to school, according to the probable cause document. Haslett was indicted in February on one count of first-degree rape, four counts of first-degree sodomy, one count of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of second-degree assault and one count of endangering a child. He faces more than five life sentences if he is convicted. Hundreds of British Airways passengers are stranded in Johannesburg after a series of problems affected links to and from London Heathrow. The latest problem: Tuesday nights A380 SuperJumbo from South Africas main airport was fully boarded and ready to depart on schedule but, after passengers had sat on board for a further two hours, BA delayed the flight overnight. We had to disembark, trudge back through passport control, collect our bags and go to a hotel overnight, one passenger, Deborah Stone said. According to information at ba.com, of three British Airways flights due to depart on Tuesday from Johnannesburg to Heathrow, only one got away: the BA56 service originally due to leave on Monday. Links on the main South Africa-Europe flight route were first disrupted on Sunday night when airspace over Niger was suddenly closed. Sundays northbound and southbound Airbus A380 jets both turned around and returned to Johannesburg and London Heathrow respectively leaving close to 1,000 passengers out of position and beginning a pattern of disruption. The original Monday night flight from South Africas largest airport actually departed at lunchtime on Tuesday, arriving at Heathrow after 11pm 17 hours behind schedule. One Tuesday night flight that did take off was over three hours late, eventually departing early on Wednesday morning. But the A380 SuperJumbo that was due to bring nearly 500 passengers back was delayed overnight. Ms Stone told The Independent: At 7.20pm the captain announced boarding was completed and the doors of the plane were closed. Ten minutes later he announced an unfortunate delay due to the third pilot feeling unwell. The captain told us they were trying to locate another pilot. Over the next two hours there was no news, no food or drinks apart from one glass of water offered. At around 9.30pm the passengers were told to leave the aircraft as it was being delayed overnight. They were taken to hotels. Ms Stone said: To compound it all sitting opposite me, a mum and her very tired son who had been on that turned-around flight, so by now had spent 13 hours on two BA planes to nowhere. Passengers were later told by BA: Despite our best efforts, weve made the difficult decision to delay your departure overnight. We dont underestimate the inconvenience this will cause. Were really sorry for the change to your travel plans and well do everything we can to help. The flight is now shown as leaving Johannesburg at 11.45pm on Wednesday, arriving 31 hours late at London Heathrow. A spokesperson for British Airways said: Weve apologised to our customers for the inconvenience caused by the delay to their journey and are getting them on their way as quickly as possible. The 6-year-old boy who seriously wounded his teacher at a Virginia elementary school in January said in the aftermath that "I did it" and "I got my mom's gun last night," according to newly unsealed court documents. The child made the statements to another teacher who had restrained him after he opened fire on his first-grade teacher, Abigail Zwerner, as she sat reading to her class at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, according to a probable cause statement and search warrant affidavit. The documents shed light on how the boy likely obtained the weapon, a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, used in the shooting. His mother, Deja Taylor, told Newport News police in an interview that she typically "stores her firearm in her purse with a trigger lock in place, or in a lock box," according to the probable cause statement. On Jan. 6, the morning of the shooting, Taylor believed the gun was in her purse with the trigger lock installed and left on top of her bedroom dresser, according to the statement. She added that the key for the lock is kept under her bedroom mattress. Newport News police have previously said the gun was legally purchased, but were investigating whether it was properly secured as the child's family has claimed. Police respond to a shooting that injured a teacher at Richneck Elementary (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images file) James Ellenson, a lawyer for the family, has said Taylor believes the gun was placed on a high closet shelf with a trigger lock. But he acknowledged in May that questions still remain about how the child accessed the weapon. "People have talked to him about that, but I don't know that any adult knows exactly how he got the gun," Ellenson told ABC News. As part of the investigation, Taylor, 26, pleaded guilty in federal court in June to the use of marijuana while possessing a firearm. She is expected to be sentenced in October and could receive 18 months to 24 months in prison. The narcotics were discovered during a court-ordered search of the home in connection with the shooting at Richneck Elementary School, federal prosecutors said. It is illegal to use marijuana while possessing a firearm under U.S. law. "A search of Taylor's phone revealed numerous text messages illustrating the pervasive scope of Taylor's marijuana use," according to prosecutors. Meanwhile, "a lockbox was not found in either of the residences, nor was a trigger lock or key to a trigger lock ever found." Taylor faces separate state charges related to the shooting of felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child. A plea hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 15. The 6-year-old's ability to retrieve the gun, then use it on a teacher at his elementary school is at the heart of a case that brought national attention to school safety and stunned the community when police announced the child's actions appeared intentional. The child's family has previously said he suffers from an "acute disability" and that he had received the "treatment he needs" under a court-ordered temporary detention at a medical facility. As part of a care plan at the school, the boy's parents were supposed to be with him daily, but were absent on the day of the shooting, officials said. The unsealed court documents say police arrived at the classroom to find the gun and cartridge casings lying on the floor. School staff members were rendering aid to Zwerner, who was shot in her left hand and upper chest. Virginia elementary school teacher Abigail Zwerner poses for a portrait at an undisclosed location in Virginia on March 20, 2023. (Carlos Bernate for NBC News) Another teacher told police that the children had returned from recess when she heard a gunshot as she walked by. Children fled from the classroom followed by an injured Zwerner. The teacher went in and saw the 6-year-old standing by his desk, and she held him until police arrived, according to the documents. At the time, the teacher told police, the boy was making statements, including, "I shot that b---- dead," the documents said. In response to the release of the documents this week, Ellenson reiterated that the child has "severe emotional issues." "He is in therapy and improving daily. We wish to thank the dedicated professionals working with him," he said in an email. A local prosecutor said in March that the 6-year-old would not face charges given that a child that young wouldn't have the competency to understand the legal system or adequately assist an attorney. Lawyers for Zwerner have said that claims made by the family that the gun was safely secured at home "defied common sense." In April, Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit alleging school administrators shrugged off multiple warnings from staff and students who believed the boy had a gun and posed an imminent threat on the day of the shooting, and did so knowing the child "had a history of random violence." The Newport News School Board has argued that the suit should be dismissed, and that the case should go before the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission because Zwerner's injuries occurred on the job. A judge ruled last month that lawyers for Zwerner can begin conducting interviews and accessing records in the case. The Newport News Public Schools said in a statement Wednesday that it cannot comment on legal actions, but that it has "worked cooperatively" with authorities and it "remains committed to ensuring the well-being and care of all students and staff." Zwerner resigned from the school after filing the lawsuit. She told NBC News in March that she must continue to undergo physical therapy and struggles with the emotional trauma of that day. Diane Toscano, a lawyer for Zwerner, said in a statement Wednesday that she remains "surrounded by the support of people who love and care for her, and we are thankful every day that she survived the shooting." Labor Minister Lee Jung-sik delivers a congratulatory speech during the 2023 EPS Conference in Busan at Westin Josun Busan, Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Employment and Labor By Jun Ji-hye A conference for the Employment Permit System (EPS) kicked off on Wednesday for a three-day run in Busan, co-hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea. The EPS is a migration labor program, under which workers from 16 Asian countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, are allowed to work in Korea under special visas. The ministry began holding the event in 2016 in a bid to enhance exchanges and cooperation between local governments and these countries. The ministry decided to hold the annual event in the southeastern port city of Busan this year as part of efforts to support the city's bid to host the 2030 World Expo. Labor Minister Lee Jung-sik and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon as well as ambassadors of the 16 countries were present for the 2023 EPS Conference in Busan. "This year's event will be a chance to look back on the last 20 years of the EPS and prepare for the next 20 years," the minister said in his congratulatory address. "We will fundamentally reform the system in accordance with many economic and social changes compared to 20 years ago." After his address, Lee awarded prizes to the owner of a factory that produces traditional Korean traditional sweets and cookies in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, as well as to Sri Lankan worker Kuda Baduge Chamara Chandimal Jayantha. The factory was awarded in recognition for offering dormitories to migrant workers for free and for providing them with equal welfare and promotion opportunities. The Sri Lankan worker was praised for her fluent Korean language skills and her consistent efforts to adjust to life in Korea. During the event, the minister also held a meeting with ambassadors of the 16 countries to discuss measures to further enhance cooperation and other pending issues. People celebrate the defeat of Issue 1 during an election night party at the Columbus Fire Fighters Local 67. Ohio voters issued a temporary reprieve to abortion-rights supporters on Tuesday when they rejected a proposal to make it harder to amend the state constitution. But an expensive, nasty fight over abortion access in Ohio is only beginning. Fifty-seven percent of voters said no to Issue 1 with over 3 million votes cast, according to unofficial results. If passed, the measure would have required 60% of voters to enact new amendments instead of a simple majority and changed the signature-gathering process for citizen amendments. Ohio special election: See results from Tuesday's election on Issue 1 Tuesday's election was aimed squarely at defeating the abortion rights measure in November. GOP politicians said as much. This is 100% about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution," Secretary of State Frank LaRose said during a Lincoln Day dinner in May. "The left wants to jam it in there this coming November." Supporters of the abortion-rights amendment cheer during a press conference on July 5 after signatures were dropped off at the secretary of state's office. Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, wrote in a letter to fellow GOP lawmakers last year: After decades of Republicans work to make Ohio a pro-life state, the Left intends to write abortion on demand into Ohios Constitution. If they succeed, all the work we accomplished by multiple Republican majorities will be undone The 60% threshold was strategic as well. In 2022, Michigan approved an abortion rights measure with 56.7% of the vote. Recent polling in Ohio suggests nearly 58% of voters support the reproductive rights proposal. It might get 50% or 51% or 52%, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, told 610 WTVN about the abortion rights measure. I don't think it'll get 60%." But in the end, Ohioans rejected Republicans' attempt to change the rules for constitutional amendments. No easy victory Issue 1's defeat is good news for backers of the abortion rights measure, but it doesnt assure an easy victory in November. Ohio is the only state voting on abortion rights this year, making it the epicenter of the fight over reproductive rights just over a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. "Now, Ohioans will turn their focus to rejecting extremism and government control to ensure families have the freedom to make decisions that are best for them," said Rhiannon Carnes, spokeswoman for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights. "Ohioans believe that abortion is a personal, private decision that should be up to them and their families without government meddling in their business." Tens of millions will be spent on both sides of this political battle, including out-of-state money and secretive dark money. Supporters of the amendment estimate they will spend about $35 million on their campaign; opponents havent thrown out a number. Both groups were also active in the campaign for and against Issue 1. Abortion-rights advocates are currently 6-0 since the U.S. Supreme Court sent decisions about abortion access back to the states in June 2022. Voters in Michigan, California and Vermont approved measures to protect abortion access while voters in Kentucky, Kansas and Montana rejected stricter abortion restrictions. The ads will be pointed and personal. Opponents of the measure have already focused on parental rights and anti-transgender advertising to paint the proposal as too extreme for Ohioans. They are targeting not only people who oppose abortion access but those who might back it under certain circumstances. Proponents must convince Ohioans that this proposal is measured and tailored to a Midwest voting bloc largely uncomfortable with abortions later in pregnancy. Support for abortion rights doesnt break down perfectly along political party lines and often exists on a spectrum with voters backing abortions at a set point in pregnancy or under certain circumstances. Statewide, nearly 58% of Ohio voters said they would back the abortion rights amendment, including 81% of Democrats and 32% of Republicans, according to a recent USA TODAY Network Ohio/Suffolk University poll. Ohio Poll Abortion 2 col Correct Poll: 58% of Ohio voters back proposal to enshrine abortion access in constitution What would the abortion amendment do? The proposed amendment would protect access to abortion and other reproductive decisions through viability, which is when a doctor determines a fetus can survive outside the uterus with reasonable measures. That is typically 23 to 24 weeks into pregnancy. Abortions could be performed after that point to save the patients life or health. That stands in contrast to the slew of abortion bans and restrictions that Ohios GOP-controlled Legislature has passed over the past decade. The most restrictive was a ban on doctors performing abortions after fetal cardiac activity was detected, about six weeks after a womans last period. That 2019 law was in effect for 82 days following the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling in 2022 sending abortion decisions back to the states. Fewer patients had abortions in Ohio during that two-and-a-half-month period; about 400 traveled out-of-state to have an abortion. That law is now on hold as the Ohio Supreme Court which is currently dominated by Republicans reviews some aspects of the case. Its not clear when the justices will issue a decision. "I think the law is sound," Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis said. "I think the Ohio Supreme Court will rule in our favor, ultimately. That may be before November or after November, but we've got to win first in November." Ohio Right to Life president Mike Gonidakis speaks about Issue 1 during a Geauga County GOP Central Committee meeting on July 19. In the meantime, Republican lawmakers have not passed anything to either clarify that 2019 law or eliminate abortion entirely. Gov. Mike DeWine encouraged lawmakers to look at whether that law, which he signed, was "sustainable." It remains to be seen whether that's on the Legislature's priority list this fall. Senate Republicans have discussed changes that would clarify when doctors can perform abortions to save the mother's life. But Huffman, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, said he wants DeWine to publicly outline what policies he would support and sign into law. The Senate president said he's also not sure what the House Republican majority, led by Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, can accomplish. GOP lawmakers have been divided in that chamber since a fight over the speaker's gavel earlier this year. "I'm not sure what the ability of the speaker is to pass any pro-life legislation in the House right now," Huffman said. "Because as many of you know, there's discord let's put it that way." Jessie Balmert and Haley BeMiller are reporters 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. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What Ohio Issue 1 results mean for November abortion amendment The FBI on Wednesday shot and killed a Utah man who allegedly made online threats to kill President Joe Biden and New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg while serving a warrant at his Provo home, officials said. The suspect was identified in charging documents obtained by NBC News as Craig Deleeuw Robertson. Robertson allegedly made a threat Monday that referenced the president's trip to Utah this week, saying he needed to prepare his camouflage and sniper rifle. In an alleged threat to Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney whose office is prosecuting former President Donald Trump, Robertson called him a political hack and plotted to assassinate him in a parking garage, the charging documents said. Robertson mentioned many other politicians, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to the documents. He had "intent to kill, at a minimum, D.A. Bragg and President Joe Biden," according to the charging documents. A senior administration official told NBC News that Biden was briefed on the FBI raid Wednesday morning, ahead of scheduled events in New Mexico. The White House referred all questions to the Justice Department. Biden was scheduled to be in Utah on Wednesday evening ahead of a public event on Thursday in Salt Lake City about veterans health care. The incident unfolded at 6:15 a.m. in Provo, Utah, when special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence, the FBI said. The agency added the incident is under review by the FBIs Inspection Division. No agents were injured. The Secret Service is aware of the FBI investigation involving an individual in Utah who has exhibited threats towards a protectee," the agency said in a statement. "While we always remain in close coordination with our law enforcement partners, this is an FBI-led effort and we would refer any related questions to the FBI, the statement said. In the felony complaint against Robertson, he is accused of interstate threats, influencing, impeding and retaliating against federal law enforcement officers by threat and threats against the president. The FBI National Threat Operations Center received a tip in March from a social media company pertaining to a user called @winston4eagles, which allegedly showed the user posting about killing Bragg. The FBIs operation center believed the person with that user name to be Robertson, according to the charging documents. On March 19, the charging documents said, two special agents with the FBI conducted surveillance at Robertsons address in Provo. He was seen wearing a dark suit (later observed as having an AR-15 style rifle lapel pin attached), a white shirt, a red tie, and a multi-colored (possibly camouflage) hat bearing the word 'TRUMP' on the front," the charging documents said. After attending church, the special agents confronted Robertson about the comment he allegedly made on social media, the documents said. Robertson confirmed to the agents he was winston4eagles and responded that the comment "was a dream." He then added, according to the charging documents, Were done here! Dont return without a warrant! The charging documents also said the FBI reviewed other comments made by Robertson on another social media platform. Robertson owns a sniper rifle and a ghille suit, has made violent threats to murder public officials and appeared to possess multiple firearms, according to the charging documents. Robertsons daughter-in-law, Julie Idlewilde Robertson, told NBC News on Wednesday that its a very, very difficult time for the family. She said authorities have spoken to her husband, and he is trying to gather more information. "Hes just trying to process right now," she said. President Biden has signed an executive order designed to prohibit Americans from investing in some Chinese companies. Details of the long-awaited effort are likely to further inflame relations between Washington and Beijing after a year in which the leaders of the nations the two largest economies in the world have been locked in an often bitter back and forth. The plans announced Wednesday aim to block American capital in the months ahead from being invested in certain semiconductor, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence companies operating in China or under the control of the Chinese government. The proposed rules will not go into effect immediately, and the next step is a review period that could last for at least a few months. President Joe Biden arrives at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) But if the proposal goes into effect as currently written, the rules will require that a range of financial transactions be cleared with the US government before proceeding. Some transactions will be scrutinized closely by the Treasury Department while others will be prohibited. White House officials say the measures are needed, as China is actively using certain companies to develop new technologies for military use. "This is a national security action, not an economic one," said a senior administration official who outlined the plans. The actions will be designed to be as narrowly targeted as possible, this official added, with an aim to cut off military applications and not the overall Chinese economy. But the economic effects could be felt widely with venture capitalist Edith Yeung, a general partner at Race Capital, telling Yahoo Finance that the order "is a major blow" to the overall Chinese startup ecosystem as well as American efforts to be involved with those companies, whether or not their products have military applications. Now we can have conversations about the details The rules are set to most directly target investments in the worlds most advanced semiconductors as well as AI systems that have military applications. But for the moment, many details remain unanswered about where Biden will draw the line when it comes to which types of transactions are allowed and which will be banned. White House officials said the rules could evolve over the course of the coming public review process, which is seeking input from both private companies as well as G7 allies. "The goal here is to make sure that we provide industry with clarity so that they recognize what is permissible, which is a great deal of investments, and what isnt permissible, which is going to be a narrow scope of investments," said a senior administration official, adding, "now we can have conversations about the details." The restrictions aim to choke off both the money itself as well as what officials call the intangible benefits of those investments, such as enhanced standing and access to certain talent networks. The new rules announced Wednesday are designed to operate in conjunction with export control rules for China that were issued by the Department of Commerce last year. Those efforts are focused on denying the export of technology to China, aiming to put new restrictions on the ability to develop certain high-end computer chips that Biden officials say are being developed for military applications. Wednesdays announcement also comes one year to the day after the signing of the CHIPS and Science Act, a bill that was designed to boost the lagging American semiconductor sector. The law has also increased the tensions with China, most notably over the issue of proposed rules that could force chip companies to forgo any further material expansion in China in return for access to the $50 billion included in the law. Aaron Chatterji, a Duke University professor and former White House CHIPS Coordinator, said in a Yahoo Finance Live interview earlier Wednesday that "companies that fulfill those national security objectives are going to be the ones that do really well in the program." Administration officials are also working overtime to lessen tensions between the countries, but Wednesday's announcement could make that challenge much more difficult. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently visited China and met with Chinese officials to parry concerns about todays highly anticipated announcement, which Biden officials have been signaling for months. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, far left, attends a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng far right, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on July 8. (PEDRO PARDO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Her message was to assure the Chinese government that the US is not looking to be punitive with its actions. In comments at the end of that trip, Yellen underlined that the new restrictions would be targeted "at a few sectors where we have specific national security concerns." But China's ambassador to Washington quickly responded to Yellens comments by reportedly saying the idea of screening outbound investments would be unfair to China and added: "We will not flinch from provocations." The proposed rules announced this week would put Secretary Yellen in charge of approving or denying these proposed financial transactions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also recently traveled to China, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is expected to visit in the coming weeks. The executive effort also comes alongside recent efforts on Capitol Hill led by senators Bob Casey (D-Penn.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas). Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer immediately responded to Wednesday's new order, saying Congress would act further "to codify it into law and further refine this critical national security tool." Biden officials Wednesday said they hope the proposal will not put a stop to economic cooperation between the two countries. "We are pursuing a policy of de-risking," said a senior official, "not decoupling our economies." This post has been updated. Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance. Click here for politics news related to business and money Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Cadillacs "big and bold" electric SUV the Escalade IQ is finally here. Riding on its own bespoke platform powered by General Motors' (GM) Ultium EV powertrain and batteries, the $130,000 Escalade IQ looks distinctly different than the traditional Escalade. Looks can be deceiving, though. It may appear less tall, with its more sloping cabin and angular 'D' pillar by the rear hatch, but the Escalade IQ is just as imposing as its gas-powered brother. The Escalade IQ also houses a number of technical innovations. For instance: a full-dash length curved LED touchscreen measuring 55 inches diagonally. Also, GMs latest Supercruise self-driving tech and a massive 200 kWh Ultium powertrain are good for an estimated 450 miles of range and 750 horsepower. Front 7/8 view of Cadillac ESCALADE IQ Sport in Flare Metallic with shield-shaped grille in view. (Photo courtesy of GM) "[The Escalade] has always been a technological bed for us," GM President Mark Reuss said in an interview with Yahoo Finance. Reuss has been dubbed the "architect" of Cadillacs electric transformation, which the company began in earnest five years ago with a goal of full electrification by 2030. For GM, the Escalade is the straw that stirs the drink when it comes to electrification. Cadillac already has the LYRIQ compact SUV EV on sale at the moment. But the Escalade will be the nameplate that really shows the world that Cadillac is becoming a true electric brand. The Escalade franchise, after all, has sold over 1 million vehicles and that's where Cadillac customers expect GM to showcase its technological innovations. "You saw the first OLED curved screen in the last Escalade," Reuss said, noting that Cadillac is taking the tech and interior design up a notch in the new IQ. Reuss also predicted loyal Escalade buyers will be keen to purchase an electrified version too, as long as it meets some conditions, such as luxury appointments and a long cruising range. Full side view of Cadillac ESCALADE IQ Sport in Flare Metallic at sunset. (Photo courtesy of GM) "We have a lot of demand for an Escalade or an SUV that is luxury, thats an EV. We know that," Reuss said. "So the demand is here. We're gonna be first in again with Escalade and the EV, and its important for us to be first," Reuss said. Being first is important, as there is no real competitor in the market yet for a full-size, three-row electric SUV. When Escalade IQ rolls off the Factory Zero assembly line in Detroit next year, the only real options will be the much smaller Rivian R1S; the Tesla Model X, which also has a smaller footprint than the Escalade IQ; and the Mercedes EQS SUV, again with a smaller footprint. Kias upcoming EV9 will be a competitor in the size category but not the luxury one, and Land Rovers Range Rover EV is still a few years away. View of front seats, steering wheel, and pillar-to-pillar screen in Cadillac ESCALADE IQ Sport. (Photo courtesy of GM) Part of the appeal of the Escalade IQ for both new buyers and Escalade loyalists is the 450-mile range. Along with curing that dreaded range anxiety with that larger battery, the Escalade IQ is capable of a 100-mile reach in only 10 minutes of charging. (Using a 350kW DC fast charger.) Speaking of fast, when the Escalade IQ does begin production at Factory Zero in Detroit, Reuss anticipates that the ramp-up in production wont take as long as the LYRIQs production. That's because battery production at GMs plants in Spring Hill, Tennessee, and Lordstown, Ohio, will be happening concurrently. "This will have a different ramp than LYRIQ did just because we're already starting production of the Silverado pickup truck in Factory Zero they both carry the 12 mod [battery] packs. We've got some experience on it," he said. Rear 3/4 view of Cadillac ESCALADE IQ Sport in Flare Metallic. (Photo courtesy of GM) But a possible hiccup is the ongoing negotiations with the UAW over a new contract with GM and its big three rivals Ford and Stellantis. Without a new contract, the UAW may implement a work stoppage on September 14 when the current labor pact ends. Reuss wouldn't comment on the status of those negotiations, but he said GM is negotiating for a deal "that works for everybody in good faith." With the excitement seen at the launch of the Escalade IQ, it seems both GM and its UAW partners will be keen to make a deal and get to work on one of the most anticipated vehicles in Cadillacs 120-year history. Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram. 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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Fox Business will hold the second debate of the 2024 Republican presidential contest, the Republican National Committee said on Wednesday, making the conservative Fox outlets hosts of the party's first two debates. It is unclear whether the frontrunner in the Republican race for the White House, Donald Trump, will be at either one. Trump has said he plans to skip the first Republican debate on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That forum will be broadcast on Fox News, also part of Fox News Media. The second debate will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation in Simi Valley, California on Sept. 27 and be partnered with Univision and Rumble, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. "We are looking forward to continuing our fair, neutral and transparent primary process in Simi Valley to elect the next president of the United States," McDaniel said. Rumble, a video platform popular with conservatives, will also be a partner in the first debate. In the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, released last week, Trump held 47% of the Republican vote nationally, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropping 6 percentage points from July down to just 13%. None of the other candidates due to attend the August debate have broken out of single digits. Politico first reported details on the second debate. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Toby Chopra, Andrew Heavens and Sharon Singleton) The sweeping landscape of the Grand Canyon is already protected, but land nearby will now become a monument US President Joe Biden has announced a new national monument, preserving a vast swathe of land around the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The nearly 1m acre (404,700 hectare) Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument includes thousands of indigenous cultural sites. The designation also severely limits the amount of mining permitted in the area. Mr Biden has so far designated five national monuments since taking office. The area, also known as the Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, is culturally significant to many tribal nations of the US Southwest, including the Hopi, Navajo and Yavapai-Apache peoples. Indigenous advocacy groups and environmental organisations have for decades been calling for the area to be protected, but have met opposition from some Republican lawmakers and mining industry figures who argue that mining in the area is important to the US economy and national security. The area of the monument is home to about 1.3% of all known uranium reserves in the US, according to officials. Speaking at an event at the historic Red Butte Airfield near the Grand Canyon on Tuesday, Mr Biden said the designation of the monument will "help right the wrongs of the past and conserve this land of ancestral footprints for all future generations". "Our nation's history is etched in our people, and our lands," Mr Biden said. "Today's act is going to preserve that history". A previous campaign to declare the area a national monument under President Barack Obama failed after Mr Obama backed off in the face of stiff opposition from then-Governor Doug Ducey and Arizona's two senators. The current Arizona governor, Katie Hobbs, was among those urging Mr Biden to use his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to declare the area a national monument. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland - the first Native American cabinet secretary in the US - was quoted by National Public Radio as saying that the declaration was "historic". In May, Ms Hobbs said in a statement that her office has "heard from people across the political spectrum including sporting groups, faith leaders, outdoor recreation businesses, conservation groups and others from a broad array of interests that support this monument designation". "It will help protect lands that many tribes referred to as their eternal home, a place of healing and a source of spiritual sustenance," she said. "It will help ensure that indigenous peoples can continue to use these areas for religious ceremonies, hunting and gathering of plants, medicines and other materials, including some found nowhere else on earth." "It will protect objects of historic and scientific importance for the benefit of tribes, the public and for future generations," Ms Haaland added. The proclamation of the national monument means that only two approved mining operations will be allowed to operate within its confines. Existing claims that pre-date a mining moratorium declared in 2012 will also be allowed to remain in place. Since the passing of the Antiquities Act of 1906, 18 US presidents have used it to declare national monuments at naturally or historically significant sites across the country. Mr Biden has declared four other national monuments during his presidency, including the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Illinois and Mississippi last month. Barack Obama, under whom Mr Biden served as vice-president, created or expanded 34 national monuments during his presidency - the most of any US leader. Only three US presidents did not use the Antiquities Act to create national monuments: Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush. ATLANTA (AP) Donald Trump and officials in Atlanta are bracing for a new indictment that could come as soon as next week in a Georgia prosecutor's investigation into the former president's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has said he's in meetings every day to prepare for a possible indictment. In anticipation of potential charges, his deputies erected barriers last week along the block in front of the main courthouse. The street was closed this week, and parking is prohibited on nearby streets. Those measures are to remain in place through the end of next week, Labat's office said. Trump has said he expects to be indicted a fourth time by next week and has begun stepping up his criticism of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has spent two years leading the election probe into Trump and his allies. Speaking to supporters in New Hampshire on Tuesday, the Republican former president launched highly personal attacks on Willis and called the 52-year-old Democratic prosecutor, who is Black, a young woman, a young racist in Atlanta. Shes got a lot of problems. But she wants to indict me to try to run for some other office, Trump said. A spokesperson for Willis declined to comment on Trump's criticism. Her office hasn't said whether charges against Trump will come next week. The Trump campaign released an ad attacking prosecutors who have investigated or pursued charges against Trump. In an email Wednesday morning, Willis told her staff that a television ad set to air this week includes derogatory and false information about her and instructed them not to respond publicly. You may not comment in any way on the ad or any of the negativity that may be expressed against me, your colleagues, this office in coming days, weeks or months, the email says. We have no personal feelings against those we investigate or prosecute and we should not express any. This is business, it will never be personal. Willis told law enforcement and local government leaders in a letter in April that she expected to announce charging decisions by the end of the current court term, which ends Sept. 1. She advised law enforcement to prepare for heightened security, noting that the announcement of charges may provoke a significant public reaction. A few weeks later, she seemed to narrow that window further in a letter to the chief judge of the county superior court. She indicated that she planned to have much of her staff work remotely for most days during the first three weeks of August and asked that judges not schedule trials and in-person hearings during part of that time, notably on the days when grand juries meet. Two grand juries were seated last month to serve through the end of the court term, one meeting Mondays and Tuesdays and the other meeting Thursdays and Fridays. Both of those grand juries have been regularly churning out lots of indictments in criminal cases unrelated to Trump, meaning it's unlikely they've had time to hear evidence in the election investigation. The visible security measures have prompted some speculation that an indictment could come this week. But there's another solid hint that that's not likely. At least one former lawmaker who's been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury hasn't been told to show up yet. Former state Sen. Jen Jordan received a subpoena that said she'd be given 48 hours notice before she's supposed to appear and, as of Wednesday afternoon, she hadn't gotten that notice. With the window Willis indicated to the chief judge closing Aug. 18 and the sheriff's traffic restrictions set to end at the same time, it seems a good bet that an indictment will come next week. If an indictment charges Trump, it would be the fourth to do so this year and the second to focus on the former president's efforts to overturn his presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. The U.S. Department of Justice earlier this month obtained a four-count indictment in Washington that focuses on Trump's efforts in the months between the November 2020 presidential election and the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to subvert the vote and remain in power. That was the second indictment sought against Trump by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith. A federal grand jury in Florida in June returned an indictment alleging the mishandling of classified documents. And a New York grand jury indicted Trump in March, charging him with 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential election. Trump has pleaded not guilty in all three cases and has relentlessly rained criticism on the prosecutors in speeches and online, accusing them of launching politically motivated attacks against the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination for president in 2024. The Georgia investigation was prompted by a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican. Trump suggested the states top elections official could help find 11,780 votes" needed to put him ahead of Biden in the state. Trump has insisted he did nothing wrong and has repeatedly said the call was perfect. ___ Associated Press writer Jeff Amy in Atlanta contributed reporting. A pair of divers who volunteer their time to search underwater for missing people came across several dozen cars submerged in a Florida lake and believe they could be connected to cold cases. Doug Bishop and Ken Flemings latest research led them to a lake in Doral, Florida, near the Miami International Airport when they stumbled upon the vehicles. Were here trying to solve missing persons cold cases, Mr Fleming told local 7News. When we discover a spot like this, with multiple vehicles, it pretty much indicates that a crime [has been committed], where theyre disposing the vehicles and hiding them from law enforcement. Video shows one of the divers inspecting a vehicle deep in the lakes murky waters. The sleuths use sonar technology to search bodies of water across the state, aiming to crack cases. Bishop is with the United Search Corps, a non-profit that searches and advocates for the missing and families of the missing. We have a giant database of our own that we extract, where we go, This person is missing with their vehicle in this general region of South Florida, said Mr Fleming, and so, we have 40 that were targeting right now of folks that disappeared, anywhere from two or three months ago to 30, 40 years ago. Mr Fleming said that they believe the vehicles were dumped in this lake during various criminal activities. We have a case where someone drove from Pinellas County down to pick up their relatives at the airport, and then they disappeared, said Mr Fleming, so, in this spot, were near the airport, its a large body of water, it has easy access to get into, so we would target that as a potential foul play spot. Police in Doral and Miami-Dade County were alerted of their findings and both the divers and the authorities have been working together to remove all 32 vehicles. The divers said they would give any information they have in order to help solve any cold cases. In a press briefing held this week, MDPD Spokesperson Alvaro Zabaleta said theres a chance the vehicles could be linked to a crime like fraud or homicide. But as of Tuesday, there is no indication that they are connected to any murders. He confirmed that the first vehicle they recovered was confirmed to be stolen. These are most likely the type of vehicles were going to find in this lake, Mr Zabaleta said. Vehicles that perhaps have been abandoned and they wanted to get rid of them, and they got rid of them here, or those that took them for a joy ride, they were stolen and then they were dumped inside the lake. Mr Zabaleta said the vehicles pulled from the lake were covered in vegetation growing on them and that many seemed very old, but assured that investigators could still run VINs to see if the cars are connected to any active cases. [The] majority of the vehicles in there are very old vehicles, just like the one we just saw, leading us to believe that these vehicles were dumped in this lake probably way before these warehouses were even here, Mr Zabaleta said. Meanwhile, Mr Bishop and Mr Fleming said they will remain at the scene to help police and continue their mission of searching for missing people. The divers told 7News that they have found 60 submerged vehicles to date across the state of Florida that are possibly linked to crimes. They said they do it for the families. Its about providing answers for families where they dont have them, said Mr Bishop. Departments, respectfully, have to justify their use of resources, and when a case goes cold, we have the ability to step in. We dont have to justify our use of resources, and we can help eliminate the drag on personnel locally. We can do this, we specialise in it, we can do it on a high level and do so as volunteers. By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Google asked a U.S. appeals court in New York on Tuesday to pause a decision to return an antitrust lawsuit filed by the state of Texas back to federal court in Texas. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation in June granted the state's request to send the lawsuit back to federal court in Texas. The lawsuit alleges that Google, a unit of Alphabet, abused its dominance in advertising technology. The panel stayed the decision to give Google time to appeal its decision to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. After the lawsuit was filed in 2020, Google successfully petitioned for it to be moved from Texas to a federal court in New York, where other advertising technology cases were being heard. But Texas convinced the judicial panel to move the case back to Texas, citing a measure that became law last year which gave state attorneys general the right to choose where an antitrust lawsuit will be litigated. The federal court in Texas has a reputation for moving quickly. Google has argued that the law is not retroactive. The search and advertising giant, which also makes a smartphone operating system and owns YouTube, faces antitrust lawsuits around the world that mostly allege abuse of dominance of one sort or another. Alphabet has denied any wrongdoing. (Reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis) Italian participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree pose at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Wednesday. The 300-member delegation is exploring travel destinations in Seoul and neighboring cities while staying at Inha University's dormitory in Incheon after leaving Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk By Lee Hae-rin About 37,000 young Scouts and adult volunteers from over 150 countries participating in the 25th World Scout Jamboree are exploring regional travel points in Seoul and seven other cities after leaving the event's original venue on reclaimed land in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, due to a typhoon forecast, the organizing committee said, Wednesday. The programs arranged for Jamboree participants have diverse themes ranging from Korean traditional and pop culture to nature and high-tech industry field trips, which meet the quadrennial global event's mission of new experiences and exchanges, the committee said. On Wednesday morning, 90 participants from Denmark and Norway experienced a K-pop choreography session and guided tour of media art exhibitions at HiKR Ground, a promotional hall at the Korea Tourism Organization's (KTO) Seoul Center. The visitors especially enjoyed the K-pop choreography sessions, according to the KTO which added that more participants of other nationalities are also expected to visit the center. Participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree learn K-pop choreography at HiKR Ground, a promotional hall at the Korea Tourism Organization's Seoul Center in central Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap The Seoul Metropolitan Government has been operating a Jamboree community center at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall to encourage exchanges among participants. The networking zone runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day until Sunday and features experience and photo zones offering events supported by embassies and private companies in Seoul. The city government also operates a free shuttle bus every 20 minutes running between Seoul Plaza and 12 major tourist destinations in central Seoul from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day until Sunday. The bus itinerary includes royal palaces, a shopping district in Insa-dong, the former presidential compound Cheong Wa Dae and more. Seoul is also set to provide outdoor activities ranging from hiking on Mount Nam, Mount Inwang and Mount Bugak, to water activities and wall climbing activities along the Han River. Indoors, Scouts are invited to a K-pop dance class at YGX Academy Headquarters, a field trip to Korean cosmetics giant AmorePacific, an esports tour to League of Legends Park and more. Participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree learn K-pop choreography at HiKR Ground, a promotional hall at the Korea Tourism Organization Seoul Center in central Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap Live coverage of the deadly Hawaiian wildfires has moved here. MAUI, Hawaii As of Thursday evening, at least 53 people are dead, and search efforts are still underway on the Hawaiian islands as the influence of Hurricane Dora to the south of the islands and a strong ridge of high pressure to the north fuel dangerous wildfires. Fire crews battled brush fires on Maui and the Big Island on Tuesday as wind gusts of more than 70 mph helped spread the flames. One of the larger fires burning on the northern part of the Big Island charred more than 1,800 acres. "Winds will slowly decrease Thursday across the Islands as strong high pressure to the north will continue to weaken and move westward," said FOX Forecast Center Senior Meteorologist Jordan Overton. "A very typical August trade wind pattern heading is expected to develop heading into the weekend, where winds could gust anywhere from 10-20 mph daily," Overton said. "The NWS has dropped the Wind and Fire Alerts for the Islands." "This is an unprecedented disaster as an indirect result of Hurricane Dora passing just south of our islands," said Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke. "It is truly devastating, and my heart goes out to the residents of Maui and all those impacted." As the wildfires continue, visitors with current and planned lodging at West Maui hotels may need other accommodations, Luke said Wednesday as she issued an emergency proclamation to extend the state of emergency to all counties, discourage non-essential air travel to Maui, and order all affected state agencies to assist with the evacuation. "This proclamation is to discourage travel to the affected areas, so we can prioritize our scarce resources for Maui residents who desperately need assistance," Luke said. AERIAL VIDEO SHOWS COMPLETE DEVASTATION ACROSS PARTS OF MAUI AFTER CATASTROPHIC BRUSH FIRES The Hawaii Department of Transportation said 1,800 people sheltered in place overnight at the Kahului Airport from canceled flights and flight arrivals, with many west-side highways closed. HDOT worked with airlines and the Transportation Security Administration to shelter passengers as wildfires continued to burn in Lahaina and the upcountry. "This not a safe place to be on certain parts of Maui. We have shelters that are overrun. We have resources that are being taxed," Maui officials said. Much of Lahaina was destroyed, with locals telling of "apocalyptic" scenes as dozens of homes and businesses were scorched. The dramatic scene greeted Jayson Duque as he was evacuating his home in Lahaina as more than 1,000 acres were burned in the town. His footage showed a huge plume of smoke as flames engulfed multiple houses. At least 80 people were evacuated there, and more evacuations were likely, the mayor said. THIS IS NOT A SAFE PLACE TO BE: RAGING BRUSH FIRES IMPACTING AIR TRAVEL TO SOME HAWAIIAN ISLANDS The National Guard arrived in Maui County by orders of the Hawaii Department of Defense following Maui Mayor Richard Bissen's issuance of an emergency proclamation. Members of the U.S. Coast Guard responded to impacted areas where residents entered the ocean due to smoke and fire conditions. Some crews were deployed to Front Street Beach and Lahaina Small Boat Harbor, where they rescued people from the waters. City officials said those individuals were transported to safe areas. While the cause of many of the brush fires remains under investigation, the combination of downed power lines and dry brush was being examined as a possible cause of some of the fires. At last check, nearly 15,000 customers were without power Wednesday throughout the state. BEFORE-AND-AFTER SATELLITE IMAGES OF MAUI AFTER DEADLY WIND-DRIVEN BRUSH FIRES The American Red Cross opened an evacuation center at Maui High School. They are also staffing emergency shelters in Kihei, Lahaina and Pukalani. Officials said schools on Maui will remain closed due to unsafe campus conditions and damage caused by the heavy winds. Hononoapiilani Highway remains open for outbound traffic only. Motorists should expect heavy traffic. All Maui Bus Commuter Services have been temporarily suspended. Windy conditions are expected to relax as the gradient between the ridge of high pressure, and Dora lessens over the next few days, the FOX Forecast Center said. By Abdel-Kader Mazou and Felix Onuah NIAMEY (Reuters) -Niger's military junta met with two Nigerian envoys on Wednesday, offering hope for dialogue before a summit with regional leaders that could result in military action to restore democracy. The talks took place as Niger accused France of violating its airspace, attacking a military camp and freeing "terrorists" to undermine the country. Paris denied the charges. Army officer Amadou Abdramane, speaking for the coup leaders, made the allegations in a video statement without providing evidence, stoking tension ahead of Thursday's meeting of West African heads of state, who are expected to discuss options including military action against the junta. "What we are seeing is a plan to destabilise our country," Abdramane said. France's foreign ministry rejected the accusations, saying its aircraft was operating under an existing agreement with Niger forces and its troops were in the west African nation at the request of legitimate authorities. During its standoff, the junta has rebuffed diplomatic overtures from African, U.S. and U.N. envoys. The junta leaders made an exception by meeting on Wednesday with two envoys of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who also chairs the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in the capital Niamey, a Nigerian government source said. The envoys - prominent traditional leaders Lamido Muhammad Sanusi and Abdullsalami Abubarkar - were allowed into the country despite closed borders. Only Sanusi met junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani, while his counterpart met with other representatives at the airport. "Well continue to do our best to bring the two parties together to improve understanding. This is the time for public diplomacy," Sanusi told reporters upon his return to Abuja. "CRUEL" DETENTION The party of Niger's deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum, accused the junta, which seized power on July 26, of keeping him and his family in "cruel" and "inhumane" detention at the presidential residence. In a statement calling for a nationwide mobilisation to save them, the PNDS-Tarayya party on Wednesday said the Bazoums had no running water, no electricity and no access to fresh goods or doctors. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the U.S. was greatly worried about Bazoum's safety and was still looking for a reversal of the military takeover. "We continue to engage with our partners in the region. We continue to engage with other governments," he told a briefing. U.S. troops are in Niger along with French, Italian and German forces as part of international efforts to combat Islamist insurgents devastating the Sahel region under agreements with the now-deposed civilian government. Rhetoric against former colonial power France has been a feature of coups in the region over the past two years, including in Mali and Burkina Faso, whose army rulers are strongly backing the generals now in charge in Niamey. The junta has revoked military pacts with France, but Paris has rejected that decision, saying it was not taken by Niger's legitimate authorities. INTERNAL CHALLENGE The coup was triggered by internal politics but spun into an international drama. ECOWAS, the United Nations and Western countries have pressured the junta to stand down, while Mali and Burkina Faso have vowed to defend it. The political scene became more complex on Wednesday as former rebel Rhissa Ag Boula announced a new Council of Resistance for the Republic (CRR) aimed at reinstating Bazoum. "Niger is the victim of a tragedy orchestrated by people charged with protecting it," Ag Boula's statement said. The CRR would use "any means necessary" to stop the military takeover and supports international diplomacy, he said. The challenge from Ag Boula raises the spectre of internal conflict in Niger, which until the coup was an important ally for the West in a region where other countries have turned towards Russia. Western powers fear Russian influence could grow stronger if the junta in Niger follows Mali's example by ejecting Western troops and inviting in mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group. Ag Boula played a leading role in uprisings by Tuaregs, a nomadic ethnic group in Niger's desert north, in the 1990s and 2000s. Like many former rebels, he was integrated into government under Bazoum and his predecessor, Mahamadou Issoufou. The coup's border and airspace closures have cut off supplies and hampered aid. The takeover has also prompted foreign financial sanctions against one of the world's poorest countries. (Additional reporting by David Lewis, David Gauthier-Villars, Edward McAllister, Elizabeth Pineau, Humeyra Pamuk;Writing by Nellie Peyton, Estelle Shirbon and Sofia Christensen; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Stephen Coates) Fulton County, Ga., Dist. Atty. Fani Willis is expected to bring state charges against former President Trump for allegedly trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election in her state. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press) In Fulton County, Ga., Donald Trump and others are widely expected to be indicted any day for attempting to illegally reverse Joe Bidens victory in that state in 2020. Trumps alleged interference includes his infamous call with Brad Raffensperger, Georgias secretary of state, in which Trump cajoled him to find 11,780 votes so he could overtake Bidens lead. In Michigan, three allies of Trump, including last years Republican nominee for state attorney general, were indicted in state court for engaging in a plot to illegally seize voting machines and examine them in a failed attempt to prove a Trump victory in the state. And in Michigan and elsewhere, fake electors who purported to cast electoral college votes for Trump in states that Biden won are facing or may face an array of state charges of forgery, fraud and other crimes. You might be tempted to see these criminal proceedings in state courts as a superfluous sideshow to Trumps federal indictment on charges related to overthrowing the 2020 election. In fact, these parallel cases are essential to protecting American democracy in three ways. Read more:Georgia's top court rejects Trump attempt to thwart prosecutor in 2020 election investigation First, state charges could stick against Trump in a way that federal charges might not. If Trump is elected president again in 2024, he would have the capacity to have federal special counsel Jack Smith fired, and he could direct his handpicked attorney general to shut down any still-pending federal prosecutions. He could even try to pardon himself, although the legality of self-pardons is uncertain. But even a newly inaugurated President Trump could not fire Fani Willis, the Georgia district attorney investigating his crimes in that state or any other state official. He couldnt call a halt to their investigations or indictments, although if he were indicted after reelection, he could probably delay the case until the end of his term. Most important, state crimes are not subject to pardon by the president. To the extent that Trump needs to be held accountable and deterred from future election subversion or other crimes through prosecution, the state route is as promising, if not more so, than the federal one. Second, Trump is not the only person who allegedly engaged in election subversion in 2020 and 2021, and the states are likely to be the most promising path for holding the others accountable too. Read more:Georgia grand jury says witnesses in Trump inquiry may have lied under oath So far, the federal government has indicted or convicted more than 1,000 people for Jan. 6, 2021-related violence and seditious conspiracy related to the Capitol invasion, but no one other than Trump has been charged or tried in federal court for the machinations in the states and in Washington to reverse Joe Bidens election. The Department of Justice may eventually go after some of these people, but that is far from certain. Finally, the state prosecutions remind us that American elections are decentralized and that the safeguarding of our democracy cannot just be the responsibility of the federal government. In the U.S. Constitution, each state and Washington, D.C., are assigned a specific number of presidential electors, but the rules for choosing those electors are left primarily to the states. States legislatures, in turn, delegate most of the management of elections to counties or other smaller government units, further decentralizing control over elections. Those who attempted to steal the 2020 election from Biden sought to leverage this intense decentralization by finding willing participants at every level of government who would claim fraud, illegality, voting machine malfunctions or something else as a predicate to undoing a result that proved in recounts, court cases and investigations to be fair and accurate. Read more:At least 8 fake Trump electors have immunity in Georgia election investigation The state prosecutions should help to show just how vulnerable to manipulation our voting systems are. Is there an insider threat from those working for state or local election officials with access to voting machinery and voter data? Does the state have an adequate set of rules to ensure that the correct electoral college votes will be transmitted to Congress? Is there adequate opportunity to observe ballot tallying? Are electoral procedures transparent and checkable? The one downside of state prosecutions is timing. They could throw a monkey wrench into the federal effort to prosecute Trump for his most serious crimes before the 2024 election. And yet there remains a more than negligible chance that the federal case will be delayed anyway, given the factual and legal complexities of the case. In that case, a state prosecution such as the one expected in Georgia which involves an alleged conspiracy in just a single state could be the only hope of holding Trump criminally accountable before he stands again in front of voters in 2024. Richard L. Hasen is a professor of law at UCLA and the director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project. His latest book, "A Real Right to Vote: How a Constitutional Amendment Can Safeguard American Democracy," will be published in 2024. 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. First things first: Despite some truly terrifying tales of survival, you are incredibly unlikely to be duking it out with a shark any time soon. But sharks do occasionally attack humans and they certainly make news when they do: Rockaway Beach Park in Queens, New York, was closed to swimming and surfing on August 8, one day after a woman was hospitalized after suffering an apparent shark bite. A teenager was bitten by a shark on the foot in early July as he was surfing off the coast of New Yorks Fire Island. A Russian citizen was killed by a shark in the Red Sea in Egypt on June 8. A shark attacked a woman from Connecticut while she was snorkeling at a resort in Turks and Caicos on May 24. While these kinds of encounters understandably cause would-be ocean swimmers to worry, theres no need to panic about your upcoming beach vacation. The chances of being attacked by a shark are extremely low despite the headlines. The Florida Museum of Natural Historys International Shark Attack File found only 57 confirmed, unprovoked shark bites on people and 32 confirmed, provoked bites in 2022 worldwide. Think about it a minute the world population is more than 8 billion people. Many of those live near or vacation at the coast. And only 89 bites were logged. Your chances of drowning are much, much higher. In 2022, the United States led the way in unprovoked attacks at 41; Florida had the highest state total at 16. That said, you can take steps to increase your chances of survival during a highly improbable attack, according to shark experts interviewed by CNN Travel. Before you get in the water Know your environment Sharks are salt-water creatures. The ocean is their home; we are the visitors. If youre going to the ocean, you have to assume you could encounter a shark regardless of when or where that is, said Neil Hammerschlag, director of the Shark Research and Conservation Program at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School. Fortunately, humans arent on the menu, and also fortunately, sharks tend to avoid people. Still, there are places youre more likely to encounter a shark. River mouths are not the best place to swim A bull shark gets up close to inspect divers during an ecotourism shark dive off of Jupiter, Florida, on May 5, 2022. - Joseph Prezioso/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images You should avoid estuaries, said Richard Peirce, an author, shark expert and former chair of the UK-based Shark Trust and Shark Conservation Society. Their often-murky waters are a favorite with bull sharks, which are the most likely to attack humans along with great whites and tiger sharks. An awful lot of attacks occur in river mouths, where there is silt and other material in suspension in the river people washing their clothes, people washing themselves, said Peirce. Hammerschlag pointed out another area where an encounter is more likely: deeper channels between the shoreline and sandbars farther out. Avoid areas with fishing Before you jump in the sea, have a look around the horizon: What do you see? If you see fishing boats, Peirce says forget it. Whether the fishing activity is commercial or recreational, material will often be being discarded, and unwanted dead fish, fish parts and the action of gutting fish are all putting chum in the water and inviting attention from sharks, he said. Before you go in, watch for unusual fish activity, such as a whole bunch of small- and medium-sized fish jumping out of the water, Hammerschlag said. Thats a possible sign a shark might be nearby. He also advised to not swim within roughly 50 yards of where someone is fishing from shore. Avoid dusk and dawn Swimming early in the morning or late at night can be lovely, but its also the time when a shark attack is most likely. A lot of shark attacks are cases of mistaken identity, Peirce says, due to reduced visibility and identification ability on the behalf of the shark. Hang with lifeguards A lifeguard watches swimmers at the Terre Sacree beach on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. Lifeguards might be able to tell you a lot about shark activity on their beach, and more importantly, about rip currents and other drowning threats. - PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA/AFP/AFP via Getty Images Chris Lowe, professor in marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, advises to do your homework before you go into unfamiliar waters. Bone up a little bit on species you might encounter in different places. If you have any questions, ask a local lifeguard. He said they are a great resource. I always recommend people go to guarded beaches. Its a lot safer, he said. Dont wear shiny objects in the water Be careful with jewelry, anything that flashes because sharks are always looking for fish. Lowe said. In murky water, a shark may think that flash is a sign of a meal. And you dont want your hand or foot to get confused with that. Follow your instincts Probably the most important thing is to follow your gut, Hammerschlag said. If you feel wary about getting in the water just dont go in the water. A lot of people who have been bitten actually said they had a weird sensation before that, like they had an inner voice telling them to get out of the water and they didnt listen to it, he said. If a shark is nearby A great white shark swims off Guadalupe Island in Baja California, Mexico. It hosts one of the most prolific populations of great white sharks in the world. - Kike Calvo/AP Dont panic So youre being circled by a shark. The worst thing you can do right now is panic. Dont start splashing around youre just going to excite, incite and encourage the sharks interest, said Peirce. Humans, apes, dogs and cats all have paws and hands. If we want to explore something we pick it up and we touch it, we feel it, we put it to our nose. A shark has got no paws or hands, so if it wants to explore something, the only capability its got to do that is to put it in its mouth, said Peirce. Thats why we often get exploratory bites which dont result in death and sometimes dont even result in serious injury. If you go swimming and splashing away, youre almost inviting the shark to come give you an exploratory or an attack bite. Maintain eye contact As the shark swims around you, keep your head on a swivel and try to maintain eye contact. Sharks are ambush predators, Peirce explained. If youre turning around and facing it the whole time while it circles you, its not going to be half as comfortable as if its able to sneak up from behind. Hammerschlag concurred, saying you should posture your body toward the shark so it knows you see it and youre following it. Then slowly back up toward your exit to a boat or shore. If youre surfing, track the shark with your board, Lowe said. Let the shark know its being watched. Marine biologists and shark divers Adriana Fragola and Kayleigh Grant show how that eye contact method works with tiger sharks. In a viral TikTok video (see top of story), the shark is seen as Fragola splashes away, capturing its attention. She turns around, faces the approaching shark, remains still in the water and gently deflects the shark away with her hand. Youre definitely never going to outswim or outrun a shark if it were actually chasing you, Fragola says in the video. Stay big or get small This is where it gets complicated. If a shark is clearly in attack mode, you need to make yourself as big as possible in the water, according to Peirce. The bigger you are in the water, the more respect youll get, he said. But if the shark seems to simply be passing through, Peirces advice is to roll up into a ball. If a shark sees you as a competitor for its food source, that can be one reason it attacks you, he explained. If I didnt want to be seen by a great white shark as a competitor and if it wasnt showing massive interest in me I would actually curl up so he shows even less interest in me. If youre being attacked Dont play dead This isnt a bear, its a shark. If you find yourself in an aggressive encounter, give it hell: punch, kick and poke at sensitive spots but be careful where you aim. Theres all this talk about punching a shark in the nose. Thats OK, but remember that just underneath the nose is a mouth, said Peirce. This is a moving object in the water and youre not staying still either, so what you dont want to do is end up effectively punching at the mouth or anywhere near it. A great white shark surfaces off the coast of Victoria, Australia. If you're being attacked and fighting back, try to avoid the dangerous mouth and go for the gills behind the mouth near the pectoral fins. - Kelvin Aitken/VWPics/AP A good shot to the gills can also do the job: The gills are very sensitive giving a shark a whack in the gills isnt a bad idea. Are you carrying anything with you? If so, turn it into a weapon. If youre a diver with an underwater camera, use it, if youre a snorkeler, rip off your snorkel and use it to poke the shark, Peirce says. Ive had a lot of sharks come at me, and its (been) enough to use a shark billy a small metal rod between two and three feet long and Ive just given them a little nudge on their nose. Its a good idea to swim with other people, Lowe said. Not only does that decrease the chances of an attack, he said, but youve got someone to assist you to a boat or shore if you are bitten. Cut off the angles A white shark swims across a sand bar off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in August 2021. - Charles Krupa/AP If youre a diver and you run into trouble, try to get into a position where the shark cant get behind you, says Peirce. Keep your back to something like a coral reef. Then youve only got one direction to look. Youre protected from behind, for example, and that enables you to keep the shark in sight in front of you and maybe swim to the top of the reef slowly to where your boat is. Slowly back away Displace the least amount of water possible. Try not to thrash and splash around as you gradually swim backwards toward shore. You must try and keep the animal in sight and very slowly and gently try and swim backwards and get into shallow water. Again, youve got to be careful large sharks can attack in very shallow depths. Doing the above may help to a degree, but Peirce says the likelihood of escaping without injury when a big shark attacks is slim. If a white shark is in full attack mode, theres not much youre going to be able to do at that point, he says. This article, first published in 2015, is updated periodically to report recent shark attacks. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to address questions about potential security concerns involving cellular modules made by Chinese companies including Quectel and Fibocom Wireless. The Republican chair of the House of Representatives China Select Committee, Mike Gallagher, and the panel's top Democrat, Raja Krishnamoorthi, in a letter to FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel raised alarm that U.S. medical equipment, vehicles and farm equipment could be accessed and controlled remotely from China if they use Chinese-made cellular modules. An FCC spokesperson said the commission "will closely review the committees letter. We take very seriously the security of U.S. networks and equipment" and noted commissioners have "taken strong actions on a bipartisan basis to remove untrustworthy equipment and network operators from U.S. networks." The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Cellular modules are components that enable internet of things (IoT) devices to connect to the internet. Noting that they are typically controlled remotely and are the necessary link between the device and the internet, the lawmakers said that if China "can control the module, it may be able to effectively exfiltrate data or shut down the IoT device. This raises particularly grave concerns in the context of critical infrastructure and any type of sensitive data." In September, the FCC named Chinese telecom companies Pacific Networks, its wholly owned subsidiary ComNet (USA), and China Unicom (Americas) as threats to U.S. national security under a 2019 law aimed at protecting communications networks. In March 2021, the FCC initially designated five Chinese companies under its "Covered List" - including Huawei Technologies, ZTE, Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and Zhejiang Dahua Technology. The lawmakers asked the FCC to consider using the Covered List to address Chinese-owned cellular modules and to answer if the commission can track the presence of Quectel, Fibocom and other modules provided by Chinese companies. In 2022, the Chinese Embassy in Washington said the FCC "abused state power and maliciously attacked Chinese telecom operators again without factual basis." Huawei has repeatedly denied allegations of wrongdoing. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Lisa Shumaker) By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A federal judge presiding over former President Donald Trump's trial on charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election has ordered his attorneys and federal prosecutors to appear in court on Friday for a hearing to help determine how evidence can be used and shared in the case. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan set the hearing for Friday at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT), shortly after Trump's attorneys and members of U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith's office had clashed in a joint court over when to schedule the proceeding. Prosecutors had said they were available all week, while Trump's lawyers had asked for a postponement until early next week. Friday's hearing comes after Trump's defense team on Monday opposed a request from prosecutors for Chutkan to impose a protective order to ensure confidential evidence is not shared publicly by Trump, suggesting he could use the information to intimidate witnesses. Trump has pleaded not guilty and called the charges politically motivated. Trump's attorneys said limits would infringe on his right to free speech, protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Trump is not expected to be present in the courtroom on Friday, after Chutkan waived his appearance. Typically, defense lawyers do not oppose such protective orders because doing so can delay the government from producing the evidence it intends to use at trial in a process known as discovery. The disagreement between the parties over the hearing date represented the latest effort by Trump's team to delay or slow legal proceedings. It also underscored the logistical challenges that Trump's team may have as it continues to represent him in two separate federal criminal cases brought by Smith's office, one in Washington, D.C., and the other in southern Florida, where Trump is charged with retaining highly classified records after leaving the White House and obstructing the government's efforts to have the records returned. Trump also pleaded not guilty in that case. One of Trump's attorneys, Todd Blanche, will be in federal court in Florida on Thursday for an arraignment, after the government filed a superseding indictment that charged Trump with additional criminal counts and also charged another one of his employees in the case. In the joint Washington filing, Trump's lawyers said Trump wished for both Blanche and his other lawyer John Lauro to be present for the hearing before Chutkan. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Howard Goller and Lisa Shumaker) SALT LAKE CITY Republican Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah is set to join President Joe Biden here for an event highlighting a major expansion of veterans health care, the White House and governors office told NBC News on Wednesday. The bipartisan appearance on Thursday will mark one year since enactment of the PACT Act, a measure that expanded eligibility for veterans health care to servicemembers exposed to toxic chemicals during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as Vietnam and the Gulf War. Cox, who will greet Biden after Air Force One arrives here on Wednesday evening, will speak alongside the president at a Salt Lake City VA Medical Center. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox in Salt Lake City on March 4, 2022. (Rick Bowmer / AP file) The PACT Act was part of Bidens so-called unity agenda, initiatives that his administration has said should be bipartisan priorities. It was a personal priority for Biden 10 years ago this month, his son Beau was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumor that the president has connected to his service in Iraq. Beau Biden died less than two years later. Thursday will be a rare appearance featuring Biden and a Republican governor promoting one of the president's legislative initiatives. In January, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine joined Biden and other bipartisan leaders to mark funding from the infrastructure law for a major bridge connecting Ohio and Kentucky. Biden has joined other GOP governors, including Floridas Ron DeSantis, on visits tied to storm recovery efforts. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott met briefly with Biden earlier this year as the president visited the U.S.-Mexico border. Cox, 48, now serves as chair of the National Governors Association. Last month, he launched Disagree Better, an NGA initiative meant to promote a more civil political discourse to solve some of the nations most pressing challenges. Biden praised Cox earlier this year as he hosted the annual Governors Ball at the White House. I promise I wont tell anybody how much I like you, Biden joked during his toast. Cox has not weighed in on his partys crowded 2024 field other than to say, as he did on NBC's Meet the Press in February, that hed prefer to see a governor leading the ticket. He went further on CBS Face the Nation last month, saying that he hoped his party could turn the page and try something else. I like governors. I think governors are great and have real experience, said Cox, who has said he will seek a second term in 2024. Cox, though, has made clear when he disagrees with the Biden administration. Just ahead of Bidens arrival, the governor issued a statement expressing frustration with Bidens announcement in Arizona designating a new national monument around the Grand Canyon. Massive, landscape-scale monuments like this are a mistake, Cox said. These designations increase visitation without providing additional resources for law enforcement and infrastructure to protect sensitive areas." Days ahead of Bidens arrival, the FBI shot and killed a Provo, Utah, man who had allegedly made threats to the presidents life. In one post on Monday, the suspect, Craig Deleeuw Robertson, cited Bidens upcoming visit to the state and said he needed to prepare his camouflage and sniper rifle. Biden was briefed about the incident by senior staff Wednesday morning. The White House on Tuesday pounced on Sen. Tommy Tubervilles (R-Ala.) hold on hundreds of military promotions, saying that Americans have had enough with him and Senate Republicans playing politics with service members. The American people have had enough with the excuses. Senator Tuberville, and all 48 Senate Republicans who are standing by him, owe it to the country to stop playing politics with the lives of those who serve in uniform and their families, and risking our nations safety, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a memo. The memo highlighted that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), a presidential hopeful, criticized the hold Tuesday, arguing that theres got to be other ways to protest the Pentagons abortion policy. It also highlighted a CNN report about hundreds of military families who recently signed a petition for Tuberville to relent, calling his hold political showmanship. The Defense Departments new abortion policy provides paid leave and travel reimbursement for abortions. Tuberville argues it violates the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from being used for abortion. The White House memo, titled The Evolving World of Senator Tommy Tuberville, also points to Tubervilles past comments about why he is holding up the military promotions since he began his protest in February. For nearly six months, Senator Tubervilles excuses for holding up the confirmation of more than 300 senior military positions have piled up, with each one weaker than the last, Bates said. The memo noted that Tuberville said in February that the abortion policy was an illegal expansion of [Department of Defense] authority, in April said the military is top heavy and last month said that the freeze is not holding up readiness. President Biden and other top officials have for weeks been hammering Tuberville about his protest. Last week, the White House called out Tuberville on X , formerly known as Twitter, posting This you? and sharing a series of headlines about the issues the holds have caused. Tuesdays memo is the latest example of the White House recently becoming punchier going into 2024, increasingly jumping in and bashing the GOP. Earlier Tuesday, it issued a statement accusing Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) of lying in order to cave to the far-right members of the House Republican Conference and their push for an impeachment inquiry into Biden. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The 360 shows you diverse perspectives on the days top stories and debates. More Americans believe that reports of unidentified flying objects are either alien ships or alien life-forms, according to a 2022 YouGov poll, which surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults. (Photo illustration: Sam Whitney for Yahoo News; photos; Getty Images.) Whats happening July 26 gave many UFO-enthusiastic Americans what theyve been waiting for: The government publicly confronted the topic of extraterrestrial life. On that day, a former military officer, David Grusch, along with two other military veterans, testified to House representatives that the military and executive branch agencies had withheld information regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) from Congress and the public. As Americas infatuation with the otherworldly grows, a pressing question takes center stage: Does solid evidence exist to substantiate the existence of visitors from the unknown? Grusch told lawmakers that the U.S. has possibly been aware of non-human activity since the 1930s, and that it had addressed crashed UFOs. A Defense Department spokeswoman told the Associated Press that the agency had not discovered any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently. Jock Brocas, the creator and editor in chief of Paranormal Daily News, a publication that covers all things extraterrestrial, said the congressional hearing has turned everything upside down. It gave me shivers when Grusch said that we have biological evidence of beings that goes beyond anything [weve heard], he told Yahoo News. Why theres debate Recent polling shows more Americans believe that reports of unidentified flying objects are either alien ships or alien life-forms, according to a 2022 YouGov poll, which surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults. The poll found that 34% believe UFOs are probably alien ships or alien life-forms, up from 20% in 1996, while another 34% said they didnt know and 32% said theres a natural scientific explanation for the phenomena. Gruschs testimony drew skepticism, particularly among those who doubt that UFOs, UAPs and aliens even exist. Mick West, an American science writer who appeared on Elizabeth Vargas Reports on NewsNation, said that Gruschs assertions arent accurate and that the video evidence doesnt stack up. Its hard to say what evidence we may have regarding life on other planets, says Carrie McCabe, co-host of the Ain't It Scary podcast, a show that focuses on mysterious, unexplained encounters. We dont know of many confirmed sightings or concrete cases; we have a lot of interesting videos and pictures, but not a whole lot else. The U.S. has a very unique relationship with the concept of extraterrestrials and alien life, McCabe told Yahoo News, adding that she believes its because America has had very particular experiences with UFOs, ones that have become famous in the country, in alien history, and across the world, like Roswell and Area 51. In events like these, our government has become involved and even part of the story, so its all become deeply entwined with the American identity. Were also one of the foremost producers of pop culture, especially film, and so we grapple with these unanswered questions via film and fiction even more than our counterparts across the world, leading to big titles like E.T., Independence Day, The X-Files and so on, she said. Whats next The congressional hearing wasnt a one-off event, with lawmakers indicating that a bipartisan bill and additional hearings could be forthcoming. It was a very illuminating hearing, Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., said about the testimonies, according to SpaceRef. Obviously, I think several of us are going to look forward to getting some answers in a more confidential setting. I assume some legislation will come out of this. Perspectives Federal government says theres still no evidence that aliens exist While the Defense Department has said there's no evidence linking UAPs to aliens yet, many social media users still took the hearing as proof aliens exist. The hearing did spawn a lot of memes, but many of them signaled how uninterested users were in the findings. UFOs, previously a hot topic for conspiracy theorists, are now almost too mundane to break through the news cycle, some users said. NBC News, Daysia Tolentino Americans are too overwhelmed to care Seventy years ago, claims of flying saucers around Washington were the talk of the town and front pages. Today? Many Americans suggested they are too overwhelmed by the problems on Earth to care much about whats outside it. Man I got a lot going on lately, read one meme viewed nearly 6 million times on Twitter since it was posted Wednesday, depicting a fictitious exchange between a human and a member of a newly identified alien class. Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post Members of Congress are searching for answers The long love affair between the United States and UFOs is experiencing a torrid second honeymoon. In 2020, the decision by the Department of Defense to release a series of videos from 2004 and 2015 depicting encounters by military pilots with unidentified flying objects (UFOs) sent the imagination of public opinion soaring. Now, this curiosity has moved a group of congresspeople in Washington to shake off long-standing taboos in search of answers about what the authorities prefer to call unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) a term used to brush away the tinge of conspiracy that the term UFO carries. Iker Seisdedos, El Pais People remain fascinated by the potential of otherworldly life Americas obsession with aliens and UFOs is nothing new in fact, its something thats been in the zeitgeist since at least the immediate postwar years of the late 40s and 50s, when paranoia stemming from the use of the atomic bomb and fraught international tensions caused many to start looking to the skies, wondering what could possibly happen next. Carrie McCabe to Yahoo News. Navy warships move into Incheon Port, Wednesday, to avoid possible damage Typhoon Khanun, which is forecast to hit the country's southern coast, Thursday morning. Yonhap Sea, air travel routes suspended By Ko Dong-hwan Korea is scrambling to brace for the rapidly approaching Typhoon Khanun, which is expected to make landfall on the southern coast on Thursday morning, carrying heavy rains and strong winds nationwide. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Wednesday, the entire country is expected to be under the influence of the strong storm throughout the day. Typhoon Khanun is forecast to pass through South Korea and reach North Korea on Friday morning. Reaching southern waters 120 kilometers south of Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, at about 3 a.m., Thursday, the weather agency forecast Khanun will move past Jeju Island and make initial contact with the mainland near the Tongyeong about six hours later. As of Thursday morning, the typhoon is forecast to carry strong winds of 119 to 158 kilometers per hour and with an air pressure of around 970 hectopascals. Khanun's trajectory is expected to be almost parallel to the Korean Peninsula as it moves northwards, meaning that the entire country and nearby seas will experience an extreme downpour and strong winds. This image provided by the Korea Meteorological Administration on Wednesday shows the course of Typhoon Khanun. Courtesy of Korea Meteorological Administration However, the intensity is expected to weaken once it makes landfall, carrying winds of 90 to 115 kilometers per hour. It is forecast to reach Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province at around 3 p.m. and approach Namyangju in Gyeonggi Province at about 9 p.m., according to Woo Jin-kyu, an official at the KMA. By 3 a.m. on Friday, Khanun is forecast to move past the inter-Korean border and will be approximately 120 kilometers southeast of Pyongyang. While the entire country is expected to get soaked starting late on Wednesday and until Friday, precipitation will be mostly concentrated along the coastal and mountainous regions in the provinces of Gangwon (600 millimeters or more), North and South Gyeongsang (400 millimeters or more) and South Jeolla (300 millimeters or more), according to the KMA. The low-lying areas in the rest of the country will see between 100 to 300 millimeters of rain. The country's southeastern coastal regions will see the strongest winds up to 40 meters per second but as Khanun's intensity is expected to weaken as it hits the mainland, the wind speed will decrease as the typhoon progresses further towards the capital region. This is the first time a typhoon will enter the country from its southern end and go all the way to its northern end since Gladys in 1991 or even before that in 1989 with Judy. But both typhoons did not reach the capital region as they ran out of momentum heading north. They had penetrated the country's southwestern regions and gradually went on a diagonal path, eventually departing from the mainland south of Seoul via the West Sea. Tourists at Seongsan Sunrise Peak on Jeju Island try to withstand strong winds and rain, Wednesday, as Typhoon Khanun is forecast to reach the southern part of the country, Thursday morning. Yonhap Ghost guns are coming under fire from gun-control advocates. But why are these weapons so difficult to trace? And can anything be done to keep them from getting into the wrong hands? Manuel Yambo had never heard of a "ghost" gun until his 16-year-old daughter was killed by one. He was at home, getting ready for work, when he got a call that every parent dreads. His daughter Angellyh had been hit by a stray bullet near her school. Before he could get to the hospital, another call came in: She was dead. He didn't believe it until he saw her for himself. It was just a few months ago that Angellyh was celebrating her sixteenth birthday, dancing with her father wearing a pink gown and a crown. "Angellyh, she was funny, she came out like me," Mr Yambo remembers. Officials told him the 17-year-old suspect used a ghost gun, which is a privately made firearm that is unregistered and untraceable. Until August 2023, anyone with access to the internet could legally buy many of the parts needed to make a gun without a background check. Tutorials online explain how to assemble the pieces into a fully functioning firearm with just basic tools in less than an hour. "I was just in shock how easy it was to get it," Mr Yambo told the BBC. "You would think things like that, you can't just order it online as if it was a toy." Angellyh had just turned 16 when she was killed by a ghost gun, her father Manuel Yambo says Experts are calling ghost guns the fastest-growing gun safety problem in America. The number of ghost guns recovered from crime scenes by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), has risen by more than 1,000% since 2017. In New York City, where Mr Yambo lives, the NYPD seized the first ghost gun back in 2018, recovering 17 in total that year. In 2019, it was 50. By 2020, the number was 150. And then in 2021, it was up to 275. At the ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network facility in Washington, DC, ballistic evidence is evaluated and matched to crime scenes from across the country. But without serial numbers on the gun frames, it is virtually impossible to trace ghost guns and track down dealers who are selling guns illegally to minors or to people without proper firearm licenses. "Pretty much anyone can get these ghost guns and order parts and make a gun that's just as well as the guns we carry," ATF officer Jerome McClinton told the BBC. Last August, new regulations introduced by the Biden administration came into effect that say key products used to make ghost guns qualify as traditional firearms, and thus must include serial numbers. Those components include commonly sold, pre-packaged ghost gun kits that are easily converted into firearms, as well as functional "frames" or "receivers". "This rule will make it harder for criminals and other prohibited persons to obtain untraceable guns," said Attorney General Merrick Garland at the time. "It will help to ensure that law enforcement officers can retrieve the information they need to solve crimes. And it will help reduce the number of untraceable firearms flooding our communities." But it was blocked by a federal judge in Texas who had ruled that the White House had overstepped its authority when it issued the ban. On 8 August 2023, the Supreme Court allowed the new rules to stand pending an appeal of the Texas judgement by the Biden administration. That appeal could eventually end up back in front of the Supreme Court. There are also bans on ghost guns in about a dozen states. But David Pucino, the deputy chief counsel at the Giffords Law Center, a gun-control advocacy group, said the new regulations aren't comprehensive enough because they don't cover all parts that can be used to make a ghost gun, such as some "unfinished" frames or receivers. He also said that without a national framework, gun traffickers can simply move ghost guns from states where they are legal to states where they are banned. In October, a group of senators asked the ATF to provide a report on enforcement of the law, but the agency has told Congress it is worried more robust action would lose in court, after several rulings by the Supreme Court affirming the Second Amendment broadly protects gun owners from restrictions. Ghost guns are also becoming an international problem, even in countries with tight restrictions on weapons. Some are being trafficked out of the United States, such as gun parts that are shipped directly to Mexico, where there is fear they could be used by cartels. In Western Europe, 3D printers have been used to make ghost guns, Mr Pucino said. The ATF has cautioned that America's ghost gun trend could take off abroad. "I would say that if ghost guns has not been an issue for those other countries, then it's probably going to be eventually," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Charlie Patterson. New York officials have made cracking down on illegal ghost guns a priority The growing proliferation of ghost guns has inevitably led to closer scrutiny of the various manufacturers. In 2022, New York's attorney general sued several online retailers for allegedly selling illegal unfinished and unserialised frames and receivers. This January, a New York court granted an injunction in that lawsuit, effectively pulling ghost guns from the market in the state. Polymer80, the largest ghost-gun manufacturer in the US, has been the subject of much of the ire from lawmakers across the country. In addition, Washington, DC, won a $4m (3.2m) judgment against the company for violating consumer protection laws by falsely claiming that its weapons are legal in the District and for selling illegal guns to DC consumers. Ghost gun manufacturer Polymer80 says ghost guns are not to blame for gun deaths But Loran Kelley, the co-founder of Polymer80, called the concerns over ghost guns a "myth," and a "divisive non-issue". He is appealing the DC ruling, and said other lawsuits are frivolous. He also secured a victory in Nevada, where his company is based, when a judge struck down parts of the state's ghost gun ban, calling them "unconstitutionally vague". Mr Kelley argued that ghost guns make up a small fraction of the total number of weapons recovered by law enforcement. In 2021, the ATF recovered 460,024 guns, compared to 19,273 ghost guns. While Mr Kelley said he felt for Angellyh's family, he was personally against any government regulation of firearms based on his interpretation of the Second Amendment right to bear arms. He dismissed statistics, such as those that show firearms are the leading cause of death for American children and teens, as missing the point. "People need to separate in their minds violence and guns," he said. "If we have troubled kids or we have people who feel disenfranchised in this country, which we do in spades, that's the source of this (violence)." It's a distinction Angellyh's family does not make - Mr Yambo blamed the manufacturers for her death, and is starting a foundation to help those affected by gun violence. "Who were these guns made for? Why were they sold in parts - in order to avoid being detected by the Department of Justice and the ATF?" he asked. By Andrea Shalal and Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The World Bank said on Tuesday it would halt new lending to the Ugandan government after concluding that its anti-LGBTQ law, which has been condemned by many countries and the United Nations, contradicts the bank's values. In response, the East African country dismissed the move as unjust and hypocritical. A World Bank team traveled to Uganda immediately after the law was enacted in May and determined that additional measures were needed to ensure projects were being implemented in line with the bank's environmental and social standards. "No new public financing to Uganda will be presented to our Board of Executive Directors until the efficacy of the additional measures has been tested," the bank said in a statement, adding that such measures were now under discussion with Ugandan authorities. "Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group's values. We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a livable planet can only succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality," the bank said. "We remain committed to helping all Ugandans - without exception - escape poverty, access vital services, and improve their lives." World Bank President Ajay Banga, who took office in June after the Ugandan law was enacted, has come under pressure to respond to the Ugandan law. On June 15, 170 civic groups urged Banga to take "specific, concrete and timely actions" in response to the Uganda anti-LGBTQ law, including suspending future lending. Uganda's state minister for foreign affairs, Okello Oryem accused the bank of hypocrisy, saying they were lending to countries in the Middle East and Asia that have the same or harsher laws on homosexuality. "There are many Middle East countries who do not tolerate homosexuals, they actually hang and execute homosexuals, in the United States of America many states have passed laws that are either against or restrict activities of homosexuality ... so why pick on Uganda?" he said. "The World Bank has been put under pressure by the usual imperialists." The World Bank had provided $5.4 billion in International Development Association financing to Uganda by the end of 2022, including many health and education projects that could be affected by the new law. The existing portfolio will continue to disburse funds, even as new lending is put on hold, a World Bank source said. Private sector projects backed by the International Finance Corporation and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) would proceed only "on a selective basis," the bank said in a separate note to staff seen by Reuters. It said the IFC and MIGA would also implement additional measures to "ensure inclusion and non-discrimination as needed." (Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Andrea Shalal in Washington; Additional reporting by Elias Biryabarema in Kampala; Editing by Leslie Adler, Jonathan Oatis, Richard Chang and Christina Fincher) A New York City doctor has been charged with allegedly drugging and filming himself sexually assaulting and raping multiple women, including patients in his care. Gastroenterologist Zhi Alan Cheng, 33, was arraigned on a 50-count indictment Monday for charges related to the alleged rape of three women at his Astoria, Queens apartment and the sexual abuse of three patients at New York-Presbyterian Queens hospital where he worked between June 2020 and December 2022. Cheng was originally arrested and terminated from his position in December after a woman reported him to police for allegedly drugging and raping her at his apartment. The new indictment, announced by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, also accuses Cheng not only of drugging women in order to rape and sexually assault them, but filmed himself committing the acts. These videos were recovered by investigators after one alleged victim discovered the recordings in Chengs apartment, which included a recording of herself and other women being assaulted, according to the statement released by District Attorney Katzs office. Authorities also said investigators discovered narcotics, including fentanyl, ketamine, cocaine, LSD and MDMA and sedatives used in hospitals, such as propofol and sevoflurane, when searching Chengs apartment. The evidence listed by the D.A.s office includes video of Cheng at the hospital groping a 19-year-old patient, a seriously ill 47-year-old patient and engaging in sexual intercourse and abuse with women at his apartment, all of whom were unconscious and sedated. While he is currently being charged based on video evidence depicting the abuse of six women, the D.A. alleges that further video evidence indicates Cheng assaulted a number of other women in Westchester County, Manhattan, Las Vegas, in and around San Francisco and Thailand. Chengs lawyer did not immediately respond to request for comment. Airline faces lawsuit: Delta overserved drunk passenger who groped teen during international flight, lawsuit says Civil suits filed against Cheng's employers Two legal firms, Liakas Law, P.C. and Slater Slater Schulman LLP, filed a civil suit related to the case against the New York and Presbyterian Hospital and New York-Presbyterian/Queens in June, alleging that Chengs employers failed to take proper action to address and prevent further abuse. The firms filed on behalf of Chengs 19-year-old victim, who alleges that she complained to the hospital in June 2021 after Cheng performed an abnormally intrusive exam on her and later entered her room to give her a painful injection that caused her to lose consciousness. According to a media statement from the firms, their client identified Cheng in a lineup conducted by the hospital, but the hospital then failed to collect forensic evidence, notify police, take proper medical notes or suspend or terminate Cheng. This litigation is still ongoing. In statement provided to USA TODAY, New York-Presbyterian said: As caregivers, we are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of our patients - it is a sacred trust. The crimes committed by this individual are heinous, despicable, and a fundamental betrayal of our mission and our patients trust. We are appalled and deeply saddened by what these victims and their families have endured. "In December 2022, as soon as the District Attorney made us aware of allegations of sexual abuse against this individual, he was immediately placed off duty, banned from hospital property, and terminated. The statement went on to say that hospital administrators have been examining areas where they could enhance security measures. Chengs criminal charges include several counts of sexual assault, rape, assault, unlawful surveillance and criminal possession. If convicted, he faces multiple sentences of 25 years to life, according to the D.A.s office. Abuse survivor makes change: Here's how 3 students and an abuse survivor changed Ohio State's medical school The recovered evidence compiled paints the picture of a sexual predator of the absolute worst kind, a serial rapist, someone willing to not only violate his sacred professional oath and patients trust, but every standard of human decency, as well, Katz said in the statement. We will present the facts to a jury and achieve justice for the victims of the horrific assaults captured on video. Those who believe they may have been victimized are advised to contact the Special Victims Bureau at (718) 286-6505, or SpecialVictims@queensda.org, as the investigation is still ongoing. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Queens doctor Zhi Cheng drugged victims, filming sex assaults, DA says TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has once again suspended an elected local prosecutor, a move that comes as his presidential campaign struggles amid a continued reset. DeSantis on Tuesday suspended Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell, a Democrat who is the only Black woman serving as a local prosecutor in Florida. Its the second time he has used his authority as governor to take such action. DeSantis suspended Tampa-area prosecutor Andrew Warren in August 2022 for signaling he would not bring charges under Florida's new 15-week abortion ban. A federal judge called that decision unconstitutional but said he could not overturn the suspension. A challenge filed by Warren was later thrown out by the DeSantis-friendly Florida Supreme Court. Both Warren's and Worrells 2020 campaigns received help from a committee that got money from Democratic megadonor George Soros, a frequent target of Republican attacks. In fundraising emails and in speeches, DeSantis has boasted that he is the only elected official in America to remove a progressive Soros-funded district attorney, a reference to Warren's suspension. DeSantis made the announcement during a hastily called press conference in Tallahassee. It included top law enforcement officials and a room packed with his administration staffers, who were apparently given a heads-up the day before to show up at the 8:15 a.m. press conference. DeSantis alerted the media to the event less than 30 minutes before it began. The press conference was held one day after DeSantis' presidential campaign elevated his gubernatorial chief of staff, James Uthmeier, to campaign manager. Uthmeier was chief of staff when DeSantis suspended Warren in 2022. DeSantis is trailing in public polling to former President Donald Trump, and over the past few weeks, he has fired roughly 40% of his staff as part of an ongoing reboot of his presidential campaign. Worrells held a press conference in Orlando hours after the DeSantis announcement, calling him a "weak dictator." "I am your duly elected state attorney, and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that," she said. Worrells suspension comes after months of political fights with Republicans, including with DeSantis directly, over her handling of a string of Orlando-areas shootings most notably a March shooting spree in the Orlando area that left three dead, including a 9-year-old and a local television journalist. The alleged gunman had eight felonies and 11 misdemeanors, but those all came while he was a juvenile. His only crime as a legal adult in 2021 was when he was in possession of drug paraphernalia and cannabis. Worrell, whose office announced it is seeking the death penalty in the case, said Republicans were playing politics with the issue, and noted her office closed almost 3,000 cases this year. But conservatives blasted her for allowing someone with such an extensive criminal record, even though most of it came while he was a juvenile, to remain on the streets. Prosecutors have a duty to faithfully enforce the law. Ones political agenda cannot trump this solemn duty, refusing to faithfully enforce the laws of Florida puts our communities in danger and victimizes innocent Floridians, DeSantis said during the Tallahassee press conference flanked by law enforcement officials, including Republican Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. The formal reasons DeSantis issued the executive order suspending Worrell were for showing a pattern of avoiding minimum mandatory sentences for gun crimes and drug charges, and allowing juvenile offenders to avoid serious charges and incarceration. DeSantis can only suspend; the Florida Senate would have to take action to remove her from office. Moody also pointed to the fact that from January 2021 to June 2022, Worrell dismissed charges against more than 16,000 people, the most of any state attorney in the state. She said she was highlighting those numbers to get in front of criticism from Worrell and her allies that the suspension is political. Democrats, however, still quickly blasted the decision as political and one that will disrupt local state attorney offices in judicial circuits that oversee two of the largest metro areas in the state Orlando and Tampa. In both cases, the people of those communities elected the suspended prosecutor. This is absolutely disgusting, said state Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat. State Attorney Monique Worrell is a duly elected official and the only Black woman serving as State Attorney in Florida right now this politically motivated action by the governor in a predominantly democratic part of the state should alarm everyone. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried called the suspension a "political hit job." State Sen. Jason Pizzo, a Miami Democrat and himself a former prosecutor, said he is concerned about how disruptive these actions are to line prosecutors who have victims waiting on arraignments, motions, trials, bond hearings and sentencing. The Warren suspension similarly sparked huge political backlash, and court documents that came with follow-up legal challenges outlined that DeSantis office was specifically targeting local prosecutors they viewed as progressive-leaning. In early 2022, he ordered staff led by former Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Larry Keefe to ferret out progressive prosecutors, a process that for Keefe included asking the Florida Sheriffs Association, which is allied with Republicans and DeSantis, if they knew of any progressive prosecutors. Months later, Warren was suspended, sparking a monthslong legal fight. During the legal challenges, Keefe acknowledged in depositions that he had been concerned that Warren had been co-opted by Soros. Soros is a political boogeyman for Republicans, who have long targeted him. But the frequent attention on him has been scrutinized as antisemitic by groups like the Anti-Defamation League, because Soros is Jewish. During his deposition, Keefe said he was not aware that Soros is Jewish. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended elected State Attorney Andrew H. Warren, ostensibly on the ground that Mr. Warren had blanket policies not to prosecute certain kinds of cases, read the order from U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle. The allegation was false. Any reasonable investigation would have confirmed this, wrote Hinkle, who said he had no authority to overturn the suspension despite its unconstitutional nature. In June, the Florida Supreme Court tossed a legal challenge by Warren, citing an unreasonable delay in bringing the challenge. Sophia Bush and husband Grant Hughes are splitting up after 13 months of marriage. (Photo: JC Olivera/WireImage) Sophia Bush and husband Grant Hughes separated June 27, just 16 days after celebrating their first anniversary, according to her divorce filing obtained by both Us Weekly and Page Six. Reportedly, the cause of the breakup was "irreconcilable differences." Neither of the spouses, who tied the knot in June 2022, is seeking spousal support, per a prenuptial agreement, and she's asking to have legal fees split between them in the divorce she filed for on Aug. 4. The "exact nature and extent of the separate property assets and debts of the parties is unknown at this time," the document from her legal team read, but "each party shall be awarded his/her respective separate property assets and debts pursuant to the terms of the agreement signed by the parties prior to their marriage." The couple do not have any children. People reported Friday that Bush had filed for divorce, after just over a year of marriage to the FocusMotion Health co-founder. A source told the outlet exclusively, "Sophia and Grant were friends for 10 years and bonded during COVID through their love of community service. They continue to run their nonprofit together and remain good friends." Just two months ago, Bush and Hughes publicly congratulated each other on their anniversary. "Today marks 365 days of calling you 'husband,'" she reportedly wrote in a now deleted Instagram post, "Best decision of my life. It still feels just like this. Ecstatic. Running toward the future, grinning and laughing, together. I love you, my favorite. Happy Anniversary." Hughes shared a message of his own: "What a full, beautiful, dynamic, exciting, growth-filled year weve had together. I truly love doing life with you!" In a 2022 interview with Vogue, Bush revealed that she met her former husband on a trip to Nicaragua. "We became fast friends but only saw each other a few times a year because both of us were traveling all of the time for work, the actress explained. In 2021, Bush and Hughes announced their engagement while on vacation in Lake Como, Italy. At the time, she called Hughes her "favorite person" in a since-deleted Instagram alongside a photo of the moment. She added the hashtag "Yes." Hughes got down on one knee on a classic wooden boat in order to propose. The actress thanked the boat rental company and a local wedding photographer "for helping my favorite human plan the most incredible, moving surprise of my life. My heart. It bursts." Hughes replied to her post, "Youre my forever favorite, my love" with an emoji kiss. The couple wed in Hughes's home state of Oklahoma. The Chicago P.D. star's dress was designed by longtime friend Monique Lhuillier. As a visual person and a storyteller, I love what imagery can represent, the 41-year-old shared at the time on Instagram. "On this day, I wanted to represent us. Where we come from. Where we are going. Oklahoma tea roses for my husband and his family. Italian olives and branches for mine, and for what their offering signifies. California poppies for our home together. And our sweet, chunky bees, that we have cultivated together for years now. Colors pulled from sunsets and sunrises in his hometown and mine. An honoring of place, memory, and purpose." The wedding was attended by Bush's friends and One Tree Hill alums Bethany Joy Lenz and Hilarie Burton Morgan. On an April 2023 episode of Penn Badgley's podcast, Podcrushed, Bush said that Hughes "was always just a good guy." "It's not lost on me that our reconnection occurred over serving community first," she said. "That was really meaningful to me. And as we started to talk, we thought 'OK well we've gotta get a COVID test so we can go see each other for a meal.' It was just different. And it's such a cheesy thing when people say 'When you know, you know'... We were ready for something different to meet us on the outside." Bush previously dated her Chicago P.D. co-star Jesse Lee Soffer as well as One Tree Hill castmate Austin Nichols. She married OTH'sChad Michael Murray in 2005 before separating after five months. Editor's note: This story was originally published on Aug. 5, 2023, and has been updated with new information. Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska has repeatedly said that one of the most unexpected outcomes for Moscow after invading Ukraine is that soft power fought back. I hadnt quite appreciated what she meant until I interviewed her from the heart of Kyiv. There I learned first-hand how soft diplomacy can have an instant impact on the world stage. Sitting in the bunker-like command centre in Kyiv, Mrs Zelenska was clear that one of the keys to ending this war was ending sanctions dodging by countries trading with Moscow through third nations. Without cutting this funding to the Kremlins war machine, the invasion will drag on endlessly undermining the money and weapons being poured into Ukraine's military by Western allies. And, ultimately, meaning Moscow might win. Watch the full interview here With her characteristic understated delivery, she painted a bleak outcome. That will mean that anyone with power, strength and sufficient financial capacity can do whatever they want in this world. This will mean that global deterrents aren't working. It will be the worst-case scenario for all of humanity." The effect was immediate. While countries across the world have imposed a number of sanctions on Russia since Vladimir Putin's invasion began, a spokesman for the foreign secretary told The Independent that the government echoes the frustrations the first lady has expressed, adding that it was working quickly to block the loopholes. Less than 24 hours later, the Foreign Office announced its largest-ever crackdown on third countries aiding Russia. This is part of a push by Mrs Zelenska to increase the soft power she can wield, by adapting her own role as first lady and the role of first partners all over the globe. She talked me through a summit of first ladies and first gentlemen she is holding in September in Kyiv hoping to create a collective of first partners that come together to create change in the world. The full interview is now available to watch on independent.tv and your smart TV We can no longer perform only a decorative role. We cannot just stand nicely next to the head of state, she said of her fellow spouses. We can try harder and do much more. And I saw the response it has in our community. Ukraine hopes Britain is providing the template for the world to follow suit with tougher measures to crack down on sanctions dodgers. Mrs Zelenska was clear about the consequences of inaction. Outnumbered and outgunned Ukraine surprised everyone by not just clinging on when Russia launched its full-scale invasion last February, but repeatedly pushing back the full might of Russias army. They swept back swathes of territory in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts and now terrain in the east and south too thanks to Kyiv's latest counteroffensive. Olena Zelenska inside the presidential complex in Kyiv (Anton Kulakowskiy) But 18 months into the war, such lightning gains may be a thing of the past as we grind towards deadlock. Russia has dug in deep with entrenched defences in areas like Zaporizhzhia in the south and Donbas in the east. These are now the bloodiest battlefields. Ukrainian brigades and their spotters have repeatedly told me Russia has built a deadly network of trenches and minefields along the frontlines, with artillery behind. This makes it extremely deadly to do reconnaissance let alone a push forward. They fear is that if Russia is able to navigate sanctions to bolster its military, it may end up with a bottomless supply of weaponry and ammunition. Moscow does not shrink from throwing its soldiers at the problem, and it has time on its side. Back in Kyiv, Mrs Zelensksa was blunt about what this means. Ukrainians are paying for this war with the lives of their compatriots. The rest of the world pays with its resources, she said, adding that these are incomparable. Once again I am talking about the fact that these resources risk being used endlessly until the aggressor is stopped. Olena Zelenska has a clear message for the world about the need to support Ukraine (Anton Kulakowskiy) Mrs Zelenska was firm about what that cost would be for Ukraine and the world. For Ukraine, it does not just mean the loss of soldiers on the battlefield, it means a nation that is struggling with a new generation of amputees. This is now one of the most prevalent wounds of this war in a country that is fast becoming the most heavily mined nation in the world. Mrs Zelenska also opened up about the psychological cost of the invasion. It is feeding a burgeoning mental health crisis, as civilians and soldiers struggle to deal with the levels of violence. That includes surviving torture, rape being used as a weapon of war and the relentless country-wide bombardment. She spoke about trying to find and retrieve tens of thousands of missing children taken to Russia where rights groups have documented illegal adoption and russification programmes. They argue it is part of a broader and coordinated Russian effort to effectively annihilate the Ukrainian identity of the young generation. She also talked about her work to try to rebuild obliterated parts of Ukraine, which the UN estimates will cost a staggering $411 billion (323bn) to fully reconstruct. This amount will only increase as this bloody war drags on. So, for Mrs Zelenska, the fact that some countries continue to conduct trade with Russia through third countries "is simply and critically wrong. We all need to increase the pressure on the aggressor countries in order to make it impossible for them to continue waging war, she said to me with grim assurance. Without such help, this war can go on for a long, endless time as "Russia is too powerful, too big an enemy. That is Olena Zelenskas urgent message to Western allies and the world. The full interview is now available to watch on independent.tv and your smart TV To find out more about our Independent TV smart TV app click here My husband will ask me what I need, and I reply: Wilko will tell me (Getty Images/iStock) For Katie, a chief operations officer from Edinburgh, church is Wilko. Cleaning is what I do to relax, and so Wilko is where I go to relax, she explains. If Im stressed, I go to Wilko. My husband will ask me what I need, and I reply: Wilko will tell me. When it was announced last week that Wilko, the discount homeware and hardware shop found on most major high streets, planned to enter administration, my phone buzzed with messages from distraught friends like Katie. The potential demise of the brand, which places its more than 400 UK shops and more than 12,000 staff at risk, was met with similar devastation online. Not Wilko?! seemed to be a universal cry. For the uninitiated, this is what Wilko does to people. Ostensibly, Wilko is a chain of general stores that sell practically everything from mops and shower gel to dog food and paint. It was founded in Leicester in 1930 by the Wilkinson family, who still retain ownership, and by the time the original founder died in 1997, Wilko had 150 stores across the country. Its first claim to fame was its Beaconsfield shop, which is just visible in the background of a scene in the classic 1945 film Brief Encounter; entirely fitting for a retail outlet that seems to encapsulate the national character. Indeed, the British publics affection for Wilko feels rooted in its down-to-earth usefulness, its reasonable prices and lack of flashiness, all while simultaneously feeling a little bit brilliantly silly. Nina, who works in hospitality, moved to London from her native Germany over 10 years ago and fell in love with Wilko when she was first shopping for supplies for her new home. She was taken aback by the fact she could get everything she needed all in one place and so cheaply! It is still my number one go-to for everything, she says. The moment I first went there, I loved it instantly because its somehow like a chemists but also a mini Ikea. Theyve got all the useful things for the home, plus nice decor stuff, all for great prices. From ironing boards to glassware, I have bought everything there even plants and plant food. She also credits Wilko with being the only store in the UK that sells my favourite mascara from a German brand called Essence. Until last weeks announcement, Im not sure I had ever given the shop a second thought, nor had I grappled with the reality of the nations fondness for it. For a discounted store, it was remarkably popular with customers of all economic backgrounds, finding an odd foothold with what Will, a casting agent from London, brilliantly dubs the Greggs-eating-toffs. The poshest Wilko queue Ive ever been in was the one on High Street Kensington in the first lockdown, he says. They were all confused and trying to buy cleaning supplies. Its catnip for certain real posh people who love saving money. It is so comforting: reassuringly off-brand, cheap and with no airs and graces. Some shops like Wilko carve out a corner of a nations heart like M&S or John Lewis. Wilkos potential absence from our high street reminds me of Woolworths, another beloved general store whose disappearance in 2009 caused similar outrage and despair. But why do we get so connected to these spaces? For our communal kitchen at university, we got something like 100 baubles for 3 and they stayed up until March. It was the beginning of a love affair Will People often form emotional connections with places that hold personal memories or experiences, says psychologist Natasha Tiwari. These shops might hold value due to their association with significant moments, relationships, or milestones in a persons life, creating a sense of familiarity and comfort. It is true that almost everyone I ask about Wilkos potential end has a unique Wilko story of their own. Its as if its not so much a high street staple as a stalwart companion, something thats provided supplies for major life moments. Lauren, a dancer from Devon, tells me she discovered Wilko when she moved into her first home and found it was in a dire state. It was the nearest store I could drive to and so I panic-bought all my cleaning supplies, she tells me. I still use all my dusters from that day. A fellow journalist friend, Tibbs, shares that Wilko was an essential component of her first days as a freelancer working from home. I built my routine around it, she tells me. It was always an exciting excuse to leave the house, but you didnt feel guilty because youre going there to buy dishwasher tabs for a total steal. Ruth, a consultant, says her sharpest memory growing up involved the pick n mix counter and some low-level criminality at her local Wilko. We used to do this trick where you put a few sweets in, weigh it, get the sticker for how much youre meant to pay, then top up the bag with extra sweets, she says, guiltily laughing about her juvenile indiscretions. I guess between poor kids and Amazon, Wilko never stood a chance. For Will, his Wilko journey began at university. It was in first year and we were buying Christmas decorations for our communal kitchen, he says. We got something like 100 baubles for 3 and they stayed up until March. It was the beginning of a love affair. Now married and in his thirties, he has never looked back. Our tree is still a collection of Wilko baubles and inherited tat, he says, wistfully. To me, there is no better place to buy tree filler. The sad reality, of course, is that Wilko is another victim of the contagiously convenient online world of retailers such as Amazon. Even Will, whose Christmas tree serves as an everlasting paean to Wilko, admits he rarely shops there now. Honestly, its twice a year and its either [because] I need to buy something boring like a bin or its emergency tree decorations. Ill be sad to see the empty Wilko shops when it goes, but I actually long ago swapped regular Wilko shopping for Prime. A woman in a mobility scooter leaves the Wythenshawe branch of Wilco in Manchester in August (Getty Images) What these cries of anguish show, though, is that there is still a fondness for the bricks and mortar experience, if not the necessary participation to actually keep such things afloat. Even if we arent patronising them enough, we want these shops to still exist as a reassuring form of continuity. Theres a yearning for simpler times and a desire for tangible, sensory experiences, explains Tiwari. The smell of books in a bookstore. The touch of fabric in a clothing store. The sound of the background chatter. These sensory cues contribute to a richer and more immersive shopping experience, which can evoke a sense of nostalgia for an era when shopping felt like more of an experience, and part of a routine, than the transactional activity that shopping for necessities online offers. Wilko is also another space in which people can see each other in real life. Online shopping, while convenient, only further entrenches feelings of isolation and anxiety particularly for those like the elderly. In Holland, after a report showed that 50 per cent of older people in the country experienced loneliness, one supermarket chain introduced chatty checkouts so they could talk to staff. Stores like Wilko are important for this, says Tiwari. Interacting with store staff who you may see on regular visits, and engaging in face-to-face interactions, contribute to a feeling of community and connection. But perhaps, more than anything, were simply mourning the passing of time itself. Change is happening and things that always seemed to be there and seemed at one point to be indestructible are suddenly vanishing. Which isnt to say, though, that everyone will be lamenting. Others are a little too traumatised by Wilko to give its potential death the time of day. I saw a toddler open one of the pick n mix boxes once and sneeze directly into it before putting it back, a friend tells me. I have never eaten pick n mix or stepped into a Wilko since. 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. By Kim Ji-soo There was a time when firebrand human rights lawyer Roh Moo-hyun was president (2003-2008) the iconic "386 generation" seemed to be "everything everywhere all at once," to borrow a phrase from the recent Oscar-winning film. The term 386 generation refers to those born in the 1960s and who went to college in the 1980s when the struggle for democracy was at its height and who were in their 30s when the phrase was coined and the generation mainly backed the progressive Roh Moo-hyun administration. Nowadays, the term 386 generation is long gone, as most are now pushing 60s and above. It is the MZ generation (those born in the early 1980s and 2000s) that are "everything everywhere all at once." Generations naturally pass on the baton, but because the pace of change is so swift in Korea, artificial intelligence may well be our next generation. And in that process, the discontent of generations feeling underappreciated will be the crux and heart of both problems and solutions for Korean politics. In the swanky neighborhoods near Han Riverside parks especially in southern Seoul, young revelers enviously look up at the dilapidated apartments sighing that they won't be able to afford those units, which will likely be rebuilt into housing complexes worth billions of won. While the relative poverty rate of the elderly in Korea is one of the lowest at 37.6 percent as of 2021, OECD member nations, there is a feeling that the older population has had a head start in buying houses and building a portfolio of wealth. One would think in this context that political leaders would be savvier in how they connect with voters. A recent controversy demonstrated that there is still a long way to go before the politicians in Korea realize that the devil is in the details. Kim Eun-kyung, who heads the Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) Innovation Committee, stirred controversy and anger for comments she made in a meeting with young voters on July 30. Recalling a conversation with her son. " my son said we should hand out voting rights differently depending on life expectancy, and I found this quite reasonable," she said, adding that she told him that it's impossible as one person has one vote in a democracy. Facing a public outcry, Kim, a professor of law and the former deputy governor of the Financial Supervisory Service, publicly apologized after holding out for several days. It didn't help that impressions of her predecessor, Lee Rae-kyung, quitting just nine hours after being appointed due to his controversial online remarks about the Cheonan sinking, lingered in people's minds. Neither did the DPK's slip-of-tongue concerning elderly voters, including the 2004 comment by then-presidential candidate Chung Dong-young of the DPK's predecessor, the Uri Party, saying, "Those aged over 60 don't need to vote, and they should rest at home." Other political parties are not exceptions to making political gaffes, but that's for another column. When Kim visited the Korea Senior Citizens Association to apologize, its chairman, Kim Ho-il slapped a photo of her numerous times, saying that he was expressing the anger felt by 10 million elderly Koreans. How many of the 10 million would agree to his way of expressing their anger? Then they recall that Kim in 2000, threw a flying knee-kick to the conservative party's secretary-general at the time, as a protest for not getting the party nomination. Bringing about innovation is a hard task. People are comfortable with the familiar even as they realize the need for change. Kim was recruited by DPK leader Lee Jae-myung for her fresh insights and non-political career. On Monday, Lee expressed regret over the comment. The Innovation Committee shone briefly when it proposed in June that DPK members give up their immunity from arrest. The DPK has embraced it only in principle. With the 2024 general elections slated for April, the ruling PPP, the minor Justice Party and the DPK are all jockeying for an advantageous position. Instead of political wrangling, they should spend more time assessing how Korean voters feel about the ever-widening inequality in the country. There are ample signs that different age groups or generations in Korea have various pain points that need to be remedied. It is more important for politicians to assess those needs instead bickering with their foes. The writer is a member of The Korea Times editorial board. YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. On August 9, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, the foreign ministry said in a press release. Minister Mirzoyan briefed on the humanitarian crisis and its extremely negative consequences for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor. Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the seriousness of the situation and the lack of necessary medical care resulting from the complete blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh since June 15, especially for the most sensitive groups such as 30,000 children, 20,000 elderly and 9,000 persons with disabilities. Ararat Mirzoyan stressed that the continuous deepening of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh may jeopardize the efforts of Armenia and the international community aimed at establishing lasting peace in the region, emphasizing the need to use the existing mechanisms in a targeted manner and to take steps towards lifting the blockade of the Lachin corridor in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice. Taking into account the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the importance of the full support to the statement of the EU HR/VP of July 25 and targeted messages of the EU member states was also emphasized. The further cooperation between Armenia and Spain within the EU was also touched upon. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hopes for a peace summit of world leaders. Senior officials from nearly 40 nations attended the peace conference on the Ukraine war in Jeddah on August 6-7. Russia was not invited, though China and India attended. The European Union was represented, though more significant was the attendance by nations from the Global South. These included Brics members Brazil and South Africa as well as Indonesia, Mexico and Egypt. This was a second conference on the subject after the one in Copenhagen in June, which China did not attend. Americas national security adviser Jake Sullivan lurked like a watchful co-hostess at a party. It was a Saudi show, with the nation repositioning itself as a neutral mediator with good relations with all the principal powers. Saudi Arabia and Russia have worked closely to regulate the oil production by the expanded 13-nation Opec cartel, now named Opec+. China has also drawn closer to them, offering a huge oil sale market while the US-EU combine have been sanctioning its oil exports. Besides image-building as an independent power, the Saudis used the conference to overcome hiccups in Saudi-US relations. They provided a stage to enable Ukraine to expand support amongst the Global South, which had largely remained indifferent or neutral over the Ukraine war. Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi eventually spoke to Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, India has basically stuck to anodyne statements about respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity as the founding principles of the UN Charter. Very few statements emerged after the meeting, but the ones which did are significant. China stated that it was important that our principles are shared and that they support another round to take the discussions forward. The Russian reaction was on the expected lines, saying peace talks were possible only if Ukraine put down its arms. It added that Ukraine must cede occupied territories and that the original foundation of Ukraines sovereignty -- its neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status -- must be confirmed. Likewise, Ukraine restated its 10-point proposal, which it wanted the Jeddah conference to endorse. Parts of it which are about sovereignty and territorial integrity have general support, but perhaps not the demand for the complete withdrawal by Russia from all territories occupied after February 2022 as well as earlier, including Crimea. These are maximalist positions that each warring side can be expected to reiterate. However, a decision to set up working groups of officials and ambassadors and the consensus on another meeting by autumn are steps forward. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hopes for a peace summit of world leaders. The working groups shall handle key themes like global food security (endangered by the Russian blockage of grain exports via the Black Sea), environment security, nuclear safety (in view of the repeated threats by Russia to use nuclear weapons) and humanitarian aid. The last is a pressing issue as Russia has escalated its attacks on civil infrastructure, including ports on the Danube river, as well as civilians. In fact, as the Jeddah conference was happening, Russian missiles hit a blood transfusion centre. The reality is that these confabulations took place in the background of multiple events that are happening or expected over the coming months. The Ukraine war has reignited with the launch of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. That has met with limited success due to Russias deeply entrenched defensive positions and air dominance. Russia has also unleashed its counter-offensive in the north to drain away Ukrainian military resources from its southern campaign. Ukraine has been urgently seeking more Western weapons, including F-16 fighter planes to level the Russian air dominance. Even if approved by the US, the new planes will take months to induct as the pilots would need to be retrained. It is possible that the Ukrainian forces may still break through but without air dominance they will get stalled before they get to their target to reach the Sea of Azov. The attendance at the conference by Indias national security adviser Ajit Doval, besides keeping India relevant in international diplomacy, was due to only a month remaining for the much-anticipated G-20 summit in New Delhi in early September. Just prior to that, on August 20-22, is the Brics summit in South Africa. Prime Minister Modi is attending that. The question is whether Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend both the summits, or one or neither. China has caused a public debate in India by revealing, after the recent Brics NSAs meeting in South Africa, that President Xi Jinping had more than a cursory meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at last years Bali G-20 summit. China claimed that a consensus was reached over normalising relations. The Indian briefings after that interaction had downplayed it by calling it a mere handshake. India has been sticking to the public position that normalcy cannot be restored in bilateral relations unless the pre-Galwan status quo is restored across the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. With the Lok Sabha polls fast approaching, the Modi government cannot afford another Chinese snub or surprise. Ideally, it would want the status quo ante restored to enable its nationalist credentials to be marketed. It is beginning to sense that the Chinese may not oblige without major concessions. That is why external affairs minister S. Jaishankar has been claiming almost daily that steps have been taken by the government to better handle China. The latest is a claim that the expenditure on infrastructure along the LAC is quadruple what earlier governments had allocated. If President Xi comes to India, a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi would be unavoidable as the PM would be so engaging with his other guests like US President Joe Biden. The Opposition would naturally demand an account of the meeting and what assurances the Prime Minister had got to extract on China vacating the encroached Indian territory, especially in the Depsang Plains near the vital Karakoram Pass in Ladakh. As regards the Ukraine war, neither side appears ready for a ceasefire yet. It is possible the US is beginning to push Ukraine towards accepting that time for militarily altering the ground situation is running out. Autumn brings rain and sludge in Ukraine, making field operations even tougher. Russia has the demography and military infrastructure in its favour. Thus, by autumn, the picture will be clearer and both sides may conclude that benefit lies in a ceasefire. The G-20 summit in New Delhi unfortunately misses that window. A resurgent Opposition in India may welcome the end of the excessive diplomatic theatre and return to the pressing domestic issues such as Manipur and Nuh. by Mathias Hariyadi Munarman , who is currently serving a three-year sentence, repeated the ritual words, swearing allegiance to the Indonesian state and Pancasila. In prison he followed a pilot project of deradicalisation, and helped improve it. His group was banned in December 2020 for terrorist and extremist activities. Jakarta (AsiaNews) Munarman, a radical Muslim leader and former spokesman for the Islamic Defence Front (FPI),[*] an extremist movement banned in December 2020 for its links with extremist groups, has sworn allegiance to the Indonesian state and its principles of pluralism (Pancasila). From Salemba Prison (Central Jakarta) where he is purging a three-year sentence and to the surprise of many, the 54-year-old Munarman recited the ritual formula and disavowed his extremist and violent past. Speaking to journalists present at the event, he said that he was "strongly influenced" by the deradicalisation programme promoted in prison, in which "I let myself get involved". "It is true that prison guards at the Salemba Prison played a very influential and significant role in my decision, said the now former radical leader. I was involved in the programme design, so that it was more effective in influencing people," he added, praising once again the government programme aimed at converting" extremists. Another of the projects objectives is to get diehard religious extremists to learn more about other religions and be friendlier towards other believers. In the past, Munarman was in the crosshairs of Indonesias National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT),[] the Counterterrorism Special Detachment 88 (Densus 88),[] and the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs for violence and persecution against people, especially religious minorities. Today he says that he has embarked on a new path and is grateful to government bodies that help him reintegrate in society. This is my personal message to those who are still tied to a radical ideology: We are called to broaden our spectrum of life so that we are not trapped in extreme [religious] ideologies. Openness and broad-mindedness are important so that we may accept any kind of (religious) differences. Salemba Prison Chief Warden Josaphat Rizanto claims that Munarman underwent a radical change in prison, which led him to follow with conviction the pilot programme promoted by the government. "Today's ceremony in which Munarman swore allegiance to the Republic of Indonesia is proof that the deradicalisation programme has been fruitful, Rizanto said yesterday. Similarly, Salemba Prison Legal Affairs and Human Rights Director Erwedi Supriyatno said that at least 168 diehards have made their "conversion" so far. Munarmans new commitment means that he is politically ready to love the state and Pancasila and show tolerance towards other communities, Supriyatno explained. For many years, the Islamic Defence Front has been a real nightmare for Indonesian society, because of its acts of intolerance and extremist ideology, such as illegal "street operations" monitoring shops and businesses, as well as practices and activities in public during Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and Islamic prayer. In addition to terrorism, the group was involved in several sectarian and violent acts, in which both its leader, Rizieq Shihab, and its diehard spokesman, Munarman, "distinguished themselves" For this reason, it was officially banned in late 2020 [*] Front Pembela Islam. [] Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme. [] Detasemen Khusus 88 Antiteror. Today's news: One of the Thai king's sons is back from the United States. Viet Nams president met with the countrys bishops. South Korean cities organise "blind dating" for singles to facilitate nuptials. The term "homosexual" can no longer be used in Iraqi media. In Russia, more and more inmates from womens prisons are enlisting with the military. SINGAPORE MYANMAR United Overseas Bank (UOB), one of Singapore's top banks, announced that, starting next month, it will restrict all payments to and from Myanmar in a bid to curb its military junta's access to the global financial system. It will also close foreign currency accounts that Myanmar banks have at its Hong Kong branch. The UOB was hitherto known as the juntas favourite bank. Meanwhile, UN experts have reported rising war crimes in Myanmar, including mass executions and sexual violence. THAILAND This week, Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, the second of King Maha Vajiralongkorn's four sons, returned to Thailand from the United States, where he had been exiled along with his mother, Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, and four other siblings. Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the expected heir to the throne, is in a coma and unlikely to recover. It seems, however, that, for the prince, this is only an exploratory visit. VIET NAM VATICAN After his visit to the Vatican and the meeting with the Pope on 27 July, Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong met with the country's bishops at their headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City. The meeting, much appreciated by both sides, lasted more than an hour. Recently, the Holy See and Viet Nam reached an agreement on the status of the Resident Papal Representative and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative in Viet Nam. SOUTH KOREA More and more South Korean cities are organising "blind dating events" for singles in an attempt to boost the countrys falling birth rate. According to the authorities, young people have taken "a negative attitude towards marriage"; with dating events they hope people living in the same area will be able to get to know each other. Many South Koreans believe that staggering childcare costs and unaffordable rents are the real problem, not to mention poor job prospects and crushing work hours. IRAQ Iraq's official media regulator now requires all media to say sexual deviance" instead of homosexuality. The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) also banned the word "gender. A government spokesperson said a penalty for violating the rule had not yet been set but could include a fine. RUSSIA More and more inmates from Russian womens penal colonies are enlisting for the war in Ukraine, this according to Olga Romanova, founder and head of Russia Behind Bars ( , Rus Sidyashchaya), an NGO dedicated to convicts and their families. In exchange for a pardon, the new recruits are required to sign a two-year contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense. KAZAKHSTAN Kazakhstan will deliver 100,000 tonnes of oil to Germany this month via the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline, crossing Russias Samara region. This is the largest delivery since the two countries signed oil deals last February. by Alessandra Tamponi So far, at least 30 people have died while a million and a half have been displaced. Hebei province was badly hit because of control zones that allow water to be diverted from the most populated cities. Catholic parishes bring direct aid. Beijing (AsiaNews) Typhoon Doksuri has brought torrential rains to several provinces in northern China, the worst in the six decades, with more than 30 deaths and a million and a half forced from their homes. The typhoon, which made landfall on 28 July, caused an estimated US$ 14.7 billion in damages and economic losses, directly affecting nearly three million people in Fujian, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Guangdong provinces. In response to the disaster, several charities, some linked to the Chinese Catholic Church, have provided relief to the residents of the most affected areas. In case of natural disasters in China, charities are often the first to act. The northeast Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province reported the most damage from overflowing waterways in the Hai River Basin, which covers more than 318,000 square kilometres. Chinese flood regulations provide for channelling flood waters into control zones in the event they exceed the safe limits of reservoirs. More than 80 of such zones can be found across the country, with 13 in Hebei province alone. By flooding control zones to drain water, the province was able to ease the pressure on the densely populated cities of Beijing and Tianjin. Earlier this month, Hebei's Emergency Management Department activated seven of these zones, diverting more than a billion cubic metres of floodwater. Although this eased the situation around the capital, it made things worse for the residents of the province. Out of an estimated one and a half million people forced to abandon their homes, almost one million were displaced due to the opening of the control zones, with water coming mostly from the city of Baoding. Two of the province's 13 zones are near the city of Zhuozhou, and many residents were unaware that they were living in a control zone, Reuters reports. Several charities took action to help residents caught in the mess. Jinde Public Welfare, for example, bought 20 generators and necessities like food and linen for residents of Yi County, Baoding Municipality, while the Diocese of Beijing donated hundreds of instant noodles packets and drinking water to victims in Fanliandeng, a village near Zhuozhou. The parish of Langfang Gu'an Hanjiazhuang delivered disinfectant, food, water and other goods to residents of Fan Liandeng. The parish chief and members of his community actively participated in the rescue, while the members of the Church of Gaobeidian took in people who fled Zhuozhou to avoid the worst of the disaster. Chevy Bolt EV That Missed Battery Recall Spontaneously Combusts in MA Driveway Written by Chris Chilton, CarScoops Published Aug. 9, 2023 A 2021 Chevy Bolt caught fire outside its owner's house in Massachusetts---a blaze that might not have happened at all if the Bolt had been repaired as part of a recall announced by GM in 2021 when it discovered some EVs were catching fire due to faulty batteries. The owner of the Bolt told reporters the car had not been updated. They had no batteries to give us, so we were waiting, she said in an interview with WCVB Channel 5 Boston. GM originally announced it would replace the entire battery pack of every Bolt EV built between 2017 and 2022, but changed its stance this year, saying dealers would now only install software to monitor the batterys condition. The fact the car was parked outside gave emergency services good access to it when they were called out around 4:15 a.m. to the house in Great Hill Estates in Wareham. But extinguishing the blaze still turned into a mammoth job. Fire crews managed to put out the initial fire and continued to wet the car down, but the cars lithium-ion battery ignited again 30 minutes later. In total, the Wareham Fire Department spent three hours on the scene and used 11,000 gallons of water to ensure the Bolt was no longer a fire risk. The team used a special hose attachment that slides along the ground under an EVs floor and cools the battery from below. The car apparently had already been charged and the owner confirmed the Bolt was not plugged in at the time, so the fire seems to have started spontaneously. Fortunately, there were no injuries, though thats partly thanks to the Chevy being parked out on the driveway. If this vehicle had been parked in a garage the results could have been disastrous, Incident Commander Chief John Kelley said. We thank CarScoops for reprint permission. By Marianne Hanson The first Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meeting of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty's (NPT) 2026 Review Conference is currently underway in Vienna. The NPT, which entered into force in 1970, is one of the most successful and useful treaties in the world, with 190 states signing up to its provisions. This first PrepCom in the NPT review cycle is an important exercise in gaining the best possible outcome for the 2026 Review Conference. The NPT was designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, deemed to be highly dangerous and destabilizing to international security. In 1970, five states already had nuclear weapons: the United States, Soviet Union (succeeded by Russia), Britain, France, and China. Their goal within the NPT was to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons to other states. As part of this bargain, they pledged to eliminate their nuclear arsenals. However, approximately 12,500 nuclear weapons still exist today, with around 90 percent of these held by Russia and the United States. This failure to disarm has led to disappointment and even anger among most of the 185 non-nuclear weapon states. They claim that while they have upheld their end of the bargain, the nuclear weapon states have not. The last NPT Review Conference, held in 2022, was marred by acrimony and was unable to produce a consensus outcome. Since then, the situation has deteriorated even further: great power relations have worsened, the Ukraine war rages on, threats to nuclear power plants persist, and arms control arrangements have all but disappeared. In March, Russia announced its suspension of participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the sole remaining nuclear arms agreement between itself and the United States, ostensibly due to its verification inspectors being denied access to U.S. installations as part of sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war. The practice of nuclear sharing has also raised concerns. In a blow to non-proliferation efforts, Moscow has transferred nuclear weapons to its strategic ally Belarus, arguing that the United States has stationed nuclear weapons in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey as part of NATO's nuclear sharing policy for decades. Meanwhile, all the nuclear weapons states continue to modernize and, in some cases, expand their existing nuclear arsenals, in violation of their promises under the NPT to disarm. Missile proliferation and launches are also of deep concern, with North Korea persistently stoking tensions in Northeast Asia with its belligerent rhetoric and aggressive missile program. The discussions in Vienna are designed to minimize the risks of nuclear war and accidents in the short term, and to establish a set of expectations for a smooth Review Conference in 2026. Diplomats have focused on a series of urgent tasks. These include rendering the threat to use nuclear weapons inadmissible, reaffirming commitments to risk-reduction measures, and preventing the use of artificial intelligence in nuclear decision-making. The opening statements of some states have reminded the world of the dangers of growing arms races, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, where AUKUS, the proposed nuclear-powered submarine arrangement between Australia, the U.K., and the United States, has heightened fears of strategic instability. For South Pacific states especially, any threat of nuclear use or accident is unacceptable. Civil society members attending in Vienna have stressed the need to remember the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any nuclear weapons use. They urge that the PrepCom should reaffirm the need for all states to comply with international humanitarian law at all times. Together with many states, they draw attention to the 2017 U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and note that it is in the interest of the very survival of humanity that nuclear weapons are never used again, under any circumstances. While not explicitly focused on the TPNW, the current PrepCom meeting and the NPT conferences more generally will have to come to terms with the fact that the TPNW is here to stay and is gaining acceptance. This treaty, while rejected for now by the nuclear weapon states and their allies, is seen by many non-nuclear weapon states as the only silver lining in what is a dismal and dangerous state of nuclear affairs today. TPNW proponents emphasize the need not only to move toward the complete elimination of nuclear weapons but also the urgency of providing victim assistance to those who suffered in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, and to ensure that environmental remediation is conducted in the areas where thousands of nuclear weapons tests occurred after the 1940s. The current talks in Vienna are unlikely to bring about substantial change or any real optimism in what is a relentlessly depressing state of affairs. We are witnessing nuclear dangers grow every month, and none of the nuclear weapon states are taking seriously their obligations to make the world a less dangerous place. This is unacceptable. The war in Ukraine and other developments must not be used as excuses to continue with belligerent nuclear policies and to withdraw from arms control and confidence-building measures. If anything, the existing situation makes it even more important to see progress towards reductions in arsenals and a genuine commitment to avoid nuclear dangers. The NPT has been largely successful, with 185 states vowing never to develop nuclear weapons. Only four states Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea have proceeded to develop nuclear weapons outside that treaty. However, unless the PrepCom and the 2026 Review Conference can show some signs of improvement and real commitment from the nuclear weapon states, the NPT is at risk of unravelling. Marianne Hanson is associate professor at the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland as well as a member of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (APLN). This essay is published in cooperation with the APLN (www.apln.network). Thanks to this effort, users can try out the latest improvements in advance, providing valuable feedback that helps the search giant polish new Android Auto updates before the public rollout begins.The latest build is Android Auto 10.2.1331 beta and is now available for download for users enrolled in the private beta program. At the same time, the rest of us can install this update with the dedicated APK installer, so we can try out the new release without being part of the beta program.Google does not share release information, so I can't tell what's new in this update, but we'll find out more about Android Auto 10.2 once more users install it. If Google does not detect a significant bug, Android Auto 10.2 should reach the production stage in a few weeks, at which point the company will kick off the public rollout through the Google Play Store.Users who want Android Auto 10.2 beta today must download the APK installer . Once the file lands on their Android devices, they must browse to its location and begin the installation by tapping the APK installer. The process takes only a few seconds and requires permission to install applications from non-Google Play Store sources. Android is restricted to the Google Play Store out of the box, but users can also enable sideloading by allowing other app sources.I already installed Android Auto 10.2 beta on my device, but I can't spot any significant difference. Google has been testing several ideas lately, including a new Google Assistant loading animation, but it's not yet enabled on my device. It could be a placebo, but Android Auto is faster now, especially when switching from the Coolwalk screen to the full-screen mode in navigation applications, especially Waze.The experience has been very slow in my car, despite running Android Auto on a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.It won't take long until we find out if Google also addresses the most widespread bugs in Android Auto . One of them causes the lower part of the screen, including the taskbar, to freeze, making it impossible for users to interact with their apps. The glitch appeared when Google started the Coolwalk rollout.Android Auto 10.2 does not include the highly anticipated weather card on landscape displays. Coolwalk comes with a weather card only on portrait screens, but Google promised to address the lack of the forecast on landscape models with a future update. The new version doesn't seem to make any difference in this regard, so we'll have to wait a bit longer for this update.Android Auto 10.2 should reach the stable channel by the end of August. A 2002 Nissan Altima, in any normal context, is nothing special. But when this very vehicle is the first of 32 pulled by a skilled team of divers from the bottom of a South Florida lake, it was the beginning of an almost movie-like story of a lake teeming with the remains of dozens of cars and trucks. According to local authorities, many of these vehicles could be linked to the coverup of a crime. As reported by the local station of CBS News in Miami, an unassuming lake not far from their headquarters in Doral, Miami-Dade County, had played host to an insidious secret hidden in its depths. At first, Miami-Dade County police were none the wiser that what very likely is a hidden crime scene lurked beneath the gloomy water, possibly for decades. But as local wrecker crews pulled mangled hulks of steel out of the murky waters the morning of August 8th, it was clear something other than hapless accidents could be to blame for how all these cars and trucks wound up at the bottom of one of countless lakes in Miami-Dade County."We received information from a citizen on Sunday that apparently he was diving out here. He appeared to observe what appeared to be several dozen vehicles that had been dumped in this lake. Once we received this information, our divers unit immediately collaborated with other agencies at the police department and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue so we could put this operation together in order to be able to recover all of the vehicles," said Detective Alvaro Zabaleta told the awaiting media at the Miami-Dade Police Dept's press release on the matter."These are most likely the type of vehicles that we are going to find here dumped in this lake. Vehicles that were abandoned, and they wanted to get rid of them. Or those that were taken for a joy ride, they were stolen and were dumped inside the lake." In what might not come as a shock to most, the 2002 Altima that was first to be pulled from the mysterious lake came back as a stolen vehicle when police ran the license plate. 258 homicides were reported in Miami-Dade County in 2022, and homicide investigators are actively on the scene assisting police officers at the lake in the event any of the vehicles yields evidence of more serious crimes like murder or armed robbery.For now, Miami-Dade authorities are still sifting through the considerable mass of steel and rubber in the hopes of finding clues to the origin of these vehicles. Though no word of a lead on cold cases has come yet, there's always the chance circumstances change in a hurry. Whatever the case, we owe the United Search Corps , the non-profit diving team that cracked this case, our deepest thanks. Do not touch the exhibits. That is the restriction in most ar museums. But a man from Florida did more than just touch a Porsche 930 Turbo on display at the Sarasota Classic Car Museum. He stole it and registered it using fake documents. He is now in police custody. Some may have watched too many action movies over the years and end up believing they are movie characters in real life. A 36-year old man from Florida, Daniel Boyce, must have confused reality with a movie scene.Back in June, he came up with a plan to steal a 1977 Porsche 911 930 Turbo . Not from someones driveway, not from the shopping mall parking lot, but from a classic car museum!He was no Memphis Reines, and the car theft obviously took more than 60 seconds to be completed. But he somehow managed to do it. To get the Porsche out of the museum, he had to move seven other cars out of the way. And no security guard seemed to have bothered him in the process. Actually, the museum staff kind of helped him in the process: they left the car keys inside, in the footwell area.The burglary alarm went off, but when police arrived at the scene, it was too late. The metallic brown coupe was long gone. A surveillance camera caught footage of the car, rated at around $250,000, driving away at 05.15 am. Another camera placed outside the museum showed an unknown person entering the property.But that was all the investigators had at the time. The authorities got a tip several days later from someone who called the police station to tell them they had seen Daniel Boyce with a brown 911 at a warehouse.By the time the police officers found him, he had already registered the car using a VIN number of a Porsche that had been crashed 23 years earlier and sold to a salvage yard somewhere in California.In order to register the car, he came up with an entire file of documents. He had a Maine registration paper, an odometer verification letter, and many others that turned out to be fake. Boyce seemed to have a very smart plan set up, until he listed his own personal cellphone number.The stolen car was recovered, and Boyce was eventually arrested after failing to show up for a grad theft auto charge. Apparently, it was not the first time he stole a car, but hopefully, it will be his last.Police found a photo of the stolen Porsche in his phone. He is currently arrested without bond at the Sarasota County Jail in Florida and is facing a felony charge of scheming to defraud. The authorities are still investigating. Aston Martin is a carmaker with a global presence, but it very rarely happens for it to reveal a brand-new model in locations outside its home country. Yet next week the Brits will pull the wraps off a new model one ocean and a continent away during the Monterey Car Week. SUV At the time of writing the details on the new model are non-existent, and the only thing we've got from Aston Martin is that we will witness a world-first debut of a new model. The unveiling will take place on August 18 in Pebble Beach and, naturally, it got us all worked up in anticipation. Especially when thinking about what the company has been up to lately.You see, Aston Martin is celebrating its 110th anniversary this year, so it was only natural for it to mark the occasion with some exciting releases. And we've got several of them already to keep us curious as to what we'll see next week.The new vehicle to be shown over in the U.S. will be accompanied there by the Valour . Shown at the beginning of last month, this machine will be part of a production run limited to just 110 units. Each of them will be built on the same platform as the Vantage, DBS Superleggera, and DB12, and will be powered by a V12 engine tied to a manual transmission.Interest in the vehicle went through the roof as soon as it was released, and just two weeks after it was unveiled the Valour had all its production run spoken for. And that despite the prohibitive selling price, which rumors place it at least at $1.5 million.The other major Aston Martin vehicle of the year, the DBX707 , will also make the trip to Pebble Beach. Described as the world's most powerful, the British gem is powered by a 4.0-liter V8 that pushes out 697 hp and 900 Nm of torque.Aside from these three new and exciting vehicles, Aston Martin will also bring to the Pebble Beach table the DB12 and the AMR23 F1 car which so far has managed to place Fernando Alonso on the podium (third place) of the competition's drivers standings.Cars aside, Aston Martin will bring in front of the public attending next week's events, for the first time, a virtual reality experience. Called Aston Martin Valhalla VR, the system was put together with help from Zerolight using Nvidia's CloudXR tech.In a nutshell, the experience is centered around the hybrid supercar, allowing people to pull a VR headset over their heads and instantly be transported into a make-belief world where they can spec their Valhallas while moving around or even sitting in a virtual incarnation of one Last October, we informed you about a welcome change to the emergency door release system on the Model Y vehicles built at the Fremont factory and Giga Shanghai. New information reveals that the same model built at Giga Berlin now comes with a different system, which is impossible to use without a screwdriver. Correction: There is a manual release for the rear doors in the MiG Model Y but forget about getting to it by just using your fingers. Especially in case of an emergency. https://t.co/b5RUDw93n5 pic.twitter.com/eCKdKrp7pY Raffael ?????????? (@raffaeru) August 8, 2023 In a rush to simplify manufacturing as much as possible, Tesla introduced a new door-opening mechanism to its vehicles. This means the opening handles are no longer physically connected to the door opening mechanism. Instead, electrical switches drive an electromagnet to trigger the door-opening system. This presents the advantage of fewer moving parts, allowing Tesla to save a few bucks. For the car's occupants, it means that opening the door when the 12-volt electrical system is down is impossible.This could lead to potentially life-threatening situations in crashes that disable the 12-volt system. This is not a far-fetched situation, as we know of at least two situations when people died because they were trapped inside a burning Tesla . That despite Tesla offering a manual door release system, which should have prevented such tragedies. Unfortunately, the emergency system is poorly documented in the owner's manual, and sometimes it's impossible to access without proper tools.In the case of the Tesla Model Y, Tesla fitted an emergency release system tucked inside the rear door pocket. Initially, the system was hidden behind a plastic tab flush with the pocket, making it impossible to remove with bare hands. Last October, Tesla acknowledged that and replaced that with a "hatch" that is easy to grab and remove with your fingers. The change was implemented for cars produced in Fremont and at Giga Shanghai, and everyone hoped it would also be on Model Ys made in Europe at Giga Berlin.Well, after a video of the emergency door system in the Model Y was shared on social media, drama unfolded in Europe. The made-in-Germany Tesla Model Y owners could not find the emergency release as shown in the video and the car's manual. They shared pictures showing the door pocket liner without the access hatch to the emergency release system. To be sure, the Tesla Model Y owner's manual warns that "not all Model Y vehicles are equipped with a manual release for the rear doors."After fiddling around the area, a German Model Y owner discovered that the manual release system for the rear doors still exists, but Tesla integrated the access opening in the pocket's liner. In some cases, this is visible, but in others, it's impossible to notice the access opening. The worst part is that access is impossible without using a flat screwdriver or something similar. In an accident or fire , this can make opening the door from the inside impossible.Since the Model Y EVs built at Giga Berlin are exported throughout Europe, I can see how this is a widespread problem. Owners discovered that potentially all model years have the same system, from those built in September 2022 to at least March 2023. I don't know whether Tesla changed the system for the most recent builds or, on the contrary, implemented it also on cars built in China and the US.As some European owners suggested, opening the hatch and attaching a release handle to the wire is highly recommended. It could save your life. Something like the "Release before flight" tags used in aviation would do the trick and provide peace of mind. You can never have too much Tesla. That's not a real saying, but if it were, it would be the life motto of any true Tesla supporter. If it were a real saying, it would also justify the acquisition of the latest Tesla product: a cat house slash litter box whose styling is "informed" by the angular design of the Tesla Cybertruck , the electric truck announced in November 2019 and now nearing the start of deliveries. Unlike the Cybertruck, the Tesla cat house is neither electric nor wheeled. But your cat will love it either way!August 8 was International Cat Day and the launch day of this new Cybertruck-inspired cat house. The timing of the two was no coincidence, of course.The bad news for Tesla supporters is that its availability is limited to China only, where it's being released under the Tesla Life lifestyle brand, which includes household items and pet accessories. It's just one of those funky, funny, and seemingly random launches that Tesla has become famous for and which helped make the brand much stronger.Aside from the fact that it resembles the styling of the Cybertruck, the Tesla cat house is basically a cardboard box you have to assemble yourself. It's made of thickened and moisture-proof corrugated paper for maximum resistance and features a middle section where your cat can sharpen its claws. The official description says it's a DIY product, so buyers will have to measure and assemble it themselves.Maximum payload is 15 kg (33 lbs), so the house is able to fit and hold cats of all shapes and sizes. "The semi-open cat house, embedded with thickened corrugated paper, meets the nature and daily needs of cats," Tesla says. Plus, it's almost like a cardboard box, so all cats are bound to love it.No one tracking Tesla's progress and CEO Elon Musk's controversial shenanigans will be surprised by a Tesla product of this kind, regardless of whether it's released as a joke or not. Tesla launched Short Shorts after Musk railed online against traders shorting Tesla, and Teslaquila, a branded tequila, after Musk joked about it as an April Fool's prank. Interest in the Berlin Giga factory also paved the way for the launch of Giga Bier. At certain points, Tesla also sold surfboards and other novelty items, besides the usual merchandise you can find with most marques like coffee mugs, t-shirts, or keychains.Interest in Tesla items is so high that there's also a profitable third-party market for them. Anything from door stoppers to backpacks , resembling the Cybertruck or not, is bound to get attention, even of the viral kind. In this context, spending $12 on a cardboard cat home seems like the least outrageous way of spending money A future where conventional helicopters are obsolete is no longer a movie-like scenario. eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing) claim to be just as good while operating at lower costs and without a negative environmental impact. With its first production unit rolled out, Archer Aviation is strengthening its ties to the military. The Department of Defense (DoD) has been at the forefront of AAM (advanced air mobility) developments through dedicated programs like Agility Prime. The increased interest from both the military and the commercial sector confirms one of the major assets of these new types of aircraft their unmatched versatility.Midnight is one of the best examples. This US-made eVTOL was selected by both a major airline (United) and the US Air Force (USAF). In just a few years, we'll see it operating as a passenger air taxi with United and a transport or cargo aircraft with various military branches.Shortly after announcing a new contract with the DoD worth $142 million, the Californian company received a top-level visit from the US Marine Corps (USMC). A group of leaders got to take a closer look at the Midnight eVTOL after Archer secured an order for up to six aircraft from the DoD.A 12-propeller configuration, a proprietary electric powertrain, a 1,000-lb (453 kg) payload, and a fresh take on cabin design based on sustainable materials are some of the features contributing to Midnight's high potential. It claims to be safer, quieter, and more cost-effective than existing helicopters all of these are great advantages for military operations.Archer is set on expanding its collaboration with various Army branches in the US. It made sure to set up a Government Services Advisory Board with prominent members such as Retired 2-Star General Clay Hutmacher.The first official Midnight aircraft was already rolled out. Archer boasts the unique benefit of having Stellantis as its exclusive contract manufacturer. A new factory in Covington, Georgia, is ready to roll out 650 units per year. Following an upcoming expansion that will more than double its surface, the new facility will increase its capacity to more than 2,000 eVTOLs per year.Archer is not the only Californian eVTOL manufacturer that has convinced the DoD. Earlier this year, Joby announced that its eVTOLs would officially become the first electric air taxis to be stationed at a US military base. The Edwards Air Force base, USAF's second-largest, will host two electric air taxis starting early next year.The first two Joby units will be used to demonstrate logistics-related potential use cases. Seven more aircraft will be delivered at a later date. Both Joby's and Archer's eVTOLs are gearing up to make history within the US Army and pave the way for new generations of all-electric aircraft. With this urgent address I am signaling that right now the people of the Republic of Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh ed.] are being subjected to genocide and face a real threat of destruction and deprivation of their homeland, Harutiunian said in a video address published late on August 8. He then presented what he described as a humanitarian crisis created by the 240-day blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, charging that in a situation like this manifestation of inaction or indifference is nothing but acquiescence in the crime of genocide. The international community must take effective personal and collective steps in order not to allow Azerbaijan to fill the history of mankind with another page of mass famine and genocide, Harutiunian said. The Karabakh leader said that Stepanakert calls on Armenia to immediately submit to the UN Security Council for discussion the humanitarian disaster that has emerged as a result of Azerbaijans blockade of the Lachin Corridor and the illegal blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, which have grown into the crime of genocide, with the aim of adopting a resolution that implies urgent and concrete steps, as well as to turn to international partners for considering and imposing sanctions against Azerbaijan. Harutiunian also urged Yerevan to be careful in its public statements and assessments of the situation. The president of Nagorno-Karabakh called on the UN secretary general to show moral and political responsibility and leadership, involving the entire UN system, in order to prevent further international crimes committed by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. Please do not forget that Artsakh is currently the only territory in the world that is under complete siege and where even the international community does not have access. Dont you have a question as to why Azerbaijan seeks to subject the peaceful people of Artsakh to complete isolation? Are you not bothered by the fact that from the point of view of human rights protection Artsakh has become not even a gray zone, but a black hole where all the crimes that human civilization has seen may happen? Do you not realize that such international impunity and allowing a new genocide will generate new crimes, possibly against your own peoples?! Therefore, I ask and demand from all of you that you immediately take action and stop this ongoing genocide of the people of Artsakh before it is too late, the leader of Nagorno-Karabakh underscored. Azerbaijan routinely brushes aside accusations that it pursues a policy of ethnic cleansings against Karabakh Armenians. After the 2020 war in which Azerbaijan regained control of all of the territories held by ethnic Armenian forces outside the borders of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as a chunk of the former autonomous oblast itself Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly warned the local population to integrate into Azerbaijan or leave. Tensions around the region escalated after Azerbaijan in June suspended traffic through a checkpoint it had installed in the Lachin corridor two months earlier pending an investigation after it said various types of contraband had been discovered in the Red Cross vehicles coming from Armenia. Baku says it can only allow supplies to reach Nagorno-Karabakh over a road from Agdam, a town controlled by Azerbaijan in the east of the region. Ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh reject this offer, saying Azerbaijans blockade is a violation of the Moscow-brokered 2020 cease-fire agreement that placed the 5-kilometer-wide strip of land under the control of Russian peacekeepers. The United States and the European Union have urged Azerbaijan to allow humanitarian supplies to reach Nagorno-Karabakh via the Lachin corridor. A delegation led by staff members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on August 8 visited the site in Armenias southern Syunik Province where a 19-truck convoy with humanitarian aid heading from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh has been stranded, awaiting approval from Azerbaijan to proceed. A group of UN experts issued a statement on August 7, expressing alarm over the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, which they said had led to a dire humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. They urged Azerbaijan to lift the blockade. By lifting the blockade, the authorities can alleviate the suffering of thousands of people in Nagorno-Karabakh and allow for the unimpeded flow of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population. It is essential to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals during this critical time, the experts said, also calling on Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in the region to protect the corridor under the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Azerbaijans Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the UN experts for what it described as their biased statement that it claimed had been influenced by Armenias manipulations. In an expert opinion requested by Nagorno-Karabakhs ethnic Armenian leader in late July, Luis Moreno Ocampo, an Argentine lawyer who served at the Hague court in 2003-2012, stressed that there is an ongoing Genocide against 120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. In the document published from New York on August 7 and titled Genocide against Armenians in 2023 the 71-year-old lawyer who successfully prosecuted for crimes against humanity three heads of state, including the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, said that the blockade of the Lachin Corridor by the Azerbaijani security forces impeding access to any food, medical supplies, and other essentials should be considered a Genocide under Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction. There are no crematories, and there are no machete attacks. Starvation is the invisible Genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks. Starvation as a method to destroy people was neglected by the entire international community when it was used against Armenians in 1915, Jews and Poles in 1939, Russians in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1941, and Cambodians in 1975/1976. Starvation was also neglected when used in Srebrenica in the winter of 1993/1994, Ocampo wrote. He reminded that analyzing the Srebrenica case, the International Court of Justice ruled that deprivation of food, medical care, shelter or clothing constitute Genocide within the meaning of Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention. State parties of the Genocide Convention assumed the duty to prevent and punish Genocide. The International Court of Justice ruled that state parties should not wait until the perpetration of Genocide commences, and The whole point of the obligation is to prevent or attempt to prevent the occurrence of the act, the lawyer noted. In his expert opinion Ocampo wrote that there is a reasonable basis to believe that a Genocide is being committed against Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023. He stressed that the International Court of Justice, at the request of Armenia, has already analyzed the Lachin corridors blockade. The Court focused on State liability for alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination rather than individual criminal responsibility for the commission of Genocide. Though predicated on a different set of State obligations, the Court confirmed the occurrence of the material elements of Genocide that are set out in Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction. The Courts preliminary findings considered plausible that the Lachin corridor blockade produced a real and imminent risk to the health and life of an ethnic group, the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. The intention, a subjective element required by the crime of Genocide, should be deduced from the facts and statements from [Azerbaijani] President [Ilham] Aliyev, who has supreme authority in Azerbaijan, Ocampo wrote. The Argentine lawyer went on to note that President Aliyev, in a fair trial, would have the opportunity to provide a different interpretation of the indicia. In the meantime, there is reasonable basis to believe that President Aliyev has Genocidal intentions: he has knowingly, willingly and voluntarily blockaded the Lachin Corridor even after having been placed on notice regarding the consequences of his actions by the ICJs provisional orders, the founding prosecutor of the International Criminal Court wrote in his conclusion. Official Baku has not yet commented on the expert opinion provided by Ocampo at the request of Nagorno-Karabakhs ethnic Armenian leader Arayik Harutiunian. Meanwhile, Harutiunian on August 8 issued an urgent appeal to the international community, asking for immediate action to lift the blockade imposed by Azerbaijan and prevent what he called the genocide of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. Members of the group called Crusaders that mostly consists of veterans of Karabakh wars said they arrived on Wednesday morning at a site near a bridge over the Hakari river marking the entrance to the Lachin corridor linking Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh where Azerbaijan installed a checkpoint earlier this year and tightened the effective blockade of the Armenian-populated region two months ago. Armenia and ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh consider the Azerbaijani checkpoint at the Lachin corridor illegal as they insist its violates a Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire agreement that places the vital route under the control of Russian peacekeepers. The de facto blockade has resulted in severe shortages of food, medicine, and energy supply in the region which is home to about 120,000 ethnic Armenians. Azerbaijan denies blockading Nagorno-Karabakh and offers an alternative route for supplies via the town of Agdam, which is situated east of the region and away from Armenia and is controlled by Baku. Ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh reject that offer, fearing that it could be a prelude to the absorption of what remains of the former autonomous oblast into Azerbaijan. Armenia has called for the reopening of the Lachin corridor, but officials in Yerevan have rejected any scenario of using force to unblock access to Nagorno-Karabakh. As many as 14 members of the Crusaders group were detained on Tuesday during a protest in front of the government offices in central Yerevan demanding that they be armed with the intention of unblocking the corridor by force. The Interior Ministry told RFE/RLs Armenian Service that 13 of them were released shortly, but one protester was transferred to a preliminary investigation body on suspicion of carrying a knife. It is unclear whether the obscure group has any immediate plans to try to confront the Azerbaijani checkpoints. After spending some time in the vicinity of the Hakari bridge Crusaders members reportedly went back to the village of Kornidzor and then further to Goris. One of the group members, Hovhannes Hovhannisian, published a video on TikTok, claiming that the police blocked their way in Kornidzor and did not allow them to move forward. We have arrived here, look with how many people they are blocking our way. They dont let us go and pass this food [to Nagorno-Karabakh], he said, referring to a convoy of 19 trucks with humanitarian aid that has been stranded near the entrance to the Lachin corridor on the Armenian side for nearly two weeks awaiting Azerbaijans approval to proceed to Nagorno-Karabakh. Let those who are Armenians, let veterans join us. But instead of joining us, instead of taking up arms and coming with us, they [police] point guns at us and threaten us with weapons, Hovhannisian added. Kornidzor village mayor Arshak Karapetian said that he did not have time to talk to the Crusaders and did not know what the group members were going to do in Goris. I just came to say hello and brought some water for them to drink. There were about 20-25 of them, Karapetian said. Before setting off to the southern Syunik province Crusaders members visited a military cemetery in Yerevan where soldiers killed in Nagorno-Karabakh wars are buried. From the place called Yerablur the commander of the group, Sargis Poghosian, called on others to join them. It seems to me that this is our last chance, we must do it, we must fight, we must not retreat, we must be able to win to save the people of Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh ed.], we must save our families, our fellow Armenians. Dear people, we must not leave the people of Artsakh alone. Folks, come and join us before it is too late. Come and join us so that we can at least open the road, at least let food enter Artsakh, at least let people there go to bed with their stomachs full, Poghosian said. Official Baku has not yet commented on the presence of Armenian war veterans near the Azerbaijani checkpoint at the Hakari bridge threatening to unblock the road passing through what Azerbaijan considers to be its sovereign territory. In the recent past, however, both political and military officials in Azerbaijan vowed decisive actions against any Armenian provocation. FKI should take bold steps toward total innovation The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) is poised to make a new start, having chosen Poongsan Corp. Chairman Ryu Jin as its new leader. Ryu will be officially tapped as the new leader during an extraordinary general meeting slated for Aug. 22. Announced in May as part of a reform package, the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI), an FKI affiliate, will be merged into the nation's largest business lobby. Ryu had been widely regarded as the most suitable figure to lead the FKI. For starters, Ryu has served as vice chairman of the lobby for more than 20 years since 2001. He is currently a co-head of the Korea-U.S. Business Council, dedicated to promoting exchanges and cooperation between business leaders of the two countries. He is also serving as vice chairman of the Korea-Japan Economic Association. Ryu's stints also include being a board member of the Center for Strategy and International Studies (CSIS). All this demonstrates Ryu's international career and networking abilities. In recognition of his contribution to the development of relations between Korea and the United States, Ryu was awarded the Van Fleet prize last year by the Korea Society, a non-commercial organization. Given this, expectations are growing that Ryu's selection as the new FKI chief will help further enhance the alliance with the U.S., riding on recently upgraded bilateral ties toward a values-oriented alliance. Founded in 1961 and led by then-business leaders such as Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chul, the FKI served as the mouthpiece of the nation's major conglomerates. In fact, its motto at the time was "Serving the nation and society through business activities." Yet it faced a grave crisis due to its connection to the corruption scandals involving former President Park Geun-hye. In the midst of the scandal, the nation's four major business groups Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor and LG withdrew from the organization. The lobby was stripped of its status as a dialogue partner with the political circle under the previous Moon Jae-in administration. Since the onset of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, the lobby has been expanding its influence while assisting the government's efforts to improve relations with the U.S. and Japan. After Huh Chang-soo, GS honorary chairman, stepped down as the FKI chair in January, former Deputy Prime Minister Kim Byong-joon took the helm as acting chairman. Under Kim's leadership, the FKI explored ways toward reviving itself. Ryu's assuming of the leadership will likely add momentum to the FKI's bid to return to normality, bringing to an end its sevenyear long predicament. Ryu should proactively reflect the voices of the nation's businesses, especially amid the growing rivalry between the U.S. and China in global markets. Ryu faces diverse and daunting challenges in his bid to help the FKI regain its fame as the predominant economic organization in Korea. Most importantly, he should focus on casting off past malpractices of collusive ties between business and politics. To this end, it should map out a stricter internal control system. It should also look to discard its previous image of protecting the interests of big conglomerates only. We hope the FKI abides by its pledge to make a fresh start as a "think tank" dedicated to safeguarding the free market economy. Through such changes, it should be able to attract the four major business groups to join it again. Amid rapid changes in the business situation at home and abroad, the Korean economy is bracing for tectonic challenges such as dwindling economic growth. It is time to promote entrepreneurship equipped with challenging and innovative spirits. For this, the FKI should do its utmost under the new leadership. Based on such endeavors, the FKI will be able to be reborn as an influential think tank. We hope the lobby will continue to grow as a respectful global institute. The press office of Armenias Foreign Ministry said Mirzoyan held telephone conversations with the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, as well as with a senior U.S. Department of State officials. According to an official report, talking to his Lithuanian counterpart Gabrielius Landsbergis, Mirzoyan emphasized the urgency of supplying food, medicine and other essential goods to Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the need to ensure the full and uninterrupted functioning of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the only international humanitarian organization with access to Nagorno-Karabakh. He also stressed the importance of taking concrete steps by international actors, including the EU and EU member states, in order to lift the blockade of the Lachin corridor and to prevent Azerbaijans steps aimed at ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. Raising similar concerns during his phone calls with his Greek and Bulgarian counterparts, George Gerapetritis and Mariya Gabriel, the Armenian foreign minister also reportedly stressed the importance of the immediate lifting of the blockade of the Lachine corridor in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6. Mirzoyan was also quoted as pointing out Azerbaijans unacceptable acts of intimidation, referring to the recent detention of a Nagorno-Karabakh resident accused by Baku of allegedly perpetrating war crimes in the early 1990s that Yerevan calls abduction. In his telephone conversation with Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Jose Manuel Albares Bueno Mirzoyan reportedly emphasized the seriousness of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the lack of necessary medical care resulting from the complete blockade of the Armenian-populated region since June 15, especially for the most sensitive groups such as 30,000 children, 20,000 elderly and 9,000 persons with disabilities. Talking to Yuri Kim, Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, the Armenian minister reportedly said that the continuous deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh itself threatens the efforts of Armenia and the international community aimed at establishing a sustainable peace in the region. Mirzoyan, according to the official report, emphasized the need to make the best use of existing mechanisms and to immediately remove the blockade of the Lachin corridor in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice. Both sides noted the need to take steps to resolve the situation and agreed to continue contacts in that direction. Minister Mirzoyan emphasized the need for joint efforts of the international community in the current situation, the Armenian Foreign Ministrys statement said. 9 August 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Rena Murshud Read more A few days ago, our neighbors, Armenians made statements or rather condemned Azerbaijan for the fact that one of the local TV channels presented the territory of present-day Armenia as the territory of Azerbaijan. They also stated that the capital Yerevan (Irevan) and Sevan Lake (Goycha) were shown without toponyms in the heading "Weather Forecast" on Azerbaijani TV. Now, let's express our attitude regarding this issue that bothers Armenians. The question is, which nation lived around Goycha Lake about 100 years ago? Who were the former residents of the current capital Iravan? Who were the original inhabitants of Basarkechar, Vedibasar, Karki, and Western Zangazur? Of course, you will deny again and preach your lies to the world again. Regarding the discussed issue, political analyst, and head of the Middle East Think Tank Sadraddin Soltan brought some examples from historical facts while making a comment to Azernews. "I think the Armenians should once again be reminded of the short history of their country in the South Caucasus," S. Soltan said, adding that when Azerbaijan existed in these territories hundreds of years ago, the word Armenian did not even exist at that time. "Although there was a geographical area called Azerbaijan in the Near and Middle East, neither Iran nor Armenia were ever discovered. Even if "Hai" and "Armani" people existed, according to research, they had no connection with modern Armenia. In other words, this means that neither a state nor an empire called Armenia existed in the South Caucasus region. The historical territory of Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus, as indicated in all historical sources of the country, began from the Caucasus Mountains to the Elbrus Mountains in Iran. This geography is called Azerbaijan. Historically, in this geography, there were a number of states founded by the Azerbaijani Turks: Safavids, Qajars, Aghgoyunlu, Garagoyunlu, and others." Speaking about specific facts about Armenia, the expert said that, it existed in history for not more than 100 years. The nationality of this republic was created only in 1918 and 1920. During the war between the Crown Prince of Shah Qajar, Abbas Mirza, and the Russian Tsar, Armenians began migrating to the region. According to the Gulustan and Turkmenchay treaties, at the request of tsarist Russia, the Armenians moved from the territory of Iran to Azerbaijan: Ganja, Shamakhi, and Baku. According to the expert, with the help of the Soviet Empire, the Armenians expelled the Azerbaijanis from that area, because at that time there was neither a state nor the world community that would protect Azerbaijan. For this reason, the Soviet regime did what it wanted. Over the past 70 years, about 1 million Azerbaijanis have migrated from Western Azerbaijan. In 1948, about 450 thousand, and in 1988 more than 250-300 thousand Azerbaijanis were displaced from their ancestral lands. "The first step of the Armenians was to change the name of the local territories belonging to Azerbaijan. They named Basarkechar as Vardenis, Goycha as Sevan, and Irevan as Yerevan. This was not just an action specific to Armenians, but a step taken by many occupying countries. Iran also applied the same step against us. The names of the territories belonging to Azerbaijan are Persianized. With this ideology, Armenians want to create an opinion in the world that there are no toponyms in Turkish in the territory of present-day Armenia, and Turks did not live in these territories either. We faced the same situation during the 30-year occupation. While some territories of Azerbaijan were under occupation, Armenians changed most of their names," the expert said. Touching on the current situation in Azerbaijan, S.Soltan said that Azerbaijan as a state is restoring its Western Azerbaijani roots forcibly deprived of citizenship. Western Azerbaijanis are considered citizens of Armenia. Because they were forcibly deprived of their citizenship. According to international law, no right can deprive a person of citizenship against his will. However, Western Azerbaijanis of Turkish origin faced this oppression. "The foreign policy of Azerbaijan touches the right point in the normalization of processes with Armenia. It constitutionally ensures the security of the Armenians living in Garabagh and their residence in these territories. At the same time, Western Azerbaijanis also regained their lost civic spirit. This is called repatriation. This is the restoration of the changed names of the territories where Western Azerbaijanis live. At present, the Azerbaijani side has presented to the other side the option of restoring the territories (Gafan, Zangazur) that existed before the formation of the USSR in 1920, in order to identify documents," the political analyst opined. Sadraddin Soltan also condemned the opening of consulate offices in Gafan by Iran and Russia. Because it is a violation of international law. Since the issue of delimitation and demarcation between Azerbaijan and Armenia has not yet been resolved, the opening of the diplomatic office was hastily realized. "During the period of the Iravan Khanate, it was allowed to create a state called Armenia. The remaining territories were reserved for discussion with the Republic of Azerbaijan. The total area of Azerbaijan consisted of 120 thousand square kilometers. After the processes calmed down, 100,000 square kilometers were declared by the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the remaining areas were left for discussion as conflict zones. During that period, the Irevan Khanate was transferred to the territories where there is a state called Armenia," the political analyst emphasized. And at the end, the expert, explaining the behavior of Azerbaijan, said that Azerbaijan wants to convey this truth to the public through television and the media. That is, if in any books, films or weather forecasts the current cities of Armenia are indicated as Azerbaijani names or the territory of Azerbaijan, then this is not a provocation, but a historical truth that Armenians do not want to accept. Because Azerbaijan is acting on the basis of historical facts. "There are no territorial claims against Armenia because there was no country called Armenia at all. This is the so-called Armenian state, which created its own country on the lands snatched from Azerbaijan. Armenians want to carry out the same policy in Garabagh. In general, Armenia does not have the authority to create a so-called state in the South Caucasus, in Azerbaijan, or within the country - in Garabagh, neither from the viewpoint of international law nor state law," the expert concluded. --- Rena Murshud is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 August 2023 14:23 (UTC+04:00) AzerEnergy OJSC is rapidly continuing work on the largest power plant, the foundation of which was laid in February of 2023 and was built during the period of independence, Azernews reports. AzerEnergy OJSC that the construction works of the new 1,280-megawatt power plant built on the territory of the Azerbaijan Thermal Power Station located in the city of Mingachevir are being carried out by specialized local companies of Azerbaijan. The construction of the station is supervised by the Italian AFRY consulting company and the Spanish IDOM design company. According to Salih Turan, a representative of AFRY consulting company, the work is currently progressing rapidly and is 2 months ahead of schedule. In the near future, gas turbines and generators produced by the Italian company Ansaldo Energia will be loaded on the ship and sent to Azerbaijan. To date, the foundation and concreting works of four gas turbines, generators, and boilers have been completed, and the construction of buildings in the gas compressor building and other areas, including the metal construction works of the station, are ongoing. Renovation of circulation pumps of cooling water systems, including cooling pipes, and expansion of 500 and 330-kilovolt substations are being carried out rapidly. In parallel, in order to increase the overall efficiency, modernization of the steam turbines of the existing 7th and 8th power units of the "Azerbaijan" Thermal Power Station in Mingachevir is being carried out on a guaranteed basis. The work to remove and overhaul the turbine, generator, and other equipment weighing more than one hundred tons and to integrate it into the newly built power plant has been completed, and now the work has begun to replace the auxiliary equipment with a new one. It was noted that the total power will be 1880 megawatts as a result of connecting the new 1280 megawatt power station and existing units 7 and 8 of the Azerbaijan TPP. Thus, the useful work coefficient will be increased by 18 percent to 56 percent. More precisely, the gas once used in the gas turbines of the new 1280 megawatt power plant will turn water into steam through utilization and will allow to get energy without using additional gas in the steam turbines of units 7 and 8 of the Azerbaijan TPP. As a result of interconnection, 800 million cubic meters of gas will be saved per year. The construction of a new station is of particular importance in terms of creating additional generation capacities, meeting the growing demand for energy, increasing export opportunities, balancing the adverse effects of the integration of renewable energy sources into the energy system, saving natural gas in the production of electricity, and opening new jobs in the region. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum has won a 2023 Experts' Choice Award, which is the only award given based on the opinions of professionals. The 2023 Experts' Choice Award recognizes businesses that have been consistently rated as outstanding by professional reviewers, Azernews reports. "Experts' Choice is the only industry accolade based on professional reviews that draws from 100+ publications including leading travel guides, magazines and newspapers. The award, now in its seventh year, has received coverage in major outlets including The New York Times, The Daily Telegraph and GQ. Based on numerous professional reviews, the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum is proud to be on the world's best list as one of Baku's top-rated attractions," said the message. Recall that the Carpet Museum has recently renovated its collection. The museum visitors have a chance to enjoy new exhibits, which include luxurious, exquisite carpets that have not been shown before. Founded in 1967, the National Carpet Museum holds more than 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets. The museum, initiated by eminent carpet artist Latif Karimov, is beautiful inside and out. The museum's new building is designed in the form of a rolled carpet. Now, the museum hosts multiple events, including international symposiums, conferences and various exhibitions. In 2019, the museum received national status for its significant contribution in popularization and promotion of the Azerbaijani Carpet Weaving Art. In 2020, the Carpet Museum enriched its collection with beautiful pile carpets purchased by the Culture Ministry at Sartirana Textile Show in Italy. The 19th century Guba carpet "Ugakh" was donated to the Carpet Museum, while Garabagh carpet "Chelebi" enriched the collection of the museum's Shusha branch. The Carpet Museum also focuses on cooperation with the world leading museum organizations. The exhibition "Echo of Soviet Azerbaijan. Carpet. Embroidery. Poster " held at the Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow in partnership with the Mardjani Foundation and the exhibition named "Azerbaijani carpets in the collection of the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art held in Istanbul are among such projects. Moreover, the Carpet Museum won Travelers' Choice Awards for the fourth time in a row last year. The award proves once again that the professional activity of the National Carpet Museum is highly appreciated by visitors from all over the world. This year, the Carpet Museum is waiting for another significant event in its history. After so many years, the Carpet Museum's Shusha brand will start its activity in Garabagh. Founded in 1987, the museum was transferred to Baku amid the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijan's Garabagh region. Since that time, the Shusha museum branch has been operating in the Carpet Museum's main building. Now the preparations are in full swing. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 August 2023 10:00 (UTC+04:00) In accordance with the order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the return of former IDPs to the reconstructed city of Lachin continues, Azernews reports. Thus, on August 9, the next group. made up of 23 families - 93 people, left Gobu Park 3 residential complex in Garadag district, Baku, for Lachin city. As a result of the victory won by the Azerbaijani army under the leadership of President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, it was possible for IDPs to return to their homeland voluntarily, safely, and with dignity after 30 years. The residents of Lachin City expressed their gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva for being surrounded by comprehensive state care, to the brave Azerbaijani Army and to the Azerbaijani heroic soldiers and officers that liberated Azerbaijani lands from occupation, and commemorated the martyrs. The families will settle in the houses where they used to live in Lachin before the Armenian invasion, which was restored or rebuilt based on the instructions of the head of state after liberation. With this, 203 families, i.e. 793 people, were permanently settled in Lachin City. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 August 2023 14:00 (UTC+04:00) Ayhan Satyci, acting head of the Turkic World Research Center (TDAM) operating under the Economic Reforms Analysis and Communication Center (ERACC), participated in the round table on Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan: New Horizons of Cooperation, Azernews reports. The Center noted that mutual ambassadors of both countries, representatives of Uzbekistan's research centers, separate state institutions and ministries, Azerbaijani MPs, and researchers participated in the event jointly organized by the Center for the Analysis of International Relations and the International Institute of Central Asia of Uzbekistan. At the event dedicated to the prospects of Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan cooperation, issues such as the current state of relations between the two countries, the determination of future directions of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, as well as the development of specific proposals and initiatives for their implementation were discussed. It was emphasized that National Leader Heydar Aliyev had a special role in the development of relations between the two countries. It was noted that Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have common interests in the development of cooperation in a number of fields, including transport. The participants of the round table held discussions on the topic "Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan relations: modern opportunities and prospects" and "Central Asia and Azerbaijan: mutual relations for stability and sustainable development". It should be noted that the representatives of Uzbekistan's think tanks also visited IITKM on August 7 as part of their visit to Azerbaijan, where they discussed issues of mutual cooperation. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 August 2023 14:46 (UTC+04:00) United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Ramiz Alakbarov from Azerbaijan as UN Resident Coordinator in Ethiopia, Azernews reports. According to the press service of the organization, he will also serve as the UN coordinator for humanitarian issues in the country. Ramiz Alekperov has 28 years of experience in leadership, strategic planning and program development and management, and humanitarian response. Prior to his current appointment, R.Alekperov served as Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan at the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). From 1992 to 1995, he was an associate professor at the Azerbaijan Medical University and a practicing physician. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 August 2023 12:50 (UTC+04:00) The repatriation of citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan from the Syrian Arab Republic and the protection of the rights and freedoms of these persons continue, Azernews reports. On August 3, 2023, 16 more people were brought from Syria to Azerbaijan, including 13 children and 3 women. Representatives of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudswoman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan met with persons placed in the social service institution of the Social Services Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population and were interested in the state of ensuring their rights. During the meeting, the psychological state of women and children was studied, and representatives of the Office were informed about the measures taken toward their social rehabilitation and reintegration into society. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 August 2023 13:18 (UTC+04:00) On August 8, 2024, the interview of Elchin Amirbeyov, the representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on special tasks, was published in the leading French newspaper LeMonde. Answering journalist Emanuel Grinzspan's questions about the situation in the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan, especially the Lachin road, Elchin Amirbeyov answered the baseless claims in the western media, which were allegedly related to the closure of the road. The President's representative stated that in accordance with the tripartite statement dated November 10, 2020, the Lachin road should be used for humanitarian purposes, but for two and a half years, Armenia has misused this road for illegal purposes, including sending its armed forces to the territory of Azerbaijan, as well as weapons and ammunition, he said. He emphasized that the number of Armenians living in Garabagh as 120,000 is not true, and in fact there are 50,000 Armenians, including 10,000 illegal Armenian armed forces. In response to the reporter's question whether you consider Armenian soldiers your citizens, the special representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan noted that these Armenians are members of the armed forces of Armenia, who entered the territory of Azerbaijan illegally, contrary to the tripartite declaration. For this reason, the Azerbaijani side established a checkpoint in Lachin on April 23 in accordance with international law, he said. It was brought to the attention of the other side that medical supplies are currently passing through the Lachin road, and the offer of humanitarian goods to pass through the territory of Aghdam and Fuzuli of Azerbaijan was not accepted by the Armenians. E. Amirbeyov emphasized that if the situation was really as tragic as presented, people would not care from which direction the humanitarian aid came; it means that the so-called "ruling circles" are holding hostage the majority of Armenians living there, because dissatisfaction is heard on social networks. The so-called ruling forces want to use this situation to put pressure on Azerbaijan at the international level. In the interview, E. Amirbeyov talked about the facts related to the arrest of Vagif Khachatryan and pointed out that he was on the list of people who committed war crimes against civilian Azerbaijanis during the first Karabakh war. In response to the journalist's provocative question about Azerbaijan being an authoritarian regime, the special representative emphasized that Azerbaijan is a democratic country, and when it comes to human rights, no country, including France, is perfect. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 8 August 2023 23:50 (UTC+04:00) A delegation from Russia arrived in Kyrgyzstan in search of new business partners, the press service of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic reported, Azernews reports, citing Kabar. Russian entrepreneurs show particular interest in the agro-industrial complex and are ready to invest in promising projects in the field of agriculture. They are also ready to supply equipment to local enterprises. The businessmen discussed these and other issues with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Airplanes of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are parked at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul in this 2022 file photo. Newsis By Park Jae-hyuk There is growing skepticism over the success of Korean Air's efforts over the last three years to acquire Asiana Airlines, according to industry officials, Wednesday. Such concerns have emerged as antitrust regulators of the U.S. and the European Union kept delaying their approvals for the deal and asked Korean Air to come up with more effective measures to prevent a monopoly after the merger. Although both buyer and seller have denied a plan B at this moment, speculation has increased that Asiana could be sold to a different company. Earlier this week, a local newspaper reported that Korea Development Bank (KDB), the main creditor of Asiana, tasked Samil PwC with reviewing the feasibility of selling the cash-strapped air carrier to a third party. KDB immediately denied the report, emphasizing that Asiana asked the accounting firm to assess its financial situation, so as to brace for changes in the aviation industry during the post-pandemic era. "The request was irrelevant to selling Asiana to a third party," the state-run lender said. KDB Chairman Kang Seog-hoon also told reporters in June that antitrust authorities of the U.S., EU and Japan are expected to draw conclusions within the third quarter of this year. However, he did not rule out the possibility of further delays in their decision-making. In June, Korean Air asked the European Commission to extend the deadline for its decision once again to October, as the company needed more time to come up with measures to dispel the regulator's concerns. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) even reviewed options to file a lawsuit to prevent the merger deal from harming competition in passenger and cargo transportation between the U.S. and Korea. The two antitrust regulators are especially concerned about limited competition in cargo transportation, but Korean Air and KDB have remained cautious about selling Asiana's cargo transportation division to a third party. "We will do our best to win the final approvals after finishing negotiations with the antitrust authorities," a Korean Air official said. Amid the lingering uncertainties, some companies and private equity firms are said to be taking preparatory steps to acquire Asiana if Korean Air's attempt ends in failure. Hanwha Group is mentioned as one of the potential buyers. The conglomerate reportedly contacted Harim Group-owned Pan Ocean recently to indicate its intention to acquire Pan Ocean's stake in Hanjin KAL, the holding firm of Hanjin Group, which Korean Air belongs to. When KDB failed to sell Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering to HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering in 2022 due to the European regulator's veto, Hanwha emerged as an alternative buyer and eventually acquired the shipbuilder, which was renamed Hanwha Ocean. 9 August 2023 09:00 (UTC+04:00) Poland announced on Tuesday that it will deploy 1,000 more troops to the eastern border with Belarus, the scene of recent tension between the two countries, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency. Due to the dynamic situation across the border, and at the request of the border guards, the Defense Ministry decided to send additional troops, the ministry told the state-run PAP news agency. On Monday, Polands Border Guard called for the deployment of 1,000 more troops to the border with Belarus amid mounting fears that Belarusian authorities could try to push migrants across the frontier in a repeat of the 2021 migration crisis, which saw hundreds of people trying to force their way into Poland. Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik also accused Belarus of orchestrating another migration influx into the European Union via the Polish border. In the summer of 2021, tens of thousands of migrants and refugees crossed or attempted to cross into Poland from neighboring Belarus. The alleged presence of the Wagner mercenary group near the border is also said to have added fuel to the situation. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the move was aimed at destabilizing the situation on NATOs eastern flank. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 August 2023 23:50 (UTC+04:00) The ban on cement exports from Tajikistan was imposed due to a "small misunderstanding, the Head of the Export Agency of Tajikistan Bahriddin Sirodzhiddinzoda said at a press conference, Azernews reports, citing Trend. The details of this "misunderstanding" were not clarified, but he stressed that the problem arose because of the prices of cement exported to Uzbekistan, which caused a conflict between government agencies. He added that the problem has been resolved, and at the moment the ban on cement exports has been lifted. In addition, the Minister of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan, Sherali Kabir, said that the ban on cement exports was valid for only five days and was due to a lack of high-quality cement for the construction of some important economic facilities. According to the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan, about 2.1 million tons of cement were produced in the country in the first half of this year, which is four percent more than in the same period of 2022. In general, Uzbekistan imported 538,000 tons of cement from Tajikistan during this time and 193,700 tons were imported by Afghanistan. Revenue from cement exports to Afghanistan amounted to $19.9 million. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 August 2023 22:55 (UTC+04:00) A meeting was held at the Embassy of Uzbekistan with the Director of the Department of Global Educational Policy of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea Lee Hejin and the Deputy Director of the Department for International Cooperation in Education Chan Yonghin, Azernews reports, citing Kun.uz news agency. During the meeting, implementation of the agreements reached earlier between the two countries was discussed, in particular, concrete steps were considered for their implementation, including issues related to holding the 2nd forum of the rectors of Uzbekistan and South Korea in Seoul and creating the necessary conditions for students studying in two countries, as well as the prospects for the activation of academic exchange programs. Special attention was paid to the participation of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan and other relevant organizations in the Global Education and Innovation Summit (GEIS), which will be held in Seoul on September 20-21. The event is aimed at the exchange of innovative experience in the field of education of the countries of the world and cooperation in the field of digital transformation of education. In addition, within the framework of GEIS, it is planned to hold an Educational Technologies Fair, where about 500 stands will be organized for 250 participants, as well as other useful events such as AI tutorials, IR pitching, and venture consulting. Parallel sessions of the summit will also include an Official Development Assistance (ODA) forum for policy makers from developing countries and an Asian Education Technology Summit for entrepreneurs seeking greater opportunities in Asia. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 August 2023 21:50 (UTC+04:00) Days after Niger's ruling military junta closed the country's airspace, Turkish nationals stranded in the West African nation arrived on Wednesday in Istanbul aboard a special flight, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency. Turkish Airlines flight TK635 landed at Istanbul Airport at about 4.30 a.m. local time (0130GMT) after a roughly five-hour journey from the International Diori Hamani Airport in Niamey. Carrying mostly Turkish citizens, the Airbus A330-200 departed Niger on a special permit after the airspace closure, announced Sunday, in the aftermath of a military coup late last month that saw democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum overthrown by his personal guard. One of the passengers, Tugyan Isik told Anadolu that previous flights out of the country had been postponed. Thanking Turkish authorities for helping secure their return, he pointed to the difficulties in the country due to power outages after neighboring Nigeria cut off Niger's supply. "Nigeria cut off electricity. Its (Niger's) internal power is severely limited. There is electricity for 2-3 hours a day, and none for the rest. Internet relies on it (electricity), water relies on it. There have been numerous systemic problems," he said, recounting his experience. Nigers junta announced Sunday that the country's airspace was closed until further notice in response to the possibility of military intervention from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, the head of Niger's presidential guard, declared himself the new leader of the country after a coup on July 28. Tchiani said the coup was staged due to the "deteriorating security situation" in the West African country. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 August 2023 23:30 (UTC+04:00) More than 90 units of heavy equipment are involved in search and rescue works in nine locations of the western Georgian region of Racha following the landslide that killed 21 in the Shovi resort last week, the Infrastructure Ministry said on Wednesday, Azernews reports, citing Agenda. The Ministry said construction and installation of a new temporary bridge had started on kilometre 136 section of the Kutaisi-Alpana-Mamisoni Pass highway, to replace a temporary crossing destroyed by the landslide that hit the Shovi resort. Earlier today, Minister Irakli Karseladze visited the field headquarters set up in the disaster zone to receive updates about the ongoing efforts. The latest casualty of the disaster was discovered earlier on Wednesday. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Summer has arrived in Bahrain with increasing temperatures and humidity levels, which leaves people holing up in the comfort of the air-conditioned places. However, you do not have to spend your summer days holed up in a room. Despite the summer heat, there are several cool indoor activities you can enjoy across the Gulf country where the A/C is blowing. Here are some cool indoor activities to escape Bahrain's summer heat: Indoor swimming Swimming at the beach may sound fun, but if you find yourself wanting to relax in cool water during summer, then indoor swimming might just be the one for you. What's more convinient than being able to swim without having to think about being sunburnt? Nothing! Some of the hotels with indoor swimming pools in Bahrain are The Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, And al Areen Palace & Spa. Saying hi to the fish at the Bahrain Aquarium Located at Mall of Dilmunia, Bahrain Aquarium is home to more than 2,700 species of aquatic creatures including sharks, rays, fish and more which will increase to up to 4,000 at maturity from 85 different species. It is rising 17 meters tall and 7 meters wide. Skating at Funscape Summer is a perfect opportunity to get your skates on and have a cool time. Funscape World's Ice Zone is one of the major attractions at the Mall of Dilmunia and the biggest Ice rink in Bahrain. The rink also offers skating lessons, and hosts shows and even tournaments. Go-karting Go-karting is the perfect activity for you to let out your inner speed-demon. Compete against both family and friends to see who can set the fastest lap time. Trax offers you indoor e-karting at Bahrain Mall. Bowling Bowling is one of the most enjoyable indoor activities to have fun times with your friends and family. It is always fun to see whose ball gets into the gutter or who strikes the most pins. Grab your group and be competitive at MJ's Bowling Lounge! Skydiving at Gravity Indoor Skydiving Skydive at Gravity Indoor Skydiving, and you will be taken four metres into the air to get your adrenaline pumping. You will still feel like you are taking part in a real skydive from a plane. Movies at the cinema Nothing beats going to the cinema to watch newly-released movies on the big screen! What are you waiting for? Don't forget the popcorn! You can watch a movie at City Center Cinema, Oasis Mall Cinema, Novo Cinemas, Cinepolis Cinemas, or VOX Cinema Bahrain. A night in Yes, we know we said you did not have to spend your summer days holed up in a room but staying at home curling up on the couch and binge-watching your favorite series and movies is always a great idea and we consider it as a cool indoor activity. There is no shame in having a bit of time at home and just enjoying quality time at home with your family. Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Showery rains will be accompanied by very heavy downpours and strong gusty winds at times, especially this morning. Potential for flooding rains. High 76F. NW winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch.. Tonight Showery rains will be accompanied by heavy downpours and strong gusty winds at times, especially early. Potential for flooding rains. Low 69F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph, becoming SE and decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Bands of heavy rain containing strong gusty winds at times. High 74F. Winds NW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch. Localized flooding is possible.. Tonight Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch. Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain for the afternoon. Potential for flooding rains. High 77F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.. Tonight Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Figure Colonel Medel Aguilar, right, spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, whispers to Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the National Security Council, during a press conference in response to recent aggression of the Chinese Coast Guard against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, Aug. 7. AFP-Yonhap China again asked the Philippines to tow away a grounded warship a World War Two-era vessel now used as a military outpost from a disputed shoal on Tuesday, after Manila rejected Beijing's earlier demand. Tensions have soared between the two neighbors over the South China Sea under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with Manila pivoting back to the United States, which supports the Southeast Asian nation in its maritime disputes with China. China's embassy in Manila criticized Washington for "gathering" its allies to continue "hyping up" the South China Sea issue and the boat incident. "South China Sea is not a 'safari park' for countries outside the region to make mischief and sow discord," the embassy said in a statement on Tuesday. The Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within the Philippines exclusive economic zone, is home to a handful of troops living aboard the former warship Sierra Madre. Manila deliberately grounded the vessel in 1999 to reinforce its sovereignty claims. Manila has repeatedly accused the Chinese coastguard of blocking resupply missions to its troops there, as it did on Aug. 5 when it sprayed a Philippine vessel with a water cannon. China maintains the Philippines' occupation of the shoal is illegal. The Philippine military described the Chinese coastguard's actions on Saturday as "excessive and offensive". China said the incident was a "warning" and that it has exercised "rational restraint" at all times. China's defense ministry on Tuesday urged Manila to stop all "provocative" actions, and vowed to continue taking necessary measures to safeguard sovereignty and maritime rights. Figure Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, speaks during a joint news conference in response to the recent aggression of the Chinese Coast Guard against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, Philippines, Aug. 7. Reuters-Yonhap Archived Results for Wednesday, August 9th, 2023 Older Page 1 Big Tech Platforms have the right to Censor all speech providing they voluntarily relinquish their Section 230 Carveout. Big Tech Platforms DO NOT have the right to Censor any speech, while retaining multiple indemnifications by virtue of the Section 230 Carveout. I know nothing of this 230 talk, but "I do love me some social media". 460 total vote(s) What's your Opinion? Adam Carter, writing at the WashingtonPundit.com reviews the history behind the 17th Amendment and makes a compelling argument for its repeal. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislatures. ~ 17th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution This was an amendment of the original design of the U.S. Senate laid out in Article I Section III of the Constitution as written by the Founders: The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. ~ Article I Section III of the U.S. Constitution The United States Senate While the change might have seemed well-intended at the time, the 17th Amendment has been described as one of the worst modifications to the U.S. Constitution. Since its passage, the impact has been disastrous and keeps getting worse. It seems counterintuitive. After all, Why would anyone not want to vote directly for their own U.S. Senators? That is certainly a fair question and one we hope to answer in this articlebecause it requires much thought and understanding of constitutional design. The History The Founders wanted the power and control of government to rest with We The People. This is reflected in how they structured Congress as spelled out in Article I. The House of Representatives was to be known as the Peoples Housewith representatives elected by the people from congressional districts and only officials directly elected within the federal government under the original design. The U.S. Senate was meant to be the voice of The States in Congress, but more specificallythe state legislatures. Under the original design, state legislatures were meant to be the most consequential institutions and hold the real power in the entire government structure. This, for example, is why the Founders gave ultimate power for selecting presidential electors to state legislatures. Not the state governors, courts, or popular votethe state legislatures. Why is that? State legislatures are the institutions closest to the people. State legislators, for the most part, live in the communities they represent. They interact with their constituents on a daily basis at work, at the store, in church, etc. So if they are not being responsive to the concerns of those they represent, theyre going to hear about it. If they are unwilling to carry out the peoples wishes, it is far easier to unseat a state legislator than any other constitutional office. The Founders believed government, by its very nature, is corrupt. However, state legislatures are considered the least corrupt institution when viewed as a whole. Nearly 7,400 state legislative seats are spread out across the country and constantly turning over. A George Soros-type figure cant co-opt enough of them to push through any agenda nationwide effectively. That helps explain why the Democrats had to go to extraordinary lengths to bypass state legislatures in the lead-up to the 2020 election and throughout the election contest period. They wouldnt have been able to get away with the steal otherwise. By pushing ultimate power down to state legislatures, the Founders understood it was the most effective means to keep control in the hands of the people within a representative government. Virginia General Assembly Remember, we are the United States of America, and that is where the real power is supposed to reside. The federal government itself was not intended to have much power at all. As stated by James Madison in Federalist [Paper] No. 45: The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce ~ James MadisonFederalist No. 45 The U.S. Senate was how state legislatures would oversee and direct the federal government. Both chambers of each state legislature (only Nebraska has a single chamber) were meant to appoint a Senator to represent its interests in the Senate; hence the reason each state is given two. This is why the Senate is given the power to approve presidential appointments and ratify treaties negotiated by the Executive. It was supposed to be the means by which Senatorsunder the direction of the state legislature they representwould advise and consent to the executive branchs actions and keep it from acting against the will of the States at large. The 17th Amendment was passed in the wake of political scandals of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Political machinessuch as Tammany Hall in New Yorkhad amassed a great deal of power at the state and local levels. And the process for appointing U.S. Senators was viewed as having become too corrupt. The thought was the only way to remedy this was to cut state legislatures out of the process and go to the direct election model we now have today. Political cartoon advocating for ratification of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Coincidentally, this was around the same timeand for many of the same reasonsCivil Service Reform was first enacted in the federal government to replace the old Spoils System. This would have equally disastrous effects and lead to the rise of the Administrative Statea government comprised of mostly unelected, career bureaucrats that are next to impossible to fire for nearly any reason. Former nonpartisan career civil servants (left) FBI attorney Lisa Page and (right) FBI agent Peter Strzok Likewisesince the passage of the 17th Amendmentthe U.S. Senate has become far more corruptwith references in pop culture as far back as anyone can remember using the term senator synonymously with corruption. Never badder than bad cause the brother is madder than mad At the fact its corrupt like a senator Soul on a roll, but you treat it like soap on a rope Cause the beats and the lines are so dope So how did things get this bad? Well, if you understand the inherent flaws in the 17th Amendment, you would have understood this was the inevitable result. The Electoral College It helps to understand the purpose and design of the Electoral College because it helps explain why the 17th Amendment was such a bad idea. The concepts are very analogous. Democrats love to rile against the unfairness of the Electoral College, but do you ever notice they never say anything about the U.S. Senate? Intuitivelyif their position about Electoral College was based on principlethey should be apoplectic about the structure of the Senate. Take, for example, Alaska and Wyoming, two ruby-red states, combined they have only 11% of deep blue Californias representation in the Electoral College. Yet, despite both only having a tiny fraction of Californias populationslightly more than 3% combinedthey collectively have twice Californias voting power in the Senate. Est. population as of July 2022 based on the U.S. Census Bureau But you never hear a peep out of the Left about this disparity. Why is that? Some Leftist academic types and Hollywood shills would have you believe the Founders put in the Electoral College as some kind of safeguard. Its supposed to be one final tool for the political elite to overrule the will of the general population and stop a duly-elected President from taking office if The Swamp really disliked them. It is a complete myth. I know shocking the geniuses in Hollywood wouldnt understand that. Its not a coincidence the Electoral College has the same basic structure as Congresswith each state getting one vote equal to its number of Senators and House Representatives. The Foundersmost notably Thomas Jeffersonunderstood that a countrys large urban centers would always have a dramatic population advantage over the rest of the country. And those cities would be dominated by liberal, professional-class politics. The inevitable result of large cities imposing their detached Let them eat cake political will on the rest of the country would be the same discontentment that led to the American and French Revolutions. It was true then, and it is true today. If Democrats got their wishand eliminated the Electoral College in favor of the popular votefour major urban centers (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston) would effectively decide every presidential election contest. They could install their authoritarian head of state to rule over all of us working-class plebes in flyover country. And theres nothing we could do to stop it because we would never be able to overcome their population advantage. A few liberal enclaves would have free rein to run roughshod over the entire rest of the country. The Founders had the foresight to put in a system of Proportional Representation for electing the President and representation in Congress to more evenly divide power between the large urban areas and the more rural heartland. 17th Amendments Fatal Flaw Removing the Electoral College would have a terrible impact on presidential elections. Unfortunately, the 17th Amendment has already had that same impact on U.S. Senate racesonly at the state level. It removed proportional representation from the process and shifted it to a straight popular vote. End result? The liberal, professional-class urban centers largely determine who is elected a states U.S. Senators. The majority of the geographic areas within the state now get very little say, if any at all. During the 2020 presidential election contests, many were surprised to realize that all the state legislatures in the key swing states were in the hands of the Republicans. How is that? Its because state legislatures largely have the same proportional representation design as the U.S. Congress. If you talk to anyone from Michigantheyll be the first ones to tell youMichigan is not overall a liberal state by any stretch of the imagination. Throughout most recent history, the Michigan state legislature has been in the hands of the Republicans. Yet Michigan has only been represented by a Republican in the U.S. Senate for three brief stints since 1950. Why is that? Because Detroit elects its U.S. Senators. The whole rest of the state can take a hike. Nobody cares what you have to say. Pennsylvania is a massive state and is deeply red in most areas. Its state senate has been under Republican control since 1994, and its General Assembly just flipped back to Democrat control for the first time since 2011. So how did nearly brain-dead John Fetterman end up representing Pennsylvania in the Senate? Because Philadelphia and Pittsburgh/Allegheny County elect Pennsylvanias Senators. The entire rest of the state can get bent. Ever wonder how a state as conservative as Georgia wound up represented by two borderline communists in the Senate? Its because Georgia doesnt elect its U.S. Senators; Atlanta/Fulton County does. Even state legislative housessuch as the New York State Senateare sometimes in the hands of the Republicans because of proportional representation. But only New York City gets to say who represents New York in the U.S. Senate, and the rest of the state can suck a doorknob. The rural, working-class areas of the country now have very little representation in the U.S. Senate. And keep in mind, that was the entire reason the Senate was created in the first place. To give all regions of the country one placewithin the checks & balances of the federal governmentwhere they had equal weight regardless of population. The 17th Amendment eviscerated it. Without the 17th Amendment, the GOP would have 59 seats in the Senate10 more than they currently hold. They would have averaged 14 more seats from the start of the last decade and always be in the majority. For most of that time, they would have held a filibuster-proof majority. And at specific points, they would have held a two-thirds, veto-proof majoritywhich also happens to be the threshold needed to convict and remove an impeached President from office. Thats right. For the first two years of the Biden administration, the Republicans would have only been four votes shy of being able to remove him from office. How do you think that mightve impacted the 2022 midterm elections? Are you starting to understand why the Democrats never complain about the structure of the U.S. Senate? But it goes beyond that. Under the method used since the 17th Amendment was passed, even the Republicans who are elected tend to be professional-class, Establishment types due to the urban bias. We can see with our own eyes that only a handful of Senators in the entire GOP caucus seem to represent the best interests of the Republican base. Additionally, one of the worst effects of the 17th Amendment is that it removed state legislatures right to recall Senators. Once elected, youre stuck with them for six years, no matter how badly they betray their constituents once in office. Senators now only need to go through a cycle of acting by the wishes of their constituents leading up to their reelection, come back to their state once every six years to campaign for a short period of time, and get reelected based on the power of their political machines. They have become life-tenured Washington D.C. residents with little connection to the states they represent. They live and work in the Swamp, and thats who they represent. Former U.S. ambassador to Germany and former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell on the problems of the culture of Washington D.C. Under the original design, Senators were held far more accountable. Citizens could put pressure on their local state legislators if they were unhappy with the actions of their Senator. And if needed, voters could flip the chamber in their state legislature and have them recalled. It was already trending upwards, but the average term for a U.S. Senator before the 20th Century and the passage of the 17th Amendment was about four years. The average term of a Senator today is measured in decades. There was an ongoing process of accountability for sitting members of the Senate. Now we only get a shot at accountability once every six years with the deck stacked against us. It has removed much of the impetus for voters to change politics at the local level, instead federalizing even more power in Washington D.C. Quote from The Burning Platform article Fix The Senate The Right Way Repeal The 17th Amendment We would not have situations like Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who was a dead man walking politically in the Republican Party with another 5.5 years left on his term in office. Or Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who wins reelection and then signs onto gun-grabbing legislation knowing he will not have to face the wrath of the voters for another half decadeassuming they even remember by that point. Under the original design of the Constitution, Romney and Cornyn would have been recalled by their state legislatures and been out of office the next day. Not only would we have many more Republicans in the Senate, but they would be much better Republicans who were constantly being held accountable. There would be many more Ron Johnsons (R-WI) exposing the COVID vaccine fraud and a lot fewer war-whores like Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pushing us into World War III. Unfortunately, repealing the 17th Amendment would require its own constitutional Amendment. And given the typical amendment process requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate, it is doubtful that many Senators will vote to put themselves out of office. A Convention of States (CoS) is the only realistic way it could happen. If a CoS were to happen, repealing the 17th Amendment and returning to the original design should be a key item on the agenda. This isnt a radical idea. After all, this is how the Founders originally designed it. And once again have provedthey knew what they were doing. Hat tip to Ray Leary for providing the link to this article. In May, Montana became the first state to ban TikTok, making it illegal to download the application within the state, according to an May 18 report from NPR. TikTok has drawn attention in the medical community over the last year, both positive and negative. While the application has created dangerous health trends, and physicians have been disciplined for live streaming procedures on the platform, it has also offered health systems a new way to connect with patients and grow their client base. There is no doubt that TikTok has impacted healthcare over the last year. In 2022, 30 percent of users reported seeing health related videos on their feeds frequently. Physicians have raised concerns about some trends, including a new one telling users to drink or bathe in water laced with borax. But some hashtag trends on the application can be helpful. In 2022, TikTok content creators used the app to share information on gut health conditions, treatment tips and personal experiences through the #Guttok movement. The trend created a growing consumer interest in gastroenterological health. Additionally, several practices and physicians use TikTok as a way to connect with patients and even grow their practices. Matthew Harb, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics in Washington, D.C., has over 360,000 followers on the social media app. "[Surgeons] get to spend so little time in the office with our patients that social media is a tool to connect in a different manner that patients almost feel like you're speaking directly to them. You build patient rapport better, and I think you develop a deeper and more trustworthy connection with the patients as well," he told Becker's. Without the ability to use TikTok, Dr. Harb would lose some of the grassroots marketing his practice relies on. "What I've found is that social media accomplishes a bunch of different goals. The first one is it opens lines of patient communication, meaning you have a new way to interact with your patient population. You can target them directly because instead of paying for direct-to-consumer marketing and things of that nature, the algorithms that are built into social media engines basically have the patients who are on these platforms find your channel," he said. He believes that all physicians should be using social media even more and that one day practices will be expected to have a social media presence. Daniel Choi, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon at Spine Medicine & Surgery of Long Island (N.Y.), also notes the importance of TikTok for physicians. Dr. Choi opened his own practice in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic and used social media to amass a following. His TikTok account has over 33,500 followers. "In the age of social media, you can see physician-related content directly on social media, and it's like you are meeting a practitioner before you go into the office," he told Becker's. While TikTok does have its downfalls in healthcare, it can be a useful tool for physicians and practices especially physicians at practices that lack a major marketing budget. Optum is taking a new approach to addressing nurse workforce shortages. The UnitedHealth Group affiliate partnered with Capella University, an accredited online university, to design an educational program for skilled, advanced practice nurses. The program aims to develop nurses for all sites of care, including surgery centers. Nursing students can enroll in the new program to prepare for licensure and leadership roles, and students can access Optum's national network of clinics and care sites to gain real-world skills. Optum recruiters will also work with students to apply for positions within the company's network. Optum nurse practitioners who want to advance their careers will have the opportunity to reduce tuition and undergo leadership development. The first program offered through the partnership is a Master of Science in Nursing, adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner. Leaders of South American nations pose for a group photo during the Amazon Summit, at the Hangar Convention Center in Belem, Brazil, Aug. 8. AP-Yonhap Eight Amazon nations agreed to a list of unified environmental policies and measures to bolster regional cooperation at a major rainforest summit in Brazil on Tuesday, but failed to agree on a common goal for ending deforestation. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has staked his international reputation on improving Brazil's environmental standing, had been pushing for the region to unite behind a common policy of ending deforestation by 2030 - one he has already adopted. Instead, the joint declaration issued on Tuesday in the Brazilian city of Belem created an alliance for combating forest destruction, with countries left to pursue their own individual deforestation goals. The failure of the eight Amazon countries to agree on a pact to protect their own forests points to the larger, global difficulties of forging an agreement to combat climate change. Many scientists say policymakers are acting too slowly to head off catastrophic global warming. "The planet is melting, we are breaking temperature records every day. It is not possible that, in a scenario like this, eight Amazonian countries are unable to put in a statement - in large letters - that deforestation needs to be zero," said Marcio Astrini of environmental lobby group Climate Observatory. Lula and other national leaders left Tuesday's meeting without commenting on the declaration. Presidents from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru attended the summit, while Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela sent other top officials. Bolivia and Venezuela are the only Amazon countries not to sign onto a 2021 agreement among more than 100 countries to work toward halting deforestation by 2030. A Brazilian government source told Reuters in the lead up to the summit that Bolivia, where forest destruction is surging, is a hold-out on the issue. This handout picture, taken and released by the Brazilian Presidency, Aug. 8, shows President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, and his Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, chatting during the Amazon Summit IV Meeting of Presidents of States Parties to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACrmTO) in Belem, Para State, Brazil. AFP-Yonhap Here are five updates that offer a glimpse into the world of travel nursing that Becker's has reported on since July 5: 1. The average weekly travel nurse pay in July in the U.S. was $2,447.83, down from $2,677.19 in the same month in 2022, according to a report from Vivian Health, a national healthcare hiring marketplace. 2. Travel nurse pay for the position of director of nursing saw a 7.46 percent month-over-month increase in July compared with June, the highest increase of any travel nurse specialty, according to the Vivian Health report. 3. Pay for travel nurses working in outpatient surgery decreased 4.1 percent month-over-month increase in July compared with June, the biggest decrease of any travel nurse specialty, according to the Vivian Health report. 4. Alaska saw a 7.18 percent decrease in travel nurse pay month-over-month in July compared with June, according to the Vivian Health report. 5. Albany, N.Y.-based St. Peter's Health Partners will no longer hire travel nurses who live within a 50-mile radius of their workplace. Physicians make a lot of money, according to an Aug. 4 article in The Washington Post. Physicians know this, according to social media and they believe the scrutiny of their paychecks is misguided. The controversial article, titled, "The average doctor in the U.S. makes $350,000 a year. Why?" explores the reasons behind physicians' high pay. The titular figure comes from a working paper first published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2020, last updated in July that analyzed more than 10 million tax records from 965,000 physicians over 13 years. One reason given for high physician pay is the hefty student loans accrued during medical school, compounded by years of residency worked for low pay. These circumstances during peak earning years cap physicians' lifetime earning potential, according to the Post. There is also an element of supply and demand, as the U.S. has a massive physician shortage significantly more notable than most other developed countries' which could explain why pay is so much higher here than in other nations. But the publication also suggested physicians are strategic about earning more, "behav[ing] in ways that drive up their income." When Medicare payment rates increase 10 percent for a certain procedure, billing for that procedure rises 4.4 percent; the Post alleges physicians will work to find additional patients who could benefit from the intervention as it becomes more profitable. And the report found that graduates from top medical schools tend to choose better-paying, lucrative specialties. Atul Grover, MD, PhD, an internal medicine physician and instructor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., suggested that the highly paid specialists drive the pay gap between U.S. physicians and those in other countries. The emphasis on procedures with clear outcomes takes away from disease prevention, Dr. Grover argued in the article. "American physicians seem to be quite talented at caring about economics," wrote Andrew Van Dam, the article's author. Two of the economists who worked on the report shared their insights with Mr. Van Dam. Many physicians go into medicine to help people, and feel that conversations about pay misrepresent their motives, Maria Polyakova, PhD, of Stanford (Calif.) University told the Post. Joshua Gottlieb, PhD, of the University of Chicago suggested they could have the best of both worlds. "You can want to help people and you can simultaneously want to earn money and have a nicer lifestyle and demand compensation for long hours and long training," Dr. Gottlieb said. "Thats totally normal behavior in the labor market." The Post article blew up on social media, receiving more than 6,000 comments and hundreds of reposts across various platforms. Many physicians alleged the publication misrepresented their motives and questioned why they were the target of pay disputes. "Is @washingtonpost going to complain about UPS driver pay of 170K as they complain about US Physician pay?" tweeted Shariq Shamim, MD, a St. Louis-based interventional cardiologist. "I have no problem with the average doctor making less than half as much as a rookie in the NFL," wrote one top commenter on the article. Others, including emergency physician Leon Adelman, MD, felt there was some truth to the article. "[The article] is snarky, insulting, and partly correct," Dr. Adelman wrote in a LinkedIn post. He believes the U.S. should pay physicians more for primary care and preventive medicine, writing that financial incentives for proceduralists "distort the physician job market and harm Americans' health." "Doctors are not saints," Dr. Adelman wrote. "They follow financial incentives." When Cleveland Clinic said in 2022 it would charge patients up to $50 for sending certain MyChart messages to their physicians, many in the healthcare industry took notice. And suddenly hospital leaders had a decision to make. Would they charge for the patient portal messages, in an effort to get a hold on the expanding number of digital interactions that were increasingly taking up providers' "free" time? Or keep the status quo, instead directing patients to actual appointments in person or virtual that they could be billed for? Becker's reached out to dozens of the largest and most prestigious health systems to ask about their policies on charging for patient portal messages. Of those that responded, only Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine said it bills for certain MyChart interactions, adding the health system to the list of nearly 20 that now do. Michigan Medicine told Becker's that per medical coding changes implemented in 2020, it has been billing for responses that "require clinical expertise and a physician or qualified healthcare professional's time." "To ensure that patients know there may be a charge associated with the service, they are informed prior to sending a message to their care team," a health system spokesperson said. "Most commercial and governmental health plans now recognize these services as a covered benefit." The new codes were meant for "patient-initiated digital communications that require a clinical decision that would otherwise have been typically provided in the office" and that take five minutes or more of a provider's time, according to the American Medical Association. The charges can range from $7 to $98 a message, but some insurance plans pick up the full bill. Other health systems say they are still evaluating whether to make the change. "At this time, UPMC does not charge for any messaging or interactions using MyUPMC, our patient portal," a spokesperson for the Pittsburgh-based health system told Becker's. "We are continuing to monitor this activity as we focus on expanding patient access to care." New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health is "currently working on implementation of Epic's MyChart patient portal and is evaluating the decision to bill for certain patient portal messages," a spokesperson said. "No final decision has been made at this time." Early results on whether billing has tamed the explosion in MyChart messages have been mixed. After San Francisco-based UCSF Health started charging for patient portal interactions in 2021, the volume of threads and messages dropped slightly, researchers there found, saying it "may be attributable to awareness of the possibility of being billed." Plus, health systems say they typically only charge for a small percentage of messages. Some health systems advertise on their websites that MyChart remains a "free service," including St. Louis-based Ascension and New York City-based NYU Langone Health. Trinity Health, an 88-hospital system based in Livonia, Mich., doesn't charge for interacting via MyChart "as it plays a key role in communication and care coordination between providers and patients," said Daniel Roth, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer. Nor does Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health, according to a spokesperson. "There is no cost for Kaiser Permanente members to access their electronic health record or to message the physicians and clinicians on their care team, nor any plan to change that for our members at this time," a spokesperson for the Oakland, Calif.-based health system told Becker's. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford HealthCare also recently told Becker's it doesn't bill for the messages. "Persisting the fee-for-service treadmill down to the level of a message is a race to the bottom," said Christopher Sharp, MD, the health system's chief medical information officer. Systems that bill for some of the messages include Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine, Renton, Wash.-based Providence, Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine, St. Louis-based BJC Healthcare, Houston Methodist, and UC San Diego Health. While Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health doesn't charge for MyChart interactions, if a patient's message requires an evaluation, diagnosis or treatment, "we are careful to guide individuals to a visit e-visit, video visit or in-person visit when it is clinically appropriate," a spokesperson for the 48-hospital system told Becker's. "Patients often have clarifying questions regarding a treatment plan from a prior visit, and we are happy to support those communications without the patient incurring an additional charge." "None of the Advocate Health care brands Advocate Health Care, Atrium Health nor Aurora Health Care charge a messaging fee for communicating with a provider through the patient portal," a spokesperson for the 67-hospital system based in Charlotte, N.C., told Becker's. "If the communication is specific to the care being provided as part of a scheduled virtual visit or e-visit, then charges can be incurred for the care team's time, which is not related to a messaging fee." Community Health Systems, a 77-hospital system based in Franklin, Tenn., doesn't charge for patient portal messaging and "there are no plans to do so in the future," a spokesperson told Becker's. "Many of our providers encourage outreach through the patient portal because it provides an effective and efficient way for patients to communicate with their providers and keeps them actively involved in their healthcare experience," the spokesperson said. Michael Restuccia, senior vice president and CIO of Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine, said after evaluating the policy his health system opted to refrain from charging for the messages. But he agreed that something has to change. "We have heard loud and clear from our provider community that MyChart messages to their inbox are becoming more and more of a challenge," he said. "Our initial approach to address this situation is several-fold, including bringing awareness to our patient community to limit inappropriate messages, centralize and triage provider inbox messages where possible, and explore recently developed artificial intelligence algorithms to automatically respond to common communications." "We will continue to monitor this situation in order to reduce the burden on our already burdened provider community," he added. The Becker's Hospital Review website uses cookies to display relevant ads and to enhance your browsing experience. By continuing to use our site, you acknowledge that you have read, that you understand, and that you accept our Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy The Ohio State Medical Board indefinitely suspended the license of prominent anti-vaccine advocate and physician Sherri Tenpenny, DO, on Aug. 9. Dr. Tenpenny drew national attention in June 2021 when she spoke to the Ohio House Health Committee, claiming COVID-19 vaccines magnetize recipients and "interface" with 5G cell phone towers. The physician was deemed a nonexpert by a federal judge in a vaccine injury lawsuit. The board suspended Dr. Tenpenny's license on procedural grounds, claiming she ignored investigators' request for information and defied a subpoena to give a deposition for a board investigation launched in 2021. The board did not say what actions prompted the investigation when it was first launched, citing confidentiality rules. However, a formal report obtained by cleveland.com, submitted ahead of the Aug. 9 hearing, says the investigation was triggered by approximately 350 complaints about Dr. Tenpenny submitted to the medical board. The board told Dr. Tenpenny that her license will be suspended until she complies with the investigation, according to cleveland.com. Optum has partnered with online educator Capella University to launch an educational program for advanced practice nurses in an effort to address the nationwide shortage. The program will blend Capella's online format with Optum's clinical resources and physical care facilities, according to an Aug. 8 news release. The first offering will be a Master of Science in Nursing adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner. A family nurse practitioner program is expected to launch in the future. Students will have access to Optums national provider network, along with recruitment resources and the opportunity to apply for available positions at the company. Reduced tuition and leadership development resources will also be available. Enrollment is now open for the first program and courses will begin Oct. 9. An American nurse and her child on a humanitarian mission in Haiti have been freed two weeks after they were kidnapped and held hostage. Faith-based group El Roi Haiti confirmed July 29 that Alix Dorsainvil and her child were kidnapped July 27 from the nonprofit's campus near Port au Prince. On Aug. 9, the nonprofit announced that Ms. Dorsainvil and her child were safely released after being held hostage in the capital city. Ms. Dorsainvil is originally from Middleton, N.H., and married to the founder and director of El Roi Haiti, Sandro Dorsainvil. She has been operating a children's clinic for El Roi Haiti. Witnesses told The Associated Press that Ms. Dorsainvil was working in the small brick clinic when armed men burst in and seized her. Captors demanded $1 million in ransom, the AP reported. It is not clear if a ransom payment was made. "There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation, so we are asking that no attempts be made to contact Alix or her family at this time," El Roi Haiti noted on its website, where it will "release information as appropriate." Port au Prince has experienced an increase in kidnappings and killings of civilians in recent weeks, at least 40 people abducted and 75 murdered between May and mid-July. The State Department issued a travel advisory for Haiti July 27, ordering nonemergency embassy personnel and their families to evacuate and advising all U.S. citizens in Haiti to leave as soon as possible. Three of Mon Health System's four hospitals are implementing a software that uses barcoding and cameras to verify sterile compounding doses, the Morgantown, W.Va.-based system said Aug. 9. The product, called PharmacyKeeper, is a pharmacy dispensing program for intravenous medications that automates workflow in sterile compounding. "PharmacyKeeper will leave no room for uncertainty or human error," Brandon Crowe, PharmD, pharmacy director for Mon Health Medical Center in Morgantown, said in a news release shared with Becker's. "The program ensures that each dose is accurately labeled and helps us identify potential hazards before they can occur." The software will be used at its flagship hospital, Mon Health Medical Center in Morgantown, Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital in Weston, and Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital in Kingwood. A total of 108 team members will be affected by the closure of Lakeview, Mich.-based Spectrum Health Kelsey Hospital in October, a letter to the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity says, according to the Daily News. Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Corewell Health announced Aug. 1 that it will close its Kelsey Hospital after a steady decline in admissions. In its news release announcing the closure, Corewell Health said affected team members will receive help finding another role with the health system. As of Aug. 8, more than 20 affected workers had already accepted new positions within Corewell Health, a spokesperson told Becker's. New York City-based NYU Langone Health has doubled the size of its orthopedic program in Suffolk County, N.Y. It has added 23 providers and four new practices in the region, including its first location in Stony Brook, N.Y. The other new practices are in Patchogue, Riverhead and Hauppauge, according to an Aug. 9 press release. The new providers include 11 physicians, seven physician assistants, four physical therapists and an occupational therapist. NYU Langone has also joined forces with Advanced Orthopedics, which added three of the new sites to NYU Langones network. New orthopedic providers joining NYU include shoulder, knee and hip specialist Richard Savino, MD, and hand surgery specialist Andrew Leo, MD. Dozens of German-made Leopard 1 tanks and other armoured vehicles, owned by Freddy Versluys the CEO of Belgian defence company OIP Land Systems, who said could help Ukraine if he received export permits from the Belgian regional government of Wallonia and from Germany to sell them, are seen in a hangar in Tournais, Belgium Jan. 31. Reuters-Yonhap Dozens of second-hand Leopard 1 tanks that once belonged to Belgium have been bought by another European country for Ukrainian forces fighting Russia's invasion, the arms trader who did the deal said Tuesday. The German-made Leopards were at the center of a public spat earlier this year after Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder said the government had explored buying back tanks to send to Ukraine but had been quoted unreasonable prices. The clash highlighted a predicament faced by Western governments trying find weapons for Ukraine after more than a year of intense warfare arms they discarded as obsolete are now in high demand, and often owned by private companies. Freddy Versluys, CEO of defense company OIP Land Systems, bought the tanks from the Belgian government more than five years ago. He told Reuters he had now sold all 50 tanks to another European government, which he could not name due to a confidentiality clause. He said he also could not disclose the price. Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Tuesday evening that arms maker Rheinmetall had acquired the tanks and would prepare most of them for export to Ukraine. The company declined to comment. "The fact that they leave our company proves that we asked for a fair market price and someone was more than happy to take them," Versluys said in a post on LinkedIn, accompanied by a picture of tanks next to a bottle of Ukrainian vodka. He said the tanks were now being transported to a factory for a substantial overhaul. Some of the tanks would be used for spare parts while others would be repaired, he said. He estimated it could be four to six months before they were on the battlefield in Ukraine. A defense source told Reuters that the German government was paying for 32 of the Leopard 1 tanks to be restored and sent to Ukraine and that this was part of a support package for Ukraine that Germany announced at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July. The German Defense Ministry had no immediate comment. Several of Kyiv's Western allies agreed earlier this year to send modern Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and also to send older Leopard 1 models. The Leopard 1 was made by German firm Krauss-Maffei, starting in the 1960s. It is lighter than the Leopard 2 and has a different type of main gun. The models sold by Versluys were last upgraded in the 1990s. A spokesperson for the Belgian defence ministry declined to comment on the sale of the tanks. (Reuters) Wrightbus is engaged in five major global tenders to sell its hydrogen vehicles across the globe and planning to create up to 1,000 new jobs, Ulster Business can reveal. And plans for a major new hydrogen hub in Ballymena alongside one of owner Jo Bamfords other business, Hygen Energy, will see a higher single-digit million number investment which will be the first of its kind here. Wrightbus also plans to double its workforce over the next three years, creating 1,000 new local green energy jobs. Speaking to Ulster Business, new chief Jean-Marc Gales believes Northern Ireland can become a world leader in hydrogen production. We are currently participating in five tenders for hydrogen buses that we will export worldwide. We will deliver the first 20 hydrogen buses to German customers, he says. Now weve got over 1,000 [staff]. We are planning to double our workforce by 2026, with most of the roles based in Ballymena. Speaking about its new hydrogen hub here, Mr Gales says it is currently in the consultation phase. The site will include a compressor facility, compressors, transformers, and fuelling areas. Were planning a refuelling station for tankers that provide hydrogen to our customers. Jay-Z s annual Made In America festival, scheduled for next month in Philadelphia, has been cancelled. The festival said in a statement on social media: Due to severe circumstances outside of production control, the 2023 Made in America festival will no longer be taking place. Made In America had been scheduled for September 2-3 with Lizzo and SZA as the headliners. This decision has been difficult and has not been made lightly nor without immense deliberation. Made in America has a legacy of delivering exceptional experiences for music fans and concert goers, and it is our commitment to always deliver a top-tier festival experience. A specific reason for the cancellation was not made clear. Promoter Live Nation referred questions back to the Made In America statement. The statement also spoke about returning next year, and that refunds will be available to ticket holders. Held over Labour Day weekend in Philadelphia every year since 2012, with the exception of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the news arrived two months after its lineup was disclosed. Miguel, Tems, Metro Boomin, Ice Spice, Coi Leray, Latto, Lil Yachty, Doechii, Lola, and many more were scheduled to perform. A representative from Roc Nation did not immediately comment. A Co Antrim man who assaulted his fiancee after a night out celebrating their engagement was sentenced today. Brian Richards was handed two years on probation and 100 hours of community service. The 47-year-old, from Browndod Road in Ballyclare, pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting the woman occasioning her actual bodily harm on September 4, 2021. Belfast Crown Court heard that Richards and the injured party met on a dating site in April 2021. He proposed in August and on September 4 they went out to a restaurant to celebrate. During this, Richards thought she was flirting with a waiter, and when they got back to her home after the meal, he attacked her. The assault began in the kitchen, with Richards approaching her and grabbing her neck. As she struggled to breathe, he held her neck for around a minute before letting her go. He then pulled her to the ground by her hair, and when she managed to get up, he again grabbed her around the neck. At this point, the woman could feel herself losing consciousness. She was brought to the ground again and Richards punched her in the face six times. Read more Police charge 26 in first month since non-fatal strangulation law introduced When she got up, she went to the bathroom and was sick. Richards then followed her and bit her on the ear as she lay on the floor pretending to have passed out. After leaving the bathroom, she noticed Richards had taken her phone. He asked for the access code, which she gave him, and observed clumps of her hair on the floor. The woman didn't seek medical attention that night but sustained bruising to her eye, jaw, leg, arm and buttocks, which she took images of her on phone. She also suffered a cut lip and an injury to her nose in the attack, which was branded as "disgraceful" and "sustained" by Judge Mark Reel. The woman remained with Richards for around a fortnight before ending the relationship. Richards, who has been divorced twice, was arrested and interviewed by police in November 2021. He claimed that the woman had consumed too much alcohol and drugs, alleging she had attacked him and he was defending himself. Richards also denied punching her, choking her and pulling her hair, and when quizzed on how she sustained the injuries, told police she had fallen over due to alcohol and suffered hair loss as a result of stress. Defence barrister Tom MacCreanor said that despite minimising his actions, his client, who is no longer engaged to the victim, "now fully accepts the prosecution case. Mr MacCreanor added that Richards has expressed his "shame and regret for his behaviour and what he did" which will "live with him for the rest of his life. He outlined Richards "very impressive" work record and revealed he has sought voluntary counselling to deal with issues in his life, including depression and anxiety, as well as binge drinking. The judge noted that Richards told a probation officer he believed his mental health deteriorated during lockdown and his alcohol consumption increased. Richards also said that he believed he and his ex were a negative influence on each other due to their heavy drinking. Judge Reel noted that while the womans physical injuries were minor, the attack has resulted in "significant psychological harm. He added: "She has been left feeling vulnerable and isolated by this offence, committed by someone in whom she had reposed so much trust." Judge Reel also imposed a two-year restraining order which bans Richards from contacting or harassing the woman, as well as warning him that any breaches or re-offending would result in a return to court. In addition, he was ordered to pay his former fiancee 2,000 compensation. A paedophile has been accused of breaching a non-molestation order from prison. Although 29-year-old Gerard McKenna did not appear at Limavady Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena on Wednesday, he was charged with breaching the order on December 19 last year at HMP Magilligan. None of the alleged facts surrounding the case were opened in court and District Judge Peter King adjourned matters to August 21, ordering McKenna be produced for attitude. Its not the first time that McKenna, currently serving a nine-year sentence for the abduction, sexual assault and rape of a 12-year-old girl, has been charged from prison. In September 2021, the drug addict father-of-three entered guilty pleas to charges of harassment, breaching a non-molestation order and persistent improper use of a telecommunication network on dates between December 2020 and April 2021. Those charges arose after McKenna made a threat to his ex-partner that he would cut her into a thousand pieces and made upwards of 100 calls to her every week from the prison where he was at the time on remand for child rape. During his rape trial last April, the jury heard how McKenna and his friend, 27-year-old Paul Sheridan, lured two young girls away from responsible adults on December 23, 2019, giving them vodka mixed with 7UP before the pair raped the 12-year-old victim on the Lagan towpath. The jury unanimously convicted McKenna of abducting, raping and sexually assaulting the girl, offering her cocaine and abducting her 15-year-old friend. Sheridan, from Hillfoot Crescent in Ballynahinch, wasnt tried with him as he had gone on the run under paramilitary death threat. However, when he was arrested, he entered guilty pleas to rape, sexual assault and child abduction. At Craigavon Crown Court last October, McKenna was handed a nine-year sentence while Sheridan was given a six-and-a-half year sentence. They were both ordered to spend a further three years under supervised licence conditions when released. It is understood the PPS are set to appeal those sentences as unduly lenient. The incident took place in the Shore Road area at the weekend. A female taxi driver has been left badly shaken after being robbed at knifepoint in north Belfast during the early hours of Saturday morning. Police are investigating the report of a robbery in the Shore Road area on Saturday August 5. It was reported that two men flagged down a taxi in the Clareglen/Ballysillan Park area of Belfast at around 3.30am on Saturday morning and asked to be taken to the Shore Road, said a PSNI spokesperson. When they arrived at their destination, in the Seamount area of the Shore Road, one of the men threatened the female taxi driver with a knife and demanded money. A sum of money was handed over and the two men the made off on foot. The taxi driver was not injured but was left badly shaken. One of the men was described as being aged in his 30s, of slim build, with short fair hair, tanned skin, blue eyes and was wearing a blue coat with a capped hood. The other was described as also being aged in his 30s, of heavy build with dark hair and facial hair and was wearing a black coat. An investigation is underway and anyone with any information or who may be able to help with the investigation is asked to call detectives at Musgrave on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1719 07/08/23. "A report can be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/. A five-year-old boy has also been taken to hospital during the incident. Police in Carrickfergus have closed High Street, Castle Street and part of the Marine Highway Police in Carrickfergus have closed High Street, Castle Street and part of the Marine Highway Police in Carrickfergus have closed High Street, Castle Street and part of the Marine Highway. Pacemaker Press Tributes have been paid to an eight-year-old girl who died after being struck by a car in Co Antrim. A boy, understood to be five years old, has also been taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children in Belfast. His injuries are understood not to be life-threatening after the collision in Carrickfergus. Scarlett Rossborough (8) from the Larne area who was due to celebrate her 9th birthday next month sadly passed away at the scene in the High Street area. Its understood they were part of a summer scheme group making their way to Carrickfergus Castle when the incident happened in the town centre on Wednesday morning. Police in Carrickfergus have closed High Street, Castle Street and part of the Marine Highway The air ambulance was dispatched to the scene. Sergeant Green said: We received a report at approximately 11.40am of a one vehicle road traffic collision. Officers attended together with colleagues from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and Air Ambulance but sadly Scarlett passed away at the scene. A second child, was also injured during the collision and has been taken to hospital for treatment for injuries which are not believed to be life threatening. An investigation is now underway to establish the circumstances of the collision, and we are appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time, or who may have any dash-cam or mobile phone footage, to contact officers in the Collision Investigation Unit on 101, and quote reference number 684 of 09/08/23." Carrickfergus racing legend Glenn Irwin has led tributes online to Scarlett. "Thinking of the family and friends of Scarlett Rosborough following the tragic accident in Carrickfergus today. Very sad day for our local community, he posted on his official Facebook page. Larne Community Care Centre have announced they will be closed for the rest of the week as a mark of respect to the Rosborough family. "All at LCCC wish to express our deepest condolences to the families of the children involved in todays accident, they said. "Our thoughts are with all involved and we will continue to provide ongoing support to anyone who has been impacted. Larne Community Development Project said they were saddened by the accident. "Our thoughts and sympathy go out to the family of young Scarlett Rossborough at this devastating time for them, they said. We also send our best wishes to the family of the other young boy injured and wish him the speediest of recoveries. The Constable Anderson Memorial Flute Band offered their deepest sympathies to the family. "It is with a heavy heart that the officers and members of Constable Anderson Memorial send their deepest sympathies to the family of local Larne girl Scarlett who tragically lost her life earlier today in an accident in Carrickfergus, they said. We also extend our well wishes to another local Larne family whos young boy was also involved in the accident and is recovering in hospital. "We cannot imagine what you are all going though at this tragic time. You are all very much in our thoughts and prayers. Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Gerardine Mulvenna said Scarletts death had plunged the Borough into mourning. "I am praying for Scarletts family, and for the second youngster who was injured in the same incident to make a full recovery, she said. At times like these, there are no words that can adequately reflect the huge sense of loss and pain being felt by loved ones. "The people of this borough will hold them and all of those involved close to our hearts in the days, weeks and months ahead. My thoughts are also with our emergency services who responded to this incident and I thank them for their efforts in extremely upsetting circumstances. East Antrim MLA John Stewart said local residents are numb with grief. "It happened in the most public of places and it is absolutely heartbreaking, he said. "As a parent my heart goes out the families who are grieving. "Its the worst possible thing you can imagine. Police in Carrickfergus have closed High Street, Castle Street and part of the Marine Highway Mr Stewart also said his thoughts are with the first responders and everyone who witnessed the accident. "I am also thinking of the young boy in hospital and praying that he pulls through, he added. Stewart Dickson MLA has also expressed his sincere condolences to the family of the deceased. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the young children involved," he said. "What should have been a simple trip into town has turned into every parents worst nightmare. I wish to thank the emergency services for their quick response to the accident today, and commend them for the devotion to duty that is often encountered in the most troubling of situations. Mr Dickson said it has been a very difficult day for all those in the town centre of Carrickfergus and indeed the wider community. Mid and East Antrim Borough councillor Bethany Ferris said the community had been shocked by the news. "I am saddened and heartbroken by todays news in Carrickfergus, she said. "Our community is in a state of shock and my thoughts and prayers are with all involved. I would like to thank the emergency services and Air Ambulance for their swift response and support to all at the incident. The Ambulance Service (NIAS) said four emergency crews were dispatched to the incident. "The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 11:40 on Wednesday 9 August following reports of an RTC in the High Street Area, Carrickfergus, said a spokesperson. "NIAS despatched four emergency crews, two Ambulance Officers and one BASICS Doctor to the incident. The Charity Air Ambulance with HEMS crew on board were also tasked to attend. "Following initial assessment and treatment at the scene, one patient was taken by Ambulance to Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. All roads in Carrickfergus town centre have now reopened. The PSNI has apologised after a data breach of monumental proportions meant the force mistakenly published the names, ranks, locations and other personal data of every serving police officer and civilian employee. The data from the PSNIs ultra-confidential human resources system is a gold mine for terrorists, offering details of officers working in intelligence and other highly sensitive areas including almost 40 PSNI staff based with MI5. During a media briefing held at PSNI headquarters on the Knock Road, Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Chris Todd apologised for the data breach and said the information had been online for around three hours. The material was wrongly published on the internet today by the PSNI in what was a described as a human error involving spreadsheet fields. PSNI press conference after massive data breach amid severe terrorism threat level Mr Todd said it was unacceptable, but added the force did not feel the breach posed an immediate security risk to any staff. The spreadsheet in question contained standard statistical information on the strength of the PSNI, with details of how many officers it has at each rank. However, a second tab in the spreadsheet contained multiple entries in relation to more than 10,000 individuals. For each individual, there are 32 pieces of data meaning that in total, there are about 345,000 pieces of data in the file. The spreadsheet, which has been seen by the Belfast Telegraph after we were alerted to it by a relative of a serving officer, includes each officers service number, their status, their gender, their contract type, their last name and initials, details of how much of the week they work, and their rank. It also includes the location where they are based (but not their home address), their duty type (from chief constable to detective, intelligence officer and so on), details of their unit (such as the anti-corruption unit or the vetting department), their branch and department, and other technical information about their employment. There are 10,799 entries in the database. There are 9,276 police officers and police staff. It is not clear if the additional entries relate to other employees or former employees. The data has been removed from the internet. There are details of staff who are suspended, on career breaks, or partly retired. It reveals members of the organised crime unit, telecom liaison officers, intelligence officers stationed at ports and airports, PSNI pilots in its air support unit, officers in the surveillance unit and of acute sensitivity almost 40 PSNI staff based at MI5s headquarters in Holywood. There are a tiny number of individuals whose unit is given as secret. But although that does not disclose precisely what they do, it marks them out as operating in an acutely sensitive area and then gives their name. There are details of the specialist firearms team, of riot police the TSG unit and the close protection unit which guards senior politicians and judges. There is even a list of people responsible for information security. It is a breathtaking exposure of PSNI secrets. One former senior PSNI officer told the Belfast Telegraph that it was astonishing and a huge operational security breach. This is the biggest data breach I can recall in the PSNI, he said. Many officers from Catholic communities dont tell their families, friends and ex-school colleagues I worked with many who never did even in recent times. That is a huge issue when that community is still underrepresented and the PSNI is trying to encourage applicants. He said that the system on which such sensitive data is stored is highly regulated internally because of that fact, so even if this information is compromised only internally its still big. He added: This is freely circulating on WhatApp groups, including retired officers. It is in essence out there and can never be retrieved; the operating assumption must be it will be outside of the police family. PSNI staff and civilians affected in major data breach The former officer said that a data breach so catastrophic cant be blamed on a single member of staff, its a systemic failure, it shouldnt be possible this can happen by a slip of a pen so to speak. There has been no suggestion from police sources that this breach was deliberate rather than a disastrous human error. Mr Todd clarified that every serving police officer and member of police staff has had data compromised. "In terms of the security for individuals, there's nothing at the moment to suggest there's any immediate security concerns, but we have put actions in place to ensure that if anything does arise we will be aware of that, and then we can mitigate accordingly." He added: "This is human error. "We've looked into the circumstances, we'll continue with our investigation, but the very early considerations are that this is simple human error and the people who have been involved in the process have acted in good faith. "We've identified some steps that we can take to ensure that it doesn't happen again. "It is regrettable but it is simple human error." Mr Todd, who is the senior information risk owner of the police service, said the responsibility for the information leak was internal. "Regrettably, this evening, I've had to inform the Information Commissioner's office of a significant data breach that we're responsible for," he said. "What's happened is we've received a Freedom of Information request, that's quite a routine inquiry, nothing untoward in that. "We've responded to that request, which was seeking to understand the total numbers of officers and staff at all ranks and grade across the organisation, and in the response, unfortunately, one of our colleagues has embedded the source data, which informed that request. "So, what was within that data was the surname, initial, the rank or grade, the location and the departments for each of our current employees across the police service. Mr Todd said the information was taken down very quickly. "Although it was made available as a result of our own error, anyone who did access the information before it was taken down is responsible for what they do with it next. It is important that data anyone has accessed is deleted immediately, he said. This is an issue we take extremely seriously and as our investigation continues we will keep the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Information Commissioners Office updated. The DUPs lead Policing Board representative Trevor Clarke said: This is a deeply alarming development and follows hot on the heels of separate reports of theft and trespassing on the police estate. The public will be rightly seeking answers and they deserve to see a robust response from the PSNI senior command. Any data breach is unacceptable but more so when it disclose personal information identifying rank and file officers. The scale of this breach seems unprecedented. This not only jeopardises the safety of officers but will further undermine morale within the organisation at a time when staff are holding the line amid unprecedented budget cuts. Those employed by the PSNI in any capacity deserve to have their rights and interests protected by the leadership of the police force they serve. It is high time errors of this magnitude become a thing of the past in the delivery of policing in Northern Ireland. We will raising these concerns with the Chief Constable directly in the coming days. UUP leader Doug Beattie said: This is a unbelievable breach of data and staff security. It cannot be any more serious than this and hard to fathom how such a breach could happen accidentally. Read more How PSNI pursued innocent officer for three years while not disciplining those it admits broke the law It is understood an email has been sent to PSNI staff advising them not to forward links to the data breach and to delete them immediately. The email also confirmed a Gold Group has been convened by ACC Todd to respond to the incident. A Gold Group is the highest level of internal emergency response available to the PSNI and is generally convened in cases of serious public disorder or a major incident requiring the oversight of the ACC. The ACC reports directly to the Chief Constable and if required, the national emergency committee COBRA in Whitehall. One officer who contacted the Belfast Telegraph said: As a serving police officer, my own family do not know what I do. I have had to move house and out of the town I lived as advised by senior officers for security reasons. I deleted social media accounts now my full name and initials are widely available. It's a complete disaster. The officer added: At a time where morale is already at a record low and we feel completely unsupported by senior management, this happens. Read more I was loyal to the PSNI but the force has destroyed me, claims officer The Chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly, expressed dismay and anger last night. He is insisting an urgent inquiry is required and wants to hear from the Chief Constable and his senior colleagues the steps they intend taking to limit the damage to protect identities. Mr Kelly said: This is a breach of monumental proportions. Even if it was done accidentally, it still represents a data and security breach that should never have happened. Rigorous safeguards ought to have been in place to protect this valuable information which, if in the wrong hands, could do incalculable damage. The men and women I represent are appalled by this breach. They are shocked, dismayed and justifiably angry. Like me, they are demanding action to address this unprecedented disclosure of sensitive information. We have many colleagues who do everything possible to protect their police roles. Were fortunate that the PSNI spreadsheet didnt contain officer and staff home addresses, otherwise we would be facing a potentially calamitous situation. Inadequate or poor oversight of FOI procedures must be addressed and addressed urgently. New safeguards are obviously required to prevent this from ever happening again. Ulster Unionist Policing Board representative Mike Nesbitt MLA, who earlier called for an Emergency Meeting of the PSNI watchdog, said the Board would meet on Wednesday morning at 10.00am. He said: I have requested the Board call an Emergency Meeting tomorrow when the Board can hear directly from the PSNIs Senior Executive Team. "It is imperative that officers, staff and their families and friends understand how seriously this breach is being taken and that the Board is determined to fulfil its oversight and challenge functions appropriately. There are several issues here. First, ensuring those who now feel themselves at risk are given a realistic assessment of the implications of the data breach. "Second, why was there no fail safe mechanism to prevent this information being uploaded. "Third, there is the question of whether it was a genuine mistake and here, the principle of innocent until proven guilty applies. I view this like a serious incident when people are seriously physically injured. The priority is to assist the injured. Only after that do you turn to examine the other issues. In other words, my thoughts are with those whose names have been released into the public domain, who had a reasonable expectation this would never happen. Alliance leader and former Justice Minister Naomi Long MLA said that the sheer scale of the data breach was serious worrying. "This level of data breach is clearly of profound concern, not least to police officers, civilian staff, and their families, who will be feeling incredibly vulnerable and exposed tonight and in the days ahead," said Mrs Long. "Immediate action must be taken to offer them proper information, support, guidance and necessary reassurances regarding their and their families' security. "Whilst the personal data has now been removed, once such information has been published online, it leaves an indelible footprint. "That such sensitive information could ever have been held in a manner open to such a breach is unconscionable and will require serious investigation; however, the most urgent issue is supporting those whose security has been compromised. "Alliance representatives on the Policing Board are seeking an urgent meeting of the Board to be convened with PSNI Senior Management Team to address this unprecedented security breach." We obviously hope for the best and prepare for the worst says Assistant Chief Constable Liam Kelly, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, said he has been inundated with messages from officers who are shocked, dismayed and basically angry Image: Liam McBurney/PA Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Chris Todd also said the PSNI was hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. A data breach meant the PSNI mistakenly published the names, ranks, locations and other personal data of every serving police officer and civilian employee. The data from the PSNIs ultra-confidential human resources system is full of highly sensitive information, offering details of officers working in intelligence. ACC Todd is in charge of data security in the PSNI. He added that the PSNI would be attempting to identify each person who has seen or downloaded the sensitive information. Police are appealing for anyone who may have downloaded the data to delete it, and warned it may be a criminal offence to share it. PSNI staff and civilians affected in major data breach Speaking on BBCs The Nolan Show, Mr Todd said: Its unacceptable, its regrettable and something we need to make sure doesnt happen again. Asked about the risk level, he said: We cant and we wouldnt want to rule out any eventuality. We obviously hope for the best and prepare for the worst in situations like this. "We are putting everything in place to try and assess exactly where this information has gone to, who had opportunity to access it in the short time it was posted on the website, and to offer advice to all of our colleagues as to what they can do for any concerns that they do have. Speaking about how the breach happened, ACC Todd explained there had been an error with a freedom of information request. Whats happened is weve had a freedom of information request, (a) perfectly routine request that we get quite often, he said. The request was over the numbers of all officers and staff across all grades in the organisation. Read more Personal and financial cost of PSNI data breach could be catastrophic The information had accidentally been embedded within the return and was published on a website. It was potentially visible to the public for between two-and-a-half to three hours. The information published contained surnames, initials, officers place of work, rank and grade but did not contain their personal addresses. In terms of how high-risk the information is, he said the PSNI wouldnt want to rule out any eventuality. Everybodys individual circumstances will be different, and for some people it will be of little concern, he added. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd said the breach was "unacceptable". (Rebecca Black/PA) ACC Todd said the breach will be of more concern to officers whose work is more sensitive such as intelligence officers. The website host has been very co-operative they took the information down as soon as we asked them to. He confirmed the force would be attempting to identify the individuals who have seen the information. The error was ours, were clear about that. Its for me to apologise for that and to do everything I can to put that right But once that information was out there, anybody who did access it then has responsibility for what they do next - and the simple thing for anybody to do that did manage to access the information is to delete it straight away, he continued. Once they know thats personal information that they shouldnt have access to then they do have potentially some legal obligations. He added that while the circumstances would have to be assessed on each case, there is a risk that anyone passing the information on could be committing a criminal offence. PSNI press conference after massive data breach amid severe terrorism threat level When asked about officers working in intelligence and more sensitive areas such as MI5, ACC Todd said: Well listen to the concerns of each and every one of those on a case by case basis. We have strong partnerships with many organisations and agencies and we hope that we will maintain that but undoubtedly some trust and confidence will be eroded through events such as this, he said. ACC Todd added that in response to the breach, a rollback would occur regarding how the police impart information to the public. When weve looked at the circumstances, regrettably its understandable to see how its happened, he said. The vulnerability is born out of our aspiration to comply with the legislation and the guidance which encourages us to be transparent and make the information accessible in a format which is easily digested by those that request it. We are going to have to roll back on some of that. That will be the consequence of this. A special meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board will take place on Thursday to discuss the data breach with the PSNI senior team. Liam Kelly, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland which represents rank and file officers, said he has been inundated with messages from officers who are shocked, dismayed and basically angry. He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that, since news of the data breach emerged, he has been personally inundated with officers who are outlining that they are shocked, dismayed and basically angry that this has happened. Our officers go to great lengths to protect their identities. Some of them dont even tell their close friends and associates that they are actually in the police, he said. He added: Certainly, in my 29 years of the police, Ive never experienced something like this, and quite rightly the PSNI have declared this matter as a critical incident and have reported it to the Information Commissioners office. What my members and myself clearly need to hear from the PSNI is the steps that they intend to take to support not only our officers but their families. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he is deeply concerned. Alliance leader Naomi Long, a former justice minister in the Northern Ireland Executive, said the PSNI data release was an unprecedented breach. She said that in some cases, in terms of their rank, it would disclose sensitive information about individuals that would not have been available to the public if theyre undercover officers, if theyre involved in intelligence operations, and so on. She told RTE Radio: Its probably the most serious data breach that we have ever seen in some considerable time. Earlier this year, Chief Constable Simon Byrne said he receives briefings almost every day about plots to attack and kill his officers, adding that the ongoing threat from dissident republicans remains a real worry. Mr Byrne is understood to be on holiday, but has been informed of the data breach and is being kept updated. The proposed A4 Enniskillen southern bypass project has been put on hold because of the Stormont stalemate, with the DUP hitting out at Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris. A letter from Dr Julie Harrison, permanent secretary for the Department for Infrastructure, informed DUP Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Deborah Erskine of the move. She told the Belfast Telegraph of her "total dismay" at learning that the multi-million plan was now in limbo and said: "I do not want Fermanaghs strapline to be 'Forgotten Fermanagh'." In the correspondence, seen by this newspaper, Dr Harrison expressed the department's frustration that the scheme has been halted and confirmed the decision was taken by Westminster. She wrote: "The department is also disappointed by the decision to pause the New Deal Funding for the project. "As set out in the Secretary of State for Northern Irelands Budget Written Ministerial Statement of April 27, 2023, the decision has been made to reallocate funding from previously announced Northern Ireland packages to account for the overspend in the 2022/23 Budget. "As a result of this statement, I wrote to the permanent secretary for the NIO seeking an urgent reconsideration of this decision in the context of its impact on delivery and funding. "I have just received a response from NIO, who have advised that discussions with HM Treasury are ongoing in relation to these funding packages, and until such times as discussions are concluded, unfortunately the funding for New Deal for NI projects is paused." Former Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon gave the go-ahead for the Enniskillen bypass scheme in 2021. Pic Department for Infrastructure. Ms Erskine said that she has made party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson aware of the development and he is ready to fight to "overturn this disastrous decision along with me". She added: "Like my predecessor, Arlene Foster, I have monitored progress on the A4 southern bypass. Earlier in the summer I asked the Department for Infrastructure for an update. "To my total dismay, I learnt that money which they had secured for this project following the New Decade, New Approach agreement had been paused as a result of the Secretary of States budget decisions. "While I recognise that the budgetary position is difficult, investment via New Decade, New Approach into key infrastructure projects is vital to grow the Northern Ireland economy and would signal a real, lasting commitment of the UK Government to provide true levelling up in areas which it is needed most. "The decision by the Secretary of State and the NIO is short sighted and damaging to the economy. The move to proceed with the project was announced by former SDLP Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon in 2021, committing capital funding for the vesting of lands and advanced works due for completion in September of this year. Last year, Sinn Feins John ODowd also committed funding to the project in preparation for future procurement. Given the advanced stage of scheme development, he also proposed the project bid for New Deal funding and 15m was secured in late 2022, subject to the necessary business case approvals by Treasury. The NIO has been asked for a response to Mr Erskines comments. A Polish soldier sits on a Leopard 2PL tank ahead of a press conference, a week before the National Army Day Parade, at Wesola military base in Warsaw, Tuesday. Reuters-Yonhap Poland will send an additional 2,000 troops to reinforce its eastern border with neighboring Belarus, a deputy interior minister said Wednesday, as a record number of migrants try to cross. "This will not be a reinforcement of 1,000 but of 2,000 soldiers," Maciej Wasik told the PAP state news agency, adding that the move was approved by the defense minister following a request from the national border agency for extra manpower. The troops are slated to be deployed within two weeks and will join the 2,000 soldiers already stationed near the border. Poland has recently warned of the threat of provocations from Belarus and potential dangers posed by the Wagner mercenary group based there. Warsaw has also accused Belarus and Russia of orchestrating a new migration influx into the European Union in order to destabilize the region. Wasik on Wednesday added that all attempts of illegal crossings into Poland through that route are staged by the Belarusian services. "If on the other side we had real border guards, and not smuggling officers, these crossings wouldn't exist at all," Wasik said. According to the Polish border guard, 19,000 migrants have tried to enter Poland from Belarus so far this year, compared to 16,000 during all of 2022. Last month alone, more than 4,000 migrants tried to cross the border. (AFP) Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been given a 2023/24 Linfield FC jersey during his visit to Windsor Park in Belfast, as he aims to reach out to all communities. The Irish Premier visited the stadium on Wednesday after his meetings with Stormont party leaders in relation to the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The DUP has been boycotting Stormont for more than a year as a protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements. Mr Varadkar said it was positive to see Linfield FC training players from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with a Linfield Football Club jersey at Belfasts Windsor Park (Niall Carson/PA) Really pleased to have the chance to visit Belfast again today, been to the city many times but Ive never been to Windsor Park, so, great to have a chance to visit. I think Im the first taoiseach to do so, he said. And also a good opportunity to be with Linfield and meet their academy, really good to see that theyre training young players from all parts of Northern Ireland and indeed some from Drogheda and from the Republic of Ireland as well, so very positive to see that happening here. Referring to comments he had previously made in relation to Brexit negotiations, Mr Varadkar clarified that there was a difference between threatening violence and highlighting the risk of violence. The Fine Gael leader has said he was reflecting comments made by the PSNI Chief Constable and Garda Commissioner in security briefings when he said there was a risk of violence in Northern Ireland during conversations with European leaders about Brexit negotiations. The comments were criticised by unionist politicians. When asked if his visit to Windsor Park in Belfast was an effort to improve relations with the loyalist community following those comments, Mr Varadkar said: Theres a big difference, as I said before, between warning somebody of the risk of violence and threatening violence, a huge difference. Certainly, you know, I feel part of my responsibility of the Irish government is to be co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement and reach out to all of the communities here, thats something Ive consistently done. Obviously, the political troubles that weve had with Brexit and all the fallout from Brexit has made that more difficult. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Windsor Park in Belfast (Dainel Fayeun/PA) During his discussions with Stormont party leaders, the Taoiseach underlined the pressing need for the return of powersharing. As the leader of the largest party from the 2022 Assembly election, Sinn Feins Michelle ONeill should currently be the first minister but has been unable to take up that position as a result of the DUPs blockade of government. Mr Varadkar said he hoped on his next visit to Belfast he would meet with the first and deputy first ministers. Id love to be in a position now where the next time Im in Belfast, Id love to be meeting with first minister and deputy first minister, would like to have North-South Ministerial Council meetings again, he said. When we have the British-Irish Council in Dublin in November, Scotland, Wales, the islands will be there but not Northern Ireland, and I really hope we can get that back on track, and Im sure its what the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland want. A viable device was discovered during a security alert in west Belfast on Tuesday. Pic: Jonathan Porter/Press Eye A viable device was discovered during a security alert in west Belfast on Tuesday, the PSNI have said. Police are appealing for information following a security alert in the Rossnareen Park area on Tuesday, August 8. A report was received around 12.45pm that a suspicious object had been left in the area, said a spokesperson. Officers attended the scene and cordons were put in place. These have now been lifted. Ammunition Technical Officers (ATO) were called to examine the object which was later declared to be a viable device. The object was taken from the scene and will be forensically examined. Members of the public affected by this incident are thanked for their patience and understanding as officers worked to ensure their safety. An investigation is underway and anyone with any information which could assist with the investigation is asked to contact detectives on 101, quoting reference number 779 of 8/8/23. A report can also be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/. Local SDLP councillor Paul Doherty condemned the disruption caused as a result. This security alert caused serious disruption in the Shaws Road area this afternoon, he said. The last thing this community wants is to see is peoples lives being disrupted in this way. "This is a residential area where many families live, with a number of local businesses nearby. "Anyone with any information should come forward to police as soon as possible. West Belfast MP Alex Maskey also slammed those responsible for the security alert. Those responsible for the security alert have created disgraceful disruption for the local area, said the Sinn Fein representative. I would urge anyone with information about this incident to contact the police. A major data breach has compromised the personal and employment details of thousands of Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers and civilian staff. The forces Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd apologised to his staff for the breach, which left the Police Federation of Northern Ireland (PFNI) appalled. Here, the PA news agency looks at how the breach happened and what it means for those affected. How did the breach occur? The breach occurred when the PSNI responded to a Freedom of Information request seeking the number of officers and staff at all ranks and grades across the organisation. The data was then released and potentially able to be accessed by the public for between two and a half to three hours. Mr Todd said the breach was a result of human error. He said: Weve looked into the circumstances, well continue with our investigation, but the very early considerations are that this is simple human error and the people who have been involved in the process have acted in good faith. Weve identified some steps that we can take to ensure that it doesnt happen again. The breach was taken down by the PSNI but Mr Todd asked anyone who has obtained the information to delete it straight away. How did the PSNI become aware of the breach? Mr Todd said that, other than the person responsible for the breach, the PSNI were unaware it had occurred until they saw it online. The Belfast Telegraph, who first reported on the breach, became aware of it after they were contacted by a relative of a serving officer. What information was released in the breach? The response to the request was an embedded table that had the rank and grade data of all employees at the PSNI, including surnames, initials, the locations of their departments and what department they work in. Mr Todd said: It is limited to surname and initial only, so theres no other personal identifiable information contained within the information that was published. What does it mean for officers and civilian employees? The breach could jeopardise the safety of officers. When Mr Todd was asked if the information breached could be useful to terrorist organisations, he said it is of significant concern. He added: We operate in an environment at the moment where theres a severe threat to our colleagues from Northern Ireland-related terrorism and this is the last thing that anybody in the organisation wants to be hearing this evening. The Democratic Unionist Partys (DUP) Policing Board representative MLA Trevor Clarke said: This not only jeopardises the safety of officers, but will further undermine morale within the organisation at a time when staff are holding the line amid unprecedented budget cuts. -Who has spoken about the data breach? The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said he is deeply concerned about the data breach. Meanwhile, the chairman of the PFNI Liam Kelly called it a breach of monumental proportions. Mr Clarke said the extent of the data breach in the PSNI is unprecedented. The Social Democratic and Labour Party policing spokesman Mark H Durkan called on the PSNI Chief Constable to make a statement. His comment was defended by justice secretary Alex Chalk, who said it was salty language The Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge at Portland Port in Dorset, which will house up to 500 asylum-seekers. Photo: PA The Conservative partys deputy chairman Lee Anderson said asylum-seekers complaining about being moved into the Bibby Stockholm barge should f*** off back to France. The senior Torys incendiary comments came after the first 15 migrants boarded the barge in Dorset, while 20 others were granted a last-minute reprieve after a series of legal challenges. Care4Calais said they did not board the barge because their transfers were cancelled after lawyers challenged the decisions. The campaign group described the barge as a quasi floating prison. If they dont like barges then they should f*** off back to France, Mr Anderson told the Express. He added: These people come across the Channel in small boats, if they dont like the conditions they are housed in here then they should go back to France, or better not come at all in the first place. British justice secretary Alex Chalk defended Mr Andersons comment arguing that it was salty language but his point was not unreasonable. Going further, Mr Chalk also told LBC that the deputy Tory chair expresses the righteous indignation of the British people and said his indignation is well placed. Labours London mayor Sadiq Khan accused the government of stoking division and hate, while Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said Mr Chalks defence of Mr Anderson was toe-curling. Georgie Laming of the Hope not Hate group said it was morally reprehensible for the top Tory cabinet minister to have defended Mr Andersons inflammatory remarks. The Conservative party is rapidly adopting dangerous and divisive tactics, she said. Disabled asylum-seekers, torture victims and those suffering from traumatic experiences at sea were among those the Home Office initially tried to put on the Portland barge. The Independent understands that a man who is blind in one eye, another partially-sighted person, and migrants with phobias of water were issued with transfer orders that were successfully challenged by lawyers. But Tory right-wingers have reacted with fury to the hold-up. Ex-home secretary Priti Patel said campaigners and lawyers were milking the legal aid system . Sources said those refusing to leave hotels and board the barge could have their asylum application delayed or withdrawn after one day. Anyone refusing to move without a reasonable excuse has 24 hours to reconsider, after which their asylum support will cease and they will have to fend for themselves, a government source told The Telegraph. Mr Chalk said the asylum-seekers legal challenges were not improper but are completely misconceived. The justice secretary also said it was unlikely to be illegal for the government to refuse asylum-seekers accommodation if they refuse to go on the barge. A small group of 15 migrants arrived on Monday following delays caused by last-minute safety checks. The government is not believed to have identified all 500 people it eventually hopes to house on board. Home office minister Sarah Dines had suggested all 500 could be on board by the end of this week but No 10 later played down the idea. The charity Migrants Organise has sent a pre-action letter to the Home Office calling for it to stop transfers until and unless all concerns regarding the safety and suitability of the barge have been adequately addressed. Internal guidance states that only single men up to the age 65 can be put on the Bibby Stockholm, and they cannot be victims of modern slavery or trafficking. They cannot be disabled, elderly, or victims of torture, rape or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence. Mr Chalk acknowledged it is frustrating that only 15 migrants have boarded the 500-capacity barge so far. It doesnt diminish our resolve to solve this, he told BBC Breakfast. The cabinet minister also told Times Radio that the point of the austere Bibby Stockholm is to act as a deterrent. He said the government spending 6m a day on 4-star hotel accommodation for asylum-seekers is not what the British people want. But campaign groups One Life to Live and Reclaim the Sea have estimated that the barge will cost 18m a year, saying it would almost certainly cost more than housing migrants in hotels. The controversy comes as the British government announced a new task force to identify crooked lawyers after reports that false asylum claims are being submitted for a fee. Home secretary Suella Braverman, speaking about the task force, said: Crooked immigration lawyers must be rooted out and brought to justice. Any lawyers could face a maximum sentence of life in prison following the implementation of the Nationality and Borders Act. ( Independent News Service) Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has said the UK will do whatever is required to tackle the small boats problem (Gareth Fuller/PA) The UK could leave a major international human rights agreement to help tackle the problem of small boats crossing the English Channel, the immigration minister has said. Robert Jenrick said the Government will do whatever is required, even if that means pulling out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The Government has insisted it can deliver on Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks pledge to stop the boats within the convention. But with the plan to send migrants to Rwanda still facing a Supreme Court battle, there is pressure within the Conservative Party to pull out of the ECHR to make it easier to address the situation. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has previously expressed her personal view that the UK should leave the convention, which is ruled on by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The ECHR is a Council of Europe convention, rather than a European Union one, so the UKs adherence to it was not affected by Brexit. But pulling out of the convention would put the UK at odds with the majority of European nations and could also cause complications over the operation of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland and post-Brexit deals with the EU. On Times Radio, Mr Jenrick would not rule out withdrawal from the convention, saying the Government will do whatever is necessary. You can see from the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary and myself, our total commitment to this challenge, he said. Thats why were working on every possible front. Thats why we have produced the most comprehensive plan, I believe, of any European country to tackle this issue. And well do whatever is necessary ultimately to defend our borders and to bring order to our asylum system. Pressed directly on whether that could include leaving the ECHR, he said: We will do whatever is required, take whatever necessary action is needed. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has previously expressed her personal view that the UK will ultimately have to leave the ECHR (James Manning/PA) Law Society of England and Wales president Lubna Shuja said: Leaving the ECHR would mean the UK would sit as an outlier in Europe, alongside only Russia and Belarus who are already outside of the Convention. This would be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, when the Government already has a perfectly good nutcracker it can use. She said if the Government wants to address problems in the asylum system it could work to bring down the case backlog and address issues with the Illegal Migration Act rather than leaving an extremely successful international agreement designed to protect individual rights and support political stability. Mr Jenrick also warned asylum seekers in the UK that they cannot expect an a la carte selection of accommodation options after some launched challenges to avoid being placed on board the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, Dorset. Some asylum seekers have sought to avoid being placed on the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge in Portland, Dorset (James Manning/PA) He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: The way that the asylum support system operates is that if someone claims to be destitute i.e. they have no way of supporting themselves theres a legal obligation on the Government to step in and provide them with accommodation and meet their basic needs, but we do that by and large on a no-choice basis, not an a la carte menu where you can choose which hotel you want or which location. And so, if you decline the accommodation thats provided, such as the barge, then we will consider removing your asylum support, and that individual would then ultimately have to fend for themselves. He added: Were not making anybody destitute. They would be choosing to do so because they wouldnt accept the perfectly decent accommodation. The minister refused to say how much taxpayers money is being handed to Turkey as part of a deal to improve co-operation to crack down on irregular migration. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the deal with Turkey is mainly about the share of intelligence and information (Aaron Chown/PA) The deal will focus on action to dismantle people-smuggling gangs, with the establishment of a new operational centre of excellence by the Turkish National Police. Supported by the UK, the centre is to focus on addressing organised immigration crime by enhancing the alignment of intelligence between the two nations. A new memorandum of understanding will also facilitate the swifter exchange of customs data, information and intelligence between UK and Turkish authorities, bolstering the collaborative efforts to disrupt the supply chain of materials employed in illegal migration. Mr Jenrick said: We are giving some funding to Turkey. You would expect that because we are going to be working closely with them. But it is not primarily about money. This is mainly about the share of intelligence and information between our world-leading police and security services and their law enforcement authorities, so that, if we find out something important, that can be acted upon quickly, and vice versa. Severn Trent Water will be the first company brought to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (Rui Vieira/PA) Six English water companies are to face legal action over allegations of underreporting pollution incidents and overcharging customers. Severn Trent Water, Thames Water, United Utilities, Anglian Water, Yorkshire Water and Northumbrian Water could end up paying over 800 million in compensation to more than 20 million customers if the cases are successful. Professor Carolyn Roberts, an environmental and water consultant represented by Leigh Day Solicitors, claims these water companies have broken competition laws by misleading the Environment Agency and the regulator Ofwat. She alleges they have been underreporting the number of sewage discharges, resulting in customers being unfairly overcharged for wastewater services, and that had sewage discharge reporting been accurate it would have lowered customer bills. The first claim, brought on behalf of eight million people against Severn Trent Water, is estimated to be worth more than 330 million. Further claims will be brought against the other companies in what Leigh Day said is the first environmental collective action case of its kind. Water UK said the accusations are entirely without merit and that 99% of sewage works are legally compliant. Prof Roberts said: Like many others across the country, I have viewed with horror the escalating number of stories in the media regarding the volume of sewage discharged into our waterways and on to our beaches. The population of the UK has a right to expect that our rivers, lakes and seas will generally be clean, except under exceptional circumstances. It appears that because of the serial and serious underreporting at the heart of these claims, water companies have been avoiding being penalised by Ofwat. I believe this has resulted in consumers being unfairly overcharged for sewage services. Anyone who has paid a water bill to one or more of these companies from April 2020 or April 2017 for Severn Trent Water customers may be entitled to compensation if the claims are successful. Leigh Day is seeking money for customers on an opt-out basis, meaning people only have to come forward to claim their compensation if the case is successful. Many water users throughout the country have reported getting sick after swimming (Gareth Fuller/PA It is bringing Severn Trent Water to the Competition Appeal Tribunal and will issue five further claims against the other water companies over the coming months. If successful, solicitors expect any compensation to be paid by the relevant water company and its shareholders, not by raising customer bills. A Water UK spokesperson said: This highly speculative claim is entirely without merit. The regulator has confirmed that over 99% of sewage works comply with their legal requirements. If companies fail to deliver on their commitments, then customer bills are already adjusted accordingly. Zoe Mernick-Levene, partner at Leigh Day, said: These claims are hugely significant. Not only is compensation being sought for millions of customers who have and continue to pay higher water bills, but we hope that it will also send a message to water companies that they cannot unlawfully pollute waterways and mislead their regulators without consequence. Customers put their trust in water companies, believing that they are correctly reporting these spillages and appropriately treating the sewage so it can safely be returned to the environment. Instead, our client believes they are misleading their regulators and customers are overpaying while Englands waterways are suffering as a result. Nigers deposed president is running out of food and experiencing other increasingly dire conditions two weeks after he was ousted in a military coup and put under house arrest, an adviser has told The Associated Press. President Mohamed Bazoum, the West African nations democratically elected leader, has been held at the presidential palace in Niamey with his wife and son since mutinous soldiers moved against him on July 26. The family is living without electricity and only has rice and canned goods left to eat, the adviser said. Mr Bazoum remains in good health for now and will never resign, according to the adviser. Stranded trucks with goods are seen at the border between Nigeria and Niger in Jibia, Nigeria (AP Photo/Mohammed Babangida) Mr Bazoums political party issued a statement confirming the presidents living conditions and said the family was also without running water. US secretary of state Antony Blinken spoke with Mr Bazoum on Tuesday about recent diplomatic efforts, a spokesman said, and Mr Blinken emphasised that the safety and security of President Bazoum and his family are paramount. This week, Nigers new military junta took steps to entrench itself in power and rejected international efforts to mediate. On Monday, the junta named a new prime minister, civilian economist Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine. Mr Zeine is a former economy and finance minister who left office after a previous coup in 2010 toppled the government at the time. He later worked at the African Development Bank. The junta also refused to admit mediation teams from the United Nations, the African Union, and West African regional bloc ECOWAS, citing evident reasons of security in this atmosphere of menace, according to a letter seen by The Associated Press. Mohamed Toumba, one of the soldiers who ousted Mr Bazoum, addresses supporters of Nigers ruling junta in Niamey (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) ECOWAS had threatened to use military force if the junta did not reinstate Mr Bazoum by Sunday, a deadline that the junta ignored and which passed without action from ECOWAS. The bloc is expected to meet again on Thursday to discuss the situation. It has been exactly two weeks since soldiers first detained Mr Bazoum and seized power, claiming they could do a better job at protecting the nation from jihadi violence. Groups linked to al Qaida and the so-called Islamic State have ravaged the Sahel region, a vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert that includes part of Niger. Most analysts and diplomats said the stated justification for the coup did not hold weight and the takeover resulted from a power struggle between the president and the head of his presidential guard, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, who now says he runs the country. The coup comes as a blow to many countries in the West, which saw Niger as one of the last democratic partners in the region they could work with to beat back the extremist threat. It is also an important supplier of uranium. Nigers partners have threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance if it does not return to constitutional rule. While the crisis drags on, Nigers 25 million people are bearing the brunt. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, and many Nigeriens live hand to mouth and say they are too focused on finding food for their families to pay much attention to the escalating crisis. Harsh economic and travel sanctions imposed by ECOWAS since the coup have caused food prices to rise by up to 5%, say traders. Erkmann Tchibozo, a shop owner from neighbouring Benin who works in Nigers capital, Niamey, said it has been hard to get anything into the country to stock his shop near the airport. Supporters of Nigers ruling junta hold a Russian flag in Niamey (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) If it continues like this, the situation is going to become very difficult, he said. The junta also shut Nigers airspace this week and temporarily suspended authorisation for diplomatic flights from friendly and partner countries, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Acting US deputy secretary of state Victoria Nuland met with the coup leaders but said they refused to allow her to meet Mr Bazoum. She described the mutinous officers as unreceptive to her appeals to start negotiations and restore constitutional rule. The US has some 1,100 military personnel in the country and has seen Niger as a strategic and reliable partner in the region. Still, Ms Nuland made more headway than other delegations. A previous ECOWAS delegation was prevented from leaving the airport. It is unclear how much co-ordination is involved in the various mediation efforts. Some experts have worried that if the work is not co-ordinated, it could undermine ECOWAS. Neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which are run by military regimes, have sided with the junta and warned that an intervention in Niger would be would be tantamount to a declaration of war against them. In a joint letter on Tuesday to the United Nations, the two countries appealed for the organisation to prevent by all means at its disposal, armed action against a sovereign state. Mali and Burkina Faso also sent representatives to Niamey this week to discuss military options. Officials from all sides said the talks went well. China has notified Japan that it is considering holding talks between their leaders in Indonesia in September, Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday. The meeting would be held between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting, Kyodo said, citing multiple unnamed Japanese and Chinese officials. (Reuters) Devotees toss milk and water into the air in an appeal to the mountain spirit for rain, on a hilltop in the Gurvan Saikhan mountain range in Omnogovi, southern Mongolia, June 15, 2023. In the remote Govi steppe, Mongolian herder Orkhontuya Oyun and her husband constantly move with their livestock in search of rain. We lost 600 goats and sheep last winter. They were too weak to survive, even though we brought them inside our tents, said Orkhontuya, about 300 km (185 miles) north of their home in Omnogovi in southern Mongolia. In previous years, Orkhontuya did not have to move farther than 40 to 50 km (18 to 25 miles) from her area. After an extremely bitter winter, a sweltering summer has begun on the Mongolian steppe, as the semi-arid grassland is known. We are now looking for rain, heading to wherever we hear its expected to fall, Orkhontuya said as she combed one of her goats with long, smooth strokes. Wedged between China and Russia, Mongolia is known for its breathtaking landscapes, with snow-capped mountains, pristine rivers and lakes, and sweeping steppes. But the ancient home of Genghis Khan is now facing an environmental crisis. A Mongolian yurt, or ger, is set up by herders next to a shipping container along the highway near Mandalgovi in Mongolia, June 13, 2023. [Subel Rai Bhandari for RFA] Bat-ulzii Bat-Erdene, Mongolias environment minister, said the annual average air temperature in Mongolia has risen by 2 to 2.25 degrees Celsius in the last 80 years because of climate change, more than twice the global average. The countrys permafrost is melting rapidly more than a quarter of its 1,200 rivers, streams, lakes and springs vanished over the past decade, according to the environment ministry. Thats a grim prospect for the third of the 3.3 million people of Mongolia who still live a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle. Livestock accounts for more than a quarter of the countrys economy. Millions of livestock have died Orkhontuya, 43, said this has been the hardest year shes experienced yet. Govi is the frontier of climate change, and we are experiencing it, she said. The landscape around her attests to the problem. The soil is parched. Livestock is scattered. On the horizon, there is black dust kicked up by coal mining, which is conducted on a massive scale in Mongolia. Weather patterns are growing more extreme. A two-hump Bactrian camel searches for grass on the desertified Govi steppe in Omnogovi province, southern Mongolia, June 13, 2023. [Subel Rai Bhandari for RFA] A phenomenon called dzud, which combines a harsh winter with drought, has been occurring more frequently. Winter temperatures drop as low as minus-40 degrees Celsius (minus-40 degrees Fahrenheit). The last big dzud in 2010 killed 8.5 million, or 20%, of total livestock in Mongolia. More than 1 million more died in 2016. And where dzuds used to happen just once or twice a decade, now they kill around 500,000 livestock each year. E. Munkhtsetseg, head of the meteorology, hydrology and permafrost research lab at the National University of Mongolia, said the impact of climate change on Mongolias pastoral economy and the livelihoods of nomadic herders has been devastating. Govi dust storm travels to China In Orkhontuyas region, there has been no rain for the past three years. Most of her family members, friends and neighbors have left the herding life. Govi is not livable. Not anymore, Orkhontuya said, adding she also wants to give up, quit the herding life and go live in the city. But its tough to leave everything behind. This is all we have done and all we know, she said, next to motorized camper trailers which many herders use these days. They are quicker to move around the steppe than a ger, the traditional and portable Mongolian yurt or tent. Mongolian herder Orkhhontuya Oyun shears one of her cashmere goats in the middle of the Govi steppe in Omnogovi province, southern Mongolia, June 14, 2023. [Subel Rai Bhandari for RFA] Yet the impacts of extreme weather are also being felt in the city. In July, more than 20,000 people were displaced in flooding after what was described as the heaviest rainfall in 50 years in the capital Ulaanbaatar. The number of such incidents has increased tenfold in two decades. The impacts also extend beyond Mongolias borders. In May, Chinas environment ministry said that Mongolia was the main source of 12 large-scale sandstorms, Chinas worst in five years, in the first quarter of this year, contributing to as much as 70% of the dust particles in Beijing. The recipient of the Horse of the Sky award, who will continue to live with its herd but never be ridden, during a ritual ceremony in the Gurvan Saikhan mountain range in Omnogovi, southern Mongolia, June 15, 2023. [Subel Rai Bhandari for RFA] Herders are also the problem Mongolia is three times the size of France and the most sparsely populated country in the world. Two-thirds of the land area is steppe. Between the 1920s and 1990, when Mongolia was a satellite of the Soviet Union, the state managed livestock as a socialist collective, limiting the number of animals. Since 1990, due to privatization and the free market, people can own any number of livestock, even though the number of nomadic herders has decreased by more than half. The number of livestock has crossed 71 million in Mongolia, which has led to overgrazing, said Bat-Erdene, the environment minister. Officials said that is three times the capacity. Each year, the number increases by 3 million. The government has floated the idea of sedentary livestock, but experts are against it, saying the traditional migratory lifestyle is better for the environment if done more sustainably. Felled trees inside Gorkhi-Terelj National Park highlight deforestation issues in Mongolia, which has been devastated by climate change in recent years. [ Subel Rai Bhandari for RFA] To fight desertification, the Mongolian government has planned to plant 1 billion trees by 2030, but it lacks forestry experts and nurseries to produce saplings. Bulgamaa Densambuu, an advisory board member of the National Federation of Pasture User Groups of Herders, said it makes more sense to try to regenerate grassland. Mongolia is not a forested country anymore. It is two-thirds steppe, she said. So the most dominant landscape should be the grassland. And Bulgamaa says that the situation is not beyond repair. According to the federations research, 65% of Mongolian rangeland is degraded but not destroyed. Ninety percent of that has the potential for recovery alone if only we manage the issues and reduce the livestock number, she said. This report was produced by Radio Free Asia (RFA), a news service affiliated with BenarNews. Rani Yan Yan, a Bangladeshi Indigenous human rights activist, receives her Global Anti-Racism Champions Award from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department in Washington, Aug. 9, 2023. A woman from the Marma tribe in southeastern Bangladesh spoke passionately about systematic marginalization of indigenous people worldwide as she accepted an award at the U.S. State Department on Wednesday. Rani Yan Yan was one of six people to receive the agencys inaugural Global Anti-Racism Champions Award in a ceremony here that coincided with the United Nations International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples. The five other awardees four women and a man were from Nepal, Tunisia, Moldova, Brazil and Peru. Yan Yan, 39, an indigenous human rights defender and womens rights activist from Bangladeshs Chittagong Hill Tracts region where indigenous communities are struggling to survive amid a growing population of Bangladeshi settlers was chosen to speak at the ceremony. She was recognized for bringing international attention to the plight of her community. Militarization of our territory, state-sponsored settlement of hundreds and thousands of non-indigenous peoples on our land, ongoing land-grabbing by politically backed individuals, entities and security forces are just a few examples that are eerily similar to what indigenous and racially marginalized communities are facing elsewhere in the world, Yan Yan, a member of the Marma tribe and a queen of the Chakma tribe, said in her speech in Washington. As she paid tribute to her fellow honorees, Yan Yan tied her own work that focuses on raising awareness about systematic marginalization of indigenous peoples and helping such communities to mobilize and defend their right to land to her colleagues advocacy around the world in fighting racism and xenophobia. To move forward ... we need to ensure that rule of law prevails in our countries within open and democratic governments that are accountable to citizens and within ever-shrinking civic spaces, she said. The path to justice is never meant to be easy, Yan Yan said. We are here, standing our ground. Rani Yan Yan speaks during a ceremony where she and five others were honored as Global Anti-Racism Champions, at the U.S. State Department in Washington, Aug. 9. 2023. [screengrab from video by State Department/YouTube] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who introduced the awardees, praised their efforts in their communities. The ceremony was the first of what is to be an annual event. We all know that for far too many individuals, there continue to be challenges when their fundamental rights are violated or denied because of their race or ethnicity, he said. As for Yan Yan, the State Department said she had emerged as a fearless voice and outspoken advocate for equal rights and justice, despite facing immense discrimination and even violence. A leader of the Chakma Circle, one of three hereditary chiefdoms in the region, she actively advocates for vulnerable populations facing government-sponsored discrimination, land grabbing, violence and the adverse effects of climate change, a State Department biography of Yan Yan said. In addition, Yan Yan has advised local and global organizations on on climate resiliency and gender equality, researched the political participation of indigenous women, and mentored youth activists on diversity and social inclusion. While introducing her, Blinken recounted a 2018 incident where police violently attacked her while she was translating for two indigenous teenagers who had been sexually assaulted by security forces. If they hoped to silence her advocacy, they failed, Blinken said, noting that Yan Yan had participated in the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues two months later. She said, and I quote, Since I have the means and the capacity to amplify the voices being left unheard, I think I need to act on it. I am simply fulfilling my responsibilities as a citizen. What an incredibly powerful message to all of us, the top American diplomat said. They became my inspiration On Tuesday, the eve of the ceremony, Yan Yan said her focus was on youth and women. Because rights cannot be achieved within a certain period of time, youths need to carry forward the movement in the future, she told BenarNews. And womens challenges are many times higher than those of just an indigenous society. Women need to ensure their rights inside their traditional society too, so they need to come forward as members of the indigenous community, as well as women. After returning home in 2014 from Australia, where she had obtained a bachelors in development studies from the University of Adelaide, she began her field work in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, she told BenarNews after Wednesdays ceremony. As I got involved with the people on the ground, they became my inspiration, she said, adding, This award and recognition will make us and our issues visible to others. We need to inform others about our issues. This visibility will help us with that. Back in Bangladesh, a human rights activist praised Yan Yan for her courage as he recalled the attack on her five years ago. She was physically assaulted in that incident. Still, no amount of intimidation or threats could stop her, Nirupa Dewan, a former member of the National Human Rights Commission, told BenarNews, adding, The incident will surely be remembered by all. We are proud of her receiving the award as she is a courageous figure in asserting the rights of the hill people, he said. She faced many hurdles because of her commitment to the rights of tribal people, especially women. But she never backed down. The Indigenous Peoples Major Group for Sustainable Development reported details of the attack on its website. Human rights report According to the 2022 Bangladesh census, the total population is nearly 170 million while the 50 indigenous communities total a little more than 1.65 million the largest is Chakma, 483,000, followed by Marma, 224,000. Yan Yan is a member of the Marma community and after marrying the Chakma king she is the queen or rani of the Chakma community. In its 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, the State Department estimated that about 90,000 indigenous internally displaced persons lived in the tract region. The indigenous community of the CHT experienced widespread discrimination and abuse despite nationwide government quotas for participation of Indigenous CHT residents in the civil service and higher education. These conditions also persisted despite provisions for local governance in the 1997 CHT Peace Accord, which has not been fully implemented, specifically the portions of the accord empowering a CHT-specific special administrative system consisting of the three Hill District Councils and the Regional Council, the report said. Local organizations claimed the army and intelligence forces carried out extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arrests; beat, harassed, threatened, and jailed Indigenous people on false charges; and labeled rights activists as terrorists and extortionists. Sunil Barua in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, contributed to this report. Military Chief Yudo Margono (right) briefs the media at an naval aviation base in Sidoarjo, Indonesia, on April 18, 2023, about security forces efforts to look for four soldiers who went missing during a search for Phillip Mehrtens, a pilot with Susi Air, who was taken hostage in February by Papuan separatists. As a New Zealanders kidnapping by Papuan separatists enters its seventh month the longest the rebels have held anyone captive Indonesias military said on Wednesday it still was prioritizing working with community leaders to free the hostage taken in February. The longer that pilot Philip Mehrtens remains in captivity, the more his life is at risk, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said in Auckland on Wednesday as he urged the rebels in Indonesias Papua region to free the 37-year-old father-of-one. The Indonesian armed forces (TNI) stands ready to carry out military operations if necessary, spokesman Rear Admiral Julius Widjojono told BenarNews on Wednesday, although earlier he had said that would be a last resort to minimize civilian casualties. The TNI has decided to prioritize coordination with community and religious leaders as an effort to free the pilot, Julius told BenarNews. Dont doubt the TNIs performance, they have risked their lives in totality trying to free the hostage. Inspector General Mathius Fakhiri, the chief of police in Papua, told BenarNews they were facilitating measures for community leaders to approach rebel commander Egianus Kogoya. The Liberation Army has been seeking independence from Indonesia since 1963, when Papua, a former Dutch colony, was annexed by Jakarta. The Free Papua Movement has waged a low-level guerrilla war against Indonesian rule ever since. Mehrtens, a pilot for domestic airline Susi Air, was taken hostage on Feb. 7 after rebels from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) burned his plane on the tarmac at the Paro district airport in Nduga, a regency in the Highland Papua province. Back then, Egianus, the local commander of the Liberation Army, said in a statement that they would not release the pilot unless Indonesia freed Papua from colonization. New Zealand citizen Philip Mehrtens (third from left), a pilot for Susi Air who was taken hostage by separatist rebels from Indonesias restive Papua region, is seen in an undated photograph released by the insurgents on Feb. 14, 2023. The photo has been blurred by BenarNews because Mehrtens was likely forced to appear in the video under duress. [West Papua National Liberation Army] On April 24, when there was last news about the hostage, a Liberation Army spokesman said Mehrtens was safe and unharmed. On Wednesday, BenarNews contacted a Liberation Army spokesman, Sebby Sambom, for comment and to find out about Mehrtens current status. Im in a public area so I cant respond yet, Sambom told BenarNews. In a similar incident in 2021, Papuan rebels held hostage another Susi Air pilot from New Zealand, and his passengers, but later released them unharmed. And in 1996, rebels kidnapped a group of 26 Indonesian and foreign nationals and held them captive for 130 days. Since Mehrtens was kidnapped, the Indonesian military has made efforts to search for him but has been unsuccessful. Four Indonesian soldiers were killed in April when rebels ambushed security forces who were conducting an operation to rescue the pilot, the military had said. At the time, a separatist spokesman warned that the rebels controlled the territory and that the TNI would not succeed. They also demanded that Indonesian security forces be withdrawn from Papua and that the international community be involved in peace talks with them. Chris Hipkins, the prime minister of New Zealand, speaks to reportes about a fire at a hostel building in the Wellington suburb of Newtown that killed at least 6 people, May 16, 2023. [Marty Melville/AFP file photo] In Auckland on Wednesday, Prime Minister Hipkins said the six-month milestone this week of Mehrtens kidnapping would be a difficult time for the pilots family, Radio New Zealand reported. I want to urge once again those who are holding Phillip to release him immediately. There is absolutely no justification for taking hostages, RNZ quoted Hipkins as saying. The longer Phillip is held the more risk there is to his well being and the harder this becomes for him and for his family. When contacted in Jakarta, a spokesman for Indonesias foreign ministry also said that they were in constant touch with New Zealands government. Until now, communication between the government [of Indonesia] and New Zealand continues, Teuku Faizasyah told BenarNews. Violence and tensions in Papua, a region that makes up the western half of New Guinea island, have intensified in recent years. The region has a history of human rights violations by Indonesian security forces and police. Papuan separatist rebels also have been accused of attacking civilians. In 1963, Indonesian forces invaded Papua, a former Dutch colony like Indonesia, and annexed it. In 1969, the United Nations sponsored a referendum where only about 1,000 people voted. Despite accusations that the vote was a farce, the U.N. recognized the outcome, effectively endorsing Indonesias control over Papua. An upcoming state poll in Melaka may point to how Malaysians will vote in the next general election as well as signal the future shape of political alliances at the national level, analysts said. The all-important Malay vote will be split in Melaka because at least three national-level parties, which court support from among Malaysias ethnic majority, are vying for control of the state legislature in the election scheduled for Nov. 20. All the major Malay parties are using this election as a proxy to see which way the wind will blow in the next general election, James Chin, a political analyst from the University of Tasmania, told BenarNews. The state election will be the multi-ethnic countrys first poll since the government of Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his United National Malays Party (UMNO) came to power in August the second unelected administration to take office since March 2020. The next national election is scheduled to be held in 2023, but it could be moved up, based on the outcome of the Melaka poll, unnamed observers have told some local media outlets. The outcome of the vote is an issue that confounds political pundits, in that the Melaka contest will see the Malay-based UMNO go head-to head with its own allies in the federal government, namely Bersatu and the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), in addition to the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition. The conservative PAS decided to ally with Bersatu instead of UMNO for the state poll, because the Islamic party is trying to figure out who it will align with for the national election. Bersatu was formed in 2016 by a group that split from UMNO, members of which were implicated in the 1MDB financial scandal. So, this is a strange election which makes it difficult to gauge the mood of the electorate, said Chin, the analyst. Party flags of the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (in red) and the Barisan Nasional alliance are seen at Jonker Walk, a popular tourist spot in Melaka, Malaysia, Nov.13, 2021. [Hadi Azmi/BenarNews] UMNO goes solo Melaka has historically been an UMNO stronghold, although the party lost to the opposition Pakatan Harapan alliance in the last state election in 2018, because the 1MDB state fund scandal disappointed its supporters. That Pakatan government was short-lived, though, after defections caused its downfall in March 2020. The unelected UMNO then formed the state government, which in turn fell on Oct. 4 after four of the partys lawmakers pulled their support for it. Instead of cobbling together another coalition government, Melakas governor decided it was time to call for elections, although some alleged that UMNO had urged him to dissolve the state assembly. The Melaka poll results, therefore, will be crucial for UMNO, according to political expert Wong Chin Huat. UMNO, earlier this year, decided that it would not be contesting national elections in alliance with Bersatu. Although Bersatu supports UMNO in the federal government, they are fiercely opposed to each other in Melaka. [I]t will bring confidence and legitimacy for UMNO to go solo in the 15th general elections if it wins, Wong wrote in an article for local daily Sinar Harian. The Melaka election may be even more crucial for Bersatu, which is helmed by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Wong said. If the party doesnt win decisively, it may fade away like other UMNO splinter parties of the past, he said. And if UMNO gets the most number of seats but not enough to form a simple majority in the 28-seat assembly, it is willing to discuss with any sides to share power, Wong wrote. Bersatu will probably not be one of those sides, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the UMNO party president, has said several times. Idiots with no brains These political shenanigans have disgusted some voters in Melaka, a state whose residents are known for their outspokenness. One resident, 69-year-old rickshaw puller Atan Hamzah, questioned the wisdom of holding elections at a time when the country is crawling its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to a robust program that has inoculated 95 percent of the countrys adults. This is what happen when you have idiots with no brains no dignity, Atan told BenarNews on Sunday. Society is just reopening after the lockdown, and now suddenly you caused an election. Another state poll held during the pandemic, in September 2020 in Sabah, led to a massive rise in infections, which spread nationwide and took months to control. This time around, the Malaysian Health Ministry prohibited political parties from campaigning in person. Despite that, almost all political parties members have been seen flouting the order, local news outlets have reported. Such flagrant violations, on top of politicians unabashedly switching parties for personal gain, have put voters off. For instance, two of the four the lawmakers who caused the fall of Melakas UMNO government are now contesting with the opposition Pakatan alliance. My friends and I dont plan to go [vote], 70-year-old voter Ragu Suppiah told BenarNews. COVID is one thing, but also, what is the point of voting if they are just going to jump around again once they get elected? A Philippine Coast Guard boat passes by U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) during drills in the first trilateral coast guard exercise between the Philippines, Japan, and the U.S., at the coast of Bataan, Philippines in the South China Sea, June 6, 2023. Updated at 8:30 a.m. ET on 2023-08-09 The Philippines and the United States are set to launch joint patrols in the South China Sea this year amid heightened tensions in the region stoked by Chinas increasing aggressiveness, a senior official in Manila said Wednesday. Joint patrols have been on the table since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed power last year, reversing his predecessor Rodrigo Dutertes pivot to Beijing, during which China became more emboldened in pressing its territorial claims. China asserts sovereignty over most of the South China Sea and has for years militarized artificial islands while deploying coast guard boats, navy ships and a state-backed maritime militia around disputed areas. The discussions on joint patrols are in their advanced stages, Jonathan Malaya, a spokesman for a Philippine task force on the South China Sea, told BenarNews. Thats going to be within this year. He declined to give further details, citing the sensitivity of the matter. There was no immediate response from the U.S. embassy to a request to comment. Tensions have soared between the two neighbors after the Chinese Coast Guard backed by its maritime militia on Saturday used a water cannon to drive away a Filipino boat carrying supplies to troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre, near Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal). The rusty World War II-era naval ship was deliberately run aground by Manila in 1999 to serve as a military outpost in the South China Sea. Members of Philippine Marines are pictured on the BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that was run aground in 1999 to become a military outpost at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 29, 2014. [Reuters] Beijing has in recent days reiterated calls for Manila to tow away the boat and live up to its promises to remove it. Malaya, who spoke earlier at a forum held by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, denied such a pledge had ever been made. I can categorically say to the public and to everyone that no administration promised to remove BRP Sierra Madre, which symbolizes our sovereign rights and jurisdiction over Ayungin Shoal, he said during the event. If China is talking about a legally enforceable agreement then we challenge them: produce that written document. On Monday in response to a question about a U.S. State Department statement, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson challenged Washingtons support of Manila. The State Departments statement, in disregard of the facts, attacked Chinas legitimate and lawful actions at sea aimed at safeguarding its rights and enforcing the law. The statement also voiced support for the Philippines unlawful, provocative behavior, the spokesperson said. For some time, the U.S. has been inciting and supporting the Philippines attempts to overhaul and reinforce its military vessel that was deliberately grounded on Renai Jiao, the spokesman said, using the Chinese name for the shoal. The U.S. has been brazenly bolstering the Philippines as it infringes upon Chinas sovereignty, but those moves will not succeed. The spokesperson also called on the U.S. to respect Chinas territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea. Blockade outrageous Saturdays incident, which lasted more than an hour, was the latest in a growing number of perceived aggressive actions by China in the South China Sea, an important maritime trade route subject to overlapping territorial claims from China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Taiwan. Chinas blockade of the Philippine resupply mission was outrageous, said security analyst Raymond Powell, from the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation in Stanford University. Speaking at the same forum, he said joint patrols would emphasize to China the tightness of Philippine-U.S. alliance. Having these PH-U.S. joint patrols increases the Philippines leverage when China is deciding what to do, Powell said. Manila had this week stepped up the message it would not idly stand by while its supply boats are harassed, he said. The China Coast Guard allegedly uses a water cannon against Philippine Coast Guard vessels, which were escorting a resupply mission for troops stationed at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on August 5, 2023. [Handout/Reuters] On Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III condemned the dangerous maneuvers by China in a telephone call with his Filipino counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro Jr., according to a readout provided by Austins office. This was the second time Austin and Teodoro have spoken since the latter assumed the defense portfolio in June. Manila on Monday summoned Beijings envoy and issued a terse note verbale, sparking a war of words between the two countries. The Chinese Embassy shot back that the shoal which it calls Renai Jiao was part of its maritime domain, a position that remains consistent and firm. The embassy said it had made temporary special arrangements to allow the Philippines to bring supplies and food to its troops on the grounded vessel. But for some time, the Philippine side has been taking unilateral actions once again, and seeking to overhaul and reinforce the military vessel in order to permanently occupy Renai Jiao, the embassy said in a statement on Tuesday. China has repeatedly communicated to the Philippines through diplomatic channels it would not allow it to send construction materials to the Sierra Madre, the embassy said. Malaya reiterated the Philippine position that the reckless blocking and water cannon operation by the Chinese Coast Guard placed Filipino lives at risk. We are doing the resupply mission for the benefit of the Filipino troops there and we demand from China to stop this blockade, to stop this coercive, offensive and unlawful blockade of Philippine resupply missions to Ayungin, he said. This report has been updated to include remarks from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew (second from right) holds hands with members of his partys alliance during a press conference at the Thai Parliament building on Aug. 9, 2023. Pheu Thai on Wednesday announced six more members of its alliance, as the populist party linked to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra tries to establish a new government without the election-winning Move Forward Party. The Pheu Thai coalition now has a total of 228 seats in the 500-member house of representatives. It needs at least 375 votes from the combined house and senate to seat a new prime minister. We have more than half of the [lower] house and will persuade all sides to support us, Pheu Thai deputy leader Poomtham Vejjayachai said at a press conference on Wednesday. We want this new government to reset politics after more than two decades of polarization. Most of the coalition was part of Move Forwards now disbanded pro-democracy bloc. Thai Sang Thai and the Fair Party have been replaced by Chart Pattana KLA and The Party of Thai Counties in the new grouping. They will join an alliance that already counts the royalist Bhumjaithai Party, which has 71 seats, as a partner. Pheu Thai placed second behind Move Forward in the May election and has 141 seats. Pheu Thai and the other parties expect to ease the political situation and mitigate political polarization between all sides, party leader Cholnan Srikaew said Wednesday. Pheu Thai will on Thursday meet with another party, Chart Thai Pattana, said Poomtham. The prime ministerial candidate will remain Pheu Thais Srettha Thavisin, a former property tycoon. No date has been set for the vote on prime minister but it is likely to occur after Aug. 16, when the Constitutional Court is expected to rule on a petition challenging the constitutionality Parliaments blocking of Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat as a candidate. Sretthas success depends on the 250 senators in the upper house, who were appointed by the junta prior to the last election and, under laws put in place at that time, participate in choosing the prime minister. The conservative-leaning senators vehemently opposed Move Forwards progressive policies, including its ambitious plan to amend the Lese-Majeste law that guards against royal defamation. Pheu Thai has pledged not to touch the Lese-Majeste law if it forms government, a key condition for the support of Bhumjaithai, which is a member of the outgoing army-backed government. In May 2014, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatras Pheu Thai government was ousted by a military junta led by Gen. Prayuth Chan-o-cha. He has served as prime minister since then and was elected to the office following the 2019 election. Prayuth recently quit as a member of the United Thai Nation Party. If Pheu Thai can win over enough senators, analysts say the party can bring Yinglucks brother Thaksin home and perhaps restore its place as Thailands pre-imminent party outside the pro-military and royalist elite. Thaksins daughter, Paetongtarn, announced last month that her father was expected to return to Thailand on Aug. 10 after 15 years in self-imposed exile, though the 74-year-old billionaire has delayed his homecoming. Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 military coup and fled Thailand in 2008 to escape a prison term for several different charges, including corruption and tax evasion. 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. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, STATS Perform dba Automated Insights. "I remember what kind of book I would have killed to read when I was 14. A book that would have made me feel a little less alone and given me a little more guidance than I had. Thats the book I set out to write," says Isaac Fitzgerald, author of "Dirtbag, Massachusetts." You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close You are the owner of this article. Windsor has been waiting since March 2022 for approval from the state Department of Public Utilities for its municipal aggregation plan. GREAT BARRINGTON Amid growing concerns about the impact of cellphones and social media on students and educators, local school officials have pledged to explore possible solutions. During a recent meeting of the Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee, Superintendent Peter Dillon said he wants to open talks among the larger school community about the issue in the coming months and have some hard conversations. Dillon said hed also like find out how other districts are handling a problem that is vexing and worrying teachers and parents alike though parents can sometimes unwittingly be part of the problem, he suggested, by checking in with their children during school hours. Educators and school officials in the Berkshires and across the state have been raising alarm bells that cellphones and social media are distracting and possibly harming students, and making it difficult for teachers to do their jobs. In May, state education officials signaled they might move toward some kind of statewide ban of cellphones in public schools. In June, Pittsfield educators and teachers union representatives described a "power struggle" between teachers and students over cellphone use. One teacher said it was hard to manage a classroom "while students openly use Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok and listen to music during class time." The teachers union at Berkshire Hills also has pressed for restrictions for all of these reasons, said Thomas Roy, a computer science teacher at Monument Mountain Regional High School. "If parents would look at their kids' usage when they got home," Roy said, "they probably spent four hours on their phone [at school]." Monument currently allows phones at school, but not their use unless designated by a teacher for research. At the district's W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School, students in grades 5 and 6 are not allowed to bring cellphones to school, according to the student handbook. Students in grades 7 and 8 can only use them during lunch and recess. While some other districts, like Lenox, have outright bans, Dillon is typically wary of draconian measures. But he is beginning to rethink that approach, citing some alarming data and research on the issue. I dont often think banning is the right way to go, he said, but then I read The Atlantic article. That magazine story, titled, Why American Teens Are So Sad, runs through a dismal teenage mental health crisis. While aggravated by the pandemic, some data measures an increase in teen struggles since 2009. Dillon shared that article with the committee, as well as other papers about teens, screen time and social media both the risks and benefits. But mostly the risks, like the devastating impact of social media on girls. He said it may be that the only way forward is to make a drastic policy, since some students can self manage their device use in school, while others cant. Self control might be unrealistic, he said. Im trying to be open minded. Dillon also wants to help students develop self control so they arent, for instance, tempted to stay up late at night on their phones and then be unable to concentrate at school the next day. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary education is offering grants to districts to help them come up with a plan. For Berkshire Hills, its $25,000. But for School Committee member Bill Fields, a top down approach to making these decisions doesnt sit well. It should be the people who are directly affected, he said. Students and teachers. One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sandWhen Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian (Exodus 2:11-12, 15). There have been many times in my life where it seemed that it was over, the curtain had closed, and the dream had died. It looked like the situation was unchangeable, that I had blown the opportunity and simply could not recover. And in fact, I knew that the problem had morphed into something far beyond my personal strength to overcome. But God has proven to me time and again that even if we have problems that seem impossible to overcome, He is the author and finisher of our faith and nothing is impossible with Him! We call God our Healer, and He is Deliverer, Provider, Advocate, Protector, Restorer, Redeemer, and so much more. We have a lot of titles that we ascribe to the attributes of God, but there are many times in my life when what I need more than anything is for God to be a Finisher. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The definition of a finisher is one (a workman or craftsman) who finishes, completes or perfects the final tasks in a manufacturing process. And if God is a Finisher then if I am stuck in turmoil, overwhelmed, or struggling against an apparent impossibility I am comforted by knowing that clearly, God is not finished! I am sure of this; that He who has begun a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). So if you think there is no light at the end of your tunnel, be encouraged God is not finished! Enter Moses Moses was an exceptional child. At a time when male Hebrew children were being killed en masse by Pharaoh's decree, Moses was miraculously saved by Pharaohs daughter and adopted; in one moment, he transitioned from a Hebrew slave, to a prince in the Egyptian palace. Moses experienced all of the privileges of the palace; he had the best education, clothing, ate the finest foods, and may have even been in line to the throne. He was loved and trusted by the only family he had known. Josephus, the ancient historian, wrote that when the Ethiopians attacked Egypt, Pharaoh put Moses in charge of the Egyptian army. Moses secured the victory and saved the nation of Egypt. But this same Moses made some pretty serious and life changing mistakes; he became a murderer, and fled everything and everyone he knew in Egypt. He landed in a strange land among strange people, and was reduced to tending someone elses sheep on the backside of a desert, just to survive. And surely he was asking himself the question weve probably all asked at times how did I get here? How did I get myself into this mess? How did we get to this place of divorce? How did I become so angry and bitter, and so cynical? And we wind up where we least expected. But why? When Right Goes Wrong Moses had it all, but he was unsettled. He was living in the Egyptian palace, but he became increasingly angered by the mistreatment of his people, the Hebrew slaves. The feeling was righteous. The outrage was righteous. His sense of wanting to intervene was also righteous. On that fateful day, he witnesses an Egyptian beating a slave, and the moral outrage in him rises up to defend the victim, and he kills the Egyptian and hides the body. He was expressing his innate destiny as a deliverer of the Hebrew people, but outside of Gods timing and will. When Pharaoh learned about the incident, Moses discovered a hard reality of life: sometimes right can go horribly wrong. You can have good intentions You can marry for life You can love and nurture your child You can try to help someone You can trust someone but right goes wrong. You can have a plan for your life: go to a certain school, get a particular degree, graduate at a specific time, score a lucrative job, marry your dream spouse, have 2.5 perfect kids. The right plan, the right process, but somewhere along the line you discover that your right plan went horribly wrong. You even had the right intentions and pure motives, but things went sideways and turned out much differently than you envisioned, and you find yourself in a place on the backside of a desert wondering, how did I get here? And not only do you ask that question, but you also come to an erroneous conclusion (no doubt aided by the voice of the enemy), that because you made a bad mistake, that it is all over. God Can Bring Right Out of Our Mistakes What is impossible with man is possible with God. He can take our wrong turns, wrong choices, and wrong decisions, and bring right out of it. Moses was asking, how in the world did I get here? Im a prince, but Im tending someone elses sheep. Im highly educated, but I have a job that requires no education. I am privileged, but I have the job of a peasant. I understand the science of Egypt, I am a military hero, I was in line for the throne of Egypt, but now Im forced to learn survival skills for how to exist in a wilderness. God still had a plan for Moses. Moses didnt know it in the moment, but God was still planning to use him to deliver the Hebrew people, even though he initially went about it the wrong way. What Moses didnt know was that even though his God-given calling was to be a deliverer of the Hebrews, he wasnt ready for it until his wilderness experience on the backside of a mountain, tending a flock of sheep. He had to be trained, not only in the ways of the Egyptians, but also in the ways of the wilderness. God knew when he would lead those slaves out of Egypt, he was going to shepherd them through forty years in the wilderness. God took Moses wrong and brought right out of it. Dont misunderstand. God doesnt condone or ignore our wrongs. He is not okay with it, and He will often allow us to experience the consequence of our wrongs. Indeed, Moses rash act cost him forty years of exile and the loss of his family and friends. But as consequential as our wrongs can be, our God takes even our wrongs and brings right out of them. He wont quit on His plans because you complicated things. He wont abandon and forget you because you failed. He wont write you off, and cancel your destiny because you did wrong. And you know why? Because He is a Finisher! Sometimes God Sets Stuff on Fire Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn. So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here I am. Then He said, Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. Moreover He said, I am the God of your fatherthe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God (Exodus 3:1-6). In the dry desert heat, bushes burned all the time. But Moses noticed something different about this bush not only was it on fire, but it was not being burnt up. This miracle got Moses attention. This bush on fire caused him to stop what he was doing and pause the ordinary course of his life to think a bit introspectively. Has God ever lit anything on fire in your life in order to get your attention? Is there something burning in your life that no matter how hard you try, how hard you pray, or how long you cry, you cant seem to get it to stop burning? Possibly, the God of Heaven may just want to get your attention. Possibly, He may just want to talk with you, to give you a fresh perspective. He may just want to interrupt your survival mentality and begin to give you success. When something is burning in an unusual way in your life, stop, take a look, and listen to what He is trying to tell you. Its great advice. Get into your prayer closet and seek the Lord. Commune with your Heavenly Father. Talk to Him; and most importantly listen to Him before things go up in flames! When God Speaks Moses mistake must have felt like failure and a loss of destiny. He had blown it by unrighteous murder and could never live his dream again. And to this man Moses, who felt unworthy, unfit, unholy, unusable and unimportant, God said: So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here I am (Exodus 3:4). You may think God has forgotten you because you failed Him, but the Finisher never forgets. God Always Finishes What Hes Started God had to speak with Moses to undo forty years of regret, forty years of backsliding, forty years of mental anguish and what ifs. What if I had handled things differently? I never left the palace? I had waited on God? I didnt kill the Egyptian? But God is a Finisher and He knew how to draw Moses out of hiding, shame and regret, and back into his God-given destiny He said, I am the God of your father the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Exodus 3:6). I am the God of Abraham and Isaac Moses understood that. But then God said, and I am the God of Jacob. And I believe Moses thought to himself, Jacob? Dont You mean Israel? Jacob was the deceiver, the con man, the betrayer who split up families and caused heartache and problems. Israel, the great patriarch, was the person Jacob became after repentance and transformation by God. Exactly, Moses! No, God didnt stutter. He was reminding Moses that He is the God of our successes and failures, our right steps and wrong steps, our hang ups, mess ups, and identity issues. He is the God of it all. And He needed to remind Moses that even after forty years, He was not finished with his story yet; his destiny as a deliverer was still waiting for Moses to fulfill. And for everyone who has been lied to by the enemy, who told you that youve made too many mistakes and you missed your opportunity and lost out on your destiny, God says nothing is impossible for him who believes. Its time for you to get up and shake it off, because God is a finisher, and He is not yet done with your life! Photo credit: Getty Images/PATSTOCK Frank Santora is Lead Pastor of Faith Church, a multi-site church with locations in Connecticut and New York. Pastor Frank hosts a weekly television show, Destined to Win, which airs weekly on the Hillsong Channel and TBN. He has authored thirteen books, including the most recent, Modern Day Psalms and Good Good Father. To learn more about Pastor Frank and this ministry, please visit www.franksantora.cc. Photo by Michele Roman. Born in captivity, Caleb was destined to live a life of slavery, but God had different plans. Throughout his childhood, his parents taught him about the God of their forefathers. He grew spiritually as he walked by faith with his Lord. As a young adult, he made bricks and built storage buildings for the Egyptians, and grew in physical strength and stature. He labored tirelessly, knowing his work was unto the Lord and not the evil taskmaster that lorded it over them. Caleb endured his servitude, knowing his hope was in the Lord. He eagerly awaited the glorious day the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would fulfill His promise and deliver the nation of Israel to the Promised Land. Chosen as a Leader Caleb witnessed the mighty hand of God as He miraculously delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians in a powerful display of ten plagues. He led his family over dry ground as God held back the waters of the Red Sea. Traveling to the Promised Land, God instructed them on how they should live in obedience to Him. Each day, God provided food for them to eat and produced water from the sun-scorched rocks for them to drink. A year after God delivered His people from Egypt, they sat on the threshold of the Promised Land and ready to enjoy the blessings prepared for them. The Lord said to Moses, Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders (Numbers 13:1-2). Caleb was the leader representing the tribe of Judah. Along with the other eleven, he spied out the land. For forty days, they examined the cities and the people who lived there. They identified the cities that were fortified and those that were not. They observed the people to see if they were strong or weak, few or many. The twelve spies explored the land and saw it was very fertile. It was indeed a land flowing with milk and honey. They gathered pomegranates, figs, and large clusters of grapes to show to the people. The land was just as God described it to them. All they needed was to trust and obey, and victory was theirs. Caleb Stood for God Ten of the leaders examined the land, walking by sight rather than faith. They doubted God could deliver on His promise and give them the land. The ten called it the land we explored, rather than the land God is giving us. They spread news of fear and doubt among the people. Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it (Numbers 13:30). Joshua joined Caleb, and they made a passionate plea to the people. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them (Numbers 14:8-9). Caleb and Joshua looked beyond the obstacles before them and kept their focus on God Almighty. They trusted Him to fulfill His promise and deliver their enemies into their hands. That evening should have been a time of glorious celebration and praising God. He delivered them from bondage in Egypt and brought them to an amazing land. Instead, it was a time of grumbling and complaining as the people of Israel believed the other spies. They desired to go back to Egypt and spent the night weeping. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong (1 Corinthians 15:58; 16:13). Disciplined for the Unbelief of Others The Lords anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone (Numbers 32:13). Except for Caleb and Joshua, no one over the age of twenty when they left Egypt would enter the Promised Land. Caleb did all that the Lord had commanded. He remained faithful and stood strong in the face of opposition. Yet he too would suffer Gods discipline for the peoples unbelief. For the next forty years, Caleb would wander through the wilderness along with the rest of the nation. Instead of enjoying the abundant fruit of the promised land, every morning, noon, and night, he ate manna. He endured sorrow and grief as, one by one, family and friends died along the journey. The Apostle Peter may have thought of Caleb as he wrote, but even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed (1 Peter 3:14). As he walked over sandy paths along the sun-bleached stone mountains, he remained faithful to his Lord. No words of complaint or protest were heard from his lips. Each step brought him closer to Gods promise of entering the Promised Land. Each step he took left a footprint of faith in the sand faith in Gods promises to pour out His blessing on those faithful to Him. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him (James 1:12). Denied Leadership Position Caleb was the leader chosen to spy out the land from the tribe of Judah, the largest tribe of Israel. He was the first to speak out, encouraging the Israelites to follow Gods leading into the land He had promised them. By human standards, he would be the logical choice to replace Moses and lead the people into the Promised Land. However, it is Joshua, not Caleb, whom God selects (Deuteronomy 31:7-8). There is not even a second-in-command position for Caleb. His name is not even mentioned. God does not use human standards when choosing leaders. Indeed, The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Caleb understood and accepted the calling of God. He realized what the Apostle Paul would later write. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in Gods sight (1 Corinthians 1:25; 3:19). In Gods wisdom, Joshua made the better leader. Caleb accepted Gods choice of Joshua and followed his leadership without objecting or protesting. He accepted and carried out the role the Lord had planned for him. For the next five years, Caleb faithfully fought alongside his countrymen. Under Joshuas leadership, God delivers on His promises, and they annihilate city after city as they conquer the land. God, in His wisdom, has prepared a ministry for every believer and equips us to carry out that ministry. For we are Gods handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). Caleb Received and Left an Inheritance At eighty-five years old, Caleb still had mountains to climb and giants to conquer. His strength was in the Lord and his faith never wavered. He led the charge to defeat Hebron as his inheritance, but Calebs inheritance was more than a mountainous region in Israel. He lived his life, trusting God for an eternal inheritance. Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24). For his family, he left an inheritance of the land he conquered. But more than a piece of land, he passed on his faith and left an inheritance of eternal significance. His daughter and son-in-law faithfully lived their lives before God (Joshua 15:13-19). His son-in-law, Othniel, would later become the first Judge in the land. Israel lived in peace for forty years under his leadership, for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him (Judges 3:7-11). For us today, Caleb left an inheritance of a godly example for us to emulate. Despite what happened to him, he remained loyal to the Lord. While everyone around him doubted, he looked to God for his strength to go on. Despite what injustices he must have felt, he remained content, knowing he had a prize waiting for him for all eternity. Calebs journey of faith produced an enduring legacy of unshakable resolve that wed do well to follow. Photo credit: Getty Images/Vinco Computer / EyeEm Brad Simon has shared Gods Word for over forty-five years, with a unique blend of storytelling and Bible exposition. He is a retired Master Jeweler and relies on the God-given creativity that won him several national and international jewelry design awards to craft Biblical Narratives and Life Stories that are engaging and thought-provoking. Once a speaker, author, and publisher for the jewelry industry, now he is putting those skills to work to promote the beauty and appeal of Gods Word. Download a free copy of his devotional on prayer. Talking Points Memo: The failure of the Biden administration is only getting more and more obvious by the day. Heres three major agencies that are falling apart. President Biden snaps at reporter for asking about Hunters text messages. SCOTUS rules on states control over elections and agrees to hear case on wealth tax. Bill renews calls for investigation into Zuckerbergs efforts into the 2020 presidential election. Former Prosecutor Cully Stimson on his new book Rogue Prosecutors: How Radical Soros Lawyers are Destroying Americas Communities. Reuters releases report that says all living US Presidents descended from slaveholders all expect Donald Trump. Smart Life: pickleball injuries This Day in History: International Body Piercing Day Final Thought: Leaving money to kids, charities & friends In Case You Missed It: Read Bill's latest column, "They're Not Victims" It's the 'Summer Reading Special!' 'Killing the Killers,' Killing the Legends,' and 'Killing Crazy Horse' all for $32.95. We'll also give you a FREE 'Team Normal' hat. 'Team Normal!' gear is 15% for a limited time. Go to BillOReilly.com now and order! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices An unprecedented number of wildfires have set Europe alight in the past month. Nine Mediterranean countries have been hit, leading to many people losing their homes and even their lives. These are the deadly consequences of capitalisms climate catastrophe. Greece has been hit particularly hard. It registered its longest and most unrelenting heat wave since records began. Some 400 wildfires illuminated satellite photographs and devastated olive groves and pine forests, as well as homes, farms and flocks. Over 20,000 people were evacuated in the south of Rhodes, while Corfu has been hit with severe blazes. Two firefighting pilots tragically lost their lives due to a plane crash into a hillside on the island of Evia, East of Athens, trying to extinguish the blaze. In the Sicilian cities of Catania and Palermo, the night sky glowed orange as residents were caught in a terrifying siege by the fires, which cut off supplies of electricity and water. These are like the scenes of a devastating war. Meanwhile, in Algeria, the wildfires have proven particularly deadly, killing at least 34 people. On 7 August, wildfires broke out in Portugal, burning through thousands of hectares and forcing 1,400 people from their homes. These wildfires were lit after scorching heat turned the Mediterranean into a tinderbox. Back-to-back heat waves brought temperatures up into the high 40s, breaking records for the hottest month ever recorded. In fact, a recent study found that for four out of five people on the planet, July was the hottest month ever recorded, with heat waves striking China, North America and now Latin America, some parts of which are experiencing 35C heat in midwinter. The consequences of this heat are frightful to consider. The European Health Institute found that from late May to early September last year, more than 61,600 people died from heat-related causes across 35 European countries in what was then Europes hottest summer on record. The grim toll of this years heat has yet to be counted. Nothing about this is natural. A global team of climate scientists working for the World Weather Attribution (WWA) initiative organised by Imperial College London described these heat waves as virtually impossible without human-induced climate change. Whilst wildfires raged in the south of Italy, much of the north experienced intense thunderstorms. Six northern regions remained on emergency alert due to heavy rainfall, risk of flash floods, hail and falling trees, according to weather monitoring sites. These extreme events have taken at least five lives. In Italy we are experiencing one of the most complicated days in recent decades: cloudbursts, tornadoes, hail in the North; torrid heat and devastating fires in the Centre-South, said the civil protection minister Musumeci. Whilst arson, electrical faults, barbecues, cigarette butts and lightning have all been blamed for sparking this or that fire, the extreme heat and tinderbox conditions brought about by climate change have given them a ferocious destructive force as drying vegetation and soil combined with dry, hot air have created immense amounts of combustible material. And beyond the Mediterranean, weve seen the effects of climate change globally this summer: with heat waves, wildfires and extreme weather, stretching from Canada to China. The wildfire damage west of Athens is awful.#Greece pic.twitter.com/AZGpLy98IB Derek Gatopoulos (@dgatopoulos) August 6, 2023 Turning a blind eye And things threaten to become much worse. Unless the world rapidly stops burning fossil fuels, these events will become even more common and the world will experience heat waves that are even hotter and longer-lasting, researchers told the Financial Times. But we already knew this, and have known for decades that these dramatic events were coming down the road as a result of climate change. And yet, the ruling classes have turned a blind eye and have done nothing to either halt or mitigate climate change, nor in preparation for its devastating consequences. Driven only by the impulse for short-term profits, and combined with the cost-cutting of government austerity that is dictated by the crisis of capitalism, they have failed to upgrade infrastructure in preparation for the extremes that climate change would inevitably bring. This was particularly evident in Greece. This was not the first time that Greece has had to deal with wildfires. In fact, for over 10 years there have been occurrences of wildfires due to the ever hotter summers. However, instead of preparing for those conditions, government austerity dictated by the Troika has landed firefighting services in a lamentable state. According to a Reuters interview with the head of Greeces firefighters federation, there is a gap of 5,000 firefighters that urgently needs to be filled. If my father had not stayed, our house would have burned down, one Greek woman told the media, The fire service was nowhere. Fortunately there were volunteers, I feel anger, nothing else. A 77-year-old resident added: The government should resign as soon as possible. They did absolutely nothing, zero. Everyone is desperate. Everyone is disappointed. Meanwhile, the capitalists are continuing to burn fossil fuels and slash public services as if there is no tomorrow or, rather, as if to assure that there will be no tomorrow for millions. What is rational for the ruling class is completely irrational for the rest of humanity. They know that in the long-term they are creating a hell on Earth. But the logic of capitalism drives them ever onward in the pursuit of short term profit. Wildfires, tornadoes and flash floods do not appear in the capitalists account ledgers, and therefore leave them unmoved. In the meantime, it is the working class that is bearing the brunt of the consequences. The Financial Times, reporting on last years heatwave, explained that while we do not yet have a breakdown of the class backgrounds of those killed in the 2022 heat, experts said that in a 2003 heat wave that killed up to 70,000 people, most who died were low-income. As we found with COVID-19, it is the workers, the poor, and the vulnerable who pay with their lives. Just as workers were sent to work without PPE in 2020, so workers across Europe have no maximum working temperature protections. Most of the time, you have headaches because of the heat, Naveed Khan, a 39-year-old food delivery cyclist, told the New York Times before driving through the sweltering streets of Milan. He takes painkillers every other day, he said, to handle the discomfort, but cant stop working. I dont have any other job, he said. And its not just during work that the poor suffer. Many low-income workers cannot even find relief at home, as they cannot afford air conditioning. Many public apartment buildings in Italy are decades old, and residents liken them to furnaces in the summer. One retired freight handler told The Times that he coped by filling his bathtub with ice-cold water. Life is becoming hell under capitalism. Broken promises The urgent question is posed of adaptation to the new conditions that it is creating / Image: Don Balkwill Twitter Whilst politicians and CEOs meet up in their well-ventilated, AC-cooled rooms to promise one climate agreement after another, the rest of the world is literally burning up. No sooner has the ink dried on these climate commitments and regulations, than they are thrown out of the window as they soon come into conflict with the short-term interests of the ruling class. This is why Marxists highlight the fundamental point: we cannot plan what we do not control, and we cannot control what we do not own. We cannot build a sustainable supply of energy, build housing in which people can live comfortably, and lay out the necessary infrastructure if all these companies are operating solely to make profit. Even if a capitalist had the will to switch to more sustainable energy sources, it simply would not be profitable for them to do so. The expensive infrastructure for it does not exist. Furthermore, we need an international plan, but international cooperation is impossible under capitalism, as weve seen with the dash for fossil fuels between marauding national gangs of capitalists to ensure their own national energy security since the Ukraine war helped to drive up prices since last year. The energy, water, housing, infrastructure companies and the banks must all be fully nationalised and operated democratically by the working class, to function in the interest of society as a whole. The effects of climate change are already with us. The urgent question is posed of adaptation to the new conditions that it is creating. We must adapt the houses in the Mediterranean, and elsewhere in the world, to the increasingly hot summers. But instead of quality house building, the capitalist class speculate in housing as they do in other commodities, pushing up rents for workers attempting to survive in ever less adequate housing. We must reduce working hours, especially over the summers when work under extreme heat presents a threat to life. For the capitalists, on the contrary, the deeper the crisis the more they put an upward pressure on working hours to make the working class pay. The need to invest in good public services, with sufficient firefighters for instance, and access to good healthcare, will become ever more pressing. But as the capitalist state creaks under the burden of debt from propping up the ailing capitalist system with repeated bailouts, these services are slashed to the bone. Above all, we must implement a long-term solution to bring the further warming of the planet to a halt and even to reduce global temperatures. Freed from the limits of private property and the nation state, the whole world could be supplied with clean, abundant energy and the necessary infrastructure rapidly installed along the lines of a global plan. We have all the tools to do this and the money. The main barrier preventing us from doing so is the fact that those means are concentrated in the hands of the ruling class. This is why we need to expropriate the big banks and major companies and bring them under the democratic control of the working class. The world is literally burning, the capitalists have created these hellish summers for ordinary people, and summer heat will only become more severe in the years to come. We have to urgently smash this system. I recently wrote a report for PJ Media speculating on the true motivations behind the elite media and Swamp creatures' recent preoccupation with so-called "unidentified aerial phenomena" or UAP (a government/media rebrand for whatever stupid reason away from UFO)-- as if unidentified objects in the sky and secretive military installations with zero transparency are some new development. There is still much secrecy and thus uncertainty -- thanks in no small parts to the millions and millions of needlessly classified documents that protect the government from public scrutiny under the guise of "national security" regarding the true nature of what the government knows and what technology it may or may not have pilfered through reverse-engineering of recovered alien spacecraft, etc. But what's for sure is that there's some agenda afoot beyond merely disclosing to the public what the government's been up to for decades. We can know this because the government and media despise the public and would never voluntarily expose it to the deeds done in their dark using public money. I believe, that at least part of the reason is increased defense industry spending, as evidenced by Space Force's recent budget increase request. Via Space News: President Bidens $842 billion budget request for the Defense Department for fiscal year 2024 includes $30 billion for the U.S. Space Force, the largest funding request to date for the military space branch. The $30 billion request is $3.7 billion more than what Congress enacted for the Space Force in 2023. The largest space budget ever, DoD said in budget documents released March 13 on the Biden administrations funding request for the coming fiscal year that begins Oct 1. The proposed budget 'procures and modernizes capabilities to secure the use of space in the face of increasing threats to U.S. national security space systems,' the Pentagon said in budget documents The heftiest increase is in the [research, development, testing and engineering] account. Funding for low and medium orbit missile-tracking satellites nearly doubles from $1.2 billion in 2023 to $2.3 billion in 2024." Hrvoje Moric graciously brought me onto his TNT Radio show to discuss the matter and others of import. https://tntradiolive.podbean.com/e/benjamin-bartee-on-the-hrvoje-moric-show-4-august-2023/ Ben Bartee, author of Broken English Teacher: Notes From Exile, is an independent Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs. Follow his stuff Substack if you are inclined to support independent journalism free of corporate slant. Also, keep tabs via Twitter. For hip Armageddon Prose t-shirts, hats, etc., peruse the merch store. Insta-tip jar and Bitcoin public address: bc1qvq4hgnx3eu09e0m2kk5uanxnm8ljfmpefwhawv FORMER Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara has predicted another disputed poll for Zimbabwe given the escalation of political violence and other electoral malpractices. President Emmerson Mnangagwa won the disputed 2018 presidential election by a slight margin. Opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa accused the Zanu PF leader of rigging the election. Mutambara, however, warned that it would be difficult to change the status quo, citing an unfair playing field, which he said favoured the ruling party. People who are creating problems in our country are Zanu PF. They never won any election, actually they rigged. From 2000 up to 2018, Zimbabwe elections have been fraudulent and rigged. All those were problematic elections, Mutambara said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika over the weekend. They pay judges a week before elections. The Judiciary in Zimbabwe is compromised. The possibility of free and fair elections is very unlikely. The access to voters roll, fair coverage from State media is problematic, so we are heading to the usual problems which are disputed elections. The Judiciary has in the past said it is independent and does not take instructions from the Executive. He also condemned rising cases of political violence in the country. People are in the courts, there have been cases of political violence. The party [CCC] lost its activist in Glen View after being attacked by Zanu PF supporters. There is no political tolerance. There are no political reforms and electoral reforms. There is too much tension as we head towards elections, Mutambara said. Last week, Tinashe Chitsunge, a CCC supporter, was killed while fleeing a marauding Zanu PF mob in Glen View 7, Harare. On the same day, Chamisas convoy was reportedly attacked by suspected Zanu PF supporters in Mutasa district, Manicaland province, after addressing a rally there. Mnangagwa has pledged to ensure peace prevails, but critics say authorities are to blame for failing to act on cases of human rights abuses. Zimbabwe has a history of disputed elections marred by political violence. Newsday Eight Amazon nations have called on industrialised countries to do more to help preserve the worlds largest rainforest as they met at a major summit in Brazil. The leaders of South American nations that are home to the Amazon, meeting at a two-day summit in the city of Belem, said the task of stopping the destruction of the rainforest cannot fall to just a few when the crisis has been caused by so many. Advertisement The members of the Amazon Co-operation Treaty Organisation (Acto), are hoping a united front will give them a major voice in global talks. Colombias President Gustavo Petro gives a thumbs up as he departs the summit in Belem, Brazil. Photo: AP Photo/Eraldo Peres. The forest unites us. It is time to look at the heart of our continent and consolidate, once and for all, our Amazon identity, said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Advertisement Advertisement The calls from the presidents of nations including Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia came as leaders aim to fuel much-needed economic development in their regions while preventing the Amazons ongoing demise from reaching a point of no return, according to a joint declaration issued at the end of the day. Some scientists say that when 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the forest is destroyed, rainfall will dramatically decline, transforming more than half of the rainforest to tropical savannah, with immense biodiversity loss. The summit reinforces Mr Lulas strategy to leverage global concern for the Amazons preservation. Emboldened by a 42% drop in deforestation during his first seven months in office, he has sought international financial support for forest protection. The Amazon stretches across an area twice the size of India. Two-thirds of it lie in Brazil, with seven other countries and one territory sharing the remaining third. Governments have historically viewed it as an area to be colonised and exploited, with little regard for sustainability or the rights of its indigenous people. Advertisement The Amazon spans an area twice the size of India. Photo: AP Photo/Eraldo Peres. All the countries at the summit have ratified the Paris climate accord, which requires signatories to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But cross-border co-operation has historically been scant, undermined by low trust, ideological differences and the lack of government presence. Advertisement Aside from a general consensus on the need for shared global responsibility, members of Acto convening for only the fourth time in the organisations existence demonstrated on Tuesday they are not fully aligned on key issues. This week marks the first meeting of the 45-year-old organisation in 14 years. Advertisement Forest protection commitments have been uneven previously, and appeared to remain so at the summit. The Belem Declaration, the gatherings official proclamation issued on Tuesday, did not include shared commitments to zero deforestation by 2030. Brazil and Colombia have already made those commitments. Mr Lula has said he hopes the document will be a shared call to arms at the COP 28 climate conference in November. A key topic dividing the nations on Tuesday was oil. Notably, Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for an end to oil exploration in the Amazon an allusion to the ambivalent approach of Brazil and other oil-producing nations in the region and said that governments must forge a path towards decarbonised prosperity. A jungle that extracts oil is it possible to maintain a political line at that level? Bet on death and destroying life? Mr Petro said. He also spoke about finding ways to reforest pastures and plantations, which cover much of Brazils heartland for cattle ranching and growing soy. Advertisement Advertisement Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva speaks during the summit. Photo: AP Photo/Eraldo Peres. Mr Lula, who has presented himself as an environmental leader on the international stage, has refrained from taking a definitive stance on oil, citing the decision as a technical matter. Meanwhile, Brazils state-run Petrobras company has been seeking to explore for oil near the mouth of the Amazon River. Despite disagreements among nations, there have been encouraging signs of increased regional co-operation amid growing global recognition of the Amazons importance in arresting climate change. Sharing a united voice along with funneling more money into Acto could help it serve as the regions representative on the global stage ahead of the COP climate conference, leaders said. The Amazon is our passport to a new relationship with the world, a more symmetric relationship, in which our resources are not exploited to benefit few, but rather valued and put in the service of everyone, Mr Lula said. Bolivian President Luis Arce said the Amazon has been the victim of capitalism, reflected by runaway expansion of agricultural borders and natural resource exploitation. And he noted that industrialised nations are responsible for most historic greenhouse gas emissions. The fact that the Amazon is such an important territory does not imply that all of the responsibilities, consequences and effects of the climate crisis should fall to us, to our towns and to our economies, Mr Arce said. Advertisement Mr Petro argued that affluent nations should swap foreign debt owed by Amazon countries for climate action, saying that would create enough investment to power the Amazon regions economy. From left, Colombias President Gustavo Petro, Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, Bolivias President Luis Arce, Perus President Dina Boluarte and Venezuelas vice president Delcy Rodriguez. Photo: AP Photo/Eraldo Peres. Signed by officials from eight nations, the Belem Declaration also: Condemns the proliferation of protectionist trade barriers, which signatories said negatively affects poor farmers in developing nations and hampers the promotion of Amazon products and sustainable development. Calls on industrialised nations to comply with their obligations to provide massive financial support to developing nations. Calls for the strengthening of law enforcement co-operation. Commits authorities to exchanging best practices and intelligence about specific illicit activities, including deforestation, human rights violations, trafficking of fauna and flora and the sale and smuggling of mercury, a highly toxic metal widely used for illegal gold mining that pollutes waterways. Mr Petro also called for the formation of a military alliance akin to Nato, saying such a group could be tasked not only with protecting the Amazon, but tackling another major problem for the region: organised crime. Also attending the summit Tuesday were Guyanas prime minister, Venezuelas vice president and the foreign ministers of Suriname and Ecuador. On Wednesday, the summit will welcome representatives of Norway and Germany, the largest contributors to Brazils Amazon Fund for sustainable development, along with counterparts from other crucial rainforest regions: Indonesia, Republic of Congo, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Frances ambassador to Brazil will also attend, representing the Amazonian territory of French Guiana. A judge has made orders directing Gardai to arrest and bring the father of three children before the court over his alleged failure to return them to their country of habitual residence. The order was made on Wednesday by Mr Justice Garrett Simons in relation to the man, who, along with members of his family, cannot be identified for legal reasons. Advertisement The judge made an order allowing the media to report the fact that court has made orders in respect of the three siblings, who are all under 16, as long as they are not identified. The three children were the subject of proceedings brought by their mother under the Hague Convention, the international agreement which governs alleged 'child abduction'. Their mother asked the courts for orders directing that the children to be returned to their country of habitual residence, which is the UK. Advertisement The family are not Irish nationals, but earlier this year were all taken to Ireland, where they resided at a location outside of Dublin with their father. Advertisement The mother claims the father was not entitled to re-locate them away from the jurisdiction of England and Wales. The mother's applications were opposed by the father. The High Court and the Court of Appeal made orders last month directing the father to return the children by August 8th. Following his alleged failure to comply with that order, the father was further directed to bring the children to a location in Dublin on Wednesday morning, which he also failed to do. Arising out of the father's failures to comply with those orders, the mother's lawyers returned before Wednesday's vacation sitting of the High Court and asked Mr Justice Simons for orders against the father over his alleged contempt of court. Advertisement Following that application, Mr Justice Simons directed that the children's father be brought before the court by Gardai to answer to his alleged contempt. The judge also made orders allowing Gardai and the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, to enter the property in Ireland where the father and the three children have been residing for the purposes of securing the children and bringing them before the courts. The father was further ordered to deliver the children's passports to gardai. The matter is expected to return before the High Court in the coming days. Sinn Feins Transport spokesperson, Martin Kenny, has called for an overarching approach by the Department of Transport to the issue of night time flights at Dublin airport. Mr Kenny told RTE radios Morning Ireland that while there were private companies involved, there was a much bigger picture and that the Minister for Transport himself had a role to play. Advertisement We've got the airlines, the Dublin Airport Authority, the local authorities. We have the Airport Noise Competent Authority. We have an awful lot of agencies here. All we need is an overarching approach to call everyone together and resolve the situation and sort it out to the benefit of everybody involved. The situation was very difficult, and it was unfortunate that it had come to this stage, he said. The only way to resolve the issue was through dialogue rather than going to court, he said. Advertisement We dont know where its going to end. Mr Kenny acknowledged Ryanair boss Michael OLearys point that the airport was built first and the housing developments came after. Planning permission was something that everyone had to get before they build and had to be abided by, Advertisement If the Dublin Airport Authority or the people involved in aviation had an issue with the restrictions put in place because of those planning conditions, I think they should be appealing to them and trying to find a way around them rather than just criticising Fingal County Council or anyone else. In fairness, Dublin Airport Authority have actually taken steps to ensure that there can be a reduction in the very restricted measures that were put in place and that have been approved by Fingal County Council. And it's with An Bord Pleanala at the moment. As we know, there's huge delays there. That's a part of the problem as well, the delays we have in the system of getting these issues resolved and sorted out. Mr Kenny said that if there was a little bit of compromise the situation could be resolved through negotiation and dialogue. It's really up to everyone to get their heads around the table here and ensure that they can resolve this issue because the court is a bad place to be involved with because it only heightens tensions and puts it in a place where it's more difficult to resolve. A 21-year-old man allegedly dragged the owner of a Porsche 911 from his car in south Dublin before it was driven erratically around the city and crashed, a court heard. Cillian Rafferty, of Easton Row, Leixlip, Co Kildare, was arrested on Tuesday night after being found in a crashed 2010-reg Porsche which was taken in a suspected carjacking at Northbrook Avenue, Ranelagh, Dublin 6. Advertisement The 60,000 Porsche lost a wheel in the city centre, hit other cars and suffered extensive damage before coming to a halt in Palmerstown. Mr Rafferty was charged with robbery and motor theft and faced bail objections when he appeared before Judge Ciaran Liddy at Dublin District Court on Wednesday. Defence solicitor Donal Quigley told the court Mr Rafferty denies the charges. Garda Patrick Spollen alleged the owner of the car was sitting in the vehicle outside his home at 8pm and was approached by a man shouting: Get out of the f**king car. Advertisement Advertisement The owner (42) told gardai the man motioned with his fist, which left him frightened and in fear for his life. According to the owner, he was dragged from the vehicle before it was driven into the city centre. Members of the public dialled 999 to report the dangerous driving the cars tyre had become disconnected following a collision at Merchant's Quay, the court heard. The Porsche proceeded to the N4 and crashed in Palmerstown. Advertisement Write-off Garda Spollen said it had significant damage and may well be written off. Additional charges could be brought because the stolen car hit several vehicles, the court was told. Garda Spollen said it was distinctive and lost a wheel in the city centre. Judge Liddy heard the accused was still in the car when gardai arrived, but under cross-examination, the officer agreed that Mr Rafferty was in the passenger seat. He accepted that no one had identified the defendant as the driver when the car was in the city centre. However, he added CCTV evidence has yet to be obtained. Advertisement Mr Quigley said the complainant, who gave a description to gardai in his statement, was not in court to be cross-examined, and his client could be deprived of his liberty purely on hearsay evidence. He said the car was clearly taken, but Mr Rafferty maintained he was a passenger in the car and had been terrified. We say someone else was driving, the solicitor submitted. Judge Liddy noted that the incident began at 8pm, and the car went through the city centre and stopped 22 minutes later. He declined Mr Raffertys bail application and remanded him in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on August 16th. The judge noted the accused was unemployed and granted legal aid. The death toll from two Russian missile strikes that hit apartment blocks and other buildings in an eastern Ukrainian city has climbed to nine as officials accused the Kremlins forces of targeting rescue workers. The strikes on Monday in the centre of the city of Pokrovsk killed nine people and wounded more than 80 others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. Advertisement According to Ukrainian authorities, one of those killed was an emergency official, and most of those wounded were police officers, emergency workers and soldiers who went to assist residents. The Iskander missiles, which have an advanced guidance system that increases their accuracy, hit within 40 minutes of each other, according to Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. Emergency workers evacuate people from a damaged building (Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP) Advertisement Advertisement Russia has since the start of the war aimed artillery and missiles at the exact same spot it struck around 30 minutes earlier, often hitting emergency workers deployed at the scene. It is a tactic called a double tap in military jargon, that the Russians also used in Syrias civil war. All of (the police) were there because they were needed, putting their efforts into rescuing people after the first strike, Ivan Vyhivskyi, chief of Ukraines National Police, said on Tuesday. They knew that under the rubble were the injured they needed to react, to dig, to retrieve, to save. And the enemy deliberately struck the second time. Mr Kyrylenko said that 12 multi-storey buildings were damaged as well as a hotel, a pharmacy, two stores and two cafes. Advertisement Mr Zelensky accused Moscow of trying to leave nothing but broken and scorched stones in eastern Ukraine. Rescuers carry a wounded person from a damaged building after Russian missile strikes in Pokrovsk,(Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP) Russian missiles, drones and artillery have repeatedly struck civilian areas in the war. The Kremlin says its forces target only military assets and claim other damage is caused by debris from Ukrainian air defence weapons. Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, an overnight attack on the town of Kruhliakivka, in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, killed two people and injured nine others, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Russia also dropped four guided bombs on a village near Kupiansk, in the Kharkiv region, killing two civilians, Ukraines presidential office said. Rescuers later came under fire and two of them were injured, it said. Honda has reported that its April-June profit more than doubled on healthy sales of its motorcycles and cars. Honda said its fiscal first quarter profit totalled 363 billion yen (1.96 billion), up from 149 billion yen. Advertisement Quarterly sales jumped 21% to 4.6 trillion yen (25.12 billion). Hondas financial service division also reported growing sales. Honda said its profitability improved, especially in North America, where production recovered. Advertisement Automakers around the world were slammed by supply shortages because of production delays related to social restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. But such restrictions have eased, allowing production to pick up again. Auto sales were about the same in Japan in the latest quarter as in the previous year, while dropping significantly in China because of intense competition from makers of battery electric vehicles, Honda said. Honda is banking on growth in electric vehicles in the US market, where it recently announced it is joining six other companies in the creation of a high-powered charging network across North America. Advertisement Advertisement Worries about climate change have helped set off a dramatic shift in the auto industry towards battery electric vehicles, allowing for relative newcomers like Tesla and BYD to prosper, while catching some Japanese makers off guard with their hybrids and regular gasoline-powered models. Honda said a computer chip shortage crimped its motorcycle sales in India, while sales rebounded in Indonesia as production recovered. Honda said it sold 901,000 vehicles in the latest quarter, up from 815,000 a year earlier. It also sold more motorcycles worldwide at nearly 4.5 million, up from 4.2 million. Honda added 23 billion yen (125 million) to its quarterly operating profit because of the impact of currency exchange rates. A weaker yen, trading lately at about 143 yen to the US dollar, is a boon for Japanese exporters by boosting the amount of its overseas earnings when converted into yen. Advertisement Honda stuck to its full year projection of an 800 billion yen (4.4 billion) profit, up from 651 billion yen a year earlier. Honda shares slipped 0.9% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Irans foreign ministry has summoned Britains envoy to Tehran over his posts on social media calling for the government to release all people arbitrarily detained in Iran, the state-run news agency reported. The IRNA news agency said British Ambassador Simon Shercliff was summoned for posting on Tuesday what the ministry described as interfering remarks on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Advertisement The posting came as Iran marked Journalists Day, commemorating the death of Mohammad Saremi, an Iranian journalist who worked for IRNA, and eight other Iranians killed by the Taliban on August 8, 1998 in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan. IRI celebrates 8 August as the Day of the Journalist. We pay tribute to all journalists prevented from doing their jobs and facing threats to their safety. We reiterate our call for Iran to release all arbitrarily detained individuals, including all journalists Advertisement Simon Shercliff (@SimonShercliff) August 8, 2023 Advertisement Mr Shercliff noted the commemoration and said: We pay tribute to all journalists prevented from doing their jobs and facing threats to their safety. We reiterate our call for Iran to release all arbitrarily detained individuals, including journalists, the British envoy added. Advertisement Iran often summons foreign envoys to protest over their remarks. There was no immediate comment from the UK Embassy. Iran has detained nearly 20,000 people during nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody last September of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman held by Irans morality police for allegedly violating the countrys strict dress code. Iranian police officers stand guard (Vahid Salemi/AP) Advertisement The protests escalated into calls for the overthrow of the ruling clerics, marking one of the biggest challenges to their four-decade rule since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Iran ranked as the worlds worst jailer of journalists in 2022. Overall, authorities are known to have detained at least 95 journalists in the wake of the protests following Ms Aminis death. A Sherpa guide who climbed the worlds 14 tallest mountains in record time is eyeing another record, looking to become the youngest person to scale all those peaks twice. Tenjen Sherpa, 35, and Norwegian climber Kristin Harila, 37, shattered the record for the fastest climb of the 14 mountains more than 8,000 metres high when they topped Mount K2 in Pakistan late last month. Advertisement The previous record was 189 days, and the pair did it in 92 days. Instead of taking a long break, Mr Tenjen intends to start working toward his new goal by joining an expedition to scale Mount Shishapangma in China within the next couple of months. I have already done (it) once and I want to double it, he told The Associated Press in Kathmandu. It is now my new target to be the youngest to scale these peaks twice. Advertisement Norwegian climber Kristin Harila and her Nepali sherpa guide Tenjen Sherpa (Niranjan Shrestha/AP) Advertisement The only other climber to have completed a second round of the 14 peaks is Sanu Sherpa, who is now 48 years old. Mr Tenjen has already climbed seven of the mountains twice and needs to scale the remaining seven again to reach his new goal, which he hopes to do by next spring. Mr Tenjen only started climbing the worlds eight-thousanders in 2016, when he scaled Nepals Mount Dhaulagiri. He has since made several such climbs a year, including four ascents of Mount Everest. Advertisement He and his three brothers hold a record as the most siblings to have climbed Mount Kanchenjunga, the worlds third-tallest mountain. Mount Everest and K2 are the worlds tallest and second-tallest. Working as a mountain guide was just a job to help support his family before Kathmandu-based Seven Summits Treks hired Mr Tenjen to be part of Ms Harilas expedition to Mount Shishapangma in April. Ms Harila subsequently picked him to join her on all her expeditions. It was my good luck and (I) was fortunate to be with her in the team, he said. He described Ms Harila, whom he calls didi or big sister, as the strongest and most accomplished climber he knows. Advertisement During his own planned trip to Shishapangma in the autumn, he wants to take photos of his late brother to the summit and bury them there. The mountain was the only one of the 14 tallest that his brother did not climb before he died. Advertisement Speaking to the AP, Mr Tenjen expressed his bitterness over Sherpa not getting enough recognition from the government for their hard work as mountain guides. Many Sherpas are emigrating to seek better lives for their families. It is not possible to just continue climbing mountains as you grow older so what else is there than to think of migrating abroad, he said. That can all be stopped if they were given land, houses to live and other opportunities here. Mr Tenjen grew up in a village farming potatoes and herding yaks, and never got a chance to attend school. He can barely write his name and is unable to read most trail signs on the trails. He moved his wife and two sons to Kathmandu, Nepals capital, where the children are getting formal education. Advertisement At the same time, Mr Tenjen is concerned that the younger generation of Sherpas is not interested in joining the gruelling mountaineering profession or may lack the necessary skills due to growing up in cities. Students in a Florida school district will be reading only excerpts from William Shakespeares plays for class rather than the full texts under redesigned curriculum guides. The modified curriculum guides were developed, in part, to take into consideration the US states new law that restricts classroom materials with content that can be deemed sexual. Advertisement The changes to the Hillsborough County Public Schools curriculum guides were made with Floridas new legislation limiting classroom materials that contain pornography or obscene depictions of sexual conduct in mind. Other reasons included revised state standards and an effort to get students to read a wide variety of books for new state exams, the school district said. Several Shakespeare plays use suggestive puns and innuendo, and it is implied that the protagonists have had premarital sex in Romeo And Juliet. Advertisement Advertisement The decision is fallout from laws passed by Floridas Republican-controlled legislature and championed by governor Ron DeSantisA. Photo: Charlie Neibergall. First and foremost, we have not excluded Shakespeare from our high school curriculum. Students will still have the physical books to read excerpts in class, a statement from the district said. Curriculum guides are continually reviewed and refined throughout the year to align with state standards and current law. The decision in Tampa is the latest fallout from laws passed by Floridas Republican-controlled legislature and championed by governor Ron DeSantis over the past two years. Advertisement The first law, dubbed Dont Say Gay by critics, was passed last year and prohibited classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in lower grades. The second law passed this year extended the prohibition on gender and sexual orientation discussion to other grades. It also prevents students and teachers from being required to use pronouns that do not correspond to someones biological sex and strengthens the system in which people can lodge challenges against school books. Republican politicians said at the time that the bill was intended to shield children from sexualised content. Underscoring the confusion over what is allowed in schools, Florida education commissioner Manny Diaz put Romeo And Juliet on his list of books he is recommending that students read in August. Advertisement Advertisement This months book recommendations provide a variety of reading materials that students will find uplifting and will spark a love for literacy, Mr Diaz said. In Lake County, outside Orlando, the school district reversed a decision, made in response to the Dont Say Gay legislation, to restrict access to a popular childrens book about a male penguin couple hatching a chick. And Tango Makes Three is about a male penguin couple hatching a chick. Photo: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File. Advertisement The School Board of Lake County and Florida education officials last week asked a federal judge to throw out a First Amendment lawsuit that students and the authors of And Tango Makes Three filed in June. Their complaint challenged the restrictions and Floridas new laws. The lawsuit is moot because age restrictions on And Tango Makes Three were lifted following a Florida Department of Education memo that said the new law applied only to classroom instruction and not school libraries, according to motions filed on Friday by Florida education officials and school board members. And Tango Makes Three recounts the true story of two male penguins who were devoted to each other at the Central Park Zoo in New York. A zookeeper who saw them building a nest and trying to incubate an egg-shaped rock gave them an egg from a different penguin pair with two eggs after they were having difficulty hatching more than one egg at a time. The chick cared for by the male penguins was named Tango. Advertisement The book is listed among the 100 most subjected to censorship efforts over the past decade, as compiled by the American Library Association. The Dont Say Gay legislation has been at the centre of a fight between Disney and Mr DeSantis, who is running to be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee and has made the culture wars a driving force of his campaign. Mr DeSantis and Republicans took over control of the district governing the area where Walt Disney World is located after Disney publicly opposed the legislation. The College Board has refused to alter its Advanced Placement psychology course to comply with Floridas new laws, even though it includes content on gender and sexual orientation. The College Board said last week that it hoped Florida teachers would be able to teach the full course. With students preparing to return to school this week in many school districts, it remained unclear whether any modifications to the course would be expected to comply with Floridas rules. Prosecutors have arrested an official of the German military procurement agency whom they suspect of passing secret information to Russian intelligence, the federal prosecutor's office said on Thursday. The man, a German national that the prosecutor's office identified only as Thomas H, approached Russia's consulate in Bonn and embassy in Berlin on his own initiative and offered his cooperation, it said. Advertisement On one occasion, the man passed information obtained during the course of his work to a Russian intelligence service, it said. Germany, one of the largest providers of military hardware to Ukraine, is a major target of Russian spying operations, which have grown in scale since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, authorities have warned. In December, authorities arrested a German Foreign Intelligence Service (BND) employee they suspected of spying for Russia. Advertisement A spokesperson for the Berlin defence ministry declined to comment. -Reuters The opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has said that Zimbabweans are determined to fight for change, even in the face of violence. CCC deputy spokesperson, Gift Ostallos Siziba, made the remarks at the launch of the partys 2023 election manifesto in Bulawayo on Tuesday. Siziba said that the biggest challenge facing the party in the urban areas is violence. He cited the death of party member Tinashe Chitsunge, who was allegedly murdered by supporters of the ruling Zanu-PF party. Violence is a big issue, but Zimbabweans are very clear that we will continue against all odds, Siziba said. Zimbabweans are fortified because there is no struggle without pain and bruises. Zimbabweans have understood fundamentally that we might lose property, we might be threatened, we might be killed, but it is aluta continua until we attain victory for the people of Zimbabwe. Siziba also noted that the party has been making strides in rural areas, where they have managed to canvass support by conducting rallies. Our campaign has been an interesting hot and cold situation, he said. We have been in the countryside where we were received very well. People used to argue without facts that CCC is an urban party, but in the past three weeks or so it has been demonstrated that we have more support and enthusiasm from the countryside. People there are very much hurt about poverty. If you travel to Gokwe you would think that you are not in Zimbabwe. People in the countryside are very clear that they want change, not for the sake of transferring power from one party to another, but for the purposes of living a life better than the dogs of the rich. People want more life and they want to live better. The elections are scheduled to take place on August 23. cite Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn has defended the banks profits after delivering a record $10.2 billion result, saying the banking giant needed to make a return for its shareholders so it could support the wider economy amid tougher conditions. The countrys biggest bank on Wednesday reported a 6 per cent rise in profit for the year to June, saying the economy had been resilient so far, but growth was slowing and some of its customers faced increasing financial stress amid rising interest rates and inflation. As acting Greens leader senator Mehreen Faruqi highlighted obscene levels of corporate profit, Comyn also faced a question from an analyst over the public perception that banks were making too much money. In response, Comyn defended the banks profit, saying there was not necessarily a trade-off between profits and delivering for customers. Beijings crackdowns on the private sector property companies, technology firms, online educators and ride-sharing companies also unnerved entrepreneurs. Very recent efforts by the authorities to convince entrepreneurs that Xi Jinping has reversed course and will treat them equally to the state-owned enterprises he previously favoured have yet to have any discernable impact: private companies want to see whether the rhetoric the list of 31 measures Beijing says it will implement to help them is backed up with actual action. Chinese consumers, battered by the lockdowns and by the collapse of Chinas property sector, are just as cautious. They are focused on conserving their savings rather than spending and producing the boost to consumption that the central authorities know they need to generate strong enough economic growth to meet their GDP growth target this year of about 5 per cent. Battered by the lockdowns and the collapse of Chinas property sector, Chinas consumers are cautious. Credit: Bloomberg So, there are some domestic strands to the explanation for the weakening import side of the trade equation, while part of the explanation for the falling exports would be the slowing of global economic growth and demand for Chinas products, caused by the tightening of monetary policies in advanced economies and the economic impact of the war in Ukraine. (The one shiny line item in the numbers was a 52 per cent increase in exports to Russia, although that was down on the 90 per cent increase in June and the 153 per cent increase in April.) The larger question mark over the trend within Chinas exports is the extent to which it reflects structural change and the emerging reversal of the globalisation that has powered Chinas economy for more than a quarter of a century. Loading The pandemic and the increase in tensions between China and the West, led by the United States, have had a significant effect on trade: not one that will help China to rebound from its current economic slowdown and they will increasingly continue to do so. The pandemics impact on global supply chains centred on China and exposed the vulnerability of other economies to interruptions to the quite fragile international supply and distribution networks. In response, there is a significant re-shoring of critical activity occurring, either spontaneously by companies scarred by their pandemic experience or in response to governments urging and incentives. The tariff war between the US and China that started during the pre-pandemic years of the Trump presidency has morphed into a broader and more sophisticated response by the US and increasingly its allies to Xis geopolitical and military ambitions. The Trump tariffs remain in place (along with Chinas tit-for-tat responses), but restrictions on Chinas access to advanced semiconductors and other advanced technologies, and massive incentives in the US and Europe for investment in technologies and infrastructure to reduce their dependence on China (and diminish Chinas capabilities in the process), are redirecting global investment flows away from China. Its not surprising that Mexico and Canada have displaced China as the major exporters to the US, or that exports from countries like Vietnam and Thailand have grown significantly as multinationals seek to diversify their supply bases (and some Chinese companies seek to circumvent the tariffs). Nor is it surprising that, even as Beijing is sending its trade emissaries to Europe and wooing foreign private equity firms and other foreign investors to signal its openness to foreign investment, the latest data released on Friday shows foreign direct investment slumped to a 25-year low in the June quarter, and is now down almost 90 per cent from the same quarter last year. The prospect of a continuing slowdown in the advanced economies and even the shallow recessions that seem likely in some of them means there is probably no near-term external source to reignite Chinas growth. And the underlying trend that has developed in just a few years towards deglobalisation, or de-risking as the Europeans and Americans now describe it (to avoid accusations that they are trying to decouple their economies from Chinas) will weigh on Chinas growth rate for the foreseeable future. Loading Beijing seems reluctant to shovel cash at households to try to boost consumption, perhaps because it fears they will save rather than spend it. Nor does it appear to want to have to resort to the large-scale infrastructure and property-focused (and wasteful) stimulus programs of its past even though there is a serious threat of deflation developing within the economy. The changes occurring within and outside Chinas economy point to more subdued growth (at best) than China has historically enjoyed, at least in the near term. Advertisement Eating outBest of Six of Melbournes hottest hotel bars to check out Tomas Telegramma August 10, 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 The hotel boom of the past few years means Melbourne came out of the pandemic well and truly ready to receive visitors. The city has a host of excellent new hotels, mostly from big global brands, and some which established roots here for the first time. A creative cocktail at The Royces shiny Showroom Bar. Bonnie Savage With the wave of openings came not only luxury accommodation, but all the trimmings including impressive restaurants helmed by top local chefs and, of course, cocktail bars. We spent a few nights bar hopping across the hotels and found the new guard of openings stack up as some of the citys most exciting the kinds of places youd be delighted to find after youve checked into your room and realised youre dying for a well-made drink. The view from Cameo looks over Melbournes west. Supplied Advertisement Cameo, The Ritz-Carlton On the 80th storey, Cameo might not have the same fine dining as its newly hatted sibling Atria or the same skyline views, as it looks out over Marvel Stadium and the expanse of western suburbs but the Ritz-Carltons new cocktail hotspot stands out from the hotel bar pack. At a glance, the prices on the first few pages of the weighty, leather-bound drinks list might shock you $125 for a Sidecar? But look a little closer. Theyre all made with rare and antique spirits, some more than 100 years old, like the 1917 Calvet Grande Champagne Cognac in that Sidecar. The league-of-its-own list was designed by booze baron and baroness Michael and Zara Madrusan (the Everleigh, Bar Margaux, Heartbreaker). The pricey signature cocktails are available in half-serves, for around half the price, starting at $35 for the mini 1943 Martini. 650 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, cameobar.com.au Advertisement Curious features an undulating ceiling of brightly lit timber beams. Supplied Curious, W Melbourne It was loosely inspired by Alice in Wonderland, so the fact that theres a lot going on at the Ws underground cocktail bar is kind of the point. An undulating ceiling of big timber beams emulates the rabbit hole, which the door person will whisk you down through a voluptuous velvet curtain. If you want to soak up the surrounds, theres a good vibe to bunker down for a midweek cocktail. But to find Curious at its most chock-a-block, book a table for Friday or Saturday night and watch as it gets boisterous, edging into club territory, with tables splurging on champagne magnums. Those after a quiet weekend nightcap wont find it here. Cocktails are as theatrical as the space (peppermint air, anyone?) and play on Melbournes stereotypical north-south rivalry (will it be one inspired by the Fitzroy Garage Party or the lavender-laden Too Right Its Toorak?). Advertisement 408 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, curiousmelbourne.com The Douglas Club is a quintessential hotel bar. Kristoffer Paulsen The Douglas Club, The Hilton Three grandiose archways mark the spot at the Hiltons Little Queen Street location, which opened in the historical Equity Chambers a former barristers chambers in 2021. Two radiant rooms that bookend the entrance form The Douglas Club, a quintessential hotel bar with all the slickness youd expect from the Hilton brand, but a particularly convivial staff that may have you sticking around longer than expected, even as others flit in and out. All the usual cocktail suspects get shaken up behind the stately bar, plus some that go their own way. The punchy Elements is bay-leaf-infused gin mixed with the brine of chillies pickled in-house, and theres a rum-heavy number thats like a lamington in drinkable form. Snacks keep it simple but smart: duck fat gnocchi fritti are topped with truffle salt and parmesan, and the horseradish-spiked steak tartare is served on a tapioca crisp for handheld convenience. Advertisement 472 Bourke Street, Melbourne, thedouglasclub.com.au The Showroom Bar is in a former Rolls-Royce dealership. Bonnie Savage Showroom Bar, The Royce With a name thats not just for show, this chintzy new hotel bar is in an old Rolls-Royce showroom on St Kilda Road. And it shows. Every surface shines from the marble floor, to the mirrored columns, to the original vaulted ceiling making it a beacon for The Royce, which straddles South Yarra and the CBD. Its the kind of place where it feels like deals are being done around you, but casual-cool service keeps the vibe welcoming. The signature cocktails go slightly off-piste with solid results (like the Paradisi, with Hendricks gin, Campari, Aperol, grapefruit bitters and Perrier mineral water), while the wine list is surprisingly approachable and affordable, if you want it to be. To eat? Everything from one-biters (cheddar and jalapeno croquettes with black-garlic aioli) to full-on meals (generous lobster rolls and club sandwiches). Advertisement 379 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, roycehotel.com.au Amphlett House offers more pub-style fare. Ashley Ludkin Amphlett House, Laneways by Ovolo Melbournes CBD isnt as flush with reliable pubs as its inner suburbs, but Amphlett House in the citys Paris End, at the recently revamped Laneways by Ovolo hotel is one of them. Its flown somewhat under the radar since opening late last year, but its beyond-the-classics pub grub and cocktail list, curated by celebrated chef Ian Curley (French Saloon) and drinks expert Andrea Gualdi (once at Sydneys Maybe Sammy), respectively, make it the sort of one-stop shop youd be stoked to find beneath your hotel. In this economy, the daily happy hour ($5 pints and wines from 4pm to 6pm) has serious pulling power. But its worth lingering for snacks such as the harissa-spiced fish Scotch egg and the brioche with duck liver parfait, and cocktails that put native ingredients front and centre (the headliners are a Wattleseed Negroni and a Finger Lime Daiquiri). Advertisement 19-25 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, ovolohotels.com Lona Misa, Backroom; Ovolo South Yarra With a Shannon Martinez-designed menu, Lona Misa a lively Latin-inspired diner with an entirely vegan or vegetarian menu is the first thing you see at Ovolos boutique hotel, on Toorak Road in South Yarra. But be guided by a glowing neon martini glass down a staircase to find Backroom, the hotels subterranean bar, which will give you a taste of the Lona Misa magic. Plant-based morcilla at Lona Misa. Chloe Dann That could mean a convincingly meaty but completely plant-based take on morcilla (Spanish blood sausage), or golden deep-fried olives stuffed with queso fresco. Pair them with on-the-mark cocktails from a tight list (Tommys Marg, Rob Roy) and your pre- or post-dinner drink is sorted. Red is definitely Backrooms colour, with the whole space blanketed in plush curtains and armchairs. Advertisement Advertisement Eating outThe scoop The scoop: What to order and where to sit at Melbournes grand-new Reine (and La Rue) Sofia Levin August 9, 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 Theres wow-factor from every angle at Reine & La Rue, the ambitious, double-venue dining room and bar within the neo-gothic 1890s Melbourne Stock Exchange from the Nomad Group. Someone ought to film a montage of the gaping mouths that pause at the entrance of The Cathedral Room. From the Collins Street entrance (La Rue is French for the street), a glass door slides open beneath a gothic archway, leading to a glowing front desk why, yes, you can take our coats. Reines dining room in the former stock exchange. Supplied Inside, granite columns support vaulted sandstone arches above the 135-seat dining room. Either side of the room, white-jacketed staff behind long Italian red marble bars sling cocktails and seafood. A 50-seat courtyard connects Reine (queen) to La Rue, an eight-seat wine bar with black terrazzo flooring, stained timber and a glass-doored wine vault. Advertisement What to eat Mon dieu, we need to talk about the butter. Served with All Are Welcome baguette ($10), its a salt-flecked byproduct of the cheesemaking process from Castlemaines Long Paddock. Frankly, if theres any left in your dish, you dont deserve it. I recommend you start with the Southern Rock lobster cocktail (market price), which leaves the 1980s behind in favour of sweet, dressed flesh, served in a half shell with cocktail sauce on the side. Pomme puree with bone marrow. Supplied Exquisite produce and a wood-fire grill are the power couple of this menu. My favourite is the half Great Ocean duck ($140), its flesh blushing pink and drenched in a rich jus. Advertisement If you are tempted by the list of steaks (they range from $65 to $420 for a 1kg Blackmore Wagyu rib-eye), then silky pomme puree ($19), with a hunk of bone marrow to spoon into the mix, is essential as are hand-cut chips for dipping ($12). To finish, keep room for creamy jersey milk soft-serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a smattering of hazelnuts ($22). Jersey milk soft-serve with extra virgin olive oil and hazelnuts. Supplied What to drink The mostly Victorian, French and American wine list is 700 bottles strong, with about 40 options by the glass (including three French champagnes). Advertisement A dozen house cocktails riff on the classics, but the Flora Martini (Never Never gin, vin jaune, Dom Benedictine and pear syrup) is a rich, rounded and decadent match if you happen to have a mouthful of that Long Paddock butter. Who to take Reine is a lush opportunity to dress up and head out for date night (though dont visit too early on in a relationship; youll be setting the bar way too high). French dining on a grand scale: What to expect at Reine & La Rue in Melbournes stunning former stock exchange Best seat Advertisement Speaking of bars, theres no better spot for solos and couples than up at the seafood bar. Its the equivalent of Row A at a theatre, but this show involves shucking and a spectacular stained-glass window. For groups, booths and banquette tables to the right of the seafood bar have corner outlooks of the entire room. Our favourite detail Credit to the way the new architecture doesnt interfere with the old; illuminated glass tiles protect mosaic flooring and speakers are built into the furniture. Failing that, just look up you cant beat those ornate, ogival arches. Inside the dark and moody La Rue. Supplied Pro tip Advertisement Both La Rue and Reines cocktail bar are walk-in only, but serve the full menu. Reine is open Tue-Sat noon-late; La Rue Tue-Sat 4pm-late. 380 Collins Street, Melbourne, 02 9280 3395, reineandlarue.melbourne Advertisement Eating outBest of How Sydney fell in love with hotel bars: 10 of the best to try Amy Cooper August 10, 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 On a Saturday night, guests at Aster, InterContinental Sydneys top-floor bar, gaze over their cocktails at the glittering cityscape 32 floors below, as if for the first time. Theyre nearly all locals, says bar manager Jacob Ransom. But for many, this is something new. When InterContinental Sydney unveiled its $120 million makeover late last year, the bar opened to the public for the first time, revealing a humdinger of a harbour view. People flocked here, and still do. They also pack out 1950s Vegas-themed Dean & Nancy on 22 at nearby A by Adina, and when plush boutique Hotel Morris opened in Haymarket in June, Bar Morris, its Italian-themed lobby bar, quickly drew a crowd normally native to the citys cooler small bars. Dean & Nancy on 22, nestled within A by Adina, has some serious cocktail credentials. At last, Sydney has a real hotel bar scene, says Jason Williams, creative director of Proof & Co, the bar consultancy behind Asters launch. As recently as five years ago, there just wasnt the demand to drink in hotel bars here. Advertisement Maybe, he reckons, they were just too fancy for egalitarian Australians. More likely, they just werent there. Sydney has never had an American Bar, a Bemelmans, a Bar Hemingway, or anything like Singapores Long Bar at Raffles haunts almost more famous than their host properties. While hotel bars in Asian cities are often the only place to find great quality drinks, says Williams, who led Long Bars recent reinvention, the Australian cocktail culture has thrived in small independents such as Maybe Sammy, a frequent flyer on the Worlds 50 Best Bars list. Sydney hospitality group Public is behind Dean & Nancy and the poolside bar at Paddingtons hippest new hotel, Oxford House, and is introducing small-bar talent to hotel outlets. We do great pubs, amazing restaurants, an incredible cafe culture and one of the worlds best cocktail scenes. Hotel bars are the last missing piece. Proof & Co creative director Jason Williams Advertisement Public hospitality director Martin Hudak, says: We like to think were changing the perception of a hotel bar. Dean & Nancy on 22 is playful, not stuffy or boring. Its engaging and entertaining. Hotel bars, adds Dean & Nancy restaurant and bar manager Stefano Filardi, have a unique allure. A world-class hotel bar connects visitors and locals, creating this magical international setting. You feel part of something special. Bar Morris, the Italian-themed lobby bar at Hotel Morris. Steven Woodburn Big budgets help, too, adds Williams. Hotels can afford to invest in the details gold foil or beautiful paper, vintage champagne by the glass, free snacks. While most independents cant afford live music every night, a hotel might have a baby grand or a three-piece in the bar. It helps that those hotels are coming. In the past year, Sydney has welcomed Capella Sydney, Ace Hotel, Porter House Hotel, Oxford House and Hotel Morris, along with major makeovers for InterContinental Sydney, Swissotel and Manly Pacific. A Waldorf Astoria is on its way, and Williams, whos already working on Waldorf New Yorks famed Peacock Alley restaurant, sees good times ahead. Advertisement I always felt sure that the hotel bar scene would arrive in Australia, he says. We do great pubs, amazing restaurants, an incredible cafe culture and one of the worlds best cocktail scenes. Hotel bars are the last missing piece. The light-spangled view from Aster, the InterContinental Sydneys rooftop bar. Aster This 32nd-floor eyrie channels Lost in Translation in its sleek lines, soft lights and that glittering panorama beyond except its unmistakably Sydney out there. From a low-slung armchair by the floor-to-ceiling window you can pair harbour and city panoramas with an Australian-inflected classic; a musky, mellow White Truffle Negroni, or an Earl Grey Martini with McLaren Vale gin. Bars director Mattia Arnaboldi and bar manager Joseph Ransom (formerly aMare and Jolenes, respectively) are currently creating a new wine list with forgotten treasures from the hotels massive cellar. Expect fun. Level 32, InterContinental Sydney, 117 Macquarie Street, Sydney, sydney.intercontinental.com Advertisement Mini vodka martini and oyster nam jim at Dean and Nancy on 22. Steve Woodburn Dean & Nancy on 22 Others might have let the 360-degree, 22nd-floor city panorama do all the work, but this is a bar from the Maybe Sammy team, which considers the vibes as crucial as the drinks. So the cinematic backdrop has a 1950s Vegas narrative, plum-jacketed bartenders, a grand piano and lashings of opulent black and gold. Serious drinks come with playful theatrics, in a menu that flits from India to Brazil to Egypt with smoke, bubbles and hijinks all the way. Level 22, A by Adina Sydney, 2 Hunter Street, Sydney, deanandnancyon22.com.au Three double-height arches provide a dramatic backdrop to the bar at Arches on Market. Steven Woodburn Advertisement Arches on Market Grand and glamorous, from its three dramatic double-height arches to the starched white jackets of the bartenders at an eight-metre green marble countertop, Arches finally gives this lovely old 1930s palazzo-style building the centrepiece it deserves. Up on the eighth-floor lobby level, its the sort of old-world, gracious palm court where lunch might be a trio of petite sandwiches, caviar and a martini straight from the freezer. Level 8, Swissotel Sydney, 68 Market Street, Sydney, archesonmarket.au A floral installation from art studio Don de LAmour floats above the countertop at McRae Bar. Timothy Kaye McRae Bar Advertisement Named for the architect of the heritage-listed sandstone building housing the luxury brands first Australian hotel, McCrae is a grand entrance to Victorian times. A floor-to-ceiling glass curio cabinet, chequerboard floor and polished glass tables quietly gleam with nostalgic glam, while an ethereal floral installation floats above the countertop. Five versions of the cobbler, a forgotten Gold Rush classic made with dry sherry, lead the drinks menu. Capella Sydney, 24 Loftus Street, Sydney, capellahotels.com Pool Bar The buzz around the new design-savvy, 56-room Oxford House (OH to its friends), emanates mainly from its poolside bar, where DJs start the party every Friday and Saturday. The urban oasis blends Palm Springs and Paddington: here a Hommey blanket, there an artwork from nearby China White gallery, with big cream umbrellas and potted palms. Drinks expertise comes from award-winning Eduardo Conde at neighbour El Primo Sanchez, so youll find top-shelf tequila at play in signatures such as OH! Margarita, with pink guava, organic agave, finger lime and pink salt. Oxford House, 21 Oxford Street, Paddington, oxfordhouse.com.au Advertisement Salumi with gnocco fritto and mussels gratinate, from Bar Morriss Italian-leaning menu. Steven Woodburn Bar Morris A welcome splash of glam in Haymarket, this sexy red art deco lobby bar is decked out with chandeliers, velvet banquettes, peach marble and endearing touches of rakish charm; when the bill comes, youre offered a roll of the dice to score a free amaro. An Italian focus means more than 12 amari, and cocktails pair Italian and local raw materials (Archie Rose gin meets amaro and pinot grigio in a spritz, and Seven Seasons Green Ant Gin has a Sicilian olive in a martini). All-day food comes courtesy of talented young Italian chef Rosy Scatigna. Ground level, Hotel Morris, 412 Pitt Street, Sydney, barmorris.com.au 14 / 20 Review Sociable food from breakfast to dinner: Buzzy Bar Morris puts the fun back into the hotel lobby bar Advertisement Spice Traders Penicillin cocktail. Steven Woodburn Spice Trader Theres a New York state of mind behind the low-lit velvet booths, brass bar and raw brick walls, but the drinks menu at this top-floor bar roams the 19th-century trade routes, with cocktails showcasing cassia, coconut, ginger and coffee. If the $150 wild scampi caviar is beyond reach, theres complimentary popcorn seasoned with togarashi or umami salt. The new secret menu of $12 cocktails between 5 and 7pm on Thursdays and Fridays also helps to keep things pleasingly affordable. Level 3A, The Porter House Hotel, 203 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, porterhousehotel.com.au 55 North Advertisement A $30 million transformation of the northern beaches stalwart gave Manly a grown-up, big-city hotel that still feels right at home on the beachfront. Its lobby bar embraces the ocean opposite, with outdoor seats and giant sliding glass doors but the leather swivel stools at the long, curvy bar beckon, too. Here you can see drinks adeptly prepared with local heroes such as Manly Spirits, and the fireplace lounge calls out for a Miso and Caramel Espresso Martini made with beans from Seven Miles Coffee in nearby Brookvale. Ground level, Manly Pacific Hotel, 55 North Steyne, Manly, manlypacific.com.au Zephyr At five years old, this sinuously curved harbourside rooftop bar is a grande dame by Sydney standards, but the gorgeous Darling Harbour vistas from its level 12 perch never get old. Yacht-reminiscent decor and a bar shaped like an elegant ocean-going vessel give the sense you might set sail for the French Riviera while sampling Zephyrs various tasty takes on the G&T before settling in with a $38 piping hot pot of mulled mead to soak up a winter waterside sunset. Level 12, Hyatt Regency Sydney, 161 Sussex Street, Sydney, zephyrbarsydney.com Advertisement Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty we are free at last. Pandemic informality is killing the tie. Credit: istock Great Scott, they wouldnt dare In the lead up to becoming prime minister, John Howard famously said the times will suit me and was proved right. Up until recently these times also suited Scott Morrison, but these times they are achanging, and he is not changing with them. This is most obvious when it comes to his flat-footedness in handling what is no less than an uprising by Australian women on half-a-dozen fronts at once. By way of a small example I offer the fact that even in the midst of matters of great moment of highly delicate sensitivities, the PM consistently refers to Brittany Higgins and Christine Holgate as Brittany and Christine respectively, just as he refers to Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins as Kate. Loading Why? He is not friends with any of them and the use of their first names comes across as paternalistic. It would be such an easy thing to fix, to treat them with the formal respect they deserve but he either refuses to do it or as I suspect its just not in him. You dont agree? Well, would any of them refer to him as Scott? Would it be ok if they did, or outrageously presumptuous? I rest my case. One other thing on his language, while Ive got you. According to the PM, we went to Afghanistan to fight for freedom. Really? Americans carry on about freedom as the be-all and end-all of every military action, but we Australians have always been a little more nuanced. And if freedom was our real motive, PM, why arent we invading Xinjiang province to free the Uighurs? Why arent the Americans? Joke of the Week A man walks into an antique store and starts looking around. Suddenly, he gazes upon the most stunning bronze statue of a Siamese cat. He asks the store owner how much he wants for the statue. The store owner replies: Its $200 for the statue and $2000 for the story that goes with it. The man replies :I really dont care about the story, but I do want the statue. By the time the man walks out of the shop, two cats are waiting for him at the doorway, and 10 are there by the time he makes it to the other side of the crossing. He goes several more blocks and, at another crosswalk, looks behind himself again. This time there are about 50 cats sitting looking at him. The man starts to get a little nervous and picks up his pace when the light changes. By the time he reaches the pier at the end of the street, he has now been running for several blocks, and there are 200! Frantic, he gets to the end of the pier, pursued by 300! He does the only thing he can, and throws the statue into the water, whereupon every single one of them goes in after it! Racing back to the shop, the shop owner sees him and says, I knew youd be back for the story! To hell with the story, gasps the man, Do you have a statue of a politician? Tweet of the Week Me: Onion rings and a bottle of wine . . . Waiter: White or red? Me, trying to impress my date: Whichever onion the chef prefers. @desukidesu Quotes of the Week The simple truth is, I was bullied out of my job. I was humiliated and driven to despair. I was thrown under the bus so the chairman of Australia Post could curry favour with his political masters. But Im still here and Im stronger for surviving it. - Christine Holgate, on her experience as chief executive of Australia Post woman to the Senate Environment and Communication References Committee. Enough prayers. Time for some action. - US President Joe Biden, promising to bring in some sane gun laws to diminish his countrys endless gun massacres. Whats the matter with these people? Cant they see what is good for them? - Prince Philip after the Australian republic referendum failed in 1999, recalled this week in the lead-up to his funeral yesterday. Oh, do calm down. The source was the Queens biographer Robert Lacey. And as long ago as 1968, on a solo trip to Australia, The Canberra Times reported of his speech to the National Press Club, If Australians decided they preferred a republic to the present constitutional arrangement, he said, there would be no perturbation in Whitehall. It should be settled by negotiation, not by insult. The basic issue was what best suited the Australian people. The only jab delivered successfully by Scott Morrison was the jab to get rid of Malcolm Turnbull. - Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese taking aim at Australias extraordinarily slow vaccination roll-out, which sees us ranked at 104th in the world, just between Bangladesh and Lebanon. The systems, processes and people let Jack, Jennifer and Olga Edwards down, for that I am sorry. We have to take responsibility for their deaths. - NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller saying that the force must take responsibility for the shooting deaths of Jack and Jennifer Edwards at the hands of their violent father, John. Edwards shot Jack, 15, and Jennifer, 13, with a legally owned and acquired Glock pistol at their West Pennant Hills home in north-west Sydney in July 2018. Then he drove home to Hornsby and turned the gun on himself. At this stage theres no change to the planned restart of our international flights, well continue to have dialogue with the government. - A Qantas spokesman saying that the airlines plan to restart most of its international network later this year has been thrown into doubt by Australias delayed vaccination program, which threatens to leave its international border closed beyond October. Its bizarre. Other businesses would have just gone, Mate, its not tenable. I offered to resign at the start [of the war crimes scandal] and they said, Nah. - Ben Roberts-Smith, a senior executive of Seven West Media, reveals in a legally made recording, his disdain for the business he helps run, his dislike of his fellow Seven executives and his incredulity that he is still running the companys Queensland operations despite being at the centre of a war crimes scandal. Melbourne private school giant Caulfield Grammar is discussing a closer relationship with small high-fee school Shelford Girls Grammar, whose principal is leaving for a role at Scotch College. There are concerns a potential merger is part of the talks. Shelford, which had 447 students from prep to year 12 last year a decline from 504 in 2017 told parents on Tuesday that principal Katrina Brennan would leave at the end of the year to join high-fee boys school Scotch College as its deputy principal and head of senior school. Shelford principal Katrina Brennan will take up a role at high-fee boys school Scotch College. Shelford board chair Pam Russell told the school community on Wednesday it was in the early stages of exploring whether a closer relationship [with Caulfield Grammar] in some form has any merit. Earlier this year, the board of Shelford was approached by Caulfield Grammar School to discuss a closer relationship between the two schools, Russell wrote. A popular budget measure to halve the price of common medicines will face a last-ditch challenge in the senate as the Coalition moves to block 60-day prescriptions and force Health Minister Mark Butler back to the negotiating table with pharmacies. But the opposition faces an uphill battle getting the full crossbench onside, after the Greens broke their silence on the issue to swing in behind the government on the last sitting day of parliament before the policy takes effect on September 1. The policy would allow patients to receive 60-day scripts from September, with the same maximum co-payment of $30. Credit: Michele Mossop Butler said the upper house had 24 hours from Wednesday afternoon to decide on the future of 60-day scripts as he threatened to cancel expedited negotiations about pharmacy funding, after Coalition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said she would move a disallowance motion to block the reform on Thursday. Labors budget policy will effectively halve the price of 320 common medicines for consumers by allowing them to buy two months of medicine for the price of one. But pharmacy owners have said they will be forced to close or cut services as they lose income from the reduced handling and dispensing fees they receive from the government. More than 3000 sites have been identified by the Minns government as public land suitable for redevelopment as housing, including a string of current and former psychiatric hospitals and disability centres. The documents contained in briefings to Housing Minister Rose Jackson and obtained by the Herald under freedom of information laws also reveal a list of 11 suburbs that have been prioritised for state-led rezoning and could be ready for large-scale development by the middle of next year. The governments vision for Camellia-Rosehill, as revealed in the artists impression in its November 2022 place strategy. Credit: NSW government In May, Premier Chris Minns ordered his ministers to find vacant blocks of public land to rezone for housing as the new government seeks to boost the states flagging supply of new homes. While the audit is ongoing a working group of agencies is sifting through the initial tranche of land to decide which sites should be prioritised for development documents reveal an initial desk-top review of public land unearthed some 3231 potential sites for development. Belem, Brazil: The leaders of eight countries that are home to the Amazon River basin have agreed to work together to conserve the worlds largest rainforest at a groundbreaking meeting convened by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The agreement, called the Belem Declaration, for the Brazilian city where the meeting was held, provides a road map to stave off the rampant deforestation, caused in large part by industrial agriculture and land-grabbing, that has severely damaged the rainforest and has major implications for Earths climate. Leaders of South American nations pose for a group photo during the Amazon Summit in Belem, Brazil. From left: the presidents of Colombia, Gustavo Petro; Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva; Bolivia, Luis Arce; Peru, Dina Boluarte, and Venezuelas Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. Credit: AP The meeting was also expected to yield a separate agreement among other nations with major rainforests including Congo, the Republic of Congo and Indonesia to more closely coordinate protecting the ecosystems globally. The Amazon rainforest is not only a haven of biodiversity but also plays an important role in the fight against climate change because it pulls huge amounts of planet-warming carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and stores. Over the past half-century, around 17 per cent of the forest has been razed and an even bigger share is severely degraded. 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. Latest News Can physical advertising still generate leads for brokers? Broker shares his marketing wins Prospa recognised as a great place to work It also got its 2023 certification as a Great Place to Work in Australia and New Zealand Research from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has unveiled a harrowing surge in cybercrime targeting the financial services industry, reporting an 80% increase over the past year. This jump in volume of activity also marks the largest increase CrowdStrike has observed for the financial services industry, cementing it as the second most targeted sector globally behind the technology sector. CrowdStrikes Australia CTO, Fabio Fratucello, said while the financial services industry has long been an attractive target for cybercriminals, there are a few reasons behind the dramatic increase. First and foremost, were seeing an increased focus from eCrime actors targeting financial services firms via opportunistic big game hunting ransomware and data theft campaigns, Fratucello said. Due to the importance of financial services companies being able to continue operations, eCrime threat actors know they are more likely to pay a ransom. This makes the sector a prime target for profiteering. Across the board, cybercrime had become industrialised over the last decade, and is now worth over $1.5 trillion annually. The Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region also experienced a concerning 11% share of these attacks, with the financial sector ranking as the third most targeted in the region. Particularly, state-sponsored North Korean criminals, such as LABYRINTH CHOLLIMA, continue to target the financial services sector. According to the report, LABYRINTH CHOLLIMA are notorious for targeting financial technology and cryptocurrency organisations and have updated both their custom-tooling and their tradecraft to work specifically on Linux and macOS. These adversaries continue to engage in prolific, financially motivated operations against the financial services sector with the aim of generating currency for the DPRK regime, Fratucello said. How are these cybercriminals targeting finance businesses? While the rise in attacks is concerning, Fratucello said that the cybercriminals are finding new ways to infiltrate the defences of unsuspecting businesses. Crowdstrike revealed there has been a massive increase in identity-based intrusions and growing expertise among cybercriminals targeting the cloud, while cybercriminals using legitimate remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools have tripled. Identity-based attacks have emerged as a leading attack vector, where a cybercriminal uses legitimate means to enter a victims system. This is difficult to defend against, Fratucello said. However, these cybercriminals dont just rely solely on compromised valid credentials like passwords. Instead, they are demonstrating sophisticated capacity to abuse all forms of identification and authorisation, including weak credentials purchased from criminal groups. Beyond credential harvesting, threat actors targeting financial services firms have elevated their phishing and social engineering tradecraft, manipulating employees into giving them their privileged credentials, granting the adversary access to sensitive data, Fratucello said. How can financial businesses protect themselves? While brokers and other financial services businesses have looked to address cybercrime in the past, the report emphasised how critical it has become. The research showed that cybercriminals are getting faster at breaching victims systems, with the average breakout time falling globally by 6% since 2022, from 84 minutes to 79 minutes. Fratucello said that financial services firms need to continue enhancing their detection and response capabilities, and in doing so they need to leverage the right tools and processes to secure identities. When it comes to stopping identity threats in their tracks, the key capabilities at an organisations disposal are to implement identity threat detection and protection and a proactive and continuous threat hunting approach across the identity domain for identifying anomalous behaviours, he said. Furthermore, defenders should regularly audit their user accounts. A key step for defenders in identifying identity-based risks in their organization is auditing the vast array of different user accounts that may be available to an adversary and ensuring that these implement the principle of least privilege and role-based access control. To protect themselves, Fratucello said organisations should follow a few security principles: Gain visibility in your security gaps its impossible to protect what you dont know about. Prioritise identity protection with the huge rise in identity-based crime, it is evident this is becoming a growing concern, and preparation is key. Prioritise cloud protection cloud infrastructure is being aggressively targeted, so invest in agentless capabilities to protect against misconfiguration, control plane and identity-based attacks. Know your adversary You cant protect yourself if you dont know what threat is coming. Practice makes perfect routinely perform tabletop exercises and red and blue teaming, and initiate user-awareness programs to combat phishing and social engineering techniques. Over the past three years, the Indian government has exercised more caution in imposing duties, even after Directorate General of Trade Remedies or DGTR (earlier known as Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties) investigations confirmed instances of "dumping" into the Indian market according to a report by the Times of India. Dumping refers to selling goods in a foreign market at a price lower than their origin, potentially harming the domestic industry. From 1991 to August 2020, the quasi-judicial body DGTR recommended anti-dumping duty imposition in 1,039 cases, with acceptance in all but seven instances, resulting in a mere 0.7 per cent rejection rate, as highlighted by the Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research data. However, following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the launch of the Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) campaign by the government, a noticeable shift has occurred, with the finance ministry increasingly rejecting a portion of DGTR's recommendations. Since August 2020, the "success rate" of DGTR's recommendations has dropped to 43 per cent, with only 61 out of 141 suggestions being accepted, according to data sourced by TOI. Goods originating from China continue to face the most substantial anti-dumping actions, with about 43 out of 80 rejected cases originating from China. This includes carbon black, caustic soda, flat rolled stainless steel products, viscose spun yarn, and polyester yarn. Even within these rejected cases for about 29 per cent of the products, China was the sole country responsible for dumping goods into India. The 23 rejected products included tires, amoxicillin, melamine, and nylon tire cord fabric. The official argument appears to be that imposing a dumping duty primarily targeting intermediaries and raw materials can raise the cost of finished products. The finance ministry and Niti Aayog do not uniformly support such measures. However, industry experts counter that, in numerous cases, persistent dumping could ultimately extinguish domestic players from the market. Also Read You may soon have to pay more for soaps, detergents, shampoos. Here's why What is Call of Duty and why are Sony, Microsoft battling over it? India to cut import duty on Washington apples to 50% by September end Centre to come up with a single trade body to promote exports: Report Windfall tax on crude oil slashed to Rs 3,500/tonne, duty on diesel hiked SEBI report: Number of appeals filed in SAT rose to record 1,192 in FY23 Govt might lift the ban on white rice export soon as production increases India's grain stockpiles crucial to PM Modi's pre-election strategy RBI likely to keep rate and policy stance unchanged to control inflation India's July inflation likely breached RBI's 6% upper tolerance level: Poll Also Read: DGTR for continuation of anti-dumping duty on China steel wheels for 5 yrs Nagasaki marked the 78th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the city Wednesday with the mayor urging world powers to abolish nuclear weapons, saying nuclear deterrence also increases risks of nuclear war. Shiro Suzuki made the remark after the Group of Seven industrial powers adopted a separate document on nuclear disarmament in May that called for using nuclear weapons as deterrence. Now is the time to show courage and make the decision to break free from dependence on nuclear deterrence, Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said in his peace declaration Wednesday, As long as states are dependent on nuclear deterrence, we cannot realise a world without nuclear weapons. Russia's nuclear threat has encouraged other nuclear states to accelerate their dependence on nuclear weapons or enhance capabilities, further increasing the risk of nuclear war, and that Russia is not the only one representing the risk of nuclear deterrence, Suzuki said. The United States dropped the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. A second attack three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more people. Japan surrendered on August 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia. Also Read BARC Director A K Mohanty appointed as new Atomic Energy Commission cheif Kim Jong-un wants North Korea to make more nuclear material for bombs UN nuclear head meets Iranian officials amid enrichment concerns IAEA chief to visit Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant before water release Ukrainian nuclear plant loses power supply again, is 'extremely vulnerable' Pak Railways suspend six officers for negligence that led to train accident Amazon nations seek support on climate change, urge developed countries Death toll in recent Beijing flooding rises to 33, with 18 still missing Why the likelihood of UFOs, aliens playing peekaboo with humans is remote Pak PM to formally tender advice to Prez Alvi to dissolve National Assembly At 11.02 am, the moment the bomb exploded above the southern Japanese city, participants at the ceremony observed a moment of silence with the sound of a peace bell. Suzuki expressed concern about the tragedy being forgotten as time passed and memories fade. Survivors have expressed frustration about the slow progress of disarmament, while the reality of the atomic bombing and their ordeals are not yet widely shared around the world. The concern comes after widespread reaction to social media posts about the Barbenheimer summer blitz of the Barbie and Oppenhheimer movies that triggered outrage in Japan. The combination of Barbie and a biography of J Robert Oppenheimer who helped develop the atomic bomb sparked memes, including of mushroom clouds. The craze was seen as minimising the ghastly toll of the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings. Suzuki, whose parents were hibakusha, or survivors of the Nagasaki attack, said knowing the reality of the atomic bombings is the starting point for achieving a world without nuclear weapons. He said the survivors' testimonies are a true deterrence against nuclear weapons use. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who did not attend the memorial in person, acknowledged in his video message that the path toward a nuclear-free world has grown tougher because of rising tensions and conflicts, including Russia's war on Ukraine. Also weighing on the disarmament movement is a deeper division in the international community. Kishida, who represents Hiroshima in parliament, has sought to showcase the G7 commitment to nuclear disarmament but has angered the survivors for justifying nuclear arms possession for deterrence and for refusing to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Suzuki demanded Kishida's government and national lawmakers quickly sign and ratify the treaty and attend the upcoming meeting as an observer to clearly show Japan's resolve to abolish nuclear weapons. As Washington's ally, Japan is under the US nuclear umbrella and seeks stronger protection as the allies reinforce security cooperation to deal with threats from China and North Korea's nuclear and missile advancement. Under its new national security strategy, Kishida's government is pushing for a military buildup focusing on strike capability. As of March, 113,649 survivors, whose average age is 85, are certified as hibakusha and eligible for government medical support, according to the Health and Welfare Ministry. Many others, including those known as victims of the black rain that fell outside the initially designated areas, are still without support. South Africa is keen on strengthening collaboration with BRICS nations in the field of vaccine manufacturing, the hydrogen economy as well as the marine sciences, a minister said. We are already working with the World Health Organisation through South Africa's hosting of mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub, but are also eager to work with BRICS partners, notably leveraging opportunities of our BRICS Vaccine R and D Centre, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Blade Nzimande, said at the 2023 BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial meeting hosted in the coastal city of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). The minister said at the meeting, one of several taking place ahead of the 15th BRICS Summit later in August, that South Africa had made excellent progress in developing new hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and was keen on joining forces with BRICS partners in this enterprise. Cooperation with partners in the Global South and strengthening multilateralism and solidarity through our BRICS science, technology and innovation partnership is, therefore, a priority of the highest order, Nzimande said at the meeting also attended by Dr SK Varshney, Head of International Cooperation in the Department of Science and Technology from India; Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation; Wang Zhigang, Minister of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, and Inacio Arruda, Vice Minister of Science and Technology for Social Development from the Federative Republic of Brazil. He also shared South Africa's Decadal Plan, which proposes a new dedicated programme on innovation for a healthy South African population. Nzimande quoted Nelson Mandela as he thanked other BRICS partners for their support. Also Read BRICS Sherpas exchange views on enhancement of strategic partnership Women's T20 World Cup Semis: South Africa create history, qualify for final England vs South Africa, Women's T20 World Cup: How to live stream in India T20 World Cup Final Highlights: Australia complete 2nd hattrick of titles India to play two Tests on multi-format tour of South Africa in December Italy proposes bank tax to help people with rate hikes, stocks plunges China suffers new blow as exports see biggest drop in three years Imran Khan appeals his conviction in graft case, seeks release from jail Powerful storm kills 2 people, leaves 1.1 mn without power in eastern US India trails Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh on internet resilience: Report President Nelson Mandela famously said: 'There is little favourable to be said about poverty, but it was often an incubator of true friendship. Many people will appear to befriend you when you are wealthy, but precious few will do the same when you are poor. If wealth is a magnet, poverty is a kind of repellent. Yet, poverty often brings out the true generosity in other people'." In this regard, South Africa will always be grateful for the loyal and unwavering friendship and solidarity afforded to us by the peoples of Brazil, Russia, India and China during our long struggle for freedom and subsequently your consistent support since 1994 for the development of our country, and our ongoing fight against poverty, inequality and unemployment," the minister said. "We deeply value the contribution of our cooperation in science and innovation to make South Africa a better country, he said. Nzimande said he was confident that the BRICS partners would join South Africa in the spirit of generosity that Mandela spoke about to develop science and innovation capacities across the African continent. I would therefore like to invite all BRICS partners to join forces with South Africa, whether bilaterally or multilaterally, in advancing the Pan-African agenda for science and innovation, consistent with the BRICS spirit of solidarity and our commitment to development. I believe that finding appropriate mechanisms for enabling cooperation and possible joint programmes between BRICS and African funders of research and innovation will be a strategic game-changer for science funding across Africa, he said. The minister added that South Africa plans to leave a lasting legacy of its chairmanship of BRICS in 2023 with several other initiatives besides ongoing support for instruments such as the BRICS Framework Programme and the various science and technology thematic working groups. This will include organising in December 2023 the occasion of our annual Science Forum South Africa, South Africa's biggest public science event, a first BRICS Conference on Technology Foresight hosted by our National Advisory Council on Innovation," he added. Secondly, we will be supporting technical exchanges to deepen BRICS cooperation in the strategic area of indigenous knowledge systems, with a special focus on research, innovation and training for the responsible use of natural medicine, the minister said. Throughout his illustrious career, Chef Gladwin has demonstrated exceptional expertise in various capacities, including operations, administration, guest relations, and kitchen management. His dedication to excellence has earned him accolades and honors, including a Gold Medal at Salon Culinaire and the Best Trainer award at Le Meridien Kochi in 2015. In 2017, TripAdvisor recognized his exceptional service with the prestigious Service Excellence Award. Chef Galdwin Antony, a visionary culinary expert with over 25 years of experience in the hotel industry, has been making waves in the world of progressive modern Indian cuisines. Renowned for his versatility, sheer passion, and innovative culinary creations, Chef Gladwin's journey from a bell boy in 1998 to becoming a highly acclaimed Michelin rated Executive Chef and now a culinary consultant has been nothing short of remarkable.Chef Gladwin's culinary brilliance truly shone when he served as the head chef at Saffron Lounge in Doha, curated by the acclaimed Michelin star Chef, Vineet Bhatia. His commitment to pushing the boundaries of Indian cuisine and infusing it with a modern twist garnered much acclaim and appreciation from both diners and critics.One of the most noteworthy highlights of Chef Gladwin Antony's career is his association with India's first Museum restaurant Ember in Kerala India. As the head chef of this groundbreaking establishment, he played a pivotal role in creating a unique dining experience that blended the rich heritage of Indian culture with the art of fine dining. This visionary concept elevated the appreciation of Indian cuisine to new heights, and Chef Gladwin's contribution was instrumental in its success."I am truly humbled and honored to have been part of this extraordinary culinary journey," said Chef Gladwin Antony. "Working at India's first Museum restaurant allowed me to explore the depths of our cultural heritage and present it through a culinary lens. It was a privilege to bring such a novel concept to life."Throughout his career, Chef Gladwin has been at the forefront of culinary innovation, introducing a fresh perspective to traditional Indian dishes. His culinary creations include modernized Galouti kebabs, innovative Kochi fried chicken, delectable cheese samosa chaat, mouthwatering Konkan lobster, and indulgent pistachio cream pudding, among many other exquisite delights.Currently, Chef Gladwin Antony continues to inspire and nurture the culinary talents of others as the culinary consultant at Cuisine Masters, where he plays a vital role in mentoring and shaping numerous food ventures across the country. Moveworks, the leading AI copilot platform for the enterprise, has been named to the Forbes 2023 Cloud 100, the definitive ranking of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world published by Forbes in partnership with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures. The recent rise of generative AI technology has fueled innovation in the industry, but Moveworks has been building its platform with advanced machine learning models since 2016. What started as a chatbot for automating everyday IT support tasks has evolved into an enterprise-wide platform, seamlessly linking employees to all enterprise systems via an AI-driven conversational interface. Powered by a combination of GPT-class large language models and proprietary NLU models, the Moveworks copilot learns the unique language of each organization to solve thousands of use cases across their business all using natural language. There has been an AI uprising in the past year, which underpins the rapid innovation happening across the entire cloud industry, said Bhavin Shah, CEO of Moveworks. At Moveworks, we offer a single, unified interface that connects to every enterprise system so customers can get the most out of their knowledge base, systems, applications, and workflows. The result is a massively simplified experience for employees and increased productivity for the entire organization. The honor of being recognized on the Forbes Cloud 100 list further validates the work we are doing at Moveworks to make language the universal UI. Navigating the enterprise environment can be complex for employees. On average, employees lose 5 working weeks a year simply toggling between hundreds of apps and systems. With Moveworks enterprise copilot, employees can surface information and take action across every enterprise system. Findings from a recent Forrester Consulting study revealed an ROI of 256% over three years for Moveworks customers. Users across IT, HR, finance, and other cross-departmental use cases can reclaim nearly 90,000 end-user hours annually and drive productivity savings of $3.6 million. The companies of the Cloud 100 list represent the best and brightest private companies in this crucial tech sector, said Kenrick Cai, the Forbes editor of the Cloud 100. This years companies had to react rapidly to AIs sweeping impact while contending with a market pullback. Their resilience puts them in elite company. Congratulations to each of the 2023 Cloud 100 honorees and the 20 Rising Stars who are showing early potential to one day join their ranks. For the eighth consecutive year, the Cloud 100 reviews submissions from hundreds of cloud startups and private companies each year. The Cloud 100 evaluation process involved ranking companies across four factors: market leadership (35%), estimated valuation (30%), operating metrics (20%), and people & culture (15%). For market leadership, the Cloud 100 enlists the help of a judging panel of public cloud company CEOs who assist in evaluating and ranking their private company peers. This years Cloud 100 list is one of the most dynamic in history. While the industry faced macro headwinds, the 2023 Cloud 100 winners displayed the innovation and resilience of the cloud economy and the combination of growth and efficiency that prove the power of the cloud business model. 95% of the honorees are forecasted to reach Centaur status $100 million of annual recurring revenue by the end of the year, said Mary DOnofrio, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. It is further exciting to see so many honorees at the forefront of the AI revolution, which we believe will continue to transform the cloud and propel the next wave of growth for many of this years winners. The past year our industry has seen a generational step forward in innovation and with AI leading the charge, we are witnessing one of the most important platform shifts in decades, said Paul Drews, managing partner, Salesforce Ventures. "The Cloud 100 list represents the best of the best and we've never been more excited about what the future holds, not only for the cloud but for the entire technology industry. We are proud of what these founders and their communities have already accomplished and look forward to seeing how they continue to transform the industry in the future." The Forbes 2023 Cloud 100 and 20 Rising Stars lists are published online at www.forbes.com/cloud100. Highlights of the list appear in the August/September 2023 issue of Forbes magazine. To request a demo of Moveworks, visit: https://www.moveworks.com/request-demo About Moveworks Moveworks is a generative AI platform that boosts employee productivity by surfacing information and automating tasks through natural language. Moveworks gives enterprises an AI copilot that works across every system from Microsoft to Workday to Salesforce. Powered by GPT-class large language models, the Moveworks copilot learns the unique language of your organization to solve thousands of use cases. Brands like Databricks, Broadcom, DocuSign, and Palo Alto Networks leverage Moveworks proprietary enterprise data, out-of-the-box solutions, and intuitive developer tools to bring conversational automation to all aspects of their business. For more information, visit: Moveworks.com Bessemer Venture Partners Bessemer Venture Partners helps entrepreneurs lay strong foundations to build and forge long-standing companies. With more than 135 IPOs and 200 portfolio companies in the enterprise, consumer and healthcare spaces, Bessemer supports founders and CEOs from their early days through every stage of growth. Bessemers global portfolio includes Pinterest, Shopify, Twilio, Yelp, LinkedIn, PagerDuty, DocuSign, Wix, Fiverr and Toast and has $19 billion of regulatory assets under management. Bessemer has teams of investors and partners located in Tel Aviv, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, New York, London, Boston, Beijing and Bangalore. Born from innovations in steel more than a century ago, Bessemers storied history has afforded its partners the opportunity to celebrate and scrutinize its best investment decisions (see Memos) and also learn from its mistakes (see Anti-Portfolio). About Forbes Forbes champions success by celebrating those who have made it, and those who aspire to make it. Forbes convenes and curates the most influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving change, transforming business and making a significant impact on the world. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 150 million people worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature LIVE and Forbes Virtual events, custom marketing programs and 47 licensed local editions in 80 countries. Forbes Medias brand extensions include real estate, education and financial services license agreements. Salesforce Ventures Salesforce Ventures helps enterprising founders build companies that reinvent the way the world works. Since 2009, weve invested in and partnered with more than 400 of the worlds most tenacious enterprise software companies from seed to IPO, including Airtable, Databricks, DocuSign, Guild Education, Hopin, monday.com, nCino, Snowflake, Snyk, Stripe, Tanium, and Zoom. Salesforce Ventures leverages our decades of expertise in the cloud and our long-term relationships with key decision-makers at thousands of businesses around the world to give our portfolio companies an unfair advantage, help them build credibility, and accelerate growth. Salesforce Ventures has invested in more than 25 countries with offices all over the world including in San Francisco, Irvine, New York, London, Tokyo, and Sydney. Follow @SalesforceVC and learn more at http://www.salesforceventures.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230808138265/en/ Award-winning International Private Medical Insurance (IPMI) provider Now Health International is celebrating its latest customer service success, having won another prestigious award, Customer Service Initiative of the Year, recognising its leadership in this area. In addition to its TrustPilot score reflecting how the companys members feel about its products and service, Now Health International also uses an internal survey program to proactively address customer issues and make life even easier for its members. However, the company believes a vital point of difference in the marketplace comes from its empathetic and efficient approach to dealing with members claims. Now Health International reports that it processes and pays 99% of members claims within five working days, which is one of the core components of the companys Service Promise. Additionally, the company approves 95% of all claims upon submission, without needing to gather more information from members. But while many insurers are fully automating these processes and seeing mixed results Now Health International relies on human expertise and personal qualities like empathy and compassion to enhance its claims processes. Discussing the companys claims philosophy, Michel Faucher, Managing Director, Now Health International, said: We believe in the value of the human touch and are committed to providing personalised care and support to all our members, especially when theyre making claims, which will often come after going through a particularly stressful period of illness or injury. Our approach is to look for all the right reasons to pay a claim. While we use automation to assist with fast claims processing and payment, we never outright reject a claim purely on a machines decision. Where our tools recommend further investigation, our team of claims specialists then get involved, more often than not leading to members claims being processed. Dr Bilal Shirazi, Chief Medical Officer, Now Health International, added: Technology undoubtedly has a role to play in what we do, but there is no substitute for the empathy, care and compassion that humans can provide during a one-on-one interaction. Im incredibly proud of the difference weve made to our members lives by using technology to make our processes more efficient while freeing up time for dedicated human involvement where necessary. Faucher concluded: Were incredibly passionate about using technology to disrupt the insurance industry and be innovators, but the human touch will always come first. I invite anyone seeking IPMI worldwide to come and experience the benefits of our approach first-hand, while also taking advantage of some fantastic deals were currently offering. About Now Health International Now Health International (NHI) is one of the fastest growing providers of International Private Medical Insurance (IPMI) solutions for Global Expatriates, High-Net-Worth individuals and Companies. NHI has offices in the UK, Malta, Spain, UAE, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia. For more information, visit https://www.now-health.com/. *Source: AETOSWire View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809033032/en/ July 25, 2023OttawaHuman rights defenders (HRDs) are active in every part of the world and play an essential role in promoting and protecting human rights internationally. In many countries, HRDs are increasingly at risk of violence, often subject to threats and injustices, forced to flee their homes due to fear of attack and reprisal, and on occasion, unable to return to their home country. Individuals from vulnerable and marginalized groups are at particularly heightened risk due to their intersectional identities. The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced the expansion of the global human rights defenders stream, doubling the number of resettlement spaces from 250 to 500 for HRDs and their family members. The initiative, propelled by the belief that no one should face persecution for championing justice, reflects Canada's unwavering commitment to providing a sanctuary for those who risk their lives in the pursuit of fundamental freedoms. Human rights defenders help build the inclusive and democratic societies that contribute to a peaceful and prosperous international community. Canada has a proud and long-standing tradition of responding to the needs of vulnerable people. For the fourth year in a row, we were the top resettlement country in the world, welcoming over 47,500 refugees from over 80 countries in 2022. Canada was one of the first countries to offer a dedicated, permanent pathway for HRDs. The expansion of the global refugee stream for HRDs and partnership with civil society organizations fulfills a ministerial mandate commitment, and is a clear statement of Canadas dedication to supporting and protecting HRDs at risk. As part of Canadas commitment to HRDs, we will also re-engage Canadian civil society organizations over the coming months on the development of a temporary protection pathway for HRDs in need. When we provide effective support to HRDs around the world, we enable them to carry out their work in a safe environment while protecting them from harm. Through the newly expanded global refugee stream for at-risk defenders, Canada will help HRDs defend the vital and fundamental human rights that we all deserve and give them more options to permanent residence when it is unsafe to return home. The world has shrunk to the size of a hamlet, and no age is too young to start planning for the future. A Model United Nations (MUN) conference is the perfect introduction to the international scene for youngsters. What is MUN? Students are entrusted with resolving a global issue through study, drafting, lobbying, and debate in order to approve an appropriate "resolution" in a MUN, which is a recreation of an actual United Nations convention. Youngsters participate in conversations and come up with solutions for the agenda they are given by assuming the roles of delegates, presenters, and chairs, representing various nations. They collaborate with children from other backgrounds. MUNs have been held regularly at the international and national levels ever since they were first held in the U.S. in 1949, but they only began to acquire prominence in India in 1996. Every year, schools and universities in India host close to 50 Model UN conferences, which are supported by the United Nations Information Centre in New Delhi. The agendas or subjects covered at the MUNs are a mirror of the real-world concerns the UN discusses, and they range from broad subjects like the rights of religious minorities to more focused subjects like the enhancement of accident protections around nuclear power plants. To accurately mimic the structure of the UN, the entire procedure and discussion are conducted in accordance with established "Rules of Procedure." What advantages come from participating in a MUN? Students gain leadership abilities, research, writing, public speaking, and problem-solving skills by preparing for and taking part in a MUN. Moreover, developing abilities in negotiation, dispute resolution, and cooperation comes from developing solutions that are acceptable to most of the delegates. Here are 10 ways that taking part in a MUN will benefit you in the future 1. Knowledge of the World Reading news articles or watching video news programmes to stay current on international events might get boring at times. As you represent a country at a 'global' level and interact with other delegates representing other countries, taking part in MUNs will greatly expand your understanding of the world. As a delegate, you will be expected to thoroughly investigate the nations you have been assigned, analyse and comprehend their foreign policies, and take into account the variables that might affect how they behave internationally. You will obtain detailed and practical knowledge of international affairs as you examine the issue's complexities, including its background, history, treatment in the UN, and prior resolutions adopted on it. 2. Confidence Building Participating in a MUN entails getting to know new people, communicating with strangers, working in teams to find answers to given problems, and confidently expressing one's opinions. The entire process, from getting ready for the MUNs to the discussions, debates, and resolutions adopted at the MUN, will help to increase your confidence. You will feel much more at ease dealing with strangers and expressing yourself freely after taking part in a MUN. Gaining more self-assurance will help you communicate effectively in difficult situations in the future. 3. Analysis Capabilities The capacity to solve difficulties through analysis is a talent that benefits you at every stage of life as well as in every career. The MUN is a great venue for developing analytical abilities because you will be given a task in a simulated setting and required to complete it after considering the concerns of the other countries, previous precedents, and viable answers to come up with a workable conclusion. 4. Ability to Solve Issues The MUN is fundamentally built on problem-solving abilities because it puts you in the centre of a (simulated) organisation tasked with resolving international concerns. As a result, problem-solving is a skill that you will need to develop from the start of the MUN, learning how to identify the key elements of a topic, determine factors to be considered when deciding on the solution, and putting it all together to come up with a final resolution that pleases all concerned countries. 5. Diplomacy Negotiation, or diplomacy, applies to any deliberate discussion between two groups and is thus a very useful ability to have. It is not just limited to discussions between two countries. You will gain more knowledge and experience about how to conduct discussions between two groups in a diplomatic and goal-oriented manner by engaging in diplomacy at the MUNs. In addition to mastering the art of diplomacy, students who want to work as professional diplomats can hone their skills by taking part in MUNs, which offer a realistic glimpse into the daily lives and jobs of diplomats. 6. Public Speaking It takes practice to become an effective public speaker, and the MUNs offer the perfect setting to test and enhance your abilities. The MUNs require a lot of public speaking because you discuss and share your opinions in front of a group of people. You will have numerous opportunities to improve your public speaking skills during the entire MUN event because you will give several talks. 7. Networking Attending a MUN is the best method to network, meet new people, and create relationships that will be useful in the future. You will interact with other delegates, senior delegates, event chairmen, co-sponsors, judges, and organisers during a MUN. You can expand your network for later use by meeting potential mentors and developing new connections. 8. Writing Skills At MUNs, there is a significant amount of writing required, including speeches, position papers on the resolution's subject, potential changes, and finally the resolution itself. The writing you will work on in MUNs is far more regimented and demands more originality than the writing you do in school. Each essay requires research and analysis, and it will help you develop your writing abilities-a talent that will be helpful in school and in the workplace. 9. Leadership Qualities Given all the advantages mentioned above, it is reasonable to say that MUNs will enhance your personality. Your leadership abilities will undoubtedly be strengthened as you take charge as a representative of a real-world nation thanks to the independence, challenges, and teamwork. You will be inspired to act like a leader for the nation, making decisions and coming up with answers. 10. Applications for College MUNs are renowned for their excellence, high standards, and degree of difficulty, and taking part in one will help you stand out when applying to colleges and/or jobs. Students who have participated in MUNs have been known to receive preferential treatment from elite Ivy League universities like Yale and Harvard. Even Indian universities are starting to use profile-based admissions (like those at liberal arts colleges), where extracurricular activities are given a lot of weight. MUN participation exemplifies the attributes that admissions officers and interviewers want in candidates: discipline, confidence, analytical prowess, and problem-solving abilities. Difference Between a Bill and an Act A bill is a way to present legislative ideas to either house of the Indian Parliament. A bill is a blueprint for a legislative proposal that, when approved by both houses of parliament and signed by the president, becomes an act of parliament. The people must be given a democratic opportunity to comment on the law once it has been framed and publicized in the newspapers. The measure/ bill may then be modified to constructively integrate public feedback before being tabled in the Parliament by ministers or private members. The first is referred to as government legislation, and the second as private member's bills. Bills can also be categorized as either public or private. A private bill relates to a specific individual, organization, or organization while a public bill refers to a matter affecting the public at large. Private laws include those governing Muslim Waqfs or orphanages and charitable homes. When the Lok Sabha is dissolved, a measure that was introduced but is waiting for any reason expires. The Rajya Sabha, on the other hand, does not allow bills to expire and they can be languishing for years. The vice president is responsible for reviewing each bill that the Rajya Sabha is to consider to ensure that it complies with all constitutional requirements and procedures. The vice president shouldn't allow the passage of constitutional amendments through regular legislation. The Supreme Court is empowered under Article 71(1) of the Constitution to investigate and rule on any constitutional violations committed by the vice president. Any Indian citizen who has broken the law is ineligible to serve another term in office or to run for office as a member of parliament. The Vice President may be removed by the Supreme Court for electoral fraud or if they are not qualified to serve as Rajya Sabha member under the 1951 Representation of the People Act. Phases or Process of Becoming a Bill into an Act: The first version of a legislative proposal is a bill. Before it can be considered a Parliamentary act, it must go through a number of phases. A bill must pass through three stages in order to be approved by one house of Parliament. The process is the same for state legislative bodies. First Reading: The introduction of a bill in either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, the two houses of Parliament, officially begins the legislative process. Either a government or a private member may introduce a bill. It is known as a government bill in the first instance and a private member's bill in the second. A member who is in charge of a measure must request permission from the house before introducing it. The bill is introduced if the House grants leave. The first reading of the bill refers to this phase. In the event that the motion for leave to present a bill is contested, the speaker may, at his or her discretion, permit both the member who opposed the motion and the member-in-charge who made the motion to make a brief explanation. The speaker may allow a full discussion of a motion for leave to present a bill if it is contested on the grounds that it would begin legislation outside the scope of the house's legislative authority. The house is then asked to vote on the matter. However, the house votes immediately on the motion for permission to propose a finance bill or an appropriation measure. According to Articles 109, 110, and 117, financial bills and money/appropriation bills may only be introduced in the Lok Sabha. A bill's status as a money bill is determined by Lok Sabha Speaker. When a bill is introduced in the Rajya Sabha, the vice-president of India, who serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, determines whether the bill is a money bill or not. Publication in the Official Gazette: A bill is published in 'The Gazette of India' after it has been introduced. A bill may be published in the Gazette even prior to presentation with the speaker's approval. In certain situations, no permission from the house is requested in order to introduce the measure; it is introduced right away. Reference of Bill to the Standing Committee: A bill may be referred to the appropriate standing committee for evaluation and a report once it has been tabled by the Lok Sabha speaker, the Rajya Sabha chairman, or anybody acting on their behalf. If a bill is referred to a standing committee, the committee is required to consider the overall objectives and contents of the bill and to produce a report. The committee may also poll interested parties or confer with experts for advice. After deliberating on the legislation in this way, the committee then submits its report to the House. The report of the committee should be taken as advice because it is persuasive. Second Reading: The bill is examined during the second reading, which happens in two steps:- First Stage: The principle supporting the law is discussed during the first stage, which entails a general discussion of the measure as a whole. At this point, the house has the option of referring the measure to a select committee of the house or a joint committee of the two houses, circulating it to gather feedback, or taking it directly under consideration. When the bill is referred to a select or joint committee, the committee examines each provision in the same manner as the House. The committee members may move amendments to the various provisions. Associations, government agencies, and specialists who are interested in the bill may also testify before the committee. Following this initial consideration of the bill, the committee reports its findings to the House, which then takes the bill under consideration once more. If a bill is distributed with the aim of gathering public input, the states and union territories are used to collect those opinions. Opinions that have been received in this manner are set on the house's table, and the next move on the measure must be for its referral to a select or joint committee. Moving the motion for consideration of the bill is typically not allowed at this point. Second Stage: The second stage of the second reading entails clause-by-clause analysis of the proposed legislation or that which the select or joint committee has reported. Each clause of the bill is discussed, and amendments to clauses may be moved at this time. Before the house votes on the relevant provision, amendments to a clause that have been moved but not yet withdrawn are presented to the vote of the house. If the majority of the members present and voting approve the amendments, they form a part of the final measure. The second reading of the bill is considered to be complete if the house has approved the provisions, any schedules, clause 1, the enacting formula, and the long title of the measure. Third and Last Reading: The person in charge may then make a motion to pass the bill. The third reading of the bill is when this phase occurs. At this point, the discussion is limited to reasons in favor of or against the law, without going into more depth than is absolutely necessary. At this point, only formal, verbal, or consequential revisions may be moved. A simple majority of the members are present and voting is required to pass a regular bill. However, a majority of the entire membership of the house and a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting is necessary in each house of Parliament in order to pass a bill that amends the Constitution. The presiding officer of the relevant house has the right to vote, known as a casting vote if there is a tie in the number of votes for and against the bill. Passing a Bill: It is the responsibility of the chairman or speaker, or the person acting in that capacity, to adjourn the house or suspend the meeting until the quorum is met if, at any point during a meeting of a house, there is not a quorum, which is a minimum of one-tenth of the total strength of a house. The majority of the members present at the time must have approved the bill by voting or voice vote for it to be considered passed for legislative purposes. A member has the right to request voting in place of a voice vote. According to Article 368 of the Constitution, a constitutional amendment measure must receive the support of two-thirds of the members who were present and cast a vote, with at least half of the members of each house participating. Bill in the Other House: The bill passes through the phases outlined above, with the exception of the introduction stage, when it is forwarded to the opposite house of Parliament for concurrence after being approved by one house. A bill enacted by one house that is amended by the other house must be approved by the original house before being sent back. If the initial home does not concur with the revisions, then there has been a disagreement between the two houses. A money bill and an ordinary bill may both be held by the opposite house for up to 14 days and six months respectively before being passed or rejected. If it doesn't respond to the bill within the allotted period, it is assumed to have been approved by both chambers and submitted to the president for his signature. According to Articles 196 to 199, a law at the state level need not be approved by the legislative council (if one exists). No provision is made for holding a joint session of both chambers to enact a bill. Joint Session of Both Houses: The Speaker of the Lok Sabha presides over a joint session of the two houses in the event of a deadlock between the two houses or after more than six months have passed in the other house, however, the President is not required to call one. In these situations, the deadlock is resolved by a simple majority. The Dowry Prohibition Act (1961), the Banking Service Commission Repeal Bill (1978), and the Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act (2002) are the only three bills that have been passed at joint sessions to date. President's Approval: A bill gets passed to the President for his approval in accordance with Article 111 once it has been approved by both houses using the procedure outlined. A law that is not a money bill that the President has personally suggested to the houses may be returned with the President's assent or withheld. However, Article 255 states that the final approval of the President or Governor of a state, when specified, is required for any act of Parliament or the state legislature. The prior recommendation of the President or Governor of a state, wherever specified, is not required. The President may return a bill with suggestions to pass it under the constituent powers of Parliament by using the Article 368 procedure if he believes that a particular measure passed by Parliament that was passed under its legislative authority violates the Constitution. The President may not veto a constitutional change bill that has been properly approved by Parliament in accordance with Article 368. The bill is published in 'The Gazette of India' and becomes an act as of the date of the President's assent if he grants his assent. The measure is withdrawn if he refuses to sign it, which is known as an absolute veto. According to Articles 111 and 74, the President has a complete veto over any assistance or advice from the Council of Ministers. Additionally, the president has the power to exercise a "pocket veto," in which he essentially withholds his approval at his discretion. President Zail Singh used the pocket veto just once, in 1986, in opposition to the Postal Act, which amended the Indian Post Office Act of 1898 to let the government open postal correspondence without a court order. If the President sends it back for further discussion, the Parliament must debate it again; nevertheless, if it is passed again and given back to the President, he must sign off on it. If the President does not ratify a bill that Parliament has approved using its legislative authority, Parliament may alter the bill as a constitutional amendment bill and pass it using its component powers to compel the President to do so. The constitutional bench of the Supreme Court would invalidate a constitutional amendment act if it violated the fundamental principles of the Constitution. According to Article 61, if the majority of the members of each house of Parliament vote in favor of impeaching the President after an investigation finds that the charges against him are true, the president could be removed from office if Parliament believes his actions are against the Constitution. A state's Governor must give his or her approval before a bill passed by the state legislature can become law. When there is a potential conflict with other core laws or the constitution, the governor may occasionally send a measure to the president; the president's judgment is final under Articles 200 and 201. The President must sign off on all Union Cabinet decisions before they can be published in a gazette. The President must not provide his or her assent to Cabinet decisions if they fall outside the bounds of established law. He can say that in order for the Union Cabinet's decision to be valid, the Parliament must approve the required laws. According to Article 78(c), a minister is not permitted to make any decisions without first consulting the Union Council of Ministers. The Indian Constitution was written with the intention that those in charge of or standing in for the independent institutions it established, such as the judiciary, legislature, and executive, will act honestly, efficiently, and impartially in the interest of its population. When one or more institutions are not performing their duties, the others should typically take the initiative to make things right by utilizing checks and balances in accordance with the Constitution's requirements. Coming Into Force: The majority of laws generally take effect or become enforceable in the way that is defined in the actual law. It would either take effect as of the date of the President's assent (typically in the case of ordinances that are later approved by the Parliament), on a date specified in the act itself (typically in the case of finance bills), or on a date determined by the wishes of the federal or state governments, as the case may be. A separate Gazette notification is issued in the event that the government decides to start the act early. This announcement is typically followed by a second Gazette notification that contains the rules or supporting legislation. The Union government will build research parks at eight Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore to strengthen the country's research ecosystem.IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, and IIT Gandhinagar are the eight IITs. Subhas Sarkar, minister of state for education, informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply that the project intends to promote science and technology. The primary goals of these research parks are to collaborate in research with world-class industries, to enable student entrepreneurship and incubation, to build strong academic links for students, to increase the reach of academic content for the industry, and to enable the industry to add value to academic programmes through close partnerships, among other things. To meet the many purposes of the Research Parks, these are typically developed in the country's Higher Education Institutes. An important advancement in technical education has been reported by IIT Kharagpur. The institute has introduced a new certification course called "Hands-on AI for the real-world applications'' (HAAI) with the goal of educating a whopping one lakh people about Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies through its national AI Hub - AI for Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (AI4ICPS). In partnership with TCS iON, a strategic division of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the course is being introduced. Pioneering AI Education: AI4ICPS This course was developed by AI4ICPS, a government agency operating under the auspices of DST, as a component of Nationally Educational Policy 2020 (NEP 2020). The development of the AI course, which has been painstakingly created to satisfy the ever expanding demands of the AI industry and follow NEP 2020 guidelines, was led by Professor VK Tewari, Director of IIT Kharagpur. Making education accessible to all, encouraging experiential, interdisciplinary learning, improving skills for greater employability, and utilizing digital technology for more effective virtual classrooms are some of the proposals. TCS iON: A Partner In Outreach For this certification program, TCS iON has been brought on as a platform and outreach partner. LMS platform services would be accessible through TCS iON, making it easy to reach out to numerous educational institutions and other niche audiences in India. Highlights And Features Of The Course Faculty from the computer science, electronics, electrical, and math departments at IIT Kharagpur, as well as TCS scientists, will oversee this three-month program, which will be held over the weekends. It guarantees 100 hours of experiential learning, industry exposure, modular exams, discussion rooms, in-person question-and-answer sessions, a certificate of merit for the top 1%, and the opportunity to speak with business experts. Additionally, the training includes advice from AI4ICPS on resume preparation. The program starts on September 2 and ends on December 2 of the same year. It is available to new graduates, people pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees, working professionals looking to change jobs to become AI/ML engineers, and people with some experience in programming who want to pursue careers in IT. Through the official websites of AI4ICPS or TCS iON, applicants may sign up for this certification program. Course name: Hands-on AI for the real-world applications Duration: 47 contact hours and total 100 hours of experiential learning Start Date: September 2, 2023 End Date: December 2, 2023 Eligibility: Freshers, individuals pursuing UG/PG degree, who aspire for a career in the field of AI, working professionals looking for a career transition as AI/ML engineer, individuals with basic programming knowledge looking to build their careers in IT. Fee: Rs 4998 Learning Format: Online (Live Session + Hands-on learning) The National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) will be renamed the IIM-Mumbai after both Houses of Parliament passed the IIM (Amendment) Bill 2023 on Tuesday, giving Mumbai its own famous Indian Institute of Management. The NITIE will be the country's 21st IIM and the second in Maharashtra, following the IIM Nagpur, which was the first of six new-generation IIMs founded by the Government of India in 2015. It will provide more MBA places to CAT hopefuls now that it has its long-awaited IIM. There is currently no full-fledged IIM in Mumbai, despite the state of Maharashtra having two IIM campuses: IIM Nagpur and IIM Indore (Mumbai campus). The Government of India has opted not to create a new building or campus for IIM Mumbai, instead incorporating one of India's most prestigious and prominent management colleges. The NITIE Mumbai was founded in 1963 with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme and the International Labour Organisation. For the past 60 years, it has been a major institution in the field of business education, earning a reputation as an exemplary B-School and making substantial contributions to management education. There are currently 20 IIMs in the country, and the promotion of NITIE Mumbai to the IIM level will signal the formation of the country's 21st IIM. This decision appreciates NITIE's efforts as well as its compatibility with management education ideas and standards, according to FPJ. German is a West Germanic language spoken primarily in Europe and is one of the world's major languages. It is primarily found in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, some areas of Belgium, and the South Tyrol region of Italy. A certificate in German can open up a world of options for you because it is comparable to other foreign languages. You can acquire German language skills in a variety of ways and pursue a career in this field. A degree or an online German certificate programme are both options. The leading online education companies and colleges worldwide offer free German classes, German language courses online, and German language certificate programmes. Numerous chances in numerous fields will be open to you after completing a German language certificate course, German language course online, or free online German language course with certificate. These include healthcare, banking, public relations, international relations, embassies, media, academia, travel and tourism, and many more. You can study German online and receive a certificate to advance your profession. Why are Certificate Courses Important? In many universities, the curriculum tends to focus more on theoretical aspects rather than practical applications. Even if you engage in projects or practicals, the emphasis is often on securing good grades rather than gaining hands-on experience. Certificate courses, available in the market, bridge this gap by enhancing your skills across various dimensions. They expand your knowledge in areas aligned with market needs, equip you with the ability to handle real-life situations, and develop your personality to thrive in the industry. For German language course students, there exists a plethora of certificate courses that perfectly complement their studies. These courses enhance knowledge and skills in specific domains, allowing students to gain a competitive edge in their chosen field. Here are some certificate courses that are relevant to German language course students Course Name Offered by Duration Fees German - I IIT Madras via Swayam 12 Weeks Free German - II IIT Madras via Swayam 12 Weeks Free Madras via SwayamLearn German Language: Complete German Course - Intermediate Udemy 7 Hours Rs 1,280 Certificate Course in German Kurukshetra University 1 Year Rs 5,898 Certificate Course in German Savitribai Phule Pune University 1 Year NA German online Language Course A1 Indian Institute of Foreign Languages 60 Hours Rs 12,800 Deutsch Intensiv - Intensive German Course for Beginners Udemy 10.5 Hours Rs 1,600 Advanced Diploma in German University of Mumbai, Mumbai 1 Year NA Certificate Course in German Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phoole Post Graduate Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Jaipur 1 Year NA Career Opportunities in German Foreign language study has become increasingly important as the globe becomes a smaller, more interconnected community. After completing online German courses, free German language courses with certificates, and German language certificate courses, there are numerous career chances with MNCs and foreign businesses with operations in India. Numerous other career options, including those in travel and tourism, publishing, academia, embassies, translation, and more are open to people who complete online German language courses with certificates and German language certificate courses in addition to working for multinational corporations (MNCs) and international businesses. Below are some fascinating job roles available after German language course with certificate online: German Translator Teacher Tour Guide German Language Trainer German Writer Diplomatic Coordinator Salary Expectations Companies provide a rich wage package to individuals who are skilled in German because it is a common language and has become a sought-after employment option. Learn German online with a certificate to earn a competitive salary. The average annual pay for a professional in India who speaks German is Rs. 452,000, according to PayScale. Depending on the organisation, the work type, the experience, and the qualifications, the salary may change. German Translator- Rs 500,000 per annum Interpreter- Rs 489,788 per annum German Language Specialist- Rs 584,512 per annum Writing content entails organising, creating, and editing web content, mostly for digital marketing. It's a broad industry that includes creating content for various social media platforms as well as authoring blog entries or articles, scripting for videos and podcasts, and blogging. For websites and other forms of media, content writers are in charge of writing the content. Though it looks to be a simple job, it necessitates particular skills, which can be improved by enrolling in the best content writing courses in India. Those interested in studying content writing can now find work through online courses. The style of online learning has enabled interested applicants to train up remotely, and as a result, a growing number of people are opting for online learning platforms, particularly for professions such as content writers, digital marketing specialists, and others. Search engine optimization (SEO), the fundamental prerequisite for generating web traffic and sales, is where content writers come into play. There are several online courses and certifications you may pursue to gain content writing abilities along with some technical skills like SEO and more if you want to pursue a career in content creation. Marketing his work is equally crucial to a content writer, as are any content writing skills. The process of developing and disseminating online content, including blogs, articles, videos, and social media posts, is known as content marketing. Using quality material to drive more traffic is known as content marketing. To master the best practices of content marketing and the top content writing courses for effective writing, you can choose online diploma courses. Earlier, anyone could execute the position of content marketer; it wasn't seen as a career option. But during the past few years, the situation has drastically altered. To expand the reach of their operations, organisations today employ qualified employees for marketing and content writing positions. This has increased demand for accredited content writing courses. Top Skills for Content Writers Here are some of the top skills a content writer should possess: Study: It's critical to do thorough study on the subjects you write about because you'll need to offer them something unique. Originality: This is yet another crucial trait. You may have noticed that many websites these days tend to copy information because there are so many tools accessible for paraphrasing, but this is useless because it harms your viewers. Search engine optimisation (SEO): SEO unquestionably continues to be the skill in highest demand. Crafting articles and other content is simple, but crafting them so that they appear at the top of search results is challenging. And search engine optimization tools are the greatest way to accomplish this. Technical skills: It's necessary to understand the fundamental technical tools, such as Grammarly, a plagiarism checker, etc., while discussing technical skills. To avoid frequent errors that could cause the readers to lose interest in your material, it's important for content writers to be technically proficient. Best Content Writing Certification Courses Find and register in online degree programmes or content writing certification programmes if you are truly interested in learning how to write content. These programmes will provide you a fundamental understanding of the process. Here, we've compiled a list of some of the top content writing programmes in India that might help you advance your career. 1. Effective Writing This is one of the top content writing courses in India that will teach you how to organise your writing and provide you tried-and-true techniques to improve the structure, polish, and impact of your business communications. The training consists of four modules and is appropriate for persuasive leaders, job seekers, and other professionals. Once completed you will get a certificate. Course Structure: Structure Your Writing The Harappa GRT Framework From Theory To Practice A Writer's Checklist Harappa Capsule Duration: 4.5 hours Offered by: Harappa 2. Ninja Writing: The Four Levels of Writing Mastery For years, Udemy has been praised for the calibre of its content writing certification programmes. This is one more of the top online courses for content writing that will teach you how to create works of art out of your blogs, articles, and other types of material. This is a comprehensive content writing course for those interested in entering this sector, covering everything from understanding sentence rhythm to the "rocket science" of writing. Course Structure: Creating spellbinding writing The Secrets of Editors on top websites and Newspapers Expertise in the four levels: narrative, paragraphs, sentences, and words Techniques to make your writing best Creating blogs, marketing copy, and general business writing sparkle Duration: 4.5 hours Offered By: Udemy 3. Content Writing Master Course This is one of the ideal content writing certification courses because it was created for learners, working professionals, digital marketers, and bloggers. You will learn about the value of WordPress websites, web hosting, UI/UX setup, different kinds of content authoring, keyword research, and different kinds of keywords in this course. It will also provide you tips on how to use online tools to verify the quality of your writing and avoid grammatical errors without having excellent writing abilities. Course Structure: Web development Keyword research Duplicate content detectors Content writing tools Freelance content writing Duration: 16 hours Offered by: IIM skills 4. The Complete Content Writing Course (three courses in one) Candidates who want to study content writing should take this course. Every crucial subject for content writers is covered. It is one of the top content writing courses in India, covering everything from the fundamentals of content marketing to the tools needed for content optimisation. Course Structure: Content marketing Copywriting Content promotion Tips to Become a successful content writer Optimising content for SEO Blog post writing Duration: 3.5 hours Offered By: Udemy 5. The Content Marketing Strategy In addition to studying through content writing certificates, content marketing is equally crucial while discussing the topic of content creation. The importance of content marketing and methods for making quality material accessible to a wide audience will be covered in this one of the University of California, Davis, content writing certification courses. You can study content marketing methods as well as more in-depth information about distribution through one of the best content writing courses in India. This will help you develop a strategy that will allow your content to be seen by the widest possible audience. Course Structure: The Content Marketing Ecosystem The Strategic Context (The 7A Framework) Crafting a Content Marketing Strategy The Strategic Types of Content Duration: 19 hours Offered By: Coursera Lucky Cement earned a net profit of PKR13.7bn in FY22-23 09 August 2023 Lucky Cement earned an after-tax profit of PKR13.7bn (US$47,687m) in FY22-23 as compared to PKR15.3bn reported last year, mainly on account of higher tax charges because of the levy of super tax at 10 per cent on a perpetual basis in the Finance Act 2023. Lucky informed the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) that its gross sales revenue increased by 15.9 per cent compared to last year. Although the local sales volumes declined by 14.9 per cent, the sales revenue increased by 16.9 per cent (PKR112.1bn vs PKR95.9bn), mainly due to higher cement prices due to higher input costs. Likewise, while the export volumes declined by 34.7 per cent, the export gross sales revenue were up by 7.6 per cent (PKR13.7bn vs. PKR12.7bn) due to the depreciation of Pakistani rupee against the US dollar. The company is also in the process of implementing a 25MW solar power project at the Karachi plant. Cement production Lucky Cements overall sales volumes declined by 18.8 per cent to reach 7.4Mt during the year ended 30 June 2023, compared to 9.1Mt last year. The local sales volume dropped by 14.9 per cent to reach 6.2Mt in the current year compared to 7.3Mt last year due to a downturn in dement demand. Furthermore, as a result of various factors, the company's export sales volume reduced to 1.2Mt in the current year compared to 1.8Mt in the previous year. Iraq plant Lucky Cement is a planing a 1.82Mta clinker capacity expansion project in Samawah, Iraq, to keep pace with the increasing demand for cement in Iraq. The construction activity on the project is expected to commence within 1QFY24 and be completed in 18 months. Published under For the first time in its history, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will offer Spanish-language campus tours starting this month.The inaugural guided tour, led by UTC students, will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25. Buses will pick up prospective high school students and their families at 4 p.m. from La Paz Chattanooga, 809 S. Willow St., and a trio of local high schools: The Howard School, Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy and East Ridge High School.Participants interested in the tour should go to utc.edu/visit to register.When a Hispanic student comes for a campus tour, theyre going to bring their family.And especially with first-generation students, their parents may not be able to understand the majority of whats said in an English tour, said Dr. Niky Tejero, associate dean of the UTC College of Arts and Sciences.Dr. Tejero and Brandalyn Shropshire, associate director of engagement in the UTC Office of Undergraduate Admissions, have partnered to break down the language barrier and create the first Spanish-language campus tours.Participants will get a full tour of campus and students will get to fill out the application for free, Ms. Shropshire said. After the initial tour date, plans are to offer Spanish-speaking tours at least every two weeks. Of course, well do tours more often as demand increases or if theres a special request from a school or group.The Spanish-language tours will be led by UTC students who can relate on some level to the attendees. One of the tour guides is Andy Tomas, a sophomore majoring in management with a minor in Spanish.Mr. Tomas has spent the last eight years in Chattanooga. Before that, he moved back and forth between the U.S. and Guatemala practically every other year. He calls himself a first-generation student.My dad had two or three years of elementary education and my mom only had one year of elementary education, he said. Im a first-generation elementary, middle school, high school and college student.By becoming a tour guide and speaking Spanish with the participants, Mr. Tomas is helping to ease language struggles for future UTC students and their families.I asked [my parents] for help when I had to do the FAFSA and my application, but they dont really know anything about college, he said. Its basically just me, but I dont want that for other Hispanic students. Gregory "Greg" Wayne OQuinn passed away in the arms of his loving wife of 32 years, on July 31, 2023, at their home in Brandon, Mississippi. Greg was born and grew up in Chattanooga. He graduated from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he joined the Fraternal Brotherhood of Sigma Chi. After graduation, Greg led a successful career in the poultry industry holding positions of increasing responsibility and leadership in accounting and finance. Companies he served included ConAgra, Seaboard Farms of Chattanooga, and Choctaw Maid Farms in Mississippi. Greg achieved much success in his career, but the accomplishments of those he mentored brought him the most joy. He was always happy when a member of his team was offered a promotion to a leadership position, whether at his company or another. He valued those relationships throughout his life. Greg retired in 2017, from DG Foods, LLC, the company he and two partners formed in 2004. They started the company with one customer and 40 employees and with Gregs financial leadership as CFO, grew it to two locations with multiple customers and over 500 employees. When he retired in 2017, he left the company in solid financial condition. Greg is the G in DG and will be missed by the DG Foods family. Greg was known for his honesty, quick humor, leadership, and business acumen. Those he loved knew his kind and generous heart. Charming and confident, he was knowledgeable on many subjects and a great storyteller. He loved his family, the beach, animals and being home. He followed NASCAR and was intrigued by the engineering precision. A prudent man, he nonetheless enjoyed spoiling his wife and friends and traveling in comfort and luxury. He was preceded in death by his mother, Willa Jean OQuinn. Greg will be deeply missed by his wife, Jennifer Leigh Sullivan OQuinn (Jenni), his father, James OQuinn, brother, Mike OQuinn, nieces Brittany OQuinn Hicks and Brooke OQuinn Mitchell, heart sister Susan Iles, and numerous uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, the DG Foods family, and Sigma Chi brothers. Donations in memory of Greg may be made to The University of Mississippi Medical Center, Department of Oncology https://umc.edu/Office_of_Development/Ways-to-Give/Funds/Fund-Centers_and_Institutes.html The family especially recognizes and thanks Dr. Eswara K. Mundra for his kindness and excellent care. Arrangements are under the care of the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson. Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com. River City Company has announced a request for qualifications for local artists to be a part of redesigning the district banners in downtown Chattanooga. Since 2009, River City Company has operated the banner program with the goal of welcoming downtown residents and visitors to the unique districts along with serving as an effective tool to accentuate city streetscapes. The banner redesign and replacement will begin in the Southside District with River City Company selecting future districts for replacement over the next few months. We are excited to engage with community artists to create a sense of place for our unique areas in downtown," said Emily Mack, president and CEO of River City Company. "This is an opportunity for us to celebrate history, culture and community." The request for qualifications will be open for artists to submit until Sept. 8 with the top artists selected on Sept. 15. Final submissions will be reviewed on Sept. 29, with one artist selected for the project, receiving a $1,500 stipend for their artwork. Ever since the 21st Century Waterfront plan, Chattanooga has made a conscious effort to utilize public art to transform the citys landscape," said Carmen J. Davis with the city of Chattanooga Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy. "Public Art Chattanooga is excited to assist River City Company with the design selection process for the banner refresh project. Through this process, we hope to work with our local creative community to produce original artwork for our downtown districts." With the costs of the banner program increasing over the past few years, River City Company is also seeking community support for the replacement of the banners. We believe this program is a tremendous asset to our downtown and we are committed to matching dollar for dollar, up to $20,000, toward donations for the program, said Ms. Mack. In conjunction with the request for qualifications, River City Company has also released an updated banner information guidebook. We receive requests from event organizers and cultural facilities on a regular basis to celebrate their work and accomplishments in the community. The guidebook will help us ensure that organizations have the opportunity to utilize the banner spaces as well, said Ms. Mack. The deadline for requests for banner space is Aug. 15 for those who would like to use the banner spaces November 2023 April 2024 and Feb. 15 for May October 2024 placement. Additional information about the banner program and how the community can donate to the program can be found at https://www.rivercitycompany.com/downtown-banner-program. Governor Bill Lee on Tuesday issued the special session proclamation and presented the administrations legislative and budget priorities that will go before the Tennessee General Assembly during the special session on public safety, convening Aug. 21. He said, As our nation faces evolving public safety threats, Tennessee remains vigilant and is taking continued action to protect communities while preserving the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. In the months leading up to the public safety special session, we have listened to Tennesseans and worked with members of the General Assembly to identify thoughtful, practical measures to strengthen public safety across our state, including steps to support law enforcement, address mental health, prevent violent crime and stop human trafficking. I thank the General Assembly for its continued partnership and look forward to achieving meaningful results for Tennesseans. Officials said Governor Lee "will present legislative and budget priorities during the public safety special session to keep Tennessee communities safe, support law enforcement and address mental health, all while preserving constitutional rights. In addition to bringing the following solutions in the administration package, the governor will continue to work with members of the General Assembly on other legislation specified in the call. Codification of EO 100 and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Report Implementation: Requires reporting of accurate, complete and timely records from court clerks to the TBI within 72-hours and requires electronic submissions of dispositions and expungements to the TBI TennCare Mental Health Coverage Waiver: Directs TennCare to seek a waiver from the federal government to allow federal matching funds for Medicaid to cover services for mental illness and substance use disorders at institutions of mental diseases Addressing Mental Health Workforce Challenges: Budget initiatives that prioritize opportunities to grow and retain mental health professionals in the state Reforms for Mental Health: Expands access to mental health treatment by eliminating certain collaborative practice requirements for Advanced Registered Practice Nurses with psychiatric training Strengthening the Identification of Individuals Arrested for Felonies: Provides for the collection of DNA at the time of an arrest for all felonies Human Trafficking Report: Resolution directing TBI to report on the state of human trafficking in Tennessee Promoting Safe Storage: Eliminates taxes on firearm safes and safety devices, provides free gun locks, expands safe storage training in state-approved safety courses, and creates a public service announcement to promote safe storage To date, more than 20,000 Tennesseans have submitted public comments on strengthening public safety, and the form will remain open through the entirety of the special session to ensure that Tennesseans can continue engaging in the conversation, it was stated. The full special session proclamation can be viewed here. Georgia State Patrol (GSP) Troopers assisted the Adairsville Police Department on Tuesday afternoon with a pursuit that ended near Interstate 75 and GA 140 in Bartow County. The suspect was involved in a crash, which ultimately ended in an exchange of gunfire with local and state law enforcement officers participating in the pursuit. It happened shortly before 2 p.m. Erlanger Health, Inc. announced a partnership with Realty Trust Group (RTG), a full-service healthcare real estate advisory and services firm, to manage its 1.6-million-square-foot real estate portfolio. Erlanger is a six-hospital system that treats more than 600,000 people annually, with facilities spanning East Tennessee, North Georgia, and Western North Carolina. Officials said after interviewing multiple national healthcare real estate firms, Erlanger selected RTG to provide comprehensive real estate portfolio management, including property management, strategic planning support, lease administration, financial management, and maintenance support services. We are excited to expand our relationship with RTG, said Erlanger Chief Operating Officer Robert Maloney. Throughout our extensive evaluation process, the RTG team has demonstrated a high level of industry knowledge, expertise, and best practices. This new agreement will allow Erlanger to better manage our real estate assets, act more strategically and efficiently as we expand our services, and, most importantly, continue to provide quality care and patient experiences in our local community." RTG Executive Vice President Michael Honeycutt said, Our team is grateful to support Erlanger and their mission to provide world-class healthcare to the residents of Chattanooga and the surrounding area. RTG works with numerous healthcare providers across the country and is proud to leverage that experience to improve healthcare in East Tennessee, North Georgia, and Western North Carolina. With the addition of Erlanger, RTG expands its portfolio management platform to nine health system client relationships, totaling over 19 million square feet of healthcare facilities managed. RTG President Chad Simpson said, Our specific healthcare experience provides us the unique ability to best serve our clients. Serving healthcare clients in over 35 states, we understand the broader healthcare industry and work to tailor real estate solutions to our clients specific market needs, helping them align real estate with organizational, strategic, operational, and financial goals. A woman and her mother at La Quinta at 7051 McCutcheon Road were in a verbal argument. The daughter wanted to leave the motel to go on a date for her 21st birthday. The mother wanted to go with her daughter, but the daughter refused to go with her mother while her mother just wanted to go back home to Knoxville. The daughter left in her vehicle while the mother intended to stay another night. * * * Property owners on Clio Avenue called police because they could see on their security cameras a man in the backyard who wasnt supposed to be there. Police arrived and spoke with the man who said he was homeless and had been living in a tent in the backyard on the property. Police ran the man to verify that he had no active warrants for his arrest. The officer then spoke with the property owner who said that she didnt know the man and he was not supposed to be on the property. The officer told the man to pack his belongings and leave. He did so and left on foot. * * * The assistant manager of Shoe Carnival at 2288 Gunbarrel Road showed police video of two black females shoplifting at least one pair of Nike shoes. The suspects then fled the store and entered a green Chevrolet Malibu, with a driver awaiting them. The officer found the same car had been used in a previous shoplifting from Burlington. The total value of stolen merchandise is at minimum $90. * * * An officer conducted a traffic stop in the 1000 block of Ashland Terrace on a silver Porsche Macon speeding. Police spoke with the driver who had a valid license. He was given a verbal warning for speeding. * * * A woman on E. Martin Luther King Boulevard called police and said she heard a verbal disorder next door. She said the next house was supposed to be vacant. Police spoke with two people who were in the house and there was no front door. The officer cleared the house and didnt find anyone else. Neither had a history of trespassing. They were let off with a warning and were told not to come back on the property. The officer watched them leave. * * * Police were called to 129 Walnut Street where it was reported there was a black male, wearing blue shorts and a red shirt, acting strange, writing on walls with chalk, and trying to get into the Edwin Hotel. An officer found the man standing in front of the Edwin. He agreed to leave the area and not bother anyone else. The officer explained to him that if people keep calling police because of his behavior he would be charged with disorderly conduct. * * * A man was at Walmart at 5764 Highway 153 rambling nonsense and scaring employees and customers. The manager asked the man to move along before calling police. When police met up with the man he was already walking away from Walmart. An officer spoke with him and he left without incident. * * * A woman on Sanford Avenue told police she allowed her nephew to drive her 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe and he had yet to return it. She wasn't able to make contact with her nephew to inform him she wanted her vehicle back. She told police if someone spoke with him or found the car to contact her. * * * A manager at Family Dollar at 5000 Brainerd Road told police she saw a black male conceal several items inside his shirt and passed all points of sale without paying. She saw the man walk down Brainerd Road and behind the Waffle House. * * * A man on Bungalow Circle told police a woman had been staying with him and he suspected her of taking $80 from his wallet while he was asleep. He didnt want to prosecute, but wanted it documented. * * * A woman told police her nephew was being harassed by several people in front of the house on Vance Avenue. Police arrived and spoke with the nephew, who was sitting on the front porch. He said he was waiting for his aunt when several people arrived and began harassing him by calling him derogatory names. He said they left before police arrived. He said he was fine and nothing further occurred. Here is the latest Hamilton County arrest report: ARNOLD, ANTONIO RAYMOND 3818 CHANDLER AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37410 Age at Arrest: 40 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff FAILURE TO APPEAR BALLARD, ANTHONY MONTREL 2401 SOUTH CHAMBERLAIN AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37404 Age at Arrest: 36 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) BEARD, TONI LESHAE 950 SPRING CREEK ROAD CHATTANOOGA, 37412 Age at Arrest: 37 years old Arresting Agency: East Ridge POSS.HANDGUN WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE SIMPLE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE BENNETT, TYLER SCOTT 6315 SHORE MANOR LANE CHATTANOOGA, 37416 Age at Arrest: 31 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff FAILURE TO APPEAR BINGHAM, JULIE ANN 9320 BILL REED RD OOLTEWAH, 37363 Age at Arrest: 35 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) BOWMAN, VERNON GORDON 321 MAPLE STREET SODDY DAISY, 37379 Age at Arrest: 62 years old Arresting Agency: Soddy Daisy UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A WEAPON SEAT BELT LAW VIOLATION BRAGG, VERNON RAY 1613 SOUTH SMITH STREET EAST RIDGE, 37412 Age at Arrest: 48 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff FUGITIVE WALKER COUNTY GA BROWN, TORI LABRON 2511 UNION AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37404 Age at Arrest: 42 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD DOMESTIC ASSAULT BYRD, TIMOTHY LEWIS 2908 CURTIS STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37406 Age at Arrest: 52 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) CAPPS, MICHAEL SHAWN 614 RA GRIFFITH SHAWN JASPER, 37347 Age at Arrest: 52 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT CHAVERS, KENNDAL LAPREE 9508 FORD ROAD CHATTANOOGA, 37421 Age at Arrest: 42 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) DAVIS, CAROLINE 247 VENARD BLVD RINGGOLD, 30736 Age at Arrest: 64 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff LEAVING SCENE OF ACCIDENT W/DAMAGE TO VEHICLE AND/ DESOUZA, MICAH SHAW 1575 SOUTHERNWOOD DR CHATTANOOGA, 37411 Age at Arrest: 25 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY DUNCAN, STREATER RAY 525 FOSTER RD DALTON, 30720 Age at Arrest: 38 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD FAILURE TO YIELD RIGHT-OF-WAY STOP SIGN VIOLATION RECKLESS DRIVING DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE IMPLIED CONSENT LAW - DRIVERS DRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARE DYE, CECIL KIRK 1605 E. Here are the mug shots: ARNOLD, ANTONIO RAYMOND Age at Arrest: 40 Date of Birth: 10/28/1982 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): FAILURE TO APPEAR BALLARD, ANTHONY MONTREL Age at Arrest: 36 Date of Birth: 05/27/1987 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) BEARD, TONI LESHAE Age at Arrest: 37 Date of Birth: 12/24/1985 Arresting Agency: East Ridge Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): POSS.HANDGUN WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE SIMPLE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE BENNETT, TYLER SCOTT Age at Arrest: 31 Date of Birth: 12/07/1991 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): FAILURE TO APPEAR BINGHAM, JULIE ANN Age at Arrest: 35 Date of Birth: 11/23/1987 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) BOWMAN, VERNON GORDON Age at Arrest: 62 Date of Birth: 05/12/1961 Arresting Agency: Soddy Daisy Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A WEAPON SEAT BELT LAW VIOLATION BRAGG, VERNON RAY Age at Arrest: 48 Date of Birth: 03/29/1975 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): FUGITIVE WALKER COUNTY GA BROWN, TORI LABRON Age at Arrest: 42 Date of Birth: 02/10/1981 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): DOMESTIC ASSAULT BYRD, TIMOTHY LEWIS Age at Arrest: 52 Date of Birth: 07/21/1971 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) CAPPS, MICHAEL SHAWN Age at Arrest: 52 Date of Birth: 10/29/1970 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT CHAVERS, KENNDAL LAPREE Age at Arrest: 42 Date of Birth: 05/06/1981 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) DAVIS, CAROLINE Age at Arrest: 64 Date of Birth: 12/25/1958 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): LEAVING SCENE OF ACCIDENT W/DAMAGE TO VEHICLE AND/ DESOUZA, MICAH SHAW Age at Arrest: 25 Date of Birth: 01/24/1998 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY DYE, CECIL KIRK Age at Arrest: 51 Date of Birth: 08/19/1971 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): VIOLATION OF PROBATION VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIE VIOLATION OF PROBATION DOMESTIC ASSAULT FITTEN, RICHARD JOE Age at Arrest: 43 Date of Birth: 11/28/1979 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): THEFT OF PROPERTY BURGLARY OF AUTO FLANIGAN, TYAIRA VIENNA Age at Arrest: 25 Date of Birth: 09/06/1997 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF THEFT OF PROPERTY CRIMINAL TRESPASSING HODGE, TADARRIUS DEWAYNE Age at Arrest: 26 Date of Birth: 09/28/1996 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGNALS VIOLATION FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA KEENER, KRISTEN RICHARD Age at Arrest: 37 Date of Birth: 12/02/1985 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): VIOLATION OF SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY VIOLATION OF SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY LAWLER, DANIEL THEODORE Age at Arrest: 55 Date of Birth: 11/13/1967 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) LOCKLIN, DESMOND LAQUWAN Age at Arrest: 36 Date of Birth: 12/28/1986 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): AGGRAVATED ASSAULT LOPEZ-PEREZ, ELIV OUDELI Age at Arrest: 39 Date of Birth: 08/03/1984 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) MAYWEATHER, DAVID LEE Age at Arrest: 35 Date of Birth: 07/17/1988 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): TINTED WINDOWS VIOLATION DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE MCKIBBEN, JACENTA F Age at Arrest: 29 Date of Birth: 06/13/1994 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): REGISTRATION, IMPROPER DISPLAY OF PLATES DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY MERRIWETHER, LINZIE Age at Arrest: 21 Date of Birth: 05/22/2002 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): THEFT OF PROPERTY OLIVER, ASHLEY ALEXANDRIA Age at Arrest: 35 Date of Birth: 01/30/1988 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): DOMESTIC ASSAULT PRITCHETT, BRITTANI ANN Age at Arrest: 32 Date of Birth: 06/10/1991 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF ROBINETTE, CHRISTIAN SETH Age at Arrest: 44 Date of Birth: 03/23/1979 Arresting Agency: East Ridge Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): VIOLATION OF PROBATION (BURGLARY) ROGERS, ERWIN JERMAINE Age at Arrest: 28 Date of Birth: 09/17/1994 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SEALEY, PAUL ANTHONY Age at Arrest: 33 Date of Birth: 04/16/1990 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY NO PROOF OF INSURANCE SEWELL, ROBERT STEVEN Age at Arrest: 45 Date of Birth: 05/30/1978 Arresting Agency: East Ridge Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): PUBLIC INTOXICATION SOLOMON, TROY JAMEEL Age at Arrest: 43 Date of Birth: 08/06/1980 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): THEFT OF PROPERTY TATE, BILLY Age at Arrest: 70 Date of Birth: 10/16/1952 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): BURGLARY THOMAS, CODY WILLIAM Age at Arrest: 29 Date of Birth: 02/11/1994 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): PUBLIC INTOXICATION THURMAN, JUSTIN ANTHONY Age at Arrest: 33 Date of Birth: 11/23/1989 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) TODD, ROMANCE MELVYN Age at Arrest: 29 Date of Birth: 10/26/1993 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): VIOLATION OF ORDER OF PROTECTION OR RESTRAINING OR THEFT OF PROPERTY WATSON, KAYA JANEE Age at Arrest: 20 Date of Birth: 08/22/2002 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): THEFT OF PROPERTY YATES, BRIZJUANNA Age at Arrest: 22 Date of Birth: 12/09/2000 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 08/08/2023 Charge(s): AGGRAVATED BURGLARY DOMESTIC ASSAULT 48TH STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest: 51 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffVIOLATION OF PROBATION VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEVIOLATION OF PROBATION DOMESTIC ASSAULTFLANIGAN, TYAIRA VIENNA3929 MANOR ROAD 129 CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffVANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEFTHEFT OF PROPERTYCRIMINAL TRESPASSINGHODGE, TADARRIUS DEWAYNE2304 FAIRLEIGH ST APT A CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 26 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffTRAFFIC CONTROL SIGNALS VIOLATIONFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCEPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIAHODGE, WILLIAM D911 TOMMIE LANE SODDY DAISY, 37379Age at Arrest: 23 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffDOMESTIC ASSAULTHUGGINS, LAWRENCE AVERY318 HIGHLAND ST APT 4 MOUNT HOLLY, 28120Age at Arrest: 48 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDDOMESTIC ASSAULTKEENER, KRISTEN RICHARD155 MOCKINGBIRD DRIVE DUNLAP, 37327Age at Arrest: 37 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffVIOLATION OF SEX OFFENDER REGISTRYVIOLATION OF SEX OFFENDER REGISTRYLAWLER, DANIEL THEODORE146 MIDWAY AVE ROSSVILLE, 30741Age at Arrest: 55 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)LOCKLIN, DESMOND LAQUWAN2449 6TH AVENUE CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest: 36 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffAGGRAVATED ASSAULTLOPEZ-PEREZ, ELIV OUDELI900 PEPPERMILL RD UNIT A CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 39 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)MAYWEATHER, DAVID LEE2548 6TH AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37318Age at Arrest: 35 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffTINTED WINDOWS VIOLATIONDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEMCKIBBEN, JACENTA F2550 6TH AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffREGISTRATION, IMPROPER DISPLAY OF PLATESDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYMERRIWETHER, LINZIE1834 PEARL ST CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 21 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDTHEFT OF PROPERTYOLIVER, ASHLEY ALEXANDRIA1905 E 14TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 35 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDDOMESTIC ASSAULTPRITCHETT, BRITTANI ANN9221 BIRCHWOOD PIKE HARRISON, 37341Age at Arrest: 32 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffVANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEFROBINETTE, CHRISTIAN SETH1315 E 36TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest: 44 years oldArresting Agency: East RidgeVIOLATION OF PROBATION (BURGLARY)ROGERS, ERWIN JERMAINE3400 LISA DR CHATTANOOGA, 374121292Age at Arrest: 28 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYSEALEY, PAUL ANTHONY9319 WYNDOVER DR OOLTEWAH, 37363Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYNO PROOF OF INSURANCESEWELL, ROBERT STEVEN3138 SEMINOLE CREST LN CHATTANOOGA, 37412Age at Arrest: 45 years oldArresting Agency: East RidgePUBLIC INTOXICATIONSOLOMON, TROY JAMEEL1145 COFFELT RD HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 43 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffTHEFT OF PROPERTYTATE, BILLY2013 RAWLINGS ST HOMLESS CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 70 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffBURGLARYTHOMAS, CODY WILLIAM11186 DAYTON PIKE SODDY DAISY, 37379Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffPUBLIC INTOXICATIONTHURMAN, JUSTIN ANTHONY1814 CHAMBERLAIN AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)TODD, ROMANCE MELVYN4005 LAURA LANE CHATTANOOGA, 37403Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDVIOLATION OF ORDER OF PROTECTION OR RESTRAINING ORTHEFT OF PROPERTYVICENTE-VICENTE, GOVANI FRANSICO301 S GERMANTOWN RD CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 20 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffDOMESTIC ASSAULTWATSON, KAYA JANEE950 SPRING CREEK RD APT 124 CHATTANOOGA, 37412Age at Arrest: 20 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDTHEFT OF PROPERTYYATES, BRIZJUANNA253 N WILLOW ST CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 22 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffAGGRAVATED BURGLARYDOMESTIC ASSAULT Tennessee Temple University graduate Rev. Jay Anderson begins a new Southern Gospel Music program on Saturday and Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. on WDYN AM and FM and WDYN.com. General Manager Tom Sneed said, We are excited about Pastors Andersons new program, Harmony n Truth, a combination of Southern Gospels best, both new and some evergreens. Southern Gospel Harmony-N-Truth is hosted by Jay Anderson. A native of Mississippi, he attended and graduated from Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga in 1994 and he is also a graduate of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Va. He and his wife Amy met at TTU and have been happily married for 31 years. They have four children and in November of 2022, welcomed their first grandchild into the world. After living in the Chattanooga, TN/North Georgia area for 15 years, Mr. Anderson and his family moved back to Mississippi where he entered the pastorate. He has served as pastor of three churches across the state of Mississippi and currently serves as pastor of First Baptist Church, Winona, Ms. Mr. Anderson has been a radio disc jockey off and on through the years beginning in high school at the age of 17. Ever since his first days on the air, he had dreams of hosting his own Southern Gospel radio program. God opened the door for those dreams to become a reality in March of 2016. That was when the green light was given for him to proceed with a Southern Gospel radio show to air on WBKN-FM in Brookhaven, MS. Harmony-N-Truth went on the air in November of 2016 and continues to air each weekend on WBKN-FM. Since then, the following radio stations have added Harmony-N-Truth to their programming: WFCA-FM in French Camp, MS; WDRO-FM in Monticello, MS; WPIL-FM in Heflin, AL; internet radio station www.newjourneyradio.com; and the most recent stations, WDYN-AM & FM in Chattanooga, TN. Mr. Andersons goal through this radio program is to encourage the saints of God and point people to Jesus. His hope is that you receive a blessing from listening to Southern Gospel Harmony-N-Truth. WDYN AM 980, FM Frequencies 94.7 and 94.9 and on the internet at wdyn.com. A Birchwood couple has pleaded guilty in federal court in Southern California, admitting that they participated in a health care fraud scheme that bilked TRICARE the health care program that covers United States service members out of more than $65 million. Jimmy Collins, 59, pleaded guilty to receipt of illegal remuneration. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine or double the loss amount, whichever is greater. There will also be an order of restitution requiring him to repay at least $65,679,512.71 to DHA/TRICARE. Ashley Collins, 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy. She faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 fine or double loss amount, whichever is greater. There will also be an order of restitution requiring her to repay at least $65,679,512.71 to DHA/TRICARE. Jimmy and Ashley Collins are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 27 at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino. The couple admitted they worked with others to recruit TRICARE beneficiaries who were willing to sign up to receive expensive compounded medications, even though the beneficiaries did not really need the medications. The beneficiaries information was sent to Choice MD, a Tennessee medical clinic co-owned and operated by the Collinses. Doctors and medical professionals employed by the Collinses at Choice MD, including Dr. Susan Vergot, Dr. Carl Lindblad, and nurse practitioner Candace Craven, then wrote prescriptions for the TRICARE beneficiaries, despite never conducting a medical review or examination of the patients in person. Once signed by the doctors, these prescriptions were not given to the straw beneficiaries, but sent directly to The Medicine Shoppe, a pharmacy in Bountiful, Utah, which filled the prescriptions and received massive reimbursement from TRICARE. Between December 2014 and May 9, 2015 the day that TRICARE stopped reimbursing for compounded medications the doctors working for the Collinses at Choice MD authorized 4,442 prescriptions and billed TRICARE $65,679,512 for these prescriptions. The owners of The Medicine Shoppe then paid kickbacks to the Collinses based on a percentage of the TRICARE reimbursement paid for the prescriptions referred by the Collinses recruiter network. Between February and July 2015, these kickback payments to the Collinses totaled at least $45.7 million dollars. The Collinses, in turn, paid kickbacks to the recruiters working as part of their network, including defendants Josh Morgan, Kyle Adams, and Daniel Castro, among others. The United States has seized property and items purchased by the Collinses and others with the proceeds of the scheme. Included among these items is an 82-foot yacht; multiple luxury vehicles, including two Aston-Martins; a multi-million-dollar investment annuity; dozens of pieces of farm equipment and tractor-trailer trucks; and three pieces of Tennessee real estate. The Collinses are the last members of the conspiracy to plead guilty. The doctors and nurse practitioner who prescribed these unnecessary prescriptions, the corporate owner of the pharmacy that filled these unneeded prescriptions, and the patient recruiters have all pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and admitted their roles in this fraudulent scheme, prosecutors said. The scheme alleged in this case resulted in massive losses to a taxpayer-funded healthcare program meant to help members and veterans of our armed forces, said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. The days of yachts and luxury cars are gone. With these guilty pleas, we are holding these defendants accountable for their crimes. Grossman thanked the prosecution team and investigating agencies for their excellent work on this case. The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) is committed to protecting the integrity of TRICARE, the health care system for our military members and their families, said Special Agent-in-Charge Michael C. Mentavlos of the DCIS Southwest Field Office. Today's outcome demonstrates our unwavering commitment to hold accountable those that perpetrate fraud against TRICARE and put its beneficiaries at risk. Mr. and Mrs. Collins operated a TRICARE scheme that defrauded the American taxpayer of more than $65 million in healthcare resources that should have been directed to service members, retirees, and their dependents, said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office. This guilty plea should serve as a warning that NCIS and our partners are dedicated to rooting out fraud that harms the military community. The Northside Neighborhood House, in collaboration with Hamilton County Schools Community Forward Schools strategy, has expanded its CommUNITY School support in northern Hamilton County from five to 10 schools for the 2023-2024 school year. With the purpose of positioning the school as a resource hub that empowers, equips and engages the community to support student learning and development, the NNHs CommUNITY School program embeds an NNH staff member in the school. These full-time staff members provide programming, support services and opportunities to children, families and the community.We are thrilled about the expansion of the Community Forward Schools strategy in partnership with Northside Neighborhood House.This initiative continues the district's work of Opportunity 2030 commitment: Every Student Belongs, said Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson. We are grateful for the continued support of community partners in serving our children. By cultivating strengths and removing barriers to success, we ensure all children thrive and experience a future without limits, he added.NNHs first CommUNITY School was launched at Red Bank High School in 2017. Over the next five years, programming expanded to Red Bank Elementary, Hixson Middle, Soddy Daisy Middle and Sale Creek Middle/High schools. With the addition of the five new schools, programming is now offered in Hixson, Red Bank and Soddy Daisy feeder pattern schools (elementary, middle and high schools), as well as at Sale Creek Middle/High School.The Northside Neighborhood House has been in operation since 1924, working to address the needs of individuals and families living north of the Tennessee River by providing a hand up through education and assistance. With offices located on the north shore, NNH operates five CommUNITY Schools, three Thrift Stores, and the Coffee Community Collective in Soddy-Daisy. The special Tennessee Legislative meeting is scheduled soon and the ads are coming out on both sides. Ads for some regulations on guns and ads that oppose. Even some ads to having the session at all. They just dont wanna talk about it. There are strong opinions on both sides. A nation divided. To begin with it seemed to be a division of rural versus urban and Republicans versuss Democrats, but not anymore. There are many Republicans who believe some regulations are needed to stop the gun violence. When 911 happened America came together in that crisis. They accepted the restrictions of having to be searched while boarding a plane and accepting the restriction of not being able to carry weapons on the plane. Americans understood the crisis. To me this gun violence in our schools, malls, music venues and our streets is a greater crisis. Our innocent school children are being murdered, plus the many other thousands being killed, is a greater crisis than 911, so I hope America will come together to solve this. This legislative session is a start. Unfortunately many of the ads resisting regulations are by organizations and lobbyists paid by gun manufacturers and gun dealers. Those with a strong financial interest. Those ads seem to be directed at Governor Lee and the Republican controlled legislature. The ads basically are political threats. They say the governor and legislature are trying to take your guns away. This is not true. The governor and many members of the legislature have repeatedly said this is not to infringe on the right of good responsible citizens to have the right of self protection for them and others. The Session is to discuss ways to keep guns out of the hands of those that should not have them. They want to pass bills to prevent people who should not have a gun from having easy access to one and also to prevent bills that encourage use to those that should not have one like the open carry law that has been a disaster and has restricted our police. Governor Lee and those in the legislature are not alone. Former Republican Senator Bill Frist has voiced support as well as many conservative writers who have said make this session meaningful. There is also Mothers Against Gun Violence and conservative actor Matthew McConaughey who said evil people have highjacked the 2nd Amendment by easily obtaining guns and doing evil things with them. Governor Lee is a fine man whom I have supported. He wants to do what is right. This is also true by many in the legislature. I personally know our Hamilton County legislators and they are all good, honorable people. They have done a good job economically for our region and State. I support them. However there is seldom you agree with someone on every issue. My issue on the gun violence issue is the legislature has pretty much turned a blind eye on the gun violence issue up till now. The reason has been their leaders in the House and Senate are controlled by these special interest gun lobbyists who donate to them and control them through money and politics. These leaders encourage you not to talk about this problem and it will go away. If you dont discuss and solve a problem it won't go away, it only gets worse. I am encouraged that this session will bring about needed change. Again quoting Matthew McConaughey, he said, We can not be leaders if we are only living for re-election." I want to applaud Rep. Greg Martin for caring and for sending out a questionnaire on this crucial issue and for holding a public meeting to hear concerns. I also want to thank Rep. Greg Vital for attending open forums to hear citizens complaints about gun violence. I thank all the legislators who will have the courage to ask the tough questions, such as how do we stop someone from going in five gun stores and purchasing seven military style weapons, and how do we prevent our youth from having such easy access to guns. The legislature should not be that divided. They all must agree that is wrong for a nation to have murders in your schools and murders of innocent people on our streets. One thing that really got me so involved was when there was a school shooting the press interviewed a little third grader whose school friends and playmates had just been murdered. She had tear stains and splattered blood all over her. She could barely speak. She was quivering so much and she said, Were not safe anymore. Then she burst out crying. She is right. We are not safe anymore until we get this corrected. Its my hope that our governor and legislators will stand strong and follow their mind and heart and not politics and do what they think is right. Russell Bean Three years ago, this 31-year-old woman created a little tradition in which she treats four of her best friends to a weekend getaway. Apparently, the annual trip is just to show her appreciation to her girlfriends. But, just last year, one of her friends named Lauren started some serious issues on vacation. So, this year, shes not too keen on inviting Lauren again. For context, she and Lauren have been best friends ever since they met in college. Then, following graduation, they remained close despite having some issues in their friendship. I think Lauren is a flawed person, but I know that a lot of it came from self-esteem issues and growing up low-income. So, I tended to forgive her easily, she said. Still, in college, Lauren often struggled with the idea that she was better, which pushed Lauren to take a lot of her insecurities out on her. Things simmered down after a while, though, since they dont live in the same state anymore. Thats why she sees Lauren a lot less now, and her friend was invited to the first-weekend getaway. However, Lauren wasnt able to attend the first year, which is why her friend was extremely excited about last years trip. She flew all of her friends out to Hawaii, and at first, things seemed to be going great. But then, out of nowhere, Lauren seemed really angry with her for no reason. Throughout the weekend in Hawaii, Lauren kept making snide remarks about how much cash she spent on the trip calling her privileged. Her friend also said that she was in the 1% and made comments about rich people. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Since the beginning of May, more than 180 people have lost their lives in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. Most of these victims are Christians from the minority Kuki-Zo tribe and, in turn, thousands from these communities have fled from the violence for shelter in other parts of the state or country. Manipur is a hill-locked state with a fertile valley in the middle. The Meiteis occupy the valley districts, whereas the hill districts are the ancestral home of the various tribal communities, predating the British colonial administration. Both the hill districts and the tribal people are protected under a special act of the Indian Constitution that restricts land ownership in tribal areas. The current conflict began after the tribal communitys peaceful protest against the Meiteis efforts to become a scheduled tribe (which would also give them access to this hill land) was met with violent retaliation by a radical Meitei mob. The violence was further fueled by explosive lies spread purportedly by the Meitei community themselves, which quickly spread to the state capital, Imphal. Violent mobs started ransacking tribal houses, churches, educational institutions, and hospitals, and attacking people, including women and children. I am a pastor with the Evangelical Baptist Convention, and the following is an account of one of our pastors in Imphal who shared with me his experiences when the violence first unfolded. -Chinkhengoupau Buansing Note: This story includes mentions of graphic violence. On the afternoon of May 3, 2023, we received news of clashes between the tribal community and the Meiteis in a village about 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) outside Imphal, the city we lived in. We were shocked but we did not expect the violence to escalate so quickly. Instead, like any other Wednesday night, we went to church, where we regularly gathered to pray for our missionaries and their mission fields. At around 8:30 p.m., after the church service concluded, we heard reports that several churches in Imphal had been burned down. There are two living quarters within our church compoundmine and the caretakers. We quickly gathered our families and moved from there to what we thought would be a safer place. But soon we could hear mobs shouting and houses burning outside. We spent the night in terror that they would discover where we had hid. The next morning, we returned with our families to our quarters in the church compound and ate breakfast. But by 10 a.m., we could hear men shouting and destroying houses again. By that time, most tribal people in our area had fled their homes. Some had already lost their lives in the hands of the bloodthirsty mob. Article continues below This time we decided to head toward the house of one of our church members, an elected official of the state legislative assembly (who we called the MLA), hoping that the security forces there would protect us. But at the MLAs house, we received news that even he had nearly been beaten to death. Realizing we wouldnt find safety there, we made a run for the nearest paramilitary campone of many in Imphal due to the numerous insurgent groups. On our way, we saw houses and cars of tribal Christians being burned and ransacked, no different from what we have seen happening in Ukraine. We later realized that houses and even government quarters where tribal people lived had been marked with paint by the Meitei community months before the violence erupted. Some of those fleeing told me that they witnessed a mother and son on their way to the same camp being pulled from their car and hacked to death. Those in front could not help them. All they could do was witness hell play out before their eyes. Even after we arrived at the camp, a mob outside continued to harass us. For the next seven days, the Meiteis would gather around the camp and threaten to enter and burn everything down. My three-year-old was so scared that he didnt move, even when he saw a mosquito biting his hand. I remember a church member unable to talk for days because he saw a fellow Christian being hacked to death. I was later informed that there were around 7,000 tribal Christians in that camp. Food had to be rationed and even then, there wasnt enough for all of us. They would start serving dinner at 4 p.m. and the last group would get their dinner by 10 p.m. Plates and spoons were scarce, and some of us had to eat out of plastic bags. I believe none of us had a proper bath for the duration of our stay. In the midst of this horror, throughout our stay in the camp, we organized prayer meetings and encouraged one another to stay strong. Denominations had no meaning inside the campwe were all one under Christ. I hope our Christian brothers and sisters all over the world will at least catch a glimpse of our situation. We have lost many of our Christian brothers and sisters. They were pulled out of their homessome were burned alive, some were stoned to death, and some were left in the streets to die. Article continues below I and many in our community believe we are victims of a state-sponsored genocide attempt to annihilate the Christian tribal community in Manipur. We are being hunted down not because we are a menace to the state or because our existence threatens the Meiteis, but because they want land that has belonged to us for generations. (It turns out this land has numerous precious minerals.) It is difficult for me to see any possibility of us living together with the valley people. They have made it clear that they dont want to live together with us. The line has been clearly drawn and separation appears to be the only logical option for us, if we are to survive and thrive as a community. We will stand our ground as Christians and live or die as Christians. A time to repent? Even though I am a pastor, I admit that at times I have prayed for our oppressors to be pulverized. I was glad when I heard news of these oppressors being gunned down. However, as I have been praying about this, I can confidently say that I no longer bear this grudge. Justice will be served in a way God deems best. The Bible tells us that vengeance belongs to God (Rom. 12:19) and I would have it no other way. To that end, I am not nearly as concerned about the oppressors as I am about my church members. I have witnessed their unwavering faith in Jesus Christ and the many ways in which he has led them through this ordeal. But I am also convicted that God is asking us to change our ways. Unfortunately, within Manipur, tribal Christians have struggled to prioritize integrity. We have not protected fair and free elections in our community. There is no denying that some of our hills are filled with opium plantations and that some of us have even become drug traffickers. We should never have voted for the BJP, a party which routinely prioritizes Hindus at the expense of other faiths, to lead our state. But because of our states reliance on federal funds, and the state BJPs close relationship with the national government, we supported them, even when it was crystal clear we should not have done so. We are a Christian community and ought to live as such. But more often than not, we have chosen to ignore Jesus and rather make friends with the world. What we need to do is look to our Father in heaven, humble ourselves before him, change what needs to be changed, and wait upon him. As 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. I feel that this passage is most relevant for us at this time. Article continues below I believe that God wants us to repent of all of the ways in which we have wronged him and deviated from his path. I am not putting the blame on us by saying this. Rather, I want us, the Christian tribal community, to come out of this hardship stronger and happier in Christ. Temples of God After a few days in the camp, the commanding officer informed us that he would be organizing evacuations for us to the airport. I started getting in touch with my church memberssome of us were in the same camp, while others had fled to different camps. After flight tickets had been arranged for those planning to fly out of Manipur, I also booked tickets for myself and my family. As of now, most of us have found new homes, while some of us are still living in camps run by tribal philanthropic organizations. I continue to be amazed by the grace and providence with which God has led us. A few months ago, we were fleeing for our lives. We lost all our property and some of us even lost our dear ones. But here we are, still praising God and still hoping for a better future. We have lost much, but we have not lost all. As far as I know, today there are few church buildings left standing in Imphal. Our church is still standing, although the Meiteis have looted it, turning the building into a community center and the pastors quarter into a temple. They have removed the cross from the church building and put their flag in its place. Yet the very deed that makes them feel victorious is the deed that makes us Christians realize we can never be defeated. They destroy buildings made by humans and hoist their flags atop buildings which they thought stood for our faith. But if only they knew what God considers his temple. We fled our homes with nothing more than the clothes we were wearing. Yet here we are, temples of God, worshiping him still. Theres not much of a Democratic presidential primary race for 2024. President Joe Biden leads the field with the support of two-thirds of Democratic voters, and the Democratic Party wont hold any debates. Democrats primary voting next spring is likely to be little more than a formality. But if any declared Democratic candidate has a real chance of unseating Biden, its Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whos polling around 14 percent among Democrats and has brought in a respectable fundraising haul. Curiously, though, Kennedy seems to be finding a core constituency outside his party: Hes increasingly popular on the right, raking in GOP donor cash, being floated as an aisle-crossing cabinet or vice presidential pick, and posting strikingly high favorability ratings with Republican voters. Statistically, that means RFK Jr. is increasingly popular among white evangelicals too. (Hes certainly popular with my evangelical relatives of the boomer generation.) Part of that may be nothing more than mid-century nostalgiabut, in my observation, nostalgia isnt the rationale RFK Jr. fans tend to cite. They like his anti-establishment vibes, his hostility to the same institutional authorities his supporters already distrust. RFK Jr. hails from the most insider family in American politics and hes closely tied to influential figures in Hollywood. And yet he has successfully cast himself as that most desirable figure in right-of-center politics today: The Outsider, skeptical and freewheeling, ever irreverent toward institutional pieties and dismissive ofas wed have said in his fathers eraThe Man. But thats the problem: Anti-establishment vibes arent reason enough to support a politician. And if we look past those vibes to policy and personal history alike, Kennedy is a strange bedfellow for evangelicals. Lets start with his policies. While hes presented himself as a victim of and champion against censorship, Kennedy is far from a First Amendment purist. As Reasons Matt Welch has documented in a rundown of RFK Jr.s more authoritarian tendencies, Kennedy has called for criminal consequences for those who dare to disagree with him on climate change. In 2014, for example, he said the Koch brothers (industrialists and major political donors, generally to libertarian and Republican causes) should be in jail enjoying three hots and a cot at The Hague. Politicians who share their climate views, he added, are contemptible human beings, and there ought to be a law that you can punish them under for their global warming wrong-think. Article continues below A month later, Kennedy penned an article calling for an attorney general with particularly potent glands [to] revoke the charters of center-right think tanks AEI and CEIby which he meant that they and other conservative nonprofits should be forcibly shuttered by the federal government for their beliefs. Then theres abortion. While evangelicals remain significantly more pro-life than the public at-large, Kennedy has abandoned older pro-life convictions to declare himself pro-choice. I dont think theres anyone in this country who has worked harder for medical freedom, for bodily autonomy, than me, he told New Hampshire voters this summer. Hes unwilling, he said, to let the government tell a woman to bring a child to term that she doesnt want. Though he allowed that abortions are tragic, and that third-trimester abortions should be ended in other ways, Kennedy was clear that banning abortion was the worst solution for decisions that should belong to a woman. Beyond these and other policy differences, RFK Jr.s personal life deserves a mention too. Though Catholic, his comments on God and Christian theology are confused. He has leveled the great books of [organized] religions as equal moral authorities and described conversion as a process of imagining God as a perpetual hall monitor. Hes also named creation, not Jesus (Col. 1:1520), as Gods greatest revelation. And, in an echo of former president Donald Trumps infamous biography, Kennedy, too, is thrice married, a detail that once wouldve mattered in evangelicals political decisions. What seems to matter insteadperhaps supremelyfor many RFK Jr. supporters is his anti-establishment bent, and the appeal of Kennedys posture of suspicion is easy enough to understand. Skepticism of authority is perhaps the deepest American political instinct. Though expressed differently across ideological lines, its ever-present and often a very healthy habit of mind: A willingness to scrutinize the pronouncements of power is necessary for good self-government. And if this cynicism has become overgrown in the last few years, well, thats understandable too. American trust in institutions and experts was already in decline, and mishandling of pandemic policy may have given it a permanently low ceiling. Two years of noble lies, official hypocrisy, and politics repackaged as capital-S Science did real damage to many Americans inclination to give authorities the benefit of the doubt. Article continues below Still, understandable is not the same as right. We can and should maintain a healthy skepticism of concentrated power, but that doesnt mean spreading a blanket cynicism toward institutional authorities or a reflexive doubt of real expertise. We constantly rely on experts to keep our complex society reasonably functional, and many of the social troubles we all bemoanloneliness, alienation, political violence and fragmentationare linked to the breakdown of communal institutional life, including the life of the church. Authority can undoubtedly be a dangerous thing, but it is not an inherently bad thing. Scripture repeatedly calls Christians to submit to authority (e.g., Rom. 13:17, 1 Pet. 2:13)whenever doing so does not conflict with Gods higher commands (Acts 5:29, Rom. 13:810)and, like many tools, authority can be wielded for both good and ill. But forming political alliances on anti-establishment vibes alone doesnt make that crucial distinction. It has ample energy for tearing down, but little thought for what we might rebuild. And after an unsettled political decade, we should be wary of taking up whatever sledgehammer comes to hand. Bonnie Kristian is editorial director of ideas and books at Christianity Today. On the eve of former president Donald Trumps indictment on charges that he attempted to overturn the presidential election of 2020, Franklin Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritans Purse, appeared on Greta Van Susterens show on Newsmax to share his take. Its a sad day for America, Graham said. The indictmentthe third Trump has faced in the span of four monthsis an attempt to inflict enough political wounds on this man to where it will be impossible for him to run for president in 2024, Graham said. According to Graham, this is but the latest attempt by Democrats to discredit Trump. First, there was Robert Muellers investigation on whether Trump colluded with Russia in the 2016 election. Then, a probe into the Trump Organizations tax returns, and finally, accusations of sexual harassment by women that seem to come out of the woodwork. Next week Trump may face yet more charges in Georgia for attempting to interfere in the presidential election of 2020. The investigation has taken nearly two and a half years and could bring charges to nearly 20 people. After all the scandals Trump faced in his presidency and beyond, is he still susceptible to political wounds? Trumps political career has been morally fraught from the start, and a plurality of evangelical supporters stuck with him through the Access Hollywood tape, the white supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, revelations of Trump paying hush money to Stormy Daniels, his impeachments, and the Capitol insurrection. Some conservative evangelicals may be turned off by Trumps legal fights and pivot to a different GOP candidate in 2024, said John Fea, a professor of American history at Messiah University. But most conservative evangelicals gave up on the politics of character in 2016 and still consider their relationship to Trump as a pragmatic bargain. They have maintained their contractual relationship with Donald Trump. This means that they will essentially ignore his moral failings and his criminal indictments in exchange for Supreme Court justices, anti-abortion laws, religious liberty (as they define it), anti-woke classrooms, and the possibility of overturning Obergefell v. Hodges, Fea said via email. Little has changed in eight years. Trumps defenders extend beyond his closest acolytes. According to a New York Times/Siena College poll from July, 76 percent of self-identified white evangelicals believe the former president has not committed any serious federal crimes. Like Graham, Tony Suarez, a pastor and the chief operating officer of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, also dismissed the latest charges against Trump as games played by Democrats to try to block his presidential bid, Religion News Service reported. Richard Land, the former president of Southern Evangelical Seminary and executive editor of The Christian Post, called the indictment a jihad by the Department of Justice against Trump. Others who do not support Trumps third bid for the presidency also have raised concerns that Trumps indictment is politically motivated. In a recent article, Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, questioned the legal reasoning behind the charges. Lying and manipulating and conspiring to gain political goals is, lets be honest, pretty much a bipartisan enterprise in politics, and especially in the Oval Office. This does not justify any moral wrong, but there is a huge difference between moral wrong and criminal wrongdoing, Mohler wrote in World. According to an Ipsos/ABC News poll, most Americans believe the charges are serious, but are divided on whether Trump should be charged with a crime. Nearly half think the charges are politically motivated. After his indictment in the spring, Republican support for his White House run swelled in the polls, with 81 percent of white evangelicals maintaining a favorable view of the former president. Robert P. Jones, president of the pollster group PRRI, notes that white evangelicals also seem to have developed a higher tolerance for political misbehavior. In 2011, PRRI asked Americans whether an elected official who commits an immoral act in their personal life can still behave ethically and fulfill their duties in their public and professional life. That year only 30 percent agreed with the statement, but in 2016 when Trump won the GOP nomination, their share spiked to 72 percenta number that remained largely unchanged in 2020 when PRRI asked the question again. Another factor likely influencing evangelicals view of Trumps indictment is the upcoming presidential election. In the minds of many evangelicals, Trump is the only viable candidate who can stand against President Joe Biden. According to the Times/Siena poll, 62 percent of white evangelicals said they believed Trump could defeat Biden, compared to just 28 percent who said Florida governor Ron DeSantis could do so. But among some evangelicals, Trumps sway may be slightly weaker. In Iowa, where the first caucus for the GOP nomination will be held, Trump has the support of 50 percent of white evangelical voters, compared to 56 percent nationwide, according to other Times/Siena polls. DeSantis, Trumps strongest rival, is also polling better in Iowa than nationwide. Bob Vander Plaats, president of The Family Leader, an Iowa-based organization that recently hosted an evangelical forum for the GOP nominees, is one evangelical who wants the Republican Party to move beyond Trump. In a recent exchange with conservative radio host Todd Starnes about whether presidential candidates should attend church, Vander Plaats brought up Trumps character. The problem people of Faith have with [Trump] isnt Church attendance. Has everything to do with the fruits of the Spirit, Vander Plaats posted on Twitter (now X). Vander Plaats closed his post with a hashtag that seemed to reference Matthew 7:16, a passage where Jesus warns his disciples about false prophets. Among Trumps GOP rivals, his indictment seems to have barely caused any ripples. Most avoided mentioning Trump or the charges at an event on Sunday in Iowaexcept Mike Pence, who took the opportunity last week to launch a new product for his campaign. For $30, supporters of the former vice president can now buy T-shirts emblazoned with Too Honest, a jab apparently aimed at Trump after he told Pence, Youre too honest, when he refused to help overturn the election results of 2020. 'A sad day for Ohio': Pro-lifers, Biden react to defeat of Issue 1 Pro-life advocates are intensifying efforts against an Ohio ballot initiative that would establish a right to abortion in the state's constitution. This comes after Ohio voters defeated a separate referendum aimed at increasing the requirements to pass constitutional amendments. On Tuesday, Ohio voters rejected Issue 1, which would have required constitutional amendments to receive at least 60% support from voters instead of a simple majority. The unofficial results from Tuesdays election, with 98% of the vote in, show that 57% of voters rejected Issue 1, while 43% supported it. Pro-life advocacy groups, who supported Issue 1, expressed disappointment with Tuesday's election outcomes. They are concerned about a November ballot measure that aims to establish a right to abortion in the Ohio Constitution. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser issued a statement describing Tuesday as a sad day for Ohio that serves as a warning for pro-life states across the nation. Millions of dollars and liberal dark money flooded Ohio to ensure they have a path to buy their extreme policies in a pro-life state, she said. Tragically, some sat on the sideline while outsider liberal groups poured millions into Ohio. A broad coalition of passionate pro-life Ohioans came together to fight parental rights opponents and try to take victory from the jaws of defeat. But the silence of the establishment and business community in Ohio left a vacuum too large to overcome. Dannenfelser lamented that during this crucial election, progressives funneled in millions from outside groups to mislead the people of Ohio. According to Dannenfelser, Attacks on state constitutions are now the national playbook of the extreme pro-abortion Left. That is why everyone must take this threat seriously and recognize progressives will win if their opponents are scared into submission by the pro-abortion Left. So long as the Republicans and their supporters take the ostrich strategy and bury their heads in the sand, they will lose again and again, she maintained. Dannenfelsers use of the term ostrich strategy refers to the phrase coined by the advocacy group following the 2022 midterm elections to describe unsuccessful Republican candidates who wound up burying their heads in the sand and running from the issue [of abortion], allowing their opponents to define them. As Dannenfelsers remarks suggested, the weeks leading up to the election saw Ohio voters inundated with advertisements featuring hyperbolic rhetoric. For example, one ad from the Progress Action Fund showed an actor playing the role of a Republican lawmaker interrupting a couple as they're about to have sex and taking a condom away from them. The actor says, You cant use those. Now that were in charge, were banning birth control. The ad concluded with an on-screen message reading, Keep Republicans Out of Your Bedroom, Vote No on Aug 8. National Right to Life President Carol Tobias reacted to the Issue 1 results by declaring that changing the Ohio constitution should require a higher vote threshold than a simple majority. Noting that voters rejected raising the threshold, she expressed concern that they opened the door to outside interest groups coming into Ohio and promoting their dubious values. Pro-abortion interest groups were among those who opposed Issue 1. They want to promote unlimited abortion in Ohio and want to change the Ohio Constitution based on their sordid pro-abortion values, she added. They also want to ensure that Ohios minor daughters can have abortions without their parents knowledge. In a statement shared with The Christian Post, Human Coalition Action Executive Director, the Rev. Dean Nelson, urged pro-lifers to channel their outrage over the defeat of Issue 1 into ensuring that the constitutional amendment to establish a right to abortion in Ohio fails. We urge all pro-life advocates to focus on defeating the radical abortion ballot initiative in November lives are at stake. This extreme proposal would legalize abortion in many cases until birth," Nelson said. Out-of-state activists want to undermine the authority given by the people of Ohio to their elected officials, who together with Gov. [Mike] DeWine and his administration have enacted strong pro-life laws that protect the most vulnerable. This measure, if passed, could not only overturn basic protections for children in the womb, but it could also prevent safeguards such as parental consent requirements for abortion or prohibitions on taxpayer funding of abortion. Nelson stressed that all pro-life advocates in Ohio must inform their neighbors of whats truly at stake in November, and work to defeat this radical initiative. He predicted that Ohio voters, if properly informed of how awful this proposal is, will defeat it. While pro-life advocates condemned the results of Tuesdays vote, President Joe Biden issued a statement praising the result. Today, Ohio voters rejected an effort by Republican lawmakers and special interests to change the states constitutional amendment process. This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own healthcare decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won. The effort to establish a right to abortion in the Ohio constitution marks the latest attempt to ensure access to abortion at the state level following the U.S. Supreme Courts June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision determining that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion. So far, similar amendments have passed in California, Michigan and Vermont. If passed, Novembers ballot initiative will nullify pro-life protections in Ohio. Although currently tied up in court, Ohio lawmakers have approved a law banning abortions after six weeks gestation. Ohio is one of 25 states that have passed legislation banning abortions at 15 weeks gestation or sooner. Ohioans will decide the fate of abortion policy on Election Day this fall. With a simple majority needed to pass, a poll of 500 likely voters conducted from July 9-12 by USA Today and Suffolk University found that 58% of respondents would vote to support an amendment establishing a right to abortion in Ohio while 32% would oppose it. ADF slams Biden admin. for 'hijacking' Pregnant Workers Fairness Act with 'abortion mandate' A religious liberty law firm is condemning proposed federal regulations that would require employers to cover their employees abortions, contending that the mandate could force employers to violate their deeply held religious beliefs about abortion. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Monday that it has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, outlining regulations to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Passed into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, a massive omnibus bill passed at the end of last year, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires employers with 15 or more workers to accommodate the pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition of a qualified employee. The law, as approved by Congress, authorized the EEOC to issue regulations that provide examples of reasonable accommodations addressing known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions within a year of its enactment. The legislation took effect on June 27. The EEOC has compiled the regulations, which are scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on Friday. From there, the public will have 60 days to comment on them. The unpublished version of the proposed regulations states that the list in the proposed regulation for the definition of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions includes current pregnancy, past pregnancy, potential pregnancy, lactation (including breastfeeding and pumping), use of birth control, menstruation, infertility and fertility treatments, endometriosis, stillbirth, or having or choosing not to have an abortion, among other conditions. According to the section of the regulations containing definitions, Related medical conditions are medical conditions which relate to, are affected by, or arise out of pregnancy or childbirth, as applied to the specific employee or applicant in question, including, but not limited to, termination of pregnancy, including via miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. The proposed regulations, specifically their provisions related to abortion, did not sit well with Julie Marie Blake, senior counsel at the religious freedom legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom. Congress sought to help pregnant workers, not force employers to facilitate abortions, she said in a statement. The Biden administration is attacking a bipartisan law that doesnt even mention abortion to forcibly require every employer in America to provide reasonable accommodations for their workers elective abortions, Blake added. The administrations unlawful proposal violates state laws protecting the unborn and employers pro-life and religious beliefs. The administration doesnt have the legal authority to smuggle an abortion mandate into a transformational pro-life, pro-woman law. Characterizing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act as a step forward for workers, families, and the economy that promotes the economic security and health of pregnant and postpartum workers by providing them with access to support on the job to keep working, EEOC Chair Charlotte Burrows praised her agencys bipartisan proposed regulation for furthering the agencys leadership role in fulfilling the promise of the PWFAs protection. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which contains the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, spans over 1,500 pages and contains multiple pieces of legislation. The U.S. Senate approved it in a 68-29 vote, with all Democrats and 18 Republicans voting in favor of the measure and 29 Republicans voting against it. In the U.S. House of Representatives, the bill passed in a 225-201 vote, with all but one Democrat supporting it and all but nine Republicans voting in opposition. Kidnapped American nurse and daughter freed in Haiti, Christian ministry says Alix Dorsainvil, a New Hampshire nurse and her daughter, who were kidnapped from the campus of Christian education ministry, El Roi Haiti, on July 27 near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, have been released, officials from the organization announced Wednesday. It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti. Today we are praising God for answered prayer! El Roi Haiti officials said in a statement posted on their website. The American nurse married El Roi Haiti founder and Liberty University graduate, Sandro Dorsainvil, in 2021 after she began her role as a school nurse with the organization in 2020. She is also a committed Christian who began traveling to Haiti in 2010. During her captivity, the ministry described her as someone who lives a life following in the footsteps of Jesus. On the day she was abducted, witnesses told The Associated Press that Alix Dorsainvil was busy caring for patients in a small brick clinic when armed men ambushed the site where she was working and took her captive. Lormina Louima, a patient who was waiting for a check-up, told the news service that one man brandished a gun and ordered her to relax. When I saw the gun, I was so scared, Louima told the AP. I said, I dont want to see this, let me go. Members of the community said the gunmen demanded a $1 million ransom. The U.S. Department of State, which had been working with Haitian counterparts to secure the release of Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter, did not state if a ransom was paid. "We have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas," the agency said. "As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally." El Roi Haiti said the release of their founders wife and his daughter was also a testament to Gods faithfulness and the power of prayer. We are so thankful for everyone who joined us in prayer and supported us during this crisis. El Roi is a Hebrew name of the God of the Bible that means the God who sees. It is with that vision that we now rest upon Gods truth that, In his kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation (1 Peter 5:10), the ministry said. We praise God that He has proven Himself faithful as He restores, supports, and strengthens Alix and her family, the ministry of El Roi Haiti, and the community that Alix has impacted and continues to impact with her ministry in Haiti. Exclusive: 'Ordinary Angels' sheds light on Christian service following success of 'Jesus Revolution' On the heels of the success of Jesus Revolution, Ordinary Angels, the latest film from Kingdom Story Company, shines a light on the power of community and how serving others highlights the transformative power of the Gospel. Hitting theaters on Oct. 13, Ordinary Angels stars Hilary Swank as Sharon Stevens, a hairdresser from a small Kentucky town who's battling her own challenges. Her life takes a transformative turn when she encounters Ed (Alan Ritchson), a widower tirelessly working to support his two daughters. With his younger daughter in dire need of a liver transplant, Sharon becomes determined to assist the family, going to great lengths to make a difference. Based on a true story, Ordinary Angels tells a heartwarming narrative of belief, unexpected blessings and the ordinary angels among us. Its an inspiring, true story that really highlights the power of a community working together to serve one another and never giving up, producer Kevin Downes told The Christian Post. So many times when we hit challenges in our lives, we give up and say, This is too hard. I dont want to do this, even though the outcome would best be served if we didnt give up. What's so inspiring about Sharon is were able to see things through to the end. This young girl's life was impacted just because Sharon decided, Im going to serve, I'm going to put my own selfish desires down for a minute go and support this family in a way that is totally unexpected. There are people out there where life hasnt gone their way, and just a simple hand or word might encourage them in a way that could change their trajectory. Watch the exclusive clip "The Story Behind Ordinary Angels" Ordinary Angels also stars Nancy Travis, Tamala Jones, Amy Acker, Drew Powell, Skywalker Hughes and Emily Mitchell. Its directed by Jon Gunn (The Case for Christ) and produced by Downes, Jon Berg, Roy Lee, Dave Matthews, Johnathan Dorfman, Sarah Johnson, David Beal and Jon and Andrew Erwin. It will be distributed by Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate. I'm an optimist. I believe in the best in people. I believe that sometimes we just need to be reminded of the power of what we can do together. This is why I was drawn to "Ordinary Angels," Ritchson says in an exclusive "behind the scenes" clip of the film. The film comes on the heels of Kingdom Story Companys film Jesus Revolution, also based on a true story. Set in the late '60s, the Kelsey Grammer film follows Pastor Chuck Smith, who, with evangelist Lonnie Frisbee, opened church doors to the hippie youth culture. Released in February, the film became Lionsgates biggest release in over four years and is among the most popular movies on Netflix in the U.S. Jon Erwin said Ordinary Angels is the perfect film to follow Jesus Revolution, adding: Jesus Revolution is a film about spiritual awakening and revival; Ordinary Angels is about how can we become known as Christians by how we love people in our communities. The story behind Ordinary Angels took place in January 1994, when a catastrophic snowstorm shut down Louisville, Kentucky. Stevens, determined to help a widower secure a liver transplant for his 3-year-old daughter, rallied her local community into helping the family get to a hospital 600 miles away in Omaha, Nebraska. Swank described the story as almost stranger and more beautiful than fiction. I wish there were more movies like this, she said. I completely believe there are angels amongst us. Downes stressed that while the film speaks profoundly to Christian audiences, it's a narrative that will resonate with many, particularly coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope this film encourages people, whether through their church or community, to ask, How are you doing today? Is there something that I can do for you today that would make a difference?' Its the opportunity to go and die to yourself and to serve other people, to serve other human beings out there, he said. I think that's something that we can all relate to no matter what your faith is. But for a Christian audience, this is a message that I hear on Sundays quite frequently: How can we serve our neighborhoods, our community, in a way that puts the Body of Christ front and center? Ordinary Angels is rated PG and will hit theaters nationwide on Oct. 13. Canadas suicidal slide If it is true, as Richard Weaver famously put it, that ideas have consequences, it is also true that bad ideas have victims. On no other contemporary issue today is the connection between a bad idea and its victims clearer than assisted suicide. In no other nation today are the bad ideas and their victims more aggressively embraced than in Canada. In a lengthy and powerful essay at The Atlantic this month, David Brooks exposed just how monstrous Canadas so-called medical aid in dying regime has become since it was enacted in 2016. Originally, Canada only permitted the request for medical aid in dying to those with serious illness, in advanced or irreversible decline, unbearable physical or mental suffering, or whose death was reasonably foreseeable. The criteria are vague enough. Since the law went into effect, however, the number of Canadians killed annually has gone from 1,000 to over 10,000. In 2021, one in 30 Canadian deaths was by assisted suicide, and only 4% of those who applied to die were turned down. Were all these people terminally ill or suffering from serious and irreversible conditions? Hardly. In fact, Brooks tells the story of a man whose only physical condition was hearing loss yet who was put to death over the objections of his family. Another patient had fibromyalgia and leukemia yet wrote that the suffering I experience is mental suffering, not physical. I think if more people cared about me, I might be able to handle the suffering caused by my physical illnesses alone. One otherwise healthy 37-year-old who suffers from schizoaffective disorder and is unemployed said, logistically, I really dont have a future Im not going anywhere. As of Brooks writing, that man was awaiting approval for assisted suicide. Simply put, Canadians who need help are instead being helped to kill themselves because theyre depressed, lonely, or mentally ill. And the slope keeps getting slipperier. Brooks described patients who have been pressured by doctors and hospital staff into killing themselves to avoid medical bills. Earlier this year, the Canadian Parliaments Special Committee on Medical Assistance in Death recommended extending the program to mature minors as young as twelve. Brooks observed this is what happens when a society takes individualism to its logical conclusion. The core question is no longer, Should the state help those who are suffering at the end of life die? It is now whether any degree of suffering is worth living with. He concludes, The lines between assisted suicide for medical reasons and straight-up suicide are blurring. Brooks clearly identified the bad idea behind these victims: what he calls autonomy-based liberalism. In its place, he proposed something called gifts-based liberalism, which acknowledges that each of us is a receiver of gifts including the gift of life itself. That life, Brooks insists, is sacred because each of us is endowed with dignity, and society has a duty to say, No, suicide is out of bounds You dont have the right to make a choice you will never be able to revisit We are responsible for one another. At least, that is, in most cases, according to Brooks. He is so close to getting this one right and articulating the sanctity of life in the way Christianity does. Thats why its frustrating that Brooks seems to think its possible to climb back up the slippery slope and re-establish assisted suicide only for extreme cases. He writes, I dont have great moral qualms about assisted suicide for people who are suffering intensely in the face of imminent death. But, David, the moment you begin setting criteria for when life is no longer worth living, no longer sacred, and a person no longer deserving of love instead of lethal injection, you let the bad idea that led to all those victims right back in the cultural door! For all his admirable reporting on how bad it has gotten in Canada, Brooks never gets around to answering his core question: Why did Canadas medical aid in dying law which supposedly limited victims to only those he agrees should have the right to die become government-sponsored mass suicide in just seven years? The answer is simple: because the value of human life is not based on any extrinsic quality. Period. Its instead based on the fact that humans are made in Gods image. We belong to Him, not to ourselves. This is ultimately why the slope from accepting some suicides to all suicides is so slippery. Its also why gifts-based liberalism, until it acknowledges the one who gave us life, will never be able to keep its footing or help those intent on throwing away the very gift. Originally published at BreakPoint. 13 Eritrean Christians released from prison in response to letter campaign Thirteen Eritrean Christians have been released from prison after being falsely imprisoned for 10 years, according to The Voice of the Martyrs Christian ministry, which said the prisoners included seven women and six men who were released as part of a campaign it initiated. The Christians were released about two weeks ago after VOM called on Christians to pray for the release of two Eritrean church leaders and provided information to help Christians contact the Eritrean Embassy on behalf of imprisoned Christians, the ministry said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. After the ministry launched the campaign on July 22, more than 10,000 people responded, and just six days later, VOM received word from its ministry partners in Eritrea about the release of the 13 believers. We thank the Lord for the freedom of these brothers and sisters who have been released from prison in Eritrea. We thank Him for intervening on behalf of these 13, said Todd Nettleton, VOMs spokesperson. Nettleton, who met with and interviewed Christians in Eritrea in 2004, expressed gratitude for the 10,000 people who responded to the ministrys email and encouraged believers to continue praying. Dont stop praying, he said. There are still more than 300 Christians in Eritrean prisons. Dont stop being a voice for them to the Eritrean Embassy. The imprisoned pastors who were the focus of the letter writing campaign, Pastor Haile Nayzgi and Kiflu Gebremeskel, have also not been released, VOM clarified. Eritrea is classified as a restricted nation due to the governments ongoing persecution of Christians, according to the ministrys 2023 Global Prayer Guide. All churches outside the Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran denominations were ordered to close by the government in 2002. Last October, Bishop Fikremariam Hagos, the first bishop of the Catholic Eparchy of Segheneity, Fr. Abraham Habtom Gebremariam from the Capuchin Society in Teseney town, and Fr. Mihretab Stefanos of St. Michael's Church in Segheneity were arrested, possibly because the Catholic leaders had called for justice and reconciliation in Eritrea. Eritreas persecuted Christians often disappear without a trace, and prison conditions are among the harshest in the world. Inmates are kept in shipping containers, and believers are often tortured. Eritreas President Isaias Afewerki, a member of the Eritrean Orthodox Church in Asmara, belongs to one of the only three Christian denominations allowed to function in the country. Afewerki, 75, the leader of the ruling Peoples Front for Democracy and Justice Party, has a reputation for being a ruthless autocrat. His policy of restrictions is driven more by fear that religion will mobilize people as a political force than religion itself. The global watchdog organization Open Doors USA previously reported that there are possibly more than 1,000 Christians imprisoned in Eritrea, with none formally charged. Rickey Smiley, pastor, exult after black co-captain is defended from attack by white boaters in Montgomery Christian comedian and talk show host Ricky Smiley publicly exulted with many black Americans online after a black cruise ship co-captain was successfully defended by colleagues and bystanders after he was violently attacked by a group of white boaters at the Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama, on Saturday. The attack, which was captured in multiple videos and posted online, has since gone viral sparking a variety of memes and spoof videos. At a press conference Tuesday, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert explained that around 7 p.m. on Saturday, the Harriott II cruise ship which takes passengers on two-hour tours along the Alabama River was trying to dock in its designated docking space along the river with 227 passengers. A private boat in that designated space prevented the Harriott II from docking. The captain of the Harriet remained away from the dock for nearly 40 to 45 minutes. As he attempted to contact the operators of the private boat via PA system. They were only responded to with obscene gestures, curse words and taunting, Albert said. Damian Pickett, the co-captain of the Harriott II, was subsequently picked up from the cruise ship, in a separate vessel and taken to the pier where he attempted to persuade the private boat owners to remove their vessel from the ship's designated space. The private boat party responded by attacking Pickett. Several members of the Harriott II came to Mr. Pickett's defense engaging in what we all have seen since on social media, Albert said. Among Picketts colleagues who came to his defense during the attack is 16-year-old Aaren Rudolph, who is show diving off the boat and swimming to the dock and had enough strength left over to fight off several of the co-captains attackers. The teenager is now being hailed as a hero with many offering financial support, some of which he has declined. Thank you everyone for supporting me and sending me notes and messages telling me Ive done well, he wrote in a statement on Instagram Monday. I was just helping my crew mate and I really dont deserve this but thank you again anyway and I am grateful I wish everyone the best. Smiley in his statement on the attack on the cruise ships co-captain also praised the teenager, calling him Pookie Michael Phelps referencing decorated U.S. swimmer, Michael Phelps. The brawl at the Riverfront Park came in two rounds. One round showed efforts to protect the co-captain as the cruise ship waited to dock while a second round of videos showed Picketts colleagues and others responding to the white boaters after the ship was able to dock. Many compared what happened to the Captain America "Avengers Assemble" scene in Avengers: Endgame. Other videos showed one black man using a folding chair to hit the white boaters while other men and women jumped into the brawl. I don't advocate violence. I don't. I do not advocate violence at all whatsoever, but today is the first time in my life I've seen a fight break out and I got the Holy Ghost and then shouted, spoke in tongues curse, cussed, swung in the air like that dude on 'Boyz n the Hood.' All the emotions wrapped up in one up there, Smiley said in an emotional video reaction to the brawl in which he incorrectly identified the co-captain as a security guard. I saw Moses part the Red Sea. I saw the trumpet blowing, the angels in the sky. Bishop Talbert Swan, a Church of God in Christ leader and the president of the Greater Springfield NAACP, said in a statement on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, that the attack on the black co-captain showed how racism continued to impact America while the reaction of the black Montgomery bystanders who helped him showed that we are fed up. The fact that violent, racist, white Alabamians brutally beat a black city worker 68 years after Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks led the Montgomery Bus Boycott is a clear example of how the history and structure of systemic racism continues to impact this nation, Swan wrote. The fact that black people bravely resisted racial terrorism on the very docks where their ancestors were sold at auction is a clear indication that we are fed up. Many individuals reacting to the brawl were elated by the outcome because the dock was previously used in the slave trade. Albert said once police arrived on the scene, they detained 13 individuals who were later released after being advised how to secure warrants against their attackers. He also noted that a 16-year-old white male who transported Pickett to the dock in the smaller vessel was also assaulted by members of the private boat. Warrants have been issued for the arrest of Richard Roberts, a 48-year-old white male, Allen Todd, a 23-year-old white male, and Zachary Shipman, a 25-year-old white male, Albert said. Reggie Gray, who is shown in videos wielding that folding chair is also being urged to contact the police. Albert said he expects more warrants to be issued as the investigation into the brawl continues. This investigation is ongoing, and more charges are likely, Albert said. We encourage the public to continue to send us additional videos or evidence relating to this case. Hawaiian church founded by professional surfer celebrates baptizing 2,000 people in 7 years A Hawaiian church founded by a professional surfer now affiliated with Pastor Greg Lauries Harvest Christian Fellowship recently celebrated having baptized as many as 2,000 people over the last seven years. Harvest at Kumulani Chapel, located on the island of Maui, was visited by Pastor Laurie and his wife, Cathe, late last month to mark seven years since the congregation joined the Harvest network. Laurie had taken over the church at the request of Ricky Ryan, a pro surfer who founded the Kumulani Chapel in the early 1980s, with it starting out as a small Bible study group. In an emailed statement to The Christian Post, Laurie said, Ricky wanted to retire and asked me if we would be willing to bring Kumulani into the Harvest Church family. Laurie added that it was not as easy of a decision as you may think, as the distance between the Hawaiian chapel and Lauries California-based main campus is considerable. They were going from a hearing a live preacher to a live video feed of me and my son, Jonathan, speaking from our church in California, Laurie said. We encouraged the leadership to come to California and see how it worked, which they did. After months of prayer, we decided to do it. We finally merged and renamed it Harvest Kumulani. While most Sundays the congregation listens to a virtual message from Laurie, the Harvest senior pastor does occasionally visit the chapel and lead worship in person. Since the chapel became a Harvest campus, the congregation has doubled to approximately 1,000 regular attendees, with about 2,000 people having been baptized at the chapel since 2016. Laurie told CP that he attributed this growth to the beautiful, family-like feel of the congregation, as they each meet with each other constantly and generally do life together. They live out their faith and impact those around them, he added. They do so much for the community, including a church preschool and outreach events through the year, including Thanksgiving where over 1,000 people are provided a free meal with all the fixings. According to Laurie, one of the unique aspects of Harvest Kumulani is the large number of visitors they get every week, with the Harvest leader estimating that about 30% of those present for worship are vacationers to Maui. Jesus told us to Go into all the world and preach the Gospel, but in a very real sense, all the world comes to Maui to vacation, Laurie said. Many come to this beautiful island looking to escape, but many end up at our church receiving Christ into their lives. Pastor Jamal Bryant gets new flak for old message claiming Jesus was wrong 85% of His life Leader of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, Jamal Bryant, is getting some new flak for an old message in which he claims Jesus was wrong for 85% of His life despite being called, anointed, and chosen. Jesus accepted His call to ministry at 30. He had been in carpentry since he was 13. He ran the family business since he was 17. At the risk of being heretical tonight, might I suggest to you, that 85% of Jesus's life, He was out of order, Bryant told congregants at The Chosen Vessel Cathedral in Fort Worth, Texas, at the installation service of Bishop Marvin Sapp as the churchs senior pastor on Nov. 17, 2019, according to a recording of the sermon posted on YouTube. Eighty-five percent of His life He was doing what He was not called to do, Bryant declared. God, y'all done got quiet. For 85 percent of his life, he was not flowing in his God-given function. Eighty-five percent of His life, He is doing what His natural father wanted. But it did not line up with His defined DNA. Eighty-five percent of His life He's anointed. He's called. He's chosen. And He's wrong, Bryant added. He went on to prophesy to a few people in the congregation who would receive it that God was getting ready to give them, what eyes have not seen, what ears have not heard over the next three years. I'm just supposed to give the homily tonight. But I just came to prophesy to 50 of y'all in here. I hope you ready for what's gonna happen in the next three years. God, I can't hear nobody. He's gonna give you what eyes have not seen, what ears have not heard, he said. I don't want you to shout for what happened in the past. But would you shout tonight for what God would do in 2020, 2021 in 2022? You've got to shout for the next three years. By December 2019, however, COVID-19 was discovered in China. By March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization would declare the disease a global pandemic. The pandemic ended on May 5 after causing the deaths of nearly 7 million people to date. Bryants 2019 message got some renewed attention from a Christian Tik Toker in June which generated hundreds of comments, most of which disagreed with the megachurch pastors position. As a pastor for over 20 years, if He was wrong for 85% of his life, [t]hen salvation is voidbecause one who knew no sin became sin for the world, wrote Eric White5523. Christian podcaster Nick Jones also called Bryants message full-on heretical in a recent video on YouTube. Look, this sermon was from three years ago. Thats just an insane statement for so many reasons because if Jesus was wrong for 85% of his life and if Jesus was as Jamal Bryant is implying was disobedient to God the father for 85% of his life, and was instead solely obedient to his earthly father, that would have major implications, Jones said. So much so that all of us who believe in the blood of Jesus to be the perfect atonement for our sins, all of us are going to Hell, he argued. If Jesus wrong for 85% of His life, if He was not following the instruction from God the Father for the majority of His life, wouldnt that be some act of sin? Wouldnt that disqualify him from being the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins? Others reacting to Bryants message on TikTok, like Tajanel Chinyere, said if Bryant tried preaching that message at her church, her pastor would have taken his microphone away. Ive seen my bishop take many guest speakers and pastors' mics with no hesitation, she said. This was the perfect time for him to be sat down! Why does God choose the foolish over the wise? John Piper weighs in Noted theologian and author John Piper recently addressed the question of why, according to the Bible, God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. In an episode of Ask Pastor John posted to the Desiring God website on Monday, a listener from the Philippines named Euclid explained his desire to be an evangelist and asked: In 1 Corinthians 1:27, it says that God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. Heres my question: Why didnt God save all the worldly-wise to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world? Wouldnt that have made a faster and greater impact in world evangelization than simply choosing a bunch of foolish people to do his work? Piper responded by saying that while the impact of all those wise people might have had a greater impact and faster, it wouldnt have been Christianity. If the Son of God had come into the world as a warrior or a philosopher to impact the world with His power and His intelligence, the impact would have been quicker and more outwardly impressive, but it wouldnt have been Christianity, Piper said. Piper explained that relying on human eloquence and human intellect as the ancient Corinthians did would, in fact, be a denial of Christ and an emptying of the cross, because the cross of Christ means the end of boasting in human achievements. Piper quoted 1 Corinthians 2:5, noting that eloquence and intellect were not prioritized so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. The theologian said that God chooses what is foolish in the world so no human might boast in the presence of God and so that those who boast would boast only in the Lord. Gods aim in world evangelization is to put an end to human pride and to make Jesus the focus of all human praise. His ways are not our ways. We just need to settle it. His ways are not our ways, Piper reiterated. Christ crucified defines everything. William Wolfe, a conservative theological commentator and a former Trump administration official, discussed the 1st Corinthians passage in an op-ed piece published by The Christian Post last October. Be warned: The wisdom of the world will be appealing. It will tempt you. It can be sneaky. We can so easily just drift into running on the wrong operating system, wrote Wolfe at the time. The worlds wisdom infiltrates our lives like carbon monoxide: a colorless, odorless gas. By the time you realize you have been poisoned by it, it can be too late. So, embrace being called a fool by this world if it means being called faithful by God. A vessel taking more than 1,600 tonnes of frozen prawns from Indonesia arrived Monday at a port in Fuzhou, the capital of east China's Fujian Province. This is the first batch of exports China received from Indonesia since the two countries agreed to promote the joint construction of the flagship project of "Two Countries, Twin Parks" which aims to build a cooperation platform centered on the international food industry chain and supply chain. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Southwest Airlines appeals decision in favor of ex-employee fired for expressing pro-life views Southwest Airlines plans to fight an order from a federal judge in Texas requiring three of its attorneys to undergo religious liberty training after losing a lawsuit against a former employee fired for expressing pro-life religious views. Southwest was recently ordered to reinstate former flight attendant Charlene Carter, a pro-life Christian, and to pay damages to her for having fired her for violating their civility policy in 2017. United States District Judge Brantley Starr, appointed by former President Donald Trump, also ordered three Southwest lawyers to undergo a religious freedom training session with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal nonprofit that specializes in religious liberty cases. Southwest intends to appeal the order, according to Reuters, as well as the decision stopping the airline from restricting its employees' use of social media. In 2017, Carter filed a lawsuit against Southwest and officials at the Transport Workers Union Local 556, accusing the airline of firing her because she opposed some of the unions stances on issues like abortion and for opposing their support of the 2017 Womens March in Washington, D.C. Attended by hundreds of thousands of people, the 2017 Womens March was launched in opposition to the election of Trump and had pro-choice groups and far-left groups as sponsors. The event included anti-Semitic and Communist Party speakers and promoted "solidarity with the sex workers' rights movement," abortion, "gender justice for two-spirit and gender nonconforming people" and the belief that motherhood is "the number one predictor of poverty." Carter, who was represented by National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, had quit the TWU in 2013 over ideological differences but still had to pay union dues as an employee of Southwest. In July of last year, a jury sided with Carter, concluding that she was unlawfully terminated and awarding her $5.1 million in combined compensatory and punitive damages against Southwest and TWU. "This long overdue verdict vindicates Ms. Carter's fundamental right to dissent from the causes and ideas that TWU union officials who claim to 'represent' Southwest flight attendants support while forcing workers to bankroll their activities," said NRWLDF President Mark Mix in a statement at the time. "No American worker should have to fear termination, intimidation, or any other reprisal merely for speaking out against having their own money spent, purportedly in their name, to promote an agenda they find abhorrent." Last December, Judge Starr reduced the damages payment owed to Carter to $800,000 but also ordered Southwest to reinstate Carter to her former position as a flight attendant. The total award approved by Starr was divided into $300,000 in compensatory and punitive damages from Southwest, $300,000 in damages from the union, $150,000 in back pay and around $60,000 in interest. Street preacher arrested at pride event says Christians 'ought to say something' about drag events for kids 'Love cant stay silent on this issue,' says Marcus Schroeder, 19 Marcus Schroeder doesnt talk like your typical 19-year-old male and certainly not like someone whos been arrested for standing up for their Christian faith. My vision personally, for my life, is to inspire other young people to engage in the spiritual war that is going on in our nation and to inspire young people to join this reformation thats taking place amongst American Christianity. Schroeder was among one of four protesters who were arrested July 29 at a Pride in the Park event in Watertown, Wisconsin, a roughly 40-minute drive from his home in Waukesha. While he estimated there were about 200 protesters at the event from various churches, ministries and activist groups, Schroeder said the turnout was more divine providence than community organizing. A lot of us werent connected with each other in any way, he told The Christian Post via phone Tuesday. We just showed up to the same event to protest it. Video footage of the event and ensuing protests quickly went viral, along with Schroders confrontation with police while sharing the Gospel over a loudspeaker. When it was over, four people were arrested, two of whom received citations. Schroeder was the only one who was handcuffed and taken to the police station. But despite the ensuing national media coverage, Schroder says it wasnt attention-seeking that drew him to the event. 'Love your neighbor as yourself' thats the second greatest Christian command in Scripture, he said. So if we actually love these children, whose minds are being perverted, who are being taken down this path of destruction, then we ought to say something about it. Love cant stay silent on this issue. He specifically pointed to disturbing footage shared by Gays Against Groomers, which posted a video of children watching as men dressed in lingerie danced around and collected money from the audience. Seeing kids giving these drag performers dollar bills, said Schroeder, made the whole thing feel like it was being run like a strip show. If we know that something like that is being accepted in our culture and we as Christians do nothing about it, what is our Christianity worth? he said. We are the salt of the earth; we are a city on a hill. Schroeder said it was frustrating to see police officers at the event standing idly by as protesters cited a specific local statute prohibiting the behavior they saw at the pride event. A video shared on social media from the event showed Pastor Matt Trewhella of Mercy Seat Christian Church in nearby Richfield preaching out of Romans 13 as officers looked on. Schroeder said its one thing for the police to be ignorant of an alleged crime and quite another for them to stand and watch as it happens. Just look at the law, read the law. Pretty much every single part of that law the drag queens that day broke in some form or another, he said. To see them be so negligent in their duty in the face of children's minds being perverted, the children are the most vulnerable among us, and so theyre the ones who need to be protected the most. Schroeder, who is part of the Warriors For Christ ministry, which held an event in Milwaukee in June, said he was initially drawn to street preaching by the fight against abortion when he was around 14 years old. As a lover of history books, Schroeder said he particularly enjoyed The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom and other tales about Christians who resisted the Nazi movement. It wasnt until he watched a documentary about abortion and saw it "for what it was that he realized that millions of children are being murdered every single day in my nation and I've done nothing about it. He began standing outside abortion clinics, ministering to women as they came in and out, pleading with them, offering alternative resources for their pregnancy. After one particular abortion protest, Schroeder said he realized many of the same folks who advocated for abortion were supporting drag events. We found out that a lot of these same people who were working for the abortion clinic would come out there to support the drag queen event too, he said. Its a demonic stronghold in our nation; its a spiritual war that were in. And while he cant speak much about his pending legal case, Schroeder said he has quite a few offers from attorneys who want to take the case. More importantly, he said, he knows the people of Watertown have his back, especially after the mayor and police were exploding with phone calls with what he called immense support from the people of Watertown. Its for those folks, said Schroder, that this crusade continues. My goal would be to do what I can to make sure this does not happen again, that grown men in lingerie are no longer allowed to do sexual dances in front of children in the city of Watertown. Tennessee church votes to leave SBC over female pastor ban A congregation in Tennessee has voted to leave the Southern Baptist Convention due to disagreements over theological issues, specifically the SBCs reaffirmation of its ban on women serving as pastors. Monte Vista Baptist Church of Maryville, which has a regular weekly in-person attendance of about 150 churchgoers, voted last week to end its affiliation with the SBC and the Tennessee Baptist Convention. The congregation had been affiliated with the SBC for nearly 70 years, while also holding an official partnership with the more progressive Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) since the 1990s. Monte Vista Senior Pastor Jerry Mantooth told The Christian Post in an interview Tuesday that the decision to leave involved a unanimous voice vote from more than 120 members. Mantooth explained that over the years, we have felt like that the SBC has gotten more narrow in its interpretation of Scripture, citing a vote at the SBC's Annual Meeting earlier this year to amend the SBC constitution to bar women from serving as a "pastor of any kind" in churches. The proposed amendment passed in June with about 80% of the messenger vote but must be passed at next years SBC Annual Meeting to be permanently added to the Conventions bylaws. This is a main value for us: equality in ministry, said Mantooth. We have ordained women for a number of years, and that is just a part of our DNA. And we felt like they were making a move to push us out. So, we just made the decision. Lets just go ahead and make the decision ourselves. Mantooth told CP that they had question-and-answer times with the church prior to the decision so that we could discuss it, noting that we have written letters explaining this to the Southern Baptist Convention and the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Monte Vista intends to continue its affiliation with the CBF, with Mantooth explaining that we felt like they were more in-line with the historic Baptist principles that have guided us over the years. CP reached out to the Tennessee Baptist Convention, with a spokesperson saying they had not yet received any official notice from the congregation about their disaffiliation vote. Nevertheless, the TBC spokesperson explained that because Monte Vista is an autonomous local church, it is free to associate with whomever it wishes and to pull away from the [TBC and] SBC. In June, messengers at the SBC's Annual Meeting upheld the removal of the California-based Saddleback Church due to the megachurchs allowing a woman to serve in the office of teaching pastor. According to the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message, which the SBC subscribes to, while both men and women are called to spread the Gospel, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. How the Holy Spirit helps in moments of trouble and confusion The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Godhead; the one who bears witness of the Father and Jesus Christ. He is the one who brings us to God. He convicts and converts us and helps us to run our Christian race. He guides us in our decisions and protects us from physical and spiritual dangers. Jesus called Him our comforter and He has lived up to His name. In moments of trouble and confusion he stands by us and tells us what to do. He is our helper in times of trouble. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever (John 14:16). Jesus knew the comforting role of the Holy Spirit and made Him known to His disciples as well. We today also need the Holy Spirit just as the original disciples did. We are tempted every day. The devil is doing all within his capacity to pull us down. It is obvious that without the help and leading of the Holy Spirit, no Christian will survive the schemes of the devil. Jesus Himself relied on the Spirit in times of temptation. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Mathew 4:1). Have we wondered why Jesus never wanted His disciples to venture into the mission fields without receiving the Holy Ghost? But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Missionaries can only survive the troubles and attacks in the mission fields by the power of the Holy Spirit. In one of our mission trips, the Spirit inspired me to take an alternative route from the one we planned. The following day we heard the news that some passengers were kidnapped and killed by bandits along the exact same route. As Christians, we face obstacles and challenges daily. Sometimes we do not know how to go about facing them. Many times, we do not know what to say because we are overwhelmed by what is happening around us. I have discovered that absolute reliance on the Holy Spirit in a moment of confusion and trouble is the only way of navigating through challenging times. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given to you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit (Mark 13:11). There was a time that I was arrested for distributing Christian literature in one of the Sharia states in Nigeria. I was harassed and intimidated by the police and instead of being afraid I just opened my mouth and thanked them for arresting me. I said to them, You have made my day by arresting me, I have longed to be detained for the sake of the Gospel just like my mentor the Apostle Paul. They looked at me with utter bewilderment and told me to get out of their station because I was mad. The Holy Spirit is all we need to weather the storms of life. He is always there for us; He is indeed our most reliable friend. Christians in Pakistan risk greater persecution from blasphemy laws, while living in poverty Two Christian Pakistani teenagers, one 18 and another 14, were arrested in their homes in Lahore in May 2023 on charges of blasphemy after a policeman claimed he heard them being disrespectful of the Prophet Muhammad. Among Muslim-majority countries, Pakistan has the strictest blasphemy laws. People jailed under these laws risk a sentence of life in prison and worse still, even death. Christians and other religious minorities make up a mere 4% of Pakistan's population, but they account for about half of blasphemy charges. As if navigating blasphemy laws weren't hardship enough, Christians who live in major cities like Lahore are often relegated to poorly paid and hazardous jobs like sanitation work. The nation of Pakistan was created 76 years ago but during this time the lives of its Christian citizens have grown ever more difficult. As a scholar of world religions, I have studied how the evolution of a hard-line version of Islam in Pakistan has come to shape this country's national identity and contributed to the persecution of its Christian minority. Hindu converts to Christianity Many Christians in Pakistan trace their religious affiliation to the activities of missionary societies during the 19th and early 20th centuries in the Punjab region of what was then British-ruled India. Early evangelization efforts by both the British and Americans in Hindu-majority India focused on upper-caste Hindus. The evangelizers assumed that these elites would use their influence to convert members of the lower castes. However, this approach led to few converts. The caste system is a tiered socioeconomic system that consigns people to a particular group, or caste. In Hinduism, this system is part of its religious worldview. People are born into a particular caste. There are some 3,000 castes in India, each associated with a range of occupations. People from the lowest castes are often expected to do work that is considered "polluting," such as skinning animals, removing the bodies of the unclaimed dead and cleaning toilets. Because castes are rigid categories, their members are blocked from upward mobility. In the late 19th century, American missionaries in India decided to focus directly on the least advantaged and began to baptize Hindus of low or no caste. The missionaries' new approach proved successful, in part because conversion to Christianity offered hope of escape from Hinduism's caste system. By the 1930s, for example, many members of the largest menial caste in India's Punjab region had converted to Protestant Christianity. In 1947, the country of Pakistan was carved out of Indian territory to establish a homeland for Muslims, who were a minority in India. The section of the Punjab where most Christians lived became part of Pakistan. The majority of those Christians chose to remain in the newly created Pakistan. They believed that they would fare better there because, in principle, Islam rejects social divisions like castes on theological grounds. Lower socioeconomic status In practice, after the creation of Pakistan, not much changed economically or socially for the Christians who stayed: The caste system continued to exist in the new country. Even today, most Pakistani Christians living in major cities are consigned to poorly paid jobs in the sanitation industry. Pakistan's government has adopted a systemic policy of reserving sanitation posts for religious minorities. Newspaper ads for sanitation workers, including by government agencies, explicitly call for non-Muslims. One of Asia's Catholic news agencies, UCANews, reported that in May 2017, the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation issued a call for 450 sanitation workers, offering contracts that required employees to be non-Muslim and to take this oath: "I swear by my faith that I will only work in the position of a sanitary worker and not refuse any work." In Pakistan's northwest city of Peshawar, as many as 80% of Christians are sanitation workers. According to the 2022 census, 3.27% of urban Pakistanis living in Punjab province are Christian. However, in Lahore, Punjab's capital city, Christians account for 76% of sanitation workers. Subject to widespread discrimination, Christians are often refused other work. Confined to low-wage jobs, Christians experience widespread poverty, even in the relatively prosperous Punjab. A 2012 survey in Lahore found that, for Christian families of five, the average monthly income was US$138 a per capita daily income of 92 cents - which is well below the poverty line defined by the World Bank. In contrast, during the same year, the average monthly income for all Pakistanis was US$255. Blasphemy laws target minorities The condition of Christians only worsened when Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistan's dictatorial president from 1978 to 1988, started the Islamization of the country. Originally, for example, Pakistan's blasphemy laws were general in nature. They punished offenders who wounded the religious sensibilities of other people. Only a handful of charges were filed until Zia added several Islam-specific clauses to this nonsectarian code. These changes included making blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad punishable by a minimum sentence of life in prison, and possibly death. Since Zia's rule, hundreds of blasphemy cases have been filed. Anthropologist Linda Walbridge, writing about Pakistani Christians, notes that by the 1990s these "Christians certainly believed they were the targets of systematic oppression." That oppression, she observed, came largely "in the form of laws that have increasingly been used against them." Indeed, laws intended to protect Islam have sometimes been used against Christians and other minorities to settle personal scores or business disputes. In one incident, a Christian couple refused to pay back their Muslim employer who had lent them money. A mob burned them alive after he accused them of blasphemy. The father of one of the arrested teenagers told the The Christian Post, "Our Muslim neighbors have known us for years, and they know we would never indulge in anything that could hurt their religious sentiments." Prosecuting authorities reviewing the teenagers' case may lean in their favor, but if the past is any indication, the authorities themselves will face intimidation, threats and accusations. Myriam Renaud is Affiliated Faculty of Bioethics, Religion, and Society in the Department of Religious Studies at DePaul University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Churches have 'big part to play' in ending trafficking Churches are being encouraged to get involved in the fight against human trafficking and modern-day slavery. The Churches Against Trafficking tour, by charity One by One, has been visiting churches around England and the Isle of Man highlighting how Christians can be part of the campaign to end the scourge. The work of churches will be featured in a TBN UK documentary airing on Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October, and a reception at the Houses of Parliament the same week. The campaign is being supported by Andrew Selous, MP for South West Bedfordshire and Second Church Estates Commissioner, who said he was "appalled" to learn that 50 million people are trapped in slavery around the world today. He said it was a "huge issue" and one that he had encountered instances of in his own constituency. He said it was an issue "that churches need to be really involved with". "Many people might have thought that we ended slavery with the great campaign of William Wilberforce, but I've been shocked to find out that there are more people in modern slavery being trafficked today, than there ever have been before," he said. "Churches have a big part to play here in the UK and globally in supporting that important work, for someone to be another human beings slave, is to deny their dignity as someone created in the image of the living God, so it should be something that touches everyone of us as a Christian and that is why I am so pleased to support the work One By One is doing." One By One works with child victims of forced labour in Pakistan's brick kilns. Through its Dignity Project initiative, it is working across eight countries to provide girls at risk of trafficking with reusable sanitary pads and help them stay in school. One By One CEO Becky Murray said: "There are now more people in slavery than ever before and it will take far more than one charity to stop this. "We need the backing of every church, every politician and everyone who has a voice. If we all play our part, we can begin to see an end to exploitation and see freedom come to many lives across the world." Forgive: why and how? One of Tim Keller's final and most powerful books he published before his death in May was Forgive: Why should I and how can I? (2022). Keller touches on a topic we all wrestle with: forgiveness. Should we forgive others for their harshness towards us? And if so, how can we forgive them? As always, Keller's depth of thought, wide reading and research, along with his faithful searching of the Scriptures has produced a helpful but challenging resource. Pastoral One of the distinctives of Keller's ministry, including this book, is his pastoral approach to every situation. For decades he was in pastoral ministry, particularly at Redeemer Presbyterian Church since 1989. This gave him a powerful practical lens with which to read the Scriptures that helped anchor his message in the Bible's central theme of reconciliation: A loving God reconciling His people to Himself through Jesus. Keller's strength is to see reconciliation, as well as this topic of forgiveness, as a personal and pastoral appeal to people, not just an academic theory. As an example, I was reading a recent denominational article on forgiveness that reviewed Scripture verses on this topic. Keller, in this book, reviews the same Bible verses; however, he links them together and anchors them within the Bible's theme of reconciliation. The difference is that, in the article, forgiveness is framed as a set of rules and requirements read flatly through Bible verses. In contrast Keller's approach is explained from a pastoral perspective of a loving God reconciling the world unto Himself. The result is that Keller's book is an excellent example of a pastor seeking God's will for people. Woke Many social justice movements have rejected forgiveness as a patronising example of hegemony of a dominant group over another. So, a person of colour forgiving a white person for their racist remarks is just perpetuating the power imbalance that has been imposed. This argument says forgiveness should not be offered because it is outdated and condescending. Keller unpacks this woke viewpoint, firstly from a sociological view explaining how communities must live in harmony to flourish. Communities cannot survive if built around transactional relationships and self-interest. Secondly, his central focus is on how the Bible explains forgiveness: the vertical relationship with God and the horizontal relationship with others. Keller explains that forgiveness finds its true meaning in God's gracious forgiveness of humanity. From the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission to Jesus' words to love your enemies, he explores examples of why forgiveness is the will of God and at the heart of the gospel of grace. "To love those who do not love you is not offered as a piece of pragmatic wisdom, but as a reflection of the character of God himself" (page 115). Throughout the book, Keller emphasizes that forgiveness is not simply a transaction or an act of forgetting, but a process that involves a deep inner transformation. What about justice? The balance between forgiveness and justice is well covered in Keller's book. He doesn't shy away from addressing the complexities and struggles associated with forgiving others, acknowledging the pain and difficulty involved. Forgiveness is never just an individual concern. Keller points to the need for social healing of the community. And part of this is the way forgiveness promotes justice. Inward forgiveness, he argues, changes the heart from seeking revenge to seeking someone's good (i.e. love). He then explains what seeking justice means and what "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians chapter 4 verse 15) looks like in restoring community and relationships. Keller explains, "The ultimate purpose of forgiveness is the restoration of community. Not to humiliate, defeat, or drive out sinners but to correct and restore them" (page 105). He recognizes that forgiveness doesn't always mean reconciliation or condoning harmful behaviour, and he offers guidance on navigating these complexities with wisdom and grace. Keller uses a host of Biblical and world examples to display his forgiveness principles. In the epilogue of his book, he goes further to provide tips on how to forgive or seek forgiveness. This is an example of Keller's brilliance in seeking a pastoral approach to living out the Bible's truth. I had recently heard a Rwandan genocide survivor, Frida Umuhoza, share her testimony of forgiveness against her former neighbours that had killed her family and tried to kill her. A big part of her testimony was how she can forgive people who may not want to be forgiven or don't even care. Her search for reconciliation touches on the same deep principles that Keller highlights. Her search was a deeply personal search for Biblical answers to a traumatic event. The denominational article I read was a flat clinical exposition of the Scriptures. Keller's brilliance is that he is faithful in his Biblical analysis yet pastorally addresses all of Umuhoza's key questions. It struck me that as I was hearing Umuhoza's testimony, she was mirroring many of Keller's writings. He addresses the heart of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not just a dry Biblical topic in an article, nor just an experience, but living theology of an incarnated God who comes to restore us. "Forgive" by Tim Keller is a compelling and intellectually stimulating book that offers a fresh perspective on the transformative power of forgiveness. Keller's blend of theology, philosophy, and personal anecdotes create a rich tapestry of insights, making this book a valuable resource for anyone seeking a deeper practical understanding of forgiveness. It encourages readers to embark on a journey of healing, reconciliation, and personal growth. "Don't let yourself be twisted. Take in what Jesus Christ has done, put your little story about what people have done to you into the big picture story of what he did for you, and you'll have all the power you need to grant forgiveness" (page 181). Married people more likely to be 'very happy' (CP) A new study reveals that married people have consistently been more likely to characterize themselves as "very happy" than non-married people over the course of nearly a half-century, with marital status serving as the most significant determinant of an individual's level of happiness. A report titled "The Socio Political Demography of Happiness," authored by Sam Peltzman of the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, examines the trends of the General Social Survey conducted by the NORC at the University of Chicago over the past half-century. The General Social Survey, which dates back to 1972 and has been conducted biennially since 1990, asks respondents, "How would you say things are these days would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?" Peltzman's report, released July 21, reveals that "marital status is and has been a very important marker for happiness." He analyzed the responses to the question about happiness in all the various General Social Surveys conducted since 1972, excluding the most recent research conducted in 2020-21. Peltzman rescaled the survey answers on a scale of -100 to 100, with -100 representing responses indicating people were "not too happy," 0 representing responses of those who said they were "pretty happy" and 100 representing declarations that people are "very happy." According to Peltzman's interpretation of the data, married people have consistently scored 30 points higher on the happiness scale than their non-married counterparts over time. "No subsequent population categorization will yield so large a difference in happiness across so many people," he wrote. Peltzman added that "low happiness characterizes all types of non-married," referring to widowed, divorced, separated and never married respondents. At the beginning of the report, Peltzman noted the existence of a "happiness landslide," where the average share of the U.S. population identifying as "very happy" outnumbers the percentage of those who characterize themselves as "not too happy" by a roughly 70-30% margin. Reflecting on the differences in reported levels of happiness between married and non-married respondents over the years, Peltzman concluded that "the happiness landslide comes entirely from the married." Highlighting the slight "downturn in overall happiness since 2000," Peltzman asserted that "the connection between these trends comes from the recent decline in marriage." Specifically, overall happiness averaged 23.7 in the years prior to 2000, while dropping to 19.7 in the time period after 2000. He cited the drop in the share of the population identifying as "very happy" as consistent with a 9.9 percentage point decline in the marriage rate after 2000 compared to before the turn of the millennium. An analysis of conditional differences over the years, namely "differences [in happiness] within particular groups holding other differences constant," illustrates how the difference in reported levels of happiness based on marital status exceeds the differences in happiness measured between groups categorized based on other demographic factors. While married people were on average 23.82 points happier than the non-married from 1972-2018, white people were on average 10.79 points happier than black people in the same time period. Additionally, college graduates were happier than high school graduates by 5.87 points, females were happier than males by 4.04 points, high school graduates were 3.12 points happier than high school dropouts, Americans over the age of 45 were 2.86 points happier than their younger counterparts, respondents with "some college" were 1.87 points happier than college graduates, and those living in large cities were 2.87 points less happy than those living in other places. In addition to marital status, Peltzman's report also revealed a relationship between an individual's political ideology and their level of happiness. While the General Social Survey asks respondents to rate themselves on a 7-point left-right scale, Peltzman placed respondents into the categories of conservative, moderate and liberal. "Conservatives are around 9 points happier than liberals and 7 points happier than moderates," he explained. The Christian Post Salvation Army magazine seller finds love again Leek local, Ernie Salt, 81 has been selling The Salvation Army War Cry* magazine in the town for over 20 years and never imagined he would fall in love again following the death of his wife several years ago. Ernie is well known in the historic market town and has attended The Salvation Army church since 1989. He can be seen selling the magazine most Wednesday and Saturday mornings, having a chat in the process. In May last year on an ordinary day in Leek, an unsuspecting Ernie had no idea that love was actually only around the corner. Ernie said: "She used to come up Derby Street and I had no idea I was on the radar at all, not the foggiest and she used to donate regularly. I used to think, 'oh that was generous, thank you very much' - little suspecting anything." Cue Jenny, 74 who returned to Leek in 2021 after living in Hull for 25 years. Jenny always enjoyed having a little chat to Ernie when she bought a copy of the War Cry. She said: "We met through the War Cry and then I invited him for a cup of coffee and the rest is history, so they say. But I had liked Ernie for a while and one night, when I went to bed I said to God, 'can I have Ernie please as I quite like him'...and the next thing is, I don't know how, but we ended up getting married. That was one prayer that was answered. "I got buy one get one free. I got to know Keith (Ernie's son) and he got on well with me. And we are now quite a nice little family, so that's good." Romance blossomed between the pair in May 2022, they got engaged in August later that year and married in April 2023. Jenny said: "We had the most amazing wedding at The Salvation Army, with a blessing from the minister at my church at the same time. We both have a lot in common, I'm still getting use to the new name." Ernie said: "I've found it quite easy" with a big smile on his face. Jenny had also been married previously and said: "I moved back because I had family here, my son and his children. Then I met Ernie. I was definitely back here in Leek for a reason. We can look after each other now." The couple are both Christians and respect each other's church. Jenny, who serves at All Saint's church, said: "My Church of England service finishes at 10.30 and his starts at 11, so I do a quick wash-up and get down here for the Sally Army service, so I get best of both worlds. I'm able to sit in the service and enjoy it, Ernie comes to support me and I support him. We do separate churches but together as well." Jenny attends The Salvation Army church for bible studies. They have a mutual appreciation and respect for each other's commitment to church attendance. Ernie and Jenny are off on holiday to Greece in October. Jenny, who has never been outside the UK before, says: "This will be quite an adventure." They are both excited about creating new memories together. *The War Cry is the official Salvation Army weekly publication that is sold by volunteers and members of the Christian church and charity. It can be purchased or in return for a donation. Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi of the Barjeel Art Foundation: My aim is to have Arab art taught on a par with other art histories As Christies hosts Londons largest exhibition of modern and contemporary Arab art, we speak to the founder of the UAE-based Barjeel Art Foundation, whose unique collection is finding new audiences for Middle Eastern artists past and present Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi is scrolling through the photos on his phone to find a picture of a recent acquisition for the Barjeel Art Foundation. The painting is a perfectly constructed work by the veteran Lebanese artist Oumaya Alieh Soubra, made up of single blue brushstrokes. Al Qassemi has just made the surprising revelation that one of his best sources of information about modern art in the Middle East is the general public. It is true, he says. I had never heard of this artist until a member of the public mentioned that she was missing from our collection. As unexpected as this may sound given his standing as an authority on the subject, Al Qassemi is keenly aware of how little has been written about the history of modern art from the Arab world. There is an urgency in documenting the voices and first-hand accounts of artists who were active in the mid-20th century, he says. We need to write down their histories before they are lost. Open a larger version of this image Abdel Hadi El Gazzar (Egypt, 1925-1966), Two People in Space Outfits, 1960s. Oil on canvas. 19 x 22 in (50 x 56 cm). Courtesy of Barjeel Art Foundation As the founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation, Al Qassemi is committed to promoting art from the region. My aim is that one day Arab art will be taught on a par with other art histories in universities across the world, he says. This is not a pipe dream. Since he established the foundation in 2010, Al Qassemi has been in demand as a lecturer, teaching courses on Middle Eastern art at Yale, Harvard and Boston College in the United States, and Sciences Po in Paris. Open a larger version of this image Installation view of Kawkaba: Highlights from the Barjeel Art Foundation at Christies in London. Left to right: Samia Osseiran Jumblatt (Lebanon, b. 1944), Formative Radiation, 1970; Menhat Helmy (Egypt, 1925-2004), Space Exploration/Universe, 1973; Mohamed Melehi (Morocco, 1936-2020), Untitled, 1975; Hussein Shariffe (Sudan, 1934-2005), Big Red, 1958. Courtesy of Barjeel Art Foundation. Photo: Amir Hazim Born in 1978, Al Qassemi is a columnist and researcher on social, political and cultural affairs in the Arab world alongside his work with the foundation. After studying in France, he came to prominence for his commentary on Twitter during the Arab Spring, helping to make sense of the seismic events happening across the region. These days, his Twitter feed is a mixture of politics and art youre just as likely to find a link to a feature hes written on the crisis in Sudan as a plea for information about a missing painting by Samia Halaby. There is still so much scholarship to be done, he says, There needs to be a lot more cross-cultural dialogue within the Arab world. I feel like we still dont know each other as well as we could. Open a larger version of this image Ibrahim El-Salahi (Sudan, b. 1930), The Last Sound, 1964. Oil on canvas. 47 x 47 in (121.5 x 121.5 cm). Courtesy of Barjeel Art Foundation It took time to develop a collecting strategy for the foundation: Initially you could say I was buying whimsically, he says. However, as the foundation grew and generated interest, Al Qassemi realised he had a duty to ensure that the collection had an identity. I see myself as a custodian, he says. Ive modified my interests to suit the uniqueness of the foundation. He describes the collection as rooted in Modernism, somewhat political, and shining a light on women and minority artists. We have work from various ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds, he says, by artists of Arab, Amazigh [Berber], Armenian, Circassian, Jewish and Turkish descent. Open a larger version of this image Tapestries by Amina Saoudi and Safia Farhat, alongside canvases by Chaibia Talal and Jumana El Husseini and the works of ceramicists Wasmaa Khalid Chorbachi and Nuha al-Radi, highlight the foundations commitment to female artistic voices. Courtesy of Barjeel Art Foundation. Photo: Amir Hazim Al Qassemi takes inspiration from Eduardo Costantini, the Argentinian businessman who established MALBA, the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires. Costantini has a saying: a private collection for the public good. That is how I see Barjeel. Research is a key part of the foundations remit. There is a lot of fraudulent activity out there, says Al Qassemi. Many Arab Modernists have been faked. It is important that our paintings are exhibited and scrutinised so that scholars have something genuine to study. To this end, the foundation actively loans out artworks to exhibitions worldwide most recently, a series of vibrant canvases by Mohamed Melehi to Tate St Ives in the UK for its retrospective of Moroccos 1960s Casablanca Art School. Open a larger version of this image The room dedicated to Modernism and Political Modernities at Kawkaba: Highlights from the Barjeel Art Foundation. On the left is the monumental Nation and Leader, 1962, by the Syrian artist Said Tahsin. Courtesy of Barjeel Art Foundation. Photo: Amir Hazim Today, Al Qassemi is at Christies to oversee the installation of Kawkaba: Highlights from the Barjeel Art Foundation, which forms part of Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World, the largest show of art from the region exhibited in London. Curated by Dr Ridha Moumni, Deputy Chairman of Christies Middle East and North Africa, the exhibition evades the regionalist trap by employing an open brief: the title Kawkaba means constellation, reflecting the myriad artists based in the region. Much of the artwork on display challenges stereotypes, says Al Qassemi: There is this idea that all art from the Arab world must be abstract or non-objective, but this could not be further from the truth. The show includes landscapes, city scenes, portraits of labourers, fighters and prisoners, as well as domestic scenes. Visitors may also be surprised to see depictions of space travel, scientific discovery and technological progress. Open a larger version of this image Marwan (Syria, 1934-2016), Head, 1975-76. Tempera on canvas. 79 x 104 in (201 x 265 cm). Courtesy of Barjeel Art Foundation There is a focus, too, on artists who were committed to forging new cultural identities figures such as Kadhim Hayder, who established the Bagdad Modern Art Group, or the Sudanese painter Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq, founder of the groundbreaking Crystalist group. There are paintings by Shakir Hassan Al Said, the pioneering Modernist who developed a complex aesthetic based on the existentialist concept of temporality, as promoted by the philosopher Martin Heidegger; and there are works by the Surrealist Inji Efflatoun, who was jailed in Egypt for her Marxist beliefs in 1959. Open a larger version of this image Installation view of Kawkaba: Highlights from the Barjeel Art Foundation. Centre, Kadhim Hayder (Iraq, 1932-1985), Fatigued Ten Horses Converse with Nothing, 1965. Right, Hakim Al Akel (Yemen, b. 1965), Symbolic History of Arab Joy (Arabia Felix), 1994. Courtesy of Barjeel Art Foundation. Photo: Amir Hazim The show is highly political how could it not be, in a region that has experienced colonialism, struggles for independence and civil wars? There are artworks that address the Algerian War of Independence, the shifting power structures in Iran, and the Lebanese Civil War, as well as womens liberation movements and the tensions between religion and secularism. However, Al Qassemi is keen to point out that the regions political history is just one of many sources of inspiration for artists: Sure, there are political undertones, usually because of the specific circumstances of the artist they could be a refugee or may have grown up during the colonial era but you will find just as many works inspired by Islamic, Coptic or Judaic traditions. Open a larger version of this image Mohammed Ghani Hikmat (Iraq, 1929-2011), Gateway to the West, 1975-76. Wood. 129 x 92 in (330 x 236 cm). Courtesy of Barjeel Art Foundation As a student of political history, Al Qassemi admits he sees politics everywhere: Modernity in the Arab world is very much entwined with its political history, particularly when considering the rights of women. In an era where their rights were denied, they found their voice through music, poetry and art. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Primeste notificari pe email Nota bene: Adresele email cu extensia .ru nu sunt acceptate. Contractare si Achizitie Bunuri Anunturi de Angajare Granturi - Finantari Burse de studiu Stagii Profesionale Oportunitati de voluntariat Toate Articolele Stockfotos-MG / Adobe The Gambling Commission has allocated almost 33m in regulatory settlement funding to charity GambleAware, the largest amount since 2019. GambleAware said the money it has received would help create a system stabilisation fund to stabilise the system of gambling harm prevention, support and treatment during the transition period from a voluntary to a statutory levy system. The regulator could not confirm whether the new 32.8m payout includes money from a recent 19.2m William Hill Group regulatory settlement , which the firm agreed to pay for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures. Supporting organisations affected by the statutory levy GambleAware said that financial support through the system stabilisation fund will help organisations in England, Scotland and Wales whose funding streams have been disrupted by the intention to introduce a statutory levy as announced in the governments gambling white paper . There will be two funding windows this year, with the first one closing on 21 August and the second one opening for applications on 6 November and closing on 20 November. Successful organisations will be notified in mid-September. The charity said that the funding is not intended to replace the voluntary donations funding model and will only be for the financial year until 31 March 2024 as a short-term measure. Zoe Osmond, chief executice of GambleAware, said: We welcome plans for a statutory levy as outlined in the governments gambling white paper and look forward to its swift implementation. However, this has led to a period of change as industry and the gambling harms research, prevention and treatment sector prepare to transition to the proposed levy. Our role as strategic commissioner across the sector means we are able to apply a single overview of the system. With this oversight, we and the Gambling Commission, recognise the uncertainty across the sector, and the need to ensure current projects can continue without any risk of experiencing a funding shortfall. More information on the funding and how to apply can be found here . 94m approved for socially responsible projects Regulatory settlements can include a payment by a gambling operator to an organisation for socially responsible purposes in lieu of the financial penalty it might have otherwise faced for breach of a licence condition. The Commission told Civil Society that it does not award money to charities but approves the destination of regulatory settlements that are agreed upon as part of its regulatory processes. Its data shows that 93.8m in regulatory settlements has been fully or partially matched to socially responsible projects, depending on the agreed payment plan, since 2019. Before 2019, the Commission had a different, less centralised system for approving these destinations, which might have included but was not limited to, payments to charities for specific projects. The second largest settlement in records dating back to 2019 was also to GambleAware, which received 8.8m in 2020-21 to ensure it could continue to provide effective treatment and support services and tackle any additional pressures caused by Covid-19. sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, In May, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation showed up at Tim Burkes home in Tampa, Florida, and seized several computers, hard drives, his cellphone, and other equipment that he uses as a freelance journalist. The reason for the seizure is unknownthe affidavit that the Department of Justice used to obtain a search warrant remains sealed. But Mark Rasch, Burkes lawyer and a former staffer in the DOJs fraud unit, believes that it has something to do with video clips from Fox Newsincluding parts of a Tucker Carlson interview with Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye Westthat Burke acquired through what Rasch says are completely legal means and later helped publish at Vice and Media Matters for America. (Neither of those outlets are under investigation.) Burke is a former staffer at the Daily Beast and Deadspin who is now a media consultant and freelance writer. He specializes in finding and analyzing video streams for newsworthy content; in 2018, a video that he made showing anchors at Sinclair stations reading from identical scripts about biased and false news went viral and sparked conversation across the media industry. Rasch has filed a motion to compel the government to return Burkes computers and all the material seized from him, and to unseal the affidavit, so that they can see the facts behind the seizure. (At time of writing, a DOJ filing in the case was expected to drop imminently.) Yesterday, I spoke with Rasch about Burkes case and what he sees as its implications for journalists. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. (I also reached out yesterday to Fox News and the DOJ, neither of which immediately responded to requests for comment. After this article was first published, the US Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida replied declining to comment.) MI: Ive read the press coverage of this case in the Tampa Bay Times, the Washington Post, and Techdirt, as well as the filings youve made with the court, but Im still a little unclear on why this happened to Tim, and the legal justification for the seizure of his devices. Can you explain that a bit? MR: Theres a journalism part of this, and then theres a technology part of this. Part of it is the question of who is a journalist, and what protections does a journalist have? Its entirely possible that the government did not think of Tim as a journalist because he operates primarily in the digital environment. And therefore, all of the protections that are afforded to journalists may not have been afforded to Tim. Theres an entire approval process that is required before you can get a search warrant for a journalist, but there isnt if its not a journalist. What kind of approval process? I thought the First Amendment protected everyone, regardless of whether they are officially a journalist or not. Sign up for CJR 's daily email The First Amendment does protect everyone, but there are special protections for journalists who gather information for the purpose of disseminating that information to the public. This arose out of a Supreme Court case called Zurcher v. Stanford Daily. In that case, a student newspaper was covering a protest and they took photographs, and a number of police officers were injured. So they got a search warrant to search the offices of the paper for photographs. In response to that, Congress passed the Privacy Protection Act, which makes it illegal to do those kinds of searches on a journalist, unless the government believes that the journalist committed an illegal act. So does the government not believe Tim is a journalist, or do they think that he did something illegal? We dont really know whether the government believes Tim is not a journalist, but hes clearly a person the government thinks has done something illegal. That gets to the second part of it: what is lawful and not lawful in connection with the collection of data by digital journalists. So what is the government alleging? Heres what we know: Fox News does the Kanye WestTucker Carlson interview. They broadcast two hours of it. At the same time, Fox, like many other broadcasters, are livestreaming continuously to many different entitiesto their affiliates, and so onand these live feeds are in high definition and encrypted. But at the same time, they are also broadcasting low-definition, unencrypted feeds. Theyre internet addressable, with no user ID and password required. All you need to know is the URL. There are third-party sites that transmit these live feeds as a service. They have password-protected websites. And in this case, somebody on the internet provided Tim with the publicly posted user ID and password for a demo account on one of these services that are used by broadcasters. So Tim logs in to the site, and the site automatically downloads to his computer a list of all the livestreams on the site. The important thing to note here is that those livestreams did not require a user ID and password to access them, just a URL. So these are publicly available URLsno hacking required. Do you think the government just misunderstood what Tim was doing? Either that, or they have an expansive definition of what constitutes hacking. The language of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act makes it a crime to access information without authorization. So either the government thought that Tim did something more than he did and that there was hacking of some kind, or they know exactly what he did and they believe that constitutes a violation of the statute. Theres a theory that authorization to access must be expressed rather than implied, so if you have the ability to go and see something but have some reason to believe that it wasnt the intention of the owner that you be given that access, then youre not supposed to access it. So before you use any kind of information that you get access to, even by public means, you have to determine whether someone wants you to see it? That would seem to invalidate a lot of journalistic practice. Right. This would be like you as a reporter going to a source and saying, Hey, Im gonna blow the lid off of ABC company, theyve got documents showing that theyve been poisoning wells and killing people. And you ask someone if they can get access to those documents, and they say, Yes, Ive got them all, and you have to sit there and say, Oh, but has your employer specifically authorized you to give me those documents? So there is a continuum. The idea that an individual on the internet is authorized to go to any place that they are able to go tothat the ability to get in implies authorizationI think goes too far, because that invites hacking. But if you access something that was made public, then how could that be considered illegal? Unless they are going to try to argue that Tim isnt a journalist. He is absolutely a journalist. Hes been a journalist for twenty years. He works with and for journalistic organizations. So part of the story is the fact that, unless you have the words New York Times or Wall Street Journal in your email address, the government treats you as if youre not a journalist. And that has got to stop. The statute doesnt talk about a journalist working for specific organizations; its any person who collects information with a purpose of disseminating it to the public. Which makes citizen journalists every bit as much journalists as somebody who has credentials around their neck. There are other statutes like journalist shield laws that protect journalists. And there are also journalist privilege laws. And then you have Article One, Section Eight of the Florida Constitution. All of these protect the idea that you have a right to collect and disseminate information, but you do not have the right to hack. So in balancing those two things, the government has set out guidelines both in the Code of Federal Regulations and in whats called the US Attorneys Manual, and also in a memorandum about how the government is going to deal with obtaining information from journalists. And the only exception is where the journalist is not engaged in newsgathering activitieswhen theyre downloading child pornography and so on. So I suppose the government could argue that downloading all the livestreams from online sources isnt journalism, and therefore Tim isnt protected. It is absolutely journalistic. The only question is if hes doing so illegally. I would make a distinction: There is pure journalistic activity, interviewing people and so on, which is protected under the statute. And then there are cases where Im engaging in activity outside the scope of being a journalist, like downloading child pornography. And then we have this third category, which is alleged criminal conduct in connection with journalistic activity. In that case, you have to go through a balancing test. And you have to get specific approvals by various government officials in order to execute the search warrant. You cant simply declare, I think the journalist committed a crime, therefore Im not going to comply with any of the rules. Youve been involved in some of these kinds of investigations from the other side, is that right? Yes, I prosecuted computer hacker cases and helped write the statute. But Ive also worked on espionage cases, leaking casesgovernment investigations of various journalists for publishing classified information, and things like that. And the guidelines specifically state that if theres any question about whether the guidelines apply, that decision has to be made by the deputy assistant attorney general in charge of the criminal division of the Justice Department. And if not them, then the attorney general. And we dont know whether any of that was done, because we dont have access to the affidavit. Why do you think the government chose to take on this case if there are so many roadblocks involved in the prosecution of a journalist? Lets imagine: Fox News broadcasts the interview with Kanye West, and then some hours or days later, the outtakes of the interviews are broadcast on Vice and Media Matters in a way that makes Fox News look really bad. Fox says, Wait a second. This is our content. We never gave that to anybody. We never authorized anybody else to broadcast it. This was stolen. So they go to get the ear of somebody at Justice and say, We were hacked, somebody broke into our computers and stole our live feeds. The problem is, even a cursory glance tells you where the data came from, and it points right directly to Tim Burkes IP address. Why? Because he wasnt being secretive about this. He was going to public URLs from his own IP address. He didnt try to conceal it. He didnt circumvent anything. But Fox says it never authorized this, and the government went and ran with that theory. The other thing theyre looking at is violation of the wiretap statute, which is the acquisition of the contents of a communication without the consent of at least one party to the communication. So would that cover a public livestream from a company like Fox News that was provided on the internet free of charge? A couple of points about that: Number one, it has to be under circumstances where theres a reasonable expectation of privacy. And in this case, youre sitting in a broadcast studio with a microphone clipped to your lapel, three cameras, and a half dozen LED lights and a studio set behind younot the kind of setup that would seem to imply a private communication. Plus, the law itself says that it doesnt apply if the communications are configured in such a way as to be readily accessible to the public. But I suppose the government could argue that these contents might have been obtained illegally, or without permission at least. Yes, the government seems to be working on some theory that this is contraband or stolen property. But that would be true in every journalistic activity. If a source of yours gives you information about a company or person theyre working with, is all the information theyve given contraband, if it was not specifically authorized by the employer? Its nonsense. That would cover a vast array of journalistic activity. The Pentagon Papers were classified records that were stolen by Daniel Ellsberg. In our case, we have unclassified records that were publicly accessible that were viewed and downloaded by somebody on the internet. So the problem is the government seems to be taking an approach where you need express permission. Or alternatively, if you know that they didnt intend to publish something or make it public, then you are not permitted to see it. Think about the chilling effect on journalists if thats the lawyou proceed not only at your own criminal peril, but the peril that your newsroom will be seized. And you have to assume intent. So what happens now? The government is expected to file a response to your motion soon. Do you have any sense of what their argument is going to be? There are a number of things they can say. They could take the position that Tims not a journalist: that collecting and disseminating other peoples information is not journalism, that journalism requires you to get ink on your hands, have a hat that says the word PRESS on it, and so on. They could argue that hes not a journalist and this isnt journalism. They are wrong. Or maybe theyre going to say he was hacking up a stormhe was breaking in and cracking passwords and so on. That may be their position. But none of that happened. We have no reason to believe it did, and we havent seen any evidence of that at all. The other thing to remember is that Tim, as an independent journalist, has limited resources, and this has really totally destroyed his life. He cant work, because he doesnt have access to his computers. Hes had dozens of hard drives stolen. Hes had significant legal bills associated with trying to defend himself. So that has to be part of this as well, and there has to be some kind of compensation. Other notable stories: ICYMI: A newspaper hired a hard-right editor. Its staff walked out for forty days. Update: This post has been updated to incorporate a post-publication response from the US Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida. Mathew Ingram is CJRs chief digital writer. Previously, he was a senior writer with Fortune magazine. He has written about the intersection between media and technology since the earliest days of the commercial internet. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and the Financial Times as well as by Reuters and Bloomberg. U.S. regulators are warning airlines to limit the use of an anti-icing system on Boeing 737 Max jets in dry air to avoid overheating engine-housing parts, which could cause them to break away from the plane. The Federal Aviation Administration says the risk to the flying public is serious enough that it will put the order into effect in just 15 days, and without allowing public comment first. The FAA said if the engine inlet gets too hot, parts of the housing could come off and strike a window, causing decompression and a hazard to passengers in window seats. The finding affects LEAP-1B engines used on all versions of the Max. The engines are made by CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric and France`s Safran. In 2018, a Southwest Airlines passenger died after part of the engine housing on an older version of Boeing`s 737 jet flew off and broke the window next to her seat. That engine failure started with a broken fan blade. The FAA said there have been no reports of the overheating problem occurring on Max flights. It said the potential for damage was discovered during flight testing and analysis in June. Boeing said overheating of the inlets which are made by Boeing, not CFM can only happen under very specific conditions and wasnt known until recently. Boeing has identified measures to mitigate the potential issue and (is) working with our customers to deploy those measures while a permanent fix is developed, the company said in a statement. The problem highlighted by the FAA involves something called engine anti-ice, in which hot air from the engine is used to heat the housing and prevent the formation of ice that could be sucked into the engines. The FAA is dictating that flight manuals tell pilots and airlines not to use engine anti-ice in dry air for more than five minutes. Otherwise, the FAA said, during certain combinations of altitude, total air temperature and engine settings, the engine inlet inner barrel could be heated beyond its design limit. That could cause the inlet barrel to fail and damage a piece of housing called the inlet cowl. If parts break off from engine housing, it could not only break a window but might hit other key parts of the plane, causing pilots to lose control, the FAA said. The FAA indicated it will publish the rule in the Federal Register on Thursday. Two Boeing Max jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people. Investigations focused on an automated flight-control system that pushed the nose of the plane down based on faulty sensor readings. Boeing did not tell pilots and airlines about the system until after the first crash. Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Three former attorneys for the McClenny Moseley & Associates are urging a judge to lift a nine-month suspension that bars them from practicing in the federal Western District of Louisiana and pin blame for the law firms ethical issues on the law firms partners. Claude F. Reynaud III, Cameron S. Snowden and Grant P. Gardiner each say that R. William Huye, the former managing partner of MMAs New Orleans office, persuaded them to affix their names to hundreds of hurricane-damage lawsuits without telling them how the clients were obtained. Each of the the three lawyers also said they were unaware that MMA was using Velawcity, an internet marketing firm, to sign up clients. They said founding partner Zach Moseley handled marketing and the law firms finances. Another founding partner, James McClenny, resigned from the law firm last December. All of the judges assigned to the Western District of Louisiana decided collectively in June to extend an initial 90-day suspension of the MMA lawyers. Founding partner Zach Moseley and Huye were suspended for one year, Snowden and Reynaud for nine months, and Gardiner and founding partner James McClenny for six months. The court however, also scheduled a hearing held on Tuesday to hear the lawyers arguments as to why the punishment is inappropriate. Snowden said in a brief filed on Aug. 1 that its not fair that the US District Court for Western Louisiana the same punishment as the law firms founding partners. While Mr. Snowden accepts full responsibility for his limited role in connection with the MMA debacle, it is respectfully submitted that when comparing the relative culpability of the individuals involved, Mr. Snowdens actions pale in comparison to those of Messrs. McClenny, Moseley, and Huye, he said. Reynaud, Snowden and Gardiner say that Huye told them last summer that he planned to use a permissive joinder to file only 100 to 150 lawsuits for damages caused by Hurricane Laura in 2020. Instead of a single plaintiff for each damage claim, he intended to file one suit against each insurer with numerous plaintiffs for each. After the Western Louisiana District Court rejected that approach on Aug. 12, 2022, Huye told the three attorneys that he needed each of them to use the federal court systems filing system, called PACER, to affix their names to the lawsuits as plaintiffs counsel, according to information Reynaud provided to the court. The two-year statute of limitations for Hurricane Laura claims was fast approaching. The lawyers said they agreed to let their names be used only because otherwise the law firms clients would lose an opportunity to file suit. Reynaud said the situation presented an ethical dilemma: He had a choice of using his PACER account to file the lawsuits or refuse and effectively surrender the right of property owners to assert their insurance claims. Reynaud included with his court filing affidavits by paralegal Melanie Farrell and attorney Heather Melaas. Both worked for MMA at the time the Hurricane Laura lawsuits were filed but quit after the scandal broke. Both said Reynaud had no management responsibilities and never handled money for the law firm. Farrell said she overheard Huye telling Reynaud that he had personally verified the information in the lawsuits. New Orleans insurance defense attorney Matthew Monson reacted to each attorneys arguments with posts on his LinkedIn page. After the Claims Journal ran a story about Gardiners pleadings on July 27, he said that the MMA saga should serve as a life lesson for new lawyers. Younger attorneys need to ask exactly where the files are coming from, he said. If you do not get a straight answer, consider another path before your career is ruined. PEPPER PIKE, Ohio -- Residents will get the final say as to whether sidewalks will be added to main streets after City Council, at a special meeting Monday (Aug. 7), decided to put the issue on the Nov. 7 ballot. Although surveys have suggested that sidewalks are wanted, some residents are not fully convinced of those results and desire the opportunity to provide a definitive answer at the ballot box. The ballot language was not fully completed at the meeting, but will be by the time the city files the issue by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections deadline of Wednesday (Aug. 9). Council had scheduled two special meetings, for Aug. 7 and 8, to hold second and third readings of the proposed ordinance prior to the BOE deadline, but came to a unanimous decision during the approximately 50-minute meeting Monday. The ballot question will ask residents about putting 5-foot-wide sidewalks on Lander Road, Shaker Boulevard and South Woodland Road. On the ballot, however, sidewalks will be referred to as recreational trails. Law Director Stephen Byron explained that, under Ohio Code, if an abutting property is located next to a recreational trail, rather than a sidewalk, the property owner is not liable for what happens on that trail. A week ago, some council members -- including Councilwomen Emmy Zatroch and Melanie Weltman -- expressed concern as to whether residents would have enough information to make an informed decision on the question by the time early voting begins in October. The principal concern about the November ballot was whether we could get enough information put together so we could get it out to all the residents so they can be fully informed about what the potential issue is and what were proposing here, Councilman Jim LeMay said Tuesday (Aug. 8). So I have worked over the last week on a draft of an informational mailing that were intending to send to all of our residents. It includes a description of the project and comments both for and against the sidewalk proposal, and several pages of frequently asked questions put together by council members and Don Sheehy, our city engineer. That document was met with good approval (Monday), pretty strong consensus by council, and I think that gave us comfort that we would be able to put good information together in time before early voting starts so our residents are fully informed about the project. Adding sidewalks to main streets has been a topic of concern among residents and council, as some believe it could change the citys semi-rural appearance and feel. Under the process Im proposing, well have several more council meetings to discuss this, LeMay said. We will have at least two public town hall meetings to which everyone will be invited. Theyll be well publicized. And well have this multi-page, descriptive mailing that will go out to every household in the city. So we think with those three things in place, we have plenty of time to get the word out and make sure everyone is fully informed so they can make an informed decision when they vote on it. LeMay believes the mailing will go out to residents sometime in late September. When asked for comment, Mayor Richard Bain, in an email to cleveland.com., stated, Pepper Pike residents have in successive surveys expressed their overwhelming desire for greater walkability in the city and resident support for sidewalks (referred to as walking paths) on the major roads. The need for sidewalks on our major streets is an issue of pedestrian safety, which cannot be ignored. The city has the ability to accomplish this and improve on the already great experience of living in Pepper Pike, he said. This referendum can, I believe, make clear to City Council that the surveys accurately reflected that community support exists for council to move forward and respond to this need and opportunity to improve our city. Zatroch, also in an email, stated that she is glad that residents will have the opportunity to make their voices known on the important decision. I am pleased that we were able to come to the decision to place this item on the ballot, she wrote. I felt it is important to give our citizens the opportunity to express their opinion about this polarizing issue with a vote. Mr. LeMay put a great deal of time and effort into his Walkability Proposal in an effort to propel councils dialogue forward. I also drafted and shared a Potential Timeline of Events with council due to my initial concerns regarding the timing of placing this on the November ballot. The timeline was well received by my colleagues. I believe it shows we can educate the community about the issue with unbiased facts and honest conversations to prepare them for the election in a timely manner. Councilman Scott Newell, like fellow Councilman Manohar Daga, has long been a proponent of putting the question before voters. Newell believes residents will get the information they need in a timely fashion. Several members of council, along with City Engineer Don Sheehy, are already gathering information, Newell said. Even though its a difficult deadline (to fully inform residents), Im confidant we can meet it. In my professional life as a TV journalist, we have to meet strict deadlines all the time -- when the news goes on at 6:30, you have to be ready by 6:30. Were going to get it done, and people will have the fundamentals down about what the trails will look like and what theyll be made of and how theyll be paid for. Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun. CLEVELAND, Ohio Westlake police are urging residents to be cautious after arresting several people and accusing them of selling drugs that look like candy. The drugs are pastel-colored and often shaped like cartoons and brand logos. Police said two of the candy-like items, which were shaped like Homer and Bart Simpson and the Netflix logo, were tested in a lab and found to be methamphetamine. Others tested positive for ecstasy. We just want people to be aware of what is out there, police Capt. Gerald Vogel said. We are especially concerned for parents and children. This looks like candy, but its not candy. Vogel said officers arrested two people and charged them with possessing the candy look-alikes in two separate incidents this summer. Most recently, officers arrested 21-year-old Sandoine Johnson of Cleveland and charged him with trafficking in drugs. Officers stopped Johnson for a traffic violation July 28 as he was pulling out of a hotel parking lot on Sperry Drive. After police suspected drugs were being used, they found a loaded handgun and a cornucopia of suspected illegal narcotics, including 56 ecstasy pills, more than 80 grams of meth, cocaine, mushrooms, prescription pills and other drug paraphernalia. Officers arrested a man in the parking lot of a motel on Sperry Drive at about 8:30 a.m. on July 15 after finding him slumped over in his car. Police said Antwaun Jones, 36, of Cleveland was in possession of hundreds of ecstasy pills, as well as powder and suspected oxycodone pills. In addition, a loaded .40-caliber handgun was found in the car. Police also searched his hotel room and found a second handgun along with additional felony-level narcotics. Jones was charged with illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony. CLEVELAND, Ohio Liu Fang and Carl Setzer found their forever home in Cleveland through Abundance Culinary, their modern Chinese kitchen. The road to establishing a permanent home in the diner car at 1975 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights was one of changes and turmoil. Theres a natural healing quality to Northeast Ohio, Setzer said. Liu Fang, the head chef, was born and raised in China and met Setzer in the Hubei province, where he was living at the time. The pair fell in love -- with each other and the unique food of the region. They later moved to Beijing, started making beer, and opened the first craft brewery in Northern China in 2010. Great Leap Brewery was aptly named, as the couple poured their savings into the project and begged that their first foray into capitalism be a success. And a success it was the last evaluation Setzer had of the brewery, which had five brick-and-mortar locations across China, was $73 million. Thanks to complications kicked off by the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple didnt get a single dollar when they walked away. The brewery is still in operation in China but Setzer and Liu Fang are no longer involved. When you go from that type of trajectory to nothing, you feel like the entire world is laughing at you, Setzer said. Its a very humbling but also very traumatic experience. Liu Fang and her son at Abundance Culinary, located at 1975 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights. Alex Darus, cleveland.com Liu Fang and Carl Setzer left China in a hurry. Fang, who was pregnant with the couples second child, received notice on February 10 that the Beijing healthcare system had determined that prenatal care was non-essential due to the pandemic. Fang had experienced a miscarriage between her first and second children, so they werent taking any risks. By February 12, Setzer, Fang, and their 8-year-old son landed in Chicago to start a new life. The couple traveled to Cleveland and settled into a new normal. Setzer, who is from Painesville, hadnt lived in Ohio for more than 20 years. It was double the culture shock for him to experience grocery shopping in America again, let alone during the pandemic. Buns from Abundance Culinary, a modern Chinese kitchen in Cleveland Heights. Photo courtesy of Carl Setzer. By December 2020, it was time for Setzer to return to China to decide the breweries fate. Unfortunately, that decision was made for him when he was detained for testing positive at the border. He was sent to a medical concentration center where he stayed in an isolated room for 31 days. He spent part of the time sharing a room with two other people where the lights were never turned off and the bathroom had no toilet paper or soap. He believes he was fed about 800 calories a day. In total, he spent 51 of the 58 days in some sort of state-mandated quarantine. While Setzer was stuck in China, Liu Fang was at home with two children, one who was just a few months old, and a mountain of anxiety. She would adjust her sleeping schedule so that shed be able to speak to her husband in China, who thankfully had access to his cell phone. After putting the baby to bed, Liu Fang would keep herself awake by making buns and dumplings in her kitchen. It provided her with something that was soothingly repetitive and reminded her of the things she loved about her home country. Even if it was just to transition from our life in China, Liu Fang explained her thought process. What can I do to keep myself busy? Carl Setzer and Liu Fang, the owners of Abundance Culinary. Photo courtesy of Carl Setzer. It was then that the seeds of Abundance Culinary were formed. Once Setzer returned to the U.S. on February 3, 2021, the family could truly begin the healing process of their whirlwind year. Setzer and Li Fang were already fans and friendly with Jeremy Umansky at Larder Delicatessen and Bakery. After a few months of recovering, Setzer built up the courage to ask Umansky to try Li Fangs food. He was afraid his reputation of losing Great Leap would proceed him, but Umansky was more than welcoming. He invited Li Fang to cook a family meal for the Larder staff, and it was a hit. From then on, Umansky offered Liu Fang the opportunity to do pop-up events at Larder on Sundays and Mondays, when it was typically closed. The first was in October 2021. She then expanded to catered events such as an event with Refugee Response and more pop-ups at Bookhouse Brewing and Leavened. A Bun Dance is a modern Chinese kitchen located at 1975 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights. Alex Darus, cleveland.com Through the Refugee Response, the couple met local chef Doug Katz, who owns Amba and Zhug restaurants. He became a fan of Liu Fangs cooking. He brought up the empty diner on Lee Road, which he owns, and suggested the couple think about setting up Abundance Culinarys shop there. Dougs very much a chef and an entrepreneur before hes a landlord, Setzer said. The experience of starting a business in Cleveland in comparison to Bejing couldnt have been more different for Liu Fang and Setzer. Liu Fang described it as a cutthroat environment in China. Additionally, many landlords in China will demand a years worth of rent from a business upfront, demolishing their operating costs, Setzer said. On the flip side, Katz allowed Abundance to have a slow and steady move into the diner. They started doing one Saturday pop-up a month during the second half of 2022. By 2023, they started doing even more pop-ups before opening permanently in April with a regular restaurant schedule. It was as welcoming a transition we could ask for, Setzer said. Liu Fangs entire goal with Abundance is to teach Americans about the vastness of Chinese cuisine. The food is highly regional and theres almost an infinite amount to learn about Chinese food in general. It cant be boiled down to one easily-understood concept. But in America, it can be monolithic. I love American-Chinese food, but its been the same for the last 40 years, she said. She especially noticed a lack of homemade buns in America, remarking that many of the factory-produced options can all taste the same. Theres no limit to what Liu Fang will put in a bun from Chinese sausage to Polish kielbasa. Even the chili oil and infused soy sauce that the buns can be eaten with are made fresh in the kitchen. The menu at A Bun Dance modern Chinese kitchen, located at 1975 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights. Alex Darus, cleveland.com Liu Fang tries to change the menu at Abundance every two to three months. Her recipes rely on what is seasonal and innovative ways to showcase what Chinese cuisine can be. You will never learn it all, youll never be able to fully present it all, she said. Therefore, theres unlimited inspiration for her to tap into. Abundance gets its name from Liu Fangs amazement at the sheer amount of culinary resources that her new home had to offer when she arrived in Cleveland as compared to the limitations of China. She went to local Asian markets and would discover foods from her childhood that no longer existed in China. It only further fueled her creativity on what her new version of Chinese-American food could be. Its not scarcity anymore, she said. Its abundance. That abundance is also why Liu Fang wants her customers to think outside of their normal Chinese orders of sweet and sour chicken and shrimp fried rice. They deserve a fuller experience of Chinese cuisine, she said. Liu Fang hopes that Abundance keeps growing. The couple is working on acquiring a liquor license, expanding their hours, and offering dining service on the patio. Additionally, a basement community room provides ample space for Liu Fang to host cooking classes or chef tastings. The skys the limit, she said. [Were] getting a lot of people to be interested in Chinese food all over again. CLEVELAND, Ohio An agonizing, sudden and scary illness for a teenage girl has led to an outpouring of support from local chefs in Greater Cleveland. Hannah Doty, daughter of John Selick IV, a veteran chef in Northeast Ohio, was having a normal day in March at Avon Lake High School, then had dinner with friends that night. The next day she woke, not feeling well. She progressively started to feel worse, Selick said. LOS ANGELES, California -- Taylor Swift is performing her last concert of the (current) U.S. stretch of The Eras Tour in the Los Angeles area tonight, Wednesday, Aug. 9. Tonight, Swifties! Swift is closing one chapter, but there are so many more shows to come! Swift is set to perform tonight, Wednesday, Aug. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Third-party ticket websites still have seats for her very last concert of this part of The Eras Tour. WHERE TO BUY TICKETS FOR WEDNESDAY, AUG. 9 CONCERT (LAST U.S. TOUR DATE!): Vivid Seats | StubHub | SeatGeek | MegaSeats Here are the cheapest tickets I could find for tonights (Aug 9.) concert: Vivid Seats : $901 StubHub : $851 SeatGeek : $818 Swifties! Get ready for the next part of Swifts tour. She is going international; next up: Latin America from Aug. 24 to Nov. 26. Swift also will visit other countries and major cities like Australia, Singapore and Paris following the Latin America part of the tour. Swift then travels back to North America at the end of the international tour for 15 additional concerts, including Toronto, Canada, she announced last week. Tickets for the Miami shows are available now. Listen to Swifts re-recorded Speak Now album if you havent already. Kaylee Remington is the commerce reporter for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. Follow her for deals, trends and breaking news in the shopping, sports and entertainment industries. Read her work here. CLEVELAND, Ohio Ohio child care workers earn less per hour than many fast-food burger flippers. Ohio families have less access to child care subsidies than anywhere else in America. And Ohio subsidies are so low that many centers cant afford to care for children who receive them. As a result, child care is onerous for Ohio families to find and cripplingly expensive to pay for. Weve reached a crisis and not just for families of young kids. The nations child care crisis costs $122 billion in lost earnings, productivity and revenue every year, according to ReadyNation. It doesnt have to be this way. The Canadian province of Quebec has had universal child care since 1997, costing families $8 per day (just under $6 in U.S. dollars), and after 25 years of scrutiny, economists say the system not only pays for itself; it actually makes money. Thats just one finding from the first half of cleveland.coms Rethinking Child Care project. The goal of the series is to examine the expense and difficulty of finding quality child care and propose solutions to share families burdens -- and help our economy. I came up with the idea in January, the day I read about the formation of the first U.S. congressional Dads Caucus, focusing on proposals like the child tax credit, paid family leave and affordable child care program, similar to priorities of the Moms in the House caucus, founded five years earlier. Said U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez: Its long past time our government catches up with the American public on their need for policies that help working families. Agreed. In the first five months of Rethinking Child Care, weve heard from dozens of parents, grandparents, child care providers and nonprofits who have helped shape our series. Weve visited child care centers. Weve talked to workers. Weve delved into data, to put Ohios contributions in distressing perspective, and weve examined how public investment in child care in Canada has paid for itself. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce is committed to the issue. Quality child care is a key component of overall quality of life, the chamber said in a news release last week. For our state to be great, people must want to live here, and that is much more likely to happen if parents feel satisfied with the available child care options. Over half of Ohioans live in child care deserts, a census tract where children outnumber child care slots by at least three to one, according to the Chamber of Commerce. Cuyahoga County in 2019 had one seat in a quality-rated early child care center for every six children. Since then, child care capacity has dropped 19%. That scarcity is one reason care is so expensive. Add that to the required ratios of workers to children (one worker to five infants, or two to 12), and infant child care in Ohio costs more than $10,000 a year, on average. The rates are generally higher than what Ohio will pay for children on federal child care subsidies (now available for families beneath 145% of the federal poverty level, the lowest threshold in the country). Ohio uses a market study to determine the subsidy rates. The national standard is the 75th percentile of rates, with 25% of the market more expensive. Ohio is at the 25th percentile, making it impossible for some child care owners to accept kids on subsidies, if they want to make money. We started Rethinking Child Care hoping to create a groundswell of support for child care within our community, to foster conversations about an issue that terrifies families and paralyzes businesses across the country. As weve done the research, weve realized that the states role in funding child care is paramount. We need state support to increase child care availability and share the cost burden of raising our next generation. Well keep working, researching public U.S. child care programs that work, as well as businesses that make child care a priority. Meanwhile, heres what weve delved into so far this year. Why we need to rethink child care: About 40% of Ohio parents have cut back on their work hours to care for their children since the pandemic, according to a February poll by early childhood advocate Groundworks Ohio. Women have been hurt the most, trying to juggle jobs and kids. Companies, meanwhile, are still having trouble hiring. According to a Harris Poll, 45% of U.S. hiring managers say they have open positions they cannot fill. So what if we all supported child care, like we do public schools? If all of us paid into child care, like in many developed nations, child care would be more affordable and more available. Young children would receive a quality education to lay the foundation for success throughout life. Life would be easier on parents, who are raising the next generation of workers, who pay taxes that support the government. And more women could work, improving our economy. Why child care is so expensive, even when teachers are paid so little: More than half of a child care centers budget goes to wages. Most offer some kind of health insurance, plus paid time off. Many offer tuition reimbursements or discounts for teachers children to attend their child care center. But tuition generally is not free. And wages are low. Many teachers are paid so little, they receive federal benefits, like the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. To help manage costs, some Northeast Ohio centers have stopped providing lunch or shortened their hours. Some have raised rates, while others that rely on federal subsidies or already strapped middle-income families are more limited. Its a cycle: If centers cant hire enough staff, they cant accept enough students to make decent profit margins. They cant find staff because they cant pay enough, and they cant pay more because they cant charge their families more, because families are already strapped. How Canada can offer child care for $10 a day: Prior to 1998 when the government first began subsidizing child care, just 67% of Quebec women with children ages 3 to 5 worked outside the home. By 2014, that number was 82%. Today, Quebec has one of the highest rates of working women in Canada and among developed countries worldwide. This translated into increased tax revenues from both their immediate and future salaries. Studies of Quebecs universal child care program found that every dollar spent on child care generated a combined increase in tax revenue and economic benefits totaling $1.75. The model was so successful that all of Canada is effectively changing a for-profit child care system much like we have in the United States, to the government-subsidized model. Canada has divvied up C$30 billion in initial funding amongst its provinces with the goal of creating 250,000 new child care spaces that will cost parents only C$10 a day by March 2026. Where Ohio ranks for subsidizing child care up to age 5: Despite the recent boost in the Ohio budget to raise the states threshold for receiving child care subsidies from 142% to 145% of the federal poverty level, Ohio still ranks dead last nationally. The income cutoffs in Ohio are now $28,594 for a two-person household, $43,500 for a four-person household. At the opposite end of the spectrum, eight states offer subsidies for those making triple the poverty level or more, with the highest cutoff being New Mexico, at 400%. Other states at 300% or higher are are Vermont (350%), California (339%), Alaska (311%), North Dakota (307%), Hawaii (306%), New York (300%) and South Carolina (300%). How child care cost one mother her job: Elizabeth Bailey, a mother of three, wanted to work. She worked her way through two degrees, navigated childbirth and motherhood in the midst of COVID-19, and came out the other side in 2022 with a full-time job as a payroll specialist. But after four months, she needed to find a new daycare provider and her already nearly untenable child care costs had increased yet again. Bailey says she had to face a harsh reality: she was losing money going to work. She was making $19 an hour, $760 a week, before taxes and payroll deductions like health insurance. The cost of her child care was nearly $800 a week. Bailey quit. She now takes care of the children full-time, and her husband supports their family as the sole wage earner. What makes running a home day care business so challenging: Marian and Dan Pycraft homeowners, business owners and husband and wife team care for 12 kids under 5 at their home child care center in North Ridgeville. In 35 years, Marian, an accountant, has never taken a single sick day. She closes only for holidays and for two weeks of vacation every summer. She didnt even close during COVID-19. She says the system of government vouchers for low-income families also discourages providers in certain areas because her reimbursements are based on her own personal income and where she lives. Subsidies cover only about half of her regular rates. The number one problem for home providers is that they dont have that accounting background, she said. They dont know how much they make, they dont know how much theyre spending, and when they realize theyre not making money they go out of business. Why 130,000 Ohio kids could lose care in September: An estimated 2,111 child care programs could close and 135,000 children could lose access to child care in Ohio because billions in federal subsidies for child care providers are set to run out by the end of September, according to a new report from The Century Foundation. The Century Foundation made these predictions based on a survey of 12,000 early childhood educators from all states and settings including faith-based programs, family child care homes, Head Starts, and child care centers and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Child Care. Ohio already has the fewest amount of child care workers since 1999, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In turn, families are expected to lose $9 billion annually in lost earnings, forcing parents to make decisions to cope with the new reality. Parents will have to adjust working hours, change jobs, or in extreme cases, leave. In Ohio, the estimated lost earnings will be $342 million. What the Ohio Chamber of Commerce wants to do about child care: As of June, there were still 100,000 less people in Ohios labor force than in February 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ohios labor force participation rate is 62.1%, while the U.S. average is 62.6%. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce says a lack of access to affordable child care is one of the most pressing challenges affecting Ohios success. The group aims to raise wages, lobby state legislators, chang regulations and help start new businesses. If Ohio can get its labor force participation rate up by just 1%, it could mean another 55,000 people in the workforce. That would be better for all of us. Want more? You can find all of our Rethinking Child Care stories here. And if you have more ideas, please email content director Laura Johnston at ljohnston@cleveland.com. CLEVELAND, Ohio Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will be getting $24.4 million in publicly funded repairs, but its unclear where that money will be coming from. The board of Gateway Economic Development Corporation of Greater Cleveland, the nonprofit that functions as the landlord for Progressive Field and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, unanimously approved two pieces of legislation totaling $24.4 million during a Wednesday meeting. COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, fresh off the news of voters roundly rejecting State Issue 1, said lawmakers would probably bring the question back before the electorate sometime in the future. Conceding to reporters that the campaign would likely lose by eight to 10 points, Huffman, a key force in bringing the proposal to the ballot, said several times that Tuesdays results do not mark the death of the effort to make constitutional amendments harder to pass in Ohio. I think youll probably see the question coming back, he said, although he later noted it might not be this year. Huffman was quick to spread blame around for the failure. He said vociferous vocal opposition from ex-GOP Govs. John Kasich and Bob Taft, along with former Republican Attorney General Betty Montgomery proved damaging. He said the campaign didnt have enough time to put together a sufficient case, even though state lawmakers selected the Aug. 8 election date. If we passed this in January and put it on May ballot, wed have had a better opportunity to run a campaign and do things, he said. And he said the roughly $16 million the state spent to hold the special election was worth it. Its an important question, and with the time we had to work with, I think youll probably see the question coming back, Huffman said. Had Issue 1 passed, future constitutional amendments would have needed a 60% to pass instead of the current 50% plus-one vote. Plus, organizers would need to gather signatures from more counties than under current law and also wouldnt be granted a 10-day grace period to gather signatures if state officials deem enough invalid. The election was scheduled in August, typically a sleepy time on political calendars, to ensure that its stiffer rules would apply to a scheduled referendum in November that would legalize abortion in Ohio. Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis, one of the main public faces of the vote-yes campaign, said Ohio will regret the vote it took today. He declined to pass blame around besides for the voters he said were confused by claims made by the vote-no campaign. He said outside groups will continue to spend heavily in Ohio to similarly confound voters at scheduled referendums on marijuana and abortion in November, and potential future amendments involving redistricting, the minimum wage, and animal welfare laws. Both the yes and no campaigns were bankrolled by out-of-state contributors, including millions from an Illinois billionaire to the campaign in favor of the proposal. You can spend $50- to $75 million and convince anyone that whats right is left and left is right, he said. Thats what theyre doing right now. Theyre going to continue to do it in November with weed and abortion. And theyre going to do it next year, [former Ohio Supreme Court GOP Chief Justice] Maureen OConnor, with redistricting. And then the minimum wage. And then our family farmers. However, he expected conservatives will come home in November and reject the proposed marijuana and abortion ballot issues. As of about 11 p.m. Tuesday, Issue 1 was losing by about 44% to 56%. The Associated Press declared that the matter failed, although official results are not yet available. Spencer Gross, a spokesman for the vote-yes campaign, issued a statement Tuesday evening. From its inception, Issue 1 was about giving Ohioans a choice in the structure of their founding document. Tonight, they have made their choice, he said. Though these are not the results we hoped for, our coalition looks forward to working with the General Assembly on policy for the betterment of all Ohioans, in a manner that honors and respects the legislative process not circumvents it. Jake Zuckerman covers state politics and policy for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. CLEVELAND, Ohio - It would be easy to say that the reason State Issue 1 was rejected was due to turnout from urban counties like Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton counties. But support also came from a mix of suburban and rural counties, contributing to the 57% of the state that voted against changing the state constitution. Across all of Ohios 88 counties, the Republican-backed proposal underperformed former President Donald Trumps 2020 victory in Ohio, an eight-point win that saw Trump capture all but seven counties. Issue 1, in contrast, failed in 22 counties while leaking votes so heavily in the counties where it passed that it produced a 14-point loss. The proposal to make it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution, scheduled in an unusual statewide August election in an attempt to preempt a November vote on abortion rights, appeared to motivate voters across Ohios geographic spectrum. State Issue 1 would have forced the abortion amendment on the November ballot (and any future amendment proposals) to get 60% of the vote, rather than a simple majority of 50% plus-one vote. Every urban county shot down the measure. The highest was Cuyahoga County, where 76.46% of the county voted no, followed by Franklin (75.07%) and Lucas (67.22%) counties. Stark County had the tightest race of the urban counties, with 52.48% voting against State Issue 1. Urban counties could not have carried this election alone. The total number of no votes for the eight urban counties amounted to only 46.45% of the total votes during the special election. To pass the vote, urban counties needed backup from some other counties in the state. In the eight Ohioan urban counties, 65,38% of voters voted no on State Issue One. For the seven suburban counties, 55.23% voted no and 44.7% voted yes. The remaining rural counties voted 38.67% against the measure while 61.33% were in favor. Not every suburban county voted overwhelmingly against State Issue 1. While the highest share of no voters came from Lorain County (62.78%), both Butler and Warren counties had fewer people vote no than yes, at 49.7% and 47.21%, respectively. In several rural counties, more than 50% of voters denied the proposed change to the state constitution. The highest being Portage County, where 57.94% of voters voted no. It was joined by six other rural counties in rejecting Issue 1: Trumbull (57.15%), Erie (56.91%), Geauga (52.21%), Ashtabula (52.06%), Ottawa (51.28%). Greene County home to GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, an Issue 1 supporter rejected Issue 1 as well, with 50.45% of voters casting ballots against it. At the time of this story, Clark County had rejected Issue 1 by a single vote. For this election, Athens County was assigned its own unique category since it is an outlier as a rural, heavily Democratic county, a trend that continued as 70.67% of the county voted no. Not a party issue While Ohio has steadily become redder across several election cycles, the State Issue 1 results show that this election did not fall along party lines. Nearly 43% of voters cast ballots for the proposal to make it harder to amend the state constitution, a predominantly Republican-driven effort led by Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who recently announced a GOP primary run for U.S. Senate for the chance to take on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in 2024. But compared to the percentage of Ohioans who voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 election against Joe Biden, support was not as strong as it could have been. Some mobile users may need to use this link to see the map above. More than 53% of the state voted to elect Donald Trump to a second term as president of the United States, more than ten percentage points different from the special election votes. Ohios flip from an eight-point Trump victory to a 14-point Issue 1 defeat represented a 22-point swing, and it suggests that a bipartisan coalition of voters formed to defeat it. Several counties that voted to elect Trump in 2020 voted against State Issue in 2023. These include Medina (60.51% for Trump and 54.24% against Issue 1), Ottawa (60.34% and 51.28%) and Geauga (60.32% and 52.21%) counties. Other counties in the same category are Ashtabula, Greene, Stark, Lake, Portage, Erie, Trumbull, Wood, Delaware and Lorain counties. Compared to the 2022 election, a sweep for statewide Republican candidates in Ohio, other trends emerged. None of the counties had more voter turnout than the Midterm election, but several counties that largely voted yes for State Issue 1 had much lower turnout than the midterm. Only 18% of Lawrence County voted in the Aug. 8 election, the lowest turnout in the state. A little over a quarter of Pike, Gallia, Jackson, Belmont, Scioto, Logan, Jefferson and Vinton voted. Many of the majority yes states had around a third of registered voters go to the polls. Meanwhile, preliminary numbers show that Geauga and Delaware Counties had the largest voter turnout, both with over 50% of the county voting. Each county had 63% of voters participate in the 2022 midterm election. Putnam and Mercer Counties had around 47% voter turnout, with both having over 75% of the vote in favor of State Issue 1. 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. CNBC's Jim Cramer on Tuesday advised investors to focus on finding companies with solid products and long-term potential when trading in the stock market. According to Cramer, day-to-day stock movements can be confusing and sometimes hold little weight. When you invest in an individual company that can turn a profit in variable economic circumstances, you're more likely to stay on top, he said. "Put simply, most people don't trust the market anymore. They don't trust CEOs. They don't trust individual companies. There is endless skepticism and little sincere belief," Cramer said. "A lot of it comes down to the fact that the day-to-day action rarely makes much sense so much trading, so much trying to game things, stocks going up or down for reasons that have nothing to do with the underlying companies." Cramer pointed to the positive example of semiconductor maker Nvidia , saying he's seen its potential for years. He even named his late dog after the company. Nvidia stock has had great success due largely due to the fact that its chips are essential for many generative artificial intelligence programs. They have the potential to revolutionize the manufacturing industry, Cramer said. Cramer also highlighted drugmaker Eli Lilly , which surged 15% Tuesday after reporting a successful quarter and a promising outlook for its diabetes treatment drug, Mounjaro. Cramer believes the medication could also be revolutionary. It is currently only approved by regulators to treat diabetes but could soon be cleared to treat obesity. "You can potentially make big money by keeping your eyes and ears open, as long as you suspend your corrosive, sardonic, skeptical, overly critical self and accept the reality that sometimes companies invent amazing things that generate hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars of wealth," Cramer said. "You can grab some of that wealth, you can claim your fair share, but only if you are willing to believe." watch now PayPal on Monday became the first major U.S. fintech company to offer its own crypto token with a dollar-pegged stablecoin known as PayPal USD, making big promises of how it can move money between millions of crypto investors. The company is entering an extremely crowded market already dominated by stablecoins like tether and USDC, at a time when the hype over cryptocurrency has largely fizzled and prices have been mostly stable with no big run-ups since 2022. But the company's chief crypto exec tells CNBC that the payment processor is confident in its timing and its competitive advantage in the space. "Stablecoins are the killer application for blockchains right now," said Jose Fernandez da Ponte, PayPal's senior vice president and general manager of blockchain, crypto, and digital currencies. "There are inherent advantages in cost, programmability, settlement time," continued da Ponte, adding that the market is primed for new entrants that are fully backed and unlike tether, fully regulated. "Stablecoins are something that we cannot just sit out," da Ponte added. Da Ponte denied a Bloomberg report that the payments processor paused development of its stablecoin in February. At the time, both the SEC and New York's financial regulator, NYDFS, were putting pressure on Paxos Trust, a New York-based crypto financial services firm helping PayPal issue its stablecoin. Regulators wanted the firm to discontinue its relationship with Binance. Paxos ultimately stopped issuing Binance's own dollar-pegged token, dubbed BUSD. The launch comes after crypto liquidity plummeted in the last year and a half. In March, two of the banks that were friendliest to the crypto sector, Silvergate and Signature, and the biggest bank for tech startups, Silicon Valley Bank, all failed in less than a week. The collapse of the crypto banking trifecta rippled into the stablecoin market, with Circle's USD Coin, or USDC, briefly losing its peg to the U.S. dollar. Since the banking crisis earlier this year, the added gridlock at the on-and-off ramps connecting traditional finance with the digital asset market has also complicated getting cash into the crypto sector. The total market cap of stablecoins has plunged since its peak, dropping 25% to $120 billion, according to data from TradingView. Tack on the SEC's regulatory crackdown on the sector and the protracted bear market pricing, and it's not a particularly hospitable environment for crypto-centric enterprises. But da Ponte argues this troubled backdrop is exactly why PayPal is poised to succeed. "We are bringing to bear all the infrastructure that we have built over the years in terms of being regulated in multiple countries, in terms of risk management, in terms of compliance, and we think that that's a key asset that is a difference in the approach that we are taking," he said. watch now The broad appeal of stablecoins Stablecoins are a subset of the crypto ecosystem that investors can typically rely on to maintain a set price. These tokens are supposed to be pegged to the value of a real-world asset, such as a fiat currency like the U.S. dollar or a commodity like gold. The utility of using a stablecoin pegged to the price of the U.S. dollar rather than dealing in the fiat currency itself has to do with the nuances differentiating the several different types of digital U.S. dollars out there today. Sitting in commercial bank accounts across the country are electronic U.S. dollars, which are partially backed by reserves, under a system known as fractional-reserve banking. As the name implies, the bank holds in its reserves a fraction of the bank's deposit liabilities. Transferring this form of money from one bank to another or from one country to another operates on legacy financial rails and often involves paying fees to move that cash. There are also a spate of USD-pegged stablecoins, including tether, USDC, and now PayPal's USD, or PYUSD. Although critics have questioned whether tether has enough dollar reserves to back its currency, it remains the largest stablecoin on the planet. USD Coin is backed by fully reserved assets, redeemable on a 1:1 basis for U.S. dollars, and governed by a consortium of regulated financial institutions. It is also relatively easy to use no matter where you are. Similar to USDC, PayPal USD is backed by a combination of dollar deposits, short-term U.S. Treasuries and similar cash equivalents and is redeemable for dollars. Then there's the hypothetical digital dollar that would be the Fed's take on a central bank digital currency, or CBDC. This would essentially just be a digital twin of the U.S. dollar: Fully regulated, under a central authority, and with the full faith and backing of the country's central bank. There are relative benefits and drawbacks of all these forms. Some argue that a CBDC in the U.S. would technically be safer than privately issued stablecoins because it would present a direct claim against a central bank, similar to the U.S. dollar. But many of the people who deal in stablecoins don't necessarily want safe. They want an easier way of doing business, especially internationally. "It's just an alternative payments network, built on top of the commercial bank system," Nic Carter, founding partner at Castle Island Ventures, previously told CNBC. "It's like open banking on steroids. It is very interoperable, it is relatively transparent, and in theory, you can get faster settlement and faster cross-border settlement, because it's not encumbered." Stablecoins originally emerged to cater to demand for dollar exposure offshore and overseas, according to Carter. Tether, the world's third-largest cryptocurrency and the biggest of the stablecoins, is primarily transacted outside the U.S. "There are things that you cannot do with fiat," explained da Ponte. Indeed, these nongovernmental digital tokens are increasingly being used in domestic and international transactions, which is scary for central banks because they don't have a say in how this space is regulated. "There is a strong advantage in settlement times," da Ponte said of PYUSD transfers. "You can settle in times that range from seconds to minutes, when in traditional payment methods, sometimes you're sending a wire internationally and that can take three to five days to settle." The accelerated settlement timeline is a game changer for merchants. watch now PayPal's promises The U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin sector is crowded with a number of competitive offerings but PayPal's chief crypto executive tells CNBC that the payment processor's entry into the space is "all about enlarging the pie." "We see the appetite from users that want alternatives, that want a market that is less concentrated, and we think that we have a place in that market," said da Ponte. PayPal does have a few key advantages such as its extensive network of over 435 million active accounts. "We have a large base of consumers; we have a large base of merchants," da Ponte said of PayPal's "two-sided network." "In terms of the distribution and the access and making this accessible to a larger segment of the population, I think that we are in a good position there," he added. PayPal's crypto exec also pointed to the company's competitive advantage with respect to fiat connectivity. "We have always said that our role in crypto and digital currencies is trying to build that conduit between fiat and web3," continued da Ponte. Indeed, the on-ramping process or moving money from fiat to crypto is one major obstacle to on-chain payments. "Companies like PayPal can offer cheap, effective ways to bridge the two worlds," said Andy Bromberg, co-founder of CoinList and CEO of Eco, a crypto firm backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Coinbase Ventures. "Once your money is in crypto, it's easy to move between different networks and different assets but getting it there is challenging and expensive," continued Bromberg, an industry veteran who has been in the space for over a decade. Bromberg added that PayPal's ethereum-based stablecoin is also "a huge vote of confidence for the ecosystem and a signal that traditional players will increasingly be moving into the space." Da Ponte pointed to interoperability as another key feature, noting that the infrastructure to send PYUSD outside the PayPal ecosystem is already there. Da Ponte explained that PayPal is enabling on-chain transfers, meaning that users will be able to move PYUSD in their PayPal wallet to an external crypto wallet. "PayPal will not charge fees for that; obviously the user will need to pay the blockchain protocol fee the ethereum fee but that's the only fee that will be included there," he said, adding that PayPal believes its customers will adopt PYUSD as part of their portfolio of stablecoins. PayPal plans to focus on payments in web3 and digitally native environments, including, according to da Ponte, the $100 billion digital goods market within online gaming. PayPal says PYUSD will also soon be integrated into Paypal-owned Venmo. "Users want to be able to send not only to friends from Venmo, but also to friends on PayPal," he said, explaining that PYUSD would also allow PayPal merchants to be able to receive value from Venmo users, ultimately opening a base of millions of additional customers. watch now Challenges ahead To start, PYUSD is only rolling out to U.S. customers, where stablecoin adoption has lagged behind the rest of the world. "I don't think the revolution will happen overnight," da Ponte said. "I don't think that you're going to be paying at your neighborhood store with a stablecoin anytime soon." Jeremy Allaire, the CEO of competing stablecoin issuer Circle, said only about 30% of USDC adoption is happening in the United States. Still, Allaire praised PayPal's launch of the payment processor's stablecoin, calling it "incredibly exciting." "It is a strong signal that near-instant, borderless, and programmable payments in the form of stablecoins are here to stay." Allaire said. "Existing payment systems are outdated and digital dollars like USDC, leveraging the power of market neutral public blockchains, serve as the foundation for thousands of companies, neobanks, capital markets, and financial institutions." He also called PYUSD's launch a prime example of what can be achieved when regulators give crypto companies clear guidelines. But U.S. crypto regulation remains uncertain. Facebook (now known as Meta ) previously spent years butting heads with regulators around the world over its efforts to launch its own brand of stablecoin an ambition that ultimately failed after facing virtually universal blowback. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., called for comprehensive crypto legislation the same day PayPal announced its rollout of PYUSD. "Clear regulations and robust consumer protections are essential to enabling stablecoins to achieve their full potential." McHenry said. "We are currently at a crossroads to keep America at the forefront of digital asset innovation. Congress is making significant, bipartisan progress on legislation to ensure the U.S. leads the financial system of the future." Da Ponte sees PayPal's more than 20-year tenure in the payments space as one of the company's chief advantages in the stablecoin market. "What we do is manage a regulated business and manage a strong compliance framework and infrastructure," he said. "What we are doing now is we are taking that value proposition that has been around for a long, long while and making it available outside the PayPal ecosystem." But scams remain a major challenge to the industry as a whole, even for tech titans like PayPal. Just a day after the stablecoin's launch, dozens of fake PayPal tokens flooded onto DeFi exchanges, according to data from DexTools. Many of the fake PayPal cryptos boasted huge gains which contradicts the very premise of a stablecoin having a set value. One of these fraudulent tokens amassed $47,000 in trading volume and appreciated 3,000% in 24 hours. But, if PayPal can overcome the regulatory pressures and adoption challenges, the company can capitalize on a growing wave of institutional interest. Wall Street has turned its attention back to crypto in recent weeks, including several filings for spot bitcoin ETFs. The SEC has rejected these applications in the past, but new partnerships with Coinbase for surveillance monitoring could assuage the SEC's concerns of market manipulation. "We see that there is institutional interest, we see that there is demand for additional tokens in this space, and we see the regulation moving forward," said da Ponte. "And that combination of things made this the right time to step in." Organizers celebrate the defeat of Issue 1 during an election night party at the Columbus Fire Fighters Local 67 on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio voters have rejected a proposal that would've made it more difficult for voters to amend the state constitution, including one measure set for the November ballot that would guarantee abortion rights in the state. For the third time in a year, voters in a conservative state have shot down an attempt by Republicans to make constitutional changes that target abortion. Ohioans on Tuesday resoundingly rejected an amendment, known as Issue 1, to raise the threshold for constitutional changes in the state from a simple majority to 60% of ballots cast. Although Ohioans did not directly vote on abortion, the failure of Issue 1 means an amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution is more likely to pass when voters head to the polls again in November. As of Wednesday afternoon, the people of Ohio had rejected Issue 1 by a 14-point margin. Donald Trump defeated Joe Biden in Ohio by 8 points in the 2020 presidential election. The significant turnout for a special election in the dead of summer suggests abortion remains a motivating factor for voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election, a troubling sign for Republicans. Nearly 40% of registered voters in Ohio cast ballots in Tuesday's election, according to preliminary results from the Ohio Secretary of State's Office. President Joe Biden's reelection manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez told NBC News, "It speaks volumes that Ohioans showed up in an off year." And it is not just Ohio. Republican-dominated state legislatures have repeatedly put the question of abortion directly before voters in the wake of the conservative Supreme Court's June 2022 decision to abolish federal constitutional protections for the procedure. Kansas was the first unfavorable state result for anti-abortion activists. Less than two months after the fall of Roe, voters in the state rejected an amendment that would have stripped state constitutional protections for abortion by an 18-point margin. And the following November, voters in deeply conservative Kentucky narrowly rejected a state constitutional amendment that said there is no right to an abortion in the state. President Joe Biden gives remarks on Artificial Intelligence in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on July 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. Hackers will have the chance to compete for millions of dollars in prizes by using artificial intelligence to protect critical U.S. infrastructure from cybersecurity risks, the Biden administration announced Wednesday. The AI Cyber Challenge will offer nearly $20 million in prizes and includes collaboration from leading AI companies Anthropic, Google , Microsoft and OpenAI, who will make their technology available for the competition. The challenge was announced at the Black Hat USA hacking conference in Las Vegas. A qualifying event will be held in the spring, where up to 20 top-scoring teams will be chosen to advance to the semifinal competition at DEF CON 2024, a cybersecurity conference. Up to five of those teams will win $2 million each and advance to the final at DEF CON 2025. The top three teams will be eligible for additional prizes, including a top prize of $4 million for the team that "best secures vital software," according to a press release. Competitors will be asked to open source their systems so that their solutions can be used widely. The Linux Foundation's Open Source Security Foundation is also serving as an advisor on the challenge. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is running the competition, said it would give up to $1 million to seven small businesses that want to participate, in order to include a wide array of participants. This isn't the first time the government has used a hacking competition to promote innovation. In 2014, DARPA launched the Cyber Grand Challenge to develop an open-source automatic defense system that could protect a computer from cyberattacks, with a similar structure to the new two-year challenge. The government hopes that the promise of AI can help further secure critical U.S. systems. "We have to keep defense one step ahead. And AI offers a very promising approach for that," Perri Adams, program manager at the DARPA Information Innovation Office, told reporters on a call Tuesday. "This is a chance to explore what's possible when experts in cybersecurity and AI have access to a suite of cross-company resources of combined unprecedented caliber." Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. WATCH: Closing keynote: The White House is serious about cybersecurity A man takes picture at the harbour where Taiwanese Navy warships are anchored on August 07, 2022 in Keelung, Taiwan. Prominent China hawk Kyle Bass told CNBC on Tuesday that he believes Chinese President Xi Jinping is determined to "bring war to the West," with an invasion of Taiwan likely before the end of 2024. Bass, who is founder and chief investment officer at U.S. investment firm Hayman Capital Management, said that the West and particularly Wall Street is too preoccupied by the apparent economic unviability of such an attack. But, much like Russian President Vladimir Putin whose war in Ukraine has isolated his country from the West Xi is not solely concerned with the potential economic fallout, Bass said. "If you listen to what [Xi] says, I believe he will end up acquiring, reacquiring Taiwan by force by the end of next year," Bass told "Street Signs." "We on Wall Street love to think he would never do that because it doesn't make economic sense. We have to stop thinking that way and literally start listening to what the man says," he said. The Chinese Communist Party did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on Bass' statements. However, it has previously said that the issue with Taiwan is an internal affair. China's president, when confirming his third term this March, cited the need to "promote peaceful development of cross-strait relations" with Taiwan, but stressed that his country should oppose "external forces" and pro-independence movements. Raimondo said the Department of Commerce has received "over 460 statements of interest from companies around the world" hoping to be awarded federal funding for their projects. That's an increase from the agency's last update, which had that figure at "nearly 400." The federal subsidies are meant to help offset the higher cost of building these manufacturing hubs, but so far, no funding set aside by the legislation has been awarded. The goal of the $52.7 billion package was to reshore the semiconductor supply chain in America and in turn, improve national security by decreasing reliance on foreign countries. The law also prohibits funding recipients from expanding semiconductor manufacturing in China or other countries deemed a national security risk by the United States government. "We will start to give out the money later this year," said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. "We're pushing the team to go fast, but even more important, to get it right." A year after President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law, the U.S. semiconductor industry is still waiting on the windfall. US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo discusses the impact of the semiconductor chip shortage at UAW Region 1A office in Taylor, Michigan on November 29, 2021. The potential for federal funding has spurred some potential huge investments in the semiconductor sector. In total, $231 billion has been announced in private sector semiconductor investments in the United States, according to the White House. But many of those projects are contingent on receiving federal government aid. Integra Technologies, for example, which provides semiconductor packaging and other services, plans to build a 1 million-square-foot facility in the Wichita, Kansas, area, provided it can receive the federal funding. "The back-end semiconductor manufacturing sector that Integra participates in, operates on very thin margins that just don't make it possible without the CHIPS Act support to do this," Integra CEO Brett Robinson said. The project would create nearly 2,000 direct, high-paying jobs. "Once it's up and running and operational, the company can sustain the business with no further government support," Robinson said. "it's just that extreme amount of cost and time that it takes to get the facility built," that requires government help. SkyWater Technology, a pure-play technology foundry, is already working with coalitions to find construction workers before breaking ground on its planned $1.8 billion plant in West Lafayette, Indiana. The company expects to hire 700 new employees, but remains in the planning stage, unable to break ground until it knows if the project would receive federal funding, and how much. "Once funding does start flowing, we can begin to start that process as quickly as possible," said CEO Tom Sonderman. "In terms of industry speed, maybe it's not as fast as we'd like, but in terms of the government really stepping up and preparing for what's coming, I've been impressed." The Department of Commerce has hired 140 staff members tasked with evaluating CHIPS Act applications, and officials are in active talks with many of the potential recipients, according to a senior department official. As companies await the federal dollars, many larger semiconductor firms have opened their coffers to begin expansion. Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and silicon carbide producer Wolfspeed have all hired workers and started construction despite not receiving any federal CHIPS Act funding. When asked if the largest chip contractor in the world even needed government funding, TSMC Arizona President Brian Harrison said, "It's needed, and it will be used for the construction and the facilitation and outfitting with the equipment of these two factories." Despite the marketing campaigns, presidential visits and public announcements promising billions of dollars in chips investments, not all applicants should expect to receive aid. "We're going to have a bunch of tough choices ahead in terms of how we allocate our capital," said a senior Commerce Department official. "There's definite expectations that not every applicant is going to be happy. Some will be disappointed." This is part one of a three-part series on organized retail crime. The stories will examine the claims retailers make about how theft is affecting their business and the actions companies and policymakers are taking in response to the issue. Be sure to check out parts two and three later this week. Anti-theft locked merchandise on shelves with customer service button at CVS pharmacy, Queens, New York. Lindsey Nicholson | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Retailers have zeroed in on organized retail theft as a top priority, as more and more companies blame crime for lower profits. But it is difficult for companies to tally just how much stolen goods affect their bottom lines and even tougher to confirm their claims. More than a dozen retailers, including Target , Dollar General , Foot Locker and Ulta , called out shrink, or more specifically retail theft, as a reason they cut their profit outlook or reported lower margins when they released earnings in May and June. Those mentions could flare up again as a flurry of retail companies will report financial results starting next week. Many of them described organized theft as an industrywide problem that's largely out of their control. Some retailers lumped it in with heavy discounting, soft sales and macroeconomic conditions as other factors that cut into their margins. While organized theft is a real concern, it is nearly impossible to verify the claims retailers make about it. Companies are not required to disclose their losses from stolen goods, and it's a difficult metric to accurately count, leaving the industry, investors and policymakers few choices but to rely on their word. The surge in references to organized retail crime, and the dearth of transparency surrounding the issue, come as the companies' claims take on a new weight. Retailers and trade associations are increasingly using their positions to influence lawmakers to pass new legislation that benefits them, hurts competitors and could disproportionally affect marginalized people, according to policy experts. What is shrink, and how do retailers tally it? Shrink is a retail industry term that refers to lost inventory. It can come from a variety of factors, including shoplifting and vendor fraud, which can be difficult to control. Shrink can also be caused by employee theft, administrative error and inventory damage, which retailers have more power to curb. Retailers have repeatedly said organized theft drove shrink in recent quarters. But they rarely, if ever, break down how much of the inventory loss is due to crime and how much of a role other causes played. They also don't disclose their total losses from shrink and how they have changed over time. That makes it impossible to verify whether the issue has gotten worse and just how much of a bite it has taken from their bottom lines. watch now Multibillion-dollar companies commonly withhold information that can appear unflattering on earnings calls and press releases. That information can often be found in documents submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, such as quarterly 10-Q reports or annual 10-K filings. However, companies are not required to disclose losses from shrink unless they're "exceptionally large" and could be considered material to investors, according to Raphael Duguay, an assistant professor of accounting at Yale University School of Management. Alongside discounts, promotions and returns, losses from shrink are buried into the "cost of goods sold" and only show up in a retailer's gross margin, said Duguay. Retailers are loath to reveal their shrink numbers because they're often based on estimates and they would have to be "presumptive in their presentation of the numbers," said Mark Cohen, a professor and director of retail studies at Columbia Business School. "And they never will be [disclosed] if retailers have their way because they don't want to have to report that," said Cohen, who previously served as the CEO of Sears Canada, Bradlees and Lazarus Department Stores. "Retailers will never want to record it unless they were absolutely forced to because it's a black mark It makes them look stupid." Is retail theft really on the rise? It's hard to say When industry executives say that organized theft is rising, many are relying on a study released by the National Retail Federation in September. It found losses from shrink increased to $94.5 billion in 2021 from $90.8 billion in 2020. In 2021, the largest chunk of losses 37% came from external theft, according to the survey. There is no conclusive data about inventory losses in recent years, including from the first half of this year when multiple companies named it as a growing problem. The NRF's study is the best guess the industry can make about how shrink affects companies. But the data, which is anonymized, gathered on the honor system and largely based on estimates, isn't as clear cut as it appears Survey respondents were asked to disclose their inventory shrink as a percentage of sales. On average, that number stood at 1.4% in 2021, which is lower than the five-year average of 1.5%, the study says. Anti-theft locked beauty products with customer service button at Walgreens pharmacy, Queens, New York. Ucg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images The NRF arrived at the $94.5 billion in losses by applying that 1.4% average shrink to the total retail sales reported to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2021, according to the study. However, as retail sales jumped 17.1% from 2020 to 2021, the total hit companies took from shrink would naturally increase as well. Further, the census data used for the study were preliminary at the time it was released. The final retail sales figure was lower, making estimated shrink losses about $600 million less than what the NRF originally reported. The actual amount that American retailers lost to shrink in 2021 and how that number has changed over time isn't known. National crime data from the FBI shows the rate of larceny offenses steadily declined between 1985 and 2020, and such crimes overwhelmingly occur in homes rather than stores. However, the FBI's statistics don't include data from all law enforcement agencies, and many theft incidents, especially those that happen at retail locations, go unreported. The tricky business of counting theft Retailers have always had to contend with shrink, but they have long relied on estimates and educated guesses to determine how an item was lost. Retailers use sales patterns, inventory trends, historical data and, when available, evidence such as surveillance footage to estimate how merchandise is lost. "We know what we've run up at the register, we know what we put on the shelf. When the anomaly occurs, we can estimate or infer that it represents theft," Cohen, the Columbia Business School professor, told CNBC. Target, one of the few retailers to say how much its lost from unaccounted inventory, made headlines in May when it said it was on track to lose more than $1 billion from shrink this year, up from $763 million the previous fiscal year. Target has repeatedly said organized retail theft is fueling its inventory losses. But at the same time, the retailer acknowledged it's difficult to calculate theft and shrink overall which raises questions about how accurately it can estimate the effect stolen goods has on its profits. Locked up merchandise, to prevent theft in Target store, Queens, New York. Lindsey Nicholson | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Florida Ninth Judicial District State Attorney Monique Worrell is suspended as of Wednesday morning via an executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended Monique Worrell, the state attorney for Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit, accusing her of under-prosecuting criminals in her jurisdiction. An executive order signed by DeSantis and Secretary of State Cord Byrd accused Worrell of "systematically" allowing criminals to evade incarceration, either by dropping charges or declining to allege provable facts. Worrell, a Democratic elected official who took office in 2021, accused DeSantis of peddling a "false narrative" and engaging in "political gamesmanship." "We all know that this is not about policy or anything that I've actually done," she said. Worrell alleged that the Republican governor "and his cronies have been searching for a reason for my suspension for well over a year now." The suspension was announced at a surprise press conference Wednesday, at which DeSantis claimed Worrell had been "clearly and fundamentally derelict" in her duties. Her actions constitute "both neglect of duty and incompetence," according to the executive order the governor signed. While DeSantis acknowledged that prosecutors like Worrell "have a certain amount of discretion about which cases to bring and which not," he accused Worrell of having "abused that discretion." Worrell's suspension is effective immediately. DeSantis appointed Orlando Judge Andrew Bain, reportedly a member of the conservative Federalist Society, to fill her post. It's the second time as governor that DeSantis has taken executive action against an elected state attorney over accusations of being soft on crime. DeSantis last year suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren after Warren said he would not enforce state restrictions on abortion or gender-related surgery. A federal judge affirmed the suspension but said DeSantis had violated the attorney's free speech rights. DeSantis on Wednesday expressed confidence that his latest action was legal. But Worrell vowed to fight her suspension and continue her reelection campaign. "This should not happen in a democracy," she said, noting that she is losing her salary and her benefits. She also defended herself against accusations about her track record as a state attorney, citing police statistics that show "crime is down" in Orange County and in her judicial district. The surprise move to dismiss an elected state official came as DeSantis struggles to gain ground in the Republican presidential primary. Once seen as a major contender to former President Donald Trump, DeSantis has appeared to slide in national polls of the race. His campaign, which is still less than three months old, has fired dozens of staffers in recent weeks. On Tuesday, he replaced his campaign manager with his gubernatorial chief of staff. "He replaced his campaign manager yesterday, and I guess today it's my turn," Worrell said Wednesday. Disney is raising prices on almost all of its streaming offerings as it looks to accelerate profitability for the business. Commercial-free Disney+ will cost $13.99 per month, a 27% increase, beginning Oct. 12. Disney+ with ads will remain $7.99 per month. Disney will also expand its ad-tier offering to select markets in Europe and in Canada beginning Nov. 1. Disney is increasing the price of Hulu without ads to $17.99 per month, a 20% price hike. Hulu with ads will also stay the same price, at $7.99 per month. For comparison, Netflix's standard plan without commercials is $15.49 per month. Warner Bros. Discovery's Max is $15.99 per month. The decision to price Disney+ nearly as high as commercial-free Netflix and Max, and charge even more for Hulu, signals Disney believes its content library can compete with both of those services. When Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger launched Disney+ in 2019, he deliberately set the niche family offering at a low price of $6.99 per month nearly half the price of Netflix. Last year, Disney increased the cost of Disney+ by $3 per month. Iger acknowledged he was surprised the price increase led to minimal cancelations of the service. "We took a pretty significant price increase at Disney+ sometime late in 2022, and we really didn't see significant churn or loss of subs because of that, which was actually heartening," Iger said during Disney's earnings call on Wednesday. Iger noted that Disney is deliberately trying to steer users toward its ad-supported services by keeping prices for those services the same. The advertising landscape for streaming is healthier than traditional linear TV, Iger added. Disney has added 3.3 million subscribers for its U.S. advertising-supported service after it launched in December, Iger announced on the call. About 40% of new Disney+ subscribers have signed up for the ad tier, he said. FBI officials and other law enforcement officers stand outside the home of Craig Robertson who was shot and killed by the FBI in a raid on his home this morning on August 9, 2023 in Provo, Utah. The FBI shot and killed a Utah man on Wednesday while trying to arrest him for threatening to murder President Joe Biden and the New York district attorney who is prosecuting former President Donald Trump in connection with hush money payments. Many other politicians were also allegedly threatened in social media posts by the man, Provo resident Craig Deleeuw Robertson, who was accused in court documents of vowing to retaliate against the FBI during an investigation. Court documents say the FBI described Robertson as a white man "approximately 70-75 years old" who was surveilled "wearing a dark suit (later observed as having an AR-15 style rifle lapel pin attached), a white shirt, a red tie, and a multi-colored (possibly camouflage) hat bearing the word "TRUMP" on the front." Robertson was also found to be the owner of a sniper rifle and numerous other firearms. Robertson was fatally shot by at least one FBI agent at 6:15 a.m. in Provo, about 12 hours before Biden was due to visit the state in Salt Lake City. No agents were injured. "The incident began when special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence," the FBI said in a statement. "The subject is deceased." The shooting is under review by the FBI's Inspection Division. In this article GM Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT watch now NEW YORK Twenty-five years after the Cadillac Escalade launched General Motors into large, highly profitable luxury SUVs, the Detroit automaker is hoping a new all-electric version of the vehicle will ignite the same success for a new generation of luxury buyers. GM on Wednesday revealed the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ, an all-electric vehicle with more power than the current supercharged V-8 SUV, an estimated range of 450 miles more than any GM EV to date and a 55-inch LED screen across its dashboard. "The importance of Cadillac to our global portfolio can't be overstated," GM President Mark Reuss said during the vehicle's reveal in New York City. "You are witnessing the rise of Cadillac." The vehicle is expected to arrive in dealer showrooms late next summer, starting at around $130,000. That's a premium compared with its traditional counterparts that have on average been selling for about $115,500 this year (but still lower than a limited-edition performance model of the vehicle that went on sale last year that started around $150,000). GM President Mark Reuss during the reveal of the all-electric 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ on Aug. 9, 2023 in New York City. Michael Wayland / CNBC The Escalade IQ is the first and most important traditional Cadillac model to be released as an EV. It's set to eventually replace the current gas- and diesel-powered vehicles, unlike Cadillac's Lyriq and Celestiq EVs that represented new entries for the brand. Cadillac plans to reveal two more all-electric vehicles by year's end. Reuss declined on Wednesday to comment further on those models. The three-row electric SUV will be an important proof point for reassuring investors that GM can deliver on a promise to produce profitable EVs and increase annual revenue from the vehicles to $90 billion by 2030. Cadillac plans to exclusively sell all-electric vehicles by 2030, making it GM's luxury EV brand. Investors will be watching for how, or whether, the automaker can also transfer the Escalade's lofty profit margins estimated at upward of 30% to the EV models. 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ GM Reuss said the company is keeping Cadillac's all-electric 2030 target "in mind" but ultimately demand will decide how long the company continues to produce the traditional Escalade models. "The customer and the market is going to tell us. We really honestly haven't made any decisions when we stop and do EV-only on this. We'll see," he told reporters after the reveal. "We're going to do what the customer wants first." Escalade IQ sales are expected to begin slowly and ramp up through the end of the decade, as the company phases out the gas- and diesel-powered versions of the SUV. 'It's American luxury' The Escalade IQ features a much smoother, more aerodynamic exterior than the current Escalade, with overall styling more similar to Cadillac's current EVs than its gas- and diesel-powered siblings. It features large 24-inch wheels, an illuminated grill with lightning sequences and an ultra-plush interior. "It's American luxury," GM design chief Michael Simcoe told CNBC. "So, it has to be a little bit brash, a little bit bold. It has to retain the presence that the Escalade demands. The iconography of an Escalade is pretty important." 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ GM The smoother exterior design, larger wheels and longer distance between the front and rear tires makes the Escalade IQ appear smaller than the current SUVs, but the vehicle is larger and features more room than the current standard Escalade. "When you see it in person, it has a presence," said Tyson Jominy, J.D. Power vice president of data and analytics. "It's got a very unique shape. You know that it's an Escalade, but you know that there's something radically different about this." The IQ also has a large front trunk, or frunk, that includes 12 cubic feet of cargo room making it one of the industry's largest, though still smaller than the frunk on the electric Ford F-150 Lightning. Powerful, fast charging The Escalade IQ will feature up to 750 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque with a performance "Velocity Max" mode. In normal driving, the vehicle will still deliver 680 horsepower and 615 pound-feet of torque. "Escalade has always been about being bold, so that's what we set out to accomplish," Mandi Damman, chief engineer of the Escalade IQ, said in a release. Powering the vehicle is a 24-module battery that includes more than 200 kilowatt-hours of available energy. GM says the battery is capable of charging up to 100 miles of range in 10 minutes when using an 800-volt DC fast charger the quickest form of charging currently available. The Escalade IQ features a host of standard safety and convenience features, including GM's Super Cruise hands-free highway driving system and an available 40-speaker AKG audio system. The interior of the vehicle also features customizable ambient lightning with 126 color choices and an available executive seating in the second row that includes a personal "command center" with 12.6-inch-diagonal screens, dual wireless charging and other features such as a stowable tray. The electric Escalade will be produced at a factory in Detroit alongside EV versions of the GMC Hummer, Chevrolet Silverado and Cruise Origin shuttle. The vehicles all share GM's new "Ultium" vehicle platform, batteries, motors and other components. The traditional Escalade will continue to be produced at GM's Arlington Assembly in Texas along with full-size SUVs from Chevrolet and GMC that share a vehicle platform and other components with the Escalade. Mahindra Group isn't worried about global players like Tesla entering India's highly competitive electric vehicle market, its CEO and managing director Anish Shah told CNBC. "We've seen tremendous competition in India over the last 20 years. So Tesla or anyone else coming in does not faze us," Shah said on "Street Signs Asia" Tuesday. "At one point, Mahindra was written off when all the global majors were coming into India. Today, we continue to have the number one market share in SUVs from a revenue standpoint," he added. Tesla is reportedly discussing plans to enter the EV space in India, which is the world's third-largest auto market, according to Reuters. CEO Elon Musk met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June and said he has plans to "make significant investments in India." Jefferies is encouraged by recent results from a weight-loss drug study that could help lift Eli Lilly . The firm upgraded the pharmaceutical giant to buy from hold. It also raised its price target to $615 from $430. Jefferies' forecast implies nearly 18% upside from Tuesday's $521.60 close. Analyst Akash Tewari lauded the strong results from a recent trial study surrounding Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug Wegovy . The Select study showed Wegovy lowered the risk of major cardiovascular health events including heart attacks and strokes as much as 20%. The study also shifted the focus toward the potential benefits of weight loss to the heart, beyond simply improving one's appearance. The results, Tewari said, could also lead to the success of more weight-loss treatments including Eli Lilly's glucagon-like peptide-1 drug Mounjaro. "We think NVO opens the door to broader payer adoption & potential CMS coverage for the GLP-1 class," Tewari said. Mounjaro is used to help improve blood sugar levels in adults. Tewari added that GLP-1 could be "one of the biggest drug classes of all time." "What a day for the GLP-1 class. We were skeptical that NVO-SELECT would show 15% + benefit (our base case was 11-13%), but we were wrong," Tewari said. "SELECT had a home-run result." The drug and others under the Eli Lilly umbrella helped raise company profits 85% in the second quarter on revenue of $1.76 billion. Eli Lilly also raised its full-year guidance Tuesday. "At this point, it's hard to argue that the obesity class can simply be characterized as an aesthetic short-duration treatment market. If this is the case, we don't need meaningful penetration into the US/WW obesity market to see meaningful upside to numbers," Tewari said. "Thus, we meaningfully raise our Mounjaro peak sales estimates to ~$70B and our orforglipron estimates to ~$8.5B." Eli Lilly has added more than 42% upside from the start of the year. LLY YTD mountain Eli Lilly year to date CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report. In this photo taken from video and released by the Administration of Sergiev Posad municipal district of Moscow region telegram channel on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, smoke rises from the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant in the city of Sergiev Posad, Moscow Region, about 65 km (41miles) north-east of Moscow, Russia. An explosion at an optical-mechanical plant near Moscow injured at least 45 people, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing local officials. The factory manufactures night vision equipment and binoculars for the Russian military and is part of Russian defense conglomerate Rostec. Russian emergency services blamed the explosion on "workflow violations" and rejected reports of a drone strike. Separately, two drones were shot down upon approaching Moscow overnight, Russian officials said, in the latest of a growing number of interceptions by the Russian capital's air defense systems. There were no damage or injuries, the Russian ministry of defense said. In his nightly address on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said that the death toll from Russia's Monday strikes on Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk had risen to nine, with another 82 people injured. A missile reportedly destroyed a popular hotel near the front line. Denise Brown, the United Nations' humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said she was "profoundly disturbed" by the "horrifying attack" on Pokrovsk, which she estimated hit residential buildings, "killing and injuring scores of civilians." Brown said missiles struck the same location twice, meaning that front-line workers were hit. While a decision from the Securities and Exchange Commission on the future of spot bitcoin ETFs could come as soon as this weekend, Bitwise Asset Management CIO Matt Hougan warns that crypto investors might have to wait a while longer. "In every case since 2016, [the SEC] has taken up to or entirety of the 240 days they have to review these applications," Hougan told CNBC's Bob Pisani on "ETF Edge" on Monday. Following ARK's application for the spot iteration of the fund, a June 15 filing in the Federal Register named Aug. 13 as the deadline for the SEC to give a thumbs up or thumbs down on the exchange-traded fund. But the SEC also has the option to stretch the deadline, with a final response not coming until as late as January 2024 for the Ark, Hougan explained. "These are complex applications with a lot of data," he said. "I think they're likely to extend this until the final review." Hougan noted there have been a series of positive indicators for the fund's approval, such as surveillance-sharing agreements between exchanges and custodians, a more regulated and robust bitcoin futures market, and a better understanding of crypto custody and broker transfer. "The totality of circumstances is what the SEC is looking at," Hougan said. "I don't think there's any silver bullet." While classification of cryptocurrencies and the funds that track them have been a point of deliberation among investors and institutions alike, the SEC has firmly labeled the bitcoin as a commodity, something that Hougan agrees with. "It's so decentralized, we don't know who created it," he explained of the flagship coin. "There's no single person in charge of it, it's globally distributed. There are no insiders, all the information is public. And that's what makes it clearly a commodity." But as you go from bitcoin to Ethereum and other assets, Hougan said, the degree of centralized control increases and the question will eventually get more complex, an obstacle he believes legislation will solve. "You have the two largest regulators disagreeing on whether most crypto assets are securities or commodities," Hougan added, referring to past classification efforts between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. "The right solution there is for legislators to come through and make that clear so that U.S. innovators can win in the market." Besides Ark, eight other organizations including Hougan's firm, Bitwise, have filed applications for a spot bitcoin ETF. Grayscale has also filed to convert its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust into a spot fund. Should the SEC move forward with the approval process, he said the best outcome for investors would be the approval of multiple products. "I think there should be a fair playing field that allows us to have multiple spot Bitcoin ETFs that compete in the market," Hougan said. "It will allow prices to be the lowest, it will allow competition to be the highest, [and] it will allow service to be the highest." Disclaimer watch now The number of vessels waiting to cross the Panama Canal has reached 154, and slots for carriers to book passage are being reduced in an effort to manage congestion caused by ongoing drought conditions that have roiled the major shipping gateway since the spring. The current wait time to cross the canal is now around 21 days. The Panama Canal is a critical trade link for U.S. shippers heading to Gulf and East Coast ports. The U.S. is the largest user of the Panama Canal, with total U.S. commodity export and import containers representing about 73% of Panama Canal traffic. Forty percent of all U.S. container traffic travels through the canal every year, about $270 billion in cargo. The massive pileup is a result of water conservation measures the Panama Canal Authority deployed in late July due to drought. The PCA has temporarily lowered the availability of booking slots from August 8-August 21 for Panamax vessels, which are the largest vessels that can cross the canal. These vessels can carry 4,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which are the dimensions of a container. The number of pre-booking slots was reduced to 14 daily from 23. Satellite photos from Planet Labs detail the congestion. Vessels waiting to cross Panama Canal from Pacific Ocean side. Red square indicates Panama Canal 'Planet Labs PBC' This latest reduction in bookings is on the heels of the PCA reducing the number of vessels allowed to go through the canal in a day. Starting on July 30, 2023, the daily transit capacity of the Panama Canal was adjusted to an average of 32 vessels per day (10 vessels in the newer Neopanamax locks, which serve the larger vessels, and 22 vessels in the older Panamax locks). Before the water conservation measures, transits were 34 to 36 a day. When the daily capacity is reduced, ships lacking reservations are compelled to wait in line. The Panama Canal Authority tells CNBC 38% of ships waiting have reservations. The remaining 62% of ships do not, which means they have to wait for the vessels with reservations to proceed across the canal. A temporary measure was put in place where five ships a day on the Panamax locks can traverse the canal on a first come first served basis. The measure is designed to help reduce waiting times but backlog remains. The PCA told CNBC that the last time a backlog of vessels like the current situation was in 2022, when the world of shipping was impacted by residual delays from the pandemic and the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Additional lower water level restrictions imposed by the PCA in July also require vessels to be 40% lighter, impacting vessels that were in transit when the requirements were implemented. The Ever Max was forced to unload 1,400 TEUs at the Port of Balboa in order to meet the requirements and gain passage. The vessel is currently anchored at the Port of Savannah. "Those containers left may need another vessel to complete the journey," said Captain Adil Ashiq, head of North America for MarineTraffic. "This is going to get worse before it gets better," he said. A canal lock uses 50 million gallons of water when a single vessel traverses the canal. Water levels in Gatun Lake, which feeds the canal, are at a four-year low. A ship navigates through the Panama Canal in the area near the Americas' Bridge in Panama City on April 24, 2023. The scarcity of rainfall due has forced the Panama Canal to reduce the draft of ships passing through the interoceanic waterway, in the midst of a water supply crisis that threatens the future of this maritime route. Luis Acosta | Afp | Getty Images Ricaurte Vasquez Morales, administrator of the Panama Canal, said that considering the changing circumstances, the canal is maintaining an open line of communication to keep customers informed about booking slot availability. "Through regular updates, transparent dialogue, and close collaboration with shipping lines and stakeholders, we strive to manage expectations and provide real-time information that enables our customers to make informed decisions," he said. Ashiq explained that vessels have to wait longer to transit the canal or ocean carriers make a business decision to take alternative routes, which add time and fuel costs to the journey. Shippers using multiple vessels to move their freight adds to freight costs, and longer lead times to secure bookings. Ultimately, he said, these costs may end up being passed down to businesses and consumers. Recent data released by supply chain intelligence firm Descartes shows the East Coast ports continue to be the preference for U.S. shippers. The top five West Coast ports showed a decrease of 4.1% in July, and the top East and Gulf Coast ports processed an increase of 4.1% during the same timeframe. "Now is not the time to further stress supply chains that are still straining under ongoing logistical pressures," said Stephen Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association. He said surcharges and vessel restrictions will likely mean higher clothing and shoe prices for U.S. consumers this holiday season. watch now In this article 6758.T-JP Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT PlayStation DualSense controller and PlayStation 5 console are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on April 9, 2022. Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images Sony on Wednesday reported a 31% fall in profit in the first fiscal quarter as its life insurance unit dragged on its bottom line, but the company raised full-year sales forecasts on the back of expected strength for its PlayStation gaming business. Here's how Sony did in the June quarter versus Refinitiv consensus estimates: Revenue: 3 trillion Japanese yen ($20.7 billion) versus 2.46 trillion yen expected. That represents a 33% year-on-year rise. Operating profit: 253 billion Japanese yen versus 251.24 billion yen expected. That marks a 31% year-on-year fall. Sony said its operating income suffered from significant decreases in profit from its financial services and movies and pictures businesses. Profits from Sony's financial services branch plunged by 61% in the fiscal first quarter which the company attributed to changes in interest rates related to variable life insurance. Movies-wise, Sony had a solid performer this year in the form of Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse which grossed $633 million at the box office. There have been other, hotly-anticipated movies this year which performed better, such as Universal Pictures' Oppenheimer and Warner Bros' Barbie. Sony reported a 6% decrease in revenue and a 68% slump in profit at its pictures division. The company blamed the disappointing performance on strikes carried out by the Writers Guild of America and other unions, in protest against using artificial intelligence to generate movie scripts. PlayStation sales forecast raised Nevertheless, Sony raised its revenue forecast for the full year by 6% to 12.2 trillion yen, thanks to strength in its PlayStation gaming unit. Sony made a 7% upward revision to its sales forecast for games and network services to 4.2 trillion yen. Its forecast for profit remained unchanged at 270 billion yen. watch now Sony is anticipating a bumper year for its PlayStation gaming business. The company previously said it expects to sell a record 25 million PlayStation 5 units in the current financial year, which ends on March 2024 compared with 19.1 million units in the previous year. Sony sold 3.3 million units of the PlayStation 5 in its April-June quarter, up 38% year-over-year. The numbers are softer compared with the December quarter, when consumer electronics tend to do well thanks to the holiday shopping period. But it's still a solid result, given macroeconomic weakness that has caused consumers to tighten their purse strings. Piers Harding-Rolls, analyst at Ampere Analysis, told CNBC that Sony's strong PlayStation results were a reflection of its "much healthier position with regards to console availability." "With impressive PS5 sales over the last three quarters, Sony is reaping the benefits of an engaged player base looking to spend on software and services," Harding-Rolls told CNBC. "Major third-party releases such as Diablo IV and Final Fantasy XVI helped drive revenue forwards in the quarter." Sony is so far winning the latest round of the console wars by a substantial margin. Microsoft's Xbox Series X, which has been out since November 2020 along with the PS5, has sold far fewer units than Sony's new PlayStation overall. The two mega gaming companies have been at loggerheads over Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which has been the subject of intense regulatory scrutiny. PS5 profitability to deteriorate GUIYANG, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- A Fuxing bullet train, with a designed speed of 350 km/h, departed on Tuesday morning from the southwest Chinese city of Guiyang, marking the operation of the Guiyang-Libo section of the Guiyang-Nanning High-speed Railway. As one of the most typical areas in the world for karst landform development, mountainous Guizhou Province, of which Guiyang is the capital city, witnessed the miraculous journey of the train through its high mountains and steep valleys. With one tunnel after another, one bridge after another, the light inside the carriage flickers. After more than six years of construction, the railway of Guiyang-Libo section takes passengers on a remarkable journey with rapid transition of scenes outside the window. The Guiyang-Nanning High-speed Railway links Guiyang Province and south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, of which Nanning is the capital city. The Guiyang-Libo section has 86 bridges and 62 tunnels, while the mileage of bridges and tunnels accounts for 90 percent of the total mileage. Among the first passengers of the train was 74-year-old Xu Jiyou, a retired railway worker. Xu and his wife were taking the trip in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary, enjoying a unique sense of romance. "We put in effort and sweat, dedicating our youth to the railways," Xu said. Back in those working years, there were only the green-painted slow trains for them to board in the country. But now, they ride the high-speed rail, which is convenient and comfortable. Another passenger, 37-year-old Yang Shengquan, took out his phone to take pictures. "Look, that's our village," he exclaimed with excitement. Yang, a resident of Lianmeng Village in Bouyei-Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Qiannan of Guizhou, captured this moment with pride. "The high-speed rail passes by our doorstep, and our village has made its share of contributions," he said. Many of his fellow villagers worked on the construction project, and they also made way for the railway with land requisition and house demolitions. Facing complex geological conditions in the southwestern mountainous areas and a high degree of karst development, the construction team overcame numerous difficulties, including ecological protection and tourist attraction conservation. Standing before a map, Long Zongming, chief designer of the Guiyang-Nanning High-speed Railway, told Xinhua the railway traverses the Yungui Plateau slope area with many mountains, an abundance of water, and many attractions. The current terminal station of the train is Libo County, which boasts two impressive titles, namely the world natural heritage site of South China Karst and the reserve under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. As one of the counties with the richest tourism resources in Guizhou, 57 attractions are located here, including the Xiaoqikong scenic spot. Ecological protection is Long's major concern. When passing through the world's natural heritage site, the high-speed rail line only goes through the buffer zone of the Maolan national nature reserve in Guizhou. Also, efforts were made to minimize the impact during construction. Now the railway itself has become a new scene while facilitating travelers. "It used to take at least two days to arrange a trip, with an overnight stay. Now, it can be done in a day," said Luo Jia, a tour guide from Guizhou, who was leading 52 tourists to the Xiaoqikong scenic spot. The travel time from Guiyang to Libo has been reduced from over 3 hours to 57 minutes. "It's not just a major transportation artery but also a golden tourism channel," said Ding Yi, executive deputy head of Bouyei-Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Qiannan, who noted that the opening of the Guiyang-Libo section will have a significant impact on the entire prefecture, boosting the overall economic output, driving regional tourism, influencing the transportation pattern, and enhancing regional cooperation. Data shows that Libo County has received over 14 million visitors this year, a year-on-year increase of 42.03 percent, and total tourism revenue reached 13.7 billion yuan (about 1.89 billion U.S. dollars), a year-on-year increase of 47.37 percent. Guizhou has mapped out plans to transform Libo into a world-class tourist destination. "With the combination of various favorable policies and the opening of the high-speed rail, we are more confident in promoting Libo's tourism," Ding said. Special counsel Jack Smith, at the beginning of 2023, obtained a search warrant for the Twitter account of Donald Trump as part of his criminal investigation into the former president's effort to reverse his loss in the 2020 election, a federal appeals court decision revealed Wednesday. Twitter, now known as X, initially delayed turning over materials sought by that warrant, and had filed a sealed court case seeking to block an order barring the social media giant from telling Trump anyone else about the warrant. The appeals court ruling says Twitter completed its production of Trump's account information for Smith's office on Feb. 9. The 34-page decision also upheld a lower court judge's $350,000 contempt sanction on Twitter for failing to comply with the warrant until after a three-day deadline. Smith's office had argued, and the lower court judge agreed, that if Twitter notified Trump of the warrant's existence it would put the investigation at risk and give him a chance to destroy evidence that was sought by the warrant, according to the decision. Twitter appealed the contempt ruling and the nondisclosure order, arguing that it violated the company's free speech rights under the Constitution's First Amendment to communicate with "its subscriber," Trump. And Twitter argued that by keeping the warrant secret from Trump, he would be unable to shield communications made using his Twitter account from prosecutors by asserting executive privilege. The company also said the order violated the federal Stored Communications Act. The unanimous ruling against the company on all points was issued by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Two of the judges on the panel, J. Michelle Childs and Florence Pan, were appointed by President Joe Biden, while the third, Cornelia Pillard, was appointed by former President Barack Obama. The decision revealed Wednesday includes sealed information that was not visible in the public copy. Twitter was bought last year by Elon Musk, the billionaire who also heads Tesla , and SpaceX. He recently renamed Twitter as X. Trump, in a response to the ruling, wrote on his own social media site, "Just found out that Crooked Joe Biden's DOJ secretly attacked my Twitter account, making it a point not to let me know about this major 'hit' on my civil rights." Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, right, talks with a member of her team during proceedings to seat a special purpose grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, on May 2, 2022, to look into the actions of former President Donald Trump and his supporters who tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The Atlanta prosecutor overseeing the investigation of possible crimes by Donald Trump for trying to reverse his defeat in Georgia's 2020 presidential election is expected to present her case to a grand jury next week, NBC News reported. That presentation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could lead to an indictment of the former president in the case on state charges. If that happens, it would be the fourth time he has been charged in a criminal case since March, and the second time he has been indicted in connection with his efforts to prevent President Joe Biden from taking office. Trump in a speech Tuesday in New Hampshire said he expects to be indicted in Georgia soon. "I should have four by sometime next week," Trump said. He also called Willis, who is the first Black woman to be Fulton DA, "a young racist in Atlanta." In addition to Trump, Willis is known to be eyeing a number of the ex-president's allies for possible criminal charges, as well. NBC has been in contact with three people who received subpoenas to appear before a grand jury in Fulton County Superior Court, where officials have been ramping up security measures in recent days. Two of those people former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican, and former Georgia Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan said that as of Wednesday they had not received a notice to appear before that panel within 48 hours, indicating their testimony would not occur this week. Willis has said she will present her case before Sept. 1. It could take several days for the prosecutor to present evidence to the grand jury. The DA has been investigating Trump since early 2021 for his and his allies' efforts to pressure Georgia officials to take steps that would undo Biden's electoral victory in the state in 2020. Georgia was one of several swing states that handed Biden his margin of victory in the Electoral College. In this article LLY NOVO.B-DK Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A selection of injector pens for the Saxenda weight loss drug are shown in this photo illustration in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., March 31, 2023. Jim Vondruska | Reuters Novo Nordisk 's obesity drug Wegovy slashed the risk of serious heart problems by 20% in a large clinical trial a landmark finding that could put more pressure on insurers to cover the blockbuster medication and similar weight loss treatments. The data sent weight loss-related stocks soaring on Tuesday, with Novo Nordisk and its main rival Eli Lilly soaring more than 15%. Weight Watchers International , which owns a telemedicine firm that prescribes obesity drugs, jumped as much as 24%. But it is likely that more data of this type will be necessary before the U.S. sees increased insurance coverage for obesity drugs. While the trial results demonstrate that obesity drugs may have significant health benefits beyond shedding unwanted pounds, organizations representing U.S. insurers emphasized that the data is still preliminary. They also said concerns remain about the high costs involved with covering those medications, which are nearly $1,350 per month for a single patient. While the initial results "offer potentially encouraging news it's impossible to evaluate the efficacy and long-term effectiveness of a prescription drug based solely on a drug manufacturer's press release," said David Allen, a spokesperson for America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade association of health insurance companies that cover hundreds of millions of American. "Health insurance providers will continue to analyze new evidence as it becomes available," he added. Ceci Connolly, CEO of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, acknowledged the promise of the data but said "outrageous prices should give everyone pause." The organization represents regional, community-based health plans that cover more than 18 million Americans across the U.S. Drugs like Wegovy and Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic have skyrocketed in popularity in the U.S. while drawing increasing investor interest for helping people achieve dramatic weight loss over time. Those treatments are known as GLP-1s, a class of drugs that mimic a hormone produced in the gut to suppress a person's appetite. Eli Lilly and Pfizer are working to roll out their own GLP-1s in a bid to capitalize on a weight loss drug market that some analysts project could be worth up to $200 billion by 2030. Nearly 40% of U.S. adults are obese. But insurance coverage for these drugs is a mixed bag: The federal government's Medicare program, most state Medicaid programs and some commercial insurance plans don't cover the treatments. Some of the nation's largest insurers, such as CVS Health 's Aetna, do. Meanwhile, more health insurers are pulling back on coverage. A July survey by Found, a company that provides obesity-care services to 200,000 people, showed that 69% of its patient population do not have insurance coverage for GLP-1 drugs to treat diabetes or weight loss. The results represent a 50% decline in coverage since December 2022. Challenging old views of obesity drugs The new data from Novo Nordisk challenges a long-standing narrative driving the hesitancy among insurers about covering obesity drugs: that Wegovy and similar treatments are merely lifestyle products that offer a cosmetic, not medical benefit. "There's now a long-term, large clinical trial that proves that there's a big cardiovascular health benefit for patients staying on these drugs," Jared Holz, Mizuho health-care sector analyst, told CNBC. "It's just going to open up the market to a bigger patient population over time," he added. Debra Tyler's daughter takes her new medication at home in Killingworth, Conn. She was on successful medication for obesity, however her family insurance dropped coverage on the drug, leaving the Tylers with difficult financial decisions. Joe Buglewicz | The Washington Post | Getty Images The study, which began almost five years ago, followed more than 17,600 adults with established cardiovascular disease who were overweight or suffered from obesity. It excluded people with a prior history of diabetes. A weekly injection of Wegovy achieved the trial's primary objective of reducing the risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, strokes and heart condition-related deaths by 20% compared with a placebo. The new Wegovy data mirrors some of the reduced morbidity and mortality observed in people who undergo bariatric surgery, which involves making changes to the digestive system to help a patient lose weight, according to Dr. Eduardo Grunvald, medical director of the UC San Diego Health Center for Advanced Weight Management. Around 45% of U.S. employers cover that weight loss procedure, while only 22% cover obesity drugs, according to a 2022 survey released by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Grunvald added that the data challenges the "outdated" idea that obesity is "purely a lifestyle problem or one of weak character and lack of willpower, and hence treatment should not be covered." High cost to coverage Then there's the high cost of the treatments, at more than $1,000 per patient, per month. The University of Texas System decided to ratchet down its coverage of those drugs dramatically, noting in July that the cost of covering the drugs under two of its plans is more than $5 million per month, up from around $1.5 million per month 18 months ago, when demand for obesity treatments was lower. The university is one of the largest employers in Texas, with more than 116,000 employees across the state. Its plans will no longer cover Wegovy starting Sept. 1. UTS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it will reconsider coverage in light of the Novo Nordisk's new data. George Frey | Reuters "Given that so many Americans would potentially qualify for these treatments, and the cost is so high, widespread coverage could pose a threat to [an insurance] company's profitability," UCSD's Gunvald said. He noted, however, that new drugs entering the obesity market could drive competition and potentially lower prices. For example, Eli Lilly's diabetes drug Mounjaro could get approved for weight management over the next year. Other drugmakers are still years away from rolling out their own medications. But obesity is a chronic condition, meaning it doesn't simply go away when a patient loses weight. So patients must continue to take drugs like Wegovy to keep the pounds off and maintain other health benefits, which would further strain insurers' budgets. "It's very difficult to justify that expense because the insurance would never recoup that," said Dr. Ethan Lazarus, an obesity medicine physician and past president of the Obesity Medicine Association. That group is the largest organization of physicians, nurse practitioners and other health-care providers dedicated to treating obesity. "I find it unlikely that we're going to prove the cost-effectiveness of these medications at a price of $12,000 a year," he said. The cost barrier may be even higher in the public sector. A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine warned that if just 10% of obese Medicare beneficiaries were to take Wegovy, it would cost the program $27 billion a year. The federal program had 65 million enrollees as of March and currently doesn't cover the treatments. A provision of a 2003 law established that Medicare Part D plans can't cover drugs used for weight loss, but the program does cover obesity screening, behavioral counseling and bariatric surgery. Lazarus noted that a group of bipartisan lawmakers have aintroduced legislation that would eliminate the provision, but said its fate in Congress is far from certain. Need for more data The White House on Wednesday will detail its plans to prohibit some U.S. investments in sensitive technology in China. The White House on Wednesday will detail its plans to prohibit some U.S. investments in sensitive technology in China, and require that the government be notified of other investments, a senior government source told Reuters. The plans are aimed at preventing U.S. capital and expertise from helping develop technologies that could support China's military modernization and threaten U.S. national security. Reuters reported on Friday that President Joe Biden was expected to soon issue a the long-awaited executive order to screen outbound investments in sensitive technologies to China this week. The senior government source said that order is expected Wednesday. The White House declined to comment on Tuesday. Biden administration officials have stressed for months any restrictions on U.S. investment in China will be narrowly targeted. "These are tailored measures," National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in April. "They are not, as Beijing says, a 'technology blockade.'" U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in March the administration did not "want to be overly broad.... Anything that's overly broad hurts American workers and the economy." watch now At least six people have died in wildfires in Maui, after strong winds from Hurricane Dora and dry conditions ignited blazes and prompted evacuations across Hawaii, officials said Wednesday. Injuries have been reported, but officials did not provide a number. The Coast Guard rescued people from the ocean near Lahaina, Maui, as they went into the water to escape a fast-moving fire, NBC News reported, and the historic downtown area surrounding Front Street was partly destroyed, according to Hawaii News Now and other reports. Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation Tuesday that said the fires had burned "hundreds" of acres and forced a number of schools and roads to close. Luke authorized the Hawaii National Guard to aid authorities with disaster relief. Smoke billows near Lahaina as wildfires driven by high winds destroy a large part of the historic town of Lahaina, in Kahului, Hawaii, U.S. August 9, 2023. Dustin Johnson | Via Reuters Luke stepped in for Gov. Josh Green, who is traveling, but Green has been "fully briefed" on the situation, according to a release. Green will return to Hawaii on Aug. 15. The emergency proclamation said evacuations were underway in the Kohala Ranch, Kula, and Lahaina areas, as the fires threaten to affect the health and welfare of "a substantial number of persons." The disaster emergency relief period will continue through at least Aug. 15, the document said. "Lieutenant Governor Luke has my full support," Green said in a release. "My thoughts are with the residents and businesses affected by Hurricane Dora." A wildfire burns on the island of Maui near an intersection in Lahaina, Hawaii, August 9, 2023. Zeke Kalua | County Of Maui | via Reuters The emergency proclamation said evacuations were underway in the Kohala Ranch, Kula, and Lahaina areas, as the fires threaten to affect the health and welfare of "a substantial number of persons." The disaster emergency relief period will continue through at least Aug. 15, the document said. "Lieutenant Governor Luke has my full support," Green said in a release. "My thoughts are with the residents and businesses affected by Hurricane Dora." Hurricane Dora was not expected to make landfall in Hawaii and remained hundreds of miles south of the islands Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. But the storm contributed to strong winds that downed a number of trees and powerlines. The Honolulu National Weather Service shared a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday night telling residents to prepare for winds of 30 to 40 miles per hour and gusts up to 60 miles per hour. "Secure property, expected outages & difficult travel," the agency wrote. The strong winds stalled firefighters and prevented helicopters from successfully dumping water onto the flames, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin told the Associated Press on Tuesday. The American Red Cross posted Wednesday on X that a number of shelters are open across the state to help those who have been affected by the fires and winds. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), the country's second busiest airport, served 925,344 passengers from January to June this year. It is 181% higher than the same period in 2022, when about 510,822 passengers were served. Of the latest figures, 702,000 were domestic passengers a 149% jump compared to last year. MCIA authorities attributed the growth to the reopening of more flights to Cebu, especially the return of international routes. "There is no way but up for the aviation industry as we are finally seeing the full recovery of air travel," the airport administration said in a statement. In June, two new international flights were opened for Taipei in Taiwan and Incheon in South Korea. Total international passengers were pegged at more than 233,000 in the first half of the year, which is 546% higher than 2022. The MCIA, the country's biggest gateway next to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, currently hosts 17 foreign airlines and four local carriers. It also serves 27 domestic destinations and 11 international routes as of June this year. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 10) Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. has shot down reports about Filipino cadets being sent to Chinese military schools, saying there is no truth to these reports. Its not totally accurate. The basis of this is that in 2004, we signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on defense cooperation with China, Brawner explained on CNN Philippines Politics As Usual on Wednesday. He said the MOU allowed the Philippines to send officers to study in Chinese military schools or to train and partake in military exercises. As to the cadets, there are no cadets being sent to China and we never sent any cadets to train in China, except for some instances when the Chinese government invited several cadets for an exchange for a few days, for just one week, he added. Lawmakers expressed alarm over reports of Filipino cadets being sent to a Chinese military academy following the latest incident in the West Philippine Sea. Last week, the China Coast Guard blocked and fired water cannons at Philippine vessels on the way to Ayungin Shoal for a resupply mission. READ: DND asked: Are Pinoy cadets sent to study in China? Defense Senior Undersecretary Irineo Espino, the highest defense official present during the Senate hearing, said he "has heard about it" but he has yet to "find out the reason why they are sending cadets to China." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 10) The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Wednesday said overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have been legally working in Myanmar can now return to the Philippines for vacation. The DMW clarified it "applies only to those with existing employment contracts and not to the deployment of new hires to Myanmar." The announcement came after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) downgraded the crisis alert status in Myanmar from Alert Level 4 to Alert Level 2 last July. Alert Level 2 means restricting non-essential movements, avoiding places of protest, and preparing for possible evacuation. Based on the assessment of the DFA and the Philippine Embassy in Yangon, the OFWs in Myanmar are concentrated in the cities of Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw, and Malanday where they enjoy safe and stable working conditions. The DMW also advised OFWs to avoid crisis-prone regions in Myanmar, saying there is no guarantee that the Philippine or Myanmar authorities will be able to easily access these areas to respond. The protests and civil disobedience movements against the coup have been the largest in Myanmar in decades, with thousands calling for State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's release from detention, and for power to be handed back to civilian control. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) The chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) believes China stopped "short of declaring war" when its coast guard fired water cannons at Philippine boats en route to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. However, AFP Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr. said it would have been a "totally different story" if China used water cannons on Philippine Navy ships. "That would mean you are already doing aggressive actions against a military ship, and that could be interpreted as an act of war already," Brawner told CNN Philippines' Politics as Usual. "They know that. The reason why we believe they used their Chinese Coast Guard ships...They wanted to act short of war short of declaring war. So all of these are considered actions in the grey-zone, meaning they are not really overt acts of war but lower than that," he added. Why Navy ships not front and center The AFP chief explained that conditions in Ayungin Shoal only allows smaller boats be used to reach the BRP Sierra Madre. "If we use our Navy boats, we still have to anchor far from Ayungin Shoal and use smaller boats to bring our supplies to BRP Sierra Madre," Brawner said. "What we do from the very start, we use already smaller boats to carry our supplies." Brawner added that Philippine Navy ships were escorting the Philippine Coast Guard boats when the water cannon incident occurred. He said resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre are an obligation to support and sustain military troops there. READ: Sending supplies to BRP Sierra Madre within PH rights, cannot be meddled with The AFP also said he believes China and the Philippines already learned from the 2012 standoff, when Beijing took over Scarborough Shoal, prompting Manila to file a case for international arbitration. WATCH: Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China will be resuming the negotiations for a Code of Conduct (COC) on the South China Sea in Manila on August 22-24. Last month, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said that he looks forward to having an effective and substantive COC. During the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Guidelines to Accelerate Negotiations for the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea was adopted, aiming to speed up the negotiations. The ASEAN-China COC negotiations will be taking place at a time when Manila and Beijing clashed over the recent incident in Ayungin Shoal. Maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal said in a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) on Wednesday that while there is no other alternative for ASEAN but to engage with China in COC talks, the Philippines has the option to also consider walking away from it. For ASEAN as a whole thats the only game in town on this issue, but I am putting that suggestion out there. It's a way of calling their attention to take this process seriously, said Batongbacal. In any negotiating situation when you arrive at a deadlock, walking away is always a valid option. It gives time for people to think, reconsider, he added. The maritime expert said that the COC negotiations have been dragging on and the ASEAN appeared to be locked into the idea that countries should just keep talking. Security analyst Ray Powell, meanwhile, cautioned the Philippines and ASEAN over a possible weaker code. If China succeeds in getting a weaker COC, then China will say UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and arbitral tribunal will no longer apply to the South China Sea and outside powers have nothing to say about this, Powell said in the same forum. Philippine-China relations expert Rommel Banlaoi, on the other hand, said that while theres nothing preventing the Philippines from walking away from COC negotiations, Manila should be ready for repercussions. If the Philippines will unilaterally opt out of COC negotiations, it will be isolated [from] the rest of ASEAN. There is nothing preventing the Philippines [from having] bilateral negotiations for a bilateral code of conduct with China, he said. Let us not lose patience, the expert added. Banlaoi said that parties in the dispute can take cooperative activities not only with China but also with other parties. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has placed the entire Libya under crisis Alert Level 3, or voluntary repatriation phasea downgrade from an earlier status covering its capitalamid the countrys fragile but improving political and security conditions. In an advisory on Wednesday, the agency said this is an update from a 2019 crisis status imposed on select areas in Libya. In 2019, Alert Level 4 was imposed on Tripoli and areas within a 100-kilometer radius, and Alert Level 2 on areas outside the 100-kilometer radius of the capital city. The decision was made on the observation that, while the political and security conditions in Libya remain fragile, there have been significant improvements in the country since 2019, the DFA said. Under Alert Level 3, the Philippine government would implement a voluntary repatriation of 2,300 Filipinos residing there. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) Senators were surprised on Wednesday after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) admitted it was not being consulted for any reclamation project in the country. DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the agency only refers such projects to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. However, Bonoan added that there should be a "coordinated effort" when it comes to reclamation activities. "I think it has to be a coordinated effort, actually. Because I think it's not their property, I think it will be detrimental to the overall objective of solving the flooding problem in any locality," the secretary told a joint committee hearing on the flooding situation in Metro Manila. The Philippine Reclamation Authority earlier said 22 applications for reclamation projects had been processed so far, with some of them securing approval, or up for implementation and subject to compliance. On Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said all reclamation projects in Manila Bay have been suspended pending review except for one, which he did not identify. For his part, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said the DPWH should have a hand in such projects as they can affect some of the agency's projects as well. "Yung mga projects na ito, hindi po ba dapat ay mayroong say ang DPWH, because some of your projects or programs ay sisirain, babaliwalain ng isang proyekto," he said. [Translation: The DPWH should have a say on these projects, because some of your projects and programs will be damaged and disregarded by another project.] Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel, on the other hand, said there must be a review of all laws covering reclamation projects. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday said she will work in realigning the billions of pesos in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) of some government offices to other more important programs and agencies that will need more resources to help them in protecting the countrys territory. Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, Hontiveros specifically mentioned realigning the proposed CIF of the Office of the President at 4.5 billion, the Office of the Vice President at 500 million, and the Department of Education at 150 million. I think we should support the increase of intel funds sa lahat ng ating mga totoong intelligence gathering agencies. And the (Philippine) Coast Guard may well be one of the important agencies in this day and age lalo na dahil katapat natin ang Tsina in the West Philippine Sea, she said. [Translation: I think we should support the increase of intel funds of all real intelligence gathering agencies. And the Coast Guard may well be one of the important agencies in this day and age, especially now that we are facing off with China in the West Philippine Sea.] Lawmakers should also look into increasing the budget of intelligence units of agencies like the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Department of National Defense (DND), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the National Security Council instead of allocating funds to those that do not have such responsibilities, she added. Under the proposed 2024 national budget, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, which oversees the PNP, has a CIF of 906.62 million, while the DND, which has executive supervision over the AFP, has 1.898 billion. The senator said this will be like the second part of her and Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentels arguments last year against the unreasonable confi and intel funds of some offices under the 2023 national budget. Hontiveros said during the deliberations on the 2024 budget, she will make sure the lawmakers will look into how the 2023 CIFs were used to determine what appropriate actions they can make for next years allocation. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) called on lawmakers to legalize the operations of motorcycle taxis, about four years after the government greenlit its pilot run in select cities. LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III, who also heads the technical working group (TWG) that monitors the pilot study, said he hopes Congress can look into the pilot test with favor and enact a legislation that will eventually legitimize this habal-habal into a legitimate organization. Guadiz discussed the implementation of the motorcycle taxi pilot run during a House hearing on Tuesday. The transport official said the pilot study began in 2019 but was suspended during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was resumed after the government eased mobility restrictions. The motorcycle taxi market has three participants: Angkas, Move It, and JoyRide. Some lawmakers questioned the companies continuous operations despite a document that showed the pilot run was scheduled to end in 2021. Guadiz clarified that the study has been terminated, but noted that the policy still allows them to ply the roads following the recommendation from the Senate. If your pilot study is already terminated, bakit hindi kayo magsubmit ng report dito na yung pilot study ay tapos na? Bakit manggagaling sa amin? Make a report to the House that your study was already terminated and you are coming to a recommendation, House Committee on Transportation Chair and Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop said. [Translation: If your pilot study is already terminated, why didnt you submit a report here that the pilot study is over? Why it should come from us?] Guadiz said the agency provided recommendations on safety, security, franchise and regulatory procedures, and law enforcement issues. Acop said he wanted to see a comprehensive report of the pilot test from the TWG. Transportation authorities committed to submit the report within 45 days. Other issues raised during the hearing include multi-homing, as well as allegedly limiting the pilot run to only three players. Guadiz, however, said the three groups passed the vetting process. I did not limit it to three. There are four more applicants with us and there is an ongoing vetting process. However, I have to suspend this. As a matter of courtesy, we will be taking the cue from the House if they will allow us to further proceed with the study, Guadiz said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made it clear on Wednesday: The BRP Sierra Madre will stay right where it is in Ayungin Shoal. "I'm not aware of any agreement that the Philippines should remove from its own territory its own ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, from Ayungin Shoal," Marcos said in a video shared by the Presidential Communication Office. "And let me go further, if there does exist such an agreement, I rescind that agreement now," the president added. Marcos' statement came a day after National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya also denied the country had committed to remove the ship. "The PH has not and will never enter into any agreement abandoning its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over Ayungin Shoal," he said in a statement. In a separate interview with the media on Tuesday, Malaya also said there is "no record or any minutes of a meeting or any formal report or any legal document, legally enforceable document or otherwise or a verbal agreement na alam namin sa [that we know of in the] National Security Council." "Insofar as we're concerned, we have no, and will never sign or agree to anything that would in effect abandon our sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea, in particular Ayungin Shoal," he added. RELATED: Malaya: No promise made to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal The BRP Sierra Madre was intentionally grounded in Ayungin Shoal in 1999 to serve as the country's military outpost in the West Philippine Sea. According to a statement by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Manila made a commitment to remove the vessel, but has yet to act on it. Beijing also accused the Philippines of wanting to permanently occupy Ayungin Shoal. Over the weekend, the Chinese Coast Guard used water cannons on Philippine vessels on a mission to resupply troops on board the BRP Sierra Madre. A similar incident also happened in November 2021. RELATED: Additional PCG vessels during resupply missions an option, spox says Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) Maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal warned Pag-asa Island could be the next target of China if it succeeds in taking over Ayungin Shoal. Batongbacal made the statement during a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) on Wednesday, Aug. 9. The maritime expert was asked on future scenarios should the BRP Sierra Madre eventually collapse because of its deteriorating condition. The ship was deliberately run aground in 1999 to establish a permanent presence in the area. "If for any reason the BRP Sierra Madre collapses, it's likely people will be injured given the state of the ship. China will use it as an excuse to rescue our people in Ayungin Shoal and will not allow us to come back in," said Batongbacal. "Considering the concentration of vessels around Pag-asa Island then it's quite possible that it could be the next target," he added. For the National Security Council, the government will do anything to maintain the World War II-era ship. "We are committed to the maintenance of BRP Sierra Madre and we will provide the supply the needs of our troops there so that they can continue to man that station," NSC Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said. "It is a symbol of our sovereignty on a shoal that is located within our EEZ [Exclusive Economic Zone] and part of the Philippine continental shelf which was affirmed by the 2016 arbitral ruling," he added. Malaya said losing Ayungin Shoal will be detrimental for the country. He also denied the United States is behind the actions of the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea. "If we allow them to take over Ayungin Shoal it practically places China at a great advantage and the Philippines a greater disadvantage," he added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) -- Meralco customers will see a decrease in August bills after the power distributor said generation charges have gone down for the third month in a row. In a statement on Wednesday, Manila Electric Company (Meralco) said rates would decline 0.2908 per kilowatt hour (kWh), bringing down the overall rate for a typical household to 10.8991 per kWh from the previous 11.1899 per kWh. This means residences using 200 kWh will be paying around 58 less in their total electricity bill for August. Generation charge covers the cost of power purchased from suppliers - Independent Power Producers (IPPs), power producers with Power Supply Agreements (PSAs) with Meralco, power producers using renewable energy and the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, said Meralco. "The generation charge registered its third consecutive reduction this month, as it went down by 0.2137 to 6.3929 per kWh from 6.6066 per kWh in July," the company's statement said. Meralco also reminds the public that the Lifeline Rate program will be rolled out beginning September to benefit low-income household consuming 100 kWh or less per month and unable to pay their bill in full. The program includes beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), or customers considered to be living below the poverty threshold set by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). "Starting September 2023, only customers with approved applications will continue to benefit from the lifeline rate discount in accordance with the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 11552 or the law extending and enhancing the implementation of the lifeline rate," said Meralco. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) on Wednesday said it releases water from dams depending on the data provided online by the state weather bureau on the amount of rainfall. "We access po yung information through website po yun...so 'yun yung binabasehan po namin," NIA Region III Regional Manager Josephine Salazar told a joint committee hearing at the Senate on the flooding situation in Metro Manila. [Translation: We access the information through the website...so that's our basis.] Salazar's explanation was in response to Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva inquiry on NIA's protocols in opening dams to release excess water during nonstop rains. The senator noted that someone should be feeding information to NIA when it comes to releasing water from dams. "So do you think it would help if PAGASA calls you and say, 'You know the magnitude of rainwater is not the usual rainwater that we will be experiencing?'" Villanueva asked. But Salazar replied: "There's no communication as such." The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee earlier called out NIA to explain the massive flooding in Bulacan due to the alleged unannounced release of water from Bustos Dam. But the agency clarified that the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office should have disseminated the information on the dam's spilling activities. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) The Philippines is urging China to show documents or proof to back its claims that Manila had promised to remove the decades-old warship BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal. In a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Jonathan Malaya reiterated the position of the Philippine government that it did not promise China anything. WATCH: PH denies promising China it would remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin "If China is talking about a legally enforceable agreement, a commitment that's legally binding then we challenge them to produce that agreement signed by a duly authorized representative of the Philippines saying that we promise to abandon or to tow away BRP Sierra Madre," Malaya said. The NSC official also said he has reached out to former and current administration officials and none of them validated the statements of Beijing. "As far as we know and we have talked to officials from the previous, I am talking to many administrations and there has been no such promise. Maybe they are just talking to low level individuals in the hierarchy," he said. Malaya was spokesperson and assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government during the Duterte administration. Former President Rodrigo Duterte pursued closer ties with China during his term repeatedly stating that Manila cannot afford to go to war with Beijing. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) Aside from the usual diplomatic protests, Senator Risa Hontiveros said the government has other options to express its displeasure regarding the Chinese Coast Guard firing of water cannon at Philippine vessels on a resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal. Economically din pwedeng iparamdam ng Pilipinas yung displeasure natin at yung pagkundena natin sa ganitong mga illegal actions, Hontiveros told CNN Philippines The Source on Wednesday. [Translation: Economically the Philippines can also express our displeasure at condemning of illegal actions like these.] READ: Senators push for executive session amid water cannon incident According to Hontiveros, this would not be the first time for the Philippine government to undertake an economic approach. She noted that former Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez during the Duterte administration terminated the loan application process for infrastructure projects funded by the Chinese Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC). Projects covered were the Davao-Digos Rail segment, the Calamba-Matnog long haul rail, and the Subic-Clark Rail. However, this has resumed during the Marcos administration, Hontiveros said. The opposition senator also urged her colleagues in the upper chamber to pass her pending resolution filed in 2022 that seeks to look into reclamation projects across the country. Concerns have been raised over CCCCs ties to Manila Bay reclamation projects and the building of artificial islands in the South China Sea. Hontiveros was referring to Senate Resolution No. 300 that seeks to direct the appropriate Senate committee to investigate in aid of legislation the reported large-scale land reclamation projects being undertaken across the country. Hontiveros said that the Chinese state firm is disguising to be a legitimate business, but it is only helping China with its creeping invasion. According to the senator, CCCC appears to be holding two of the six approved reclamation projects in Manila Bay. The company also worked with the Chinese maritime militia in destroying coral reefs in the West Philippine Sea, she added. Mas timely pa ngayon na dinigin na sana itong resolusyon not just to show our displeasure against these hostile actions of China against us in the West Philippine Sea pero para din isalba yung ating kalikasan, she said. [Translation: It's timely now to hear this resolution not just to show our displeasure against these hostile actions of China against us in the West Philippine Sea but also to save our environment.] Earlier, the US Embassy said in a statement that CCCC was included in the US Department of Commerce's Entity List for helping build the artificial islands. "The company has also been cited by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for engaging in fraudulent business practices," it added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) has failed to convince the Sandiganbayan to reverse its junking of an ill-gotten wealth case against the Marcos family and their cronies. The PCGG filed the motion for reconsideration on July 18, seeking a second look at the decision made on June 27. In a six-page ruling dated August 8, the Sandiganbayan 2nd Division said the PCGG's arguments in its appeal were a rehash of issues already tackled and resolved in its decision on the case. "As plaintiff-movant has not raised any argument to convince this court that its ruling is erroneous or contrary to the law or evidence, the motion for reconsideration must be denied for lack of merit," the anti-court said. The court earlier dismissed Civil Case No. 0014, which sought the forfeiture of assets owned by alleged Marcos cronies, namely Modesto Enriquez, Trinidad Diaz-Enriquez, Rebecco Panlilio, Erlinda Enriquez-Panlilio, Leandro Enriquez, Don Ferry, Roman Cruz Jr., and Gregorio Castillo. The case was filed in 1987. According to the June decision by the Sandiganbayan, the prosecution failed to establish there was enough evidence to prove that the assets and properties in question were ill-gotten. The companies in question were Ternate Development Corp., Monte Sol Development Corporation, Olas del Mar Development Corporation, Fantasia Filipina Resort, Inc., Sulo Dobbs, Inc., Philippine Village, Inc., Silahis International Hotel, Inc., Hotel Properties, Inc., Puerto Azul Beach and Country Club, and Philroad Construction Corporation. RELATED: SC affirms dismissal of 1-B ill-gotten wealth case vs. Marcoses, cronies Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) Businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles was unable to convince the Sandiganbayan to reverse her conviction over the misuse of 15.3 million in congressional funds of the late former Davao del Sur Representative Douglas Cagas. In a resolution dated August 8, the Sandiganbayan 2nd Division reiterated that the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to prove the involvement of Napoles, tagged the pork barrel queen, in the conspiracy. "It is crystal clear that there is adequate credible evidence, testimonial and documentary, warranting the conviction beyond reasonable doubt of accused-movant Napoles," the court said in its resolution denying Napoles's motion for reconsideration. In her appeal, Napoles questioned the court for giving weight to the testimonies of prosecution witnesses Benhur Luy and Mary Joyce Baltazar, both identified as her former employees. She pointed out that their testimonies are bare allegations as there is no evidence proving she gave kickbacks or rebates to Rep. Cagas in exchange for the diversion of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to non-government organizations she controls. The court, however, noted Luy and Baltazar were clear and consistent on the matter of their relation to Napoles as well as the NGOs established under her control. It also stressed the importance of Daily Disbursement Report (DDR) entries saved in Luy's hard drive which supposedly details kickbacks received by Cagas. A representative from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) who conducted a forensic examination on the hard drive found that its contents were consistent or the same as the printed copies of the DDR. "There was no iota of proof that would directly contradict her established guilt. In fact she (Napoles) did not even present any evidence in her defense," the court said. In a previous decision, the court found Napoles guilty of two counts of graft and two counts of malversation of public funds over the diversion of Cagas's PDAF. The businesswoman, who is currently detained over a previous conviction, was sentenced to imprisonment of up to 10 years for each count of graft and a maximum of 17 years for each count of malversation charge. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) The defense chiefs of the Philippines and the United States have reaffirmed their ironclad relations, with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III condemning Chinas firing of water cannons at Filipino vessels in the West Philippine Sea. Based on a statement released by the Pentagon on Wednesday, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Austin reiterated both nations commitment to bolstering cooperation, including strengthening bilateral training, interoperability, and support for the modernization of the Philippine Armed Forces. During their call, the officials also touched on the latest aggression of China in the disputed waters, where the latter blocked the Philippine Coast Guard vessels' resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal. READ: PH tells China to stop illegal activities in WPS after water cannon incident Chinas dangerous maneuvers in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) put the safety of Philippine vessels and crew at risk, Austin said. The US defense chief stressed that Chinas activities undermine the status quo and directly threaten regional peace and stability. He also backed the Philippines right to conduct lawful maritime activities, supported by the 2016 arbitral ruling which the country won against Chinas sweeping claims over the disputed waters. Austin noted that the Mutual Defense Treaty also covers Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forcesincluding its Coast Guardin the Pacific and the WPS. The Secretaries committed to find a near-term opportunity to meet in-person and restated their commitment to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as allies to bring security, prosperity, and stability to the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, a Pentagon statement read. Cebu (CNN Philippines, August 9) Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia has issued a 60-day ban on the entry of live hogs and pork products from Bohol following recent cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the province. "With the confirmed cases of ASF in Bohol, there is an urgent need to temporarily ban entry of live hogs, sows, piglets, boar semen, and pork-related products from the province of Bohol to protect the hog industry of Cebu," Garcia said in her Executive Order. The Bureau of Animal Industry has also tagged Cebu as having confirmed ASF cases, but the Cebu provincial government contested the findings, saying they were mostly hog cholera, and the confirmed cases have long been controlled. Bohol province also has a continuing ban of pork products and live hogs coming from Cebu province. In Garcia's Executive Order 21 dated Aug. 8, the governor also suspended previously issued passes for livestock transport trucks coming from Bohol. The EO cited ASF cases in the municipality of Pilar in Bohol. Garcia also called on all law enforcement agencies including the police, coast guard, the Cebu Port Authority, the Mactan Cebu International Airport, and mayors to monitor the strict implementation of the order. While a strict ban is imposed on Bohol, neighboring Negros Oriental is currently working a deal to open its borders for the free flow of pork products. Both Negros Oriental and Cebu agreed to work out a common protocol in the handling of ASF and other hog diseases. Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. Psst: Come close. Your Android phone has a little-known superpower a futuristic system for bridging the physical world around you and the digital universe on your device. It's one of Google's best-kept secrets. And it can save you tons of time and effort. It's a little somethin' called Google Lens, and it's been lurking around on Android and quietly getting more and more capable for years. Google doesn't make a big deal about it, weirdly enough, and you really have to go out of your way to even realize it exists. But once you uncover it, well, you'll feel like you have a magic wand in your pocket. At its core, Google Lens is best described as a search engine for the real world. It uses artificial intelligence to identify text and objects both within images and in a live view from your phone's camera, and it then lets you learn about and interact with those elements in all sorts of interesting ways. But while Lens's ability to, say, identify a flower, look up a book, or give you info about a landmark is certainly impressive, it's the system's more mundane-seeming productivity powers that are far more likely to find a place in your day-to-day life. So grab your nearest Android gadget, go install the Google Lens app, if you haven't already, and get ready to teach your phone some spectacularly useful new tricks. Google Lens trick No. 1: Dive deep into your smartphone's screen In a mildly wild twist, the first and newest Google Lens goody in our list is also the oldest and most familiar one of all at least, if you've paying attention in this arena for long. [Hey love shortcuts? My free Android Shortcut Supercourse will teach you tons of time-saving tricks for your phone. Sign up now and start learning!] It's a snazzy new feature in the midst of rolling out this second that lets you have Lens analyze whatever's on your screen and then give you helpful extra context around it. This one can be summoned via the Google Assistant yes, that Google Assistant, astonishingly! If the option is available on your personal Android device at this point, you'll see it as a tappable "Search screen" button as soon as you summon Assistant (from anywhere other than on your home screen, as the feature doesn't appear to operate in that environment). JR The capability seems to be showing up for Android phone-owners bit by bit this month, so if you aren't seeing it yet, give it another few days and then check again. And if you're feeling a pesky sense of deja vu around this, well, you should be: Google first announced this latest iteration of the on-demand screen searching system six months ago, in February of this year. Prior to that point, Assistant had briefly offered a similar sort of setup without Lens's involvement. And prior to that, Google had a spectacularly useful native Android feature called Now on Tap, way back in 2015's Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) era though amusingly, we haven't quite caught back up to that level of search intelligence just yet. Hey, what can we say? It's the Google way. Google Lens trick No. 2: Copy text from the real world From the virtual world to the real world, Google Lens's most potent power and the one I rely on most frequently is its ability to grab text from a physical document a paper, a book, a whiteboard, a suspiciously wordy tattoo on your rumpus, or anything else with writing on it and then copy that text onto your phone's clipboard. From there, you can easily paste the text into a Google Doc, a note, an email, a Slack chat, or anywhere else imaginable. To do that, just open up the Google Lens app and tap the "Search with your camera" area at the top of the screen. Point your camera at any text around you, then tap your finger onto any area of the viewfinder and you'll be able to select the exact portion of text you want as if it were regular ol' digital text on a website. All that's left is to hit the "Copy text" command in the panel at the bottom of the screen, and every last word will be on your system clipboard and ready to paste wherever your thumpy little heart desires. Google Lens trick No. 3: Send text from the real world to your computer Let's face it: Most of us aren't working only from our Android phones. If you need to get some real-world text onto your computer, Lens can handle that for you, too. Just go through the same steps we did a second ago, but this time, look for the "Copy to computer" option in the panel at the bottom of the screen. As long as you're actively signed into Chrome with the same Google account on a computer any computer, whether it's Windows, Mac, Linux, or ChromeOS that option should appear. And when you tap it, you'll get a list of all available destinations. All you've gotta do is pick the system you want, and just like magic, the text from the physical document will be on that computer's clipboard ready and waiting to be pasted wherever you want it. Hit Ctrl-V (or Cmd-V, on a Mac), and shazam! It'll pop into any text field, in any app or process where pasting is supported. Google Lens trick No. 4: Hear text from the real world read aloud Maybe you've just been handed a long memo, a printed-out brief of some sort, or a letter from your dear Aunt Sally. Whatever it is, give your eyes a breather and let Lens read it for you while you're on the go and between meetings. Just point your phone at the paper, exactly as we did before, and tap that "Text" option once more. Select whatever text you want and this time, look for the little "Listen" option in the bottom-of-screen panel. Pound your pinky down on that bad boy, and the Google Lens app will actually read the selected text out loud to you, in a soothingly pleasant voice. Hey, Google: How 'bout a nap-time story while we're at it?! Google Lens trick No. 5: Interact with text from an image In addition to the live stuff, Lens can pull and process text from images including both actual photos you've taken and screenshots you've captured. That latter part opens up some pretty interesting possibilities. Say, for instance, you've just gotten an email with a tracking number in it, but the tracking number is some funky type of text that annoyingly can't be copied. (This seems to happen to me way too often.) Or maybe you're looking at a web page or presentation where the text for some reason isn't selectable. Well, grab a screenshot by pressing your phone's power and volume-down buttons together then make your way over to the Google Lens app. Look for the screenshot on the Lens home screen, tap it, and tap "Text" along the bottom of the screen. And then, you can simply select the text you want. From there, you can copy the text, send it to a computer, or perform any of Lens's other boundary-defying tricks. Speaking of which... Google Lens trick No. 6: Search for text from any physical document or image After you've selected any manner of text from within the Google Lens app, swipe your finger toward the left on the row of options in that bottom-of-screen panel the one with "Copy text," "Copy to computer," and so on. You'd never realize it from looking, but even more options are hiding to the right of those initial choices. One of 'em is the simple but supremely useful "Search." (And sometimes, Lens will even put related results right there in that bottom-of-screen panel, without any additional searching required.) Keep that in mind as a super-easy way to get info on text from any physical document or captured image without having to manually peck in the words on your own. And on a related note... Google Lens trick No. 7: Search for similar visuals In addition to searching for the text from an image, Lens can search the web for other images that match the actual object within your photo or screenshot. It's a fantastic way to find visually similar images or even identify something like a specific phone model or product seen within a photo. To pull off this bit of Googley sorcery, look for the "Search" option within the main sliding bar of options at the bottom of the Lens interface anytime an image is in the Lens viewfinder. Google Lens trick No. 8: Create a calendar event The next time you encounter something with a date involved a flyer, a billboard, an appointment card, or even a physical invitation to your dear Aunt Sally's weekly canasta extravaganza save yourself the trouble of typing the info into your digital calendar and instead just open up the good ol' Google Lens app. Aim your Android phone's camera at the paper and then tap on the date. Lens should give you a "Create calendar event option" at the start of its bottom-panel choices, and tapping it will beam the info right over to your preferred calendar app so you can tweak it as needed and save. And a quick bonus tip: Don't forget that all this stuff will work even if you hold your phone up to capture an image of something on your computer screen. That's a splendid way to save yourself time and steps when working across different devices. Google Lens trick No. 9: Save someone's contact information If you find yourself holding a business card and thinking, "Well, blimey, I sure as heckfire don't want to type all of this into my contacts app," first, congratulate yourself on the excellent use of blimey and then sit your beautiful person-shell back and let Lens handle the heavy lifting for you. Open Lens, point your phone's camera at the card, and tap on the person's name. The Google Lens app should recognize the nature of the info and prompt you to add a contact. One more tap, and the deed is done. Google Lens trick No. 10: Email, call, text, or navigate to a website Got an address or number you need to get onto your phone for a specific sort of action? It could be on a business card, on a letter, or even on the front of a random business's door. Whatever the case, just open the Google Lens app, point your phone at it, and tap the text. (Or, option B: Snap a photo of the info in question and then pull it up in the Lens app later.) Once Lens sees it, it'll offer to do whatever's most appropriate for the sort of info involved. Then, with a single tap, you'll have the address ready to roll in a new email draft, the number ready to call or text in your dialer or messaging app, or the website pulled up and ready for your viewing in your browser no time-wasting typing required. Google Lens trick No. 11: Translate text from the real world If you ever find yourself staring at a sign in another language and wondering what in the world it says, remember that the Google Lens app has a built-in translation feature. To find it, open the app, aim your phone at the text, and tap the word "Translate" along the bottom edge of the screen. Before you know it, Lens will replace the words on your screen with their English equivalents (or with a translation in whatever language you select, if English isn't your tasse de the) practically in real time. It's almost spooky how fast and effective it is. Pas mal, eh? Google Lens trick No. 12: Act as your on-demand calculator The next time you've got a numerical challenge in front of your weary peepers, give your musty ol' brain a break and let Lens do some good old-fashioned solvin' for ya. Just open up Lens and point your phone at the equation in question whether it's on a whiteboard, a physical piece of paper, or even a screen in front of you. Scroll over along the line at the bottom of the Lens viewfinder screen until you see the word "Homework" (and don't worry: Despite what that label implies, you don't have to be an annoyingly youthful and bushytailed student to use it). With everything from basic equations to advanced math, chemistry, physics, and biology, Lens will eagerly do your calculation for you and spit back an answer in the blink of an eye. I won't tell if you don't. Google Lens trick No. 13: Scan your skin Here's a weird one: If you ever have some mysterious marking on your mammal skin and find yourself fretting over whether it's a freckle or something more nefarious, take matters into your own hands and let Lens play the role of dermatologist for you. Just fire 'er up on whatever Android phone you're holding and point the viewfinder at your wretch-inducing wart perfectly natural epidermal abnormality, and before you can spit out the words "Holy moley," Lens will give you a best guess at what you've got goin' on. Its results aren't scientific, of course, but they are based on matching your marking to an endless array of examples Lens seeks out on the web so they're a fine way to put your mind at ease while you wait for an actual doctor to examine your suspiciously spotted outer layer. Google Lens trick No. 14: Scan codes galore 'Twas a time when Android code-reading apps were all the rage and plenty of folks still have 'em hangin' around today. So long as the Google Lens app is on your phone, though, guess what? You don't need anything more. Just open up Lens, aim your camera at any barcode or QR code, and poof: Lens will offer to show you whatever that code contains faster than you ask "What does QR stand for, anyway?" Google Lens trick No. 15: Use Lens from Image Search, Photos, and your phone's camera Step-skippers, take note: All the tricks we just talked about can work not only from the actual Google Lens app but also from a few other potentially useful places on your phone: Google Image Search: Anytime you're looking at an image within images.google.com in your phone's browser, keep a lookout for the Lens icon in the lower-left corner of whatever image you've opened. Tapping that will activate Lens and give you any relevant info about whatever's being shown. Anytime you're looking at an image within images.google.com in your phone's browser, keep a lookout for the Lens icon in the lower-left corner of whatever image you've opened. Tapping that will activate Lens and give you any relevant info about whatever's being shown. Google Photos: See that third icon along the bottom when you open an image in Photos? That's Lens! Tapping it will fire up Lens and let you copy text, activate links, and get additional context about anything Lens is able to recognize. Your camera: On Pixel phones, you can find Lens right within your regular camera app. Just open the camera and then swipe your favorite fingie along the list of options at the bottom until you land on "Modes." Tap "Lens" in the menu that pops up, and poof: That'll launch an on-demand Lens search for ya and the results will pop up right then and there, without the need for any app-switching or extra searching. (If you've taken my Pixel Academy e-course, congratulations: You already knew that, along with mountains of other exceptional Pixel secrets!) Google Lens trick No. 16: Get to Lens without lifting a finger Last but not least, a bit of a meta tip: When you want to open the Google Lens app in a hurry, skip the usual swiping and tapping and instead say: "Hey, Google: Open Google Lens." So long as you've got the Lens app installed, your friendly neighborhood Assistant will happily oblige. Being a mobile-tech magician has never been so satisfying. Get six full days of advanced Android knowledge with my free Android Shortcut Supercourse. You'll learn tons of time-saving tricks for your phone! Remote work, once praised as the new paradigm for productivity and employee satisfaction, is losing some steam as more organizations and even governments are requiring workers to return to the office at least, part time. Bosses are imposing more strict in-office mandates as new data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows productivity has slumped slightly since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency was declared earlier this year. Over the previous 12 months, the number of employees working in a hybrid way has steadily increased, while the number of employees who work only at home or only in the office has decreased, said Tori Paulman, a Gartner research analyst. Hybrid Work is entering the trough of disillusionment for everyone. Gartner Research breaks down new products and industry trends into hype cycles that set the expectation that most innovations, services, and disciplines will progress through a pattern of hype, adoption, disillusionment and eventually productivity. The "trough of disillusionment" represents a time when the original excitement about potential value of a product or business practice encounters problems with performance, which leads to missed expectations. For hybrid and remote work, the ongoing polarization of views on where work is best done and uncertain returns on investment in the corporate space have forced hybrid work to descend into the trough, according to Gartner. Gartner Most hybrid work practices were implemented in haste in 2020/2021, and technology and management strategies from location-centric work do not work well in a hybrid world, Paulman said. Patchwork and piecemeal approaches are limiting the effectiveness of the leadership strategies and technology categories that will help make hybrid work successful. The mess were in right now makes sense if we understand how hype works. Even though remote and hybrid work practices are in the trough now, that doesnt mean theyll stay there. Some early adopters eventually overcome the initial hurdles and begin to see the benefits of innovation and best practices emerge. Until then, the return-to-office edicts continue to roll out. Most recently, US President Joe Biden told his Cabinet members to get federal employees back into the office more often beginning this fall, according to a White House email. Thats consistent with what we are seeing across most industries and regions, Paulman said. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) now reportedly expects workers will return to the office three days per week starting on Oct 9; the US Department of Transportation has the same expectation set for Sept 10. A series of high-profile companies have also adjusted their remote or hybrid work policies. Ironically, the latest to do that was videoconferencing vendor Zoom, which just updated its hybrid work policy to require any employee within 50 miles of an office to commute in at least twice a week. Earlier this year, Google updated its hybrid work policy requiring most employees be in an office at least three days a week. And at least one report indicated that in June Facebook owner Meta revamped its hybrid work policy, mirroring Googles. Even with an uptick in return-to-office mandates, office building occupancy continues to remain below pre-pandemic levels. The average weekly occupancy rate for 10 metropolitan areas in the United States this week was below 50% (48.6%), according to data tracked by workplace data company Kastle Systems. That occupancy rate is actually down 0.6% from last week. Office occupancy rates change substantially, depending on the day of the week. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday are the most popular in-office days. Globally and in the US, organizations have moved from ad hoc hybrid work policies, where employees could pick their days in the office, to structured schedules. On average, workers are required to be in the office 2.6 days per week, according to Robin Powered, a vendor of software that enables employees to book office desk time. Most people will say Fridays are dead unless you have some direct, customer-facing role that requires you to be in five days a week, Micah Remley, CEO of Robin Powered, said in a recent interview. Five days a week in the office is out. The new full time in the office is four days in the office. Increasingly, executives are pointing to remote work as a potential culprit for lagging productivity. Over the past two years, productivity has declined 1.9%, according to the BLS, the sharpest two-year decline in over 75 years of recorded data. Studies have shown that most bosses feel remote work hurts worker productivity. A survey of 20,000 people in 11 countries by Microsoft earlier this year found that 85% of business leaders believe the shift to hybrid work has made it harder for them to have confidence employees are being productive. For some, hybrid work also hurts the real estate market, since fewer companies are renewing leases or buying office property. In January, Wasington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser stated: The federal government represents one quarter of DCs pre-pandemic jobs and owns or leases one third of DCs office space. We need decisive action by the White House to either get most federal workers back to the office most of the time or to realign their vast property holdings for use by the local government, by non-profits, by businesses and by any user willing to revitalize it. Shutterstock/Studio Romantic Gartners Paulman said in some ways whats most remarkable is the significant shift away from a fiscal priority of previous administrations to reduce the overall footprint of real estate the US government uses to fill the buildings with workers. Some financial analysts are predicting seismic shifts in the corporate real estate market, which appears to be, at least in part, lurking below the surface of [Bidens back-to-office] directive, Paulman said. In the end, edicts dont go over well with workers, especially at a time when unemployment is near record lows and finding talent has rarely been harder. For an example of what results from a government order to return to office, Paulman said the US need look no further than its neighbor to the north. In January 2023, the Canadian government issued a mandate that required public servants to work from the office two to three days per week and to ramp up to more in-person work over time. Shortly after, the Professional Institute of Public Service (PIPSC) revealed in a survey that more than a one-third of Canadian public servants were considering leaving their jobs over the return-to-office mandate. And in May, 120,000 Canadian public servants went on a two-week long strike over pay and hybrid work conditions. The outcome of the strike was remarkable to me as an analyst: a requirement that managers assess remote work requests individually, not by group, and provide written responses to hold them accountable for the decisions they make in each case," Paulman said. From my perspective, the impact of union employees and collective bargaining rights won workers continued flexibility as the process for assessing remote work is not as scalable as before, Paulman added. I wouldnt be surprised if we see something similar play out in the US. Gal Gadot has the smoothest relationship with Heart of Stone co-star Alia Bhatt Alia Bhatt is the latest Bollywood A-lister to make her Hollywood debut, and she is doing it in style, with Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot in the Netflix thriller Heart of Stone, set for release on August 11. Alia Bhatt, Gal Gadot, and Jamie Dornan in Heart of Stone. Photo courtesy: Instagram/vanzekin018 Talking about her Indian co-star, the Israeli actress said, Shes amazing; we hit it from the get go. Gadot, who has also produced the movie, said, I think we share so much in common for the fact that Im from Israel and shes from India. Were both now making this film that is global and American. Speaking to the Press Trust of India in a group interview, Gadot said about Alia, Were both very dedicated and hard workers in what we do, but we also are very family oriented... It was like the smoothest getting into a relationship Ive had. Heart of Stone follows Gal Gadots Rachel Stone, a member of an elusive and mysterious group of elite spies called the Charter. When the shadowy organisations cutting-edge weapon, an AI-esque technological core called the Heart, is stolen by hacker Keya Dhawan (Alia Bhatt), the lead character embarks on a globetrotting adventure to prevent the weapon from falling into the wrong hands and saving the day. Gadot said that she enjoyed exploring the complex dynamic between the two main characters in the Tom Harper directorial that pits the two actresses against each other. Once you have a partner that you can trust, you enjoy the push and pull between the characters, it gives you a fight that has a weight. And you know that shes not faking and shes affected in the right way from me and vice versa. Its just delicious. Its a delightful way to work. And I definitely had that with Alia. Alia Bhatt and Heart of Stone director Tom Harper. Photo courtesy: Instagram/robertviglasky The 38-year-old Hollywood actor, most famous for her role of superhero Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman in many DC-Warner Bros movies, described her Heart of Stone character as a person of many contradictions. Gadot said, I enjoyed playing this character so much. Shes a character of many contradictions. On one hand, she thrives on adrenaline. She likes the mission. Shes an incredible secret agent. But at the same time, shes a loose cannon. Shes having a hard time working within the system and following the rules. Shes wild and shes not allowed to engage with people. And one thing she really wants is to engage with people and have these human connections in her life. Gadot said that she is a lot like Stone in real life. I think that the thing that really guided her was her instincts and the fact that she needs to follow her heart, literally, and listen to her guts. And thats something I try to do in my own life as well. Heart of Stone also stars Jamie Dornan, Sophie Okonedo, and Matthias Schweighofer. Italy: Shipwreck off the island of Lampedusa kills 41 migrants At least 41 migrants lost their lives in a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa, media reports said on Wednesday. At least 41 migrants died in a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa. Photo Courtesy: Pixabay A group of four people who survived the disaster told rescuers that they were on a boat that had set off from Sfax in Tunisia and sank on its way to Italy, reports BBC. The four survivors, originally from the Ivory Coast and Guinea, reached Lampedusa, one of the Pelagie Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) is calling for safer legal paths to migration following the latest tragic attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. A pregnant woman and a young child died when two boats carrying scores of migrants sank in rough seas off the Italian island of Lampedusa on Sunday, according to media reports. The boats had reportedly departed from Sfax, Tunisia, and many of the passengers were believed to be from sub-Saharan African countries. In a statement on Monday, Nicola DellArciprete, UNICEF Country Coordinator for the National Response in Italy, said the agency was deeply saddened by yet another shipwreck in the Mediterranean. PM Modi pays tributes to Quit India Movement heroes Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid tributes to the freedom fighters who took part in the Quit India Movement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tributes to those who participated in Quit India Movement. Photo Courtesy: PIB Modi said that under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, Quit India Movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial rule. He also shared his thoughts through a video message on this occasion. Tributes to the greats who took part in the Quit India Movement. Under the leadership of Gandhi Ji, this Movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial rule. Today, India is saying in one voice: Corruption Quit India. Dynasty Quit India. Appeasement Quit India. pic.twitter.com/w6acXBoNq1 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 9, 2023 In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Tributes to the greats who took part in the Quit India Movement. Under the leadership of Gandhi Ji, this Movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial rule. "Today, India is saying in one voice: Corruption Quit India. Dynasty Quit India. Appeasement Quit India." Quit India Movement, also known as Bharat Chhodo Andolan, was launched at the Bombay session of Congress by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th of August, 1942, demanding the end of British rule in India. President Murmu, PM Modi greet their counterparts as Singapore celebrates its national day Letters were sent from the offices of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to their respective Singaporean counterparts as the island nation celebrated its national day on August 9. President Droupadi Murmu and PM Narendra Modi greeted their Singaporean counterparts as the island nation celebrated its national day on August 9. Photo courtesy: PIB Prez. Murmu exchanged greetings with Halimah Yacob, noting the deepening and the diversifying bilateral relationship across various areas such as trade, investment, defence, financial technology, skill development and people-to-people ties. She also shared her hope for further achievement of greater collaboration for mutual benefit of the people of the two countries. In his communication with Lee Hsien Loong Modi, Modi appreciated the strong, broad based and comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Singapore. The Indian Prime Minister reiterated that Singapore remains a key partner for his country with the broader Indo-Pacific region, and commands a central position in India's Act East Policy. Modi also expressed confidence in identification of new growth engines to drive the bilateral relationship, particularly through the institution of India-Singapore Ministerial Round Table. He hailed Singapores active participation as a guest country in G20 this year and hoped that the nation would support India in achieving key objectives of their G20 Presidency. Singapore National Day 2023: PM Lees address promises honesty and integrity in a season of political scandals On the occasion of Singapore National Day today, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has delivered an address to the nation, assuring the country that his government would maintain its high standards of honesty, integrity, and propriety, making a strong promise in a season of political scandals in the nation state. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong meets the people, holding a national flag. Screenshot courtesy: Instagram/leehsienloong Some have asked what these incidents say about the Government [of Singapore]. My answer is this: such issues come up from time to time, said Prime Minister Lee said in his National Day message, which was published yesterday. When they do, we deal with them properly and transparently. That is what we have always done, and thats what we have done this time, too. Singapore National Day celebrations. Screenshot courtesy: Instagram/leehsienloong Singapore, known for its corruption-free and stable politics, has been rocked by a recent spate of scandals involving ministers and lawmakers. These cases include allegations of preferential treatment in the rental of state-owned Ridout Road properties by two Indian-origin ministers; a Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) probe into Transport Minister S Iswaran; as well as the resignations of former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and former MP Cheng Li Hui over their affair. Home and Law Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan rented colonial-built, heritage bungalows in the suburbs of the city-state after the properties had not been rented for a long while. The opposition in Parliament had questioned the rental process. The Ridout Road case was thoroughly investigated and the ministers have been exonerated. However, the CPIB probe is ongoing. In all three cases, for the good of the country, we sought to do the right thing, protect the integrity of our system of government, and carry through everything that needed to be done, said Lee, 71. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted in his address that foreign leaders admire Singapores ability to think long-term, set ambitious goals and steadily achieve its aspirations. Photo courtesy: Instagram/leehsienloong Minister Iswaran is under investigation for reported concern about Formula-1 events, which Singapore continues to host; preparation for one F1 event is underway, to be held next month. Tan and Cheng have both resigned over the affair from political and public offices. Let there be no doubt: my government is determined to keep our system free of corruption and wrongdoing, Lee stressed. He noted that foreign leaders admire Singapores ability to think long-term, set ambitious goals and steadily achieve its aspirations. I tell them, this is only possible because the people and the government work closely together. This is what gives Singapore an edge over others. This is what makes us exceptional. We must never let this bond weaken, said the prime minister. How much do solar panels cost in Vermont? In general, installing residential solar panels costs $10,000 to $30,000 or more. A lot of solar customers in Vermont finance their systems, so theres a monthly fee until the loan is paid off. It's a big investment, Bonnie in Burlington (a ConsumerAffairs reviewer) told us. I look at it like, Okay, I'm paying $147 a month. But I pay more than that for insurance on my house. Average cost by system size in Vermont 3 kW 5 kW 6 kW 8 kW 10 kW Cost before federal tax credits $8,910 $14,850 $17,820 $23,760 $29,700 Cost after federal tax credits $6,593 $10,989 $13,187 $17,582 $21,978 Are solar panels worth it in Vermont? I don't see any downsides at all in going solar. Youre always saving money, Patricia in Burlington told us. Youre paying a certain amount. They give you this amount that youre paying every month, and it doesnt change. My electric bill has gone down considerably even with these two accounts Ive got on in Lincoln. The savings was great. I'm buying another property that I'm definitely gonna put the solar panels on. Financially, solar panels are worth it if your ongoing costs are lower than your electric bill. On average, solar panels take about nine years to pay for themselves and save homeowners a little more than $26,000 over a lifetime. Going solar makes sense environmentally, too, because it reduces emissions. STILL NOT SURE? Solar energy pros and cons Cost factors of going solar in Vermont How much you actually pay to go solar depends on a range of factors, including the size of your system and the quality of your panels. More panels, higher costs The cost of a solar power system is generally proportional to its size. The more panels you have (and the larger the system's total wattage), the higher the price will be you're paying for more equipment plus potentially more labor to install the system. But there can be some economies of scale with larger systems. For instance, a bigger system costs more in absolute terms, but the cost per watt of capacity will likely decrease as the system size increases. Panel efficiency Solar panels come in various efficiencies, meaning some panels can produce more electricity than others of the same size. The average solar panel efficiency is about 15% to 20%. If you have a small roof or limited space for installing solar panels, get panels with higher efficiency ratings to make the most of the space you have. However, if space is not an issue, it may be more cost-effective to install lower-efficiency panels. Investing in quality panels can save you more money over the long term because they generate more power over the life of the system. In other words, the higher the efficiency, the more power can be produced per square foot. This means you can generate the same amount of energy with fewer panels. COMPARE: Most efficient solar panels Condition of your roof If your roof is not in good condition, you might have to spend extra money to repair or replace it before installing solar panels. Most panels are designed to last 25 years or more, so you need your roof to last at least as long. Otherwise, youll have to pay to remove the panels, repair your roof and reinstall them, which can cost thousands of dollars. (Asphalt shingles generally last 20 to 30 years, and metal roofs last a little longer.) Solar panels typically last 25 years If your roof faces north or is heavily shaded, your system might produce less electricity than anticipated. The pitch (or slope) of your roof is also important, especially during the winter months. John in Mount Holly told us their panels don't make power when covered in snow: If I had a steeper pitch, the snow probably would slide off on its own. But because of a low pitch on my roof, the snow tends to stick. So, every winter, I'm used to going up on my roof, shoveling snow off. That's fine. But it's when my entire roof is covered in solar panels and I have to be gingerly pulling it off, then it becomes kind of an issue. And it's more time-consuming. So, if your roof isnt ideal to support panels, you might need a bigger system to generate 100% of your power needs. GUIDE: Solar panel installation guide Solar incentives, tax credits and rebates in Vermont Taking advantage of the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC) is the best way to save on the upfront cost of going solar in Vermont (and most other states right now). In addition to ITC, residents can take advantage of local financial incentives Green Mountain Power offers some rebates and a popular utility net metering program in Vermont. Vermont has a blanket 100% property tax exemption for solar systems up to and including 10 kilowatts. There is also an exemption on 100% of all applicable sales taxes on the purchase of a solar power system. The average ITC value in Vermont is $5,652. If your solar panel system is connected to the power grid (as most are), you can take advantage of net metering. This is a system where you can sell excess electricity that your panels generate back to the utility company, potentially offsetting the cost of your loan payments. LEARN MORE: Vermont solar incentives Compare solar installation companies in Vermont Vermont has some local companies. But I didn't go with local because they haven't been around as long, a Sunrun customer in Burlington told us. I wanted a company that has been through a lot of the stuff and has been doing it for years. COMPARE: Best solar companies Find a Solar Energy partner near you. ZIP Code Find a match Bottom line The Green Mountain State is the most environmentally friendly state in 2023 it has the lowest emissions per capita (0.06 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per person) and generates 99.7% of its energy from renewable resources, by far the most in the U.S. There's strong community support for renewable energy initiatives in Vermont. The state has one of the highest rates of participation in green energy programs in the nation. Several towns and cities in Vermont have committed to 100% renewable energy targets, reflecting a broader statewide push for sustainability. This is partially because the states economy is so tied to natural resources, from our seasonal recreation businesses to farming, according to Jennifer Rushlow, dean of Vermont School for the Environment at Vermont Law and Graduate School, and there seems to be a prevailing sense that those resources require some protection. Bad movies are everywhere -- in theaters, on TV, and we're reasonably sure that terrible script ideas constantly hover around Michael Bay like cartoon stink lines. But while it's easy to shit all over these films, let's take an affirmative approach for a change. If you use a heaping helping of positive thinking, some cinematic turds can become cinematic gold. Or, at the very least, semi-watchable. For example ... 5 Aliens Aren't The Real Bad Guys In The Alien Movies -- It's AI Alien: Covenant, which came out this past summer, isn't good. Even after audiences laughed at Prometheus for having a team of scientists act like Camp Crystal Lake counselors, Covenant somehow made its characters even stupider. People willingly shove their faces into slimy monster eggs and have steamy shower sex despite the fact that all their friends have been murdered. And remember how people criticized the Prometheus guys for recklessly taking off their space helmets on an uncharted planet? The Covenant crew throw on nothing but some windbreakers and floppy hats, as if their expedition is sponsored by J. Crew. 20th Century Fox Which explains why they'd risk everything to find the source of a fucking John Denver song. What's interesting about the movie, though, is that it's establishing an elaborate creation mythology for the Alien series. It's basically a Bible story with vagina dentata monsters. Our first clue that things are about to get Biblical is that the ship is named Covenant, as in a pact with God, and it has an Ark-like load of couples to populate a new world. Also in the not-so-subtle Biblical allusions camp, James Franco is seemingly Space Jesus. 20th Century Fox We regret to inform you that a Sony executive read that joke and greenlit Space Jesus, featuring James Franco. The movie was originally subtitled Paradise Lost, a reference to John Milton's epic poem about Satan and the Fall of Man. Despite the name change, a lot of that's still in the movie. The android David rebelled against his human creators in Prometheus. By the time of Covenant, he's killed all the Engineers, aka the alien species that genetically manufactured the human race. So yeah, David has killed "God" two times over, and has cobbled together an entire army of gross-out monsters, as Satan generally requires an army of high-grade slobs. Advertisement But more interesting than simply dabbling in familiar theological themes is the way this movie, in a sense, becomes a sacred text for the original Alien. If you think back, the villain of that film wasn't even really the alien -- it was Ash the android, and to a lesser extent Mother, the ship's computer which was presumably from Apple's "Uncomfortably Oedipal" line of future operating systems. 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox You know Ash was made by Apple too, because his innards are a bunch of needlessly confusing proprietary cables. Advertisement With Covenant, we get to see the crazy ancestry behind that conflict. Ash is likely a descendant of David, who genetically engineered that black Flubber stuff into the alien in the first place. 20th Century Fox So yeah, the movies are less Alien, more Handsome Robot Space Satan. Advertisement So the events of Alien aren't merely an incredible screw-up on the part of a space mining company; they're another example of AI trying to eradicate humanity with the alien, which we now see is a decades-old conflict. Also, if we view Alien as the primary story, and Prometheus and Covenant as religious texts, their crazy, nonsensical tone makes a little more sense. Which is why robot Michael Fassbender made out with another robot Fassbender. Exactly like in the Bible. Advertisement 4 The Star Wars Prequels Are Far Better When You Realize The Jedi Are Supposed To Suck We've certainly said some harsh things about the Star Wars prequel trilogy in the past, most of which involved the words "steaming" and "pile." But you know what? Let's go in a different direction for a moment and *takes a moment to regain composure* ... defend the prequels. We all know the trilogy's flaws -- the movies feel like a high school drama class was inexplicably green-screened into Narnia. Part of the reason we all may have bristled at Episode I is that the Jedi we were so excited to finally see in action were kind of awful. They were dull, judgy douchebags, pretty much the intergalactic equivalent of the Shark Tank investors. Lucasfilm "A Padawan without even one ponytail? Get this filth out of our sight." Advertisement Advertisement But the story makes a little more sense when you realize that the Jedi are supposed to be flawed. It's an organization about to topple for a good reason. As Professor Joshua Sikora points out in a documentary all about defending the prequels, the biggest character arcs in the trilogy belong to Yoda and Obi-Wan, and you might not have even noticed it. In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon whisks Anakin away from his home in Tatooine and his single mom, who has to stay behind and remain a slave. Quite messed up stuff for a series that was once about partying with teddy bears. Lucasfilm Lucasfilm "Sorry, your mom can't come to our massive Jedi temple with us. We already have a cleaning person, you see." Advertisement At first, it seems like some crazy anomaly, as if Qui-Gon is the black sheep of the Jedi who keeps luring small children away from their homes ... until we realize that this is what the Jedi do. Yanking kids away from families is business as usual for them. That way, they can train the little tykes free of the distractions of love or home-cooked meals or rage-fueled political conversations. Lucasfilm Everyone who knew this was going on and didn't call Coruscant CPS is a monster. Advertisement In case you didn't notice, this doesn't go well. The Jedi's sloppy methods end up creating Space Hitler, and most of them get murdered. Here's the pivotal moment: At the end of Revenge Of The Sith, Luke and Leia are born. They're the twin offspring of the Galaxy's most midichlorian-filled individual. If anyone could be trained, it's these two. But Yoda and Obi-Wan realize they totally fucked up. So in the end, to balance things out and make things right, they do the opposite of what they did in Episode I: They return a child to Tatooine. Lucasfilm Lucasfilm "Watch over him you must, without leaving his side. Unless a spinoff prequel otherwise requires." Advertisement The final shots of the movie show us that the best place for a child is with a loving family ... as opposed to, you know, space wizard cults. George Lucas himself has adopted three kids, so the message of prequels is ultimately a personal one. Of course, the twin who ended up at a desolate dirt farm instead of a goddamn royal palace kind of got the short end of the stick. Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Don't worry, all the parental figures ended up dead, so it evens out. Advertisement 3 Showgirls Is Filled With Mind-Boggling Symbolism One of the most maligned movies of all time, the erotic drama Showgirls stars Elizabeth Berkley from Saved By The Bell and co-stars the death of every Saved By The Bell fan's childhood innocence. United Artists The song she strips to was originally "I'm So Excited." Advertisement But did Showgirls get an unfairly bad rap? At least one person thinks so. Critic Adam Nayman wrote a whole book about how underrated Showgirls is, and he makes some damn good points. For one thing, the sex-filled movie is also full of thematically consistent references to mirrors and doubles, as if Alfred Hitchcock got a gig at Cinemax. When we first meet our protagonist Nomi, we immediately see that she aspires to become the lead dancer, Cristal, played by Gina Gershon. Nomi's quest to become a different person is played out in the movie's mirroring theme. When she first sees Cristal dance, she imitates her movements from the audience. United Artists United Artists Advertisement Advertisement The movie is also full of literal mirrors. Whole conversations occur during which people are looking at each other's reflections: United Artists United Artists United Artists Looking at themselves in the mirror was a little more challenging, though. The movie is also a mirror of itself, opening with Nomi hitchhiking into Vegas and ending with her leaving. She even gets picked up by the same guy: United Artists United Artists United Artists United Artists He left town because he didn't find the lost buttons to his shirt. Advertisement Advertisement The character's names also feed into this theme. "Cristal" refers to crystal, which obviously is a reflective surface, and "Nomi" should clue us into the existential dilemma of our hero, because her name sounds like "no me." Yeah, and we're only getting started. The movie also gets surprisingly meta. We all went into this thinking it was contrived to arouse straight men in the age of 56kb/s internet modems, but what happens in the third act? There's not only a horrifying rape scene, but Nomi is also forced to go full Charles Bronson, avenging her friend and roundhouse-kicking the shit out of the rapist. United Artists United Artists "This is for flaking on the Bayside Math Olympics! Wait, what movie am I in?" Advertisement Nomi is rejecting the toxic masculinity that we all thought was part and parcel of, well, Showgirls. She finds herself by breaking the confines of a two-dimensional character, and in the end, essentially decides to leave her own damn movie. Metaphorically, that's represented by her leaving Las Vegas, but to make it even clearer, the final shot is of her on a billboard that looks suspiciously like a movie advertisement: United Artists That's right, Showgirls is the story of a Showgirls character realizing she doesn't want to be in Showgirls. Advertisement Its easy to look back and laugh at the follies of the brightest minds of yesteryear. Theres no but coming. Its like, extremely easy. And fun! Imagine the mental gymnastics people had to perform to explain something as complicated as fertility science: They knew the wet, squishy basics, more or less, but they didnt have the technology to observe exactly how all that goop turned into a baby. The one thing they knew for sure? God was involved, somehow. That led them down a twisted path of tortured logic, where they reached the natural conclusion that every human who had ever or would ever live must have come pre-programmed into either Adams or Eves junk. Read on to learn how that whole mess hypothetically worked, plus a bevy of other bizarre facts about the world we inhabit Click right here to get the best of Cracked sent to your inbox. 12 Volkswagen Requested $150 to Save a Child's Life When someone stole a car with a two-year-old inside, cops quickly called Volkswagen to turn on remote location tracking. But the representative who answered on behalf of Car-Net, VWs suite of smart car services, demanded a payment of $150 to turn it on. It took half an hour for the credit card payment to go through, at which point the child had already been rescued. (Source) 11 The Worlds Tallest Man Saved Dolphins in the Grossest Possible Way In 2006, then-Worlds Tallest Man Bao Xishun was called to the scene when two endangered dolphins swallowed some plastic. Aquarium staff wrapped towels over their sharp teeth, while he stuffed his gigantic tree trunk arms down their throats and pulled the debris out of their stomachs. (Source) 10 Justice for Witches! We as a nation can finally move on from the Salem Witch Trials, now that Connecticuts senators, for some reason, have voted to officially declare the innocence of the 12 people accused of witchcraft in 1692. Interestingly, it wasnt a unanimous decision 31 brave contrarians voted against the resolution. (Source) 9 The Heist of the Century Accomplished Jack Squat In 1943, a team of Norwegians pulled off an incredible James Bond-esque operation to keep the Germans from producing a nuclear bomb. They parachuted behind enemy lines, skied to their target, crossed a freezing river, climbed a cliff face, blew up a heavy water production plant, then skedaddled back to safety. Truly remarkable! Unfortunately, the Germans repaired the plant and, in fact, increased production before the team could even throw themselves a victory party. (Source) Advertisement Advertisement 8 Taylor Swift Gave Out $55 Million in Bonuses To thank them for their hard work on The Eras Tour or maybe to gin up a nice tax write-off? Swift dished out generous bonuses to dancers, technical crew, caterers basically anyone on stage or behind the scenes that helped pull off one of the most ambitious and anticipated tours in history. (Source) 7 An Infinite Russian Nesting Doll of Humans? Before science mapped out the more technical aspects of babymaking, human conception was hotly debated among natural philosophers. At one point, two competing schools of thought were at odds: Ovists, who thought that every human who would ever live was jammed into Eves ovaries, and Spermists, who thought we were all stored in Adams huevos. (Source) Advertisement Advertisement 6 Disneys Loophole for Paying Sub-Minimum Wage Joey Bragg, star of Liv and Maddie, revealed that Disney was required to pay cast and crew their full wage, only after a show started its fourth season. Their clever workaround? Slightly rename their shows every three seasons, making them, technically, entirely new shows. Thats why Hannah Montana became Hannah Montana Forever and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody became Suite Life on Deck. (Source) 5 Whole Foods Profited from Prison Labor Until 2016 Whole Foods, paragon of ethical consumption, was outed for purchasing goat cheese and tilapia from family-owned farms that rely on prison-work programs. These programs pay far below minimum wage, allowing for huge profit margins that more ethical sources could never deliver, but Whole Foods swears they actually worked with these businesses to help people get back on their feet. (Source) Advertisement Advertisement 4 Matt Lauer Had a Years-Long Affair with Miss Piggy Lauer made several cameo appearances with the Muppets between 1998 and 2008, frequently revolving around his oft-unrequited romantic interest in Miss Pigathia Lee. On New Years Day 1998, she implied that Lauer had kissed her without her consent and he implied that she was asking for it because of how she was dressed. (Source) 3 ACAB Means Officer Edgar Mallory Hasbros official name for the Monopoly cop is Officer Edgard Mallory, and the jowly man in jail is named Jake the Jailbird. The mustachioed mascot is technically called Mr. Monopoly, but before Hasbro bought Parker Brothers in 1991, he was canonically Rich Uncle Milburn Pennybags (husband of Madge Pennybags). (Source) Advertisement Advertisement 2 Paul Feig Really Wants to Make a Play-Doh Movie In 2015, a year after The Lego Movie dropped, Feig said he was writing and directing an ambitious Play-Doh movie: Lets just say its gonna be a big movie, big in scope. By 2018, he said it was in heavy development, which is actually a lot less promising than it sounds. (Source) Storytelling is our societys primary vehicle for conveying meaning, so whether its the spinning top at the end of Inception or just someone trying to unload some brand-new baby shoes, we see messages everywhere. Sometimes, were wrong about them, which is either a failure of the creator to communicate their vision or a failure of us to not be a stupid piece of a shit. Occasionally, though, not even the people involved have any idea what they meant when they made something, even when its as obvious as a homemade bomb. Advertisement 4 Shannen Doherty Ran Out Crying When She Found Out Heathers Was a Comedy In Hollywood, people wont usually publicly discuss a difficult colleague, so its telling that just about everyone on the set of 1989s Heathers is willing to call Shannen Doherty, in the words of director Michael Lehmann, a bit of a handful, and in the words of co-star Carrie Lynn, just so bitchy. Doherty was only 16 years old and navigating newfound TV stardom, so its perhaps understandable that she was a little high-maintenance and a little too serious. Co-star Lisanne Falk said that Shannen didnt have much of a sense of humor, and producer Denise Di Novi said, I dont think (Shannen) at the time quite got what Heathers was, but that actually worked for us. She made that character real. She really thought a movie about framing murdered teens as participants in a suicide sensation that was sweeping the nation was a prestige drama. It became all too clear once the movie was finished and the cast sat down to watch it all together. Doherty said that, although she was definitely a little bit in shock, she found the movie so dark and so funny, if admittedly maybe a little over my head. But thats not how her co-stars remember it. Falk recalled, Shannen just kind of going, like, Youve got to be kidding. She didnt realize it was a comedy, or maybe know what a dark comedy meant. Winona Ryder called out Doherty for later saying how dark and funny and cool it was. You cant blame her. She doesnt want to be remembered as the one who ran out sobbing, No one told me it was a comedy! 3 Jeremy Strong Doesnt Know Why People Think Succession Is Funny At least Doherty figured it out eventually. Successions Jeremy Strong still doesnt understand whats so funny about his character, Kendall Roy, a man whose primary mode of communication is projectile vomiting buzzwords. In an interview that went viral because no one on the internet knows what to do with earnestness, Strong invoked Dostoyevsky and spoke of Kendalls monstrous pain in response to a question about an embarrassing rap he performed and seemed puzzled by the idea that a show featuring embarrassing raps might be funny. According to costar Kieran Culkin, After the first season, he said something to me like, Im worried that people might think that the show is a comedy. And I said, I think the show is a comedy. He thought I was kidding. When the interviewer revealed that he thought it was a comedy, too, Strong only had questions and more 19th-century literary names to drop. As producer Adam McKay pointed out, though, thats kind of the genius of his performance. Someone with even a shred of self-awareness might not be able to pull off Kendalls complete lack of it. Thats exactly why we cast Jeremy in that role, McKay said. Because hes not playing it like a comedy. Hes playing it like hes Hamlet. You know what? Maybe we have Succession wrong. 2 Paul Simon Doesnt Understand (But Is Here to Ruin) Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard Samuel Beckett famously said, If I knew who Godot was, I would have said so in the play, and thats fine. A writer doesnt have to have their entire universe mapped out for their story to resonate despite what George R.R. Martin keeps insisting. In 1972, Paul Simon admitted he didnt know what crime he and Julio committed down by the schoolyard that got them sent to the house of detention, and were all good with that. Knowing Simon, it was probably some light drugs and medium vandalism. But Simon had to go and guess. Something sexual is what I imagine, he told Rolling Stone. Not to sex-shame, but keep in mind that whatever it was was against the law, so fully to sex-crime-shame. Simon immediately qualified his statement that when I say something, I never bothered to figure out what it was, so he just pulled out the worst possible interpretation of a lighthearted little ditty for no reason. He goes on to explain that he only wrote the song because he thought the name Julio was funny, he started to laugh, and thats when I decided to make the song called Me and Julio, otherwise I wouldnt have made it that. I like the line about the radical priest. I think thats funny to have in a song. Then he just starts talking about a different song. It just goes to show that even 30-year-old geniuses are just 30-year-old idiots. No wonder the U.S. unemployment rate is so low even Roseanne Barr has a job again. She recently signed a six-figure deal with PublicSq (an online retailer which bills itself as Amazon for conservatives) for a new, anti-woke show that will live on Elon Musks X platform. What exactly will the show be, besides anti-woke? According to Page Six, it could be stand-up comedy. Or a sketch show. Or who knows, vitriolic ventriloquism? All thats really known at this point is that it will air monthly and be at least a half-hour long. We cant wait. Click right here to get the best of Cracked sent to your inbox. Someone who can wait is her old comedy partner-in-crime and Roseanne co-star Sandra Bernhard. When she appeared on Andy Cohen Live earlier this week, the titular host asked Bernhard what she thought of Roseannes new show. Heartbreaking, she replied. I mean, shes one of the most original, fabulous voices in comedy. I just dont know whats happened. Bernhard admits she hasnt spoken to Roseanne in a real long time, sadly. The two had a falling out in 2018 after Barr spewed racist tweets about Valerie Jarrett, an advisor to Barack Obama. ABC canceled Roseanne soon after, and on her Sirius XM radio show Sandyland, Barnhard admitted that shed kinda had it with Barr. I dont understand how anybody who is as smart as Roseanne is could have gone this deep over the line, Barnhard said. I dont care if youre ultra-conservative or uber-left, its just like racism. Play Advertisement Advertisement It doesnt sound like Roseanne will be retreating to calmer waters on her new show. Were followers of Elon and its pretty evident to us that whatever we want goes, Barr told the New York Post. Its a great way for people to fight back against totalitarianism. Barr was probably referring to those fascist dictators over at YouTube, which took down a Theo Von video in which Barr (sarcastically?) denied the Holocaust and complained about Jews controlling the media. Sounds like thats all fair game over at X Elon Musk knows good comedy when he sees it. Cough. Barrs son, Jake Pentland, believes X might be the best, last home for humor on the Internet. Elons push since he bought Twitter is all about free speech he stands by comedy, which is a crucial part of the First Amendment, he told the New York Post. Roseannes new show will be funnier than programs on other platforms since X is the only platform that allows free speech. Er, Jake? Did you watch your moms Fox Nation special with its knee-slappers about the baby blood-drinking Democrat community? Free doesnt always equal funny. SHOPPING Contains affiliated content. Products featured in this Mail Best article are selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, Dailymail.co.uk will earn an affiliate commission. Click here for more information. Calling all beauty fans and sun worshipers! Australia's number one bestselling SPF brand has launched into Sephora UK. And just wait until you read the reviews. Naked Sundays has finally landed on our shores, and it brings with it the highly sought-after SPF 50+ Hydrating Glow Mist Top Up. Designed to be worn over makeup, it's the perfect summer bag essential. Naked Sundays SPF 50+ Hydrating Glow Mist Top Up, 100ml Landing in the UK, the customer-loved Naked Sundays SPF 50+ Hydrating Glow Mist Top Up is one to add to your summer handbag. The lightweight, invisible mist has a high SPF50 and can be applied over the top of your makeup for sun protection on the go. Shop Calling all beauty fans and sun worshipers! Australia's number one bestselling SPF brand, Naked Sundays, has landed at Sephora UK Self-proclaimed 'obsessed' shoppers are raving about the Naked Sundays SPF 50+ Hydrating Glow Mist Top Up. Hailed a 'game-changer' for topping up your SPF in the middle of the day, the mist applies clear to help to keep your skin glowing and protected without disturbing your makeup. Called a 'true first of its kind', Australian shoppers admit to not leaving the house without it. And now Brits can get on board the hype, too as the bestselling brand has landed in UK Sephora stores. Known for their unique SPF products, Naked Sundays has attracted a loyal fanbase won over by the brand's clever formulas that make applying SPF a breeze. The Naked Sundays SPF 50+ Hydrating Glow Mist Top Up solves the problem of applying SPF throughout the day when we have already applied a full face of makeup. The lightweight mist applies clear with no white cast, and with no greasy texture to speak of. You don't even have to rub it in. The mists hero ingredients are hyaluronic acid, watermelon extract and kakadu plum - the latter, the brand says, is the key to super hydrated, moisture-filled skin. And shoppers agree, impressed by how it leaves a luminous glow on the skin. The unique formula is completely invisible and not only sets your make-up, but is filled with antioxidants to add a luminous glow to your skin On the Naked Sundays website, there are hundreds of praise-filled reviews for the Naked Sundays SPF 50+ Hydrating Glow Mist Top Up. One impressed shopper raved: 'This is a very light sunscreen mist which smells beautiful and goes on evenly. It gave my skin a lovely glow and I loved knowing that I had that extra protection and didn't have to put on a liquid sunscreen in the middle of the day and ruin my makeup!'. Another agreed, adding: 'I brought this product as I could never touch up sunblock on my face when wearing makeup often. This has been a game changer!'. A third penned: 'I absolutely adore this mist I cant believe I haven't tried it sooner it smells amazing and so easy and makes your skin so dewy and hydrated, I cant talk highly enough I'm obsessed!!!'. More Naked Sunday bestsellers The biz will collaborate with 'nascent creators' on projects, per Deadline Alex Cooper of the mega-popular Call Her Daddy podcast has announced the launch of a new talent agency, dubbed The Unwell Network. The blond bombshell, 28, rose to fame as co-host of the sex advice-centric podcast, which launched in 2018 and was bought by Spotify for a staggering $60 million back in January 2022, amassing more than five million listeners per episode. Cooper has drawn in plenty of star power in the past 18 months - airing interviews with everyone from Zayn Malik and Post Malone to Ariana Madix and Gwyneth Paltrow. Now, she's using that A-list allure to target another group of powerful personas - going after the world's most successful influencers. The Unwell Network already boasts two big-name influencers in the form of Alix Earle, 22, and Madeline Argy, 23, who have signed on as the firm's first two partners, Deadline exclusively reported. Alex Cooper, 28, of Call Me Daddy fame is launching a talent agency - dubbed The Unwell Network - that will aim to represent Gen-Z influencers on the rise Alix Earle, 22, who rose to fame through her #GetReadyWithMe TikToks, is one of two partners on board with The Unwell Network Together, the influencer duo boasts a following of tens of millions; New Jersey native Alix has close to three million fans on Instagram, 5.6 million on TikTok and 90,000 on YouTube, while Brit Madeline has 1.6 million on Instagram and 4.6 million on TikTok, as well as 353,000 subscribers on YouTube. According to Deadline, the agency will collaborate with 'nascent creators to create projects and content across a variety of mediums, focusing on genres such as pop-culture, beauty, fashion and lifestyle.' Alex told the publication of her new venture, 'I have an uncommon and amazing relationship with my audience. We have this connection and bond built upon trust that's allowed us to cover all sorts of topics in a way that isn't exclusive or intrusive.' She continued, 'We live in a world where we are inundated with content, but The Unwell Network will be the source everyone can go to for unique perspectives exploring what's top of mind today for this generation.' While The Unwell Network claims to cater to a Gen-Z audience, Alex, born in 1994, is technically a millennial. But Alix, who rode TikTok's viral #GetReadyWithMe - #GRWM for short - trend to a following of nearly ten million across TikTok and Instagram, is solidly in the Gen-Z demographic. The New Jersey native began recording #GRWM videos while a student at the University of Miami. As of January 2023, the so-called 'hot best friend' of internet denizens could fetch up to $70,000 for a product-endorsement post on her social-media feeds. While The Unwell Network claims to cater to a Gen-Z audience, Alex (seen posing with new recruit Alix), born in 1994, is technically a millennial Brit Madeline Argy, 23 - the second partner already on board with The Unwell Network - is known for her lip-syncing vids and lifestyle content No less the consummate Gen-Z-er, Madeline boasts 6 million followers across TikTok and Instagram. She's known for her lip-syncing videos and general lifestyle and wellness content. Of her two squarely-in-the-Gen-Z age-range partners, Alex told Deadline, 'Alix Earle and Madeline Argy both have a unique presence that captivates an audience, but I love how they approach content in very different ways. 'Madeline is wildly popular in the UK and is one of the few creators who can keep an audience engaged for hours with her captivating storytelling. Alix took the US by storm with her "get ready with me" videos, college lifestyle, and endearing personality,' she continued. 'I feel honored to be at a place in my career where I can pass along knowledge and advice for a new generation of creators to flourish,' the multi-platform podcaster concluded. For her part, Alix posted a TikTok timed to the announcement of impending The Unwell Network launch that included a flashback to a #GRWM video posted in September 2022, in which she enthuses that Alex just followed her and it 'made my day.' In present day, Alix gushed in the confessional-style vid, 'If you told Alix Earle at that point that she was going to be in meetings with Alex Cooper, and joining her network, I don't even know - I think she would have passed out, thrown up, like she would have just, not been okay. 'This does not feel real to me!' she added. Back in 2020, the Call Her Daddy podcast became embroiled in scandal amid a contract dispute with the then-owner, digital media company Barstool Sports. Alex had originally launched and co-hosted Call Her Daddy with her former roommate and since-estranged friend, Sofia Franklyn, 31. The trouble began around the time the podcast went on a hiatus in April 2020, reportedly due to contract negations with Barstool. Alex originally launched Call Her Daddy in 2018 with her former roommate and since-estranged friend Sofia Franklyn, 31 The two fell out in 2020 amid contract negotiations with then-podcast owner Barstool Sports, resulting in the pod returning after a two-month hiatus with only Alex as the host Alex told Deadline of her social-media-hype credentials, 'I have an uncommon and amazing relationship with my audience' However, as reported by The New York Post in May of that year, the negotiations had somehow resulted in the relationship between the two co-hosts souring. 'Theyve completely turned on each other and started arguing over who was the real talent and who did more of the heavy lifting [for the podcast],' a source told The Post at the time. 'I think their audience would be surprised to learn what has been going on behind the scenes with them. Its not the loyal, fun-loving friendship they put out there.' Sofia then took to her Instagram Stories to offer some insight, claiming, 'I found out that Alex had gone behind my back and done something. And I found out it wasnt the first time. And thats why were here. I trusted Alex. 'I feel betrayed I am willing to do "Call Her Daddy." I really am. I just cant do it under the circumstances that she wants... she is demanding that she controls the show. 'We are partners. We have always been that way. Weve always been 50/50, and so its put me in an extremely tough position. So here we are' Whatever the full story of what went down behind the scenes, Spotify ultimately became the new owner of the podcast through a $60 million dollar deal - though Barstool remained involved with the 'merchandizing.' And, by the time the podcast returned that June, Alex had become its sole host. Gen Z TikTok users are rebranding the white vest, previously nicknamed the 'wife beater', to have a more sensitive name. Videos on the platform now dub the male item of clothing a 'wife pleaser' so as not to trigger victims of domestic violence. The rebrand comes as the white vest has had a resurgence in male fashion this year, with a growing number of fashion videos appearing on TikTok teaching men how to style up the garment. It also comes after a debate sparked in the New York Times in 2018 by Moises Velasquez-Manoff in which he argued it was high time the nickname was retired. He argued that, in the wake of the #MeToo movement, there was something uncomfortable about continuing to use the phrase to describe the shirt. Gen Z influencers are rebranding the white vest from 'wife beater' to 'wife pleaser' so as not to trigger victims of domestic violence (stock image) The origin of the nickname for the white vest is unclear, although many believe it can be traced back to the character of Stanley in Tennessee Williams's play A Streetcar Named Desire. The character, who wears the white vest, is a violent man who hits his wife Stella and rape his sister-in-law. Velasquez-Manoff argued in his piece that we don't term our pants 'child molesters', and in fact don't have such aggressive names for any other items of clothing in our wardrobes, so he couldn't understand why 'wife beater' had stuck. He further argued that using a nickname rooted in violence to describe the garment could perpetuate stereotypes that working-class men are more likely to commit violence. Today, fashion influencers on TikTok have heeded Velasquez-Manoff's advice and changed their language to dub the vests 'wife-pleasers'. On influencer, Albert Muzquiz, on TikTok as @edgyalbert, posts videos of himself wearing tailored suits with 'wife-pleaser' vests, paired with moccasin shoes. The Lad Bible reports that, as far back as 2018 when Velasquez-Manoff wrote his piece, Queer Eye's hairstylist Jonathan Van Ness dubbed the white vest a 'wife-lover'. Kanye West's new wife Bianca Censori has angered locals in Italy after traipsing around the country in a series of very revealing outfits. The Australian architect, 28, has been seen in a string of barely-there outfits in Tuscany, where she has joined her rapper husband on a series of trips to garment factories. Despite the country being known for it's sartorial prowess and commitment to modest dressing, Bianca has been pictured in a series of bizarre outfits. She paired bikini tops with leggings, while walking bare foot through Prato, while on another occasion she left very little to the imagination in a see-through nude bodysuit. Perhaps Bianca did little research before travelling to Italy, as many tourists have previously revealed they've been dress-coded in much more modest outfits throughout the southern European country. Kanye West's new wife Bianca Censori has angered locals in Italy after traipsing around the country in a series of very revealing outfits Jacki Hodge, 26, from Australia, took to TikTok to advise tourists not to have their 'boobs out' while visiting tourist attractions in Rome Italian locals have since branded the Kim Kardashian lookalike's outfits 'disrespectful' on social media, with some saying 'immodest' Bianca and Kanye weren't welcome in a country known for its conservative Catholic heritage. 'We don't need this trash in Italy,' one Italian user commented, while another branded Bianca's outfits as 'classless' and 'vulgar'. Users from other parts of the world echoed this sentiment, with one commenting: 'Planning a trip to Italy, I have read several times that Italians are very fashionable and are fairly conservative in their clothing choices. Wonder what they think of this exhibitionist?' But Bianca is the latest in a long line of tourists who have been slammed for their dress sense. Juju Vieira was asked to leave during her visit to the Vatican after a man informed her she was not 'dressed properly' while wearing a long sleeved grey dress and over-the-knee boots Nika, a nail artist from New York, said Italians 'need to grow up', after revealing she had to 'put on a scarf' in 102F (39C) heat to visit the Duomo in Milan In June, an Australian woman warned travellers to 'not have their boobs out' in Rome, after she was denied entry to several tourist attractions over her outfit choice. Jacki Hodge, 26, took to TikTok to explain that her white mini dress, which was backless with cutouts across the bodice, had caused quite a stir. She said the 'sl**ty' dress looked incredible in photos but was far from ideal, as she was turned away from some of Italy's most famous monuments including The Vatican and Pantheon. What is the dress code for visiting the Vatican? The clothing rules for the Vatican City apply to the Vatican Museums, St. Peters Square and St. Peters Basilica. To enter, visitors must follow strict requirements: Both men and women must cover their knees and upper arms at all times. For women, shawls are an acceptable form of covering the shoulders as long as they are kept on throughout the visit. Women are prohibited from wearing any skirts that come above the knee. Men are prohibited from wearing hats indoors, while woman are allowed to continue wearing theirs. Low-cut tops are strictly discouraged for all. Guards will check the clothes of visitors while queuing and decide whether the clothes coverage is acceptable or not, before entering. Source: Sightseeing Tours Italy Advertisement She advised others not to 'dress like a h**' and to ensure their outfits covered their knees - but for the stubborn fashionistas, she suggested carrying a robe or scarf. The viral clip has been viewed more than two million times, with many taking to the comments to lambast Jacki for not knowing better. And it's not just religious buildings with the rules, many towns in Italy have also cracked down on revealing dressing. The Mayor of Sorrento has banned people walking around the town centre in swimwear, saying that the behaviour is 'disrespectful and 'causes unease and discomfort'. The offense carries a fine of up to 500. Meanwhile, Lipari, the largest of Sicilys Aeolian islands, has a similar rule. Wearing swimwear or flip-flops can lead to a fine of 500. The same fine can be applied in Venice if sightseeing without a shirt. Kim Kardashian face criticism for heading to the Vatican in a shoulderless dress in 2021. Last year, an influencer claimed she was thrown out of the Vatican for being 'too sexy' while wearing a fitted dress and long boots. Juju Vieira, 34, who is originally from Brazil, was on a trip to Saint Peter's Basilica. The Instagram model claimed that, while there, she was told she was not dressed properly and asked to leave, but she insists she was in 'winter clothes' and not a 'clubbing outfit'. The Vatican has a strict dress code for both men and women, which involves covering shoulders and knees, and Juju fell foul of the rules with her thigh-skimming mini dress. Juju says she was not aware of the code before going to explore, and was dressed 'comfortably' in the kind of winter outfit she'd wear while out for a walk, consisting of a long-sleeved grey dress and over-the-knee boots. Andrea Andrade, from the US, said she couldn't get into St. Peter's Basilica because she wasn't 'dressed for church Signs are on display outside of many attractions advising on the dress code 'I went to the Vatican like everyone else goes to take pictures,' she explained. 'A gentleman who worked there came close to me and said that the place was for prayers and that I was not dressed properly and invited me to leave - "kicked" me out of the Vatican. 'I was embarrassed because there were other people there who heard this. I felt disrespected.' The website states: 'Women are not permitted to wear sleeveless tops, crop tops, or tight shirts. Shoulders should be covered, and if wearing a skirt or dress, it must cover the knees. 'It is usually a good idea for women to bring a shawl and a pair of leggings when visiting during the colder months, as well as a light jacket that can be rolled up into a pleasingly tiny bag.' One group of tourists were given sheets to cover up with at the Duomo in Milan Some tourists have been forced to cover up in Milan (pictured) Juju says she was not aware of the code before going to explore and was dressed as she would normally for a day out. The model said: 'I didn't even know there were rules. 'A person of common sense will not visit the Vatican in club clothes. I was stylish in my winter clothes, everything matched. 'I went in comfortable clothes that I would feel good in for long walks. 'Comfort was my only concern.' Another American tourist, who goes by Kaelah, said she was rejected for not having her knees covered when she and a friend attempted to visit the Vatican in denim shorts and a top with spaghetti straps. Brisa Danieli, 21, from Brazil, also revealed she was 'dress coded' and had to cover up with a scarf. While Andrea Andrade, from the US, said she couldn't get into St. Peter's Basilica because she wasn't 'dressed for church'. Nika, a nail artist from New York, said Italians 'need to grow up', after revealing she had to 'put on a scarf' in 102F (39C) heat to visit the Duomo in Milan. Other North Americans and Australians have offered advice for others visiting. One tourist said she couldn't get into the Vatican Another American tourist, who goes by Kaelah, said she was rejected for not having her knees covered when she and a friend attempted to visit the Vatican in denim shorts and a top with spaghetti straps Linnea Turner, who is from Utah but lives in Italy said she gets 'dirty looks' for leaving the house in a tracksuit Linnea Turner, who is from Utah but lives in Italy said she gets 'dirty looks' for leaving the house in a tracksuit. The American added that 'fur coats and fancy hats' are the norm in Italy and that she 'can't get groceries in peace'. Kasie Rose, another American living in Italy, took to Tiktok to explain that in Italy 'people don't go out in leggings and crop tops' and that 'flip flops are for the beach only'. She recommended tourists bring a 'scarf or shawl' with them to cover up at tourist attractions. A Coronation Street star appears to have taken a subtle dig at former co-star Catherine Tyldesley following 'Cakegate'. Daniel Brocklebank, 43, who plays vicar Billy Mayhew on the popular ITV soap, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, where he posted a cryptic comment. Actress Catherine came under fire when a small bakery revealed her representatives had tried to score free cake for her birthday - something Catherine denied having any knowledge of. Three Little Birds Bakery won praise for their response to the PR company who asking for asked for a 40th birthday cake and 100 cupcakes in exchange for exposure. Daniel appeared to make his own thoughts on the situation known writing: 'Support small, family run, local businesses & restaurants as much as possible. ' Daniel Brocklebank, 43, appeared to have taken a swipe at former co-star Catherine Tyldesley following 'Cakegate' Many rushed to the comments to agree with the actor saying small businesses 'need us'. One person wrote: 'I agree its the small little bars and Cafes that need us' Another said: 'Totally agree- use them or lose them. Bit like cash!' While another wrote: 'Always a nice thing to do.' It comes after Rebecca Severs, from Keighley, who founded Three Little Birds Bakery seven years ago, shared a Facebook post with a screenshot of an email exchange between the bakery and the PR company which represents an unidentified 'well-known' celebrity. The PR firm were asking for a cake for a 40th birthday party in September. They also requested 100 cupcakes and an extra smaller birthday cake for her husband. She wrote: 'This poor celebrity apparently can't afford to pay people for their products and services. Spare a thought! What happened to women supporting women.' Many other users were quick to support Rebecca, with one posting: 'I love love love your reply!!! Scrounges trying to freeload everywheregood for you.' Daniel, who plays vicar Billy Mayhew on the popular ITV soap, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to weigh in on the drama Actress Catherine came under fire when a small bakery revealed her representatives had tried to score free cake for her birthday - something Catherine denied having any knowledge of It comes after Rebecca Severs, from Keighley, who founded Three Little Birds Bakery seven years ago, shared a Facebook post with a screenshot of an email exchange between the bakery and the PR company which represents an unidentified 'well-known' celebrity The email from the celebrity management team read: 'We are organising a 40th Birthday Party for a well-known celebrity on the 1st of September 2023 in Manchester. 'In return for being a supplier for the event, payment would be made in the form of promotion on their socials with over 700K followers, as well as promoted on OK Magazine. 'They will be crediting all the suppliers on these platforms.' It continued: 'The party has a guest list full of celebrities and industry people from tv/film and music, so loads of work would come from it.' The email went on to outline that the birthday theme has been designed with 'pinks, sparkles and a touch of flamingos'. They then requested one birthday cake with the theme 'camp as tits', as well as 100 cupcakes. Finally, they asked for another, smaller, birthday cake because 'it's actually her husband's birthday that day and we wanted to surprise him.' In response to the email, the bakery said: 'I'm so sorry to hear that your client has fallen out on such hard times they can't afford to pay small businesses for their products. Many rushed to the comments to agree with the actor saying small businesses 'need us' 'Unfortunately, as my mortgage provider doesn't take payment "in the form of promotion on their socials", and my staff can't feed their kids with exposure on Instagram, I'll have to decline your very generous offer.' Days later, the bakery put another post up on social media saying they have now been 'threatened' with legal action and added: 'I've now been threatened with legal action by.as a response to this post which they say is encouraging defamation of their business.' Now, she's written a message on her website arguing others to support local small businesses. Rebecca said that asking for freebies is an 'insult to her' and that many people 'don't value her'. 'The small business community is overwhelmingly in agreement that this kind of request is detrimental to their businesses - even and especially when they have said yes to giving out freebies or work in exchange for "exposure",' she wrote. 'Most people - small business owners included, but not exclusively of course - are living in times when they are struggling to pay the rent, mortgage, food and energy bills, and any luxuries (such as birthday cakes) have to be scrimped and saved for if at all.' She added that most people want to 'support their local businesses' and 'value them hugely' 'We've received hundreds of messages from small businesses this week, from the amusing to the devastating on this subject,' she added. The email claimed to be from the management company of a 'well-known celebrity' who was having a 40th birthday party Rebecca emailed the company back, explaining that she would be declining the 'very generous offer' 'There's the street food company who were asked to cater for 30 people for a TV production company for free - for a week - who told them they'd "best ask someone else". 'A Cornish bakery told me they were given a one star review recently when a customer asked for, and didn't receive, a discount. 'Another guy emailed me to say his company were asked for a free swimming pool once!' Rebecca added that 'disturbingly' there were 'stories of people whose business had been significantly impacted by making such agreements [free gifts for exposure], including one person whose business was forced to shut down due to the financial loss caused. She added that one holiday accommodation company told her she was 'often approached by influences and very minor celebrities asking for freebies'. The company said that they often deal with 'real' celebrities that never ask for a discount and 'leave a large tip'. Rebecca added that the impact 'isn't just financial' and 'pricing for a small business is 'very difficult'. 'I know personally at least two sole traders who are afraid to work out their costs because they know they are undercharging,' she added. 'Many do not even pay themselves minimum wage, let alone a wage that reflects their skill level. People constantly complain about prices when you work for yourself - because there's an actual human who's there to hear it, as opposed to a faceless corporation. 'Every quote that's knocked back, every comment that's made, every time you press the delete button and write a lower number in there - that all adds up to a lot of emotional baggage.' She added that many bakers 'aren't worth what they're charging'. 'People don't value us. I don't value me. And so the cycle continues. And actually, this deepens the financial impact even more, ultimately.' 'This short email exchange feels like a microcosm of what we are going through collectively. The rich getting richer, and ordinary people getting poorer. 'Why should anyone get a freebie when all my clients pay me their hard earned, hard fought for cash to buy our cakes for a special occasion? It's not only an insult to me and my staff, it's an insult to our loyal clients. The pup lost both of legs in the accident but now has her very own set of wheels Social media is going crazy over the adorable moment a two-legged pup got gifted a custom made Merecdes Benz wheelchair. Bunny, a rescue dog from Mexico, has captured the hearts of hundreds of people through her incredible story that has the best ending. She was found earlier in the year after being hit by a car and her owners had tragically abandoned her. Bunny's injuries were beyond repair so she had to go through emergency surgery to remove both of her back legs. Thankfully, she was cared for by dog rescuer Henry Friedman (@keepingfinn on Instagram), leading to a full recovery. Staff hooked her up into the suave device, an all-black wheelchair brandished with 'Mercedes Benz' across the front In a heartwarming video, we see Bunny being rescued, and afterwards running around on her two legs - Henry explains that she needed a wheelchair to be able to get around properly. On the original video posted of Bunny being rescued back in April, someone left a comment reading 'This dog deserves the Mercedes Benz of wheelchairs!' Henry found the comment funny, agreeing that she does deserve the very best - he decided to reach out to the car company and share Bunny's story. Mercedes Benz loved the story and offered to hook the two-legged pup up with a fresh set of wheels. In an emotional clip, we got to see staff at the company clap and cheer as Bunny hobbled into the room to see her new wheelchair for the first time. Staff hooked her up into the suave device, an all-black wheelchair brandished with 'Mercedes Benz' across the front. It even came with a gold bow and has a number plate on the back that reads 'BUNNY'S BENZ'. We see Bunny excitedly roll around the streets with her new wheels, where received plenty of love and attention from passers by - she even mastered going down steps. Bunny on her way to see her brand new wheels for the first time The caption of the video reads: 'Its SOOO much more than just a badass wheelchairThese wheels will open Bunnys world significantly and make her much more adoptable! 'So what do you think of Bunnys new ride?! And can you believe this is her FIRST TIME on wheels?!! 'Againa huge thank you to the team at @MercedesBenzvanusa (and @mb_elcajon) for being so awesome and putting Bunny in a fresh set of wheels! 'And of course, so much love to @theanimalpad, @losadoptablesorg and the #teamfinn community for never giving up on Bunny! Credit to @eddieswheels for building the best wheelchairs money can buy!' The videos quickly went viral and have reached a massive ten million likes - the comments are flooded with love for the popular pup. Bunny was found earlier in the year after being hit by a car and her owners had tragically abandoned her One person wrote: 'No matter how many times I see her videos, I cant help but cry of both, sadness and happiness!' Another said: 'This is the best thing Ive ever seen on this app.' However, some people expressed that they wish the same efforts could be made for humans who are disabled, with one commenter writing: 'Meanwhile we have two disabled children that we have to prove are disabled year after year to obtain health insurance. I love animals, but humans take priority in my estimation.' Another viewer added 'now do this for humans.' Before she got her shiny new wheels, Henry had experimented with other modes of transport for Bunny. In one video, we see her being carried around in a backpack, an experience he said she 'enjoyed every second' of. It took 15 minutes and a total of eight employees to finally extract her finger She accidentally got her finger wedged in the hole of a toilet-flusher button A shopper was forced to endure a mortifying ordeal after getting her finger stuck while trying to press the toilet-flusher button in the washroom at a Chanel store. The US-based woman, named Riley, had been visiting an ultra-luxe boutique in Venice, Italy, when the unfortunate mishap occurred. In a 30-second TikTok video, she could be seen sitting on a toilet seat as a security guard desperately pumped soap onto her finger, which was wedged knuckle-first in the toilet-flusher hole. 'Okay, this hurts so bad,' she could be heard saying as her two younger sisters looked on, trying and failing to suppress their laughter at the awkwardness of the situation. The US-based young woman, named Riley, was forced to endure a mortifying ordeal after getting her finger stuck while trying to press the toilet-flusher button in the washroom at a Chanel store In a 30-second TikTok video, she could be seen sitting on a toilet seat as a security guard desperately pumped soap onto her finger, which was wedged knuckle-first in the toilet-flusher hole Riley's two younger sisters - including middle-sis Meredith, who posted the clip and a follow-up explanation - couldn't contain their laughter The clip, which has so far been viewed more than 1.8 million times, was uploaded by the middle sister of the trio, Meredith. She annotated the clip: 'We have inappropriate laughter it's been stuck for like 10 minutes and the whole team is assisting.' 'Traumatizing but also one if the funniest things I've ever seen lmao,' Meredith added in the caption of the July 24 TikTok. A few weeks later, Meredith shared a follow-up vid to offer backstory on the mortifying moment. 'My sister's finger is okay, for those of you who are wondering,' she began. 'We did not even notice that this video went viral right away Now my sister is so embarrassed. She's like, "I cannot believe 1 million people have seen that I got my finger stuck in a toilet flusher."' The incident started out with Riley and their youngest sister going to the restroom together amid the family's visit to Chanel. 'Thankfully, they were just going pee. That would have been even more embarrassing, if not,' Meredith clarified - as the embattled Riley hadn't even succeeded in getting the toilet to flush prior to getting her finger caught in the hole. Finally, after roughly 15 minutes of fruitless attempts to free Riley's finger, it was a pair of pliers that did the trick @meredithmckernan Im still laughing my sisters finger got stuck in the toiket flusher at the chanel store in venice and the whole team had to assist to get it out. Traumatizing but also one if the funniest things ive ever seen lmao original sound - Meredith McKernan Riley had already finished up her business and washed her hands when her younger sister called her over for help with the flusher button of her toilet, which didn't seem to be working. 'She didn't want to use her finger because she already washed her hands, so she used her knuckle. And she pushed her knuckle in - and then her knuckle would not come out,' Meredith explained. 'And my little sister looks at her and she's like, "Oh no Oh my god, I need help, I need help." And her face starts turning white,' Meredith continued, suppressing laughter in recounting the episode. The little sister then emerged from the washroom and approached one of the store's clerks to ask for help. 'We're all trying not to laugh because we're like, "Is this really happening? We're literally in the Chanel restroom right now, like this is so embarrassing."' Before long, roughly eight employees had gathered around the stall of the malfunctioning toilet to troubleshoot the humiliating conundrum - the security guard, soap dispenser in hand, among them. At one point, Riley even began begging Meredith to call her engineer husband to solicit his advice via phone call. 'She's like, "Get the engineer over here,"' said Meredith. @meredithmckernan Replying to @Blake Her finger is okay but we did not get a free bag thankfully someone had pliers and they ended up having to break the toilet flusher in order for her to get her finger out ahahaha original sound - Meredith McKernan Meredith demonstrated in a follow-up video how her little sister had wedged her finger knuckle-first in the toilet-flusher button-hole The family had been visiting a Chanel boutique in Venice, Italy, when the unfortunate mishap occurred All the while, according to Meredith, Riley's finger was 'growing by the minute. Like, her finger was getting so swollen. 'And I'm like thinking to myself, "There's no way she's getting her finger out of this toilet flusher Is there a doctor? Like, what are we going to do?"' Ultimately, the employees ended up 'removing the flusher thingy from the wall [and] cut the waterline,' said Meredith. Finally, after roughly 15 minutes of fruitless attempts to free Riley's finger, it was a pair of pliers that did the trick. 'It was so traumatic but so funny,' Meredith reflected. 'And I mean we truly talked about it the rest of the trip. It made us laugh so hard!' Countless commenters seemed to think Riley was entitled to free Chanel merch out of pity. But Meredith concluded her recap of the toilet-flusher saga with the letdown: 'We did not get a free bag.' Chef Michael O'Hare is shaking up classic desserts with a new flavour of Skittles Michelin-starred TV chef Michael O'Hare has debuted an exciting shake-up to classic desserts using a new Skittles flavour. The Great British Menu stalwart, 42, from North Yorkshire, has brought a delectably sweet twist to a range of dishes by using eccentric ingredients like barbecued strawberries and the rainbow candy. The creative and somewhat controversial chef is known equally for his innovative ideas and provocative remarks - such as back in 2019 when he asked applicants to send in a photo with their CV when applying for a job at his Leeds restaurant. However the chef's latest project required his expert culinary expertise to mesh a helping of Skittles 'Desserts' sweets into a range of beloved puddings. He explained: 'Dessert is pleasure, simple as that, however I wasn't surprised to learn that dinner table desserts are on the decline. Michelin-starred TV chef Michael O'Hare has debuted an exciting shake-up to classic desserts using a new Skittles flavour The star, 42, has brought a delectably sweet twist to a range of dishes by using eccentric ingredients like barbecued strawberries and a new version of the rainbow candy called 'Desserts' (Pictured: 'Rainbow Alchemy', one of four new desserts created by Michael, which he made from Skittles Desserts) 'I've partnered with Skittles Desserts to help make desserts desirable once more through these unique and delicious creations inspired by ordinary flavours experienced in an extraordinary way'. The partnership has resulted in the mouth-watering 'Sweet and Smoky Strawberries' made with smoked strawberry ice cream and barbecued strawberries, garnished with silver leaf. Next up is the sumptuous Choco Orange Ganache dessert formed of deconstructed chocolate orange cake and chocolate ganache. Third to be plated up is the Rainbow Alchemy, consisting of a serving of Skittles Desserts, each melted and reformed at a different temperature and dipped in a layer of coloured chocolate and cocoa butter casing that bursts when bitten. And finally, a Watermelon Tartare has been adorned with Michael's treatment - it features a watermelon served with a strawberry ice-cream sorbet, also made from the sweets. The news follows a study of 2,000 adults which found younger Brits are ditching traditional desserts like syllabub, figgy pudding and cherries jubilee. Of the 18 to 34-year-olds polled, 45 per cent would skip dessert at home in favour of a bag of sweets on the sofa. Just 13 per cent have tucked into a Queen of Puddings before, and only 16 per cent have enjoyed a strawberry fool. The thrilling partnership has resulted in mouth-watering desserts like Sweet and Smoky Strawberries, Choco Orange Ganache, Watermelon Tartare and Rainbow Alchemy (all pictured) He has used eccentric ingredients like barbecued strawberries and smoked strawberry ice cream It also emerged that 43 per cent of millennials would prefer to indulge in a lighter dessert, compared to 36 per cent who would opt for a heavier pudding. But a shocking 44 per cent of these youngsters have admitted they never make desserts at home. Ryan Pardo-Roques, chief fruity flavour alchemist at Mars Wrigley, which commissioned the research to mark the launch of its new dessert flavoured sweets, said: 'We pride ourselves on being innovative with our flavours, so we loved working with Michelin star chef Michael O'Hare who shares our vision of a more fun-filled world of food-experiences and creations'. The research also found 69 per cent of all Brits admit they have a sweet tooth, while 53 per cent would opt for a sweet treat after their main course when eating out, rather than a starter, if they had to pick one. Of the home bakers polled, via OnePoll, apple crumble (66 per cent) is the most popular dish rustled up in kitchens, followed by Victoria sponge (58 per cent) and cheesecake (56 per cent). The Watermelon Tartare (pictured) has been adorned with Michael's treatment - it features a watermelon served with a strawberry ice-cream sorbet, also made from the sweets However, of those who don't dare make a dessert at home, a third recognise they haven't got the skill to pull it off. The nation is geared to taste Michael's new creations and here's to hoping he is more receptive to feedback than the one time he told a customer his palette is '10million times better'. The chef once compared himself to Led Zeppelin in a bizarre rant at a customer who emailed about the 'bland' food at his Michelin-starred restaurant. The former Masterchef star told complainant Russell Whish 'my palette is 10million times better than yours' in defence of the 180 meal served at Leeds eatery The Man Behind the Curtain. TOP 10 DESSERTS UNDER-35S HAVE NEVER TRIED 1. Syllabub 2. Queen of Puddings 3. Cherries Jubilee 4. Strawberry Fool 5. Figgy Pudding 6. Curd Tart 7. Spotted Dick 8. Treacle Sponge Pudding 9. Knickerbocker Glory 10. Treacle Tart Treacle tart (pictured) is one of 10 desserts never tasted by under-35s, according to a poll (Stock image) Advertisement Father-of-two Mr Whish had booked a year in advance to eat at The Man Behind the Curtain, but was disappointed with the size and taste of the food. According to the Sun, when he went to complain in person he was told there was nobody he could speak to and instead sent an email that turned into an increasingly tense back-and-forth. After telling Mr O'Hare that the food was 'bland' and 'salty', Mr Whish received an email from the chef saying: 'You didnt like the food, but plenty do. 'I do, I love it, Im very proud of it and my palette is about 10million times better than yours! This is why I am a famous chef. Remember, Led Zeppelin didnt write songs that everyone liked, they left that to The Beatles.' A couple have revealed how they flew to Dublin on a 36 return flight instead of going on a day trip to London as the train tickets were 'scandalous'. Jill, 51, and Keith McCormack, 57, from Liverpool, were planning to spend the day in the British capital - but were astonished to find a return ticket from their home in Liverpool would cost 101. The rail tickets were the cheapest option that they could find, even with the discount applied from their 'Two Together' railcard, which reduces the original ticket cost by 30 per cent when two named adults travel together. It was at that moment the couple made the alternative decision to book a 'mad' trip to Ireland for a fraction of the price in April. The pair flew to Dublin for a 10 hour trip - costing them only 36 each by booking early flights through Ryanair. Jill and Keith McCormack flew to Dublin for a 10 hour trip after discovering that a return ticket from their home in Liverpool to London would cost 101 They travelled from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to the Irish capital on a 6.30am flight and arrived in the city centre by 9.30am. The couple managed to cram in a hearty breakfast and lunch before exploring the city - taking walks around the castle and a drink and dance at the well-known Temple Bar, before arriving home just in time for a cup of tea. Jill and Keith - who work in psychotherapy and IT, respectively - have been taking Fridays off over recent months to spend more time together, including going for walks and days out. They had London on their itinerary to enjoy an exciting day out, but were quickly discouraged from booking train tickets due to the shocking costs. Jill, from Merseyside, said: 'We have fun day Friday. We do different things. We do things in Liverpool or go to the beach. Or we'll go for lunch and have wine.' Explaining the decision to embark on the whirlwind trip, Jill said: 'We were looking for a weekend away. We wanted to go for London for the day, but it was ridiculously expensive. 'We've got a couple rail card and looked at the price of day trip and it came out at 101 return from Liverpool. It was ridiculous - the trains are scandalous. 'It was a 36 return for Dublin and a half an hour flight - it was a no brainer. The flights were cheap. It sounds a bit mad but we went for it.' The couple managed to cram in a hearty breakfast and lunch before exploring the city - taking walks around the castle and a drink and dance at the Temple Bar The pair are planning on going back to Dublin in September after Jill spotted return flights on Ryanair for 9.99 each The pair flew out first thing on a Friday morning and were in the town centre by 9.30am, where they found a cafe for a spot of breakfast. They then took a stroll around the parks and spent a couple of hours in Dublin art gallery, before heading to the castle. Jill recounted: 'We walked down the river. We then still had enough time to go to Temple Bar for a few hours for a dance and a few Guinness's. It was like having a night out in the day.' The couple finished their adventures in the city at 8pm to catch their 10.30pm flight home - managing to get tucked up in bed by midnight with a cup of tea. Jill said: 'It was long but a great day. It was really weird getting on a plane with just a handbag. We did two days in one day.' Recounting the experience, Jill said: 'We then still had enough time to go to Temple Bar for a few hours for a dance and a few Guinness's - it was like having a night out in the day' The couple only spent around 100 on drinks and food while in Dublin - but are happy to not 'scrimp' these days. They are even planning on going back to Dublin in September after Jill spotted return flights for 9.99 each. The couple are so dumbfounded by train travel costs that they are taking their car on their planned trip to York to beat the 'scandalous' prices. Advertisement Emmanuel Macron made waves in the South of France last week as the French president and his wife Brigitte indulged in a sun-soaked holiday aboard a luxurious yacht off the picturesque shores of Porquerolles Island. A bare-chested Macron, 45, was seen standing confidently aboard the yacht delivering his best action hero pose, before donning a snorkel and diving beneath the azure blue of the French Riviera. Jetski escapades were also on the agenda, with Macron ripping along the waves as Brigitte, 70, looked on from the deck. The pair were later snapped enjoying a cosy moment together, with Macron grinning lovingly at his wife as they snuggled up together on the bow of the vessel. France's First Couple were likely in dire need of a holiday after what has been a torrid year for the Macron presidency, characterised by weeks of violence and widespread rioting after the Head of State forced controversial pension forms through Parliament without a vote and raised the retirement age by two years to 64. But critics will undoubtedly be angered by the sun-soaked scenes, particularly given the recent military coup and associated anti-French revolts in West Africa's Niger, as well as Macron's recent order to vacation-loving French ministers to keep their holidays low-key amid rising public discontent. A bare-chested Macron, 45, was seen standing confidently aboard the yacht delivering his best action hero pose Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte enjoy a boat day in Porquerolles island during their presidential holidays in South of France Macron is seen speeding on a jetski off Porquerolles Macron is seen snorkelling as his wife Brigitte looks on from the yacht, July 31, 2023 Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte enjoy a boat day in Porquerolles island during their presidential holidays in South of France. 31 Jul 2023 Macron clutches his snorkelling gear as aides appear to ready a jetski for Brigitte Just last week, Macron was scolding his spy chief over his failure to predict the Niger coup, claiming that the director of France's foreign intelligence agency, Bernard Emie, should have foreseen the overthrowing of President Bazoum by a junta on July 26. But the director of the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) said that he had issued a warning earlier this year and that it was ignored by the government. The coup in Niger represents a major setback for Macron, raising questions about France's military presence in the country and wider strategy in Africa, analysts say. The overthrowing of democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum is the third such putsch in the region in three years, following similar clashes in Mali and Burkina Faso in 2021 and 2022 that forced French troops to pull out. And in late July, Macron himself told French ministers to keep their holidays modest this summer out of fear of stoking resentment among voters. The French President and his government have been rocked by crisis after crisis in recent months, and so Macron is eager to keep angry voters placated. In a country that holds its holidays dear and resents the idea of working during time off, ministers are looking to demonstrate their dedication. Many have made it clear they will be taking their laptops with them, and that they will be staying with friends or family to cut costs rather than booking hotels or rentals in an attempt to show they are like any other French citizen. This evidently did not stop the Macrons from trading the halls of the Elysee Palace for the allure of the French Riviera at the end of July. Brigitte Macron watches on as her husband races a jetski off the island of Porquerolles in the South of France Macron (L) prepares to dive beneath the surface after donning his snorkelling gear. His wife Brigitte (R) puts on her goggles and flippers before following him Macron rides a jetski Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte enjoy a boat day off Porquerolles island during their presidential holidays in South of France The Macrons have remained a united front since they first met more than two decades ago, and their love story has been the subject of both admiration and intrigue at home and abroad. The couple's love story began when Macron, then a 15-year-old high school student, encountered Brigitte, his 39-year-old literature teacher, who was married with three children. The teacher and her pupil had collaborated on a school play and were both captivated by one another. Speaking about their intense connection, Macron said: 'Every Friday I went to write a play with her for several hours. We spoke about everything. And I discovered we had always known one another.' Brigitte meanwhile, whose eldest daughter was in the same class as Emmanuel, said she was captivated by the future President's 'exceptional intelligence'. The age difference of nearly 25 years did nothing to deter their passionate bond. In 2006, Brigitte divorced her husband and the Macrons have been together ever since. Come the summer months, I'm happy to throw open the doors of my home in the South of France. Given the uncertainty of a soggy British summer, guests flock to spend their days lolling by the pool in the sunshine. Within minutes of arriving they are down to their bikinis and board shorts, and that's just fine with me for the most part. But there is just one lapse in summer etiquette I simply can't abide: the effrontery of people dining at my table in their swimwear. I can understand the temptation to casually stroll from your sun lounger straight to lunch. But the reality is just plain revolting. Do I want to sit opposite my stepson's girlfriend in a push-up bikini top with matching string bottoms, or squeeze up next to my sister-in-law's latest bloke in a pair of budgie smugglers during lunch? No, I do not. I can understand the temptation to casually stroll from your sun lounger straight to lunch. But the reality is just plain revolting (stock image) At first, I just kept my eyes northwards as friends and family members tucked into their food. Given that swimwear is the uniform of choice for relaxed holiday-goers at all times of the day just look around any hotel or promenade it seemed churlish to make a fuss. Yet it's hosts like me who have to deal with the aftermath. The damp imprints on my chairs, the sweat fanning out in sundial streaks. The endless wiping down afterwards, and whipping off cushion covers and sticking them in the washing machine. So now I have no hesitation in gently reminding guests at my table that it takes mere seconds to slip on a kaftan or a pair of shorts and T-shirt. Yes, it might be a tad awkward telling people to put some clothes on, but just because you're happy to flaunt your flesh it doesn't mean the rest of us need to see it over tapas. And I'm not alone in this. One friend recently complained about her son's girlfriend, who didn't bother with so much as a sarong during their recent stay at the family holiday home. Rather she got up from her sunbed and plonked herself down at the head of the table in readiness for a five-course lunch in her bikini sweaty boobs, damp bottoms and all. I was sympathetic with another friend when she removed all cushions from her outdoor dining chairs citing 'hygiene' reasons. This time the culprit was her university friend, who happily plopped herself down for paella in a thong bikini. It's no wonder so many seafront restaurants along the Med have now banned diners in swimwear. It's not that I have a problem with naked bodies there is no jealousy or tsking from my direction. Now I have no hesitation in gently reminding guests at my table that it takes mere seconds to slip on a kaftan or a pair of shorts and T-shirt (stock image) In fact I'm all for a spot of topless sunbathing. But there is a time and a place, and when you move from pool to patio, your dress code should change, too. After all, back home you'd never sit down to eat in your bra and knickers. But the lunch bikini is just one symptom of a pervasive selfishness that seems to infest summer guests. As a host, it staggers me that some people treat my home abroad (and those of my friends') like a hotel, swanning about doing precisely as they please without lifting a finger to help, merely shuffling over barefoot when lunch is called, asking where the drinks are. When girlfriends have stayed in the past, I've had to be on hand 24/7 as their personal taxis. They expect me to be their concierge, organising their restaurant reservations and even, on one memorable occasion, finding one friend a last minute mani-pedi appointment for an emergency touch-up. Such selfish visits can fatally rupture decades-long friendships. One disgruntled hostess I know cast off a chancer who, over breakfast after a week of impeccable hospitality, proceeded to lecture her on what was wrong with her marriage. Another discovered a school friend had even raided the kitchen cupboards and stuffed several packets of salt and vinegar crisps into her suitcase 'for the journey home'. I don't mind offering the occasional lift. I'm happy to provide snacks for the road. But please, if you are enjoying the culinary delights of my home this summer, put some bl**dy clothes on. Cruising towards the finish line: Guangxi's longest cross-sea bridge nears completion Pub Date:23-08-09 08:49 Source:Xinhua Great news! The iconic Longmen Bridge is soaring towards completion and will soon be ready to slash travel time in Guangxi, south China. Get a sneak peek at the construction process before the bridge opens to the public! Editor:Li Ruichuan Related News Across China: New evidence of Japanese ger... GLOBALink | U.S., a true empire of hackers Economic actions attempt to curb technolog... Unmasking the real aim of US sanctions aga... Tilt your head forward 45 degrees, maintain eye contact, draw your left foot behind your right, bend the knees, get your bottom down as low as dignity will allow... Along with several other ladies I stood in the queue at Buckingham Palace back in 2015 practising my curtsey, nerves building as I edged closer to the front. After 20 minutes, a Palace official in a morning suit was making a series of hand gestures at me in the manner of a silken traffic controller: 'Forward Stop Go!' Suddenly, I was striding into a grand red and gold hall, stilettos wobbling in the inch-thick carpet, the orchestra belting out Elgar, an audience of hundreds to the right of me and, to the left, on a low stage, Prince Charles. He and I exchanged a few polite words which escape me now; I think my nervous contribution was along the lines of 'thank-yiz-sir-I-be-mozz-grayfull'. Afterwards my family and I celebrated with champagne and cake. I was 34 and it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment The Prince leaned forward and pinned me with the ribboned medal. OBE: Order of the British Empire. Being a sucker for pomp and pageantry, I loved every gilded, wood-panelled, trumpet-blasting second of it. Afterwards my family and I celebrated with champagne and cake. I was 34 and it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. So I remain grateful for receiving the OBE. But, in the years since, I have realised that I don't deserve it. In fact, I think it is absurd that medals like this are pinned on people like me, honoured 'for public service' for just for doing my job. Liz Truss is in the news this week for nominating 14 people for her resignation honours list, despite only being in No 10 for 49 days (and making a bit of a Horlicks of things while she was there). This works out as an honour for every three-and-a-half days she was in office. Is anyone falling off their chair with shock at this news? No, because we are all wearily familiar with the way gongs are thrown around like confetti by departing prime ministers. Before Truss there was Boris Johnson, who showered peerages on young political aides. One, 30-year-old Charlotte Owen now Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge was described by former colleagues as being 'extraordinarily junior' in the No 10 operation. Now she helps shape the laws of the land. Before Johnson there was Theresa May, who garlanded special advisers with peerages and medals. And before her there was David Cameron, who gave an honour to, um, me. Having great respect for our former PM, I am chuffed he chose me for one of his resignation nods. But on reflection I also think it pretty ridiculous. Yes, I worked hard in No 10 for five years as Cameron's chief speechwriter. I was often at my desk until midnight, being squinted at by Larry, the imperious Downing Street cat. ('Don't you have a life?' he seemed to purr). But while I beavered away, I also loved the role. The professional esteem was high. I met world leaders, had a ringside seat on five years of history. Why did I deserve a medal as a cherry on top? , I think it is absurd that medals like this are pinned on people like me, honoured 'for public service' for just for doing my job Every resignation honours list brings more cronyism and more contempt for the system. This does a huge disservice to those who really do merit an honour: the ones who dodge bullets in war zones, who volunteer for decades for gritty causes, who cook meals for the poor or care for the disabled, who go above and beyond to make the country a better place. One of these is my mother, who received an MBE from our late Queen for services to fostering. For over 20 years my mum cared for dozens of foster children: welcoming distraught toddlers, dealing with abusive teenagers, cooking countless meals, giving thousands of hugs. Excuse the crowing but at one point my mother a single parent had eight children under one roof! It is this kind of achievement that deserves recognition in the palaces of the land, not spending an interesting few years in Whitehall. Yes, I worked hard in No 10 for five years as Cameron's chief speechwriter. I was often at my desk until midnight, being squinted at by Larry, the imperious Downing Street cat I'm not saying honours shouldn't go to government staff but those must be people who have achieved truly outstanding things. It was entirely right, for instance, that Kate Bingham received a damehood for masterminding the UK's Covid vaccine taskforce and saving countless lives. The honours system shouldn't be abolished. It still holds a lot of power and it's right that we as a nation have a way of saying thank you to people like my mum. But it's high time the idea of a prime minister's resignation honours list was junked. Let's reserve honours for those who truly deserve them. Pricey pizza ovens are for fools Chef Gino D'Acampo is accused of taking people for fools by claiming you can cook a perfect roast chicken in his own-brand pizza oven (a snip at 450) Chef Gino D'Acampo is accused of taking people for fools by claiming you can cook a perfect roast chicken in his own-brand pizza oven (a snip at 450). Look, anyone who buys an expensive pizza oven is being taken for a fool. I know they're a middle-class must-have, but let's face it, the margheritas always end up doughy, floppy, singed or burnt. Sorry, but they're the Emperor's New Cookers. Apparently Ancient Rome is the era most would like to time travel back to. Me? I'd be happy with an era before webinars, when you could actually see a GP, and before every other call was met with 'Due to unusually high call volumes, you may experience a longer time on hold...' 1998 will do. Tom will be a great dad We had lunch many years ago and he was a charming man. I recall that he was devoted to watering and nurturing his tomato plants I was delighted to read actor Tom Hollander, 55, is to become a father. We had lunch many years ago and he was a charming man. I recall that he was devoted to watering and nurturing his tomato plants... If the baby gets the same attention as those tomatoes, it will be well cared for indeed. Surely 32 is too old to float Leo's boat! Turns out this is a false alarm though former Love Island star Arabella Chi is actually dating his pal, nightclub owner Richie Akiva. Phew Has hell frozen over? I only ask as a 32-year-old woman has been seen on the yacht of Leonardo DiCaprio. The 48-year-old lothario usually makes his ladies walk the plank when they hit their mid20s. Turns out this is a false alarm though former Love Island star Arabella Chi is actually dating his pal, nightclub owner Richie Akiva. Phew. As you were, folks. My sympathy is not with Teresa Steele, the patient whose operation was delayed because she demanded that only same-sex health workers look after her. If I was desperate for surgery it wouldn't matter if the nursing staff were male, female, trans, transitioning or any other group on the (increasingly confusing) LGBT flag. The only two boxes that need ticking are a) qualified and b) kind. Toblerone, the chocolate brand adored by fans all over the world, have announced the release of a new spin-off item. New for UK buyers today, the Swiss chocolate brand have released a surprising twist on their popular bars, Toblerone Truffles. Fans nationwide will be able to purchase the treat in shops up and down the country. But unlike the famous triangle shape, the latest chocolate treat features a unique diamond-shape. The new addition to the brand's iconic chocolate range features the original taste of Toblerone with a new truffle spin, and the brand is expecting a big reaction. New for UK buyers today, the Swiss chocolate brand have released an exciting twist on their iconic bars, Toblerone Truffles The truffles are designed with a smooth centre alongside a crunchy bite of honey and almond nougat. Each chocolate comes individually wrapped, adding to the indulgent experience. Customers can get their hands on a 180g box at all major retailers, with prices starting at 6.09. But for those more dedicated Toblerone fans, a 400g box of Toblerone Truffles can be purchased on the brand's website. The special gift can also be personalised for yourself or for a loved one for 21. Claire Kamara, Toblerone Brand Manager said: ''We are so excited to see the reaction to Toblerone Truffles. 'We expect that some fans may be surprised by the new diamond shape of the Toblerone range's latest edition but, what can we say, we always strive to be different and never square! 'And to those who have struggled with the triangle shape of the classic Toblerone bar, we hope this brings a new way to enjoy the delicious taste of Toblerone chocolate but in an all-new shape and with a mouth-watering truffle centre.' Customers can get their hands on a 180g box at all major retailers in the UK, with prices starting at 6.09 The news comes shortly after the brand, which is part of Mondelez International, had to strip their Toblerone packaging of the Matterhorn mountain peak image. The confectioners said that they had had to change the design to avoid breaching new Swiss laws restricting the use of imagery that evokes the country's likeness. The company is limited in the symbolism they can use as they move some of their production from Switzerland to Slovakia by the end of the year. To comply with Swiss laws, the distinctive Matterhorn peak has been removed from the packet and replaced with a generic mountain top. The "Swissness Act" - introduced in 2017 - strictly controls the use of Swiss flags, insignia, names, and imagery. The signature triangular shape, which has been legally protected since 1909, is also missing from the new item Food can be only marketed as 'made in Switzerland', if 80 per cent of the raw ingredients are homegrown and most of it is made in the country. A spokesman from American sweet giants Mondelez said: 'The packaging redesign introduces a modernised and streamlined mountain logo that aligns with the geometric and triangular aesthetic.' Company officials added they do not believe that the change of design affects sales. The new Toblerone Truffles are therefore also missing the standard logo. Pressure tactics deployed by Turkish cosmetic surgery clinics were today exposed by a shock investigation. An undercover reporter, posing as a 24-year-old wanting a Brazilian bum lift (BBL), contacted nine providers across Istanbul. Within hours, she was offered time-sensitive deals with up to 30 per cent knocked off the total fee and incentives to book multiple surgeries. Experts today slammed the 'unsafe and incredibly unscrupulous' sales tactics that were found in The News Movement's probe. Doctors warned Brits contemplating going abroad for cut-price boob jobs, bum lifts and other procedures to think again. Posing as a 24-year-old from the UK, an undercover reporter from The News Movement contacted several cosmetic surgery clinics across Istanbul. But within hours was offered time sensitive early booking price reductions of up to 30 per cent Among the Whatsapp messages received from a cosmetic surgery clinic in Turkey, one read: 'We are offering you a 20 per cent discount valid for 10 days. 'Pay a 10 per cent deposit and freeze the 20 per cent discount for one year.' It added: 'Grab this great chance and benefit from this special time limited offer.' Another said: '30 PER CENT DISCOUNT- AVAILABLE FOR 48 HOURS ONLY!' Later it added: 'Do not let this opportunity slip! It will only be valid for 48 hours! If you wish to secure your treatment plan for 18 months, you can do so by making a 50 deposit' A third, after sending photos and answering a series of medical questions offered Brazilian Butt Lift surgery and liposuction with a 20 per cent 'flash discount', valid for 10 days. The surgery package, with a hotel stay, cost 2800. The deposit to secure the deal was 280. Just days later, the clinic messaged again, reducing the deposit by a further 50 Standards are notoriously laxer than in the NHS and campaigners say aftercare can be non-existent. Turkey has become one of the most popular destinations, fuelled by celebrities and influencers who've made the four-hour trip in pursuit of revamping their bodies. Thousands of Brits, particularly women in their 20s and 30s, flock there every year. Of the nine clinics contacted by The News Movement, five offered discounts on the price of the surgery or price reductions for early booking and surgery. Among the WhatsApps received from one clinic was a message which read: 'We are offering you a 20 per cent discount valid for 10 days. READ MORE: Inside UK's deadly, celebrity-inspired craze for Turkish surgery - as campaigners call for patients to pay 'Turkey tax' to help NHS claw back 2m each year to correct botched ops Dani Gratton was just 21 when she decided to fly, alone, to Turkey for the cosmetic surgery she so desperately craved Advertisement 'Pay a 10 per cent deposit and freeze the 20 per cent discount for one year. 'Grab this great chance and benefit from this special time limited offer.' Another clinic said: '30 PER CENT DISCOUNT- AVAILABLE FOR 48 HOURS ONLY!' Later it added: 'Do not let this opportunity slip! It will only be valid for 48 hours!' 'If you wish to secure your treatment plan for 18 months, you can do so by making a 50 deposit.' After the undercover reporter sent photos and answered medical questions, a third clinic offered BBL surgery and liposuction with a 20 per cent 'flash discount', valid for 10 days. The surgery package, with a hotel stay, cost 2,800. The deposit to secure the deal was 280. Just days later, the clinic messaged again, reducing the deposit to just 50. 'We are excited to extend a special offer to you, available for the next three days only,' the message read. 'If you wish to secure your treatment plan for 18 months, you can do so by making a 50 deposit.' Other sales techniques from clinics involved asking for deposits ranging from 50 to 500 for BBL and liposuction surgery packages. For decades, Brits have been warned against seeking cheaper surgery in places like Turkey, Eastern Europe, or South East Asia. Turkey is not inherently more dangerous than other surgical tourism hotspots. But cheap flights between it and the UK as well as the rise of the trend combining cosmetic surgery with a holiday have made it one of the leading destinations for Brits looking to go under the knife. Paul Harris, consultant plastic surgeon and spokesperson for the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), said he was 'truly astonished' by the findings. He added: 'The way that patients are being persuaded and preyed upon is just dreadful. 'It really is shocking that is almost the best example I've ever seen of pressurised selling techniques, all of those, combine it together all in one message trail. It's unbelievable.' Mr Harris said 'pressured selling techniques' in cosmetic surgeries were banned in the UK more than 10 years ago and it was 'incredibly unsafe' for Turkish clinics to be offering discounts and time limits on 'a very complex part of healthcare'. Seven Turkish clinics said it was possible to have multiple body and facial surgeries including a BBL, liposuction, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty and buccal fat removal under one anaesthesia. Some clinics said this would be dependent on having appropriate blood test results. British surgeons have raised the alarm about the rising NHS multi-million bill of fixing botched cosmetic ops performed overseas, with costing the NHS an estimated 100,000 alone Paul Harris, consultant plastic surgeon and spokesperson for the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), said he was 'truly astonished' by the findings. He added: 'The way that patients are being persuaded and preyed upon is just dreadful Liposuction that offers to remove up to 15 litres of fat, BBL's, eye colour changing laser treatments and hymenoplasties are all offered in clinics across Turkey Mr Harris said it was 'worrying' that such combination surgeries could be accepted. He said: 'It really concerns me that [the surgeons are] not appropriately trained and that they are operating beyond their level of experience in that training.' Meanwhile, Mr Navid Jallali, a former consultant surgeon at Imperial College NHS Trust, said: 'There seems to be a big push for having multiple surgeries and they incentivise this by giving additional discounts. 'In general, we don't like doing procedures that will take longer than four-and-a-half hours in the UK. 'However, the combination being discussed will take well over that even in a very experienced surgeons hand. READ MORE: Deals luring Brits to Turkey for cosmetic surgery EXPOSED: 2,500 'all-inclusive' packages offer holidays at luxury hotels overlooking the sea, VIP airport transfers and free city tours The Medaway website showcase some of its hotels that patients can stay in. The Ramada Golden Horn Hotel & Suites in Istanbul boasts a spa, restaurant and bar. It advertises that some rooms 'come with a terrace or balcony overlooking the city or the sea' Advertisement 'It is also a very unusual combination of procedures and should have been queried at the outset.' He added: 'This is not UK standard in terms of practice and would not be supported by any surgeons in the UK.' 'From the General Medical Council point of view and actually for any reputable surgeon in the UK, that incentivisation of saying "we can give you a discount if you proceed" should never ever happen. 'The patient [should] only receive surgery based on the fact that they're going to gain a benefit and not the fact that the surgery has been done cheap or for a discounted price.' It comes as MailOnline last month revealed taxpayers last year spent 1.7million on fixing Brits botched by cosmetic surgery carried out abroad. An audit by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons shared with MailOnline showed 111 Brits needed emergency NHS care after returning from places like Turkey in 2022 to go under the knife. Surgeons reported their patients were lured in by what looked like 'bargain' tummy tucks and boob jobs. Others were deemed too unfit for surgery in the UK. But some patients were left with flesh-eating bacterial infections and implants bursting through their skin. Others endured potentially deadly blood clots that required urgent NHS treatment, sometimes within just days of arriving back in the UK. Some Turkish clinics provide extreme transformations that surgeons in the UK would never dream of performing, either because the procedure is illegal in Britain or is considered too risky. Responding to the findings from The News Movement, Dr Alex Karidis, a consultant plastic surgeon in the UK, said: 'I don't think it's ethical. I don't think it's right. 'Surgery - that's not a product that you sell You're potentially playing with people's lives.' Dr Karidis said a cosmetic surgeon in the UK who offered discounts and incentives would be 'investigated straightaway and possibly suspended.' He added: 'It's a wild west out there, they can do whatever they want. They don't play by the same rules.' Mr Harris acknowledged that while there are 'reputable' surgeons in Turkey, it was important for people to do their 'own research' and to think 'very carefully' before booking cosmetic surgery abroad. He added: 'We really need to be informed before making these decisions which will have a lifelong impact on you. This is not like having a haircut or buying some new clothes or going on holiday, this is a big decision that will affect the rest of your life.' Operations to remove the appendix could soon become a thing of the past. Swedish experts claim appendicitis when the mysterious, worm-shaped organ gets infected can be treated effectively with antibiotics. It could spell the end of the appendectomy, one of the most common procedures carried out by the NHS. Swift removal of the appendix has been standard treatment for over a century. But researchers at the Karolinska Institute argue the only risk of not operating and relying on antibiotics is another appendicitis flare-up. Swedish experts say the only risk of not operating and relying on drugs instead is appendicitis recurring. Their analysis of evidence found fewer than half of patients treated with antibiotics were struck down again The researchers, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, used data from two random controlled trials in the Swedish National Patient Registry. Pictured: Stock image highlighting the location of an inflamed appendix The findings come amid a subtle push to reduce NHS inpatient costs and the number of unnecessary procedures carried out. Writing in the journal JAMA surgery, the team said: 'The present data will further be beneficial to clinicians as well as patients in making a treatment decision.' Experts analysed two separate trials, which assessed the outcomes of 292 patients hospitalised with appendicitis. The condition, which causes stomach pain that travels to the lower right-hand side, can be life-threatening without quick treatment. Forty sufferers were divided into two groups as part of the first study. Half received an appendectomy. WHAT IS APPENDICITIS? Appendicitis is a swelling of the appendix, a two to four-inch-long organ connected to the large intestine. Appendicitis can cause severe pain and it's important for it to be treated swiftly in case the appendix bursts, which can cause life-threatening illness. In most cases surgeons will remove the appendix in an appendectomy scientists aren't sure why people need an appendix but removing it does not harm people. The causes of appendicitis aren't clear but it is thought to be caused by something blocking the entrance to the organ. Symptoms include pain in the stomach which later travels to your lower right-hand-side and becomes severe. Pressing on this area, coughing, or walking can all make the pain worse, and other symptoms can be nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhoea and a fever. Source: NHS Advertisement The others got antibiotics for 10 days, with all but one recovering successfully. Meanwhile, the success rate stood at 86 per cent in the second, bigger study. When results from both studies were pooled, it revealed that 40 per cent of patients treated with antibiotics did later require an appendectomy. The researchers wrote: 'More than half of the patients treated nonoperatively did not experience recurrence and avoided surgery over approximately two decades. 'There's no evidence for long term risks of nonoperative management other than that of recurrence of appendicitis.' They did, however, note the diagnostic standards of operations at the time, differed to today. Medics undertake 'much higher rates of imaging' now, they added, meaning fewer patients are misdiagnosed with appendicitis. The NHS says around 50,000 people in England are admitted to hospital each year with appendicitis. Approximately 11.6million cases of appendicitis are reported annually in the US. If left untreated, the condition can be fatal. During surgery, the appendix is removed from the body after doctors make three or four tiny incisions in the abdomen. The cuts are closed with staples or stitches. After the routine surgery, most patients are able to go home the next day and return to normal activities after a week. But as with any surgery, there are risks. Around one in 10 patients suffer side effects from the operation itself, such as catching a skin infection. In recent years, several European studies have shown most people with appendicitis can be treated successfully with antibiotics instead of having surgery. Seven years ago, experts declared that it was 'time to consider' abandoning routine appendectomies. Hundreds of kids needlessly get the organ removed every year. Physicians have warned that the test, from Prenuvo, is ineffective and expensive Kim Kardashian has come under fire for promoting a full-body MRI that experts have called a rip off. On Tuesday, the 42-year-old reality star posted two images on Instagram about her recent MRI scan from Prenuvo, calling the technology 'life saving.' 'The Prenuvo full-body scan has the ability to detect cancer and diseases such as aneurysms in its earliest stages, before symptoms arise,' she wrote in her post, which garnered more than 2 million likes. 'It has really saved one of my friends [sic] lives and I just wanted to share.' However, there is no evidence that Prenuvo's scans, which cost $2,500 and don't take insurance, have any clinical benefit. In fact, Kardashian has been slammed countless times in the past for promoting expensive health trends with little evidence behind them, such as immunity teas, vitamin IV therapy, and spiritual healing. 'This is not an appropriate screening tool for a multiplicity of human illnesses and potentially emergent conditions,' Dr Stuart Fischer, internal medicine physician in New York, told DailyMail.com. 'It's not a screening tool.' Kim Kardashian posted on Tuesday about her full-body MRI scan from Prenuvo, claiming the technology is 'life saving.' However, doctors warn there is no evidence supporting it works The American College of Preventive Medicine does not recommend whole-body scans for people without symptoms, citing a lack of evidence of their effectiveness Dr Tyler Black, psychiatrist and pharmacologist in Canada, wrote on Twitter that Prenuvo scans 'have not been studied in any clinical trial, and typically screening asymptomatic people with imaging leads to more harm (via false positives) than benefit (true positives).' 'They are likely part of a vulture medicine movement which seek to extract money from healthy people under the guise of "giving patients more information". As someone who went through a year of worry [and] tests due to an incidental MRI lung finding (false positive), it really sucks.' '"Your heart is great, but um, we found a nodule in your lung..." I was not "empowered" in the months that followed, I was scared I had cancer. The literature on nodules like mine was not reassuring "they can be benign or malignant."' 'While I was relieved once further tests showed it was likely benign, I did not benefit from the experience. I suffered every night thinking about it, especially trying to sleep. Plus the tests I went through have their own risks.' 'That's what Prenuvo can offer you for $2500 or whatever they charge now.' The American College of Preventive Medicine does not recommend whole-body scans for people without symptoms, citing a lack of evidence of their effectiveness. Dr Fischer said that preventative MRIs do not show many diseases that are on the rise in the US, including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, hypertension, and high cholesterol. For example, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates that diabetes accounted for more than 400,000 deaths worldwide in 2021. 'A screening MRI will not see these at any time,' Dr Fischer said. Physicians have also called out Kardashian for spreading misinformation about MRIs. In her post, she claims the Prenuvo scan 'was like getting a MRI [sic] for an hour with no radiation.' However, regular MRI scans don't produce any radiation as is. Prenuvo scans are also expensive, costing $2,500. They're also not covered by insurance. In the comments of Kardashian's post, users said that these scans are inaccessible to most people. 'Kim, this is for wealthy people. People can't afford food right now,' one user said. Another commented: 'The fact majority of society can't even afford insurance for a simple wellness checkup.' And a user on Twitter said: 'I usually take all my medical advice from Kim Kardashian! I'm already penciled in for a lobotomy next week.' Instead of opting for expensive scans, Dr Fischer recommended speaking to your doctor about any health concerns and more affordable tests. 'There is no one screening test for human health. If there was, we'd all be very healthy indeed,' he said. 'The appropriate screening tool to prevent illness is a good relationship with a medical care practitioner.' The World Health Organization today classified the EG.5 coronavirus strain circulating in the US and UK as a 'variant of interest'. But the highly-infectious variant, dubbed 'Eris', is mild and does not pose more of a threat to public health than other versions of the virus, the WHO said. Eris has quickly become dominant in America - accounting for one in five infections - and is driving the first rise in cases and hospitalizations this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a slightly different classification system, and it has designated Eris a variant 'under monitoring' and not one of 'interest' or 'concern.' While hospitalizations from Covid are rising, Covid rates remain at historic lows. Recent deaths have also remained static and are at their lowest levels since Covid emerged, at around 500 per week The proportion of Covid cases in the US that are due to the EG.5 variant (shown in peach) has increased, with it now being the dominant variant While hospitalizations from Covid in the US have risen 12 percent between the week ending July 15 and the week ending July 22, Covid rates remain at historic lows. Recent deaths have also remained static and are at their lowest levels since Covid emerged, at around 500 per week. For comparison, at the peak of the US' pandemic in January 2022, hospitalizations were as high as 150,674. This time last year, they were just over 44,000. In the first week of July, 7.5 percent of Covid cases were due to EG.5. Now, 17.3 percent of cases are. Experts have said that EG.5 is one of the quickest growing variants across the world, which could be due to a 'slightly beneficial mutation' which means it is spreading fastest than its relatives. It has also been detected in China, South Korea, Japan and Canada, among other countries. 'Collectively, available evidence does not suggest that EG.5 has additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages,' the WHO said in a risk evaluation. A more comprehensive evaluation of the risk posed by EG.5 was needed, it added. COVID-19 has killed more than 6.9 million people globally, with more than 768 million confirmed cases since the virus emerged. WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic in March 2020 and ended the global emergency status for COVID-19 in May this year. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on COVID-19, said EG.5 had an increased transmissibility but was not more severe than other Omicron variants. 'We don't detect a change in severity of EG.5 compared to other sublineages of Omicron that have been in circulation since late 2021,' she said. Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus deplored that many countries were not reporting COVID-19 data to WHO. He said that only 11% had reported hospitalizations and ICU admissions related to the virus. In response, WHO issued a set of standing recommendations for COVID, in which it urged countries to continue reporting COVID data, particularly mortality data, morbidity data, and to continue to offer vaccination. Van Kerkhove said that the absence of data from many countries was hindering efforts to fight the virus. 'About a year ago, we were in a much better situation to either anticipate or act or be more agile,' she said. 'And now the delay in our ability to do that is growing. And our ability to do this is declining.' (Reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru and Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber in Geneva; Editing by Toby Chopra and Angus MacSwan) Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company has boosted its annual guidance following a bumper performance during the first half of the year. The anchor bottler revealed operating profits more than doubled to 557.3million (480million) for the six months ending June, despite consumer weakness and higher energy and ingredients costs. Rising prices helped the firm's net sales revenue surpass 5billion, with organic revenue growing by 17.8 per cent and a further boost provided by the consolidation of its Russian business. Drink up: Coca-Cola HBC revealed operating profits more than doubled to 557.3million for the six months ending June despite widespread cost-of-living pressures Turnover across all market segments increased by double-digit percentage levels, offsetting unfavourable foreign exchange movements and a drop in organic volumes caused largely by softer demand in the stills category. It also expects the cost of goods sold per unit case to expand by a high-single-digit percentage, down from an initial forecast in the 'low teens'. Consequently, the group now anticipates full-year organic sales growth in the 'mid-teens', compared to a prior forecast of 5 to 6 per cent. The blue-chip company has maintained its annual earnings outlook, which it raised last month after seeing a 'stronger than anticipated finish' to the first half of the year. Zoran Bogdanovic, chief executive of Coca-Cola HBC, said on Wednesday: 'It has been a very good first half of the year with progress across our strategic pillars.' He added: 'While some markets continue to face a challenging consumer environment, revenue per case has been improved through careful price and mix management enhanced by data, insights and analytics. 'At the same time, volumes have remained resilient, which is testament to the quality of our execution.' Headquartered in Switzerland but listed in London, Coca-Cola HBC packages and sells dozens of brands, such as Fanta, Fuze Tea, Costa Coffee, and Powerade, across 29 countries. The business traces its origins back to 1950s Nigeria but was forged in its present form in 2000 through the merger of Coca-Cola Beverages and the Hellenic Bottling Company. Though known mainly for selling soft drinks, the firm has been expanding its presence into the alcoholic drinks sector, recently agreeing to spend $220million (172million) acquiring Brown-Forman Finland, the owner of premium vodka brand Finlandia. It believes the takeover will enhance its premium spirits offering and strengthen partnerships with customers in 'strategically important' channels, including the hotel, restaurant and catering industries. Neil Shah, the director of content and strategy at Edison Group, said: 'The continued consumer demand for Coca-Cola HBC's products has helped the bottler not only weather the difficult macroeconomic climate of recent months, but thrive in it. 'Moreover, the company benefits from the ongoing roll-out of new products, such as Jack Daniel's & Coca-Cola, which enjoy the advantages of immediate brand recognition that isn't available to other new drinks on the market.' Coca-Cola HBC shares were 1.5 per cent, or 34p, higher at 22.94 on Wednesday morning and have grown by approximately 19 per cent since the start of the year. E.On has reiterated plans to pass on lower power and gas costs to millions of its customers, weighing on profits this year. It comes in response wholesale prices falling back from record levels seen last year after Russia cut gas deliveries to Germany. The group, which is Europe's biggest operator of energy networks, said the market environment for its business was improving following last year's energy crisis, sounding a more optimistic tone about the months ahead. Boss Leonhard Birnbaum, said: 'After a long period of crisis, we sense that the headwinds for our business are diminishing.' Customer bills: E.On has reiterated plans to pass on lower power and gas costs to millions of its customers On prices, the group said: 'Declining prices on wholesale market will be systematically passed through to customers; as announced, price reductions on power and gas for millions of customers will be made in late summer.' Last month, E.On reported preliminary results and a higher outlook for this year. The group dished out a dividend of 51 cents per share for the 2022 financial year, paid out in the second quarter. Adjusted net profit for the first half came in at 2.3billion, up from 1.4billion a year earlier. E.On, which intends to invest billions in the 2023 to 2027 period, confirmed its outlook for the current year and said it was still expecting adjusted core profit of 8.6billion to 8.8billion. E.On said it now expected adjusted net income for the full year to be between 2.7billion and 2.9billion. That is up from previous expectations of 2.3billion to 2.5billion, and exceeds a forecast of 2.4billion in a consensus of 19 analysts published on E.On's investor relations website. E.On said the figures were preliminary, adding that it would release full earnings data on 9 August. Speaking on Wednesday morning, Birnbaum said that recent weather and the energy price crisis of the last year shows the world must move beyond carbon-emitting energy sources. He said: 'July 2023 was the hottest month the world has ever experienced since weather records began. 'Climate change is here, and its becoming more and more tangible. 'And the energy crisis too has shown us that we must finally forgo fossil fuels and design an independent, affordable, and secure green energy supply. Thats why the demand for sustainable energy solutions is growing.' It comes as Germany has set out plans to expand the total capacity of its wind and solar farms to 330 gigawatts by the end of this decade. The UK Government is planning for 50GW of offshore wind and 70GW of solar by 2035. E.On said it has received 240,000 applications from renewable generation sites to connect to its German electricity grid in the six months, more than twice as high as last year. 'In particular, were seeing a real connection boom for small solar systems for private households', Birnbaum said. Advertisement A massive shipment of liquid methamphetamine headed for Australia has been seized by Mexican soldiers who found it hidden inside a shipping container loaded with 7,200 bottles of clear liquid labelled as mezcal. The meth shipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars was found on a Liberian-flagged vessel at the Pacific coast port of Manzanillo. According to shipping documents, the container was destined for Australia. The Mexican Navy, which has taken over customs duties at some ports, said the shipment contained 9.5tonnes of liquid meth, though the dry weight of the drugs once separated from the solution would be about 5.4tonnes. The Mexican Navy has found 7,200 bottles of liquid labelled as mezcal (pictured) that actually contained liquid meth headed for Australia The bottles bore the Mezcal Social brand name and were marked 'as artisanal mezcal,' an alcoholic beverage made from distilled agave. The Mexican Navy said sniffer dogs had located the shipment. 'Subsequently, samples were taken to be sent to the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the Secretary of the Navy, for analysis, confirming it as "positive" for methamphetamine,' a statement said. So far this year, Mexican marines have seized more than 124tonnes of meth nationwide. The Mexican Navy recently took control of customs duties at ports to crack down on smuggling. It would not be the first time that Mexican cartels, which dominate the international trade in meth, have tried to smuggle the drugs to Australia or in liquid form. In 2022, officials in Hong Kong seized about $5.9million worth of crystal meth concealed in a shipment of electrical transformers that was bound for Australia from Mexico. Days later, they reported finding 1.8tonnes of liquid methamphetamine stored in bottles labelled as coconut water that arrived from Mexico by sea. The haul was Hong Kong's largest ever meth seizure. And in April this year Mexican Navy inspectors intercepted 11,520 tequila bottles bound for export to Australia that actually contained concentrated liquid meth worth $1billion. The bottles, which contained a brownish liquid resembling tequila and were also intercepted at the Pacific coast seaport of Manzanillo, contained about 8,640kg of meth. Sniffer dogs also tipped the marines off on that occasion, leading to drug testing of the cargo. A previous liquid meth haul had been concealed in 11,520 bottles at the same port before it was uncovered by the Mexican Navy, known as SEMAR, in the port of Manzanillo on April 18 Sniffer dogs and a chemical identification system was used to confirm the bottles, which were inside nearly 1,000 cardboard boxes, contained the illicit drug EXCLUSIVE One Nation leader Pauline Hanson erupted during a Senate hearing last Thursday when executives at Pfizer Australia said no one was 'forced' to get the Covid vaccine. Hanson grilled representatives from Pfizer and fellow pharmaceutical giant Moderna about the efficacy of vaccine mandates during the Covid pandemic, later saying their responses were 'pathetic' and 'arrogant'. Neither Pfizer nor Moderna enforced mandatory vaccination in Australia, and the jab was always optional; however, many industries and public service departments had vaccine mandates during the pandemic, some of which are still enforced today. The questioning took place at a Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee hearing for a bill Senator Hanson had put forward called the COVID-19 Vaccination Status (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill 2022 - which would examine discrimination based on a person's Covid-19 vaccination status. Pfizer Australia and New Zealand's Country Medical Director Krishan Thiru and Head of Regulatory Affairs Brian Hewitt fronted the hearing for the pharma company. At one point during the tense proceedings, Dr Hewitt rejected the claim Australians were 'forced' to take the Covid vaccine. Pauline Hanson (pictured) erupted during a Senate hearing last Thursday when executives at Pfizer Australia said no one was 'forced' to get the Covid vaccine Senator Hanson was sceptical of this assertion made, asking Dr Hewitt: 'You were in Australia during Covid-19? 'You must've been fully aware that people - nurses, doctors - people to have their jobs, to keep their jobs, were forced to have the vaccination. 'Now, do you retract your statement that they were not forced?' Dr Hewitt rejected the claim once again, stating he 'firmly believed... nobody was forced' to take the Covid vaccine. 'Mandates or vaccine requirements are determined by governments and health authorities,' he added. 'I believe everybody was offered an opportunity to get a vaccine or not get a vaccine.' Senator Hanson fired back, telling the Pfizer representative: 'A lot of Australians will disagree with you on that one.' The conservative firebrand was highly critical of the pharmaceutical representatives when she spoke to Daily Mail Australia after the hearing. Pfizer Australia and New Zealand's Country Medical Director Krishan Thiru (right) and Head of Regulatory Affairs Brian Hewitt (left) fronted the hearing for the pharma company The One Nation leader questioned Dr Hewitt about his rejection of the claim Australians were 'forced' to take the Covid vaccine 'Their answers were pathetic,' she said. 'They evaded the questions and they didn't want to be there. They were rude and arrogant.' Senator Hanson had 'pushed' for the Senate inquiry and claimed Pfizer and Moderna had initially 'refused' to attend. She then contacted Tony Sheldon, the Chair of Education and Employment Legislation Committee, to tell both companies 'they had to appear' at the Senate committee hearing. 'It was pathetic, to say the least, and I blame our governments for forcing this onto people,' she continued. Senator Hanson recalled at one point asking about the vaccine's rare side effects, which she claims prompted a delayed response from Moderna's representatives. 'I asked Moderna, "What do you say to those people with side effects from the Covid vaccine?" They were stumped,' she said. Senator Hanson told Daily Mail Australia that both Pfizer and Moderna had initially refused to front the hearing and claimed their representatives 'evaded questions' Covid vaccines are voluntary for Australians, but some industries still require workers to be vaccinated. (Pictured: a woman being vaccinated in Whalan, Sydney, in September 2021) Senator Hanson expressed her scathing view of vaccine mandates and her concerns for the people whose livelihoods had been affected by them. 'They presented a vaccine that only had 12 months preparation before governments forced people to inject it into their arms,' she raged. 'It's my concern that people lost their jobs because of [mandates]. Firefighters, defence personnel, federal police, nurses. 'To this day people still can't return to their jobs because of the mandate.' Covid vaccines are voluntary for Australians, but some industries still require workers to be vaccinated. The Lt General K S Brar Chat Crisp. Decisive. And fiercely loyal. Lieutenant General K S Brar (retired) may not win the vote for the most favourite person on Rediff Chat, but he was definitely one of the most eloquent. That could be one of the reasons why he is one of fiction author Fredrick Forsyth's chosen researchers. Lieutentant General Brar attacked every question with military precision, firing his answers like well-aimed bullets. Be it something as memorable as Indias victory over Pakistan in December 1971, or something as controversial as Operation Bluestar -- the Lieutenant General did not duck a single question. Check the transcript -- youll know what we mean! pp (Mon Dec 16 19:40:34 1996 IST): hello!! Peace (Mon Dec 16 19:54:59 1996 IST): Hello! Mr. K S Brar Raji (Mon Dec 16 19:57:37 1996 IST): General Brar? ARe you there, sir? Nikhil Lakshman, (Mon Dec 16 19:59:56 1996 IST): General Brar, what a pleasure to have you with us this evening. I do hope you enjoy the experience. Nikhil Lakshman, (Mon Dec 16 20:00:34 1996 IST): General Brar, what a pleasure to have you with us this evening. I do hope you enjoy the experience. Aarti Arunachallam (Mon Dec 16 20:01:39 1996 IST): Good evening, Sir, nice to be speaking with you. As someone who was actually fighting on the ground, could you share your memories with us of the fighting? Jaswant Srikantan (Mon Dec 16 20:03:18 1996 IST): Hullo, General. I am logging in from Savannah, Georgia. It is a cold morning out here. what lessons did the Indian army learn in Bangladesh that it can use in future conflicts? Lt Gen K S Brar (Mon Dec 16 20:04:53 1996 IST): Good evening, all, it is good to be here, and to take your questions. I took part in the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict in erstwhile East Pakistan, during which period I was in command of an infantry battalion and had the rare privilege to be in the first batch of troops who entered Dhaka on the morning of 16th December 1971. Balraman Kandoth (Mon Dec 16 20:04:56 1996 IST): General Brar, do you think the Indian army would have succeeded if it had not been for the Mukti Bahini. Why then do we extol our victory so much? Would we have won the war had it not been for the Mukti Bahini? Aarti Arunachallam (Mon Dec 16 20:07:07 1996 IST): How come, general, an officer like you of such skills and talents failed to become army chief. I think it is a shame after everything you did for this country. Aarti Arunachallam (Mon Dec 16 20:07:31 1996 IST): How come, general, an officer like you of such skills and talents failed to become army chief. I think it is a shame after everything you did for this country. Lt Gen K S Brar (Mon Dec 16 20:07:59 1996 IST): Aarti> when one looks back to those few days between 4th and 16th DEc 1971, 25 years ago, it is a chilling feeling today to realise how bitter some of the fighting was, and to cap it all off, one was amazed how, within a period of 16 days, the operation ended in the fall of Dhaka and the surrender of 91,000 Pakistani soldiers. We had all along known that the Pak army would be defeated, but the speed with which this was done was unexpected. Driving into Dhaka that morning and landing up at Headquarters, Eastern Command to find Gen Niazi greeting us and declaring his intentions was in itself a momentous occasion. Jaswant Srikantan (Mon Dec 16 20:08:46 1996 IST): General Brar, I believe you won a Vir Chakra in the battle for Bangladesh. Could you please describe the circumstances in which you were decorated? How many soldiers did you lose in battle? Balraman Kandoth (Mon Dec 16 20:10:07 1996 IST): Sir, many years ago the Illustrated Weekly published an article about Indian soldiers languishing in Pakistani jails. Do you think it is true? t (Mon Dec 16 20:10:17 1996 IST): Hi Lt Gen K S Brar (Mon Dec 16 20:10:31 1996 IST): Balram>> Your question as to whether we would have succeeded without the help of the Mukti Bahini is an interesting one. I can assure you that we would have succeeded, but it would have taken us a little longer and we would have suffered heavier casualties than we did. The biggest advantage of the Mukti Bahini was that they were a highly motivated lot, thirsting for revenge against the Pak soldiers and at the same time they provided a wealth of information with regard to intelligence of the locations of the Pak troops, which went a long way in helping us to get through the gaps and achieve surprise. Jaswant Srikantan (Mon Dec 16 20:11:17 1996 IST): Thank you for the response. What were the three most important factors responsible for India's victory? Jaswant Srikantan (Mon Dec 16 20:11:50 1996 IST): Thank you for the response. What were the three most important factors responsible for India's victory? Lt Gen K S Brar (Mon Dec 16 20:13:20 1996 IST): Jaswant>> There were a number of lessons that we picked up from the Bangladesh war. For instance, rather than fighting a conventional, stereotyped war and advancing on the axis which are strongly defended by the enemy, it pays rich dividends to fight a somewhat unconventional battle with plenty of flexibility and to take the most unexpected and difficult routes to get to your objective. The element of surprise, we found, was a major battle-winning factor. The other major lesson was to psychologically defeat the enemy by choking him from all directions and forcing him to give up the will to fight. Aarti Arunachallam (Mon Dec 16 20:13:51 1996 IST): Was it true that General Manekshaw, more than any other officer, was reponsible for India's victory? Was it his command that carried off the day? Jaswant Srikantan (Mon Dec 16 20:15:00 1996 IST): If you learnt all those lessons, why didn't you use it at Amritsar in June 1984? Why waste so many lives? Or was the order to annihilate the 'enemy'? Photographs: Jewella Miranda Three Indigenous senators on opposite sides of the political spectrum are demanding an inquiry into Aboriginal corporations, claiming many are syphoning money away from vulnerable communities and traditional land owners. Shadow Indigenous Australians minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, along with South Australian Liberal Senator Kerrynne Liddle, have launched a bid to investigate government funding of First Nations organisations. The proposal was strengthened by the support of Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, who delivered an impassioned speech slamming the government for 'whitesplaining' to her. 'Don't talk to me, Labor, with your whitesplaining speeches, on what you think is best for us, and what your experience has been,' she said during a heated two-hour debate in the chamber on Wednesday night,' the Greens break-away said. Ms Thorpe said there must be a thorough investigation into Aboriginal Land Councils and similar organisations, noting she's witnessed everyone but the traditional owners benefit from deals struck within high levels of the bodies. 'People in the Latrobe Valley are so poor that we have young people stealing food from our old people, and we have a deadly native title corporation up the road raking in millions,' she noted. Shadow Indigenous Australians minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has sensationally launched a bid to investigate allocation of funds to First Nations bodies 'The traditional owners on the ground get nothing. This is ongoing, and will continue to be ongoing unless we hold these corporations to account.' Ms Thorpe supported the motion put forward by Senators Nampijinpa Price and Liddle with minor amendments. The proposal calls for an inquiry into 'the scope of services funded by the Australian government... for Aboriginal organisations'. The inquiry would be expected to deliver findings in a set of key areas by June 30, 2024. Shortly after the bombshell Senate sitting, a government source slammed the motion and told Daily Mali Australia it's nothing but a 'Trojan horse to get anti-voice rhetoric in Parliament'. 'Land Councils are already subject to high levels of scrutiny and accountability. They are elected bodies accountable to members.' The 2023 Labor Budget, delivered in May, committed $1.9billion to initiatives to improve the lives of First Nations people - including $364.6 million to hold the referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. This builds on the $1.2billion allocated in the October 2022 mini-Budget. Ms Liddle presented the motion on Wednesday, demanding that more 'transparency, accountability and outcomes' are badly needed. 'These three words should by the way taxpayer dollars are spent... for too long we have turned a blind eye to a lack of reporting, a lack of accountability and, without a shadow of a doubt, a lack of outcomes,' she said. Ms Liddle presented the motion on Wednesday, calling for 'transparency, accountability and outcomes' 'It is time to take a serious look at those organisations and find out what is really going on - the good, the bad, the ugly and the very ugly. 'No referendum, no Voice, can fix the problems that are plaguing Indigenous Australia. The solution starts with looking at self, not at others.' Ms Liddle said she'd heard countless stories which implied a need for leadership structures to be scrutinised, in the hope of 'ending the self interested power plays, corruption and collusion', noting organisations 'doing the right thing would have nothing to fear'. Her comments were backed up shortly after by Ms Thorpe, who said she is often contacted by board members, traditional owners and her community pleading for 'some kind of investigation or forensic audit into corporations that don't care about the people they say they represent'. 'We have corporations going into deals with mining companies, construction companies. They're making an absolute fortune, which is great, but only the board members benefit... or the family of the board members. 'Disgusting behaviour. Disgusting, Labor. And you know it.' Ms Thorpe said there must be a thorough investigation into Aboriginal Land Councils and similar organisations, noting she's witnessed everyone but the traditional owners benefit from deals struck within high levels of the bodies West Australian Senator Louise Pratt formally refused the motion on behalf of the Labor party, accusing the senators of 'playing politics' and using this as a means of distracting from the Voice to Parliament, which will be put to a referendum this year. 'This is a diversion. It diverts the resources of community organisations. They need to have clear air and space to do that work and participate in the referendum,' she said. Ms Pratt said there have been audits conducted into Aboriginal Land Councils over the years, arguing there 'was not an expectation that these organisations would be perfect', but that a more productive solution is one that 'enables them to engage with their members and lift their standards'. She said a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament could have powers to oversee the kinds of things Ms Nampijinpa Price and Ms Liddle are calling for. 'We might well give them powers so they have direct scrutiny over these organisations,' she said. 'We need to work out what other powers we might give it, to collect evidence to present to this place.' In the interim, Ms Pratt said, these bodies are regulated by the office of the registrar of Indigenous Corporations. Ms Thorpe took particular exception to insinuations that she was jumping on a trick from the No campaign 'I've seen the work that they do in supporting organisations to run properly, according to their own rules and culture, while maintaining consistent with both state and Commonwealth laws. 'Not an easy thing to do, in terms of how you incorporate cultural law and practice from individual mobs into the tenets of an organisation. This motion is nothing more than another distraction from the No campaign in the referendum.' Ms Pratt urged all senators to report any concerns they may have about organisations to the relevant authority to investigate. But Ms Thorpe took particular exception to insinuations that she was jumping on a trick from the No campaign. She said she is 'not doing this for the wrong reasons', citing a petition she created before even becoming a politician, calling for an inquiry into this very topic. At the time, Ms Thorpe amassed about 250 signatures. 'This has been going on for far too long,' she said. The proposal was strengthened by the support of Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, who delivered an impassioned speech slamming the government for 'whitesplaining' to her 'Do you think we would have half the troubles we have today if we could just have a piece of the pie of what these corporations are raking in on our behalf? 'We just want them to share. But we can't even get in the door.' Among Ms Nampijinpa Price's primary concerns are 'the role, governance and accountability requirements of Aboriginal Land Councils and/or similar governing bodies across Australia, their respective members and how these are maintained'. Ms Nampijinpa Price hopes the inquiry will provide clarity on 'how Aboriginal Land Councils or similar governing bodies... are impacting the communities they act on behalf of'. She also mentioned an investigation into 'how Traditional Owners are consulted in making decisions that impact the entire community'. The inquiry, to be held by the Finance and Public Administration References Committee if the motion succeeds, would be asked to consider whether there are other opportunities to 'provide greater community-led benefit'. Ms Pratt said there have been audits conducted into Aboriginal Land Councils over the years, arguing there 'was not an expectation that these organisations would be perfect', but that a more productive solution is one that 'enables them to engage with their members and lift their standards' READ MORE: YES VOTE AND NO VOTE ESSAYS Advertisement Ms Nampijinpa Price opposes the Voice, in part, because she believes there are more tangible ways to support disadvantaged communities. Aboriginal Land Councils are established to represent First Nations people within particular regions, and traditionally advocate the recognition of traditional land rights. These organisations can also negotiate with governments and stakeholders regarding the preservation of Aboriginal land. Ms Nampijinpa Price has previously said if she were in government and working as Indigenous Affairs minister, she would be conducting a 'forensic audit' into all spending for First Nations people, to ensure every dollar has been allocated wisely. She said such a task would weed out where money is being used effectively and give government an option to reallocate money that is not delivering results to grassroots projects that require funding. Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney, she claims, has received suggestions for practical solutions to help disadvantaged communities. Ms Nampijinpa Price questioned whether she was 'waiting on a Voice committee' to put these plans into action. A woman has appeared in court charged with the murder of a 57-year-old woman in Hounslow. Arizo Nour, 33, appeared in custody at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, August 9 charged with murder. She's been remanded in custody to next appear at the Old Bailey on Friday, August 11. A murder investigation had been launched after the remains of a woman were found in a canal in Southall, west London. Police were called to Northumberland Crescent, Feltham, at 22.26pm on Sunday, August 6 to reports of a concern for welfare, the Metropolitan Police said. While no one was found inside the property, officers discovered signs of a disturbance. Police at the scene near the canal off Bulls Bridge Lane where a woman's remains were found After carrying out further enquiries, The Met Police confirmed officers arrested Arizo at Greenford Bridge on suspicion of murder. The remains of a body, believed to be that of a 57-year-old woman, were found on August 7, in a canal off Bulls Bridge Lane, Southall. A crime scene has been put in place in Northumberland Crescent and searches are continuing in the canal, police added. Detective Inspector Ollie Stride, investigating, said that police believe this is an isolated incident. 'A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder and we believe this was an isolated incident,' he said. 'We await formal identification of the deceased, however, specially trained officers are supporting the family. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time. 'Searches are continuing in the area of Bulls Bridge Road and the canal and I appreciate the public's patience while police cordons remain in place.' Police at the scene in Northumberland Crescent where police reported a disturbance Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, in charge of policing in Hounslow, said: 'This is a horrific incident and our thoughts are with the family of the deceased. 'Officers are patrolling the area so please do stop and talk to them.' Enquiries continue. Anyone who has information or footage relating to the incident has been asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting 6952/6AUG. Young Palestinians have been training at the Gaza military summer camp organised by Hamas' armed wing. The annual gathering in Khan Younis on the southern Gaza Strip is no ordinary summer camp - as it trains youths in military combat with a series of dangerous exercises. Pictures released from inside the camp on Tuesday showed brazen young people jumping through flaming hoops and crawling under a tight net of barbed wire. They were put through a series of military exercises and obstacle courses including challenging monkey bars. The stakes were incredibly high even in training, as their somersaults through the rings saw the Palestinians miss the flames only by mere inches. Elsewhere, the group appeared to chant and march together in unison in the slick operation. Young Palestinians somersaulted through rings of fire on Tuesday as part of training exercises on the Gaza strip They crawled under a tight net of barbed wire, yet again risking injury during training Elsewhere, the group appeared to chant and march together in unison in the slick operation Speed and agility appeared key to the exercises - which were part of no ordinary summer camp Those who were too young to join in were pictured clinging to the fence outside, as they were enthralled just by watching the training. Palestinian militant group Hamas controls the Gaza strip and trains the young people at the camp each year. The United States and European Union have designated the group, which took over the Gaza Strip in 2006, a terrorist organisation due to its armed resistance against Israel. It comes after CCTV footage emerged last month appearing to show the moment a 16-year-old Palestinian boy - supposedly unarmed - was gunned down and killed by an Israeli sniper during the Jenin military operation. Abdulrahman Hasan Ahmad Hardan was killed as he stood in front of the al-Amal hospital, which is based outside the Jenin refugee camp. He had been responding to a call from his local mosque to donate blood. In the CCTV video, Abdulrahman was seen appearing empty-handed, as he looked down the street. The boy slumped to the ground after he appeared to be shot by an Israeli sniper. They were put through a series of military exercises and obstacle courses including challenging monkey bars The stakes were incredibly high even in training, as somersaulting through the rings saw the Palestinians miss the flames only by mere inches Young Palestinians demonstrate their skills during a military exercise at a summer camp organised by Hamas' armed wing Those who were too young to join in were pictured clinging to the fence outside, as they were enthralled just by watching the training The boys were put to work with military exercises in the surreal images Some of the most prestigious private schools in the country are to charge parents more than 50,000 a year for the first time. A handful of schools including Cheltenham Ladies College, Concord College in Shropshire, and Harrow School in north west London have all moved above the threshold. Another, Eton College in Berkshire, whose alumni include former Prime Minister David Cameron and Prince William, will charge boarders up to 49,998 per year. It means their boarding fees are well in excess of 16,500 per pupil, per term, for the upcoming school year, which starts next month. Professor James Tooley, the founder of an affordable private school in Durham, warned that middle class parents were being priced out. Harrow School (pictured) in north west London has become among the first private schools to charge more than 50,000 a year Eton College (pictured) in Berkshire will charge up to 49,998 a year in boarding fees for pupils He told the Telegraph: 'It is a crying shame to me that these private schools focus on a particular elite market. 'People at the lower end do need private schools. They want schools who are accountable to them.' Schools are said to be raising their fees for the new academic year as a consequence of the increased cost of food, energy and wages, as well as rising teacher pension contributions. Labour has already said it would end the tax breaks enjoyed by private schools and use the revenue raised to help state schools. Private schools in England can currently benefit from an 80 per cent discount on business rates, and they also do not have to pay VAT on school fees. The influential Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank estimates that removing tax breaks from private schools - including exemptions from VAT and relief on business rates - would raise around 1.6 billion a year in extra tax revenue. With a small movement of pupils into the state sector, costing around 100 million to 300 million a year, this would lead to a net gain to the public finances of 1.3 billion to 1.5 billion a year, the IFS said. But it could mean up to 40,000 fewer pupils could attend private schools as a result. A family in Texas is permanently moving to Italy because of 'police brutality', 'mass shootings' and the 'overall hate' in the US after learning of a scheme selling cheap houses that are otherwise sitting empty. Nadine Dawkins, 59, her husband Kim, 61, and their two children Lorenzo, 29, and DeNae, 27, have bought a house in the Italian town of Latronico in Southern Italy for $46,700. They were inspired to move after reading about Latronicos initiative to sell cheap houses that are already inhabitable. They decided to leave America three years ago following the murder of George Floyd, who died on May 25, 2020 after former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nine and a half minutes. Nadine also hit out at the Donald Trump administration and said the 'racism' and 'divisiveness' had led to an exodus of black people from the US. The family are currently preparing for the life-changing move and will head to Panama shortly before flying to Italy. Nadine Dawkins, 59, her husband Kim, 61, and their two children Lorenzo, 29, and DeNae, 27, have bought a house in the Italian town of Latronico in Southern Italy for $46,700 A family in Texas is permanently moving to Italy because of 'police brutality', 'mass shootings' and the 'overall hate' in the US They were inspired to move after reading about Latronicos initiative to sell cheap houses that are already inhabitable The Dawkins' three-story home in the historic quarter needed little renovation but did require fresh paint on the outside Nadine, a retired former soldier and business woman, told CNN that Floyd's death 'showed the world how we as black people in America have been treated for centuries.' She added that 'all the racism, all the divisiveness, all the hate that the last administration brought to the forefront' has caused an 'exodus' of black people in America who are able to do so. 'Basically, police brutality towards black people, mass shootings from domestic terrorists, and just the overall hate in this country is why we are leaving the USA.' She claims 'black American history has been lost' from American culture. 'We need to get out of America, so we leave. The US is a divided and a very divisive country, voting rights are being rolled back and black history is undone. Im tired,' Nadine added. However, Italy currently has its most right-wing government since dictator Benito Mussolini in the form of the Brothers of Italy party, which has neo-fascist roots. Black people in the country have often complained that racism is not taken seriously and say the issue is rampant. Despite the potential hurdles, in 2021, they purchased their new home in the heart of Latronico within Pollino National Park surrounded by hot springs. The town has a population of just 4,000 people. Nadine sees the move as a way to connect with her heritage as her great-great-grandfather moved to America from Italy in the 19th century. 'After hearing my nonnas stories, I always felt a connection to Italy,' she said. 'As a soldier stationed in the region many years later, I vowed to return. Years more, my husband and I brought our children over to see where they hailed from.' Her Italian relative took on the American name Clint Jeffrey. She does not know much about her great-great-grandmother, Lucinda, who was a slave on an Arkansas plantation when Jeffrey bought her and 'lived out the rest of his days with her'. Nadine added: 'Unfortunately, I have no additional information about Lucinda. All I know is that she was a slave, and he purchased her. 'My grandmother and great-grandmother never told me anything else about her. I believe it was because of such atrocities that slavery, and the memories of it had on them; because of course being born in the 1800s and early 1900s was a hard time for all black people in America.' The family decided to leave America three years ago following the murder of George Floyd who died on May 25, 2020 after former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck In 2021, they purchased their new home in the heart of Latronico within Pollino National Park and it is surrounded by hot springs. The town has a population of just 4,000 people Nadine, who served 30 years in the military, and Kim who works for the US government decided to send an email to Latronico deputy mayor Vincenzo Castellano one night during the pandemic. 'We didnt expect it he contacted us the very next day. We set up a video call, he sent us a video of our selected home,' she said. 'That sealed our fate: We bought the house sight unseen, without going to Italy.' Castellano and his assistant helped them through the sales process and found local businesses to decorate and furnish their new home. The deputy mayor was even handed power of attorney for all the technical issues and was in charge of the translation of the purchase deed into English. The Dawkins' three-story home in the historic quarter needed little renovation but did require fresh paint on the outside. The home has two bedrooms, a kitchen which they enlarged into a huge dining room and an underground cellar. They added two bathrooms to the property. Nadine wants to teach English to the locals once she moves to the town and wants to help put it on the map. 'We love the people,' she said. 'Weve never met one single mean person, everyone offers coffee. One day we met a villager in a store and became like best friends he took us to his house for espresso, even though I dont even drink coffee.' The family plan to spend six months a year in Italy due to tourism visa restrictions and will spend the other six months in Panama. But they will apply for a permanent 'elective residency' visa which requires a certain amount of passive income annually. Their eventual goal is to get Italian citizenship and Nadine hopes to track down the origins of her Italian ancestor. She says the only challenge is overcoming the language barrier but says people are patient when she uses her translator application. An Australian man who crashed his scooter in Bali has been hit with a $370,000 bill because he didn't tick the box for $7 motorbike cover on his travel insurance. Blake Gibb, from Adelaide, travelled with two friends to Indonesia's Lombongan Island earlier this year, where he slammed into a cement wall on his scooter after overshooting a turn. He suffered multiple skull fractures and was transported to Bali's International Medical Centre, where he was put into a coma as he fought for life. Mr Gibb was later transferred to a hospital back in Adelaide in a serious condition. His mother Rosslyn Gibb said travel insurer Freely, backed by Cover-More, agreed to pay for Blake's hospital treatment and medivac on the condition she signed a form saying she would be responsible for the bills if they then denied the claim. 'They (Bali doctors) decided to call the medivac team to get him back to Australia because they were concerned he wasn't going to make it,' Ms Gibbs told Nine News. The travel insurer eventually declined the Gibb's claim because Blake had not added motorcycle cover to the policy he had taken out - an extra that costs just $7. 'He could have easily paid it as it was only a few dollars,' Ms Gibb said. The family has now turned to GoFundMe in their desperate attempt to raise money to cover the $370,000 in medical bills. Blake remains in intensive care in Royal Adelaide Hospital and should be moved to another ward in a few weeks before facing months of rehabilitation. His mother remains confident he will make a full recovery. 'He does little things everyday like he can squeeze your hand or give you the thumbs up,' she said. Blake Gibb crashed his scooter in Bali and was airlifted back to Australia where he remains in hospital Blake (left) and his mates had gone on holiday to Bali She is speaking out to urge others to make sure they take out travel insurance and check it carefully to make sure it covers everything they might need. 'Please, please check your insurance papers thoroughly before you leave the country,' she said. Freely told Daily Mail Australia they are pleased they could help Blake return to Australia and wish him well on his recovery. The insurer added a pop-up screen asking if a customer would like to add motorbike cover is prominently displayed when taking out a policy. Blake was not covered under his travel insurance for motorcycles with his mother urging travellers to check their policies Blake Gibb crashed his motorbike in Bali and was left with a $370,000 medical bill U.S. officials said on Tuesday they have referred 22 more cases involving unruly passengers on airline flights to the FBI for possible criminal charges. The allegations include sexually assaulting female passengers, attacking flight attendants, trying to break into the cockpit, making terror threats, and smoking in airplane lavatories. The Federal Aviation Administration said the incidents happened as far back as late 2021 and as recently as April of this year. The FAA can seek fines of up to $37,000 against unruly passengers, but it lacks authority to file criminal charges; that is why the agency refers some cases to the FBI. A police officer stands on guard at Los Angeles airport. On Tuesday, U.S. officials referred 22 cases to the FBI of misbehavior on planes There have been 1,200 reports of 'plane rage' so far this year - well down from the 6,000 in 2021 Reports of passengers acting up on flights peaked in 2021, with many of the roughly 6,000 incidents involving anger over a since-dropped mask requirement. The number dropped under 2,500 last year and under 1,200 so far this year, the FAA said. The FAA said it has referred more than 270 cases to the FBI since late 2021. Attacks on flight attendants and other passengers became almost routine in 2021. In December 2021, a Delta flight from Washington DC to Los Angeles was diverted after a passenger attacked a flight attendant mid air, and then turned on an Air Marshal. The plane had to be diverted to Oklahoma City, and the male suspect, said to be in his 30s, was taken off the plane in handcuffs, CBS reported. The flight then continued to Los Angeles, where it was scheduled to land at 10:17 p.m. Pacific Time, about two hours late. The officer and the flight attendant did not sustain any serious injuries and did not require hospitalization. Flight DL342 took off from Reagan National Airport at 5:16pm local time, but a mid-air altercation broke out The plane had to be diverted to Oklahoma City, and the male suspect, said to be in his 30s, was taken off the plane in handcuffs Combative passenger on @Delta flight assaults flight attendant and Air Marshal, according to OKC police. Flight #342 from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles was diverted to Oklahoma City where police arrested the passenger. Story: https://t.co/3u0zKJrOQs pic.twitter.com/RHnZX60z3M Eric Resendiz (@abc7eric) December 10, 2021 Twitter Privacy Policy Captain Arthur Gregory with the Oklahoma City Police said an Air Marshal attempted to take the suspect into custody after he 'assaulted a flight attendant,' but he 'proceeded to assault the air marshal.' In April this year, two British men were told they faced federal charges in the US after their plane from Mexico to Britain was forced to divert to Maine. US prosecutors said Damien Murphy and his friend Anthony Kirby, both 36, were detained over their extremely disruptive behavior. The pair are understood to have been partying on holiday with other friends over the New Year weekend. Some six armed officers boarded the Tui flight from Cancun moments after it was forced to touch down at Bangor international airport in Maine, after it was claimed the pair verbally and physically abused passengers and crew. Pictured: Damien Jake Murphy (left) and Anthony Joseph James Kirby (right), both 36 and from Manchester, were detained by US officers and have been charged with federal offences. They could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted In a video filmed by a passenger, the first man, carrying a black hold-all and red plastic bag, walks down the aisle laughing as police escort him off followed by his friend, who pushes past an officer. The two then become embroiled in a verbal altercation with others on board, with one shouting: 'Get off.' One of the men responds by shouting: 'F**got.' A third man dressed in black quietly walks off the plane followed by US police. Murphy and Kirby, both from Manchester, have been charged with federal offences and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. A third man, who has not been named, was not charged. And in April this year, a first class passenger went viral after he was filmed having a tearful meltdown when he was arrested over a row about a pre-take-off gin and tonic. The unidentified man had supposedly requested the cocktail but was denied it by officers - prompting a row that caused staff to call the police. Social media were quick to slam the 'man-child' who was later filmed sobbing as he was arrested on the jet bridge of the American Airlines flight. The clip begins with the man being ordered to leave by officers - to which he refuses. Fellow passengers can be heard begging the man to exit the aircraft but he continues to remain seated as he argues with officers. A first class passenger has gone viral after he was filmed having a tearful meltdown when he was arrested over a row about a pre-take-off gin and tonic At one point he takes out his phone to record the altercation but it is promptly removed from his hand. Officers then yank him from his seat and wrangle with him in the aisle. The man repeatedly yells out 'stop' before bursting into tears. After finally vacating the plane he continues to wail as he falls to the floor and is pinned down by officers who handcuff him. It is not clear why he was refused the gin and tonic or how the situation escalated. American Airlines rules state that first class passengers are entitled to a drink before take-off. The man reportedly complained that he was not guilty of a crime. However the US Department of Transportation says airlines can remove any passenger for reasons relating to 'safety, security or health risk, or due to a behavior that is considered obscene, disruptive or otherwise unlawful.' The mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, has proposed using a controlled burn to destroy an 'extreme' hoarder home allegedly filled with dangerous chemicals and explosives. Mayor Craig Greenberg declared a state of emergency last week, after police shut down their search of the 'horror house' on Applegate Lane and established a secure perimeter. The resident, Marc Troy Hibel, 53, was arrested and charged with wanton endangerment, after police said a search warrant revealed explosives, industrial chemicals, and 'laboratory grade equipment' inside the filthy home. 'I have reviewed pictures from inside the home, and it is extremely cluttered, with garbage and other items all over the place. It appears to be the home of an extreme hoarder,' Greenberg told reporters at a briefing. At a community meeting on Monday, Greenberg and his hoarder task force faced tough questions from residents who fear a demolition burn could release dangerous fumes, but the mayor vowed safety would remain the top priority. The mayor of Louisville, Kentucky has proposed using a controlled burn to destroy an 'extreme' hoarder home (seen above) allegedly filled with dangerous chemicals and explosives Marc Troy Hibel, 53, was arrested and charged with wanton endangerment, after police said a search warrant revealed explosives and industrial chemicals inside his filthy home Police discovered large quantities of picric acid, also known as TNP, as well as TNT and other chemicals and lab equipment in the cluttered home 'If this is the path we go down, we want this house and everything within it to be incinerated,' said Greenberg, who noted the city is still weighing all options to safely clear the home. The hoarder home first came to the attention of authorities after several community members tipped off cops, Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said at a briefing last week. Undercover LMPD detectives visited the home, and Hibel invited them in and showed them his picric acid, a powerful explosive, the police chief said. Cops then obtained a search warrant and returned, detaining Hibel as they searched the home. But the search was hastily called off after police discovered large quantities of picric acid, also known as TNP, as well as TNT and other unknown chemicals in the cluttered home. Gwinn-Villaroel said Hibel appeared to be occupying two adjacent homes: 6211 Applegate, which he does not own but appeared to be living in as a squatter, and 6213 Applegate, which is owned by Hibel, and was filled with his bizarre experiments. 'Let me be clear, 6213 Applegate is an absolute horror house, and due to the large amount of explosive materials and industrial-grade chemicals in a hoarding environment, it is extremely difficult to clear the area safely,' the chief said. The hoarder home (above) first came to the attention of authorities after several community members tipped off cops, who made an undercover visit to investigate 'It appears to be the home of an extreme hoarder,' Greenberg told reporters at a briefing Photos show the interior of 6213 Applegate Lane, where authorities say Hibel conducted dangerous chemical experiments in 'extreme hoarder' conditions Mayor Craig Greenberg declared a state of emergency last week, after police shut down their search of the 'horror house' on Applegate Lane and established a secure perimeter 'The chemical experiments conducted by Hibel were reckless and extremely dangerous. Those experiments are over, and because of that the area is safer now than it has been in years,' she added. Hibel was arrested on June 27 and is currently being held by Louisville Metro Corrections. Officials say he could face additional charges. It was unclear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf. Mayor Greenberg said if Hibel is released on bail, a court order prevents him from returning to the home and continuing his experiments. 'If he went anywhere near that house, law enforcement would be there waiting for him. The house is under 24/7 surveillance by LMPD,' the mayor said. 'No matter what happens, he is not going to get near that house.' Now, officials are faced with difficult decisions about how to handle the explosive-filled hoarder home. At a community meeting on Monday night at Highview Baptist Church, hundreds of residents attended to share their concerns and hear from officials, WAVE-TV reported. In questions to officials, residents expressed fears about the safety of a controlled burn, and whether there might be long-term health effects or damage to area property values. At a community meeting on Monday, Greenberg and his hoarder task force faced tough questions from residents who fear a demolition burn could release dangerous fumes The hoarder home is seen from the street. In questions to officials, residents expressed fears about the safety of a controlled burn, and whether there might be long-term health effects Mayor Greenberg and his task force said that all options are on the table, but that in the event of a controlled burn, neighbors would be evacuated and air quality monitors would be used to ensure safety before they return. If an evacuation is required, residents will get a 48-hour notice, and emergency management will ride through the area blaring alerts on loudspeakers. Any evacuated residents would be provided food, as well as lodging in the event that the evacuation lasted overnight. 'Our hope is that this is as short as possible,' Greenberg said. 'This will be done during daytime hours, and our hope and everything we're planning for right now and based on all the information that we have is that this will be a very short time.' Greenberg said the federal Environmental Protection Agency is being called in to advise on alternatives before the burn moves forward. Fern Creek Fire Chief Nathan Mulvey told residents what to expect in the event of a controlled burn, saying that cracking, popping and whistling sounds are to be expected from a structure fire. 'There obviously is smoke. Smoke is the process of the materials inside the house burning off,' he warned. 'In a hoarding condition, the unfortunate thing is that there's a lot of circumstances where you don't know what you don't know,' the fire chief added. 'We are typically going in to extinguish a fire, we are not in a practice of starting fires.' The Prince and Princess of Wales will lead the tributes to Queen Elizabeth II on the anniversary of her death next month, according to reports. William and Kate will deliver a message to the British people about honouring the legacy of the late monarch and cast their gaze 'forward' to the future, a source told the Mirror. The final details for the address are still being worked out, with decisions set to be made on whether it will made in person, on television or via social media, it is understood. A royal source said: 'Her Majesty's passing was an event that truly signified the end of an era. The Royal Family has been in transition since then and following the Coronation and conclusion of the summer holidays, there will be an expectation to see what is next.' King Charles is reportedly set to take a step back for the commemoration and will be spending his time 'quietly and privately' at Balmoral in Scotland, where the Queen passed away on September 8 last year at the age of 96. The Prince and Princess of Wales are set to lead the tributes to Queen Elizabeth on the first anniversary of her death, according to reports. Pictured: William and Kate with Her Majesty at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2019 King Charles is set to mark the anniversary 'quietly and privately' royal sources have claimed. Pictured: The King with his late mother at Buckingham Palace in June 2022 Charles began his summer break at Balmoral earlier this month, having overseen the period of national mourning after Her Majesty's death and his coronation, as well as his first Christmas Day message to the nation in the last year. READ MORE HERE: Prince Harry walks through airport crowds with polo-playing friend Nacho Figueras in his first visit to Japan in four years to attend philanthropy summit Advertisement His decision to mark the occasion in private mirrors how his mother spent the first anniversary of her own father's death. She stayed at Sandringham from Christmas until after February 6, the anniversary of King George VI's passing. It comes ahead of what is expected to be a busy few months for His Majesty as his long-awaited trip to France, which was postponed at the last-minute amid riots in the country, is set to go ahead. The King and Queen could also visit Kenya in the autumn as the Royal Family tries to make sure ties with the Commonwealth remain strong amid rising calls in some member nations to ditch the monarchy. Sources claim there are no plans for a large-scale public event or family get-together to mark the occasion, although members of the Royal Family are set to go to Balmoral this year for their summer holidays in the usual way. This includes the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with George, Charlotte and Louis, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their teenage children, Louise and James; and Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, along with her son Peter Phillips and daughter Zara Tindall, both with their broods. The beleaguered Duke of York will also be spending time up there with his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, and their young families. The King could also have an audience with the Prime Minister, with reports Rishi Sunak and his family are set to stay at the estate. Charles will stay at Balmoral (pictured) for the anniversary of his mother's death, it is being reported. The Scottish estate is where Her Majesty passed away last year at the age of 96 It is believed there are no plans for a large-scale public event to mark the occasion. Pictured: The Queen's funeral cortege on the journey from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle on September 19, last year But there are practical difficulties to admitting the public to Balmoral, which is a fairly 'fragile' building despite its solid appearance, with little in the way of public conveniences and it needs updating. As one source previously said: '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.' 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. Three have died while one fights for life in hospital The Victorian mushroom poisonings that killed three people and left one fighting for life has 'suspicious elements', claims a top criminologist - as police test a dumped food dehydrator they believe was used to prepare the dish. Erin Patterson, 48, invited her former parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, along with Gail's sister Heather and her husband Ian, to a family gathering at her rural property at Leongatha in Victoria's Gippsland region on Saturday, July 29. All four guests fell ill after eating the meal - believed to be laced with highly toxic death cap mushrooms - and went to hospital the following day. Don and Gail, both 70, and Heather, 66, have since died, while Ian, 68, remains in hospital in a critical condition. Police investigating the mysterious circumstances around the luncheon have also discovered a food dehydrator - which they believe may have been used to prepare the mushroom meal - dumped at a Gippsland tip. The case took a shock twist on Tuesday after it emerged that Erin's ex-husband Simon Patterson fell ill and almost died from a mysterious stomach illness last June. University of Newcastle criminologist Dr Xanthe Mallett said police would be looking at 'all possibilities' during their investigation. The possibilities include that the deaths may have been due to innocent circumstances. 'The question mark police will be investigating is whether the poisoning was intentional or it was misadventure,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Three people have sadly died and we have an unexplained illness. But we don't have enough facts yet to conclude what actually happened.' Erin Patterson, 48, (pictured) invited her former parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, along with Gail's sister Heather and her husband Ian, to a family gathering at her rural property at Leongatha in Victoria's Gippsland region on July 29 Dr Mallett said the circumstances of the mystery illness would likely be re-examined. 'That is something that I would want to do and to ask those questions,' she said. 'To determine whether there is a link.' She said investigators would be keeping an 'open mind'. 'There appears to be some potential for a pattern of unusual illnesses,' she said. 'It may be totally inconsequential but police will be looking at the history to see if there is a pattern of unexplained illnesses.' Dr Mallett said the dehydrator would be used as a key piece of evidence, with forensics to test the device for fingerprints and traces of the mushrooms as well as evidence from the bodies of the deceased. 'They'll be trying to find out who had access to the dehydrator, who came into contact with it and what it was used for,' she said. When asked why police hadn't revealed whether Erin had eaten the mushroom dish, the criminologist said officers would be circumspect about what information they released to the public for 'investigative reasons'. 'They'll be cautious about what [information] they release and when... they don't want the public to jump to any conclusions,' she said. University of Newcastle criminologist Dr Xanthe Mallett (pictured) said police would be looking at 'all possibilities' during their investigation It was revealed on Tuesday that Erin's former husband spent three weeks in ICU and narrowly avoided death after becoming ill with a mystery stomach illness. 'I collapsed at home then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation,' Mr Patterson wrote on social media in June 2022. 'My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice as I was not expected to live. I was in intensive care for 21 days, after which I was in the general ward for a week, and now I'm at a rehab place.' Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Erin Patterson was in anyway guilty or responsible for his illness last year or the three deaths earlier this week. Daily Mail Australia is also not suggesting that the police suspect that Ms Patterson was in anyway guilty or responsible for the illnesses or deaths, only that there is reason to investigate. Ms Patterson, 48, was married to Simon, the son of Don and Gail Patterson. The pair, who share two kids, separated in recent years but, according to police, had an amicable relationship prior to the Pattersons' deaths. Erin has been living at the Leongatha home where the luncheon was held while Simon is understood to be residing at another property. Three people have died and one is fighting for life after they consumed toxic mushrooms over the weekend. Pictured is the Leongatha home where the luncheon was held on Saturday Flowers have been left at the gate of the property as the community reacts to the tragedy What is a food dehydrator? A food dehydrator is a device that removes moisture from food with air and heat to aid in its preservation. The device preserves the nutrients and flavours of the food inside and prevents the growth of yeast, bacteria and mold. People commonly use a food dehydrator to dry fruit, vegetables and meat. Many of the devices have a heating element and a fan that circulates warm air around the unit to dry and remove moisture from foods. Dehydrating foods can create concentrated flavours and crispy textures. Advertisement Daily Mail Australia understands Erin is a stay-at-home mum while Simon is employed in the property industry. Police searched the Leongatha home on Saturday and seized a number of items used during preparation of the meal. A police source close to the investigation told The Age on Tuesday that a food dehydrator was also discovered at a nearby rubbish dump and is also believed to have been used during the lunch. Forensic testing is underway to find any traces of death cap mushroom. Detectives were seen visiting Erin at the property on Sunday night. She was heard 'wailing loudly', according to 7News, before the officers left. The following day, police announced she was being treated as a person of interest in the case. Speaking to reporters outside her home, an emotional Erin Patterson said she was devastated by what had happened and denied any wrongdoing. 'I didn't do anything,' she said on Monday, wiping away tears. 'I loved them and I'm devastated that they're gone.' She then mistakenly confused Don with Ian by expressing her 'hope' that 'Don pulls through', adding her guests had always treated her with kindness. Victoria Police Detective Inspector for the Homicide Squad, Dean Thomas, confirmed on Monday that Erin was being treated as a person of interest. Speaking to reporters outside her home, an emotional Erin Patterson (pictured) said she was devastated by what had happened and denied any wrongdoing Real estate photos show mushrooms growing at the base of a tree at the Leongatha property 'She [Erin] hasn't presented with any symptoms but we have to keep an open mind in relation to this, that it could be very innocent but again we just don't know at this point,' he told reporters. 'We work to try and determine what has gone on, whether there is any nefarious activity that has occurred or if it's an accidental-type situation.' Mr Thomas described the case as a 'very, very complex matter' and said detectives would be working with toxicologists and medical experts. Detectives believe the mushrooms the Pattersons and Wilkinsons ate were death caps. Authorities have urged the public to be wary of consuming any mushrooms not purchased from a supermarket. Death caps are known to cause digestion problems - including nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting - and serious liver damage. In April, the Victorian Department of Health issued a warning to residents about the dangers of death cap mushrooms and yellow-staining mushrooms, which grow across the state in autumn. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. A Sydney franchise of UFC Gym Australia has collapsed into liquidation, owing $1.2million. UFC Macarthur Square, based in Sydney's south-west, went into liquidation a month ago, with all employees sacked a few days later. It comes after the parent companies behind the UFC Gym Australia brand collapsed in May, following a damning court judgement which ordered the owners to pay over $5million back to disgruntled franchisees. A trio of parent companies for UFC Gym Australia, a mixed martial arts gym franchise founded in 2009 with fitness centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and the Gold Coast, went into voluntary administration on May 23. UFC Macarthur Square (pictured), based in Sydney's south-west, went into liquidation a month ago, with all employees sacked a few days later It is the seventh branch to go under or leave the embattled UFC Gym brand in the past six months The collapse of the Macarthur Square gym marks the seventh branch to go under or leave the UFC Gym brand in the past six months. Ian Niccol of insolvency firm Aston Chace Group was appointed liquidator for UFC Macarthur Square, according to news.com.au. Mr Niccol reportedly lodged a document with ASIC which shows that the business has debts of $1.2million. However, around $1million of that figure is owed to the gym's director, Elvis Sinosic, a retired Australian professional mixed martial artist. Mr Sinosic blamed the demise of his business on a lack of government support. '(It failed) as a direct result of the government's mishandling of Covid over the last couple of years and their lack of any support for small businesses,' he told news.com.au. He added that the collapse of UFC Gym Australia's parent companies also led to a 'lack of customer confidence' in the brand. A UFC Gym Australia spokesperson said Mr Sinosic had agreed to relinquish the Macarthur franchise. It has since been taken back by head office. 'The franchisor continues to operate the MacArthur gym uninterrupted and customers have experienced uninterrupted service levels throughout,' the spokesperson said. A judge found that the co-directors of UFC Gym Australia, Mazen Hagemrad (pictured) and Samer Husseini, had misrepresented the gyms financial position in order to sell franchises It comes at a trying time for the UFC Gym Australia brand after the gym's parent company was ordered to pay over $5million to three franchise owners following a messy four-year legal battle. A court found the company and its directors had 'engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct' during the process of selling the franchises. The judge found that the co-directors of UFC Gym Australia, Mazen Hagemrad and Samer Husseini, had claimed two of the franchises were profitable and provided profit forecasts, when in reality they were losing money. A former franchise owner one of the three franchises that took the company to court and won said he feels 'quite dirty' about the saga. One of the directors is reportedly appealing the court judgement. Amazon has revealed where it intends to build Australia's largest warehouse with the facility operated by a fleet of robots. The automated fulfilment centre will be built at a site in Craigieburn, in Melbourne's north, with the facility set to open by 2025. It will be the largest warehouse in the country, with the venue to be the equivalent size of 11 MCGs and five times bigger than Melbourne's Federation Square. The four-storey facility will be constructed on a mammoth 209,000 square meter plot of land and will cost $8.4 billion to build. Amazon Australia country chief executive Janet Menzies told Daily Mail Australia said the latest facility is another sign of the strength of the company's presence down under. Amazon will another warehouse in Australia, with the latest 'fulfillment centre' set to be the largest warehouse in Australia the size of 11 MCGs 'Our customers value fast, free delivery and building sites like this closer to where they live and work allows us to continue to fulfil our delivery promises,' Ms Menzies said. The facility is expected to employ 2,000 people across the centres operations. The world's largest retailer has invested heavily in its operations across Australia. According to findings by investment group Jarden, the US company will be worth $5.5 billion of Australia's retail market by 2024. Amazon already operates six facilities known as 'fullfillment centres' in Australia, with the company unveiling it's latest centre in April 2022. The facility in Sydney's west, currently stores 20 million smaller products across the warehouse on a site just smaller than the centre yet to built in Melbourne. Ms Menzies said Amazon's latest expansion would also be a boost to businesses in delivering their products to customers. Robots will work alongside human employees with the machines tasked on collecting the stock from around the warehouse. The massive warehouse will store up 25 million products and is expected to employ 2000 people in a facility that will be run buy robots Amazon had rapidly expanded it's operations in Australia since it set up shop in December 2017, to go on to open six warehouses and now sells 200 million products Staff will then prepare the packages for shipment to its customers. 'Instead of the associate going to the items, the items are coming to the associate. That helps speed [up] order processing time,' Ms Menzies said. This multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art fulfilment centre is an exciting investment in Victoria, and an investment in jobs in for north Melbourne. 'In our Australian robotics site, at least four people interact with every customer order before it leaves the building en route to customers.' The company is dominating Australia's retail and online shopping market rapidly, overtaking popular Aussie retail companies. The retailer's sales is estimated to be worth $2.6 billion, three times the value of Kogan.com. It has increased it's product range by 60 per-cent to 200 million items across 31 product categories. Brittany Higgins has lashed out at cops who investigated her rape allegations amid claims an inquiry into the case has destroyed the careers of 13 officers. Ms Higgins reactivated her Instagram account on Wednesday morning, following a brief hiatus, to slam the Australian Federal Police officers' handling of her accusation against Bruce Lehrmann in 2021. Mr Lehrmann has always denied raping Ms Higgins in Parliament House in 2019. Ms Higgins claimed on Wednesday: 'These police never wanted to charge my [alleged] rapist, despite the fact that no one, not even the defence, made an application contending that the prosecution was not properly commenced.' 'They were absolutely awful to me. They made me feel violated at every turn. 'I will always remember how small I felt having five senior police officers I've never met in a room belittling me - after I had just spent hours giving evidence in a second [evidence in chief] interview.' Brittany Higgins (pictured with her fiance David Sharaz) alleged that Bruce Lehrmann raped her in Parliament House in 2019. He denies the allegations Ms Higgins lashed out at police in an Instagram post on Wednesday morning (pictured) Ms Higgins accused AFP of being 'awful' to her in a fiery Instagram post on Wednesday (pictured) Daily Mail Australia makes no suggestion that Ms Higgins' assertions are true. She also also brought up the moment detectives 'handed over my most private thoughts taken over years in counselling sessions at the Rape Crisis Centre to [Mr Lehrmann's defence lawyers]'. During the inquiry, police admitted to handing over her private counselling notes to the defence - which was shown to be a mistake, rather than a malicious act. ACT police have since apologized to Ms Higgins for the 'significant error'. In her post, Ms Higgins was responding to a report in The Australian which said a Board of Inquiry into the investigation of her rape claims and the prosecution of Mr Lehrman caused irreversible reputational and emotional damage to several police officers. It was also reported that police conduct was so heavily scrutinised that some officers have left the force altogether, while others have either permanently transferred out of the sex crimes field, or are on long-term sick leave. A spokesperson for ACT Policing told Daily Mail Australia: 'Every officer involved in the matter has retained employment with the AFP.' Bruce Lehrmann (pictured) has always denied raping Brittany Higgins 'The impact of the investigation, trial and inquiry has been individual to each officer. 'ACT Policing encourages officers to take periods of leave to maintain positive mental health and wellbeing in response to the demands of the job.' Former judge Walter Sofronoff, who chaired the inquiry, found police did make some mistakes, but ultimately 'performed their duties in absolute good faith, with great determination, although faced with obstacles, and put together a sound case'. The inquiry was sparked when outgoing ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold sent a fiery letter to police questioning the conduct of officers during the investigation and alleging he had been pressured not to charge Mr Lehrman. Mr Sofronoff's report was formally released by the ACT government on Monday. New detailed bank records show $20 million in payments to the Biden family and their partners from foreign actors in places like Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan during Joe's time as vice president. House Oversight Republicans released documents suggesting Hunter and his former business partner Devon Archer used shell companies to 'hide' millions in payments from overseas companies and oligarchs - though none of the newly released records directly link payments to Joe Biden. The new evidence backs up Archer's bombshell testimony to the committee that Hunter was raking in large amounts of cash from foreign deals, and how his father Joe was present in-person during dinner meetings and sat in on at least 20 phone calls with foreign associates. Hunter Biden used $142,000 wired from a Kazakh oligarch to his shell company to buy a Porsche before setting up a dinner with his father Joe, the bank records show. The bank records also reveal links between Russian billionaire Yelena Baturina and the Biden family, as well as detail $1 million yearly payments to Hunter and Archer for their positions on the Ukrainian oil company Burisma's Board of Directors. Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov and Kenes Rakishev pictured at Cafe Milano Hunter's shell company was wired $142,000 after the meeting - the same amount he used to buy a Porsche They show Baturina - the wife of a former Moscow mayor who has links to Vladimir Putin - wired $3.5 million to Rosemont Seneca Thornton, a shell company belonging to Hunter and Archer, in February 2014. Three-quarters of a million dollars was then transferred directly to Archer, and the rest was used to fund a new company, Rosemont Seneca Bohai. The bank record shows a transfer of $3.5 million on February 14, 2014 and a transfer of $2.7 million to Rosemont Seneca Bohai on March 11, 2014. Then, on March 25, 2014 there were two separate transfers - one for $2.2 million and another for $200,000, to another Rosemont Seneca Bohai account. Archer and Hunter used Rosemont Seneca Bohai to receive other personal foreign payments like those from Burisma. Republicans on the committee claim Hunter Biden then transferred the money to another Rosemont Seneca Bohai account that he and Archer had access to. Democrats are pushing back on the Republican's new release, saying that there is no evidence that Joe received any of the money. 'Committee Republicans have once again released information on financial transactions that do not involve the President. Instead, they rehash the same Hunter Biden business dealings that Congressional Republicans identified at least three years ago,' said top Oversight Democrat Jamie Raskin, D-Md. The bank records provide links between Russian billionaire Yelena Baturina and the Biden family Then-Vice President Biden attended a dinner with Baturina, Hunter, Archer and other at Cafe Milano in Washington, D.C. in the spring of 2014. When Biden sanctioned a slew of Russian oligarchs after the nation's invasion of Ukraine, he left Baturina off the list. Another receipt shows how a Kazakhstani oil oligarch Kenes Rakishev used his Singaporean company - Novatus Holdings - to wire Rosemont Seneca Bohai $142,300 - the exact cost of Hunter's sportscar he bought the next day. According to Archer, Hunter first bought a Fisker electric car but then switched to the Porsche. In 2018, Hunter took photos of himself driving his Porsche at 172mph in Las Vegas and smoking crack behind the wheel in a residential area. During his testimony before the committee, Archer said he did not know the purpose of the wire. But according to email correspondence, Rakishev had wanted Secretary of State John Kerry to visit Kazakhstan. There was a second dinner at Cafe Milano in 2015, where Rakishev, then-VP Biden, Hunter and Archer were present, in addition to Kazakhstan's now-convicted former prime minister and close friend of Rakishev - Karim Massimov. The committee also claimed to have receipts proving that Archer and Biden were paid $1 million each for their role on Burisma's board - or $83,333 monthly. The records show Baturina wired $3.5 million to Rosemont Seneca Thornton, a shell company belonging to Hunter and Archer, in February 2014. Three-quarters of a million dollars was then transferred directly to Archer, and the rest was used to fund a new company, Rosemont Seneca Bohai Baturina then wired $3.5 million to Rosemont Seneca Thornton, a shell company belonging to Hunter and Archer, in February 2014 Hunter's Porsche he purchased after receiving the wire from the Kazakh oligarch. He photographed himself driving a Porsche 172mph and smoking crack behind the wheel The president's son photographed himself smoking crack while driving through a residential area to the airport in June 2018 The new evidence also backs up Archer's revelations that Hunter was raking in large amounts of cash from overseas deals, and how his father Joe was present during meetings or phone calls with foreign associates For 2014 and 2015, Hunter Biden and Devon Archer received approximately $3.32 million, the memo shows. The Oversight Committee has subpoenaed bank records from six different banks and received thousands of records but has not 'yet' subpoenaed bank records for the Biden family. On Tuesday House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called on President Biden to 'give us his bank statements' as Republicans have threatened to launch an impeachment inquiry. At first, aides said the president had 'no knowledge' of his son's overseas deals, but have recently tweaked the narrative to say Joe was 'never in business' with his son. 'It appears no real services were provided other than access to the Biden network, including Joe Biden himself. And Hunter Biden seems to have delivered,' Comer said in a statement Wednesday. 'Its clear Joe Biden knew about his sons business dealings and allowed himself to be the brand sold to enrich the Biden family while he was Vice President of the United States.' Archer testified last week that the Biden 'brand' acted as protection for Ukrainian oil company Burisma. 'I think Burisma would have gone out of business if it didn't have the brand attached to it,' Archer told the committee. Yes23 campaign director says he has 'no confidence' in current Indigenous aid A leading Yes campaigner has admitted he doesn't have 'all the answers' after an caller vented their frustration on live radio over the lack of details about what the Voice to Parliament would mean. While appearing on 2GB's Ben Fordham on Wednesday morning, Yes23 campaign director Dean Parkin fielded questions from regular Australians as to what a vote for the Voice really means. One frustrated caller, Tony, erupted over the lack of answers and details from both the Yes campaign and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The comes just days after a survey from RedBridge found the No campaign has taken a 56-44 lead over the Yes side. Mr Albanese directed a stirring warning to those at the Garma festival on Saturday that the referendum would be the last chance to formally recognise Aboriginal Australians in the constitution for decades. One of the biggest criticisms of the Yes campaign is the lack of details about the Voice with Australians, which is turning off voting in support of the referendum. Tony questioned whether Mr Parkin had all the answers before the Yes campaigner was forced to admit he did not. 'If you don't have all the answers, like I don't, why would you vote Yes?' Tony asked. 'Every time I listen to the Prime Minister in Parliament and he gets (asked) questions, he seems to sidestep the issue. 'Now, whilst that happens, we don't have any confidence at all ... if the questions can't be answered, why (would) we vote Yes and why (would) you vote Yes?' Mr Parkin replied: 'Well, Tony, there's a there's a very simple response to that.' He said he has 'no confidence' in the current infrastructure that is at hand to aid Indigenous Australians. He claimed a Voice would allow for Indigenous Australians to help mould infrastructure that can better assist in improving their lives. 'We are failing right now in Indigenous affairs,' Mr Parkin said. 'Understand that if we continue to do what we're doing right now we're going to see ongoing failure. 'We also know, Tony, that when you involve indigenous peoples in the decisions that affect our communities, when you will allow us to share in some of the responsibility for these changes in our communities, you get better outcomes. 'That is what the voice is all about.' A frustrated Aussie has ranted to Yes23 campaign director, Dean Parkin, over the lack of answers regarding the Voice referendum, asking 'why (would) we vote Yes?' (stock image) Mr Parkin (pictured) stated he will be voting Yes because a change must be made against the 'status quo' in how Indigenous Australians are receiving aid Mr Fordham continued Tony's line of questioning, saying it was 'a bit of a furphy' that there is no Indigenous representation as there were now many Indigenous parliamentarians. 'None of them are directly elected by Indigenous peoples from the communities,' Mr Parkin said. 'None of them have that direct line of accountability back to the community.' His appearance on the show comes just days after the Yes campaign fell 12 points behind the No vote. Polling has found income and education divide voters. Two-thirds of people with a Year 12 and TAFE education intend to vote No, while 56 per cent of degree holders support the Yes case. Similarly, two-thirds of people with annual household incomes below $50,000 a year also plan to vote No. The poll is proving to be a significant indicator in the debate as it is the first conducted since both sides published campaign information pamphlets in July. Holidaymakers driving in certain parts of France have been warned they could be fined if they do not buy a windscreen emissions sticker. The 4 labels, which indicate how polluting a vehicle is, must be ordered from the French government website. Bordeaux is one of 14 areas that now requires drivers to display the Crit'Air sticker, along with Clermont-Ferrand. The 4 labels, which indicate how polluting a vehicle is, must be ordered from the French government website Motorists who fail to abide by the rule face a fine of 68 (58), which rises to 180 (154) if not paid within 45 days. Fines of up to 750 (around 640) will be introduced from next year when camera-based enforcement goes live. There are six different types of sticker, based on a vehicle's air pollutant emissions. The cleanest electric and hydrogen cars require green '0' markers, while the most polluting diesel vehicles need to display '5'. Some areas of France restrict vehicle movements based on their sticker. The capital, Paris, has the strictest regime, with some roads at specific times only open to 0, 1 or 2 marked cars. Road signs, like this one outside Rouen, shows the restrictions for Crit'Air based on the different vignette a vehicle has based on its emissions UK drivers have to ensure they have the right Crit'Air vignette displayed on their windscreens before they cross the Channel and these need to be ordered in advance via the official French Government website as they cannot be bought locally. The cost is 4.61 (around 4), and the sticker is valid for the life of the car. What is the Crit'Air scheme and when was it first introduced? The Crit'Air scheme has been running in Paris since January 2017. And now it is spreading wider across France. It requires all vehicles entering particular locations including those arriving from the UK to display a 'vignette' or sticker that shows how polluting it is based on its Euro emissions category. The cleanest vehicles display a '0' vignette, while the dirtiest diesels have to show a '5' sticker. Cities and towns can then choose to restrict access only to those vehicles that are displaying particular stickers, in an attempt to improve local air quality. Those vehicles that do not qualify for any sticker also face restrictions. The RAC has warned holidaymakers that there are some unofficial third-party sites that are charging up to six times as much for the same sticker, which drivers should avoid at all costs. And the motoring group says other European countries have also introduced emissions regulations. Switzerland has the Stick'Air vignette scheme similar to that in operation in France while cities in Spain require 'DGT' stickers. None of the stickers are valid for the whole of Europe, so UK tourists embarking on road trips will need to check the rules in each country they drive through. RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: 'Many UK drivers will be familiar with clean air zones such as the London Ultra Low Emission Zone, but they should also be ready to encounter them abroad this summer. It's vital anyone travelling to Europe does their homework to see whether an emissions-based windscreen sticker is needed and give themselves enough time to order one before their trip. 'In France, six years after Crit'Air emissions stickers were first introduced in a bid to improve air quality, there are now 12 locations where British drivers' movements can be restricted based on how much their cars emit. 'As time goes on, the regulations also get stricter and within a few years all but zero-emission vehicles will be banned from some city centres.' The 11 other regions in France affected are: Aix-Marseille-Provence; Grenoble; Lille; Lyon; Marseille; Montpellier; Nice; Reims; Rouen; Strasbourg and Toulouse. Six English water companies are facing legal action over allegations of underreporting pollution incidents and overcharging customers. If the cases are successful the companies - Severn Trent Water, Thames Water, United Utilities, Anglian Water, Yorkshire Water and Northumbrian Water - could end up paying over 800million in compensation. Professor Carolyn Roberts, an environmental and water consultant represented by Leigh Day Solicitors, claims they have broken competition laws by misleading the Environment Agency and the regulator Ofwat. She alleges they have been underreporting the number of sewage discharges, resulting in customers being 'unfairly overcharged' for wastewater services. She argues that had sewage discharge reporting been accurate it would have lowered customer bills. (Stock Photo) If the legal action is successful, the six English water companies could end up paying over 800million in compensation The first claim, brought on behalf of eight million people against Severn Trent Water, is estimated to be worth more than 330 million. Further claims will be brought against the other companies in what Leigh Day said is the first environmental collective action case of its kind. Water UK said the accusations are 'entirely without merit' and that 99 per cent of sewage works are legally compliant. Professor Roberts said: 'Like many others across the country, I have viewed with horror the escalating number of stories in the media regarding the volume of sewage discharged into our waterways and on to our beaches. 'The population of the UK has a right to expect that our rivers, lakes and seas will generally be clean, except under exceptional circumstances. 'It appears that because of the serial and serious underreporting at the heart of these claims, water companies have been avoiding being penalised by Ofwat. (Stock Photo) Professor Carolyn Roberts alleges the water companies have been underreporting the number of sewage discharges, resulting in customers being 'unfairly overcharged' for wastewater services 'I believe this has resulted in consumers being unfairly overcharged for sewage services.' Anyone who has paid a water bill to one or more of these companies from April 2020 - or April 2017 for Severn Trent Water customers - may be entitled to compensation if the claims are successful. Leigh Day is seeking money for customers on an opt-out basis, meaning people only have to come forward to claim their compensation if the case is successful. It is bringing Severn Trent Water to the Competition Appeal Tribunal and will issue five further claims against the other water companies over the coming months. If successful, solicitors expect any compensation to be paid by the relevant water company and its shareholders, not by raising customer bills. A Water UK spokesperson said: 'This highly speculative claim is entirely without merit. The regulator has confirmed that over 99 per cent of sewage works comply with their legal requirements. 'If companies fail to deliver on their commitments, then customer bills are already adjusted accordingly.' (Stock Photo) Professor Roberts argues that had sewage discharge reporting been accurate it would have lowered customer bills Zoe Mernick-Levene, partner at Leigh Day, said: 'These claims are hugely significant. Not only is compensation being sought for millions of customers who have and continue to pay higher water bills, but we hope that it will also send a message to water companies that they cannot unlawfully pollute waterways and mislead their regulators without consequence. 'Customers put their trust in water companies, believing that they are correctly reporting these spillages and appropriately treating the sewage so it can safely be returned to the environment. 'Instead, our client believes they are misleading their regulators and customers are overpaying while England's waterways are suffering as a result.' A high profile man seeking a further six months of phone data from the woman he is alleged to have raped will know within days whether he has permission to access the files, a Queensland court has been told. The man was charged with two counts of rape in January over an alleged incident in Toowoomba, about 120km west of Brisbane, in October 2021. His identity remains protected under Queensland law which prohibits the identification of those charged with sexual assault or rape offences until they are committed to stand trial. A high profile man seeking a further six months of phone data from the woman he is alleged to have raped will know within days whether he has permission to access the files, a court has been told A full forensic download of the complainant's phone records had also been requested, but has not yet been agreed to. Lawyer Rowan King, who is acting for the accused, had requested the full data download during a court hearing in July. At the time, the court heard the request was for alleged messages 'six months prior to the offence date'. A prosecutor told the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Wednesday her office had requested further explanation from Mr King. She said her office received Mr King's response on August 3 and required more time to respond. 'This request is still being considered by the office,' the prosecutor said. The court was told Mr King will be informed of the Director of Public Prosecutions' (DPP) decision 'within the week'. The matter was adjourned to August 23 for further mention. A forensic medical report (FMO) had been previously disclosed to Mr King upon request. The court was previously told in July the request was for alleged messages 'six months prior to the offence date' Prosecutors will allege the high-profile man and the alleged victim 'were not known' to each other prior to the date of the alleged offence. The accused, who was not required to appear in court on Wednesday, had his bail continued. Earlier this year several media organisations unsuccessfully applied to the court seeking permission to name the man in the proceedings. That application remains before the courts. The UK and Turkey have agreed a deal to tackle illegal migration by targeting people-smuggling gangs while ministers are seeking a pact to make it easier to return the nation's small boat migrants. The pact, similar to one signed with Albania in December, would speed up the process of sending back Turkish nationals who come to Britain illegally via the Channel. Turkey has been identified as a major hub for smuggling gangs and reports suggest many of the vessels used to cross the Channel are manufactured there. The agreement will see a new operations centre set up in Turkey by the country's national police, as well as faster exchange of customs data and other intelligence. Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: 'We must do everything we can to smash the people-smuggling gangs and stop the boats. People thought to be asylum seekers boarding the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge at Portland Port in Dorset Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the UK's partnership with Turkey 'will enable our law enforcement agencies to work together on this international problem' 'Our partnership with Turkey, a close friend and ally, will enable our law enforcement agencies to work together on this international problem and tackle the small boat supply chain.' More National Crime Agency officers are set to be deployed to Turkey to target criminal gangs and 'death-trap' dinghy factories. READ MORE: Suella Braverman says lawyers who help migrants cheat system should be jailed Advertisement Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said: 'Illegal migration is a global challenge, and this new partnership with Turkey cements our two countries as foremost strategic partners, working together in the fight against organised immigration crime. 'We will be intensively sharing intelligence, people and technology to disrupt and dismantle people-smuggling gangs and the manufacture and supply of materials which enable small boat crossings.' Officials are said to be specifically targeting the network's supply chains and will try to seize items such as engines and life jackets which are vital to their tactics. A future returns agreement with Turkey could prove crucial amid rocketing numbers of Turkish nationals crossing the Channel by small boat. Newly published Home Office data showed Turks were the second largest nationality among Channel migrants making the crossing last month, with 370 people. In just four months April to July 1,359 Turkish nationals have arrived in Britain, compared with 1,076 in the previous 12 months. The number of Turkish migrants coming by small boat has soared in the wake of February's devastating earthquake which left more than 50,000 dead in the country. The ex-husband of a woman who hosted a poisonous lunch where four people fell ill - three of whom have since died - had been invited to the deadly get-together. Sources have told Daily Mail Australia that Erin Patterson, 48, invited her estranged ex-husband Simon Patterson to their former family home for lunch with his parents Gail and Don Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, and her husband Ian on Saturday, July 29. 'Simon was supposed to go to the lunch but couldn't make it at the last minute,' a friend of Simon told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday. Mr Patterson had only just recovered after months of rehabilitation from a mystery stomach illness that left him fighting for life in hospital. Simon Patterson was supposed to join his parents for the lunch that killed them Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms. It's understood that Erin was previously married to their son, Simon The above family tree shows the connections between the Pattersons and Wilkinsons embroiled in the unusual poisoning tragedy in Leongatha Police continue to investigate Ms Patterson after Simon's parents and Ms Wilkinson died from eating the deadly lunch at her Leongatha home, in Victoria's Gippsland region, on July 29. Mr Wilkinson continues to cling to life in hospital. Simon's friend claimed Ms Patterson had been keen to retain the family home, which she had been living in with the couple's children since they split. A neighbour of Gail and Don Patterson told Daily Mail Australia that Simon had lived with his parents after splitting with his wife, but moved out late last year. 'Sunday morning we saw the ambulance pull into their driveway and we didn't know what was happening,' he said. 'They'd been very sort of mobile people. They were always out doing their own lawns. They were pretty active. Don used to go for walks every morning.' The neighbour, who did not wish to be named, described his neighbours as kind people, who likely did maintain contact with their son's ex-wife even after the couple split. 'He was a pretty good sort of a person who wouldn't hold those grudges. I don't know the reason they were there, but probably to see their grandkids,' he said. News of the tragic deaths has been the talk of the small rural community, with allegations Simon may have suffered a serious stomach injury. Simon Patterson lived with his parents while recovering from a serious stomach problem Erin Patterson arrived home to a waiting media pack on Tuesday Mushrooms seen on the family home at Leongatha in Victoria's Gippsland region It was revealed on Tuesday that Simon spent 21 days in intensive care after collapsing at his home in May 2022. READ MORE: Who's who in the Leongatha mushroom poisoning? Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became severely ill after they ate wild mushrooms Advertisement 'I collapsed at home then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation,' he wrote. 'My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice as I was not expected to live. 'I was in intensive care for 21 days, after which I was in the general ward for a week, and now I'm at a rehab place.' Simon continued, writing the treatment 'seemed to have fixed the serious gut problems'. 'I have a big scar on my tummy which is healing itself slowly, and I have ICU acquired weakness which is a common condition of people who lie in intensive care for a long time as I did,' he said. 'I can walk and do all the normal daily functions myself, however my left shoulder in particular is very weak.' The Patterson's neighbour tod Daily Mail Australia Simon had been living with his parents while recovering from that illness. 'After his illness, there might have been a separation,' he said. 'We don't know why they split up. They were a very private family.' Erin Patterson refused to answer questions about what she had cooked her guests The property where the deadly lunch occurred at Leongatha, in Victoria's Gippsland region On Tuesday, Ms Patterson fled her home after refusing to reveal what she served in her victims' final fatal meal. She has denied any wrongdoing and no charges are expected to be laid at this stage of the investigation. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Ms Patterson was responsible for Simon's illness or the three deaths. She had returned home on Wednesday, but remained holed-up inside behind the safety of a large electric gate. Homicide detectives searched the property on Saturday as part of their investigation, seizing a number of items, including a food dehydrator believed to have been used to prepare the mushrooms. A police source close to the investigation told The Age on Tuesday police were conducting forensic tests on the dehydrator - which was found at a nearby tip. Ms Patterson was apparently unharmed by the food, if she ate any at all. The home of Gail and Don Patterson remained empty on Wednesday Erin Patterson hauls a suitcase into her red MG before driving off Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became severely ill after they ate wild mushrooms. Mrs Wilkinson died on Friday while her husband remains in a critical condition in hospital On Tuesday, Ms Patterson was confronted by a media contingent keen for answers. But the stay-at-home mum provided few, telling reporters to get off her property. 'What happened is devastating and I'm grieving too and you guys don't have any respect for that,' she said. Ms Patterson was forced to navigate around a media scrum to enter her front door. 'Can I just get to my door, stop standing in front of me,' she said. Ms Patterson refused to answer what dish she served her tragic guests, who are believed to have ingested poisonous mushrooms. A black dog rushed out of Ms Patterson's home as she opened the front door, infuriating her further. 'You don't have any permission to be on my private property or harass me,' she said. 'This kind of behaviour will send someone right off a bridge.' Asked 'How she was going' by a reporter, Ms Patterson stated the obvious. 'I'm going ***house. Thanks for asking. You guys aren't helping,' she responded. Moments later, Ms Patterson was seen loading a suitcase into the boot of her red MG and leaving. This desperate scene was played out on a Tuesday morning this summer at a holiday beach packed with sailors and sunworshippers. Brazenly, with no fear, a traffickers' black rubber dinghy swoops in 11 yards from the shoreline to pick up 40 waiting, and soaked, migrants desperate to leave France for Britain. In the frenzy, a hijab-wearing mother is turned away from the packed boat. With her husband, their baby girl in his arms, she is left waist-deep in the sea to wade back to the beach. Another mother is separated from her two children, aged five and seven. They get on board, leaving her behind, forlornly crying the words: 'I hope they don't die.' A series of dramatic pictures of the boat pick-up were captured by a French photographer at Boulogne-Sur-Mer, 31 miles across the Channel, on July 18. A traffickers' black rubber dinghy swoops in 11 yards from the shoreline at Boulogne to pick up 40 waiting, and soaked, migrants desperate to leave France for Britain Migrants sit onboard an inflatable boat before attempting to illegally cross the English Channel to reach Britain, off the coast of Sangatte, northern France, on July 18 Police officers carry out checks on migrants who tried to board the inflatable boat on the beach of Sangatte They were snapped within hours of the British Government successfully pushing through Parliament its new Migration Bill against opposition from the House of Lords, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, many Labour MPs, and UK charities, all outraged it intends to stop illegally arriving migrants staying in Britain. The pictures show that traffickers are still at the top of their game. They have not gone away and perhaps never will while passengers can be drummed up and millions can be made. They change tactics as quickly as a speedboat turns to outwit the French police. Today 4,000 migrants of all nationalities, from Turks and Iraqis to Vietnamese and Iranians, wait on the French coast to get to the UK. They will all have come through safe countries, including France, to get this far. Once at the coast, the traffickers wind them up into hysteria by telling them the boats are about to be stopped by the British. Many charities tell them much the same story. These are tired and desperate people whose logic, like lemmings, has disappeared. For, after all, what still sane parent would put their child on a flimsy traffickers' boat across the busiest waterway in the world? Migrants are seen getting on a boat at Boulogne while tourists paddle alongside the shore The boat pick-up were captured by a French photographer at Boulogne-Sur-Mer, 31 miles across the Channel, on July 18 In the frenzy, a hijab-wearing mother is turned away from the packed boat. The woman, her husband and baby are forced to return to the beach Care4Calais, the British charity advising migrants in France and Britain on their human rights, says on its website: 'Every day you hear stories from people of the violence, persecution and suffering they have escaped in their home countries... and their dangerous journeys to reach Europe.' Under the headline 'panic and fear now gripping refugees', it adds that once in France 'they are ever more scared of what will happen now because of the new UK law. People in northern France are taking even more risks to get to the UK before it is acted on'. The Boulogne pictures are a case in point. The seaport is 31 miles from the UK, ten miles further than the quicker journey from Calais. Ignoring the extra dangers of more hours at sea, traffickers have started using it as a launching point to avoid regular police beach patrols further north along the coast. During the early morning and day of July 18, Boulogne authorities say 17 boats from their area tried to leave for Britain. Eleven were intercepted by the French, and six, including the taxi dinghy, are said to have reached Dover after rescues at sea by British Border Force. One French aid worker is quoted in the local newspaper La Voix du Nord as saying of the taxi boat: 'In a few seconds, there were 40 on board. Law enforcement was powerless.' The photographer, Johan Ben Azzouz, explained: 'When the migrants waited in the water, there was no boat yet there. It arrived, like a taxi, directly by sea. The police do not intervene as soon as the people are off the beach. 'It is, therefore, less risky for them [the migrants] to run into the water to meet a boat coming in to them. They used to take a small boat hidden in the dunes, and cross the beach with it.' He confirmed the boat was so heavy with passengers that traffickers running the taxi forced some of them off to return to the beach. Care4Calais, whose lawyers advised asylum seekers who this week rejected accommodation on the Bibby Stockholm barge moored at Portland in Dorset, seems to believe the horrific sights on the Boulogne beach are the UK's fault. Its website is also highlighting the desperation of 20-year-old Ali, a Sudanese migrant waiting in France for a traffickers' boat. Without posting a surname or picture, the charity says he has, remarkably, 'read about the Migration Bill becoming law. He thinks if he goes to the UK he will be imprisoned on a barge, or sent to Rwanda'. One is tempted to ask why Ali still wants to come with such a fate in store? It calls on charity leaders to demonstrate they are on 'the right side of history' Parent groups have called for the head of Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity to resign over her public support for a controversial transgender activism campaign. Louise Parkes, the chief executive of the charity, is one of the high profile signatories of a political pledge called Stand With Trans, an initiative that calls on charity leaders to sign up to demonstrate they are on 'the right side of history'. The move comes as the top children's hospital in London was named last month as one of the new child gender care centres in the wake of the closure of the Tavistock clinic. Stand With Trans, a campaign launched in June by the Charity So Straight, claims the sector must stand up to transphobia, which it defines as propagating ideas 'such as trans as an ideology or contagion'. The new group's website states: 'Never before have we seen so much hatred directed at the trans and non-binary community, 'And never before has the American ultra-conservative transphobic movement influenced UK culture to the degree it is doing right now.' (File Photo) Parent groups have called for the head of Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity to resign over her public support for a controversial transgender activism campaign Ms Parkes, chief executive of the GOSH charity, said that she was backing the campaign 'because I believe in equity for all'. But Stephanie Davies-Arai, founder of Transgender Trend, a parent-led group concerned about the rise in children saying they are trans, claims Ms Parkes had made a 'huge error of judgment'. She said: 'Although the CEO of the GOSH charity is not involved in the clinical or operational aspects of the new children's gender clinic, it is nevertheless very concerning that someone who represents the hospital in their work would sign such a controversial document. 'The statement she endorses is political propaganda with a clear agenda to intimidate people into silence. It is also a statement of no confidence in Dr Hilary Cass and her careful work. The CEO should resign.' Great Ormond Street Hospital is lined up to be one of the new regional centres that will provide care for young people under 18 who are struggling with their gender identity. It will replace Tavistock's Gender Identity Development Service, which was told to close by the NHS last July after it was criticised in an independent review. The review, led by Dr Hilary Cass, said that GIDS was leaving young people 'at considerable risk' of poor mental health and distress. A spokesman for the Bayswater Support Group, representing the parents of trans children, added: 'This action does not inspire confidence in the ability of GOSH to deliver the holistic, evidenced-based care required by the Cass reforms, free from political agendas. 'Parents need to know that new services are free from ideological bias and activism.' (File Photo) The move comes as the top children's hospital in London was named last month as one of the new child gender care centres in the wake of the closure of the Tavistock clinic In May, it was revealed that Susie Green, former chief executive of trans youth charity Mermaids, which has lobbied for children under 16 to be allowed to take cross-sex hormones, had a direct line to the director of the Tavistock. Correspondence between Ms Green and the clinic, released under the Freedom of Information Act, revealed that she was also involved in the redrafting of the service specification for GIDS. A spokesman for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust said: 'The new service is being developed in line with the Cass Review recommendations which are underpinned by the latest evidence. The new models of care are being agreed by NHS England. 'GOSH Charity is a separate organisation and has no involvement in the decision making and delivery of this new service.' A Great Ormond Street Hospital official added: 'We are doing this [the new children and young person's gender service] in partnership with colleagues from Evelina London Children's Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.' Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has claimed she received confirmation the document containing the Uluru Statement from the Heart is actually 26 pages long. The revelation prompted a swift denial from the government agency at the centre of the storm - the National Indigenous Australians Agency - who wrote to Senator Nampijinpa Price to insist 25 of the 26 pages are filled with contexual notes about the discussions which led to the Statement. Since 2017, when the convention took place, the final Statement has been touted as a one-page, 439-word 'generous' call to unite Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly said it fits on one A4 page, so there is no fine print detail. In the five years since its creation, it has been read aloud at events all across the nation. However, a lengthy, 26-page document has been obtained under Freedom of Information which offers detailed context about how the Statement came to exist, prompting some speculation the Statement itself has a longer form. Within this document are calls for reparations, 'rent' to be paid, and a reconsideration of land rights, but such words were never included in the Statement itself. Fears that such matters are on the agenda if the Voice to Parliament gets approved at the upcoming referendum have been cited as a significant factor in the weak support for the Yes campaign. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly said the this proposal fits on one A4 page. He held up a piece of paper, with the Uluru Statement, in parliament on Tuesday Mr Albanese has repeatedly said Labor is committed to adopting the Uluru Statement from the Heart 'in full', i.e. the single page statement. Senator Nampijinpa Price - who is a leading 'No' advocate of the Voice to Parliament - told Sky News on Tuesday night that her office received confirmation the full document within which is contained is 26 pages long. 'My staff got a phone call at 12.54 this afternoon with a verbal clarification that the document is, in fact, the 26 pages and not just, of course, the one page,' she told Peta Credlin. However, the National Indigenous Australians Agency contests Senator Nampijinpa Price's understanding of the conversation. In a letter sent to her office, the NIAA argued that they simply confirmed the information available online about the document 'was accurate'. 'The Uluru Statement from the Heart is one page, signed by the delegates at the National Convention in 2017,' the letter reads. 'The authors of the Uluru Statement from the Heart have confirmed that. 'The additional pages contained in Document 14 are background and excerpts from the regional dialogues.' Senator Nampijinpa Price responded stating the letter 'appears to be at odds' with the information available to her, and vowing to 'pursue the matter vigorously in Senate estimates'. Mr Albanese has repeatedly said Labor is committed to adopting the Uluru Statement of the Heart 'in full' During Question Time on Tuesday, Mr Albanese rubbished suggestions the Uluru Statement itself is longer than one page, describing it as a 'QAnon theory'. 'That is a conspiracy in search of a theory, Mr Speaker,' the PM said. 'It is something that has been out there, like a whole lot of the QAnon theories, we have all sorts of conspiracy stuff out there, but this is a ripper. 'That is the Uluru Statement from the Heart on an A4 bit of paper. That is it,' he said, waving a piece of paper in the air. Since Ms Nampijinpa Price's revelation, key members of the Yes campaign, including Yes23 director Dean Parkin and Professor Megan Davis, have launched a media blitz to explain the history of the document. Prof. Davis is now asserting the Uluru Statement is one page, and describing the other content as background, and documentation of the lead-up discussions. However in 2018, Prof. Davis had a very different view, telling a convention that: 'The Uluru Statement from the Heart isn't just the first one-page statement; it's actually a very lengthy document of about 18 to 20 pages, and a very powerful part of this document reflects what happened in the dialogues.' The document clarifies that Makarrata is another word for Treaty, which is another word for agreement making. The terms can be used interchangeably Senator Nampijinpa Price - who is a leading 'No' advocate of the Voice to Parliament - revealed on Sky News on Tuesday night that her office received confirmation the document is 26 pages long Seeking to clarify, Prof. Davis now says: 'The first page, the one page, is the statement and the rest shows how our mob worked that out in the course of the two years that we did this work,' she said. She said the 'Our Story' part of the report has never been a secret. 'When we encourage all Australians to inform themselves by reading deeply, that is distorted and weaponised by a No campaign that has no alternative and is intent on misinformation and division,' she said. And Mr Parkin elaborated further, telling 2GB's Ben Fordham: 'The additional documents that are being talked about are the inputs. These are the broader consultations that happened in the lead up. 'It was about making sure that people understand that there is substance that led into the process, that led to that final one-document page.' But there are concerns about the contents of the broader document, as it shows the agenda of those who framed the Uluru Statement, which the government is intent on adopting in full. Within the 26-page document is discussions about land rights, reparations and sovereignty. 'At the heart of our activism has been the long struggle for land rights,' the document states. 'The taking of our land without consent represents our fundamental grievance against the British Crown. 'There is Unfinished Business to resolve. And the way to address these differences is through agreement making.' The document clarifies that Makarrata is another word for Treaty, which is another word for agreement making. The terms can be used interchangeably. Mr Albanese rubbished suggestions the Uluru Statement itself being longer than one page, describing it as a 'QAnon theory' 'This is the culmination of our agenda,' the document states - a line which did make its way into the final version of the Uluru Statement. 'It captures our aspirations for a fair and honest relationship with government and a better future for our children based on justice and self-determination. 'Through negotiated settlement, First Nations can build their cultural strength, reclaim control and make practical changes over the things that matter in their daily life. 'By making agreements at the highest level, the negotiation process with the Australian government allows First Nations to express our sovereignty.' Yes23 director Dean Parkin told 2GB's Ben Fordham: 'The additional documents that are being talked about are the inputs. These are the broader consultations that happened in the lead up How '26-pages' debate has sparked feud at Sky News Sky News hosts Peta Credlin and Chris Kenny are at odds with each other over this document, accusing one another of spreading 'nonsense' and 'telling lies' about it. Credlin, who fiercely opposes the Voice, traded barbs with Kenny, who claimed she was spreading a 'furphy' about the Uluru Statement of the Heart being a 26-page document rather than just 440 words. At stake is whether the Uluru Statement has a wider agenda of change than just the 'advisory body' of the Voice, which Kenny as a supporter of the proposal denies. Kenny said claims the Statement contained steps towards a treaty between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians as well as calls for more 'truth' telling about colonisation 'were nonsense'. 'Credlin's claim hinges on the fact that in some public service Word document or some filing, they've put another bunch of pages in the same batch of documents with the Uluru Statement,' Kenny said. Chris Kenny rubbished claims by fellow Sky News host Peta Credlin that the Uluru Statement of the Heart was longer than the one page commonly referred to 'These pages are not the Uluru Statement, they are not government policy, they have no status whatsoever.' Credlin accused the unlikely allies of misleading Australians in the lead up to the referendum expected to be held in October or November. 'Now, I'm all for alternative points of view, but you can't have alternative facts and no one, least of all prime ministers, get to mislead the house,' she said. Credlin added that 'one of the strengths of Sky (News) is that there's no group think here, all of us, all the hosts are free, indeed encouraged to speak our mind'. Credlin cited Voice architect Megan Davis and an FOI request to show that the Statement from the Heart was a 26-page document However, she accused Mr Albanese and Kenny of trying to hide 'the whole box and dice' of the full Statement because it outlines 'the Voice, treaty and truth'. The FOI released document can be found on the NIAA website and is listed as Document 14 in a collation of material from the convention. Credlin said the government's FOI lawyers had twice confirmed to the person who made the FOI request that the 26-page addendum was the full Uluru Statement of the Heart. The first of the 26 pages, which has normally been considered as the whole Statement, was just the introduction, according to Credlin. 'He (Mr Albanese) and Chris Kenny can't credibly claim that the FOI lawyers in the government's own Indigenous agency are somehow wrong when they confirm what I have told you,' Credlin said. 'That document runs to 26 pages including three pages of road map diagrams. 'It's all there including reparations calculated, perhaps on Australia's GDP, paid to Aboriginal people.' A referendum will be held at un unspecified date later this year where Australians will vote on whether to recognise Indigenous people in the Constitution by the establishment of the Voice. To pass the referendum must gain assent from an overall majority of voters and also be approved in a majority of states. A leading independent school was once a cesspit of sadism and paedophilia, survivors have claimed. The focus of the latest phase of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI), which started yesterday, will focus on Edinburgh Academy. On the opening day of the latest hearings, the EA Survivors Group stated its membership was the tip of a very big iceberg. Its 40-odd members, who all suffered abuse between the years of 1960 and 2000, include broadcaster Nicky Campbell, who has previously spoken of his time at the school. Group spokesman Giles Moffatt said: Let there be no doubt, the Edinburgh Academy was once a cesspit of sadism and paedophilia. Past headmasters and governors have been oblivious, indifferent and downright callous about what happened on their watch. Our little group of 40-odd is the tip of a very big iceberg, which is why we are looking to this inquiry to look into the history without fear or favour. The Edinburgh Academy hearings follow similar inquiries into other leading Scottish schools including Fettes College and Loretto. The latest phase of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI), which started yesterday, will focus on Edinburgh Academy The 40-odd members of the EA Survivors Group, who all suffered abuse between the years of 1960 and 2000, include broadcaster Nicky Campbell, who has previously spoken of his time at the school The broadcaster, (pictured as a child) is one member of the EA Survivors Group The Edinburgh Academy hearings follow similar inquiries into other leading Scottish schools including Fettes College (pictured) and Loretto Mr Moffatt added: We feel for those who gave evidence at similar hearings before us. Many went in blind and had limited power against the institutions which let them down. We would like to thank Police Scotland and the Crown Office for the decisive action they are taking. We also recognise that the Edinburgh Academy of today is a considerably better place than years gone by. The SCAI has been investigating the provision of residential care for children at boarding schools for a number of years. Evidence about Fettes College was heard in 2021, when some witnesses also spoke about Edinburgh Academy. That evidence was not considered in detail. SCAI chairman Lady Smith said: After we completed our evidential hearings, a significant number of applicants and other witnesses came forward to provide evidence of their experiences at the Edinburgh Academy. So many that I decided their evidence needed to be explored in another set of public hearings. More than 30 witnesses will be heard and over 20 witness statements will be read out. In a previous statement, Edinburgh Academy said it deeply regrets what happened in previous decades and wholeheartedly apologised to those involved. It said it has robust measures in place to safeguard children at the school. Three people including a child have been rushed to hospital after being attacked by dogs at a home in Far North Queensland. The attack occurred at a house in Gordonvale, near Cairns at about 7.45am on Wednesday. 'Three patients were transported to Cairns Hospital in stable conditions with puncture wounds sustained by dogs,' Queensland Ambulance Service tweeted. Three people including a child have been rushed to hospital after being attacked by dogs at a home in Far North Queensland (stock image) A spokesperson for Queensland Ambulance Service said the child suffered wounds to their hand, while another patient was bitten on the leg. The third person was also bitten on their hands. It comes after the Queensland Government asked residents for input on measures to crack down on irresponsible pet owners to protect people from dangerous dogs. Queenslanders were invited to have their say on proposals such as potential jail time for the most serious attacks, a standardised state-wide requirement for all dogs to be effectively controlled in public places and the banning of restricted breeds. Other proposed measures included on-the-spot fines for off-leash dogs. Queenslanders can have their say in an online discussion paper. The former chief financial officer of Tesla, who stepped down on Friday, made an astonishing $590 million in his final four years at the firm, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. Zachary Kirkhorn, 39, stepped down as Tesla's CFO after 13 years at the company. His departure raised questions about who might succeed Musk, 52. Tesla has no clear second-in-command, but Kirkhorn had been discussed by the board as a possible successor to Musk as CEO, The Wall Street Journal reported in May. Although no longer CFO, he will remain at the Austin, Texas-based firm until the end of the year to 'support a seamless transition,' the company said. Vaibhav Taneja was named CFO in addition to his current role as chief accounting officer, the company said in a regulatory filing on Monday. Zachary Kirkhorn, 39 (center) announced on Friday he was stepping down as chief financial officer Musk on Monday thanked him for his work over the last 13 years - four of them as CFO Kirkhorn is described as a calm presence among Tesla executives, and someone who helped turn Musk's ideas into reality. Sources told The Wall Street Journal that the pair were like the legendary Apple executives, likening Kirkhorn to Tim Cook, and Musk to Steve Jobs. On Tuesday it emerged that the University of Pennsylvania-educated executive made $590 million since he was appointed CFO in March 2019. The compensation was largely given in shares and options, Bloomberg reported. Kirkhorn's compensation was comparatively modest, with a base salary of $300,000 in 2022. He was also awarded $31,099 in previously-accrued paid time off that was applied toward the purchase of a Tesla, according to the company's most recent proxy filing. He cashed in $6 million in Tesla shares this year. During his time as CFO, Kirkhorn sold roughly $49 million worth of Tesla stock, according to Equilar. His fortune pales in comparison to his boss, who is worth $230.6 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Kirkhorn and other Tesla executives were not part of the huge pay rise Tesla's board awarded Musk in 2018, which made him the richest man in the world. Kirkhorn joined Tesla as a senior financial analyst, after two and a half years at the consultancy McKinsey. He has given no indication of his next step. Kirkhorn studied mechanical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania before spending two and a half years at McKinsey, then joining Tesla 'Being a part of this company is a special experience and I'm extremely proud of the work we've done together since I joined over 13 years ago,' Kirkhorn wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday. Musk on Monday acknowledged Kirkhorn's efforts at the company. 'I would like to thank Zach Kirkhorn for his many contributions to Tesla over the course of 13 often difficult years,' he tweeted. 'Much appreciated and best wishes for the next stage of his career.' Kirkhorn's successor Vaibhav Taneja, 45, has been chief accounting officer since March of 2019, and served as controller since May 2018. The residents of an Alaska home that was swept away in raging floodwaters after a glacial dam burst have spoken out, telling DailyMail.com of their shock as footage of the disaster beamed around the world. Elizabeth Wilkins and her partner Tom Schwartz were traveling in Oregon when the raging Mendenhall River hit their rental home in Juneau on Saturday, sweeping away cherished mementos and sending their cat Leo to an uncertain fate. 'Both of us were in total disbelief, we had just paddled the river a couple of weeks before in packrafts,' Wilkins told DailyMail.com in a phone interview on Tuesday night. 'We had just moved all of our things into the house.' Wilkins and Schwartz, both teachers in the Juneau School District, had been renting the home from their friends Joe Buffaloe and his wife Elizabeth Kent, who is also a schoolteacher, and currently teaching in Nicaragua while on leave from JSD. Buffaloe and Kent also lost precious belongings in the flood, though in a lucky twist of fate, a trove of their family photos was recovered from the river, largely undamaged, by kayakers on Sunday. It took just seconds for the house to collapse into the water during the heavy flooding on Saturday, after a glacial dam burst on the Mendenhall River Tenants Elizabeth Wilkins and her partner Tom Schwartz were traveling in Oregon when the raging Mendenhall River hit their rental home in Juneau, Alaska, on Saturday Wilkins and Schwartz's cat Leo is now missing, after a neighbor who had been feeding the pet was unable to safely reach the home before the building was swept away Though nobody was injured in the calamity, Wilkins and Schwartz's cat Leo is now missing, after a neighbor who had been feeding the pet was unable to safely reach the home before the building was swept away. However, Wilkins held out hope Leo would be found safe, telling DailyMail.com: 'He's a pretty smart kitty. You know, he's an Alaska cat. So he's got some good survival skills.' She and Schwartz watched the disaster unfold nearly in real time as neighbors sent photos and videos of the home being swallowed by the Mendenhall River as it swelled to unheard-of levels. 'It wasn't too long before we knew that our house had vanished. And then it was all over the national news, which was even crazier,' she said. Normally, the home is about 100 feet away from the river, separated by a wide backyard and tree line. But on Saturday, a dam of snow and ice burst dramatically in a phenomenon known as jokuhlaup, sending a huge surge of floodwater down the river. 'The glacial dam release was unprecedented, it was way higher than normal,' said Wilkins. Levels along the Mendenhall River had begun falling by Sunday and returned to normal levels Monday, but the city said river banks remained unstable. The land around the home rapidly eroded over several hours before the building was no longer supported and was dragged into the water Normally, the home is some 100 feet away from the river, separated by a wide backyard, as seen in the photo above taken from the riverbank 'Both of us were in total disbelief, we had just paddled the river a couple of weeks before in packrafts,' Wilkins told DailyMail.com Just weeks ago, the river looked very different. On Saturday, a dam of snow and ice burst in a phenomenon known as jokuhlaup, sending a huge surge of floodwater down the river On Tuesday night, Wilkins and Schwartz were preparing to fly back to Juneau, where they planned to launch a search for missing Leo. 'I'm just so amazed that our community,' Wilkins said, saying that neighbors in Juneau had launched a GoFundMe campaign to help them get back on their feet. 'People have just been helping out with every single thing, and it's been really touching, and I think that's one of the best things about living there is we have an incredible community,' she said. Meanwhile, family members have also launched a GoFundMe campaign to support the homeowners, Kent and Buffaloe, who are currently living in Nicaragua. Their daughter Addy is in her first year of college, and was surprised to see an Instagram post of her family photos that had been retrieved from the river. 'As my family returned from a kayaking trip on Sunday, my son Liam came across a floating dining table leg among other debris,' photojournalist Michael Penn wrote in the post. 'When we got into cell phone range we learned of the glacial dam outbreak, flooding along Mendenhall River and the loss of peoples homes,' he continued. 'We collected floating foam insulation as we paddled back through a debris field. Liam lassoed a couch cushion and towed it back. Then I found a waterlogged Ziploc bag of pictures labeled with just Family,' he added. 'I would like to return this pictures to the owners. Please send me a message if you recognize and know these people.' Addy quickly saw the post and responded: 'those are my family photos!' A fundraiser was also launched for a family who live next door. The Dorsey family were told their insurance would not cover the damage after their unit in a condo building was damaged. Homeowners Joe Buffaloe and his wife Elizabeth Kent (above), who is also a schoolteacher, are currently in Nicaragua, where she is teaching temporarily Another home hangs over the edge of an eroded riverbank after part of the neighboring house fell into the Mendenhall River in Juneau on Sunday The Mendenhall River flooded on Saturday following a major release from Suicide Basin above Alaska's capital city, a news release from the City and Borough of Juneau said. At least two buildings were destroyed and residents of other at-risk properties were evacuated during the incident. Videos posted on social media showed towering trees along the river bank were initially pulled into the rushing waters. As the bank continued to recede across several hours, the home, teetering at the edge, collapsed into the river. River levels began falling on Sunday but the city said the banks of the river remained highly unstable. Some roadways were blocked by silt and debris from the flooding, it said. Such glacial outburst floods happen when glaciers melt and release massive amounts of pent-up water into nearby rivers. A study released earlier this year found such floods pose a risk to 15 million people around the globe, more than half of them in India, Pakistan, Peru and China. Suicide Basin has released water that has caused flooding along the Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River since 2011, according to the National Weather Service. However, the maximum water level in the lake on Saturday night exceeded the previous record flood stage set in July 2016, the weather service reported. Weather experts had predicted just a one percent chance of the flooding which took place. 'We didn't even think that this was possible,' said National Weather Service Juneau hydrologist Aaron Jacobs. Witness Sam Nolan, who filmed the moment the home collapsed into the water, said: 'It was really sad to see, but all we could do was stand there and watch.' Robert Barr, Deputy City Manager for the City and Borough of Juneau, said: 'We continue to have teams out in the field. Right now, one of the things we're doing is visiting residences and making assessments about whether or not they're occupiable or not.' Her family wants an inquiry in the death A heartbroken family are demanding answers after a young mother-of-two died following a seizure in her car outside Coles. Jamikka Binge-Olive, 28, was allegedly bashed at the Casinos RSM Club, in the Northern Rivers region in NSW, on June 23. Ms Binge-Olive and her brother waited 58 minutes for an ambulance, before opting to drive to the Casino and District Memorial Hospital. She was then sent home after receiving a stitch to her eye and paracetamol. One month later Ms Binge-Olive was in her car outside of a Coles supermarket when she had a seizure and died. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest there is any link between her injuries and her subsequent death. Young mum Jamikka Binge-Olive, 28, (pictured) died after suffering a seizure in her car outside of a Coles one month after allegedly being bashed Her great-aunt Paula Coghill (pictured) is demanding answers from the system that she says let her niece down Her great-aunt Paula Coghill is now demanding answers from the hospital and the ambulance that never showed up. Ms Coghill said her niece was distraught when medical staff allegedly stitched up her eye, gave her paracetamol and sent her home earlier in the year. 'Jamikka was terrified for her life and so was her family,' she told 9News. 'We couldn't understand why she wasn't hospitalised, why she wasn't kept in.' Ms Coghill is now attempting to rile up her local community to get an inquiry opened into her niece's death. A peaceful protest has been organised outside of Casino Police Station on Friday in an effort to apply pressure to the system. 'We want some accountability, we want some answers, and we're seeking a public inquiry,' Ms Coghill said. Family members including Ms Binge-Olive's sister, daughter and mother will be at the protest. A spokesperson for Northern NSW Health District declined to comment on the matter, saying that it would be inappropriate as the matter is now up to the coroner. A woman who was known to Ms Binge-Olive has been charged over the alleged bashing in June. Ms Binge-Olive was allegedly beaten in a club in Northern Rivers on June 23 before waiting 58 minutes for an ambulance, only to be patched up with one stitch and pain killers Candice Drew, 21, appeared before Lismore Local Court on July 29 where she faced one charge of assault. She was granted bail and is expected to appear before the Casino Local Court next month. Ms Binge-Olive's family have set up a GoFundMe to help 'help ease the pain' of her surviving family. 'Jamikka had a heart of gold, she was a Mother to two young children who will never get to see their Mother again,' the description reads. More than $1,000 in donations has already been provided to her family, which still has a way to go before the $10,000 goal is met. The mother of a girl who died eating a cocktail frankfurt has called for anti-choking devices to be implemented in schools across New South Wales. Samantha Lennon lost her daughter Imogen after the five-year-old choked on the popular snack in Canowindra, in NSW's west, on January 16. The distraught mother was driving her daughter home from swimming lessons when the snack became lodged in Imogen's throat as she was eating in the backseat. Ms Lennon attempted to perform CPR but was unable to save her daughter. The trauma was made worse months later after she heard news that Decklan Hayward, 7, had died after choking on a cocktail frankfurt at school in Orange. Decklan was placed on life support on July 19 after being starved of oxygen for 20 minutes. The young boy's parents made the heartbreaking decision to take him off life support last week. Now Ms Lennon has made fresh pleas to introduce anti-choking devices in schools across NSW. The mother of a daughter who died in January after choking on a cocktail frankfurt, Samantha Lennon (right) has pleaded for anti-choking devices to be installed across the state Ms Lennon attempted to save her five-year-old daughter Imogen (pictured) from choking to death but was unable to dislodge the frankfurt in time Since Imogen's death, Ms Lennon has been dedicated to raising awareness for Life Vac, a product that can help dislodge items from a choking person's windpipe. She said she was left devastated after hearing another child had died from choking on the popular snack just months after her daughter. 'It breaks your heart all over again because we have been working so hard to try to save families from having to endure this heartbreaking pain,' Ms Lennon told ABC. 'To hear within 100 kilometres of us another child has succumbed to the same circumstances as Imogen, when there are options that could help to prevent this from happening, it is tragic.' Ms Lennon questioned why shopping centres, schools and restaurants were equipped with defibrillators but not anti-choking devices. She said she would want to see the devices in every 'pre-school, daycare, sporting facility and school'. The device would also help keep families from feeling the heartbreak that both the Lennon and Hayward families have been through. The pain of her daughters death has resurfaced after the death of Decklan Hayward, 7, (pictured) in July after similarly choking on a frankfurt at school The device Ms Lennon wishes to implement, Life Vac, has saved over 1000 lives internationally - majority of which are children - however needs more research before being recommended to be used publically The American company, Life Vac, reached Australian shores more than six years ago, having saved over 1000 lives worldwide since starting operations. The anti-choking device has a suction mask that fits over a person's mouth with a small pump on top. The person working to clear the blockage stuck in a patient's throat grabs the handle on top of the pump, pushes down and immediately releases - bringing the blockage to the surface. Although numerous scientific articles have been published that conclude the anti-choking devices such as Life Vac are effective more studies need to be done to be recommended for broader use, according to CPR Kids' Sarah Hunstead. Life Vac announced last week that orders will be delayed as they received a torrent of customers following media reports in March. 'While we appreciate many customers are anxious to receive their orders to provide peace of mind, rest assured we are working very hard to get the out to customers as quickly as possible,' the Life Vac website reads. One of Australia's big four banks has issued an urgent warning about the latest text scam trying to rip off customers by stealing their personal details. Westpac has warned customers to be aware of texts regarding unexpected SMS Code change messages. Scammers have impersonated the bank by sending texts to customers claiming their Westpac Protect SMS Code mobile number has changed. Recipients are then ordered to call a fake Westpac number to fix the supposed error. Westpac has issued an urgent warning about the latest text message scam targeting the bank The bank urges customers to report and delete texts unexpected SMS Code change messages Westpac advises customers to be aware of the scam and to not call the phone number provided. 'Scammers often use genuine wording from organisations in an attempt to appear legitimate, but make small changes to links or phone numbers to avoid recipients identifying the scam,' Westpac said in a statement. READ MORE: Banks announce strict transfer restrictions Advertisement 'Be aware - if you call the number in this message, you will not be speaking with Westpac. It will be a scammer. 'They are likely to request your personal or banking information. Do not provide any of this information. Just hang up.' Customers are reminded to never share their Online Banking Security Codes with a third party, not even Westpac. 'We will never ask you for this information,' the bank added. If you receive an email, SMS or other request you suspect is a scam, recipients are advised report it to their bank before deleting the message from your index and deleted items on your device. Recipients are also urged to forward a copy of the scam message to hoax@westpac.com.au or 0497 132 032. Aussies were scammed in the tune of $3.1billion in 2022. The record loss was a 80 per cent rise on the amount recorded in 2021, despite the number of reports to Scamwatch dropping by a 16.5 per cent, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions Targeting Scams report. Investment scams accounted for the biggest losses ($1.5 billion), followed by remote-access scams ($229 million) and payment-redirection scams ($224 million). The most common scam method was through text message with 79,835 Aussies reported receiving a scam SMS, up 18.8 per cent from the previous year. A crumbling sidewalk in one of Manhattan's most upscale neighborhoods has sparked concern after pedestrians realized they could see the subway tracks below. The hole was just feet away from the busy Spring Street subway station in the swanky Soho neighborhood, leading crews to hastily cover the hazard. An investigation found several pieces of concrete were loose enough to fall onto the platform, but officials still deemed it to be safe and kept the subway open. But Big Apple residents weren't as sure, as they admitted the city's decaying streets certainly 'don't seem safe.' The large hole sparked concern about New York City's eroding infrastructure It was found near the Spring Street subway station in the upscale Soho neighborhood Investigators examined the crack with a 'sound and tap test', which saw them test the structural integrity of the subway by tapping probes against the ceiling of the station. When they did so, enough pieces of concrete fell onto the platform below to fill two bags of loose debris, according to NY1. Crumbling infrastructure is hardly a new issue for many New Yorkers, but questions have been raised over how the hole was able to erode all the way through before any safety concerns were raised. The MTA said they hastily dispatched teams to investigate, after the hole had also caused several large cracks to spread on the sidewalk around it. MTA spokesperson David Steckel said crews inspected the ceiling planned to 'make the necessary repairs to the station.' 'NYCT is coordinating with NYCDOT to make sure the necessary repairs are made to the sidewalk,' he added in a statement to the New York Post. 'In the meantime, the area around the hole both at street level and on the platform below have been barricaded and the station is safe for customers.' The authority's communication's director Eugene Resnick added that while it is unclear what caused the hole to open, water leaking through has caused 'deterioration' to the subway ceiling. 'Water infiltration is a constant challenge to the integrity of any underground infrastructure,' he added. Several large cracks were found to have opened up around the hazard A crumbling sidewalk along Lafayette Street near Spring Street shows a hole that you can see right down & up from the Downtown 6 Spring Street Platform. @MTA employees are on scene & preformed a Sound & Tap to test the structural integrity of the station. @NY1 pic.twitter.com/llikpC0qWI Alyssa Paolicelli (@APaolicelli17) August 8, 2023 Despite the apparent risks, officials determined that the hole did not pose a danger and the 6 path train remained open Although the subway was determined to be safe enough, the MTA says it is looking to reinforce the ceiling 'as soon as possible.' And while officials seemed calm about the risks, New Yorkers were less impressed, with one telling NY1: 'I would be worried about somebody falling into it.' 'The whole station is rusted away', said another, who felt the subway had fallen into disrepair after officials 'hadn't touched it in decades.' 'I mean I didn't know it was like that' said a resident remarking about the thin line between him and subway tracks below. 'That seems unsafe'. A waitress in the area who said she frequently hauls trash and chairs on the sidewalk said: 'If I just made one wrong step down I go I guess.' Officials said the entire station was put to the 'sound and tap test' and passed, and another team of engineers is set to reevaluate the issue. The hole in Spring Street pales in comparison to a huge sinkhole that opened up in Manhattan's Upper East Side in 2021 New York has encountered a number of infrastructure issues in recent years, with the Spring Street hole nothing in comparison to a huge sinkhole that opened up in Manhattan's Upper East Side in 2021. The ground collapse was about 15 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep. And in nearby Long Island earlier this year, a woman was swallowed by another 8ft sinkhole after it opened up while she was walking in her front yard. Abortion rights activists in Ohio were handed a crucial win on Wednesday night as a state ballot to make it harder to amend the state's constitution failed. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the proposal that would have lifted the threshold for passing changes in law from 50 percent to 60 percent of voters and set stricter rules on ballot initiatives. The measure, backed by Republicans, aimed to protect the state from 'radical' abortion, education and gun laws. But their defeat means a November referendum to codify abortion rights for women has an easier path to victory. Republican Governor Mike DeWine signed a six-week abortion ban in 2019 that went into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But his law has been held up in court, and pro-choice campaigners have spent millions making sure women still have greater access to abortion. With more than 1.2 million votes counted, 60 percent of Ohioans had voted no, compared with 40 percent who voted yes, according to the Ohio secretary of state's office 'I think it's a question that was worth asking of the voters,' said Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, a Republican who championed the ballot measure, after Issue 1 failed Deidra Reese, statewide program manager for the opposition group Ohio Unity Coalition, celebrates the defeat of Issue 1 during a watch party Tuesday in Columbus 'I think it's a question that was worth asking of the voters,' Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, a Republican who championed the ballot measure, told reporters after it became clear it would not pass. In a statement, Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens advised supporters to move past the results and focus instead on trying to defeat the abortion rights measure in November, saying: 'The people of Ohio have spoken.' Dennis Willard, a spokesman for the opposition campaign One Person One Vote, called Issue 1 a 'deceptive power grab' that was intended to diminish the influence of the states voters. 'Tonight is a major victory for democracy in Ohio,' Willard told a jubilant crowd at the opposition campaigns watch party. 'The majority still rules in Ohio.' President Joe Biden hailed Tuesday's result, releasing a statement saying: 'This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters' voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won.' With more than 1.2 million votes counted, 60 percent of Ohioans had voted no, compared with 40 percent who voted yes, according to the Ohio Secretary of State's office. That margin was enough for Decision Desk HQ and the Associated Press to call the race. The election was the latest statewide battle over abortion more than a year after the US Supreme Court eliminated nationwide protections for the procedure. Advocacy groups on both sides of the abortion issue spent millions of dollars ahead of Tuesday's vote. Ballot initiatives have become powerful tools for abortion rights activists in states where abortion opponents, usually Republicans, control the legislature or hold the governor's office. Voters in Kansas and Kentucky, both solidly conservative states, rejected ballot measures last year that would have declared their state constitutions do not protect abortion rights. Lawrence County residents line the halls to vote at Fairland High School in Proctorville, Ohio. Voters in Ohio on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure aimed at heading off a November referendum to enshrine abortion access into state law Voters come and go at the Beachwood Community Center in Beachwood, Ohio, on Tuesday to vote on Issue 1 during the special election Voters receive their ballets as Lawrence County residents head to the polls to vote on Ohio Issue 1 during a special one-issue election Tuesday On Tuesday, abortion rights groups in Arizona, a key presidential swing state, launched an effort to put the issue before voters in November 2024. Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a six-week abortion ban into law in 2019, which went into effect following the Supreme Court's decision. The ban was put on hold in September after a legal challenge from abortion clinics; the Ohio Supreme Court has agreed to decide the case. Some groups opposed to Tuesday's ballot question had emphasized that the referendum went beyond abortion, arguing it is simply undemocratic to curb citizens' power. 'This is much larger than one issue; it's much larger than one party or one election,' said Jen Miller, the executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. 'This is about a freedom that Ohioans have had for more than a century.' For instance, good government groups are working on a ballot question for 2024 that would amend the constitution to prevent gerrymandering, the process by which one party manipulates district lines to entrench power. If Tuesday's referendum had succeeded, getting that issue on the ballot would be far more challenging. Last year, Ohio Republicans drew sharply partisan state legislative and congressional maps and defied court orders to revamp them; November's elections were held using maps that had been ruled unconstitutional. Dennis Willard, a spokesperson for the opposition campaign One Person One Vote, called Issue 1 a 'deceptive power grab' intended to diminish the influence of the states voters Stephanie Mattoni casts her vote on Issue 1 in Perrysburg, Ohio on Tuesday A board of elections volunteer waits to hand out 'Ohio Voted' stickers to voters after they have cast their ballot during an Ohio special election in Montville Township, Ohio on Tuesday Abortion rights opponents have called the November referendum extreme, claiming its vague language would allow minors to get abortions and gender-affirming surgery without parental consent. Supporters note the amendment makes no mention of gender-affirming treatment or parental consent. Tuesday's election drew millions in outside spending, including from so-called 'dark-money' groups that are not required to disclose their donors. Illinois Republican mega-donor Richard Uihlein donated at least $4 million to the pro-Issue 1 campaign, according to campaign filings. Other groups supporting Tuesday's referendum collected funds from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and The Concord Fund, a conservative dark-money group. The anti-Issue 1 side got support from the Tides Foundation, a California-based social justice organization, and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a liberal dark-money group. A huge international airline has been accused of 'taking the p***' for allegedly using a loophole to get more flights into Australia. Qatar Airways has been flying empty or close to empty 354-seater 'ghost flights' - journeys that lose money - between Melbourne and Adelaide since last November. The reason for the daily flights is Qatar is only allowed 28 flights a week into Australia's major airports - one each per day into Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. But Adelaide is not considered a major airport, so Qatar gets an extra flight into Melbourne every day by having Adelaide as the destination from the Qatari capital Doha, after a stop in Melbourne. Aviation expert and Monash University professor Greg Bamber said Qatar is likely just responding to being denied from operating more flights into Australia. Qatar Airways has been accused of 'taking the p***' for allegedly using a loophole to get more flights into Australia. A Qatar stewardess is pictured Qatar applied to add 21 flights to its services from Doha into Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane last year, but Transport Minister Catherine King confirmed last month that this would not be allowed. 'I think it's outrageous that the government has stopped them doing it, given that we have astronomically high, price-gouging airfares internationally, from Qantas,' Mr Bamber, the co-author of airline industry book Up in the Air, told Daily Mail Australia. READ MORE: Five Australian women dragged off a flight and strip searched with their genitals 'invasively examined' at Doha Airport Five Australian women allegedly strip searched at gunpoint at Doha Airport after a baby was found in a bathroom have sued the Qatari government for assault and battery. Hundreds of women were forcibly removed from aircraft at Doha on October 2, 2020 as officials searched for the mother of a newborn baby in a bathroom at the terminal. Advertisement 'The Qantas argument is that there's a shortage of supply and so they have to charge high prices which suits them very nicely. Keeping the number of international flights into Australia at the current number is in the national carrier's interest, he said. 'It means that they have been able to lift their prices and they've maintained the shortage of supply. 'They haven't brought back all the supply that was in the air before Covid,' Mr Bamber said. But Qatar's exploitation of a loophole has raised the ire of some in the industry. 'The whole purpose is to get to Melbourne I mean they weren't even selling tickets (to Adelaide) for the first few weeks,' one insider told Guardian Australia, which first reported on the ghost flights. 'They were taking the p*** out of the industry and the laws.' Flying the Boeing 777-300s from Doha to Adelaide via Melbourne allows Qatar to get around its ban on having more than 28 flights a week to Australia's major airports. But it can't sell tickets for just the Melbourne to Adelaide or Adelaide to Melbourne legs to domestic passengers. It can only carry the passengers booked through to or from Doha to Adelaide rather than the separate daily direct flight from Adelaide and Doha that Qatar also runs. When Qatar's flight arrives from Doha into Melbourne at 11.30pm each night, almost all passengers disembark. Anyone wanting to continue to the South Australian capital then has a six-hour wait in Melbourne Airport as the second leg doesn't leave until 5.35am due to Adelaide's night-time curfew. There are very few takers for the six-hour layover and extra leg, mostly in single figures and often none at all. Qatar Airways has been flying empty or close to empty 354-seater 'ghost flights' - journeys that lose money - between Melbourne and Adelaide since last November Going the other way, from Adelaide to Doha via Melbourne, the numbers are bigger, but still only average about 20 to 25 passengers per flight. The QR989 leaves Adelaide at 11.40am each day, lands in Melbourne 90 minutes later, and after a 1 hour and 45 minutes layover flies on to Doha. Qatar previously used the same loophole to run a second daily service from Doha to Sydney by continuing on to Canberra. In October 2020, hundreds of women, including five Australians were forcibly removed from a Qatar plane at Doha as officials searched for the mother of a newborn baby in a bathroom at the terminal. The women were removed by armed guards and many say they were forced to conduct non-consensual gynaecological or intimate physical examinations. But Ms King said that incident was not behind the decision to deny Qatar Airways' request to double its flights to major Australian airports. Qatar Airlines' (plane pictured) exploitation of a loophole has angered some in the industry Mr Bamber said the Gulf airline should have been allowed to have more flights to Australia. 'Qatar want to increase their capacity and with no reason or rationale as far as I can understand, the government has said no. 'The only enterprise that might be challenged by Qatar introducing more flights into Australia is Qantas because there would be more competition and Qantas might have to reduce some of these sky high prices,' he said. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Qatar Airways for comment. A different pool in the area recently filled with feces House-flippers want to build a pool in their new house A pair of professional house-flippers have been hindered in their plans to build a pool after their neighbours claimed that it'll increase flood damage to their homes. Francisco and Becky Smout submitted construction plans to Brisbane City Council for their $2.6m Lower Bowen Terrace house in New Farm. Several objections from their neighbours in the millionaire's row have since halted the proposal with residents lodging their complaints to council. New Farm is one of the trendiest but also most flood-prone suburbs in the city as it sits along Brisbane River. One resident claimed in their submission to council a pool will worsen flooding and increase damage to the surrounding houses. Francisco and Becky Smout (pictured with family) spent $2.6m on Lower Bowen Tce house in New Farm, Brisbane that has neighbours all ruffled up 'If you dont believe me, ask the new property owner of 32 Mark Street New Farm who was flooded out from his pool only recently as February/March 2022,' they said. 'Overflowing sewer drains filled their pool with faeces.' More complaints streamed in, including one who was not only thinking about the neighbourhood, but also the people who will end up with the property in question. '(It) will only create more flooding to this property and the neighbouring properties,' they wrote. The original plan would've seen the house restyled to include six bedrooms and six bathrooms in the architect-designed home, with a new separate parents rear wing. Several luxurious extras were set to accompany the pool, like a butlers pantry, outdoor room, media room and two office spaces. The plans are have been put on ice as the council sifts through the submissions of rustled residents who can't stop thinking about the plumbing. 'This property is currently subject to frequent flooding and pooling of water,' Anastasia and David Nicholas said of the property. Not only will the man-made pool disrupt natural water flows, but it will 'divert overland flows onto our property', the couple continued. Mr and Mrs Nicholas also took issue with the height of the houses' proposed retainer wall, insisting that it would no doubt 'cause flood damage' to their $3.6m home. The couple bought their five bedroom family home two years ago. Other residents feared the height of the new property, which would 'tower above neighbouring properties', reduce their access to sunlight, and smother air circulation. After the Smout's filed their application for redeveloping the property, neighbours on the millionaire's row responded with a host of complaints The Smouts have been in the redevelopment business for some time now, having purchased a $2.6m 1930-built house which they went on to turn into apartments. An social media page used to showcase their redevelopments shows several luxury homes in Clayfield and Ascot, with their latest on Massey St selling for $4.45m. The Ascot home attracted more than 500 inspections of the property. Daily Mail Australia contacted the Smouts for comment. President Joe Biden knows who brought cocaine onto the White House premises last month, and the culprit is 'within the Biden family orbit', according to a report. Hunter Biden, who has been open about his cocaine addiction, was not involved, the source told Soldier of Fortune website. The drug was found on July 2 in a cubby in the West Wing, where visitors leave their personal items prior to entering the main building. Its discovery sparked an evacuation of the White House and a search by the hazardous material teams: Biden and his son Hunter, 53, were at Camp David at the time. It is unclear how long the bag was there before it was discovered, and officials set low expectations for identifying who brought it. Cocaine was found on the grounds of the White House on July 2. Pictured: the Congressional picnic on July 19 Three sources told Soldier of Fortune website that the culprit was 'within the Biden family orbit' - but it was not Hunter Biden The Secret Service began an investigation, using DNA and fingerprint analysis. There were no cameras situated in a position to capture footage of the offender, officials said - claims that Donald Trump and his allies ridiculed. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Gugliemi told NBC News that they had compiled a list of 500 people potentially involved, but the agency ruled out interviewing all 500 as it would have been a strain on resources and would infringe upon civil liberties. Gugliemi added that it would likely be fruitless without corresponding physical evidence tying any person to the drugs. The small amount of cocaine - 208 milligrams or about .007 ounce - would only result in a misdemeanor charge in the District of Columbia. The Secret Service closed the investigation on July 13, saying the culprit had not been found. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed on July 17 the Secret Service probe had been 'thorough' despite Republican claims of a cover-up Three security sources, who currently work for a U.S. government agency, told the website Soldier of Fortune the same name for the person who brought the cocaine onto the premises. 'If you want the name, ask Joe Biden,' one source said. 'He knows who it is.' A second source told the site: 'It was someone within the Biden family orbit, and it wasn't Hunter.' Cops arrested and charged suspect, DC resident Glynn Neal, 42, with assault with intent to kill in the aftermath of the vicious attack Staffer Phillip Todd was attacked in broad daylight in Washington D.C. about a mile and a half from the Capitol on March 25 New footage has shown the horrifying moment Senator Rand Paul's staffer was brutally knifed on the street by a man who had just been released from prison. Phillip Todd was randomly pushed to the ground and stabbed multiple times in broad daylight on a Washington D.C. sidewalk on March 25. Todd, the chief economist for the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, was left with a fractured skull, punctured lung and multiple life-threatening wounds. Cops arrested and charged suspect, D.C. resident Glynn Neal, 42, with assault with intent to kill in the aftermath of the vicious attack five months ago. Todd - wearing a light colored jacket - is seen being pushed to the ground as he tries to defend himself from the man who is stabbing him. New footage has shown the horrifying moment Senator Rand Paul 's staffer was brutally knifed on the street by a man who had just been released from prison on March 25 Phillip Todd (left) was randomly pushed to the ground and stabbed multiple times in broad daylight on a Washington D.C. sidewalk on March 25. He is pictured with Senator Rand Paul (right) Todd's legs can be seen desperately waving in the air during the ordeal, while someone shouts out 'what the f**k.' Another person then jumped on the hooded attacker, allowing Todd to free himself. Cops arrested and charged suspect, DC resident Glynn Neal, 42, with assault with intent to kill in the aftermath of the vicious attack The staffer then briefly tried to attack Neal by jumping on him, before running off. No words were exchanged between Todd and his attacker before he landed deep knife wounds in his head, police said at the time. A bloody weapon was also found at the scene. Records show Neal was released from prison one day before the attack after spending nearly 12 years behind bars for compelling two North Carolina women to engage in prostitution via the use of threats, a first-degree sex charge. Senator Paul released a statement shortly after the Metropolitan Police said in a news release that Neal had been charged. Neal's motive in the stabbing remains unclear. Todd was transported to a local hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries. The senator's statement read: 'This past weekend a member of my staff was brutally attacked in broad daylight in Washington, D.C. I ask you to join Kelley and me in praying for a speedy and complete recovery, and thanking the first responders, hospital staff, and police for their diligent actions. The staffer then briefly tried to attack Neal by jumping on him, before running off Todd, the chief economist for the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, was left with a fractured skull, a punctured lung, and multiple life-threatening wounds Todd, seen in white, walking with a friend moments before being attacked 'We are relieved to hear the suspect has been arrested. At this time we would ask for privacy so everyone can focus on healing and recovery.' Todd's parents said in a statement in March: 'As the parents of Phillip Todd, we would like to give an update on our sons condition, which will hopefully answer many of the questions weve received. 'In return, we ask to respect our privacy and the privacy of our extended family so that we can focus on our sons recovery. 'He was randomly and brutally attacked by a person armed with a knife, who, according to the police report, attempted to kill him. 'The intervention of our sons friend helped prevent the wounds from being fatal. Our son is in a stable condition, having undergone trauma surgery to address the wounds in his body. Senator Rand Paul announced that one of his staffers had been brutally stabbed over the weekend The 1300 block of H street, where a staffer for Senator Rand Paul was stabbed on Saturday, March 25 'He also has a fracture on his skull, which will be treated with non-invasive neurosurgery. 'He is expected to make a full recovery due to his young age and good health. Our son and our family draw strength from our faith to see us through this challenging time. 'Phillip is conscious and alert and has repeatedly stated, the joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10).' A police report said the victim had been walking down the street - the 1300 block of H street - when a man 'hiding in a corner' popped out and stabbed him multiple times before the victim was able to grab the suspects arms as another person tackled the suspect to the ground. The attack is believed to be the second impacting a member of Congress or congressional staffer this year. Earlier this year, Representative Angie Craig said a man punched her in the face and attempted to grab her neck inside an elevator at her apartment building. Craig said she threw hot coffee at her assailant before he fled. The congresswoman suffered bruising but was otherwise unhurt. A Texas elementary school teacher has been fired after she shared a slew of 'racist' posts on social media - including one saying she 'enjoys being racist' and another complaining about her sister dating a white man. The teacher, named as Danielle Allen, 29, lost her job after the Mesquite Independent School District says it became aware of 'alarming, racist' remarks she shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. 'As of this morning, the employee is no longer a part of the Mesquite ISD organization and is not eligible for rehire,' the school authority said Tuesday. The school system slammed her for the 'highly offensive' posts, which also saw her brag about believing her job was 'safe' because she didn't 'directly wish harm on ALL white people.' The educator also allegedly self-described as a 'Black Supremacist' on her X profile, however the account has since been removed or deleted. Danielle Allen, 29, lost her job one day after her 'offensive' posts surfaced Monday The educator, who appeared to be using an alias, posted a slew of 'racist' remarks on social media, including one where she said 'I enjoy being racist' The teacher, who appeared to use the alias 'Claire Kyle' online, saw her offensive posts surface Monday at around 4pm when the school campus was tagged in one of her posts, district spokeswoman Laura Jobe said. Jobe added that by Tuesday morning, the teacher was no longer with the school, and the school district released a statement condemning her behavior 'in the strongest terms.' Among the posts, which have been deleted but screenshots continue to circulate on social media, was one that read: 'A white man??? A good dude?? You smoking crack??' 'Why shouldn't I hate white people? Why should I show y'all any love at all?' Allen continued in another post. 'Name a big historic moment where white people did anything for black people out of the kindness of y'all's heart?' 'I enjoy being racist', she wrote in one of the posts. 'I'm never changing.' Allen also ranted and raved in her car about her sister's apparent relationship with a white man in a video, where she vowed to do ruin the fling 'with everything in my power.' She added that watching the multiracial couple break up would be 'so fun and so satisfying', and had even allegedly threatened to plan to kill him. The teacher, named as Danielle Allen, 29, lost her job after the Mesquite Independent School District says it became aware of 'alarming, racist' remarks she shared on X Her since-deleted or removed profile saw her self-describe as a 'Black Supremacist' The teacher questioned 'why shouldn't I hate white people?' Allen said people must be 'smoking crack' to believe a white man would be a 'good dude' The teacher reportedly told her employer the posts were 'just a joke', but they didn't see the funny side and she was out of the job the next day The Mesquite school district announced she had left her job on Tuesday, as it slammed her posts and condemned her behavior 'in the strongest terms' In an ironic move, some screenshots appear to show the teacher bragging about how her posts wouldn't get her fired as they sparked fury online. 'First day of school, walking through the halls while Twitter thinks they can take my job from me,' she wrote: 'Call me every name under the sun but y'all will NEVER be able to call me unemployed!!!' In another post, she noted that people targeting her online had discovered worked and brought it to her school's attention. 'They told me to delete the post, but my job is safe since I did not directly wish harm on ALL White people,' she said. 'They laughed and told me to watch what I say, and I'll be good to go.' 'Just talked to the school board and my job is safe. I told them it was a joke, and they know I'm not racist so have fun.' The teacher reportedly worked for the school district for four years, and spent the last three at Thompson Elementary, according to the Dallas Morning News. In the statement announcing she had left her post, the school system said: 'At approximately 4pm yesterday, Mesquite ISD became aware of a series of alarming, racist statements posted to the X (formerly Twitter) account of a teacher at Thompson Elementary. 'Upon learning of this situation, our Personnel staff began an immediate investigation. As of this morning, the employee is no longer a part of the Mesquite ISD organization and is not eligible for rehire.' The authority added that it could not provide more details due to 'privacy restrictions.' 'Nevertheless, the highly offensive statements posted to her X account do not reflect the values and standards of Mesquite ISK, and the district condemns them in the strongest terms.' A transgender patient transitioning from female to male has tragically lost his unborn baby after undergoing a hysterectomy while being unknowingly pregnant. Jesse Pohlner, 38, was four months pregnant when he underwent a full hysterectomy at Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne during lockdown in 2021. He wished to remove his womb and ovaries as part of his transition process and was confirmed for surgery 10 days before the operation occurred. However, what Mr Pohlner didn't know was that he was in a second trimester of pregnancy, having mistaken his morning sickness as reflux. 'There was no pregnancy test performed,' he told 3AW's Neil Mitchell. 'I would call it hospital negligence, their policy was to blame. The policy let my doctors down, they couldn't perform their best work.' Doctors told Mr Pohlner that to have his ovaries removed, he had two options. He could have the surgery in 10 days time and undergo a second surgery to remove his ovaries, or start taking testosterone and postpone the surgery. Mr Pohlner claims he was forced to make a snap decision over the phone. In an email from the hospital, Mr Pohlner was told that depending on his last period or if he was sexually active that he may require a pregnancy test. 'I was in Horsham, Victoria, and it was hard to get to the doctors but due to having previous children I knew that you could either have a blood test or a urine test, I said if it's a blood test I need to know, right, so I can get to the doctor's,' he said. However, Mr Pohlner was assured the test would be done before the surgery. The night before the operation, a nurse used a chart to ask him a series of yes and no questions that ultimately ruled a pregnancy test wasn't required. 'We had no signs that I was pregnant. I thought I was having reflux and it turned out that it was morning sickness,' he recalled. What was meant to be a three-hour surgery followed by a one-night stay in hospital turned into a nine-hour surgery and a week in intensive care. Mr Pohlner was told he had lost the baby the morning after the surgery. 'It was the last thing we could think of,' the 38-year-old said. 'It was pretty shocking news.' Jesse Pohlner, 38, was four months pregnant when he underwent a full hysterectomy at Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne (pictured) during lockdown in 2021 Mr Pohlner was told the hysterectomy would have been required regardless of the pregnancy because the placenta was growing into his C-section scar. He is now calling for statewide mandatory hCG blood testing prior to surgeries. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a chemical created by tissues that are typically found in early embryos and eventually form the placenta. Measuring hCG levels can help identify a healthy pregnancy and are usually also tested following an aborted pregnancy. Mr Pohlner has written letters to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Minister for Equality Harriet Shing, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas and Housing Minister Danny Pearson but is yet to receive any replies. 'In my case, if they cancelled the surgery I would not be here,' he said. 'Just because of what was happening inside, none of us knew. A transgender patient transitioning from female to male has tragically lost his unborn baby after undergoing a hysterectomy while being unknowingly pregnant (stock image) 'It was hard for the kids to find out, I've dealt with it as best as I can but it's frustrating because it could happen to someone else. 'And I don't want it to happen to someone else. I don't want it to happen to a patient or a doctor to have to go through that.' A spokeswoman from the Royal Women's Hospital told Daily Mail Australia their policy around pre-operation blood tests was changed in 2022. 'For privacy reasons, the Womens is not able to comment on individual patient case. However, we can confirm that the Womens changed its pre-op pregnancy test procedure last year,' she said in a statement. 'The previous procedure involved asking patients about any recent menstrual or sexual activity. The new procedure involves a blood test to exclude pregnancy. Patients can opt out of this procedure if they choose.' They will instead focus on other sites There is too much trolling, ABC says The ABC is pulling out of Twitter/X The ABC has culled its Twitter presence to save journalists from harassment and to cut costs, the managing director has said. David Anderson released a statement on Wednesday explaining why the News Breakfast, Insiders and ABC Politics accounts have been archived in recent months. Twitter, which has been rebranded as X under new CEO Elon Musk, has become ineffective and costly according to the broadcaster. 'In February we closed three program accounts, for Insiders, News Breakfast and ABC Politics, and the results of that have been positive,' Mr Anderson wrote. The only accounts that will remain on the platform are @abcnews @abcsport @ABCChinese @ABCaustralia. ABC will move its focus away from Twitter, or X, because of the toxic environment it fosters, managing director David Anderson (pictured) has said Twitter, which has been rebranded as X under new CEO, Elon Musk (pictured), has become ineffective, costly and unsafe to the ABC's public-facing staff Since Musk bought the platform for $44b in October 2022, safety measures have been cut and the site has become toxic, according to Mr Anderson. 'There are multiple reasons for this decision,' Mr Anderson wrote. 'Closing individual accounts helps limit the exposure of team members to the toxic interactions that unfortunately are becoming more prevalent on X. 'Concerningly, X has reduced its trust and safety teams.' Instead of adapting to the new atmosphere Musk has created, the ABC will now push their content on other sites like Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. While still posting to their main @abcnews account, their media teams aim to grow ABC's TikTok audience, which is forecast to be most beneficial for growth. 'The vast majority of the ABC's social media audience is located on official sites on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, with TikTok forecast to have the strongest growth over the next four years,' Mr Anderson continued. 'We want to focus our effort and resources on where our audiences are.' In the statement released by ABC, Mr Anderson laid out his reasons for reducing the broadcaster's presence on X This news follows Mr Anderson sitting before a Senate estimates hearing where he gave evidence against X's safety for users in May. Twitter, as it was known at the time, had become a 'cesspool' according to Mr Anderson, who said that he had to refer several incidents of trolling onto police. The director cited a review of whether the organisation was doing enough to support its employees, saying he was worried about their public-facing staff. 'We're coming to a precipice here, particularly in the discussion around how we can protect our people,' he said before the committee. Things got especially bad during ABC's 2023 coronation coverage, in the wake of which star Stan Grant stepped away from his position as host of their Q&A program. ABC's Insiders, News Breakfast, and Politics accounts have all been redundant since mid-February 'Hi everyone. This Twitter account is closing on Sunday. Please follow @abcnews for the latest news and information,' was the last post on ABC Politics During related broadcasts, Mr Grant, a First Nations man, pointed out that the crown represents the invasion and theft of Aboriginal land. The segment sparked about 1,800 complaints from the public, the Senate committee inquiry hearing was told. Hundreds of the complaints were racist in nature, Mr Anderson said, while others noted that the coronation discussion was worthwhile but poorly timed. 'Some of it was in good faith, quite a lot of it was not in good faith,' he said. 'I think the time for dignified silence is over, I think for our people we need to be certainly more public supportive of them as well as what we do internally.' Mr Anderson was joined in his approach by news director Justin Stevens, both of who were concerned about Indigenous staff as the Voice referendum approaches. Mr Stevens explained that Mr Grant had been subjected to relentless racism during his tenure, but the coronation coverage led to a particular spike in racial vitriol. 'We're talking about a really large volume and torrent of racial abuse and threats to Stan and his family over the course of a number of days,' he said. Mr Grant has since received an apology from the broadcaster. The Yindjibarndi people are entitled to compensation for mining on their lands in Western Australia's northwest but questions remain over how payments should be calculated and delivered. The native title owners have been engaged in a protracted action against the WA government and the Fortescue Metals Group over the company's Solomon iron ore hub in the Pilbara, which is expected to continue operations until at least 2033. The government has argued for the claim, under native title legislation, to be dismissed and for the Yindjibarndi to make a fresh application under the Mining Act. On Wednesday, Fortescue presented a similar case to the Federal Court. 'The claim is for compensation. It is not, and should not be treated as a renewal or rehash of the claim for the determination of native title rights and interests,' Fortescue said in written submissions added to the court file. Fortescue boss Andrew Forrest (pictured with his now separated wife) is locked in a legal battle with the Yindjibarni community 'The evidence (the Yindjibarndi) proposes to adduce seems to extend beyond demonstrating the loss or other effect caused by the grant of the mining tenements.' Outlining the case for the Yindjibarndi in Roebourne on Monday, Vance Hughston SC said Fortescue's operations had caused devastating destruction, impacting on about 250 significant Aboriginal sites. He said the Indigenous owners were entitled to compensation for economic loss, which could be the responsibility of Fortescue or the government, and also for cultural or spiritual loss. On the question of economic loss, Fortescue said the traditional owners' entitlement to compensation should be determined by valuing their native title rights and interests. But the company said that would be capped based on the freehold value of the land subject to the mining leases. It said compensation for cultural loss should be set at an amount considered fair and just under Australian community standards. Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation celebrated a previous court win in September (pictured) 'The monetary value of cultural loss could never be determined by considering what other mining companies may have been prepared to pay in a commercial agreement for mutual commercial benefit in different circumstances,' Fortescue said. 'Any mining companies' preparedness to pay an amount connected to the production of the minerals from their mining tenements cannot be used to value appropriately, fairly or justly the loss of spiritual connection to land.' The Yindjibarndi were awarded exclusive native title rights to their land, including where the Solomon hub sits, in 2017. Fortescue began mining in 2013, but could not reach an agreement with the registered native title holders. The hearings in Roebourne have been set down for two weeks. On Monday next week, the court will also visit the mine site. A plot to overturn the 2020 election with the help of 'fake electors' was spelled out in a memo obtained by The New York Times on Tuesday, with the document revealing a key pillar of Jack Smith's indictment of Donald Trump. The memo was sent on December 6, 2020 by a lawyer allied with Trump, Kenneth Chesebro, to another lawyer working for the then-president, James Troupis. It was one of at least three memos which Chesebro sent to the Trump team sketching out a legal rationale for overturning the Biden victory when the votes were certified on January 6, 2021. The 'fake electors' strategy is one of the key accusations made in the August 1 indictment of Trump on charges of trying to overturn the election. Chesebro is not named in the indictment, and is not currently facing charges, but is referenced as 'Co-Conspirator 5'. He is described in the indictment as 'an attorney who assisted in devising and attempting to implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential elections to obstruct the certification proceeding.' Donald Trump is seen on Tuesday addressing a rally in Windham, New Hampshire before details of a secret memo one of his lawyers sent about overturning the 2020 election was revealed Kenneth Chesebro is identified in the indictment as 'co-conspirator five'. He sent at least three memos to other Trump-supporting lawyers suggesting ways the 2020 election could be overturned The existence of the Chesebro memo was first revealed in last week's indictment, but its contents were not made public. The memo lays out Chesebro's plan to have a group of pro-Trump electors assemble on December 14, 2020, in six contested states, and produce fake votes. Chesebro admitted he was proposing 'a bold, controversial strategy' that the Supreme Court 'likely' would reject. But, he argued, it was a viable way to ensure Joe Biden's win was not approved on January 6 by turning attention on claims of Democrat voter fraud, giving Trump's lawyers time enough to emerge victorious from various legal battles to 'deprive Biden of electoral votes and/or add to Trump's column'. 'It seems feasible that the vote count can be conducted so that at no point will Trump be behind in the electoral vote count unless and until Biden can obtain a favorable decision from the Supreme Court upholding the Electoral Count Act as constitutional, or otherwise recognizing the power of Congress (and not the president of the Senate) to count the votes', the lawyer wrote. He recommended the meeting of pro-Trump electors be presented as 'a routine measure that is necessary to ensure' that the correct electoral slate could be counted by Congress if courts or legislatures later concluded that Trump had actually won the states. And he acknowledged that it would be a provocative step: Chesebro recommended that the meetings be held behind closed doors. Prosecutors described the memo as a plot to create 'a fake controversy that would derail the proper certification of Biden as president-elect'. Chesebro devoted much time to the role played by Mike Pence, the vice president, whose certification of the votes on January 6 would in normal times be purely ceremonial and uneventful. Chesebro advocated for Pence to take 'the position that it is his constitutional power and duty, alone, as president of the Senate, to both open and count the votes.' He claimed Pence could count the fake votes by the Trump electors as long as there was a lawsuit pending, which challenged Biden's win. But the plan was scuppered by the former Vice President, who ultimately told Trump and his allies that he was not constitutionally entitled to carry out their wishes. Trump, according to the indictment, told Pence that he was 'too honest'. Jack Smith is pictured on August 1 explaining the indictment at a Washington DC press conference The Capitol is pictured under attack on January 6, 2021 after Chesebro and others suggested a plan to void the election results Rioters are seen storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021 On Tuesday night, Trump again attacked Smith over the indictment. He also raged against the claim that the January 6 Committee, investigating the riot, failed to adequately preserve documents, data and video depositions. Barry Loudermilk, a Republican from Georgia who is looking into the actions of the January 6 Committee, told Fox News Digital that his staff had been unable to get the material it needed to probe the now-disbanded committee. 'Part of our task as this oversight subcommittee is to actually address the security failures, look into how did it happen how were these folks able to get into the Capitol,' Loudermilk said. He said the documents they obtained came over in boxes and were completely unorganized. 'Nothing was indexed. There was no table of contents index. Usually when you conduct this level of investigation, you use a database system and everything is digitized, indexed. 'We got nothing like that. We just got raw data,' he said. 'So it took us a long time going through it and one thing I started realizing is we don't have anything much at all from the Blue Team.' Trump said Loudermilk's allegations meant Smith's case should be thrown out. 'So now that I have full Subpoena Power because of the Freedom of Speech Sham Indictment by Crooked Joe Biden, Deranged Jack Smith, and the DOJ, it has just been reported that the Unselect January 6th Committee of Political Hacks and Thugs has illegally destroyed their Records and Documents,' he wrote on social media. 'This is unthinkable, and the Fake Political Indictment against me must be immediately withdrawn. The system is Rigged & Corrupt, very much like the Presidential Election of 2020. 'We are a Nation in Decline!' The mother whose deadly mushroom lunch killed three of her family members told investigators she bought the fungi from a local shop and did not forage them, Daily Mail Australia understands. Erin Patterson, 48, invited her former in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, and Gail's sister and her husband, Heather and Ian Wilkinson, for lunch at her home in Leongatha, Victoria, on July 29. Three of her four guests are now dead from suspected mushroom poisoning with Mr Wilkinson fighting for his life in hospital. It's not clear whether Erin ate the same food as her guests, and her two children had different food to the adults. It's understood Erin initially told police during an interview that she bought the mushrooms from a grocer in the Leongatha area, 7News reports. She has since given police a 'no comment' interview during which she refused to say where the mushrooms were from. Daily Mail Australia understands no mushroom product recalls have been made by local shops. Investigators probing the unexplained deaths on Wednesday afternoon swooped on a nearby rubbish tip to retrieve what could be a key piece of evidence. It's understood Erin Patterson initially told police during an interview that she bought the mushrooms from a grocer in the Leongatha area Victoria Police detectives were spotted once again on Wednesday afternoon at the same junkyard near Koonwarra, in Victoria's Gippsland region, where officers earlier retrieved a food dehydrator Simon Patterson was supposed to join his parents for the lunch that killed them Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms. Erin was previously married to their son, Simon It is understood police were seeking to review CCTV footage from the rubbish tip, in order to see which vehicles entered the dump site. Detectives were spotted at the same junkyard near Koonwarra, in Victoria's Gippsland region, on Tuesday, when officers retrieved a food dehydrator. The uncommon kitchen implement was believed to have been used in the preparation of the fatal lunch. Daily Mail Australia has been told forensic testing is underway. Gail and Don Patterson - the parents of Erin's estranged husband Simon - plus Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, all died after they had lunch at the family property in Leongatha on July 29. Ms Wilkinson's husband Ian - a respected Christian pastor - was also at the lunch and remains in a critical condition in hospital, awaiting a liver transplant. Sources earlier told Daily Mail Australia that Erin also had invited her ex-husband Simon to their formerly shared home for the fateful meal - but he did not attend. 'Simon was supposed to go to the lunch but couldn't make it at the last minute,' a friend of his told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday. Erin has denied any wrongdoing and no charges are expected to be laid at this stage of the investigation, although she remains a person of interest. A letter, written on behalf of the Wilkinson and Patterson families, is on display there at the church Loved ones have visited the church as their pastor fights for life in hospital It comes as grieving loved ones have left flowers at the Korumburra Baptist Church, where Mr Wilkinson, who is still fighting for life, is a pastor Flowers were dropped off at the church where one of the guests at the fatal lunch is a pastor at Simon had only just recovered after months of rehabilitation from a mystery stomach illness that left him fighting for life in hospital. Grieving loved ones have left flowers at the Korumburra Baptist Church, where Mr Wilkinson, who is still fighting for life, is a pastor. A letter, written on behalf of the Wilkinson and Patterson families, is on display there. 'It is with profound sadness we share the news of a tragic event that has deeply affected our families, friends and church community,' the note read. 'Our beloved family members were cherished individuals. They were parents, grandparents, siblings, children and pillars of faith within our community. 'Their love, steadfast faith and selfless service have left an indelible mark on our families, the Korumburra Baptist Church, the local community and indeed people around the globe.' The above family tree shows the connections between the Pattersons and Wilkinsons embroiled in the unusual poisoning tragedy in Leongatha A neighbour of Gail and Don Patterson told Daily Mail Australia that Simon had lived with his parents after splitting with his wife, but moved out late last year. 'Sunday morning we saw the ambulance pull into their driveway and we didn't know what was happening,' he said. 'They'd been very sort of mobile people. They were always out doing their own lawns. They were pretty active. Don used to go for walks every morning.' The neighbour, who did not wish to be named, described his neighbours as kind people, who did maintain contact with their son's ex-wife even after the split. 'He was a pretty good sort of a person who wouldn't hold those grudges. I don't know the reason they were there, but probably to see their grandkids,' he said. News of the tragic deaths has been the talk of the small rural community, with allegations Simon may have suffered a serious stomach injury. Simon Patterson lived with his parents while recovering from a serious stomach problem Mushrooms seen on the family home at Leongatha in Victoria's Gippsland region It was revealed on Tuesday that Simon spent 21 days in intensive care after collapsing at his home in May 2022. READ MORE: Who's who in the Leongatha mushroom poisoning? Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became severely ill after they ate wild mushrooms Advertisement 'I collapsed at home then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation,' he wrote. 'My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice as I was not expected to live. 'I was in intensive care for 21 days, after which I was in the general ward for a week, and now I'm at a rehab place.' Simon continued, writing the treatment 'seemed to have fixed the serious gut problems'. 'I have a big scar on my tummy which is healing itself slowly, and I have ICU acquired weakness which is a common condition of people who lie in intensive care for a long time as I did,' he said. 'I can walk and do all the normal daily functions myself, however my left shoulder in particular is very weak.' The Pattersons neighbour told Daily Mail Australia Simon had been living with his parents while recovering from that illness. 'After his illness, there might have been a separation,' he said. 'We don't know why they split up. They were a very private family.' Erin Patterson refused to answer questions about what she had cooked her guests The property where the deadly lunch occurred at Leongatha, in Victoria's Gippsland region Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Erin was responsible for Simon's illness or the three deaths. She had returned home on Wednesday, but remained holed-up inside behind the safety of a large electric gate. Homicide detectives searched the property on Saturday as part of their investigation, seizing a number of items. The home of Gail and Don Patterson remained empty on Wednesday Erin Patterson hauls a suitcase into her red MG before driving off Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became severely ill after they ate wild mushrooms. Mrs Wilkinson died on Friday while her husband remains in a critical condition in hospital On Tuesday, Erin was confronted by a media contingent keen for answers. But the stay-at-home mum provided few, telling reporters to get off her property. 'What happened is devastating and I'm grieving too and you guys don't have any respect for that,' she said. Erin was forced to navigate around a media scrum to enter her front door. 'Can I just get to my door, stop standing in front of me,' she said. Erin refused to answer what dish she served her guests, who are believed to have ingested poisonous mushrooms. A black dog rushed out of Erin's home as she opened the front door, infuriating her further. 'You don't have any permission to be on my private property or harass me,' she said. 'This kind of behaviour will send someone right off a bridge.' Asked 'How she was going' by a reporter, Ms Patterson stated the obvious. 'I'm going ****house. Thanks for asking. You guys aren't helping,' she responded. Moments later, Erin was seen loading a suitcase into the boot of her red MG and leaving. A bizarre standoff between a sovereign citizen and a police officer has sparked outrage with questions raised about why the man was allowed to 'drive off'. Glen Short was stopped for a random breath test by a Wollongong Highway Patrol Officer on the side of a busy highway on Monday. Mr Short filmed the altercation where he referred to himself as a 'self-governed' citizen, accused the cop of not having his consent to look up his personal details, and claimed he beat a chief magistrate in court. The video ended with Mr Short telling the police officer he didn't have any jurisdiction over him and that he was leaving. 2GB hosts Ben Fordham and Ray Hadley slammed the brazen act on Wednesday questioning why the self-proclaimed sovereign citizen was 'allowed to drive away'. 'The bloke should have been dragged from the car, cuffed, and taken to the police station and charged,' Hadley said. A man went on a bizarre tirade claiming he was a self governed citizen after he was pulled over by an officer on a busy highway on Monday for a random breath test 'And the message will go out to sovereign citizens now... oh you can drive off.' Fordham added: 'Why was he allowed to drive off?' NSW Police released a statement following the release of the video on Tuesday saying no charges had been laid. A spokesman provided an update on Wednesday revealing the driver had since been hit with several offences. He has been charged with refuse to produce Australian drivers license and hinder or resist police officer in execution of duty. Drive license suspended, use unregistered registrable class A motor vehicle on road and refuse or fail to submit to breath test were also among the offences. He is due to appear at Wollongong Local Court on Monday 25 September 2023. Mr Short will appear at Wollongong Local Court on September 25. The dramatic moment which was filmed by Mr Short and uploaded on his facebook page occurred after a police officer pulled the man for a random breath test. In the video, the officer from Wollongong Highway Patrol is seen holding a breathalyzer device as he informs the man that he is being recorded on his bodycam footage, which the driver complies with. However, the conversation takes a dramatic turn when the 'self-governed' citizen accuses the cop of accessing his personal details without his consent. 'Do you agree that I've said to you that is a commercial contract with roads and maritime services, and that is a separate corporation to NSW Police force, which is a different ABN,' Mr. Short says 'So you didn't have consent by me, who I am the beneficiary and the executor of that legal fiction name'. 'You didn't have the consent to even look up the details of that commercial contract to the RMS because you're a separate corporation. I do study law.' The driver Glen Short, told the officer he would not be permitted to enter his 'private property' after the man went on a tirade accusing the officer of accessing his personal details Mr Short (pictured) argued he couldn't be arrested as 'the state of New South Wales is registered to Washington DC on the security exchange commission' and required an ASIC form 'to be able to conduct business lawfully in this country' After being told he would be breath tested, and if he didn't comply he would be arrested, Mr Short responded: 'I'm not driving a motor vehicle, I'm travelling. 'That would be if you were conducting commerce, I'm actually travelling.' 'You are trespassing on my private property,' Mr Short is seen in the video telling the officer after the policeman tried to open the car's door 'You do not have consent to enter my private property.' Vladimir Putin has been forced to deploy almost half his mothballed old tanks and armoured vehicles from a major Siberian open-air depot after suffering huge losses in Ukraine. Some 1,570 rusting war machines have been moved from their Siberian dump and restored to service for the Russian president's war against Ukraine, say reports. More than 40 per cent of the 3,840 tanks and military vehicles shown on satellite pictures from Google Earth at Vagzhanovo military equipment depot before the war have now been taken out of storage, it is claimed. The site in the Buryatia republic is the largest in Russia covering five square miles. Footage shows repurposed antiquated tanks from storage sites like Vagzhanovo - of which there are several across Russia - being moved to the war zone by military train. Vladimir Putin has been forced to deploy almost half his mothballed old tanks and armoured vehicles from a major open-air depot (pictured) Some 1,570 rusting war machines have been moved from their Siberian dump and restored to service for the Russian president's war against Ukraine, say reports Video footage (pictured) has shown repurposed T-54 and T-55 tanks being transported across Russia as Moscow's forces seek reinforcements after suffering massive hardware losses Use of the Soviet-era machinery is a sign of Putin's desperation but also his miscalculation that his existing resources would meet his war needs. READ MORE: At least eight killed and dozens wounded in Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk as Russian missile strikes target popular hotel and apartment blocks Advertisement Data on the key military storage base was taken by the Russian edition of The Moscow Times from blogs of photographers, travellers, and media publications. After eight months of the war in November 2022, about 2,600 armoured vehicles remained at the base, and by May 2023 this had slumped to 2,270. Most equipment was stored outside at the base. Many have missing turrets and would need substantial repair work to be in workable condition. Among the old tanks are T-62s, produced up to 1975. Russia is known to be renovating creaking Soviet-era tanks in large numbers due to Putin's war losses. He has ordered construction of two tank repair plants. One round-the-clock plant in Chita, Siberia is working on modernising the obsolete T-62s. On a visit to the plant six time zones east of Moscow, Putin propagandist and war fanatic Lt-Gen Andrey Gurulev, 55, said: 'Tanks, more than 50 years old, are being transformed into modern, normal machines capable of carrying out tasks and meeting the current frontline challenges.' He boasted: 'These T-62 tanks are completely modernised.' Some tanks are even older, and there are claims museums have been raided. The open-air military storage site is seen in this image, with dozens of Soviet-era tanks More than 40 per cent of the 3,840 tanks and military vehicles shown on satellite pictures from Google Earth at Vagzhanovo military equipment depot before the war have now been taken out of storage, reports have suggested T-54/T-55 vs T-62: Reports from Russia suggest Vladimir Putin is bringing Soviet-era models of tanks out of retirement and storage to bolster his heavy armour numbers in Ukraine Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's old T-54s along with Cold War mainstay, the T-55, have been deployed. The geriatric T-54 was originally produced by Stalin after the Second World War in 1946, but Putin seems to be sending to war an updated version from the early 1950s - some 70 years old, the same age as the modern-day dictator. They are a long way from the hypersonic missiles he boasts about. The main tanks used by both Russian and Ukrainian units in the on-going war are those from the T-72 family, which were also engineers in the Soviet era. However, compared to those being hauled out of storage, they boast more modern features and have been spotted with various upgrades. That being said, in recent months Ukraine has taken delivery of state-of-the-art western main battle tanks, such as Germany's Leopard 2, Britain's Challenger 2 and the American-made M1 Abrams - all of which are a significant upgrade on the T-72. These present a significant challenge to Russia's older models. Russia has also boasted of more modern battle tanks in the form of the T-80 and the T-14 Armata. While Russian state media claimed the latter had been used in the war in Ukraine, reports suggested they were quickly withdrawn, with the rollout of Russia's flagship tank having been plagued by setbacks. Meanwhile, Russia has suffered significant losses to its heavy armour, with the Oryx military blog - which counts losses on the battlefield based on visual confirmation, thus providing a minimum figure - reporting Russia has lost around 2,200 tanks. Ukraine estimate puts this figure even higher. Amid Russia's significant losses of tanks and other military hardware, several reports have suggested Putin is pulling old tanks out of storage, with one video from March showing factory workers re purposing the tanks. And there is evidence Russia is using its oldest models as driverless 'kamikaze tanks' able to operate on 'autopilot' loaded with explosives acting as self-propelled bombs. Pictured: Russian engineers are seen working on T-62 tanks and other hardware as Vladimir Putin works to bolster the military vehicles his forces have at their disposal in Ukraine A video showed an apparently reborn Soviet tank last month used in an attempt to inflict carnage on Ukrainian positions. In this case it hit a landmine and exploded near Marinka in Donetsk region before reaching the enemy. An eye-witness seeing a train in Voronezh carrying the ancient tanks likened them to extinct woolly mammoths. 'T-55! They ran out of new tanks and are sending junk.' A former landlord at 'Britain's wonkiest pub' has drunk a can of Banks's Mild amid the rubble as a final farewell after the building was destroyed by fire then demolished. Tom Catton, who ran the 18th century Crooked House with his wife Laura between 2006 and 2008, said he was 'absolutely gutted' about the blaze, adding that the ale house was where he met his wife, proposed and where they had their first child. The pub in Himley, Staffordshire, was severely damaged in the fire over the weekend before being reduced to rubble on Monday. Diggers moved in to knock down what was left of the venue within hours of police and firefighters leaving the site. Police are probing the cause of the fire while South Staffordshire Council lawyers are investigating potential breaches of the Town and Planning Act after the demolition. Speaking to the PA news agency at the rubble yesterday, Mr Catton said the couple's lives would have been very different without the historic Black Country pub. He bid farewell to the pub with a Banks's, which is brewed six miles away in Wolverhampton. Mr Catton said: 'Absolutely gutted. It means so much to us this place. This is where I met my wife Laura. I proposed to her here, we had our first kid here, so it holds a lot of memories. Even after 15 years away it means a lot to us, a lot of memories.' Mrs Catton said the 'crazy' subsidence-hit pub was 'wonkier upstairs than downstairs', with Mr Catton adding: 'A lot of people thought they were drunk when they walked in because everything was all over the place. 'It doesn't do it justice, the name Crooked House. It was all over the place. It had to be seen to be believed and it can't be, unfortunately, any more.' Locals now hope the pub can be rebuilt. Paul Turner, who had started a petition to save it, told ITV's Good Morning Britain (GMB): 'I'd like to think that we could do something to get it rebuilt in some form so the history is not lost. It's been here 1765.' West Midlands Mayor Andy Street also wants the pub to be rebuilt and said the local authority should consider barring any change of use application for the site. Tom Catton, who ran the 18th century Crooked House with his wife Laura between 2006 and 2008, drinks a can of Banks's mild amid the rubble as a final farewell to the building yesterday People inspect the rubble of the Crooked House pub in Himley, Staffordshire, yesterday Paul Turner, who had started a petition to save it, told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'I'd like to think that we could do something to get it rebuilt in some form so the history is not lost' People inspect the rubble of the Crooked House pub in Himley, Staffordshire, yesterday Stuart Hall, who had set up a Facebook page to save the Crooked House, told Good Morning Britain: 'Absolutely devastating. I can't talk about it, I get emotional, it's terrible.' The Crooked House, which was dubbed 'Britain's wonkiest pub', is pictured before the fire Stuart Hall, who had set up a Facebook page to save the Crooked House, also told GMB: 'Absolutely devastating. I can't talk about it, I get emotional, it's terrible.' Britain's 'wonkiest pub' where coins rolled UP the bar before being destroyed by fire: How Staffordshire venue The Crooked House sunk 4ft into ground due to mine subsidence A wonky historic 18th century pub that burned down last week was famed the world over for its baffling appearance and optical illusions that saw coins and marbles appear to roll up the bar. The Crooked House in Himley, Staffordshire, attracted tourists from across the world and was a popular wedding venue and brings a sorry end to its nearly 200-year-old history. Prior to its destruction, the venue was often described as Britain's wonkiest pub, sitting 4ft lower on one side than the other. The Crooked House pub, pictured in 1907 It was first built as a farmhouse in 1765, but gradually sank into the ground on one side due to subsidence from mining works carried out in the 1800s. It was converted into a pub in around 1830 and was first known as The Siden House 'siden' being Black Country dialect for 'crooked'. It was later renamed the Glynne Arms after Sir Stephen Glynne, a brother-in-law of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, who owned the land on which the tavern stood. While the Glynne Arms name remained above the door into the 1970s, the pub had acquired a more affectionate nickname among locals by then - the 'Crooked House', which was later adopted as the formal moniker. Inside, drinkers might have been convinced they had one too many before they had even sipped their first pint because while the floors and fixtures such as the bars and seats were level, the ceilings, walls and windows were not. A picture postcard from the early 1900s shows marbles appearing to roll up the bar A mind-boggling optical illusion known as a 'gravity hill' meant that coins and marbles appear to roll uphill when placed on slightly downhill surfaces that were sitting at a less jaunty angle than the rest of the pub. Picture postcards of the era a popular way for visitors to show families back home where they were visiting in the years before photography was commonplace made much of the pub's quirks. Many are captioned 'The Crooked House', while one even features a table of well-dressed country gentlemen marvelling at a marble appearing to roll up their table. The pub had been threatened with closure in the 1940s after it was deemed unsafe. By this time, one side of the building had sunk a full 4ft into the ground, despite the owners installing buttresses to stop it from slipping any further. Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries then purchased the building, reinforcing the supports with girders, and it remained open until earlier this year when the same brewer now known as Marston's announced that it was closing it as part of a cost-cutting regime. The brewing giant said it was selling off 61 locations to 'maximise returns from our core estate'. The Crooked House went on the market in January with a guide price of 675,000 and was sold last month to ATE Farms Limited, a company controlled by Carly Taylor, 34. Advertisement Mr Hall had set up a Facebook group to campaign for the preservation of the Crooked House as a pub when it was put up for sale by Marston's. Speaking yesterday, he said of the last few days: 'It was just a shock on Saturday to find out it was on fire - absolutely devastating. I could get emotional, it's terrible. 'My parents used to have a pub in Dudley in the late 60s and early 70s, and they used to bring us here 50 years ago. To see what it's like today is gut-wrenching, it really is.' The 59-year-old, whose Facebook group has swelled to more than 6,000 people from around the world since the fire, added: 'Pubs - that's a big, passionate thing for Black Country people. 'Yesterday (Monday) I was at home and people were messaging me on Facebook. About five o'clock last night they just completely destroyed it. Anger was there and I am not an angry person.' Mr Turner, whose online Save The Crooked House petition has attracted more than 12,000 signatures, said the pub was a tourist attraction and particularly popular with those who visited it for the first time. Mr Turner, from nearby Wombourne, said: 'First of all there was the fire. I was absolutely devastated. We had all sorts of ideas about what we were going to try and do to make sure the place stayed as a pub. 'The next thing is it was burning down. Two days later we suddenly found out it had been flattened as well. We thought the shell looked reasonably secure from what we could see.' The 58-year-old continued: 'I remember driving down this road with my parents when I was about six years old and laughing at this funny building. It was part of my childhood. The landlord would show us the marble rolling up the ledge on the wall. It was something we were proud of as Black Country people - it was ours.' Asked what the future might hold for the ruined pub and what he thought of calls to rebuild it, Mr Turner said: 'I think the only possibility really is some sort of replica. We need to do something, we can't just lose it.' Police said they are investigating 'all of the available evidence into the cause' of the blaze with Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, with no cause yet established. The building was levelled on Monday despite South Staffordshire Council stating that they had permitted only the top floor to be demolished for safety reasons. The council said yesterday that it was exploring whether the total demolition constituted a breach of the law and stated that it had not agreed to 'the demolition of the whole structure', nor deemed it necessary following an inspection. The authority said officers had visited the site near Dudley on Monday but had not agreed to 'the demolition of the whole structure' or deemed that it was necessary. Now, a married couple are facing questions after the Crooked House was destroyed just days after they bought it. Police said detectives would be speaking to the new owners of the pub, which was sold by Marston's Brewery in July to ATE Farms Limited, a company controlled by Carly Taylor, 34. It had been listed for sale for 675,000. Mrs Taylor is married to Adam, 44, who is shareholder and former director of Himley Environmental Ltd which runs a landfill site next to the pub. A source told the Daily Mail the purchase was 'all about access' and followed disagreements between the firm and Marston's over an access road to the pub which they shared. Himley Environmental's director Richard Longley could not be reached for comment. Mr Taylor declined to comment when approached at his home in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, yesterday. Marston's did not respond to request for comment. Meanwhile Dudley North MP Marco Longhi has demanded to know whether police were warned ahead of the demolition of a historic pub two days after it was gutted by fire. Conservative Mr Longhi has questioned why police did not intervene in the demolition of the Crooked House given that the investigation into the blaze at the site is ongoing. In a letter to Chief Constable Chris Noble of Staffordshire Police, Mr Longhi said: 'The lack of information being provided to the public has raised animosity amongst the local community in relation to the investigation. People inspect the rubble of the Crooked House pub in Himley, Staffordshire, yesterday Rubble of the Crooked House pub is pictured yesterday following the fire over the weekend People inspect the rubble of the Crooked House pub in Himley, Staffordshire, yesterday 'As an MP even I am not encouraged by the way matters were dealt with by the relevant authorities. To make matters worse, this site was demolished the day after it caught fire, which raises strong questions. 'If the police are investigating the fire incident, then why would the site be demolished whilst the police are conducting their enquiries, which may possibly require a forensic examination to gather evidence?' Mr Longhi asked the force about who was responsible for demolishing the site, whether police were notified and if so, why they did not intervene if it could have interfered with their investigation, and also whether the force was in correspondence with other authorities. Mr Longhi also said in his letter that the lack of information from police was leading to 'rising anger' and 'dissatisfaction' among the public. He said: 'I would like to stress upon the fact that The Crooked House was not just an ordinary building but a historical landmark which was held dearly by the local community. 'The way everything has been conducted and the little to no information being provided is leading to rising anger amongst the public and dissatisfaction towards these agencies. 'What has happened at this site is raising strong questions, some of which I am sure you may already be aware of. 'No building, regardless of its importance, should be treated in the way The Crooked House has been treated. The public is extremely angry.' Staffordshire Police has been approached for comment in response to Mr Longhi's letter. West Midlands Mayor Mr Street has said 'questions need answering' over the fire, which happened just days after the pub was sold by Marston's for 'alternative use'. It has also emerged that firefighters were hampered in their efforts to put out the fire by mounds of dirt which had been dumped across the only access road, meaning they had to pump water from a local stream down the lane with hoses. The building had been operating as a pub but closed last month to repair tens of thousands of pounds of damage caused during a break-in. In a letter to Staffordshire council leader Roger Lees, Mr Street said a 'tragic act' should not be the end of The Crooked House. In the letter, which was also signed by West Midlands night-time economy adviser Alex Claridge, he added: 'We therefore ask that you consider ensuring the property is rebuilt brick by brick (using as much original material as possible) before any further discussions about the future of the site take place.' Rubble of the Crooked House pub is pictured yesterday following the fire over the weekend Two chairs are seen outside the Crooked House pub yesterday after its demolition on Monday Staffordshire Police are reviewing 'all of the available evidence' into the cause of the fire Furniture from the Crooked House pub is seen in the rubble yesterday after it was demolished 'We are aware that the Crooked House has only very recently been sold by Marston's to a private developer with the intention of the site being used for 'alternative use'. READ MORE Married couple face questions after 18th Century boozer dubbed 'Britain's wonkiest pub' was destroyed by fire and then demolished Advertisement 'However, our understanding is that any alternative use would have to be approved by your council's planning department or committee, and so we would therefore ask you to strongly consider not allowing any alternative use and instead keeping this iconic location as a pub.' Mr Street said was 'not inferring' that the Crooked House was deliberately set alight, but that there are 'major questions' over the timing of the blaze. In a second letter addressed to Staffordshire Police Chief Constable Chris Noble and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Chief Fire Officer Rob Barber, he said: 'Whilst we will avoid any speculation as to what has occurred, clearly there are major questions to be answered given how swiftly this fire happened following the sale of the pub to an unknown private developer. 'We are also intrigued by the fact that your officers faced blocked access when trying to get to the scene.' The Crooked House was demolished on Monday just hours after it was devastated by a fire The remains of The Crooked House pub are pictured yesterday after the demolition Primary school teacher Steven Banfield said he warned police the building was not secure and at risk of vandalism a week ago. He visited the site in the village of Himley, West Midlands, to take photographs on July 28 - the day the sale was announced and found the door open and no security. Mr Banfield, 41, from Dudley, said he contacted police but only heard back on Sunday, the day after the fire, when officers got in touch asking him to send them his photographs. 'I found it really strange that someone would spend all that money then not secure it. It is in a very remote location, I knew it was a sitting duck,' he told the Daily Mail. 'I contacted the police as it was playing on my mind because of the building's history and how vulnerable it was.' The pub, which was famed for being the place where coins and marbles seemingly rolled uphill along the bar, had only recently been put forward for listed status protection. Heritage body Historic England received a submission from experts just a week before the inferno requesting that the pub be given protection as a listed building. Staffordshire Police said on Monday that investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing Aerial shots after the fire showed just how badly the 18th century pub in Himley was damaged Locals had started a petition calling for the pub to be saved after a sale was announced Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Fire Service extinguished the flames An extension built to the rear of the pub in Staffordshire contained a restaurant space Such measures mean property owners must first get local council permission before all works of demolition, alteration or extension on the building. Campaigners the Georgian Group are also looking into whether the Crooked House can be protected now after the fire, and if there are other options available than it being 'left as a ruin', reported the Daily Telegraph. As a video of the demolition circulated on Facebook, many of the pub's regular punters were left devastated by the sight. One person wrote: 'No way?!!! They have demolished the place THAT quickly?!!! Really???' Another added: 'Standing since the 18th century, been through war, mining, subsidence...the walls were still standing and a hope of saving something of a landmark, even if just the signage but these disgraceful individuals couldn't even honour that.' For decades, customers have flocked to the 18th-century hostelry, fascinated by the illusion that allowed them to roll a coin uphill along the bar. In recent years it also became a popular wedding venue for people wanting to tie the knot at a location with a quirky backdrop. Built in 1765 as a farmhouse it became a pub in the 1830s. It was initially named the Siden House; 'siden' means 'crooked' in the local Black Country dialect. Its wonkiness is down to subsidence caused by mining, leaving one side 4ft (1.2m) lower than the other. It was deemed unsafe in the 1940s and was scheduled for demolition, before it was bought by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries, which used buttresses and girders to make the structure safe while maintaining its lopsided appearance. A blaze at Black Country pub the Crooked House engulfed the building over the weekend Police arrived at the scene of the pub at 10.45pm on Saturday after the blaze began In a statement issued yesterday, a day after a mechanical digger was used to reduce the remaining structure to rubble, Mr Lees said: 'Our officers carried out a site visit to the site yesterday (Monday), prior to the demolition of the building. 'Officers agreed a programme of works with the landowner's representative to ensure the safety of the building and the wider site. 'The agreed course of action included the removal of three elements of the first-floor front elevation only. This was only to avoid the weak parts of the structure from falling. 'At no point did the council agree the demolition of the whole structure nor was this deemed necessary. Mr Lees added: 'This council finds the manner in which the situation was managed following the fire completely unacceptable and contrary to instructions provided by our officers. 'As such, we are currently investigating potential breaches of both the Town and Country Planning Act and the Buildings Act. As soon as we were made aware of the breaches during the demolition, we notified the Health and Safety Executive. 'The council is incredibly saddened by the loss of the building which, whilst not listed, was a heritage asset and important landmark to the local area and community. 'Over recent months, the council had been in conversation with the relevant national bodies regarding how best to protect and preserve this important heritage asset.' Slide me The pub had attracted visitors from all over the world who marvelled at its appearance Even in the modern era, before it closed, the pub retained its unique character. The floor, sofas and tables were perfectly upright but the walls, ceilings and even the windows sat at an angle Inside, its windows and walls all appeared crooked due to a bizarre effect through subsidence The crooked nature of the pub attracted punters from around the world for decades Detective Inspector Richard Dancey, from Staffordshire Police Criminal Investigation Division, said: 'This incident has caused a great deal of speculation locally and we understand the significance of the building within the local community. 'We would like to remind the public that our investigation is ongoing and we are reviewing all of the available evidence alongside fire investigators to determine the cause of the incident. 'Due to the excess damage caused to the structure of the building, the cordon remains in place (on Monday) and we're asking people to avoid the area. 'Those who may have any useful information are urged to get in touch with us whilst we continue to complete our lines of enquiry alongside the fire service.' Anyone with information can contact Staffordshire Police quoting '761 of August 5' A mother who fatally smothered her three young daughters wept in court as harrowing details of the girls' final moments were publicly revealed for the first time. Lauren Anne Dickason, 42, is charged with murdering her two-year-old twins Maya and Karla and their six-year-old sister Liane in September 2021 at their house in Timaru on New Zealand's South Island. She has admitted killing the girls but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Previously suppressed details of how that horrific day unfolded were described in the Christchurch High Court on Wednesday as forensic psychologist Ghazi Metoui gave evidence on Dickason's mental state. Dr Metoui painted a picture of a mother who had been depressed for a long period of time, and outlined how a tantrum by Karla pushed Dickason over the edge as she convinced herself it would be 'happy ending' for the whole family, including husband Graham, if she ended the lives of herself and the girls. The family had only migrated from South Africa a month before and on the day of the killings Dickason became panicked when the family's immigration advisor sought more detailed information about her mental health diagnosis and history, the court heard. Lauren Anne Dickason, 42, is charged with murdering her two-year-old twins Maya and Karla and their six-year-old sister Liane Lauren Dickason (pictured right) is interviewed by police after fatally smothering her daughters, aged six and twins aged two Dr Metoui interviewed Metoui nine times, for about 20 hours in total, the court heard. He the presented a 69-page report about his assessment. 'My opinion was that a defence of infanticide was available to Mrs Dickason,' he told the court. 'My opinion was that a defence of insanity was available to Mrs Dickason.' Metoui said Dickason knew she was 'so acutely unwell' after suffering from depression for a long period, including 'severe' postnatal depression. Dickason, Metoui said, had undergone 17 rounds of IVF treatment and also lost a baby at 18 weeks. The prospect of having to be assessed by a doctor in New Zealand for her visa was 'the straw that broke the camel's back'. 'I knew psychiatrists in New Zealand would lock me up, that I wouldn't get a favourable report. If I saw a psychiatrist, I couldn't hide it,' Dickason told Dr Metoui, according to the New Zealand Herald. Dickason lay in bed for hours 'feeling nauseous and unable to move'. 'I felt like my world was falling apart,' she said as she had 'negative ruminations' about her family's future and didn't know how she was going to keep living if her mental issues denied the family residency. 'I was so out of control trying to figure out in my head how to get back to South Africa,' Dickason said. 'My thoughts were so disordered Everything was unravelling. 'I didn't want to hurt my children - I wanted them to be with me I was feeling we'd make a huge mistake impossible to extricate from I felt helpless and hopeless.' Dr Metoui told the court that despite feeling she couldn't cope, Dickason had not determined to do herself or the children any harm when her husband left for his dinner with colleagues at 7pm. Graham Dickason (pictured left) with Lauren and their children two-year-old twins Maya and Karla and six-year-old Liane (pictured right) However Dickason told Dr Metoui that when she said goodbye to Graham she felt it was the last time she'd speak to him. Minutes after he left Karla threw a tantrum and began biting Dickason's clothing. Dickason said she got 'tunnel vision' and decided she could not live another day and that everything was 'totally out of control and finished'. 'I felt like I was going to explode I wanted everything to end,' she said. 'Everything was failing.' Dickason said she gathered the girls in a bedroom to 'contain them'. She told Dr Metou: 'I didn't want to leave them without a mum, I loved them too much'. She put cable ties around each of the girls' necks to choke them. When that did not work so she smothered them with blankets. As Metoui read out the events, Dickason sat in court with her head in her hands, bereft and audibly crying, prompting her lawyer to ask if she needed a break. Dickason, was 'drenched in sweat and shaking' after killing the girls but managed to pick them up and put them in their beds, the court heard. She tucked them in 'with their blankets, how they always slept'. 'I loved them, I wanted to tuck them in one last time,' she told Dr Metouis. Dickason changed into her pyjamas and told herself to 'calm down because I needed to take my own life'. After two unsuccessful attempts to take her own life she tried to overdose on whatever medication was at hand. Dickason told Dr Metouis she knew she 'only had limited time' before Graham returned home. She cleaned up the house, turned the lights off and hoped he would not realise what had happened until the next day because she thought 'this was somehow kinder on Graham'. Dr Metouis said Dickason covered the girls so she 'didn't have to see their faces'. 'I didn't want to remember those images too traumatic,' she said. 'It was meant to be a happy ending for everyone, but it's not a happy ending.' 'The last thing I remember doing is lying down with Liane.' 'I was just glad it was all going to end.' Dickason has admitted killing the girls but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity Dr Metoui said that although Dickason knew what she was doing was wrong, her thinking had been distorted by severe depression. 'I do not consider that Miss Dickason's mental state at the time of the alleged offending precluded her from understanding the nature and quality of the acts,' Dr Metoui said. 'To the contrary, I consider that she was purposeful and deliberate throughout her offending and acted with full conscious awareness of her actions and with great determination to pursue her aims, the killing of her three young children. 'However, such was the severity of her depressive illness and associated distorted thinking at that time ... that ultimately, she thought she and her three children were better off dead. 'It is my opinion that she did not know that the alleged acts were morally wrong to the commonly accepted standard of right and wrong ... she has a defence of insanity.' Defence lawyer Anne Toohey said the doctor's report offered more detailed information on Dickason's mental health history than any previous ones. Dr Metoui also said the depression was 'ongoing' and she was on a downward slope well before the family moved to New Zealand. She opened up to him more about her issues, he said, detailing her gruelling fertility journey which saw her undergo 17 rounds of IVF treatment and the loss of a baby at 18 weeks gestation, before turning to donor eggs. Dickason told Dr Metoui that during this time she was 'isolated and alone', and while her husband and friends were supportive, she struggled more than they realised. In the period after she gave birth to Liane, she 'concealed her mental health struggles,' Dr Metoui said, adding that Dickason admitted to not being 'completely honest with [Graham] about how I was feeling'. When she became pregnant with the twins, Dr Metoui said things were better, but her anxiety returned when the couple were told Karla had a cleft palate. Nevertheless, Dr Metoui said Dickason told him 'all went well for the first five months' after the twins were born, helped by the couple hiring a night nanny. However, her mood 'began to decline', he said, and she began to feel 'exhausted with reduced energy' and depression set in again. He said she felt 'trapped' by motherhood and envied her husband's life away from their home. It was at this point, the doctor said, that the spiral to the alleged murders began, with Dickason told thinking about what life would be like without the twins. 'I had thoughts that it would be nice to not have the twins for a couple of days. I thought about hurting them,' Dr Metoui said Dickason told him. 'I thought it would be nice to have them gone.' She told her husband about her feelings, and he reacted angrily, the doctor said, but in early 2020, the couple decided to move overseas. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought lockdown, and Metoui said that this felt 'like infertility all over again' for Dickason. Despite the setback, Dickason's mental health improved when she embarked on a health and wellness programme, and she felt the best she had done in years. She subsequently stopped taking her antidepressants, without speaking to a doctor, thinking this would be seen more favourably by New Zealand's immigration officials. Her depression set in again when riots broke out in South Africa, with Metoui saying she never recovered from that point onwards. Dickason said after she fatally smothered her children she 'tucked them in one last time' In the lead-up to the family's move to New Zealand, she became extremely anxious, the doctor told the court, and she cut communication with her friends. Days before the family moved, Dickason told Metoui she had homicidal thoughts about using a cable to strangle her girls, he said. 'I felt like the seed was planted that day,' she told Metoui. Dr Metoui's evidence continues tomorrow. Russians are suspected of orchestrating a massive cyberattack that saw hackers access the names and addresses of tens of millions of voters on Britain's electoral register. More than 40million voters may have had their data stolen after a raid on the Electoral Commission in the biggest data breach in UK history. Officials revealed yesterday that 'hostile actors' had access to its systems for 14 months without being detected, meaning the hackers may have obtained the name and address of nearly every voter in the country. David Omand, a former GCHQ director, said Moscow was the prime suspect. 'Russians, and I point to them in particular, have been interfering with democratic elections for some years now think of the 2016 US election, and then the French election, and then the German election, even our own 2019 election,' he said. 'They have been trying to interfere with the democratic process. It is not at all surprising that hostile agencies would try and hack into the Electoral Commission.' More than 40million voters may have had their data stolen after a raid on the Electoral Commission in the biggest data breach in UK history Sir David told BBC Radio 4 he cited Russia because of the record of its military intelligence and civilian agents in interfering with Western elections.' While investigations into the cyberattack are continuing, evidence has been identified suggesting Russian involvement, although there is no evidence of a link to the Kremlin, The Times reported. The commission admitted it still did not 'know conclusively what files may or may not have been accessed' and what data was downloaded or copied. The criminals were able to view electoral registers with the names and addresses of at least 40million people registered to vote between 2014 and 2022. The attack also compromised its file sharing and email system, allowing access to the online addresses and data of anyone who messaged its staff. The National Cyber Security Centre, which is probing the incident, did not rule out the possibility of a foreign state attack. It came as police in Northern Ireland revealed they were also at the heart of a data breach 'of monumental proportions', in this case affecting thousands of officers and civilian staff, including some working in intelligence. The data was mistakenly divulged in response to a freedom of information request, leaving officers frightened that their families and friends could be 'jeopardised'. Yesterday the Electoral Commission stressed the data accessed would not allow anyone to meddle in parliamentary or council elections by impersonating voters. It also said it was confident the hackers did not edit or change the electoral registers. But MPs called for the National Cyber Security Centre and Parliament's intelligence and security committee to investigate how the data was being used. Tory MP Simon Fell, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on cyber security, said: 'Frankly this attack has put us all at risk. What is so deeply concerning is the volume and scale of this data breach. While investigations into the cyberattack are continuing, evidence has been identified suggesting Russian involvement, although there is no evidence of a link to the Kremlin, according to reports GCHQ houses the National Cyber Security Centre, which is responsible for protecting against hacks 'A lot of this information may be in the public domain elsewhere, but where it has real value to the people who may want to cause us harm is it is all in one place. It must be the biggest single data set breach in the UK. 'Given the scale and complexity of this, there are very few groups capable of such an attack, the usual suspects would be Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. 'But it is Russia that has a history of interference in elections.' The attackers were able to access reference copies of the registers held for research purposes and for permissibility checks on political donations. The registers included the name and address of anyone in the UK who was registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, as well as registered overseas voters. The watchdog apologised yesterday, saying that although 'much of the data' was already in the public domain, it is possible 'this data could be combined with other data in the public domain ... to infer patterns of behaviour or to identify and profile individuals'. Hackers infiltrated the commission's systems in August 2021 but the security breach was not discovered until October 2022. The commission said the attack had 'used a sophisticated infiltration method, intended to evade our checks', which was why it had taken so long to detect. Officials decided to delay informing the public while they removed the hackers and put additional security in place. Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd speaks to media about a data breach involving officers and civilian staff But Anthony Young, of cyber security firm Bridewell, said: 'If the attackers had access to the commission's email systems and controls for over 14 months, during this time they could have contacted other individuals, companies and government departments claiming to be part of the electoral commission. This could lead to further loss of data or finances.' Shaun McNally, the chief executive of the Electoral Commission, apologised, saying: 'The UK's democratic process is significantly dispersed and key aspects of it remain based on paper documentation and counting. 'This means it would be very hard to use a cyber-attack to influence the process. We know which systems were accessible to the hostile actors, but are not able to know conclusively what files may or may not have been accessed.' Parents have spoken with the Department of Education The grieving family of a transgender boy who took his own life after he was allegedly subjected to relentless bullying at school have issued a list of demands to the Department of Education for change. Onyx Rose Lambert, 13, who attended Beaudesert State High School, was found dead by his mum at the family home in Beaudesert, Queensland, on Sunday, July 16. It's since been revealed that at least three other Year 7 students are on suicide watch and an internal survey showed many pupils didn't feel safe at the school. Onyx's devastated family told Daily Mail Australia that he had been viciously bullied by other students after he started using he/him pronouns. 'He didn't have gender issues - he accepted that he wanted to be a boy,' Onyx's sister Ivy Lambert said, speaking on behalf of the family. Onyx Rose Lambert (pictured), 13, who attended Beaudesert State High School, was found dead by his mum at the family home in Beaudesert 'The kids at school wouldn't accept it. The students would taunt him in front of everyone. 'It got so bad he would be shaking if he was forced to go to school.' Onxy's parents, along with 20 other parents, met with senior Education Department representatives on Wednesday. Ivy explained that 'important issues' were discussed with department officials as well as a list of demands for change. 'We are demanding real change because kids come to school to learn and feel safe, not to be bullied to death,' she told The Courier Mail. 'We're not going to stop until we see a real difference.' These changes include inner-school suspensions for students who misbehave or bully others. Suspended students would do school work instead of staying at home. Another demand is for the school to take students who witness and report bullying and anti-social behaviour more seriously. Parents also want a buddy system adopted between older and younger students so younger pupils can feel more safe. Other changes include a separate precinct for Year 7s, Year 8s and special education students in the school yard to 'protect them' from older pupils, and for teachers to be on duty at bus drop-off and pick-up zones. Following the death of Onyx, it's been requested that a trained transgender counsellor also be at the school to help and support transgender students. It's since been revealed that at least three other Year 7 students are on suicide watch and an internal survey showed most pupils don't feel safe at Beaudesert State High School (pictured) Ivy Lambert (pictured right with Onyx (previously named Rose) on the left) said her brother's death would not be in vain and she would change the school system she believes allowed the bullying to flourish The department will submit the list of demands to the Queensland education minister Grace Grace. Ms Lambert and her family will be seeking a timeline from the department for when the changes are expected to be implemented. Tragically, Onyx is not the only student from the school who had taken their own life. Lilly Patricia Rose Osborne, 16, was found dead in In November 2021. Her mother claimed she was also viciously bullied. The bullying got so bad that her mother pulled her out of Beaudesert State High School to home school her before she took her own life after she was harassed on social media by students. An internal survey revealed that about 38 per cent of students did not feel safe at Beaudesert State High School last year. This was up from 10 per cent five years ago. While 34 per cent agreed with the statement 'student behaviour is well managed'. Onyx's family is seeking justice for what they claimed was a lack of a response or duty of care to the bullying he endured. They said Onyx had wanted to become a vet and work with animals before his tragic death. 'We haven't received any support from the school ... the teachers have been instructed not to discuss it with students either,' Ivy said. 'I got blocked when I contacted the school's official Facebook page.' Onyx did not want to go school after complaining of being taunted by other students when he changed his pronouns to male Onyx's parents, along with 20 other parents, met with senior Education Department representatives and issued a list of demands to be actioned on Wednesday However, after being contacted by Daily Mail Australia, principal Grant Stephensen extended support to the family as well as sending a backdated email to parents - several days after Onyx' passing. 'Please know that your family is in our thoughts at this time.' a letter to Ivy began. 'My staff and I have been deeply impacted by this.' 'We have been given pause to reflect and want to ensure Beaudesert SHS is a safe place for students to learn. Your voice is an important part of our reflection.' Mr Stephensen also contacted parents via email offering that students could speak to counsellors about their feelings. 'The school has put in place a process that allows students an opportunity to talk about their thoughts and feelings with trained professional staff,' the email read. 'Guidance officers will be available in the school should your child require further advice or support.' A Queensland Department of Education spokesperson confirmed allegations of bullying at Beaudesert State School are being looked into and that staff and students have been offered support. 'Staff and students close to the student were spoken to directly, while others were informed at assemblies or through information sent to parents,' the department said. 'The school has been in regular contact with the student's family and is also speaking with local elders.' The department went on to say that guidance officers and support staff remain available through the school's wellbeing centre. Following the death of Onyx (pictured), it's been requested that a trained transgender counsellor be at the school to help and support transgender students Ivy has launched A GoFundMe to help her family raise funds for the costs of Onyx's funeral service and for a rally to be held in late August that will push for change from the Education Department. 'Mum tried so hard to help (Onyx) through her struggles, numerous counseling appointments, doctors appointments, calling the school constantly,' Ivy said. 'I'm hoping to take as much stress off her as possible.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Beaudesert State High School for comment. For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14 A celebrity chef who has been charged with murdering his lover in Thailand saw killing him as the only option after he was allegedly blackmailed with intimate images, according to reports. Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, the son of two Spanish film stars, was arrested for the killing and dismemberment of Columbian surgeon Edwin Arrieta Arteaga after Thai police found body parts in a rubbish dump. Before the killing, the YouTuber chef is believed to have wanted to split from Arrieta, 44, which the doctor refused to allow - reportedly threatening to publish pictures of his partner. Sancho - who is the son of Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre and actress Silvia Bronchalo - is said to have been so worried about the pictures ruining his family's reputation that he decided to kill Arrieta, Thai news outlets report. The couple, who were holidaying on the popular island of Koh Phangan, are said to have met to attend the famous Full Moon Party techno event before the gruesome murder took place. The YouTuber chef is believed to have wanted to split from Arrieta, 44, which the doctor refused to allow - reportedly threatening to publish intimate pictures of his partner Police say the body of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga (pictured) was found dismembered in a rubbish tip on the island of Koh Pha Ngnan on Thursday A Thai police officer escorts Spanish Daniel Sancho Bronchalo on suspicion of murdering and dismembering a Colombian surgeon from Koh Phagnan island to Koh Samui Island court, southern Thailand, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023 Details of the killing emerged last week with reports of plastic bags containing body parts of a man being discovered at a landfill site on the island. These were later identified by police as belonging to Arrieta. Sancho came in to report a missing person after the body parts were found and was subsequently detained. He reportedly told authorities that the two had a romantic relationship and that he tried to break up with the 'obsessed' victim, but that he refused. It has also been reported that Arrieta invested 10,000 euros in one of the chef's restaurants. The Spaniard reportedly said: 'It ended up destroying my relationship with my girlfriend. 'He was obsessed with me and wanted to do business with me. He put money into my company. It was all a lie.' The social media influencer later confessed to killing and dismembering Arrieta and then dumping the body parts in the landfill and the sea, although he denied that it was premeditated, police said. Authorities have now suggested that he had been planning the killing even before Arrieta arrived on the island from Colombia. New CCTV images, shared by Bild, are said to show the chef buying the tools he allegedly used for the murder from a supermarket. 'The investigation showed that Daniel Sancho had prepared himself thoroughly. He bought items to make the body go away,' said Police Lt. Gen. Surapong Thanomjit, commissioner of the local provincial police. Police have not yet ruled out that jealousy may have been a motive for the bloody deed or that Sancho could have feared separation from his partner. A still image from CCTV video appears to show Sancho and his partner riding a scooter together in the days before Arrieta's death Police officers stand behind a cordon at a rubbish tip where Mr Arrieta's body was found A handout photo made available by Royal Thai Police shows Spanish chef Daniel Jeronimo Sancho Bronchalo, 29, sitting next to evidence and a police officer Thai police forensic officers investigate a garbage dump site as they search for parts of the body of a Colombian surgeon in Koh Phagnan island Sancho's arrest warrant was issued by the Koh Samui Provincial Court on Saturday. His charge could result in a death sentence, authorities have said. READ MORE: YouTube chef facing the death penalty for killing and dismembering gay lover Advertisement Sancho meanwhile told Spanish news agency EFE Arrieta was obsessed with him and had kept him 'hostage'. CCTV footage showed by local broadcaster Thai PBS showed Sancho and Arrieta on a motorcycle together days before the remains were discovered. Regional police chief Surapong Thanomchit told the public broadcaster that Sancho was seen buying a knife, garbage bags and cleaning solutions before Arrieta's death. Sancho's father starred in El Ministerio del Tempo (The Ministry of Time), while his mother is also a respected actor. His uncle, Felix Sancho, told journalists in Spain: 'A little respect for the family is all we ask for, because this is so painful.' A family spokesperson previously asked for 'maximum respect, both for Daniel Sancho himself and for the whole family, in these delicate moments of maximum confusion'. Spanish chef Daniel Sancho Bronchalo (C), is escorted by Thai police officers to the court from Koh Phangan police station on Monday A handout photo made available by Royal Thai Police shows a Spanish chef, a murder suspect Daniel Jeronimo Sancho Bronchalo, (C) is escorted by Thai police officers during a crime reenactment at a scene in Koh Phangan island, southern Thailand, August 6 A handout photo made available by Royal Thai Police shows a Spanish chef, a murder suspect Daniel Jeronimo Sancho Bronchalo, (R) is escorted by Thai police officers during a crime reenactment The Spanish Embassy in Bangkok told reporters it was aware of a crime involving a Spanish man but declined to give further information due to data protection legislation. Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared a statement on its website Sunday thanking the Thai police for their investigation and said it is providing assistance to the family of the victim. Koh Pha Ngan is a popular tourist destination for Eurpopean travellers, drawing thousands of backpackers to its notoriously wild parties and famed for white sandy beaches. In 2014, another tourist island Koh Tao was rocked by the double murder of two young British backpackers. Two Burmese nationals are serving sentences of life imprisonment for the murders, but rights groups have accused Thai authorities of using the men as scapegoats. A terrified sailor has spoken out about the moment his vessel was attacked by killer whales who tore off his rudder and left him fearing for his life. After a group of five orcas began following 70-year-old Phep Philouceros's yacht as it sailed off the coast of Cape Vincent, Portugal, on Monday, the elderly sailor was forced to broadcast a Mayday signal when the killer whales began attacking his vessel. Phep, who was travelling to Royan, France, managed to capture the shock attack, which saw two of the creatures start tearing off huge parts of his ship, a twin-keel boat called Oxygene, including the rudder. He said that the two orcas made light work of the rudder, taking it apart in 'one minute.' The sailor also said he heard the hull itself crack, but did not see any water get in. Phep, who was travelling to Royan, France, from Portugal managed to film the surprise attack as it happened He said two of the five orcas started tearing his boat apart, ripping off its rudder and forcing him to broadcast a Mayday signal The experienced sailor, who has been sailing for 55 years, said that he managed to get a decent look at the culprits: 'I think there were young orcas. They were about six or seven meters long. They were neither adults or babies. 'The attack wasn't too violent. The boat moved, it rotated but didn't capsize. 'If the orcas really wanted to sink the boat, they could have done it easily. I don't think it was their intention.' But despite his brave words, he said that the group hassled him and his boat for a total of 45 minutes, even as he was being towed away by a rescue vessel. His boat is now ashore in Sagres, where he's waiting for it to be repaired. The group ended up hassling him for around minutes, even as the rescue boat towed him away from the scene of the initial attack Phep, an experienced sailor, said he's never experienced anything like this in his 55 years of sailing The retired navigator said he's been out at sea for around three months, after leaving France The retired navigator, who has been on deck since leaving Gruissan in France three months ago on his yacht, said that he's never experienced anything like this in his decades of sailing. The shock attack comes in the middle of a summer of orca attacks against ships. Just last week, a group of killer whales left the crew of a 48-foot catamaran adrift off the coast of Gibraltar, with footage of the attack showing a whale tearing off a part of the boat needed for steering. Scientists believe that young orcas are simply playing games when they ram boats and tear off important equipment, learning the dangerous behaviour from their elders. The terrifying practice has been spreading across the world, with whales damaging vessels off the Iberian coast since 2020. The attack comes in the height of a summer of orca attacks, which have seen boats across the world be attacked by killer whales Scientists have said that the orcas are simply playing, having learned the behaviour from their elders Experts have warned sailors in Portugal to try and keep to waters less than 20 metres in depth, and to try and stay vigilant to the presence of orcas. But Phep said he checked for orcas in the area but did not find any evidence of them. Phep knew there had been reported orca sightings in the area, so before he set sail from Sagres he checked an app which lists recent orca encounters. He said: 'I use an app called Orca Atlantica which lists orca encounters in the area and I also listen to what local authorities are advising. 'After leaving Lagos and before reaching Cape St. Vincent, I stopped in Sagres to check the latest news on the app. 'There hadn't been any sightings of orcas that day so I went ahead but unfortunately I wasn't lucky.' BJP's politics has murdered India in Manipur: Rahul on no-confidence motion Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday during the discussion on no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that his "arrogance was burning India like Ravana's arrogance got Lanka burned". "If we want to hear the voice of people, we will have to crush our arrogance as Ravana was not killed by Lord Ram but his arrogance got him killed and in the same manner Prime Minister Narendra Modis arrogance is burning the whole country." He said that it was not Lord Hanuman who burned Lanka, but it was arrogance of Ravana that got the Lanka destroyed. Gandhi made the remarks while speaking in the Lok Sabha in support of the no-confidence motion. Before starting his speech in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi first thanked Speaker Om Birla for re-instating him as the MP. First of all want to thank you as you reinstated me in Lok Sabha. And last time when I spoke, I might have caused you trouble. I apologise to you for that. But I spoke the truth. Today, my friends in BJP need not be scared because my speech today is not on that." Following this, the members from the Treasury Bench objected to his comments. Referring to the words of famous poet Rumi, Rahul Gandhi said said, Rumi had said Jo shabd dil se aate hai, wo shabd dil me jate hai. So I would not be speaking from my mind but from my heart, he said adding that last year, for over 130 days I walked from one corner of India to another corner, not alone but with many people. Treasury members again raised their voice on this. "Initially, when I started (the Bharat Jodo Yatra), I had in my mind that walking 25 km is no big deal if I can run 8 to 10 km every day. Today, when I look at that -- it was arrogance. I had arrogance in my heart at that time. But India erases arrogance, erases it in a second. So, within 2-3 days, my knees started hurting, it was an old injury. In the first few days, the wolf became an ant. 'Jo Hindustan ko ahankar se dekhne nikla, nikla tha wo poora ka poora ahankar gayab ho gaya (The arrogance with which I had come to see India, that arrogance was wiped out)', he said. He then said, 'After sometime I started realising that the thing which I loved, the thing for which I am ready to die, the thing I am ready to go to prison of Modiji and for the thing for which I was abused for 10 years, I wanted to understand that. What is this, which has captured my heart, I wanted to understand that." Sharing his experience of the Yatra from Tamil Nadus Kanyakumari to Jammu and Kashmirs Srinagar, the Congress MP said, Everyday I walked with fear and whenever this fear grew some power helped me. One day, I was unable to bear the pain and a young girl gave me a letter that read, dont worry I am walking with you. She saw my injury and she gave her power. And lakhs of people gave me the power. He then said that in the first few days he spoke his mind to the people but after sometime he started listening to them and then he shared their pain. After I started listening to the voice of the people and understood their pain, the yatra changed completely. I could not listen to the voice of crowd but the voice of the people who spoke to me, their pain, their wounds and their words became mine, he shared. He further said that people say that this is a country while some say there is different languages, different religions. This country is a voice and it is the truth. This country is the voice of people, their pain, and their hardships. And if we have to listen to the voice then we have to wipe the arrogance, desires, dreams. When we remove our dream then only we can listen to the voice of India, he said. Now you will ask why you kept this in no-confidence motion? Because if we have to listen to the voice of India then we have to remove the hatred, Rahul Gandhi explained. Targeting the Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi said, When I said that India is a voice of people, the heart, that voice has been murdered in India. It means Bharat Mata has been killed in Manipur. By killing the people of Manipur you have murdered Manipur. You are anti-national as you have killed Bharat Mata (mother India). And it is the reason why your Prime Minister cannot go to Manipur as he has killed India in Manipur and in the hearts of the people of Manipur, he said. He also said that you (BJP) have killed Bharat Mata in Manipur and till the time you dont stop voilence you are murdering India. The armed forces can bring normalcy in one day but you are not using it as you want to kill India in Manipur. If Modi cannot listen to the hearts of people of India..., he said. Lanka was not burned by Lord Hanuman but it was burned by the arrogance of Ravana. Ram did not kill Ravana but the arrogance of Ravana killed him. You are throwing kerosene in entire India. You threw kerosene in Manipur and then you ignited it. Now you are doing that in Haryana. You are trying to burn entire India and you are trying to kill India, Rahul Gandhi added. Blast came after Moscow said it had downed two drones close to the capital The blast tore through the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant in Sergiyev Posad, 46 miles northeast of Moscow. The plant makes optical devices for the military A Russian defence plant was evacuated this morning after a major explosion at the site sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky, towering over nearby buildings. It came hours after Moscow became the target of another drone attack overnight, with Russia saying it had shot down two Ukraine UAVs near the capital, in the latest in a string of attacks on and around the country's capital in recent months. The explosion at the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant also initially prompted reports of a drone strike, but this was quickly denied by Russian officials. A huge mushroom cloud was seen over the plant in Sergiyev Posad, 46 miles northeast of Moscow. A witness said 'the whole plant is in ruins'. At least 45 were wounded but a rising toll of casualties was feared, said local officials, with 19 needing hospital treatment. At least six are in a serious condition. A Russian defence plant was being evacuated this morning after a major explosion at the site sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky, towering over nearby buildings (pictured) The Zagorsk plant is understood to produce optical equipment for the Russian military, such as night-vision binoculars, as well as civilian optical devices. Over a year ago, on June 8, 2022, the same plant experienced an unexplained fire - one of many unusual fires since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. The size of the explosion suggests it has experienced significantly greater damage today. Rescuers were searching under the rubble of the plant on Wednesday. The cause of the blast was not clear and is under investigation amid a string of Ukrainian drone and sabotage attacks around Russia, linked to Putin's war. A report said the whole town was ordered to evacuate after the blast. According to Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the region surrounding the Russian capital, the blast occurred at a warehouse storing fireworks, though it was on the grounds of the plant. Vorobyov said the company had rented out the warehouse for storage, but later claimed the plant itself was mostly producing pyrotechnics. He said the facility 'has had nothing to do with optics or mechanics for a long time,' even though the company's website says it still manufactures those products, as well as medical apparatus. Whatever the cause, the explosion produced a tall plume of black smoke and added to Russian jitters over nighttime drone attacks on Moscow, as well as alarm about smoke over the port of Sevastopol in Crimea on Wednesday. The Zagorsk plant explosion blew out windows in nearby apartment buildings and prompted the evacuation of the surrounding area, the regional governor said. 'It's terrible, the whole plant is destroyed,' said a witness. 'I'm shocked. Imagine, we were just thrown back [by the blast] in the welding section. It's just awful.' Other witnesses suggested the site was destroyed by a drone strike, despite the denials from local officials. 'Something flew in,' an anonymous source said, according to the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel. 'First a whistle, then the light blinked and an explosion' Two shells were found among the debris, local reports said. It is unclear if the shells were linked to the explosion. Baza media said that state investigators were examining 'sabotage' as a possible cause of the giant blast. CCTV footage captures the moment a huge ball of fire rose above the treeline in Russia A huge mushroom cloud was seen over the plant in Sergiyev Posad, 46 miles northeast of Moscow. A witness said 'the whole plant is in ruins' Emergency medics treat injured people at the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant in the city of Sergiev Posad after an explostion tore through the factory, August 9 In this photo taken from video and released by the Administration of Sergiev Posad municipal district of Moscow region telegram channel on Wednesday, August 9, smoke rises from the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant in the city of Sergiev Posad Law enforcement officers stand guard at the entrance to the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant following a blast on its territory, in Sergiev Posad in the Moscow Region, August 9 Locals were seen in footage from the area coming out to look at the huge plume of smoke A man fixes broken window after powerful explosion at Sergiyev Posad, Russia on August 9 A security official is seen driving after powerful explosion at Sergiyev Posad, Russia In addition to Wednesday morning's explosion at the Zagorsk military plant, Russia said it had downed two drones - one near a major international airport, and another near the M-1 motorway that links the Russian capital to Minsk, Belarus But in an apparent attempt to play down the suggestion that the blase was caused by an attack, local Russian official Sergei Pakhomov said: 'The source of the detonation was a pyrotechnics warehouse, the premises for which were rented by one of the well-known companies in the city. 'The cause of the explosion is in violation of technological processes,' he claimed. The plant itself is one of the main developers and manufacturers of a wide range of observation devices, medical equipment for diagnosing and treating diseases of eye tissues and vessels, fluorographs and X-ray image intensifiers, as well as various photometric devices. It is a leading enterprise for the development and serial production of binoculars and monoculars, and is believed to have links to Putin's defence ministry. Emergency services were working to evacuate the plant's employees. According to eyewitnesses, a fire broke out at the plant after the explosion, and ten houses close to the plant were damaged. A video emerged later showing the moment of explosion, with shocked locals coming out of a nearby building to see a ball of fire followed by a plume of smoke rising into the sky. Another clip showed a woman knocked down to her hunches as the shockwave from the blast ripped through the area, moments after she had left an apartment building. The thunderous explosion shakes the camera, and is followed by shattering of glass and sirens as a mushroom cloud appears in the sky. The woman is a considerable distance from the plant but is still hit by its force. The blast came after Russia said it had shot two drones out of the sky around Moscow, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Footage shows damaged buildings in the aftermath of Wednesday's plant explosion Two shells were found at Sergiyev Posad plant's explosion site in Moscow region. It was not clear if these were linked to the huge explosion that rocked the area around the plant One of the drones was downed near a major airport to the south of the city while the other was taken out to the west of the capital near the Minsk highway, a major road that connects Moscow to Belarus. Russia quickly blamed Ukraine for the attacks. Kyiv has not yet commented on them, and is unlikely to publicly take official responsibility as with previous incidents. The Russian defence ministry admitted the two incursions 16 minutes apart, saying a 'terrorist attack' had been 'thwarted'. 'An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack with unmanned aerial vehicles was prevented over the territory of the Moscow region,' the defence ministry said. 'Two UAVs were destroyed by air defences.' 'There was an attempt to fly over the city with two combat drones,' said Moscow's mayor Sergey Sobyanin. 'At the moment, there is no information about casualties at the crash site of the wreckage.' Sobyanin confirmed one was shot down near Domodedovo, where one of Russia's biggest international airports is located, and another near the Minsk motorway. Thunderous explosions were heard overnight, and were likely the sound of air defences downing the combat drones. Such attacks are becoming more frequent in the Russian capital, leading to concern from residents as the war continues to spill across the Ukrainian border. In Belgorod region, a man was wounded by a suspected falling drone, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. A farm building was also set ablaze in Kolotilovka, village. 'There is one victim - a man with a shrapnel wound of the foot,' he said. 'The ambulance crew provided him with the necessary medical care, the man refused hospitalisation.' CCTV cameras picked up a flash of light near Moscow as two drones were downed overnight A CCTV camera picks up a flash of light on a residential street near Moscow as two drones were downed overnight near the Russian capital The attempted attack overnight comes a day after the death toll from strikes on the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk rose to nine. The strikes are at least the third attack near Moscow within a week, with Ukrainian drones downed on Sunday, in the Podolsky district on the capital's outskirts, and Monday, near the Kaluga region, according to Russian officials. Until a series of attacks in recent months, the Russian capital had not been targeted during the conflict in Ukraine, which started more than a year ago. Russia's defence ministry said Thursday it had downed seven drones - also near Kaluga, which is less than 200 kilometres (124 miles) southwest of Moscow. On July 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that 'war' was coming to Russia, with the country's 'symbolic centres and military bases' becoming targets. An office block in the capital's main business district was recently struck twice within days by debris from a downed drone attack. The drones shot down near Moscow's Domodedovo and Minsk highway come a day after Russia claimed a missile attack that it said targeted a Ukrainian army command post in the eastern city of Pokrovsk. As Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has dragged on, attacks have been getting closer to Moscow, with a drone earlier this year even striking the Kremlin in what Putin's allies claimed was an assassination attempt against the Russian president Two missiles - launched 40 minutes apart - damaged residential buildings, a hotel, cafes, shops and administrative buildings. At least nine people were killed in the attack and 82 were wounded, including two children, Zelensky said Tuesday. The Russian claim to be targeting a command post was an 'absolute lie', Sergiy Cherevaty, the spokesman for Ukraine's operational command east, said. 'This is the third or fourth time they (the Russians) say they destroyed it.' Pokrovsk sits just 25 miles from the eastern front line, where Moscow says it is gaining ground and repelling Ukrainian attacks. Ukraine usually neither confirms nor denies such attacks in Russian territory. Flights were briefly halted at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on July 30 and August 1, when drones smashed into Moscow's business district after being jammed by air defenses in two separate incidents. In May, Russian authorities accused Ukraine of attempting to attack the Kremlin with two drones in an effort to assassinate Putin. Recent drone attacks have aimed at targets from the Russian capital to the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula. In another incident that caused alarm, Ukrainian media reported social media blogs as saying that a thick plume of smoke billowed over Sevastopol. The Moscow-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozzhayev, said the smoke came from a 'fleet training exercise' and urged local residents not to worry. 'Yes, the smell is unpleasant but it is absolutely safe,' he said on Telegram. 'Everything is calm in the city.' Those incidents occurred against the backdrop of Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive, which Ukrainian and Western officials have warned will be a long slog against the Kremlin's deeply entrenched forces. Pictured: A blast from a supposed drone strike on the Kremlin is seen in May, 2023 Russia is pushing back against the Ukrainians in eastern areas, where tough battles are taking place, Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's deputy defense minister, said Wednesday on her official Telegram channel. 'In some parts of the frontline multiple changes in position take place within a day,' she said. She claimed that Ukraine's efforts had achieved 'partial success' in the south. She gave no details. It was not possible to independently verify either side's claims. Serial Killer suspect Rex Heuermann has refused to give a DNA swab as his lawyer casts doubt on the pizza crust used to link him to one of three murders he stands accused of. Heuermann, 59, is accused of killing Megan Waterman, 22, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27, whose bodies were discovered near Long Island's Gilgo Beach in December 2010. The bodies of the three women had been bound with belts or red tape and wrapped in burlap. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to first-degree and second-degree murders. In addition, he is considered a prime suspect in the killing of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, whose remains were also located near Gilgo Beach. Heuermann was linked to one of the gruesome murders through a mitochondrial DNA profile from a pizza crust and a used napkin that he discarded from his Midtown Manhattan office, prosecutors have said. Rex Heuermann, 59, is accused of killing Megan Waterman, 22, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27, whose bodies were discovered near Gilgo Beach in December 2010 Heuermann was linked to one of the gruesome murders through mitochondrial DNA profile from a pizza crust and a used napkin that he discarded from his Midtown Manhattan office, prosecutors have said He was arrested on July 13 and remains in jail ahead of his trial. Heuermann's legal team is battling a request from Suffolk County prosecutors to gain a cheek swab for DNA testing. Danielle Coysh, who is representing Heuermann, argued the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office is a 'far cry' from the legal benchmark needed to force the architect to give in the swab, Newsday reported on Tuesday, citing court documents. 'The assertions contained in the people's moving papers might be construed as rising to the level of a reasonable suspicion, but that is a far cry from the standard of probable cause required to justify granting the order sought by the people,' Coysh wrote in a response to Suffolk County prosecutors, as reported by the publication. The exchange between prosecutors and the defense team concentrated on authorities' evidence of discarded pizza crusts and a used napkin they alleged linked Heuermann to one of the three killings. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to first-degree and second-degree murders. He was arrested on July 13 and remains in jail ahead of his trial The first victim, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, was discovered by Suffolk County Police on December 11, 2010. The body of Megan Waterman, 22, was found two days later Maureen Brainard-Barnes was 25 years old when she went missing (left). Amber Lynn Costello was 27 years old. Their bodies were found near Barthelemy's the same day A 'major excavation' took place at Heuermann's Massapequa Park home. Pictured are State Police investigators gathering evidence at the scene on July 22, 2023 A forensic photographer is seen bending over the tray of objects excavated from the back yard of Heuermann's house. Prosecutors say 'nothing of note' was discovered in the back yard For more than a week following his July 14 arrest, investigators had been conducting an exhaustive search of the house The response came after prosecutors filed a motion to obtain a cheek swab from Heuermann. The state prosecutors are seeking further DNA testing to continue adding weight to their case against him. Assistant Suffolk County District Attorney Michelle Haddad asked the court last week to sign off on the cheek swab because the pizza crust and napkin can only be referred to as 'purported to be used/touched,' by Heuermann, according to the court documents, Newsday reported. Haddad noted in court papers that if Heuermann's DNA from the swab does not match the DNA profile from the napkin and pizza crusts, 'the defense would be presented with a potential trial defense'. 'Thus, there is a clear indication that material and relevant evidence will be found and is crucial for trial,' she wrote. In her filing this week, Coysh insisted authorities 'essentially concede' they don't have evidence to prove Heuermann 'actually ever came into contact with the pizza crust or used napkin,' the newspaper reported. 'Thus, by the people's own admission, the nexus between the partially eaten pizza crust and used napkin and the defendant Rex A. Heuermann is at best a matter of conjecture and assumption, not fact.' Exam pass rates have slumped to their lowest level since before the pandemic, with attainment falling for the third year in a row. The decline was revealed after more than 140,000 Scots pupils received the results of their National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exams yesterday. While pass rates were up on 2019, grades dropped for the third successive year in the wake of the pandemic and learning being disrupted by teachers' strikes. The attainment gap between children from deprived areas and affluent backgrounds also widened. Opposition leaders have blamed the fall in performance on 'SNP neglect'. Scottish Conservative education spokesman Liam Kerr said: 'While pupils and teachers have done their bit, it is impossible to ignore the impact on Scotland's education system of 16 years of SNP neglect. Exam pass rates have slumped to their lowest level since before the pandemic, with attainment falling for the third year in a row Scottish Conservative education spokesman Liam Kerr (pictured) blamed the drop on '16 years of SNP neglect' 'The widening attainment gap should be a source of shame for ministers pupils from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have been let down year after year by the SNP. 'For a government that claims to be progressive, it represents an abject and shameful failure. 'Under the SNP, our schools are chronically underfunded and teachers have been stretched to breaking point. 'There is a 155million black hole in the education budget and now the threat of further strikes looms large.' He said these factors were taking a 'toll' on pupils and teachers. Attainment of A to C grades at Higher level dropped to 77.1 per cent, compared with 79.8 per cent last year. The figure had been 87.3 per cent in 2021, 89.3 per cent in 2020 and 74.8 per cent in 2019. There was a similar trend at Advanced Higher level, with 79.8 per cent attaining A to C grades, down from 81.3 per cent in 2022, 90.2 per cent in 2021 and 93.1 per cent in 2020. The figure was 79.4 per cent in 2019. But Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth (pictured) said there was 'much to celebrate' about the results In National 5 qualifications, 78.8 per cent achieved the A-C pass rate just a fraction higher than the 78.3 per cent seen in 2019. The Scottish Qualifications Authority said it had taken a 'sensitive approach' to marking in recognition that 'learning and teaching are still in the recovery phase from the pandemic'. Its chief executive, Fiona Robertson, said: 'Our sensitive approach to awarding this year was developed with and supported by the education community. It has given learners the best chance of performing to the best of their abilities.' The difference in those achieving A to C grades in the most and least deprived areas soared to 16 percentage points for 2023 up from 14.9 last year. Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesman Willie Rennie said: 'If the SNP worked as hard as young people, we may not have such a wide poverty-related attainment gap.' Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: 'There is much to celebrate in what is another strong set of results showing a clear and continuing recovery from the pandemic, with pass rates at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher above the 2019 pre-pandemic level, a record number of passes at National 5 and the highest number of vocational and technical qualifications ever awarded.' Higher education minister Graeme Dey said a record number of Scottish applicants had gained university places, including 29,220 at Scottish institutions. Meanwhile, Royal Mail had to apologise after students in the Highlands and islands were sent their results a day early. Eleven people died in France after a fire broke out in a holiday cottage for disabled people this morning and tore through the building, officials have confirmed. The blaze broke out before 6.30 am (0430 GMT), as the holiday-goers with learning disabilities and their carers were still asleep on the top floor of the two-storey building in the town of Wintzenheim, about 50 miles south of Strasbourg. 'I can confirm there are 11 victims,' deputy prosecutor Nathalie Kielwasser told reporters as Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and other officials visited the site. A firefighter told Borne, who described the blaze as a 'shocking tragedy,' that eight bodies had been found and three more were thought to have been located under the rubble. Local media said the dead were ten people with disabilities and one carer. Seventeen people were evacuated, one of whom was sent to hospital with shock, and the flames are understood to have been quickly brought under control. However, authorities said the flames had spread rapidly to the first floor of the cottage, and confirmed early on that 11 people were unaccounted for, with search and rescue efforts delayed until the building could be made safe enough to enter. Secretary general of the Haut Rhin prefecture, Christophe Marot, later said there was 'little doubt' they had been trapped on the top floor by flames. Officials confirmed nine bodies were located first, with a further two found later on. Nine bodies have been found and two more people are feared dead after a fire broke out (pictured) this morning and tore through a French holiday cottage Firefighters evacuate a body found in a burnt building after a fire erupted at a holiday home for disabled people in Wintzenheim, eastern France, on August 9 Firefighters work at the site of a burned building after a fire broke out at a holiday home for disabled people in Wintzenheim, north-eastern France, August 9 The holiday home was rented for the summer by two charities that take care of people with learning disabilities, with each group - visiting from the nearby city of Nancy - occupying one floor of the house. Twenty-eight people were staying there in total, 17 of whom managed to escape the fire. Those killed were likely to have been aged between 25 and 50, Wintzenheim deputy mayor Daniel Leroy told BFM TV. 'A few of the people who were (sleeping) on the first floor managed to escape, but most of those who got out were on the ground floor,' Lieutenant Colonel Philippe Hauwiller, who headed the rescue operations, told reporters earlier in the day. The fire destroyed about two-thirds of the building. Deputy mayor Daniel Leroy said earlier three bodies had been found using a drone but others were found with direct searches and with dogs. Marot said earlier that there was no indication over the cause of the blaze and told reporters an investigation would be opened by regional prosecutors. 'Unfortunately, there is little doubt: all these people were present in the lodging and could not get out,' he said earlier, adding that people on the ground floor were able to quickly escape the premises, but not those staying upstairs. The traditional semi-timbered building, built in the style of the Alsace region, was severely damaged by the fire, according to the firefighters. Kielwasser told reporters it had likely been a low level fire that had burnt for a while before growing bigger and tearing the house down. At mid-morning, the firefighters were dousing the scene of the disaster with the help of fire hoses, a photographer with AFP news agency said. The deputy mayor of Wintzenheim told reporters that the fire likely started on the ground floor in an old renovated barn converted into a gite (self-service accommodation) Eleven people were missing after a fire broke out in a holiday cottage in eastern France , local authorities said on Wednesday. Pictured: A firefighter sprays water after a fire erupted at a home for disabled people in Wintzenheim near Colmar, eastern France, on August 9 Firefighters work to extinguish a fire which erupted at a home for disabled people in Wintzenheim near Colmar, eastern France, on August 9 The fire broke out at 6.30am local time in the town of Wintzenheim, a town in the Haut-Rhin department in north-eastern France, 15 miles from the German border Philippe Hauwiller, who is leading the fire brigade search operation, talks to the press after a fire erupted at a holiday home for disabled people in Wintzenheim, eastern France, August 9 The roof was destroyed by the flames and, on the first floor, the charred wooden framework was visible. Other firefighters were clearing wreckage away from the scene of the disaster with smoke still rising up. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X, she would head to the scene after the 'terrible' fire. 'My first thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. I hail the mobilisation of the firefighters,' she added. French President Emmanuel Macron said: 'In the face of this tragedy, my thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families. Thank you to our security forces and emergency services.' Interior minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on X: 'A fire took place early this morning in a structure welcoming disabled people in Wintzenheim, in the Haut-Rhin. 'Despite the rapid and courageous intervention of the firefighters whom I salute, several victims are to be deplored. The intervention continues.' Officials added that the terrible blaze tore through roughly 300 square metres of the 500 square metre building. Local media reported that a total of 76 firefighters, four fire engines and four ambulances were mobilised to contain the horrific blaze and treat the victims. Seventeen people were evacuated from the building (pictured), one of which was sent to hospital, and the flames are understood to have been quickly brought under control. However, authorities said 11 people were still missing, with search and rescue efforts on hold until the building could be made safe enough to enter The cottage is on the grounds of the educational and pedagogical therapeutic institute (Itep) of La Forge (pictured) in Wintzenheim 40 cops were also sent out to help. A spokesperson for the Haut-Rhin prefecture said: 'The fire was quickly brought under control despite the violence of the flames. '17 people were evacuated. There are 1 person in relative emergency evacuated to the hospital and 1 shocked person. 11 people from the group of adults from Nancy are missing still on call,' they added. The deputy mayor, present at the site, told reporters that the fire likely started on the ground floor in the old renovated barn converted into a gite (self-service accommodation typically found in France's rural districts). Fears have been raised for undercover police officers covering dissident groups in Northern Ireland after a data breach 'of monumental proportions'. There is fury today after the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) accidentally released private information about its officers and civilian workers in a freedom of information (FOI) request. Containing the surnames of more than 10,000 people, the data appears to cover everyone within the service, from chief constable Simon Byrne down. The major breach reportedly involves names, ranks and other personal data from employees of the, but does not involve the officers' and civilians' private addresses, it is understood. Liam Kelly, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, told Sky News: 'We have a number of people who are front-facing who are quite comfortable that the general public know where they work and who they are. 'But equally, we have a number of officers who work in more sensitive areas of policing where a veil of secrecy is their shield in protecting them from clear risks of dealing with the most dangerous people in our society, being our terrorists and our organised criminals. 'So we have a number of people who are feeling particularly vulnerable because their identities have potentially been compromised by this.' Liam Kelly, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, told Sky News: 'We have a number of people who are feeling particularly vulnerable because their identities have potentially been compromised by this.' Naomi Long, the Alliance Party leader and a former justice minister in the Northern Ireland Executive, said: 'Why was all this data held in one place? Why was it not encrypted? Why was a junior member of staff in a position to be able to access it? Given the sensitivity of such data, is that in itself not a concern?' At a press conference in Belfast, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd (pictured) said the surnames, initials, the rank or grade, the location and the departments of all current officers had been accidentally published in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request Naomi Long, the Alliance Party leader and a former justice minister in the Northern Ireland Executive, said: 'Why was all this data held in one place? Why was it not encrypted? Why was a junior member of staff in a position to be able to access it? Given the sensitivity of such data, is that in itself not a concern?' Mr Kelly also told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Since this story broke yesterday afternoon I've been personally inundated with officers who are outlining that they are shocked, dismayed and basically angry that this has happened. 'Our officers go to great lengths to protect their identities. Some of them don't even tell their close friends and associates that they are actually in the police.' He added: 'Certainly in my 29 years of the police I've never experienced something like this, and quite rightly the PSNI have declared this matter as a critical incident and have reported it to the Information Commissioner's office. 'What my members and myself clearly need to hear from the PSNI is the steps that they intend to take to support not only our officers but their families.' The request for information had asked for a breakdown of all staff rank and grades in the PSNI. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he was 'deeply concerned' by the data breach, while the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) said its members were 'appalled'. Addressing the media in Belfast on Tuesday, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd apologised to officers for the 'unacceptable' breach. He said that once it was brought to the PSNI's attention it was taken down 'quickly', and that early indications were that this was a 'simple human error'. Mr Todd also said there were no immediate security concerns, but they were monitoring the situation. 'I understand that that will be of considerable concern to many of my colleagues and their families indeed, at the moment,' he said. 'We operate in an environment at the moment where there's a severe threat to our colleagues from Northern Ireland-related terrorism and this is the last thing that anybody in the organisation wants to be hearing this evening. 'So, I owe it to all my colleagues to make sure that this is investigated thoroughly, and we've initiated that and will keep them informed, keep all the staff associations informed of that investigation, and we've been engaging with them throughout the afternoon. 'The information was taken down very quickly but, nevertheless, I do appreciate the concern, of course we will seek to find the extent to which that has been viewed. 'What I would say is that although the error was our own, once that information was out there if anybody did have access to it, I would ask them to delete it straight away.' Mr Todd said: 'In terms of the security for individuals, there's nothing at the moment to suggest there's any immediate security concerns, but we have put actions in place to ensure that if anything does arise we will be aware of that, and then we can mitigate accordingly' He added: 'We've identified some steps that we can take to ensure that it doesn't happen again. It is regrettable but it is simple human error' The incident was first reported by the Belfast Telegraph, which reported that it viewed the uploaded material after it was contacted by a relative of a serving officer. Apart from the person who released the information, the PSNI was unaware the information had been released until they saw it on a website, Mr Todd confirmed. He said that despite the data only including surnames and initials, the breach will still be 'of significant concern to many of my colleagues'. 'We will ensure we do anything we can to mitigate any security risks that are identified.' He added: 'We've looked into the circumstances, we'll continue with our investigation, but the very early considerations are that this is simple human error and the people who have been involved in the process have acted in good faith. 'We've identified some steps that we can take to ensure that it doesn't happen again. 'It is regrettable but it is simple human error.' Liam Kelly, chair of the PFNI, said: 'This is a breach of monumental proportions. Even if it was done accidentally, it still represents a data and security breach that should never have happened. 'Rigorous safeguards ought to have been in place to protect this valuable information which, if in the wrong hands, could do incalculable damage. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris (pictured) said he was 'deeply concerned' by the data breach, while the Police Federation for Northern Ireland said its members were 'appalled' Politicians have reacted with shock - the SDLP's policing spokesman Mark H Durkan called on PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne (pictured) to make a statement 'The men and women I represent are appalled by this breach. They are shocked, dismayed and justifiably angry. Like me, they are demanding action to address this unprecedented disclosure of sensitive information.' A spreadsheet was published publicly online relating to how many officers the service has of each rank, but it had a second tab that contained more detailed information about thousands of staff members and their employment, the Belfast Telegraph reported. The UUP representative on the Policing Board of Northern Ireland MLA Mike Nesbitt on Tuesday night called for an emergency meeting of the Policing Board. He said: 'It is imperative that officers, staff and their families and friends understand how seriously this breach is being taken, and that the board is determined to fulfil its oversight and challenge functions appropriately.' He added: 'I view this like a serious incident when people are seriously physically injured. The priority is to assist the injured. Only after that do you turn to examine the other issues. 'In other words, my thoughts are with those whose names have been released into the public domain, who had a reasonable expectation this would never happen.' Senior police were last night meeting to discuss the breach which is being attributed to human error ahead, while Stormont politicians were calling for an emergency meeting. Alliance leader Naomi Long MLA said: 'This level of data breach is clearly of profound concern, not least to police officers, civilian staff and their families, who will be feeling incredibly vulnerable and exposed tonight, and in the days ahead. 'Immediate action must be taken to offer them proper information, support, guidance and necessary reassurances regarding their and their families' security.' Other politicians have reacted with shock - the SDLP's policing spokesman Mark H Durkan called on PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne to make a statement. DUP MLA for South Antrim, Trevor Clarke, a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, said they would look for answers when it meets on Thursday, and pinned some blame on Mr Heaton-Harris. 'The Secretary of State has presided over a budget, which is the worst that the police have ever had - they've looked to reduce numbers at a time they should've been increasing numbers,' he told BBC Radio 4's World Tonight. Mr Todd said Mr Byrne is aware of the issue, but would not comment on whether he would return from his summer break to respond. 'I'm the duty officer and I'm the senior information risk owner, so I take responsibility for this,' he said. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has been notified about the incident. An ICO spokesman said: 'The Police Service of Northern Ireland has made us aware of an incident and we are assessing the information provided.' The PSNI was contacted for comment. It came as it was revealed that more than 40 million voters may have had their data stolen in the biggest data breach in UK history. The Electoral Commission has its headquarters located at 3 Bunhill Row in the City of London The Electoral Commission revealed yesterday that 'hostile actors' had access to its systems for 14 months without being detected. It meant the hackers may have obtained the name and address of nearly every voter in the country. The commission admitted it still did not 'know conclusively what files may or may not have been accessed' and what data was downloaded or copied. The criminals were able to view electoral registers with the names and addresses of at least 40 million people registered to vote between 2014 and 2022. The attack on the Electoral Commission also compromised its file sharing and email system, allowing access to the online addresses and data of anyone who messaged its staff. The National Cyber Security Centre, which is probing the incident, did not rule out the possibility of a foreign state attack. David Omand, a former GCHQ director, said Moscow was the prime suspect. 'Russians, and I point to them in particular, have been interfering with democratic elections for some years now think of the 2016 US election, and then the French election, and then the German election, even our own 2019 election,' he said. 'They have been trying to interfere with the democratic process. It is not at all surprising that hostile agencies would try and hack into the Electoral Commission.' Sir David told BBC Radio 4 he cited Russia because of the record of its military intelligence and civilian agents in interfering with Western elections.' Yesterday the commission stressed the data accessed would not allow anyone to meddle in parliamentary or council elections by impersonating voters. It also said it was confident the hackers did not edit or change the electoral registers. But MPs called for the National Cyber Security Centre and Parliament's intelligence and security committee to investigate how the data was being used. READ MORE: TWO data breaches that defy belief: Details of more than 40 MILLION voters are exposed in a cyber attack on the electoral roll while the name of EVERY police officer in Northern Ireland is published in error Advertisement Tory MP Simon Fell, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on cyber security, said: 'Frankly this attack has put us all at risk. What is so deeply concerning is the volume and scale of this data breach. 'A lot of this information may be in the public domain elsewhere, but where it has real value to the people who may want to cause us harm is it is all in one place. 'It must be the biggest single data set breach in the UK. Given the scale and complexity of this, there are very few groups capable of such an attack, the usual suspects would be Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. 'But it is Russia that has a history of interference in elections.' The attackers were able to access reference copies of the registers held for research purposes and for permissibility checks on political donations. The registers included the name and address of anyone in the UK who was registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, as well as registered overseas voters. The watchdog apologised yesterday, saying that although 'much of the data' was already in the public domain, it is possible 'this data could be combined with other data in the public domain ... to infer patterns of behaviour or to identify and profile individuals'. Hackers infiltrated the commission's systems in August 2021 but the security breach was not discovered until October 2022. The commission said the attack had 'used a sophisticated infiltration method, intended to evade our checks', which was why it had taken so long to detect. Officials decided to delay informing the public while they removed the hackers and put additional security in place. But Anthony Young, of cyber security firm Bridewell, said: 'If the attackers had access to the commission's email systems and controls for over 14 months, during this time they could have contacted other individuals, companies and government departments claiming to be part of the electoral commission. This could lead to further loss of data or finances.' Shaun McNally, the chief executive of the Electoral Commission, apologised, saying: 'The UK's democratic process is significantly dispersed and key aspects of it remain based on paper documentation and counting. 'This means it would be very hard to use a cyber-attack to influence the process. We know which systems were accessible to the hostile actors, but are not able to know conclusively what files may or may not have been accessed.' Q&A: What data was accessed? Is my name and address online? Your questions answered after electoral roll cyber attack sees the details of more than 40 million people leaked BY REBECCA CAMBER, CRIME AND SECURITY EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL In what is the biggest data breach in UK history, more than 40 million voters may have had their data stolen as hackers had access to the Electoral Commission's systems for 14 months without being detected. 'Hostile actors' could possibly have obtained the name and address of nearly every voter in the country. The National Cyber Security Centre, which is probing the incident, has not ruled out the possibility of a foreign state attack. To answer any questions that you may have regarding the attack, read below: More than 40 million voters may have had their data stolen in the biggest data breach in UK history (File image) What data was accessed? The hackers were able to see the names and addresses of anyone who was registered to vote in the UK between 2014 and 2022, as well as those registered as overseas voters, including those who opted to keep their details off the open register. The details of anonymous voters - who are not identified for security or safety reasons - were not accessible. Any details provided to the Electoral Commission via email or through forms on its website, such as the 'contact us online' form may also have been compromised. READ MORE: The name of EVERY police officer in Northern Ireland is published in error Advertisement Investigators have been unable to ascertain whether the attackers read or copied personal data. Who was behind it? No groups or individuals have claimed responsibility for the attack, which the Electoral Commission has described as the work of 'hostile actors'. MI5 considers 'hostile actors' to include foreign state attacks, criminals, 'hacktivist' groups and terrorists. Foreign states are generally equipped to conduct the most damaging cyber espionage and computer network attacks, according to MI5. How serious is this breach? The data contained in the electoral registers is limited and much of it is already in the public domain. According to the risk assessment used by the Information Commissioner's Office to assess the harm of data breaches, the personal data held on electoral registers, typically name and address, does not in itself present a high risk to individuals. It is possible however that this data could be combined with other data in the public domain to infer patterns of behaviour or to identify and profile individuals. Electoral Commission chief executive Shaun McNally, pictured visiting polling stations with his dogs on voting day on May 5, last year, in a photograph issued by the commission Is my name and address online? There is no indication that information accessed during this cyber-attack has been published online, but there remains the possibility that some information has found its way into the public domain. There are a number of steps that can be taken to check whether your personal information is publicly available. If you want to check if your email address has been compromised, you can search https://haveibeenpwned.com/ to see if it has been released through reported data breaches. To see what information the Electoral Commission holds on you, you can submit a subject access request by filing in a form, or apply via email or phone. If you think you have supplied financial data to the Electoral Commission via email, there are free online credit check tools by reputable companies like Experian, which include online identity theft protection and monitoring. The National Cyber Security Centre also provides advice about securing your data. Why are the public only finding out now? The Electoral Commission was alerted to the attack by a suspicious pattern of log-in requests to its systems in October 2022. It then emerged that the 'hostile actors' had first accessed servers in August 2021. Officials delayed informing the public because security experts needed to remove the hackers and their access to our system. The Commission had to assess the extent of the incident to understand who might be impacted and put additional security measures in place to prevent any future attacks. Two weeks ago, five family members gathered for a quiet meal in a small town deep in rural Australia. A day later, all four guests fell ill. Within a week, three would be dead, the fourth fighting for his life and the 48-year-old woman who cooked the lunch questioned by police amid claims she deliberately poisoned her relatives with wild mushrooms. Yet Erin Patterson, who did not suffer any ill effects from the meal, insists she loves her family and had no idea the mushrooms she served were death caps - the most poisonous mushrooms in the world. Speaking for the first time on Monday from outside the house in Leongatha, Victoria, where the fatal lunch took place, she said: 'I didn't do anything. I loved them and I'm devastated that they're gone.' Police have seized a food dehydrator from the house that's believed to have been used to prepare the mushrooms. The deeply unusual case has gripped Australia, baffled police and left a closely-knit community desperately seeking answers. Erin Patterson, 48, is said to have invited her former partner Simon Patterson to her home for the meal on July 29 with his parents Gail and Tom Patterson, 70, along with Gails sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian, 68. Simon was meant to come but could not make it 'at the last minute', Daily Mail Australia revealed today. Police said the couple had split 'amicably' - suggesting the lunch would not have been unusual. Simon, who lived with his parents for a year after the split before moving out, previously spent 21 days in intensive care after suffering 'serious gut problems' in May 2022. Exactly when he split from his wife is unclear. The Pattersons' two children were also present at the lunch but ate different meals to the adults and did not experience any illness. They've reportedly been taken into care. Erin Patterson hosted a meal two weeks ago that led to all four of her guests falling ill and three dying Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms. Ms Patterson was previously married to their son, Simon Simon Patterson was supposed to join his parents for the lunch that killed them Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became severely ill after they ate wild mushrooms. Mrs Wilkinson died on Friday while her husband remains in a critical condition in hospital All four guests became ill after eating the meal. It's not clear what dish was served but it included hand-picked mushrooms. Police said the victims' symptoms were consistent with those caused by death cap mushrooms - the world's most dangerous fungi which grows in the wild in Victoria. The four went to hospital the next day as their condition worsened, with the two sisters, aged 70 and 66, dying on Friday. Don, 70, died on Saturday night. Ian, 68, remains in a critical condition in hospital and is believed to be waiting for a liver transplant. Detectives say they are unsure if Ms Patterson ate the same food as her guests. They noted she was separated from her husband - the Pattersons' son - but said it had been an 'amicable' split. 'At this point in time, the deaths are unexplained,' said homicide squad investigator Dean Thomas. 'It could be very innocent, but we just don't know.' Addressing journalists from her home on Monday, a tearful Ms Patterson said she could not 'fathom' what had happened. She spoke for a couple of minutes but did not answer questions about where the mushrooms came from, who picked them or what meal she made for her guests. 'I'm so devastated by what's happened,' the mother said. 'Gail was like the mum I didn't have because my mum passed away four years ago and Gail had never been anything but good and kind to me. 'Ian and Heather were some of the best people I'd ever met. They never did anything wrong to me. 'I'm so devastated about what's happened and the loss to the community and to the families and to my own children, they've lost their grandmother.' The property where the deadly lunch occurred at Leongatha, in Victoria's Gippsland region On Monday, Ms Patterson refused to answer questions about what she had cooked her guests Mushrooms seen on the family home at Leongatha in Victoria's Gippsland region Ms Patterson was earlier questioned by police before being released pending further inquiries. Simon's friend claimed Ms Patterson had been keen to retain the family home, which she had been living in with the couple's children since they split 12 months ago. Meanwhile, it has now emerged that Ms Patterson's former partner Simon spent 21 days in intensive care after collapsing at his home in May 2022. 'I collapsed at home then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation,' he wrote. How to spot if you've been poisoned - and why death cap mushrooms are so dangerous The symptoms of poisoning will depend on the type of poison and the amount taken in, but general things to look out for include being sick, stomach pains, confusion, drowsiness and fainting fits. If the person who is suspected of being poisoned does not appear seriously ill, call NHS 111 of advice. If they are seriously ill, call 999 to call an ambulance or go to your nearest A&E. Death cap mushrooms can be found in the UK and across Europe, as well as Australia Amanita Phalloides, or the death cap, is one of the world's most poisonous fungi. Just eating a few mouthfuls of the 'harmless looking' death cap mushroom can kill, according to the RSPB. Deathcaps contain the poison amanitin, with half a cap or even less enough to kill a person. They often grow near established oak trees, and are found when there is warm, wet weather. Native to Europe, it is common in most parts of the UK and Ireland. The fungi stand out due to the pale green colouring of their caps, a bulbous end at the foot of the stalk and an annulus - a ring-like collar - at the top. Advertisement 'My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice as I was not expected to live. 'I was in intensive care for 21 days, after which I was in the general ward for a week, and now I'm at a rehab place.' Simon continued by writing that his treatment 'seemed to have fixed the serious gut problems'. 'I have a big scar on my tummy which is healing itself slowly, and I have an ICU acquired weakness which is a common condition of people who lie in intensive care for a long time as I did,' he said. 'I can walk and do all the normal daily functions myself, however my left shoulder in particular is very weak.' The Patterson's neighbour told Daily Mail Australia Simon had been living with his parents while recovering from that illness. 'After his illness, there might have been a separation,' he said. 'We don't know why they split up. They were a very private family.' MailOnline does not suggest Ms Patterson was responsible for Simon's illness or the three deaths. On Tuesday, she fled her home after refusing to reveal what she served in her victims' final fatal meal. She had returned home on Wednesday, but remained holed-up inside behind the safety of a large electric gate. Homicide detectives searched the property on Saturday as part of their investigation, seizing a number of items, including a food dehydrator believed to have been used to prepare the mushrooms. Detectives believe death cap mushrooms are the variety responsible for the poisonings and are investigating how they came to be in the meal. The death cap mushroom causes abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea usually within six to 24 hours of ingestion. They are known to cause serious liver damage. Mr Wilkinson remains hospitalised, his four children have gathered by his bedside as he awaits a liver transplant. Deadly mushrooms are common in Victoria, with the state known to have two potentially fatal species - Death Cap and Yellow-staining. Photos show there were wild mushrooms growing on the property when it was last sold. Wildfires are continuing to ravage large swathes of Portugal with over 1,000 firefighters battling to prevent them spreading further into the popular tourist hub of the Algarve. Dramatic images from the neighbouring Alentejo region show plumes of smoke rising above poolside sunbeds as infernos raged in the distance, before the hotel was engulfed in flame. Fires first hit nearby Odemira, a picturesque town which is home to a large community of foreigners, five days ago. They then spread south towards the Algarve, helped by scorching temperatures and high winds, with properties said to be under threat last night. At least 1,500 people have been evacuated over recent days from homes, campsites and holiday resorts. More than 1,100 firefighters, 360 vehicles and fourteen aircraft were deployed at fires near Odemira on Wednesday morning, according to The National Civil Protection Service. Dramatic images show plumes of smoke rising above poolside sunbeds as infernos raged in the distance Most of the main house at the Teima Alentejo guesthouse is understood to have been destroyed by flames on Saturday Teima Alentejo SW, an award-winning country hotel, before it was reportedly ravaged by flames Personnel of the Protection and Relief Intervention Group (GIPS) specialised in combatting forest fires, arrive to battle a wildfire in Reguengo in the southern Portalegre district Nearly 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) have been blackened since Saturday, Vitor Vaz Pinto of the civil protection agency said More than 100,000 Brits are set to visit the Algarve in the coming weeks, it is estimated. Holiday companies are continuously monitoring the situation following the devastation caused to resorts by fires on the Greek island of Rhodes last month. On Saturday, one of Portugal's top rural hotels fell victim to the most intense fires in the south of Alentejo, not far from the Algarve. The owner of Teima Alentejo SW laid bare the destruction of her holiday getaway overnight as she criticised authorities' response to the drama. Luisa Botelho and her ex-husband Paulo Camacho turned it into an award-winning country hotel after buying the property nearly ten years ago. Now most of the main house is understood to have been destroyed by flames. Nearly 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) have been blackened since Saturday, Vitor Vaz Pinto of the civil protection agency said, adding that the blaze was still spreading 'on two fronts'. Local media reported that one home as well as a rural tourist lodging had been destroyed, which had not yet been confirmed by authorities. Helder Guerreiro, Odemira's mayor has described the situation as 'critical, difficult and complex'. Nineteen villages, four lots of tourist accommodation and a campsite have been evacuated and roads have been blocked off, authorities said. Ana Costa, a farmer in the region, said of the fires: 'It was terrible, there were flames everywhere and we had to scramble. Nobody was there to help us, thankfully I had three friends who came to help.' Around 40 people, including 28 fire officers, have been given emergency medical treatment. A separate wildfire that has already destroyed around 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) in Leiria, central Portugal, calmed somewhat overnight on Monday. Damage done to a popular B&B in the south of Portugal, where fires have been raging for five days A firefighter plane drops water over a wildfire in Odeceixe, south of Portugal, on August 8 Across the country, nearly 2,800 firefighters and 16 water-bombers were in action on Tuesday. Weather warnings remained in place in both Portugal and Spain. Much of the southern half of Spain was on orange alert on Tuesday, with the weather service saying temperatures were expected to top 44C on Tuesday and Wednesday, which are predicted to be the fiercest days of this heatwave, the third in the country this year. Trees burn in a forest fire, as pictured from the A1 highway in the locality of Cardosos, caused the motorway to be cut off this afternoon, Leiria Firefighters work to put out the flames in the municipality of Odemira, August 7, 2023 The Spanish met office (AEMET) issued maximum red alerts for parts of Andalusia in the south, the Madrid region in the centre and the Basque Country in the far north. More than 1,000 hectares of land were destroyed by flames in Spain over the weekend. A fourth large wildfire broke out on Monday in Estremadura, central Spain, near the border with Portugal. Firefighters were unable to contain it overnight. In total, wildfires have destroyed 100,000 hectares of land across the Iberian Peninsula this year, according to preliminary estimates. This is on top of the record 400,000 hectares destroyed last year. WeWork is warning US regulators there is 'substantial doubt' about its ability to stay in business over the next year, citing financial losses, cash needs and a drop in memberships. The New York-based workspace-sharing company, once valued at $47 billion, said its ability to stay in operation is contingent upon improving its liquidity and profitability over the next 12 months. WeWork was stung by the Coronavirus pandemic as social distancing caused people to work from home and the company has still not reported a profit since restrictions were eased. WeWork said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that challenges include softer demand and a 'difficult' operating environment. 'Substantial doubt exists about the company's ability to continue as a going concern,' the firm said. The New York-based workspace-sharing company said its ability to stay in operation is contingent upon improving its liquidity and profitability over the next 12 months (File Photo) WeWork, which is backed by Japanese tech giant Softbank, said the plan for the next 12 months involves raising additional capital by issuing bonds or stocks. It also includes restructuring, negotiating more favorable terms on leases and beefing up membership and possibly even issuing debt or selling off assets, the SEC filing said. WeWork has lost billions of dollars during the first six months of this year, with macroeconomic conditions weakening demand for its shared office spaces, the company told regulators. The company struck deals in March to cut its debt by about $1.5 billion and extend the date of some maturities to preserve cash. WeWork's share price has been below a dollar for months and fell to 16 cents in after-market trading on Tuesday. The company on Tuesday said it was still continuing its search for a permanent CEO and that it had added four board members after three stepped down. WeWork went public in October 2021 after a spectacular collapse during its first attempt to do so two years earlier, which led to the ousting of its CEO and founder, Adam Neumann. The company was valued at $47 billion at one point, before investors started to drop off due to Neumann's erratic behavior and exorbitant spending. WeWork said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that challenges include softer demand and a 'difficult' operating environment (File Photo) A market summary spanning a five-year period at WeWork WeWork leases buildings and divides them into office spaces to sublet to its members, which include small businesses, start-ups and freelancers who want to avoid paying for permanent office space. But over time its operating expenses soared and it relied on repeated cash infusions from private investors. The company also said it is facing high member turnover rates. WeWork has 512,000 members at its workspaces across 33 countries. Since it was founded in 2010, the company's rise and fall has been documented in a number of books and academic case studies, along with a documentary and a fictional miniseries on Apple TV. Office vacancies in the United States have exceeded 20 per cent early this year, according to real estate services company JLL. Columbia University researchers found a 45 per cent drop in office values in 2020, with little recovery projected in the years to come. WeWork has been in trouble since Neumann's forced departure in late 2019 following the company's failed IPO. Two years later it was listed in a deal that valued the company at $9bn, around a fifth of its estimated value in 2019. Troubles in the technology sector have also caused problems for the firm. WeWork's interim CEO, David Tolley, sounded an optimistic note in the company's results for the second quarter, during which it lost $349 million WeWork had been a celebrated star in the sharing economy that put a mammoth footprint in the commercial real estate of major cities around the globe. Its collapse led to Neumann's departure and cost the main shareholder, Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, billions of dollars. WeWork's interim CEO, David Tolley, sounded an optimistic note in the company's results for the second quarter, during which it lost $349 million. 'The company's transformation continues at pace, with a laser focus on member retention and growth, doubling down on our real estate portfolio optimisation efforts, and maintaining a disciplined approach to reducing operating costs,' Tolley said. WeWork's announcement of its struggles comes as rival office rental firm IWG retained a 'cautiously optimistic' outlook after posting a 48 per cent surge in half-year profit on Tuesday, helped partly by high demand for its spaces and improved pricing. Office landlords are slowly recovering from pandemic lows as employers opt for permanent hybrid working models, where employees need to be in the office for a stipulated number of days in a week or a month. The UK-listed owner of the Spaces and Regus brands said adjusted core profit from continuing operations for the six months ended June 30 jumped 48 per cent on a constant currency basis to $252.6 million. Switzerland-headquartered IWG said its half-year system-wide revenue, which also includes revenue from franchise and joint-venture partners, grew 16 per cent to a record $2.14 billion. Worka, a digital platform which enables hybrid working, saw revenue jumping 32 per cent to $195 million. Tourists driving to France from the UK could be slapped with a 154 fine if they do not display an emissions sticker on their windscreen in what has been slammed as 'another load of bureaucracy' in an attempt to get more motorists out of cities. The Alliance of British Drivers has labelled the colour-coded 4 stickers as another tax on drivers with motorists in the UK already having to contend with the impending expansion of Sadiq Khan's much-hated Ulez scheme across the whole of London. Clermont-Ferrand was added to France's Crit'Air last month taking the total of permanent places in the country's Ulez-like scheme to 12. Bordeaux has targeted January 2025 to start the scheme with 43 French urban areas of more than 150,000 inhabitants being told they must have introduced it within the next two years. And some drivers are banned from entering Paris altogether during certain times of the week if their motor is deemed to not meet the lowest levels of Euro emissions standards. Ian Taylor is a director at the The Alliance of British Drivers and lambasted it as 'another load of bureaucracy' in a move to drive more motorists out of cities. UK drivers will need to buy a Crit'Air sticker before entering one of France's low emission zones or risk being slapped with a 68 (58) fine which could rise to 180 (154) if it is not paid within 45 days. The Low Emission Zones are permanent, while the ZPAs can be imposed temporarily if they are needed Crit'Air stickers issued by the French ministry for ecology, sustainable development and energy to rank vehicles according to their emission of air pollutants as part of the ministry's Air Quality Action Plan 'Unfortunately that is the objective of people behind these schemes,' he told the MailOnline. 'They are trying to get cars off the road or at the very least reduce them by imposing all sorts of restrictions - whether it's congestion charges or lower emission charges. 'It is making life more difficult and expensive for everyone. 'Drivers who don't know the areas are in double danger, however accidental, of driving into a fine.' The baffling sticker system is divided into six colour-coded categories - from green for the 'cleanest' cars to dark grey for the 'dirtiest'. The stickers cost 4.61 - around 4 - and have to be bought from a French government website with motorists warned not to use third-party websites which charge up to SIX TIMES the amount. Paris on the Peripherique ring road shows a digital display indicating that vehicles bearing Crit'air stickers of rank 3, 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles are not allowed to circulate Mandatory Air Quality Certificate Crit'Air certifying the vehicle's environmental class based on pollutant emissions The MailOnline found one site charging 23.99. Even more perplexing is alongside the permanent low emission zones - or ZCRs - there are other places listed as 'emergency' zones where restrictions could come into force at any moment if there is a risk of dangerously high air pollution levels. The ZCRs are in some of France's most popular holiday hotspots and include Lyon, Marseille, and Montpellier. But it is in Paris where the most strictest of rules are in place where vehicles displaying Crit'Air vignettes 3 and above are banned from entering the city between 8am and 8pm from Monday to Friday. Holidaymakers will need to buy a Crit'Air sticker before travelling into a low emissions zone in the country or risk being hit with a fine of 68 (58) which rises to and 180 (154) if it is not paid within 45 days. Next year the fine will increase to up to 750 (640) when camera-based enforcement is introduced. The RAC has warned people to get clued up on the scheme before travelling. Rod Dennis, of the RAC, said: 'Many UK drivers will be familiar with clean air zones such as the London Ultra Low Emission Zone, but they should also be ready to encounter them abroad this summer. It's vital anyone travelling to Europe does their homework to see whether an emissions-based windscreen sticker is needed and give themselves enough time to order one before their trip. 'As time goes on, the regulations also get stricter and within a few years all but zero-emission vehicles will be banned from some city centres. 'So, every driver visiting a region covered by the Crit'Air scheme needs to ensure they've bought the right sticker for their vehicle from the official French government website and displayed it on their windscreen before they leave the UK. 'Stickers correlate with the Euro emissions category of the vehicle they're driving and are valid for the life of the vehicle. 'Anyone without the right sticker or driving a non-compliant car into a low-emissions zone, risks an on-the-spot fine. 'These 68 penalties are issued by local police officers in France but as early as next year camera-based enforcement will begin meaning maximum fines will rise to a holiday budget-busting 750 (about 640). 'Drivers visiting cities in other European countries, including Spain, Italy and Switzerland, also need to check whether they're affected by any low emission zones before embarking on their trips.' Tom Quach appeared at court with a tea towel on his head Man who killed & tried to cook an ibis bird has been jailed A man has been jailed for capturing an ibis in a public park and killing it before trying to cook it for dinner. Tom Quach appeared in Waverley Local Court in Sydney on Wednesday after pleading guilty to torturing an animal to death, two counts of committing cruelty on an animal and three counts of harming an animal. The court was told he captured an ibis, affectionately known as a 'bin chicken' at a park in May before stuffing it into his backpack and returning to his home in Sydney's east. The 60-year-old then decapitated the native bird and hung it up in the shower to dry it out before he attempted to cook it. Earlier in the year, he was arrested after a video went viral of him trying to stuff another distressed ibis into his backpack. The man who tried to cook and ibis, Tom Quach (pictured), appeared at court with a tea towel on his head on Wednesday The Maroubra man had tied a rope around the bird's feet and neck and was trying to force it inside a red trolley bag near Eastwood train station. Members of the public intervened and were able to take the bird from the man. It had an injured beak and was bleeding but flew away, according to witnesses. Quach's lawyer previously told the court that the Vietnamese national was confused about the protective status of the ibis, as he had previously captured and eaten the bird in Queensland. Quach also pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited drug and three counts of shoplifting. Bizarrely, he wore a tea towel secured to his head with a green band as he waited to learn his fate for the ten offences. The court heard the 60-year-old had previously been jailed for matters of dishonesty and had continued to offend, predominantly by stealing food items. Quach was caught on video trying to abduct an ibis and stuff it into his backpack in a public area The Maroubra man pleaded guilty to torturing an animal to death, two counts of committing cruelty on an animal and three counts of harming an animal His lawyer Hayley Le said Quach had 'less moral culpability than others' due to a mental health condition and a 'very serious drug issue which he spends most of his pension on.' She argued further time behind bars would only serve to incapacitate her client further. Magistrate Michael Price disagreed, slamming Quach for his blatant and persistent disregard for the law. 'There obviously appears to be little effort on your part to address this offending which wastes the resources of stores and police,' he said. 'The offences reveal an inability on your behalf to comply with your obligations in a civilised society.' However, the magistrate said the animal cruelty offences against the ibises were 'more worrying'. Magistrate Price sentenced the 60-year-old to six months behind bars for the animal cruelty offences and the shoplifting offences 'Whatever view you may have of those types of birds, it is a serious matter to deal with those birds in the way that you have,' he reprimanded Quach. 'You just can't treat animals like that.' Magistrate Price sentenced the 60-year-old to six months behind bars for the animal cruelty offences and the shoplifting offences. He will be eligible for release on February 8, 2024. Quach was also fined $600 for harming the ibises, which does not carry a prison term. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said that Union Minister Smriti Iranis response to party leader Rahul Gandhis 'barnstorming speech' in support of the no-confidence motion as an own-goal He also said that Union Minister for Women and Child Development Iranis speech focused entirely on what-aboutery as it indirectly supported the Oppositions claims of the central governments failures. In a tweet, hailing the speech of party leader Rahul Gandhi, Tharoor said, Lively scenes in the Lok Sabha during and following Rahul Gandhis barnstorming speech in support of the no-confidence motion. Taking a jibe at Union Minister for Women and Child Development Irani, the Congress leader said, Smriti Iranis response focused entirely on what-aboutery, reciting a series of incidents and atrocities, going back many decades, under Congress rule, that she claimed proved that things were just as bad earlier. This line of argument indirectly supported the Oppositions claims of GOIs failures because all she was saying amounted to a so what? You were bad too. Resorting to what-aboutery is always an admission that you have no substantive refutation to offer. An own-goal, Smriti ji, he said. His remarks came after Rahul Gandhi spoke on Manipur violence in the Lok Sabha during his 37 minute speech tearing into the BJP and saying that "its politics has killed India in Manipur". He also said that the Prime Ministers arrogance is burning the whole country Irani during her speech after Rahul Gandhi raked up several incidents of violence committed in the past, while highlighting the "failures" of previous Congress regimes Speaking against the no-confidence motion after Rahul Gandhi's speech, she said that the crux of all the problems was dynasty politics, while listing out a series of incidents of crime against women during the 1990s' Kashmir insurgency against Kashmiri Pandits, during anti-Sikh riots of 1984, violence in Assam and even the recent incidents of violence against women in opposition-ruled states of Rajasthan and West Bengal. She said that those speaking about the voice of India, never heard the voices of Kashmiri Pandits and victims of anti-Sikh riots. A contentious call about Middle East politics has led Sky News host Sharri Markson to accuse Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of handing control of Australia's foreign policy to the 'fringes' of his party's 'radical left'. In a major shift, Australia will now label East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza as Palestinian territories 'occupied' by Israel and condemn Israeli West Bank settlements as 'illegal under international law'. In her self-titled Sky News show on Wednesday, journalist and commentator Markson accused Mr Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who announced the change on Tuesday, of giving into his party's left-wing. She said the move led to 'accusations Anthony Albanese has hung Israel to out to dry all to avoid a messy factional fight at next week's national conference'. 'The fringes of Labor's radical left wing are now determining our foreign policy,' Markson claimed. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured centre) has been accused of changing Australia's policy on Israel and the Palestinian territories to placate the radical left of his party 'It will cause Australian embarrassment of the international stage and in the eyes of our closest ally the United States. 'This is the first time Australia has had a prime minister who has been categorically a closer friend to the Palestinians than to Israel.' In Parliament on Wednesday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Mr Albanese of making a 'backroom deal to avoid an embarrassing factional fight over AUKUS at Labor's national conference'. Mr Albanese denied that the move was a deal made to stop his party's left voicing opposition to the AUKUS deal, which commits Australia to buying nuclear powered submarines from the US. He said the move was part of promoting a 'two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. 'We think it in the interests of the Israelis and Palestinians for there to not be actions by either side to undermine the potential of the achievement of that two-state solution,' Mr Albanese told Parliament. He said his government was a strong supporter of Israel and 'it's right to exist within secure borders'. A studio discussion of Labor's policy change on Tuesday quickly developed into a shouting match between ALP MP Graham Perrett, Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes and host Sharri Markson On Tuesday night a shouting match erupted between Markson, Labor MP Graham Perrett and Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes over Labor's new policy. Ms Markson asked Mr Perrett why Labor's left have 'an obsession' with condemning Israel while ignoring human rights issues from other places in the world. 'Why isn't the Labor Caucus passing resolutions about the Taliban which has now banned women in Afghanistan from seeing a doctor from having an education and they have to cover their heads and faces once again.' Markson demanded. 'Where are all of these resolutions from Labor caucus?' While Mr Perrett tried to protest the line of questioning Senator Hughes called it 'absolutely outrageous' that Palestinian suicide bombing is 'swept under the carpet by the Labor party'. Mr Perrett began muttering 'that's rubbish' and when Senator Hughes asked him what was rubbish he replied 'The idea that it is swept under the carpet by the Labor party'. What followed was almost 15 minutes of each participant shouting as they tried to talk over one another. Under Labor's new policy some of Judaism's holiest sites, including the Temple Mount and Western Wall are now considered to be in 'occupied Palestinian territory' as well as the wider Gaza strip and West Bank areas. Israel's policy of allowing its citizens to settle on the West Bank has long been a source of conflict with Palestinians (pictured Israeli soldiers break up a Palestinian demonstration against settlers in Hebron on Au Israel's policy of allowing Jewish settlers to claim West Bank areas has long been a source of conflict between the state and Palestinians. Senator Wong on Tuesday insisted the new policy position was consistent with previous Australian governments and UN Security Council resolutions. She said those bodies had 'determined the (Israeli) settlements had no legal validity and constitute a violation of international law'. Australia remained a 'committed friend of Israel', Senator Wong said and recognised the country's right to defend itself in a 'uniquely challenging security environment'. Phillip Schofield has been spotted for the first time in months smiling on an evening out with Vanessa Feltz - as friends close to the fallen star claim he is 'quite certain' he will never work again, despite predictions he could join her at TalkTV. The pair were seen as they left the Little Bird restaurant in Chiswick, West London, with Schofield helping his long-term friend into her car before departing on foot. It is the first time the former ITV star, 61, has been seen publicly in the capital since his dramatic resignation from the broadcaster in May after admitting to an 'unwise but not illegal' affair with a much younger male colleague. Since standing down from his role, Schofield has become something of a recluse, spending much of his time in Newquay, Cornwall with his 87-year-old mother Pat, after announcing he had become too frightened to step outside fearing he would be 'spat on.' But last night Schofield broke cover for the first time in over a month to enjoy a night out at the trendy small plates restaurant. Wearing a blue suit jacket and patterned white shirt he appeared to listen intensely to Feltz, 61, as they walked to her car, before waving her off with a cheerful goodbye, ahead of her stint presenting This Morning earlier today. It comes as friends of Schofield said that his working life was now 'over' following his admission that he had an affair with a much younger colleague and then lied about it. One told MailOnline: 'Phillip has been very, very down recently. He doesn't know how he is going to work again. Phillip Schofield has been spotted for the first time in over a month with former This Morning regular Vanessa Feltz The pair were seen as they left the Little Bird restaurant in Chiswick, West London Schofield waved off his companion before walking off down the street by himself The former ITV star has become much of a recluse since he stood down from his role after admitting to lying about an affair with a much younger colleague Schofield and his co-presenter of 13 years, Holly Willoughby, pictured with the man he had an affair with 'He is pretty sure that he is done. He keeps saying he will never work again. It's devastating for him to realise but he also knows that there is not a lot he can do about it. 'He doesn't know who will take him, he knows there is no way back to ITV or the BBC.' Sources close to Schofield say that his circle of friends are trying to encourage him to think that he can have a 'fulfilling life' away from showbusiness. Another added: 'Just because he may not be on telly again doesn't mean he can't enjoy his life. Phil isn't so sure though.' There were rumours earlier in the summer that Schofield was being lined up to rebuild his career on TalkTV, but his lawyers quickly shut these claims down, stating that he was 'absolutely not' joining the channel as far as he was aware. Schofield was last pictured in public at the end of June, where he was spotted by a member of the public looking 'very tired' as he strolled through a car park in Cornwall clutching a carrier bag. Days before that had been seen celebrating his mother's 87th birthday, also in the county, looking rather serious instead of happy. Meanwhile ITV has been plunged further into hot water over the scandal today as employees told Parliament that they faced 'further bullying and discrimination' after raising concerns of toxicity and harassment with the broadcaster. Wearing a blue suit jacket and a patterned white shirt, Schofield appeared to listen intently as Feltz spoke to him He then was then seen giving his long-term friend a cheery goodbye before walking off Schofield was last seen in public in June. That week he was spotted by a member of the public in a Cornish car park, days after being seen arriving at his mothers house for her 87th birthday ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall faced questions from MPs about the former host's exit from the show, as employees came forward in the wake of the scandal to brand the programme as toxic place of work that fostered a bullying culture. In correspondence published today, Dame Caroline Dinenage, chairwoman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told Dame Carolyn that since her grilling in June, more employees, both past and present, had raised similar concerns. In the letter dated July 24, Dame Caroline wrote: 'In the month that has passed since your appearance before the committee, we have been contacted by a large number of individuals who have identified themselves as currently working or previously having worked on This Morning or as part of the wider ITV Daytime team. 'These individuals speak with great pride about working at ITV and are hugely positive about many of their colleagues. 'However, they also raise claims of toxic working cultures, bullying, discrimination and harassment. 'Some of those individuals who have contacted us have described how their decision to raise concerns within ITV has led to further bullying and discrimination, and in some cases having to leave the organisation with a settlement agreement.' ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall faced questions from MPs about the former host's exit from the show in June In a response, Dame Carolyn asked the parliamentary committee to 'encourage individuals to contact ITV via our reporting line SafeCall' through which reports can be made confidentially or anonymously. Former and current employees can also contact Jane Mulcahy KC who is leading an external review of the facts after Schofield's exit, which is expected to be completed in September, Dame Carolyn said. She added: 'As we made clear to you and the committee, we are absolutely committed to enabling people to raise any issues or complaints they may have about working at ITV. 'We always take these seriously and will investigate and take whatever action is appropriate. However, we are unable to do so if we cannot engage with those people.' The broadcaster came under fire when Schofield's affair emerged as they were accused of knowing about the relationship. Former This Morning Presenter Eamonn Holmes accused the bosses of a 'total cover-up' of the affair, claiming those in authority 'had to know' about it because the young man, who has never been named, was ferried between Schofield's flat and studio in taxis 'paid for by ITV'. Cristo Foufas, who is a presenter for TalkTV but used to work in ITV's production unit, described the relationship as an 'open secret'. Schofield's London flat is believed to be where he would take his junior colleague for secret trysts Schofield pictured at his London flat in 2020 Schofield pictured with his estranged wife Stephanie, before they separated following his announcement that he was gay 'I was a producer at ITV Daytime during the period where this was all taking place,' he told the Jeremy Vine Show in May. 'It was known among the production staff and people lower down the food chain what was going on. Everyone knew that he was with Phillip.' Schofield had been involved in the tryst for years, keeping it secret until he admitted to The Mail on Sunday that he had lied about the affair just being rumours. He went on to confess he had misled his employer, his colleagues, his friends and his agents at the management firm YMU, who dropped him as a result. When he broke his silence after leaving the show he insisted he had not 'groomed' the man, despite first meeting him when he was 15. And he went on to declare: 'Attraction is attraction. It's no different in the gay world as it is in the heterosexual world or in the lesbian world. 'There shouldn't be a difference. This is where homophobia comes in. We did first meet when he was 15, I visited the drama school [he attended]. 'So yeah, there's a difference. It's accepted by Leonardo DiCaprio, it's not accepted if it's in the gay world.' The former ITV personality went on to address his fears of going out in public, worrying he would receive verbal abuse or be spat on. He said: 'I do not know a time I will be able to walk out of the door. 'I don't have any spirit. My friends tell me, "It will get better". It won't. Not now. Not this one. 'You watch all these layers of you slide away and slide away and slide away. The things that were dear to you. But I deserve it. It's my fault. I deserve it.' He said he would never use social media again following the dramatic fallout. Last week it was revealed that Schofield had reduced the asking price of his 1.2million west London flat that he bought with his wife. The luxurious bolthole, just a stones throw away from Television Central in White City where his morning show was filmed, became a place where Schofield would take his younger lover for 'playtime' on Thursdays, it was claimed earlier this year. The immaculate two-bedroom flat, which is part of a gated community, has had its value slashed by 85,000. It follows Schofield and his estranged wife Stephanie, 59, already reducing the property's asking price 100,000, making it lower than the price they paid for it in 2012. The flat is said to be in 'very good condition' and is the 'perfect setting for entertaining'. Stepping away from the storm, Willoughby spent her summer break jetting off to Cornwall with her husband Dan Baldwin and children Harry, 14, Belle, 12, and Chester, eight Willoughby spent much of her two-month break on the Iberian peninsula, soaking up the sun at a 2million mansion When Schofield stepped down from his role there were fears that This Morning could be axed all together. And these concerns only grew when his co-presenter of 13 years Holly Willoughby disappeared on holiday without saying goodbye to viewers. But sources have since confirmed that the 42-year-old is far from quitting, instead being set to sign a lucrative new contract - and save the show. They confirmed that Willoughby will be back as planned in September, despite employees behind-the-scenes fear she was 'quietly quitting'. Stepping away from the storm, Willoughby spent her summer break jetting off to Cornwall with her husband Dan Baldwin and children Harry, 14, Belle, 12, and Chester, eight. She has spent much of her two-month break on the Iberian peninsula, soaking up the sun at a 2million mansion. The star made a number of appearances putting on a brave face on the Algarve, shopping in a beautiful yellow dress, having a dip in the sea and hanging out with her family. She also celebrated her 16th anniversary with her husband on the beach, giving her Instagram followers a rare insight into her marriage and hinting that he's helped her heal from the difficultly of the last year. Wildfires have spread rapidly across Portugal, hitting the Algarve and numerous other regions around the country. Blazes first occurred on Saturday in the municipality of Odemira, in the central Alentejo region, but have since spread south towards the tourist hotspot of the Algarve. So, as the fires rage across the country, is it still safe to travel to Portugal? What are your rights as a holidaymaker given the current situation? Read on below for everything you need to know about whether it is safe to travel to Portugal. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) advice on Portugal has not been updated to reflect the raging fires across the country This locator map shows where the wildfires are happening across the country, including one in the popular tourist region of the Algarve This map shows the risk of fire across Portugal and some parts of Spain, with much of Portugal facing an extreme risk of fire Is it safe to travel to Portugal during the wildfires? Authorities have declared more than 120 municipalities across Portugal at maximum risk of wildfires, with Lisbon placed under 'red alert'. 'Temperatures have increased across Spain, Portugal and North Africa in recent days, widely into the mid 30s C, if not into the low to mid 40s C', the Met Office warned this week. 'The heat is expected to extend further north and east by midweek, before temperatures return closer to average by the weekend', it added. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) advice on Portugal has not been updated to reflect the raging fires across the country. Its advice, which remains unchanged, reads: 'Forest fires can occur anywhere in Portugal. Risk of fires is higher when the weather is hot and dry. Fires have become more common due to drought and high temperatures. 'Forest fires are highly dangerous and unpredictable. The Portuguese authorities may evacuate areas and close roads for safety reasons. 'Starting a forest fire, even if it is by accident, is illegal in Portugal.' No holidays to Portugal appear to have been cancelled by travel companies at this time. No holidays to Portugal appear to have been cancelled by travel companies at this time despite the ferocious blazes What are your rights as a holidaymaker? What you are entitled to as a holidaymaker is dependent upon the type of holiday you have booked and where your destination is. If you have booked a package holiday through a tour operator to an area in the fire-impacted Odemira municipality, you may be allowed to cancel and receive a refund or rebook for free. However, this would only be 'in the event of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances occurring at the place of destination or its immediate vicinity which significantly affect the performance of the package, or the carriage of passengers to the destination', according to the Package Travel Regulations. The important term to pay attention to here is 'significantly affect': if the travel company can still get you there and the hotel is unaffected by the wildfires, they are not required to refund you if you choose to cancel the holiday. Separately, if your flight is cancelled, you have a number of different options. If you have booked a package holiday through a tour operator to an area in the fire-impacted Odemira municipality, you may be allowed to cancel and receive a refund You are legally entitled to a full refund, which includes other flights from the airline that you won't use in the same booking, such as onward or return flights. You are also entitled to a replacement flight to get you to your destination. If your cancelled flight delays you by two hours or more, you have the legal right to be helped with costs. If the replacement flight offered to you has delayed you by two hours or more, and you were given less than two weeks' notice, you are legally entitled to compensation. 'Wear suncream, drink plenty of water and eat bananas' is the official government advice for Brits travelling abroad. To 'stay safe' this summer, the government has issued its 'essential summer health tips', some of which won't come as a surprise - with the list including being mindful of what you're eating, drinking water, and wearing a hat and sunglasses. Despite most having safe and healthy trips, there has been an increase in travellers returning from Turkey with gastrointestinal infections - such as diarrhoea and similar illnesses - the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said. There were 241 cases of Salmonella enteritidis detected since the beginning of this year. Holidaymakers do have an excuse to eat more cheese as the agency also recommends sticking to pasteurised dairy produce, recently prepared thoroughly cooked food, and fruit that can be peeled such as bananas and oranges, to avoid foodborne illnesses. Those travelling abroad have been advised to wear suncream, eat oranges, and drink plenty of water To avoid foodborne illnesses and to 'stay safe' this summer the Government has issued its 'essential summer health tips' Some of those returning to the UK have diarrhoeal illness, measles, malaria, dengue fever and other infections carried by mosquitoes. Thoroughly washing your hands, especially after using the toilet, reduces the risk of becoming ill. 'Mosquito bites are common in most warm destinations. While these are mostly harmless, some can spread diseases such as dengue, zika or malaria. 'Due to climate change, we are seeing the spread of some more serious mosquito-borne infections in new areas where they were not previously found, including popular holiday destinations in mainland Europe,' the government agency said. To avoid being bitten the agency said to 'wear loose-fitting clothing, wear long sleeves and long trousers, cover exposed skin and use insect repellents'. With temperatures soaring in Europe, the UKHSA also recommends applying suncream of factor 15 or higher. Checking what vaccines you need before travelling is listed as an 'essential' on the Government's dos and don'ts list. 'To find out which vaccinations you need, contact your local travel health clinic or GP surgery before you travel. If you have pre-existing health problems an earlier appointment is advised even if you dont need vaccines or malaria tablets. 'Aside from travel vaccinations, it is also important to make sure you or your family are up to date with vaccinations in Englands routine immunisation programmes, including measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), as these infections are more common in some countries than in the UK,' the UKHSA said. Drinking bottled water where possible is advised to stay hydrated The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a dos and don'ts list for those travelling abroad this summer In a blog for the UKHSA, Dr Shreya Singhal said its important to look after your sexual health. 'Practising safer sex while abroad will reduce the risk of STIs and HIV, as well as infections that spread through close personal contact, such as monkeypox,' the junior doctor said. Dr Singhal adds: 'Be sure to pack condoms, suncream and hand sanitiser before you leave and where possible drink bottled water and wash your hands with soap and warm water after using the toilet and before eating.' The UKHSA recommends getting tested for STIs when you return to the UK, if you have met new sexual partners abroad. The Government agency replaced Public Health England in 2021. Advertisement The mayor of Louisville, Kentucky has proposed using a controlled burn to destroy an 'extreme' hoarder home allegedly filled with dangerous chemicals and explosives. Mayor Craig Greenberg declared a state of emergency last week, after police shut down their search of the 'horror house' on Applegate Lane and established a secure perimeter. The resident, Marc Troy Hibel (pictured), 53, was arrested and charged with wanton endangerment, after police said a search warrant revealed explosives, industrial chemicals, and 'laboratory grade equipment' inside the filthy home. 'I have reviewed pictures from inside the home, and it is extremely cluttered, with garbage and other items all over the place. It appears to be the home of an extreme hoarder,' Greenberg told reporters at a briefing. Hibel was arrested on June 27 and is currently being held by Louisville Metro Corrections. Officials say he could face additional charges. It was unclear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf. At a community meeting on Monday, Greenberg (pictured) and his hoarder task force faced tough questions from residents who fear a demolition burn could release dangerous fumes, but the mayor vowed safety would remain the top priority. 'If this is the path we go down, we want this house and everything within it to be incinerated,' said Greenberg, who noted that the city is still weighing all options to safely clear the home. The hoarder home first came to the attention of authorities after several community members tipped off cops, Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said at a briefing last week. Undercover LMPD detectives visited the home, and Hibel invited them in and showed them his picric acid, a powerful explosive, the police chief said. Cops then obtained a search warrant and returned, detaining Hibel as they searched the home. But the search was hastily called off after police discovered large quantities of picric acid, also known as TNP, as well as TNT and other unknown chemicals in the cluttered home. Gwinn-Villaroel said that Hibel appeared to be occupying two adjacent homes: 6211 Applegate, which he does not own but appeared to be living in as a squatter, and 6213 Applegate, which is owned by Hibel, and was filled with his bizarre experiments. 'Let me be clear, 6213 Applegate is an absolute horror house, and due to the large amount of explosive materials and industrial grade chemicals in a hoarding environment, it is extremely difficult to clear the area safely,' the chief said. The chemical experiments conducted by Hibel were reckless and extremely dangerous. 'Those experiments are over, and because of that the area is safer now than it has been in years,' she added. 'If he went anywhere near that house, law enforcement would be there waiting for him. The house is under 24/7 surveillance by LMPD,' the mayor said. 'No matter what happens, he is not going to get near that house,' Greenberg said. Now, officials are faced with difficult decisions about how to handle the explosive-filled hoarder home. At a community meeting on Monday night at Highview Baptist Church, hundreds of residents attended to share their concerns and hear from officials, WAVE-TV reported. In questions to officials, residents expressed fears about the safety of a controlled burn, and whether there might be long-term health effects or damage to area property values. Mayor Greenberg and his task force said that all options are on the table, but that in the event of a controlled burn, neighbors would be evacuated and air quality monitors would be used to ensure safety before they return. If an evacuation is required, residents will get a 48-hour notice, and emergency management will ride through the area blaring alerts on loudspeakers. Any evacuated residents would be provided food, as well as lodging in the event that the evacuation lasted overnight. 'Our hope is that this is as short as possible,' Greenberg said. 'This will be done during daytime hours, and our hope and everything we're planning for right now and based on all the information that we have is that this will be a very short time.' Greenberg said that the federal Environmental Protection Agency is being called in to advise on alternatives before the burn moves forward. Fern Creek Fire Chief Nathan Mulvey told residents what to expect in the event of a controlled burn, saying that cracking, popping and whistling sounds are to be expected from a structure fire. 'There obviously is smoke. Smoke is the process of the materials inside the house burning off,' he warned. 'In a hoarding condition, the unfortunate thing is that there's a lot of circumstances where you don't know what you don't know,' the fire chief added. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12386865/Louisville-hoarder-Marc-Hibel-controlled-burn.html?ito=msngallery The Maui wildfires have claimed six lives and left 20 people gravely injured in an 'unprecedented' disaster for Hawaii. Some 4,000 tourists are also understood to be stuck on the island, desperate to leave before the fires spread any further. They are all expected to flock to the Kahului Airport, where 2,000 people slept overnight, in the coming days. The town of Lahaina is all but destroyed. Devastating videos showed desperate residents jumping into the harbor to avoid the flames last night. Power remains out for thousands of Hawaiians, and the fires are ongoing. Overnight, the fires downed cell towers, wiping out 911 services and making it impossible for many residents to access the internet or communicate. Gov. Josh Green - who was in Boston at the time of the fires - is now on route back to the islands. He is due to arrive at midnight. He said: 'We have suffered a terrible disaster in the form of a wildfire that has spread widely as a result of hurricane-force winds in the region and underlying drought conditions. Maui and the Big Island both experienced significant fires. 'Much of Lahaina on Maui has been destroyed and hundreds of local families have been displaced.' Devastating aerial video shows the extent of the damage in Lahaina, where thousands of locals fled in the dead of the night to escape being trapped. Claire Kent, who was among those who took to the water in boats, said she had lost 'everything'. She said: 'I am out of Lahaina, safe with a few friends in Waiehu. My home is gone, my town is gone, my job is gone. We lost everything. 'This is the scariest thing I have ever experienced. So incredibly devastated.' Terrified residents watch as the Front Street in Lahaina, Maui, burns in an 'unprecedented' wildfire emergency Locals fear the blaze has claimed a large portion of the town of Lahaina, if not all of it Wildfires in Maui in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The area of west Maui, home to around 12,000, is largely on fire The worst of the fires are on Maui, where Oprah and Steven Tyler are among celebrities with homes. The fire in Lahaina has been the most destructive, torching homes and businesses Multiple burn patients were today flown out of Maui to Honolulu to be cared for as the 'apocalyptic' blazes rage on. The fires, fanned by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, have burned structures, forced evacuations and caused power outages in several communities. The worst of the fires is on Maui. One is torching parts of northern Wailea - where tourist hotels like the Four Seasons and Hilton scatter the beach - and another has destroyed the town of Lahaina. A worker at the Four Seasons Wailea told DailyMail.com that the resort has not been affected aside from 'some air quality issues'. The $990-a-night hotel is where the first season of The White Lotus was filmed. In Lahaina, a town of around 12,000 people, frantic locals jumped into the water in the harbor to escape the flames. Twelve people were rescued from the waves by boats. Kahului Airport, the main airport on the island of Maui, is still open and operational but it is now being used as a shelter for 1,800 people fleeing their homes. Some 2,000 people were stranded overnight at the airport in Maui after wildfires either canceled their flights or forced them to evacuate hotels or homes Lt. Governor Sylvie Luke said this morning: 'This is an unprecedented disaster as an indirect result of Hurricane Dora passing just south of our island. 'It is truly devastating and my heart goes out to the residents of Maui and all those impacted.' One fire in Kula, central Maui, is raging near to where Oprah recently purchased hundreds of acres of land. 911 services in most of Maui are disconnected due to downed cell towers, hampering the evacuation efforts while doctors and nurses struggle to cope with the number of burn victims flocking to them. In the early hours of this morning, Mahina Martin, spokesperson for the County of Maui, said the fires were 'not contained in any fashion' There are several small fires on the Big Island and O'Ahu but the worst is being seen in Maui, where some 12,000 people are without power and hospitals are overwhelmed Hurricane Dora passed south of Hawaii overnight on Tuesday but sent strong winds in the islands' direction Satellite imagery shows the smoke billowing from Maui on Wednesday morning Maui County spokesperson Mahina Martin said in the early hours of the morning: 'This is so unprecedented. 'An emergency in the night is terrifying... right now it is all-hands-on-deck and we are anxious for daybreak.' Luke told CNN on Wednesday: 'We are already in communication with other hospital systems about relieving the burden the reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support because Maui hospital cannot do extensive burn treatment. 'In addition to dealing with disaster, we're dealing with major transportation issues as well Video shows fires raging through a residential area in Maui surrounded by grassland with black smoke billowing into the sky '911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down. That's been part of the problem. 'The Maui County has not been able to communicate with residents on the west side, the Lahaina side.' She added: 'What we are trying to do is deploy individuals to go into areas with satellite phone service. 'We have only been in contact with perhaps one hotel because the one hotel, the people in charge of that hotel have satellite phones. That's the only way you can make connection. 'It's impeding communication. Its impeding efforts to evacuate residents and we are very concerned about that.' In Lahaina, 12 people had to be rescued from the harbor after jumping into the water in a desperate attempt to escape the smoke and heat from the fires. Fire chiefs yesterday warned residents to evacuate their homes before it is too late. 'The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house. Burning airborne materials can light fires a great distance away from the main body of fire,' Maui County Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said. Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation on behalf of Gov. Josh Green, who is traveling, and activated the Hawaii National Guard. Fire crews on Maui were battling multiple blazes concentrated in two areas: the popular tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. Footage shot from a yacht in Lahaina Mooring Field in Maui shows the sky bruising as huge plumes of smoke rise from the fires. Video also shows fires raging through a residential area in Maui surrounded by grassland with black smoke billowing into the sky. It wasn't immediately known how many buildings had burned, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said in a phone interview late Tuesday. The Front Street in Lahaina was all but razed on Tuesday night as the fires raged on Because of the wind gusts, helicopters weren't able to dump water on the fires from the sky - or gauge more precise fire sizes - and firefighters were encountering roads blocked by downed trees and power lines as they worked the inland fires, Martin said. About 13,000 customers in Maui were without power, Hawaiian Electric reported Tuesday night. 'It's definitely one of the more challenging days for our island given that it's multiple fires, multiple evacuations in the different district areas,' Martin said. Winds were recorded at 80 mph (129 kph) in inland Maui and one fire that was believed to be contained earlier Tuesday flared up hours later with the big winds, she added. 'The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house,' Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said. Hurricane Dora was complicating matters for firefighters in an already dry season. A woman evacuates her horse past a Maui County crew working to clear Olinda Road of wind-blown debris in the fire-threatened area of Kula, Hawaii, on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 Hawaii is sandwiched between high pressure to the north and a low pressure system associated with Dora, said Jeff Powell, a meteorologist in Honolulu. The dryness and the gusts 'make a dangerous fire situation so that fires that do exist can spread out of control very rapidly,' he said. 'It's kind of because of Hurricane Dora, but it's not a direct result,' he said, calling the fires a 'peripheral result' of the hurricane's winds. In the Kula area of Maui, at least two homes were destroyed in a fire that engulfed about 1,100 acres (1.7 square miles, or 4.5 square kilometers), Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said. About 80 people were evacuated from 40 homes, he said. 'We're trying to protect homes in the community,' Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth said of evacuating about 400 homes in four communities in the northern part of the island. As of Tuesday, the roof of one house caught on fire, he said. The occupants of the car which crashed killing three people in Cardiff in March had been drinking and inhaling nitrous oxide prior to the incident, a friend has told police. Driver Rafel Jeanne, 24, and passengers Darcy Ross, 21, and Eve Smith, 21, died in a crash on the A48 near the St Mellons area of the Welsh capital on Saturday, March 4. The two remaining passengers, Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were injured but survived. The tragedies occurred at 2.03am when a Volkswagen Tiguan veered off a slip road approaching a roundabout and came to rest in a small copse of trees. Court papers seen by PA revealed the group had been drinking alcohol and inhaling nitrous oxide prior to the collision. Rafel Jeanne (left), 24, and Darcy Ross (right), 21, were killed in the crash in Cardiff Eve Smith, 21, was one the three people who died in the crash on March 6 Sophie Russon, 20, was wounded in the crash in March near Cardiff but has survived Shane Loughlin, 32, was also wounded in the incident near Cardiff but has also survived The details emerged in a behind-closed-doors hearing at Cardiff Magistrates Court for Joel Lia, the sixth member of the group, who had been driving the Volkswagen Tiguan an hour before the crash. Lia, 28, of Rumney, Cardiff, was charged with driving without a licence or insurance in Porthcawl. The five were discovered on Monday, March 6, around 46 hours after the crash happened. The length of time taken by Gwent Police and South Wales Police to find the group, who were reported missing by family members, is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The group had been on a night out at The Muffler social club in Maesglas, Newport, on March 3 and then travelled in the Volkswagen Tiguan just under 40 miles to the Trecco Bay Caravan Park in Porthcawl, where they are said to have spent some time in one of the caravans on site. A noise complaint was made to the park's security lodge about the group, the PA news agency understands. They left the site a short time later and were last seen at about 2am in the Pentwyn area of Cardiff, dropping off a sixth member of their group. Joel Samuel Lia, 28, of Rumney, Cardiff, was charged with driving without a licence or insurance in Porthcawl Relatives of the friends previously shared this CCTV image of the car they were travelling in A vehicle is recovered and moved under a cover from the A48 near Cardiff on March 6 Detective Constable Joanne Mahony took a witness statement from Lia in which he admitted driving the car even though he did not have a licence. 'During the course of the statement, Joel stated that he had driven along the M4 from Porthcawl to his sister's address in Llanederyn at approximately 1am on March 4,' she said. 'Whilst the interview was not monitored, Lia asked me if anything would happen to him as he knew he did not hold a full UK driving licence and he had admitted driving. 'In light of this investigation CCTV inquiries were conducted along the route of the M4 towards Cardiff to capture the vehicle.' CCTV from a petrol station in Porthcawl showed the Volkswagen Tiguan pulling on to the forecourt at 1.08am and leaving three minutes later. 'On stopping at the garage, Joel Lia exits the rear offside of the vehicle and, when the driver exits the driver's seat, Joel Lia then enters the driver's seat. He then drives the vehicle off the forecourt,' police documents state. The papers go on to say that DC Mahony, the officer in the case, took a signed statement from Lia in which he admitted driving without holding a full UK licence. 'All other persons in the vehicle were intoxicated, by Joel's admission, as they had been drinking alcohol and inhaling nitrous oxide throughout the course of the evening,' the documents state. The scene in the St Mellons area of Cardiff as police investigated the crash in March Floral tributes left on March 8 near the scene of the incident on the A48 in a Cardiff suburb 'The vehicle did not display L plates which can be seen on CCTV. The officer in the case has reviewed the CCTV as part of this unrelated case and can positively identify Joel Lia as the person entering the driver's seat.' Lia pleaded guilty to both charges and the case was adjourned until August 24. An initial inquest was told that the three who died were declared dead at the scene of the crash. The hearing was adjourned to await the findings of further histology and toxicology tests. Rapper Tory Lanez's lawyers are plotting to release him on bail while they appeal his 10-year prison sentence for shooting and wounding his ex-lover, hip hop star Megan Thee Stallion. The 31-year-old begged the judge to not send him to jail in an LA courtroom on Tuesday. He shot Megan in the feet during a drunken argument after a pool party at Kylie Jenner's house in 2020 that also involved Megan's assistant Kelsey Harris. 'We're extremely disappointed,' Lanez's lead attorney Jose Baez said outside the courthouse. 'I have seen vehicular homicide and other cases where there's death, and the defendant still gets less than 10 years.' Baez said of the sentence that he is 'really just another example of someone being punished for their celebrity status and someone being utilized to set an example. And he's not an example. He's a human being.' Rapper Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting and wounding hip hop star Megan Thee Stallion. He is pictured outside court in December 2022 Court sketches show Tory Lanez during his August 7 sentencing hearing. He was sentenced to a decade behind bars Megan Thee Stallion had three bullet fragments surgically removed from her foot. She's pictured in court in December for Lanez's trial Lanez's lawyers plan to appeal the verdict and to attempt to have him released on bail while they do so. At his sentencing, Lanez said that Megan, 28, is 'someone I still care for dearly to this day' despite the outcome. Referring to the shooting incident, he added: 'I said some very immature things that I shouldn't have said. 'I revealed some secrets I shouldn't have revealed.' The sentence brings an end to a dramatic trial that created a cultural firestorm in the hip-hop community. The rapper, wearing a black skull cap, was handcuffed in his orange prison overalls as Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford handed down the sentence. The judge denied the probation that Lanez's defense had been asking for. Before being given 10 years, Lanez begged the judge not to send him to jail. In a 15-minute address, the musician said: 'Give me some sort of alternative that is not prison. I can be a much better man in my community. 'I'm not standing before you as a celebrity. I stand here as a genuine person who wants a chance. My child needs me - I want to better myself. I want a chance to show the world that the man you see here today is not the real me. 'I'm not expecting preferential treatment. But, your honor I'm genuinely asking you with my heart to put me to the test, to give me an opportunity. Megan took to Instagram with a photo of her foot injury following the shooting Daystar Peterson's trial in Los Angeles. Peterson, is known professionally as Tory Lanez 'There have been these misconceptions about me being this monster, of not having remorse. But that's just not true. 'That night, everybody was drunk, I said some very immature thingsI was wrong. If I could turn back the clock I would.I apologize. 'Everything I did that night I'm take responsibility for. I ask you for the chance to be a better father, a better mentor. I'm asking you not to judge me just on this case, but on the full scope of my life. Tory Lanez seen in a 2017 mugshot after being arrested for a separate incident 'I do have a habitual disorder - I want to be a better person.' Speaking about his friend and ex-girlfriend Megan Thee Stallion, Lanez told the court at his hearing that they bonded over the deaths of their mothers. He said: 'We both lost our mothers. We would sit there and drink, and drink until we got numb.' In making his decision, the judge took into account two 'aggravating factors' that had been proven by the prosecution and warranted sentencing enhancements - the fact that Lanez used a gun and that his victim, Megan, was 'particularly vulnerable or defenseless.' But Judge Herriford found that prosecutors had not proven a third aggravating factor - that Lanez displayed 'cruelty, viciousness or callousness' toward Megan, even though Deputy District Attorney Alex Bott argued that he showed 'a complete lack of regard for human life' and 'with less luck this would be a murder case.' Megan Thee Stallion performs onstage at LA Pride in the Park held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on June 9, 2023 Lanez's attorneys maintained that he was not a threat to society and probation, mental health therapy and treatment for alcohol abuse would be a better solution than jail. And, they said, if probation wasn't acceptable, then his jail term should be no longer than three years. But while Judge Herriford said he had taken into account Lanez's 'multiple philanthropic endeavors,' and his previous clean record, he rejected the defense arguments on Tuesday. Lanez's lawyers plan to appeal the verdict and to attempt to have him released on bail while they do The judge told the court that he had difficulty reconciling the 'philanthropic and talented' persona of Lanez with the man convicted of gun violence. 'Sometimes good people do bad things,' the judge said. He dismissed the defense's assertion that Lanez mental condition due to childhood trauma was partly to blame for the shooting. While alcohol was involved that night said Judge Herriford: 'It's clear that the (shooting) incident occurred as the result of an argument - I don't see a nexus in a mental disorder and the offense.' Earlier on Tuesday, defense attorney Matthew Barhoma blasted prosecutors for the 'disparity of seeking a 13-year sentence,' which, he added, 'is quite a deviation from the LA DA's own sentencing policy.' 'This disparity is being sought out, just because he's Tory Lanez. The fact that he's Tory Lanez is not a reason to seek enhancements of sentence. The prosecutor is reaching.' He argued that his client had not been involved in any prior violent acts and that the DA's request for the sentence to be enhanced from 10 to 13 years 'should be dismissed' because the shooting was related to Lanez' mental illness over his childhood trauma, and his alcohol abuse. But the DA Bott countered: 'This case has nothing to do with mental illness' and said that Lanez shot Megan because she insulted his musical prowess during their drunken argument. 'This violent shooting was over his bruised ego.' The prosecution was seeking enhanced sentencing, said Bott, because the shooting involved 'great bodily injury' to Megan. He said: 'He fired the gun five times, striking the victim two times - he could have killed her.' Bott's co-prosecutor, DDA Kathy Ta added that they were seeking the enhanced sentence because of Lanez' 'threat to life and callousness, his lack of accountabilityhis brazen disregard for the court and the victim's safety and his conduct toward the victim afterward.' Asked by the judge why prosecutors were asking for 13 years jail rather than 10, Ta said that anything less 'would endanger public safety.' Defense attorney Ed Welbourn recalled clinical psychologist Dr. Stephanie Herring to the stand to talk about Lanez' alcohol abuse and she said that Tory had told her he would drink 'up to a fifth of Petron tequila per nightto numb out.' 'Is there a nexus between his all alcoholism and the shooting?' asked Welbourn. 'Absolutely,' responded Dr. Herring. But DDA Bott hit back saying: 'There is not a single document showing he's ever had treatmentfor alcoholism. We have no verification of this. 'This is just a strategy. Once again, (Lanez) is doing anything and everything to avoid being held accountable.' Lanez' defense team spent several hours on Monday and Tuesday calling witnesses who sang his clients' praises and recounting his many acts of kindness and charity. And after he showed several videos on Tuesday displaying Lanez' philanthropic activities, DDA Bott scoffed: 'I felt like I was here for a "Man of the Year" award. 'It doesn't take much to give to charity when you are a man of great wealth. 'We are here today because of a heinous act of violence on a defenseless woman. then he put her through hell for two years. 'These are the actions of not a good, courageous person but a misogynist and a coward. 'He asks the court for mercy. But where was the mercy for Megan?' On the last day of Lanez's 10-day trial on December 23 last year, the jury of seven women and five men unanimously convicted the rapper of three felonies. He was found guilty of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, shooting a firearm in a grossly negligent manner and carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle. The assault carried a penalty of up to nine years in jail, the conviction for negligently shooting a gun up to three years and the concealed gun count three years. Lanez is seen in previous court sketches. At his sentencing on Tuesday, the convicted Canadian musician said that victim Megan is 'someone I still care for dearly to this day' despite the outcome Because the jury also found that Lanez caused 'great bodily injury' Megan had three bullet fragments surgically removed from her feet the assault and negligent shooting felonies carried enhanced penalties. The musician had previously pleaded not guilty to all three charges. In her emotional testimony during trial, Megan told the jury that she and Lanez with whom she'd been having a sexual relationship had been to a pool party July 12, 2020 at the home of Kylie Jenner and were in his SUV in the Hollywood Hills with Kelsey Harris when an alcohol-fueled argument erupted. Megan, real name Megan Pete, asked the driver to stop the car and she got out which was when she said Lanez yelled 'Dance b***h' and fired a gun five times at her, injuring her feet so seriously that she needed surgery. She testified in court that Lanez offered her and Harris a million dollars to keep quiet about the shooting and asked them not to report him because he was already 'on probation.' Megan also said that Lanez later apologized to her, saying he was drunk at the time of the shooting. Lanez, during the course of the last eight months, had attempted to be granted a re-trial. His requests were denied by a judge. But the mother-of-seven has said she was 'incredibly encouraged' by support A pianist was the subject of a racist message on Twitter as she played at the BBC Proms, according to her mother. Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason said her daughter Isata Kanneh-Mason, 26, was subject to a 'racist' Twitter response during her piano performance at the concert on Sunday. She added her younger daughter 'sobbed uncontrollably' after accidentally seeing the message over her shoulder while watching the Proms along with 214,000 other TV viewers. But Ms Kanneh-Mason has now said she felt 'incredibly encouraged' by the outpouring of support for her daughter and the ordeal had been turned into 'joy' and 'celebration'. On Twitter, the mother-of-seven said: 'A racist Twitter response to @IsataKm playing @BBCProms made one of my younger daughters - who saw it accidentally over my shoulder - sob uncontrollably. It's a never-ending battle to keep positive, determined and creative. But we will.' Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason (pictured) said her daughter Isata Kanneh-Mason, 26, was subject to a 'racist' Twitter response during her piano performance at the concert on Monday She added her younger daughter 'sobbed uncontrollably' after accidentally seeing the message over her shoulder while watching the Proms along with 214,000 other TV viewers. Pictured: Isata Kanneh-Mason But yesterday, she wrote: 'Thank you so much to everyone who responded so kindly to us. We feel incredibly encouraged. 'What was deeply hurtful and dispiriting has been turned into joy and celebration. By all of you.' Ms Kanneh-Mason told BBC Radio Nottingham the family had been watching Isata deliver an 'incredible performance' before 5,000 people at the Royal Albert Hall - with another 214,000 watching on live television - before they stumbled across the message. She said the family had been forced to deal with abuse 'ever since we came to public notice', but insisted it would not deter them from carrying on or speaking out. 'To have someone post that racist tweet, it was really hurtful, and I think it pulled us all down to the ground again,' she said. Ms Kanneh-Mason, a former lecturer in English at the University of Birmingham, is the mother of seven children who are all classical musicians. Isata, 26, plays the piano, Braimah, 25, plays the violin, and Konya, 22, and Aminata, 17, play both violin and piano. Meanwhile, Jeneba, 20, and Mariatu, 13, play both cello and piano. In 2015, the six eldest all competed on Britain's Got Talent together. They got to the semi-finals and played a rendition of Clean Bandit's 'Rather Be'. In 2023, along with husband Stuart and their children, she co-presented and curated their first radio series for Classic FM, according to Ms Kanneh-Mason's website. A BBC spokesman said: 'We take racist and abusive comments on social media very seriously and the comment in question has been reported. 'The welfare of the artists we work with is our priority and we continue to monitor our social media accounts.' Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell have blamed a 'simple mistake' after it emerged their car was left untaxed. The former Scottish first minister was pictured getting a lift from Mr Murrell in their black Peugeot as she went shopping in Edinburgh. According to the Scottish Sun, the couple's vehicle was untaxed and overdue by eight days after they missed a deadline of 1 August. Driving an untaxed car is a legal offence in most circumstances and can lead to a financial penalty, a vehicle being clamped or even court action. Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell told the newspaper they'd made a 'simple mistake', while aides said they immediately arranged to tax the vehicle after not receiving a DVLA reminder notice. The couple own an electric vehicle which still has to be registered for tax, even though no charge is levied. Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell have blamed a 'simple mistake' after it emerged their car was left untaxed. The former Scottish first minister was pictured getting a lift from Mr Murrell in their black Peugeot as she went shopping in Edinburgh According to the Scottish Sun , the couple's vehicle (previously pictured outside their Glasgow home) was untaxed and overdue by eight days after they missed a deadline of 1 August The couple own an electric vehicle which still has to be registered for tax, even though no charge is levied Ms Sturgeon was seen at Craigleith retail park in Edinburgh with Mr Murrell. It was a rare public appearance from the couple together since both were arrested - and subsequently released without charge - earlier this year as part of Police Scotland's ongoing probe into the SNP's finances. Ms Sturgeon was reported to have been spotted in Boots before making her way to the car park where Mr Murrell was spotted in the driver's seat of their car. An onlooker said: 'I couldn't quite believe it. I saw Nicola walking in on her own. I thought she would have had security but that wasn't the case. 'She was in the shop for a wee while before coming out.' It is the latest in a string of car-related embarrassments to hit senior SNP figures. In 2016, Ms Strugeon's successor Humza Yousaf - who was Scotland's transport minister at the time - was caught by police driving a friend's car without proper insurance. He said a misunderstanding following his split from his first wife had caused the 'honest mistake'. Earlier this month, SNP deputy leader Keith Brown was revealed to have failed to pay his car tax. It also emerged that his 11-year-old diesel vehicle would not be compliant with any of Scotland's Low Emission Zones (LEZ). Mr Brown was said not to have driven the car while untaxed as he had been out of the country, with a spokesman saying an 'honest mistake' had been 'immediately resolved'. Ms Sturgeon was arrested in June as part of Police Scotland's Operation Branchform, which centres on the spending of about 600,000 in donations that had been earmarked for Scottish independence campaigning. It came after the arrest of her husband, Mr Murrell - the SNP's former chief executive - in April, just prior to a two-day police search of the couple's Glasgow home as part of the probe into the party's finances. Scottish Conservative chairman and MSP Craig Hoy said: 'This is another car crash moment for Nicola Sturgeon and her husband. 'She and Peter Murrell need this latest brush with the law like they need a hole in the head. 'I'm sure this was an innocent error but it's hugely embarrassing for a couple clearly distracted by other matters.' Ms Sturgeon's spokeswoman said: 'No tax is paid on the car as it is electric and so no money has ever been outstanding. 'A reminder notice from the DVLA was not received to re-register the vehicle for tax so this eight-day delay was a simple mistake which has been immediately rectified.' Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (File Photo) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge for their support against the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which has been passed by the Rajya Sabha. "I write to you expressing gratitude on behalf of the two crore people of Delhi for your party's support in rejecting and voting against the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill, 2023. I would like to place on record the heartfelt appreciation for championing the rights of the people of Delhi inside as well as outside Parliament. I am certain that your unflinching loyalty towards the principles of our Constitution will be remembered for decades," Kejriwal said in his letter. Kejriwal further said that he looked forward to their continued support on other matters as well. "We look forward to your continued support in the fight against forces that are undermining the Constitution." Kejriwal had earlier met the Congress leaders in Bihar and during the opposition party meeting in June and sought their support against the Bill. Initially, the Congress remained silent on their stance, but later openly supported Kejriwal. However, the bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Tueday despite a strong fight by the opposition parties in the Upper House. Angry drivers in Wales are tying red ribbons to the bonnet of their cars in an act of protest against the controversial new speed limits. In an effort to reduce crashes, diminish noise and encourage people to be more active, the Welsh government have introduced new laws that will come into place from September. Speed limits in built-up areas will be reduced from 30mph to 20mph in the country from next year - it's a UK first that's caused a lot of controversy. Ministers believe the new rules will encourage more people to walk or cycle, rather than drive. There have already been trials in some areas and people have complained that it just more congestion and meant journeys took longer. Angry drivers in Wales are tying red ribbons to the bonnet of their cars in an act of protest against the controversial new speed limits The red ribbons are related to the UK's Locomotive Act 1865, also knows as the Red Flag Act One petition against the move has gained over 20,000 signatures, while another from March has reached 60,000. In an act of rebellion, cars have been spotted with red ribbons tied to their bonnets. The red ribbons are related to the UK's Locomotive Act 1865, also knows as the Red Flag Act. The Act required any self-propelled road vehicle to be preceded by a person walking at least 60 yards ahead, carrying a red flag. It also brought in the world's first speed limits, which was 4mph in rural areas, 2mph in towns and meant you'd receive a 10 fine for speeding. The Locomotive Act 1865 required any self-propelled road vehicle to be preceded by a person walking at least 60 yards ahead, carrying a red flag While some people on social media agree that '20 is too slow on a main road,' not everyone agrees with the protest How will the 20mph speed limit work in Wales? The 20mph speed limit in Wales will come into force on all restricted roads if voted for in Parliament. It's a plan that is projected to have cost 32million. Restricted roads are defined as those that have lampposts placed not more than 200 yards apart. This normally includes areas where there is lots of pedestrian activity and residential housing. Local authorities can make exceptions on certain roads, but the limit will be in place outside schools. The Welsh Parliament will vote on it on Tuesday - and if successful, the speed limits will change in September 2023. If drivers are caught going over 20mph, there is currently a minimum penalty for speeding is 100 fine. Three points can also be added to your licence. Advertisement Mother Adie Drury, 39, started a petition against the rollout in Buckley, Flintshire. She said: 'The community has no problem with a 20mph limit where it's necessary and where it's safe, like outside schools, health centres in housing estates and in heavily pedestrianised areas. 'They would like us to stop using our cars and use our legs to cycle and walk, but we haven't got the infrastructure to do that here.' Shadow transport minister Natasha Ashgar MS said: 'The Welsh Conservatives are not against introducing 20mph speed limits outside schools, playgrounds, places of worship and high streets, but a blanket roll-out is quite frankly ludicrous.' However, Dr Sarah Jones, consultant in environment public health for Public Health Wales explained that making the change from 30mph to 20mph could result in '40% fewer collisions every year, with 6 to 10 lives saved and between 1200 to 2000 people avoiding injury,' WalesOnline reported. However, the ribbons themselves has caused even more division. While some people on social media agree that '20 is too slow on a main road,' not everyone agrees with the protest. One person tweeted 'Drivers protesting about doing something that helps to keep other human beings safe?' Another wrote 'We've had this is the Scottish Borders for a while now. It has not been without its controversy. It does, however, make a massive, possible difference to drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.' A 'large number' of ITV's This Morning staff past and present have raised claims of 'toxic working cultures, bullying, discrimination and harassment' to Parliament. In June, ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall faced a grilling by MPs about former host Phillip Schofield's exit from the show amid allegations the programme was fostering a bullying culture that had been described as toxic. Shamed presenter Schofield left the show after admitting he had lied about having an affair with a younger colleague. In correspondence published on Wednesday, Dame Caroline Dinenage, chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told Dame Carolyn over the past month a large swell of ITV employees had contacted the parliamentary group. 'These individuals speak with great pride about working at ITV and are hugely positive about many of their colleagues. However, they also raise claims of toxic working cultures, bullying, discrimination and harassment,' former Tory culture minister Dame Caroline said. ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall (pictured) faced a grilling by MPs about disgraced former host Phillip Schofield's exit from the show amid allegations the programme was fostering a bullying culture Phillip Schofield (pictured in June) left This Morning after he admitted he lied about having an affair an affair with a younger colleague Dame Caroline Dinenage (pictured), chairwoman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said a large swell of ITV employees raised claims of 'toxic working cultures, bullying, discrimination and harassment' at the broadcaster 'Your letter of June 15 encourages individuals to raise their concerns through internal or external routes, and we will make individuals aware of those options. 'However, some of those individuals who have contacted us have described how their decision to raise concerns within ITV has led to further bullying and discrimination, and in some cases having to leave the organisation with a settlement agreement.' Gosport MP Dame Caroline added it was 'easy to understand' why the individuals left ITV and 'do not wish to relive their traumatic experiences', as well as believing ITV will not take them seriously. In a response, Dame Carolyn asked the parliamentary committee to 'encourage individuals to contact ITV via our reporting line SafeCall' through which reports can be made confidentially or anonymously. Alternatively individuals can contact Jane Mulcahy KC who is leading an external review of the facts after Schofield's exit, which is expected to be completed in September, Dame Carolyn said. She continued: 'As we made clear to you and the committee, we are absolutely committed to enabling people to raise any issues or complaints they may have about working at ITV. 'We always take these seriously and will investigate and take whatever action is appropriate. However, we are unable to do so if we cannot engage with those people.' Mr Schofield pictured with former co-host Holly Willoughby on This Morning on May 16 Mr Schofield and Ms Willoughby pictured with the younger colleague with whom he had an affair In the correspondence, MPs accused ITV managing director Kevin Lygo of being 'inconsistent' in his explanation about who decided 61-year-old Schofield should leave This Morning, after he admitted to an 'unwise but not illegal' affair with a younger male colleague on the show. In evidence to MPs in June, Mr Lygo suggested Schofield wanted to step down, but a statement on May 20 from the presenter said: 'I understand ITV has decided the current situation can't go on.' In her response, Dame Carolyn insisted there was 'no inconsistency', writing: 'As made clear, Mr Schofield expressed a desire to leave This Morning but Kevin Lygo was the ultimate arbiter of such issues - following discussions with everyone involved. Speaking in June, Schofield admitted he was too frightened to go out as he fears he will be spat on in the street following his departure from This Morning. In an interview with The Sun, the ex-TV personality said: 'I do not know a time I will be able to walk out of the door. 'I don't have any spirit. My friends tell me, "It will get better". It won't. Not now. Not this one. 'You watch all these layers of you slide away and slide away and slide away. The things that were dear to you. But I deserve it. It's my fault. I deserve it.' He added he would not use social media again following the fallout from the affair. Phillip Schofield has said he is too frightened to go out as he fears he will be spat on in the street Phillip Schofield (pictured in June) added he would not use social media again following the fallout from the affair. In another interview with the BBC, Mr Schofield claimed his two daughters have saved his life since he quit This Morning, insisting he 'wouldn't be here' if they had not stayed by his side over the past week because he has 'lost everything'. Mr Schofield told how his two daughters Molly, 29, and Ruby, 27, 'guarded me and won't let me out of their sight', adding that he had felt a 'weird numbness' but admitted: 'I have brought myself down'. Last week it emerged that Schofield had reduced the asking price of the 1.2million flat he bought with his wife and where he is believed to have had secret trysts with his younger lover. The 61-year-old decreased the price of the immaculate two-bedroom London penthouse flat with a listing appearing to show the asking price has now been reduced by 85,000. It comes after Schofield and his estranged wife Stephanie, 59, already reduced the property's asking price by 100,000 in June when they put it at 1.2million - the same amount they paid for it in 2012. The flat is believed to be where Schofield would take his junior colleague for secret trysts before the affair was revealed to the world in May. The former presenter resigned from ITV and was dropped by his agency YMU after admitting to an 'unwise, but not illegal' affair with the young male colleague. Phillip Schofield entering his London apartment, which has had the asking price reduced to 1.15million Schofield taking a selfie inside the apartment, which was not far from the former This Morning studio Schofield with his wife Stephanie before their split. The pair share two daughters together The former This Morning star said the affair 'never came across' as an abuse of power because he and his lover were 'mates'. The flat, which is in a gated development, is said to be in 'very good condition' and the 'perfect setting for entertaining'. The girl, 16, has been charged with two counts of assault after handing herself in Sue Young, 51, and Joanna Lin, 38, were both allegedly assaulted by the teen A teenager has been arrested after she was caught on camera violently assaulting an Asian family on the New York City Subway. The 16-year-old girl, who has not been named, handed herself in after officers appealed for more information by releasing her photograph on Sunday. She is accused of beating Sue Young, 51, in front of her young daughters and husband, as well as Joanna Lin, who started filming the teen when she harassed the family. The teenager has been charged with two counts of assault after handing herself in to cops at 9.45am on Tuesday morning. Authorities initially said that they were investigating the alleged assault as a hate crime, but no charges were filed in relation to that allegation. Sue Young, 51, was allegedly beaten in front of her young daughters and husband, Ken, during the incident on the F train last week in Manhattan The 16-year-old girl, who has not been named, handed herself in after officers appealed for more information by releasing her photograph on Sunday Both victims have insisted the assault was not because of their race but believe they could have been perceived as an easy target. The Young family from Nevada had been in the final week of a six-week vacation when they were attacked by a group of teenage girls on the F train in Manhattan last week. Police appealed for information on the identity of one of the girls but not her two friends who all began laughing and pointing at the family as they sat across from them on the subway on Thursday. The train was approaching West 4th Street when the incident began, with Young laughing with them in an attempt to stop their taunts. But the trio then started swearing and threatening the family, who had their 11-year-old twins with them at the time, before some passengers tried to intervene. Video footage taken by Lin, 34, shows the teen who was arrested spotting the camera and allegedly punching her several times. Another girl then started screaming at Young, who pushed her away, with the arrested teen then launching herself at the mother-of-two. Young claims that the teen 'grabbed her hair' and started 'slugging' at her, which resulted in her glasses being thrown of her face and her arm bruised. The Young family from Nevada had been in the final week of a six-week vacation when they were attacked by a group of teenage girls on the F train in Manhattan last week Joanna Lin started filming the incident before she was attacked by the teenagers when they saw the camera Other passengers managed to separate the teenagers, and the family and Lin were able to get off at the next stop. Young told NBC News: 'Somebody or something or some circumstance has made a big impression on them - whether it's historical pressure, societal pressure, social pressure. 'Using law enforcement to curtail this, I'm not sure if that's going to fix the problem. It just seems like it's a more underlying issue that we, as a society and as a community, need to hold everybody accountable, not just law enforcement.' Her husband Ken - who was heard calling the teens 'uneducated' in the clip - further clarified that their family does not wish any ill will towards the girls, despite their own two children bearing witness. More importantly, the father added, the couple 'certainly isn't trying to even the score against Black people.' The altercation began when the group sat opposite them in the train car and began laughing and pointing at the for no reason One of the teens was seen trying to block the view of Lin, who still managed to record the disturbing event Ken - who was heard calling the teens 'uneducated' in the clip - further clarified that their family does not wish the teens ill will Video footage taken by Lin, 34, shows the teen who was arrested spotting the camera and allegedly punching her several times Sue added that the girls need to 'understand that there's accountability' for their actions, saying: 'There are consequences, but how do we provide productive consequences? Not something that's just filled with just hate and anger.' Video footage shows one of the teens yelling at Young and her family as they sat on the train before a man tried to intervene. One of the suspects started to yell at the man as another moved toward Lin - forcing her to shut down the recording. Lin started to record again as the girls were just inches away from the family sitting on the train. She then called 911 and reported the incident. Workers at Gatwick Airport have announced a fresh raft of strikes, including August Bank Holiday weekend, prompting fresh fears for more summer holiday chaos. Unite Union announced that 230 ground handlers and passenger assistance workers will be walking out in the continuing row over pay. The union said the industrial action will cause 'severe disruption' for those hoping to take a later summer break. Union members working for the ground handling company Red Handling will down their tools for four days from August 18, and a further four days from August 25 - which includes the long weekend. Members of the union employed by Wilson James, which operates Gatwick's passenger assistance contract, will walk out for three days from August 18, and a further three days from August 22. Workers at Gatwick Airport have announced a fresh raft of strikes, including August Bank Holiday weekend (file image of Gatwick South Terminal) The strikes have prompted fears for yet more summer holiday chaos (file image) Last week, Unite called off a series of strikes by its members employed by workers employed by Gatwick Ground Services (GGS), on the British Airways contract, followed employees at DHL Ground Handling, ASC and Menzies. It said that the union members have voted to accept the improved pay offer. But in yet another blow for holiday makers, in what has been a chaotic summer of travel filled with rail and airport strikes, the union claims Red Handling and Wilson James have 'failed to make offers that meet the workers' expectations'. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: 'Red Handling and Wilson James need to wake up and smell the coffee. 'Other employers at the airport are prepared to pay the going rate and there is no excuse why they shouldn't do the same. 'There is no way our members will accept a real-terms pay cut and poverty pay. 'Unite's complete focus on the jobs, pay and conditions of its members will mean that our members at Gatwick will receive the union's unflinching support.' Red Handling is responsible for ground handling for Norse Atlantic, Norwegian, Delta, TAP Air Portugal and Saudi at Gatwick. Unite Union said the industrial action will cause 'severe disruption' for those hoping to take a later summer break (file image) Unite believes 216 flights could be disrupted during the first four-day strike, which it claims will affect around 45,000 passengers. A Gatwick spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the recent ballot results and encourage staff at Wilson James, Red Handling and their union to reach a resolution. 'We will support Wilson James, who hold the contract for providing assistance to passengers, in their contingency planning. 'We will also support the airlines affected who hold the contracts with Red Handling with their contingency plans to ensure that as many flights as possible operate as scheduled.' Tory Lanez's brother has spoken out after the 31-year-old rapper was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting and wounding his ex-lover, hip hop star Megan Thee Stallion. Lanez begged the judge to not send him to jail in an LA courtroom on Tuesday. He shot Megan in the feet during a drunken argument after a pool party at Kylie Jenner's house in 2020 that also involved Megan's assistant Kelsey Harris. Yoko Gold, also a musician, wrote in an Instagram post: 'I will not be worried. I will not be afraid. Instead I surrender my will to Gods purpose and pray for better days.' 'Free Daystar Peterson,' he added, referring to his brother's real name. Lanez's lawyers plan to appeal the verdict and to attempt to have him released on bail while they do. Rapper Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting and wounding hip hop star Megan Thee Stallion. He is pictured outside court in December 2022 Megan Thee Stallion performs onstage at LA Pride in the Park held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on June 9, 2023 Court sketches show Tory Lanez during August 7, 2023 sentencing hearing Yoko Gold, also a musician, posted on Instagram post reacting to Lanez's sentence His lead attorney Jose Baez said outside the courthouse: 'We're extremely disappointed. 'I have seen vehicular homicide and other cases where there's death, and the defendant still gets less than 10 years.' Baez said of the sentence that he is 'really just another example of someone being punished for their celebrity status and someone being utilized to set an example. And he's not an example. He's a human being.' At his sentencing on Tuesday, convicted Canadian musician Lanez said that victim Megan, 28, is 'someone I still care for dearly to this day' despite the outcome. Lanez said about the shooting that put him behind bars for a decade: 'I said some very immature things that I shouldn't have said. 'I revealed some secrets I shouldn't have revealed.' The sentence brings an end to a dramatic trial that created a cultural firestorm in the hip-hop community. The rapper, wearing a black skull cap, was handcuffed in his orange prison overalls as Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford handed down the sentence. The judge denied the probation that Lanez's defense had been asking for. Before being given 10 years, Lanez begged the judge not to send him to jail. In a 15-minute address, the musician said: 'Give me some sort of alternative that is not prison. I can be a much better man in my community. 'I'm not standing before you as a celebrity. I stand her as a genuine person who wants a chance. My child needs me - I want to better myself. I want a chance to show the world that the man you see here today is not the real me. 'I'm not expecting preferential treatment. But, your honor I'm genuinely asking you with my heart to put me to the test, to give me an opportunity. Megan Thee Stallion had three bullet fragments surgically removed from her foot. She's pictured in court in December for Lanez's trial Megan took to Instagram with a photo of her foot injury following the shooting Daystar Peterson's trial in Los Angeles. Peterson, is known professionally as Tory Lanez 'There have been these misconceptions about me being this monster, of not having remorse. But that's just not true. 'That night, everybody was drunk, I said some very immature thingsI was wrong. If I could turn back the clock I would.I apologize. 'Everything I did that night I'm take responsibility for. I ask you for the chance to be a better father, a better mentor. I'm asking you not to judge me just on this case, but on the full scope of my life. Tory Lanez seen in a 2017 mugshot after being arrested for a separate incident 'I do have a habitual disorder - I want to be a better person.' Speaking about his friend and ex-girlfriend Megan Thee Stallion, Lanez told the court at his hearing that they bonded over the deaths of their mothers. He said: 'We both lost our mothers. We would sit there and drink, and drink until we got numb.' In making his decision, the judge took into account two 'aggravating factors' that had been proven by the prosecution and warranted sentencing enhancements - the fact that Lanez used a gun and that his victim, Megan, was 'particularly vulnerable or defenseless.' But Judge Herriford found that prosecutors had not proven a third aggravating factor - that Lanez displayed 'cruelty, viciousness or callousness' toward Megan, even though Deputy District Attorney Alex Bott argued that he showed 'a complete lack of regard for human life' and 'with less luck this would be a murder case.' Lanez's attorneys maintained that he was not a threat to society and probation, mental health therapy and treatment for alcohol abuse would be a better solution than jail. And, they said, if probation wasn't acceptable, then his jail term should be no longer than three years. But while Judge Herriford said he had taken into account Lanez's 'multiple philanthropic endeavors,' and his previous clean record, he rejected the defense arguments on Tuesday. Lanez's lawyers plan to appeal the verdict and to attempt to have him released on bail while they do The judge told the court that he had difficulty reconciling the 'philanthropic and talented' persona of Lanez with the man convicted of gun violence. 'Sometimes good people do bad things,' the judge said. He dismissed the defense's assertion that Lanez mental condition due to childhood trauma was partly to blame for the shooting. Judge Herriford said that while alcohol was involved that night : 'It's clear that the (shooting) incident occurred as the result of an argument - I don't see a nexus in a mental disorder and the offense.' Earlier on Tuesday, defense attorney Matthew Barhoma blasted prosecutors for the 'disparity of seeking a 13-year sentence,' which, he added, 'is quite a deviation from the LA DA's own sentencing policy.' 'This disparity is being sought out, just because he's Tory Lanez. The fact that he's Tory Lanez is not a reason to seek enhancements of sentence. The prosecutor is reaching.' He argued that his client had not been involved in any prior violent acts and that the DA's request for the sentence to be enhanced from 10 to 13 years 'should be dismissed' because the shooting was related to Lanez' mental illness over his childhood trauma, and his alcohol abuse. But the DA Bott countered: 'This case has nothing to do with mental illness' and said that Lanez shot Megan because she insulted his musical prowess during their drunken argument. 'This violent shooting was over his bruised ego.' The prosecution was seeking enhanced sentencing, said Bott, because the shooting involved 'great bodily injury' to Megan. He said: 'He fired the gun five times, striking the victim two times - he could have killed her.' Bott's co-prosecutor, DDA Kathy Ta added that they were seeking the enhanced sentence because of Lanez' 'threat to life and callousness, his lack of accountabilityhis brazen disregard for the court and the victim's safety and his conduct toward the victim afterward.' Asked by the judge why prosecutors were asking for 13 years jail rather than 10, Ta said that anything less 'would endanger public safety.' Defense attorney Ed Welbourn recalled clinical psychologist Dr. Stephanie Herring to the stand to talk about Lanez' alcohol abuse and she said that Tory had told her he would drink 'up to a fifth of Petron tequila per nightto numb out.' 'Is there a nexus between his all alcoholism and the shooting?' asked Welbourn. 'Absolutely,' responded Dr. Herring. But DDA Bott hit back saying: 'There is not a single document showing he's ever had treatmentfor alcoholism. We have no verification of this. 'This is just a strategy. Once again, (Lanez) is doing anything and everything to avoid being held accountable.' Lanez' defense team spent several hours on Monday and Tuesday calling witnesses who sang his clients' praises and recounting his many acts of kindness and charity. And after he showed several videos on Tuesday displaying Lanez' philanthropic activities, DDA Bott scoffed: 'I felt like I was here for a "Man of the Year" award. 'It doesn't take much to give to charity when you are a man of great wealth. 'We are here today because of a heinous act of violence on a defenseless woman. then he put her through hell for two years. 'These are the actions of not a good, courageous person but a misogynist and a coward. 'He asks the court for mercy. But where was the mercy for Megan?' On the last day of Lanez's 10-day trial on December 23 last year, the jury of seven women and five men unanimously convicted the rapper of three felonies. He was found guilty of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, shooting a firearm in a grossly negligent manner and carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle. The assault carried a penalty of up to nine years in jail, the conviction for negligently shooting a gun up to three years and the concealed gun count three years. Lanez is seen in previous court sketches. At his sentencing on Tuesday, the convicted Canadian musician said that victim Megan is 'someone I still care for dearly to this day' despite the outcome Because the jury also found that Lanez caused 'great bodily injury' Megan had three bullet fragments surgically removed from her feet the assault and negligent shooting felonies carried enhanced penalties. The musician had previously pleaded not guilty to all three charges. In her emotional testimony during trial, Megan told the jury that she and Lanez with whom she'd been having a sexual relationship had been to a pool party July 12, 2020 at the home of Kylie Jenner and were in his SUV in the Hollywood Hills with Kelsey Harris when an alcohol-fueled argument erupted. Megan, real name Megan Pete, asked the driver to stop the car and she got out which was when she said Lanez yelled 'Dance b***h' and fired a gun five times at her, injuring her feet so seriously that she needed surgery. She testified in court that Lanez offered her and Harris a million dollars to keep quiet about the shooting and asked them not to report him because he was already 'on probation.' Megan also said that Lanez later apologized to her, saying he was drunk at the time of the shooting. Lanez, during the course of the last eight months, had attempted to be granted a re-trial. His requests were denied by a judge. An evil bouncer who murdered a British heiress and was jailed for 18 years and six months has had his appeal that it was a sex game gone wrong definitively rejected by a Swiss court. Anna Reed, 22, was found dead in her luxury hotel room after lover Marc Schatzle, 33, begged staff to call paramedics because she had turned blue but it was all part of his attempt to cover his tracks. During his trial in the Swiss city of Lugano in 2021, the court heard he used Annas credit card to go on a lavish spending spree after admitting he liked the finer things in life. Then the jury was told he had met Anna in Thailand in February 2019 and she had lavished 50,000 on him paying for hotels, restaurants, and clothes during their time together. She was in the Far East after her father Clive had given her around the world ticket as a 21st birthday present and she had also inherited 250,000 from her mother who died in a 2016 domestic accident. Schatzle (left with Anna before she died) and his defence team claimed she died in a sex game that went wrong and asked for the conviction to be changed to manslaughter - which would have meant a lower jail term German Marc Schatzle, 30, who has tattoos across his body, including one over his left eyebrow which says 'Warrior', was ordered to stand trial charged with murdering 22-year-old Anna Reed in April 2019, and on counts of fraud and theft Prosecutor Petra Canonica Alexakis previously slammed Schatzle, pictured, saying he had been lying for three years and his claims of a sex game tragically gone wrong were unfounded Anna and her sister Millie, now 28, were brought up in upmarket Harrogate, North Yorkshire Burly Schatzle callously claimed Anna died when he wrapped a towel around her throat during consensual sex in the bathroom of their five-star hotel La Palme au Lac in picturesque Locarno in April 2019. At his first trial he was initially given 18 years by judge Mauro Ermani who slammed him as a liar adding Schatzle was a dangerous man.' An appeal last October saw him given an extra six months and a second and final request by his legal team has now also been rejected, MailOnline can exclusively reveal. In the 7,000-word judgement obtained by MailOnline, the Federal Court in Locarno kicked out his claims describing them as merely his own interpretation of the events, with no contesting of the original trial conclusions. It added how his version of what had unfolded the night Anna died was an inadmissible theory with no evidence at all to back it up and was as such being rejected.' One telling paragraph in the document said: 'The force used by the accused on the throat of the victim was clearly superior to that uses in the sphere of erotic asphyxiation.' Marc Schatzle (shown left with Anna Reed), who murdered British heiress Reed (shown left and right) and was jailed for 18 years tried to appeal his conviction insisting she died in sex game that went tragically wrong At his appeal hearing last October Schatzle described to the court how the couple had returned to their hotel at 2am after spending the night drinking in various bars. He said he tried to hide her credit card in a roof space of the elevator light as a 'joke' but it had slipped behind a panel and he couldnt retrieve it.' Heavily tattooed Schatzle, told the hearing he and Anna, from Harrogate, north Yorkshire, practiced rough sex. He told the court: Anna liked erotic asphyxiation. She asked me to do it. I used a towel and my hands, I thought everything was ok and then I saw her with her tongue out. Her face was funny and there was a blue mark on her neck. I tried to wake her up. I gave her CPR and then I went downstairs to get help. The court ruled that once his sentence is served Marc will be deported and unable to enter Switzerland for 14 years instead of the original 12 meaning he will be unable to visit his child The jury was told Marc met Anna, pictured before her death, in Thailand in February 2019 and she had lavished 50,000 on him paying for hotels, restaurants, and clothes during their time together Schatzle callously claimed Anna died when he wrapped a towel around her throat during consensual sex in the bathroom of their five-star hotel La Palme au Lac (pictured) But prosecutor Petra Canonica Alexakis slammed father-of-one Schatzle saying he had been lying for three years and his claims of an accident and sex game tragically gone wrong were unfounded. He is a killer and the first trial confirmed this. The first trial didnt believe it was an erotic game and an accident,' she said. There is nothing to confirm his version of events and he has refused to cooperate with investigators from the beginning. If things had gone as he claims, then one would have excepted his attitude to be different but there is nothing to suggest he and Anna Reed practiced erotic asphyxiation or sadomasochism. Ms. Canonica Alexakis highlighted how the telephone cable in their room had been found ripped from the wall by investigators and Schatzle had insisted it was already broken. But she added: 'We know thats not true because he ordered room service from reception, and this was confirmed by the hotel staff. Instead, he ripped the cable, maybe Anna was trying to make a call or maybe he did it to stop her calling for help. She also highlighted how there were no wounds on Schatzle inflicted by Anna, as she was just 55kg compared to his 105kg and slightly built and that her fingernails were short. Ms Canonica Alexakis added: 'Anna hated liars and she hated being lied to and the night she died she had learnt what sort of man Schatzle was. She had been warned about him by a previous boyfriend after he had been tipped by an ex-girlfriend of Schatzle, who said he had manipulated and used her, lying continuously. The night Anna died there was no sex game and there was no attempt at a joke by hiding her credit card in a lift. She died because of an intentional gesture and the medical report revealed wound to her gums consistent with a hand being placed over her mouth. Anna was described in court as beautiful and wealthy with Ms Canonica Alexakis saying Schatzle had only seven Francs in his account and 20 Francs in his wallet the fateful night. She went on: But he knew that a Visa card Anna had was preloaded with 25,000 Swiss Francs which may not seem much but to a man who has nothing it was enough to use to flee the country. Thats why after killing Anna he set about falsifying the scene. He hid her credit card in the lift to retrieve later because we know guests along the corridor heard heavy footsteps that morning. He put her body in a bath of warm water to delay the time of death, but the paramedics were suspicious when they arrived because of the colour and texture of her skin. Schatzle waited to raise the alarm, maybe as much as two hours because he wanted to take the time to save his own skin. He simulated an accident in the bathroom before raising the alarm but lets remember how he raised the alarm he took the elevator to the reception. Would you not rush down the stairs if you were in that situation instead of eating for the lift ? And it was noticed he had taken the time to tie his shoes and get dressed. Ms Canonica Alexakis added: 'Anna was certainly disinhibited when it came to sex but she was not into rough sex or erotic asphyxiation her friends and ex-boyfriend have confirmed it. Schatzle was not into sadomasochism or rough sex two of his ex-partners have confirmed this its only he who says they were but we all know he is a liar. A British doctor killed in South Africa after he turned the wrong way from the airport and got caught up in violent taxi driver strikes was a leading specialist in his field, it emerged last night. The 40-year-old was on holiday with two of his relatives when he drove into Cape Town's Nyanga township close to the city's international airport on Thursday last week. He is believed to have been awarded a number of international fellowships for his work as a trauma and orthopaedic consultant at a hospital near London, the Times reports. It comes as a police spokesman confirmed: 'The doctor was driving with two other persons in the vehicle. 'From the airport he apparently took a wrong turn off and headed towards Nyanga. In Ntlangano Crescent a number of suspects approached his vehicle, shot and killed him. No arrests yet.' Angry strikes have broken out across the city after police officers began impounding illegal vehicles. The death comes amid violence across Cape Town in response to police impounding illegal vehicles. Pictured: A resident of Masiphumelele use a board as a shield during clashes Furious campaigners connected to the influential private taxi industry have launched stones at cars and buses and and set some alight. Tourists bosses fear the angry confrontations are putting off holidaymakers to the country. The taxis' national union has said its members aren't instigating the violence and others are using the strike as an excuse to launch their own protests. The foreign office said it was 'supporting the family of a British man who has died in South Africa' and issued a travel alert about the unrest. A protester blocks the streets with stones and rubble during an ongoing strike by taxi operators against traffic authorities A law enforcement officer fires rubber bullets during their clashes with protesters in Masiphumelele amidst an ongoing strike by taxi operators Nyanga is one of the most dangerous places in South Africa, where 74 people are murdered every day. Western Cape province, which includes Cape Town, has taken a tough stance on the unregulated minibus taxi industry known for bad driving and dangerous vehicles. Millions of workers and school children have been forced to stay at home. Deliveries of food have been interrupted. Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cape Town's mayor, said he would stand firm against the sector. 'In Cape Town, violence will never be tolerated as a negotiating tactic. We reiterate our call on SANTACO [the taxi union] to return peacefully to the negotiation table,' he said. A former deputy head of Prince George and Princess Charlottes first primary school has been jailed for 12 years after he paid a teenager to abuse children in India and send him footage of the attacks. Matthew Smith, 35, was appointed as deputy head of pastoral care at Thomass Preparatory School in Battersea in September last year. He worked in orphanages and non-governmental organisations across India between 2007 and 2014 before taking a teaching job at a school in Nepal. National Crime Agency investigators found Smith offered a teenage boy in India 65,398 to abuse children over a five-year period and asked him to send him footage of the attacks. Smith also accessed dark web sites and forums dedicated to child sexual abuse. He moved back to the UK in July 2022 and began working at the south London school where he was a deputy head teacher and head of pastoral care before his arrest in November. Officers found more than 120,000 indecent images of children on his laptop, SD card and on his phone. Smith used the encrypted app Telegram to receive and share sexual images and films of children, Southwark Crown Court heard. Matthew Smith, 35, offered a teenage boy in India 65,398 to abuse children over a five-year period and asked him to send him footage of the attacks Smith, of East Dulwich, southeast London, admitted 17 counts, including three of encouraging the rape of a child under 13, three of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and arranging the sexual abuse of a child Smith moved back to the UK in July 2022 and began working at Thomas's Preparatory School, Battersea, a month later where he was a deputy head teacher and head of pastoral care. None of the offences related to children at the prestigious school None of the offences related to children at the prestigious school, which costs upwards of 20,000 per year. Smith, of East Dulwich, southeast London, admitted 17 counts, including three of encouraging the rape of a child under 13, three of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and arranging the sexual abuse of a child. He also admitted three counts of making indecent images - in relation to more than 120,000 photos, including more than 10,000 of the most serious category. The charges related to the suspected sexual abuse of children as young as seven in India via the internet between 2017 and 2022. Last November he admitted causing or inciting the sexual abuse of a child under 13, distributing indecent images of children and three counts of making IIOC in categories A-C. Judge Martin Griffith jailed Smith for 12 years and told him: I consider there is a significant risk of serious harm occasioned to members of the public by the commission of further offences by you. Earlier Martin Hooper, prosecuting, said: He was a teacher in Nepal prior to that [Thomass Prep] in 2017 to 2022. He began volunteering from 2007 onwards with children aged between two to 15 years old. There is a relevance to that, as some material showed exploitation of at least one child from that orphanage. On 6 November 2022, police executed a warrant at the defendants home in east Dulwich. The defendant was there using a computer. They seized a number of electronic devices, most importantly a black Dell laptop. On the black Dell laptop a number of tabs were open which involved indecent images of children. Also Telegram, an encrypted messaging application that police were able to examine. During police interview, Smith said: Clearly I have an addiction, probably in this area. I do not like the person I am, I would give anything to be normal - anything. Mr Hooper added: Asking if there was any relevance to his employment history, in his current employment he was quite emphatic no, but other schools he had been involved in he didnt answer. After police fully downloaded and obtained the material this case involves, they found the defendant was soliciting indecent images of children, both still and moving, and the physical exploitation of children. He was asking in the course of the chat for sexual activity to be performed on those children, including penetrative activity. It included children on children, and children on adults. That was recorded and sent to him. In one instance Smith had asked an older brother to perform and film sexual acts on his 10-year-old brother. The defendant would send money in payment for that to happen. He wrote: "Tell your brother its a gift in exchange for lots of photos and videos". The defendant transferred just under 7,500 for those acts to be performed and recorded. Smith also said he would pay childrens school fees in return for sexual images and videos. In total seen on the defendants black Dell laptop were a very large number of images. This included 11,000 Category A images, over 16,000 Category B and 93,000 Category C images. In addition, over 2000 prohibited images were found. These were pseudo images, either cartoon or CGI-type images. One extreme pornographic image involved a 10-year-old boy having oral sex with a dog, a live animal. Mr Hooper added: The harm is extreme and it involves penetration. Theres planning. Theres grooming. Images were kept and theres a commercial element to it. We say the intended harm was extreme. There was planning, grooming and isolation of the victims as well. Sarah Vine, defending, said: He has written personally to every single member of his close family and friends, to explain to them exactly what has happened. To express that he does not expect so much as a response, but to apologise to them for the distress that this news may well have caused them. Mr Smith is prepared to accept his offending and he very much understands his life over the next substantial period to be within prison. A spokesperson for the school said: We have been shocked and appalled beyond measure by this matter and are grateful for the work of the police and courts in bringing this man to account. Mr Smiths employment at the school, which commenced in September 2022, was terminated with immediate effect when the school first learned of the charges against him in November. While the National Crime Agency has confirmed that none of the matters under investigation related to the school or its pupils, these deplorable actions constitute an unforgivable breach of trust and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted or damaged by them. As always, we remain absolutely committed to the ongoing safety and wellbeing of our pupils and our whole school community. Helen Dore, Senior Officer of the National Crime Agency, said: Matthew Smith is a prolific offender and master manipulator, who coerced young men into abusing children on his behalf. He constantly sought out opportunities to gain access to children, but was adept at hiding his sexual interest in them. He conducted his offending while working as a teacher and head of pastoral care - a deep betrayal of the trust placed in him. Its clear Smith has absolutely no empathy for his victims and the harm he has caused them. He presents a very real and significant risk to children, but this investigation has ensured he will spend a long time in prison. The NCA is committed to operating online and overseas, working with global partners to ensure that children are safeguarded and offenders like Smith are brought to justice. Earlier she said: While conducting his offending, Smith worked at a school in Nepal, then became a deputy head teacher and head of pastoral care in the UK, so his offending is a deep betrayal of the trust placed in him. The NCA is dedicated to operating online and overseas, working with global partners to ensure that children are safeguarded and offenders like Smith are brought to justice. Claire Brinton, Specialist Prosecutor in the CPS Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said: Matthew Smiths crimes are particularly disturbing given his role as a primary school teacher entrusted with the responsibility of caring for and safeguarding children. Thousands of images and videos were recovered from his devices which showed an appalling catalogue of sexual abuse being perpetrated on children. Smith offered individuals payments for indecent images to gratify his own sexual desires, which resulted in the horrifying abuse of young children in India. This conviction sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside the NCA and international partners, will work to bring to justice to those who sexually abuse and exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place. Smith was jailed for 12 years and he is also subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life. Officers have not made any arrests and are appealing for more information Authorities probing the murder of a Florida man have named his husband as the prime suspect on the same day he posted an anniversary tribute to him. Tim Smith, 59, was found dead at his home in Ocala, Florida, after a welfare check on March 25, with officials saying he suffered a 'violent attack'. The executive at an assisted living home in Orlando was last seen leaving work at 4pm on March 23, with cops called after he failed to show up to work the following day. Marion County Sheriff's Office has now named his husband, Herbert Swilley, 55, as the prime suspect in his death as well as identifying his daughter, Jordan, as a person of interest. Swilley spoke to officers shortly after Smith's death but has since refused to cooperate with officers unless he is 'provided with immunity from prosecution' for Smith's murder. Tim Smith, 59, (right) was found dead at his home in Ocala, Florida, after a welfare check on March 25, with officials saying he suffered a 'violent attack' Marion County Sheriff's Office has now named his husband, Herbert Swilley, 55, (right) as the prime suspect in his death as well as identifying his daughter, Jordan, (center) as a person of interest His daughter from a previous relationship Jordan, 20, has also refused to speak to officers after initially providing a statement. It is unclear if Smith adopted her, but he regularly referred to her as his child in posts on social media. Officers have refused to comply with the demand, saying that attorneys for both Swilleys have advised them not to speak to detectives. Public Information Officer Zach Moore added: 'According to Herbert's attorney, she advised that he would not speak to us and cooperate with this investigation unless he was immune from any prosecution for Timothy's murder. 'That's not something that we can guarantee at this point and we really need to know what he knows.' A friend has since told local media that Smith was a 'selfless person', adding that both Swilleys were not behaving in the way of 'innocent or grieving people'. Hours after police named Swilley as the prime suspect, he posted a tribute to his husband on social media saying 'I miss you every day and wish you were here'. He said: 'I just want to wish you Happy Anniversary. To my very loving husband. I know you are up there looking down on us and taking care of us. A friend has since told local media that Smith was a 'selfless person', adding that both Swilleys were not behaving in the way of 'innocent or grieving people' His daughter from a previous relationship Jordan, 20, has also refused to speak to officers after initially providing a statement Hours after police named Swilley as the prime suspect, he posted a tribute to his husband on social media saying 'I miss you every day and wish you were here' The handyman also set up a GoFundMe days after Smith's death, which has raised $2,235 of a $7,500 goal, stating it was for funeral costs and 'expenses for the family' 'You will always be in my heart and thoughts. Jordan and I will celebrate our anniversary tonight out having dinner. 'I wish you could be here with us in body. Because I know you are here in spirit. It would have been 8 years we've been married. 'To be honest, I miss you every day and wish you were here. Life isn't the same without you. 'I miss your smile and your loving spirit. To let you know, it's a very hard day. Because I know we would have had a great celebration. Love Herby.' He made no reference to the update in the police investigation, and lawyers for Swilley and his daughter did not respond to requests for comment from DailyMail.com. The handyman also set up a GoFundMe days after Smith's death, which has raised $2,235 of a $7,500 goal, stating it was for funeral costs and 'expenses for the family'. Officers are appealing for anyone with information with regards to Smith's activities leading up to his death, or his relationship with Swilley He made no reference to the update in the police investigation, and lawyers for Swilley and his daughter did not respond to requests for comment from DailyMail.com. Pictured: The couple with Jordan at their wedding Jordan has also refused to speak to police after initially providing a statement to officers in March Officers are appealing for anyone with information with regards to Smith's activities leading up to his death, or his relationship with Swilley. A spokesman said: 'Because Herbert and Jordan won't speak with the detectives investigating Timothy's murder about evidence that has been uncovered during the investigation, we are hoping that there are people in this community who may know things that could help us solve this case. 'If you know anything that might help investigators even if it seems unimportant please call us and let us know. It may be the piece of the puzzle we need.' Crime Stoppers of Marion County are offering a $3,000 reward for any information, as well as the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers offering up to $6,500. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Daniel Pinder at (352) 368-3508 or the Marion County Sheriff's Office non-emergency number of (352) 732-9111. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers of Marion County at (352) 368-STOP (7867) and reference 23-21 in your tip. A pastor and his family are facing federal charges for allegedly operating a multimillion-dollar organized crime ring - which feds said was run in part out of his then-parish. A former pastor out of The Rock Church & Recovery Program in St. Petersburg, Florida, Robert Dell, 56, is accused of working with his accomplices to systematically shoplift some $1.4million in goods from Home Deport across the central part of the state - before selling the stolen items on eBay. Dell, whose livestreamed sermons on morality can still be seen on the church's social media, worked with his 39-year-old wife, Jaclyn Dell, and 72-year-old mother, Karen Hurley Dell, to operate the retail ring, fed said, announcing the trio's arrest Monday. They and two others, Daniel Mace and Jessica Wild, are being charged as co-conspirators to Dell's alleged crimes, which officials said were carried out over the course of more than 10 years. In a release announcing their attests, Florida's Attorney General decried Dell for using his positions as both a pastor and owner of a halfway house at the church 'to manipulate other vulnerable people to participate in the criminal scheme.' Scroll down for video: Robert Dell, pictured after his arrest Monday, and members of his family are facing federal charges for allegedly operating a multimillion-dollar organized ring - which feds said was run in part out of his church and stole some $1.4million in goods from Home Depot A former pastor out of The Rock Church in St. Petersburg, Dell is accused of working with his accomplices to systematically shoplift products from stores across Central Florida - and then selling the stolen items on eBay. He is seen giving a sermon at the St. Petersburg parish in 2019 'This pastor clearly skipped over the commandment - thou shall not steal,' Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody sniped in the Monday news release. 'Our FORCE taskforce shut down his criminal operation stealing millions of dollars worth of merchandise from Home Depot stores across the state to resell the items on eBay. 'We will not tolerate organized retail theft in Florida and my office will continue to combat these criminal organizations.' The release added that the two people not related to Dell stole most of the merchandise - which Milwaukee, DeWalt and other branded products - from some five to six stores a day, before delivering the tools to Dell to be resold online. The pair's relationship to the ex-pastor were not specified, but authorities specifically said Dell used his role at the halfway house and as a pastor to manipulate people into participating in the scheme. Officials said the Home Depot stores targeted were set in a radius that spanned several hundred miles, throughout Citrus, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota Counties. A six-month investigation enacted by Moody's office documented at least $1.4million in losses from these stores, while brass at Home Depot places the number at upwards of $5million, citing the duration and frequency of the theft. His wife, Jaclyn, and his mother, Karen, also assisted in the scheme, feds said - collecting and shipping the stolen goods on an eBay account called 'Anointed Liquidator.' The pair also aided in the payment for the goods, which were predominantly power tools and other pricey appliances, feds wrote. For this, Jaclyn - whose social media accounts are riddle with words of faith-based inspiration - was charged with conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, while Karen was charged with dealing in stolen property. Dell worked with his 39-year-old wife, Jaclyn Dell, and 72-year-old mother, Karen Hurley Dell, to operate the retail ring, fed said upon announcing the trio's arrest Monday Fed said Dell used his positions as both a pastor and owner of a halfway house at the church 'to manipulate other vulnerable people to participate in the criminal scheme.' The St. Petersburg parish, which has since distanced itself from its former clergyman, is seen this year Feds on Monday also arrested Daniel Mace and Jessica Wild, who they said stole most of the goods, which included high-priced powertools, before bringing them back to the Dells to sell. Their relationship to Dell was not specified, but authorities specifically said Dell used his role at the halfway house and as a pastor to manipulate people into participating in the scheme Both are being held on bond of $250,000, while Dell's was set at $750,000. He faces felony charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, dealing in stolen property (organized) and racketeering. He was also charged with drug possession, records from the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office showed, though it was unclear what substance warranted the charge. Following the string of arrests, authorities specifically said Dell used his role at the halfway house and as a pastor to manipulate people into participating in the scheme. The bust - which spurred statements from Home Depot's asset protection department and Florida's commissioner of agriculture - comes as organized retail crime has become an increasingly common issue for retailers like Home Depot, Scott Glenn, Home Depots Vice President of Asset Protection, said in a statement that 'Home Depot is fighting [that phenomenon) on all fronts.' 'Were proud to partner with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to work together to stop dangerous criminals from stealing from our stores,' he added of the big-box store's cooperation to uncover the theft with state. The pair would hit about five to six stores a day, before delivering the tools to Dell (seen here) to be resold online, feds said Officials said the Home Depot stores targeted were set in a radius that spanned several hundred miles, throughout Citrus, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota Counties Dell's wife - and mom (not pictured) - are being held on bond of $250,000, while his was set at $750,000. He faces felony charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, dealing in stolen property and racketeering, while the pair were hit with conspiracy and theft charges FDACS Commissioner Wilton Simpson expressed pride toward the investigators that included Moodys Florida Organized Retail Crime Exchange (FORCE) Taskforce for cracking the case. 'This operation sends a clear message that Florida is relentless in our pursuit of justice and will not tolerate this criminal activity,' he said. Dell's not-so-subtly named eBay account that sold the sprawling catalog of stolen goods, meanwhile, has been deactivated, and the church where he for years served as a pastor has since sought to distance themselves from their former clergyman who worked there for more than a decade. In a statement plastered across the homepage of their website, as well as an accompanying one to social media, the church/recovery program said: 'Just to clear the record. Robert Dell is NOT the pastor of the rock church. 'He wasnt the founding Pastor Either,' the group added. 'He was the Pastor when it was named the Rock Community Church and Transformation Center, and hasnt been a Pastor for the last 2 1/2 years.' The Rock Church did not immediately respond to request of comment. Northwest Healthcare Properties Management Limited (Northwest), as manager of Vital Healthcare Property Trust (Vital), released its results for the 12 months ended 30 June 2023 (FY23) today. Vital continues to have a market leading portfolio of high-quality, healthcare assets across Australia and New Zealand valued at NZ$3.4 billion with ~99% occupancy and a weighted average lease term (WALE) of 17 years to the leading healthcare operators for each country. Work undertaken during FY23 is expected to further enhance the quality and future earnings of the property portfolio for the benefit of Unit Holders. FY23 highlights include: 1.Growth in Adjusted Funds From Operations (AFFO), which is a proxy for underlying cash earnings, of 8.1%. This includes the contribution of 5.3% net property income growth on a like-for-like, same property basis (3.6% on a like-for-like, same property, constant currency basis). 2.Commencement of a non-core asset divestment programme with ~NZ$155 million already transacted and a target of a further ~NZ$100m to be divested in FY24. 3.Continuation and replenishment of Vitals committed development pipeline including commencement of construction of: a. A$140 million RDX development on the Gold Coast. b. NZ$43 million expansion of Ormiston Hospital in Auckland. c. NZ$23 million expansion of Endoscopy Auckland. d. A$64 million cancer centre at Macarthur Health Precinct, Sydney (stage 1). e. A$29 million mental health facility at Mount Eliza, Melbourne. Note: all figures above other than Endoscopy Auckland include land. 4. Several significant ESG / sustainability achievements including being ranked second globally for healthcare real estate by GRESB. 5. Delivering to the distribution guidance of 9.75 cents per unit (cpu). Fund Manager, Aaron Hockly, says that Vital is part way through a process of further upgrading and enhancing its property portfolio, in-line with announcements made over FY23. This is primarily through the sale of non-core assets and the reinvestment of sales proceeds into developing new healthcare facilities in key healthcare precincts with strong sustainability characteristics. These enhancements are expected to support future earnings growth for Unit Holders. says Hockly. Macarthur Health Precinct in Campbelltown, Sydney is an example of a development where funds are being reinvested. The precinct is anticipated to comprise a three-stage development with stage one, a ~A$64m comprehensive cancer centre (costs includes land), currently underway (July-22 commencement) and due for completion in the second half of FY24. Stage two is expected to comprise a major medical office building and day surgery and due to be committed to in the next 12 18 months. Stage three is expected to be an ambulatory care facility to be progressed thereafter. Net property income growth in FY23 was a healthy 18.1% reflecting acquisitions, developments and rent reviews delivering a 3.6% increase on a same property, constant currency basis, continues Hockly. Like many businesses, Vital has experienced the impacts of increasing interest costs contributing to rising debt costs in FY23. We have balanced this by prudently raising equity ahead of investing in new developments which contributed to AFFO per unit falling in FY23. We anticipate that our ongoing portfolio enhancements will support AFFO growth per unit in future periods. Outlook Despite recent heightened market volatility, healthcare property remains a defensive asset class, underpinned by a high level of government support and non-discretionary spending. This has been demonstrated by recent sales in the sector notably in Australia. Vital has A$180m of debt headroom which, in conjunction with asset sales, will fund its development pipeline and has no debt expiring until March 2025. FY24 distribution guidance of at least 9.75 cpu has been provided. Online-only Annual Report As part of Northwests and Vitals sustainability efforts, Trustees Executors Limited, as Vitals supervisor, has agreed to waive the Trust Deed requirement for Northwest to print and post the FY23 Annual Report and FY24 Half Year Report and instead will post a summary report to those Unit Holders who have elected to receive a hard copy. As usual, the full Annual Report and Half Year Report will be released to the NZX, made available on Vitals website and emailed to Unit Holders who have provided an email address to Computershare. In addition, Unit Holders may request a hard copy be posted to them. Northwest will monitor Unit Holder feedback on this initiative over the next 12 months to determine, in consultation with the Supervisor, how to proceed with subsequent reports. This initiative is expected to save over 250,000 pages of paper and divert 500kg of waste from landfill per annum, equivalent to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 1,532.16kg CO2e. Refer to the attached documents including Vital's FY23 Annual Report, Investor Presentation and Annual Report Summary for full details of Vital's results. Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: AOF - Governance Changes - New Chair and two new directors BIF acquires shares in Scentian Bio Comvita achieve B Corp certification MOV - Change in results announcement date to 30 August 2023 August 18th Morning Report August 17th Morning Report Rakon 2023 Annual Meeting Speeches and Presentation SEK - Details of Presentation and Q&A of Interim Results AIA - June 2023 Monthly traffic Update_July 2023 Preview Fletcher Building reports FY23 result, final dividend of 16 At a recent summer soiree in the Hamptons, some of New York society's most affluent members lamented the 'deteriorating quality of life' in the city. The Saturday night charity auction benefitting Southampton Hospital was a moment for the rich and powerful to gather in a tent adorned with pineapples and rattan chandeliers, and look forward to the coming season in Palm Beach, where many of them now spend the bulk of their years. Billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson, 67, who famously shorted the housing market just before the subprime mortgage disaster in 2008, said the party was a stark contrast to a recent day he'd had in Manhattan. He told Bloomberg he'd watched someone empty entire shelves in a Duane Reade on Fifth Avenue, fill a cart and proceed to walk out without paying. 'New York City is definitely deteriorating, the quality of life and the quality of services,' he said. Billionaire John Paulson and his girlfriend Alina de Almeida. Paulson, in the Hamptons over the weekend, lamented the eroding quality of life in New York city, as he and many of his peers opt to spend more time in Florida Paulson is the owner of a $110million Palm Beach mansion, though he and his recent ex-wife are reportedly in bitter battle of the multi-million dollar real estate portfolio Paulson is one of the billionaires who still maintains residence in Manhattan - with many others fleeing. During and after COVID, many aging financiers and their wives made the decision to retreat semi-permanently to sprawling mansions in Florida and the Hamptons. Though they have not abandoned Manhattan altogether, some have opted for a much shorter season in the city, spending the bulk of their time instead out east or down south. 'Southampton is an oasis, its so well run, its quiet, services are excellent, crime is very low,' Paulson said. He feels similarly about his community in Palm Beach, where he bought a home in 2021 - a pandemic purchase. So familiar now are the light linen colors of Palm Beach to the New York crowd, that Saturday's event was themed after the town's Colony Hotel - an acknowledgement that many of those attending now primarily live in South Florida. The lawn was littered with the Colony's branded golf carts, and a similar menu as the one available at the hotel invigorated the spirits of those looking forward to returning to their seaside winter residences. Grocery store magnate and former mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis said the need to 'fix' New York City is urgent and must be done before more wealthy residents choose to flee. 'Friday night, we went out to dinner, and going home down Park Avenue not a light was on,' he said. 'I can buy a new $100 million corporate jet and live in New York Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and pay no taxes and pay for the jet that way.' Catsimatidis has long maintained a beachfront mansion in Quogue, as well as a Manhattan home. Grocery magnate John Catsimatidis and his wife Margo Catsimatidis have maintained a mansion in Quogue for many years, in addition to their Manhattan residence Catsimatidis said that New York City needs to be fixed on the double before more of his wealthy peers jump ship Simone and David Levinson - owners of a real estate empire - opted to spend significantly more time in Palm Beach last year. Simone made it her primary residence. She mostly summers in the Hamptons Douglas Elliman Realty chairman Howard Lorber said that his friends trying to offload their massive Manhattan townhouses and apartments are not having much luck with buyers after deciding to sell their homes and spend less time in the city Howard Lorber's sprawling Southampton home Howard Lorber, the chairman of Douglas Elliman Realty, was also in attendance Saturday evening and said that he's discussed the Manhattan exodus with many of his wealthy friends. 'I talked to 22-23 people that moved to Florida. Every one of them had a big apartment or a townhouse in New York - and not one of them sold. So I have a view that New York City is going to become the number one second-home market to the world,' he said. Simone Levinson, wife to real estate developer David Levinson, made Palm Beach her primary home in the last few years, and spends most of her summer in Southampton. Though she grew up in New York and remains bullish on the place, she has dropped some of her philanthropic commitments in the city in exchange for those in her new home. Even so, she argued Saturday evening that the city has always been in a constant state of change: 'To those who say New York is not the same, my response is, "When has New York ever been the same?" 'Im still mourning the closing of Maxwells Plum (an Upper East Side bar that closed in the eighties). Theres this infectious energy in the city thats unmatched,' she said. Former Trump administration Commerce Secretary has one of the most stunningly well manicured houses on the east end of Long Island Wilbur Ross and his wife Hillary. Ross said the deterioration of city life is due to poor leadership Former Trump administration Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, whose Southampton home is arguably one of the most immaculately decorated houses on eastern Long Island, said the city 'needs new management.' Lorber agreed with the thought, but added that Mayor Eric Adams is not the problem, so much as 'is the city council.' The event on Saturday evening raised more than $2milllion as part of the effort to allow the Southampton hospital to close its outdated facility and build a new one elsewhere. One of the US Navy sailors charged with spying for the Chinese did so because his mother urged him to get a proper job, prosecutors have claimed. Jinchao Wei, 22, was allegedly told that passing secrets to Beijing about American military strategy and technology would help him get a job with the Chinese Communist Party when he left the Navy. Chinese born Wei was serving on the USS Essex based in San Diego when he was arrested along with Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, on August 2 under the Espionage Act. The pair are said to have made up to $15,000 each from passing dozens of photos and technical manuals to Chinese intelligence for more than a year. Assistant US Attorney Fred Sheppard told a bond hearing that Weis mother encouraged him to betray the US when he went home to Wisconsin for Christmas. Jinchao Wei was serving on the USS Essex while reportedly selling its secrets to Chinese intelligence Assistant US Attorney Fred Sheppard said Wei was encouraged to betray the US while serving on the USS Essex Wei searched online for flights to China after his handler in Beijing promised to fly him and his mother over to meet them in person, Sheppard told the court in San Diego. He also claimed the intelligence officer told Wei to buy a computer and phone to pass the information, promising that if Wei provided a receipt, the Chinese government would reimburse him for the expenses. Zhao, of Monterey Park, received bribes in exchange for transmitting sensitive U.S. military information to an individual posing as a maritime economic researcher between August 2021 and May 2023, according to prosecutors. 'We have entrusted members of our military with tremendous responsibility and great faith,' US Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California added at a news conference Thursday. 'Our nation's safety and security are in their hands. When a soldier or sailor chooses cash over country, and hands over national defense information in an ultimate act of betrayal, the United States will aggressively investigate and prosecute.' In February 2022, authorities allege, Wei, a machinist mate, began communicating with a Chinese intelligence officer, to whom he sent photos and videos of the Essex; disclosed the location of various U.S. Navy ships; and described the defensive weapons of the Essex in exchange for thousands of dollars. Prosecutors said the two tried to hide their communications by deleting records and using encrypted methods of communication. Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, reportedly passed over secrets for nearly two years before his arrest earlier this month By June of 2022, Wei allegedly sent the intelligence officer about 30 technical and mechanical manuals at least 10 of which the officer said were useful. Wei was paid $5,000 for the passage of those materials, prosecutors said. The officer then requested information about the number and training of US Marines at an upcoming international maritime warfare exercise, and in response, Wei allegedly sent multiple pictures of military equipment. Two months later, Wei allegedly sent the officer 26 more technical and mechanical manuals related to the power structure of the Essex and other ships which were deemed 'critical technology.' He then also allegedly sent the officer a technical manual describing the layout of the Essex and the location of certain departments. According to the indictment, the Chinese official continued to request information, including modifications to the ship's flight deck, through 2023 and Wei would send him information related to the repairs the Essex was undergoing and mechanical issues other ships were facing. The officer also allegedly instructed Wei to delete their messages, and encrypt them. The indictments against Jinchao Wei and Wenheng Zhao Wei was arrested on espionage charges when he arrived for work at Naval Base San Diego on August 2. Among the information Zhao is alleged to have sent the officer are controlled operational plans for a large-scale US military exercise in the Indo-Pacific Region, which detailed the specific location and timings of Naval force movements, amphibious landings, maritime operations and logistics information. He also allegedly photographed electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system stationed on a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan. In exchange, authorities say, Zhao received about $14,866. An Oklahoma judge has lost her fight for privacy after she was caught texting and checking Facebook for hours during a murder trial. Judge Traci Soderstrom fought to have her image blocked out on security cameras while at work after she was caught last month scrolling during jury selection, opening statements, and testimony for a man who has been accused of beating his girlfriend's two-year-old son to death. That saw a black privacy square installed in a CCTV camera overlooking her desk, which blocked viewers from seeing what she was up to. Normally the black squares are used to provide prisoners with privacy while using the toilet in their cells. But in a stunning blow to the presiding judge, county councilors have voted that footage inside the courtroom will no longer include a black privacy box to shield her from view. The changes to the courtroom security camera footage were put to a vote on Monday in the Lincoln County, Oklahoma courtroom, News 4 reports. Judge Soderstrom was caught texting and using Facebook through hours of a murder trial After she was caught, she had black privacy boxes installed on courtroom security cameras The judge claimed she needed the security box to prevent others from reading documents on security footage 'I make a motion to remove the black spot from the judge's desk,' Marlon Miller, a Lincoln County Commissioner said. Commissioner Lee Doolen added, 'All in favor say "aye."' The 'ayes' had it. The black privacy box had been added to Judge Soderstrom's courtroom footage at her request after she was caught in the act of scrolling through Facebook for hours during a murder trial in July. After footage surfaced, showing the judge texting and checking social media while presiding on the bench, the judge took action in what she claimed was a bid to protect her privacy. The judge had the court's maintenance team remove the cameras from her courtroom. She did have them re-installed, but this time she insisted that her desk be blocked from view using a black box. Judge Soderstrom argued that the security measure was to prevent people from seeing her notes and other written materials in her possession on the bench. 'Theyre able to zoom in on her handwriting on the bench so that you can see the notes that she is taking during a hearing,' said Tracy Schumacher, Judge Soderstrom's attorney. However, Sheriff Charlie Daugherty claimed that there is no way that anyone could read the judge's writing using the security footage, telling the commissioners, 'Her concern when I talked to her was we could see her notes she was writing and thats not possible [to see].' The judge is currently facing an ethics probe related to her use of her phone for hours during trial The sheriff says that the judge need not worry that her documents can be read by CCTV cameras Still, Schumacher took issue with the footage, saying, 'The fact that youre able to even take that look is a problem.' All the same, Judge Soderstrom may be alone when it comes to objecting to the courtroom footage. 'We have another judge that also uses that same courtroom,' said Sgt. Aaron Bennett, the sheriff's Public Information Officer. 'She said she didnt have a problem with her image being seen so she requested that there not be a black box over her.' The cameras are placed there for, 'the county governments transparency and also for the security of it as well,' said Commissioner Will Fine. In 2019, Khristian Tyler Martzall stood trial for the 2018 death of his girlfriend's two-year-old son, Braxton Danker. He was convicted of second degree manslaughter. The child's mother was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for enabling or permitting child abuse. Khristian Tyler Martzall (left) was convicted for second-degree manslaughter for in the 2018 death of Braxton Danker. Judith Danker (right) took a plea deal in 2019 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for enabling or permitting child abuse Two-year-old Braxton Danker was murdered, and prosecutors sought justice in Soderstrom's court. Footage of Judge Soderstrom scrolling on her phone was originally released by The Oklahoman. The judge then faced an ethics probe by the Oklahoma Council on Judicial Complaints. District Attonery Adam Panter reviewed the footage after receiving a tip from courthouse staff. 'It is both shocking and disappointing,' he told the newspaper. 'I would expect and hope the court would hold itself to the same standard required of the jurors, regardless of the type of case.' The ethics probe into the judge is ongoing. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday has suspended a progressive Florida prosecutor for being too soft on crime in a bold move as his 2024 presidential campaign falters. DeSantis said he was suspending State Attorney Monique Worrell for a 'dereliction of duty' for letting criminals get away without facing the 'full consequences'. She fired back that his move was a 'smokescreen' for his 'failing and disastrous' presidential campaign. The Orlando-based lawyer has long been in DeSantis's cross-hairs and has accused him of pursuing a 'witch hunt' against her. His tough on crime approach comes two weeks before he appears on the debate stage for the first showdown between Republican presidential candidates. In the 2022 midterm election, being tough on crime was a winning issue for GOP candidates. It also comes as he has struggled to gain traction in the polls against Donald Trump and follows his firing of his campaign manager in an attempt to reset his campaign. Ron DeSantis announced he was suspending a progressive Florida prosecutor for not doing her duty and being soft on crime In his announcement, DeSantis said Worrell has regularly allowed murderers and other violent offenders to 'escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct.' 'The state of Florida is a law and order state, and that means we support the men and women who wear the uniform who protect and serve. It means we have strong policies to hold criminals accountable for their misconduct,' he said. Monique Worrell is the Orlando-area state attorney who was elected in November 2020 'Prosecutors have a duty to faithfully enforce the law. One's political agenda cannot trump this solemn duty, refusing to faithfully enforce the laws of Florida puts our communities in danger and victimizes innocent Floridians,' he noted. Worrell, who is black, was elected with 67 percent of the vote in 2020 in Orange and Osceola counties. She accused DeSantis of acting with 'tyranny' against her and playing politics. 'This is simply a smokescreen for Ron DeSantis failing and disastrous presidential campaign,' she said in a statement on Wednesday. 'He needed to get back in the media in some positive way that would be red meat for his base, and he will have accomplished that today. He will be in the news nationally and internationally for the individual who has single handedly destroyed democracy in the state of Florida.' She said her dismissal was an 'outrage' and that DeSantis was acting like a 'dictator.' 'If we are mourning anything this morning, its the loss of democracy,' she said. 'I am your duly elected State Attorney for the 9th judicial circuit, and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that. This is an outrage.' She and the governor have clashed on several cases. In May, Worrell accused DeSantis of conducting a 'witch hunt' when his office sent a letter demanding information on two human trafficking cases that were not prosecuted by her office. She accused him of looking for a reason to remove her from office, a move he can do under his executive power. 'The Governor's team is pursuing this witch-hunt to establish a basis for the removal of another duly-elected prosecutor,' she said in a statement at the time. 'He seeks to exploit his political agenda against me.' Worrell and DeSantis also clashed over a case in March where a teenage gunman in Orlando was accused of killing 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin, nine-year-old T'yonna Major and Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons. The governor accused her of failing to prosecute a criminal. But Worrell said the Orlando police failed to connect 19-year-old Keith Moses to the gun used in the shooting. The Tampa Bay Times reported the sheriff's office admitted they failed to test DNA samples on a gun found in Moses's only previous arrest as an adult. 'There's definitely a target across my back and it has nothing to do with anything that I've done, but just simply with the fact that the governor wants full control over Florida politics and he doesn't respect the will of the electorate,' she told The Daily Beast at the time. It is not the first time DeSantis suspended a state prosecutor. Last year he suspended Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren over his refusal to prosecute abortion patients. Warren challenged the suspension. A federal judge ruled DeSantis violated the state Constitution when he suspended him, but also said he did not have the ability to reinstate Warren. Ron DeSantis's move comes as his presidential campaign falters Before DeSantis suspended Warren, he repeatedly accused the prosecutor of failing to go after alleged criminals. Warren had signed statements by the advocacy group Fair and Just Prosecution pledging not to prosecute people accused of transgender- or abortion-related crimes. DeSantis cited those pledges as part of what he called Warren's incompetence. Worrell was the only other prosecutor in Florida who signed the statement about transgender crimes. She did not sign the statement about abortion. DeSantis named Florida judge Andrew Bain to replace Worrell as the state attorney for the 9th judicial circuit. An aspiring ESPN reporter has been accused of strangling and 'nearly killing' the one-year-old child of a family friend. Abby Chosewood, 23, was arrested last week after allegedly suffocating or strangling the baby in February, who cops say 'was as close to death as you can get.' The student, who said on her website she wanted to be a sideline journalist for the sports network when she graduates, was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with felony cruelty to children and felony aggravated assault. She was transported and booked into the Hall County Jail where she spent the weekend and was released on Monday after positing a $27,900 bond. Abby Chosewood, 23, was arrested last week after allegedly suffocating or strangling the baby in February, who cops say 'was as close to death as you can get' Chosewood (pictured during a screencast she posted online while auditioning for jobs) was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with one count of felony cruelty to children and one count of felony aggravated assault 'Police have charged a Gainesville babysitter with felony assault after child hurt, nearly killed,' the Gainesville Police Department wrote in a Tuesday Facebook post. 'Abby Elizabeth Chosewood, 23 of Gainesville, Georgia, has been charged with felony cruelty to children and felony aggravated assault,' the statement continued. 'In February 2023, Chosewood allegedly suffocated and/or strangled a one year old child causing bodily harm.' The toddler suffered from petechiae and bruising on her body from a 'strangulation-type' injury, Gainesville Police Lt. Kevin Holbrook said in a Law&Crime podcast. But Holbrook said it's unknown whether the child was choked or smothered only that the child was deprived of oxygen. She was transported and booked into the Hall County Jail where she spent the weekend and was released on Monday after positing a $27,900 bond 'This is a case in which the child was probably as close to death as you can get,' Lt. Kevin Holbrook said to Law&Crime. 'The child received numerous injuries, numerous broken bones to include a femur. A femur is one of the strongest bones we have in our bodies,' he added. There were no 'nanny cams' in the house, meaning it is unclear what actually occurred while the child was in Chosewood's care. 'We don't know exactly what happened in that house, and we'll probably never know. And we're just hoping that it didn't occur to any other children,' Holbrook said. It took authorities six months to build a case against Chosewood and many questions still remain unanswered. The investigation is ongoing. 'It is unthinkable and there is nothing for us to go on exactly why this did happen. This is something that we may never know as when the child obviously is too young to tell us the truth,' Holbrook told Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV. 'But obviously, Chosewood knows exactly what happened and hopefully, it'll come out in court,' he added. Chosewood (pictured outside her sorority house) was previously arrested in Georgia, for allegedly stealing another woman's debit card and using it to make multiple online purchases for herself in April 2021 This is not Chosewood's first run-in with the law. She was previously arrested in Georgia, for allegedly stealing a woman's debit card and using it to make various online purchases for herself in April 2021. Chosewood received two years of probation at the time. Chosewood was an aspiring journalist who wanted to work as a sideline reporter for ESPN upon graduating from Georgia Southern University, according to her website. Holbrook said Chosewood did not appear surprised when she was arrested. Chosewood was a family friend of the infant, according to Holbrook. He told Law&Crime that Chosewood was brought in for questioning but said he cannot elaborate on what was revealed in the iterview. 'Many times in interviews you can talk to someone and you can somewhat feel the sympathy this is one of those cases where I wouldn't use that word,' Lt. Holbrook said. 'That's something that she'll have to answer for in court and she'll have her day in court.' Nicola Sturgeon has signed a deal to write a political memoir about her career - including fights with the UK Government and Boris Johnson over Brexit, Covid laws and Scottish independence. The former first minister is to write a 'deeply personal' autobiography covering 'key events of the past three decades of Scottish and British politics', she revealed today. Publisher Pan Macmillan said it has secured the British and Commonwealth rights to the as-yet untitled book following a 'hotly contested' auction. It will touch on many important political events, including the Scottish independence referendum, Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic. Ms Sturgeon clashed repeatedly with the Tory Westminster governments of Theresa May and then Mr Johnson, before she stepped down earlier this year after nine years in Bute House. She tried in vain to win a second independence referendum and was a leading Remain campaigner who wanted Scotland to stay in the EU. She also repeatedly clashed with Mr Johnson during the pandemic over the length and severity of measures to combat its impact. Her book will not be published until 2025. Mr Johnson, who is now a Daily Mail columnist, is also writing an autobiography of his time in power. Ms Sturgeon said she will dedicate the book to her late uncle, the journalist Iain Ferguson, with whom she had wanted to write the book. 'I have loved my life in politics, but ever since I was a child I have harboured an ambition to write,' she said. 'Embarking on this book is therefore exciting, if also daunting. 'I aim to chronicle key events of the past three decades of Scottish and British politics and take the reader behind the scenes to describe how it felt to be "in the room", who else was there, the relationships involved and how decisions were arrived at. 'I will talk about what I am proud of and be frank about my regrets. 'I will reflect on the challenges of being a woman in politics and reveal more about the person behind the politician. 'I will also draw on my 35 years of experience to offer some thoughts on the future of Scotland, the UK and democracy in general.' The nation's capital is tracking toward its deadliest year in two decades with 16 shooting deaths in August alone - bringing back memories of the crack-fueled murder spree in the 1990s that earned the city the nickname 'Dodge City.' The homicide rate in Washington, DC, has spiked to 16 already this month, as rising crime has agonized residents and city leaders with one council member calling for the National Guard to intervene. The district has clocked 161 homicides to date, which is a 28 percent increase over the same period last year. DailyMail.com has pictured some of the victims just this month, many of whom died in shooting-related incidents, at least 9 of which happened over Aug 5 and 6. Pictured are some of the victims from DC homicides this month, many of whom died in shooting related incidents - 9 of whom died over the weekend of Aug 5 and 6. Reginald Gilbert, (top left), Tymea Cook, (top right), Darnell Gibson (bottom left), Ebone Lavender (center) and Vincent Harvey (bottom right) According to data collected by the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department, homicides this year have eclipsed the number killed in all of 2018 and follows years with more than 200 total deaths. DC saw its yearly murder count spike to more than 500 during the 1990s and the crack epidemic in the city. Since then, the figure has trended down, but is now increasing again. Historically, easy access to illegal firearms have been to blame for the random gun violence, with council member Trayon White this week calling on the National Guard to intervene. White, who holds office in Ward 8, a statistically higher crime-ravaged district, said in a press conference: 'Enough is enough. 'We're tired of this s**t,' White said passionately on Tuesday. 'Excuse my language, but I want to be frank with the young men and young ladies we serve. 'It's not okay for you to load up 30, 40, 50 120 rounds in a gun and shoot up our community.' White told reporters that he'd spoken with the National Guard to find out how to make an official request - which included how many members, what they'd be doing and the length of time. Historically, easy access to illegal firearms have been to blame for the random gun violence. Council member Trayon White (left) has called for the National Guard to be called in while Mayor Muriel Bowser (right) has said that isn't a 'specific mission' for them The nation's capital is tracking toward its deadliest year in two decades with 16 shooting deaths in August alone - bringing back memories of the crack-fueled murder spree in the 1990s that earned the city the nickname 'Dodge City.' When asked about a proposed budget increase for police in Washington, White retorted this week that 'we believe that police are not the end-all solution to addressing crime in our city' When asked why the National Guard had not been requested, after a crime-riddled Independence Day weekend, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser told Fox News there wasn't a 'specific mission' for them to handle - despite acknowledging the rampant gun violence in her city. 'If we had a specific mission that was in the mission of the National Guard, we wouldn't hesitate to call on them,' she said at the time. 'What the National Guard they're not law enforcement, keep in mind. They don't know our local laws. 'They don't typically make local arrests. What we have used the national guard for, to perform a more critical function, has been in traffic posts and we use traffic posts very statically.' When asked about a proposed budget increase for police in Washington, White retorted this week that 'we believe that police are not the end-all solution to addressing crime in our city.' An impassioned White did, however, agree that change is imperative for the safety of his constituents. Deputy mayor Lindsey Appiah told Axios: 'Our focus, and where we will continue to request council support, is on attracting and retaining more officers at the Metropolitan Police Department and ensuring they have the resources and policy environment to do their jobs, have a strong presence in our neighborhoods, and make arrests and close cases.' Flowers were laid outside the homes where 3 people died during an armed clash Aug 6 The weekend's violence started early Saturday morning when police were called to Ontario Road NW where three men were shot dead. Pictured is a post from the Morgans' aunt who wrote a tribute in the wake of the incident that left James Morgan and Jamal Morgan dead Last year, 203 homicides were recorded by the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department. The rate of crime decreased slightly from 2021, from 28,381 to 27,302 in 2022 but the rate of recovered firearms increased from 2,310 to 3,152. The weekend's violence started early Saturday morning when police were called to Ontario Road NW where three men were shot dead. Police identified the victims as James Morgan, 34, Jamal Morgan, 30 and Vincent Martin, 42. Officers were called about 1am after the sound of gunshots rang out from the busy intersection of 18th Street and Columbia Road where the victims were found. At this time no one has been taken into custody and police are still investigating the incident. Later that morning, at 5:04am, 19-year-old Andre Baker was shot dead. In the evening, three others were shot and killed at 16th Street and Good Hope Road. Bringing the total to seven fatally shot on Saturday. Tymea Cook, 27, Bernard Hodges, 35, and Reginald Gilbert, 34, were the latest shooting victims. Police were called at about 8:22pm. When officers arrived, they found two men and a woman shot dead. Acting Police Chief Pamela Smith told wusa9 at the scene of the crime that 'this gun violence has to stop.' 'It is incredibly frustrating. We know that someone in the community knows what is happening,' she added. 'Please reach out and provide us with any information that you can in order to ensure our citizens and residents are safe in their communities.' A day after seven were murdered Aug 5 - as fresh chalk was still being drawn onto crime scenes and police tape was being unfurled to cordon off areas for investigation - two others were shot dead Community members are fed up and looking for ways to reduce rampant crime in the Democratic-led city A day later - as fresh chalk was still being drawn onto crime scenes and police tape was being unfurled to cordon off areas for investigation - Antonio Brown, 28, was shot dead on the 1200 block of North Capitol Street at 6:00am. Later that day another at 3:46pm in the 100 block of Wilmington Place, Kevin James, 32, was killed. No suspects have been taken into custody and no arrests have been made for any of these weekend crimes. On Friday, police were called to two other shooting incidents, for Vincent Harvey, 31, and Denzel Greenwood, 33. Greenwood was shot in the 1900 block of 13th street northwest at 1:27am while Harvey was shot at 6:02pm in what appears to have been a vehicle theft according to DC police who are still searching for a missing Ford Fusion connected to his death. Earlier in the week, Diallo Wright, 23, was shot Aug 1 on the 3100 block of 16th street, Trevon Tillman, 31, and Richard Silver, 40, were shot Aug 2. And on August 3, Ebone Lavender, 42, and Darnell Gibson, were shot and killed. An Irishman who had just moved to Australia for a fresh start is now fighting for life after a sickening one-punch attack. Frank Staples, 41, was attacked outside a McDonald's on Beaufort Street in Perth at about 1am on July 24. His head hit the ground after he was hit during a brawl with two men in their 20s. He sustained a brain haemorrhage as a result of the assault. Frank was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital, where he underwent brain surgery and was placed in an induced coma in intensive care. Two men, both 22, have been charged over the assault, with one set to face court next month accused of causing grievous bodily harm. The other has been charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm and will appear in court at a later date. He had only been in the country for a week after moving from Dublin, to Perth ahead of his family to set up their new life Down Under. Irishman Frank Staples (pictured), 41, is fighting for his life in hospital just a week after moving to Australia Frank's distraught sister Sarah said his and his wife's plans 'have been ruined by one punch'. Sarah only found out about what had happened to her brother after she woke up to several missed calls from her parents. 'My mam said, 'your brother's been in an incident he's had brain surgery overnight, and he's in hospital in a coma,' she told 7News. Sarah said she knew it was 'really serious' after her mum didn't reassure her that Frank was 'going to be ok'. Frank's dad, Jim, his wife, Jackie, and Sarah have flown to Australia to be by Frank's bedside. His mum, Stasia, has been unable to jet across due to medical issues. Frank has since woken up in his bed after spending 10 days in a coma. He has been taken off a ventilator and has a tracheostomy tube in. Doctors have also removed a part of his skull due to the swelling in his brain from the assault. Sarah commented on the 'positive signs' shown in Frank's initial recovery but said there was still a long way to go. 'He looks at us, but we're not sure if he really recognises us,' she said. 'He is making some progress in the right direction, and we're just trying to stay positive.' Sarah (pictured centre with Frank left) commented on the 'positive signs' shown in Frank's initial recovery but said there was still a long way to go Jim and Jackie have indicated they will stay in Perth until Frank is well enough to head back to Ireland. Sarah has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover Frank's medical costs, along with the family's flights, accomodation, transport and food. 'Weve had many messages and phone calls from people, especially the Irish here in Australia, which has been so heartwarming,' she wrote on the GoFundMe page. 'If you want to help, this GoFundMe is going to alleviate a lot of stress for my family.' The GoFundMe page to support Frank and his family can be found here. Most Americans support the buoys Texas Gov Gregg Abbot has deployed along the Rio Grande to deter migrants, despite concerns they're illegal and lead to drowning deaths, a poll shows. Fully 51 percent of voters support the 1,000-foot floating barrier at a popular migrant crossing point between Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Mexico, a DailyMail.com/TIPP survey reveals. About a third of the 1,400 adults we asked earlier this month said they were against the wrecking ball-sized buoys. Another 15 percent said they were not sure about the devices. Older people and those in the Northeast and the Midwest were more supportive of the devices, which are part of the state's aggressive anti-immigrant Operation Lone Star policy. Supporters say the buoys deter unlawful river-crossers, critics call them 'barbaric' Though controversial, Texas Gov Gregg Abbot's buoys are supported by most Americans, our poll shows The Texan government installed the barrier last month and said at the time the buoys would deter people smugglers and illegal immigrants from attempting the dangerous river crossing into Texas. 'It's called operation hold the line,' said Gov Abbot. Poll Do you approve of the Texas buoys? Yes No Not sure Do you approve of the Texas buoys? Yes 364 votes No 31 votes Not sure 6 votes Now share your opinion 'They are holding the line and ensuring that nobody enters the state of Texas illegally.' The US Justice Department last month filed a lawsuit seeking to remove the buoys, saying they pose a threat to navigation and public safety. Mexico has complained that they violate a water treaty and hurt cooperation between the two countries. Two dead bodies have been found along the barrier, one of them stuck between buoys. Texas state Rep Joaquin Castro, a Democrat, appeared in a video at Eagle Pass this week saying the state was treating migrants like 'animals' with the 'barbaric' large floating spherical devices. He called them 'barrel traps' with serrated metal 'chainsaw devices' between each buoy. The survey results come as unlawful immigration is a priority subject for millions of Americans especially those living along the US-Mexico frontier or New York and other cities overwhelmed by the influx of asylum seekers. Migrants walk after crossing the Rio Grande River into the United States in Eagle Pass, Texas Republicans are the biggest fans of the buoys, but many Democrats back the orange devices Gov Abbot says his buoys are 'holding the line' Massachusetts Gov Maura Healey, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, saying an influx of migrants seeking shelter was overwhelming a state that already had a lack of affordable housing. It's also a frontline issue in the 2024 presidential race, with former president Donald Trump, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis and other Republican wannabes carving out hard-line positions on border security. Fully three-quarters of Republicans rate the floating barrier as a 'good idea,' compared to just 40 percent of Democrats. Many social media users voiced support for Abbot's devices. One user praised their 'effectiveness' at deterring unlawful river-crossers and criticized the federal government for deploying them. 'If you don't like the Texas solutions, push for the feds to do their job and close the border,' posted another. Britain's Prince William is proving a surprise hit in the US, polling much better among Americans than the country's own heavyweight public figures. Analytics firm Gallup asked US voters what they thought about 15 big names on the world stage, and the heir to the British throne came top. The 41-year-old royal proved much more popular than such homegrown notables as President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump. Gallup acknowledged the 'surprise' of an English prince beating the 'nation's own democratically elected and appointed leaders' in their own backyard. Prince William of Wales and Catherine Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, dressed up to the nines After all, the group said in a statement, Americans waged a war of independence nearly 250 years ago to escape the 'tyranny of the British crown.' It could be the latest sign of how deeply polarized American society has become, they added. 'The US may need to look beyond its borders to find public figures that a majority of Americans feel good about,' said the statement. At home, it's difficult to find somebody who 'Republicans and Democrats can agree on,' it added. The polling group asked more than 1,000 adults nationwide whether they had favorable or unfavorable views of the 15 newsmakers. The difference between those two percentage scores is their favorability rating. Fully 59 percent of respondents described William favorably, and 22 percent unfavorably. That puts the prince 37 percentage points above water. That's far ahead of every American politician in the survey, which was conducted last month. Trump, Biden, his Vice President Kamala Harris and former Vice President Mike Pence are all underwater by more than 14 points. The only Americans who pass the favorability test are First Lady Jill Biden and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. The only public figure to come close to Prince William was Ukraine's embattled President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) is more popular in the US than the country's own leader, Joe Biden Prince William came top by scoring well among Republicans as well as Democrats Zelenskyy is lionized at home and in western democracies for his defiance in the face of Russia's brutal invasion of his country. But even the Ukrainian leader's popularity is skewed by partisan politics. Three quarters of Democrats have a favorable view of Zelenskyy, compared to just over half of Republicans. 'Republicans' ambivalence toward Zelenskyy mirrors their views on the Russia-Ukraine war,' researchers said. About half of GOP voters are 'wanting to see the conflict end quickly and the other half supporting Zelenskyy's goal of fighting for complete victory.' Prince William, and his father King Charles III, are characters on whom Republicans and Democrats agree. But there's another Russian President Vladimir Putin. The former KGB agent is underwater by 85 points, thanks partly to Moscow's illegal annexation of Ukrainian land and brutal military campaign there. Putin's favorability has sunk 13 points since 2018, and he's 'universally disliked' by both Republicans and Democrats, Gallup says. GLOBALink | 10 years on, CPEC turns vision into reality in Pakistan Pub Date:23-08-09 08:53 Source:Xinhua Over the past 10 years, the construction of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has yielded fruitful win-win outcomes, creating a successful practice under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Produced by Xinhua Global Service Editor:Li Ruichuan Related News First 350-km/h high-speed rail launched in... Cruising towards the finish line: Guangxi'... Across China: New evidence of Japanese ger... GLOBALink | U.S., a true empire of hackers New Internationalist magazine reported that Kenyan pastoralist groups like the Borana and Samburu have been converting their lands to conservancies, a form of protected status, since 2013 with the assistance of the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT). In addition to encouraging pastoralists toward conservancy land conversions, NRT also promotes shifting livestock grazing practices from traditional ones to rotational grazing. NRT argues that plants are able to regrow more effectively under the new system, allowing for more carbon to be kept from the atmosphere. This generates carbon credits, which are then sold to companies like Meta and Netflix for millions of dollars on the global carbon market. With at least some of the money passed on to the community, items like childrens school fees are being paid for. Samburu Culture But as the magazines report detailed, the program has come under fire from UK-based nonprofit Survival International for a number of reasons, including lack of informed consent by the pastoralist peoples, allegedly false claims about the amount of carbon saved, and opacity about where the money is going. The NRT program is currently under review by Verra, the standards-setting body for carbon trading. And local critics are up in arms too. Abdullahi Gonjobe, chair of the Borana Council of Elders, told New Internationalist that preexisting systems of grazing were beneficial and that wherever [NRT goes], they divide the community. by Saurav Sarkar from the Globetrotter News Service Police are hunting the boyfriend of glamorous bikie widow Jade Heffer. Alan 'Ahmad' Alameddine, who took up with the 28-year-old Ms Heffer after she watched her Lone Wolf bikie husband Yusuf Nazlioglu brutally gunned down, is wanted on serious firearm offences. Police on Wednesday night appealed for public assistance to find the 33-year-old allegedly part of the notorious Alameddine clan, but urged people not to approach him. The Alameddine crime network is suspected by police to be behind a number of gangland assassinations and the import of illicit drugs. A released photo shows the wanted man with long dark hair and a short beard under the chin but with the top lip shaven. He is described as being of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, about 180cm tall and of medium build. Police went to the family home of Alameddine in Greenacre, in the south west Sydney southwest suburb of Greenacre about 6am on August 3 to execute a Firearm Prohibition Order. Alan 'Ahmad' Alameddine (pictured), boyfriend of glamorous bikie widow Jade Heffer, is on the run after allegedly fleeing a police weapons check Alameddine is believed to have jumped the back fence when he saw officers arriving outside the Narelle Crescent property, with officers only finding Ms Heffer and other relatives inside the home. 'Officers believe a 33-year-old male occupant fled the scene,' a NSW Police spokesperson said. 'A perimeter was established, and assistance sought from the Dog Squad, Public Order & Riot Squad and PolAir to locate the man.' Police subsequently searched the property and allegedly discovered a firearm, an encrypted phone and other items, which were seized for forensic examination. Around 12.30pm Ms Heffer and another woman, 35, were arrested at a service station on nearby Waterloo Road were taken to Bankstown Police Station. Ms Heffer is pictured with her late husband, Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu Ms Heffer had only been married to Nazlioglu, 40, for six months when he was gunned down in front of her in the underground carpark of their Rhodes apartment complex, in Sydney's west, on June 27 last year. In the days after her husband's death, Ms Heffer appeared to turn to her Islamic faith - swapping her typical posts online from selfies in figure-hugging dresses with plunging necklines to photos of her in a hijab and sharing quotes from the Quran. Now, just over a year after the loss of her husband - and social media makeover - Ms Heffer has been thrusted back into the spotlight after striking up a relationship with an alleged member of Sydney's infamous Alameddine crime network. It is understood they are expected to be charged with hindering the investigation. The Greenacre street has been home to a series of shootings over the past 12 months as Sydney grapples with a bloody gangland war. Last month, criminal defence lawyer Mahmoud Abbas was shot in his driveway just before 10.30am on Wednesday as he stepped out of his home and towards his car. While he miraculously survived after undergoing three surgeries, underworld figure Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad was not so lucky when he was shot further down the same street in 2022 while visiting an associate. Six men have since been charged over Ahmad's alleged assassination while police are continuing to investigate the 'targeted attack' against Mr Abbas - who counts among his high-profile clients former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer Mr Abbas also represented four men accused of abducting an associate of the Hamze clan - rivals of the Alameddines - in Sydney's northern beaches in January. Pictured: A photo Jade Nazlioglu posted on social media, the day before her husband was shot dead In the days following her husband's death, Ms Heffer dramatically changed the nature of her social media posts - sharing pictures of herself in a hijab and scripts from the Quran Police are pictured at Narelle Crescent, Greenacre, last week following the shooting of criminal defence lawyer Mahmoud Abbas Ms Heffer's arrest comes just weeks after officer's from the NSW Raptor Squad raided her north Parramatta home and arrested three associates of the Alameddine gang over a wild Westfield brawl in Sydney's CBD June. Ms Heffer is not accused of any wrongdoing, nor of possessing any knowledge of the alleged events during the fight in Pitt St mall which led to the arrests. Mr Nazlioglu, 40, had been out of prison just shy of 12 months - having serving three years for firearm possession - when he was brutally gunned down in front of his fitness instructor wife. The couple struck up a whirlwind romance shortly after he was freed and were married four months after his release, in January 2022. It is widely believed that Nazlioglu's death came about because he was previously charged with murder of former Comanchero leader, Mick Hawi - who was shot dead outside Fitness First Gym at Rockdale in February 2018, at a cemetery. Two men, aged 25 and 30, have since been charged over Nazglioglu's death and their matters remain before the courts. Anyone who has information of Alameddine is urged to contact Crime Stoppers. Mahmoud Abbas was shot several times outside his home in Greenacre, in Sydney's southwest, last week A six-year-old boasted 'I shot that b**** dead,' after firing at his first-grade teacher inside a Virginia elementary school in January, recently unsealed redacted search warrants revealed. Documents obtained by WTKR show that the unnamed boy told a school official how he brought his mother's gun into the Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, on January 6 and shot his teacher Abigail Zwerner, 25. She survived the shooting that drew national headlines. The docs also reveal the same boy nearly choked his kindergarten teacher a year before 'until she couldn't breathe' and had to be removed from the classroom. The child's mother, Deja Taylor, pleaded guilty to federal gun charges and is now set to plead guilty to a state charge of child neglect as well. Meanwhile, school officials are continuing to face Zwerner's $40million civil lawsuit. Abigail Zwerner was shot by a six-year-old student in January. Newly unsealed documents reveal that the student then bragged about the incident Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, where the shooting occurred According to the search warrant, Amy Kovac, a reading specialist at the school, held the six-year-old in place until police arrived on the scene after the shooting. During that time, the warrant says, the boy told her: 'I did it. I got my mom's gun last night. I shot that b**** dead.' The unsealed records also detail what Zwerner told police at the hospital following the shooting. She described how the boy drew his weapon from his pocket after the class got back from recess, pointed it directly at her, at which point she asked: 'What are you doing with that?' The boy paused for a moment 'then fired one shot that struck Zwerner in her left hand and upper torso,' the court documents said. She fled the classroom to the school office, where first responders found her bleeding from the wound. Zwerner also allegedly told police of other incidents in which the student threatened violence and physically assaulted others all of which, she said, were reported to school administrators. In one of those incidents, the child allegedly choked his kindergarten teacher. Authorities noted in their affidavits they spoke to the teacher, who described how the child 'walked behind her while she was sitting in her chair and placed both of his arms around her neck, pulling down, choking her to the point she could not breathe.' A teacher's aide then forcibly removed the student from the classroom, the court documents say. Zwerner allegedly told police of other incidents in which the student threatened violence and physically assaulted others She suffered a gunshot wound to her left hand and upper torso after the child pulled out the gun and aimed it at her on January 6 Police noted they are trying to obtain more information about the student from Child Protection Services, in addition to more records on the choking incident and are awaiting those records from school officials. In a statement to CNN, Newport News Public Schools officials said: 'Since the tragedy at Richneck Elementary School in January, Newport News Public Schools has worked cooperatively with the Newport News Police Department and other authorities in support of the investigation. 'While the school division cannot comment on legal actions, NNPS remains committed to ensuring the well-being and care of all students and staff.' In a separate statement to WTKR, school officials said: 'Unfortunately, FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, prevents schools from releasing information from a students education record. 'U.S. Department of Education guidance states schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record.' 'Newport News Public Schools is unable to comment on this matter in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.' The child had brought the gun, which belonged to his mother Deja Taylor (pictured), to school from home and was allegedly threatening to use it throughout the day Taylor (center) says her child had always 'really liked' Zwerner, but talked a lot in the week before the incident saying that she 'wasn't listening' to him Taylor described her son as a 'great' and 'energetic kid', claiming he doesn't talk about the incident, but he does speak about the 'day or two days before' "I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can't take responsibility for his self." The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher breaks her silence to @LinseyDavis. https://t.co/0D5udKp2VK pic.twitter.com/bMxdsinCh8 Good Morning America (@GMA) May 10, 2023 The young boy is now in the custody of his great-grandfather, Calvin Taylor, and is continuing to receive therapy as he attends a different school. 'The child had extreme emotional issues, and we are all working to see that he improves every day,' family attorney James Ellenson said. He was released from Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in April. His great-grandfather, Calvin, also told the Virginia-Pilot in June: 'He's reading, writing, counting, doing everything a kid his age should do. 'He's progressing. He's progressed more since he's been at this school than all those crazy years he was in a Newport News public school system,' he added. 'And I guess basically what he needed was a stable environment. And he just needed to be in a loving environment. 'And he's getting that from me,' Calvin said. 'We have a good time. We play games.' Those comments mark a major improvement from the issues his mother and school officials said the boy faced in the past. In an interview with Good Morning America in May, his mother blamed his actions on ADHD. 'Some people have it mildly,' she said of her son. 'He's off the wall. Doesn't sit still ever. He had started medication and he was meeting his goals academically.' She added the boy 'actually really liked' Zwerner, but that week 'he did come home and he was talking a lot about how he felt like he was being ignored. 'He would come home, and say "Mom, I don't think she was listening to me. I didn't like that." 'He ended up getting suspended the next day because he was in class, he was trying to tell her something and she asked him to go sit back down. 'He threw his arms up and said fine. When he put his arms up he knocked the phone out of her hand on accident. He got suspended for that.' The shooting then occurred when he returned to school. Ellenson, the family lawyer, also previously told WTKR that the boy began acting out after Taylor had an ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage 'that resulted in postpartum depression,' saying 'that has been a large factor in a number of the events that led up to the unfortunate event on January 6.' But Zwerner alleges in her lawsuit that the child had a history of violence, claiming that he 'slammed the cellphone on the ground so hard that it cracked and shattered.' The teacher, Abigail Zwerner, is now suing the school district for $40million Zwerner's lawsuit claims Newport News School District and Richneck Elementary officials ignored multiple warnings about the student's behavior, as well as concerns that he may have a gun. The boy 'was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day,' the family has previously said. But the school reportedly told the family that they were no longer required to be present in the classroom, a request they made in the fall due to the boy's behavior challenges. Court documents now show that Kovac had heard from two students earlier in the day who said the six-year-old had a gun in his bag. In April, the teacher filed the mega-lawsuit against Newport News School Board, former Richneck Principal Briana Foster-Newton, and former Assistant Principal Dr. Ebony Parker Dr. George Parker III - the former Superintendent of the school - was also named in the suit She then searched the bag when the class went to recess, but did not find the weapon. The boy's mother, Deja Taylor, has since pleaded guilty to federal gun charges, and will be sentenced on October 18. She is also expected to plead guilty to a state charge of child neglect on August 15, Ellenson told CNN, in a deal that would see the charge of recklessly handling a firearm dropped. Taylor faces a maximum of six months in prison on the child neglect charge. She will be sentenced on October 27. The Crooked House pub fire is being treated as arson, police have revealed. A specialist sniffer dog was sent to examine the rubble as police said they were continuing 'to engage with' the pub's new owner - who was revealed by MailOnline to be jet-setter Carly Taylor. Staffordshire Police tonight said they were treating the blaze as arson. A spokesman said: 'This fire has shocked and upset so many given the, albeit not listed, cultural importance and heritage of the building. This is not lost on us and a robust investigation using all available information and forensic opportunities is being carried out.' He said officers had 'spoken to, and continue to engage, with the owners', adding that its joint investigation with Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service had so far been unable to determine the cause of the fire. The Crooked House, which was dubbed 'Britain's wonkiest pub', is pictured before being ripped down after the fire Video shows diggers moved in to knock down what was left of the historic Black Country pub within hours of Staffordshire police and firefighters leaving the site. The pub's new owner is jet-setter Carly Taylor who purchased the pub from brewery Marston's last month before it was burnt down and demolished A specialist accelerant detection dog had been deployed today 'to investigate the grounds'. Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Chisholm, Head of Specialist Crime, said: 'We understand the significance of this much-loved building and the upset and anger felt by many so want to reassure you we're doing all we can to understand more about what happened, and who was responsible. 'There is lots of misinformation circulating within communities and online and this is unhelpful. 'There are also certain things that police and fire do not have the powers to deal with, the decision around partial demolition of the building for example, when the scene was handed back to the owner. 'We are working hard with our fire colleagues to understand the cause of the fire and are in contact with the landowner, we will keep you updated with any further significant developments.' The glamorous businesswoman who bought 'Britain's wonkiest pub' before it was destroyed in a mysterious fire is married to the plant hire boss who was arguing with the venue about access to a landfill site behind it, it was revealed today. MailOnline can reveal jet-setter Carly Taylor bought The Crooked House - an iconic 18th Century ale house - from brewery Marston's last month, only for the building to be turned into an inferno and bulldozed to the ground weeks later. The fire over the weekend was followed by diggers moving in and knocking down what was left on Monday, hours after Staffordshire police and firefighters left the site. Mrs Taylor's husband, Adam Taylor, is a shareholder and former director of Himley Environmental Ltd, which runs a landfill site next to the pub. A source told MailOnline that the purchase was 'all about access' and followed disagreements between the firm and Marston's over an access road to the pub which they shared. Mr Taylor's son stressed it was her company which had purchased the pub, rather than his stepmother acting in a personal capacity. All that was left of the acclaimed pub was a pile of rubble after it was demolished on Monday A source told MailOnline that the purchase was 'all about access' and followed disagreements between the firm and Marston's over an access road to the pub which they shared. The Taylors live in a gated compound between Hinckley and Lutterworth in Leicestershire. Pictures on social media show her driving a Bentley, flying first class, posing outside the seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai and the Eifel Tower in Paris, or at the wheel of expensive cars. A relative said Mrs Taylor, 34, a former hairdresser and nail technician used to run her own beauty business in Lutterworth but has since got used to 'living the high life'. The relative added: 'I think she thinks she is better than everyone else since she married into money. She seems to go here there and everywhere, judging by Facebook.' The family member had no idea Mrs Taylor, who controls a letting and real estate firm called ATE Farms Ltd, was now connected to the Crooked House, adding: 'I've driven past the pub before but I've never been inside. 'I saw what happened to it on the news and just thought it seemed very odd to say the least. It makes you wonder.' A second person who knows Mrs Taylor said she 'loved shopping for designer handbags' and had 'dozens of them'. A relative said Mrs Taylor, 34, a former hairdresser and nail technician used to run her own beauty business in Lutterworth but has since got used to 'living the high life'. Pictures on social media show her driving a Bentley, flying first class and posing outside the seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai Police and fire services were pictured at the scene of the demolished pub on Wednesday Fire service personnel have been combing the site for clues as to how the pub first burnt down (pictured: a fire service truck at the scene on Wednesday) Situated in a former mining area in the Black Country, the 260-year-old pub was surrounded by quarries which caused subsistence in the 1800s resulting in the pub becoming lopsided. The pub had closed last month to repair damage after a break-in. A spokesperson for Marstons, which put it up for sale in January, said the sale was completed on July 27. As well as being a shareholder and former director of Himley Environmental Ltd, Mr Taylor, 44, is a former director of ATE Farms. Companies House was informed Mrs Taylor was a person with significant control of the business, meaning she holds at least 75 per cent of the shares, three years ago. In April Mr Taylor was appointed director, replacing his wife, at a building development company which is registered to an office address for ATE Farms in Lutterworth. In June he was reappointed director of a plant hire business based at the same address, where his wife was also formerly a director. Companies House was notified in March that she was a person with significant control of the business. The intercom went unanswered at the couple's gated home yesterday. Speaking at ATE Farms' address in Lutterworth, Mr Taylor's son from his first marriage, Ethan, 23, said he was unable to contact Mrs Taylor. He stressed it was her company which had purchased the pub, rather than his stepmother acting in a personal capacity. The building was levelled on Monday despite South Staffordshire Council stating that they had permitted only the top floor to be demolished for safety reason. The remains of The Crooked House pub are pictured yesterday after the demolition Little remains of the once beloved Crooked House (pictured is what is left of the site on Wednesday) People inspect the rubble of the Crooked House pub in Himley, Staffordshire, yesterday Tom Catton, who ran the 18th century Crooked House with his wife Laura between 2006 and 2008, drinks a can of Banks's mild amid the rubble as a final farewell to the building yesterday The council said on Tuesday that it was exploring whether the total demolition constituted a breach of the law and stated that it had not agreed to 'the demolition of the whole structure', nor deemed it necessary following an inspection. West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has said 'questions need answering' over the fire. In a letter to South Staffordshire council leader Roger Lees, Mr Street demanded the pub is 'rebuilt brick by brick'. Meanwhile, Staffordshire Police have said that their investigation continues and that it is looking at 'all of the available evidence' into the cause of the blaze, which has not yet been established. A primary school teacher has told how he warned police an historic pub was a 'sitting duck' days before it was burnt down. Only the exterior of the 18th century boozer remained standing, but there was much hope locally that it could be preserved and restored as a watering hole once again Locals started a petition calling for the pub to be saved after a sale was announced to a private buyer who intended to pursue an 'alternative purpose' for the site. They have since doubled down on calling for The Crooked House to be restored Bricks and furniture left after the demolition of the popular pub in the West Midlands The crooked nature of the pub attracted punters for decades, with walls, doorways and windows all appearing slanted Locals have taken to visiting the site of the demolished boozer, which was famed for its crooked appearance A member of the fire service is pictured looking through the remains of the pub on Wednesday Steven Banfield said he told police the building was not secure and at risk of vandalism a week ago. He visited the site in the village to take photographs on July 28 - the day the sale was announced and found the door open and no security. Mr Banfield, 41, from Dudley, said he contacted police but only heard back on Sunday, the day after the fire, when officers got in touch asking him to send them his photographs. 'I found it really strange that someone would spend all that money then not secure it. It is in a very remote location, I knew it was a sitting duck,' he told the Daily Mail. 'I contacted the police as it was playing on my mind because of the building's history and how vulnerable it was.' Dudley North MP Marco Longhi today questioned why police did not intervene in the demolition, given that the investigation into the blaze at the site is ongoing. In a letter to Chief Constable Chris Noble of Staffordshire Police, Mr Longhi questioned whether police were notified of the demolition, which took place on Monday. In the letter Mr Longhi said: 'If the police are investigating the fire incident, then why would the site be demolished whilst the police are conducting their enquiries, which may possibly require a forensic examination to gather evidence?' The pub started life as a farmhouse in 1765 before becoming a public house in about 1830. It was formerly known as The Siden House (meaning crooked in the Black Country dialect), and was reputedly haunted by a 'serving wench' named Polly, according to a local pub guide. An American nurse and her daughter were released Wednesday by their captors after they were kidnapped in Haiti, according to El Roi Haiti, the non-profit organization she works for. Alix Dorsainvil and her child were abducted by a group of gunmen from the organization's clinic near Port-au-Prince on July 27. 'It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti,' El Roi Haiti said in a statement following their release. 'There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation, so we are asking that no attempts be made to contact Alix or her family at this time.' It's unknown if any financial transactions were made to secure their freedom. American nurse Alix Dorsainvil (pictured) and her daughter were released by kidnappers in Haiti on Wednesday, according to El Roi Haiti, the non-profit organization she works for Alix Dorsainvil (right) with her husband Sandro Dorsainvil, founder and director of El Roi Haiti, a faith-based humanitarian organization that provides medical care, education and other basic services to people in Haiti's poorest areas. A child holds up a sign reading, 'We're waiting for nurse Alix,' during an August 3 protest to demand the release of American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter, who were kidnapped by armed men, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on July 27 The U.S. State Department welcomed news of the medical professional and her daughter being released and applauded Haitian and U.S. interagency partners for facilitating their freedom. 'We have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,' the agency said. 'As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally.' The kidnappers reportedly had requested a $1 million ransom for the New Hampshire mother and her daughter. Alix Dorsainvil, who graduated from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, had been living in Haiti with her husband Sandro Dorsainvil, the founder and director of the Christian organization. He was raised in Port-au-Prince and later attended school in the United States before returning to Haiti to start the non-profit with the hope religious faith could play a role in solving the nation's issues. The faith-based humanitarian organization provided medical care, education and other basic services to people in Haiti's poorest areas. In a blog post, the non-profit said Alix Dorsainvil fell in love with the country's people during a visit following the 2010 earthquake that hit the Caribbean nation. Dorsainvil (right) has been living in Haiti with her husband Sandro Dorsainvil, the founder and director of the Christian organization, El Roi Haiti. They are parents to a young girl The release of Dorsainvil and her daughter took place a day after the United States Embassy in the capital of Port-of-Prince was closed after gunfire in the vicinity. The closure follows tense protests that rattled the capital on Monday, when demonstrators squared off against police, demanding protection from gangs. Gang violence in Haiti has sent kidnappings and homicides surging, while devastating health care, since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. At least 5.2 million people - nearly half of Haiti's population - need humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations. Senator Dianne Feinstein was in the hospital on Tuesday after tripping and falling at her home in San Francisco but was released after tests showed she was fine. 'Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home. All of her scans were clear and she returned home,' a spokesperson for her told DailyMail.com. But the latest health incident will raise more questions about the 90-year-old's ability to carry out her duties as a senator. Feinstein, a Democrat from California, has struggled with health problems in the past few years. While she had been in Washington D.C. the past couple of months for legislative business, senators are now on their annual August break and scheduled to return to the Capitol after Labor Day. Feinstein returned to the Senate in May after being absent for nearly three months and missed almost 100 votes after suffering from shingles. Dianne Feinstein is reportedly in the hospital - above the senator in the Capitol in May Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he spoke with Feinstein and she is 'doing well.' 'I spoke with Sen. Feinstein this morning. She said she suffered no injuries and briefly went to the hospital as a precaution. I'm glad she is back home now and is doing well,' he said in a statement. She was in a wheelchair and appeared frail as she entered the U.S. Capitol. During her return, aides have helped her around the Capitol and she has been told how to vote on major pieces of legislation. She said doctors advised her to work a lighter schedule as she is still suffering side-effects. 'Even though I've made significant progress and was able to return to Washington, I'm still experiencing some side-effects from the shingles virus. My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate,' she said in a statement. Feinstein and her late husband, Richard Blum, bought a $16.5 million mansion in 2016 in the expensive neighborhood of Presidio. It has a sweeping view of San Francisco Bay. The 9,500-square-foot mansion has five bedrooms, three fireplaces, an elevator, a wine cellar and an in-law apartment. It was formely owned by Star Wars creator George Lucas. She has held her seat in the Senate representing California for nearly 31 years. She has refused to step down but has given her power of attorney to her daughter Katherine. Dianne Feinstein's home in San Francisco Senator Dianne Feinstein in the Capitol in July before senators left for August break Feinstein's daughter Katherine (above) has power of attorney over her mother Feinstein faced calls to resign - even from her fellow Democrats - amid her health struggles and concerns that her absence could hold up confirmations of President Joe Biden's judges. She sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which holds the confirmation hearings. Several women lawmakers supported her, calling it sexist to ask Feinstein - a trailblazing female lawmaker - to resign when many white males have served in the Senate until their deaths. But she has stumbled in her days back on Capitol Hill. In late July, she had to be told to 'just say aye' when voting for a defense bill during an Armed Services markup. When she was supposed to vote 'aye' or 'nay,' she instead launched into a bizarre diatribe. 'I would like to support a 'yes' vote on this. It provides $823 billion ...' she said. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., leaned over and whispered, 'just say aye.' 'Aye,' Feinstein said. Feinstein has said she won't run for re-election next year and several Democrats have already entered the primary to replace her, including three House Democrats: Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff. Businessman Eric Early is running on the Republican side. She is the fifth-oldest person to serve in the Senate. Strom Thurmond, the segregationist Democrat-turned-Republican, was the oldest and longest-serving senator ever: he was 100 when he retired in January 2003 after 48 years in office. She is also one of the wealthiest: Feinstein is worth an estimated $58 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. She was married to investment banker Richard Blum from 1980 until his death in 2022. Two feuding billionaire co-founders of a $60billion New York City hedge fund may be forced to make peace after one of their wives filed for divorce, seeking a multibillion dollar settlement that could sink her husband's stake in the firm. John Overdeck, 53, and David Siegel, 61, became two of the country's richest men thanks to their company Two Sigma - but the two are so at odds they informed partners they can't even come together to make basic management decisions. The two founders have been in conflict for decades and have an agreement that gives them roughly the equal stakes in the data and technology-driven firm. They hold the only two votes and invest in the company equally. But that agreement is now threatened by the Overdecks divorce from his wife of 20 years Laura, as the former couple had no pre-nuptial agreement and she could end up with half his shares, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Laura Overdeck, a Princeton and Wharton graduate who works as a philanthropist focused on math education, filed for divorce early last year, according to the outlet. The agreement between the founders is now threatened by the Overdecks divorce, as the former couple had no pre-nuptial agreement and Overdeck's wife of 20 years Laura Overdeck has an estimated net worth of nearly $7 billion and lived with his wife in a $4million New Jersey mansion John Overdeck, 53 (right), and David Siegel, 61 (left), became two of the country's richest men thanks to their company Two Sigma, but have been feuding for decades. They are pictured with fellow billionaire Michael Bloomberg The couple, who share three children, are currently negotiating a settlement. Overdeck has an estimated net worth of nearly $7 billion and lived with his wife in a $4million New Jersey mansion. It is likely most of his fortune is made up of his equity in Two Sigma and is reportedly eager to keep the equal ownership arrangement. But a source close to the matter told the WSJ that Siegel values the firm more than Overdeck. Still, Siegel has indicated that he would like to take a step back from the company and take on more of an advisory role to make time for traveling and other things; but has refused to hand over control to Overdeck, who has said he wants to remain actively involved in the firm. Siegel, on his part, has a net worth of over $6billion and lives in a $2.8million home in Scarsdale, New York, with his philanthropist wife Dana Matsushita. The couple have two children. Siegel is married to philanthropist Dana Matsushita. The couple have two children Siegel has a net worth of over $6billion and lives in a $2.8million home in Scarsdale, New York Overdeck's lawyer Jonathan Wolfe told the WSJ: 'This is a personal matter for John, who is focused on his business and his children. He is not looking to divest from Two Sigma, and has no intention of entering into any divorce settlement that would affect the firm's business or his ownership.' DailyMail.com has reached out to Wolfe for comment on this story. Two Sigma declined to comment when reached on Wednesday. Overdeck and Seigel founded Two Sigma in 2001 with a third partner, Mark Pickard, who left shortly after. The pair are said to always have had different styles, with Siegel, a computer scientist, preferring to focus on big projects and future technology advancements like artificial intelligence. Overdeck, a mathematician, is reportedly the more practical one and likes to focus on the company's performance. It's unclear what, if anything specific, led to their rift. It's been reported that the founders became increasingly competitive as their company soared, and would apparently keep an eye on billionaire rankings to make sure they were ranked equally. They would allegedly block the others' moves and change priorities on a whim. Back in March the company said in a securities filing that the founders can't agree on basically anything - from what employees' roles should be to the issue of succession. The filed admitted this could hurt the Two Sigma's operations and returns. The Securities and Exchange Commission has began an inquiry into the company after the filing, the WSJ reported. Overdeck and Seigel founded Two Sigma in 2001 with a third partner, Mark Pickard, who left shortly after Back in March the company said in a securities filing that the founders can't agree on basically anything - from what employees' roles should be to the issue of succession Meanwhile the company has insisted to partners that the two founders have been able to work together through their rift for decades. 'While we disagree about certain important topics, we also agree on many of the things that are most critical to our organization,' the pair said in a note to investors, per the WSJ. Jonathan Hitchon, who served as a mediator between the founders, retired as COO of the company recently. The Overdecks founded the Overdeck Family Foundation in 2011 with the goal of expanding education opportunities for children. John, who received his Mathematics degree from Stanford University, previously worked as a vice president at Amazon. Laura holds a degree in astrophysics from Princeton University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. She founded an oversees the nonprofit Bedtime Math. Holidaymakers are bracing for record temperatures in Spain, with forecasters predicting highs of up to 44C in parts of the Iberian Peninsula as the region boils under its third heatwave of the summer. Spain's weather service has warned that the average temperature nationwide could hit a 70-year high, with almost the whole country under red weather alerts. The landlocked capital, Madrid, is sweltering with 38C highs, with temperatures in their 30s expected all week, while parts of the south of the country are seeing the mercury rise over 40C. The scorching heat combined with windy conditions has also seen wildfires grip Portugal in recent days, with firefighters continuing to battle blazes in Odemira just north of the popular Algarve region. Elsewhere across the Med, popular tourist destinations including Cyprus, Turkey, Greece and Italy all seeing highs in the region of 30C. Fires have been raging in parts of Portugal for days amid hot, dry and windy conditions A woman drinks from a public fountain tap in Madrid, Spain. The Iberian peninsula is experiencing several days of extreme summer heat A worker drinks water from a botijo - a Spanish traditional earthenware drinking jug with spout and handle - as he battles the heat in the midst of a heat wave in Madrid Experts say the recurring heatwaves, which have been getting longer and more intense, are a consequence of climate change. The current heat gripping Spain has resulted in 'extreme risk' alerts being put in place in several areas, including the Guadalquivir valley, the Serrania de Cuenca, La Mancha and Madrid. 'This will probably be the hottest five August days in 73 years,' said AEMET, the state meteorological agency. Spain is continuing to suffer the effects of a lengthy drought, while winds and extreme heat are also driving fires that have devastated 15,000 hectares of trees in neighbouring Portugal over the past few days. The biggest blazes are in the region of Odemira, where more than 1,500 people have been evacuated with the fires reaching the Algarve, a hugely popular tourist destination. But firefighters tackling the wildfires said they were bringing them under control Wednesday, with a fall in temperatures and greater humidity at the coast helping stem the spread as hot air moves east. The Iberian Peninsula is bearing the brunt of climate change in Europe, with droughts and wildfires becoming more and more common. Spanish firefighters were using up to a dozen water bombers to slow the spread of the flames around Valencia de Alcantara in Extremadura close to the border with Portugal. 'We evacuated our clients to a hotel in Alcantara,' said Joaquin Dieguez, the owner of a holiday cottage. 'But we are really worried because we have an enormous forest here with century-old oak trees. It's awful,' he added. A woman with a baby protects herself from the sun with un umbrella as she holds a fan to fight the heat in the midst of a heat wave in Madrid Tourists rest in the daytime heat in Terreiro do Paco square in the Baixa district of Lisbon, Portugal, on Friday Peruvian tourists Sadith Ushinagui, 74, Alisson Carrillo, 29, and Carol Ore, 50, protect themselves from the sun with fans as they wait to enter the Royal Palace in Madrid Firefighters work to put out the flames in the municipality of Odemira in southern Spain on August 7 First estimations suggest that 350 hectares of trees have gone up in smoke. The blaze comes after 573 hectares were destroyed in wildfires in Portbou in Catalonia in the northeast, with 450 acres of trees lost by another fire near Bonares in Andalusia in the south. Tourists in Madrid have been pictured frantically fanning themselves and seeking shade as they look around tourist sites. Meanwhile, Italy is seeing high temperatures of up to 29C in Sicily in the south - which was ravaged by wildfires in recent weeks - and Florence in the north. Greece, parts of which have also been scorched by fires, is similarly seeing highs of around 29C in some areas. Eastern parts of Turkey are seeing temperatures climb to as much as 41C, while the tourist hotspot on Antalya is enjoying a more bearable peak of 31C. A thermometer at a Pharmacy marks 44 degrees Celsius in Toledo, Spain on August 8 Tourists protect themselves from the sun using an umbrella during a heatwave in Cordoba, southern Spain Tourists and tour operators are expected to head to northern Europe in the future after a summer of crippling heatwaves hit southern Europe and left travelers wondering if cooler temperatures might suit them better. The Mediterranean region has remained Europe's most popular summer tourist spot, but bookings to countries like Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are on the rise compared to 2022, according to Mastercard data. Factors such as cheaper airfares and weaker currencies in Scandinavia could play a role, but one of the world's biggest tour operators TUI said on Wednesday that climate change will also drive more tourists northbound. The firm could see its travel season shift to start earlier in the spring and end in the fall, TUI's Chief Executive Sebastian Ebel told reporters. It could also offer more holidays to the Nordics, the Netherlands, Poland and Belgium, he said. A dog takes dip in a fountain to cool off in the midst of a heat wave in Madrid on August 9 A woman cools off with water at Konak Square in Izmir, Turkey, due to the scorching heat on August 3 'We will go into Greece to middle of November and I actually asked my colleagues, maybe we should open it until the end of the year, until or after Christmas,' Ebel told a media call. 'It gives us more opportunities for growth,' he said. Ebel was speaking after TUI announced it could face 25 million euros ($27 million) in costs tied to wildfires in Rhodes, Greece. Tour operators in places like northern Norway also see an increased demand. The regional tourist information for Vesteraalen, an island district in Northern Norway, said it had guests from central and southern Europe who came to Norway to escape the heatwave. Madrid residents Raquel and Nasser cool off at a fountain with their dog Romeo during the third heatwave of the summer in the city A man tries to cool himself off with the water during hot weather above seasonal norms at the Kugulu Park in Ankara, Turkey on August 3 This had resulted in more direct flight routes to Northern Norway being created, it said. Fabio Scaglione and Diego Bruno visited Stockholm from Turin in Italy last week with around 20 others in a trip organized by an Italian travel agency. 'Last year we went to the South of Spain and it was very hot, this year we decided to go to a cooler place,' Bruno said. Heather Storgaard, a Scottish tourist, planned her summer vacation this year in Denmark, with a stop in Northern Germany. The hot weather has prevented her going south for the past five years, she said. 'Previously we'd been to France, Italy, your normal summer destinations and we were getting to the point where I was actually feeling ill,' she said. 'Even Germany and Switzerland are too far south - that was last year's attempt and it was still far too hot.' Police chief in Northern Ireland have declared a 'critical incident' after the names of 10,000 officers and staff were accidentally published online. PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne has cut short his holiday to return to Belfast to deal with the fallout from yesterday's astonishing disclosure. It comes amid fears for the safety of officers working undercover in counter-terrorism and organised crime roles. The force has revealed that the surname, initials, ranks, role and location of all serving officers and staff was available online for three hours. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris met the Chief Constable and is being kept 'abreast of developments' in relation to the leak, which he described as 'very serious'. The wife of one officer today told how they were all 'living in fear' after the release. 'We will have to be extra vigilant going forward,' she told Sky News. 'Although our personal addresses haven't been included in this breach, we already have to be careful about having that connection with the PSNI and because of that information now being in the public domain we have no control over who knows. 'We also have young children to protect and there are still people out there who deem police officers and their families as legitimate targets so it just adds that further element of fear to our daily life.' Liam Kelly, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, told Sky News: 'We have a number of people who are feeling particularly vulnerable because their identities have potentially been compromised by this.' At a press conference in Belfast, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd (pictured) said the surnames, initials, the rank or grade, the location and the departments of all current officers had been accidentally published in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request Naomi Long, the Alliance Party leader and a former justice minister in the Northern Ireland Executive, said: 'Why was all this data held in one place? Why was it not encrypted? Why was a junior member of staff in a position to be able to access it? Given the sensitivity of such data, is that in itself not a concern?' Containing the surnames of more than 10,000 people, the data appears to cover everyone within the service, from Mr Byrne down. The major breach does not involve the officers' and civilians' private addresses, it is understood. Liam Kelly, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, told Sky News: 'We have a number of people who are front-facing who are quite comfortable that the general public know where they work and who they are. 'But equally, we have a number of officers who work in more sensitive areas of policing where a veil of secrecy is their shield in protecting them from clear risks of dealing with the most dangerous people in our society, being our terrorists and our organised criminals. 'So we have a number of people who are feeling particularly vulnerable because their identities have potentially been compromised by this.' A special meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board will take place on Thursday to discuss the data breach with the PSNI senior team. Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill described the PSNI data breach as 'very worrying'. 'I'm very mindful of the officers, the staff and their families at this time,' she said. 'But we now need all the facts laid out bare for us all to see.' She said she hoped accountability would be achieved in the emergency policing board meeting on Thursday, adding that she believed the Chief Constable would be there to answer questions from party representatives. When asked if Simon Byrne should step down over the data breach, Ms O'Neill said: 'I think the story is unfolding but I think what's very clear is that we need to have this emergency policing board meeting ... we need to see the reason why this happened ... and there needs to be accountability around all of that. 'But I think we need to let the policing board do its work tomorrow.' DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the PSNI data breach was a matter of 'grave concern' and is expected to meet with Mr Byrne on Thursday. 'Already I've had police officers in my own constituency in touch with me. They're very worried about what this means for them, for their security and that of their family,' he said. 'The Chief Constable is returning from leave, I expect to speak with him this evening and we'll get a better sense then of what is being done as a follow-up to this very serious breach of security. 'I know the senior command of the PSNI recognises the gravity of the situation and it's important that they now take the steps that are necessary, not only to reassure their officers and staff, but to also ensure that they are adequately protected. 'Until I know more about the background to how this data leak occurred, what were the circumstances, I think it is premature to be talking about the position of the Chief Constable.' Sixto Diaz Rodriguez who rose to international fame after being the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary 'Searching for Sugar Man,' has died aged 81. The Detroit musician had been in declining health, with his family confirming his death just weeks after his 81st birthday. Rodriguez was said to be 'recovering well' after undergoing surgery in March, to repair damage from a stroke in February. His website confirmed that he had died, saying in a statement: 'It is with great sadness that we at Sugarman.org announce that Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has passed away earlier today. 'We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his daughters Sandra, Eva and Regan and to all his family. May His Dear Soul Rest In Peace.' The Detroit musician had been in declining health, with his family confirming his death just weeks after his 81st birthday Rodriguez, pictured in July at his 81st birthday, and was said to be 'recovering well' after undergoing surgery in March, to repair damage from a stroke in February Sharing a photo of her father performing on stage, his daughter Regan said: 'Love and music. Thank you for everything.' The iconic musician only rose to fame in his 70s, after documentary makers from South Africa tracked him down. His rise from obscurity saw him launched into international success decades after recording two albums in Detroit in the early 1970s. 'Searching for Sugar Man' documented Malik Bendjellou's journey to finding the folk musician in 2012. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 85th Academy Awards ceremony in 2013. Rodriguez recorded Cold Fact and Coming from Reality in the US, and had given up hope of a music career after they flopped in the States. He started a family, and gained a philosophy degree from Wayne State University, and unsuccessfully ran for mayor, city council and state senate. The music icon was asked to perform in Australia in 1979 and 1981, telling the Detroit News he felt they were 'strange flukes'. Rodriguez was said to be 'recovering well' after undergoing surgery in March, to repair damage from a stroke in February The iconic musician only rose to fame in his 70s, after documentary makers from South Africa tracked him down. In 2008 he re-released his albums, which spiked interest in his music and allowed him to tour again Rodriguez recorded Cold Fact and Coming from Reality in the US, and had given up hope of a music career after they flopped in the States His daughter Eva discovered websites dedicated to him in South Africa in 1997, which made wild claims he had shot himself on stage or suffered a drug overdose. Super fans managed to get in touch with him, with one telling him 'In South Africa, you're bigger than Elvis'. Rodriguez parents were Mexicans who emigrated to Michigan, and brought the musician up in Detroit's inner city. He began playing guitar in his teens, and issued a single as 'Rod Riguez' in 1967, with local label Impact Records. The mysterious artist was discovered playing in a riverside bar called the Sewer, and was signed to Sussex, founded by former Motown Records chairman Clarence Avant. He toured in South Africa, with further fame following him after his song Sugar Man was covered by Paolo Nutini and South African band Just Jinger. In 2008 he re-released his albums, which spiked interest in his music and allowed him to tour again. He memorably responded to one audience's ecstatic applause by remarking, 'Thanks for keeping me alive.' But his success earned him millions after the documentary by Swedish filmmaker Bendjelloul - following years of working as a laborer for home renovation and restoration. His daughter Eva discovered websites dedicated to him in South Africa in 1997, which made wild claims that he had shot himself on stage or suffered a drug overdose The musician, who turned 70 that year, found a renewed career on concert stages and embarked on tours around the world Bendjelloul tracked Rodriguez down to Detroit, where he was bussing tables, and interviewed him, his family and his musical associates. The documentary, which was filmed on an iPhone, tells the story of two South Africans who set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller. It was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics, grossing a healthy $3.7 million in the US - and the following year it captured the BAFTA Award. More than 40 years after releasing his lone two albums, Rodriguez was invited to perform at festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury. The musician, who turned 70 that year, found a renewed career on concert stages and embarked on tours around the world. Both his albums entered the US chart in the wake of the films success, while the documentarys companion soundtrack peaked at No. 76. 'It's been a great odyssey,' Rodriguez told the Detroit News in 2008. 'All those years, you know, I always considered myself a musician. But, reality happened.' He became a cult star in Australia and South Africa, with an executive estimating that his first album sold half a million copies in the country. Bendejelloul committed suicide by throwing himself in front of a train in Stockholm in May 2014, aged 36. Tory ex-minister Zac Goldsmith has claimed he is 'very tempted' to switch his support to Labour as he took a fresh swipe at Rishi Sunak over climate change action. The Conservative peer, who quit the Government in June, attacked his own party for not having a 'clear answer' to the 'biggest challenge we've ever faced'. He revealed he could be enticed to support Labour if Sir Keir Starmer made a 'real commitment' to net-zero efforts. Lord Goldsmith departed as a Foreign Office minister earlier this summer as he delivered a blast at the Prime Minister for being 'simply uninterested' in environmental issues. The 48-year-old also criticised the Government's climate change 'apathy' in a stinging resignation letter. Tory ex-minister Zac Goldsmith has claimed he is 'very tempted' to switch his support to Labour as he took a fresh swipe at Rishi Sunak over climate change action The Conservative peer, who quit the Government in June, attacked the PM for not having a 'clear answer' to the 'biggest challenge we've ever faced' In an interview with the BBC's HARDtalk, Lord Goldsmith - a close ally of ex-PM Boris Johnson - has now said he is 'desperately hoping the Conservative Party comes to its senses'. 'The simple truth is there is no pathway to net zero and there's no solution to climate change that does not involve nature, massive efforts to protect and restore the natural world,' he added. 'And at the moment, I'm not hearing any of that from the Labour Party. 'If I do, if there's a real commitment now - the kind of commitment, frankly, that we saw when Boris Johnson was the leader - then I'd be very tempted to throw my weight behind that party and support them in any way I could.' Lord Goldsmith's resignation from Government in June came after he was among eight MPs and peers who were criticised for launching 'attacks' on the Privileges Committee probe into whether Mr Johnson lied to Parliament over Partygate. Mr Sunak accused Lord Goldsmith of quitting as a minister rather than apologising for his comments about the Partygate probe, which he suggested was a 'kangaroo court' and a 'witch hunt'. But Lord Goldsmith disputed Downing Street's claims and insisted he was 'happy to apologise' for publicly sharing his views about the inquiry. He wrote in his resignation letter to Mr Sunak: 'The problem is not that the Government is hostile to the environment, it is that you, our Prime Minister, are simply uninterested. 'That signal, or lack of it, has trickled down through Whitehall and caused a kind of paralysis. 'I will never understand how, with all the knowledge we now have about our fundamental reliance on the natural world and the speed with which we are destroying it, anyone can be uninterested. 'But even if this existential challenge leaves you personally unmoved, there is a world of people who do care very much. And you will need their votes.' Following the Tories' win in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election - largely thanks to a local backlash against the expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) - Mr Sunak has made further efforts to signal a change in the Government's approach to green policies. Although the PM has reiterated his commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 - as well as sticking to the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles - he has announced a boost to oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. Mr Sunak has pledged to 'scrutinise' green policies and their impact on Britons' household budgets and stressed that action to reach net-zero needs to be done in a 'proportionate and pragmatic way' amid the cost-of-living crisis. The PM has also ordered a review of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) as part of an effort to show car drivers he is 'on their side'. Lord Goldsmith was given a life peerage by Mr Johnson in December 2019 so he could keep a ministerial role despite losing his seat in the House of Commons as Richmond Park MP at that month's general election. Mr Johnson's wife, Carrie Johnson, is also a close friend of Lord Goldsmith, who she worked for in her first job in politics. In 2016, Lord Goldsmith failed to beat Sadiq Khan to be elected London mayor and was accused of running an 'Islamophobic' campaign against the Labour politician. by M.K. Bhadrakumar The coup in the West African state of Niger on July 26 and the Russia-Africa Summit the next day in St. Petersburg are playing out in the backdrop of multipolarity in the world order. Seemingly independent events, they capture nonetheless the zeitgeist of our transformative era. First, the big picture the Africa summit hosted by Russia on July 27-28 poses a big challenge to the West, which instinctively sought to downplay the event after having failed to lobby against sovereign African nations meeting the Russian leadership. 49 African countries sent their delegations to St. Petersburg, with seventeen heads of states traveling in person to Russia to discuss political, humanitarian and economic issues. For the host country, which is in the middle of a war, this was a remarkable diplomatic success. Nigeriens participate in a march called by supporters of coup leader Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani in Niamey, Niger, Sunday, July 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File) The summit was quintessentially a political event. Its leitmotif was the juxtaposition of Russias long-standing support for Africans resisting imperialism and the predatory nature of western neo-colonialism. This works brilliantly for Russia today, which has no colonial history of exploitation and plunder of Africa. While every now and then skeletons from the colonial era keep rolling out of the Western closet, dating back to the unlamented African slave trade, Russia taps into the Soviet legacy of being on the right side of history even resurrecting the full name of Patrice Lumumba Peoples Friendship University of Russia in Moscow. Yet, it wasnt all politics. The summit deliberations on Russia-Africa partnership helping the continent achieve food sovereignty, alternatives to the grain deal, new logistics corridors for Russian food and fertilisers; enhancement of trade, economic, cultural, educational, scientific, and security cooperation; Africa potentially joining the International NorthSouth Transport Corridor; Russias participation in African infrastructure projects; Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan to 2026 these testify to the quantifiable outcome. Enter Niger. The most recent developments in Niger underscore the leitmotif of the Russia-Africa summit. Russias prognosis of the African crisis stands vindicated the continuing ravages of Western imperialism. This is evident from the reports of Russian flags seen at demonstrations in Niamey, Nigers capital. The rebels who seized power lost no time to denounce Nigers military-technical cooperation agreements with France, which has been followed up with the demand that France withdraw its troops within 30 days. On its part, France has spoken firmly and resolutely in favour of foreign military intervention to suppress the coup attempt. The French authorities made it clear that they have no plan to withdraw their armed contingent of 1,500 people who are in Niger at the request of the legitimate authorities of the country on the basis of signed agreements. Frances stance comes as no surprise Paris does not want to lose its position in Sahel region and the cheap source of resources, especially uranium. But France miscalculated that the coup didnt enjoy the support of the Nigerien military or had a social base, and all that was needed to roll it back would be a limited demonstration of force that would compel the elite presidential guard to begin direct negotiations with France. France and the US coordinate their actions with the Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS]. The ECOWAS initially did some sabre-rattling but has piped down. Its deadline for intervention has passed. The ECOWAS simply does not have a mechanism for the rapid gathering of troops and the coordination of hostilities, and its powerhouse Nigeria has its hands full tackling internal security. The Nigerian public opinion feels wary about a blowback Niger is a large country and has a 1500-kilometre long porous border with Nigeria. An unspoken truth is, Nigeria is hardly interested in increasing the French military presence in Niger or on being on the same side with France, which is extremely unpopular throughout the Sahel. The mother of all surprises is that the military coup enjoys a groundswell of popular support. Under the circumstances, the strong likelihood is that the French troops may be forced to leave Niger, its former colony. Niger is a victim of neo-colonial exploitation. Under the guise of fighting terrorism, which is, ironically, a spillover from the NATO intervention in Libya in 2011 spearheaded by none other than France into the Sahel region, France ruthlessly exploited Nigers mineral resources. A noted Nigerian poet and literary critic Prof. Osundare wrote last week, Probe the cause, course, and symptoms of the present resurgence of military coups in West Africa. Find a cure for this pandemic. More important, find a cure for the plague of political and socio-economic injustices responsible for the inevitability of its recurrence. Remember the present brutish anarchy in Libya and the countless repercussions of the destabilisation of that once blooming country for the West African region. The only regional state that can afford effective military intervention in Niger is Algeria. But Algeria has neither any experience in conducting such operations on a regional scale nor has any intention to depart from its consistent policy of non-interference in the internal politics of a sovereign country. Algeria has warned against any external military intervention in Niger. Flaunting military intervention in Niger is a direct threat to Algeria, and we completely and categorically reject it Problems should be solved peacefully, said Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune. At its core, without doubt, the coup in Niger Republic narrows down to a struggle between Nigeriens and the colonial powers. To be sure, the growing trend of multipolarity in the world order emboldens African nations to shake off neo-colonialism. This is one thing. On the other hand, the big powers are being compelled to negotiate rather than dictate. Interestingly, Washington has been relatively restrained. President Bidens espousal of values fell far short of the diktat on rules-based order although America reportedly has 3 military bases in Niger. In the multipolar setting, African nations are gaining space to negotiate. Russias pro activism will spur this process. China also has economic stakes in in Niger. Notably, the coup leader Abdurahman Tchiani is on record that the French have no objective reasons to leave Niger, signalling that a fair and equitable relationship is possible. Russia has been cautious that the key task at the moment is to prevent further degradation of the situation in the country. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, We consider it an urgent task to organise a national dialogue to restore civil peace, ensure law and order we believe that the threat of the use of force against a sovereign state will not contribute to defusing tensions and resolving the situation in the country, . Clearly, Niamey will not succumb to pressure from outsiders. Nigers armed forces and all our defence and security forces, backed by the unfailing support of our people, are ready to defend the integrity of our territory, a junta representative said in a statement. A delegation from Niamey went to Mali asking for Russian-affiliated Wagner fighters to join the fight in the event of a Western-backed intervention. An early resolution of the crisis around Niger is not to be expected. Niger is a key state in the fight against the jihadi network and is linked strategically and structurally to neighbouring Mali. And the situation in the Sahel region is escalating. This has profound implications for the crisis of statehood in West Africa as a whole. American exceptionalism is not a universal panacea for existing ills. The Pentagon helped train at least one of the coup leaders in Niger and those in Mali and Burkina Faso, which have promised to come to Nigers defence. Yet, speaking from Niamey on Monday, the visiting US acting deputy secretary of state Victoria Nuland lamented that the coup leaders refused to allow her to meet with the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and were unreceptive to US calls to return the country to civilian rule. Nulands mission aimed at dissuading the coup leaders from engaging with the Wagner group but she was unsure of success. Nuland was not granted a meeting with General Tchiani. A top New York City cancer doctor who fatally shot her four-month-old daughter and herself used her husband's gun after battling severe postpartum psychosis, reports say. Dr Krystal Cascetta, 40, killed her baby at around 7am Saturday, before turning the gun on herself in her Westchester home. A new report has claimed the gun was registered to the doctor's husband, Timothy Talty, 37, who was away at the time of the incident, according to CBS News. Sources said investigators believe mental health conditions - including postpartum depression, or more severe postpartum psychosis - were a factor in her actions. Dr Krystal Cascetta, the top New York City cancer doctor who fatally shot her four-month-old daughter and herself, used her husband's gun after 'battling severe postpartum psychosis' A new report has revealed the gun was properly registered to the doctor's husband, Timothy Talty, 37, who was away at the time of the incident, according to CBS News Cascetta had lived in the Granite Springs area of Somers in New York State inside a $1 million home with her husband Tim Talty, pictured here Postpartum mental health conditions impact an estimated 20 percent of new moms. The diagnosis 'really does not discriminate based on education, or age, or how badly a woman wants a baby or wants to be a mom,' Dr. Catherine Daniels of Westchester Medical Center told CBS. Daniels said it's critical to show love and support to new moms and take notice to any odd behavior. 'With an eye towards women seeming very anxious and concerned about the welfare of the baby, women doubting their own ability to adequately care for the baby, and a real sort of sadness and disinterest and withdrawal,' Daniels told CBS. The FDA approved the first drug that is meant to specifically treat postpartum depression - zuranolone, just this week. Talty, pictured here with Cascetta and friends, runs his own energy bar company, called the Talty Bar, with his wife advising on it as a medical professional. Cascetta, 40, entered the baby's room around 7am on Saturday in the town of Somers, which is in Westchester County, New York, and shot the child before turning the gun on herself. The family's $1million home is pictured Dr. Cascetta was a Hematology-Oncology specialist with Mount Sinai in New York City. Cascetta entered the baby's room around 7am on Saturday in the town of Somers, which is in Westchester County, New York, and shot the child before turning the gun on herself in her $1m home. Cascetta's husband was away at the time and not involved in the shooting but her parents were inside the house during the fatal shootings. Despite the fact he was not there, rumors circulated online that Talty was somehow involved - which have now been quashed by officials. NY State Trooper Steven Nevel told Today.com: 'The trolls on social media are dragging the husband through the mud. 'But I can tell you 100% unequivocally, without a doubt, that he did not do this. 'It's really easy for people to come up with conspiracy theories. 'He's been nothing but cooperative. The family has been beyond cooperative,' he said. The two had married in 2019 during a celebration in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in what Talty described in a social media post as a 'so special' Cascetta lived in the Granite Springs area of Somers in New York State at the $1 million home with Talty. On his Instagram page, he had shared images of the two in Austin, Texas, when he said Cascetta had came to visit him when they first started dating. The two had married in 2019 during a celebration in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, after what Talty described on social media as 'so special'. At the time, he said: 'My Wife! It took us a year to plan and a lifetime to gather all of the wonderful people to make our wedding so special!' Talty runs his own energy bar company, called the Talty Bar, and shared online how his wife had used her medical and scientific knowledge to help advise on how to create the best product. Cascetta was a board certified Hematologist and Medical Oncologist in New York City, specializing in breast cancer. She had received her medical degree from Albany Medical College, where she was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society for demonstrating excellence in humanistic clinical care, leadership, compassion, and dedication to service. In a bio about Cascetta, she was described as an avid runner and fitness enthusiast. The bio also says that being a doctor 'was in her DNA' and was routinely found as a child wrapping her dolls in gauze. BBC comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli has been charged in connection with 'non-recent' sexual offences. Father-of-two Mr Kohli, 54, who is single after his marriage to Shamila Singh ended in 2009, has been released from custody and is set to appear in court at a later date. Mr Kohli is a former Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity MasterChef contestant and has presented several programmes for the BBC. Mr Kohli has not worked for the BBC since 2020. It comes following allegations from a number of women, which was reported in The Times last month. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'A 54-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with allegations of non-recent sexual offences. Hardeep Singh Kohli, 54, was arrested and charged by Police Scotland the force announced 'He has been released on an undertaking to appear in court at a later date. 'A report of the circumstances has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.' Mr Kohli was runner-up in the 2006 series of Celebrity MasterChef, as well as being a housemate in 2018's Celebrity Big Brother alongside former Arsenal midfielder Jermaine Pennant, Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas, and former Cheers actress Kirstie Alley. Before entering the house, Mr Kohli said: 'It's better to have loved and lost than to have never gone into the Celebrity Big Brother house at all.' The comedian's parents came to the UK from India in 1966 settled in London, where Mr Kohli was born in 1969. His younger brother Sanjeev, 51, is a successful writer and actor who played shopkeeper Navid in BBC Scotland's Still Game, while his older brother Raj, 65, was a high-ranking Sikh officer in the Metropolitan Police. Hardeep Singh Kohli moved to Scotland when he was four, in 1974. His mother Kuldip was a social worker and while his father Parduman was first a teacher, he then became a landlord in Bishopbriggs, northern Glasgow, whose property empire stretched to more than 100 rented flats in the city. The three brothers later followed their father in amassing a 15million property portfolio, largely across Glasgow's west end. They mostly rent to students. Mr Kohli appeared in 2018's Celebrity Big Brother alongside former Cheers actress Kirstie Alley and Arsenal midfielder Jermaine Pennant Hardeep Singh Kohli is a fan of American playwright Arthur Miller who boasts The Crucible and Death of a Salesman among his most famous works. Mr Kohli is Sikh by birth but attended a private Catholic school in Glasgow, St Aloysius' College. He studied law at the University of Glasgow, where he met his now ex-wife Shamila Singh. After university, he joined BBC Scotland on its graduate production trainee scheme for two years. The award-winning comedian went on to produce children's television for the corporation. He went on to work in Youth and Entertainment Features as a series director in Manchester on Janet Street-Porter's Reportage and a roving reporter for the BBC's The One Show. He also directed the RTS and Bafta-winning show It'll Never Work. In 1996 Mr Kohli went independent and directed commercials as well as occasionally appearing on BBC Radio 5 Live. In 2006 he appeared in the first ever series of Celebrity MasterChef and came runner-up to England rugby World Cup-winning scrum half Matt Dawson. In 2008 Mr Kohli was on the Man Booker Prize judging panel that snubbed Salman Rushdie's The Enchantress of Florence. Mr Kohli was involved in a heated racism row during with psychic Sally Morgan during 2018's Celebrity Big Brother 'I think Rushdie's writing is patchy, to be honest,' he said. 'He has written some good books and some not-so good books. There is no doubting the man's massive intellect. 'But I have never known a book split the public so much as Midnight's Children. 'People will secretly confess to not finishing. Others will secretly confess to hating it. For others, it is the one book they would take to their grave.' A year later Mr Kohli's book about food and travel in India called called Indian Takeaway: One Man's Attempt to Cook His Way Home, was published. In subsequent years he had a Channel 4 series, 50 Says You'll Watch This, about gambling, and also presented New British Kitchen alongside John Torode. In 2008 he participated in a celebrity edition of The Apprentice but was the first to be fired. That same year he filmed a documentary exploring Scientology. At the Edinburgh fringe in 2009, he cooked curries on stage in a one-man show. In 2009 his marriage ended. He and his ex-wife have two children - a daughter, now 30, and a son, now 27. In 2018 he was involved in a heated racism row with Celebrity Big Brother housemate Sally Morgan. The television psychic broke down in tears when the comedian accused her of 'borderline racism' when she proposed putting talcum powder on him to make him look 'unwell' for their mock hospital-based soap opera, after asking him why he was 'looking so brown'. Upon hearing her comments, Mr Kohli said: 'That's a borderline racist thing to say. Do you know what honey, I'm a brown man.' 'Let's just be clear on that,' he added, before getting up and walking out of the room to the shock of the other housemates. Corrie actor Ryan Thomas leapt to the psychic's defence and hit out at Mr Kohli, who later apologised. After being evicted from the house he appeared on Jeremy Vine on 5 and denied he ever called her a racist. Mr Kohli's book about food and travel in India called called Indian Takeaway: One Man's Attempt to Cook His Way Home, was published in 2009 Hardeep said on the show: 'Okay, so we all know ['CBB'] is edited. Earlier that day the idea was Nick was [playing] a burns victim, and they were going to wrap him in bandages, and she said, 'that thing you wear on your head, we can use that to wrap [Nick's head in]. 'Now, one can make an argument as to whether there was intent in that. A 67-year-old woman, who's travelled four continents, and played to 3,000 people a night, as she constantly reminded us there's much about her that's fascinating and interesting and impressive [but] I reckon she knows what a turban is. 'You grow up in London in the 1950s and 60s, you know what a turban is. 'So there's that, and I'm trying to explain to her that's not a respectful thing to [say], I don't go into the whole story, and maybe I should have, that when I was a child I was chased down the street with people saying, ''How did you hurt your head? Is that why it's wrapped up?''' He added: 'But I didn't call her racist, I said she was borderline racist but the problem is you're in a house where people don't want stories that are more than a minute and a half long. 'And they don't want any conversation. Ryan [Thomas], bless him, I'm very fond of him, but he said four times ''racism is irrelevant''.' Over the years Mr Kohli has presented several radio shows and written columns for a range of publications, including Scotland on Sunday. He also worked as a reporter on the BBC's One Show, made regular appearances on Newsnight Review and was, for a time, a regular guest on the Question Time panel. A spokesman for Police Scotland said a report of the circumstances had been submitted to the procurator fiscal. Mr Kohli could not be contacted for comment last night. A serial cigarette thief who was beaten up by the Sikh owners of a 7-Eleven after a botched robbery has been arrested. Tyrone Frazier, 42, was arrested by officers after a video of himself attempting to steal cigarettes from a 7-Eleven in Stockton, California, went viral. The workers are seen smacking Frazier with a stick after he entered the store with a garbage can and began filling it with tobacco products from behind the counter. The attempted theft was the third time in two days the man had targeted the store. On a previous occasion, he tried to intimidate staff by claiming he had a handgun. Despite widespread praise for the workers for defending the business, Stockton Police Department launched an assault probe into them which has now been slammed by a prominent civil rights lawyer. Tyrone Frazier, pictured here, was arrested by officers after a video of himself attempting to steal cigarettes from a 7-Eleven went viral Speaking to Fox News, attorney Leo Terrell told the network that authorities should not be looking to prosecute the 7-Eleven clerks. He said: 'Who is at fault is very simply the criminal, look at how relaxed he is. That is the democratic laws that are in California, where the criminal is the victim. 'Because you know the system is racist. This District Attorney should have that criminal in jail right now because he did it not just once, but twice. 'If there is any focus on these shop owners who are trying to protect their property, no way. They should not be charged with criminal crime. 'If there is some time of civil suit, that criminal will have zero chance of prevailing. 7-Eleven should back up these shop owners. 'This is what is happening right now because people are tired of being attacked, robbed and physically assaulted.' Terrell continued: 'These owners tried to deter this guy from coming guy. This DA that has to review this case should not file charges against these shop owners, it sends the wrong message.' On Tuesday, the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office told KCRA that it would only be investigating the suspected thief in the video. The two 7-Eleven workers took action to stop the brazen thief who had stolen from the store previously Tyrone Frazier, who'd wrapped a blue t-shirt around his head, screamed in pain as store staff pounded him repeatedly with a stick In a recent statement from Stockton Police, they said: 'On August 7, 2023, at 11:24 p.m., Stockton Police responded to the 100 block of E Weber Ave on a report of vandalism. 'They located 42-year-old Tyrone Frazier at the scene. Frazier was arrested in connection to the series of robberies at 7-Eleven, burglary, and other outstanding warrants. 'A series of robberies occurred at the 7-Eleven on Center St. Officers arrived on scene of the robberies within two minutes of being reported. 'On both occasions, the suspect had fled the area prior to Police arrival. 'On July 29, 2023, at 3:05 a.m., Officers responded to Center/Market St to meet with Stockton Fire for a subject complaining of pain from being struck by a stick. 'He was later identified as Tyrone Frazier. Frazier refused to provide further information on how he obtained his injuries. 'Officers were not aware of Frazier's involvement in the robberies at 7-Eleven. Once the viral video surfaced, Officers were made aware there was a third robbery that had not been reported to the Police. 'Once interviews have been conducted and evidence has been collected regarding the robberies, all findings will be forwarded to the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office for review. 'We would like to remind the community to report criminal activity as soon as safely possible and when you see something, say something.' The Home Office Prevent task group had been made aware of an asylum seeker as a potential terrorist threat a year before he murdered a young man in an argument over a rental e-scooter, an inquest has heard. Thomas Roberts, 21, was stabbed to death by Afghan Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai as he acted as a 'peacemaker' in an argument between the killer and his friend James Medway in Bournemouth, Dorset, in March last year. Abdulrahimzai, who arrived in the UK in December 2019, told the authorities at the time of his arrest that he was 14 when he arrived in the country, before it was determined by the courts he had been 18. It also emerged that Abdulrahimzai was put in foster care on his arrival in the UK despite being convicted and handed a 20-year prison term in his absence for murdering two people with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in Serbia. The 21-year-old was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court in January to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 29 years, with immigration minister Robert Jenrick saying that he was likely to be deported at the end of his sentence. Abdulrahimzai (pictured), who arrived in the UK in December 2019, told the authorities at the time of his arrest that he was 14 when he arrived in the country Thomas Roberts (pictured), 21, was stabbed to death by Afghan Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai as he acted as a 'peacemaker' in an argument between the killer and his friend Now a pre-inquest review into the death of Mr Roberts held in Bournemouth has heard that the Home Office's Prevent anti-terrorism programme had been made aware of Abdulrahimzai. Adam Farrer, representing the Home Office, told the hearing: 'We were given instruction that there is to be a further review by the Prevent homeland security department within the Home Office. 'As we understand it, in 2021 Mr Abdulrahimzai was referred to Prevent due to concerns that he was susceptible to terrorism.' He added that the review had just been launched into this development. Mr Farrer said a review of the Home Office's role in processing Abdulrahimzai's immigration status had been completed but this would be restricted as it could reveal procedures used when processing applicants. He told the hearing: 'The review is an internal report commissioned by the Home Office's professional standards unit to review the actions taken by the Home Office in relation to Mr Abdulrahimzai and it was commissioned on the basis it would not be published, it is a private, internal report. 'The report contains day-to-day policies which are public but also operating processes, detailed background security processing which are highly sensitive which could be used by those who wish to abuse the asylum process if they were aware of how the Home Office deals with criminal checks. Abdulrahimzai, who arrived in the UK in December 2019, told the authorities at the time of his arrest that he was 14 when he arrived in the country 'For example, it is well known that if you are a minor or a child there are different rules than if you are an adult as we saw in this particular sad case, Mr Abdulrahimzai claimed to be a minor when he was first encountered by Home Office employed staff.' Coroner Rachael Griffin criticised the Home Office after the father of Mr Roberts, Philip Roberts, revealed to the hearing that he had not received any contact regarding the reviews into his son's killer as well as for failings in disclosing information to her office. She said: 'I am astounded that Tommy's family have not been told about the review and I am sure you will feed that back and I would urge them to get in contact as soon as possible. 'It's totally unacceptable what has happened over the past six or seven months as we have chased our tails to find out what has happened.' Ms Griffin also asked Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to provide details of its age assessment checks carried out on Abdulrahimzai as well as for Dorset Police to provide their files on the case and details of any internal review carried out. Mr Roberts also asked the coroner to check with police about reports that police were aware that Abdulrahimzai had been carrying a knife in the days before his son's death. Ms Griffin adjourned the inquest for a further hearing on January 9 2024. A Home Office spokesman said: 'It would be inappropriate to comment while legal proceedings are ongoing.' SARAH VINE: Lucy Letby's crimes have been revealed in all their wickedness. Act after act of unspeakable cruelty, innocent lives extinguished without mercy or regret. But one thing remains agonisingly unclear. Not what she did; but why she did it. There is a void that surrounds her case, reflected in that dead-eyed stare, that cool, calm demeanour under interrogation. When atrocities of this kind occur, the normal human mind searches desperately for a reason, an explanation - anything to help rationalise the horror. But with Letby, there is nothing. No obvious trauma, no outward appearance of perversion. Indeed, one of the most disturbing things about this case, and the reason it took colleagues and the authorities so long to realise what she was doing, was her girl-next- door persona. No traumatic backstory - an ordinary childhood, an ordinary family, nice middle-class upbringing. They holidayed in Torquay. No history of drink or substance abuse, no evidence of any abuse whatsoever, in fact. No recorded mental-health issues, no disturbing sexual proclivities or practices. New York City Mayor Eric Adams says the city will spend $12billion by 2025 to provide housing and services for the flood of migrants arriving in the cities by buses as the city scrambles to provide shelter. 'We are facing an unprecedented state of emergency,' Adams declared, again demanding the feds provide more support. 'The immigration system in this country is broken, it has been broken for decades. 'Today, New York City has been left to pick up the pieces,' Adams said. The Democratic mayor has been slammed for his lack of response to the migrant crisis currently afflicting New York City, as he has continued to blame the lack of federal support. Adams said the city spends more than $9million per day to house, feed and support the asylum seekers. Even more are arriving weekly with buses seen arriving Wednesday morning at the Roosevelt Hotel to drop off more migrants for processing. The hotel had become the hotbed of the migrant crisis in the United States last week, when hundreds were forced to sleep on the sidewalk in the brutal heat as they awaited processing. A large migrant family arrived with their bags at the Roosevelt Hotel on Wednesday Some family members were once again forced to wait outside for processing Over the past few months, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has bused nearly 10,000 migrants into the Big Apple City officials had previously estimated the city would spend about $4.3billion by the end of the 2024 fiscal year in July on housing, feeding and providing services to migrant families. Since then, however, the number of migrants coming into the city has skyrocketed and city officials are now spending an average of $9.8million each day - or more than $300 million per month. By July 2024, the city is now expected to spend as much as $6.1billion. 'New Yorkers' compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not,' Adams said Wednesday. 'And our partners at the state and federal levels know this.' There are already more than 57,000 migrants sleeping in city shelters and emergency housing systems, and more were seen being bused into the city on Wednesday. It is believed that six buses arrived overnight, with the final bus dropping migrants off in front of the Roosevelt Hotel at around 6am as uniformed soldiers patrolled the area. By around 11am, eight city officials, including several from the Emergency Management Department, arrived on the scene. They spent about 45 minutes inside he building, but declined to comment as they left. Their visit came amid a steady stream of migrants to and from the hotel on Wednesday morning. Several groups had babies, toddlers and young children with them. A Columbian named Luis (pictured) told DailyMail.com how he and his family have spent a month at New York's Roosevelt Hotel after making a grueling journey across several borders A man is pictured carrying his bags into the Roosevelt Hotel on Wednesday There are already more than 57,000 migrants sleeping in city shelters and emergency housing system Over the past few months, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has bused nearly 10,000 migrants into the Big Apple. One of those migrants, a Columbian named Luis, told DailyMail.com on Wednesday how he and his family have spent a month at New York's Roosevelt Hotel after making a grueling journey across several borders, including through Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico. Their journey included an eight-day trek through the jungle, said Luis, who spoke little English. New York is bound by a decades-old consent decree in a class-action lawsuit to provide shelter for those without homes. The city is scheduled to open a shelter on soccer fields on Randall's Island, and a relief center at the former Creedmore Psychiatric Center in Queens both of which would reportedly be state-funded. And on Friday, workers were seen unloading items from trucks to retrofit the Play Center at McCarren Park, Brooklyn, which sits between the ultra-expensive Greenpoint and Williamsburg neighborhoods. Migrants will now live in temporary housing in the park's recreation center, which is popular with residents of the affluent and uber-liberal Williamsburg neighborhood thanks to its swimming pool and gym. The facilities in the recreation center will be not be impacted by the new residents, local representatives said in a joint statement. Workers were seen Friday retrofitting the Play Center at McCarren Park, Brooklyn Staff members load furniture into the facility which is to house up to 100 migrants Workers have began refitting the area so that a large number of migrants from the southern border can live there It has also been revealed that city officials were considering housing migrants in tents at Central Park. The proposed migrant plan, first reported by the Gothamist, also considers 3,000 other locations in New York, including tourist public green spaces, as places to erect emergency housing for the crushing influx of migrants. In response to the Gothamist report, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom said: 'Everything is on the table.' Williams-Isom said she believes people are coming from other US cities such as Denver and Chicago when doors close there. New York City, in comparison, has opened a total of 197 sites across the city to help with the issue. Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday called on President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency in New York He shared that the city is expected to spend nearly $12billion by the summer of 2025 trying to house thousands of migrants 'New Yorkers did not create an international humanitarian crisis, but New Yorkers have been left to deal with the crisis almost entirely on our own,' Adams said, as he seemed to shift the blame on Republican lawmakers. 'It has been fueled by those in Congress who stand in the way of real immigration reforms, by governors who have used vulnerable asylum seekers as their political pawns, and the indifference of leaders across the nation.' He asked for more funding from state officials and said the federal government should implement a 'decompression strategy' at the border, and ensure that other cities take their share of arrivals. The Biden administration has already provided about $100million to New York City to handle the crisis. Another $138.4million was previously given to New York City to support the influx of migrants. A five-year-old who died in Kerry following an incident involving a quad bike has been named. George Francis Freddie Davenport, from Folkestone, Kent, will lie in repose today at his grandparents' home in Liscarney, Cloghane, Tralee, County Kerry, where he and his family had been on holiday. He is survived by his parents Laura and David, and siblings Cian, Jake and Ellie-Rose. The community in Kerry is in a state of 'deep shock' following his death on the farm on Sunday afternoon. When the alarm was raised, gardai and emergency services rushed to the scene. George Francis Freddie Davenport, from Folkestone, Kent, England, will lie in repose today at his grandparents' home in Liscarney, Cloghane, Tralee, County Kerry, where he and his family had been on holiday The boy received emergency first aid at the site before being transported to hospital. His remains were transferred to University Hospital Kerry for a postmortem examination. The matter is being treated as a tragic accident, it is understood, and his death notice says that he died suddenly. A liaison officer has been appointed to support the family, and gardai have appealed for privacy. Local councillor Michael O'Shea told the Irish Daily Mail the community is 'deeply shocked and saddened' by the tragedy. He described the boy's family as 'very well known and respected here', adding: 'There's not a lot you can say when something like this happens; it's just one of these unforeseen accidents... My deepest sympathies go to everyone affected.' Local Fianna Fail councillor Breandan Fitzgerald also extended his condolences. 'This is a small community where everyone knows everyone, and we're all shocked,' he said. This is the second incident this year where a young person lost their life in a quad-related accident. In April, 15-year-old David Brown was killed when he and another youth hit a tree in a woodland in Ballyshaneduff, Ballybrittas, County Laois. The two adult children of suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann have refused to rule out ever speaking to him again - after not visiting their father since his shock incarceration on July 13. Aired in the form of a statement from the siblings' attorney Wednesday, Victoria Heuermann, 26, and step-brother, Christopher Sheridan, 33, said they are 'not foreclosing on' seeing their father but will also not rush into making a decision. The pair also refused to discuss the allegations against Heuermann, 59, who stands accused of killing at least three sex workers along the stretch of Suffolk County beach in 2010. Moreover, the descendants of the disgraced Manhattan architect declined to offer their opinions on his alleged crimes, after their mother's decision to divorce him - to 'protect herself' from any future lawsuits, her lawyer told DailyMail.com this week. The revelation regarding the state of the family comes a little more than a week after they were photographed returning to the ransacked Massapequa Park residence they have lived in since 1994 - nearly two weeks after Heuermann's arrest. Aired in the form of a statement from the siblings' attorney Wednesday, Victoria Heuermann, 26, and step-brother, Christopher Sheridan, 33, said they are 'not foreclosing on' seeing their father in his Suffolk County incarceration, but will also not rush into making a decision Christopher, who was born from mom Asa Ellerup's previous marriage and reportedly has special needs, became emotional as he sat on a bench outside the property with his mother on July 27, the first time since they were allowed home since it was searched by the FBI last month Asa Ellerup and her two children looked solemn as they arrived back at the torn-up property at 10.30am on July 27 - after it was searched by feds - with Suffolk County cops accompanying the clan back into the home before leaving about an hour later. Christopher, born from Ellerup's previous marriage, became emotional as he sat on a bench outside the property with his mother, who appeared similarly overwhelmed. The 59-year-old filed for divorce less than a week after her ex was detained - and while yet to physically visit her husband of more than 20 years, she told DailyMail.com that they have spoken over the phone. Speaking to The US Sun Wednesday - a day after Heuermann appeared in court for the first time since he was arraigned - the family's attorney, Vess Mitev, offered some insight into how her kids were handling the arrest and subsequent media attention. 'They're not foreclosing [seeing him] but nothing has been decided yet,' said Mitev, citing how 'there's an investigation ongoing. 'They're dealing with this on a minute-by-minute basis,' Mitev, of Stony Brook-based Mitev Law Firm, said. 'Anything could change at any time and they're mindful of that.' The update came less than a day removed from a revelation from Ellerup's own attorney, who told DailyMail.com the Iceland native's decision to split from Heuermann was largely a precaution to ensure she is not on the hook for prospective suits filed by victims' families. Speaking to DailyMail.com Wednesday from the family's home, she told DailyMail.com she doesn't 'want to walk down the street' anymore due to the mass of attention her and her children have been exposed to since moving back in. Their father, 59-year-old Rex Heuermann, appeared in court Tuesday on three murder charges, but said nothing as he stared at the judge and at his handcuffed wrists. He has yet to receive a visitor in prison Heuermann is being held at Suffolk County Correctional Facility away from other inmates, with a cell complete with a TV. Cops said the suspect has vowed to be 'compliant' as he awaits trial. Almost a month into his incarceration, he has yet to receive a visitor - family included Asa Ellerup and her two children looked solemn as they arrived back at the torn-up property at 10.30am on July 27 - after it was searched by feds - with Suffolk County cops accompanying the clan back into the home before leaving about an hour later The family's return came after they were forced out of the home they lived in with Heuermann for nearly 30 years so that law enforcement could search it over the course of 12 days Police have kept mum on what's been found at the family home, but described the search as 'fruitful' where evidence is concerned Daughter Victoria, meanwhile, worked with at her achirictect father's Big Apple firm as a receptionist The New York Times reported son Christopher has special needs. He is seen here after moving back in last month Christopher became emotional as he sat on a bench outside the property with his mother, who appeared similarly overwhelmed The neighbors want the house gone,' she said. 'They want it bulldozed. She became emotional discussing how she's tried to cope with the intense media scrutiny and neighborhood gossip. 'Look I dont want to walk down the street. I heard what people said about us. I heard it,' Ellerup, who had been married to her ex for more than 27 years before their split, she said as she began to cry. 'I heard the other people on the neighborhood. They want the house bulldozed,' she added, revealing how her neighbors were now put off by their proximity to a site where the suspect is believed to have commited unspeakable atrocities. 'Do you understand?' she asked over the phone, growing increasingly distraught. 'Please I can't talk anymore.' Her husband, meanwhile, stands accused of murdering at least three women - Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello -but detectives probing the case are wary there are more bodies that may be linked to him. The main suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who vanished in 2007, he has had no visitors at the Suffolk Country Correctional Facility where he's been imprisoned since his arrest - other than his lawyer. Officials at the facility have since said the allegde serial killer is 'very comfortable' in his cell, where he has a TV and is kept from other inmates - despite being on simulatenous suicide watch. His ex's lawyer, Bob Macedonio told DailyMail.com that Ellerup had been at home at the time of her husband's arrest outside his office in Midtown Manhattan, and that authorities simultaneously swooped in to search the residence. 'When they made the arrest, they executed the search warrants at exactly the same time, so there's no tipoff for anyone to destroy any kind of evidence,' Macedonio said. 'So as they're taking him down in Manhattan, there was already a team waiting on the house to do it as soon as they got him so he doesn't call and say 'hey.' The suspect's house sits directly north of Gilgo Beach across the South Oyster Bay The first victim, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, was discovered by Suffolk County Police on December 11, 2010. The body of Megan Waterman, 22, was found two days later Maureen Brainard-Barnes was 25 years old when she went missing (left). Amber Lynn Costello was 27 years old. Their bodies were found near Barthelemy's the same day An aerial view of the area near Gilgo Beach and Ocean Parkway on Long Island A 'major excavation' took place at Heuermann's Massapequa Park home. Pictured are State Police investigators gathering evidence at the scene Cops' investigation into the killings is still ongoing. Officers are seen outside the home late last month to prevent media from getting too close He said 'no comment' when asked if Ellerup had ever been aware of her husband's alleged crimes, but said she had talked with her spouse since his arrest. Ellerup - whose hair was found at one of the crime scenes but it not believed to be an accomplice - attended Farmingdale High School and married briefly in her 20s, divorcing in the early 1990s. It remains unclear if she had a professional life outside the home. Her daughter Victoria, meanwhile, worked with at her father's Big Apple firm as a receptionist. The New York Times reported son Christopher has special needs. With Heuermann's incarceration set to give away to an eventual trial, the family has been largely forced to remain within their home, rarely venturing out since being allowed back in after the FBI's and local authorities' extensive, 12-day search. Police have kept mum on what's been found at the family home, but described the search as 'fruitful' in terms of evidence. What is known is that police recovered more than 250 guns from the residence, and also discovered a walk-in vault in the basement. That said, cops' investigation into the killings is still ongoing, after linking ten sets of human remains found in Wantagh on April 15, 2011, to Heuermann. Police believe the victims were killed by the same person. Words such as policemen and chairmen have been banned in barmy advice handed out by a court industry body. The Magistrates Association told its staff and volunteers to avoid umbrella terms such as black, Asian or minority ethnic groups, which can be unintentionally divisive. It also encouraged them to describe someones sexual orientation in the terms they suggest. The 29-page document has sparked a backlash among free speech campaigners, who say it is being peddled by woke warriors. Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union, said: People are sick to the back teeth of this obsession with policing peoples speech. Words such as policemen and chairmen have been banned in barmy advice handed out by a court industry body A close-up of the statue of Lady Justice atop the Old Bailey in London Do these woke warriors really think theyll dismantle the patriarchy if people start referring to policemen as police officers? The Magistrates Association should be focusing on getting through the backlog of cases and making sure anti-social behaviour is properly punished. The style guide, issued to staff in England and Wales, advises them to avoid using terms that might cause upset. They include using died by suicide instead of committed suicide or taken their own life. Tom Franklin, chief executive of the Magistrates Association, said he wants the guide, published in September last year, to be part of everyones working day. He wrote in the foreword: It is unfinished because as new ideas and concepts develop, and as language evolves, we will need to edit and add to it. It is a living, organic document that will change and grow over time. There will be parts that you dont agree with. Indeed, there may be advice here that goes against the things you were taught at school and hold dear. He added: There are plenty of hotly contested issues such as when to use the Oxford comma or whether you can start a sentence with a conjunction. The point is that we all sublimate our own preferences and practices to one style, adopted by all, so that we look and sound like one organisation, speaking with one voice. The Magistrates Association said it has no power to issue formal guidance to members, adding that the advice was for volunteers who write on their behalf and was not a policy for court. Toby Young (pictured), director of the Free Speech Union, said: People are sick to the back teeth of this obsession with policing peoples speech' Responding to the criticism, Mr Franklin said: Long gone are the days when magistrates were exclusively male, white and over 60. We are proud that the magistracy is now the most diverse part of the judiciary... It means that when magistrates sit in court, they bring a wide range of life experiences to their work. We make no apology for encouraging the use of inclusive language in our style guide - a resource that we, like many other organisations, have available to our staff and volunteers to ensure consistent use of the English language. A Utah school has reached a $2million settlement with the family of a 10-year-old who died by suicide two years ago after being horrifically bullied. Davis School District, which runs Foxboro Elementary School, agreed to hand Izzy Tichenor's relatives the lump sum after it was approved by the Utah Legislature. The figure was vastly down from the $14million the family had sought in a lawsuit last year, claiming the child was bullied, abused, harassed, and excluded from activities' because she was 'female, learning disabled, poor, homeless and black.' Her mom Brittany Tichenor-Cox spoke out about the payment at an emotional news conference, saying it sent an 'important message' but that she was still grieving. 'This is a long time coming.' Tichenor-Cox said. 'Today's settlement sends an important message.' A Utah school has reached a $2million settlement with the family of a 10-year-old who died by suicide two years ago after being horrifically bullied Her mom Brittany Tichenor-Cox spoke out about the payment at an emotional news conference, saying it sent an 'important message' but that she was still grieving Izzy was a student at Utah's Davis School District, which the Justice Department says has a 'serious and widespread racial harassment' problem. Pictured: Foxboro Elementary School She said she continues to grieve the loss of her daughter and while any amount of money won't change that, she still emphasized the importance of the settlement. 'I'm still having issues with as far as grieving over her. Just because you win some money doesn't compare to the child not being here,' she added. Tichenor-Cox said she will be starting a nonprofit, Izzy's Village Foundation, to help other children who are suffering. The family's lawyer, Tyler Ayres, said while he and the family were hoping for more, this was a good step forward. 'We hoped for a number that may have sent a bigger message but we think that this has been the right message for right now.' 'We can never forget the injustice suffered by Izzy,' he said. 'Hopefully the next African American child at Foxboro Elementary School will find comfort in knowing that they are not alone and that this community will celebrate them and fight for them,' he added. Brittany (left) said she contacted the school and the district several times but constantly felt ignored Izzy's mom, Brittany, says Izzy once took air freshener to school because her teacher told students they smell bad, which led to other students bullying her on the playground Isabella 'Izzy' Tichenor, 10, was a victim of 'racist' comments and remarks on her disability before committing suicide in November of last year, her mom says A statue of Izzy will also be built in the library at Foxboro. They expressed that they are 'pleased with what the Davis school district is saying,' but that they 'are watching them and we will be watching them for years to come.' Rae Duckworth, Chairperson of Black Lives Matter Utah, shared a similar message, saying: 'We will stand for Izzy and we will smile for Izzy.' The district and family released a joint statement regarding to settlement on Tuesday. In the statement, the district said the loss of Izzy 'will always impact our community and school.' Moving forward, the statement continued: 'Davis School District is committed to making schools a safe and welcoming environment for all.' 'Any form of racism, bigotry, discrimination, or harassment within our schools is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The 10-year-old girl killed herself in November 2021 after her mother said she was taunted over her autism and skin color in a school district that the Justice Department says has a 'serious and widespread racial harassment' problem 'The district encourages anyone who observes a student or staff member being harassed or bullied to report it right away. 'Reports of bullying will be thoroughly documented, addressed promptly, and appropriate consequences will be administered. ' 'The District is continually assessing and expanding its processes and efforts to better support every student who attends its schools, including implementing trauma- informed counseling and other resources for its students.' 'The District continues to provide necessary training to ensure compliance with all applicable guidelines and recommendations and is dedicated to creating environments to encourage open dialogue and discussions that promote mutual learning, respect and empathy, free from any undue pressure on individual students. 'The District is wholly committed to continuing to implement changes to positively impact students, staff and the community.' The 10-year-old killed herself in November 2021 after her mother said she was taunted over her autism and skin color in a school district that the Justice Department says has a 'serious and widespread racial harassment' problem. Before her death, Izzy told her mother that she didn't think her teacher liked her and even took an air freshener to school after being taunted for the way she smelled. Tichenor-Cox says she contacted the teacher and the school district about Izzy's claims multiple times but that appropriate action was never taken. A report from April 2022, revealed that the Davis School District in Farmington failed to properly deal with complaints made by Tichenor's mother in the months running-up to her death. The independent probe commissioned by the superintendent discovered that the distressed youngster - who was awaiting a possible diagnosis of autism - had sprayed her clothes with Febreze after being told by other students and even a teacher that she smelled bad. The special ed teacher in question said she'd asked if Izzy had taken a shower while remarking on how she smelled. The report also revealed that staff at Foxboro Elementary School, which Izzy attended, didn't even know the district's formal definition of bullying. It added that Foxboro fostered an atmosphere 'in which bullying...could go underreported, uninvestigated, and unaddressed,' according to CNN. Brittany Tichenor-Cox, left, at the vigil in remembrance of her 10-year-old daughter in 2021 Davis School District was hit by a Department of Justice investigation just weeks before Izzy's death, which found that officials had spent years ignoring allegations of racist bullying made by black and Asian students, as well as their families. The subsequent probe into Izzy's death was unable to determine whether the bullying she'd suffered was racist - although it didn't rule it out. It explained: 'Issues relating to race, disability, and poverty sometimes intersect and when they do, can further complicate already challenging situations. 'It can be very difficult to extricate one from the others.' 'When a student told Izzy she needed to wash her hair, this comment could have been borne out of racial animus, could have been an innocuous observation, or could have been a cloaked insult about poverty.' The investigation did conclude, however, that the school did not do enough to protect the child and address the bullying allegations made by her mother in a timely manner. The DOJ report, published in October 2020, found that black students were disciplined more harshly than white students and were 'routinely' called the n-word. White students also called Asian students 'yellow' and 'squinty' and told them to 'go back to China,' the report states. Izzy's older sister had complained of racist bullying at the hands of students before her sibling's death, including one incident where she'd been called the n-word. The agency's discovery came in a report and settlement agreement published in October - a month before Izzy committed suicide. The investigation on the school district started in July 2019. DailyMail.com has contacted Tyler Ayres - the Tichenor's family lawyer - and the Davis School District for comment. Ayres has previously said that Izzy's family had reported the bullying to teachers and school officials, but felt ignored. In response, the Davis School District said in a statement that it would review the report's findings and offered a formal apology to Izzy's family. Brittany Tichenor-Cox (right) says her Izzy's teachers and fellow peers picked on her daughter on a daily basis 'We are taking it seriously. We vow to continue our ongoing and extensive efforts to foster a welcoming environment for all students in the Davis School District,' the statement said. Brittany Tichenor-Cox consistently said in the past that Izzy expressed reservations about her time at Foxboro Elementary School in North Salt Lake since the start of the school year. She told her mom that she didn't think her teacher liked her. 'She doesn't say 'hi' to me. She says 'hi' to all the other kids,' Tichenor-Cox recalled Izzy saying. Less than two months before Izzy's death, the DOJ released a report after reviewing more than 200 allegations of racial harassment and other discriminations and conducting five visits to the district, during which they spoke to staff and students. The report said: 'Black students reported strikingly similar experiences throughout the District: white and other non-Black students routinely called Black students the n-word and other racial epithets, called them monkeys or apes and said that their skin was dirty or looked like feces. 'Peers taunted Black students by making monkey noises at them, touching and pulling their hair without permission, repeatedly referencing slavery and lynching, and telling Black students 'go pick cotton' and 'you are my slave.' 'Harassment related to slavery increased when schools taught the subject, which some Black students felt was not taught in a respectful or considerate manner. 'White and other non-Black students demanded that Black students give them an 'N-Word Pass,' which non-Black students claimed gave them permission to use the n-word with impunity, including to and around Black students.' Darlene McDonald, a local activist whose two black sons attended school in the district, said her older son 'faced being the butt of Black jokes,' according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Tomoya Averett, 22, said she was the victim of 'relentless' harassment. She says she was called the n-word and told by white students that 'God hates Black people; that's why their skin is dark' when she was 16. Pregnancies among girls and adolescents continue unabated in Central America, where legislation to prevent them, when it exists, is a dead letter, and governments are influenced by conservative sectors opposed to sex education in schools. The most recent incident reflecting this situation was the July 29 veto by Honduran President Xiomara Castro of an Integral Law for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy, approved by the single-chamber Congress on March 8 and criticized by conservative groups and the countrys political right wing. Two young pregnant women walk through the center of the capital of El Salvador, a country with one of the highest rates of pregnancies among girls between the ages of 10 and 14, and where, as in the rest of Central America, opposing conservative views prevail. to the teaching of sexual education in schools, basic to reduce the phenomenon. Image: Francisco Campos/IPS We dont know the arguments behind the veto, but we could surmise that the law is still being held up by pressure from these anti-rights groups, lawyer Erika Garcia, of the Womens Rights Center, told IPS from Tegucigalpa. The Influence of Lobbying Groups Conservative sectors, united in Por nuestros hijos (for our children), a Honduran version of the regional movement Con mis Hijos no te Metas (roughly dont mess with my children), have opposed the law because in their view it pushes gender ideology, as international conservative populist groups call the current movement for the dissemination of womens and LGBTI rights. In June, the United Nations expressed concern about disinformation campaigns surrounding the Honduran law. The last of the marches in favor of family and children took place in Tegucigalpa, the countrys capital, on July 22. These groups appeal to peoples ignorance, to fear, to religion, with arguments that have nothing to do with reality, said Garcia. They say, for example, that people will put skirts on boys and pants on girls. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), one in four births is to a girl under 19 years of age in Honduras, giving the country the second-highest teenage pregnancy rate in Latin America. According to the Honduran Penal Code, having sexual relations with minors under 14 years of age is statutory rape, whether or not the girl consented. In 2022, 1,039 girls under 14 gave birth. The problem is quite serious, and it is aggravated by the lack of public policies to prevent pregnancies among girls and adolescents, Garcia said. In the countries of Central America, which have a combined total of some 50 million inhabitants, ultra-conservative views prevail when it comes to sexual and reproductive health and education. In El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaraguaas well as the Dominican Republic in the Caribbeanabortion is banned under all circumstances, including rape, incest, or a threat to the mothers life. In the rest of Central America, abortion is only permitted in certain circumstances. The Honduran president vetoed the law under the formula return to Congress so that it can be studied again and eventually ratified if two-thirds of the 128 lawmakers approve it. I Didnt Even Know What a Condom Was However, having laws of this nature does not ensure that the phenomenon will be reduced, since legislation is not always enforced. Since 2017 El Salvador has had a National Intersectoral Strategy for the Prevention of Pregnancy in Girls and Adolescents, and although the numbers have declined in recent years, they are still high. A UNFPA report noted that in this country the pregnancy rate among girls and adolescents dropped by more than 50 percent between 2015 and 2022. However, it is worrisome to see that El Salvador is one of the 50 countries in the world with the highest fertility rates in girls aged 10-14 years, the UN agency said in its latest report, released in July. Among girls aged 10-14, the study noted, the pregnancy rate dropped by 59.6 percent, from 4.7 girls registered for prenatal care per 1,000 girls in 2015 to 1.9 in 2022. The map of pregnancies in girls and adolescents in El Salvador added that the country needs to further accelerate the pace of reduction, adopting policies and strategies adapted to the different realities of girls aged 10-14 years and adolescents aged 15-19 years. Such actions must be evidence-based, the report stressed. The reference appears to be an allusion to the prevalence of conservative attitudes of groups that, in Honduras for example, reject sexual and reproductive education in schools. This lack of basic knowledge about sexuality, in a context of structural poverty, led Zuleyma Beltran to fall pregnant at the age of 15. When I became pregnant I didnt even know what a condom was, Im not ashamed to say it, Beltran, now 41, told IPS. She added: I suffered a lot because I didnt know many things, because I lived in ignorance. Two years later, Beltran became pregnant again but she miscarried, which landed her in jail in August 1999, accused of having an abortiona plight faced by hundreds of women in El Salvador. El Salvador not only bans abortion under any circumstances, even in cases of rape. It also imposes penalties of up to 30 years in prison for women who have undergone abortions, and women who end up in the hospital after suffering a miscarriage are often prosecuted under the law as well. The State should be ashamed of forcing these girls to give birth and not giving them options, said Anabel Recinos, of the Citizens Association for the Decriminalization of Abortion. The State does not provide girls with sex education or sexual and reproductive health, and when pregnancies or obstetric emergencies occur as a result, it is too cruel to them, it only offers them jail, she added. Recinos said that, due to pressure from conservative groups, the State has backed down on the strategy of providing sexual and reproductive information in schools. Now they are more rigorous in not allowing organizations working in that area to go and give talks on comprehensive sex education in schools, she noted. Not Even Baby Formula In Guatemala, initiatives by civil society organizations that since 2017 have proposed, among other things, that the State should offer reparations to pregnant girls and adolescents, to alleviate their heavy burden, have made no progress either. These proposals included the creation of scholarships, making it possible for girls to continue going to school while their babies were cared for and received formula. But unfortunately we have not been able to take the next step, to get these measures in place, said Paula Barrios, general coordinator of Women Transforming the World, in a telephone conversation with IPS from the capital, Guatemala City. Barrios said that most of the users of the services offered by this organization, such as legal and psychological support, are girls and adolescents who are pregnant because of sexual violence and are forced to have their babies. She said that in the five years leading up to 2023, some 500,000 girls under 14 years of age have become pregnant, and the number is much higher when teenagers up to 19 years of age are included. Today we have half a million girls who we dont know what they and the children who are the products of rape are eating, Barrios stressed, adding that as in El Salvador and Honduras, in Guatemala, having sex with a girl under 14 years of age is considered statutory rape. Society sees it as normal that women are born to be mothers, and so it doesnt matter if a girl gets pregnant at the age of 10 or 12 years, they just think she has done it a little bit earlier, she said. Patriarchy and Capitalism The experts from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador consulted by IPS said the root of the phenomenon is multi-causal, with facets of patriarchy, especially gender stereotypes and sexual violence. The patriarchy has an interest in stopping women from going out into the public sphere, said Barrios. She said the life of a 10-year-old girl is cut short when she becomes pregnant. She will no longer go to school and will remain in the domestic sphere, to raise children and stay at home. For her part, Garcia, the lawyer from Honduras, pointed out that there is also an underlying system of oppression that is intertwined with patriarchy and colonialism, which is the influence of a hegemonic country or region. We have girls giving birth to cheap labor to feed the (capitalist) system, and there is a greater feminization of poverty, girls giving birth to girls whose future prospects are ruined, she said. In the meantime, to avoid a repeat of her ordeal, Beltran said she talks to and teaches her 9-year-old daughter about sexuality. In order to keep her from repeating my story, I talk to her about condoms, how a woman has to take care of herself and how she can get pregnant, she said. I dont want her to go through what I did, she said. By Edgardo Ayala IPS / Globetrotter Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy became the first Republican to sign a GOP 'loyalty' pledge that is a condition for getting on the debate stage as Donald Trump continues to dominate all comers in the polls. The pledge, in exact language revealed Tuesday, commits candidates to 'support' the GOP nominee. Trump loyalist RNC chair Ronna McDaniel has been pushing the idea as a way to unify the party after a contentious primary. 'I affirm that if I do not win the 2024 Republican nomination for President of the United States, I will honor the will of the primary voters and support the Republican presidential nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden,' according to the pledge, a signed copy of which was obtained by DailyMail.com. It features the familiar large red elephant logo of the RNC, although the pledge is titled as the 'Beat Biden Pledge,' in a play on his own campaign logo. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy signed an RNC pledge to back the eventual Republican nominee as a condition for appearing in the first presidential debate 'I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party.' The pledge begins with a clause meant to discourage candidates from straying to non-sanctioned debates something lower polling candidates might be tempted to join in search of free air-time. It has each candidate affirm 'that I agree to appear in only Primary and General Election debates that have been sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, pursuant to Rule 10(a)(11) of The Rules of the Republican Party. I acknowledge and accept that if I fail to sign this pledge or if I participate in any debate that has not been sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, I will not be eligible to participate in any further Republican National Committee sanctioned debates.' Ramiswamy is the first presidential candidate to sign the pledge Former President Donald Trump is above 50 in the RealClearPolitics polling average. He may skip the debate Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who recently visited Ukraine, will take the pledge 'as seriously as Donald Trump took it in 2016.' He is expected on stage in Milwaukee Trump loyalist Ronna McDaniel will co-sign each pledge, according to a copy provided to DailyMail.com Ramaswamy's pledge was signed by the candidate on August 8. A space for McDaniel's name was still blank. The language of the pledge was first reported by the Washington Post. GOP candidate pledge (requirement to get on debate stage) 'I [name] affirm that I agree to appear in only Primary and General Election debates that have been sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, pursuant to Rule 10(a)(11) of The Rules of the Republican Party. I acknowledge and accept that if I fail to sign this pledge or if I participate in any debate that has not been sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, I will not be eligible to participate in any further Republican National Committee sanctioned debates. I affirm that if I do not win the 2024 Republican nomination for President of the United States, I will honor the will of the primary voters and support the Republican presidential nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden.' I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party Source: RNC candidate pledge Advertisement Ramiswamy has proved adept at trying to swat away Trump questions while touting his own agenda, even as Trump faces three criminal indictments and a key court hearing in Washington Friday on setting up a trial schedule over charges linked to his election overturn effort. He said following Trump's latest indictment that he would fire anyone in the government connected to his prosecution and added that 'the FBI as an institution should not exist.' Eight candidates are already expected to have met the polling criteria for the first debate, which is set for August 23 in Milwaukee. Vice President Mike Pence was the last to reach the 40,000 individual donor threshold. Also qualifying are Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, and Trump who has faced pressure from Fox personalities to attend, but who has toyed with his supporters about it. Christie, the former New Jersey governor who has been denouncing Trump, has said he will sign the pledge but said he will take it 'as seriously as Donald Trump took it in 2016.' That was a reference to Trump himself backing away from the pledge. The comment points to the difficulty of enforcing the pledge. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has yet to qualify to get on the stage and who has said Trump shouldn't be the nominee and has also spoken of ways he might finesse it. The pledge carries weight this year, with Trump running far ahead of his rivals even while facing three indictments. Some rivals have called him a threat to democracy. Pence said after Trump's latest indictment that no president should put themselves above the Constitution. All would be expected to fall in line behind Trump following their pledges. Trump his week continued to attack Christie, a former advisor who once ran his presidential transition. 'Please do not call him a fat pig,' Trump said in New Hampshire. A PAC backing Christie, who is running second in the state in a new poll , ran a full-page newspaper adding accusing Trump of being 'afraid to debate.' READ MORE: DailyMail.com/TIPP poll shows most voters support Texas Gov Abbot's floating barrier along the Rio Grande , despite fears of drowned migrants 'You cannot know what is going on at the southern border unless youve been here and talked to the people who live it,' said Rep. Grothman The president's stop in Arizona Tuesday coincided with a border field hearing put on by Republicans in the same state President Joe Biden is under fire from Republicans for avoiding the southern border while on official travel this week to border states Arizona and New Mexico. The president's stop in Arizona Tuesday coincided with a border field hearing put on by House Oversight Committee Republicans in the same state - in Cochise County. The GOP lawmakers slammed their Democratic colleagues for refusing to participate and also criticized the administration's inaction on the border crisis. Months after the Biden administration brought in new immigration policies they said would reduce the number of migrant crossings, last month the surge saw signs of returning. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., opened the hearing by stating that 'none of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have decided to join us today, despite an open invitation to participate. 'You cannot know what is going on at the southern border unless youve been here and talked to the people who live it,' the subcommittee chairman continued. President Joe Biden is under fire from Republicans for avoiding the southern border while on official travel this week to border states Arizona and New Mexico. The president is pictured visiting the Grand Canyon on Tuesday Migrants try to cross the border between Mexico and Eagle Pass, Texas, on August 4, 2023 While @POTUS is also currently in Arizona, securing our border is once again at the bottom of his priorities. It remains at the top of mine. #nc11 #ncpol pic.twitter.com/mpDwj5xhJj Congressman Chuck Edwards (@RepEdwards) August 8, 2023 'While [President Biden] is also currently in Arizona, securing our border is once again at the bottom of his priorities. It remains at the top of mine,' tweeted Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., who shared a video of himself closing the border wall gate. 'More helicopter "leadership" from President Biden,' tweeted Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. 'Visiting Arizona and New Mexico and yet no time for a visit to the border crisis he created.' Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels told Republicans during the hearing that cartels are using social media in order to recruit Americans, including teenagers, to become 'getaway drivers.' Several of the lawmakers accompanied Sheriff Dannels to survey the border wall in the sector that sees a 'disproportionate amount of the illicit fentanyl' enter the U.S. Another main issue in Cochise County is the high number of 'military-aged men dressed in camo crossing in the dead of night,' say Republicans. They do not willingly turn themselves in to authorities and therefore put law enforcement at risk during high-speed chases. The hearing also occurred following reports Tuesday morning that heavily armed Mexican cartel members crossed the border into Texas - and have yet to be apprehended. Biden's trip to the border states also comes as sources told Fox News that over 6,000 illegal migrants were apprehended by the Border Patrol Tuesday in the Tucson, RGV and Del Rio sectors. In addition, the Border Patrol is holding migrants in an outdoor cage in the baking Arizona desert as officers try to cope with the surge of people crossing illegally from Mexico. DailyMail.com pictures show people crammed onto narrow benches as they seek out shade to protect them from the burning sun in a region where temperatures cam hit over 113F. The site is in the remote desert, about two hours west of Tucson, Arizona. The area is at the heart of a surge in migrant arrivals, undermining Biden administration hopes that its new immigration restrictions are having an impact. Biden created a new national monument in Arizona on Tuesday that will protect the sacred ancestral places of Native Americans around the Grand Canyon but block expanded uranium mining. The new monument, called Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni, will conserve nearly one million acres of public lands around the canyon. It is the fifth monument Biden has named since becoming president, using his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906. The name means 'where Indigenous peoples roam' in the Havasupai language and 'our ancestral footprints' in the Hopi language. The monument is a reminder of a 'new era' in which collaboration and stewardship with tribes is valued, said U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American cabinet secretary. 'It will help ensure that indigenous people can continue to use these areas for religious ceremonies, hunting and gathering of plants, medicines and other materials, including some found nowhere else on Earth,' said Haaland. While tribal leaders and environmentalists pushed for the designation, Republican lawmakers and the mining industry have countered by pointing to the economic benefits of mining, adding it's also a national security issue. The monument site encompasses around 1.3% of the nation's known uranium reserves. Uranium is used to power commercial nuclear reactors that produce electricity and to produce isotopes used for medical, industrial, and defense purposes. Officials say there are significant resources in other parts of the country that will remain accessible. And existing mining claims in the area will not be affected by this designation, the White House said. 'The mining is off-limits for future development in that area. What the monument does recognize is existing rights that had been established previously,' said Biden's National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. Migrants walk past large buoys being used as a floating border barrier on the Rio Grande Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 You cannot know what is going on at the Southern border unless youve been here and talked to the people that live it.@RepGrothman opens border field hearing highlighting Oversight Democrats absence. pic.twitter.com/3wtlpCg9ld Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) August 8, 2023 In 2012, the Interior Department, due to concerns about contaminating the water supply, enacted a 20-year moratorium on the filing of new mining claims around the Grand Canyon National Park. The new monument designation will make that ban permanent. Ranchers also expressed concern the designation could affect grazing land and could put in place restrictions on how they can use their property. White House officials said existing uses of the land, including grazing and ranching, will continue as they are today. No private land will be affected by the monument, they said. After Arizona, Biden went on to Albuquerque on Wednesday, where he will talk about how fighting climate change has created new jobs. He'll then visit Salt Lake City on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of the PACT Act, which provides new benefits to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances. He'll also hold a reelection fundraiser in each city. This is the incredible moment a group of lifeguards form a human chain to rescue a man who got too far from the shore on a boogie board. Drone footage captured the four lifeguards on Flagler Beach, Florida, rescuing the man who couldn't get back to shore. Local man Joseph Osborne launched his UAV and while watching it told Fox35 he was 'impressed' with the maneuver. Osborne said: 'I didn't even know that existed. You don't know what they know. You just have trust in them. I was actually kind of impressed. 'It was definitely a rehearsed thing with their buoys and their lines, and they use them in unison. Very impressive. I thought it was very neat.' The video shows the group of lifeguards pulling the unidentified man back to shore using a human chain Two of them initially pull the man, holding onto their own individuals buoys to stay afloat The video shows the group of lifeguards pulling the unidentified man back to shore using a human chain. Two of them initially pull the man, holding onto their own individuals buoys to stay afloat. They then link up with one another lifeguard in the water who then reaches out to a fourth who is in shallow waters near the beach. The fourth lifeguard on land then pulls the chain ashore and to safety, with the man on the boogie board. Malaina Bryant, a lieutenant with Flagler Beach Ocean Rescue told the outlet: 'That rescue is pretty far out, so they needed backup, so the backup comes out, and then they chain up by grabbing each other's buoys. 'We all work really hard, so it shows on the video. They did awesome. We just have to tell by word of mouth or tell each other about our rescues, but we never really get to see how far out a person was or how well we did something.' Osborne also told Fox that he hopped the video served as a reminder about the dangers of being caught in a rip current and strong winds. He said: 'Unless you really could see it, you don't believe it, but it's strong enough. It'll pull you out.' The fourth lifeguard on land then pulls the chain ashore and to safety, with the man on the boogie board The man on the board had struggled to get back to shore after going out into the water, he is pictured here with the rescue team Tom Gillin, the ocean rescue director for the beach told the Daytona Beach News Journal: 'He wasn't actually drowning. He couldn't get back in. 'The person at the beginning of the chain is on shallow footing, so they can pull back and walk their way back.' It comes after incredible footage captured the moment three fishermen had to be rescued by a coastguard helicopter after their boat sank off Nantucket. Coastguard crews had to scramble to rescue the crew of the 55-foot fishing vessel Miss Kara shortly before 2pm on pm Saturday afternoon. Coastguard crews used a cage apparatus to pull the men up one by one with the assistance of a rescue team member in the water Video captured onboard the helicopter shows the moment the three men are hoisted to safety. Coastguard crews used a cage apparatus to pull the men up one by one with the assistance of a rescue team member in the water. New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman implored Joe Biden to help with the migrant crisis in his state, demanding the president step up and show 'leadership.' 'We need leadership, period. We need that leadership right here in New York State, because you know, New York State is struggling,' Bowman told reporters Tuesday. 'New York City is struggling, we're struggling to provide housing and all the support that the migrants need,' the Squad member went on. 'Here's the thing: Democrats are looking bad right now in New York state and that's unacceptable when we need at least four seats to take back the House. So hopefully President Biden is listening.' Republicans currently hold control of the lower chamber 222-212, thanks in large part to a slew of victories in liberal New York state. 'We need leadership, period. We need that leadership right here in New York State, because you know, New York State is struggling,' Bowman told reporters Tuesday Big Apple Mayor Eric Adams said that some 95,000 migrants have arrived in the city since last spring, asking for 'shelter, food, services and more.' The mayor's office said it has opened up 194 sites, including 13 large-scale humanitarian relief centers, to accomodate the influx. 'We have simply run out of space for adult migrants, yet are still receiving hundreds of new migrants daily.' Migrants slept outside on the streets for days in front of New York City's Roosevelt Hotel, hoping to get into the jam-packed makeshift processing center after coming to the area on buses from the south. Adams, who has bared the brunt of criticism over the matter, told CBS News last week 'we're not hearing enough' from federal officials to assist with the crisis. 'We need help, and it's not going to get any better. From this moment on, it's downhill. There is no more room,' Adams said last week. New York, a sanctuary city that shields migrants from deportation, has a legal obligation to offer shelter to anyone who wants it. GOP governors like Texas' Greg Abbott have been shipping migrants up to liberal enclaves like New York to put their lax migrant policies to the test. Migrants wait outside Roosevelt Hotel in New York City Aug. 2, 2023: Migrants camp out outside Roosevelt Hotel hoping for a place to stay Last month 54 New York City Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Biden begging him to send assistance for the migrants. The lawmakers asked Biden to declare a federal state of emergency, speed up work authorizations and fix the flow of migration at the border. The lawmakers asked the president to 'to fairly distribute newcomers across the country' by better screening asylum claims and establishing a plan for each arriving migrant. 'Our City is experiencing an unprecedented migrant influx, with a surge of asylum seekers arriving here in numbers never seen before in history,' they wrote in a letter. 'We take pride in New York being a beacon of hope for immigrants, but the influx of migrants is so great that the City is running out of resources.' This is the first picture of the disabled father accused of causing or allowing the death of his 12-year-old son who was killed in a hit and run crash while walking on the M62. Matthew Rycroft, 36, - seen here at the wedding of his mother Julie and stepfather Brian Reeve - is said to have crashed an Audi Q5 on the slip road to Hartshead Moor Services, near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. He and his son Callum left the car and began walking along the eastbound carriageway of the motorway between junctions 25 and 26 when they were hit by a Toyota C-HR at about 9.50pm on Saturday. Callum was killed while his father suffered minor injuries. The Toyota driver, a 47-year-old man, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving but later released on bail pending further inquiries. This is the first picture of Matthew Rycroft, a disabled father accused of causing or allowing the death of his 12-year-old son who was killed in a hit and run crash while walking on the M62 Callum Rycroft (pictured) was hit by a car and killed while walking on the eastbound carriageway of the motorway between junctions 25 and 26 at about 9.50pm on Saturday Callum was walking on the M62 with his father after an earlier collision involving an Audi Q5 on the slip road to Hartshead services (pictured) Rycroft appeared at Leeds Magistrates' Court yesterday morning with cuts, grazes and bruises to his forehead and right cheek. Flanked by two dock officers and dressed in grey tracksuit bottoms and sweatshirt, he spoke only to confirm his name, age and address. Rycroft, of Nowell View, Leeds, is charged with three offences: being a member of the same household allowing or causing the death of a child, dangerous driving and failing to provide a specimen at Leeds General Infirmary. The dangerous driving is understood to have occurred on North Street and Luck Lane, in the Marsh area of Huddersfield shortly before the crash on the motorway. Prosecutor Vanessa Jones described the death of Callum as 'very sad' and asked District Judge David Kitson to remand Rycroft into custody until his appearance at Leeds Crown Court. Defending, Louise Stead, made no application for bail. No members of Callum's family were in the public gallery for the two minute hearing. Judge Kitson told Rycroft, who showed no emotion in court, that he will next appear before Leeds Crown Court on 5 September. Police were seen in the carriageway of the M62 on Saturday night after Callum was hit by a Toyota C-HR car In a statement, Callum's mother paid a tribute to her son. She said: 'Callum was a beautiful happy soul who was unique, great fun and larger than life. He brought light, laughter and noise into any room. 'Callum had a massive impact on everyone who met him. The house is so quiet without him here. 'We are devastated at what has happened and request that people respect our wish for privacy at this difficult time. We are very grateful for the support and kind comments we have received.' West Yorkshire Police officers are continuing enquiries into the collision. Aerial images have shown the extent of the Channel migrant crisis as battered dinghies and used outboard motors lay discarded in a haunting board graveyard. The mass of rolled-up inflatable dinghies and outboard engines were laid out next to one another and spalled across the Port Authority yard in Dover. The equipment would have likely been used by migrants and asylum seekers who were picked up at sea whilst making the perilous journey crossing the English Channel from Calais in France to England. The newly released images - originally taken in March - showing dozens of pieces of equipment comes as Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick claimed the UK could leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to help tackle the problem of small boats crossing the English Channel. Some 339 migrants were detected crossing the Channel on Friday and Saturday after an eight-day hiatus amid poor weather conditions at sea, taking the provisional total for 2023 to date to 15,071. It also follows news that of the latest available data revealing the number of people waiting for a decision on their asylum application stood at nearly 173,000 in March - the equivalent of around 345 Bibby barges. An aerial view shows rolled-up inflatable dinghies and outboard engines, stored in a Port Authority yard in Dover that are believed to have been used by migrants and asylum seekers who were picked up at sea whilst crossing the English Channel from France to England inflatable dinghies and outboard engines are pictured rolled up on tarmac at a Port Authority yard in Dover, originally pictured in March 2023 Mr Jenrick said the Government will do 'whatever is required', even if that means pulling out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The Government has insisted it can deliver on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to 'stop the boats' within the convention. But with the plan to send migrants to Rwanda still facing a Supreme Court battle, there is pressure within the Conservative Party to pull out of the ECHR to make it easier to address the situation. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has previously expressed her personal view that the UK should leave the convention, which is ruled on by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The ECHR is a Council of Europe convention, rather than a European Union one, so the UK's adherence to it was not affected by Brexit. But pulling out of the convention would put the UK at odds with the majority of European nations and could also cause complications over the operation of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland and post-Brexit deals with the EU. On Times Radio, Mr Jenrick would not rule out withdrawal from the convention, saying the Government will do 'whatever is necessary'. 'You can see from the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary and myself, our total commitment to this challenge,' he said. 'That's why we're working on every possible front. That's why we have produced the most comprehensive plan, I believe, of any European country to tackle this issue. 'And we'll do whatever is necessary ultimately to defend our borders and to bring order to our asylum system.' Pressed directly on whether that could include leaving the ECHR, he said: 'We will do whatever is required, take whatever necessary action is needed.' A mass of rolled-up inflatable dinghies and outboard engines have been pictured laid out next to one another spalled across the Port Authority yard in Dover Dozens of rolled-up dinghies are pictured at a Port Authority yard in Dover that are believed to have been used by migrants and asylum seekers It was earlier revealed that a total of 172,758 people were waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application at the end of March 2023, Home Office figures show. This was up 57 per cent from 109,735 at the end of March 2022 and is the highest figure since current records began in 2010. Of the 172,758, a total of 128,812 had been waiting for an initial decision for more than six months. In March 2022 the number waiting longer than six months stood at 73,207, or 67% of the total. The Bibby Stockholm barge, which is moored at Portland in Dorset, has been refurbished to accommodate up to 500 asylum seekers. The first 15 were taken on board on Monday. The vessel is one of a number of locations intended to house migrants while their asylum applications are being considered by UK authorities. Other sites include the former Royal Air Force base at Wethersfield in Essex, which received its first occupants in July, and the RAF base at Scampton in Lincolnshire, where plans have reportedly been delayed. Both sites, which are the subject of legal challenges by local councils, are expected to be able to house nearly 2,000 people. Asylum seekers are also placed in smaller types of accommodation, such as hotels, or privately-run flats and shared houses. Some 50,546 asylum seekers were living in hotels in the UK at the end of June 2023, up from 47,518 at the end of March, according to Home Office data. A further 58,636 were in 'dispersed accommodation', such as flats and houses, up from 56,979. Special counsel Jack Smith obtained a secret search warrant in January to scour President Donald Trump's Twitter account to dig for evidence of criminal offenses, new court filings reveal. A judge then fined Elon Musk's social media giant $350,000 for initially refusing to comply, according to documents released Wednesday. The company was also barred from telling Trump about the warrant. The former president accused Joe Biden of being behind the order and claimed 'my Political Opponent is going CRAZY trying to infringe on my Campaign for President.' The White House repeatedly has said the Justice Department is an independent agency and has refused to comment on the various legal charges that Trump faces. Twitter, now known as X, didn't respond to a three-day deadline to turn over documents, so were held in contempt by a federal court in Washington. The search warrant was kept secret until now, and it's not clear what documents were handed over and whether they contributed to the 2020 election indictment. Special counsel Jack Smith's team obtained a search warrant in January for records related to former President Donald Trump's Twitter account, new court filings reveal Trump was given a permanent Twitter ban in January 2021 after the Capitol riot. He is pictured on the driving range at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club on Wednesday before the LIV Golf Invitational Series Trump took to his Truth Social account to respond to the revelation of the warrant. 'Just found out that Crooked Joe Bidens DOJ secretly attacked my Twitter account, making it a point not to let me know about this major hit on my civil rights. My Political Opponent is going CRAZY trying to infringe on my Campaign for President. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Does the First Amendment still exist? Did Deranged Jack Smith tell the Unselects to DESTROY & DELETE all evidence? These are DARK DAYS IN AMERICA!,' he wrote. Trump was given a permanent Twitter ban in January 2021 after the Capitol riot. Musk has since reinstated his account, but he he still hasn't posted and his last message on January 8, 2021 reads: 'To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th. The details of the search warrant were included in a decision from a Washington federal appeals court rejecting Twitter's claim that a lower court judge was wrong to hold the company in contempt and imposing the sanction. The filing says Smith obtained a search warrant directing Twitter to produce 'data and records' related to Trump's twitter account. Trump's twitter account was suspended in January 2021 Elon Musk removed Trump's suspension when he bought Twitter Trump responded to the news of the warrant on his Truth Social account The government also got a nondisclosure agreement prohibiting Twitter from disclosing the search warrant. Prosecutors feared that if Trump learned about the warrant, it 'would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation' by giving him 'an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior, [or] notify confederates,' according to the court papers. The filing says the court 'found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses.' A jury at Manchester Crown Court is still deliberating over 22 charges faced by Lucy Letby. The neonatal nurse, who worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital, stands accused of murdering seven babies as well as 15 counts of attempted murder between June 2015 and June 2016. The 33-year-old, from Hereford, was arrested in July 2018 after a year-long police investigation into high infant mortality rates at the hospital and was charged in November 2020. She would later plead not guilty to all charges against her, and went on trial on October 10 last year, with the jury sent out to consider verdicts on July 10. Earlier this month one of the jurors was allowed to withdraw due to personal reasons, leaving 11 others to consider the verdict. On Monday the judge, Mr Justice Goss, told the group he would accept majority verdicts. Lucy Letby, pictured here holding baby clothes, is accused of murdering seven babies, as well as 15 counts of attempted murder The neonatal nurse, pictured at a concert, has denied all charges against her, with a months-long trial coming to an end in July But what are the full list of charges faced by the nurse? We have laid them out below: Count 1 Charged with murder of Baby A on 8 June, 2015. Count 2 Charged with attempted murder of Baby B between 8 June and 11 June, 2015. Count 3 Charged with murder of Baby C on 14 June, 2015. Count 4 Charged with murder of Baby D on 22 June, 2015. Count 5 Charged with murder of Baby E on 4 August, 2015. Count 6 Charged with attempted murder of Baby F on 5 August, 2015. Count 7 Charged with attempted murder of Baby G on 7 September, 2015. Count 8 Charged with attempted murder of Baby G on 21 September, 2015. Count 9 Charged with attempted murder of Baby G on 21 September, 2015. Count 10 Charged with attempted murder of Baby H on 26 September, 2015. The 33-year-old is accused of committing the crimes during a year-long spree at the Countess of Chester Hospital (pictured) Count 11 Charged with attempted murder of Baby H on 27 September, 2015. Count 12 Charged with murder of Baby I on 23 October, 2015. Count 13 Charged with attempted murder of Baby J on 27 November, 2015. Count 14 Charged with attempted murder of Baby K on 17 February, 2015. Count 15 Charged with attempted murder of Baby L on 9 April, 2016. Count 16 Charged with attempted murder of Baby M on 9 April, 2016. Count 17 Charged with attempted murder of Baby N on 3 June, 2016. Count 18 Charged with attempted murder of Baby N on 15 June, 2016. Count 19 Charged with attempted murder of Baby N on 15 June, 2016. Count 20 Charged with murder of Baby O on 23 June, 2016. Count 21 Charged with murder of Baby P on 24 June, 2016. Count 22 Charged with attempted murder of Baby Q on 25 June, 2016. The restaurant closed down in 2015 afollowing a staff walkout over pay She is hoping to reopen the raw food eatery after being seen having meetings Sarma Melngailis was jailed over swindling investors and staff out of money 'Bad Vegan' Sarma Melngailis is planning a sensational comeback after being jailed for fleecing money from her NYC restaurant. Melngailis pled guilty to various fraud charges in 2017 after swindling nearly $2million from investors and stiffing employees with her then-husband before going on the run. Her bizarre downfall was showcased in Netflix's 'Bad Vegan' with the former restaurateur claiming she used funds from the show to pay back her employees. She is now said to be seeking to reopen the celebrity-studded raw food hotspot in Union Square, which was once one of New York Magazine's Top 100 Restaurants after opening in 2004, and regularly welcomed Hollywood A-listers through its doors before closing in 2016. Alec Baldwin famously met his wife Hilaria at Pure Food & Wine in 2011 after becoming friendly with the chef at the height of her success. Melngailis pled guilty to various fraud charges in 2017 after swindling nearly $2million from investors and stiffing employees with her then-husband before going on the run She is now trying to reopen the celebrity-studded raw food hotspot, which was once one of New York Magazines Top 100 Restaurants, and regularly had Hollywood A-listers come through its doors before closing in 2016 She fell under the spell of her ex-husband Anthony Strangis, who allegedly gained her trust by interacting with Baldwin on Twitter. Page Six claims the convicted fraudster is now courting investors to re-open the eatery and has taken them to the former location of her raw restaurant. She had co-founded Pure Food and Wine with chef and then-boyfriend Matthew Kenney in 2004, attracting a number of A-list fans, including Chelsea Clinton, Tom Brady, Owen Wilson, and Woody Harrelson. After her personal and professional split from Kenney, she took control of the entire company and its $2 million debt with the help of investor Jeffrey Chodorow. Appearing on the 'Miss Understood with Rachel Uchitel' podcast last month, when asked if she'd open a new eatery, she said, 'Yes. In the right circumstances.' She added: 'There's a bunch of different things that I'm working on that could repair the damage, which I take on as my responsibility,' 'People have said, 'Why don't you open a food truck?' or 'why don't you do catering?' And I'm like, that's not going to make $6 million.' The former restauranteur declined to get into specifics about the potential projects, but suggested that she first needed to find investors. Alec Baldwin famously met his wife Hilaria at Pure Food & Wine, which opened in 2004, in 2011, after becoming friendly with the chef at the height of her success Baldwin reflected on the moment he first laid eyes on his wife at Pure Food and Wine in a heartfelt Instagram post in 2019 Melngailis claimed her ex-husband, Anthony Strangis, manipulated her into swindling nearly $2 million from investors and stiffing unpaid employees before going on the run The vegan chef detailed the downfall of her restaurant Pure Food and Wine following her relationship with Strangis in the new Netflix documentary Bad Vegan: Fame, Fraud, Fugitives How Sarma Melngailis went from 'plant food Queen' to 'Vegan Bernie Madoff' 2004: Sarma Melngailis opens Pure Food and Wine in New York 2005: She opens One Lucky Duck, a juice and takeaway next to the restaurant 2011: Melngailis meets Anthony Strangis on Twitter December 2012: Melngailis and Strangis and get married in New York 2013: She brings Strangis in as a manager at her restauration business. January 2015: Pure Food and Wine and One Lucky Duck staff walk out en-masse due to Melngailis's failure to pay employees for a month Melngailis tells her staff the delay in payments is due to changing banks February 2015: Melngailis claims in an interview the delay in wages were actually caused by the restaurant's debts and the cost of ingredients May 2015: Newspapers report the restaurateur has vanished with $2 million July 2015: Staff walk out of the restaurant again, and it is permanently closed May 2016: Melngailis and Strangis are arrested in Sevierville, Tennessee November 2016: Melgngailis claims she was under the control of Strangis May 2017: Melngailis pleads guilty to stealing more than $200,000 from an investor and scheming to defraud, as well as criminal tax fraud charges June 2017: Former restaurateur is jailed for four months May 2018: She files for divorce from Strangis Advertisement Melngailis also opened One Lucky Duck, a vegan juice bar and takeaway, next door to her raw food restaurant and published two vegan cookbooks. She married Strangis in December 2012, the same year the Baldwins tied the knot, and brought him on board as a manager at the restaurant in 2013. The former Pure Food and Wine owner admitted in the docuseries that she had 'a little bit of regret' that she never pursued a relationship with Baldwin before he fell for Hilaria. Hilaria, who married Baldwin in 2012, opened up about their first meeting that same year, saying the actor had approached her and given her his card. 'I was standing near the door [of Pure Food and Wine restaurant] with my friends when he walked up and took my hand and said, 'I must know you,'' she told Us Weekly. Baldwin also reflected on the moment he first laid eyes on his wife in a heartfelt Instagram post in 2019. In the Netflix documentary Melngailis claimed that Strangis conned her into funneling her restaurant's funds to him by promising to expand her food empire and also make her beloved dog immortal. From January 2014 to January 2015, Melngailis transferred more than $1.6 million from the business accounts to her personal bank account. Both took money from investors, didn't pay $400,000 in taxes and spent more than $2 million at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun Casinos. They also dropped $80,00 on pricey watches and $70,000 on trips to Europe and $10,000 in Uber rides, according to an indictment. Trouble began at the restaurant at the start of 2015 when 60 staff members said she had missed payroll five times, and subsequently staged multiple walkouts and protests. Melngailis explained to staff the delay in payment was due to changing banks, but she told a magazine that same month it was because of the restaurant's debts and the high cost of premium ingredients. In May 2015, she and Strangis disappeared with the money and the restaurant closed permanently in July of that year. According to the documentary, Strangis had Melngailis try on an $800,000 engagement ring at Tiffany's. Melngailis met Baldwin at the restaurant, and they became fast friends. Journalist Allen Salkin claimed the actor had a 'crush' on the vegan chef She fell under the spell of her ex-husband Anthony Strangis, who allegedly gained her trust by interacting with Baldwin on Twitter Trouble began at the restaurant at the start of 2015 when 60 staff members said they weren't being paid and subsequently staged multiple walkouts and protests In 2015, Melngailis and Strangis disappeared and spent a year on the run. After her arrest, she pled guilty to stealing from an investor, scheming to defraud, and criminal tax fraud charges The New York restaurant was a night life hotspot that was beloved for its raw food vegan recipes They were caught by authorities on May 12, 2016, after Strangis used his real name to order a non-vegan cheese pizza and buffalo wings from Domino's to their hotel room in Sevierville, Tennessee. In May 2017, Melngailis pleaded guilty to stealing more than $200,000 from an investor and scheming to defraud, as well as criminal tax fraud charges. She was sentenced to four months in New York's notorious Rikers prison, and was hit with a $1million lawsuit from her former employees. As part of her punishment, she was also ordered to repay $1.5million in restitution payments. Strangis pleaded guilty to four counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree and was sentenced to one year in jail and five years' probation. He had to repay $840,000 to investors, walking free after having already spent a year behind bars at Rikers. Melngailis filed for divorce from Strangis in May 2018, and a year later, she said she wanted to get her brand back, but had no plans as to how to make this a reality. Sunseekers are posting devastating images that show Hawaii's paradise before apocalyptic wildfires forced both sunseekers and locals to flee the Maui area. Multiple people are feared dead as winds from Hurricane Dora continue to fan the fires for a second day on Wednesday. The wildfires began on Tuesday and have since destroyed hundreds of homes and structures - and also caused power outages and evacuations. Now those who saw the scene firsthand have shared harrowing footage of the situation. TikTok user Colton Moore shared a video that showed how he and his wife's idyllic holiday turned terrifying. TikTok user Colton Moore shared a video that showed how he and his wife's idyllic holiday in Hawaii turned terrifying after wildfires devastated the area 'Went from paradise to a natural crisis, hope everyone stays safe,' he captioned the post, which has been viewed more than 200,000 times The couple is then seen leaving the area, as the holiday comes to an unfortunate end. 'Went from paradise to a natural crisis, hope everyone stays safe,' he captioned the post, which has been viewed more than 200,000 times. The beginning of the video shows the couple hanging out by the calm water; Moore's camera even goes underwater to show the corals and fish they got to see. The video goes on to show the fabulous meals the couple had before it jumps to a clip taken in the first shown location - except the scene is no longer calm, as huge flames engulf the area and the sky fills with black smoke. The couple is then seen leaving the area, as the holiday comes to an unfortunate end. Another TikTok user who goes by pettypurvis shared a video that first shows people happily boating before it cuts to the same body of water in flames. The fires have burned structures, forced evacuations and caused power outages in several communities. The worst of the fires is on Maui. One is torching parts of northern Wailea where tourist hotels like the Four Seasons and Hilton scatter the beach, and another has destroyed the town of Lahaina. A worker at the Four Seasons Wailea told DailyMail.com that the resort has not been affected aside from 'some air quality issues'. The $990-a-night hotel is where the first season of The White Lotus was filmed. In Lahaina, a town of around 12,000 people, frantic locals jumped into the water in the harbor to escape the flames. Twelve people were rescued from the waves by boats. Kahului Airport, the main airport on the island of Hawaii, is still open and operational but it is now being used as a shelter for 1,800 people fleeing their homes. Another TikTok user who goes by pettypurvis shared a video that first shows people happily boating before it cuts to the same body of water engulfed in flames 911 services in most of Maui are disconnected due to downed cell towers, hampering the evacuation efforts while doctors and nurses struggle to cope with the number of burn victims flocking to them. Acting Governor Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation on behalf of Gov. Josh Green, who is traveling, and activated the Hawaii National Guard. Fire crews on Maui were battling multiple blazes concentrated in two areas: the popular tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. Footage shot from a yacht in Lahaina Mooring Field in Maui shows the sky bruising as huge plumes of smoke rise from the fires. Video also shows fires raging through a residential area in Maui surrounded by grassland with black smoke billowing into the sky. It wasn't immediately known how many buildings had burned, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said in a phone interview late Tuesday. The fires have burned structures, forced evacuations and caused power outages in several communities There are several small fires on the Big Island and O'Ahu but the worst is being seen in Maui, where some 12,000 people are without power and hospitals are overwhelmed Hurricane Dora passed south of Hawaii overnight on Tuesday but sent strong winds in the islands' direction Locals fear the blaze has claimed a large portion of the town of Lahaina, if not all of it 'It's definitely one of the more challenging days for our island given that it's multiple fires, multiple evacuations in the different district areas,' Martin said. Winds were recorded at 80 mph in inland Maui and one fire that was believed to be contained earlier Tuesday flared up hours later with the big winds, she added. About 13,000 customers in Maui were without power, Hawaiian Electric reported Tuesday night. Hurricane Dora was complicating matters for firefighters in an already dry season. Hawaii is sandwiched between high pressure to the north and a low pressure system associated with Dora, said Jeff Powell, a meteorologist in Honolulu. The dryness and the gusts 'make a dangerous fire situation so that fires that do exist can spread out of control very rapidly,' he said. 'It's kind of because of Hurricane Dora, but it's not a direct result,' he said, calling the fires a 'peripheral result' of the hurricane's winds. Despite the grandiose rhetoric from political party leaders and the spectacle of propaganda shows within the House, the parliamentary system lies in ruins. by Shamindra Ferdinando The Women Parliamentarians Caucus visit to New Zealand also grabbed public attention. So much so, Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera issued a brief statement to explain the position of the Parliament. Rohanadeera insisted that public funds werent utilized. The funding was provided by Sri Lankas development partners. The initiative launched two and half years ago, never received public funding and the visit was meant to gain experience from developed countries in the Commonwealth. The group consisted of Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle (SLPP), Dr. Sitha Arambepola (SLPP), Rohini Kumari Wijeratne (SJB), Pavithradevi Vanniarachchi (SLPP), Geetha Samanmalee Kumarasinghe (SLPP), Thalatha Atukorale (SJB), Kokila Gunawardena (SLPP), Mudita Prishanthi (SLPP), Rajika Wickramasinghe (SLPP), Manjula Dissanayake (SLPP) and (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya (JJB). Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera, Assistant Director (Administration) Indira Dissanayake and Media Manager of Parliament Nimmi Hathiyaldeniya accompanied the delegation. Having left the country on 24th July, the group concluded the visit on 3rd August. Women MPs in the house in New Zealand on a so-called study tour at the expense of USAID The Island sought an explanation from the Chairperson of the Women Parliamentarians Caucus Dr. Sudharshini Fernandopulle. The Gampaha District parliamentarian said that the Secretary-General would have issued a statement in response to media queries in this regard. The lawmaker added: New Zealand was selected because they have 50% womens representation in Parliament, as well as in Cabinet. They also have an electoral system, known as Multi-Member Representation, where people have two votes one for the party and the other for the candidate. This system ensures representation by small parties, too. This high representation has been introduced by reforms within political parties where they have fielded more female candidates. A few years ago, the media wouldnt have raised such a visit. But the conduct of members of Parliament and especially their foreign visits are increasingly coming under public scrutiny against the backdrop of the country being declared bankrupt in April 2022 and the unprecedented deterioration of parliamentary standards over a period of time. (During the war various interests sought to influence MPs by arranging foreign tours. They felt public opinion can be manipulated by winning over MPs) NZ tour courtesy USAID In a trilingual statement, dated 02 August, the Parliament explained how the required funding for this years tour was obtained. The National Democratic Institute (NDI), with funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has organized the tour undertaken by the Women Parliamentarians Caucus for the advancement of Sri Lankan women at every level. In addition to the USAID, the NDI works closely with the National Endowment for Democracy, the U.S. Department of State and the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS). The above-mentioned organisations are well known around the world for sponsoring such initiatives, in line with furthering US interests. During the nearly 10-day visit, Dr. Fernandopulles group had an opportunity to meet New Zealands first woman Prime Minister Helen Clark as well as Jacinda Ardern who created waves as the Premier from 2017 to 2023. They shared their experience with the visiting MPs, with Ardern focusing on the challenges she faced in the face of the economic and political crises, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic, during her tenure. Political parties, represented in Parliament, should seriously examine whether the country benefited from foreign tours received by its members. Let me stress that such an appraisal shouldnt be restricted to the Women Parliamentarians Caucus. Unfortunately, Parliament has never been bothered with such examinations through a section of the media raised the accountability on the part of the House to provide a proper audit of foreign grants. Perhaps Parliament can explain the outcome of the high-profile USAID project worth Rs. 1.92 billion (USD 13.7 million), launched in late November 2016, during Karu Jayasuriyas tenure as the parliamentary Speaker during the Yahapalana government. The USAID partnered with the Parliament, and the first project of its kind, was meant to strengthen accountability and democratic governance. Interestingly, USD 3 mn had been released in September 2016 before the official launch of the project. Parliament announced the USAID project in the wake of Sri Lanka becoming the newest member of the United States House Democracy Partnership programme which purports to support peer-to-peer exchanges for partner legislatures around the world. By then the massive Treasury bond scams had been perpetrated twice in late February 2015 and March 2016 while the fugitive Governor of the Central Bank, Singaporean Arjun Mahendran, later indicted in the High Court of Colombo, had still not fled the country. Actually, Karu Jayasuriya, the incumbent head of the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ), certainly owes an explanation as to the progress made in terms of the three-year Strengthening Democratic Governance and Accountability Project (SDGAP) geared to improve strategic planning and communication within government and Parliament, enhance public outreach, develop more effective policy reform and implementation processes, and increase political participation of women and underrepresented groups in Parliament and at a local level. The people have a right to know how the USAID funds were spent and whether stated objectives were achieved, especially in light of former US Secretary of State John Kerry having crowed about how they brought about undemocratic secret regime changes here and elsewhere after spending hundreds of millions of dollars. Maryland-headquartered Development Alternatives, Inc (DAI) implemented the project intended to reform the public sector in accordance with an agreement between Sri Lanka and the House Democracy Partnership of the US House of Representatives. During the implementation of that USAID project, Speaker Jayasuriya retained retired controversial career diplomat Prasad Kariyawasam as his advisor. Kariyawasam, who had served as the Foreign Secretary after being Sri Lankas Ambassador in Washington, was on the USAID payroll. Kariyawasam earned the wrath of the JO/SLPP and various other parties. They accused him of promoting US interests, both in and outside Parliament. Even as Sri Lankas Ambassador in Washington, he figured in a rather embarrassing press conference with TNA Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran claiming that there was a tripartite agreement on the setting up of a hybrid court to investigate accountability issues. Having failed in its bid to elect General Sarath Fonseka at the 2010 presidential election, the US played a role in the change of government in January 2015. No less a person than the then US Secretary of State, John Kerry, who visited Colombo, in May 2015, is on record as having said that the US-funded restoration of democracy (read clandestine change of governments) in Nigeria, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. The State Department referred to USD 585 mn as the cost of those clandestine projects. Maybe due to such continuing underhand interventions of the US, Sri Lanka ended up bankrupt and the incumbent Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe had to officially acknowledge the countrys pathetic status in April 2022. The economic fallout should be examined taking into consideration the circumstances the Yahapalana administration (2015- 2019) obtained International Sovereign Bonds (ISBs) to the tune of USD 12.5 bn. Interestingly, Auditor General W.P.C. Wickramaratne exposed the massive disparity between the above borrowings and the lack of corresponding assets when he addressed a workshop for parliamentarians recently. According to the Auditor General, Sri Lanka has taken project loans, amounting to eight trillion in rupee terms, since 2015, but the country has corresponding assets worth only two trillion rupees to show, leaving a black hole of six trillion rupees. According to a report in the Sunday Times BUSINESS of 30 July, Wickramaratne was quoted as having stated that this cannot be acceptable by any accounting standards and that loans are recorded as liabilities on the borrowers balance sheet. The explanation given for this disparity by state officials was that they were in the process of assessing the assets, he has revealed, adding that even after eight years the country was unable to identify the corresponding assets. Like in the case of the CB bond scam we may not see any justice in our lifetime the way the system works, but even if this was a robbery of six trillion marbles it is certainly no small matter. The Sunday Times BUSINESS, in a separate report headlined Loophole for money launderers in Foreign Exchange Act says a gaping loophole in the six-year-old Foreign Exchange Act (introduced by the Yahapalana government) is damaging the countrys fight against money laundering. Enacted in 2017 after repealing the 1953 Exchange Control Act, it quotes unnamed experts as stating that the Act does not have provisions to regularise foreign exchange transfers. Accountability of Parliament At the request of Yahapalana Speaker Jayasuriya, China arranged familiarisation tours for members of Parliament. Tours began about 10 weeks after the August 2015 General election. Altogether 11 batches of MPs, accompanied by officials, visited China from October 2015 to July 2019. Following their return, the then-Chinese Ambassador in Colombo Cheng Xueyuan hosted a grand reception for the parliamentarians. In addition to them, a group of journalists, covering Parliament, too, were included in the deal. Did the country benefit in any way from these junkets? During the period the groups of lawmakers toured China, the emerging power finalized the controversial deal on the Hambantota port. Then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had been openly critical of Chinese policy here, ended up leasing the port for a period of 99 years. In spite of the government repeatedly claiming that the leasing was meant to raise the funds required to settle loans, taken from China to build the port, subsequently, it was revealed USD 1.2 bn received from China was utilized for other purposes. When the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) raised this issue with Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), it didnt even know how USD 1.2 was spent. The then Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga resigned after having refused to sign the lease agreement. But President Maithripala Sirisena brought in Mahinda Samarasinghe as the Shipping Minister to authorize the deal. Finally, Samarasinghe who entered Parliament on the SLPP ticket, at the last general election, in August 2020, received an appointment as our Ambassador in Washington. Speaker Jayasuriya also obtained laptops for all MPs, courtesy of China. China is reported to have spent $293,000 for the supply of nearly 250 laptops. Regardless of foreign lessons and a range of other facilities received by parliamentarians, the standards have deteriorated over the years with political parties losing control over its members. The absence of MPs at vital votes in Parliament reflects the unprecedented crisis in Parliament today. There cannot be a better example than the vote on the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Bill on 20 July, this year. Parliament passed the Bill with a majority of 42 votes, with amendments. The Bill received 66 votes in favour and 24 voting against it. Both the government and the Opposition owed an explanation why more than half of the total number of lawmakers skipped the vote. Examination of several votes, taken over the past several years, proved that MPs participation was low (Parliament meets only eight days a month) and the absence of quorum in Parliament is not a rarity. The MPs participation in the vote on resolution regarding the Domestic Debt Optimization (restructuring of local debt) on 01 July, this year, was much better, even though the absence of 41 lawmakers cannot be justified, under any circumstances. Altogether 122 MPs voted for the resolution whereas 62 voted against it. The position taken by political parties, and individual members, should be examined, taking into consideration President Ranil Wickremesinghes declaration that the Parliament failed to avert the financial crisis. Wickremesinghe, who also holds the Finance portfolio, found fault with the Parliament at a recent awards ceremony held in the House. However, the UNP leader cannot absolve himself of the responsibility for the countrys bankruptcy status. Having first entered Parliament, in1977, Wickremesinghe represented the UNP in Parliament, apart from a break of 10 months, from August 2020 to June 2021. That was due to the UNPs humiliating defeat at the last general election when it failed to win a single seat and had to be contented with one National List slot. The UNP couldnt reach consensus on the National List nominee for nearly a year before Wickremesinghe took oaths on 23 June 2021, as an MP. Having served as the Premier on six occasions, Wickremesinghe, too, owed an explanation regarding the failure of Parliament to achieve its two primary tasks, namely ensuring financial discipline and enactment of laws. Parliament, as an institution, owed an explanation as to why the Exchange Control Act No 12 of 2017 hadnt been amended yet to bring enough pressure to bear on those who had parked billions of USD overseas to bring the money back. In spite of some dissident MPs, including Gevindu Cumaratunga, Wimal Weerawansa and Vasudeva Nanayakkara raising this issue, both in and out of Parliament, the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government has conveniently turned a blind eye to the urgent need to amend the Exchange Control Act No 12 of 2017. They have estimated the amount of forex stashed overseas at USD 36 bn whereas Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC, placed that amount at USD 53 bn (during a period of 12 years). Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, too, has publicly discussed this issue though he never referred to USD 36 bn or USD 53 bn. However, exporters stashing money overseas remains a major problem. Would Justice Minister Rajapakse care to explain what he has done so far to change the laws as promised by him last December? In spite of the big talk by leaders of political parties and propaganda shows, courtesy of the House, the Parliamentary system is in tatters. That is the ugly truth. The UNDP and Parliament should examine whether their current costly projects resulted in tangible improvement to the parliamentary system. Excerpts from the article published in the Island Shamindra Ferdinando is a Deputy Editor of a Colombo-based daily newspaper, The Island. Stunned bystanders caught the shocking moment a gang of at least 30 brazen thieves ransacked a Yves Saint Laurent store in an upscale California shopping center. Videos posted online showed multiple people in dark clothes, hoods and masks running into and then quickly out of the store at the Americana at Brand shortly before 5pm Tuesday. Glendale police said the thieves got away with about $300,000 worth of merchandise, after they overwhelmed the staff and took everything they could in less than a minute. None of the thieves used any weapons in the brazen scheme, and no injuries were reported. An investigation is ongoing, as California continues to deal with a spate of robberies after lawmakers lowered the punishment for thefts of merchandise under $950. Videos posted online showed a group of thieves wearing dark clothing and masks running into the Yves Saint Laurent store at the Americana at Brand shortly before 5pm Tuesday The thieves ran back out with arms full of merchandise just a few moments later The group sprinted through a crowded walkway carrying their stolen items Footage from the robbery at the store shows a group of hooded and masked thieves running out of the shop with arms full of merchandise. They sprinted through a walkway to the curb, where police said about 20 cars were waiting for them, and sped away in several directions. One suspect seemed to have been stopped as he tried to flee by an Amazon delivery driver, who was seen tussling with the thief. But somebody off-screen could be heard telling the delivery person to just let him go, saying it is 'not worth' getting struck by a fleeing vehicle. An employee later told FOX 11 that 'all merchandise was taken in less than a minute.' Speaking about the incident to KTLA, Glendale police Sgt. Victor Jackson said there was a 'short pursuit' of the suspects, but police did not locate any of them. He described the robbery as a 'flash mob,' explaining: 'In this circumstance, they kind of overwhelm the staff of the store. They all come in simultaneously. 'The staff doesn't know how to respond, they're trying to figure out what's happening.' Jackson added there had to be at least 30 to 40 people involved in the scheme, noting there were some who went inside the store and got the objects and others who waited in the cars. It is unclear if any arrests have been made. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Glendale Police Department for comment. One suspect seemed to have been stopped as he tried to flee by an Amazon delivery driver, who was seen tussling with the thief Police said the brazen thieves fled in about 20 different vehicles that were waiting for them It is unclear if any arrests have been made The brazen robbery occurred at the upscale Americana at Brand shopping center in Glendale Robberies have become almost commonplace in California, where thefts of objects valued at $950 or less are misdemeanors. Last month, another group of brazen thieves stole roughly $300,000 in jewelry from a store in La Verne. The thieves were caught on camera slamming a white sedan into the Rodeo Jewelers on July 1 before they started smashing cases. The robbery occurred in broad daylight and the owner, who came out from the back of the store, was assaulted with a chair while confronting the group. Tyrone Frazier, pictured here, was arrested by officers after a video of himself attempting to steal cigarettes from a 7-Eleven went viral He required seven stitches following the attack inside his own store. The group eventually got away, leaving behind the vehicle they smashed into the front of the business and fleeing in a black car that was parked nearby. That same weekend, thieves also got away with over $700,000 in rare wines imported from France and Italy and for sale at a California shop. Video captured the thieves cutting a hole in the ceiling of Lincoln Fine Wines in Los Angeles, just above the cellar where some of his most expensive wines were stored. One thief reportedly used rope to climb down into the cellar from the roof and stayed inside for several hours, stealing hundreds of bottles from the establishment. Also last month, a video posted online showed a trio of female shoplifters targeting a Burlington store in Sacramento. The three women were caught on camera trudging away with shopping carts loaded with stolen goods that they calmly loaded into the back of a red sedan. And just recently, another video went viral allegedly showing Tyrone Frazier, 42, attempting to steal cigarettes from a 7-Eleven in Stockton, California. In that case, employees were caught on camera smacking Frazier with a stick after he entered the store with a garbage can and began filling it with tobacco products from behind the counter. Police say the attempted theft was the third time in two days the man had targeted the store. On a previous occasion, he tried to intimidate staff by claiming he had a handgun. Stockton police are now investigating whether the workers' conduct could be considered assault. Video captured the moment a group of four men slammed a white sedan into the Rodeo Jewelers in La Verne, California on July 1 and began smashing cases A group of female thieves were also caught last months piling mounds of stolen clothing and shoes into the trunk of a red Dodge Charger Two 7-Eleven workers took action to stop Frazier after he loaded a garbage bin full of stolen cigarettes In Oakland, police are now warning individuals to secure their homes. Police in the California city warned about an 'uptick in home invasion robberies' including cases of robbers armed with guns kicking down doors before threatening homeowners and stealing their belongings. Oakland Police Department (OPD) said some of the worst-hit areas have been Laurel, North Hills, Joaquin Miller, and the Greater San Antonio area. 'In recent cases, armed individuals forcibly entered the residences by kicking in doors, threatening the victims, and taking the victim's personal belongings before fleeing the residence,' the force said in a post on Wednesday. 'OPD is actively investigating each of these home invasion robberies. If you are a victim or have information regarding these incidents, please call 510-238-3326.' The department gave several points of advice for residents to reduce their risk of a break-in, including ensuring all doors and windows are properly secured, and even reinforcing doors with a security bar or door brace. 'Strengthen home security by installing a security system with motion detection, surveillance cameras, and alarms,' OPD added. 'Use outdoor lighting with motion sensors. 'Trim hedges and shrubs around entry points to eliminate potential hiding spots. Do not open your door to strangers without verifying their identity. 'Create an emergency plan to include a safe meeting point. Join or initiate a neighborhood watch program in your community.' The force said it is 'committed to public safety' and urged people to report any robberies. Four people, including a gunman, were killed following a shooting inside an Illinois home in the middle of the night. Authorities were called to a property in Crystal Lake at around 3.50am over a report of a household member shooting their relatives. McHenry County Sheriff's office deputies found three female victims dead, another woman seriously injured and a seriously wounded man who is believed to be the gunman. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The injured woman, who called 911, was taken to hospital by Crystal Lake Fire Department and she is still in serious condition. Four people, including a gunman, were killed following a shooting inside an Illinois home in the middle of the night Authorities were called to a property in Crystal Lake at around 3.50am over a report of a household member shooting their relatives McHenry County Sheriff's office deputies found three female victims dead, another woman seriously injured and a seriously wounded man who is believed to be the gunman 'Deputies arrived on scene and found four people with injuries ranging in severity' the sheriff's office said. Officials said all five of the individuals lived together at the $370,000 home and the dispute is thought to have been about a domestic issue. Deputy Tim Creighton confirmed three females were already dead when deputies arrived at the home. He said the male aggressor was seriously injured and later died. Sergeant Eric Ellis said the McHenry County Sheriff's office was conducting a death investigation with help from the Major Investigation Assistance Team. The public were urged this is an isolated incident and there is no danger to the public. Detectives are combing the scene for evidence and neighbors in the area have been left shaken by the violence. Local residents said they had not heard anything overnight and saw television news crews on their street in the morning. They said the residents at the home where the shooting occurred had been renting and lived there for years. The gunman was taken to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead The injured woman, who called 911, was taken to hospital by Crystal Lake Fire Department and she is still in serious condition Neighbor Sage Brossard told the Northwest Herald she did not hear anything and had never met the family but that were multiple generations living there. 'This is our family,' neighbor Holly Cote told ABC Chicago. 'I work at the school over here all these kids go to my school. This is just ..I'm in shock, kind of.' 'My family and I came outside to look were here all the time on this roundabout walking our dog and riding our bikes. 'That's the first I heard. It means everything to all of us and my kids have been raised here we've lived in this neighborhood for 25 years - this home for 10.' 'We are still in the very early stages of the investigation and are currently processing the scene,' the sheriff's office said. 'Until the Coroners Office is done examining the victims, we will not be releasing information regarding their fatal injuries nor the type of weapon used.' A naked intruder - wearing only a hat and sneakers - broke into a home in Houston and committed a 'lewd act' while standing over the bed of a couple who were sleeping. The man was captured on surveillance video entering a person's home in the early morning hours of Friday. Houston police told ABC13 that physical evidence was left behind after the crude act. A woman, whose name was not disclosed, told the news outlet that she woke up around 3:20am and found a strange man standing over her bed with no clothes on. When she woke up her boyfriend, she said, he chased the intruder out of their house and onto the greenbelt. Police were able to recover DNA evidence. Commander Adrian Rodriguez of the Houston Police Department's Kingwood Division told the news outlet, 'If this evidence comes back that we've submitted, I think we'll have a good lead on the person we're looking for.' The naked man was wearing only a hat and sneakers and a mask covering a portion of his face The naked intruder is seen on video wandering around the Houston neighborhood In one clip, the man was caught on surveillance rubbing his genitals on a car which was caught on a neighbor's home security camera The Houston Police Department Kingwood Division continues to search for the suspect An hour earlier, a neighbor's security camera captured the man trying to break into other homes on the block. In one clip, he was seen rubbing his genitals on a car. Officials urged residents to lock their doors and windows and asked its residents to submit any videos they may have of the naked intruder. Residents in the Hunters Ridge neighborhood were on edge and eager to find the man, as per the news outlet. Greg Dunson who lives a few blocks away from where the naked intruder struck said, 'We don't know where he's at, if he's caught. Where did he go?, Dunson told the news outlet. 'He's naked. Is he sleeping in the woods? We don't know.' As of Thursday afternoon, the Houston Police Department Kingwood Division was still actively pursuing the suspect. The shooting took place at around 6:15 am while special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence in Provo A Utah man has been shot dead by the FBI during a deadly raid following years of sickening death threats against Joe Biden and other politicians. Craig Robertson, 75, was gunned down on his doorstep by agents in Provo - an hour from Salt Lake City - after they were alerted to his posts about the president. Messages posted on what is believed to be his Facebook page on Tuesday included bloodthirsty content about how he'd brutally murder the commander in chief. The page, which posted pro-Trump comments, also had more death threats against Biden's brother, Kamala Harris as well as Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. Meanwhile he shared numerous pictures of the heavy duty weapons he had stacked in a huge gun cache in his house, including sniper rifles and AR-15-style guns. Craig Robertson, 75, was gunned down on his doorstep by agents in Provo - an hour from Salt Lake City - after they were alerted to his posts about the president. Robertson had several photos of himself posing with weapons and wearing tactical gear on social media Craig Robertson, 75, was gunned down on his doorstep by agents in Provo - an hour from Salt Lake City - after they were alerted to his posts about the president Robertson shared numerous pictures online of the heavy duty weapons he had stacked in a huge gun cache in his house, including sniper rifles and AR-15-style guns In a social media post he sent on August 7, Robertson allegedly wrote: 'I hear Biden is coming to Utah. Digging out my hold Ghillie suit and cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle' Messages posted on what is believed to be his Facebook page on Tuesday included bloodthirsty content about how he'd brutally murder the commander in chief President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at Arcosa, a wind tower manufacturing facility, in Belen, New Mexico, on Wednesday morning The FBI raided his home in the early hours of Wednesday morning, just hours before Biden was due in the city for a series of speeches and visits. Special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at Robertson's house in Provo but ended up shooting and killing him at around 6:15 am. An FBI official said the raid was in connection with an investigation into alleged threats against President Joe Biden and other political figures in previous weeks. The threats involved plans to take physical action and the FBI deemed them 'credible.' Court documents show Robertson, who is a self-described 'MAGA TRUMPER,' threatened to 'inflict bodily harm' on Biden during his visit to Utah. He was facing charges of interstate threats, threats against the president and influencing, and impeding and retaliating against federal law enforcement officers by threat. In a social media post he sent on August 7, Robertson allegedly wrote: 'I hear Biden is coming to Utah. Digging out my hold Ghillie suit and cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle.' 'Welcome Baffoon in Chief!,' he concluded the post, which was written in bold black letters on a pink and purple swirly background. Robertson had a custom woodworking business but did not renew his license after it expired last year, according to state records The threats involved plans to take physical action and the FBI deemed them 'credible' An FBI official said the raid was in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged threats against President Joe Biden and other figures The page, which posted pro-Trump comments, also had more death threats against Biden's brother, Kamala Harris as well as Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg Court documents show Robertson threatened to 'inflict bodily harm' on Biden during his visit to Utah FBI officials and other law enforcement officers stand outside the home of Craig Robertson who was shot and killed by the FBI in a raid on his home On Wednesday, President Joe Biden attended 'Bidenomics' on clean energy and manufacturing at Arcosa Wind Towers in Belen, New Mexico On Wednesday, President Joe Biden attended 'Bidenomics' on clean energy and manufacturing at Arcosa Wind Towers in Belen, New Mexico. Biden is expected to arrive in Salt Lake City on Wednesday afternoon and stay overnight. Robertson's Facebook is filled with dark messages, mainly threatening violence toward Biden and other prominent democrats - as well as images glorifying guns. Just two days ago, Robertson posted: 'Hey FBI, you still monitoring my social media? Checking so I can be sure to have a loaded gun handy in case you drop by again.' In March, Robertson allegedly also threatened to murder New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who was overseeing the criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump. 'I'll be waiting in the courthouse parking garage with my suppressed Smith &Wesson M&P 9mm to smoke a radical fool prosecutor that should never have been elected,' he posted at the time. 'BYE, BYE, TO ANOTHER CORRUPT B______!!!' He has also insulted California Governor Gavin Newsom this week, in a bizarre post that reads: 'Gavin Newsom has been drinking toilet water for years especially right after his old lady takes a dump.' The investigation began in April and the US Secret Services became aware of it in June A Provo police officer walks away as FBI officials and other law enforcement officers stand outside the home of Craig Robertson who was shot and killed by the FBI in a raid on his home Robertson, who was accused of making threats against President Joe Biden, was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president was expected to land in the state Wednesday Law enforcement investigate the scene of a shooting involving the FBI Wednesday in Provo, Utah Special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence in Provo when they shot and killed Craig Deleeuw Robertson at around 6:15 am The majority of his social media posts revolve around the president or his son Hunter - many include violent and highly specific physical threats. 'In my dream I see Joe Biden's body in a dark corner of a DC parking garage with his head severed and lying in a huge puddle of blood. Hoorah,' he wrote in one disturbing example. For months, Robertson has posted daily threats on what is believed to be his Facebook page, revealing his obsession with the president and fantasies about hurting him. Another reads: 'There is only one creature in this universe I hate more than Joe Biden. It's Lucifer, Biden's brother!' While conducting surveillance on Robertson's home on March 19, a special agent attempted to speak with Robertson about his posts, according to Fox13. Robertson replied, 'I said it was a dream!' and told the agent to come back with a warrant. The investigation began in April and the US Secret Services became aware of it in June. 'The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously,' the FBI said in a statement. 'In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBI's Inspection Division. As this is an ongoing matter, we have no further details to provide.' Robertson had a custom woodworking business but did not renew his license after it expired last year, according to state records. On LinkedIn, Robertson said he worked for 45 years as a structural steel and welding inspector before retiring and starting his business, saying he specialized in 'custom designs.' A Miami suburb has brought in the use of vasectomies to battle its overpopulation of peacocks. Having been shielded by county laws for years, peacocks in the village of Pinecrest, Florida, have been allowed to overpopulate the area proving a nuisance for citizens. Now male peacocks in the area are set to be sterilized after the county commission approved a plan to humanely control the population. The pilot program will involve trappers hired by the town capturing the birds before shipping them a facility run by Veterinarian Don Harris while sedated. The hope is that they can then slow the population growth that's both beloved by some for its plumage and hated by others for their habits. County laws have protected the birds for decades, but a change in legislation is allowing one village to stop the population growth The pilot program will involve trappers hired by the town capturing the birds before shipping them a facility run by Veterinarian Don Harris In 2001, Miami-Dade County made the killing or capturing of them illegal but since then the birds have proved to be a nuisance for some. Last year the County Commission decided to lose their legal mandate and allowed cities to opt out of the rules if they present an appropriate plan for humanely removing the peacocks. Pinecrest has now become the first village to use this change in legislation to fight back against the birds. At a press conference last month announcing the plan, District 7 Commissioner Raquel Regalado said: 'Most people see one peacock and they're like, oh that's nice, two. 'We're talking about large numbers of birds that take up a lot of space and get very aggressive and protective of their nest. 'The upside of peacocks is they're beautiful. Everybody knows that. The downside is they can do damage to property. 'They will see their reflection in a car and attack the car. They roost on fences, on the tops of cars and on roofs. They do damage there. And they're vocal. Very vocal Regalado approved the plans for Harris to perform vasectomies on the birds, agreeing to pay $15,000 in equipment to perform them, and a further $7,500 per month to implement the plan. Vet Don Harris has been chosen to be in charge of the plan and will oversee the sterilization of the birds Harris said that the population had reached 'critical mass' and the birds are growing out of the capacity in the environment At the same press conference, Harris said: 'The population has reached critical mass so now we are seeing many more birds hit by cars, we are seeing many more attacked by dogs, they exceed carrying capacity of the environment. 'When that happens, they start getting hurt, they start getting sick, they start dying off. 'They're vocal, very vocal, at sunset and sunrise, so they can be a disturbance because of the noise they create. 'Lastly, they poop in peoples driveways, peoples sidewalks, and people have complained about slip and fall accidents. 'One male could father six, seven or ten nests. So if we can sterilize one male and keep him dominate, now we are preventing six to ten nests from reproducing. The birds have terrorized locals by scratching cars and defecating on their driveways, leading to slip and fall injuries 'The female will still lay the eggs, but they will be infertile. The procedure itself is incredibly benign compared to what is done with cats and dogs.' The trappings are set to start in the next few weeks, with the procedure taking just 90 minutes before they will then be released. Local Gerald Greenberg, who has about seven of the birds living in an oak tree in his front yard told the New York Times: ' I certainly wouldn't want to kill them. God no.' He added: 'We've got to do something.' Pinecrest resident David O. Markus also told the outlet that he considered the peafowl a 'plague' and one of them attacked his Tesla, leaving it scratched. Former Labour Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott has been slammed for saying migrants who drowned off Italy have 'indeed f***** off... to the bottom of the sea'. In a now-deleted tweet, the independent MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington wrote: 'These migrants have indeed f***** off. To the bottom of the sea,' as she shared a news story about a disaster in the Mediterranean. The post was a response to a comment made by Lee Anderson, the deputy chairman of the Conservative party, who earlier this week said asylum seekers complaining about being moved on to accommodation barge the Bibby Stockholm barge should 'f*** off back to France'. Forty-one people are believed to have died after a boat carrying migrants capsized off Tunisia in rough seas. Tory former minister Brendan Clarke-Smith tweeted: 'And to think that Sir Keir Starmer campaigned for this person to be made our Home Secretary. Former Labour Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott has been slammed for saying migrants who drowned off Italy have 'indeed f***** off... to the bottom of the sea' In a now-deleted tweet, the independent MP (pictured) for Hackney North and Stoke Newington wrote: 'These migrants have indeed f***** off. To the bottom of the sea,' as she shared a news story about the disaster in the Mediterranean Forty-one people are believed to have died after a boat carrying migrants capsized off Tunisia in rough seas. Pictured: The four survivors The post was a response to a comment made by Lee Anderson, the deputy chairman of the Conservative party, who earlier this week said asylum seekers complaining about being moved on to an accommodation barge should 'f*** off back to France'. Pictured: The Bibby Stockholm immigration barge in Portland Port 'We all know that you can't take Labour seriously on immigration or national security, but what a shame they also seek to exploit tragedies like this to push their warped agenda.' A Conservative spokesman said Ms Abbott's tweet was 'wrong'. A metal migrant boat carrying 45 people left Sfax, Tunisia on August 3, but the vessel was overturned by a huge wave hours into the journey. Survivors were taken to the island of Lampedusa on Wednesday after a rescue operation. Ms Abbott's tweet was not the first criticism she made of the Tory deputy chairman for his comments. Ms Abbott, who once served as shadow home secretary, had previously described Mr Anderson's comments as 'a new low even for the Tories'. But ministers have rallied around Ashfield MP Mr Anderson, with Justice Secretary Alex Chalk suggesting his 'indignation' was 'well-placed' after only 15 migrants had initially entered the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge. About six hours into their voyage from Tunisia, a huge wave overturned the vessel carrying the 45 people The International Organization of Migration said that the shipwreck brings to more than 1,800 the number of people dead and missing in the central Mediterranean A doctor who treated the four said they had sustained 'small wounds' and were suffering from dehydration The transfer of migrants on to the vessel has been mired in difficulty and delays amid safety concerns, local opposition and legal challenges. Ms Abbott had the Labour whip suspended in April for suggesting Jewish, Irish and traveller people are not subject to racism 'all their lives' in a letter to the Observer newspaper. Over the years she has been involved in a plethora of gaffes and controversies. Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed he will leave the Welsh Parliament at the next election in 2026. Mr Drakeford said he plans to step down as a member of the Senedd, where he currently represents the Cardiff West constituency, at the end of the current parliamentary term. Speaking at the National Eisteddfod in Boduan, north west Wales, Mr Drakeford said it was 'important to have a refresh'. According to the BBC, the Welsh First Minister said: 'I think it is difficult for those who will be doing the work in the future to have people like me sitting behind them. 'I don't want to do that. I think of it like Tony Benn - when he decided to leave the House of Commons, he said "I'm going to stop being an MP in order to spend more time in politics".' Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed he will leave the Welsh Parliament at the next election Mr Drakeford said he plans to step down as a member of the Senedd, where he currently represents the Cardiff West constituency, at the parliamentary term later this decade In a question and answer session with Elin Jones, the presiding officer of the Senedd, Mr Drakeford added: 'I'm not going to be a Member of the Senedd after 2026 but I am not going to step back from the debate or stop thinking about Wales' future.' Mr Drakeford was first elected to the Senedd in 2011 as the Member for Cardiff West. He served in various ministerial roles from 2013 under the leadership of Carwyn Jones, before succeeding him as First Minister and Welsh Labour leader in 2018. Mr Drakeford's televised appearances throughout the Covid pandemic to share details of Wales-specific public health measures are often credited with widening public awareness of the role of the Welsh Parliament and Government. Mr Drakeford said in December he will stand down as First Minister before the end of the Senedd term in 2026, although no firm date has yet been set to choose his successor. Prosecutors are confident DNA found on the pizza crust will yield more evidence Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann will have to submit a cheek swab for analysis, a judge has ruled - after a mitochondrial DNA profile from a pizza crust he discarded from his Manhattan office linked him to one of the murders. Aired by Judge Timothy Mazzei Wednesday, the ruling serves as a win for prosecutors who had fought for the motion - based on the belief the DNA found on the pizza crust and an accompanying napkin will yield more material evidence. The analysis will happen on August 15, Judge Mazzei said - roughly a month removed from the 59-year-old Long Islander's arrest outside his Midtown architectural firm. Incarcerated in a Suffolk County jail cell since, he stands accused of killing Megan Waterman, 22, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27, whose bodies were discovered on the stretch of Long Island beach in December 2010. The bodies of the women had been bound with belts or red tape and wrapped in burlap, which boasted DNA that matched samples taken from the discarded meal. Taken during cops' secret surveillance of Heuermann this past year, DNA is set to be a key factor in the case, due to the time between the murders and the architect's arrest. He is also the prime suspect of a fourth murder, but has yet to be charged. Rex Heuermann, 59, is accused of killing Megan Waterman, 22, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27, whose bodies were discovered near Gilgo Beach in 2010. He's been ordered to hand over a DNA sample prosecutors believe will link him to one of the murders Heuermann was linked to one of the killings through mitochondrial DNA profile from a pizza crust and a used napkin that he discarded from his Midtown Manhattan office 'In light of the foregoing, the court finds that a comparison of the defendants sample with the evidence obtained... the DNA found on the pizza crust and napkin, will yield probative material evidence,' court records credit Mazzei as saying. The jurist added of his decision: 'The Court finds that contrary to the defendants contentions, there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed the crimes charged and, therefore, a basis to compel the buccal swab.' The judge also revealed that one of Heuermanns attorneys will be present during the swab process - after fighting relentlessly to avoid such an analysis due to a supposed lack of evidence their client committed the crimes he's accused of. That said, prosecutors on Tuesday revealed some of the evidence that's been mounted against the suspected killer - which includes some 2,500 pages of documents, crime scene photographs, autopsy reports and hundreds of hours of video footage taken at Heuermann's home and office. That trove was laid bare in a brief preliminary hearing where prosecutors turned over four hard drives holding the evidence to the Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice and Heuermann's attorney, Michael Brown, following weeks of uncertainty as to how strong their case is. The judge scheduled the next pre-trial conference hearing for September 27, at which point the results from the swab will be in. Danielle Coysh, who is representing Heuermann, had argued the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office is a 'far cry' from the legal benchmark needed to force the architect to give in the swab, but was shot down Tuesday with Mazzei's order. 'The assertions contained in the people's moving papers might be construed as rising to the level of a reasonable suspicion, but that is a far cry from the standard of probable cause required to justify granting the order,' Coysh had said. Aired by Judge Timothy Mazzei Wednesday, the ruling serves as a win for prosecutors who had fought for the motion - based on the belief the DNA found on the discarded meal will yield more evidence. The jurist and Heuermann are seen in sketch from a hearing this past week Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to first-degree and second-degree murders. He was arrested on July 13 and remains in jail ahead of his trial A forensic photographer is seen bending over the tray of objects excavated from the back yard of Heuermann's house in Massapequa Park. Prosecutors say 'nothing of note' was discovered in the back yard, but on Tuesday said they have a trove of evidence against the suspect For more than a week following his July 14 arrest, investigators had been conducting an exhaustive search of the house It remains unclear which of victims the DNA was uncovered - a fact prosecutors will wait to reveal until the results of the swab are in. Brown, meanwhile, recently maintained that his client still says he is innocent - and is ready to fight the charges against him in court. He remains incarcerated without bail in a single sell at Suffolk County Correctional Facility - somewhere his kids and now ex-wife have so refused to visit. Both adults, the offspring of the suspected serial killer, Victoria Heuermann and step-stop Christopher Sheridan, are aged 26 and 33, respectively. In a statement from the siblings' attorney also aired Wednesday, they refused to rule out ever speaking to him again - but also said they would not rush into making a decision. The pair also refused to discuss the allegations against Heuermann, and declined to offer their opinions on his alleged crimes. Their mother, 59-year-old Asa Ellerup, has also yet to visit her former spouse, whom she divorced days after his arrest to 'protect herself' from any future lawsuits, her lawyer told DailyMail.com this week. That revelation - offering insight into the state of the family weeks after it was shattered by the headline-grabbing case - comes a little more than a week after the were seen returning to the ransacked Massapequa Park residence they had lived in with Heurmann since 1994. Aired in the form of a statement from the siblings' attorney Wednesday, Victoria Heuermann, 26, and step-brother, Christopher Sheridan, 33, said they are 'not foreclosing on' seeing their father in his Suffolk County incarceration, but will also not rush into making a decision Christopher, who was born from mom Asa Ellerup's previous marriage and reportedly has special needs, became emotional as he sat on a bench outside the property with his mother on July 27, the first time since they were allowed home since it was searched by the FBI last month The homecoming happened nearly two weeks after Heuermann was apprehended as a result of an in-depth probe enacted by federal investigators, and was somewhat marred by the mass of media seen at the site scrutinizing the family. Ellerup and her two children looked solemn as they arrived back at the torn-up property at 10.30am on July 27 - after it was searched by feds - with Suffolk County cops accompanying the clan back into the home before leaving about an hour later. Christopher, born from Ellerup's previous marriage, became emotional as he sat on a bench outside the property with his mother, who appeared similarly overwhelmed. The 59-year-old filed for divorce less than a week after her ex was detained - and while yet to physically visit her husband of more than 20 years, she told DailyMail.com that they have spoken over the phone. Speaking to The US Sun Wednesday - a day after Heuermann appeared in court for the first time since he was arraigned - the family's attorney, Vess Mitev, offered some insight into how her kids were handling the arrest and subsequent media attention. 'They're not foreclosing [seeing him] but nothing has been decided yet,' said Mitev, citing how 'there's an investigation ongoing. 'They're dealing with this on a minute-by-minute basis,' Mitev, of Stony Brook-based Mitev Law Firm, said. 'Anything could change at any time and they're mindful of that.' The update came less than a day removed from a revelation from Ellerup's own attorney, who told DailyMail.com the Iceland native's decision to split from Heuermann was largely a precaution to ensure she is not on the hook for prospective suits filed by victims' families. Speaking to DailyMail.com Wednesday from the family's home, she told DailyMail.com she doesn't 'want to walk down the street' anymore due to the mass of attention her and her children have been exposed to since moving back in. Their father, 59-year-old Rex Heuermann, appeared in court Tuesday on three murder charges, but said nothing as he stared at the judge and at his handcuffed wrists. He has yet to receive a visitor in prison Heuermann is being held at Suffolk County Correctional Facility away from other inmates, with a cell complete with a TV. Cops said the suspect has vowed to be 'compliant' as he awaits trial. Almost a month into his incarceration, he has yet to receive a visitor - family included Asa Ellerup and her two children looked solemn as they arrived back at the torn-up property at 10.30am on July 27 - after it was searched by feds - with Suffolk County cops accompanying the clan back into the home before leaving about an hour later The family's return came after they were forced out of the home they lived in with Heuermann for nearly 30 years so that law enforcement could search it over the course of 12 days Police have kept mum on what's been found at the family home, but described the search as 'fruitful' where evidence is concerned Daughter Victoria, meanwhile, worked with at her achirictect father's Big Apple firm as a receptionist The New York Times reported son Christopher has special needs. He is seen here after moving back in last month Christopher became emotional as he sat on a bench outside the property with his mother, who appeared similarly overwhelmed The neighbors want the house gone,' she said. 'They want it bulldozed. She became emotional discussing how she's tried to cope with the intense media scrutiny and neighborhood gossip. 'Look I dont want to walk down the street. I heard what people said about us. I heard it,' Ellerup, who had been married to her ex for more than 27 years before their split, she said as she began to cry. 'I heard the other people on the neighborhood. They want the house bulldozed,' she added, revealing how her neighbors were now put off by their proximity to a site where the suspect is believed to have commited unspeakable atrocities. 'Do you understand?' she asked over the phone, growing increasingly distraught. 'Please I can't talk anymore.' Her husband, meanwhile, stands accused of murdering at least three women - Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello -but detectives probing the case are wary there are more bodies that may be linked to him. The main suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who vanished in 2007, he has had no visitors at the Suffolk Country Correctional Facility where he's been imprisoned since his arrest - other than his lawyer. Officials at the facility have since said the allegde serial killer is 'very comfortable' in his cell, where he has a TV and is kept from other inmates - despite being on simulatenous suicide watch. His ex's lawyer, Bob Macedonio told DailyMail.com that Ellerup had been at home at the time of her husband's arrest outside his office in Midtown Manhattan, and that authorities simultaneously swooped in to search the residence. 'When they made the arrest, they executed the search warrants at exactly the same time, so there's no tipoff for anyone to destroy any kind of evidence,' Macedonio said. 'So as they're taking him down in Manhattan, there was already a team waiting on the house to do it as soon as they got him so he doesn't call and say 'hey.' The suspect's house sits directly north of Gilgo Beach across the South Oyster Bay The first victim, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, was discovered by Suffolk County Police on December 11, 2010. The body of Megan Waterman, 22, was found two days later Maureen Brainard-Barnes was 25 years old when she went missing (left). Amber Lynn Costello was 27 years old. Their bodies were found near Barthelemy's the same day An aerial view of the area near Gilgo Beach and Ocean Parkway on Long Island A 'major excavation' took place at Heuermann's Massapequa Park home. Pictured are State Police investigators gathering evidence at the scene Cops' investigation into the killings is still ongoing. Officers are seen outside the home late last month to prevent media from getting too close He said 'no comment' when asked if Ellerup had ever been aware of her husband's alleged crimes, but said she had talked with her spouse since his arrest. Ellerup - whose hair was found at one of the crime scenes but it not believed to be an accomplice - attended Farmingdale High School and married briefly in her 20s, divorcing in the early 1990s. It remains unclear if she had a professional life outside the home. Her daughter Victoria, meanwhile, worked with at her father's Big Apple firm as a receptionist. The New York Times reported son Christopher has special needs. With Heuermann's incarceration set to give away to an eventual trial, the family has been largely forced to remain within their home, rarely venturing out since being allowed back in after the FBI's and local authorities' extensive, 12-day search. Police have kept mum on what's been found at the family home, but described the search as 'fruitful' in terms of evidence. What is known is that police recovered more than 250 guns from the residence, and also discovered a walk-in vault in the basement. That said, cops' investigation into the killings is still ongoing, after linking ten sets of human remains found in Wantagh on April 15, 2011, to Heuermann. Police believe the victims were killed by the same person. LAs woke district attorney George Gascon has been accused of throwing the book at rapper Tory Lanez in a bid to fend off attacks on his soft-on-crime approach which has seen murderers and child abusers released years early. The Democrat DA demanded an increase on the maximum sentence available for the Canadian musician as he was jailed to 10 years on Tuesday for shooting his former lover Megan Thee Stallion in the feet. Gascons office had urged a 13-year sentence, claiming any less would endanger the public, but was accused of singling out the musician to save his own embattled career. Yet in the same state, killer Andres Cachu was freed after just five years in 2021 before being rearrested, while trans child abuser Hannah Tubbs secretly laughed about her two-year sentence in a juvenile facility for her assault on a 10-year-old girl. Defense attorney Matthew Barhoma blasted prosecutors for the disparity of seeking a 13-year sentence, which, he added, is quite a deviation from the LA DAs own sentencing policy. Controversial Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, at the Long Beach Pride 40th annual parade on Sunday (pictured) has been attacked for slashing criminals' jail time But there was no mercy for rapper Tony Lanez (left) as prosecutors sought the maximum sentence for his attack on former lover and fellow musician Megan Thee Stallion (right) This disparity is being sought out, just because hes Tory Lanez, he added. The fact that hes Tory Lanez is not a reason to seek enhancements of sentence. The prosecutor is reaching. Gascon made his name as DA in San Francisco where he co-authored notorious state senate bill Proposition 47 that slashed the number of crimes on the statute book. And he repeated the move while promising to abolish bail bonds on his first day in office in December 2020, pledging the release of hundreds of people from LA County jails. He said his prosecutors would no longer seek the death penalty, calling it 'racist', and pledged to stop the prosecution of juveniles as adults. He estimated some 20,000 state prison inmates would be considered for early release but his reforms have infuriated staff, leading to at least 140 unfilled roles and a backlog of 10,000 cases. 'The problem is, people started leaving because they became so fed up with his policies, so those of us who stayed are carrying two or three times the caseload,' one prosecutor told the NY Post. But it is his determination to keep young people out of the criminal justice system that has put his re-election in jeopardy and helped prompt a recall petition by victims' rights advocates that attracted more than 715,000 signatures last year. Gascon pleaded with judges to take triple murderer Raymond Butler (left) with his attorney off Death Row, while killer Andres Cachu (right) was out after just five years Andres Cachu was 17 when he murdered Louis Amela, 41, during a robbery in 2015. He was tried as an adult and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison in 2016. But Gascon agreed to Cachus release after just five years in 2021, a year before he was again arrested in a car chase while high on drugs and holding a gun. 'We are frustrated to see that he is struggling,' The DA's office said in a statement. Victor Bibiano, 30, arrested in April last year for the slaying of a homeless man in Pacoima, was released from prison in 2021 after serving just eight years of a life sentence for a double murder because Gascon refused to transfer his case from juvenile to adult court. Ands last year Gascon asked a judge to take triple murderer Raymond Butler off death row, 28 years after he shot Japanese film students Takuma Ito and Go Matsuura in the head. 'In my career as a prosecutor, I've never had victims' families actually hate us until I came into this office,' a former deputy DA told The Post. 'We are hated by all the victims because of lack of prosecution and low sentences because of his policies.' Even Gascon admitted that a two-year sentence in a juvenile facility may have been too short for a then 26-year-old trans woman Hannah Tubbs who sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl two weeks before her 18th birthday. But he suspended an attorney who 'misgendered' the abuser, who later gloated over the leniency of the sentence in a secretly recorded jailhouse call to her father. Tubbs, 27, who has also been accused of molesting another minor, was charged with murder in May this year in connection with a 2019 killing. Attorneys for Lanez (left) claimed his crime warranted probation, but Gascon (right) pushed for a 13-year jail term Yet the DA was determined to show no mercy to Lanez when the rapper went on trial in one of the most high-profile cases to reach court this year. In her emotional testimony during trial, Megan, 28, told the jury that she and Lanez with whom she'd been having a sexual relationship had been to a pool party July 12, 2020 at the home of Kylie Jenner and were in his SUV in the Hollywood Hills with Kelsey Harris when an alcohol-fueled argument erupted. Megan real name Megan Pete asked the driver to stop the car and she got out, which was when she said Lanez yelled 'Dance b***h' and fired a gun five times at her, injuring her feet so seriously that she needed surgery. She testified in court that Lanez offered her and Harris a million dollars to keep quiet about the shooting and asked them not to report him because he was already 'on probation.' Hannah Tubbs laughed off her two-year sentence in a juvenile facility for a sex assault on a 10-year-old girl, but Gascon suspended prosecutor Shea Sanna for 'misgendering' the abuser as a man Megan also said Lanez later apologized to her, claiming he was drunk at the time of the shooting. Lanez was found guilty of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, shooting a firearm in a grossly negligent manner and carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle. Speaking after sentencing on Tuesday Gascon insisted the case 'highlighted the numerous ways that our society must do better for women'. 'Thank you Deputy District Attorneys Kathy Ta and Alex Bott, and Victim Services Representative Cecilia Zamora who spent countless hours working to ensure justice was served.' The couple's foster license application was rejected by the state in April and they are now suing for 'discrimination' The DCF regulations clearly state foster parents must 'respecting a child's sexual orientation or gender identity' Devout Catholics Michael and Catherine Burke told the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families they would uphold their religious views on marriage and sexuality if they became foster parents A Catholic couple are suing Massachusetts after their application to become foster parents was denied over concerns they would not be 'affirming' to a child who identified as LGBTQ+. Court documents filed this week show that Catherine and her husband Michael Burke, who are devout Catholics, applied to be foster parents after experiencing 'the heartbreak of infertility.' However, their application was denied by Massachusetts Department of Children and Families in April after staff were concerned over the couple's responses to questions regarding care for an LGBTQ+ child. In their lawsuit the couple state that they 'believe that children should not undergo procedures that attempt to change their God-given sex, and they uphold Catholic beliefs about marriage and sexuality.' The couple, who both work at Catholic churches as musicians, believe their values are 'decent and honorable' and that the DCF's rejection of their foster license is 'discriminatory and unconstitutional.' Devout Catholics Michael and Catherine Burke told the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families they would uphold their religious views on marriage and sexuality if they became foster parents Linda Spears, the department's commissioner is named in the couple's discrimination lawsuit Massachusetts Department of Children and Families in April staff were allegedly concerned over the couple's responses to questions regarding care for an LGBTQ+ child The DCF's list of regulations for adopting or fostering a child, last updated in January, specifically state that foster parents must 'promote the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of a child placed in his or her care, including supporting and respecting a child's sexual orientation or gender identity.' The lawsuit argues that the DCF cannot use the standards 'to operate as a religious exclusion for potential foster parents.' Michael, who is an Iraq war veteran with PTSD, said in a statement: 'After months of interviews and training, and after years of heartbreak, we were on the verge of finally becoming parents. 'We were absolutely devastated to learn that Massachusetts would rather children sleep in the hallways of hospitals than let us welcome children in need into our home.' Becket Law, the firm representing the Burkes, said the couple became concerned during their home interviews that many of the department's questions were centered on their Catholic views about sexual orientation and gender dysphoria. 'It takes the heroic effort of parents like Mike and Kitty to provide vulnerable children with loving homes through foster care,' said Lori Windham, vice president and senior counsel at Becket. 'Massachusetts actions leave the Burkes, and families of other faiths, out in the cold. How can they explain this to children waiting for a home?' she added. Eleven DCF staff members were named as defendants in the lawsuit, including Linda Spears, the department's commissioner, and Kate Walsh, the secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. One of the most frequently used Russian helicopters used in Ukraine is the Ka-52 and the upgraded Ka-52M. What makes these helicopters so effective is their Lemur laser-guided anti-tank missile. With a range of 15 kilometers, the Lemur can be fired while beyond the range of Ukrainian anti-aircraft weapons. Despite that, about 40 Ka-52s have been lost in Ukraine since early 2022. The Ka-52 often flies low enough to be shot down with American or Ukrainian anti-tank missiles. Russia has produced about 200 Ka-52s, with 48 exported to Egypt and North Macedonia. Russia has also sent about half a dozen of their new Mi-28NM combat helicopters to Ukraine, where they expect to thrive and survive using new weapons and countermeasures. Not many Russian helicopters have been seen in Russian occupied Ukraine since so many were destroyed during the first months of fighting. At the time of the invasion the Russian air force had about 1,500 helicopters. Most (74 percent) were older transport helicopters though many were recent versions of the Cold War era Mi-8 transports and Mi-24 gunships. This helicopter force seemed formidable but the Russians had a shortage of pilots and maintainers. Most of the available pilots and maintainers were assigned to operate the 400 more recent models that had been introduced since 2006. These were the ones sent to Ukraine where they received their first real combat test against modern anti-aircraft weapons and aircraft. The new Russian helicopters did not do well. The KA-52 gunship (introduced in 2011) was thought to be well equipped to handle modern portable anti-aircraft missiles like the American Stinger. The Americans had updated the Stinger more than the anti-missile defenses of the Ka-52 could handle. Transport helicopters were even more vulnerable. After eight months of combat Russia had lost nearly a hundred helicopters, mainly to ground fire. There were also losses due to accidents and mechanical failures. It was obvious that the most modern Russian designs were not up to the demands of combat against well-equipped opponents. Losses continued to the present. The Ukraine fighting was the first time Russian helicopters had to face a near-peer adversary and losses were much higher than when used against irregular forces in Syria and other areas. Among the ambitious building plans that were derailed was the 2007 decision to replace the 250 Mi-24 helicopter gunships with 300 of the more recent Mi-28s. The Mi-24 is a twelve-ton aircraft based on the Cold War era Mi-8/17 transport. The U.S. did the same thing with the AH-1, developing it from the UH-1 "Huey." But rather than adopt the two-seater (one pilot behind the other) approach of the AH-1 and AH-64 Apache, the Mi-24 could still carry troops or cargo in the back, and was not as nimble as the AH-1. The 11-ton Mi-28 looks more like the AH-64. That's because, by the end of the 1960s, the Russians realized that the AH-1 design was superior. For several years, there was intense competition to decide which of its two new helicopter gunship designs (the Ka-50/52 and Mi-28N) to standardize on. The 2007 decision settled the matter. About 50 Mi-28s were purchased by 2014 but plans to have 300 in service by 2019 were canceled because of the sanctions. Meanwhile over a hundred of the cheaper Ka-52s were built. Russia has used two new helicopter gunships in Syria. The widely known one, the replacement for the 1960s Mi-24, is the Mi-28. Then some of the Ka-52s showed up in doing the same job as the Mi-28. Ka-52 is an all-weather helicopter that is a two-seat version of the Ka-50, which was originally designed as a scout helicopter for the army and a navalized version for warships. Yet the Ka-52 weighs 11 tons, twice what a Western scout helicopter usually weighs. Ka-52 has a top speed of 350 kilometers an hour and can carry up to two tons of weapons or additional fuel. Normal operating range is 260 kilometers, but with additional fuel tanks, it can stay in the air for up to four hours. Weapons carried include 30mm or 23mm automatic cannon, plus bombs, missiles and rockets. Missiles used in Syria included 9M120 (AT-9) which is similar to the U.S. Hellfire and entered service in the mid-1980s. Also used were unguided 80mm rockets. The Ka-52 also comes equipped with electronic countermeasures systems for protection from the Russian shoulder fired surface-to-air missiles some rebel groups have. The Ka-52 is similar to the U.S. AH64 Apache, which weighs ten tons and can carry about the same number of weapons. However, the AH-64 has a lower max speed (300 kilometers an hour) and has a lot more combat experience. Developed a decade before the Ka-50, there are over a thousand AH-64s in service. To deal with this, the Ka-52 sells for 30 percent less than a comparable model of the AH-64. Once the Ka-52 had some successful combat experience it seemed to be a more attractive alternative to the AH-64. In 2010 Russia began equipping Ka-52 helicopters with an improved (Arbalet) radar. This gave the Ka-52 an all-weather targeting system. The Ka-52 is an upgrade from the original Ka-50 variant. The Russian army bought over 40 Ka-50 helicopter gunships. Some saw action in Chechnya. The Ka-50 is not considered a replacement for the Mi-24 gunship, but rather as a scout helicopter. The Ka-50 weighs 11 tons, has a top speed of 350 kilometers an hour and can carry up to two tons of weapons or additional fuel. Normal operating range is 260 kilometers, but with additional fuel tanks, it can stay in the air for up to four hours. The Ka-52 variant initially had two seats, so that a commander could be carried. Normally, the Ka-50/52 operates with one pilot. Weapons carried include 30mm or 23mm automatic cannon, plus bombs, missiles and rockets. Despite its designation as a scout helicopter, the Ka-50 is similar to the U.S. AH64 Apache, which weighs ten tons and can carry about the same number of weapons. However, the AH-64 has a lower max speed (300 kilometers an hour) and has a two-man crew. Developed a decade before the Ka-50, there are over a thousand AH-64s in service. To deal with this, the Ka-52 sells for a third or more less than a comparable model AH-64. U.S. scout helicopters weigh less than three tons, but the Russians expect their attack helicopters to operate as scouts as well as combat helicopters. The ex-husband of the woman at the centre of a deadly mushroom lunch that killed his parents and aunt 'suspected' she may have poisoned him in the past, according to a newspaper report. Simon Patterson believed his ex-wife Erin Patterson had tried to poison him through an 'ingested toxin' from nightshade plants which include potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants, the Herald Sun reports. His friend told the publication: 'Simon suspected he had been poisoned by Erin. 'There were times he had felt a bit off and it often coincided when he spent time with her.' Daily Mail Australia doesn't suggest Erin tried to poison Simon, only that he has made the allegation. The consumption of nightshade plants containing poisonous alkaloids can be fatal. Other sources have told Daily Mail Australia Mr Patterson did not know the cause of a mystery stomach illness that almost killed him last year. Simon spent 21 days in intensive care after collapsing at his home in May 2022. It was revealed earlier this week that Simon had been invited by Erin to the fateful mushroom lunch at her Leongatha home in Victoria's South Gippsland region but pulled out at the last minute. It's understood Erin Patterson initially told police during an interview that she bought the mushrooms from a grocer in the Leongatha area Simon Patterson (pictured) reportedly told a friend that he suspected he had been poisoned by his estranged wife Erin in the past, according to The Herald Sun Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms. Erin was previously married to their son, Simon 'I collapsed at home then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation,' Simon wrote in a Facebook post. 'My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice as I was not expected to live. 'I was in intensive care for 21 days, after which I was in the general ward for a week, and now I'm at a rehab place.' It's understood Simon, who is aged in his 40s and has hired a media adviser, spoke to family and friends about his suspicions of being poisoned following his recovery. Simon's medical records are now expected to be examined by detectives, The Australian reported. A close family source claimed Simon and Erin separated years ago but that he tried to keep the relationship stable for their children's sake. 'I think he was really trying to facilitate a healthy co-parenting arrangement,' they said. 'Basically all of his choices and everything he was doing was to keep things stable for the kids.' The development comes as Erin told investigators she bought the fungi from a local shop and did not forage them. Erin, 48, invited her former in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, and Gail's sister and her husband, Heather and Ian Wilkinson, for lunch at her home in Leongatha, Victoria, on July 29. Mr Wilkinson is the only one who didn't die and is now fighting for his life in hospital as he awaits a liver transplant. Investigators probing the unexplained deaths on Wednesday afternoon swooped on a nearby rubbish tip to retrieve what could be a key piece of evidence. It is understood police were seeking to review CCTV footage from the rubbish tip, in order to see which vehicles entered the dump site. Detectives were spotted at the same junkyard near Koonwarra on Tuesday, when officers retrieved a food dehydrator. The uncommon kitchen implement was believed to have been used in the preparation of the fatal lunch. Daily Mail Australia has been told forensic testing is underway. A letter, written on behalf of the Wilkinson and Patterson families, is on display there at the church Loved ones visited the church on Wednesday as their pastor fights for life in hospital It's not clear whether Erin ate the same food as her guests, and her two children had different food to the adults. It's understood Erin initially told police during an interview that she bought the mushrooms from a grocer in the Leongatha area, 7News reports. She has since given police a 'no comment' interview during which she refused to say where the mushrooms were from. Daily Mail Australia understands no mushroom product recalls have been made by local shops. It comes as grieving loved ones have left flowers at the Korumburra Baptist Church, where Mr Wilkinson, who is still fighting for life, is a pastor Flowers were dropped off at the church where one of the guests at the fatal lunch is a pastor at Erin has denied any wrongdoing and no charges are expected to be laid at this stage of the investigation, although she remains a person of interest. Grieving loved ones have left flowers at the Korumburra Baptist Church, where Mr Wilkinson, who is still fighting for life, is a pastor. A letter, written on behalf of the Wilkinson and Patterson families, is on display there. 'It is with profound sadness we share the news of a tragic event that has deeply affected our families, friends and church community,' the note read. 'Our beloved family members were cherished individuals. They were parents, grandparents, siblings, children and pillars of faith within our community. 'Their love, steadfast faith and selfless service have left an indelible mark on our families, the Korumburra Baptist Church, the local community and indeed people around the globe.' The above family tree shows the connections between the Pattersons and Wilkinsons embroiled in the unusual poisoning tragedy in Leongatha A neighbour of Gail and Don Patterson told Daily Mail Australia that Simon had lived with his parents after splitting with his wife, but moved out late last year. 'Sunday morning we saw the ambulance pull into their driveway and we didn't know what was happening,' he said. 'They'd been very sort of mobile people. They were always out doing their own lawns. They were pretty active. Don used to go for walks every morning.' The neighbour, who did not wish to be named, described his neighbours as kind people, who did maintain contact with their son's ex-wife even after the split. 'He was a pretty good sort of a person who wouldn't hold those grudges. I don't know the reason they were there, but probably to see their grandkids,' he said. Simon Patterson lived with his parents while recovering from a serious stomach problem Mushrooms seen on the family home at Leongatha in Victoria's Gippsland region News of the tragic deaths has been the talk of the small rural community. with allegations Simon may have suffered a serious stomach injury. The Patterson's neighbour told Daily Mail Australia Simon had been living with his parents while recovering from that illness. 'After his illness, there might have been a separation,' he said. 'We don't know why they split up. They were a very private family.' Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Erin was responsible for Simon's illness or the three deaths. She had returned home on Wednesday, but remained holed-up inside behind the safety of a large electric gate. Homicide detectives searched the property on Saturday as part of their investigation, seizing a number of items. On Tuesday, Erin was confronted by a media contingent keen for answers. Erin Patterson refused to answer questions about what she had cooked her guests But the stay-at-home mum provided few, telling reporters to get off her property. 'What happened is devastating and I'm grieving too and you guys don't have any respect for that,' she said. Erin was forced to navigate around a media scrum to enter her front door. 'Can I just get to my door, stop standing in front of me,' she said. Erin refused to answer what dish she served her guests, who are believed to have ingested poisonous mushrooms. A black dog rushed out of Erin's home as she opened the front door, infuriating her further. 'You don't have any permission to be on my private property or harass me,' she said. 'This kind of behaviour will send someone right off a bridge.' Asked 'How she was going' by a reporter, Ms Patterson stated the obvious. 'I'm going ****house. Thanks for asking. You guys aren't helping,' she responded. Moments later, Erin was seen loading a suitcase into the boot of her red MG and leaving. The property where the deadly lunch occurred at Leongatha, in Victoria's Gippsland region The home of Gail and Don Patterson remained empty on Wednesday Erin Patterson hauls a suitcase into her red MG before driving off Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became severely ill after they ate wild mushrooms. Mrs Wilkinson died on Friday while her husband remains in a critical condition in hospital Three high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel were sanctioned Wednesday by the U.S. Treasury Department for trafficking drugs, including fentanyl in to America. The suspects, Alfonso Arzate, his brother, Rene Arzate and Rafael Felix, all operate plazas for the transnational criminal organization that was co-founded by Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. The sanctions block any assets the three men may have in the United States. In addition, U.S. citizens are prohibited from having any dealings with them. The Arzate siblings, who remain fugitive, reportedly run the cartel's operations in Tijuana and other neighboring cities, importing narcotics, including the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, to the United States. Sinaloa Cartel members Alfonso Arzate (left) and his brother Rene Arzate (right) were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday for allegedly trafficking drugs, including fentanyl, to the United States The Arzate brothers, according to the U.S. Treasury Department are in charge of the Sinaloa Cartel's plaza in Tijuana and other cities According to the Treasury Department, Alfonso Arzate and Rene Arzate have also participated in kidnappings and murders for the notorious cartel. Both men were separately indicted for drug trafficking charges by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in July 2014. Felix, also known as "The Anthrax Monkey," a nickname he picked up as a hitman for the Los Anthrax, an enforcer unit for the Sinaloa Cartel, took a senior role within the organization after the 2013 arrest of gang leader, Rodrigo "Chino Anthrax' Arechiga. He was also indicted on drug trafficking charges in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in July 2014 and was arrested by Mexican authorities in November 2014. However, Felix and other Sinaloa Cartel members fled from a Culiacan, Sinaloa jail in 2017 and remain at large. Rafael Felix was a member of Los Anthrax, a hit squad for the Sinaloa Cartel before he rose in the organization's leadership structure and became one of the leader of the cartel's in the Pacific coast state of Colima The Sinaloa Cartel's Colima plaza is currently led by Rafael Felix, who was sanctioned Wednesday by the U.S. Treasury Department Since then, Felix has escalated within the leadership ranks of the Sinaloa Cartel, becoming one of the leaders of the organization's turf in Manzanillo, Colima, the Treasury Department said. The city's port is a strategic location for the cartel's operations as it receives cocaine from Colombia and the precursor chemicals from Asia, which are needed to synthesize fentanyl. Manzanillo also functions as a hub for narcotics that are headed to the United States. The sanctions against the Arzate clan and Felix come less than a month after the Treasury Department sanctioned ten Mexican nationals, including El Chapo's brother-in-law, for the production and trafficking of fentanyl. The Drug Enforcement Administration has confiscated more than 46 million fake pills laced with fentanyl in 2023 The suspects, including Noel Lopez, the brother of El Chapo's second wife Griselda Lopez, are allegedly linked to Los Chapitos, the jailed drug lord's four sons, who control half of the cartel. Drug Enforcement Administration figures show that the agency has confiscated more than 46 million fake pills laced with fentanyl and more than 6,900 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2023. In comparison, the DEA seized more than 58.3 million fentanyl-laced pills and more than 13,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. The Eton head has also created the role of 'director of inclusion education' Eton's head master has denied that an 'ideological framework' is being taught to pupils. Simon Henderson, 47, hit back at critics who say he has a progressive agenda at the elite private school saying he is 'not a revolutionary'. It comes after he was accused of launching an 'aggressively woke' cultural revolution in an effort to overhaul the 583-year-old institution. This included creating a new role of 'director of inclusion education' to oversee diversity efforts. Speaking on the Big Fish podcast, which is hosted by Spencer Matthews, Mr Henderson, nicknamed Trendy Hendy, said: 'Eton has a particular place in the public consciousness. From time to time when there have been difficult moments I think some people have latched on to that. I would not say that I'm a revolutionary. Eton's head master Simon Henderson (pictured) hit back at critics who say he has a progressive agenda at the elite private school saying he is 'not a revolutionary' Simon Henderson was accused of launching an 'aggressively woke' cultural revolution in an effort to overhaul Eton College (pictured) 'From time to time when there have been difficult moments I think some people have latched on to that. I would not say that I'm a revolutionary. 'I always raise a bit of a wry smile when people describe me as woke because I'm pretty institutionalised. 'I do think there's a danger that in society in general, fuelled by some politicians, people are trying to put you into polarised, binary positions, you either think this, or you think that, you're either right or you're wrong. 'I think the word woke, what does it mean? I think it's become a very pejorative phrase that is an easy label to apply to things you don't like or that you disagree with. 'I think most people recognise that on complex, emotive, human related social issues, there aren't often easy answers and it is complex and nuanced and you need to take a nuanced approach. 'If by woke people mean I believe in kindness, understanding, respect, tolerance, treating people decently, trying to have empathy, trying to understand things from other people's perspectives then, guilty as charged. 'But there's no ideological framework that we're trying to indoctrinate young people in which you sometimes get accused of.' Mr Henderson faced backlash in 2020 when the school sacked an English teacher following a dispute over a lecture. The 46,000-a-year institution made headlines after firing Will Knowland over a controversial lecture on the Patriarchy Paradox which he refused to take down from his YouTube account. Mr Henderson faced backlash in 2020 when Eton College (pictured) sacked an English teacher following a dispute over a lecture. Later that year, the school also faced outrage from parents who claimed that children were being indoctrinated by a 'partisan, political' woke agenda. Nestled in Berkshire, the elite public school has educated 20 of Britain's prime ministers with alumni including Boris Johnson and David Cameron. The Prince and Princess of Wales are also considering sending Prince George to the school, which educated both William and Harry. Mr Henderson, who became the youngest ever head when appointed in 2015 aged just 39, added: 'We do celebrate Pride every year, we do celebrate Black History Month those things are, I think, important. 'Why wouldn't we celebrate the experience of significant groups within our community, some of whom have perhaps been marginalised over time. 'So, those are things we're proud to do and I think part of being a modern institution.' A private hospital has been accused of 'alienating' women after using the term 'patients of childbearing potential' to label them. Cromwell Hospital in London has been criticised after the de-gendered form from its radiology department, which is given to staff and patients, was shared online. On the document it asks 'patients of childbearing potential' to say if they could be pregnant and note the 'start of your last menstrual period', the Telegraph reports. It has sparked backlash from women's rights campaigners, who have accused the south Kensington hospital - which is run by Bupa - of increasing the likelihood of mistakes being made by asking 'nonsensical questions'. But hospital insists it is 'proud' to be inclusive and it is 'important our patients feel safe', adding all materials 'comply with industry standards'. Cromwell Hospital (pictured) has come under fire after referring to women as 'patients of childbearing potential' In the document it asks 'patients of childbearing potential' for the date their last menstrual period started The document was shared online by James Esses, a former Childline counsellor who was booted from the charity after questioning its links to the trans lobby. Writing on Twitter today, he said: 'Have just been sent this by a patient at London's Cromwell Hospital. 'According to staff there, the term 'women' has been replaced by "Patients of Childbearing Potential", on the basis of "inclusivity". 'Alienating over half the population in the name of "inclusivity"' The query on the document has been labelled 'nonsensical' by Maya Forstater, the executive director of campaign group Sex Matters. She told the Telegraph: 'Healthcare records should show everyone's sex clearly and accurately. "Patients with childbearing potential" are women. There is no point in being coy about sex. 'We are seeing this kind of thing all over as NHS organisations decide not to record patients' sex because they are afraid of falling foul of the criminal penalties in the Gender Recognition Act. 'Going around the houses with nonsensical questions about "childbearing potential" is not necessary and it makes it more likely that mistakes will be made.' READ MORE HERE: More than a third of Brits do not know transgender women are biologically male, poll finds Advertisement Philip Luce, chief executive at Cromwell Hospital, told the publication: 'We are proud to be an inclusive hospital, welcoming patients across all diversity groups. It is important that our patients feel safe and their medical care is tailored to their needs. 'It's essential that we know if someone is pregnant ahead of an MRI scan. All our materials and practices comply with industry standards so that our patients receive the most safe standards of care.' It comes after it was revealed NHS managers at one trust had been told not to sympathise with female colleagues worried about sharing toilets with biological males. Thousands of workers at a hospital trust in the North East were given a woke handbook which forbids team leaders using phrases such as 'I understand your concerns' to anyone who complains about the issue. The 38-page document, which applies to more than 8,300 doctors, nurses and support staff, also says that it is discriminatory not to use a trans or non-binary person's preferred pronoun. Under the 'Transitioning at Work and Gender Diversity Policy', staff are told it is transphobic to 'deliberately use the name a Trans colleague had prior to transition'. They are also told it is offensive to ask a trans or non-binary person questions such as 'which bathrooms do you use?' It led to South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust being accused of unlawfully discriminating against employees with gender-critical views, with critics calling it 'a recipe for bullying women'. A former chief immigration officer believes he has been cancelled by NatWest for political reasons after speaking out on TV about the cross-channel illegal migrant problem. Kevin Saunders, who is retired and aged in his 70s but previously led the Border Force operation in Calais, was stunned to receive a letter from his bank informing him that his account would be closed. He said he has had no financial problems and no reason was given. Speaking on GB News to Nigel Farage, who is spearheading a campaign to stop debanking, he said: I just got a letter totally out of the blue last Thursday saying basically we are closing your account youve got six months to find another account, thank you very much and goodbye. Mr Saunders said he was absolutely gobsmacked to read the letter and recalled Mr Farages highly-publicised dispute with the NatWest group. Kevin Saunders (pictured), a former chief immigration officer, believes he has been cancelled by NatWest for political reasons after speaking out on TV about the cross-channel illegal migrant problem He previously led the Border Force operation in Calais, was stunned to receive a letter from his bank informing him that his account would be closed The ex-immigration chief has appeared on the news channel to discuss the migrant issue and thought that must be connected to the decision. He commented: I wonder if the bank dont like me very much, I cant think of any other reason. A suggestion that the decision was connected to his mortgage coming to an end just doesnt hold water as he finished paying it off over ten years ago, he said. Cancelling for political reasons is the only assumption that I can make, he said. Adding to Mr Farage: I was shocked, I am not a huge media star like yourself, I dont bank at Coutts, I dont have lots of money stuck in the bank, why pick on me I am the small man. Mr Saunders said he has been with his bank for a long time, his account is in credit and he receives a small amount of interest. Commenting: Its a lot of hassle to change your bank account. Last year Mr Saunders appeared on national TV news to suggest the government look at the option to put illegal migrants on a cruise ship and take them back to where they came from. He has also said Britain should make the country more unattractive to deter migrants arriving here. NatWest said: We are contacting some customers to inform them of our decision to withdraw a legacy product that they hold with us. However, we hold a full range of current account products that we are continually investing in to enhance the customer experience. We are getting in touch directly with impacted customers to explain the steps they need to take. Three people were rushed to a Phoenix hospital on Wednesday in critical condition after a white car plowed into a kidney dialysis center. Fire officials say two women and one man were sent to area hospitals with critical injuries following the 1pm crash at a Fresenius Kidney Care near 19th Avenue and Dunlap. All of the victims were in their 30s and 40s, authorities told FOX 10. Footage from the crash scene shows a hold in the side of the dialysis center building, where staff members could be seen wheeling out other patients through the wreckage. Police are now investigating what may have caused the crash. Phoenix Fire Department officials were on the scene of the Fresnius Kidney Center after a white car plowed into the building Three people were transported to the hospital in critical condition after the crash All of the victims were in their 30s and 40s, fire officials said Patients who witnessed the crash said it sounded like a bomb went off, describing a 'big bang,' 'a lot of chaos' and a shaking building. 'I saw the car come crashing through the glass. It swooped up the patients,' one patient told AZ Family. 'It sounded like an explosion. It didnt sound like no car crash, it sounded like a bomb. Boom, boom, boom.' Anthony Rader, another patient, said he was just 'inches' away from the crash site. 'I was watching my TV and all of a sudden, I see the car burst through the glass, pushing three people all the way into the back room. It was out of nowhere,' he said. 'I'm kind of freaking out myself,' Rader added. 'If I hadn't come in early, I would have been number four. I was supposed to sit on that side and I got here early.' In a statement, Fresnius Kidney Care said: 'The safety and security of the patients we serve and our employees is our top priority. 'The West Dunlap Avenue clinic will remain closed while we assess facility damage in collaboration with local city officials.' It added 'our hearts and prayers are with those who were affected.' Mr Mercer said he will investigate cases of Afghan heroes left sleeping rough A minister has pledged to personally investigate any cases of Afghan heroes left sleeping rough due to the Governments hotel evictions programme. Johnny Mercer, the veterans affairs minister, will act if such people are still homeless at the end of this month. Thousands of Afghans who worked for the UK before the Taliban takeover as translators for the British military and in other roles are currently living in 55 hotels across the UK. All have been told they must leave by the end of August, with their plight highlighted by the Daily Mails award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign. Mr Mercer, who served three tours in Afghanistan as an Army officer, said: I will have failed if any Afghans end up rough sleeping. If I do find any, I will drive there myself and find out what on Earth has gone wrong. Johnny Mercer, the veterans affairs minister, will act if such people are still homeless at the end of this month. He is pictured arriving for a cabinet meeting at Downing Street in February Johnny Mercer has pledged to personally investigate any cases of Afghan heroes left sleeping rough due to the Governments hotel evictions programme. He is pictured meeting veterans in 10 Downing Street in December last year There is no reason why any Afghan family should be rough sleeping in this country as a result of this policy. Mr Mercer revealed hotels for those handed refugee status through the official programmes are costing 1million a day. He said 440-plus Afghans have been matched with new accommodation in the past week. But the minister accused opposition parties and local authorities of failing to engage in the re-housing scheme, saying: There are some who want to play politics off the backs of some of the poorest people in the country. I have absolutely nothing but disdain for them. Mr Mercer added: This is an unprecedented effort to get Afghans out of hotels to accommodation. We will find homes for all of them. An irritated President Joe Biden again insisted he 'never' talked about business with son Hunter as he finally addressed allegations he was involved in lucrative foreign deals. Biden snapped at Fox News' Peter Doocy for asking a 'lousy question' about the claims he was used to peddle influence when he was vice president. Doocy confronted the president and said: 'There's this testimony now where one of your son's former business associates is claiming that you were on speaker phone a lot talking business.' The White House correspondent was referring to claims by Archer that Joe had been on speakerphone or present in-person around 20 times while Hunter was meeting associates to finalize bringing in millions. Biden responded: 'I never talked business...I knew you'd have a lousy question'. 'Why is that a lousy question?' Doocy asked. 'Because it's not true', Biden clapped back before walking off. His response came hours after Republicans released new bank statements detailing payments from Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan to the Biden family and associates. 'There's this testimony now where one of your son's former business associates is claiming that you were on speaker phone a lot talking business,' said Fox News' Peter Doocy asked Hunter's former business partner Archer testified to the House Oversight Committee last week that the then-vice president had been present on speakerphone or in-person around 20 times over 10 years while Hunter was meeting with associates. Archer did not claim to have ever heard Joe Biden discussing business but said Hunter would use his father as a flex - and hearing the voice of the vice president on speed dial was enough to sell the 'brand' to foreign executives. 'I can definitively say at particular dinners or meetings, he knew there were business associates,' Archer told Fox News' Tucker Carlson last week in an interview following his testimony. 'I don't know if it was an orchestrated call in or not. It certainly was powerful, though, because, you know, if you're sitting with a foreign businessperson and you hear the vice president's voice, that's prize enough,' Archer went on. 'Sometimes it was the call was coming in and the speaker would go on,' Archer said, detailing the conversations. 'You understand D.C. right? So the power to have that access in that conversation - it's not in a scheduled conference call and that's a part of your family. That's like the pinnacle of power in D.C.' He had told the committee of the conversations: 'If his dad calls him at dinner and he picks up the phone, then there's a conversation. And the, you know, the conversation is generally about the weather and, you know, what it's like in Norway or Paris or wherever he may be.' Through the investment and policy advisory firm Archer and Hunter Biden led together - Rosemont Seneca - Hunter led on 'government regulatory issues,' said Archer. 'Did Hunter have regulation expertise?' asked Carlson. 'I think he led a team that did,' said Archer, noting that the work Hunter did was primarily knowing who to call. Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov and Kenes Rakishev pictured at Cafe Milano On Wednesday the Oversight Committee released a bank records memo detailing the $3.5 million that billionaire Yelena Baturina wired to Rosemont Seneca, which was transferred through other accounts that Archer and Hunter had direct access to. Baturina, the wife of a former Moscow mayor, attended a dinner with then-VP Biden, Hunter and Archer shortly after in 2014 and was not among the Russian oligarchs slapped with sanctions over the war in Ukraine. The records also show a wire for the exact amount Hunter paid for a ritzy sports car - $142,300 - coming in one day before he transferred it out to buy the vehicle. That wire came from Kazakh oil oligarch Kenes Rakishev - who also had a dinner with the vice president around the same time. The complete devastation of an idyllic Hawaii's historic town has been laid bare after massive wildfires ripped through the tourist hotspot and burned everything in its path to cinders. The Maui wildfires have claimed six lives and left 20 people gravely injured in an 'unprecedented' disaster for Lahaina - and the infernos have knocked out cell service and left families stranded. Some 4,000 tourists are also understood to be stuck on the island desperate to leave before the fires spread any further. There are also three wildfires burning on the Big Island. People have been seen hurling themselves into the ocean to escape the blaze. Joe Biden called for Federal aid to reach Hawaii on Wednesday evening, and said the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy Third Fleets and U.S Marines are supporting response and rescue efforts. Tourists are all expected to flock to the Kahului Airport, where 2,000 people slept overnight in a shelter, in the coming days. A man sits in a chair amid the total destruction of the island. Joe Biden called for Federal aid to reach Hawaii on Wednesday evening Aerial footage of the devastating effects of the wildfires over the island. Smoke is seen billowing into the sky Some 4,000 tourists are also understood to be stuck on the island desperate to leave before the fires spread any further. There are also three wildfires were burning on the Big Island Drought and high winds from Hurricane Dora are causing fires across Hawaii and are prompting evacuations across the state Wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui caused some people to jump into the ocean on Tuesday to escape the flames and smoke Mayor Richard Bissen Jr confirmed the devastating fatalities: 'Im sad to report that just before coming on this, it was confirmed weve had 6 fatalities. We are still in a search and rescue mode. 'Weve had many dwellings businesses, structures that have been burned, many of them to the ground. 'As a result of three fires that have occurred that are continuing here on our island we have had 13 evacuations from different neighborhoods and towns, weve had 16 road closures, weve opened five shelters.' The town of Lahaina is all but destroyed. Devastating videos showed desperate residents jumping into the harbor to avoid the flames last night. Power remains out for 12,627 Hawaiians, and the fires are ongoing. James Kunane Tokioka, the states business, economic development and tourism director, said: 'Local people have lost everything. 'Theyve lost their house, theyve lost their animals and its devastating.' The National Weather Service has warned that more destruction is on the way. Initiating a red flag warning, it said on Wednesday afternoon: 'Very dry fuels combined with strong and gusty easterly winds and low humidities will produce critical fire weather conditions through the afternoon hours.' Satellite images shows a overview of southern Lahaina on Maui, Hawaii, on June 25, 2023, left, and an overview of the same area on Wednesday, August 9, following a wildfire that tore through the heart of the Hawaiian island There are currently 12,627 households without electricity in Maui An arial view of buildings damaged in Lahaina, Hawaii as a result of a large wildfire which has killed six people The town of Lahaina is all but destroyed. Devastating videos showed desperate residents jumping into the harbor to avoid the flames last night Power remains out for thousands of Hawaiians, and the fires are ongoing Smoke billows near Lahaina as wildfires driven by high winds destroy a large part of the historic town of Lahaina US President Joe Biden said in a statement: 'Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones in the wildfires in Maui, and our prayers are with those who have seen their homes, businesses, and communities destroyed. 'We are grateful to the brave firefighters and first responders who continue to run toward danger, putting themselves in harms way to save lives. 'I have ordered all available Federal assets on the Islands to help with response. The Hawaiian National Guard has mobilized Chinook Helicopters to help with fire suppression and search and rescue on the Island of Maui. 'The U.S. Coast Guard and Navy Third Fleets are supporting response and rescue efforts. The U.S. Marines are providing Black Hawk Helicopters to fight the fires on the Big Island. 'The Department of Transportation is working with commercial airlines to evacuate tourists from Maui, and the Department of the Interior and the United States Department of Agriculture stand ready to support post fire recovery efforts. The Maui wildfires have claimed six lives and left 20 people gravely injured in an 'unprecedented' disaster for Lahaina 'I urge all residents to continue to follow evacuation orders, listen to the instructions of first responders and officials, and stay alert.' Victoria Wayne-Bowley was born and raised in the historic town of Lahaina. This morning the Hawaiian native woke up to non-stop phone calls from frantic friends and extended family claiming their homes had either burned down or were under threat from the devastating fires that have ravaged Maui. Everyone is sleep deprived not knowing where their loved ones are. I never would have imagined this type of catastrophe. Its the most devastating disaster in the history of Maui, Wayne Bowley told DailyMail.com. 'The whole Lahaina is a complete wasteland. There were people whose only choice was to jump into the ocean, while the coastguard raced to help them. It looks like Hiroshima. 'Literally people were driving to dinner last night like everything was safe and in just a short period of time within 24 hours this happened, said Wayne-Bowley who lived in Lahaina for 25 years before moving to New Jersey, but still travels to Maui on a regular basis for work. Wayne-Bowley and her family run a popular clothing company throughout the island called Maui Clothing Company with some 70 employees. As of this afternoon, cell phone usage was often no longer viable because of the fires. Her father Edward Wayne founded the business in 1982 which has grown to 14 stores. Three of which are under immediate threat. 'We still can't get in touch with our employees. No one is reachable in the Lahaina area, Wayne-Bowley explained. Ive been communicating through email, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I am 99% sure that our original store on Front Street in Lahaina burned down today. My parents opened it in 1982, the year I was born. Back them it was called Lobster & Roses, but the name was changed to the Maui Clothing Company. Our other two stores, Maui WaterWear and Cruise Maui Boutique, are located in another shopping area called Whalers Village in Kaanapali which is also under threat.' The town of Lahaina is all but destroyed. Devastating videos showed desperate residents jumping into the harbor to avoid the flames last night Both locations are Lahainas most popular tourist destinations for shopping. 'It's really sad to see this scale of devastation. We have family and friends that started restaurants and stores decades ago, only to be destroyed. There are historical landmarks that have been burned down. 'We dont know all the details, but these are nostalgic places that people have gone to for the past 50 years that are no longer there.' 'I feel sad. It's devastating. It's tragic and it's heartbreaking. You feel like everyone is your family on the island and everyone treats each other like family. Longtime friend and well known dermatologist in Lahaina, Dr. George Martin narrowly escaped the deadly fire which came within just 1/4 mile away from his ranch with one hundred animals. Our close friend Dr. Martin has close to one hundred animals, horses, chickens, ponies. He had to evacuate them all last and fortunately people from other parts of the island offered to help. That's what people are like here. Everyone is helping and posting messages online saying they have land and to bring your animals. A disheartened local shared a heartbreaking Instagram post saying, My brother says there are bodies on the ground in Lahaina. Overnight, the fires downed cell towers, wiping out 911 services and making it impossible for many residents to access the internet or communicate. Gov. Josh Green - who was in Boston at the time of the fires - is now on route back to the islands. He was due to arrive at midnight. 'We have suffered a terrible disaster in the form of a wildfire that has spread widely as a result of hurricane-force winds in the region and underlying drought conditions. Maui and the Big Island both experienced significant fires. 'Much of Lahaina on Maui has been destroyed and hundreds of local families have been displaced.' Devastating aerial video shows the extent of the damage in Lahaina, where thousands of locals fled in the dead of the night to escape being trapped. Claire Kent, who was among those who took to the water in boats, said she had lost 'everything'. Joe Biden called for Federal aid to reach Hawaii on Wednesday evening, and said the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy Third Fleets and U.S Marines are supporting response and rescue efforts Plumes of smoke are seen rising above a building in Maui The worst of the fires are on Maui, where Oprah and Steven Tyler are among celebrities with homes. The fire in Lahaina has been the most destructive, torching homes and businesses 'I am out of Lahaina, safe with a few friends in Waiehu. My home is gone, my town is gone, my job is gone. We lost everything. 'This is the scariest thing I have ever experienced. So incredibly devastated.' Multiple burn patients were today flown out of Maui to Honolulu to be cared for as the 'apocalyptic' blazes rage on. The fires, fanned by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, have burned structures, forced evacuations and caused power outages in several communities. The worst of the fires is on Maui. One is torching parts of northern Wailea - where tourist hotels like the Four Seasons and Hilton scatter the beach - and another has destroyed the town of Lahaina. A worker at the Four Seasons Wailea told DailyMail.com that the resort has not been affected aside from 'some air quality issues'. The $990-a-night hotel is where the first season of The White Lotus was filmed. The fires, fanned by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, have burned structures, forced evacuations and caused power outages in several communities In Lahaina, a town of around 12,000 people, frantic locals jumped into the water in the harbor to escape the flames. Twelve people were rescued from the waves by boats. Kahului Airport, the main airport on the island of Maui, is still open and operational but it is now being used as a shelter for 1,800 people fleeing their homes. 'This is an unprecedented disaster as an indirect result of Hurricane Dora passing just south of our island. 'It is truly devastating and my heart goes out to the residents of Maui and all those impacted,' Lt. Governor Sylvie Luke said this morning. One fire in Kula, central Maui, is raging near to where Oprah recently purchased hundreds of acres of land. 911 services in most of Maui are disconnected due to downed cell towers, hampering the evacuation efforts while doctors and nurses struggle to cope with the number of burn victims flocking to them. 'This is so unprecedented. 'An emergency in the night is terrifying... right now it is all-hands-on-deck and we are anxious for daybreak,' Maui County spokesperson Mahina Martin said in the early hours of the morning. 'We are already in communication with other hospital systems about relieving the burden the reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support because Maui hospital cannot do extensive burn treatment. 'In addition to dealing with disaster, we're dealing with major transportation issues as well,' she told CNN on Wednesday. '911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down. That's been part of the problem. 'The Maui County has not been able to communicate with residents on the west side, the Lahaina side. The Front Street in Lahaina was all but razed on Tuesday night as the fires raged on 'What we are trying to do is deploy individuals to go into areas with satellite phone service. 'We have only been in contact with perhaps one hotel because the one hotel, the people in charge of that hotel have satellite phones. That's the only way you can make connection. 'It's impeding communication. Its impeding efforts to evacuate residents and we are very concerned about that,' she said. In Lahaina, 12 people had to be rescued from the harbor after jumping into the water in a desperate attempt to escape the smoke and heat from the fires. Fire chiefs yesterday warned residents to evacuate their homes before it is too late. 'The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house. Burning airborne materials can light fires a great distance away from the main body of fire,' Maui County Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said. Acting Governor Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation on behalf of Gov. Josh Green, who is traveling, and activated the Hawaii National Guard. Fire crews on Maui were battling multiple blazes concentrated in two areas: the popular tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. Footage shot from a yacht in Lahaina Mooring Field in Maui shows the sky bruising as huge plumes of smoke rise from the fires. Video also shows fires raging through a residential area in Maui surrounded by grassland with black smoke billowing into the sky. It wasn't immediately known how many buildings had burned, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said in a phone interview late Tuesday. Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart says a news outlet was given his medical records and the source could 'only' be the intelligence community A UFO whistleblower who delivered bombshell Congressional testimony last month has sensationally claimed the government is trying to leak his medical record to destroy his credibility. David Grusch, a former high-ranking intelligence official, revealed to lawmakers details about a secret government program to retrieve 'non-human' technology. But after his testimony captured headlines about the alleged covert operation, he claims The Intercept informed him it planned to publish an article about his past struggles with mental health and PTSD. Local sheriffs allegedly denied being the source of the leak, leading investigative journalist Ross Coulthart to conclude the 'only' possible source of the information could be the intelligence community. Grusch made several sensational claims as he appeared before Congress in July, including suggesting the government had killed people to cover up its operations and that the US had been in possession of UFOs since the 1930s. David Grusch a former high-ranking intelligence official was one of three military whistleblowers who testified under oath he spoke to members of secret programs involving technology far surpassing the US's capabilities He was among three military whistleblowers who testified under oath in July that they had firsthand encounters or knowledge about secret government programs involving technology that is 'non-human.' His remarks were condemned, however, by the head of the Pentagon's UFO office, Sean Kirkpatrick, who slammed Grusch's claims as 'insulting'. Grusch now believes the backlash to his testimony from officials has extended further, with the alleged article's release reportedly set to publicize his PTSD, grief and depression struggles. Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the Pentagon's UFO office, slammed Grusch's testimony as 'insulting' But Coulthart, who previously interviewed Grusch, said the information about the intelligence official's personal issues should never have even been available. 'This is a document, that if the media had done the right thing, would be in his police department file in the county sheriffs office,' he told NewsNation. He said Grusch assumed the journalist who obtained the files sourced them through the sheriff's office, but claims they confirmed the leak did not come from them. 'The only other place that had this information is the intelligence community... The intelligence community leaked it,' he said. The Intercept has been contacted for comment over the alleged leak. Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart said he believes the leak came from the intelligence community David Grusch (center) pictured with former pilot Ryan Graves (left) and Navy veteran fighter pilot Commander David Fravor as they were sworn in to give testimony to Congress on July 26, 2023 Coulthart added when he sat down with Grusch, he admitted to his past mental health issues - which were never deemed bad enough for intelligence officials to remove his security clearance. 'When I asked him whether there was any dirt that anybody could drag out to try to discredit him, he barely thought it was worth mentioning but he acknowledged that hed suffered from PTSD when he returned from Afghanistan,' Coulthart said. 'The intelligence community and the Defense Department clearly accepted that there was no issue because he was allowed to keep his security clearance. 'David served his country honorably and with distinction. Hes a decorated officer.' Grusch explained his mental health issues in a statement regarding the potential article, saying his struggles when he returned from Afghanistan were worsened by the loss of a close friend. 'I was personally affected again years later when a close friend of mine, an intelligence officer who was serving in Air Force Special Operations Command at the time, took his own life shortly after we last spoke,' Grusch said. 'I am proud to be transparent on this matter and am glad I got the help I needed to continue my intelligence career.' He also reportedly insisted his PTSD had no bearing on his testimony, and Coutlhart called for an investigation into the leak. 'For anyone to seek to use the suffering of veterans, people who are dealing with PTSD, is utterly reprehensible. Its contemptible and it should be exposed,' Coulthart said. 'There should be an investigation into how a sensitive file like this was so obviously leaked within the intelligence community to try and discredit a good human being.' Ryan Graves testified alongside Grusch, and told the committee that he and more than 30 aircrew members and veterans have experienced UAPs, unidentified aerial phenomena, along with members of Congress who have confided in him David Fravor reminded the world about his infamous 2004 encounter with the 'Tic Tac' UFO. 'I'd like to say that the tic tac object we engaged in 2004 was far superior to anything that we had at the time, have today or looking to develop in the next 10 years, he said READ MORE: Pentagon whistleblower says the Vatican is aware of the existence of non-human intelligences and helped the US retrieve a downed UFO from Italian dictator Mussolini at the end of WW2 David Grusch said the UFO was partially intact and held at a secure airbase until the US retrieved it following the collapse of the fascist Italian regime. Advertisement In July, Grusch was among three people who testified before Congress with intimate details of the US government's efforts to allegedly conceal UFO activity. At one point during the first-of-its-kind hearing, he even appeared to suggest the government had killed people to keep its programs a secret. Representative Tim Burchett (R-Tenn) asked Grusch: 'Personally, have you heard anyone [has] been murdered?' to which Grausch said: 'I have to be careful answering that question. I directed people with that knowledge to the appropriate authorities.' Grusch also claimed he had been told by multiple credible intelligence officials that the US government had recovered non-human aircraft that had biological pilots inside them. The efforts to retrieve the allegedly alien craft also saw 'multiple colleagues' of his injured by UFOs. He was sworn in along with Ryan Graves, an esteemed former pilot, and Navy veteran fighter pilot Commander David Fravor, who witnessed the infamous 2004 'Tic Tac' UFO. The story saw Graves and several other military officers claim to encounter a large, smooth object during a routine training exercise. Speaking about the notorious incident last month, he said the craft was 'far superior to anything that we had at the time, have today or looking to develop in the next 10 years.' Fravor described the Tic Tac object as being 'perfectly white, smooth and had no windows,' with 'two little objects that came out of the bottom.' 'It was amazing to see. I told my buddy I wanted to fly it,' Fravor said during the first-of-its-kind hearing. 'I'm not like a UFO fanatic that's not me. But I will tell you that what we saw with four sets of eyes over five minutes, still, there's nothing we have nothing close to it,' he said. 'It's just an incredible technology.' When Fravor was asked if he knew of any similar technology on Earth, he responded: 'Nothing that can come down from space, hang out for three hours and then go back up.' Saudi Arabia has donated $1.2 billion to the Yemen PLC (Presidential Leadership Council). The PLC represents the last (2014) legally elected government of Yemen. The PLC is largely Sunni, as is the population of Yemen. The Shia dont trust the Sunnis and vice versa. Religious differences have long divided Yemen which is why the Shia rebels are backed by Shia Iran. Much of the Yemeni agricultural crisis is caused by the fact that Yemen's economic situation has been rapidly deteriorating since the late 20th century. This is largely because the government has done nothing to address the problems of overpopulation, water shortages and Khat. The last item is a narcotic plant that is chewed fresh, requires a lot of water to grow and is worth a lot of money in Saudi Arabia where it is illegal and has to be smuggled in. While Yemen contains most of the only arable land in the Arabian Peninsula, only one percent of Yemen is suitable for agriculture. Rather than produce food, most of the agriculture production is Khat and nearly all of that is smuggled into Saudi Arabia. In the last year Saudi Arabia has increased its efforts to halt the smuggling and that has had some success in disrupting the smuggling. During the first half of 2023, 26 tons of Khat and a ton of the more potent, as a narcotic, Hashish. The Hashish is a concentrated form of cannabis, produced by removing the sticky resin, which is the most narcotic portion of the cannabis plant. Put simply, Khat is for relaxing while Hashish will get you high and largely unable to function. Saudi Arabia bans both Khat and Hashish as harmful to the welfare of the population. Most of the Khat and Hashish is consumed by young (adolescent and early 20s) Saudi males and expatriate workers. Alcoholic beverages are specifically banned by Islamic scripture while Khat and Hashish are not. Alcoholic beverages are bulkier and leave a scent of alcohol on your breath while Khat and Hashish do not. Khat and Hashish do have harmful side effects as they reduce inhibitions and the ability to safely operate vehicles or machinery of any kind. While the Saudi border guards are seizing more Khat and Hashish from Yemen, some always get through and most of the customers in Saudi Arabia can afford to pay more when supplies are short. There is also an escalating dispute among Shia rebel factions over accusations of corruption in the management of about $200 million in cash the rebels have looted or extorted over the years. With peace returning to Yemen that cash can be diverted to personal use by corrupt rebel officials who are supposed to manage the use of these funds. August 7, 2023: In the south (Abyan province) the STC (South Transitional Council) and many government troops spent the ceasefire period going after Islamic terrorist groups AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) and ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) in the south and east. The STC is composed of southern tribes that want autonomy but are willing to fight and defeat the Islamic terrorists and Shia rebels first. August 6, 2023: In the south (Abyan province) Yemeni troops captured Abu Al-Qaqaa, a known and wanted AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) leader. August 5, 2023: In the south (Abyan province) a roadside bomb killed two STC members and wounded five. August 2, 2023: In the south (Abyan province) AQAP carried out two attacks against local forces, killing seven and wounding nine. August 1, 2023: In the south (Abyan province) al Qaeda Islamic terrorists killed five soldiers and wounded four more. The troops belonged to the Southern Transitional Council, or SCT, which represents the Sunni tribes in the south who have long backed dividing Yemen into the Sunni south and largely Shia north. For a long time, the northern Shia have fought to maintain some autonomy. In 2015 that escalated into a civil war as the Iranian-supported Shia captured the capital Sanaa and much territory south of the capital. Within a year this brought in an Arab coalition (Saudi Arabia and the UAE) that supported the Yemeni government and national unity. That halted the rebel advance but did little to end the civil war. The Saudis and UAE had different goals in Yemen. The Saudis wanted to keep their southwestern border with Yemen peaceful while the UAE was more interested in new economic opportunities in the more prosperous south. The UAE provides financial and other aid to the southern separatists while the Saudis are more concerned about Shia violence against southwestern Saudi Arabia. July 31, 2023: In the capital (Sanaa) a faction of the Shia rebels decided to enforce bans on the public playing of record music or music performed live. July 29, 2023: In the capital Sanaa, some Shia rebels have shut down stores that sell videos or music and bribes to allow them to reopen. The threat to shut down the video and music outlets was very unpopular among most Yemenis and the rebels did not shut down these outlets because of the risk of popular unrest. Equally unpopular were rebel efforts to ban the playing of popular music in cafes and other public spaces. The rebels demanded that music supporting their brand of conservative Islam be played. This was another form of bribery because the rebels had recordings of the mandatory music for sale at inflated prices. July 27, 2023: A 47 year old Yemeni oil tanker abandoned off the Red Sea coast since 2015 has finally had the 1.2 million barrels unloaded onto another tanker. This eliminates the pollution along the Yemeni Red Sea coast as well as portions of the Saudi Red Sea coast. That could disrupt Saudi desalination operations. In early 2022 the Shia rebels agreed to not interfere with UN inspection of the tanker and repairs being made to the tanker so the oil on board could be removed to eliminate the coastal pollution threat. The rebel homeland is in northwest Yemen, including portions of the coast. The UN agreed to cover the $143 million cost of making repairs on the tanker so that it was safe to transfer the oil on board to another tanker for sale or disposal. The oil on the Safer tanker is nearly a decade old and unrefined petroleum degrades after about five years in a tanker. The expired oil is not worth refining and has no sale value. The expired oil is still capable of polluting water or coastal areas. The abandoned tanker is called Safer because that is the acronym of the Yemeni State oil company that owns the retired tanker, which is permanently moored offshore 50 kilometers northwest of Hodeida to store oil from the small Yemen oil fields. Until seized by the Shia rebels in 2015, the Safer tanker was a key element for exporting Yemeni oil. At the time of its capture the Safer had over a million barrels of oil on board that was awaiting transfer to a seagoing tanker that would take the oil to whoever bought it. The rebels never allowed anyone from the UN or inspect Safer since then, despite warnings that without maintenance explosive gasses build up in the storage tanks and that creates the risk of large explosions and a massive oil spill into the Red Sea. For years the rebels demanded that the oil on the Safer tanker be sold and they receive most of the proceeds. The government refused to allow this. The rebels also demand that sanctions on Iran be lifted as well. That was not going to happen. The rebels also offered to relinquish control of the tanker for a large payment (ransom) of, say $50 million or so. This was also ignored. Finally, the rebels realized that the tanker was a threat to themselves and many others along the Red Sea coast as small leaks from the tanker began putting oil into the water. This was obvious because some of the leaked oil remains on the surface and quite visible. The Shia rebels did not interfere as maintenance personnel boarded the tanker to deal with dangerous leaks so that the UN oil removal effort could proceed. July 25, 2023: In central Yemen (Marib Province) eight people from the same family died when a local arms dealer tried to disarm an unexploded artillery shell. Further south seven soldiers were killed by two roadside bombs. July 23, 2023: Shia rebel peace talks with Saudi Arabia stalled over disagreements over money and rebel suspicions that the Saudis wanted to take control of the miniscule (compared to Saudi Arabia) Yemen oil resources. The Saudis see this as another paranoid, self-destructive reaction from the rebels. June 27, 2023: Iranian influence on the Shia rebels is fading and many rebel factions call for some kind of peace deal and an end to a civil war that the rebels were losing. The war continues in part because this factionalism among the rebels is something that the government and Saudis are unable to address. An Albanian national wanted for breaching a court order was also arrested A suspected people smuggler has been arrested following a Daily Mail probe into gangs helping wanted criminals escape the UK. Investigators from the National Crime Agency swooped hours after our expose ran at the weekend. An Albanian national wanted for breaching a court order imposed after his conviction for drug offences was also arrested and taken into custody in the raid in Ashford, Kent, on Saturday. Information provided by the Mail ahead of publication was understood to have fed into an already ongoing NCA probe into an organised crime group. Our expose revealed how people-smuggling gangs were cashing in twice by bringing migrants into Britain and helping criminals flee across the Channel. A group of migrants are brought into Dover by a Border Force vessel We found brazen Albanian gangs using social media to advertise escape routes in lorries for 'people who have problems and want to leave England as soon as possible'. The quoted fee was 2,500. One told a Mail undercover reporter posing as the relative of a man on the run that he could escape to the Continent that night for 3,000 and provided the address of a meeting point. A post on social media app TikTok said in Albanian: 'Super trip super comfort. Anyone in Brussels France send a message. Yacht [Union Jack image]. Only serious people.' Another smuggler account on TikTok offered a 17,500 bespoke service for fugitives, including forged papers for them to pose as a second driver in the cab of a truck. The trafficker said the trick was routinely used to spirit illegal immigrants across the British border. Conservative MPs and campaigners had blasted the gangs making a fortune by 'using the UK like a criminal playground' and turning the country into a 'Wild West'. TikTok banned the accounts after we alerted them. Commenting on the arrests, Matt Rivers, of the NCA, said: 'Tackling organised immigration crime is a priority for the NCA and we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle the networks involved. 'Those who help people leave the UK in lorries not only pose a risk to the individuals being transported themselves but also to border security. 'We've seen cases of people wanted for serious criminal offences in the UK try and escape this way. This is why we and our law enforcement partners are alive to the threat.' A 28-year-old man charged with participating in the activities of a people-smuggling organised crime group is due to appear at Canterbury Crown Court on September 4. Rolling Stones legends Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have been honoured with bronze statues in their home town. The two rock'n'roll stars met as teenagers in Dartford, Kent, in 1961 and formed the Rolling Stones the following year. They had both attended Wentworth primary school but went to different secondary schools. Lasting for more than 60 years, the Stones became one of the most successful bands in history. The statues, commissioned by Dartford borough council, show Jagger with a microphone in hand while Richards has his head bent over his 'Micawber' Telecaster guitar. British artist Amy Goodman stands with her sculptures of the legendary British musicians The statue, commissioned by Dartford Borough Council, shows Jagger with a microphone in hand Named The Glimmer Twins, the bronzes were created by Amy Goodman who is a fan of the band. Her previous public artworks include depictions of Florence Nightingale and Sir Stirling Moss. Goodman, who listened to the band's music while creating the statues, decided to depict Jagger and Richards as they were in the 1980s. She said she was a 'nervous wreck' and there was a 'lot of pressure because they are such icons' as the work took roughly 10 months. Richards's daughter Angela and granddaughter Ava attended the unveiling ceremony of the statues at One Bell Corner on Wednesday. Jeremy Kite, the leader of Dartford borough council, said: 'In terms of culture and music, you do not get much more influential than the Rolling Stones. 'Their music has changed the face of popular music and these lads from Dartford are now two of the most recognisable and loved people in the world.' Jagger was knighted in 2003 for his services to popular music. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones perform live on stage at St Mary's Stadium on May 29, 2018 Richards has his head bent over his 'Micawber' Telecaster guitar, which was a gift from Eric Clapton 'The Glimmer Twins' statue was unveiled at One Bell Corner in Dartford, Essex Last month, Jagger enjoyed a lavish party to celebrate his 80th birthday with a very star-studded guest list. The Rolling Stones frontman appeared to be having the time of his life as he stepped out of a nightclub in Chelsea in the early hours of the morning. Richards will be 80 in December while Charlie Watts, another founding member of the band, died in August 2021 at 80. The band played 14 gigs in Europe last year and a new Rolling Stones album is due to be released this year. More than 600 police officers working in intelligence, surveillance and carrying out secret work for MI5 in Northern Ireland have been identified on a leaked list, putting their lives at risk. The shocking scale of the data breach, which named every officer in Northern Ireland, can today be revealed. The document, mistakenly released by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), identifies officers working in the most sensitive roles, including those in 'secret areas' of the force, close protection officers guarding politicians and other VIPs, and others working undercover to thwart terrorists. The list of 10,000 PSNI employees includes more than 560 officers working in intelligence and counter-terrorism, and over 100 in surveillance units. It also identifies almost 40 staff working at MI5's headquarters in Northern Ireland. (Stock Photo) More than 600 police officers working in intelligence, surveillance and carrying out secret work for MI5 in Northern Ireland have been identified on a leaked list, putting their lives at risk The document, mistakenly released by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), identifies officers working in the most sensitive roles (Pictured: Thames House headquarters of MI5) Police said today how they are terrified that they could be attacked after blundering officials mistakenly provided the detail in response to a Freedom of Information request which sought the number of officers and staff at all ranks and grades across the PSNI. The Excel spreadsheet which gives the name, rank, command, job title and department location of every single officer within the force was described as a 'dynamite' for dissident republican groups and criminals. In an extraordinary level of detail, it specifies who can be found working in what building, and whether they are full time, on shifts, on probation or semi-retired, and even those on 'military duty'. The list details the names of over 160 officers and staff working in firearms and armed support, plus more than 100 working in close protection. Hack kept secret for a year The Electoral Commission has come under fire for the delay in revealing a hack which left 40million voters' details at risk for more than a year. The agency could face legal action over the biggest data breach in British history, with fears that the information could be used by criminals or as a tool to spread disinformation. Today it emerged that 'hostile actors' had access to the commission's system for 14 months. However, it delayed informing the public for ten months even though the name and address of almost every voter in the country had been at risk. The attack, which some experts have blamed on Russian groups, allowed hackers to access electoral registers with the names and addresses of at least 40million people registered to vote between 2014 and 2022. Richard Forrest, of data breach solicitors Hayes Connor, said that legal action was a 'possibility' given how long the watchdog had taken to inform people. An Electoral Commission spokesman said: 'If anyone believes they may have sent the commission data that puts them at risk of harm, we encourage them to contact us.' Advertisement It also details those in 'special ops', including experts training in surveillance, intelligence and firearms techniques. It sets out the individual service number of each employee, their gender and even their employment contract details. It details hundreds of officers working in serious organised crime, anti-corruption and professional standards. Today a former veteran officer who has seen the list said: 'I'm scared s*******. 'This could be dynamite in the wrong hands. Security has been well and truly compromised. 'I'm speaking out because this has the effect of eroding public confidence in the ability of service to perform the basics. Morale is lower than rock bottom.' He warned the blunder was so serious that MI5 may have to consider its operations in Northern Ireland while the risk is evaluated. Today it emerged that this is the second data breach for the force in as many months. In July a spreadsheet containing the names of over 200 serving officers and staff was stolen. The documents, along with a police issue laptop and radio, were believed to have been stolen from a private vehicle in the Newtownabbey area of Northern Ireland on July 6. And today a policing leader warned that officers may even have to leave the force or move home to escape the prospect of terrorist intimidation and attack. For years officers in Northern Ireland had to conceal what they do from neighbours, friends, and their children due to security concerns. Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd, the officer in charge of data security for the PSNI, was asked how officers could continue to work undercover if the list ends up in the hands of criminals. He told BBC Radio Ulster: 'We are conscious it will be of considerable concern to many of my colleagues and their families.' The force has announced an emergency threat assessment group to consider officers' safety. But Liam Kelly, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, called for an urgent inquiry. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'There are a number of our officers who work in very sensitive roles. 'Roles where a veil of secrecy is required because of the nature and the danger associated with that role.' Mr Kelly said legal action is 'something we will consider once the investigation concludes'. Police Service of Northern Ireland Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd speaks at PSNI headquarters in the Knock area of east Belfast 'The men and women I represent are appalled that this has happened and they're justifiably angry. The trust from our officers is broken by this,' he said. Later he added: 'At the very top end of the spectrum, we could have officers who potentially may have to relocate not only from their workplace but from their home address if their information has gone into the hands of people who intend to cause them harm.' It is not known if the list was accessed by dissident republican groups. It was online for three hours before it was removed, but experts say it would be impossible to scrub the digital footprint. Cyber security experts suggested that GCHQ could track IP addresses, a unique address identifying a device on the internet, to help the authorities to find out who had viewed the data. Last night it emerged that the list was already circulating widely on Whatsapp groups despite efforts to remove the material. More than 300 police officers were murdered in Northern Ireland during the 30 years of violence known as The Troubles, and officers and staff remain under daily threat from republican paramilitaries. The most recent attack left Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell fighting for his life after he was gunned down in front of his son outside a leisure centre in Omagh, County Tyrone. In March, the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland was raised from substantial to severe, meaning an attack was highly likely. Some officers identified have already had to move house or have security fitted in their homes to protect their families. Former Northern Ireland justice minister Naomi Long said some officers would consider their futures with the force as many fear they, their friends and family are in 'jeopardy'. She asked: 'Why was all this data held in one place? Why was it not encrypted? Why was a junior member of staff in a position to be able to access it? Given the sensitivity of such data, is that in itself not a concern?' PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne cut short his holiday today to meet Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris after the force declared a critical incident. He rushed back to Belfast following calls for him to resign from Tom Kelly, a former member of the Policing Board of Northern Ireland, which oversees the force. Asked if he was intending to quit, Mr Byrne told The Financial Times: 'No, I am not.' Assistant Chief Constable Todd said: 'As a service we are acutely aware of the seriousness of this breach and have declared it to be a critical incident. 'We fully understand the very real concerns being felt by our colleagues and their families and we are working hard to do everything we can to mitigate any risk.' Wendy's is officially coming Down Under with the American fast food chain announcing 200 burger restaurants will open across Australia over the next decade. The burger chain has signed a franchise agreement with Flynn Restaurant Group, with the first Australian Wendy's stores to open in 2025. Wendy's International President and Chief Development Officer, Abigail Pringle, said the demand for the restaurants in Australia was clear following the success of a one-day Wendy's pop-up event in 2021 in Sydney. Wendy's is officially coming Down Under with the American fast food chain announcing 200 burger restaurants will open across Australia in the next decade 'Australia is a strategic market for long-term growth for Wendy's. Flynn Restaurant Group has incredible experience in the restaurant space, and we are thrilled to expand our relationship with them,' she said. 'They have a strong leadership team, great culture, vast industry knowledge, success with our brand in the U.S., and we are confident that Flynn Restaurant Group is the right partner to unlock growth for Wendy's in Australia.' Wendy's, the third largest burger chain in the world behind McDonald's and Burger King, has planned for 200 stores to be open to Australian customers by 2034. Up to 10,000 staff will reportedly be needed for the expansion Down Under. The chain, which has more than 7,000 locations worldwide, is best known for its square hamburgers, French fries and 'Frosty' frozen dairy desserts. Wendy's, the third largest burger chain in the world behind McDonald's and Burger King, has planned for 200 stores to be open to Australian customers by 2034 It differentiates itself from McDonald's and Hungry Jack's by having a strictly made-to-order policy and does not keep food warm using heat lamps. Flynn's Restaurant Group owns other popular US fast-food chains such as Applebee's, Taco Bell, Panera, Arby's and Pizza Hut. The group is the world's largest restaurant franchise operator, and took over Australian Pizza Hut franchises in June this year. Founder Dave Thomas opened the first Wendy's in Ohio on November 15, 1969 - and since then it's become a global success. The menu also offers chicken sandwiches, nuggets, vegetarian options, breakfast sandwiches, salads, along with an interesting range of sides - including chili con carne and stuffed potatoes. The chain, which has more than 7,000 locations worldwide, is best known for its square hamburgers, French fries and 'Frosty' frozen dairy desserts Wendy's recently expanded to the UK and Ireland and can be found across Europe, Asia and throughout the United States. It's not the first time Wendy's has launched in Australia with a store opening in Melbourne in 1982. Eleven stores in total were opened but three years later, the business collapsed with $8million in debt. Questions have also been raised about Wendy's operating in Australia with local business Wendy's Milk Bar. 'There can't be two Wendy's,' said Dean Tully, owner of the Aussie Wendy's store in Whyalla, South Australia, which specialises in ice-cream. Ms Pringle said there were no concerns legally about both businesses operating, and they can 'both exist in the market'. Tony Blair's policy institute is being bankrolled by American tech billionaire Larry Ellison, the foundation's accounts have revealed. Mr Ellison, the founder of software firm Oracle, gave the Tony Blair Institute 26million in 2021, with plans for future donations of a further 38million. The pair have known each other since Sir Tony's time in Downing Street, when Oracle supplied software to his government. They also worked together during the pandemic to speed up vaccination rates in Africa. The US tech tycoon's recent donations to the former PM have been earmarked for similar projects, namely a joint partnership to help African countries create a central database of vaccination records to monitor and combat a variety of diseases. At the time, Sir Tony said: 'This is an immensely exciting and potentially ground-breaking initiative for recording information on all disease vaccinations and treatments in African nations. 'That means vaccination of at least a significant portion of the population, requiring the highest quality data system so that everyone's vaccine experience is recorded. Oracle can provide that system with data securely stored and owned by each country and is prepared to do so as part of a global philanthropic partnership.' Tony Blair's policy institute is being bankrolled by American tech billionaire Larry Ellison, the foundation's accounts have revealed In the Tony Blair Institute's financial review in 2021, it said it had 'entered into an exciting partnership with the Larry Ellison Foundation'. Mr Ellison is currently the fourth wealthiest person in the world, ahead of Bill Gates, according to Forbes. Oracle previously signed deals with the Home Office and Cabinet Office to supply software. The firm bought US electronic health record company Cerner last year for 22billion, with the aim of creating a single national health record database in the US. The Tony Blair Institute, which was established in 2016, has also received substantial donations from Saudi Arabia, the US State Department and the Canadian government. The not-for-profit body claims to help countries address major issues such as poverty and extremism. Shocked onlookers were forced to intervene after a fight broke out between a group of schoolgirls at a busy intersection. A girl, 14, was arrested and charged over the shocking brawl in Sydney's west, along with her older sister, 21, who allegedly assaulted a police officer called to the scene. Disturbing footage has emerged of the ugly scenes that spilled out onto the road at Station Street in Penrith on Tuesday afternoon. One clip shows a teen being surrounded by up to six girls throwing punches and slaps across her face and head before bystanders step in to break up the melee. Another video shows the incident spilling onto the road as police arrest one of the teens. Shocked witnesses told Nine News the incident was a rolling verbal and physical altercation which stretched for a few blocks. Station Street was busy at the time with students walking home from school. Police allege a 14-year-old girl assaulted another girl, 13, who was known to her. Police arrested the 14-year-old at the scene. The girl's older sister was also arrested after she allegedly assaulted a male senior constable. The teen was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and bailed to appear at a children's court on September 5. Police investigations continues into the melee involving teenage girls (left) Her older sister, 21, was charged with assaulting a police officer in execution of their duty and hindering or resisting a police officer. She will front Penrith Local Court later this month. Investigations into the melee continue. 'Police are also investigating an assault between six females at the location which occurred separate to the arrest,' a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia. 'However, all parties are believed to be known to each other. There were no reports of any serious injuries.' There is no end in sight for rising rents despite costs reaching record levels, lettings agents have warned. The latest survey of agents from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors found that tenant demand rose in the three months to July. Of those surveyed, 54 per cent of agents said they had seen an increase in rents during that period. It is the strongest quarterly pick-up in rental demand since the beginning of last year. It follows separate research showing the average cost of rent in England has reached a record 1,367 a month per property. The outlook for the rental market has been described as 'concerning' by rental experts Simon Rubinsohn, of Rics, described the outlook for the lettings market as 'concerning'. He said: 'Demand shows no signs of letting up, supply remains constrained and that means rents are likely to continue rising sharply despite the cost-of-living crisis.' In the Rics survey, 54% of agents said they had seen rents increase in the three months to July As demand continues to rise, the supply of properties available to rent continues to decline. Rics said the number of landlords instructing agents declined once again, with 30 per cent of agents saying they had seen a decrease, compared to from a decline of 24 per cent the previous month. And a net balance of 63 per cent of respondents expected rental prices to increase in the next three months. It is up from 55 per cent in the previous quarter and marks a record high. Rics said landlord instructions declined, with the latest net balance falling to 30% Will Ravenhill, a lettings agent in Leicester, said: 'The rental market is broken. Many buy-to-let landlords are leaving the market. 'Those that remain who have buy-to-let mortgages are increasing rents to ridiculous levels to adhere to their mortgage covenants.' Kevin Burt-Gray, a lettings agent in Cambridge, said: 'Shortage of stock and a surplus of quality tenants is keeping the private rental sector busy, with multiple applications being received on most properties within a few days of them coming on to the open market.' And David Martindale, a lettings agent in Wakefield, added: 'There continues to be good demand for rental properties and rents are continuing to rise.' Shortage of stock and a surplus of quality tenants is keeping the private rental sector busy A net balance of 63% of survey respondents expected rental prices to increase in the next three months It follows separate research by Goodlord at the beginning of this month that said rents in England have reached a record high. It said rents had soared 19 per cent in a month, with prices being pushed up by students seeking accommodation for the new university term. The fiercely competitive rental market has seen the average cost of rent in England reach 1,367 a month per property. It is the highest level ever recorded by the index and is 9.4 per cent higher than the previous record set in September last year, at 1,249. Harriet Scanlan, of Richmond estate agency Antony Roberts, explained: 'We are still in the thrust of a very strong rental market. 'At the start of this week we listed three properties for rent - and within two days, we had received multiple offers from prospective tenants on each property. 'Two of those landlords received well over asking price at best and final offering point. 'We don't relish in having to disappoint unsuccessful applicants and understand the difficulties in trying to find a new rental home in this highly-competitive market.' Facebook is frequently described as bad for your mental wellbeing, often on the basis that it makes you feel jealous of other people's lives. But researchers at the University of Oxford now argue that criticisms of the site being bad for you are 'popular misconceptions' with no basis. The experts analysed data from nearly a million people across 72 countries over 12 years to understand more about Facebook's impact on wellbeing. They found no evidence that using Facebook is linked to widespread psychological harm and the social network might even be good for you. The new study contrasts with a vast collection of prior research and online criticism that argues Facebook can seriously harm one's mental heath. Facebook has time and time again been connected to negative mental wellbeing, but this study indicates that there is no such link (file photo) READ MORE Children glued to social media are TWICE as likely to suffer mental health problems Children hooked on social media suffer higher levels of emotional issues, a 2015 study found Advertisement Described as the 'largest of its kind' to investigate Facebook, it was conducted by experts at the Oxford Internet Institute, which previously concluded that social media does not harm teens. Facebook, owned by Meta, was involved in the research but only to provide data and it did not commission or fund the study, the authors of the new study point out. 'We examined the best available data carefully and found they did not support the idea that Facebook membership is related to harm, quite the opposite,' said study author Professor Andrew Przybylski. 'In fact, our analysis indicates Facebook is possibly related to positive well-being, [but] this is not to say this is evidence that Facebook is good for the well-being of users. 'Rather, the best global data does not support the idea that the expansion of social media has a negative global association with well-being across nations and different demographics.' Facebook is one of the platforms owned by Mark Zuckerberg's firm Meta, along with WhatsApp, Instagram and a new site similar to Twitter called Threads. However, this new Oxford study only looked at Facebook, so it's debatable whether the findings can be applied to social media as a whole. Mark Zuckerberg (pictured) created Facebook in his university dorm back in 2004. It's now one element of his multi-billion-dollar empire 'Meta' READ MORE Facebook 'makes you feel miserable and jealous' Researchers found more than a third of users 'feel worse' after visiting the site Advertisement For the study, the researchers looked at well-being data determined through questionnaires taken from 946,798 people across 72 countries over 12 years. This data period spanned from 2008 the year Facebook replaced MySpace as the biggest social media platform to 2019. Researchers examined active Facebook users in males and females in two age brackets 13 to 34 years and 35 years and over. Looking at each country's population individually, they found no positive correlation between Facebook use and negative experiences or poor life satisfaction. In many cases, there were positive correlations between Facebook and well-being indicators, such as having positive experiences in life. Results also showed that the link between Facebook adoption and well-being was slightly more positive for males than females across all well-being measures. Also, Facebook adoption and well-being was generally more positive for younger individuals across countries, and these effects were small but significant. Looking at each country's population individually, experts found no evidence Facebook use negatively affects wellbeing. Pictured, graphs for two countries showing the relationship daily active Facebook users (red), life satisfaction (blue), negative experiences (green) and positive experiences (purple) between 2008 and 2019 Graph shows daily active users (DAU) and monthly active users (MAU) of Facebook in the 72 countries during the study period (2008 to 2019) Social media firms and their products Meta - Facebook - Instagram - WhatsApp - Threads X - X (formerly Twitter) ByteDance - TikTok Snap Inc - Snapchat Advertisement Despite popular claims about the harmful impact of social media on well-being, the new research found 'no evidence'. 'In our new study, we cover the broadest possible geography for the first time, analysing Facebook usage data overlaid with robust wellbeing data, giving a truly global perspective of the impact of Facebook use on wellbeing,' said co-author Professor Vuorre. The team argue that 'negative psychological outcomes associated with social media are common in academic and popular writing'. Certainly, prior studies have suggested that Facebook use and wellbeing are linked especially among children and teenagers. For example, a German study from 2013 discovered that one out of three people are more dissatisfied with their lives after visiting Facebook. Positive images of friends enjoying holidays or commenting on how happy their lives are can trigger feelings of jealousy, the authors said at the time. Meanwhile, a 2015 study found kids who spend over three hours a day on social media including Facebook are twice as likely to suffer mental health problems. And a 2012 study by Utah Valley University found college students felt worse about themselves following an increase in time on Facebook. It's not all negative, however, and the new Oxford research is not the first to argue in Facebook's favour. For example, a 2019 study from Michigan State University claimed Facebook improves the mental health of adults over 30 while fending off depression and anxiety. Facebook is known for rekindling relationships between old friends and establishing new connections between people with common interests. This can be seen as contrasting with rival Twitter, which has long been criticised as a pedestal for spreading online hate, especially under Elon Musk's ownership. Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the moon in Greek mythology. NASA has chosen her to personify its path back to the moon, which will see astronauts return to the lunar surface by 2025 - including the first woman and the next man. Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the moon and Mars. Artemis 1 will be the first integrated flight test of NASAs deep space exploration system: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed flight that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the moon and beyond. During this flight, the spacecraft will launch on the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. It will travel 280,000 miles (450,600 km) from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the moon over the course of about a three-week mission. Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the moon and Mars. This graphic explains the various stages of the mission Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before. With this first exploration mission, NASA is leading the next steps of human exploration into deep space where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems near the moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars. The will take crew on a different trajectory and test Orions critical systems with humans aboard. Together, Orion, SLS and the ground systems at Kennedy will be able to meet the most challenging crew and cargo mission needs in deep space. Eventually NASA seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon by 2028 as a result of the Artemis mission. The space agency hopes this colony will uncover new scientific discoveries, demonstrate new technological advancements and lay the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy. Who is Victor Glover? The man set to become NASA's first black astronaut to orbit the moon Victor Glover (pictured) was selected as an astronaut in 2013 and became the first African American ISS expedition crewmember to live on the ISS seven years later NASA is set to send the first-ever black astronaut to the moon. Victor Glover, 46, was selected to take part in the space agency's Artemis II mission the US' first lunar mission in a half-century. The Pomona, California, native will be the first person of color to travel into deep space, hundreds of thousands of miles beyond the low-Earth orbiting International Space Station (ISS). NASA officials say the diverse crew assignments signify the cultural shifts that have taken place since the original Apollo missions, which ended in 1972, at a time when white men dominated space exploration. Glover was also the first black man to ever live on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2020 and is among 15 African Americans to be selected as an astronaut. In his esteemed career since being selected as an astronaut in 2013, Mr Glover has logged over 3,000 flight hours in 40 different aircraft. Artemis II - which will launch in November 2024 - will see the four-man crew orbit the moon in the Orion spacecraft but not land. Their goal is to test new technology, including heat shields that protects Orion as it travels 24,500 mph in 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit on its way back. If successful, NASA plans to launch an expedition to land on the moon titled Artemis III. Another success would spell out a trip to Mars for NASA. I wanna thank God for this Amazing opportunity, Mr Glover said during a new conference Monday. This is a big day. We have a lot to celebrate. Its so much more than the four names that have been announced. We need to celebrate this moment in human history. 'Artermis II is more than a mission to the Moon and back. Its more than a mission that has to happen before we send people to the surface of the moon. It is the next step on the journey that gets humanity to Mars. This crew will never forget that. Mr Glover was born in 1976 in Pomona, around 30 miles east of Los Angeles. The city is far from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, known for its high poverty rate and relatively high crime. Mr Glover grew up in Ponoma, CA, 30 miles east of Los Angeles He said his parents and teachers served as mentors as him growing up. 'Early on in life it had to be my parents; they encouraged me and challenged me and held me to high standards. Outside of home, I had teachers that did the same,' he told USA Today in 2017. 'They all challenged me, and they encouraged me.' Mr Glover continued that his teachers and parents urged him to go the engineering school and eventually become a test pilot leading to him becoming an astronaut. He graduated from Southern California's Ontario High School in 1994, and went on to attend California Polytechnic State University, before completing his graduate education at Air University and the US Naval Academy. 'Im the first person in my family to graduate from college, and being at graduation with my mom and my dad and my stepdad and my little brothers and my grandparents,' he said to USA Today. 'That was unreal, that was cool and it was special for me.' In 1999 he was commissioned as part of the US Navy. After completing flight training in Corpus Christy, Texas, he was 'given his wings' and awarded the title of pilot in 2001. He then moved to San Diego to learn to fly the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, known as one of the Navy's more versatile aircraft. After spending the next two years training in Florida and Virginia, he was deployed to Iraq in 2004 for six months. Mr Glover was working in the office of the late Sen John McCain as a legislative fellow when he was selected by NASA to become an astronaut in 2013. NASA only selects a handful of the thousands of people that apply to be a member of the nation's astronaut corps each year. Only 15 black astronauts have ever been selected out of 348. A vast majority of the 41 current astronauts have a military background, like Mr Glover. He completed his astronaut training in 2015. Three years later, he was selected to be a part of the first ever operational flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon, a reusable aircraft designed by the firm Elon Musk found in 2002. As part of that mission, he would live on the ISS from November 17, 2020 to May 2, 2021. The nearly six-month-long stay on the station makes him the first black astronaut to inhabit it. Jeanette Epps, 52, who was selected to be an astronaut in 2009 is set to become the second African American, and first black woman, to live on the ISS after the launch of Boeing Starliner-1 in 2024 or later. In 2020, Mr Glover said it was an honor to be the first black person selected to the ISS. 'It is something to be celebrated once we accomplish it, and I am honored to be in this position and to be a part of this great and experienced crew,' he said during a news conference. 'I look forward to getting up there and doing my best to make sure, you know, we are worthy of all the work that's been put into setting us up for this mission.' In an interview with The Christian Chronicle later that year, he said there were qualified black astronauts that should have earned the honor before him. 'I've had some amazing colleagues before me that really could have done it, and there are some amazing folks that will go behind me,' he said. 'I wish it would have already been done, but I try not to draw too much attention to it.' Who is Christina Koch? The first female NASA astronaut set to orbit the moon Christina Koch is set to become the first woman to go around the moon when NASA's Artemis II mission takes off next year. Christina Koch, 44, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, is set to become the first woman to go around the moon The Grand Rapids, Michigan native, 44, is already the record-holder for the longest amount of time a woman has spent in space, 328 days, and for taking part in the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. Selected to become an astronaut in 2013, Ms Koch said she has not followed a 'checklist' in order to become an astronaut but instead chased her passions whether this be rock climbing, sailing or even learning to surf in her 40s. She said in 2020: 'I really don't remember a time when I didn't want to be an astronaut. 'For me, I learned that if I was going to be an astronaut, it was because my passions had turned me into someone that could contribute the most as someone contributing to human space flight.' While she's exploring space, her husband Robert will be left taking care of housework and the couple's puppy, LBD. It is not believed that they have children. 'Am I excited? Absolutely!' she said at a news conference at the crew's announcement Monday. The one thing I'm most excited about is that we will carry your excitement,your aspirations, your dreams, on this mission. She also said: We are going to launch from Kennedy space center, we are going to here the words go for launch on top of the most powerful rocket NASAs ever made. NASA has sent a total of 355 people to space so far, of which some 55 have been women or 15 percent. It has also sent 24 people to orbit the moon and 12 to walk on the lunar surface who were all men. Russian Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to ever leave the earth's atmosphere setting off in 1937. American women did not get sent to space until 1983. Ms Koch, however, will make history on the Artemis II mission when she completes her long-awaited trip around the moon. She revealed her love of space in a video when she was announced as a member of the Artemis I team in 2020. The astronaut said: 'I am someone who has loved exploration on the frontier since I was little. 'I used to be inspired by the night sky and throughout my career, it's been this balance between engineering for space science missions and doing science in really remote places all over the world. 'I loved things that made me feel small, things that made me ponder the size of the universe, my place in it and everything that was out there to explore.' She added: 'I didn't necessarily live my life following check boxes of how you could become an astronaut. 'But I followed those passions and one day I looked at what I had become and the skills I had gathered and I asked "could I sit across from a table and present myself as someone who could do this well?". And I thought, I'm going to give this a shot.' She went to North Carolina State University in Raleigh to get a bachelor's and a master's in Electrical Engineering. She then became an Electrical Engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, before becoming a research associate for the United States Antarctic Program living an entire year in the Arctic. Ms Koch was one of eight selected as part of NASA's 21st class of astronauts in 2013. After two years of training, she became a full-fledged astronaut. Her first space flight came in 2019 when she was sent to the International Space Station (ISS) to work as a flight engineer. She stayed up there for 328 days, taking the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman. The previous record holder, Peggy Whitson, was in space for 288 days. While in space she also took the record for the first all-women space walk when an astronaut gets out of a vehicle while in space with Jessica Meir. The pair spent seven hours and 17 minutes on the side of the ISS as they worked to replace a power controller. The walk also included a brief call with President Trump. Upon her return to Earth in 2020, Ms Koch said she felt 'like a baby' who was two weeks old and working hard to hold up its head. Back on Earth, she lives in Galveston, Texas, just outside of the Houston area. Among her interests are backpacking, running, yoga, photography and travel. Now she will be a part of a groundbreaking mission in NASA's goal towards putting a man on Mars. The Artemis II mission marks NASA's first trip to the moon in half a century. It says it will be performed to help test kit in preparation for getting humans onto Mars. The agency sent an empty Orion capsule around the moon last year before it returned to Earth in a long-awaited dress rehearsal. If this latest mission goes well, then another flight to land people on the moon will be sent in 2025 as part of tests ahead of getting people onto Mars. As the debut of Apple's latest smartphone, the iPhone 15, gets closer, leaks and rumors are pouring out of the supply chain and amplified online by gadget obsessives. Now, multiple photos have emerged showing the new mobile device's USB-C charging port which may prove to annoy those tangled in their old cables, but will also help make the iPhone more compatible with a wider range of tech. Apple rarely discloses the details of its upcoming iPhone before the official unveiling, but tech experts and patents usually give away what to expect. The consensus at the moment is that the iPhone 15 will boast a game-changing titanium alloy frame and a larger battery, alongside the expanded interoperability that comes with the new USB-C charging port. The new iPhone 15 photos were posted to X (formerly Twitter) by an account that describes itself as a China-based hardware technician as well as by a Tennessee-based programmer. New photos have emerged showing the new iPhone 15's USB-C charging port, which may annoy those tangled in old cables, but will help the device be more compatible with other tech The new iPhone 15 photos were posted to X (formerly Twitter) by an account that describes itself as a Chinese-based hardware technician as well as by a Tennessee-based programmer A rendering of the iPhone 15 Pro Max made in 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) by the X user (formerly Twitter user) @UniverseIce, which shows how the new USB-C port is likely to look The images were posted to X (formerly Twitter) by user @lipilipsi, whose account is named 'fix Apple' and is self-described as a China-based ICC engineer for Apple and Chinese tech giant Huawei. The posted images depict two USB-C ports with attached internal circuitry and ribbon cables. 'fix Apple' described it as the base model USB-C port for the iPhone 15, and the other as the USB-C for the iPhone 15 Plus. A second account, Tennessee-based programmer @John011235, appeared to confirm this by posting the same components with the same labels, plus a third one identified as iPhone 15 Pro Max. 'John' also posted further pics of internal iPhone 15 components as well as images of the new iPhone 15 charging cable (see below), which was apparently for sale on a Chinese e-commerce site. Previously, footage of an iPhone 15 Pro 'dummy' was leaked last April, where it surfaced on Douyin, the Chinese company's sister version of TikTok. Alongside the titanium-based frame and a new solid-state volume button, which will likely be replacing the mute switch, the dummy also included the new USB-C charging port in place of the usual Lightning port. The swap follows in line with previous statements from Apple's executive Greg Joswiak, who told reporters that the tech giant was 'having to comply' with new USB laws passed by the EU. 'Obviously, we'll have to comply; we have no choice, just as we do around the world to comply to local laws,' Joswiak said. 'But we think the approach would have been better environmentally and better for our customers to not have a government be that prescriptive.' Although there's clear demand for the company to replace its own Lightning charging technology discernible by its eight pins with USB-C the change to its charging port is bound to be controversial. Apple's history of switching cords and forcing consumers to purchase its proprietary versions has led to numerous customer complaints over the years. A second X (formerly Twitter) account, Tennessee-based programmer @John011235, appeared to confirm previous leaks by posting the same components. 'John' also posted further pics of internal iPhone 15 components A leaked image of the iPhone 15 in its packaging, which X (formerly Twitter) user @John011235 said might be a 'dummy unit' or a mock-up, but could also be a clever 'fake' Tennessee-based programmer @John011235 also posted images of the new iPhone 15's charging cable, which was apparently for sale on a Chinese e-commerce site Tech experts claim iOS users will have the options of a baby blue, mint green, pink and crimson shade when the smartphone launches in a few months Along with with these new hardware specs features, Apple is also suggested that the new mobiles device with will be powered with larger, improved batteries and wrapped in new colors including some of the previous fan favorites. Tech experts claim iOS users will have the options of a baby blue, mint green, pink and crimson shade when the smartphone launches in a few months. An alleged Foxconn worker, the company that manufactures a bulk of Apple's iPhones, told ItHome today that the iPhone 15 family is set to have larger batteries. The iPhone 15 will feature an 18 percent larger battery, iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro a 14 percent larger battery, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max a 12 percent larger battery. The Cupertino-based company has not announced when it will release the new iPhone 15 family, but the event is typically held in September. Sea turtles have become collateral damage in the fishing industry's decades-long pillaging of the world's oceans, to judge from the results of a new study. Two-thirds, or 66.7 percent, of all turtle injuries or deaths documented across a 12-year period in the Maldives could be blamed on lost and discarded fishing gear, sometimes called 'ghost fishing nets,' marine conservationists have uncovered. Over 90 percent of global fish stocks are currently 'fully exploited, overexploited or depleted,' according analysis by both the United Nations and the World Bank. The $23.5 billion trade in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, by the UN's estimates, have caused much of the devastation. 'Marine turtles are one group of marine megafauna under threat of extinction through human activities,' the new study's authors said, 'primarily through interactions with the fishing industry, overexploitation, and marine pollution.' Nearly two-thirds of all turtle injuries or deaths documented across a 12-year period in the Maldives could be blamed on discarded fishing gear. Above, a green sea turtle carcass floats next to a patch of trash brought by monsoon currents near Thailand on July 28, 2023 Above, a zoomed in image of the green sea turtle carcass found floating next to a patch of trash brought in by monsoon currents to Maya Bay in Thailand on July 28, 2023 The $23.5 billion trade in illegal fishing has caused much of the devastation to sea turtles globally, by UN estimates. Above, a green sea turtle with an amputated flipper, rescued from entanglement at the Khor Kalba Conservation Reserve in the United Arab Emirates The new research, published in the journal PLOS ONE, drew on data collected by the Maldives Sea Turtle Conservation Program from 2010 to 2022 in the seas surrounding the Republic of Maldives: an island-chain nation southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. Across those years, local conservationists documented a total of 379 injured or dead turtles, with more than 75 percent of those cases, or 285 harmed or killed turtles, resulting from human sources. By far the most common cause of injury or death was entanglement in the detritus of the fishing industry with 66.7 percent or 253 of these turtles showing wounds indicative of choking, constriction, scarring or other telltale evidence of ensnarement in fishing nets or lines. This figure included both 215 turtles found entangled, and other 38 corpses or near-dead turtles found floating or beached with the physical scars of a prolonged struggle to escape from cast-off netting. Those wounds included deep lacerations in 124 turtles, traumatic amputations for 58 turtles, head injuries in 38 turtles, and missing shells or shell fractures among a few severely damaged cases. But the situation in the Maldives, where such fishing practices have been aggressively banned, is unique, the researchers were quick to point out. The nation's laws were intended to let their seas serve as a marine sanctuary from the brutality of the global fishing industry. In the Maldives, where fishing practices the threaten marine ecosystems are actively outlawed, it is the leftovers of these industrial fish-trawling practices, the discarded gillnets, purse seine nets, longlines, and traps that are causing the most death among the turtles By far the most common cause of injury or death to turtles in the Maldives was entanglement in the detritus of the fishing industry with 66.7 percent or 253 of these turtles showing wounds indicative of choking, constriction, scarring or other telltale evidence of ensnarement Local conservation groups identified 215 turtles found entangled, and another 38 corpses or near-dead turtles found floating or beached with the physical scars of a prolonged struggle to escape from a cast-off netting Those wounds included deep lacerations in 124 turtles, traumatic amputations for 58 turtles, head injuries in 38 turtles, and missing or fractured shells Above, a Hawksbill sea turtle found on a beach in the United Arab Emirates, where an autopsy revealed mostly plastic trash. A staggering 75% of all dead green turtles in that region had eaten fishing industry debris, including rope and nets, but also plastic bags and bottle caps 'Bycatch,' the term for when fishing boats accidentally catch dolphins, turtles and other marine life in the course of their mass-scale indiscriminate trawling, 'is recorded as a key cause of morbidity and mortality of marine turtles in many regions,' the researchers report. But, in the Maldives, where the practice is actively outlawed, it is the leftovers of these industrial fish-trawling practices, the discarded gillnets, purse seine nets, longlines, and traps that are causing the most death among local turtles. 'Most other studies investigating causes of sea turtle morbidity,' the authors noted, 'report lower rates of entanglement.' Thousands upon thousands of square miles of 'ghost fish netting' is left adrift in the oceans each year, according to a recent study in the journal Science Advances, leaving unsuspecting marine life struggling to escape from humanity's mess. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is not only one of the major drivers of marine ecosystem destruction, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, but it's also one of the most lucrative. Criminal fishing accounts for a full fifth, 20 percent, of the entire global fishing catch, the international body estimates. Its $23.5 billion in profits makes it the third most lucrative natural resource crime after stolen timber and illegal mining. It gets its crimson colour from the iron oxide-filled red sandstone in the region The Red River - known to locals as Palquella Pucamayu - lies southeast of Cusco It looks like Mother Nature has rolled out a red carpet. As its name suggests, the spectacular Red River in Peru is a startling shade of scarlet, appearing as a red streak running through the Vilcanota mountain range in the country's Canchis province for several months of the year. It has become something of a hit on social media, with one TikTok video - which has been viewed more than half a million times - describing the river as something that 'doesn't feel real'. In the comments, TikTok user 'Owlhousefan_Lumity' remarked that the water looked like 'blood', while user 'rockstar' compared it to flowing wine. What causes this bizarre phenomenon? The Red River gets its crimson colour from the red sandstone in the region, which is filled with iron oxide. When it rains, this mineral-rich rock is washed into the riverbed, turning the water red or pink. This makes Peru's rainy season, from November to April, the best time to visit its banks as there is more rain run-off, local tour operator Kallpa Travel reveals. The spectacular Red River in Peru is a startling shade of scarlet for several months of the year The waterway appears in the Vilcanota mountain range in Peru's Canchis province. Image courtesy of Kallpa Travel In contrast, it can appear in 'the unattractive colour of muddy brown' during the dry season, tour firm AB Expeditions says. The river's waters only run red for the first three-mile (5km) section from its source near the valley of Arcoiris Palcoyo Mountain. Eventually, the river combines with other streams and small rivers, becomes more diluted and loses its brilliant colour, tour operator Machu Picchu explains. The river's waters only run red for the first three-mile (5km) section, from its source near the valley of Arcoiris Palcoyo Mountain The Red River gets its colour from the red sandstone in the region, which is filled with iron oxide Peru's rainy season, from November to April, is the best time to witness the bizarre phenomenon Known locally as Palquella Pucamayu, the river's name originates from Quechua which is the main language of the Inca Empire and an official language in Peru. Image courtesy of Ricardo Braz Independent travellers can journey by bus and taxi towards the river bank. Image courtesy of Cusco Native 'These numerous small tributaries end up flowing into the Vilcamayo River, which crosses the Sacred Valley of Cusco and passes through the famous citadel of Machu Picchu,' the company explains on its website. It continues: 'Further down, this river is known as the Urubamba River before passing through the middle of the notorious Pongo de Mainique canyon as it enters the jungle and finally feeds into the mighty Amazon River.' Known locally as Palquella Pucamayu, the river's name originates from Quechua, which is the main language of the Inca Empire and an official language in Peru, tour site Cusco Native reveals. Lots of tour operators take travellers to the river as part of a day trip to visit the nearby Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain (above) The first half of its name 'Palquella' means 'small branch' while 'Pucamayu' means 'red river'. Lots of tour operators take travellers to the river - which lies some three hours southeast of Cusco city - as part of a day trip to visit the nearby Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain, a much-photographed, multicoloured peak that's 5,200m (17,100ft) above sea level. Alternatively, independent travellers can journey by bus and then by taxi towards the river bank. Tanzania's Lake Natron, which gets its ruby-red tone from bacteria in the water, is another example of a red body of water Above is Blood Falls, a curious red waterfall that was discovered in the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica in 1911 Tour company AB Expeditions notes that it's not the only reddish-hued river in the region - it says that there's another, lesser-known river that experiences the same phenomenon during the rainy season near the Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain in the district of Combapata. While these rivers are unusual, there are other red bodies of water to marvel over around the world. One famous example is Tanzania's Lake Natron, which gets its ruby-red tone from bacteria in the water. Another is Blood Falls, a curious red waterfall that was discovered in the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica in 1911. Riley Keough looked back at her childhood in the new issue of Vanity Fair. That brought up connections to Graceland (where Elvis and her mother Lisa Marie are buried), Neverland (where her mom's husband Michael Jackson lived) and the Kardashians (grandma Priscilla used to date Robert Kardashian and Kim bought Riley's childhood home in Hidden Hills, California). In 1994 Lisa Marie wed Michael Jackson in the Dominican Republic. And they spent their time at his Neverland Ranch near Santa Barbara. At the time Riley was only five years old. 'I spent more time at Neverland than Graceland, to be honest. That was a real home, whereas Graceland was a museum in my lifetime,' said Riley to the magazine, adding Jackson was a great stepfather. What a life! Riley Keough looked back at her childhood in the new issue of Vanity Fair. That brought up connections to Graceland (where Elvis and her mother Lisa Marie are buried), Neverland (where her mom's husband Michael Jackson lived) and the Kardashians (grandma Priscilla used to date Robert Kardashian and Kim bought Riley's childhood home in Hidden Hills Keough added that sometimes they would spend the night at Graceland, hiding from the tourists as security brought them breakfast. But she never stayed there for long periods of time. 'My whole childhood was probably very extreme,' Keough said. 'In hindsight, I can see how crazy these things would be to somebody from the outside. 'But when you're living in them, it's just your life and your family. You just remember the love, and I had real love for Michael.' And he was a good stepfather. 'I think he really got a kick out of being able to make people happy, in the most epic way possible, which I think he and my grandfather had in common.' After Lisa Marie and Jackson split, she married Nicolas Cage. Four months later, they separated. Keough doesn't keep in touch with Cage, she revealed. 'He's a great actor,' she shared. 'I've had some wild stepfathers. Famous and not famous.' Elvis' home: She added that sometimes they would spend the night at Graceland, hiding from the tourists as security brought them breakfast. But she never stayed there for long periods of time They lived an epic life: Elvis was married to Riley's grandmother Priscilla Her father is Danny Keough. 'My father really cared about my education. My mom was like, "You're an artist. Go be an artist."' Keough didn't graduate from high school. 'I like math,' she said, 'and my grammar isn't as bad as you'd think given the circumstances.' Her parents met while mom was living at the Church of Scientology's Celebrity Centre in LA - Lisa Marie and Priscilla joined after Elvis's death. Keough was raised in the church, but the family reportedly left it in 2014. 'I grew up with my dad reading tarot card books and metaphysics,' she tells me. 'He's very spiritual. I'm very spiritual. And there is a Kardashian link. Lisa Marie's Hidden Hills house was bought by Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in 2014 and torn down. 'I think when we lived there, it was just us and Melissa Etheridgeit was horse country,' said Keough. 'I'm an OG Calabasas girl.' And Priscilla dated Robert Kardashian, 'My grandma dated their dad, I think?' Keough asked. 'Fact-check that.' Her papa: Here Riley is seen as a baby being held by her mother Lisa Marie with dad Danny Keough to the side They were an it couple: In 1994 Lisa Marie wed Michael Jackson in the Dominican Republic Home: And they spent their time at his Neverland Ranch near Santa Barbara. At the time Riley was only five years old. 'I spent more time at Neverland than Graceland, to be honest. That was a real home, whereas Graceland was a museum in my lifetime,' said Riley to the magazine, adding Jackson was a great stepfather Married life: Jackson and Presley at Neverland Ranch in preparation of the Children's World Summit When Riley was a kid: Here the Daisy Jones & The Six star is seen with her brother Happier days: Priscilla holding her son Navarone Anthony Garibaldi, standing along side her daughter Lisa Marie as Lisa holds her daughter Riley in 2001 Priscilla dated Robert Kardashian after her divorce from Elvis in 1973. She refused to marry him while Elvis was still alive so they split. Also in her interview she finally spoken out about her bitter feud with grandma Priscilla Presley over her late mother Lisa Marie's multi-million-dollar estate - insisting that things 'will be happy again' between their pair after their lengthy legal battle was resolved. Earlier this month, the 34-year-old actress and model was named as the sole trustee of her late mom's estate - which includes ownership of Graceland - after reportedly agreeing to pay her grandmother $1 million, as well as $400,000 in legal fees. Now, Riley has opened up about the legal tussle with Priscilla in an interview with Vanity Fair, admitting to the publication that her family was thrown into 'chaos' in the wake of her mother's death, and that they were left 'in a panic' about how to manage their grief alongside the future of the Presley 'business'. 'When my mom passed, there was a lot of chaos in every aspect of our lives,' the mother-of-one - who welcomed a daughter with husband Ben Smith-Petersen via surrogate in 2022 - shared. Riley (seen with Priscilla, Lisa Marie and Lisa Marie's twin daughters Harper and Finley) became embroiled in a legal battle over her late mother's estate after her death in January The K link: Riley has a link to the Kardashians - grandma Priscilla Presley used to date Robert Kardashian and Kim Kardashian and Kanye West bought Riley's childhood home in Hidden Hills and tore it down; Kim and Kanye are seen here in 2020 'Everything felt like the carpet had been ripped out and the floor had melted from under us. 'Everyone was in a bit of a panic to understand how we move forward, and it just took a minute to understand the details of the situation, because it's complicated. We are a family, but there's also a huge business side of our family.' She added that the situation between herself and Priscilla was made all the more complicated by the fact that they had never had to deal with the 'business' side of their family legacy before, noting that their relationship had never moved beyond that of a grandmother and granddaughter. After her mother's death in January of this year, reports quickly spread of a bitter rift between Priscilla and Riley, who became embroiled in a legal battle over a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie's will, which excised Priscilla as trustee of the estate. Attorneys for Priscilla said she only became aware of the amendment after the death of her daughter. The amendment removed Priscilla and Lisa Marie's former business manager Barry Siegel, and replaced them with Lisa Marie's children Riley and Benjamin Keough. Benjamin died in 2020 after shooting himself dead in the family's mansion, with sources revealing he had been struggling at the time. However, that dispute has now been solved after Riley agreed to pay her grandma a sum of $1.4 million - including $400,000 in legal fees - in return for being named as the sole trustee of her mother's estate, which means she will also preside over the sub-trusts for her half sisters Harper and Finley Lockwood, daughters of Lisa Marie's fourth husband Michael Lockwood. 'Things with Grandma will be happy... They've never not been happy,' she said. 'There was a bit of upheaval, but now everything's going to be how it was' For her role, Priscilla will be a special adviser to the trusts and receive a monthly payment for her role. Priscilla will also be allowed to be buried at Graceland, the Memphis home of Elvis Presley, which Riley will now own. Riley says that she and her grandmother have now found a shared 'clarity' about how best to move forward, which has set them on a path to repairing their fractured relationship, although she insists that there was never any 'unhappiness' between them. 'Things with Grandma will be happy... They've never not been happy,' she said. 'There was a bit of upheaval, but now everything's going to be how it was.' She went on to praise her grandmother - who was married to rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley for seven years - as a 'beautiful woman', highlighting the 'huge' role Priscilla played in 'creating my grandfather's legacy and Graceland'. 'It's very important to her. He was the love of her life,' Riley went on, noting that all her grandmother wants is to 'love and protect Graceland and the Presley family and the legacy'. Emma Roberts looked very much in love with her boyfriend Cody John as they were spotted out in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday. The American Horror Story star, 32 who recently wrapped filming on the series' upcoming season held hands with her beau while strolling down Hillhurst Ave. Roberts cut a stylish figure by layering a silky patriotic-patterned shirt over a plain white crop top. She completed the outlet with baggy blue jeans and black patent leather loafers. The Aquamarine star shielded her eyes with cateye shades and her blonde tresses were swept up in a checkered hair clip. Lovebirds: Emma Roberts looked very much in love with her boyfriend Cody John as they were spotted out in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday Her gorgeous blonde locks remained held back with a checkered hair clip as she spent time with her boyfriend. John towered over the petite actress while rocking a graphic-printed blue t-shirt, slim-fitting pants and dual-tone Nike sneakers. Roberts was initially linked to the Wu-Tang: An American Saga actor in August of last year. The actress was previously in a relationship with Evan Peters, whom she met while working on the 2013 movie Adult World. The pair maintained an on-off romance for several years, and even became engaged in 2014 before they split up for good in 2019. Roberts eventually moved on with Garrett Hedlund, whom she began seeing that March. The Nancy Drew star revealed that she was pregnant with their child in 2020, and she gave birth to a son named Rhodes, aged two, that December. However, the former couple eventually ended their relationship in January of 2022. Affection: The American Horror Story star, 32 who recently wrapped filming on the series' upcoming season held hands with her beau while strolling down Hillhurst Ave Style: Roberts cut a stylish figure by layering a silky patriotic-patterned shirt over a plain white crop top Roberts was initially linked to the Wu-Tang: An American Saga actor in August of last year Taking their time: An insider previously spoke to E! News and expressed that the couple was 'taking it slow' with their romance Roberts went on to meet John, and they went Instagram official in August of that year. An insider previously spoke to E! News and expressed that the couple was 'taking it slow' with their romance. The source also stated that the actress was 'cautious about bringing her son around new people.' However, they remarked that 'Emma loves Cody's personality,' and added that the two were 'having a good time together.' Caitlin McConville has revealed why she joined OnlyFans and how much money she has made the adults only platform. The former Married At First Sight star, who appeared on season ten of the show, also appeared on the site prior to the show. The brunette bombshell describes herself as 'sex positive' and said she just wants to do things that 'makes her happy'. 'I'm very sex-positive, I'm very progressive, I'm very, "Do what makes you happy and make money however makes you happy" - and that's with everything,' she said. 'If you like to travel the world and want to blog it and you make money off it, do it. If youre a beauty influencer, do it. Just do what makes your soul sing, I don't judge people.' Caitlin McConville has revealed why she joined OnlyFans and how much money she has made the adults only platform Caitlin has already racked up over 336 'likes' on the page and is understood to have made around $16,793 since joining the raunchy website. The star charges fans $24.99 to subscribe to her account. She said she talked about her racy career on Married At First Sight, but producers chose not to air it. The bio of Caitlin's OnlyFans account reads: 'The content you won't find on my social media'. Caitlin has already racked up over 336 'likes' on the page and is understood to have made around $16,793 since joining the raunchy website The brunette bombshell describes herself as 'sex positive' and said she just wants to do things that 'makes her happy' Her decision to join OnlyFans follows fellow MAFS bride, Bronte Schofield, who reportedly earned a reported $100,000 on the platform in just three days. It comes after photos surfaced of Caitlin earlier this year from her days working as an exotic dancer at Brisbane strip club Showgirls. Promotional photos on the club's Instagram account show the then-brunette posing in lingerie and showing off her nipple ring in a leopard-print bodysuit. She was pictured sitting on a pool table clutching some balls, while another photo showed her resting a toy gun on her shoulders. The flirty captions shared alongside the snaps included, 'It's Friday - let's play', 'Time to get wild', and 'Meet you at the bar'. Fans of the beloved Aussie kids show Bluey have been left stunned after discovering the US version of the show is heavily censored. The beloved animated series about a charming family of Blue Heelers living in Brisbane recently broke ratings records in Australia, but is also incredibly popular overseas. American TikTok creator and 'licensed girl dad and Bluey fan' @world.shaker shared a video detailing seven changes which have been made in the US version of season, claiming it is the 'most censored season so far.' The TikToker first shared a short scene of the dad dog Bandit getting hit in the groin from the original that has been completely removed for the US. Then he reveals that multiple scenes involving a pony character called Buttermilk, who is seen pooping in the original Aussie version, but removed for the American market. A scene where Bandit alludes to a vasectomy has been replaced by dialogue about getting 'dog teeth' excised. 'The day labourer from Argentina is now a backpacker in Explorers,' says the TikToker, continuing his list. Instead of urinating on the curtains, Agatha now threatens to scratch them up in one episode. Fans of the beloved Aussie kids show Bluey have been left stunned after discovering the US version of the show is heavily censored The beloved animated series about a charming family of Blue Heelers living in Brisbane recently broke ratings records in Australia, but is also incredibly popular overseas In another, Aunt Tricks is no longer shown on the toilet in a chase sequence. And an entire episode called Family Meeting has been deleted because it deals with farts, even though the story features no typical sounds because it is based on the 'silent but deadly' variety. In the comments of the TikTok, Bluey fans were aghast at these changes. 'I get that countries have different censors but I'm pretty sure toddlers see or hear worse than what's in Bluey. Coming from someone who nannied...' said one commenter. Another American Bluey fans added: 'I have to use a VPN to watch it,' referring to the technology that would allow someone overseas to watch the Australian version. 'We have to protect the babies from finding out about toilets! Who knows what could happen if we let that technology fall into their hands!!!' quipped another commenter. Multiple changes and deletion of scenes have taken place for the American version of the show, and American TikToker @world.shaker shared a video claiming that season three is the 'most censored season so far' Aussie fans also weighed in, with one saying: 'They cut Family Meeting? As an Aussie I am horrified, that is such a hilarious episode.' Despite this censorship, the show has captured the hearts and minds of schoolchildren across America and is changing the way they speak. Children in the US are beginning to speak with an unmistakable Australian twang after watching Bluey. The cartoon has become wildly popular stateside after premiering in September 2019. In 2020, The New York Times described the show as 'the biggest Australian export since The Wiggles' - the country's most famous children's band. The cartoon stays true to its Aussie roots and is packed with 'g'day' greetings and Aussie phrases like 'show us your thongs, muffin!' On Tuesday, A24 announced plans to 'summon a sequel' for its $4.5M-budget supernatural horror flick Talk to Me, which has earned an impressive $26.1M since being released in US/UK theaters 11 days ago. Australian twin brother YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou made their feature directorial debut with Talk to Me, and they both reacted to the news on their respective Instagram accounts. 'We're ready for round 2!' Danny gushed on Tuesday. 'Thank you @a24 for giving this to us!' And Michael wrote: 'The world ain't ready!' Talk to Me centers on a group of friends who become addicted to conjuring spirits by using an embalmed hand through seances lead by grieving teenager Mia (Sophie Wilde), whose mother passed away a year earlier. Confirmed! On Tuesday, A24 announced plans to 'summon a sequel' for its $4.5M-budget supernatural horror flick Talk to Me, which has earned an impressive $26.1M since being released in US/UK theaters 11 days ago The fright film also features Lord of the Rings alum Miranda Otto as well as Joe Bird, Alexandra Jensen, Otis Dhanji, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio, Alexandria Steffensen, Marcus Johnson, Sunny Johnson, and Ari McCarthy Talk to Me currently holds a 'certified fresh' 95% critic approval rating (out of 238 reviews) and an 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Philippou Brothers have already shot a found footage-style prequel centered around Sunny Johnson's character Duckett, who appears in an early party scene in the original film. 'It's told entirely through the perspective of mobile phones and social media, so maybe down the line we can release that,' Danny Philippou told THR last week. 'But also while writing the first film, you can't help but write scenes for a second film. So there's so many scenes. The mythology was so thick, and if A24 gave us the opportunity, we wouldn't be able to resist. I feel like we'd jump at it.' A24 is one of the rare independent film studios granted a SAG-AFTRA waiver to begin production on Alex Scharfman's horror-comedy Death of a Unicorn starring Jenna Ortega and David Lowery's musical drama Mother Mary starring Anne Hathaway during the strike. It helps that A24 is not part of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, so it's not tied to companies associated with the organization - according to Variety. SAG-AFTRA officially went on strike July 14 - its first picket line in 43 years - in order to negotiate a fair contract with updates on artificial intelligence, streaming revenue sharing, and basic increases in minimums. At the helm! Australian twin brother YouTubers Michael and Danny Philippou (pictured July 20) made their feature directorial debut with Talk to Me, and they both reacted to the news on their respective Instagram accounts 'We're ready for round 2!' Danny gushed on Tuesday. 'Thank you @a24 for giving this to us!' And Michael wrote: 'The world ain't ready!' Talk to Me centers on a group of friends who become addicted to conjuring spirits by using an embalmed hand through seances lead by grieving teenager Mia (Sophie Wilde), whose mother passed away a year earlier BTS: The fright film also features Lord of the Rings alum Miranda Otto as well as Joe Bird (R), Alexandra Jensen, Otis Dhanji, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio, Alexandria Steffensen, Marcus Johnson, Sunny Johnson, and Ari McCarthy Nice! Talk to Me currently holds a 'certified fresh' 95% critic approval rating (out of 238 reviews) and an 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes 'Maybe down the line we can release that': The Philippou Brothers have already shot a found footage-style prequel centered around Sunny Johnson's character Duckett (not pictured), who appears in an early party scene in the original film The Block's Steph and Gian Ottavio have made the first major mistake of season 19 as they demolished the wrong room during Studio Bathroom Week. Despite being an architect by trade, Steph said she struggled under the pressure of the time constraints and got her two bathrooms mixed up on the building plans. The 27-year-old couple, who were left with House 4 after losing the renovation show's first challenge on Sunday, quickly fell behind the other teams. After rushing to help her neighbours, sisters Eliza and Liberty Paschke, to read their house plans, Steph made a grave mistake with her own. Between the building schedule reading 'guest wing' for the week and House 4's layout being vastly different from the others, the architect got turned around. The Block's Steph and Gian Ottavio, both 27, (pictured) have made the first mistake of season 19 as they demolished the wrong room during Studio Bathroom Week She and husband Gian wasted most of the day demolishing their guest bathroom instead of the studio bathroom on the other side of the house. 'As an architect people expect that you get the plans, and you should know what you are doing,' she said. 'Anyone in the profession needs time to analyse, figure out where all the rooms are.' Despite being an architect by trade, Steph said she struggled under the pressure of the time constraints and got her two bathrooms mixed up on the building plans It's been a rough start for the New South Wales couple after they were brutally mocked by judges during the premiere episode on Sunday. The childhood sweethearts were tasked with designing a children's room themed after the character Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story films. But the couple threw the bright, cartoonish brief out of the window, creating a beige room with heavy wooden furniture. The childhood sweethearts, who were left with House 4 after losing the renovation show's first challenge on Sunday, quickly fell behind the other teams Judge Shaynna Blaze was shocked as she looked around the space, calling a rope ladder the pair installed, 'just useless.' 'The fact you're not listening to the brief, what are you presenting to us? I mean, it's not even a kid's room,' she said. Also unimpressed, judge Neale Whittaker chimed in, 'The brief was to create a kid's room. 'If they were thinking they'd take a bit of a punt and show the judges they're sophisticated and grown up, and we'd walk in and be wowed. FAIL.' The Block will continue Wednesday, 7:30pm on Nine and 9Now. A sexual misconduct scandal that was featured on a recent episode of Below Deck Down Under has stunned an Australian radio show. The crew from KIIS FM's The Kyle and Jackie O Show, including hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson, along with newsreader Brooklyn Ross, were blown away by the drama on the series and said it surpassed Aussie reality TV. On Below Deck Down Under's latest episode, which aired on Monday night, bosun Luke Jones was terminated after climbing into the bed of Margot Sisson, who was naked and asleep, 'without consent.' Discussing the incident, Kyle said, 'Regardless if they were hooking up or not, if one's unconscious... it's not the 1980s, you're not allowed to do that.' Chiming in, Jackie said, 'Luckily the production crew noticed this. They were saying to this Luke guy, "You need to get out. You can't do that." And he got pretty angry and he tried to slam the door on them!' A sexual misconduct scandal that was featured on a recent episode of Below Deck Down Under has shocked the hosts of Australia's The Kyle and Jackie O Show On Below Deck Down Under's latest episode, bosun Luke Jones was terminated after climbing into the bed of Margot Sisson, who was naked and asleep, 'without consent' She added, 'He was hellbent on being in that room with her when she was passed out and he was naked. So god knows what could've happened.' They then played the audio of the incident. Reacting to the clips, Brooklyn exclaimed: 'This is more dramatic than anything on The Bachelor!' 'The Bachelor is heavily edited,' explained Kyle. 'This stuff is like guerrilla footage.' Jackie said: 'They were saying to this Luke guy, "You need to get out. You can't do that." And he got pretty angry and he tried to slam the door on them!' 'He was hellbent on being in that room with her when she was passed out and he was naked. So god knows what could've happened,' Jackie added On the series, Luke Jones was terminated after jumping into Margot's bed and clashing with the crew. Second stew Laura Bileskalne's reaction to the incident also led to her getting let go by Captain Jason Chambers after she insisted to Sisson that Jones wasn't to blame. She was ultimately fired for showing 'little respect and empathy' toward Sisson as well as crossing boundaries with Adam Kodra. Jones' inappropriate behavior came after the crew went out in Cairns, Australia. Producers burst into the Cabin to remove Luke from Margot's bunk bed Chief Stewardess Aesha Scott later came in to check on Margot, who was shocked to learn that Luke had been in her bed At dinner, Sisson stated that she was 'really drunk' and chief stew Aesha Scott even told deckhand Culver Bradbury that she was going to keep an eye out for her. 'I just want to chaperone her a bit,' Scott explained. Despite Sisson's intoxicated state, Jones repeatedly attempted to flirt with her and asked her to 'cuddle' with him as they sat in the back of a car together. 'No, let's go,' she responded, before making it clear that she just wanted 'to go to bed' by herself. On the series, Luke Jones (pictured) was terminated after jumping into Margot's bed and clashing with the crew As Scott took her back to her cabin, she assured Sisson that she wouldn't let 'any drunkenness' lead her to get 'taken advantage of.' 'I'd just like to see you get into bed safely. I'll get you water,' she told Sisson. Later, Jones proceeded to enter Sisson's room in just his boxers as he asked her to join in the hot tub. 'I just saw the way that Luke was looking at you, and I'm feeling very protective,' Scott told Sisson. Sisson replied: 'I am glad that you're here. I don't want to go in the jacuzzi, I want to go bed. All I want is water and bed, no Luke.' Second stew Laura Bileskalne's reaction to the incident also led to her getting let go by Captain Jason Chambers after she insisted to Sisson that Jones wasn't to blame Upon returning from the jacuzzi, Jones made a beeline for Sisson's cabin, where she was alone and sleeping. After he got into her bed, producers stepped in and told Jones to leave her alone. 'Can you f**k off for a second?' he told the cameramen. 'We can't do that, she said no, she said no,' the producers told him. Margot Sisson is pictured Once Scott returned to the cabin, she tells her friend that Luke had been in her cabin and ran out 'naked.' 'Oh my God. Ew, he was naked?' Sisson responded, to which Scott asked: 'Did you consent to him being in here?' 'No, I was asleep,' said Margot. 'I did not invite that at all.' Scott then informed Captain Jason, who wanted to know if Sisson was 'safe.' 'So she's safe? She's safe yeah?' said Captain Jason. 'She's safe,' said Aesha. Only Murders In The Building Rating: Ultimate Wedding Planner Rating: Welcome to your second childhood. If you are old enough to remember Saturday teatimes and The Wonderful World Of Disney on BBC1 in the 1970s, youre Uncle Walts new target audience. Disney+, the streaming service from the House of Mouse, is the fastest growing TV-on-demand channel for older viewers. Already, more than a third of over-64s watch streaming series on Amazon Prime Video, and 43 per cent on Netflix. Now, the proportion of that age group watching Disney+ in the UK has leapt from seven per cent last year to 12 per cent in early 2023. The big switchover is being driven by multiple factors. New televisions make it easy to tune in, and older viewers are growing more comfortable with watching on tablets or phones. Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez star in Only Murders In The Building on Disney+ Meryl Streep stars in the latest season of the show as a wannabe stage actress Everyone consumed more TV during the pandemic but the quality of new shows on the Beeb and other terrestrial channels suffered badly, and theres still a shocking proportion of repeats. For Disney+, the biggest factor might be that, after a slow start following the launch in 2019, their menu of new shows is enticing. Peter Jacksons eight-hour Beatles documentary Get Back brought droves of subscribers, and comedy-drama The Bear, about a Chicago diner, has landed a plateful of Emmy nominations. Pick of the online schedule is Only Murders In The Building (Disney+), back for a third series and better than ever. Its a cosy crime mystery in the style of Frasier, with breakneck plotting and a blizzard of one-liners. If the script sometimes feels overwritten, as though a small army of editors are all fighting to squeeze their funniest lines in, thats hardly a bad thing. And the all-star cast never flags. Co-creator Steve Martin plays Charles, a fading actor with a hunger for true-crime tales, who teams up with a couple of neighbours to investigate a death. Martin Short is a washed-up Broadway director who turns their sleuthing into a podcast, and Selena Gomez is Mabel, the socially awkward loner who befriends them. The guest list is stellar Cara Delevingne, Sting, Nathan Lane and Tina Fey all make appearances. This time, the real treat is the arrival of Meryl Streep, flipping effortlessly between ham and heartbreak, as a wannabe stage actress. One minute, her nervous audition will bring a lump to your throat...and the next, shes playing farce. Paul Rudd is brilliant too, as the narcissistic A-lister who gets himself murdered twice in one night. Paul Rudd also appears as the narcissistic A-lister who gets himself murdered twice in one night At moments, it threatens to turn into a gigantic theatrical in-joke, with endless gags about gay producers and vain newspaper critics (perish the thought). But you cant blame the stars for enjoying themselves especially when the jokes include a Cabaret send-up with Steve Martin high-kicking like Liza Minnelli in bowler hat and stockings. Ultimate Wedding Planner (BBC2) is equally camp but much less entertaining. A mixture of The Apprentice and Interior Design Masters, it manages to miss the best elements of both, being all formula and no fun. Eight novices are given three days to organise a ceremony and celebrations, under the eye of judges Sara Davies, Fred Sirieix and Raj Somaiya. Since, in reality, the event must have been months in the planning, its hard to know how much of the contestants work is just window dressing. And its hard to understand why theres a tight budget of just 10,000 on the big day, when many couples now blow more than that on their hen and stag parties. The first elimination lacked any drama. It looked more like a cigarette break than a firing. Lord Sugar neednt worry about this one. Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden is reportedly set to document her battle with breast cancer for a heartbreaking BBC film. The dancer, 32, has openly shared her diagnosis and treatment with her followers on Instagram, and a source has now revealed cameras have captured her battle with the disease. Amy was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May, after finding a lump while on her honeymoon in April. It's thought that the film is following Amy through every step of her treatment to raise awareness of breast cancer and urge others to check themselves. A source told The Sun: 'Amy's breast cancer fight has inspired millions of Strictly fans already, but she wants to do more. Moving: Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden is reportedly set to document her battle with breast cancer for a heartbreaking BBC film Challenges: The dancer has openly shared her diagnosis and treatment with her followers on Instagram, and a source has now revealed cameras have captured her battle with the disease 'She's been sharing every stage online to try to remind everyone to check their breasts and the film will take it one step further. 'The result will be a raw but sensitive film as Amy fights back to fitness and her beloved dance.' The BBC Wales documentary will be the second for Amy, after her 2020 film Strictly Amy: Crohns and Me. Earlier this week, Amy revealed she'd undergone her first round of chemotherapy after recently revealing that doctor's discovered she has 'another type of cancer' following her initial breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year. And after undergoing her first round of treatment, Amy offered a brave face to the camera as she smiled sweetly in her hospital bed. Covered in blankets and wearing a cold cap, the star admitted the experience 'wasn't as bad' as she thought and quipped that she was 'one step closer to being back on the dance floor.' Captioning the post, she penned: 'Chemo 1 done! I looked worse going in than coming out actually. 'I didnt sleep, I got there and I just burst into tears, luckily my pink sister made sure I walked in and helped me through it and distracted from the brain freeze of the cold cap. ( wasnt as bad as I thought it would be!) Struggles: Amy was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May, after finding a lump while on her honeymoon in April Scary: Earlier this week, Amy revealed she'd undergone her first round of chemotherapy after recently revealing that doctor's discovered she has 'another type of cancer' 'Thank you @jenny.markey not sure what I would do without you! Lucky to have you! 'Red Devil went in, had another cry but Ive left knowing chemo 1 done and not as bad as I thought. 'This is due to the incredible team and nurses! Thank you NHS! Hopefully not too many side affects. 'One step closer to being back on the dance floor. (thats whats hurting the most right now, Id do anything to be there with my fellow strictly pros right now). 'But for now chemo 1 #breastcanceryoung #chemotherapy #firstchemo #chemoport #raisingawareness #ididit #everyoneneedsafriendlikejen' On Thursday, Amy revealed she broke down in tears as she began her chemotherapy. In an emotional update to her fans, Amy admitted that she was 'wishing this wasn't happening to me', after being fitted for a port and a cold cap for the treatment. Taking to her Instagram Stories, the professional dancer uploaded a snap of herself looking upset as she sat in her hospital bed wearing a cold cap - which is worn during some chemotherapy treatments to help reduce blood flow to the scalp, in order to help minimize hair loss. Captioning her post, Amy penned: 'I hardly slept. I broke down in tears as soon as I got in the room. 'Cold cap on. So far coping and not as bad as I thought with cold cap on. But just wishing this wasn't happening to me! 'Nurses here are just incredible. Thank you NHS and I've got my fellow pink sister sat by my side and made sure I walked through the door this morning.' In another post, Ant clutched onto a cup of tea as a cameraman stood in front of her, indicating that she's perhaps documenting her cancer journey. She wrote: 'Got my tea which makes me feel better. Just feeling very emotional today mixed with nerves and fear but like my lovely nurse has said I just need to think of the end goal. Keep going: In another post, Ant clutched onto a cup of tea as a cameraman stood in front of her, indicating that she was documenting her cancer journey 'I've always set dreams and goals in life I guess none like this one 9always dance related!) but I'm going to see it like this.' Amy, who recently surprised her Strictly pals during rehearsals, was first diagnosed with aggressive stage three breast cancer in May. She found a lump while preparing for her honeymoon with husband Ben Jones in April and shared her diagnosis weeks later. The professional dancer has since had an operation, a mastectomy and has had fertility treatment. However, during an Instagram Live chat with breast cancer survivor and Paralympic gold medalist Erin Kennedy for the charity CoppaFeel! on Friday, Amy revealed the devastating news cancer had been found elsewhere in her body. Speculation is mounting that MasterChef's original judging trio may make a shock return to the show in the wake of Jock Zonfrillo's death. And celebrity chef George Calombaris added fuel to the fire on Tuesday when he shared a snippet from a Zoom call meeting with his former co-stars Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston. In the caption of the footage, George said the original MasterChef trio have a 'very special project' in the works. Many fans have speculated that they will be returning to MasterChef amid a casting shake-up caused by the tragic death of judge Jock Zonfrillo. His co-stars Melissa Leong and Andy Allen are also rumoured to be dropping out of the ratings hit following their friend's passing. MasterChef viewers are speculating that the original three judges of the show might be back together for the next series. Fans went wild after celebrity chef George Calombaris shared a snippet from a zoom call meeting with his former co-stars Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston (all pictured) However, this may be unlikely as there has been several reports that Channel 10 is looking to just re-cast Jock's position, and will be keeping Melissa and Andy in the judging chairs. Other fans believe that the original MasterChef judges are producing something brand new together. In the video, Matt is heard teasing George over his 'daggy' taste in deserts. He replies: 'The daggier the better. As daggy as we are on this Zoom call.' In the caption of the footage, George said the original MasterChef trio have a 'very special project' in the works George captioned the post: 'Some serious food talk for a very special project. But majority a lot of shots and giggles'. The trio hosted the hit cooking show for a decade, from 2009 to 2019. However, in July 2019 Channel 10 announced that the three judges would not be returning for season 12 of the series. It has been widely reported that the hosts left the show because they couldn't agree on money, however, Gary said at the time that it had nothing to do with financial matters. In a statement published to Instagram, Gary wrote: 'It was time to move on [and] have more free time to explore our own creativity. It was never about the money and never will be about the money.' 'We couldnt agree on the term of the new contract for 2020 and season 12. Something we felt very strongly about.' At the time, Channel 10's CEO Paul Anderson claimed the decision to hire new judges followed months of failed negotiations with Matt, Gary and George. 'Despite months of negotiations, Ten has not been able to reach a commercial agreement that was satisfactory to Matt, Gary and George,' he said. Three new judges were then hired for the 12th season of the show in 2020, Jock Zonfrillo, Andy Allen, Melissa Leong (all pictured) 'We would like to thank [them] for their contribution over the past 11 years.' Three new judges were then hired for the 12th season of the show in 2020, Jock Zonfrillo, Andy Allen, Melissa Leong. Jock tragically died on April 30, 2023, just days before the 15th series was due to air. Channel 10 decided to still air the pre-recorded series, which Jock was a part of, however, it has left much speculation of what the network will do for the next season. Austin Butler fully embraced his latest role as Yves Saint Laurent's new global ambassador and becoming the face of the brand's MYSLF fragrance in an Instagram video shared on Tuesday. The Elvis actor, 31, who recently enjoyed a romantic date night with girlfriend Kaia Gerber, dressed to impress in a campaign clip shared to the company's main Instagram page to promote the 'statement' men's fragrance. He could be seen sporting a plain white tank top which was partially covered with a black blazer that was left unfastened. The former Disney channel star's blonde locks were styled and combed back away from his face. The beginning of the short reel had the words 'Welcome...Austin Butler' appear on the screen as the heartthrob adjusted his blazer and struck a few poses for the camera. New role: Austin Butler, 31, fully embraced his latest role as Yves Saint Laurent's new global ambassador and becoming the face of the brand's MYSLF fragrance in an Instagram video shared on Tuesday Latest fragrance: The Elvis actor dressed to impress in a campaign clip shared to the company's main Instagram page to promote the 'statement' men's fragrance The caption attached to the post included a quote from Austin which read, 'I am honored to be named the global ambassador of MYSLF, the new statement fragrance by YSL Beauty.' The MYSLF Eau de Parfum can be purchased in three different sizes, with the smallest being 60mL for $123. According to W Magazine, the fragrance - which is the first new men's fragrance for the brand since 2017 - contains a mixture of aromas, such as citrus, woody amber, and and also a note of orange blossom. While talking to the outlet to discuss his global ambassadorship and being the face of the campaign, Austin explained that his 'partnership' with the company 'really just started with a conversation.' He also gushed, 'I've been a fan of YSL for many years, and in the past couple years, I've done more research into Yves Saint Laurent himself. I love the way his mind works, so I feel privileged to now be a part of his heritage.' Along with promoting the fragrance, Butler has also been a fan of Yves Saint Laurent's fashion lines, and notably donned an eye-catching suit from the brand earlier this year at the Oscars in March. Stephan Bezy, YSL's International General Manager, expressed in a statement, per PR Newswire, 'In seeking out a figure to embody YSL Beauty's vision of the new masculinity, there could have been no better choice for us than Austin Butler.' 'Both as an artist and as a human being, he embodies the values expressed by our brand through MYSLF, a modern representation of what it means to be a man.' The start: The beginning of short clip had the words 'Welcome...Austin Butler' appear on the screen as the actor adjusted his blazer and struck a pose for the camera Dapper: He could be seen sporting a plain white tank top which was partially covered with a black blazer that was left unfastened 'Honored': The caption attached to the post included a quote from Austin which read, 'I am honored to be named the global ambassador of MYSLF, the new statement fragrance by YSL Beauty' Aromas: According to W Magazine , the fragrance - which is the first new men's fragrance since 2017 for the brand - contains a mixture of aromas, such as citrus, woody amber, and and also a note of orange blossom Fragrance drop: The MYSLF Eau de Parfum can be purchased in three different sizes, with the smallest being 60mL for $123 Bezy concluded, 'Embracing his many facets. Owning up to his individuality, generously, unapologetically. This is why we are proud to welcome Austin Butler as the newest YSL Beauty's fragrance Ambassador.' During a recent interview with Vogue, The Carrie Diaries actor also opened up about his love of fragrance and admitted, 'I love a good smell.' 'So for me, getting to surround yourself with that all day is one of the joys of the fact that people create fragrances, because then you can just surround yourself with something that you love the smell of.' In regards to what his favorite aromas are when it comes to choosing a cologne or fragrance, he told the outlet, 'I don't know if I have a signature scent, I mean I tend to go for kind of woody scents.' Butler added, 'I like that sort of richness of either a tobacco smell or whiskey, but nothing too overpowering. I like something subtle.' In another photo added to the campaign, Austin had a quick outfit change and was seen sporting a dark brown shirt as well as black pants and layered the look with a black, leather jacket. The full video for the fragrance campaign, which was directed by Julia Ducournau, will drop later this month on August 22 while the print campaign was released on Tuesday and shot by New York-based photographer, Gray Sorrenti. Along with celebrating his new YSL partnership, Austin has been filtering through a busy summer, and was recently seen lending a helping hand. Big fan: Butler has also been a fan of Yves Saint Laurent's fashion lines, and notably donned an eye-catching suit from the brand earlier this year at the Oscars in March Eye-catching campaign: The full video for the fragrance campaign, which was directed by Julia Ducournau, will drop later this month on August 22 while the print campaign was released on Tuesday and shot by New York-based photographer, Gray Sorrenti Stylish: In another photo added to the campaign, Austin had a quick outfit change and was seen sporting a dark brown shirt as well as black pants which was layered with a black, leather jacket Favorite scents: In regards to what his favorite aromas are when it comes to choosing a cologne or fragrance, he told the outlet, 'I don't know if I have a signature scent, I mean I tend to go for kind of woody scents' Very strong: During a recent trip to Canada, the Oscar-nominated actor was seen joining David Beckham and his son, Cruz, 18, to lift a fallen tree off of a main road During a recent trip to Canada, the Oscar-nominated actor was seen joining David Beckham and his son, Cruz, 18, to lift a fallen tree off of a main road. Victoria Beckham had filmed the entire moment on her camera which she later shared to her main Instagram page. In a caption, the fashion designer penned, 'Did u ever think u would see Elvis and Beckham lifting a tree? Helping the community in Muskoka. I'm impressed gentleman! Kisses VB.' Late last month in July, the actor was seen spending quality time with his girlfriend, Kaia Gerber, while on a romantic date night together in Los Angeles. If you've ever wanted to dine at Martha Stewart's home, the domestic goddess says to look no further than her Las Vegas restaurant, The Bedford by Martha Stewart. The classic American eatery is celebrating the one year anniversary of its opening at the Paris Las Vegas on Saturday, August 12, and in anticipation of the event, the 82-year-old icon unexpectedly dropped in over the weekend. Stewart exclusively gushed about her hot spot to DailyMail.com, revealing that the elegant space is inspired by her own stunning New York estate. EXCLUSIVE: Martha Stewart exclusively gushed about The Bedford, her Las Vegas restaurant, revealing that the elegant space is inspired by her own stunning New York estate 'The Bedford by Martha Stewart is a popular place to have tasty drinks and elegant, delicious food in a setting that is entirely evocative of my own home in Bedford, New York,' Martha said. It opened in August of 2022 at the Paris Las Vegas to much fanfare and has become a destination spot for visitors, all of whom hold a special place in Stewart's heart. 'I thank all of the guests who have enjoyed the restaurant and hope they return time and time again,' she said. Martha dropped by The Bedford over the weekend ahead of the anniversary, and in true Martha Stewart fashion, had a decadent dessert on display to celebrate the milestone. 'The Bedford by Martha Stewart is a popular place to have tasty drinks and elegant, delicious food in a setting that is entirely evocative of my own home in Bedford, New York,' Martha said. The business mogul looked beyond fabulous with perfectly coifed blonde bob dressed in pale lemon knitwear. Martha smiled happily behind a two-tiered chocolate cake adorned with curls of rich chocolate ribbons and topped with candles. Flanked by silver, gold and white balloons, the star also posed alongside several members of the kitchen staff. As a special treat, diners at The Bedford next weekend will enjoy a complimentary slice of chocolate cake for each table in honor of the anniversary. Milestone! The classic American eatery is celebrating the one year anniversary of its opening at the Paris Las Vegas on Saturday, August 12, and in anticipation of the event, the 82-year-old icon unexpectedly dropped in over the weekend The Bedford by Martha Stewart is the icon's first and only restaurant and makes you feel like you're quite literally dining with Martha. The design itself was modeled after her famed farmhouse in Bedford, New York, with the impressive menu consisting of Martha's favorite recipes and French inspired cuisine. Ahead of the opening last year Martha joked that the only difference is that the restaurant is 'three times bigger' that her home. The Bedford shakes up Martha-tinis and Martha-Ritas as well as Martha's Chard, which is her very own California Chardonnay by 19 Crimes, and features her line of Martha.com cookware available for purchase. While the design of the 194 seat space stunning yet understated the star of the show at The Bedford is the food. Besties! Martha and pal Snoop Dogg sip Martha-ritas at The Bedford grand opening last year Stewart, who has authored 99 cookbooks, doesn't skimp when it comes to the quality of her ingredients. The menu features scratch made items and seasonal delicacies like caviar and truffles for the summer. Martha's mom, Big Martha, even gets a nod at The Bedford with her world famous pierogis. 'I can't stress enough that the food and drinks are on par with what I serve in my own home. I love good food, fine preparation and beautiful ingredients and The Bedford incorporates all of these things along with the most beautiful restaurant to enjoy,' Martha told DailyMail.com last year. The Bedford by Martha Stewart is open at the Paris Las Vegas. READ MORE: NBC and Bravo reality show stars accuse network of 'grotesque and depraved mistreatment' A sexual misconduct scandal has erupted on the latest season of Bravo's Below Deck Down Under, resulting in two crew members being sacked from the series. On the show's latest episode, bosun Luke Jones was terminated after climbing into the bed of Margot Sisson, who was fast asleep in her underwear, 'without consent.' Second stew Laura Bileskalne's reaction to the incident also led to her getting let go by Captain Jason Chambers after she insisted that Luke wasn't to blame. She was ultimately fired for showing 'little respect and empathy' toward Margot. Luke's inappropriate behaviour came after the crew went out in Cairns, Australia. A sexual misconduct scandal erupted on Bravo's Below Deck Down Under this week, after bosun Luke Jones (pictured) got into bed with 'unconscious' co-star Margot Sisson Producers were forced to intervene after catching Luke in bed with Margot, who was passed out asleep after a night of heavy drinking Luke and stewardess Margot are both pictured in their official cast photos for the hit yachting series At dinner, Margot stated that she was 'really drunk' and chief stew Aesha Scott even told deckhand Culver Bradbury that she was going to keep an eye out for her. 'I just want to chaperone her a bit,' Aesha explained. Despite Margot's intoxicated state, Luke repeatedly attempted to flirt with her and asked her to 'cuddle' with him as they sat in the back of a car together. 'No, let's go,' she responded, before making it clear that she just wanted 'to go to bed' by herself. As Aesha took her back to her cabin, she assured Margot that she wouldn't let 'any drunkenness' lead her to get 'taken advantage of.' 'I'd just like to see you get into bed safely. I'll get you water,' she told Margot. Luke, who was naked under a towel, made a beeline for Margot's bunk Producers burst into the cabin as soon as Luke crawled into Margot's bunk bed, where she was asleep The producer begs Luke to get down and tries to remove him from the bed Later, Luke proceeded to enter Margot's room in just his boxers as he asked her to join in the hot tub. 'I just saw the way that Luke was looking at you, and I'm feeling very protective,' Aesha told Margot. Margot replied: 'I am glad that you're here. I don't want to go in the jacuzzi, I want to go bed. All I want is water and bed, no Luke.' Upon returning from the jacuzzi, Luke made a beeline for Margot's cabin, where she was alone and sleeping. After he got into her bed, producers stepped in and told Luke to leave her alone. Once producers turned the lights on, a furious Luke, who was completely naked, screamed at the producers to 'f**k off' He then slammed the door, leaving himself and Margot alone in the cabin A producer immediately demanded Luke open the door, shouting 'Open it! Open it!' 'Can you f**k off for a second?' he told the cameramen. 'We can't do that, she said no, she said no,' the producers told him. Once Aesha returned to the cabin, she tells her friend that Luke had been in her cabin and ran out 'naked.' 'Oh my God. Ew, he was naked?' Margot responded, to which Aesha asked: 'Did you consent to him being in here?' 'No, I was asleep,' said Margot. 'I did not invite that at all.' Aesha then informed Captain Jason, who wanted to know if Sisson was 'safe.' 'So she's safe? She's safe yeah?' said Captain Jason. 'She's safe,' said Aesha. Chief Stewardess Aesha Scott rushed to the scene as a naked Luke left the room Aesha checked on Margot, who was shocked to discover that Luke had been in her bed naked Luke later locked himself inside of his own cabin and insisted that he'd done nothing wrong Aesha, in tears, claimed that Luke had tried to 'take advantage of Margot's drunkenness' while she was 'completely unconscious' in bed. Captain Jason then went into Luke's room and ordered him to stay in a hotel for the night. The next morning, Jason gathered the rest of the crew members and informed them that Luke was being terminated. He also gave the crew a talk about the importance of consent and boundaries and stressed the rules they had to follow on board. Jason then fired Luke, who simply responded, 'I accept that.' On his way out, he told Captain Jason that he 'was sorry' and was 'so disappointed' in himself for the way he'd acted. Stewardess Laura spent the rest of the day sympathising with Luke, stating that he should've just been given a 'warning' and not fired. An emotional Aesha informed Captain Jason of the incident and claimed that Luke had tried to 'take advantage of Margot's drunkenness' Captain Jason fired Luke the next day. On his way out, Luke told Jason that he 'was sorry' and was 'so disappointed' in himself for the way he'd acted She even told Margot that the firing 'wasn't fair' and that he was simply 'joking' and 'drunk', before implying that Margot may be at fault for the incident. As a result, Captain Jason ended up firing Laura as well, blasting her for not respecting boundaries. The incident has been aired just days after multiple former and current Bravo reality stars - led by Real Housewives of New York's Bethenny Frankel - accused the network of 'grotesque and depraved mistreatment'. In a legal letter sent to Bravo's parent company NBC Universal, lawyers alleged that the network 'covered up sexual violence, condoned revenge porn, exploited minors and denied mental health treatment' to its stars. The explosive document accused Bravo of 'mentally, physically, and financially victimizing' reality stars - claiming that they were 'threatened with ruin should they decide to speak out about their mistreatment'. 'The day of reckoning has arrived,' the letter began, as it accused network chiefs of deliberately damaging the mental health of cast members by plying them with alcohol and depriving them of food and sleep. Second stew Laura Bileskalne's reaction to the incident also led to her getting let go by Captain Jason after she insisted to Margot that Luke wasn't to blame When stars complained, they were allegedly denied mental health treatment despite showing signs they were struggling, the letter said. Showrunners were also accused of distributing, or condoning, 'the distribution of non-consensual pornography' - or so-called 'revenge porn' - and covering up 'sexual violence'. The letter, written by attorneys for the stars, said the disturbing behavior had been witnessed 'on innumerable occasions.' Sources told DailyMail.com there have been over 100 emails from talent, producers and various show runners about the issues detailed in the letter. In a statement, NBC said that it was 'committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for cast and crew on our reality shows'. 'At the outset, we require our third-party production partners to have appropriate workplace policies and training in place,' a spokesperson for NBCUniversal said in a statement to Dailymail.com. All episodes of Below Deck Down Under are available on Hayu Disney's High School Musical: The Musical The Series will return to Disney+ for its final season on Wednesday, August 9. A spin-off from the beloved movie franchise, the long-awaited finale is a treat for fans as it features the return of characters from the past three seasons as well as favourites from the movie series. The eight-episode series follows the action as a movie crew comes to East High along with the original Wildcats to film 'High School Musical 4: The Reunion'. This upsets the current Wildcats plan to stage a production of High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Meanwhile, current students are recruited into the film as extras. Disney's High School Musical: The Musical The Series will return to Disney+ for its final season on Wednesday, August 9 Pictured:A scene from the new season The eight-episode series follows the action as a movie crew comes to East High along with the original Wildcats to film 'High School Musical 4: The Reunion' Things get complicated for show's regular characters including Ricky, played by Joshua Bassett and Gina played by Sofia Wylie, who are out to score roles in the movie. Miss Jenn played by Kate Reinders meanwhile, is determined to go ahead with her production in the same theatre. In another plot twist, the director of the film, played by Caitlin Reilly, tries to keep out of the high school politics - which complicates things further. Fans can look forward to seeing Corbin Bleu who played Chad in High School Musical: 3 return for the finale. Lucas Grabeel who played Ryan in the same film also appears as himself in HSM: The Series season 4. Things get complicated for show's regular characters including Ricky, played by Joshua Bassett and Gina played by Sofia Wylie, who are out to score roles in the movie Debuting in 2019, High School Musical: The Musical The Series is a mockumentary set in East High, the fictional location for the original HSM film series. The series follows a group of high school schoolers and musical theatre fans who set out to re-stage a version of the original High School Musical film as their major production. Hollywood star Zac Efron starred in the first High School Musical Disney TV film in 2006, which saw 7.7million in the U.S. tune in for its premiere. Three other feature length films followed. The franchise brand has also been picked up internationally with versions made in China, Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. Karl Stefanovic exposed his teenage daughter Willow's crush on the handsome son of United States Ambassador Caroline Kennedy during an interview with the diplomat on Wednesday's Today show. The breakfast show host, 48, embarrassed his 18-year-old teen on live television when he asked Ms Kennedy, 65, if her son Jack Schlossberg was single. He went on to say Willow 'wanted him to ask' if the 30-year-old grandson of John F. Kennedy was available for her to date. Karl asked Ms Kennedy: 'I hope that you don't take any offence to what I am going to ask. My daughter wanted to know if your son is single?' While his high-profile gest took the question in good spirit, she quickly 'deflected' it by replying: 'You would have to ask him. I can't answer that.' Karl Stefanovic exposed his teenage daughter Willow's crush on the handsome son of United States Ambassador Caroline Kennedy during an interview with the diplomat on Wednesday's Today show However when Karl conceded and attempted to move on, Ms Kennedy decided to take control and turn things back on Karl. 'Your daughter must be so mad at you right now. I would be so mad if I was your daughter,' she said. Flustered Karl tried to joke that he was asking for his three-year-old daughter Harper, and not Willow. 'She is only three! The other one is taken,' he said. 'Then there is something really wrong with you,' Ms Kennedy hit back light heartedly. The breakfast show host, 48, embarrassed his 18-year-old teen on live television when he asked Ms Kennedy, 65, if her son Jack Schlossberg (right) was single He went on to say Willow 'wanted him to ask' if the 30-year-old grandson of John F. Kennedy was available for her to date. (Pictured centre: Today co-host Sarah Abo) Jack (pictured in 2019) has already expressed interest in a political career, and is working closely with his mother in the Pacific region during her tenure as U.S. ambassador to Australia The awkward encounter comes just a few months after Willow, whose real name is Ava but she prefers to go by her middle name, turned 18. To celebrate the milestone, Karl had some kind words for his lookalike girl, saying he'll 'love her forever and beyond' alongside a sweet selfie of the pair cuddling up. He also posted pictures of Willow throughout the years and a fun photo of the teen and her stepmother Jasmine posing up for a mirror selfie in matching pink outfits. 'Happy birthday to our 18 year old goddess. I'm so proud of you. I will love you forever. And beyond,' Karl captioned his post which got more than 7,000 likes. An Australian influencer has been slammed for wearing a revealing bra with no top while visiting Milan, Italy. Love Island star Cassidy McGill is currently enjoying a lavish holiday in Europe, and on Tuesday she posted a carousel of photos on Instagram of her trip to the fashion capital. While sight-seeing, she flaunted her ample cleavage in a black bra paired with a low-waisted white maxi skirt. One photo showed her dancing in the revealing outfit outside the historic Milan cathedral. Another showed her posing inside a popular indoor shopping mall. Australian influencer and former Love Island star Cassidy McGill has been slammed for wearing a revealing bra with no top while visiting Milan, Italy The influencer captioned the snaps: 'Milan for 40 hours in my glorified bra !!!' One angry person mistakenly thought Cassidy went inside the cathedral in the scant ensemble and wrote: 'Wait. She went into a church with just a bra and a skirt?' It was later clarified she was wearing the outfit inside famous shopping mall, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. While another said: 'Apparently a bra can pass as a top in Italy' While sight-seeing, she flaunted her ample cleavage in a black bra paired with a low-waisted white maxi skirt And a third wrote: 'And you haven't been arrested yet xx'. However many of Cassidy's fans said they liked her outfit. One fan wrote: 'Men can walk around with no shirts I don't see a problem with your top! :)' And another said: 'Glorified bra or not you still look stunning. Milan looks amazing! The mozzarella stick looks yummyyy'. Cassidy has been contacted by Daily Mail Australia for comment. One angry person commented: 'Apparently a bra can pass as a top in Italy' It comes as those travelling to Europe have been warned that they could be fined for their outfit choices. In Italy bikinis are strictly for the beach and wearing them in town can attract fines up to $800. Last year the southern Italian beachside town of Sorrento brought in a fine of over $800 for those wearing inappropriate bathing suits away from the sand. Other towns, mainly in the south, have similar local penalties as do Spanish cities such as Barcelona and Mallorca. Two months after they both filed for domestic violence restraining orders, The Real Housewives of Orange County alum David Beador was wearing his wedding band in a Montana holiday snap shared by his estranged second wife Lesley Beador. 'Look who I bumped into at Yellowstone National Park,' the 40-year-old mother-of-three jokingly captioned her Instagram slideshow. 'My husband!' Lesley (born Lesley-Ann Cook) did not allow any comments on the controversial post, but she did use the hashtag: '#happytoprovideentertainnmenttoall.' Beador also hashtagged the world's only private members-only resort The Yellowstone Club in Big Sky boasting 864 elite members including Gisele Bundchen, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Warren Buffett. Only homeowners can reportedly become Yellowstone Club members and there's a long waiting list for condos costing around $6M-$30M on top of the initial $400K fee and $60K/year dues. Back together? Two months after they both filed for domestic violence restraining orders, The Real Housewives of Orange County alum David Beador was wearing his wedding band in a Montana holiday snap shared by his estranged second wife Lesley Beador The on/off turbulent couple - who filed for divorce in September 2022 and May 2023 - were joined on the scenic, lavish vacation by their two-year-old daughter Anna Love Beador and her two older children from a prior marriage. Lesley was all smiles as she held little Anna at a rodeo in Montana alongside her cowboy hat-clad eight-year-old daughter Inga. The 58-year-old Beador Construction CEO had previously given the self-described art enthusiast $40K to find a new residence and vacate his Laguna Beach rental property by June 30 because he 'feared for his safety' amid their 'intense and heated arguments.' 'Her blatant act of slapping me in front of our scared two-year-old and eight-year-old Inga confirms to me that she has no regard for not only my safety, but the emotional and physical safety of Anna,' David alleged in court documents obtained by People. 'Her acts of attempting to extort me are also harassing and making me genuinely fear for my safety.' Meanwhile, Lesley claimed Beador cut off her access to her credit card and their joint bank account as well as 'made threats, harassed, and created a hostile environment' for herself and little Anna. 'I've suffered from physical, mental, emotional abuse on many occasions,' the former crafts vlogger said in the legal docs. 'I was not able to "escape" him because of the financial control he had over me. It started to get worse after our daughter was born.' 'Look who I bumped into at Yellowstone National Park,' the 40-year-old mother-of-three jokingly captioned her Instagram slideshow. 'My husband!' Lesley (born Lesley-Ann Cook) did not allow any comments on the controversial post, but she did use the hashtag: '#happytoprovideentertainnmenttoall' Old Faithful! The on/off turbulent couple - who filed for divorce in September 2022 and May 2023 - were joined on the scenic, lavish vacation by their two-year-old daughter Anna Love Beador (L) and her two older children from a prior marriage What divorce? Lesley was all smiles as she held little Anna (R) at a rodeo in Montana alongside her cowboy hat-clad eight-year-old daughter Inga (L) 'She slapped me': The 58-year-old Beador Construction CEO had previously given the self-described art enthusiast $40K to find a new residence and vacate his Laguna Beach rental property by June 30 because he 'feared for his safety' amid their 'intense and heated arguments' 'I've suffered from physical, mental, emotional abuse': Lesley claimed David cut off her access to her credit card and their joint bank account as well as 'made threats, harassed, and created a hostile environment' for herself and little Anna Taylor Swift concert! The silver-haired entrepreneur is also father to three daughters - Sophie, 21; and twins Stella + Adeline, 19 - from his 17-year marriage to RHOC alum Shannon Storms Beador (2-R, pictured Monday), which ended in 2017 amid infidelity allegations The silver-haired entrepreneur originally met Lesley at a SoulCycle class in 2017. David is also father to three daughters - Sophie, 21; and twins Stella + Adeline, 19 - from his 17-year marriage to RHOC alum Shannon Storms Beador, which ended in 2017 amid infidelity allegations. The 59-year-old Real For Real founder - whose divorce from Beador was finalized in 2019 - treated their princesses to the Taylor Swift concert at LA's SoFi Stadium on Monday night. Catch more of Shannon in the 17th season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, which currently airs Wednesdays on Bravo. Sophia Bush has requested a judge eliminate the possibility of paying or receiving spousal support in her divorce with husband Grant Hughes after just 13 months of marriage. The 41-year-old actress in her court filing cited a prenuptial agreement she had in place with Hughes, 41, stipulating she would not pay spousal support in the event of a split, The Blast reported Tuesday after reviewing court documents. The Pasadena, California native noted the brief span of the marriage in the filing, stating that they had separated on June 27, 2023. 'The exact nature and extent of the separate property assets and debts of the parties is unknown at this time,' Bush's lawyers told the court. 'However, each party shall be awarded his/her respective separate property assets and debts pursuant to the terms of the agreement signed by the parties prior to their marriage.' Bush, who played the role of Brooke Davis on the TV series One Tree Hill, requested that legal fees be split in the case. The latest: Sophia Bush, 41, has requested a judge eliminate the possibility of paying or receiving spousal support in her divorce with husband Grant Hughes after just 13 months of marriage. Pictured in London in July Bush, who has also been seen on Chicago P.D., Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and This Is Us, has not directly commented on the breakup after she filed for divorce from the researcher on Friday. A source told People of the split: 'Sophia and Grant were friends for 10 years and bonded during COVID through their love of community service. 'They continue to run their nonprofit together and remain good friends.' The two are founders of The Bush Hughes Foundation For Progress, which was established to 'support organizations and individuals working for equity, social justice, and progress in the City of Tulsa' according to the nonprofit's website. The two have a great connection to the city as they were married in the Oklahoma city in June of 2022. The split news comes just seven weeks after Sophia had celebrated their wedding anniversary with a now-deleted Instagram post. People reported that she had posted a black and white throwback photo from their wedding day with the caption: 'Today marks 365 days of calling you "husband." 'Best decision of my life. It still feels just like this. Ecstatic. Running toward the future, grinning and laughing, together. I love you, my favorite. Happy Anniversary [white heart emoji].' Moving on: The actress in her court filing cited a prenuptial agreement she had in place with Hughes stipulating she would not pay spousal support in the event of a split; the two are seen in New York in June 2021 'Sophia and Grant were friends for 10 years and bonded during COVID through their love of community service': The 41-year-old One Tree Hill actress filed for divorce from the 41-year-old researcher on Friday according to People; they are pictured in March People reported that she had posted a black and white throwback photo from their wedding day with the caption: 'Today marks 365 days of calling you "husband." Best decision of my life. It still feels just like this. Ecstatic. Running toward the future, grinning and laughing, together. I love you, my favorite. Happy Anniversary [white heart emoji].' Taking a stand: Meanwhile on June 11, Grant also took to Instagram to share a sweet tribute which is still up also featuring them on their wedding day He posted a lengthy caption which read: 'What a full, beautiful, dynamic, exciting, growth-filled year weve had together. I truly love doing life with you!' Meanwhile on June 11, Grant also took to Instagram to share a sweet tribute which is still up also featuring them on their wedding day. He posted a lengthy caption which read: 'What a full, beautiful, dynamic, exciting, growth-filled year weve had together. I truly love doing life with you!' He also shared that had given her a card the morning of their one-year anniversary which read: 'There are seven billion people on this planet. You are my favorite.' Their wedding ceremony took place on June 11, 2022 as it was attended by multiple celebrity friends of the couple. The Tulsa County Court Clerk told the UsWeekly at the time that the duo obtained a marriage license on June 8 and returned it on June 11. The nuptials took place at Philbrook Museum of Art, which was built in 1927 and is surrounded by more than two dozen acres of greenery. A source told Us that the reception was enjoyed at The Church Studio. The guest list included the likes of Colton Underwood, Aaron Paul, and Bush's One Tree Hill costar Hilarie Burton. Joyous: Their wedding ceremony took place on June 11, 2022 as it was attended by multiple celebrity friends of the couple; they are pictured in July 2021 Gorgeous: Sophia revealed she became engaged to her businessman boyfriend while on vacation in Lake Como in August 2021 Picture-perfect: The two were first linked together when they were spotted together in Malibu in 2020 'So it turns out that being your favorite person's favorite person is the actual best feeling on planet Earth #YES,' she said in her Instagram caption as she shared an image Sophia revealed she became engaged to her Hughes while on vacation in Lake Como in August 2021. 'So it turns out that being your favorite person's favorite person is the actual best feeling on planet Earth #YES,' she said in her Instagram caption as she shared an image. 'Thank you to @comoclassicboats and @bottega53 for helping my favorite human plan the most incredible, moving surprise of my life. My heart. It bursts,' she added. The next day she was seen posing in a summer outfit while in Italy. 'Turns out this whole being engaged thing is really, really fun,' Bush said in her caption. The couple had been dating for a year and The Hitcher actress - who was married to Chad Michael Murray from 2005 until 2006 - around the time she admitted she'd be sure about the 'motivations' behind tying the knot again before agreeing to it. Speaking on the Inside of You podcast, she said: 'I think it depends on what people's motivations are and I want to make sure, whether it's myself or one of my best friends, that we're clear on what it is we're signing up for rather than thinking we're getting some Kate Hudson and Matt McConaughey rom-com life. 'This notion that you're going to meet your person and they're going to make you so happy that you're going to be fulfilled and you'll never be nervous again and you'll never ever think anyone else is hotlike what? It's such an absurd joke.' Grateful: 'Thank you to @comoclassicboats and @bottega53 for helping my favorite human plan the most incredible, moving surprise of my life. My heart. It bursts,' Bush wrote at the time of her engagement Short-lived: Sophia was married to her former costar Chad Michael Murray from 2005-2006 And when it comes to her relationship, Sophia thinks 'radical honesty' is vital. When asked about Murray by Michael Rosenbaum, Bush immediately replied: 'Oh, I'm not going to talk about him. I'm not allowed to.' 'I've tried to poke fun at being a dumb kid and whenever I've done that, it gets twisted into I'm talking s**t about somebody who I don't even know anymore, who's clearly a grown-up,' she explained. 'I think you have to, like, laugh at who you used to be,' she continued. 'But when people ask me about history that involves someone else ... it's not worth my time. It's not a place where I harbor ill will or anything.' Ashley Graham was pictured during a shopping trip in West Hollywood on Tuesday morning. The 35-year-old fashion industry personality appeared to be making the most of her day as she stepped into a Maison Margiela location and perused through the store. The influencer, who recently spoke about her awkward interview with Hugh Grant, showed off her arms while wearing a fashionable and sleeveless dark gray top. Graham paired the tone of her top with a set of slightly loose-fitting black pants. The model donned a pair of dual-tone shoes and accessorized with several articles of jewelry, as well as a dark purse. Out and about: Ashley Graham was pictured during a shopping trip in West Hollywood on Tuesday morning Having fun: The 35-year-old fashion industry personality appeared to be making the most of her day as she stepped into a Maison Margiela location and perused through the store Dressed up: The influencer, who recently spoke about her awkward interview with Hugh Grant, showed off her arms while wearing a fashionable and sleeveless dark gray top Her gorgeous brunette locks were tied back into a tight bun for the length of her shopping trip. Graham recently appeared on the finale of HGTV's Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge, for which she served as a host. It was announced that the social media personality had signed on to appear in the program this past March. The program was initially set to be hosted by husband and wife duo Stephen 'tWtich' Boss and Allison Holker; she dropped out of the project after Stephen died in December 2022. The show followed a group of 15 individuals, each of whom were tasked with redesigning one room in a Southern California mansion. The program lasted for four episodes, the last of which aired on Sunday evening. Graham spoke about working on Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge during an interview with People, where she expressed that she greatly enjoyed filming the show. 'Every day was such a different excitement because I got to see the house before it got transformed, and then the middle, and then the final product,' she said. Fashionable: Graham paired the tone of her top with a set of slightly loose-fitting black pants Completing the look: The model donned a pair of dual-tone shoes and accessorized with several articles of jewelry, as well as a dark purse Beautiful: Her gorgeous brunette locks were tied back into a tight bun for the length of her shopping trip On screen: Graham recently appeared on the finale of HGTV's Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge, for which she served as a host In the past: It was announced that the social media personality had signed on to appear in the program this past March The model then expressed that she kept a 'hot pink sledgehammer' after the conclusion of the project. 'We've all got these sledgehammers and I was like, "I'm taking this home as a souvenir from my Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge on HGTV. Come on." It actually is right next to my Barbie in my office,' she said. Graham also stated that she was influenced by the stylistic ideas that flew around during filming. 'One thing I realized from the show is that my backyard is very basic and I need to get a slide that does a loop-de-loop,' she said. Whitney Port showed off her casual summer style in a baggy ensemble as she stepped out to run a few errands in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The Hills alum, 38, who was seen for the first time with husband Tim Rosenman after he voiced concern over her health, sparked worry from fans last month in July after posting bikini snaps that showed off her drastic weight loss. The mother of one was seen stepping out under the hot sunshine wearing an oversized lavender T-shirt along with a pair of baggy jeans. She slipped into a pair of white sneakers that were tightly secured with laces to stay comfortable during the daytime outing. The TV personality threw her locks into a simple up do and added a pair of stylish shades to protect her eyes from the sun's rays. Keeping it casual: Whitney Port, 38, showed off her casual summer style in a baggy ensemble as she stepped out to run a few errands in Los Angeles on Tuesday Baggy style: The mother of one was seen stepping out under the hot sunshine wearing an oversized lavender T-shirt along with a pair of baggy jeans Whitney accessorized her outfit with a pair of gold-hooped earrings as well as a gold-chained necklace. She opted to not carry a heavy purse or handbag with her and instead was seen easily holding her smartphone and keys in her hand. The star strolled along a sidewalk in the city, and later quickly crossed a busy intersection as she ran a few errands. Port also took to her main Instagram page on Tuesday as she sported a figure-hugging, orange strapless vintage dress with pink patterns throughout the fabric. The material clung to her thin figure as she took a quick video selfie to flaunt the ensemble while standing inside a bathroom. Her locks were parted in the middle, and effortlessly flowed down naturally past her shoulders. She added a pair of dangly earrings as well as a gold-chained necklace with a purple, floral pendant on the front. The media personality filmed the clip in the reflection of a large mirror as she slung an eye-catching purple purse over her shoulder. A separate reel added into the Instagram carousel showed Whitney filming another video selfie as she made her way down a long hallway inside what appeared to be an office building. Opting for comfort: She slipped into a pair of white sneakers that were tightly secured with laces to stay comfortable during the daytime outing. Flashy details: Whitney accessorized her outfit with a pair of gold-hooped earrings as well as a gold-chained necklace Recent weight loss: The Hills alum sparked worry from fans last month in July after posting bikini snaps that showed off her drastic weight loss Going vintage: Port also took to her main Instagram page on Tuesday as she sported a figure-hugging, orange strapless vintage dress with pink patterns throughout the fabric Selfie time: The material clung to her thin frame as she took a quick video selfie to flaunt the ensemble while standing inside a bathroom The star also shared a selfie that she had snapped while sitting in the driver's seat of her vehicle. She tossed her locks into an up do and also threw on a pair of fashionable, black shades. Port concluded the post by uploading an image of an assortment of makeup and beauty products that were sprawled out on her bathroom floor as she attempted to organize the products. In the caption, the reality star penned, 'Rewearing a vintage favorite and doing my thaaaaaanggg.' Her solo outing on Tuesday also comes shortly after she was spotted with her husband and television producer, Tim Rosenman, for the first time since he voiced his concern over his wife's weight loss. The couple, who share son Sonny, six, were seen enjoying a bit of fresh air as they were later joined by a close pal in Los Angeles on Monday. Their outing together comes shortly after Port's drastic weight loss came to light last month in July. The star soon addressed comments regarding her weight on her Instagram stories, and admitted that after her husband's concern and 'stepping on a scale,' Port realized that she needed to prioritize her health. Over a snap of herself with her son, she typed out in a lengthy statement, 'I also want to address my weight real quick. I've gotten a lot of comments about looking too thin. At first, it didn't bother me.' She added, 'But Timmy brought it to my attention, as a good husband should, and said it's not just something strangers are spewing. He has been worried about me.' Fashionable: She added a pair of dangly earrings as well as a gold-chained necklace with a purple, floral pendant on the front Pop of color: The media personality filmed the clip in the reflection of a large mirror as she slung an eye-catching purple purse over her shoulder Strutting: A separate reel added into the Instagram carousel showed Whitney filming another video selfie as she made her way down a long hallway Keeping busy: The TV personality once again showed off her ensemble during her outing while sporting a vibrant orange dress Striking a pose: The star also shared a selfie that she had snapped while sitting in the driver's seat of her vehicle Getting organized: Port concluded the post by uploaded an image of an assortment of makeup and beauty products that were sprawled out on her bathroom floor Sparking concern: The star initially sparked concern from fans last month in July when she shared bikini photos on Instagram that showed her drastic weight loss 'I had to think about it and try to figure out what has been happening because it's not something I'm consciously thinking about! I eat to live, not the other way around. But after stepping on the scale, it hit me.' Whitney later expressed that she doesn't 'want to set an unhealthy example so I promised Timmy and I'll promise you that my health will be a priority.' Earlier this month, she also opened up about the subject on her With Whit podcast where she promised to 'eat thoughtfully and build muscle.' 'When I think about what I look like, I think about just being attractive and I think that I need to define what attractive means to me and then if those things are actually healthy,' she explained. The star added, 'So the moral of the story is that there's a lot of self-reflection going on and I am aware of it, and that's the first step.' Whitney later revealed, 'I want to put the right things in my body, and I also want to work out in a way that will build muscle. So, I'm on it, guys.' She then admitted to her listeners, 'I'm clearly not eating enough and that how I look right now does not look healthy. It's not how I want to look.' New focus: The star soon addressed the comments on her Instagram stories, and admitted that after her husband's concern and 'stepping on a scale,' Port realized that she needed to prioritize her health Other venture: Both Whitney and her husband, Tim, partnered with Amazon Home to allow consumers to look and shop for items that the star herself used to decorate and renovate her Spanish-style home office Port took to Instagram Stories on Tuesday documenting a visit she took to the Los Angeles area restaurant Bottega Louie. 'Solo visit to Bottega Louie before recording,' Port captioned the shot, in which she wore an off-white collared shirt. Port shared a shot of trays of multicolored macarons and pastries available at the establishment. Among the macaron flavors available included vanilla, pistachio, raspberry, salted caramel, lemon, strawberry and mango. Another frame showed images of fruit tarts, Limoncello tarts and coffee caramel cake. For dinner, she shared an image of the meat sauce her spouse Rosenman was preparing, with the caption, 'Timmy's meat sauce.' Rosenman sat in a chair as he described the recipe he used for the late summer night meal. 'Alright, I took the meat, seasoned it with garlic, salt, fennel, oregano, pepper, paprika, whatever; cooked it in a pan; took the meat out and then I cooked the veggies in the meat grease,' he said. He continued: 'And then I added the meat back in, the tomato paste, the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, parmesan cheese, red wine ... then let it all cook down for two hours. And then finish it with cheese.' Out and about: Port took to Instagram Stories on Tuesday documenting a visit she took to the Los Angeles area restaurant Bottega Louie Appetizing: Port shared a shot of trays of multicolored macarons and pastries available at the establishment Yes please: Another frame showed images of fruit tarts, Limoncello tarts and coffee caramel cake Main course: For dinner, she shared an image of the meat sauce her spouse Rosenman was preparing, with the caption, 'Timmy's meat sauce' What's cooking: Rosenman sat in a chair as he described the recipe he used for the late summer night meal Along with prioritizing her health, Port recently launched an Amazon Storefront this month, per People. Both Whitney and her husband, Tim, partnered with Amazon Home to allow consumers to look and shop for items that the star herself used to decorate and renovate her Spanish-style home office. 'I wanted to show how you can create a beautiful, calming, and curated aesthetic within your home by shopping only on Amazon,' The Hills star explained to the outlet. Some pieces that appear on the storefront include a $208 faux leather desk chair as well as a Hommoo Mid-Century Modern Boucle sofa for $839. Radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson says 2023 is one of her best years yet, after losing a whopping 18kg and debuting her new romance with a much-younger man. The KIIS FM star, 48, raved about how good life is during an appearance on Seven's The Morning Show on Wednesday. While not specifically referring to her new romance with hunky tradie and male model Jack Tyerman, 29, Jackie said that 'this year rocks'. This year the mother-of-one also celebrated the launch of her new business Besties, an event-based corporation which sells experiences for 'best friends' to create memories together. 'I'm having a great time. I think everything seems to be going really well,' she said on the show. Radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson said 2023 is one of her best years yet after losing a whopping 18kg and debuting her new romance with a much-younger man 'This has been a great year so touch wood it continues to be a great year. It's not often we go ''Yeah, this year rocks!'' you know? I've had such a good time.' She added: 'I feel like I'm in a great place so I can't complain.' The radio queen, 48, who recently confirmed she was dating a mystery man, was spotted enjoying a romantic night in with male model and tradie Jack at her mansion in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Friday. The KIIS FM star, 48, raved about how good life is during an appearance on Seven's The Morning Show on Wednesday Handsome Jack, who is represented by top modelling agency IMG Models, was seen arriving at the blonde's home before later joining her for a drink on the balcony. Jack, who stands at a lofty 6'1' and boasts over 24,000 Instagram followers, has found success both in the construction and modelling industry. According to his LinkedIn page, Jack last worked as a foreman at Verdecon - an environmentally responsible construction company based in Bondi and Byron Bay, NSW. The radio queen, 48, who recently confirmed she was dating a mystery man, was spotted enjoying a romantic night in with male model and tradie Jack Tyerman, 29, (pictured) at her mansion in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Friday He was also scouted as a model back in 2012 and has since found considerable success in the fashion industry, walking catwalks and starring in photoshoots across the globe. Little is known about Jack's personal life, however it seems his last relationship was with Mia D'Agostino - an Instagram model who looks remarkably similar to Jackie. It comes after Jackie exclusively revealed to Daily Mail Australia that she was seeing a new man during a red carpet interview at the TV Week Logie Awards last month. 'I'll just say maybe,' she said when asked if she was seeing anyone new. Little is known about Jack's personal life, however it seems his last relationship was with Mia D'Agostino - an Instagram model who looks remarkably similar to Jackie After being quizzed on whether her new love would be joining her at the Logies, Jackie was quick to insist, 'no, no!' Days later she was forced to clear up rumours she was dating celebrity veterinarian Dr Chris Brown, after the pair were seen partying together at the Logies. The radio host was discussing the rumours on The Kyle and Jackie Show told co-host Kyle Sandilands, 52, to pay no attention to the speculation. 'Those rumours are absolutely not true. He's like the only single guy that's known in the industry so he gets lumped with everybody,' she said. He has also appeared in fashion campaigns for The Academy Brand, underwear brand Stonemen, Bonds and M.J. Bale 'Chris Brown is a nice guy but it is just not gonna happen. Jackie is a fun girl and Chris is a... vet. No,' Kyle added. Jackie revealed in May she had joined dating app Hinge, revealing to Kyle on-air that she'd been chatting to multiple men the night prior. She also revealed she was open to dating a younger man, and had set her age range on Hinge from 35 to 55. It's unclear whether she met Jack, whose age is below that bracket, on the dating app. Jackie was married to British photographer Lee Henderson from 2003 to 2018. The former couple share custody of 12-year-old daughter Kitty. Lee has meanwhile moved on with jujitsu instructor Gabriella Motta. Before meeting Lee, Jackie was briefly married to 'Ugly Phil' O'Neil in the late '90s. Advertisement Brad Pitt puts his passion for architecture and landscaping on full display at his 15-acre oceanfront getaway in Goleta, CA where meticulously-planted vegetation create colorful patterns beside the beach. The Oklahoma-born 59-year-old originally purchased the property - located near Gaviota State Park nine miles west of Santa Barbara - for $4M in 2000 although estimates today put it closer to $20M. Brad's eccentric touches at the beachy abode include a ceremonial-looking teepee surrounded by a fence, cloaked in the woods at the edge of the property, and accessed by a long series of steps. 'I love that architecture is this huge art piece you can be inside,' Pitt told Oprah Winfrey back in 2004. 'I believe it lifts your soul and affects your mindset.' Bird's eye view: Two-time Oscar winner Brad Pitt puts his passion for architecture and landscaping on full display at his 15-acre oceanfront getaway in Goleta, CA where meticulously-planted vegetation create colorful patterns beside the beach The Babylon actor provided precisely six swings for his six children from his 12-year relationship to Mr. & Mrs. Smith leading lady Angelina Jolie, which ended in 2016 after only two years of marriage. Homeowner: The Oklahoma-born 59-year-old (pictured July 16) originally purchased the property - located near Gaviota State Park nine miles west of Santa Barbara - for $4M in 2000 although estimates today put it closer to $20M Brad and the 48-year-old Oscar winner had used the Goleta house 'as a vacation retreat for themselves and the kids, horseback riding and enjoying time out on the beach' - according to Architectural Digest. The scenic property also features a bizarre shipping container covered in moss and greenery, which could have also been there to fascinate the blended brood of the couple formerly known as 'Brangelina.' A source told NewsNation on Monday that Jolie plans on 'dragging this divorce out' until their youngest children - fraternal twins Vivienne & Knox - 'turn 18' on July 12, 2026. The Emmy-winning producer's home consists of two main structures beside a fire pit and what appeared to be 16 designer chairs and sun loungers littering the land. Brad's lighter-colored beach shack features an awning and a rooftop balcony as well as a satellite dish. Pitt's darker-colored beach shack has a larger deck, sun room, and what appeared to be a silo in the back. There was an outdoor dining table near the homes and beside the two-mile driftwood-covered beach accessed by a steep staircase where a white surfboard rested. Goleta - which was only incorporated as a city in 2002 - was previously under a 'threat to life' evacuation warning due to the 2021 Alisal wildfire, which raged for 40 days and consumed 16,970 acres. Pitt told Oprah Winfrey back in 2004: 'I love that architecture is this huge art piece you can be inside. I believe it lifts your soul and affects your mindset' Curious: Brad's eccentric touches at the beachy abode include a ceremonial-looking teepee surrounded by a fence, cloaked in the woods at the edge of the property, and accessed by a long series of steps Mickey-inspired artwork? The Babylon actor provided precisely six swings for his six children from his 12-year relationship to Mr. & Mrs. Smith leading lady Angelina Jolie, which ended in 2016 after only two years of marriage Getaway: Brad and the 48-year-old Oscar winner (R, pictured in 2014) had used the Goleta house 'as a vacation retreat for themselves and the kids, horseback riding and enjoying time out on the beach' Mystery: The scenic property also features a bizarre shipping container covered in moss and greenery, which could have also been there to fascinate the blended brood of the couple formerly known as 'Brangelina' He's spent $14M thus far: A source told NewsNation on Monday that Jolie (L, pictured in 2013) plans on 'dragging this divorce out' until their youngest children - fraternal twins Vivienne & Knox - 'turn 18' on July 12, 2026 Have a seat! The Emmy-winning producer's home consists of two main structures beside a fire pit and what appeared to be 16 designer chairs and sun loungers littering the land Rustic: Brad's lighter-colored beach shack features an awning and a rooftop balcony as well as a satellite dish Bit bigger: Pitt's darker-colored beach shack has a larger deck, sun room, and what appeared to be a silo in the back Surf's up! There was an outdoor dining table near the homes and beside the two-mile driftwood-covered beach accessed by a steep staircase where a white surfboard rested Survivor: Goleta - which was only incorporated as a city in 2002 - was previously under a 'threat to life' evacuation warning due to the 2021 Alisal wildfire, which raged for 40 days and consumed 16,970 acres How he spent his summer: Brad scored a $30M paycheck to produce and star as retired racer Sonny Hayes in Joseph Kosinski's untitled Formula One action drama for Apple TV+, but filming was halted in July due to the SAG-AFTRA strike (pictured July 9) Coming soon! Speaking of Apple, Pitt produced and stars as a lone wolf fixer opposite two-time Oscar winner George Clooney (L, pictured January 30) in Jon Watts' thriller Wolves, which he filmed in January-February in New York City Brad famously founded his Make It Right Foundation in 2006 to finance and construct 150 sustainable, affordable new houses in New Orleans's Ninth Ward after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Pitt's extensive real estate portfolio boasts seven homes including properties in the Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, Carmel, Midtown Manhattan, Mallorca (Spain), and Correns (France). The Bullet Train action star scored a $30M paycheck to produce and star as retired racer Sonny Hayes in Joseph Kosinski's untitled Formula One action drama for Apple TV+, but filming was halted in July due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Speaking of Apple, Brad produced and stars as a lone wolf fixer opposite two-time Oscar winner George Clooney in Jon Watts' thriller Wolves, which he filmed in January-February in New York City. But audiences can next catch Cory Finley's sci-fi dramedy Landscape with Invisible Hand, which Pitt executive produced, hitting US theaters on August 18 through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Kim Kardashian earned mixed reviews on social media users after teasing her first campaign as the new face of Marc Jacobs on Tuesday. The image, which was centered on her right eye and plump pout, was shot by film director Tyrone Lebon and styled by creative director Alastair McKimm. After the American fashion brand uploaded a striking close-up shot of the reality star, 42, to their Instagram account, social media users were quick to voice their opinions on her new role. While Marc Jacobs, himself, commented 'love' under the post, an overwhelming amount of fans expressed disappointment to see Kardashian's face. 'What happened with other models??? WHY KIM on everything?' one asked, while another admitted they hoped the campaign was 'some kind of joke.' Stunning: Kim Kardashian earned mixed reviews on social media users after teasing her first campaign as the new face of Marc Jacobs on Tuesday Others asked why the brand doesn't work with 'real fashion icons' like Victoria Beckham. Previous Marc Jacobs campaigns have featured celebrities like Paris Hilton, Winona Ryder, Pamela Anderson and Nicki Minaj. Meanwhile, Kardashian's mother, Kris Jenner, reposted the image as well as a video of a man putting up posters of the campaign on the street. In May, she previously modeled for Marc Jacobs X Fendi. At the time, Kim hashtagged #MarcJacobsXFendi, adding @Fendi, @MrKimJones and @Silviaaventurinifendi. Her look, consisting of a statement furry hat and sleeveless corset crop top, from Marc Jacobs X Fendi's Summer 2023 capsule collection launched on May 11. Later in the evening, Kardashian returned to Instagram to share an article, titled Expert Opinion: Genocide against Armenians in 2023. She had reposted a post by physician, Eric Esrailian, who urged his followers to please share this report by Luis Moreno Ocampo. Dividing the internet: After the American fashion brand uploaded a striking close-up shot of the reality star, 42, to their Instagram account, social media users were quick to voice their opinions on her new role Informative: Later in the evening, Kardashian returned to Instagram to share an article, titled Expert Opinion: Genocide against Armenians in 2023 Ocampo was the former Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court. Esrailian explained that Ocampo 'argues Azerbaijans blockade of the Lachin corridor should be considered a genocide against the ethnic Armenians of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh.' 'The government of Azerbaijan is using oil & gas leverage to cleanse the Christian Armenian population from the region,' Esrailian continued. Over the years, Kardashian has shared information about the Armenian genocide on multitude of occasions to inform her followers about the more than '1.5 million people who were massacred' in 1915. Wayne Brady was spotted for the first time since coming out as pansexual this week. On Tuesday, the Let's Make A Deal star, 51, enjoyed an afternoon at Disneyland with his supportive daughter Maile, 20, ex-wife Mandie Taketa, 47, and friends. Brady looked in high spirits while venturing around the theme park in Anaheim, California. He had on a plain white tee, cream sweatpants, a matching sweatshirt, a black cap and sunglasses. The comedian carried his belongings in a backpack while being led around by a VIP escort. Spotted: Wayne Brady was spotted for the first time since officially coming out as pansexual this week Family affair: On Tuesday, the Let's Make A Deal star, 51, enjoyed an afternoon at Disneyland with his supportive daughter Maile, 20 They were also joined by Brady's ex-wife and Maile's mom Mandie Taketa, 47 (right) Maile braved the heat in a green crop top and cutoff shorts while her mom looked stylish in a black unitard and sneakers. Getting in the Disney spirit, the 20-year-old rocked a pair of festive Mickey ears. They visited Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, where Brady was seen bantering with Disneyland cast members dressed as a Storm Trooper and Kylo Ren. The group also paid a visit to Mickey's Toontown, where they rode Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. In a new interview on Monday, Brady emotionally opened up about discovering his identity and discussed how he has received overwhelming support from his loved ones. The TV personality was married to Mandie from 1999 until their divorce was finalized in 2008. They share Maile. Brady also helps co-parent Mandie's baby boy that she shares with current partner, Jason Fordham. Brady initially explained to the outlet that he had considered that he was possibly bisexual but expressed that he later began to identify as pansexual because, to him, 'pan means being able to be attracted to anyone who identifies as gay, straight, bi, transsexual or non-binary.' Thriving: Brady looked in high spirits while venturing around the theme park in Anaheim, California Casual: He had on a plain white tee, cream sweatpants, a matching sweatshirt, a black cap and sunglasses. The comedian carried his belongings in a backpack Bling: He had on a gold cross pendant They were led around by a VIP escort Epic! They visited Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Banter: Brady was seen bantering with Disneyland cast members dressed as a Storm Trooper and Kylo Ren 'And, I think, at least for me for right now, that is the proper place. I took pan to mean that not only can I be attracted to any of these people or types physically, but I could be attracted to the person that is there,' the comedian told People magazine. Wayne revealed that he has done 'all the therapy I could do,' such as being 'treated for love addiction. It's a part of my journey. I had to start examining why I was looking for myself and happiness in a slew of people.' Following the tragic passing of actor Robin Williams nearly 10 years ago in 2014, the star stated that he 'got involved in certain groups, like Glenn Close's group, Bring Change To Mind, being very vocal about mental health.' 'And not just the buzzword of mental health, but really what do I have to do to function in this big world and still be okay with yourself and more importantly, to love yourself so that you don't hurt yourself?' The TV personality expressed that focusing on his mental health had a positive impact on his personal growth. 'Once I opened that door to myself though, I had to start learning about myself, and I had to start owning up to things that maybe I'd either repressed, suppressed, or just didn't wanna deal with,' he stated, adding that although he found joy within work, the feeling was absent in other parts of his life. 'But the pity is then I come home, and I don't have that joy. I have joy because I love my daughter and I love my family. I love being a dad more than chocolate ice cream.' Wayne continued, 'But that can't be my only joy. I have to love myself. And that's when I realized that I had a problem because if I can spend everything on stage and on camera but then I come home and there is a love deficit, what is going on? That was my rock bottom.' Brady first came out to his ex-wife, Mandie, and she revealed her initial response to the news while also talking to People. 'I just said, 'Great.' As I knew coming out would help him be happier,' she expressed. Coming out: Wayne Brady, 51, officially came out as pansexual as he reflected on his road to self-discovery over the years in a new interview with People published on Monday; seen in May 2022 in NYC Self-discovery: The Let's Make A Deal star emotionally opened up about discovering his gender identity and discussed how he has received overwhelming support from his loved ones; seen in January His daughter, Maile, also discussed her own reaction to her father coming out, and stated, 'I just said, 'Okay.'' She additionally remembered having a 'proud smile' on her face when Wayne had told her. Before coming out, the TV personality admitted that he had 'dealt with the shame' and added, 'A shame cake, just eating it every single day and then worried about... people finding out.' However, he admitted that although he has a 'wonderful community of friends who are in the LGBTQ+ community,' he had 'always felt like a sham because I wasn't being forthcoming with myself.' 'I've told myself in the past, also, nobody needs to know my personal business,' and later expressed, 'But that gave me license to still live in the shadows and to be secretive.' 'What does that feel like to actually not be shameful, to not feel like, 'Oh, I can't be part of this conversation because I'm lying?' I had to break that behavior.' Wayne admitted that he is still on his journey of self-growth, explaining, 'I'm still coming together. But If I'm healthy, then I can go onstage at Let's Make A Deal and be the best Wayne Brady that everybody wants and expects. I can be the best dad that Maile needs.' 'I can be the best friend to Mandie, the best son to my mother, and one day, the best partner to someone, because I'm doing this for me.' In regards to if he has entered the dating scene, Brady revealed, 'I am single, but it's not about being with someone right now. I've got some work to do still. Then, Wayne as a single, open-minded pansexual can make a decision and be free and open to other people.' Before tying the knot with Mandie, the former Dancing With The Stars competitor was previously married to Diana Lasso from 1993 until their divorce was finalized in 1995. He currently co-parents with Mandie to raise their daughter, Maile, and also her son, Sunny, whom she shares with partner, Jason Fordham - whom the couple welcomed via adoption in 2021. In the past: The TV personality shares daughter, Maile, 20, with Mandie, whom he was married to from 1999 until their divorce was finalized in 2008; former couple seen in 2006 Co-parenting: He currently co-parents with Mandie to raise their daughter, Maile, and also her son, Sunny, whom she shares with partner, Jason Fordham; Wayne seen with Jason, Mandie, and daughter Maile in 2022 The star also notably lived and quarantined with his ex and her partner during the Covid pandemic and told Access Hollywood at the time, 'We're like this new nuclear family...' During a past interview with Us Weekly, Brady opened up about his relationship with Taketa since their divorce and explained that the 'secret' to their positive co-parenting relationship is 'time and knowing when to let things go for the greater good.' He also gushed that his ex is 'the most amazing woman in the world and one of the most amazing moms, I think, that has ever walked the planet. Our daughter's proof of that and the fact that she slaps me into shape. She's the reason I think that I've had the success I have.' Last month in July, it was announced that Wayne and his family - including Mandie and Jason - will appear in an eight-episode, unscripted reality series that is slated to air on Hulu, per Variety. She has jetted off on her Summer break to the Mediterranean, flitting between Italy, the South of France and Greece. And Amanda Holden is enjoying the trip with her family, husband Chris and their two daughters Lexi, 17, and Hollie, 11. On Tuesday the proud mum shared a stunning photo on her Instagram page, showing her and her two girls enjoying a boat trip. Amanda and her lookalike daughters cuddled up for the sunset cruise, with the TV and radio star dressed for dinner in a metallic dress. She later shared a snap from The White House restaurant in Kalami, Corfu where the Holden family enjoyed dinner with friends. Mini-mes: Amanda Holden is enjoying a summer break with her - posing for a stunning sunset Insatgram snap with her daughters Lexi, 17, and Hollie, 11 on Tuesday Summer break: She later shared a snap from The White House restaurant in Kalami, Corfu where the Holden family enjoyed dinner with friends Amanda, Chris, Lexi and Hollie have been touring the Med during the summer break from school, already enjoying the sights of Pisa and the Italian coast. Amanda is juggling her long summer break with filming for the second series of her hit BBC show The Italian Job, with her close friend Alan Carr. After the success of series one, which saw the duo renovate and sell a house in the medieval town of Salemi, Sicily, Amanda and Alan are this time restoring a bargain 'one Euro' house in rural Tuscany. Meanwhile, back home in the UK Amanda has just this week sold her stunning family home in Richmond. MailOnline revealed exclusively on Tuesday that the five bedroom house has been purchased for 5million after Amanda and Chris first listed the property in May 2022. Having initially snapped up the five-bedroom Richmond house in 2015 for 3.5million, the star, 52, has made a 1.5million profit on the property after revamping it in her own style. Amanda lived at the house with her family, but it looks increasingly likely that her eldest daughter will take up residence in the US for university, so the star is looking to move on from the family home. The family also regularly retreat to their beloved Cotswold home at weekends. Summer fun: Amanda, husband Chris, Lexi and Hollie have been touring the Med during the summer break from school, already enjoying the sights of Pisa and the Italian coast Work and play: Amanda is juggling her long summer break with filming for the second series of her hit BBC show The Italian Job, with her close friend Alan Carr After buying the home, Amanda admitted to 'badgering' its former owner to sell it to them for years until they finally relented. She described the property as her 'forever home' but put it on sale in May 2022 seven years after purchasing it. It was then removed from the market in August 2022 before being relisted in March 2023. When she put first her house on the market, a source said: 'Amanda loves her family home and is really proud of the work she's done on it. 'She's had a real hand in the makeover and has enjoyed seeing her ideas come to life. 'It will be a sad day when she moves out but Amanda can take comfort in the number of memories she's created there.' Steven Gerrard sent a birthday message to the son of an Irish drug cartel boss who is allegedly dating his daughter, Lilly-Ella. The former Liverpool star and current manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq reached out to Lee Byrne in an Instagram post on Tuesday to wish him a happy 24th birthday. Lee is the son of Liam Byrne - the head of a drug cartel's operations in Britain and Ireland - who Steven has previously been seen partying with. Sharing a picture of Lee with Lilly-Ella on his Instagram Story, Steven wrote: 'Happy birthday mate, have a boss day [heart emoji].' Lilly-Ella also shared a snap of the pair together, writing: 'Happy birthday Lee, hope your birthday is as special as you [three heart emojis] My number 1'. Reaching out: Steven Gerrard sent a birthday message to the son of an Irish drug cartel boss who is allegedly dating his daughter, Lilly-Ella (Lilly-Ella pictured with Lee Byrne) Message: The former Liverpool star and current manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq reached out to Lee Byrne in an Instagram post on Tuesday to wish him a happy 24th birthday Steven was previously seen on a video partying with Irish gangster Liam in mobile phone footage speaking to a fan on a video call. In the video Liam offered to organise a dinner between them and Gerrard, while the legendary midfielder says he will get him to a game with the Reds. The video emerged on the same day Lilly-Ella's alleged relationship with Lee was made public. In a series of snaps, shared to Instagram, the young duo recharged whilst getting hooked up to a vitamin drip, with Lee's face shielded by his cap. Heading out for the night to enjoy the island's famous nightlife they commissioned an artist to draw a hilarious caricature before flying home on a luxurious private jet. Lee has no involvement in the criminal underworld and was previously dating influencer Daisey O'Donnell, before they split last year. Liam is a top target for Irish police investigating the alleged activities of the Kinahan cartel and a gang named in the High Court as the Byrne Organised Crime Group, of which he is at the head. Steven Gerrard has no involvement in crime and there is no suggestion he has any knowledge of criminal activities. Couple? Lilly-Ella also shared a snap of the pair together, writing: 'Happy birthday Lee, hope your birthday is as special as you [three heart emojis] My number 1' Liam allegedly became Daniel Kinahan's right-hand man in Britain after his brother-in-law Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh was jailed in 2019 for possession of a stun gun. He fled Ireland after the Garda Criminal Assets Bureau seized millions of pounds worth of his wealth in 2019. The CAB has also seized dozens of high-powered vehicles, jewellery, bank accounts and Byrne's Raleigh Square home in Crumlin, which was apparently fitted with a panic room and Jacuzzi. Gardai are still investigating the alleged activities of the most senior members of the Kinahan cartel after jailing many of their lieutenants in recent years. Those jailed include Byrne's cousin 'Fat' Freddie Thompson, who is serving life for helping to carry out the gangland murder of David 'Daithi' Douglas in inner Dublin in 2016. Liam's brother David Byrne was also shot dead in Dublin's Regency Hotel in February 2016 - a brutal murder that greatly escalated the so-called Kinahan Hutch feud. Under Operation Lamp, officers targeted 2.3million worth of assets including four homes worth 1.7million, 29 vehicles (467,195), six designer watches (71,910), two rings (25,733), a bank account containing 31,563 and 29,912 in cash. As part of their investigations, CAB investigators claimed Liam was at the 'very top tier' of organised crime in Ireland. In June it was reported that Liam was arrested while eating at a restaurant in Spain. He had flown to Palma Airport from Dubai on May 26, and was held on a UK extradition warrant. The arrest came days after Jack Kavanagh, 22, a suspected Kinahan member, was held by officers from the Spanish National Police at Malaga Airport while transiting from Dubai to Turkey Kay Mellor, from the National Crime Agency, said: 'This investigation is part of the NCA's ongoing work targeting the Kinahan crime group. 'Liam Byrne and Jack Kavanagh have been evading justice for a number of years, but have now been arrested in relation to serious firearms offences. 'We have an excellent relationship with the Spanish National Police and will continue to work closely with our international partners to ensure those who think they can stay under the radar have no place to hide.' Jess Wright cut a stylish figure in chic black shorts and a crop top as she 'embraced her psoriasis' following a 'bad flare up'. The former TOWIE star, 37, headed to the Maybelline x Mimi Webb Launch Party at London's Shoreditch House on Tuesday where she showcased her toned pins in her stylish outfit. But despite oozing confidence at the make-up event, Jess had earlier taken to Instagram where she displayed her legs covered in patches amid the reappearance of her skin condition. In a selfie shared to her grid, the star sat on the floor in a black nightie to showcase her skin in a bid to raise awareness amid Psoriasis Awareness Month, simply captioning her post: 'This is me.' Jess then took to her stories on her way to the Maybelline event where she admitted she felt 'nervous' as it was the first time she was stepping out publicly with bare legs amid a big flare up. You go girl: Jess Wright cut a stylish figure in chic black shorts and a crop top as she 'embraced her psoriasis' following a 'bad flare up' Brave: Despite oozing confidence at the make-up event, Jess had earlier taken to Instagram where she displayed her legs covered in patches amid the reappearance of her skin condition Candid: In a selfie shared to her grid, the star sat on the floor in a black nightie to showcase her skin in a bid to raise awareness amid Psoriasis Awareness Month, simply captioning her post: 'This is me' Sharing a snap of her legs, she wrote: 'I've put the tiniest bit of make-up on my legs but this will be the first time I'm out with my legs out when I'm having a bad flare up... 'Nervous to say the least which is a bit ridiculous but I can't help hate how it feels/looks. But. This is me.' Uploading a second image of her pins, Jess added: 'Time to embrace the psoriasis.' It comes after Jess was praised by fans last month for showing 'her real skin' as she gave an update on her 'frustrating' battle with skin condition psoriasis. Taking to Instagram, the TV star shared a close-up shot of her face, which showed a frame of marks around her face as a result of psoriasis. She penned an accompanying caption revealing that she had a spell of calm with the condition after she was put on medication, yet soon struggled with side effects leading her to lower her dose - and thus suffer a flare-up. The star, who shot to fame on TOWIE's inaugural series in 2010, wrote: 'Here goes. Psoriasis update. Apologies for my absence on discussing my ongoing battle with psoriasis, however here it is. 'In November I went to a specialist & I was put on a form of medication in the hope that it would stop it in its tracks, calm it down & then when I come off of the meds after around a year, it wouldnt be as aggressive. Looking good: The former TOWIE star, 37, headed to the Maybelline x Mimi Webb Launch Party at London's Shoreditch House where she showcased her toned pins in her stylish outfit Lovely: Jess looked fabulous in a black crop top and shorts teamed with a stylish black blazer after giving fans an update on her skin condition Update: Jess then took to her stories on her way to the Maybelline event where she admitted she felt 'nervous' as it was the first time she was stepping out publicly with bare legs amid a big flare up Embracing it: Uploading a second image of her pins, Jess added: 'Time to embrace the psoriasis' 'This medication cleared nearly all of my psoriasis which was wonderful for a little while however side effects of the meds started to creep in & become more evident which didnt make me feel great... 'Then when I tried lowering the dose, the psoriasis started to come back with a vengeance. Its actually Id say on par with how it was before, if not worse... 'And its actually really sore. So frustrating. Im posting this because so many of you have messaged me asking how its going & Ive not been updating you so here it is... 'Sorry I dont have any better news & a miracle cure for you all, I feel your frustration guys. Repeat after me F*** you psoriasis; Pained: It comes after Jess was praised by fans last month for showing 'her real skin' as she gave an update on her 'frustrating' battle with skin condition psoriasis Reaching out: She penned an accompanying caption revealing that she had a spell of calm with the condition after she was put on medication, yet soon struggled with side effects leading her to lower her dose - and thus suffer a flare-up Health issues: Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition where skin cells builds up to form raised plaques, which can be flaky, scaly and itchy Pains: A post from Psoriasis Association, the UK national charity for sufferers, lauded the star for her candour, writing: 'Thank you for being so open and honest Jess' A post from Psoriasis Association, the UK national charity for sufferers, lauded the star for her candour, writing: 'Thank you for being so open and honest Jess'. Other followers meanwhile penned: 'I have psoriasis too and I'm in full flare all over at the moment. Nothing I do or use on them is helping It's so hard and frustrating, I feel for you Jessica Sending love... 'Im mid flare up after years of a partial respite. Keep sharing & raising awareness when you feel like it. Its the most torturous condition ever... Ive had it now for 5 years. Thanks for being honest about it! So many struggle with psoriasis.' Jonathan Ross and his daughter Betty Kitten looked in great spirts as he pushed her in her wheeled walker as they headed to a family dinner to celebrate her 32nd birthday. In images shared to Betty's Instagram taken from the outing last month, the father and daughter duo larked about for the camera as she sat in her rollator ahead of her first visit to a restaurant in three years. Amid her snaps, Betty and Jonathan, 62, joined other family members including wife Jane Goldman and daughter Honey around a table at Japanese eatery, Okan. Betty suffers from fibromyalgia, a condition which causes pain all over the body. She also has chronic fatigue syndrome and postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) which causes an abnormal increase in the heart rate after sitting or standing. Outing: Jonathan Ross and his daughter Betty Kitten looked in great spirts as he pushed her in her wheeled walker as they headed to a family dinner to celebrate her 32nd birthday All together now: Amid her snaps, Betty and Jonathan, 62, joined other family members including wife Jane Goldman and daughter Honey around a table at Japanese eatery, Okan And the social media personality certainly embraced her first restaurant visit in over three years as she celebrated her big day with her loved ones and a delicious looking birthday cake. In another snap, she posed with sister Honey Kinny as they smiled side-by-side together. Captioning her post, she penned: 'Birthday pics and my first time at a restaurant since February 2020! 'Edit: My birthday was on the 9th of July, I'm just posting these pics now bc I only just got round to writing the image descriptions/choosing my faves.' It comes after last month, Betty told how the 'world has opened up' for her since she got a new electric wheelchair. Taking to Instagram, Betty shared several snaps of herself trying out her new wheelchair from Distribe Limited. Alongside the photos, she wrote: 'Since I bought my wheelchair from Distribe just over a year ago, the world has really opened up for me so drastically and so much more than I'd even thought possible before buying. 'I've been able to go out, make memories, and have adventures, even on some of my worse health days. Yes! In images shared to Betty's Instagram taken from the outing last month, the father and daughter duo larked about for the camera as she sat in her rollator ahead of her first visit to a restaurant in three years Family time: Betty's parents Jonathan and screenwriter Jane, 53, were all s miles as they celebrated their daughter's birthday Birthday girl: the social media personality certainly embraced her first restaurant visit in over three years as she celebrated her big day with her loved ones and a delicious looking birthday cake Siblings: In another snap, she posed with sister Honey Kinny as they smiled side-by-side together Finally! Captioning her post, she penned: 'Birthday pics and my first time at a restaurant since February 2020!' 'So much of that comes from how confident I feel in the quality of my chair, knowing that it's not going to give up on me and leave me stranded! Betty went on to say that using a wheelchair has had a 'positive impact' on her life and also described it as 'liberating'. She wrote: 'I've said it on my Instagram plenty of times already, but truly having a wheelchair has had such a huge positive impact on my life. 'I feel really hopeful that in this collaboration with Distribe and being able to share my discount code with you all I might be able to play a small part in helping other people to experience the euphoric and liberating change having the right mobility equipment can bring.' Heartwarming: It comes after last month, Betty told how the 'world has opened up' for her since she got a new electric wheelchair Health: The 32-year-old suffers from fibromyalgia, a condition which causes pain all over the body Betty also has chronic fatigue syndrome and postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) which causes an abnormal increase in the heart rate after sitting or standing Betty wrote: 'Since I bought my wheelchair from Distribe just over a year ago, the world has really opened up for me so drastically' Jonathan revealed his daughter's diagnosis in 2021, explaining that they originally believed she was suffering with long Covid. Speaking on Loose Women, he said: 'She has fibromyalgia and she has chronic fatigue syndrome and POTS syndrome as well, which is where your heart rate shoots up.' On Betty's treatment, he added: 'We found a good there's a thing called the Perrin treatment. The guy who invented it, he came to talk to me about it and she looked it up online because she's a smart young woman, so she has to want to do the treatment. 'You know, I mean, I can't just say to her "try this, try that" if she thinks it's wrong in some way and if she's not going to enter it one hundred per cent, of course it's not worth doing. 'But we've been having that treatment going on and she's definitely showing some improvement.' Mark Wright was on fine form on Wednesday as he showcased his hunky frame while doing a shirtless workout at home. The former TOWIE star, 36, was joined by pet chihuahua Pip, whom he affectionately called his 'protector', as she sat on his lap while he embarked on some barbell bench presses. And Mark certainly impressed as he pushed up the weights with ease while working up a sweat. Showcasing his muscular physique, the TV star donned just a pair of navy gym shorts and white shorts while working on his fitness. In a video shared to his Instagram, little Pip certainly proved to be a good guard dog as she barked and growled at Mark's trainer pal as he approached the presenter during his workout. Work it: Mark Wright was on fine form on Wednesday as he showcased his hunky frame while doing a shirtless workout at home BFF: The former TOWIE star, 36, was joined by pet chihuahua Pip, whom he affectionately called his 'protector', as she sat on his lap while he embarked on some barbell bench presses Captioning his post, Mark penned: 'Lesson learnt @viphq_essex Dont approach whilst my protector is near me!!' Fans were quick to flood the post with comments remarking that they too are joined by their pooches during their workouts. It comes after last month, Mark mixed family relations with work as he quizzed his father-in-law on three things he liked about him on the Heart Feel Good Weekend Show. His wife Michelle' Keegan's family had jetted over from Tenerife to visit the Wrights and Mark decided to have some fun with him as he put him on the spot on his radio show. Asking him to name three things he liked about his daughter's husband Michael replied: 'Three things I like about you, only three things?' Laughing, Mark said: 'Dont seem so surprised tell me three main ones.' Getting started, Michelle's father said: 'You look after my daughter, on my behalf.' 'good answer, and now youre stuck for anymore', Mark chimed in. Fine form: Mark certainly impressed as he pushed up the weights with ease while working up a sweat Looking good: Showcasing his muscular physique, the TV star donned just a pair of navy gym shorts and white shorts while working on his fitness Stay back! In a video shared to his Instagram, little Pip certainly proved to be a good guard dog as she barked and growled at Mark's trainer pal as he approached the presenter during his workout Michael continued: 'I like your burnt sausages; they were very nice.' Finishing the segment up the star concluded that the third thing he like about his son-in-law was his 'beautiful teeth'. It comes after Mark hit back at trolls who claimed he and wife Michelle Keegan never see each other, saying they always spend 'quality time together' they just don't post about it. Speaking to MailOnline he explained that often the public overreact when there's a photo of him with Michelle despite the fact they have been married for the past seven years and share their newly completed Essex home as a couple. Sweet: It comes after Mark put his father-in-law Michael Keegan on the spot last month as he asked him to name three things he liked about him Funny: The TV personality, 36, has been married to Michael's daughter, Michelle Keegan, 36, since 2015 Their hectic careers, including Mark filming away for a month shooting BBC One's A Wright Family Holiday and presenting The Challenge UK in Argentina, as well as Michelle starring in upcoming Netflix drama Fool Me Once and Ten Pound Poms, gives fans the impression they don't spend enough time in each other's company. Mark insisted the pair make their lifestyles work but like to keep the intimate moments they share, including at home when they're relaxing, off social media. He said: 'Do you know what whenever there's a picture of us together people will say "rare picture of Mark and Michelle" or "Mark and Michelle reunite after time apart" we just don't tell everyone when we do spend quality time together.' Amber Petty, Princess Mary's bridesmaid and best friend for over 20 years, has weighed in on Aesha Scott's Below Deck Down Under drama. Earlier this week, viewers were left stunned after chief steward Scott, 31, intervened and saved Margot Sisson from Bosun Luke Jones' advances. Elsewhere in the episode, Laura Bileskalnehad made drunken advances towards a male crew member, who made it clear he wasn't interested. Ms Petty was quick to throw her support behind Aesha's brave actions and showered her with praise on Instagram. 'That episode with Luke and Laura's predatory behaviour was so upsetting but thank God for people like you and [Captain] Jason,' she began. Amber Petty, Princess Mary's bridesmaid and best friend for over 20 years, has weighed in on Aesha Scott's Below Deck Down Under drama. Pictured: Ms Petty Earlier this week, viewers were left stunned after chief steward Aesha Scott (pictured) intervened when an intoxicated male cast member harassed a female colleague Ms Petty is often by Princess Mary's side when she visits Australia. Here she is pictured in pink lifting Princess Mary's train at her wedding in 2004 'Incredible and very healing for the millions of women and men who have been abused like that and left questioning themselves. 'Or not questioning themselves but living with the trauma of what went on. Thank you Aesha, you're a real hero,' Ms Petty continued. Her kind words come after Aesha Scott broke her silence on the 'horrifying' incident which saw two crew members sacked for misconduct. Scott took to social media after Bosun Luke Jones and stew Laura Bileskalnehad were kicked off set after they misbehaved under the influence of alcohol, and Jones drunkenly came onto a female crew member. Scott issued a statement following the most recent episode and said the drunken behaviour she witnessed went against the values of the show. 'I wanted to take the opportunity to remind everyone of the main message that was shown on the episode, which is that women, and actually everyone, have the right to go out and have fun and feel safe and that is just the f***ing end of it,' she began. Aesha stepped in to ensure a female crew member was safe after one of her drunken colleagues kept bothering her Scott bravely intervened and saved Margot Sisson from Bosun Luke Jones' (pictured) advances Elsewhere in the episode, Laura Bileskalnehad made drunken advances towards a male crew member, who made it clear he wasn't interested On the show's latest episode, bosun Luke Jones was terminated after climbing into the bed of Margot Sisson (pictured above), who was naked and asleep, 'without consent' Aesha later took to Instagram to post a photo of her having a celebratory drink with Margot 'There's no questions or if's or but's, that is the end of it. So please keep an eye on your friends and each other.' 'We don't actually know what would have happened, but being in her bed naked and she's got no idea - it actually makes my skin crawl. You have no right to put someone unconscious into that position,' she added. The episode in question sees Scott intervene after a drunken Jones became overly flirty with female stew Margot Sisson, much to her displeasure. 'I don't want any drunkenness to be taken advantage of. I'd just like to see you get into bed safely. I'll get you water,' a worried Scott told Sisson. Elsewhere in the episode, Laura Bileskalnehad made drunken advances towards a male crew member, who made it clear he wasn't interested. During the shocking episode, bosun Luke Jones was terminated after climbing into the bed of Margot Sisson, who was naked and asleep, 'without consent.' Joanne Froggatt had the look of love about her as she stepped out to run errands in Buckinghamshire on Tuesday. The Downton Abbey star appears to have found love again following her split from husband James Cannon as she was spotted holding hands with new man Mark earlier this month. Joanne, 42, beamed from ear to ear during her outing where she donned a black long-sleeved top and a pair of beige high-waisted trousers. The actress also sported a pair of black sandals and carried a dark brown handbag for the outing. Joanne, who played Anna Bates on the ITV period drama, let her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulers. Radiant: Joanne Froggatt had the look of love about her as she stepped out to run errands in Buckinghamshire on Tuesday New love: Joanne appears to have found love again following her split from husband James Cannon as she was spotted holding hands with new man Mark earlier this month Casual: The actress also sported a pair of black sandals and carried a dark brown handbag for the outing Smitten: The TV star is thought to have been seeing her new man Mark for several months now and is 'besotted' with him The TV star is thought to have been seeing her new man Mark for several months now and is 'besotted' with him. According to the Daily Mail, Joanne recently took him to a party with her group of pals at The Greyhound Italian restaurant in Marylebone, Central London. She was seen laughing at the friend's birthday bash last month, and one source close to her revealed: 'Joanne is having a great time with Mark.' It is the first time that she has been publicly linked to a love interest since she split from IT consultant James in February 2020. The star announced the couple had parted ways just weeks before lockdown. She said: 'We've been separated for a little while. I'm looking to the future. I'm just going to embrace this year and see what happens.' A year on, in 2021, Joanne admitted the divorce from her long-term partner had thrown her life into a state of flux. She said: 'I didn't think I'd be divorced, I didn't think we'd be going through a pandemic, I didn't think my life would be in flux in the way it was. But I'm OK with that. Laid back: Joanne, who played Anna Bates on the ITV period drama, let her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulers Looking good: Joanne, who played Anna Bates on the ITV period drama, let her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulers Relationship: She was seen laughing at the friend's birthday bash last month, and one source close to her revealed: 'Joanne is having a great time with Mark' Ex: Joanne revealed her devastating split from James Cannon (pictured together in 2018) shortly before the pandemic in 2020 'I'm so grateful for my friends and family, for my health and to have been working so much during this past year. You realise, when it comes down to it, how many positives you have in your life.' Joanne, who was engaged to DJ Phil Vane at 19, married Cannon in 2012 in a private church ceremony in Oxfordshire attended by her fellow Downton Abbey cast members. In an interview in 2015 she described her marriage to James as 'perfect'. She added: 'He's passionate about film and theatre, so we have a common interest and he's not in the business, so it's perfect.' While they were together she and James owned a production company called Run After It, however the actress now manages the business on her own, and said that being in charge 'feels like an exciting new chapter'. Charlotte Bellamy has been a star of Emmerdale since 2002 and as a result her character, Laurel Thomas, has been through a lot. Laurel has seen a husband diagnosed with dementia, suffered from an alcohol addiction, and most recently, been kidnapped. While not as extreme as that of her four-times-married ITV alias, Charlotte has enjoyed a unique love life of her own - having a secret wedding that not even her family and friends knew about and enduring pregnancies which coincided with Laurel's Read on to find out about the romantic history of Emmerdale's Charlotte Bellamy. Wed again: Charlotte Bellamy's Emmerdale character Laurel Thomas married for the fourth time in 2023 Crazy little thing called love: While Charlotte's love life has not been quite as dramatic as her character's, it has been uniquely fascinating in its own right Who is Charlotte Bellamy's childhood sweetheart? Charlotte Bellamy, born March 19 1973, began going out with her partner Mungo Denison when she was just 18. Mungo has also worked in TV, as a producer, before moving into company management, according to his LinkedIn. In 2018 he co-founded drone light-show company SKYMAGIC, but moved away from the company in 2022. Is Charlotte Bellamy married? Despite being together for so long, the couple did not get married until relatively late in their relationship and even when they did, they kept it a secret from family and friends. Even then, Charlotte did not go public about her wedding for three years. More unusual still, is that the couple married completely on a whim. She told the Sunday Mirror in 2015: 'For some people a big wedding is the dream and of course that's great but it wasn't really our style. 'Suddenly it seemed like the right thing to do and we wanted to do it our way. 'We sat there at breakfast and said to the kids, "We're getting married today", and they were like, "What?"' For the private ceremony in May 2012, Charlotte wore an understated, 60 blue dress - bought from a shop in Notting Hill. Young loves: Charlotte has been with her husband Mungo Denison since they were 18 Businessman: Charlotte's husband co-founded SKYMAGIC - a drone light-show company which worked on London's New Year's Eve show in 2021 (pictured) How many children does Charlotte Bellamy have? Charlotte and Mungo have three sons - Sunnie, Herbie and Teddie. All were born since she began as an Emmerdale cast member, so writers of the soap had to factor that in to some of Lauren's story. Sunnie arrived in 2004, at which point Laurel had been written out of the series, but in 2006 Charlotte was expecting Herbie while filming. Conveniently, Emmerdale's producers lined things up perfectly so that Laurel would be pregnant at the same time as her performer. Teddie arrived in 2009, and worked around her pregnancy again when filming before beginning her maternity leave. Molly Mae-Hague stepped out for a takeaway on Wednesday as fiance Tommy Fury prepares for his next fight against YouTuber KSI. The influencer, 24, carried a plastic bag filled with takeaway boxes after calling into a Cheshire cafe during a rare appearance without Fury and their seven-month old daughter, Bambi. She appeared to be indulging while the boxer readies himself for a bout against the currently undefeated KSI at Manchesters AO Arena on October 14. It will be 24-year old Fury's second consecutive fight against a YouTube content creator turned boxer, having previously fought, and defeated, the self-styled 'problem child' Jake Paul in Saudi Arabia on February 26. Molly-Mae recently admitted she is adjusting to her post-partum figure after slipping back into a pair of size 14 jeans, some six months after giving birth. Eating out: Molly Mae-Hague stepped out for a takeaway on Wednesday as fiance Tommy Fury prepares for his next fight against YouTuber KSI Here she comes: The influencer carried a plastic bag filled with takeaway boxes after calling into a Cheshire cafe during a rare appearance without Fury and their daughter Bambi The former Love Island contestant, who welcomed her only child with Fury in January, took to Instagram during a shopping trip after admitting she had previously 'struggled' with her body image. Posing for a selfie, she wrote: 'First pair of Zara jeans I've ever been happy with. I picked up a size 14 for reference'. In June, the influencer admitted she struggles to look at herself naked and is yet to fully accept her figure. Sharing a YouTube video, she said: 'I am struggling massively with my body at the minute, as much as I've just had a baby, I'm truly not helping myself. 'Every day I wake up and look in the mirror and I'm not comfortable with the way I look and that's just me being honest. 'I do find it hard to look at myself in the mirror naked and think, 'You look great' or 'I love my body'. 'I'm trying to erase it and I'm definitely accepting it but it doesn't mean I love it and it doesn't mean I'm happy with it and I know I can be a lot happier'. Meanwhile Fury has promised to knock out KSI in front of a home crowd after verbally sparring the YouTuber for some time, with both camps blaming the other for the negotiations dragging on. Lean and mean: Meanwhile Fury is readying himself for a bout against the currently undefeated KSI at Manchesters AO Arena on October 14 Previously: It will be Fury's second fight against a YouTube content creator turned boxer, having fought, and defeated, 'problem child' Jake Paul in Saudi Arabia on February 26 The weight and number of rounds for the bout was not announced when the fight was confirmed in July, but Fury, posting about the fight on social media, was in confident mood. 'October 14TH.Youre getting knocked out in front of my home crowd. This is gonna be fun. @ksi #KsiFury,' the 24-year-old wrote on Instagram. It will be the first time Fury has boxed since he beat Jake Paul in February. Londoner KSI shot to fame as a YouTuber before donning the gloves for the first time in 2019 to face Jake's older brother Logan Paul, with whom he has since become business partners. Fury, the half-brother of unbeaten heavyweight world champion Tyson, has won all nine of his fights. Getting there: Molly-Mae recently admitted she is adjusting to her post-partum figure after slipping back into a pair of size 14 jeans, some six months after giving birth Ruby Wax has claimed that Donald Trump kicked her off his private jet in the 90s after she laughed at his intention to become President of the United States. Appearing on Kate Garraway's Life Stories in an episode which airs on Wednesday, she said she hadn't realised Donald, 77, was being serious when he made the statement. Kate, 56, said to her: 'When you went in, to interview someone like Donald Trump, who we know different things about now, or OJ Simpson, all those people. 'When you went into them, were you deliberately trying to get them to reveal something..?' Ruby, 70, replied: 'My thing would be, let's see the human behind the mask. We would always go out for dinner, that was the rule. Awkward moment: Ruby Wax claimed Donald Trump kicked her off his private jet in the 90s after she laughed at his intention to become President of the United States Cringe: Described by Ruby as 'one of the most excruciating moments of my career' in the original footage, the interview never made it into her series, which ran from 1996 to 1998 'And they would tell me really personal things, as you do, because we got on, and I never brought it up the next day. So they would trust you.' Kate asked if Ruby tried to trick them and she shook her head and said: 'I never got the dirt. 'Well, they can edit it. We always said, you can have the permission to edit out anything. 'But Donald, you know when a man treats you like an idiot, you kind of become an idiot, coz he knows females because he just.,, has sex with them. 'But he couldn't figure me out. He really was so fierce and so vicious. He said, "You're angry with a smile". So he got me, because I was backed into a corner.' Prediction: Little did she know, Donald would go on to make good on his bold ambition and become President years after their awkward interview She continued: 'He did say, "I want to be the next President Of The United States and I thought it was a joke. I thought what a sense of humour this guy has. 'I started laughing and he said: "That's it, I want her off the flight. We only got to 33,000 feet and we went back down again. It was not a good show. Donald would go on to make good on his bold ambition and became President in 2017. Described by Ruby as 'one of the most excruciating moments of my career' in the original footage, the interview never made it into her series, which ran from 1996 to 1998. Trump has since been indicted three times and is facing a litany of criminal charges. During the interview, Kate will also look at Rubys acting and groundbreaking presenting career, and how her writing talent has created some of the most memorable characters in comedy. In a brutally honest and gripping interview, Ruby reveals the strange, often savagely dysfunctional relationship she had with her parents growing up in Americas Midwest. And she also told how she escaped the trauma of her childhood by running away to drama school on the other side of the world. She is enjoying a family holiday to France. And Emma Weymouth showed off her toned physique in a black bikini as he arrived at the famous Club 55 in Saint Tropez on Wednesday during her trip. The Marchioness of Bath, 37, was joined by her husband Ceawlin Thynn - the 8th Marquess of Bath - and their two sons Henry, seven, and John, nine. She looked fantastic in the two piece which she wore with a black shirt and cap and matching sarong. Meanwhile Viscount Weymouth looked casual in a linen shirt and blue shorts as he joined his family for the trip out. Stunning: Emma Weymouth showed off her toned physique in a black bikini as he arrived at the famous Club 55 in Saint Tropez on Wednesday during her trip to France Family: The Marchioness of Bath, 37, was joined by her husband Ceawlin Thynn - the 8th Marquess of Bath - and their two sons Henry, seven, and John, nine Emma accessorised her look with Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, silver stud earrings and dark shades. The couple, who married at their stunning home Longleat in June 2013, welcomed their first child John in October 2014. Then following a pregnancy struggle, the couple welcomed their second child, a son Henry, via a surrogate in Los Angeles in December 2016. At the time, Emma told the Daily Mail: 'We are simply ecstatic. His arrival has completed our little family and brought us so much happiness.' Ceawlin added: 'Never did I imagine that in West Hollywood I'd become father to John's little miracle baby brother. 'It's a wonder of modern science that the Longleat Bath family has been completed (for now at least) by Emma and I having a much-loved son, helped so crucially by a tremendous surrogate in California, to extend our family.' It comes after Emma looked stunning in a sheer black dress as she was spotted at Chiltern Firehouse after attending a conservation ball alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla last month. The event was hosted by British Vogue's Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful and founder and creative director of self-portrait Han Chong, alongside model Emily Ratajkowski to celebrate British creativity. Work it: She looked fantastic in the two piece which she wore with a black shirt and cap and matching sarong Summery: Emma accessorised her look with Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, silver stud earrings and dark shades Brood: The couple, who married at their stunning home Longleat in June 2013, welcomed their first child John in October 2014 Kids: Then following a pregnancy struggle, the couple welcomed their second child, a son Henry, via a surrogate in Los Angeles in December 2016 Thrilled: At the time, Emma told the Daily Mail: 'We are simply ecstatic. His arrival has completed our little family and brought us so much happiness' Details: She carried a gorgeous large summer bag over her shoulder as she made her way along the promenade Stepping out: Meanwhile Viscount Weymouth looked casual in a linen shirt and blue shorts as he joined his family for the trip out Family trip: The couple and their two kids were joined by an extended group of friends for the day trip Travel: They arrived to the club by boat She looked effortlessly fashionable as she donned a strapless gown which trailed along the floor. Emma attended an event alongside the royals to mark 20th anniversary of conservation charity founded by Her Majesty's late brother Mark Shand. When she exited her private car, Emma was pictured holding her animal mask, which featured a cream fringe around the rim. King Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 75, appeared in great spirits at the party at Lancaster House. Coleen Nolan was pictured with her ex-boyfriend Michael Jones on Wednesday as filming for ITV's The Real full Monty began in London. The TV presenter, 58, was rumoured to have got back together with Michael last month and did confirm she was in a relationship again, although refrained from saying who with'. Coleen looked effortlessly chic in a black and white blouse while interacting with three French Bulldog's. Meanwhile, Michael cut a casual figure in a khaki green jacket, black jeans and boots while helping Coleen light a cigarette. Paul Burrell, Pete Wicks, Vanessa Bauer, Ben Cohen, Ella Vaday, Ashley Cain were also pictured on set. Back on? Coleen Nolan was pictured with her ex-boyfriend Michael Jones on Wednesday as filming for ITV's The Real full Monty began in London Low-key: Michael cut a casual figure in a khaki green jacket, black jeans and boots while helping Coleen light a cigarette The Real Full Monty is set to return to ITV after last being seen on screen in 2021. Diversity frontman Ashley Banjo is likely to return as the presenter and has hosted the series since it began in 2017. The show aims to raise awareness of men's and women's cancers as a batch of famous faces put one of their biggest fears to the test and strip off on stage. Coleen revealed she had 'never been happier' during an appearance on Loose Women earlier this month but didn't confirm the identity of her new man. According to new magazine, Coleen has reunited with Michael who she split from in July 2022 after a year-long romance. A source said: 'They are taking things slowly, not labelling it and just seeing what happens. 'Coleen and Michael have been on and off since they broke up last year. In fact, you could say they didn't completely call it off at all.' The insider added the couple were in regular contact after their split but 'hadn't put a label on it'. They said: 'Coleen has often struggled with her confidence in relationships, but as she said herself, now she has truly opened herself up, she has never been happier. It is lovely to see her feeling this way.' A representative for Coleen Nolan declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline. Coleen and Michael - who works for a supermarket in its logistics arm - met on Tinder in 2021, with Coleen introducing him to the world during a joint appearance on Loose Women in January last year. Romance: The TV presenter, 58, reportedly got back together with Michael after recently confirming she was in a relationship again Fun: Paul Burrell and Ashley Cain were also pictured on set with Michael Looking good: Pete Wicks showed off his inked skin in a black vest and joggers Casual: Vanessa Bauer flashed her toned abs in a black crop top and velvet joggers Show: Diversity frontman Ashley Banjo is likely to return as the presenter and has hosted the series since it began in 2017 Important: The show aims to raise awareness of men's and women's cancers as a batch of famous faces put one of their biggest fears to the test and strip off on stage Filming: The Real Full Monty is based on the 1997 film, The Full Monty which focussed on a group of steelworkers' bid to earn some money However, a source later went on to reveal to The Sun that Coleen called time on the relationship back in April last year, with things said to have 'fizzled out' between the pair. But earlier this month, Coleen divulged about her secret boyfriend as the panel discussed about how long should you give a new relationship, in the wake of Taylor Swift's split with Maty Healy after just two months. Opening up to fellow panelists Ruth Langsford, Jane Moore and Gloria Hunniford, Coleen admitted that she was initially 'freaked out' by the relationship after struggling to believe she was deserving of romance. She also told how in the past she had rushed into new partnerships and purposely took things slowly with her newest partner. She explained: 'It's always been in the moment and within a month or two months we're living together. Well you know with Ray, I was pregnant... that was about five weeks! And then when I met Shane when I was younger, it was instant. 'And then what's happened since I've gone back on the dating scene is I've been affected by that. I've grown up thinking if it isn't that, it's not right. If you haven't got that instant thing, it's not right.' Referring to her current romance, she went on: 'And then gradually over time, with the person I'm with now... I hate talking about this. The person I'm with now, it has taken a longer time and it's my fault. 'Because I keep thinking "I'm not used to this, I'm not used to someone loving me the way you do". 'I've never believed I am because I've never been with anyone that makes me feel that 100%. And I've accepted that "I'm just super romantic and I want everything to be like a film" but it's not. 'And that's why they don't hold my hand or they're not bothered or they don't pay me compliments, and actually I've met someone now that does.' Back on: Coleen has reportedly got back together with her ex-boyfriend Michael after recently confirming she was in a relationship again Romance: Coleen and Michael - who works for a supermarket in its logistics arm - met on Tinder in 2021, with Coleen introducing him to the world during a joint appearance on Loose Women in January last year Sharing how she feels about her boyfriend's romantic traits, she said: 'At first it freaked me out and now over the last couple of years I thought "actually, do you know what? Just accept it for once in your life and enjoy it because it's what you've been looking for". 'Now that I've truly opened myself up to it, I've never been happier!' Coleen split from her second husband Ray Fensome in 2017 after 11 years of marriage. They share daughter Ciara. She was previously married to EastEnders star Shane Richie who is the father of her two sons, Jake Roche and Shane Roche Jr. Advertisement Victoria's Secret assembled some of the biggest names in modeling, including Gisele Bundchen, Emily Ratajkowski and Hailey Bieber, as it launched its new Icon push-up demi-bra. Tom Brady's ex-wife and the other catwalk stars all posed in glamorous black-and-white and color photography and videos by Mikael Jansson, while putting on busty display in the supportive new bra. They weren't the only A-list models, as a video shared by Victoria's Secret on Wednesday also featured some stunning images of Naomi Campbell, Adriana Lima and Candice Swanepoel, among others. Gisele's stellar figure was highlighted in a glamorous video shared on the Victoria's Secret Instagram page on Wednesday morning. 'Theres an icon in all of us,' the account captioned it. Superstar models: Victoria's Secret assembled some of the biggest names in modeling, including Gisele Bundchen (pictured), Emily Ratajkowski and Hailey Bieber, as it launched its new Icon push-up demi-bra Covered up: Emily Ratajkowski shared a rare color photo from the shoot showing her in the Icon bra with a black Victoria's Secret robe The Brazilian beauty and ex-wife of Tom Brady raised her arms above her head while contorting her torso and letting her luscious blond locks cascade down her shoulders. She also gazed into the camera in a closer shot highlighting her bust while she had her arms crossed in front of her. Gisele paired the simple black bra with a set of thick, low-cut black panties with a lacy patterned design. The model has had a long association with Victoria's Secret after serving as one of the lingerie brand's angels from 1999 to 2006. Ironically, she wrote in her memoir Lessons: My Path To A Meaningful Life that she opted to end her association with Victoria's Secret because she became less comfortable model lingerie after her career on the catwalk had flourished, though that hasn't stopped her from returning to work with the brand in a smaller capacity. Although Gisele let the brand share her new content, Emily Ratajkowski proudly shared some of her most flattering images from the photo shoot. She was more covered up than many of the models with a long black robe decorated with VS monogram that fluttered about behind her thanks to a fan on set. The item emphasized her cleavage in front, and she complemented it with low-rise black panties with high-cut straps. Looking good! Gisele's stellar figure was highlighted in a glamorous video shared on the Victoria's Secret Instagram page on Wednesday morning Stunner: The Brazilian beauty and ex-wife of Tom Brady raised her arms above her head while contorting her torso and letting her luscious blond locks cascade down her shoulders Having fun with it: Although Gisele let the brand share her new content, Emily Ratajkowski proudly shared some of her most flattering images from the photo shoot Strappy: She complemented her robe with low-rise black panties with high-cut straps Loving it: 'VS ICONS. Honored to be included with the likes of @gisele @naomi @haileybieber @palomija @adutakech @adrianalima @candiceswanepoel @jilla.tequila in this beautiful campaign shot by Mikael Jansson and styled by Camilla Nickerson,' Emily gushed in her caption The underwear included extra straps that rose even higher to her waist, culminating in an intersection just below her navel, which put the spotlight on her incredible toned abs. 'VS ICONS. Honored to be included with the likes of @gisele @naomi @haileybieber @palomija @adutakech @adrianalima @candiceswanepoel @jilla.tequila in this beautiful campaign shot by Mikael Jansson and styled by Camilla Nickerson,' Emily gushed in her caption, adding a final thanks to the lingerie brand. Although Hailey Bieber didn't share her own post advertising her new gig, she was also featured in Victoria's Secret's video. She had on a more maximalist lingerie look than some of the other models. In addition to the flagship bra, she was attired with a sleek black garter belt with a metal decoration right over her navel. The modest item held up a pair of sheer black Victoria's Secret stockings, which featured the brand's initials in a chainlink design. Her dark blond hair, which was apparently wet, was styled in a chic bob and swept to one side. She kept her head tilted as she gazed into the camera seductively in closeup. Fashion star: Although Hailey Bieber didn't share her own post advertising her new gig, she was also featured in Victoria's Secret's video. She had on a more maximalist lingerie look than some of the other models. In addition to the flagship bra, she was attired with a sleek black garter belt with a metal decoration right over her navel Short hair, don't care: Her dark blond hair, which was apparently wet, was styled in a chic bob and swept to one side. She kept her head tilted as she gazed into the camera seductively in closeup Naomi Campbell's brief appearance in the video showed that she was as dominant as ever in the industry. Despite her 53 years, the London-born model was still proud to showcase her extraordinarily toned midriff in the lingerie. She paired the Icon bra with simple opaque black panties that were cut higher than some of the other designs. The catwalk star wore her hair long and styled straight, and she showcased an elegant plump pout. Joining her in the new campaign was the Brazilian beauty Adriana Lima, who ended her tenure with the brand in 2018. However, she wasn't featured in the video announcing the Icon bra campaign, though she was seen in a Victoria's Secret nightgown from the same campaign, via Fashionista. Candice Swanepoel offered plenty of glamour in a cropped bra top with a lacy design below the cups. She completed the ensemble with a matching sheer thong. As party of Victoria's Secrets claims to be more inclusive, the brand also featured in-demand plus-size models, including Paloma Elsesser and Jill Kortleve. Paloma flaunted her curves in a steaming black lace bodysuit while flipping back her long, dark curls, but Jill didn't appear to be part of the initial announcement. The model Adut Akech was also listed as one of the participants in the campaign, though she appeared to be absent as well. Still got it! Naomi Campbell's brief appearance in the video showed that she was as dominant as ever in the industry. Despite her 53 years, the London-born model was still proud to showcase her extraordinarily toned midriff in the lingerie Modest: She paired the Icon bra with simple opaque black panties that were cut higher than some of the other designs Full lips: The catwalk star wore her hair long and styled straight, and she showcased an elegant plump pout. The Brazilian beauty Adriana Lima ended her tenure with the brand in 2018, but she was seen in a Victoria's Secret nightgown from the same campaign Sheer: Candice Swanepoel offered plenty of glamour in a cropped bra top with a lacy design below the cups. She completed the ensemble with a matching sheer thong Curves ahead: As party of Victoria's Secrets claims to be more inclusive, the brand also featured in-demand plus-size models, including Paloma Elsesser (L) and Jill Kortleve Red hot: Paloma flaunted her curves in a steaming black lace bodysuit while flipping back her long, dark curls, but Jill didn't appear to be part of the initial announcement Playful: Rounding out the parade of high-profile models was Sui He, who wore a more modest, higher-cut pair of thick black panties Rounding out the parade of high-profile models was Sui He, who wore a more modest, higher-cut pair of thick black panties. She added a sultry touch by wearing her long raven hair in wet strands dangling down her shoulders. Although the models all appeared to be wearing black lingerie exclusively, the icon bra and its accessories all come in multiple colors on Victoria's Secret's website, where they are now available. The bra costs $55, with some variations costing $50, while Candice's bustier-style top costs $70, and the teddy that Paloma modeled costs $80. The cast of Heartstopper have graced the cover of Attitude Magazine's September/October issue, after the second season of the acclaimed show hit Netflix on Friday. Leading the stars posing for the edgy shoot were Corinna Brown and Kizzy Edgell, who told the publication that it's 'really important' to keeping using the word 'lesbian' as it's been ostracised and maligned in recent years. The pair, who play girlfriends Tara and Darcy in the drama, added that the pair are 'unashamed' about their romance, after keeping it a secret during the first series. Corinna and Kizzy posed for an artistic Attitude cover alongside stars Tobie Donovan (Isaac Henderson), Bradley Riches (James McEwan), Bel Priestley (Naomi), Ash Self (Felix), Fisayo Akinade (Nathan Ajayi) and Nima Taleghani (Youssef Farouk). Discussing Darcy's description of herself as a lesbian, Kizzy said: 'I think it's really important to say that word - lesbian. Because you sometimes hear celebrities say, ''Oh, I don't use that word. It's ugly.'' Important: Heartstopper stars Corinna Brown and Kizzy Edgell reflect on Darcy and Tara's 'unashamed' romance as the extended cast graced the cover of Attitude Magazine 'It's completely out of line. What a damaging thing to say. I like the word lesbian. I like that [Darcy and Tara are] overt about it. And I like Darcy's unashamedness. I think that she makes me want to be, like, less quiet about myself.' Corinna added she hopes Tara and Darcy's romance will bring more eyes to LGBTQ+ shows, as so many have been axed in recent years. She said: 'I like that Darcy (Kizzy's character) pulls Tara (Darcy's character) out of her shell. ''You're a lesbian; it's fine. We're all OK.'' Having that representation is important because [TV series are] getting cancelled, and I think it's sad. And I don't think people should be quietened or dimmed. So, to be able to present Tara and Darcy's relationship is great.' Elsewhere Tobie admitted he felt 'pressure' to accurately depict Isaac's discovery of his asexuality. He said: 'I really wanted to get it right. But it was also, like, a responsibility and a gratitude that I'm not personally asexual, but I felt that it was important that this story be told. 'And that I did as much research as I could into doing it authentically. Because everyone should see themselves in the media. I think it's really important and it's a shame it's taken this long. 'I think we should all be better allies to everyone in the community. I felt it was really important that I did the work and did justice to this community.' Candid: Elsewhere Tobie Donovan admitted he felt 'pressure' to accurately depict Isaac's discovery of his asexuality, while posing with Bradley Riches (James McEwan) Representation: Fisayo Akinade (Nathan Ajayi) and Nima Taleghani (Youssef Farouk) discussed their characters' growing dynamic as teachers on the show Rising stars: Bel Priestley and Ash Self, who joined the Heartstopper cast for its second series, discussed bringing greater trans visibility to the show Young love: Heartstopper's long-awaited second series finally hit Netflix on Thursday, and fans were quick to praise its second run after blitzing through its eight episodes Fisayo, who plays teacher Mr Ajayi, said: 'I don't think being gay is particularly interesting. But desire is such a fundamental thing so many people experience that to crush it is grotesque. 'What Heartstopper does really well is that it just goes, ''Here's some teenagers who are relatively happy. There are some adults who are relatively happy. Isn't that nice to see?'' The more representation we see, the better it becomes for everybody.' Bel has joined the show as Naomi, a transgender student at the art school Elle applies to, and the actress recalled the heartwarming moment she met a fan after joining the show. On sale: The Attitude September/October issue is out on Thursday 10 August She said: 'I met another trans girl, and she cried. That was really sweet. She said how much the show means to her and how much all of us make a massive difference in people's lives. 'Some of the stories I've read online, and DMs I've received, just make me feel really blessed.' Heartstopper's long-awaited second series finally hit Netflix on Thursday, and fans were quick to praise its second run after blitzing through its eight episodes. The series sees Nick's relationship with Charlie still stronger than ever, but they still have challenges to face as he is yet to come out to his older brother or father. Tao and Elle continue to grow closer after admitting to pals they have feelings for each other, with the pair coming clean to one another during their trip to Paris. Tara also faces challenges with Darcy, who has kept her turbulent home life a secret, casting doubt over whether she'll attend the school prom. The Attitude September/October issue is out on Thursday 10 August. MBABANE Preliminary gross official reserves increased by 19.1 per cent from June 2023 and 3.7 per cent year-on-year to reach E8.2 billion at the end of July 2023. According to the Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE) monthly statistical release for June/July, the growth in reserves was on account of the trimestral inflow of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) receipts at the beginning of July 2023. At this level, the reserves were enough to cover 2.6 months of imports of goods and services, reflecting an improvement from the 2.2 months covered in June 2023. Reflecting Valued in special drawing rights (SDR), the reserves amounted to SDR344.2 million at the end of July 2023, reflecting an expansion of 25.1 per cent month-on-month and a decline of 5.3 per cent year-on-year. The CBE also reported that credit extended to the private sector went up by 1.7 per cent from May 2023 and 9.2 per cent year-on-year to settle at E18.2 billion at the end of June 2023. Contributing to the rise in private sector credit was growth in credit to businesses. The growth was partly offset by a fall in credit to other sectors of the domestic economy as well as households & non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH). Credit extended to businesses closed the month under review at E9.0 billion, reflecting an increase of 4.5 per cent month-on-month and 12.4 per cent relative to June 2022. Growth in credit to businesses was on account of credit to the following subsectors; distribution and tourism (18.1 per cent), real estate (2.3 per cent), and construction (1.2 per cent). A further breakdown of credit to the business sector by size, showed that credit extended to large enterprises improved by 5.9 per cent month-on-month and 8.2 per cent year-on-year to E6.3 billion. The growth was mainly registered in credit extended to community, social and personal services sector and distribution and tourism sector. It was reported that credit extended to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), on the other hand, grew by 1.3 per cent to settle at E2.7 billion at the end of June 2023. The increase was mainly observed in credit to the construction and transport and communication sectors. Grew Meanwhile, credit extended to other sectors contracted by 4.4 per cent month-on-month and grew by 36.0 per cent year-on-year to close the month under review at E1.0 billion. The month-on-month reduction was driven by credit to other financial corporations and public nonfinancial corporations, which fell by 4.9 per cent to E643.6 million and 4.8 per cent to E325.2 million, respectively. In contrast, credit to local government grew by 3.2 per cent to close the review month at E64.5 million. Credit extended to households and NPISH closed the month under review at E8.1 billion, reflecting a contraction of 0.3 per cent month-on-month and growth of 3.2 per cent year-on-year. The month-on-month reduction was driven by other personal (unsecured) loans, which decelerated by 3.0 per cent to E3.0 billion. Mortgage and motor vehicle loans, on the other hand, improved by 1.5 per cent to E4.1 billion and 0.7 per cent to E981.7 million, respectively. Bachelor in Paradise stars Noah Erb and Abigail Heringer are engaged. The reality TV stars shared the happy news on their Instagram accounts on Wednesday. The proposal took place at sunset on Tuesday by the beach in La Jolla, San Diego. The 28-year-old Erb got down on one knee and presented Heringer with a four carat oval-shaped diamond ring from Keyzar Jewelry while on the deck of a home. Heringer shared in a caption: 'Ive loved you three summers now, honey, and I want em all.' She wore a white off-the-shoulder crop top with white lined slacks and he had on casual clothing as they hugged and kissed after she accepted his proposal. The photo shoot was by Hannah Brooke. Set to wed: Bachelor in Paradise stars Noah Erb and Abigail Heringer are engaged. The reality TV stars shared the happy news on their Instagram accounts on Wednesday. The proposal took place at sunset on Tuesday by the beach in La Jolla, San Diego So much love: The 28-year-old Erb got down on one knee and presented Heringer with a four carat oval-shaped diamond ring from Keyzar Jewelry while on the deck of a home They met on Bachelor in Paradise season seven, which premiered in August 2021. Erb was on season 16 of The Bachelorette, while Heringer was on season 25 of The Bachelor. Noah spoke with People about the proposal. 'It was stunning and exactly what she was hoping for!' he tells PEOPLE. 'Our friends Hannah Sinclair and Emma Burke (photographer and videographer) helped us capture the moment which was so special!' The proposal was actually 'moved a month ahead.' That is because Heringer had decided to schedule their move back to Oklahoma sooner than initially planned. 'I called her parents a couple days before to fill them in on my plans,' Erb shared with the site 'Thomas [Jacobs] helped me with the arrangements and get everything set up. The proposal was perfect and everything I wanted to incorporate to make it special and ours.' Heringer - who is deaf with a cochlear implant - did not suspect anything. Kissy: Heringer shared in a caption: 'Ive loved you three summers now, honey, and I want em all.' She wore a white off-the-shoulder crop top with white lined slacks and he had on casual clothing as they hugged and kissed after she accepted his proposal On screen: They met on Bachelor in Paradise season seven, which premiered in August 2021. Erb was on season 16 of The Bachelorette, while Heringer was on season 25 of The Bachelor Fun in Sin City: Here the lovebirds are seen in March at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas 'She thought I was playing pickleball with Thomas and was inviting her and Becca [Kufrin] to join us for a sunset at his friends house,' he told the site. 'She had no clue the engagement was happening until we walked up the stairs to the rooftop and saw the roses and candles overlooking the ocean.' He added, 'Once she saw the roses while walking up the stairs she got emotional. She was crying right when she saw the roses and both of us were emotional during my speech while watching the sunset.' He then said: 'It could not have worked out better than it did and couldn't be more grateful for Keyzar and my friends that helped put it together.' Erb works as a travel nurse. Heringer is a client financial manager. The world is getting to know Kanye West's new 'wife' Bianca Censori even more. Censori appears to have finally made her Instagram profile public after the social media account seemingly disappeared following news of her 'marriage' to the rapper earlier this year. She hasn't posted anything since September 5, 2022, but the account does give insight into her artistic perspective - and contains plenty of sexy snaps. Censori's last post showed her posing in a sexy chain mail bikini while attending Burning Man in Nevada last year. She looked incredible wearing the metallic number and knee-high boots while posing beside a lunar orb assembled in Black Rock City, the name given to the community constructed by Burning Man attendees. Getting to know you! Kanye West's 'wife' Bianca Censori finally made her Instagram profile public after the social media account seemingly disappeared following news of her 'marriage' with the rapper earlier this year It also contained an aerial view of Black Rock City and a photo of a burning construction. While the sexy post was originally posted on September 5, she has been inundated with comments within the last 19 hours with many fans expressing their approval over the images. Another post garnering a lot of renewed attention was a selfie Censori posted on February 17, 2022. In the sexy image, captioned 'You've got mail', Censori put her stunning complexion on display as she modeled a chainmail coif. The majority of her account contained images showing her artistic point of view and her life before Kanye, with photos of artwork, 3D jewelry she had printed, and a modern concrete structure she dubbed as 'sexy architecture.' Censori's account contains just 26 posts but she now has over 31,000 people following her. Mystery surrounded Censori's Instagram account after her marriage to West first came to light. Her handle, @bianca.censori, appeared on Google but was unable to be retrieved. When clicking through to the account, an alert message appeared, reading: 'Sorry, this page isn't available. The link you've followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.' Cheeky! Censori posed by a lunar orb in sandy Black Rock City Sexy selfie: Bianca captioned this seductive shot 'You've got mail' Interesting perspective: Censori included a 'sexy architecture' hashtag for this photo of a concrete structure Creative: She showed off the 3D jewelry she had printed It's unclear what happened to the account at the time. Bianca, who hails from Australia, joined the Yeezy team in November 2020 and is listed as the Head of Architecture for the brand on her LinkedIn page. The businesswoman was raised in Melbourne and earned a degree in architecture from a university there. During her time as a student, Bianca set up her a business called Nylon's Jewellery. The endeavor began with a friend named Irene as they created chokers and bracelets made from Swarovski crystals for themselves and friends. They later had the realization that there was potential to expand to a store. Love lives: In January Bianca and West tied the knot in an intimate ceremony but it's been speculated that it is not a legal marriage Mystery: When Bianca's 'marriage' with West first came to light, her Instagram account appeared to have been taken down After graduating, Bianca went on to briefly become a design consultant before she began working as a student architect for three years. She then completed a masters in Australia's capital from 2019 to 2020 before moving to Los Angeles to work at Yeezy. Kanye honored his 'wife' with the December 2022 release of the track Censori Overload - a play on Bianca's last name. In the lyrics he revealed that he stayed celibate before tying the knot, singing: 'And The Bible said, I can't have any more sex til marriage.' The song appears to reference his split from Kim, opening with the lines: 'Waking up to 'I can't do this anymore' text', adding 'I know it's 'cause the headlines / Why she wanna leave.' In January the twosome tied the knot in an intimate ceremony but it's been speculated that it is not a legal marriage. Jersey Shore star Angelina Pivarnick called the police on her fiance Vinny Tortorella just months after their engagement aired on television. The 37-year-old reality star contacted law enforcement to come to the home she shares with her fiance, 34, in Freehold, New Jersey after an alleged altercation according to Page Six on Wednesday. The publication obtained a police report that shows Angelina had dialed 911 after a claimed instance of domestic violence. However when police arrived on the scene, the reality star declined to press charges against Tortorella. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made from Page Six said a 'criminal investigatory record' was made in light of the alleged altercation. Jersey Shore star Angelina Pivarnick called the police on her fiance Vinny Tortorella according to Page Six on Wednesday This came just months after after their engagement aired on television Pivarnicks attorney, James Leonard Jr. told the publication: 'I can confirm that Angelina did in fact call the police to her home. After speaking with the officers, Angelina decided not to file charges. 'This matter is now closed. Moving forward, Angelina would ask for privacy as it pertains to her personal life.' Tortorella's attorney Elizabeth Rozin-Golinder also told the publication that nothing has changed regarding the couple's relationship status as they are still engaged. His lawyer Rozin-Golinder said: 'My client and Ms. Pivarnick are still engaged and are still residing together. Mr. Tortorella denies any act of impropriety that would warrant police involvement and denies any act of domestic violence occurred. 'No charges have been pressed against my client by Ms. Pivarnick or law enforcement. I ask that his privacy be respected in this regard.' An insider also told the publication that the pair are currently filming Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. The source told Page Six: 'Angelina and Vinny are still engaged and are still very much in love with one another and they are both actively filming Jersey Shore Season 7 that will air in the fall.' Back in April a Jersey Shore: Family Vacation showed that Angelina was shocked when new boyfriend Vinny proposed to her in front of everyone. The publication obtained a police report that shows Angelina had dialed 911 after a claimed instance of domestic violence However when police arrived on the scene, the reality star declined to press charges against Tortorella The reality star thought her boyfriend was acting strange when he slipped away from the group celebrating Vinny Guadagnino's birthday and ordered champagne for the table. Tortorella came back and went to the head of the table. He thanked everyone for being nice to him on the episode titled Engagement Party. They group had just arrived at a restaurant via a party bus with dancing strippers who gave out multiple lap dances to celebrate Vinny's birthday. 'These strippers are hot,' Vinny, 35, said. 'Now this is a birthday party.' 'Vinny is in his element, grabbing a**, putting his face in between t**ties,' Jenni 'JWoww' Farley, 37, said. 'He's living.' Once everyone was seated at the restaurant, Tortorella went to the head of the table. 'You're friend Angelina, I love her,' he said. 'Since I met her she's been my best friend and more.' He called Angelina up, asked for her hand and said he just wanted to give her something. Not happy: Back in April a Jersey Shore: Family Vacation showed that Angelina was shocked when new boyfriend Vinny proposed to her in front of everyone 'You're shaking,' Angelina said. 'I know I am,' Tortorella said. 'I love you so much. A lot of things in life aren't guaranteed. But something that I learned since I met you is loving you is going to be guaranteed for the rest of my life. And if there is anything beyond life, I want us to love each other through everything, good, bad, little, big. Always have your back. I know you'll have my back.' 'Yo, is he about to do what I think he is going to do,' Guadagnino said in a confessional. 'I want to grow old with you,' Tortorella continued. 'I want to experience everything with you. I wouldn't want to experience it with anyone else. Together, as one. My best friend, I love you so much. I just wanted to give you something.' Surprised reaction: Jenni was shocked when Tortorella proposed at a restaurant in New Orleans during a group dinner Nice speech: The roommates listened as Vinny Tortorella gave a speech about how much he loved Angelina The moment; Vinny 2.0 dropped to a knee and proposed to Angelina Party bus: Birthday boy Vinny Guadagnino was in his element on a party bus with strippers Tender moment: Angelina and Tortorella hugged after she said yes to his proposal He pulled out a ring box and got down on his knee. The group cheered and looked stunned. 'We just met him yesterday,' chimed Pauly 'DJ Pauly D' Del Vecchio, 42. 'I love you Ange and I hope you'll marry me,' Tortorella said. 'A hundred times over yes,' Angelina said. 'She said yes!' Pauly screamed. They all yelled in excitement over the engagement. 'Holy f*** sh**,' JWoww said in a confessional. 'I'm speechless. I had no idea they were this serious. I am shocked. You might not be able to tell, I've got botox, but I am shocked.' Angelina and Tortorella hugged. 'You know she just burned her wedding dress yesterday,' Pauly D. said. 'Now she's going to have to buy another one.' 'This is a mind-blowing development in the squad,' Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino, 40, said. 'Like, yesterday was the divorce party and you go straight to a proposal. This is wild.' And Just Like That star Karen Pittman has revealed why her character Nya Wallace has drastically reduced screentime in the reboot's second season. Pittman, 37, who has portrayed the newly-single law professor navigating her way through the NYC dating scene, has barely been seen in the reboot compared to other new characters such as Che Diaz and Lisa Todd-Wexley. Now Pittman has revealed it came down to a scheduling conflict as she simultaneously filmed The Morning Show's season three where she plays Mia Jordan. One fan tweeted: 'Every once in a while the AJLT writers remember Nya exists' with a second fan writing: 'See, I assumed Karen Pittman was just simultaneously shooting The Morning Show. Pittman responded: 'I in fact was filming The Morning Show simultaneously.' Where are you? And Just Like That star Karen Pittman has revealed why her character Nya Wallace has drastically reduced screentime in the reboot's second season On-screen: Pittman, 37, who has portrayed the newly-single law professor navigating her way through the NYC dating scene, has barely been seen in the reboot compared to other new characters such Lisa Todd-Wexley She added: 'I'm truly booked and busy. Stay tuned tho..' The second season of reboot And Just Like That... is currently airing with Kim Cattrall set to make a shock return as Samantha Jones after years of feuding with SJP. The actress, 66, who played the iconic man-hungry publicist in six seasons of the show and two movies, detailed how a groveling call from network Max (formerly HBO) and her demand to bring back designer Patricia Field sealed the deal for her return. Speaking on The View, the giddy star said: 'It's very interesting to get a call from the head of HBO saying, "What can we do?" and I went "hmmm, let me get creative". 'And one of those things was to get Patricia Field back and I thought if I'm gonna come back, I gotta come back with that kind of Samantha style, I gotta push it, and we did!' Field, who was responsible for the many boundary-breaking outfits on the original show run, was unable to return as costume designer for AJLT due to her commitments on Emily In Paris, with Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago dressing the stars for the reboot. Roles: Now Pittman has revealed it came down to a scheduling conflict as she simultaneously filmed The Morning Show's season three where she plays Mia Jordan She's back! Kim Cattrall will make a shock return as Sex And The City's Samantha Jones for the second season of spin-off And Just Like That According to Variety, Cattrall will return for only one 'cliffhanger' scene, which she shot on March 22 in New York City, without seeing or speaking with stars SJP, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. The scene was also shot without AJLT showrunner Michael Patrick King. In the scene, Samantha, who has moved to London, will have a phone conversation with Parker's Carrie Bradshaw. The New York Post also revealed that Cattrall's cameo was so secretive that her name did not even appear on the call sheet for the day, leaving people stunned at her presence. An insider said show staffers were 'definitely shocked, very intrigued on how theyre gonna write this in - and very excited. She said shed never do it! She said shed never come back!' It was claimed her scene was filmed in a town car in a parking garage near Silvercup Studios in Queens. Sex And The City designer Patricia Field returned to dress Cattrall for the scene. AJLT's second season premiered on June 22 on Max. Samantha did feature in AJLT season one - but only over text message as Carrie repeatedly tried to repair their friendship. AJLT saw Carrie claim Samantha had cut her off and moved to London - due to fury at the writer firing her as a publicist - in a storyline Cattrall slammed for being inauthentic to the character. Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford's luxurious travel show How The Other Half Lives has been shelved by Channel 5. The broadcaster, 63, has revealed that there are no plans to bring back the show after the Covid pandemic made international travel 'impossible.' How The Other Half Lives saw Eamonn and Ruth, 63, explore some of the most expensive methods of travel, and saw them indulge the world's most expensive cocktail use a 100,000 hand-engraved shotgun to shoot pigeons, and even fly in a private jet. Speaking to The Sun, Eamonn explained: 'Sadly, the series fell victim to the pandemic - it was just impossible to get across the world to meet very rich people - and there are no plans to revive the series now. 'But I do feel privileged to have been a part of it and to have met people in parts of the world that are no longer accessible. On hold: Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford's luxurious travel show How The Other Half Lives has been shelved by Channel 5 'We got to spend time with some extraordinary people, including a billionaire and his wife in Ukraine and some of the richest people in Moscow.' Over the course of the series, Eamonn and Ruth travelled to an array of destinations, including Dubai, Monte Carlo, New York, Las Vegas and Lake Como. A Christmas Special saw the pair tasked with spending 1 million on Christmas Eve through some of the big-money antics they'd seen on the show. When Ruth and Eamonn first launched the show back in 2016, she said: 'We always thought we were doing alright then you see this wealth beyond your wildest dreams. 'I set out to do this show thinking I wouldn't like the people very much, thinking theyre going to be arrogant, and they really werent. A lot of them are self-made people.' Eamonn added: 'The fascination is how they made their money, how they spend it, and why when they get the money they don't just stop working.' It comes after Eamonn berated his wife Ruth for disrupting his naps. The presenter expressed his disdain at his partner's habit of interrupting his precious snoozing time as he chatted to co-star Isabel Webster during their GB News show. Axed: The broadcaster has revealed that there are no plans to bring back the show after the Covid pandemic made international travel 'impossible' The duo had been discussing a new sleep study which claims that napping for 40 minutes every day can help with brain growth. And while the hosts discussed the topic, Eamonn couldn't help but bemoan the Loose Women's star's disruptions, fuming: 'Why does it sap her enjoyment of life that I am sleeping?!' Isabel, 40, firstly shared her own napping experience, telling Eamonn: 'At least if I set an alarm for an hour, which is what I tend to do on the days when I am working then I know I haven't overslept. 'I always feel like death after a nap, I feel worse for it but it gets me through the evening.' To which her co-star replied: 'Yeah I know what you mean. My wife is very good, my wife comes to me and says, "Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?" And you wake up out of your skin and my answer is usually... I can't even tell you my answer because we're on the air. 'But I just think why does it sap her enjoyment of life that I am sleeping "again" as she always adds? Not impressed: It comes after Eamonn berated his wife Ruth for disrupting his naps '"Are you sleeping again?" Well, I'm not sleeping you've shouted in my ear am I?' he quipped. With a laughing Isabel then responding: 'Yeah that is cruel to wake someone up from a lovely nap.' However, Eamonn wasn't done there as he later continued to moan about Ruth's habit. He ranted 'We are also going to be talking to a sleep scientist who explains why a quick 40 winks could be very good for you. If you take 40 winks often, regularly your brain doesn't shrink. "Are you sleeping?" Coronation Street serial killer Stephen Reid's next victim has been 'confirmed' as his evil ways continue to rumble on. Murderer Stephen (Todd Boyce) has been causing havoc on the cobbles as he attempts to gain control of Weatherfield's underwear factory Underworld. The Canadian businessman has already killed three people since arriving on the scene. And the pressure was mounting for Stephen during Wednesday's episode, when Lou made an unexpected appearance. She was expressing her devastation over her husband Rufus' death, who Stephen murdered. Coronation Street serial killer Stephen Reid's next victim has been 'confirmed' as his evil ways continue to rumble on Stephen looked on edge while Lou insinuated that someone could have done something to him. Viewers are convinced Lou could be in danger as Stephen may be try to silence her for good. One wrote on Twitter: 'How long before Lou is buried 6 foot under the Bistro then?' Another said: 'Even Lou knows that Rufus' death doesn't adds up which means at this point Stephen must be planning on what part of Underworld to bury her under.' A third added: 'Is Stephen gonna kill the whole of Coronation Street until he gets caught?' He saw off Jenny Connor's (Sally Ann Matthews) fiance Leo Thompkins (Joe Frost) in a flashback episode last year, and both his father Teddy Thompkins (Grant Burgin) and a former client Rufus Donahue (Steve Meo) this year. The ruthless criminal has also been attempting to kill off Underworld boss Carla Connor (Alison King) by continuously drugging her and tried to murder his fiancee Elaine Jones (Paula Wilcox). In addition, he has terrorised some local teenagers who attempted to buy drugs from him. Tense: The pressure was mounting for Stephen during Wednesday's episode, when Lou made an unexpected appearance Viewers are convinced Lou could be in danger as Stephen may be try to silence her for good. One wrote on Twitter: 'How long before Lou is buried 6 foot under the Bistro then?' Now, artificial intelligence has waded in on who Stephen could put an end to next in a dramatic twist. According to the Daily Star , Bard AI states the exact identity of Stephen's next victim is 'unknown' but there are a number of possibilities. Stephen recently took out a life insurance policy on Elaine which means that if she dies, her entire estate would be left to him. He has been taking 380 each month from Underworld's accounts to pay for the life insurance, paying the money to a mystery business named Seagull Ltd. However, Carla told him Owen Longford (Ben Hull) wants to inspect the company accounts, prompting Stephen to become very concerned. Bard AI's software stated: 'Stephen has already tried to kill Elaine once, and he may not give up until she is dead. Elaine is also a wealthy woman, and Stephen is motivated by her money.' And even actor Todd believes his character Stephen could kill off Elaine next, recently telling the Mirror : 'That would be the numbers you would connect...' Ruthless: Stephen has taken out a life insurance policy against his fiancee Elaine Jones (Paula Wilcox) after proposing while high on LSD However, the AI software also suggested Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine) could be in Stephen's sights after growing suspicious of the killer. 'Stephen could kill Tim to silence him and prevent him from exposing him as a killer,' the software said. Despite his drugging of Carla, Stephen did not manage to kill her and Todd has suggested the character will continue to do whatever he needs to takeover Underworld. 'He's got a few people who are getting on his nerves or making him nervous because they could jeopardise his future. He's worked so hard and I think he's come this far,' he said. 'He doesn't want to have done all this in vain. He wants to have a nice life.' Coronation Street continues on Monday on ITV1 and ITVX at 8pm. Ruby Wax has revealed she 'would be dead' if she hadn't left her violent parents in the US and relocated to the UK. The comedian, 70, admitted her father Edward and mother Berta Wachs would 'sling verbal grenades at each other' during her difficult childhood, after her Jewish family fled Austria for the US in 1938 due to the threat of the Nazi regime. Speaking on Kate Garraway's Life Stories, Ruby described her strict childhood as a 'lock-in', and explained she would watch out of her window 'with longing' as other children played in the park. Ruby added that was driven to leave her parents and start a new life in the UK, and settled in Glasgow to study drama. She said: 'They took the war from Europe and brought it to the kitchen. Revelation: Ruby Wax has revealed she 'would be dead' if she hadn't left her violent parents in the US and relocated to the UK Struggles: The comedian, 70, admitted her father Edward and mother Berta Wachs would 'sling verbal grenades at each other' during her difficult childhood 'They slung these verbal grenades at each other and I was in the middle, especially because I was born into the land of the free and the brave and I could have a really great life and they were nipped in the bud at 22, so they wanted to make it hard. 'They were pretty violent with each other (and me), you'd have the sh** knocked out of you.' Ruby added: 'I had ambition and the drive of a Rottweiler to survive. I pushed them (her parents) out of the way and I was very rebellious, I'd creep out of the window when I was 18. 'I remember I hitch-hiked at a private airport to get to San Francisco and then, of course, I'd go back (home) and they'd beat me up, and I'd go out again. 'I did everything to spite them and they were getting angrier and angrier.' She went onto recall on incident when her father 'beat her up' in front of her friends, who desperately tried to protect her. Ruby told Kate that it was her anger that drove her to escape her traumatic upbringing. She said: 'If I hadn't had a whacking great sense of anger I think I would have gone under, but I was addicted to anger for quite a long time, I had to work really hard to get it out of my system. Stricken: Ruby said that was driven to leave her parents and start a new life in the UK, and settled in Glasgow to study drama 'For me, it was survival because it saved me, if I wouldn't of gotten out of there, I would be dead. 'I have a long line of suicide on my dad's side so yeah it would have happened. If I stayed there, I wouldn't have made it. And I got out.' Ruby married her husband, film director Ed Byrne in 1988, and they had three children, Max, 35, Madeline, 33 and Marina, 30. The couple's romance didn't get off to the smoothest start, as Ed revealed Ruby wanted him sacked when they first met. She said: 'I had one more egg left, OK - it was really late in the day and Dawn said ''Well he's available!'' I literally had one egg left and so, uh, he became more and more attractive as time went on." Ruby eventually moved to the UK and settled in Glasgow before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1978. She began working with the BBC in 1991 with her show The Full Wax. In 1994, Ruby Wax Meets Madonna aired on the BBC which was followed by the series Ruby Wax Meets... between 1996 and 1998 which saw her interview the likes of Donand Trump, OJ. Simpson, and Pamela Anderson. In 1997 the programme was nominated for a BAFTA Award for an interview with Sarah, Duchess of York, which attracted over 14 million viewers. From November 2001 to June 2002, Ms Wax presented a TV quiz show on BBC One, The Waiting Game. During her interview, Ruby also lambasted the BBC for axing her interview show when she reached the age of 50. She accused the broadcaster of not allowing women of that age to host chat shows after they ended her popular programmes which saw her interrogate A-list stars in 2003. Hard times: She went onto recall on incident when her father (pictured with her mother) 'beat her up' in front of her friends, who desperately tried to protect her Insight: During her interview on Life Stories, Ruby also reflected on her broadcasting career and battles with depression Louis Theroux's series took its place, prompting Ruby to change the direction of her career and raise the issue of mental health after suffering from a severe episode of depression. She was asked by Kate: 'So why did the television shows dry up?' Ruby replied: 'Because I turned 50 and that's not allowed,' to which the host asked: 'So it was an age thing?' Ruby said: 'Of course, and then there was a man who took my job, it's not Louis Theroux who is a really nice man. 'And whoever I will not mention names said "we want you to do a game show" but I said I could be a really good interviewer and they said "uh uh" so I left town.' For years she blamed Theroux but later learned it was not his fault that she was axed but another television executive. The star then confirmed that she was once again hit with depression before deciding to change her career and later went on to study for a master's degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy from Oxford University. Discussing her mental health battle, she said: 'I did get depression after 12 years of not having it. When you first get it you think ''what is it?'' it comes back and the voices are just unebarable, more than the usual I think I look like c**p and suddenly everrything goes quiet and it's impossible to move.' 'Whoever you were is gone, that's what depression is. It's a blank page, it's not just being sad.' Dan Levy turned 40-years-old on Wednesday. The Schitt's Creek star, celebrated his milestone birthday with friends and family in Italy as good wishes for the big day poured in from around the globe. The star posted a selfie of himself next to a body of water with the beautiful Italian landscape in the background. '40,' followed by red balloon emoji was all he wrote next to the snap, in which he wore a cream toned sweater and his trademark black framed glasses. Modern Family Star Jesse Tyler Ferguson has been celebrating in the Italian countryside with the four-time Emmy winner. Birthday boy: Dan Levy celebrated 'la bella vita' as he turned 40 Wednesday, posting a selfie of himself next to a body of water with the beautiful Italian landscape in the background. '40,' followed by red balloon emoji was all he wrote next to the snap For his online birthday wishes, the Cocaine Bear actor shared a snap of gold balloons spelling out 'Happy Birthday Sexy,' and writing 'Happy birthday Dan. you' above them. Jesse also posted a selfie in front of a pool wearing a white T-shirt with 'Ciao Danny! printed on it. Dan's sister and Schitt's Creek co-star Sarah, 36, shared a photo of her brother enjoying a dip in the pool at their beautiful villa writing, 'Hes 40 and thriving.' 'Grateful to be back in Italy to celebrate such a milestone. Happy 40th @instadanjlevy, Im in awe. ' Pal Emily Hampshire shared a reluctant birthday greeting, joking 'I cant believe Im going to give you a compliment but 40 actually looks really good on you. happy birthday! now delete this.' Amy Sedaris shared a simple message, 'Happy Birthday Leo man,' as did Alison Brie, 'Happy Birthday, Dan!' Schitt's Creek alum Salvatore Antonio shared an international message with his longtime pal writing, 'Happy 40th bambino bello @instadanjlevy Ti amo.' Oscar winner Annie Lennox sent an online musical tribute writing, 'Yay!!!! (musical note emoji) Its yer Birthday!!! Its yer Birthday!!! followed by kiss and musical note emojis. Sexy: Pal Jessee Tyler Ferguson used gold balloon to spell 'Happy Birthday Sexy,' and wrote 'Happy birthday Dan. you' above them in an Instagram Stories snap. Jesse also posted a selfie in front of a pool wearing a white T-shirt with 'Ciao Danny! printed on it In awe: Dan's sister and Schitt's Creek co-star Sarah, 36, shared a photo of her brother enjoying a dip in the pool at their beautiful villa writing, 'Hes 40 and thriving.' 'Grateful to be back in Italy to celebrate such a milestone. Happy 40th @instadanjlevy, Im in awe. ' International birthday boy: Schitt's Creek alum Salvatore Antonio shared an international message with his longtime pal writing, 'Happy 40th bambino bello @instadanjlevy Ti amo' Dan has been completing work on his directorial debut, Good Grief. He co-wrote and acted in the comedy co-starring Luke Evans, Celie Imrie and Ruth Negga. According to Variety, the plot centers on a man who chose to distract himself from the loss of his mom with a comfortable marriage. When his husband dies unexpectedly, the man is confronts his grief by going to Paris with his two closest friends for a weekend of self discovery. The film is set to be released on Netflix, but it's unclear when that will happen due to the ongoing writers and actors strikes. Terry Christian was accused of cheating by viewers while Radio 1 X DJ Remi Burgz filleted a mackerel with her bare hands during Wednesday's chaotic episode of Celebrity MasterChef. Former The Word host, 63, impressed in the first challenge before opting to use pre made ice cream for his final dessert. The pair were joined in the kitchen by Tv legend Dave Benson Phillips, former pop star Max George and comedian Shazia Mirza. As Terry cooked up a storm judge Greg Wallace said: 'He's being really ambitious with his dessert, he's going to give us a mango and passion fruit ice cream,'. 'He's already got ready made ice cream and he's going to whip cream through that and fruit'. Called out: Terry Christian, 63, was accused of cheating by viewers during Wednesday's chaotic episode of Celebrity MasterChef Say what? DJ Remi Burgz meanwhile filleted a mackerel with he bare hands Taking to Twitter one viewer said: 'Ready made ice cream? Well that's just cheating Terry Christian'. While someone else quipped: 'Ready made ice cream is not cooking'. A third added 'READY MADE ICE CREAM! This is a joke!'. Elsewhere in the episode DJ Remi opted to fillet a mackerel by hand after being presented with the fish during the first challenge. A bemused Gregg asked: 'You took the fillets off with your bare hands?'. 'I did' Remi proudly replied saying: 'There's no time'. Gigging the judge said: 'I can't believe it actually worked'. Viewers again took to social media following the incident with one declaring the dish 'road kill mackerel'. Not happy: Former The Word host, 63, impressed in the first challenge before opting to use pre made ice cream for his final dessert Cheating? Judge Gregg Wallace said: 'He's already got ready made ice cream and he's going to whip cream through that and fruit' Speaking out: Taking to Twitter one viewer said: 'Ready made ice cream? Well that's just cheating Terry Christian' Another quipped: 'Call the police.... Mackerel massacre' and someone else teasing: 'Condolences to the mackerel'. Another viewer commented: 'The best way to present the mackerel' next to a picture of a bin. However others were more impressed by her ingenuity writing: 'Excited by how quickly this has become Remi's bareknuckle animal wrestling'. Fingers and thumbs: Elsewhere in the episode DJ Remi opted to fillet a mackerel by hand after being presented with the fish during the first challenge Unbelievable Viewers again took to social media following the incident with one declaring the dish 'road kill mackerel' Suprised: However others were more impressed by her ingenuity With another asking: 'Why is it so unusual to see someone fillet a dish without a knife, what did we do before?'. Luckily both celebs were saved from the boot with Dave Benson Phillips given the axe after failing to impress with his dishes. Leaving with a huge smile on his face he said he would continue watching the show from home 'with a take away' rather than venturing back into the kitchen. Early exit: Luckily both celebs were saved from the boot with Dave Benson Phillips given the axe after failing to impress with his dishes They recently celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary - but Patrick Kielty says it has felt more like 30 years as he and his wife Cat Deeley spend so much more time together than most couples. Comedian Kielty, 52, married Ms Deeley, 46, in 2012 after a whirlwind nine-month romance. They have two children, Milo and James. They lived in Los Angeles for 15 years as Miss Deeley hosted So You Think You Can Dance, but the family has now relocated to London. Kielty, recently announced as the new host of Irish broadcaster RTE's Late Late Show, said: 'We've been married for ten years, but we've probably been married for about 30. 'If you look at a normal couple, they get up in the morning and spend 45 minutes with each other. They get their breakfast and somebody leaves for work, and somebody else goes somewhere else, and you come back and have three or four hours with them that evening. If you're lucky, maybe less than that. Comedian Kielty, 52, married Ms Deeley, 46, in 2012 after a whirlwind nine-month romance. They have two children, Milo and James They lived in Los Angeles for 15 years as Miss Deeley hosted So You Think You Can Dance, but the family has now relocated to London 'You add that up and you see these old people saying, 'Oh we're 50 years married and we're blissfully happy, and it's been an amazing journey.' You go, 'I think you might have spent five years, seven, max'.' Northern Ireland-born Kielty told the Midpoint podcast that it was not his idea to move from America back to the UK, but because of his wife's more successful career, she got to make the decision. The couple first met on the set of Fame Academy in 2002-3 but both had other partners at the time. Kielty would text Miss Deeley on her birthday, and in 2011 after a friendly exchange, he called her and said he would meet her for lunch the following day in Beverly Hills. They married in September 2012 in Rome. MBABANE After five long years of working hard, Bholoja has released his new album titled Imphilo, which he described as a doctors album, meant to make people feel better and lighter. Bholoja, born Mbongiseni Ngubane has released an intriguing African contemporary album, with 11 tracks. Ngubane shared that recording music is very easy for him, but recording an album is not as simple as it looks, because it is guided by vision and achievements. In order for it to open international markets, it requires time, focus and strategy, because you must be sure that whatever product you produce will sell, and each song must relate to the target audience or market, explained the artist. In an exclusive interview with the publication, Bholoja shared that this album is based on what he has been going through as an artist and is generally about the experiences in their everyday lives, the challenges and achievements, and the good and the bad of their lives. I figured that the album has become a lesson to me, in terms of the challenges I have been going through and the way I have overcome them. He mentioned that most of the people currently listening to his album have shared that it is filled with motivational songs and is like penicillin. Bholoja assureed his fans that once they listen to it, they will not remain the same, but it will heal them in one way or another. You must feel different and lighter, said the songwriter. Youth He further shared that the album relates to all age groups, especially young adults. But a good song is a good song, said the artist. Ngubane shared that he will be releasing more music; Sooner or later, you will be hearing my electro-music, which I used to do. I have about 14 tracks, and it is prepared for the youth. He also mentioned that, as a musician, he does not want to restrict himself, thus revealing that he also had a Country and Western music collaboration coming up with Buddy Masango. We call ourselves the prodigal sons, and Country music is my home, and it is where I come from, he said. Meanwhile, the artist shared that he was very blessed to work with World Records, a music stable, because of the kind of distribution network it has. I want people to know about it worldwide; I want it to affect everyone internationally and locally. It will be distributed digitally in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, the USA, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Japan, the UK, China and many more. It is exactly what I have been looking for and what I wanted to qualify for. I am looking forward to having international tours, but I want people to enjoy the music first, shared Bholoja. Europe Bholoja explained the importance of his team and shared that it was about the team that he wanted to work with, such as the people in the industry. It is a blessing to work with people like Wally Badaron, a well-recognised producer based in Europe. It is an honour for people like him to listen to your music and say they want to work with you. He produced a number of well-known African musicians. I collaborated with him on track 10, the song titled Touch from Heaven. This album has been produced by David F; I have been working with him since 2009 under his stable called Future Paradise. It has been their effort to make sure that the album they are producing qualifies as one of the best music stables in Europe, which is one of the world records from Denmark, which houses great artists. It has been a journey that was worth being patient for, because I was feeling the pressure as well, from my fans and supporters. It has been long, and my fans have been asking why you are not releasing, but I am one person who learns how to better myself because when I produce something, it must give me the best results. I am always asking myself what could make me better than the last time this album made the difference, and I am happy that it qualified me for the entire thing I targeted. Thank you for your patience, and I hope this album heals all of you, he said. Reese Witherspoon is continuing to model new bangs after her split from husband Jim Toth. The Oscar-winning actress was rocking the new hairstyle when presenting her fall dresses from her clothing line Draper James on Wednesday. The Big Little Lies star had on a very stylish pink V neck frock - called the Wendy dress - with short sleeves and a belt. The print was red apples over a pink background with small white flowers. The old fashioned style felt like a nod to her Southern roots - Reese was born in Louisiana. The 47-year-old mother of three added in her caption, 'Loving all of these gorgeous new @draperjames styles! Shop the looks now!! This pretty apple print is making these late summer days so sweet.' This comes a week after the movie star finalized her divorce from talent agent Jim Toth. Big bang theory: Reese Witherspoon is continuing to model new bangs after her split from husband Jim Toth. The Oscar-winning actress was rocking the new hairstyle when presenting her fall dresses from her clothing line Draper James on Wednesday Frock it: The Big Little Lies star had on a very stylish pink V neck frock - called the Wendy dress - with short sleeves and a belt It was added in her Draper James Instagram post, 'Our fall preview is here!' Draper James is a clothing line launched by Witherspoon in 2015. It is a nod to Witherspoon's Southern upbringing, the line aims to 'emphasize [Witherspoon's] southern roots and personal style.' The name is in honor of Witherspoon's grandparents, Dorothea Draper and William James Witherspoon. Witherspoon and Toth's divorce was finalized earlier this month. The Legally Blonde star filed for divorce four months ago, and on last week the pair agreed to a marital dissolution, in court documents obtained by TMZ. Both agreed to a custody deal for their 10-year-old son, Tennessee, though no further information is known. The Morning Show star, 47, and the talent agent, 53, allegedly signed a prenup before walking down the aisle in 2011. Last month, Reese admitted she is going through a 'vulnerable time' following the end of her marriage. Cool single girl confidence: The print was red apples over a pink background with small white flowers Hey y'all: The old fashioned style felt like a nod to her Southern roots - Reese was born in Louisiana The Wild actress and her Jim announced via Instagram in March they had 'made the difficult decision to divorce' and the 47-year-old star is pleased she has social media to connect with her fans now about how she is feeling, because she felt she had so much less control when she split from first husband Ryan Phillippe in 2008. Reese - who has Ava, 23, and Deacon, 19, with her Cruel Intentions co-star - told the latest issue of America's Harper's Bazaar magazine: 'It's interesting what happened to me. 'When I was divorced before, the tabloid media got to tell people how I was feeling or how I was processing, and it felt very out of control. Done: The 47-year-old mother of three added in her caption, 'Loving all of these gorgeous new @draperjames styles! Shop the looks now!! This pretty apple print is making these late summer days so sweet.' This comes a week after the movie star finalized her divorce from talent agent Jim Toth.; seen in 2020 'To be able to talk to people directly about what's going on in my life and just share it in the way that I share great professional experiences or personal experiences, it feels much more authentic to be able to say things in my own voice and not let somebody else control what's happening. 'Then, of course, there's speculation, but I can't control that. 'All I can do is be my most honest, forthright self and be vulnerable. 'It's a vulnerable time for me. 'I think about how many other people are going through this experience. I don't feel isolated at all. I feel very connected.' READ MORE: NBC and Bravo reality show stars accuse network of 'grotesque and depraved mistreatment' Two Below Deck Down Under stars were fired from the series after a sexual misconduct scandal and now one of the castmates of a sister series has blasted them for being 'vile human beings.' Max Hagley - who stars on Below Deck Mediterranean - slammed Luke Jones and Laura Bileskalne who were sacked from the Bravo series for their actions in an episode which aired this week. The 33-year-old television personality told DailyMail.com exclusively: 'Its horrendous behavior. Absolutely vile human beings. 'Thank god that theres cameras and the producers stepped in imagine if this was just a normal boat and everyone had gone to bed. Yes the show wants people to hook up it makes great TV but not try and sexual assault one another. Where did they find these people I mean its just desperate!!' Captain Jason Chambers swiftly fired the two crewmembers after the incidents of sexual misconduct and has been universally praised for his actions including by Max. 'Vile human beings': Max Hagley - who stars on Below Deck Mediterranean - slammed two Two Below Deck Down Under castmates who were fired from the series after a sexual misconduct scandal A sexual misconduct scandal erupted on Bravo's Below Deck Down Under this week, after bosun Luke Jones (pictured) got into bed with 'unconscious' co-star Margot Sisson Max said: 'I think Jason done fantastically well by dismissing both crew members and I believe that all captains would have done the same in the industry and I just hope that these two people have learnt from their actions and realized the potential damage they have caused and could have potentially caused.' On the show's latest episode, bosun Luke was terminated after climbing into the bed of Margot Sisson, who was fast asleep in her underwear, 'without consent.' Second stew Laura Bileskalne's reaction to the incident also led to her getting let go by Captain Jason Chambers after she insisted that Luke wasn't to blame. She was ultimately fired for showing 'little respect and empathy' toward Margot. Luke's inappropriate behaviour came after the crew went out in Cairns, Australia. At dinner, Margot stated that she was 'really drunk' and chief stew Aesha Scott even told deckhand Culver Bradbury that she was going to keep an eye out for her. 'I just want to chaperone her a bit,' Aesha explained. Despite Margot's intoxicated state, Luke repeatedly attempted to flirt with her and asked her to 'cuddle' with him as they sat in the back of a car together. Producers were forced to intervene after catching Luke in bed with Margot, who was passed out asleep after a night of heavy drinking Luke and stewardess Margot are both pictured in their official cast photos for the hit yachting series 'No, let's go,' she responded, before making it clear that she just wanted 'to go to bed' by herself. As Aesha took her back to her cabin, she assured Margot that she wouldn't let 'any drunkenness' lead her to get 'taken advantage of.' 'I'd just like to see you get into bed safely. I'll get you water,' she told Margot. Later, Luke proceeded to enter Margot's room in just his boxers as he asked her to join in the hot tub. 'I just saw the way that Luke was looking at you, and I'm feeling very protective,' Aesha told Margot. Margot replied: 'I am glad that you're here. I don't want to go in the jacuzzi, I want to go bed. All I want is water and bed, no Luke.' Upon returning from the jacuzzi, Luke made a beeline for Margot's cabin, where she was alone and sleeping. After he got into her bed, producers stepped in and told Luke to leave her alone. Luke, who was naked under a towel, made a beeline for Margot's bunk Producers burst into the cabin as soon as Luke crawled into Margot's bunk bed, where she was asleep The producer begs Luke to get down and tries to remove him from the bed 'Can you f**k off for a second?' he told the cameramen. 'We can't do that, she said no, she said no,' the producers told him. Once Aesha returned to the cabin, she tells her friend that Luke had been in her cabin and ran out 'naked.' 'Oh my God. Ew, he was naked?' Margot responded, to which Aesha asked: 'Did you consent to him being in here?' Once producers turned the lights on, a furious Luke, who was completely naked, screamed at the producers to 'f**k off' He then slammed the door, leaving himself and Margot alone in the cabin A producer immediately demanded Luke open the door, shouting 'Open it! Open it!' 'No, I was asleep,' said Margot. 'I did not invite that at all.' Aesha then informed Captain Jason, who wanted to know if Sisson was 'safe.' 'So she's safe? She's safe yeah?' said Captain Jason. 'She's safe,' said Aesha. Aesha, in tears, claimed that Luke had tried to 'take advantage of Margot's drunkenness' while she was 'completely unconscious' in bed. Captain Jason then went into Luke's room and ordered him to stay in a hotel for the night. Chief Stewardess Aesha Scott rushed to the scene as a naked Luke left the room Aesha checked on Margot, who was shocked to discover that Luke had been in her bed naked Luke later locked himself inside of his own cabin and insisted that he'd done nothing wrong The next morning, Jason gathered the rest of the crew members and informed them that Luke was being terminated. He also gave the crew a talk about the importance of consent and boundaries and stressed the rules they had to follow on board. Jason then fired Luke, who simply responded, 'I accept that.' On his way out, he told Captain Jason that he 'was sorry' and was 'so disappointed' in himself for the way he'd acted. Stewardess Laura spent the rest of the day sympathising with Luke, stating that he should've just been given a 'warning' and not fired. An emotional Aesha informed Captain Jason of the incident and claimed that Luke had tried to 'take advantage of Margot's drunkenness' Captain Jason fired Luke the next day. On his way out, Luke told Jason that he 'was sorry' and was 'so disappointed' in himself for the way he'd acted She even told Margot that the firing 'wasn't fair' and that he was simply 'joking' and 'drunk', before implying that Margot may be at fault for the incident. As a result, Captain Jason ended up firing Laura as well, blasting her for not respecting boundaries. Meanwhile Aesha has broken her silence on the 'horrifying' incident as the chief steward, 31, took to social media after the episode aired. Scott said the drunken behavior she witnessed went against the values of the show. 'I wanted to take the opportunity to remind everyone of the main message that was shown on the episode, which is that women, and actually everyone, have the right to go out and have fun and feel safe and that is just the f***ing end of it,' she began. 'There's no questions or if's or but's, that is the end of it. So please keep an eye on your friends and each other.' Meanwhile Aesha has broken her silence on the 'horrifying' incident as the chief steward, 31, took to social media after the episode aired. Pictured 'We don't actually know what would have happened, but being in her bed naked and she's got no idea - it actually makes my skin crawl. You have no right to put someone unconscious into that position,' she added. Scott's fans quickly took to Twitter to praise her for stepping up and taking control of the situation during the episode. The incident has been aired just days after multiple former and current Bravo reality stars - led by Real Housewives of New York's Bethenny Frankel - accused the network of 'grotesque and depraved mistreatment'. In a legal letter sent to Bravo's parent company NBC Universal, lawyers alleged that the network 'covered up sexual violence, condoned revenge porn, exploited minors and denied mental health treatment' to its stars. The explosive document accused Bravo of 'mentally, physically, and financially victimizing' reality stars - claiming that they were 'threatened with ruin should they decide to speak out about their mistreatment'. 'The day of reckoning has arrived,' the letter began, as it accused network chiefs of deliberately damaging the mental health of cast members by plying them with alcohol and depriving them of food and sleep. Second stew Laura Bileskalne's reaction to the incident also led to her getting let go by Captain Jason after she insisted to Margot that Luke wasn't to blame When stars complained, they were allegedly denied mental health treatment despite showing signs they were struggling, the letter said. Showrunners were also accused of distributing, or condoning, 'the distribution of non-consensual pornography' - or so-called 'revenge porn' - and covering up 'sexual violence'. The letter, written by attorneys for the stars, said the disturbing behavior had been witnessed 'on innumerable occasions.' Sources told DailyMail.com there have been over 100 emails from talent, producers and various show runners about the issues detailed in the letter. In a statement, NBC said that it was 'committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for cast and crew on our reality shows'. 'At the outset, we require our third-party production partners to have appropriate workplace policies and training in place,' a spokesperson for NBCUniversal said in a statement to Dailymail.com. She tied the knot with liquor heir Theo Chambers at the end of June. And bikini model Natasha Oakley had that newlywed glow as she stepped out with her business partner Devon Windsor in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The blonde beauty appeared to have just come from a workout, showing off her fit figure in very tight activewear, including a cleavage-baring brown crop top, black leggings and a black shrug. Natasha, who is said to be worth around $68million, shielded her eyes with a pair of designer sunglasses and accessorised with a Chanel handbag and her diamond engagement and wedding ring from her new husband. Meanwhile, Devon put on a very busty display in a low-cut playsuit and wore the same shrug as Natasha. Bikini model Natasha Oakley had that newlywed glow as she stepped out in Los Angeles on Wednesday after tying the knot with Theo Chambers The influencers were seen enjoying time together at popular Mauro's Cafe inside Fred Segal in West Hollywood. Several years ago Natasha and Devon founded online swimwear portal A Bikini A Day, which gives women from around the world a place to feed their passion for swimwear. Aside from Bikini A Day, the pair have also launched two clothing lines - Monday Active and Monday Swimwear. Natasha married liquor heir Theo Chambers in a stunning Italian wedding on June 30. The swimwear model and designer recently shared some intimate details about their big day. The Aussie beauty was joined by her American business partner, Devon Windsor Speaking to Vogue Magazine, the Monday Swimwear co-founder said she made sure she included a subtle nod to Australia at their reception by using Eucalyptus leaves in the floral displays. Natasha also spoke about her stunning wedding gown, designed by Steven Khalil, and her racy reception look. She incorporated the ocean into the design of the dress, which perfectly complimented the location of the island of Capri. The blonde beauty showed off her fit figure in very tight activewear, including a cleavage-baring brown crop top, black leggings and a black shrug Natasha tied the knot with liquor heir Theo Chambers at the end of June 'We chose hand embroidery that would glisten in the sun with the shapes of coral and lines reminiscent of the sea, covered by a traditional lace and paired with a long lace veil,' she said of her bespoke gown. Natasha paired her dress with crystal-embellished heels by Jimmy Choo and wore matching shoes to her bridesmaids. She finished her bridal look with diamonds from Bulgari, which she hopes to 'pass down as family heirlooms one day'. Tash also spoke to Vogue Australia about her stunning wedding gown and her racy reception look, with her wedding dress (pictured) being designed by Steven Khalil. She incorporated the ocean into the design of the dress, which perfectly complimented the location being on the island of Capri Natasha said her mother cried when she saw her in her wedding dress for the first time. 'My mum is such a strong woman, it's rare that I see her cry so seeing her have so much emotion as she walked in really set the tone for a day of love and emotion all around,' she explained. For the reception, she changed into a slinky Michael Lo Sordo white gown which featured a backless and plunging design. 'I have worn Micheal Lo Sordo's design many times and always felt like the sexiest most feminine version of myself so I knew he had to be the one to design my second look,' she said. Natasha also stunned in a cut-out lace dress by J'Aton for their welcome drinks the night before the big day, and describes the frock as an 'outfit to remember' Natasha also stunned in a cut-out lace dress by J'Aton for their welcome drinks the night before the big day, and describes the frock as an 'outfit to remember'. After the wedding, the pair hosted a wedding recovery day at La Fontelina beach club surrounded by their friends and family. Theo proposed to Natasha in July last year during a luxury holiday in Capri. After the wedding, the pair hosted a wedding recovery day at La Fontelina beach club surrounded by their friends and family The pair have had an on/off relationship, and confirmed they were back together in March 2020 after splitting in November 2019. 'I'm happy to share a lot, but my relationship is something I like to keep private,' Natasha told Stellar magazine in April 2020. 'As my career progresses and as I get older, privacy becomes more important,' she added. At the time of their brief split she told The Daily Telegraph: 'We broke up, [but] we're still really good friends. 'I do travel a lot and have a very different lifestyle. We had an amazing relationship but these things happen in life.' The pair started dating in late 2018 and confirmed their romance on New Year's Eve that year. She was previously in a relationship with French model Gilles Souteyrand, but the couple called time on their relationship in July 2018 after three years together. Before that Natasha dated beau French Big Brother star, Martin Medus. Lennon Gallagher was joined by his stunning girlfriend Isobel Richmond at his famous father Liam's gig at Koko Camden on Wednesday. The brunette model, 21, put on a very leggy display as she made a stylish arrival in a tiny black mini dress. Isobel's one-shoulder frock hugged her incredible figure and she completed the look with a pair of knee high boots. Meanwhile Lennon, 23, whose mother is Patsy Kensit, was every inch the rocker in all black and oversized leather biker jacket. Isobel is in her final year studying Fashion Communication and Business at the University of Brighton while modelling for the likes of Vogue Czechoslovakia and Gucci. Cute couple: Lennon Gallagher, 23, was joined by his stunning girlfriend Isobel Richmond, 22, at his famous father Liam's gig at Koko Camden on Wednesday Legs 11: The brunette fashion student put on a very leggy display as she made a stylish arrival in a tiny black mini dress Former Oasis frontman Liam, 50, performed at the inmate venue to celebrate the launch of his new live album KNEBWORTH 22. It is the recording of his 2022 open air Knebworth concert that was attended by over 170,00 fans. The couple made their last public appearance in June as they attended the star-studded Serpentine Summer Party in London. Lennon stuck to his penchant for an all-black look, while his Isobel looked incredible in a racy lace slip dress. The white number flashed a glimpse of her incredible figure while she accessossied with lace-up boots and a silver bag. Lennon has also dabbled in modelling as well as following in his father's footsteps by making music with his band Automotion. Last year, Lennon told MailOnline he finds the fact he's 'traced everywhere online' to be 'paranoia-inducing'. He touched upon his dislike of the 'super tech-orientated age' we live in, noting: 'There's no real privacy. It's kind of paranoia-inducing.' Stunner: Isobel's one-shoulder frock hugged her incredible figure and she completed the look with a pair of knee high boots Cool dude: Meanwhile Lennon, whose mother is Patsy Kensit, was every inch the rocker in all black and oversized leather biker jacket Speaking about his band Atomation, Lennon revealed he and his fellow bandmates have 'talked about growing up in today's tech-heavy world' which brought him to the realisation that: 'I just don't feel the need to show everyone what I'm doing all the time.' Lennon pointed to the fact that despite boasting 139,000 Instagram followers, he has 'zero posts'. The rising star explained: 'Everyone is always posting on it. You're always seeing what your friends are doing, where they are going and who they're with.' He added: 'I don't like that. If you go on my Instagram account I have zero posts.' Lennon - who has graced Italian Vogue and appeared at London Fashion Week - also spoke candidly about the world of modelling and admitted it can be 'difficult at times'. Party people: The couple made their last public appearance in June as they attended the star-studded Serpentine Summer Party in London (pictured) Spitting image: Lennon's dad Liam and his mum Patsy pictured in 1996 Lennon was first scouted at the age of 16 while walking down Brick Lane. He explained: 'I was walking in Brick Lane, and I was like, 16. I just got an army jacket and I was walking away from the store, this woman pulled me over and was like, ''You should be a model, take this card. We have a shoot in Africa, you should do it''.' Noting the situation seemed 'sketchy', Lennon went on: 'I didn't do the shoot because it seemed really sketchy, so I told my mum and she was like, ''If you want to get into it, I know some people''.' The news of Lil Tay's 'sudden and tragic' passing was announced via Instagram The death of 14-year-old influencer and rapper Lil Tay - whose real name was Claire Hope - has become shrouded in mystery after her former manager shed serious doubt on a family 'statement' confirming the passing the teen and her 21-year-old brother Jason Tian. The news of her 'sudden and tragic' passing was announced by an unnamed family member in a post on the teen's Instagram account today - although the person or persons who shared it did not reveal their identity. But now the controversial social media star's former manager Harry Tsang has called into question the 'legitimacy' of the post - which did not reveal a cause of death - as cops in both Vancouver, Lil Tay's place of birth, and Los Angeles, where she had been living with her mother, told DailyMail.com they had no record of her or Jason's deaths. Lil Tay became embroiled in furious controversy in 2018 amid allegations that she was being physically and mentally abused by her father as well as being exploited by her brother - with her mother also losing her job as a real estate agent over the youngster's content. Mystery continues to surround the reported death of 14-year-old online influencer and rapper Lil Tay - whose real name was Claire Hope The news of her 'sudden and tragic' passing was announced by an unnamed family member in a post shared on the teen's Instagram account today The statement also revealed that Lil Tay's 21-year-old brother, Jason Tian (pictured center), had also died Lil Tay's father, Christopher Hope, (pictured together previously) declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com She had previously posted videos using language like n****, p****, and c*** to spark interest in her content and had later appeared on Good Morning America with mother Angela Tian to defend her image The statement shared earlier today - which did not reveal the cause of death - began: 'It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire's sudden and tragic passing. 'We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain. 'This outcome was entirely unexpected, and has left us all in shock. Her brother's passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief.' The statement went on to reveal that both Tay and her brother Jason's deaths are 'still under investigation.' 'During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding Claire and her brother's passing are still under investigation,' it continued. 'Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her.' Speculation has begun circulating on social media about the cause of deaths with one user, Jesse Ryan, claiming to have witnessed the incident. He wrote: 'As someone who was at the scene I can confirm that both were together when passing. Due to car collision. The brother was driving. 'Local officials are speculating "texting and driving" being the cause. The other vehicle occupants were okay with minor injuries.' Her controversial videos showed her cussing, insulting passersby, flashing stacks of cash and even starting fights In May 2018, it was claimed that the young girl was actually being exploited by older brother Jason after a series of videos came out that showed him coaching her Some followers have even gone as far as to suggest that the post was a hoax - while Lil Tay's former manager Harry Tsang added further confusion when he released a cryptic statement about the news, refusing to 'confirm' that the rapper had in fact died. In an email to DailyMail.com, Tsang said that he had 'been in communication with individuals who have an intimate understanding of the family's situation' but that he was still unable to 'definitively confirm or dismiss' the news that Lil Tay and her brother had passed. 'Given the complexities of the current circumstances, I am at a point where I cannot definitively confirm or dismiss the legitimacy of the statement issued by the family,' he said. 'This situation calls for cautious consideration and respect for the sensitivities involved.' Meanwhile local authorities in Vancouver, where Lil Tay's father lives, and Los Angeles, where she had been living with her mother, had no record of any investigation into the deaths of Claire or her brother Jason when contacted by DailyMail.com. Lil Tay's lawyer father, Christopher Hope, declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com. Her brother Jason had previously set up a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise $19,000 for Lil Tay after both levelled allegations of physical and mental abuse against Hope and his wife, Hanee Lil Tay became embroiled in furious controversy amid allegations that she was being physically and mentally abused by her father Jason claimed that Hope had been abusing Lil Tay (pictured) as well as claiming her father had 'stolen millions of dollars' from the rising star Multiple clips shared online showed the young girl being coached by her brother from behind the camera He and the social media star seemingly had a strained relationship - with Lil Tay herself claiming she 'did not have' a father figure in a tribute to rapper XXXTentacion following his death in 2018. Her brother Jason had previously set up a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise $19,000 for Lil Tay after levelling allegations of physical and mental abuse against Hope and his wife, Hanee. Attempting to explain Lil Tay's absence online, Jason, who is not Hope's son, wrote: 'My sister Tay has been silent on social media for the past three years because her absentee father (Chris Hope) served my mother a court order demanding control over Tay's money, career, and custody, and as a result it was court ordered that my sister had to return to Vancouver, Canada. 'He also requested through a court order to prevent her from speaking out about the truth.' Jason then claimed that Hope had 'stolen millions of dollars' from the rising star for his own benefit. Following the allegations, Harry Tsang, a spokesperson for Hope, told The Daily Beast in 2018 that the father did not want any money from his daughter - despite trademarking 'Lil Tay,' arguing 'it was obvious that her mom hadn't taken any steps to do things in a business-like manner.' 'There are only three things he wants to see,' Tsang said. 'First, no more crazy videos of cursing from Tay. 'Second, 25 per cent of the gross earnings going to a trust fund dedicated to Tay. The third thing is, there has to be structure in her operation, in her public image.' Lil Tay's brother claimed that Hope had 'stolen millions of dollars' from the rising star for his own benefit Lil Tay had previously sparked serious concern among her fanbase after she deleted all of her social media posts At the time, the rising star also wrote the words 'help me' on her Instagram Story amid claims she was actually being exploited by older brother Jason In an interview with the publication about her online presence, Lil Tay said: 'Right now I'm in a bad situation and I don't want to talk about these things.' When prompted for further clarification, she simply responded, 'with Chris Hope,' before adding: 'It's obvious he just came back because he wants money.' It had also previously been revealed that Lil Tay's mother, Angela Tian, had worked as a real estate agent in Vancouver, Canada, but lost her job after letting her daughter 'flex' in the employee cars as well as the homes she was supposed to be showing to other clients. Lil Tay had previously sparked serious concern among her fanbase after she deleted all of her social media posts and wrote the words 'help me' on her Instagram Story. She has been noticeably absent from social media in the recent years with her last post on the platform being in honor of rapper XXXTentacion, real name Jahseh Onfroy, who was shot dead aged 20 in 2018. It read: 'X you truly changed me. You were there for me when everyone wanted me to fail, you were there to give me advice, you were there. 'As a father figure, when I don't have one, you were here, FaceTiming me and calling me for hours when I'm down... 'I can't believe this, the evil in the world, This isn't good Bye. I love you Bro.' In May 2018, it was claimed that the young girl was actually being exploited by older brother Jason after a series of videos came out that showed him coaching her on what to say in her controversial posts and clips - with one capturing him giving her an instruction to 'be more ignorant.' Lil Tay, who was originally from Canada but moved to Los Angeles, garnered viral fame on YouTube and social media after she began posting videos in 2017 aged just nine Lil Tay quickly racked up more than 3.3 million followers on Instagram alone and had been pegged as one of the internet's biggest rising stars She had previously posted videos of her using language like n****, p****, and c*** to spark interest in her content After the videos emerged online, Lil Tay's Instagram and YouTube accounts were quickly scrubbed - prompting speculation that the pressures of the spotlight had become too much for her and her family to handle. A spokesperson for the family told Buzzfeed News at the time that Lil Tay's brother was 'rebranding' her and urged fans to stay tuned for future updates on the young star. Lil Tay, who was originally from Canada but moved to Los Angeles as a young child, garnered viral fame after she began posting videos in 2017 aged just nine. Her controversial clips showed her cussing, insulting passersby, flashing stacks of cash and even starting fights as she claimed to be the 'youngest flexer in the century' and 'above the haters.' She had previously posted videos using language like n****, p****, and c*** to spark interest in her content and had later appeared on Good Morning America with her mother to defend her image. But, despite the critics, Lil Tay quickly racked up more than 3.3 million followers on Instagram alone and had been pegged as one of the internet's biggest rising stars. Read more: The meteoric rise and dramatic fall of WeWork founder Adam Neumann In the last year, the stock has fallen by over 90 percent, and had a net loss in the first half of this year of $700 million The company suffered from a failed attempt to go public in 2019, and a decrease in demand during the pandemic WeWork has warned of a potential bankruptcy, telling regulators that there is 'substantial doubt' about its ability to stay in business over the next year. The workspace-sharing company, which was once valued at $47 billion, said its ability to stay afloat will depend on improving its liquidity and profitability over the next 12 months. WeWork's stock has been trading below $1 since mid-March - and tumbled to 13 cents in trading on August 9. In the last year, the stock has fallen by over 90 percent, and had a net loss in the first half of this year of $700 million - after losing $2.3 billion in 2022. The company has $2.91 billion in long-term debt, according to CNBC. The firm, which is backed by Japanese tech giant SoftBank, said the plan for the next year involves raising additional capital by issuing bonds or stocks. WeWork's stock has been trading below $1 since mid-March - and tumbled to 13 cents in trading on August 9 In the last year, the company's stock has fallen by more than 90 percent When did WeWork's problems begin? Problems first started for the New York-based company, which was founded in 2010, when it sought to go public in 2019. In August of that year, the firm, which rents out co-working spaces to freelancers, start-ups and established companies, published its full financials - revealing a $900 million loss in six months. The IPO failed after investors raised concerns over its business model and governance under founder and then-CEO Adam Neumann - and the company suffered a spectacular collapse, seeing its valuation plummet to less than $10 billion. Neumann fell from grace and was eventually ousted amid claims of a toxic environment at WeWork. Despite the company's utopian image, employees later characterized it as having a 'cult-like' environment, and called Neumann the 'partyer in chief' while describing his 'tequila-fueled leadership style,' which included smoking marijuana on private jets. In one alleged incident of excess, Neumann threw a three day party for 8,000 employees to celebrate the company's $37billion valuation. In his book Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Fall of WeWork, Reeves Wiedeman wrote that Neumann demanded that cases of Don Julio 1942 tequila were at every office and would 'lose his s***' if they were not there. Despite poor wages at WeWork angering staff, Neumann bragged about how little he paid his staff and insisted there they were supposed to use a 'sense of purpose' and free beer to pay their bills, the book said. In 2020, it was reported that the company paid off a female whistleblower with more that $2million in cash to stay quiet after she threatened to expose an alleged culture of drug-taking, sleeping with colleagues and discrimination at the company, and claimed that she was a victim of a sex assault. The company eventually went public in October 2021, through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, but the turbulence continued. WeWork was badly stung by the Covid-19 pandemic, as social distancing caused people to increasingly work from home, and it has still not reported a profit since restrictions were eased. Founder Adam Neumann was forced to step down as CEO following a failed IPO in 2019 The New York-based workspace-sharing firm rents out co-working spaces to freelancers, start-ups and established companies What has happened to WeWork in 2023? The company told regulators on August 8 that macroeconomic conditions have further weakened demand for its shared office spaces, and it has suffered from high member turnover rates. WeWork's interim CEO, David Tolley, took over in May 2023 WeWork has 512,000 members at its workspaces across 33 countries - and there are currently 32 co-working locations across the US, according to the company's website. But office vacancies in the United States have exceeded 20 percent early this year, according to real estate services company JLL. Columbia University researchers also found a 45 percent drop in office values in 2020, with little recovery projected in the years to come. In May, CEO Sandeep Mathrani stepped down and board member David Tolley took over as interim CEO. Three board members resigned in the first week of August because of 'a material disagreement regarding Board governance and the Company's strategic and tactical direction.' The company said it is still searching for a permanent CEO. How might WeWork avoid going bankrupt? The company struck deals in March to cut its debt by about $1.5 billion and extend the date of some maturities to preserve cash. Tolley acknowledged some brighter spots in the business on August 9, pointing to a growth in revenue, but he also listed the headwinds faced by the company - including a surfeit of office space and increased competition from other co-working firms. In order to remain viable, WeWork said it would need to reduce the cost of its leases and seek 'additional capital via issuance of debt or equity securities or asset sales.' StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Argo Group International (NYSE:ARGO Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Saturday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the stock. Separately, TheStreet raised Argo Group International from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a report on Friday, May 26th. Get Argo Group International alerts: Get Our Latest Report on ARGO Argo Group International Price Performance ARGO opened at $29.69 on Friday. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $29.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.51. Argo Group International has a 12-month low of $19.00 and a 12-month high of $30.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.75 and a beta of 1.00. Argo Group International (NYSE:ARGO Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 8th. The company reported ($0.31) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.80 by ($1.11). Argo Group International had a negative net margin of 12.43% and a negative return on equity of 4.57%. The company had revenue of $419.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $461.90 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Argo Group International will post 1 earnings per share for the current year. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Argo Group International Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Argo Group International by 334.7% in the 1st quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 926 shares of the companys stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 713 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Argo Group International by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,680 shares of the companys stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Argo Group International by 148.0% in the 1st quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,793 shares of the companys stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc bought a new stake in Argo Group International in the 3rd quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in Argo Group International by 34.5% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 3,976 shares of the companys stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,019 shares during the period. Argo Group International Company Profile (Get Free Report) Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. underwrites specialty insurance and reinsurance products in the property and casualty markets. The company operates in two segments, U.S. Operations and International Operations. It offers primary and excess specialty casualty, general liability, commercial multi-peril, and workers compensation, as well as product, environmental, and auto liability insurance products; management liability, transaction liability, and errors and omissions liability insurance; primary and excess property, inland marine, and auto physical damage insurance; and surety, animal mortality, and ocean marine insurance products. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Argo Group International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Argo Group International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC reduced its position in Carrier Global Co. (NYSE:CARR Free Report) by 3.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 209,901 shares of the companys stock after selling 6,800 shares during the quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLCs holdings in Carrier Global were worth $9,602,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Carrier Global by 20.0% during the 1st quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,883 shares of the companys stock valued at $497,000 after acquiring an additional 1,816 shares during the period. Twin Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Carrier Global during the 1st quarter valued at $457,000. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lifted its position in shares of Carrier Global by 30.3% during the 1st quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 135,267 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,188,000 after acquiring an additional 31,443 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in shares of Carrier Global by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 16,898 shares of the companys stock valued at $773,000 after acquiring an additional 3,182 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of Carrier Global by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 798,046 shares of the companys stock valued at $36,511,000 after acquiring an additional 30,571 shares during the period. 86.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Carrier Global alerts: Carrier Global Stock Performance CARR traded down $0.57 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $57.53. 2,455,040 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,242,436. The firm has a market cap of $48.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.41. The stocks fifty day moving average is $50.47 and its 200 day moving average is $46.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Carrier Global Co. has a one year low of $33.10 and a one year high of $60.04. Carrier Global Dividend Announcement Carrier Global ( NYSE:CARR Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $6 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.83 billion. Carrier Global had a net margin of 9.87% and a return on equity of 25.42%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Carrier Global Co. will post 2.63 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 10th. Investors of record on Friday, June 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.185 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.29%. Carrier Globals payout ratio is currently 29.37%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms recently issued reports on CARR. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Carrier Global from $51.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Friday, July 14th. 888 restated a maintains rating on shares of Carrier Global in a report on Friday, April 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Carrier Global from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Carrier Global from $45.00 to $52.00 in a report on Monday, July 10th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Carrier Global from $54.00 to $63.00 in a report on Friday, July 28th. Four 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $54.65. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Carrier Global Insider Activity at Carrier Global In related news, insider Jurgen Timperman sold 164,450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.25, for a total transaction of $9,743,662.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Carrier Global news, insider Jurgen Timperman sold 164,450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.25, for a total transaction of $9,743,662.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Kyle Crockett sold 6,817 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.22, for a total transaction of $403,702.74. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 42 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,487.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 310,223 shares of company stock worth $16,401,775. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Carrier Global Company Profile (Free Report) Carrier Global Corporation provides heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security, and building automation technologies worldwide. It operates through three segments: HVAC, Refrigeration, and Fire & Security. The HVAC segment provides products, controls, services, and solutions to meet the heating, cooling, and ventilation needs of residential and commercial customers. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Carrier Global Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Carrier Global and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Evoke Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Visa Inc. (NYSE:V Free Report) by 7.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 318,293 shares of the credit-card processors stock after buying an additional 22,191 shares during the quarter. Evoke Wealth LLCs holdings in Visa were worth $4,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in V. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Visa by 116,608.6% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 24,504,130 shares of the credit-card processors stock valued at $5,090,978,000 after buying an additional 24,483,134 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Visa in the 4th quarter worth about $3,067,232,000. Morgan Stanley raised its position in Visa by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 51,122,866 shares of the credit-card processors stock worth $10,621,287,000 after purchasing an additional 5,864,340 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Visa by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 51,100,136 shares of the credit-card processors stock worth $10,616,564,000 after purchasing an additional 2,216,275 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new stake in Visa in the 4th quarter worth about $458,707,000. 84.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Visa alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Visa In other Visa news, insider Rajat Taneja sold 2,300 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $552,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 232,112 shares of the companys stock, valued at $55,706,880. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Rajat Taneja sold 2,300 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $552,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 232,112 shares of the companys stock, valued at $55,706,880. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryan Mcinerney sold 425 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $102,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 57,600 shares of company stock worth $13,828,767 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the companys stock. Visa Stock Down 0.9 % V traded down $2.18 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $239.33. The stock had a trading volume of 5,080,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,251,485. The company has a market capitalization of $445.59 billion, a PE ratio of 30.37, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.97. Visa Inc. has a twelve month low of $174.60 and a twelve month high of $245.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.49. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $233.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.86. Visa (NYSE:V Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The credit-card processor reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $8.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Visa had a net margin of 51.94% and a return on equity of 49.42%. Visas revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.98 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Visa Inc. will post 8.66 earnings per share for the current year. Visa Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 11th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 10th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. Visas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.84%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Credit Suisse Group increased their price objective on shares of Visa from $265.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Visa from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Visa from $270.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Visa from $265.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an outperform rating and issued a $248.00 target price on shares of Visa in a research note on Monday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $270.32. View Our Latest Stock Report on Visa Visa Company Profile (Free Report) Visa Inc operates as a payments technology company worldwide. The company operates VisaNet, a transaction processing network that enables authorization, clearing, and settlement of payment transactions. It also offers credit, debit, and prepaid card products; tap to pay, tokenization, click to pay; Visa Direct, a real-time payments network; Visa B2B Connect, a multilateral B2B cross-border payments network; Visa Treasury as a Service, a cross-border consumer payments business; and Visa DPS that provides a range of value added services, including fraud mitigation, dispute management, data analytics, campaign management, a suite of digital solutions, and contact center services. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Visa Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Visa and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fiducient Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA Free Report) by 29.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,577 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 3,970 shares during the period. Fiducient Advisors LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF were worth $685,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Coastal Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 158.9% during the 4th quarter. Coastal Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,288 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $216,000 after purchasing an additional 2,018 shares in the last quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 29.4% in the 1st quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,441 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $389,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $281,000. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 12.9% in the 1st quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. now owns 23,870 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,707,000 after buying an additional 2,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $216,000. 78.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get iShares MSCI EAFE ETF alerts: iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Stock Performance Shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF stock traded down $0.43 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $72.34. The company had a trading volume of 14,144,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,597,354. The company has a 50 day moving average of $72.57 and a 200 day moving average of $71.83. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF has a 52-week low of $54.61 and a 52-week high of $74.74. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Profile iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Funds investment objective is to seek investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of its underlying index, MSCI EAFE Index (the Index). The Index has been developed by MSCI Inc as an equity benchmark for its international stock performance. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EFA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. I have been keenly observing the availability for public events, and not shying away from engagements, by the current or rather outgoing Cabinet. Notwithstanding the fact that they have done stellar work amid resource constraints and multiple domestic and international shocks, this Cabinet has, to a large extent, availed itself to the public. I contend that this is good practice that we need to emulate as a country in all sectors. Sharing ideas is crucial in moving the country forward; conversations, dialogue and engaging on issues of national policy agenda is paramount. This not a PR piece A disclaimer to this article; it is not a PR piece for the current Cabinet, but its acknowledgement of good practice to emulate. I am known to critic where required and I also commend practices that can move the economy to levels of sustainability and a steady state of growth. In the modern age no man has monopoly of knowledge, through open sharing of ideas we learn where we have to improve collectively. The final outcome of such engagements is better policy outcomes for the kingdom. As we strive for economic prosperity, information and data remain an engine for growth which we must exploit. Meaningful engagements I have had the privilege of interacting with some members of Cabinet and I must commend the level of knowledge embodied regarding the economic trajectory of the kingdom. I have posed questions to Cabinet, not rehearsed, and the ministers present in those events and the responses were as though I was conversing with technocrats. I was sceptical of the current Cabinet; in my thoughts the captains of industry in Cabinet was a misallocation of resources. Basic reasoning being that they have a better value of marginal product in the private sector compared to the public sector. However, taking stock of the economic outcomes under the current Cabinet proves otherwise as our economic indicators show that the kingdom is performing better than comparator country averages. Collective action Also, I have keenly observed how the current Cabinet ministers seem to move as a unit. I am yet to attend a public event where only one minister is present. Furthermore, all ministers present engage with the audience; that way those of us who are not within the government machinery get a vivid view of governments policies. This is emblematic of the understanding that individual ministerial policies tend to have knock-on effects across all sectors. A united front is crucial to bolstering public confidence in the policies of the government of the day and shows that all ministries stand ready to play their role in catalysing the different policies. Efficient delivery requires fiscal synchronisation to ensure that the full effect of policy actions is transmitted to society and the economy. Collective action, in synchronised execution, ensures that maximum welfare outcomes are transmitted to society. This is not to take away from the promise of improved performance upon the current outcomes; there is need to guard against suffering from the negative legacy of success. It is through open governance that academia and civil society can constantly remind government of its policies prerogatives and contribute thought on the best implementation modality. Negative legacy of success Taking stock of our trajectory as an economy, starting in 2010, reveals that we are a people prone to suffering from the negative legacy of success; we relax when the problem eases marginally. We cease to address the underlying factors so we never have to deal with similar problems repeatedly. Remember the austerity years post the 2008 financial crisis and record low SACU receipts? A Fiscal Adjustment Road Map was crafted alongside an Economic Recovery Strategy, very good policy guidance on paper, we only failed to stay the course. When SACU receipts stabilised, we devolved a laissez faire mode. That is exactly what we need to guard against as an economy; better days must not cause us to relax. Rather, we ought to build on the short-term successes towards a sustainable economy that will create jobs for all emaSwati. Collective action ensures we stay the course. The road ahead We are an economy wanting of adequate growth to spur employment creation and the past couple of years have shown the resilience of the Eswatini people. Furthermore, we have learnt that strong and decisive leadership is crucial in ensuring minimum losses during times of strife. Our current economic outlook shows the benefits of staying the course even when it is not popular to do so. We learn through all the historic analysis that we are a nation that at times suffers from the negative legacy of success. To attain the growth sufficient for employment creation will require a leadership that will continue to build on current successes and pushing the frontier even further. The current Cabinet has given us testimony that we can attain better heights if we put in the work. We have attained the impossible, reduced the fiscal deficit to manageable levels in record time. A sustainable economy is attainable; requisite is good leadership and boots on the ground to implement. StockNews.com cut shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. (NYSE:TV Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning. Several other research firms have also commented on TV. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. They set a buy rating and a $6.10 price objective for the company. TheStreet raised shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Monday, June 12th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. from a buy rating to a neutral rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $8.80 to $6.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $12.00 price target on shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. in a research note on Monday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $7.94. Get Grupo Televisa S.A.B. alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on TV Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Price Performance Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Increases Dividend TV stock opened at $4.91 on Friday. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. has a 52 week low of $4.38 and a 52 week high of $7.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.12 and a beta of 1.42. The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 30th were issued a dividend of $0.0985 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.6%. This is a positive change from Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.s previous annual dividend of $0.09. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 26th. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.s payout ratio is -9.68%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. in the 2nd quarter worth $75,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. by 32.6% during the second quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 16,000 shares of the companys stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 3,930 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new stake in shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. during the second quarter worth $140,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. by 96.3% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 18,963 shares of the companys stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 9,305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. by 3.3% during the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 128,208 shares of the companys stock worth $658,000 after buying an additional 4,107 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 38.11% of the companys stock. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Company Profile (Get Free Report) Grupo Televisa, SAB. operates as a media company in the Spanish-speaking Mexico and internationally. It operates through three segments: Cable, Sky, and Other Businesses. The Cable segment operates cable multiple system that provides basic and premium television subscription, pay-per-view, installation, Internet subscription, and telephone and mobile services subscription services, as well as sales local and national advertising services; and telecommunication facilities, which offers data and long-distance services solutions to carriers and other telecommunications service providers through its fiber-optic network. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Grupo Televisa S.A.B. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Grupo Televisa S.A.B. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NewEdge Wealth LLC lowered its stake in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM Free Report) by 1.4% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 125,876 shares of the CRM providers stock after selling 1,834 shares during the period. Salesforce accounts for approximately 1.0% of NewEdge Wealth LLCs holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. NewEdge Wealth LLCs holdings in Salesforce were worth $25,148,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. bought a new position in Salesforce during the first quarter worth about $32,639,000. Eagle Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Salesforce by 24.9% during the first quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,318 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,055 shares during the period. Twin Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 7.4% during the first quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 23,517 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $4,698,000 after acquiring an additional 1,623 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado grew its position in shares of Salesforce by 18.1% in the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 1,100,286 shares of the CRM providers stock valued at $219,815,000 after purchasing an additional 168,503 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Americana Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce in the first quarter valued at approximately $326,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.13% of the companys stock. Get Salesforce alerts: Salesforce Trading Down 1.9 % CRM stock traded down $4.19 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $211.87. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,812,621 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,333,386. The company has a market cap of $206.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 557.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.20. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $217.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $196.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Salesforce, Inc. has a 12 month low of $126.34 and a 12 month high of $238.22. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Salesforce ( NYSE:CRM Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 31st. The CRM provider reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.17 billion. Salesforce had a return on equity of 5.75% and a net margin of 1.18%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Salesforce, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current year. A number of brokerages have commented on CRM. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Salesforce from $145.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, June 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Salesforce from $245.00 to $255.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. Barclays increased their price objective on Salesforce from $225.00 to $245.00 in a research report on Monday, May 15th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Salesforce from $229.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Salesforce from $230.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $224.56. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Salesforce Insider Activity In other news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 500,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.14, for a total transaction of $104,570,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 16,671,609 shares in the company, valued at $3,486,700,306.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 500,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.14, for a total transaction of $104,570,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 16,671,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,486,700,306.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Parker Harris sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.74, for a total value of $259,675.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 100,309 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $20,838,191.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,093,493 shares of company stock worth $233,353,372 over the last quarter. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Salesforce Profile (Free Report) Salesforce, Inc provides Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology that brings companies and customers together worldwide. The company's service includes sales to store data, monitor leads and progress, forecast opportunities, gain insights through analytics and relationship intelligence, and deliver quotes, contracts, and invoices; and service that enables companies to deliver trusted and highly personalized customer service and support at scale. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CRM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Salesforce Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Salesforce and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Phillips Financial Management LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG Free Report) by 1.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 479,563 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 5,650 shares during the period. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF comprises 4.6% of Phillips Financial Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Phillips Financial Management LLC owned approximately 0.05% of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF worth $47,784,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AGG. Roble Belko & Company Inc bought a new position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. New Millennium Group LLC lifted its position in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 188.4% in the 4th quarter. New Millennium Group LLC now owns 323 shares of the companys stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the period. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, First Manhattan Co. lifted its position in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 697.9% in the 4th quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 375 shares of the companys stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the period. 80.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF alerts: iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Price Performance Shares of AGG traded up $0.20 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $96.90. The companys stock had a trading volume of 3,762,450 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,163,336. The companys 50-day moving average is $97.78 and its 200-day moving average is $98.56. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF has a 52-week low of $93.20 and a 52-week high of $103.68. About iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF IShares are index funds that are bought and sold like common stocks on national securities exchanges as well as certain foreign exchanges. iShares are attractive because of their relatively low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account. Featured Stories 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. Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU Free Report) (TSE:SU) Equities researchers at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2023 earnings per share estimates for Suncor Energy in a research note issued on Thursday, August 3rd. Zacks Research analyst T. Saha now forecasts that the oil and gas producer will post earnings per share of $0.56 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.74. The consensus estimate for Suncor Energys current full-year earnings is $3.33 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Suncor Energys Q3 2023 earnings at $0.95 EPS, Q4 2023 earnings at $0.87 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $0.90 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $0.87 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $3.57 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $0.85 EPS and Q2 2025 earnings at $0.80 EPS. Get Suncor Energy alerts: Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU Get Free Report) (TSE:SU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.87 billion. Suncor Energy had a return on equity of 26.90% and a net margin of 14.25%. Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered Suncor Energy from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, July 13th. National Bank Financial upgraded Suncor Energy from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, April 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Suncor Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. They set a buy rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Suncor Energy in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Suncor Energy presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $56.67. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Suncor Energy Suncor Energy Trading Up 0.7 % Shares of Suncor Energy stock opened at $31.11 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.88, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.28. Suncor Energy has a fifty-two week low of $26.42 and a fifty-two week high of $37.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $29.62 and a 200 day moving average of $30.92. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Suncor Energy Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Suncor Energy by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 48,285,003 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $1,573,608,000 after purchasing an additional 702,121 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox boosted its stake in shares of Suncor Energy by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 44,855,854 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $1,392,774,000 after acquiring an additional 2,988,400 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Suncor Energy by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 34,961,486 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $1,085,554,000 after acquiring an additional 1,411,218 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Suncor Energy by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 22,165,045 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $702,914,000 after acquiring an additional 2,385,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in shares of Suncor Energy by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,359,785 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $509,221,000 after acquiring an additional 114,521 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.82% of the companys stock. About Suncor Energy (Get Free Report) Suncor Energy Inc operates as an integrated energy company in Canada and internationally. It operates through Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment explores, develops, and produces bitumen, synthetic crude oil, and related products. This segment also engages in syncrude oil sands mining and upgrading operations; and marketing, supply, transportation, and risk management of crude oil, natural gas, power, and byproducts. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Suncor Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Suncor Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd lessened its stake in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM Free Report) by 28.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 318,114 shares of the CRM providers stock after selling 126,253 shares during the quarter. Salesforce comprises approximately 3.5% of OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltds investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltds holdings in Salesforce were worth $63,548,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,420,381,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Salesforce by 125,717.4% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,260,412 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $1,360,428,000 after buying an additional 10,252,257 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $797,956,000. Starboard Value LP acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $401,215,000. Finally, Inclusive Capital Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $216,769,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.13% of the companys stock. Get Salesforce alerts: Insider Activity at Salesforce In related news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 15,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.68, for a total value of $3,235,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 16,206,166 shares in the company, valued at $3,495,345,882.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Parker Harris sold 1,250 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.74, for a total value of $259,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 100,309 shares of the companys stock, valued at $20,838,191.66. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 15,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.68, for a total value of $3,235,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 16,206,166 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,495,345,882.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,108,493 shares of company stock worth $236,588,572. Corporate insiders own 3.70% of the companys stock. Salesforce Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:CRM traded down $4.49 on Tuesday, hitting $211.57. The company had a trading volume of 4,842,831 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,353,890. Salesforce, Inc. has a 1-year low of $126.34 and a 1-year high of $238.22. The stock has a market cap of $206.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 556.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $217.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $196.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Salesforce (NYSE:CRM Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 31st. The CRM provider reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. Salesforce had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 5.75%. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Salesforce, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current year. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research analysts recently weighed in on CRM shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $225.00 to $235.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 1st. JMP Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $250.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 1st. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $230.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 1st. Societe Generale lowered shares of Salesforce from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, June 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Salesforce from $200.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $224.56. Check Out Our Latest Report on CRM About Salesforce (Free Report) Salesforce, Inc provides Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology that brings companies and customers together worldwide. The company's service includes sales to store data, monitor leads and progress, forecast opportunities, gain insights through analytics and relationship intelligence, and deliver quotes, contracts, and invoices; and service that enables companies to deliver trusted and highly personalized customer service and support at scale. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CRM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Salesforce Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Salesforce and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. PCG Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Southwestern Energy (NYSE:SWN Free Report) by 321.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 151,407 shares of the energy companys stock after buying an additional 115,481 shares during the quarter. PCG Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in Southwestern Energy were worth $757,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its stake in shares of Southwestern Energy by 609.3% during the 1st quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 5,029 shares of the energy companys stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 4,320 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in Southwestern Energy in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Southwestern Energy by 50.8% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,653 shares of the energy companys stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,240 shares during the period. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Southwestern Energy in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Southwestern Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. 82.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Southwestern Energy alerts: Southwestern Energy Price Performance SWN traded down $0.01 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $6.54. 24,754,634 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 23,297,002. Southwestern Energy has a twelve month low of $4.57 and a twelve month high of $8.39. The company has a market cap of $7.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $5.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.36. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Southwestern Energy ( NYSE:SWN Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 4th. The energy company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. Southwestern Energy had a net margin of 48.82% and a return on equity of 23.55%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 69.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.33 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Southwestern Energy will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Several research firms have recently issued reports on SWN. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Southwestern Energy from a neutral rating to a sell rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $5.75 to $5.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage on Southwestern Energy in a research report on Monday, April 10th. They issued a hold rating and a $6.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Southwestern Energy from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $6.00 to $5.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Southwestern Energy from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Southwestern Energy in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. They set a neutral rating and a $5.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $7.07. Get Our Latest Stock Report on Southwestern Energy Southwestern Energy Company Profile (Free Report) Southwestern Energy Company, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) in the United States. It operates through two segments, Exploration and Production, and Marketing. The company focuses on the development of unconventional natural gas and oil reservoirs located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Louisiana. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Southwestern Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Southwestern Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fortis Inc. (TSE:FTS Free Report) Equities research analysts at Raymond James issued their Q1 2024 earnings estimates for Fortis in a report released on Wednesday, August 2nd. Raymond James analyst D. Quezada expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.81 for the quarter. The consensus estimate for Fortis current full-year earnings is $3.00 per share. Raymond James also issued estimates for Fortis Q3 2024 earnings at $0.84 EPS. Get Fortis alerts: FTS has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on Fortis from C$54.00 to C$53.00 in a research report on Friday, May 19th. CSFB reduced their price target on Fortis from C$62.00 to C$61.50 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Fortis from C$60.00 to C$59.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. CIBC cut their target price on Fortis from C$61.00 to C$59.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Susquehanna Bancshares upped their target price on Fortis from C$56.00 to C$57.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of C$57.92. Fortis Stock Performance Shares of FTS stock opened at C$53.85 on Monday. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is C$56.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$56.91. The company has a market cap of C$26.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.32, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 127.94. Fortis has a 12-month low of C$48.45 and a 12-month high of C$62.00. Fortis Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 21st will be paid a $0.565 dividend. This represents a $2.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 18th. Fortiss dividend payout ratio is presently 76.87%. About Fortis (Get Free Report) Fortis Inc operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 443,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 102,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,328 megawatts (MW), including 68 MW of solar capacity and 250 MV of wind capacity. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Fortis Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fortis and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of Buy from the three research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $383.33. Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. 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. Credit Suisse Group raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a strong-buy rating for the company. Get Novo Nordisk A/S alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on NVO Institutional Trading of Novo Nordisk A/S Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Up 17.2 % Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rhumbline Advisers acquired a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S during the second quarter worth $4,332,000. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP lifted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 31.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 110,821 shares of the companys stock worth $17,934,000 after acquiring an additional 26,257 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 6,801 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,101,000 after acquiring an additional 879 shares in the last quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 8.0% during the second quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 342,177 shares of the companys stock worth $55,375,000 after purchasing an additional 25,470 shares during the period. Finally, KLR Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the second quarter worth about $1,423,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.30% of the companys stock. Shares of NVO opened at $189.12 on Wednesday. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 12-month low of $95.02 and a 12-month high of $192.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $424.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $159.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.26. 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 Company Profile (Get 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. Read More 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. DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE:DHX Free Report) Analysts at B. Riley raised their Q3 2023 EPS estimates for DHI Group in a research report issued on Thursday, August 3rd. B. Riley analyst Z. Cummins now expects that the technology company will post earnings of $0.02 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.01. The consensus estimate for DHI Groups current full-year earnings is $0.06 per share. Get DHI Group alerts: DHI Group (NYSE:DHX Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The technology company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.03. DHI Group had a net margin of 1.13% and a return on equity of 2.02%. The business had revenue of $38.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.78 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.01 earnings per share. Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of DHI Group from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Lake Street Capital decreased their price objective on shares of DHI Group from $9.00 to $6.00 in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an outperform rating and issued a $10.00 target price on shares of DHI Group in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on DHX DHI Group Stock Down 4.3 % Shares of NYSE DHX opened at $4.02 on Monday. DHI Group has a 52-week low of $3.00 and a 52-week high of $6.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $190.31 million, a PE ratio of 100.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $3.81 and a 200-day moving average of $4.03. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DHX. State Street Corp lifted its stake in DHI Group by 254.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 600,993 shares of the technology companys stock worth $2,987,000 after purchasing an additional 431,395 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of DHI Group during the first quarter worth approximately $2,168,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in DHI Group by 108.4% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 658,665 shares of the technology companys stock worth $3,274,000 after acquiring an additional 342,668 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of DHI Group by 170.9% in the second quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 450,218 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $2,238,000 after buying an additional 284,009 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in shares of DHI Group by 14.8% in the first quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,668,329 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $6,473,000 after purchasing an additional 215,463 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.28% of the companys stock. About DHI Group (Get Free Report) DHI Group, Inc provides data, insights, and employment connections through specialized services for technology professionals in the United States. The company operates Dice that offers job postings of technology and non-technology companies for industries, such as positions for software engineers, big data professionals, systems administrators, database specialists, project managers, and other technology and engineering professionals; and ClearanceJobs, an online career network, which matches security-cleared professionals with hiring companies searching for employees. Read More Receive News & Ratings for DHI Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for DHI Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (NYSE:CP Get Free Report) (TSE:CP) had its price objective increased by equities research analysts at CSFB from $87.00 to $88.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, BayStreet.CA reports. The firm presently has a neutral rating on the transportation companys stock. CSFBs price target indicates a potential upside of 8.52% from the companys current price. A number of other analysts have also recently commented on CP. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. They set an outperform rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a research report on Tuesday, June 6th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price target on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $81.00 to $87.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 5th. Argus upgraded Canadian Pacific Kansas City from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $92.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 16th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $90.00 to $89.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $91.93. Get Canadian Pacific Kansas City alerts: View Our Latest Stock Report on CP Canadian Pacific Kansas City Trading Up 0.4 % Institutional Inflows and Outflows NYSE:CP traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $81.09. 827,081 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,061,210. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The business has a 50-day moving average of $79.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.62. Canadian Pacific Kansas City has a twelve month low of $65.17 and a twelve month high of $85.40. The company has a market capitalization of $75.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.60, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.01. Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 16,119 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,240,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 5,491 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,261 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 3,148 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its holdings in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 8,051 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $601,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. 65.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Company Profile (Get Free Report) Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates a transcontinental freight railway in Canada and the United States. The company transports bulk commodities, including grain, coal, potash, fertilizers, and sulphur; and merchandise freight, such as energy, chemicals and plastics, metals, minerals and consumer, automotive, and forest products. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Pacific Kansas City Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Pacific Kansas City and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sir, Children develop a sense of self when they see, imitate and are guided by their parents and or their caregivers from early childhood. Actually, they view themselves through their parents eyes. Therefore, parenting is considered largely in terms of the facilitation of child development. McCarthy (1995) and friends concur to the notion that social workers are unable to break free from their surface-static model that gazes primarily on their legal responsibilities to ensure the protection of the child from harm, rather than on problems that beset parenting. Social workers are quite aware of the difficulties and struggles for parents of material deprivation, poor couple relationships and social isolation, to name a few. According to my view, parenting is a two-way process of interaction, which is influenced by the child, as well as the parent or caregiver. It is an open secret that studies commonly focus on the concepts of abuse, risk and need. This is conceivably not surprising as research has understandably taken its lead from the way in which familial and child-care problems are constructed in the legislation arena. Scholars describe a range of components including the parents behaviour and parenting skills. Conversely, while these skills are mentioned as a spotlight for social work attentiveness, their nature, and assessment by practitioners are utterly not the subject of analysis? My take is that studies should focus around the predefined themes of affection, control and discipline, physical care, protection, stimulation and expectations, with the consequence that social work responses are crafted around those themes too! Support Parenting comes mutually with rewards and challenges; taking care of young children can be demanding. With all of lifes demands parents are often being hauled in many directions. This can create bonus stress for them. It is our goal in early intervention to provide families with supportive services. One way to support families is by adding a social work intervention. Supportive services provided by a social worker are unique to each familys state. Those supports can include emotional support, identifying and coordinating community resources, parent education, and counselling and crisis intervention. A social worker is a person to talk to; someone who will listen and give parents an opportunity to talk about their feelings, challenges and life experiences. There are times in all of our lives when we need someone to speak to, because situations arise and cause stress. Concerns For instance, having a child who is at risk of having developmental delay can be stressful. It can be helpful to talk about ones feelings, vent frustrations, and bounce ideas off another person outside of the situation. Practitioners will listen to concerns and work on a plan for services and assistance. They should be available to support the needs of the parent as well as the child and to work with the family to make sure that they have the resources to continue their daily routines. Assessment of parenting will not simply involve appraising the development of the child to assess how well the parenting task is carried out, but also the means of determining factors of the ecological parenting model influence and the parental capacity to carry out that task. Sometimes the parenting will be worse, sometimes it will be better. As a framework for assessing children in need, the emphasis will be to facilitate this social workers need to have an understanding of how the different factors fit within a particular framework, rather than existing as individual attributes of vulnerability. It is this careful analysis of interacting factors that is considered to provide an insight as to the effects upon children and their families. Conclusively, babies are not born with a manual and parenting takes patience and some ingenuity. Good parenting involves a great deal of dependability and routine. While it is true that there is no single definition or accurate method of good parenting, a few parenting tips could go a long way in warranting a better future for our children. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS Free Report) Investment analysts at KeyCorp lifted their Q4 2023 earnings estimates for shares of Watts Water Technologies in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 2nd. KeyCorp analyst J. Hammond now forecasts that the technology company will earn $1.77 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.61. The consensus estimate for Watts Water Technologies current full-year earnings is $7.42 per share. Get Watts Water Technologies alerts: Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The technology company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.29. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 13.43%. The business had revenue of $532.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $529.93 million. A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on WTS. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $174.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $171.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $177.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $171.20. View Our Latest Stock Report on Watts Water Technologies Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance Shares of WTS stock opened at $190.32 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.53 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $180.16 and a 200-day moving average of $171.02. Watts Water Technologies has a one year low of $120.78 and a one year high of $192.93. The company has a market cap of $6.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.02. Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. Watts Water Technologiess dividend payout ratio is presently 18.02%. Insider Transactions at Watts Water Technologies In related news, insider Elie Melhem sold 565 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.54, for a total value of $99,180.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,079 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,120,347.66. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Elie Melhem sold 565 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.54, for a total transaction of $99,180.10. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,079 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,120,347.66. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph T. Noonan sold 1,359 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.91, for a total transaction of $233,625.69. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,813 shares of the companys stock, valued at $311,672.83. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 26,414 shares of company stock worth $4,387,546 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Watts Water Technologies Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 4.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,883,746 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $362,573,000 after buying an additional 116,455 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its position in Watts Water Technologies by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,128,516 shares of the technology companys stock worth $358,272,000 after acquiring an additional 36,810 shares during the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 98,060.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,963,213 shares of the technology companys stock worth $360,701,000 after purchasing an additional 1,961,213 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 0.5% in the first quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,961,848 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $329,491,000 after purchasing an additional 9,858 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 1.9% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 908,789 shares of the technology companys stock worth $152,967,000 after buying an additional 16,721 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.20% of the companys stock. Watts Water Technologies Company Profile (Get Free Report) Watts Water Technologies, Inc supplies products and solutions that manage and conserve the flow of fluids and energy into, through, and out of buildings in the commercial, industrial, and residential markets in the Americas, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. The company offers residential and commercial flow control and protection products, including backflow preventers, water pressure regulators, temperature and pressure relief valves, thermostatic mixing valves, and leak detection and protection products for plumbing and hot water applications. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Watts Water Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Watts Water Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nokia Oyj (NYSE:NOK Free Report) Analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q4 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of Nokia Oyj in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, August 3rd. Zacks Research analyst A. Chatterjee now expects that the technology company will earn $0.14 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.15. The consensus estimate for Nokia Oyjs current full-year earnings is $0.42 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nokia Oyjs Q2 2025 earnings at $0.12 EPS. Get Nokia Oyj alerts: A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. TheStreet lowered shares of Nokia Oyj from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Monday, June 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Nokia Oyj from $6.60 to $5.90 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Nokia Oyj from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 21st. Northland Securities dropped their target price on Nokia Oyj from $7.00 to $6.00 in a report on Monday, July 17th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Nokia Oyj from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, June 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $5.83. Nokia Oyj Price Performance Shares of NYSE:NOK opened at $3.90 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.60. Nokia Oyj has a 52-week low of $3.83 and a 52-week high of $5.25. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $4.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $4.36. The firm has a market cap of $21.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.13 and a beta of 0.97. Nokia Oyj (NYSE:NOK Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 19th. The technology company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.22 billion. Nokia Oyj had a return on equity of 10.43% and a net margin of 16.16%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.11 earnings per share. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nokia Oyj Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Nokia Oyj by 18.9% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,795,249 shares of the technology companys stock worth $26,183,000 after buying an additional 763,930 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Nokia Oyj by 79.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,029,643 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $27,462,000 after acquiring an additional 2,221,142 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. bought a new position in Nokia Oyj during the first quarter worth about $55,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Nokia Oyj by 44.9% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 62,728 shares of the technology companys stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 19,430 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Nokia Oyj by 171.3% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 33,493 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $183,000 after purchasing an additional 21,146 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 6.51% of the companys stock. Nokia Oyj Company Profile (Get Free Report) Nokia Oyj provides mobile, fixed, and cloud network solutions worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Network Infrastructure, Mobile Networks, Cloud and Network Services, and Nokia Technologies. It offers products and services for radio access networks and microwave radio links for transport networks, and solutions for network management, as well as network planning, optimization, network deployment, and technical support services. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Nokia Oyj Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nokia Oyj and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust (NYSE:IQI Free Report) by 65.3% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,911 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 9,252 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLCs holdings in Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust were worth $49,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Truist Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust in the first quarter valued at $154,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust by 17.5% during the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 342,405 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,417,000 after buying an additional 50,968 shares during the period. Ahrens Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust by 52.8% in the 1st quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 658,521 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $6,572,000 after purchasing an additional 227,487 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust by 23.3% in the 1st quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 89,932 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $898,000 after purchasing an additional 17,000 shares during the period. Get Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust alerts: Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust Price Performance Shares of NYSE IQI traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $9.34. 59,078 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 98,024. Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust has a one year low of $8.76 and a one year high of $10.84. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $9.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.61. Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust Dividend Announcement Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust Company Profile The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be given a $0.0372 dividend. This represents a $0.45 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 14th. (Free Report) Invesco Quality Municipal Income 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 Deutschland GmbH, INVESCO Asset Management Limited, INVESCO Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, INVESCO Senior Secured Management, Inc, and Invesco Canada Ltd. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IQI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust (NYSE:IQI Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MBABANE The Mbabane Magistrates Court staff members were hastily evacuated from the court building, after police had received information that three bombs had been planted within the premises. The incident, which left the employees traumatised, happened around 9am yesterday. The magistrates court staff include magistrates, prosecutors, court clerks, court orderlies, warders, typists and cleaners. Eswatini is one of the African countries where planting of bombs is very uncommon. Information gathered was to the effect that the police officers rushed to evacuate the employees immediately, after receiving the information, which was firstly directed to the Eswatini National Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services by an anonymous caller. Suspects and inmates who were in court to answer on allegations leveled against them were also removed from the court premises for their safety. Police officers came and instructed us to vacate our offices as they had received information that three bombs had been planted within the premises, said one of the employees. Another employee said she thought it was a joke when the police officers said; Phumani nonkhe (get out), while inside the courtroom. During a visit to the Mbabane Magistrates Court, the employees were found gathered on the other side of the road passing by the court. Police officers from the Forensic Unit and Bomb Disposal Unit were found at the scene. The police officers of the law were working hand-in-hand with Bastion Security Services in the controlled area, which was marked with a yellow tape. While at the scene, the police officers and the Bastion Security Services officers conducted a clean sweep using sniffer dogs. The sniffer dogs searched every corner of the court. However, the alleged bombs were not detected. The news resulted in the delay of operations at the court. Fresh matters were dealt with before noon while some matters, which were due for trial, were postponed to other dates. Some employees were not comfortable with going back to their offices even after the clean sweep. This swayed the minds of some of the employees into thinking that the unknown caller fabricated the story just to disturb the court proceedings. Police officers, mostly from the Operational Support Services Unit (OSSU), spent about an hour searching each and every office of the building. It was gathered that no bomb was detected during the search. Skip to main navigation Deer Management Permits (DMPs) Hunters possessing a Deer Management Permit (DMP) may take one antlerless deer per permit, in addition to deer that may be taken with a regular big game tag or Bow/Muzz Antlerless or Bow/Muzz Either Sex tags. DMPs may only be used for antlerless deer (have no antlers or antlers less than 3" long). DMPs may only be used in the WMU for which they are issued. DMPs are valid during all deer hunting seasons. Junior Bowhunters may use DMPs during the special archery seasons and during the regular season. Hunters may transfer or receive up to 2 DMPs from other hunters (see Consignment of Deer Management Permits for instructions). An overview of how DMP quotas are established is available at Understanding DMPs: Quota Setting and Permit Selection. Applying for DMPs DMP Application Deadline: October 1 each year What You Need to Know Before Applying All licensed hunters, aged 12 or older can apply for a DMP. Junior hunters aged 12-13 can only hunt deer with a firearm or crossbow in counties that have passed a local law authorizing such action. Check the map on the Junior Big Game Hunting webpage to confirm the counties in which 12- and 13-year-olds can hunt deer with a firearm or crossbow. You can apply for up to two DMPs within the same Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) or two different WMUs. Both must be applied for at the same time. Find a WMU near you by viewing the written WMU boundary descriptions. If applying at a license sales agent, hunters who are selected will receive their tags immediately. If applying online or by phone, hunters who are selected must wait approximately three weeks to receive tags. Follow best practice and check your DMP before leaving the license issuing outlet to make sure it is for the correct WMU. If the clerk made an error, they can contact our DMP Hotline (1-866-472-4332) to get the error corrected. There is a $10 non-refundable application fee for all applicants, except for holders of Lifetime Sportsman licenses purchased prior to 9/30/2009, and Junior Hunters & Junior Bowhunters. Disabled Veterans who are residents of New York and who have a service-connected disability rated at 40% or greater will receive preference on DMPs. Annually, you must bring a letter from the Veteran's Administration, dated in the current year, with your case number and your disability percentage. If you are claiming permanent disabled status, the letter must clearly state that the service-related disability is 'permanent'. who are residents of New York and who have a service-connected disability rated at 40% or greater will receive preference on DMPs. Annually, you must bring a letter from the Veteran's Administration, dated in the current year, with your case number and your disability percentage. If you are claiming permanent disabled status, the letter must clearly state that the service-related disability is 'permanent'. Landowners who own 50 or more contiguous acres of land within a WMU will receive preference on DMP selection. Annually, you must bring your tax map identification number and SWIS code (found on your tax bill) with you when you apply. Be sure to tell the license issuing agent PRIOR to applying that you are a landowner. Lessees do not qualify as landowners. A spouse of a landowner may receive landowner preference, but both spouses may not apply as a landowner for the same parcel of land. Corporate ownership: only one person may be designated by a corporation as the landowner each year no matter how many 50-acre parcels are owned. The corporation must submit an original letter or certified copy of a resolution, dated in the current year, designating the individual and must include the tax map ID and SWIS code information. Ways You Can Apply Chances of Being Selected for a DMP The chances remain the same throughout the entire application period, which runs from early August through October 1. See DMP Probabilities for a table of the chances of selection for 1st and 2nd choice DMPs for residents and non-residents. The DMP probabilities are based on the following criteria: Number of antlerless deer to be harvested in each WMU. Number of applicants expected. Ranking of the applicant based on the Order of Selection below. Order of Selection Landowners and Disabled Veterans NYS residents and non-residents with 3 or more preference points. Residents with 2 preference points. Residents with 1 preference points. Residents with 0 preference points. Non-residents with 2 preference points. Non-residents with 1 preference points. Non-residents with 0 preference points. Preference Points Preference points increase your chances of selection but do not guarantee DMP selection. Preference points are won and lost on first permit selection only. If you receive a DMP in your first choice WMU, all available preference points will be used, regardless whether the unit chosen was advertised as needing preference points or having high, medium, or low odds of being selected. If you do not receive a DMP in your first choice WMU, you will receive a preference point for the following year. Any preference points contained in your file are automatically applied to your first-choice WMU selection. If you do NOT receive your first choice, the points are applied to your second choice, but will remain in your file for the following year, regardless of your second choice selection results. Qualifying landowners and disabled veterans will receive their first choice DMP in all open WMUs. Preference Points are not WMU specific. That is, if you earned a preference point by being denied in one WMU, you can use that preference point in a subsequent year when applying for a DMP in a different WMU. Additional Opportunities for Acquiring DMPs Leftover DMPs If there are permits remaining after the initial application period ends on October 1, an extended application period for leftover DMPs will begin on or around November 1 each year. Applications for leftover DMPs can only be made at a license issuing agent location. If there are permits remaining after the initial application period ends on October 1, an extended application period for leftover DMPs will begin on or around November 1 each year. Applications for leftover DMPs can only be made at a license issuing agent location. Bonus DMPs in WMUs (1C, 3S, 4J and 8C) Hunters who fill a DMP tag by harvesting an antlerless deer can apply for an additional (bonus) DMP to harvest another antlerless deer. DMP Information Hotline For more information regarding Deer Management Permits, you may call our DMP Information Hotline at 1-866-472-4332. DMP Availability and Probability of Selection DMP Application Deadline is October 1 View a Table of DMP Targets and Chances of DMP Selection for Residents and Non-Residents (PDF). View a larger version of the 2023 DMP map (PDF). DMP Selection Probabilities Remain the Same through the Entire Application Period. See Wildlife Management Units for WMU boundary descriptions. Consignment of DMPs Deer Management Permits (DMPs) allow for the taking of antlerless deer only. Removal of antlerless deer from the population is the most effective and efficient tool for controlling deer numbers over large landscape areas. Allowing the transfer of DMPs maximizes our ability to use this tool. Transferring DMPs There is a section on your DMP that you can sign indicating that you consent to allow another hunter to use your DMP. You can only transfer your DMP to other hunters who are already licensed to hunt deer. The hunter who wishes to receive and use your DMP must write your DMP number, in indelible ink or indelible pencil, on the License Privilege Panel immediately below the line where it states "DMP #'s received from other hunters." As a result of your written consent to allow your DMP to be transferred and the receiving hunter adding your DMP number to his or her license, the DMP may be legally possessed and used by that hunter. Possession of someone else's DMP would otherwise be illegal. Remember: Only DMP carcass tags can be transferred from one hunter to another. Hunting licenses or other tags (regular season tag and Bow/Mz tags) are not transferrable. Example: DMP tag of hunter Art Fern To transfer his DMP carcass tag hunter Art Fern must sign the bottom of the tag. This allows the DMP carcass tag to be transferred. The DMP carcass tag is given to Pete Moss. License privilege Panel of hunter Pete Moss Hunter Pete Moss must record the Doc# from the DMP carcass tag being transferred to him on his license. If Pete Moss does not use the DMP carcass tag, he can give it back to Art Fern or give it to another hunter. The other hunter must then record the Doc# from the DMP carcass tag on his/her license. Using a Consigned DMP Licensed hunters may receive up to two consigned DMPS from other hunters. There are two spaces available on the License Privilege panel for hunters to write in the DMP permit numbers they receive from another hunter. Consignment allows others to possess and use your DMP but it need not be a permanent transfer. If the DMP is not filled by any other party, you may use it, only after it is returned to you. Whoever has possession afield of the DMP may take an antlerless deer with it. There is no limit to the number of hunters who can borrow a single DMP; however, only the hunter who is actually in possession of the permit in the field may use it to take a deer. One DMP cannot be used to take multiple antlerless deer. If you don't use a consigned DMP and return it to its original owner, you have still used up one of your spaces on your License Privilege panel and cannot replace it with a different DMP. Reporting Deer with a Consigned Permit The shooter should report the deer if one is taken. He or she must have the report tag from the consigned DMP when they call to report the deer harvest. They should report the Document Number from the transferred tag, not the numbers that are on their own tags. They should also use their own birth date when reporting. Understanding DMPs: Quota Setting and Permit Selection Deer Management Permits (DMPs), often called "doe tags", are a critical part of New York's deer management program. By adjusting the number of DMPs available in individual Wildlife Management Units, we can influence the number of does that are taken by hunters and thus manipulate the population toward desired levels. Annual removal of appropriate numbers of does is essential for ecologically responsible deer management. It is beneficial for sustaining biodiversity and maintaining healthy habitat and healthy deer. DMP Quota Setting The math involved in setting DMP numbers is actually quite simple, though the process of determining the desired adult female (doe) harvest requires biologists to consider a variety of factors that influence population dynamics. Here is the essence of the permit setting process: Step 1. Assess deer population status relative to the objective. Deer population trajectory objectives (increase, stay the same, decrease) are assigned to each WMU based on public interests and assessments of deer-impacts to forests. Biologists use adult buck harvest density (bucks taken per square mile of habitat) as an index of deer abundance within each WMU, and review trends in this index to determine whether the population is changing consistent with the objective. It's not quite as simple, though, as seeing that the buck take went up and assuming that the population must be increasing. Biologists also study previous levels of doe harvest and observe how they influenced recent buck harvests. We monitor indices of herd health and productivity through annual measurements of yearling antler beam diameters and fawn to doe harvest ratios, and we consider likely impact of winter conditions on deer survival based on the number of days with temperatures below zero and snow deeper than 15 inches. All of these factors weigh into the biologists' interpretation of whether or not the deer population is on track to meet the objective. Step 2. Determine the desired doe harvest. Based upon the deer population status assessment, DEC biologists decide whether additional, fewer, or roughly the same number of does need to be harvested during the next hunting season to modify population growth according to the WMU's objective. Biologists review recent trends in doe harvest and determine the desired total doe harvest. Step 3. Calculate the target doe harvest on DMPs. Because does can also be harvested during bow and muzzleloader season and on DMAP tags, we review harvest records for each WMU to determine the desired doe harvest on DMPs. (Desired Total Doe Harvest) - (# Adult Does Taken by Muzzleloader Hunters and Archers and on DMAP tags) = Target Doe Harvest on DMPs Step 4. Add the expected fawn take. All antlerless deer, including fawns and adult does, can be taken on DMPs, and the proportion of fawns in the harvest varies by WMU. Biologists review harvest records and adjust the desired DMP take to include fawns. (Target Doe Harvest on DMPs) (% Adult Doe in DMP Harvest) = Total Desired DMP Harvest Step 5. Account for hunter success. Not all of the DMPs issued result in a harvested deer, and that success rate varies by WMU. Biologists use past DMP harvest success to adjust the target DMP issuance level to ensure the desired number of antlerless deer and the desired number of does are harvested. (Total Desired DMP Harvest) (DMP Success Rate) = Total # of DMPs to Issue Example. To illustrate the DMP quota setting process, consider the following: Step 1. Population Trajectory Objective Stay the Same Current Population Status Increasing, need additional doe harvest Step 2. Recent Total Doe Harvest 1,000 does; 2.0 does/mi2 Desired Total Doe Harvest 1,250 does; 2.5 does/mi2 Step 3. Recent Doe Harvest by Bow, Muzzleloader, & DMAP 150 Target DMP Doe Harvest 1,250 - 150 = 1,100 Step 4. Percent Does of DMP Harvest (accounts for fawns) 70% Total Desired DMP Harvest 1,100 0.70 = 1,571 Step 5. Recent DMP Success Rate 20% Total # of DMPs to Issue (DMP Target) 1,571 0.20 = 7,855 rounded to 7,900 DMP Allocation Quota setting is only the first part of the DMP process. The next step is to get the permits in the hands of hunters. DMPs are issued by an instant selection process when hunters buy their license allowing applicants who are selected for DMPs to receive their permits immediately. The system is designed to provide equal opportunity for a hunter regardless of whether they apply on the first or last day of the application period. The chances for DMP selection are determined by the DMP quota and the number of applications expected for each WMU. An applicant's chances of selection are also affected by their residency, qualification as a landowner of 50 or more acres, status as a veteran with disabilities, or the number of preference points accumulated through previous DMP applications. The order of priority for DMP selection is: Landowners and Disabled Veterans NYS Residents and Nonresidents with 3 or more preference points. Residents with 2 preference points. Residents with 1 preference points. Residents with 0 preference points. Nonresidents with 2 preference points. Nonresidents with 1 preference points. Nonresidents with 0 preference points. Example. To illustrate DMP issuance, consider the following simplified process. In reality, this process incorporates each category of residency and preference noted above. DMP Target = 7,900 Landowners & Veterans with Disabilities Expected # Applicants Odds of Selections Expected # DMPs to Issue Expected # DMPs to Remain 100 100% 100 7,800 Residents with Preference Points Expected # Applicants Odds of Selections Expected # DMPs to Issue Expected # DMPs to Remain 2,800 100% 2,800 5,000 Residents without Preference Points Expected # Applicants Odds of Selection Expected # DMPs to Issue Expected # DMPs to Remain 8,000 62.5% 5,000 0 NonResidents with Preference Points Expected # Applicants Odds of Selections Expected # DMPs to Issue Expected # DMPs to Remain 250 0% 0 0 Actual DMP issuance is impacted by the overall number of people that apply for DMPs in a given WMU and their preference status, but we examine past application trends to predict application rates in each category for each WMU. If a WMU unit is substantially under-subscribed at the close of the initial application period (October 1 each year), DEC runs another random selection process for any hunters that were denied in that WMU during the initial period. If necessary, the unit is opened for a first-come, first-serve application period for leftover DMPs in November. Hunters play an essential role in maintaining appropriate deer numbers in New York and our DMP system is the cornerstone of that process. Bonus DMPs Bonus DMPs will be available in WMUs 1C, 3S, 4J and 8C. Only antlerless deer may be taken on Bonus DMPs. Bonus Deer Management Permits (DMPs) are issued to increase hunter participation and antlerless deer harvest in areas with abundant deer. Bonus DMPs are available to hunters who take an antlerless deer on a DMP or a Bonus DMP in one of the units listed above. Bonus DMPs may be used only in the WMU for which they are issued. All Bonus DMPs will be valid only for antlerless deer. There is no fee for Bonus DMPs. How to Apply To obtain a Bonus DMP, hunters may apply in either of the following ways: By e-mail or mail (address information is listed below): Submit a photocopy, photo, or scanned copy of both sides of a completed DMP for the appropriate Bonus WMU. [Note: An original completed DMP carcass tag may be submitted if the carcass has already been prepared for consumption (butchered)]. [Note: An original completed DMP carcass tag may be submitted if the carcass has already been prepared for consumption (butchered)]. Include your name, hunter ID number (backtag number), mailing address and phone number to receive your bonus permit by mail within 2 business days (delivery times may vary). In person. Bring one of the following to a check station location listed below (Appointments Required): the unfrozen head or whole carcass and completed DMP tag of an antlerless deer; [Note: Some locations do not accept carcasses. This is specified per location below]. [Note: Some locations do not accept carcasses. This is specified per location below]. the completed and signed DMP tag; or, a photocopy, photo, or scanned image showing both sides of the original completed and signed DMP tag for the appropriate Bonus WMU. WMU 1C Bonus DMP Issuance All deer taken on DEC managed properties must be physically checked at either the Ridge or Hither Hills deer check stations. Mail or Electronic Application Hunters may send, or present in person, clear photocopies, photos, or scanned images of both sides of their completed 1C DMPs or 1C Bonus tags to: NYS DEC Bureau of Wildlife, 50 Circle Road, Stony Brook, NY 11790; Attention: 1C Bonus Or send electronic images to wildlife.r1@dec.ny.gov with "1C Bonus" in the subject line Be sure to include your name, hunter ID number (backtag number), mailing address, and phone number to receive Bonus permits by mail. In Person Application - Masks and Social Distancing Required Hunters may bring qualifying antlerless carcasses to the Ridge or Stony Brook deer check station during bow and firearms seasons or Hither Hills deer check station during the firearms season. Qualifying copies of completed 1C DMP tags may be taken to any of the following deer check stations in Suffolk County. Ridge Hunter Check Station; Randall Rd. & Rt. 25, Ridge Dates Hours September 13 and 15 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM October 1 thru 31; Tues., Thurs. & Sun. 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM November 1 thru December 30; Daily, except Thanksgiving and Christmas 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM December 24 and December 31; Closing early 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM January 2 thru 31 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM DEC Office in Stony Brook; 50 Circle Road, Stony Brook Do not bring carcasses into the building; all animals must be left in the parking lot. Dates Hours By Appointment Only - Call Ahead (631) 444-0270 or (631) 444-0310 Office coverage subject to staff availability. 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Shelter Island Town Hall; Town Clerks Office, 38 North Ferry Road, Shelter Island, (631) 749-1166 No carcasses; completed DMPs or copies o completed DMPs only. Dates Hours September Anterless Season and October 1 - January 31 Weekdays Only, Closed Holidays 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM East Hampton Check Station at Hither Hills State Park; Old Montauk Hwy, 1/2 mile east of Montauk Hwy, East Hampton Dates Hours January 4 - 31; Weekdays only 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Peconic Recreation Center; 970 Peconic Lane, Peconic No carcasses; completed DMPs or copies of completed DMPs only. For additional information, contact Southold Town DPW at (631) 765-1283. Peconic Recreation Center Dates Hours September 11 thru 12 and 18 thru 19 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM September 13 thru 17 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Weekdays in October (by appointment) 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM Weekends in October 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Weekdays November 1 - January 31 (by appointment) 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM Sundays November 1 - December 31 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Holidays Closed East Hampton Town Hall; 159 Pantigo Road, East Hampton, (631) 324-4142 No carcasses, completed DMPs or copies of completed DMPs only. Dates Hours October 1 - December 31; weekdays 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Holidays Closed Southampton Town Hall Clerk's Office; 116 Hampton Road, Southampton, NY 11968 No carcasses; for information call (631) 287-5740 Dates Hours Weekdays 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Holidays Closed Southampton Town Clerk's Annex; 25 Ponquogue Ave, Hampton Bays, NY 11946 No carcasses; for more information call (631) 287-5740 Dates Hours Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Holidays Closed North Haven Village Hall; 335 Ferry Rd, Sag Harbor, NY 11963, (631) 725-1378 Dates Hours Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Village of Sagaponack; 3175 Montauk Highway, Sagaponack, NY 11962, (631) 537-0017 Dates Hours Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM WMU 3S Bonus DMP Issuance Mail or Electronic Application Hunters may send, or present in person, clear photocopies, photos, or scanned images of both sides of their completed 3S DMPs or 3S Bonus tags to: NYS DEC Region 3 Headquarters, 21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561; Attention: 3S Bonus Or send electronic images to Wildlife.R3@dec.ny.gov with "3S Bonus" in the subject line. Be sure to include your name, hunter ID number (backtag number), mailing address, and phone number to receive Bonus permits by mail. In Person Application Hunters may bring qualifying antlerless carcasses or qualifying copies of completed 3S DMP tags to the deer check station at the DEC Office in New Paltz. DEC Office in New Paltz; 21 South Putt Corners Road Appointments required (call 845-256-3098) Dates Hours Oct 1 - Dec. 31 (weekdays only) 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM WMU 4J Bonus DMP Issuance Mail or Electronic Application Hunters may send, or present in person, clear photocopies, photos, or scanned images of both sides of their completed 4J DMPs or 4J Bonus tags to: NYS DEC Region 4 Office, 1130 North Wescott Road, Schenectady, NY 12306-2014; Attention: 4J Bonus Or send electronic images to Wildlife.r4@dec.ny.gov with "4J Bonus" in subject line. Be sure to include your name, hunter ID number (backtag number), mailing address, and phone number to receive Bonus permits by mail. Hunters are also encouraged to send in photos of the harvested deer's bottom jaw for DEC to estimate the age based on tooth replacement and wear. Send in a photo(s) of the entire jaw as seen in the example photo to the right. Submitting age data provides valuable information and is an important tool for properly managing deer populations. In Person Application Hunters may bring qualifying antlerless carcasses or qualifying copies of completed 4J DMP tags to the Regional Office in Schenectady. DEC Office in Schenectady; 1130 N. Wescott Road near the intersection of Broadway and Curry Rd. Appointments Required: Call (518) 357-2153 WMU 8C Bonus DMP Issuance All Bonus DMPs for WMU 8C will be issued through the Region 8 DEC Office in East Avon. Mail or Electronic Application Hunters may send, or present in person, clear photocopies, photos, or scanned images of both sides of their completed 8C DMPs or 8C Bonus tags to: NYS DEC Bureau of Wildlife, 6274 E. Avon-Lima Rd., Avon, NY 14414; Attention: 8C Bonus Or send electronic images to R8Wildlife@dec.ny.gov with "8C Bonus" in the subject line. Be sure to include your name, hunter ID number (backtag number), mailing address, and phone number to receive Bonus permits by mail. In Person Application Hunters may bring qualifying antlerless carcasses or qualifying copies of completed 8C DMP tags to the Avon Regional Office. DEC Office in Avon; Route 5/20 (6274 East Avon-Lima Road), about 1 miles east of Interstate 390, Exit 10. Appointments Required: Call (585) 226-5380 Avon Dates Hours During all Southern Zone Deer Seasons (weekdays only) 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (Closed on holidays) Leftover DMPs Extended Application for Leftover DMPs Will Begin November 1, 2023 If there are permits remaining after the initial application period ends, the leftover DMPs may be available during an extended application period. Applications for leftover DMPs will be accepted at license issuing outlets only. Applications will not be accepted by phone, mail or on-line for leftover DMPs. Hunters may apply for and receive up to two additional DMPs in these WMUs. Applicants with licenses that are exempt from paying a DMP application fee or hunters who have previously applied for DMPs this license year will not be charged any additional fees during the extended application period. Otherwise, there is a non-refundable $10 application fee for leftover DMPs. Leftover DMPs are issued on a first-come / first-serve basis. DEC will continue to issue permits in these WMUs until sufficient numbers of DMPs are issued to achieve optimum management in each unit. When a unit is opened, it will remain open at least until close of business that day. At the end of the business day, any units that have reached the desired number of permits will be closed. DEC will continue to issue permits in these WMUs until sufficient numbers of DMPs are issued to achieve optimum management in each unit. When a unit is opened, it will remain open at least until close of business that day. At the end of the business day, any units that have reached the desired number of permits will be closed. Applications for leftover DMPs will not affect any preference points held by the applicant. Note: DMPs are only valid for antlerless deer in the WMU for which they are issued. Skip to main navigation Crossbow Hunting DEC recently surveyed hunters about their preferences regarding crossbow use. View the hunter survey results (PDF). General Crossbow Regulations Age requirement: Crossbows may be used by licensees who are 12 or older to hunt deer and licensees 14 or older to hunt bear, unprotected wildlife, and most small game species. Without landowner permission, crossbows may not be discharged within 250 feet of any home, school building or playground, public structure, farm structure in use, or occupied factory or church. A crossbow may not be possessed in or on a motor vehicle unless it is un-cocked. While on lands inhabited by deer or bear, and in or on a motor vehicle using artificial lights, a crossbow may not be possessed unless it is unstrung or taken down or securely fastened in a case or locked in the trunk of the vehicle. Crossbows may not be used for hunting in Suffolk, Nassau, or Westchester counties. Required Crossbow Hunting Qualification & Safety Training There are 3 options to choose from in order to complete the required crossbow qualification & safety training. All must accompany a NYS hunting license and in some cases a muzzleloading privilege: Option 1 : Review the DEC online crossbow qualification training and complete the Crossbow Certificate of Qualification*. : Review the DEC online crossbow qualification training and complete the Crossbow Certificate of Qualification*. Option 2 : Review the DEC crossbow qualification training and complete the Crossbow Certificate of Qualification* found in the current Hunting & Trapping Regulations Guide. : Review the DEC crossbow qualification training and complete the Crossbow Certificate of Qualification* found in the current Hunting & Trapping Regulations Guide. Option 3: Complete a Hunter Education course to receive a Hunter Education Certificate of Qualification. Certificates must be dated on or after April 1, 2014 to meet crossbow qualification and safety training. *Note: The Crossbow Certificate of Qualification from 2012-2013 is not valid. Crossbow Specifications A legal crossbow consists of a bow and string, either compound or recurve, that launches a minimum 14-inch bolt or arrow, not including point, mounted upon a stock with a trigger that holds the string and limbs under tension until released. The trigger unit of such crossbow must have a working safety. Minimum limb width: 17 inches (outer tip of limbs, excluding wheels and cams, uncocked) Minimum peak draw weight : 100 pounds Maximum peak draw weight : 200 pounds. 17 inches (outer tip of limbs, excluding wheels and cams, uncocked) Minimum overall length: 24 inches from butt-stock to front of limbs. Crossbow Regulations Per Hunting Season Big Game License requirement: The law treats crossbows as a muzzleloader. Hunters must possess a muzzleloader hunting privilege to legally hunt with a crossbow during any muzzleloader season OR during open portions of the early bowhunting seasons. Muzzleloader privilege is not required when hunting with a crossbow during the early bear season or the regular firearms seasons. to legally hunt with a crossbow during any muzzleloader season OR during open portions of the early bowhunting seasons. Muzzleloader privilege is not required when hunting with a crossbow during the early bear season or the regular firearms seasons. Bowhunting privilege is not required for use of a crossbow at any time. Crossbows may be used during the following seasons: Crossbows may be used to take bear during the early bear season, early muzzleloader season in the Northern Zone, regular firearms seasons in the Northern and Southern Zones, and the late muzzleloader season in the Southern Zone. during the early bear season, early muzzleloader season in the Northern Zone, regular firearms seasons in the Northern and Southern Zones, and the late muzzleloader season in the Southern Zone. Crossbows may be used to take deer during: early antlerless season in mid-September early and late muzzleloader season in the Northern Zone and late muzzleloader season in the Southern Zone using Bow/Muzz tags, DMPs, DMAP tags, or an unfilled Regular Big Game tag (late season only); regular firearms seasons using a Regular Big Game tag, DMPs, or DMAP tags. during: Crossbows may also be used to take deer or bear during limited portions of bowhunting seasons as follows, provided that the hunter possesses the muzzleloading privilege: During the last 14 days of the early bowhunting season in the Southern Zone; During the last 10 days of the early bowhunting season in the Northern Zone; this includes the 7-day early muzzleloader season in the Northern Zone; Only Bow/Muzz tags, DMPs or DMAPs may be use during these times. during limited portions of bowhunting seasons as follows, provided that the hunter possesses the muzzleloading privilege: See Deer and Bear Hunting Season dates Crossbows may not be used under the following conditions: To take deer or bear in the following areas of the state: Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) 4J in Albany County WMU 8C in Monroe County In the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, or Westchester Junior big game hunters (age 12-15) may not use a crossbow to take a deer during the Youth Deer Hunt weekend. Adult mentors who accompany a junior big game hunter on the Youth Deer Hunt weekend may not possess a crossbow (or firearm) while afield on those days. Small Game License Requirements: A hunting license is needed to use a crossbow to hunt small game species. A turkey permit is also required to hunt turkeys. All crossbow specifications remain in effect. Crossbows may be used to take the following small game species during their respective open seasons. Wild turkey. Any migratory or upland game birds. Any other small game species. Unprotected wildlife (e.g. red squirrels and woodchucks) at anytime. Crossbows may not be used under the following conditions. While hunting with a dog for any small game (except for coyotes) in the Northern Zone. Fish Crossbows may not be used to take carp or any other fish species. MBABANE We do not see the need for a public apology as we have not broken any law. The above statement was made by proscribed entity, the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) Secretary General (SG) Mthobisi Ntshangase. His statement comes after the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Themba Masuku, called upon the political formation to make a public apology to the nation on Monday afternoon, following the participation of children during its celebration on Saturday. Principles Masuku said this was because the use of children in such activities was seen as contrary to the fundamental principles and rights of the Best interest of the Child, stipulated by the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child and the Childrens Protection and Welfare Act (CPWA), 2012. Ntshangase said if the DPM strongly felt that the law had been broken, he should officially write to the organisation and cite the law that was contravened. He said after receiving the complaint, they would also engage their legal team, should they find that the law was indeed contravened. For now, we still stand that there was no law that was broken considering what transpired during the day. He said both the CPWA and the Constitution were not broken in any way, including other legislation globally. Ntshangase said for now, they considered what the DPM said as accusations made towards the organisation, which were baseless. Membership According to Ntshangase, their membership included children from 14 years upwards. However, he stated that when it came to attendance of their activities, anyone was allowed, regardless of age, as long as they would not in any way be exposed to danger. He said the celebration was similar to any other activity, including community meetings, which were attended by anyone. Meanwhile, the DPM stated that they did not care whether or not the organisation issued an apology but were of the view that they had abused children. Masuku said as leaders, they should be aware of what the legislation said about abuse of children, in particular for their own gain. Matter handled by cops - DPM MBABANE The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Themba Masuku, says the matter of the political formation, which allegedly abused children for its own gain, is being handled by the police. Masuku said as a guardian and custodian of the law, he felt the law was broken but did not have the power to arrest, hence the matter had been handed over to the police. As the custodian of the legislation, we alert the law enforcement, stated the DPM. When questioned if his office had tried to contact the childrens guardians, Masuku said it was part of the investigations as the parents had full responsibility and they should have been worried the moment they realised that their children were associated with the organisation. Telugu actor seems to be more comfortable sporting the lungi look T-town actors seem to be making a new fashion statement these days. With superstar Mahesh Babu slaying the lungi look in the latest poster from "Guntur Kaaram", it seems Tollywood heroes' lungi-clad avatars are here to stay. Only recently, megastar Chiranjeevi looked stunning in a lungi in Waltair Veerayya, while Allu Arjun drew appreciation from across India as a red-sander smuggler wearing colorful lungis in Pushpa. Even other Telugu stars like Ram Charan Tej (Rangasthalam), Pawan Kalyan (Katamarayudu), Rana Daggubati (Nene Raju Nene Mantri) and Nani (Dasara), went for a costume image make-over, a breakaway from their usual urban and stylish avatars, to fit into their roles. "Surely, lungi-clad avatars are the new fashion statement of Telugu superstars. Earlier, Tamil actors would commonly don this outfit," says ace producer Ravi Shankar Yellamanchilli, who celebrated 200 days of Waltair Veerayya recently. "Chiranjeevi garu looked down-to-earth and came close resembling a lower-middle class guy in his lungi-clad avatar in 'Waltair Veerayya'. It had an instant connect with the masses since that's the go-to daily attire for most people in the rural south to this day," he adds. "Ram Charan wore the common man's outfit throughout our rural drama 'Rangasthalam, while Allu Arjun also was draped in colourful lungis in a few scenes of our other film'Pushpa'. Both looked stylish in their new look. Besides, Mahesh Babu also appeared briefly in a lungi, in our film Srimanthudu and received appreciation. And there's no doubt about mana actors' traditional outfits grabbing the attention of fans and general audience alike," informs Ravi Shankar, who says that lungis have been the traditional attire for many decades in the Telugu states. "Actually, Chiranjeevi garu and Ram Charan slip into specially-designed lungis while they move into their cars after shooting, so it is close to our real-life too," points out Ravi Shankar Talking about hotshot Ranas makeover in "Nene Raju Nene Mantri," director Teja says, "Rana wore the old-fashioned outfit since the role demanded such an appearance. Rana wanted to get into the skin of the character of a politician and accordingly went in for a complete makeover, far away from his urban and suave attires. Honestly, roles and outfits have to go hand-in-hand to impress the viewers in varied roles. More actors are going to join this bandwagon, since many stories with rural backdrops are in the making now.This trend also negates the perception that Telugu stars are reluctant to break away from their established trendy image as it is quite apparent now," he concludes. The legislation outlines penalties for various violations, encompassing fines of up to Rs 200 crore for neglecting obligations towards children's data protection and Rs 250 crore for failure to implement security measures to prevent data breaches. An appointed committee will levy penalties following an inquiry. (Image: PTI) New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday approved the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2023 through a voice vote, as Opposition members staged a walkout in protest of the Manipur issue. Earlier, the Lok Sabha had also endorsed the Bill on Monday using a voice vote, amidst Opposition members' slogans focusing on Manipur. The Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 3 by IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, arrives six years after the Supreme Court established the "Right to Privacy" as a fundamental right. It includes provisions to curb the misuse of individuals' data by online platforms. Vaishnaw stressed that the Bill delineates responsibilities for both private and government entities concerning the collection and processing of citizens' data. The legislation outlines penalties for various violations, encompassing fines of up to Rs 200 crore for neglecting obligations towards children's data protection and Rs 250 crore for failure to implement security measures to prevent data breaches. An appointed committee will levy penalties following an inquiry. While introducing the Bill for deliberation and passage in the Upper House, Vaishnaw said, "It would have been beneficial if the Opposition had engaged in discussions about the Bill in the House today. Unfortunately, none of the Opposition members seem to be concerned about citizens' rights." He highlighted that the Bill was formulated after extensive public consultations. Vaishnaw underscored that the Bill's key points are communicated in simple language, making it accessible even to individuals without specialised knowledge. Pointing to foundational principles, Vaishnaw stated that data collection must be in accordance with existing laws and should not be utilised for purposes beyond its original intent. A motion to send the Bill to the Parliamentary committee by Rajya Sabha member John Brittas and V. Sivadasan was not moved due to their absence in the House when the Bill was put for vote. Officials of Singareni Collieries refused to give a compassionate appointment to his married sister, Roshini, on the grounds that she is married and thus, was not dependent on her brother. (Representative image: DC) Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday ruled that a married sister of a deceased employee is also eligible for compassionate appointments, holding that denial of compassionate appointment to a sister because she was not dependent on the deceased employee would amount to gender discrimination. The ruling was issued by Justice P. Madhavi Devi, who was dealing with a petition filed by Munigala Deepa and Roshni, the mother and sister of Naresh, who died while working with the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). In the first place, Naresh got the job on compassionate quota in the company, after his father had died during the service. However, Naresh also died after serving for one year. But, officials of Singareni Collieries refused to give a compassionate appointment to his married sister, Roshini, on the grounds that she is married and thus, was not dependent on her brother. Challenging the same, Roshini approached the High Court. Sanjeev Kalvala, counsel for the petitioner, brought to the notice of the court a Supreme Court ruling, wherein it upheld the decision of the Jharkhand High Court to list married or unmarried sisters as eligible persons to be considered for compassionate appointment and that non-consideration would amount to gender discrimination, in a similar issue. As the Supreme Court has upheld the decision, this would be considered as the guideline, the counsel argued. Considering the submission by Sanjeev Kalvala, the Telangana High Court issued directions to Singareni Collieries Company Ltd to appoint the petitioner on compassionate quota. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, in an apparent jibe at the Opposition, asserted that the country "is now speaking in one voice against corruption, dynasticism and appeasement". (File Image: PTI) New Delhi: Paying tributes to the freedom fighters who participated in the Quit India Movement under Mahatma Gandhis leadership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, in an apparent jibe at the Opposition, asserted that the country "is now speaking in one voice against corruption, dynasticism and appeasement". "Tributes to the greats who took part in the Quit India movement. Under the leadership of Gandhi Ji, this movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial ruleToday, India is saying in one voice: Corruption Quit India. Dynasty Quit India. Appeasement Quit India," tweeted the Prime Minister. Explaining the Prime Ministers message, the BJP said "dynasticism, corruption and appeasement" are the three evils of politics, which must "Quit India" in the best interest of the country. Commemorating the Quit India movement, launched by Mahatma Gandhi on August 9, 1942, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad lambasted the Opposition alliance "INDIA", alleging that it is nothing but a "ghamandiya" alliance, which promotes corruption, dynasticism and appeasement. "Where there is parivarvad, there exists corruption. Where there is corruption, there is appeasement All these are three ills that form the dirty triangle of Indias politics," said the BJP leader as he quoted scams under the UPA regime and the scams in Bihar during former chief minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadavs rule. He also spoke about scams that took place in the TMC, DMK and TRS-ruled states. "For the sake of India's security and integrity, it is important that these three ills blatant family rule, corruption and shameful appeasement quit India," said Prasad while addressing the media. The BJP claimed that if the democratic fabric of the country is to be safeguarded, "probity in politics has to be brought back and saved in the country; these three curses have to quit India." Asserting that the BJP is against dynastic politics and not against the son or daughter of a politician coming to politics and contesting elections, Prasad explained that dynastic politics means "the son or daughter of a politician running the party as its chief, becoming Prime Minister or chief minister or becoming the party's Prime Ministerial or chief ministerial candidate." "This is called parivarvaad, in which there is no space for ordinary party workers and leaders," said the former Union minister. Taking a swipe at the Congress, Prasad said "packaging and repackaging" of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will keep happening, but it is for the leaders of that party to see how much capacity he has "to become the leader of this great country." He also took a swipe at the Congress for calling Gandhi a "Jan Nayak", saying the people had given this title to former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur for his great contributions. "When raag darbaar is played in 'darbari' culture, several dissonant ragas also emerge," he said. Labelling the Opposition's INDIA alliance ghamandiya, the BJP leader targeted the RJD, TMC and DMK, accusing their top leaders of carrying forward dynastic politics. "Family rule is inherently undemocratic and irresponsible Parivaar needs the support of the corrupt to continue their politics. Appeasement is a significant part of their political thoughts," the BJP leader alleged. On Wednesday, the BJP MPs also staged a demonstration at the Parliament House complex, seeking the banishment of dynasty politics, corruption and appeasement politics from the country. Akbaruddin Owaisi visited the Masjid Hashimi and another masjid being built on the Secretariat premises. (DC Photo) HYDERABAD: AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi on Wednesday visited the Masjid Hashimi and another masjid being built on the Secretariat premises, after they were demolished along with the old secretariat. Accepting the demands of Muslims for rebuilding them in the same place, the government allotted 1,600 square yards for mosques. The foundation stone for the reconstruction of mosques was laid on November 25, 2021, 16 months after their demolition. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and home minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali had assured Muslims leaders of completing the construction of mosques along with the Secretariat. But, while the Secretariat was opened on April 30, mosques were delayed due to improper release of funds, with the roads and buildings (R&B) officials needing four months and saying that it was far-fetched to expect the completion of religious structures along with the Secretariat. The design submitted by Akbaruddin Owaisi was accepted by the government, as per which 250 to 300 people can offer prayers in each. The masjids will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister on August 25. The total estimated cost is Rs 2.9 crore. Political parties raised their voice against the demolition of places of worship, as besides two mosques, a temple and church were also demolished. The issue had snowballed into controversy and resulted in a PIL in the High Court. The old Secretariat complex was spread over 25 acres and housed the offices of the Chief Minister, council of ministers and bureaucrats. Land for the demolished temple was allotted towards the Mint Compound. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (PTI) New Delhi: Delivering his first speech after being reinstated as a member of the Lok Sabha, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday lodged a frontal attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the government has "murdered Bharat Mata" in Manipur. He raised the temperature in the Lok Sabha on the second day of the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Modi government by referring to members of the ruling party as "traitors". Gandhi alleged the Prime Minister does not consider the state to be a part of India. "I went to Manipur a few days ago. Our Prime Minister has not gone there, he has not gone there till now. He does not consider Manipur a part of India. I used the word Manipur, but the reality is that there is no Manipur left. You have divided Manipur into two parts, you have broken up Manipur," Gandhi lashed out. "As I had said, India is a voice of the people. You killed that voice in Manipur. This means that you murdered Bharat Mata in Manipur," Gandhi asserted amid thumping of desks by the Opposition leaders. These comments drew a sharp protest from the BJP members, who objected to Gandhis statement. "By killing the people of Manipur you have murdered Bharat, you are not desh bhakt (patriot) but desh drohis (traitors)," Gandhi continued, despite the protests by the ruling party members. "The Prime Minister cannot go to Manipur because he has murdered Hindustan there You are not the protectors of Bharat Mata but its killers," he said. Speaker Om Birla then urged Gandhi to exercise restraint while speaking in the House, asserting that "Bharat Mata is our mother". However, Gandhi said: "I am talking about the murder of my mother in Manipur. I am speaking with respect that you murdered my mother in Manipur. My mother is sitting here. The other mother, Bharat Mata, you killed in Manipur," he said, pointing to Sonia Gandhi, who was sitting in the front row in the Lok Sabha. "Till you do not stop violence in Manipur, you are murdering my mother," he said. As the Treasury Benches protested and attacked Gandhi, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress leader should apologise for his remarks as it was the Congress that was responsible for the insurgency and other problems in the Northeast. Members of various Opposition parties rushed to the Well to protest Rijiju's comments in the middle of Gandhis speech and one of them was seen hitting the Speakers desk. Congress members were also heard telling the Treasury Benches that they will also disrupt Modis speech when he replies to the motion on Thursday. Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi was seen going to different rows occupied by the MPs of the BJP and its allies, apparently advising them to keep quiet. Continuing his no-holds-barred attack on the government in his over 30-minute speech, Gandhi alleged that the Prime Minister listens to only two people, Amit Shah and Gautam Adani, just as Ravan paid heed to only two peoples advice Meghnad and Kumbhakaran. Gandhi also showed an old poster of Modi and Adani sitting together in an aircraft, and claimed that "Modi doesnt listen to Indias voice but theirs (Adani group)." The Prime Minister was not present in the House when Gandhi spoke. However, ruling party MPs protested over the poster, pointing out that it was not allowed by the rules. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla again asked Gandhi to exercise restraint. "Hanuman had not burnt down Lanka, Ravans arrogance did it. Ravan was not killed by Ram but by his arrogance," Gandhi said, referring to the Ramayan epic. He said that the Indian Army that could swiftly bring peace to Manipur but the government was not deploying it. On his experience of visiting relief camps in Manipur, Gandhi said: "I asked a woman about what happened to her and she replied that her small son, an only child, was shot before her eyes. She told me that she spent the whole night with the body of her child and then she felt afraid and left her house. When I asked her if she had brought along something with her, she responded only the clothes she was wearing and a photo. In another camp, when I asked another woman the same question about what happened to her, she started trembling and fainted", Gandhi added. "These are (just) two examples. In Manipur, they (BJP) have murdered Hindustan. Their politics has not killed Manipur but killed Hindustan in Manipur. Hindustan has been murdered in Manipur," he said. "You are sprinkling kerosene everywhere. You sprinkled kerosene in Manipur and then added fire to it. You are now trying the same thing in Haryana. You are attempting to burn the country everywhere. You are murdering Bharat Mata throughout the country," he said, referring to recent communal clashes in Gurgaon and Nuh. After Gandhi concluded his speech, Congress MPs started chanted "Rahul Rahul". BJP members hit back with chants of "Modi Modi". Gandhi arrived in the House nearly 10 minutes before it reassembled at noon when he was supposed to speak and was seen going through his notes. He started his speech by thanking Speaker Om Birla for reinstating his membership of the Lower House. "The last time I spoke, I also caused you (Birla) pain. I focused on Adaniji with such intensity, your senior leaders felt pain. That pain also affected you, for that I apologise to you," Gandhi told Mr Birla. "I only spoke the truth. My BJP friends, you need not be afraid because my speech today will not be focused on Adani," he said, and quoted poet Rumi to say "Jo shabd dil se aate hain woh dil mein jaate hain" (Words spoken from the heart appeal to the heart). The BRS is likely to be the first to release the initial list of candidates in the three-horse race. Twitter HYDERABAD: Although the starting gun for the race to power in Telangana state is yet to go off, the three major parties of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have started working on candidate lists, with hopefuls already making their pitches, aided by rumours or threats of defection. The BRS is likely to be the first to release the initial list of candidates in the three-horse race, to be followed closely by an increasingly pugnacious Congress, with the BJP which appears to have adopted a sanguine attitude expected to name its contenders only after a multi-level vetting, and final approval by its national leadership. Seeking to retain the crown for the third time running, the BRS is expected to release its first list in the last week of August or the first week of September, with a few incumbents already having made the cut. In 2018, Rao announced the BRS first list on September 6 for the December Assembly polls, releasing a list of 105 names to match his lucky number, six. A BRS source said that this time too, Raos lucky number will be in play and that the first list will have the names of 87 candidates. All eyes are on the Kamareddy seat, in the wake of reports that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao may opt for the segment instead of Gajwel, which he currently represents. Kamareddy BRS MLA Gampa Goverdhans repeated comments that he thrice requested Rao to contest from Kamareddy, and that the Chief Minister responded positively, have lent some traction to this speculation. The Congress, seeking to demonstrate its confidence, is expected to get its first list out in the first or second week of September, with the names likely to be of those who are sure-shot candidates, including its sitting MLAs. The list is expected to include the likes of TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy (Kodangal), Komatireddy Venkat Reddy (Nalgonda), Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka (Madhira), D. Sreedhar Babu (Manthani), Danasari Seethakka (Mulugu), and T. Jagga Reddy (Sangareddy), among others. "Not all names can be released at once as there are several factors that will come into play. But some strong aspirants will likely be told to start working in their chosen constituencies, while seats that the party is not certain about will be the last to find nominees," a party leader said. A Congress vice-president said the lists are not likely to be released early, despite wishes to the contrary. "We are hoping to declare SC, ST and BC seats early. The BRS list could come much earlier than ours. We hope to announce 30 to 40 names to start with," the leader said. The third major player, the BJP, is expected not to rush off the blocks, but instead, trot along and not worry about being first in the race to announce names. Party leaders said there are some, such as Rama Devi (Mudhole), Rao Padma (Hanamkonda), Payal Shankar (Adilabad), Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy (Munugode) and Etala Rajendar (Huzurabad), who already know where they will fight the poll battle from. "The BJP will not be in a hurry to announce its candidates and the final say will be that of the partys national leadership. But we are confident that we already have candidates who are on top of the contenders for the party tickets in 40 to 50 constituencies," a senior BJP leader said. Home Minister Amit Shah said, "Post independence, if the nation has confidence in any leader, it is Narendra Modi who was elected twice with complete majority. After 30 years, people elected a full majority government." (Image: PTI) New Delhi: Tearing into the newly formed Opposition alliance "INDIA" for playing politics over Manipur violence, Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that while these incidents are shameful, politicising them is even more shameful. As the Lok Sabha adopted a resolution calling for the restoration of peace in the northeastern state, Shah urged the warring Kuki and Meitei communities to hold talks with the government. Intervening in the debate on the no-confidence motion after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition members slammed the government's handling of the Manipur situation, Shah urged them not to politicise the issue of ethnic violence in the state. "I agree with the Opposition that there is a cycle of violence in Manipur... Nobody can support such incidents. Whatever happened is shameful, but to politicise those events is even more shameful," the Union home minister said. The Lok Sabha also adopted a resolution, read out by Speaker Om Birla, appealing for peace in Manipur. The NDA members, in the presence of the Opposition, enthusiastically supported the resolution. In his nearly two-hour intervention, Shah ruled out a change of guard in Manipur, asserting that the chief minister was cooperating with the Centre in the efforts to restore peace. The Union home minister also talked about the May 4 incident video in which two women were stripped and paraded naked by a mob. Referring to the video, which appeared on July 19, Shah said the government was not aware of it. "Had the video been made available to the state director-general of police instead of being circulated on social media, it would have helped nab the culprits in time," Shah said, while questioning the intention of leaking the video on social media ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. "Such actions cannot be supported anywhere in the world. Media friends pointed this out to me and asked if the video should be handed over to the police. Why did it emerge a day before the parliamentary session? Nine people were identified, arrested and are facing trial since the video came to light," he said. Shah also spoke on the origin of hostilities and urged the two warring communities to come to the dialogue table. "I urge both communities (the Kukis and the Meiteis) to sit with the Centre and talk to resolve the issue. We do not wish to change the demography. I am talking to them personally. Please do not politicise this," he said. The Union home minister further informed the Lok Sabha that problems started in Manipur with the influx of Kuki refugees from neighbouring Myanmar after the military rulers there started a crackdown against militants in 2021. "The Kuki refugees started settling down in the jungles in the Manipur valley, raising fears of a demographic change in the region. The unrest in the Manipur valley began when rumours began to circulate that the refugee settlements have been declared villages," Shah said. He noted that the Manipur High Court order to fast-track the process for the inclusion of Meiteis in the list of Scheduled Tribes added fuel to the fire. "The violence that broke out on May 3 has been continuing to date and the Centre has established a peace committee as part of efforts to restore normalcy in the state. Over 36,000 security personnel have been stationed between the Kukis and the Meiteis as a buffer zone. The anger has not subsided yet, but violence has reduced," the minister said. He further noted that a unified command has been created to coordinate between the BSF, CRPF, Assam Rifles and the Manipur police deployed there. Six cases of conspiracy have been handed over to the CBI. Shah also questioned the character of the Opposition alliance, saying its true face was seen when it indulged in corruption to save its governments. He said that when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee faced a no-trust vote in 1999, he chose to step down instead of indulging in corruption to save his government. "The character of political parties and alliances is revealed in such times of crises. The UPA's character is to indulge in corruption to save the government by hook or by crook, while the BJP-led NDA's character is to stand up to the principles," Shah said. He noted that the then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao had faced a no-confidence motion in 1993 and the Congress then chose to remain in power by hook or by crook. "Narasimha Rao won the trust vote, but Jharkhand Mukti Morcha members had to go to jail. Later, Narasimha Rao also went to jail... Today, the Congress and the JMM are sitting in the Opposition in the Lok Sabha," the Union home minister said. Shah further noted that in 2008, the Manmohan Singh government brought the confidence motion and this House saw its most disgraceful moments when MPs were bribed in crores of rupees and the government was saved and said, "This is the character of the UPA." Shah said that the Opposition parties do not have confidence in the government, but the people of the nation think otherwise. "Post-Independence, if the nation has confidence in any leader, it is Narendra Modi who was elected twice with a complete majority. After 30 years, people elected a full majority government," he said. Referring to the Opposition leaders' speech, Shah said that he had heard the speeches of the Opposition leaders and has reached the conclusion that this no-confidence motion was brought in the House only to create confusion. He told the House that on the Quit India movement's anniversary, the Prime Minister has given the slogan 'Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India and Appeasement Quit India'. "Modi has ushered in a new era of politics since 2014, that of development, which will lead to the creation of India of the dreams of our freedom fighters much before 2047," Shah said. MBABANE Boisterous! Civil servants at the Ministry of Education and Training had a rough start to the day yesterday morning, as the association of teachers turned the ministry into a boisterous environment. This was when some branch leaders and members of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) National Executive Committee (NEC) went to the ministrys building and created chaos that brought the entire building to a standstill. The incident took place yesterday morning as the members were accompanying SNAT President Mbongwa Dlamini. Dlamini had been invited to appear before the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), yesterday at 9am, over the 109 charges of alleged absenteeism. According to the SNAT Secretary General (SG), Lot Vilakati, the association received the invitation on Monday afternoon. He said what raised questions was why the TSC had summoned the SNAT president when his charges were dropped by the Industrial Court and government was ordered to repay Dlamini. Just two weeks ago, the association of teachers members were at the Ministry of Education and Training, where they demanded the reinstatement of their presidents July salary, which was eventually paid on July 27, 2023. The SG said it was hard for them to understand why the TSC pursued a matter that had been finalised in court. He said the summoning of the president by TSC was a victimisation, ridiculing and belittling the president. He said the TSC did as it pleased to teachers. Vilakati said what pained them the most was that the TSC allegedly continued to victimise teachers, more especially SNAT members, despite raising the concerns to their mother ministry. He said it was for that reason they opted to come to the ministrys boardroom where the meeting was to take place. Upon arrival at the ministry, the SNAT members brought operations to a standstill, as no one could leave or enter the building through the main entrance. The SNAT members, who were led by the members of the NEC and branch leaders, entered the ministry, chanting and dancing. Gathering Before entering the ministrys offices, as they were gathering themselves outside, the TSC commissioners were seen entering the ministry to the boardroom, where the meeting was supposed to take place. It was not long after they had entered that the SNAT members started singing along the corridors, more especially along the offices of the TSC. They even used megaphones inside the offices, while walking and jumping along the corridors. Some of the songs where inviting the TSC officials to come to them as they were waiting for them. One of the songs that was led by the SG went; Woza yeNkululeko (one of TSC officials) sikulindile. Speeches were also made along the corridors. While the unusual activities were taking place, some workers who were already in the offices were forced to leave their offices due to the noise. They said they could not even make phone calls and carry out their duties. The activity took about 45 minutes inside the offices before the SNAT members went outside. As they left the offices, they kept shouting that they would return. Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Devon Energy Co. (NYSE:DVN Free Report) by 14.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 319,099 shares of the energy companys stock after buying an additional 40,613 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corps holdings in Devon Energy were worth $16,150,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaCrest Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Devon Energy during the first quarter valued at $364,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Devon Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $188,000. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in shares of Devon Energy by 52.1% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 99,120 shares of the energy companys stock worth $5,861,000 after acquiring an additional 33,936 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Devon Energy by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 414,354 shares of the energy companys stock worth $24,500,000 after acquiring an additional 34,870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Devon Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. 71.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Devon Energy alerts: Insider Transactions at Devon Energy In other news, EVP Dennis C. Cameron sold 7,870 shares of Devon Energy stock in a transaction on Friday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.13, for a total transaction of $402,393.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 210,548 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $10,765,319.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.63% of the companys stock. Devon Energy Stock Performance Shares of DVN stock opened at $50.77 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Devon Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $44.03 and a 52 week high of $78.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.53 billion, a PE ratio of 6.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 2.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $49.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.31. Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The energy company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.18. The business had revenue of $3.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.26 billion. Devon Energy had a net margin of 28.10% and a return on equity of 37.89%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 38.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Devon Energy Co. will post 5.49 EPS for the current fiscal year. Devon Energy Cuts Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.86%. Devon Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.94%. Analyst Ratings Changes DVN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Devon Energy from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, July 24th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Devon Energy from $69.00 to $63.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of Devon Energy from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a strong-buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Devon Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and decreased their price target for the company from $63.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Devon Energy from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $65.53. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Devon Energy Devon Energy Profile (Free Report) Devon Energy Corporation, an independent energy company, explores for, develops, and produces oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. It operates in Delaware, Anadarko, Williston, Eagle Ford, and Powder River Basin. The company was incorporated in 1971 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DVN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Devon Energy Co. (NYSE:DVN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Devon Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Devon Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. VanEck Israel ETF (NYSEARCA:ISRA Get Free Report)s share price traded down 2.1% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $35.11 and last traded at $35.11. 1,556 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 44% from the average session volume of 2,789 shares. The stock had previously closed at $35.87. VanEck Israel ETF Stock Down 2.1 % The stock has a market cap of $55.47 million, a PE ratio of 9.17 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $36.03 and a 200 day moving average of $35.99. Get VanEck Israel ETF alerts: Institutional Investors Weigh In On VanEck Israel ETF Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new stake in VanEck Israel ETF in the first quarter valued at $43,000. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of VanEck Israel ETF by 48.5% in the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 1,592 shares of the companys stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 520 shares during the period. OLD Mission Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VanEck Israel ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $78,000. UBS Group AG grew its stake in VanEck Israel ETF by 269.7% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,564 shares of the companys stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 2,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can acquired a new position in VanEck Israel ETF during the 2nd quarter worth $145,000. About VanEck Israel ETF The VanEck Israel ETF (ISRA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the BlueStar Israel Global index. The fund tracks a cap-weighted, committee-reviewed index of Israeli and Israeli-linked companies. ISRA was launched on Jun 25, 2013 and is managed by VanEck. Read More Receive News & Ratings for VanEck Israel ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for VanEck Israel ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. McGuigan's Garage on Swatragh's Main Street has just celebrated seven decades of trading as a family business. Tommy McGuigan opened the garage in July 1953 and the focus of the business was vehicle and tractor repairs and tractor sales. From 1974 to 1997 the garage was signed with the Lada organisation. During these years they specialised in the repair and sales of Lada vehicles. After 1997, the family expanded the business to be able to import and sell any make of vehicle. After 70 years, the family continues to sell all makes of cars and commercial vehicles throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe. Speaking about the incredible milestone, the McGuigan family said they are proud of what they have achieved over the last 70 years. "Growing the business hasnt been an easy task," they said. "As with any business there have been lots of obstacles to overcome but hitting milestones such as this makes it all worthwhile. "We are a close family, so it is nice to be able to work alongside each other every day. "We now even have the third generation of the family working in the business -Tommys grandchildren. We enjoy celebrating the businesses successes together as a family." The family say the secret to the success of their business is dedication. "Without the hard work and dedication the entire team at McGuigans Garage has put in everyday over the last 70 years we wouldnt be where we are today. "We have been fully committed to making the business a success over the last seven decades, it's not just a 9-5 when it's your own business- it's 24/7 but it's worth it as we are happy to carry on our fathers legacy. You get out what you put in." The family wanted to thank not only every customer but their extended family's support. They continued: "We couldnt have done it without the immediate and wider family circle, their help and support has been very much appreciated. "A massive thank you to anyone who has worked for us or assisted us over the last 70 years, you are very much appreciated. "Obviously a huge thank you goes out to each and every one of our customers over the last 70 years, especially repeat customers. "We can look back and see how much we have achieved and we know our father Tommy would be proud." A local councillor has called for a bilingual road sign, which was stolen just days after being re-erected, to be returned. Sinn Fein's Fergal Leonard says it is 'a sad state of affairs when someone is so intolerant and insecure that they have to remove a road sign because it contains the Irish language'. He has also asked unionist politicians to make a call for the sign to be returned. He was speaking after the recently re-erected sign for Bothar an tSleibhe Bhui/Slieveboy Road, at its junction with Longland Road, outside Claudy, was stolen. This follows previous incidents of damage and theft of bi-lingual signage at this location. Councillor Fergal Leonard said: The theft of the signage was reported to me on Saturday afternoon by several nearby residents and members of the public expressing their disgust on social media. It is a sad state of affairs when someone is so intolerant and insecure that they have to attack a road sign because it contains the Irish language. "I have reported this matter to both the PSNI and Derry City and Strabane District Council for investigation. This is criminal damage and a hate crime and needs to be treated as such. I would call upon unionist politicians to condemn these actions and ask them to make a public call for the sign to be returned. In conclusion Cllr Leonard said: All I and the people in this area ask is for the sign left to be left alone and for mutual respect to be shown to each other. PICTURED ABOVE: Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Patricia Logue, at the launch of the Cross Border Job Fair at the City Hotel, with from left, Ashley Russell-Cowan Department for Communities, Lorraine OMalley Co-Ordinator Cross Border Partnership for Employment Services and Nicky Gilleece Derry City and Strabane District Council. Local job seekers will have a chance to speak directly with prospective employers at a special event planned for the City Hotel next month. The Derry City Job Fair on Tuesday, September 12th is a chance for individuals to chat to employers, learn about vacancies that exist in the Council area and enhance their employment prospects through practical advice and support. The Job Fair is hosted by Department for Communities, Derry and Strabane Labour Market Partnership and Cross Border Partnership Employment Services (incorporating the Department of Social Protection, Ireland) on Tuesday, September 12th. It is a chance for individuals to chat to employers, learn more about the vacancies that exist in the Council area and enhance their employment prospects through practical advice and support. Speaking at this week's launch, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Patricia Logue, urged the public to take advantage of the chance to make informed decisions about their next career move. "The Derry Job Fair will feature a diverse mix of employers from a range of sectors all under one roof including engineering, education, IT, hospitality, manufacturing, construction and customer service," she said. "Those in attendance can also avail of practical support on how to enhance your employability and make a successful application through CV and interview advice. "Whether you are currently out of work or just considering the next step in your career journey I would encourage you to attend." The Job Fair will take place from 11.00am to 3.00pm on Tuesday, September 12th and admission is free. A second Job Fair is also being arranged for the Alley Theatre in Strabane on Wednesday, September 27th from midday to 3.00pm. For further information email dfcemployerservices@communities-ni.gov.uk. Shots were reportedly fired in Derry during a second night of disturbances following removal of material from a bonfire site. Police said they are investigating a number of incidents overnight, including a report of shots being fired in the Galliagh area. On Monday evening a young woman suffered a broken jaw after being struck by debris from a burning car. On Wednesday, a PSNI spokesman said they received a report that shots had been fired in Glengalliagh Park sometime between midnight and 1am. A number of cars were stoned in Moss Road in Shantallow, a fence was set on fire in Glendale Park, and criminal damage was caused to a bus in the vicinity of the Slievemore Roundabout. We are investigating a number of incidents overnight, including a report of shots fired in Galliagh. pic.twitter.com/t8uDJXL8ws Police Derry City and Strabane (@PSNIDCSDistrict) August 9, 2023 The 19-year-old woman who suffered facial injuries on Monday is due to undergo surgery on Wednesday. The teenagers mother told BBC Radio Ulster her daughter is in a lot of pain but doing OK. She was just out walking with her friends, they probably stopped for a wee nosy the car was at the other side of the street. She took a phone call and all of a sudden thought her jaw was locked, she said. We were horrified when we saw her when she came home. We took her to hospital, where they confirmed her jaw had been broken in two places, and she had a large gash in the side of her face where she had been hit. She is undergoing surgery this morning she is to get two plates in her face. Derry City and Strabane Area Commander Chief Superintendent Nigel Goddard described serious and sinister incidents. For a second night, we saw damage caused to property and the community. A bus was damaged, a car hijacked and the driver assaulted, and a home targeted with a fence set on fire, which could easily have spread to neighbouring properties, he said. These are all serious and sinister incidents, which serve only to cause fear and distress in the community, and trauma to the people directly impacted. A report of shots has been made, and we are aware of video footage that has been circulated and posted online in relation to this. Inquiries into this report, and all the incidents reported to us last night, are ongoing. We appeal to anyone with information about any of these incidents, or captured footage of them, to get in touch with us on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. We will continue to monitor the situation and work with community representatives in the area, and appeal to those with influence to use that to ensure no further disorder. Bonfires are traditionally lit in nationalist areas of Derry on August 15. The fires are associated with the August anniversary of the introduction of internment without trial during the Troubles, and also coincide with the Catholic Feast of the Assumption. Earlier this week, the Department for Communities (DfC) said it had cleared the site in Galliagh due to public safety concerns. The site is close to homes on a large green space owned by the department. Groundbreaking CV AI accelerator design announced at Flash Memory Summit could be game changer for real-time threat detection Cambridge, UK and Santa Clara, CA August 9, 2023 Blueshift Memory, designer of a novel proprietary high-speed memory architecture, has announced the successful completion of a 13-month R&D project to demonstrate the performance of its Cambridge Architecture, which was funded by an Innovate UK Smart grant. Blueshift Memory is also showcasing at Flash Memory Summit the chip it has designed during the project, which is an accelerator solution for computer vision (CV) AI-enhanced image recognition. A paper will be presented at the Summit, describing the development of the RISC-V-based chip, and reporting the achievement of acceleration by a factor of 16 to 128 times for processing image data, along with ultra-low power consumption. When used in a security camera monitoring a rapidly-evolving active shooter situation, for example, the chip can enable real-time identification of different types of firearms to automatically trigger an alarm. This capability could be a game changer and could potentially save many lives. The Cambridge Architecture has been developed to address the Von Neumann Bottleneck the phenomenon that data transfer between the core and the memory has become the limiting factor in computational speed. As computing tasks grow more data-hungry, it overcomes a growing obstacle to computational efficiency, and it also offers huge energy savings by eliminating unnecessary movement of data. This is the first time that Blueshift Memorys technology has been demonstrated in a real-life application, and the results are extremely promising, said Peter Marosan, CTO and founder of Blueshift Memory. We know that in more challenging, data-intensive use cases like servers for high-frequency trading, the Cambridge Architecture is capable of even higher levels of acceleration, up to 1000x or more, and this is the first step towards us reaching that market. This high performance will also be accompanied by dramatic energy savings, since moving large amounts of data around unnecessarily makes excessive demands on energy consumption. Recog.AI, based in Budapest, Hungary, will act as a distributor for the chips and accelerator modules, which it plans to use both in CCTV cameras and in the cloud. Recog.AI can set up a cloud-based Computer Vision as a Service (CVaaS) solution for its clients, powered by Blueshift Memory cloud inference cards," said Mate Hegedus, CEO of Recog.AI. The chip will offer the users considerable benefits such as faster processing, lower latency, and improved energy efficiency. Alternatively, by using the solution as a standalone chip we can offer enhanced real-time image and video analysis capabilities on the edge, and integrate these devices into our own computer vision platform." Blueshift Memory is exhibiting on Booth 757 at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, 8 10 August 2023. Sarmad Adeel, senior embedded design engineer at Blueshift Memory, will present a paper entitled, Novel memory-efficient computer architecture integration in RISC-V with CXL in Session SARC-302-1 at 09:45 on Thursday 10 August. About Blueshift Memory Blueshift Memorys proprietary chip design optimizes the memory architecture for more efficient handling of large data sets and time-critical data, enabling up to 1,000 times faster memory access for specific data-focused applications. These include high performance computing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine vision for augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), 5G edge connectivity and the Internet of Things (IoT). The focus of Blueshift Memorys technology is the Cambridge Architecture, the next-generation technology for stored-program machines, designed to replace the currently-used modified Harvard architecture and to overcome the traditional constraints of the von Neumann bottleneck. For more information see www.blueshiftmemory.com. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. China automobile exports expected to surpass 5 million in 2023 Car exports from China are on track to grow as the country shipped out the most automobiles worldwide in the first half of 2023. Cui Dongshu, secretary-general for the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), said China is expected to see the exports exceed 5 million this year. The European market will likely be the largest driving force. Cui said China's car exports have been increasing significantly in the past two years thanks to the surging shipment of new energy vehicles (NEV). The average price of an exported vehicle also has grown. According to Chinese customs data, the country exported 2.34 million cars in the first six months of 2023, dethroning Japan for the first time in the half-year record. Data from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association shows that Japan shipped out 2.02 million vehicles in the first half of the year. Cui said China's car exports should be able to surpass 5 million this year, with the European market offering the country a great opportunity. He said Europe demands a more significant number of cars as many of its resources remain tight. The continent also supports NEVs with several policies, which can benefit China's exports profoundly. According to Cui, China's annual automobile exports stayed around 1 million for several years. The numbers reached 2.19 million in 2021 due to the production hit in other parts of the world caused by COVID-19 and Tesla ramping up manufacturing in Shanghai. Source: CPCA, compiled by DIGITIMES Asia, August 2023 China saw its automobile exports increase by 73% year-over-year in the first half of 2023. Cui said China-made vehicles have been more competitive. Moreover, Chinese brands have replaced many international automakers in the Russian market. The two factors primarily drove the export growth. Nikkei Asia reported that China's NEV exports in the first six months of 2023 doubled from 2022, accounting for a quarter of the country's overall automobile exports. Tesla exported over 180,000 vehicles and BYD shipped out more than 80,000 cars. Cui said China-made NEVs are mostly exported to the UK, Thailand, France and Germany in the first half of this year. Companies like SAIC, Geely and BYD took up more market share in the Dutch market, China-based NEV makers will have to tweak their design to accommodate foreign customers' needs, according to Cui. He said the companies have to set up charging infrastructure and ensure quality after sales in overseas markets. The priority is to build a good reputation in the European market, Cui added. Beyon Money, a part of Beyon Group, has partnered with Bahrains payment channel Sadad to offer its international remittance services on all its machines across the kingdom. It covers 49 overseas destinations including UK, US, Africa, EU and GCC. The agreement was signed by Beyon Money CEO Roberto Mancone and Sadad CEO Dr. Mohammed Rifat Alkashif during a meeting held at the Beyon Campus, Hamala, Bahrain. Beyon Money, part of the Beyon Group, has partnered with Bahrains most secure and innovative payment channel, Sadad, to offer Beyon Moneys International Remittance services on all Sadad machines across Bahrain. The agreement was signed by Beyon Money CEO Roberto Mancone and Sadad CEO Dr. Mohammed Rifat Alkashif during a meeting held at the Beyon Campus, Hamala, Bahrain. The collaboration expands Beyon Moneys popular digital remittance services, which today covers 49 international destinations including the UK, US, Africa, EU and the GCC, and enables them to be accessed from Sadad kiosks. All beneficiaries added to the customers Beyon Money application will be reflected in the kiosk for ease of sending cash in a few simple steps. Beyon Money CEO Roberto Mancone said: "We are delighted to partner with Sadad to enable our customers to pay in cash via the user-friendly and extensive kiosks network to send funds overseas to their families and business associates." "The deal with Sadad is in line with our strategy to enhance our services and increase the freedom of choice for customers,:" he stated. "We are committed to continuously enhance the range of products and services available from Beyon Money, and with this addition users can remit money fully digitally within the app from their bank account through their debit card, from the Beyon Money Card and Wallet, from our Flexi Invest and - with Sadad kiosks - also in an automated way through cash," added Mancone. Sadad CEO Dr. Mohammed Rifat Alkashif said: "We are pleased to welcome Beyon Money as a partner to our merchants network. This agreement brings a new level of convenience to our customers who can now easily make international and domestic remittances countrywide, around the clock, seven days a week using our kiosks." "We are committed to continuously providing innovative digital services in line with the Kingdom of Bahrains digital transformation strategy, as well as providing reliable, secure and convenient payment methods," he added.-TradeArabia News Service New Delhi, Aug 9 (UNI) Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha for not going to strife-torn Manipur. He accused the BJP-led government of murdering the voice of people in Manipur. Gandhi, on the second day of discussion on the no-confidence motion in the lower house said, he went to Manipur and spoke to women and children regarding the violent incidents that happened there but the PM didn't go, not even till day. He alleged, You (without taking name) have divided Manipur into two and broken the state. India is the voice of our heart, the voice of the people. The Modi government has murdered the voice of people in Manipur. The people of the country have pain, sorrow and difficulties. To hear this voice, we have to destroy our ego. Only then will we hear the voice of India, said the Congress MP. Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani opposed the motion and hit out at Congress saying that Manipur is not divided, it is an integral part of India. It was, it is and it will be an integral part of India. She mentioned that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Union Home minister Amit Shah and Defence minister Rajnath Singh repeatedly said that the government was ready to discuss on Manipur but Opposition ran away from debate. Smriti Irani said, I spoke to Manipur CM and requested him to take quick action against the accused and after they were arrested and a CBI probe is being done. She assured that neither Article 370 will return in Kashmir nor will anyone threaten Kashmiri Pandits. The UPA government was aware that, in 2005-2006, the women were raped as they were going for defecating in the open but the government was silent on it. They had provided toilet facilities to only 39 percent of the population till the year 2014, but our government provided 100 per cent coverage of toilet facilities till 2019, the Minister said. UNI CM CS1530 Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been given a 2023/24 Linfield FC jersey during his visit to Windsor Park in Belfast, as he aims to reach out to all communities. The Irish Premier visited the stadium on Wednesday after his meetings with Stormont party leaders in relation to the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The DUP has been boycotting Stormont for more than a year as a protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements. Mr Varadkar said it was positive to see Linfield FC training players from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Really pleased to have the chance to visit Belfast again today, been to the city many times but Ive never been to Windsor Park, so, great to have a chance to visit. I think Im the first taoiseach to do so, he said. And also a good opportunity to be with Linfield and meet their academy, really good to see that theyre training young players from all parts of Northern Ireland and indeed some from Drogheda and from the Republic of Ireland as well, so very positive to see that happening here. Referring to comments he had previously made in relation to Brexit negotiations, Mr Varadkar clarified that there was a difference between threatening violence and highlighting the risk of violence. The Fine Gael leader has said he was reflecting comments made by the PSNI Chief Constable and Garda Commissioner in security briefings when he said there was a risk of violence in Northern Ireland during conversations with European leaders about Brexit negotiations. The comments were criticised by unionist politicians. When asked if his visit to Windsor Park in Belfast was an effort to improve relations with the loyalist community following those comments, Mr Varadkar said: Theres a big difference, as I said before, between warning somebody of the risk of violence and threatening violence, a huge difference. Certainly, you know, I feel part of my responsibility of the Irish government is to be co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement and reach out to all of the communities here, thats something Ive consistently done. Obviously, the political troubles that weve had with Brexit and all the fallout from Brexit has made that more difficult. During his discussions with Stormont party leaders, the Taoiseach underlined the pressing need for the return of powersharing. As the leader of the largest party from the 2022 Assembly election, Sinn Feins Michelle ONeill should currently be the first minister but has been unable to take up that position as a result of the DUPs blockade of government. Mr Varadkar said he hoped on his next visit to Belfast he would meet with the first and deputy first ministers. Id love to be in a position now where the next time Im in Belfast, Id love to be meeting with first minister and deputy first minister, would like to have North-South Ministerial Council meetings again, he said. When we have the British-Irish Council in Dublin in November, Scotland, Wales, the islands will be there but not Northern Ireland, and I really hope we can get that back on track, and Im sure its what the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland want. James McSwiney, a cabinet maker from Ardee, Co Louth, has reached the semi-final of Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2023. James, 26, who owns JMS Custom Designs has been working in the trade for nine years. His initial application highlighted James professionalism, dedication, and commitment to supporting the future of the industry, securing him a place in the semi-finals for this coveted award. James recently set up his own business and previously represented Ireland in Abu Dhabi at the World Skills Competition. He will now compete against 26 other top tradespeople from across the UK and the Republic of Ireland, who were selected from over 1000 applications, for the chance to be shortlisted as a top 10 finalist. The top 10 will participate in a one-day final event at Screwfix LIVE, on Friday 22nd September, where a panel of esteemed industry experts will interview the finalists before deciding on who is this years champion. The overall winner will be crowned Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2023, and take home the ultimate trade bundle of tools, tech, and training worth 20,000. Speaking about the competition, James said: Im thrilled to get through to the semi-finals of Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2023, particularly knowing how many incredible tradespeople I would have been up against. Reaching the national final in September and winning the award would be great recognition for me and my business. Now in the 14th year of the prestigious award, James aims to join the Top Tradesperson Hall of Fame, alongside reigning champion Toby Peacock who won the competition last year. Toby, an electrician from Cambridge, has shown himself to be a true ambassador for the trade, launching his podcast Tearoom Talks Podcast which focuses on improving mental health in the trade. Jack Wallace, Marketing Director at Screwfix, said: We know there are many exceptional tradespeople out there who show passion and dedication day in, day out. When choosing our champion of the trade, we look for inspirational tradespeople that go above and beyond for their customers, as well as acting as an ambassador of the industry to encourage the next generation of tradespeople. Through this national award, we hope to recognise the fantastic work of tradespeople who are invaluable to our economy and the communities they serve. A huge congratulations to all our semi-finalists I wish them the best of luck and look forward to meeting our finalists in September! To find out more about Screwfix Top Tradesperson, please visit screwfix.ie/stt There was great excitement as students returned to Gaelcholaiste Dhun Dealgan for another camp this year. As many as 17 students from five different primary schools attended this Summer Camp in late July. This action-packed camp was conducted through Irish with the emphasis on learning Irish in a fun and natural way. Students explored subjects such as Home Economics, Physical Education, Science, Art and History. Caoimhe Hearun, Deputy Principal of Gaelcholaiste Dhun Dealgan said: "These camps allow students with an interest in the Irish language to get to know one another and build a sense of community. Micheal OCoigligh from Home Hub Belfast gave a very special hip hop dance workshop towards the end of the week. The highlight of the camp was a BBQ and gathering of friends at Gaelcholaiste Dhun Dealgan. Students got to show off their wonderful work including their newly designed and painted picnic benches. The food was prepared by the students themselves along with parents and friends of Gaelcholaiste Dhun Dealgan. Gaelcholaiste Dhun Dealgan is a co-educational, multi-denominational, multi-cultural, secondary school and it is opening its doors to First Years this September. This new Gaelcholaiste is under the patronage of An Foras Patrunachta, the largest patron of Irish-medium schools. Caoimhe and her team of teachers will be based in Dundalk. They have nearly 40 years teaching experience between them. There are spaces available for sixth class students and you are invited to register on www.gcdd.ie. It is not a requirement that a child attends a gaelscoil. Gaelcholaiste Dhun Dealgan is the only school in Co. Louth where students can receive their secondary education through Irish. This small school community will allow for individual care and attention as well as extra support for language development, a school spokesperson said. If you have any queries contact eolas@gcdd.ie or visit the school website www.gcdd.ie Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) have reported their contribution to the EUs HEInnovate tool. The tool - used by universities across Europe to assess their entrepreneurial and innovative capability - has just been updated with a unique Action Card Set offering helpful guidelines for Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to enhance their entrepreneurial university status. The card set was developed by the team behind the EU-funded THEI2.0 project, a consortium of five European entrepreneurial universities. The project was led by the University of Aveiro (Portugal), and comprised DKIT (Ireland), Tecnocampus (Spain), Munich University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and Lappeenranta-Lahti University (Finland). Prof Colette Henry was the THEI2.0 project manager for DKIT and was supported by Annmarie McHugh. Colette is Head of Department of Business Studies and the 2017 Sten K Johnson European Entrepreneurship Education Laureate. Annmarie is a Business Studies Lecturer in DkIT and a member of the EU HEInnovate Expert Facilitators Group. Prof Colette Henry said: We were thrilled to be part of the latest addition to the HEInnovate toolkit. At DkIT we have an established expertise in entrepreneurship and innovation, and an award-winning history of producing graduates with an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset. "The THEI2.0 project allowed us to work closely with our European peers and share our collective passion and knowledge to help improve the entrepreneurial environment of universities across Europe. HEInnovate, is a self-reflection and assessment tool for Higher Education Institutions who wish to explore their entrepreneurial and innovative potential. It guides educational providers through a process of identification, prioritisation and action planning in eight key areas. So far more the 30,000 assessments have been undertaken by 1,700 HEIs. An initiative of the European Commission's DG Education and Culture in partnership with the OECD, HEInnovate is a free self-assessment tool for all types of higher education institution. It allows institutions to assess their organisation by reflecting on a series of statements related to their entrepreneurial activities, including leadership, staffing and links with business. Extensive training and support materials, including practical case studies, are available to support HEInnovate workshops within educational settings. The recently added Action Card Set offers further guidance and good practice example initiatives for university leaders tasked with managing their organisations entrepreneurial journey. Prof. Henry further commented: By focusing on EDI, we aim is to ensure that every individual within our entrepreneurial ecosystem has the opportunity to engage in entrepreneurship and avail of the significant collective knowledge and expertise available through the SFF Consortium. "We will soon be introducing a unique micro-credential qualification in Entrepreneurship and will pilot this with DkIT students participating in SFF this Autumn. The Autumn call for SFF participation Phase 1 LEARN has just been opened for applications and can be accessed at: https://scefreiraum.typeform.com/to/eml4jAof For more information on these projects, visit: https://heinnovate.eu/en http://www.thei2.eu/ https://startforfuture.eu/ If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit TELL us about yourself: My name is David Ryan and I am a genealogist and historian. I mostly help people with tracing their Irish family history and also have a keen interest in local Cork and Irish history. I was born here in Cork, in St Finbarrs Hospital, and have lived here most of my life. Ive always had a fascination with history and a curiosity about the past, especially in the stories of everyday people. I studied history in UCC and went on to do a Masters in Medieval History and later a Diploma in Genealogy. I returned to university last year to do a Masters in Public History and Cultural Heritage in the University of Limerick. Its a two year course part-time. Im officially on summer break but still doing some reading in preparation for the next semester. Its a great course and, given the recent Decade of Centenaries and the debates about our history, I think its a useful way of understanding how we as historians communicate history and how the public interact with it. Where was your most memorable holiday? I was in Gozo, Malta last year for a family wedding. It was the first time out of the country since the pandemic and to spend a week in the Mediterranean sunshine was fantastic. Its an amazing place to visit, with such an interesting mix of cultures. You can really see this in the food, architecture, the history and even the Maltese language. The locals are always happy to chat and are mostly fluent in English. As another small island country, its interesting to compare it to Ireland, although they have better weather. Favourite TV programme? As a genealogist, I really enjoy Who Do You Think You Are? I dont even care how famous the celebrity is. What draws me in are the stories they uncover and getting a glimpse of the research process. Obviously, its going to be simplified to fit into an hour of TV, but I think they mostly do a good job with the research. Occasionally, Ill even spot someone I know among the researchers. Favourite radio show? Im used to having the radio on in the background but I dont actively tune in to any specific shows. I do, however, listen to a lot of podcasts. Over the past few years there has been such an explosion of great podcasts, especially history and genealogy related. There really is something for everyone and Ive learned a lot about different periods of history and the types of sources available. Two podcasts I would recommend are the Irish History Podcast by Fin Dwyer and the Family Histories Podcast by UK based genealogist Andrew Martin. Favourite restaurant? Four Liars Bistro in Shandon. The staff are always welcoming and the food is delicious. Its always a great spot for lunch, especially if you enjoy Syrian food. I particularly enjoy the baklava for dessert. Last book you read? Finding Endurance, by Darrel Bristow-Bovey. Its about Ernest Shackleton and the ship Endurance, which he and his crew sailed on a 1914 expedition to the Antarctic. The ship became trapped in ice and sank in 1915, with the crew having to complete their journey on foot. There are intertwining narratives throughout the book. One narrative is about the scientific expeditions to find the final resting place of Endurance in 2022, a second narrative is part memoir with the author looking back at his own life and reflecting on his personal fascination with the voyage. The main narrative follows Shackleton and his crew as they attempt to survive the journey across the harsh Antarctic landscape. I was vaguely aware of Shackleton being Irish but didnt know that much about him. Best book you read? The Irish Assassins, by Julie Cavanagh, about the Phoenix Park Murders of 1882 when the Chief Secretary and Undersecretary for Ireland were stabbed to death in the Phoenix Park by a militant group of Irish republicans. I was only vaguely aware of the incident from learning history in school, but the author does a great job of putting the murders in the wider context of the Home Rule campaign and the Land War. The ripples went beyond Ireland and as far as South Africa, where one of the assassins who had been granted witness protection was shot and killed. Its a great read for anyone looking to learn more about Irish politics in the late 1800s. Do you have a pet? Two very lively Jack Russell Terrier rescues, Daisy and Dasher. We had only planned on taking in Daisy, the mom, but she didnt like being separated from her pup. In the end we took them both in and it was a great decision. They are such loveable dogs and a good reason to get out of the house. They also keep each other company. Morning person or night owl? Definitely a night owl. Part of it is just appreciating having that time to myself at night to work on my own stuff. Your proudest moment? Last year, when I was elected to the board of directors for the Association of Professional Genealogists. This is the worlds largest organisation for genealogical professionals, and I have been a member for nearly a decade. It was a privilege to be elected to the board by the other members. Im one of a few current international members on it and its great to be a part of the decision-making process for a worldwide organisation. What makes you happy? Food. Whenever I go on holiday, Im always eager to try the local dishes. As Ive gotten older, Ive found Im not able to eat as much as I once did, or need to be more cautious of certain foods. But I dont let that stop me. How would you like to be remembered? Thats a difficult question for an historian as we are aware of how little control we have over our memory. I would hope I am remembered as someone who made a positive contribution to the study of history in Cork and for inspiring plenty of people to research their own family. What else are you up to at the moment? I have been preparing several events for Heritage Week. I seem to have something on almost every day for it. Every year I tell myself Im going to take it easy for Heritage Week but every year I seem to find myself doing more. On Cork Heritage Open Day, Saturday, August 12, I will be part of a Roman Living History display in Cork Public Museum to tie in with their current exhibition on Cork and the Roman World. During Heritage Week (August 12-20), I will be leading two lunchtime tours of Douglas Street and surrounding areas based on the 1911 census, in partnership with Nano Nagle Place. Those will be taking place on August 15 and August 17 at 1pm. The aim is to use the Census as a way of understanding what life was like in 1911 and how its different to now. I will be delivering genealogy talks as well in St Peters, North Main Street. The first, An Introduction to Genealogy, is on August 18 at 1.15pm. The second, Going Further With Your Family History, is on August 19 at 12pm. MACCURTAIN Street will be closed to traffic for a short period on Monday August 14 to facilitate roadworks. The road will be closed from 9.30am on Monday morning until 4:30pm that evening. A spokesperson for Cork City Council told The Echo that the measures will be in effect to facilitate the laying of ducting for improved traffic signals and public lighting. The roadworks will be part of the ongoing MacCurtain Street Public Transport Improvement Scheme. Motorists will be asked to follow the diversion routes that will be in place and clearly visibly marked by advanced signage. The spokesperson went on to confirm that Bus Eireann are aware of the road closure. Bus Eireann have been advised of the temporary closure and they will communicate the alternative arrangements to their customers. The Mayor of County Cork has called on SouthDoc to come clean and explain once and for all what services it is providing after 10pm in its Fermoy centre. Councillor Frank OFlynn was speaking to The Echo after the most recent demonstration against what locals say are reductions to the SouthDoc service in the area. A public protest over the weekend saw dozens of people take to the streets in Mitchelstown after local representatives and residents have claimed that the so-called red eye overnight service at SouthDoc Fermoy ceased to operate at 10pm on Tuesday, July 18. Cllr Frank Roche, Cllr Deirdre O'Brien, Sean Sherlock TD, County Mayor Cllr Frank O'Flynn , Noel McCarthy and local resident Michelle OBrien leading the protest to the Courthouse in Fermoy, Co Cork, where residents protested over SouthDoc services. Picture: Dan Linehan Locals have said they fear that the out-of-hours GP service will close altogether due to a lack of replacement staff. Cllr OFlynn described any diminution of service at Fermoys SouthDoc as an absolute disgrace. The Glanworth councillor said a letter from Cork County Council to SouthDoc, had received a reply saying the full quantum of services is being fully retained in Fermoy. How can SouthDoc say theyre keeping the full service in Fermoy if theyre taking the nurses, the doctors, and the car thats there to call out to patients? asked Cllr OFlynn. We got no reply whatsoever since we wrote back to SouthDoc, so Im calling on them to explain to us, what services are they actually providing in Fermoy after 10pm at night." He pointed out that the Fermoy SouthDoc centre is serving an area as big as Limerick city and county put together. It serves all of North Cork, West Waterford, South Tipperary, and West Limerick. Cllr OFlynn said he had never in his political career received so much support on any issue as he has on this, with people approaching him on the street and urging him to fight for SouthDoc. He added that without the red eye service, people had to rely on an overstretched ambulance service or overworked emergency departments, or else visit SouthDocs Mallow or Midleton centres. We have people who have no transport and theyre asked to go all the ways back to Mallow, Cllr OFlynn said. You could have a situation where people are going from South Tipperary, Clogheen, or Araglen, all the way to Mallow. "Its absolutely crazy. The health of a community is on the line here, he said, adding that there is a fear that all regional SouthDoc centres be closed and the service centralised to Cork city. I calling on SouthDoc to come clean and explain once and for all, what services are they providing in the Fermoy SouthDoc centre after 10pm at night Cllr OFlynn said. The HSE has said there are no plans to cease operations of the service. In a statement issued to The Echo last week, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare (CKCH) said it wished to reassure people that there is no reduction of service, red eye or otherwise, in Fermoy. Children in Cork are being let down by the Governments failure to plan ahead, recruit staff and retain the health workforce, according to a Cork TD. Sinn Fein TD Thomas Gould was speaking after it was revealed that 1,085 children were left waiting more than 12 months for an initial appointment with a Childrens Disability Network Team (CDNT) in Cork. There were a total of 190 children waiting seven to 12 months to be seen; 90 children waiting four to six months to be seen; and 84 children waiting up to three months to be seen. Some parts of Cork had more than 100 children on waiting lists for initial CDNT contact for more than 12 months. Some 126 were waiting in East Cork City (CDNT 7), 181 were waiting in North Cork City & Blarney (CDNT 9), 114 were waiting in South East Cork City (CDNT 11), 198 were waiting in West Central Cork (CDNT 12) and 245 were waiting in Carrigaline/Kinsale/Bandon (CDNT 13). In response to Deputy Gould, Head of Disability Services at Cork Kerry Community Healthcare (CKCH), Majella Daly, said that CDNTs currently have large numbers of complex children on their case-loads who require an inter-disciplinary team approach, which she said is provided on a needs basis due to priority and risk to child, young adult and family in all environments. She advised that CDNTs in Cork had an active caseload of 5,679 children at the end of June 2023. Speaking about the number of children and young adults awaiting initial contact for services, Mr Gould said: What we can see from these figures is that over 1,000 children have been waiting for an initial appointment with CDNTs across Cork for over 12 months. That is a huge chunk of childhood spent on a waiting list and a huge loss to the short window that is available for early intervention. There is a clear issue here over 20% of funded staff posts in Cork CDNTs are currently vacant. Hundreds of children are being let down because of failings by government to plan ahead, to recruit staff and to retain their workforce. Deputy Gould said the way those with disabilities are being treated by the State is scandalous. People are coming to me every week. Their children cannot access school places, therapies, and medical equipment. "The way that those with disabilities are being treated by this State is scandalous, he said. We are constantly raising issues with the HSE but there appears to be no plan to resolve these issues. "Ministers are shrugging their shoulders, claiming they are doing all they can. It is clear that that is not enough, and a shift is needed in the way that those with disabilities, particularly children, are treated, he added. Michael Bolton A homeless charity is calling for a referendum on the right to housing. Simon Communities Ireland, says although the Government has made efforts to address homelessness, it's not enough. The current situation requires long-term solutions that guarantee everyone the right to a home. The charity said if the Government doesn't hold a referendum on the right to housing, it will be in breach its own programme for Government. Executive Director of Simon, Wayne Stanley, says now is the right time for a vote on housing. "It's in the programme for Government that this Government will provide a referendum on housing. We have heard from both the Taoiseach in previous conversations and the Minister for Housing that there is going to be a right to housing. "That was the project that was given to the housing commission, they have now reported. We need to see that wording as quickly as possible, and we now need to progress to a referendum. "If we don't see it in the next 12 months, it is going to be a broken promise from the programme for Government, so it's something that needs to be put out very quickly." Kenneth Fox The Independent Electoral Commission is set to research whether it is appropriate to lower the voting age in Ireland. The group's annual research programme will also look at the use of election posters, and whether byelections should be scrapped. Reducing the voting age to 17 has been included in the programme for Government. Speaking to Newstalk, Fianna Fail Senator Malcolm Byrne has campaigned on the matter for years, and explains why he thinks it is the right call. "The debate is around what age is it appropriate that we would trust somebody to have a say in their local elections or at national elections?" As The Irish Times reports, the requests were set out in a letter from Minister for Housing and Local Government Darragh OBrien to the commissions chairwoman, Ms Justice Marie Baker, on July 19th. While it is to consult the Minister, an Oireachtas committee and others, ultimately the research it decides to undertake is a decision for the commissions members. The requests made by Mr OBrien arise from commitments in the Programme for Government. These include an examination of the possibility of replacing byelections with an alternate list system one where candidates would be required to provide a list of people who could be co-opted to fill a vacancy should it arise. Such a system is in operation for European elections and bringing it in for Dail elections would remove the need for byelections. Mr OBrien told Ms Baker he would welcome inclusion of the issue in the commissions research programme. In a statement from the Commission they said ultimately: "While we will be consulting with the Joint Oireachtas Committee, the Minister and others as appropriate, the decision on what research An Coimisiun Toghchain proposes for each year is a matter for the members of our Commission to decide." WAKEFIELD As an apparent global push to include extended producer responsibility (EPR) frameworks in legislation gathers pace, podcast host David Styles catches up with Claire Kneller, managing director of WRAP Asia Pacific, to discuss the Australian Governments approach. Kneller joins the latest episode of Ecotextile Talks as a representative of the consortium behind Seamless, an initiative aiming to convince fashion brands and retailers to voluntarily contribute four cents per garment to fund textile circularity programmes and avoid a mandatory levy being imposed by central government. Textiles is on the minister's list. It has been for a while, Kneller explains. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the industry was not taking enough action. There are things happening in the industry, on an individual brand and retailer level, but by no stretch of the imagination is it enough activity. It was this perceived stasis that led Australias environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, to put the nations fashion companies on notice: they have 12 months to act or risk much harsher measures being imposed legally. Success for the scheme, Kneller believes, would be 60 per cent of the industry signing up to contribute by June 2024. That's actually not that many companies, she notes. That's probably between 15 and 20 businesses, depending on which ones you get. So it's not a huge number, but the market in Australia is extremely consolidated at the top end. While WRAP Asia Pacifics managing director is optimistic this level of uptake can be achieved, she issues industry with the cautionary tale that failing to do so may result in a higher contribution than the four cents per garment being proposed in this preliminary voluntary phase. Industry has the opportunity for it to continue as an industry led scheme. Once it becomes a co-regulatory scheme, it's quite a different setup What currently is drafted as a four cents per garment levy might be 40 cents per garment under a regulatory scheme. Now I'm not saying it will be, but it could be because it really is out of industry's hands. Subscribe to our podcasts and radio shows by following us on Apple, Google, Spotify and Amazon Music, to automatically get alerts when we launch a new Ecotextile Talks Behind the News podcast. Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions. Brazil's Environment Minister Marina Silva, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Para State Governor Helder Barbalho and Indigenous Peoples Minister Sonia Guajajara attend the Amazon Summit at the Hangar Convention Centre in Belem, Para State, Brazil on Aug. 9, 2023. EVARISTO SA / AFP via Getty Images Representatives from the eight countries that share the Amazon river basin have signed the Belem Declaration, an agreement to work together to conserve the planets largest rainforest that includes a list of shared environmental measures and policies. However, the accord fell short of a consensus on ending deforestation. The countries Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela were not able to agree on how to manage industries that are destroying and sapping the resources of the vital rainforest, like oil, mining and beef, reported The Guardian. The Amazon is our passport to a new relationship with the world, a more symmetrical relationship in which our resources will not be exploited for the benefit of a few, but valued and placed at the service of all, said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the meeting, as The New York Times reported. The Amazon rainforest extracts and sequesters an enormous amount of the human-produced carbon dioxide that is driving the climate crisis. But this oasis of biodiversity has been disappearing at an alarming rate, with around 17 percent having been decimated in the past 50 years. Lula has been attempting to get the other countries in the region to join Brazil in stopping deforestation by 2030, reported Reuters. While the Belem Declaration did help to foster a united front in fighting the destruction of the rainforest, it was left to individual Amazon nations to put together their own deforestation objectives. As heat waves, flooding and water shortages ravage the planet, and land and sea temperature records continue to be broken, many scientists are frustrated with the pace of policymakers in acting on climate change. The planet is melting, we are breaking temperature records every day. It is not possible that, in a scenario like this, eight Amazonian countries are unable to put in a statement in large letters that deforestation needs to be zero, said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of Brazilian environmental lobby group Climate Observatory, as Reuters reported. The final draft of the declaration maintained the protections and rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as stated that the Amazon countries would work together on sustainable development, water management, health and shared negotiating stances at climate summits. The declaration recognized the importance of Indigenous knowledge in the preservation of biodiversity and called upon the participation of Indigenous Peoples in decision-making and the formulation of public policy, reported Down To Earth. Indigenous People are under constant threats and land rights will not only give them better protection, it will also prevent deforestation and protect the rich biodiversity within these territories, said Anders Haug Larsen, director of international advocacy for the Rainforest Foundation Norway, as Down To Earth reported. The only Amazon countries that failed to sign a 2021 agreement made between more than 100 nations to work to stop deforestation by 2030 are Venezuela and Bolivia, reported Reuters. Brazil has been considering the development of offshore oil near the northern coast, an area dominated by rainforest. A jungle that extracts oil is it possible to maintain a political line at that level? Bet on death and destroying life? said Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the meeting, in reference to reforesting cleared plantations and pasture, as The Guardian reported. The Belem Declaration succeeded in establishing a science body that will meet each year and give reports on Amazon rainforest-related science, similar to the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change. Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions. President Joe Biden gestures after signing a proclamation to designate Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, at Red Butte Airfield, 25 miles south of Tusayan, Arizona, on Aug. 8, 2023. JIM WATSON / AFP via Getty Images President Joe Bidens 2022 initiative America the Beautiful has a goal of conserving and restoring 30 percent of lands and waters in the United States by 2030. A new contribution to that goal was announced by The White House today with the establishment of the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona, a press release from The White House said. The newly designated monuments name is a reflection of the importance of the Grand Canyon area to many Tribal Nations. Baaj nwaavjo means where Indigenous peoples roam in the language of the Havasupai American Indian tribe, who have called the Grand Canyon home for at least 800 years. Itah kukveni means our ancestral footprints in the Hopi language. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to honoring and respecting Tribal sovereignty, protecting Tribal homelands, and incorporating Indigenous Knowledge and robust Tribal consultation into planning and decision-making. Todays designation supports Tribally led conservation efforts and helps address injustices of the past, including when Tribes were forcibly removed from lands that later became Grand Canyon National Park, the press release said. Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni is the fifth national monument established by the Biden-Harris administration. Almost one million public lands acres that surround Grand Canyon National Park will be conserved by the new monument. It will help protect lands that many tribes referred to as their eternal home, a place of healing and a source of spiritual sustenance, said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, who is the first Native American Cabinet secretary, as NPR reported. It will help ensure that indigenous peoples can continue to use these areas for religious ceremonies, hunting and gathering of plants, medicines and other materials, including some found nowhere else on earth. It will protect objects of historic and scientific importance for the benefit of tribes, the public and for future generations. The new monument will protect thousands of sites that are sacred to many Tribal Nations. The proclamation for the establishment of Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni will be signed by President Biden at Wiii Gdwiisa also known as Red Butte a site sacred to the Havasupai people located above the southern part of the monument. The area includes many natural wonders, from sweeping plateaus and deep canyons to meandering creeks and streams that ultimately flow into the mighty Colorado River, providing water to millions of people across the Southwest. The unique interplay of geology and hydrology support some of the most biodiverse habitats in the region ranging from sagebrush to savanna, providing refuge for iconic wildlife including bighorn sheep, mule deer, bison, peregrine falcons, bald eagles, owls, and songbirds. The new monument contains over 3,000 known cultural and historic sites, including 12 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the press release said. The new monument is made up of 917,618 acres managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interiors Bureau of Land Management, and is located to the northeast, northwest and south of Grand Canyon National Park. In the south, it is bordered by the Navajo Nation and the Havasupai Indian Reservation. The northeastern portion reaches from Marble Canyon to the border of the Kaibab Plateau. New uranium mining claims will be permanently banned inside the monument, but existing claims will be honored, reported NPR. A 20-year ban on new uranium mining claims in the area of the new monument was established in 2012, The New York Times reported. Environmental groups and Native American Tribes have been lobbying for the area surrounding the Grand Canyon to be permanently protected from uranium mining, arguing that it would damage important cultural areas as well as the Colorado River watershed. Livestock grazing authorized by existing permits will be allowed, as well as fishing and hunting access, according to the press release. Todays designation preserves this vital landscape for outdoor recreation, including camping, hiking, biking, and other recreational activities, consistent with applicable law. Hunting and fishing will continue to be allowed throughout the monument, including in the Kanab Creek area, the press release said. The proclamation instructs the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior to engage with Tribal Nations through co-stewardship agreements, consultations, contracts, technical and financial assistance and other means in order to make sure that the monuments management is a collaboration and reflects the Indigenous Knowledge and special expertise Tribes have amassed over countless generations, the press release said. It also establishes the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon Commission, the purpose of which is to encourage co-stewardship. Todays designation recognizes and is a step toward addressing the history of dispossession and exclusion of Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples in the area, including that occurring when the federal government established the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve in 1893, Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908, and Grand Canyon National Park in 1919, the press release said. RSE update: 'Department is considering the report' Julie Edge MHK, Minister for Department of Education, Sport and Culture In response to the newly released report, Julie Edge MHK and Minister for the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC) said that her department is considering the report. The relationships and sex education (RSE) curriculum is set to resume, but with improved parental communication and greater specialisation and training for teachers prior to its reintroduction. The independent report follows on from the classes that were taught at Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) High School which raised questions from parents and MHKs earlier in February 2023. According to the DESC, investigators spoke to a range of stakeholders including parents, teachers, senior school staff and health and education officials before handing over their report. The report highlights the need for better training for teachers, consideration of a different delivery model for RSE and improved communication with parents. Julie Edge MHK, Minister for Education, Sport and Culture, said: I welcome the report and thank all the parents, teachers and officers who have contributed. My Department is considering the report and will work with schools from September to ensure that necessary changes are made and a clear plan is developed to inform the most appropriate way forward to resume delivery of RSE in early 2024. The Minister added that she acknowledges the findings in respect of improving communication and the Department will now take steps to ensure that plans are communicated appropriately to parents. As I have previously stated, Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) will continue in September without any RSE delivery until further work including specialised training and communication is carried out by the Department, Minister Edge said. Epic Games has lost an attempt to force Apple to change its App Store payment practices sooner rather than later. The Fortnite maker asked the Supreme Court to overturn a US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that delayed an injunction against Apple over App Store rules. However, Justice Elena Kagan denied the request without providing an explanation, as Bloomberg reports. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals originally upheld the injunction in April. However, it suspended the injunction in July so Apple could take the case to the Supreme Court . Following a blockbuster trial between Apple and Epic Games in 2021, a lower-court judge ruled that Apple violated California's Unfair Competition law by blocking third-party developers from directing users to alternative payment options. The judge issued the injunction to stop that practice. For the last three years, the companies have been battling over the issue of in-app payments on iOS. Epic raised the ire of Apple (and Google) when it told mobile Fortnite players they'd get a discount on the in-game V-Bucks currency if they bypassed the iOS and Android payment systems . Apple and Google take up to a 30 percent cut of in-app transactions on iOS and Android. The mobile platform holders swiftly yanked Fortnite from their respective app stores, Epic sued them both and the legal battles are still rumbling on. The Google case (in which Match Group is involved as a plaintiff) is set to go to trial this November. Three point five inches. Thats about the size of the original iPhones display. Thats downright tiny compared to todays smartphones, and its hard to imagine typing or using most modern apps on such a cramped screen. But as a secondary panel on a phone that folds in half, even 3.4 inches feels positively roomy. At least, its much more useful than the 1.9-inch sliver that we got on last years Galaxy Z Flip 4. With its latest flip-style foldable, the $1,000 Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung brings a 3.4-inch external display that its confusingly renamed the Flex Window (it doesnt flex, so yes, Im mad at the name). And thats about it. The Flip 5 also has a new hinge that allows for gapless closure when folded, as well as some software tweaks. Aside from those updates, this phone is very similar to its predecessor, with basically the same cameras, water-resistance rating and battery size. It also costs the same as last years model and comes with twice the base storage, which is a nice touch. But with greater competition in the US this year, Samsung can no longer coast on being the only player in the space. Samsung Samsung Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 SCORE 88 Engadget 88 Critics - Not yet scored N/A Users - Not yet scored N/A Pros Useful external screen Compact when folded New hinge enables gapless design Cons A lot of settings to dig through to maximize use Short battery life compared to typical Android phones The Z Flip 5's design One of a few signs that Samsung is coasting? The Flip 5s design. Setting aside its larger external display, this thing looks pretty much identical to its predecessor, which itself was basically a clone of the version before it. The Flip 5s frame is the same 6.5 x 2.8-inch rectangle as last years model, and it cuts the same 0.27-inch profile, too. It also maintains the same weight, measuring 6.6 ounces (or 187 grams). Some things have changed this year, though. The external cameras are no longer stacked vertically on top of each other; theyre laid out side by side, presumably to accommodate the new larger screen. The available colors are also different, which I appreciate, since the purple hue on last years model was getting a bit stale. This time, you can choose from pink and a minty green, in addition to the standard cream and black. Sadly, our review unit is the basic black version, but the green variant I saw at Samsungs launch event is worth lusting after. A notable upgrade on the Z Flip 5 is what Samsung calls its Flex Hinge, which allows the device to fold completely flat and leave no gap between the two halves of its internal screen. This should not only appeal to people who were put off by the asymmetry of the previous design, but it leaves less of a chance that a key in your purse might get lodged in that little opening and scratch the fragile panel. Thats not to say that the Flip 5 is dust resistant. Its IPX8 waterproof rating means it can withstand brief submersion in water, but it wasnt tested for protection from foreign solid particles. Thats a lot of jargon to say the Flip 5 will be fine if you drop it in the tub, but its more susceptible to, say, sand, than most modern smartphones. However, the phones exterior is likely tougher than its inside, thanks to the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass covering its rear and Flex Window. External display Regardless of my feelings toward Samsungs absurd name, the Flex Window is a major improvement over last years Cover display. Its a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 60Hz refresh rate and 720 x 748 resolution, and the photos I chose as my wallpapers looked crisp and vibrant. But the biggest upgrade is its size. The benefits are obvious: A larger canvas means you can see more at once and buttons can be bigger and easier to hit. With the extra space, the Weather widget can display the forecast for multiple days, while the Calendar offers a monthly view. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget Unlike Motorolas Razr+, though, the Flip 5 doesnt behave like full Android on its cover screen. It runs One UI in a way thats more like the companys Tizen OS for its older smartwatches. Youll swipe left through widgets like Timer, Stopwatch, Samsung Health, Dialer and more, drag down from the home page for quick settings and swipe right to see your notifications. But because the Flip 5 supports up to 13 widgets, rotating through the carousel to find what you need can quickly get tedious. Thankfully, Samsung added a new pinch gesture that lets you zoom out to see all your widgets at once and jump to what you want. Though you cant natively run every app in the world on the Flex Window, the company did optimize a handful to work on the smaller panel. You have to go into Settings to enable them, but once you do you can launch Google Maps, YouTube, Netflix, Messages and WhatsApp on the external display. I guess these are the ones Samsung thinks people most want to use when the Flip is closed. If youre feeling adventurous, you can install Good Lock from the Galaxy App Store, which lets you run pretty much any app on the outside. It took me a while to figure out that to get this to work, youll have to go into Good Lock and download the MultiStar launcher, then add the launcher as a widget on the Flex Window. Once I did, though, I quickly selected apps like Instagram, Chrome, Reddit and Gallery to run on the outside. Each of them ran as expected that is, as a mini version of itself on an awkwardly shaped screen. This is a good time to point out that the Flip 5s Flex Window isnt a typical rectangle. Its shaped more like a document folder, mostly square with a small tab on the bottom left. Functionally, that extra space doesnt get in the way of apps or widgets. Swiping up on it brings you back to the home page, and if you have a timer or song running, a little countdown shows up there. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget You dont have to install Good Lock to find the new Flex Window useful, but it does make for a better experience. For example, when replying to a notification from an app like Telegram, you wont actually be able to see the message your friend sent. This might be because Telegram notifications are typically hidden anyway, to prevent onlookers from seeing your chats. So if you want to respond to Telegram contacts, youll likely still have to open the Flip to see what they said. That is, unless you use Good Lock to let the app run outside, in which case tapping the notification on the Flex Window will just take you to the conversation in the app. Its surprisingly smooth and weirdly satisfying to see a non-native experience work so well. Replying to messages is another improvement over the Flip 4, by the way. Samsung now has room to offer a QWERTY keyboard, and typing on it is an absolute delight. I have relatively small hands, and reaching across this panel to hit letters like Q and A was no trouble, especially with swipe typing. The Flip 5s software is more refined than the Motos, too, since the latters keyboard takes over the entire screen and requires an extra tap to actually send your reply. Samsungs interface also lets you see some of your conversation above the input field, whereas you wont see any of it on the Razr+. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget The larger Flex Window also makes for a far superior viewfinder for the external cameras. With the increased space, I can now see the entire frame when lining up a selfie or setting up a video. Swiping sideways on this viewfinder screen switches between Portrait, Photo or Video modes, while pinching changes the level of zoom and the ultrawide camera kicks in at 0.5x. Camera performance on the Z Flip 5 While the experience of using the external 12-megapixel cameras has drastically improved thanks to the Flex Window, image quality itself has not. Samsung uses basically the same sensors on the Flip 5 as those on the Flip 4, and though theres no generational upgrade, they still take pretty good pictures. In fact, out of all two flip-style foldables available in the US, the Flip 5 easily gains the upper hand. Its only competition is the Moto Razr+, which has similar sensors on paper but delivers washed out photos in comparison. My photos of the Metropolitan Museum of Art showed vibrant blue skies and red banners when I used the Z Flip 4 and Flip 5, but the scene seemed pale when I shot it with the Razr+. Though I prefer the rosier hues in selfies I snapped with the Razr+, the ones that Samsung produced had more accurate colors. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget At night, cityscapes were pretty grainy across all three phones I tested, but the Flip 4 and Flip 5 were slightly better at exposing buildings amidst all the lights in New York. Though both Samsung phones were neck-and-neck in terms of low-light photo quality, I was pleasantly surprised that the Flip 5 took about half the time of its predecessor when capturing a shot in Night mode. As a result, I didnt have to hold still for as long, and my selfies from the newer handset were clearer. I also enjoyed using the Flip 5 and Razr+ as TikTok machines, setting them up with their cover screens facing out to shoot some (hopefully) humorous clips. Video quality was, again, very close across the three devices. In short, dont write off the Flip 5s cameras, but you wont be writing home about the photos you took, either. As a regular phone You wont be spending all your time with the Flip 5 using only its external screen. For the most part, youll most likely interact with the flexible 6.7-inch Full HD AMOLED panel inside, which is what I did. Ill admit, I mostly used this phone to scroll Reddit or Instagram and play mind-numbing puzzle games like Goods Sort and Solitaire. Everything felt as it did on last years Flip even the crease looks the same. My friends vacation photos and game graphics were colorful and crisp. At certain angles, content looked slightly discolored under the wrinkle, but it didnt bother me. I also enjoyed stroking the crease as much as I did before. Theres something deliciously satisfying about repeatedly running my thumb over it. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget I also tried a few times to carefully push my thumb into the screen as I started to bend the phone to close it, and I never felt like the panel was going to break. But of course, Ive only had the Flip 5 for slightly over a week, so long-term use may reveal durability issues. Its worth noting, though, that compared to Motorola, Samsung has a more established repair and parts replacement system in place. Should you actually damage your foldable, or if you know youre accident prone, the better company to choose is Samsung. There are some software updates to Flex Mode that I didnt spend a lot of time with, mostly because I dont find them all that useful in daily use. As a refresher, Flex Mode is an interface that kicks in when you bend the phone slightly and have it open at between 20 and 160 degrees (approximately). Compatible apps will split their layout in half, typically showing content up top and controls below. Like on older Flips, apps that work well with this are YouTube, which continues to display the video on the higher half while letting you scroll through comments at the bottom. This year, though, you can choose to (after first toggling through several hidden settings) display a button at the bottom left of every app. Itll bring up the Flex dashboard, which offers shortcuts for taking a screenshot, pulling down the notifications shade and more. Some of these, like the two I named, are helpful. But some, like the touchpad that you can enable, are just silly. With the touchpad, you can drag your finger around the bottom half of the screen to maneuver a cursor up top. In some situations, like for people with mobility issues, I can see this being useful. For most other scenarios, however, its usually easier to just reach a little and tap the top half of the screen. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget Performance and battery life on the Z Flip 5 Were reaching a point where smaller foldable phones are pretty much as fast as their non-flexible counterparts, which brings them ever so slightly closer to being feasible as mainstream devices. Thanks to its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor, the Flip 5 is on par with flagships like the Galaxy S23+. It also packs the same 8GB of RAM, and this years Flip even offers twice the base storage of its predecessor, starting with 256GB. No matter what I threw at it, the Flip 5 never hiccuped. Granted, I never played a game more demanding than Criminal Minds or CSI: Hidden Crimes on it, but I was also pleased when I realized the phone never really ran alarmingly warm. The Flip 5s Geekbench 6 scores of 2,015 (single-core) and 4,972 (multi-core) were about the same as Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5, and significantly better than the Pixel Fold, which uses Googles own Tensor G2 chip. This is clearly flagship-level performance, so youre not sacrificing much if you pick a Flip over a traditional handset. But one area where foldables tend to fall short is battery life. The Flip 5 delivered very similar runtime to its predecessor, which isnt a shocker considering its battery is the same 3,700mAh. Sure, it has a larger external screen to power, but precisely due to the Flex Window being more useful, I didnt have to open up the Flip 5 as much as the older model. So it makes sense that both Flips had about the same endurance. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget Wrap-up Here we are, staring at the fifth generation of Samsungs Galaxy Z series of foldables and still asking the same question: Are phones with flexible displays ready for the mainstream? With its larger and more useful external screen, the Flip 5 is the best candidate in the categorys history to appeal outside the tech-savvy crowd. It offers excellent performance, capable cameras and lest we forget it folds in half! Plus, it combines relatively advanced bendable-screen tech with an exterior panel in a size thats sure to win nostalgia points, meaning itll appeal to experimentalists and sentimentalists alike. If your existing Flip is falling apart, the Flip 5 is worth the upgrade for the Flex Window alone. But if youre contemplating adopting a foldable for the first time, just know that youll probably sacrifice some camera quality, have to take extra care when manhandling the device and resign yourself to always be charging. In exchange, youll get a very capable phone, some cool points and an easy conversation starter. Twitter fined for belatedly complying with search warrant for Donald Trump's account The social network took too long to turn over data to the January 6th investigation. Special counsel Jack Smith was granted a search warrant for former President Donald Trumps Twitter account as part of his investigation into the events of January 6th, 2020. The warrant was first reported by Politico after court documents detailing the warrant surfaced. Smith obtained the warrant in January, but had trouble getting the records from Twitter. First, his investigators apparently encountered an inoperative website typically used for law enforcement to make legal requests. After they were able to serve the warrant, Twitter was slow to respond, according to court records. The issue, according to newly unsealed court documents, was a nondisclosure agreement that barred Twitter from disclosing the existence of the warrant, including to Trump. The company argued it had a First Amendment right to notify Trump about the warrant, which resulted in months of legal wrangling between Twitter and the special counsels office. The court sided with the government and Twitter was required to hand over the data. During the litigation, the government amended the nondisclosure order to allow Twitter to notify the former President of the existence and contents of the warrant provided they withheld the identity of the case agent. But the company missed a court-ordered deadline for turning over all its records, and was fined $350,000 after being held in contempt. Although Twitter ultimately complied with the warrant, the company did not fully produce the requested information until three days after a court-ordered deadline, the filing states. The legal wrangling underscores the role Trumps Twitter account played in the events of January 6th. The company suspended the @realdonaldtrump account the evening of the riot after he tweeted support for the violent mob. Trumps account was reinstated after Elon Musk acquired the company last year, but the former president has yet to return to the platform. The company, now known as X, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Eden Sher is ready to make her mark on this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival with her one woman show I Was on a Sitcom. In a whirlwind of laughter and nostalgia, Eden Sher, the vivacious starlet known for her unforgettable role in the hit sitcom The Middle, is set to grace the stages of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with her captivating one-woman show, I Was on a Sitcom. A title that instantly evokes chuckles and curiosity, Sher's performance promises to be a heartfelt journey through the highs and lows of her life in the spotlight. As the lights dim and the spotlight finds its mark, Sher invites the audience to join her on a rollercoaster ride through the surreal experience of being part of a beloved television sitcom. With anecdotes that are equal parts endearing and hilarious, she regales her fans with behind-the-scenes tales, sharing intimate moments of camaraderie with her co-stars and the challenges of growing up in the public eye. According to an article on Playbill, Sher ideated the show when, after both starring on a well-loved sitcom and, afterwards, going through a tumultuous pregnancy, she knew she had a lot to say. "I want to do a show. I don't know what it's gonna be. But I want to be on stage. And I want to be talking the whole time. I want to be talking to the audience. I have so much to say. I have so many thoughts and feelings." Though her life story is incredibly unique, many have found comfort and solace in the artist's performance and words. She continued to share with Playbill: "Nobody talks about postpartum. Nobody talks about just actual labor. Nobody talks about how insane being pregnant is, going into labor, giving birth to a child, having a C section, and then months or maybe a year, years postpartum. Nobody talks about how fucked it all is. How crazy it is. Everyone's just like, 'Oh, yeah, you had a job. And now you're a mom.' And, actually, it's not like that at all!...So few people have had twins and have grown up on a television set. And somehow people are like, 'It really resonated with me. Maybe it is even more basic. Just, like, everyone has had a period of their life that sucked that they can't quite articulate." We wish Eden Sher the best of luck on her show! For more on all things entertainment news, check us out here at Enstarz. (Informacion remitida por la empresa firmante) OSLO, Norway, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Photocure ASA (OSE: PHO) today reported Hexvix/Cysview revenues of NOK 115.9 million in the second quarter of 2023 (Q2 2022: NOK 99.9 million), and an EBITDA of NOK 23.4 million (NOK 1.4 million). The Company reiterates its 2023 annual guidance of new Saphira blue light tower installations in the U.S. expected in the range of 65 to 75, anticipated consolidated product revenue growth above 20%, and positive EBITDA excluding business development spending. "In the second quarter of 2023, Hexvix/Cysview revenue increased 16% year over year driven by higher unit sales in the U.S., price increases and foreign exchange. We generated over NOK 23 million in EBITDA, including a positive contribution from our commercial business and a milestone payment from Asieris related to the clinical development of Cevira. During the second quarter, we delivered 4% sequential unit sales growth in North America and 6% in Europe, demonstrating continued positive traction in the region," says Dan Schneider, President & Chief Executive Officer of Photocure. Photocure reported total group revenues of NOK 144.3 million in the second quarter of 2023 (NOK 100.6 million), and an EBITDA* of NOK 23.4 million (NOK 1.4 million). Hexvix/Cysview revenues ended at NOK 115.9 million in the quarter (Q2 2022: NOK 99.9 million), and the total group revenues includes a milestone payment related to the development of Cevira by Asieris of NOK 26.9 million. The EBIT was NOK 16.8 million (NOK -4.6 million), and the cash balance at the end of the period was NOK 258.9 million. Photocure paid off the balance of its term debt during the second quarter of 2023. At the end of the second quarter of 2023, the total installed base of rigid blue light cystoscopes (BLC) in the U.S. was 327, an increase of 21% or 56 towers since the same period in 2022. These figures do not include the 69 flexible cystoscopy towers that were installed in the U.S. as of December 31, 2022. In early 2023, Karl Storz announced that it will no longer sell flexible BLC equipment for use in the surveillance setting and will cease servicing existing units when the availability of replacement parts has been exhausted, anticipated in late 2023. Despite Karl Storz' decision to discontinue its flexible BLC equipment, surveillance of bladder cancer patients with flexible BLC remains a strategic priority for Photocure, and the Company plans to pursue initiatives to restore this specialized equipment in the U.S. and in international markets. "Offsetting the loss in flexible BLC equipment, the installed base of rigid blue light capital equipment expanded once again, with 13 new Saphira towers installed in Q2. Eight new placements and five upgrades were installed prior to Karl Storz's recent promotional discount program which went into effect in July and shifted the timing of some tower installations into the third quarter. In July alone, 40 quotes were issued for new Saphira systems, and so far in Q3, 12 purchase orders have been received. We believe that this momentum will result in a strong second half of the year for new tower placements," Schneider adds. Photocure reiterates its guidance for 2023 and continues to expect new Saphira blue light tower installations in the range of 65 to 75, consolidated product revenue growth above 20%, and positive EBITDA excluding business development spending. "I remain confident in Photocure's future and our ability to bring Hexvix/Cysview to more patients and establish Blue Light Cystoscopy as standard of care. The new technology cycle of high-definition blue light equipment from multiple manufacturers is expected to significantly increase the use of Hexvix/Cysview. We continue to await information from Karl Storz and the FDA regarding the Citizen's Petition to re-classify BLC as a Class 2 device, which we believe will enable additional equipment manufacturers to enter the U.S. market and build critical mass behind BLC. Given our prior success in creating and accelerating the use of BLC in the large untapped bladder cancer surveillance market, we are pursuing a strategy to reintroduce the technology in the near to intermediate future. For the remainder of the year, we will focus on driving sales in the rigid cystoscopy setting, and we look forward to several milestone events including the anticipated Phase 3 results for Hexvix in China and Cevira with our partner Asieris," Schneider concludes. Photocure also announced today that Jan H. Egberts, M.D. has decided to step down from his position as Chairperson of the Company's Board of Directors due to increased time commitments to his personal companies. Dr. Egberts will leave the Board in September 2023, and the Nomination Committee has initiated a search for a new Chairperson. Robert Blatt, Chair of Photocure's Nomination Committee, said, "I would like to express my gratitude to Jan, who has made important contributions to Photocure during his more than six years as Chairperson of the Board. His dedication and medical experience will be missed". Please find the full financial report and presentation enclosed. EBITDA* and other alternative performance measures (APMs) are defined and reconciled to the IFRS financial statements as a part of the APM section of the second quarter and first half 2023 financial report on page 23. The quarterly report and presentation will be published at 08:00 CEST and will be publicly available at www.photocure.com. Dan Schneider, CEO and Erik Dahl, CFO, will host a live webcast at 14:00 CEST. The presentation will be held in English and questions can be submitted throughout the event. The streaming event is available through: https://channel.royalcast.com/hegnarmedi... The presentation is scheduled to conclude at 14:45 CEST. For further information, please contact:Dan SchneiderPresident and CEOPhotocure ASAEmail: ds@photocure.com Erik DahlChief Financial OfficerTel: +47 450 55 000Email: ed@photocure.com David MoskowitzVice President of Investor RelationsTel: +1 202 280 0888Email: david.moskowitz@photocure.com Media and IR enquiries:Geir BjrloCorporate Communications (Norway)Tel: +47 91540000Email: geir.bjorlo@corpcom.no About Photocure ASA Photocure: The Bladder Cancer Company delivers transformative solutions to improve the lives of bladder cancer patients. Our unique technology, making cancer cells glow bright pink, has led to better health outcomes for patients worldwide. Photocure is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: PHO). For more information, please visit us at www.photocure.com, www.hexvix.com, www.cysview.com All trademarks mentioned in this release are protected by law and are registered trademarks of Photocure ASA. This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This stock exchange announcement was published by Tolv Hillestad, Group Controller, Photocure ASA, on 9 May 2023 at 08:00 CEST. The following files are available for download: View original content: https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/photocure-asa-results-for-the-second-quarter-and-first-half-of-2023-301896606.html Cine Marvel confirma las 6 peliculas y series en las que Maquina de Guerra ya era un skrull antes de Invasion Secreta Fairfield, MT (59436) Today Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 57F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 57F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. UPDATE, AUG. 20: The pre-evacuation warning in place for the Niarada Fire has been lifted and residents are allowed to bring livestock back home. All pre-evacuation warnings for Elmo and Big Arm have been lifted and operations are switching from active suppression to repairing the impacts of the efforts used to stop the fires which once threatened nearly 400 homes in the Elmo and Big Arm area, according to the CSKT Division of Fire. The Niarada Fire is reportedly getting closer to containment, and that the Mill Pocket is 100% contained. UPDATE, AUG. 19: A community meeting with updates on the Big Knife Fire is being held at the Arlee Community Center at 34086 Pow Wow Rd. on Monday, Aug. 21 at 7:00 pm. Big Knife Fire - 7,152 acres, 7% contained Fire activity on the Big Knife Fire was milder than predicted. On the north edge of the fire, along S. Canal Road crews are continuing to mitigate hazards by removing snags inside the fire perimeter at least a tree length from the line. Crews patrolling the area observed the fire backing down into the bottom of the Gold Creek drainage. On the south end of the fire in the Agency Creek drainage, crews are continuing to patrol and monitor fire activity. On the east side of the fire near Jocko Lookout, crews will continue monitoring the pumps and sprinkler systems and monitoring the fire growth in the primitive area. Niarada - 20,365 acres, 90% contained Crews were fighting against high winds, with the eastern portion of the Niarada Fire closest to elmo seeing the bulk of the effort as crews worked to cool lingering heat source utilizing some of the four miles of hose lays that have been installed in the area. These efforts will be ongoing for the next several days. Mill Pocket 1,869 acres, 95% contained Crews on the Mill Pocket Fire are working on suppression repair and minimal mop up. UPDATE, AUG. 18 AT 3:37 PM: Due to fire conditions near the East Fork Fire, the Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino has issued a mandatory evacuation for residents and visitors in the following areas: North of mile marker 142 on Highway 93 to mile marker 157.9 -- Lincoln/Flathead County line Residents of Good Creek Road, and those who access Good Creek west to the Lincoln County line All pre-evacuation notices issued Aug. 17 are still in effect including in Olney. UPDATE Aug. 18, 9:34 a.m. The Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency (LCEMA) is alerting power service through the Lincoln Electric Cooperative (LEC) may be affected by the East Fork Fire. The following is a Facebook post by LCEMA: Alert: Evacuation warning notices have been issued by Lincoln County Sheriff's Office to residents in the Striker area of Lincoln County that may be impacted by the East Fork Fire. Additionally, LCEMA has been made aware of changing fire conditions that could affect the Northeast area of Lincoln County with power service through Lincoln Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LEC). Informational: The USFS Incident Management Team on the North Fork fire communicated that they have established an advanced action point for the East Fork Fire. If fire activity reaches that advanced action point, LEC and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) will be placed on standby. At that time, LCEMA will initiate a CodeRED notification to all residents in the potentially impacted area. In addition, LEC will send automated calls to members to be prepared for the POTENTIAL of a system-wide outage. The Length of the possible outage would be based on fire conditions and damage assessments. If an extended outage is anticipated, LCEMA will work to coordinate sheltering and support to critical facilities. Both Lincoln Electric and BPA have NO plans to de-energize any of their facilities, UNLESS they receive a specific request to do so by incident command in the interest of safety. Action: Evacuation Warning (Yellow) begins when there is a possibility of a need to evacuate. During this phase, contacts and briefings with area residents is completed. Movement of persons requiring Access and Functional Needs or extraordinary care, large mobile property and livestock (if feasible) is recommended. Be prepared for the POTENTIAL of an area power outage. Sign up for CodeRED to get immediate emergency information notification: https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BFD8675274C8 LCEMA is working with the USFS, IMT, partners and monitoring this situation. updated information will go out as it becomes available. Check back by going to https://www.facebook.com/LC.EMA.MT Lincoln Electric Cooperative https://www.facebook.com/lincolnelectriccooperative U.S. Forest Service - Kootenai National Forest https://www.facebook.com/kootenainf A closure order is still in effect for roads in the vicinity of the East Fork Fire. To view, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/kootenai/alerts-notices/ For updated East Fork Fire information, please visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident.../mtknf-east-fork-fire... UPDATE Aug. 17, 8 PM: East Fork Fire Due to hot, dry, and windy conditions the fire has grown to 2,600 acres overnight and throughout the day. Pre-evacuation orders have been set in place because of the possibility the fire has of spreading, this order allows time for residents to make plans for their homes, family, livestock, and pets in the event of an evacuation. The pre-evacuation area includes Highway 93 north beginning at Mile Marker 142 north to Flathead/Lincoln County line. Crossroads and affected addresses can be found on the Flathead County Website. This is not a mandatory evacuation order but in the event of a mandatory evacuation, local Sheriff's Office personnel will conduct door-to-door notifications of residents in the affected area. Evacuation notices will also be announced/published on radio, tv, online, social media, and through our Emergency Notification System, Code Red. UPDATE, AUG. 17: A CSKT Type 3 Incident Management Team, headed by Rob Berney, has taken command of the Niarada and Mill Pocket fires as the Northern Rockies team has timed out. On the Big Knife Fire, Brad Bergmans Incident Management Team 8 assumed command. Big Knife Fire - 6,275 acres, 7% contained On the southwest edge of the fire, crews are assessing the fires progress as it moves down the slopes to control lines. Firefighters are preparing canal roads for better access and removing vegetation around power poles. On the south end of the fire in the Agency Creek drainage, crews will patrol and monitor fire activity. With pumps and hoses in place, they will continue to work on hotspots within the perimeter. Crews will be monitoring the pumps and sprinkler systems installed to protect infrastructure on the east side of the fire as well as Jocko Lookout which has water systems in place as well as a fire-resistant wrap around the base. Niarada Fire - 20,365 acres, 85% contained The Niarada Fire remained relatively quiet Wednesday as crews continued to focus on building line as direct as possible along the fires eastern edge closest to Elmo and mopping up from previous firing operations. Crews continue to assess and patrol and mop up (cool areas containing heat) around much of the remaining fire perimeter. Suppression repair work has begun in these areas, including pulling in dozer line berms and blading roads. Structure protection crews remain outside Elmo near Big Arm, testing sprinkler systems and pumps while working with landowners on additional vegetation management around structures. Mill Pocket - 2,135 acres, 90% contained The majority of the Mill Pocket Fire is in mop-up status as crews work to ensure the fires edge are cool and pose little to no threat to containment. UPDATE, AUG. 16: Fire activity greatly increased in the Big Knife Fire Tuesday, whereas, the Niarada and Mill Pocket fires remained relatively quiet. Big Knife Fire The Big Knife Fire is sized at approximately 6,106 acres, 1,154-acre increase from Monday, and is 7% contained. The fire moved east up to the drainage toward the Tribal Primitive Area and away from Jocko, Francis and Arlee. According to CSKT Division of Fire's Facebook post, the persisting hot and dry weather with increased winds is expected to produce more smoke and fire growth Wednesday. Crews are monitoring the fire's progress as it shifts down to the control lines near the southwest edge, according to CSKT Division of Fire's Facebook post. Firefighters are getting canal roads ready to improve access and clearing out vegetation around power poles. The Craig Angency Hotshot Crew went direct along the fire's edge on the south side of the fire in the Agency Creek drainage. They will keep working up canyone and tie into scree slopes with pumps and hose set up. There are pumps and sprinkler systems to protect infrastructure east of the fire and at Jocko Lookout--which also has fire-resistant wrap around the base. Niarada Fire The Niarada Fire is burning 20,370 acres and is 81% contained as of Wednesday morning. Fire activity kept fairly quiet Tuesday--crews were still building a line as direct as possible to the fire's eastern edge nearest to Elmo. The smoke increase is likely interior pockets of vegetation burn out due to increased temperatures and drier weather, according to CSKT Division of Fire's Facebook post. Crews are still assessing, patrolling and mopping up the remaining fire perimeter. Crews have started suppression repair work in these areas. There are still structure protection crews outside Elmo near Big Arm. Mill Pocket Fire The Mill Pocket Fire is burning 2,135 acres and is 89% contained. The Mill Pocket Fire is still in mop-up status, and crews are working to make sure the fire's edge stays cool and no danger to containment. CSKT Division of Fire's Facebook post said there is still some heat in steep scree slopes on the northwestern side--firefighters are still putting out hotspots by dropping water via helicopter where necessary. CSKT Division of Fire says the following in its Facebook post in regard to closures, evacuation statuses and fire restrictions: "Several areas near the base of the mountains west of the Big Knife Fire remain in PRE-EVACUATION WARNING by order of the Lake County Sheriff. See the map for those locations in yellow (Jocko, Canal, Francis). In the Tribal Primitive Area, Belmore Slough and Burnt Cabin Roads are closed. Near the Niarada Fire, the Lake County Sheriffs Office has a PRE-EVACUATION WARNING in place for the area that includes Alexander Road, Early Dawn Road, Spring Lane Road, Walking Horse Lane, Windward Heights Road, Wildhorse View, Buffalo Bridge Road, Saddle Drive, Island Butte Lane, Bridle Path, Ten Deuce Way, Cliffview Drive, and Ricketts Road. The remainder of the town of Elmo is in READY status. A PRE-EVACUATION WARNING means you may be in your home. However, as there still is a risk from both fires, those in this status should not bring back evacuated livestock until the area is downgraded to READY status. A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in effect around both fire areas. Do not fly unmanned aircraft (drones) near the fire areas, as that is hazardous for pilots, and the firefighters on the ground who rely on aircraft support. Remember, if you fly, we cant! Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place across the Flathead Indian Reservation. No campfires are allowed, no smoking outside of vehicles, no operating combustible engines from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m., no operating vehicles off designated roads and trails. Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit www.MTFireInfo.org for more fire information across Montana." UPDATE, AUG. 15: Fire crews are continuing to battle the Big Knife, Niarada and Mill Pocket fires in northwest Montana Tuesday. A release from Northern Rockies Team 3 said the Big Knife fire, located 5 miles east of Arlee, is 4,952 acres large and 7% contained Tuesday. The Niarada Fire, located near Elmo, located 12 miles west of Elmo, is 20,365 acres large and 81% contained Friday. The Mill Pocket Fire, located 3 miles west of Highway 28, is 2,135 acres large and 89% contained. Big Knife Fire Big Knife fire activity grew amid increasing temperatures and lower humidity levels. Helicopters used water to check the fire's edge on the north side in the Gold Creek drainage. Crews will keep requesting aircraft for water drops, reconnaissance flights and sling loads. Crews are monitoring fire progress on the southwest if it moves down the slopes to control lines. To improve egress, crews are preparing canal roads and clearing vegetation near power poles. The Craig Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew (CMIHC) started to finish hazard tree mitigation and looked for opportunities to go direct on the south end of the fire in the Agency Creek drainage, according to the release from Northern Rockies Team 3. CMIHC set up pumps and hoses to several key scree slopes and will keep working the fire's edge. Sprinkler systems and pumps are set up around several spots of infrastructure and the Jocko lookout east of the fire--the lookout is covered in fire-resistant wrap. Niarada Fire Smoke is expected to increase as interior pockets of vegetation burnout due to increasing temperatures and drier weather. Northern Rockies Team 3 said in the release strategic firing operations were effective for the Niarada fire Monday--firefighters burned approximately 50 acres to establish indirect lines on the south side. Although the firing operations create a considerable amount of smoke, they cut the longevity of the fire and reduce long-term damaging impacts, according to the release. Crews are still assessing, patroling and mopping up a lot of the remaining fire perimeter. Structure protection crews are testing sprinkler systems and pumps and collaborating with property owners on further vegetation management around structures outside Elmo toward Big Arm. Mill Pocket Fire On the Mill Pocket fire, a lot of the perimeter that's still there is in mop-up and patrol status. There's still seat in steep scree slopes, and firefighters are still cooling hotspots with water drops on the northwestern side. An excavator is pulling in dozer lines to help with suppression repair, and the equipment is used to overturn bigger stumps to reduce remaining heat. UPDATE, AUG. 14: The following is a Facebook post by CSKT Division of Fire in regard to the Niarada Fire: "Fire personnel will be using tactical firing operations on the southeast corner of the Niarada Fire this afternoon. The objective of this operation is to clean up unburned fuels between the fire perimeter and containment lines. Removing available fuel reduces the chances of a wind driven fire crossing existing containment lines. Tactical firing operations or burn outs are one tool often implemented in the suppression of a wildfire. This technique is the coordinated and intentional application of fire to secure otherwise inaccessible portions of line, clean up portions of line where fuels were not fully consumed or attempt to steer the main fire away from communities, critical infrastructure or other values at risk. Managers implement firing only after opportunities for a more direct approach have been thoroughly explored. Before any firing operations are conducted, there are extensive preparations made to ensure the greatest possibility for success such as brushing back roads, building handline or mechanical line or ensuring natural features such as rivers, creeks or rock screes are sufficient to secure the fires edge. After all prep work is completed and personnel are in place, firefighters will only engage in firing operations if weather conditions are in their favor. While these operations can put substantial smoke in the air, they ultimately reduce the duration of the fire and long-term harmful impacts. Firing operations result in low to moderate intensity fire effects and often mimic the positive impact of natural fire on the landscape." UPDATE, AUG. 13: Fire managers with the Incident Management Team, BIA, and CSKT are having extensive conversations about long-term planning for the Big Knife Fire. The CSKT Division of Fire reports the weather is getting hotter and drier, which will increase fire activity. Discussions include balancing protecting homes, infrastructure, and cultural resources, with the risk to firefighters and the likelihood of success. The following is information on the actions made against the Big Knife Fire from the CSKT Division of Fire: Helicopters have been doing water drops to minimize the fire's spread into Gold Creek on the northern perimeter. Crews have completed a fuel break along the Jocko Canyon Road and line preparation and vegetation reduction along the Jocko S Canal Road. Equipment operators and crews finished control lines along the fire's southwestern edge to Agency Creek. Firefighters are monitoring the fire in these areas and are prepared to act if the fire moves down toward the lines. On the south side, firefighters are working to keep the fire north of Agency Creek. Helicopters have dropped water to cool the edge, and sawyers have been cutting down hazard trees to allow safe access. Additional crews will be inserted in this area to finish hazard tree mitigation and evaluate opportunities for digging handline and going direct on the fires edge. To the east of the fire, crews finished installing sprinkler systems and pumps around several pieces of infrastructure and the Jocko Lookout. The lookout has been covered with a fire-resistant wrap. Fire managers are discussing the next steps for this area, balancing the benefits of fire on the landscape, the risk to firefighters and pilots, and the values threatened. On the Niarada Fire, crews have worked hard to reach containment around a large portion of the fire perimeter the past two weeks. According to the CSKT Division of Fire, the following is being done: Along the southeastern and southwestern sides, crews continue to work directly along the fires edge to eliminate heat and build firelines. Several Type 1 Interagency Hotshot Crews have been improving firelines and preparing for a strategic firing operation on the southwest side. This operation will be done during favorable conditions to secure portions of the indirect line where its unsafe for firefighters to go direct. Fire managers planned to implement other firing operations, but those operations have been deemed unnecessary because the weather moderated fire behavior which allowed crews to go direct. Structure protection crews continue to work outside Elmo toward Big Arm, testing sprinkler systems and pumps while working with landowners on additional vegetation management around structures. Containment of the Mill Pocket Fire continues to increase. Much of the remaining perimeter is in mop-up and patrol status. However, heat remains in steep scree slopes on the northwestern side. Helicopters continue to drop water as needed, and crews are mopping up hot spots where they can access them. UPDATE, AUG. 12: Crews on the Niarada Fire are pushing hard toward containment, and much of the fire's northern and western perimeter is now in mop-up and patrol status, according to the CSKT Division of Fire. Crews will continue progressing along the eastern and southeastern fire perimeter, building more direct lines and working off the fire's black edge. Some indirect line will remain the only viable option around the fire's southerly perimeter, where terrain is treacherous and fuels are heavy. An update from CSKT Division of Fire says strategic firing operations will likely be necessary during favorable conditions to secure those portions of indirect line. Specialized crews of skilled sawyers continued cutting fire-killed snags (dead-standing trees) south of Highway 28, enabling safe access for hand crews to previously hazardous areas. Structure protection crews continue to work outside Elmo towards Big Arm. Due to current conditions and progress, a night shift is no longer deemed necessary, however, it could be reinstated if conditions change. Much of the Mill Pocket Fire is in mop-up and patrol status, and helicopters are still dropping water while crews work along the fires northwestern perimeter near Mill Creek. On the Big Knife Fire, a warming and drying trend resulted in smoldering fuels in lower to mid-elevations burning more actively again. Aircraft were used to drop water on hot spots in the Agency Creek, Jocko Canyon, and Big Knife Creek drainages Friday. Line preparation and vegetation reduction has been completed along Jocko Canyon/Canal Road. Equipment operators and crews completed control lines along the fire's southwestern edge to Agency Creek. They will continue working southward if the fire moves in that direction, CSKT Division of Fire reports. On the fire's eastern side, crews began performing structure and point protection measures in South Fork Jocko River. Some measures included strategically wrapping Jocko Lookout and placing pumps and sprinklers around other resource values at risk. A specialized assessment team continues evaluating the long-term potential fire growth of the Big Knife Fire. UPDATE, AUG. 11: Crews are continuing to battle the Big Knife, Niarada and Mill Pocket fires Friday burning in the Mission Valley. Big Knife Fire The Big Knife Fire currently sized at an estimated 4,952 acres and is 5% contained. CSKT said in a release even with the recent precipitation, the Big Knife Fire is anticipated to warm and dry over the course of the upcoming days. With that, fire managers are examining its possible long-term fire increase due to fire seasons historically lasting through fall. Heavy equipment operators are still tying road prisms to constructed firelines along the southwestern perimeter. Crews are mopping up the edge of a strategic firing operation they managed last week to keep the fire north of Agency Creek, CSKT said in the release. Aircraft are helping as long as conditions allow them, and helicopters dropped water on hot spots in the Agency Creek drainage. Niarada Fire The Niarada Fire, burning west of Elmo, is currently 20,365 acres big and is 47% contained as of Friday. CSKT said in their release fire crews battling the Niarada Fire took advantage of the recent rainfall Wednesday. Expert sawyers are cutting down dead trees south of Highway 28 to allow hand crews to work directly along the eastern and southeaster edge where they possibly can. Firefighters are preparing lines in locations of the Niarada Fire that may require strategic firing operations later on. CSKT said in the release crews will begin the strategic firing operations once conditions improve. Structure protection crews are still working outside Elmo towards Big Arm, and a night crew is monitoring the fluctuating conditions and the fire. Crews are continuing mop-up on the north perimeter near the Cromwell Creek Road and looking at areas of unburned vegetation west of the line to decipher if it is concerning for containment. Mill Pocket Fire The Mill Pocket Fire, burning 3 miles west of Highway 28, is currently 2,135 acres big and is 51% contained. CSKT said in their release the Mill Pocket Fire is in mop-up and patrol status, but crews are still battling the fire in the northwestern perimeter--mopping hot spots where they can in the steep scree slopes. Helicopters are still providing support to crews and dropping water to put out hot spots win dangerous or inaccessible areas. CSKT said the following in their release in regard to closures and evacuation status: "The Lake County Sheriff has placed several areas near the base of the mountains west of the Big Knife Fire in PRE-EVACUATION status. See the map for those locations in yellow (Jocko, Canal, Francis). In the Tribal Primitive Area, Belmore Slough and Burnt Cabin Roads are closed. The Lake County Sheriffs Office is downgrading those in EVACUATION status near the Niarada Fire in Lake County to a PRE-EVACUATION WARNING. This area includes Alexander Road, Early Dawn Road, Spring Lane Road, Walking Horse Lane, Windward Heights Road, Wildhorse View, Buffalo Bridge Road, Saddle Drive, Island Butte Lane, Bridle Path, Ten Deuce Way, Cliffview Drive, and Ricketts Road. A PRE-EVACUATION WARNING means you may return to your home. However, as there is still a potential threat from the Niarada Fire, please do not bring back evacuated livestock until the area is downgraded to READY status. The remainder of the town of Elmo is in READY status. A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in effect around both fire areas. Do not fly unmanned aircraft (drones) near the fire areas, as that is hazardous for pilots, and the firefighters on the ground who rely on aircraft support. Remember, if you fly, we cant! Use extreme caution when driving on Highway 28. Firefighters and equipment are still working in the area. FIRE RESTRICTIONS Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place across the Flathead Indian Reservation. No campfires are allowed, no smoking outside of vehicles, no operating combustible engines between 1PM-1AM, no operating vehicles off designated roads and trails. Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit www.MTFireInfo.org for more fire information across Montana." UPDATE, AUG. 9: A community meeting is being held Wednesday night at the Elmo Community Center starting at 6:00 pm for the Big Knife, Niarada and Mill Pocket fires. If you cant make it, the meeting will be live-streamed via the CSKT Division of Fire Facebook page. Another meeting will also be held Thursday, Aug. 10 at the Arlee Community Center at 6:00 pm. As of Wednesday, the Northern Rockies Team 3 reports the Big Knife Fire is 4,864 acres large and 5% contained; the Niarada Fire is 20,365 acres large and 25% contained; and the Mill Pocket fire is 2,135 acres large and 51% contained. So far, four structures have been lost to these fires. several areas near the base of the mountains west of the Big Knife Fire in pre-evacuation status by the Lake County Sheriffs Office. Those evacuated due to the Niarada Fire in Lake County have been allowed to go home and are now in pre-evacuation warning status. This area includes Alexander Road, Early Dawn Road, Spring Lane Road, Walking Horse Lane, Windward Heights Road, Wildhorse View, Buffalo Bridge Road, Saddle Drive, Island Butte Lane, Bridle Path, Ten Deuce Way, Cliffview Drive, and Ricketts Road. UPDATE, AUG. 7 The Flathead County Sheriff's Office has announced they are lifting the evacuation notice on the Niarada Fire from Browns Meadow Pass to Highway 28; this includes Kofford Ridge Road and Battle Butte Road. They also said in a press release they are lifting the pre-evacuation warning for Mill Pocket Fire, Hubbart Damn Rd/NF-544 from the intersection of Crossover Road South to Highway 28. Keep in mind,t he decisions to lift or expand evacuation areas is made based on current or predicted fire conditions. Flathead CSO says they are thankful for the cooler weather and higher humidity this past weekend to help with fighting the fire. UPDATE, AUG. 6: The Lake County Facebook reports the Red Cross at Polson High School is moving into standby at this time. Evacuations are still in place at this time. UPDATE, AUG. 6: The 12,700-acre Middle Ridge fire is now 51% contained as of Sunday morning. CSKT Division of Fire reports smoke may be visible interior of the fire containment line where the fire is still smoldering. The Holmes Creek Fire is 45 acres large and 0% contained. The Mercer Fire, which was burning about a mile and a half from Evaro, is 2 acres large and 100% contained. People are being reminded of Stage 2 Fire restrictions in place across the Flathead Indian Reservation, which restricts campfires, smoking outside of vehicles, operating combustible engines between 1:00 pm and 1:00 am and operating vehicles off designated roads. UPDATE, AUG. 5 The CSKT Division of Fire reports the Niarada Fire was extremely active Friday on the south and southeast sides. It is reported to be 17,024 acres large. About 150 residents were evacuated due to the fire by the Lake County Sheriff's Office. In the Tribal Primitive Area, Belmore Slough and Burnt Cabin Roads are closed. The following residences near the Niarada are under evacuation status: Alexander RoadEarly Dawn Road, Spring Lane Road, Walking Horse Lane, Windward Heights Road, Wildhorse View, Buffalo Bridge Road, Saddle Drive, Island Butte Lane, Bridle Path, Ten Deuce Way, Cliffview Drive, and Ricketts Road. The remainder of the town of Elmo is in ready status. The Flathead County Sheriffs Office has issued a pre-evacuation warning for Hubbart Dam Rd/NF-544 from the intersection of Crossover Rd South to Hwy 28. Crews working the Big Knife Fire continue to try to flank the fire, implement structure protection measures along Canal Road and the fires western edge, and monitor the southwest edge. The Big Knife Fire is 4,636 acres large according to the CSKT Division of Fire. Several areas near the base of the mountains west of the Big Knife Fire are in pre-evacuation status as of Saturday. In the Tribal Primitive Area, Belmore Slough and Burnt Cabin Roads are closed. UPDATE, AUG. 4 The Lake County Sheriffs Office is evacuating residents south of Highway 93 from Alexander Lane to Walking Horse Lane. This includes the following roads: Alexander Lane Early Dawn Road Spring Lane Road Walking Horse Lane Windward Heights Road Wildhorse View Buffalo Bridge Road Saddle Drive Island Butte Lane Bridle Path Ten Deuce Way Cliffview Drive Ricketts Road If you were evacuated due to the fire, Red Cross has opened a shelter in Polson. The shelter is located at the Polson High School, 1712 2nd St. W, and will provide a safe place to stay, meals, and access to community resources. UPDATE, AUG. 4: More accurate mapping has the Middle Ridge Fire sized at 12,700 acres and 25% containment Friday morning. The Communication Butte Fire is 1,423 acres and is now 100% contained with crews continuing to monitor the area. No containment is reported on the Holmes Creek Fire east of Polson, which is estimated at 41 acres large. Smoke jumpers and heli-repellers are working the fire with air support from a type 1 helicopter dropping water with buckets. The CSKT Division of Fire reports fire resources from the CSKT division have been successfully responding to new fires as well as continued mop-up along the Middle Ridge and Communication Butte fires. UPDATE, AUG. 4: The Niarada and Big Knife fires increased in size overnight Thursday. The Niarada Fire is an estimated 14,816 acres with 0% containment Friday morning. The Big Knife Fire is an estimated 4,412 acres with 0% containment Friday morning. UPDATE, AUG. 3: A community meeting regarding the Big Knife, Niarada, and Mill Pocket fires is being held Thursday at 6:00 pm in Arlee at the Arlee Community Center, 34086 Pow Wow Rd. If you cant make the meeting, it will be broadcast live on the CSKT Division of Fire Facebook. A second meeting will also be held on Friday, Aug. 4 at 6:00 pm in Elmo at the Elmo Community Center, 47088 Cemetery Rd. Depending on internet connectivity, the meeting will either be streamed live like the Arlee meeting, or recorded and posted to Facebook afterwards. As of Thursday morning, the Big Knife Fire is 2,710 acres large and 0% contained. The CSKT Division of Fire reports the fire was active Wednesday ,with a spot fire south of Big Knife Creek burning eastward into the South Fork Jocko Tribal Primitive Areas. Strategic firing operations may be necessary to prevent spread to the west toward the valley and aircraft are helping crews as conditions allow. The Niarada Fire is reported to be 10,400 acres large and is 0% contained. This fire was also reported to be active Wednesday, spreading both to the northeast and southeast. Crews, heavy equipment, engines, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft continue to work the fire, building firelines from safe anchor points and protecting structures in the area. Weather is anticipated to be hot and dry through Friday ,with the potential for thunderstorms and light precipitation by late weekend. The CSKT Division of Fire shared the following closure information: The Lake County Sheriff has several areas near the base of the mountains west of the Big Knife Fire in pre-evacuation status. In the Tribal Primitive Area, Belmore Slough and Burnt Cabin Roads are closed. Near the Niarada Fire, the Lake County Sheriff has placed the Walking Horse Lane area is in pre-evacuation status, and the town of Elmo is in ready status. The Flathead County Sheriffs Office has issued a pre-evacuation warning for Hubbart Dam Rd/NF-544 from the intersection of Crossover Rd South to Hwy 28. A mandatory evacuation remains in place from the top of the Pass on Browns Meadow Road South to Hwy 28, Nirada. This mandatory evacuation also includes Kofford Ridge Rd. Use extreme caution when driving on Highway 28. Visibility is very poor, and the speed limit has been reduced to 45 miles-per-hour. UPDATE, AUG. 2: The CSKT Division of Fire shared that favorable weather conditions and terrain have allowed for firefighters to make great progress across the Communication Butte and Middle Ridge fires. Both fires have a secured line around them. The Middle Ridge Fire is estimated at 13,000 acres, 20% containment. After making a hard push Tuesday, firefighters were able to hold the fire at Tower Rd., and crews have been working to secure line around the fire using dozers and firing operations for the past several evenings, to create containment. Mop-up on the Middle Ridge Fire will begin Wednesday, with crews putting out any hot spots along the entire fire line. The Communication Butte Fire is estimated at 1,423 acres, 30% containment. Crews made progress putting in a containment line. Mop-up will begin along the entire fire line, starting on the east and west side of the river, 10 to 30 feet interior, firefighters will put out any hot-spots within the secure line. Six engines and staff are assigned to the fire and will also be available if any new starts occur. On the Holmes Creek Fire, no containment is reported and the fire is estimated to be 36 acres. Single-engine air tankers were used to drop water on it throughout Tuesday. Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place across the Flathead Indian Reservation. No campfires are allowed, no smoking outside of vehicles, no operating combustible engines between 1:00 pm to 1:00 am, no operating vehicles off designated roads and trails UPDATE, AUG 2: The Big Knife Fire is burning 2,000 acres with containment remaining at 0% Wednesday morning. Evacuation warning is in place for those who live in Jacko Canyon and other nearby areas. For the more updated information on wildfires in Montana, visit mtfireinfo.org. The following is a Facebook post by CSKT Division of Fire: More crews and equipment have arrived on the reservation in support of fire suppression efforts and more. Many of the fires have seen extreme growth with the low fuels moisture and high temperatures. A Complex Incident Management Team will arrive tonight to take command of multiple fires, bringing more support staff for the increase in fire resources arriving. Mapping of the fires has been postponed because of limited visibility from smoke. Fire restrictions are in place with no campfires allowed within the boundaries of the reservation. #NiaradaFire Eleven miles west of Elmo, MT, estimated to be over 5,000 acres. Smokejumpers, a 20 person crew, single-engine air tankers, helicopters and heavy equipment have been responding to this fire. The fire is burning in very steep and rugged terrain heading north and east. Winds coming from the west/southwest continue to push the fire north/northeast. The fire had four single-engine air tankers, very large air tanker, five large air tankers, supporting ground resources all day. #BigKnifeFire - East of Arlee, MT, 1,991 acres. Over 100 fire fighters and overhead have made progress on a containment line on the western edge. This line is holding well. A Complex Incident Management Team will assume command of this fire Aug. 2. #MiddleRidgeFire - Southwest of Sloans Bridge, estimated over 10,970 acres. Fire fighters and heavy equipment with limited air support have managed to put in containment line and secure the south end of the fire in the area of Little Bitteroot Road. The north end of the fire is the most active and the priority focus today. #CommunicationButteFire - North of Dixon, Mont. in Ferry Basin, approximately 1,500 acres. The fire is burning in grass and timber, crews have made a lot of progress putting in containment lines today. The terrain is very steep and difficult to access. It did jump the Flathead River last night. Some air support. #MillPocketFire West of Niarada, 600 acres. Dozers are assigned and it has been receiving air support. The fire is progressing east and has moved to the canal. Evacuation Information Currently there are NO new evacuations, evacuations in Moiese community have been lifted, Browns Meadows in Flathead County is still under evacuation orders. The public is encouraged to be prepared if they are asked to leave by emergency responders. Fire Restrictions No campfires are allowed, no smoking outside of vehicles, no operating combustible engines between 1pm-1am, no operating vehicles off designated roads and trails. Re-Opened The Bison Range is open with regular operating hours. Highway 28 is open with speed restrictions. Advising the public to be prepared for potential stops and long wait times. UPDATE: Monday at 1:22 p.m. Firefighters are continuing to battle the multiple fires in the Mission Valley area Monday. Communication Butte Fire The Communication Butte Fire is burning an estimated 400 acres north of Dixon in Ferry Basin. CSKT Division of Fire said in a Facebook post the terrain is very steep and hard to access. Firefighters and aircraft will resume examining and engaging the fire where they can safely, CSKT Division of Fire said. Niarada Fire The Niarada Fire is now sized at 5,000 acres west of Elmo. The Niarada Fire crossed Highway 28 Sunday and largely drifted northeast. Fire crews and equipment are working on the fire with air support, weather dependent, CSKT said via Facebook. Middlge Ridge Fire The Middlge Ridge Fire, located west of Sloans bridge and Ronan, is burning an estimated 7,000 acres, according to CSKT's Facebook post. Big Knife Fire The Big Knife Fire, located east of Arlee, was showing severe fire behavior Sunday night, according to CSKT's Facebook post. The Big Knife Fire is burning an estimated 3,000 acres. CSKT Division of Fire said crews are centering their attention on securing the line on the west edge of the fire near homes and are making good progress. Mill Pocket Fire The Mill Pocket Fire, located west of the Niarada Fire, is burning an estimated 100 acres. UPDATE AT 5:00 PM: The CSKT Division of Fire announced that due to the Communication Butte Fire, the Bison Range is temporarily closed. As of Sunday afternoon, the fire is about 255 acres and is being driven toward the Flathead River by wind. The Middle Ridge Fire southwest of Sloans Bridge is over 500 acres as of Sunday morning. The Niarada Fire crossed the highway Sunday afternoon and is estimated at about 200 acres. RONAN, Mont. - Multiple fires were ignited following a lightning storm that passed through Mission Valley and surrounding areas Sunday morning. The biggest fire, named Middle Ridge, is about 500 acres large and two air tankers are responding with six water tenders and six skidgens. North of Dixon in Ferry Basin, the Communication Butte fire is about 100 acres large and is burning in grass and timber with a 20 person crew responding. The Niarada Fire is 11 miles west of Elmo and is about five acres large. Four single-engine air tankers, one helicopter for air support, three fire boss single-engine air tankers and eight smoke jumpers are responding. All three fires are burning in steep terrain. As of Sunday morning no structures are threatened and no evacuations have been ordered. People who are in the area are advised to be aware of emergency vehicles on roads as well as very dry grasses. UPDATE, AUG. 13: The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office says the two persons of interest they were looking for regarding a fatal crash have been taken into custody. Law enforcement was looking for Holly Kittle and Gerald Lee Johnson as people of interest in a hit-and-run crash that killed a motorcyclist on Aug. 6. UPDATE, AUG. 9: The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office has released the name of the motorcyclist that was killed in a crash near Belgrade on Sunday. Hunter Berry, 28, of Manhattan was taken to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center where he died of his injuries. His cause of death was determined to be blunt force injuries of the head and the manner was ruled an accident. Law enforcement is still looking for the driver of the pickup truck at this time, according to Chief Deputy Coroner, Beker Cuelho. On Tuesday, Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) asked for the publics help in locating two persons of interest, Hollie Kittle and Gerald Lee Johnson, regarding the crash. If you know where law enforcement can locate these two individuals, you are asked to contact MHP Communications Center at 855-MHP(647)-3777 or Gallatin County Sheriffs Office at (406) 582-2100. BELGRADE, Mont. - One person is dead after a motorcycle vs. pickup crash. According to the Montana Highway Patrol (MHP), the motorcycle was heading east on Frontage Road when a pickup turned right onto Frontage Road from Thorpe Road, causing a rear-end accident. The 28-year-old male driver of the motorcycle was transported to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center and was later pronounced dead. The pickup fled the scene. MHP is are looking for a 1973-1974 Ford Ranger or F150 believed to be white in color, similar to the picture, that left the scene and they say this vehicle will have extensive rear end damage. Right now MHP is asking anyone who saw anything or sees a truck like the one pictured to call their 24/7 communications center at 855-647-3777. REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio The Ohio Department of Agriculture announced last week that there are several new spotted lanternfly infestations across the state, including Columbus and Toledo. As a result of new detections, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas, Mahoning and Muskingum counties will be added to the spotted lanternfly quarantine area. In 2021, ODA designated the spotted lanternfly as a destructive plant pest and established regulations aimed at reducing the risk of spread. In quarantine areas, spotted lanternfly infestations have been confirmed and inspections are increased. Cuyahoga, Lorain and Jefferson counties are also quarantined. The spotted lanternfly was first detected in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in 2014. It was likely brought to the U.S. by imported goods. The first confirmation of this pest in Ohio was in Mingo Junction, in Jefferson County, in 2020. A population was detected in Cleveland in September 2021. Details The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect native to Asia. Its not a danger to humans, but it is a pest to many plants and trees. Spotted lanternflies will feed on the sap of more than 100 species of trees and other plants, but its favorite is an invasive tree known as the tree of heaven. Researchers have found lanternflies rarely kill the plants they feed on, but high populations of the bugs can cause damage and stress to plants, impacting yields and the quality of harvests. Host plants are harmed by being fed on and by the secretions spotted lanternflies leave behind. The sticky secretion, called honeydew, promotes the growth of sooty mold, which is extremely damaging, especially to fruit crops. These secretions can also attract other pests to feed on a host plant. Spotted lanternflies are a grave concern to vineyard operators and the wine industry as the bugs have been shown to kill grape vines. The grape and winery industry in Ohio contributes more than $6 billion dollars in economic activity to the state yearly. In late summer and into fall, spotted lanternflies are in their adult stage. They are approximately one inch, with black bodies and colorful red and grey wings with black markings. They will lay eggs beginning in October. Freshly laid egg masses have a grey, waxy, mud-like coating, while hatched eggs look like brownish, seed-like deposits in four to seven columns about an inch long. Egg masses measure about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide. If you see a spotted lanternfly or damage caused by them, report it to Ohio Department of Agriculture by filling out the Ohio Plant Pest Reporter online at agri.ohio.gov/divisions/plant-health/invasive-pests/invasive-insects/slf. A clear photo is required for submissions. Other areas impacted The spotted lanternfly is found in 51 counties in Pennsylvania, all of which are under a state-imposed quarantine. Lawrence, Butler, Fayette, Somerset, Clearfield and Clinton were added to the quarantine list this year. Spotted lanternfly has also been found in West Virginia, Indiana, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Delaware and Connecticut. A new campaign has been launched to find Scotlands best diversified farm, with judges seeking innovative diversified farms which operate alongside day-to-day farming practices. The award is open to any Scottish farm and looks to celebrate businesses which have invested in time and resource to develop an additional income stream. Judges say they want to see a wide range of applicants who can demonstrate excellent customer service, collaboration, support for their community and a willingness to adapt to the changing landscape. SAC Consulting, part of Scotlands Rural College (SRUC), is sponsoring the award at the event, and applicants have until 14 August to enter the competition. Last year's award was won by Ardross Farm in Fife, which is a 380-acre tenanted unit, run by the Pollock family, who contract farm a further 1000 acres and grass lets. With 120 cattle, 130 sheep, mixed cereals, beans and vegetables, they saw an opportunity to open their own farm shop, supplying produce direct to their customers. Sascha Grierson, principal consultant at SAC Consulting, said the judges would be casting the net wide to attract and discover a range of different diversified businesses across the country. We are delighted to once again be supporting the Diversified Farm of the Year award for the third year in a row," she said. Whether your business is operating a meat box scheme, farm shop, vending machines, holiday cottage, wellness retreat, cookery school or clothing and textile business, to name but a few, they all contribute to Scotlands economy. "Winners and finalists will receive widespread recognition, offering the opportunity of new customers, increased sales and a chance to celebrate all they have achieved. Shortlisted applicants will receive a visit from the judges, with the winners announced in October at an awards dinner at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow. Last years winner Claire Pollock will be on the judging panel this time round and has urged farmers to enter the competition. We were thrilled to have won the AgriScot Diversified Farm of the Year Award last time out, and it gave us a lot of confidence that we were on the right track in the development of the Ardross Farm project. Meeting other farmers during our journey with the award has been encouraging and inspiring, giving us ideas on how to improve. We are proud of what we do, and we are constantly learning. "I am looking forward to judging the entries for this years award and encourage anyone considering entering, to get involved as soon as they can. Applications for the award close on 14 August. Dairy producers cranking up for autumn calving and turning their attention to genetic selection will find bulls to suit their needs in the Autumn Calving Index (ACI) ranking. Two of these bulls share pole position the high fat and protein sire, Progenesis Wimbledon and newcomer, Wilra KnowHow, according to AHDB's ranking. Wimbledon moves up one place to take this position, now with an ACI of 703. This reflects his outstanding Predicted Transmitting Abilities (PTA) for both fat and protein percent, which he combines with a high daughter Fertility Index and good Lameness Advantage. Equal front-runner, Wilra KnowHow, who also leads the Holstein Profitable Lifetime Index ranking, is noted for his high production transmission. Another new entrant, in third position, comes in the shape of Koepon Raptor (ACI 676). Raptor is another high milk components bull, with long daughter lifespans who also transmits shorter-than-average gestation length to the calves he sires. The high HealthyCow Holstein bull, Pine-Tree CW Legacy, now ranks fourth (ACI 667), while Bomaz Kettle is a new entrant and high fat transmitter, who ranks fifth (ACI 653). The former number one sire, Genosource Captain, now ranks sixth, with an ACI of 650. The next three places are shared on equal ACIs of 647. The first is Westcoast Guarantee, who now has 156 UK daughters contributing to his figures and stands out as a leading udder health sire. Next up is Bomaz Complex, a high fat production sire with good calf survival and shorter gestation length. And completing this trio is all-rounder, Aardema Pistolero. The top 10 is rounded off by Pine-Tree Legacy Cheese (ACI 638), a new graduate on to the list who has inherited many of the characteristics of his sire (Legacy). Amongst the bulls ranked on Spring Calving Index (SCI), formulated for its suitability for grazing-based herds calving in a tight spring block, Progenesis Wimbledon holds the lead, just as he does for ACI. His SCI of 604 reflects his transmission of good milk quality and high daughter fertility, so important for this group. In second place is new entrant, VJ Hoholt Gates Google, a Jersey bull which also transmits high fat and protein percents, and very favourable maintenance feed ratings. His SCI is 586. Third position goes to the second Jersey in this across-breed ranking, demonstrating a similar transmitting pattern to the number two sire. With an SCI of 581, VJ Groenbjerg Lobo Lobster has 85 UK milking daughters and transmits very high fat percentage. Leading proven Holstein sire, Wilra Knowhow, is a new entrant in this ranking, and takes fourth position with an SCI of 578. This bulls extreme yields will suit block calving systems looking to inject some production, which he combines with much smaller-than-average stature for the Holstein breed. Jersey VJ Hoeholt Jern James now has over 100 UK production daughters contributing to his SCI of 570, which earns him fifth position. The next two Holstein sires are the new entrants, Koepon Raptor (SCI 560) and Pine-Tree Legacy Cheese (SCI 544). Raptor transmits good udder health, lifespan, and short gestations while Cheese has favourable Maintenance figures. In eighth position is Denovo 7921 Atrium, whose 3,000+ UK milking daughters earn him an index featuring high weights of fat and protein and extreme small stature. Pine-Tree CW Legacy ranks ninth (SCI 535), having the best daughter fertility index of the top 10 sires. And completing the top 10 is new entrant, Bomaz Complex, transmitting the highest weight of fat of the top 10 bulls. Marco Winters, head of animal genetics for AHDB, said: The ACI and SCI rankings dont just allow producers with block calving systems to choose the best bulls for their own situation, but they also allow comparisons across breeds. This means these two indexes have an important role to play in genetic selection for crossbreeding herds, as well as those simply calving in a spring or autumn block. However, because these are across-breed indexes, they are expressed as a comparison to the average of a mixed breed group. "Its important to note that their component PTAs should not be compared with PTAs for each individual breed group. Seth Rogen believes there's still "a great distance to go" to resolve the Hollywood writers' strike. Seth Rogen thinks the strike isn't close to ending The 41-year-old actor has claimed that film studios and streaming giants are unable to resolve their issues because they "hate each other". Seth - who is an actor, writer and executive producer - told Sky News: "The studios haven't even spoken to each other, is what I've heard. "So not only does it seem as though the writers and actors have a great distance to go when it comes to the studios, I think the studios have a great distance to go, probably a greater one, when it goes to them getting on the same page. "These are people who hate each other. To think that Universal has the same priorities as Netflix is insane. "What concerns me is that they will be completely unable to bring forth a coherent and unified proposal because of their own infighting and divergent priorities." Earlier this year, meanwhile, Jessica Biel voiced her support for the writers' strike. The 41-year-old actress revealed that she supports the strike action, describing the writers as the people who make the industry "go around". She told PEOPLE: "They are the idea makers. They make this industry go around. We help their stories get told." The movie star noted that the landscape of the industry is changing, amid the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Jessica - who is married to pop star Justin Timberlake - said: "Everything has changed so drastically with the platforms and the streamers and now, you know, the AI conversation and we support our writers immensely." Jessica also stressed the need to protect the jobs of people who work behind the camera. She said: "We support all of our guild and want everyone to be taken care of properly. So we're here for it. And that's it." Pedro Pascal visited an art exhibition themed on himself and found he was locked out. Pedro Pascal visited an art exhibition themed on himself and found he was locked out Heidi Gentle Burrell, 45, is displaying her show ADHD Hyper Fixation and why it looks like I love Pedro Pascal at the Rhodes Gallery, Margate, which shows the Last of Us actor, 48, in various mediums including painting, mirror imaging and Photoshop. But when he turned up on Sunday (06.08.23) with Brit actor Russell Tovey and Robert Diament, his pals who host the Talk Art podcast, they found the gallery was shut. Heidi told The Sun: Im gutted they showed up when the gallery was closed. I'd love for Robert to bring him when were open. She said Robert has attended her preview and joked of telling Pedro. Heidi added: I can imagine Pedro's slightly embarrassed, with all the art being about him! Pedro recently admitted hre hasnt had much luck with fans either as he got an eye infection by letting Game of Thrones fans jam their thumbs in his eye. The actor found global fame playing Oberyn Martell in the hit HBO show around 10 years ago, and said viewers became obsessed with recreating his characters violent death that saw him have his eyes gouged out by Gregor The Mountain Clegane when they met him and asked for selfies. He told The Hollywood Reporters Drama Actors Roundtable: I remember, earlier on, because of Game of Thrones and the way my character died people were super into taking selfies with their thumbs in my eyes. At first, I was so earnest and happy about the success of the character in the show, Id let them! And then I remember getting a bit of an eye infection. Pedro appeared on the round table with Jeff Bridges, Kieran Culkin, Damson Idris, Michael Imperioli, and Evan Peters. His tale prompted Kieran to say: Wow, thats a lot of trust. Pedro went on to play Din Djarin on The Mandalorian and Joel on The Last of Us after Game of Thrones. His characters death came in episode eight The Mountain and the Viper of season for of the show. Pascal has said despite the dramatic horror of his death scene with actor and Icelandic strongman Hafor Julius Bjornsson, 34, he fell asleep while it was being shot. He said on YouTuber Sean Evans Hot Ones show: It was so hot when we were shooting that scene. Hes over me and he puts his thumbs into my eyes and theyve got tubing through his body into his forearms to his thumbs just pumping this cool blood. Pascal added Hafor was the gentlest guy ever, and said the fake blood used in the scene was so cooling during the sweltering day it was show I went into the deepest sleep Id been in. He said: I realise now, because Im not a very good sleeper, I need to be laid out with pieces of flesh gelatinous, cool-to-the-touch face meat and pooling blood, and maybe Ill finally get a good f****** nights sleep. The Sex Pistols cover artist Jamie Reid has died aged 76. The Sex Pistols cover artist Jamie Reid has died aged 76 He created the artwork for several of the seminal punk bands hits in the 1970s, including God Save the Queen, with his collage style still being copied decades later. His gallerist confirmed to BBC News Jamie had died on Tuesday (08.08.23) and added he leaves behind an enormous legacy. A statement from the John Marchant Gallery said: We sadly announce the passing of Jamie MacGregor Reid 16 January 1947 8 August 2023. Artist, iconoclast, anarchist, punk, hippie, rebel and romantic. Jamie leaves behind a beloved daughter Rowan, a granddaughter Rose, and an enormous legacy. Rowan paid tribute to her dad on Instagram, saying: I lost the most important man in my life yesterday, to say Im heartbroken is an understatement! Thank you so much Dad for everything youve taught me over the years, when ever I see a wild flower or a robin red breast Ill think of you and all the wonders you taught me about nature and our beautiful earth. Ill miss you so much, always and forever! Until we meet again. Author and punk historian Jon Savage, who previously worked with Jamie, was among those who also paid tribute, saying online: His ability to render complex ideas in eye catching visuals was their perfect accompaniment. Jamies landmark style used on Sex Pistols covers was known as a form of Decollage and also featured on the cover of the Pistols album Never Mind the B******* and Heres the Sex Pistols, as well as the bands Anarchy in the UK single. Born in London in 1947, Jamie studied at the Wimbledon and Croydon art schools, where he met the Pistols future manager Malcolm McLaren. His God Save the Queen artwork featured a Cecil Beaton photo portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, which had been defaced by the artist, placed on a Union Flag backdrop. His pieces are held in major institutions including Tate Britain, New Yorks Museum of Modern Art and Houstons Museum of Fine Art. Jamie said in 2015 about his ethos: Our culture is geared towards enslavement for people to perform pre-ordained functions, particularly in the workplace. Ive always tried to encourage people to think about that and to do something about it. His website described his work as a cocktail of gnosticism and dissent. In his later years, Jamie collaborated with Shepard Fairey, the artist best known for the Barack Obama Hope image, and supported the Occupy and Pussy Riot movements. In 2017, he put out a version of God Save the Queen artwork that featured Donald Trump with swastikas for eyes on a backdrop of the US flag, which he called God Save Us All. Gisele Bundchen's divorce has been "undeniably tough". Gisele learnt from her divorce The 43-year-old supermodel revealed last October she and Tom Brady - the father of her children Benjamin, 13, and 10-year-old Vivian - had divorced after 13 years of marriage and though it was a "challenging" time, the Brazilian beauty hopes she has learnt lessons from the difficult period. She told Brazil's Vogue magazine: "I have always trusted that every circumstance, no matter how challenging, has something to teach us and happens for our growth. "Break-ups are undeniably tough, particularly with the media scrutiny every step of the way. I tried to focus on my children, health, as well as my aspirations and dreams... "I had to go through difficult times in order to grasp the importance of making healthier choices in my life. I don't see it as a responsibility, but I have a great willingness to share my experiences with as many people as possible." Over the years, Gisele has learned her health is more important than anything. She said: "Maturity granted me a heightened ability to accept and understand myself. Today, I recognise that health is my utmost treasure, essential for me to have a happy life and energy to fulfill my dreams." The former Victoria's Secret model used to suffer from debilitating panic attacks but has learned how to keep them at bay. She said: "Thank God I never had panic attacks again, and when I feel a slight wave of anxiety, I turn to breathing techniques. I believe that because I lead a much healthier and more balanced lifestyle today, this does not happen anymore." And because she prioritises her health, Gisele has quit various vices including smoking, alcohol and coffee. She said: "Since I was 20, I never smoked again. Cigarettes became a part of my life because I wanted to blend in a group, a world that had nothing to do with me. As soon as I quit and shed the harm it brought, I never looked back. "In recent years, I would have wine sporadically, though it's been nearly two years since I last had a glass. Alcohol compromises immunity and, as a result, overall health. "I don't drink coffee anymore either. Chocolate, on the other hand, is an old passion, but, due to my awareness of sugar's negative impact on me, I rarely eat it and only have dark chocolate, steering clear of those that are full of fats and lots of unknown additives. "Admittedly, sweets are still my weakness, especially when I'm in Brazil, where there are a thousand wonderful treats everywhere." Alia Bhatt is all set to make her Hollywood debut with the action-spy-thriller Heart of Stone, alongside Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. The film, which is all scheduled to be released on August 11 on OTT, is directed by Tom Harper, who emerges as a visionary, poised to reshape the very foundations of the genre. Tom delves into his artistic vision, emphasising the creation of authentic and relatable personas that forge profound connections with viewers.Speaking about Heart of Stone, Tom Harper shared, When I first came onboard, two things really struck me about the project: firstly, it was an original movie in a genre where there are a lot of franchises that have been around for many years, and secondly it had a female lead. I thought that was really exciting. Gal said to me, right from the very beginning, that she wanted this character to be a powerful woman in her own right, rather than a copy of the male action hero stereotype. Of course, she does do a lot of heroic things she is a survivor, a maverick, and sometimes a rebel but she is not alone. There is a deep care and compassion for people as the driving force of her actions. It often feels that there's one character acting in an almost God-like way, saving the world but yet disregarding the human's around them. This is a bit different, it has a bit more of a humanistic approach. That really appealed to me.Speaking about Alia Bhatt, Tom Harper shared, We were so excited that Alia was going to join us. She's huge in the Indian film industry, but this is her first Hollywood production and full English language film. She's a formidable talent, has great intelligence, and expert attention to detail as well as that amazing film star charisma.In the movie, Heart of Stone, the director Tom explores the themes of big data, technology, and the balance between human instinct and algorithms, which are relevant topics in our current world. Harper's unique vision challenges conventions and celebrates humanity's triumphs in high-stakes action. Through Heart of Stone, the audience is invited to form an emotional connection with the characters and redefine what it means to be a hero in this captivating adventure. Karan Johar On Called Movie Mafia: Filmmaker Karan Johar is currently basking in the success of his latest release, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. In a recent interview, he opened up about the time when several things were written about on social media and how they all affected his mother, Hiroo Johar. He also spoke about being called 'movie mafia', a tag given by Kangana Ranaut to him. For years now, Ranaut has been calling Johar 'movie mafia' on social media and in interviews as well. Karan Johar on Kangana Ranaut tagging him 'movie mafia' During a recent interview with Sucharita Tyagi, Karan Johar finally talked about being tagged as 'movie mafia. "All I had to be was resilient at that time because I had to be strong for my own mom and for myself. You feel kind of naked after that has happened. Abhi toh kapde utar di hai sabne. Abhi kya chupana? Kisske ladna?" The director then added, "Everyone anyway has kind of stormed into your life, made assumptions. They don't know the person I am. They just made this perception of mafia or something they keep talking about. They don't know how a producer on a daily basis is trying to get his or her cast." Kangana Ranaut Calls Ranveer Singh CARTOON, Launches Scathing Attack On Karan Johar's RARKPK: Shame On You... Though Karan didn't take any names, we all know that it is Kangana Ranaut who has repeatedly called him that. Karan Johar on the hate he received During the same conversation, Johar talked about the hate he received in the last three years, and revealed it had taken a toll on his mom. "I saw her literally crumble under that because she used to watch because she used to watch TV channels. She was reading stuff online," he shared. He then added, "She was watching TV anchors screaming and shouting and saying the most godawful things like me, demonising me for some reason. Then there were people who were kind of writing the same on Twitter and other social media platforms." Kangana has all these years accused Karan Johar of supporting nepotism in the film industry and sabotaging the careers of many artists. She has addressed him as 'movie mafia'. Ent HIGHLIGHTS: CBFC Demands Change In Akshay's Role In OMG 2; Kangana's New Accusation Against Karan Johar Kangana Ranaut-Javed Akhtar Case Update: In the latest development, a Mumbai sessions court has taken a significant step in the legal battle between writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut. The court has reportedly issued a notice to Kangana Ranaut. After Javed Akhtar filed an application challenging the summons issued to him by a magistrate court, the court directed Ranaut to submit a reply. This development comes in response to an alleged criminal intimidation case filed by Ranaut against Akhtar. As per media reports, Javed Akhtar lodged a revision petition before the sessions court. Akhtar's petition asserts that the summons issued to him by the magistrate court was done 'hastily and inappropriately', leading to what he claims is a 'grave miscarriage of justice.' In the petition, filed through his advocate, Akhtar asserts that there is a lack of substantial evidence on the judicial record to support the magistrate's order. The petition argues, "The magistrate simply proceeded on the bald and unsubstantiated averments made in the complaint without ascertaining the overall factual matrix and the judicial record." Akhtar's legal team further asserts that the magistrate failed to recognize the potential serious prejudice that might arise if he were to undergo trial in a time-barred case where the sections alleged in the complaint are not appropriately applicable. In light of these developments, the Additional Sessions Judge has adjourned the matter to August 24, allowing both parties additional time to prepare their arguments and responses. The feud between Javed Akhtar and Kangana Ranaut began when Akhtar filed a complaint against the acclaimed actress for making defamatory statements against him during a television interview. Later, Kangana Ranaut filed a counter-complaint against Akhtar for alleged 'extortion and criminal intimidation.' The counter-complaint is from a meeting between the two individuals at Akhtar's residence. Kushi Trailer: The enchanting melody of 'Kushi' has heralded the onset of the love-filled season. After glimpsing the adorable chemistry between the beloved couple Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, audiences eagerly anticipated the release of the trailer for this romantic tale. Telugu Movies OTT And Theatrical Releases This Week: Choose Your Perfect Cinematic Experience And now, the much-awaited trailer for the movie 'Kushi,' starring Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, is finally launched. Earlier, creating waves across social media, Vijay Deverakonda electrified fans by unveiling the official censor certificate for the 'Kushi' trailer on his Twitter. With a coveted 'U' certificate, the trailer promises a cinematic experience suitable for all ages. The trailer was revealed during a grand launch event in Hyderabad, attended by the film's cast, crew, and media representatives from all over the country. This trailer masterfully blends profound emotions with humor, melodious music, and stunning visuals. It prominently showcases the exceptional supporting cast, featuring acclaimed names such as Murli Sharma and Sachin Khedekar. Running at a duration of 2.41 minutes, the 'Kushi' trailer provides a glimpse into a world of emotions, heartwarming connections, and romance, all orchestrated by the visionary writer and director Shiva Nirvana. Backed by the esteemed Mythri Movie Makers banner, the film unites two of Telugu cinema's most sought-after stars, Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, promising a significant impact on the industry. Malayalam Movies OTT And Theatrical Releases This Week: Discover Your Ideal Movie Choice Save the date For 'Kushi' 'Kushi' is all set to grace the silver screen on September 1st. As the curtain rises on this tale of love and companionship, viewers are set to embark on a captivating journey that will resonate deeply. The evident chemistry between Deverakonda and Prabhu hints at a love story that will surely strike a chord, especially with the youth. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 8, 2023) - Legend Power Systems Inc. (TSXV: LPS) (OTCQB: LPSIF) ("Legend Power" or the "Company"), a global leader in commercial electrical system solutions, announces it intends to close a second tranche of a non-brokered private placement, pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions (the "LIFE Exemption"), by issuing units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.18 per Unit (the "Offering") on or before August 31, 2023. The Company closed the first tranche of the Offering on July 31, 2023 (see press release issued August 1, 2023) and filed a Form 45-106F19 offering document (the "Offering Document") on July 18, 2023 related to the Offering, which may be accessed under Legend Power's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at https://legendpower.com/investors/. Pursuant to the Offering, each Unit is to consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional Common Share at $0.25 for a period of two years from the date of issuance, subject to an accelerated expiry provision, whereby in the event the daily volume weighted average trading price of the Company's Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange, or such other stock exchange where the majority of the trading volume occurs (the "Exchange"), exceeds $0.40 for a period of 10 consecutive trading days, at the Company's election, the period within which the Warrants are exercisable, will be reduced and the holders of the Warrants will be entitled to exercise their Warrants for a period of 30 days commencing on the day the Company provides notice, any outstanding Warrants not exercised during the 30 day period will expire. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for general working capital purposes, fixed operating expenses, purchase order deposits, development expense and other related expenses, as more specifically detailed in the Offering Document. The Units issued in the Offering are not subject to a hold period, subject to limitations prescribed by the LIFE exemption. The securities issued pursuant to the Offering have not, nor will they be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons in the absence of U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Legend Power Systems Inc. Legend Power Systems Inc. (https://legendpower.com) provides an intelligent energy management platform that analyzes and improves building energy challenges, significantly impacting asset management and corporate performance. Legend Power's proven solutions support proactive executive decision-making in a complex and volatile business and energy environment. The proprietary and patented system reduces total energy consumption and power costs, while also maximizing the life of electrical equipment. Legend Power's unique solution is also a key contributor to both corporate sustainability efforts and the meeting of utility energy efficiency targets. For further information, please contact: Jonathan Lansky, Director +1 416 417 7664 lansky.j@icloud.com Sean Peasgood, Investor Relations + 1 647 503 1054 sean@sophiccapital.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This Press Release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the closing of the Offering, the use of proceeds from the Offering, the ability of the Company to obtain regulatory approval for the Offering, the future business activities and operating performance of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities or performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Such risks, uncertainties and factors are described in the periodic filings with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities, including the Company's quarterly and annual Management's Discussion & Analysis, which may be viewed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements other than as may be required by applicable law. /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO US NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176585 SAN FRANCISCO (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued fines against several financial firms, including Wells Fargo and BNP Paribas, for failing to maintain records of employee communications on unapproved platforms. The Regulators ordered the financial institutions to pay combined penalties of about $550 million. The SEC announced charges against 10 firms in their capacity as broker-dealers and one dually registered broker-dealer and investment adviser for widespread and longstanding failures by the firms and their employees to maintain and preserve electronic communications. The firms agreed to pay combined penalties of $289 million, and have begun implementing improvements to their compliance policies and procedures to address the violations. According to the SEC, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC together with Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC agreed to pay a $125 million penalty; BNP Paribas Securities Corp. and SG Americas Securities, LLC have each agreed to pay penalties of $35 million; BMO Capital Markets Corp. and Mizuho Securities USA LLC have each agreed to pay penalties of $25 million;Houlihan Lokey Capital, Inc. has agreed to pay a $15 million penalty;Moelis & Company LLC and Wedbush Securities Inc. have each agreed to pay penalties of $10 million; and SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc. has agreed to pay a $9 million penalty. The SEC said that its investigation uncovered pervasive and longstanding 'off-channel' communications at all 11 firms. The firms admitted that from at least 2019, their employees often communicated through various messaging platforms on their personal devices, including iMessage, WhatsApp, and Signal, about the business of their employers. The firms did not maintain or preserve the substantial majority of these off-channel communications, in violation of the federal securities laws. In addition to the significant financial penalties, each of the firms was ordered to cease and desist from future violations of the relevant recordkeeping provisions and was censured. The firms also agreed to retain independent compliance consultants to, among other things, conduct comprehensive reviews of their policies and procedures relating to the retention of electronic communications found on personal devices and their respective frameworks for addressing non-compliance by their employees with those policies and procedures, the SEC said in a statement. Separately, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ordered four financial institutions to pay total of $260 Million for recordkeeping and supervision failures for widespread use of unapproved communication methods. Wells Fargo agreed to pay a $75 million penalty; BNP Paribas agreed to pay penalties of $75 million; Societe Generale agreed to pay a $75 million penalty; Bank of Montreal agreed to pay penalties of $35 million. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Top 3 Energie-Dividendenaktien Im neuen Energieboom von kontinuierlichen Ertragen profitieren. Wir zeigen hier, von welche drei Aktien Sie profitieren konnen. Hier klicken Kuros Biosciences AG / Key word(s): Half Year Results Kuros Biosciences Reports Results for First Half 2023 09-Aug-2023 / 07:00 CET/CEST Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Financial Highlights Direct MagnetOs sales increased by 148% from CHF 4.9 million to CHF 12.2 million, total revenue from medical devices rose from CHF 5.7 million to CHF 12.9 million Medical Devices segment achieved a positive EBITDA of CHF 2.2 million driven by MagnetOs Cash & cash equivalents amounted to CHF 16.9 million, funds available (including trade, and other receivables) totaled at CHF 22.0 million as of June 30, 2023 Operational Highlights Accelerated commercial roll-out of MagnetOs in the U.S. on track Key efficacy data on MagnetOs bone graft published in two prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journals In the first half of 2023, Kuros engaged into a limited, non-exclusive sales agency agreement with a top 3 spine company to represent our MagnetOs product line in selected geographies Daniel Geiger appointed as Chief Financial Officer Outlook With reaching the 12-month endpoint of the randomized part of Phase 2 clinical study of Fibrin-PTH in spine fusion at the end of 2023, we expect to report the results early 2024 Schlieren (Zurich), Switzerland, August 9, 2023 - Kuros Biosciences ("Kuros" or the "Company"), a leader in next generation bone graft technologies, today reported a 148% growth in MagnetOs direct sales in the first six months of 2023. The enrollment of patients in the Phase II spine study for Fibrin-PTH was completed, confirming the successful transition into a fully-fledged orthobiologics company with scientific, clinical, and commercial excellence in bone regeneration. Total revenue from medical devices increased by 126% to CHF 12.9 million (vs first half 2022: CHF 5.7 million), corresponding to 131% growth on a constant currency basis. Joost de Bruijn, Chief Executive Officer, said: "The first half of this year has seen Kuros pushing ahead strongly with our commercialization of MagnetOs, through which we are successfully providing bone graft treatment to thousands of patients in need worldwide. We continue to achieve impressive sales growth and remain well funded to advance the commercial launch of MagnetOs in the U.S. as planned. We are continuing to develop our portfolio with Fibrin-PTH, a product candidate with the potential to address a market opportunity worth more than two billion dollars. The Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating Fibrin-PTH in spine is progressing well and we expect to communicate the initial data readout in early 2024, which we expect will be an exciting next step for Kuros." Key developments in H1 2023 Commercial highlights: MagnetOs overachieved its commercial activity plan in the first half of 2023 and the medical devices product segment recognized a positive EBITDA in the period. On May 1, 2023, Daniel Geiger was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO), transitioning from his previous role as CFO-ad interim. Clinical highlights: On February 21, 2023, Kuros announced the publication of supportive osteoimmunology data for MagnetOs bone graft in two prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journals. The articles in the Journal of Immunology and Regenerative Medicine and Clinical Oral Implants Research substantiate the unique mechanism of action of MagnetOs bone graft and add to the growing body of evidence Kuros is building up for MagnetOs. On July 13, 2023, Kuros announced the completion of enrollment in the STRUCTURE trial, which is investigating the safety and efficacy of Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) in single-level transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedures in patients with degenerative disc disease (DDD). Fibrin-PTH targets a substantial clinical need and, upon approval, will address the large musculoskeletal growth factor market projected to reach $2.2B by 2030. Financial position Cash and cash equivalents (including trade and other receivables) as of June 30, 2023, amounted to CHF 22.0 million compared to CHF 27.7 million as of December 31, 2022. Revenues from product sales amounted to CHF 12.9 million (first half 2022: CHF 5.7 million). Costs for research and development, which include costs of the Phase 2 study (spine indication) of Fibrin-PTH amounted to CHF 2.3 million (first half 2022: CHF 2.5 million). General and administrative costs increased to CHF 3.8 million (first half 2022: CHF 3.1 million). Sales and marketing costs increased to CHF 9.3 million (first half 2022: CHF 5.4 million). Net operating costs amounted to CHF 15.3 million (first half 2022: CHF 10.9 million). The net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2023, amounted to CHF 5.1 million (first half 2022: CHF 3.7 million). Key figures H1 2023 H1 2022 In 000'CHF, IFRS Revenue from product sales 12,866 5,705 Revenue from collaborations - 4,721 Cost of goods sold (2,142) (1,873) Research and development costs (2,291) (2,534) General and administrative costs (3,759) (3,090) Sales and marketing costs (9,332) (5,426) Other income 129 117 Net operating costs (15,253) (10,932) Operating loss (4,529) (2,379) Net financial result (352) (2,140) Net loss (5,052) (3,701) Net loss per share (in CHF) (0.14) (0.11) Cash and cash equivalents, trade and other receivables 22,041 29,369 For further information, please contact: Kuros Biosciences AG Daniel Geiger Chief Financial Officer t: +41 44 733 47 47 e: Daniel.geiger@kurosbio.com LifeSci Advisors Sandya von der Weid Investors t: +41 78 680 0538 e: svonderweid@lifesciadvisors.com About MagnetOs MagnetOs is a bone graft like no other: thanks to its NeedleGripTM surface technology, it grows bone even in soft tissues. This surface technology provides traction for our body's vitally important 'pro-healing' immune cells (M2 macrophages). This in turn, unlocks previously untapped potential to stimulate stem cells - and form new bone throughout the graft. The growing body of science behind NeedleGrip is called osteoimmunology. But for surgeons and their patients it means one thing: a more predictable fusion. * 1-6 Indications statement Please refer to the instructions for use for your local region for a full list of indications, contraindications, warnings, and precautions. About Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) consists of a natural fibrin-based healing matrix with an immobilized targeted bone growth factor (truncated human parathyroid hormone (PTH) analog. Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) is designed to be applied directly into and around an intervertebral body fusion device as a gel, where it polymerizes in situ. Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) functions via the well-established mechanism of action of parathyroid hormone; has been demonstrated in animal models of spinal fusion to be comparable to rhBMP-2; and has been shown in preclinical studies to be easy to use and ideal for open or minimally invasive technique74*. The safety & efficacy of Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) has not yet been evaluated for spinal fusion in humans. About Kuros Biosciences Kuros Biosciences is a fast-growing leader in the development of spinal fusion biologics that ease the burden of back pain. With locations in the United States, Switzerland and the Netherlands, the company is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The company's first commercial product, MagnetOs, is a unique synthetic bone graft that has already been used successfully across three continents and in over 15,000 spinal fusion surgeries. The next candidate in the Kuros pipeline is Fibrin-PTH - the first drug-biologic combination for interbody spinal fusions, currently undergoing a Phase 2 clinical trial in the U.S. For more information on the company, its products and pipeline, visit kurosbio.com . Forward Looking Statements This media release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You are urged to consider statements that include the words "will" or "expect" or the negative of those words or other similar words to be uncertain and forward-looking. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements include scientific, business, economic and financial factors. Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no responsibility for updating forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments. Van Dijk, et al. eCM. 2021;41:756-73. Duan, et al. eCM. 2019;37:60-73. Van Dijk, et al. Clin Spine Surg. 2020;33(6):E276-E287. Van Dijk, et al. JOR Spine. 2018;e1039 Van Dijk, et al. J Biomed Mater Res. Part B: Appl Biomater. Data on file, 2020 (Barrere et al., "From benchtop to clinic: a complete translational analysis of the innate human immune response to submicron needle-shaped surface features and its relevance to bone healing and spinal fusion"). Data on file. *Results from in vivo laboratory testing may not be predictive of clinical experience in humans. For important safety and intended use information please visit kurosbio.com. MagnetOs is not cleared by the FDA or TGA as an osteoinductive bone graft. MagnetOs has been proven to generate more predictable fusions than two commercially available alternatives in an ovine model of posterolateral fusion. End of Inside Information STOCKHOLM, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- H2 Green Steel is partnering with Rio Tinto, a leading global metals and mining company, for the supply of direct reduction iron ore pellet for its green steel production in Sweden. The two companies have signed a multi-year supply agreement for direct reduction iron ore pellets (DR Pellets) from Rio Tinto's Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) which will account for a significant part of the iron ore supply to H2 Green Steel's flagship plant in Boden, Sweden. Additionally, the companies have signed an agreement whereby Rio Tinto will purchase and on-sell a part of the surplus low-carbon hot briquetted iron (HBI) produced by H2 Green Steel during the ramp-up of its steelmaking capacity. DR Pellets are a critical material required for the production of high grade HBI which is in turn used to produce lower emission steel through electric arc furnaces. Steel making, a foundational material for infrastructure and net-zero energy transition, currently contributes around 8 percent of global carbon emissions. "We are partnering across the steel ecosystem to find better ways to support the decarbonisation of iron and steel making, and to reduce our scope 3 emissions. Our supply of high-grade iron ore pellets will support the acceleration of H2 Green Steel's project, and on-selling their low-carbon HBI will enable us to gain a deeper understanding of the future needs of our customers and end users in the emerging green iron and steel market", said Simon Farry, Head of Rio Tinto Steel Decarbonization. H2 Green Steel's first-of-its-kind fully integrated, digitalized, and circular plant is expected to start operations in 2025. It will be the first large scale production of green steel globally. The site in Boden in northern Sweden, will hold one of the world's largest electrolysis plants for green hydrogen production. The hydrogen will be used to reduce iron ore to green sponge iron. By using green hydrogen instead of coal, CO2 emissions from the process can be reduced by up to 95 percent. "This is a significant milestone for our project in Boden. Not only by securing a supply of the high-quality iron ore needed for our green steel production, but also because we have a buyer for a portion of the HBI we initially expect to produce. Rio Tinto is a global leader in the mining industry and we welcome its concrete actions to accelerate the decarbonization of the steel industry," says Henrik Henriksson, CEO at H2 Green Steel. CONTACT: Karin Hallstan, Head of Public and Media Relations, H2 Green Steel, phone: +46 76 842 81 04, email: press@h2greensteel.com Simon Letendre, Senior Director, Media Relations - Canada and US, Rio Tinto, phone: +1 514 796 4973, email: simon.letendre@riotinto.com The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/20623/3815147/2220455.pdf H2 Green Steel sign agreements with Rio Tinto for direct reduction iron ore pellets and offtake for hot briquetted iron_Final https://news.cision.com/h2-green-steel/i/rio-tinto-ioc-extracts-high-grade--low-impurity-iron-ore-from-five-operational-pits-at-the-mine-in-l,c3204289 Rio Tinto IOC extracts high-grade, low-impurity iron ore from five operational pits at the mine in Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/h2-green-steel-signs-agreements-with-rio-tinto-for-direct-reduction-iron-ore-pellets-and-hot-briquetted-iron-301896600.html Sixfold Bioscience, a leading AI-enabled RNA delivery company that leverages the body's evolved delivery pathways, is pleased to announce the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board. The board comprises world-renowned industry experts who will provide strategic guidance and scientific advice as the company advances its development pipeline. The Scientific Advisory Board members are: Professor Jonathan Watts , RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Medical School , RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Medical School Dr Sjef De Kimpe , former VP Product Development at Biomarin , former VP Product Development at Biomarin Professor Roger Stromberg , Karolinska Institute , Karolinska Institute Dr Mike Webb, former VP of Development Chemistry and Analysis for GSK "We are thrilled to welcome this esteemed group of experts to our Scientific Advisory Board," said Dr. Anna Perdrix Rosell, co-founder and co-CEO of Sixfold Bioscience. "Their collective expertise and exceptional contributions have and will continue to be invaluable as we continue to develop our innovative RNA delivery technologies to improve patient outcomes." The board members, who have been formally working with the company on their research and development efforts for the past 10 months, bring a wealth of experience in various fields including medicinal chemistry, regulatory engagement, therapeutic optimisation and oligonucleotide manufacture. Professor Jonathan Watts is a renowned expert in therapeutic oligonucleotides and works on new approaches to study oligonucleotide design and preclinical evaluation. Dr Sjef De Kimpe has a strong track record of leading oligonucleotide companies through the regulatory process, having led Prosensa's engagements with the FDA in early development and serving as VP Product Development at Biomarin. Professor Roger Stromberg advises many pharmaceutical companies on oligonucleotide and medicinal chemistry and has been instrumental in advancing the field. Dr Mike Webb led the development of GSK's oligonucleotide pipeline and manufacturing capabilities and brings a wealth of experience in development chemistry, analysis and manufacture of therapeutic oligonucleotides. "RNA Therapeutics have the potential to transform medicine but only in the cell types where therapeutic RNA molecules can be delivered. Sixfold has built a great team and is thinking creatively to address this bottleneck with the power of evolution, of AI and most importantly, of a lot of data. Their approach is opening opportunities in new cell types and therefore in new diseases," said Prof Watts. "Sixfold has brought together a highly capable and diverse team that develops organ and cell-specific delivery solutions to unlock the full potential of RNA-therapeutics. It's been a pleasure to see the progress made thus far and I'm excited to join the team on this journey," said Dr De Kimpe. "There is no doubt that to further enhance nucleic acid therapies, irrespective of mode of action, improvement of delivery to the site of action is the most important area to solve now. This requires innovative solutions and ways of thinking about delivery, such as those being pioneered by Sixfold," said Prof Stromberg. "Oligonucleotides have the potential to transform the lives of patients whose lives are decimated by disease. The Sixfold approach is breaking down and solving the biggest issue faced by this modality, access to organs, tissue and cells that hitherto were not accessible to these kinds of molecules. This approach has the potential to be transformational. This has been achieved by bringing together an inspiring team with cutting edge science and technology. Working with the team to understand how we scale and manufacture for the future is inspiring," said Dr Webb. The formation of the Scientific Advisory Board is a significant milestone for Sixfold Bioscience as it continues to develop cutting-edge RNA delivery technology. The board will provide essential guidance and input as the company expands its research and development efforts and accelerates its mission to catalyze the shift from potential to reality for RNA medicines by solving targeted delivery for the 99% of cells that lack an effective delivery system. About Scientific Advisory Board Prof Jonathan Watts Professor Watts is a leader in the development of therapeutic oligonucleotides. Jon's doctoral work with Professor Masad Damha at McGill University included the development of two new oligonucleotide analogues, an exploration of why 2'-fluorinated oligonucleotides show such high binding affinity, and studies on the chemical modification of ASOs and siRNAs. He then moved to Professor David Corey's lab at UT Southwestern for postdoctoral studies, where his work included the chemical modification of promoter-targeted duplex RNAs and the use of oligonucleotide-oligospermine conjugates as antisense and antigene oligonucleotides. In 2012 Jon started his independent group at the University of Southampton, UK, where he received the 2013 Young Investigator Award from the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society and the 2015 Vice Chancellor's Award for teaching. In summer 2015 he was recruited to the RNA Therapeutics Institute at UMass Medical School. He serves on the Editorial Boards of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics and Nucleic Acids Research in addition to the Scientific Advisory Council of the OTS. The Watts Group is developing new approaches in the medicinal chemistry of several classes of oligonucleotides engaging mechanisms from gene silencing and gene editing, and their delivery to the brain, lung and beyond. Dr Sjef De Kimpe Pharma/Biotech R&D expert with proven success from research to development in complex translational projects, including therapeutic oligonucleotides. Formerly VP product development at Biomarin (CA) and VP Early Drug Development at Prosensa. Experience with regulatory strategies for FDA and EMA from pre-IND to regulatory approval (7 IND, 3 MAA/NDA). Key contributor to raising >100m$ private capital. He was assistant professor of pharmacology and worked as a senior scientist with Nobel laureate Sir John Vane. Sjef studied pharmacy, holds a Ph.D in pharmacology and obtained an MBA at the NIMBAS University. Prof Roger Stromberg Roger Stromberg is a Professor of Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry at Karolinska Institutet (KI), Stockholm, Sweden, since 1995. He has nearly four decades of experience in nucleic acid chemistry, and also spent over three years at the University of Cambridge, first as a postdoctoral fellow and later as a visiting Professor. He was one of the inventors of the H-phosphonate chemistry for oligonucleotide synthesis and has worked with many aspects of nucleic acid chemistry, which includes studies on reaction mechanisms, enzymes and enzyme models, synthesis methodology, protecting group strategies, peptides etc, but also with development of other pharmaceutically active compounds. The current focus is on design and synthesis methods for modified oligonucleotides, oligonucleotide based artificial nucleases and oligonucleotide conjugates (with other bioactive molecules), largely to achieve and enable synthesis of potential oligonucleotide therapeutics. He has, and has had, many collaborations both in academia and with major companies in the field and has in general a substantial network of contacts. Dr Mike Webb Former VP of Development Chemistry and Analysis for GSK in the UK and was heavily involved in developing GSK's oligonucleotide pipeline. Dr Webb is a leader in therapeutic oligonucleotide manufacture and has over 30 years of experience of CMC development of API from late discovery to file and launch and beyond. Closely involved in 8 world-wide marketing submissions and budget and line leadership experience of a department of up to 150 scientists. Sixfold Bioscience Sixfold Biosciences is a biotechnology company solving one of the most critical challenges preventing the greater utilization of powerful RNA medicines: delivery. Sixfold's solution takes evolution as inspiration, learning and mimicking how RNA is naturally delivered to different cell types in the body. Using advanced AI and Bayesian Optimization, Sixfold is learning the language that encodes RNA-shuttle interactions and destination selection, unlocking new cell types for treatment. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230808099197/en/ Contacts: Name: Dr. Sophie Sim (Partnerships Lead) Email address: pr@sixfold.bio Phone Number: +44 (0) 20 3286 5586 DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TASC Corporate Services, a leading HR solutions & corporate service provider in the Middle East, and hrtech , a prominent HR Technology Analyst firm, have announced a strategic partnership aimed at revolutionizing the way HR teams adopt technology in the Middle East market. By combining their expertise and resources, TASC Corporate Services and hrtech aim to provide organizations with an innovative suite of tools and services for effective human resource management. The TASC group of companies provides a comprehensive suite of business services, including business setup, compliance operations, recruitment & contract staffing, permanent hiring, PRO services, payroll management, and many more, allowing business owners to focus solely on core business growth while increasing business efficiency and productivity. hrtech, a Singapore-headquartered HR Technology Analyst firm, has now expanded its presence to Dubai. hrtech brings its extensive consultation experience and HR Technology expertise to address the unique needs of modern-day organizations. Through this partnership, TASC group will leverage hrtech's knowledge base to deliver seamless integration of HR Technology solutions into its existing HR services. "We are thrilled to partner with hrtech and strengthen our presence in the Middle East market," said Anirudhe Ghosh , Senior Vice President at TASC. "It's time to embrace the future, as we recognize innovation as the key to success in the ever-evolving HR landscape. Partnering with hrtech, a cutting-edge solutions provider in the UAE empowers us to shape a dynamic, efficient, and people-centric workplace, where opportunities are amplified, and potentials are realized." Sriram Iyer , Founder & CEO, hrtech, expressed his excitement about the partnership, stating, "TASC Outsourcing's expertise perfectly complements our vision of providing cutting-edge HR solutions to companies. By integrating their services with our HR Technology knowledge, we will provide Middle Eastern organizations with a holistic solution for human resources management." About TASC Corporate Services TASC Corporate Services, a team of knowledgeable and trustworthy specialists, serve as your strategic business and local knowledge partners in the Middle East. Outsource your critical compliance operations to us, including company formation, government services, and payroll processing. With our dedicated support, we ensure the growth of your business is in full compliance with local regulations. For more details: https://tasccorporateservices.com/ About hrtech hrtech , a HRTech Analyst firm, dedicated to facilitating Workplace and Workforce Transformations that drive robust Business and HR outcomes for enterprises across Asia and the Middle East. Our unwavering vision has been to create a TECH-DRIVEN and DATA-CENTRIC HR ECOSYSTEM, enabling successful Workplace and Talent Transformations that fuel organizational growth and empower HR teams to become Strategic Business Partners. To guide HR teams through this transformational journey, we operate through four distinct verticals: Academy, Advisory & Consulting, Marketplace Solutions, and Talent On-Demand. For more details: https://www.hrtech.sg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/tasc-corporate-services-and-hrtech-join-forces-to-empower-middle-east-organizations-with-cutting-edge-hr-technology-solutions-301894633.html LONDON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Redgrave, a leading executive search and leadership advisory firm, is delighted to announce that Dove Dalele and Charlotte John will be joining the firm. With a shared passion for supporting businesses with their leadership agendas, these talented individuals will bring exceptional expertise and a wealth of experience to further enhance Redgrave's capability and reputation. Dove Dalele will join Redgrave as a Partner to lead their Digital, Data & Technology functional practice, as well as their Software/SaaS practice. Dove brings an outstanding track record in executive search, having worked across a number of sectors and regions. Her intellect, strong focus on process and her deep understanding of the talent challenges prevalent across technology, as both a sector and a function, equip her to add immense value to Redgrave and their clients. Charlotte John will be joining Redgrave as a Principal bringing deep real estate and property expertise. With more than 20 years' experience of property-related recruitment, Charlotte has gained extensive knowledge working in both in-house and recruitment organisation settings. This combination offers fresh perspectives and insight to Redgrave's expanding Real Assets practice. Having served clients on a global scale while maintaining a successful track record within the UK, Charlotte's dedication to client service and best practice across the talent landscape aligns with Redgrave's approach. "We are thrilled to be welcoming Dove and Charlotte to the Redgrave team," expressed David Angel, Managing Partner of Redgrave. "Their extensive expertise in search will further enhance our capabilities across these core areas. With our unwavering focus on quality and commitment to excellence, I'm confident that these exceptionally talented individuals will provide invaluable support to our clients and contribute to the continued success and growth of our organisation. By aligning our brand with our culture and values, we are positioned well to continue to thrive." "These incoming appointments exemplify Redgrave's passion for delivering excellence across a range of search, interim and leadership services. I look forward to the opportunity to work with Dove and Charlotte as Redgrave continues to shape the future of our industry, driving innovation, and consistently delivering outstanding outcomes for our clients," highlights Anastasia Belinskaya, Senior Partner at Redgrave. About Redgrave Redgrave is a global leadership advisory firm with a relentless passion for people. They help leaders shape the future of businesses by delivering solutions that complement their culture and their ambition. Redgrave connects organisations with exceptional talent to drive their growth and success. The firm offers a range of services, including search, executive assessment, executive interim and talent consulting. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171405/Redgrave_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/redgrave-hires-additional-talent-to-support-ambitious-growth-plans-301895720.html SIBIU, Romania, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The MultiversX Foundation announces the second edition of the global conference dedicated to blockchain technology, xDay, which confirms the important and growing role that Romania is beginning to have in the global blockchain ecosystem. Following the success of the first edition in Paris, xDay 2023 will take place from October 19th to 21st at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest. Leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, and government officials from all around the world will gather in the capital of Romania to unveil the latest innovations, products, and strategic partnerships that will shape the future of blockchain technologies and Web3. The purpose of xDay 2023 is to foster a convergence of blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, Metaverse, and Web3, transcending and intersecting multiple technological domains to spur innovation and accelerate development. The event will feature debates, presentations, and panel discussions, while providing abundant networking opportunities for developers, creators, and technology enthusiasts. Anticipating more than 3,000 participants, including esteemed government officials, venture capital funds, and key industry players, xDay 2023 is expected to play a pivotal role in expanding the blockchain ecosystem, enhancing the MultiversX network, and introducing unique features in the industry. In parallel with xDay, within the illustrious Palace of Parliament - renowned as one of the few human-made structures visible from space and the largest administrative building in the world - MultiversX will host one of the largest Web3 Hackathon in Europe, offering prizes totaling up to $1 million. Over the course of three days, participants will have the opportunity to showcase their skills, collaborate with fellow innovators, and develop practical Web3 solutions. The event will culminate with the prestigious MultiversX Ecosystem Awards, celebrating the contributions of visionaries, innovators, and community leaders. "At MultiversX, we strive to provide a better experience for builders, enabling them to expand the blockchain utility and contribute to improving society. With xDay, we are not only highlighting the technological and user experience breakthroughs driving our ecosystem, but also opening up new pathways to shortcut development time together with a large hackathon spotlight scene" said Beniamin Mincu, MultiversX CEO. Tickets are on sale on xday.com. The first edition of xDay took place last year in Paris, in the Brongniart Palace, which for decades hosted the Paris stock exchanges. The event announced new products, protocol upgrades, new strategic integrations and celebrated the growth of the MultiversX ecosystem with over 6000 decentralized applications and hundreds of startups launched worldwide. About MultiversX MultiversX is a highly scalable, secure and decentralized blockchain network created to enable radically new applications, for users, businesses, society, and the new metaverse frontier. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171706/Beniamin_Mincu.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171707/MultiversX_Foundation.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171709/MultiversX_Foundation.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171709/MultiversX_Foundation.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/multiversx-unveils-xday-2023-europes-premier-blockchain-conference-at-iconic-palace-of-parliament-in-bucharest-301896147.html LONDON and FRANKFURT, Germany, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Frankfurt listed, German Fintech leader, The NAGA Group A.G. (XETRA: N4G) (ISIN: DE000A161NR7), operator of the All-in-One Financial Super App, has announced a ground-breaking partnership with Rezolve AI Limited. The integration of Rezolve's AI platform, 'Brain', into NAGA's proprietary technology and its social trading app, 'NAGA Trader' as well as 'NAGA Pay' is set to redefine NAGA's current and new users' experiences, provide real-time personalised and intelligent market analysis, enhance trading proficiency as well as automate payments across multi languages. NAGA provides an online social trading platform (both Web and App) for Social Trading, allowing its users to invest in different assets such as currencies, stocks, ETFs, commodities and crypto all together with its own unique ePayments solution. Rezolve's 'Brain', with its advanced AI algorithms, machine learning, and its NLP engine (natural language processing) capabilities, will enhance NAGA's ability to offer NAGA users a unique AI experience that is set to revolutionise the traditional way of experiencing online social trading and mobile payments. NAGA users will be able to converse with Brain in any one of 95 languages, as naturally as communicating in real time with a human stockbroker over the phone. They can gain a deep understanding and personalise market trends and insights, receive invaluable guidance for making smart investment decisions, and learn how to optimally use NAGA's social trading platform. This multilingual capacity not only enhances NAGA user experience but also widens NAGA's global user base. Benjamin Bilski, CIO of NAGA commented, "The timing for this partnership is just perfect. We have been preparing our data infrastructure and indexing capabilities to plug it in with advanced AI language models for months and using Brain transforms our vision into reality. Implementing Brain's AI into NAGA will further automate our client's journey and lead to the highest degree in personalization. Users will intuitively understand NAGA's social trading platform and their own trading performance better than ever before. In addition, NAGA's unique social graph allows traders to benchmark their performance with other traders automatically. From this day on, our ability to connect real-time market data, economic events, and news intelligently with our users' portfolios, positions us and gives us a genuine USP over competitors." Michael Milonas, CEO of NAGA, expressed his enthusiasm about this partnership, stating, "By integrating Rezolve's 'Brain' into NAGA, we are enhancing our platform with unprecedented intelligence and accessibility. This is a significant step towards our mission to build a truly unique, global, tech-based and now AI-driven financial All-in-All Super App that is second to none and in doing that, strive to deliver shareholder value. The future is truly, NAGA." Dan Wagner, CEO of Rezolve, echoed this sentiment, adding, "Our collaboration with NAGA is a testament to our commitment to revolutionising industries with AI. With Brain's integration, NAGA users can engage in intuitive, conversation-based interactions, unlocking insights and making data-driven decisions. We're excited about setting a new standard in the online trading landscape." The introduction of Rezolve's 'Brain' into NAGA's social trading platform marks an exciting development in the fintech sector, as AI and human insights converge to offer superior multilingual trading experiences. For more information about NAGA and its use of Rezolve's Brain, which is expected to go live in Q4 2023, please visit www.group.naga.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ai-brain-technology-by-rezolve-joins-forces-with-naga-to-revolutionise-online-payment-together-with-brokerage-transformation-301896502.html Pressemitteilung der Eleving Group S.A.: Steady portfolio growth while maintaining excellent profitability Operational and Strategic Highlights - The Group closed the first half of 2023, recording steady financial performance. The six-month revenues remained relatively unchanged compared to the corresponding period last year, reaching EUR 90.6 mln. Meanwhile, the Group's net portfolio achieved 1.7% growth QOQ and totaled EUR 295.1 mln. - Diversified business operations and a balanced revenue stream from all three core business lines: - Flexible lease and subscription-based products contributed EUR 25.2 mln to the 6M 2023 revenues-up by 7.2% compared to 6M 2022, driven by the solid performance in productive lending in the motorcycle-taxi segment in East Africa and a successful scale-up of rental products in the Baltics; - Traditional lease and leaseback products contributed EUR 34.0 mln to the 6M 2023 revenues-up by 7.9% compared to 6M 2022. The respective revenue growth was mainly generated by portfolio growth in Romania; however, nearly all the other of the Group's markets also experienced positive incremental growth;- Revenues from the consumer loan segment contributed EUR 27.6 mln to the 6M 2023 revenues-down by 11.0% compared to 6M 2022. The negative revenue development exclusively stemmed from the run-down of the Ukrainian portfolio, as the revenues of all the other consumer finance markets have increased during the corresponding time span. - In early July, Eleving Group announced that it had obtained1 EC Finance Group through the integration and combination of both companies' equity amounts. EC Finance Group, better known by the product brand name ExpressCredit, is a consumer finance provider operating in four Southern African countries. As a result of the transaction, the Group will take over the company's assets, subsidiaries, and client portfolio worth EUR 28 mln, and increase the Group's equity. - In early July, Renti Plus business operations in Latvia were sold2 to Transporent Ltd, a Latvian subsidiary of the international mobility services provider ... Den vollstandigen Artikel lesen ... DUBLIN (dpa-AFX) - Professional services company Accenture plc (ACN) announced Wednesday that it has adgreed to form a joint venture with Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc., a unit of Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Holdings. The JV will commence in January 2024 to support Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Group's goal to become a data-driven organization with streamlined administrative and back-office operations. With the establishment of the JV, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Group aims to become a cost-effective and profitable bottler. Accenture will provide local business process managed services. The company noted that certain functions within the Information Technology division, as well as those related to human resources, general affairs, finance, procurement, customer service, and sales support will be transferred to the JV. These are currently operated by Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan and Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Business Services. The JV will consolidate administrative, back-office, and support services. It will also provide Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Group with technology to capture, analyze, and utilize data necessary to the beverage business. These data will be employed by Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Group for better decision-making, identify future business opportunities, and strive to provide higher quality products and services. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Zurich, Switzerland--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - ZuriMED Technologies AG (https://zurimed.com), a Switzerland based spin-off from the University and ETH Zurich, has closed a Series A financing round worth CHF 14.5 million (USD 16.5 million) with leading healthcare investors. The financing round was led by Chindex Medical Limited (Hong Kong), a member of the Fosun MedTech enterprise, followed by Yellowstone Holding AG (Geneva) and a group of private investors that includes leading orthopaedic surgeons from Switzerland, Germany, France, and the United States. With this funding, ZuriMED will accelerate development and market uptake of its breakthrough technology for minimally invasive surgical repair of soft tissues, a platform technology it has dubbed the Surgical-Fiberlock technology. The secured financing will facilitate regulatory registration of a first product based on this technology that targets shoulder rotator cuff repair. ZuriMED aims to broadly leverage its groundbreaking technology to address the growing surgical device market in both the United States and Europe within the next three years. Furthermore, with support from the recently introduced Innosuisse Swiss Accelerator Grant program, ZuriMED will receive an additional CHF 2.4 million (USD 2.7 million) of non-diluting funding. This financial boost will expedite product development and regulatory registration of a second Surgical-Fiberlock device aimed at minimally invasive surgical repair of herniated lumbar discs, also a major unmet clinical need in orthopedic medicine. "The Surgical-Fiberlock technology is a breakthrough innovation in tendon augmentation and closure that offers benefits for both the surgeon and the patient. Approximately 500,000 rotator cuff repairs are done annually in the US and yet 25% of these repairs fail to heal. We know that biology is the limitation. For a surgeon like myself, Surgical-Fiberlock technology improves surgical efficiency and strength of a repair. For patients, I expect we will see better post-operative healing, with improved functional outcomes and a quicker recovery after surgery," said Patrick Denard, MD, a leading US shoulder surgeon. About ZuriMED ZuriMED Technologies AG is an innovation-driven Swiss company based in Zurich that spun off in 2015 from the Institute for Biomechanics at ETH Zurich. ZuriMED excels as an innovation engine, driven by a dynamic management team and backed by a network of world-leading scientists, clinicians, and medical industry experts. ZuriMED's strength lies in its ability to think outside the box and foster disruptive technologies that effectively tackle unmet clinical needs. For more information, please visit: https://zurimed.com. ZuriMED Team To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8622/176468_1f60f6f7e4b95839_001full.jpg Contact Ms. Catherine Marcelo ZuriMED Technologies AG Lengghalde 5 8008 Zurich Switzerland +41 44 552 12 28 info@zurimed.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176468 Registration for the retail tour and conference is now live, bringing together over 200 licensing, manufacturing and retail executives for two days of collaboration and education. NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit (B&LIS), the thought leadership event dedicated to transforming the future of brand licensing, opens registration for its live event, where industry leaders and decision makers come to learn and connect over the latest trends and insights impacting the brand licensing business. Organized by License Global, Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit (B&LIS) will be returning to Convene New York at 117 West 46th Street in New York City November 2-3, 2023. The Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit starts with a dedicated retail tour and networking event, presented by international candy and confectionery leader, IT'SUGAR, Thursday, Nov. 2. The 60-minute tour will be held at its central New York flagship store in Times Square as IT'SUGAR shares how to best bring licensed products to life through innovative experiential in-store activations. The retail networking event is complimentary and included as part of B&LIS delegates attendee passes. B&LIS connects exclusive senior-level brand licensing thought leaders from brand owners to manufacturers and retailers, and will take place Friday, Nov. 3. The conference provides panel discussions and case studies designed to inspire ingenuity and cover trends predicted to impact the industry over the next few years. Early registered speakers include Circana (formerly known as The NPD Group), IT'SUGAR, Vox Media and Falcon's Beyond, to highlight hot topics such as e-commerce, consumer buying patterns, the future of AI, as well as marketing and engaging consumers across generations. Immediately following the conclusion of the conference program, License Global will unveil its 2023 "The Influentials" honorees, commemorating those changing the face of the business of brand licensing, to be presented at 5 p.m., Nov. 3. The Influentials recognizes individuals in specific categories who have contributed towards advancing the quality of the licensing industry. Proceeding The Influentials ceremony, guests are invited to enjoy a cocktail reception to celebrate the winners amongst colleagues. "B&LIS is designed to exclusively connect the international thought leaders and trend setters shaping the future of licensed consumer products to discuss the evolving digital and experiential landscapes that impact these industries through in-depth educational sessions. Think of it as graduate school for licensing industry professionals," says Amanda Cioletti, Vice President of Content and Strategy for the Global Licensing Group at Informa, which includes the flagship trade show Licensing Expo and the media brand, License Global. "This year, Licensing Expo hosted a record number of retailers, so it is critical to create ongoing spaces to share retailer insights. B&LIS aims to continue the discourse and reconnect the industry in New York, addressing challenges and opportunities this industry will face in 2024, 2025 and beyond." This year's Top Global Licensors report, released by License Global, totaled $278 billion in retail sales of licensed consumer products in 2022, with over 40 of the 84 brands in the report seeing a collective growth of more than $29 billion. Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit arms attendees with the educational tools needed to continue to expand consumer engagement and worldwide industry growth. To register to attend the two-day education and networking event, please visit www.brandlicensinginnovationsummit.com . Early Bird pricing is available and will end on September 22nd. Interested media may contact for consideration to attend. Press for B&LIS is exclusive to invitation. About Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit: The Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit (B&LIS) is an educational conference focused on the future of licensed consumer products and the issues that matter most to the global industry, curated by leading licensing news source, License Global. Geared toward senior business management, manufacturers, brand owners and retail professionals, the annual event addresses the latest industry trends and topics through thought-provoking panel discussions, fireside interviews, and workshops. B&LIS is organized by the Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets. The Summit is designed to complement the Global Licensing Group's trade shows and information products, which include Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Shanghai, and License Global. About Global Licensing Group:??? The Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets , a subsidiary of Informa plc (LON:INF), is the licensing industry's leading tradeshow organizer and media partner. Its mission is to provide licensing opportunities around the world by bringing brands and products together. The following events and information products are produced for the licensing industry by the Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets: Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Shanghai, Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit and License Global. Global Licensing Group events are sponsored by Licensing International. Media Contact: Informa Markets Licensing PR licensingpr@informa.com SOURCE: INFORMA MARKETS - GLOBAL LICENSING GROUP (Licensing Global) View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/773014/Brand-Licensing-Innovation-Summit-Returns-to-New-York-with-ITSUGAR-Hosted-Retail-Tour SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global fiber cement board market size is expected to reach USD 27.18 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 13.3% from 2023 to 2030. Fiber cement boards are often considered a cost-effective option in various construction applications such as cladding and flooring as these are known for their durability and longevity. They are resistant to rot, pests, fire, and adverse weather conditions, which helps minimize repair and replacement costs over time. Additionally, fiber cement boards require minimal maintenance, eliminating the need for costly upkeep and refinishing. Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report: HDFCB (high-density fiber cement board) was the largest market segment and accounted for 60.9% of the revenue share in 2022. Due to their minimal water absorption, HDFCB are particularly resistant to moisture-related effects such as warping, swelling, and mold growth. As a result, they are ideal for use in damp locations such as bathrooms and kitchens. The Low Density Fiber Cement (LDFC) board is characterized by its light weight. It is a flexible building material that blends cement, cellulose fibers, and additives to produce a long-lasting and lightweight product. In terms of handling, installation, and performance, LDFC boards have various advantages. They are resistant to impact, weathering, decay, and insect infestation. As a consequence, they are suitable for flooring, roofing, wall cladding, and decorative displays. The market for pre-fabricated shelters was the fastest growing segment with a CAGR of 10.5% in terms of volume in 2022. Fiber cement board offers a number of features that make it ideal for prefabricated shelter buildings. Prefabricated shelters are produced off-site in a controlled environment and then transported to the intended installation site. In 2022, wall cladding and panels were the largest segment with a 64.3% revenue share. As fiber cement board has various advantages for wall cladding applications, it is frequently utilized in both residential and commercial developments. Fiber cement board is extremely durable and weather resistant, and can withstand moisture, UV radiation, and temperature variations. These characteristics make it suitable for exterior wall cladding, which is propelling the market growth. The major manufacturers in the fiber cement board market include Beijing Hocreboard Building Materials Co. Ltd., HIL Limited, CenturyPly, Everest Industries Limited, and SAINT-GOBAIN. Companies are engaged in the adoption of strategic initiatives such as new product development and vertical integration to gain a competitive edge. Read full market research report, "Fiber Cement Board Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (High-density, Medium-density, Low-density), By Application (Furniture, Flooring, Wall Cladding & Panels), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030", published by Grand View Research. Fiber Cement Board Market Growth & Trends Fiber cement boards are procured in a variety of textures, finishes, and colors, allowing for a wide range of design options. As they are constructed from biodegradable and recyclable materials, fiber cement boards are considered an environmentally friendly alternative. This is due to the growing consumer preference for sustainable furniture solutions. These factors are expected to increase the market demand for furniture applications. Cement and cellulose are the major components utilized for manufacturing fiber cement boards. Therefore, the manufacturing and expense of the product might be impacted by the availability and fluctuations in raw material prices. Any break in the supply chain could lead to higher expenses and probable production delays. The manufacturing process and technological improvements are positively impacting the furniture industry in the market. Improvements in the processes of cutting, shaping, and joining fiber cement boards can enhance the quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of furniture products. Surface treatments, coatings, and finishing advancements can also broaden the design possibilities and appeal of fiber cement board furniture. Many players with a global presence, such as CenturyPly and Everest Industries Limited, are engaged in forward integration, i.e., they manufacture the products as well as directly sell their products to end users. They mainly sell their products through employees spread across different regions, product categories; and business segments. Additionally, the market players also maintain their e-commerce websites to reach a wide audience and eliminate the involvement of intermediaries or distributors. Fiber Cement Board Market Report Scope Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2023 USD 12.08 billion Revenue forecast in 2030 USD 27.18 billion Growth rate CAGR of 13.3% from 2023 to 2030 Base year for estimation 2022 Historical data 2018 - 2021 Forecast period 2023 - 2030 Fiber Cement Board Market Segmentation Grand View Research has segmented the global fiber cement board market on the basis of type, application, and region: Fiber Cement Board Market - Type Outlook (Volume, Million Square Meters; Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2030) High-density Medium-density Low-density Fiber Cement Board Market - Application Outlook (Volume, Million Square Meters; Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2030) Furniture Flooring Wall Cladding & Panels Pre-fabricated Shelters Other Applications Fiber Cement Board Market - Regional Outlook (Volume, Million Square Meters; Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2030) North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe UK Germany France Italy Spain Asia Pacific China Japan India Australia Central & South America Brazil Middle East & Africa Saudi Arabia UAE List of Key Players in the Fiber Cement Board Market Beijing Hocreboard Building Materials Co. Ltd. HIL Limited CenturyPly Everest Industries Limited SAINT-GOBAIN Sahyadri Industries Pvt. Ltd. Toray Building Materials Co., Ltd. Visaka Industries James Hardie Building Products Inc. Allura Check out more market research studies published by Grand View Research: Aramid Fiber Market - The global aramid fiber market size is expected to reach USD 6.98 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 7.8% over the forecast years, as per a new report by Grand View Research Inc. Superior properties, such as strength and heat-resistance, of aramid fiber have promoted its utilization in the production of body armor fabric. The growing need for security and protection across various industries, such as mining, healthcare/medical, oil & gas, building & construction, and military, is projected to propel the market growth. In addition, stringent regulations in developing economies related to occupational safety are likely to benefit the market growth over the forecast period. - The global aramid fiber market size is expected to reach USD 6.98 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 7.8% over the forecast years, as per a new report by Grand View Research Inc. Superior properties, such as strength and heat-resistance, of aramid fiber have promoted its utilization in the production of body armor fabric. The growing need for security and protection across various industries, such as mining, healthcare/medical, oil & gas, building & construction, and military, is projected to propel the market growth. In addition, stringent regulations in developing economies related to occupational safety are likely to benefit the market growth over the forecast period. Eco Fiber Market - The global eco fiber market size is expected to reach USD 77.17 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The growth is attributed to the rise in concern regarding the harmful environmental impacts of using synthetic fibers, which has been the major factor contributing to the increased demand for organic eco fiber for the past few years. - The global eco fiber market size is expected to reach USD 77.17 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The growth is attributed to the rise in concern regarding the harmful environmental impacts of using synthetic fibers, which has been the major factor contributing to the increased demand for organic eco fiber for the past few years. Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete Market - The global glass fiber reinforced concrete market size is expected to reach USD 244.2 million by 2027, expanding at a CAGR of 5.76% from 2020 to 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The rising demand for non-corrosive materials in the construction industry is projected to propel the demand for glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC). Browse through Grand View Research's Advanced Interior Materials Research Reports. About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Grand View Compass | Astra ESG Solutions Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/fiber-cement-board-market-to-be-worth-27-18-billion-by-2030-grand-view-research-inc-301895548.html Highlights: Hole AP-23-300 - 72.0 metres @ 8.0 grams per tonne (g/t) gold including - 9.5 metres @ 31.8 g/t gold Hole AP-23-302 - 52 metres @ 5.0 g/t gold Hole AP-23-299 - 11 metres @ 15.8 g/t gold The up-plunge target is expected to connect into a single block of continuous high grade gold mineralization. Hole AP-23-300 is 480% better than predicted in the current resource model at a >5g/t cutoff grade Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Heliostar Metals Ltd. (TSXV: HSTR) (OTCQX: HSTXF) (FSE: RGG1) ("Heliostar" or the "Company") is pleased to report additional drill results from the Ana Paula project in Mexico ("Ana Paula" or the "Ana Paula Project"). These four holes continue to assess mineralization up-plunge of the High Grade Panel at the core of Ana Paula. Heliostar CEO, Charles Funk, commented, "Drilling at Ana Paula continues to exceed our expectations and deliver impressive gold intercepts. The headline hole, AP-23-300, is a 480% increase to the current resource model prediction, at a >5 g/t gold cut-off grade. The most easterly of Heliostar's holes, AP-23-302 was also particularly impactful with an intersection of 51 metres @ 5.0 g/t gold in an area where high gold grades were not modelled in the 2023 PFS resource. These results validate our belief that we can meaningfully increase the value of the Ana Paula project. The Company continues its well-funded expansion and infill drilling program of the High Grade Panel. Additional drill results will continue to be announced ahead of the planned resource update in November 2023." Drill Results Results from this press release are from Heliostar's up-plunge growth target at Ana Paula. Hole AP-23-299 tested the up-dip and central portion of the High Grade Panel. This hole extended mineralization towards the surface and returned 38.0 metres grading 6.95 g/t gold, including 11.0 metres grading 15.8 g/t gold. Hole AP-23-300 tested a gap in the high grade in the up-plunge area where hole AP-23-297 had intersected a sub-interval of 24 metres at 8.8 g/t gold. Hole AP-23-300 returned 38 metres grading 13.4 g/t gold including 9.5 metres grading 31.8 g/t gold to better define the northern extent of High Grade Panel in this area. Hole AP-23-301 tested deeper beneath AP-23-300 in an area where the panel is narrower. It intersected 8.5 metres grading 3.0 g/t gold. Figure 1: A section through the resource model from 2023 PFS1 highlighting the High Grade Panel (clipped to greater than 5g/t resource blocks). Heliostar results labelled with new holes in red boxes. Completed and ongoing holes are shown in blue, and Growth and Infill targets areas labelled. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7729/176551_273e743484f54878_003full.jpg Figure 2: A plan map with the resource model from 2023 PFS1 highlighting the High Grade Panel (clipped to greater than 5g/t resource blocks). Heliostar results labelled with new holes in red boxes. Completed and ongoing holes are shown in blue, and Growth and Infill targets areas labelled. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7729/176551_273e743484f54878_004full.jpg Hole AP-23-302 tested a gap in the high-grade mineralization at the far east of the High Grade Panel in an area where no high grade mineralization was modelled in the resource. It returned a strong intercept of 51.8 metres grading 5.01 g/t gold including 4.7 metres grading 11.6 g/t gold. This is particularly impactful as it has the potential to infill a large gap in the panel with gold mineralization (Figure 1). HoleID From (metres) To (metres) Interval (metres) Au (g/t) Comment AP-23-299 63.0 101.0 38.0 6.95 Includes geotech samples. Note 1 including 72.5 83.5 11.0 15.8 including 72.5 78.5 6.0 23.3 AP-23-300 15.5 18.2 2.7 32.1 and 30.5 102.5 72.0 7.96 Includes geotech samples. Note 2 including 55.0 64.5 9.5 31.8 Includes geotech samples. Note 3 AP-23-301 29.0 37.5 8.5 3.02 including 36.0 37.5 1.5 9.51 and 52.2 53.2 1.0 6.46 and 104.5 106.0 1.5 5.86 AP-23-302 1.5 53.26 51.8 5.01 Includes geotech samples. Note 4 including 19.5 24.22 4.72 11.6 and 68.95 86.55 17.6 2.63 including 73.14 74.5 1.36 21.4 Table 2: Significant Drill Intersections 1 includes 0.40 metres of sample removed for geotechnical studies and assumed to have 0 g/t gold 2 includes 0.82 metres of samples removed for geotechnical studies and assumed to have 0 g/t gold 3 includes 0.40 metres of samples removed for geotechnical studies and assumed to have 0 g/t gold 4 includes 0.87 metres of samples removed for geotechnical studies and assumed to have 0 g/t gold Drill Results Impact The potential impact of the drill results on future resource models can be demonstrated by comparing the current results to the existing model (as reported in the 2023 prefeasibility study1). Drilling that outperforms (i.e., is higher grade or wider than) the model may be expected to improve the grade and size of future resource and reserve estimates. Using a 5 g/t cut-off grade provides a useful benchmark to the most financially impactful ounces in an underground mining scenario. At a 5 g/t cutoff, hole AP-23-299 has an 83% increase when compared to an expected intercept calculated from the existing resource model. Using the same criteria; AP-23-300 has a 480% increase compared to the expected intercept from the resource model, AP-23-301 has a 63% decrease compared to the expected intercept from the resource model and AP-23-302 was a significant increase as no high grade was estimated in the resource model. Drilling Progress The Company is on schedule and on budget with the drilling program. The Company completed eighteen holes at Ana Paula. The Company has reported results from twelve holes to date. Holes AP-23-302 through and AP-23-305 are the Company's first holes targeting high-grade mineralization further west into the down-plunge target. The holes intersected sulfide mineralization throughout, particularly AP-23-303. The Company is finishing two infill holes in the vicinity of hole AP-23-291. The result will be a cross-section of tightly spaced intercepts and these holes will support resource modelling and provide metallurgical material for analysis. Hole ID Northing (WGS84 Zone 14N) Easting (WGS84 Zone 14N) Elevation (metres) Azimuth () Inclination () Length (metres) AP-23-299 410,174 1,998,005 937 000 -55 102.0 AP-23-300 410,227 1,998,034 920 180 -45 118.5 AP-23-301 410,226 1,998,081 898 180 -45 204.0 AP-23-302 410,290 1,998,012 916 180 -50 94.0 Table 2: Drill Hole Details Quality Assurance / Quality Control Core samples were shipped to ALS Limited in Santiago Queretaro, Queretaro for sample preparation and for analysis at the ALS Laboratories in North Vancouver. The North Vancouver ALS facility is ISO/IEC 17025 certified. Gold was assayed by 30-gram fire assay with atomic absorption spectroscopy finish and overlimits were analysed by 50g fire assay with gravimetric finish. Control samples comprising certified reference samples and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Company's quality assurance / quality control protocol. Statement of Qualified Person Stewart Harris, P.Geo., a Qualified Person, as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. Investor Relations The Company entered into a marketing services arrangement with Mr. Robert Sinn on May 5, 2023, pursuant to which Mr. Sinn agreed to provide certain investor relation services to the Company over a 12-month period for a total fee of US$25,000, which was paid upfront. The services to be provided include featured articles and videos on the Company and coverage of news flow on social media. Robert Sinn is at arm's length to the Company, and neither holds any securities of the Company nor has any interest, direct or indirect, in the Company. Robert Sinn is a trader, portfolio manager, and analyst in capital markets. Mr. Sinn studied finance and real estate at university and has been blogging about the stock market, precious metals, and mining for over a decade. Mr. Sinn is based in Florida, USA. About Heliostar Metals Ltd. Heliostar is a junior mining company with a portfolio of high-grade gold projects in Mexico and Alaska. The Company is focused on developing the 100% owned Ana Paula Project in Guerrero, Mexico. In addition, Heliostar is working with the Mexican federal and local government to permit the San Antonio Gold Project in Baja Sur, Mexico. The Company continues efforts to explore the Unga Gold Project in Alaska, United States of America. The Ana Paula Project deposit contains proven and probable mineral reserves of 1,081,000 ounces of gold (630,000 proven and 451,000 probable ounces) at 2.38 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold and 2,547,000 ounces of silver (1,322,000 proven and 1,226,000 probable ounces) at 5.61 g/t silver. Ana Paula hosts measured and indicated resources of 1,468,800 ounces of gold (703,800 measured and 765,000 indicated ounces) at 2.16 g/t gold and 3,600,000 ounces of silver (1,637,000 measured and 1,963,000 indicated ounces) at 5.3 g/t silver. The asset is permitted for open-pit mining and contains significant existing infrastructure including a portal and a 412-metre-long decline. References 1 An updated prefeasibility study titled "Ana Paula Project NI 43-101 Technical Report Preliminary Feasibility Study Update" was filed on SEDAR on April 6, 2023, with an effective date of February 28, 2023, prepared for the Company by Daniel H. Neff, PE, Art S. Ibrado, PhD, PE, Richard K. Zimmerman, RG, SME-RM, Craig Gibson, PhD, CPG, Andrew Kelly, P.Eng., Gordon Zurowski, P.Eng., Paul Daigle, P.Geo., Gilberto Dominguez, PE and James A. Cremeens, PE, PG. For additional information please contact: Charles Funk Chief Executive Officer Heliostar Metals Limited Email: charles.funk@heliostarmetals.com Rob Grey Investor Relations Manager Heliostar Metals Limited Email: rob.grey@heliostarmetals.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release includes certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "plan", "forecast", "may", "would", "could", "schedule" and similar words or expressions, identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the exploration, development, and production at the Company's properties; permitting at the San Antonio project; the release of exploration results; and future resource and reserve estimates. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of the Company, future growth potential for the Company and its business, and future exploration plans are based on management's reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of metals; no escalation in the severity of public health crises or ongoing military conflicts; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; and the Company's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms. These statements reflect the Company's respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political, and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information and the Company has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: precious metals price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mining activities in foreign jurisdictions; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; risks regarding exploration and mining activities; the Company's inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of public health crises; the economic and financial implications of public health crises, ongoing military conflicts and general economic factors to the Company; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company's interactions with surrounding communities; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's public disclosure documents. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176551 TORONTO and GATINEAU, QC, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Converge Technology Solutions Corp. ("Converge" or "the Company") (TSX: CTS) (FSE: 0ZB) (OTCQX: CTSDF) is pleased to provide its financial results for the three and six months period ended June 30, 2023 ("Q2-23"). All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. Financial Summary In $000s except per share amounts Q2 2023 Q2 2022 H1 2023 H1 2022 Gross Sales1 957,219 729,678 1,922,477 1,403,607 Revenue 665,813 515,196 1,344,011 1,009,236 Gross profit (GP) 175,672 133,152 347,260 242,196 Gross profit (GP) % 26.4 % 25.8 % 25.8 % 24.0 % Adjusted EBITDA1 41,527 39,187 82,735 68,836 Adjusted EBITDA1 as a % of GP 23.6 % 29.4 % 23.8 % 28.4 % Adjusted EBITDA1 as a % of Revenue 6.2 % 7.6 % 6.2 % 6.8 % Net (loss) income (4,495) 11,678 (7,856) 9,270 Adjusted net income1 $25,124 29,900 $49,565 52,410 Adjusted EPS1 $0.12 $0.14 $0.24 $0.24 Q2-23 Financial Highlights: Gross sales 1 of $957.2 million compared to $729.7 million in Q2-22; an increase of $227.5 million or 31% of $957.2 million compared to $729.7 million in Q2-22; an increase of $227.5 million or 31% Gross services sales 1 of $317.2 million increased by 33% year-over-year of $317.2 million increased by 33% year-over-year Gross Profit of $175.7 million compared to $133.1 million in Q2-22; an increase of $42.5 million or 32% Organic gross profit growth for Q2-23 was 2.5% driven by 14.4% increase in services organic gross profit Adjusted EBITDA1 of $41.5 million, increasing from $39.2 million in Q2-22 by 6% Revenue for Q2-23 of $665.8 million, an increase of 29% over Q2-22 Product Bookings backlog 2 at the end of Q2-23 was $447.6 million at the end of Q2-23 was $447.6 million Achieved 112 net new logos3 in Q2-23, securing 215 net new logos in H1-23 ___________________________________ 1 This is a Non-IFRS measure (including non-IFRS ratio) and not a recognized, defined or a standardized measure under IFRS. See the Non-IFRS Financial Measures section of this news release for definitions, uses and a reconciliation of historical non-IFRS financial measures to the most directly comparable IFRS financial measures. 2 Bookings backlog is calculated as purchase orders received from customers not yet delivered at the end of the fiscal period for North America Region. 3 Statistic based on North American Region. Q2-23 Business Highlights & Subsequent to Quarter Board of Directors authorize second quarter dividend of $0.01 per common share to be paid on September 22 nd , 2023 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 8 th , 2023 , 2023 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 8 , 2023 Converge concluded its previously announced NCIB program after purchasing 4.28 million shares throughout Q2-23 The Company announced that the Toronto Stock Exchange approved the Company's Notice of Intention to make a Normal Course Issuer Bid. Pursuant to the NCIB, the Company may purchase for cancellation up to an aggregate of 19,427,276 common shares. All common shares acquired by the Company under the NCIB will be cancelled "Converge continued to execute on its cross-sell strategy throughout the second quarter and drove high value solutions with clients by leveraging our advisory, implementation, and managed services across all practice areas. Today 60% of Converge sales representatives in North America are now driving more than 4 solution areas with their clients," said Greg Berard, Converge Global CEO. "In today's IT environment, Converge continues to shape and transform innovation, revolutionizing client-technology interactions. A distinguishing reason clients continue to partner with Converge is our ability to provide end-to-end solutions for cloud, hardware, and software, all while leveraging the technical expertise required for effective professional and managed services. Converge has built a unique set of skills supported by foundational partnerships across Analytics, AI, Cloud, and Cybersecurity and will continue to develop leading solutions to adapt with our clients' growing needs. I am extremely proud of our team's performance which has resulted in record gross profit in Q2-23." Conference Call Details: Date: Wednesday, Aug 9th, 2023 Time: 8:00 AM Eastern Time Participant Webcast Link: Webcast Link - https://app.webinar.net/gkXqYQ1YE8v Participant Dial-in Details with Operator Assistance: Conference ID: 70789128 Toronto: 416-764-8609 North American Toll Free: 888-390-0605 International Toll-Free Numbers: Germany: 08007240293 Ireland: 1800939111 Spain: 900834776 Switzerland: 0800312635 United Kingdom: 08006522435 You may register and enter your phone number to receive an instant automated call back via https://emportal.ink/3OgdiaZ Recording Playback: Webcast Link - https://app.webinar.net/gkXqYQ1YE8v Toronto: 416-764-8677 North American Toll Free: 1-888-390-0541 Replay Code: 789128 # Expiry Date: August 16th, 2023 Please connect at least 15 minutes prior to the conference call to ensure time for any software download that may be required to access the webcast. A live audio webcast accompanied by presentation slides and archive of the conference call and webcast will be available by visiting the Company's website at https://convergetp.com/investor-relations/ . About Converge Converge Technology Solutions Corp. is a services-led, software-enabled, IT & Cloud Solutions provider focused on delivering industry-leading solutions. Converge's global approach delivers advanced analytics, application modernization, cloud platforms, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and digital workplace offerings to clients across various industries. The Company supports these solutions with advisory, implementation, and managed services expertise across all major IT vendors in the marketplace. This multi-faceted approach enables Converge to address the unique business and technology requirements for all clients in the public and private sectors. For more information, visit convergetp.com. Summary of Consolidated Statements of Financial Position (expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars) June 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 Assets Current Cash $ 78,443 $ 159,890 Restricted cash 2,611 5,230 Trade and other receivables 781,330 781,683 Inventories 160,411 158,430 Prepaid expenses and other assets 23,337 23,046 1,046,132 1,128,279 Non-current Other assets 17,943 4,646 Property, equipment, and right-of-use assets, net 73,659 88,352 Intangible assets, net 419,403 463,751 Goodwill 561,283 563,848 Total assets $ 2,118,420 $ 2,248,876 Liabilities Current Trade and other payables $ 814,855 $ 824,924 Other financial liabilities 63,082 123,932 Deferred revenue 47,475 60,210 Borrowings 398 421,728 Income taxes payable 7,816 7,112 933,626 1,437,906 Non-current Other financial liabilities 51,701 77,183 Borrowings 429,909 - Deferred tax liabilities 88,278 102,977 Total liabilities $ 1,503,514 $ 1,618,066 Shareholders' equity Common shares 604,144 595,019 Contributed surplus 9,243 7,919 Exchange rights - 1,705 Accumulated other comprehensive income 156 13,708 Deficit (27,186) (18,441) Total equity attributable to shareholders of Converge 586,357 599,910 Non-controlling interest 28,549 30,900 614,906 630,810 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 2,118,420 $ 2,248,876 Summary of Consolidated Statements of Loss and Comprehensive Loss (expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars) Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Revenues Product $ 511,597 $ 410,361 $ 1,048,286 $ 807,753 Service 154,216 104,835 295,725 201,483 Total revenue 665,813 515,196 1,344,011 1,009,236 Cost of sales 490,141 382,044 996,751 767,040 Gross profit 175,672 133,152 347,260 242,196 Selling, general and administrative expenses 136,699 95,823 268,732 176,235 Income before the following 38,973 37,329 78,528 65,961 Depreciation and amortization 26,893 17,178 52,783 31,657 Finance expense, net 10,652 3,094 20,002 4,912 Special charges 13,292 5,559 17,576 11,280 Share-based compensation 1,117 1,685 1,965 2,897 Other (income) expenses (6,529) (3,265) (4,060) 3,138 Income before income taxes (6,452) 13,078 (9,738) 12,077 Income tax (recovery) expense (1,957) 1,400 (1,882) 2,807 Net (loss) income $ (4,495) $ 11,678 $ (7,856) $ 9,270 Net (loss) income attributable to: Shareholders of Converge (3,548) 12,017 (5,505) 10,223 Non-controlling interest (947) (339) (2,351) (953) $ (4,495) $ 11,678 $ (7,856) $ 9,270 Other comprehensive (loss) income Item that may be reclassified subsequently to income: Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations (15,725) 5,554 (13,552) (1,034) (15,725) 5,554 (13,552) (1,034) Comprehensive (loss) income $ (20,220) $ 17,232 $ (21,408) $ 8,236 Comprehensive (loss) income attributable to: Shareholders of Converge (19,273) 17,571 (19,057) 9,189 Non-controlling interest (947) (339) (2,351) (953) (20,220) 17,232 (21,408) 8,236 Adjusted EBITDA 41,527 39,187 82,735 68,836 Adjusted EBITDA as a % of Gross Profit 23.6 % 29.4 % 23.8 % 28.4 % Adjusted EBITDA as a % of Revenue 6.2 % 7.6 % 6.2 % 6.8 % Summary of Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars) For the three months ended June 30, For the six months ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Cash flows (used in) from operating activities Net (loss) income $ (4,495) $ 11,678 $ (7,856) $ 9,270 Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash from operating activities Depreciation and amortization 29,235 18,739 56,785 33,969 Unrealized foreign exchange (gains) losses (5,281) (2,968) (2,818) 3,701 Share-based compensation expense 1,117 1,685 1,965 2,897 Finance expense, net 10,652 3,094 20,002 4,912 Gain on sale of property and equipment (598) - (598) - Change in fair value of contingent consideration 6,551 - 6,551 - Income tax (recovery) expense (1,957) 1,400 (1,882) 2,807 35,224 33,628 72,149 57,556 Changes in non-cash working capital items (40,349) 9,214 (41,585) (44,290) (5,125) 42,842 30,564 13,266 Income taxes paid (4,520) (16,272) (11,446) (17,025) Cash (used in) from operating activities (9,645) 26,570 19,118 (3,759) Cash flows used in investing activities Purchase of property and equipment (2,091) (3,123) (7,197) (14,479) Proceeds on disposal of property and equipment 3,681 - 3,749 178 Payment of contingent consideration (975) - (9,935) (10,168) Payment of deferred consideration (4,066) (5,208) (29,720) (6,948) Payment of NCI liability - - (29,994) - Business combinations, net of cash acquired - (131,545) - (199,471) Cash used in investing activities (3,451) (139,876) (73,097) (230,888) Cash flows (used in) from financing activities Transfers from (to) restricted cash 2,371 58,980 2,587 (4,513) Interest paid (7,365) (2,102) (15,242) (3,058) Dividend paid (2,067) (1,100) (2,067) (1,100) Payments of lease liabilities (5,089) (2,304) (10,224) (5,032) Repurchase of common shares (14,230) - (14,230) - Repayment of notes payable (40) (38) (80) (159) Net (repayment) proceeds from borrowings (22,815) 22,351 11,384 184,819 Cash (used in) from financing activities (49,235) 75,787 (27,872) 170,957 Net change in cash during the period (62,331) (37,519) (81,851) (63,690) Effect of foreign exchange on cash 1,746 4,526 404 (328) Cash, beginning of period 139,028 217,168 159,890 248,193 Cash, end of period $ 78,443 $ 184,175 $ 78,443 $ 184,175 Non-IFRS Financial Measures This release refers to certain performance indicators including Adjusted EBITDA that does not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Management believes that these measures are useful to most shareholders, creditors, and other stakeholders in analyzing the Company's results. These non-IFRS financial measures should not be considered as an alternative to the consolidated income (loss) or any other measure of performance under IFRS. Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA represents net income or loss adjusted to exclude amortization, depreciation, interest expense and finance costs, foreign exchange gains and losses, share-based compensation expense, income tax expense, and special charges. Special charges consist primarily of restructuring related expenses for employee terminations, lease terminations, and restructuring of acquired companies, as well as certain legal fees or provisions related to acquired companies. From time to time, it may also include adjustments in the fair value of contingent consideration, and other such non-recurring costs related to restructuring, financing, and acquisitions. The Company uses Adjusted EBITDA to provide investors with a supplemental measure of its operating performance and thus highlight trends in its core business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on IFRS financial measures. The Company believes that securities analysts, investors and other interested parties frequently use non-IFRS measures in the evaluation of issuers. Management also uses non-IFRS measures to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period, prepare annual operating budgets and assess the ability to meet capital expenditure and working capital requirements. Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized, defined or standardized measure under IFRS. The Company's definition of Adjusted EBITDA will likely differ from that used by other companies and therefore comparability may be limited. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered a substitute for or in isolation from measures prepared in accordance with IFRS. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's financial statements and disclosures in their entirety and are cautioned not to put undue reliance on non-IFRS measures and view them in conjunction with the most comparable IFRS financial measures. The Company has reconciled Adjusted EBITDA to the most comparable IFRS financial measure as follows: For the three months ended June 30, For the six months ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net income (loss) before taxes $ (6,452) $ 13,078 $ (9,738) $ 12,077 Finance expense 10,652 3,094 20,002 4,912 Share-based compensation expense 1,117 1,685 1,965 2,897 Depreciation and amortization 26,893 17,178 52,783 31,657 Depreciation included in cost of sales 2,342 1,561 4,002 2,312 Foreign exchange loss (gain) (6,317) (2,968) (3,855) 3,701 Special charges 13,292 5,559 17,576 11,280 Adjusted EBITDA $ 41,527 $ 39,187 $ 82,735 $ 68,836 Adjusted EBITDA as a % of Gross Profit The Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA as a % of Gross Profit is a useful measure of the Company's operating efficiency and profitability. This is calculated by dividing Adjusted EBITDA by gross profit. Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted Earnings per Share ("EPS") Adjusted Net Income (Loss) represents net income (loss) adjusted to exclude special charges, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and share-based compensation. The Company believes that Adjusted Net Income (Loss) is a more useful measure than net income (loss) as it excludes the impact of one-time, non-cash and/or non-recurring items that are not reflective of Converge's underlying business performance. Adjusted EPS is calculated by dividing Adjusted Net Income (Loss) by the total weighted average shares outstanding on a basic and diluted basis. The Company has provided a reconciliation to the most comparable IFRS financial measure as follows: For the three months For the six months ended June 30, ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net (loss) income $ (4,495) $ 11,678 $ (7,856) $ 9,270 Special charges 13,292 5,559 17,576 11,280 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 21,527 13,946 41,735 25,262 Foreign exchange loss (6,317) (2,968) (3,855) 3,701 Share-based compensation 1,117 1,685 1,965 2,897 Adjusted Net Income: $ 25,124 $ 29,900 $ 49,565 $ 52,410 Basic 0.12 0.14 0.24 0.24 Gross sales and gross sales for organic growth Gross sales, which is a non-IFRS measurement, reflects the gross amount billed to customers, adjusted for amounts deferred or accrued. The Company believes gross sales is a useful alternative financial metric to net revenue, the IFRS measure, as it better reflects volume fluctuations as compared to net revenue. Under the applicable IFRS 15 'principal vs agent' guidance, the principal records revenue on a gross basis and the agent records commission on a net basis. In transactions where Converge is acting as an agent between the customer and the vendor, net revenue is calculated by reducing gross sales by the cost of sale amount. The Company has provided a reconciliation of gross sales to net revenue, which is the most comparable IFRS financial measure, as follows: For the three months For the six months ended June 30, ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Product $ 639,996 $ 491,821 $ 1,305,306 $ 945,210 Managed services 45,182 32,268 85,818 66,251 Third party and professional services 272,041 205,589 531,353 392,146 Gross sales $ 957,219 $ 729,678 $ 1,922,477 $ 1,403,607 Adjustment for sales transacted as agent (291,406) (214,482) (578,466) (394,371) Net Revenue $ 665,813 $ 515,196 $ 1,344,011 $ 1,009,236 Organic Growth The Company measures organic growth at the gross sales and gross profit levels, and includes the contributions under Converge ownership in the current and comparative period(s). In calculating organic growth, the Company therefore deducts gross sales and gross profit generated from companies that were acquired in the current reporting period. Gross sales organic growth is calculated by deducting prior period gross sales, as reported in the Company's public filings, from current period gross sales for the same portfolio of companies. Gross sales organic growth percentage is calculated by dividing organic growth by prior period reported gross sales. The following table calculates gross sales organic growth for three and six months ended June 30, 2023: For the three months For the six months ended June 30, ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Gross sales $ 957,219 $ 729,678 $ 1,922,477 $ 1,403,607 Less: gross sales from companies not owned in comparative period 214,227 215,748 459,857 404,433 Gross sales of companies owned in comparative period $ 742,992 $ 513,930 $ 1,462,620 $ 999,174 Prior period gross sales 729,678 452,120 1,403,607 860,220 Organic Growth - $ $ 13,314 $ 61,810 $ 59,013 $ 138,954 Organic Growth - % 1.8 % 13.7 % 4.2 % 16.2 % Gross profit organic growth is calculated by deducting prior period gross profit, as reported in the Companies public filings, from current period gross profit for the same portfolio of companies. Gross profit organic growth percentage is calculated by dividing organic growth by prior period reported gross profit. For the three months For the six months ended June 30, ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Gross profit $ 175,672 $ 133,152 $ 347,260 $ 242,196 Less: gross profit from companies not owned in comparative period 39,239 40,737 83,836 72,545 Gross profit of companies owned in comparative period $ 136,433 $ 92,415 $ 263,424 $ 169,651 Prior period gross profit 133,152 78,244 242,197 146,041 Organic Growth - $ $ 3,281 $ 14,171 $ 21,227 $ 23,610 Organic Growth - % 2.5 % 18.1 % 8.8 % 16.2 % Forward-Looking Information This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation regarding Converge and its business. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected" "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts". "estimates", "believes" or intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could, "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Converge assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a detailed description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's filings statement available on SEDAR under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com including its most recent Annual Information Form, its Management Discussion and Analysis and its Annual and Quarterly Financial Statements. CONTACT: Converge Technology Solutions Corp., Email: investors@convergetp.com, Phone: 416-360-1495 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2172088/Converge_Technology_Solutions_Corp__Converge_Technology_Solution.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/converge-technology-solutions-reports-second-quarter-2023-financial-results-301896732.html New Board Chairman appointed to position Antion for its next phase of growth and development GENEVA, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Antion Biosciences SA (Antion) proudly announces the appointment of John Tchelingerian, PhD, a veteran of the biotech industry, as the new Chairman of its Board of Directors. This notable appointment represents a pivotal evolution in Antion's strategic leadership, aimed at bolstering its future growth, fostering innovative initiatives, and enhancing stakeholder value. As part of this organizational restructure, the Board includes the valuable financial and commercial insights of Mr. Boudewijn van Vliet, the previous Chairman, and Mr. Dan Hunt, as representative of Allogene Therapeutics, alongside the foundational know-how of the company's scientific founders, Professors Michael Pepper and Roberto Speck. In light of these changes, Mr. Boudewijn van Vliet, the former Chairman who continues as a member of the Board, commented: "Having served as Chairman, I'm proud to hand over my duties to John and look forward to contributing to Antion's future in my new role. John brings a wealth of experience as an investor-entrepreneur as well through the CEO positions that he held at various biotech start-ups over his career. We believe that John's skills and experience will be instrumental in guiding the company through the next phases of Antion's development." Dr. John Tchelingerian, the newly appointed Chairman, stated: "Accepting the Chairmanship of Antion at this exciting juncture following Boudewijn's impressive tenure is my true honor, and it is a privilege to serve the company, its team and shareholders. Together, we will set the stage for significant advancements and growth, while also making transformative contributions to the future trajectory of the cell and gene therapy sector." CEO, Marco Alessandrini, reflecting on the changes in leadership, said: "This newly configured Board, under John's leadership, underscores our commitment to strategic innovation, which will accelerate development of our unique technology platform and its derived therapies. I am confident that we now have the varied expertise to navigate Antion toward unprecedented success and impact in the cell and gene therapy industry." About Antion Biosciences Antion Biosciences SA is a Swiss-based biotechnology company developing universal cell and gene therapy products for the treatment of diseases with significant unmet medical needs. Antion's proprietary gene silencing and miCARTM technologies allow for a modular and tunable approach to multiplex engineering of therapeutic cells. By developing off-the-shelf therapies with enhanced potency, our vision is to make cell and gene therapies universal and broaden access to these life-changing therapies for all patients. For more information, please visit https://www.antionbio.com. Antion's Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements Please note: this announcement can contain forward-looking statements based on current expectations and projections about future events. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements due to various factors, including, but not limited to, market conditions, industry trends, and operational risks. Antion Biosciences Contact media@antionbio.com Antion Biosciences SA Chemin des Aulx 12, CTN12 1228 Plan-les-Ouates Geneva Switzerland TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Sterling Metals Corp. (TSXV:SAG)(OTCQB:SAGGF) ("Sterling Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to share an open letter from CEO and Director, Mathew Wilson to shareholders of the Company. Dear Shareholders of Sterling Metals, 2023 has been a significant year of change and growth. While the company operations are full steam ahead, we are in a period of low news flow and slow markets, and I wanted to take this time to discuss our journey this year, the challenges we have faced, and the path that lies ahead. Building Success Through Diversification We have accomplished much in 2023. This past March, we acquired the Adeline Project, an exciting new copper-silver asset in South-Central Labrador. In April, based primarily on the acquisition of this asset, we added $6M to our treasury via the closing of an oversubscribed, 80% institutionally backed financing. While preparing for our maiden Adeline program, we also continued our work at Sail Pond. The principal behind this year's exploration work at Sail Pond was to identify a cost effective and efficient method to target more of the high-grade sulfides we have hit to date at surface. Using the data gathered from the deep targeting IP/MT Orion survey, we began and have now completed a 2,000m drill program targeting several of the chargeability anomalies observed beneath our zones of mineralization. We now await assays from this program which we anticipate receiving in the next four to eight weeks. We have now shifted our attention to preparing for our maiden exploration program at the Adeline Project. Through thunderstorms and blackflies, our team is working tirelessly to accomplish our goal of installing this camp by August 20th. We will now have the infrastructure in place to support both our inaugural 2,000m drill campaign as well as a follow-on winter campaign. I want to take this time to thank the Innu First Nations for their support regarding our inaugural exploration campaign at the Adeline Project. We acknowledge we are on Innu First Nations lands and look forward to building upon the relationship we have forged this year. While we advance both of our assets, we continue to face significant challenges on the path to discovery, currently in the form of a depressed stock price. Since our acquisition, and despite the closing of an oversubscribed financing, we have struggled to gain market traction. Our stock price is approximately 35% of its pre-acquisition pricing and our enterprise value now mirrors that of many TSX Venture listed shells. Few stories of discovery are without significant challenge and ours is no different. I take comfort in the fact that despite these troubled market times, we have positioned ourselves with exposure to an ideal commodity, at the right time, in the right place, and have the right asset and team to realize our end goal - a major discovery. The Strong Case for Copper in Canada While speaking about the outlook for the growth of China, Dominic Barton, the Chairman of Rio Tinto, made one point very clear: "We are so short of copper, as humans, it's not funny". Demand projections have gone so far as to suggest we will need the same amount of copper in the next twenty years as in the past 5,000. Whether this is an overstatement or not (see: peak oil), it is clear that global copper supply from current copper mines and realistic near-term new copper production sources can't possibly support anything close to the anticipated global demand, much of which is being driven by an unparalleled race towards global electrification. Simply put, the world needs a lot more copper. While the macro copper environment is good for all copper explorers, Sterling will benefit more because our projects are in Canada - in the mining friendly and very supportive province of Newfoundland and Labrador - recently ranked as the 4th most attractive jurisdiction in the world in terms of mining investment by the Fraser Institute1. Canada was formerly a significant copper producer but over the last few decades has seen its reserve level drop to only 1% of global copper reserves (America currently sits at 5%). In this post-Covid world where new global geopolitical alignments are emerging, secure access to critical metals is rapidly becoming a strategic and political focus for all nations. Consequently, those new copper projects that can demonstrate globally significant scale and are positioned to help fill this unprecedented copper supply gap will be seen as highly strategic and receive targeted support. We believe the Adeline Project fits this bill. Unlocking Canada's Copper Potential with Adeline The Adeline Project is focused on a wholly owned 35km x 7km geological basin structure that ticks all the key boxes for hosting a giant sediment-hosted copper system capable of delivering more than one economic deposit. Government survey and academic research have established that the copper mineralization formed in response to the same globally significant geological event as formed the giant sediment hosted copper deposits of the Keweenawan Copper Belt (Michigan, US) and contributed to the giant copper deposits of the Central African Copper Belt. Much of the historic exploration took place many decades ago with only sporadic, intermittent periods of exploration since. The early prospecting work yielded over 200 copper showings across the basin, some of which were further exposed by trenching with positive results. Coinciding IP chargeability and copper-in-soil geochemical anomalies in proximity to trench-exposed copper mineralization was then tested by shallow, prospect type drill holes. Of importance, a drill hole at the Ellis target confirmed the mineralized bed thickness and grade at depth to be similar to that within the surface trench - 7.9m of 1.76% Cu and 56g/t Ag2 - demonstrating economic grades and host bed thicknesses. To put this in perspective, the White Pine Copper Mine, which was in production from 1952-1982 had a copper resource of 230Mt at 1% Cu and 12g/t Ag hosted within a continuously mineralized sedimentary bed of only a few metres in thickness3. While Adeline compares favorably to classic sediment hosted copper deposits, such as in the Keweenawan belt and Central Africa, there are additional features that also compare favorably with other giant sediment-hosted deposits with differing styles of mineralization, such as at Udokan (JORC resource of 2.5Bt at 1.05%4), the world's largest sediment-hosted copper-silver deposit that is located in far eastern Russia. Field mapping in 2020 at Adeline supports historic prospect descriptions that, as at Udokan, the copper-silver mineralization is controlled by an interplay of swarms of cross-cutting quartz-sulphide veinlets and the sedimentary host beds - including at the Ellis target. The cross-cutting network of thin mineralized quartz-sulphide veins, carrying the copper minerals of chalcocite and bornite, can create rich "blowout" zones where they cross the right host sedimentary beds. These crosscutting blow out zones would be more steeply oriented than the shallowly dipping host beds, a critical observation that we feel was not properly recognized in the historic exploration and consequently not properly tested for. Our re-modelling of IP collected by Noranda in the early 90s indicates that the discovery hole intercepted at Ellis was just the very edge of a broad IP anomaly located at the intersection of a prominent crosscutting structure and the key host sedimentary beds, coincident with copper-in-soil anomalies - and thus, our drill targeting will begin at Ellis and then expand to other similar occurrences throughout the 35km x 7km wholly owned basin. We're travelling this journey together, and your continued trust and support are invaluable. The company has a strong treasury of ~$6.5M and will look to exit this first drill program at Adeline with over $4M in the treasury - enough for a follow up campaign this winter. While we embarked with our silver dominant Sail Pond asset, over the last several months we have come to see that Adeline should be our primary focus because of its giant copper potential and the imminent global copper gap. We remain committed to exploration in Newfoundland and Labrador as we believe it offers the best combination of exploration potential including Tier 1 mining jurisdiction, support by indigenous partners, and competitive advantages. As we delve into Labrador's depths, we're excited about the potential treasures that lie in wait at Adeline. We eagerly anticipate sharing updates on our progress with you. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to Sterling Metals. We're grateful for your patience and faith in our vision and in our abilities to navigate these challenging times towards landing a giant. Your thoughts and inquiries are always welcome. Sincerely, Mathew Wilson Sources: 1 https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/annual-survey-of-mining-companies-2022.pdf 2 https://sterlingmetals.ca/news/2023/sterling-metals-expands-its-critical-metal-portfolio-within-newfoundland-and-labrador 3 https://www.highlandcopper.com/_files/ugd/62921a_e7ef326d82c34a02b50d5989931f6fb7.pdf 4 https://udokancopper.ru/en/ Qualified Person Jeremy Niemi, P.Geo., Senior Vice President of Exploration and Evaluation to Sterling Metals, and a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Minerals Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical information presented herein. About Sterling Metals Sterling Metals (TSXV: SAG and OTCQB: SAGGF) is a mineral exploration company focused on large scale and high-grade Canadian exploration opportunities. The Company is advancing the Adeline Project in Labrador which covers an entire sediment-hosted copper belt, with demonstrated potential for important new copper discoveries with significant silver credits, and the Sail Pond Project in Newfoundland. For more information, please contact: Sterling Metals Corp. Mathew Wilson, CEO and Director Tel: (416) 643-3887 Email: info@sterlingmetals.ca Website: www.sterlingmetals.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. This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. SOURCE: Sterling Metals Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/773193/Sterling-Metals-Provides-Update-to-Shareholders MineHub has been awarded a three-year contract to digitize Codelco's global refined copper business, representing a significant validation of MineHub's technology platform. MineHub's technology allows Codelco to provide its customers with increased visibility, traceability and efficiencies, along with an enhanced supplier-customer experience. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - MineHub Technologies Inc. (TSXV: MHUB) (OTCQB: MHUBF) ("MineHub" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has finalized and signed a three-year contract with Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile ("Codelco"), the largest copper producer in the world. Further to the press release on March 23, 2023 announcing that Codelco has selected MineHub's Waybridge Platform after a Request for Proposal (RFP) and successful pilot process, both companies are now actively moving forward on digitizing Codelco's global refined copper business. Andrea Aranguren, CEO of MineHub Technologies commented, "Codelco's three-year commitment to MineHub is a huge testament to the dedication and expertise of our team, as well as the trust placed in us by Codelco. The partnership between MineHub and Codelco is paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in digital solutions, empowering mining operations with supply-chain software that enhances efficiency and environmental responsibility. After rigorous evaluations and close collaboration, this prestigious contract represents the mutual trust and shared vision between our two companies." The digital commercial platform, powered by MineHub, will enable Codelco customers to: Collaborate and share transactional information seamlessly via a secure digital platform, including contract negotiations, shipping information, documentation, claims requests, invoice and payment statuses; Consolidate key supply chain data to ensure traceability, data analytics and comprehensive ESG reporting, including CO2 transportation calculations; Improve visibility into global copper flows while enhancing the timeliness and accurate delivery of key data necessary for trade and decision optimization; Drive operational efficiency via continuous process improvement, data automation and systems integrations with its clients, service providers and strategic partners. The MineHub and Codelco teams have already agreed on an implementation approach, as well as a comprehensive plan to onboard Codelco's global customers onto the platform. The teams have also started initial training and integration preparation work. Moreover, MineHub and Codelco are also together collaborating and investigating the potential for an expanded scope to include copper concentrates in the future. MineHub's SaaS-based platform currently provides seamless order processing, real-time shipment tracking, inventory management and reporting for the commodities ecosystem by automating data connections between customers and their entire supply chains. MineHub has over 90 companies interacting digitally on its platform, including leading global manufacturers, as well as major miners, warehouses, and shipping companies. About Codelco Codelco is the largest copper producer in the world. Its main activity is to explore, develop and exploit mining resources; process them to produce refined copper and by-products, and market them to customers around the world. From the Nationalization in 1971 to 2021, it has generated surpluses of US$142 billion for the State of Chile (in 2021 currency). It has assets of US$43 billion and equity of US$11.6 billion as of December 2021. It operates in seven mining divisions in Chile: Chuquicamata, Ministro Hales, Radomiro Tomic, Gabriela Mistral, Salvador, Andina and El Teniente, in addition to the Ventanas Smelter and Refinery. About MineHub MineHub provides enterprise-grade digital solutions that connect buyers, sellers, laboratories and financiers within physical commodities supply chains in a digitally integrated workflow powered by data that is useable, shareable, verifiable and unforgeable. Users of MineHub solutions are in full control of their supply chains, enabling them to optimize their use of resources, respond better and faster to disruptions, and provide a better customer service. Global enterprises already use MineHub solutions as part of their logistics, compliance, trade management and financing operations. Andrea Aranguren CEO, MineHub Technologies Inc. For further information regarding MineHub, please email info@minehub.com or visit our website at www.minehub.com. Tel: (604) 628-5623 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains statements that are considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation ("forward-looking statements") with respect to MineHub including, but not limited to, statements with respect to MineHub's future operational plans, the timing of such plans and anticipated customers. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts are generally, but not always, identied by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although MineHub believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such material risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to raise sufficient capital to fund its operations, applications and for general working capital purposes, changes in economic conditions or nancial markets, changes in laws or regulations that could have an impact on the Company's operations, dependence on its key management personnel and market competition. Other risk factors are identified in the Company's management discussion and analysis, available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. There may be other risk factors not presently known that management believes are not material that could also cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify risk factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Also, many of the factors are beyond the control of the Company. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date included herein, and the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable beliefs, estimates and opinions of MineHub's management on the date the statements are made. However, except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176514 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Altamira Gold Corp. (TSXV: ALTA) (FSE: T6UP) (OTC PINK: EQTRF) ("Altamira" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its ongoing exploration programme for copper and gold at the Santa Helena project in Mato Grosso State, Northern Brazil. This work is being conducted in parallel with ongoing exploration at the Company's main Cajueiro gold project. Highlights: Ground magnetic work has been completed at three further copper-in-soil anomalies at the Santa Helena project (Areas 2, 3 and 4), and has revealed the presence of coincident magnetic anomalies. These coincident copper-in-soil and magnetic targets add to the excellent coincident anomaly already defined in Area 1 and have signatures that are considered to be consistent with inferred porphyry settings. A drill programme is being designed to test these targets. Exploration continues in the south of the project area to follow-up widely spaced copper-in-soil anomalies. Consultant geologist Darren Jones commented; "The presence of undrilled-tested copper-in-soil anomalism in this tropical weathered landscape, coincident with well-defined magnetic features, reminiscent of intrusive bodies and a local and regional structural setting permissive for porphyry stock emplacement are strong positives. Together with the presence of mineralized porphyry-like stockworks in limited surface exposure, trenching and initial drilling of what appears to have been the margins of one or more potentially copper-mineralized porphyry stocks, is, in my opinion, as good as it gets in terms of drill readiness for a potential cluster of porphyries on early-stage exploration plays in largely covered terrain." CEO Mike Bennett commented; "These results have confirmed the coincidence of anomalous geochemical and geophysical responses at all three new areas surveyed using ground magnetics and add to the compelling target previously identified in Area 1. We now have an impressive inventory of "drill-ready" options to test for porphyry-style copper mineralization. The regional structural location, and widespread association with large-scale alteration features, consistent with porphyry-style intrusive systems are very encouraging at this stage of exploration. The design of a scout drilling programme is underway. We continue to advance our copper exploration activities in parallel with our main focus at the Maria Bonita gold discovery." SANTA HELENA PROJECT The Santa Helena project is located immediately adjacent to the paved BR-163 federal highway in the state of Mato Grosso and 60km SW of the Jaca porphyry copper deposit which was recently discovered by Anglo American plc (Figure 1). Figure 1: Location of the Santa Helena, Apiacas and Cajueiro projects. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/176600_75a4b813c413d8ed_001full.jpg There is no history of copper production in the Santa Helena area and previous artisanal mining activity has focused on high-grade gold, hosted in vein structures. The regional geology consists of 1806-1757Ma Teles-Pires intrusive rocks and overlying Colider Formation volcanic rock (lavas and pyroclastic flows with inferred volcanic dome structures). The Teles Pires intrusives consist of alkali-feldspar granites and syenogranites and are interpreted to be the main host to porphyry-style intrusions in the Santa Helena area. Younger (ca.1400Ma) sedimentary cover of conglomerates and arenites formerly overlay this basement. Remnant outliers of this cover indicate enhanced potential for the preservation of porphyry alteration zones within the basement. Figure 2: Selected core photos from scout drill holes for gold mineralization DD-ST-002, 010, 012 & 014 drilled in 2022 to test gold-vein target areas, showing syenogranite intrusive with chlorite-secondary biotite, sericite-muscovite & K-spar/hematite alteration ('red-rock'), cut by polyphase veining brecciation with quartz, calcite, epidote, hematite, magnetite, chlorite ( secondary biotite), k-spar pyrite-chalcopyrite. Note that none of these holes were drilled within the current copper targets. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/176600_75a4b813c413d8ed_002full.jpg In a similar manner to the Jaca porphyry district (60km NE), anomalous copper occurrences have associated peripheral gold occurrences, indicating a coeval origin. Scout drilling of some of these gold occurrences by Altamira, identified potential for copper porphyry style mineralization (see Figure 2 and Press Release dated April 12, 2023). Mapping and soil sampling, focused on the copper potential has now been supplemented by ground magnetic surveys. Regional airborne magnetics data shows major structures trending NE-SW passing through the Santa Helena concessions and this trend is evident from the alignment of copper and gold soil anomalies (Figures 3 & 4). Outcrop is generally very poor in these areas, compounded by deep weathering, which renders trenching of limited value. Figure 3: Regional magnetics (total magnetic intensity; TMI) showing major NE and ESE trends and possible regional structure linking Santa Helena area to known porphyry style mineralization at Jaca, 60km to the north-east. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/176600_75a4b813c413d8ed_003full.jpg Figure 4: Location of ground magnetic grids in relation to soil sampling (copper in colour) and prior drillholes for gold targets. Prior drill holes for gold are focussed on existing artisanal workings and gold-in-soil anomalies which are peripheral to the copper-in soil anomalies. Ground magnetic results for Area 1 were released on May 10, 2023. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/176600_75a4b813c413d8ed_004full.jpg Ground magnetic surveys have been completed over Areas 2, 3 and 4 using survey lines, oriented north-south, separated by 50m and with readings every second at walking pace (Figure 4). The data was quality controlled and analysed by consultant geophysicist Mat Cooper of Core Geophysics Western Australia. (see Press Release dated May 10, 2023 for results of Area 1 in which a compelling porphyry-style drill target has been defined) Area 2 shows a coherent copper-in-soil anomaly, oriented NE-SW with a long axis dimension of 600m and a peak copper value of 170ppm. Prior drillholes to the north and northwest (Figure 5) were directed at quartz vein structures associated with garimpo workings. The ground magnetic data suggests that the copper anomaly is broadly coincident with two lozenge-shaped, and inferred fault-controlled, low magnetic responses. A pull apart" structural interpretation is illustrated in Figure 5. Within and adjacent to these extensional structures are smaller zones of higher magnetic responses, interpreted as possible intrusive centres, around which hydrothermal alteration effects have caused demagnetisation. The intersection of two sets of structural trends, one of which is the dominant NE-SW regional structure, is interpreted as a favourable setting for the emplacement of an intrusive (porphyry). Three separate scout drill targets are identified at this prospect (Figure 5). Figure 5: Area 2 ground magnetic Analytic Signal data (background colour) with gold-in-soil contoured in white in ppm Cu. Prior drill holes for gold are focused on existing artisanal gold workings (see press release April 12, 2023). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/176600_75a4b813c413d8ed_005full.jpg Areas 3 and 4 are both characterised by coincident copper-in-soil anomalies and magnetic anomalies, consistent with porphyry-style settings and dimensions. A drill programme is being planned for Areas 1-3 whilst further infill soil sampling will be conducted at Area 4 to finalise drill targeting. Figure 6: Areas 3 and 4 ground magnetic Analytic Signal data (background colour) with copper-in-soil contoured in white in ppm Cu (Area 3) showing strong coincidence of copper with a magnetic low. Wide (1km spaced) soil lines in Area 4 show elevated copper in association with an oblate magnetic high. Infill soil sampling is planned to define drill targets for Area 4. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/176600_75a4b813c413d8ed_007full.jpg Altamira continues to progress the Santa Helena copper programme in parallel with on-going exploration at the main Cajueiro gold resource and recent discovery at Maria Bonita. Drill targeting for copper porphyry objectives is underway at all four ground magnetic grids outlined above. Qualified Person Guillermo Hughes, FAIG and M AusIMM., a consultant to the Company as well as a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release. 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. About Altamira Gold Corp. The Company is focused on the exploration and development of gold projects in central Brazil. The Company holds 6 projects comprising approximately 190,000 hectares, within the prolific Juruena gold belt which historically produced an estimated 7 to 10Moz of placer gold. The Company's advanced Cajueiro project has NI 43-101 resources of 5.66Mt @ 1.02 g/t gold for a total of 185,000 oz in the Indicated Resource category and 12.66Mt @ 1.26 g/t gold for a total of 515,000oz in the Inferred Resource category. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, ALTAMIRA GOLD CORP. "Michael Bennett" Michael Bennett President & CEO Tel: 604.676.5660 Toll-Free:1-833-606-6271 info@altamiragold.com www.altamiragold.com Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this document which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we do not undertake to update these forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176600 HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global leader in cordless Professional Tools, DIY Tools, and Outdoor Power Equipment, Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. ("TTI" or the "Group") (stock code: 669, OTCQX: TTNDY, TTNDF) is pleased to announce its results for the six months ended June 30, 2023. The Group delivered solid results for the first half of 2023, outpacing the market in sales performance and profit generation, while reducing inventory and delivering outstanding free cash flow. Overall sales declined 2.2% in reported currency, and 1.0% in local currency, to US$6.9 billion. TTI's Flagship MILWAUKEE business grew 8.7% in local currency, while the Consumer businesses were down low double-digit, in part driven by inventory reduction initiatives within its network and customers. TTI delivered solid results for the first half of 2023, outpacing the market in sales performance and profit generation, while reducing inventory and delivering outstanding free cash flow Our Flagship MILWAUKEE business, which is the #1 global professional power tool brand, outperformed the market with 8.7% growth in local currency Reduced inventory from the first half of 2022 by US$651 million Delivered record first half Free Cash Flow of US$301 million, an improvement of US$649 million from the first half of 2022 Gross Margin expanded for the 15th consecutive first half to 39.3%, a 22 bps increase Financial Performance Highlights for 1H 2023 2023 2022 US$' US$' million million Changes Revenue 6,879 7,034 (2.2%) Gross profit margin 39.3% 39.1% +22 bps EBIT 560 633 (11.5%) Profit attributable to Owners of the Company 476 578 (17.7%) EPS (US cents) 26.00 31.59 (17.7%) Free Cash Flow 301 (348) +$649 m Interim dividend per share (approx. US cents) 12.23 12.23 - Globally, TTI outperformed the market in the first half of 2023. North America declined 3.9% in sales in local currency. Europe, led by our world-class management team, grew 10.1% in local currency. Rest of World, featuring Australia and Asia, delivered 5.7% growth in local currency. Gross Margin improved 22 bps from the first half of 2022, due to our greater mix towards the Group's higher margin MILWAUKEE business and productivity initiatives, supplemented with the continued outperformance of its high margin aftermarket battery business. Mr. Horst Pudwill, Chairman of TTI, said, " We remain committed to our strategy of investing in better technology and advanced new products to drive our growth. I am convinced we are well-positioned to continue outperforming the market in the second half of 2023 and beyond." Mr. Joseph Galli, CEO of TTI, commented, " At TTI, we continually push ourselves to improve. We outperformed the competition in sales, drove substantial inventory reduction, and generated positive free cash flow, while continuing to invest for the future." Forward-Looking Statements This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements or uses certain forward-looking terminologies which are based on the current expectations, estimates, projections, beliefs and assumptions of TTI about the businesses and the markets in which the Group operates and reflect TTI's views as of the date of this announcement. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to market risk, uncertainties and factors beyond the control of TTI. Therefore, actual outcomes and returns may differ materially from the assumptions made and the statements contained in this announcement. About TTI TTI is a world leader in cordless technology spanning Power Tools, Outdoor Power Equipment, Floorcare and Cleaning Products for the DIY, consumer, professional, and industrial users in the home, construction, maintenance, industrial and infrastructure industries. The Company has a foundation built on four strategic drivers - Powerful Brands, Innovative Products, Exceptional People and Operational Excellence - reflecting an expansive long-term vision to advance cordless technology. The global growth strategy of the relentless pursuit of product innovation has brought TTI to the forefront of its industries while maintaining high environmental, social and corporate governance standards. TTI's powerful brand portfolio includes MILWAUKEE, RYOBI and AEG power tools, accessories and hand tools, RYOBI outdoor products, EMPIRE layout and measuring products, and HOOVER, VAX, DIRT DEVIL and ORECK floorcare cleaning products and solutions. Founded in 1985 and listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited in 1990, TTI is one of the constituent stocks of the Hang Seng Index, Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Benchmark Index, FTSE RAFI All-World 3000 Index, FTSE4Good Developed Index, and MSCI ACWI Index. The Company also trades on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbols "TTNDY" and "TTNDF". For more information, please visit www.ttigroup.com. All trademarks listed other than AEG, OTCQX, and RYOBI are owned by the Group. AEG is a registered trademark of AB Electrolux (publ.), and is used under license. OTCQX is a registered trademark of OTC Markets Group Inc. RYOBI is a registered trademark of Ryobi Limited, and is used under license. Contacts For Investor Relations enquiries: Main Contact TTI Investor Relations - North America Ross Gilardi Senior Vice President, Finance & Investor Relations Email: ross.gilardi@ttihq.com Asia/Pacific TTI Investor Relations - Asia Jimmy Li Senior Manager, Investor Relations Email: jimmy.li@tti.com.hk Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Kingsmen Resources Ltd. (TSXV: KNG) (OTCQB: KNGRF) ("Kingsmen" or the "Company") is pleased to report new results from its on-going surface sampling program of old workings along the Soledad and Soledad II structures, and their subsidiary structures, in the southeast part of the Las Coloradas project, Chihuahua, Mexico. Located 30km from Hildago de Parral, Chihuahua, the Soledad structures were historically mined by ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company), from 1943 to 1952. Results are presented in Figure 1 and Table 1. Highlights Twenty-one (21) samples were collected. 4 > 300 g/t silver 2 > 200 g/t silver 2 > 100 g/t silver Three areas with high grade silver values are recognized. Prospecting and sampling are continuing. Scott Emerson, President, commented: "These first results are extremely encouraging as they clearly demonstrate the persistence of high-grade silver mineralization on part of a second important structure which is 1.2 km to the NW of the old Las Coloradas mine. Work is continuing along the entire extent of the structure. This is an area, of unexplored potential due to the previously fragmented property ownership." The old workings on the NW-trending Soledad II structure are distributed over approximately 1,000 meters (Figure 1). The best silver grades are found over a 400 meters length of the northern part of the structure where it occurs in volcanics and tracks felsic intrusives. The best silver grades are found in the El Nido, Enjambre and La Pila mines. At El Nido the quartz vein structure is offset to the northeast, likely due to an intersection with the NE-trending La Chiquita structure, indicating structural complexity with high grade silver. This is a positive setting for mineralization. A similar structural intersection with high grade silver occurs where the NE-trending La Avispa structure intersects at the La Pila mine. Anomalous silver also occurs in the La Avispa mine. The La Avispa structure tracks the contact of volcanics with felsic intrusives. The overall structural picture is one where the two principal NW-trending mineralized structures (Soledad and Soledad II) are cut by NE-trending structures (+/- mineralization). Unsurprisingly, the projected intersections of the two sets of structures appear favourable for high grade silver mineralization and this is supported by the sampling. The currently exposed geology, structures and mineralization are functions of erosion and imperfect exposure. The significant strike length of the Soledad and Soledad II structures indicate the structures will continue at depth with the potential for high grade silver mineralization. The structures have not been tested/explored at depth, to-date. Figure 1 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9640/176542_f22c9c2a54c599ec_003full.jpg Table 1 SAMPLING RESULTS* CHECK SAMPLING** Sample Width (m) Au_ppm Ag_ppm Site Type Au_ppm Ag_ppm Cu_ppm Pb_ppm Sb_ppm Zn_ppm PRSLC-0001 0.7 0.243 497.97 El Nido Mine Surface 1.985 427 103 >10000 74 155 PRSLC-0002 1 2.462 218.89 El Nido Mine Surface PRSLC-0003 0.8 0.233 85.6 El Nido Mine Surface PRSLC-0004 1 0.225 142.95 El Nido Mine Surface PRSLC-0005 1 0.269 35.7 El Nido Mine Surface PRSLC-0006 0.5 0.223 138.57 El Enjambre Vein Surface PRSLC-0007 1 0.01 4.8 El Enjambre Vein Surface PRSLC-0008 0.5 2.893 481.66 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0009 0.6 0.454 68.3 La Pila Mine Surface PRSLC-0010 0.5 0.983 284.12 La Pila Mine Surface PRSLC-0011 0.5 1.287 375.47 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0012 0.7 0.369 329.82 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0013 1.3 0.093 52.4 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0014 1.3 0.044 19.6 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0023 0.6 0.13 43 La Avispa Mine Surface PRSLC-0024 0.8 0.048 54.7 La Avispa Mine Surface PRSLC-0025 0.6 0.121 362.03 La Avispa Mine Surface PRSLC-0030 1.3 0.0025 1.2 El Arroyo Vein Surface PRSLC-0031 0.5 0.017 5.9 El Arroyo Vein Surface PRSLC-0035 0.5 0.008 16.6 La Escalera Mine Surface PRSLC-0036 0.5 0.162 13.7 La Escalera Mine Surface *Actlabs Mexico S.A. de C.V. **ALS Chemex Labs, Ltd. About Las Coloradas The Las Coloradas Project ( 8.5 km2 -3.3 sq miles) represents a consolidation of a historic mining district which covers numerous silver-gold-lead-zinc-copper mines previously exploited by ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company). Las Coloradas is in the Parral mining district of the Central Mexican Silver Belt, and is located approximately 30 kilometers southeast of the city of Hildago de Parral and 40 kilometers east of the San Francisco de Oro and Santa Barbera mining districts where several old major mines are located, such as La Prieta, Veta Colorada, Palmilla, Esmeralda, San Francisco del Oro and Santa Barbara. As well, new major mining projects are currently being explored in the district; Cordero (Discovery Silver Corp.), 35 kms north of Parral, and La Cigarra (Kootenay Silver Inc.), 35 kms northwest of Parral. Click here to see locator map: https://www.kingsmenresources.com/area-history. Qualified Person Kieran Downes, Ph.D., P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure set out in this news release. About Kingsmen Resources In line with Kingsmen's organic-growth strategy, the Company's focus is on exploration and development, and is currently focused on district-scale exploration for high -margin metallic mineral deposits in the prolific mining districts of Parral Mexico. In addition, the company has a 1% NSR on the Los Ricos North project in Mexico operated by GoGold Resources Inc. The Company's leaders have extensive experience in the mining and financial sectors. Kingsmen is a publicly-traded company (TSXV: KNG) (OTCQB: KNGRF) and is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. On behalf of the Board, Signed: "Scott Emerson" Scott Emerson, President & CEO Phone: 6046859316 Email: se@kingsmenresources.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statement: All statements, trend analysis and other information contained in this press release about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements regarding the completion of the acquisition of the Las Coloradas Project and receipt of regulatory approval, are forward-looking statements. Although Kingsmen believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since Kingsmen can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in Kingsmen's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators, and assumptions made with regard to: Kingsmen's ability to make the required payments under the definitive agreements; and Kingsmen's ability to secure the necessary regulatory approvals. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Kingsmen's expectations include risks associated with the business of Kingsmen; risks related to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions to the closing of the acquisition of the Las Coloradas Project; non-completion of the acquisition of the Las Coloradas Project; risks related to exploration and potential development of the Las Coloradas Project; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; the need for cooperation of government agencies in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time and additional risks identified in Kingsmen's filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com). Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. Kingsmen does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176542 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Golden Independence Mining Corp. (CSE: IGLD) (OTCQB: GIDMF) (FSE: 6NNA) (the "Company" or "Golden Independence") is pleased to announce it has completed preliminary earthworks in preparation for an upcoming drill program at its development-stage Independence project in Nevada. The earthworks contractor has completed the road cuts and preparation of drill pad sites for future exploration drilling on the project. In addition, geologic staff have completed preliminary sampling at the newly exposed areas including sampling, mapping and prospecting of the Rebel Zone. Collected samples have been delivered to ALS USA, Inc. in Reno, Nevada for chemical assaying, and results are expected over the coming weeks. The Rebel Zone is located outside of the proposed open pit to the east where previous surface grab sampling of extensive silicified outcrop returned a highlight grab value of 7.72 g/t gold. Additionally, a NE striking gossanous structural zone has returned highlight grab values of 16.55 g/t and 14.45 g/t gold. The Company will look to finalize plans for drilling on receipt and interpretation of all results and remains fully permitted for an exploration drill program at the Rebel Zone. In addition, the Company currently has two applications for water rights with the State of Nevada Division of Water Resources to support mining and production activities for the Independence project. The application process consists of 1) filing an application with supporting documents and payment of fees, 2) a 'Map Table' review, 3) sent for publication, 4) protest period, 5) Ready for Action (or "RFA"), 6) a hearing, if required, and 7) determination of action (approved with or without conditions or denied). Both of the Company's permits are currently at the Ready for Action stage and are pending approval. The Company remains optimistic about a favorable outcome as water rights were previously granted for this 480-acre parcel of land (referred to as "Section 17" as first announced on November 19, 2020) in 2013 by the State Engineer of Nevada. "We eagerly await the results from our exploration program at the Rebel Zone which will guide future exploration and development drilling to expand the project's scope," commented Jeremy Poirier, CEO of Golden Independence. "The securing of water rights in the Buffalo Valley River Basin represents a significant de-risking milestone for the eventual development and operation of a heap-leach operation at Independence." Golden Independence cautions investors grab samples are by their nature select samples and may not necessarily be indicative of similar mineralization elsewhere on the property. The Independence project is a joint venture between Golden Independence Mining Corp. (the "Company") and Americas Gold Exploration Inc., with the Company being the operator and majority owner. The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by R. Tim Henneberry, P.Geo. (BC), a Director and President of Golden Independence Mining Corp. and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Figure 1: Image Showing Independence Project Relative to NGM's Phoenix Mine To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7273/176597_b01252cb1481587b_001full.jpg About Golden Independence Mining Corp. Golden Independence Mining Corp. is a development company currently focused on the development-stage Independence project located adjacent to Nevada Gold Mine's Phoenix-Fortitude mine in the Battle Mountain-Cortez Trend of Nevada in addition to the wholly owned Napoleon gold project located in the Kamloops Mining Division of BC. The Independence project hosts an M&I resource of 334,300 ounces of gold and an Inferred resource of 847,000 ounces of gold with a substantial silver credit. A 2021 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) outlined a low-cost heap leach operation focusing on the near-surface resource with total production of 195,443 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of US$1,078 per ounce of gold. The Napoleon project is comprised of over 1,000 hectares and prospective for multiple forms of gold mineralization, with exploration in the area dating back to the 1970's with the discovery of high-grade gold. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Jeremy Poirier, Chief Executive Officer Telephone: 1.604.722.9842 Email: info@goldenindependence.co This press release contains forward-looking information (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation) that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information includes statements based on current expectations of management made in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and, as such, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, without limitation, statements regarding the commencement of the exploration program at the Napoleon project and the exploration potential of the Napoleon project.. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information in this news release, including without limitation, inherent risks associated with the mining industry and the results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties, stock market volatility and capital market fluctuations, general market and industry conditions, as well as those risk factors discussed in the Company's most recently filed management's discussion & analysis. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. This forward-looking information is based on estimates and opinions of management on the date hereof and is expressly qualified by this notice. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed in the Company's disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada at www.sedar.com. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such information unless required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176597 The Channel Company Names ExaGrid as Key Vendor with Forward-Thinking Technology ExaGrid, the industry's only Tiered Backup Storage solution, today announced that Midsize Enterprise Services (MES), a brand of The Channel Company, has recognized ExaGrid on its 2023 MES Midmarket 100 list. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809921211/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) The MES Midmarket 100 recognizes top vendors that have proven themselves to be forward-thinking technology providers offering solutions that support the growth and innovation of midmarket organizations. MES defines the midmarket as an organization with an annual revenue of $50M-$2B and/or 100-2500 total supported users/seats. Companies were selected due to their go-to-market strategy, how they serve the midmarket, and the strength of their midmarket product portfolios. Mid-sized organizations to small enterprise customers have a complex set of requirements that include: working across a wide range of operating systems, network topologies and distributed environments, stringent security requirements, and managing massive data growth. In addition, mid-sized organizations to small enterprise customers have tight IT resources and budget dollars. ExaGrid Tiered Backup Storage appliances were architected to work with all major backup applications and in any environment but with the easiest installation, easiest management, and lowest cost up front and over time. ExaGrid meets security requirements, including working with existing VPN encryption across the WAN and encryption of data at rest. Midmarket organizations need a solution that brings the appropriate compute with capacity to handle large data loads and massive data growth, with the least management possible and the least cost up front and over time. ExaGrid's full appliances in a single system bring a scale-out architecture to backup storage at a price that is affordable for mid-sized to small enterprise organizations. "The MES Midmarket 100 list recognizes key vendors that are invested in the growth and development of midmarket organizations. According to National Center for the Middle Market, there are nearly 200,000 U.S middle market businesses that represent one-third of private sector GDP, employing approximately 48 million people," said Adam Dennison, VP Midsize Enterprise Services, The Channel Company. "The midmarket is a major driver of our economy and that's why I'm so proud of the vendors and executives identified on this elite list for their consistent commitment to helping midmarket organizations succeed and thrive. They should be applauded and commended for their dedication to this vital market segment," he said. "We are honored to be recognized by The Channel Company and to be listed among many other top vendors on the MES Midmarket 100 list," said Bill Andrews, President and CEO of ExaGrid. "More than 3,900 organizations use ExaGrid Tiered Backup Storage to protect their data, and our customers range from the midmarket to the large enterprise in terms of size, and in all verticals. When organizations evaluate the backup solution and company that can best meet their backup needs and address their challenges, more and more IT organizations are finding that ExaGrid offers not only the fastest backup and restore performance, best scalability and most comprehensive security, but also a total cost of ownership that is typically half that of other solutions." The MES Midmarket 100 list recognizes today's biggest IT movers and shakers who've set themselves apart as forward-thinking technology providers that support the growth and innovation of midmarket organizations. Winners were selected based on their consistent commitment to helping the midmarket segment succeed and thrive in today's fast-paced digital economy. The MES Midmarket 100 list is featured online at https://www.crn.com/midmarket100. About ExaGrid ExaGrid provides Tiered Backup Storage with a unique disk-cache Landing Zone, long-term retention repository, and scale-out architecture. ExaGrid's Landing Zone provides for the fastest backups, restores, and instant VM recoveries. The Repository Tier offers the lowest cost for long-term retention. ExaGrid's scale-out architecture includes full appliances and ensures a fixed-length backup window as data grows, eliminating expensive forklift upgrades and product obsolescence. ExaGrid offers the only two-tiered backup storage approach with a non-network-facing tier, delayed deletes, and immutable objects to recover from ransomware attacks. ExaGrid has physical sales and pre-sales systems engineers in the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Benelux, Brazil, Canada, Chile, CIS, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nordics, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and other regions. Visit us at exagrid.com and connect with us on LinkedIn. See what our customers have to say about their own ExaGrid experiences and learn why they now spend significantly less time on backup storage in our customer success stories. ExaGrid is proud of our +81 NPS score! ExaGrid is a registered trademark of ExaGrid Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 2023 The Channel Company, LLC. The Channel Company logo is a registered trademark of The Channel Company LLC. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809921211/en/ Contacts: ExaGrid: Mary Domenichelli ExaGrid mdomenichelli@exagrid.com The Channel Company: Adam Dennison The Channel Company adennison@thechannelcompany.com Demos will highlight interoperability work in four areas 400ZR+; Co-Packaging solutions; CEI-112G CEI-224G and CMIS implementations OIF, where the optical networking industry's interoperability work gets done, will showcase its largest-ever multi-vendor interoperability demonstration at ECOC 2023, being held October 2-4 in Glasgow, Scotland. Additionally, during ECOC, OIF will continue its commemoration of 25 years dedicated to driving meaningful progress in the industry. 39 companies will participate in live and static interoperability demos at OIF's booth #304, highlighting advancements in four key technology areas: 400ZR+ optics, Co-Packaging solutions, Common Electrical I/O (CEI) channels and Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS) implementations. "OIF stands at the forefront of critical multi-vendor interoperability efforts, driving the industry's evolution and providing the transformative technical solutions to meet the rapidly growing demand for broadband access," said Mike Klempa, Alphawave Semi and Chair of the OIF Physical Link Layer Interoperability Working Group. "As a member-driven organization, our work remains at the cutting edge, aligned with the industry's needs and fostering collaboration to accelerate product development and solutions to market. For 25 years, we have been instrumental in facilitating industry progress. This year's largest-ever demo underscores the vital role we play in shaping the network and the significance of our work in advancing the industry overall." The collaborative efforts of OIF's network operator, system vendor, component vendor and test equipment vendor members will be on display at ECOC, illustrating their contributions in driving the adoption of technologies for both present and future networks. OIF member companies participating in the demo are Adtran; Alphawave Semi; Amphenol; Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.; Broadcom Inc.; Cadence Design Systems, Inc.; Casela Technologies; Ciena; Cisco Systems; Coherent; Credo Technology Group; Eoptolink; EXFO; Fujitsu Optical Components; Hisense Broadband; Infinera; Juniper Networks; Keysight Technologies; Linktel Technologies; Lumentum; MACOM Technology Solutions; Molex; MultiLane, Inc.; NEC Corporation; Nokia; O-Net Technologies; Precision Optical Transceivers, Inc.; Quantifi Photonics; Samtec; Semtech; Senko Advanced Components; Sicoya; Source Photonics; Sumitomo Electric Industries; Synopsys; Telefonica S.A.; VIAVI Solutions and Wilder Technologies. The interoperability demo is supported by participating companies Telefonica and LightRiver. Telefonica is the hosting consulting network operator, and LightRiver is a host for technology-specific pre-demonstration integration testing. About OIF OIF is where the optical networking industry's interoperability work gets done. Celebrating 25 years of effecting forward change in the industry, OIF represents the dynamic ecosystem of 140+ industry leading network operators, system vendors, component vendors and test equipment vendors collaborating to develop interoperable electrical, optical and control solutions that directly impact the industry's ecosystem and facilitate global connectivity in the open network world. Connect with OIF at @OIForum, on LinkedIn, on Threads and at http://www.oiforum.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809125546/en/ Contacts: Leah Wilkinson Wilkinson Associates for OIF leah@wilkinson.associates 703-907-0010 Commitment to Global Initiative Reinforces Everstream's Vision of Integrating Climate and Social Impact into Supply Chain Risk Management Strategies Worldwide Everstream Analytics, the global supply chain insights and risk analytics company, is pleased to announce it has joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact initiative, the world's most prominent corporate sustainability initiative. The UN Global Compact is a voluntary leadership platform for the development, implementation, and disclosure of universal sustainability principles. Today's announcement demonstrates Everstream's continued commitment to helping shape and advance a sustainable future. The UN Global Compact is a call for companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with the UN's ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. The initiative also reflects Everstream's support of the goals and issues embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which emphasize collaborative projects to advance the broader development goals of the United Nations. Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact brings together over 17,000 companies in over 160 countries. "Embracing responsible and sustainable business practices is not just an option but a necessity. Joining the UN Global Compact is a significant milestone in Everstream's journey to increase resilience and sustainability across even the most complex value chains," said Julie Gerdeman, CEO of Everstream Analytics. "We provide the world's most influential organizations with the transparency and insights necessary to manage the convergence of social and environmental risks, demonstrate compliance with due diligence requirements, and navigate the path to net zero. By collaborating with the thousands of companies that are part of the Global Compact, we strive to uphold and advance our social responsibility. Together, we are reshaping risk management strategies to secure a better future amid a rapidly changing social and climate landscape. Today's commitment closely follows Everstream's latest round of Series B funding, which is designated to accelerate global supply chain sustainability. Further, it supports the company's long-standing commitment to supporting humanitarian and disaster relief efforts through ongoing partnerships with UNICEF, the World Economic Forum, and the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN). In joining this global initiative, Everstream is delivering on its promise to shape a sustainable future while fostering positive social and environmental change. To learn more about Everstream's sustainability initiatives, please visit: https://www.everstream.ai/esg-sustainability/ About Everstream Analytics Everstream Analytics sets the global supply chain standard. Through the application of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to its vast proprietary dataset, Everstream delivers the predictive insights and risk analytics businesses need for a smarter, more autonomous and sustainable supply chain. Everstream's proven solution integrates with procurement, logistics and business continuity platforms generating the complete information, sharper analysis, and accurate predictions required to turn the supply chain into a business asset. To learn more, visit https://www.everstream.ai/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809443994/en/ Contacts: Maria Ross fama PR for Everstream Analytics everstream @famapr.com Celonis, the global leader in Process Mining, today announced that it has earned the No. 17 spot on the Forbes 2023 Cloud 100 list, the definitive ranking of the top-performing 100 private cloud companies in the world. Celonis has been recognized for the fifth consecutive year for its market leadership, valuation, operating metrics, and people culture. Celonis has been adopted by more than 1,500 companies and has already delivered in excess of $10 billion in value for its customers. Leading analyst firms such as Gartner, IDC, HFS and Everest Group recognize Celonis as the leading process mining company. Companies such as Autodesk, Cisco, Dell Technologies, DuPont, GE HealthCare, HP, VMWare, Lufthansa, Johnson Johnson, Mars, Uber and Wells Fargo are using Celonis to optimize business performance, free up billions in cash savings, and reduce their carbon footprint. "The huge demand for our market leading process mining technology shows the urgency for CEOs to maximize value and cash impact from every process and system in their business. Gartner estimates that by 2025 more than 80% of organizations will adopt process mining into their operations to improve business performance and drive sustainable business value," said Alex Rinke, co-CEO and co-founder of Celonis. "Every business in every industry feels the macroeconomic headwinds and therefore needs to be more efficient and create more value and processes are the engine for both. We will continue to bolster our platform with innovations like object-centric process mining and process-intelligent AI to deliver fast and lasting value to our customers." Celonis has been on a relentless innovation journey to reinvent process mining and make actionable insights accessible to anyone across the enterprise. Celonis customers seamlessly process and monitor billions of events daily to observe, understand and maximize the performance of their business processes. These processes span across supply chain, finance, and customer service but also, increasingly, industry-specific processes such as shop-floor manufacturing, claims processing, and trade settlements. Empowered with the process intelligence provided by Celonis, customers gain a data-driven understanding of their business operations. At its annual Celosphere customer conference last fall, Celonis announced a breakthrough innovation in process mining called "Object-Centric Process Mining" (OCPM). Rather than monitoring individual processes and treating them as isolated entities, OCPM enables companies to create a complete digital twin that captures all the objects (e.g. trucks, customer orders, parts) and events (e.g. shipment arrival, dispatching, resolution of a customer case) in the business. This holistic intelligence also uniquely provides a principled data foundation that enables AI solutions to operate more powerfully and effectively. With the rapid advancement of Generative AI, Celonis sees even more potential and demand for its deep understanding of companies' processes. LLMs are incredibly powerful as they consist of all knowledge captured on the web. However, they lack semantic understanding of a business and especially the context of how a specific company's processes work. By pairing the data with critical process knowledge which AI needs to effectively generate insights or to recommend, automate and execute actions Celonis enables organizations to truly capitalize on the potential of AI to optimize their business performance. For the eighth consecutive year, the Cloud 100 reviews submissions from hundreds of cloud startups and private companies each year. The Cloud 100 evaluation process involved ranking companies across four factors: market leadership (35%), estimated valuation (30%), operating metrics (20%), and people culture (15%). For market leadership, the Cloud 100 enlists the help ofa judging panel of public cloud company CEOs who assist in evaluating and ranking their private company peers. "The companies of the Cloud 100 list represent the best and brightest private companies in this crucial tech sector," said Kenrick Cai, the Forbes editor of the Cloud 100. "This year's companies had to react rapidly to AI's sweeping impact while contending with a market pullback. Their resilience puts them in elite company. Congratulations to each of the 2023 Cloud 100 honorees and the 20 Rising Stars who are showing early potential to one day join their ranks." "This year's Cloud 100 list is one of the most dynamic in history. While the industry faced macro headwinds, the 2023 Cloud 100 winners displayed the innovation and resilience of the cloud economy and the combination of growth and efficiency that prove the power of the cloud business model. 95% of the honorees are forecasted to reach Centaur status $100 million of annual recurring revenue by the end of the year," said Mary D'Onofrio, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. "It is further exciting to see so many honorees at the forefront of the AI revolution, which we believe will continue to transform the cloud and propel the next wave of growth for many of this year's winners." "The past year our industry has seen a generational step forward in innovation and with AI leading the charge, we are witnessing one of the most important platform shifts in decades," said Paul Drews, managing partner, Salesforce Ventures. "The Cloud 100 list represents the best of the best and we've never been more excited about what the future holds, not only for the cloud but for the entire technology industry. We are proud of what these founders and their communities have already accomplished and look forward to seeing how they continue to transform the industry in the future." The Forbes 2023 Cloud 100 and 20 Rising Stars lists are published online at www.forbes.com/cloud100. Highlights of the list appear in the August/September 2023 issue of Forbes magazine. About Celonis Celonis enables customers to optimize their business processes. Powered by its leading process mining technology, Celonis provides a unique set of capabilities for business executives and users to continuously find improvement opportunities within and across processes, and execute targeted actions to rapidly enhance process performance. This optimization yields immediate cash impact, radically improves customer experience, and reduces carbon emissions. Celonis has thousands of implementations with global customers and is headquartered in Munich, Germany and New York City, USA with more than 20 offices worldwide. 2023 Celonis SE. All rights reserved. Celonis, Execution Management System, EMS, Process Sphere and the Celonis "droplet" logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Celonis SE in Germany and other jurisdictions. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809269249/en/ Contacts: press@celonis.com NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Gildan is pleased to share that it has partnered with McGill University's Desautels Faculty of Management in support of their Sustainable Growth Initiative, a cross-faculty venture that unites academics, students, and industry and policy leaders towards building actionable solutions that businesses can adopt to transition to more sustainable practices. Over the course of the 3-year collaboration, the Company has committed to donating CAD $150,000 to McGill's newly established Annual Grand Challenge on Sustainability, powered by Gildan. Open to university students across Canada, the goal of the Challenge is to tackle current and predominant sustainable growth issues faced by the apparel industry. Throughout the competition, participants will have the opportunity to engage directly with, and receive mentoring from, subject-matter experts in the industry. The theme of this year's inaugural challenge is managing waste in fashion supply chains, and as the title sponsor and a leading sustainable apparel manufacturer, Gildan ESG leaders will have the opportunity to sit on the panel of judges and hear firsthand from the students themselves. "In line with our Next Generation ESG strategy of creating meaningful advancements in the communities where we operate, Gildan is pleased to encourage a new generation of Canada's driven and solution-oriented students to focus their potential towards making tangible environmental and social differences," says Peter Iliopoulos, Senior Vice-President, Taxation, Sustainability, and Governmental Affairs at Gildan. "We are very grateful for the opportunity to support McGill University in the realization of their newest sustainability initiative, and we are excited about the innovative ideas that this competition will generate." This partnership aligns with Gildan's Long-Term Value Creation area of focus as part of its Next Generation ESG strategy, and its goal to incrementally increase allocation of capital towards purposeful and value-driven projects in regions where the Company operates and to gradually reach a contribution of 1% of its pre-tax earnings by 2026. Find out more about Gildan's community investment efforts, here. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Gildan Activewear on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Gildan Activewear Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/gildan-activewear Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Gildan Activewear View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/773304/Gildan-To-Donate-150000-To-Empower-Canadian-Students-To-Address-Global-Sustainability-Issues-Through-McGill-University PUR Biologics, a HippoFi biotech company, launches PURmarrow360 with BPB Medica, aiming to improve US patient safety and clinical outcomes in the 1.62M annual instrumented spinal fusions. IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / HippoFi, Inc. (OTCPK:ORHB) a leading healthcare technology company and authority in spinal biologics, executes an exclusive deal with Italian biomedical manufacturing company, BPB Medica. HippoFi's PUR Biologics prepares to launch PURmarrow360 throughout the United States, aiming to provide a safe and simple surgical device, specifically designed to selectively capture a patient's own bone marrow aspirate (BMA) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Surgeons can combine these valuable, patient specific live-cells with any allograft, allogenic, or synthetic bone substitute during surgery. "The PURmarrow360 system represents a major advancement in capturing MSC's, while eliminating the need for centrifugation, PURmarrow360 also significantly improves patient safety. The advanced technology allows surgeons to efficiently isolate the patient's own live-cells and utilize them to optimize the body's intrinsic osteogenic healing mechanism to facilitate a successful spinal fusion," shared Ryan Fernan, Head of PUR Biologics. "The design of PURmarrow360 represents an advancement in the field of stem cell technology and is a safer and a more effective surgical solution than the use of allogenic (cadaver donated) bone grafts containing viable mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). These cellular bone matrices (CBMs), can carry significant risks which can be eliminated when PURmarrow360 is used as an alternative," explained CJ Wiggins, Executive Chairman and CEO of HippoFi. "We are confident in the executive leadership and experience of HippoFi and PUR Biologics and that we have chosen the very best in strategic partners to deliver this unique and one of a kind technology throughout the US market," shared Carlo Bellini, CEO of BPB Medica. Expecting to surpass $3.5B by 2033, the current spinal biologics market is estimated at $2.518B. The proprietary PURmarrow360 innovation is applicable to be used in approximately 91.6% of the 1.62M spinal fusions currently being performed in the US. To learn more about PUR Biologics' full line of biologic products, visit: www.PURbiologics.com About PUR Biologics PUR Biologics, a wholly owned subsidiary of HippoFi, Inc. (OTCPK:ORHB), is a leading biologic company committed to supporting surgeons and hospitals in providing the best care for their patients. PUR Biologics' complete line of biologic products currently includes advanced allografts and demineralized extracellular matrices (d-ECM), innovative synthetic bone-forming solutions, cellular-derived tissues, and a future of patented and next-generation regenerative stem cell and growth factor-driven therapeutics for treating osteoarthritis and cartilage regeneration. For more information, please visit: www.PURbiologics.com About HippoFi, Inc. HippoFi, Inc. (OTCPK:ORHB) delivers its cutting-edge healthcare innovations and propriety technologies through an extensive sales channel network, while implementing first-to-market solutions in the multibillion-dollar biotech, fintech, and artificial intelligence (AI) markets. HippoFi comprises three segments: Regenerative Therapeutics, Digital Payments, and AI, and utilize the same customer channels to commercialize solutions, drive revenue, and improve patient outcomes. HippoFi, Inc. is publicly traded under the symbol: ORHB and is headquartered in Irvine, California, USA. For more information, please visit: www.HippoFi.com About BPB Medica BPB MEDICATM is an Italian biomedical manufacturing company specializing in the design, production, and marketing of high-quality healthcare products for medical use and medical surgery devices in Minimally Invasive Surgery. Our company offers medical products for percutaneous interventions in the spinal, diagnostic, regenerative medicine and assisted reproduction fields. BPB MEDICATM was founded in 1999 by the Bellini family, boasting thirty years of experience in the biomedical sector. The founder, Carlo Bellini Sr., started in the business in 1968 and has passed down ethics, integrity, and spirit of sacrifice to his heirs. Today, BPB MEDICATM has leveraged its 50 years of experience to develop new innovative product lines, growing the company on an international level. For more information, please visit: www.biopsybell.com Contact: Jason Brown Shareholder Communications HippoFi, Inc. 612-209-7565 SOURCE: HippoFi, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/773300/HippoFi-Finalizes-an-Exclusive-Strategic-Partnership-with-International-Biomedical-Manufacturing-Company-BPB-Medica NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Aflac Incorporated Photo: At the General Meeting of the Japan Medical Association, kids interact and play with social robot My Special Aflac Duck, which provides comfort and joy to kids with cancer and sickle cell disease. Originally published on Aflac Newsroom With nearly 24,000 My Special Aflac Ducks delivered free of charge in the United States, Northern Ireland and Japan to date, it's no surprise to see one in the hands of a pediatric cancer or sickle cell patient. But in April, the cuddly companion was a special guest at the General Meeting of the Japan Medical Association. Held every four years, this meeting brings together Japanese physicians, medical experts, researchers, students and the general public for an open discussion. As part of an exhibit, Aflac Japan Division Manager Yuichi Kase held a hands-on session where children could interact and play with My Special Aflac Duck and create beautiful artwork that was displayed around the exhibit. Meanwhile, parents learned about the needs of pediatric cancer patients and how the features of this robotic companion can help comfort kids with this disease. Features of My Special Aflac Duck include an interactive mobile app that allows children to virtually bathe and feed their duck, customizable soundscapes that provide soothing visuals and sounds, smart sensors that enable touch and awareness of light and sounds, and a calming heartbeat and breathing vibrations. To help children express themselves, the duck also comes with seven feelings emoji discs that, when tapped to a sensor on the duck's chest, prompt My Special Aflac Duck to emulate each emotion. Introduced in 2018 after 18 months of research, My Special Aflac Duck is an award-winning social robot initially designed to help bring comfort and joyful moments to children with cancer; in 2022, the Aflac expanded the program to included various medical equipment designed specifically to address the sickle cell disease experience. Since the first delivery in 2018, Aflac has distributed nearly 24,000 My Special Aflac Ducks free of charge to kids above the age of 3 who are diagnosed with cancer or sickle cell - more than 1,400 have been given to pediatric cancer patients in Japan. Learn more about My Special Aflac Duck and Aflac's 28-year, $168 million-plus commitment to support children with cancer and sickle cell disease and their families at myspecialaflacduck.com. Aflac | WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999 Z2300884 View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Aflac Incorporated on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Aflac Incorporated Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/aflac-incorporated Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Aflac Incorporated View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/773309/My-Special-Aflac-DuckR-Makes-New-Friends-at-the-General-Meeting-of-the-Japan-Medical-Association DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As per the latest research report published by King Research, the global Forklift Market size reached USD 56.26 Billion in 2022 and is estimated to grow to USD 147.91 Billion by 2030, exhibiting a significant CAGR of 12.84% during the forecast period of 2023-2030. The market is anticipated to expand rapidly as a result of investments in infrastructure development and rising electric forklift use. The adoption of electric forklifts powered by lithium batteries has accelerated due to the increased focus on net zero emissions and mounting energy efficiency. A forklift is a vehicle that is used to lift and transfer objects across short distances. They are available in a variety of sizes, types, and designs, and each is best suited for a particular purpose, load capacity, or working environment. It normally has two forks or blades that slide under the weight of the object and are raised and lowered by hydraulic force. The manufacturing, warehousing, and material handling sectors rely on forklifts to enable the transportation and storage of heavy objects effectively. Request Sample PDF of the Report: https://www.kingsresearch.com/request-sample/forklift-market-5 Competitive Landscape The market for forklifts is fiercely competitive on a global scale, with some chief players dominating the market. To stay ahead of competitors, large businesses are actively engaging in activities including mergers and acquisitions. For instance, PennWest Toyota Lift, a Pennsylvania-based forklift dealership with facilities in Pittsburgh, Mount Pleasant, and Erie, was acquired by Toyota Material Handling (TMH) in July 2022. TMH in the U.S. is the owner of the Hoist Liftruck line of container handlers, FLTs, and marina trucks. TMH offers a selection of medium & heavy forklifts for sale. Prominent players in the global forklift market include: Jungheinrich AG Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Toyota Hyster-Yale Group, Inc. Raymond West Crown Equipment Corporation Doosan Corporation Hangcha Forklift KION GROUP AG CLARK Trending Now: To power its new hydrogen-electric eBull forklift, Wiggins Lift chooses Loop Energy Wiggins Lift Co. has chosen Loop Energy to supply the fuel cell technology for their brand-new eBull forklift product, which runs on hydrogen. Loop Energy agreed to supply the system and start the system's commissioning in quarter 2 of 2023 to enable the commercial deployment of the hydrogen-electric forklifts in the last quarter of 2023. In the U.S., Wiggins delivers material-handling vehicles to port, marina, and warehouse operators. The company is committed to providing customers with industrial forklifts that are secure, dependable, and emission-free. It intended to fabricate hydrogen-electric forklifts due to the operational advantages fuel cell engines provide, such as quick refueling times and the capacity to meet a range of duty cycles. The California-based business was among the first to produce battery-powered forklifts. It wants to be a pioneer in the hydrogen-electric material handling vehicle category in an effort to meet rising customer demand. Inquire Before Buying This Report: https://www.kingsresearch.com/enquiry/forklift-market-5 Global Forklift Market Segmentation By Fuel Type Gasoline & LPG/CNG Diesel Battery-Electric Rising Popularity of Forklifts Fueled by Gasoline & LPG/CNG to Boost Sales The gasoline & LPG/CNG segment is anticipated to grow at a significant CAGR of 13.60% through the forecast period. Forklifts fueled by LPG and CNG are becoming increasingly popular since they are considered more economical and ecologically beneficial alternatives to their diesel-powered counterparts. Companies in the forklift business are anticipated to place a greater emphasis on low-maintenance and environment-friendly forklifts, such as petrol and LPG/CNG-powered forklifts. The market for forklifts that run on petrol, LPG, or CNG has a promising future as a result of these trends. By Tonnage Below 5 Ton 5 Ton - 10 Ton 11 Ton - 36 Ton Above 36 Ton Adoption of Above 36 Ton Weight Forklift to Surge Owing to its Rising Demand in Several Industries for Heavy Lifting The above 36 Ton segment is projected to grow rapidly through the projected period, recording a substantial CAGR of 14.53% by 2030. The strong growth of the segment is backed by the prevalent use of forklifts in several industries, particularly in construction and heavy manufacturing industries. In order to fulfill the demand for heavy lifting and material handling operations as these industries continue to expand and flourish, businesses are investing in high-capacity forklifts. Thus, companies are increasingly investing in high-capacity forklifts to cater to the demands of diverse industries, augmenting the growth of the segment. Purchase This Comprehensive Research Report for Valuable Market Insights: https://www.kingsresearch.com/buy-now/5 Increase in Demand from the Warehouse Sector to Support Market Growth The global forklift market is likely to grow steadily due to the mounting requirement for material-handling equipment in the warehousing industry. This growth is being driven by the expanding logistics industry, which handles freight using high-performance forklifts. Logistics companies rely on forklifts to move inventory efficiently in warehouses, especially counterbalanced forklifts, pallet stackers, and forklifts with narrow aisles. With the growing need for machinery capable of maneuvering through restricted spaces for inventory movement, the market is anticipated to grow sizably. In addition, notable developments in the forklift market are fostering innovation and growth. One continuing trend is the rise in the popularity of electric forklifts owing to their effectiveness and lower maintenance costs. The performance of forklifts is being improved by several forklift manufacturers switching to electronic versions and creating new technologies. APAC to Lead the Market Owing to the Presence of Leading Businesses Asia Pacific is anticipated to lead the forklift market, registering a valuation of USD 62.30 billion by 2030. Advanced material handling equipment used in industries, such as construction, mining, and food & beverage, among others, is primarily aiding industry growth in the region. Furthermore, the increasing use of technologically advanced vehicles bolsters the demand for battery-operated forklifts. China is a major contributor to the growth of the market in the region due to the presence of leading companies in the country. Additionally, China has the largest number of both registered and unregistered local players, who are well-established across the entire nation, which is fostering the regional market outlook. Browse the Complete Report Here: https://www.kingsresearch.com/forklift-market-5 Major Players in North America to Invest in Advanced Forklifts, Promoting Market Growth North America is likely to be the second-largest market for forklifts in the upcoming years, accounting for a share of USD 30.52 billion by 2030. The growth of the market in North America is primarily attributable to the presence of key players actively investing in advanced forklifts than traditional ones. The forecast period is projected to witness continuous growth in the demand for electric forklifts. For instance, Toyota Material Handling, which has a sizable client base, invests heavily in R&D, and operates several manufacturing facilities around the nation, has the greatest market share in the U.S. The firm aims to increase sales while continuing to prioritize staff security and cost-cutting. Key Points from TOC: 1 Introduction of the Global Forklift Market 1.1 Market Definition 1.2 Market Segmentation 1.3 Research Timelines 1.4 Limitations 1.5 Assumptions 2 Executive Summary 3 Research Methodology 3.1 Data Collection 3.1.1 Secondary Sources 3.1.2 Primary Sources 3.1.3 Research Flow 3.2 Subject Matter Expert Advice 3.3 Quality Check 3.4 Final Review 3.5 Bottom-Up Approach 3.6 Top-down Approach 4 Global Forklift Market Outlook 4.1 Market Evolution 4.2 Overview 4.3 Market Dynamics 4.3.1 Drivers 4.3.2 Restraints 4.3.3 Opportunities 4.3.4 Challenges 4.4 Pricing Analysis 4.5 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 4.6 Value Chain Analysis 4.7 Macroeconomic Analysis 5 Impact of Russia-Ukraine War 6 Global Forklift Market, By Fuel Type 7 Global Forklift Market, By Tonnage 8 Global Forklift Market, By Application 9 Global Forklift Market, By Geography 10 North America 11 Europe 12 The Asia Pacific 13 Middle East & Africa 14 Latin America 15 Global Forklift Market Competitive Landscape 16 Company Profiles Browse Complete TOC: https://www.kingsresearch.com/toc/forklift-market-5 About Us: Kings Research stands as a renowned global market research firm. With a collaborative approach, we work closely with industry leaders, conducting thorough assessments of trends and developments. Our primary objective is to provide decision-makers with tailored research reports that align with their unique business objectives. Through our comprehensive research studies, we strive to empower leaders to make informed decisions. Our team comprises individuals with diverse backgrounds and a wealth of knowledge in various industries. At Kings Research, we offer a comprehensive range of services aimed at assisting you in formulating efficient strategies to achieve your desired outcomes. Our objective is to significantly enhance your long-term progress through these tailored solutions. Contact Us Kings Research Phone: (+1) 888 328 2189 E-mail: business@kingsresearch.com Website:https://www.kingsresearch.com Blog: https://www.kingsresearch.com/blog Follow Us: LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/global-forklift-market-is-projected-to-experience-significant-growth-recording-a-valuation-of-usd-147-91-bn-by-2030--as-demand-for-forklifts-increases-in-varied-industries-states-kings-research-301896872.html The "Europe Stretchable Electronics Market Segmented By Component (Electroactive Polymers (EAPs), Stretchable Conductors, Stretchable Batteries, Stretchable Circuits, Photovoltaics), By Application, By Country, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Europe Stretchable Electronics Market is poised for robust growth up to the year 2028 This growth is driven by the increasing popularity of smart electronics and the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) industry. Investments in stretchable electronics are also on the rise, further propelling the market's growth during the forecasted period. Stretchable electronics, also known as elastic circuits or electronics, involve the use of electronic circuits on stretchable substrates, such as silicone or polyurethane, to create electronic devices. This revolutionary form of electronics is expected to pave the way for a wide range of new applications, including sponge-like in-vivo implantable electronics, robotic devices with cyber skins featuring sensor networks, and flesh-like devices with embedded electronic nervous systems. Growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) The Internet of Things (IoT) has a broad vision of connecting every single object in Europe to form one network. Stretchable electronic devices, including RFIDs, sensors, memory devices, displays, and power sources, are considered to be the technological basis of the IoT. The development of stretchable electronic devices has been extremely rapid in the last decade. For instance, to address the growing concerns behind sun exposure as well as to educate consumers, L'Oreal has designed a wearable patch that monitors UV exposure. Moreover, stretchable electronics are becoming almost synonymous with many emerging applications in the IoT, such as agriculture, health care, and structural health monitoring. Other types of stretchable electronic devices are essential to the IoT, especially in wearable gadgets, such as fitness bands and smartwatches. Therefore, with the rising IoT, the demand for stretchable electronics is likely to increase in the coming years. Rising Demand for Consumer Devices Stretchable electronics are commonly utilized in mobile phones, tablets, PCs, wearables, televisions, and other consumer electronics because they are affordable, reliable, and flexible. Such devices use stretchable displays to conserve space while also thinning and lightening them. The two primary types of displays used are stretchable organic light-emitting diodes and flexible organic liquid crystal displays. Furthermore, the need for stretchable electronics is growing in step with the rising demand for consumer electronics. Despite a drop in smartphone shipments due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the smartphone and wearable devices market is expected to recover quickly with such technology. Continuous Technological Development Many major companies in Europe the industry is investing heavily in R&D to continuously develop their products. For instance, together with Intel, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is working to transform a 5G standalone core into a new service-based architecture that will improve the internet of things, ultra-reliable low latency communications, and mobile broadband. The company anticipates that its highly adaptable and scalable design will enable the delivery of 5G services more quickly and affordably. A foldable gadget featuring a hinge mechanism that makes use of moveable flaps to assist in protecting the display from being scratched or damaged when folded was given a patent by Apple Inc. in 2020. By means of these developments, major companies in Europe are encouraged to harness the benefits of stretchable technology. The continuous technological development in the stretchable electronics industry is expected to create lucrative opportunities for players in the stretchable electronics market. Market Dynamics Market Trends and Developments Increasing demand for bio integrated devices High cost of the technology to impede the Adoption Rate of Stretchable Electronics Government or consumer awareness of flexible electronics proliferation of printed electronics Rising demand for light-weight products and environmentally friendly technology Drivers Increasing growth of internet of things (IoT) Acceptance of portable and smart electronics Increasing research and development of flexible electronics Challenges Lack of coherent manufacturable technology Long-term endurance and safety Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Europe Stretchable Electronics Market. Tacterion GmbH DuPont de Nemours International Sarl Fine-Line Circuits Limited WISE S.r.l. Bainisha CVBA Express Circuits Group Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum VZW LEAP Technology ApS Enfucell Flexible Electronics Co. Ltd. E Ink Holdings Report Scope: Europe Stretchable Electronics Market, by Component: Electroactive Polymers (EAPs) Stretchable Conductors Stretchable Batteries Stretchable Circuits Photovoltaics Europe Stretchable Electronics Market, by Application: Consumer Electronics Healthcare Textile Automotive Others Europe Stretchable Electronics Market, by Country: Germany Spain Russia Switzerland Denmark Sweden Italy United Kingdom France Belgium Rest of Europe For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/djl5q 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809780376/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T. Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 BOCA RATON, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Scott R. Storick an affiliated agent with National Life Insurance Company of Montpelier, VT has qualified for Top of the Table, a coveted milestone achievement for his membership in the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). Storick's membership equips him with tools and resources to better serve his local community. Membership is based on sales criteria. Top of the Table is an internationally recognized mark of excellence reserved for some of the most successful in the financial services industry. This places Storick among the top professionals in the intensely competitive global life insurance and financial services industries. Storick has had a twenty-eight-year career in the financial services industry serving as an agent and broker for many large carriers such as MetLife, Mass Mutual, John Hancock, and Principal. Storick recently joined National Life Insurance Company as an affiliated agent. "Top of the Table is comprised of the best and brightest professionals our industry has to offer," said MDRT President Jim Pittman, CLU, CFP. "MDRT hopes to continue to foster a culture of excellence and encourage members to grow both professionally and professionally." Since 1927, MDRT has been committed to providing its members with a unique mix of networking and resources to help them gain new and unique insights to better serve clients' individual needs. Working with MDRT member connects clients not only to a credible and leading financial representative but also to an unmatched global network spanning 69 nations and territories around the world. For more information, contact Scott Storick at 561-862-8051 or storick_scott@nlgroupmail.com TC135018(0723)1 About MDRT Founded in 1927, MDRT, The Premier Association of Financial Professionals, is a global, independent association of more than 66,000 of the world's leading life insurance and financial services professionals from more than 500 companies in 72 nations and territories. MDRT members demonstrate exceptional professional knowledge, strict ethical conduct and outstanding client service. MDRT membership is recognized internationally as the standard of excellence in the life insurance and financial services business. For more information, please visit www.mdrt.org and follow them on Twitter @MDRTweet. Scott Storick National Life Insurance Company +1 561-862-8051 storick_scott@nlgroupmail.com National Life Group is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company (NLIC), Montpelier VT, Life Insurance Company of the Southwest (LSW), Addison TX and their affiliates. Each company is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. LSW is not an authorized insurer in NY and does not conduct insurance business in NY. SOURCE: Scott Storick View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/771639/Storick-Achieves-Prestigious-Top-of-the-Table-MDRT-Qualification NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / One of the biggest challenges facing patient care is a lack of access to HCPs, which in turn leads to delays in diagnosis and difficulties retaining patients in care. The WHO estimates a shortfall of as many as 10 million health workers by 2030, mostly in low- and lower-middle-income countries.2 In 2022, Viatris continued our partnership with the American College of Cardiology, the World Heart Federation and the NCD Alliance on the NCD Academy, a web-based, globally accessible and free educational platform for healthcare professionals at every level to improve the prevention and treatment of NCDs. We have a goal to impact 100 million patients via HCP education and outreach regarding prevention, diagnosis and treatment options for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and other important chronic conditions to improve outcomes through the NCD Academy by the end of 2025. More than 19,000 individuals have an NCD Academy account, an increase of nearly 6,000 users in 2022.3 It is estimated that these new users will positively impact approximately 15.1 million patients annually.4 While the courses provided by the NCD Academy are available to any healthcare worker, anywhere in the world, it's still important to engage actively in each country to build national awareness and drive participation. In 2022, the NCD Academy was expanded in Belgium, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Poland, Egypt, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and South Africa. Through a new NCD Academy course launched in 2022, we hope to educate and inspire healthcare professionals to learn about the role their advocacy can play in supporting NCD prevention and care, share how they can set their own goals and leverage existing resources, provide guidelines on developing advocacy messaging and present opportunities to engage further with existing initiatives. Action is needed from all healthcare stakeholders to advocate for the changes needed to increase access to healthcare around the world. The NCD Academy's cardiovascular disease course is now available in 10 languages and most other courses are available in English, Spanish and Chinese. In 2023, we expect courses to be translated in more than 10 additional languages including Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, Hungarian, Polish and Bulgarian. A new NCD Academy course on the integration of NCD care and communicable diseases will be launched in 2023 to further develop the understanding of the primary healthcare workforce on this complex and increasingly relevant topic for patient care. In 2023, we are launching courses in respiratory disease and the social determinants of health. We also work closely with other partners around the globe on research, education and disease awareness. These efforts are broad and diverse, reflecting various healthcare needs identified by our teams around the world. These include everything from providing education to pharmacists and other healthcare professionals to promote medication adherence, collaborating with hospitals on screening and awareness programs, to bringing together therapeutic area experts to share knowledge. Examples of our work in 2022 include the following: Providing HCP Education Partnered with the European Specialist Nurses Organization (ESNO) to work to prevent nurse shortages by supporting a survey of the current nursing pool in Europe; the formalization of the role of the specialist nurse and their professional capabilities; and the release of a biosimilars guide for nurses to enhance their skills, which will include resources in Dutch, Italian, French, Polish and Portuguese. Developed an online training program on preventing suicidal behavior with the Spanish Association of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN). Partnered with major pharmacy chains in Sweden to develop HCP resources on allergic rhinitis, which is not well understood because of a lack of national guidelines to support disease management. Promoting Access Equity Participated in 2022 in the CV Talk Summit attended by more than 10,000 HCPs as part of our ongoing strategic partnership agreement with the Chinese Cardiovascular Association to help improve cardiovascular health in China. Sean Ni, President of Viatris China, delivered the plenary speech at the summit. Sponsored American College of Chest Physicians' (CHEST) research on "Improving Health Care in Marginal Communities by building Trust Through Listening." Convened leaders in health equity across multiple sectors to a one-day event to review challenges and opportunities to advance the ACC Foundation's health equity mission and work together to eliminate barriers in achieving optimal cardiovascular outcomes. Focusing on Patients Developed the first evidence-based exercise treatment application - Yuezhi - for dyslipidemia patients in China. Through personalized programs based on patients' health conditions, the program promotes physical exercise as an additional prevention or treatment measure. Patients who completed more than four weeks of the program reported improvements in their their follow-up cholesterol tests. Increased education and partnerships around multiple sclerosis, including a project titled Promoting Health Equity in Multiple Sclerosis through Personalized Care. In Ireland, we worked with MS Ireland to provide patients with up-to-date information to help them manage their disease. Worked with community pharmacies in the U.K. to provide education and toolkits in key therapy areas and consultation skills, ensuring patients continue to receive the best care possible. We also hosted a masterclass for HCPs in managing common conditions such as menopause, allergic rhinitis and recurrent urinary tract infections. The goal was to increase the quality of care for patients focusing on early diagnosis and treatment and prevent unnecessary referrals and repeat visits, supporting the government's Get It Right First Time program. Partnered with the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation to support access to reliable rheumatoid arthritis information for patients in a remote area of Okanagan Valley in Canada. Partnered with European Federation of Allergy and Airways diseases, an alliance of 39 patient organizations across Europe, to improve patient outcomes by advocating expansion of access to epinephrine auto-injectors for emergency use. Participated in the Active Citizenship Network to organize the European Patients' Rights Day and raise awareness about the unmet needs of patients during and after the COVID pandemic. Raising Awareness Launched initiatives with the national health ministries in South Korea, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates to support disease awareness, screening and patient management for several of the most prevalent NCDs. Together with the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), supported several initiatives in Europe to create awareness around the prevention of venous thromboembolism in medically ill patients, including communication and education events during World Thrombosis Day and a medical education curriculum. Addressing Systematic Barriers to Access in Emerging Markets About 86% of deaths from NCDs occur in low- and middle-income countries.1 Healthcare costs associated with NCDs are high, which is especially burdensome for low-income countries. Viatris endeavored to understand systematic issues and healthcare needs across emerging markets and launched the Mapping Actionable Beyond the Pill Solutions (MAPS) exercise in 2022. It focused on hypertension, dyslipidemia, chronic pain and depression. Critical gaps in patient awareness, screening opportunities, early diagnosis, appropriate treatment and long-term medication adherence have been documented with this initiative. Addressing these identified gaps, medical affairs teams across the Emerging Markets region initiated programs, both alone and in partnership with local and regional societies, including education materials and campaigns to support patient awareness and adherence; AI enabled early screening programs; Diagnostic tools, e.g. cardiovascular risk calculator; and experts' publications on clinical practice recommendations to improve diagnosis and treatment particularly of hypertension and dyslipidemia. Supporting the healthcare system through capability building of frontline primary care physicians is a priority at Viatris, as these providers are typically the first, and sometimes the only, point of contact of patients within the healthcare system. Through MAPS, we are striving to address systematic barriers for healthcare in emerging markets and improve patient outcomes. Integrating NCD Care in Patients Living with HIV Due to the positive impact of ARV drugs, the care of patients living with HIV has dramatically advanced in the past two decades. The rising life expectancy of people living with HIV means that they are as vulnerable to NCDs just as the rest of the aging population. Building on these successes of HIV prevention and treatment, stakeholders in healthcare need to break down the silos between the treatment of NCDs and infectious diseases and take a more patient-centered, holistic approach to care of this so-called syndemic. To advance progress in this area, we supported in 2022 the release of the paper "Long, full, healthy lives: Delivering on the commitment to integrated NCD care for people living with HIV by 2025" to identify gaps and potential solutions for integrated care of HIV and NCDs. Content included insights from the UNGA side event as well as contributions from leading stakeholders in the NCD and HIV/AIDS space including experts from the WHO, UNAIDS, STOPAIDS, NCD Alliance and Viatris. The report highlights the importance of partnerships in pursuing models of integrated screening, prevention and care for people living with HIV with or at risk of NCDs, and of capitalizing on the platform and treatment cascade already established for HIV. To advocate and raise awareness of the importance of integration of HIV and NCDs, the NCD Alliance in partnership with Viatris organized multistakeholder events in 2022, including at UNGA and the International AIDS Society (IAS) annual conference, to discuss the issue. We've also helped develop an advocacy toolkit targeted at national/regional NCD alliances and, in 2023, will launch a new NCD Academy course on the integration of NCD care and communicable diseases. Addressing Cancer Screening Inequities Unequal access to healthcare can lead to low rates of cancer screening, especially among lowincome and ethnic minority groups. In January 2023, we partnered with several groups to publish a manuscript in the International Journal for Equity in Health to raise the importance of including patients, advocacy groups and empowerment organizations in implementing interventions for more equitable cancer screening. The article presents viewpoints from representatives of nine patient and survivor advocacy groups, organizations working for citizen/patient empowerment and health equity experts in the U.S. and Europe. These views include: The importance of not viewing screening as a single event. Recognizing that there are usually several and varying barriers to a person's ability to access and willingness to undergo screening. ndividually tailored interventions are likely to be more effective than a one-size-fits-all approach as they may better suit personal beliefs, knowledge, behaviors and preferences. Recognizing that targeting people who are outside of the medical care system and hard to reach are a major challenge that must be considered. Including professional patient advocacy groups and others in the creation of interventions at all stages of design, implementation, and evaluation is essential. SOURCES: 1 WHO NCD Fact Sheet 2 WHO Health Workforce 3 As of Jan. 2023 4 Patient reach calculated by multiplying the number of HCP learners by the average number of patients treated, as self-reported by HCP learners upon registering for NCD Academy. Patient reach includes unique patients as well as repeat patient encounters View the full 2022 Sustainability Report here. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Viatris on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Viatris Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/viatris Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Viatris View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/773351/Viatris-2022-Sustainability-Report-Building-Access-and-Better-Health-Through-Education-and-Awareness TUCSON, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Western Alaska Minerals Corp. (the "Company" or "WAM") (TSXV:WAM) announces that, further to its news release dated July 18, 2023, the Company's common shares will be reidentified as "subordinate voting shares" effective as of the opening of trading on August 11, 2023. The reidentification is being completed in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations and National Instrument 41-101 - General Prospectus Requirements. The subordinate voting shares bear a CUSIP/ISIN of 957598402 / CA9575984021. Other than the change in name and new CUSIP/ISIN, the reidentification has no effect on the rights, privileges, restrictions, and conditions attached to the share class. The Company's class of proportionate voting shares are owned by US-shareholders. The purpose of the proportionate voting share class is to allow the Company to qualify as a foreign private issuer under United States securities laws. Each proportionate voting share is convertible into 100 subordinate voting shares at the request of the shareholder and in the discretion of the Company. Because of these conversion rights, for market capitalization and financial analysis purposes, the Company believes it is appropriate to convert the proportionate voting shares to subordinate voting shares and add the product of the conversion (approximately 22,480,100 subordinate voting shares) to the current number of subordinate voting shares outstanding. Further information regarding the Company's share structure is available upon request. About WAM WAM is an Alaska and Arizona based company, listed on the TSX-V and focused on discovery of high-grade, district-scale ore systems in the historic Illinois Creek Mining District (the "District") located in western Alaska. WAM's 100% owned claims cover 73,120 acres (114.25 square miles or 29,591 hectares), roughly 45 km from the Yukon River. The District encompasses at least five deposits containing gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc and was originally discovered by Anaconda Minerals Co. in the early 1980's. Since 2010, WAM, along with precursor Western Alaska Copper & Gold Company, has reassembled the Anaconda property package and been engaged in exploring the District. The Company remains focused on delivering value to its shareholders and stakeholders while adhering to the highest standards of environmental stewardship and community engagement. On behalf of the Company "Kit Marrs" Kit Marrs President & CEO kit@westernalaskaminerals.com Phone: 1-520-200-1667 For further information please contact: Vanessa Bogaert, Director of Corporate Communications/IR vanessa@westernalaskaminerals.com Or visit our website at: www.westernalaskaminerals.com Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Western Alaska Minerals Corp View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/773330/Western-Alaska-Minerals-Corp-Announces-Reidentification-of-Common-Shares A Revolutionary New Study Examining Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Found That Blacks (50 Percent), Middle Eastern (50 Percent), and LGBTQIA+ (45 Percent) Workers Were the Most Affected LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Nearly a third (33 percent) of U.S. employees have faced workplace discrimination, according to a new eye-opening investigation into Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) by leading global market research agency Savanta. Savanta DE&I Report Revolutionary, New Study Examining Diversity, Equity & Inclusion The study also revealed that American workers reported the highest percentage of discrimination than any other European country. And, among under-represented U.S. groups, these percentages increased significantly. Reported Workplace Discrimination: Black individuals - 50 percent Middle Eastern individuals - 50 percent LGBTQIA+ individuals - 45 percent Hawaiian or other Pacific islanders - 33 percent Asian peoples (South, Southeast, East, and Central) - 33 percent Savanta's "Understanding Bias, Discrimination, and Its Impact on Society" researched the lived experiences of nearly 5,000 participants across the U.S. and Europe to learn how identity (i.e. race, religion, and sexuality) affected DE&I initiatives in the workplace, on brand perception, and how they fed into consumer behaviorism. "Savanta's goal is, and always will be, to conduct research and collect data on key issues that affect people and impact the world around us," said Sadia Corey, VP of client development for Savanta. "This study on intersectionality - the interconnected nature of social categorizations - gauges how experiences vary between under-represented groups, in particular. We want to make sure that everyone feels heard and identify some of the barriers people face so that, as a society, we can start to remove them." DE&I in the Workplace "Understanding Bias, Discrimination, and Its Impact on Society" focused heavily on identity discrimination in the workplace (i.e. race, religion, sexual orientation, gender), unlike other DE&I studies, which noted documented cases of discrimination as reported to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), including issues of retaliation, disability, and age. What it found was that not only have one-third of American employees faced discrimination - with that number significantly increasing among the under-represented population - but that 37 percent reported they had left a role or are considering doing so in the near future. This has employers starting to recognize that structured DE&I programs are needed, especially in a tight hiring market. However, the percentage of organizations investing in DE&I isn't staggering. According to U.S. respondents, only 38 percent of companies have implemented a DE&I task force or team to date. Yet, there is good news on the horizon. Of those who have implemented a DE&I program to identify issues and make changes within their workforce, the data suggests that, where they do exist, they can be incredibly effective. In fact, 76 percent of U.S. workers believed that the DE&I training had an impact on workplace culture and 80 percent reported that it was effective in implementing change. DE&I and Affirmative Action During this contentious time in America, with the reversal of Affirmative Action in colleges and universities, many are wondering how it may potentially affect DE&I in the corporate world. While there is no legal ruling stating that organizations must adjust their DE&I practices, the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) recently wrote, "Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) strategies may evolve as a result of the [Supreme Court] decision and shift to focus more on inclusion."[1] Meaning, creating an environment where employees feel safe, heard and respected should become the norm. "America is in the midst of a very pivotal moment for DE&I, particularly when it comes to the workplace," said Corey. "While our research shows that these initiatives and programs are needed - and that employees believe that they do indeed work - employers should start considering revamping the structure of these practices before the justice system does it for them. By leaning toward a more inclusive approach, staff and management will create an environment built on respect and security where both can thrive." Brand DE&I Efforts Impact on Consumer Behavior The report has shown that U.S. workers feel strongly about DE&I in the workspace, but how does this translate to their buying habits? According to the data, while price, convenience and quality will always be dominating factors in consumer purchase decisions, some will shop with their feet if a business does not show ethical behavior. This includes its investment in DE&I. In fact, 31 percent of Americans said that they will not buy from a brand that is not committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. The old adage of "Treat others as you would want to be treated" resonates with those who may have experienced discrimination, and it means that they want to support people like them and remove their support from companies that display harmful, inconsiderate or hypocritical behavior. This is evidenced by the 37 percent of under-represented U.S. consumers who reported that they will not buy from a brand that is not committed to DE&I. This research reveals attitudes towards DE&I that suggest that brands need to practice what they preach and consult with diverse groups or risk alienating loyal customers. To learn more about "Understanding Bias, Discrimination, and Its Impact on Society," or to view the report, visit Savanta Report. Methodology Savanta conducted research for the report between May and June 2023. In total, 4,973 adults were surveyed across six countries, 29 percent of whom were based in the U.S. 53 percent identified as female, 45 percent identified as male, and 2 percent identified as gender non-conforming. Four generations were surveyed, including 17 percent Gen Z (age 18-25), 30 percent Millennial (age 26-40), 31 percent Generation X (age 41-59), and 22 percent Boomer II (age 60+). Eighty-five percent surveyed identified as heterosexual, 11 percent as LGBTQIA+, and 4 percent preferred not to say. Race was reported as 74 percent White/Caucasian and 28 percent BIPOC in the U.S. and U.K. In addition to the quantitative survey conducted across markets, the conversational insights platform Voxpopme was used to collect qualitative data through 155 video responses to a variety of questions. This mix of both qualitative and quantitative research helped inform an array of rich findings on the topics Savanta focused on. Note: Ethnicity was only identified in the U.K. and U.S. due to Europe's ban on data collection by race. About Savanta Savanta is a fast-growing, global, data, market research, and advisory company that informs and inspires its clients through powerful data, empowering technology, and high-impact consulting, to enable its clients to make better decisions and achieve faster progress. To learn more about Savanta, visit www.savanta.com [1] Smith, Allen. "Comprehensive DE&I Strategies May Result from Supreme Court Ruling" https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/affirmative-action-diversity-programs.aspx Contact Information: Nicolette Sheil nicolette.sheil@savanta.com 1 347 533 1463 John Whittacker john.whittaker@savanta.com +1 347.533.1463 SOURCE: Savanta View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/773440/American-Workers-Report-Highest-Percentage-of-Discrimination-Over-Leading-European-Countries LONG ISLAND, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Since their start as a family-owned Long Island roofing company in 1961, Clearview Roofing & Construction has expanded through new locations across New York, including a Babylon office to be opened just in time for storm season. The new office will be open for business to join their current offices in Port Washington, Huntington and Rockville Centre, as well as services offered to all of Nassau, Suffolk and Queens counties. The company specializes in shingle roofing, TPO and EPDM Rubber Flat roofing, slate roofing, cedar shake roofing and skylights. These services will now be offered to residents of Babylon, where the new office will be open for business in the coming month. Long Island and Queens residents may still turn to Clearview for any of their construction or roofing necessities, and as the company continues to grow, their volume of insurance restoration jobs has also expanded. Residents of Babylon, NY and the surrounding south shore of Suffolk county may find that they need assistance dealing with not only roofing but water-related damage. "Clearview provides air movers, air scrubbers and power vacuums to remove water out of basements from flooding or pipe burst events," says Chris Feniello. "We have serviced many homeowners with their insurance claims and we feel that the south shore is in need of these services as well - this ultimately inspired our decision to open up the new location in Babylon, NY." "We get most roofs done in one day. Since we have such a large workforce, we don't have our customers waiting weeks to months on end for their project to be scheduled. When we start a job, we stay on the job until we finish, and we are paid upon completion," says Feniello. "We encourage customers to communicate with our employees and I feel it's important to talk to the client throughout the process, beginning to end." To accommodate the magnitude of clients requesting Clearview's services, they have taken a multi office approach. This ensures efficiency and prompt response time. Clearview is big on safety and accountability. "It's important that homeowners understand the difference between roofing category insurance and home improvement insurance that contractors carry. Roofing insurance is, on average, 10x more than just home improvement insurance for contractors." Employees are also required to take Osha safety classes and go through ongoing training prior which is part of the job and a top priority for Desmond and Feniello. "Our employees are also GAF certified for both shingle roofing and flat roofing." As a family-owned business, Clearview does their best to ensure customers are offered a seamless contracting job from start to finish. This includes free on-site estimates, fair pricing, and consistent communication between contractors and clients. In order to ease clients into the process, Clearview also works with most major insurance companies to offer customers the most out of their claim. Services are also offered 24/7 Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m on Friday and Sunday to accommodate unexpected issues or emergencies. Clearview Roofing and Construction serves many counties in New York, and customer reviews are a testament to their integrity. As client satisfaction and employee safety are two main priorities for both Desmond and Feniello, both hope to continue offering their trustworthy services to more New York counties with their new office opening soon. For Babylon residents hoping to finally complete that renovation job or proactively improve the safety and lifespan of their roof, check out their new location opening up at 83 Fire Island Ave. (Suite 2), Babylon, NY, 11702. About Clearview Roofing and Construction Clearview Roofing and Construction first began operations in 1961 as a family-owned business by the uncle and father of Kevin Desmond. Kevin along with Chris Feniello, the company has running offices in Port Washington, Huntington and Rockville Centre, and also services all of Nassau, Suffolk and Queens counties. Clearview specializes in roofing services such as shingle roofing, TPO and EPDM Rubber Flat roofing, slate roofing, cedar shake roofing and skylights. To get a free on-site estimate or request a quote, contact Clearview Roofing & Construction through their website or email/call: Clearview Roofing & Construction www.longislandroofs.com Nassau County: Rockville Centre location 516-764-7663 Suffolk County: Huntington location 631-262-7663 SOURCE: Clearview Roofing and Construction View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/773458/Clearview-Roofing-and-Construction-Long-Island-Queens-Roofing-Contractors-Announce-New-Babylon-Location DelveInsight's analysts estimate that the generalized myasthenia gravis market is expected to show positive growth, mainly attributed to the increased diagnosed prevalence and the anticipated launch of novel therapies during the forecast period (2023-2032). LAS VEGAS, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Insights report includes a comprehensive understanding of current treatment practices, generalized myasthenia gravis emerging drugs, market share of individual therapies, and current and forecasted market size from 2019 to 2032, segmented into 7MM [the United States, the EU-4 (Italy, Spain, France, and Germany), the United Kingdom, and Japan]. Key Takeaways from the Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Report As per DelveInsight analysis, the generalized myasthenia gravis market size was approximately USD 2.6 billion in 2021 and it is expected to grow positively at a significant CAGR during the study period (2019-2032). in 2021 and it is expected to grow positively at a significant CAGR during the study period (2019-2032). According to the assessment done by DelveInsight, the total number of diagnosed prevalent cases of generalized myasthenia gravis associated in the 7MM countries was approximately 116K in 2021. in 2021. Leading generalized myasthenia gravis companies such as UCB Biopharma, Argenx-Halozyme Therapeutics, Horizon Therapeutics, Hoffmann-La Roche, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Immunovant Sciences GmbH, Sanofi, Cartesian Therapeutics, Takeda, DAS Therapeutics, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Inc., Alexion, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Ra Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and others are developing novel generalized myasthenia gravis drugs that can be available in the generalized myasthenia gravis market in the coming years. and others are developing novel generalized myasthenia gravis drugs that can be available in the generalized myasthenia gravis market in the coming years. Some key therapies for generalized myasthenia gravis treatment include Rozanolixizumab, Zilucoplan, Subcutaneous Efgartigimod, Uplizna (Inebilizumab), Enspryng (Satralizumab), Nipocalimab, Batoclimab, Tolebrutinib, Descartes-08, Mezagitamab (TAK-079), DAS-001, and others. Discover which therapies are expected to grab the major generalized myasthenia gravis market share @ Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Report Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Overview Generalized myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the neuromuscular junction, leading to muscle weakness and fatigue. This condition occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly targets and attacks the acetylcholine receptors on the muscles, hindering communication between nerves and muscles. The exact cause of generalized myasthenia gravis remains unclear, but it is believed to involve a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors. The hallmark symptom of generalized myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness, which typically worsens with repetitive use and improves with rest. It can affect various muscle groups, including those responsible for eye movements, facial expressions, swallowing, and limb movements. Common generalized myasthenia gravis symptoms include drooping eyelids, double vision, difficulty speaking, chewing, or swallowing, and weakness in the arms and legs. Diagnosing generalized myasthenia gravis can be challenging as its symptoms can mimic other neuromuscular disorders. A comprehensive evaluation by a neurologist is essential, which may include a detailed medical history, physical examination, and various specialized tests. Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Epidemiology Segmentation The generalized myasthenia gravis epidemiology section provides insights into the historical and current generalized myasthenia gravis patient pool and forecasted trends for individual seven major countries. It helps to recognize the causes of current and forecasted trends by exploring numerous studies and views of key opinion leaders. The generalized myasthenia gravis market report proffers epidemiological analysis for the study period 2019-2032 in the 7MM segmented into: Total Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Diagnosed Prevalent Cases Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Gender-Specific Cases Autoantibodies-Specific Cases of Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Treatment Market The primary goal of treating generalized myasthenia gravis is to improve muscle strength, enhance physical function, and achieve remission whenever possible. The mainstay of treatment involves pharmacotherapy, with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors being used to increase the availability of acetylcholine at neuromuscular junctions, thereby improving muscle contraction. Additionally, immunosuppressive agents like corticosteroids, azathioprine, mycophenolate, or methotrexate may be prescribed to suppress the overactive immune response and reduce the production of autoantibodies that attack acetylcholine receptors. In recent years, biologic agents such as rituximab and eculizumab have shown promise in specific cases. Thymectomy, the surgical removal of the thymus gland, is recommended for some patients, especially those under 55 years of age with thymic hyperplasia or thymoma, as it can lead to significant clinical improvements. Furthermore, supportive therapies like physical and occupational therapy are crucial components of the treatment plan. These therapies help maintain muscle strength, optimize daily functioning, and enhance the patient's overall quality of life. The treatment for generalized myasthenia gravis is highly individualized, and the management plan is often adjusted based on the patient's response to different therapies and the severity of their symptoms. Regular follow-ups and close monitoring are essential to ensure optimal outcomes and to adapt the treatment approach as needed. With a comprehensive and personalized treatment regimen, many individuals with generalized myasthenia gravis can lead fulfilling lives and manage their condition effectively. To know more about generalized myasthenia gravis treatment, visit @ Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Treatment Drugs Key Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Therapies and Companies Rozanolixizumab: UCB Biopharma Zilucoplan: UCB Biopharma Subcutaneous Efgartigimod: Argenx-Halozyme Therapeutics Uplizna (Inebilizumab): Horizon Therapeutics Enspryng (Satralizumab): Hoffmann-La Roche Nipocalimab: Janssen Research & Development, LLC Batoclimab: Immunovant Sciences GmbH Tolebrutinib: Sanofi Descartes-08: Cartesian Therapeutics Mezagitamab (TAK-079): Takeda DAS-001: DAS Therapeutics, Inc. Learn more about the FDA-approved drugs for generalized myasthenia gravis @ Drugs for Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Treatment Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Dynamics The generalized myasthenia gravis market is influenced by several key drivers that contribute to its growth and advancement. Firstly, the increasing prevalence of generalized myasthenia gravis cases, particularly among the aging population, has bolstered the demand for effective therapies. This, coupled with improved disease awareness and early diagnosis, has led to a larger patient pool seeking medical intervention. Moreover, pharmaceutical companies' growing research and development efforts have resulted in the emergence of innovative treatment options for generalized myasthenia gravis. Biologics and targeted therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies, have shown promising outcomes, enhancing patients' quality of life and expanding the treatment landscape. Additionally, supportive initiatives by healthcare authorities and organizations, along with favorable reimbursement policies, have facilitated patient access to these novel treatments, further driving generalized myasthenia gravis market growth. Despite the positive momentum, the generalized myasthenia gravis market also faces certain barriers. One significant challenge is the high cost associated with advanced therapies, making them inaccessible to some patients, particularly in regions with limited healthcare resources. Moreover, the complex nature of generalized myasthenia gravis and its varying manifestations make accurate diagnosis and disease management intricate, leading to potential delays in treatment initiation and inadequate disease control. Furthermore, as with any chronic disorder, adherence to long-term treatment regimens can be a barrier, impacting treatment efficacy and patient outcomes. Addressing these challenges requires ongoing collaboration between healthcare providers, researchers, regulatory bodies, and pharmaceutical companies to develop cost-effective and patient-friendly treatment options and improve disease management strategies for individuals living with generalized myasthenia gravis. Report Metrics Details Study Period 2019-2032 Coverage 7MM [The United States, the EU-4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan] Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Size in 2021 USD 2.6 Billion Key Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Companies UCB Biopharma, Argenx-Halozyme Therapeutics, Horizon Therapeutics, Hoffmann-La Roche, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Immunovant Sciences GmbH, Sanofi, Cartesian Therapeutics, Takeda, DAS Therapeutics, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Inc., Alexion, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Ra Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and others Key Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Therapies Rozanolixizumab, Zilucoplan, Subcutaneous Efgartigimod, Uplizna (Inebilizumab), Enspryng (Satralizumab), Nipocalimab, Batoclimab, Tolebrutinib, Descartes-08, Mezagitamab (TAK-079), DAS-001, and others Scope of the Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Report Therapeutic Assessment: Generalized Myasthenia Gravis current marketed and emerging therapies Generalized Myasthenia Gravis current marketed and emerging therapies Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Dynamics: Conjoint Analysis of Emerging Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Drugs Conjoint Analysis of Emerging Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Drugs Competitive Intelligence Analysis: SWOT analysis and Market entry strategies SWOT analysis and Market entry strategies Unmet Needs, KOL's views, Analyst's views, Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Access and Reimbursement Discover more about generalized myasthenia gravis drugs in development @ Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Clinical Trials Table of Contents 1. Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Key Insights 2. Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Report Introduction 3. Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Overview at a Glance 4. Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Executive Summary 5. Disease Background and Overview 6. Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Treatment and Management 7. Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Epidemiology and Patient Population 8. Patient Journey 9. Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Marketed Drugs 10. Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Emerging Drugs 11. Seven Major Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Analysis 12. Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Market Outlook 13. Potential of Current and Emerging Therapies 14. KOL Views 15. Unmet Needs 16. SWOT Analysis 17. Appendix 18. DelveInsight Capabilities 19. Disclaimer 20. About DelveInsight Related Reports Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Pipeline Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Pipeline Insight - 2023 report provides comprehensive insights about the pipeline landscape, pipeline drug profiles, including clinical and non-clinical stage products, and the key generalized myasthenia gravis companies, including Biocon, Cartesian Therapeutics, UCB, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, HanAll Biopharma, Roche, Alexion, Novartis, Takeda, BioMarin, among others. Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Epidemiology Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Epidemiology Forecast - 2032 report delivers an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical, and forecasted generalized myasthenia gravis epidemiology in the 7MM. Myasthenia Gravis Market Myasthenia Gravis Market Insight, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast - 2032 report delivers an in-depth understanding of the market trends, market drivers, market barriers, and key myasthenia gravis companies, including Viela Bio, UCB Pharma, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Ra Pharmaceuticals, Hoffmann-La Roche, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Harbour BioMed, Novartis, Takeda, DAS Therapeutics, RemeGen, Cartesian Therapeutics, Nanjing IASO Biotherapeutics, Cabaletta Bio, CytoDyn, Ahead Therapeutics, Toleranzia, Rallybio, among others. Myasthenia Gravis Pipeline Myasthenia Gravis Pipeline Insight - 2023 report provides comprehensive insights about the pipeline landscape, pipeline drug profiles, including clinical and non-clinical stage products, and the key myasthenia gravis companies, includingViela Bio, UCB Pharma, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Ra Pharmaceuticals, Hoffmann-La Roche, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Harbour BioMed, Novartis, Takeda, DAS Therapeutics, RemeGen, Cartesian Therapeutics, Nanjing IASO Biotherapeutics, Cabaletta Bio, CytoDyn, Ahead Therapeutics, Toleranzia, Rallybio, among others. About DelveInsight DelveInsight is a leading Business Consultant and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports pharma companies by providing comprehensive end-to-end solutions to improve their performance. Get hassle-free access to all the healthcare and pharma market research reports through our subscription-based platform PharmDelve. Contact Us Shruti Thakur info@delveinsight.com +1(919)321-6187 www.delveinsight.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082265/3528414/DelveInsight_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/generalized-myasthenia-gravis-market-is-expected-to-expand-by-2032-assesses-delveinsight--key-companies---alexion-argenx-ucb-horizon-roche-janssen-bristol-myers-squibb-biogen-pfizer-novartis-sanofi-takeda-301896558.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Lode Metals Corp. (CSE: LODE) ("Lode" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") and has issued 3,950,000 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.10 per Unit for gross proceeds of $395,000. Each Unit consists of one (1) common share (each, a "Common Share") of the Company and one (1) Common Share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one (1) additional Common Share at a price of $0.16 until August 9, 2025. The net proceeds raised from the Offering will be used for general working capital purposes. The Offering included participation by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company in the amount of 100,000 Units. This participation by an officer of the Company constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). For this participation in the Offering, the Company has relied upon the exemption from the formal valuation requirements contained in Section 5.5(a) of MI 61-101 and has relied upon the exemption from the minority shareholder approval requirements contained in Section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101. Concurrently with completion of the Offering, the Company has settled (the "Settlement") outstanding indebtedness of $150,000, owing to an arms-length creditor, through the issuance of 1,500,000 Units at a deemed price of $0.10 per Unit. The indebtedness represents the principal amount of funds previously lent to the Company to support working capital needs. All securities issued in connection with the Offering and the Settlement are subject to restrictions on resale until December 10, 2023 in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. About Lode Metals Corp. Lode Metals is a gold exploration company focused on applying modern exploration techniques integrated with current geological models to the previous producing, high-grade Cracker Creek property located in northeastern Oregon, United States. The Cracker Creek property consolidates the contiguous, high-grade, past-producing Columbia, Eureka, Excelsior and North Pole Mines, collectively the most prolific gold producers in Oregon between 1891 and 1934. For further information contact: Jon Bey President & Chief Executive Officer Lode Metals Corp. Email: info@lodemetals.com www.lodemetals.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Certain information in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176681 NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Gen Gen Blog | Community By Kimberly Bishop | Corporate Responsibility Today's children are part of the digital generation. According to Common Sense Media , an estimated 43% of children ages 8-12 own smartphones, giving them unprecedented access to the internet. This can help open their world to education, creativity, and socialization, but unfortunately, also comes with risks. To help teach Cyber Safety skills to children and caregivers across America, Norton, a leader in consumer Cyber Safety and part of Gen, collaborates with National PTA . National PTA is the nation's oldest and largest child advocacy association dedicated to making a difference for the education, health, safety and well-being of every child and making every child's potential a reality. Norton became a Proud National PTA Sponsor in 2013 and is the Founding & Presenting Sponsor of National PTA's PTA Connected initiative, a broader digital safety initiative of the association. As part of their work together, Norton and National PTA launched a free tool, The Smart Talk, which helps families have open, positive, ongoing conversations about digital safety and online privacy. The Smart Talk uses guided questions about social media and respect, using and downloading apps, texting and calling, and more to help families begin and continue conversations. Launched in 2015, The Smart Talk was then updated in 2022 to include inclusivity and content updates, and to extend its reach to new PTAs. Are your kids ready to go back to school? Not sure where to start when it comes to digital safety and your family? Use our?free, interactive resource to set healthy tech limits together:? thesmarttalk.org . The Smart Talk Conversations Reach Schools and Families Across the U.S. To spread awareness of the tool, we provide local PTAs with funding to host The Smart Talk Conversations at their schools for families. In the 2022-2023 school year, National PTA chose 150 local PTAs to receive funding to implement the events for their school community. This is five times more than the previous year, and we are proud to have together met our goal to reach 180 PTAs over a two-year period. Grantees were in 33 different states and 56% were Title I schools (schools where many families live below the poverty line). Collectively, more than 11,000 people attended The Smart Talk events in the 2022-2023 school year. The program implementation was so successful that 87% of PTA leaders indicated they plan to run the program again in the future. Most importantly, students and their caregivers found The Smart Talk beneficial. From a sampling of nearly 400 respondents: 98% of students found the program easy to understand 94% of students wanted to explore the topic more at home 97% of parents and caregivers now feel more comfortable exploring the topic with their student Supporting Our Youth and Volunteering Our Time With the back-to-school season now in full swing, Gen employees are also working to reach schools and families all over the world. From August through September, our employees in various locations - from the U.S. to Czech Republic to Ireland - will come together to lend a helping hand with in-person and virtual volunteer events. By packing school supplies, we're able to make a take a small burden off of families and make a difference in the life of a young student. With resources like The Smart Talk and efforts to support young learners everywhere, we're able to help keep kids safe and prepare them for the year ahead. Kicking off their school year with the knowledge and resources to be successful is just one way we're able to give and empower our local communities around the world. We are excited to continue our volunteering efforts and our important work with National PTA, bringing tools like The Smart Talk to more young people and caregivers in the year ahead. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Gen on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Gen Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/gen Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Gen View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/773509/Making-Cyber-Safety-Education-Accessible-at-School 40Seas, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based provider of a fintech platform for cross-border trade financing, raised an additional $6m USD in seed funding. This round extended its initial $11m seed announced in January of this year to $17m. New investors Eminence Ventures and QED Investors participated in the extended round which also included participation from existing investors Team8 and ZIM. This round extension will provide the company with financial resources to execute its growth strategy in 2023 and beyond. Led by CEO Eyal Moldovan, 40Seas is a fintech platform for cross-border trade financing focused on SMEs engaged in global commerce. By leveraging data-driven technology, the company is able to offer flexible payment options for supply chain players importers, exporters, freight forwarders and sourcing agencies to access working capital. Available as an API or stand-alone platform, the solution enables ecosystem players to bridge the working capital gap between exporters who require advance payment and importers who wish to pay for goods only after theyve been sold. 40Seas can be embedded into check out portals, facilitating access to finance at the most convenient point of the customer journey. Its AI-powered underwriting capabilities extract actionable insights relating to both importers and exporters, which can be used to provide holistic and tailored financing solutions. The company also expanded its partnership with global container liner shipping company ZIM, providing ZIMs global customer base an embedded and flexible digital financing solution to ease the burden of freight and inventory expenses at checkout, including through its digital freight forwarding subsidiary Ship4wd. Following a phased rollout across the US, Canada and the UK, ZIM recently announced that it will be offering the 40Seas solution to its customers in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Australia. FinSMEs 09/08/2023 Clearstory (formerly Extracker), a San Francisco, CA-based construction industrys Change Order Communication Tool purpose-built to reduce risk for all stakeholders, acquired DataStreet, which specializes in helping specialty contractors create, track, and share Change Order Requests and Time and Material Tickets. DataStreet employees will join Clearstory, and Founder and CEO Chris Kinghorn will move into the role of Head of Partnerships and Strategic Alliances for Clearstory. DataStreet is a cloud-based Change Management platform. Built for subcontractors, DataStreets T&M Tags and Fixed Price Change Orders reduce processing time and streamline payment from General Contractors. The company provides additional tools such as Daily Reports and Schedule Delays. Led by Founder and CEO Cameron Page, Clearstory provides a Change Order Communication Tool, which helps General Contractors reduce risk, Specialty Contractors get paid faster, and teams make financial decisions through access to real-time data in one centralized location. The company is backed by leading enterprise application and construction technology investors Cloud Apps Capital Partners, Building Ventures, and Jackson Square Ventures. FinSMEs 09/08/2023 Erguvan, an Istanbul, Turkiye-based climate-fintech startup, closed its seed funding round, at a valuation of 7.33m USD (197.9 million TRY). Backers included Emirates NBD PJSC and DenizBank A.S. (Deniz Ventures). The company intends to use the funds to refine its flagship marketplace for environmental commodities (carbon credits and RECs) and further develop its API-based carbon accounting software solutions. Erguvan is a provider of digital infrastructure for corporate climate action. The company offers a B2B marketplace for environmental commodities and API-based carbon accounting software solutions to financial institutions and corporates. The partnership with ENBD Group will bolster Erguvans international expansion and strengthen its commitment to providing a direct, secure, and transparent access to carbon credit and REC markets as well as data-driven carbon accounting tools directly addressing the requirements of financial institutions and corporates. FinSMEs 09/08/2023 Halodoc, a Jakarta, Indonesia-based digital healthcare ecosystem platform, completed a Series D funding round. According to reports, the amount of the deal was USD100M. The round was led by PT Astra International Tbk through its subsidiary, PT Astra Digital Internasional, with participation from Openspace and Novo Holdings. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach, as well as its range of services. Led by CEO & Co-Founder Jonathan Sudharta, Halodoc provides a digital healthcare ecosystem platform committed to promoting wellness through services (ranging from preventive to curative) offered within an all-in-one application. In addition to its efforts to enhance digital health literacy among the Indonesian through health communication, education, and information, Halodoc also continues to develop and expand services, with: 1) Home Lab a preventive healthcare service that enables users to safely and conveniently carry out health tests from the comfort of their homes. 2) My Insurance integrated with leading insurance partners, allowing users to access the benefits of cashless outpatient services in a more easy and seamless manner. Halodoc is also working closely with the government, to accelerate technological advancement in the healthcare industry, including through the initiation of telehealth regulation as outlined in the Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Republic of Indonesia. Early investors in the company include Acrew Capital, Argor (previously Go-Ventures), Allianz X, Bangkok Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, HEAL Partners, Intudo Ventures, Korea Investment Partners, Prudential, TMI (Telkomsel venture arm), Singtel Innov8, UOB Venture Management, Uni-President, Global Investama Andalan, and InvestIdea. FinSMEs 09/08/2023 Team of Supportwave (Source: Supportwave) Supportwave, a London, United Kingdom based IT services company that connects businesses with IT specialists on-demand, raised $2.2m in seed funding. Backers included High-Tech Grunderfonds, Big Sur Ventures and Fuel Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to expand its resource pool in an effort to gain significant market share in the SMB and Enterprise markets. Founded in 2020 by CEO Kelvin Wetherill, Supportwave is an innovative IT services company that connects businesses with IT specialists on-demand. The platform matches IT specialists to SMB and Enterprise businesses. Services include On-demand services (Remote and on-site), Outsourced Resources (Augment your IT Team with Expert skills), and Help Desk Solutions. The company boasts a community of 5,000+ verified specialists, with plans to triple this force in the next 6 months. Current partners include VISA, HSBC and Parliament Hill. FinSMEs 09/08/2023 Symbol, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based newly formed venture capital firm, closed its debut fund, at $50m. Limited Partners include a vast network of VCs, entrepreneurs, and family offices from the US and Europe including LionBird. The vehicle invests between $500k to $3.5M in the first funding round of Israeli entrepreneurs, regardless of location, who are building pre-consensus companies. As a sector-agnostic fund, Symbol focuses on B2B, consumer, and enterprise tech startups. Symbols founder and Managing Partner is Yuval Ariav, an accomplished entrepreneur part of the founding team of Onavo (acquired by Meta in 2013 for $200 million) and co-founder and first CTO of the fintech scale-up Fundbox. After leaving Fundbox, Ariav joined LionBird as a General Partner, leading investments in companies such as Assured Allies and Fundguard. As an angel investor, Ariav participated in the first funding round of chip-software unicorn Next Silicon, where he serves as a board member, and in the seed round of procurement automation startup Approve, which was acquired by Tipalty two years after inception. He also serves as an adj. professor at Columbia Business School since 2018, working directly with young people aspiring to build the next great innovation. FinSMEs 08/09/2023 Rajya Sabha MP and former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi is known for making the news. Hes at it once again, and this time, its because of his statement in the Upper House of Parliament. His defence of the Delhi services bill, passed on Monday (7 August), found mention in the Supreme Court the following day and even prompted sitting Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud to say that once judges demit office whatever they say is just opinion and is not binding. Lets take a look at the chronology of events what Gogoi said in the August House and how did CJI Chandrachud react to the remark. Gogoi and the Delhi services bill Three years and four months since he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi made his first speech in the House in support of the Union governments contentious Delhi services bill, formally known as the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. Incidentally, as he rose to make his arguments in support of the legislation, five women MPs Jaya Bachchan, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Vandana Chavan, Sushmita Dev and Kanimozhi walked out of the Rajya Sabha. Chaturvedi later told the Deccan Herald, We walked out because of sexual harassment charges against him. It was a mark of protest against such individuals, however senior, not respecting women and having used their position of power to wipe off their sins. Speaking on the legislation, introduced by Home Minister Amit Shah, Gogoi said that the basic structure of the Constitution has a debatable jurisprudential basis. The law may not be to be my liking but that does not make it arbitrary. Does it violate the basic feature of the Constitution? I have to say something about the basic structure. There is a book by (former Solicitor-General of India) Andhyarujina on the Kesavananda Bharati case. Having read the book, my view is that the doctrine of the basic structure of the Constitution has a debatable, very debatable jurisprudential basis. I would not say anything more than this, said the ex-CJI in Rajya Sabha. #WATCH | To me the bill is correct, right, says Rajya Sabha MP and former CJI Ranjan Gogoi on The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. pic.twitter.com/uDZYZMbLdM ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2023 His remark received a thunderous applause from the Treasury benches, with members thumping the desks loudly. Gogoi further added that the Centres Ordinance as it stands today cannot be called an encroachment against the Supreme Courts decision. He said the Bill was perfectly legitimate and that he fully supported the Bill. If you want full-fledged federalism (for Delhi), you can go for an amendment and make Delhi a full-fledged state. The most important thing is that Article 239 (AA) is not under challenge... In my view, the Bill is perfectly, legitimately valid, he was quoted as saying. Gogois comment echoes in Supreme Court After being debated for six hours, the bill was put to a vote and was passed with 131 votes in favour of it, and 102 against on Monday itself. On Tuesday, however, Gogois comments were still fresh in peoples mind and even found a mention in the Supreme Court. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who was appearing before the apex court in the Constitution bench hearing of the Article 370 case, said: As it is, now one of your esteemed colleagues have said that the basic structure theory is also doubtful. Though Sibal didnt name Gogoi, it was apparent that his reference was to the latters Rajya Sabha statement. Responding to Sibal's submission, CJI Chandrachud said, Mr Sibal, when you refer to a colleague, you have to refer to a sitting colleague. Once we cease to be judges, whatever we say, they are just opinions and are not binding. I am surprised of course, it is not binding, Sibal said, in turn. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also chimed in, saying to Sibal, Parliament does not discuss what goes on in the court and that courts should also stay out of discussing what is discussed in Parliament. As per a report in the Indian Express, Mehta said Gogoi has the freedom of expression to say what he wants. Basic Structure Doctrine explained But what exactly is this Basic Structure Doctrine that is being mentioned? The doctrine evolved by the Supreme Court in the 1973 landmark ruling in Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala. In a 7-6 verdict, a 13-judge Constitution Bench ruled that the basic structure of the Constitution is inviolable, and could not be amended by Parliament. What it means is that if a law is found to damage or destroy the basic features of the Constitution, the Court can declare it unconstitutional.The test is applied to constitutional amendments to ensure the amendment does not dilute the fundamentals of the Constitutional itself. According to the apex court, the basic features of the Constitution are: judicial review, rule of law, federalism, and the democratic republic structure. Interestingly, while on Monday, Gogoi questioned the jurisprudence of the Basic Structure Doctrine, he has in the past invoked it to adjudicate cases. In 2019, Gogoi had led a five-judge bench in a case during which it struck down the law restructuring tribunals for violating the basic structure of the Constitution. In the same year, Gogoi had invoked the doctrine to rule that the chief justice of Indias office was within the ambit of the Right to Information Act. Additionally, he led the bench of judges that had passed the verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case, underlining that secularism is a basic feature of the Constitution that is inviolable. CJI Chandrachud has also hailed the doctrine as a North Star that guides and gives certain direction to the interpreters and implementers of the Constitution when the path ahead is convoluted. Delivering the Nani A Palkhivala Memorial Lecture in Mumbai on 21 January, the CJI had said: The basic structure of our Constitution, like the North Star, guides and gives certain direction to the interpreters and implementers of the Constitution when the path ahead is convoluted. He added, The basic structure or the philosophy of our Constitution is premised on the supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law, separation of powers, judicial review, secularism, federalism, freedom and the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation. With inputs from agencies India has assumed presidency of the all-important G20 bloc and is busy hosting meeting after meeting as part of their duties. As host nation, India is ensuring that it leaves no stone unturned for this momentous opportunity. As part of its presidency, India had earlier announced its theme and logo. For its theme, India adopted Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or One Earth One Family One Future. However, according to a latest report, China has opposed the Sanskrit phrase and asked that official documents and letters dont carry it. Lets take a closer look at the language row and why China is unhappy about the G20 theme. China irked by Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam As per a report in The Economic Times, China has voiced it opposition to the phrase and its use in the official documents during last months G20 Energy Ministerial Meeting as well as several other similar G20 documents. The opposition from the Chinese side stemmed from the fact that the phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam was Sanskrit, which is not one of the six officials languages recognised by the United Nations. The six official languages of the UN are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Chinas opposition to the addition of the phrase in the G20 documents continued even though other participating nations lent its support to India, and some even observing that the theme was the prerogative of the Presidency and host nation. Eventually, the final G20 document Outcome Document and Chairs Summary for Energy transition, only carried the English translation of the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam but was retained in the logo/letterhead of each document. It read: We, the G20 Energy Ministers, met under Indias G20 Presidency, with the theme One Earth, One Family, One Future in Goa, India, on 22 July 2023. And its not just the energy meeting document that has dropped the Sanskrit phrase. A majority of the Outcome documents so far, including the finance ministers meeting, the education ministers meet, the tourism, environment and labour and unemployment, all mention One Earth, One Family, One Future as the Indian presidencys theme in the official text, skipping the phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. As per the Economic Times report, only the foreign minister Outcome document carries the Sanskrit phrase. The Ministry of External Affairs is yet to officially comment on the issue. The meaning behind the G20 maxim Prior to India assuming the presidency of the G20 in December last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that Indias theme would be grounded in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad. The theme affirms the value of all life human, animal, plant, and microorganisms and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe. In fact, Dr Jitendra Singh during the G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting in Srinagar had said that the theme of Indias G20 presidency conveys the powerful message, which is of striving for just and equitable growth for all in the world. As the website Civil20 explains, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam can be considered as a universal maxim whose purpose is not imposition, but to enable mutual respect and evolve human consciousness and society. It is the most practical way to Recover Together, Recover Stronger as expressed by the G20 Indonesia 2022. It helps us move from an I-Them approach to an I-We approach. It also fosters a Dharma-based society where the strong protects the weak, where giving precedes taking and where rights and responsibilities are synchronous, the website states. When China has had objections earlier too This, unsurprisingly, isnt the first time that Beijing has voiced an opposition during Indias G20 presidency. Earlier in May, China opposed to India holding its G20 tourism working group meeting in Kashmir, saying it is free to hold meetings on its own territory. Beijing even skipped the meeting held from 22 to 24 May, citing its opposition to holding any kind of G20 meetings in disputed territory, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. However, New Delhi remained resolute and in response had said, The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh are and always will be integral and inalienable parts of India. No other country has a locus standi to comment on the same. Catch Firstposts full coverage of Indias G20 presidency Will Vladimir Putin visit India for G20 summit? PM Modi inaugurates the revamped IPTO complex at Delhis Pragati Maidan: Whats so special about the G20 venue? Indias G20 presidency crosses the halfway mark: How has it fared so far? What is G21? Why has PM Modi been pushing for it? Why Indias G20 presidency is significant Interestingly, Pakistan, who is not a member of the G20 and has close ties to China, had also raised objections to India hosting an international event in Srinagar. Along with China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Indonesia also stayed away from the Jammu and Kashmir meeting. However, Chinas plan to stymie India didnt work and the meeting witnessed the participation of over 60 invitees from member countries. India-China and the G20 New Delhi and Beijing have had frosty ties since 2020 with the two countries being locked in a military standoff at various sections of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which began with the deadly clash at Galwan Valley in May of that year. It is in light of these strained relations that India assumed presidency of the G20. Since then, the Chinese have been quite focused on India taking over the G20 presidency. Some media in China report that the G20 presidency could help thrust India into the great power club and set the nation on the course to join the coveted UN Security Council as a permanent member. That is naturally not something that Beijing would be approving of. Some Beijing commentators have also noted that Beijing holds the card if New Delhi wants to make an impact with its G20 presidency. As Dingqing Focus, a new media account affiliated with National Defence Times, wrote: All countries know that a G20 Summit without Chinas participation cannot be considered a success Because if China does not participate, a lot of topics simply cant be discussed. The second Indias important neighbours are not present, it is inevitable that the international community will also question its influence. With inputs from agencies Kerala may soon get a new name. A resolution moved by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Kerala Assembly to rename the southern state was unanimously passed on Wednesday (9 August). The House also sought an amendment in the Constitution where the state is referred to as Kerala. What is the new name proposed by Kerala Assembly for the state? Why does the state government want to change the name? We explain. What can be Keralas new name? The Legislative Assembly has proposed to change the states official name from Kerala to Keralam. As per NDTV, the House has urged the Central government to take immediate steps to amend the name under Article 3 of the Constitution that pertains to the formation of states and any alterations to areas, boundaries or names of existing States. The resolution was presented in the Assembly by Vijayan under Rule 118 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, reported The Hindu. A resolution under Rule 118 is being moved in this House requesting the Central Government to change the official name of our state to Keralam in all languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, the chief minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Kerala CM Pinarayi said in the Assembly today, A resolution under Rule 118 is being moved in this House requesting the Central Government to change the official name of our state to Keralam in all languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. (Pic - pic.twitter.com/UeqyY4NLKz ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 Whats behind the name change? While tabling the resolution, Vijayan argued that Keralam is the accepted usage in Malayalam, while in other languages it is referred to as Kerala. The name of our state in Malayalam is Keralam. States were formed on linguistic lines in the country on 1 November 1956. The Kerala formation day is on the same day. It was a demand during the freedom struggle to form a united Kerala state for all Malayalam-speaking people, Hindustan Times (HT) quoted the chief minister as saying. But under the First Schedule of the Constitution, the name of our state was recorded as Kerala. The Assembly unanimously requests the Central government to make necessary amendments to change the official name of the state to Keralam in all official languages under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, he added. According to NDTV, the First Schedule of the Constitution enumerates the states and Union Territories and their territorial jurisdictions, while Eighth Schedule lists the 22 official languages of India. The resolution, as cited by The Hindu, called for urgent measures under Article 3 of the Constitution, to amend the name of the state to Keralam. After no objection from the Opposition United Democratic Front alliance led by Congress, Speaker AN Shamseer declared the unanimous adoption of the resolution. How Kerala came to be According to a Deccan Herald report, the United State of Travancore and Cochin was created by merging two erstwhile princely states of Travancore and Cochin on 1 July 1949. The next year in January, it was renamed the State of Travancore-Cochin. In 1956, the Malabar Coast of Madras state (now Tamil Nadu) and the Kasargod taluka (administrative subdivision) of South Kanara were added to Travancore-Cochin to form the present state of Kerala, noted Britannica. Recent name changes The West Bengal government wants to rename the state to Bangla in all three languages Bengali, English and Hindi. Last July, the Ministry of Home Affairs told Parliament it has received a proposal from the Mamata Banerjee-led government in this regard. In 2011, Orissa had become Odisha and the name of its language was changed from Oriya to Odia as the Orissa (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2010 and the Constitution (113th Amendment) Bill, 2010 was passed in Parliament. It is not only states but several cities have also been renamed in the last few years or so. The name of the Rajahmundry city in Andhra Pradesh was amended to Rajamahendravaram in 2017. Nagar Untari, a town in Jharkhand, became Shri Banshidhar Nagar in 2018. The same year, the city of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh was renamed Prayagraj. In 2021, the name of Madhya Pradeshs Hoshangabad Nagar city was changed to Narmadapuram and Babai city became Makhan Nagar. Shri Hargobindpur city in Punjab was renamed to Shri Hargobindpur Sahib in March last year, as per NDTV. With inputs from agencies Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who gave his maiden speech in Parliament today (9 August) after being reinstated as an MP, has landed in a controversy. After the infamous hug and wink, it is now Gandhis alleged flying kiss that has the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) up in arms. According to the news agency ANI, NDA women MPs have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take strict action against Gandhi, accusing him of making an inappropriate gesture towards Union minister Smriti Irani and insulting women lawmakers in Lok Sabha. NDA women MPs write to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla demanding strict action against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alleging him of making inappropriate gesture towards BJP MP Smriti Irani and displaying indecent behaviour in the House. pic.twitter.com/E1FD3X2hZC ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 Whats the flying kiss row? How has Rahul Gandhi stirred controversies in Parliament previously? Lets take a closer look. Flying kiss in Parliament Gandhi allegedly blew a flying kiss while exiting Lok Sabha premises after his speech and as Iranis speech was underway during the second day of the debate on the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against the Central government. According to India Today, as the Congress MP was leaving the House, he dropped a few files and bent over to pick them up. This sparked laughter among some BJP MPs. People who witnessed the moment told the news channel that Gandhi then blew a kiss at the BJP legislators and left. Taking objection to his alleged gesture, BJP MP Irani slammed Gandhi, without taking his name, and said that his action lacked dignity. The person who spoke before me misbehaved. Only a misogynistic man can gesture a flying kiss to female parliamentarians. It shows the khandhan he comes from, and what his family and party feel about women, Irani said, as per Hindustan Times (HT). #WATCH | Union Minister and BJP MP Smriti Irani says, I object to something. The one who was given the chance to speak before me displayed indecency before leaving. It is only a misogynistic man who can give a flying kiss to a Parliament which seats female members of Parliament. pic.twitter.com/xjEePHKPKN ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 Union minister of state for agriculture & farmers welfare Shobha Karandlaje told PTI: As soon as Smriti Irani started to speak, he (Rahul Gandhi) disrespected women through the gesture of a flying kiss. This is for the first time that a Member of Parliament has shown such behaviour. We have filed a complaint with the Speaker and requested stringent action. As the BJP is trying to corner the Wayanad MP over the gesture, a Congress leader told NDTV, Rahul Gandhi gestured towards the treasury benches as he was leaving with a flying kiss as he had called them brothers and sisters. He did not direct it towards any particular minister or MP, and not at all towards Union minister Smriti Irani. Hug and wink In July 2018, when a debate on the no-trust motion against the Centre was going on, Rahul Gandhi got up from his seat, walked towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi and embraced him, which left the BJP leader visibly startled. As he returned to his seat, Gandhi was then captured on camera winking at his fellow Congress MPs, as per NDTV. Next year in February, in his last address to Parliament ahead of the 2019 general elections, Modi recalled the incident, mocking Gandhi. I came here for the first time and learnt many things. For the first time, I realised the difference between gale lagna and gale padna (an embrace and someone throwing themselves at you), the prime minister said. I saw for the first time that there are aankhon ki gustakhiyan (mischief of the eyes) in the House, Modi said, evoking laughter among BJP members, reported NDTV. Remembering the hug, Gandhi told students in Chennai in March 2019 that prime minister Modi was very angry and was speaking against him, the Congress party and his family. Inside me, I was feeling affection for him. I was feeling affectionate that this man is not able to see the beauty of the world. That he is so angry, he is not able to see the beauty of the world. So, I thought at least (from) my side I should show him affection, the Congress leader said, as per NDTV. ALSO READ: Rahul Gandhi gets reprieve in one Modi surname case. But there are more pending Poster of PM with Adani In February, Rahul Gandhi claimed close ties between Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani and showed a photograph of the two together to back his point, prompting a reaction from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. No posters please, if you will show posters then this side (BJP) will show posters of Rajasthans CM (Ashok Gehlot with Gautam Adani). This is not appropriate, Birla said, as per news agency ANI. #WATCH | No posters please, if you will show posters then this side (BJP) will show poster of Rajasthans CM (with Gautam Adani). Showing posters isnt appropriate: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/HHZIlymApr ANI (@ANI) February 7, 2023 The incident occurred as Gandhi was questioning the government over the Adani-Hindenburg row while addressing Lok Sabha. He said that during his then recently concluded Bharat Jodo Yatra, he heard only one businessmans name from Kanniyakumari (in Tamil Nadu, where the march began) to Kashmir. From Tamil Nadu (to) Kerala to Himachal Pradesh we have been listening (to) one name everywhere Adani. Across the entire country, its just Adani, Adani, Adani, the Congress MP was quoted as saying by HT. Earlier in January this year, short seller and research agency Hindenburg Research in its report accused the Adani Group of manipulating its stock prices. Adani had dismissed the allegations and threatened legal action against Hindenburg. DisQualified MP Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a member of Parliament in March after a court in Gujarats Surat convicted him in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his alleged remarks on the Modi surname. The Lok Sabha Secretariat had also declared his Wayanad constituency vacant. Gandhi was found guilty of defamation and sentenced to two years in prison over his alleged why do all thieves have the name Modi remark by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Following the conviction, Gandhi had changed his Twitter, now X, bio to DisQualified MP. Last week, the Supreme Court stayed the conviction, paving the Congress leaders return as an MP. On Monday (7 August), Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a notification restoring Gandhis membership. Unique protests In August 2021, the former Congress president, along with his party colleagues and Opposition leaders, rode a bicycle to Parliament during the Monsoon Session to protest against a hike in fuel and cooking gas prices. He also called on the Opposition to unite the majority voice of the people of India. We [the Opposition parties] represent 60 per cent of the people, the majority of the people. When the government shuts us up, they are not humiliating us as members of Parliament but the majority voice of the people of India. The single most important thing in my view is: lets unite this voice, he told the Opposition MPs of 15 parties ahead of the cycle protest, reported The Hindu. In July of that year, Gandhi drove a tractor to Parliament to support the then-protesting farmers who were demanding the repeal of the Centres three farm laws. Accompanied by Punjab and Haryana MPs, Gandhi carried a banner and raised slogans. We have brought the message of farmers to Parliament. A discussion is not allowed inside the House and the farmers are being suppressed. Thats why we are here and they [the Centre] will have to take back these black laws, he said at the time, as per The Hindu report. However, the police seized the tractor as the area was under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). With inputs from agencies Three Indian former military chiefs are at a security conference at Taiwan. General Manoj Naravane, Admiral Karambir Singh and former Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria are attending the Ketagalan Forum an event hosted by the Taiwanese foreign ministry that focuses on the Indo-Pacific. The development comes in the backdrop of Taiwan saying that 10 Chinese aircraft, accompanied by five Chinese warships, entered its airspace and engaged in combat readiness patrols. Taiwan said this is the second such incursion this week. But why are the former military chiefs in Taiwan? And where would India stand in case of a conflict? Lets take a closer look: Why are they in Taiwan? According to Mint, India and Taiwan are seeking to boost strategic cooperation in light of a shared common threat from China. Taro Aso, former Prime Minister of Japan and current member of the House of Representatives and Vice President of the LDP, and Andrus Ansip, former Prime Minister of Estonia, will deliver keynote speeches. The roster of other guests comprises 14 parliamentarians, political figures, scholars, and experts from 12 countries, including Admiral Karambir Singh, Chairman of Indias National Maritime Foundation, Mint quoted a press release from Taiwans foreign ministry as reading. India Today reported that the former military chiefs are set to meet Taiwanese leadership and provide Indias views. According to India Today, New Delhi is looking into what it could do if indeed such a crisis between China and Taiwan were to occur. Leadership is more and more coming around to the view that such a crisis would lead to a bad fallout for India and its economy. Part of leadership is thus of the opinion that Taiwan should be backed against China. The office of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has tasked the services to provide an array of options for New Delhi if China and Taiwan escalate into a full-scale conflict. Where would India stand in case of a China-Taiwan conflict? Thats the question that is yet to be answered. New Delhi currently follows the One China policy. It has not established formal diplomatic relations with Taipei. Sources in the South Block told India Today New Delhi may need to reconsider its One China policy if Washington makes such an ask. Mint reported that India and Taiwan are currently cooperating on, among other things, training programmes for Indian officers. The Print quoted army chief General Manoj Pande in February as warning that China believes in the might is right policy. Pande added that Beijing is seeking to displace Washington as the provider of security around the world. What do experts say? Some have argued that India must prepare for such a crisis. A piece in OROF Online, comparing the current Taiwan-China crisis to the Cold War, warned that New Delhis outlook seems to be based on its hopes rather than concrete policy. A successful Chinese invasion of Taiwan will change the political and military balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. Politically, it would finally extinguish US hegemony in the region, the piece warned. The piece stated that while the US would retreat, Southeast Asia would be left facing the choice of bowing to Chinas wishes or developing nuclear weapons. Most importantly, a victorious Beijing will have no reason to accommodate India. The pressure on Indias borders will ratchet up because of the newfound confidence of Chinas military and leadership, the piece stated. The piece argued that for New Delhi, the military consequences would be far worse than the geopolitical matters. If Beijing conquers Taiwan, Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) assets currently dedicated to the Taiwan theatre will be available to be deployed along its other unsettled border in the Himalayas. The constant refrain among the Indian military thinkers of PLA being untested in battle will vanish, and Indian armed forces will be forced to confront a highly motivated force, the piece stated. A piece in The Times of India in July stated that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan may lead to semiconductors in Taipei being destroyed. Taiwan produces 90 per cent of advanced semiconductor chips used in critical industries and electronic devices globally. TSMC, its flagship semiconductor manufacturer, fabricates 92 per cent of advanced chips for American firms. A Chinese takeover of Taiwan will wipe out $1 trillion every year from the global economy over the next few years and see China railroading the global economy, the piece warned. Others have called on New Delhi to substantially increase its cooperation with Taipei. A piece in The Print in August called for India to develop direct ties with Taiwan, but to try to tamp down on any possible conflict. Greater economic partnership with Taiwan should be followed up by encouraging the domestic manufacturing sector, removing all impediments, liberalising tax laws and strengthening the supply chain mechanism. Economic strength will be a key factor in determining leadership in the emerging world order, the piece argued. According to New Indian Express, Taiwan is set to open its third diplomatic representative in India by the end of this year. Taiwan, which will open an office in Mumbai, already has offices in Delhi and Chennai. In recent years, cooperation between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Republic of India has witnessed significant progress in numerous domains, including economics and trade, science and technology, critical supply chains, culture, education, and traditional medicine. In light of this development, the R.O.C. (Taiwan) government will establish the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in Mumbai in order to further deepen exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quoted as saying in a press release. Taiwan-China tensions continue Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, has repeatedly complained of Chinese military activity near it over the past three years, as Beijing steps up pressure to try to force the island to accept its sovereignty. Taiwans defence ministry said that starting at around 9 am, it detected a total of 25 Chinese aircraft engaging in operations out at sea, including J-10 and J-16 fighters, as well as H-6 bombers. Of those aircraft, the ministry said 10 had either crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides, or entered the southwestern part of Taiwans air defence identification zone, or ADIZ. Those aircraft were acting in coordination with five Chinese warships engaging in combat readiness patrols, it said. Taiwans military dispatched ships and aircraft to keep watch, the ministry said. The ADIZ is a broad area Taiwan monitors and patrols to give its forces more time to respond to threats, and Chinese aircraft have not entered territorial Taiwanese air space. On Sunday, Taiwan reported a similar level of activity by Chinese warplanes and warships near the island. China staged war games around Taiwan in April after President Tsai Ing-wen returned home from a visit to the United States where she met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Last August, it also held war games around Taiwan to protest against a trip to Taipei by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Taiwan Vice President William Lai leaves for the United States this week on his way to Paraguay on what is officially only a transit but which has angered China. It was Chinas priority to stop Lai from visiting the United States, Beijings ambassador to the U.S. said last month. Taiwans democratically elected government rejects Chinas sovereignty claim and says only the islands people can decide their future. India-China face-off All this comes in the backdrop of India forces and Chinas PLA being entrenched in a face-off along the Line of Actual Control for more than three years. Indian and Chinese troops last clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on 9 December. The ties between India and China nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry. Following the eastern Ladakh standoff, the Indian Army significantly bolstered its operational capabilities along the LAC in the eastern theatre. The eastern theatre largely comprises the border areas along the LAC in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and the frontier areas have a number of sensitive forward locations including in the Tawang and North Sikkim sectors. The Army put into place an effective surveillance apparatus and there has been a substantial improvement in overall monitoring of the areas in the last two years, military officials said. In September, Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita said that the Indian Army is continuously monitoring activities of the PLA along the LAC and is well-poised to mitigate any challenges. We are also continuously monitoring the activities along the borders. We are vigilant and observant of each and every development along our borders, he said. India has been maintaining that its relationship with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. India has been ramping up the development of infrastructure along the near 3,500-km LAC following the eastern Ladakh standoff that began on 5 May, 2020. With inputs from agencies Chairman of Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar has accepted the matter regarding the breach of privileges and sent it to Privilege Committee for further consideration against AAP MP Raghav Chadha over allegedly forging the signatures of five MPs in a motion related to the Delhi services bill, sources told ANI. BJP leaders on Tuesday accused AAP MP Raghav Chadha of forgery over a motion moved by him in the Rajya Sabha about a proposed select committee for the Delhi services bill and said his action warrants registration of a criminal case. AAP leaders including Chadhas Rajya Sabha colleague Sanjay Singh hit back at the BJP and alleged that the party was spreading lies. The AAP on Tuesday defended its MP Raghav Chadha after the BJP accused him of forging the signatures of five MPs in a motion related to the Delhi services bill in the Rajya Sabha, alleging that it is an attempt to disqualify him as a member of Parliament. After the deputy chairman read out the names to be included in the proposed select committee, Home Minister Amit Shah informed that five members have complained that their names were included without their signatures in the proposal moved by the AAP leader. He demanded that this issue be investigated. Terming it a breach of privilege of the House, Shah said the matter should be referred to the privileges committee. Then three members, including Sasmit Patra of the BJD, M Thambidurai of the AIADMK and S Phangnon Konyak of the BJP stood up and informed the House that their consent was not taken for the inclusion of their names in the proposed select committee. Parliament on Monday passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which gives the central government control over bureaucrats in the Delhi government. With inputs from agencies. Accusing the Congress of politicising the Manipur violence, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted on Wednesday that the BJP was always ready for dialogue. Speaking to the Lok Sabha during the debate on the vote of no-confidence, Amit Shah added that the violence in Manipur was decreasing and pleaded with the Opposition not to add fuel to the fire. I agree with the Oppositions claim that ethnic clashes have taken place in Manipur. Manipur violence is shameful, politicising it is even more shameful, Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha. I request the Opposition not to put fuel to fire. Rahul Gandhi went to Manipur to do politics. We asked Rahul Gandhi to go to Churachandpur via helicopter, but he opposed and took the road route and then he was stopped by the Manipur Police, he added. The Union Home Minister also accused the Opposition of playing politics on the Manipur issue instead of working towards a solution. From day one, I was ready for the discussion on the Manipur issue, but the Opposition never wanted a discussion. The opposition doesnt want me to speak but they cant silence me. 130 cr people have selected us so they have to listen to usDuring the past six years of our government, the need for curfew never rose, Amit Shah said. The Union Minister cited an April High Court decision that instructed the state administration to consider including the Meitei people on the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list as justification for the violent conflicts. The order only aggravated the situation, Shah said. Author Shantanu Guptas bestseller graphic novel Ajay to Yogi Adityanath embarked on a journey from Uttar Pradesh to Telangana, as he launched the book in Hyderabad amid the presence of over 600 students from different schools. The event took place at the Vishvesvaraya Bhavan, Institution of Engineers, Hyderabad, featuring renowned personalities including badminton ace Saina Nehwal, Rajya Sabha MP Zafar Islam, BJPs national spokesperson Shazia Ilmi, and Chilkur Balaji priest CS Rangarajan. Renowned author Gupta, known for his two bestselling works on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, introduced his latest graphic novel Ajay to Yogi Adityanath to the young audience in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Gupta elaborated that Ajay to Yogi Adityanath traces the journey of a young boy named Ajay Singh Bisht, born in the heartlands of Uttarakhand, amid six siblings. His father, Anand Singh Bisht, served as a junior forest officer, while his mother, Savitri Devi, was a homemaker. Ajays formative years were marked by his care for the familys cows, avid interest in tales of freedom fighters, and active participation in school debates. The family resided in a modest one-and-a-half-room dwelling in the remote village of Panchur, situated in present-day Uttarakhand. This remarkable narrative follows Ajays ascent to become the Mahant of Gorakhnath Mutt, the youngest member of Indias parliament, and ultimately, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the nations most populous state. The author emphasised that Ajay to Yogi Adityanath epitomises a tale of unwavering determination, relentless effort and serves as an inspiration for every student to emulate and draw motivation from. Back in June, this graphic novel saw its launch across 51+ schools in Uttar Pradesh, coinciding with Yogi Adityanaths 51st birthday on 5 June. The author himself graced the occasion at Seth Anandram Jaipuria School in Lucknow, surrounded by a multitude of children, alongside the Education Minister Sandeep Singh and other guests. Simultaneously, an impressive gathering of over 5,100 children unveiled the book in 51+ schools spanning various districts of Uttar Pradesh, setting a record for a book launch in multiple locations simultaneously, particularly with such significant participation of children. This unprecedented event secured a remarkable entry into the Asia Book of Records. The author shared that he skillfully weaved this narrative using the inspirational anecdotes he gathered and meticulously documented during his interactions with a diverse array of individuals who played pivotal roles in Yogi Adityanaths formative years. This ensemble includes his late father, Anand Singh Bisht, his mother Savitri Devi, childhood friends from Panchur village, classmates and mentors from his educational journey in Kotdwar and Rishikesh, as well as fellow saints and leaders whose paths intersected with his. For aficionados of literature, Shantanu elaborated on the comprehensive literary and artistic voyage undertaken by the graphic novel over the past year. Initially, the author created storyboards for each page, leveraging his primary research as a foundation. Accompanying dialogues, he also suggested potential layouts to the artistic team. Subsequently, the trio of artists and designersNitesh Kushwaha, Akash Jaiswal, and Pallavi Saxenaembarked on the journey. Commencing with a rough thumbnailing phase to estimate page layouts, they meticulously crafted pencil artwork, a pivotal stage in the process, followed by inking, panelling, dialogue integration, and the final touch of colours. The team conducted thorough reviews and rigorous feedback iterations for each panel, page, and dialogue, ensuring precision and excellence in every detail. Enhancing the books engagement factor, it boasts an array of puzzles and games centred around Yogi Adityanath at its conclusion. A QR code within the book directs readers to a dedicated website, offering young readers access to a diverse selection of 100+ games and puzzles, thereby fostering a deeper understanding of Yogi Adityanath and the state of Uttar Pradesh. During the Hyderabad launch event, Saina Nehwal, ace shuttler and BJP member since 2020, expressed her admiration for Yogi Adityanaths inspirational journey from a small village boy, Ajay, to a dynamic and efficient chief minister. She drew parallels with her own path to becoming Indias first world number one womens badminton player, underscoring the unwavering support of her family. Saina also revealed her Uttar Pradesh connections, with her father hailing from Ghaziabad and her mother from Meerut. In a video message, Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, Zafar Islam, emphasized how Yogi Adityanaths life story resonated with him, having himself originated from a small town in Jharkhand. BJPs national spokesperson, Shazia Ilmi, engaged the audience by inviting children to read qualities from the book that inspired Yogi Adityanath. Her interactive approach motivated the packed hall to strive diligently towards achieving their aspirations. The head priest of Chilkur Balaji, CS Rangarajan, commended Shantanu for bringing Yogi Adityanaths remarkable and inspiring life to children. He imparted motivational anecdotes from the life of Lord Hanuman and presented a Sita Ram statue from Bhadrachalam. Shantanu led an engaging quiz on Yogi Adityanath and Uttar Pradesh, directly engaging with numerous children. Known for translating his books into various Indian languages, Shantanus dedication to accessibility shone through. Speed artist Amit Verma captivated the audience by swiftly painting Yogi Adityanaths portrait on a life-sized canvas. The event gained significant traction on social media, with enthusiastic enthusiasts actively tweeting about the launch, resulting in the trending hashtag #YogiBookRocksHyderabad across India on Twitter. The event saw an impressive turnout of children from different schools, contributing to its grand success. Having previously authored two bestselling titles on Yogi AdityanathThe Monk Who Became Chief Minister and The Monk Who Transformed Uttar PradeshShantanu Gupta now presents an inspirational graphic novel, Ajay to Yogi Adityanath, tailored for young readers. Prior to the grand launch, Shantanu sought blessings from Brahma Sri Sadhguru Pasarlapati Srinivasa Bangarayya Sharma during the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh launches. The book has already achieved high rankings among bestsellers on Amazon. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In Chhattisgarhs Raipur, a young man carried out a horrifying act by dousing his girlfriend with petrol and setting her ablaze at her workplace. Later he set himself on fire too. While the girl succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday after fighting for nearly 20 days, the accused is still receiving treatment at Ambedkar Hospital in the capital city. As per reports, the incident was triggered by the young womans refusal to marry her boyfriend. The couples prolonged relationship came to a tragic end due to this refusal, leading to the gory incident. Sources reveal that Purvi Jha, a 21-year-old resident of Khamtarai locality, was in a relationship with Jeevan Lal Dubey, 24. The situation took a dire turn when Jeevan Lal proposed marriage to Purvi. She reportedly was not receptive to the idea of marriage, resulting in frequent fights between the two. On the fateful day of July 20, the young woman was in her office, a security agency located in Transport Nagar, Birgaon. According to reports, her boyfriend walked into her office, sparking another heated argument centered around their differing views on marriage. The situation escalated dramatically when the young man splashed petrol, which he had brought along, onto the woman before igniting the fire. Witnesses to the horrifying incident saw the young woman engulfed in flames, prompting the distraught man to also set himself ablaze. Prompt responses from individuals in the vicinity led to both the young woman and her boyfriend being rushed to the hospital. The extent of the young womans burns was severe, accounting for 70 percent of her body, while her boyfriend suffered burns covering approximately 30 percent of his body. Both victims were admitted to the Ambedkar Hospital for immediate medical attention. While Purvi passed away during the course of treatment on Tuesday, Jeevan is still recuperating. After Purvis death, the cops promptly registered a case against Jeevan under relevant IPC sections. He worked as a driver, cops said. \ The Gyanvapi management committee has filed a plea in a court here seeking a ban on the media coverage of the survey to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple. The matter is expected to be heard later in the day. In July, a Varanasi court had directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple here. This was upheld by the Allahabad High Court and later by the Supreme Court. The survey of the mosque complex began on August 4 following court orders. Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee joint secretary Syed Mohammad Yasin said the archaeological survey work is being done on the Gyanvapi mosques premises on orders of the court. No statement has been given so far by the survey team or any of its officials, but newspapers and channels and on social media misleading news is being run continuously, he claimed. Yasin said that this will have a wrong effect on the peoples minds and that such news items should be stopped from being published. For this, we gave an application in the court of District Judge AK Vishvesha on Tuesday, which is expected to be heard on Wednesday, he said. Amid the ongoing survey in the mosque, last Sunday, Yasin said the kind of baseless things being spread, if they are not stopped, then the Muslim side can boycott the survey. Yasin had alleged that during the survey on Saturday, a section of the media spread rumours that idols, tridents and urns were found in the basement of the mosque, hurting the sentiments of the Muslim community. He had said that if such antics are not curbed, then the Muslim side may boycott the survey. A Delhi court has acquitted a man of the charge of rape on the ground that the prosecutrix (a female complainant) was his legal wife. The offence of rape is not made out in the present case as the accused and the prosecutrix were lawfully married, the court said, underlining that a perfectly legally valid marriage comes into being upon the completion of saat phere. Section 7 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1956 that explains the ceremonies for a Hindu wedding, states that the marriage becomes complete and binding after the bride and groom together take the seventh step before the sacred fire. Additional Sessions Judge Jagmohan Singh was hearing a case against the accused who has been charged under sections 376 (rape) 493 (cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage), 420 (cheating) and 380 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court noted the statement of prosecutrix that her marriage was solemnised with the accused on 21 July, 2014, at a temple after taking seven rounds (saat phere) around the ceremonial fire in the presence of a priest. As both the prosecutrix and the accused belonged to the Hindu religion and as they had performed the Saptpadi ceremony at the time of their marriage, a legally valid marriage came into being between them as soon as the seventh round/step around the holy fire was completed, the court said. Regarding the prosecutrixs grievance that a marriage certificate was not provided as the accused failed to provide his identity proof, the court said she was carrying a mistaken impression that the marriage was invalid unless a certificate was issued by the temple authorities. It said, In the present case, as the Saptpadi ceremony was complete, non-issuance of so-called marriage registration certificate by the temple authorities was of no legal consequence. (So) charge under Section 493 of the also does not sustain against the accused, the court added. It also acquitted the accused from the charges of cheating and theft, noting the vague nature of the prosecutrixs statements and the absence of corroborating evidence. The prosecution has failed to prove any of the charges against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt. Accordingly, the accused is hereby acquitted of all the charged offences, the court said. The South Rohini police station registered an FIR against the accused in 2015. Charges were framed against him in July 2016. With inputs from PTI Auto refresh feeds Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, while addressing the Parliament stated that he is going continue the Bharat Jodo yatra further. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, "A few days back, I went to Manipur. Our PM didn't go, not even to this day, because for him Manipur is not India." pic.twitter.com/JjVw8FaLgE "Manipur is an integral part of the country. It was never divided and will never be divided," says @Union minister @smritiirani in Lok Sabha. #NoConfidenceMotion pic.twitter.com/IMZMTNrQPY Only a misogynistic man can give a flying kiss to female parliamentarians. His this action very well represent Rahul's thought and respect towards women, Smriti Irani said on Wednesday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will speak on #NoConfidenceMotion in Lok Sabha at around 5 pm today: Sources (file photo) pic.twitter.com/jpfP0LbZHW Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The spacecraft successfully underwent a planned orbit reduction maneuver. The retrofiring of engines brought it closer to the Moon's surface, now to 170 km x 4313 km. The next operation to further reduce the orbit is scheduled for August 9, 2023, between pic.twitter.com/e17kql5p4c Four people, including a couple, were killed in two separate road accidents in Shimla when trucks laden with apples overturned and fell on their vehicles, police said on Wednesday. The Delhi Legislative Assembly has been convened next week on August 16 to resume the third part of the fourth session. The Delhi Assembly will assemble for the first time since the bill to replace the ordinance on control of services in the national capital has been passed in both houses of Parliament. The National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which was passed by the Lok Sabha last week, replaces an ordinance promulgated by the Centre for handling the transfers and postings of officials in the Delhi government. Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday claimed it arrested a terror associate of The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of proscribed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba during a checking in Kehnusa village of Bandipora district. The development comes on the heels of the Jammu and Kashmir Police arresting three terror associates of the banned outfit from Srinagar, who, the police said, were planning to carry out terrorist activities in the city. Acting on a tip-off, Bandipora police said it started naka checking at Kehnusa village on Monday and apprehended the terror associate. Upon further frisking, police said it recovered one hand grenade from his possession. Bandipora police arrested one terror associate of the TRF outfit yesterday along with one hand grenade during naka checking at Kehnusa Bandipora, Bandipora Police said in a statement. Following the incident, an FIR was filed at the Bandipora police station. After the earlier arrests in Srinagar, the police had informed through a statement that the trio was planning to carry out terrorist activities. Police said they recovered 3 hand grenades, 10 pistol rounds, 25 AK-47 rounds and other incriminating materials from the accused. The arrests were made by a team of Srinagar Police. The arrested terrorists were identified as Imran Ahmad Najar, a resident of Bulbul Bagh, Baramulla; Waseem Ahmad Matta, a resident of Qamarwari, Srinagar; and Wakeel Ahmad Bhat from Pazalpora, Bijbehara. A small team of Srinagar Police arrested three terrorist associates linked with proscribed terror outfit TRF, an offshoot of proscribed terror outfit LeT in Natipora area of Srinagar, the police had said. Acting on a tip-off, a team of Srinagar police put up a checkpoint at Hannibal Natipora and arrested the trio, the statement informed further. Wakeel Ahmad Bhat was earlier an active terrorist linked with the proscribed terrorist outfit Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK) and was lodged in jail for two years before being released from Central Jail on bail, police said. In a case shedding light on the misuse of laws, the Karnataka High Court has dismissed two criminal cases against a man from Bengaluru. The cases were brought by a woman who alleged rape on the pretext of marriage against the man with whom she was in a relationship for six years. The court emphasized that the accused and the complainant were engaged in a consensual physical and sexual relationship for a prolonged period and hence it cannot deemed sex The connection between them began on a social media platform and continued intimately for six years, culminating on December 27, 2019. The court underlined that the gradual decrease in intimacy over time does not transform consensual sex into rape. Justice M Nagaprasanna stated firmly that the acts had been consensual from the beginning until December 27, 2019. Consequently, the court quashed the proceedings related to the First Information Reports (FIRs) lodged against the accused in 2021, one at the Indiranagar police station in Bengaluru and the other at the womens police station in Davanagere. Justice Nagaprasanna reasoned that given the extensive duration of the sexual relationship spanning six years, it cannot be construed as rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code. The court referred to several Supreme Court judgments, including the case of Pramod Suryabhan Pawar vs. State of Maharashtra. The petitioner initially connected with the complainant on Facebook in 2013. The woman alleged that he had lured her to his residence under the pretext of showcasing his culinary skills, as he lived nearby. Subsequently, she claimed that they engaged in intimate acts while consuming beer during her visits. The petitioner, who had promised marriage, ended the relationship after six years of physical intimacy. On March 8, 2021, the complainant filed a complaint with the Indiranagar police, alleging offenses like cheating and criminal intimidation. Following the accuseds release on bail, the complainant lodged a separate complaint in Davanagere, accusing him of assault and rape. Notably, another woman was implicated alongside the petitioner in this second complaint. Chargesheets were filed by the police in both instances. The petitioner and the co-accused woman contested the proceedings, asserting that the complainant had a history of befriending affluent individuals, extracting money from them, and leveraging false accusations for blackmail. Furthermore, the petitioner highlighted a previous case in which the complainant had similarly accused a man of breach of promise of marriage and rape. In that instance, the woman ultimately withdrew her statement, leading to the mans acquittal in 2016. The ruling Left government in Kerala will move a resolution in the assembly today, urging the central government to rename the state as Keralam. According to the House agenda for August 9 uploaded on the state assemblys website, the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will move the resolution in this regard. The government wants the state to be renamed as Keralam in the Constitution and all the official records. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is working nonstop to expose the terrorist-gangster-smuggler-criminal nexus and international and domestic criminal syndicates, filed two separate supplementary charge sheets against several prominent members of the dreaded Lawrence Bishnoi and Bambiha gangs on Wednesday. Seven network fugitives, including infamous listed terrorist Arshdeep Dala of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), who was charged by the NIA on July 22, were declared Proclaimed Offenders (POs) by a special court. Among the three Bishnoi gang members named in the NIAs chargesheet is Lakhbir Singh alias Landa, a significant member of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), a terrorist organisation that is outlawed. Nine members of the notorious Bambiha gang are accused by the NIA. With this, the total number of defendants who have been charged thus far in these two cases that were recorded on August 26, 2022 by the NIA has increased to 38. The NIA had previously filed two charge sheets on March 21, 2023 and March 24, 2023 against 12 accused of the Bambiha terror-gang-syndicate and 14 accused of the Bishnoi terror-gangster-smuggler network. In the Lawrence Bishnoi gang case, the NIA filed an additional charge sheet against Landa as well as two other fugitives, Dalip Kumar Bishnoi alias Bhola and Surendra Singh alias Chiku. Landa is a wanted criminal who has ties to Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar, and Harwinder Singh alias Rinda. He has been working with the Syndicate of Terrorist Criminals out of Canada. While residing in Canada, he was actively involved in the planning, financing, and carrying out of several high-profile assassinations of professionals and members of the social, religious, and political spheres. The RPG attack on the Punjab Police State Intelligence HQs at Mohali and the RPG strike on the Sarhali Police Station, Tarn Taran, Punjab last year were carried out with the assistance of Rinda, a BKI terrorist with active ties to Pakistan. Landa provided the necessary weapons, money, and logistical support. Close friends of the defendants named in the criminal complaint, Lawrence Bishnoi, Kala Jatheri, and their collaborators Anil Chippi and Naresh Sethi, are Dalip Kumar alias Bhola and Surendra Singh alias Chiku. They engage in the trafficking of drugs and weapons and help the Lawrence Bishnoi terror network financially and logistically. All three have been accused of engaging in a criminal conspiracy to carry out large-scale extortion, threats, and intimidation as well as targeted killings of well-known and influential social and religious leaders, physicians, businesspeople, and professionals. Landa is in touch with pro-Khalistani individuals based in Canada, Nepal, and other nations in addition to having connections with the heads of terrorist organisations and conspirators in Pakistan. In what could be the best example to understand the impact of education going online in the wake of COVID pandemic, as many as 1700 undergraduate and major students of Raipurs Pt. Ravi Shankar University scored zero in the first offline exams held in years. As per reports, the semester exams were held in as many as 150 colleges affiliated with the University. In which, 150,000 students appeared, for the first time in three years. As the results begin to emerge, both the University administration and the colleges find themselves astonished by what they behold. Remarkably, this time around, a staggering 1700 candidates have secured a score of zero in at least one subject. The reason behind this lies in the peculiar responses some students provided on their answer sheets, prompting the examiners to allocate zero marks. Bizarre Answers For example, a graduate student erroneously claimed that Mahatma Gandhi partook in the 1857 mutiny, despite being born in 1869. Another wrote in his Auditing paper that he does not wish to write the exam because he recently broke up with his girlfriend. Then he wrote the entire story of his break-up. In another instance, when asked for the scientific name of tea in the Botany paper, a student wrote that there are three types of tea one with milk, another being black tea, and the third being green tea. A B.Com student went on to threaten the professor saying, It will be beneficial for you if I pass this exam, otherwise you will face consequences. A first-year BA Political Science student composed an entire song about the Constitutions features. Professors of Ravi University expressed their surprise at the unusually high number of students receiving zero marks. They attribute this phenomenon to the fact that during the pandemic-induced lockdown, students were able to complete their answer sheets at leisure, resulting in high scores. This year, however, the situation changed as they were called upon to write their annual assessment papers in front of the invigilators. The maximum number of students who failed were enrolled in undergraduate courses such as BA, BCom, BSc, and BCA. Course-wise analysis of results revealed that students enrolled in Bachelor of Arts received maximum zeroes 379 followed by 312 in MA political Science, 285 in BCA, 202 in MA (English), 195 in MA (Mathematics), 126 in Bachelor of Applied Sciences, 86 in B.Com, 85 in MA (Sanskrit) and the list goes on. The postgraduate level also witnessed a considerable rate of failure. This stands in stark contrast to the previous years online examination results, where 95 percent of both undergraduate and postgraduate students passed, with many achieving first division distinctions. In response to these results, one professor was quoted in a local report stating that the students proficiency in written expression has conspicuously declined. This decline extends beyond mere writing, with instances of students either misconstruing questions or providing incomplete responses. Some even resorted to composing fictional narratives or leaving answer sheets blank, he said, adding that most of the professors like him were left with no option but to give them a zero. Dr. Shailendra Patel, the Registrar of the University responded by saying the annual results this year has been very bad as hundreds of students have scored zero. He added that some students are complaining that they were given zero despite writing the paper well. A random re-checking of copies are being ensured to check if there were any discrepancies in the evaluation. A week after communal clashes wreaked havoc in Haryanas Nuh district, the panchayats of several villages including Mahendergarh, Rewari and Jhajjar districts have written letters seeking a ban on Muslim traders from conducting business in the area. The letters, reportedly written and signed by some of the sarpanches of these villages, mention the violence that erupted in Nuh on July 31. The letter also says that Muslims living must submit their documents to the police. District authorities said they have taken note of the letters online and are investigating the matter. The letters, containing identical content, said that over 50 panchayats have decided not to give permission to the Muslim community and miscreants to conduct any business. It specifies hawkers, cattle traders and those seeking alms. According to a report by India Today, a few members of the panchayat in Hisar said, We are giving a two-day ultimatum to all the shops to fire their Muslim employees or we will boycott them. Kapil Sibal files plea in SC Senior advocate Kapil Sibal has filed a plea in Supreme Court over the alleged blatant hate speeches that have called to kill Muslims and boycott them socially and economically. There is a very serious thing that has happened in Gurugram where there is a call.that if you employ these people (Muslims) in shops, you will all be gaddars (traitors), Sibal said as he mentioned the plea before Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. Haryana Dy CM admits lapses Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has admitted to lapses made by Nuhs local administration, saying that authorities could have assessed the situation better. There was a lack of assessment not only by the administration but also on the part of organisers who could not properly assess this entire episode properly, said Chautala. The officials who gave the go ahead (for the yatra) too could not assess it properly. It is a point which is under investigation, he added. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that Tahawwur Rana, an accused of the 26/11 Mumbai attack will face the Indian judiciary soon. While speaking in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday during the debate on No-Confidence-motion moved by the Opposition, Amit Shah highlighted the measures taken by the Modi government to curb terrorism and Naxalism. We banned PFI in the country and conducted raids at over 90 locations in the country. Cases regarding attacks on our missions in London, Ottawa and San Francisco were handed over to NIA (National Investigation Agency). 26/11 Tahawwur Hussain Rana will also soon face the judiciary in India, Shah said. Rana was arrested in the US on an extradition request by India for his role in the Mumbai attacks in which 10 Pakistani terrorists laid a more than 60-hour siege, attacking and killing over 160 people, including six Americans, at iconic and vital locations in Mumbai. Indian authorities allege that Rana conspired with his childhood friend David Coleman Headley to assist the Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba in the orchestration of the terror attacks. Headley and Rana attended military training in Pakistan together. Ranas immigration law centre in Chicago, as well as a satellite office in Mumbai, was allegedly used as a front for their terrorism activities between 2006 and 2008, prosecutors say. Headley, the master plotter of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, had pleaded guilty and testified against Rana. Rana is fighting extradition by claiming double jeopardy because he was acquitted of Mumbai massacre charges in a Chicago federal courtroom. Rana is arguing that he has already been acquitted of the charges he would face overseas. However, Shah further said that terrorism was eradicated from Jammu and Kashmir after Prime Minister Narendra Modi formed a government at the Centre. In the view of internal security, there used to be three hotspots- Kashmir, the region of Naxals and Northeast and it continued to be the same for years. We changed our policies towards Kashmir in 2014. From 2014 to 19, Rajnath Singhji was Home Minister, and after that, I became Home Minister. We eradicated terrorism in the region, Shah said. Naxals limited to only 3 districts in Chhattisgarh now, he added. Hitting out at the previous government at Centre, Shah said that the UPA government was there from 2004 to 2014 and terrorists would just enter across the border and cut our soldiers heads off, no one did anything about it. He further said, We will talk to the youth of Kashmir valley, not Hurriyat, Jamiat and Pakistan. Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been named in two FIRs related to attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy in connection with the violence that took place during his tour of the state last week. Nearly 20 policemen and several workers of Naidus Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the ruling YSR Congress Party were injured after clashes broke out between members of the two political parties on August 4. In a strong statement after the violence, the TDP chief had said, If you come with sticks. Ill come with sticks too, if you declare war, lll declare war too. Every drop of blood of my workers that is shed is like my blood being shed. Why are you resorting to such violence? The large-scale violence had taken place in the Annamayya and Chittoor districts and disturbing visuals had shown several vehicles, including a police bus and armoured vehicles, being set on fire The police have now filed 12 FIRs and arrested 87 people. Five FIRs are related to the violence in the Annamayya district, in which 57 people have been named and 15 have been arrested. The TDP chief has been named in two of the FIRs. The sections mentioned in the two FIRs include those related to criminal conspiracy and intimidation, attempt to murder, rioting and unlawful assembly. Seven FIRs, naming 245 people, have been filed after the clash in Chittoor district and 72 arrests have been made. Naidu has been carrying out a yatra in the state as part of his outreach ahead of Assembly elections in the state next year. The violence had broken out after the TDP chief had made scathing remarks against Thamballapalle MLA PD Reddy of the YSRCP and allegedly called him Ravana. Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said that Article 370 will not be reinstated in Jammu and Kashmir nor will those who threaten Kashmiri Pandits with Ralib Galib Chalib be spared. Addressing the Lok Sabha during the no-confidence dabate, she said, It was mentioned in the House today that he (Rahul Gandhi) undertook a Yatra and gave assurance that they will reinstate Article 370 if it is up to themI would like to tell the person who has run away from the House that neither will Article 370 be reinstated in the country nor will those who threaten Kashmiri Pandits with Ralib Galib Chalib be spared. #WATCH | Union Minister and BJP MP Smriti Irani says, It was mentioned in the House today that he (Rahul Gandhi) undertook a Yatra and gave assurance that they will reinstate Article 370 if it is upto themI would like to tell the person who has run away from the House that https://t.co/amWTLGBhF6 pic.twitter.com/W9FLRxqKmn ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 She also attacked the Opposition saying that the I.N.D.I.A alliance is not India, for India is not corrupt. You are not India, for India is not corrupt. India believes in merit not in dynasty today of all the days people like you need to remember what was told to the British Quit India. Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India. Merit now finds place in India, she said. Responding to Rahul Gandhis remarks that Manipur has broken into two parts, she said that the state is not divided and it is an integral part of India. Manipur is an integral part of India. Khandit na tha, na hai aur na kabhi hoga, said Irani. Condemning the aggressive behaviour of Rahul Gandhi during the no-confidence debate, she said that it was a pity that Congress leaders were clapping when someone (referring to Rahul Gandhi) was speaking about murder of Bharat Maa. I condemn the aggressive behaviour seen today (referring to Rahul Gandhis speech in the House). For the first time in the history of nation, someone spoke about the murder of Bharat Maa and Congress kept on clapping, said the BJP MP. Speaking in the Lok Sabha earlier, Rahul Gandhi said that the BJP-led Centre has killed India in Manipur. They killed India in Manipur. Not just Manipur but they killed India. Their politics has not killed Manipur, but it has killed India in Manipur. They have murdered India in Manipur, said the Congress MP. With inputs from agencies As a child, I remember vividly a visit to the opium factory in Ghazipur, near Varanasi, which was set up in 1820 by the East India Company, and is the largest such facility in the world. A curious sight awaited me just outside the factory. A bunch of monkeys sat all around, in a state of stupor, oblivious to the world. I was told that these monkeys regularly drink the water that comes out as effluent from the factory. This water has traces of opium. Over time, they become addicts and remain permanently in a drugged condition. What can happen to monkeys can happen to human beings too. If we consume for long periods of time certain kinds of narratives, we can become addicted to them, even against our will. I sometimes worry that this is precisely what is happening in India. There are five opiates which we are consuming daily. Perhaps the most lethal is religious divisiveness. Whether because of resentments at earlier minority vote bank politics, or the transparent pursuit of a Hindu majoritarian agenda, the pernicious consequence is increasing hate, intolerance, violence, exclusion, resentment and social disharmony. Most recently in Nuh, Haryana, we had communal riots, which spread like wildfire and singed Gurugram, the millennium city, where almost every Fortune 500 company has an office. Both communities accuse each other, but such incidents of violence and hate take place in some form or the other almost daily in some parts of the country, and extremists in all religious communities are having a field day. We have, like any drug addict, become dependent on this ceaseless narrative. If there is no news on this front, we feel withdrawal symptoms. A second opiate is the culture of freebies, or as Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls them, revdis. Of course, one persons revdi is another persons welfarism. All governments, at the State or the Centre, promote freebies, because a very large number of the poor and vulnerable need help, and also because their vote is important. However, we have now reached a stage of competitive freebie campaigns, where the goal is to outdo the political opponent even if the treasury goes bankrupt. The beneficiaries have become addicts to this largesse, without realising that the real problems for their deprivation are not being tackled. When solutions are not found, opiates help, as painkillers, not remedies. A third opiate which has our society and polity in its stranglehold is the continued demand for quotas. Every segment of our society is now vying for them. Affirmative action, through reservations for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) is necessary and is part of the Constitution. Now, Other Backward Classes have also been included. But every community not included wants to also benefit from quotas, including the forward castes on an economic criterion. Quota politics, instead of radically increased opportunities for all, has drugged us. A fourth opiate coursing through the veins of our society is social media. People are addicted to the content put on it, without verifying its truth, and fake news abounds. At one level, social media has led to the democratisation of communications; but at another, it has given license to all and sundry to use the medium for abuse, violence, religious provocation and threats. The more vicious the acrimony the more people seem to enjoy it. We are prisoners of the phone we hold in our hands. A fifth opiate is the acceptance by most people of bulldozer justice. In a country where the rule of law should prevail in accordance with the Constitution, the condemnable and illegal resort to summary punishment as an act of primitive retribution is being cheered by people, whose reaction is exactly like addicts immune to the voice of reason. Most recently, after the bulldozer demolitions in Nuh and other parts of Haryana, the states high court took suo motu cognisance of the situation and thundered: Apparently, without any demolition orders and notices, the law-and-order problem is being used as a ruse to bring down buildings without following the procedure established by law. The issue also arises whether the buildings belonging to a particular community are being brought down under the guise of law-and-order problem and an exercise of ethnic cleansing in being conducted by the State. However, most people seem to endorse this lawless vandalization, drugged by this misuse of power. Last, but not least, is the opiate of a new addiction to censorship. Somebody or the others feelings are perpetually hurt by what is shown in films, books, exhibitions, and other creative formats. The attempt to enforce conformity of views, in a diverse country, where differences of opinion are a democratic right, has become rampant because some think it is their ordained right to decide what people should eat, drink, watch, read, wear, and behave. One of the oldest civilisations of the world, which was known for its profound belief in freedom of expression and belief, is now addicted to this new milieu of arbitrary impositions. Like monkeys at the opium factory, we too have become a society of addicts to certain narratives, which if sober we would have resisted and fought against, but have now accepted as the new normal. The writer is a former diplomat, an author and a politician. 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. Greenpeace has been given the cold shoulder by the British government after its stunt of covering Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks country home at Kirby Sigston with black cloth to protest against further drilling for oil in the North Sea. But the eco-warriors have actually done the British a favour, although the government appears to be unwilling or unable to recognise it. How else would they have realised how vulnerable their top leaders are in terms of security? Given his much-envied millions, it is almost certain that Sunak has installed a state-of-the-art alarm system, if not on the estate perimeter then at least on the house itself. Yet, the protesters were reportedly on the propertyon top of the house toofor nearly six hours before the police evicted them. Strangely, the first alarm from the estate was raised at 8am, two hours after the protesters arrived. And then it took another four hours for anyone to act on the alarm. Those people may have been just agitated do-gooders but what if they had been terrorists? In six hours, they could have not only booby-trapped the house, but they could also have planted poisonous substances, landmines etc. There should have been heads rolling publicly, after this astounding security breach; yet there is a curious silence. Almost as if they are wilfully downplaying the seriousness to save their skins, or worse still, indicating they are okay with this. More bizarrely, after this assault on the home of their prime minister, instead of being ashamed of their ineptness and dereliction of duty, the Assistant Chief Constable Elliot Foskett of North Yorkshire Police tried to deflect by saying: There was no threat to the wider public throughout this incident which has now been brought to a safe conclusion. The public was not in danger, so was it acceptable? Indians would justifiably cackle at this ridiculous pronouncement. The Sunaks may not have been in residence at the time but that is no excuse for the security personnel to slack off. It would not be farfetched to speculate that malevolent organisations of all kinds will note with satisfaction that the British security force remains unwilling to own up or face up to the reality of our times. And that could be reason enough for them to plan accordingly. Their target need not even be this PM; lax VIP security puts targets on many backs. In July 1982, a man climbed up a drainpipe to enter Buckingham Palace and wandered around for 30 minutes, ate and drank whatever he found and left. This even though three alarms went off and security was alerted by a staffer. A few days later, he again scaled the palaces 14-ft-high boundary wall, went up a drainpipe to enter and reached the bedroom of Queen Elizabeth II. An alarm went off again but the security staff decided it was faulty and ignored it. No one came even after the Queen called the switchboard for police help and also rang her bedside alarm bell. Only when she got hold of a staffer in the corridor and told her to get security, did two policemen finally arrive. It seems the intruder got in when one of her security detail left after his duty hours ended but before his replacement arrived to take over. Sounds like a Keystone Cops movie, except that it was all too real. How long can security depend on good luck? There was inquiry into how this was allowed to happen, and a report did criticise the (in)action of the security detail on those days and the haphazard command system. The Home Secretary of that time offered to resign too, but that was not accepted by the then PM. He was not directly responsible anyway. But what of those who failed to do their jobs? Evidently no lessons were learnt about VIP protection or maybe UKs security services forgot them by 2023. Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own security guards within the compound of the prime ministers house and office complex just two years after the intrusions at Buckingham Palace. Unlike the British establishment, India did not forget the gruesome lessons learnt about VIP security lapses in October 1984, particularly since officials had taken many steps to keep the PM safe but, tragically, had not foreseen that her own close security staff would turn on her. There is no doubt in any Indians minds that those in charge of the prime ministers security since that tragedy constantly reassess threats to their principal protectee and take appropriate action. No place frequented by serving Indian prime ministers and their close relatives are left unprotected. That the Supreme Court appointed a panel to probe why the prime ministers motorcade was stopped in Punjab for 20 minutes in 2022 is proof of how seriously security is taken by the Indian establishment. The worst terror attacks are almost always unforeseen but not entirely unexpected. Consider what happened in the US on 11 September (9/11) 2001. According to the final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, The 9/11 attacks were a shock, but they should not have come as a surprise. Islamist extremists had given plenty of warning that they meant to kill Americans indiscriminately and in large numbers. It is wise to reconsider today the warning signals that the report listed. In February 1993, Ramzi Yousef and accomplices hit World Trade Centre with a truck bomb but arrests foiled simultaneous attacks on other New York landmarks. In 1995, Manilas police uncovered a plot by Yousef to blow up a dozen US airliners over the Pacific. There were more attacks on US citizens in 1995, as well as 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. Antennae went up but 9/11 happened anyway. As for Mumbais 26/11 attacks in 2008, hotelier Rattan Keswani recounted in a recent memoir that a security professional hired by the company to plug loopholes as intelligence had indicated possibility of terror activity had eerily said short of terrorists landing in boats and entering the hotel all guns blazing, every possible precaution had been taken. Pakistani masterminds may have decided on their Mission: Impossible-type plan precisely because of its improbability. Of course todays Britain is not as big a hate figure as the US anymore but that does not mean its senior leaders are safe from terrorists or plain criminals. Much is made of the prowess of MI5 and MI6, bolstered by movies and serials, but villains go by everyday examples of botched security measures and make their plans. By allowing Greenpeace activists to invade their PMs house, the British establishment has let inimical elements deduce its weaknesses. The British public, political class and media are also partly to blame for this police lethargy because of their constant carping about Sunaks millions. They are so scathing about what use taxpayer money is being put to, that even legitimate spending is denounced as excessive and unnecessary. Hence their silly opposition to Prince Harrywho remains a royal, whether working or not, and therefore a targetgetting official security even if only when in the UK. They forget that the state has a responsibility to guard all its citizens regardless of their financial status, and PMs certainly qualify for extra care given that their official decisions often make them targets of more sinister entities than just Greenpeace type activists. Even if Sunak has installed the worlds best security systems in that house, the police should not have slacked off. Britain cannot wait for a tragedy to happen before acting to prevent more in the future. The author is a freelance writer. 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. On 5 Aug this year, Pakistan marked the fourth anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 as Youm-e-Istehsal (Day of Exploitation), with messages of support to the Kashmiri cause coming from the president, prime minister, foreign minister and its army media cell. They even held a few fake rallies in Islamabad and across POK, criticizing India and demanding a rollback of Article 370. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted, Pakistan vows to continue extending its unwavering diplomatic, moral and political support to Kashmiris in their just struggle. We call upon India to reverse its post-August 5 actions. Meanwhile, in Kashmir, life was normal with no shutdowns or protests. Political leaders were placed under house arrest and their offices closed to prevent instigation of violence. A few days prior, speaking in Islamabad, Shehbaz Sharif mentioned, (Pakistan is) prepared to talk to them (India), provided that the neighbour (India) is serious to talk (on) serious matters because war is no more an option. He added, It is equally important that our neighbour understands that we cannot become normal neighbours unless abnormalities are removed. There was no mention of reversing article 370 as a pre-condition in this offer. This is the second time that Shehbaz has offered talks in a similar fashion this year. The first was during an interview to Dubai based news channel, Al Arabiya, in January. The Indian spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, responded, an environment free of terror and hostility is imperative for any engagement. Indias consistent stand on Pakistan has been that talks and terrorism cannot go hand in hand. Shehbaz and Bilawal Bhutto, in different sessions of the recently concluded SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) summit, accused India of weaponizing terrorism for diplomatic point scoring. India has raised cross-border terrorism in every global forum and bilateral meet. Post the Indian response, Pakistans ambassador to the US, as also the former president of Azad Kashmir, Masood Khan, said, There should be some resonance of reciprocity from New Delhi as well. It takes two to tango. It cant be a monologue. It needs to be a dialogue. He also alluded that Pakistans offer has US backing, referring to comments by Matthew Miller. In his media briefing, the US Department of State spokesperson, Matthew Miller, was asked for US views on Shehbazs proposal for talks. He responded, we support direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on issues of concern. That has long been our position. This was construed by Pakistan that the US backs talks, whereas, the US had only clarified that all Indo-Pak issues are bilateral and it will not interfere. The LOC remains silent since the ceasefire agreement of Feb 2021. Infiltration attempts continue, though at reduced levels. Nityanand Rai, the Union Minister of State for Home, announced in Parliament, that there has been no successful infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir till June end this year. However, Pakistans attempts at narco-terrorism are proving successful. Drug addiction cases continue to rise in Jammu and Kashmir, parliamentary figures mention 13.5 lakh, while numbers joining militancy, reduce. Reports state that only seven youth joined militant ranks this year, of which five have already been eliminated. The governments counter-radicalisation strategy is proving successful. In desperation, Pakistan is attempting to resurrect the Khalistan bogey. It is trying to destabilise Punjab, while Jammu and Kashmir stabilises. Its drones have been dropping drugs and small arms in Punjab, while it backs the movement across the world. For India this is another red line. Pakistans current governments tenure concludes this week and a caretaker prime minister will assume charge. The caretaker prime minister is only responsible for supervising elections, with no powers for global negotiations. India is also moving into the election mode with elections scheduled early next year. Thus, there is no room for talks till new governments emerge in both capitals. In such a scenario, why did Shehbaz raise the subject? One view is that it could be an election gimmick, implying that the ruling Pakistan dispensation will seek votes on the promise to resolve Kashmir with India. A second view is that he is setting policy for the next Pakistan government. It could also be intended that deteriorated India-Pakistan relations will be exploited by the Indian opposition by accusing the BJP of failing to improve India-Pakistan ties. Statements of the Delhi leadership being responsible for the Pulwama attack continue making rounds. It is also likely that the Pakistan Army is behind the talks offer mainly due to Pakistans failing economic and security scenario. Currently, despite an IMF bailout, Pakistan is caught in a vicious cycle of borrowing to repay loans falling due. It has placed its national assets, including air and sea ports, on the market, to raise funds. The scenario is unlikely to change in the near to mid-term. Pakistans security scenario is also deteriorating. The TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) and Baloch freedom fighters alongside the ISKP (Islamic StateKhorasan Province) are active in Pakistans western provinces. Daily attacks on Pakistani posts as also suicide bombings are threatening Pakistans integrity. The army is unable to bring the situation under control, mainly because of support provided by Afghanistans Taliban led government. The Taliban are also refusing to accept the Durand Line. In reality, it is Pakistan which is facing a two and a half front threat. Hence, Pakistan would prefer peace with India, while it concentrates on its western borders. Finally, Pakistan is accepting realities of changing global dynamics. Pakistan is no longer a frontline state. It is viewed suspiciously by the west as it remains a close Chinese ally. It cannot dump China as Beijing holds most of its loans. Simultaneously, the west needs India to challenge China and hence would gladly dump Pakistan. Pakistans frustration was evident when Hina Rabbani, their deputy foreign minister stated, India has decided to be the darling of the West, but at the same time, it is very belligerent to countries within its region. Currently, India is the global rising star. Every nation seeks collaboration and cooperation with India. Indias economy is ten times that of Pakistan, with 28 states/Union Territories richer than Pakistan. The best way to keep Pakistan on the leash is to ignore it, while continuously threatening to regain POK and Gilgit Baltistan by military means. This is exactly what the defence minister and his colleagues have been doing in the recent past. Hence, India can ignore Pakistan, while Islamabad cannot ignore New Delhi. Shehbaz not mentioning reinstatement of Article 370 in his offer is a change in approach though he raised it subsequently in his Youm-e-Istehsal address. Thus far, Pakistan had insisted that talks can only be held once the article is reinstated. If Shehbaz was serious in his offer, then he should have announced recommencing trade with India as also proposed re-appointing High Commissioners. The Pakistan leadership only suggesting but not addressing Indian concerns implies it is waiting for India to blink first, which India will not do. If Pakistan is serious, it must display sincerity in its actions, not just in words. Till then, India will wait and watch. The author is a former Indian Army officer, strategic analyst and columnist. 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. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday spoke on no-confidence motion debate in the Lok Sabha and began his remarks by thanking the House Speaker Om Birla for reinstating his membership. Speaker Sir, first of all, I would like to thank you for reinstating me as an MP of the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said. When I spoke the last time, perhaps I caused you trouble because I focused on Adani maybe your senior leader was pained That pain might have had an impact on you as well. I apologise to you for that. But I spoke the truth. Today, my friends in BJP need not be scared because my speech today is not on Adani, the Congress MP said. 'Not aware why I started the Yatra' During his statement, Gandhi said that people used to ask him why he starte the Bharat Jodo Yatra, "I was not even aware why I started the Yatra," the Lok Sabha MP from Kerala's Wayand said. "I realised that I started the Yatra to understand the country," he added. He further said the journey has not ended yet and it is still on the run. Initially, Gandhi chose not to touch upon the issue for which no-confidence motion was moved in the Parliament. A few minutes after he began his statement, Gandhi was asked by MPs of NDA to talk about matter at hand. To this, he said, "I am coming (to the point). Just wait it out a bit". #WATCH | Congress MP Rahul Gandhi speaks on his Bharat Jodo Yatra; says, "...Initially, when I started (the Yatra), I had in my mind that walking 25 km is no big deal if I can run 10 km every day. Today, when I look at that - it was arrogance. I had arrogance in my heart at that pic.twitter.com/QhFjtkZhLb ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 The three-day (8-10 August) debate on no-confidence motion set off with a fiery start on Tuesday. Congress MP and deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi initiated the debate on no-confidence motion on behalf of Opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A and spoke about one India and alleged the Central government of creating two Manipurs. With inputs from agencies Union Minister Amit Shah took a jibe at Congress-led Opposition for doing politics over the violence in Manipur. I agree with the oppositions claim that ethnic clashes have taken place in Manipur. Manipur violence is shameful, politicising it even more shameful, Shah said in his speech in the Lok Sabha during the debate on no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government. #WATCH | I agree that there have been incidents of violence in Manipur. No one can support such incidents. Doing politics on these incidents is shameful: Home Minister Amit Shah on violence in Manipur pic.twitter.com/9qaP8s59PV ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 "As a society we are ashamed of incidents of violence in Manipur," said Shah. 'Opposition didn't want discussion, they only wanted to protest' From day one, I was ready for discussion (on Manipur) but they didnt want a discussion, they only wanted to protest. Had they been unsatisfied with my discussion, then they could have asked the PM to speak, the Union Home minister said. #WATCH | From day one I was ready for the discussion on the Manipur issue but Opposition never wanted to do a discussion. The opposition doesn't want me to speak but they can't silence me. 130 cr people have selected us so they have to listen to us...During the past six years of pic.twitter.com/nxI2dSgi0a ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 "I am ready to answer, it is my duty. I am answerable towards the nation, this Parliament and the opposition as well. But they (opposition) don't let me speak, what kind of a democracy is this?" Shah asked the House. 'Urge Opposition not to put fuel on fire' In the Lok Sabha, Shah gave a detailed response on what led to violence in Manipur and the measures taken by the government to control the situation in the state. "107 people were killed (in Manipur) in May. 30 were killed in June, 15 were killed in July. Out of the 107 people killed in May, 68 people were killed on May 3, 4 and 5. What I want to say here is that violence is reducing gradually and we should not put fuel on fire," Shah said. #WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah gives a detailed response on what led to violence in Manipur and the measures taken by the government to control the situation in the state pic.twitter.com/PKscrHIyGn ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 "Over the last six years, we didnt have to impose a curfew in Manipur until May 3. There was no bandh, no blockade. Insurgent violence was almost over. Then, neighbouring Myanmar saw a military leadership that has a Kuki Democratic Front party coming into power. Due to no fencing at the Myanmar border, the Kuki brothers started coming into Mizoram and Manipur, which led to the clashes," Shah said. "Whatever happening in Manipur is ethnic violence triggered by circumstances, it should not be turned into a political issue," Shah told the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. VIDEO | "Whatever happening in Manipur is ethnic violence triggered by circumstances, it should not be turned into a political issue," says Union Home minister @AmitShah during debate on no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha.#NoConfidenceMotion (Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/vRgoCr2svV Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 9, 2023 The Union Home Minister further informed the House that 152 people lost their lives in Manipur violence since May 3. 'Appeal Meitei & Kuki communities to engage in dialogue' Shah appealed to both Meitei and Kuki communities to engage in dialogue. "Violence is not a solution to any problem... I assure you that we will bring peace in the state. Politics should not be done on this issue," he added. #WATCH | I appeal to both Meitei and Kuki communities to engage in dialogue, violence is not a solution to any problem...I assure you that we will bring peace in the state. Politics should not be done on this issue: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Manipur violence pic.twitter.com/BbnLK9vN3e ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 'Why Manipur violence video came before start of Parliament session?' Shah said Manipur incident was unfortunate and it was a shame for society. "But why did this video (Manipur viral video) come before the start of this Parliament session? If someone was having this video they should have given it to the DGP, and action would have been taken on that day itself (May 4)...,"he said. "We have identified all those nine people and arrested them...I was there (Manipur) for three days, and during this period we made several decisions...The Paramilitary force has been deployed in the area for establishing normalcy in the state," the Union Home Minister said. #WATCH | This is a very unfortunate incident and it is a shame for society. But why did this video (Manipur viral video) come before the start of this Parliament session? If someone was having this video they should have given it to the DGP, and action would have been taken on pic.twitter.com/CEd8vTWnPN ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 'Manipur CM fully operated with Centre' "A state chief minister needs to be changed when he is not cooperating, but Manipur CM N Biren Singh fully operated with the Centre," Amit Shah said in the Lok Sabha. 'Opposition did nothing for Northeast' Slamming the Opposition, Shah said: "PM Modi has worked towards bringing the Northeast into the mainstream. They (Opposition) have done nothing for North East." He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Northeast more than 50 times in the last nine years. "This shows that Northeast is part of our country. They are questioning us over Northeast, when they themselves did nothing for the region," Shah added. Women MPs of BJP have filed a complaint with Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla and have demanded action against Rahul Gandhi for allegedly blowing a flying kiss in the Parliament that seats female lawmakers. By giving a flying kiss to all women members, Rahul Gandhi went away. This is a total misbehaviour of a Member. This is inappropriate and indecent behaviour of a Member, Union Minister and BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje said. PHOTO | Union minister Shobha Karandlaje, other women BJP MPs complain to Speaker Om Birla against Rahul Gandhi blowing flying kiss inside Lok Sabha, accuse him of insulting women MPs. pic.twitter.com/qQLajSJrbc Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 9, 2023 Senior members are telling that this has never happened in the history of Parliament of India What is this behaviour? What kind of a leader is he? That is why, we have complained to the Speaker to take CCTV footage of it and take action against him. This is what we have demanded, Karandlaje, accompanied by other BJP women MPs, said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said, He gives a flying kiss. What has happened to Rahul Gandhi? So many women are seated there (in the House). He has no manners. It is very painful. #WATCH | BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad says, He gives a flying kiss. What has happened to Rahul Gandhi? So many women are seated there (in the House). He has no manners. It is very painful https://t.co/IudK9YS0zw pic.twitter.com/Ta3xZq7l9P ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 Following her fierce rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Irani said that such misogynistic behaviour of a man is not acceptable in the Parliament. Never before has the misogynistic behaviour of a man been so visible in Parliament as what was done by Rahul Gandhi today. When the House of the People, where laws are made to protect the dignity of women, during the course of a session stands witness to a mans misogyny, my question is should he be brought to task? she asked. #WATCH | Union Minister Smriti Irani on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi Never before has the misogynistic behaviour of a man been so visible in Parliament as what was done by Rahul Gandhi today. When the House of the People, where laws are made to protect the dignity of women, during pic.twitter.com/eOsMl3I5zy ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 As Gandhi finished his speech during the no-confidence motion debate on Wednesday and Union Minister Smriti Irani started her statement, the Congress leader allegedly have blown a flying kiss in the Lok Sabha. Irani slammed Gandhi for his inappropriate gesture in the house and said the Congress scions action lacked dignity. Without naming Gandhi, Irani said: I object to something. The one who was given the chance to speak before me displayed indecency before leaving. It is only a misogynistic man who can give a flying kiss to a Parliament which seats female members of Parliament. Such undignified conduct was never before seen in the Parliament of the country. Gandhi was given the first chance to speak in the Lok Sabha during the second day of no-confidence motion debate. Soon after his remarks, the Congress leader left for Rajasthan. Union Minister and senior BJP leader Amit shah on Wednesday slammed the Congress-led Opposition and said, UPAs character is to indulge in corruption to save their government. PM Modi government took some historic decisions and ended dynasties and graft. UPAs character is to protect power but NDA fights to protect principle, Shah said while speaking during the no-confidence motion debate in the Lok Sabha. He further said the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government has be brought to create confusion among people. This no-confidence motion will show the real character of the Opposition in the country, Shah said. People, Parliament have full confidence in Modi government Shah said that people of the country and the Parliament have full confidence on the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This no-confidence motion is one in which neither the citizens nor the parliament have distrust over Union ministers or the Prime Minister, Shah said. VIDEO | This no-confidence motion is one in which neither the citizens nor the parliament have distrust over Union ministers or the prime minister, says Union Home minister @AmitShah in Lok Sabha.#NoConfidenceMotion pic.twitter.com/i47vEky1x8 Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 9, 2023 'No-confidence motion brought only to create delusion' Intensifying his attack on the Opposition, Shah said the no-confidence motion has been brought "only to create a delusion". #WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah on no-confidence motion debate in Lok Sabha "There is not a no-confidence in the PM and this government in the country...This no-confidence motion has been brought only to create a delusion" pic.twitter.com/LEjkJI7ufi ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 'Modi most trusted PM since Independence' Shah said after Independence, PM Modi's government's is only there which won the trust of most of the people. "PM Modi is the most popular leader among the public... He works tirelessly for the people of the country. He works continuously for 17 hours a day, without taking a single leave. People trust him," Shah said. #AWTCH | After Independence, PM Modi's govt is only there which won the trust of most of the people. PM Modi is the most popular leader among the public...PM Modi works tirelessly for the people of the country. He works continuously for 17 hours a day, without taking a single pic.twitter.com/BMsO7wXTTL ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 "People have voted Modi govt to power twice; Modi most successful PM in India," he added. Shah said, corruption, dynasty, appeasement three ills of Indian politics; "now PM Modi practices politics of performance." During his speech, the Union Minister highlighted the developmental works of the Modi-government and said, "Because this no-confidence motion is politically motivated, I will have to mention the work done by this government." Hitting out at the Opposition, Shah said, "They (UPA) keep saying that they will waive off farmers' loans. We don't believe in just waving off loans but in making a system where one doesn't have to take a loan." "What we have given to farmers are not freebies, but we have made them self sufficient," the minister said. Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dismantled "corruption, dynasty politics and appeasement" and "gave importance to politics of performance". VIDEO | "Narendra Modi has dismantled corruption, dynasty politics and appeasement and gave importance to politics of performance," says Union Home minister @AmitShah during debate on no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha.#NoConfidenceMotion pic.twitter.com/WaybpflVS7 Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 9, 2023 'India registered maximum growth under Modi govt' Hitting out at Congress for opposing BJP's Jan Dhan Yojana, Shah said, "It has to be understood why they (UPA) were opposing Jan Dhan Yojana? Former PM Rajiv Gandhi had said that when Re 1 is sent from the Centre to the poor, only 15 paise reaches the beneficiary." "But today, the entire amount reaches the poor," he added. #WATCH | It has to be understood why they (UPA) were opposing Jan Dhan Yojana? Former PM Rajiv Gandhi had said that when Re 1 is sent from the Centre to the poor, only 15 paise reaches the beneficiary....But today, today entire amount reaches the poor: Union Home Minister Amit pic.twitter.com/fk02pXbSkW ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 He said that under PM Modi, India has registered its maximum growth in the world. "Under the Modi government, India has registered a growth of 231 per cent," Shah said, adding that, "PM Modi has worked to enhance prestige of India." Shah also said that the Modi government saved 130 crore people from COVID-19 by administering both the doses of vaccines free of cost. VIDEO | Modi-led government saved 130 crore people from Coronavirus by administering both the doses of vaccines free of cost, says Union Home minister @AmitShah in Lok Sabha. pic.twitter.com/oAWPPeI6mm Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 9, 2023 Modi govt has made Kashmir terrorism-free Shah said that the situation in Kashmir changed since 2014 because of the policies of the Modi-government. "We have worked towards making Kashmir terrorism-free," the Union Home minister said in the Lok Sabha. "Processions of terrorists are no more carried out in Kashmir, because they are buried at the same place where they are neutralised," Shah said. "We will talk to the youth of Kashmir valley, not Hurriyat, Jamiat and Pakistan," he said. #WATCH | We will talk to the youth of Kashmir valley, not Hurriyat, Jamiat and Pakistan, says Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha. pic.twitter.com/XW3oIjugIy ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 "Article 370 was result of wrong policy of former PM Nehru," Shah said, adding, "PM Modi took historic decision to completely merge Jammu and Kashmir with India." Be it climate change or terrorism, if there is one country that is setting global narrative, it is India, the Union Home Minister said. VIDEO | Be it climate change or terrorism, if there is one country that is setting global narrative, it is India, says Union Home minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha. pic.twitter.com/DBuQGGDqAn Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 9, 2023 Highlighting the internal security measures taken by the Modi government, Shah said, "We banned PFI in the country, and conducted raids at over 90 locations in the country. Cases regarding attacks on our missions in London, Ottawa and San Francisco handed over to NIA." "26/11 Tahawwur Hussain Rana will also soon face the judiciary in India," the minister added. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, who was earlier scheduled to open the debate from the Opposition side on no-confidence on Tuesday, instead Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi spoke in the Lok Sabha. West Bengal BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar on Wednesday said, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did not have the confidence to speak in the no-confidence motion yesterday Perhaps today he will speak what his teacher has taught him. #WATCH | West Bengal BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar says, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did not have the confidence to speak in the no-confidence motion yesterdayPerhaps today he will speak what his teacher has taught him https://t.co/BbySdUlcSr pic.twitter.com/V8q6YyDBkJ ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 The Lok Sabha MP from Kerala's Wayanad, Gandhi, is expected to appear in the Parliament and open the debate on no-trust vote from Congress side around 12 noon on Wednesday (9 August). Gandhi is back as an MP after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in a criminal defamation case over the 'Modi surname' remark. Tuesday witnessed heated exchanges between the BJP and the Opposition after Congress Gogoi opened the debate with a strong statement urging the Centre for action over the ongoing Manipur crisis. Gogoi said the Opposition bloc - I.N.D.I.A was forced to bring the no-confidence motion against the government to break Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "vow of silence" on Manipur. The Congress, backed by the other members of its alliance I.N.D.I.A, has called for a no-trust vote against the government. With inputs from agencies In a rebuttal to Congress MP Rahul Gandhis opening speech, Union Minister Smriti Irani said that the Opposition alliance of I.N.D.I.A is not India as the country is not corrupt. Opening the debate on day two of the no-trust motion debate in Parliament from the BJPs side, Irani said, You are not India, for India is not corrupt. India believes in merit not in dynasty & today of all the days people like you need to remember what was told to the British Quit India. Corruption Quit India and Dynasty Quit India. Merit now finds its place in India. #WATCH | Union Minister and BJP MP Smriti Irani says, You are not India, for India is not corrupt. India believes in merit not in dynasty & today of all the days people like you need to remember what was told to the British Quit India. Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit pic.twitter.com/dflui75mCN ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 Preceding Irani, Rahul Gandhi, who recently got his MP status back, opened the debate on the no-confidence motion from Congress side. Referring to Gandhis speech in Lok Sabha, the Union Minister said, I condemn the aggressive behaviour seen today. Gandhi, referring to the violence in Manipur, said that BJP has murdered Bharat Maa in the northeastern state. For the first time in the history of nation, someone spoke about the murder of Bharat Maa and Congress kept on clapping, she said. VIDEO | I condemn the aggressive behaviour seen today (referring to Rahul Gandhis speech in the House). For the first time in the history of nation, someone spoke about the murder of Bharat Maa and Congress kept on clapping, says BJP MP Smriti Irani in Lok Sabha. pic.twitter.com/9NcehSB5oJ Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 9, 2023 Slamming Congress for not doing enough during their rule, Irani touched upon the issue of Kashmiri Pandits and corruption during the Congress era. After speaking on no-confidence motion, Gandhi left the Parliament to attend an event in Rajasthan. #WATCH | Congress MP Rahul Gandhi leaves Parliament for his program in Rajasthan, after speaking on the No Confidence Motion. pic.twitter.com/vyOidgURrB ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 The three-day (8-10 August) debate on the no-confidence motion set off with a fiery start on Tuesday. Congress MP and deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi initiated the debate on the no-confidence motion on behalf of the Opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A and spoke about one India and alleged the Central government of creating two Manipurs. In a significant boost to the European Unions endeavours to establish a state-of-the-art microchip supply chain, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) unveiled its intentions on Tuesday to construct a $11 billion plant in Germany. The upcoming facility, set to be erected in Dresden in the eastern region of the country, is scheduled to commence chip production for the automotive sector by the conclusion of 2027, as stated by the company. TSMC ventures into Europe This initiative marks TSMCs inaugural venture onto European soil. TSMC, renowned as the global leader in the production of advanced chips, will collaborate with German enterprises Robert Bosch and Infineon Technologies, alongside NXP Semiconductors from the Netherlands. Over the years, European political leaders have actively pursued TSMCs involvement, as the European Union strives to avert the kinds of supply-chain disruptions that brought segments of its economy to a standstill amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Union (EU) has been exploring methods to attract investment from Taiwanese chip manufacturers without formalizing substantial agreements with the government of Taiwan. Brussels has remained unswayed by Taipeis appeals to initiate discussions concerning a bilateral investment agreement. EU officials have publicly asserted that the smooth flow of investment implies that such an agreement is unnecessary. Nevertheless, they privately acknowledge apprehensions about potential repercussions from China. In 2016, the EU committed to negotiating distinct investment agreements with China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. However, progress on the EU-Chinese Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) has been halted due to a dispute centred around human rights sanctions. Consequently, the agreement is currently in a state of geopolitical uncertainty. Amid this ongoing situation, officials within the Brussels bureaucracy are hesitant to even broach the topic of a potential agreement with Taiwan. There exists a perspective that garnering unanimous support from all 27 member states of the EU for an official trade or investment pact with Taiwan would prove to be an insurmountable challenge. Germany, the new chip-making destination? The TSMC deal, while providing a much-needed boost to Germanys struggling industrial sector, does come with a trade-off. According to reports in German media, the government is set to offer 5 billion in subsidies to support the establishment of the plant. This development follows Intels revelation of intentions to construct a 30 billion chip manufacturing facility in Magdeburg, another city located in the eastern part of Germany. Notably, government subsidies are projected to cover approximately one-third of the total cost of the project. Despite the positive sentiment, some EU officials offered a note of caution. One official highlighted the delayed inauguration of TSMCs new factory in the US state of Arizona, partially attributed to a shortage of skilled workforce. Given the intricate and technical nature of the work, coupled with the proliferation of semiconductor plants worldwide, there arises a significant necessity for comprehensive planning concerning skilled training, the officials underscored. From TSMC to ESMC The consortium of partners involved in this venture in Germany will establish a new entity named the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company or ESMC. This collaborative initiative aims to operate the fabrication plant, commonly referred to as a fab, under the management of TSMC. Mathieu Duchatel, the Director of the Asia Program at Institut Montaigne in Paris, has noted that while this development is favourable for Germany and Europes industrial aspirations, achieving the objective of doubling the blocs chip production market share appears to be an unrealistic target. He explained that the EU Chips Act offers exceptions to the prohibition of state aid under the condition that companies and governments can demonstrate a fab project to be a first-of-a-kind endeavour. This concept, while loosely defined, has significantly relaxed the EUs traditionally stringent competition law. Duchatel highlighted other comparable investments, such as a silicon carbide substrate plant in Sicily and a factory producing advanced silicon technology in France. However, Duchatel indicated that a straightforward analysis indicates that these investments would have been improbable in Europe without the EU Chips Act. Yet, they might not suffice to elevate Europes market share in comparison to Taiwan. Trends in semiconductor equipment expenditure reveal that the progress made by Taiwan and South Korea in the field is still on the rise. In an announcement that will dash the dreams and hopes of several Americans, as well as people from other nations across the world, NASA has said that they might not be able to launch astronauts and make them land on the Moon with their Artemis 3 mission. During a press briefing, Jim Free, the Associate Administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at the space agency, indicated that specific crucial components need to be prepared, with a particular focus on the landing system being crafted by SpaceX. If this element is not completed on schedule, he remarked, there is a possibility that an alternative mission might be undertaken instead. What the Artemis missions had planned? Under the Artemis program, NASA is strategizing a series of missions that progressively increase in complexity. These missions aim to achieve two main objectives: to reestablish a presence on the Moon and to construct a sustainable foundation for technological experimentation that will ultimately pave the way for human travel to Mars. The first mission, Artemis 1, took place in 2022, involving an unmanned spacecraft orbiting the Moon. Artemis 2, scheduled for November 2024, will mirror this trajectory but with a crew on board. However, the crowning moment for these set of missions would have been the Artemis 3 mission, which was originally set for December 2025. This mission marks NASAs ambitious return to the lunar surface with humans for the first time since 1972, this time focusing on the lunar south pole where ice can be harnessed and transformed into rocket fuel. Mission doubtful because of SpaceX? SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has secured the contract for the landing system, which is based on a version of its Starship rocket prototype. This Starship rocket, however, remains significantly distant from being fully prepared. An orbital test flight of the Starship resulted in a dramatic explosion in April. Jim Free stated that NASA officials recently inspected SpaceXs Starbase facility in Texas to gain a better understanding of the hardwares progress and the associated timeline. While the visit provided valuable insights, he expressed apprehension due to the absence of actual launches. He emphasized that multiple successful launches are required before the rocket can be considered ready. Domino effect Moreover, delays in the development of the Starship rocket have cascading effects. For instance, the spacesuit manufacturer requires knowledge of how the suits will interface with the spacecraft, and simulators must be constructed to train astronauts in operating its systems. Jim Free mentioned that NASA intends to update the public soon after fully assimilating the information gathered from the visit to the Starbase facility. Russia is preparing for its inaugural lunar mission in almost half a century, aiming to maintain its significance amidst a resurging competition in space exploration. With this, Russia is strongly placing itself in the modern-day space race. The Luna 25 lander has been placed onto a Soyuz 2.1b carrier rocket and is currently awaiting its scheduled launch on Friday at 7:00 PM ET from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Moscow. This information was reported by the Russian state news agency TASS. The primary objective of the lunar lander is to reach the Moons southern polar area, where it will conduct research on the polar regoliths composition, as well as study the plasma and dust elements present in the lunar polar exosphere. Russia enters the modern-day space race Russias engagement with lunar exploration has been dormant since Luna-24s return to Earth with lunar regolith samples in August 1976. The emergence of Luna-25 marks a notable shift in Russias lunar aspirations, as the country seeks to collaborate with China in the intensified global competition to conquer the Moons terrain. Russias mission within its renewed lunar initiative encountered significant delays, spanning nearly two years. Initially planned in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), the progression of Luna25 faced disruption due to Russias military involvement in Ukraine, prompting a rupture in relations between Europe and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos. This diplomatic upheaval led to ESAs withdrawal from the Luna 25 undertaking, as well as follow-up missions Luna 26 and 27. Consequently, Russia was compelled to substitute European components on the lander with domestically manufactured scientific instruments. Russia partnering up with China Russias awaited reentry into lunar exploration arrives at a juncture when Roscosmos finds itself in a somewhat strained position within the broader space industry landscape. Moreover, this development coincides with Russias endeavour to solidify its collaborative ties with China, aiming to collaboratively construct a lunar base. China is aggressively advancing its lunar program with ambitions that rival NASAs Artemis initiative, including blueprints for a permanent lunar surface installation. The joint venture named the International Lunar Research Station, initially proposed by China and Russia in 2021, has garnered additional support from countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan as the project evolves. In a race with Indias Chandrayaan 3 Mission Roscosmos has outlined an ambitious and aggressive schedule for its Luna 25 spacecraft. The spacecraft is set to embark on a five-day voyage to the Moon, followed by a 5-7 day period in a lunar orbit, which will then culminate in a descent to one of three potential landing sites situated near the Moons southern pole. This intricately planned timeline indicates that Russia might be on track to either match or narrowly surpass Chandrayaan-3s anticipated lunar landing. Both India and Russia are in a race against time to land on the southern pole of the moon, a territory that has been practically unexplored till now. Navigating through the complex and challenging topography of the Moons southern pole presents a massive challenge. Nevertheless, this region holds tremendous scientific allure due to its widely speculated abundance of icean invaluable resource with far-reaching implications. This ice has the potential to serve as a vital repository for various essentials, including fuel, oxygen, and potable water, thus providing substantial support for forthcoming lunar habitat initiatives. The death toll from the recent flooding in Chinas capital has reached 33 individuals, which includes five rescuers while 18 are still missing after unprecedented heavy rain in recent weeks, damaging infrastructure and deluging swathes of the citys suburbs and surrounding areas. The impact of this prolonged heavy rain has been particularly severe in the mountainous western outskirts of the city, where numerous areas have been affected. This has led to the unfortunate collapse of 59,000 homes, while close to 150,000 other homes have sustained varying degrees of damage. Moreover, the flooding has engulfed over 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of cropland, as confirmed by the citys government. I would like to express my deep condolences to those who died in the line of duty and the unfortunate victims, Xia Linmao, Beijings vice-mayor, told a press conference, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Scores have died in the floods across northern China, with Beijing on Friday saying 147 deaths or disappearances last month were caused by natural disasters. Of those, 142 were caused by flooding or geological disasters, Chinas Ministry of Emergency Management said.In Hebei province, which neighbours Beijing, 15 were reported to have died and 22 were missing. And in northeastern Jilin, 14 died and one person was reported missing on Sunday.Further north in Heilongjiang, state media reported dozens of rivers saw water levels rise above warning markers in recent days. I still feel scared when I recall the recent flooding, Zheng Xiaokang, a police officer from the provinces Jiangxi village, told the state-run Xinhua News Agency.In the face of the persistent downpour and rising river water, the consequences would have been devastating had we not managed to timely evacuate the villagers, Zheng said. Millions of people have been hit by extreme weather events and prolonged heatwaves around the globe in recent weeks, events that scientists say are being exacerbated by climate change. Chinas deadliest and most destructive floods in recent history were in 1998, when 4,150 people died, most of them along the Yangtze River. In 2021, more than 300 people died in the central province of Henan. Record rainfall inundated the provincial capital of Zhengzhou on July 20 that year, turning streets into rushing rivers and flooding at least part of a subway line. In a move that could rankle Beijing, the Biden administration is planning to issue new restrictions on American investments in certain advanced industries in China to protect national security threats, New York Times reported on Wednesday citing people familiar with the deliberations. This measure would be one of the first significant steps by the US amid an economic clash with China to clamp down on outgoing financial flows. It could also set the stage for more restrictions on investments between the two countries in the years to come. According to NYT, the restrictions would bar private equity and venture capital firms from making investments in certain high-tech sectors, like quantum computing, artificial intelligence and advanced semiconductors, in a bid to stop the transfer of American dollars and expertise to China. The measure would further require the firms making investments in a broader range of Chinese industries to report that activity, giving the government better visibility into financial exchanges between the US and China. Although, the White House declined to comment, as per NYT. Biden officials have emphasised that outright restrictions on investment would narrowly target a few sectors that could aid the Chinese military or surveillance state as they seek to combat security threats but not disrupt legitimate business with China. There is mounting evidence that US capital is being used to advance Chinese military capabilities and that the US lacks a sufficient means of combating this activity, NYT quoted Emily Benson, the director of the project on trade and technology at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Notably, the Biden administration has recently sought to calm relations with China, dispatching Treasury Secretary Janet L Yellen and other top officials to talk with Chinese counterparts. Even in recent speeches, Biden officials have argued that targeted actions taken against China are aimed purely at protecting US national security, not at damaging the Chinese economy. At the same time, the Biden administration has continued to push to de-risk critical supply chains by developing suppliers outside China, and it has steadily ramped up its restrictions on selling certain technologies to China, including semiconductors for advanced computing, New York Times reported. The Chinese government has long restricted certain foreign investments by individuals and firms. Other governments, like Taiwan and South Korea, also have restrictions on outgoing investments. But beyond screening Chinese investment into the United States for security risks, Washington has left financial flows between the worlds two largest economies largely untouched. Just a few years ago, American policymakers were working to open up Chinese financial markets for US firms. The investments between the US and China have fallen sharply in the past few years, as the countries severed other economic ties. But venture capital and private equity firms have continued to seek out lucrative opportunities for partnerships, as a way to gain access to Chinas vibrant tech industry, NYT reported. However, the planned measure has already faced criticism from some congressional Republicans and others who say it has taken too long and does not go far enough to limit US funding of Chinese technology. In July, a House committee on China sent letters to four US venture capital firms expressing serious concern about their investments in Chinese companies in areas including artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Other leaders have argued that the restriction would mainly put the US economy at a disadvantage, because other countries continue to forge technology partnerships with China, and Beijing holds no shortage of capital, NYT reported. NYT cited Nicholas R Lardy, a non-resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, who said the US was the source of less than 5 per cent of Chinas inbound direct investment in 2021 and 2022.Unless other major investors in China adopt similar restrictions, I think this is a waste of time, Lardy said. Pushing this policy now simply plays into the hands of those in Beijing who believe that the US seeks to contain China and are not interested in renewed dialogue or a thaw. Biden officials have also talked with allies in recent months to explain the measure and encourage other governments to adopt similar restrictions, including at the Group of 7 meetings in Japan in May. Since then, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, has urged the European Union to introduce its own measure. The administration is expected to give businesses and other organizations a chance to comment on the new rules before they are finalized in the months to come, as per New York Times. Claire Chu, a senior China analyst at Janes, a defence intelligence company, said that communicating and enforcing the measure would be difficult and that officials would need to engage closely with Silicon Valley and Wall Street. For a long time, the US national security community has been reticent to recognize the international financial system as a potential warfighting domain, NYT quoted Chu as saying. And the business community has pushed back against what it considers to be the politicization of private markets. And so this is not only an interagency effort, but an exercise in intersectoral coordination she added. Amid the spat between China and the Philippines over the latters warship being allegedly targeted by water canons, Beijing urged the Philippines to immediately tow away the grounded warship from Renai Reef, the Global Times reported on Tuesday. Quoting a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Global Times reported that claiming the Renai Reef as a part of Chinas Nansha Islands, Beijing called for restoring the original status of the reef. The Philippines, according to the report, repeatedly made promises to tow away the warship illegally grounded on the reef. However, it has not only failed to tow away the warship but has even attempted to repair and reinforce it on a large scale to achieve permanent occupation of the Renai Reef 24 years after the issue first came to a head, the report added. A Chinese spokesperson called it a serious violation of international law and the declaration on the conduct of parties in the South China Sea signed by China and ASEAN members. He claimed that the current situation in the Renai Reef could be attributed to the Philippines ignoring Chinas goodwill and sincerity, and transporting construction materials to the warship. Analysts say the incident escalated an already tense situation and could lead the United States and its allies to accelerate plans for joint patrols in the waterway. A smaller Philippines boat was cannon-sprayed by a large Chinese Coast Guard ship as it attempted to deliver supplies to a garrison of Philippine marines at Second Thomas Shoal, a South China Sea feature in Manilas exclusive economic zone that China calls Renai Reef and also claims as its sovereign territory. Photos from the Philippine Coast Guard also showed the Chinese ship moving dangerously close in front of the Philippine Coast Guard vessels as they escorted the resupply boats, according to CNN. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) strongly condemns the China Coast Guards (CCG) dangerous manoeuvres and illegal use of water cannons against PCG vessels, the PCG wrote in a statement shared on its official Facebook account Saturday. By Sunday, Washington, Manilas principal ally, had denounced Chinas actions while reaffirming that it will uphold its end of the mutual defence pact with the Philippines. The United States reaffirms an armed attack on Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forces including those of its Coast Guard in the South China Sea would invoke US mutual defence commitments under Article IV of the 1951 US Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. The US on Tuesday said that discussing the Ukraine war will be the top priority for President Joe Biden in the upcoming G20 summit to be held in India. Leaders of G-20 nations, including US President Joe Biden, are scheduled to attend the G-20 summit in New Delhi in the first half of September. When asked whether anything was going to come out of the G20 Summit as far as the Russia-Ukraine conflict is concerned, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, I will say that, in all of our conversations with allies and partners around the world, we continue to discuss the war in Ukraine. It is always one of the top topics that comes up in all of our conversations, and I have no doubt thatll be true at the G20, he added. #WATCH | US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller says, In all of our conversations with allies and partners around the world, we continue to discuss the war in Ukraine. It is always one of the top topics that comes up in all of our conversations, and I have no doubt pic.twitter.com/7mttHbOxnp ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 Significantly, the Russia-Ukraine war started after the latter was offered a bid for NATO membership and denied it. Russia launched its special military operation on 24 February, 2022, after recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics. Russia has since continued to maintain that the aim of its operations has been to demilitarise and de-nazify the country. Although, the United States and other NATO countries have said it is impossible to admit Ukraine now because of the ongoing conflict. In July, US President Joe Biden said he doesnt think Ukraine is ready for NATO membership and added that NATO is a process that takes some time to meet all qualifications, from democratisation to a whole range of other issues. I dont think it (Ukraine) is ready for membership in NATO, the US President said in an interview when asked about Ukraines NATO membership, according to CNN. However, Ukraine is still determined to be part of NATO. With inputs from agencies A top Pakistani court on Wednesday sought responses from the federal and Punjab provincial governments to a petition filed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan seeking a transfer from Attock to Adiala prison. On Monday, the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking transfer from Attock Jail to a better class in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. The former prime minister also sought permission for regular visits by his legal team, family members, physician Faisal Sultan and political aides to the jail in Punjab province. During the hearing of Khans petition, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq said he would issue an order granting Khans legal team permission to meet the former premier, the Dawn newspaper reported. On the issue of Khans transfer from Attock to Adiala jail, the court sought responses from the federal and Punjab governments and adjourned the hearing till August 11. Khan was arrested on Saturday last week shortly after an Islamabad trial court found him guilty of corrupt practices in the Toshakhana case and sentenced him to three years in jail. Soon after the verdict, he was arrested by the Punjab police from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore. Iran executed five men by hanging on Wednesday after convicting them of gang raping a woman in the northwest of the country last year, the judiciary said. The five men who had kidnapped and raped a woman in the city of Marand in May 2022 were executed today (Wednesday), the judiciarys Mizan Online website announced. The men, who were arrested four days after the gang rape in East Azerbaijan province, were implicated in other crimes, Mizan said without elaborating. Last month, Iran executed three men who were convicted of raping women they had anaesthetised after luring them to a fake cosmetic surgery clinic. They were found guilty of conspiring in multiple cases of sexual assault in the southern province of Hormozgan in late 2021, Mizan reported at the time. Human rights group Amnesty International says Iran executes more people than any other country except China and hanged at least 582 people last year, the highest number since 2015. Amnesty says authorities in Iran have significantly increased the number of overall executions for all crimes, with at least 282 people executed in total so far in 2023. It says the figure is nearly double the number of executions that were recorded at the beginning of June last year. Pakistans leader of opposition in the National Assembly, Raja Riaz will call on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to deliberate on the names of caretaker PM. This comes after PM Shehbaz Sharif advised Pakistans President to dissolve the National Assembly today. The Pakistan government will enter a caretaker setup today, paving the way for polls to be held within the next 90 days. Noting the necessity to decide on the name of a caretaker PM before the dissolution of the National Assembly, Opposition leader Raja Riaz will hold a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif. As per The News International, under the countrys Constitution, the PM and opposition leader are required to hold consultations on the names of the caretaker Prime Minister. The leader of the Opposition has said that he has not met the prime minister yet when asked if he has proposed the names for the interim prime minister to the PM, reported The News International. Russian forces downed two combat drones headed for Moscow, the citys mayor said on Wednesday, the latest in a surge of drone attacks targeting the capital. Two combat drones attempt to fly into the city was recorded. Both were shot down by air defensc, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram, without naming an attacker. He said one drone was downed in the Domodedovo area on the southern outkirts of the city, while the second was shot down in the Minsk highway area, west of the capital. At the moment, there is no information about victims of the fall of the wreckage, he said, adding that emergency services were on the ground. The strikes are at least the third attack on Moscow within a week, with Ukrainian drones downed on Sunday and Monday, according to Russian officials. Moscow was rarely targeted throughout the conflict in Ukraine until several attacks this year. Russias defence ministry said Thursday it had downed seven drones over the Kaluga region, less than 200 kilometres (124 miles) southwest of Moscow. On July 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that war was coming to Russia, with the countrys symbolic centres and military bases becoming targets. At the start of this month, an office block in the capitals main business district was struck twice within days by debris from a downed drone strike. Taiwans defence ministry reported that ten Chinese air force aircraft entered its air defence zone on Wednesday. These aircrafts were accompanying five Chinese warships that were conducting combat readiness patrols. This marks the second intrusion of this kind in the same week. China asserts its claim over Taiwan, considering it as its territory. Over the past three years, Taiwan has repeatedly expressed concerns about the presence of Chinese military activities in close proximity. Beijing has been intensifying its efforts to pressure Taiwan into acknowledging its sovereignty. Taiwans defence ministry said that starting at around 9 a.m. (0100 GMT), it detected a total of 25 Chinese aircraft engaging in operations out at sea, including J-10 and J-16 fighters, as well as H-6 bombers, reported Reuters. Of those aircraft, the ministry said 10 had either crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides, or entered the southwestern part of Taiwans air defence identification zone, or ADIZ. Those aircraft were acting in coordination with five Chinese warships engaging in combat readiness patrols, it said. Taiwans military dispatched ships and aircraft to keep watch, the ministry said. The ADIZ is a broad area Taiwan monitors and patrols to give its forces more time to respond to threats, and Chinese aircraft have not entered territorial Taiwanese air space. On Sunday, Taiwan reported a similar level of activity by Chinese warplanes and warships near the island. China staged war games around Taiwan in April after President Tsai Ing-wen returned home from a visit to the United States where she met U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Last August, it also held war games around Taiwan to protest against a trip to Taipei by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Taiwan Vice President William Lai leaves for the United States this week on his way to Paraguay on what is officially only a transit but which has angered China. It was Chinas priority to stop Lai from visiting the United States, Beijings ambassador to the U.S. said last month. Taiwans democratically elected government rejects Chinas sovereignty claim and says only the islands people can decide their future. With inputs from agencies Thousands of Los Angeles city employees including sanitation workers, lifeguards and traffic officers walked off the job on Tuesday for a 24-hour strike. They were advocating for increased wages and pointing out alleged instances of unjust labour practices. Picket lines went up before dawn at Los Angeles International Airport and other locations, and a large rally was held later in the morning downtown at City Hall. SEIU Local 721 said mechanics, engineers and airport custodians are among the more than 11,000 LA city workers who are striking. The union said its members voted to authorise the one-day walkout because the city has failed to bargain in good faith and engaged in labour practices that restricted employee and union rights, reported The Associated Press. City workers are vital to the function of services for millions of Angelenos every day and to our local economy, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. They deserve fair contracts and we have been bargaining in good faith with SEIU 721 since January. The city will always be available to make progress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Strikers said some employees earn so little they cant afford to live near their jobs, sometimes making 100-mile (160-kilometer) commutes. Destiny Webb, a college student who manages a city pool, said she and her fellow marchers downtown were calling for a 40 per cent to 50 per cent raise and more resources at LA facilities that are poorly staffed. A pay increase would give younger, part-time employees like her an incentive to stay with the city for a career after graduating, Webb said. Its the latest strike to overtake the nations second largest city in recent months. Hollywood writers have been striking since May, and actors joined them last month. Los Angeles hotel workers have staged staggered walkouts all summer, and earlier this year school staff walked picket lines. There was also a contract dispute at Southern California ports. Los Angeles International Airport officials urged travelers to allow for extra time for travel to and from LAX during the strike. Some shuttles were operating on a reduced schedule, but no major disruptions were reported. The union said it expects about 300 lifeguards working at dozens of city swimming pools would strike. The Department of Recreation and Parks said some pools were closed Tuesday. Michael Mitchell, a 33-year-old port worker, told AP that many workers were struggling with basic living costs and are simply seeking a fair wage. We just want to be able to survive and feed our families out here, he said. Everything is high groceries, gas. In a minute were going to be drowning. About 300 Port of Los Angeles employees are union members, but it wasnt immediately known how many were striking. The Port of Los Angeles respects the bargaining rights of all employees. On Tuesday, some Harbor Department employees are participating in a job action. Port terminals remain open and operational, port spokesperson Phillip Sanfield said in an email. The union approved a one-year deal with the city in November 2022 with the understanding that they would return to the bargaining table in January, SEIU Local 721 Chief of Staff Gilda Valdez said. With the broader agreement in place for the next year, the city and the union would then negotiate over a number of specials, or smaller specific proposals, Valdez told The Associated Press. But the city reneged on the promise to negotiate on those issues and only gave us some small agreements that basically amount to peanuts, Valdez said. The union filed an unfair labor practice claim with the City of Los Angeles Employee Relations Board over this issue, along with previous claims filed over several other issues. This strike is a very strong message: Come to the table, Valdez said, noting that the unions members had worked throughout the coronavirus pandemic to keep the city running. Eddie Flores said he and his fellow sanitation workers were up there on the front lines during Covid and they were striking Tuesday to demand a fair pension and retirement plan. Flores, 64, said city officials didnt fulfill their end of the bargain. The union plans to return to negotiations with the city the week of Aug. 14 to resume talks, Valdez said. Television writer Mike Royce walked the picket lines Tuesday, returning the favor for SEIU members who have supported striking members of the Writers Guild of America West. Maybe in the past, the idea of a Hollywood writer and a city employee wouldnt seem to have much in common, said Royce, 59. Right now were in a place where were not getting paid enough to make a living at the thing we do. In Northern California, two unions that represent nearly 4,500 San Jose city employees voted Monday to authorize a three-day strike for next week. With inputs from agencies A recent report from Android Authority initially suggested that ASUS had removed the option to unlock bootloaders on its Zenfone devices. This conclusion was drawn from a customer query response by the companys support staff regarding the Zenfone 10s bootloader. The change in policy seemed to also apply to the Zenfone 9 from the previous year. Clarification on ASUS Bootloader Unlock Policy However, it has come to light that this information is not entirely accurate. ASUS has intentions to provide its bootloader unlock tool for the Zenfone 10, although it is currently not accessible. In a statement to Mishaal Rahman, the Taiwanese manufacturer clarified the situation, attributing the misunderstanding to their support staffs interpretation of the original inquiry. While this clarification is positive, the companys response lacks comprehensive detail. No explanation has been given regarding the disappearance of the unlock tool, which remains unavailable. Curiously, there has been no public address on this matter, with Rahman being the sole recipient of communication from a PR representative. Uncertainty about ASUS Bootloader Tool Availability ASUS had previously announced plans to update the unlock tool to support the Zenfone 10, aiming for reintroduction sometime in the third quarter of this year. However, an email from ASUS support contradicts this assertion, raising questions about the tools future availability. The report also references a Reddit users claim that the companys developer liaison on its Telegram channel is unaware of any such developments. The user alleges that the unlock tool server is under maintenance and is expected to resume in Q3. However, disparities in ASUS messaging to Zenfone users across different platforms have surfaced, suggesting inconsistencies among various support teams. The accuracy of the information provided remains to be confirmed. In a statement to Mishaal Rahman, ASUS mentioned that: The service teams reply misunderstood the situation. The unlock tool is unavailable at the moment, but we are considering the possibility of allowing unlocking. Please stay tuned. Source 1, 2 Airtels Wynk Music, today announced that it has partnered with Dolby Laboratories to launch Dolby Atmos to the Wynk Music app at no extra cost. Wynks Dolby Atmos music catalogue and playlists will include songs across eight languages from renowned music labels such as Yash Raj Films (YRF), Saregama, Phonographic Digital Limited (PDL) and many more. The company said that it will continuously add to this catalogue, which will be accessible to all its users at no extra cost. Launched in 2014, Wynk Music crossed 100 million app installs in 2019. It launched Wynk Studio in 2022. To enjoy Dolby Atmos on Wynk Music, a compatible iOS or Android Dolby Atmos-enabled mobile device is required, said the company. Edwin Charles Albert, Head Content and Partnerships, Airtel Digital said: Delighting customers by giving them the best continues to be our core proposition. Our partnership with Dolby combines Wynks core strengths of an extensive library and superior music delivery with a never-before audio experience in Dolby Atmos will certainly enhance user experience immeasurably. We will continue to add partners with cutting-edge technologies with the aim to consistently deliver the best music experience. Karan Grover, Senior Director Commercial Partnerships IMEA Dolby Laboratories said: We are thrilled to collaborate with Wynk Music and bring this revolutionary music experience to more music fans, taking their music experience to the next level. Whether listening at home or on the go, nothing takes listeners right inside the song like Dolby Atmos. Several tech giants, including Apple, Dell, HP, and Acer, have appealed for a nine-month to one-year extension of the import license deadline for laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs, and other electronics, according to a report by Economic Times. This follows the governments recent announcement of import restrictions on such devices. Industry Seeks Time for Manufacturing Setup During a meeting with senior officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), company executives expressed the need for an extended duration to establish manufacturing facilities in India. They cited the need for clarity on licensing procedures and required data. Following discussions between electronics industry representatives and officials from the IT ministry and the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), the government extended the timeline until October 31. Industrys Perspective on Import Licensing Industry representatives, including major hardware companies and associations like Manufacturing Association of IT Hardware (MAIT) and the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), were part of a closed-door meeting with government officials. The government clarified that the intention behind import licensing was not to ban imports, but to encourage domestic manufacturing while facilitating exports. Focus on Domestic Manufacturing Capabilities In addition to foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Indian OEMs met with government officials to discuss production capacity and potential ramp-up time. The government plans to gauge the volume of high-end electronics imports, especially after November 1, to ensure a smooth flow of imports into the country. The report also cited that the industrys primary demand is to avoid limiting the import of high-end IT hardware, such as premium laptops and PCs, due to the current absence of local manufacturing capacity for these products. Regarding the restriction, Yogesh Agrawal, CEO and Co-Founder, CONSISTENT INFOSYSTEMS PRIVATE LIMITED, said: Government of India imposition of import restriction of Laptops, tablets, and all-in-one personal computers will propel local IT hardware manufacturing in the near term. It is in line with Government Atmanirbhar Bharat and Made in India scheme which will propel India to become IT hardware manufacturing giant. Brand like us which are manufacturing essential IT components like Motherboards, SSDs and other IT hardware welcome this step but also wants government to support us in terms of providing adequate infrastructure, lowering export tariffs and training manpower to enhance manufacturing competitiveness. This move will definitely hurt consumers due to supply issues and even lead to a rise in prices for a short duration of time. Source TCL is celebrating Independence Day with exciting offers on its select 4K, QLED, and Mini LED TV range. The campaign, running from August 1, 2023, aims to Celebrate Greatness and the diversity of India. Free Soundbars on select Premium TV Models As part of the campaign, buyers of TCLs premium TV models such as 55C645, 55P635 PRO, 43P635 PRO, 50P635 PRO, 43C645, 50C645, 75C645, 75P635 PRO, and 85P745 can receive free soundbars worth Rs. 7990 and Rs. 10,990. The price range for TCLs premium 4K QLED TV series starts from Rs. 32,990 and goes up to Rs. 2,19,990. Special EMI Offers on Premium TV Range During this month-long campaign, customers can enjoy complimentary soundbars and avail of an opportunity to purchase premium TCL TVs at a down payment of just Rs. 76. The remaining amount can be conveniently split into 8, 10, or 15 EMIs for selected models. Availability This exclusive offer is applicable across PAN India at TCLs offline brand stores and dealership outlets. The deals can be availed using select Debit/Credit cards from ICICI, SBI, HDFC, and Axis Bank. The Independence Day offer is valid from August 1 to August 31, 2023, while the Onam offer, exclusive to Kerala, is available from August 1 to September 30, 2023. For more information, visit TCLs official homepage. Commenting about the Campaign and Offers, Philip Xia, CEO of TCL India, said: The Ministry of Electronics and IT has initiated an Indian Web Browser Development Challenge in New Delhi, aiming to create an indigenous web browser for global use, equipped with an integrated Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) India root certificate. Indian Web Browser Development Challenge (IWBDC) The government has announced a substantial cash prize of 3.4 crore rupees for developers achieving this feat. This challenge aligns with Indias aspiration to have its browser that meets international standards while safeguarding user data. The browsers trust in Indias Controller of Certifying Authorities will ensure secure digital signatures, including SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates, which guarantee secure and encrypted communication between a users web browser and a websites server. Indian Tech Start-ups, MSMEs, Companies, and LLPs registered under the Companies Act 2013 can participate, with a requirement for at least 51 percent shareholding by Indian citizens or persons of Indian origin. Arvind Kumar, Controller of Certifying Authorities, stated that Indias rapid economic growth necessitates reducing dependency on international browsers and technologies. The Executive Director of C-DAC, S D Sudarshan, emphasized the significance of this move in instilling confidence among the public and fostering entrepreneurship. The open competition, sponsored by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, encourages the design and development of an Indian Web Browser. To learn more about the desired features, stages, and additional features to be incorporated into the browser for the challenge, check the IWBD site here. Regarding the challenge, IWBDC site says, felicilin at 9-08-2023 12:14 PM (1 week ago) (f) The case against Nigerian televangelist, Timothy Omotoso and his two co-accused, Lusanda Sulani,41, and Zikiswa Sitho,33, has resumed in the Gqeberha High Court in South Africa. The case against Nigerian televangelist, Timothy Omotoso and his two co-accused, Lusanda Sulani,41, and Zikiswa Sitho,33, has resumed in the Gqeberha High Court in South Africa. The case resumed on Monday, August 7, 2023, after yet another failed attempt by the defence to have the case dismissed after the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) turned down the defences application for a Special Entry in terms of Section 317 of the Criminal Procedure Act, where they alleged irregularities and illegalities in the proceedings that had occurred. Rev. Omotoso, 63, the senior pastor and founder of Jesus Dominion International, Durban, was arrested on April 20, 2017, for alleged rape and human trafficking. The pastor and his co-accused, face 63 main and 34 alternative charges related to contravention of the segxwal Offences Act. His alleged victims included girls as young as 13. Read previous reports HERE HERE HERE HERE Luxolo Tyali, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Regional Spokesperson, Eastern Cape Division, confirmed the resumption of the trial in a statement. The case resumed on Monday, August 7, 2023, after yet another failed attempt by the defence to have the case dismissed after the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) turned down the defences application for a Special Entry in terms of Section 317 of the Criminal Procedure Act, where they alleged irregularities and illegalities in the proceedings that had occurred.Rev. Omotoso, 63, the senior pastor and founder of Jesus Dominion International, Durban, was arrested on April 20, 2017, for alleged rape and human trafficking.The pastor and his co-accused, face 63 main and 34 alternative charges related to contravention of the segxwal Offences Act. His alleged victims included girls as young as 13. Read previous reports HERE HERE HERE HERELuxolo Tyali, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Regional Spokesperson, Eastern Cape Division, confirmed the resumption of the trial in a statement. Quote "The trial has experienced numerous delays since the arrest of the Nigerian national, Omotoso, in April 2017. "Omotoso was denied bail while the two South African women he is charged with are out on bail. The three are facing charges 63 charges, including racketeering, trafficking in persons, rape, and segxwal assault. "It is alleged that Omotoso, who was addressed as the man of God, was the leader of the Jesus Dominion International (JDI) church and his co-accused were his assistants. JDI had major branches in South Africa, Nigeria, and Israel, with Durban being its headquarters in the country. "The complainants were either congregants, employees or persons selected to take part in the activities of the church when they were recruited under the pretext that they would benefit spiritually or improve the quality of their lives. "Omotoso allegedly directly or indirectly though his co-accused paid and arranged for them to travel of the complainants to his hotel, Durban, Israel, or Nigeria. "However, once the complainants arrived, Omotoso or his assistants would inform them of house rules which included that their cellphones be switched off or told not to contact male companions and were to further abide by his instructions. "The complainants and other female church members were allegedly kept in one room where they also slept. Omotoso would allegedly select one of the complainants to go to his private bedroom where he raped or segxwally assaulted them The case resumes after yet another failed attempt by the defence to have the case dismissed after the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) turned down the defences application for a Special Entry in terms of Section 317 of the Criminal Procedure Act, where they alleged irregularities and illegalities in the proceedings that had occurred. The latest application is one of many that have led to delays and the case dragging on for almost six years. The ninth state witness, Thozamile Ngeva (34), who joined Omotosos church when he was 14 years old, took the witness stand. He was led by Senior State Advocate Mduduzi Mzila, who is part of the new three-member prosecution team, Tyali said."The trial has experienced numerous delays since the arrest of the Nigerian national, Omotoso, in April 2017."Omotoso was denied bail while the two South African women he is charged with are out on bail. The three are facing charges 63 charges, including racketeering, trafficking in persons, rape, and segxwal assault."It is alleged that Omotoso, who was addressed as the man of God, was the leader of the Jesus Dominion International (JDI) church and his co-accused were his assistants. JDI had major branches in South Africa, Nigeria, and Israel, with Durban being its headquarters in the country."The complainants were either congregants, employees or persons selected to take part in the activities of the church when they were recruited under the pretext that they would benefit spiritually or improve the quality of their lives."Omotoso allegedly directly or indirectly though his co-accused paid and arranged for them to travel of the complainants to his hotel, Durban, Israel, or Nigeria."However, once the complainants arrived, Omotoso or his assistants would inform them of house rules which included that their cellphones be switched off or told not to contact male companions and were to further abide by his instructions."The complainants and other female church members were allegedly kept in one room where they also slept. Omotoso would allegedly select one of the complainants to go to his private bedroom where he raped or segxwally assaulted themThe case resumes after yet another failed attempt by the defence to have the case dismissed after the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) turned down the defences application for a Special Entry in terms of Section 317 of the Criminal Procedure Act, where they alleged irregularities and illegalities in the proceedings that had occurred. The latest application is one of many that have led to delays and the case dragging on for almost six years. Post Reply Posted: at 9-08-2023 12:14 PM (1 week ago) | Addicted Hero Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Five indicted in China espionage cases ROC Central News Agency 08/08/2023 02:02 PM Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) The Tainan branch of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office has indicted five people in two separate cases for allegedly spying for China, including one in which secrets related to Taiwan's Han Kuang exercises allegedly changed hands. In a statement released Monday, Tainan prosecutors said one of the cases involved a Taiwanese businessman who conspired with his son to get two Air Force officers to help them spy for China. The father, surnamed Huang (e), and his son were indicted for violating the National Security Act, the Classified National Security Information Protection Act, and the Anti-Corruption Act. The two military officers, a technical sergeant surnamed Yeh (e) and a first lieutenant surnamed Su (e), were indicted for violating the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces, the Anti-Corruption Act, and other laws, the office said in the statement. In the indictment, Yeh and Su are accused of leaking eight classified documents regarding Taiwan's Han Kuang drills and other military secrets to China, either by carrying them to China or by sending pictures via cell phone. Yeh and Su were paid NT$210,000 (US$6,610) and NT$100,000, respectively, while Huang earned NT$456,000 and his son made NT$1.26 million, the indictment alleges. According to prosecutors, Huang was recruited by Chinese intelligence officers, whose real names remained unknown, when he ran a business in the city of Xiamen in Fujian Province in 2015. He then worked with his son for China after returning to Taiwan and lured Yeh and Su to join in their scheme with a promise of lucrative gains in exchange for confidential information, prosecutors alleged. In addition to compiling information on soldiers' identities, Yeh and Su were asked to sign a paper to promise their allegiance to Beijing before they were arranged to meet with a Chinese intelligence official abroad, prosecutors said. In a separate espionage case related to China, the same Tainan prosecutors office formally charged a former soldier surnamed Tai (), who lived in Zhuhai after retiring, of being recruited by China's intelligence officers to turn Taiwanese soldiers into spies for Beijing. Tai started meeting with two officers he knew surnamed Yang (S) and Tsai (e) in July and August 2021 in an attempt to get them to help gather classified information in exchange for a payment of at least NT$200,000. Neither Yang nor Tsai agreed to the deal, however, according to Tainan prosecutors, and the Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau launched an investigation after being notified of the case. Tai was indicted on several charges, including for violating the National Security Act, the Classified National Security Information Protection Act, and the Anti-Corruption Act, Tainan prosecutors said. (By Yang Ssu-jui and Chao Yen-hsiang) Enditem/ls NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tokyo downplays US report of Chinese military hack on Japan Hacking spree described as 'deep' and 'persistent,' compromising East Asian ally that harbors US military bases. By Chris Taylor for RFA 2023.08.08 -- Tokyo on Tuesday declined to confirm reports that Chinese military hackers had compromised the most classified military secrets of the U.S.'s vital East Asian ally, in a case that dates back to 2020. Speaking at a regular news conference in Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the government was "aware of the news report" but "will refrain from providing detailed information due to the nature of the matter." "I am unable to provide further details of the communication, but we haven't confirmed the fact that security information has been leaked due to cyber attacks," he said. In a Monday report, the Washington Post revealed that Chinese hackers had achieved "deep, persistent access," apparently chasing down "anything they could get their hands on A- plans, capabilities, assessments of military shortcomings." The sources are three former senior U.S. officials - among a dozen current and former U.S. and Japanese officials - who spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. "It was bad - shockingly bad," recalled one former U.S. military official, on the previously unreported event. It was in fact so bad that the head of the National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Cyber Command, and the White House deputy national security adviser at the time headed immediately to Tokyo. There Gen. Paul Nakasone of the NSA and Matthew Pottinger, White House deputy national security advisor told first Japan's defense minister and then the Japanese prime minister that Tokyo's defense networks had been breached, in one of "the most damaging hacks in that country's modern history." The hackers continued to infiltrate Japan's networks into 2021, the paper said. It added the case was previously unreported. Meanwhile, Tokyo may be hesitating to confirm the security breaches, but it has committed to beef up its cybersecurity, pledging to add 4,000 experts to its cybersecurity force over the next five years in an effort to increase network security, A Japanese defense official told the Post that Tokyo has also launched a Cyber Command to monitor Japanese networks 24/7, while the government plans to spend U.S.$7 billion over five years on its networked security. Growing threat China is already thought to be home to more state-sponsored hackers than anywhere else in the world - and it shows no sign of slowing down. Increasingly, Chinese hackers are targeting key network infrastructure in the U.S., Guam and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific - notably, communication, transportation and utility systems, Microsoft said in May. Less than two weeks ago, reports surfaced that the Biden administration was on the hunt for malware that threatened to compromise military and civilian power grids, communications systems and water supplies. The malware, which is believed to have been inserted by Chinese hackers associated with the People's Liberation Army, could seek to disrupt and slow down any reaction by the U.S. military should China move against Taiwan. One congressional official described the malware as "a ticking time bomb" that could make it possible for China to cut off power, water and communications to military bases. The malware could equally impact the homes and businesses of ordinary Americans, the same official said. In July Microsoft revealed that China-based hackers known as Storm-0558 had gained access to the email accounts of some 25 organizations, including U.S. government agencies. Among those affected were officials at the U.S. State Department and Commerce Department including the email account of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and the U.S. ambassador to China. Microsoft said the breach was detected on June 16, and that it believed the hackers had first gained access around May 15. Back to Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described the current situation at a news conference with President Biden in Washington in January as "the most challenging and complex security environment in recent history." Kishida noted that Japan is embracing a new national security strategy to boost its defenses. "This new policy," he said, "will be beneficial for the deterrence capabilities and response capabilities of the alliance as well." The new policy includes a counter-strike capability that can reach targets in mainland China, the Post reported. Japan is buying U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles and allowing the U.S. Marine Corps to place a new advanced regiment in remote islands southwest of Okinawa, which would provide the U.S. military with proximity to Taiwan in the event of conflict with China erupting. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang. 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 August 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 U.S. Navy SEALs, Australian Special Forces conclude Talisman Sabre 2023 US Navy 07 August 2023 From Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Gaither QUEENSLAND, Australia -- U.S. Naval Special Warfare (NSW) forces deployed in support of U.S. Special Operations Command Pacific participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre from July 17 to August 3, 2023. NSW forces worked alongside Australian special operations forces (SOF) from the Army's 2nd Commando Regiment. Talisman Sabre is a biennial exercise designed to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening partnerships and interoperability among key allies. The spelling of the name sabre vs. saber reflects which country is leading the exercise: Talisman Sabre when Australia leads and Talisman Saber when the U.S. leads. NSW and Australian SOF members spent several weeks training together in the lead up to Talisman Sabre, practicing scenarios designed to increase partnership, interoperability, and crisis response capabilities. "Our training with the Australian SOF members before the exercise prepared us for success by providing iteration training, which allowed us to work through issues and streamline our procedures," said the NSW unit's officer in charge. "The bilateral training we conducted during Talisman Sabre focused on integrating and exchanging maritime insertion methods and small unit tactics." As part of the exercise, operators from both countries practiced unique training scenarios in a multinational environment, enhancing their abilities to respond together as part of a joint or combined force. The NSW unit began Talisman Sabre conducting combined small arms fire, fast rope drills, and close-quarter combat familiarization with their Australian counterparts in Sydney. Training later shifted to Queensland, where the combined forces executed both day and nighttime joint maritime insertion scenarios. "During this collaboration with Australian SOF members, it reminded us of the critical importance of including face-to-face planning when operating with our allies," said a U.S. Naval Special Warfare operator. "Without a doubt, our work together has deepened relations, and we are thankful for the warm welcome and hospitality from the host nation, Australia." The United States and Australia have a long history of global partnership and security cooperation dating back over 100 years, from World War I and II, and every significant conflict since. U.S. Naval Special Warfare is the nation's elite maritime special operations force, uniquely positioned to extend the fleet's reach. Integral to this capability is a forward-deployed posture and continuous engagement with partner and ally forces, heightening mutual interoperability and regional expertise. Talisman Sabre 23 had more than more than 30,000 military participants from Australia, United States, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and United Kingdom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CENTCOM Commander Conducts Strait of Hormuz Transit and Visits United Arab Emirates and Bahrain U.S. Central Command USCENTCOM August 8, 2023 Release Number 20230808-01 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TAMPA, Fla. -- From Aug. 6-8, Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, embarked on the USS THOMAS HUDNER (DD116) in the Gulf of Oman, visited United Arab Emirates where he met with Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Issa Saif Mohammed al-Mazrouei. He then traveled to Bahrain where he met with: His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Excellency Lieutenant General Abdullah bin Hassan Al Nuaimi, the Bahrain Minister of Defense Affairs, senior officers on the Bahrain Defense Fore Staff, and the U.S. Fifth Fleet Headquarters. Gen. Kurilla, along with Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of the Fifth Fleet, embarked on the USS THOMAS HUDNER (DDG 116) while it was underway on a transit of the Strait of Hormuz. While aboard this Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, Gen. Kurilla received hands on demonstrations of the full capabilities of the combat vessel operating in the U.S. CENTCOM Area of Operation. While in the United Arab Emirates, Gen. Kurilla met Lieutenant General Issa Sayf Mohammed al-Mazrouei, the Armed Forces Chief of Staff, to discuss the enduring nature of the military-to-military relationship and the need to address threats in the region. In a meeting with His Majesty King Hamid bin Isa Al Khalifa, Gen. Kurilla discussed the strength of the U.S.-Bahrain military relationship dating back to Bahrain's independence. The two also discussed the complex security situation in the region and how strong partnerships are the key to overcoming regional challenges. "These trips to the region provide me deep insights into the relationships with our partners and the readiness of the U.S. and Coalition forces deployed there" said Gen. Kurilla. "I continue to be impressed with the high level of readiness, professionalism, and capability of the U.S. forces serving in CENTCOM. The commitment of our forces and partners is key to regional security." Gen. Kurilla also visited the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain where he met with leaders to discuss the maritime security situation in the region. As part of the visit, Gen. Kurilla met with ambassadors and defense attaches that represent the nations of the Combined Maritime Forces, the largest maritime partnership in the world consisting of 38 nations. -30- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address August 8, 2023 Release Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr. Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke today with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr. by phone to discuss US-Philippines alliance cooperation. Both Secretaries reaffirmed the ironclad nature of the US-Philippines alliance and committed to redouble efforts to strengthen bilateral training, interoperability, and support for the modernization of the Philippine Armed Forces. The Secretaries discussed recent events in the South China Sea, including PRC efforts to obstruct the Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal on August 5, 2023. Secretary Austin condemned the China Coast Guard's use of water cannons and other dangerous maneuvers, which put the safety of Philippine vessels and crew at risk. He joined numerous countries in expressing concern about these unsafe operational activities, which undermine the status quo and directly threaten regional peace and stability. The Secretaries reaffirmed their shared commitment to upholding the rules-based order, including supporting the Philippines' right to conduct lawful maritime activities, consistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal Ruling, which is final and binding on all parties. Secretary Austin reaffirmed that the Mutual Defense Treaty extends to Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forcesto include those of its Coast Guardin the Pacific, including in the South China Sea. The Secretaries commended recent bilateral military cooperation, including collaborative efforts to deliver over thirty-two tons of humanitarian supplies to the remote islands off the coast of the Batanes island group and the mountain region of Cervantes Ilocos Sur impacted by Typhoon Egay. They noted the swift response was critical for the well-being and safety of thousands of Filipinos in these regions affected by the typhoon. They praised the utility of Lal-lo Airfield in Cagayan, a new Enhance Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) location, in facilitating relief efforts. The Secretaries committed to find a near-term opportunity to meet in-person and restated their commitment to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as allies to bring security, prosperity, and stability to the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3487281/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address August 8, 2023 By David Vergun , DOD News Defense Official Says Force Posture in Niger Is Unchanged The Defense Department's force posture in Niger has not changed, said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh today. There are over 1,000 U.S. troops in Niger, and the U.S. embassy is still open, she said. "We have paused on an interim basis some security cooperation efforts, and we're not conducting military training right now, as things remain pretty fluid within Niger. And we continue to monitor what's happening on the ground there," she said. Nigerien Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, a former chief of the country's Presidential Guard, seized power from Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26. The Defense Department has paused military training in Niger and has also paused some additional security cooperation efforts as officials continue to monitor events on the ground, Singh said. The United States continues to urge a diplomatic and peaceful resolution, she said. "The fact that our force posture has not changed sends a message that we're committed to the region. We're committed to Niger," Singh said. "The United States does not want to abandon Nigeriens that we've partnered with and that we've trained with over many years." Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who was in Niger yesterday, said she spoke by phone with Bazoum and met some of the military members who seized power in a push for a negotiated solution and restoration of democracy. Nuland also said she raised concerns during her visit about threats to the security of Niger if support from Russia's Wagner Group mercenaries is invited. In an Aug. 3 statement, President Joe Biden called for Niger's democracy to be preserved. "Defending fundamental democratic values and standing up for constitutional order, justice and the right of peaceful assembly are essential to the partnership between Niger and the United States. I call for President Bazoum and his family to be immediately released and for the preservation of Niger's hard-earned democracy," Biden said in the statement. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks on the Statement of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Concerning Ren'ai Jiao People's Republic of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2023-08-08 12:12 Q: On August 7, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that on August 5, in the waters adjacent to Ren'ai Jiao, China Coast Guard "took blocking and other aggressive maneuvers, including the use of a water cannon" against the Philippine supply boats and Coast Guard vessels on a routine resupply mission to the military vessel grounded at Ren'ai Jiao. The Philippines says such actions violate UNCLOS and the 2016 South China Sea arbitration award and infringe upon the Philippines' sovereign rights and jurisdiction. What is your comment? A: The spokesperson of China Coast Guard has given detailed information regarding the Philippines' illegally sending construction materials to Ren'ai Jiao in China's Nansha Qundao and the situation it caused at sea. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has lodged serious demarches to the Philippines. I would like to stress that Ren'ai Jiao is part of China's Nansha Qundao. The Philippines explicitly promised several times to tow away the military vessel deliberately and illegally "grounded" at Ren'ai Jiao. However, 24 years have passed and instead of towing it away, the Philippines has sought to repair and reinforce it on a large scale in order to permanently occupy Ren'ai Jiao. The Philippines' action gravely violates international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) signed between China and ASEAN countries. China once again urges the Philippines to immediately tow away the military vessel "grounded" at Ren'ai Jiao and restore Ren'ai Jiao to its original state of having no personnel or facility on it. The so-called South China Sea arbitration award violates international law, including UNCLOS. The award is illegal, null and void. China does not accept or recognize it, and will never accept any claim or action based on the award. This position is clear and firm, and is a legitimate step to uphold international rule of law. For some time, China has repeatedly communicated with the Philippines through diplomatic channels on Ren'ai Jiao. We made it clear to the Philippines that it must not send construction materials meant for repairing and reinforcing the "grounded" military vessel on a large scale, and we suggested that the two sides hold talks as soon as possible ways to manage the situation at Ren'ai Jiao. The Philippines, however, chose to ignore China's goodwill and sincerity and went ahead with sending construction materials for repairing and reinforcing the "grounded" military vessel on a large scale. This is the cause of what happened there this time. China Coast Guard responded in accordance with the law to safeguard China's sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. The maneuvers were professional, restrained and beyond reproach. The Philippines is China's important maritime neighbor. Important common understandings exist between our two sides on managing maritime disputes. China stands ready to continue to work with the Philippines to properly handle maritime issues through dialogue and consultation and jointly uphold bilateral relations and maritime stability. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China calls on Philippines to move grounded warship from reef in South China Sea Iran Press TV Tuesday, 08 August 2023 4:36 PM China has repeated a call for the Philippines to remove a grounded World War II warship, which Manila uses as a makeshift military base, from a reef in the South China Sea. "China once again urges the Philippine side to immediately remove the warship from Second Thomas Shoal and restore it to its unoccupied state," China's foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. China, the ministry said, has communicated to the Philippines on the Second Thomas Shoal issue "many times" through diplomatic channels, but its goodwill and sincerity have been "ignored". A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry also said, "The Philippine side has repeatedly made clear promises to tow away the warship illegally 'stranded' on the reef." "Twenty-four years have passed, the Philippine side has not only failed to tow away the warship, but also attempted to repair and reinforce it on a large scale to achieve permanent occupation of the Ren'ai Reef," the spokesperson added, using the Chinese term for the Second Thomas Shoal. Manila summoned Beijing's envoy on Monday after China's coastguard reportedly blocked Philippine vessels carrying supplies to Filipino military personnel stationed on the grounded vessel. China maintained over the weekend that it had taken "necessary controls" against Philippine boats that "illegally" entered its waters and said on Monday it had been "professional and restrained". China's coastguard and navy vessels said on Monday the country had told Manila not to send ships to the shoal and not to send "construction materials used for large-scale repair and reinforcement" to the grounded warship. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, which overlaps with the waters of Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines. Manila deliberately grounded the vessel in 1999 to reinforce its sovereignty claims. China maintains the Philippines' occupation of the shoal is illegal. The Chinese ambassador to the Philippines said on Tuesday that China had no choice but to respond to the presence of the Philippine ships. China's embassy in Manila criticized Washington for "gathering" its allies to continue "hyping up" the South China Sea issue. "The South China Sea is not a 'safari park' for countries outside the region to make mischief and sow discord," the embassy said in a statement. Tensions have soared between the two neighbors over the South China Sea under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with Manila pivoting back to the United States, which supports the Southeast Asian country in its maritime disputes with China. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Top US diplomat demands reverse of Niger coup in secret visit, hints intervention Iran Press TV Tuesday, 08 August 2023 10:18 AM A top US diplomat has demanded the undoing of Niger's coup and the return to power of its West-sponsored president in a secret visit to the West African nation for talks with coup leaders, suggesting a military intervention otherwise. Speaking to reporters before her departure from Niger's capital Niamey, Veteran diplomat and Acting Deputy US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland described her talks on Monday as "extremely frank and at times quite difficult," insisting that she offered the coup leaders "a number of options" to exit the crisis and restore their ties with the US military, with has suspended aid to Niger along with other colonialist Western governments. Nuland's secret visit to Niger came after the expiration of a deadline set by the US-backed ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) to reinstate the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum by midnight on Sunday or risk military intervention, AFP reported Wednesday. The 15-nation bloc is reconvening for another push to end the crisis with a summit due to take place Thursday in the Nigerian capital Abuja. A source close to ECOWAS said an immediate military intervention to restore Bazoum was not envisaged at this stage, adding that the path to dialogue still appeared open. Nuland met for more than two hours with military chiefs that ousted Bazoum on July 26, the report added, warning them against following neighboring Mali in inviting Russian military advisers to the country, attributing them to the Wagner group. "The people who have taken this action here understand very well the risks to their sovereignty when Wagner is invited in," claimed Nuland, who is known for her hawkish anti-Russia positions. The senior US diplomat further complained that the coup leaders did not respond to her requests to meet Niger's new leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, or the toppled Western ally, Bazoum, although US officials have been in touch with the ousted president by telephone. "I would not say that we were in any way taken up on that offer," Nuland emphasized. Blinken claims US prefers diplomacy, hinting military action This is while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed on Monday that diplomacy was the best option to deal with the coup in Niger but also suggested a military action led by the Western-sponsored ECOWAS. "Diplomacy is certainly the preferred way of resolving this situation," Blinken told French Radio RFI, adding: "It is ECOWAS' current approach; it is our approach." His use of ECOWAS - which has threatened military intervention against Niger - as a front, however, suggests a likely US role in the potential military action. Speaking at a press briefing in Washington, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller also appeared to suggest military action against Niger, claiming that although military intervention was a "last resort" for ECOWAS, Washington was "focused on finding a diplomatic solution." "The window of opportunity is definitely still open. We believe that the junta should step aside and let President Bazoum resume his duties," he further emphasized. He also slammed efforts by neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso -- both suspended from ECOWAS for their own anti-West coups -- after they dispatched their envoys to Niger. Niger and Mali were both formerly colonized by France. Paris, however, continues to treat both African nations as its colonies, reportedly plundering their natural resources while leaving the two nations impoverished. The coup in the impoverished nation that had long remained under the colonial rule of Western countries has drawn condemnation from its international partners, such as the US, the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, and its former colonizer, France. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer. Nonetheless, Niger is one of the world's poorest countries and relies on hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance yearly. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Govi is not livable. Not anymore' Climate change and over-grazing are wreaking havoc in Mongolia. By Subel Rai Bhandari for RFA 2023.08.08 -- In the remote Govi steppe, Mongolian herder Orkhontuya Oyun and her husband constantly move with their livestock in search of rain. "We lost 600 goats and sheep last winter. They were too weak to survive, even though we brought them inside our tents," said Orkhontuya, some 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of their home in Omnogovi in southern Mongolia. In previous years, Orkhontuya did not have to move further than 40-50 kilometers (18-25 miles) from her area. After an extremely bitter winter, a sweltering summer has begun on the Mongolian steppe, as the semi-arid grassland is known. "We are now looking for rain, heading to wherever we hear it's expected to fall," Orkhontuya said as she combed one of her goats with long, smooth strokes. Wedged between China and Russia, Mongolia is known for its breathtaking landscapes, with snow-capped mountains, pristine rivers and lakes, and sweeping steppes. But the ancient home of Genghis Khan is now facing an environmental crisis. Bat-ulzii Bat-Erdene, Mongolia's environment minister, said the annual average air temperature in Mongolia has risen by 2-2.25 degrees Celsius in the last 80 years due to climate change, more than twice the global average. The country's permafrost is melting rapidly, and more than a quarter of its 1,200 rivers, streams, lakes and springs vanished over the past decade, according to the environment ministry. That's a grim prospect for the third of the 3.3 million population of Mongolia that still lives a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle. Livestock accounts for more than a quarter of the country's economy. Millions of livestock have perished Orkhontuya, 43, said this has been the hardest year she's experienced yet. Govi is "the frontier of climate change, and we are experiencing it," she said. The landscape around her attests to the problem. The soil is parched. Livestock is scattered. On the horizon, there is black dust kicked up by coal mining, which is conducted on a massive scale in Mongolia. Weather patterns are growing more extreme. A phenomenon called dzud, which combines a harsh winter with drought, has been occurring more frequently. Winter temperatures drop as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit). The last big dzud in 2010 killed 8.5 million, or 20%, of total livestock in Mongolia. More than a million more died in 2016. And where dzuds used to happen just once or twice a decade, now they kill around half a million livestock each year. E. Munkhtsetseg, head of the meteorology, hydrology and permafrost research lab at the National University of Mongolia, said the impact of climate change on Mongolia's pastoral economy and the livelihoods of nomadic herders has been "devastating." Govi dust storm travels to China In Orkhontuya's region, there has been no rain for the past three years. Most of her family members, friends, and neighbors have already left the herding life. "Govi is not livable. Not anymore," Orkhontuya said, adding she also wants to "give up, quit the herding life, and go live in the city." "But it's tough to leave everything behind. This is all we have done and all we know," she said, next to motorized camper trailers, which many herders use these days. They are quicker to move around the steppe than a ger, the traditional and portable Mongolian yurt or tent. Yet the impacts of extreme weather are also being felt in the city. In July, more than 20,000 people were displaced in flooding after what was described as the heaviest rainfall in 50 years in the capital Ulaanbaatar. The number of such incidents has increased tenfold in two decades. The impacts also extend beyond Mongolia's borders. In May, China's environment ministry said that Mongolia was the main source of 12 large-scale sandstorms, China's worst in five years, in the first quarter of this year, contributing to as much as 70% of the dust particles in Beijing. Herders are also the problem Mongolia is three times the size of France and the most sparsely populated country in the world. Two-thirds of the land area is steppe. Between the 1920s and 1990, when Mongolia was a satellite of the Soviet Union, the state managed livestock as a socialist collective, limiting the number of animals. Since 1990, due to privatization and the free market, people can own any number of livestock, even though the number of nomadic herders has decreased by more than half. "The number of livestock has crossed 71 million in Mongolia, which has led to overgrazing," Bat-Erdene, the environment minister, said. Officials say that is three times the capacity. Each year, the number increases by 3 million. The government has floated the idea of sedentary livestock, but experts are against it, saying the traditional migratory lifestyle is better for the environment if done more sustainably. To fight desertification, the Mongolian government has planned to plant 1 billion trees by 2030, but it lacks forestry experts and nurseries to produce saplings. Bulgamaa Densambuu, an advisory board member of the National Federation of Pasture User Groups of Herders, said it makes more sense to try and regenerate grassland. "Mongolia is not a forested country anymore. It is two-thirds steppe," she said. "So the most dominant landscape should be the grassland." And Bulgamaa says that the situation is not beyond repair. According to the federation's research, 65% of Mongolian rangeland is degraded but not destroyed. "Ninety percent of that has the potential for recovery alone if only we manage the issues and reduce the livestock number," she said. Edited by Mat Pennington. 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 August 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 Charity Concerned Over Decreasing Funds To Alleviate Afghanistan's Humanitarian Crisis By RFE/RL August 08, 2023 A leading international humanitarian organization has expressed concern over decreasing funding for humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, where almost three-quarters of the country's population is in need of assistance. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), a U.S. nongovernmental organization, said in a statement on August 7 that almost 30 million Afghans "remain in dire need of assistance" as funding shortfalls jeopardize the humanitarian response in the country of more than 40 million. "Nearly the entire population lives in poverty," said Salma Ben Aissa, IRC Afghanistan director, adding that two years after the Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021, "the Afghan economy remains cut off from international systems and 28.8 million people require humanitarian assistance." Aissa said that almost 80 percent of those in need are women and girls who have been deprived of education and work by the Taliban's hard-line Islamist government. Afghanistan, one of the most aid-dependent countries in the world, lost development assistance and financial support from Western donors after the Taliban seized power in the wake of the final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces at the end of August 2021. The Taliban's unrecognized government was slapped with sanctions as it faced international isolation because of its extensive human rights abuses. The fledgling Afghan economy rapidly collapsed, which prompted previously self-sufficient Afghans to rely on humanitarian aid. The IRC said that humanitarian operations averted famines during the past two winters while increased aid reduced the number of Afghans threatened by famine from 6 million to 3 million. "The IRC is growing deeply fearful for the future of the humanitarian response in Afghanistan in the face of continued funding shortfalls," Aissa said. The organization says that only 23 percent of this year's $4.6 billion proposed funding has been covered. In comparison, 40 percent of the previous plan was funded by the same time last year. IRC called on donors to "commit to supporting the humanitarian response in a long-term and flexible manner" to ensure that the most vulnerable Afghans can receive aid. "Without this commitment, millions will continue to face hunger and an uncertain future," Aissa said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-charity- concern-humanitarian-crisis-funding/32539098.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 Armenian Protesters Demanding Government Take Steps To Unblock Lachin Corridor Arrested By RFE/RL's Armenian Service August 08, 2023 Armenian police on August 8 detained more than a dozen protesters outside a government building in Yerevan after they demanded the authorities take steps to unblock the Lachin Corridor, the only road linking the Armenian-populated Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. The Interior Ministry said 14 people were detained for failing to comply with police orders but said they would be released soon. The protesters arrived at a government building in the morning and demanded authorities open the corridor, saying that if the government didn't do it, they wanted to be armed so that they could open it themselves. Yerevan and international aid groups have warned that a dire humanitarian situation has been unfolding in Nagorno-Karabakh since convoys of food and medicine have been blocked from reaching the region. The protesters, who said they were members of a military unit, said they intended to travel by bus to Kornidzor, a village on the border with Azerbaijan where trucks containing aid have been standing. The convoy of 19 Armenian trucks carrying emergency food aid to Nagorno-Karabakh has been blocked for almost two weeks at an Azerbaijan checkpoint. Tensions escalated after Azerbaijan last month suspended traffic through the checkpoint pending an investigation after it said "various types of contraband" had been discovered in the Red Cross vehicles coming from Armenia. Azerbaijan says it can only allow supplies to reach Nagorno-Karabakh over a road from Agdam, a town controlled by Azerbaijan in the east of the region. Ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh reject this offer, saying Azerbaijan's blockade is a violation of the Moscow-brokered 2020 cease-fire agreement that placed the 5-kilometer-wide strip of land under the control of Russian peacekeepers. A delegation led by staff members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier on August 8 visited the site in Armenia's southern Syunik Province where the 19-truck convoy has been stranded. Syunik Governor Robert Ghukasian accompanied visiting U.S. officials Sarah Arkin and Damian Murphy. The United States and the European Union have urged Azerbaijan to allow humanitarian supplies to reach Nagorno-Karabakh over the Lachin Corridor. A group of United Nations experts on August 7 voiced alarm over the ongoing blockade. "The blockade of the Lachin Corridor is a humanitarian emergency that has created severe shortages of essential food staples including sunflower oil, fish, chicken, dairy products, cereal, sugar and baby formula," said a statement published on the website of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on August 7 reiterated that a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan was achievable "despite any comments from other countries who are not a party to this matter." Miller was commenting on a warning from Russia to both sides against rushing into the signing of a peace agreement. "I don't want to speak with respect to Russia when it comes to Armenia and Azerbaijan," Miller said. "I want to speak with respect to those two countries...[that] are direct parties in this dispute." He said a U.S. special envoy traveled to the region last week to engage directly with Armenia and Azerbaijan. With reporting by AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-protest- lachin-blockade/32539708.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 Zelenskiy Says 'Wound' Of Russia's 2008 Invasion Of Georgia Still Remains By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, RFE/RL's Georgian Service August 08, 2023 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on August 7 commented on the 15th anniversary of Russia's invasion of Georgia, saying that the "wound" caused by Russia's occupation of the country remains. Zelenskiy noted that many observers have said that had the world reacted more decisively when Russia invaded Georgia in 2008, things might be different for Ukraine now. "The Russian occupation remains -- this wound on the body of the Georgian state remains," Zelenskiy said in his evening video address. "Many words have already been said about the fact that if the world had been decisive back then, in 2008, many things would have been different." Russia should have been made to understand then that the aggressor pays the most for its aggression and "must understand it now," he said. Zelenskiy also said he believes that a Ukrainian victory would stop the spread of Russian aggression and protect other nations "from what we -- Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova -- are going through." Georgia and Russia fought a brief war in 2008 over South Ossetia, a Russian-backed breakaway region of Georgia. Following the war, Russia formally recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states and substantially expanded its military footprint in both territories. Russia also has troops stationed in the pro-Moscow breakaway Transdniester region of Moldova. They have been there ostensibly as peacekeepers since Chisinau and Russia-backed separatists fought a short war in 1992 that was curbed by Moscow's intervention on the side of the separatists. In Georgia on August 7, the people of the central city of Gori and representatives of the local government gathered to pay their respects at a memorial to fighters who died in the Russian-Georgian war. A candlelight vigil has been held annually since 2009 at the Heroes' Memorial. Government officials gathered again this year to lay wreaths and deliver speeches. "We traditionally gather on the 7th of August at the candlelight vigil and thus honor our heroeswho sacrificed themselves, and we try to always remember and appreciate this," Gori Mayor Vladimir Khinchegashvili said. Events related to the 15th anniversary of the war will continue in Gori on August 8. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also noted in a statement the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Georgia. "Fifteen years ago, Russia invaded the sovereign nation of Georgia and occupied 20 percent of its territory," Blinken said. "The United States remains steadfast in our support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The lives of the conflict-affected populations have forever been altered by Russia's actions." Blinken said the United States remembers those killed, injured, and displaced "with deepest respect and heartfelt sympathy." He said as in Ukraine, the people of Georgia "have suffered the consequences of Russia's contempt for international law and desire to dominate its neighbors." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskiy-russia- georgia-invasion-ukraine/32538671.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 We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Waihiga Mwaura of BBC Focus on Africa US Department of State Interview Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State Washington, D.C. August 8, 2023 QUESTION: Well, we're now joined by the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the Black Sea Grain Initiative and food security. He's joining us from Washington, D.C. Secretary Blinken, thanks so much for making time for Focus on Africa. And I'll get straight into it. Russia says it will only return to the Black Sea grain deal if reconnected to the SWIFT payment system. And all this is happening with the rising food prices. As it - when you look at this, would the U.S. consider this request? SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, first, take a step back. This initiative never should've been necessary in the first place. It was only necessary because Russia invaded Ukraine, and then having invaded Ukraine, blockaded its ports, including Odesa, where most of the grain going to so much of the developing world was leaving from. Turkiye and the United Nations negotiated this agreement, and when it was in effect - before Russia in effect tore it up - some 34 million metric tons of grain was getting out from Ukraine. More than half of that was going to the developing world, to lower and middle-income countries. And of that, two-thirds of the wheat was going to those countries - the equivalent of 18 billion loaves of bread. So now Russia has torn it up, and yet despite its complaints, if you look at Russia's exports of food products, they were at record levels. In other words, Russia was exporting more than ever before in its history. So the notion that there is some big impediment in terms of one bank or another not being involved in the process is simply wrong. Russian food products were getting out - we want them to. We want the world to benefit from their grain, from their wheat, just as the world wants to benefit from Ukrainian grain and wheat. QUESTION: So are you saying the U.S. will not consider that request, in a nutshell? SECRETARY BLINKEN: What I'm saying is there is now a proposal on the table from the United Nations to Russia to address what it purports to be its concerns. To my - and we support that UN initiative. To my knowledge, Russia has not responded to what the UN has proposed, but we support it. And by the way, when the initiative was underway, just to make absolutely sure that there were no impediments to Russia getting its own wheat and grain out, I signed letters - what we call letters of comfort - to some of our banks, telling them very clearly there is no problem facilitating these transactions. In fact, as you know, our sanctions from day one exempted Russian wheat, grain, shipping, insurance, everything necessary to move that around the world. As I said, we want everyone's food and grain to get everywhere it needs to go. The other thing is this. Besides the countries directly affected, the countries that were directly receiving Ukrainian food products, receiving the grain, receiving wheat, every country in a sense was benefiting from this agreement because having that food on world markets kept prices down. We've now seen since Russia got out of the agreement prices go up by 10 to 15 percent. That hurts everyone. QUESTION: Secretary of State, I want to jump in and get a sense from you on this. So Russia has promised free grain to some of the worst affected countries, especially on the African continent. Isn't this somewhat a measure of good faith on the part of Russia? SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, it's - I - none of this is a laughing matter, but it's laughable. What Russia was proposing is - was to get grain to a half dozen countries, about 50,000 tons. The Black Sea Grain Initiative delivered 20 million tons to lower and middle-income countries. In other words, what the Russians were proposing in compensation for getting out of the agreement is a drop in the bucket of what countries were getting and what they need. And by the way, I was at the United Nations last week. Ninety-one countries signed on to a declaration saying that food should not be used as a weapon of war, and never mind what the United States is saying, country after country - and notably countries in Africa - were all calling upon Russia to get back into the Black Sea Grain Initiative. QUESTION: Secretary of State, in regions such as the Sahel, food insecurity is particularly driven by instability in the region, where Russia has a lot of interest, for example. So when you see images such as supporters of the recent coup in Niger waving Russian flags on the streets of Niamey, does this concern you? SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, of course it's a concern, because what we've seen is that the big drivers of food insecurity that are affecting - that's - and by the way, there are about 250 million people around the world who are acutely food insecure as we speak - the biggest drivers have been climate change, for a while COVID, and now increasingly conflict, including Russia's aggression against Ukraine. And at the same time, we see Russia, as I've said, taking advantage of some of these conflicts and weaponizing food to try to advance its own interests. But for sure we have concerns when we see something like the Wagner Group possibly manifesting itself in different parts of the Sahel, and here's why we're concerned: because every single place that this group, Wagner Group, has gone, death, destruction, and exploitation have followed. Insecurity has gone up, not down. It hasn't been a response to the needs of the countries in question for greater security. I think what happened and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but to the extent that they try to take advantage of it - and we see a repeat of what's happened in other countries, where they've brought nothing but bad things in their wake - that wouldn't be good. QUESTION: Secretary of State, for those who support the halting of the Black Sea grain deal or a relook at it, they argue that the West is mainly concerned about Russia's growing influence over Africa and the issue isn't just about food supply, bearing in mind only 3 percent of Ukraine's grain actually got to the African continent. Do you have any views on that? SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, again, the majority of the grain that was getting out through the Black Sea Grain Initiative - more than 50 percent - was going to developing countries, including many in Africa; two-thirds of the wheat going to developing countries, including countries in Africa; and as I said, the equivalent of 18 billion loaves of bread. But meanwhile, what's so important is this: Resolving this situation, Russia getting back into the Black Sea Grain Initiative, would be the quickest thing anyone could do to actually effectively address food insecurity. There is so much more that we need to do and we are doing to address it in a comprehensive way and a sustainable way. Since the Russian aggression, just going back a year and a half, the United States has provided about $15.5 billion to global food security. We are by far the largest donor to the World Food Programme. We provide 50 percent of its budget; Russia, by the way, provides less than 1 percent of its budget. We're also very focused on how we make sure that we are giving countries the capacity to produce food themselves on a sustainable basis. When I met a year ago with many foreign ministers from African countries on the margins of a special summit we convened on food security at the United Nations, what I heard from my colleagues was yes, we appreciate very much the emergency assistance, but even more we're looking for sustainable productive capacity at home. That's what the United States is focused on. We're trying to make sure that countries develop the means to produce food for themselves and, for that matter, for their neighbors. QUESTION: And in the midst of that, the link between stability and food security as well - would the troops of the U.S. stay in Niger if the coup holds? SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, I don't want to get into hypotheticals or get ahead of what's happening in Niger. We strongly support the work that ECOWAS is doing to try to help restore the constitutional order in Niger. I've been in close touch with President Bazoum, with many colleagues in the region, including the Nigerian President Tinubu, colleagues at the African Union, and it's very important that that constitutional order be restored. And right now I think ECOWAS is playing a very important role in moving the country back in that direction. QUESTION: Secretary of State, thank you so much for your time and thank you for speaking with the BBC's Focus on Africa. SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good to be with you. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York 8 August 2023 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. ** Niger In Niger, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that aid continues to be delivered to people in need in the country. Last week, we and our partners carried out some 200 humanitarian field missions. Food distributions are underway in Diffa, in the east of the country, which hosts internally displaced people, refugees and returnees. Humanitarian agencies are also preparing to distribute cash. As we mentioned yesterday, the Secretary-General is concerned over the continued detention of President Mohamed Bazoum, the health and well-being of all those detained, and the failure so far to restore constitutional order in Niger. He reiterates his full support to the ongoing mediation efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ** Sudan Turning to Sudan, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) today warned of worsening health conditions across the country, including in refugee camps and entry points and transit centres where people forced to flee are arriving. Over 4 million people have been forced to flee within Sudan and into neighbouring countries since the start of the current hostilities. Within Sudan, over 3.2 million people have been internally displaced, including more than 187,000 refugees already residing in the country at the start of the crisis. Humanitarian agencies have deployed additional staff and volunteers at the camps, border entry points and transit centres to support with malnutrition screening and other services. Teams are also providing medical kits, increasing measles vaccinations for children and rehabilitating existing facilities while setting up new ones. And as we had told you last week about a humanitarian convoy to West Darfur from Chad, the World Food Programme (WFP) says those supplies have been distributed to more than 15,000 people in remote villages in the state. Overall, in the Darfur region, WFP has reached nearly half a million people with emergency food assistance since May. That includes some 60,000 people in East Darfur in recent months. Our humanitarian colleagues stress that increased access to the Darfur region and all parts of Sudan is critical to expand the delivery of life-saving assistance to those in need. ** Democratic Republic of the Congo Our peacekeeping colleagues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are telling us that, yesterday, they responded to a presumed attack by members of the CODECO armed group. This attack took place in Largu, which is south-east of Djugu in Ituri province, and resulted in the deaths of three people with three others injured. As soon as the alert was raised, the UN mission, MONUSCO, and the Congolese armed forces deployed a joint patrol to the village, forcing the attackers to withdraw. As the incident unfolded, many civilians fled from the nearby Drodro displacement camp and sought sanctuary at the MONUSCO base. Peacekeepers and national forces provided protection for approximately 1,000 civilians at the internally displaced people (IDP) camp overnight and are continuing to patrol the area to deter further attacks and enable displaced families to return safely to the site. ** Ukraine From Ukraine, the Humanitarian Coordinator there, Denise Brown, said she is profoundly disturbed by the latest Russian strikes yesterday that hit residential buildings and other civilian places in Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, reportedly killing and injuring scores of civilians. The same location was hit twice in the space of minutes, causing the death and injury of people who had quickly come to help the survivors including rescue workers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Ms. Brown said that this latest incident adds to the very long list of attacks in Ukraine, including many over the past few days, that must be investigated as they violate international humanitarian law. Humanitarian organizations are already on the ground and are providing assistance. ** Syria This morning, the Director and Deputy High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Adedeji Ebo, briefed Security Council members on the elimination of the Syrian Arab Republic's chemical weapons programme. He emphasized that any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, and the absence of accountability for that use is a threat to international peace and security. ** Artificial Intelligence The United Nations is opening a public call for nominations of experts to serve on the multi-stakeholder High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, which has been convened by the Secretary-General. That body will undertake analysis and advance recommendations for the international governance of artificial intelligence (AI) and report back on the options for global AI governance by the end of 2023. The call for nominations is open until 31 August 2023. The Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology, Amandeep Singh Gill, said that we need to bring global interdisciplinary expertise together on AI to make sure that it is aligned with the UN Charter, human rights, rule of law, and the common good. Nominated experts should have leading and relevant expertise among the broad range of fields relevant to the governance of AI or domain of its application. ** Ethiopia We have a new Resident Coordinator appointment from our colleagues in the Development Coordination Office (DCO). The Secretary-General has appointed our old friend Ramiz Alakbarov of Azerbaijan as the UN Resident Coordinator in Ethiopia, following the host Government's approval. He will also serve as the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country. Mr. Alakbarov will lead the Ethiopia country team after serving as Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) where he was also the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator. His full bio can be found on the DCO website. We wish him well at his new post! ** Questions and Answers Deputy Spokesman : That's it from me. Are there any questions? Yes, Ibtisam? Question : Farhan, on Syria and cross-border, do you have any updates on the 13 August, the deadline for the two cross-borders, Bab Al-Ra'ee and also Bab al-Hawa? Deputy Spokesman : Well, first of all, on the two that you're talking about, Bab al-Salam and Al-Ra'ee, we greatly welcome the extension of permission by the Government of Syria through a letter we received to the Emergency Relief Coordinator on 6 August, which will allow us to utilize the Bab al-Salam and Al-Ra'ee border crossings until 13 November. So, we have received that letter from them. Meanwhile, the Government of Syria has responded to a letter from Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths concerning Bab al-Hawa. We stand ready to resume aid operations through the Bab al-Hawa crossing as soon as possible. The UN and our humanitarian partners will also continue to deliver the urgently-needed aid, as I mentioned, through the Bab al-Salam and Al-Ra'ee border crossings. Question : Okay. Now, just to clarify, so you got a second letter regarding Bab al-Hawa? Is that correct? Deputy Spokesman : Yes. Question : Is it possible to share with us the letter? Or is this like also, does it you had some issues, two issues with the initial announcement by the Syrian Government. Is this issue resolved or not? Deputy Spokesman : We're working with the Government of Syria to resolve any issues. At this stage, basically, we're standing ready to resume our aid operations. I don't have a confirmation to give at this point of being able to use Bab al-Hawa, but we're in talks with them, and we'll see what progress we can make. But certainly, we've received communications and have been in touch with them. Question : So, sorry, just sorry to I'm trying just to understand. So when you say you're standing ready to assume your operation, does that mean that the obstacles you were facing regarding delivering aid are now not there anymore? Or? Deputy Spokesman : At this stage, we're still working to resolve those obstacles. We're hopeful that we can do so and we do stand ready to resume operations if those obstacles are overcome. Mr. Lovlu? Question : Thank you, Farhan. This is Lovlu Ansar from Bangladesh Pratidin. Deputy Spokesman : Yes. Please speak into the microphone. Question : In the lead-up to the 2024 national election in Bangladesh, various international election observer teams are visiting Bangladesh. Current ruling political party, Awami League, has warmly welcomed them. But the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP, and other political players has regretted to engage with the visiting team. This decision comes amid ongoing vandalism and street protest by BNP, demanding fair election in Bangladesh. Considering this situation, do you think that BNP attitude is conducive to holding a peaceful and fair election in Bangladesh? Deputy Spokesman : At this stage, what I can tell you is that we continue to encourage peaceful, credible, and inclusive elections in Bangladesh. And, of course, regarding protests, as everywhere in the world, we want all security forces to recognise and respect the right to peaceful assembly and peaceful protest. Question : Thank you. Deputy Spokesman : Did you have a question? Question : I do have a question. Thank you. It's about the AI panel of experts that you mentioned. Just to be clear, the call for experts is open till the end of August. Is that correct? Deputy Spokesman : Yes. Question : And they will be expected to report back to the Secretary-General by the end of this year. Are there any more details on how many experts there will be and what the expectations are in terms of where they will convene and how often? Deputy Spokesman : On that, yes, we've sent to you a press release that should be in your inboxes with a little bit more information on the question of this. But yes, as we had said earlier this year, we're certainly working to get this group of experts as an advisory body that will work to provide recommendations, as I mentioned, by the end of this year. This body is to consist of up to 32 members from a variety of areas, including government, private sector, civil society, and academia. And like I said, they're supposed to prepare a first report by the end of this year in other words, by 31 December for the consideration of the Secretary-General and the Member States. Yes, please. Question : Thanks, Farhan. So I have a question about Niger. So you mentioned that the UN has last week had about 200 successful aid missions in Niger. And there are reports that today, the AU had planned to send a joint mission of representatives of the UN and ECOWAS to Niger but was blocked by the military. My question is, if the ECOWAS bloc is unable to reinstate democracy into Niger, what are the implication for UN operations in the country? Deputy Spokesman : Well, those are separate issues: One is having our humanitarian operations carried out and the other concerning the diplomatic mission is about the political process. On the humanitarian side, the Secretary-General calls for safe and unhindered access for the UN in the country, as well as the need to guarantee the continued operation of our humanitarian air services to allow the safe passage of humanitarian goods and services into Niger. So that's what we're pushing for on that side. On the political side, our Special Representative, Leonardo Santos Simao, is currently in Abuja, Nigeria, where he's actively engaging with relevant stakeholders as part of our ongoing efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to the crisis, and he will participate in the extraordinary summit on Niger this Thursday that has been announced by ECOWAS. Question : Thank you, Farhan. Deputy Spokesman : Okay. Ephrem, and then we'll go to Abdelhamid. Question : Just a quick follow-up on Ibtisam's question regarding the cross-border. You mentioned the letter related to Bab al-Hawa, request to reopen Bab al-Hawa. Can you tell us a little more about that letter? Does it contain anything new given that the issues, apparently from what you're saying, have not been resolved yet by the Government? What about this letter? [cross-talk] Deputy Spokesman : Well, the nature of diplomatic correspondence is I can't really share very much on this. We see this as an effort to help overcome the obstacles that we had been facing in recent weeks. And hopefully, we'll have some further news to give you as we work out any remaining details. We're not quite at that stage yet. Question : Do you consider it though as a development in the talks that have been ongoing with the Syrian Government? Deputy Spokesman : Yes. Yes. Yes, we do. Abdelhamid? Question : Thank you, Farhan. On Sunday, the Israeli Air Force violated the sovereign State of Syria, bombing a military base in Damascus, killing four Syrian soldiers. Is that first an aggression? And if it's an aggression, why did you not report this case? Deputy Spokesman : As we did before, in this case, we speak out against any attacks on Syrian soil. We want to avoid the further militarization of the conflict in Syria. Question : And second question, Farhan. The fourth anniversary of the Indian abolition of the Article 370 [inaudible]. Deputy Spokesman : Hold on one second. I'm not quite getting your audio clearly. Can you try to say that again? Can you raise his levels, please? Thank you. Try again. Question : The fourth anniversary of the Indian abolition of special status of Kashmir under Article 370. And the situation in Kashmir has the human rights reached the [inaudible] violation of human rights [inaudible]. Do you have any statement or do you have anything to say about the human rights situation in Kashmir? Deputy Spokesman : I would just reiterate the concerns that we have expressed, including through the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, concerning the situation in Kashmir. The concerns that we've expressed still stand. And with that, Paulina Kubiak, over to you. Oh, you have one more? One more? Question : One more. Sorry. Just to clarify, Farhan, on Syria, the new renewal of Bab al-Salam and Bab Al-Ra'ee doesn't come with any new conditions. It's under the same conditions that you have been having? Deputy Spokesman : It is under the conditions that currently apply to those crossing points. Question : And then, Bab al-Hawa, since the Security Council didn't renew it in July, since then, you were not able to deliver, but is Bab al-Hawa open to other organizations, non-UN organizations for delivery? Deputy Spokesman : I can't speak for other organizations. Obviously, they are free to go about activities outside of the auspices of the United Nations. So I'm only speaking on behalf of the activities that fall under the UN umbrella. Question : Sorry, Farhan. Can I have a follow-up as well? Follow-up day. Sorry. So on the mission that AU planned to send, it was supposed to be a joint mission with the representatives of the UN and ECOWAS that was supposed to go to Niger today. And so the reports say that the military denied this mission permission to go to Niger. I want to ask, can you confirm that the UN was meant to be part of this joint mission? Deputy Spokesman : I can confirm that Mr. Santos Simao was part of that mission. Question : Okay. Perfect. Thank you. Deputy Spokesman : Thanks very much. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19) Arrives In Narvik, Norway US Navy 08 August 2023 From 1st Lt. Stephanie Downing NARVIK, Norway -- USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19), assigned to the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), and embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Special Operations Capable (SOC), arrived in Narvik, Norway for a scheduled port visit to enhance the U.S.-Norway relationship and demonstrate our continued commitment to our NATO Allies and Partners on Aug. 5, 2023. "USS Mesa Verde and the 26th MEU(SOC) team is excited to visit Narvik, with its rich military history, and to work with Norwegian forces in order to increase our interoperability and increase our strategic partnership," said Capt. Marc Davis, Commanding Officer, USS Mesa Verde. While in port, Mesa Verde will off-load U.S. Marine Corps equipment and vehicles in support of a routine bilateral Norway training exercise, strengthening the relationship between the U.S., Norway, and NATO Allies and Partners. "The Marines are excited to be here and eager to take part in our upcoming bilateral training with the Norwegian Armed Forces," said Lt. Col. Josef H. Wiese, Executive Officer of the 26th MEU(SOC) and Bravo Command Officer in Charge, aboard the Mesa Verde. "The Marines and Sailors of the 26th MEU(SOC) are a forward deployed and ready crisis response force uniquely postured to integrate and train with allied and partner militaries while providing credible options in the case of crisis or emergency. The Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG)/MEU team is thankful to Norway for the opportunity to train alongside the Norwegian Armed Forces enhancing 26th MEU(SOC) readiness and proficiency in the challenging Arctic environment." The ARG/MEU team recently departed the East Coast of the United States for a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations to support maritime stability and security and defense of U.S., Allied, and Partner interests. The 26th MEU(SOC) serves as one of the United States' premier crisis response forces capable of conducting amphibious operations, crisis response, and limited contingency operations, to include enabling the introduction of follow-on forces and designated special operations, in support of theater requirements of the Geographic Combatant Commander. Coupled with the USS Bataan ARG, the 26th MEU serves as a premier stand-in force with a full complement of all-domain capabilities to operate persistently within the littorals or weapons engagement zones of an adversary. The Bataan ARG and embarked 26th MEU(SOC), under the tactical command and control of Task Force 61/2, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied, and partner interests. Headquartered in Naples, Italy, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China Demands Philippines Remove Scuttled Warship From Disputed Reef By VOA News August 08, 2023 China is demanding the Philippines remove a scuttled naval vessel being used as an occupied base from a disputed reef in the South China Sea. Tuesday's demand from Beijing comes three days after a Chinese Coast Guard ship fired a powerful water cannon at Philippine naval vessels cruising towards the Second Thomas Shoal on a resupply mission. Manila said the actions of the Chinese coast guard prevented one of the two resupply boats from unloading supplies needed by Philippine troops guarding the shoal onboard a long-marooned navy ship. China's foreign ministry issued a statement calling on the Philippines to immediately remove the scuttled vessel from the Second Thomas Shoal and restore it to its previous unoccupied status. But Jonathan Malaya, a spokesman for the Philippines National Security Council, told reporters Monday that the Philippines "will never abandon our post in Ayungin Shoal," using the archipelago's name for Second Thomas Shoal. The incident is the latest flare-up in the long-simmering territorial conflicts involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei in the South China Sea. China claims ownership over virtually the entire strategic waterway despite international rulings that have invalidated Beijing's vast territorial claims, such as that of 2016 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, an international body based in The Hague. Tensions between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea have risen since President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. took office last year and moved Manila back towards its longtime ally the United States, reversing the direction taken by his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte. Some information for this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Niger Junta Rebuffs Diplomatic Delegation By VOA News August 08, 2023 Additional sanctions were levied against Niger on Tuesday, hours after its military leaders rejected the latest diplomatic efforts by a joint delegation from West African states, the African Union and the United Nations. The junta leaders denied the delegation entry, saying a "climate of threatened aggression" made it impossible to hold talks on ending the constitutional crisis in Niger, where members of the presidential guard took control and continue to detain democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and his family. The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS has threatened military intervention in Niger unless Bazoum is reinstated, though a Sunday deadline for the coup leaders to comply passed without action. A U.S. State Department spokesperson on Tuesday said the United States still has hope for reversing Niger's coup but was "realistic." "We do still have hope, but we are also very realistic," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. "We do have hope that the situation will be reversed, but at the same time, we are making clear, including in direct conversations with junta leaders themselves, what the consequences are for failing to return to constitutional order." On Monday, Victoria Nuland, a U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, expressed "grave concern at the undemocratic attempts to seize power and urged a return to constitutional order." Nuland described her talks with Brigadier General Moussa Salaou Barmou, Niger's "self-proclaimed chief of defense," as "extremely frank and, at times, quite difficult." Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered new sanctions through Nigeria's central bank aimed at those involved in the takeover, a presidential spokesman said. Th Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a bloc of 15 countries in West Africa, as well as Western allies of Niger, have placed a series of sanctions against the country since the coup. ECOWAS, which has suspended all commercial transactions with Niger, froze its state assets in the regional central bank, froze assets of the state and state enterprises in commercial banks and suspended all financial assistance with regional development banks. The financial sanctions could lead to a default on Niger's debt repayments, Reuters reported. Late on Tuesday, ECOWAS said in a statement that it would "continue to deploy all measures in order to restore constitutional order in Niger." After the ECOWAS deadline of Sunday passed for Niger's military to stand down, junta leaders there issued a pledge to defend the country and closed Niger's airspace. On Monday, neighboring Mali said it and Burkina Faso would send a delegation of officials to Niger to show support for the military rulers. Both countries which have fallen to military coups in recent years have said military intervention in Niger would be tantamount to a declaration of war. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned against Russia's Wagner mercenaries taking advantage of instability in Niger, whose neighbor Mali has become a partner of Moscow. Blinken said in an interview with the BBC released on Tuesday that he doubted the Wagner Group plotted the Nigerien military's July 26 ouster of Bazoum, a Western ally. "I think what happened and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner," Blinken said, according to a transcript released by the State Department. "But to the extent that they try to take advantage of it and we see a repeat of what's happened in other countries, where they've brought nothing but bad things in their wake that wouldn't be good," he said. "Every single place that this group, Wagner Group, has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed." A spokesman for ECOWAS said leaders will hold an extraordinary summit Thursday in Abuja, the capital of neighboring Nigeria, to discuss the crisis in Niger. Some information for this article came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 08 August 2023 - Day 531 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 on 4 August 2023, President Putin signed into law a measure which will allow Rosgvardia, the Russian National Guard, to be equipped with heavy weaponry. A sprawling organisation of up to 200,000 frontline personnel, Rosgvardia was created in its modern form in 2016 and is led by Putin's former bodyguard Viktor Zolotov. The decision to strengthen the force follows the abortive Wagner mutiny of June 2023. Despite Zolotov's claim that his force performed 'excellently' during the mutiny, there is no evidence that Rosgvardia carried out any effective action against Wagner: exactly the sort of internal security threat it was designed to repress. With Zolotov previously suggesting that heavy equipment should include artillery and attack helicopters, the move suggests that the Kremlin is doubling down on resourcing Rosgvardia as one of the key organisations to ensure regime security. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day August 8, Russian forces launched 3x missile and 47x air strikes, launched 55x MLRS attacks on Ukrainian cities and Ukrainian Armed Forces. As a result of the Russian terrorist attacks, unfortunately, there are dead and wounded among the civilians, houses and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed. The threat of missile and air strikes remains high across Ukraine. 20x combat clashes took place throughout the day. Volyn' and Polissya axes: no significant changes detected. Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: Russian forces carried out airstrikes at Hremyachka and Leonivka, Chernihiv Oblast. They shelled with mortars and artillery more than 15x settlements, including Volodymyrivka, Synkivka, Yasna Polyana of Chernihiv Oblast; Atynske, Stepok of the Sumy Oblast and Strelecha, Pylna, Hatishche in the Kharkiv Oblast. Kup'yans'k axis: Ukrainian soldiers are firmly holding the defense. Russian forces carried out airstrikes at Sinkivka and Kotlyarivka of the Kharkiv Oblast and Novoselivskyi of the Luhansk Oblast. More than 10x settlements, including Figolivka, Novomlyns'k, Dvorichna, Kucherivka, and Kup'yans'ke of the Kharkiv Oblast, were shelled by Russian artillery and mortars. Lyman axis: Russian forces carried out airstrikes in the areas of Bilogorivka, Luhansk Oblast, and Terni, Serebryanka, Spirny, and Vesely, Donetsk Oblast. The settlements of Bilogorivka in the Luhansk Oblast and Verkhnokamianske, Spirne, Rozdolivka in the Donetsk Oblast were hit by artillery fire from Russian forces. Bakhmut axis: Ukrainian soldiers are firmly on the defensive, successfully repelling Russian attacks on the outskirts of Klishchiivka, Donetsk Oblast. Russian forces carried out airstrikes at Kramatorsk, Markov, Klishchiivka, Severny and New York of Donetsk Oblast. More than 10x settlements, including Vasyukivka, Orihovo-Vasylivka, Markove, Bohdanivka, Ivanivs'ke of the Donetsk Oblast, were shelled by artillery. Avdiivka axis: under heavy fire from the Russian aircraft and artillery, Ukrainian defenders successfully repelled the attacks of Russian troops in the vicinities of Avdiivka and Severny of the Donetsk Oblast. The Russian forces carried out airstrikes at Severnoy and Pervomaisky of Donetsk Oblast. Avdiivka, Tonen'ka, Solovyove, Pervomais'ke and Karlivka in Donetsk Oblast were shelled by artillery. Mar'inka axis: UAF conitinue to hold back the advance of russian troops in the vicinities of Mar'inka. Russian forces launched an air strike at Krasnohorivka. Krasnohorivka, Hostre, Mar'inka and Novomykhailivka of the Donetsk Oblast were shelled by artillery. Shakhtars'k axis: the Russian forces made unsuccessful attempts to restore the lost position at Staromayorsky. They carried out airstrikes at Vremivka, Blagodatny and Staromayorsky of the Donetsk Oblast. Vodyane, Vugledar, Prechistivka, Zolota Niva, Blagodatne, Staromayors'ke in the Donetsk Oblast and Levadne in Zaporizhzhia were shelled by artillery. Zaporizhzhia axis: Russian forces carried out airstrikes at Novodanilivka and Robotiny of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. More than 15x settlements were shelled by artillery, including Malynivka, Hulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Hulyaipilske, Mali Shcherbaki of the Zaporizhia Oblast and Nikopol' of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Kherson axis: more than 10x settlements were shelled by Russian artillery, including Mykils'ke, Veletens'ke in the Kherson Oblast and Kherson, as well as Kutsurub and Ochakiv in the Mykolaiv Oblast. Defense Forces of Ukraine continue offensive operations on the Melitopol' and Berdyans'k axes, and are equipping captured positions, open fire with artillery on identified Russian targets, and carry out counter-battery measures. Russia continues the illegal integration of the temporarily captured territories of Ukraine into its socio-political space. Thus, in Stulneve in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the Russian occupiers began preparations before the so-called "elections" in the captured territories on September 10, the only voting day in Russia. The arrival of representatives from the "United Russia" party is expected to create groups of agitators and informers from among local collaborators. Ukrainian Air Force conducted 9x strikes on manpower, weapons and military equipment concentrations. Ukrainian missile and artillery units hit 2x control points, 5x artillery units at firing positions, an ammunition depot and 2x radio electronic warfare stations of the Russian forces. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that in Kupyansk direction, assault groups of the Zapad Group of Forces, in the course of offensive operations on a wide front, took more advantageous positions close to Olshana (Kharkov region). In the course of active defence actions, nine attacks and counterattacks of by units of 25th airborne, 14th, 32nd and 67th mechanised brigades of the AFU have been successfully repelled near Novosyolovskoye (Lugansk People's Republic) and Sinkovka (Kharkov region). As a result of Ground-Attack and Army aviation, and artillery, enemy manpower and hardware concentration areas close to Dvurechnaya, Petropavlovka, Krakhmalnoye and Kupyansk (Kharkov region). The enemy losses were up to 110 Ukrainian servicemen, three motor vehicles, as well as two D-20 howitzers. In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces in close cooperation with aviation and artillery, 18 attacks by assault groups of 17th tank, 23rd, 60th mechanised, 5th assault and 80th airborne assault brigades of the AFU have been successfully repelled near Artyomovsk, Kleshcheevka, and Zaitsevo (Donetsk People's Republic). In addition, manpower and hardware concentration areas of the AFU 28th and 54th mechanised brigades have been hit near Kurdyumovka and Seversk (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy losses were up to 210 servicemen, one tank, four infantry fighting vehicles, six pickup trucks, and three D-30 howitzers. In South Donetsk direction, as a result of active action by units of the Vostok Group of Forces, aviation and artillery, three attacks by assault groups of the 72nd Mechanised Brigade and the 37th Marine Brigade of the AFU have been successfully repelled close to Nikolskoye and Urozhaynoye (Donetsk People's Republic). Operational-Tactical and Army aviation have hit manpower and hardware concentration areas of the 31st Mechanised Brigade, 110th, 128th territorial defence brigades near Staromayorskoye (Donetsk People's Republic) and Priyutnoye (Zaporozhye region). The enemy losses were up to 125 Ukrainian servicemen, eight armoured fighting vehicles and two D-30 howitzers. In Krasny Liman direction, as a result of coordinated actions of the units of the Tsentr Group of Forces, aviation, artillery, and heavy flamethrower systems, three attacks by assault groups of the 68th infantry, 21st, 67th mechanised brigades of the AFU have been successfully repelled close to Novoyegorovka, Zhitlovka (Lugansk People's Republic) and Terny (Donetsk People's Republic). In addition, a complex fire atack has been inflicted on manpower and hardware clusters of the 44th, 63rd, 66th mechanised brigades and the 1st Special Forces Brigade of the AFU close to Novovodyanoye, Chervonopopovka, Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic) and Krasny Liman (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy losses were up to 80 Ukrainian servicemen, two armored fighting vehicles, two pickups, two motor vehicles, one Grad MLRS and one D-20 howitzer. In Zaporozhye direction, as a result of pre-emptive actions of Russian troops, aviation, and artillery, units of 44th artillery, 46th, 65th, 118th mechanised brigades of the AFU have been hit near Zagornoye, Orekhov, Malaya Tokmachka and Novosyolovka (Zaporozhye region). The enemy losses were up to 110 Ukrainian servicemen, one tank, five armored fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, one Pion high-power self-propelled cannon, one Msta-B gun, one U.S.-manufactured M777 artillery system, one UK-manufactured FH-70 howitzer, as well as one Krab Polish-manufactured self-propelled artillery system. In Kherson direction, the enemy losses were up to 50 Ukrainian servicemen, two motor vehicles, as well as three D-20 howitzers. Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have neutralised 122 AFU artillery units at their firing positions, manpower and hardware in 143 areas. Forward command post of Khortitsia combined group of Ukrainian troops has been hit close to Krasnoarmeysk (Donetsk People's Republic). In addition, three ammunition depots of 44th artillery, 43rd, 66th mechanised brigades of the AFU have been destroyed near Zaporozhye, Cherneshchina and Neskuchnoye (Kharkov region). Air defence facilities have shot down 5 projectiles launched by HIMARS MLRS. In addition, 17 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been destroyed close to Lisichansk (Lugansk People's Republic), Donetsk, Artyomovsk, Volnovakha (Donetsk People's Republic), Pologi, Tokmak, Gulyay Pole (Zaporozhye region) and Staraya Zburyevka (Kherson region). In total, 458 airplanes, 245 helicopters, 5,565 unmanned aerial vehicles, 428 air defence missile systems, 11,185 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,144 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 5,803 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 12,137 special military motor vehicles have been destroyed during the special military operation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN refugee agency concerned about situation at Mexico-US border 8 August 2023 - The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, voiced concern on Tuesday over the situation in Mexico, where refugees and migrants aspiring to get to the United States find themselves in cramped shelters, exposed to multiple risks. At a press conference in Geneva, agency spokesman William Spindler pointed out that "the capacity to receive and provide assistance to refugees and migrants has been exceeded for months" in that border area. "The humanitarian situation on the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border continues to be serious," he stressed, explaining that families with young children arrive there distraught and disoriented. Since shelters are almost always overcrowded, many people stay in tents in improvised camps that they set up next to the official shelters. Assistance needed Many of those arriving in the border area do not have access to the information that could help them make the right decisions about their options. There is a strong need for information services and legal support, the UNHCR official underscored. He added that medical attention, food assistance, shelter capacity, equipment at shelters, mental health and psychological support, as well as security, are of utmost importance there. According to the Mexican government, in the last month there has been an increase in the flow of migrants in the country who are often transported in unsafe vehicles prone to accidents. Moreover, they sometimes travel along irregular and dangerous routes. Asylum as a human right Referring to the United States, the UNHCR spokesman recalled that access to safe territory for asylum seekers is a cornerstone of the 1951 Refugee Convention and refugee law, adding that governments must respect this international instrument to protect the rights and lives of refugees. "Seeking for asylum is a human right," Mr. Spindler emphasized. He added that effective reception and processing systems at borders, including the southern border of the United States, are feasible and necessary to restore order, humanity and fairness. The UNHCR, according to its spokesperson, is willing to work with the US authorities, as well as those of other countries, to continue seeking safe paths that asylum seekers can follow and to ensure that border and asylum measures and policies are in accordance with international refugee and human rights law. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Boxer's fighting season of firsts 8 August 2023 Sitting in a cavalry screen far forward of 7th Brigade Battle Groups, the Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle surveilled Objective Otter during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 (TS23) as the 'eyes and ears' of the 1st Australian Division. Commander 7th Brigade Brigadier Michael Say said the platform has proven to be a formidable and lethal capability, most recently having tested its target acquisition systems to shoot down unmanned aerial systems (UAS) loitering in the sky. "The Boxer has achieved a number of firsts in recent months," Brigadier Say said. "2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment conducted its first squadron-level manoeuvre live-fire in July, and we've also tested its lethality in prosecuting UAS targets." However, TS23 was also the first time His Majesty's Armed Forces of Tonga have integrated with the Boxer, as part of Battle Group Warhorse, to provide a dismounted infantry and cavalry scout capability. "The Tongan soldiers are a force multiplier that provides a dismounted anti-armour capability to seek out and destroy enemy tanks and reconnaissance vehicles," Brigadier Say said. "Dismounts also enable ground to be held for longer periods, which enables operations like bridging to be conducted in the rear. "The combined effects of this allow for quick manoeuvre to achieve brigade or divisional objectives." Graduate of the Royal Military College (RMC) - Duntroon, His Majesty's Armed Forces of Tonga Contingent Commander Lieutenant Colonel Tau Aholelei said operating with motorised or cavalry units was a new experience for his soldiers. "We supported the tactical actions of the reconnaissance battle," Lieutenant Colonel Aholelei said. "We shared ideas and learning from each other so we could integrate our forces as part of our commitment to regional security. "Our partnership is growing, and it was great to work alongside some of my old friends from RMC." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tactical connection 8 August 2023 It was a road move like no other for 1st Combat Communications Squadron (1CCS), taking the route by road from Adelaide to RAAF Base Curtin in the far north of Western Australia for Exercise Talisman Sabre. Typically a road move of that size would include support from a range of logistics functions outside of a unit, but this year, the 1CCS team spent six months building their vehicle qualification and movements skills to complete the convoy entirely with their own personnel. Detachment Commander for 1CCS Flight Lieutenant Jayden Park said the convoy was the largest in the squadron's recent history and demonstrated a marked increase in their overall deployable capability. "It was a significant shift in focus for us, building the field skill-sets within our teams to be able to deploy by land into an exercise scenario independently as a unit," Flight Lieutenant Park said. "As soon as we arrived at RAAF Base Curtin we began operating over secure radio systems and working to build the deployed network for follow-on forces." The establishment of communications and network systems under a hostile exercise environment presented different challenges in the way the squadron conducted their set-up. "A resilient network system capable of withstanding enemy fires is one with decentralised nodes, multiple backups and no clear central operating hub to an enemy's surveillance systems," Flight Lieutenant Park said. "Establishing a system that is resistant to enemy attack leads to some level of inefficiency as we have to duplicate efforts in different areas. "The benefit of the training at RAAF Base Curtin was that we had to work through those priorities and ensure the communications set-up could be relied upon to enable the air field." The training scenario at RAAF Base Curtin worked to challenge the field skills of the Combat Support Group aviators in all areas. "1CCS were responsible for providing key point protection of our assets, in coordination with the security forces protecting the base," Flight Lieutenant Park said. "That involved our teams conducting clearing patrols, mounting watches, and responding to various scenario threats, including mortar fires and ground-based attacks. "Curtin itself threw challenges at our set-up - we were able manage the heat, dust and smoke, which are all regular features of the physical environment there." As RAAF builds its capacity to project air power across Australia's northern contingency airfields, the 1CCS skill-set demonstrated on Exercise Talisman Sabre will continue to increase in importance. Exercise Talisman Sabre brought together more than 30,000 people from 13 nations in training activities carried out on land, at sea and in the air across Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and New South Wales, and in the waters off Queensland and the north-west coast of Australia from July 21 until August 4. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Naval forces amassed in Australian waters 8 August 2023 The largest massing of naval capability in Australian waters in recent years occurred when the Exercise Talisman Sabre 23 fleet assembled for combined training. More than 17,000 people from eight countries served at sea across the 27 vessel-strong armada of frigates, destroyers, cruisers, amphibious ships, support ships, submarines, aircraft carriers and their embarked fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. The personnel count included ships' crews and embarked land forces conducting amphibious activities - key events in the exercise program. Exercise Director Brigadier Damian Hill said the large maritime component was central to the exercise concept. "As an island nation, Australia operates predominantly in the maritime and littoral environments, so it was fitting that half the Talisman Sabre force was maritime," Brigadier Hill said. As Talisman Sabre Maritime Component Lead, Royal Australian Navy Commodore Flotillas Commodore Paul O'Grady, had the responsibility of overseeing the naval force and said the exercise was an important training event. "Talisman Sabre provided a rare and valuable opportunity to combine diverse capabilities from different countries, and operate them seamlessly at sea. Together with their embarked aircraft and helicopters, they executed war at sea events, sustained the fleet, employed niche capabilities and delivered land forces from the sea," Commodore O'Grady said. In addition to planned exercise activities, the close integration and international cooperation among maritime units was evident in their search-and-rescue response to the tragic loss of four Australian Army aircrew in an MRH90 incident during the exercise. Commodore O'Grady commended all involved for the dedication and determination shown throughout the search operations. The amphibious task group The Talisman Sabre amphibious task group carried embarked forces from Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea and Germany, and comprised: Royal Australian Navy amphibious assault ship HMAS Adelaide Landing ship dock HMAS Choules United States Navy amphibious assault carrier USS America Amphibious transport dock ships USS New Orleans and USS Green Bay Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Izumo Tank landing ship JS Shimokita and the Republic of Korea ship (ROKS) Marado. The group was escorted by HMAS Brisbane, USS Rafael Peralta and USS Oakland, His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Montreal, ROKS Munmu the Great and an Australian Collins-Class submarine. The fleet and its escorts were sustained at sea by Australian replenishment ship HMAS Stalwart and United States Naval Ships TippecanoeA and Caezar Chavez. Commodore O'Grady said the exercise strengthened international interactions. "By practising forming, sustaining and protecting a large multi-national amphibious task group we have enhanced interoperability through increasingly complex maritime scenarios, in challenging and unforgiving environments," Commodore O'Grady said. Mine countermeasures and logistics Closer to shore, the coastal minehunter HMAS Huon practised protecting ports and amphibious landing areas from the threat of sea mines and other harbour security threats in company with USS Miguel Keith. This was supported by a port security unit and maritime safety and security team from the United States Coast Guard deployable specialised forces and the RAN Maritime Geospatial Warfare Unit operating Remus 100 autonomous underwater vehicles. In the vicinity of Bowen, Queensland, the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command Ships Bob Hope and Fisher exercised the joint logistics over the sea capability. A pier erected from the shore and projecting over 500m out into deep water, allowed deep draft vessels to unload vehicles and equipment on shore in remote regions without requiring harbour facilities. The aircraft carrier strike group To Australia's north, HMAS Perth operated with USS Ronald Reagan and its escorts USS North Carolina, USS Antietam and USS Robert SmallsA and support ships USNS Rappahannock and USNS Carl Brashear. "These activities, executed over a vast area, strengthened our relationships and interchangeability, enabling our people to deliver vital warfighting effects as a combined force across a wide range of missions," Commodore O'Grady said. Exercise Talisman Sabre brought together more than 30,000 people from 13 nations in training activities carried out on land, at sea and in the air across Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and New South Wales, and in the waters off Queensland and the north-west coast of Australia from July 21 until August 4. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Talisman Sabre wraps up 8 August 2023 After two weeks of high-end warfighting, Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 (TS23) has officially closed. Held across five states and territories over a two-week period, more than 34,000 military personnel from 13 nations joined forces across sea, land, air, cyber and space. Australian and United States military personnel deployed alongside soldiers, sailors, marines and aviators from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Korea, Tonga and the United Kingdom. Military personnel from India, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand observed the exercise. In its tenth iteration, TS23 reflected Australia's enduring military partnership with the United States and strengthened relationships between trusted allies and like-minded nations. Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Greg Bilton said TS23 had tested skills in combat readiness and interoperability between all the participants. "This was a complex series of training activities that allowed us to test our combined capabilities across sea, land, air, cyber and space operations," Lieutenant General Bilton said. "Tragically we lost four soldiers when their helicopter impacted waters near Lindeman Island during a night-time training activity. The immediate search-and-rescue operation, and support provided by our international defence partners and civilian agencies, was a comfort to our people, and a demonstration of our strong and genuine relationships. "These relationships are strengthened by multi-national activities like Talisman Sabre, which ensure we are able to work together whenever and wherever needed." United States Commanding General I Corps Lieutenant General Xavier T. Brunson said Talisman Sabre reinforced commitments to regional security. "Talisman Sabre has strengthened our collective commitment to promoting peace, security and stability in the Indo-Pacific," Lieutenant General Brunson said. "This event is a testament to the bond between nations, not just the Australian and United States alliance, but also the 11 other participating countries. The vast scope and scale of this year's exercise speaks to the shared understanding of maintaining a strong network of friends, partners and allies. "By integrating all branches of the military, and multiple domains, we ensure we are better able to meet the security challenges of our times." TS23 Exercise Director Brigadier Damian Hill praised communities across the country for their support throughout the two-week exercise. "Across Queensland, including Norfolk Island, and throughout the Northern Territory, Western Australia and New South Wales, communities have enabled us to conduct our essential training in and around their public spaces. At times they've even played an active part in the exercise as role-players to make our training as realistic as possible," Brigadier Hill said. "With their support we've been able to achieve increasingly complex activities that have tested our combined logistics capabilities and enhanced our interoperability in live-fire activities, field training exercises, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, air combat and maritime operations." Consisting of a field training exercise incorporating complex logistics across an area as vast as the Australian continent, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvre, air combat and maritime operations, key TS23 activities included: More than 34,500 personnel deployed across Australia. More than 17,000 personnel operated in the maritime environment across 27 ships and submarines. More than 17,500 deployed in land-based field training areas across Australia's Top End, between far north Western Australia to Weipa in Queensland, and as far south as Jervis Bay, NSW. More than 2800 personnel deployed to seven airbases operating across the Northern Airbase network to sustain high-intensity air operations. Indonesia, Fiji, France, Germany, Papua New Guinea and Tonga participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre for the first time. In an Australian-first, theA ADF were able to work withA US partners to employ the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACAMS), which successfully fired and struck a long-range target. The ATACAMs system is highly mobile and has a range of 300km. This activity demonstrated complex logistical support and coordination between Australian and US forces to employ this system across vast distances as part of a multi-domain strike capability. The first live-fire of a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Type 12 Surface-to-Ship and Type 3 Chu-SAM Surface-to-Air missiles in Australia. The Republic of Korea deployed its K-239 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and K-9 'Thunder' Self-Propelled artillery system to Australia for the first time. The US Navy and Army established a temporary 3km-long ship-to-shore petroleum line in North Queensland, showcasing how military forces can be sustained in a remote area. The US military and the ADF built a 540mA floating pier at Bowen, Queensland. More than 500 individual missions conducted across the North and North West of Australia from more than 50 deployed aircraft to support decisive airpower covering 7000kmA of Australian coastline. For the first time, the rapid activation of contingency airbases RAAF Base Scherger and RAAF Base Curtin concurrently. For the first time, RAAF KC-30A aircraft worked domestically with US KC-46A Pegasus tankers to provide coordinated air-to-air refuelling of other aircraft. For the first time, RAAF deployed their Deployable Defence Air Traffic Management and Control System comprising of a deployable radar sensor and control cabin to provide Joint Battlefield Airspace Control and air traffic management throughout the exercise. Special Operations undertook projection of forces as far as Norfolk Island. Stay tuned for more TS23 stories over the course of the week. In memoriam Defence offers its deepest condolences to the families of the four soldiers who tragically lost their lives during a training accident as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 off the coast of Queensland on Friday July 28, 2023. Australian Army Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs tragically died when the helicopter they were flying impacted waters near Lindeman Island. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Belarus: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the third anniversary of the fraudulent presidential elections European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 8 August 2023 This 9 August marks the third anniversary of the fraudulent presidential elections in Belarus. On this day three years ago, hundreds of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets to peacefully defend their right to choose their own future. These spontaneous demonstrations were suppressed with an extreme brutality by the Lukashenko regime. Today, three years later, the situation is worse than ever for those who dare to voice any criticism of the system. We are deeply concerned about the situation regarding human rights in Belarus. Currently, there are close to 1 500 political prisoners incarcerated in appalling conditions, exposed to ill-treatment and torture, without access to essential health services. Many of these prisoners have been kept for months without contact with their lawyers and relatives who do not know their current whereabouts and health condition. In his latest report, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that some of the widespread, systematic, and gross human rights violations in Belarus may amount to crimes against humanity. The EU continues to keep the situation high on the global agenda in international fora, and to promote efforts aimed at accountability for perpetrators of human rights violations. The Lukashenko regime has also become a threat to regional and international security, through actions such as the forced landing of a civilian airplane in May 2021 and the still ongoing instrumentalization of irregular migration on the EU's eastern borders. As of 24 February 2022, the regime became an accomplice in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, putting at risk Belarus' own sovereignty and independence to support Russia's crimes in Ukraine. This complicity has allowed the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia to the Belarusian territory. On 26 May 2023, Russia and Belarus took a further escalatory step by signing an agreement to allow the deployment of Russian nuclear warheads on Belarusian territory. The EU is worried about the recent deployment in Belarus of the Wagner mercenaries, the destabilising effects in the region and the risk they represent for Belarus' sovereignty. We have adopted sanctions in response to the repression against all independent voices and against persons belonging to national minorities, the breaches of international law and the support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine by Lukashenko's regime. The latest package of sanctions addresses human rights violations and the constantly worsening internal repression, and sends a signal that the EU continues to be fully engaged in support to human rights and democracy. It also addresses the risk of sanctions circumvention. The EU will continue putting pressure on the Belarusian regime as long as needed. The EU commends and supports the efforts of the Belarusian democratic movement. The determination of Belarusian people who at great personal risk continue to stand up for democracy is a great factor for hope. The EU is providing support to victims of repression, human rights defenders, civil society organisations, independent media and journalists, students and businesses in exile, as well as to initiatives aimed at safeguarding the Belarusian identity, culture, and language. We call on the authorities of Belarus to engage in a genuine and inclusive dialogue with all elements of society leading to free and fair elections. Once Belarus embarks on a democratic transition, the EU is committed to help Belarus stabilise its economy and reform its institutions. Our aim is to help build resilience and more democratic reforms, to create new jobs and improve people's living standards, including through a Comprehensive Plan of Economic Support of up to EUR 3 billion to a democratic Belarus. The EU will stand with Belarusians as long as it takes on their path to an independent, democratic, and prosperous country as part of a peaceful Europe. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks on the Issue of Unbalanced Trade Between China and the EU Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China 2023-08-08 18:12 Q: It is reported that Brussels will press Beijing to reduce barriers to European exports at a high-level meeting in September. European Commission Executive Vice-President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said in an interview that "The China-EU trading relationship is very unbalanced. China is running a huge trade surplus, and the level of openness from the Chinese side is not the same as the level of openness from the EU side." Do you have any comment? A: China has never deliberately sought trade surplus. China's trade surplus with the EU is a natural result under the combined influence of different industrial structures, industrial specialization, ways of trade and external factors. For years, the majority of EU companies in China have benefited hugely from China-EU trade. This is the fundamental reason why they have chosen to operate and expand business in China. The EU restrictions on export of high-tech products to China in recent years directly limited the EU's ability to tap the potential of export to China and led to unbalanced trade between the two sides. If the EU truly wants to address this issue, it needs to lift export control against China, rather than putting the blame on China. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hong Kong police question parents of US-based democracy campaigner Anna Kwok Kwok is one of a group of eight prominent overseas activists targeted with a bounty on their heads By Simon Lee for RFA Cantonese 2023.08.08 -- Hong Kong police on Tuesday took the parents of U.S.-based democracy activist Anna Kwok for questioning, in the latest in a series of moves targeting the relatives of eight prominent overseas activists wanted under a draconian national security law, according to a London-based rights group. "Today, the Hong Kong national security police detained the parents of US-based pro-democracy activist Anna Kwok ... for questioning over whether they had any contact with, or had sent money to, their daughter," Hong Kong Watch said in a statement on its website, citing local media reports. Kwok, 26, is the executive director of the U.S.-based political lobby group, the Hong Kong Democracy Council, and is applying for political asylum in the United States. She was among eight exiled activists listed as wanted by Hong Kong's national security police, and is accused of "colluding with foreign forces" under the national security law, which bans criticism of the authorities. Hong Kong leader John Lee has vowed to pursue the eight activists for the rest of their lives. Kwok, who has a bounty of H.K.$1 million on her head, hadn't commented on her X account by 1000 GMT on Tuesday. Her parents' questioning comes after similar police action against the family members of the other seven activists on a "wanted" list announced in early July, along with bounties on the head of each activist. The moves come as the ruling Chinese Communist Party takes more direct control over national security policy in Hong Kong, which was once the domain of China's cabinet, the State Council. Adopting PRC tactics So far, police have targeted the relatives of former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Dennis Kwok, U.S.-based businessman Elmer Yuen and U.K.-based veteran labor activist Christopher Mung, also known as Mung Siu-tat. Australia-based former lawmaker Ted Hui and U.K.-based activist Finn Lau are also on the wanted list. "This is yet another outrageous escalation since the issuing of arrest warrants and bounties against the eight activists over a month ago," Hong Kong Watch policy and advocacy director Sam Goodman said in a statement. "It is increasingly clear the Hong Kong government is adopting the tactics of the security apparatus in mainland China which targets family members to silence criticism overseas." "We emphasize that the Hong Kong National Security Law has no jurisdiction abroad, and governments must protect the rights and freedoms of activists in exile," he said. The group called on the international community to treat China's claims that the national security law is applicable to anyone, anywhere in the world, as illegal. "Hong Kong Watch calls for the protection of anyone who is threatened by the National Security Law abroad," it said. Last week, police took away Elmer Yuen's ex-wife Yuen Stephanie Downs and their daughter Yuen Mi-shu and son Yuen Mi-man, the Ming Pao newspaper reported, while government broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong cited police sources as saying Yuen's ex-wife, son and daughter had been hauled in for questioning. Earlier this month, national security police raided the home of trade unionist Mung Siu-tat's brother, taking away him, his wife and son for questioning -- also on suspicion of "assisting fugitives to continue to engage in acts that endanger national security." Police also took away the parents, brother and sister-in-law of exiled former pro-democracy lawmaker Dennis Kwok and questioned them on suspicion of the same offense, a few days after similar treatment was meted out to Nathan Law's parents and brother. No arrests were made, and all of the activists' family members were released after questioning. Translated with additional reporting 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 August 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 DPRK Premier Inspects Agricultural Field Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, August 8 (KCNA) -- Kim Tok Hun, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, vice-president of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and premier of the Cabinet, inspected the agricultural field. He learned in detail about the farming in Jaeryong, Unchon, Hwangju, Sukchon, Mundok and other counties of North Hwanghae, South Hwanghae and South Phyongan provinces. He stressed the need to certainly attain this year's goal of grain production by manuring and cultivating crops in a more scientific and technological way in conformity with the characteristics of topography and the growth condition of the yielding period. In particular, he called upon all officials and agricultural workers to always maintain a close watch for the disastrous abnormal weather and thoroughly take relevant measures for readjusting the irrigation and drainage systems in a responsible manner to minimize damage caused by typhoon, flood and heavy rain to be foreseen. He stressed the need for the agricultural guidance organs at all levels to establish a more well-regulated system of unified control and command of regional agricultural production units , intensify scientific guidance over farming and provide materials and farm machine accessories according to the farming processes in a far-sighted way. Meanwhile, he visited the Jonchon Rock-drill Factory and learned about the situation. He held a consultative meeting at which he took measures after discussing the issue of renewing in a more far-sighted and innovative way the goal for updating the factory in conformity with the economic development strategy set forth at the Eighth Congress of the Party and the plenary meetings of the Party Central Committee, the issue of further strengthening the ties and cooperation with scientific research institutes and the issue for relevant units to fully supply necessary equipment and materials. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Despite Faltering Economy, China Unlikely to Disrupt Aid to North Korea By Christy Lee August 08, 2023 A cascade of disappointing economic news may force Beijing to curtail some of its expansive foreign policy ambitions, but analysts who follow Korean Peninsula affairs see little prospect that Chinese assistance to Pyongyang will be reduced. China's economy had been expected to pick up after the draconian pandemic lockdowns were lifted at the end of last year. Instead, it has seen tumbling exports, declining productivity, and public sector pay cuts. Economic growth in the second quarter fell below 1%, against a projected annual growth of 5.6% in 2023. Exports in July fell more than 14% compared with the same month last year, plunging at the sharpest rate since February 2020, according to China's customs data released on Tuesday, as reported by Reuters. China's exports to the U.S. alone fell by 14.5% in July from a year ago. Mexico has replaced China as the top U.S. trading partner. Unemployment in the second quarter reached 5.2% overall with youth unemployment soaring higher than 21% in June. That could be bad news for North Korea, which is heavily dependent on China, its top trading partner and a steady provider of economic aid ranging from fuel to medicine and food. That dependency has been greater since the 1990s because of the collapse of former Soviet Union, which had provided financial support to Pyongyang, and due to international sanctions that accelerated with the pace of North Korea's nuclear and missile tests since its first nuclear test in 2006. China, however, in recent years, has been reluctant to approve United Nations sanctions that the U.S. tried to get the Security Council to pass in response to Pyongyang's more-frequent missile tests. But experts told VOA's Korean Service that a reduction in aid is unlikely while Beijing faces mounting tension with the United States and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan. They also note that Chinese aid to North Korea accounts for only a very small portion of China's estimated $3.4 trillion budget. The lack of transparency in both countries makes exact figures difficult to calculate, they said. VOA contacted the North Korean Mission at the United Nations for comment on the aid received from China but did not receive a reply. Politics plays big role The experts said Beijing's economic aid is likely to continue for geopolitical reasons. "Political, rather than economic factors tend to play a larger role in Chinese aid to North Korea," said Troy Stangarone, a senior director at Korea Economic Institute who specializes in South Korean trade and North Korea. "With tensions with the United States growing, China is looking to increase ties with North Korea and Russia, providing an additional incentive for Beijing to continue providing support to Pyongyang during a slowing economy," Stangarone continued. China has tightened its ties with North Korea as U.S.-South Korea relations grew stronger in recent months. Thawing bilateral ties between Seoul and Tokyo since March enabled Washington to enhance trilateral security cooperation with its two allies to defend against North Korean threats and counter China's assertiveness in the region. The three countries are expected to discuss ways to bolster defenses in the region when they hold a summit at Camp David next week. When China's delegation visited Pyongyang from July 27 to 30, Beijing and Pyongyang vowed to revive their relations to "a new high stage through close strategic and tactical collaboration," according to official North Korea media as reported by KCNA Watch.. The trip included touring a military weapons exhibition and attending a parade that featured advanced weapons to celebrate the 70th anniversary of signing the armistice agreement that ended fighting in the Korean War in July 1953. Borders reopen Since Pyongyang has gradually opened its borders that were shut in 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, trucks and freight trains have been spotted crossing the Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge connecting the Chinese city of Dandong and the North Korean city of Sinuiju. Bradley Babson, a former World Bank adviser and an advisory council member of the Korea Economic Institute, said China doesn't want to have North Korea "completely collapse economically." Beijing is seen as wanting to avoid economic collapse in North Korea to prevent a humanitarian disaster and refugees crossing into China. Babson continued, "China will do what it feels is politically in its interest with North Korea, and it's not going to be driven hugely by Chinese wider economic issues." He added that Beijing is "benefiting from the North Korean tilt towards China." Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu in Washington told VOA's Korean Service on Monday that Beijing's ties with Pyongyang are good for the stability of the Korean Peninsula. "China and the DPRK are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers," he said. "Consolidating and growing bilateral relations serves the common interests of both sides and is conducive to peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the region." According to Chinese economic performance highlights in the first half of 2023 that Liu provided with his comments, China saw "an upward trend of growth" with its GDP growing more than 5%. Its service sector sales rose by 21.5%, and trade with Belt and Road partner countries increased by 9.8%. At the same time, urban job creation reached 6.78 million, according to the embassy's figures Liu provided, adding, "The Chinese economy had a sound recovery in the first six months of this year." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India's Opposition Targets Modi in No Confidence Motion Against His Government By Anjana Pasricha August 08, 2023 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government faced a no-confidence motion in parliament Tuesday over ethnic strife that has gripped the remote northeastern state of Manipur and his failure to speak on the issue for over three months. The motion, brought by the "INDIA" alliance that includes 26 opposition parties, poses no threat to the stability of Modi's government, which has an overwhelming majority in parliament. Initiating a debate in parliament, Congress Party lawmaker Gaurav Gogoi said the no confidence motion was not about numbers, but one of justice for the people of Manipur. "If Manipur is burning, India is burning. If Manipur has been divided, India is divided," he said. Questioning the prime minister's public silence over the strife in a state that is ruled by the BJP, Gogoi said, "our call is clear, that the prime minister should talk on the issue." Modi has not commented on the violence that erupted in the state more than three months ago, except for brief remarks that he made after a video showing two women in Manipur being paraded naked went viral. The clashes that have broken out between the majority Meitei group and the tribal Kuki community in Manipur have claimed over 150 lives and displaced about 60,000 people. Several incidents of sexual violence against women have been reported. The violence erupted in the wake of an order by the Manipur High Court that asked the government to implement an affirmative action program. The program would give the Meitei community more access to land and jobs reserved for Kukis and other ethnic tribes. The Supreme Court, which is hearing a case on violence reported against women in the state during the ethnic strife, has said it will monitor all cases of gender-based violence. It also said last week that the law and order machinery in the state appeared to have broken down. Political analysts said the opposition INDIA alliance, which was formed by 26 parties last month, is hoping to gain political traction ahead of next year's general elections by using the debate in parliament to focus attention on what it calls are divisive policies of the BJP. "From the opposition's standpoint, the no-confidence motion should be seen more in terms of building a tempo against Mr. Modi," said political analyst Rasheed Kidwai. "What the opposition is doing through the Manipur crisis is to highlight these types of fault lines during BJP's rule." Hoping to improve its prospects in the elections, in which Modi is widely expected to lead his party to victory, the alliance plans to fight jointly against the BJP. Ruling party members who spoke during the debate highlighted the achievements of the Modi government, saying the nation was progressing rapidly under him and slammed the opposition. "It is a televised debate so they are using the opportunity to target the opposition alliance and the Congress Party. Also, since the Manipur issue concerns a remote part of India, it does not bring much traction in the rest of the country, so both sides are speaking consciously on broader issues as well," said Kidwai. The motion will be voted on Thursday, when Prime Minister Modi is expected to speak. The BJP and its allies control more than 350 seats in the 545-member house. This is the second time Modi's government has faced a no-confidence motion during its nine-year rule. Another motion brought in 2018 was defeated. Ahead of the motion, Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi was reinstated as a lawmaker after the Supreme Court suspended a two-year jail term in a criminal defamation case over his comments on Prime Minister Modi's surname. The conviction had led to his disqualification from parliament. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Canada sanctions Iranian regime for activities that gravely threaten international peace and security Global Affairs Canada News release August 8, 2023 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada The Honourable MAlanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada is imposing new sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations. This is the 13th package of sanctions imposed by Canada against the Iranian regime since October 2022. It builds on Canada's efforts to align with designations announced by the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Today's sanctions list 7 individuals involved in activities that gravely threaten international peace and security or that constitute gross and systemic violations of human rights in Iran. These include a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy and Strategic Centre and other senior Iranian officials involved in entities that supply materials to Iran's repressive national Law Enforcement Command. The sanctions also target individuals who occupy senior positions in state-directed firms that produce lethal combat drones used by Iran's armed forces to destabilize the region or that are exported to Russia for use in its illegal war against Ukraine. The list of those sanctioned includes: Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Abdolkarim Bani Tarafi, Brigadier General in Iran's Army and Chairman of the Iran Aviation Industry Organization Fatemeh Haghshenas, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of Imen Sanat Zaman Fara Masoumeh Teymouri, Chief of the Board of Directors of Imen Sanat Zaman Fara Reza Khaki, as a primary member of the Board of Directors of Qods Aviation Industries Majid Reza Niyazi-Angili, as a primary member of the Board of Directors of Qods Aviation Industries Vali Arlanizadeh, member of the Board of Directors of Qods Aviation Industries These measures will impose a dealings prohibition on the listed individuals, which will effectively freeze any assets they may hold in Canada and render them inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Today's sanctions build on Canada's efforts to press the Iranian regime to address the legitimate grievances and interests of its citizens and impose costs for its destabilizing behaviour abroad. Canada is committed to protecting global peace and security and will continue to stand with the Iranian people as they courageously defend their human rights. Quotes "Today's sanctions send a clear message to the Iranian regime that Canada will not tolerate its gross and systematic violations of human rights and its ongoing grave breach of international peace and security. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to respond to Iran's egregious actions." - MAlanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs Quick facts On October 7, 2022, Canada announced its intention to implement several new measures to respond to Iran's ongoing human rights violations and the threats Iran poses to international peace and security, including:A listing members of the Iranian regime, including the IRGC and its top leadersamore than 10,000 senior officialsaas inadmissible to Canada because of their engagement in terrorism and in systematic and gross human rights violations by enacting a designation under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act adopting new sanctions against members of the IRGC and the Iranian regime, as well as those associated with them, in addition to introducing a new, tailored regulation to ensure that no sanctioned individual connected to the IRGC can enter Canada, pending the passage of Bill S-8 investing $76 million to strengthen the Government of Canada's capacity to implement sanctions and ensure it can move more quickly to freeze and seize the assets of sanctioned individuals, including through a dedicated bureau at Global Affairs Canada and giving additional support to the RCMP to investigate and identify assets and to gather evidence pursuing all the tools at the Government of Canada's disposal, including the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, which enables restrictive financial and property measures to be taken against foreign nationals responsible for gross violations of human rights As of today, Canada has sanctioned 170 Iranian individuals and 192 Iranian entities, including the IRGC and key members of the regime's security, intelligence and economic apparatuses. In 2012, Canada designated Iran as a state supporter of terrorism under the State Immunity Act. In concert with the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, this listing allows victims to bring civil action against Iran for losses or damages from an act of terrorism with links to Iran committed anywhere in the world. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia diplomat doubts JCPOA will ever be fully restored IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Aug 8, 2023 Tehran, IRNA -- Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said the future of the Iran nuclear deal lies in the hands of the United States and Europe, expressing doubt that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the deal is officially known, will ever be fully restored. Ryabkov, who is in Tehran for the "Iran and BRICS" conference, told reporters on Tuesday the Islamic Republic has already demonstrated its willingness to revive the JCPOA in its original form. "However," he continued, "due to reasons unrelated to the JCPOA, the Western countries have once again exploited this situation to exert pressure on Iran and gain concessions." "This is an unfair but common game that does not surprise us. It is their choice, and I don't think we will see a complete revival of the JCPOA. I don't know if any alternatives might be found or not," he added. The Russian diplomat urged Western leaders to "reassess what is in their interests" and distance themselves from the misguided policies of the Donald Trump administration, which unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018. Regarding Iran's potential membership in the BRICS group of emerging economies, Ryabkov said he could not provide a "specific timeline" as the process is ongoing. However, he acknowledged that Iran is a "strong candidate" to become a full-fledged member of BRICS, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. 4353**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran has no pre-conditions for prisoner exchange: FM Amir-Abdollahian Iran Press TV Tuesday, 08 August 2023 5:28 PM Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the Islamic Republic views the issue of prisoner exchange with other countries as a humanitarian move, stressing that Tehran has no pre-conditions in this regard. Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks on the sidelines of a conference entitled "Iran and BRICS: Prospects for Partnership and Cooperation" in the capital, Tehran, on Tuesday. He went on to say that messages have been exchanged between Iran and the United States through Oman and Qatar in this regard for some months. "The issue of prisoner exchange is a humanitarian one and we do not consider any preconditions for it. We have announced to the intermediary parties that we will exchange prisoners within agreed frameworks," the top Iranian diplomat said. An agreement on the exchange of prisoners was reached between Tehran and Washington in Vienna on the sidelines of negotiations concerning the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Tehran has repeatedly said it is ready for a prisoner exchange with the United States based on the agreement and independently of the nuclear deal, which the US unilaterally abandoned in May 2018 despite Iran's full and strict compliance. Oman has emerged as a key mediator in facilitating indirect talks between Tehran and Washington on salvation of the nuclear accord, the removal of sanctions as well as prisoner swap. Iran and the United States have conducted prisoner exchanges twice in the past, once in January 2016 when the JCPOA was implemented, and again in December 2019. Elsewhere in his remarks, Amir-Abdollahian said, "We are happy that relations between Iran and BRICS member countries are in good conditions and the parties are determined to increase economic and political interactions." He also noted that the partnership between Iran and BRICS has already been forged in some areas, including the North-South transport corridor. Tehran and Beijing are cooperating on linking China to the Sea of Oman in southern Iran, he said, adding that the country can also link China to Brazil and South Africa via multimodal transportation. Amir-Abdollahian further stated that Iran's active presence in the area of energy would bring an added value to BRICS member states, stressing that the membership of energy-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq will further strengthen the position of the economic bloc. BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The group's members host around half of the world's population besides representing one-fifth of the global economy. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran can boost ties with BRICS despite sanctions: Deputy FM Iran Press TV Tuesday, 08 August 2023 10:42 AM The deputy foreign minister for economic affairs says Iran can establish relations with the BRICS group of emerging economies despite being subject to illegal US sanctions. Mehdi Safari made the remarks in an address to a conference dubbed "Iran and BRICS: Prospects for Partnership and Cooperation" at the Foreign Ministry's Institute for Political and International Studies in Tehran on Tuesday. "Despite cruel unilateral sanctions, Iran has a good capacity for developing ties with the BRICS," he said, describing the five-nation bloc as one of Tehran's key partners. Safari also hailed the BRICS member states for their capacities which led them to establish such a high position in the international community. He further said that Iran, as one of the world's influential and leading countries, welcomes multilateralism in the global arena. The BRICS group of fast-developing economies a Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa a is often seen as an alternative to Western economic and political hegemony. It accounts for 42 percent of the global population and about 26 percent of the world's economy, according to the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies. Iran is among dozens of countries that seek membership in the BRICS and has submitted a formal application to join the body. 'BRICS seeking to work in favor of Global South' Also speaking at the Tehran conference, South Africa's ambassador-at-large for Asia and the BRICS, Anil Sooklal, appreciated the Islamic Republic's support for his country. He noted that BRICS was formed to promote international cooperation, and "we want to work for the Global South and the good of humanity. This has been one of the basic principles of BRICS." Iran, he added, is interested in joining the BRICS, which seeks to change the world structure while representing the southern world. He further noted that the bloc is doing its job well, citing its high gross domestic product (GDP) as proof. According to Statista, a German online platform that offers statistics, reports, market insights, etc., China has the largest GDP of the BRICS countries, at 16.86 trillion US dollars in 2021. Combined with other countries of the bloc, BRICS has a GDP of over 26.03 trillion US dollars in 2022. This is slightly more than the United States GDP, it said. It predicts that by the end of the 2020s, China's GDP will overtake that of the US and becomes the world's largest economy. It also estimates that India will also overtake the US around the middle of the century. "The traditional great powers represented in the Group of Seven (G7) have seen their international power wane in recent decades, while BRICS countries have seen theirs grow, especially on a regional level," Statista said. It concludes that the original BRICS countries may move further up on the list of the world's largest economies. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address August 8, 2023 Release U.S.-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue Joint Statement The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the Iraqi Ministry of Defense led the inaugural U.S.-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue in Washington, D.C. from August 7-8, 2023, reaffirming their commitment to security cooperation and shared interest in regional stability. A delegation from the Republic of Iraq, led by Minister of Defense Thabit al-Abbasi, and a U.S. delegation, led by Assistant Secretary of Defense Celeste Wallander, discussed a range of bilateral defense issues in accordance with the 2008 U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement and as part of a comprehensive, 360-degree partnership. Minister al-Abbasi met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and U.S. representatives from the Joint Staff, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, U.S. Central Command, State Department, and National Security Council. The Iraqi delegation included the Director of the Counterterrorism Service, the Chief of Defense, the Deputy Commander of the Joint Operations Command - Iraq, and other senior officials. The U.S. and Iraqi delegations reaffirmed their commitment to developing Iraq's security and defense capabilities and determination to deepen security cooperation across a full range of issues to advance our countries' shared interest in Iraq's security and sovereignty, and in the stability of the region. The Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue reflects the maturing bilateral strategic partnership and builds upon the foundation laid by previous bilateral discussions, including the July 2021 U.S.-Iraq Strategic Dialogue and February 2023 U.S.-Iraq Higher Coordinating Committee. The U.S. and Iraqi delegations welcomed the full implementation of the Strategic Dialogue, confirming that there are no U.S. forces with a combat role in Iraq and that all U.S. military personnel remain in Iraq at the invitation of the Government of Iraq to train, advise, assist, and share intelligence in support of Iraq's fight to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS. The two sides reviewed shared challenges and opportunities for cooperation, focusing on the impressive achievements of the Defeat-ISIS campaign; ongoing efforts to prevent the group's resurgence, affirming the joint cooperation with the Iraqi Security Forces including the Peshmerga and a shared commitment to regional stability. The delegations also reviewed the critical operational support provided through the mission of Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) to train, advise, assist, and share intelligence with the Iraqi Security Forces. The delegations discussed the urgent need to repatriate displaced persons and detainees currently in northeast Syria to their countries of origin and to support reintegration efforts in local communities. The United States and the Republic of Iraq intend to consult on a future process, separate from the JSCD and inclusive of the Coalition, to determine how the Coalition's military mission will evolve on a timeline according to the following factors: the threat from ISIS, operational and environmental requirements, and ISF capability levels. The Iraqi and U.S. delegations committed to form a higher military commission between the U.S. and Iraq to evaluate the future process described above. The delegations further discussed efforts to build the institutional capacity of the Iraqi Security Forces through U.S. military assistance and security cooperation programs, including Foreign Military Financing and Foreign Military Sales. The delegations reviewed opportunities to expand the educational opportunities available to Iraq's military professionals, whether through training programs or educational exchanges. Both sides also consulted on opportunities to expand Iraqi participation in military exercises led by U.S. Central Command. In support of the sovereignty and security of Iraq, both countries reaffirmed that U.S. forces are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government only to support the Iraqi Security Forces in their fight against ISIS. The Government of Iraq reaffirmed its commitment to protect U.S. and Global Coalition personnel and advisors, convoys, and diplomatic facilities. The delegations noted their intent to hold subsequent Joint Security Cooperation Dialogues and related meetings in the future to discuss the evolving threat from ISIS, current and future operational requirements, and efforts to improve the capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces. The successful completion of this inaugural Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue underscores the two countries' commitment to continued bilateral military cooperation in all areas, including but not limited to the Iraqi-led enduring defeat of ISIS. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3487344/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address August 8, 2023 By Jim Garamone , DOD News U.S., Iraq Examine New Strategic Relationship U.S. and Iraqi defense leaders discussed an enduring strategic relationship between the two nations during talks at the Pentagon. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III welcomed Iraqi Defense Minister Thabit Muhammad Al-Abassi for a discussion on U.S.-Iraq joint security cooperation dialogue yesterday. This U.S.-Iraq bilateral engagement looks beyond the Defeat-ISIS agreement. The U.S. military has troops in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government to support Iraqi security forces battling the terror group. "Through the global coalition to defeat ISIS, we have liberated more than 50,000 square kilometers of territory, and more than 4.5 million Iraqis have now been freed from the tyranny of ISIS," Austin said during the Pentagon meeting. "Today, U.S. and coalition forces continue to advise, assist and enable the Iraqi security forces in the Iraqi lead fight against ISIS at the invitation of the Government of Iraq. The United States stands with the people of Iraq as you build your secure and sovereign and economically vibrant nation." The secretary said the relationship is changing as Iraqi forces grow more capable and confident. "The joint security cooperation dialogue reflects our maturing strategic partnership building on the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Dialogue in July 2021 when the U.S. forces with a combat role, ended their mission," he said. This meeting looks beyond the defeat of the Islamic State and is an outgrowth of a visit Austin made to Baghdad in March. "We are interested in an enduring defense relationship within a strategic partnership," said Dana Stroul, deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, during an interview last week. Many officials are calling this an agreement on establishing a "360-degree relationship" a meaning it would be a whole-of-government strategic partnership for years. The U.S. side of the discussion is chaired by Celeste Wallander, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. She is joined by other defense officials and officials from the State Department, the Joint Staff, U.S. Central Command, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and the National Security Council. The Defeat-ISIS effort will continue in Iraq and Syria, officials said. The Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue is looking at ways to normalize the bilateral relationship between Iraq and the United States militaries. This includes exercises, military training, exchange programs for officers and NCOs. "All of these are things that we are seeking to build the architecture for an enduring defense partnership with Iraq," Stroul said. The military relationship between the countries is good and functions well. Leaders in both countries would like to see the relationship expand in other areas a the economy, cooperation on climate change, diplomatically and more, said Alina Romanowski, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani "has been very open to this and has been very interested in working in areas that line up with his vision and his objectives to bring stability, sovereignty and security to Iraq," the ambassador said. "It's also an opportunity in some ways to continue to support a the reintegration and the engagement of Iraq in the region." The dialogue will also look at the Defeat-ISIS mission and the state of the Iraqi Security Forces. While the ISIS caliphate was defeated in 2019, "their ideology remains unconstrained and is still a threat as they seek to rebuild some capacity and capability to conduct attacks and to regain or reemerge as a significant threat to the population in Iraq and Syria," said Army Maj. Gen. Matt McFarlane, the commander of Combined Joint Operation Inherent Resolve. He noted that Iraqi forces lead and there is significant progress. There has been a 64% reduction in ISIS attacks in Iraq this year. The general estimated there were about 1,000 ISIS adherents in Iraq and another 1,000 in Syria. "We also see our partners conducting wide-area security operations, keeping pressure on the ISIS network," McFarlane said. "Our [special operations forces] continue to dismantle the ISIS network and the leadership network that's out there," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN probe finds 'dramatic increase' in Myanmar war crimes Iran Press TV Tuesday, 08 August 2023 4:22 PM The United Nations says it has evidence that Myanmar's military has been "committing increasingly frequent and brazen war crimes" since they took power in a coup d'Atat more than two years ago. UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) said in its annual report on Tuesday that "the number of incidents bearing the hallmarks of serious international crimes" had surged since the coup. Myanmar has been ravaged by deadly violence since the coup deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi's government in February 2021. Ever since the junta unleashed a bloody crackdown on coup opponents that has triggered fighting across swaths of the nation. The UN report pointed among other things to indiscriminate aerial bombardments, the burning of villages and mass killings of civilians and detained combatants, as well as torture and horrific sexual violence. "Every loss of life in Myanmar is tragic, but the devastation caused to whole communities through aerial bombardments and village burnings is particularly shocking," said Mechanism chief Nicholas Koumjian. He said the team is "building case files that can be used by courts to hold individual perpetrators responsible." The IIMM also said it was investigating rampant sexual violence committed during the bloody crackdown on Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya community. "Sexual and gender-based crimes are amongst the most heinous crimes that we are investigating," said Koumjian. He said the crimes were "pervasive during the Rohingya clearance operations" that in 2017 resulted in the displacement of nearly a million people. Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar for neighboring Bangladesh and India back then. The Rohingya case is now the subject of separate proceedings before the International Criminal Court and for "acts of genocide" before the International Court of Justice. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Burmese mark anniversary of 8888 uprising with protests against military junta The ruling regime tightened security and posted plainclothes officers in cities and towns. By RFA Burmese 2023.08.08 -- Civilians across Myanmar on Tuesday commemorated the 35th anniversary of a significant uprising as they held protests against the ruling military junta dictatorship amid heightened security measures imposed by the regime, activists said. They gathered in Yangon, Sagaing, Mandalay, and Tanintharyi regions holding red umbrellas, putting up posters with anti-regime slogans, and burning mock-ups of the newly issued 20,000-kyat note to mark the anniversary of "8888." The number signifies the wave of popular protests that began in Yangon on Aug. 8, 1988, and was met with a violent crackdown by a previous military junta that resulted in numerous casualties. An activist who led a peaceful umbrella protest by Yangon People's Strike in the commercial hub said the umbrellas displayed slogans such as "8888 never ends. We will keep fighting with the people" or "8th August 88." The military junta increased security by posting authorities dressed in civilian clothes to crowded places like bus stops or markets to arrest protesters. The protests occurred amid ongoing political instability and armed conflict across Myanmar between anti-regime resistance forces and the current military junta that seized power from the elected government in a February 2021 coup. Min Lwin Oo, leading member of the Dawei District Democracy Movement Strike Committee in Tanintharyi region, said his group staged a protest on the outskirts of the town of Launglon to avoid the tight security, including a navy vessel patrolling in a nearby river. In Mandalay, a member of the city's boycott forces, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, said residents released balloons attached to banners to commemorate the 8888 uprising. "We have released a statement vowing to keep fighting for revolution and a video depicting the history [of 8888]," he said. "We also want to remind [people] that we are still not free from military dictatorship, although the 8888 revolution has turned into the 2021 Spring Revolution," he said, referring to the nationwide wave of popular resistance to the Myanmar military following the 2021 coup. Members of the Burmese diaspora also staged protests in various forms to commemorate the uprising's anniversary. 'All of these shall end' In 1988, under the rule of strongman General Ne Win, an anti-dictatorship movement boiled into a nationwide uprising following the regime's announcement banning 25-, 35- and 75-kyat bills from circulation and later the killing of a university student by police. The nationwide uprising, which peaked on Aug. 8 of that year, became a historic milestone that united Myanmar's various ethnic groups, socioeconomic classes, and other communities against the ruling junta. Nan Linn, a member of the University Students' Unions Alumni Forces, said the Spring Revolution would end the string of successive military regimes that have suppressed popular uprisings and prevented Myanmar's development, keeping it isolated and impoverished. "We are now very determined that all of these shall end with the Spring Revolution," he said. "This time, in this revolution, they shall be punished for everything they have done to the people and the country." The military junta has escalated the arrest, killing and sentencing of anti-regime activists. Users of pro-military Telegram channels have posted threats against those who share any comments, photos or videos of the anniversary protests, saying they will be arrested and prosecuted under Myanmar's Counter-terrorism Law. Junta forces have arrested more than 24,200 civilians and activists across the country since the 2021 coup, according to a tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a Thailand-based rights group. The protests came the same day as the public release of an annual report by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, citing strong evidence that the military and its affiliate militias "are committing increasingly frequent and brazen war crimes." Among the war crimes are indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks on civilians from aerial bombings, a rise in the number of mass executions of civilians and detained combatants, and the large-scale intentional burnings of civilian homes and buildings, the report said. "Our evidence points to a dramatic increase in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country, with widespread and systematic attacks against civilians, and we are building case files that can be used by courts to hold individual perpetrators responsible," mechanism head Nicholas Koumjian said in a statement issued Tuesday. The mechanism was set up by the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2018 to collect and analyze evidence of serious international crimes and violations of international law committed in the country since 2011. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung for RFA Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and 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 August 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 Rohingya boat sinks off Myanmar's Rakhine state; 45 missing The vessel was reportedly heading for Malaysia. By RFA Burmese 2023.08.08 -- A boat carrying Rohingya people, reportedly heading for Malaysia, sank in the Bay of Bengal near Rakhine state's capital city Sittwe, a village administrator told RFA Tuesday. He said all but 10 of the 55 people on board are missing. Eight men were found alive on a beach near the city's Basara village on Monday night, hours after the vessel went down, along with the bodies of two women, said village administrator Soe Myint. He told RFA that authorities are still searching for the missing people. "The boat sank after taking on water due to heavy rains and high waves in the sea," he said. "Two dead bodies were found and eight people were recovered [alive]. The rest of the missing are likely to die. Now we are looking for the bodies on the beach." He said 10 women and 35 men were unaccounted for, adding that eight people survived by holding onto plastic containers when the boat sank. Residents said the survivors are being cared for in Basara village. The junta-run Rakhine Daily News reported Aug. 7 that the Rohingya had left Rathedaung township heading to Malaysia by boat. More than 740,000 Rohingya fled Rakhine following a military crackdown on the ethnic group that started more than five years ago, and now live in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Of the more than 600,000 that remained in Rakhine, around 125,000 are living in displaced people's camps in the state. Many Rohingya living in Rakhine state often leave by boat across the Bay of Bengal to Malaysia due to economic hardships and discrimination. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang. 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 August 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 Illegal mining of rare earth metals surges in northern Myanmar Most of the minerals are exported to neighboring China. By RFA Burmese 2023.08.08 -- An increase in the illegal mining of rare earth metals in northern Myanmar is being driven by demand from neighboring China for terbium and dysprosium - elements that are used in the production of electric vehicles, area residents and environmental activists said. The practice is rampant in Kachin state, where successive governments have failed to regulate mining for gold, jade and other rare metals for generations. The number of unsanctioned operations ballooned after the military's Feb. 1, 2021, takeover amid conflict between junta troops and armed resistance forces in the region. In the first six months of 2023, the value of rare earth minerals exported from Myanmar to China reached nearly US$773 million, according to Chinese customs data. In 2021, more than US$811 million worth of rare earth minerals were exported to China. That dropped to over US$615 million in 2022 amid instability and armed conflict, according to the data. This year, rare earth mining has risen in the state's northeastern Pang War and Chipwi areas bordering China, according to a Burmese resident who requested anonymity for safety reasons. "The surge is primarily due to the paramilitary militias, known as phithusit, engaging in mining because they lack other sources of income," the resident said. Because of the depletion of mining areas in Pang War, people have started mining in the Chan Maw Khone area of Chipwi township and in the vicinity of the town of Chipwi, which previously had not been mined, he said. At least 4,000 Chinese nationals work at more than 200 mining sites in the area around Pang War. They transport chemicals used in the mining industry nearly every day, according to a person close to immigration officials in Pang War, who also declined to be named for safety reasons. RFA could not reach Chinese companies or workers engaged in mining activities in the areas because they use Chinese mobile phone networks. The Chinese nationals are believed to have entered the country illegally, but Myanmar officials cannot take action against them because only the Border Guard Force and the pro-junta Pyi Thu Sit militia operate in the area, the local said. The Chinese embassy in Yangon didn't immediately respond to RFA's emailed requests for comment. Various armed groups involved Kachin state has been a hotbed of anti-junta resistance since the coup, with the military using heavy artillery and air strikes during clashes with an ethnic armed group and anti-regime People's Defense Force units. Armed groups in Kachin state, including the Myanmar military, pro-junta militias, Border Guard Forces, and the Kachin Independence Organization's armed wing, have all profited from exporting metals to China, according to a Thailand-based researcher on Sino-Burmese relations, who declined to be named for safety reasons. According to a July 26 listing of U.S. and Ireland-based Strategic Metal Invest, one kilogram of dysprosium was worth about US$500, while one kilogram of terbium was valued at more than US$2,000. The illegal extraction of rare earth metals contaminates groundwater and soil, produces toxic dust, and leaves open pits with water tainted by chemicals. But the ongoing instability has made it difficult to do any prevention work, said an environmental activist from a group that observes the mining businesses in Kachin state. "Stopping the mining depends on the rule of law within the region, but currently environmental activist groups like ours are in a difficult position to [try to] work effectively," he said. "We can't go to the excavation sites as we could before." Junta forces keep a close eye on area activists to see if they meet with anti-regime armed groups, he said. The junta also restricts environmental protection groups from going to certain places, the activist said. Win Ye Tun, the junta's social affairs minister and spokesman for Kachin state, said the mining of rare earth metals is illegal there. "Our government has not officially approved any mining sites," he said. "Some are still being verified, some are prohibited, and action will be taken against those mining, according to the law." It's possible that armed groups themselves are conducting the mining, he added. RFA couldn't reach the state's Border Guard Force for comment. Meanwhile, new mining is taking place in the Mai Ja Yang area controlled by the Kachin Independence Organization, or KIO, the political wing of the Kachin Independence Army, which controls the area and has clashed with the Myanmar military for decades. KIO spokesman Colonel Naw Bu told RFA that the organization has only conducted some test-mining in the area. Chinese companies mining rare earth minerals in Kachin state said they would stop their activities after more than 1,000 villagers in the area controlled by the KIO began protesting in December 2022, complaining of environmental damage caused by extracting the elements, Voice of America reported in April. That month, the KIO gave the Chinese enterprises permission to mine in the state near the border with China's Yunnan Province. Translated by Myo Min Aung for RFA Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin 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 August not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistan to increase electricity imports from Iran IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Aug 8, 2023 Islamabad, IRNA -- Pakistan's government has announced that it will enhance imports of electricity from Iran to expand mutual cooperation in the energy sector. A meeting of Pakistan's Economic Coordination Committee was held in Islamabad, chaired by Pakistani Finance Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar. Senior Pakistani officials, including energy, oil, information, trade, and industries ministers, attended the meeting. They discussed a new contract with the Iran Organization for Management of Electric Power Generation and Transmission (TAVANIR) to purchase 104 megawatts of electricity. Announcing an agreement with the new plan to purchase electricity from Iran, the members of the Economic Coordination Committee of Pakistan approved amendments to the existing agreement between the two countries on the extension of the tariff on the transfer of 104 MW of electricity from Iran's Jakigur to Pakistan's Mand (January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024) as well as the 100 MW contract of Polan-Gabd electricity transmission line project (March 16, 2023 to December 31, 2024). Pakistan's new plan to strengthen energy cooperation with Iran comes a few days after an official visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian to Islamabad. Earlier, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had launched the Polan-Gabd electricity transmission line project and opened the Pishin border crossing market between the two neighbors as well. 3266**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistan to increase electricity imports from Iran Iran Press TV Tuesday, 08 August 2023 7:46 PM Pakistan's finance ministry says the country will increase its electricity imports from Iran to respond to growing demand for power in the country, especially in its key ocean port of Gwadar. The ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that members of the Economic Coordination Committee chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had agreed in a meeting convened earlier in the day to raise electricity purchases from Iran. The statement said Pakistan had approved a renewal by two years of a contract for imports of 104 megawatts (MW) of electricity from Iran via a transmission line between Jakigur in Iran and Mand in Pakistan. It said a new contract for imports of 100 MW of electricity until December 2024 from Iran through the newly-opened transmission line between Polan in Iran and Gabd in Pakistan had also been approved by the government in Islamabad. The Polan-Gabd line was opened in May after Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif met at the zero border point in Iran's southeast to open a series of trade and energy projects. The new line will boost electricity supply to households and businesses in Pakistan's Gwadar port where the country is implementing major development projects in a partnership with China. Pakistan's announcement on increased electricity imports from Iran came a week after the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian visited Islamabad. It also comes amid growing efforts by Iran and Pakistan to boost their economic and trade ties, especially through arrangements that could avoid US sanctions on Tehran. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Former Pakistani prime minister challenges his conviction in high court Iran Press TV Tuesday, 08 August 2023 2:31 PM Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has appealed against his conviction that bars him from politics for five years. Khan was arrested at the weekend and taken to jail after a court, which he did not attend, found him guilty in one of the more than dozens of cases he has faced. The former prime minister has maintained that some 200 cases against him are politically motivated to keep him out of power. He says the country's powerful military is behind these cases. The three-year jail sentence issued by a lower court on Saturday disqualifies him from taking part in elections that are scheduled to be held before the end of the year. The election commission on Tuesday disqualified Khan for five years following his conviction last week. Khan's lawyers said the petition challenging the conviction had been filed in Islamabad High Court which will hear the case on Wednesday. "We've submitted an appeal... our plea requests a temporary suspension of the trial court's ruling and seeks bail," Khan's lawyer Gohar Khan told AFP. "We're hopeful that we will be able to secure bail and the decision will be suspended and the disqualification revoked," said Khan's spokesman Raoof Hasan. If his appeal is unsuccessful, this ruling would only allow Khan to return to politics after five years. One of Khan's lawyers met him on Monday at a century-old jail on the outskirts of the historical city of Attock. "He is being held in deplorable conditions not fit for any human, but he is in good spirits," Hasan said. "He said to 'tell the people that I will not compromise on my principles'." Khan has repeatedly said the mounting cases against him are politically motivated. His arrest sparked scattered protests, including outside Lahore High Court. Police arrested dozens of supporters of Khan who gathered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on Sunday. Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party, was briefly detained in Islamabad in connection with the same case. Back in May, his violent arrest, which later on was declared illegal by the country's Supreme Court, sparked widespread protests during which tens of thousands of supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party poured onto the streets and clashed with police. It also prompted the crackdown that saw almost all of his top leadership arrested. "The muted response to his arrest is because of the full-throttle crackdown on PTI workers after the first arrest," AFP quoted columnist Usama Khilji as saying. Parliament will be dissolved on August 9, just before it completes its term. A general election is due to be held by mid-November. But there is speculation that the elections could be delayed following the release on Saturday of the country's latest census results, which necessitates the redrawing of constituencies under Pakistani law. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Meeting on construction industry development In the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the construction industry development. August 8, 2023 17:25 The Kremlin, Moscow The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, Presidential Aide Maxim Oreshkin, Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities Irek Fayzullin, as well as CEOs of several large construction companies and organisations. The main report was delivered by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin. * * * President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, good afternoon. You probably know that we had a meeting here with the heads of manufacturing sector companies last week and reviewed performance results. I would say the meeting was very productive and useful, I hope, both for those attending and for my colleagues and me, because it was a lively discussion with people working on the ground who can assess what is happening in the industry, give recommendations and formulate their requests. That prompted the idea to continue this practice and meet with representatives of the construction industry. Firstly, because you will be marking Builder's Day soon, on August 13. All the best to you and everyone working in the construction industry. And secondly, because the construction industry is a major multiplier in the national economy and has been performing very well. Suffice it to mention that Russia has never built so much housing before. You know this better than anyone - you have produced the best indicator in Russia's history. How high is it, 102.4? Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities Irek Fayzullin: 102.7. Vladimir Putin: 102.7 million square metres. This is great, a very good indicator. Infrastructure facilities, landscaping and housing projects, which I mentioned, are the primary segments. Overall, according to preliminary estimates, the construction industry contributes about five percent of GDP, adding to the country's "piggy bank" for development, and together with the housing and utilities segment, it is almost 13 percent. This is a major, powerful sector that largely determines the stability of the national economy. I mean that construction involves a lot of partners in related industries such as construction materials, metallurgy and transport - in fact, it is difficult to name an industry that is totally unrelated to construction. Therefore, it is extremely important. The volume of construction increased by almost 15 percent in 2020-2022 and continued to grow in the first half of 2023. According to preliminary data, growth amounted to 9.2 percent of the base that we already had. As I already said, housing construction has been showing very good results. The volume of multifamily housing is also growing; in the first seven months of this year, the segment added 24 million square metres of completed flats, or eight percent higher than it was. This is great, of course. Over the first seven months of this year, subsidised mortgage loans alone enabled about 400,000 families to improve their living conditions. So your industry is extremely important both for the national economy and for the social sphere. Every family strives to have decent living conditions; it is important for every person and every family, and it is the government's responsibility to make every effort to help them achieve their goals. We have been quite effective on this track lately. I have a few questions, however. I asked to amend the law before June 1, 2023, to make building wooden houses more affordable. So far, unfortunately, this has not been done. I ask the Ministry to finish this work. What is it you need - approvals? Irek Fayzullin: Mr President, we need to complete this work. We have finished the part that has to do with construction, so today - we have a representative here - we can build four-story detached wooden houses. Now a nine-story residential building is undergoing review. The fire service needs to finish testing the nine-story building so that construction of such wooden buildings is permitted. Vladimir Putin: Yes, I have seen this. You are even talking about building 12-story wooden buildings. Irek Fayzullin: And taller. Vladimir Putin: To be honest, I can't even imagine how this is possible. Irek Fayzullin: Technically, such housing is already being built around the world, so of course, Russia now also has production facilities that can do this. Vladimir Putin: We need to complete this as soon as possible. If you need any helpa Irek Fayzullin: Only paperwork left, Mr President. After we burn this building with Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov and work out fire safety requirements, we will be able to implement such projects. Currently, four-story buildings are being built. Vladimir Putin: Do not delay, do it as soon as possible. One of our most important tasks, I have mentioned this many times, is to solve the problem of dilapidated and hazardous housing. Last year, residents were relocated from 3 million square metres of dilapidated housing. This is a very good indicator, and we need to keep it up. Transport construction, roads and railways: last year, almost 30,000 kilometres of roads were built and repaired, which is a good indicator. I would rather not repeat what has been mentioned many times: the Moscow-Kazan highway, the Yekaterinburg-Tyumen road and so on. There is more work to do. And of course, the North-South international transport corridors, the Northern Sea Route, the Eastern Operating Domain, the Baikal-Amur Mainline, the Trans-Siberian Railway, and so on. There are the new regions, of course. There certainly is plenty to do there. It looks like no one has ever done anything there. I suggest we start our discussion. Please, Mr Khusnullin. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Largest ever UK action targets Putin's access to foreign military supplies Foreign Secretary announces 25 new sanctions targeting Putin's access to foreign military equipment. 8 August 2023 Foreign Secretary announces 25 new sanctions targeting Putin's access to foreign military equipment this includes individuals and businesses in Turkey, Dubai,A SlovakiaA and Switzerland who are supporting the illegal war in Ukraine the UK is also tackling Iranian and Belarusian support for Russia's war machine The Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has today (8 August 2023) announced 22 new sanctions onA individuals and businesses outside Russia supporting Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine, as well as 3 Russian companies importing electronics vital to Russia's military equipment used on the battlefield. Today's measures will damage Russia's defence systems by cutting off Putin's access to foreign military equipment. Among those sanctioned are: 2 Turkey based businesses,A TurkikA Union and Azu International, for their role in exporting microelectronics to Russia that are essential for Russia's military activity in Ukraine Dubai-basedA AeromotusA Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Trading LLC, for its role in supplying drones and drone components to Russia Slovakian national Ashot Mkrtychev, for his involvement in an attempted arms deal between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Russia Swiss national Anselm Oskar Schmucki, for his role in Russia's financial services sector, including through working as Chief of the Moscow office ofA DuLacA Capital Ltd We are also taking further action to tackle Iran and Belarus' support for Russia's military. The UK has previously imposed sanctions on Belarus for continuing to activelyA facilitateA Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has called out Iran's destabilising role in global security, including through sanctions against Iranian suppliers of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) used by Russia to target Ukrainian civilians. Today's sanctions include: Iranian individuals and entities involved in the research,A developmentA and production of UAVs for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Belarusian defence organisationsA linked to the manufacturing of militaryA technology for the Belarusian regime, which has directlyA facilitatedA Putin'sA illegal war The UK is also sanctioning 3 Russian companiesA operatingA in the electronics sector for their role inA procuringA UK-sanctioned western microelectronics that are essential for sustaining Russia's conflict in Ukraine. This sanctions package is part of a series of wider action targeting those critical to supplying and funding Putin's war machine - and it is the biggest ever UK action on military suppliers in third countries. The Russian defence industry is severely stretched and focused entirely on sustaining the war. Unable to access Western components, the Russian military is struggling to produce sufficient top-end equipment and is now desperately searching for foreign armaments. Russia is already having to mobilise soviet-era tanks and harvest kitchen freezers for low-grade chips. Today's package tackles Russia'sA attemptsA to circumvent and offset these clear impacts of UK and allies' sanctions. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: Today's landmark sanctions will further diminish Russia's arsenal and close the net on supply chains propping up Putin's now struggling defence industry. There is nowhere for those sustaining Russia's military machine to hide. Alongside our G7 partners, the UK has repeatedly called on third parties toA immediatelyA ceaseA providingA material support to Russia's aggression or face severe costs. We will continue working together with our international partners to prevent third parties supplying weapons and welcome stronger action to clamp down on rogue military supplies and sanctions circumvention. The UK is committed toA maintainingA international efforts to ensure sanctions are effective, investigate activities that support circumvention and act accordingly. We welcome cooperation from third countries where they are taking steps to address actions by those in theirA jurisdictionsA supplying Russia. Through this sanctions package, the UK is also taking further steps to tackle countries actively supporting Putin by supplying weapons and military components directly to Russia, including Iran, Belarus and DPRK. Among these new designations is the Belarusian company Gomel Radio Plant which is repairing Russian military equipment; and the IranianA ParavarA Pars Company, a key regime-linked UAV manufacturer, and seven of its executives. IranA is responsible forA supplying Russia with the kamikaze drones used to bombard Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Syrian regime is failing to meet its chemical weapons obligations and is a serious threat to international security: UK statement at the Security Council Statement by Deputy Political Coordinator Tom Phipps at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria. 8 August 2023 Thank you, President. Let me begin by thanking Deputy High Representative Mr Ebo for his briefing and in particular Dr Katoub, not only for his briefing today, but also for his work responding to the horrific chemical attack in Ghouta in 2013 and for his ongoing efforts to fight impunity on behalf of all of the victims of chemical weapons. Colleagues, Dr Katoub's briefing is a reminder of why this issue deserves the Council's ongoing attention. In the decade since Syria acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention, internationally mandated organisations have confirmed that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against its own people on at least nine occasions. As Dr Katoub said, there have been many more attacks. The human impact of these attacks has been horrific - the UN Joint Investigative Mechanism and OPCW's reports have provided undeniable and direct evidence of the Syrian state's shocking track record of murdering its own civilians using chemical weapons. We collectively owe it to the thousands of victims to pursue justice and hold those responsible for these crimes to account. President, Syria continues to fail to meet its obligations under resolution 2118 and the Chemical Weapons Convention. Despite concerted efforts by the OPCW to get to the truth, Syria's chemical weapon stockpile declaration is still not accurate. Syria has failed to declare and destroy all its chemical weapons and continues to present a serious threat to regional as well as international security. We therefore once again reiterate our calls on the Syrian regime to fulfil its obligations under the convention and under resolution 2118 and to engage meaningfully with the OPCW. It must fully declare and destroy all aspects of its chemical weapons programme. It is our collective responsibility to defend and uphold the integrity of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the non-proliferation architecture, and the global consensus that these weapons should never be used. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Death of Islamic State Leader Not Seen as Diminishing Long-Term Threat By Jeff Seldin August 09, 2023 U.S. military and intelligence officials are wary of writing off the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria despite a series of setbacks that has seen the terror group lose fighters, senior leaders and yet another would-be caliph. The assessment comes less than a week after the Islamic State group, also known as IS, ISIS, or Daesh, announced Thursday the death of Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, who had led the terror organization since last November. It also comes as there is some confusion about how Abu al-Hussein met his end. Turkey initially said it killed him during an operation in late April, though U.S. officials never confirmed the claim. IS, which is thought to have delayed the announcement, blamed al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which promptly rejected the accusation. Either scenario could be seen as an indication that IS' staying power is waning. But U.S. officials caution that drawing such a conclusion would be premature. IS "is a long-term threat," a U.S. military official said, adding the U.S. was aware of the change in leadership before the terror group made the announcement on one of its Telegram social media channels. The official, who agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity, did not refute other assessments pointing to the terror group's overall weakness in Iraq and Syria, including U.S. estimates that put the number of IS fighters in what was once its core territory at less than 2,000. Instead, the official said the group remains resilient, warning that its followers, including many of the estimated 10,000 fighters held in prisons across northeastern Syria, have not lost their fervor. "If you look at these detention facilities in Syria, guarded by the [U.S.-backed] Syrian Democratic Forces, they are the single greatest concentration of terrorists on the face of the earth," the official said, noting one prison in Hasaka holds 5,000 former IS fighters alone. One well-coordinated prison break, the official said, "can quickly rebuild ISIS ranks." U.S. officials argue such fears are not far-fetched, pointing to a weeklong assault by nearly 300 IS fighters on the al-Sina'a prison in Hasaka in January 2022. It was put down only after the Syrian Democratic Forces called in about 10,000 troops and with help from U.S. and anti-IS coalition fighter jets, attack helicopters and armored vehicles. "They still aspire to conduct prison breakouts where their ISIS prisoners are held," Major General Matthew McFarlane, the commander of the U.S.-led Combined Joint Task Force a Operation Inherent Resolve, told reporters ahead of talks between U.S. and Iraqi defense officials this week at the Pentagon. "Their ideology remains unconstrained and is still a threat as they seek to rebuild some capacity and capability to conduct attacks and to regain or reemerge as a significant threat to the population," he said. U.S. military officials have also raised repeated concerns about large displaced-persons camps, like al-Hol in northeastern Syria, which still holds nearly 49,000 people, half of whom are children. "About 50% of the camp holds, espouses some form of [IS] ideology," U.S. Central Command's General Michael "Erik" Kurilla told lawmakers this past March. Other countries are equally concerned about IS' resilience, with some warning that IS in Iraq and Syria is stronger than what U.S. intelligence estimates indicate. Intelligence shared by United Nations member states for a report published late last month suggests IS boasts between 5,000 to 7,000 followers under its command, "most of whom are fighters." And while the tempo of IS attacks has lessened, the report found in Syria, "Small cells undertook regular attacks, including in north Palmyra and eastern Hama," and that IS "continued to use the north-east to rebuild, recruit, and try to release key leaders from prisons." Separately, U.S. partner forces in Syria said in a U.S. Defense Department Inspector General report, released earlier this month, that IS "was actively preparing financing and training cells to conduct more attacks in Iraq and Syria." A key question, then, for the U.S. and its allies, is how quickly and effectively IS can take advantage of a still fervent following in Iraq and Syria in order to reemerge as a major threat. Current and former U.S. and Western intelligence officials think that will still take time. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency recently said it believes IS' plans to break thousands of fighters out of prison are, at best, still aspirational, and that the terror group's overall capabilities have been significantly degraded. There are also questions about the strength of IS' core leadership, which has seen at least 14 of its most senior officials killed or captured since early 2022. "The degradation of ISIS leadership prevents ISIS from communicating, coordinating, and conducting effective external operations against the United States and our partners and allies," a second U.S. military official told VOA who, like the first, spoke on the condition of anonymity. And its two most recent emirs, Abu al-Hassan and Abu al-Hussein, failed to publicly issue any messages to their followers before their deaths. Whether the newest IS leader, named in Thursday's announcement as Abu Hafs al-Hashemi al-Qurashi, will be able to continue to generate and sustain loyalty to the terror group's brand, remains to be seen. "ISIS-core leadership has never looked so threadbare," Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former senior United Nations counterterrorism official and sanctions monitoring team coordinator, told VOA. "And the provinces are likely to find this revolving door of faceless, anonymous caliphs increasingly unconvincing and uncompelling." For now, though, IS adherents appear to be going through the motions of pledging allegiance to Abu Hafs despite knowing little of his origins. JihadoScope, a company that monitors terrorist activity on social media, has found pledges from IS branches in Iraq, West Africa, Yemen and Somalia, some with photos, all responding to the announcement's call for support. "It's what we might call a 'please clap' moment when you're looking for applause because your speech fell so flat," JihadoScope co-founder Raphael Gluck told VOA. But there is also online chatter to suggest IS supporters are becoming wary of the routine. "I've also seen supporters say amongst themselves too much support and [too many] photos are dangerous a gives away location and personnel information," Gluck said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan fishery patrol vessel makes rare maintenance stop in Japan ROC Central News Agency 08/08/2023 10:24 PM Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) confirmed Tuesday that one of its fishery patrol vessels, Hsun Hu No. 8, is currently making a maintenance stop at a port in Japan. The vessel is docking at Harumi Wharf in Tokyo for food, water and fuel supplies, after setting sail on July 15 from southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung to conduct its second high seas patrol this year, according to the CGA. After maintenance, the ship will continue its 60-day mission until Sept. 12, the CGA said. It is the first time since 2013 a CGA vessel has docked at a Japanese port for supplies. CGA made the confirmation after the vessel was spotted earlier in the day by local residents, triggering online discussions among Japanese and Taiwanese netizens. Hsun Hu No. 8, which was built in Taiwan in 2012, has a roughly 1,900-ton displacement, which refers to the volume of water displaced by the vessel converted to weight, according to the CGA. The ship is 84.5 meters in length and 12.5 meters in width, it said. (By Huang Li-yun and Lee Hsin-Yin) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Biden signs law approving first part of U.S. trade pact with Taiwan ROC Central News Agency 08/08/2023 12:17 PM Washington, Aug. 7 (CNA) U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a bill that approves the first agreement negotiated under a bilateral trade initiative between the United States and Taiwan, the White House said in a statement. Biden signed the bill called the "United States-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade First Agreement Implementation Act," which took effect immediately, according to the statement. The signing comes several days after U.S. Congress passed the legislation and sent it to the White House for Biden's signature. After a year of negotiations, the United States and Taiwan signed an initial agreement under the trade initiative in Washington on June 1 through the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S. The first agreement under the initiative, which does not cover tariff reductions or exemptions, covers general principles related to customs and border procedures, regulatory practices and anti-corruption practices. It is hoped that those principles will facilitate bilateral trade and investment flows in part by minimizing border formalities, setting standards for the regulation of domestic services, and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. On June 9, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, chairman of the Senate's Finance Committee, and U.S. Representative Jason Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, proposed the bill affirming their backing for the first agreement under the trade initiative. The legislation requires the U.S. president report to the U.S. Congress how the first agreement with Taiwan would enhance U.S.-Taiwan trade relations and advance the interests of U.S. workers, consumers, enterprises, and farmers. It also requires that the president certify in writing to Congress within 30 days before the agreement enters into force that Taiwan has taken the necessary measures to comply with the terms of the agreement. The bill also requires U.S. officials to ensure that any additional agreements with Taiwan would be made transparently and in full consultation with the Congress. The bill, which was passed in the Senate by a voice vote on July 18, cleared the House of Representatives on June 21 and was then sent to the president to be signed into law within 10 days on July 27 after being signed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. In the White House statement on Monday, however, Biden voiced concern over a portion of the law. In cases where the requirements of Section 7 of the Act, which require transmission of trade deal drafts to Congress, would "impermissibly infringe upon my constitutional authority to negotiate with a foreign partner, my administration will treat them as non-binding," he said. (By Stacy Hsu and Evelyn Kao) Enditem/ls NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Eyeing the presidency, Lai backs view that Taiwan not part of PRC ROC Central News Agency 08/08/2023 07:03 PM Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) Taiwan is not a part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and neither side is subordinate to the other, Vice President Lai Ching-te (ea) said when asked to explain why he said in 2017 that he is a "pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence." In an interview with SETN aired Monday night, Lai was asked by talk show host Cheng Hung-yi (eaa) to explain his well-known remark made in 2017 when he was premier that has followed him ever since and cast him as a Taiwan independence supporter. In response, he said the view of what "Taiwan independence" means among Taiwanese has evolved. "To say 'Taiwan independence' today refers to the general consensus in Taiwan that Taiwan is not part of the PRC, and that Taiwan belongs to all Taiwanese people," the vice president said. That differs from the PRC definition of "Taiwan independence," Lai argued, without elaborating, though Beijing and others often see "Taiwan independence" as formally declaring independence from China and changing the country's name. As for his use of the word pragmatic, Lai, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) 2024 presidential nominee, said it "means acting according to facts, and the fact is Taiwan is not part of the People's Republic of China (PRC)." "Being a worker means to protect Taiwan," Lai said, describing his mission as building up "Taiwan's democracy, peace, and prosperity," while "defending Taiwan's sovereignty against Chinese aggression, so that future generations can have a secure and prosperous life in this land." Lai also said in 2017 when he was mayor of Tainan that "supporting Taiwan independence does not mean one cannot make friends with China." When asked whether that was possible, Lai said Taiwan and China can coexist in peace without having to be "enemies going to war with each other." "That's why I made the distinction between the [Chinese] communist party and the Chinese people," Lai said. "Taiwan can start by showing an affinity or goodwill toward Chinese people and becoming closer to the Chinese people." Despite the rhetoric, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) has argued that Taiwan has taken several steps to push Taiwan's sovereignty that has only heightened antagonism between China and Taiwan and increased the chances of conflict. It has used the slogan "Vote DPP, vote for war" during its campaigning for the 2024 elections, but Lai said in the interview that message was essentially following Chinese propaganda and would not stand. "Taiwan and China had engaged in battles long before the DPP came to power. The 823 Artillery Bombardment and the Battle of Guningtou are two examples," Lai said. "China has always wanted to take Taiwan. They did not plan to do this just recently, and they did not plan to do this after the DPP became the ruling power," Lai said. As tensions are high in the Indo-Pacific region, Lai said, his mission is to uphold regional peace and security by continuing the "four commitments" laid down by President Tsai Ing-wen (ee), including committing to a free and democratic constitutional system. The others are committing that the ROC and the PRC should not be subordinate to each other, committing to resisting annexation or encroachment upon sovereignty, and committing that the future of the ROC or Taiwan must be decided in accordance with the will of the Taiwanese people. In an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal on July 4, Lai said, he further proposed "four pillars" as an "action plan" to affirm Tsai's four commitments: building Taiwan's defense capabilities, treating economic security as national security, forming partnerships with democracies around the world, and establishing steady and principled cross-strait leadership. The DPP has twice governed Taiwan, and during its almost 16 years of governance, it has always worked toward peaceful development in cross-strait relations, Lai said. "It is up to China to decide whether it will also do the same." Asked if he was worried that Beijing could try to influence Taiwan's 2024 elections by pressuring Taiwanese businesses operating in China, Lai said he hoped Beijing would refrain from doing so. Though he did not seem keen on Taiwanese businesses operating in China, the vice president said he understood that some still wanted to be there and respected their business strategies. He also pledged that if they needed assistance, "the government has a responsibility to help them." Asked what lessons the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia has provided to Taiwan, Lai said, "Taiwan must be ready, but it should also be prepared for the worst." "Taiwan must be prepared if it does not want to become the next Ukraine, because peace comes through strength," Lai said. (By Yeh Su-ping, Matt Yu and Sean Lin) Enditem/ls NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks on China Attending the Meeting in Jeddah on Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China 2023-08-08 19:53 Q: Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui attended the meeting in Jeddah on the Ukraine issue last weekend. Could you share more information?a A: On August 5, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui traveled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to attend the meeting on the Ukraine issue at invitation. He had extensive contact and exchanges with participating parties, made clear China's position and propositions, listened to the opinions and advice from various parties, and worked for more common understandings on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. China's positive role in promoting talks for peace was fully recognized. China will continue to act in the spirit of the four principles, joint efforts in four areas and three observations proposed by President Xi Jinping, work on the basis of the document of China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, enhance dialogue and communication with all parties, and contribute to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia launches strike against Ukraine's military command in Krasnoarmeysk Iran Press TV Tuesday, 08 August 2023 8:33 PM Russian forces have hit a Ukrainian military command post in the eastern Donetsk region of Krasnoarmeysk, also known as Pokrovsk. Russia's Ministry of Defense said that its missiles had struck the military command post in the eastern town of Krasnoarmeysk. "Near the settlement of Krasnoarmeysk in the Donetsk People's Republic, an advanced command post of the Khortytsya joint group of Ukrainian troops was hit," Russia's MoD announced on Tuesday. Ukrainian officials confirmed that two Russian missiles had struck a hotel and apartments in the town, killing and wounding about a dozen members of Kiev's military forces, among others. Russia's MoD said on Tuesday that about 210 Kiev military forces were killed in the Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours. In addition, Russian armed forces repelled 18 attacks by Kiev troops in the Donetsk direction over the given period, the ministry said in a statement. "Up to 210 military personnel, one tank, four infantry fighting vehicles, six pickup trucks and three D-30 howitzers were destroyed [in the Donetsk direction]," the statement read. Russia repelled nine counterattacks by Ukraine forces in the Kupiansk direction, MoD said, adding that Kiev has lost up to 110 troops, three vehicles, as well as two D-20 howitzers. Three attacks by Kiev troops were repulsed in the Krasnyi Lyman direction, where Ukraine has lost 80 soldiers. Russia has repelled three attacks and Kiev has lost 125 troops, eight armored vehicles and two howitzers in the South Donetsk direction, the Russian Ministry said. Ukrainian troops were defeated in preemptive measures in the Zaporozhye direction, where Kiev has lost up to 110 troops, one tank, and five armored vehicles, among other military equipment pieces, MoD stated. Also on Monday, Russian artillery fire targeting military positions in the evacuated town of Kherson, killed one person and wounded four others. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said Kherson had endured a "tough night" as the Russians "covered the central part of the city with fire". One person was also killed and four others wounded in the Russian shelling of a village in the northeastern Kharkiv province, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. In the meantime, world officials from about 40 countries gathered in Saudi Arabia to work on a peace settlement for the war in Ukraine. However, Russia's foreign ministry on Monday denounced the two-day talks in Jeddah as not having "the slightest added value" because Moscow had not been invited to the event. The Russian foreign ministry reiterated previous assurances that Moscow is open to a diplomatic solution, on its terms, that would end the 17-month-old war and that it is ready to respond to serious proposals. Earlier, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, had indicated that a "sustainable" peace effort would be possible only after the "Kiev regime ceased its hostilities" and the US-led Western allies stopped the eastward encroachment and ceased their military build-up on Russian borders. In similar remarks, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said the event in Saudi Arabia cannot bring positive results, because Russia was not participating in it. "I would like to understand how it is possible to discuss issues related to Russia's security without accounting for our national interests. Is it really still not clear to someone that it is impossible to achieve a specific result in such a situation?" Antonov said. He said there were no prospects of any diplomatic success in the Jeddah talks. "We have witnessed yet another unsuccessful attempt of wishful thinking by the US Administration. There was no diplomatic success in Jeddah. Washington tried to show a beautiful picture of US support from the 'Global South' states in an effort to isolate Russia. To win over the countries that do not support the 'rules-based order.' "Hence the rather expected result of the meeting - the lack of a common position on how to move forward in resolving the crisis in Ukraine. There was no support for Kiev's notorious 'peace formula' at all," he said. Antonov's remarks come as a Moscow source told Sputnik that the majority of the participants attached to the meeting in Saudi Arabia were from Western countries which arm Kiev. "The vast majority of participants are Western countries, directors of the Ukrainian crisis, arms suppliers and escalators. You don't have to look far for conclusions," the source said. "According to media reports, at the meeting on Ukraine in Jeddah, the countries of the Global South were in the minority. Out of about 40 participants, there were about 15 [from the Global South], and 4 or 5 joined via a video link. Russia was not invited," the source said. Some of the countries that proposed mediation and humanitarian initiatives in the past "were forgotten" at the meeting, the source added. Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blasted the event as an attempt by the US, UK and their allies to pull as many nations into pompous summits to discuss Ukraine's peace formula. "The Anglo-Saxons and their allies have stood up for the Nazis of Kiev, glossing over, if not justifying, their actions that violate human rights and the rights of national minorities. "Instead of a serious conversation based on recognizing the evolution of the real situation 'on the ground' over the past ten years they convene staged forums with the sole purpose of luring as many countries as possible into any semblance of a discussion of the 'Zelensky's formula,' which demands nothing less than that Russia completely capitulate, agree to compromise its security and leave millions of Russians to the mercy of fate." Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine On February 24, 2022, aiming to liberate the Donbas region where the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev's forces. In the meantime, the collective West continues to flood Kiev with weapons while slapping economic sanctions on Moscow. Till now, the sanction against Russia has backfired. Meantime, Washington approved the shipment of the first batch of Abrams tanks to Kiev, US media reported, citing US Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Douglas Bush. Earlier, the Pentagon had announced that the US Army had awarded General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) an almost $34 million contract extension to provide technical support for Abrams Main Battle Tanks, including those furnished to Ukraine. "Now they have to get to Europe, and then to Ukraine, along with all of the things that go with them. Ammunition, spare parts, fuel equipment, repair facilities. So you know, it's not just the tanks, it's the full package that goes with it," a media outlet quoted the official as saying. US media reported last month that the first batch of tanks that the Biden administration transferred to Ukraine would include no more than eight combat vehicles. In total, Washington intends to send Kiev 31 older Abrams tanks, namely M1A1 models. So far, Washington and its allies have provided more than $65 billion worth of weapons and munitions to the Kiev regime, including Abrams and Leopard main battle tanks, artillery and armored vehicles, Storm Shadow long-range cruise and other missiles, air defense systems, and have also committed to providing F-16 fighter jets as well as pilot training to operate the aircraft. However, Ukraine's armed forces have experienced significant casualties and equipment losses in the two months since the commencement of their self-proclaimed counteroffensive in June. Russia's MoD said that Ukrainian armed forces have lost over 43,000 troops and approximately 5,000 pieces of equipment. "Enemy equipment losses on the frontline amounted to more than 4,900 pieces, including 26 aircraft, nine helicopters, 1,831 tanks, and armored fighting vehicles, 25 German 'Leopard' tanks, seven French AMX wheeled tanks, and 21 US-made 'Bradley' infantry fighting vehicles," the Russian Defense Ministry said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Step by step, we are making de-occupation of Crimea more and more achievable and well-thought-out - address by the President of Ukraine President of Ukraine 8 August 2023 - 22:43 Fellow Ukrainians! This afternoon, rescue operations in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, after yesterday's missile attack by Russian terrorists have been completed. Nine people were killed. My condolences to the families and friends. 82 people were wounded. Everyone is being provided with the necessary assistance. Among the wounded are two children, boys, one of them is in serious condition. His name is Mykyta, he is only 11 years old, he is a 6th grade pupil. I wish a speedy recovery to everyone who suffered from this yet another Russian atrocity. There were several missile strikes. The second strike took place when the rescue operation began. This is a deliberate decision of the terrorists to cause the greatest pain and damage. And Russia will bear maximum responsibility for this - no matter how the events unfold, there must be sentences against the terrorists. Today I would like to recognize the participants of this rescue operation in Pokrovsk. Those who proved themselves most active in helping people. These are civil protection service Senior Lieutenants Andriy Samusin and Oleksandr Shylo, and civil protection service Colonel Vyacheslav Filiushyn. National Police officers Lieutenant Oleksandr Chivenkov and Lieutenant Colonel Volodymyr Nikulin. I am especially grateful to all the medics working for people in Pokrovsk and other cities of Donetsk region, and today I would like to recognize feldsher of Myrnohrad Kateryna Zhelezniak and surgeon of Pokrovsk hospital Ihor Klimov. Thank you! I am grateful to everyone who saves lives and eliminates the consequences of Russian strikes. Today I spoke with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, and the key issue in our conversation was the protection of people, protection from Russian occupiers. We discussed in detail how to reinforce our warriors on the frontline and provide greater security to our cities and villages, to our entire land. We are preparing new defense packages, and I am grateful to Mark personally and to everyone in the Netherlands - each and every one who stands with Ukraine. We are preparing to upgrade our aviation with modern aircraft, and it is the Netherlands that can become a leader in the issue of F-16s for Ukraine. It is important that the Netherlands acceded to the G7 declaration on security guarantees for our country, and we discussed how these guarantees can be specified at the bilateral level. In addition, I invited Mark, Mr. Prime Minister, to participate in the Crimea Platform Summit at the level of leaders, which will take place on August 23. Today, I also held a meeting on the content of our return policy, specifically regarding Crimea and its reintegration. It is obvious that after the liberation of Crimea from occupation, economic opportunities, personal security for people, and a sense of real freedom, which has not been there since 2014, will return there. But all of this should not be just abstract - every detail of the de-occupation of Crimea should have a specific meaning. How exactly normal life returns. What exactly this means for Crimea and for all our people. This should be clear to everyone. Step by step, we are making the de-occupation of Crimea more and more achievable and well-thought-out. Today I also held a meeting on the new educational season - September 1 will come soon. Parents and teachers have questions. There are various security and preparatory nuances. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi, and their plans were presented. The content is obvious: preparation of shelters, provision of textbooks, financial and organizational resources that are needed and which the state can help with. Government officials will soon present the relevant details. And one more thing. Today, I had the honor to congratulate our warriors-signallers on their professional day and awarded the best of them. 24 people who serve Ukraine in different units and at different levels. Serve as efficiently as it is necessary. The Signal and Cyber Security Troops of Ukraine are not often talked about. But all types and branches of the troops depend on them, on the quality of their work. Because communication is one of the key resources. And I thank everyone who serves our country well and works for the state efficiently. There must always be a result for Ukraine. Every day at the front and in the rear... Every such day - with results - brings our victory closer. Like today - with a law enforcement result for Ukraine. For the cleaning of Ukraine. We all know that our state must change, must undergo transformation. And this means that those who work for their own benefit, not for the sake of Ukraine, will not be in public office or MPs of Ukraine. Every such dealmaker will at least stand trial. Glory to all who fight for Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Peace Formula is universal, and after Ukraine, it can be the basis for overcoming other military conflicts and global problems - Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine 8 August 2023 - 16:22 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasizes that the Peace Formula he proposed is an important platform not only for a just end to the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine. It can also become a universal basis for ending other military conflicts on the planet and overcoming global problems. The President made this statement in an interview with the Latin American media. As the President emphasized, today the right and so far the only diplomatic way to achieve peace is the Peace Formula initiated by Ukraine. He noted that the Formula is primarily about Ukraine, but if certain international institutions do not enable a just end to such aggressive wars and achieving peace, as the example of Ukraine eloquently demonstrates, the Peace Formula can become a new universal foundation for appropriate solutions. "Unfortunately, we are not the only ones, and this is not the last military conflict in the world. And I believe that after the end of this war, such a Formula can be the basis for overcoming other global problems," the Head of State is convinced. According to the President, individual countries may have their own opinion on certain points of the Peace Formula, and this is normal, as any platform is open to discussion. "One can agree or disagree with something. Offer your own solutions. This is what our Peace Formula is based on. The basis must be Ukrainian, because the war is in Ukraine. And the proposals can be from any country, because we value the experience and opinion of each country that really wants to achieve peace, not to play along with Russia, not to play along on the Peace Formula for the sake of future economic relations with Russia. Because this is a game with real people," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized. The Head of State emphasized that it is necessary to prepare for the Global Peace Summit, and he is interested in the maximum number of states being represented at the event. "For us to politically decide that this is the right platform, and that the majority of the world views this Formula as a basis, a map, steps and a plan to overcome this terrible tragedy," the President said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mark Rutte discussed future security guarantees for Ukraine and the role of the Netherlands in the coalition of fighter jets President of Ukraine 8 August 2023 - 15:30 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone call with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte. The Head of State thanked the interlocutor for his country's accession to the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine adopted at the NATO Summit in Vilnius by the leaders of the G7, which was later joined by 12 more countries, including the Netherlands. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mark Rutte discussed future security guarantees for Ukraine in the framework of the Joint Declaration, which should be based on the key role of the Netherlands in the coalition of fighter jets. The President of Ukraine also told the interlocutor about the situation on the frontline and outlined the current defense needs of the Ukrainian army, in particular, artillery, armored vehicles and air defense systems to protect the infrastructure of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The parties exchanged positive assessments of the meeting of diplomatic advisors in Saudi Arabia and discussed the next steps in the preparation of the Global Peace Summit. Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited Mark Rutte to take part in the Crimea Platform Summit. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The most important outcome of the meeting in Jeddah is that we are one step closer to the implementation of the Peace Formula - Andriy Yermak President of Ukraine 8 August 2023 - 10:31 The meeting in Jeddah brought Ukraine closer to implementing the Peace Formula proposed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Work continues on the preparation and holding of the Global Peace Summit. This was stated by Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, commenting on the results of consultations at the level of diplomatic advisors in Saudi Arabia. "With each step, the number of countries that unconditionally respect Ukraine's independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty and are ready to work on a part or the whole of the Peace Formula is growing. And the isolation of Russia is growing as well," stated Andriy Yermak. According to him, the main topic of the meeting was the Ukrainian Peace Formula. The overwhelming majority of partners clearly emphasized the need to withdraw Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine and the impossibility of freezing the war in any form, as this would only give time to prepare for new attacks on Ukrainian territory. The Head of the President's Office noted that the implementation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula is part of Ukraine's victory strategy. Therefore, in his opinion, the meeting in Jeddah will go down in history. "We are the ones keeping this initiative today, and I am very pleased that more and more countries support us in this," he added. According to the Head of the President's Office, the consultations in Jeddah were attended by representatives of about 40 countries, which is three times more than at the previous meeting of this level in Copenhagen. Andriy Yermak called the participation of the Chinese representative in the consultations important and noted that it was made possible thanks to the great work done by representatives of Ukraine and our partners from Saudi Arabia. "The representative of China took an active part in the conversations and expressed his opinion. The main thing we heard from the Chinese representative is that China is ready to continue participating in this format," the Head of the Presidential Office emphasized. According to Andriy Yermak, the participants of the meeting in Jeddah agreed to continue working in this format, so it will only expand. "We will continue to work on the preparation and holding of the Global Peace Summit, after which we will start working on the implementation of each of the ten points. Of course, including the point that will legally enshrine the end of this war," said the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty is the basis of the Peace Formula - Andriy Yermak told the media about the meeting of advisors in Jeddah President of Ukraine 8 August 2023 - 10:04 Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak met with representatives of Ukrainian and foreign media to discuss the results of the second consultations of national security advisors and political directors of foreign ministries on the key principles of restoring a lasting and just peace for Ukraine, which took place on August 5-6 in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Members of the Ukrainian delegation, including Deputy Heads of the Office of the President Andriy Sybiha and Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Foreign Minister Mykola Tochytskyi, and Advisors to the Head of the Presidential Office Daria Zarivna and Oleksandr Bevz, took part in the conversation with the media. According to Andriy Yermak, all the representatives of the states present declared their full support and respect for Ukraine's independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. "Everyone understands the need for a joint plan of the civilized world to end this war," the Head of the Presidential Office noted. Andriy Yermak emphasized that all the speeches of the Ukrainian delegation clearly emphasized the need to withdraw Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine, which is one of the points of the Peace Formula. In addition, the Head of the President's Office noted that the meeting in Jeddah of representatives of more than 40 countries without Russia's participation dealt a huge blow to the Kremlin. So now the Russian leadership is trying to disinform the international community about the results of these consultations. According to Andriy Yermak, the participants of the meeting in Jeddah agreed to hold the next round of consultations. This was endorsed by all parties. Ukraine is now actively working to expand the number of participating states. "In the near future, we will hold the next meeting of advisors. And we will gradually move towards holding the Global Peace Summit," he said. The peace summit will be inaugural, said the Head of the Presidential Office. It is to adopt Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula as a basis. "After that, state leaders can give the green light for separate international conferences and summits dedicated to each of the points of the Peace Formula," the Head of the Presidential Office added. After the end of hostilities, an international document will be adopted that will record the end of the war and Ukraine's victory. It will be approved at the Global Peace Summit, which will bring together all the countries participating in the process and will consolidate the implementation of the last, tenth point of the Formula and, as a result, the establishment of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. In addition, Andriy Yermak reminded that negotiations with the United States of America on a bilateral agreement on providing security guarantees to Ukraine on its way to NATO, as stipulated in the Joint Declaration of Support for our country, have begun. "We have also agreed with all the countries that signed the Vilnius declaration and joined it to start similar consultations. They will start this month or next month. Moreover, we hope that the first agreements can be signed by the end of this year. These security guarantees are like air defense against a future world war," he said. The Head of the President's Office emphasized that the meeting in Saudi Arabia was a rehearsal of the political map of the world, in which there is no place for barbaric aggression. "Ukraine brings peace to this world. And it is Ukraine, which has shown that it knows how to fight, defend its independence and freedom, that has come up with this peace initiative. Today, no one needs to be convinced, this peace initiative exists, and we are working on it. And the aggressor state is very annoyed when negotiations are held without it. Indeed, our strategy to isolate the aggressor, the terrorist state, has gained very strong support," summarized Andriy Yermak. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian side told the participants of the meeting in Jeddah about the philosophy of each of the points of the Peace Formula - Andriy Yermak President of Ukraine 8 August 2023 - 09:19 At a meeting with representatives of Ukrainian and foreign media on Monday, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak presented the philosophy of each point of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula, which the Ukrainian side shared with participants of consultations in Jeddah on August 5-6. "We have formed our common vision of each of the ten points of President Zelenskyy's Peace Formula. It is common because in the course of lengthy consultations at various levels, this vision reflected the positions of most countries involved in the implementation of Ukraine's peace initiative," said Andriy Yermak. He emphasized that Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula is based on the key principles of the UN Charter and international law, as well as respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries within their internationally recognized borders. "These are the principles that were unanimously agreed upon by the participants of the meeting of national security advisors held in Jeddah," he said. "The implementation of the Peace Formula means restoring respect for the UN Charter and international law, which was destroyed by Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine," added Andriy Yermak. In addition, the Head of the President's Office informed the media about further practical steps to implement the Peace Formula. "We will continue to work to elaborate the actual agenda, the documents, conclusions, and agreements we envisage to implement each of the ten points of the Formula," he explained. Andriy Yermak noted that a regular meeting of the ambassadors of the participating countries will be held in the near future to coordinate further actions. Practical steps will be developed to implement each of the points of the Peace Formula. In parallel, the agenda for the inaugural Global Peace Summit will be prepared. The document in Ukrainian and English is attached. pdf - 142.09 kb NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine Denise Brown condemns attacks that killed and injured scores of civilians in the Donetsk region UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 8 August 2023 I am profoundly disturbed by the latest Russian strikes that hit residential buildings and other civilian places in Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, yesterday evening, killing and injuring scores of civilians. It is absolutely ruthless to hit the same location twice in the space of minutes, causing the death and injury of people who had quickly come to help the survivors - including rescue workers from the State of Emergency Service of Ukraine. They are front-line responders, helping people in their most difficult times and must be respected. This horrifying attack is certainly a serious breach of international humanitarian law and violates any principle of humanity. It adds to the very long list of attacks in Ukraine, including many over the past few days, that must be investigated as they violate international humanitarian law. In the meantime, humanitarian organizations are already on the ground, providing immediate assistance. And I send, on behalf of the humanitarian community in Ukraine, my most heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wish a rapid recovery for the injured. Kyiv, 8 August 2023. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Latest in Ukraine: Germany to Extend Patriot Defense Systems in Poland By VOA News August 11, 2023 LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Dozens of secondhand German-made Leopard 1 tanks that once belonged to Belgium have been bought by another European country for Ukrainian forces fighting Russia's invasion, the arms trader who did the deal said. Dozens of ships are backed up around critical Danube arteries close to Ukraine's river gateways days after Russian drone attacks on the country's ports, shipping data show. The river and its mouth are Ukraine's last remaining waterborne grain export route. Britain slapped new sanctions on 25 companies and individuals to "close the net" on Russian President Vladimir Putin's access to foreign military equipment. Those targeted include people and businesses in Turkey, Dubai, Slovakia and Switzerland that the Foreign Office said are "supporting the illegal war in Ukraine." Germany has offered to extend the deployment of its Patriot missile defense systems in Poland, likely until the end of the year, the Defense Ministry said in a statement released Tuesday. Berlin sent three Patriot units to eastern Poland in January after a deadly blast struck a Polish village in late 2022. The strike is believed to have been from a stray Ukrainian air defense missile. Originally, the deployment of the U.S.-made systems was to be for a maximum of six months. But the Defense Ministry said it had offered Poland to keep the systems "over the summer, probably until the end of the year." However, starting in 2024, the systems would be an "important contribution" to a NATO rapid response force, the ministry said, adding there would be no extension beyond 2023 for Poland. Poland initially pushed back against Germany's offer of the Patriot units, instead calling on Berlin to send the weaponry to Ukraine. Germany, which has been a major contributor of weapons to Kyiv, later sent a Patriot system to Ukraine as well. Rescuers in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk dug through the rubble of several buildings destroyed by two back-to-back Russian missile attacks Monday that killed at least nine people. "This afternoon, rescue operations in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, after yesterday's missile attack by Russian terrorists, have been completed. Nine people were killed. My condolences to the families and friends," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that 82 people were wounded. "Everyone is provided with the necessary assistance. There are two children among the wounded," Zelenskyy said in his evening video address. Pokrovsk is in the Donetsk region, which has been the scene of some of the most intense fighting since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk, says the two missiles struck about 40 minutes apart, destroying residential buildings, restaurants, shops and administrative buildings and a hotel popular with foreign journalists, aid workers and the military. Meanwhile two people were killed in Russian missile strikes in Kruhliakivka village in Kupiansk district, according to Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential administration. Some information for this article came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Dubai, UAE, Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Singapore's vibrant cityscape played host to the World Blockchain Summit 2023, a global fulcrum for blockchain innovation, spotlighting the dynamic evolution of the decentralized economy. In this highly anticipated convergence, Millionero, an emergent tour de force in the crypto exchange space, etched its mark by garnering the esteemed 'Best Emerging Crypto Exchange' award. The World Blockchain Summit Singapore 2023 unfurled as a global arena for delving into advancements in Internet technology, with a keen focus on the emergence of Web 3.0. The event identified Asia as a pivotal hub for crypto and blockchain innovation, highlighting pioneering entities like Millionero. The summit presented an array of cutting-edge topics, exploring themes such as the regulation and compliance in the Web 3.0 landscape, the impact of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) on traditional finance, the emerging realm of Web 3.0 gaming and virtual worlds, and the future of digital ownership through NFTs. These themes underlined the accelerating pace of change, embodying the spirit of innovative crypto exchange platforms like Millionero. A memorable moment from the event was the keynote speech delivered by Syed Suleman Kazim, the CEO of Millionero. Suleman eloquently outlined the company's vision and strategy in the bustling world of crypto trading. His address was followed by the much-anticipated presentation of the 'Best Emerging Crypto Exchange' award to Millionero, marking a significant high point at the summit. Millionero's victory underscores its commitment to providing a user-friendly, secure, and efficient platform for crypto trading. Amid discussions around scaling solutions and roadblocks to mass adoption of Web 3.0 technologies, Millionero's award recognition affirms the vital role of innovative solutions in promoting wider acceptance of these technologies. The acknowledgment at the World Blockchain Summit further solidifies Millionero's position as a trailblazer in the crypto exchange domain. Its user-centric approach has made it a preferred platform for both beginners and experienced traders, reinforcing its standing as the 'Best Emerging Crypto Exchange.' The success of Millionero paints a promising picture for the future, a future where crypto exchanges like Millionero play a critical role in tackling challenges and harnessing opportunities within the Web 3.0 paradigm. It serves as a shining example of an entity that aligns with the broader objectives of Web 3.0, striking a balance between innovation, user-friendliness, and security. As we continue to navigate the unfolding narrative of the digital economy, Millionero has firmly established itself as a name to watch. This accolade stands as a resounding testament to its growing influence in the decentralized economy, asserting its capacity to deliver solutions while upholding the ideals of Web 3.0 and the evolving dynamics of the digital world. Disclaimer : There is no offer to sell, no solicitation of an offer to buy, and no recommendation of any security or any other product or service in this article. This is not investment advice. Please do your own research. Media Contact Contact person name: Messaoud Boukoufallah Official Email: messaoud@millionero.com Country: Dubai, UAE Company: Millionero BRISBANE, Australia, Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Allkem Limited (ASX|TSX: AKE) (Allkem or the Company) will release its Full Year Results on Friday, 18 August 2023. Managing Director and CEO, Mr. Martin Perez de Solay and Acting CFO, Christian Cortes will conduct a live webcast briefing at 10:00 am AEST (Sydney, Melbourne) on the same day. To pre-register your details and join the webcast briefing, please follow the link on the homepage of Allkems website, www.allkem.co. Written questions may be submitted via the webcast and playback of the briefing and Q&A session will also be available on the companys website. This release was authorised by Mr Martin Perez de Solay, CEO and Managing Director of Allkem Limited. NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (KSF) and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until September 26, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), if they purchased the Companys securities between March 1, 2020 and July 26, 2023, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. What You May Do If you purchased securities of AT&T and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-t/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by September 26, 2023 . About the Lawsuit AT&T and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that: (i) the Company owns lead-wrapped cables nationwide that are highly toxic and harmful to Company employees and non-employees alike; (ii) the hazards caused by the lead cables pose not only health risks to employees and the public, but also potentially significant risks to the Company from litigation, regulatory measures, and reputational harm; and (iii) as a result, AT&Ts statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. The case is Brazinsky v. AT&T Inc., et al., No. 23-cv-04064. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nations premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey. To learn more about KSF, you may visit http://ksfcounsel.com/. Contact: NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (KSF) and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until October 2, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), if they purchased the Companys securities between February 4, 2020 and July 26, 2023, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. What You May Do If you purchased securities of Verizon and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-vz/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by October 2, 2023 . About the Lawsuit Verizon and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that: (i) the Company owns lead-wrapped cables nationwide that are highly toxic and harmful to Company employees and non-employees alike; (ii) the hazards caused by the lead cables pose not only health risks to employees and the public, but also potentially significant risks to the Company from litigation, regulatory measures, and reputational harm; and (iii) as a result, Verizons statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. The case is Meehan v. Verizon Communications Inc., et al., No. 23-cv-1375. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nations premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey. To learn more about KSF, you may visit http://ksfcounsel.com/. Contact: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com 1-877-515-1850 1100 Poydras St., Suite 960 New Orleans, LA 70163 Westford, USA, Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to SkyQuest, storing significant amounts of bagasse for long-term off-season power generation presents unique challenges that differ from small-scale or large-scale wet storage for pulp and paper production. These challenges include the loss of fuel value, spontaneous combustion risks, bagasse handling issues, and various health and environmental consequences in the sugarcane bagasse market . Browse in-depth TOC on "Sugarcane Bagasse Market Pages - 249 Tables - 89 Figures 76 Sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is a highly abundant agricultural residue, with an annual production of approximately 100 million tons in India alone. Although its current utilization is primarily focused on the cogeneration of steam and power. Moreover, with the decline in electricity prices and global sugar prices owing to surplus sugar stock, it is becoming increasingly necessary to find sustainable ways to generate revenue from the waste produced by sugar mills, namely SCB in the sugarcane bagasse market. Get a sample copy of this report: https://www.skyquestt.com/sample-request/sugarcane-bagasse-market Prominent Players in Sugarcane Bagasse Market Mitr Phol Group Guangxi Guitang Group Co., Ltd. Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd. Bunge Limited Wilmar International Limited Associated British Foods plc Sudzucker AG Tereos Group Raizen Energia S.A. Bio Pappel S.A.B. de C.V. Lenzing AG Paper Excellence Canada Holdings Corporation American Sugar Refining, Inc. Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group Co., Ltd. Gruppo Italiano Vini S.p.A. Almoiz Industries Limited Papyrus Australia Pty Ltd Mitr Phol Bio-Fuel Company Limited Tongaat Hulett Limited Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC): https://www.skyquestt.com/report/sugarcane-bagasse-market Energy Segment is Expected to Grow the Market Due to Rising Fuel to Fulfill the Energy Requirements Global sugarcane bagasse market is predominantly influenced by the energy sector, where bagasse is primarily used as a fuel to fulfil the energy requirements of the sugarcane bagasse market. However, there is a surplus of bagasse that holds potential for diversification into various other applications. One such opportunity lies in synthesizing single-cell protein, which can serve as a valuable nutritional source in animal feed and other food products. The markets in Latin America are poised to experience substantial growth in the sugarcane bagasse market during the forecast period. Traditionally, the most common application of bagasse has been its combustion or incineration in a boiler for steam generation, particularly in cogeneration systems that produce steam and electricity. This approach enables the efficient delivery of heat and electricity to support the sugar and ethanol production processes. Moreover, surplus energy can be exported to the grid, maximizing the economic benefits of bagasse utilization. Indirect Sales Segment is Expected to Dominate the Market Due to Facilitating the Distribution and Sale of Bagasse Indirect sales segment plays a crucial role in the sugarcane bagasse market by facilitating the distribution and sale of bagasse through intermediaries such as wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. In addition, these intermediaries serve as vital links connecting bagasse producers with the end consumers or industries that utilize bagasse for various applications. Regional markets in the Asia Pacific region are anticipated to witness rapid development in the sugarcane bagasse market, with India holding a dominant position in sugarcane production. The increasing consumption patterns and evolving lifestyles worldwide are expected to drive the industry's growth throughout the forecast period significantly. A comprehensive analysis of the major players in the sugarcane bagasse market has been recently conducted in a report. The report encompasses various aspects, including collaborations, mergers, innovative business policies, and strategies, providing valuable insights into key trends and breakthroughs in the market. Furthermore, the report scrutinizes the market share of the top segments and presents a detailed geographic analysis. Lastly, the report highlights the major players in the industry and their endeavours to develop innovative solutions to cater to the growing demand. Speak to Analyst for your custom requirements: https://www.skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/sugarcane-bagasse-market Key Developments in Sugarcane Bagasse Market The Good Plate Company introduced a new product line featuring bagasse cups made from sugarcane recently. These cups, available in an 8oz size, offer a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution for beverage distribution. Crafted entirely from bagasse, the cups are 100% compostable and biodegradable, aligning with the principles of a circular economy. Key Questions Answered in Sugarcane Bagasse Market Report What specific growth drivers are projected to impact the market during the forecast period? List the top companies in the market and explain how they have achieved their positions of influence. In what ways do regional trends and patterns differ within the global market, and how these differences shape the market's future growth? Related Reports in SkyQuests Library: Global Ultrapure Water Market Global Plaster Retarder Market Global Engineered Wood Market Global Chromatography Market Global Aircraft Cargo Loading Area Lighting Market About Us: SkyQuest Technology is leading growth consulting firm providing market intelligence, commercialization and technology services. It has 450+ happy clients globally. Address: 1 Apache Way, Westford, Massachusetts 01886 Phone: USA (+1) 617-230-0741 Email: sales@skyquestt.com Dublin, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Europe Air Purifiers Market by Filter Type, End-use, Distribution Channel, Country, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2018-2028F" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Europe air purifiers market is on track to experience remarkable growth with an impressive CAGR to 2028 This growth can be attributed to the increasing adoption of air pollution control equipment and the integration of cutting-edge technology like IoT, wi-fi, and Bluetooth features into air purifiers. Air pollution poses a serious and urgent threat to public health, causing millions of deaths annually and linked to various severe health conditions. Commercially rated air purifiers are finding applications in medical, industrial, and commercial sectors, with both standalone units and larger units attached to air handler units or HVAC systems. The grim readings of air pollution levels in major European cities have highlighted the pressing need for effective air purifiers. As pollution levels continue to rise, the demand for air purifiers is soaring, particularly those equipped with HEPA filtration technology, capable of trapping up to 99.97% of pollutants. The market is offering a wide range of air purifiers, catering to the diverse needs of consumers and addressing various air quality concerns. With the World Health Organization's recommended PM2.5 exposure levels emphasizing the importance of cleaner air, the demand for air purifiers is witnessing a surge in both commercial and residential sectors across Europe. New Products Launches Fuel the Market Growth With the rising competition in the air purifiers market within European countries, various companies are focusing on manufacturing and launching innovative products for customers. For instance, in 2022, Coway launched the Airmega 150 air purifier, which has a maximum power usage of 35 watts. It has a whisper-quiet mode that is only 22 dB loud for a peaceful night's sleep with pure air. It not only filters out up to 99.999% of dangerous particles with a nano-size of up to 0.01 m, including allergens, bacteria, animal hair, fine dust, mites, mildew, odors, pollen, and viruses, but it also renders those particles inactive by trapping them in the GreenHEPA. Therefore, the launches of new air purifiers are crucial in the European market. Technological Advancements Fuel the Market Growth In modern times, companies use new and different technologies in their products to attract consumers in the market. For instance, the MC55W air purifier from Daikin utilizes streamer technology and has been found effective against respiratory viruses, as its Streamer technology helps in improving the quality of the air by removing irritating odors and breaking down allergens like pollen and fungal allergens using electrons to start chemical reactions with airborne particles. According to tests conducted by the renowned French laboratory Institute Pasteur de Lille, Daikin's line of air purifiers removes more than 99.98% of the human coronavirus HCoV-229E in under 2.5 minutes. Moreover, the science company Molekule introduced its ground-breaking PECO technology-based air purifier in the United Kingdom and Europe in 2021. In small chamber and swatch lab testing, the molecule inactivates the H1N1 flu virus by up to 99.99% and destroys the COVID-19 virus by over 99% in an hour. Technology-based air purifiers are further influencing the growth of the air purifiers market in Europe. Surging Air Pollution Aids Market Growth People with allergies and respiratory problems are the major users of air purification devices. However, the sales of air purifiers are increasing in direct proportion to Europe's rising air pollution levels. Moreover, the increased spending on high-end air purifiers to make the environment pathogen-free is another factor supporting market expansion. According to the Central Office of Public Interest (COPI) and Imperial College London, dirty air affects 97% of UK homes. Therefore, rising air pollution drives the market for air purifiers in Europe. Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Europe air purifiers market. IQAir AG Blueair AB Jarden Consumer Solutions (Europe) Limited Koninklijke Philips N.V. Daikin Europe N.V. Winix Europe B.V. Camfil AB Airfree - Produtos Electronicos, Lda Boneco AG NateoSante SA Market Dynamics Drivers Increase in Building and construction activities Rising demand from Commercial sector Growing health consciousness Market Trends & Developments Rising Pollution Concerns Increasing Fatalities due to respiratory diseases Surging Use of HEPA Technology Product Innovations Challenges Increasing demand for Humidifier High maintenance cost Voice of Customer Analysis (B2C Model Analysis) Sample Size Determination Respondent Demographics By Gender By Age By Occupation Brand Awareness Frequency Of Usage Brand Satisfaction Factors Influencing Purchase Decision Customer Satisfaction Challenges Faced Post Purchase Impact of COVID-19 on Europe Air Purifiers Market Impact Assessment Model Key Segments Impacted Key Countries Impacted Key Distribution Channel Impacted Report Scope Europe Air Purifiers Market, By Filter Type: HEPA Prefilter + HEPA Prefilter + HEPA + Activated Carbon Others Europe Air Purifiers Market, By End Use: Commercial Industrial Residential Europe Air Purifiers Market, By Distribution Channel: Direct/Institutional Sales Exclusive Brand Outlets Multi-Branded Electronic Stores Supermarkets/Hypermarkets Online Channels Europe Air Purifiers Market, By Country: Germany United Kingdom France Italy Netherlands Spain Russia Switzerland Ukraine Poland For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tjr5zm 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. Dublin, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Insurance Analytics Market Outlook 2023-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Insurance Analytics Market is experiencing rapid growth, with estimations reaching USD 17.17 billion in 2022 and USD 19.7 billion in 2023. The market is expected to maintain a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15.17% during the forecast period, reaching USD 53.18 billion by 2030. Several factors, such as the rising adoption of data-driven decision-making technologies, the expansion of digital infrastructure, and growing demand for IoT insurance, are driving this growth. However, challenges related to integrating insurance platforms with legacy systems and concerns over data security and privacy pose restraints to market expansion. Market Dynamics Drivers: Data-Driven Decision Making: Insurance companies are increasingly adopting data-driven technologies to make informed decisions and enhance their operations. Digital Infrastructure and Fraud Prevention: The expansion of digital infrastructure has enabled insurance companies to combat fraudulent activities more effectively. Growing Demand for IoT Insurance: The rising adoption of IoT devices in the insurance sector is driving demand for analytics solutions. Restraints: Integration Challenges: Difficulty in integrating insurance platforms with existing legacy systems hinders seamless adoption. Opportunities: Cloud-Based Solutions: The emergence of cloud-based digital insurance solutions offers promising growth opportunities. Data-Driven Technology Innovation: Innovations in data-driven technology are transforming the insurance analytics landscape. Challenges: Data Security and Privacy Concerns: Insurance analytics platforms face challenges in ensuring data security and protecting user privacy. Market Segmentation & Coverage The report categorizes the Global Insurance Analytics Market based on application, end-user, deployment mode, organization size, and region. The segments include Claims Management, Customer Management and Personalization, Process Optimization, Risk Management, Brokers & Consultancies, Government Agencies, Insurance Companies, Third-party Administrators, On-Cloud, On-Premises, Large Enterprises, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, and Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. Key Attributes Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 199 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $19.7 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $53.18 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 15.1% Regions Covered Global Key Topics Covered 1. Preface 2. Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Overview 5. Market Insights 6. Insurance Analytics Market, by Application 7. Insurance Analytics Market, by End-user 8. Insurance Analytics Market, by Deployment Mode 9. Insurance Analytics Market, by Organization Size 10. Americas Insurance Analytics Market 11. Asia-Pacific Insurance Analytics Market 12. Europe, Middle East & Africa Insurance Analytics Market 13. Competitive Landscape 14. Competitive Portfolio 15. Appendix Companies Mentioned Applied Systems Arceo.AI Artivatic.AI Board International Bridgei2I CyberCube Guidewire Software Habit Analytics Hexaware Technologies IBM InsuredMine Lexisnexis Risk Solutions Microsoft MicroStrategy OpenText Oracle PegaSystems Pentation Analytics Qlik Refocus AI Riskville Salesforce SAP Sapiens SAS Institute Tibco Verisk Analytics Vertafore WNS For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7w3vaz About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pure to Pure Beauty Inc. (the Company or Pure to Pure) (CSE: PPB), a consumer product goods company focused on the development and sale of health and wellness products, is pleased to announce that, further to its March 29, 2023 press release, it has signed a definitive share purchase agreement (the Agreement) dated August 8, 2023 to acquire a 51% equity interest of UK-based SunSeal International Limited (the SunSeal) from Corium Health Limited. (the Vendor). SunSeal (www.sunsealinternational.com) is a developer of skin care brands specifically in the sun care market. The SunSeal assets include a sun protection product that aims to disrupt traditional sunscreen brands by providing SPF50+ coverage that lasts for up to three days. The product is not absorbed into the skin, is breathable, completely waterproof and has been developed and tested by the worlds foremost sunscreen formulation laboratory in Sydney, Australia, which showed that the unique formulation used in SunSeal remained 93% effective after being submerged in water for 7 days. Originating from Australia, SunSeal exclusively uses patented Microskin technology and is manufactured to the highest of standards to protect the skin from the UVB rays that burn the skin and the UVA rays that age the skin. The SunSeal product has received approval from the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). It is also approved for use in the UK and across the EU and an application is currently being prepared for FDA approval in the United States. We expect the acquisition of 51% of SunSeal to provide us with a strong market position in the suncare industry, with the SunSeal products providing us with a number of synergies with our existing portfolio, stated Simon Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of Pure to Pure. This acquisition aligns with our strategy to expand our portfolio of health and wellness products, and we look forward to working with Corium Health in the further development of the SunSeal products. Upon closing, the Company will acquire 51% of SunSeal in consideration for 5,000,000 common shares of the Company (the Consideration Shares) and CAD$75,000 in cash (the Cash Consideration) and will enter into an earn-out and performance payment agreement (the Earn-out and Performance Payment Agreement) and a purchaser option agreement (the Purchaser Option Agreement) with the Vendor. The Earn-out and Performance Payment Agreement will entitle the Vendor to receive (a) up to an additional CAD$75,000 in cash; and (b) receive a performance payment (a Performance Payment) of up to (i) CAD$750,000 if SunSeal achieves CAD$2,500,000 in cumulative revenue and EBITA of CAD$350,000 by June 30, 2025; and (b) an additional performance payment of CAD$1,000,000 if SunSeal achieves CAD$6,250,000 in cumulative revenue and EBITDA of CAD$700,000 by June 30, 2025, with the Company being able to settle such Performance Payment in common shares of the Company. The Purchaser Option Agreement shall entitle the Company to acquire a further 29% equity interest in SunSeal for an additional $300,000, which may be satisfied through the issuance of common shares of the Company. The Consideration Shares will be subject to a four-month and one day statutory hold period as well as a voluntary six-month pooling arrangement pursuant to the Agreement. Completion of the acquisition of Sunseal is subject to a number of conditions, including, but not limited to: (a) the satisfactory completion of due diligence; (b) the implementation of a SunSeal shareholders agreement; (c) a director of the Vendor being appointed to the board of directors of the Company; (d) the parties entering into (i) the Earn-out and Performance Payment Agreement (ii) the Purchaser Option Agreement, (iii) a manufacturing and distribution agreement for the SunSeal products, (iv) a supply agreement for the SunSeal products; (e) the Company having applied to list its common shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange; (f) the Company having minimum working capital of $450,000; and (g) the receipt of any and all required approvals or consents. The proposed acquisition of Sunseal cannot be completed until these conditions have been satisfied. The proposed acquisition is not expected to constitute a fundamental change or change of business for the Company, nor is it expected to result in a change of control of the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. The Company is at arms-length from the Vendor and each of its shareholders. About Pure to Pure Pure to Pure is engaged in the development and sale of consumer product goods, including health and wellness products, under its Pure to Pure brand. For more information about the Company, please visit https://www.p2pbrands.com. For more information about SunSeal, please visit www.p2pbrands.com/sunseal. Pure to Pure Beauty Inc. Simon Cheng Chief Executive Officer For more information, please contact: Investor Relations Email: info@p2pbeauty.com Phone: (604) 339-0339 The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release, including with respect to the completion of the proposed acquisition of the proposed acquisition of Sunseal. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as anticipates, plan, continue, expect, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate, may, will, potential, proposed, positioned and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may or will occur. All such forward-looking statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Companys control. The reader is cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of the forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect and the actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits, including the amount of proceeds, the Company will derive therefrom. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law. TORONTO, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This year, to celebrate the Coors legacy inspired by the original recipe from 1873, Coors Original is inviting Canadian entrepreneurs and business owners to establish a story of their own with the Coors Original Legacy Lift. Through the Legacy Lift grant, Canadians currently on their business journey will have the chance to apply for a chance to attend the Legacy Lift pitch event in Toronto on September 6, where theyll share their best elevator pitch directly to Coors for a chance to win $40,000 in funding. Business legacies often celebrate lasting accomplishments and highlight previous achievements to showcase their successes. But all legacies have to start somewhere on their journey. Taking a passion from on the side to serious requires not only relentless commitment, determination, and grit, but also the funds and support network to fuel it. Coors Original developed the Legacy Lift to help a passionate Canadian turn their passion project into a reality by providing significant support during the beginning of its development and growth through monetary funds and mentorship. The $40,000 grant intentionally aligns with the average spend required by small business owners in their first year of business, according to research from Shopify . We understand the challenges that come with turning a passion project into a business, and we want to help turn these dreams into reality, said Leslie Malcolm, Senior Brand Director at Molson Coors Beverage Company and Coors Original Legacy Mentor. As we developed Legacy Lift, it was important to us that we provided a form of support that could truly go the extra mile for someone just starting their journey. That is why we are not only providing $40,000 in funding but also a unique mentorship opportunity to gain insight and inspiration. Coors Original is looking for businesses that are founded in Canada and have the potential to make a lasting impact on their communities. Along with possessing the shared values of Coors Original, owners should demonstrate a passion for their craft and clear grit, courage, conviction, and willingness to persevere through hardships. Starting today, eligible Canadian business owners can apply for Coors Originals Legacy Lift grant by submitting a 150-second video about their business and how they plan to build a lasting legacy at coorsoriginal.ca/legacylift by August 23 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Five finalists will be selected to travel to Toronto on September 6 to share their elevator pitch with Legacy Mentor, Leslie Malcolm, for a chance to win the Legacy Lift grant, along with a 1:1 virtual mentorship session with David Coors himself. *Must be legal drinking age. No purchase necessary. Mathematical skill-testing question applies. For full contest details, visit coorsoriginal.ca/legacylift . About Molson Coors Beverage Company For more than two centuries Molson Coors Beverage Company has been brewing beverages that unite people to celebrate all lifes moments. From Coors Light, Miller Lite, Molson Canadian, Carling, and Staropramen to Coors Original, Blue Moon Belgian White, Vizzy, Coors Seltzer, Leinenkugels Summer Shandy, Madri, Miller High Life and more, Molson Coors produces many beloved and iconic beer brands. While Molson Coors history is rooted in beer, Molson Coors offers a modern portfolio that expands beyond the beer aisle as well. For more information, please contact: Olivia Lazazzera Citizen Relations olivia.lazazzera@citizenrelations.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4bcff9b0-a065-4fb6-bab7-9575ccf53323 New York, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Latin America Oral Anti-Diabetic Drug Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484573/?utm_source=GNW The Latin America Oral Anti-Diabetic Drug Market size is expected to grow from USD 3.14 billion in 2023 to USD 3.73 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 3.50% during the forecast period (2023-2028). The ability to react to and adapt to populations, governments, and health systems around the world was put to the test by the COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil reported the first suspected and confirmed cases in Latin America on January 27 and February 26, respectively. The majority of Latin American nations failed to take prompt action to protect people with diabetes, which may have had a negative impact on people, health systems, and the economy. The ability to react to and adapt to populations, governments, and health systems around the world has been put to the test by the COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil presented the first suspected and first confirmed case in Latin America. The majority of Latin American nations failed to take prompt action to protect people with diabetes, which had a negative impact on people, health systems, and the economy. Depending on medications, the oral-drugs sector commands a substantial market share. Oral drugs are required by more than 100 million individuals in Latin America, including all of those with Type-1 diabetes and 10% to 25% of those with Type-2 diabetes. Due to the complexity of insulin production, there arent many businesses on the market that produce it. Because of this, there is intense competition among these makers, who always work to satisfy the needs of the patient by supplying the highest-quality Oral-Anti Diabetes Drugs. Latin America Oral Anti-Diabetic Drug Market Trends Biguanide Segment Occupied the Highest Market Share in the Latin America Oral Anti-Diabetic Drugs Market in 2022 Families in Latin America cover 40%60% of the direct expenditures associated with diabetes. The majority of private health insurance plans do not cover medication, although they do cover hospitalization, operations, and medical assistance. In terms of epidemiology, Latin America is changing dramatically. The main health issues today are chronic, non-transmissible disorders like diabetes. The financial resources allocated to diabetes care in this region are modest despite the high and rising number of diabetes cases. The World Diabetes Federation estimates that diabetes patients spent USD 966 billion in 2021, of which Type-1 diabetes patients spent a sizable portion on insulin medications. Patients with Type-2 diabetes who additionally need insulin are rare. Although Type-1 diabetes only affects 10% of people with the disease, their insulin requirements are higher. Growth in the knowledge of the advantages of diabetes medications for diabetic patients, particularly in emerging nations, is driving demand for oral medications. The market for oral anti-diabetes medications may expand due to several causes, including innovative drug development by large corporations and the rise in the elderly and obese population. Latin American nations have a high prevalence of diabetes, and Mexico is well known for having a sizable diabetic population as a result of the regions rising Type-2 diabetes prevalence. Over the past 40 years, the prevalence of Type-2 diabetes has increased, in large part due to the steadily rising obesity incidence and genetic vulnerability to the disease. Around 10% of the population currently has diabetes. About 90% of all diabetics worldwide in 2022 will have Type-2 diabetes, which is the most common type in the Latin American region. Owing to the aforementioned factors, the market is expected to grow during the forecast period. In the Latin America Oral Anti-Diabetes Medications Market, Mexico holds more than 12% of the market share. The MOH oversees the Brazilian health system, which is run by each states and municipalitys health secretariat. Partnerships with private organizations have also been established in many areas where the public sector is unable to meet peoples needs in order to expand access to PHC. Via a number of initiatives, including 20% greater access to vital medications, the Brazilian health system in Brazil covers the cost of medications. Brazil has a comprehensive free vaccination program. For the past 20 years, Brazil has been the target of various lawsuits calling for the coverage of expensive medications used to treat conditions like diabetes and other rare or uncommon ailments. According to Universal Health Coverage 2022, households in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico spent less than 25% of their income on healthcare, achieving an aggregate index of essential coverage of 7677%. Increased service coverage was achieved through improved access to primary healthcare systems and coverage for non-communicable diseases, while community outreach was made possible by a rise in the number of certified healthcare workers. To lower the countrys death rate, Brazils government encourages diabetics to utilize the drug. The Brazilian Ministry of Health runs initiatives like "Health Has No Price (SNTP)"in collaboration with independent drug stores there to help people with diabetes. It is therefore anticipated to drive the category expansion during the forecast period as a result of the aforementioned factors. Latin America Oral Anti-Diabetic Drug Industry Overview The Latin America oral anti-diabetes drug market is consolidated, with a few major manufacturers like Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals having a global market presence. In contrast, the remaining manufacturers are confined to the other local or regional markets. Companies are focusing on innovations in diabetes drugs. Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484573/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Dublin, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Clear Aligners Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2017-2027 Segmented by Age, By Material Type, By End Use, By Region" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global clear aligners market is poised for a steady growth rate up to the year 2027 One of the primary drivers is the increasing prevalence of malocclusions, a dental condition affecting individuals worldwide. Clear aligners, with their convenience, comfort, and flexibility compared to traditional braces, are becoming a preferred choice for addressing malocclusions, further contributing to market expansion. Moreover, ongoing technological advancements and continuous new product launches in the dental industry, featuring innovations like nickel & copper-titanium wires, 3D impression systems, and CAD/CAM systems, are opening up lucrative opportunities for market growth in the coming years. The rising popularity of cosmetic dentistry procedures globally is also expected to play a significant role in supporting the growth of the global clear aligners market. Increasing Prevalence of Malocclusions The increasing prevalence of dental and oral conditions, such as crooked teeth, overbites, underbites, crossbites, spaces between teeth, and teeth overcrowding, among others, across the globe is expected to increase the demand for clear aligners. Similarly, the surging number of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) treatments, along with the increasing prevalence of periodontal diseases, injuries, and accidents, are further contributing to malocclusions, thereby expected to increase the demand for clear aligners. Clear aligners are primarily used for treating malocclusions efficiently. This, in turn, is expected to fuel market growth in the coming years. Increasing Product Launches The growing number of clear aligner product launches by the major players operating in the dental industry is expected to create lucrative opportunities for market growth. The launch of new, technologically advanced products not only helps the companies improve their market positioning but also creates opportunities for overall market growth. For instance, in February 2022, Ormco Corporation launched Spark Clear Aligners Release 12. The company claims that this product offers novel clinical enhancements, product optimization, and more flexibility, efficiency, & control. In the same month, Bausch Health Companies, Inc. launched OraFit custom clear aligner system in the United States for correcting malocclusion. This product launch not only helped the company increase its product portfolio but also helped it strengthen its position in the dental industry within the United States. Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Global Clear Aligners Market. Ormco Corporation Align Technology, Inc. Dentsply Sirona, Inc. Institut Straumann AG Patterson Companies Inc. Danaher Corporation Henry Schein Inc. 3M Company Argen Corporation TP Orthodontics Inc. Report Scope: Clear Aligners Market, By Age: Adults Teens Clear Aligners Market, By Material Type: Polyurethane Plastic Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol Polyvinyl Chloride Others Clear Aligners Market, By End Use: Dental Hospitals Dental Clinics Others Clear Aligners Market, By Region: North America United States Canada Mexico Europe France Germany United Kingdom Italy Spain Asia Pacific China India Japan South Korea Australia South America Brazil Argentina Colombia Middle East & Africa South Africa Saudi Arabia UAE For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hxcxf0 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. MAPLE GROVE, Minn., Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TopLine Financial Credit Union , a Twin Cities-based member-owned financial services cooperative , was honored with a national award from the Credit Union Financial Education Network (CUFEN) in the adult education category for the number of adults reached through personal financial education efforts. The award was presented during the CUFEN annual conference on July 26 held in Burlington, Vermont. CUFEN recently reported that Minnesota credit unions reached 1,083 adults and students combined through a variety of financial education efforts. TopLine Financial Credit Union contributed to this successful outreach by reaching over 387 adults with more than 32 hours of financial literacy programming, in which employees and partners delivered in-person and virtual personal finance sessions across the Twin Cities and beyond during 2022. A longstanding supporter of adult financial education, TopLine reaches adults by hosting a wide-array of free and open to the public learning sessions that include collaborating with non-profit and community partners like LSS Financial Counseling to conduct sessions on Repaying Your Federal Student Loans, Crafting a Budget, Reducing Debt, Improving Your Credit Score, Facing Financial Uncertainty, Scam Proof Your Finances, inviting guest speakers from a local law firm to host estate planning seminar series, working with the Minnesota Credit Union Network and Trulync Medicare Advisors to offer Medicare advice, and tapping TopLine employee experts from the credit unions Business Services, Mortgage Services, Investment Services and Insurance Agency to educate on a variety of topics including starting a small business, home buying process, retirement planning and long-term care. We are honored to be recognized by the Credit Union Financial Education Network for our adult financial education efforts in supporting financial wellness for all, said Vicki Roscoe Erickson, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, TopLine Financial Credit Union. Along with our many other credit union colleagues that provide financial education opportunities, we are dedicated to providing financial guidance to help members and consumers improve their financial health. The Credit Union Financial Education Network, formerly known as National Youth Involvement Board (NYIB), strives to equip credit union industry professionals with resources, guidance and leadership to provide financial education opportunities for all ages. Visit www.cufen.org to learn more. TopLine Financial Credit Union , a Twin Cities-based credit union, is Minnesotas 11th largest credit union, with assets of more than $781 million and serves over 50,000 members. Established in 1935, the not-for-profit financial cooperative offers a complete line of financial services from its five branch locations in Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Plymouth and in St. Pauls Como Park as well as by phone, mobile app and online at www.TopLinecu.com . Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or volunteers in Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington and Wright counties in Minnesota and their immediate family members. To learn more, visit TopLines online Financial Learning Center or for sessions visit https://www.toplinecu.com/resources/financial-education/events. To learn more about the credit unions foundation, visit www.toplinecu.com/foundation. CONTACT: Vicki Roscoe Erickson Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer TopLine Financial Credit Union verickson@toplinecu.com 763.391.0872 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b7f005b5-112b-4d08-a135-83155c732c8d New York, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Middle-East And Africa Corrugated Packaging Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484545/?utm_source=GNW Corrugated packaging is a preferred option for food and beverage packaging. It can be found in various foods, including soups, seasonings, and dairy products. Compared to glass and metal, it helps reduce the final products total weight while maintaining its freshness. Key Highlights The need for green packaging materials, particularly paper packaging solutions, is fueled by the enforcement of strict legislation regarding the ban on single-use plastic. In addition, the increasing use of e-commerce platforms in the region is boosting market demand. Fluctuations in raw material prices affect the production costs of corrugated products. Changes in production costs change manufacturers profits. Pulp is harvested from trees and is in high demand in certain regions, and it is imported and exported in specified amounts. Food and beverage segments are expected to drive the regions demand for corrugated packaging. The need for convenience foods is on the rise due to the busy lifestyle of individuals. As corrugated packaging keeps moisture from the products and withstands long shipping times, companies are increasingly adopting it for a better customer experience. Processed and packaged foods, such as bread, meat, and other perishable items, drive the demand. The United Arab Emirates has an increased rate of packaged food consumption, owing to rapid urbanization and an increasing number of tourists and ex-pats that often prefer safer processed foods. This trend is expected to boost the markets growth in the region. The rising retail industries and the growing need for eco-friendly packaging materials are driving the markets expansion. The regions extreme weather conditions may act as a restraint for the market. Manufacturers must focus more on drying cardboard boxes when humidity levels are high. These factors can limit the markets ability to increase earnings. Despite a significant effect on the supply side of the packaging during the COVID-19 pandemic, considerable growth in end-user demand in specific applications significantly expanded the scope of the corrugated packaging industry. MEA Corrugated Packaging Market Trends Increased Demand from the E-commerce Sector to Drive the Market The growth of e-commerce dramatically changed the retail market. This megatrend that changed the dynamics of consumer behavior and retail business models is witnessing growth in the Middle East and offers significant potential for industry players. The main drivers of e-commerce growth in the Middle East, especially in the Gulf region, are high per capita income spending potential, well-developed transportation and logistics networks, increased internet penetration, and advanced technology. A growing young population that is tech-savvy and few market players are making the market an attractive destination for e-commerce investments. The regions e-commerce market is projected to grow due to low market barriers, high investment potential, improved infrastructure, easier licensing, and improved storage facilities. According to the International Trade Administration, Africa will have over 500 million e-commerce users by 2025. Grocery grew by 54% due to the pandemic and lockdown restrictions. Growth was also seen in most food delivery platforms, both in the grocery and fast food/convenience sectors. Consumers are price-sensitive and enjoy online promotions and coupons. South Africans spend much time looking for better prices online and checking social media for product recommendations. Such factors would leverage the market for corrugated packaging in the e-commerce sector. The evolving technological environment, increasing use of smartphones and social media, and changes in the regions traditional online shopping through e-commerce are driving significant growth. Many business owners and entrepreneurs are setting up online stores to trade and sell through social media platforms. For instance, one of the African e-commerce leaders, Jumia, released its Q2 2021 results, and one of the findings was an increase in orders on its e-commerce platform. The companys e-commerce platform witnessed an increase of 13% Y-o-Y, and total orders increased by almost 60%. The above figures show the increasing adoption of e-commerce on the African continent, and e-commerce services in Nigeria have benefited in the last few years. E-commerce companies are proving to be significant enablers of economic growth and social development in the country, despite the myriad challenges faced with the complex business environment. By providing online platforms for merchants, these companies continue to drive the growth of small and medium-sized businesses in the country, allowing them to reach a broader target audience. United Arab Emirates to Register Significant Growth With the growth of end-user industries, primarily food and other non-food sectors, the demand for corrugated packaging is expected to grow over the forecast period. The food habits of the studied demographics are changing due to the increasing adult population. In the food sector, there is a strong demand for products like packaged foods, vegetables, and fruits. Ready-to-eat meal products are among the top adopters of cartons as the secondary form of packaging. Increasing tourism in the country led to the demand for packaging food or ready-to-eat substitute for three-course meals. In recent years, government and private packaging firms have switched to bio-degradable solutions, thus increasing the demand for corrugated packaging solutions. The accelerated growth of the UAE corrugated market is due to the increasing environmental awareness of the population, the demand for sustainable packaging solutions, the growing e-commerce market, and the increasing demand for electronic products and household and personal care products, along with economic development and rising per capita incomes. A growing concern from governments and regulators across the country relates to sustainable packaging and its cost benefits, which is driving the growth of the domestic corrugated market. For instance, the Abu Dhabi government introduced new policies to reduce single-use plastics. Due to its sustainability and recyclability properties and the ban on single-use plastics, the demand for corrugated packaging is expected to grow in many end-use industries. Propaper Dubai 2022 exhibition organizer, Verifair, stated that the UAE packaging market is projected to grow significantly to an estimated AED 21 billion over the next five years. Propaper 2022 was held amid the growth landscape of the MEA and Asia-Pacific paper industries, with niche segments, such as corrugated packaging, showing exponential growth, especially in the post-COVID scenario. The demand for corrugated boards in end-use industries such as medical, pharmaceutical, and personal care is increasing as consumers move toward e-commerce channels. MEA Corrugated Packaging Industry Overview The Middle East and African corrugated packaging market is fragmented. Some key market vendors operating in the region include Arabian Packaging Co. LLC, Napco National, Flacon Pack, and Cepack Group. In December 2022, Universal Carton Industries Company (UCIC), one of the United Arab Emirates leading corrugated cardboard box manufacturing companies located in Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ), invested AED 55 million (USD 14.97 million) to expand its production volume to meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions in the country and overseas. This expansion may help increase UCICs production capacity by threefold to 100,000 tons per annum. Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484545/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ New York, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), convener of the largest worldwide gathering of the neuromuscular disease community, announced today that registration is now open for the 2024 MDA Clinical & Scientific Conference being held March 3-6, 2024, at the Hilton Orlando in Orlando, Florida. The four-day international event will bring together renowned researchers, clinicians, academicians, advocates, and industry leaders to explore the latest advances in the field of neuromuscular disease. Early bird registration ends December 31, 2023. To register click here. The 2024 MDA Clinical & Scientific Conference will feature presentations from global leaders on all aspects of pre-clinical, translational, and clinical research and care across neuromuscular diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD), myasthenia gravis (MG), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) and many more. Session tracks will highlight some of the following topics: Neuromuscular disease in the age of treatment New insights into disease mechanisms Gene therapy and the patient experience Access and reimbursement Clinical trials As we move into what we are calling the Era of Treatment for neuromuscular disease, this years conference will focus on transformation from diagnosis to treatment. We are encouraging more participation from allied health providers in addition to the MDA Care Center Network medical teams, and the research and advocacy communities, said Donald S. Wood, Ph.D., President & CEO, MDA. We are looking forward to sharing the latest research findings and exploring new treatment options, as well as practical considerations for access to novel treatments, with a track specifically designed for the future of genetic medicine. As always, the Muscular Dystrophy Association is committed to the promise of research and emerging therapies to treat and one day, cure neuromuscular disorders. Last years conference included 1,492 in-person and 567 virtual attendees from at least 27 countries, making it the largest worldwide gathering of the neuromuscular disease community. "This year's conference will provide a comprehensive exploration of neuromuscular research and care with particular attention to some of the changes the field is undergoing in response to the approval of new therapies, said Sharon Hesterlee, Ph.D., Chief Research Officer, MDA. New for this year will be a special Poster Showcase in which three abstracts will be chosen for a 5-minute oral presentation during the Networking & Poster Reception in the evenings. This unique, roaming poster showcase will move around the reception area, allowing amplified talks to be delivered alongside the selected posters. The MDA Clinical and Scientific Conference is an opportunity to stay up to date on the most impactful science and the latest in clinical practice knowledge for the benefit of the neuromuscular patient community, said Barry Byrne, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Advisor, MDA and Associate Chair of Pediatrics and Director of the Powell Gene Therapy Center at the University of Florida. All of us at the Muscular Dystrophy Association are looking forward to seeing everyone in Orlando in March. MDAs Conference will once again serve as the primary gathering and collaborative space for the Neuromuscular advocacy community, said Paul Melmeyer, Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy, MDA. We will build upon the progress of previous Conferences where over 20 advocacy organizations gathered to collaborate on access to care, speeding the therapeutic development process, and breaking down barriers in front of people living with disabilities. Members of the neuromuscular disease community who are registered with MDA are welcome to participate in the virtual conference at no-cost or may register to attend in-person at the patient/caregiver rate until allotted spaces are filled. 2024 MDA Clinical & Scientific Conference Social Media Toolkit for registrants, panelists, supporters/sponsors, and advocacy organizations, is available here. MDA will be sharing updates and information on its social media channels using #MDAconference. Abstract Submission Guidelines The abstract submission portal is also open. All abstracts automatically qualify for poster presentation. Oral presentations will be selected from abstracts submitted on or before October 31, 2023. The final deadline for oral presentation consideration is December 15, 2023. For abstract and poster guidelines and submission click here. If you have any questions regarding the submission policy, please contact mdaconference@mdausa.org. About Muscular Dystrophy Association Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is the #1 voluntary health organization in the United States for people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. For over 70 years, MDA has led the way in accelerating research, advancing care, and advocating for the support of our families. MDA's mission is to empower the people we serve to live longer, more independent lives. To learn more visit mda.org and follow MDA on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Attachment New York, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Southeast Asia Warehouse Automation Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484533/?utm_source=GNW Over the projected period, the market in Southeast Asia will be driven by rising production complexity, technological advancement, and the rapid rise of the e-commerce industry. Furthermore, the emergence of several startup firms with strong technological capabilities and financial backups supports the studied markets growth. Key Highlights As investments in automation are prevalent across all industrial markets, warehouse operators are increasingly adopting automation technologies to boost operational efficiency and productivity and minimize handling time. With a range of investment and value-creation opportunities, the studied market is expected to witness steady growth in the next few years. The increased volume of e-commerce will drive the industry ahead. Warehouse automation is increasingly establishing the trump card for companies pursuing a competitive edge, especially in the competitive e-grocery market, as traders struggle to keep up with the expanding number of transactions and related last-mile shipping needs. According to the International Trade Administration (ITA), the e-commerce market in Singapore is expected to reach USD 10 billion by 2026. Furthermore, Thailands usage of autonomous guide vehicles in industries and warehouses, especially healthcare, is expected to increase by 60% per annum to over 700,000 units by 2022, according to the International Federation of Robotics, and is expected to increase in the coming years. During the forecast period, the growth of the studied market should be helped by the fact that robotic technology is being used more and more in different industries. However, obstacles such as a shortage of experienced workers, high investment, and technical problems associated with warehouse robotics are expected to restrain the Southeast Asia warehouse automation market over the forecast period. The COVID-19 outbreak hastened the shift to e-commerce, resulting in a shift in customer behavior. A variety of payment options has also contributed to the online purchase. Following the pandemic, the most significant and rising developments have included micro-fulfillment centers, e-grocery expansion, dark stores, and automated cold storage. Increasing investments by players in these sectors are expected to propel market expansion in the post-covid period. Tee Yih Jia Food Manufacturing Pte Ltd and SSI Schafer, for example, announced in February 2022 the opening of Singapores largest automation rack-clad high bay warehouse, storing capacity at Tee Yih Jias newest USD 450 million production plant in Senoko. Southeast Asia Warehouse Automation Market Trends Retail (Incl. e-commerce) Sector to Dominate the Market Retail warehouse automation is a service that retailers may employ to streamline logistical operations, enhance customer satisfaction, and boost revenues. Retail enterprises provide products and services to end users, including supermarkets, departmental stores, clothing, general merchandise, appliances, and food and beverages. Additionally, the segment in the study also considers e-commerce. The warehouses of retail businesses often handle a huge volume of SKUs, which can be kept on pallets or in boxes. All procedures must be optimized to avoid mistakes and ensure the product is available to clients. Retailers will continue using warehouse automation to keep up with an ever-increasing e-commerce trajectory and consumer service and personalization demands. To add value and meet high brand standards, top retailers are implementing automation to speed up the last mile of their supply chain. In addition to managing many SKUs, they prepare and ship a tremendous volume of orders daily to a wide range of locations. Given these limitations, automation is a great way to increase production while ensuring accuracy and speed in order picking. According to The Business Times in Singapore, most businesses intend to utilize their investments in new technology on various levels. 76% intend to provide clients with individualized shopping experiences by installing identifying systems in the establishments. In addition to the substantial automation of operations, sensors and cameras for warehouse management are also anticipated. Food and beverage warehouses required more stock and throughput to keep up with the shift in demand brought on by COVID-19. In order to correctly manage many SKUs in a constrained amount of space, food and beverage warehouses must have the necessary logistical capabilities. Facilities must adjust and offer a range of outbound order types due to a surge in demand for own-brand labels, prepared goods, and e-grocery. Indonesia is Expected to Hold a Significant Market Share The logistics vision for Indonesia for 2025 is "locally integrated, globally connected,"consistent with transforming the national logistics system into Logistics 4.0. The goal is to connect and fully integrate the domestic distribution system across the entire nation. Second, the pandemic has had a significant negative impact on supply and demand patterns for international trade. "Smart Logistics 4.0"was created to modernize technology-based logistics. As a result, trade processes between vendors, logistics services, and final consumers are greatly improved. Additionally, smart warehouses assist in lowering human errors that can be costly for building contractors and significantly raise operating expenses. Despite the pandemic, BGR Logistics contributed to the nations economic recovery. BGR Logistics has developed several innovations, including smart warehouses, to advance Indonesias logistics sector. Furthermore, as the number of users in Indonesias e-commerce market is expected to grow in 2023, e-commerce is expected to increase the demand for warehouse automation. Notably, the markets user base has steadily increased over the past few years. The demand for digital commerce is rising as more consumers switch their purchasing habits to online platforms. With more consumers using their smartphones and tablets to make purchases, one of the markets prominent trends is the expanding use of mobile commerce. Moreover, Indonesia has one of the highest e-commerce adoption rates globally. Indonesias e-commerce market value increased to USD 43 billion in 2021, making it the ninth largest in the world. Online sales in Indonesias thriving e-commerce market grew by 23%, and there were about 63 million additional users. 90% of the countrys internet users between 16 and 64 have purchased online. A change in consumer behavior among tech-savvy consumers willing to pay more for convenience is propelling the e-commerce market in Indonesia. Indonesias e-commerce market has a bright future thanks to its youthful population, rising internet penetration, e-wallet boom, and policies geared toward the digital economy. Southeast Asia Warehouse Automation Industry Overview The Southeast Asia warehouse automation market is fragmented, with the presence of numerous regional and global players such as ALS Logistic Solutions, Dematic, DF Automation & Robotics Sdn. Bhd., Daifuku Co., Ltd., and Swisslog Holding AG, among others. These players continuously engage in strategic developments such as product launches, collaborations, partnerships, and mergers to gain market share and expand their business footprint. In September 2022, Dematic announced a strategic partnership with Upshop to provide integrated fulfillment services that grow with the food industry. The partnership was expected to give grocers looking to expand their fulfillment businesses access to tools for storing and managing consumer data. Dematic provides automation expertise along with simple software that works with the current up-shop process. Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484533/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Washington, DC, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SmithGroup, one of the nations leading integrated design firms, has launched their Information and Communications Technology (ICT) team to expand the firms capabilities to provide a full suite of technology solutions for their clients. This team is led by David Glenn, who has joined the firm as a principal and director of Information and Communications Technology. Glenn leads a team of experts located in SmithGroup offices around the country that will provide consulting and design services to internal SmithGroup design teams, as well as other external partners, including building owners and design firms. The SmithGroup ICT team will work closely with clients and the firms design teams to provide expert advice and guidance on the design, installation and implementation of the various technologies and systems that will be integrated into a buildings infrastructure. This group specializes in three primary service areas (audiovisual systems, electronic security and IT/telecommunications) and provides the latest knowledge of advanced technologies and processes to enhance a buildings performance and the experience of the user. Their focus is on solutions that enable them to automate processes, support communications that are critical to business operations and gather data to optimize outcomes. To fulfill our mission to design a better future, we need to continue to evaluate and expand the solutions we can provide to our clients, said Troy Thompson, managing partner at SmithGroup. As an industry leader in integrated design, we pride ourselves on our ability to address the complex challenges our clients face and the ICT group will give us a valuable new tool in our toolbox. Glenn joins SmithGroup from NV5 (formerly The Sextant Group) where he was a vice president and principal. He has worked on over 250 projects with more than 100 clients and is one of the few professionals with credentialed experience in information technology, telecommunications, building security and audiovisual technologies. Ive had the opportunity to work with SmithGroup on numerous projects and always found them to be outstanding design partners, said Glenn. Now that Im part of the interdisciplinary SmithGroup team, Im excited to add our ICT expertise to this outstanding group of designers to bring impactful technology solutions to our clients. Joining Glenn in the initial launch of SmithGroups ICT group are seasoned industry experts Aaron Barber and Quentin Brown in Pittsburgh; Scott Ondik and Brandon Parrish in Denver; and Denise Cheung. SmithGroup (www.smithgroup.com) is one of the worlds preeminent integrated design firms. Working across a network of 20 offices in the U.S. and China, a team of 1,300 experts is committed to excellence in strategy, design, and delivery. The scale of the firms thinking and organization produces partnerships with forward-looking clients that maximize opportunities, minimize risk and solve their most complex problems. SmithGroup creates exceptional design solutions for healthcare, science and technology organizations, higher education and cultural institutions, urban environments, diverse workplaces, mixed-use and waterfront developments, and parks and open spaces. Attachments New York, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Nucleic Acid Based Therapeutics Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484520/?utm_source=GNW The Nucleic Acid Based Therapeutics Market size is expected to grow from USD 4.89 billion in 2023 to USD 9.54 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 14.29% during the forecast period (2023-2028). The demand for nucleic acid-based therapeutics increased over the past two years as they were effectively used to develop COVID-19 disease therapeutics. As per the article published by MDPI in February 2022, nucleic acid-based technologies, including small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), and micro RNAs (miRNAs), were the most promising ones to combat the COVID-19 virus. These therapeutics can suppress viral gene expression during and after transcription, presenting significant growth opportunities. As per an article published in MDPI, in August 2022, over 400 RNA-targeting drug development projects were conducted globally, two-thirds of which are in the pre-investigational new drug (pre-IND) stage, one-third in early clinical trials (Phase I or II), about 3% in Phase III, and some awaiting regulatory approval for COVID-19 treatment. Thus, with the increasing development of RNA therapeutics, the studied market is expected to grow over the forecast period. Factors such as the surging prevalence of genetic disease, growing investments in the healthcare sector and rapid shift of the pharmaceutical industry toward innovative biologics are expected to boost the markets growth over the forecast period. The increasing prevalence of genetic diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, thalassemia, and others is the key factor driving the demand for nucleic acid-based therapeutics to treat diseases by correcting the abnormal expression of specific genes. For instance, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation data published in July 2022, in the United States, 40,000 children and adults have cystic fibrosis (CF). As per the same source, an estimated 105,000 people were diagnosed with the disease in 94 countries in 2022. Thus, the high burden of cystic fibrosis among the population is expected to positively impact the market. The rising number of investments in nucleic acid therapeutics owing to the high prevalence of chronic, genetic, and other diseases is anticipated to augment the markets growth. For instance, in March 2023, Switch Therapeutics raised USD 52 million in a Series A financing round co-led by Insight Partners and UCB Ventures. The company used these funds to select and advance the development of siRNA therapeutic candidates for the treatment of a central nervous system disease, as well as to advance its RNAi technology. Market players are investing in nucleic acid-based therapy R&D to expand the product portfolio in nucleic acid-based therapy. For instance, in January 2023, Agilent Technologies Inc. invested USD 725 million in nucleic acid-based therapeutics. The investment will double the manufacturing capacity to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Companies growing focus on collaborations, partnerships, new product launches, and other initiatives increases the availability of novel therapeutic drugs in the market, which may propel the markets growth. For instance, in February 2023, the CMT Research Foundation partnered with Nanite Inc. to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of antisense oligonucleotides in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. In October 2022, Neuway Pharma GmbH and Wacker launched a research project to identify and manufacture RNA-based therapeutics for the treatment of central nervous system disorders with the use of EnPC (Engineered Protein Capsules) protein-based drug delivery technology. Therefore, owing to the high burden of genetic diseases, increasing investments, and new product launches, the market studied is anticipated to grow over the forecast period. However, the high cost of nucleic acid-based therapeutics research is likely to impede the markets growth. Nucleic Acid Based Therapeutics Market Trends Antisense Oligonucleotides (ASOs) Segment is Expected to Witness Significant Growth Over the Forecast Period Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are short, single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules that can bind to specific messenger RNA (mRNA) sequences, leading to the degradation of the targeted mRNA or inhibition of its translation into protein. This property makes ASOs a promising therapeutic strategy for a variety of diseases, including genetic disorders, infectious diseases, and cancer. These can target specific disease-causing genes, such as those responsible for the production of abnormal proteins or enzymes that contribute to disease progression. Some examples of approved ASO therapies include Spinraza (nusinersen) for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, Exondys51 (eteplirsen) for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Onpattro (patisiran) for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis, and Tegsedi (inotersen) for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis. The ASOs segment is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period due to the high demand for antisense oligonucleotide drugs, increasing R&D activities by key players, and new product launches. The increasing focus of the companies to adopt various business strategies such as partnerships, collaborations, acquisitions, and other initiatives to accelerate the R&D of novel therapeutics for rare and genetic disorders is anticipated to fuel the segments growth. For instance, in September 2022, Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. and OliPassCorporation entered an R&D collaboration agreement to jointly develop a set of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) molecules based on modified peptide nucleic acids. In February 2021, the US FDA approved Sareptas Amondys 45 (casimersen) injection for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients with a confirmed mutation of the DMD gene. Therefore, the segment is expected to grow over the forecast period due to the availability of several antisense oligonucleotide products in the market, increasing company activities, and new product launches. North America is Expected to Have the Significant Market Share Over the Forecast Period North America is expected to hold a significant share of the market due to the growing research on various nucleic acid-based therapies, the increasing prevalence of genetic disorders and other chronic disorders, and growing R&D investments in the region. The rising prevalence of autoimmune diseases among the population increases the demand for nucleic acid-based therapies, which may augment the markets growth. For instance, as per the Autoimmune Association in June 2022, autoimmune diseases comprise approximately 80-150 unique, chronic conditions and affect more than 31 million Americans annually. This shows the high burden of autoimmune disorders among the target population. As per an article published in the Clinical Rheumatology Journal in February 2023, the burden of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) is large in Canada, affecting between 2 and 5 cases per 1,000 residents. The increasing burden of cancer raises the demand for effective and novel drugs that inhibit the progression of cancer cells. This fuels the demand for nucleic acid-based drugs in the region. For instance, according to the Cancer Facts and Figures 2023, about 1.9 million new cancer cases are estimated to be diagnosed in the country in 2023. According to the statistics updated by the Government of Canada in June 2022, nearly 233,900 people in Canada were estimated to be diagnosed with cancer by the end of 2022, and lung, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers were predicted to be the most diagnosed cancers among the target population in Canada. The innovative product launches and approvals, partnerships, acquisitions, expansions, and collaborations are anticipated to fuel the markets growth in the region. For instance, in September 2022, Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) invested USD 10.5 million in a USD 34.8 million project led by OmniaBio Inc. and partners ExCellThera, MorphoCell Technologies, Aspect Biosystems, and Canadian Advanced Therapies Training Institute (CATTI). In December 2021, Novartis AG received approval from the FDA for Leqvio (inclisiran), the first and only small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapy to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (also known as bad cholesterol or LDL-C) with two doses a year, after an initial dose and one at three months. Nucleic Acid Based Therapeutics Industry Overview The nucleic acid-based therapeutics market is moderately fragmented due to the presence of many small and large players globally and regionally. The companies are engaging in the research and development of nucleic acid-based therapeutics for the treatment of various chronic, genetic, and infectious diseases. Some of the key companies in the market are Silence Therapeutics PLC, Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sarepta Therapeutics, Novartis Pharma AG, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Biogen Inc., among others. Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484520/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ New York, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "North America Business Jet Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484519/?utm_source=GNW Key Highlights The overall aircraft deliveries in the business jet sector were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growth between 2019 and 2021 decreased by 14%. The reduction in economic activities and travel restrictions affected the utilization and procurement of business jets in the region. However, as the pandemic restrictions loosened and aircraft production resumed in 2021, the business jets market in North America started to get agile. The increasing number of high-net worth-individuals (HNWIs) and ultra-HNIs (UHNWIs) is driving the demand for large business jets. Regional air travel and the capability to access remote airports/locations are making light jets more attractive to customers, therefore driving their demand in the market. A strong economy and the procurement and usage of business jets by various sectors/individuals are leading to the growth of the business jet market in North America. North America Business Jet Market Trends Large Jet is the largest Body Type The North American region accounted for around 66% of the global business jet deliveries in 2021, making it the biggest general aviation market globally. Among all the jets, the light jet category accounted for the largest share of over 52% of the deliveries in 2021 in the North American region. An increase in business travel flight hours after the pandemic generated a high demand for business jets in the region. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the light jet category was the least impacted category of business jets in this region, with a decline of 17.8% compared with the mid-size 35.3% and large jets 21.5%, respectively. This is due to the consistent demand for light jets, with clients prioritizing light jets over other mid-size and large jets. During the historic period, Cessna became the leading player in deliveries with 140 aircraft, while Gulfstream Aerospace was in the second position with 78 deliveries. Cirrus Aircraft, Embraer, Bombardier, Honda Group, and Pilatus Aircraft were the other major players in the North American business jet market. Most companies are unveiling and developing new business jet models to meet the growing demand for business jets over the forecast period. In terms of the business jets OEMS, Cessna constitutes around 34% of the overall business jet fleet, followed by Bombardier and Gulfstream with around 21% and 14% of the fleet as of July 2022. In 2021, economic recovery resulted in the growth of deliveries by 10.7% in the business aviation sector. Around 3000+ units of the global demand for jets is expected to be from the North American region during the forecast period. United States is the largest Country In 2021, North America accounted for the highest growth in the ultra-wealthy (HNWI) population, with remarkably high purchasing power parity, representing an increase in the sales of business jets in the region. The HNWI population in the country grew by 7% in 2021 compared to 2020. The North American region accounts for the highest number of private jets globally, and the United States accounts for around 89% of the total jets fleet in the region, making it the most dominating market in terms of volume and value. Mexico and Canada accounted for 6% and 3% of the current operational fleet in the region, respectively, as of July 2022. The overall aircraft deliveries in the business aviation sector were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growth in 2020 declined by 24%. The reduction in North Americas economic activities and travel-related restrictions affected the demand for business jets in the region. There has been a shift toward private flying as it is considered a safer means of transportation among the ultra-wealthy population, which aided in procuring business jets in the region. This led to an increase in the purchase plans of first time buyers are anticipated to double the regions business jet fleet size during the forecast period. The change in purchasing habits driven by Covid-19 pandemic is expected to drive the growth of the market. North America Business Jet Industry Overview The North America Business Jet Market is fairly consolidated, with the top five companies occupying 94.23%. The major players in this market are Bombardier Inc., Dassault Aviation, Embraer, General Dynamics Corporation and Textron Inc. (sorted alphabetically). Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484519/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ TORONTO, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ecom Logistics is taking bold steps and paving the way for a greener future to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 and spearheading innovation in eco-friendly supply chain solutions. Heres what we know so far. 1. Supply chain industry contributes 30% to global carbon footprint 2. Sustainable measures needed to reduce logistics' carbon footprint, including electric vehicles. 3. Ecom Logistics aims for net zero emissions by 2030, launching an electric fleet for a greener future. Annually, more than 55 gigatons of greenhouse gasses are released into the air globally, with logistics and supply chain industry contributing around 30% of the carbon footprint. Considering this, measures need to be taken to control carbon footprint and move towards a sustainable future. Using route optimization, running regular maintenance, and switching off power while on a halt for maximum efficiency, can save operational costs. But this isnt enough to get to #netzeroemissions by 2030. "Shifting to more sustainable modes of transportation such as electric delivery vehicles can help address the environmental impact of the entire supply chain. Innovative solutions are needed to ship packages, reduce touch points, and deliver more efficiently" - Marijana Herceg, Director of Operations at Ecom Logistics. Ecom Logistics has recently made significant strides, operating with a fleet of Ford EVs for last-mile deliveries and is currently testing BrightDrop and Tesla trucks for same day and next day delivery services in all major Canadian cities. This is a significant step towards the goal of net zero emissions and to become a green logistics company using sustainable measures by 2030. "We aim to replace 100% of our fleet with electric vehicles by 2030" - Luqman Ahmed, CEO, Ecom Logistics as he flags off the newly ordered fleet of EVs in the Greater Toronto Area. It has become crucial to find safer and smarter ways to deliver goods at scale. Net zero requires us to make big changes today and embrace technological changes for the future, like replacing all greenhouse gas-emitting activities with clean ones and sustainable alternatives like electric fleet that helps in reducing the CO2 emissions substantially. This is our best chance for a sustainable future and we need a revolution in our mindset to take this ahead. Contact: Aseem Saini aseem@ecomlogistics.ca Photos are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cddaaae9-d297-4624-bd11-e51bb877a5b0 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5025487e-2dcf-4f63-bfcc-85322a388d51 Newark, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Brainy Insights estimates that the healthcare information system market will grow from USD 437.21 billion in 2022 to USD 1046.48 billion by 2032. The healthcare information system market is witnessing a rise in demand due to the increasing expenditure in the healthcare industry. Further, the increasing demand for remote monitoring of patients has led to the high adoption of healthcare information systems in developed and developing regions. Further, the increasing advancements in healthcare IT infrastructure provide lucrative opportunities to the market players. Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/sample-request/13614 Key Insight of the Healthcare Information System Market North America region to account for the largest market size during the forecast period. North America will have the most major healthcare information system market share during the forecast period. The factors supporting the growth of the regional healthcare information system market include the high healthcare budget in countries such as U.S. and Canada. The rising pace of economic development and the rising number of academic universities, advanced research centres, diagnostic centres, etc., contribute to the market's growth. Most global players have their R&D base in the region due to the required IT infrastructure availability. The cloud-based segment is expected to augment the market during the forecast period. The deployment mode segment is divided into cloud-based, on-premises and web-based. The cloud-based segment is expected to augment the market during the forecast period. Cloud-based healthcare information systems can be used independently without any installed software. Cloud software has high data transfer efficiency, which is required for advanced analytics. The software segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The component segment is divided into hardware, software and services. The software segment is expected to augment the market during the forecast period. Software is used for efficiently managing data and streamlining organizational operations. The rising demand for automating the revenue cycle, laboratory data, and disease progression readings has increased the demand for healthcare information software. The medical imaging information system segment is expected to augment the market during the forecast period. The application segment is divided into medical imaging information systems, laboratory information systems, revenue cycle management, and pharmacy information systems. The medical imaging information system segment is expected to augment the market during the forecast period. A medical imaging information system handles medical imaging and related data. It is frequently used with different systems to handle data archives, record-keeping, and billing. The diagnostic centres segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The end-user's segment is divided into hospitals & clinics, academic & research institutes and diagnostic centres. The diagnostic centres segment is expected to augment the market during the forecast period. The diagnostic centres deploy healthcare information systems to perform machine interfacing and sample collection tasks efficiently. Thus, these diagnostic centres deploy healthcare information systems to predict the medical conditions of the patients. Quick Buy https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/buy-now/13614/single Market Dynamics Driver: Increasing demand for patient care management Patient-centred care has drawn more attention in recent years and is generally regarded as a fundamental goal of high-quality healthcare systems. Since introducing the patient-centeredness idea in the late 1980s, health care has seen significant change due to technological advancements and modifications in the organization and financing of care delivery. A significant redesign of healthcare procedures based on using and integrating electronic communication at all levels is now possible due to advancements in healthcare information systems. These technologies can assist the transition from institutional-centric to patient-centric applications. Restraint: Lower investment in developing regions The underdeveloped regions need to be made aware of the functioning of the healthcare information system market. The stakeholders in these regions need to be made aware of the use of information systems in the healthcare industry. Also, the healthcare budget in these industries could be improved, leading to lower demand for high-end systems. Opportunity: Increasing investment in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry Rapid advancements in pharmaceutical and biotech drug production are increasing niche therapies. This change is affecting equipment requirements and production processes. The shift from mainstream mass-produced pharmaceuticals to more advanced therapies has necessitated a paradigm shift in pharma manufacturing and processes. Several research and development initiatives across numerous sectors are gaining momentum to achieve this. Digital health-focused technologies, such as computer-aided drug design, computational modelling for predictive toxicity, and big data analytics for clinical trial management, are widely employed across the many stages of drug development in the pharmaceutical industry and related sectors. Thus, the need for rising technological advancement in the pharma and biotech sector will lead to higher use of healthcare information systems. Challenges: Data security issues The end-users use a healthcare information system to maintain and provide access to the database, which sometimes leads to data security issues. The cases of cyber data hacking have increased a lot in the recent decade. Many verified platforms have been found guilty of using the data of their end-consumers. Thus, all these factors highlight the risk of sharing crucial data with software providers. This also overlaps with the benefit of using these platforms on a long-term basis. [AS1]Correct it using grammarly Schedule a Consultation Call with Our Analysts/Industry Experts to Find Solution for Your Business at: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/13614 Some of the major players operating in the healthcare information system market are: Athenahealth, Inc. EClinicalWorks Hewlett Packard Philips Healthcare McKesson Corporation GEHealthcare Allscripts Healthcare LLC Epic Systems Corporation Cerner Corporation Novarad Corporation Carestream Health Medidata Solutions Inc. e-MDs Incorporation Siemens Healthineers Ada Health GmbH NextGen Healthcare SWORD Health Oracle Siilo NXGNManagement, LLC Infor GREENWAY HEALTH, LLC Key Segments Cover in the Market: By Deployment Mode: Cloud-Based On-Premises Web-Based By Component: Hardware Software Services By Application: Medical Imaging Information Systems Laboratory Information Systems Revenue Cycle Management Pharmacy Information Systems By End-users: Hospitals & Clinics Academic & Research Institutes Diagnostic Centres By Region North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, the U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and the Rest of South America) The Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA) About the report: The market is analyzed based on value (USD Billion).All the segments have been analyzed global, regional, and country basis.The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each part.The report analyzes driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges to gain critical market insight.The study includes Porter's five forces model, attractiveness analysis, product analysis, supply, and demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution, and marketing channels analysis. About The Brainy Insights: The Brainy Insights is a market research company, aimed at providing actionable insights through data analytics to companies to improve their business acumen. We have a robust forecasting and estimation model to meet the clients' objectives of high-quality output within a short span of time. We provide both customized (clients' specific) and syndicate reports. Our repository of syndicate reports is diverse across all the categories and sub-categories across domains. Our customized solutions are tailored to meet the clients' requirement whether they are looking to expand or planning to launch a new product in the global market. Contact Us Avinash D Head of Business Development Phone: +1-315-215-1633 Email: sales@thebrainyinsights.com Web: http://www.thebrainyinsights.com New York, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "NGS-Based RNA-Sequencing Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484368/?utm_source=GNW The NGS-Based RNA-Sequencing Market size is expected to grow from USD 3.09 billion in 2023 to USD 7.72 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 20.06% during the forecast period (2023-2028). The COVID-19 pandemic had an effect on the growth of the NGS-based RNA sequencing market, as next-generation sequencing has become the research tool of choice for many scientists trying to stop the COVID-19 pandemic.For example, an article in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology from March 2021 says that researchers have used next-generation sequencing (NGS) to look at hundreds of coronavirus genomes and the SARS-CoV-2 genome.But because of their many benefits, NGS and RNA sequencing have made more technological progress, which has pushed companies and researchers to use them more.For example, in February 2022, a group of researchers from different institutions led by professors at IIT Jodhpur came up with a way to use artificial intelligence (AI) and genome sequencing to recognize COVID-19 virus RNA variations.So, the studied market is likely to grow because NGS platforms are being used more and more in research and development around the world. Market growth is being driven by things like the rise in the number of products approved for RNA sequencing platforms and consumables, progress in precision medicine, and the benefits of NGS-based RNA sequencing. The growing number of product approvals and launches of RNA-sequencing platforms and consumables is anticipated to drive the growth of the market over the forecast period. For instance, in October 2021, Takara Bio USA, Inc. launched the SMART-Seq Pro kit for the ICELL8 cx Single-Cell System, an automated single-cell RNA-seq solution that allows scientists to generate full-length transcriptome data from over 1,500 single cells simultaneously and from a wide range of sample types. Also in September 2021, Alithea Genomics released its first MERCURIUS BRB-seq kits. These kits allow RNA-seq library preparation from a variety of RNA sources with high throughput and low cost. The fast emergence of next-generation sequencing technology has revolutionized the field of genomics and medical diagnosis and changed the traditional model of a gene-by-gene approach to a syndrome-based panel sequencing, diagnostic exome sequencing (DES), and diagnostic genome sequencing (DGS) precision model. Additionally, the advancement of precision medicine has provided specific strategies for targeted therapies and medicines for patients with cancer and Mendelian diseases that prove to be better than traditional clinical practices. This is anticipated to fuel the demand for NGS-based sequencing, hence propelling the markets growth. For instance, according to the data published by the CDC, it is projected that by May 2021, more than 60 million people will have their genomes sequenced worldwide by 2025, as countries have taken the initiative to sequence large populations. Furthermore, NGS-based RNA sequencing has several advantages over traditional methods for transcriptome analysis with cost-effective procedures, such as direct quantification and identification of transcripts, covering an extremely broad dynamic range, providing sensitive and accurate measurement of gene expression, generating both qualitative and quantitative data, and revealing the full transcriptome. Additionally, NGS-based RNA sequencing eliminates cross-hybridization and suboptimal hybridization seen in microarrays. Thus, such advantages are expected to increase their adoption over other conventional methods, which in turn is anticipated to fuel market growth over the forecast period. Therefore, owing to the factors such as increasing product approvals, advantages of NGS-based RNA sequencing, and growing focus on precision medicine, the studied market is expected to grow over the forecast period. However, the lack of standardization and interpretation of complex data and the lack of skilled professionals are likely to impede the growth of the NGS-based RNA sequencing market over the forecast period. NGS-Based RNA-Sequencing Market Trends Sequencing Platform and Consumables Segment is Expected to Hold the Significant Market Share in the NGS-Based RNA-Sequencing Market Over the Forecast Period The RNA sequencing platform and consumables segment is expected to witness significant growth in the NGS-based RNA sequencing market over the forecast period owing to factors such as the growing technological advancements in the field of next-generation sequencing techniques and the continuous R&D efforts of biotechnological companies for manufacturing cost-effective and innovative RNA sequencing platforms for disease research. Platforms and supplies for RNA sequencing make it possible to measure the expression of the transcriptome by finding gene fusions, transcript isoforms, and single nucleotide variants.Some of these platforms are Illumina HiSeq, SOLiD systems, Ion Torrent, PacBio IsoSeq, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) Nanopore sequencing, among others.These platforms have revolutionized the study of the transcriptome by providing researchers with the perceptibility to acknowledge the changes in the diseased state of an individual that previously went undetected. The growing number of product launches is also contributing to market growth. For instance, in January 2022, Singular Genomics Systems, Inc. partnered with Lexogen to demonstrate the G4 sequencing platforms compatibility with Lexogens products for RNA research, specifically the QuantSeq, Corall, and Luthor library preparation kits. Also, in December 2021, Singular Genomics Systems, Inc. launched the G4 NGS-based sequencing platform. The NGS platform combines cutting-edge technology with revolutionary high-performance chemistry to give accuracy, flexibility, speed, and power for a variety of applications, including oncology and immunology research. Therefore, owing to factors such as rising product launches and the availability of a variety of platforms, the studied segment is expected to grow over the forecast period. North America is Expected to Have the Significant Market Share Over the Forecast Period Over the next few years, the NGS-based RNA-sequencing market is expected to grow significantly in North America. Major biotechnological research companies like Illumina, Inc., Thermo Fischer Scientific, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., PerkinElmer, Inc., and GeneWise, Inc. are located in the region. This, along with the early adoption of NGS technology, is expected to drive market growth in the region.The market is also growing because of the growing demand for next-generation sequencing services and applications in drug development, clinical procedures, and precision medicine, as well as the use of the most recent technology for next-generation sequencing. According to an article published in JTO Clinical and Research Reports in February 2022, Canadian researchers found that the ultra-focused RNA-next-generation sequencing assay is a good way to find clinically significant hotspot mutations and fusions in NSCLC at the same time by focusing on actionable gene targets with a single unified procedure.Thus, with the aid of next-generation sequencing, several molecular modifications can be recognized, each of which presents unique analytical difficulties. This is anticipated to fuel the adoption of RNA-based NGS sequencing to study mutations in various diseases, hence boosting market growth. Also, the growing companys focus on adopting different business strategies like collaboration, agreements, partnerships, and others, as well as putting out more products in the region, are likely to drive market growth over the next few years.For instance, in March 2022, the University of Mississippi Medical Center set up a clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) machine that allows physicians to assess the DNA sample from cancer patients faster and more cost-efficiently. Also, in July 2021, Switch Health started working with Anven Biosciences, a leader in next-generation therapeutics and diagnostics for personalized medicine.Under the agreement, Anven and Switch Health will work together to create a new class of artificial antibodies that can be used as molecular diagnostics to find both symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. This will help Canadian patients get faster, more convenient, and easier access to health care.In the same way, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. released the SEQuoia RiboDepletion Kit for NGS in May 2021. This kit removes unnecessary ribosomal RNA from the RNA-sequencing library and makes the assay more effective. Because of things like the growing use of NGS-based RNA sequencing in cancer and the increasing number of new products and company activities, the studied market is expected to grow over the next few years. NGS-Based RNA-Sequencing Industry Overview The NGS-based RNA-sequencing market is moderately competitive with several players across the globe. In terms of market share, various major players currently dominate the market. With the increase in research and development activity, many regional players are expected to be part of the NGS-Based RNA-Sequencing Market over the forecast period. Some of the major players in the market are Illumina, Inc.; Oxford Nanopore Technologies; Agilent Technologies, Inc.; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.; PerkinElmer, Inc.; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.; Hamilton Company; and Takara Bio, Inc., among others. Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484368/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via IBN -- Motobyo , the burgeoning automotive e-commerce powerhouse, is hosting a live webinar on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, for accredited investors, featuring an in-depth discussion about the important role auto dealers play in the Motobyo ecosystem and how auto dealers support the business model. George Lekas, founder and COO of Motobyo, will be joined by a premier dealer partner, Anthony Gasparro, president of High Street Auto Connection, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Registration for the free online event is available here . Motobyos equity crowdfunding campaign to support national expansion is now live on Fundable . The company is seeking accredited investors to join Motobyo in changing the way that over 40 million used-car transactions are completed each year. This is a unique opportunity to capitalize on the shifting dynamics of the $1.6 trillion used-car market with a powerful asset-free business model that eliminates industry inefficiencies and connects supply directly to demand. Recent Motobyo milestones include: Raised a $2.5 million seed round of capital to support company launch. seed round of capital to support company launch. Patent-pending technology proven in Philadelphia DMA Beta test. 3,000 accounts created in 48 states. Monthly account sign-ups have grown by 300% since Jan. 1. Steady month-over-month growth indicates market enthusiasm. Continuous enhancements to product offerings based on consumer feedback. To learn more about Motobyo visit https://motobyo.com . About Motobyo Motobyo, the tech-driven used-car marketplace designed for everyday consumers, enables private-party individuals to buy and sell vehicles, without the typical used-car industry inefficiencies. Providing a platform unparalleled in the used-car industry, Motobyo is directly connecting vehicle supply to demand, saving time, avoiding the normal hassles and headaches and providing consumers with value not available anywhere else in the industry. Motobyos patent-pending pricing technology allows this one-of-a-kind platform to deliver the most comprehensive solutions for private consumers looking to buy or sell a vehicle. Motobyo has raised the bar with Instant Cash Offers, guaranteed sales and all products and services typically only provided by dealershipsminus the dealer. Media Contact: Jim Delorenzo Public Relations Jim@jhdenterprises.com 215-266-5943 Philadelphia, PA OKLAHOMA CITY, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Legend Senior Living has announced that it will transition management of all four Arbor House Senior Living residences in the Oklahoma City area. The residences include Arbor House of Midwest City, which offers Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care; Arbor House of Mustang, with Assisted Living and Memory Care; Arbor House of Norman Assisted Living; and Arbor House Reminisce Memory Care, also based in Norman. The transition to Legend management is effective immediately. Legend is a family-operated senior living provider based in Wichita, KS. The Arbor House addition brings the number of senior living communities in the Oklahoma City area to 11, with 16 in the state overall. "Arbor House and Legend have enjoyed great reputations among Oklahoma City seniors and their families. The superior care and quality staff provided at Arbor House fits the Legend mission well," said Matt Buchanan, Legend Executive Vice President, in making the announcement. "Our goal is to learn from and support the Arbor House teams to make the transition as transparent as possible for both team members and residents." All Arbor Houses in the Oklahoma City area offer an independent lifestyle with additional care as needed, Legend's innovative memory care programming, vibrant life enrichment, and Legend's signature Gold Leaf dining. Arbor House Midwest City also offers full independent living with a continuum of care in its assisted living and memory care residences. "Arbor House is a perfect fit for us," added Buchanan. "We are truly committed to seniors in Oklahoma and this recent addition further demonstrates our passion to serve." ABOUT LEGEND SENIOR LIVING Wichita, Kansas-based Legend Senior Living is a privately held senior housing and services company and one of the nations leading senior living providers. The company owns or operates over 50 senior living residences across six states in Florida, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. Legend residences are recognized as Great Places to Work and are ranked among the Top 25 Best Senior Living communities in the country by Fortune magazine. MONTREAL, Aug. 08, 2023 - Osisko Development Corp. (NYSE: ODV, TSXV: ODV) ("Osisko Development" or the "Company") is pleased to report its financial and operating results for the three months ended June 30, 2023 ("Q2 2023"). Q2 2023 HIGHLIGHTS Operating, Financial and Corporate Updates: 3,830 ounces of gold sold by the Company from operating activities, comprising of: 1,576 ounces of gold sold from the Trixie test mine ("Trixie") located within the Company's wider Tintic Project; 1,244 ounces of gold sold from the San Antonio Gold Project ("San Antonio") by processing stockpiles via heap leaching; and 1,010 ounces of gold sold from the Cariboo Gold Project ("Cariboo") by processing stockpiles at a third-party processing facility. $10.8 million in revenues and $11.4 million in cost of sales generated from operating activities. On May 5, 2023, the Company announced the supplemental listing of certain previously-issued common share purchase warrants of the Company ("Warrants") on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") effective as of the opening of markets on May 8, 2023. These Warrants include: (i) an aggregate 7,752,916 Warrants expiring on March 2, 2027, and (ii) an aggregate 11,363,933 Warrants expiring on May 27, 2027 (see news release dated May 5, 2023). These Warrants have been subsequently listed for trading on the Exchange under the symbols "ODV.WT.A" and "ODV.WT.U", respectively. The Company announced the results of its annual meeting of shareholders held on May 11, 2023, and on June 30, 2023, granted deferred share units of the Company ("DSUs") to its independent directors as part of its regular annual remuneration program, in accordance with the DSU Plan of the Company. As at June 30, 2023, the Company had approximately $86.9 million in cash. Based on current projections, the Company believes that the capital resources available to Osisko Development as at June 30, 2023 are insufficient to fund its planned development, exploration and corporate activities for the next 12 months. To execute on its planned activities, the Company will need to seek additional funding and/or make adjustments to the timing thereof or reduce planned expenditures. The Company is exploring options to secure additional financing; however, there is no assurance that future financing(s) will be available or be available on favorable terms (refer to Note 1 in the financial statements relating to going concern). Tintic Project - Utah, U.S.A. (100%-owned) Approximately 85% of the 1,390 meter ("m") (or 4,550 feet ("ft.")) of the Trixie portal and underground decline ramp has been completed as at June 30, 2023. The Company anticipates completion of the decline ramp to the main 625 feet underground level by Q3 2023. Target to ramp up processing capacity to 500 short tons per day is subject to completion of required mine and mill infrastructure upgrades, updated mineral resources estimate ("MRE") and ongoing technical work. Small-batch VAT leaching recommenced during the quarter as the Company advanced ongoing technical work in connection with the required mine and mill infrastructure upgrades. During the quarter, the Company continued underground exploration and delineation activities on the existing Trixie deposit with two diamond drill rigs operating as part of its 2023 underground infill and exploration program targeting a total of 5,000 m (16,404 ft.). As of June 30, 2023, a total of 4,415 m (14,485 ft.) were drilled in 56 holes, with assay results for 19 holes released on May 17, 2023. Assay results for an additional 14 holes was released on July 18, 2023 (see Subsequent to Q2 2023). Assay results for the remaining drill holes are pending. On April 3, 2023, and on May 4, 2023, the Company disclosed assay results from an aggregate of 50 diamond drilling holes from the 2022 underground exploration program at Trixie. On June 27, 2023, the Company also released underground sampling results from its ongoing 2023 exploration program at Trixie. The Company is currently working on an updated MRE for the Trixie deposit to incorporate the new 2023 drilling results and the remaining 2022 drilling that was not included in the Tintic Technical Report (as defined herein) published on January 27, 2023 (with an effective date of January 10, 2023), due to assay lab delays. This new MRE is expected to be completed once the 2023 drilling program has concluded and all assay results have been received. An initial regional surface diamond drilling campaign to test for copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry mineralization potential, namely in the Big Hill area, is anticipated to commence in the following months. Subsequent to quarter end, a diamond drill rig from Major Drilling America of Salt Lake City, Utah, arrived at site in preparation of the contemplated surface drill campaign (see Figure 1). Data compilation from historic mines in the area is ongoing and anticipated to generate additional exploration drill targets on the greater Tintic Project property. Figure 1: Diamond Drill Rig to Test Copper-Gold-Molybdenum Porphyry Mineralization Potential Arrives at Tintic Project in July 2023 Cariboo Gold Project - British Columbia, Canada (100%-owned) On May 8, 2023, the Company announced the signing of two landmark permitting agreements, the Process Charter and the Joint Information Requirements Table, reaffirming the multilateral support of and commitment by the various levels of the Government of British Columbia ("BC") to advance the approval process of the Cariboo Gold Project. The Company also executed several project electrification initiatives in partnership with BC Hydro's CleanBC Industry Fund and the CleanBC Facilities Electrification Fund, which are important steps in supporting the Company's efforts in reducing the carbon footprint of the Cariboo Gold Project. The Company anticipates that the potential development of Cariboo may provide a basis for progress towards the establishment of a broader mining district camp, including development of multiple deposits over several trends totalling approximately 80 km of mineralization. For further information regarding Cariboo and the Cariboo Feasibility Study refer to Technical Reports. The Company anticipates receiving the Environmental Assessment Certificate in Q3 2023 and permits by the end of Q1 2024, targets which are aligned with the timelines established in the Process Charter. San Antonio Gold Project - Sonora State, Mexico (100%-owned) As of June 30, 2023, the Company sold a total of 12,788 net ounces of gold (gross 14,072 ounces) from the San Antonio heap leach pad since commencing processing of stockpile inventory in Q1 2022. A total of 1,244 net ounces of gold was sold in Q2 2023 (gross 1,008 ounces). On April 29, 2023, Mexico's Senate approved a wide-ranging reform of laws governing the mining industry, including a requirement that companies pay a percentage of profits to various stakeholders. The new mining law reduces the maximum length of concessions from 50 to 30 years, and may allow authorities to cancel concessions if no work is done on them within two years. The Company is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to assess the potential impacts on its Mexican assets. The Company will continue its efforts on the remaining stockpile processing, which is expected to be completed in Q3 2023. The Company awaits next steps from the government of Mexico with respect to the permitting process. SUBSEQUENT TO Q2 2023 On July 18, 2023, the Company disclosed assay results from 14 diamond drilling holes and chip sampling results from new development areas from its ongoing 2023 underground infill and exploration program at Trixie. Select assay results highlights included (see news release dated July 18, 2023): 65.00 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au") and 344.39 g/t silver ("Ag") over 4.57 m in hole TRXU-DD-23-026 (1.90 troy ounces per short ton ("oz/t") Au and 10.04 oz/t Ag over 15 ft.). On July 6, 2023, the Company announced that in accordance with the terms of the Company's previously-completed acquisition in May 2022 of a 100% ownership interest in the Tintic Project, it had satisfied the first of five deferred payments to the sellers. Deferred consideration of US$2,500,000 was satisfied by an amount of US$250,000 ($334,400) paid in cash in June 2023 and an amount of US$2,250,000 ($2,986,425) settled by the issuance of 454,026 common shares on July 6, 2023. Consolidated Financial Statements The Company's unaudited interim consolidated financial statements (the "Financial Statements") and management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 are available on the Company's website at www.osiskodev.com, on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) under Osisko Development's issuer profile. Qualified Persons The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Maggie Layman, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration of Osisko Development, and Francois Vezina, ing., P.Eng., MBA, Senior Vice President, Project Development, Technical Services and Environment, each of whom is a "qualified person" within the meaning of NI 43-101. Technical Reports Information relating to the Tintic Project and the current MRE for the Trixie deposit is supported by the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report, Initial Mineral Resource Estimate for the Trixie Deposit, Tintic Project, Utah, United States of America", dated January 27, 2023 (with an effective date of January 10, 2023) prepared for the Company by independent representatives of Micon International Limited (the "Tintic Technical Report"). Reference should be made to the full text of the Tintic Technical Report, which was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and is available electronically on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) under Osisko Development's issuer profile and on the Company's website at www.osiskodev.com. Information relating to Cariboo and the Cariboo FS is supported by the technical report titled "Feasibility Study for the Cariboo Gold Project, District of Well, British Columbia, Canada", dated January 10, 2023 (amended January 12, 2023) with an effective date of December 30, 2022) prepared for the Company by independent representatives BBA Engineering Ltd. and supported by independent consulting firms, including InnovExplo Inc., SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc., Golder Associates Ltd. (amalgamated with WSP Canada Inc. on January 1, 2023, to form WSP Canada Inc.), WSP USA Inc., Falkirk Environmental Consultants Ltd., Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd., KCC Geoconsulting Inc., and JDS Energy & Mining Inc. (the "Cariboo Technical Report"). Reference should be made to the full text of the Cariboo Technical Report, which was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and is available electronically on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) under Osisko Development's issuer profile and on the Company's website at www.osiskodev.com. Information relating to San Antonio is supported by the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report for the 2022 Mineral Resource Estimate on the San Antonio Project, Sonora, Mexico", dated July 12, 2022 (with an effective date of June 24, 2022) prepared for the Company by independent representatives of Micon International Limited (the "San Antonio Technical Report", collectively with the Trixie Technical Report and Cariboo Technical Report, the "Technical Reports"). Reference should be made to the full text of the San Antonio Technical Report, which was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and is available electronically on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) under Osisko Development's issuer profile and on the Company's website at www.osiskodev.com. About Osisko Development Corp. Osisko Development Corp. is a premier North American gold development company focused on high-quality past-producing properties located in mining friendly jurisdictions with district scale potential. The Company's objective is to become an intermediate gold producer by advancing its 100%-owned Cariboo Gold Project, located in central B.C., Canada, the Tintic Project in the historic East Tintic mining district in Utah, U.S.A., and the San Antonio Gold Project in Sonora, Mexico. In addition to considerable brownfield exploration potential of these properties, that benefit from significant historical mining data, existing infrastructure and access to skilled labour, the Company's project pipeline is complemented by other prospective exploration properties. The Company's strategy is to develop attractive, long-life, socially and environmentally sustainable mining assets, while minimizing exposure to development risk and growing mineral resources. For further information, please contact Osisko Development Corp.: Sean Roosen Philip Rabenok Chairman and CEO Director, Investor Relations Email: sroosen@osiskodev.com Email: prabenok@osiskodev.com Tel: +1 (514) 940-0685 Tel: +1 (437) 423-3644 CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS Cautionary Statement Regarding Estimates of Mineral Resources This news release uses the terms measured, indicated and inferred mineral resources as a relative measure of the level of confidence in the resource estimate. Readers are cautioned that mineral resources are not mineral reserves and that the economic viability of resources that are not mineral reserves has not been demonstrated. The mineral resource estimate disclosed in this news release may be materially affected by geology, environmental, permitting, legal, title, socio-political, marketing or other relevant issues. The mineral resource estimate is classified in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum's "CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves" incorporated by reference into NI 43-101. Under NI 43-101, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies or economic studies except for preliminary economic assessments. Readers are cautioned not to assume that further work on the stated resources will lead to mineral reserves that can be mined economically. Cautionary Statement Regarding Financing Risks The Company's development and exploration activities are subject to financing risks. At the present time, the Company has exploration and development assets which may generate periodic revenues through test mining, but has no mines in the commercial production stage that generate positive cash flows. The Company cautions that test mining at its operations could be suspended at any time. The Company's ability to explore for and discover potential economic projects, and then to bring them into production, is highly dependent upon its ability to raise equity and debt capital in the financial markets. Any projects that the Company develops will require significant capital expenditures. To obtain such funds, the Company may sell additional securities including, but not limited to, the Company's shares or some form of convertible security, the effect of which may result in a substantial dilution of the equity interests of the Company's Shareholders. Alternatively, the Company may also sell a part of its interest in an asset in order to raise capital. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to raise the funds required to continue its exploration programs and finance the development of any potentially economic deposit that is identified on acceptable terms or at all. The failure to obtain the necessary financing(s) could have a material adverse effect on the Company's growth strategy, results of operations, financial condition and project scheduling. Cautionary Statement Regarding Test Mining Without Feasibility Study The Company cautions that its prior decision to commence small-scale underground mining activities and batch vat leaching at the Trixie test mine was made without the benefit of a feasibility study, or reported mineral resources or mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability, and, as a result there may be increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of material or the cost of such recovery. The Company cautions that historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. Small scale test-mining at Trixie was suspended in December 2022 and resumed in the second quarter of 2023. Even with the resumption of small scale test-mining at Trixie, there is no guarantee that production will continue as anticipated or at all or that anticipated production costs will be achieved. The failure to continue production may have a material adverse impact on the Company's ability to generate revenue and cash flow to fund operations. Failure to achieve the anticipated production costs may have a material adverse impact on the Company's cash flow and potential profitability. In continuing current operations at Trixie, the Company has not based its decision to continue such operations on a feasibility study, or reported mineral resources or mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. Cautionary Statement to U.S. Investors The Company is subject to the reporting requirements of the applicable Canadian securities laws, and as a result reports information regarding mineral properties, mineralization and estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources, including the information in its technical reports, financial statements, MD&A and this news release, in accordance with Canadian reporting requirements, which are governed by NI 43-101. As such, such information concerning mineral properties, mineralization and estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources, including the information in its technical reports, financial statements, MD&A and this news release, is not comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements contained in this news release may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These forward?looking statements, by their nature, require Osisko Development to make certain assumptions and necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward?looking statements. Forward?looking statements are not guarantees of performance. Words such as "may", "will", "would", "could", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "continue", or the negative or comparable terminology, as well as terms usually used in the future and the conditional, are intended to identify forward?looking statements. Information contained in forward?looking statements is based upon certain material assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including the assumptions, qualifications and limitations of the results of the Technical Reports; the capital resources available to Osisko Development; the ability of the Company to execute its planned activities, including as a result of its ability to seek additional funding or to reduce planned expenditures; the ability of the Company to obtain future financing and the terms of such financing; management's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments; the utility and significance of historic data, including the significance of the district hosting past producing mines; future mining activities; the timing and status of permitting; the timing and status to receive Environmental Assessment Certificates and permits, if at all; the impact of the Government of Mexico's legislative amendments on the San Antonio Gold Project; the timing and results of an updated MRE for the Trixie deposit; the unique mineralization at Trixie or the robust and production scale at Cariboo; the potential of high grade gold mineralization on Trixie and Cariboo; the results (if any) of further exploration work to define and expand mineral resources; the ability of exploration work (including drilling) to accurately predict mineralization; the ability to generate additional drill targets; the ability of management to understand the geology and potential of the Company's properties; the ability of the Company to expand mineral resources beyond current mineral resource estimates; the timing and ability of the Company to complete upgrades to the mining and mill infrastructure at Trixie (if at all); the timing of resumption of test mining activities at Trixie (if at all); the timing and ability of the Company to ramp up processing capacity at Trixie to 500 short tons per day (if at all); the ability of the Company to complete its exploration objectives for its projects in 2023 in the timing contemplated (if at all); the ongoing advancement of the deposits on the Company's properties; the deposit remaining open for expansion at depth and down plunge; the ability to realize upon any mineralization in a manner that is economic; the Cariboo project design and ability and timing to complete infrastructure at Cariboo (if at all); the ability and timing for Cariboo to reach commercial production (if at all); the ability to adapt to changes in gold prices, estimates of costs, estimates of planned exploration and development expenditures; the ability of the Company to obtain further capital on reasonable terms; the profitability (if at all) of the Company's operations; the Company being a well-positioned gold development company in Canada, USA and Mexico; the ability and timing for the permitting at San Antonio; the impact of permitting delays at San Antonio; sustainability and environmental impacts of operations at the Company's properties; as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances, and any other information herein that is not a historical fact may be "forward looking information". Material assumptions also include, management's perceptions of historical trends, the ability of exploration (including drilling) to accurately predict mineralization, budget constraints and access to capital on terms acceptable to the Company, current conditions and expected future developments, results of further exploration work to define or expand any mineral resources, as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. Osisko Development considers its assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, but cautions the reader that their assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of Osisko Development, may ultimately prove to be incorrect since they are subject to risks and uncertainties that affect Osisko Development and its business. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks relating to capital market conditions and the Company's ability to access capital on terms acceptable to the Company for the contemplated exploration and development at the Company's properties; the ability to continue current operations and exploration; regulatory framework and presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; the ability of exploration activities (including drill results) to accurately predict mineralization; errors in management's geological modelling; the ability to expand operations or complete further exploration activities; the timing and ability of the Company to obtain required approvals and permits; the results of exploration activities; risks relating to exploration, development and mining activities; the global economic climate; metal and commodity prices; fluctuations in the currency markets; dilution; environmental risks; and community, non-governmental and governmental actions and the impact of stakeholder actions. Readers are urged to consult the disclosure provided under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2022 as well as the financial statements and MD&A which have been filed on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) under Osisko Development's issuer profile and on the SEC's EDGAR website (www.sec.gov), for further information regarding the risks and other factors applicable to the exploration results. Although the Company's believes the expectations conveyed by the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information available as of the date hereof, no assurances can be given as to future results, levels of activity and achievements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance and there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. VANCOUVER, Aug. 08, 2023 - Gatos Silver Inc. (NYSE/TSX: GATO) ("Gatos Silver" or the "Company") today announced its second quarter 2023 financial and operating results. The Company will host an investor and analyst call on August 9, 2023, details of which are provided below. The Company has a 70% interest in the Los Gatos Joint Venture ("LGJV"), which in turn owns the Cerro Los Gatos ("CLG") mine in Mexico. Production for the second quarter of 2023 was previously disclosed on July 10, 2023. The Company's reporting currency is US dollars. Dale Andres, CEO of Gatos Silver, said: "The LGJV continues to generate robust cash flows and perform in line with our expectations, and we remain on track to achieve 2023 guidance at CLG. We are in a strong financial position with the Company now debt free and with a strong cash balance. We are progressing well with our planned update to CLG's mineral resource and reserve estimate which we expect to announce later this quarter, including a new life of mine plan." Summary LGJV Q2 2023 results compared to Q2 2022 (100% basis): Revenue of $58.3 million, up 2% from $57.2 million Cost of sales $25.8 million, down 7% from $27.8 million Cash flow from operations of $34.3 million, down 11% from $38.5 million Net income $0.7 million, down 78% from $3.4 million Sustaining capital $13.1 million, down 41% from $22.2 million EBITDA $27.5 million, up 29% from $21.4 million Free cash flow $19.7 million, up 1% from $19.5 million Silver production 2.00 million ounces, down 13% from 2.30 million Silver equivalent production of 3.30 million ounces, down 12% from 3.73 million Co-product all-in sustaining costs ("AISC") of $17.55 per ounce of payable silver, up 16% from $15.13 By-product AISC of $14.32 per ounce of payable silver, up 36% from $10.54 See Non-GAAP Financial Measures below Silver equivalent production is calculated using prices of $22/oz silver, $1.20/lb zinc, $0.90/lb lead and $1,700/oz gold In Q2 2023, Gatos Silver's net loss was $3.6 million or $(0.05) per share compared with net income of $5.2 million or $0.08 per share in Q2 2022. The decline is primarily attributable to lower equity income from the LGJV driven by higher depreciation, depletion and amortization and income tax expenses. Higher general and administrative expenses for the quarter were attributable in part to auditing and consulting costs for the restatement of financial results which are non-recurring expenses. On July 20, 2023, subsequent to the quarter end, the Company received a $35.0 million cash distribution from the LGJV, of which $9.0 million was used to pay the entire outstanding balance of the Revolving Credit Facility. As of July 31, 2023, the Company is debt free with a cash position of $36.0 million and $50 million available under the Revolving Credit Facility. As of July 31, 2023 the LGJV is debt free and has a cash position of $30.1 million. Financial and Operating Results Below is select operational and financial information for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, and 2022. For a detailed discussion of the three and six months financial and operating results refer to the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 filed on August 8, 2023 on both the EDGAR and SEDAR systems and posted on the Company's website at https://gatossilver.com. Totals may not add due to rounding. Los Gatos Joint Venture CLG 100% Basis Selected Financial Information Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, Amounts in millions unless otherwise stated 2023 2022 2023 2022 Revenue $ 58.3 $ 57.2 $ 128.1 $ 144.8 Cost of sales 25.8 27.8 51.8 52.9 Royalties 0.3 0.9 0.7 2.4 Exploration 0.7 2.2 1.1 4.4 General and administrative 4.4 3.6 8.3 6.4 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 22.0 16.1 42.8 32.4 Other (income) expense (0.4) 1.4 (0.9) 1.1 Income tax expense 4.7 1.8 10.7 15.8 Net income $ 0.7 $ 3.4 $ 13.4 $ 29.4 Sustaining capital $ 13.1 $ 22.2 $ 20.7 $ 40.0 Resource development drilling expenditures $ 4.0 $ - $ 7.0 $ - EBITDA $ 27.5 $ 21.4 $ 67.1 $ 77.9 Cash flow provided by operating activities $ 34.3 $ 38.5 $ 74.4 $ 80.5 Free cash flow $ 19.7 $ 19.5 $ 48.4 $ 42.4 Operating Results (CLG 100% Basis) Tonnes milled (dmt) 265,342 211,350 525,770 446,335 Tonnes milled per day (dmt) 2,916 2,323 2,905 2,466 Average Grades Silver grade (g/t) 265 374 296 363 Zinc grade (%) 4.00 5.03 3.96 4.56 Lead grade (%) 1.85 2.79 1.86 2.49 Gold grade (g/t) 0.26 0.38 0.28 0.34 Production - Contained Metal Silver ounces (millions) 2.00 2.30 4.43 4.69 Zinc pounds - in zinc conc. (millions) 14.8 15.6 28.9 29.3 Lead pounds - in lead conc. (millions) 9.7 11.8 19.1 22.0 Gold ounces - in lead conc. (thousands) 1.2 1.3 2.6 2.6 Silver equivalent ounces (millions) 3.30 3.73 6.99 7.39 Co-product cash cost per ounce of payable silver equivalent $ 12.72 $ 9.48 $ 11.49 $ 9.48 By-product cash cost per ounce of payable silver $ 7.10 $ (0.10) $ 4.66 $ (0.15) Co-product AISC per ounce of payable silver equivalent $ 17.55 $ 15.13 $ 14.94 $ 14.77 By-product AISC per ounce of payable silver $ 14.32 $ 10.54 $ 9.80 $ 9.17 See Non-GAAP Financial Measures below Silver equivalent production is calculated using prices of $22/oz silver, $1.20/lb zinc, $0.90/lb lead and $1,700/oz gold Gatos Silver Inc. Select Financial information Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (Amounts in millions, except net loss per share) 2023 2022 2023 2022 Exploration $ - $ - $ - $ 0.1 General and Administrative 6.1 4.3 11.7 11.0 Amortization 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 Total expenses 6.2 4.3 11.8 11.2 Equity income in affiliates 1.5 8.8 6.5 15.6 Other income 1.1 1.1 2.5 2.3 Net other income 2.6 9.9 9.0 17.9 Income tax expense - 0.3 - 0.3 Net (loss) income $ (3.6 ) $ 5.2 $ (2.8 ) $ 6.3 Net (loss) income per share $ (0.05 ) $ 0.08 $ (0.04 ) $ 0.09 EBITDA $ (3.4 ) $ 5.7 $ (2.3 ) $ 6.9 Cash (used) provided by operating activities $ (3.8 ) $ 2.0 $ (7.9 ) $ 0.7 Free cash flow $ (3.8 ) $ 2.0 $ (7.9 ) $ 0.7 See Non-GAAP Financial Measures below 2023 Guidance Unchanged The Company's 2023 production and cost guidance remains unchanged. Silver production was higher in the first half of 2023 than the annual guidance run rate as expected in the mine plan. Based on current mine plan sequencing at CLG, the Company expects the quarterly production run rate for silver to be lower and zinc and lead to be slightly higher for the remainder of the year compared with the first half. Quarterly co-product and by-product AISCs are expected to be similar to the second quarter for the remainder of the year. The Company expects ongoing cost reduction initiatives to continue to help offset impacts from the current lower by-product prices and the stronger Mexican peso. The Company continues to expect sustaining capital expenditures at CLG of $45 million in 2023 ($20.7 million spent in H1 2023). Total exploration and resource definition drilling expenditures are now expected to be $16 million in 2023 up from $13 million previously forecast. Of the $16 million, $13 million is expected to be capitalized as a resource development expenditure. In the first half of 2023, exploration expenditures were $1.1 million and capitalized resource definition drilling expenditures were $7.0 million. Financial Results Webcast and Conference Call Investors and analysts are invited to attend the financial results webcast and conference call as follows: Date: Wednesday August 9, 2023 Time: 11:00 a.m. ET Listen-Only Webcast: https://conferencingportals.com/event/ZopVRZVK Direct Event Registration Link (for Analysts only): https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/919092989 Dial-In Number: 1 (888) 330-2398 or 1 (240) 789-2709; press # to access an operator An archive of the webcast will be available on the Company's website at: https://gatossilver.com within 24 hours. About Gatos Silver Gatos Silver is a silver dominant exploration, development and production company that discovered a new silver and zinc-rich mineral district in southern Chihuahua State, Mexico. As a 70% owner of the Los Gatos Joint Venture ("LGJV"), the Company is primarily focused on operating the Cerro Los Gatos mine and on growth and development of the Los Gatos district. The LGJV includes approximately 103,000 hectares of mineral rights, representing a highly prospective and under-explored district with numerous silver-zinc-lead epithermal mineralized zones identified as priority targets. Qualified Person Scientific and technical disclosure in this press release was approved by Anthony (Tony) Scott, P.Geo., Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Technical Services of Gatos Silver who is a "Qualified Person" as defined in S-K 1300 and NI 43-101. Non-GAAP Financial Measures We use certain measures that are not defined by GAAP to evaluate various aspects of our business. These non-GAAP financial measures are intended to provide additional information only and do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. The measures are not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flow from operations as determined under GAAP. Cash Costs and All-In Sustaining Costs Cash costs and all-in sustaining costs ("AISC") are non-GAAP measures. AISC was calculated based on guidance provided by the World Gold Council ("WGC"). WGC is not a regulatory industry organization and does not have the authority to develop accounting standards for disclosure requirements. Other mining companies may calculate AISC differently as a result of differences in underlying accounting principles and policies applied, as well as definitional differences of sustaining versus expansionary (i.e. non-sustaining) capital expenditures based upon each company's internal policies. Current GAAP measures used in the mining industry, such as cost of sales, do not capture all of the expenditures incurred to discover, develop and sustain production. Therefore, we believe that cash costs and AISC are non-GAAP measures that provide additional information to management, investors and analysts that aid in the understanding of the economics of the Company's operations and performance compared to other producers and provides investors visibility by better defining the total costs associated with production. Cash costs include all direct and indirect operating cash costs related directly to the physical activities of producing metals, including mining, processing and other plant costs, treatment and refining costs, general and administrative costs, royalties and mining production taxes. AISC includes total production cash costs incurred at the LGJV's mining operations plus sustaining capital expenditures. The Company believes this measure represents the total sustainable costs of producing silver from current operations and provides additional information of the LGJV's operational performance and ability to generate cash flows. As the measure seeks to reflect the full cost of silver production from current operations, new project and expansionary capital at current operations are not included. Certain cash expenditures such as new project spending, tax payments, dividends, and financing costs are not included. EBITDA Management uses earnings before interest, income tax, depreciation, depletion and amortization ("EBITDA") to evaluate the Company's operating performance, to plan and forecast its operations, and assess leverage levels and liquidity measures. The Company believes the use of EBITDA reflects the underlying operating performance of our core mining business and allows investors and analysts to compare results of the Company to similar results of other mining companies. EBITDA do not represent, and should not be considered an alternative to, net income or cash flow from operations as determined under GAAP. Free Cash Flow Management uses Free Cash Flow as a non-GAAP measure to analyze cash flows generated from operations. Free Cash Flow is Cash Provided By (Used In) Operating Activities less Cash flow from Investing Activities as presented on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The Company believes Free Cash Flow is also useful as one of the bases for comparing the Company's performance with its competitors. Although Free Cash Flow and similar measures are frequently used as measures of cash flows generated from operations by other companies, the Company's calculation of Free Cash Flow is not necessarily comparable to such other similarly titled captions of other companies. Reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures The table below presents a reconciliation between the most comparable GAAP measure of the LGJV's expenses to the non-GAAP measures of (i) cash costs, (ii) cash costs, net of by-product credits, (iii) co-product AISC and (iv) by-product AISC for our operations. CLG 100% Basis Three Months Six Months Ended Financial Ended June 30, June 30, Amounts in thousands unless otherwise stated 2023 2022 2023 2022 Expenses $ 53,215 $ 50,638 $ 104,839 $ 98,503 Depreciation, depletion and amortization (22,027) (16,055) (42,846) (32,397) Exploration (657) (2,233) (1,120) (4,354) Treatment and refining costs 3,917 4,880 8,072 9,844 Cash costs $ 34,448 $ 37,230 $ 68,945 $ 71,596 Sustaining capital 13,100 22,177 20,742 39,950 Co-product all-in sustaining costs $ 47,548 $ 59,407 $ 89,687 $ 111,546 By-product credits? (21,574) (37,444) (50,161) (72,235) All-in sustaining costs, net of by-product credits $ 25,974 $ 21,963 $ 39,526 $ 39,311 Cash costs, net of by-product costs $ 12,874 $ (214) $ 18,784 $ (639) Payable ounces of silver equivalent? 2,709 3,927 6,002 7,550 Co-product cash cost per ounce of payable silver equivalent $ 12.72 $ 9.48 $ 11.49 $ 9.48 Co-product AISC per ounce of payable silver equivalent $ 17.55 $ 15.13 $ 14.94 $ 14.77 Payable ounces of silver 1,814 2,083 4,033 4,286 By-product cash cost per ounce of payable silver $ 7.10 $ (0.10) $ 4.66 $ (0.15) By-product AISC per ounce of payable silver $ 14.32 $ 10.54 $ 9.80 $ 9.17 (1) Exploration costs are not related to current operations. (2) Represent reductions on customer invoices and included in Sales of the LGJV combined statement of income (loss). (3) Sustaining capital excludes resource development drilling costs related to resource development drilling of the South- East Deeps zone. (4) By-product credits reflect realized metal prices of zinc, lead and gold for the applicable period, which includes any final settlement adjustments from prior periods. (5) Payable silver equivalents utilize the average realized prices during the six months ended June 30, 2023, of $25.48/oz silver, $1.21/lb zinc, $0.99/lb lead and $1,801/oz gold and the average realized prices during the three months ended June 30, 2023, of $24.11/oz silver, $0.99/lb zinc, $0.92/lb lead and $1,817/oz gold. Payable silver equivalents utilize the average realized prices during the six months ended June 30, 2022, of $22.13/oz silver, $2.03/lb zinc, $0.96/lb lead and $1,722/oz gold and the average realized prices during the three months ended June 30, 2022, of $20.31/oz silver, $1.97/lb zinc,$0.92/lb lead and $1,599/oz gold. Realized prices include the impact of final settlement adjustments from sales. The table below reconciles EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure to Net (loss) Income for the Company: Three Months Ended June 30 Six Months Ended June 30 (in thousands of U.S. dollars) 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net income (loss) $ (3,593) $ 5,231 $ (2,758) $ 6,281 Interest expense 183 123 347 226 Income tax expense - 340 - 340 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 34 44 71 88 EBITDA $ (3,376) $ 5,738 $ (2,340) $ 6,935 The table below reconciles EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, to the Net Income of the LGJV: Three Months Ended June 30 Six Months Ended June 30 (in thousands of U.S. dollars) 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net (loss) income $ 746 $ 3,354 $ 13,447 $ 29,433 Interest expense 15 174 141 265 Income tax expense 4,741 1,798 10,698 15,786 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 22,027 16,055 42,846 32,397 EBITDA $ 27,529 $ 21,381 $ 67,132 $ 77,881 The following table sets forth a reconciliation of Free Cash Flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, to cash provided by (used by) operating activities for the Company, which the Company believes to be the GAAP financial measure most directly comparable to Free Cash Flow. Three Months Ended June 30 Six Months Ended June 30 (in thousands of U.S. dollars) 2023 2022 2023 2022 Cash flows provided by (used by) operating activities $ (3,762) $ 2,020 $ (7,865) $ 688 Cash flows used by investing activities - (27) - (27) Free cash flow $ (3,762) $ 1,993 $ (7,865) $ 661 The following table sets forth a reconciliation of Free Cash Flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, to cash flows provided by operating activities for the LGJV. Three Months Ended June 30 Six Months Ended June 30 (in thousands of U.S. dollars) 2023 2022 2023 2022 Cash flows provided by operating activities $ 34,321 $ 38,469 $ 74,365 $ 80,523 Cash flows used by investing activities (14,626) (18,983) (25,992) (38,149) Free cash flow $ 19,695 $ 19,486 $ 48,373 $ 42,374 Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that constitute "forward looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of U.S. and Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding timing of an updated mineral resource and reserve estimate and life of mine plan, production and cost guidance for 2023, expected, expected production run rates for silver and zinc, co-product and by-product AISCs for the remainder of 2023, the effectiveness of ongoing cost reduction initiatives, and expectations regarding sustaining capital and exploration and resource development expenditures are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, and such other risks and uncertainties described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities commissions. Gatos Silver expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based unless required to do so by applicable law. No assurance can be given that such future results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Investors and Media Contact Andre van Niekerk Chief Financial Officer investors@gatossilver.com (604) 424 0984 VANCOUVER, Aug. 9, 2023 - Century Lithium Corp. (TSXV: LCE) (OTCQX: CYDVF) (Frankfurt: C1Z) (Century Lithium or the Company) is pleased to report successful progress in its collaboration with Koch Technology Solutions (KTS), a Koch Engineered Solutions (KES) company. As reported previously (see April 17, 2023, news release) Century Lithium and KTS are working together on the application of KTS's Li-Pro system at Century's Lithium Extraction Facility (Pilot Plant) in Amargosa Valley, Nevada, USA. "Century Lithium is delighted to see the progress made in our collaboration with Koch Technology Solutions" stated Bill Willoughby, President, and CEO of Century Lithium. "Our team, with KTS's input has successfully incorporated and operated the equipment at our Pilot Plant with significantly improved results." Since October 2021, Century Lithium has been continuously testing the extraction of lithium from the claystone found at its 100%-owned Clayton Valley Lithium Project (Project) in Nevada utilizing a chloride-based leaching process. Testing of the Li-Pro system was conducted to evaluate potential improvements in the direct lithium extraction (DLE) area of the Pilot Plant. Adam Sackett, President of Koch Technology Solutions, added, "The steady state results generated onsite with the Koch Technology Solutions Li-Pro Direct Lithium Extraction process has hit all our key milestones for the Century pilot program. We are excited to move towards engineering and executing a Li-Pro installation with commercial process guarantees." With the integration of KTS's DLE process, the grades of the intermediate lithium solution produced at the Pilot Plant have increased to the highest levels to date, with an average grade of 7.5 grams/liter (g/l) (7,500 parts per million) lithium. These lithium concentrations are four times higher than previously generated, with sodium concentrations almost an order of magnitude lower. Highlights To Date Successful installation and operation of Koch's Li-Pro DLE process DLE process Li-Pro plant achieved steady state using Century Lithium's chloride leaching process plant achieved steady state using Century Lithium's chloride leaching process Manufacture intermediate solutions with lithium grades of 7 to 8 g/l concentrations with average lithium to sodium ratios of 0.9 to 1.1 No observed degradation of media or accumulation of deleterious elements Operational Results Since the installation of KTS's DLE equipment, Century Lithium has focused on improvements related to the operational aspects of the Pilot Plant and adjustments to the final flowsheet. These improvements were well supported through the development and incorporation of KTS's DLE equipment at the Pilot Plant. Century Lithium, with the support of KTS, has identified techniques to improve lithium recovery within the DLE area while minimizing deleterious elements in the final solutions. Collaboration between Century Lithium and Koch staff is very productive, generating ideas and changes that have resulted in the complete removal of calcium and magnesium, and marked reduction of sodium and potassium in the product solutions. Qualified Person Todd Fayram, MMSA-QP is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has approved the technical information in this release. Century Lithium Corp. (formerly Cypress Development Corp.) is an advanced stage lithium company, focused on developing its 100%-owned Clayton Valley Lithium Project in west-central Nevada, USA. Century Lithium is currently in the pilot stage of testing on material from its lithium-bearing claystone deposit at its Lithium Extraction Facility in Amargosa Valley, Nevada and progressing towards completing a Feasibility Study and permitting, with the goal of becoming a domestic producer of lithium for the growing electric vehicle and battery storage market. ON BEHALF OF Century Lithium Corp. WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY, PhD., PE President & Chief Executive Officer NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are identified by words such as "expects," "estimates," "projects," "anticipates," "believes," "could," "scheduled," and other similar words. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although management believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration, and development successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedar.com for further information. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/century-lithium-updates-progress-on-testing-with-koch-technology-solutions-301896776.html SOURCE Century Lithium Corp. Vancouver, August 9, 2023 - Avanti Gold Corp. (CSE: AGC) (FSE: X37) (the "Company" or "Avanti") is pleased to announce an update following a site visit to Misisi Project. CEO Dr. Colin Porter and board member Mata Botama recently conducted a site visit to the Misisi Project to engage with local communities and assess the current status of logistics and infrastructure at the project. Several constructive meetings took place with senior community representatives, local and district chiefs, and leaders of the local artisanal miners' cooperative (Sycomines). The airstrip at Lulimba was found to be in excellent condition and roads to Misisi town and the field camp were all passable. The camp itself is in good condition with all accommodation and catering facilities fully functional as well as the electricity supply. Some minor remedial work will be required. Access roads to the Akyanga project area are good. Samples from a 2,200m drilling by the previous operator remain on site and have not been assayed. The integrity of the samples was assessed and overall condition is considered to be good. These samples will be dispatched for assay as a priority. Results will assist in further definition and updated classification of the Akyanga Hill resource. Phase 1 drill planning has been completed with a view to further upgrading of the Akyanga inferred resource by infill drilling and exploration drilling on the Akyanga East target which lies 800m to the east of the main resource. An initial 14,000m of drilling has been planned and contractors identified. CEO Dr. Colin Porter commented: "The site visit to Misisi was extremely productive and we were pleased with the condition and amount of existing infrastructure at Misisi. All engagements with the community were extremely positive and the benefits of Avanti returning to the area to commence an organised exploration programme were discussed with and supported by the community and Sycomines. Avanti look forward to continuing to build positive relationships with all local stakeholders as we progress our exploration programme in the near future." About Avanti Gold Corporation Avanti Gold Corp. is a mineral exploration company working on a Tier-1 gold opportunity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ("DRC"), located in the Fizi territory of South Kivu province, in the DRC. The Misisi Gold Project (or the "Project") has a contained Inferred Mineral Resource of 3.11 million ounces of gold as reported in the Company's National Instrument 43-101 technical report on the Misisi Gold Project (the "Technical Report") filed on Sedar+ on August 4, 2023. The Project is located 250 kilometres south of Bukavu, the provincial capital of the South Kivu Province, in the DRC. The Project is comprised of three contiguous 30-year mining leases, valid until 2045, covering 133 square kilometres of prospective exploration ground along the 55-kilometre-long Kibara Gold Belt. The Kibara Belt is a well-known metallogenic province and hosts a number of other deposits including the Twangiza (5.1 Moz oz Au, source: S&P Global) and Namoya (1.9 Moz, source: S&P Global) gold mines. The Project is host to the Akyanga deposit, which is the subject to Inferred Resource of 40.8 million tonnes at an average grade of 2.37 grams per tonne gold containing 3.11 million ounces. Qualified Person Ephraim Masibhera, a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. This news release also includes references with respect to the Twangiza (5.1 Moz oz Au, source: S&P Global) and Namoya (1.9 Moz, source: S&P Global) gold mines, which are located near the Misisi Gold Project. The Company advises that, notwithstanding their proximity of location, discoveries of minerals on such properties, any promising results thereof are not necessarily indicative of the mineralization of, or located on the Misisi Gold Project, or the Company's ability to commercially exploit the minerals claims which comprise the property or to locate any commercially exploitable deposits therefrom. For more information on the Misisi Gold Project, please refer to the Technical Report filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+. On behalf of the Board of Directors Email: info@avantigoldcorp.com Office: +1 (604) 908-1679 Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176579 Tuesday Night Partly cloudy skies early followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers later at night. Low 67F. SE winds shifting to WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%. F1 considers DRS ban for qualifying Formula 1 is considering banning the use of car's DRS rear wing systems during qualifying, according to Auto Motor und Sport. Sergio Perez, Belgian GP 2023 Red Bull It would be a controversial move for the sport, as it may be interpreted as a way to soften Red Bull and Max Verstappen's dominance, at least over a lap. Max isn't hurting anything, Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur told Italy's Autosprint. "He's just doing a fantastic job - better than the others - with his team. We can't complain about his dominance. Mercedes' chief technical officer Mike Elliot, however, says it's unbelievable how much time Red Bull wins every time the DRS flap is triggered. Red Bull's technical chief Pierre Wache denies anything magic is going on. It doesn't open more than other teams or anything like that, he told L'Equipe. "It just goes back quite simply to the concept of our car. Ghana, Cote D'ivoire discuss issues of spectrum interference Daily Graphic Business News Aug - 09 - 2023 , 08:33 The National Communications Authority (NCA) of Ghana and the Agence Ivoirienne de Gestion des Frequences radioelectriques (AIGF) in Cote dIvoire have held a three-day bilateral coordination meeting in Abidjan to discuss results of a fact finding monitoring exercise conducted by both countries at their respective borders. Both NCA and AIGF had received various complaints from consumers about network interferences when consumers accessed communications services. The meeting was consequently organised to discuss observations made after the monitoring exercise and to agree on the parameters, the coordinates, the zones to be monitored, among others, as well as the enforcement of compliance by the two parties after bilateral agreements had been signed. According to a release issued in Accra, a Deputy Director at the Regulatory Administration Division of the NCA, Isaac Kofi Boateng, who led Ghanas delegation thanked the AIGF for making the meeting possible. He said as members of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Ghana and Cote dIvoire considered such bilateral discussions to be essential for the management of frequencies, spectrum and radio bands in ensuring that consumers accessed communication services without interferences in both countries. Mr Boateng stated that the advancement in technology, expansion of settlements and economic activities along the two borders had necessitated an upgrade of the previous draft agreement and discussions which had been ongoing for the past 10 years between the two countries. He stressed that the parameters outlined in the previous agreement were not fit for purpose in current times, and therefore, the essential objective of the meeting was to enable the two countries to have an extensive agreement going forward by reviewing the 2010 parameters vis-a-vis the recent measurements taken by the two countries in May/June, this year, in respect of the coordination zones and penetration levels at each side of the border. Mr Boateng further stated that the meeting would serve as a kick-off to fashion out an agreement, which would be formally signed at a subsequent meeting. He stated that the signed copies would be submitted to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in fulfilment of the border coordination regulations. Firm support For his part, the Director General of the AIGF, Dr Yacouba Coulibaly, thanked the Ghanas delegation on behalf of the Ivorian Ministry of Digital Communications for the meeting. Dr Coulibaly assured the meeting of his firm commitment to support the efforts of mobile operators to respect the technical parameters outlined in the coordination agreement in order to mitigate unintended interference at the borders. He added that it was important to have such an agreement, especially when the two countries shared about 668km of territory along the border and further indicated that the coordination of frequencies was of paramount necessity to ensure quality of services to the populations living in the border areas and commuters who accessed the area for economic purposes. US-Ghana Business Expo 2023: Businesses asked to leverage opportunity to strike deals Charles Benoni Okine Business News Aug - 09 - 2023 , 08:19 The United States of America (USA) Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S Department of Commerce, Marisa Lago, will lead a strong business delegation from that country to participate in the US-Ghana Business Expo 2023. Scheduled for Thursday, August 10, at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, on the theme "Leveraging U.S-Ghana Trade Relations to Promote Growth and Prosperity, business are expected to leverage the opportunity to strike deals to help expand their operations. The Executive Secretary of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Ghana, Simon Madjie told the Daily Graphic ahead of the event this years event is expected to serve as a unique platform to offer Ghanaian businesses the opportunity to connect with a diverse delegation of U.S. companies. According to him, with a diverse representation of industries, including cybersecurity, consumer goods, oil and gas, mining, manufacturing, and diaspora Chambers of Commerce, this event opens a myriad of opportunities for both Ghanaian and American businesses to forge strategic partnerships. It will also help to drive economic growth on both sides. The participation of U.S. companies underscores their commitment to investing in the Ghanaian economy.He added. This commitment, Mr Madjie said brings a wealth of benefits that can significantly impact Ghana's economic landscape. Benefits In the area of technology transfer and skill development be said American companies operating in Ghana bring advanced technologies and expertise, fostering knowledge transfer and skill development among the local workforce. By way of job creation, he said investment from U.S. businesses has stimulated job creation across various sectors, reducing unemployment and improving livelihoods for Ghanaians. As businesses grow and expand, there is a natural spillover effect on infrastructure development, leading to improved transportation, logistics, and utility services. Again, partnering with U.S. companies can open access to global markets, enabling Ghanaian businesses to export their products and services worldwide. He said. Regarding sustainable resource management, Mr Madjie said U.S. companies in sectors like oil and gas and mining often adhere to stringent environmental standards, promoting sustainable resource management and responsible business practices. He said collaboration with American firms encouraged economic diversification in Ghana, fostering the growth of various industries and reducing dependency on specific sectors. Also, with regards Foreign Direct Investment, the presence of established U.S. businesses attracts more foreign direct investment to Ghana, creating a favourable investment climate for other international companies. Economic partnership According to Mr Madjie, the U.S.-Ghana Business Expo 2023 is not just a one-time event; it lays the foundation for long-lasting economic partnerships between the two nations. By facilitating networking opportunities and encouraging collaboration across sectors, the Business Expo paves the way for sustainable growth and prosperity for both countries. He said. Mr Madjie said Ghanaian businesses have a unique chance to showcase their products and services, seek investment opportunities, and form valuable connections with reputable U.S. companies. These interactions can lead to mutually beneficial deals, contributing to Ghana's economic growth while enriching the U.S. business landscape with Ghanaian expertise and resources. He said. Im excited about potential breakthroughs and partnerships that will shape the future of U.S.-Ghana trade relations. Together, both nations are set to leverage their strengths and promote growth, prosperity, and economic development that will have a lasting impact for years to come. Daily Graphic Editorials More female MPs needed in Parliament Daily Graphic Editorials Aug - 09 - 2023 , 09:57 In a country where women constitute over 16 million, which is more than half of the population, it is only logical that they are represented well in the Legislature. Unfortunately, that is not the case in Ghanas Parliament. Only 40 out of the 275 members of Parliament (MPs) are women, a development which undermines the ability of women to participate in the decision and law-making process in the country. The few number of women in the Parliament of Ghana presents little opportunity for women to express their interests and opinions compared with their male counterparts. The parliamentary procedures of our Parliament give men some advantage over women, albeit unintentionally, because they are far more than women and also due to the lack of parliamentary leadership positions for female MPs. Occupying a leadership position is a strong determiner of who gets to speak during plenary. The presumption here is that Ghanaian female MPs have little opportunity to introduce and discuss issues affecting women for the purposes of public policy and substantive representation of women. The current situation is a source of concern to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, who has thus suggested the creation of quotas to represent strategic groups and minorities in Parliament. He explained that apart from the geographic constituencies, there could be quotas for minority groups to allow them to be part of decision-making. Paradoxically, Ghana was one of the first countries in Africa to introduce a quota in 1959. The Convention Peoples Party government passed the Representation of the People (Women Members) Act and ensured the nomination and election of 10 women to Parliament. It has adopted various international conventions on womens rights and political representation, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Beijing Platform for Action, African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and the Maputo Protocol. Another important milestone was the 1998 administrative directive on affirmative action which provided guidelines for the Electoral Commission to encourage political parties to put up more female candidates in pursuit of 40 per cent representation of women in Parliament. However, that has not been implemented. The state has committed to using temporary affirmative action measures as some of the means of straightening the path to gender equality by signing and ratifying all major international, continental and regional womens rights conventions and protocols. Ghana has made some strides but the road to social equality has been slow and gender disparities continue to plague the system. Gender discrimination is a significant problem and gender-conscious affirmative action mechanisms are needed to correct the imbalances. Ghanaian women stand on the fringes of national affairs confronted by centuries of entrenched patriarchy, dogmatic religious dictates, traditional and cultural subordination and autocracy which need to be de-emphasised. There is a general consensus among some women that politics is dirty which is why they tend to stay away. Decision-making in the public and political sphere is seen as the preserve of men, as such women who attempt to participate are seen as insolent. Women are not able to exercise their freedom of speech due to certain traditions that prohibit them from talking at certain places. Cultural norms define what women can and cannot do in the social, political, religious and economic settings, and that has become an obstacle to womens participation in decision-making processes. The Daily Graphic applauds the efforts of womens rights advocacy groups such as Abantu for Development and others for championing womens political representation. The battle over affirmative action in Ghana is still ongoing but the processes of gender participation and constitutional change seem to be taking place slowly. Donor organisations and development partners should make womens political representation part of the policy dialogue, in line with strategic priorities on gender parity. They may set aside some funds for initiatives on womens political representation for example, electoral financing of female candidates. Political parties must institute policies to address different forms of violence against women in politics from verbal abuse to physical attacks especially during election periods. As a nation, we must be deliberate about increasing womens representation in Parliament. We cannot be passive and fold our arms into believing that the numbers will just increase over time. Enabling breastfeeding Dr Nana Esi Gaisie-Tetteh Opinion Aug - 09 - 2023 , 10:27 August is declared the month of breastfeeding globally. During this month, a lot of advocacy is done to encourage the initiation of newborns on the appropriate food, which is the human breast milk. Breastmilk is a wonderful source of nutrition whose characteristics in terms of nature and benefits have left scientists totally astonished. To date, a lot is still being discovered about this natural food for the newborn which normally starts cooking in a mothers breast as soon as conception occurs. Breastmilk Breastmilk is a one-stop balanced meal that is free, easily digestible, readily available, safe, sustainable and always at the right temperature. It contains many specific macro and micro nutrients which the newborn needs for survival and optimal physical development. It is the dream of every parent to have a child who is intelligent and can contribute positively to society. Breastmilk contains every good thing the brain of a baby needs to become creative, innovative and intellectually successful. It also gives the baby the protection he/she needs against infections and diseases. Because it is natural and most suitable, a child has less chance of experiencing life-threatening diarrhoea and vomiting from breastmilk, as compared to other food substitutes. Bonding The instinctual art of feeding a baby at the breast, while sharing smiles supports the emotional needs of the baby in a very mysterious chemistry. Bonding from breastfeeding has been associated with the reduction of social and behavioural problems both in childhood and adulthood. Baby is also given the opportunity to exercise and mature the jaws during sucking, and this is a great foundation for later development of speech. Many of the diseases that adults are saddled with have been associated with their feeding experience during their early years. With breastfeeding, there is a 30 per cent reduction in the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in later adulthood. One is also about eleven per cent less likely to develop hypertension. Breastfeeding lowers the risk of getting breast and ovarian cancer, and also reduces the risk of osteoporosis. As they say, you cant enjoy wealth, if youre not in good health. Parents who dont breastfeed enough have to make frequent visits to the hospital. Productive working hours are further lost due to hospitalisations. Globally, economic losses that arise from mothers not breastfeeding are estimated to be between $257-341billion with low and middle income nations bearing the brunt of their inaction. At birth, it is recommended that a baby is put to the breast within the first hour. (Thirty minutes per Ghana Health Services) In the first six months of life, a newborn is to be fed solely on breastmilk. This is because the breastmilk contains adequate calories and water that the baby needs till this age. The organs of the baby also become well matured and adapted to receive other foods by 26 weeks. It is encouraged that breastfeeding continues (with other complementary foods) from 6 months up to at least two years of age. Breastfeeding is not always easy, and sometimes difficulties arise. These must be shared with health workers for the needed support. The breastfeeding mother must be supported by every family member, especially partners. Lawmakers Lawmakers should ensure mothers have the opportunity to breastfeed exclusively by addressing the duration of maternity and paid leave. They must enact laws that require employers to provide places and protected time for mothers to breastfeed/express milk at work. Employers have a responsibility to respect these laws. Breastfeeding mothers must have the options of on-site child care, flexible work schedules, teleworking, part-time work, or bringing their babies to work. Co-workers must encourage new mothers with a positive accepting attitude and be supportive of their peer. We must all work to enable breastfeeding because it is natures health plan. Italy to spend 2.9m to tackle invasion of aggressive blue crabs International News Aug - 09 - 2023 , 13:47 The species, originally from the western Atlantic, has spread across several lagoon-like locations in Italy, preying on local shellfish, fish roe and other aquatic life. A marine biologist says the crabs have eaten up to 90% of young clams. There could be a link to climate change. Italy has said it will spend 2.9m (2.5m) to tackle an invasion of aggressive crabs that is threatening the country's role as one of the top producers of clams in the world - and potentially one of its signature pasta dishes. The blue crab, originally from the western Atlantic, has spread across several lagoon-like locations in Italy, preying on local shellfish, fish roe and other aquatic life. Clam aquafarms in the delta of the Po river valley in northern Italy have been hit particularly hard, with a local marine biologist telling Reuters last week the crabs had eaten up to 90% of young clams, almost wiping out future production. Experts have said it is unclear why the crabs are now reproducing with such speed but there could be a link to climate change. Italy's agriculture minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, visited the delta on the Po river on Saturday and said the government would approve the emergency funding. The 2.9m will be given to fishing cooperatives and aquafarmers trying to curb blue crab numbers with a large-scale fishing campaign, Reuters reported. Fishermen in affected areas have been advised to catch as many blue crabs as possible to cull their numbers. Crab invasion 'could be linked to climate change' Last week Emanuele Rossetti, from the Fishermen's Cooperative of the Polesine, part of the Po delta valley, told Reuters as much as 12 tonnes worth of crab was being caught every day but with little impact on the crab population. Italy is Europe's biggest producer of clams and the third largest in the world behind China and South Korea, according to UN Food and Agriculture Organisation data from 2021. The influx of crabs could put the classic Italian dish - spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams) - at risk. Sasa Raicevich, a marine aquatic resources expert from the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), said blue crabs are thought to have arrived in Italy via shipping bilge water. He said they were first detected about a decade ago, and it is still unclear why they are now multiplying with such speed, adding: "There could be a link to climate change, but we have no evidence to say it for sure." He said the situation was very serious in terms of ecological and economic damage and warned there was no possibility of completely eradicating the blue crabs. "We have to contain them and find ways of coexistence... it's going to be difficult," he added. Can a Ghanaian own or possess guns? Mirror Lawyer Life Aug - 09 - 2023 , 11:44 Dear Mirror Lawyer, Is there a right for Ghanaians to own and possess guns and use them as and when they desire as Americans do? Timothy Thompson (TT), Ogbojo, Accra. Dear TT, In Ghana, the law regulating guns and firearms is the Arms and Ammunitions Act, 1972, NRCD 9. "Firearms" include any gun, rifle, machine-gun, cap-gun, flint-lock gun or pistol, revolver, pistol, cannon or other firearms, and any air gun, air rifle, or air pistol, whether whole or in detached pieces. The law says it is an offence to own or possess arms and ammunition in the country unless you apply to register those arms or ammunition at the nearest police station. The arms and ammunition to be registered must be produced for inspection by the police at the police station at which the application is made or the place at which the arms or ammunition are kept. Once registered, the police officer authorised to effect the registration shall issue to the applicant, upon payment by him of a prescribed fee, a permit entitling the owner to possess those arms or ammunition. The permit must also state the purposes and conditions for the use of the arms or ammunition. The law further states that a permit granted shall be valid for one year and then expire. However, after expiration, it can be renewed for periods of one year at a time upon payment of the fees prescribed for renewal. Where a permit is not renewed before its expiry, the holder of the permit shall immediately surrender it to the police, as well as all arms and ammunition held by him in respect of which the permit was granted. The law recognises the fact that after a person has possessed or owned arms and ammunition in Ghana, ownership may change, and the equipment may be transferred to another person. Such transfer may occur upon sale to another person, devised in a Will or inheritance under the law of succession. In situations like this, the law says that no person who possesses arms or ammunition in accordance with a valid permit granted by the police shall at any time sell, dispose or part with the possession of those arms or ammunition to any other person unless the owner applied in writing to the Inspector-General of Police for permission to transfer and such permission has been granted. Where the actual owner is not available to make the application, the new owner shall apply accompanied by a declaration explaining how the equipment came into his possession. After the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has granted permission for the transfer, the holder of the permit shall surrender it to the police who shall re-register the arms or ammunition in the name of the new holder, amend the permit accordingly, and deliver the permit to the new holder. Such a permit shall continue in force in accordance with its original terms and such additional conditions as the IGP may impose and shall continue in force until the date of expiry originally specified. Arms cannot be used anyhow in this country as done in the United States of America (USA). There must be real evidence that the use of any arms in Ghana by a private person was a result of an imminent threat to defend himself from attack. In the US, the right to keep and bear arms traces its history from the people's right to have their own arms for their defence as described in the philosophical and political writings of Aristotle, Cicero, John Locke and Machiavelli. It is also an enumerated right specifically protected by the US Constitution and many State Constitutions such that people have a personal right to own arms for individual use, and a right to bear these same arms both for personal protection and for use in a militia. The right to keep and bear arms is codified in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution which reads: A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Ghanas Constitution and law do not have a similar provision as the USA. Vice President Bawumia commissions JHS classroom block he built for Presby Church in Kwaboanta GraphicOnline Education Aug - 09 - 2023 , 10:36 The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, commissioned a Junior High School (JHS) classroom block in Kwaboanta, in the Kraboa Coaltar District of the Eastern Region. The facility, which was personally funded by Dr. Bawumia, is a donation to the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, in fulfilment of a pledge he made to the Akuapem Presbytery last year, during its centenary anniversary celebration. The facility has been fully furnished with desks in all the classrooms, and also includes an ICT library, equipped with computers. The leadership of Kraboa Coaltar Presby District, who joined Dr. Bawumia to commission the classroom, commended the Vice President for fulfilling his promise to the Church and prayed for God to bless him. Vice President Bawumia, who personally visited Kwaboanta earlier this year to inspect the progress of work on the facility, expressed gratitude to God for the successful completion of the classroom block, which he noted, will enhance education in the community and its environs. The Chief and elders of Kwaboanta, who were also present for the commissioning, expressed gratitude to Dr. Bawumia for his generous gesture. The facility will address a long-standing infrastructure problem for the Kwaboanta Presby Primary and JHS schools. 31 Participate in Chinese media industry seminar Mary Mensah & Samuel S. Bio Aug - 09 - 2023 , 09:01 Media practitioners and selected journalists from 13 Belt and Road countries have ended a two-week seminar at the Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua City, in the Zhejiang Province in China. The programme, which was sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, started from July 18 to 31, 2023. The seminar for journalism organisation executives drew participants from Ghana, Botswana, Burundi, Lesotho, Nigeria, South Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Palestine, Samoa, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The participants understudied the Chinese media industry and progress it had made over the years through methods such as lectures, on-site teaching, discussion sessions, visits and cultural activities. The Belt and Road Initiative, known in China as One Belt One Road, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in more than 150 countries and international organisations. It is considered a centrepiece of Chinese Leader Xi Jinpings foreign policy, and forms a central component of his Major Country Diplomacy strategy which calls for China to assume greater leadership role in global affairs in accordance with its rising power and status. Objective The programme was also aimed at exposing participants to Chinas contemporary national conditions, development processes after reforms and opening up of the country, and the management experience of Chinas media industry. The participants were also introduced to production and operation rules of popular short video media, the organisation and operation thinking of Chinese film, TV, newspaper and other media, among other topics. Cooperation The Secretary of Committee for Discipline Inspection of the Zhejiang Normal University, Fu Guanfu, said that discussions about the development, current situation and achievements of the media industry in various countries highlighted the need for cooperation in the field of media between China and the Belt and Road countries. He expressed hope that the experiences of Chinas development in different historical periods and visits to culturally distinctive attractions where you were immersed in great charm of intangible cultural heritage and the introduction of vivid practices of Chinese media in telling Chinas stories and spreading Chinas image had helped you gain a deeper understanding of China. Mr Fu, therefore, urged the participants to be a bridge to facilitate communication between your countries and China. Based on what you have seen, heard and learned during the seminar, and by giving full play to your own strengths, you are expected to introduce China to people around you in an objective and comprehensive manner. By joining hands together, we can promote the development of the global media industry, he added. The Head of the Zhejiang University team, Prof. Chris Yu Tao, was optimistic that more opportunities would be opened for further interactions with participants, saying as you have become alumni of the university, I urge you to come home anytime the opportunity offers itself for you to visit China. Gratitude On behalf of the participants, Muhammad Abu Khader from Palestine, thanked the Zhejiang Normal University and the Ministry of Commerce in China for the programme which he said had enhanced our operational capacity, skills and managerial ability. We have undertaken a programme that has further built our knowledge in highly specialised areas in journalism, communication, skills development and discovered the rich cultural heritage of China, he added. Achieving SDG 6: Ghana, Sussex University host forum in New York Daily Graphic Aug - 09 - 2023 , 09:33 Ghana and the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom have hosted a forum to highlight the need to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Six, which focuses on providing everyone with access to clean water and sanitation. Dubbed the 2023 UN High-Level Political Forum #HLPF side event, the forum was held at the UN headquarters on July 17 and had representatives from UNICEF in attendance. It also brought together several countries, including Uganda, to share their experiences, successful strategies and best practices as well as legislative initiatives to help realise SDG Six. The forum also discussed the implementation techniques, among others, that have been successful in improving WASH service delivery. Ghana committed Addressing the gathering, Ghana's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Harold Agyeman, emphasised Ghanas commitment to achieving SDG6 and its interlinkages with the other goals. A Deputy Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Chinnia Amidu Issahaku, noted that the ministry was putting efforts into capacity development to address issues of water quality within the water service delivery chain. He stated that data on WASH services have recently improved, particularly with the incorporation of the WASH component in the 2021 Population and Housing Census. Data is currently available for both urban and rural areas to ensure a well-informed policy and decision-making on water and sanitation. Despite these gains, Ghana will still need more funding to expand already-existing facilities towards achieving the goal by 2030. He made this statement to deepen already existing and new collaborations with all key stakeholders across the globe. The Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Prof. George Gyan-Baffour, was hopeful that discussions on WASH delivery services would be sustained and strong partnerships would be built to support one another in building resilient WASH systems for sustainable deliveries. Prof. Gyan-Baffour, who led Ghanas delegation to the forum, indicated that implementing viable WASH strategies should no longer follow the business-as-usual approach. The Director of the Sussex Sustainability Research Programme (SSRP) at the University of Sussex, Professor Joseph Alcamo, shared evidence on how policy coherence remains critical in achieving synergies across the SDGs while minimising potential duplications and wastage. Prof. Alcamo, who is also an expert in Environmental Systems Science, said the SSRP, in its research, had observed that synergies among the different SDGs could be exploited to simultaneously achieve multiple goals and likely save on costs of implementation. An important strategy for gaining efficiency is to take an integrated approach to SDG implementation that maximises the synergies among the goals and minimises their trade-offs, he emphasised. BECE progresses in regions Graphic.com.gh Aug - 09 - 2023 , 10:39 THE 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) started across the country on Monday with a total of 602,457 final year Junior High School (JHS) students registering to write the examination. The total candidature represents an increase of 49,049 over last year's figure of 553,408. From the Upper East Region, Gilbert Mawuli Agbey reports that a total of 22,431 candidates were taking part in the region. Out of the total number, 10,578 are males while the remaining 11,853 are females who are writing from across the 79 examination centres in the region. The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Regional Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Nathaniel Nyaaba, said the candidates had been adequately prepared to take part in the examination. He cautioned them against engaging in examination malpractices since anyone who would be caught would be dealt with, saying the school pupils have been adequately prepared and do not need to cheat in the examination. Bawku situation Due to increased insecurity in the Bawku municipality, four centres have been created at Bawku Senior High, Bawku Senior High Technical, Winamzua cluster of schools and Kuka Natinga basic school for the 1,989 candidates to write the examination. In 2022, 1,815 candidates sat for the examination in the municipality, but the figure increased by 174 candidates this year. Comfort zone In an interview the Municipal Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Azeriya Ayeriga, said the move was to enable the students to write the final examination within their comfort zones due to the security situation in the area. Despite the situation, he indicated that the pupils were psychologically and mentally prepared to write the examination, stressing as a directorate, we are optimistic that the pupils will put the insecurity in the area aside and confidently write the examination to come out with good results. Some of the candidates in Bolgatanga who were in high spirits were optimistic of getting excellent results to pursue further studies at the senior high school level. Tamale From Tamale, Mohammed Fugu reports that a total of 31,534 candidates from 698 public and private schools are writing the BECE in the Northern Region. Out of the number, 16,528 are boys while 15,006 are girls. The Northern Regional Minister, Shani Alhassan Shaibu, on Monday morning toured a number of the centres to monitor the examination and interacted with the candidates. He visited the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO), Savelugu Senior High School (SAVESS) and the Tamale Islamic Senior High School centres; he was accompanied by some officials of the GES. As of 9 am, the examination was ongoing smoothly across all the centres. No incident had been recorded in all the centres visited. Mr Shaibu advised the candidates against examination malpractices since anyone caught in such act would be dealt with. "Do not copy from others. They might be writing the wrong things. Try your best to write what you have learnt," he advised. Koforidua From Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital, Haruna Yussif Wunpini reports that a total of 2,488 candidates made up of 1,166 males and 1,322 females in the New Juaben South Municipality are taking part in this year's examination. The number also included private candidates as well as 13 persons with disabilities. The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for New Juaben South, Isaac Appaw-Gyasi who addressed the candidates advised them not to panic but feel free while answering the questions. He told the candidates that they should not rush but take time to understand the questions before answering them. The MCE appealed to the candidates to work hard to secure good results to enable them to enjoy the government's free senior high school (SHS) programme. "You are the future leaders of this country. The only way some of you can climb high the academic ladder is to excel first in the examination and automatically advance to the SHS," Mr Appaw-Gyasi stated. Mr Appaw-Gyasi entreated BECE candidates in the municipality to desist from examination malpractices and also urged them not to go into the examination halls with foreign materials or other objects. The Municipal Education Director, Mustapha Haruna, asked the candidates to concentrate on their writing and desist from copying from their colleagues. Businessman builds ICT centre for alma mater Samuel Kyei-Boateng Aug - 09 - 2023 , 07:57 A businessman, Emmanuel Bright Obeng Nyarko, has constructed a modern Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre for his alma mater, Akyem Asuboa North D/A Junior High School, in the Birim North District in the Eastern Region. The GH360,000 facility is connected to electricity and equipped with furniture, 25 computers and accessories. The Asuboa ICT centre brings to three the number of such facilities Mr Nyarko had personally put up for schools in the district since 2019. The other facilities are located at Akyem Bontodiase and Akyem Adwafo. Inaugurating the centre at a ceremony at Asuboa last Friday, the Chief Executive of the Akyemansa District Assembly, Paul Asamoah, commended Mr Nyarko for his commitment to the development of the district, and urged other resourceful people from the area to also contribute their quota towards the progress of the district. He said apart from the ICT centres, Mr Nyarko had singlehandedly provided a mechanised borehole for Asuboa, and sponsored the education of many students in tertiary institutions. Mr Asamoah gave the assurance that the government would complete the tarring of the Oda-New Abirem main road by the end of next month, while the agenda 111 hospital facility in the district would be ready for use by the end of 2023. The front view of the Asuboa North D/A ICT centre He announced that the government, through the district assembly, had provided all the junior and senior high schools in the district with the necessary facilities and logistics to enhance teaching and learning. The Chief of Asuboa North, Nana Agyei Bekoe, expressed gratitude to Mr Nyarko, popularly known as Great Kofata, who owns and runs Kofata Motors at Abossey Okai in Accra, for constructing a bridge on the outskirts of the town to facilitate the movement of the people to and from the outlying communities. The Akyemansa District Director of Education, Joyce Afriyie Agyapong, stressed that the ICT facilities would make the teachers and pupils in the area computer literates. She, however, advised the teachers to take proper care of the facilities, and to ensure that they were properly looked after. Ms Agyapong thanked Mr Nyarko for donating desktop computers and photocopiers to the district education office. Mr Nyarko said he provided the ICT centres for the three schools to enable the staff and pupils to be abreast of the current trends in the world. He also donated large quantities of junior high school textbooks on English Language, Mathematics and Integrated Science to the pupils of Asuboa JHS. He advised the final-year JHS students to strive to come out with flying colours in the ongoing BECE, with the assurance of awarding scholarships to those who would excel in the examination. Central Region: Police busts two teachers for trying to help BECE candidates cheat GraphicOnline Aug - 09 - 2023 , 06:35 The Ghana Police Service has taken swift action against examination malpractice, apprehending two individuals involved in attempting to compromise the integrity of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The incident occurred on Monday, August 7, 2023, at the Dunkwa Secondary Technical Centre in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality, located in the Central Region. The arrested suspects have been identified as Albert Adu-Gyan and Yaw Adadai, both tutors at educational institutions, namely PEEBLE Calvary and Oxford Santech schools. According to authorities, the two suspects were caught red-handed as they attempted to surreptitiously introduce pre-solved examination questions into the examination hall, where candidates were sitting for this year's BECE. The seized evidence from the suspects includes two mobile phones, which were presumably intended to facilitate their illicit activities, along with pre-solved questions printed on separate sheets of paper. The Ghana Police Service in a statement affirmed that both suspects are currently in custody and are slated to face legal proceedings. The police issued a stern warning to the public, urging them to abstain from engaging in examination malpractices during the ongoing BECE. The law enforcement agency emphasized that any individuals found participating in such dishonest practices will be apprehended and held accountable for their actions. A total of 602,457 final-year junior high school (JHS) students across Ghana are writing this years Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The total candidature of 602,457 represents an increase of 49,049 over last year's figure of 553,408. The examination would be held simultaneously for both school and private candidates from Monday, August 7 to Friday, August 11, 2023. See the entire Ghana Police Service statement below; POLICE ARREST TWO PEOPLE FOR EXAMINATION MALPRACTICES IN THE ONGOING BECE IN THE CENTRAL REGION The Police on Monday, 7th August 2023, arrested two people for engaging in examination malpractices at the Dunkwa Secondary Technical Centre in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality in the Central Region. The two suspects, Albert Adu-Gyan and Yaw Adadai, tutors of PEEBLE Calvary and Oxford Santech schools respectively, were arrested when they attempted to smuggle into the examination hall some solved examination questions to candidates sitting the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) at the centre. Items retrieved from the two suspects include two mobile phones and solved questions on two separate papers. Both suspects are in custody and will be put before the court. We would like to caution the public against indulging in examination malpractices in the ongoing BECE as the Police will arrest any persons found involved in such practices. Culture, traditions not heathen Methodist Church Presiding Bishop Samuel Kyei-Boateng Aug - 09 - 2023 , 07:29 The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Rev. Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, has advised Christians not to regard the culture and traditions of the various tribes as heathen. Instead, they should help in developing them to play their roles in society as spirituality could not be deleted from culture. "Food, songs, ways of talking and dressing speak volumes of our heritage and culture and there is nothing heathen about those as a way of life as a people," he stressed. Most Rev. Boafo was speaking at the opening ceremony of the ninth religious tourism festival (METHOFEST) held at Akyem Oda. METHOFEST The Methodist Church Ghana introduced METHOFEST, a connexional religious tourist festival in 2001 with the first celebration in Cape Coast. The festival has since been held annually, to take stock of the tangible and intangible rich religious socio-cultural heritage materials, which the church had realised throughout its history. It is also being used to explore, develop and promote its religious tourism potential in the area of its rich historical stock and cultural heritage and religious sites, such as the British heritage site, the Ampia Ajumako Museum and Heritage Centre. Unlike the previous festivals, which were attended by bishops and members from only the 22 dioceses of the church, this year's event has taken international dimension, attracting representatives from Africa and other parts of the world. This years event attracted many dignitaries including the Senior Presidential Advisor, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, a host of government appointees and traditional rulers from the three Akyem States: Kotoku, Abuakwa and Bosome. Support for tourism promotion Opening the festival, Most Rev. Boafo said it would continue to collaborate with the government to promote tourism for it to contribute significantly in revenue generation for the country. This is because tourism has been identified not only as a significant revenue generation, but also a key source of employment and with the Methodist Church keen to promoting religious tourism, the collaboration had become imperative to help the sector play a major role in the national economic recovery agenda. While supporting tourism, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana was, however, wary of the infiltration of activities that were alien to the culture and values of the country. He thus admonished Christians, who constituted the majority of the Ghanaian population, to preach against such ills of society, to help curb the moral decadence in the country. He reiterated the resolve of Methodist Church Ghana against same sex marriage and called Christians to condemn the act wherever they would find themselves. Oda Diocese Most Rev. Boafo commended the Oda Diocese of the church for the efficient manner it had prepared to host the national event and announced that another international event of higher dimension would take place at Oda from August 15 to 20, this year, encouraging all members of the church to prepare for the event. The Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Arts, Mr Mike Okraku Mantey, commended the Methodist Church Ghana for playing a yeoman's role in tourism development and assured the church of the government's practical support. He said tourism was key and realising its economic potential, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had charged the tourism ministry to strive to make tourism the leader in Ghana's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with a target of $5 million by 2025. Mr Okraku Mantey said that was on course as in 2019, The Year of Return gave the country revenue of $3.3 million in 2019. Dag Heward-Mills clarifies controversial 'ruthless criminal' lawyer sermon amid backlash Kweku Zurek Aug - 09 - 2023 , 06:08 The Founder and Presiding Bishop of the United Denomination Originating from the Lighthouse Group of Churches, Dag Heward-Mills, has addressed the recent uproar generated by a sermon he delivered last week, which faced criticism on social media platforms. In the sermon, Bishop Heward-Mills discussed the differences between professional and unprofessional practices in fields such as law, medicine, and pastoral ministry. He employed illustrations to elaborate on his points. However, some social media users have interpreted these illustrations as being directed at a specific lawyer and case. Bishop Heward-Mills has now issued a statement to provide clarity on his intentions and to express his regret for any offense caused. He clarified that his primary goal was to teach the word of God and not to malign any particular profession or person. In his statement, Heward-Mills asserted, "My intention as a preacher was not to smear any particular professional or individual but to teach the word of God. To the extent that any relationship has been drawn to any case pending in or out of court or to any individual or individuals, I consider it unfortunate and unintended, and I hereby disassociate myself from it, retract it and render my sincere apologies to anyone who may be affected by it." The controversial sermon had led to speculation that it might be referring to an ongoing legal case, adding to the controversy surrounding the issue. Heward-Mills took the opportunity to address these concerns, stating that his sermon's references were more general in nature, unrelated to any specific ongoing litigation. The United Denominations' founder also emphasized his commitment to delivering messages of faith and moral guidance and expressed his deep regret for any misunderstanding that may have arisen from his recent sermon. Read the entire statement below; What Bishop Dag Heward-Mills said in the sermon According to the preacher, when the practice of law and delivery of justice falls in the hands of criminally-minded people it creates chaos for the society. The law is powerful but it is in whose hands it falls. If the practice of law falls into the hands of fraudsters and criminals, then the practice of law which is a noble profession changes, Bishop Heward-Mills lamented. He referred to a case in which some young people approached a lawyer with a terrible case without any reasonable evidence, but for the love of money, instead of advising the would-be clients to do the right thing, the lawyer accepted to handle the cases in a bid to extort money from vulnerable people. If you are a lawyer and you are a ruthless criminal, people will come to you with cases that nobody would even touch. Like maybe you can have some young men will come to you and say weve been cheated at our workplace. We worked for so long and we were treated badly. They didnt pay our SSNIT, they didnt pay our pension. They didnt look after us. When we went abroad, we worked so hard and when we came back, we were maltreated. Look at my age, Im 45 years old, I have nothing. And you have ruthless lawyers who have no scruples; they will do anything for money. A lawyer who has morals will ask you; when you worked you were not paid, can you bring the evidence or some documents? You dont have any documents, just a pack of lies and you say these people this is how they are. They dont want media they dont want this thing; well sue them and they will come and sit down and settle. They are called ambulance lawyers, the bishop said amid loud cheers in a video that has been making the rounds online. Ghana risks losing $30m from global TB funding Daniel Kenu Aug - 09 - 2023 , 05:58 Ghana risks losing about $30 million from global donor funds for the fight against tuberculosis (TB) for defaulting in raising its counterpart funding. The Global Fund has also threatened to withdraw its support for most African countries because they have failed to make sufficient budgetary allocation to augment what they receive internationally. Ghana's sole representative at this year's African parliamentary TB caucus summit in Nairobi, Kenya, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic on his return. The summit, which was a gathering of health committees of the various Parliaments on the continent, was to agree on a common stance for increase in funding at the world summit scheduled for New York, USA, in September this year. Dr Nawaane, who is the Member of Parliament(MP) for Nabdam and a Deputy Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Ghana, said the various representatives agreed that the fight against TB had been relegated to the background by many African countries. Allocation The Deputy Ranking Member on the Health Committee said despite it being a diagnosable and treatable condition, not much attention was paid to it, and neither was budget allocation made to help fight the disease. "TB is easily diagnosable, treatable and preventable. Yet, it is a disease that has been overtaken by HIV, AIDS and malaria so far as public health menace is concerned. And the financial allocation for the treatment of TB is far less than any of these three," he told the Daily Graphic. Dr Nawaane said in 2018, there was a high level meeting involving African heads of states in New York at which the international body promised to assist the continent achieve its target of reducing TB related mortality by 90 per cent. "Unfortunately, after that COVID-19 came in and African heads of states lost the fight against TB. "Most of these countries since then have even failed to make budgetary allocation against the fight," he added. Statistics Giving some statistics to show the seriousness of the menace, Dr Nawaane said in 2022, the world recorded 10.6 million infections of which a quarter of that figure came from Africa. Out of that figure, he said, 1.6 million people died, 500,000 from Africa alone. "This should tell you that Africa is carrying about 25 per cent of the worlds TB burden which requires urgent attention," he stressed. Suggestion The MP is subsequently pushing for all African heads of states to be at the New York summit in person and speak with one voice and advance arguments why funding must not be cut to the continent. He said the global response to TB should not be less than that of HIV, AIDS and malaria. Dr Nawaane suggested that the delegation from Africa to the world summit should not be limited to only heads of states but should include civil society organisations (CSOs), advocacy groups and members of the parliamentary caucus who were well vexed on the subject matter. Also, the deputy Ranking Member is of the view that a roadmap should be designed to end TB globally by 2030, and leaders must show commitment to that. Ghana-US to deepen cooperation on nuclear safety, regulation Juliet Akyaa Safo Aug - 09 - 2023 , 07:11 The Chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC), Christopher T. Hanson, has led a team from the commission to visit the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) to interact with the management and staff. The two-day working visit was also to reaffirm the commissions commitment to continue close cooperation on nuclear safety and regulation with the country. As part of the visit, the Director-General of NRA, Dr Nii Kwashie Allotey, led a NRA-USNRC delegation to the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, and a Deputy Minister of Energy, William Owuraku-Aidoo. They discussed the significant strides made in radiological regulation and nuclear safety regulation and also explored opportunities to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two establishments. Commendation Mr Hanson commended staff of NRA for ensuring regulations, safety and the secure use of nuclear power and radioactive materials. He said their visit was also to build and reinforce their relationship as the country explored nuclear power for its energy needs, as well as the expansion in the use of radioactive materials for medical, agricultural and industrial purposes. We are pleased to support the NRA on its journey since 2016, and we are very impressed with the progress they have made towards becoming strong and technically competent independent regulator that the country needs, Mr Hanson said. He said the US had been in the nuclear power business since the 1950s and 60s and had learnt lessons in the inspection processes, licensing, safety and technology. Transparency Mr Hanson, however, said there was the need for nuclear regulators to ensure transparency, public trust and acceptance by demonstrating independence from advocacy positions. The NRC does that within the context of the US government. We think that our partners around the world should have that relationship as well. To ensure transparency, we do everything in the full view of the public with exception of some security issues. All our meetings, documents, decisions and commission meetings are in full view of the public so they can understand how we are making our safety decisions, Mr Hanson added. He said the USNRC fundamentally had a mission to build strong independent and technically confident nuclear, safety and security regulators around the world to promote safety. Appreciation Dr Allotey thanked the USNRC Chair and his team for their visit. He expressed the commitment of his outfit to continue to partner them to build their capacity. Lets protect our legacy as media practitioners GBC Director-General Mary Anane-Amponsah & Diana Mensah Aug - 09 - 2023 , 08:10 Media practitioners have been advised to see their profession as a form of legacy business which needs to be protected for the future. The current trend where social media is taking over traditional media should be a source of concern to media professionals, for which reason they must move away from the old ways and adopt digital innovations as a means of protecting its space. The Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Professor Amin Alhassan, gave the advice at a forum of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to mark the first anniversary of the current GJA administration in Accra yesterday. He said the traditional media, also known as legacy media, was losing a significant percentage of its economy to social media, a situation that could have dire consequences for the media profession, if care was not taken. The forum, held at the International Press Centre, attracted a host of practitioners and other stakeholders. Threat Speaking on the topic: New Media vrs Traditional Media: Issues of Ethics and Professionalism, Prof. Alhassan said legacy media was being given a raw deal through the invasion of the social media platforms which capitalised on information from the traditional media to their advantage. Apart from the revenue being lost to the social media, the GBC DG noted that the old medium of media channels was giving way to new technoscapes of media platforms and that the changes were transforming journalism practice and functions raising several ethical issues. It was, therefore, important that legacy media as an institution of democracy should be protected to continue to uphold the ethics and professionalism in the face of the growing power of new technologies. In the new media ecosystem, the broadcast entity still carries the burden of cost of content production, transmission, labour, utilities and taxes. But guess who makes the real money? It is the tech giants who own the platforms, he indicated. Prof. Alhassan, who indicated that this had become a global phenomenon, cited a situation where in Canada, it was discovered that 80 per cent of digital advertisement expenditure went to social media. Global trend To reverse the trend, the Canadian Parliament in June 2023 passed the Online News Act Bill C 18, making it possible for news media outlets whose content are accessed through social media platforms are able to negotiate some payments from the platform owners. This stance, he noted, was justified because journalism is not just a business of publishing and making money. It is an institution of democracy that must be protected. Values and ethics The new media ecosystem, he further explained, has brought about the phenomenon of weaponisation of information. Also fake news now has higher virality than truthful news and it even becomes turbo charged if the content is meant to damage the reputation of a target. These, he said, were the developments that made nonsense of the professional values and ethics of journalism. As they gain control of news content circulation because of their ownership of platforms, tech giants are literally replacing the human editor with algorithms. This is a serious ethical and professional development that should not be allowed to go on unchecked. The traditional media, the GBC Director General stressed, must work hard not to lose its space as it was the sure means to help further develop democracy. Criminal Offence, safety A law lecturer of University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Law School, Albert Quashigah, said though the Criminal libel law had been repealed to give freedom to the practice of journalism, there were some other laws such as section 208 of the Criminal Offence Act of 1960 which posed similar challenges to the work of media practitioners and, therefore, called for it to be repealed. He said section 208 as it stood now, criminalised the publication of false news which led to the arrest of journalist and that was a threat to the work of journalists. The Deputy Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar, who touched on the safety of journalists as a major issue, said the safety of journalists was a collective responsibility which Ghanaians should be educated on. So if we dont sensitise the general public and look at the safety of journalists as more or less a political problem, we wont get anywhere to solve that. The President of GJA, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, mentioned some of the achievements of the current national executive as the refurbishing of the Ghana International Press Centre, the Journalist Support Fund meant to address issues confronting the welfare of journalists in the country and the bid to host the 3rd Africa Media Convention in May 2024 as a major milestone of the association. Mr Dwumfour said the association was working hard to increase the membership of journalists in the country, as well as exploring more professional training opportunities for its members. Mamprobi Hospital, Lartebiokorshie JHS receive support Jemima Okang Addae Aug - 09 - 2023 , 07:44 The ASA Savings and Loans Limited has donated equipment to the Lartebiokorshie Presbyterian Junior High School and Mamprobi Hospital as social responsibility gestures to the public. The items included a projector and speaker to the school and a multipurpose photocopier machine to the hospital. The Branch Manager of the Kaneshie Zongo Business Centre of the company, Rhoda Kwakye Ahenkorah, said the donation to the school should go a long way in enhancing teaching and learning of digital skills. Ms Ahenkorah said since the start of the company in 2008, ASA had been donating within the environment they worked. ASAs main corporate social responsibility project for this year is in healthcare and education. That is why we have decided to donate these items, she added. Education Receiving the items on behalf of the school, the Headmistress, Vida Osaebea Anom Amoafo, said the equipment had become critical to teaching and learning in the modern environment. She said the equipment would enhance efforts to impart digital literacy skills through contemporary methods. She explained that the teachers had requested for projectors and speakers in recent times to enable them deliver at a certain level and that the donation was timely. Teachers have been managing with their phones and personal laptops to teach. The government provided us with computers but all of them are not functioning now, she added. Mrs Amoafo appealed to the government and stakeholders in the education sector to emulate the gesture of the ASA Savings and Loans by donating ICT equipment and tools to support teaching and learning in the school. She expressed appreciation to the company, saying this is what we have been asking for, and you have delivered. Service delivery The Medical Superintendent of the Mamprobi Hospital, Dr Charlotte-Alberta Cato, said the multipurpose photocopier would enhance service delivery at the facility. She said apart from mainstream healthcare equipment, the hospital needed printers and computers to facilitate and assist in service delivery. Every now and then, we need equipment such as printers, photocopiers and computers apart from medical equipment to help in service delivery, especially now that we have gone digital, she stated. Ministry, Zoomlion clear refuse dumps in Oti Alberto Mario Noretti Aug - 09 - 2023 , 06:52 Five refuse dumping sites in the Oti Region have been cleared. This was under the ongoing nationwide refuse evacuation exercise by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) and waste management group Zoomlion to tackle mounting refuse challenges and improve sanitation and hygiene in communities. The beneficiary towns are Dambai in the Krachi East District; Worawora in Biakoye; Kpasa in Nkwanta North; Kute in Jasikan; and Dodo Papase in Kadjebi. The Oti Regional Coordinator for Zoomlion, Safian Abdullai, said the exercise-specialised-waste-management vehicles were deployed during the exercise to efficiently collect and transport the waste to appropriate disposal sites. He said the exercise formed part of the government's Clean Ghana Agenda. Mr Abdulai stated that the operation was being undertaken with adherence to environmental guidelines, ensuring minimal impact on the region's natural surroundings. He maintained that Zoomlion remained committed to promoting a clean and healthy environment for the people. Meanwhile, the Nkwanta North District Chief Executive, William Kidignang Nawugma, lauded the joint initiative which he said must be sustained in the broader national interest. "It is incumbent upon us to manage our immediate environment and surroundings," he said. The exercise is expected to take place in Aflao in the Ketu South Municipality next week. See names of 7 teachers and schools where "Apor" was taking place in ongoing BECE and WAEC has arrested them Severious Kale-Dery Aug - 09 - 2023 , 12:00 The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), with the assistance of security personnel, has picked up seven teachers, one of them an invigilator, at different examination centres for their involvement in examination malpractice. The teachers were allegedly found either solving questions of the ongoing examination or with phones and tablets in their possession, with answers to questions in the ongoing exam after they were captured on camera transmitting the materials to the students. One of the teachers, Flora Ashietey of the St John Bosco Basic School, was found allegedly with a tablet containing questions and answers of the exam at the Trinity Lutheran School in Tema, while Albert Adu-Gyan, a teacher of Oxford School Complex in Dunkwa-On-Offin, was apprehended while allegedly capturing images of the Religious and Moral Education questions he had answered in a classroom located on the Dunkwa Senior High Technical School premises. For suspect Kwarteng Asiedu Derick, who was an invigilator at the Ashanti Nkoranza D/A JSS, he was caught allegedly with captured photos of the Integrated Science Paper Two that he had shared on a WhatsApp group called Amabame Teachers Page which had 21 participants. At Obuasi, three teachers arrested at one of the examination centres at the Kwabenafori Exams Centre, are currently at the Obuasi Central Police Station in relation with a video circulated last Monday by the Educate Africa Institute (EAI). External support In an interview, the Head of the Public Affairs of WAEC, John Kapi, explained that when such suspects were picked up, they were handed over to the police, while the Ghana Education Service (GES) was notified because the teachers, supervisors and invigilators were staff of the GES. He expressed worry that the offenders were teachers who were supposed to know better and urged them to desist from attempting to help candidates at the examination centres. Mr Kapi called on teachers and examination officials to allow the candidates to do independent work, insisting that the children were capable of passing the exam without any external support. He wondered why teachers should go to that extent, when they knew that the rules and regulations governing the examination banned teachers from loitering around the exam centres. For the teachers, we need them to show a level of integrity by allowing the children they taught to give testimony of whatever it is that they have offered them in the classroom, Mr Kapi told the Daily Graphic. He expressed the confidence that the candidates were well prepared and psyched to write the exam after three years of preparing for it. Mr Kapi added that the candidates were more than capable to answer the questions because the questions were based on what they had been taught in the three years that they were in the junior high school. So, we think that each of them is capable of passing by doing independent work, he stressed. Officials The Head of Public Affairs of WAEC cautioned invigilators and supervisors to ensure that the examination was taken in an incident-free environment, reminding them of their crucial role in the conduct of the exam. For our invigilators and supervisors, they have been put there purposely to ensure that the candidates have a peaceful atmosphere to write the examination. They should carry out their duties to ensure that we do not have people who are not supposed to be there, coming in to attempt to offer help to the students, Mr Kapi advised the examination officials. Parliament for serious business Nana Nketsia Dotsey Koblah Aklorbortu Aug - 09 - 2023 , 11:46 The Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, has deplored the unserious attitude and gestures of parliamentarians, saying Parliament is not a place for jokers. He said the giggling on the floor of Parliament when serious matters were being discussed must give way to an attitude of serious work. We dont joke in Parliament; we voted people to Parliament on our behalf for serious parliamentary business, not for people to go and laugh when serious issues are being tabled, Nana Nketsia said. He said it was about time Members of Parliament (MPs) saw Parliament as the embodiment of the sovereignty of the people of Ghana and attached seriousness and respect to colleagues making a contribution in the House. Statement to Parliament Nana Nketsia made the statement when the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, and parliamentarians called on him at his palace last Monday as part of activities towards the celebration of 30 years of parliamentary democracy in Ghana. The Speaker was accompanied by the Deputy Minority Leader, Armah Kofi Buah; the Western Regional Minister and MP for Takoradi, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, and other MPs. Nana Nketsia said he was appalled by a recent case when an MP making a contribution to the debate on the Mid-year Budget Review on the floor of the House was met with snickering by fellow MPs. John Abdulai Jinapor, an MP for Yapei Kusawgu Constituency, was making a very important comment, and to my surprise, his colleagues sitting were laughing. Then I asked myself if Parliament is a place for people to go and laugh, he said. Mr Jinapor was speaking, and his remarks were coherent and important. Those of us watching were expecting other members of the House to allow him to make his point but what did we see? I do not know if what he said was funny, he said. Let me use the opportunity to tell them that we dont joke in Parliament, I struggle to understand why the laughter or if it is because we dont understand the English diction of the member speaking to appreciate the content of his submissions, or if the MP should have spoken in local language for them to appreciate his points, he said. Eeii Ato Nana Nketsia also referenced a recent case during the vetting of a ministerial nominee who exclaimed eei Ato, eeii Ato, eeii Ato in response to a question posed to the Minority Leader, Dr Casiel Ato Forson. I asked myself if Parliament has been turned into a market place or if they (MPs) think they were standing in a market. Parliament is a serious place, and we cannot continue like that. Those developments, I suggest, must be captured in the Parliamentary Hansard, he said. He said the truth should be told that there was the need for some level of seriousness during parliamentary proceedings. Nana Nketsia commended the Speaker and his team for the steps taken to send Parliament to the doorstep of the people across the country. It is a good step the current speaker has taken to reach out to larger stakeholders across the country. I have a feeling that his moves would save the country, he said. Mr Bagbin said before the contemporary democracy and parliamentary process currently in place, Parliament has long been established in Africa traditionally by traditional rulers. He explained that before what exists as democracy today, African traditional leadership ran a stable system of rulership. Before democracy The traditional rulers, he said, learnt from the tripod system of leadership and established the kingdom together. Before the emergence of the colonial rulers, our kingdoms existed, and they came to learn from us and took it away and polished and brought it to us and told us what we have is not good and that we should follow them, Mr Bagbin said. He said one of the mistakes of the African political ruling class was that those elected assume that the people who elected them know what they are doing. The truth, however, is that they dont, and this has resulted in the overthrows, he added. Those who governed us before independence used our chiefs to govern us, but we say we dont want them. The truth is that the traditional leaders are the people the followers believe in, he said. Unrest Mr Bagbin said it was interesting that Ghanas neighbours had seen some political upheavals, and that it was necessary to avoid the danger and bridge the information gap. Parliament at the doorstep of the people, he said, will also help to tell the people the challenges we have been meeting and we think together, and then correct the challenges so we can move forward. Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners elects new executive Joshua Bediako Koomson Aug - 09 - 2023 , 07:49 The Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners (SPMDP) has elected Dr Andre Kwasi-Kumah as its National President to serve for a two-year term. This was at the 42nd annual congress of the society which was held in Accra from August 3 to 6 in Accra on the theme: Training of Healthcare Professionals in Ghana: The Role of Private Health Facilities." Other officers elected were Dr Chris Akwesi Adomako, National Vice President and Dr Matthew Kwame Edusei, National Secretary. Demands In a communique issued at the end of its three-day meeting, the society urged the government to institute measures to reduce the burden private health facilities went through in procuring both conventional and state of the art equipment to enhance healthcare delivery in the country. Additionally, it called on the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance to negotiate with the private health facilities to post nurses, doctors to those private facilities year by year to alleviate the hardships the qualified personnel went through while sitting at home after qualifications. The society stressed that the whole policy of healthcare professionals postings in general must be given a critical look and be made more equitable such that in the end the client shall benefit from quality of care from both public and private facilities. It also said compatriots who venture into providing professional training must not sacrifice quality for quantity and that they must do a careful balancing act between provision of service and profitability. The society said all members who were qualified and given the nod to train those professionals must be given the necessary academic recognition. While we salute our pioneer Family Health Hospital and Medical College and all the others that followed in their steps such as Accra Medical College and the pioneers in nursing and allied health education such as Narh-Bita College and all others, we call on government to recognise these pioneering efforts, the society said. Wildlife Division launches 2023 Close Season to protect animals Nana Konadu Agyeman Aug - 09 - 2023 , 07:37 The Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission (FC) has launched the 2023 Closed Season which is aimed at preserving and protecting animals in Ghana. The closure, which took effect from August 1, will end on December 1, 2023. It prohibits the hunting, capturing and trading in all wildlife animals. Also, the intervention seeks to regulate the utilisation and curb the decline of wildlife resources, and will serve as a respite for animals to promote their breeding. During this period, it is only grasscutters that can be hunted but one is required to obtain permission to do so, failure will lead to the culprit facing the full rigours of the law. Sustainable intervention Launching the initiative in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, said the closed season was one of the various measures put in place by the government of Ghana to ensure the sustainable utilisation and management of the wildlife resources and also to protect indigenous wildlife species such as elephants, pangolins, parrots, porcupine, civet cats, bongo, among others. The event, which was held on the theme "Effects of Climate Change on Forest and Wildlife Resources", was also used to sensitise basic school children drawn from Achimota and its environs to climate change and its adverse impacts on forest and wildlife resources, the environment and livelihoods. Integral part of life The deputy minister said forest and wildlife resources were important and vital aspects of human life. The forest and wildlife resources provide food security and nutrition, sustain rural livelihoods, provide employment and generate income, mitigate climate change and its adverse health effects, produce life-saving medicines, clean the air and purifies water. There is therefore the need to protect and conserve these resources to sustain human lives and safeguard our environment, he said. Mr Owusu-Bio pointed out that the climate played a key role in the makeup and proper functioning of forests and wildlife resources, and therefore a change in climate such as temperature and precipitation (rainfall), could directly affect the health of forests and their resources. Partnership needed In a speech read on his behalf, the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey, said laws on forest protection had been strengthened to curb illegal logging, ensuring that those responsible for the destruction of forests would be held accountable. He, therefore, called on national and international stakeholders, civil society organisations, local communities and the private sector to join hands in the pursuit of sustainable forest and wildlife management. Together, we can develop innovative solutions, leverage technology and promote sustainable practices that safeguard our natural heritage while supporting local livelihoods, he said. Time for reflection The Director, Stakeholder and Ecotourism of the Wildlife Division, Dr Richard Gyimah, said the closed season would allow nature to breathe freely and allow wildlife to thrive undisturbed. This season is not merely a pause in our actions; it is an opportunity for us to reflect on the impact of our activities on the delicate ecosystem that sustains life in all its forms. During this season of reflection, we are reminded of the inseparable bond between our forests and their inhabitants. The majestic elephants that roam our wilderness, the melodious birds that fill the air with their songs just to mention a few are all part of the intricate web of life that keeps our planet in harmony, he said. Agenda 111 could delay unduly Dr Nawaane Daniel Kenu Politics Aug - 09 - 2023 , 06:17 The Deputy Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, has said the recent budgetary allocation of $89.34 million towards the governments Agenda 111 hospital project could delay the completion of the project unduly. Apart from the seed money of $100 million, only $89.34 has been added. Dr Nawaane, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Nabdam constituency, told the media in Parliament last Monday that with this kind of allocation it would take years instead of the 12 months period scheduled for its completion. Each hospital is expected to be completed within 12 months, starting from the point of commencement and each to be built at a cost of $17.5 million. The Agenda 111 project was launched two years ago by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo to correct the infrastructural deficit in the health sector and to ensure access to quality health delivery. The project was estimated to have been completed within a year but has dragged on due to funding challenges. While blaming the President for the delay since it is directly under his watch, the Deputy Ranking Member said a tour of some of the sites, including his constituency, Nabdam, showed that some were either at the land preparation stage or foundation level. Government has not been fair and truthful to Ghanaians. From the look of things, the government has no intention of finishing these projects. It means whoever takes over power in 2024 will inherit about 200 uncompleted projects. Dont forget the last National Democratic Congress (NDC) government left some 52 uncompleted projects, he said. About the project The government secured a US$100 million start-up fund through the Ghana Investment Infrastructure Fund (GIIF) for the commencement of works. On August 17, 2021, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo performed the sod-cutting ceremony at Trede in the Atwima Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti Region. The Project Implementation Committee, chaired by Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, had secured sites and land titles for 88 out of the 111 district hospitals and each unit would cost US$17.5 million, covering 15 acres. The Agenda 111 project includes 111 district hospitals, six regional hospitals in the newly created regions, two specialised hospitals in the middle and northern belts, as well as a regional hospital in the Western Region and renovation of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital. The objective of the project is to significantly deepen the delivery of quality health care at the district level and boost access to healthcare services for all citizens, towards ensuring the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Three. Christians must speak on national issues Bishop Osei-Bonsu Albert K. Salia Politics Aug - 09 - 2023 , 06:30 The Catholic Bishop of Konongo-Mampong Diocese, the Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu, has challenged members of the Christian community to speak out on national issues, especially matters of politics that affects the wellbeing of citizens. We need to have the courage to speak out when necessary, he stressed. He said it was the duty of Christians to speak out and condemn practices that went against the practice of Christianity, citing the phenomenon of same sex marriage. I must commend the Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall, a Catholic-friendly society, for the press statement that it issued in Accra in February 2013 condemning homosexuality and lesbianism, and urged the Noble Order to commend Parliamentarians on a good job done on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values 2021, currently before Parliament. At the same time, the Noble Order should challenge the President of the Republic to make known his position on the subject of same sex marriage, just as one Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu of the Konongo-Mampong Diocese did in his Open Letter to the President of April 3, 2023, he said amid applause from the audience. Conference He threw the challenge when he delivered the keynote address at the Ashanti Central Regional Conference of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall last Saturday at Jamasi in the Ashanti Region. The conference was on the theme: Examining the Significance of Spirituality and Religion in the Life of the Marshallan. He urged Marshallans to also champion the cause of justice as they could not close their eyes to injustice. According to him, justice was necessary not only in the judicial system but also in dealings with fellow human beings. There should be no room for discrimination on the basis of sex, social status, political affiliation and ethnicity, he said. Politics Most Rev. Osei-Bonsu, who is also the Supreme Spiritual Director of the society, urged the Marshallans to get actively involved in political activities of the country. As citizens of the nation, Marshallans have every right to be involved in the political life of the country. They should be actively involved in politics. They should join political parties, take part in voting, seek key positions in political parties, in government, district assemblies, he stated. He, however, challenged the Marshallans to try to transform the world of politics by infusing Christian values into politics. They should strive to become members of Parliament, President, etc. If they refuse to vote, or show indifference to political issues, other people will vote and take decisions which will affect them, for good or for ill, he stressed. Corruption He said in line with the spirituality that Catholics professed, they also had to tackle the canker of corruption in the country. Spirituality is incompatible with bribery and corruption which is endemic in our country, he said. Most Rev. Osei-Bonsu cited examples of bribery and corruption among police personnel, employers, tutors/lecturers, traders, health professionals and media practitioners, who sought favours before rendering services or allowing offenders to go scot free. Is the NDC trying to run the Bank of Ghana now? - Richard Ahiagbah Getrude Ankah Nyavi Politics Aug - 09 - 2023 , 09:45 The Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah has said the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) was using propaganda to create distraction in relation to the party's call for the Governor of the Bank of Ghana and his two deputies to resign. Is the NDC trying to run the Bank of Ghana now? Is that the point they want to communicate to us, that the Bank of Ghana cannot make a decision until they refer to the NDC? This whole thing the NDC is doing is a clear distraction, clear evidence that the NDC doesnt have any message," he said. The opposition NDC on Tuesday issued a call for the resignation of Dr. Ernest Addison, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), as well as his deputies. Amid concerns over the fiscal performance and management of the central bank, the NDC has set forth a demand for accountability. At a press conference held under the banner of the NDC's "Moment of Truth" series, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader, accused Dr. Addison of overseeing the mismanagement of the Bank of Ghana, which allegedly led to a staggering loss of GH60.8 billion during the 2022 fiscal year. Reacting to the NDC's call in a radio interview on Accra based Citi FM, Richard Ahiagbah said it was a reflection of the NDCs lack of ideas to help stabilise the economy. He added that The relevant message any political party should communicate now is how do we strengthen this recovery, how do we make this recovery long term, how do we turn the curve and remain on a path to growth? The NDC must call another press conference on Wednesday, this one they have done is a mistake. They should call another and tell Ghanaians their ideas to ensure this economy continues to build forward that is where the conversation should go. He said the GH60.8 billion losses incurred by the Bank of Ghana in its 2022 fiscal year was not unique to Ghana, but something being experienced by other central banks as well. Central banks across the world are posting heavy losses, and the NDC knows about this. The Bank of England is owed in excess, a debt on their books, the Swiss bank is also owed, this is an incident happening across the board. This is because all economies are trying to build back due to COVID-19,l and Russian-Ukraine war, the Director of Communications of the NPP said. NDC demands resignation of BoG Governor Dickson Worlanyo Dotse Politics Aug - 09 - 2023 , 06:37 The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called for the resignation of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Addison, over alleged mismanagement of the nations central bank. The party threatened to occupy the central bank if the governor and his team refused to vacate their positions after the 21-day ultimatum. In this regard, we call for the resignation of the Governor of the central bank and his deputies within 21 days from today," it said. The Minority Leader and NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Ajumako Enyan Esiam in the Central Region, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, made the call at a press conference dubbed the "Moment of Truth" series in Accra yesterday. The call comes after the Annual Report and Financial Statement of the Bank of Ghana (BOG), which was released last week, revealed that the BoG had recorded a loss of GH60.8 billion, which is equivalent to $6 billion and recorded a negative equity of over GH55.1 billion. In other words, the once prestigious Bank of Ghana, the mother of all banks in Ghana, has been bankrupted and collapsed by this NPP economic management team led by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia with the complicity of the Governor of the Central Bank, Dr Forson stressed. Causes The NDC alleged that the governor conspired with members of the Economic Management Team led by Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to illegally print money after the country got locked out of the capital market due to unsustainable debt obligations. He said that after over-lending to the government, the central bank proceeded to write-off a GH 48.4 billion debt owed it by the government without seeking parliamentary approval. It is about half of Ghana Governments indebtedness to the Central Bank. This is illegal and the NDC Members of Parliament will not allow this to pass, he stated. Stressing the acts of alleged mismanagement captured in the 2022 report, he said that millions of Ghana Cedis had been wasted on frivolous administrative expenditure, including GH131.6 million on motor vehicle maintenance, signifying a 114 per cent increase over the 2021 expenditure. Similarly, he said, foreign and domestic travels of the Bank of Ghana cost the Ghanaian tax payer a staggering GH97.4 million, which was about 246 per cent increase over the previous year. The Bank of Ghana also dissipated another GH8.6 million on directors remuneration alone. This represents about 87 per cent increase over the previous years expenditure. This means that Ghanaians were charged a mismanagement fee to deliver the collapse of the bank, he said. The Bank further claimed to have spent a colossal GH357.9 million on Banking Supervision Expenses. The Report disclosed other undisclosed expenses amounted to GH287.8 million of the taxpayers money, he added. He further accused the governor of being insensitive to the nation and the central banks plight because Dr Addison working with the banks Board was investing $250 million (GH2.8 billion) on another Head Office building at Ridge. Rescue Dr Forson said the party would continue to explore ways of rescuing the country to prevent it from the doom that had befallen several countries in the subregion, adding that the International Monetary Fund had made offers to assist develop a plan for the recapitalisation of the central bank . Those who have by their reckless conduct unleashed economic hardship and financial distress on the suffering people of Ghana must be held to account. Impunity of the highest order can no longer be tolerated by the suffering masses of Ghanaians. We must not allow dangerous precedents to be set for future leaders, he said. Speaker of Parliament advocates participation of Chiefs in Ghana's politics GraphicOnline Politics Aug - 09 - 2023 , 16:22 The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has put forth the proposal that traditional chiefs should be allowed to actively engage in political activities within the country. Speaking at a public forum in Takoradi yesterday, Mr. Bagbin emphasized the necessity of reevaluating constitutional provisions that currently prohibit chiefs from participating in active politics. He believes that revisiting these provisions could enable Ghana to tap into the wisdom and expertise of chiefs, thereby enriching the landscape of representative governance. We need to listen, think together, and well be taking stock on what we did wrong with our leaders, that chiefs should not be in active politics and thats not helping us. They used to govern; today we have imposed other chiefs on our chiefs, so we have District Chief Executives, he said. The forum was part of activities to mark 30 years of parliamentary democracy and themed: 30 years of parliamentary democracy under the 4th Republic: The journey thus far.. As part of commemorating three decades of parliamentary democracy, Mr. Bagbin stressed the urgency of addressing the perceived exclusion of citizens from the benefits of Ghana's democratic journey. He underscored the importance of constructive discourse, noting that Ghana needs to reassess the historical sidelining of chiefs from political engagement. Mr. Bagbin expressed his conviction that the historical traditions of Africa embraced democratic principles, promoting competition and participatory governance. He highlighted that concepts akin to parliamentary systems were present in various forms across African kingdoms and empires long before European colonization. Reflecting on the past and the present, the Speaker of Parliament remarked that Africa's contributions to democratic principles were often unacknowledged, and many ideas were "stolen" and later presented as novel by outsiders. Nana Kobina Nketsia, the paramount chief of Essikado Traditional Area, echoed Mr. Bagbin's sentiments, emphasizing the importance of parliamentary engagement in public matters and economic justice discussions. Mr. Bagbin urged Ghana to embrace its blessings and confront the challenges that persist, while also acknowledging the social and political disruptions being experienced across sub-Saharan regions as indications of a disconnect between the citizenry and governance. After three decades of democratic experimentation, Mr. Bagbin stressed the critical role of Parliament in fostering closer connections with the people. This involves transparently discussing challenges and collectively finding solutions to overcome obstacles. TSMC, Robert Bosch GmbH, Infineon Technologies AG, and NXP Semiconductors N.V. plan to invest jointly ina joint ventureEuropean Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) GmbH, in Dresden, Germanyto provide advanced semiconductor manufacturing services. ESMC marks a significant step towards construction of a 300 mm fab to support the future capacity needs of the fast-growing automotive and industrial sectors, with the final investment decision pending confirmation of the level of public funding for this project. The project is planned under the framework of the European Chips Act. The planned fab is expected to have a monthly production capacity of 40,000 300 mm (12-inch) wafers on TSMCs 28/22 nanometer planar CMOS and 16/12 nanometer FinFET process technology, further strengthening Europes semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem with advanced FinFET transistor technology and creating about 2,000 direct high-tech professional jobs. ESMC aims to begin construction of the fab in the second half of 2024 with production targeted to begin by the end of 2027. The planned joint venture will be 70% owned by TSMC, with Bosch, Infineon, and NXP each holding 10% equity stake, subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions. Total investments are expected to exceed 10 billion consisting of equity injection, debt borrowing, and strong support from the European Union and German government. The fab will be operated by TSMC. This investment in Dresden demonstrates TSMCs commitment to serving our customers strategic capacity and technology needs, and we are excited at this opportunity to deepen our long-standing partnership with Bosch, Infineon, and NXP. Europe is a highly promising place for semiconductor innovation, particularly in the automotive and industrial fields, and we look forward to bringing those innovations to life on our advanced silicon technology with the talent in Europe. Dr CC Wei, Chief Executive Officer of TSMC Semiconductors are not only a crucial success factor for Bosch. Their reliable availability is also of great importance for the success of the global automotive industry. Apart from continuously expanding our own manufacturing facilities, we further secure our supply chains as an automotive supplier through close cooperation with our partners. With TSMC, we are pleased to gain a global innovation leader to strengthen the semiconductor ecosystem in the direct vicinity of our semiconductor plant in Dresden. Dr Stefan Hartung, chairman of the Bosch board of management Taiwan-based TSMC pioneered the pure-play foundry business model when it was founded in 1987, and has been the worlds leading dedicated semiconductor foundry ever since. The company supports a thriving ecosystem of global customers and partners with the industrys leading process technologies and portfolio of design enablement solutions. TSMC deployed 288 distinct process technologies, and manufactured 12,698 products for 532 customers in 2022 by providing a broad range of advanced, specialty and advanced packaging technology services. A Zenfone 9 user contacted Asus' technical support regarding unlocking the bootloader on their smartphone, and in response, Asus said that bootloader unlocking would not be possible for Zenfone 9 and Zenfone 10. The bootloader unlocking tool is also unavailable, which suggests Asus would no longer allow bootloader unlocking on its smartphones. However, a response by the Taiwanese brand's PR representative to XDA-Developers' former Editor-in-Chief Mishaal Rahman is reassuring, even if it's still vague. Rahman's Asus PR contact said that the company's customer support "misunderstood the situation," and while the unlock tool is currently unavailable, Asus is "allowing the possibility to unlock" the bootloader on its phones. Asus Zenfone 10 That's good news, but Asus has neither revealed the reason for the unavailability of the bootloader unlock tool nor has it provided any timeframe for the availability of this tool for the Zenfone 9 and Zenfone 10, so all that the users of these smartphones can do right now is wait for the Taiwanese tech company to release the bootloader unlocking tool again. Source Several days later and after over 400,000 folds, the Great Folding Test Vol. II is finally over. YouTube channel Mrkeybrd showed a multi-day livestream during which the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 went head to head with the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra (aka Razr+). The Galaxy Z Flip5 was the last phone standing, after an impressive 401,156 folds. There were some issues along the way, around half way through (223K folds) the hinge lost its ability to maintain half-closed angles. Still, the phone kept chugging along until the 400K mark. The final tally: Galaxy Z Flip5 dead after 401,156 folds, the Razr 40 Ultra after only 126,367 folds Samsung is officially advertising only 200,000 folds, which is verified using machines. The company puts things in perspective like so - 200,000 folds is 100 folds a day for 5 years. By the way, Mrkeybrd explains that doing the test by hand is tougher on the phone since humans are not nearly as precise as robots, the robots that neatly fold the phone with perfect alignment and even force. For comparison, the Moto Razr 40 Ultra failed much earlier it died at just 126,266 cycles. It started developing issues even sooner, after around 44K folds. This is despite Motorola claiming that the Razr hinge is rated for 400,000 folds, double what Samsung is claiming (but only the Samsung actually got there). By the way, this same channel posted the following video about the Razrs failure why they think it failed and how you can try to avoid the same thing happening to your Razr 40 Ultra. And it also underlines the point that humans break things faster. Source In an effort to safeguard reproductive rights on Guam and provide easy and safe access to abortions, Sen. William Parkinson and Sen. Thomas Fisher have introduced Bill 162-37 to allow those seeking access to abortions to be informed through virtual medical consultations instead of being restricted to in-person consultations. The bill would also remove the requirement that doctors provide certain additional information to those seeking abortions, including any medical assistance for prenatal care, public assistance for medical insurance or any public services to help facilitate the childs adoption. I firmly believe that every person should have the right to make informed decisions about their own body and health care, declared Parkinson. Restrictive abortion laws have disproportionately affected our island community, impeding their ability to access safe and legal healthcare services. It is imperative that we take action to ensure that all individuals have the freedom to make the best choices for themselves and their families. This bill would update the Womens Reproductive Health Information Act of 2012 by removing many outdated and harmful anti-choice provisions that place unnecessary obstacles in the way of accessing abortion services, according to Parkinsons office. A press release from Parkinsons office noted that the proposed legislation was crafted with input from legal scholars and advocacy groups to create a more inclusive and compassionate approach to reproductive health. Parkinson hopes to empower individuals to make decisions that are aligned with their personal values and circumstances. The removal of these abortion laws is part of Sen. Parkinsons broader commitment to promoting comprehensive reproductive health education, access to contraceptives and support for maternal and child healthcare. By championing these initiatives, the Senator is working toward a future where reproductive rights are fully recognized, respected, and protected. Not only would the bill allow for virtual medical consultations for those seeking abortion, but it also removes the requirement that physicians must inform the patient of unnecessary information, such as the possible sex of the fetus, the anatomical makeup of the fetus, and other information that aims to essentially guilt-trip a patient into not getting an abortion, added Parkinson. Parkinson noted he will be withdrawing an earlier version of the bill, Bill 160-37 (LS). He explained that after speaking with multiple advocacy groups and colleague Sen. Fisher, Bill 162 provides even stronger protection for the peoples right to bodily autonomy. I am not a woman nor do I have a uterus, so I fully acknowledge that this issue is something that I must champion carefully with the help of those directly affected by it, Parkinson said. I initially introduced Bill 160 as a swift response to the 9th Circuits decision that medical consultations for abortion patients had to be done in person. Sen. Parkinson then thanked Sen. Fisher for the bipartisan collaboration. Id also like to thank my colleague, Sen. Fisher, for co-sponsoring this measure with me, Parkinson concluded. In a world where reproductive rights are being attacked more and more every single day, it is important to show our community that there are leaders on both sides of the spectrum who are willing to fight for them. I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this bill, that provides a significant step to protecting the reproductive rights of both women and men, said co-sponsor Sen. Tom Fisher. I congratulate Sen. Parkinson for having the foresight of bringing this forward. Sen. Chris M. Duenas has introduced an amendment to the current legislative budget bill for fiscal year 2024. The amendment was introduced to help ensure that the Department of Administration allocates $20 million dollars to the Guam Department of Education for repairs and maintenance of school infrastructure, according to a news release from his office. The funds will primarily be used to meet safety, sanitation and education requirements through the purchase of equipment, materials and supplies, and the hiring of skilled workers. Duenas amendment is to support public education in the community so that the much-needed funding he originally allocated GDOE through his Public Law 37-5 is seen. A favorable vote on his amendment will further close the gap in the GDOEs funding request and will reinforce Sen. Duenas commitment to our islands public school system. The proposed amendment represents a continuation of financial support to address ongoing educational needs, added his office. Recognizing the crucial role that education plays in shaping the future of our island, Sen. Duenas emphasizes the importance of investing in our schools, teachers, and students. We understand the significance of a well-funded education system in nurturing the talents and potential of young minds. This amendment underscores our dedication to empowering the Guam Department of Education and their students, equipping them for success! said Duenas. Duenas is prepared to take alternative action in the event that the proposed amendment is deemed out of order by the fiscal chair. He is ready to suggest that the amendment be moved to the miscellaneous section of the bill, ensuring that the original $20 million allocation passed for GDOE is given to them. Senator Duenas remains committed to safeguarding the interests of our students and teachers, concluded his office. His proposed amendment stands as a testament to his commitment and the dedication to securing a brighter future for Guam. Sen. Chris Barnett also shared his approval for the amendment to support GDOE. Its in line with what Superintendent Swanson and GDOE leadership have communicated to us. We appropriated the $20M earlier in the term, stated Barnett. DOA Director Birn had told us GDOE was getting the money in May, only to find out months later the funds were recalled for the Typhoon Mawar response. GDOE has told us they want their money back and I support that. Additional information and discussions about the amendment are pending the continuation of the 37th Guam Legislatures session to discuss the budget bill. Child sexual abuse cases against former archbishop Anthony S. Apuron, defrocked priest Adrian Cristobal and other defendants that are not part of the Archdiocese of Aganas multimillion-dollar settlement could go to trial, based on Wednesdays status hearing in federal court. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood, in the meantime, needed more information from the parties before deciding whether the cases could go forward. Some defendants have yet to be formally served. Cases tied to the Boy Scouts of Americas still ongoing bankruptcy case in Delaware, which is under appeal, remain on pause. Attorney Delia Lujan Wolff, whose law firm represents most of Guams clergy sexual abuse survivors, said the seven cases against Apuron will be going forward. The former archbishop has yet to be deposed, she said. A Vatican tribunal convicted Apuron of sexual assaults of multiple minors, and upheld that decision after Apuron filed an appeal. The Vatican stripped Apuron of his title. Tydingco-Gatewood, at the hearing, gave parties more time to serve proper notice to the other defendants, including former Catholic school music teacher Ray Caluag whos believed to be in the Philippines, and the Marist Brothers. The judge also gave plaintiffs more time to make a motion to dismiss or file a notice of dismissal involving certain defendants. Based on the hearing, religious orders Capuchins and Sisters of Mercy have already settled with several of the claimants. Some of these cases should have already been dismissed, the judge said, but parties have yet to file notice of voluntary dismissal, among other things. Prior to the Boy Scouts filing bankruptcy, it also already settled with a number of Guam abuse survivors. The still ongoing BSA bankruptcy case, however, ties up many other cases and defendants, including scouting chapters and insurers. Besides the cases against Apuron and Cristobal, also expected to move forward are the cases against other priests such as Andrew Manetta and George Maddock, now deceased. The Archdiocese of Agana already agreed to pay millions of dollars to some 280 abuse survivors under a bankruptcy court-approved settlement plan, and payments through a trustee have started. Some 244 civil cases remain, based on discussions at the hearing. The judge will be issuing an order on specific actions that parties must take to move the cases along. Cases vs. schools dismissed The judge said the cases against school-defendants that the court earlier ruled to be part of the archdiocese estate in a related case, will be dismissed. These include the dismissal of cases against Father Duenas Memorial School, San Vicente Catholic School and Santa Barbara Catholic School. Attorneys representing survivors said there are schools that are not under the archdiocese and the cases against them still stand, including Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School and Notre Dame High School. I was raped Two of about 280 clergy sexual abuse survivors showed up at the Wednesday status hearing, and one of them said he is seeking a better settlement payment offer in the archdiocese bankruptcy case which has been closed. The payouts are now handled by the court-appointed trustee. I was raped and abused by two priests, the man, with initials M.D. to protect his privacy, said right after the hearing. Reliving the pain, I still get nightmares. The former lead altar boy, in his 2017 lawsuit and during Wednesdays interview, said former Saipan bishop Tomas Camacho, when he was still a priest at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Inalahan, raped him multiple times from about 1971 to 1974. He said he was also sexually abused by Louis Brouillard, when he was still a priest at the San Isidro Catholic Church of Malojloj and a scoutmaster, also in the 1970s. Both Camacho and Brouillard are now deceased. I believe my rating should be 100% and not 85%, M.D. said, citing the multiple rapes as a child. He said hes opening up about his situation, in hopes of getting a better treatment under the settlement and to get continued treatment after he was earlier diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer. A 2016 Guam law allowed the filing of lawsuits involving childhood sexual assaults regardless of how long ago those assaults allegedly happened. The archdiocese later filed for bankruptcy because of the deluge of clergy sexual abuse complaints. iciHaiti - NOTICE : The American Embassy closed for consular services Monday, August 8, 2023, the United States Embassy in Port-au-Prince was not closed. The Embassy advises that it did not provide services to the public and was open for limited operations only. All personnel have been restricted to embassy compounds until further notice due to gunfire near the embassy. Travel between concessions has been prohibited. Some routes to the Embassy may be affected due to continuous rapid fire. The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince will be closed for public (consular) services on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 but will be open for limited operations only. For your safety avoid the area. Avoid demonstrations and large gatherings of people. If you encounter a roadblock, turn around and go to a safe area. IH/ iciHaiti Haiti - History : 165th anniversary of the death of Empress Dessalines Tuesday, August 8, 2023, as part of the "Year of Haitian Heritage" Emmelie Prophete Milce, the Minister of Culture paid a vibrant tribute to the heroine Marie Claire Heureuse Felicite Bonheur Dessalines on the occasion of the 165th anniversary of her death on the night of August 8 to 9, 1858. She was crowned Empress, with her husband, General Jean-Jacques Dessalines, on October 8, 1804. On this memorable occasion, the Minister recalled "the immeasurable support of the Empress for the independence of the first Black Republic. Thanks to her courage and bravery, she ranks among the women who have marked Haitian society with strong ink." During the siege of Jacmel in 1800, she became known for her work on behalf of the wounded and convinced Dessalines, who was one of the besiegers, to allow a few roads to be opened so that the wounded in the town could receive medicine. aid. She provided the women and children with food, clothing, and medicine that she was able to bring to the city, and then cooked food for them in the streets. During the War of Independence, she treated wounded soldiers during the clashes between the Indigenous Army and the Napoleonic army and was recognized as the first known nurse in the history of Haiti. The wife of Emperor Jean Jacques Dessalines was born in Leogane in 1758, she experienced slavery and worked in the fields of education and health. It was she who taught Dessalines the first notions of reading and writing. After the deposition and death of her husband in 1806, she refused the hospitality of Henri Christophe. As her spouse's property had been confiscated, she lived in poverty in Saint-Marc until August 1843. She went to live with her granddaughter and lived in poverty until her death on the night of August 8-9. 1858 in Gonaives at over a hundred years old. A reminder to all Haitians, of all political and ideological beliefs, of the nobility of great compromises between brothers and sisters bound by a common destiny. HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2023/08/09 | Source New stills and trailer added for the upcoming Korean movie "Havana" Main Trailer Advertisement "Havana" (2022) Directed by Hong Yong-ho With Yoo Da-in, Kang Min-hyuk, Gong Sang-ah, Joo Bo-young, Jung Sae-byeol, Lee So-yoon,... Synopsis Jeong-min, a rookie lawyer, becomes Yoon-ah's public attorney, as she is accused of murdering her husband. Against a nasty prosecutor, a mysterious judge, and all the suspicions surrounding the defendant, Jeong-min seeks to unravel the truth behind the conspiracies of the case. Release date in Korea : 2023/09 The task force yesterday lent an ear to Ombudsman for Equality Rainer Hiltunen , Ombudsman for Non-Discrimination Kristina Stenman , Ombudsman for Children Elina Pekkarinen and Ombudsman for the Elderly Paivi Topo . THE TASK FORCE appointed to draft a government statement on promoting equality and non-discrimination held its first meeting on Tuesday, reports Helsingin Sanomat. The four ruling parties are represented in the task force by the state secretaries of their chairpersons. Seats on the task force are also held by the permanent state secretaries of the Ministry of Justice, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Education, and Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The objective yesterday was to review the current situation with state secretaries and the secretariat, Risto Artjoki, the state secretary to Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP), revealed to Helsingin Sanomat. The task force will hold its next hearings on Thursday and Friday. Overall, it will hear more than 100 stakeholders before finalising the statement, which is to be presented to parliament in early September. The purpose of the statement is to expound and clarify on provisions in the government programme in a way that demonstrates the governments commitment to combating racism and discrimination. Lawmakers will be able to vote on confidence in the government and any of its ministers in conjunction with the presentation. The task force was appointed in the wake of media reporting about the racist online comments of Minister of Finance Riikka Purra (PS). Purra has apologised for the comments but insisted that they appear worse than they actually were because, in news reports, they have been taken out of context with no regard for their sarcasm and insider joke-filled style. Committing the Finns Party to the governments work against racism is another objective of the preparatory work, sources within the government told Helsingin Sanomat in July. Racist campaign launched against initiative for anti-racism training in Jyvaskyla The Ministry of Justice on Tuesday revealed it is mulling over changes to the municipal initiative service in response abuses. In Jyvaskyla, a municipal initiative calling for the introduction of anti-racism training as part of personnel training at the city recently came under a racist smear campaign. YLE on Monday reported that the campaign was machinated on Ylilauta, a popular anonymous Finnish-language discussion forum. Artjoki on Tuesday stated to the newspaper that the hearings will be used to determine the extent to which the action plan for combating racism devised by the previous government will be continued. The plan lays down 8 objectives and 52 measures for combating racism and promoting good relations between population groups, including launching campaigns, adopting guidelines and training employers to eliminate discrimination in recruitment. What are the key things in the action plan that are worth continuing? There are things that have been carried out, and it doesnt make sense to do them again immediately, he said, adding that hopefully the hearings also yield new proposals for anti-racism measures. Continuity is critical for combating racism, researchers stated to Helsingin Sanomat on Tuesday. Combating racism isnt a segment thats separate from the rest of society, but it should be an inseparable part of all activity, outlined Minna Seikkula, a postdoctoral research fellow at Tampere University. The debate about racism has continued with the emergence of new revelations about racist messages and statements by members of the Finns Party. Recently the debate has veered into the definition of racism. Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman (PS), whose private messages to his now ex-girlfriend were laden with racist language, stated to Verkkouutiset last week that he rejects racism as it is classically understood. Jani Makela, the chairperson of the Finns Party Parliamentary Group, claimed to Helsingin Sanomat last week that some political movements have tried to expand the definition of racism beyond how it is understood by the populist right-wing party. Artjoki told the newspaper yesterday that the task force will use the previous governments action plan for combating racism as the basis for defining racism. Its a compact definition, he explained. The plan defines racism as a mode mode of thinking where groups of people are deemed inferior due to characteristics such as ethnic origin, skin colour, nationality, culture, native language or religion. Racism, it adds, may manifest in different areas of society as deliberate or unintended behaviour between individuals and groups based on prejudice and fear of the alien, as well as discriminatory practices in the structures of society. Racism is considered a system where policies, institutional practices, culture and other norms maintain societal power structures that see certain groups as inferior to other groups, the definition concludes. Aleksi Teivainen HT FIVE swimmers from Henley swam the length of Loch Ness in Scotland. The group comprised Fiona Print, Susan Barry and Joan Fennelly, of the Henley Mermaids, Mrs Barrys son Alex and a friend of the women, Tammy Hirst. They completed the 23-mile challenge in 18 hours over two days despite two interruptions. They swam in a relay, with each one swimming for an hour at a time while the others waited on a pilot boat and kept warm. When they neared the finish at Lochend at 3pm on Monday, they jumped into the water and swam the last 100m to shore together to be greeted by their husbands and partners who had come to support them. Mrs Print said: It definitely wasnt easy but it was spectacularly beautiful. I feel exhilarated now it was amazing. The swimmers were supposed to start from Fort Augustus on Sunday at 5am but the pilot of their boat had a car accident involving a stag and needed a replacement vehicle so they couldnt start swimming until 10am. They kept going until midnight but then had to stop when the pilot boat broke down in the big waves. They were towed to Urquhart harbour and couldnt restart until 11am on Monday when the boat had been fixed. They spent the night at a farmhouse near Lochend. The group were swimming in aid of the Mermaids Swim 21 campaign, which is raising money for the Henley Community Hub and renovation of Trinity Hall into a community centre. Mrs Print, a nurse who lives in St Marks Road, Henley, said the swim was harder than she had anticipated due to conditions. She said: It was windy and the water was very choppy and we didnt quite expect it to be as cold as it was or the swim to be as difficult. We had done plenty of fast swimming in preparation. We trained mainly in the Thames and the river water was warmer than the water in the loch. As the day went on, it seemed even colder and when you reach the middle of the loch, the water is so deep that it is really cold. The loch was 14C and Monday was the coldest because of the wind. We didnt wear wetsuits only a swimming costume, caps and goggles. The most important thing was making sure we could swim fast for an hour at a time. Because we all had different conditions and some were more difficult than others, we werent measuring times or distances, we just had to swim for an hour. It was brackish freshwater and peaty coloured, so very brown and you couldnt see much beneath you. But it was very clean and they are very proud of the fact that they keep it free from sewage and rubbish and so forth. We didnt meet the monster, either. The swimmers were frustrated by the interruptions. Mrs Print said: The first swim was delayed because the pilot had a car accident on the way in, which meant we went from 10am and it got to midnight and we were still swimming. We had to stop overnight and start again the next morning because the boat had broken down at midnight while we were still swimming. We had to moor the boat and get it fixed and had our husbands, who were staying with us in the farmhouse, come and collect us. The pilot and the crew on board the boat were very good to us and they knew we really wanted to finish the swim. It was a great boat, which warmed us up in between swims quite easily. Our husbands drove us around and waited for us and cheered us on. At nighttime, they would flash the torches around so we could see them they were the only people watching by that point. It was just us swimming and there werent many boats around, only one boat on Monday. There were some tourist boats and they would wave at us as they went by. It was amazing swimming as soon as it got dark, absolutely magical. By then the wind had fired down and there was a great atmosphere. Mrs Barry, a teacher who lives in Cromwell Road, said: We had a headwind on Sunday and it was really hard because the waves kept coming at you and you were swimming into the wind. On Monday, there was a tailwind, which made it even harder. The loch was quite a few degrees colder than the Thames, which doesnt sound like much, but you feel it in the water. The most challenging bit was when youre swimming for an hour and you get the signal that there is 10 minutes left. Youre then waiting for the one minute signal and it feels like it is taking forever. On the day of the car accident, we were up at 3am and breakfasted by 3.30am, ready to leave and get down to Fort Augustus, which took about an hour, and we got the call about the accident. Completely psyched up to go, we had to go back to bed and try to sleep. You mentally charge yourself up to do this and we werent able to go back to sleep. We had a very supportive group of husbands and partners. Mrs Print added: It was a personal challenge for all of us, although it came under the umbrella of the Mermaids. I dont know what is next there are 30,000 lochs in Scotland so we have got a lot to get through. The funding of an online media entity by a Chinese linked US tech entrepreneur is part of a larger game of influence and narrative peddling by the Xi Jinping regime commensurate with the rise of Beijing as an aspiring global super power. Chinese President Xi Jinping Since PLA belligerence in East Ladakh in May 2020, the Indian intelligence has been monitoring Chinese penetration of sensitive sectors through automated investment routes and have taken action against suspicious entities in the infrastructure sector like power, road and telecom. Of late, the Indian intelligence has also pointed out to the Modi government about Chinese influence peddling in Indian media through investments and other lures including funding of education of media recruit or paid vacations, travels to sensitive places like Lhasa or simply paying cold cash. While many are rightly shocked about the Chinese funding of media entities, positive narrative setting or influence peddling is legitimate operation for Chinese intelligence as the same has been done by US, Russian or even British intelligence over the past decades. It is part and process of a country's seeding in global power rankings. And it is not only the media but even political parties that are subverted or aligned to understand the view of a third country like China through innocent appearing diplomatic interactions, invites to lectures in think tanks or a fully paid vacation abroad. The deep penetration of Chinese intelligence has been noticed in countries in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the Indian sub-continent with dark arts in full display. The posting of envoys belonging to the United Front Works Department of the Communist Party of China in the Indian sub-continent and Africa are part of this effort to set a positive narrative for Xi Jinping regime. Given that China is number two economic and military power in the world, amounts like 38 crore invested in an online website are peanuts for Beijing as it is investing humongous amounts to set the narrative in the US media, Europe and Australia. The CPC has been successful to a large extent as despite the global pandemic clearly having origins in Wuhan in China, the media and political outrage was largely subdued and contained from Beijing perspective even though the global economy was devastated by the disease. That the Chinese influence peddling through paid or propaganda media is a huge success is also evident from the virtual silence of the Muslim World over serious repression of Sunni Uighur Muslims in Sinkiang (Xinjiang in mandarin) province by the Xi Jinping regime. Countries like Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar, Iran, which drum up any Muslim cause to take leadership of Islamic world, have maintained silence on Uighur repression at the hands of CPC over the past decades even as they strengthen their economic ties with Beijing, The west largely Europe, UK and Canada, who carry human rights on their political shoulders, have also been quiet with stray noises coming out of US. The same is the case of Buddhist repression in Tibet as Beijing does demographic changes in the region with influx of Han Chinese from hinterland through brute force. There is hardly any criticism of the umbilical cord that China has dictatorships in North Korea, Myanmar or for that matter Iran. While the Narendra Modi government has taken note of intelligence reports about other media organizations under Chinese influence and will take legal action on them based on proof, time has come for India also to use its influence to correct the anti-India narrative by reaching out to adversarial media or political parties abroad. It may be treason for some, but in the power world this is a legitimate force multiplier if India has ambitions to become a power in the coming decades. This is the job that the Indian government and its arms had forgotten over the decades as the country was just involved in bread and butter issues or domestic political chaos. Indian diplomacy has only now realized that soft power comes only from hard power. If India aspires to be a world power instead of a regional one, it is important for the Modi government to strengthen counter-intelligence (CI) to cut down those spreading false propaganda on behalf of an adversarial power like China or its tributary state Pakistan. While steps have been taken to add muscle to CI in the past two years, the Indian system is not even a fraction of what is functioning in either China or the US. For example, the Indians military personnel involved in cyber security are less than 1000 while there are more than 5000 involved in China and nearly 10,000 in the US for counter-cyber operations. Over the decades, India has justified its ignorance about the way decisions are made by Chinese leadership by saying that the Communist system was opaque while Beijing used its political and media proxies to glean information about Indian decision making. Even though the Google maps show cartographical variance in favour of China over the Doklam tri-junction, India has just not been able to counter the Chinese narrative of what happened in 2017 or in 2020. Nothing has changed since 1962, when many within India supported China and the clueless Indian intelligence chief told the Nehru government that the PLA will not initiate war against India. India needs to counter Chinese dark operations or else it will always be following a false narrative through paid media. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Shishir Gupta Author of Indian Mujahideen: The Enemy Within (2011, Hachette) and Himalayan Face-off: Chinese Assertion and Indian Riposte (2014, Hachette). Awarded K Subrahmanyam Prize for Strategic Studies in 2015 by Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) and the 2011 Ben Gurion Prize by Israel. ...view detail India, 9th August, 2023: Igatpuri, the popular hill station for vacationers is set to get a new makeover with investment projects from Sarvppratham Developers, one of the pioneering real estate brands in the Igatpuri-Nashik region. The company is set to unleash major development projects across this flourishing zone. The developer not only delivered Phase 1 of its Anandvann project timely but also clocked an impressive nearly 100 percent occupancy in a short span of time. Following the success of Phase 1, while Phase 2 of the Anandvann township is close to delivery, the developer is busy drawing up a waitlist of tenants. Additionally, the company is also currently dedicated to the completion of Phase 1 of its Palm Hills project, which is set to be a collection of 84 luxury villas with private pools. Attesting to the excellent customer-centric services of the developer, the ongoing villa project has already secured a part Occupancy Certificate (OC). Igatpuri charms visitors with its lush fog, rolling hills, and panoramic views of serene lakes and cascading waterfalls. This picturesque destination has become a haven for tourists, however, beyond its allure to vacationers, Igatpuri is now rapidly gaining popularity as a real estate paradise, with untapped potential waiting to be explored. In addition to riding the development wave in the rapidly changing Igatpuri landscape, the projects by Sarvppratham Developers are aimed at offering the consumer a lucrative investment opportunity in real estate. Also, the company has recently brought on board actor Kishori Shahane as their brand ambassador. The projects by Sarvppratham Developers are aimed at offering the consumer a lucrative investment opportunity in real estate On that note, Mr. Anand Khattar of Sarvppratham Developers said, explaining the vision behind the latest projects, "The future of real estate investment lies in the tier 2 cities of India, as opposed to the metropolis. Drawing on our extensive experience, we reckon that soon Igatpuri will become a major node of logistics, industrial development and tourism. This region is the third point in the golden triangle of Maharashtra with Mumbai and Pune. This is why we have embarked on a mission to be the leader of real estate development in this area. Similarly, about the Igatpuri markets, Mr. Yash Shah, a real estate investor from Mumbai, mentions, "Metro cities have a lot of people like me who want to invest in emerging destinations which can give us multiplier returns as Goa has in the past few years. But markets like Goa are now overpriced and metros have very little upside left. With the opening of Samruddhi Expressway, Igatpuri seems like a promising investment." Similarly, echoing the potential for growth in the area, a 2023 hospitality report by HVS ANAROCK mentions that the Igatpuri-Nashik region is ranked among the top 5 destinations in the country for hotel brands. Owing to future business opportunities in the region, major hotel chains and hospitality brands are rushing to sign hotels. The enthusiasm from the hospitality sector and industries presents an opportunity for investors, especially at this moment when traveling to three major cities- Mumbai, Pune, and Surat is going to take half the time. The upcoming Pune-Nashik Expressway, Surat-Chennai Expressway, and Samruddhi Expressway Corridor are going to curtail the road travel time to Igatpuri from Pune, Surat and Mumbai, by a whopping 50 percent. Moreover, several long-distance trains, making halts at Igatpuri, are increasingly boosting its connectivity, while the Mumbai-Nashik Highway is also undergoing widening. The upcoming projects of Sarvppratham Developers will include a shopping complex named Highway Plaza, luxury thematic farmhouses, residential plots, retirement communities, and logistics parks among other infrastructure and welfare initiatives. Established in 2006, Sarvppratham Developers has built a strong legacy in land consolidation, catering to renowned real estate developers across the country. With Igatpuri gaining attention from investors, similar to how Lonavala once did, the company is now resolute in becoming a pioneer in the region. In the forthcoming years, Sarvppratham Developers is planning to be at the forefront of numerous real estate and infrastructure projects in Igatpuri, a region renowned for its breathtaking beauty nestled in the Western Ghats. As tourism and industrialisation continue to flourish in the area, the venture's projects will play a pivotal role in solidifying Igatpuri's popularity, positioning it as a coveted destination for residents and investors alike. For more information, please click here Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same. Mumbai, India 09-08-2023: inFi Media, a trailblazing influencer marketing agency renowned for its dominant presence in LinkedIn Influencer Marketing, is delighted to announce its acquisition by Cherrystone Media, a consortium of private investors specializing in the technology, media, and telecom (TMT) sector. This strategic acquisition is poised to unlock new synergies between both entities, significantly enhancing the scope and excellence of services offered to their esteemed clients and partners. Founded in July 2022 by the visionary duo of Dehit Bhardva and Prishita, both aged 20, inFi Media swiftly ascended to prominence within the influencer marketing domain, showcasing a distinct approach centred around harnessing the potential of LinkedIn. With seamless collaborations with over 100 creators from diverse sectors, the agency has proudly served distinguished clients such as Amazon, Spotify, Aditya Birla, Tata, Mahindra, Accel, Smallcase, and many others. Post-acquisition, inFi Media will continue to be led and operated by its original founders, Dehit and Prishita, who will also spearhead the combined entity under Cherrystone Media's umbrella. The acquisition was driven by the realization of LinkedIn's rich audience demographic, which includes Entrepreneurs, Product Managers, Engineers, and Consultants, making it an ideal platform for companies seeking a top-down approach to their marketing initiatives. Dehit Bhardva, Co-founder of inFi Media, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, inFi originated from our recognition of significant whitespace within the LinkedIn influencer marketing landscape. Our steadfast commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction remains unswerving as we evolve under Cherrystone Media's banner. This strategic move empowers us with enhanced resources and an extended reach, enabling us to elevate client experiences, foster growth, and broaden horizons. Prishita, Co-founder of inFi Media, added, This new phase for inFi within the Cherrystone Media family ignites excitement. We envision this transition as a remarkable avenue to transcend the realms of LinkedIn-focused influencer marketing and venture into unexplored domains. She further stated, In little over 12 months of operations, we crossed seven figures of topline while maintaining healthy profitability and a good NPS score. Industry reports project exponential growth for the influencer marketing industry, with an estimated compound annual growth rate of 25 percent over the next five years. The industry's value is expected to surge from Rs. 900 crores in 2021 to an estimated Rs. 2200 crore by 2025. As pioneers in LinkedIn-focused influencer marketing, inFi Media anticipates substantial success and market leadership, propelling them towards an exciting future of digital influence. With a track record of collaborating with over 40+ marquee brands, inFi Media has facilitated numerous successful product launches and amplification initiatives within the LinkedIn community. Cherrystone Media, guided by strategic intent, aims to expand its footprint through acquisitions and strategic interests in businesses that present synergistic potential, fostering exploration and growth. The union of inFi Media and Cherrystone Media marks a new chapter in influencer marketing, promising innovative strategies and unparalleled customer experiences. About inFi Media: inFi Media is a pioneering influencer marketing agency with a strong focus on LinkedIn Influencer Marketing. Established in July 2022, the agency rapidly gained prominence within the industry for its distinctive approach to leveraging the potential of LinkedIn to connect brands with their target audience. About Cherrystone Media: Cherrystone Media is a consortium of private investors operating in the technology, media, and telecom (TMT) space. Driven by a vision of growth and exploration, Cherrystone Media seeks strategic acquisitions and investments to expand its presence in various business domains. Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same. India, 8th August 2023: Much like in other disciplines, Parul University, which is among the foremost educational institutes in India, offers one of the most comprehensive education programs in Architecture via its Bachelor of Architecture. One of the salient features of the program is that right at the undergraduate level the students get the unique opportunity to be part of real-time projects, which help them master the best practices of the domain even before they foray into a full-fledged career. These internships that allow the students to gather in-depth domain knowledge are befitting the industry-centric pedagogy of the university. Additionally, the real-time projects help candidates gain solid interpersonal skills that are essential for a collaborative field such as Architecture. For example, while participating in the projects the students will bear witness to several creative disagreements. Such instances would serve as a window to learn that to be a successful architect it is not only important to be good at ones core competency but also essential to convince the stakeholders involved of ones plans. As a result, students could glean that for an impressive career soft skills such as communication, the ability to persuade, and more importantly, the ability to gauge the needs of the clients, which is imperative for professionals from any service sector. Explaining the objective behind the Bachelor of Architecture at Parul University, Dr. Devanshu Patel, President, Parul University said, Education at Parul University has never just been about academics. Since our inception, we have been focused on delivering outcome-based education, more so for practical disciplines such as Architecture. We believe that while we strive to provide superlative classroom learning, which is necessary for the theoretical foundation, what gives an extra edge to our cohort is our thrust on practical learning via opportunities such as internships and real-time projects. During these occasions, students also get the opportunity to seek mentorship from top architects and pick up the current best practices in the field from the leaders themselves. As a result of these sought-after core skills, our students stay ahead of the curve in todays competitive job market. Plus, the soft skills and organizational behaviour they acquire due to these stints, give them an additional advantage over their peers, which in other words means, a head start to their career. Attesting to the quality of education, especially to the emphasis on real-time project experience, it is worth mentioning that Parul University students have received lucrative offers of upto 30 LPA from leading companies such as the Reliance and Adani Group, and Larsen and Toubro. Also, aside from the core skills and soft skills, Parul University has more to offer to an aspiring architect. Given that as a subject Architecture is a fine blend of engineering and science and creativity on one hand and strong technical and academic knowledge and artistic skills on the other, Parul Universitys multidisciplinary environment provides the right ambience for the students to internalise the discipline. Moreover, the universitys state-of-the-art infrastructure includes the Architecture Studio, Laser Cutting Laboratory, Structural Laboratory, Material Laboratory, 3D Printing Laboratory and CAB Design Laboratory. These world-class facilities help students hone their skills better as architects-to-be. Additionally, the students get the unique chance to be exposed to leading domain exhibitions, where not only can they better network but also watch the latest industry trends. Similarly, in terms of exposure, the university has forged connections with leading architects in the country. Some of the notable names are the renowned architect, Christopher Benninger, Chetan Vaidya, Director GIFT City, Ex. Director, SPA, Delhi & NIUA, Delhi, and Prof. Osamu Ishiyama, Japanese Architect and Professor of WASEDA University. All in all, the Bachelor of Architecture program from Parul University does an excellent job of preparing students for a solid career path through engagements in real-time projects. Consequently, the cohort is adept at both domain and interpersonal skills, carrying with them and furthering Parul Universitys proud legacy of excellence. To know more visit Parul University Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same. India, 9th August, 2023: TRIMACARE, India's first prenatal pregnancy supplement based on the Multi-Micronutrient model (MMN), has been granted a patent, heralding a new era in prenatal care and marking a significant milestone in the vast Indian pregnancy market. India, with one of the world's largest populations, presents an immense pregnancy market. Despite this, the prenatal supplement industry has remained primarily dominated by iron and calcium supplements for decades. The patent grant to TRIMACARE signifies a paradigm shift, making it the first supplement in India that caters specifically to the unique needs of each trimester of pregnancy. TRIMACARE stands as a novel concept in a market inundated with generic supplements. Developed by co-founders Sameer Agarwal and Surbhi Gupta, TRIMACARE replaces the prevalent Iron-Folate-Calcium model with an advanced MMN approach. The result is a prenatal supplement that supports optimal brain development, organ growth, and weight gain in babies and robust maternal health. TRIMACARE stands as a novel concept in a market inundated with generic supplements. The company's vision to innovate and lead has resulted in the creation of a new category within the pregnancy market - one that recognizes and caters to the unique needs of pregnant women and their developing babies. To date, over 5000 doctors have prescribed TRIMACARE, reaching a satisfied base of 100,000 patients. Despite launching amidst the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic on 16th January 2021, the same day as the COVAXIN release, TRIMACARE's market success has been undeniable. With the patent grant, TRIMACARE plans to further expand its reach and disrupt the market. The company is set to go directly to pregnant women, with the continued support of gynaecologist, enabling them to choose a comprehensive and trimester-specific prenatal care solution. Beyond providing vital nutrients in a single dose, TRIMACARE is paving the way for enhanced patient compliance and ease of use, addressing the challenge of multiple-pill adherence. As TRIMACARE leads this new category in India's pregnancy market, it embodies the potential to reshape prenatal health nationwide. This patent is not only a testament to TRIMACARE's innovation but also a beacon pointing towards a healthier future for India's next generations. For more information, please contact:Sameer@pluspluslifesciences.com ,Surbhi@pluspluslifesciences.com Website -https://pluspluslifesciences.com/trimacare/ Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same. Expertrons, the world's leading skill tech startup, is making headlines in the professional world with its latest achievements. The company has successfully raised a strategic round of funding from Shine.com's parent company Hindustan Media Ventures Ltd (HMVL). This funding round also saw participation from Echjay Family office, Amar Ujala, and existing investors like Ivycap Ventures, Iceland Venture Studio, Venture Catalysts, Ah Ventures, and others. Jatin Solanki, Ayush Bansal, and Vivek Gupta (L to R) Founded in 2019 by IIT Bombay alumni Jatin Solanki and Vivek Gupta, Expertrons aims to democratise career insights and empower millions of aspiring professionals globally to achieve their dreams, the startup said in a statement. Their patent-pending videobot technology platform connects users with over 7500 Experts from renowned companies like Amazon, Accenture, TCS, Kotak Mahindra, and more. Through videobot, these experts share real-life career experiences, offering invaluable knowledge and strategies for cracking top jobs, internships, and business schools. "Our journey began with the realization that numerous talented individuals lacked access to crucial career secrets, which were often exclusive to a privileged few," said Jatin Solanki, Co-founder of Expertrons said in a statement. "We believe that everyone deserves a fair shot at success, and that's why we are committed to bridging the staggering information asymmetry in the career and job market," he added. Expertrons leverages the power of AI-powered recommendations to provide users with relevant videobots based on their backgrounds, college, domain of interest, and company preferences. Aspiring professionals can freely access these videobots and even schedule one-on-one calls with experts for personalized guidance tailored to their career aspirations. Describing the platform as the World's largest library of career experiences, Vivek Gupta, Co-founder of Expertrons, expressed their goal to catalyze the growth of over a billion professionals worldwide, supporting them through multiple career transitions throughout their lives. The recent funding will be utilized for product development, SEO initiatives, and overall growth, enabling Expertrons to reach more professionals globally. The strategic alliance with Shine.com through Hindustan Media Ventures Limited presents an exciting opportunity for Expertrons. Jatin Solanki mentioned, The content strategy will enable career experiences of experts on Expertrons to reach a wider audience. Shine's vast user base is ideal for Expertrons, making career success a reality for countless professionals. Sanjeev Bahl, AVP - Strategic Investment at Hindustan Times, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, Expertrons' innovative approach to career guidance caught our attention. Their dedication to democratising career insights and mentorship aligns perfectly with our vision. We're excited to be part of their journey towards empowering professionals worldwide. Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, MD and Founder of Venture Catalysts said, Indias job market is rapidly evolving, enabling several opportunities for professionals to take advantage. Upskilling has become crucial to achieving success in professional pursuits. Expertrons addresses a critical gap by leveraging insights from industry experts to advance careers and strengthen the countrys human capital. We have faith in the novel and innovative solutions provided by Expertrons platform, and are certain of a profitable partnership together. In addition to securing funding, Expertrons announced the acqui-hiring of Foxmula, a well-established upskilling company founded by Ayush Bansal. Foxmula has a remarkable track record of catering to over 10,000 aspirants through its live and self-paced programs, which are certified by renowned industry leaders such as Microsoft, Intuit, Pearson, and others. Vivek Gupta commented on the acquisition, With Foxmula's large target audience and expertise in Tech-based Certification, Expertrons is well-positioned to tap into the massive Tech Upskilling market, penetrating through online as well as offline channels by expanding the current network of channel partners pan India. and provide even more comprehensive support to aspiring professionals. Ayush Bansal said, "The synergy between Expertrons and Foxmula is undeniable. This milestone marks an exciting chapter in our journey. With Foxmula on board, Expertrons is geared up to expand its reach to the latest tech skills like Data Science or Generative AI, broaden its scope, and make a profound impact on the lives of millions of professionals worldwide," said Jatin. Expertrons offers upskilling programs (like Pro MBA - AICTE Approved PGDM in BFSI, Advanced Certification, etc.) in collaboration with prestigious institutes like E&ICT Academy IIT Guwahati, All India Management Association, the State University of New York and E&ICT NIT Patna, along with job-oriented programs in association with top companies like Kotak Mahindra in BFSI and Delhivery in Supply Chain Management. With over a billion professionals globally who will change their careers 5 to 7 times in their lifetime, Expertrons will lead the career revolution by being the largest library of career experience. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT News Desk Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered. ...view detail The Karnataka State Bar Council has dropped the name of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar from the list of chief guests in the revised invitation for the inaugural session of the two-day state-level Advocates Conference on August 12 in Mysuru, after an objection was raised about him sharing the dais with judges when there are cases pending against him. Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar. (PTI) ALSO READ | Karnataka govt bans unauthorised flexes, banners and hoardings in Bengaluru city Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the event at which Supreme Court Judge Justice A S Bopanna, Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale, Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, and Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil will be the chief guests. The decision to drop Shivakumar's name was taken after BJP MLA and former Law minister S Suresh Kumar wrote to the Registrar of the Karnataka High Court raising objection over the deputy chief minister sharing the dais with a Supreme Court Judge, Chief Justice and another judge of the Karnataka High Court for the August 12 event, at a time when there are several cases pending before the apex court and the high court against him. ALSO READ | Karnataka govt asked to prepare detailed project report to tackle traffic congestion in Bengaluru: Shivakumar Is it proper for such people to share dais with the Supreme Court and High Court judges in that event," the senior BJP leader sought to know. Shivakumar was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case in September 2019. He was released on bail after being put in prison for 50 days. The agency had also filed a charge sheet against him in a Delhi court in May last year. Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath on Tuesday hit back at the criticism against him for inviting self-claimed spiritual leader Pandit Dhirendra Shastri to his home turf Chhindwara for a three-day religious function, where the latter purportedly demanded to make India a Hindu Rashtra, saying that there was no need to say India is a Hindu nation as 82% Indians are Hindus. Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath. (File Photo) Dhirendra Shastri did not talk about Hindu nation. He talked about all religions. The functions last day was dedicated for all religions, Nath said in Bhopal when asked by reporters about Shastris purported comment. What is the point of creating a Hindu nation. 82% (Indians) are Hindus anyway. Where 82% are Hindus, what is the need to say this, the figures are saying it, he added. Naths statement came a day after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Shivanand Tiwari said the former MP chief minister was behaving against the ideology of INDIA, an alliance of two dozen opposition parties including RJD. Talking to media, Tiwari said that Kamal Nath should be called by the national party leadership to explain the issue. Also Read |Hate being trafficked in Mohabbat Ki Dukan: Owaisi on Kamal Naths Hindu Rashtra remark The grand alliance has been formed according to an ideology. But if it it felicitates, welcomes, and glorifies those who talked about making the Hindu nation, and then say that that the country will be run by the Constitution, then this contradiction will not be digested by anyone, said Tiwari. He requested the Congress high command to clarify this matter and summon Kamal Nath. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and home minister Narottam Mishra also targeted Nath over the function. Chouhan called Kamal Nath a seasoned devotee. Elections are coming, and they (Congress leaders) are showing electoral devotion. They are compelled to do so. Those who refused to take the name of Lord Ram and called him imagination, are now reciting stories and Hanuman Chalisa, the CM said. Mishra said, The Congress high command should give an explanation on this. Kamal Nath said, I had built the Hanuman temple in Chhindwara 15 years ago but didnt publicise. Pandit Dhirendra Shastri was invited by the people of Chhindwara. Pandit Pradeep Mishra has given the date in September. He will also be welcomed SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Police have booked 12 persons in connection with the brawl between two student parties at Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College (GGDSD), Sector 32, on Tuesday. On Tuesday members of the Student Organisation of India (SOI) and the Sanatan Dharam College Union (SDCU), Chandigarh had clashed with each other over bringing outsiders to the campus ahead of the student elections. (iStockphoto) Police said the accused were all residents of Baddumajra village in Kharar. Some of them are outsiders. On Tuesday members of the Student Organisation of India (SOI) and the Sanatan Dharam College Union (SDCU) had clashed with each other over bringing outsiders to the campus ahead of the student elections. Acting on the complaint of Ranjodh Singh of Sector 63, who was allegedly attacked by members of SDCU, a case under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the Sector 34 police station. The anti-gangster task force and Barnala police, in a joint operation, arrested four associates of the Bambiha gang after a shootout on Barnala- Handiaya road. Cops at the site in Barnala where the Bambiha gang associates were arrested after a shootout on Wednesday. (HT Photo) The accused have been identified as Sukhjinder Singh alias Sukhi Khan, Husapreet Singh alias Gill, Jagsir Singh alias Billa of Longowal in Sangrur and Yadwinder Singh of Mullanpur in Ludhiana. One of gangsters was injured in the shootout and taken to Barnala civil hospital for treatment. The arms and ammunition recovered from the gangsters car. (HT Photo) Barnala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Kumar Malik said, We had been tracking them since Tuesday. We knew that they were in Amritsar and had snatched a Swift car at night and reached Bathinda in that car. They were heading towards Mohali on Wednesday when teams of the AGTF and Barnala police intercepted them. They fired at the police team and we retaliated. Accused Sukhi Khan received bullet injury in the crossfire. No cop was injured during the shootout, said the SSP. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON City residents went about their business on Wednesday as the call for Punjab Bandh failed to find any traction in the city. Business operations continued smoothly across markets, with the call finding only scattered support. Commissioner of police Mandeep Singh Sidhu during an inspection at Sherpur Chowk, Ludhiana. (HT PHOTO) The call had been issued by the Christian community to make their protest against perceived governmental inaction over the breakdown of law-and-order in Manipur. Ensuring maintenance of law-and-order, police teams were on their toes throughout the day. Around 500 personnel being deployed at key locations, including in the vicinity of railway tracks, major intersections and key sites such as Jalandhar Bypass, Jagraon Bridge, the railway station, bus stand, Bharat Nagar Chowk, Sarabha Nagar, Field Ganj, and in proximity to churches throughout the city. Police teams also carried out meticulous search operations at multiple spots within the city. A checkpoint was set up at Jalandhar Bypass, where vehicles were inspected to ensure safety and compliance. Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) Rupinder Kaur Sra, meanwhile said, On Tuesday night, I engaged with representatives from different segments of the Christian community as well as the Valmiki group. During these interactions, I requested their cooperation in maintaining the citys law and order. To uphold this commitment, we carried out thorough inspections at the Jalandhar Bypass location and scrutinised various vehicles in anticipation of the Punjab Bandh call. Jaspal Singh, representing the Akalgarh Market Association, said their neighbourhood remained undisturbed, as merely all of the markets 1,200 shops operated as usual. Despite this, police presence was visible near the chowk, he noted. Echoing the same, Ludhiana Sadar Bazar Association president Harpreet Singh said, The day went about normally as there were no protests or shop closures. Our association, situated adjacent to Kochar market, stands next to one of the citys busiest roads, but the atmosphere was like any other typical day. He also acknowledged the deployment of police personnel at various intersections. The Bandh did impact public transportation in the city, with those looking to travel to Jalandhar, Malerkotla and Hoshiarpur encountering problems. Buses running on the route had to be diverted, resulting in delays. Navraj Singh, the in-charge of the bus stand, said, A number of Punjab Roadways and Pepsu buses plying towards Jalandhar, Malerkotla, and Hoshiarpur were affected, as they had to opt for alternative routes to reach their designated destinations. Additionally, some buses scheduled between 10 am and 12 noon had to be cancelled. ADCP (operations) Sameer Verma said the city remained peaceful throughout the day, with all market associations conducting their operations without any disruptions. He added that no highway protests or disruptions on internal roads were witnessed. BOX Central Trade Unions and Independent Federations/Associations held a joint rally to protest the alleged government inaction over violence in Manipur. All India Trade Union Congress, Centre of Indian Trade Unions and Indian National Trade Union Congress were among the organisations that joined the protest outside the Punjabi Bhawan. Speakers addressing the rally criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at Centre and Manipur for their alleged failure to keep the situation in Manipur from spiralling. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Two days after the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha announced to march towards Chandigarh on August 15 as part of their ongoing protest at Mohalis YPS Chowk, Chandigarh Police, along with their Punjab counterparts, on Wednesday held a meeting with the protest organisers. Since January 7, Sikh activists under the banner of Qaumi Insaaf Morcha have been protesting at YPS Chowk in Mohali, blocking traffic movement on the crucial Chandigarh-Mohali route. (HT) However, polices efforts to stop the march failed, with the organisers deciding to continue with it, even as Chandigarh Police made it clear that they will not be allowed entry in the city. The morchas announcement came a week after the Punjab and Haryana high court issued a strict warning to the Punjab and Chandigarh police to remove protesters from YPS Chowk. Deferring the hearing for August 17, the high court on August 2 had stated that it will not hesitate in issuing directions to remove the protesters by use of force. Since January 7, Sikh activists under the banner of Qaumi Insaaf Morcha have been protesting at YPS Chowk, seeking release of Sikh prisoners lodged in different jails despite completion of their jail sentence, bringing vehicle movement on the major Chandigarh-Mohali route to a complete halt. During the meeting at the Chandigarh Police headquarters in Sector 9 on Wednesday, police officials from Punjab and Chandigarh asked the morcha organisers to call off the August 15 protest march and vacate the protest site at YPS Chowk at the earliest. Praveer Ranjan, director general of police (DGP), Chandigarh, chaired the meeting with four representatives of the morcha, in the presence of senior police and administrative officers, including Punjab ADGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla; Punjab IGP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and Chandigarh deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh. The morchas representatives included Gurcharan Singh, foster father of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief Jagtar Singh Hawara, who was convicted of assassinating former Punjab CM Beant Singh, and advocates Gursharan Singh, Amar Singh Chahal and Dilsher Singh Jandiala. We have asked them to vacate the protest site at the earliest and remove the road blockade to restore normalcy for the general public. Moreover, we wont allow them to enter Chandigarh on August 15, said Kanwardeep Kaur, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Chandigarh. Jandiala, refusing to cancel the August 15 march, said, We held a road march on January 26 in Mohali, where over a lakh people protested peacefully. We want to take out a peaceful road march in Chandigarh this time and thus sought a specific route from the Chandigarh Police during the meeting, but they denied our request. There is no way that we will cancel the road procession as our intention is to peacefully register our protest. Jandiala added that police had asked them to shift their protest venue to the open space next to the protest site and remove the road blockade. Before this meeting, Punjab Police had offered us a protest site in Chappar Chiri few days back, but we refused that offer as the Punjab government has been making false promises for the past seven months. We also want to go back home and thus they should fulfil our demands. We will file our reply in court regarding clearing the protest site, Jandiala added. On February 8, protesters had clashed with police forces at the Sector 52/53 dividing road after being stopped from marching towards Chandigarh, leaving at least 33 cops injured. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dissatisfied with some decisions imposed by CBSE on its affiliated schools, the private school associations of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh held a press conference in Chandigarh on Wednesday. Members of The School association of Haryana said they will go to Punjab and Haryana high court regarding the matter and will be forced to change their board from CBSE if their demands were not met. (Ravi Kumar/HT) Haryana Progressive School Conference president SS Gosai, senior vice-president Suresh Chandra, Federation of Private Schools and Associations of Punjab president Jagjit Singh, legal convener Sanjeev Kumar Saini and Independent Schools Association general secretary RD Singh were present during the conference. They alleged that as per CBSE rules, schools built on two acres were allowed to have 48 sections, but this year CBSE issued a new letter, asking schools to deposit 75,000 per section if they wanted to add more sections. If schools dont comply, the students studying in these sections will suffer, they alleged. They said they will approach the Punjab and Haryana high court regarding the matter and will be forced to change their board from CBSE if their demands were not met. They also opposed the new rule issued by CBSE regarding obtaining building safety certificates from the public works department. Earlier, the certificate was attested by a government-certified engineer. Association members further alleged that earlier 40 to 50 children could be taught in one section, but now CBSE had ordered that only 40 children should be admitted in one section that had also led to problems. CBSE spokespersons response wasnt received till the filing of the report. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Get alert on your mobile and email as soon as the result is declared. For this, please provide information. Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, on Wednesday reinstated the services of five outsourced medical lab technicians (MLTs), who were terminated from their positions in the genetics department on August 4 in connection with the expiry kits case. Members of the GMCH Employees and Workers Joint Action Committee staging a protest on the hospital premises on Wednesday. (HT Photo) Earlier in the day, GMCH Employees and Workers Joint Action Committee staged a protest on the hospital premises at 1 pm. Thereafter, the administration gave assurance of reinstatement of the terminated employees and later issued the orders regarding the same on the condition that if the ongoing investigation finds them culpable, they will face termination. Sukhbir Singh, president of GMCH Joint Action Committee said, The hospital administration itself is admitting that the investigation has not been completed, then on what basis the employees were fired. The committee demands vigilance inquiry into the matter. According to outsourced workers, employees who were blamed in the expiry kits case were not even posted in the hospital at the time of procurement of the kits. The workers also alleged that the hospital administration was trying to protect its regular employees in the case and hence, fired the MLTs. Sudhir K Garg, medical superintendent and the head of the genetics department, GMCH, said the investigation into the matter was ongoing. The employees implicated in this case had been called for explanations, he added. The case regarding the expired kits dates back to 2010-2015. In 2022, health secretary Yashpal Garg requested a report on the matter, but no subsequent actions were observed. In 2023, when the files reopened, action was taken against the MLTs. In response to a right to information (RTI) application filed in December 2021, GMCH revealed that a cumulative count of 45,056 medical tests from 2016 to 2021 were performed using the expired test kits. With each kit having the capacity to conduct approximately 90 tests over 500 such kits were utilised on a total of 8,736 pregnant women and 35,320 newborns. Among pregnant women, 4,782 dual tests and 3,954 triple tests were carried out. Additionally, newborns were tested using these expired kits, with a total of 17,600 Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) tests and 18,720 congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) tests administered. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University with Milkfed Punjab and National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Anand, is going to conduct a collaborative study on the utilisation of paddy straw silage in the ration of dairy animals to overcome the problem of paddy straw burning in the state. Officials during a meeting at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. (HT PHOTO) In this regard a meeting was convened by Inderjeet Singh, vice chancellor. It was attended by Dr Rajesh Sharma, senior manager NDDB, Renu, GM (procurement) Milkfed, researchers from the University, NDDB and Milkfed. Inderjeet Singh emphasised on use of paddy straw in livestock production to overcome the problem of burning the paddy stubble. He said that due to scarcity and high cost of wheat straw, last year paddy straw was fed for months at the University dairy farm without any adverse effects on productivity and health of animals. Milk production of dairy animals increased by 17% when paddy straw was used as bedding material. He said that presently it is being used in total mixed ration along with urea and molasses to lactating animals. He cited examples of few progressive farmers who are regularly using paddy straw over years to their dairy animals without any ill effect on productivity or health of their animals. Rajesh Sharma said about use of enzymes and lactobacillus culture to conserve green paddy stubbles just after combine harvesting and urged to conduct trials in Punjab at larger scale in collaboration with Milkfed. He said that baling and conserving of green paddy stubbles would make its transportation easy to anywhere in Punjab or other parts of the country. Renu discussed the costs involved in making paddy straw bales, its ensiling, transport etc. M R Garg from Milkfed explained that making silage of fresh/green paddy stubble will help to vacate farmers fields soon after reaping rice. JS Lamba explained work done by the Department of Animal Nutrition on paddy straw silage making and comparative efficiencies of enzymes, cultures, urea, molasses etc, in enhancing the nutritional value of paddy straw. The house agreed to conduct trials at the university farm before getting the technology. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Around 30 khaps of Haryana, leaders of Samyukt Kisan Morcha, different farmer unions and people from various religions held a mahapanchayat in Bass village of Narnaund town in Hisar district on Wednesday and passed several resolutions in connection with Nuh communal violence. Khap and farm unions members during a mahapanchayat in Hisar on Wednesday. In the mahapanchayat, the members resolved to maintain peace and harmony and warned those who are trying to create unrest in the state by using provocative slogans and language for Muslim community. People from Hisar, Jind, Kaithal, Karnal, Bhiwani, Fatehabad and a few other districts took part in the event held by farmer union led by Suresh Koth, an SKM member. They passed several resolutions unanimously, including arrest of Bittu Bajrangi and Monu Manesar for challenging Muslim community before taking out a procession by using derogatory words; people of all religions to not take part in any violence in future; people from every section of society to work to establish peace and harmony in their areas concerned in connection with Nuh violence; fair investigation in Nuh communal clash and strict action against those using provoking words on social media platforms; prompt action against those who are threatening Muslim people for leaving village or city area and action on those spreading fake news against a particular community. SKM leader Koth said some people associated with the BJP are trying to spread riots in the state but khaps and farmer unions will not allow them to harm the decades-old bonding with each other. The wings associated with the BJP, which are allegedly taking out procession and forcing village heads to issue an order for Muslim people to leave villages, will not be spared and we demand action against such miscreants who are ruining the social fabric of society. Now, Haryana khaps and farmer unions are standing firmly with every community and will not allow any disturbance in the peaceful situation, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Punjab Bandh highlights: The Dalit and Christian communities in Punjab jointly called for a state-wide bandh, or strike, in view of the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, an extension of the rallies protesting against the assault of women in the northeastern state. Protestors blocked Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur road near Rama Mandi(HT) The dominant Ravidasa and Valmiki communities of Doaba districts as well as the Diocese of Jullundar have also extended support to the bandh. The newly-launched Manipur Insaaf Morcha announced that the strike will be observed from 9 am to 5 pm. The Punjab government decided to keep the schools in the state closed today, fearing any potential unrest during the bandh. Chandigarh : The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has told the Punjab and Haryana high court that the probe against 46 officials and politicians (FIRs as well as vigilance inquiries) are pending for nod before 13 departments of the state government. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has told the Punjab and Haryana high court that the probe against 46 officials and politicians (FIRs as well as vigilance inquiries) are pending for nod before 13 departments of the state government. An affidavit submitted in the high court states that prior approval is pending in 35 cases, some even pending since 2018. The prior approval has been denied in six cases and granted in four cases between 2018 and June 21, 2023, it says. Details of cases have not been revealed. The affidavit has been submitted by joint director (crime) vigilance bureau, Punjab, Gursewak Singh in a public interest litigation moved in May 2023. The plea from human rights lawyer Sarabjit Singh Verka had sought quashing standard operating procedures (SOP) of September 3, 2021, issued by the central government for probe into criminal cases against public servants. It mandates prior approval by police for initiating probe against public servants under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The plea also sought directions to the Punjab government to decide on investigation and prosecution of public servants within a matter of weeks and months, and not in years, as had been happening in the past. The PIL had blamed bureaucrats for the delay alleging that they were supporting their corrupt colleagues. The affidavit says prior approval under Section 17 (A) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, is being taken only in the cases which fall under the purview of recommendation made or decision taken by such public servant in discharge of their official duties. Vigilance bureau is awaiting sanction to prosecute 46 accused in different cases, the affidavit underlines. It mentions that it has got prosecution sanction against former minister and Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu in an FIR registered in 2022 and PCS officer Narinder Singh Dhaliwal in a case registered this year. However, prosecution sanction of Dinesh Bassi (former chairman), Amritsar Improvement Trust; IAS officers Sanjay Popli, GK Singh and SS Bains; and IFS officer Vishal Chauhan are yet to be received from the respective departments. The affidavit does not talk about nature of cases against them and when government was approached for nod. The affidavit further says prosecution sanction against Simarpreet Kaur Dhillon, district mining officer, Ropar, in a May 3, 2021, FIR has been denied in March 2023. It further says that prior approvals sought by the VB against PCS officers TK Goel and Anita Darshi, are also pending before departments concerned. The affidavit does not divulge details of allegations against them. It emphasizes that the VB is competent to investigate all the corruption-related matters pertaining to public servants of the state. The bureau is functioning according to the law settled by courts as per which if act of a public servant is ex facie criminal or constitutes an offence, prior approval of the government would not be necessary, it underlines. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Surender Sharma Surender Sharma is a principal correspondent at Chandigarh. He covers Punjab and Haryana high court. ...view detail Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Congress representatives on Wednesday submitted a list of objections in regard with the ward delimitation to the municipal commissioner Shena Aggarwal. Senior SAD leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal using a pair of binoculars to read the ward delimitation draft map at MC Zone D office in Ludhiana. (HT PHOTO) SAD leaders, meanwhile, carried binoculars to criticise the civic for placing the draft map of ward delimitation at an inconvenient height, rendering it inaccessible to the public. Among those part of the delegation included senior party leaders Mahesinder Singh Grewal, Ranjit Singh Dhillon, Jaspal Singh Giaspura and Harish Rai Dhanda, They were accompanied by party workers. The objections take note of perceived anomalies in the ward delimitation process, with the leaders expressing concerns over apparent inconsistencies, where population figures range from 7,000 to as high as 25,000 in different wards. Pointing to Section 8 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation (PMC) Act, 1976, advocate Harish Rai Dhanda, the senior vice-president of the party unit, has alleged that the recent draft of ward delimitation fails to adhere to the fundamental principle of equal population distribution, as stipulated by Section 4(2) of the order. Dhanda further highlighted that among the 56 wards outlined in the recent draft, a significant number have undergone minimal changes in terms of geographical boundaries. He pointed to specific instances to illustrate his claim, saying ward number 1, now renumbered but still designated as such, recorded a population of 13,713 in 2018, but this has surged to 18,619. Similarly, ward number 8, now designated as ward number 9, witnessed a population increase from 7,422 in 2018 to 16,143, he added. Grewal, meanwhile, noted that the draft map of ward delimitation exhibited from the second floor of the MC Zone D building lacks clarity. He revealed that they had formally requested the municipal commissioner to accompany them with binoculars to better discern the ward boundaries. He also pointed out the absence of an official digital map. Grewal pointed out that several wards have been reserved under different categories, raising particular concerns about wards number 54 and 46. A group of Congress leaders, meanwhile, also gathered at the MC Zone D office. Former councillor Sham Sunder Malhotra, joined by fellow Congress workers, voiced their concerns about the manner in which the draft map of delimitation has been showcased. They suggested installation of screens at all four MC zones to display the digital map. Congress leaders including Sanjay Talwar, district president of congress committee, contended that certain wards designated for reserved categories have failed to meet the requirement of having 50% of the reserved population under their jurisdiction. Addressing the allegations, municipal commissioner Shena Aggarwal said, The current stage involves the presentation of the draft for ward delimitation. We have received over 100 objections from the public, and these will be thoroughly reviewed. The process of finalising the delimitation map is guided by a committee, ensuring a fair and transparent approach. Its important to note that this task doesnt rest on a single individuals decision-making. According to the official notification, the allocation follows a pattern: even-numbered wards are designated for male councillors, while odd-numbered wards are reserved for women councillors. The city has been meticulously divided into 95 wards, with 50 percent reserved for women. Additionally, 16 wards have been set aside for the reserved categories as during last elections. In an unfortunate incident, one of the two Royal Bengal tiger cubs born at the Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park, better known as the Chhatbir zoo, died at the neonatal care unit of the zoos veterinary hospital. With the cubs death, the count of tigers at Chhatbir zoo has come down to seven. (HT Photo) Sharing details, zoo field director Kalpana K said the cub, delivered by eight-year-old white tigress Gauri, was three days old when the cub was observed to have been gradually rejected by the mother. This cub was separated from its mother as per protocol and taken to the neonatal care unit at the zoos veterinary, but despite best efforts, it died the next day. This was the first tiger death at the zoo since May 2021. With the cubs death, the count of tigers at the zoo has come down to seven. Zoo officials said the mother was exhibiting normal behaviour with the other cub, who was observed to be actively suckling. The zoo team is vigilantly monitoring the behaviour of the mother and the surviving cub round-the-clock. Gauri had delivered two healthy and four stillborn cubs on August 3, marking the first instance of the zoo welcoming Royal Bengal tiger cubs since May 2021, when white tigress Diya had given birth to two cubs. The efforts to pair Gauri with three-year-old Arjun began in April, with the tigress giving birth to the cubs nearly 100 days later. Gauri had arrived at Chhatbir from Rajkot zoo in 2019 as a four-year old. Arjun, meanwhile, was born at Chhatbir in 2019 Two children were killed after they were buried under a landslide in Uttarakhands Gauri village near Gaurikund in Rudraprayag district on Wednesday morning while another child was injured, said officials. The landslide occurred in Gauri village ahead of the helipad in Gaurikund. (HT Photo) NS Rajwar, Rudraprayag district disaster management officer said that the family of a labourer from Nepal, Satyarajs house was hit by a landslide while they were asleep. Satyarajs wife Janki and their three children were sleeping in their house in Gauri village when they were hit by a landslide early morning, trapping the three children. Satyaraj had gone to Nepal, he said. Rajwar said Janki somehow managed to come out while her children were trapped, and she could not pull them out from the debris. Also Read: Kalka-Shimla highway reopens for light vehicles after landslide closure Rajwar said the landslide occurred in Gauri village ahead of the helipad in Gaurikund. After we received information about the incident, a team of NDRF was rushed to the spot. The team with the help of local residents pulled out the three children from the debris and took them to Gaurikund Hospital for treatment where two were declared brought dead by the doctors while one child is undergoing treatment, he said. He said the deceased have been identified, a five-year-old daughter and another younger child, while 8-year-old child is being treated at the hospital. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi police on Wednesday arrested a man and three others for murder after the unidentified body of a woman was found in south Delhis Fatehpur Beri. (Representative Photo) Police said the womans body was found in the jungle near Jheel Khurd in Fatehpur Beri on Saturday. Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (south) Chandan Chowdhary said that the woman has been identified as 31-year-old Sweety. Due to the condition in which the body was found, it was clear that she had been murdered. She was murdered by her husband and his two brothers. All three accused have been arrested, said the DCP. A murder case has been registered against the accused persons, and an investigation has been launched, an officer aware of the incident said. The Delhi Police, probing the role of student activist Umar Khalid in the 2020 Delhi riots cases, has told the Supreme Court that granting him bail will prejudice the fearless, truthful deposition of protected witnesses who are yet to be examined by the trial court. Umar Khalid approached the Supreme court in April after the Delhi high court refused him bail on October 18 last year. (HT photo) In an affidavit filed in response to Khalids bail plea, assistant commissioner of police (special cell) Lalit Mohan Negi said, The detention of the petitioner in judicial custody (in jail) is warranted, essential and necessary for fearless, truthful and freely deposition of protected witnesses by the trial court. Khalid approached the top court in April after the Delhi high court refused him bail on October 18 last year. On May 16, the Supreme Court gave police nearly two months to respond to the petition filed by Khalid, who was booked under the anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for being the alleged mastermind of the February 2020 riots in north-east Delhi. The violence, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured, erupted during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). As the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday before a bench of justices AS Bopanna and Prashant Kumar Mishra, it was adjourned as justice Mishra expressed his inability to hear the petition. Justice Bopanna said, This will come before another bench. The matter was adjourned to August 17. With four charge sheets already filed in the case so far, the police said there is overwhelming cogent evidence against Khalid who was arrested on September 13, 2020. The police further stated that it is willing to abide by any order passed for a time-bound trial. There are 47 protected witnesses in the case whose identities have been kept confidential as they gave statements exposing the role of the petitioner and several others in the conspiracy behind the anti-CAA protests leading to the riots in February 2020. This event coincided with the visit of US President Donald Trump to the Capital as the police alleged that all this was done to publicise before the global community that minorities were being targeted and discriminated against in India. The police said that a holistic reading of statements given by the protected witnesses makes it abundantly clear that Khalid was instrumental in creating WhatsApp groups prior to the riots and propagated that the protests be led by women and children to deter action by police officials. The protest planned were destructive in nature from the very beginning with a pre-meditated intention to cause chakka jam and disrupt essential services in the city, causing panic and insecurity, the affidavit said. Based on this evidence, both the trial court and high court found a prima facie case against him which is a sufficient condition under section 43D of the UAPA to deny bail. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal who appeared for Khalid told the court that no reply was needed in a bail matter as everything is borne from the record. Long incarceration of nearly three years coupled with dim prospects of an early completion of trial were the main grounds cited by Khalid in his petition. The affidavit stated that several accused, including the petitioner, have delayed trial by filing applications in the trial court for seeking documents. The police said it was open to any suggestion by the court fixing a time limit for completing trial. Considering the sensitivity of the case where the Capital city of the country was put under siege of a terrorist attack...the prosecution has already prepared a detailed plan to conclude trial within a time bound period, it said, adding, If this Court directs time-bound trial, the prosecution is more than willing to comply with that. One district. 11 towns and hamlets. Five days. 1,208 buildings and other structures overwhelmingly Muslim-owned. 37 sites. 72.1 acres. The states demolition drive lasted five days. (Parveen Kumar/HT) Thats the demolition track record of the Haryana government in Nuh district following communal violence in the region in which six people were killed and 88 injured. Also Read: Properties demolished in Nuh were legal, say local residents The numbers, separately confirmed by two people with direct knowledge of the matter, with a random sampling cross-checked by HTs reporters through field visits in every location we visited, the property was found to be owned by Muslims would likely have been higher if not for the Punjab & Haryana high courts intervention on August 7. The court asked the state if it was indulging in ethnic cleansing given the one-sidedness of the demolitions before staying them. According to official data, the demolished properties were spread across the cities and villages of Nuh, Nalhar, Punhana, Tauru, Nangal Mubarakpur, Shahpur, Aagon, Adbar Chowk, Nalhar Road, Tiranga Chowk and Nagina. It was among the largest demolitions the region has seen. Jawahar Yadav, officer on special duty (OSD) to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, said that officials from the town and country planning department, Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), police department, forest department and local panchayats were involved in identifying the properties that needed to be demolished. A meeting was held on August 1 and records were scanned by each official from their areas and based on the statements of the suspects involved in the violence, the drive was carried out. The houses razed were of all those who were either arrested or identified or were illegal establishments, he said. Also Read: In Nuh clashes lurk old patterns of sectarianism Yadav said they had taken legal opinions and checked all the records before they started the drive to ensure all rules were followed. He insisted that a notice was given on June 30, although this would mean that this was done before the committee he spoke of met on August 1. Nuh district commissioner Dhirendra Khadgata, speaking to HT, also claimed to have valid reasons to carry out the demolitions: illegal encroachments on government land; developments on forest land; buildings on HSVP land; houses without occupation certificates; structures built without any change in land-use on agricultural land; properties without approved building plans; or buildings used by rioters to throw stones and petrol bombs at the Hindu religious procession on July 31. Everything but the last is cause enough to justify demolition provided due process is followed. People whose properties were demolished were not given any notice by the administration or even informed before the drive began. Also Read: Nuh, a troubled district to a communal tinderbox? For instance, Liyakat Ali, who owns a tiles showroom in Kherli Kankar village, said a demolition notice was posted a few minutes before his outlet was demolished; that he had registered the property and was running it for six years without receiving any notice from the administration. Prashant Panwar, former deputy commissioner of Nuh, said the building did not have an approved building plan and was constructed illegally. But the demolition does seem to have been indiscriminate. In fact the most common thread, if there is one, was that the properties belonged to people of one community. For instance, the kiosk of Hamid Mohammad, registered with the Nuh municipal corporation was demolished. Renu Sogan, additional deputy commissioner of Nuh, said that she has no record of the demolition drive and why the kiosks that fall under the municipal committee were demolished. Narendra Bijarniya , Nuhs superintendent of police who took charge on August 4 said that action was taken against illegal constructions and individuals involved in anti-social activities. The drive was started from Tauru area, where shanties were constructed on HSVP land and, despite repeated warnings, people were not vacating the land. This was not a one-day decision, in fact the district town planning team was already planning to carry out the demolition drive, he added. It isnt clear what sort of warnings were issued, and when. On August 3, over 250 shanties in a Rohingya camp in Tauru were bulldozed. The police offered two arguments in favour of the demolition: some of those involved in the Nuh violence were living in the shantytown; and the shanties were built on HSVP land. Four Rohingya men were arrested for their alleged involvement in the violence, said police. They added that the residents were all illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who had moved to Haryana from Assam. The shantytown came up around four years ago; most people who live there work as rickshaw pullers, ragpickers, vegetable merchants, and daily wage workers. Munjila Khatun, from Bongaigaon in Assam, said that she was collecting plastic bottles when she received a call from her son, and rushed home. Officials had started demolition without asking us to remove our things. They broke all of our kitchen utensils, threw our bedding and asked us to leave the town, she said. Abdul Hussain, a vegetable vendor, said that they requested officials to give them some time but the officials accused them of being involved in the communal violence in Nuh. We have punished us for something we did not do. They took my son who was not even present at the violence site and arrested him. We are poor people, no one is ready to listen to us, he added. His son is 15 years old. Its possible that all the residents in the shantytown were Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, and not from Assam. Its also possible that not all of them were involved in the Nuh violence. On August 4, the second day of the drive, at least 50 houses at 10 sites that belonged to people allegedly involved in the Nuh clash were demolished in Nuh and Tauru. Police said the houses either belonged to the suspects or were used by them for pelting stones, storing weapons, and firing on people who were returning from Shiva temple in Nalhar after offering prayers. The former deputy commissioner Prashant Panwar told HT that orders came from Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar to take action against any illegal construction and anti-social elements involved in violence. Officials said that five acres of land that belonged to the forest department behind Nalhar Shiv Temple were cleared of encroachments. Similarly, six acres of forest land in Punhana were cleared. Similarly, a temporary shed built on two acres of land in Nangal Mubarikpur was removed, added Panwar. The most high-profile demolition was the one in Nalhar where the houses and shops of Akram Khan, who has been booked for breaking and torching cars, and four other accused Saddam Hussain, Wahid Khan, Mausam Hussain ,and Aas Mohammad were razed. We were not even present at the location at the time of the violence. We have proper documents for the land and it is not at all on forest land, said Mohammad. Houses and shops at Khedla crossing,where cars were set ablaze, and where stones rained down on the procession from neighbouring houses were also razed. Khalid Mohammad, a tea vendor at Khedla crossing, said he shut his shop soon after he saw a mob gathering. I shared videos of the suspects with police to help them but they still demolished my shop, he said. On Saturday, day 3 of the drive, structures were brought down near Shaheed Hassan Khan Mewati Hospital in Nalhar. Illegal constructions were removed from 2.6 acres of land in front of Nalhar Medical College over 45 illegal constructions and around 13-15 temporary illegal structures were demolished. Notices were already given to the owners of the demolished structures. The owners of some structures were also involved in the violence during the Braj Mandal Yatra, said Nuh sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Ashwani Kumar. Demolitions were also carried out in Nuh, Pinangwan, Ferozepur Jhirka, Nalhar crossing, Adbar crossing and Tauru, police added. Police said over 50 teams were on the spot to help the administration during the demolition drive. Bijarniya, led the operation and said the structures and houses either belong to the suspects or were used by them for pelting stones, storing weapons, and firing at Hindu devotees. Kumar said the properties of the suspects were identified based on a preliminary probe undertaken by the Nuh police. We are ensuring no innocent is framed or targeted, he said. The demolitions continued on Sunday. Nuhs Congress MLA Chaudhary Aftab Ahmed said all those who have been targeted are Muslims and that some had papers for their property. The way the Haryana government has targeted people from one community is very unfair. More than 500 people have become homeless and those who had all the documents related to their land and paid property tax annually. The allegations that they were constructed in forest or HSVP land is baseless , he said. Even in Nalhar, he added, there was already a stay on any action by the authorities on the land on which the structures were demolished, and this was disregarded. The demolitions, he claimed, were a threat to one section of society. In a related development, on Tuesday, 50 Haryana panchayats issued letters barring the entry of Muslim traders. The affected families have demanded evidence from the police of their involvement in the Nuh violence. A total of 188 people have been arrested and 57 FIRs have been registered in Nuh so far in connection with July 31 violence. Combing exercises have been conducted in 20 villages such as Mewli, Shikarpur, Jalalpur and Singar. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Leena Dhankhar Leena Dhankhar has worked with Hindustan Times for five years. She has covered crime, traffic and excise. She now reports on civic issues and grievances of residents. ...view detail A major fire broke out at a godown filled with ply boards in Gandhi Nagar area on Wednesday morning. However, no one was injured in the incident, the fire department said. For representational purposes only. (AP File Photo) According to a fire official, they received a call at 4:07am regarding a blaze at a godown, after which 21 fire tenders were pressed into service. The blaze was brought under control after four hours around 8:30am. Gandhi Nagar in east Delhi is one of the biggest garment markets in the city, and several fire incidents have been reported from the area over the years, especially during summers. Elsewhere, nine people, including two policemen, were injuried when another fire broke out at a factory in west Delhis Mayapuri around 2am on Wednesday. Officials said those injured were mostly factory workers and are being treated at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital. A tiles store, a kiosk, five stores and a dhaba, a hotel, 19 shops and restaurants , and a house -- six case studies in demolition showcase the Haryana governments response to the Nuh violence before the Punjab and Haryana high court stepped in on Monday to stop a drive that appeared to be targeting Muslims. Gurugram, India-August 07, 2023:Akhtar Hussain shows their demolished shops at Kharkhari Mod Tauru; District administration start a demolition drive against the illegal construction in Nuh after the communal violence, in Gurugram, India, on Monday, 07 August 2023. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times) Liyakat Ali, tiles store owner, Kherli Kankar , Nuh A three-storey tiles showroom, the only one in the entire Tauru and Nuh area with over 3,000 varieties of tiles, occupying almost 3000 sq ft at Tiranga Chowk in Nuh was demolished on the grounds that it was constructed illegally, without an approved building plan. However, the owner Liyakat Ali said the property was legal , operational for the last six years, and that he lost stock worth 6 crore. Ali said he along with other property owners will approach the courts against what he termed an illegal action and demand compensation. Many owners have their CCTV cameras and they show that the (demolition) notice was pasted minutes before the demolition. Prashant Panwar, former deli commissioner of Nuh claimed that the building did not have an approved building plan . Din Mohammad , kiosk owner, Nuh Crossing Mohammad set up a kiosk registered with the municipal corporation of Nuh after investing 1 lakh . His son, ran a barber shop there. We are law-abiding citizens and we invested all our life savings for our son so that he could support us and his eight younger brother and sisters. My wife and I work as daily-wage labourers at construction sites to run the house and managed to save money in the last seven years so that our children could lead a better life, he said. The structure was not illegal, he claimed, and came under the municipal policy to set up more than 20 kiosks at the Nuh crossing. They were not even given a chance to remove the furniture and the equipment that were bought on loan, Mohammad said. Renu Sogan, additional deputy commissioner of Nuh said that she has no record of the demolition drive and why the kiosks that fall under the municipal committee were demolished. Akhtar Hussain , owner of five shops and a dhaba on Sohna-Tauru Road At least 10 truck- and cab-drivers were having lunch at his dhabha on August 5 when the bulldozed same. Hussain claims that apart from the structure two deep freezers, two refrigerators, and 12 inverters, were destroyed. They did not let us remove anything. If other properties were targeted because of their owners involvement in violence, then nothing happened in our area So, why us? Narendra Bijraniya, Nuh superintendent of police ,said that shops and dhaba were constructed on agricultural land and the land use was not changed . Mohammad Akil, owner of Sahara Hotel at Khedli crossing also known as Mevli crossing Akil bought a patch of land some 20 years ago and constructed a double-storey hotel on it in 2010. While the hotel, a landmark in the area, was rented out, he continued to pay property tax on it with the municipal authorities never raising an objection, Akil claimed. The hotel was doing well and officials of government departments often visited . If the hotel was illegal, then the authorities should have rejected the property tax . I pay 8,000 as property tax . They claim my hotel was used to pelt stones and fire guns, but there is not even a single video that shows my building was used, he said. Bijarnia said even this building had no approved plan and was running without the permission from the concerned department. Several notices were sent in the pas. Nawab Sheikh , owner of 19 shops and restaurants in Nalhar When the authorities arrived at his premises on August 5, they told him his properties were built on forest land and would be demolished at once. He presented land and court documents declaring the patch as agricultural, but claims the police tore the papers and took him to police station where he was assaulted. Policemen abused me, assaulted me and humiliated me just because I was trying to save my property. The shops and restaurants were there for many years but suddenly became illegal on August 5, he said. Half of the shops and restaurants were run by Hindus and the place was not used by any stone pelters. But we were still targeted, he added, pointing out that because of an existing legal dispute, there is already a court stay on any changes on the land. Prashant Panwar, former DC said the land belonged to forest department . Notices were served to them but they still continued to run, he added. Akbari Begum , house-owner Nagina Begum said she was allotted a house under the below poverty line (BPL) quota under the aegis of the states Priyadarshni Awaas Yojna scheme in 2013. The government gave her 1 lakh to construct the house; the land was allotted by the panchayat. The project was targeted at empowering women ; the houses were in the name of the woman of the house. I filled out the forms and the house was allotted to me . I took a loan from my relatives (to add to the money I got from the government) to build the house. If this is called empowerment, then no woman needs this kind of support. There are four such BPL quota houses that have been demolished in Nagina village. Officials claim the houses were constructed on panchayat land. The demolition was carried to free panchayat land, Panwar said. Rajuddin Meo, a social worker who is active in the region said that the panchayat gave the land to the families in 2013 . The affected families have no place to go. They were unnecessarily targeted by the authorities out of suspicion of involvement in the violence, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Leena Dhankhar Leena Dhankhar has worked with Hindustan Times for five years. She has covered crime, traffic and excise. She now reports on civic issues and grievances of residents. ...view detail West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre should quit Delhi. She made the remarks on the occasion of the Quit India Movements 81st anniversary. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee (File Photo) We had told the British to quit India. Today we want the BJP-led government at the Centre to quit Delhi, Banerjee said while addressing an administrative program in the tribal-dominated district of Jhargram to celebrate the International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples. Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Banerjee said that he makes promises right before elections but does not fulfil them after. The prime minister doesnt fulfil even one per cent of the promises he makes before any election, Banerjee said. You have no right to stay in power at the Centre, she remarked. Wishing people on the occasion of the International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples, Banerjee said indigenous peoples rights must be protected for the sake of humanity. May the people of this state, this nation, and the world at large rise above differences of caste, creed, religion, and race to uphold and protect the rights of indigenous peoples, because this isnt just about one community; its about humanity, Banerjee wrote on Twitter. On the occasion, the Bengal chief minister inaugurated 437 projects and laid the foundation of another 246 across the state. Several programmes were held across 18 blocks and 13 districts in West Bengal to celebrate the day. Banerjee is on a three-day administrative visit to Jhargram district, which is mostly inhabited by indigenous people. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo reiterated her stand on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which is conceptualised as a set of laws that govern personal matters, including marriage, adoption and inheritance for all citizens regardless of religion. Suddenly they are asking to bring in UCC. Why should someone follow their set of rules while getting married? One cannot force anything on us. We wont accept the UCC, she said while making it apparent that the TMC would not the proposed Uniform Civil Code. Even though there is much talk around UCC, no draft of the proposed law has been presented so far. The Law Commission of India had sought suggestions for the proposed law till July 28 and claims to have received over 300,000 responses. The chief minister further slammed the BJP over the ongoing violence in Manipur and said the West Bengal government would send relief to the riot-hit northeastern state if permitted. They have no food. Mothers are giving birth to children in relief camps. There is no water. Allow us to send relief water, food, clothes and medicines, she added. The West Bengal Assembly last week passed a motion condemning the ongoing ethnic strife in Manipur amid a walkout by the BJP. Responding, senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha told the media that Banerjee pointing towards Manipur but similar incidents are taking place in her own state. The government at the Centre doesnt run on the whimsies of Mamata Banerjee. West Bengal is just a part of India. Hence, she should mind her own business. She is pointing towards Manipur but similar incidents are taking place in her own state. How many have been jailed here? Women are being tortured. We want Mamata Banerjee to quit Bengal so that the state can get back its lost pride, he said. LUCKNOW Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday directed the department of appointment and personnel to fill all vacant posts in state government departments as soon as possible. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath said the state government had a policy of encouraging qualified, innovative, and hardworking officers and employees. (File Photo) He said that all CM Fellows posted in aspirational development blocks were doing good work. This opportunity to work in aspirational development blocks, by associating with the government, is going to provide valuable experience to the youth, Adityanath said addressing officers in a review meeting. After the completion of CM Fellows tenure, they should be given preference in future government services. They should be given age relaxation and weightage based on their experience. The appointment department should prepare a policy for their recruitment, he said. He said the state government had a policy of encouraging qualified, innovative, and hardworking officers and employees. Due to this, the average period of posting on senior positions had increased over the last six years. Previously (2012-2017), the average tenure on the district magistrate post was 12 months; now, the minimum tenure was 18 months. Similarly, the average tenure for the post of additional chief secretary/principal secretary used to be 17 months (2012-17), but today the average tenure is 26 months, he added. Time-bound promotion is an essential part of government service. Every employee must receive their benefits on time. This year, the promotion process for chief secretary/additional chief secretary/principal secretary/head of department should be completed by September 30, said the CM, adding that the ACR of the employees should be linked to their performance and the department should prepare a better action plan in this regard with the help of technology. The state Academy of Administration and Management under construction in Lucknow should be made functional as soon as possible, he said. LUCKNOW Day after chief minister Yogi Adityanath targeted Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav in the UP assembly, saying it was good to know that he appeared concerned about the problem of rising population now, Yadav said the CM had sidestepped his original query. During British times, the Company government was formed. Now, government has become a Company, alleged Akhilesh Yadav. (File Photo) The BJP governments CM starts beating around the bush when facing a query. The query I had made was over the new education policy. It was to know the government plan for children who are 15 years of age. The query was not on population, but about employment. But the CM started citing unemployment data. How can one expect him to ensure jobs, said Yadav. The SP chief said this while addressing party cadres and lawmakers at the SP office, where he made them commit to an 11-point joint PDA-I.N.D.I.A pledge, which among other things, mentioned continuous efforts that will be made to raise the countrys falling democratic graph. PDA is SPs coinage that means pichhde (backwards), dalits and alpsankhyak (minorities) while I.N.D.I.A is the acronym for the opposition alliance, of which SP is a part. Inside the assembly, the CM had responded to SP chiefs query on 15-year-olds by stating, We are talking about the Unform Civil Code for this reason. I feel good that the Samajwadis have made progress. Yadav had asked the state government to provide information about the increase in the number of children of 15 years of age. At this, Yogi replied, We are discussing Uniform Civil Code... earlier a member had asked a question about basic education, a single course, and a single fee for the state. It would have been better if this also incorporated a single law for the entire country, he said. SP CHIEF SLAMS BJP Both Hindus and Muslims participated in the freedom struggle. Those holding power today are working to undermine the Constitution that was drafted by Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. These people didnt participate in the freedom struggle, and in fact, sought to keep themselves away from it. What can we expect from such people?, Akhilesh Yadav said at the Samajwadi Party office on Wednesday, the date coinciding with the Quit India movement launched against the British by Mahatma Gandhi. During British times, the Company government was formed. Now government has become a Company. From guest house to airports, everything is being sold. These people didnt make district hospitals or markets but are selling off mandi sthal (marketplaces). Everything is up on sale even as stray animals roam about on the streets. The Gomti riverfront is in a shambles. When will missiles be manufactured in Bundelkhand, asked Akhilesh. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has declared plans to make UP a 1 trillion-dollar economy. But this government doesnt trust its ministers, Niti Aayog, officers of the finance department, subject experts or senior university teachers. That is why the government has decided to give 300 crore to a US-based company as consultant, he said. LUCKNOW Thieves dug a 3-ft-deep tunnel and broke into a labourers house in Udaipur village of Lucknows Nigohan area on Wednesday and decamped with cash and household items, said police. . The tunnel dug by the thieves to the house in Udaipur village of Lucknows Nigohan. (Sourced) The incident happened when Ravi Kori, a labourer and driver, was not in the house. The culprits had not been identified yet, said Vinod Kumar, SHO, Nigohan police station. The thieves entered from beneath the house that is surrounded by a vacant plot. They stole household items and cash while a few things were found scattered in the house, the SHO said, adding that an investigation was underway. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON MUMBAI: Suspecting issues faced in junior college, a 16-year-old boy jumped from the fifth-floor balcony of his house in Pratiksha Nagar in Sion on Tuesday night. HT Image The teenager was the son of a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) employee, and was studying HSC Science in Matunga and stayed with his father, mother, and younger sister. On Tuesday evening, he came home, and only his younger sister was at home and soon after coming home, he jumped from the fifth-floor balcony of their house. His sister heard a thud and saw from the balcony that her brother had jumped off, said a police officer. He was rushed to nearby Sion hospital, where he was brought dead. The Wadala Truck Terminus police are questioning his friends, suspecting that the teenager took the extreme step due to some issues faced in his junior college. The police said they have not found any suicide note and are inquiring as to why the youth took this step. We have taken his mobile and laptop and are checking the gadgets to ascertain if he was facing any issues outside the house, said the police officer. MUMBAI: After an accused in a POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) case was arrested and remanded to judicial custody by Byculla police last month, he had to be escorted back to the police station so that the mandatory RTPCR test could be conducted on him to rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection. Since it takes 12 to 24 hours for the lab results to be declared, policemen on escort duty had to guard him. Through the wait, the accused expressed a desire to end his life as he was arrested under POCSO, keeping the cops on tenterhooks. Fearing that he might harm himself, the entire escort team spent the night and better part of the next day on vigil. Pune, India - March 01, 2022: A health worker collects swab samples of a citizen for Covid-19 test at a centre in Katraj, in Pune, India, on Tuesday, March 01, 2022. (Photo by Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO) (Rahul Raut/HT Photo) The accused tested negative and was handed over to the jail authorities subsequently. It is ironical that the system of mandatory tests continues in jails despite the pandemic having abated and all Covid 19-related restrictions lifted for civil society. The harried police officials are compelled to follow the Bombay high court order of 2020, which made RTPCR tests mandatory for accused before lodging them in jails across Maharashtra to prevent the spread of the infection. This extends to convicts transferred from jails outside the state as well. Once tested positive, they are kept in isolation. The police department receives between 80 and 100 cases every day, of which approximately 50 accused are arrested for various offences registered by police stations across the city and are required to be sent to judicial custody, after each tests negative. In the interim, the staff of respective police stations feel burdened with the task of guarding the accused for a protracted period till they can be sent to custody. Today despite the city reporting less than 10 Covid-19 cases every day, the government is yet to review the restrictions imposed under provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, thereby keeping the initial order in force, said a senior jail official. A senior IPS officer said, There are no travel restricts for citizens, but only jail authorities are following the rules. Unless a senior jail authority approaches the state government and HC, and new guidelines are put out, we have to follow the rules of RTPCR tests for accused granted judicial custody. There are only two centres for RTPCR tests in Mumbai -- the JJ Hospital in south Mumbai and Bhagwati Hospital, in Borivali. It is also the big task for jail authorities to take the accused from far-flung suburbs all the way to these hospitals to complete the formalities, followed by spending hours in queues along with the accused, as they wait their turn. The other option is to take the accused to a private laboratory for tests, at a price of 500, said a police inspector from the eastern suburbs. The long wait is a big issue. After granting judicial custody, the police cannot keep the accused in a general lock-up, as it is barred by the officer in-charge. Policemen are forced to keep the accused in common areas of the police station where they have to provide them food and space to sleep, and keep a tight vigil to ensure that they do not flee or harm themselves, said the inspector. Deputy inspector general, prisons department, of Arthur Road Jail, Yogesh Desai, said: Unless the high court cancels the order, we cannot stop it. But since we are past the pandemic, we can take in the accused is they do not show symptoms. DIVA: A swarm of irate commuters descended on the tracks at Diva station on Wednesday morning driven by twin crises the suburbs first CSMT-bound fast local had arrived 28 minutes late from Khopoli and its entry to the designated platform (4) was changed to platform number 2, where slow trains pull in, at the last moment. The train left Khopoli at 4:50 am and reached Diva at 6:23 am. Woman booked for causing chaos after late arrival of local This led to chaos within the swelling crowd. To cut through the disorder, a 30-year-old lab technician, Deepika Shinde, climbed into the motormans cabin, to ask him to hold the train for a while longer so that more commuters could board and faced action for breaking the law. The train started and later halted a few meters away from the platform. There was no way for me to get down without help. Railway officials didnt even have women constables at that time, and no one wanted to hear my side of the story, said Shinde, who was booked under various sections of the Railways Act for boarding the motorman cabin. She travels to Chembur for work daily. She starts her day in office at 7:10 am and checks out at 8pm. Three delays in her biometric punching leads to a days salary cut. This train is late every single day. How can we manage and how many times can we request our office to give us a concession? I have suffered salary cuts several times, she said. We were all on platform number 4. Some people crossed the track, but not all women can cross over effortlessly, so soon after the announcement. Who will be responsible if anyone gets hurt while crossing the track? The railway administration looks upon us like insects, assuming that we can get into crowded trains within seconds, she added. Central Railways Railway Protection Force (RPF) has booked Shinde under sections 145, 146, 147, 155 and 174 of the Railway Act for creating nuisance, obstructing a railway servant from performing his duty, and entering railway premise/ section without lawful permission. Apart from Shinde, four others were booked under section 145 of the Act. Shinde was later escorted into a ladies compartment of the train. An RPF officer said, Five women commuters were brought for questioning from Kurla (where Shinde and the others were asked to get down) to Diva, of which two women -- Sarika Kamble and Deepika Shinde -- were found to have a major role in creating the nuisance because of which they were booked. Kamble did not climb on to the motormans cabin, but joined Shinde in requesting the motorman to halt the train for a while longer. As Shinde was in the motormans cabin, the train was detained at Diva station from 6.52am until 7.05am. Railway officials said the earlier delay was caused due to a chain pulling incident in a long-distance train at Badlapur. Railway commuter union member, Lata Argade said such last minute change of platforms is not new here. This is the first fast train that office officegoers take every day and it is hard to juggle between platforms at the last minute. Why cant railway administration inform in advance when a train changes the track. Also, if they cannot do that, they should at least allow a few more minutes for commuters to board, said Argade. Shivraj Manaspure, Chief PRO, Central Railway denied that the commuters were protesting the delay. They were passing through the level crossing gate and watching the incident as the woman entered the motormans cabin. The rail passengers unanimously blamed CRs poor planning and complained that the new platforms at Diva station were lying unused. Diva residents have had a long pending demand to start a few locals from Diva to ease travel. In a dramatic shoot out on the outskirts of Delhi, a security guard at an under-construction high-rise in Ghaziabads Siddharth Vihar opened fire and killed a suspected thief following an exchange of gunfire after the latter with his gang entered the society late on Tuesday night. The security guard fired back after the gang of thieves opened fire inside the construction site in Ghaziabad. (Representative image) Police said that they are trying to establish identity of the suspect while his accomplices fled in darkness. The incident took place around midnight when guards posted at the high-rise spotted a gang of thieves, trying to sneak inside through the rear side of the premises. They were about four-five men who had cut off the backside grills and tin plates behind the under-construction area. (One of) The guards on duty spotted them and opened fire, leading to the death of one while his accomplices fled. The police was informed and an inspection of the site was also conducted late Tuesday night. We are trying to establish the identity of the deceased and a case will soon be registered, Nimish Patil, assistant commissioner of police (City1), said. Police said that the guard who opened fire with his 12 bore double-barreled shot gun was Bhoop Singh, a retired soldier. Singh opened fire after several shots were allegedly fired by the suspects , probably from country-made weapons, Nipun Agarwal, deputy commissioner of police, (City), said. They (the thieves) had come with the intent to steal material like iron and steel from the site. There have been previous attempts of theft here but there is no formal complaint given to us about these incidents. We have visited the site and also questioning the guard to get more details, Agarwal said. There are no CCTV cameras installed at the site. The body of the suspect (who was) shot dead has been sent for autopsy, ACP Patil added. The police is questioning Singh to get more details of the incident and draw up a sequence of events, which led to the firing. Also Read: Six arrested for robbing a Ghaziabad home of valuables A senior employee attached to the real estate project said around 400 flats are under construction at the site. There have been incidents of theft reported couple of months ago and for past two days these activities surfaced yet again. So, we increased the number of guards. On Tuesday night, the guards spotted four-five men entering the premises and they issued them a warning. Upon this, the group of suspects opened fire, Nikhil Sisodia, head (business development) of the project, said. After hearing shots, our guard also opened fire with his licensed gun and one of the suspects was shot dead. The group of suspects had cut off the backside grills and also bent some in order to make a passage to inside. We informed the police immediately, Sisodia added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A recent move by the Lakshadweep UT administration to permit the manufacture, sale and consumption of liquor on the islands through a draft bill has met both public and political opposition. The draft excise bill calls for the appointment of an excise commissioner who will regulate the liquor industry. (Photo credit: Lakshwadeep administration) The administration on August 3 placed the draft Lakshadweep Excise Regulation, 2022 in the public domain inviting suggestions and feedback on the policy within 30 days. The draft bill calls for the appointment of an excise commissioner who will regulate, control and monitor the manufacture, possession, import, export, transport, sale and consumption of liquor. Subject to the provisions contained in sub-section (1) of section 14, the Administrator may issue license or permit to any government corporation or government company or government agency or any autonomous body, owned or controlled by the government for the purposes of import and retail vending of liquor in the union territory of Lakshadweep, the draft regulation said. Currently, liquor is served only in government bars and resorts for tourists on Bangaram island and is prohibited elsewhere in the Muslim-majority UT. The ban on the sale of alcohol in the UT was imposed in 1979 following a demand by the local population citing cultural reasons. While Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal could not be reached for a comment, he told the New Indian Express, Allowing sale of liquor to the public will destroy our culture and we will oppose it tooth and nail. Filmmaker Aisha Sultana, who belongs to Lakshadweep, said in a Facebook post, The public stand is that sale of liquor is not permissible in Lakshadweep. A state where liquor is completely prohibited is Gujarat. Lakshadweep is also like that. What is the reason behind promoting sale of liquor in Lakshadweep when the same wasnt done in Gujarat? Is this the development of Lakshadweep? Through her post, the filmmaker took a swipe at UT Administrator Praful Patel, who hails from Gujarat. After his appointment as the administrator of the UT in 2020, he had brought in a number of controversial proposals like banning cow slaughter, an Anti-Social Activities Act and regulations for the acquisition of land by the government. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON PATNA Dozens of villages in Sheohar and East Champaran in north Bihar have begun to face flood fears as the Bagmati river has begun inundating villages located in low-lying areas of the districts on Wednesday, officials said. A flooded area in Patna on Wednesday. (Santosh Kumar) Traffic on Sheohar-Motihar state highway (SH54) has been hit as water has start flowing over it near Narkatia village of Sheohar, said an official of water resources department (WRD), claiming that efforts are on to plug the leakage in an under construction safety embankment near Belwa village. All major rivers originating from Nepal have turned in spate, following heavy rains in the foothills of Himalaya in the past 24 hours. Local weather officials said a red alert (for heavy rainfall) has been issued for districts like Purnia and Araria, while orange alert has been issued for districts like Madhupura, Katihar, Patna, Buxar, Gopalganj, Buxar and Bhojpur. Authorities in West Chmaparan district have already issued warning to the people settled near embankments of Gandak river to move to safer places, following heavy discharge of water from Valmikinagar barrage. About 2.64 lakh cusecs of water was released from the barrage on Wednesday, which might go up if the incessant rains continued in catchment areas of the river, a press note of the WRD said. Discharge of water in Kosi river was also maintaining a rising trend at Birpur barrange, posing fresh threat to wash away houses located on its banks. Reports said about 2.02 lakh cusecs of water was being released from the barrage at 2 pm. Bagmati has already crossed the red mark all through its course, except Hayaghat in Darbhanga. The river was flowing about 1.52 metres above the danger level at Kataunjha in Muzaffarpur. The Gandak has jumped the danger level at Dumaria Ghat by 36 cm and Kosi at Baltara by 18 cm. River Ganga is also approaching the danger mark quite fast at Gandhi Ghat in Patna. All the rivers are maintaining the rising trend at different locations in their courses. WRD officials, meanwhile, have stepped up the vigil on embankments of the north Bihar rivers and carrying out restoration work wherever they notice any leakage or soil erosion on the embankments. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Goa Police have busted a call centre and arrested 18 people for allegedly duping US citizens on the pretext of providing loans, and instead collected processing fees from them. Officers from the Goa Police crime branch after the arrests. (HT Photo) In a raid conducted on Tuesday night, the Crime Branch of the Goa Police arrested 18 people for procuring personal details of the US citizens who had applied for various kinds of loans in their country. The accused people called them through a Google voice application installed on their mobile phones and laptops by impersonating as the staff of e-loan companies or merchant cash advance companies. They induced the victims to avail loan amount as per the requirements and pay processing fees/security deposit of 10% on the loan amount to secure the loan, crime branch superintendent of police Nidhin Valsan said. After promising to process the loans, the fraudsters would direct the customers to pay the processing fees through online payment mediums such as Google Pay, Apple pay, Walmart or Target Gift cards, which they would then redeem via their agent in the US. The duped amount was then transferred by the agent in the US to kingpin Sagar Mehtani in India through hawala transactions. Sagar Mehtani and his wife Bansari Tanavani are the main accused who were operating the fake call centre, Valsan said. During the raid 13 laptops, 13 mobile phones, four modems, four routers, and other accessories worth around 15 lakh were seized from the accused, the police said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Kerala Assembly on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the Centre to change the official name of the state from Kerala to Keralam in all languages. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. (File Photo) The resolution was tabled in the House by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and passed by all members unanimously. While presenting the resolution, the CM said, The name of our state in Malayalam is Keralam. States were formed on linguistic lines in the country on November 1, 1956. The Kerala formation day is on the same day. It was a demand during the freedom struggle to form a united Kerala state for all Malayalam speaking people. But under the first Schedule of the Constitution, the name of our state was recorded as Kerala. The Assembly unanimously requests the central government to make necessary amendments to change the official name of the state to Keralam in all official languages under the Eighth schedule of the Constitution, he added. While a state government can only make a request for change in the name of the state, the actual process requires parliamentary approval under Article 3 and 4 of the Constitution with the President referring the issue to the relevant state legislature. In the past, the name of Orissa state was changed to Odisha and the name of its language from Oriya to Odia. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state spokesperson TP Sindhumol said the party agrees with the idea that the name should be Keralam. Keralam is how we say and use in our mother tongue Malayalam. So yes, the states official name should be Keralam. At the same time, the LDF and UDF should also install a statue of Thunchath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of modern Malayalam, at his birthplace Tirur. They have still not done it, she said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Thousands of Nagas in Manipur took to the streets on Wednesday in simultaneous rallies against the backdrop of the ethnic violence in Manipur and delays in the settlement of the Naga peace process. Thousands of Nagas in Manipur took to the streets on Wednesday in simultaneous rallies (HT Photo) The protest rallies were held in Naga areas across four district headquarters of Senapati, Ukhrul, Chandel and Tamenglong under the aegis of the United Naga Council (UNC), urging the Centre to create the vital space for the final settlement of the Indo-Naga political issue with a sense of high urgency. The rallies were taken out to press for the successful conclusion of peace talks between the Centre and Naga groups based on the 2015 Framework Agreement. Through the rallies, UNC, which is the apex body of Nagas in Manipur state encompassing 20 Naga tribes, registered the collective sentiments of its affiliate tribes and their desire to the government of India to exercise the political will to conclude the protracted negotiations on Naga political issue. In 2015, the Centre signed the Naga Peace Accord (also referred to as the Framework Agreement) with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) to resolve the protracted Naga political issue and also entered into an agreed position with Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) in December 2017. The signing of the Framework Agreement is well past eight years and we are aware that it has run into a stalemate on interpretation and accommodation of the principal issues of flag and constitution which has been envisaged and implied in the Framework Agreement, the UNC stated in a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi which was submitted through the deputy commissioner of Senapati. The organisation further called upon the Centre to honour the agreement by accepting the fact that sovereignty lies with people and by extension, that the Naga flag and constitution must be an integral part of the shared sovereignty. We would also like to place that the Naga people will not accept the disintegration of Naga land or any act that will adversely affect the interest of the Naga people while attempting to address the demands of any other community. We can only state that such misadventures will have serious ramifications that will provoke further senseless violence in different communities, the statement added. Since May 3, the northeastern state has been gripped by ethnic clashes primarily between the tribal Kukis, who reside mostly in the hill districts, and the majority Meiteis, the dominant community in Imphal valley in which at least 160 people have died and over 50,000 have been displaced. Also Read: Manipurs Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum delegation meets Amit Shah in Delhi This assertion comes at a time when the Kuki tribals are demanding a separate administration in Manipur. Recently, the states 10 Naga legislators have voiced out that any separate administrative setup in the hill districts should be based on the Naga peace process. During Wednesdays rally in Senapati district headquarters, UNC president Ng Lorho questioned the Centres political will and sincerity towards resolving the decades-old Naga political issue. The fate of the Framework Agreement hangs in balance as the government of India fiddles with what has been agreed upon, he remarked. The Nagas can never be divided by any artificial district, state or international boundaries but shall stand our ground on Naga national principle and remain united no matter what may come, Lorho said, further indicating that Nagas are spread across four states- Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and in parts of Myanmar as well. The Framework Agreement was signed 18 years after the two (government of India and the Nagas) entered a ceasefire agreement. 26 years of negotiation with seven prime ministers is enough, read one of the many placards held up by the protestors, conveying a strong message that the political dialogues have dragged on for too long. Several organizations have extended their support to the UNC rally. In Nagaland, the Naga Students Federation and the Naga Hoho have endorsed the UNC call for an early honourable and amicable settlement of the Indo-Naga. In Manipur, the apex body of Kuki tribes Kuki Inpi Manipur also extended its endorsement stating that the central leadership should expedite the processes of resolving the demands of tribal communities to ensure lasting peace in Manipur. The next round of talks between the Centre and NSCN-IM is expected to resume after the independence day celebrations. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday hit out at chief minister Nitish Kumar on the completion of one year of the Grand Alliance (GA) in the state saying that the CM has completed one more year on crutches to keep his chair safe but his countdown has begun. Bihar BJP chief minister Samrat Choudhary (File Photo) His time is up and the people of Bihar will give him a send-off that will be an example for those who pay with mandate for personal interest. He is passing through a phase of helplessness and indecisiveness just to carry on, the Bihar BJP leader said. In a Facebook post, Choudhary said that a year ago, Nitish Kumar had decided to sit in the lap of the Lalu family, negating the mandate of the people. In his new company, he has been completely draped in the colour of the RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal). From a symbol of good governance in the company of the BJP, he has allowed himself to become the epitome of bad governance, opportunism and the master of U-turns. Narrating the GAs one-year journey, Choudhary wrote that it was nothing but a saga of how one mans ambition had played with the life and future of 120 million people of Bihar. Kumar had in August 2022, split with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the second time in eight years Referring to the Bihar governments alleged atrocities on the protesting teachers over the recruitment row, Choudhary said, Bihar has seen how a power-drunk man, in quest of his personal interest, stabs in the back of the people, who took him to heights and joins hands with his detractors. The rising crime graph is just one manifestation of the misrule, while lathi charge and firing on those reminding him of his promise to provide 10-lakh jobs with another. Maintaining that there were innumerable examples of arrogance and slide in governance, the state BJP chief underlined that the way farmers and their family members were beaten in Chausa or lathi charge and firing on BJP workers in Patna, in which a BJP leader was killed, were reflections of the growing insensitivity of Nitish Kumar. A BJP leader from Jehanabad district was allegedly killed in a police crackdown in Patna to disperse aspirants and Opposition party workers protesting against the domicile policy of teachers recruitment in the state. He further slammed Kumar over the change in prison policy by the Bihar government in April allowing the premature release of convicts serving lifetime who have served 14 or 20 years in jail. The rules were amended on April 10 and Anand Mohan, the gangster-turned-politician, who spent less than 16 years behind bars, walked out of jail on April 27. The Jehadi forces are getting emboldened, while the anti-socials have got a field day to carry out loot and murder at will. The government changed the law to facilitate the release of two dozen gangsters. Bihar police records say there is at least one murder reported in Patna every day. Hindus are being targeted and insulted. Political murders are again becoming common. But the conscience of Nitish Kumar is no more shaking him, as he shamelessly tries to defend the indefensible with chop logic, he wrote. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After Ashish Bangirwar, the dean of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College, run by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Medical Education Trust was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday for accepting a 10 lakh bribe to offer an MBBS seat; political and civic activists have demanded an inquiry of all the admissions done under management quota for the current and previous year. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College at Mangalwar Peth. (Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO) Civic activist Vivek Velankar wrote a letter to the medical education department demanding an inquiry in the admission process. There are 100 seats for the course, of which 15 are under management quota. Apart from the prescribed fees, the dean asked for additional money and was caught while accepting cash on Tuesday. A four-member committee including municipal commissioner, additional municipal commissioner, health department head and dean are incharge of the admission process. It is unlikely, that the dean will demand and accept the bribe while keeping other committee members in the dark, stated Velankar. The college started a year ago and there must be an inquiry of all the admissions processed so far, he added. As per the complaint, the complainants son had cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2023 exam and was allotted a seat at Medical College in the first admission round of Centralised Admission Process (CAP). When the complainant approached the dean for admission process, the latter allegedly demanded 16 lakh in addition to the 22.50 lakh annual admission fee. Former deputy mayor and Republican Party of India (Athawale) leader Dr Siddharth Dhende has also raised various objections about the college and the contract between PMC and medical trust. Aam Aadmi Partys Abhijit More said, Earlier there was no management quota in any government-run medical college. The the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) brought this formula from Gujarat and introduced Ahmedabad pattern in Pune. Now the results are in front of public. Congress partys leader Sanjay Balgude said, There are many errors in the approval of this medical college. We are demanding to conduct an inquiry of the entire admission process. Congress leaders protest Earlier in the day, Congress leaders led by Kasba Peth MLA Ravindra Dhangekar staged protest and demanded comprehensive probe of all the admissions under management quota for current and previous year. The Congress workers also threw ink at the name plate of the dean. Within two years, there is a case of corruption that has come out in front of everyone. We have been getting complaints that previously too money was accepted for giving admissions, said Dhangekar. Later MNS workers led by Prashant Kanojiya and advocate Sachin Pawar staged protest and vandalised the deans cabin. With stocks of Remdesivir injections worth more than 30 crores having expired in Pune district, members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have alleged that the public health department failed to prevent the wastage of this life-saving drug despite the issue having been brought to the notice of the director of health services, Dr Nitin Ambadekar. So much so that MNS leader, Hemant Sambhus, during a press conference on Wednesday, claimed that vested monetary interests led to the excess stock of Remdesivir being purchased and procured by the department. On July 28, 2023, the MNS had written a letter to chief minister Eknath Shinde, demanding action against Dr Ambadekar for failure to prevent the wastage of Remdesivir. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO) On July 28, 2023, the MNS had written a letter to chief minister Eknath Shinde, demanding action against Dr Ambadekar for failure to prevent the wastage of Remdesivir. A stock of 2.50 lakh vials of Remdesivir injections worth 40 crores was going to expire on April 30, 2023. To prevent this wastage, a letter was written to Dr Ambadekar on April 10, 2023, requesting him to take preventive measures. However, no efforts were taken by the public health department, leading to the waste of the life-saving serum, the MNS letter addressed to Shinde said. Sambhus said that if Dr Ambadekar had taken measures to divert or return the excess stock to the manufacturing company, it would have saved the public exchequer crores of rupees. The pharmaceutical company would have given a credit note to the health department or other medicines in exchange for Remdesivir. However, no efforts were taken by the health department, which led to the wastage of vaccines worth 30 crores, Sambhus said. According to the officials, as many as 2.70 lakh vials of Remdesivir injections were procured by the health department for Pune district since the outbreak of Covid-19. Out of this stock, as many as 1.56 lakh vials were utilised while the remaining 1.13 lakh vials got wasted in three years time. After the vaccines expired, the MNS members on May 27, 2023 wrote to public health minister, Tanaji Sawant, demanding action. Following this, a committee was formed under the deputy director of health services, Dr Radhakishan Pawar, to investigate the matter. As per the committee report dated July 22, 2020, as many as 20,104 vials of Remdesivir were purchased by the district civil surgeons office from the Haffkine Institute. From August 26, 2022, a stock of 2.50 lakh vials was received by the district from the central government and other government departments. However, no one was said to be at fault for the wastage by the committee. Sambhus said that this was a clear case of corruption and that vested interests led to the purchase and procurement of an excess stock of vaccines. The investigation committee too clearly stated that a stock of 1.13 lakh vials was wasted. There has been no action taken by the health minister and we demand that the chief minister takes action. If no action is taken, we will hold a protest, Sambhus said. Despite repeated attempts, Dr Ambadekar remained unavailable for comment. Whereas Dr Pawar admitted to procuring excess stock and said that it was better to have stock in excess rather than having less vaccines as that would lead to patient deaths. He said that the vials were provided mainly by the central government and that no one could be held responsible for it. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Office of the Director General, Medical Education and Training, Uttar Pradesh, is going to release the merit list of the UP NEET PG counselling 2023 today, August 9. Candidates can check the UP NEET PG 1st merit list on the exam website, upneet.gov.in. UP NEET PG 2023 merit list releasing today on upneet.gov.in (Pic for representation) After the merit list is released, candidates whose names are mentioned on it will have to fill choices online between August 10 (11 am) and 13 (11 am). Seat allotment results of the first round of UP NEET PG counselling will be announced on August 13 or 14, as per the schedule. Candidates have to download their allotment letters and complete admissions between August 16 and 20. How to download UP NEET PG 2023 1st merit list Go to upneet.gov.in. Find and open the round 1 allotment result link for NEET PG. Enter your credentials, if required. Login and check the result. Take a printout of the page and save it for future uses. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The electrifying anime sensation, Jujutsu Kaisen, continues to captivate audiences with its heart-pounding plot twists and action sequences. As the latest episode bids farewell to Gojo's Past Arc, fans are left in eager anticipation of what the Shibuya Incident Arc holds. Jujutsu Kaisen amps up intrigue as Shibuya Incident Arc approaches after Gojo's Past Arc. Gojo and Geto's dynamic takes dark twist.(MAPPA) While Gojo's Past Arc took fans on a thrilling ride through history, the upcoming Shibuya Incident Arc promises to be a game-changer. After the bittersweet ending of Gojo's Past Arc, the show's trajectory takes a darker twist. The strongest duo in the Jujutsu world, Gojo and Geto, transform from allies to adversaries, adding a new layer of intrigue to the narrative. The Shibuya Incident Arc delves deep into the aftermath of a tragic loss, showcasing how two close friends, Gojo and Geto, respond differently. Suguru Geto's path takes a sinister turn as he embraces the path of evil, while Satoru Gojo, the mischievous troublemaker, assumes the role of a Jujutsu instructor, nurturing a new generation of sorcerers. This dynamic shift sets the stage for a captivating clash between light and darkness. Brief intermission: A short hiatus beckons July 6 to August 3: Hidden Inventory and Premature Death Arcs (Gojo's Past saga) August 10: Gojo's Past Arc and Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Movie Recap August 17: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 Recap August 24: Break August 31: Shibuya Incident Arc As the series transitions from Gojo's Past Arc to the highly anticipated Shibuya Incident Arc, fans are in for a brief hiatus. The creators have decided to take a small break between the two arcs, allowing viewers to catch their breath before the storm. The hiatus won't be long, and the new release date for the next episode is already confirmed. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 6 release date Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 6 is set to premiere on Thursday, August 31st, at 10 AM PT. For eager fans in Japan, the episode will be broadcast on MBS and TBS, while international viewers can exclusively catch it on Crunchyroll. Date Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 6 Release Time JST PT ET CET GMT IST August 31, 2023 11:56 PM 10:00 AM 1:00 PM 7:00 PM 2:56 PM 10:30 PM Spoilers ahead: What's in store for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 6 The upcoming episode is expected to take fans into a world of evaluations and unexpected reunions. With the recommendation of first and second-year students for promotion to first-grade sorcerers, tensions run high as characters come under evaluation. A girl from Yuji's past resurfaces, bringing with her a mix of nostalgia and intrigue. Stay tuned for the epic return While the brief hiatus may leave us craving more, the promise of the Shibuya Incident Arc's thrilling narrative is worth the wait. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 is set to deliver on its reputation for heart-stopping action, unexpected twists, and a roller-coaster ride of emotions. The adrenaline-pumping battle between Luffy and Kaido in One Piece's anime just got a wild upgrade with the introduction of Gear 5 Luffy. After a heart-stopping setback, Luffy's Devil Fruit revealed its true potential, giving birth to the zany Gear 5 form. Brace yourselves for more mind-boggling action as the anime teases a showcase of Luffy's new powers. Luffy's One Piece journey soars with the unveiling of Gear 5, a mythic Zoan form. Amidst the chaos, he wields awakened powers and astonishing fans.(Toei Animation) Gear 5 Luffy vs. Kaido: The epic showdown continues One Piece Episode 1072 will take fans deeper into the intense fight between Gear 5 Luffy and the formidable Kaido. Prepare to be amazed as Luffy's "ridiculous" true power, long concealed within his Devil Fruit, takes center stage. With the battle reaching its climax, the Wano Country arc hurtles towards an explosive finale, promising jaw-dropping moments that defy all logic. Get ready for "The Ridiculous Power!" Titled "The Ridiculous Power! Gear Five in Full Play," Episode 1072 tantalizes viewers with a glimpse of Luffy's mind-bending abilities. The promo hints at an earth-shaking showdown where Luffy's techniques become bizarre and the very ground beneath him turns bouncy. Is he a god or Luffy or something else entirely? This comedic spectacle promises to leave you wide-eyed and amazed. When and how to watch One Piece Episode 1072? Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 12th, as One Piece Episode 1072 is set to premiere in Japan. Thanks to Crunchyroll, you won't have to wait long to catch the action. The episode will be available for streaming shortly after its initial debut, allowing fans to dive right into the exhilarating battle between Gear 5 Luffy and Kaido. For those who want more One Piece excitement, Crunchyroll offers the entire series, complete with English dubs, specials, and movies. Join Monkey D. Luffy on his relentless quest to become the king of all pirates. With treacherous waters, the Grand Line, and the enigmatic Legendary One Piece treasure awaiting, there's no stopping this determined captain. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In July, AR Rahman and Kamal Haasan visited the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Now, in a new interview for The Hindu, AR Rahman revealed that he had told the actor to make a Hollywood film. The music composer also revealed that they had watched Oppenheimer together during their small get-together. (Also read: Kamal Haasan says no one believed he agreed to do Kalki 2898 AD: 'Prabhas held my hand and said thank you) AR Rahman suggested Kamal Haasan to make a film in Hollywood. What Rahman said In an interview with The Hindu, AR Rahman said, "I feel like he got trapped in this industry over the years. Its a good thing for us; but for him... I dont know. 20 years ago, when he had the money, he should have just gone to Hollywood and made a film there. As an experiment perhaps, without worrying about success or failure. He can still do it actually. Thats what I told him now; to make an English film just for the heck of it and not be judgmental about it." More details In the same interview, Rahman also revealed that he watched Oppenheimer with Kamal Hasan. He added, We visited the Chinese Theatre and watched Oppenheimer too. I invited him over for lunch after that. He is someone who comes from six generations of filmmaking, and hearing him talk and narrate stories is always fascinating to me. He still watches so many movies, remembers scenes and dialogues from them, and keeps pointing out trivia to me. Unlike him, I dont have the patience anymore to finish every film! Sharing a glimpse of their visit recently, Kamal had shared a picture on Instagram and shared, "Boys in the wood !! Found a young man who is older than I am, and thats why I keep young company. @arrahman." Both of them were also seen sharing a light moment reflecting on the music directors Oscar-winning moment. One G.O.A.T watching another G.O.A.T at the academy museum," Rahman wrote in his post, where Kamal was seen watching The Godfather. Kamal will be next seen in Indian 2, which is a sequel of the Tamil cult classic Indian. He also stars in the upcoming film Kalki 2898 AD, which also stars Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Disha Patani. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actor Ileana DCruz, who recently welcomed her son Koi Phoenix Dolan, shared a new picture with him. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday morning, Ileana posted a monochrome photo. (Also Read | New mom Ileana D'Cruz is married, tied the knot with Michael Dolan in May this year: Report) Ileana DCruz shared a photo with son Koi Phoenix Dolan. Ileana shares new pic with son In the closeup picture, Koi Phoenix held Ileana's finger as she held his hand. The black and white photo was clicked indoors. Sharing the photo, Ileana wrote, "1 week of being your Mama (red heart emoji)." Koi Phoenix was born on August 1. Koi Phoenix held Ileana's finger as she held his hand. About Koa Phoenix Dola A few days ago on Instagram, Ileana shared the news of the birth of her son alongside a picture of the baby. The words in the photo read, ''Introducing Koa Phoenix Dola. Born on August 1, 2023." No words could explain how happy we are to welcome our darling boy to the world. Hearts beyond full, she wrote in the caption of the post. In the picture, Ileanas baby boy was seen sleeping. As per Bump.com, Koa means 'valiant one' or 'warrior'. Soon after the actor announced the news, her friends and fans flooded the comment section with red heart emojis and congratulatory messages. Actor Nargis Fakhri wrote, Omg congrats!!!!!! GOD BLESS!!! Leo boy. Arjun Kapoor, Huma Qureshi among others posted heart emojis. About Ileana's partner Michael Dolan The actor had announced her pregnancy in April this year and shared photographs of her partner recently on social media. From the very beginning, Ileana has been extremely tight-lipped about her personal life. But, recently, Ileana revealed the man of her life--Michael Dolan. She dropped pictures from a date night with her mysterious man. She took to Instagram Stories and treated her fans with a glimpse of her dinner date. Ileana and Michael are reportedly married Recently, DNA reported that Ileana tied the knot with Michael Dolan on May 13 this year, four weeks before she announced her pregnancy on social media. The report further claimed that around that time, Ileana had shared a picture of herself in a white bridal dress in front of a decorated venue. However, it isn't certain if the picture was from her wedding or a photoshoot. Ileana's projects The actor was last seen in the music video of rapper Badshah's song Sab Gazab. Her last movie appearance was in The Big Bull, alongside Abhishek Bachchan. Filmmaker Kookie Gulati directed the film and it was produced by Ajay Devgn. Her upcoming projects include the film Unfair and Lovely with Randeep Hooda. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Veteran actor Neena Gupta made an appearance in Mumbai in a little black dress and high boots on Tuesday. She also carried a matching purse and wore brown shades. She kept her makeup simple and topped the look with beautiful earrings. Also read: Neena Gupta says hers was the first kiss on Indian TV but had to be removed, reveals I rinsed my mouth with Dettol Neena Gupta was spotted in Mumbai on Tuesday. (Varinder Chawla) Fans praise Neena Gupta's look A paparazzo shared a video of Neena on Instagram. While many trolled the actor for choosing such a dress, many also appreciated her confidence and her look. A fan wrote, I'm glad that she didn't care about people's opinion about her age and the outfit... and she just wore what she wanted! And she's looking pretty. Another called it Nice outfit in the comments section. Some also wrote Waaah and Nice. A person also commented, Hot to lag rhi hai (she is looking hot after all). A fan defended her against those who claimed she should be mindful of her age and wrote, It's her choice. Some tried to troll her for her choice of dress A person, however, claimed she didn't look comfortable and wrote, She looks uncomfortable. Why to wear such dresses? These kinda peoples always look gorgeous in sarees. One more said, Nowadays people trying so hard to look young...wish they knew old age too has its own charm & beauty. I don't blame people, rather our judgmental mindset of age shaming forces people to try to look young. Neena on not being able to wear gowns on red carpet In May, Neena had said in an interview that she was jealous of young actors like Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt after seeing them making grabbing attention at international events like Met Gala and Oscars. She had told News18, I wish we also had the same kind of exposure. I think about it every passing minute. I feel envious every second (smiles). I wonder what if I was a young actor in this day and age! I could have achieved so much more. Having said that, I know that you cant have everything that you wish for. I definitely do feel thankful for all the work thats coming my way even at this age. But yes, I feel very, very jealous when I look at them wearing gowns and walking [on the global stage]. Neena's work After delivering several films in the 80s, Neena became one of the most sought-after actors in her second innings with the success of the 2018 film Badhaai Ho. She has been doing a lot of work lately. This year, she was seen in a lead role in Shiv Shastri Balboa along with Anupam Kher and has been earning a lot of appreciation for her role as a grandmother in Lust Stories 2. She was also seen in Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway and Ishq-e-Nadaan. On the OTT, she is seen in the new web show, Charlie Chopra. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT Entertainment Desk Dedicated professionals who write about cinema and television in all their vibrancy. Expect views, reviews and news. ...view detail What Suniel said In a new interview with News 18, when Suniel was asked about Hera Pheri 3, he said, Weve shot for the promos. Were waiting for the film to take off. My fingers are crossed! I hope nazar na lage kisi ki. (Hopefully everything goes on well)" Suniel on working with Akshay and Paresh He further talked about sharing screen space with his co-stars Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal and said, Ive always been in touch with Akshay (Kumar) and Paresh (Rawal) ji. Paresh Ji and I are very, very close. Akki and I might not meet every day but were also very tight. Hes the fittest actor in Bollywood even today. We didnt realize that 16 years had gone by Its so beautiful that were coming together for Hera Pheri 3. Suniel's Linkedin post Earlier, Suniel wrote a long social media post about the awaited film, describing how filmmaking and decisions made in the process are not all about actors and other creatives involved, a lot of it is about the business of filmmaking. On Linkedin, Suniel wrote, "So Hera Pheri 3 is finally happening! Look forward to being back on set with Pareshji and Akki (Akshay). Like all good things, this one took some time, but its a relief to finally have an answer to this question! Films are such a huge part of our culture, and yet, not many understand what goes into making a film. Apart from creative challenges, the business model and needs of the movie business make it as challenging as any other." He concluded with, "Many films also tie-up with brands for in-film placements or co-marketing activities, as an additional layer of revenue, or sometimes to offset part of the pre release marketing expenses. There are so many other aspects that make the movie business challenging - audience preferences, data and insights, IP rights and licences, pre and post production, line production, permissions, promotions, pricing etc etc. 33 years and 125 films later I dont have it all figured out, but I will keep getting better at it." Meanwhile, Paresh Rawal had said that the film's characters will go global in the third film as they travel to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Los Angeles, California. Farhad Samji will be directing Hera Pheri 3. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Anil Sharma has claimed that his film, Gadar 2, did not have too high a budget as the makers agreed to put a major part of the budget into production. Talking to Lehren Retro, director Anil Sharma also said that Sunny Deol reduced his fees for the film. Sunny reprises his role of Tara Singh from Gadar Ek Prem Katha for the new film, Gadar 2, which hits theatres on August 11. (Also read: Gadar 2 director Anil Sharma compares film to Mughal-E-Azam and Sholay) Sunny Deol in a still from Gadar 2. Low budget of Gadar 2 When the filmmaker was talking about the vehicles used in the film, he was asked if he could reveal the budget. Anil Sharma hesitated a bit before saying that the budget was reasonable enough, but it is better if ZEE (Studios, the producers of Gadar 2) talk about it. "Log market me 80, 100, 150 bolte hain. Aisa kuch nahi hai, usase kam hai (People talk about figures of 80, 100 or 150 crore but our budget is nothing like that. It is much less)." Sunny cut down on his fees Utkarsh Sharma, who was also present for the interview, added that technicians and most actors in the film agreed that themaximum budget of the film may be allotted to production. Anil said that everyone's fees were majorly controlled. Asked if Sunny Deol's fees would be what it is, Anil said, "That is just one person, we managed that. And, to tell you the truth, even he reduced his fees a lot. These days, the actors' and directors' fees are too high, shooting the budget of films to 500-600 crore. Out of those, 150 or 200 crore is the hero's share. What we thought was, to put the money in production." The father-son duo then explained that they have kept the action real, and did not rely on VFX to cut costs. The Indian army also offered support to the filmmakers and they gave their vehicles, tanks, and soldiers, as well as locations for the shooting. Gadar 2 Gadar 2 is the sequel to Anil Sharma's 2001 film Gadar Ek Prem Katha. Sunny and Ameesha Patel reprise their role of Tara Singh and Sakeena. Utkarsh will also return as Jeete in the film that is set in the 1970s. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The grandson of actor Robert De Niro, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, died from an accidental drug overdose last month, according to reports. Leonardo De Niro(Instagram/Drena De Niro) The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner told Rolling Stone, People, and CBS News Tuesday that the 19-year-old succumbed to the toxic effects of fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine, and cocaine. De Niro Rodriguezs mother, actress Drena De Niro, announced her sons death on social media on July 2. I dont know how to live without you but Ill try to go on and spread the love and light that you so made me feel in getting to be your mama, she wrote in the caption. You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you. In the comments section of a post in which Drena De Niro shared a joint statement from her and her father Robert De Niro, she responded to someone who asked how Leandro died. Someone sold him fentanyl laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him, she replied, adding, So for all these people still selling and buying this (expletive), my son is gone forever. The Hollywood icon said he was deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo in a statement quoted to USA TODAY. Were greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo. A week after De Niro Rodriguez died, a 20-year-old woman was arrested on federal narcotics charges and accused of selling the drugs that led to his death, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Sofia Haley Marks was arrested on July 13 on three counts of narcotics distribution stemming from the sale of drugs to De Niro Rodriguez, the law enforcement official said. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. ALSO READ| Lizzo-headlined Made in America festival in Philadelphia cancelled over severe circumstances The New York Post and ABC News also reported the arrest, citing law enforcement sources. Marks appeared in Manhattan federal court the following day and agreed to remain behind bars until she requested bail at a later date. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In the wake of BTS' Suga, also known as Min Yoongi, embarking on his mandatory military service, a heartwarming wave of love and support is sweeping the fandom. A viral tweet highlighting Yoongi and Jimin's endearing exchanges is capturing hearts worldwide. As Yoongi takes this important step, fans are cherishing the endearing moments and sentiments exchanged between these two beloved bandmates. BTS' Suga's military enlistment sparks heartwarming fandom support. Viral tweet celebrates Yoongi and Jimin's touching friendship.(Pinterest) Military service initiation Yoongi's agency, BigHit, recently announced his initiation into military service in South Korea, marking a significant chapter in his journey. The statement released by BigHit on August 7th revealed, "SUGA has initiated the military enlistment process... We ask you for your continued love and support for SUGA until he completes his military service and safely returns." During a poignant Weverse live session after his last performance, Suga's words left fans with a hint of anticipation. "Let's see each other in 2025, OK? Please wait a little bit," he shared. Yoongi, also known as Suga, has expressed his profound connection with fellow BTS member Jimin through touching words and memories. During Festa 2020, Jimin recalled the impactful encouragement he received from Yoongi during their trainee days. Jimin expressed his gratitude, saying, In some way, its thanks to those words that I was able to reach where I am now. In return, Yoongi's sentiments about Jimin have been equally touching. In 2019, he conveyed his belief in Jimin's potential, stating, "If you continue like this, I think you'll someday be able to reach a level you can be satisfied with." Their bond extends beyond words. In a 2023 interaction, Yoongi highlighted Jimin's hard work, calling it a "genius" talent. Jimin, on the other hand, fondly recalled the pivotal moment when Yoongi's words ignited his ambition to pursue singing. BTS's Burn the Stage documentary captures Yoongi's admiration for Jimin's vocals, "Your voice is really nice... I like Jimin's voice better." Their genuine respect for each other's talents shines through, forging an unbreakable bond. Jimin's unwavering support for Yoongi was further demonstrated when he attended Yoongi's Agust D 'D-DAY' tour in New York. This heartwarming gesture sent fans into a frenzy, with the hashtag #Yoonmin trending on Twitter. Yoongi, ever playful, jokingly reminded everyone that it was his concert. During a Weverse Live session, Yoongi revealed Jimin's presence backstage, emphasizing his constant encouragement. As the BTS journey continues, Suga's enlistment marks a new chapter. However, his unbreakable bond with Jimin and the entire ARMY assures us that the BTS spirit will thrive. Trouble is mounting for Lizzo, known for her hit songs and body positivity advocacy. Lawyers representing three of her former dancers now claim six more victims of her alleged sexual harassment have come out to file a case against her. FILE - Lizzo performs at the BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival on May 27, 2023, in Napa, California(Amy Harris/Invision/AP) The new complaints stem from dancers who were part of Lizzo's touring crew and those involved in her Amazon Prime Video show, "Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls." Employment law attorney Ron Zambrano told New York Post that some of these grievances highlight a "sexually charged environment," while others centre on unpaid wages. Also Read: Lizzo loses 220K followers on Instagram amid sexual assault lawsuit controversy The complaints against Lizzo include instances where she allegedly made derogatory comments about a dancer's weight and created uncomfortable environments. According to New York Post, one accuser, claimed that Lizzo told the employees that it was normal for dancers to be fired when they get fat. The ongoing controversy has had an impact on Lizzo's reputation, as high-profile figures like Beyonce have seemingly distanced themselves from her. Beyonce notably omitted Lizzo's name during a song in her "Renaissance" tour, showcasing the diminishing support for the artist. In response to the allegations, Lizzo denied the claims and emphasized that the stories are coming from former employees who were previously informed of their inappropriate behavior on tour. The situation has also prompted other individuals, such as former creative director Quinn Whitney Wilson and dancer Courtney Hollinquest, to share their similar experiences with Lizzo's behavior. As the legal battle continues, Lizzo's image faces significant challenges, potentially impacting her career trajectory. Despite her previous successes and body-positive messaging, the allegations are shedding light on a different side of the artist, leaving both fans and the industry questioning her actions. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Taylor Swift took her Eras Tour to Los Angeles this week and a bunch of celebrities turned up for the concert. Among them was also Taylor's best friend Selena Gomez and her sister Gracie. Selena took to Instagram to share a bunch of posts from the concert, including a very special one with her sister. (Also read: Taylor Swift mesmerizes audience with YOYOK and DBATC as surprise songs but fans are 'disappointed') Selena Gomez held sister Gracie tightly in her arms during the concert. Selena shared a picture of herself in a black hoodie with the Eras Tour artwork on the front of it. She also wore a cap and cuddled with her dog before leaving for the concert. There, she held Gracie in her arms as Taylor beautifully sang Lover from her 2019 album Lover. Selena also showed her wrist full of bracelets that excited fans exchanged with her during the concert. That you to the fans who traded with me, she wrote with the post. Selena and Taylors have been BFFs for years and this is not even the first time that she has attended the Eras Tour. In April, she even dressed up like Taylor for the concert, wearing a cardigan just like the one Taylor wore in her Cardigan music video. Gracie was dressed in what appeared to be a Speak Now outfit. Selenas dad was shown wearing a shirt that read Proud Swiftie Dad. Meanwhile, Taylor had just announced the addition of new dates through 2024 to her consistently sold-out tour, which began in March in Arizona. She'd planned more than 100 concerts in the United States, Mexico, Europe, Asia and Australia and now also in Canada. Taylor Swift announced last week several Toronto dates for her much-hyped world tour after a plea from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not to skip Canada. Concert sponsor Rogers Communications said in a statement that Swift will perform six shows as part of her "Eras Tour" in Canada's largest city, and that tickets would soon go on sale for the November 2024 dates. Swift herself also posted on Instagram: "Turns out it's NOT the end of an era." Sadly, Indian Swifties have not got any tour dates to look forward to. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON South Korean politician Sung Il-jong has responded after he faced backlash for suggesting that BTS members should perform at a concert for the disastrous 2023 World Scout Jamboree. As reported by Koreaboo, Sung Il-jong said he gave an opinion and is aware that it will be difficult for the members to perform together at the moment. (Also Read | Suga talks about getting cast on street, K-pop idols wearing makeup, BTS' next chapter and importance of taking breaks) BTS members Jin, Jimin, Suga, J-Hope, V, Jungkook and RM.(Photo by Twitter/_seesaw93) Sung Il-jong talks about bill to grant amnesty for BTS Koreaboo quoted Sung Il-jong as speaking on the MBC radio show, "I think ARMYs have misunderstood me. I think they are disappointed because we sent BTS to the military and are now asking them to save the Jamboree. To be honest, the politician who led a bill to grant amnesty for BTS was me. Because I understood the value of this treasure and because BTS are musicians who the nation can be proud of, I tried to afford them immunity." Sung Il-jong clarifies his remark On his latest suggestion, he said, "I gave an opinion as to whether it would be possible for the group to perform at the International event for scouts. Of course, because they have taken some time off (from group activities), it would be hard for all the members to perform. I feel discussing these things is necessary." When asked if there had been any discussions about BTS performing, the politician responded that he hasn't 'checked'. Sung Il-jong praises BTS Talking about BTS, he called them 'Koreas treasure' who are 'leading the cultural movement in its highest form'. He added that the 'highlight of the event is the K-Pop concert'. He further said that he asked BTS to perform because he 'felt it would help make a beautiful memory of Korea for the participants and gift them with an unforgettable gift'. BTS members Currently, Jin and J-Hope are serving in the military, and Suga has begun enlistment. RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook will also join the military in the coming months. As per the report, the event has been facing several issues such as poor preparation and allegations of politicians misusing funds for themselves. Sung Il-jong faced criticism On Tuesday, Sung Il-jong faced backlash from BTS ARMY when during a meeting, he asked the Ministry Of Defense to have Jin and J-Hope perform at the Jamboree. Reacting to it, a BTS fan posted on Twitter, Please tell me that the rumours stating that (the government) is asking BTS to perform at the K-Pop concert after a disastrous Jamboree event is false. A tweet read, "Politicians are talking nonsense about needing BTS to change Jamboree participants opinion of Korea." A person wrote, "For 6 years, politicians used the event fund to party, and now that the event is ruined, they are like Ta-Da! BTS! LOL." "They make it seem like the government raised BTS, LOL. Do they owe you anything?" asked another person. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ahead of the release of Rajinikanth's film Jailer, his fans recently offered special prayers at Thiruparankundram Amman Temple. Jailer is set to hit the theatres on August 10 and his fans on Tuesday offered special prayers at the Amman Temple in Madurai for the success of the film. (Also Read | Jailer Showcase: Rajinikanth stuns in an action avatar, takes down goons with a menacing smile. Watch) Rajinikanth in the poster of his upcoming film Jailer. Fans performed special worship to the temple deity by offering unique penance Man Soru for the huge success of the movie. One of Rajinikanths fans told ANI, "I have been a Rajini fan for 40 years. From Rajini's Padayappa till today I have been doing various prayers for the success of Rajini's film. Today I am praying that Rajini's 169th film Jailer will be successful. "On behalf of Madurai district, we prayed for the success of Rajini's film jailer. Rajini is trying to make his fans good way. At the audio launch, Rajini told his fans not to drink and accordingly, we have taken a pledge not to drink, another person said. Jailer is touted to be an action-packed entertainer and has a stellar star cast that includes Jackie Shroff, Priyanka Mohan, Shiva Rajkumar, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Yogi Babu, Vasanth Ravi, Vinayakan in prominent roles. Not only that, the makers have roped in Malayalam actor Mohanlal for an extended cameo in the film. Recently, production house Sun Pictures unveiled the trailer of Jailer. Sharing the video, they wrote in the caption, Meet Tiger Muthuvel PandianThe much awaited #JailerShowcase is out now. The showcase video introduced Rajinikanths character Tiger Muthuvel Pandian, with two different avatars. The actor played a father of a police officer in the movie. The video also showed how a simple man fought bad guys with swords and guns. Jackie Shroff can be seen in a never seen avatar. He also describes Rajinikanths character with an impact full dialogue. He said, You have only seen him as a father of a Policeman but Im familiar with his other face that you are not aware of. ott:10 Mahesh Babu is celebrating his 48th birthday with family in Scotland. His wife and former actor Namrata Shirodkar has shared pictures of them together to wish him on his special day. Back home, the new poster of his upcoming film Guntur Kaaram was unveiled as a treat for his fans. Also read: Mahesh Babu and family's pictures from Scotland vacation Namrata Shirodkar and Sitara shared pictures with Mahesh Babu on his birthday. Mahesh Babu's family wishes him on Instagram Sharing a picture of her and Mahesh watching fireworks in the night sky during their Scotland vacation, Namrata Shirodkar wrote on Instagram, Happy birthday MB!! You, you and you for today and every day (hearts and hug emojis) @urstrulymahesh. She is seen in a yellow top, standing behind him and giving him a hug. Three days back, Mahesh had shared a similar picture in which their faces were not seen. Namrata's post for Mahesh Babu. Mahesh's 11-year-old daughter Sitara also shared a special birthday wish for the actor. She shared a candid picture of him having a snack at a restaurant while she laughed while being clicked. Life's greatest adventures are the moments we share together!! Happy birthday Nanna! Love you to the moon and back @urstrulymahesh, she wrote for her father. Her 16-year-old brother Gautam also shared a group picture from their visit to the Edinburgh Castle in Scotland and wrote, Wishing you a great year ahead! @urstrulymahesh. Guntur Kaaram new poster Marking Mahesh Babu's birthday production banner Haarika & Hassine Creations shared a new poster of his film Guntur Kaaram. It shows Mahesh in a shirt, loincloth and shades, lighting a cigarette. It was captioned, "Wishing a spectacular Happy Birthday to the Reigning Superstar, @urstrulymahesh garu! #HBDSuperstarMaheshBabu. Your unparalleled on-screen brilliance coupled with your genuine off-screen humility continues to set a remarkable standard of inspiration. #GunturKaaramOnJan12th." Mahesh Babu's new Guntur Kaaram poster. Guntur Kaaram is scheduled to hit theatres on January 13 next year. It is directed by Trivikram Srinivas who has earlier worked with the actor on hit films like Athadu and Khaleja. The film's teaser was called highly inflammable by the actor as it introduced him beating up villains. ott:10 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Neeraj Pandey is back with a new action-thriller web series, The Freelancer. The show has Mohit Raina in the titular role and Anupam Kher as his mentor. It revolves around the extraction of a young girl who reaches Syria, presuming it to be her honeymoon, after tying the knot with a suspicious man. Mohit Raina, Sushant Singh, Anupam Kher and Kashmira Pardeshi in stills from The Freelancer. What's there in The Freelancer trailer The Freelancer trailer opens with a girl running for her life and amid all the action, Sushant Singh being killed in a gunfire in the middle of a road. The story then begins with how he had approached the police when there was no news of his newly-married daughter who went missing. It is revealed she has been taken to Syria on the pretext of a honeymoon by her husband. Then begins Avinash Kamath's (Mohit Raina) mission to bring her back from Syria which Anupam Kher's Dr Khan says is "impossible". The show is based on Shirish Thorat's book A Ticket to Syria. It is created by Neeraj Pandey of Baby and Naam Shabana fame and has been directed by Bhav Dhulia. It also stars John Kokken, Gauri Balaji, Navneet Malik, Manjiri Faddnis and Sarah Jane Dias. Director, cast talks about The Freelancer Director Bhav Dhulia called the story sensitive and said, With a series like The Freelancer, we wanted to bring audiences a conventional story that makes them think and question what is happening around them. It is a one-of-a-kind thriller series and sheds light on the subject with sensitivity. "Beyond being a story of a young girl stuck in a hostile environment and a Freelancers attempt to rescue her, the story is much more - parents' love for their child, courage, and undying hope. Mohit Raina effortlessly merges into the character of Avinash Kamath and Kashmira Pardeshi as Aliya will leave you vulnerable and emotional. Moreover, collaborating with Disney+ Hotstar has been an incredible experience and we hope audiences enjoy the series. Talking about playing the titular role in the show, Mohit Raina said, The Freelancer is a story that touched my heart in several ways. Playing Avinash Kamath was challenging yet creatively satisfying. Despite fighting his interpersonal battles on a daily basis, Avinash embarks upon a mission like never before, as he sets foot to rescue Aliya." "Working with a creative genius like Neeraj Pandey, a visionary director like Bhav Dhulia and Disney+ Hotstar has been a remarkable experience. I am honored to share screen space with a legendary actor like Anupam Kher and learnt a lot from him. Taking charge of the role as The Freelancer comes with great responsibility and I hope audiences enjoy this side of me. Anupam Kher, who has worked in Neeraj Pandey's Baby as well as M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, also talked about his role of Dr Khan in the series. He said, Every story has a mastermind behind it and thats exactly what Dr Khan is to The Freelancer. Different from characters I have essayed in the past, Dr Khan is vocal, opinionated and has a complex personality. He is Avinashs confidante and extremely aware about the environment he is operating in. The series will evoke the feeling of empathy and thrill, all at once. Moreover, collaborating with Neeraj has always been a pleasant experience. Kashmira Pardeshi plays the role of Aliya in The Freelancer. Opening up about the role, she said, The Freelancer is a story that has left a huge impact on me. Slipping into the role of Aliya was challenging and liberating at the same time. Exploring her journey, emotions, vulnerabilities, her strength, courage and her dire need to escape from a hostile environment taught me several things and changed my perspective towards many things." The Freelancer will be streaming on Disney+ Hotstar September 1 onwards. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON No threat to India-Bangladesh ties from China, Jamaat-e-Islami: Awami League The importance of Bangladeshs upcoming general elections in maintaining regional stability was among the issues that figured in discussions between a visiting Awami League delegation and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Read more Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Bangladesh counterpart. (File)(AFP) ED attaches flat linked to NewsClick editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayashta The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached a flat in New Delhis Saket linked to Prabir Purkayashta, editor-in-chief of NewsClick, in connection with its money laundering probe against the news portal even as the agency is expected to file a charge sheet in the matter, people familiar with the matter said. Read more It's the Kim Taehyung Era: BTS V nails gender-fluid fashion for sizzling magazine photoshoot, ARMY says 'going insane' BTS member V, born Kim Taehyung, dropped pictures from a recent magazine photoshoot on Instagram, leaving millions of his fans gasping for breath. Read more Suniel Shetty says 'fear is good,' shares lessons he learned in life Actor Suniel Shetty took to LinkedIn to share about the times when he was afraid of doing something new and how he fought his fears. His post has resonated with many people and went viral. Read more 'Play 45-55 balls and then...': Rohit, Dravid's clear-cut instruction to prevent Suryakumar Yadav's rampant ODI downfall On Tuesday evening, Suryakumar Yadav once again proved why he is simply the absolute best. The No. 1-ranked T20I batter in the world, lived up to his position in the ICC rankings by playing another beast of an innings to help India stay alive against West Indies. Read more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Kalawati Bandurkar, a poor farm widow from Jalka, made headlines on Wednesday again after Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, mentioning her in a speech in the Lok Sabha. Union Home Minister Amit Shah participates in the discussion on the Motion of No-Confidence in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. (PTI Photo) Gandhi visited Bandurkar's home in 2008 after her husband died by suicide due to an agrarian crisis in Maharashtra. Attacking the Congress MP, Shah said, There is one member in this House who has been launched 13 times in politics. This member failed all 13 times. I have seen one launching when he went to meet a poor lady named Kalavati. But what did you do for her? House, ration, electricity was provided to her by Modi government. Here are top five things about Bandurkar: After Rahul Gandhi visited Bandurkar in 2008, she received significant financial support. Gandhi also mentioned her during a no-trust debate in the Parliament in 2008. While Gandhi did not help her financially directly but financial support poured in for her from many quarters, including 30 lakh from NGO Sulabha International, after the Congress leader's visit. Kalawati had decided to contest from the Wani seat during Maharashtra Assembly polls in 2009, however, soon after, she withdrew her candidature. Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti, the NGO supporting her candidature had then said, Her (Kalavati's) son-in-law threatened that he would commit suicide if she contests the Maharashtra assembly poll. Kalawati's husband Parshuram had committed suicide on December 23, 2005 because of agrarian crisis and then her son-in-law, Sanjay Kalaskar (25), a marginal farmer, who was also an auto driver, died by suicide in December 2010. In 2011, Kalawati's second daughter, Savita Khamankar (27), who lived in Radegaon near Warora in Chandrapur district, died by suicide by setting herself afire. During Bharat Jodo Yatra last year, Kalawati met Rahul Gandhi in November after a few Congress workers took her to his rally in Washim. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had offered a financial help of 1 lakh to Kalawati. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday hit out at the opposition over the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government, calling it a move to create confusion among the people. During his speech on no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, Shah said the opposition has not raised real issues and the no-confidence motion will expose its character. Parliament Monsoon Session LIVE coverage There is not a no-confidence in the PM and this government in the country...This no-confidence motion has been brought only to create a delusion, Shah said. Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the minister said,"After Independence, PM Modi's govt is only there which won the trust of most of the people. PM Modi is the most popular leader among the public...PM Modi works tirelessly for the people of the country. He works continuously for 17 hours a day, without taking a single leave. People trust him". Union home minister Amit Shah speaks during discussion on no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. (Sansad TV) Stating that the Modi government took 50 historic decisions in the past nine years, Shah said,""Today, PM Modi has given a slogan of 'Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India and Appeasement Quit India". Continuing his attack on the opposition, Shah said,"It has to be understood why they (UPA) were opposing Jan Dhan Yojana? Former PM Rajiv Gandhi had said that when Re 1 is sent from the Centre to the poor, only 15 paise reaches the beneficiary....But today, today entire amount reaches the poor". They (UPA) keep saying that they will waive off farmers' loans. We don't believe in just waving off loans but in making a system where one doesn't have to take a loan. What we have given to farmers are not freebies, but we have made them self sufficient, he added. Home minister Shah said PM Modi ended dynasties and corruption. He said,"UPA's character is to protect power but NDA fights to protect principle. UPA's character is to indulge in corruption to save their government" SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday tore into the opposition over the no-confidence motion moved against the Narendra Modi government over the issue of Manipur violence. In his speech which lasted a little over two hours, Shah not only called out the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc but also addressed the issue of Manipur violence. Here are ten important things Shah said in his Lok Sabha address on Wednesday. 1. Shah hit out at the opposition over the no-confidence motion, calling it a move to mislead people. The purpose of the no-confidence motion is only to spread confusion. They are neither farmer friendly nor poor-friendly nor backward-friendly. They are not worried about anyone except their family, Shah said. 2. On the issue of Manipur, Shah said he is pained by the violence in the state which has left 152 dead since May 3. He, however, accused the opposition of politicising the situation. The minister condemned the viral video of the Manipuri women being paraded naked on May This is a very unfortunate incident and it is a shame for society. But why did this video (Manipur viral video) come before the start of this Parliament session? If someone was having this video they should have given it to the DGP, and action would have been taken on that day itself (May 4)...We have identified all those nine people and arrested them, he said. The Prime Minister of the country called me at 4 AM and 6 AM for three days straight. He was very concerned. We conducted 16 video conferences, sent the Security Advisor, deployed 36,000 security personnel, changed the Chief Secretary, and changed the DGP (Director General of Police), he added. 3. Shah hit out at the opposition over violence in Manipur. During the Congress rule, there were numerous incidents of violence in Manipur, yet no home minister visited there. I stayed there for 3 days, and our MoS (Minister of State) Shri Nityanand Rai stayed there continuously for 23 days, he said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during a discussion on the No Confidence Motion in the Lok Sabha in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI/Sansad TV) 4. Shah compared the no-confidence motions brought against the NDA and UPA, alleging that Congress governments won the floor test by paying bribes. The government of Narasimha Rao won the no-confidence motion, but later, several members of that government were sentenced to jail because it was discovered that they had bribed leaders of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha to secure their votes in favour. Today both the Congress and JMM are sitting together, he said. He also added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi or former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee could have won no-confidence motions applying the same tactics. But they decided to stand by their principles. 5. During his speech, Shah took a veiled jibe at Rahul Gandhi, calling him a leader who had been launched 13 times but failed on all occasions. In this house, there is a leader who has been launched in politics 13 times till now, and he has failed all thirteen times. His launching was also done in this house". 6. Amit Shah trained guns at opposition leaders over their remarks made during Covid-19 fight. The opposition opposed India's indigenous vaccine. I remember Rahul Ji and Akhilesh Ji campaigned against it naming it the Modi vaccine. They even opposed the lockdown. But the people of India trust Modi Ji even if the opposition does not and as a result 130 crore people took the vaccine and India became free from Covid 7. Union home minister Amit Shah hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him the most popular PM in India. He said that parliament and people of India trust him. After Independence, PM Modi's govt is only there which won the trust of most of the people. PM Modi is the most popular leader among the public...PM Modi works tirelessly for the people of the country. He works continuously for 17 hours a day, without taking a single leave. People trust him, he said. 8. Shah also hit out at the opposition over freebies, which PM Modi and BJP call it revadi culture. They (UPA) keep saying that they will waive off farmers' loans. We don't believe in just waving off loans but in making a system where one doesn't have to take a loan. What we have given to farmers are not freebies, but we have made them self sufficient, he said in Lok Sabha. 9. Recalling the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said the government will not hold discussions with Hurriyat or Jamaat, and neither with Pakistan. He said the government will only hold talks with youth of Kashmir Valley. After 33 years, cinemas have reopened in Kashmir. Night shows and the Shikara Festival have begun and 1.80 crore tourists flocked to the valley last year due to a series of reforms adopted by the Modi government promoting trade and tourism in the valley. 10. Shah also spoke on government's crackdown on drug control and issues related to internal security. He recalled the expatriation of Sidhu Moose Wala murder accused Sachin Bishnoi who was brought back to India from Azerbaijan. He added that the attacks on India's diplomatic missions in London, Ottawa, and San Francisco have been handed over to the NIA. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday spoke on Manipur violence which has killed 152 people since May 3, saying he is pained by the incidents but described politics over it as shameful. I agree with the opposition's claim that there has been excessive violence in Manipur. In fact, we are more hurt than them (opposition). Such incidents have happened there that we should be ashamed as a society. However, while the incidents are shameful, doing politics on it is even more shameful, Shah said during discussion on no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. Shah hit out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his visit to Manipur, accusing him of indulging in drama. Rahul Gandhi went to Manipur out of concern over the situation. After coming out of the airport, he said he wanted to visit Churachandpur. We suggested him to travel in a helicopter. Gandhi insisted on travelling by road. The police had to stop him. Rahul Gandhi staged a drama for three hours. The next day, he went there by a helicopter. He should have taken a chopper earlier, Shah said. Shah condemned the horrific video of the two women paraded naked during the violence at B Phainom village in Kangpokpi district on May 4, calling it a blot on society. This is a very unfortunate incident and it is a shame for society. But why did this video (Manipur viral video) come before the start of this Parliament session? If someone was having this video they should have given it to the DGP, and action would have been taken on that day itself (May 4)...We have identified all those nine people and arrested them, the minister said. Shah defended Manipur CM Biren Singh, saying,"A state CM needs to be changed when he is not cooperating. This CM is operated with the Centre". 107 people were killed (in Manipur) in May. 30 were killed in June, 15 were killed in July. Out of the 107 people killed in May, 68 people were killed on May 3, 4 and 5. What I want to say here is that violence is reducing gradually and we should not add oil to fire, he said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah participates in the discussion on the Motion of No-Confidence in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Wednesday.(PTI) Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday hurled a veiled jibe at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi during his speech in Lok Sabha. Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during discussion on the Motion of No-Confidence in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Wednesday,(PTI) There is one member in this House who has been launched 13 times in politics. This member failed all 13 times. I have seen one launching when he went to meet a poor lady from Bundelkhand named Kalavati. But what did you do for her? House, ration, electricity were provided to her by Modi government, ANI quoted Shah as saying during the discussion on no-confidence in the lower house. Kalawati Bandurkar, a farm widow had hogged the limelight after Rahul Gandhi had visited her home in Jalka village of Maharashtra's Yavatmal in 2008. Her husband had died by suicide in 2005. Rahul Gandhi had mentioned visiting her house while speaking during the debate on no-confidence motion which was moved against then Manmohan Singh government in 2008. Shah's jibe at Rahul Gandhi comes hours after the latter spoke in the Lok Sabha for the first time after being reinstated as an MP. Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Manipur violence. I went to Manipur a few days ago. Our Prime Minister has not gone there, he has not gone there till now. He does not consider Manipur part of India. I used the word Manipur, but the reality is that there is no Manipur left. You have divided Manipur into two parts, you have broken up Manipur, Gandhi said earlier today. As I had said, India is a voice of the people. You killed that voice in Manipur. This means that you murdered Bharat Mata in Manipur, the Congress MP from Wayanad said. Soon after his speech, Gandhi came under fire from the BJP for allegedly blowing a flying kiss in the house. Women MPs of the saffron party have complained to the speaker against the Congress leader, accusing him of behaving in an indecent manner. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, in personalised letters, expressed his gratitude to senior Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi, Malikarjun Kharge, Nitish Kumar, Uddhav Thackeray, Mamta Banerjee, Sharad Pawar, MK Stalin, Hemant Soren among others for their support in opposition to the Government of National Capital of Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, also known as the Delhi Services Bill. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal(HT_PRINT) Also read: Key clauses of the Delhi services bill explained Replacing the erstwhile Ordinance on transfers and postings of senior officer in the Delhi government, the Delhi Services Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha on Monday. Congress, along with other members of INDIA bloc, opposed the Bill in the Upper House and called it a retrogressive Bill which is completely unconstitutional. Notably, AAP is the part of the opposition alliance INDIA. In a view of rare circumstance, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is 90, arrived at the Parliament in a wheelchair to mark his opposition to the crucial Bill. Today, in the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Manmohan Singh stood as a beacon of integrity and came especially to vote against the black ordinance. His unwavering commitment to democracy and the constitution is a profound inspiration. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to him for his invaluable support, AAP MP Raghav Chadha said. Thanking him for conveying the story of calm, grace and conviction', Kejriwal said Manmohan Singh's unflinching commitment towards the principles of our Constitution will be remembered for decades, and will deeply inspire the coming generations of parliamentarians. He further hoped for the former Prime Minister's continued support and guidance. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractors who have stopped all ongoing works alleging pending bills for over three years, sought the intervention of governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, on Tuesday. The contractors alleged that the bills amounting to 2,700 crore have been pending for the past 26 months. The contractors alleged that the bills amounting to 2,700 crore have been pending for the past 26 months. (HT PHOTO) A delegation of the contractors association led by its president KT Manjunath, met the Governor on Tuesday, and submitted their complaint, requesting the state government to issue an order to release the outstanding payments. Later, the members of the association also met chief minister Siddaramaiah regarding their grievances. We have explained to the governor how they are harassing us. A few of the contractors have shared their pain with us. The governor has assured us that he would discuss the issue with the chief minister as well as the BBMP commissioner. He urged us not to take any decision in haste and assured that the issued would be resolved, Manjunath said. We have stopped all the works in Bengaluru. We apologise for the trouble. We will resume the work once the state government release the pending bills. Since the last 26 months, we have been going from office to office. We have given all the details regarding this, Manjunath said. Majunath said the office bearers of the association also met former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and sought his help in getting their bills cleared, adding that he has extended his support and would participate in the protest. The BBMP contractors on Monday halted all ongoing projects and maintenance work in protest against the non-payment of bills by the civic body. They alleged that bills have been pending since three years despite multiple letters to BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Girinath seeking payment. The contractors have claimed that they are yet to receive dues that have been pending for over 26 months. We are stopping all work from today. The BBMP has to pay nearly 2,700 crore and has not made any payment in the last 26 months, Manjunath said on Monday. On May 26, the newly-elected Congress government directed heads of various departments in the state to immediately halt all development projects initiated by the previous BJP government and withhold the release of funds for the work executed with immediate effect. A circular to this effect was issued by the state finance secretary. A BBMP contractor, Hemant, has also made corruption allegations against deputy CM DK Shivakumar, without explicitly naming him. Their children are opening malls; you dont want our children to live? Why you are afraid of making a statement against them?Let him (Shivakumar) come and promise in the Ajjayya temple that he has not demanded money to clear our bills, Hemant said in a viral video. Shivakumar is said to be a follower of the Ajjayya temple. Meanwhile, responding to the allegations, Shivakumar on Tuesday said the bills would be cleared if the work is done diligently. There is nothing wrong in the contractors writing to the governor. Let them write a letter to the governor or seek the help of the Opposition party or the ruling party. They are hurt. There is nothing wrong in asking. We dont want to trouble anyone. Our aim is to pay those contractors who have done the job properly. Some of the contractors are showing their love towards us. I will not call it blackmail. We have received many reports and are verifying their credibility. We are bound to pay those who have done the job properly. I will not speak in vain on this matter. I will talk about this separately to the media along with the documents, Shivakumar added. About 500 contractors on Monday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu seeking her permission for euthanasia. Manjunath said the contractors are collecting statements, including video messages, from the distressed contractors to be sent to the Presidents office, adding that if their demands are not met, they would be forced to take the extreme step. Meanwhile, BJP leader CT Ravi on Tuesday alleged that Shivakumar has amassed 1,500 crore illegally in the real estate business. 1,500 crore should not be doubled using Brand Bengaluru. Let them work for the development honestly, Ravi said, adding that if the development is done sincerely, the central government would extend its cooperation in every way possible. The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday attacked Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan over allegations that his daughter was involved in suspicious financial transactions to the tune of 1.7 crore between 2017 and 2020. BJP state chief K Surendran said the chief minister and his party, the CPI(M), should explain the alleged transactions. (PTI) While the Congress demanded a judicial probe into the allegations, the BJP sought an explanation from Vijayan and the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist). The political row erupted after a local media, citing income tax departments order, reported that Vijayans daughter T Veena and her firm received payments to the tune of 1.72 crore in the three-year period from a Kochi-based private company even though no services were rendered by her firm. Veena and her firm Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd had signed an agreement with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) in 2017 for giving information technology (IT), marketing consultancy and software services. Recently, the New Delhi bench of the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board ruled that the payment could not be claimed as a business expenditure of CMRL as the services were not rendered by Exalogic Solutions. The board in its order dated June 12 said that the payments were made through banking channels to persons connected with a prominent person. The department has demonstrated with clinching evidence the fact that applicant has made payments through banking channels to persons connected with a prominent person and thereby claim it as a deductible expense and by claiming to compensate a service which has not been rendered or received, the board said in its order. In January 2019, the Income Tax department had conducted searches and raids at the offices of CMRL and residences of its managing director (MD) and other key officials, and found that there was tax evasion by exaggerating the expenses of the firm. The I-T department further noted that payments were made to prominent politicians, media houses, police officers and trade union leaders. Chief minister Vijayan and Veena, who is married to Keralas public works department and tourism minister PA Muhammad Riyaz, have not reacted to the allegations yet. Meanwhile, the opposition parties in Kerala mounted pressure on the chief minister and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government over the allegations. My personal view is that there should be a judicial inquiry into the allegations because the LDF government often makes deals with the Centre, Congress state president K Sudhakaran said. There should be an impartial judicial inquiry. BJP state chief K Surendran said the chief minister and his party, the CPI(M), should explain the alleged transactions. Why was this money received and what needs were fulfilled in exchange for the money? What is the deal? If the chief minister does not clarify, will his party demand an explanation from him? The people want to know, Surendran said, while talking to reporters. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) turned the heat on Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday following allegations that his daughter Veena Vijayan and her firm received monthly payments to the collective tune of 1.72 crore between 2017-20 from a private company even though no services were rendered by her firm. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. (File Photo) Veena and her firm Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd had signed an agreement with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) in 2017 for giving IT, marketing consultancy and software services and received a fee of 1.72 crore in a three-year period, Malayala Manorama newspaper reported. Recently, the New Delhi bench of the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board ruled that the payment could not be claimed as a business expenditure of the CMRL as the services were not rendered by Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd. The Board said in its order that the payments were made through banking channels to persons connected with a prominent person. The department has demonstrated with clinching evidence the fact that applicant has made payments through banking channels to persons connected with a prominent person and thereby claim it as a deductible expense and by claiming to compensate a service which has not been rendered or received, the ruling said. Also Read |Kerala Assembly adopts resolution urging Centre to change name to Keralam The Income Tax Department had conducted searches and raids at the offices of CMRL and residences of its managing director (MD) and other key officials in January 2019 and had found that there was tax evasion by exaggerating the expenses of the firm and noted payments reportedly made to prominent politicians, media houses, police officials and trade union leaders. Congress state president K Sudhakaran said, My personal view is that there should be a judicial inquiry into the allegations because the LDF (Left Democratic Front) government often makes deals with the Centre. Even the SNC Lavalin case, where Pinarayi Vijayan faces charges, is not getting anywhere because of under-the-table links with BJP leaders. Everyone knows that. There should be an impartial judicial inquiry. The BJP asked for the chief minister and the Communist Party of India or CPI(M)s explanation on the matter. BJP state chief K Surendran told reporters, The chief minister and his party CPI(M) should explain these (transactions). Why was this money received and what needs were fulfilled in exchange for the money? What is the deal? If the chief minister does not clarify, will his party demand an explanation from him? The people want to know. CM Vijayan and his daughter Veena have not reacted to the issue so far. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over its campaign on the 81st anniversary of the Quit India Movement Day. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), he said, It is quite the irony that those who were never part of the Freedom movement, those who never supported the Quit India movement, and those whose ideological forebears supported the British government, are talking of Quit India today. Congress senior leader Jairam Ramesh(ANI File) The RSS actively opposed Gandhiji's Quit India movement of August 1942. While Gandhiji was launching the Movement, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of the Jan Sangh, was in an alliance government with the Muslim League in Bengal, the Congress leader said. READ | BJP should quit Delhi, says Mamata Banerjee; opposes UCC He further launched an attack on the BJP over the turmoil in Manipur and the rising prices of commodities across the country. Jairam Ramesh said, Those who are Quiet on Manipur burning must Quit Those who are Quiet on the intolerable price rise of essential commodities, petrol, diesel and LPG must Quit. Those who are Quiet on their quid pro quo relationship with Adani must Quit. Earlier, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said, We had told the British to quit India. Today we want the BJP-led government at the Centre to quit Delhi. The prime minister doesnt fulfil even one per cent of the promises he makes before any election You have no right to stay in power at the Centre, she added. READ | India asking corruption, dynasty, appeasement to quit India: PM Modi The BJP launched a massive campaign on Quit India Movement Day anniversary to attack the Opposition's INDIA bloc. Taking potshots at the Opposition for naming their alliance as INDIA, PM Modi said earlier that even banned organisations like the Indian Mujahideen, Popular Front of India (PFI), and Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) had the name India in them. In a post on X, the prime minister wrote, Tributes to the greats who took part in the Quit India Movement. Under the leadership of Gandhi Ji, this Movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial rule. Today, India is saying in one voice: Corruption Quit India Dynasty Quit India Appeasement Quit India. The Delhi services bill, which has now cleared both houses of Parliament, represents a significant shift for governance in the national capital. The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 2023, as it is officially known, once it becomes law, will redefine the roles of the elected government, the lieutenant governor (L-G) and the states administrative machinery. Effectively resetting a May 11 Supreme Court judgment that rested control of the services with the elected government, the bill also hands more powers to Delhis bureaucrats. Heres a look at the key provisions of the bill and the impact they are expected to have. PREMIUM Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal with Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Raj K Raj/ HT Photo) ANALYSIS: This provision empowers the central government to make rules in connection with the affairs of Delhi, including the functions, terms and other conditions of service of officers and employees, and all other rules considered expedient to achieve the objective of the bill. The rules made by the Centre under this Part shall be laid before each House of Parliament for modification and validation. Section 45-C in the 1991 Act: The Central Government may make rules to provide for transfer or posting of officers, tenure of office, salaries and allowances, powers, duties and functions of officers posted in connection with the affairs of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi under Part IVA. ANALYSIS: In a move perceived as nullifying the Constitution bench judgment of May 11, a whole new chapter has been introduced in the GNCTD Act, 1991, to create an authority and a public service commission for transfers and postings of the officers serving in the affairs of the Delhi government. Section 4: Inserts Part IVA in the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, namely Provisions relating to the maintenance of the democratic and administrative balance in the governance of National Capital territory of Delhi. Section 45-D: Appointments of chairperson and members of any authority, board, commission or any other statutory body shall be made by the President if such body operates under a central law. For the other bodies functioning under the laws framed by Delhi assembly, the National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA) will send the recommendations to LG, who will have the final say. ANALYSIS: The provision saw a change from how it was framed in the ordinance. The ordinance had laid down that the President will appoint the chairperson and members of any authority, board, commission or any statutory body functioning in Delhi. The bill, however, divides this power between the President and L-G on the basis of the legislation under which a body is constituted. In turn, it strengthens the hands of L-G yet again, making him the final authority in deciding on appointments of chairpersons and members of bodies such as DERC and DJB. Section 45-E (1):There shall be an Authority to be known as the National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA) to exercise the powers conferred on, and discharge the functions assigned to it under this Part. It shall be headed by the Delhi chief minister and will comprise the chief secretary and the principal home secretary. ANALYSIS: The provision establishes a three-member NCCSA, to be headed by the Delhi CM and two officials who report to LG --- to make recommendations to LG regarding matters concerning transfer, postings, vigilance and other matters. Section 45-H (1): Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, the Authority shall have the responsibility to recommend the transfers and postings of all Group A officers and officers of DANICS serving in the affairs of the Delhi government but not officers serving in connection with any subject matter, either fully or in part, connected with Entries 1, 2 and 18 of List II of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution; and Entries 64, 65 and 66 of List II of the Seventh Schedule ANALYSIS: NCCSA can make recommendations relating to transfer and postings of Group A officers (who belong to All India Services or are so classified under the Central Civil Services Rules) and officers of DANICS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (Civil) Services), serving in the Capital. The Authority, however, is barred from making any recommendation regarding officers serving in Delhi in connection with public order (Entry 1), police (Entry 2) and land (Entry 18). Also, matters relating to court fees and jurisdiction and powers of courts in the Capital have been kept out of the purview of NCCSA. Section 45-H (2):The Authority shall have the responsibility to recommend for all matters connected with and falling under the subject of vigilance and non-vigilance matters for the purpose of initiation of disciplinary proceedings and recommend for grant of prosecution sanctions ANALYSIS: NCCSA will also be the body to recommend disciplinary actions against the officers serving in the affairs of Delhi. It will be the competent authority under the law to approve of sanction to prosecute the officials under penal laws. Proviso to Section 45:Provided further that in case the Lieutenant Governor differs with the recommendation made, whether based upon the material so called for or otherwise, the Lieutenant Governor may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, return the recommendation to the Authority for reconsideration by the Authority...Provided also that in case of difference of opinion, the decision of the Lieutenant Governor shall be final ANALYSIS: The two provisos to the main section make it unequivocally clear that the power of NCCSA shall confine to making recommendations on subjects within its jurisdiction while L-G will have the final say. L-G can send a recommendation back for a review by NCCSA and if the Authority chooses to send the same recommendation again, the writ of L-G will lie. In every instance of a difference of opinion, L-Gs decision will be the final one. SECTION 45-I (4):Any matter which is likely to disturb the peace and tranquility of Delhi, or affect the interest of any particular community, or bring the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi into a controversy with the central government or with any other state government, the Supreme Court of India or the High Court of Delhi and such other authorities as may be determined, the secretary to the department concerned shall, as soon as possible, bring it to the notice of the Lieutenant Governor, the chief minister and the chief secretary in writing. ANALYSIS: This section authorises the bureaucrats heading different departments of the Delhi government to keep a vigil on the proposals, policies, decisions and other issues that, in the officers opinion, may bring the relationship between the elected government in Delhi and the Centre to a head or disrupt peace in the Capital. The secretary concerned, according to this provision, must inform L-G, CM and Delhis chief secretary of the contentious issues. SECTION 45-J (3):In case the secretary to the council of ministers is of the opinion that the proposal considered and decided by the council of ministers is not in accordance with the provisions of any law for the time being in force or any rules of procedure, it shall be the duty of the secretary to the council of ministers to bring it to the notice of the Lieutenant Governor for taking a decision thereon. ANALYSIS: The amendment obligates the secretary to bring to the notice of L-G any decision taken by the elected government in Delhi if such a decision, in the opinion of the concerned bureaucrat, exceeds the authority vested with the government or violates any other law. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached a flat in New Delhis Saket linked to Prabir Purkayashta, editor-in-chief of NewsClick, in connection with its money laundering probe against the news portal even as the agency is expected to file a charge sheet in the matter, people familiar with the matter said. The federal agency raided Purkayasthas premises in September 2021. A New York Times report claimed NewsClick was part of a network that received funding from American billionaire Neville Roy Singham. (Twitter) This week, a New York Times report claimed that the news portal was part of a global network that received funding from American billionaire Neville Roy Singham, who allegedly works closely with the Chinese government media machine. NewsClick issued a statement on Monday saying the allegations made against it by certain political actors and sections of the media are unfounded and without basis in fact or law. People cited above said the property worth 4.52 crore attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was allegedly part of the proceeds of crime. ED is probing fraudulent foreign funds infusion of over 86 crore into the company that runs the portal. According to the ED, the company claimed receiving export remittance of 76.84 crore, 1.61 crore, 26.98 lakh, and 2.03 lakh from Justice and Education Fund Inc USA, The Tricontinental Ltd Inc USA, GSPAN LLC USA and Centro Popular De Midas, Brazil, from March 2018 until the 2021 raids. Officials said the agency has not found any evidence of exporting of services to these entities. ED is also looking at the foreign direct investment (FDI) transfer of 9.59 crore in April 2018 by way of subscription of shares of PPK NEWSCLICK Studio Pvt Ltd from a company named Worldwide Media Holdings LLC, USA (a Delaware Limited Liability Company). Officials said the company shut shop soon after this transfer of funds. ED suspects the funds routed through Justice and Education Fund Inc USA belonged to Singham. The agency has alleged Singham is a close confidant of Purkayastha and a Chinese emphasizer. ED has recorded the statement of a shareholder of NewsClicks owner company. The shareholder claimed Singham was the ultimate owner of funds received from the Justice and Education Fund, USA, and GSPAN LLC, USA. The agency claimed a scrutiny of the funding pattern of PPK NEWSCLICK Studio Pvt Ltd shows it was created to upload anti-national news at the instance of Singham as he made all the investment by way of FDI and transferring of export proceeds. It alleged Singham was influencing the content of news on the portal, and hence this was a case of paid news. The agency found funds were siphoned off for maintenance and renovation works of a flat in Saket allegedly linked to Purkayastha. ED also attached Purkayasthas fixed deposits worth 41 lakh earlier. It said the company paid 17.08 lakh as salary to jailed activist Gautam Navlakha apart from other remittances made to some journalists. As per NewsClicks website, it is an independent media organisation dedicated to covering news from India and elsewhere with a focus on progressive movements. It was founded in 2009. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday carried out searches at the premises belonging to Gopal Goyal Kanda, Haryana politician and promoter of now-defunct MDLR Group, in a money laundering probe, people familiar with the development said. The ED has not shared the details of the searches yet. (ANI Photo) Last month, Kanda was acquitted by a Delhi court of abetting the suicide of a former 23-year-old air hostess of his now-defunct MDLR Airlines in 2012. The ED has not shared the details of the searches yet. Officials said one of the places being raided was in Gurugram. Also Read: Geetika Sharma suicide case: Delhi Police say it will file an appeal against Kanda verdict Kanda and his associate Aruna Chaddha were booked in August 2012 after the air hostess was found dead at her residence. A note found at the residence said she was ending her life due to Kanda and Chaddhas harassment. Chaddha was arrested while Kanda surrendered in August 2012. The two were initially charged under the Indian Penal Codes (IPC) Sections 306 (abetment to suicide), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 (destruction of evidence), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document). The Delhi high court later dropped additional charges filed against them under IPC Sections 376 (rape) and 377 (unnatural offences). It granted Kanda regular bail in March 2014 on the grounds that Chaddha was released on bail a month earlier. In their charge sheet in the case, the Delhi Police said Kanda was obsessed with the 23-year-old and pressuring her to return to his airline. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918, Roshni Foundation (Secunderabad) contact numbers: 040-66202001, 040-66202000, ONE LIFE: Contact No: 78930 78930, SEVA: Contact number: 09441778290 Last Friday, the Manipur government, led by N Biren Singh, recommended to governor Anusuiya Uikey that the next session of the state assembly be convened on August 21. The governor is yet to officially convene the session but if she acquiesces, it will be the first time the assembly will be in session since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, and the first time the legislators will have met since March . Manipur has been in the throes of clashes, close to a state of civil war, for over three months. (ANI) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath on Tuesday said that the lander of Indias third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3, Vikram, will be able to make a soft-landing on the Moon's surface on August 23 even if if all the sensors and two of its engines do not work. ISRO chief S Somanath.(File) Follow Chandrayaan-3 LIVE Updates here ISRO chief made the statement during a talk on Chandrayaan-3: Bharats Pride Space Mission, hosted by the non-profit organisation Disha Bharat. If everything fails, if all the sensors fail, nothing works, still it (Vikram) will make a landing. Thats how it has been designed -- provided that the propulsion system works well," news agency PTI quoted Somanath. So the whole design has been made to make sure that it (Vikram) should be able to handle many failures, provided the algorithms work properly," he added. He further added that the entire design of the lander has been made in a manner that makes sure that it would be able to handle failures. A lander propulsion module separation exercise will be taken up, soon after lander "deboost", a process that slows down the craft, which will be followed by landing on lunar surface on August 23, IRSO chief added. The challenge is also to make sure that the fuel consumed is lesser, the distance calculations are correct and all the algorithms work properly," Somanath added. Watch: Chandrayaan-3 Captures Its First Images Of Moon; Intricate Details Of Lunar Craters Photographed He explained that the ISRO team this time has made arrangements to ensure that Vikram land properly even if there are some variations in the calculations. Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar mission was launched from Andhra Pradesh's Sri Harikota on July 14 and entered into lunar orbit on August 5. There will be three more de-orbiting manoeuvres -- exercises to bring it closer to the Moon so that Vikram lands on the Moon's surface on August 23. These de-orbiting manoeuvres will be performed on August 9, August 14, and August 16 till its orbit reduces to 100 kmx100 km from the Moon, Somanath said as quoted by PTI. (With inputs from PTI) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON AHMEDABAD: Mumbai-based businessman Birju Kishore Salla walked out of Sabarmati jail on Wednesday morning after the Gujarat high court overturned his conviction under Indias stringent anti-hijacking law for triggering a hijack scare on a Jet Airways Mumbai-Delhi flight in 2017, his lawyer Hardik Modh said. The Gujarat high court noted that the stated motive that the business wanted to defame the airline lost its worth during investigation (File Photo) Sallas family said he was on his way home in Mumbai. Back in 2018, Salla was the first to be placed on a national no-fly list. The following year, he was also the first to be convicted under the Anti-Hijack Act ,2016. Salla was sentenced by a special court to life imprisonment in 2019 for planting a note in the aircrafts lavatory that threatened to blow up the plane if it wasnt taken to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The plane made an emergency landing in Ahmedabad where Salla was arrested. The special NIA court, which convicted Salla in June 2019, also ordered the businessman to pay 5 crore fine and compensate the crew and passengers. On Tuesday, a bench of justices AS Supehia and MR Mengdey struck down the conviction, holding that the NIA hadnt been able to establish that the note found by the crew in the lavatory was kept there by Salla. Reading out the operative portion of the verdict, justice Supehia said the prosecutions inability to establish with certainty that the accused alone prepared the threat note in his office was glaring. Besides, in its 96-page verdict, the bench scrutinised the other evidence cited by the prosecution, raised questions about the credibility of the stock witnesses produced by the investigating and noted that the prosecution had not come up with any motive for Salla. The high court noted that according to the initial complaint, Salla said that he committed the offence to defame the airline due to his estranged relationship with his girlfriend, a Jet Airways employee. Down the line, and in course of the investigation, such motive has lost its worth, the bench said. The overall appreciation of the evidence reveals that the same does not establish the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. The evidence does not unequivocally nails the appellant in a serious offence of hijacking, the high court said. We do not subscribe to the view expressed by the trial court convicting and sentencing the appellant for the offence of hijacking on the premise of evidence which is tainted with doubt. Hence, the present appeal stands allowed, the bench said. The high court also set aside the 5 crore fine and ordered the airlines pilot and the crew, who were to get 1 lakh and 75,000 respectively by the trial court, to refund the money if they had received it. The aforesaid fine shall be refunded to the appellant in case it is paid. The crew members are also directed to refund the amount of compensation in case the same is paid as per the directions of the Trial Court. In the alternative, the State is directed to pay the amount which is paid to the crew members, and it will be open for the State to recover such amount from the crew members. National Conference MP and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, during the discussion on the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha against the Narendra Modi government, said that the Prime Minister did not just represent one colour, instead he represented all of India. National Conference member Farooq Abdullah participates in a discussion on Motion of No-Confidence in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. (PTI Photo) Saying that the people of Jammu and Kashmir stood proud to be part of India, Abdhullah added, But this nation has a responsibility not only to Hindus but to Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and everybody who lives in India. PM doesn't represent only one colour, he represents India. He represents 1.4 billion people of India, let's not ignore that. Abdullah further said that while everyone makes mistakes, he had tried to bring Kashmiri Pandits back home, however it did not end well. Abdullah said, When we tried, the forces from across the border killed innocent Kashmiri Pandits in a village. Immediately we stopped the 50 vehicles that were to bring them back home. Further, questioning the central government, Abdullah said, How many Kashmiri Pandits have you (The Centre) brought back in these last 10 years? None. On Wednesday, the discussion on the no-confidence motion took place for the second consecutive day. The Opposition has been demanding for PM Modi to deliver a speech on violence-hit Manipur in the Parliament. The INDIA bloc has also urged that Manipur's chief minister N Biren Singh be sacked and presidential rule be imposed over the state which has been reeling from violence since May this year. Abdullah further added, Don't say we are not part of India, don't say we are Pakistanis, don't say we are traitors. You do not realise that we are a part of this nation. Responding to Abdullah's remarks, MoS Home Nityanand Rai, said that to allege that the central government had not done anything for the Kashmiri Hindus was not just wrong but was also misleading the House. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON MUMBAI: The government on Wednesday shifted out Mira Bhayander municipal commissioner Dilip Dhole and replaced him with Sanjay Katkar, hours after it emerged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned the bureaucrat in connection with its probe into a money laundering case. Dilip Dhole was private secretary to Eknath Shinde when he was a minister in the previous Devendra Fadnavis government (Twitter/iArtistShruti) Hindustan Times first reported the summons issued by ED to record the bureaucrats statement Katkar, who has been ordered to take over the municipal corporation, was recently inducted into the Indian Administrative Service and appointed as joint managing director in the City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) just last week. IAS officer Kailas Shinde, who was awaiting posting, will step into his shoes in CIDCO. Dhole was private secretary to Eknath Shinde when the latter was a minister in the earlier Devendra Fadnavis government. He was of deputy commissioner rank, equivalent to deputy collectors of the revenue department. Dhole told HT on Tuesday that he was unwell and will need to collect the necessary details before giving his reaction. Dhole has been summoned by ED to seek information and clarification related to the agencys probe into money laundering charges related to alleged irregularities detected by the Thane police in November 2016. It was alleged that several builders, in violation of the Urban Land Ceiling Regulation (ULCR) Act, avoided surrendering excess land to the government through bribery and using fake documents. Dhole took charge as MBMC chief in March 2021. He joined the corporation as an additional municipal commissioner. The Gujarat government told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that its order releasing 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano rape case could not be questioned by a third party as grant of remission is an order reducing the quantum of sentence and no public interest litigation (PIL) on the aspect of a prisoners sentencing can stand. A woman holds a placard during a protest against the release of men convicted of gang-raping Bilkis Bano during the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat, in Mumbai.(AFP) The state represented by additional solicitor general (ASG) SV Raju said, Remission is nothing but reduction of sentence and on sentencing, there cannot be a public interest litigation. Also Read: Supreme Court questions own order in Bilkis Bano case The state had objected to the maintainability of a slew of petitions filed in public interest challenging the release of the 11 convicts who were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for committing gangrape of three women, including Bilkis, and murder of 14 persons as they were trying to escape during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan said, This is not a criminal matter. It is an administrative order. We are on the ambit of administrative law whether an order of remission is good, bad or in public interest. Show us where an administrative order cannot be challenged in a PIL? The law officer replied, Reduction of sentence stands on a different footing, even if by an administrative order. On quantum of sentence, a third party can never have a say. Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra appearing for one of the accused supplemented the states argument by saying, Though it is an administrative order, the exercise of power to grant remission is under Section 432 or 433 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Also Read: Convicts in Bilkis case driven by blood thirsty approach, SC told Opposing a right of hearing to the PIL litigants comprising Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, former CPI member MP Subhashini Ali and others, Luthra said, Once punishment has attained finality, can we have a third party coming to court challenging my liberty to be set free as against the obligation to remain in custody. Appearing for another accused, advocate Rishi Malhotra said that allowing PILs to question an order of remission being done fairly will open the floodgates of litigation. This sets a very dangerous precedent as everyday remission orders are passed by states. Anybody can jump in and challenge it in court. These petitioners do not say their fundamental rights have been violated, Malhotra said. The bench replied, In these PILs, they have not said their rights are violated. Here it is not private interest but public interest. The court said, as an example, if the government grants a licence to an industry in a village which affects the environment, land, or water of the villagers and if a public-spirited person challenges it in court, can it be thrown out saying that their private interest is not violated. Senior advocate Indira Jaising representing one of the PIL petitioners told the court that none of the petitions were seeking enhancement of the sentence for the convicts. The court allowed her to make submissions on Thursday. As both the state and the accused sought a preliminary view from the court on the maintainability of these petitions, the bench said, We cannot disclose maintainability at this stage. The court allowed Jaising and other advocates including Vrinda Grover, Aparna Bhat and Nizam Pasha to make their entire submissions in the case, including the aspect of maintainability of their petitions. The court had on Tuesday concluded hearing the victim, Bilkis Bano, represented by advocate Shobha Gupta who pointed out the nature of the crime and gravity of the offence was given the go-by in allowing premature release of the 11 convicts who stepped out of jail on August 15 last year. The importance of Bangladeshs upcoming general elections in maintaining regional stability was among the issues that figured in discussions between a visiting Awami League delegation and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Awami League delegation meets BJP leaders in Delhi. (HT Archives) The Awami League government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been facing pressure from the West, especially the US, to hold free and fair elections at a time when the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has stepped up protests demanding that the polls be held under a caretaker administration. The Hasina government has reached out to the Indian side to intervene with the West on this issue. During an interaction with a small group of journalists, the Awami League delegation said that the ties between Dhaka and New Delhi are bound by cultural and geographical links, and cannot be undermined by the presence of China or extremist organisations within Bangladesh, such as the Jamaat-e-Islami. China is our development partner but their doing business in Bangladesh shouldnt worry India. We are cautious about Chinese companies doing business, after all some of the companies also operate in India. Bangladesh values its ties with India, said Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, the leader of the delegation and the agriculture minister Razzaque, who was a company commander in the 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh, said the Indian side had appreciated that no weapons were supplied from the neighbouring country to Indias northeastern states under the Hasina government. Both sides are sharing intelligence and jointly tackling militant and radical groups, he said. The people of Bangladesh havent forgotten that India, and not China, had lent support to their quest for liberation, he added. Bangabandhu (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) had sought help from China, but they did not support us. In recent years, Chinas involvement in major infrastructure and economic projects in Bangladesh has triggered concerns in India. Another member of the delegation, who did not want to be named, said that though China has been liberal in offering aid and grants for projects, the Bangladesh government has in recent times put a stop to some projects that did not merit priority. The person cited the example of a project to build television stations in all the divisions of Bangladesh. Allaying fears that Bangladesh could be used for anti-India activities, Razzaque said there has been growing concern within his country about radical Islamists gaining ground. Asserting that a secular sentiment is prevalent among the people at large, Razzaque said the influence of radical Islamists from West Asia and Pakistan is particularly concerning. The Awami League delegation, which is visiting at the invitation of the BJP, met commerce minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday. According to a statement from the Bangladesh high commission, Goyal expressed optimism about political stability and progress in Bangladesh, and said that India has always been sincere about maintaining excellent bilateral relations. He said the Indian government is actively considering the lifting of all restrictions on essential goods for the greater benefit of the two countries, and to ensure that the Bangladesh government may get a predictable flow of essential commodities in times of needs. The Indian side is also giving priority to importing essential items from Bangladesh, he was quoted as saying. Goyal and the delegation discussed political issues of mutual interest, and he assured the Awami League leaders that India wants a politically stable Bangladesh. India is always sympathetic to Bangladeshs issues and has handled them with special consideration, he said. The delegation, which includes information minister Hasan Mahmud, also met Indias G20 coordinator and former foreign secretary Harsha Shringla. Under Indias Neighbourhood First policy, Bangladesh is first among all the neighbours, Shringla said. The delegation includes party organising secretary Sujit Roy Nandi and women MPs Aroma Dutta and Marina Jahan. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took an apparent swipe at the Opposition on the occasion of Quit India Movement's 81st anniversary saying that India is now speaking in one voice against corruption, dynasticism, and appeasement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (HT FILE PHOTO) Recalling the the Quit India movement, PM Modi on X (formerly Twitter) said, Tributes to the greats who took part in the Quit India Movement. Under the leadership of Gandhi Ji, this Movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial rule. Today, India is saying in one voice: Corruption Quit India. Dynasty Quit India. Appeasement Quit India. Meanwhile, BJP MP and former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad echoed the PM Modi's X post on 'Quit India' saying that family rule and corruption have to quit India in order to safeguard the democracy. "Rampant family rule in politics quit India, stinking corruption quit India, appeasement politics quit India. If the democratic fabric of the country is to be safeguarded these ills- family rule, and corruption have to quit India," he said. "The meaning of family dynasty is that a son or daughter of a leader will become the leader of the party. Not just a leader but he will either become a PM/CM or a candidate for the PM/CM post irrespective of their capability. Packaging & re-packaging of Rahul Gandhi keep going on. But does Congress ever think of Rahul Gandhi as capable of becoming a leader of a country like India?" Prasad added. PM Modi on several occasions, has accused opposition parties of pursuing the politics of corruption, dynasty and appeasement, calling upon people to shun them. Earlier on Tuesday, PM took a jibe at the opposition saying that they brought the no-confidence motion against his government to test the confidence of its own alliance members in each other as the INDIA bloc is marked by distrust among its constituents. Quit India Movement: The Quit India Movement, also known as the Bharat Chodo Andolan, was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942. It was a significant movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) where Gandhi gave the call of Do or Die with the aim to end British colonial rule in India. The movement initiated the widespread civil disobedience, acts of deviances and non-cooperation against the British. The protestors demolished governmental structures in many places. Many top leaders including Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were arrested. By the end of 1942, over 60,000 people were jailed and hundreds of people died. Two ships of the Indian Navy, INS Visakhapatnam, and INS Trikand under the command of Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) arrived at Port Rashid in Dubai to conduct bilateral exercise Zayed Talwar to enhance interoperability and synergy between the two navies. The traditionally strong bilateral relations enjoyed by India and UAE received impetus with the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to UAE on August 16-17, 2015 which marked the beginning of a new strategic partnership between the two countries. The two ships are visiting Port Rashid from August 8 to August 11 and will be commanded by Captain Ashok Rao and Captain Pramod G Thomas respectively, the Ministry of Defence said in an official statement on Wednesday. Also read: Indian Navy launches fresh hunt to buy 12 minesweepers from Indian shipyards During the visit, the ships will undertake professional interactions with UAE Naval Force on multiple elements of maritime operations, according to the statement. They will further share best practices to enhance cooperation and strengthen ties between the two navies. Moreover, according to the statement, this visit will boost the maritime partnership between the two navies and foster a common understanding of the security challenges in the region. The ships have entered in Dubai with the aim of cooperative engagement and maritime cooperation with regional countries. The Indian Navy took to Twitter and said, India-UAE #BridgesofFriendship Indigenous guided missile destroyer #INSVisakhapatnam with FOCWF embarked & ASW stealth frigate #INSTrikand are in #Dubai as part of #IndianNavy's ops deployment towards co-operative engagement & maritime cooperation with regional countries. @IN_WNC Earlier, on Tuesday, Indian Embassy in UAE took to its official Twitter and said the ships arrived at Port Rashid for a bilateral exercise with UAE Navy. Indian Embassy in UAE took to its official Twitter and said, "Two ships of the #IndianNavy INS Visakhapatnam and INS Trikand arrived at Port Rashid, #Dubai for a bilateral exercise with #UAENavy. The exercise aims to share best practices and increase synergies between the two Navies. #IndiaUAE the tweet said. India and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 1972 and UAE opened its Embassy in Delhi in 1972 whereas, India opened its Embassy in Abu Dhabi in 1973, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The traditionally strong bilateral relations enjoyed by India and UAE received impetus with the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to UAE on August 16-17, 2015 which marked the beginning of a new strategic partnership between the two countries. Bilateral Defence Interaction between India and UAE has been steadily growing in accordance with other aspects of the bilateral relationship. There have been regular high-level & functional level exchanges between the two countries. The ships of the navies of both countries have regularly made port calls to enhance bilateral defence cooperation. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Indias new law to regulate forest conservation is anti-tribal and the Nagaland state assembly should pass a resolution against it, the Naga Peoples Front has demanded. For representational purposes only. (HT File Photo) The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act received the assent of President Droupadi Murmu on August 4, a notification by the law ministry said on Saturday. The law will come into effect once the central government notifies it in the gazette. The Rajya Sabha passed it on August 2 after it was cleared by the Lok Sabha on July 26. The forest bill is now a law. It has been passed by both houses of Parliament. At one glance, people will appreciate the bill because it is for sustainable development. But there are many hidden agendas in that bill. It completely undermines the powers of the state government. Earlier, they would need states permission for forest related matters. Now they dont, said Nagaland lawmaker Kuzholuzo Nienu, also known as Azo Nienu, leader of the front. This is in direct conflict with Article 371 A, a special provision that grants a degree of autonomy to Nagaland, he said. We have demanded that a suitable law be passed to counter the Forest Amendment Act and its impact be discussed during the next assembly session on September 11, he added. During the proceedings of the joint parliamentary committee that cleared all the amendments proposed by the environment ministry, several MPs raised several questions on the proposed exemptions, particularly the 100km exemption for environmental clearance for forests along international borders to be used for construction of strategic linear projects of national importance, and those concerning national security. This could cause unrest in the northeastern states, the MPs said, according to those aware of the matter. They also flagged concerns with more central control over forests, which could impact the Centre-state dynamics in the governance of forests, the people said, seeking anonymity. For example, an opposition MP and member of the committee had said the provision will be cutting into one-third of Manipur, Nagaland and other northeastern states. The Border Security Forces jurisdiction of 20km from the border has already impacted in the border states, according to him. Another MP from a northeastern state, and an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, is said to have raised concerns about how the law would impact consent by village councils since a clause on obtaining prior consent was missing for forest clearance proposals related to any infrastructure project from the Forest Conservation Rules 2022. We have excluded the gram aabhas and the district commissioners, which are under the control of the central government and have the entire power to give permissions for these proposals or issue certificates. So, though it has not been mentioned in these amendments, it is something I came across and it is something that I felt concerning, the MP said in April. He declined being named. Some MPs had sought information on the impediments in the existing forest conservation law that hindered the growth and security interests of the country. Certain ministries also flagged that it takes up to six months or more in clearing road projects in border areas, which has become a hurdle, those aware of the proceedings also said. As for what will be considered to be strategic will be in consonance with the ministries of home and defence, and therefore, the new law uses the clause in a manner as may be prescribed. MPs are said to have raised concerns that the ambit remains vague, leaving room for speculation and tension in border states. Certain members also objected to a clause that allows the Centre to issue directions to any authority under the central or state governments or Union Territory administration, or to any organisation, as may be necessary for the implementation of the modified law. The Union environment ministry, according to those aware of the matter, submitted that in the past 40 years, the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, has been focusing only on the diversion, but not on climate commitments of achieving net- zero emissions and the commitment to control carbon emissions. The dictionary meaning interpretation of the Supreme Court also adversely impacted the people who wanted to grow trees on their private land. By exempting private plantations from the ambit of the conservation law, the government seeks to boost agro-forestry, it said. The FCA Amendment Bill is a clear attempt to shrink the scope of the FCA, undercut the Godavarman judgement, and create further loopholes and exemptions in the forest clearance process. It will speed up the destruction of forests in the rich, biodiverse regions of the northeast and the rest of the Himalayas, Sharachchandra Lele, distinguished fellow in environmental policy and governance at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, had said last week in his response to the bill. The rights of communities, already sidelined in the 2022 amendment to FC Rules, will be further eroded. Godavarman judgement of 1996 brought those lands that are covered with forest but for some reason not tagged as forest in the records in the purview of the FCA. For instance, some patches of dense forest in the Karnataka Western Ghats are tagged as gomaal (grazing land). Others are tagged as assessed waste land. Many forested lands in the northeast were community lands and not recorded as forests, he pointed out. All these will now lose the protection of the FCA against arbitrary diversion. NEW DELHI: Representatives of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), an influential umbrella body of tribal groups in Manipur, met Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday. Kuki women sit on a bench as they guard a checkpoint on a road in Churachandpur district in the northeastern state of Manipur. (REUTERS File) We will share details shortly, ITLF spokesperson Ginza Vualzong said, declining to immediately go into the details of the forums discussions. The home ministry also is yet to make a statement on the talks. The delegation also met Intelligence Bureau (IB) director Tapan Deka on Tuesday evening. The ministry of home affairs on Saturday invited ITLF for talks as fresh violence broke out in Manipur after the tribal group announced its plan to organise mass burial of Kuki-Zomi people killed in ethnic violence, people familiar with the matter said. Shah met different Kuki and Meitei groups during his visit to the state in May last week and urged them to maintain peace. Also Read: Genesis of the decades-old Meitei-Kuki divide in Manipur The burial plan was postponed for a week on August 3 after the Manipur high court ordered that the status quo should be maintained at the proposed burial site in Churachandpur district. Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai also appealed to all concerned to maintain peace and communal harmony. The meetings in Delhi came as the northeastern state continued to remain engulfed in ethnic violence. On Saturday, five people were killed in two incidents, prompting security forces to engage in operations across the state. It was in this context that the four-member ITLF team, which met Amit Shah on Wednesday, started out from Churachandpur on Sunday, drove down to Mizoram capital Aizwal 350km away rather than take the flight from Imphal airport just 80km away, a person familiar with the matter said. Also Read: More forces rushed to tense Manipur; tribal body likely to meet Amit Shah The northeastern state has been gripped by ethnic clashes primarily between the tribal Kukis, which mostly reside in the hill districts such as Churachandpur, and the majority Meiteis, the dominant community in Imphal Valley. Clashes first broke out on May 3 in Churachandpur town after Kuki groups called for protests against a proposed tweak to the states reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the 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. Over 160 people have died in the violence over the last three months. Ahead of the meeting in Delhi, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a prominent conglomerate of Meitei civil society organisations, issued a statement on Tuesday condemning ITLFs scheduled meeting with Amit Shah. It said the meeting would offend the sentiments of the people in Manipur because members of ITLF were involved in violence. Meanwhile, nine Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators from Manipur also reached Delhi on Wednesday to meet senior party leaders. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prawesh Lama Prawesh Lama covers crime, policing, and issues of security in Delhi. Raised in Darjeeling, educated in Mumbai, he also looks at special features on social welfare in the National Capital. ...view detail Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has issued a directive this week to identify suitable land for the establishment of a jeans textile park in Ballari. Chief minister Siddaramaiah presided over a meeting of elected representatives from Ballari , instructing district in-charge minister B Nagendra and Ballari City MLA Nara Bharath Reddy to locate appropriate land for the creation of the jeans textile park. Additionally, they were tasked with preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the initiative. Chief minister Siddaramaiah instructed district in-charge minister B Nagendra and Ballari City MLA Nara Bharath Reddy to locate appropriate land for the creation of the jeans textile park. (PTI) In the lead-up to the Karnataka Assembly elections on May 10, former Congress chief and current Wayanad MP, Rahul Gandhi, had made five key commitments, one of which was a pledge of 5,000 crore for the establishment of an apparel park in Ballari. Subsequently, Rahul Gandhi corresponded with the State Government to emphasise his proposal. During his Bharat Jodo Yatra in September 2022, Rahul Gandhi halted in Ballari and made promises to enhance the districts infrastructure. Rahul Gandhi stated during the roadshow, I visited some jeans manufacturing units in Ballari during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. I witnessed the challenges faced by the women employed in these units. I wish to assure you that we are committed to transforming Ballari into Indias denim capital. We intend to establish a dedicated jeans manufacturing park. He further added that if Congress were to assume power, they would allocate 5,000 crore to establish a Jeans Apparel Park in Ballari. However, tangible changes on the ground have been elusive since the party came to power Vinayak Rao, President of the Bellary Garment Manufacturers Association (BGMA) said: We are faced with a host of issues. The cotton price hike in 2022 was just one more blow to the industry. He added that the textile park could revive the industry and the Congress should fulfil its promise. Ballari City MLA Nara Bharath Reddy said that chief minister Siddaramaiah had convened a meeting with all Ballari MLAs to discuss ongoing projects in the district on August 8 . Under the guidance of the Chief Minister, we have been directed to prepare a DPR (Detailed Project Report) and identify appropriate land within Ballari city for the proposed textile park. Will present the DPR and collaborate closely with the district administration to make a comprehensive list of government-owned lands, said the MLA. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Kerala assembly on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the Union government to change the states name to Keralam across languages and revert to its original Malayalam nomenclature, a move that cut across fractious party lines, but the fate of which ultimately rests on the Centres assent. Among its many alluring attractions, the backwaters of Kerala stand out as must-visit destinations Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan tabled the motion, which was unanimously passed by all members, including legislators of the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) without any amendments. The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has 98 members in the 140-member Kerala assembly, the UDF has 40, while two seats are vacant. Speaker AN Shamseer declared the resolution as adopted after a show of hands. Explaining the rationale behind the resolution, Vijayan argued that the states name has always been Keralam in Malayalam. However, he said, it was referred to as Kerala in other official languages, as mandated under the eighth schedule of the Constitution. States were formed on linguistic lines in the country on November 1, 1956. Keralas formation day is also on the same day. It was a demand during the freedom struggle to form a united Kerala State for all Malayalam-speaking people, he said. But under the first schedule of the Constitution, the states name was recorded as Kerala. The assembly unanimously requests the central government to make amendments necessary under Article 3 of the Constitution to change the official name of the state to Keralam in all official languages under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, Vijayan added. To be sure, the states official communications use the name Kerala. A years-old demand, the issue was also raised in the state assembly in 2010, when then chief minister VS Achuthanandan assured legislators that he would look into demands that the states name be changed. This, however, is the first time the state assembly has passed a resolution to this effect. A state government can only request Parliament to change a states name. The actual process requires parliamentary approval under articles 3 and 4 of the Constitution with the President referring the issue to the relevant state legislature. In the past, the Centre in 2006 approved changing Uttaranchals name to Uttarakhand, six years after the new state was formed. In 2011, Orissas name was changed to Odisha and the languages became Odia from Oriya, years after the state government adopted a resolution in 2008. Among the first name changes approved by the Centre was in 1950, when East Punjab became Punjab and United Provinces became Uttar Pradesh. However, several states have adopted similar resolutions that havent been accepted. For instance, in 2011, the West Bengal assembly passed a resolution, seeking that the states name be changed to Paschim Banga. Five years later, the assembly passed another resolution seeking that its name be changed to Bengal in English and Banga in Bengali. The Centre turned this proposal down in 2020. CP Chandran, Congress general secretary, said, It is the right move. In Malayalam, we refer to our state as Keralam so its natural that we change the official name to that. The Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has no members in the assembly, also said they were on board with the move. Keralam is what we say in Malayalam. So yes, the states official name should be Keralam. At the same time, the LDF and UDF should also install a statue of Thunchath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of modern Malayalam, in his birthplace Tirur, she said. The Telangana governments decision to auction 100 acres of prime land at Budvel in Rajendranagar on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Thursday, to make big money, has angered the legal fraternity in the state. The land, located in Survey Nos. 282 to 289, was originally proposed by the government to be allotted to the high court for constructing a new high court complex in 2012. (Wikimedia Commons) The land, located in Survey Nos. 282 to 289, was originally proposed by the government to be allotted to the high court for constructing a new high court complex in 2012. However, the proposal was pushed into cold storage after the formation of a separate Telangana state in 2014. There has been no response from the state government despite repeated reminders from the high court registry to allot the land or at least a portion of it, a senior advocate of the Telangana high court, seeking anonymity, said. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), which raised 3,320 crore through auction of 45.33 acres at Kokapet on the outskirts of Hyderabad last week, has put up the Budvel land for sale on Thursday. According to the notification released on August 4, the HMDA divided 100 acres of land at Budvel into 14 parcels, each comprising 3.47 acres to 14.33 acres. The government hopes to generate a revenue of 3,000- 3,500 crore from the auction of Budvel land, which is located close to the Outer Ring Road and in proximity to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and the IT corridor. On Tuesday, the Telangana high court Advocates Association (THCAA) filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the high court, seeking a stay on the proposed auction of Budvel land, which was originally proposed to be allocated for construction of new high court building. THCAA secretary Katta Pradeep Reddy said the high court registry had made a representation to the state government in March 2012 for allotment of the land to the high court building and the government, too, responded favourably. But now, the sudden notification from the HMDA for auction of the land came as a rude shock to the legal fraternity, Reddy said. Last week, the association submitted a representation to high court chief justice Alok Aradhe and sought his intervention in the matter. They requested him to ensure that the land meant for the high court building should be protected. The chief justice referred the matter to the government and sought its reaction, the senior advocate quoted above said. Some of the advocates, however, are against the proposal to shift the high court from the existing high court building to some other place. The present majestic and imposing building built by the Seventh Nizam in 1920 on the southern bank of the Musi river has all the facilities. It is a landmark of Hyderabad, another senior advocate of the high court said. He said if the high court needs additional accommodation, the adjacent space could be used for expansion. If the present structure is vacated, there is every possibility of this heritage building being neglected and prone for demolition in the coming years, he argued. 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 NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the mood prevailing in the country is to get rid of corruption, dynastic politics and appeasement, as he attacked the Opposition alliance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacks Opposition, says India wants to get rid of corruption and appeasement. (PTI) Paying tributes to the leaders who took part in the Quit India Movement, on its 81st anniversary, the prime minister said, Under the leadership of Gandhi Ji, this movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial rule. Today, India is saying in one voice: Corruption, Quit India. Dynasty, Quit India. Appeasement, Quit India. August 9th is commemorated as the Quit India Movement Day every year to mark the Mahatma Gandhi-led movement against the colonial rule in 1942. In the wake of 26 opposition parties coming together as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or INDIA, to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the prime minister urged his party colleagues to underscore how most of the parties in the alliance are either dynastic parties or accused of being complicit in cases of corruption during their rule. Modi has dubbed the coalition as a Ghamandia (arrogant) alliance that has come together to protect their individual interests. Taking a cue from Modis speech, BJP leaders commemorated the anniversary of Quit India Movement with a pledge to eradicate corruption and politics of appeasement and dynasty. Senior BJP leader and former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters that corruption and appeasement go hand in hand with dynastic politics, as he made a reference to the scams that took place during the decade-long Congress-led UPA regime. For the sake of India, its security and integrity, it is very important that these three ills blatant family rule, corruption, and shameful appeasement quit India, Prasad said. If the countrys democratic fabric is to be safeguarded, probity in politics has to be brought back and saved; these three curses have to quit India. Reacting to the BJPs allegations, Congress lawmaker Jairam Ramesh said it was ironic that those who were never part of the freedom movement or supported the Quit India Movement are talking of Quit India today. The RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; the BJPs ideological fountainhead] actively opposed Gandhijis Quit India Movement of August 1942. While Gandhiji was launching the movement, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of the Jana Sangh, was in an alliance government with the Muslim League in Bengal, Ramesh said. Attacking the government on a host of issues, the senior Congress leader added, Those who are quiet on Manipur burning must quit...Those who are quiet on the intolerable price rise of essential commodities, petrol, diesel and LPG must quit...Those who are quiet on their quid pro quo relationship with Adani must quit. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 'Rahul Gandhi, see PM Modi's big heart': Ravi Kishan on bungalow; 'Not his dadihal' As Rahul Gandhi got back his MP accommodation, the bungalow of 12 Tughlaq Lane, a day after his Lok Sabha membership was restored, BJP MP Ravi Kishan said this is the large-heartedness of PM Modi. The Congress countered and said the MP bungalow was not PM Modi's private property. Read more Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha attend the ongoing Monsoon Session.(ANI) 2 crore-worth of pension to dead recipients: CAG flags lapse in govt scheme The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has tracked down a range of anomalies in the execution of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) a centrally-sponsored scheme to provide social pensions to elderly, widows and persons with disabilities belonging to the below poverty line (BPL) category. Read more Neena Gupta spotted in a little black dress, her fans say 'glad she didn't care about people's opinion about her age' Veteran actor Neena Gupta made an appearance in Mumbai in a little black dress and high boots on Tuesday. She also carried a matching purse and wore brown shades. She kept her makeup simple and topped the look with beautiful earrings. Read more Made In Heaven 2 Premiere best-dressed: Sobhita Dhulipala, Dia Mirza, Mona Singh, Trinetra Haldar, others; who wore what The cast and makers of the much-awaited season 2 of Zoya Akhtar's series Made In Heaven on Amazon Prime Video stepped out in Mumbai to attend its screening. Read more Tilak Varma storms past Gambhir, six-hitting Suryakumar scales new T20I heights as records tumble in India's win over WI India are alive. As is the series. Putting behind the abject batting failures of the last two games, the real Team India showed up in Guyana to pull one back against West Indies by 7 wickets. Read more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BJP Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani said the New York Times' expose on Newsclick receiving Chinese funds is only the tip of the iceberg. Linking American businessman Neville Roy Singham with Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Rahul Gandhi, Jethmalani asked whether Jairam Ramesh and Rahul Gandhi met Neville when he was the chief technical officer of Huawei from 2001-2008 or after that. Neville Roy Singham was the chief technical officer of Huawei from 2001-2008, Mahesh Jethmalani said. (File ) "In 2006 #JairamRamesh published his book CHINDIA in which he first extolled Huawei. His lobbying for that entitys interests continued at least till during his stint as Environment Minister in UPA 2. Significantly #RahulGandhi too on behalf of the INC signed an MOU in Sonias presence with the CCCP in 2008. All this happened during Singhams stint with Huawei. Did either or both of them meet Singham during his employment with Huawei or anytime thereafter? And what were their links? Shouldnt NIA investigate?" Jethmalani tweeted. Neville has been named by the NYT report and has been accused of spreading Chinese propaganda across the world. Newsclick has been named as one of the news sites that carried such reports. The expose rocked Parliament as BJP attacked the opposition over the issue. NewsClick funding scam: What is the case? Some emails purportedly sent by Neville Singham have come to the surface in which Singham wanted a series of articles to be published on China's steps to contain covid. India's Newsclick was one of the sites. The campaign included issues such as supporting farmers protests in India and collaboration with Indian communists. CPM has come under attack for its connection with NewsClick. Over the past 12 hours, various false and misleading allegations have been levelled against Newsclick which pertain to matters that are currently sub judice before courts in India. We respect the sanctity of the legal process and do not intend to indulge in a media trial, NewsClick said in a statement amid the row. NewsClick row: Gautam Navalakha, Teesta Setalvad | What Jethmalani said Payments were made by the portal to amongst others Gautam Navalakha & Teesta Setalvad & her family. The entire Congress & Left ecosystem - spokespersons, their godi media, SM influencers and their all too familiar band of vocal lawyers rallied behind them. Navalakha was accused of Maoist subversion in Bhima Koregaon and Teesta of fabricating evidence to indict top BJP leaders in the Gujarat riots of 2002. Now we have evidence of a clear Chinese hand behind these persons and their activities. The same ecosystem rallied behind #Newsclick during ED raids in their offices in 2021. In very recent times the same ecosystem has rallied to the cause of GN Saibaba accused of Maoist activities who was acquitted by the Nagpur High court on untenable technical grounds which was set aside by the Supreme Court. One of the judges who acquitted Saibaba resigned because the SC collegium transferred him to the Allahabad High Court. The transfer was because of intelligence inputs. Wonder what these were about? Jethmalani wrote. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Poulomi Ghosh Poulomi Ghosh is a journalist with Hindustan Times, New Delhi. ...view detail Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday took a dig at the opposition over giving away freebies, saying what the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has given to farmers are not 'revadis' (freebies) but we have made them self-sufficient. Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session. (ANI) They (Opposition parties) keep saying that they will waive off farmers' loans. We don't believe in just waving off loans but in making a system where one does not have to take a loan, Shah said during his speech in the Lok Sabha of the Parliament on the no-confidence motion. The ruling BJP and PM Modi have been slamming the promises of free goods or facilities made by opposition parties ahead of elections, calling it revadi culture. In August last year, the issue of freebies was taken up to the Supreme Court. A three-judge bench had said that the issue of regulating electoral promises is unmanageable. Freebies will continue to destroy the economy unless there is a conscious decision taken by all political parties to stop such hand-outs, it said. Continuing his attack on the opposition parties, the home minister said, It has to be understood why they (UPA) were opposing Jan Dhan Yojana? Former PM Rajiv Gandhi had said that when Re 1 is sent from the Centre to the poor, only 15 paise reaches the beneficiaryBut today, today entire amount reaches the poor. 'No-confidence motion to mislead people' On the no-confidence motion called by the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc against the ruling government, Shah said that it is a move to create confusion among the people. There is not a no-confidence in the PM and this government in the country...This no-confidence motion has been brought only to create a delusion, he said. The home minister added that the opposition has not raised any real issues in the Parliament. NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar police has arrested Paras Tierea Apartment Owners Association (AOA) president Colonel Ramesh Gautam (retd) in connection with the death of a 73-year-old woman due to a malfunction in the apartment complexs elevator, police said on Wednesday. Noida: Police arrested Paras Tierea Apartment Owners Association president Col Ramesh Gautam (retd) for death of a woman due to lift malfunction on August 3 evening (HT Photo/Sunil Ghosh) Gautam was arrested on Tuesday, produced before a magistrate and released on bail hours later, said Vineet Rana, station house officer of Sector 142 police station. Gautam was among the eight people named in the first information report (FIR) filed by the police on a complaint by the womans son, Devesh Kumar. Rajeev Dixit, additional deputy commissioner of police, Central Noida, said the FIR was registered against three officials of the lift maintenance agency, four AOA members and the lift manufacturing company. Gautam was the first person to be arrested in this case. There was no word on the precise allegation of negligence against him. On the night of the incident, Gautams health deteriorated following a commotion at the society over the womans death. Since then, he was admitted at a private hospital for treatment hence he was not arrested by the police. On Tuesday evening after he was discharged from the hospital, police took him under custody and arrested him, said Rana. Police said the FIR was registered under two sections, 304A (death due to negligence) and 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery), of the Indian Penal Code. A day after the accident, Noida authority chief executive officer Lokesh M stressed that the authority did not have a role to play. The responsibility in this case lies with the AOA that takes care of the society maintenance under the Uttar Pradesh Apartment Act, 2010, as the building is old and handed over to apartment owners for maintenance, he said on August 4. Gautam said he will fight back. The AOA is being made a scapegoat in this accident, but we will fight the case taking full legal recourse, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ashni Dhaor Ashni Dhaor is a correspondent with Hindustan Times. She covers crime, education, health, politics, civic issues and environment in Ghaziabad city. She graduated from Delhi University in 2015 and has since been working with Hindustan Times since. ...view detail Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Tuesday indicated that there were shortcomings of the administration in assessing the situation in Nuh, where a communal violence erupted on July 31 during a religious procession. Security personnel stand guard after Haryana Roadways resumed services from the violence-hit Nuh district,(PTI) The state government has extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services in the district till August 11, where conditions are "still critical and tense". Chautala said the additional DGP (law and order) had stated that permission for a procession having 3,200 people was taken by the organisers, and accordingly the police force was deployed. "...Lack of assessment by administration which could not assess this entire episode properly. Nuh SP (now transferred) was on leave since July 22, the one who had additional charge could not assess it properly and the officials from whom permission (for the procession) was taken they too could not assess it properly. It is a point which is under investigation," he told reporters here when asked whether there was an intelligence failure to assess the situation. The JJP leader had earlier said that the organisers of the religious procession, which was attacked in Nuh by a mob, did not give a proper estimation of the expected turnout to the district administration, a lapse which may have led to the violence. Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the communal clashes that erupted in Nuh when a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was attacked by mobs. A total of 312 persons have been arrested and 142 FIRs registered so far in connection with the communal clashes in Haryana, Home Minister Anil Vij said in a statement on Tuesday. When asked when did he get information about the July 31 incident, Chautala replied, "I came to know about it at 1:30 pm...I talked to ADGP (CID) and requested that SP Bhiwani be sent there (Nuh)." For the first time, such atmosphere in the state has been created in a planned manner and strict action will be taken against those involved, be it a minor or major, he said when asked that some teenagers were stated to be part of those who indulged in stone pelting on the procession. On allegations that "one sided action was being taken", Chautala said all those being arrested do not belong to a particular caste or community. Referring to communal clashes, the deputy CM said the government was able "to control the situation within seven hours. In some other states, it has been seen such an incident continued for two-three weeks. I think it was our efficiency that we were able to curb anti-social elements". Curfew has been relaxed and it will be lifted gradually, he said. The government on Tuesday evening extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services in Nuh district till August 11 to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order. "It has been brought to my notice by Deputy Commissioner, Nuh, that the conditions are still critical and tense in the district. In order to stop the spread of misinformation and rumours through various social media platforms...the suspension of mobile internet services and bulk SMS, excluding banking and mobile recharge, has been ordered in the jurisdiction of district Nuh," said an order issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) T V S N Prasad. The Gurugram police on Tuesday arrested three out of five accused for allegedly starting a fire in a mazar at Khandsa village. According to police, the five men committed the act after getting influenced by social media posts on the communal clashes that began in the neighbouring Nuh district and spread to parts of the city and nearby areas last week. Meanwhile, Muslim body Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has moved the Supreme Court seeking directions for rehabilitation of those whose homes were razed by authorities in Nuh district of Haryana in the past few days. The organisation of Muslim scholars, in a statement, said though the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a halt on Monday to the demolition drive in violence-hit Nuh, it did not order rehabilitation of those displaced and compensation to them. A 10-member delegation of Haryana Congress led by its president Udai Bhan was stopped from entering violence-hit villages of Nuh district. Citing curfew imposed in the area and security concerns for the delegation, a senior police officer said the delegation was stopped at Rojka Meo village. The delegation returned after that, police said. On Wednesday, a delegation of the ruling BJP's Haryana unit will visit Nuh and take stock of the situation in the district. The opposition Aam Aadmi Party's Haryana unit chief, Sushil Gupta, said a delegation of his party will visit the "violence-affected people of Mewat area" the same day. According to the BJP's state unit release, the party delegation will be led by Haryana BJP chief O P Dhankar and will also comprise state minister Banwari Lal and some party MLAs. Meanwhile, the government has transferred Nuh DSP Jai Prakash to Panchkula. Prakash is the third officer after SP Varun Singla and Deputy Commissioner Prashant Panwar who have been transferred from Nuh since the violence erupted on July 31. Nuh SP Narender Bijarnia on Tuesday said that a search operation is being conducted to arrest the accused in connection with the violence. So far 57 FIRs have been registered and 170 people have been arrested in Nuh district. Apart from 1,900 police personnel, 31 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed to maintain law and order in the district. Posts on social media over missing people/women are misleading, said Bijarnia. In Gurugram, police have registered a case for giving provocative speech in the mahapanchayat organized in Tigra on Sunday to protest the arrest of four men accused of killing a cleric. Over 42% of the teaching posts reserved for the candidates from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) across 45 central universities are lying vacant, Union ministry of education informed Parliament on Wednesday. Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. (ANI) In a written response to a question asked by Janata Dal-United (JD-U) member Ram Nath Thakur about the total number of reserved posts of teachers which are lying vacant in central universities of the country, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan submitted the data as of July 1, 2023, in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. According to the data shared by the minister, 7,033 posts are sanctioned for OBC, SC, and ST candidates in central universities and out of these, 3,007 posts are vacant. The data further shows that while 46% posts (1665) for OBC are vacant, the vacant positions for SC and ST are 37% and 44%, respectively. Pradhan further said that 517 candidates were hired in 2023 under the reserved category. Of them, 285 were OBC candidates, 150 SC candidates and 82 ST candidates. Responding to another question asked by Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M) leader John Brittas on the overall vacancies in central universities, Pradhan said that as on July 1, 22,412 of the 54,512 sanctioned posts in 45 central universities, running on regular mode under purview of the Ministry of Education, are lying vacant. Emphasising that occurrence of vacancies and filing thereof is a continuous process, Pradhn said, The vacancies arise due to retirement, resignation and additional requirements on account of enhanced students strength. Central universities have been directed to fill up vacancies as and when arising. The minister further said that through special recruitment drives, 6,087 posts have been filled up so far by the central universities as per the DoPT Mission Recruitment Portal. A Parliamentary panel has recommended that the Centre bring in a law making it compulsory for judges of the Supreme Court and high courts to declare their assets on an annual basis. The report has also recommended doing away with long court vacations In a report submitted in both houses of Parliament on Monday, a Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Sushil Kumar Modi said, The Supreme Court has gone to the extent of holding that the public has a right to know the assets of those standing for elections as MPs or MLAs. When so, it belies logic that Judges don't need to disclose their assets and liabilities. The recommendation of the Committee formed part of its 133rd report on the topic - Judicial Processes and their reform which included other suggestions such as increasing retirement age, making judicial appointments inclusive of candidates from marginalised sections and women, shortening vacations, setting up regional Supreme Court benches and annual reports of Supreme Court and high courts to assess its performance. A press release issued by the Rajya Sabha secretariat said, As a general practice, all constitutional functionaries and government servants must file annual returns of their assets and liabilities....Anybody holding public office and drawing a salary from the exchequer should mandatorily furnish annual returns of their property. A full bench of the Supreme Court (comprising all judges) resolved on September 8, 2009 to declare their assets on a voluntary basis on the Supreme Court's website. Till date, it contains data with respect to 55 former Chief Justices of India and judges of the Supreme Court, the report said, adding that the data was last updated on March 31, 2018. As regards high courts, the Committee found only five high courts sharing data of assets on their website and that too by only a few judges. Declaration of assets by the judges of the higher judiciary will bring more trust and credibility into the system, the report said. It recommended the Government to bring about an appropriate legislation to make it mandatory for judges of the Supreme Court and high courts to furnish their property returns on an annual basis to the appropriate authority. The report has also recommended doing away with long Court vacations. The press release said, "A common man holds a perception that despite having such huge pendency of cases their judges go on long vacations. Further during the vacations, the litigants have to suffer a lot despite having a handful of vacation courts/benches. Although vacations by Courts are not the only factor for pendency, at the same time, the Committee felt that vacations in the judiciary are a 'colonial legacy' that causes inconvenience to litigants. The Committee also stressed on social diversity among judges of the higher judiciary recommended an adequate number of women and candidates from the marginalized sections of the society including minorities to be considered for appointment to high courts and Supreme Court by the respective Collegiums in the high court and Supreme Court. This provision should be clearly mentioned in the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), which is presently under finalization, the release said. Though there exists no reservation in matters of judicial appointments at the higher level, the Committee felt that adequate representation of various sections of society will strengthen the trust, credibility, and acceptability of the judiciary among citizens. It also spoke of increasing retirement age of judges of high court (presently 62) and Supreme Court (presently 65) and suggested that the Constitution of India in this regard be amended. At the same time, while increasing the age of retirement for judges, the performance of judges may be reassessed based on their health conditions, quality of judgements, number of judgments delivered etc, the committee report said. The Committee felt that by increasing retirement age, the practice of post-retirement assignments to judges of Supreme Court and high courts in bodies/institutions financed from public exchequer can be reassessed to ensure their impartiality. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON No-confidence motion Highlights: The day 2 of the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government saw heavy chaos from the opposition bench. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's speech which was much anticipated since his Lok Sabha membership was reinstated on Monday, took place today. He launched a series of strong attacks on the BJP-led government over the Manipur issue and also brought the Adani row into play. Later, Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani counterattacked Rahul Gandhi during the no-confidence motion discussion. Rajnath Singh speaks in Parliament. Meanwhile, both the houses observed a minute's silence on Quit India Movement and Japan's Nagasaki nuclear bomb attack's anniversary. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge remarked that Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, has been arrested on the anniversary of the Quit India Movement. The lower house on day 1 of the debate saw the Congress and Union Ministers locking horns over the situation in Manipur which has been witnessing ethnic clashes since May. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who led Congresss charge on Tuesday during no-confidence motion debate in Lok Sabha on the Manipur issue, said the Opposition was compelled to move the no-confidence motion against the government to break Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "vow of silence" on Manipur. "We are compelled to bring the no-confidence motion. This was never about numbers but about justice for Manipur. I have moved the motion that this House expresses no confidence in the Government. I.N.D.I.A. has brought this motion for Manipur. Manipur wants justice," Gogoi said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to give a reply on Thursday. The no-confidence motion moved by Opposition parties of I.N.D.I.A bloc was accepted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on July 26. The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023 which entrusts the management accountability of the institutes with the President of India giving more powers to the Centre, diluting the premier Business-schools autonomy. Rajya Sabha proceedings underway during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi.(HT_PRINT) The Bill was passed by voice vote. Earlier, the Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 4. The Bill seeks to amend the Indian Institutes of Management Act of 2017. It designates the President of India as a Visitor of every Institute covered by the Act. Currently, the Director of an IIM is appointed by the Board of Governors, based on the recommendations of a Search-cum-Selection Committee. The Bill mandates the Board to obtain the prior approval of the Visitor before appointing an Institute Director. The procedure for selecting the Director will be prescribed by the central government. At present, the Search Committee comprises the Chairperson of the Board, and three members from amongst eminent administrators, industrialists and educationists. The Bill reduces these three members to two and adds another member to be nominated by the Visitor. The Bill says that the Board will require prior approval of the Visitor before removing a Director. It also grants the Visitor the authority to terminate the services of the Director, as may be prescribed. The Bill also states the Chairperson of the Board will be nominated by the Visitor. The Bill proposes a new procedure for inquiries against IIMs. It confers the power of inquiry upon the Visitor. The Visitor may appoint persons to review the work of any Institute and hold inquiries into its affairs. Based on the report of such inquiries, the Visitor may issue directions which will be binding on the Institute. The Board may also recommend such inquiries to the visitor. The Bill provides that the central government may prescribe the conditions and procedure for dissolving or suspending an Institutes Board. If a Board is suspended or dissolved, the central government will constitute an interim board for six months or until a new Board is constituted. At present, the Act provides for a Coordination Forum for all the Institutes, the Chairperson of which is selected by a Search-cumSelection Committee. Under the provisions of the Bill, the Chairperson will be nominated by the Visitor. Currently, the Forum comprises Chairpersons of four Institutes, by rotation for two years, nominated by the Chairperson. The Bill amends this to provide that Chairpersons of all Institutes will be ex-officio members of the Forum. The Bill also classifies the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai as IIM, Mumbai. Lok Sabha MPs on Wednesday observed a minute's silence as a tribute to the freedom fighters, commemorating the 1942 Quit India Movement. They also paid tribute to the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan on the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombings. Lok Sabha MPs observe a minute's silence as a tribute,(ANI) Earlier this morning, Japanese Ambassador to India Hiroshi Suzuki was seen arriving in parliament. Nagasaki Day, observed annually on August 9, marks the 78th anniversary. It was the day when the Japanese city of Nagasaki was devastated by an atomic bomb during World War II. This day serves as a reminder of the immense destructive power of nuclear weapons and the need for lasting peace. In 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9. The bombs wiped out around 90 per cent of the cities and killed around over 3 lakh people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki collectively. The toll included those who died as a result of radiation exposure. Japan surrendered a few days after the second attack, thereby ending World War II. Quit India Movement, also known as the Bharat Chodo Andolan, was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on August 9, 1942. Meanwhile, to mark the anniversary of the Quit India Movement, the BJP MPs held a demonstration on Wednesday morning on the Parliament premises. They raised slogans and held posters with the messages- 'Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India. and Appeasement Quit India'BJP leaders like Nishikant Dubey and Ravi Shankar Prasad today hit out at the Congress alleging the party of corruption and following dynastic policies. Dubey said, "In these 75 years Congress, and parties supported by it, gave three things to the country that are eating up the country like termites. It is time to create an atmosphere against them because democracy is for the common people. The second question is about Corruption. The third is about appeasement - vote bank politics that is being done by misleading minorities. They are not allowing implementation of policies in the country." "...Rampant family rule in politics quit India, stinking corruption quit India, appeasement politics quit India. If the democratic fabric of the country is to be safeguarded these ills- family rule, and corruption have to quit India," said BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad addressing a press conference. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi will mark his presence in the Lok Sabha on August 10 to reply to the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against the NDA government, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday. PM Modi(HT File Photo) The PM will be present in the House tomorrow to reply to the no-confidence motion, the Union minister told the Lower House. Just before the adjournment of the House, the Union Minister confirmed the same. READ | No Confidence Motion News Highlights: ' working against India,' Kiren Rijiju attacks Oppn The opposition moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government on July 26 which was taken up by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. However, Modi's government won't lose the vote as his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have a majority in the Lok Sabha. Any Lok Sabha MP, who has the support of 50 colleagues, can, at any point of time, introduce a motion of no-confidence against the Council of Ministers. Thereafter, a discussion on the motion takes place. MPs who support the motion highlight the governments shortcomings, and the Treasury Benches respond to the issues they raise. Ultimately, voting takes place and if the motion is successful, the government is forced to vacate the office. READ | Lok Sabha debate on no-confidence motion against NDA govt for three days, PM Modi to reply on August 10 Notably, the NDA has a commendable majority with a number of 331 MPs out of which the BJP has 303 MPs while the combined strength of the Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A is 144. The numbers of unaligned parties MPs are 70 in the Lower House. This is the second time Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing a no-confidence motion. The first such motion against the Modi government was introduced in 2018 over granting a special category status to Andhra Pradesh which was later defeated. However, the discussion over the motion has been held on August 8 and August 9. READ | PM Modi has won trust of people of North-East: Kiren Rijiju in Parliament Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday initiated the debate on the motion which later turned into a heated argument between Opposition and the Centre. Gogoi, while speaking in House said that the Opposition was compelled to move the motion to break the 'maun vrat' of the PM and further asked three questions to the PM. Three questions to the PM--Why did he not go to Manipur yet? Rahul Gandhi went there, MPs from different parties, part of I.N.D.I.A went there; Union Home Minister went there and MoS Home also went, but being the PM of the country, why Modi didn't Modi go to the state? The second question is- why it took 80 days for Modi ji to speak on Manipur? When he spoke, he spoke only for 30 seconds. After that too, there is no sympathetic word from Modi ji, nor has he appealed for peace there. Ministers are saying We will speak on the issue; they should do that, and no one has stopped them to speak, but ministers words do not hold as much significance as Modi jis does. If Mr Modi takes an initiative for peace, the step would be considered as a strong one which cannot be done by any minister, Gogoi said. He further questioned why the PM has not sacked Manipur CM yet. My third question is why the PM has not sacked Manipur CM yet. When you had to do politics in Gujarat, you changed the CM and that too two times. When there were elections in Uttarakhand you changed the CM several times. When the elections were approaching in Tripura, you changed the CM there too. So, why are you blessing the Manipur CM who himself has confessed that there was an intelligence failure because of him, Gogoi said on Tuesday. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the controversy surrounding Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's alleged flying kiss in the Lok Sabha, saying the saffron party is so used to the hatred that they cannot accept love. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi. (ANI) I was at the visitors' gallery...I saw when he was leaving, he did it as a gesture of affection. He did not say or do it for just women. It was just a genuine gesture...like he's been called Mohabbat Ki Dukaan, the Shiv Sena MP told news agency PTI. After Rahul Gandhi addressed the lower house of the Parliament for the first time after being reinstated as the Lok Sabha MP, he reminded of his famous hug and wink which took place during the last no-confidence motion against the Modi government in 2018 - and allegedly made a similar gesture while leaving. Soon, a massive political controversy erupted, with the BJP calling it shameful and an insult to women. Women BJP MPs file complaint against Rahul Gandhi The women MPs of the saffron party also lodged a formal complaint with Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla against the Congress MP, accusing the Congress MP of insulting women MPs". A letter signed by union minister Shobha Karandlaje and other women MPs alleged that Gandhi behaved in an indecent manner and made inappropriate gestures towards Union minister Smriti Irani while she was addressing the House. The member has not only insulted the dignity of women members in the House, but it has also brought disrepute and lowered the dignity of this august House, it added. Smriti Irani slams Rahul Gandhi Union Minister Smriti Irani called Rahul Gandhi a misogynistic man over his alleged flying kiss during her speech on the no-confidence motion - without really naming him. The person who spoke before me misbehaved. Only a misogynistic man can gesture a flying kiss to female parliamentarians. It shows the khandhan he comes from, and what his family and party feel about women. Such undignified conduct was never before seen in the Parliament of the country, she said. The Congress on Wednesday hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party over its allegation of Rahul Gandhi blowing a flying kiss in parliament. Indian Youth Congress president BV Srinivas shared a clip on social media of a private news channel in which BJP's actor-MP Hema Malini was heard saying she could not see the Congress MP's gesture. Parliament Monsoon Session: LIVE updates Did you see him blow that flying kiss which you found it inappropriate, obscene?" the reporter asks the BJP MP from Mathura. She replied,"I don't know. I could not see that. Some words were not correct". BJP MP Hema Malini (PTI file) I didn't see any flying kiss: Hema Malini Ji. But she has also signed on that fabricated complaint, Srinivas posted on X, the platform which was formerly known as Twitter. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said,"Rahul Gandhi asked some very pointed questions to the government about complete inaction and mishandling of Manipur. The government is not addressing those questions. This is the classic tactic (strategy) of the BJP. Every time we raise pointed issues, they always try to divert it by going back to events that happened in history or talking about things that have no connection". The BJP's women MPs have complained to the speaker against the Wayanad MP's alleged flying kiss in the Lok Sabha. We didnt like it when he (Rahul Gandhi) gave a flying kiss while he was leaving as it goes against our culture. We wont tolerate such things in the Parliament, Union minister Darshana Jardosh, who was among the complainants, told PTI. ALSO READ: Smriti Irani objects to Rahul Gandhi's 'flying kiss' gesture: Only misogynist The BJP has escalated the attack on Rahul Gandhi, who made his first speech in Lok Sabha after being reinstated as an MP following the stay on his conviction by the Supreme Court in a 2019 Modi surname defamation case. BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya shared a video clip which shows the Congress MP's alleged gesture in the lower house. When House of the People, where laws are made to protect dignity of women, stands witness to a man's misogyny, my question is if he (Rahul Gandhi) should be brought to task, Union minister Smriti Irani, who during her speech in Lok Sabha had accused Rahul Gandhi of inappropriate gesture, told reporters outside parliament. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Rahul Gandhi No Confidence Motion highlights: The three-day debate on no-confidence motion set off with a fiery start on Tuesday with Congress MP and deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi initiating the debate on behalf of the INDIA bloc, talked about one India and alleged the central government of creating two Manipurs. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi at Parliament to attend a discussion on the No Confidence Motion in the Lok Sabha for the second day, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI Photo) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi speak for the motion on the second day, after he made a last-minute decision on Tuesday to not initiate the debate. Revanth Reddy and Hibi Eden are other MPs Congress named who will participate in the debate today. On the first day, a verbal spat between the government and the Opposition alliance was witnessed after Rahul Gandhi made a last-minute decision to not initiate the debate. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday stopped his car to inquire about a scooter rider who had met with an accident. It happened when he was leaving 10 Janpath in Delhi, en route to Parliament for the discussion on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi at the accident spot at 10 Janpath in Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI) In a video shared by news agency ANI, the Congress leader can be seen stepping out of his car and walking back to check on the fallen scooter rider. He appears to ask about the incident and engages with another person from the car that was involved in the accident. He briefly converses with both individuals involved before returning to his vehicle. Rahul Gandhi in Parliament today Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership was reinstated on Monday following a Supreme Court stay on his conviction in a 2019 defamation case. On Wednesday, Gandhi delivered his speech, the first since regaining his membership of the Paliament. The speech took place during the no-confidence motion discussion in the Lok Sabha, where he criticised the BJP-led Centre over the Manipur issue. Gandhi thanked Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla for his reinstatement and apologised for his previous speech mentioning Adani. Later in his speech, he highlighted the Congress party's Bharat Jodo Yatra led by him, stating that it's not yet finished. He said that he undertook the cross-country march to comprehend his affections and the abuses he endured for a decade. About Opposition's visit to strife-torn Manipur Gandhi mentioned his visit to Manipur and how he interacted with women and children in relief camps, comparing it with the prime minister's absence from such visits. On June 30, Rahul Gandhi visited relief camps in violence-hit Manipur. Its heartbreaking to see and listen to the plight of those who have lost loved ones and homes due to the violence in Manipur", he had said in an Instagram post. During his Lok Sabha speech on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi recalled his interactions with the victims, one of which witnessed her only son being fatally shot in front of her before leaving her home out of fear. Continuing his attack on the government, Gandhi emphasised the Army's potential to restore peace in Manipur, questioning the government's reluctance to deploy it. He said, You've silenced the voice of India, effectively silencing Bharat Mata in Manipur... My mother is present here. The other mother, Bharat Mata, you silenced in Manipur, pointing to Sonia Gandhi's presence in the House. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lingamgunta Nirmitha Rao Trainee Content Producer at Hindustan Times Digital Stream. India's regional languages attract me. ...view detail The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill 2023 that seeks to set up a national body to facilitate funding for research and development in the country. HT Image The proposed legislation was passed by a voice vote in just 40 minutes after being taken up for consideration and passage. Only six members participated in the debate as the Opposition had earlier walked out of the House. The bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha on Monday. Union minister of science and technology Jitendra Singh said the passage of the bill will be a momentous chapter in Indias history, with long-term outcomes. The Anushandhan National Research Foundation will define the stature of India in 2047. The Anusandhan Bill will pave the way for India to join the select league of developed nations, Singh said in his reply during the discussion for consideration and passage of the bill in the Upper House. Senior officials in ministry of science and technology, who are aware of the details, said the NRF will act as an apex body to provide high-level strategic direction of scientific research in the country, as per recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP), at a total estimated cost of 50,000 crore in five years (2023-28). The Rajya Sabha passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 on Wednesday, clearing the way for what will be the first legal framework for privacy, close to six years after it was held as a fundamental right for Indians by the Supreme Court. HT Image A deeply debated piece of legislation, the bill was cleared by a sparsely filled chamber after Opposition MPs walked out in protest of the Chairman of the House not accepting their demands to have the Prime Minister speak on the Manipur issue. As a result, the hour-long discussion featured members who generally supported the bill, even though some flagged concerns over certain clauses that were nonetheless adopted. The law was approved by the Lok Sabha on Monday, where the government has the numbers and could repel demands by the Opposition to send it to a standing committee. On Wednesday, opening the discussion, Union minister for electronics and technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw reiterated that the bill was critical for the protection of information privacy of the 1.4 billion citizens of the country and attacked the Opposition for not engaging in the process. The law, he added, will lay down crucial obligations for anyone processing an individuals data based on certain principles (such as that of legality, purpose limitation, data minimisation) and give a person rights, including to get a summary of their personal data an organisation may have and request it to be deleted. The minister, as he had done in Lok Sabha earlier in the week, rejected some of the criticisms, saying the law fulfils the preconditions laid down in the 2017 Supreme Court ruling that held privacy as a right, and denied the government gave itself any more exemptions than is the approach globally. Thus, this bill is pro citizens, pro privacy, he said. While it is unlikely to take long for the bill to receive presidential assent at which point it becomes law the next steps will likely pan out over at least a years window, when the government will need to notify protocols related to the law and set up the regulator, the Data Protection Board. Wednesdays parliamentary approval to the bill caps a long, turbulent journey that has seen the bills text entirely redrawn after being debated at length by a parliamentary committee that took over two years to submit its report. The delay was marked by a wrangle over how to approach privacy protections, compliance obligations and carve-outs for the State. MPs, civil rights activists and legal experts said in the current shape, the law still has significant problems. Industry representatives, however, have welcomed what they see as light-touch regulation. While we are eloquent about data protection, the word I find is missing is privacy, said Biju Janata Dal (BJD) member Amar Patnaik, who otherwise supported the law and singled out several portions of it for praise. Patnaik stressed on the need to define harm which the bill does not to address potential reputational and bodily harm. The bill as of now treats harm only when a financial implication can be drawn, he said. He added that the exemptions from privacy obligations appeared to be too broad. I think the proportionality aspect, which is one of the foundations of the Puttaswamy judgment, is not mentioned in this law. Reasonableness, fairness, necessity and proportionality need come in we may have the least number of exemptions, but they should not be blanket exemptions, but as narrow as possible, he said. The next speaker, YSR Congresss S Niranjan Reddy, too, welcomed the law but flagged the exemptions. I share Mr Patnaiks concern on whether this complies with the Puttaswamy judgment. The power to exempt government agencies is sweeping and is possibly capable of misuse, he said. Telegu Desam Partys (TDP) Ravindra Kumar added: I draw attention to the section relating to legitimate uses. The government has complete power to process data on one pretext or the other. There is concern that the bill promotes state surveillance and there is a need to look at this. Vaishnaw, in his reply, said the purpose of this law was data protection and matters relating to surveillance are always considered as per law and procedures framed by the honourable Supreme Court. Experts said the next steps will hold the key. Procedurally, they will now have to notify, and it is likely to be sequential with some of it coming into play immediately and some that could take up to two years. The positive is that at least you now have a law, said NS Nappinai, Supreme Court advocate and founder of Cybersaathi. Constitutionally, it is after the notification that we will need to wait and see if it is hauled up. If it is an individual, it can go up to the Supreme Court, she said, adding that the concerning aspects included refusing privacy protections to someone sharing data voluntarily, the implication on the RTI act, and how the regulator will be appointed. It is alarming that over 10 years since India began its journey towards a data protection law, six years after the Indian Supreme Courts landmark judgment protecting privacy as a fundamental right, and seemingly-ignored rounds of consultation with civil society highlighting the Bills many pitfalls, we will have a law that risks our personal data more than the legal vacuum did.The fact that the government rushed the legislation through parliament in barely a week, amidst walkouts, calls for further consultation, and requests to address surveillance reform is a disservice to the people of India and our democracy, said Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia Pacific policy director at Access Now. From a corporate compliance objective, experts said companies will now need to put in work. While the provisions of the bill seem to be promising enough to cultivate a secure and safe digital ecosystem, it will be interesting to see how various companies adopt and implement the provisions of the bill in their capacities as data fiduciaries and data processors. In terms of first steps, it will be important for companies to assess the types of personal data they are processing, explore the possibilities of availing any exemptions and flexibilities provided under the bill, re-evaluate their cross-border data transfers, and finally implement the provisions applicable to their business company, said Harsh Walia, partner at Khaitan & Co. A non-consensual sex affirmative surgery on a minor would violate the child's dignity and privacy, Kerala High Court has held while dismissing a plea filed by the parents of a seven-year-old with ambiguous genitalia seeking permission for a genital reconstructive surgery to raise their child as a female. Court said intervention with an individual's right to choose sex or identity will definitely be an intrusion into that person's privac(File) Justice V G Arun, in an order issued on August 7, said that intervention with an individual's right to choose sex or identity will definitely be an intrusion into that person's privacy and an affront to his/her dignity and freedom. The court, however, considering the parents' concerns over the health of the child, said necessary interventions can be made based on the recommendation by a "duly constituted medical board". It then directed the government to constitute a State Level Multidisciplinary Committee consisting of experts, which shall include a pediatrician/pediatric endocrinologist, pediatric surgeon and child psychiatrist/child psychologist. The court also directed the government to issue an order regulating sex selective surgeries on infants and children within three months. "Until such time, sex selective surgery shall be permitted only based on the opinion of the State Level Multidisciplinary Committee that the surgery is essential to save the life of the child/infant," the court said. The court observed that the report of chromosomal analysis was not sufficient for granting the permission as the possibility of a child with Karyotype-46XX developing male like tendencies in adulthood cannot be ruled out. "...I find that, grant of permission for conducting genital reconstructive surgery would impinge the rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India and conduct of the surgery without consent would violate the child's dignity and privacy. "Granting such permission may also result in severe emotional and psychological issues if, on attaining adolescence, the child develops orientation towards the gender, other than the one to which the child was converted through surgical intervention," the court said in its order. Meanwhile, the court also said that in the instant case, the medical board shall examine the petitioners' child within two months and decide whether the child is facing any life threatening situation by reason of the ambiguous genitalia. "If so, permission can be granted for carrying out the surgery," the court said. It further said that the right of a human being to choose his/her sex or gender identity, which is one of the most basic aspects of self determination, dignity and freedom, has to be recognised. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union minister Smriti Irani countered Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's statement on the no-confidence motion against the NDA government and said for the first time a member of Parliament spoke of the 'death of Mother India' and their alliance members clapped. As Rahul Gandhi said his mother has been killed in Manipur and that the NDA government has bifurcated Manipur, Smriti Irani said, "You are not India because India is not corrupt. India believes in merit not in dynasty and today of all the days people like you need to remember what was told to the British - Quit India. Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India. Merit now finds place in India..." Smriti Irani fires back to Rahul Gandhi: 'Spoke of killing Bharat mata' No confidence motion: After Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Irani speaks | Follow LIVE Referring to 1984 riots, Emergency, and the killing of Girija Tickoo, Smriti Irani said, "This is the history of the Congress, soaked in blood." A Kashmiri Pandit named Girija Tickoowas gangraped and brutally murdered in Kashmir. When this was shown in a movie, some Congress leaders called it propaganda. The same party leaders are talking about Manipur today, Smriti Irani said. "...It was mentioned in the House today that he (Rahul Gandhi) undertook a Yatra and gave assurance that they will reinstate Article 370 if it is upto them...I would like to tell the person who has run away from the House that neither will Article 370 be reinstated in the country nor will those who threaten Kashmiri Pandits with "Ralib Galib Chalib (convert, die or leave)" be spared," Smriti Irani said. 'They ran away, we didn't': Smriti Irani as Rahul Gandhi leaves Parliament As Rahul Gandhi left Parliament in the middle of Smriti Irani's reply, Irani said the government never ran away from debating on Manipur, but the opposition did. "Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah & Defence Minister Rajnath Singh repeatedly said that the government is ready to debate on the Manipur issue. The opposition ran away from it, we did not," Smriti Irani said. Where all did you go to find the matchbox, Rahul Gandhi? Talking about Rahul Gandhi's foreign visits, Smriti Irani said, Rahul Gandhi said kerosene has been poured all over the country. And where all did you go to find the matchbox, Rahul Gandhi? Did you not go to America? Why Congress gave projects to Adani, Smriti Irani said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON On the second day of the no-confidence debate in the Lok Sabha, Union minister Smriti Irani launched an attack against the Congress over the alleged Chinese funding to media portal NewsClick and Rahul Gandhis Mother India murdered in Manipur remark in the House. Union minister Smriti Irani. (PTI) The minister said, (Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament) Nishikant Dubey raised the issue of NewsClick. Congress didnt say anything that it should be checked but they want his statement to be removed. A New York Times investigation claimed that NewsClick was part of the global network that received Chinese funding through American businessman Neville Roy Singham for pushing Chinese propaganda. NewsClick on Monday rejected the reports terming them as unfounded and without basis in fact or law. Irani alleged that Neville Singh wrote to the journalists in India on how the news against India should be circulated. The views of the tri-continental publications researchers, who write against the interests of the farmers, were given platform by Congress party on their official pages, she added. Also Read | Smriti Irani objects to Rahul Gandhis flying kiss gesture: Only misogynist To counter Gandhis attack on the Centre for the violence in Manipur, Irani highlighted the issues of Kashmiri Pandits exodus, and Sikh riots under the Congress regime, amongst others. She showed a photo of Girija Tikoo, a lab assistant who was gangraped in Kashmir during the exodus of Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s. The Gandhis dont want to mention the Kashmiri Pandits. They dont want to address the atrocities invoked on the original residents of J&K When will Girija Tikku, Sarla Bhatt get justice? she said. She also touched upon the Article 370 issue saying, It was mentioned in the House today that he (Rahul Gandhi) undertook a Yatra and gave assurance that they will reinstate Article 370 if it is up to them...I would like to tell the person who has run away from the House that neither will Article 370 be reinstated in the country nor will those who threaten Kashmiri Pandits with Ralib Galib Chalib be spared. The BJP MP from Amethi also brought up the issues of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and atrocities on the Sikh community during Congress regimes at the Centre. Recounting the horrors of Emergency, she attacked Congress saying that the history of Congress is covered in blood. For the first time in Parliament, someone talked about the murder of Bharat Mata and the Congress MPs clapped. The entire country has seen Congress leaders clapping, thumping desk when Rahul Gandhi spoke of the murder of Bharat Mata, Irani said, referring to Rahul Gandhis remark on the murder of Bharat Mata in Manipur. Gandhi, who spoke just before Irani, said the Mother India has been killed in Manipur and that the NDA government has bifurcated Manipur. Further attacking the opposition alliance, the BJP MP said, You are not India, for India is not corrupt. India believes in merit not in dynasty, and today of all the days people like you need to remember what was told to the British - Quit India. Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India. Merit now finds place in India. New Delhi :The powers and provisions of the Constitution of India cannot be circumscribed by the erstwhile Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir, the Supreme Court observed on Wednesday as it continued hearing a challenge to the August 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and the revocation of special status to Jammu & Kashmir. The Supreme Court observes Constitution of India cannot be circumscribed by the Constitution of J&K. (ANI) Stressing that the Indian Constitution is the only Constitution for the entirety of the country, including J&K which acceded to India in October 1947, the five-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud pointed out that there are no express fetters on the powers of the Indian Constitution though the J&K Constitution wrested residuary powers with the J&K legislative assembly. Also Read: Peace dividend in Jammu and Kashmir is visible post-Article 370 abrogation On the fourth day of the arguments in a clutch of petitions challenging the 2019 nullification of Article 370, the bench delved into a comparative analysis of the constitutions of India and J&K, and a discussion whether Article 370 was a permanent link between the two that could not have been snapped without the concurrence of the J&K assembly. One of the arguments raised by one of the petitioners on Wednesday was that it was only for the Constituent Assembly of J&K to legally annul Article 370 and that it could not have been done by unilaterally using the provisions of the Indian Constitution. Also comprising justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and Surya Kant, the Constitution bench observed that the Indian Constitution never engrafted or explicitly brought the J&K Constitution within its fold while the latter adopted the Indian Constitution, though with certain caveats. While our Constitution did talk about the J&K Constituent Assembly, but after January 26, 1957 (when J&K Constitution came into force), it doesnt talk about the J&K Constitution at all. Our Constitution talks of only one Constitution, namely the Constitution of India... the Constitution of India as it applies to J&K subject to certain modifications. Therefore, the only compact or basic document that is within the contemplation of the Constitution of India is this Constitution itself, it said. Also Read: Brexit-like vote not possible on Article 370, says Supreme Court The court continued: You may call it J&K Constitution but what was adopted in 1957 was the Indian Constitution with certain exceptions and modifications... Article 370, by its very nature, is very flexible. Normally, constitutions are flexible with time and space because theyre made once but they last for long times. Article 370 itself says that J&K Constitution should assimilate what is applicable in other parts of the country. On his part, senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, who represents a J&K resident in the case, argued that it was not imperative for the Indian Constitution to recognise or mention J&K Constitution since the latter was framed at a later point in time and further that it was meant for a specific state. Responding, the bench asked him: Why post 1957 either J&K government or its assembly, or Parliament never thought of amending the Indian Constitution to bring the J&K Constitution within its fold? J&K Constitution says that the residuary powers will be vested with the J&K legislature. That is a clear fetter on the executive powers of the Union as well as on the legislative powers of an organ of the Union, namely Parliament. So, was it not required for the Indian Constitution to recognise J&K Constitution because after 1957, this was the only Constitution for the whole of India, including J&K? To this, Subramanium referred to the Constitutional Order of 1954 which applied most provisions of the Indian Constitution to J&K while carving out certain volitional areas where the concurrence of J& assembly was a prerequisite. Thats the problem, Mr Subramanium. As you rightly said these were volitional carve-outs and the Union issued those orders. Unless there is some higher precept which prevents them from modifying such carve outs, what is there to restrain the Union from modifying the terms of those carve outs? It cannot be that J&K Constitution will be made a part of our Constitution to impose fetters on our Constitution, retorted the bench. Emphasising on the concept of polarity and federalism as the basis architecture of Article 370, Subramanium contended that the third clause of Article 370 could not have been invoked to abrogate the provision because Article 356 (imposition of Presidents Rule) never envisaged that Parliament could substitute itself for J&K assembly and grant its concurrence to end the special status of the state. The bench, however, told the senior counsel that if the central government is able to show in law that no such restraint could be imposed on its while Presidents Rule is in force, they will be decidedly within jurisdiction to do what they did in annulling Article 370. During the time when Article 356 is in operation, if they can show their powers were not circumscribed to invoke 356(d) (2), in that event the Union was clearly within its power (to abrogate Article 370). When Article 356 is in operation, all the executive powers of the state are assumed by the Union. Who issued an ordinance in a state? Can the President not issue an ordinance if an urgent situation arises? it asked. Subramanium concluded his arguments during the day, and senior counsel Zafar Shah commenced his submissions on behalf of the Srinagar Bar Association. Shah argued that the Instrument of Accession, signed by the Maharaja of J&K with India in October 1947, was akin to an action of the state shaking hands but not embracing India. Shah will resume his submissions on Thursday. A raft of petitions, filed by parliamentarians from the National Conference party, Kashmiri citizens, former bureaucrats and various organisations laid the challenge to the abrogation of Article 370 soon after the presidential order in August 2019. While some petitioners brought up the requirement of consent from the Constituent Assembly for the abrogation of Article 370, others questioned the validity of the Presidents Rule that was in effect when the abrogation was made. A few of these pleas went back to the Instrument of Accession, while some highlighted the Supreme Courts ruling of 2018 that observed that Article 370 had gained a status of permanence. Many of these pleas also challenged the Jammu & Kashmir State Reorganisation Act, by which the state was bifurcated into two Union territories with effect from October 30, 2019. On August 28, 2019, the Supreme Court issued notices on the pleas despite resistance from the central government, which argued that Article 370 had international and cross-border implications. On July 3, the Supreme Court notified the setting up of a new Constitution bench, comprising its first five judges. A week later, the new bench directed that day-to-day hearing in the case would begin from August 2.A SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu was booked in an attempt-to-murder case by the police for allegedly instigating violence against the YSR Congress party (YSRCP) leaders and workers in Annamayya district on August 4, a senior police official said on Wednesday. Expressing surprise at the police filing an attempt-to-murder case filed against him, Naidu said in fact, the YSRC leaders attempted to murder him at Angallu village (PTI) District superintendent of police (SP) R Gangadhara Rao told reporters that Naidu had instigated the TDP workers to attack the YSRCP activists with lethal weapons at Angallu village of Tamballapalli assembly constituency during his tour to the area as part of his Project Yudha Bheri rally. Several YSRC workers and some policemen were injured in the attack. The violent attacks took place in a pre-planned manner. Based on the complaint given by the victims, a case was registered against Naidu and 19 others, the SP said. The FIR was registered at Mudivedu police station, after a complaint was lodged by local YSRCP leader D R Umapathy Reddy, late on Tuesday night. The police booked Naidu and others under various sections of Indian Penal Code including Sections 120b (criminal conspiracy), 147 (rioting), 148 (attacks with deadly weapons), 153 (provocative speech with an intent to cause riots), 307 (attempt to murder), 115 (abetment to offence), 109 (abetment of offence against public servant), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (using lethal weapons), 506 r/w 149 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). While Naidu was named as accused No. 1 (A-1), former irrigation minister Devineni Uma was named A-2. Besides, other TDP leaders including Amaranadha Reddy, Rambhopal Reddy, Shajahan Basha, Dommalapati Ramesh and N Kishore Kumar Reddy were also named as the accused. According to the FIR, a copy of which was seen by HT, Naidu had provoked his party leaders and cadre to attack Umapathy Reddy, when the latter came to him to show a representation in protest against the TDP moving the state high court to stall the construction of Pitchalavandlapalle irrigation project by making baseless allegations. Sub-inspector of police Sheik Mujeeb Taj, who registered the FIR, said Naidu had used abusive language against Umapathy Reddy and asked his party workers to chase the YSRCP leader and his followers away and attack them. All the TDP leaders criminally conspired together and instigated the TDP activists to chase away the YSRCP workers, the FIR said. It further said the TDP workers, armed with deadly weapons, suddenly attacked Umapathy Reddy and others with intent to kill them. When he tried to run away, the TDP workers chased them from behind and caused bleeding injuries and contusions. During that attack, some of the police officials were injured, the FIR said. The public of Angallu Village intervened and rescued Reddy from the hands of the accused, as otherwise they might have brutally killed him, the FIR added. Expressing surprise at the police filing an attempt-to-murder case filed against him, the TDP president said in fact, the YSRC leaders attempted to murder him at Angallu village, but he managed to escape after the National Security Guards protected him. Stating that the police had information well in advance about the YSRC workers indulging violence at his meeting, Naidu wondered why the police had failed to prevent the YSRC workers assembling there in big numbers and were attacking his rally. Let the government order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the incident to find out who was behind the attack on my rally, he demanded. Former minister Devineni Umamaheshwar Rao, who was named as A-2 in the case, said the police had been foisting false cases against the TDP leaders. If the incident happened on August 4, why did the police take four days to register the FIR? he asked. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi on Wednesday claimed he was detained by the Mumbai Police as he left his house to commemorate the Quit India Day. He said he was detained at the Santa Cruz Police Station. For the first time in the history of Independent India, I have been detained at Santa Cruz Police Station as I left home to commemorate 9th August Quit India Day. I am proud My Great Grandparents Bapu and Ba had also been arrested by the British Police on the historic date, he wrote on Twitter. Tushar Gandhi tweeted the march will take place as soon as he is allowed to leave the police station. While the cops have not yet issued a statement, Tushar Gandhi, in his reply to Twitter users, said the silent march to August Kranti Maidan was 'seen as a threat to law and order'. As soon as I am permitted to leave police station I will proceed to August Kranti Maidan. Will definitely commemorate August Kranti Din and its martyrs (sic), Tushar Gandhi tweeted from the police station. Quit India Day is observed on August 9 every year commemorating the beginning of the Quit India Movement. The Congress on this day passed a resolution demanding the British to leave India. Tushar Gandhi is an author and activist, the son of Arun Manilal Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Poulomi Ghosh Poulomi Ghosh is a journalist with Hindustan Times, New Delhi. ...view detail New Delhi The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesday released an updated draft of its guidelines to prepare an Institutional Development Plan (IDP) for higher education institutions (HEIs), making new recommendations including private sector partnerships for raising funds, a ranking system for faculty members, creation of emotional infrastructure, and increasing undergraduate seats for higher revenues. The first draft IDP guidelines were released by the commission in January last year seeking suggestions from stakeholders. UGC chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar said that the revised draft released on Wednesday aims to help universities and colleges plan for academic, administrative, and financial self-reliance. (File photo) The first draft IDP guidelines were released by the commission in January last year seeking suggestions from stakeholders. UGC chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar said that the revised draft released on Wednesday aims to help universities and colleges plan for academic, administrative, and financial self-reliance. According to the guidelines, the HEIs must identify and prioritise the sources of funding for the development of financial infrastructure such as government grants, alumni donations, private sector partnerships, and fund-raising campaigns. They further suggested the HEIs, including both public and private, should work on a sustainable revenue model where the revenues are derived from sources including tuition fee from students, government grants and subsidies, overheads earned on the sponsored research and development projects from the government and the private sector, and endowments. The guidelines also suggested other income sources including philanthropic contributions such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), royalties on intellectual property (IP)/patents, etc. In a fully developed HEI, each of these sources must contribute about a similar percentage to the total revenue, depending on the size of the HEIs. Therefore, HEIs must also focus on expanding their undergraduate programmes as additional students mean more revenue, the draft guidelines stated. The draft guidelines also recommended a faculty ranking or assessment based on research-based Academic Performance Indicators (API) scores and subsequent additional incentives to motivate teachers. Faculty members generate a winning spirit and constantly strive for excellence when their annual API rankings are announced and they are graded according to different levels. Faculty oversight at every stage can be reduced in such scenarios, the guidelines stated. Meanwhile, the draft norms also suggested the HEIs to create emotional infrastructure by providing a good working environment for all stakeholders with ethical policies and a transparent academic and administrative system and taking extra care in all service areas of both higher education and research activities. The commission, however, has also clarified that the guidelines will be indicative. It is imperative that the autonomy of the institutes is maintained while developing and operationalising such a plan. Therefore, the IDP guidelines are self-regulating in nature, it said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Fareeha Iftikhar Fareeha Iftikhar is a principal correspondent with the national political bureau of the Hindustan Times. She tracks the education ministry, and covers the beat at the national level for the newspaper. She also writes on issues related to gender, human rights and different policy matters. ...view detail The entire country is pained by the shameful violence in Manipur, but indulging in politics over it is even more shameful, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday as he defended the government over the ethnic clashes that have claimed over 150 lives, and appealed with folded hands to warring communities to end the riots and hold talks. Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during a discussion on the No Confidence Motion in the Lok Sabha in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI/Sansad TV) Speaking on the second day of the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, Shah said that the Centre had no intention to alter the demography of the state, announced the fencing along the Myanmar border had been expedited, and presented data to show that the clashes were ebbing in Manipur. He condemned the viral video showing two Kuki women being stripped and paraded naked by a mob, but questioned why the 30-second clip surfaced a day before the monsoon session and why it was not handed over to the police. For the sake of society, we are ashamed of what happened [in Manipur]. There is no doubt about this. However shameful it is what transpired, it is even more shameful to indulge in politics over it, he said. The minister also said that 152 people were killed, 14,898 people arrested and 1,106 first information reports (FIRs) registered since violence erupted on May 3. I want to let the country know, the Prime Minister called me at 4.30am, and then woke me up again with a phone call the next day at 6am. For three straight days, we worked from here to ensure peace, he said in what was the governments strongest response to the Oppositions charges on Manipur in the ongoing monsoon session. We held 16 video conferences, we mobilised 16,000 paramilitary personnel using air force planes, the chief secretary was changed, the director general of police was changed, a security adviser was deputed... All this was done by May 4 a day after clashes broke out, he added. Though the bulk of his speech was devoted to Manipur, Shah also spoke at length about the achievements of the Narendra Modi government, and described how the internal security situation had drastically improved in Jammu & Kashmir, Maoist-affected areas and the Northeast. He announced that the government will not hold dialogue with Pakistan but will speak to young people in the region. He also assured the House that Tahawwur Rana, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, will be deported to India soon to face trials. The Opposition has jammed a significant chunk of the monsoon session demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on Manipur inside the House, and has argued that it brought the no confidence motion the second faced by the Narendra Modi government and the first after 2018 to make the PM speak on the issue. The first day of the debate saw Opposition members attacking the government over Manipur. But Shah criticised the Opposition for its parliamentary tactics. Ive been ready for a debate on Manipur from Day 1. But they [Opposition] did not want it. They just want to protest. And if they were unhappy with what I had to say, then they could have asked for the PMs statement. But they have not let any debate take place in the House. They have not let the home minister deliver arguments on an important issue like Manipur, what kind of democratic system do they want? he asked during the nearly two-hours-long speech. He also attacked the Congress. During the Congress rule, there were numerous incidents of violence in Manipur, yet no home minister visited there. I stayed there for 3 days, and our MoS (minister of state) Nityanand Rai stayed there continuously for 23 days, he said. He cited Congress leader Rahul Gandhis recent Manipur trip as an example of politics during the violence and said Gandhi refused to go to Churachandpur in a helicopter and insisted on travelling by road. He only wanted to do politics there, the minister said. He said during PM Narasimha Raos time, a conflict between the Naga and Kuki communities killed 750 people and displaced 45,000. Despite such a tragic incident, did the tribal minister go there? No, they didnt. Did the social welfare minister go? No, they didnt, Shah said. The home minister blamed a Manipur high court order which proposed a tweak to the states reservation matrix and adding the dominant Meitei community to the scheduled tribe list for the violence. I urge both communities (Kukis and Meiteis) to sit with the Centre and talk to resolve the issue. We do not wish to change the demography. I am talking to them personally. Please do not politicise this, Shah said. He also appeared to rule out a change of guard in the state, defending embattled chief minister N Biren Singh. They ask why Article 356 (Presidents Rule) was not imposed. Article 356 can only be invoked when the state government is not cooperating with the Centre. The CM should only be changed when he is not cooperating, he said. Shahs intervention came hours after Rahul Gandhi attacked the Centre over Manipur and blamed Modi for not visiting the strife-torn state. In his response, the home minister argued that the BJP had brought peace to Manipur over the last six years with a drop in militant activity. He condemned the viral video of assault of two Kuki women that sparked a nationwide outcry earlier this month. Any act such as this committed anywhere in the world is a blot on society as a whole. No one can support acts like these, not us, not the House, not the Opposition, he said. But he raised questions. Why did this video surface a day before the Parliament session was set to begin? If someone had the video, should they not have handed it over to the DGP or the police? Should they have made the video public? Think of the victims dignity... I dont want to get into the politics of this, but if whoever had the video handed it to the police when it happened, then we would have made the arrests on May 5 (the day after the incident took place). The day we came across the video, we used facial recognition software and ran it against the government database and managed to identify all the nine people who are now facing trial, he said. He also presented data to show that the violence was ebbing. Of the people that have died in the violence, 107 died in May, another 20 died in June, 15 were killed in July, and so far four people have died in August... I am stating these numbers to show that violence is slowly abating and we should not be taking actions that add fuel to these flames, he said. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hit back, saying it was shameful that Shah questioned the timing of the release of the video. Its absolutely shameful that the home minister is questioning the timing of the release of the horrific video from Manipur. By claiming on the floor of the Parliament that the intelligence agencies did not know about the existence of such a video, hes only accepting his own incompetence..., Ramesh posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union home minister Amit Shah hit out at the Opposition on Wednesday, saying the no-confidence motion was meant to sow confusion and added that while the Opposition may not have trust in the Narendra Modi government, the people of India do. Union home minister Amit Shah.. (PTI) Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Shah also made a veiled attack at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, attacked the Oppositions INDIA grouping, touted the governments record in nabbing drugs, and in spurring development in Jammu and Kashmir. We wont engage in discussions with the Hurriyat, the Jamaat, or Pakistan. If we engage in discussions, it will only be with the youth of the Valley, he said. Shah began by comparing no-confidence motions earlier, and said that during the no-confidence motions moved by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) earlier, the Congress won by paying bribes. The government of Narasimha Rao won the no-confidence motion, but later, many members of that government were sentenced to jail because it was discovered that they had bribed leaders of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha to secure their votes in favour. Today both the Congress and JMM are sitting together, he said. On one hand there are individuals who spend crores of rupees to obtain a majority of power, on the other, there are people who prioritise principles over power, he added. He also appeared to attack Rahul Gandhi who returned to the Lok Sabha this week after 137 days in particular. In this house, there is a leader who has been launched in politics 13 times till now, and he has failed all 13 times, the minister said. Shah said the Opposition was not farmer friendly, poor-friendly or backwards-friendly, adding that only the NDA had the ability to provide stable governance, while the Opposition only stoked instability. Shah gave data to show during 2006-13, the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government seized 152,000 kgs of drugs while the Narendra Modi government, during 2014-22, seized 7.3 million kgs. Similarly, cases filed increased from 1,257 to 3,700, arrests from 1,363 to 5,400 and the value of seized drugs from Rs.768 crore to Rs.18,000 crore, the home minister said. The home minister said that after 33 years, cinema halls reopened in Kashmir, night shows and the Shikara festival began, and 18 million tourists visited the Valley last year. He also said that left-wing extremism was now confined to three districts in Chhattisgarh and that, too, will soon be eradicated. In the Northeast, airports, railways, and extensive roads were built and Modi visited the Northeast 50 times in nine years, he said. During his speech, Shah wondered why the Opposition coalition had to change its name, arguing that the NDA, which started in the Vajpayee era, retained its name with pride. UPA was a nice name. I will tell you why they wanted a new name. The UPA was associated with so much corruption that they had to change the name, Shah said. He then read out a long list of scandals including the 2G spectrum scandal, coal allocation and the Commonwealth games scandals. I tried to count but I stopped after the figure reached 12 lakh crore. They have changed their name but people know that the Opposition was involved in corruption and appeasement, he said. Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday urged Kukis to find an alternative burial site for the mass burial of 35 bodies during a meeting with the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum in the national Capital, the body said in a press conference. The proposal, if accepted, could avoid a potential flashpoint that may result in more violence in Manipur. Amit Shah (File photo) Speaking to reporters after the meeting, members of ITLF -- an influential umbrella body of tribal groups in Manipur -- said they would first consult people back in Manipur. ITLF spokesperson Ginza Vualzong said they met the HM in the afternoon and listed 10 demands of Kukis against the backdrop of the ethnic violence in Manipur that has claimed at least 152 lives and left around 50,000 displaced from their homes. The 10 demands are: legalise the industry department land at government sericulture farm for burial, burial to take place in the government sericulture farm at S Boljang village, the Meitei commandoes should not be allowed to operate in Hill areas, early political settlement over demand for separate administration, return of dead bodies of Kuki-Zo communities lying in Imphal to their home districts, demand for helicopter service, facilitation of education services of students, construction of pre-fabricated structures for IDPs, transfer of all tribal inmates from Imphal to prisons in other states, setting up of an additional office (for) the Justice Lamba Inquiry Commission at Churachandpur. The ministry of home affairs (MHA) on Saturday invited ITLF for talks after fresh violence broke out in Manipur after the tribal group announced its plan to organise a mass burial of 35 Kuki-Zomi people killed in ethnic violence. The spurt in violence over the last few days --- five people have been killed and over two dozen injured since Saturday -- can be attributed to the announcement of a mass burial; it was hurriedly called off following hectic parleys by authorities, a court order, and an undertaking from MHA. Meiteis opposed the burial plan, and several groups began converging near the proposed burial site, triggering widespread clashes that went on in pockets of the state. Vualzong said, We had a two-hour long meeting with the home minister. In the meeting, he told us not to insist on burying the dead at that particular site, because it is located in a conflict zone. That particular site was identified after we consulted with our people. We will now go back to our people and share details of our meeting with the home minister and inform MHA. The spokesperson said that in response to a demand for a separate administration for Kukis, Shah said this could be discussed only when there is no violence in the state. Speaking in Parliament, Shah clarified that there would be no change in Manipurs demography. And in response to a demand that Manipur police commandos not be allowed to enter the hill districts because most of them are Meities and could be biased in carrying out their duty, Vualzong said Shah pointed out that this was not legally possible but that when Manipur police operated in the hills they would be accompanied by security forces from the Centre. Majority of the tribal groups reside in the hill districts while the non-tribals(Meiteis) live in the valley. At present, CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), BSF (Border Security Force), SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal), ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) and Assam Rifles along with the Indian Army are posted in Manipur. The forces report to the Centre while the Manipur police reports to the N Biren Singh led state government. The security forces are posted in the buffer zones between the hills and valley areas to ensure that the people from either side do not cross over and engage in violence. Vualzong said that Shah asked the group to return arms and ammunition looted from armouries. We told the HM that our groups will return the little weapons that they have once the Meitei groups return the weapons. In our case, Kukis are defending their villages using licensed guns. Though MHA was yet to issue a statement over the details of the meeting till late Wednesday night, ITLF said he agreed to their demand of starting helicopter service between Churachandpur and Aizwal in neighbouring Mizoram soon. ITLF said they had also requested that the bodies of tribals, which are lying in the mortuary of Imphal hospitals, be brought to Churachandpur and handed over to the families. The HM told us that government is in the process of identifying the bodies and assured that this would be done, Vualzong said,40 bodies are at the hospitals in Imphal. The continuing chain of violence in the state underlined the deep ethnic divisions in Manipur and the kind of social rifts that the administration needs to bridge in order to bring normalcy back to the state. On Tuesday evening, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) , a Meitei group condemned ITLFs meeting with the home minister.It said the meeting between the union government and ITLF would offend the sentiments of the people in Manipur because members of ITLF were involved in violence. This is not the first time that Centre is holding talks with the groups. Shah had in last week of May visited Manipur and held talks with ITLF and COCOMI. The Intelligence Bureau(IB) has also been holding meetings with both groups as part of the governments efforts to restore normalcy. Forty MLAs from the ruling alliance in Manipur reached Delhi late on Wednesday and were set to meet senior BJP leaders, people aware of the matter said. On Wednesday night, the MLAs submitted a letter to officials at PMs residence, in which they sought removal of three units of Assam Rifles from the state and withdrawal of suspension of operations agreement, people aware of the matter added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Varanasi district court on Wednesday heard an application seeking an order to secure the Gyanvapi mosque premises to protect important evidence and posted the matter on August 17, people familiar with the development said. ASI team members during scientific survey at the Gyanvapi mosque complex, in Varanasi on August 8 (PTI) The application was filed on August 2 by Rakhi Singh, one of the plaintiffs in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi suit seeking the permission to perform daily worship of Hindu idols present on the outer wall of the mosque. The suit is pending before the district court. In her application filed through advocates Manbahadur Singh and Anupam Dwivedi Rakhi Singh has alleged that people associated with Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC), which manages the 17th-century mosque, tried to remove Hindu symbols and signs and other historical evidences present in the Gyanvapi mosque. Several important signs/symbols were found during the survey of the mosque last year (in May 2022). These are very important evidences. We filed the application in the court, urging the court to preserve (secure) the entire Gyanvapi premises in order to secure all sign/symbols, which are very important evidences for the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case, Dwivedi said. Advocate Manbahadur Singh said, The signs and symbols present in the Gyanvapi are historical evidences. The Gyanvapi should be preserved to protect the important historical evidences. However, the Muslim side on Wednesday filed an objection to the application, saying the plaintiff levelled false and baseless allegations against the committee and its people. The objection was filed by mosque committees counsels Mumtaz Ahmad, Rais Ansari and Akhlaque Ahmad. We filed (an) objection against the application, Mumtaz Ahmad said. SM Yasin, the joint secretary of Intezamia committee, alleged that the application was filed by the plaintiff with mala fide intention to stop Muslim devotees from offering prayers in the Gyanvapi mosque. The court heard the matter and fixed August 17 as the next date of hearing, Rakhi Singhs counsel Manbahadur Singh said, adding that he urged the court to give time to file the rejoinder in the matter. We will file a rejoinder against the objection on the next date, August 17, he added. Earlier, the Muslim side had urged the court to allow it file an objection against the application on August 4, after which the district judge posted the matter for August 9. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON New Delhi: The Manipur police on Wednesday registered a zero FIR over the alleged rape of a 37-year-old woman in the states Churachandpur on May 3, when ethnic clashes broke out in the state, an officer aware of the matter said. Ethnic violence largely between the Kuki and Meitei communities has rocked the state for three months (File photo) According to the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the woman filed an FIR at the Bishnupur police station on Wednesday, alleging that she was raped by five-six Kuki miscreants in Churachandpur. HT has not seen a copy of the FIR. A zero FIR is registered when the complainant is unable to file a complaint at the police station where the crime happened. In such instances, the case, after being registered, is transferred to the concerned police station. Ethnic violence largely between the Kuki and Meitei communities has rocked the state for three months, claimed at least 152 lives and left over 50,000 injured. Both sides have accused each other of brutality, including crimes against women. In July, a 30-second video showing a mob of hooting men stripping and parading two tribal women naked in Manipur sparked a nationwide outcry. Quoting from her FIR, the officer said that the woman alleged that at around 4.30 pm on May 3, a group of Kuki men waylaid her and sexually assaulted her. She said that more men joined in on the assault, the officer added. She told police that she then fell unconscious, and when she regained consciousness, she found herself in a house surrounded by Meitei people. The zero FIR will be transferred to Chruachandpur, and they will probe the case, said the officer. The official added that the woman was sent for medical examination at the Department of Forensic Science and Toxicology, RIMS, after which a zero FIR under section 376D (gang rape), 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), and 120B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy) was filed at the Bishnupur police station. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prawesh Lama Prawesh Lama covers crime, policing, and issues of security in Delhi. Raised in Darjeeling, educated in Mumbai, he also looks at special features on social welfare in the National Capital. ...view detail The 15th edition of Abu Dhabi Art, organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, will host the largest fair to date, showcasing 92 galleries from more than 31 countries. Taking place from 22nd-26th November 2023 at Manarat Al Saadiyat, the art fair is a culmination of Abu Dhabi Arts year-long visual arts programme and plays a vital role in the burgeoning art scene of West Asia, North Africa and South Asia (WANASA). Abu Dhabi Arts annual fair is an important cultural platform for West Asia. (Representative image)(Unsplash/Jessica Pamp) Abu Dhabi Arts annual fair is an important cultural platform for West Asia. With 37 new and 55 returning galleries, this years edition spotlights diverse geographies alongside curated exhibitions and commissions, positioning itself as a place of discovery for global art histories. The fair remains committed to welcoming diverse curatorial perspectives, embedding itself in the community, and paying an integral part in the art ecosystem in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. The 92 participating galleries represent countries from around the globe including, for the first time, galleries from Georgia, Mexico, Brazil, Singapore and Chile. Dyala Nusseibeh, Director of Abu Dhabi Art, said, This years Abu Dhabi Art represents a significant moment in the fairs history due to its sheer size, with double the number of galleries participating since its early days. We are delighted to be able to attract such a diverse range of artists and galleries from around the world, in part thanks to the important contribution and research of our global gallery representatives. The presence of so many new galleries at the fair signifies how dynamic the local and regional art market has become over the last 15 years. By working closely with curators, gallery representatives, galleries and artists, we are also ensuring that our gallery presentations offer unparalleled access to art histories and research, ensuring visitors have the opportunity to better understand these wide-ranging global positions. Representing some of the participating galleries this year are: Maneli Keykavioussi, who will focus on South America with participating galleries including Dan Galleria, Pablo Goebel Fine Arts, Praxis, Galeria La Cometa and Casa Zirio; visiting professor Riccarda Mandrini focusing on sustainability with participating galleries including Ko, LIA RUMMA, THK Gallery, and ADN Galleria; Founder and Director of Le Violon Bleu Gallery Essia Hamdi, who will focus on female artists from the Arab world with galleries including Agial Art Gallery, Galerie Krinzinger and Wadi Finan Art Gallery; and Chris Wan Feng - who will bring together galleries that reflect on Hong Kongs historical and contemporary art landscape, including Rossi & Rossi, and HANART TZ. Among the 37 new galleries that will be present at the fair this year are LIA RUMMA (Italy), De Sarthe (Hong Kong), Leo Gallery (Hong Kong), and Pablo Goebel Fine Arts (Mexico). Abu Dhabi Art will also welcome back 55 galleries who have participated in previous editions. Returning galleries include: Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde (UAE), Sean Kelly (USA), Hakgojae Gallery (South Korea), Mazzoleni (Italy), HANART TZ Gallery (China), and Galerie Krinzinger (Austria), among many others. The Modern & Contemporary section of the fair will see 41 participating galleries including Rossi & Rossi (Hong Kong), Selma Feriani Gallery (Tunisia), and Bernier/Eliades (Greece). The 2023 Visual Campaign Artist is Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim (represented by Lawrie Shabibi Gallery in Dubai), whose work is heavily inspired by a deep love for the environment and natural beauty of his birthplace, Khorfakkan - nestled between the Gulf of Oman and the Hajar Mountains. The Visual Campaign Artist for the programme is tasked with creating the fairs visual campaign, and the chosen images are then used across marketing materials and to define the identity of the fair. Abu Dhabi Art will continue to announce details of the fairs programmes and events in the coming months. The cast and makers of the much-awaited season 2 of Zoya Akhtar's series Made In Heaven on Amazon Prime Video stepped out in Mumbai to attend its screening. The guest list included stars like Sobhita Dhulipala, Arjun Mathur, Jim Sarbh, Mona Singh Shashank Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Trinetra Haldar, Ishwak Singh, Dia Mirza Shibani Dandekar, Samir Soni, Neelam Kothari, Sanjay Kapoor, Reema Kagti, Alankrita Shrivastava, Neeraj Ghaywan, and Nitya Mehra, among others. The celebs came dressed in stylish fits to attend the premiere event. And some also made it to our best-dressed list. Check out who wore what inside. Sobhita Dhulipala, Dia Mirza, Mona Singh, Trinetra Haldar, and others - what best-dressed stars wore to Made In Heaven 2 Premiere. (HT Photo/Varinder Chawla) Made In Heaven 2 premiere: Who wore what Sobhita Dhulipala Sobhita Dhulipala at Made In Heaven 2 premiere. (HT Photo/Varinder Chawla) Sobhita Dhulipala's sartorial choices never disappoint, and she made a splash as she walked the blue carpet at the grand premiere of her upcoming series Made In Heaven 2. Sobhita slipped into a quirky form-fitting ensemble decked in swirl embellishments and patterns. It features a high-rise neckline, torso-revealing neckline, flowy skirt cascading to form a floor-sweeping train, and a see-through silhouette. She styled it with a sleek hairdo, statement earrings, high heels, and striking makeup choices. Dia Mirza Dia Mirza at Made In Heaven 2 premiere. (HT Photo/Varinder Chawla) Dia Mirza captivated her fans with her elegant look in a statement saree as she walked the carpet at Made In Heaven 2 premiere. She wore a pre-draped black-coloured drape - wrapped around her frame in a form-fitting silhouette - featuring a pleated pallu, round neck sleeveless blouse with bodycon fit, and neat front pleats. She styled the ensemble with high heels, bold red lips, oxidised silver jewels, including a bracelet, rings and earrings, side-parted open locks, rouged cheeks, striking eye makeup, and glowing skin. Mona Singh Monsa Singh at Made In Heaven 2 premiere. (HT Photo/Varinder Chawla) Mona Singh looked elegant as ever as she arrived at the Made In Heaven 2 premiere event in a gorgeous olive green midi shirt dress featuring wide collars, a plunging V neckline, front button closures, droopy shoulders, full-length sleeves with folded cuffs, cinched waistline with ribbon ties, and a figure-skimming fit. She wore it with embellished high heels, layered chains, rings, earrings, crown-braided messy hairdo, and minimal makeup picks. Shibani Dandekar Akhtar Shibani Dandekar at Made In Heaven 2 premiere. (HT Photo/Varinder Chawla) Shibani Dandekar Akhtar wore a denim-on-denim outfit to attend the Made In Heaven 2 premiere. She chose an oversized dark blue-coloured denim shacket featuring droopy half-length sleeves, wide collars, an open front with drawstrings detail, patch pockets, and a frayed design. She wore it with matching cargo pants featuring side pockets, flared hem and high-rise waist. High heels, statement neckpieces, bold ruby red lips, a messy top bun, glowing skin, rouged cheeks, and highlighted skin gave the finishing touch. Trinetra Haldar Trinetra Halder at Made In Heaven 2 premiere. (HT Photo/Varinder Chawla) Trinetra Haldar chose statement dhoti-styled six yards to walk the blue carpet at Made In Heaven 2 premiere. However, she added a modern twist to the attire by opting for quirky and bold patterns. She draped the saree elegantly, letting the pallu form a long train. A strappy bustier blouse, centre-parted sleek bun, statement earrings, striking glam, and high heels rounded it off. Shweta Tripathi Sharma Shweta Tripathi at Made In Heaven 2 premiere. (HT Photo/Varinder Chawla) Shweta Tripathi also attended the Made In Heaven 2 premiere in a saree. The white-coloured drape came decked in multi-coloured fish patterns on the pallu and borders. She wore it with a sleeveless blouse featuring a check pattern, a wide neckline, a fitted silhouette, and a cropped hem. Centre-parted open wavy locks, dangling earrings, a natch, bindi, high heels, rose-tinted glossy lips, kohl-lined eyes, blushed cheeks, and glowing skin, Jim Sarbh Jim Sarbh at Made In Heaven 2 premiere. (HT Photo/Varinder Chawla) Jim Sarbh made a dapper appearance at the Made In Heaven season 2 premiere dressed in a statement-making suit. He wore a brown embroidered notch-lapelled blazer, a matching silk-satin shirt, and flared pants. Brown suede dress shoes, a messy hairdo, and a clean-shaven look gave the finishing touch. Tourists in Venice are expected to be on their best behaviour. For years, the northern Italian city has been fighting the negative aspects of mass tourism and as a result, strict rules for vacationers are being enforced this summer. It's now forbidden to walk around the city naked or to jump into the canals for a swim. Tourists had also better watch where they take a seat sitting and lying down is prohibited on sidewalks and bridges and on the sides of fountains and stairs. Violators will be fined. Growing numbers of tourists have caused Italian cities and regions to set regulations through bans, controls and fees. (DW/Reinhard Kaufhold/dpa/picture alliance) Entrance fee postponed until 2024 The city's government also aims to limit the number of people entering Venice. In 2019, Venice counted 5.5 million visitors, which is 100 times the population of the city. The introduction of an entrance fee for travellers not staying the night, which was announced several years ago by the Venice city council, has yet to be put in place. It has now been postponed until 2024. The entry fee will then be tested on a trial basis during 20 days when crowds in the city are particularly heavy, according to a city government spokesperson. "However, the matter is very complex," he added. "The city of Venice is the first in Italy to implement this measure. We want to be sure that everything is done properly." There is no model to follow, he pointed out. Access to beaches strictly regulated Venice, however, is not the only place in Italy that is implementing measures in order to manage crowds of tourists. This summer in the municipality of Baunei on Sardinia, access to some of the most sought-after beaches is being strictly regulated, as the newspaper Il Messaggero reports. There are a limited number of places per day on such beaches, which must be reserved and paid for in advance. Italy is experiencing unprecedented numbers of vacationers this summer. According to the market research institute Demoskopika, the country will set a new tourist record this year. The number of visitors is expected to reach 68 million people almost three million more than before the pandemic in 2019. The rush is causing problems in many places, including on the country's smaller islands, where rental car traffic clogs streets in the summer months. Tourists can't have cars As a result, tourists are now banned from bringing their own vehicles to the islands of Lampedusa and Linosa, located between Sicily and North Africa. The same applies on the island of Procida in the Gulf of Naples. "This is the only measure that works," Procida mayor Raimondo Ambrosino told newspaper Il Messaggero. "We are the most densely populated island in Europe, and for us mobility is a problem." Every year, he said, 600,000 tourists come to the 4-square-kilometer (1.5-square-mile) island, and they mostly want to walk anyway. Cars and mopeds only cause unnecessary chaos. This summer, access to the Pragser Wildsee lake in the Fanes-Sennes-Prags Nature Park in the northern Italian province of South Tyrol is also being controlled. You can only go there if you book a ticket online in advance, use public transport, travel by bike or walk. This is intended to limit the steadily increasing number of visitors. In addition, South Tyrol has also imposed a limit on the number of beds in tourist accommodations. Portofino gets strict In the coastal town of Portofino on the Italian Riviera, not far from Genoa, the city's mayor has taken measures to combat overtourism. On summer days, thousands of vacationers crowd the narrow streets around the harbour. To prevent complete chaos from breaking out in the picturesque town, a new regulation in force this summer allows police officers to fine tourists up to 275 ($303) for "lingering" to take selfies in certain Instagram-famous areas, which are now marked as red zones or "no waiting" areas. "The ordinance prohibits gatherings in certain areas of the borough where getting around is so difficult that police must be called in to control pedestrians," Portofino mayor Matteo Viacava told news portal Leggo. "This is a common sense safety measure." Tour operators and guides, in particular, are urged to make sure that groups of tourists do not gather in certain areas, he said. Rules of etiquette for vacationers There's something else that's a thorn in Mayor Viacava's side: badly behaved tourists. For this reason, Portofino put another ordinance in effect this May, which details a series of rules of etiquette for tourists, as reported by Il Secolo XIX. In the town center, it is now forbidden to walk barefoot, in a bikini or with one's upper body unclothed. It's also forbidden to sit on the stairs or on the ground. "Our goal is not to drive tourists away or discourage them from visiting," mayor Viacava told Il Secolo XIX. "Everyone must do their part to contribute to the beauty of Portofino by behaving properly." SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON You know their character. They are quite terrorists, Bangladesh s Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina recently noted about the countrys main Opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The latters one-point demand for Hasinas resignation, accompanied by serial protests despite police restrictions, violence by pro-Awami League (AL) mastans (musclemen), and counter-rallies by the ruling party has ratcheted up Dhakas political temperature. The BNP wants a caretaker government to administer the upcoming polls due before January 2024, but Hasina wont budge. The balance of power with the State apparatus under ALs control and mass opinion rising for the BNP is such that a stalemate has emerged. Far from being unforeseen, it has a deja vu feel to it. But the risk with such predictably tense situations is that they can spiral out of control. Just like there is no guarantee that the BNP protests will forever remain peaceful, the endurance of Hasinas political fortress is equally uncertain. If one is to go by the uptick in burnt buses, fake news-fueled propaganda, inter-party clashes, mass detentions, and mounting diplomatic pressure on Hasina to hold free and fair elections by the United States (US) and its European allies, the chances of political dislocation arent low. PREMIUM Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chant slogan as they join in a rally to protest against the verdict of party's acting chairman Tarique Rahman's Nine years of imprisonment, at Naya Paltan area, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 4, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain(REUTERS) The fact that no caretaker government can exist without the consent of the two parties, compels one to ask, what if a consensus is never reached? Hasina could double-down against the BNP. Even if it doesnt lead to a mass uprising, another controversial election might trigger an armed pushback by the ALs opponents across the ideological spectrum. Another possibility is that the frustration over the stalemate pushes the BNP into experimenting with coercion. Hasina is desiring such an occurrence as itll prove her point about the BNPs bona fides. For now, the Opposition hasnt fallen into the trap, but that can change. Such risk of unrest offers a necessary, if not sufficient, condition for third-party intervention. The rich, recent, history of the Bangladeshi armys involvement in politics compels a deeper exploration of this eventuality. Theres no doubt that the army can deliver on law-and-order duties in support of a caretaker setup, or even unilaterally contain violence. But the kind of intervention this will need is not predicated on consensus, wherein the army steps in as a supportive element. It occurs due to a breakdown of the existing rules of engagement, is tough to predict and undemocratic. Under what circumstances might General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, the chief of army staff, consider intervention? It is important to note that the dominant belief in Bangladesh is that such an occurrence is unlikely, if not unthinkable. But what Ahmed might not be thinking or planning today, may not be the case weeks from now. So, apart from an electoral logjam, what else could alter his calculus? Lets focus on three aspects: Institutional interests, professionalism, and Indias response. Ever since their return to the barracks in 2009 after the Bangladesh Rifles revolt, the armys institutional interests and its senior leaders personal interests have been tied to Hasinas fortunes. From bagging lucrative defence contracts and enjoying financial perks associated with United Nations (UN) peacekeeping roles, to being bereft of an external foe, the army has enjoyed being on the margins. Combine this with the success as a humanitarian first-responder and accruing prestige, and it becomes clear why the forces might prefer the barracks. But Bangladeshs economic distress has shaken this equilibrium. A drop in defence contracts is creating unease in the cantonment about Hasinas ability to continue delivering. One could argue that its unfair to expect perennial sunshine. But such expectations are common when State-building is undergirded by elite-level corruption and familial patronage instead of constitutional integrity. Such a loss of benefits becomes potent when conditioned by the insult middle-level officers feel for not being able to stop the Rohingyas. It is not surprising, then, that even a reduction in Bangladeshs contribution to the peacekeeping pie since the UNs withdrawal from Mali has begun translating into discontent. The other aspect relates to military professionalism. Shafiuddin commands respect because he is seen to be an effective, and ambitious chief. His tenure is set to expire shortly after the elections in 2024. This ties his legacy to what he does in the coming months. Herein, the sensitive balance between the chiefs office and that of Hasinas security adviser Major General (retired) Tarique Siddique, also the younger brother of Sheikh Rehanas husband becomes paramount. Unlike Shafiuddins professionalism, Siddiques image has been marred by corruption charges. If Hasinas actions threaten to harm the armys image in truth or myth, then the latter might justify intervention to protect institutional professionalism and, paradoxically, in the name of constitutional integrity. But theres one last aspect critical to it all i.e., Indias response. Something not widely known in Bangladesh is that the army was forced into the barracks under Indian pressure. In 2009, when former chief General Moeen Uddin Ahmed was being pressed by his officer corps to give shooting orders to quell the Bangladesh Rifles mutiny, India threatened military intervention if he did so. New Delhi worried about Hasinas safety, and was unsure of Moeens Napoleonic ambitions. It was not a bluff. Indias actions allowed Hasina to take charge of the situation politically and liberated her from the pressures emanating from a politicised military. Since then, shes never looked back. Dislocation in Bangladeshs civil-military balance due to the current political impasse could compel a relook at the 2009 playbook, pushing the subcontinent into uncharted territories. Avinash Paliwal teaches at SOAS University of London and is the author of My Enemys Enemy: India in Afghanistan from the Soviet Invasion to the US Withdrawal (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017) The views expressed are personal Torbjorn Pedersen from Denmark has achieved a feat that most people only dream of. He managed to travel to all 195 countries across the globe - without ever taking a single flight. Torbjorn Pedersen from Denmark who has travelled across several countries. (Instagram/@onceuponasaga) Torbjorn began his journey in 2013, fully equipped with travel essentials, such as shirts, jackets, shoes, and a first-aid kit, to return home to Copenhagen four years later and break a record. However, fate had different plans for him. Having completed his objective six years later than anticipated, Pedersen stepped off a boat in Denmark, reported The Washington Post. Pedersens incredible journey took him across 260,000 miles of terrain via cars, trains, buses, taxis, boats, shipping containers, and his feet. Along the way, he faced numerous challenges, from visa issues to near-death experiences. Despite the odds, Pedersen persevered and accomplished the seemingly impossible. His inspiration came from reading about tourists who had visited every country, and he began his adventure by taking a train from Denmark to Germany in October 2013. Pedersen embarked on this remarkable journey to spend only $20 per day. He rented a bed in a dormitory or a hostel, found a host on an app, and spent at least 24 hours in every country. While travelling through Europe was relatively easy, Pedersen faced his first significant challenge in December 2013 when he wanted to go by sea from Norway to Faroe Island but couldnt find a boat to take him. He was stuck for three days until a shipping company allowed him on board. Despite this setback, Pedersen continued on his journey. That kind of stuff seemed hard at the time. But, thats childs play compared to what I had coming, Pedersen told The Washington Post. In May 2014, he took a boat ride from Iceland, through treacherous conditions and past formidable icebergs, all during a raging storm. Pedersen was gripped by fear as the boat journeyed towards Canada, convinced that it was doomed to crash and sink. In 2015, he was diagnosed with cerebral malaria at a Ghana clinic, leading to hallucinations and difficulties in performing even simple tasks. During this challenging time, he battled thoughts of quitting due to exhaustion and loneliness. A brush with death occurred in 2016 during his travels through an African jungle. While encountering a group of dancing and drinking men, three of them menacingly aimed guns at him, questioning his presence. Miraculously, they eventually allowed him to leave unharmed. Despite his longing to return home, the kindness of strangers fueled his determination. When his visa applications were repeatedly denied, he sought the help of taxi drivers and mutual friends residing in those countries, who assisted him in reaching his destinations. In 2016, he proposed to his visiting girlfriend, Le, atop Mount Kenya, which became one of his lifes best memories. March 2019 saw him embark on a journey to North Korea from Beijing alongside fellow travellers. They were briefed not to take pictures or dance in front of government buildings. Upon arriving in Hong Kong in 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to international travel restrictions. He found temporary refuge by working at a church, which provided housing, allowing him to call the country home for nearly two years. In 2022, he tied the knot with his fiancee in Vanuatu. That same year, he arrived in the final country - Maldives and later began his two-month sail across multiple oceans to Denmark. His homecoming was met with a heartwarming welcome from around 150 people. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Arfa Javaid Arfa Javaid is a journalist working with the Hindustan Times' Delhi team. She covers trending topics, human interest stories, and viral content online. ...view detail NASSIROU MAHAMADOU, a vegetable seller perched on a stool in Niamey, the capital of Niger, does not look like a fighter. Yet at the mention of threats by Nigers neighbours to use force to reinstate Mohamed Bazoum, the president who was ousted in a coup on July 26th, he swells with anger. If they come here, we [civilians] are going to war alongside the army. He is outraged that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the regional bloc, is considering sending troops to battle the junta, even as it has done little to fight the jihadists that he says are the bigger threat. ECOWAS has weapons to attack Niger but not to kill the terrorists, he says. Its a disgrace. PREMIUM Supporters of Niger's coup leaders take part in a rally at a stadium in Niamey, Niger, August 6, 2023. REUTERS/Mahamadou Hamidou NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES(REUTERS) The regional bloc had threatened to use force if Mr Bazoum were not reinstated by August 6th. Yet as the clock ticked down to that deadline, the coup leaders showed no sign of giving up power. Instead, they filled a stadium with cheering supporters (pictured), who beheaded a rooster painted in the colours of France , the former colonial power. As the deadline day ended the junta closed Nigers airspace altogether, claiming that two other African countries had been preparing troops for deployment to Niger. It said Nigers armed forces were ready to defend the integrity of our territory. As this article was published ECOWAS appeared to be buying time by calling for an extraordinary summit on August 10th. The rising tension highlights two related, and disturbing, trends in the region. The first is the rapid spread of jihadist terrorism over the past decade as groups affiliated with Islamic State and al-Qaeda have pushed into the Sahel, a desperately poor and arid region south of the Sahara. Among the worst affected places are the three core countries of the SahelBurkina Faso, Mali and Nigerwhere more than 10,000 people were killed in armed conflict last year. The second trend is the retreat of civilian rule as men in uniform have overthrown elected governments that had lost popular legitimacy because of their inability to end the jihadist terror. Since 2020 there have been coups in Burkina Faso and Mali (as well as Guinea and Chad, though for somewhat different reasons). In Burkina Faso and Mali, the putsches have been followed by a downward spiral of deteriorating security. When Nigers government became the latest to fall, many leaders in the region hoped to halt this contagion of coups, not least because left unchecked it might give ambitious generals in their own armies ideas. Among the most strident is Bola Tinubu, the recently elected president of neighbouring Nigeria and chairperson of ECOWAS. Because he was briefly detained by a junta in 1994 he detests putschists and is understood to want to make opposition to them a cornerstone of Nigerias foreign policy. Others in the region seem to agree. Its one coup too many, said Aissata Tall Sall, Senegals minister of foreign affairs. Hopes of a peaceful resolution to the crisis plunged on August 4th when an ECOWAS mediation team returned from Niger without having met either Mr Bazoum or General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the man who overthrew him. Later that day the defence chiefs of the regions main powers said they had finalised plans for sending in a force. Benin, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Senegal all indicated they would contribute. Yet the junta in Niger has allies of its own. The military rulers of Burkina Faso and Mali declared that they would consider any intervention in Niger to be a declaration of war on their own countries. Members of the Nigerien junta have also travelled to Mali where, according to Wassim Nasr, a journalist and researcher, they requested assistance from Wagner, a Russian mercenary group that has operated in Mali since 2021. There seems to be little chance of either side backing down. ECOWAS, having drawn a line in the sand, would probably find it difficult to accept anything less than a full reinstatement of Mr Bazoum. And even if a fudge could be confectedperhaps involving the appointment of another civilian as the head of a transitional government and promise of electionsit would have to include the liberation of Mr Bazoum. Yet General Tchiani may see holding him as his best protection against another coup, or counter-coup, argues Nina Wilen of Lund University. Even so, an ECOWAS invasion is not yet inevitable. War is the option of last resort, a high-level government official involved in deliberations in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, told The Economist after the deadline had expired. The junta has reached out to the Nigerian authorities through back channels but whether these talks succeed depends on what they bring to the table, the official said. Moreover, he said Nigerias government was concerned by domestic opposition to a military intervention especially in northern Nigeria with imams preaching against it. On August 7th Nigers prime minister, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, who is not in Niger, told a French television station that the junta had invited an ECOWAS delegation back for talks. After a closed-door meeting of the Nigerian Senate, the bodys president, Godswill Akpabio, advised ECOWAS to strengthen their political and diplomatic options. Several reports suggest that a majority of senators at the meeting were against sending in troops. Under the constitution, Nigeria cannot deploy forces abroad without Senate approval unless there is an imminent threat or danger to national security. ECOWAS has also struggled to win the support of other regional powers that share borders with Niger. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Algerias president, said he was categorically against any military intervention which would be considered a direct threat to Algeria. Chad also opposes the use of force. A key consideration for ECOWAS must surely be whether foreign troops would be welcomed or opposed by Nigeriens themselves. Canvassing by Premise Data, a polling firm, for The Economist in the first survey conducted since the coup found that 78% of respondents support the actions of the junta and that 73% think it should stay in power for an extended period or until new elections are held. A slim majority of 54% said they were not in favour of an intervention by regional or international organisations. Of those supporting foreign intervention, an alarming 50% said they preferred it to be by Russia, presumably because they think it would support the putschists, as Wagner has done in Mali. Just 16% chose America, 14% the African Union and a paltry 4% preferred ECOWAS. These findings are not representative of opinion across the country because Premise conducts its rapid polls using mobile phones, which can skew the sample. In this survey, most of the respondents were relatively well-educated men and 62% were in the capital. Even so, the poll provides an indicative snapshot of the prevailing mood. There are other significant hurdles facing an ECOWAS force besides a lack of popular support. One is cost. Nigeria is too broke to conduct this operation, so needs funding for it, says Cheta Nwanze of SBM Intelligence, a research firm in Lagos. But the West cant afford to be seen as being involved. France has said it supports efforts by ECOWAS to reinstate Mr Bazoum but has not said if its armed forces would back an ECOWAS intervention or whether its treasury would help fund the operation. Moreover, an ECOWAS mission would be far more complex and risky than any the bloc has mounted in decades. In 2017 a Senegalese-led force moved against the longtime president of the Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, after he refused to accept the result of an election he had lost. He folded as soon as troops pressed in. Yet Niger is more than 100 times larger than the Gambia and it has a Western-trained army that seemingly supports the junta, which is holding its legitimate president hostage. A closer parallel might be Sierra Leone, where in 1997 a group of soldiers ousted the elected president during a civil war. Some eight months later, after the putschists allied with gang-raping rebels, ECOWAS forces rolled in, removed the coup leaders and reinstated the president. Although the mission was successful, the Nigerian-led force was accused of human-rights abuses and of bombing civilian targets. Sending troops into Niger in a similar fashion would be madness, argues Yvan Guichaoua, a Sahel expert at the University of Kent. This is because it is too late to mount a targeted operation to free Mr Bazoum, while a wider war could further destabilise both Niger and northern Nigeria. Mr Tinubu may hope that large parts of Nigers army will refuse to fight if ECOWAS troops cross the border. Yet if they do resist, the regions troops may find themselves stuck in a three-way fight between the juntas forces and the jihadists. Even were an intervention to succeed in restoring Mr Bazoum, he could be perceived as a puppet of foreign forces. I pray to God that Bazoum comes out of this alive, says a former adviser in the presidency. Yet even he counsels against ECOWAS sending in troops. It will destroy human life for nothing and sink our country into war. 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com Canadian rapper Tory Lanez was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years in prison, more than seven months after he was convicted of shooting fellow musical artist Megan Thee Stallion during an argument in 2020. Convicted artist Tory Lanez (L). Hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion (R)(AP) Judge David Herriford handed down the sentence to the 30-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, during a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court that had been pushed back by delays. On Dec. 23, a jury found Lanez guilty of carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm in a vehicle, assault with a semiautomatic handgun and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. Lanez was accused of shooting Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion, 28, injuring her feet after a pool party in the Hollywood Hills in July 2020. The shooting was preceded by an argument that became heated when the two began attacking each other's music careers, she told the court during the two-week trial. Megan Thee Stallion, who was born Megan Pete, needed surgery and spent four days in the hospital before physical therapy allowed her to walk again. She did not attend the sentencing hearing, saying she could not bear to be in the same room as Lanez but wrote a statement that was read in court on Monday, the New York Times reported. "He not only shot me, he made a mockery of my trauma," the statement said. "This is a statement for all survivors that their lives matter and there is zero tolerance for the torture that accompanies violence." Jose Baez, a defense lawyer representing Lanez, told reporters outside the courthouse that he thought the sentence was too harsh and that Lanez would appeal his conviction, saying he had not received a fair trial. Lanez' lawyers had sought a sentence of probation. "I have seen homicide case, other cases where there's a death and the person still gets less than 10 years," Baez said. "It's just another example of somebody being punished for their celebrity status, someone being utilized as an example." Megan Thee Stallion won Grammy awards for best new artist, best rap performance and best rap song in 2021. She has also been nominated for six more. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, whose office prosecuted the case, said after December's verdict that women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes such as assault and sexual violence because they are too often not believed. "The fact that Ms. Pete is a successful entertainer has brought the spotlight on the important issue of violence against women," he told reporters after the verdict. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Today's Google Doodle commemorates Singapore National Day 2023- a significant milestone in the country's history. It was today in 1965 that Singapore achieved its independence from the Federation of Malaysia, establishing itself as a sovereign nation. Google doodle celebrates Singapore National Day 2023. What's interesting about the Google doodle today? The Doodle showcases Clarke Quay which is a historically significant riverside quay that has played a crucial role in Singapore's history. Clarke Quay- close to the Singapore river- was home to warehouses that facilitated trade and commerce even before the nation's independence. In its current status, the Clarke Quay has picturesque shophouses, that have been restored in pastel shades. Around it has evolved a vibrant district renowned for its nightlife. Why the colour choice in the Google Doodle? The Google Doodle is framed in red, drawing inspiration from Singapore's national flag's red and white colour scheme. How is Singapore National Day celebrated in the country? On the eve of National Day, the Prime Minister delivers an official address to citizens that celebrates its triumphs and articulates goals for the future. Today, Singapores National Day Parade attracts thousands of people from all over the country and for good reason," Google wrote describing the doodle. The Parade features a breathtaking aerial show with the Singapore Armed Forces helicopters and fighter planes. At night, many Singaporeans gather with families and friends near the Parade to witness a visual spectacle of skyscraping fireworks against the Singaporean skyline, it added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT News Desk Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered. ...view detail AN EXPLOSION OF anti-government discontent in Hong Kong in 2019 prompted China to impose a draconian national-security law on the territory to prevent further protests. Officials say this has helped: Hong Kong has achieved a major transition from chaos to order, they insist. But even after thousands of arrests and numerous trials, both under the new law and dredged-up statutes from the colonial era, the authorities are twitchy. Increasingly, they warn of soft resistance that could trigger fresh unrest. A new phase may be unfolding in Hong Kongs war on dissent. PREMIUM Though cowed, Hong Kong still feels different from cities on the Chinese mainland. But many Hong Kongers wonder how much longer the territory can retain these shreds of distinctiveness. Their fears have been stoked by officials remarks about soft resistance. No authoritative definition has been given of the term, but it appears to refer to a broader range of activity than the crimes of subversion, secession and the like that are covered by the national-security act and the territorys anti-sedition law (a long-disused relic of British rule that is enjoying a new lease of life). The way the term is often used by party-controlled media in Hong Kong suggests it could apply to any political activity that the government doesnt like. On July 28th Hong Kongs High Court rejected a government request to ban a protest song that was beloved of demonstrators in 2019, saying an injunction could undermine freedom of expression. (The government has filed an appeal.) Such a ruling would be unthinkable on the mainland. Equally unimaginable would be the kind of access given to the public (including foreign visitorsno ID required) to observe Hong Kongs national-security trials. They are grim, juryless spectacles, but local media give accounts of proceedings. Citizen journalists help provide extra detail of defendants feisty testimony. Though cowed, Hong Kong still feels different from cities on the Chinese mainland. Controls on speech, news media, books and culture are less sweeping. Chinas great firewall does not surround its internet: sites such as Facebook and Google are not blocked in Hong Kong. In the rest of China, the Communist Party is omnipresent. In Hong Kong it operates largely out of sight, its watchful eyes not so keenly sensed in peoples day-to-day lives. Opportunities for the governments critics to express themselves have become scarcer (since 2019 pro-democracy types have been purged from Hong Kongs political institutions). But they do, precariously, exist. For more than three years, fear instilled by the national-security law and other signs of Chinas tightening grip on the territory has deterred most people with political grievances from attempting to stage demonstrations. Until they were scrapped in December, covid-related restrictions on public gatherings may also have helped to keep protesters off the streets. Some of those who were at the forefront of the months-long upheaval in 2019 have fled. Since then, Hong Kong has seen its biggest wave of emigration in decades and the labour force has shrunk by over 5%. It was a mainland official, Luo Huining, who raised the idea that Hong Kongers were putting up soft resistance. In 2021 Mr Luo, who was then the central governments most senior emissary in Hong Kong, called for such behaviour to be regulated by law. He did not elaborate. In recent months officials in Hong Kong have picked up on the theme. Their strident tones on the subject suggest a push from Beijing. Various acts of soft resistance continue to occur and spread through online media, cultural and artistic channels, said John Lee, the territorys chief executive, in June. These latent forces could erupt at any time, endangering national security and disrupting social peace. Later that month he told state television that such acts required Hong Kong to be especially vigilant. On July 24th, in response to a local newspaper, Hong Kongs security chief, Chris Tang, said there must be absolutely no compromise on the matter. It is imperative that we fight soft resistance with all our strength. The courts decision not to outlaw the protest song, Glory to Hong Kong, is a hiccup. The anthems circulation online has been cited by pro-government media as an example of soft resistance (as has the alleged leniency of some judges when sentencing anti-government protesters). But the impact will be minor. Two of the songs lines echo the words of a protest sloganLiberate Hong Kong, revolution of our timeswhich the government has declared subversive. Police have swooped on the handful of individuals who have dared to play the tune in public since the imposition of the national-security law. The courts ruling is unlikely to encourage more to try. Officials talk of soft resistance replicates a tactic often used by their counterparts on the mainland: that of sowing fear with vaguely worded warnings rather than explicit reference to laws. Mr Lee, the chief executive, said destructive forces in Hong Kong were often engaging in soft resistance below the red line of lawbreaking. The idea, it appears, is to keep people well clear of that line by blurring it. Hong Kongs two main party-controlled newspapers, Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po, attack those who stray too close. Their commentaries are widely assumed to reflect the views of mainland officials who pull the strings of Hong Kongs government from behind the scenes. Leticia Wong is someone in their sights. She runs a small bookshop called Hunter in Sham Shui Po, one of Hong Kongs poorer neighbourhoods and a magnet for young, upwardly mobile people in search of cheap accommodation. Ms Wong, who is 30, resigned from her elected post on a local council in 2021 after the government required every public-office holder to swear an oath of loyalty to the Peoples Republic. She believed she would be disqualified for being insincere. Ms Wong opened Hunter last year, offering books related to the protests of 2019 and other sensitive topics. Even under the national-security law, specific books are rarely banned in Hong Kong. Last year, however, five speech therapists were jailed for sedition. Their crime was to publish a childrens book that seemed to portray Hong Kongers as sheep fending off wolves (apparently representing China). And self-censorship abounds. Libraries have removed works they believe may fall foul of the new law: books about the pro-democracy upheaval that engulfed mainland China in 1989, for example, or those written by Hong Kongs jailed activists. In May Mr Lee said public libraries should ensure they do not spread any kind of messages that are not in the interests of Hong Kong. He also noted that books about the Tiananmen Square protests could be found in private shops. If people want to buy, they can buy, he said. That is true, but the campaign against soft resistance may change that. In May an article in Ta Kung Pao featured Ms Wong and her bookshop. Her anti-China, chaos-inducing evildoing in Hong Kong has long been known to everyone, it said. After the implementation of Hong Kongs national-security law, she still did not repentShe continued engaging in soft resistance by selling books that are anti-government or confrontational. Ms Wong laughs at thissuch accusations have helped to drive up footfall, she says. More people come to buy books and see if Im still alive. Nearly one-third of her customers are from the mainland, she reckons. Ms Wong still pushes the envelope. In July she organised a four-day book fair in a small room above a nearby clothing shop. It provided a handful of independent publishers with space to display new works of a kind unlikely to be seen in the territorys official book fair that was being held in a vast convention centre. A popular offering at Ms Wongs event was Deaf Voice in Court, a book about the travails of defendants with hearing difficulties, including someone charged with assaulting a policeman during the protests in 2019. Ta Kung Pao said that among the main attractions of the official event was an updated edition of An Outline for the Study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Mr Xi is Chinas leader. But Ms Wong is pessimistic. I dont think they are smart enough to leave some room for Hong Kong people like me, she says. On Facebook, Ms Wong hinted at the political pressures she faces. She said she thought her bookshop would not survive to put on another fair next year. No room for campaigners The soft-resistance label is being attached even to people who are far removed from the front lines of dissent. In May a full-page article in Wen Wei Po attacked activists who have been campaigning on behalf of residents of Hong Kongs notorious subdivided flats: small apartments that have been converted into multiple dwellings, often with only just enough room to fit two bunk beds (see chart). Such accommodation has been multiplying in recent years to satisfy demand from people who are on years-long waiting lists for public housing, or unable to afford the sky-high prices of property. Chinese officials say grievances over Hong Kongs acute shortage of affordable housing were a leading cause of the unrest in 2019. The citys government has vowed to speed up construction of subsidised flats. Yet Wen Wei Po suggested that complaining about these efforts could spark renewed unrest. It said vigilance was needed against people who use the housing issue as a form of soft resistance by arousing negative emotions among citizens. A sinister-looking graphic showed recent tiny housing-related protests morphing into tear-gas filled scenes from 2019. Eyes are now turning to new security-related legislation that the government says it will enact this year or next. Doing so is mandated by Article 23 of Hong Kongs constitution, the Basic Law, but public misgivingshighlighted by a massive protest in 2003have delayed the task until now. Ominously, Mr Tang, the security chief, told Wen Wei Po in July that drafters of the bill were paying attention to soft resistance as well as loopholes in existing law involving the internet. Kiwi Chow, a film-maker, is feeling the chill in his business. Two years ago his documentary about the unrest of 2019, Revolution of Our Times, became a hit among Hong Kongers abroad (cinemas in the territory will not show it). His most recent movie, a romantic comedy, has nothing to do with politics. Yet his mere association with a protest-related film sent investors and actors scurrying. To complete it, he had to raise money from friends. His family fears he may be arrested at any time, he says. But he brushes off the governments warnings about soft resistance. I wont try to guess what they want because that would keep haunting me. 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com Fans of Lil Tay witnessed a 24 hours of a rollercoaster ride of emotions after an Instagram post on her account claimed she is dead. Later the teen sensation came out to confirm that she is alive and her Instagram account was hacked. Lil Taylor's 24 hour death drama leave fans confused So what happened on the night when the story was reported leaving fans devastated. Also Read: Publicity stunt, Lil Tay's alleged death stunt sparks backlash and skepticism online An Instagram post on Lil Tay's account claimed she was dead. It read - 'With heavy hearts, we are sharing the tragic and unexpected news of the sudden loss of our cherished Claire. Words cannot convey the depth of the pain we are experiencing. This unforeseen outcome has left us in a state of shock," stated a message posted on her Instagram account this Wednesday. The exact date and cause of the untimely demise of the young star, known by her real name Claire Eileen Qi Hope were not disclosed. In addition, the Instagram statement revealed the unfortunate passing of the influencer's brother. The statement expressed, "The passing of her brother compounds our grief in ways beyond imagination." "During this period of profound sorrow, we respectfully request privacy as we navigate through this overwhelming loss. The circumstances surrounding Claire and her brother's passing are currently under investigation," concluded the post. Also Read: Big Update: Lil Tay is alive, report quotes her as saying My Instagram account was compromised In 2018, Lil Tay gained widespread attention through a series of videos showcasing her proudly displaying stacks of money from luxurious cars and offering tours of lavish homes. She proudly embraced the title of the youngest flexer, amassing over 3 million followers on Instagram prior to her passing. 'I suppose people find it amusing because I'm just 9 years old and yet I've achieved so much,' she remarked during a May 2018 interview on Good Morning America. 'I'm the youngest flexer out there. I have the freedom to pursue whatever I desire. If others doubt me, it's of no concern to me.' Worried over the mystery surrounding her sudden passing away fans were wondering, why post this on the internet when ur child hasnt been on the internet for 5+ years you are one of parent. an Instgram users commented on the post. Another reader asked, how did a little girl and her older brother die at the same time that makes no sense. 24 hours later she came out to claim her account was hacked which led to the confusion. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT News Desk Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered. ...view detail A shocking report claims that President Biden knows the identity of the person who brought a bag of cocaine into the West Wing last month. U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his administration's conservation efforts on the day he signs a proclamation establishing the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, at the Historic Red Butte Airfied in Tusayan, Arizona, U.S., August 8, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst(REUTERS) The report, published by Soldier of Fortune magazine, cites three security sources who say that the culprit was someone in the Biden family orbit, and not Hunter Biden, the presidents son who has struggled with drug addiction. The reports publisher, Susan Katz Keating, is a veteran journalist who has covered security issues for the Washington Times and the Washington Examiner. One insider told Keating, If you want the name, ask Joe Biden. He knows who it is. ALSO READ| This is a cover-up, White House Cocaine probe as former investigators accuse secret service The veteran journalist says she tried to contact Biden by texting a number that the White House provided for him to receive messages from ordinary citizens. But, her text was Not Delivered, and she received an automated reply from a messaging platform called Community. The cocaine incident occurred on July 2, when a Secret Service agent found about one gram of the drug in a storage locker near the executive entrance of the West Wing. The locker was located one floor below the Oval Office and close to the Situation Room, which has been unused for months due to renovations. FILE PHOTO: The White House is seen at sunset on U.S. President Joe Biden's first day in office in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2021. REUTERS/Erin Scott/File Photo(REUTERS/Erin Scott) The Secret Service announced on July 13 that they had closed the investigation without naming a suspect, citing a lack of physical evidence. They also said that there were no cameras that could capture the offender. The report claims that despite the lack of public evidence, the Secret Service was able to trace enough clues to identify the person who brought the cocaine into the White House. They then informed Biden of their findings, according to one source who told Keating, If you want the name, ask Joe Biden. He knows who it is. The report has sparked outrage and criticism from Republicans and other opponents of Biden, who have questioned how such a serious breach of security could happen and why no one has been held accountable. Former President Trump mocked the incident at a rally in New Hampshire on Tuesday, saying, I wonder where that cocaine came from, what happened? That was the quickest investigation Ive ever seen. ALSO READ| Speculation soars as bookies point to Hunter Biden as White House cocaine culprit The White House and the Secret Service have not responded to requests for comment on the report. Keating told The New York Post that she used the text method that the White House told her to use, but it did not work. She said she wanted to document that she made the attempt to reach out to Biden. Iraq's official media regulator on Tuesday ordered all media and social media companies operating in the Arab state not to use the term "homosexuality" and instead to say "sexual deviance," a government spokesperson said and a document from the regulator shows. Protesters waves placards while joining supporters of the LBTQ community as they stage a protest against a planned lecture by Kenyan academic Patrik Lumumba (not visible) at the University of Cape Town on July 24.(AFP) The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) document said that the use of the term "gender" was also banned. It prohibited all phone and internet companies licensed by it from using the terms in any of their mobile applications. A government official later said that the decision still required final approval. The regulator "directs media organisations ... not to use the term 'homosexuality' and to use the correct term 'sexual deviance'," the Arabic-language statement said. A government spokesperson said a penalty for violating the rule had not yet been set but could include a fine. Iraq does not explicitly criminalise gay sex but loosely defined morality clauses in its penal code have been used to target members of the LGBT community. Major Iraqi parties have in the past two months stepped up criticism of LGBT rights, with rainbow flags frequently being burned in protests by Shi'ite Muslim factions opposed to recent Koran burnings in Sweden and Denmark. More than 60 countries criminalise gay sex, while same-sex sexual acts are legal in more than 130 countries, according to Our World in Data. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 struck Mindanao, Philippines, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) reported on Wednesday. The quake was at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.21 miles), GFZ said.(Representational) The quake was at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.21 miles), GFZ said. The Philippines seismology agency reported it at magnitude 5.3 in Davao Oriental province and said it was expecting damage and aftershocks. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Member of Parliament (MP) Melissa Lantsman has backed a petition to Canadas House of Commons seeking the inclusion of Hinduphobia in the glossary of terms in the Human Rights Code to describe anti-Hindu prejudice and discrimination. The plea has sought to define Hinduphobia as denial, negation, prejudice, or vilification against Hindus, Hinduism, or Hinduness and to raise awareness and address systemic and institutional Hinduphobia. The petition was moved days after signage at Bramptons Shri Bhagavad Gita Park was vandalised on July 14. (HT PHOTO) Vijay Jain, a resident of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) town of Brampton, initiated the petition on July 19. The plea will remain on the House of Commons site until October 17 under the Civil and Human Rights category. Over 4,500 people have signed the petition. It is at the top of the list of open petitions on the site. Jain said they seek to have Hinduphobia addressed in a meaningful way. Launching the petition and getting the communitys signature is a democratic process. It is a mechanism to get the communitys voice heard. Jain said the petition would have gathered more support if people were aware that it entailed a two-step process including validation of signatures. The petition cites the attacks on Hindu temples and says it has made Hindus feel unsafe in their places of worship. It also refers to growing negative stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination at work, in schools, and in the communities. Ruchi Wali, a supporter of the plea, said she wants larger support for the petition so that it leads to laws to combat Hinduphobia. Once it becomes a law and policy, the government will be able to support the development of educational and training materials to educate Canadians about Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu sentiment. The petition was moved days after signage at Bramptons Shri Bhagavad Gita Park was vandalised on July 14. In a tweet, the Official City of Brampton said it was deeply disappointed over the vandalism targeting a park sign, which is an attack on a faith community. It described the act as one of intolerance and discrimination. At least seven instances of desecration of Hindu temples have been reported in the GTA alone since July last year. In April, Pierre Poilievre, leader of the principal opposition Conservative Party, told Prime Asia that they have to stop Hinduphobia and nasty comments that are made about Hindus and the vandalism and other violence targeting Hindu Canadians. This is totally unacceptable. Liberal Party MP Chandra Arya told the House of Commons in January that like Islamophobia and anti-Semitism resulting in hate crimes against mosques and synagogues causing pain to Muslim and Jewish brothers and sisters, Hindu Canadians were experiencing the same pain due to rising Hinduphobia. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Japan's Nagasaki on Wednesday marked the 78th anniversary of the US atomic bombing. On August 9, 1945, the United States dropped the second nuclear bomb named 'Fat-man' on the southern Japanese city, three days after Hiroshima was destroyed by the first one - a uranium bomb- 'Little Boy'. In this August 9, 1945 file photo, a mushroom cloud rises moments after the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, southern Japan. (AP File Photo) Japan's prime minister Fumio Kishida offered condolences to the victims of the devastating attack saying that we will continue our efforts to realize a world free of nuclear weapons. "I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the souls of the victims of the atomic bombing, and my heartfelt sympathies to those who are still suffering from the aftereffects. The tragedy that occurred in Nagasaki 78 years ago today must never be repeated. As the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, we will continue our efforts to realize a world free of nuclear weapons," he said in a video message. "I would like to once again pledge to do my utmost to realize a world without nuclear weapons and lasting peace", he added. Remembering the horrific attack and its victims, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that the world should never allow such a devastation to occur again and urged to eliminate the nuclear risk by eradicating nuclear weapons. "78 years ago, atomic weapons were used on Nagasaki. We must never again allow such devastation to occur. The only way to eliminate the nuclear risk is to eliminate nuclear weapons," UN chief said on X (formerly Twitter). What happened on August 9, 1945? As World War II raged on, the United States, along with its allies, sought to end the conflict with Japan. The decision to use atomic bombs was driven by the desire to expedite Japans surrender and avoid a protracted, costly invasion. About 20 days after the United States harnessed nuclear energy on July 16, 1945, following the Trinity Test, it dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, nicknamed 'Little Boy' which killed about 1,40,000 people by the end of the year. The bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki was code-named the 'Fat Man'. It killed over 80,000 people. This led to Japan's unconditional surrender in Second World War. At least 70,000 people were killed in the initial blast at Nagasaki, while approximately another 70,000 more died from radiation-related illnesses later. A US warplane named--Enola Gay dropped the 'Fat Man' about 1,650 feet above Nagasaki. This led to Japan's unconditional surrender in Second World War. Nagasaki Day is being observed across the globe to promote peace and create awareness about the threat of nuclear weapons. This day plays an important role as it focuses on anti-war and anti-nuclear demonstrations in many countries. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Norway's data protection agency said Tuesday it would start fining Facebook and Instagram owner Meta nearly $100,000 per day for defying a ban on using users' personal information to target ads. The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium. (Reuters) The Norwegian watchdog, Datatilsynet, said Meta would be fined one million kroner ($97,000) per day, starting August 14. Tobias Judin, head of Datatilsynet's international department, said the fine related to a decision made on July 14, where the agency had temporarily "imposed a ban on behavioural advertising on Facebook and Instagram." "Meta's behavioural advertising entails intrusive surveillance of its users, negatively impacting their right to data protection and freedom of information," Judin told AFP in an email, adding that there were many vulnerable groups on the platforms, such as "young people, the elderly and people with cognitive disabilities." "We are also concerned that sensitive personal data may be used for advertising purposes. We have therefore found that Meta's practices are contrary to data protection law," Judin continued. Datatilsynet announced the ban on July 17 and originally said that Meta had until August 4 to take corrective measures. "The coercive fine is issued because Meta has not yet complied with our ban," Judin said. The social media giant said last week it intends to ask users in the European Union, EEA (European Economic Area) and Switzerland to give their consent before allowing targeted advertising on its networks. European regulators in January had dismissed the previous legal basis -- "legitimate interest" -- Meta had used to justify gathering users' personal data for targeted advertising. Judin said this was a "positive change -- but personal data continues to be processed unlawfully in the interim." A spokesman for Meta told AFP the company was appealing the decision by the Norwegian watchdog, saying they believed they had already committed to the consent the authority was asking for. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Without any prior warning on effect for Hawaii, the sudden arrival of Hurricane Dora has led to wild brushfires in the Lahaina and Maui counties of the state. The category 4 hurricane with a speed of 130mph has caused the fire to spread across counties forcing people to leave their homes and jump into the ocean for safety. It is unclear where the wildfire is headed next. The hurricane was more than 700 miles south of Honolulu late Tuesday and was not expected to land in Hawaii. However, the winds from the hurricane caused sudden brushfires that have been spreading as the winds persist. Counties of Lahaina and Maui have been devastated due to the fires, causing people to jump into the ocean to escape the blazing flames. The disaster has wiped out power to about 14,000 homes and businesses in Maui along with destroying Front Street, the most important business street on Maui. In an interview with CNN on Wednesday morning, Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke said, "911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down.Our hospital system on Maui, they are overburdened with burn patients, people suffering from inhalation. Clint Hansen, from Maui Real Estate Radio took a drone footage of the catastrophic blazes. Lahaina has been devastated, Hansen told CNN. People jumping in the ocean to escape the flames, being rescued by the Coast Guard. All boat owners are being asked to rescue people. Its apocalyptic. The video also shows burned-out cars, but there was no immediate word on injuries. At about 10:50 p.m., the Coast Guard said it had rescued a dozen people from waters off Lahaina. Individuals were transported by the Coast Guard to safe areas, Maui County officials said in a news release. Lahaina resident Tiare Lawrence said, Everyone I know in Lahaina, their homes have burned down. The brush fire in Lahaina is one of at least seven sizable wildfires that firefighters are battling statewide amid treacherous conditions powerful winds, low humidity and dry brush. The ongoing hazard does not stop here. It is unclear where the wildfire is headed next. Fire officials warned that the erratic wind, dropping humidity, and direction and location of the fire conditions are making it difficult to predict its path and speed. Luke, who is acting as the governor in the absence of Gov. Josh Green as he travels out, issued an emergency proclamation related to the fires on Tuesday. We are closely following the wildfires caused by the strong winds of Hurricane Dora. The safety of our residents is paramount, and this emergency proclamation will activate the Hawaii National Guard to support emergency responders in the impacted communities, she said in a statement made on the governor's official website. Pope Francis on Tuesday called for a global reflection on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), noting the new technology's "disruptive possibilities and ambivalent effects." Pope Francis on Artificial Intelligence: Pope Francis attends a press conference in Lisbon.(Reuters) Francis, who is 86 and said in the past he does not know how to use a computer, issued the warning in a message for the next World Day of Peace of the Catholic Church, falling on New Year's Day. The Vatican released the message well in advance, as it is customary. The pope "recalls the need to be vigilant and to work so that a logic of violence and discrimination does not take root in the production and use of such devices, at the expense of the most fragile and excluded," it reads. Read more: Google Doodle celebrates Singapore National Day 2023 featuring Clarke Quay "The urgent need to orient the concept and use of artificial intelligence in a responsible way, so that it may be at the service of humanity and the protection of our common home, requires that ethical reflection be extended to the sphere of education and law," it adds. Back in 2015, Francis acknowledged being "a disaster" with technology, but he has also called the internet, social networks and text messages "a gift of God", provided that they are used wisely. In 2020, the Vatican joined forces with tech giants Microsoft and IBM to promote the ethical development of AI and call for regulation of intrusive technologies such as facial recognition. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermanns children, 26-year-old Victoria Heuermann and 33-year-old Christopher Sheridan, are living in a surreal, waking horror show, their attorney has said. Vess Mitev said they hired him to protect them while the investigation is heating up. Rex Heuermann, the architect accused of murdering at least three women near Long Islands Gilgo Beach, appears before Judge Timothy P. Mazzei in Suffolk County Court, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, in Riverhead, N.Y (James Carbone/Newsday via AP, Pool)(AP) Theyre constantly having to reevaluate what is happening to them, almost in real-time, Vess told Fox News Digital. [Theyre] trying to regain some basic sense of normalcy, which is completely impossible at this point. Theyre living in a surreal, waking horror show. The siblings reportedly hired the lawyer as their rights and liberties have to be protected. And that investigation is now heating up with the DA handing over troves of documents last week, and the leads the DA may be pursuing, whatever they may be, at some point may intertwine with the rights and remedies that my clients have and enjoy under the Constitution and under the laws of New York, Vess said. My children cry themselves to sleep Rexs wife, Asa Ellerup, 59, previously said she has been suffering constant anxiety as investigators turned their Massapequa Park home into a wreck, trying to find evidence. Asa said she does not even have a bed to sleep in now. I woke up in the middle of the night, shivering, according to New York Post. Anxiety. My children cry themselves to sleep. I mean, theyre not children. Theyre grown adults but theyre my children, and my son has developmental disabilities and he cried himself to sleep, she added. Asas daughter, Victoria, revealed she feels not human after the mess authorities left behind. Asas lawyer, Bob Macedonio, explained the statement, saying, She meant what theyve done to them and the family is not even human. They were just complete animals. They treated them like animals. Its the only thing I got, Asa said of the house, adding that it is unlivable at present. We did get another chair out from the basement and upstairs so me and my son can sit and talk. Hes so distraught and doesnt understand, and as a mother, I have no answers for him, she added.But I said, Were together,' Asa said. Thats really what matters right now. That you and me are sitting here together and we will get through this.' The family had reportedly been living in a hotel before returning to the house,Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison had said. "They were in shock, disbelief, Rodney said of Rexs family. "We had to kind of show them some type of proof to let it be known who their father was behind the curtain," he added. "But they're cooperating. They're currently, I'm being told, in a hotel. And I just was told that the wife's filed for divorce. And she retained a lawyer and we'll see what happens next." Rexs arrest is tied to the Gilgo Four, referring to the four women whose bodies were found within days of each other in 2010. The women in question were Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, Amber Lynn Costello, 27, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25. A royal expert has revealed that Prince William took advice on his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton back in 2006 from Queen Elizabeth and his father then-Prince Charles. Prince William once confided in the late monarch addressing doubts in his relationship with Kate Middleton, according to royal author Katie Nicholl. Kate Middleton Prince William: Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales, and Prince William, Prince of Wales, in London.(AP) Royal expert Katie Nicholl said, "William had been having second thoughts and sat down with his father and his grandmother to have a frank discussion about his future with Kate. Both advised him not to hurry into anything." The couple began dating as students while at St Andrews University, and briefly split some years later in 2007. They later reunited and got married in 2011. Before then, in 2006, Prince William reportedly felt the pressure to propose and talked about this with his grandmother and father. Queen Elizabeth was said to be disappointed by the split. Royal historian Robert Lacey claimed that Prince William "got the message quicker than he or anyone else expected" and soon won Kate Middleton back. After their engagement was announced in 2010, the couple shared in an interview details about their breakup. Kate Middleton then admitted, "At the time, I wasnt very happy about it, but it made me a stronger person. You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadnt. I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when youre younger. I really valued that time for me as well, although I didnt think it at the time." Prince William said, "We were both very young we were both finding ourselves and being different characters. It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up, so it was just a bit of space and it worked out for the better." The Prince and Princess of Wales have now been happily married for over 12 years and share three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Three years following the 2020 'Megxit' agreement and a day subsequent to British daily, Express, highlighting a significant error on the royal website, Prince Harry's title and 'position' within the royal family have now been corrected on the official website. (File) Britain's Prince William and Prince Harry captured together(AP) For the past three years, in various instances, the royal website had continued to refer to the Duke of Sussex as His Royal Highness, despite Prince Harry and Meghan Markle having relinquished their HRH titles. The official statement, released on January 18, 2020, had unequivocally declared, The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family. The recent correction has duly removed the 'His Royal Highness' title from his name. Interestingly, notwithstanding the prescribed changes, the website had previously upheld Prince Harry's reference as HRH for over three years. The revision extends beyond the royal title and highlights his positioning in the family. Notably, his profile page has been repositioned and demoted and finds itself near the lower end of the list, even below the profiles of active members of the royal family. Harry and Meghan's pages now reside adjacently, falling below those of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester as well as Princess Alexandra. Significantly, Prince Andrew's page occupies the bottommost position on the page hierarchy. The Royal Family website's page where Prince Harry's position has been shifted to the bottom Buckingham Palace said in a statement reported by Express, 'The Royal Family website contains over five thousand pages of information about the life and work of the Royal Family. Following the death of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, content has been revisited and updated periodically. Some content may be out of date until this process is complete.' Other changes to Harry's profile also included, his reference to as the youngest son of the Prince of Wales, which would have implied he was five-year-old Prince Louis. The website now calls him, The Duke of Sussex is fifth in line to the throne and the younger son of The King and Diana, Princess of Wales. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ten Chinese air force aircraft entered Taiwan's air defence zone on Wednesday accompanying five Chinese warships engaged in "combat readiness" patrols, the island's defence ministry said, the second such incursion this week. Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft fly over the 68-nautical-mile scenic spot, one of mainland China's closest points to the island of Taiwan, in Pingtan island.(Reuters) Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, has repeatedly complained of Chinese military activity near it over the past three years, as Beijing steps up pressure to try to force the island to accept its sovereignty. Taiwan's defence ministry said that starting at around 9 a.m. (0100 GMT), it detected a total of 25 Chinese aircraft engaging in operations out at sea, including J-10 and J-16 fighters, as well as H-6 bombers. Of those aircraft, the ministry said 10 had either crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides, or entered the southwestern part of Taiwan's air defence identification zone, or ADIZ. Those aircraft were acting in coordination with five Chinese warships engaging in "combat readiness" patrols, it said. Taiwan's military dispatched ships and aircraft to keep watch, the ministry said. The ADIZ is a broad area Taiwan monitors and patrols to give its forces more time to respond to threats, and Chinese aircraft have not entered territorial Taiwanese air space. On Sunday, Taiwan reported a similar level of activity by Chinese warplanes and warships near the island. China staged war games around Taiwan in April after President Tsai Ing-wen returned home from a visit to the United States where she met U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Last August, it also held war games around Taiwan to protest against a trip to Taipei by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Taiwan Vice President William Lai leaves for the United States this week on his way to Paraguay on what is officially only a transit but which has angered China. It was China's "priority" to stop Lai from visiting the United States, Beijing's ambassador to the U.S. said last month. Taiwan's democratically elected government rejects China's sovereignty claim and says only the island's people can decide their future. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Pakistan's former Prime Minsiter Imran Khan, who was arrested last week in the Toshakahana case, has expressed his sadness about staying in jail and said that he doesn't stay there, Geo News reported on Wednesday. Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan. While talking with his lawyers in the Attock jail, Imran Khan said, "Take me out of here; I don't want to remain in jail," according to the officials. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman also stated that he remains holed up inside his prison cell in "distressing" conditions, as per the sources. Khan's counsel Naeem Haider Panjotha was granted access by the jail authorities Monday to meet him, who after seeing the PTI chairman said that the former premier was being kept in "distressing" conditions provided C-Class jail facilities. Panjotha added that the PTI chief was in high morale despite all such difficulties and vowed to spend his lifetime in jail but wouldn't bow to slavery, reported Geo News. However, the sources said that the PTI chairman, during the meeting with his lawyer, conveyed his concerns regarding the environment at the prison with flies taking over his cell during the day and insects at night. On Saturday, Pakistan district and sessions court sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to three years in prison in the Toshakhana case i.e. for illegally selling state gifts and he has been disqualified from politics for a period of five years, local media reported. The court also imposed a fine of 100,000 on the PTI chief, Geo News reported. Khan was arrested from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore soon after being convicted in the Toshakhana case, Geo News reported. Dawn reported that during the hearing, presided by Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar, the trial court ruled that charges against the former prime minister in the case were proven. Imran Khan deliberately submitted fake details [of Toshakhana gifts] to the ECP and is found guilty of corrupt practices, he stated and sent the PTI chief to jail for three years under Section 174 of the Election Act. The development comes after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday set aside the session courts verdict on the Toshakhana reference against PTI Chairman as maintainable and ordered the lower court to rehear the case. Republican governor Ron DeSantis suspended Monique H. Worrell, an Orlando state attorney and Democrat this Wednesday after alleging her leniency towards violent criminals. He accused her of incompetence and neglect of duty, charges her office vehemently denies. It is the second time the Republican governor running for President has suspended an elected state attorney. Charges against the state attorney Prosecutors do have a certain amount of discretion about which cases to bring and which not, but what this state attorney has done is abuse that discretion and has effectively nullified certain laws in the state of Florida, said Ron. On Wednesday, in Tallahassee, he said that Monique's office had avoided seeking mandatory minimum sentences for gun and drug trafficking crimes, allowed juveniles to avoid serious charges or incarceration, avoided seeking more serious sentences when they were available, limited charges for child pornography, and inappropriately allowed some offenders to avoid having a criminal conviction on their records. Who is the suspended state attorney, Monique H. Worrell? Monique H. Worrell was the elected state attorney of Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit, including Orange and Osceola counties. Interestingly, anticipating that she might be suspended, in March Monique released data showing that her prosecution rate was similar to that of her predecessors. In an interview at the time, she also mentioned the dangers of a governor misusing his executive power to remove officials who belong to the opposite political party. This could flip any day we could get a Democratic governor who then decides to go around suspending all Republican prosecutors because we are not in alignment in ideology, she said. It has to stop. This is a dictatorship. This is not a democracy. Elected in 2020, she was known to be in the sights of the governor. Earlier this year, he criticised her office and his general counsel sent her a letter seeking documents of previous arrests. Suspending Democrats is not new for the Republican governor It is the second time the Republican governor running for President has suspended an elected state attorney. In August 2022, he removed Andrew H. Warren, a top prosecutor in Tampa, for signing a statement along with other 90 prosecutors, vowing not to prosecute people who seek or provide abortions. To be noticed is the fact that both Andrew and Monique are Democrats and are supported by the liberal billionaire investor George Soros. Ron uses derisive mentions of George's name and his removal of Andrew to cheers as he campaigns for President. Many who are aware of the suspension, are calling Ron a Nazi and comparing his governance to an example of classic authoritarianism. People aware of the politics are taking his decisions as they are and not what he and his office are framing them to be. Paul Golding, the leader of the far-right Britain First party in the UK took to Twitter to express his disdain for his human-animal identity after watching a viral video of another expressing her sons struggle who identifies himself as a cat. Moms viral video of son who thinks hes a cat triggers backlash (Twitter/ GreenBagOG ) He wrote, My son identifies as a cat. We have arrived at the End Times. Society has collapsed. The video shows, the mom pouring out her frustration that her son identifies himself as a cat, but the vets denied to treat him cause they are not well-versed in human anatomy. We couldn't independently verify the video of the woman whose son identified as a cat, reminiscent of the internet' s Poe Law. Poe's law is an adage of the internet culture saying that without a clear indicator of the author's intent, any parodic or sarcastic expression of extreme views can be mistaken by some readers for a sincere expression of those views. In 2005, it was stated by Nathan Poe when he argued: Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is utterly impossible to parody a Creationist in such a way that someone won't mistake for the genuine article. Golding is known for his anti-immigration and anti-Islam views, and has been banned from most mainstream social media platforms for spreading hate speech. He was also convicted of religiously aggravated harassment in 2018. Reacting to the video, Goldings tweet implied that the gender identity as an animal was an example of the moral decay and cultural decline of modern society. However, Goldings tweet sparked several hilarious comments, as many users responded with sarcasm and ridicule. Some pointed out Goldings own history of extremism and criminality. In recent times the viral Japanese man who spent over 12 lakh to transform himself into a dog has also sparked a debate on social media about the phenomenon of human-animal identity. The man goes by Toco online, and has been living as a rough collie for months, wearing a realistic costume and behaving like a real pooch. He has shared his four-legged life on YouTube, where he has nearly 33,000 subscribers. The human pooch said he had a vague dream of becoming an animal since he was a child, and he finally fulfilled it by commissioning a model and sculpture company to create his custom-made collie costume. ALSO READ| Ohio voters reject GOP measure to make constitutional amendments harder The costume took 40 days to make and cost him 2 million yen. Toco said he enjoys doing things that only dogs do, such as rolling over, playing frisbee, eating fake dog food, and wagging his tail. Tocos unusual lifestyle has attracted both curiosity and criticism from netizens. Toco has continued to post videos of his dog's life on YouTube, where he has received mostly positive feedback from his fans. He has also said that he hopes to inspire others who have similar dreams of becoming animals. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Weight-loss stocks surged following a groundbreaking study that unveiled the potential heart-protective benefits of the popular obesity drug Wegovy. Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk released new clinical data on Tuesday, demonstrating that obese patients with a history of heart disease who took a weekly 2.4 - milligram dose of Wegovy were 20% less likely to experience a stroke or heart attack. Packets of Wegovy move along a conveyor at the Novo Nordisk A/S production facilities in Hillerod, Denmark, on Monday, June 12, 2023. Novo's blockbuster obesity medicine Wegovy reduced the risk of heart attacks and strokes in a highly anticipated study, buoying shares of the Danish drugmaker and the US maker of a potential rival treatment, Eli Lilly & Co.(Bloomberg) The news catapulted Novo Nordisk's shares by a staggering 17% to reach $189.17, a surge that had a ripple effect across the pharmaceutical industry. Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of the weight-loss drug Mounjaro, experienced a 15% boost in its shares, reaching $521.60. Even health lifestyle group Weight Watchers, known for its foray into telehealth and weight-loss medication, saw a 13% increase in its shares, which settled at $9. The remarkable outcomes emerged from Novo Nordisk's highly anticipated "SELECT" clinical trial, which spanned five years and monitored over 17,500 obese or overweight adults with a history of cardiovascular disease. Those who received a weekly 2.4 mg dose of Wegovy exhibited a remarkable 20% reduction in major heart events, including heart attacks, strokes, and heart-related deaths, compared to those who were administered a placebo. "This breakthrough is a game-changer for people living with obesity and a history of heart disease. It's the first time we're seeing effective weight management intertwined with reduced cardiovascular risks," highlighted Martin Holst Lange, Vice President for Development at Novo Nordisk. The success of Wegovy has spurred plans for Novo Nordisk to apply to the FDA this year, aiming to expand the drug's usage beyond treating diabetes and obesity to encompass heart disease as well. Analysts have praised this development, asserting that it underscores the medical necessity of such treatments, moving them beyond cosmetic considerations. Novo Nordisk, however, faces a challenge in meeting the growing demand for Wegovy. The company issued a supply update in July, cautioning that patients might encounter difficulties obtaining low-dose prescriptions of the drug until September. While the study results are promising, it's important to note that in July, the European Medical Agency initiated an investigation into reports of potential suicidal thoughts as a side effect of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy. As the medical community continues to explore the broader implications of these findings, the spotlight remains firmly on the potential for Wegovy to revolutionize weight loss and heart health for countless individuals. 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. Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) and Hongkong Land today announced that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with Hongkong Land for a new Hyatt Centric hotel - Hyatt Centric East CBD Chengdu. Expected to open in 2025, the hotel's opening in the capital of Sichuan province will mark the entry of the Hyatt Centric lifestyle brand into China's southwest region. Hyatt's thoughtful expansion of the Hyatt Centric brand further bolsters Hyatt's commitment to enhancing its lifestyle portfolio in more sought-after leisure destinations. Hyatt Centric hotels serve as launchpads for adventurous travelers to explore all that a destination has to offer. Hyatt Centric East CBD Chengdu will be situated in the heart of the action within the city's bustling downtown area. The hotel will be part of the upscale commercial complex, The Ring, a new high-end, mixed-use project developed by Hongkong Land, integrating premium office towers, an upscale shopping mall and a lifestyle hotel. This landmark development will occupy a prime spot near Southeast Second Ring Road on Dong Da Road. Located on the site of the famous Chengdu Pancheng steel pipe factory that was a defining part of the city's culture and history, this area has been transformed from an industrial backbone into a modern and dynamic business, retail and leisure destination. Guests can immerse themselves in the vibrant energy of the neighborhood and local life from their doorstep and are surrounded by countless attractions to explore, with easy access to the city's transportation networks. The hotel itself will offer a stylish modern environment with a distinctive, playful design concept inspired by the neighborhood's industrial past. Hotel website Voco Grand Central Glasgow is excited to introduce their new general manager, Marcello Ventisei. Under the management of IHG, Marcello will supervise 233 guest rooms, the hotel's restaurant, its Champagne bar, and several meeting and event venues. This iconic hotel, positioned as a landmark in Glasgow Central station since 27 June 1883, will now benefit from Marcello's deep-rooted Glasgow origins and nearly 30 years of expertise in the hospitality and tourism sector. Beginning his illustrious journey at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, Marcello has undertaken significant leadership responsibilities with eminent brands such as De Vere, Macdonald, and RBH Hotels. The hotel itself recently celebrated a massive rebrand and makeover, making its grand debut under the IHG banner in 2021. It proudly stands as one of the inaugural voco hotels to launch in Scotland. This vast renovation revamped 233 rooms, the reception, and meeting areas, blending the hotel's historical allure and majestic presence with audacious branding, presenting a unique new persona. Koh has 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, where her journey at IHG began two years ago as the director of sales and marketing. She successfully led her team through the task of re-opening the hotel post-COVID-19 and the resumption of travel into Singapore. Her leadership and business acumen, and robust commitment to excellence have fostered a collaborative and supportive work environment that has empowered her team to succeed. She will work with GM, Andreas Kraemer, to further elevate guest satisfaction and the luxury positioning of the hotel, besides overseeing all operational work. IHG Hotels & Resorts new CEO Elie Maalouf said his strategy is to make the companys portfolio as appealing to owners and guests as possible. Maalouf spoke to Skift on Tuesday after his first earnings call as CEO, having taken the helm last month. Maalouf isnt a new kid on the block at the Windsor, UK-based hotel operator whose brands include Holiday Inn, Avid, Kimpton, and Six Senses. He previously led the groups North American business for 8 years. Its my sixth year on the board, so Ive been integral to not only our Americas strategy but also our global strategy, Maalouf said. Ive overseen the expansion of our portfolio into all segments, including luxury and lifestyle, our further expansion into the midscale, a global expansion geographically, and the strengthening of our loyalty plan and our enterprise systems and revenue management systems. Maalouf touted on Tuesday IHGs 19th brand as-yet-unnamed that will be a conversion brand (rather than new construction) and a midscale offering. (In the world of STR classes, midscale hotels sit above the budget and economy classes and below the upscale and luxury classes.) IHG said it had definitive interest from owners of about 100 properties in the new brand. If you were the owner of an existing good quality asset in the midscale, but it didnt really fit the shape and size and requirements of a Holiday Inn Express, we didnt have a brand to offer, Maalouf said. Now we do. Yet IHGs top boss said the group remained committed to growing its luxury and lifestyle offerings, too. Today, luxury and lifestyle globally represents 30% of all IHG rooms and represents 21% of our pipeline, meaning that, if we only stayed there, and opened just that pipeline, without adding any more hotels signed, we would be increasing that luxury lifestyle distribution around the world by 50%, Maalouf said. Read the full article at skift Inc. London, UK - The World Travel & Tourism Councils (WTTC) 2023 Economic Impact Research (EIR) today reveals Germanys Travel & Tourism sector is recovering at pace to recover to within 95% of pre-pandemic levels. The sector is set to contribute 355BN to the national economy this year, getting to within 95% of the 2019 highpoint, and representing 9.3% of the economy. WTTC is also forecasting that the sector will create more than 168,000 jobs this year, recovering most of the jobs lost due to the COVID 19 pandemic to reach 5.6MN. A look back on last year Last year, the Travel & Tourism sectors GDP contribution grew by 43.4% to reach more than 338BN, representing 8.8% of the economy, edging closer to the 2019 high of 374BN. Last year the sector also created 550,000 more jobs from the previous year to reach 5.4MN jobs nationally one in eight jobs across Germany. The sector has now recovered over 50% of the 1MN jobs lost during the pandemic. Last year also saw the return of international travellers heading to Germany with spending from overseas visitors growing 61% to reach almost 31BN. Domestic visitor spend is within touching distance of the pre-pandemic level of 307.8BN and is currently 304.4BN, a year-on-year increase of 49%. The Travel & Tourism sector in Germany is making a strong recovery. It will contribute 355BN to the German economy this year and employ one in eight jobs across the country. Germany is forecast to remain the fifth most popular tourism destination in Europe over the next decade, demonstrating its enduring appeal. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO What does the next decade look like? The global tourism body is forecasting that the sector will grow its GDP contribution to more than 440BN by 2033, 10.3% of the overall economy and will employ almost 6.1MN people across the country, with one in seven Germans working in the sector. Europe In 2022, the European Travel & Tourism sector contributed 1.9TN to the regional economy, just 7% below the 2019 peak. WTTC forecasts the regions GDP contribution from the sector will reach more than 2TN in 2023 - within touching distance of the 2019 highpoint. The sector employed almost 35MN people across the region in 2022, an increase of 2.9MN from the previous year but still 3.2MN behind pre-pandemic levels. WTTC forecasts the sector will fully recover the jobs lost during the pandemic by the end of 2024. About WTTC The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global travel & tourism private sector. Members include 200 CEOs, Chairs and Presidents of the world's leading travel & tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For more than 30 years, WTTC has been committed to raising the awareness of governments and the public of the economic and social significance of the travel & tourism sector. WTTC Press Office WTTC Personalization. Some hoteliers might roll their eyes at the term and with good reason. The industry loves to talk about it, but it has been very hard to achieve. Why? It is really a 2-part problem. First, you need to know what the guest will want, and second, you need to have the operational bandwidth to deliver it. Historically, real personalization has only happened at the most luxury hotels who deal with repeat VIP guests. Can new technology really deliver what was once considered only obtainable and deliverable by luxury hotels? If you take a closer look at ABS, the answer is, Yes. Attribute-based Selling (ABS) is positioned as a way to sell hotel rooms differently. But what it really does is provide a vehicle for hotel stay personalization and the benefits for hoteliers are significant. Is personalization really possible for most of the hotel industry? For luxury hotels, one distinguishable feature that has set them apart from their peers is the level of personalization and customization they offer their guests. Luxury hotels use two techniques to deliver personalization. The first is simply the effort to accommodate guest requests through extreme flexibility. Raffles Singapore, famous for their butlers, offers guests a Pillow Menu. So, now you can sleep on just the right pillow for you. Instant personalization. The second technique is the collection and recording of meticulous stay records that are referenced to prepare for returning VIP guests. If a certain guest requested extra towels every time they stayed in the past, the hotel may provide them even before they are requested on the next stay. Why cant I get the same level of personalization at a small boutique hotel in Washington, DC as I do at Raffles? Most likely, the boutique hotel doesnt enjoy the percentage of repeat customers that Raffles does. And then, there is probably not enough personnel on staff to record, review and act upon each stay record. Okay then, why cant I get the same level of personalization at the Poughkeepsie Courtyard Marriott as I do at Raffles? Marriott certainly has the ability to record guest requests. The answer could be that they think they dont have the variability in product (e.g., no pillow menu!), and they dont have enough staff to deliver the service variations. The barrier to hotel stay personalization always comes down to two problems: Labor (collecting and acting upon requests) and Product (having enough stay product variation to provide a personalized experience). This is why hotel automation software that uses ABS is so important to delivering the best experience to your guests. ABS instantly gives you the means to create a new product array and it provides the means to collect and act upon guest request with no staff labor required. ABS delivers the same type of guest personalization for your hotel that has previously only been reserved for the top luxury hotels. How? Lets look into how ABS works in practice. Understanding Attribute-Based Selling (ABS) At its core, ABS is a way of unbundling hotels services and room product into smaller units, allowing hotels to sell every room feature independently of one another, each one with their own inventories and optional costs (If you are a luxury hotel, dont focus on the selling part. Prices can always be set to zero, or Yes!). Instead of the traditional method of offering rooms by room type, a hotel separates out its room inventory and allows guests to pick and choose the features they most value through a self-service mobile (or desktop) interface. So instead of buying a Junior Suite, the consumer can choose a stunning view, a larger room, a higher floor level, a Jacuzzi, a Balcony, a Park View etc. Immediately the first problem of hotel personalization is solved. If you cant personalize a stay experience for your guest because A) you dont know the guest, or B) you dont have the staff to ask them, then ABS is your answer. It provides the automated interface for guests to tell you what they want. And with deep, 2-way integration into the PMS, there is no labor required to make record of it. But we have no Pillow Menu, you say. Do not fear. ABS is a room-level merchandising product. Hidden in your room type bundles are not only features that individual guests may have a strong love for (e.g., the balcony, the sitting area, the jacuzzi, the fireplace, the kitchenette, etc.), but also features that guests commonly request (e.g. a room on a high floor, a room with a particular view, a room away from the elevator). These attributes are also room products that have value to your consumers. While ABS WILL entice your guests to move up to a room that meets their desires, it also derives revenue from (and can guarantee) these special upgrades within the guests reserved room type. ABS is a revelation because it solves both the Labor and the Product problems that come with hotel stay personalization. And it can be used in reservation acquisition or in post-reservation upselling (or request guaranteeing, if you dont want to charge a price.). ABS for guest satisfaction A study by Cornell University found that for every point increase in guest satisfaction score (measured on a scale from 0-100), there was an estimated increase in revenue of $10 million per year. When guests are satisfied, they tend to be more loyal and not only are they more likely to return but also recommend it to others. Clearly, being able to give your guests what they want, will increase their overall satisfaction. And of course, what do customer want now more than ever? Control. They want personalization, and the ability to customize. Guest expectations are evolving, and the hotel of tomorrow needs to be prepared to meet them, said Mike Chuma, Vice President, Marketing & Enablement and Engagement, IDeaS. The growing challenge facing the industry, on both sides of the front desk, is the lack of control guests have over many aspects of the hotel experience. ABS is the solution to this problem and the future of hotel booking. By embracing a booking strategy that offers room prices based on individual elements, guests are offered freedom of choice and hotels are awarded higher revenue. The future of personalization involves ABS The calculus is very straight-forward. Todays consumers have an expectation of the ability to personalize products and services through a digital interface. So that means personalization is no longer an abstract requirement for most hoteliers. Hoteliers that dont run a business model that supports niceties like a Pillow Menu will have to figure out how to transform their current property investment into a flexible product offering. No, just offering breakfast isnt going to cut it. Current labor availability and costs make it a challenge for any hotel to execute on personalization data gathering and service execution, so automation tools are the only way out. The answer is Attribute-based Selling. ABS provides hotels of any type the means to provide a personalization program. It helps you unbundle your room product into new, merchandisable pieces that can either add new revenue or fulfill VIP/Loyalty rewards. ABS collects direct and proven guests interests and desires, guarantees their fulfillment, and writes it all to the PMS without the hotel manager having to find someone on staff to do it. And it works for the hotel business owner as well. All customers currently using the ROOMDEX ABS solution have positive results. Initial figures revealed the number of upsell purchases increased by 36%. 55% of guests upgraded to a higher room category via ABS; 32% of all ABS upsell revenue was directly attributed from upsells within the same room category, and 45% of all guests purchased two or more features or room attributes via ABS. It drives ADR and RevPAR. Plus, you can set the whole program up in an afternoon! ABS is one technology that enhances both guest experience and revenue. That is real ROI. About ROOMDEX, INC ROOMDEX is the technology leader in the hotel upselling software space. Its hotel upsell software automates, monetizes and ultimately simplifies the hotel room upgrade process by putting the power of choice in the hotel guest's hands. ROOMDEX Upsell Automation uses hotel reservation, guest data and its proprietary True AvailabilityTM and Dynamic Pricing algorithms to deliver personalized digital offers, greatly enhancing the guest experience. The hotel upsell tool relieves hoteliers of the labor time required by other upselling solutions while delivering high margin revenue and a substantial ROI. ROOMDEX is now the exclusive provider of ABS Upselling. Attribute-based selling re-imagines hotel inventory merchandising, delivering a unique and improved guest satisfaction and increased hotel revenue. ROOMDEX leverages hotel operational and software experience gained by our team members while in leadership roles at companies such as MICROS (now Oracle Hospitality), Nor1, Duetto, StayNTouch and Shiji to develop our innovations in hotel automation, dynamic pricing, operational availability and attribute-based selling. Since founding in spring of 2020, ROOMDEX has signed hundreds of hotels across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Website https://www.roomdex.io Twitter: @ROOMDEX Facebook: facebook.com/roomdexinc LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/roomdex Youtube: click here Paul Peddrick ROOMDEX, Inc. Melia Hotels Announces Luxury Hotel to Open 2025 in San Miguel De Allende, Mexico Melia Hotels International has announced that its 14th hotel in Mexico will open soon. A new luxury property under the ME by Melia brand, located in the picturesque city of San Miguel de Allende. The new ME, currently under construction, is expected to open in 2025. It will have 140 rooms and all the signature attributes of ME by Melia. Guests will be able to enjoy eating in a restaurant with unique dining experiences, relax and revitalise themselves in a luxury spa, work out in a gym equipped with the latest technology and take delight in the matchless panoramic views of the city from the brand's distinguishing feature: the exclusive rooftop bar. The ME by Melia hotel in San Miguel de Allende is another milestone for the brand's successful track record in Mexico; it is the fourth hotel in the country under this luxury hallmark, together with the well-known ME Cabo and the future ME Guadalajara and ME Sayulita hotels. Choosing San Miguel de Allende as the next destination for ME by Melia highlights this city's relevance as a highly attractive place for travellers who seek unique cultural experiences. The city of San Miguel de Allende is in the state of Guanajuato, in the heart of Mexico, and it has been ranked as the 'Best City in the World' in the Travel + Leisure Awards on several occasions. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it has kept its essence throughout the centuries and has become a destination that cannot be missed by history, culture and architecture enthusiasts. Its cobbled streets and colonial style buildings are home to a rich blend of culture and traditions that are also reflected in the city's lively artistic and gastronomic scene. For the last three years, tourism in the city has undergone sustained growth, attracting national and international travellers who wish to immerse themselves in Mexico's traditions. Signing this new project reaffirms the importance of the Mexican market for Melia and its growth strategy in the luxury segment. Currently, the company operates seven hotels with the same number in the pipeline, which will open between this year and 2025. Thus, within the next two years, the company will have doubled its presence in this country, where over 80% of its portfolio will be made up of its luxury brand hotels. With the incorporation of this new luxury hotel in San Miguel de Allende, Melia Hotels International consolidates its commitment to offering unique and exceptional experiences in some of the world's most attractive destinations. The ME by Melia brand has left an indelible mark in urban and holiday destinations like Ibiza, London, Barcelona, Milan and Dubai, and it is now adding San Miguel de Allende's incomparable magic to its prestigious portfolio. Rendering of the Hyatt Centric East CBD Chengdu Hotel The lifestyle hotel is set to open in 2025 in the citys commercial complex, the Ring Chengd Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) and Hongkong Land today announced that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with Hongkong Land for a new Hyatt Centric hotel Hyatt Centric East CBD Chengdu. Expected to open in 2025, the hotels opening in the capital of Sichuan province will mark the entry of the Hyatt Centric lifestyle brand into Chinas southwest region. Hyatts thoughtful expansion of the Hyatt Centric brand further bolsters Hyatts commitment to enhancing its lifestyle portfolio in more sought-after leisure destinations. Hyatt Centric hotels serve as launchpads for adventurous travelers to explore all that a destination has to offer. Hyatt Centric East CBD Chengdu will be situated in the heart of the action within the citys bustling downtown area. The hotel will be part of the upscale commercial complex, The Ring, a new high-end, mixed-use project developed by Hongkong Land, integrating premium office towers, an upscale shopping mall and a lifestyle hotel. This landmark development will occupy a prime spot near Southeast Second Ring Road on Dong Da Road. Located on the site of the famous Chengdu Pancheng steel pipe factory that was a defining part of the citys culture and history, this area has been transformed from an industrial backbone into a modern and dynamic business, retail and leisure destination. Guests can immerse themselves in the vibrant energy of the neighborhood and local life from their doorstep and are surrounded by countless attractions to explore, with easy access to the citys transportation networks. The hotel itself will offer a stylish modern environment with a distinctive, playful design concept inspired by the neighborhoods industrial past. We are honored to be embarking on this milestone collaboration with Hongkong Land, as their immense experience in developing best-in-class properties across Asia makes them an ideal collaborator to expand the Hyatt Centric brand to Chengdu and southwest China, said Stephen Ho, president of growth and operations, Asia Pacific, Hyatt. Hyatt is committed to growing its lifestyle portfolio in destinations that matter most to guests and World of Hyatt members, including key destinations across Greater China. Chengdu draws tourists from all over the world who are keen to explore its rich culture and renowned gastronomy. With its focus on authentic local experiences, we believe Hyatt Centric East CBD Chengdu will be the perfect location for savvy travelers seeking to be immersed and inspired in the destination. Hyatt Centric East CBD Chengdu will represent Hongkong Lands first collaboration with a third-party hotel management company, and looks forward to working alongside Hyatt to realize its vision for The Ring as a landmark business, shopping and leisure destination and a vibrant hub of the surrounding community, said a Hongkong Land spokesperson. Hongkong Land is well known for its prime office and luxury retail properties in key Asian cities, developed with a mindfulness of the ever-evolving needs of those who inhabit and interact with its buildings. With Hyatts expertise and innovative approach to hospitality, Hongkong Land is confident that Hyatt Centric East CBD Chengdu will become a sought-after choice for business and leisure travelers alike. 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. remaining of Thank you for using HudsonValley360! On your next view you will be asked to log in or create an account to continue reading. Published: 9 Aug 2023 Share: This op-ed piece by Professor Mushtak Al-Atabi, Provost and CEO of HWUM was published in The Star on 6 August 2023 To arrest the decline in the number of students pursuing tertiary education after the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), the Education Ministry said it was carrying out personal development and career education plans in schools to increase students awareness of the importance of education while also equipping them with knowledge, skills and interest for future careers. But do our young students need more awareness programmes, or is there something else amiss? The lack of interest in pursuing higher education has been attributed to a number of causes, including the lack of educational attainment during the Covid-19 period, the escalating cost of university, and the endemic graduate unemployability. Another challenge we are facing is the dwindling number of secondary school students choosing to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. This is of national concern as our country needs leading scientists. Interventions that focus on more awareness programmes and more educational content are just not working. We live today in a world of abundance in multiple domains, especially in those of information and knowledge. High-quality content to learn almost anything is available for free and on demand. The real obstacle to learning is not the availability of books, programmes or learning content, but the motivation to learn. Professor Mushtak Al-Atabi, Provost and Chief Executive Officer, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia We need to look at how we can raise the aspiration of students leaving school, so that they choose to further their studies, and especially in STEM. To build an education system whereby students are motivated and ambitious to learn, I suggest we consider these strategies: Enhance students agency Young children around the world dream of making the world a better place. They aspire to be teachers, doctors, police officers and more. We need to keep their dreams alive as they navigate the school system and help them to evolve and mature by continuously asking them, What impact do you want to have on the world? By encouraging them to see learning as a pathway to making an impact on the world, students will understand why they must learn, particularly subjects that are perceived to be difficult. By encouraging them to see learning as a pathway to making an impact on the world, students will understand why they must learn, particularly subjects that are perceived to be difficult. Develop a sense of purpose - Every human being is a unique individual, both genetically and experientially, and education will do our youth a great service if it helps them realise that they, individually and collectively, have a role to play in the human story and that their individual presence matters. Make learning funThis is rooted in personalising learning and in bringing learning to real life. The first step is discovering the learning style of each and every student (there are simple and free tools to do that), while real-life learning can be done through pedagogies such as project-based learning. Motivate teachers to do all of the aboveTeachers themselves need to be motivated to enable the above strategies to work. Besides being adequately paid, trusted as professionals, and empowered to bring along some change in their classrooms, teachers, just like students, will need to develop a deep sense of purpose and feel that they have an impact on the world. While a wholesale curriculum change or even heavy investment in technology might be good to have, without addressing the lack of student motivation and ambition, no intervention, no matter how expensive, will work. Raising ambition is the ultimate objective of education and addressing the motivational gap is the key to delivering that. When we become better at creating and sustaining that, we will be better at addressing any other challenge. I hope that we are motivated to do so. Professor Mushtak Al-Atabi Provost and Chief Executive Officer Heriot-Watt University Malaysia; Chairman Vice Chancellors Council for Private Universities The Classical Beat: A Profusion of Music at Tanglewood and Sevenars The TMC Orchestra will perform Brahms' Second Symphony August 14 in Ozawa Hall Come mid-August, classical aficionados are grateful for the cornucopia of extraordinary musical riches the Boston Symphony bestows to rapt audiences within the incomparably bucolic setting that is Tanglewood. During this seventh week of the Tanglewood Festival's classical programming, the spotlight will focus on a range of music in varied genres: from the brilliant cellist Alisa Weilerstein's commissioned "Fragments 2" all newly-composed simulacra to Bach's six cello Suites movements, to music resurrected from the agonies of the Terezin concentration camp: "Our Will to Live," to the sonorous glories of Richard Strauss' revelatory sonic canvas "Death and Transfiguration" - musical history from time immemorial to the present will be hovering over Tanglewood's arcadian meadows. And there's much more: John Williams' Violin Concerto No 2, commissioned and here performed by the stellar Anne-Sophie Mutter, Maurice Ravel's swirling, dizzying recreation of a sumptuous ball in 1850s Vienna, "La Valse," and Bela Bartok's astonishing "Concerto for Orchestra." On Sunday, August 13 Yo-Yo Ma takes center stage with Shostakovich's intensely powerful Cello Concerto No. 1, and Stravinsky fans will relish his joyous, fun-loving "Petrushka." Classicists will not want to miss Brahms' Symphony No. 2, and opera fans, invoked by Benjamin Britten's rapturous "Four Sea Interludes," will have visions of the resplendent and tumultuous ocean. For classical music enthusiasts, it is a great gift that such a profusion of glorious masterworks will be on the boards this week. Looking ahead to the closing weeks of the 2023 festival, Tanglewood offers a wealth of musical and non-musical events, highlighted by BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons; the family-oriented Keith Lockhart and the Pops in two movie-themed concerts; and appearances by some of today's most celebrated artists from the worlds of jazz, Broadway, and popular music, as well as thought-provoking discussions and award-winning drama. Read on for the particulars. Tanglewood Shed Concerts Friday, Aug. 11, 8 p.m.: Music Director Andris Nelsons returns to the podium to lead the BSO in Strauss' "Death and Transfiguration," Ravel's "La Valse," and John Williams' Violin Concerto No. 2 with soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter, who performed the world premiere of the work to great acclaim in July 2021, and who will join the BSO on its tour of Europe. Saturday, Aug. 12, 8 p.m.: Guest conductor Susanna Malkki is joined by pianist Seong-Jin Cho for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat, K.271 on a program also featuring a BSO-commissioned historic signature work, Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. CANCELED: Sunday, Aug. 13, 2:30 p.m.: Andris Nelsons leads Julia Adolphe's "Makeshift Castle" (a BSO co-commission premiered in 2022 at Tanglewood), Stravinsky's "Petrushka" (1947 version), and Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 with audience favorite, the luminary Yo-Yo Ma as soloist. Tanglewood Ozawa Hall Events Wednesday, Aug. 9, 8 p.m.: Acclaimed cellist Alisa Weilerstein presents "FRAGMENTS 2," a multi-sensory experience in which new music by composers of our time is integrated into movements from a single Bach cello suite, enhanced with stagecraft provided by Elkhanah Pulitzer, Seth Reiser, and Carlos Soto. CANCELED: Thursday, Aug. 10, 2 p.m.: TLI Open Cello Workshop features the incomparable Yo-Yo Ma and TMC Fellows (joint presentation of TLI and TMC). Friday, Aug. 11, 6 p.m.: The program for this Prelude Concert with BSO members includes the renowned Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla's "Histoire du Tango" and John Williams' "La Jolla Quartet" for clarinet, harp, violin, and cello. Sunday, Aug. 13, 10 a.m.: Tanglewood Music Center Chamber Music includes works by Grisey ("Tempus ex Machina"), Brahms (Horn Trio in E-flat, Op. 40), Daniel Zlatkin ("Requiem"), and Schumann (Piano Quartet in E-flat, Op. 47). Monday, Aug. 14, 8 p.m.: In her Tanglewood debut, conductor/scholar Dame Jane Glover and TMC Conducting Fellows lead the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in Dvorak's "The Wood Dove, "Four Sea Interludes" from Benjamin Britten's great opera "Peter Grimes," and Brahms' Symphony No. 2. Tanglewood Music Center (TMC) and Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI) Activities in Studio E of the Linde Center Wednesday, Aug. 9, 1:30 p.m.: TLI Open Conducting Workshop with Andris Nelsons and TMC Fellows (a joint presentation of TLI and TMC). Thursday, Aug. 10, 1 p.m.: A TLI In Conversation with Finnish conductor Susanna Malkki, who also leads the August 12th BSO concert and the August 20th TMCO concert. Friday, Aug. 11, 4:30 p.m.: In the first of two events, TLI Immersion: "Defiant Music" presents Terezin Music Foundation director (and former BSO violist) Mark Ludwig exploring Nazi "cultural cleansing" in "Degenerate MusicVoices That Could Not Be Silenced." Saturday, Aug. 12, 3 p.m.: In the second TLI Immersion: Defiant Music, Terezin Music Foundation director Mark Ludwig presents "Our Will to LiveMusic and Art in Terezin," a journey into the cultural community of Terezin, where the Nazis imprisoned numerous musicians and artists. Saturday, Aug. 12, 6 p.m.: Prelude Concert by TMC musicians, featuring chamber music by Heinrich Schutz ("Fili mi, Absalom"), Jesse Jennings (world premiere of "Reservoir": Dvorak (String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat). Sunday, Aug. 13, 10:30 a.m.: The second of Circle Round's Tanglewood events is a performance/live podcast recording, featuring host Rebecca Sheir and composer Eric Shimelonis, plus BSO players Clint Foreman, flute; Suzanne Nelsen, bassoon; Rachel Childers, horn; and Ben Levy, bass. Sunday, August 13, 8 p.m.: TMC musicians perform music by Bach, including two cantatas (No. 133, "Ich freue mich in dir" and No. 20, "O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort") and Brandenburg Concerto No. 2. For tickets for all Tanglewood/BSO concerts (lawn and Shed seating) and for special events call (617) 266-1200. TDD/TTY: (617) 638-9289. Online: tanglewood.org. Sevenars Music Festival Sunday, Aug. 13, 4:00 p.m.: Sevenars is proud to welcome the musical trifecta of Carol Wincenc, Rebecca Young, and Joy Cline Phinney. Carol Wincenc, dubbed "Queen of the flute" (New York Magazine), is just that, winner of Naumburg First Prize, National Society of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Music, Diapason d'Or Award, and more. She has appeared as soloist with the finest orchestras (Chicago, London, et al.) and has taught for over a half century combined on the faculties of Juilliard and Stony Brook. Rebecca Young, Associate Principal Violist of the NY Philharmonic (and former Principal of the BSO), is sought-after internationally as performer, recording artist (with Yo-Yo Ma, Emmanuel Ax, etc. on Sony), teacher (Shanghai and the US), and host of the Philharmonic's Very Young Peoples Concerts. Pianist and collaborator extraordinaire Joy Cline Phinney has appeared across the US and Europe, on recordings (Albany, Delos), on radio and television, with members of the BSO, NY Philharmonic, Cleveland, and Met Opera orchestras, as faculty artist for Cremona International Academy in Italy, and more. These superb musicians will perform sonatas by Francis Poulenc and Johannes Brahms, "Legends" by Grammy-winner Valerie Coleman, Jacques Ibert's "Interludes," a "Duo" by Francois Devienne, Amy Beach's "Romance," Op. 23, Gabriel Faure's "Morceau de Concours," and Bela Bartok's "Roumanian Dances." For Sevenars tickets, and general contact information, call: (413) 238-5854 (please leave a message for return call). On the Web: www.sevenars.org. Email: Sevenars@aol.com. Admission is by donation at the door (suggested $20). Refreshments are included. Sevenars Concerts is located at the Academy in South Worthington, Mass., located at 15 Ireland Street, just off Route 112. Tourists hotel has plans to expand into the Blackinton Mill. The partnership that operates the mill gave a presentation to the City Council on Tuesday night. Plans for the Blackinton Mill. PreviousNext Tourists Presents Preliminary Plans for $17M Expansion Tourists' Eric Kerns, left, and Benjamin Svenson, Mayor Jennifer Macksey and Paul St. Pierre of the state's Office of Economic Development at Tuesday's City Council meeting. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Tourists is planning to create 50 new hotel rooms, a restaurant and a reception space in the Blackinton Mill. Partnership principal Benjamin Svenson and project manager Eric Kerns laid out a vision to the City Council on Tuesday to rejuvenate the century-old mill, bring in more revenue for the city and become a midway point on the bike trail between North Adams Williamstown. "Our intent is to be up and rolling by 2026," said Svenson, who added the hope that the state will get the North Adams Adventure Trail on the schedule. Since opening five years ago, the roadside motel turned boutique resort has hosted 35,000 visitors and generated $750,000 in rooms taxes to the city. "We are proud that the Tourist project has drawn significant positive attention to North Adams, and has been profiled and national and international press at a level unprecedented for the region," said Kerns, citing a number of accolades from hospitality industry and vacation outlets. "The existing Tourist hotel employs a seasonally flexible staff of 50 to 65, and despite pandemic disruptions, Tourists distributed $6,300,000 in payroll to local workers from 2008 to 2022." Kerns also noted that the events held at the resort are free and open to the public as are the trails that run through the property. The restaurant and lodge are open to the public as well. Tourists is working with the city on a tax financing agreement that will aid in getting the $17 million project off the ground. The project is also applying for tax credits through the state. It bought the mill about five years ago. Paul St. Pierre, regional director of the Western Massachusetts Office of Business Development, said the Tourist project has already gone through the preliminary review process and "is one of the projects that was chosen to move forward in this process." The state Office of Business Development's mission is facilitate job growth and its largest program, the Economic Development Incentive Program, allows for both state and municipal tax credits. "The state is looking for projects that otherwise would not be feasible or would not happen as quickly or would not happen as well," he said. "It really is targeted at projects that need support the most to try and get them over the hump and make it possible for these really sometimes transformative projects." The Economic Assistance Coordinating Council looks at job creation, community support and the ability to bring new dollars into the state. Manufacturing is a key candidate for this program but not the only industry. "We also like to incentivize hospitality because they're very beneficial to bringing people from out of state and giving them a place to stay," St. Pierre said. "We've seen plenty of data that shows that when people can stay overnight, they'll spend significantly more in the local community." check this The hotel anticipates adding 25 new positions. It currently has 27 team members who have worked with Tourists more than two years; at three years, the resort bumps its 65 percent health insurance portion to 100 percent and also offers dental and vision, paid parental leave and a 401(k). Svenson said boutique hospitality "is a labor intensive business" and that the TIF agreements will give the hotel financial operating to invest in staffing "to wield superb guest experiences, successful growth. In fact, service is our signature." "We make good jobs. We want people in this region to think of hospitality as a career," he said. The plans for the mill include a deep swale that runs underneath the building that will accommodate the proposed bike path. Svenson said about 1.75 miles of the three-mile Adventure Trail will run through the hotel's property. The trail is a state project so would not be part of the tax credits but it will be part of the hotel's planning. "We can't build a hotel and then build the bike path underneath it later," said Kerns. "It has to be done in concert with each other or it's not going to work." He encouraged the council and residents to become squeaky wheels with their state representatives. Svenson said the new rooms will include kitchenettes (a lesson learned during the pandemic, he said); the form of the 12-foot tall windows will be retained; a common space will also include a provision store, and office and support space. He said the resort easily gets three inquiries a day about hosting events, but so far has only been accommodate 15 because they didn't build the "big room." The renovation will have that reception space and a restaurant. The old boiler house, formerly the textile mill's dye house and its oldest structure, will the launching spot for the resorts art and adventure program. Svenson said building and landscapes designs were in the works. "I think this is going to be an excellent project not only for economic development that extend employment opportunities," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey, who requested the time for the presentation. "Sometimes people are critical of TIFs, I used to be one of those people to be quite honest. One thing we have to remember as we move through this process is this is development that we don't have now. And this is development that is going to sustain us for many, many years to come." The mayor expects to bring an agreement to the council on Aug. 22. In other business, the council: Approved licenses to drive taxicabs for OTT Taxi to Austin Rahilly and Brandon Asher but with a condition that they are pending until some missing information be provided with five days. Councilors Keith Bona and Wayne Wilkinson voted no. The vote followed a lengthy discussion on whether to approve licenses since a location was missing for OTT since it is apparently moving. Approved a secondhand dealer license to Wesley Nelson and Andrea Belair for Belltower Records LLC (postponed from July 11; Bona abstained). Confirmed the appointments of Kevin Hempstead to the Traffic Commission, filling the unexpired term of Jessi Byrne ending Jan. 12, 2024, and Annette Guerino to the Windsor Lake Recreation Commission to fill the unexpired term of Lawrence Jowett, ending April 1, 2024. Also, the reappointment of Timothy Lescarbeau to the Hoosick Water Quality District for a term expiring April 1, 2026. Failed to pass a request by Wilkinson amend council rules to add a liaison to the Redevelopment Authority. The vote was a tie with Councilors Bona, Marie T. Harpin, Peter Oleskiewicz and Bryan Sapienza voting against, feeling a liaison was not needed. Councilor Jennifer Barbeau was absent. Gov. Maura Healey addresses the press on Wednesday morning after signing her first state budget. With her are Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, left, Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano. Healey Signs $56B State Budget for Fiscal 2024 NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday morning signed a $55.98 billion state budget for fiscal 2024 that includes a half-million in earmarks for Berkshire County projects. Some of the hallmark proposals in the budget include making community college free for students aged 25 and older through MassReconnect, expanding Commonwealth Cares for Children grants for early education and care providers, increasing funding for Early College, Innovation Career Pathways, apprenticeships and other workforce development programs, and dedicating 1 percent of the budget to energy and the environment for the first time. The FY24 budget also makes significant investments in Chapter 70 school aid with a $594 million, or 9.9 percent increase; $21.3 million more for school transportation reimbursement and $9.5 million for rural school aid; and a 3.2 percent increase in unrestricted government aid. This spending plan fully funds another year of the Student Opportunity Act and dedicates resources to help cities and towns redevelop and revitalize their downtowns as well as fully fund lunch programs for students. The budget, for the first time, makes use of $1 billion in new revenue generated from the voter-approved Fair Share income surtax and establishes a blueprint for how this revenue will be tracked and spent in future years on priorities in education and transportation, as directed by the voters. "Our administration is proud to deliver our first budget that meets the moment by making Massachusetts more affordable, competitive and equitable. This budget makes significant investments in schools, child care, clean energy, the environment, and access to mental and physical health care," said Healey in a statement. "We are grateful to Speaker Mariano, Senate President Spilka, Chair Michlewitz, Chair Rodrigues and the entire Legislature for their hard work on this budget that reflects our shared values. We look forward to finishing the job by delivering a tax relief package that will put money back into the pockets of families, renters, seniors and more." Among the funding for cities and towns is $100,000 toward the repairs to the Berkshire Family YMCA in North Adams. The pool has been closed for months after it was determined the roof was structurally unsound. The city, which owns the building attached to Brayton Elementary School, is the process of having engineering designs drawn up to address the roof. Other funding includes $75,000 for Community Access to the Arts Inc. in Great Barrington; $25,000 for Kids' Space at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams; $25,000 programming at the Spitzer Senior Center in the city of North Adams; $50,000 for the Dalton Community Recreation Association; $25,000 for a Pittsfield caseworker through Springfield's Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Massachusetts Inc.; $25,000 for the South Congregational food pantry in Pittsfield for expanded operational capacity and procurement effort; $75,000 to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to further support the work of the Berkshire Funding Focus program; $38,000 for the restoration of the historic blue steps at Naumkeag in Stockbridge; $20,000 for the Berkshire Flyer to create "last mile" transportation solutions; and $200,000 for the SMART and Eureka programs of Girls Inc., including the Pittsfield chapter. Berkshire Theatre Group is getting $100,000 total, with $50,000 for the demolition of the Clapp House carriage barn in Pittsfield to make way for public parking. The Pittsfield Historical Commission put a delay on razing the 1871 structure in June in hopes the theater company, which owns the Clapp House, could find a way to preserve it. The company has said it has been unable to find a workable solution because it is "beyond repair." The other $50,000 is for lighting and wayfinding improvements to the public parking areas of the company's theater in Stockbridge and its Carter White walkway that runs through the property between Route 102 and Route 7. Healey also signed 103 of the 112 outside sections included in the budget and has returned eight sections with amendment and vetoed one section, a $205 million in one-time funding from the Transitional Escrow account to support ongoing programming. The governor vetoed $205 million in net spending to balance the budget. FY24 Budget Highlights Fair Share $524 million for education $71 million for early education and care will increase childcare slots for income-eligible families and put the Commonwealth on a path to universal Pre-K $224 million for K-12 education will guarantee access to free lunch for students across the Commonwealth, expand pathways for high school students to earn college degrees and fund clean energy infrastructure in schools $229 million for higher education that will help make community college and a four-year degree more accessible through the MassReconnect program and financial aid expansions $477 million for transportation will: Preserve critical highway bridge infrastructure Improve accessibility at MBTA stations Initiate means-tested MBTA fares Create a path for innovative service pilots and increased rural connectivity for regional transit authorities Education and Local Aid Fully funding of the Student Opportunity Act, including a $594 million, or 9.9 percent increase, in Chapter 70 funding $475 million for Commonwealth Cares for Children grants to early-education providers $10 million for a career pathways program for early educators Extends in-state tuition rates at the state's public universities to immigrants without documentation $172 million in permanent funding to provide universal school lunch for public school K-12 students A 3.2 percent increase to Unrestricted General Government Aid Major increases of $21.3 million for school transportation reimbursement and $9.5 million for rural school aid Full funding of Special Education Circuit Breaker Increases payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for state-owned land by $6.5 million or 14 percent Housing and Homelessness Supports the creation of the new Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Creates 750 new Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) vouchers for low-income tenants Creates 150 new Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) vouchers for individuals with disabilities, including, for the first time, 50 project-based vouchers Reauthorizes the Brownfields Tax Credit recommended in our tax relief package $324 million for the Emergency Assistance Family Shelter (EA) program, representing a 48 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2023 $37 million for HomeBASE to connect EA-eligible families with more permanent housing opportunities Addressing and preventing homelessness by making Chapter 257 eviction protections permanent for renters with pending EA applications Economic Development $8 million for targeted initiatives at?the?Massachusetts Technology Collaborative?to?support?workforce, manufacturing, cybersecurity, and the?innovation economy? $5 million for Small Business Technical Assistance Grants to leverage the expertise of nonprofits to offer technical assistance, education, and access to capital for small businesses ? $600,000 for the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative for municipalities looking to revitalize their downtowns? Health and Human Services $173 million for Chapter 257 rate increases for human service providers $192 million from the?Behavioral Health Trust Fund?for one time programming aimed at recruiting and?supporting a diverse behavioral workforce, including a ?$100 million enhancement to the?Loan Repayment Program?for mental and?behavioral health professionals? An increase of $44.6?million for behavioral health initiatives at the Department of Mental Health to expand inpatient and community capacity Adds $6.1 million for immigrant and refugee services, including $1.8 million for health assessments and $1.5 million for employment programs $2.75 million for Technology Forward to provide assistive technology and remote supports/monitoring Supports a pilot to expand subsidized ConnectorCare coverage to individuals at or below 500 percent of the federal poverty limit Expands access to contraceptives by allowing pharmacists to prescribe and dispense hormonal contraceptives to individuals without previous prescriptions Workforce Development $16.2 million for Summer Jobs Program for At-Risk Youth (Youthworks) to subsidize wages and facilitate career development of at-risk youth $15.4?million for Career Technical Institutes $3.8 million for the Registered Apprenticeship Program to fund approximately 1,000 placements Serving Our Veterans Funds the new Veterans' Services at $185.6 million, a $11.4 million, or 7 percent, increase from FY23?GAA? Prepares for the opening of new Soldiers' Homes facilities:? Chelsea's long-term care transition from the Quigley Building to Community Living Center will begin March 2023? Holyoke is set to replace its long-term care facility by 2027 and is in the design phase of the project with DCAMM? Invests in payroll and overtime costs for nursing staff at the Homes Transportation $100 million for a new Municipal Partnership grant program for a road construction reserve $28 million for implementation of the Work and Family Mobility Act, including extended RMV service hours $200 million for MBTA capital investments including station accessibility and improvements and design for the Red-Blue connector. $20 million for the MBTA Workforce Safety Reserve, which can be used to support employee recruitment and retention $5 million for implementation of means-tested fares $15 million for fare-free pilot programs at Regional Transit Authorities Energy and the Environment Funds the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs at $557.9 million, 1 percent of total available funding for FY24 GAA This represents a $119.5 million, or 27 percent, increase over FY23, including new environmental justice staff and funding to establish a Federal and Regional Strategic Planning Office to coordinate market reform, transmission, and hydropower $25 million to permanently support?Food Security Infrastructure Grants? $30 million for the?Massachusetts Clean Energy Center?to support wind technology, clean homes, and?workforce training programs in the clean energy industry $4.8 million for a decarbonization clearinghouse for energy efficiency, electrification, and storage $5 million to address deferred maintenance at the Department of Conservation and Recreation parks and facilities Criminal Justice and Public Safety Funding for re-entry pathways including green career training programs Supports new and enhanced training requirements through the POST Commission and Municipal Police Training Committee $2 million to establish a Safe Neighborhood Initiative, a collaborative effort with law enforcement and community leaders to develop comprehensive solutions to reduce crime and protect communities Technology and Cybersecurity $9.2 million in additional cybersecurity investments $2.6 million in software licenses for Web security, network endpoint protection, and threat detection Supports continued consolidation of IT services for executive branch departments Jerameel Azurin, ePLDT Vice President and Head of Product Management for Cloud Tech Services, encouraged business leaders to adopt a fresh mindset when approaching digital transformation. Instead of solely looking to Cloud to address existing issues, Mr. Azurin advocated for exploring the untapped potential that Cloud technology can unlock for their businesses. Jerameel Azurin, ePLDT Vice President and Head of Product Management for Cloud Tech Services, calls on attendees of the SEIPI Q2 General Membership Meeting to partner with ePLDT in elevating their tech Speaking at the SEIPI Q2 General Membership Meeting, Mr. Azurin highlighted that Cloud goes beyond migration since it has also become an enabler to meet other digital goals. He also emphasized that it can be used as leverage to harness the immense potential of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to thrive and succeed in today's digital landscape. According to Mr. Azurin, AI has become an integral part of the modern business ecosystem, offering businesses a wide array of services that can facilitate informed decision-making, optimize operations, enhance customer experience, and ultimately boost revenues. These services encompass advanced capabilities such as natural language processing, image recognition, prediction, and automation. In his presentation, Mr. Azurin also highlighted ePLDT as the pioneer and leading data center operator in the Philippines. With an extensive network of 10 strategically located VITRO data centers and an 11th facility in the way, ePLDT has firmly established itself as the preferred partner for businesses seeking reliable and cutting-edge data center solutions. VITRO Sta. Rosa, scheduled to go live by early 2024, will be the countrys biggest data center and will serve as a gateway for enterprises and global hyperscalers, connecting them to the rest of the Philippines and beyond. Mr. Azurin concluded by emphasizing ePLDT's commitment to fast-tracking digitalization and aligning their efforts with the government's vision for the Philippines to ascend the value chain, foster inclusive economic growth, and become a regional hub for hyperscalers. ePLDT is one with the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines, Inc., (SEIPI) in supporting initiatives that promote growth in the tech industry. As PLDT Groups ICT subsidiary, ePLDT delivers customized ICT services through its suite of multi-cloud, data center, and cybersecurity solutions which will enable enterprises to achieve their digital transformation vision. For more on ePLDTs multi-cloud and data center solutions, contact your Relationship Manager or visit www.ePLDT.com. ePLDT, the ICT subsidiary of the PLDT Group, has obtained the internationally recognized ISO 27001:2013 for Information Security Management System (ISMS) standards for cybersecurity operations. This marks ePLDTs second ISO 27001:2013 certification following its accolade for its data center and cloud services. Melody Ocana-Mokamad, Certification Manager - TUV Rheinland Group and Ronald de Guzman, Vice President and Head of Cloud Delivery and Service Operations - ePLDT, lead the handover ceremony joined by (L-R) Jennifer Rachelle Tapales, Compliance Management Specialist - ePLDT, Isabel Tiu, Area Sales Manager - TUV Rheinland, Lalaine de Persia, Head of Governance, Risk and Compliance - ePLDT, and Angeli Ablir, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer ePLDT The certification further solidifies ePLDTs commitment to providing a secure digital transformation for its customers by ensuring that their sensitive and critical data are protected and maintained with utmost confidentiality and integrity. "At ePLDT, we understand that cyber security is at the center of every successful digital transformation. Achieving the ISO 27001:2013 certification reflects our commitment to safeguarding our customers' valuable information and that of our own employees," said Victor S. Genuino, ePLDT President & CEO. ISO 27001:2013 is a globally recognized standard that guarantees the highest degree of safeguarding sensitive information and adhering to international best practices. It also ensures that organizations have a holistic approach to information security including an established risk-based framework for managing sensitive information. ePLDT certification was issued by TUV Rheinland, an independent international certification body, a leading provider of third-party audit and certification, upon ePLDTs completion of a formal two-stage audit from November 2022 to January 2023. Achieving this certification has not only fortified ePLDTs information security practices but also instilled trust and confidence in their stakeholders. With this certification, ePLDTs clients, partners, and employees can rest assured that their valuable digital information are in safe hands. TUV Rheinland shall remain committed and steadfast in delivering the benefits of the Seal of ISO 27001 Certification to ePLDT, said Engr. Tristan Arwen Loveres, TUV Rheinland Philippines Managing Director. Being ISO 27001:2013 certified shows that ePLDT has a robust ISMS in place and the highest standards of information security are integrated across its multi-cloud and data center offerings. Find out how ePLDT can secure your digital transformation journey. Contact your PLDT Enterprise Relationship Manager or visit epldt.com. The Philippines' number one finance super app GCash and the largest global food company Nestle have launched DigiTindahan on GLife powered by leading e-distributor Great Deals as its main aggregator. From left: Neil Trinidad, GCash Chief Marketing Officer; Kais Marzouki, Nestle Philippines Chairman and CEO; Steve Sy Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Great Deals E-Commerce Corp. With this partnership, shopping for snacks, cooking essentials, beverages, confectionery, cereals, and more can now be done with just a few taps on users smartphone. A ceremonial agreement signing was held recently at the Nestle office in Rockwell, Makati, that will make it possible for consumers to order Nestle products and have these delivered straight to their homes. Orders can be placed through the Barangay Nestle DigiTindahan which will be available on the GLife section of the GCash app. This partnership with Nestle is a true testament to our relentless efforts in helping build inclusive communities across the country that have access to relevant financial services said G-Xchange Inc. chief marketing officer Neil Trinidad. Aside from its convenience, the new DigiTindahan feature also offers exclusive deals and personalized orders with subscriptions to build their own bundles. As the Kasambuhay of Filipino families, we strive to make our products even more accessible to our consumers nationwide. We are thankful to GCash for making this happen. With this partnership, Nestle products like BEAR BRAND, MILO, NESCAFE and MAGGI are now more accessible to our consumers, said Nestle Philippines chairman and CEO Kais Marzouki. This partnership will enable more consumers to access Nestle products through cashless transactions and efficient fulfillment with the Nestle Digitindahan. Our promise is to help Nestle via our dynamic enablement and fulfillment service, added Jace Susara, General Manager and Executive Director of Great Deals E-Commerce Corporation. Also present to witness the signing event were GCash vice president and Head of Commercial Sales and Operations Luigi Reyes, AVP and Head of Enterprise Macky Limgenco, Industry Head for Distribution Louella De Leon, and Account Manager Melvin Manalo. Aside from bringing convenience, Barangay Nestle DigiTindahan also offers Free Shipping without minimum spend exclusively on GLife starting August 8, 2023. As the first DigiTindahan for mobile wallets, the partnership opens up exciting offers to millions of GCash users, making daily essentials available literally at the tip of every Filipinos fingers. For more information, visit https://www.gcash.com In a fast-paced, evolving educational landscape, the pursuit of innovative ways to enhance student engagement becomes more and more crucial. From shifts towards hybrid learning to tracking every institutional event and activity, each academic year can bombard educators and students alike and keeping on top of things remains a huge challenge in maximizing the student experience. But one institution that has taken significant strides in solving this challenge is Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Manila. Under the leadership of Executive Director for Strategy and Operations, Jayson M. Barlan, Ph.D., LPU embarked on a groundbreaking partnership with edtech provider Anthology in their mission to transform the student experience by streamlining the universitys academic processes. It came to the point that it was simply too overwhelming to keep track of every student's event and activity, Barlan explained. Our students are very competitive and engaging towards their organizations and other campus activities. But we know its the universitys role to ensure all these engagements are delivered in the best way possible for a holistic learning and campus experience. Too many activities Its not a surprise that every university has its pool of student organizations and endless lineups of events and activities. Apart from its course offerings, what truly creates a holistic and transformative learning experience is injecting different extracurricular programs for students to explore. At first, it seems that these events outside the classroom are nothing more than ways for students to unwind and socialize with others on campus. In truth, extracurriculars and student organizations are great avenues to discover new talents, interests, and skills that are otherwise untapped inside classroom walls. When Barlan assumed the role of Dean of Student Affairs in 2015, he observed a remarkable level of student involvement and competitiveness among LPU's student body. Student organizations encourage our students to pursue other knowledge and skills outside their respective courses, which is crucial for maximized learning experience, Barlan said. But with that came a challengehow do we recognize these outstanding students and organizations with transparency and fairness? The process of determining the deserving recipients of prestigious awards for different organizations and activities became a time-consuming and laborious task for LPUs administrative team. Transparency and fairness were paramount, but the manual approach hindered efficient decision-making. The voluminous documentation and submissions posed a significant challenge that required a new system and streamlined solution. Automating with Anthology Engage In light of the tedious manual process, LPU sought a solution that would automate the award evaluation process and ensure fairness for all deserving candidates. The initial proposal to adopt an automated system came from various branches within the university, recognizing the need to manage the increasing activities of the dynamic and competitive student population. LPU's quest for an automated solution led them to explore the experiences of other esteemed institutions like the National University of Singapore and other institutions based in the US. When we visited the National University of Singapore and the US, they mentioned Anthology, particularly Anthology Engage, which streamlined every student activity and organized how we can measure student engagement. Edtech was a very new concept to us but we were very excited to learn what it can do, Barlan said. Anthology Engage is an engaging interface and platform where students and educators can foster a sense of community through streamlined processes within the institution. It also guides the student experience, promoting co-curricular paths and experiences that align with classroom offerings. For example, student organizations can efficiently plan, organize, and promote their workshops, seminars, and other online and in-person events on the platform. Anthology Engage enables them to track attendees through advanced RSVP features and also gauge student involvement with automated and verified co-curricular records. When a student participates in more events, they are recognized through automated badges that record their achievements and progress. Encouraged by the positive feedback and success stories, LPU eagerly invited Anthology to present its student engagement solution, which left Barlan and the LPU team exhilarated. He expressed his excitement about the prospect of deploying Anthology's platform to streamline the award evaluation process and overall student engagement. Recognizing the potential impact on LPU's educational experiences, the university embraced the partnership wholeheartedly. We can now capture student engagement and activities more efficiently. But more importantly, we can invite even more students to be active and proactive in exploring different opportunities and experiences at LPU, Barlan said. The future of student engagement With the decision to partner with Anthology finalized, LPU is looking forward to deploying the platform in the coming months. Barlan is optimistic about a full-scale deployment by January 2024, but he expressed that it might even be sooner, possibly by September, indicating the urgency to revolutionize the student experience. Overall, LPUs partnership with Anthology promises to be a game-changer in the realm of student engagement and educational experiences for the university. Automating award evaluations and providing a streamlined platform for student activities, not only encourages students to be more active on campus, but it also creates synergy among the institutions administrative teams and students. With the prospect of full deployment just around the corner, the university is poised to take a giant leap forward in its pursuit of academic excellence and student success. As LPU embraces the future of education, other institutions may also find inspiration to explore similar partnerships and transform their educational ecosystems for the better. Gokongwei Groups Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC) continues with its aggressive digitalization thrust by migrating 63% of its workload to Microsoft Azure with the help of its strategic partner, ePLDT, the ICT subsidiary of PLDT. The migration to the Cloud is aligned with the Gokongwei Groups goal of becoming the first truly digital conglomerate in the Philippines. In the Photo: Frederick D. Go, President & CEO at Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC), Alfredo S. Panlilio, Chairman of ePLDT & President and CEO at PLDT and Smart, and Victor S. Genuino, President & CEO at ePLDT, lead the contract signing ceremony. They are also joined (L-R) by Mitch L. Locsin, First Vice President and Head of Enterprise and International Business Groups at PLDT and Smart, Faraday D. Go - EVP & Business Unit General Manager at RLC, and Eric Nacional, Information Technology Head and Chief Information Officer at RLC. RLC, whose operations span from lifestyle centers, offices, residences, hotels, destination estates and industrial facilities, is the first entity within the Gokongwei Group to migrate on-premise IT infrastructure to the cloud without business interruption because of its impactful design strategy implementation of cloud agnostic architecture. This step is seen to enhance overall customer service, improve business efficiency and security as well as optimize costs. We are continuously identifying opportunities to innovate so we can provide better services to both our internal and external customers. The adoption of Microsoft Azure, through our collaborative partnership with ePLDT, equips us with the infrastructure and expertise to accelerate our digital transformation, expressed Frederick D. Go, President and CEO at RLC. This partnership also forms part of PLDT Groups vision to support the Philippines digitalization goals by working closely with local enterprises such as RLC. PLDT is fully committed to advancing the digitalization of enterprises in the Philippines. As a trusted business solutions partner, we stand ready to enable and support the needs of enterprises through our end-to-end connectivity and tech solutions across all industries, such as real estate, said Alfredo S. Panlilio, PLDT & Smart President and CEO and ePLDT Chairman. By deploying Microsoft Azure as RLCs primary cloud platform, ePLDT was also able to help the real estate company reduce IT costs by eliminating the need for hardware and software technology refreshes. RLC can also take advantage of robust uptime for critical operations and instantaneous maintenance updates which could further contribute to higher business productivity. We are pleased to scale up our partnership with RLC as they take greater strides in their corporate-wide digital transformation efforts. Through ePLDTs multi-cloud solutions, we are confident that RLC will be able to deliver enhanced services and cater to their customers' real estate needs more effectively than ever before, said Victor S. Genuino, President and CEO at ePLDT. A secure cloud migration As part of ePLDTs commitment to providing a secure migration, it has also fortified RLCs security posture by implementing Palo Alto Networks firewall and backup solutions. In addition, training and workshops were also provided to RLC employees to sustain a successful and secure cloud journey. RLCs Information Technology Head and Chief Information Officer, Eric Nacional, also stated that their IT team commended the collaboration extended by ePLDT. He shared that the ePLDT team played a pivotal role in ensuring a seamless migration within the timeline, all while maintaining top-notch security measures. This allowed RLC to achieve critical success factors with zero downtime. Looking ahead, RLC also expressed its intentions to invest heavily in AI solutions in the coming years to better manage customer data, enhance customer services and support, and streamline business processes. Providing solutions that empower partners like RLC to remain at the forefront of their industries and streamline operations is at the heart of our long-term commitment to them. As their trusted allies, PLDT Enterprise and ePLDT will continue our mission to foster their success in real estate. By fulfilling their digitalization needs and fueling their drive for innovation, we're propelling their visions further into the realm of possibility, added Mitch L. Locsin, First Vice President and Head of Enterprise and International Business Groups at PLDT and Smart. For more on ePLDTs multi-cloud solutions, visit www.epldt.com. Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday (8 August) following a drawn-out trial over the shooting of fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Lanez (whose legal name is Daystar Peterson), 31, has been in jail since 23 December after a jury convicted him of first-degree assault, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence and having a concealed and unregistered firearm in a vehicle. Megan (real name Megan Pete), 28, testified during the trial that Lanez had fired a gun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding in the summer of 2020. The pair had left a party at Kylie Jenners Hollywood Hills home. Ahead of his sentencing, Lanez asked Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford not to send him to prison, saying he still cares about Megan, calling her someone I still care for dearly to this day. We both lost our mothers. We would sit there and drink, and drink until we got numb, he said of his relationship with the WAP artist. Matthew Barhoma, a member of Lanezs legal team, said they will be filing appeals for both the sentence and conviction. In a statement read in court on Megans behalf on Monday, the artist said she struggled with whether to attend in person, and her absence should be seen as her preserving her mental well-being. She reportedly said since Lanez shot her, Ive not experienced a single day of peace. He lied to anyone that would listen, Megan said of Lanez. Court reporter Meghann Cuniff reported: Megan said mercy is for people who show remorse, and Lanez has shown none. She thanked the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office for their support. She wants the sentence to be a message for everyone woman of violence. Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Megan Thee Stallion and Tory Lanez (Getty Images) I commend Megan Pete for her incredible bravery and vulnerability as she underwent months of probing investigation and court appearances where she had to relive her trauma, and the public scrutiny that followed, said Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon after the sentence was delivered. During the court hearing, Judge Herriford summarised more than 70 letters of support for Lanez, including one from Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. Los Angeles prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum that along with the crimes for which he was convicted, Lanez has re-traumatized Megan with social media posts about the case that emboldened many among his more than 2 million followers to attack her. Judge Herriford denied a motion from Lanez defense attorneys for a new trial on 9 May. Lanezs lawyers had argued that a post from his Instagram account was improperly admitted into evidence. They said that Megans testimony that Lanez urged her not to go to police because he was on parole and would be in serious trouble was both untrue and an improper allowance of prior bad acts. And they said DNA evidence that prosecutors used to argue Lanez was the likely shooter fell well short of industry standards. Tory Lanez (2018 Invision) The day after Megan named him as the shooter, Lanez released his Daystar album with a track featuring lyrics that appeared to be aimed at Megan: How the f--- you get shot in your foot / dont hit no bones or tendons. Once arrested, he posted bail at $190,000 and was ordered to surrender all weapons and not contact Megan. He pleaded not guilty in November 2020 but violated the protective order after appearing with rapper DaBaby during a Rolling Loud Miami festival set in July 2021, moments after Megan got off stage. His bail was increased to $250,000. In April 2022, he was briefly jailed for sending tweets that appeared to target her, increasing his bail to $350,000. And in October 2022, Lanez was placed on house arrest until the case went to trial after allegedly attacking another musician, August Alsina, at a concert, violating his bail. Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major-label albums. Megan Thee Stallion, now 28, was already a major rising star at the time of the shooting, and her prominence has surged since. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and has had No. 1 singles with Savage, featuring Beyonce, and as a guest with Cardi B on WAP. The allegations and subsequent charges against Lanez unleashed several waves of misinformation and online vitriol aimed at Megan, prompting conversations about misogynoir a specific form of misogyny experienced by Black women. In April, Megan spoke for the final time about being shot by Peterson and the public reaction to the shooting. Explaining that she saw herself as a survivor, because I have truly survived the unimaginable rather than a victim, Megan said that shed had to face her trauma being turned into a running joke. I understand the public intrigue, but for the sake of my mental health, I dont plan to keep reliving the most traumatic experience of my life over and over again. Im choosing to change the narrative because Im more than just my trauma, she said. Additional reporting by the Associated Press 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 great grandson of Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi was detained in Mumbai on Wednesday as he left his residence to commemorate an iconic feat of Indias freedom movement against colonial British rule. Tushar Gandhi, the fourth generation of the revered Indian leaders family, was headed to August Kranti Maidan to mark the do or die call of his great grandfather against the British rulers in 1942 when he was detained by the state police. Last night, Mumbai police realised that our event commemorating the freedom movement is a danger to law and order so they issued prohibitory orders. In the morning, I stepped out around 7 to go for the march but there was a police officer waiting outside my home who stopped me from going any further, Mr Gandhi told The Independent in a phone call. A contingent of about 20 police officials was deployed outside his house to prevent him from leaving. The Mumbai police official told Mr Gandhi that he was not allowed to leave the premises. So I told him that if he wants to stop me, he will have to arrest me to which he said that he will not arrest me but if I try to go, he will arrest me, he said. I told him, consider I am trying to go, Mr Gandhi said. The Mumbai police official then detained him and took him to the Santa Cruz police station in a police van, he said. While the 60-year-old civil rights activist and author was not arrested and charged with anything, he was detained till the function of Maharashtra state government which is backed partially by prime minister Narendra Modis ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the vicinity was over. His detention comes on the same day Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi were arrested in 1942 over the Quit India movement, launched to seek an orderly British exit from the country, just five years before it succeeded in seeking full independence. I thanked the police for bestowing the honour of detaining me on the same day both my great grandparents were arrested by the colonial British police, he told The Independent. Mr Gandhi was on his way to organise the protest titled as Shanti March [Peace March] against violent incidents happening across the country, including the near-civil war like situation in Manipur and violence in northern Indias Haryana termed as ethnic cleansing by the Punjab and Haryana high court. The situation in India today, he said, is very similar to what its freedom fighters fought against. It is eerily similar to what India was undergoing back then. A lot of our civil liberties are being curbed under the guise of democracy. Oppression has become a way of functioning of governments. They [current administration] use bulldozers to circumvent the machinery of justice, Mr Gandhi said, referring to the recent incidents of bulldozing of houses of minorities in Indian states. We would have also expressed our concerns about Manipur and Haryana as the march had an added message of Hate quit India and lets come together with love. It is a matter of great concern, we were determined to speak about it, the Indian author added. The protests were scheduled to be held at August Kranti Maidan where Mahatma Gandhi gave his Quit India speech on 8 August in 1942. They [state government] are terrified by the possibility of the spirit of 1942 being rekindled in civil society. And so their reaction to our event today. There were not even more than 50 people who were planning to gather, he said. He said that while the Indian prime minister has very cleverly tried to rebrand the Quit India movement anniversary by claiming his administration is targeting corruption and dynasty. But this is not in line with the values of Indias freedom fighters. There is no similarity at all except one similarity with the British colonial administration which was against freedom fighters. 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 presence of a 90-year-old former prime minister in Indias parliament has become the latest flashpoint between two of the countrys main political parties. Manmohan Singh, who has had a stellar record of parliamentary attendance in the recent past, was taken to parliament in a wheelchair on Monday to vote on a crucial bill over the administrative control of capital New Delhi. The showing up of the geriatric politician, current PM Narendra Modis predecessor for a decade, was dubbed shameful by several lawmakers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The member of the opposition Congress party, widely praised for heralding economic reforms in India when he was the finance minister in the 1990s, was obeying a strict whip issued by his party to be present in the upper house Rajya Sabha without fail to support to party stand. Indian leaders were set to debate and pass a bill under which the federal government will get to control Delhis administrative affairs and dictate its functions, terms and employment conditions and services of officers and employees. The bill would render the existing state administration of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has kept the Hindu-ruling of Mr Modi out of power in Delhi for a decade, without any critical authority in the national capital. In a quest to take on Mr Modi in next years national elections, more than two dozen opposition parties like the Congress and AAP have come together to form a grand coalition. Marking the show of solidarity, Dr Singh reached parliament, even though the bill was cleared with 131 votes in its favour and 102 against it. The BJP, which has routinely taken shots at the noted economist and academician, jumped to defend Dr Singhs presence this time. It blamed the Congress for keeping the former prime minister on a wheelchair late at night. The nation will not forget this display of madness by Congress! Even in the midst of a critical health situation, the party chose to have a former Prime Minister seated in a wheelchair in the Parliament late into the night, all for the sake of preserving their ill-founded alliance, the BJP said on its social media account, sharing a photo of Dr Singh inside the parliament. File photo from 2020 shows Manmohan Singh with his then British counterpart David Cameron (PA) The Congress hit back, saying the lawmakers presence was a testament to his faith and dedication towards the Indian Constitution. The dedication towards democracy displayed by Dr Manmohan Singh is a testament to his unwavering faith in the Constitution of our nation. Even if the BJP has chosen to abandon the values of their elders, those elders remain a source of inspiration and courage for us, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said. The Congress has repeatedly criticised Mr Modi for not attending the parliamentary proceedings in the ongoing session and avoiding debates about current sectarian violence ongoing in the countrys Manipur state. Perhaps its time for your leaders to learn from their wisdom, rather than deserting their principles, Ms Shrinate said. Dr Singhs track record in parliament shows his attendance at 77 per cent, just 2 per cent less than the national average, according to Indian non-profit PRS Legislative, that tracks lawmakers performance in both houses. Between 2014-19, Dr Singh maintained a steady 90 to 100 per cent presence in most parliamentary sessions but, with a decline in his health and old-age issues, his attendance has diminished after early 2021. In October 2021, he was admitted to the countrys top hospital AIIMS over complaints of weakness and exhaustion. His presence in parliament, which many on social media have praised as braving old age issues, was also cheered on by the AAP, which had been vocal against the Congress in the past. Your presence by our side, despite the constraints imposed by your age and ailing health, conveyed a storm of calm, grace and conviction to preserve Indias democracy and federal structure against all odds, said Delhis chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday in a special letter penned to Dr Singh. He added: Your sheer presence in the Rajya Sabha also sent a loud and clear message to all those forces working to weaken Indian democracy that any such attempts will be met with fierce resistance by political leaders cutting across age and party lines. Raghav Chadha, an AAP member, thanked the noted bureaucrat for being a beacon of integrity. Many on social media also lauded Dr Singh and repeated his final words when his stint as prime minister ended, in which he said history will be kind to me. As of now, the last prime minister of India, that did more work, less ads, took more trolls and yet had the guts to engage in a dialogue. Proud of you Dr Manmohan Singh. History will be kind to you! said one user on social media. ? Reafirmamos nuestro compromiso de trabajo con los pueblos indigenas del pais! ???? Sigamos trabajando juntos fomentando su conservacion y cuidado. #ConPunchePeru pic.twitter.com/s1PbUygm53 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 }} Workers at a Ministry of Defence missile depot have voted to escalate strike action in a dispute over pay. GMB Scotland members at the munitions complex in Beith, North Ayrshire, which supplies missiles to Ukraine, will walk out for two weeks from August 21. The union warned the strike at the complex, which is run by Defence, Equipment & Support, will disrupt shipments. However the Ministry of Defence said the walkout will have no effect on our ability to provide capability to Ukraine. Our members are doing important and responsible jobs and simply want that work to be fairly recognised Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland The forthcoming action comes after four days of targeted strikes in recent weeks failed to secure a resolution. The union claims a two-tier culture has developed at the depot and said the pay gap between craft workers who assemble the munitions and non-craft colleagues, who support their work and prepare equipment for transport, has tripled to 18,000. According to the union, extra payments and bonuses have been made to managers and craft workers in recent years but not to non-craft colleagues earning less than 21,000 a year. GMB Scotland secretary Louise Gilmour said: A two-tier culture has been allowed to embed itself in this workplace and risks good working relationships now and in the future. Our members are doing important and responsible jobs and simply want that work to be fairly recognised. Instead, they have seen the gap between their salaries and that of their colleagues stretch wider and wider. Everyone brings different skills to their work and that should be recognised, but the role of our members is fundamental to the effective operation of this important site. They are only asking for fairness and the support they have received, from Scotland to Ukraine, shows why they deserve it. A number of MPs have written to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace urging him to intervene and secure resolution to the dispute, while Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian MP, has urged managers to quickly negotiate an end to the row. She said: The work being done by GMB Scotland members at Beith could not be more important to Ukraine as we fight for our freedom. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: These strikes will have no effect on our ability to provide capability to Ukraine. Pre-planned contingency measures are being implemented at Defence Munitions (DM) Beith to ensure the continued safe and compliant operation of the site. We remain open to dialogue with GMB to discuss the issues raised and work towards resolving them. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Wildfires raging out of control in Hawaii have claimed at least 93 lives, displaced thousands of families, knocked out 911 and cell services, forced residents to escape into the ocean, and almost wiped out an entire town, officials say. Several large fires on Maui and the Big Island, partly fuelled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, have destroyed dozens of homes and businesses and completely cut off affected areas. Maui County officials confirmed the dramatic rise in the death toll to 93. The death toll is expected to rise when specialist search and rescue teams begin the grim task of going door-to-door in burned out areas. A thousand people remain missing. Aerial images of the historic western Maui town of Lahaina showed it had been almost completely destroyed. Lieutenant governor Sylvia Luke said the devastation was a tragic moment for the entire state and recovery would take years. Governor Josh Green, who returned to Hawaii on Wednesday night, said in a video statement the state had suffered a terrible disaster. Search and rescue efforts continue across Maui, Big Island and Oahu as several wildfires are still actively burning. What we know about the Maui fires On Maui, the worst affected area is the historic western town of Lahaina, where a dozen residents were rescued by the US Coast Guard at around 10.50pm Tuesday local time after jumping into the ocean to escape the flames and smoke. They were transported to safe areas by a US Coast Goard (USCG) 45-foot rapid response vessel. Most of Lahainas waterfront Front St business district was feared destroyed, according to Hawaii News Now. Dramatic videos posted to social media showed apocalyptic fires sweeping through the town, a tourist and commercial hub that was Hawaiis first capital and is the ancestral home of the Hawaiis indigenous Kanaka Maoli. This photo provided by County of Maui shows fire and smoke filling the sky from wildfires on the intersection at Hokiokio Place and Lahaina Bypass in Maui, Hawaii on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 (Zeke Kalua/County of Maui via AP) The wind gusts had downed power lines and cut out electricity to the area. Traffic in and out of the town was very heavy as residents tried to evacuate on Tuesday, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin told the Associated Press. Maui County closed all roads around Lahaina on Wednesday, and people who werent in an evacuation area were urged to shelter in place. Lahaina Tiare Lawrence told Hawai News Now that people had been forced to run for their lives. Its just so hard. Im currently Upcountry and just knowing I cant get a hold of any of my family members. I still dont know where my little brother is. I dont know where my stepdad is, she told the news site. Hawaii wildfires: Maui and Big Island evacuated as Hurricane Dora winds fuel blazes Everyone I know in Lahaina, their homes have burned down. Lahaina resident Alan Dickar posted footage showing fires sweeping through the business district on Tuesday night. Today was a devastating day in Lahaina, he wrote on Facebook. A lot of homes nearby burned as well. Tomorrow, the sun will rise, and, through the smoke, we will all find our way. A separate fire is threatening the southern coastal town of Kihei. Clint Hansen, of Maui Luxury Real Estate, shared drone footage of the Kihei blaze to show the extent of the destruction. He encouraged others to share pictures to show just how extreme the wildfires had become. Old footage, pictures, anything that explains the severity because people are not understanding how bad this is, Mr Hansen wrote on Facebook. Kihei appears to be doing OK for now but Lahaina is apocalyptic. A third fire raging in the inland mountainous region of Kula is yet to be contained. Dozens of residents were evacuated overnight from the area after brush fires were reported in the Olinda Rd, Aulii Drive and Hanamu Rd areas. People watch as smoke and flames fill the air from raging wildfires on Front Street in downtown Lahaina, Maui on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2023 (Alan Dickar via AP) The American Red Cross has set up emergency shelters at Kihei, Lahaina and Pukalani. More than 4,000 people were being housed across four emergency shelters on Wednesday evening, state officials said. Some shelters have been overrun , acting governor Sylvia Luke told reporters. The County of Maui said at least 100 firefighters were tackling the separate blazes. More then 20 people have been injured, including a firefighter who was hosptalised for smoke inhalation while battling fires in West Maui fire. Wildfires are raging in three areas on the Hawaiian island of Maui (Google Maps) At Mauis Kahului Airport, 1,800 passengers were trapped overnight after dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed, according to the Hawaiian Department of Transportation. Thousands of Maui residents remain without power on Wednesday, and 911 services are out indefinitely in the west of the island. Hawaiis National Guard has been activated and is assisting local emergency services, Hawaiis adjutant general Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara posted on Facebook. Erratic wind, challenging terrain, steep slopes and dropping humidity, are making it difficult to predict path and speed of a wildfire, Maui Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said in a statement. On Big Island, a wildfire has destroyed 1800 acres and is threatening 200 homes around the rural community of Kohala Ranch. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved a disaster declaration to provide assistance, according to a release from the Hawaiian Governors office. What are officials saying? Mr Bissen Jr, the Maui County mayor, said that six fatalities had been confirmed moments before a news conference on Wednesday afternoon. Im sad to report that just before coming on this, it was confirmed weve had six fatalities. We are still in search and rescue mode, he said. The initial death toll rose dramatically late on Wednesday night to 36. Many still remain unaccounted for. Earlier, Hawaii Governor Josh Green, who is cutting a vacation short to return to the fire-stricken state, said in a statement: Heroic efforts by first responders have prevented many casualties from occurring, but some loss of life is expected. We have suffered a terrible disaster in the form of a wildfire that has spread widely as a result of hurricane-force winds in the region and underlying drought conditions. Maui and the Big Island both experienced significant fires. Much of Lahaina on Maui has been destroyed and hundreds of local families have been displaced. He is expecting to make a formal request for federal assistance in the next few days. Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke, who is acting governor in Josh Greens absence, told CNN that the state was facing an unprecedented natural disaster and called on the White House to declare a federal emergency to provide immediate support. Maui hospitals have been overwhelmed with people suffering from burns and smoke inhalation, Ms Luke told CNN. We are already in communication with other hospital systems about relieving the burden the reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support because Maui hospital cannot do extensive burn treatment, she told the network. In addition to dealing with disaster, were dealing with major transportation issues as well. Satellite phones were the only way to contact the stricken town, she said. Its impeding communication. Its impeding efforts to evacuate residents and we are very concerned about that, Ms Luke told CNN. On Wednesday, the White House said it was directing all available assets from the US Coast Guard, Navy, and Marines to assist in the rescue effort. Were working as quickly as possible to fight those fires and evacuate residents and tourists. In the meantime, our prayers are with the people of Hawaii, but not just our prayers: every asset that we have will be available to them, President Biden said in remarks at a Veterans Affairs medical center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hawaiian indigenous leader Kaniela Ing told The Independent in a statement that his heart is breaking at the utter devastation that the wildfires were causing friends and family. The extreme wildfires in Lahania, in this summer of climate disasters, are yet more proof that we are in a climate emergency and this crisis is killing us, Mr Ing, the National Director of the Green New Deal Network, added. Former president Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii, wrote: Its tough to see some of the images coming out of Hawaii a place thats so special to so many of us. Michelle and I are thinking of everyone who has lost a loved one, or whose life has been turned upside down. He encouraged people to donate to the Hawaii Community Foundations Maui Strong Fund. What is causing the fires? The wildfires were whipped up by Hurricane Dora, a category 4 storm passing about 500 miles (804 kms) south of the Pacific Ocean archipelago, and a strong high pressure system to the north, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. "These strong winds coupled with low humidity levels are producing dangerous fire weather conditions that will last through Wednesday afternoon," the NWS said. Between Monday and Wednesday, wind gusts as high as 67mph were recorded in Maui, according to the NWS . West and southern areas of Maui were already in severe drought conditions, according to the US Drought Monitor. The climate crisis has created warmer, dryer conditions that are increasing the risk and extent of wildfires across the western United States, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Conditions. Wildfires have wrought havoc for years across the North American continent, especially in the US Southwest and Canada. But blazes of this magnitude have rarely, if ever, been seen in Hawaii. Josh Marcus contributed reporting to this story. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Hospitals on the Hawaiian island of Maui are overwhelmed with burn victims from raging wildfires that have downed the islands 911 and cellphone services, acting governor Sylvia Luke says. Ms Luke told CNN that the state was facing an unprecedented natural disaster and called on the White House to declare a federal emergency to provide immediate support. While the exact number of injuries is unclear, the acting governor said the Maui Memorial Medical Center had been overrun and lacked a specialist burn unit to treat survivors. We are already in communication with other hospital systems about relieving the burden the reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support because Maui Hospital cannot do extensive burn treatment, Ms Luke told CNN. The wildfires fuelled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora had also knocked out 911 and cell phone services, cutting off communication with the worst affected areas, Ms Luke said. Officials in Maui County had been unable to reach the western town of Lahaina, where a dozen residents were rescued by the US Coast Guard at around 10.50pm Tuesday local time after jumping into the ocean to escape the flames and smoke. Several stores and apartments along Lahainas historic waterfront Front St business district had been destroyed, according to Hawaii News Now. Satellite phones were the only way to contact the stricken town, she said. Its impeding communication. Its impeding efforts to evacuate residents and we are very concerned about that, Ms Luke told CNN. No deaths have been reported, but a firefighter who was battling the West Maui fire is in hospital in a stable condition after suffering smoke inhalation, according to officials. The lieutenant governor has issued an emergency proclamation to provide relief to devastated areas of Maui and Hawaii counties. Three large fires are blazing on Wednesday around Lahaina, the first capital of Hawaii, at the popular tourist resort area of Kihei, and in the inland mountainous region of Kula. Evacuation orders have been issued across southern Maui and on Big Island, where a wildfire has destroyed 1,800 acres of land. Apocalyptic drone video was posted to social media by Clint Hansen, of Maui Luxury Real Estate, who encouraged other local residents to share images to show the extent of the damage and dangers. Old footage, pictures, anything that explains the severity because people are not understanding how bad this is, Mr Hansen wrote on Facebook. Kihei appears to be doing OK for now but Lahaina is apocalyptic. Hawaiis National Guard has been activated and is assisting local emergency services, Hawaii's adjutant general Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara posted on Facebook. Erratic wind, challenging terrain, steep slopes and dropping humidity, are making it difficult to predict path and speed of a wildfire, Maui Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said in a statement. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The US Coast Guard has rescued 12 people who jumped into the ocean to escape flames and smoke from one of several wildfires burning out of control across Hawaii, officials say. Evacuations are underway across multiple Hawaiian islands after wildfires fuelled by 70mph (112kms) wind gusts from Hurricane Dora destroyed buildings, cut off power to 15,000 residents and burned through thousands of acres. A dozen residents were pulled from the water off the coast of Lahaina, on Maui, after entering the ocean due to smoke and fire conditions, according to a Maui County emergency alert. They were transported to safe areas by a US Coast Goard (USCG) 45-foot rapid response vessel. Dramatic footage posted to social media showed apocalyptic fires sweeping through apartments and shops along the Lahaina waterfront. The USCG also sent in an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and the Joseph Gerczak fast response cutter to assist with the rescue effort. Acting Governor Sylvia Luke has issued an emergency proclamation to provide relief to devastated areas of Maui and Hawaii counties. This is what it looked like earlier on Maui. If you've been to my hometown of Lahaina...I fear it is no longer. I dread what it will look like in the morning. An apocalyptic scene is unfolding due to the fires raging across my island. Please pray for us. pic.twitter.com/88V2kjjpyV HawaiiDelilah (@HawaiiDelilah) August 9, 2023 On Maui, three large fires are raging around Lahaina, the first capital of Hawaii, at a popular tourist resort area near Kihei Kalama Village, and in the inland mountainous region of Kula. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen told the Associated Press that about 80 people were evacuated from 40 homes around Kula. No deaths have been reported, but a firefighter who was battling the West Maui fire was taken to hospital after suffering smoke inhalation, according to officials. He is in stable condition. A large fire burning on the northern side of Big Island has destroyed about 1800 acres of land, and is not yet contained, according to officials. The extent of the damage is not yet known. Efforts to control several wildfires on Maui have been hampered by erratic winds from Hurricane Dora (The Maui News) Strong winds forced firefighting helicopters to be grounded for safety precautions overnight on Tuesday, and continue to play havoc with rescue efforts. Maui Fire officials have warned that erratic wind, challenging terrain, steep slopes and dropping humidity, are making it difficult to predict path and speed of a wildfire. The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house, Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said in a statement. The American Red Cross has set up emergency shelters at Maui High School, Kihei, Lahaina and Pukalani. The climate crisis has created warmer, dryer conditions that are increasing the risk and extent of wildfires across the western United States, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Conditions. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} At least six people have died in wildfires raging on the Hawaiian island of Maui, according to mayor Richard Bissen Jr. Several others are unaccounted for while hospitals on Maui are overwhelmed by burn and smoke inhalation victims, officials said, and at least six people are recorded as injured. Mr Bissen Jr said the fatalities had been confirmed moments before a news conference on Wednesday. Im sad to report that just before coming on this, it was confirmed weve had six fatalities. We are still in a search and rescue mode. Wildfires whipped up by strong winds from Hurricane Dora have destroyed homes, knocked out 911 and cell services, and forced residents to flee into the ocean. Search and rescue teams are struggling to reach parts of Maui cut off by three out-of-control blazes. Earlier, Governor Josh Brown, who is expected to return to Hawaii on Wednesday night, said in a statement he was anticipating fatalities on Maui. Heroic efforts by first responders have prevented many casualties from occurring, but some loss of life is expected, Mr Brown said. An aerial view of a wildfire in Kihei, Maui County, Hawaii (Clint Hansen of Maui Real Estate Radio/TMX via REUTERS) Thousands of people were evacuated from Maui and the Big Island after wildfires destroyed buildings, cut off power to 15,000 residents and burned through thousands of acres. More than 2,100 people were housed across four emergency shelters on Wednesday evening, state officials said. Some shelters have been overrun with tourists, acting governor Sylvia Luke told reporters. A dozen residents of Lahaina were rescued by the US Coast Guard on Tuesday night after throwing themselves into the ocean to escape a blaze that has destroyed large parts of the historic town. Another fire is threatening buildings in the southern coastal town of Kihei, and a third fire raging in the inland mountainous region of Kula is yet to be contained. Ms Luke told CNN that the state was facing an unprecedented natural disaster and called on the White House to declare a federal emergency to provide immediate support. We are already in communication with other hospital systems about relieving the burden the reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support because Maui Hospital cannot do extensive burn treatment, Ms Luke told CNN on Wednesday morning. The White House hasnt yet declared a federal disaster, but said on Wednesday it was directing all available assets from the US Coast Guard, Navy, and Marines to assist in the rescue effort. Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones in the wildfires in Maui, and our prayers are with those who have seen their homes, businesses, and communities destroyed," President Biden said in a statement Wednesday. "We are grateful to the brave firefighters and first responders who continue to run toward danger, putting themselves in harms way to save lives. The fires may now surpass the devastation of 1992s Hurricane Iniki, which killed six people and caused $3.1bn in damage. Between Monday and Wednesday, wind gusts as high as 67mph were recorded in Maui, according to the National Weather Service. Josh Marcus contributed reporting to this story. 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 }} People are coming to a womans defence after she claimed that she was told not to breastfeed on a plane because it would make other travellers uncomfortable. Chelsea Williams took to Facebook on 7 August to describe what she says was her experience with TUI Airways, a British airline owned by the TUI Group. She claimed that while she was in her seat during a recent flight and breastfeeding her child, one of the planes crew members told her to stop. During our outbound flight I was told I was not allowed to breastfeed (even though we were both buckled) during takeoff and landing, she wrote. I have never had this with other airlines, in fact, it is encouraged to help with baby ear pain! She then claimed that, after the experience, she was encouraged to reach out to TUI about its travelling regulations. Before my inbound flight, I thought Id check what the official rules were as I was shocked it wasnt allowed as it left my baby screaming as a consequence, she wrote. Williams post went on to include the message that her husband, Thomas, sent to TUI, asking if his partner could breastfeed their five-week-old baby while their plane is taking off and landing. According to the screenshot of the message, TUI then responded by encouraging Thomas wife to avoid breastfeeding on the plane, for the sake of other passengers. There are no official restrictions, however, we would not recommend it because it could make other people uncomfortable, the message read. Williams also added that the response from TUI was complete discrimination and majorly disappointing. Speaking to The Independent, Williams said that while on her first flight with TUI, the airline employee tried to disguise the airlines discrimination with the guise of a safety issue but later retracted that. The cabin crew member said: Youll need to stop feeding as it is not permitted on takeoff and landing, she explained. She then said my five-week old had to forward face, I said that she doesnt have sufficient neck support at that age, which was answered with: Maybe you could just sit her against you facing forward and lean back a bit. She also specified that, despite what TUI had allegedly told her husband in its message, she was able to breastfeed her daughter on her flight back home. Her Facebook post has since gone viral, with more than 1,200 reactions. In the comments, many people have gone on to defend Williams while criticising TUI for its damaging message about mothers breastfeeding in public. Oh TUI - its damaging comments like this that can deter women from breastfeeding or breastfeeding in public, one person wrote. Whats so offensive about feeding a baby and if people are uncomfortable about a baby feeding in the most natural way by milk that is designed for HUMANS then that is their issue not hers or her babys fault. If other people are allowed to eat and drink in public then why is breastfeeding our children not allowed. What a disgusting response!!! another added. To all the breastfeeding moms out there, keep going. Weve got this. Screw what other people say and think. Just smile at them and carry on, that will make them uncomfortable! This is absolutely disgraceful!! a third wrote. I am flying with TUI next month and have every intention of breastfeeding during take off and landing whether anyone feels uncomfortable or not! TUI has since responded to the comments on Williams post, with the company stating that it is aware of the situation and are conducting an internal investigation. TUI also added that breastfeeding is permitted on its flights, while the company advises against it during takeoff and landing for safety reasons. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mothers are encouraged to breastfeed their children during takeoff and landing when travelling by airplane, as this will help to protect your child from ear pain due to cabin pressure changes. The health agency also encourages mothers to feed their children on demand, noting that the best way for them to maintain [their] milk supply is to breastfeed whenever [their] baby is hungry. Speaking to Metro, Williams opened up about the breastfeeding incident during her first TUI Airways flight, which was from England to Spain. She said that after she stopped breastfeeding, after the airline employee had asked her to do so, her baby was obviously crying. Quite drastically because I had cut her feed while she was in the middle of it - and the toddler was crying, she added, referring to her two-year-old child. I was sweating, I was on the verge of tears. I felt like everyones eyes were on us because obviously the baby was screaming and I obviously looked not great at that moment. The babys cries were getting worse she was obviously in pain, she was obviously hungry as well. Williams said that she waited until the seatbelt lights went off to start feeding her baby again. In a statement toThe Independent, TUI said: We are really sorry for the distress caused to Ms Williams and her infant. As a family friendly travel company we support breastfeeding on our flights at any time. We will be making sure that all colleagues are retrained on our breastfeeding friendly policy. Williams told The Independent that she had a call with TUI and talked to the company about some of the changes she hopes to see implemented. They did sound receptive to some of the points raised, I will continue to push them to ensure these changes are made, she said. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Kings Guard in London is being applauded for acknowledging a young boy who wore a replica uniform during a visit to St Jamess Palace in London. The boy named Frank, who goes by the username @frankthesolider1 on TikTok, is known for showcasing his own version of the uniform, complete with the red jacket and bearskin hats that are usually worn by the guards standing outside of St James Palace and Buckingham Palace. In a viral video from last week, Frank is seen standing to attention outside a gate near St James Palace, as the guards walk past holding musical instruments. Although not all of the guards appeared to pay attention to him, following strict protocol, one in the very back of the procession silently gave the little boy a nod as he would to a fellow soldier, which Frank reciprocated. The soldiers are famous for maintaining their professionalism, no matter the scenario, as part of their training and protocol. The guards can even be landed with a fine for laughing or smiling, and have to work through all weather conditions. Another one of the soldiers shared a verbal greeting with Frank, with the video capturing the moment the guard said: Morning young man. The TikTok ended once the guards had walked out of the frame, at which point Frank could be seen standing in disbelief before sharing a thumbs up with his father, who films all of his videos. The video has since been viewed more than five million times. People in the comments section were quick to praise the Kings Guard for breaking protocol to make the little boys day. I love how they acknowledged him, including the Kings Guard the other day, one comment read. Theyve all been that little lad at one point, another one wrote. That last nod brought tears to my eyes, a third viewer said. This isnt the first time the soldiers have performed a heartwarming gesture. In July, another member of the Kings Guard was applauded for taking an unexpected step toward a young man with Down Syndrome to help him take a better picture. In the video posted on TikTok, an unnamed member of the Household Calvarys Blues and Royals regiment helped Ibrahim and his friend Mike van Erp capture an improved photo by taking one step closer to them, Forces Network reported. "[Ibrahim] was nervous around the guard, probably because I was being careful to give the soldier space and because the guard has such emphatic body language, van Erp said. The gesture has also amassed more than five million views on TikTok and was seen by Major Steve Parker, an official at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst where both Prince Harry and Prince William went. I am proud to be a member of @HCav1660 (Blues and Royals) every single day but seeing this young Trooper do this has me bursting with Pride. Well done young man, you are a fantastic example of the empathetic, strong young leaders we need in the @BritishArmy, Parker tweeted after seeing the video. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Prince Harrys page on the royal familys website has been updated to remove the title His Royal Highness. Until recently, the Duke of Sussex was still being referred to by his HRH title in his bio on the royal familys website. However, the current version of the page does not include any HRH references, instead referring to the royal either as the duke or the Duke of Sussex. In June, a section of the site that detailed Harrys work to raise awareness around HIV/AIDS in 2016, previously read: In 2016, His Royal Highness underwent a public HIV test at Guys and St Thomas Hospital to raise awareness and promote how easy it is to get tested, as part of his on-going efforts to eradicate stigmas associated with HIV/AIDS. At present, the site reads: In 2016, The Duke underwent a public HIV test at Guys and St Thomas Hospital to raise awareness... The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace and representatives of the Sussexes for comment. In a statement to Express, the Palace said: The Royal Family website contains over five thousand pages of information about the life and work of the Royal Family. Following the death of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, content has been revisited and updated periodically. Some content may be out of date until this process is complete. The update to the royal familys website comes after Prince Harry and Meghan announced their intention to step back from their roles as senior royals in January 2020. Shortly after their decision, it was announced by Buckingham Palace that the Sussexes would no longer use their HRH titles. The official statement, issued by the Palace on 18 January 2020, read: The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the royal family. In September 2022, profiles for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were moved to the bottom of the royal familys website. When the couple announced their decision to step back from their royal roles, the Duke of Sussex expressed his desire to be called Just Harry. Prince Harrys HRH title has been removed from the Royal Family website (Getty Images) Although Harry no longer uses his HRH title, he has retained his place as fifth in the line of succession to the throne. Harry currently sits behind his brother Prince William and the Prince and Princess of Wales three children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five. Behind Harry in line for the throne are his and Meghans children: Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two. Although the pair chose to step away from royal life and relocate to California, their two children had title changes once King Charles ascended the throne. Previously on the royal website, visitors would see Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor. However, the references were updated in March to reflect their titles as prince and princess. The titles were delayed due to a precedent originally set by King George V when he issued a Letters Patent in 1917. This restricts the titles of prince and princess to only male line grandchildren of the sovereign. Because the two were born during Queen Elizabeths reign, they were not given the titles. This changed once King Charles ascended the throne and they then became the grandchildren of the current monarch. The childrens titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told People at the time. This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace. The website was also recently altered to reflect the current titles of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Prior to the change, the couple was referred to as the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, the titles they held prior to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, according to the outlet. Similarly, references to Prince William and Kate as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been updated to reflect the couples titles as the Prince and Princess of Wales. 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 }} After Ukrainian TikTokker Kristina Dobrach re-uploaded a video exposing a wedding guest committing the faux-pas of wearing white at a wedding, the clip quickly went viral. Within two days, the video raked in a reported 20 million views on the app. On 4 July, Dobrach attended a wedding in Malibu, California, and while filming the bride walking down the aisle, she noticed a guest donning a white, satin ensemble with puffy sleeves that looked like a legit wedding dress. Dobrach, who has known the bride for 8-9 years, was shocked. Dobrach provided context for the wedding saying that in the wedding invite, guests were suggested to wear earthy colours to match the weddings forest fairy vibe. Clearly, the guest in question did not get the memo. In a follow-up video, the TikTokker explained that she wasnt the only person taken aback by the guests attire, stating : The bride was extremely upset because she saw this lady wearing a gown even before her official walk to the altar. The guests white dress caused confusion among other guests, Dobrach alleged that even some of the event staff were puzzled, explaining that one staff member approached her and her fiance asking if the guest in the white dress was a bride. Although there were two other guests wearing white dresses at the wedding, Dobrach argued that because one of them was the grooms mom and the other was a bandage dress, they didnt take away from the bride. But because the cut and material of the guests dress were too wedding-like and caused her to be mistaken as the bride, Dobrach and other guests construed it as disrespectful, even if the guest might not have intended it as such. Its commonly considered to be an unspoken rule not to outshine the bride, and according to Dobrach, the guest in question did just that. But thats not all, because the guest was an alleged friend of the grooms and people didnt want to ruin the vibe of the wedding, so no one informed the guest. The guest ultimately remained oblivious. The whole situation changed once the groom was made aware of Dobrachs viral video, and to say he wasnt happy about it was an understatement: he was livid. The groom sent me three voice messages with direct threats, Dobrach revealed. Like, absolutely disgusting, nasty messages. The guest, later revealed to be Ukrainian artist Lana Kaufman, defended herself in a TikTok saying that she had picked white from 4 dress code colors. Kaufman would continue to make several videos addressing the situation, but many viewers continued to comment that the problem wasnt that she wore white to the wedding, it was the fact that she wore a white bridal-style dress. Unlike Kaufmans comment section, the comments below Dobrachs video were split, some defended Kaufman, while others believed she should have known better. Honestly it doesnt even outshine the bride, one viewer argued. It looks like a regular two-piece set. Not a big deal. While another pointed out that even if the guest had read the vibe wrong, the satin material of the dress screamed wedding gown. 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 }} The occupants of a car which crashed killing three people had been drinking and inhaling laughing gas before the incident, a friend told police. Driver Rafel Jeanne, 24, and passengers Darcy Ross, 21, and Eve Smith, 21, died in the crash, while the two remaining passengers, Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were injured but survived. The accident happened on the A48(M) near the St Mellons area of Cardiff at 2.03am on Saturday 4 March this year when a Volkswagen Tiguan veered off a slip road approaching a roundabout and came to rest in a small copse of trees. The five were discovered on Monday 6 March, around 46 hours after the crash happened. The length of time taken by Gwent Police and South Wales Police to find the group, who were reported missing by family members, is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The group had been on a night out at The Muffler social club in Maesglas, Newport, on 3 March and then travelled in the Volkswagen Tiguan just under 40 miles to the Trecco Bay Caravan Park in Porthcawl, where they are said to have spent some time in one of the caravans on site. Floral tributes left near the scene in the St Mellons area of Cardiff (PA Wire) A noise complaint was made to the parks security lodge about the group, the PA news agency understands. They left the site a short time later and were last seen at about 2am in the Pentwyn area of Cardiff, dropping off a sixth member of their group. Court papers reveal that the group had been drinking alcohol and inhaling nitrous oxide also known as laughing gas prior to the collision. The details emerged in a behind-closed-doors hearing at Cardiff Magistrates Court for Joel Lia, the sixth member of the group, who had been driving the Volkswagen Tiguan an hour before the crash. Lia, 28, of Rumney, Cardiff, was charged with driving without a licence or insurance in Porthcawl. His case is being dealt with under a system known as the single justice procedure, where magistrates handle non-custodial criminal prosecutions in private rather than open court. PA applied to the court for the prosecution documents relating to Lias case. The scene of the crash in the St Mellons area of Cardiff (PA Wire) Detective Constable Joanne Mahony took a witness statement from Lia in which he admitted driving the car even though he did not have a licence. During the course of the statement, Joel stated that he had driven along the M4 from Porthcawl to his sisters address in Llanedeyrn at approximately 1am on 4 March, she said. Whilst the interview was not monitored, Lia asked me if anything would happen to him as he knew he did not hold a full UK driving licence and he had admitted driving. In light of this investigation, CCTV inquiries were conducted along the route of the M4 towards Cardiff to capture the vehicle. CCTV from a petrol station in Porthcawl showed the Volkswagen Tiguan pulling on to the forecourt at 1.08am and leaving three minutes later. On stopping at the garage, Joel Lia exits the rear offside of the vehicle and, when the driver exits the drivers seat, Joel Lia then enters the drivers seat. He then drives the vehicle off the forecourt, police documents state. The papers go on to say that DC Mahony, the officer in the case, took a signed statement from Lia in which he admitted driving without holding a full UK licence. All other persons in the vehicle were intoxicated, by Joels admission, as they had been drinking alcohol and inhaling nitrous oxide throughout the course of the evening, the documents state. The vehicle did not display L plates which can be seen on CCTV. The officer in the case has reviewed the CCTV as part of this unrelated case and can positively identify Joel Lia as the person entering the drivers seat. Lia pleaded guilty to both charges and the case was adjourned until August 24. An initial inquest was told that the three who died were declared dead at the scene of the crash. The hearing was adjourned to await the findings of further histology and toxicology tests. ? Presidenta Boluarte destaca acuerdo alcanzado en la IV Reunion de Presidentes de los Estados partes en el Tratado de Cooperacion Amazonica ?? Jefa de Estado tambien se reunio con ministro de Indonesia. ???https://t.co/rScYmXfMWp pic.twitter.com/PgBCr81INT 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 Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has apologised to its thousands of serving officers and civilian staff whose personal and employment data was compromised in a significant data breach. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he is deeply concerned by the data breach, while the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) said its members are appalled. The incident happened when the PSNI responded to a Freedom of Information request seeking the number of officers and staff at all ranks and grades across the organisation. In the published response to this request a table was embedded that contained the rank and grade data, but also included detailed information that attached the surname, initial, the location and the departments for all employees of the PSNI. The data was potentially viewable by the public for between 2.5 to three hours. Addressing the media in Belfast on Tuesday, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd apologised to officers for the unacceptable breach. He said that once it was brought to the PSNIs attention it was taken down quickly, and that early indications were that this was a simple human error. Mr Todd also said there were no immediate security concerns, but they were monitoring the situation. I understand that that will be of considerable concern to many of my colleagues and their families indeed, at the moment, he said. We operate in an environment at the moment where theres a severe threat to our colleagues from Northern Ireland-related terrorism and this is the last thing that anybody in the organisation wants to be hearing this evening. So, I owe it to all my colleagues to make sure that this is investigated thoroughly, and weve initiated that and will keep them informed, keep all the staff associations informed of that investigation, and weve been engaging with them throughout the afternoon. The information was taken down very quickly but, nevertheless, I do appreciate the concern, of course we will seek to find the extent to which that has been viewed. What I would say is that although the error was our own, once that information was out there if anybody did have access to it, I would ask them to delete it straight away. The incident was first reported by the Belfast Telegraph, which reported that it viewed the uploaded material after it was contacted by a relative of a serving officer. Apart from the person who released the information, the PSNI was unaware the information had been released until they saw it on a website, Mr Todd confirmed. He said that despite the data only including surnames and initials, the breach will still be of significant concern to many of my colleagues. We will ensure we do anything we can to mitigate any security risks that are identified. He added: Weve looked into the circumstances, well continue with our investigation, but the very early considerations are that this is simple human error and the people who have been involved in the process have acted in good faith. Weve identified some steps that we can take to ensure that it doesnt happen again. It is regrettable but it is simple human error. Liam Kelly, chairman of the PFNI, said an urgent inquiry is needed into the monumental breach. Even if it was done accidentally, it still represents a data and security breach that should never have happened, he said. Rigorous safeguards ought to have been in place to protect this valuable information which, if in the wrong hands, could do incalculable damage. The men and women I represent are appalled by this breach. They are shocked, dismayed and justifiably angry. Like me, they are demanding action to address this unprecedented disclosure of sensitive information. Politicians have reacted with shock the SDLPs policing spokesman Mark H Durkan called on PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne to make a statement. DUP MLA for South Antrim, Trevor Clarke, a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, said they would look for answers when it meets on Thursday, and pinned some blame on Mr Heaton-Harris. The Secretary of State has presided over a budget, which is the worst that the police have ever had theyve looked to reduce numbers at a time they shouldve been increasing numbers, he told BBC Radio 4s World Tonight. Mr Todd said Mr Byrne is aware of the issue, but would not comment on whether he would return from his summer break to respond. Im the duty officer and Im the senior information risk owner, so I take responsibility for this, he said. A spokesman for the Information Commissioners Office said the PSNI has made us aware of an incident and we are assessing the information provided. 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 }} Tom Daleys Oscar-winning husband Dustin Lance Black was punched in the head after he allegedly grabbed a womans wrist in a London nightclub, a court has heard. Black, who married the Olympic champion diver, 29, in 2017, is charged with assaulting Teddy Edwardes by beating her in Soho on August 18 last year. The American film-maker, 49, was due to stand trial at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Tuesday but the case was adjourned and rescheduled to a later date because of missing evidence. Prosecutor Adrita Ahmed said there was an altercation in a nightclub and that the Crowns case is Black grabbed Ms Edwardes wrist and twisted it, causing a drink to spill on her. She said that as a result Ms Edwardes has retaliated, and was subsequently cautioned by police for going too far in self-defence. The defendant grabbed her wrist and twisted it, and that is what causes the drink to spill, the action, Ms Ahmed said. Black pleaded not guilty to the single charge at a preliminary hearing at the same court in April. Outlining the defence case, Helena Duong, for Black, said: Mr Black described Ms Edwardes effectively shouting at him and being aggressive. Tom Daley and Dustin Black married in 2017 (Getty Images) What the defence would say is in fact what you can see on CCTV is immediately, at the very beginning, Mr Black trying to walk away, I think that much is clear. She turns to him, appears to reach out in a way. She seems to reach out, and then theres an exchange between them in which she continues to be aggressive and shouts at him, and he reacts to that and then she makes a movement, gesticulating, which is what causes Mr Black to reach for the glass. She said Edwardes was later cautioned for punching him in the back of the head afterwards as he left the nightclub, the court heard. CCTV footage played in court showed Mr Daley and Black mingling in the nightclub before the incident unfolded. After watching the video, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring said Blacks alleged offence would fall in the lowest category of the sentencing guidelines if he is convicted, adding: The Crowns case is no more than he grabbed the wrist. Wearing a navy suit, Black gave his address as Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, and his lawyers said he had flown over for the trial. Mr Goldspring was told the tape of Edwardes police interview had been lost and there is no transcript, and a statement has not yet been taken from the officer who conducted her interview. The trial was adjourned and refixed for November 8 at the same court so the prosecution have more time to prepare. 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 woman accused of the shooting and acid murder of her Tinder date told a jury she was too petrified to tell police her new boyfriend was the killer, but went on holiday to Jamaica with him days later. Rachel Fulstow, 37, said the first she knew Liam Smith, 38, had come to harm was when her boyfriend Michael Hillier, 39, turned up at her home after the fatal attack. Mr Smith had been lured from his home, shot in the face then had sulphuric acid poured over him as he lay dying, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard. The father-of-two, an electrician from Wigan, was declared dead at the scene, last November 24. Six days later Fulstow and Hillier, who both deny murder, flew to Jamaica for a two-week break, the court heard. Mr Smiths murder was allegedly prompted by a one-night stand between him and Fulstow, at a York hotel in 2019, which angered her new boyfriend Hillier whom she met more than a year later, the trial has heard. The jury heard Hillier was led to believe the one-night stand, arranged on Tinder, was a non-consensual sexual encounter. Louise Blackwell KC, defending Hillier, said she wanted to examine the fear, love and lies Fulstow had told the jury about in her relationship with Hillier, whom she first met online, in December 2022, on the dating app Hinge. Fulstow told the jury that when she first visited his house on Eccleshall Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, it was a mess, with his dining room and two upstairs rooms containing tents to aid his cannabis production. She denied Hillier paid for everything on nights out, at restaurants and on numerous trips they enjoyed in the UK and internationally. I was too terrified of what he would do. I was the link. I was convinced the police would be at the airport. I was just consumed by fear Rachel Fulstow Ms Blackwell said: You knew he was totally besotted with you. Way over and above what you felt for him? Fulstow replied: Yes, potentially. Fulstow said they had broken up in September 2021 and that Hillier was abusive, she was in fear of him and he had once smashed up her house in Andrew Drive, York. Ms Blackwell then showed the jury a series of photographs from Hilliers Instagram account, which included photos of both defendants, smiling or kissing, on nights and days out, at restaurants, on weekend breaks and holidays. One photo showed them at Heston Blumenthals restaurant in London and others on trips to Brussels and Andorra. Fulstow said: Behind the photos, there was a lot more going on. Fulstow was also shown photos of them on holiday in Jamaica. Ms Blackwell said: According to you, only days earlier you have heard hes done this terrible thing? Did you ever contact police? Fulstow said she went to Jamaica with Hillier but felt horrendous for what he had done. She added: I just wanted to get through the holiday. I just wanted to go home. Ms Blackwell suggested Fulstow was perfectly happy to be with Hillier and take his money. Hillier has admitted manslaughter but denies murder, along with Fulstow. She also denies a single count of perverting the course of justice. The trial was adjourned until Thursday. 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 }} DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson denied suggesting his party was split over the Windsor Framework in a message sent to party members earlier this month. In an emailed message to party members at the start of August, Sir Jeffrey expressed frustration after claiming the actions of some within DUP ranks, briefing against the party, were damaging its electoral prospects and the cause of the Union. He suggested those briefing against their own party were motivated by a desire to gain media coverage or advance their own personal agenda. Its important that we (have) good discipline, particularly at this time when our focus is on getting a solution that restores Northern Irelands place within the United Kingdom DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson It comes as the DUP continues to deliberate on whether to end its ongoing blockade of devolution in Northern Ireland in protest at the internal UK trade barriers created by the contentious post-Brexit arrangements. The party says the recent deal struck by the EU and UK to reform the protocol the Windsor Framework does not go far enough to address its concerns and has made clear that it will not countenance a return to devolution until the Government provides further assurances, by way of legislation, over Northern Irelands place within the UK internal market. In his first media appearance since the leaked email, Sir Jeffrey said there was nothing in my email suggesting there was a split within the party over the Windsor Framework. He said: I was talking about the need for unionists to work together, and I think that is what the vast majority of unionist voters want to see: that co-operation. As you know, Ive been meeting with Doug Beattie and the Ulster Unionists, weve been taking forward our conversations around greater unionist co-operation, and I expect the same within my own party as well. Its important that we (have) good discipline, particularly at this time when our focus is on getting a solution that restores Northern Irelands place within the United Kingdom. He added: But let me be clear: the propositions that we have put to the Government, the paper that went to the Government on the Windsor Framework, was collectively agreed by our party officers, and that of course includes Lord Dodds. But Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said those who did not believe there were rifts within the DUP had been living under a rock. She said: It was fairly clear that there were those who were much more hardline about leaving the Executive, for example, others who were willing to remain in the First Ministers office, and keep the institutions running whilst bargaining with the UK Government to address these issues. Those rifts, I dont think, are news. What is news, and it has to have been factored in before that email was written, is that the party leader is appealing for unity, quite publicly. As a party leader, if I wrote an email like that to my party, I would know that that was going to be reported and leaked. So, you do that in the full knowledge that that information is going to be in the public domain, and I think the fact that Sir Jeffrey is pleading publicly with his own colleagues to back him, I think it makes no sense unless there is a deep divide within the party, which simply confirms what I think weve all witnessed over the last 12 months. Ulster Unionist Party leader Mr Beattie also gave his view on the matter, speaking to media after the parties met with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Belfast. Every political party has differences of opinion, whether we call that a split, or whether we call that where people are going in different directions, its really up to him to decide what it is, he said. But I suppose hes articulating the fact that every party will have disagreements. Its up to them to fix them but the bottom line is we need to deal with the issue around the Windsor Framework. The boycott has not worked and has not achieved any workable outcomes. So its better to be in Stormont working to find solutions than it is standing outside complaining about it. 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 worker who stayed on the Bibby Stockholm has said the barge is not designed for living on, describing cramped conditions where people would go stir-crazy. Ruairi Kelly lived on the vessel for several months in 2013, when it was berthed in the Shetlands for a gas pipeline project. He told The Independent it was not luxurious and felt more like a cross-Channel ferry than living quarters. The government is set to cram in 500 asylum seekers onto the barge two to a room in bunks and more than double its previous capacity. Mr Kelly, who was working on the Laggan-Tormore gas plant project as a health and safety adviser, said there were never two people in a room at one time because they were so small. He recalled cramped conditions and said he and his colleagues could spend only three weeks at a time on board due to the squeezed living quarters. Ruairi Kelly stayed on the Bibby Stockholm when it was used for gas plant workers in Sheltand in 2013 (Supplied) People would go stir-crazy on it, Mr Kelly added. It feels very much like being on a boat, its very narrow corridors, low ceilings, you have to step over raised doorframes to get into the rooms, its pretty much the same as being on a ferry. I dont envy anybody thats getting put onto it, having to live in those conditions. I had my own room - they're quite small cabins rather than rooms really. I think they're less than 12ft by 12ft. You had your bed, a wee wardrobe and then there was an ensuite bathroom in them, which was tiny. The Home Office has jammed bunk beds into each of the Bibby Stockholms 222 cabins to increase the capacity to around 500, while also reducing the amount of living space for asylum seekers by closing off a bar and other areas for crew use only. Mr Kelly said he and the other workers housed there in 2013 were away working for most of the day and only boarded to eat and sleep. Inside the Bibby Stockholm asylum barge It was one person to a cabin and we were only on it about 10 hours a day, he added. There wasnt huge amounts, or even really small amounts of living space. I would definitely not say that it's designed for living on, it's fine as accommodation if you're away for most of the time working and it's just somewhere to put your head down. Mr Kelly and the other workers on the Laggan-Tormore were only housed on the barge in three-week stints, and then allowed a full week off to return home and to their families. The former engineer, who is now a Scottish National Party councillor in Glasgow, said living there indefinitely was a very different prospect. We did 21 days on and seven days off, and whenever you were there you were away for 14 hours or more in the day, he added. We were just there to work. You knew you were going home to your friends or family at the end of your three weeks and you were getting relatively well paid for it. So it's very different from what people will be experiencing if you're there indefinitely without the same freedom, and no ability to work or earn any money. The bedrooms onboard the Bibby Stockholm at Portland Port were previously single occupancy (PA) Mr Kelly fears that the Home Offices plans to cram 500 asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm is a recipe for disaster, and believes the conditions on board will hugely exacerbate any mental or physical health issues. He said there was no way that number of people could fit in the canteen, or use the gym, television and computer rooms provided without some sort of shifts or rotations. The Home Office has already been forced to reverse dozens of transfer notices for asylum seekers who have refused to go on board and have submitted legal letters opposing the move. The government has also violated its own guidance by attempting to put people with disabilities and other serious medical conditions on the Bibby Stockholm, with the mistakes thought to have been caused by insufficient screening. Several other people who refused to travel to the vessel on Monday, have been sent a letter threatening them with eviction and potential homelessness if they fail to accept the move. It said that if they did not move on Tuesday, arrangements for ceasing the support that you are receiving from the Home Office may commence. Only 15 people moved on board on Monday following a wave of legal letters and refusals (AFP/Getty) The Care4Calais charity said anyone receiving a transfer notice for the Bibby Stockholm has the right to challenge it and accused the government of targeting people who had been unable to secure legal representation. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said a significant number of asylum seekers who had initially objected have since changed their minds on Wednesday. A significant number moved yesterday, I suspect more will move in the coming days, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. The way that the asylum support system operates is that if someone claims to be destitute ie they have no way of supporting themselves theres a legal obligation on the government to step in and provide them with accommodation and meet their basic needs, but we do that by and large on a no-choice basis, not an a la carte menu where you can choose which hotel you want or which location. If it reaches its full capacity, the Bibby Stockholm will house under 1 per cent of the over 50,000 asylum seekers currently being accommodated in hotels at a cost of over 6m a day. 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 close friend of a 32-year-old British man who was found dead off Ibiza after going free diving and trying to grab a handful of sand from the bottom of the sea says he was well known for all the right reasons. Andrew Gibson, 42, tried to rescue Martin Smith after he was spotted floating in the water at around 3pm on Friday August 4, with his snorkel dipping under the surface, but it was too late. Martin, who also went by the name of Percy or Storm, is said to have been a keen free diver and was seen getting in and out of the water many times throughout the day before someone noticed he was no longer moving and sounded the alarm. He has been described as an incredible character who left a positive impression on everyone, by friends who have also set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his funeral. More than 10,000 has already been raised. If you met Martin even once, you remembered it, Andrew, who is from London but lives on the Balearic island, told PA Real Life. He was a really close friend of mine. Andrew Gibson, 42, who tried to rescued Martin after he was spotted floating in the water (PA Real Life/Esmae Palmer) I was on the boat that day before the medics arrived. It was intense and for him to die after that its been quite a lot to take in. Martin was an avid traveller who spent his winters teaching English and working for charities in Vietnam before heading back to Ibiza for the summer season, where he lived in popular tourist resort Playa DEn Bossa. This is where Martin, who was due to turn 33 this month, met Andrew five years ago and the pair had since been good friends. They had chartered a boat with family and friends from Ibiza port for what promised to be a fun day out, and because the weather was not great they headed for the calmer waters of Cala Jondal. We decided to moor up there for the day and had some lunch, said Andrew. It was the only flat place that day and I would say there was at least 20 or 30 boats out there as well. (PA Real Life/Esmae Palmer) Martin was a very keen free diver. Its something he had been doing for years, in Thailand and Vietnam all over the world. He really enjoyed it. Seeing Martin disappear underwater was nothing out of the ordinary for Andrew and the rest of the group. He had brought his own snorkel and mask with him and was on and off the boat maybe 10 or 12 times, he said. He just had this thing that he wanted to touch the bottom and grab a handful of sand. Martin was a keen free diver having done it before in Thailand and Vietnam (PA Real Life/Esmae Palmer) There was never any question of could he do it, was he capable, because he had been diving all day long. It must have been just after three oclock when one of the girls on the boat spotted him floating in the water. But it was difficult for his friends to tell whether Martin was just snorkelling or was in trouble. We saw that the snorkel would sometimes dip underwater but without him blowing the water out, so something was very wrong, said Andrew. Three of the guys from the boat dived in he was probably around 30 metres away. By the time he was lifted on to the back deck, Martin was no longer breathing and they could not feel a pulse. Martin with his close friend and roommate Esmae Palmer (PA Real Life/Esmae Palmer) Andrew and one of the crew members immediately started giving Martin CPR while waiting for medical staff to arrive. After about 10 minutes we managed to get a really weak pulse back, he said. We continued for about 20 or 25 minutes and then the medics arrived on a jet ski from the beach club, Blue Marlin. They had been pumping Martins chest for around half an hour when the paramedics arrived by boat, but it was too late. They took over and gave him adrenaline and defibrillated him, Andrew said. It was after another 15 or 20 minutes of them trying that they called it. It is not the first time Andrew has lost a close friend to the sea in Ibiza. Another friend of mine died around the corner from where Martin died doing the same thing two years ago, he said. (PA Real Life/Esmae Palmer) Its quite common for people who are free diving to have underwater blackouts. You overestimate how much oxygen youve got in your body and pass out. Thats what we believe happened to Martin, he went down, blacked out underwater, and when we saw him he had floated back up to the top. It can happen in two or three metres of water. Andrew had dinner with Martin the night before they went on the boat trip and remembers saying see you tomorrow. He was such a character and left a positive impression on everyone he met, he said. You know, he has huge groups of friends all around the world who are just devastated because he always put you first. If there was a social engagement, he would be there without fail and stepped up when you needed him every single time. Hes left a huge void in the community out here. He was so well known and for all the right reasons. Roommate Esmae Palmer added: Martin danced to the beat of his own drum and made sure every one in the room heard his rhythm too. The most magnetic, magical and caring being. I will never love anyone as much in my life. The fact 200 people have already donated shows just how many of our lives he touched. Thank you everyone from the bottom of our hearts, we hope that from whatever world hes in, that hes watching. 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 }} Labour has launched an expert commission tasked with drawing up reforms to help the party increase the number of crimes solved if it wins the next election. The panel will devise recommendations for key areas, including improvements to digital forensics to help police crack more cases and cut red tape in joint-working arrangements between forces and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Chaired by former victims commissioner Dame Vera Baird, the so-called Charging Commission will aim to identify reasons for the woeful decline in successful law enforcement, Labour said. The party pointed to recent Home Office figures showing that in the year to March 2023, there were evidential difficulties with 2,435,273 out of 5,480,135 recorded crimes. Some 9.2 per cent of crimes resulted in a charge or out-of-court action down from 24.7 per cent in the year ending March 2015 along with a further 0.6 per cent being dealt with through diversionary activity, according to the data. Labour said its commission includes former chief constable Stephen Otter, former chief crown prosecutor Drusilla Sharpling and West Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Alison Lowe. The panel is being set up to make proposals that the party will look to implementing as policy if it wins the next general election, with its first meeting in September. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: It should be unthinkable for so many more crimes to face no consequences whatsoever, but that is the shameful reality after 13 Conservative years. This expert Commission will help us to deliver on our pledge to make Britain safer. Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said it was time to replace the blame game between the police and the CPS over charge rates with cooperation to punish criminals and protect communities. I am delighted that such experienced, dedicated public servants have agreed to join us in that work, and I look forward to seeing the contribution they will make to our long-term mission on crime, she said. Dame Vera said: The woeful collapse in charging rates has exposed victims of crime to intolerable anguish and uncertainty, and we are now seeing record numbers of victims giving up on the criminal justice system altogether. Investigations and prosecutions for serious crimes like rape are in a dismal state, the criminal justice system is in chaos, and things simply cannot stay as they are. This Commission will bring together voices from across policing and prosecutions to forensically investigate the causes of this charging crisis, and set out robust recommendations for recovery. The Home Office has been contacted for comment. A Conservative Party spokesperson said: Labour are soft on crime and soft on criminals. Keir Starmer has consistently whipped his MPs to vote against stronger sentences for violent offenders and rapists. Where Labour are in power, crime is over a third higher than Conservative-run areas, and as director of prosecutions Keir Starmer oversaw a huge drop in the number of sexual offences that were prosecuted. Meanwhile, we have cut the re-offending rate to lower than when Labour left office, increased the conviction rate by 15 per cent, doubled charge rates for rape, and introduced tougher sentences for the worst offenders. 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 }} Londons famous Brick Lane became a battleground for supporters and opponents of Chinas Communist Party, as artists engaged in a graffiti war with slogans and signs countering each other. It began after a group of artists spray-painted the big red Chinese characters that outline the 12 core socialist values on a nearly 100m long wall on East London Street on Saturday. The Chinese government slogan under the leadership of Xi Jinping is at the heart of CCP propaganda and these values include, prosperity, patriotism and harmony, democracy, equality, freedom and the rule of law. The graffiti on the Brick Lane swiftly went viral on social media, sparking criticism and concerns with another section of artists covering it with anti-Beijing slogans. The CCP slogan was overlaid with social concerns linked to Chinese rule with graffiti reading Free Taiwan, Free Tibet, Free Uyghur and references to the Tiananmen Square massacre references. But on Monday, residents woke up to the wall being completely whitewashed by the Tower Hamlets council. While confrontational art was removed from both sides, the residents were upset that they lost some more meaningful older slogans. A woman sticks a Tibetan independence poster on an area of wall that had been graffitied with Chinese Communist Party ideology (Getty Images) It included a piece of graffiti work that was a tribute to the late street artist Marty. Wang Hanzheng, one of the students who created the graffiti, wrote on Instagram that the piece "didnt have much political meaning". "In the name of freedom and democracy, it illustrates the cultural centre of the West, this is Londons freedom Decolonize the false freedom of the West with the construction of socialism, lets see what happens," the post read. "Needless to say whats the situation on the other side," he added. Benedict Rogers, head of the rights group Hong Kong Watch, was critical of the graffiti on Brick Lane. I utterly condemn the #CCP thugs who defaced Londons Brick Lane with their regimes vile hate-filled propaganda, he said. The Brick Lane area known for its diverse and vibrant atmosphere has colourful and intricate murals painted on the lanes and buildings, making it a popular destination for street art enthusiasts. But the slogans on Brick Lane have ignited online debates regarding their classification as street art and the intricate interplay between freedom of expression and political propaganda. Moreover, the wall has transformed into a stage for conflicting narratives, with individuals promptly incorporating fresh graffiti to voice criticisms against the Chinese government. 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 }} Diane Abbott has been criticised after saying migrants who drowned off Italy have indeed f***** off in a now-deleted tweet. The independent MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington tweeted These migrants have indeed f***** off. To the bottom of the sea, as she shared a news story about the disaster in the Mediterranean. The post was a response to a comment made by Lee Anderson, the deputy chairman of the Conservative party, who earlier this week said asylum seekers complaining about being moved on to an accommodation barge should f*** off back to France. Tory former minister Brendan Clarke-Smith tweeted: And to think that Sir Keir Starmer campaigned for this person to be made our Home Secretary. We all know that you cant take Labour seriously on immigration or national security, but what a shame they also seek to exploit tragedies like this to push their warped agenda. A Conservative spokesman told the PA news agency Ms Abbotts tweet was wrong. The fact that she deleted it suggests she agrees with us, they added. Forty-one people are believed to have died after a boat carrying migrants capsized off Tunisia in rough seas. The metal boat carrying 45 people left Sfax, Tunisia on August 3, but the vessel was overturned by a huge wave hours into the journey. Survivors were taken to the island of Lampedusa on Wednesday after a rescue operation. Ms Abbotts tweet was not the first criticism she made of the Tory deputy chairman for his comments. Ms Abbott, who once served as shadow home secretary, had previously described Mr Andersons comments as a new low even for the Tories. But ministers have rallied around Ashfield MP Mr Anderson, with Justice Secretary Alex Chalk suggesting his indignation was well-placed after only 15 migrants had initially entered the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge. The transfer of migrants on to the vessel has been mired in difficulty and delays amid safety concerns, local opposition and legal challenges. Ms Abbott had the Labour whip suspended in April for suggesting Jewish, Irish and traveller people are not subject to racism all their lives in a letter to the Observer newspaper. 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 }} Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed he will leave the Welsh Parliament at the next election. Mr Drakeford has previously said he will stand down as First Minister before the end of the Senedd term in 2026, although no firm date has yet been set to choose his successor. But the First Minister has now confirmed he plans to leave the Senedd, where he currently represents the Cardiff West constituency, at the next election. Speaking at the National Eisteddfod in Boduan, north west Wales, Mr Drakeford said it was important to have a refresh. I'm not going to be a Member of the Senedd after 2026 but I am not going to step back from the debate or stop thinking about Wales' future Mark Drakeford According to the BBC, the Welsh First Minister said: Its important to have a refresh. I think it is difficult for those who will be doing the work in the future to have people like me sitting behind them. I dont want to do that. I think of it like Tony Benn when he decided to leave the House of Commons, he said Im going to stop being an MP in order to spend more time in politics. In a question and answer session with Elin Jones, the presiding officer of the Senedd, Mr Drakeford added: Im not going to be a Member of the Senedd after 2026 but I am not going to step back from the debate or stop thinking about Wales future. Mr Drakeford was first elected to the Senedd in 2011 as the Member for Cardiff West. He served in various ministerial roles from 2013 under the leadership of Carwyn Jones, before succeeding him as First Minister and Welsh Labour leader in 2018. Mr Drakefords televised appearances throughout the Covid pandemic to share details of Wales-specific public health measures are often credited with widening public awareness of the role of the Welsh Parliament and Government. He indicated in December that he would end his premiership before the next Senedd elections take place. Durante la cita, se anuncio que el Peru sera sede del ejercicio hemisferico de respuesta ante desastres naturales MECODEX que se realizara el primer semestre de 2024, lo que representa un reconocimiento al liderazgo del Peru en esta materia. pic.twitter.com/OV3QhpaAoN 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 true impact of NHS strikes on patients is being masked and the number of cancellations and postponements is just the tip of the iceberg, NHS representatives have said. So far, almost 835,000 appointments have been postponed as a result of industrial action since December across the health service in England, according to NHS figures. But in a worst-case scenario, industrial action in the NHS could have caused double the number of cancellations than that being reported, the NHS Confederation said. Many hospitals have stopped booking in routine activity on potential strike days to prevent causing more disruption to patients on waiting lists, it said. We could actually be seeing, in an absolute worst-case scenario, industrial action causing double the number of cancellations than what is being reported Matthew Taylor, NHS Confederation And making room for rescheduled appointments means that those further down the waiting list also face delays. After speaking to hospital operations managers and other NHS staff, the NHS Confederation also said the action is heaping increased pressure on the service, hampering efforts to reduce the record backlog of care and leading to a hefty financial cost to the NHS. Strikes are also causing a significant administration burden, with senior operations managers spending around a third of their time on strike activities. It called the Governments business as usual approach to strike action dangerous as it urged ministers to reopen negotiations with doctors. It comes as NHS England said that coming strikes by junior doctors are likely to cause significant disruption to patients. NHS England warned that thousands of appointments, operations and procedures are likely to be postponed as a result of the four-day strike, which starts at 7am on Friday. Meanwhile, NHS leaders highlighted not being able to use agency workers to cover striking medics. A High Court ruling in July concluded that employers could not use agency workers to fill in for striking staff. The NHS said the ruling means some of the cover arrangements used during previous strikes will not be possible, though hospitals will still be able to use bank staff. Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: This latest round of junior doctors strikes will again significantly disrupt services for patients and the additional challenge this time is that organisations are unable to use agency workers to cover staff out on strike. It is also a period of time where NHS staff often take annual leave, so there are already gaps in the workforce. We will continue to prioritise emergency care, but it inevitably means that many thousands of appointments will need to be postponed. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: Industrial action damage control has become a dangerous business as usual for the NHS the very situation we warned the government to avoid and nine months into strike action we are as far away from a solution for doctors as we have ever been. The long-term impact of strike action is starting to be felt. Some leaders have told us that staff have had to experience understandable frustrations from patients who have had their procedures cancelled, often multiple times. The Government has wasted time by first saying nothing and then having the Prime Minister declare an end to talks without first having stepped into the room with doctors Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, BMA We fear this might get worse before it gets better, as the number of cancellations due to industrial action will soon reach one million. This is a huge number, but we know this is the tip of the iceberg as the official figures dont fully take into account all the planned elective activity that would otherwise have been delivered. Our members have suggested that these cancellations may actually be having a two for one effect as when these operations are rearranged, they are knocking out other usually less urgent operations to accommodate them, meaning that a second patient suffers a further delay to their care. But strike data just isnt recording that so we could actually be seeing, in an absolute worst-case scenario, industrial action causing double the number of cancellations than what is being reported. He added: We need to understand how much of an issue this is as it puts key elective targets at risk, and has implications for winter plans with additional pressure put on primary care and urgent and emergency care as a result of these hidden patients waiting longer. Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the British Medical Associations junior doctors committee, said: This dispute should never have gone on so long. It has now been almost three months since the Government was last willing to talk to junior doctors about their pay. Since then, we have stated repeatedly that our door remains open for talks at any time, as long as we could be presented with a credible offer that would address pay erosion of more than a quarter over the last fifteen years. Instead of acting responsibly and coming to the table, the Government has wasted time by first saying nothing and then having the Prime Minister declare an end to talks without first having stepped into the room with doctors. He then adds insult to injury by blaming those same doctors for rising waiting lists. Sooner or later the Government will accept that they need to work with doctors rather than against them. We are here to talk when they do. The latest round of strike action from British Medical Association (BMA) junior doctors in England will start at 7am on Friday August 11 and end at 7am on Tuesday August 15. The NHS has urged the public to continue to use 999 for life-threatening emergencies and 111 online for anything non-urgent. It said GPs and pharmacies are also open and largely unaffected by strikes. Meanwhile, patients should attend their appointment as usual unless they have been told that it is to be rescheduled, it added. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: We have repeatedly urged the BMA to put patients first by ending their hugely disruptive strikes immediately. Were giving doctors a fair and reasonable pay rise, as recommended by the independent pay review body, with doctors in training receiving an average increase of around 8.8% which is above what most in the public and private sectors are receiving, and consultants receiving a 6% pay rise. We are working with NHS England to put in place contingency plans to protect patient safety. The NHS will prioritise resources to protect the most urgent care while ensuring patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery are prioritised. 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 }} Buildings across the NHS are in a very bad way and getting worse, with the Government being warned that patients deserve better. It comes after an investigation by the Liberal Democrats found evidence of chemical leaks in patient areas at a number of hospitals in England, as well as broken fire alarms in some facilities. Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said: Keeping patients and staff safe is vital. High-quality care depends on having reliable buildings and equipment. Too many NHS buildings and facilities are in a very bad way and getting worse. Trust leaders have warned long and loud about the eye-watering cost of trying to patch up creaking infrastructure and out-of-date facilities. The multibillion-pound repairs bill is growing at an alarming rate. Data from one Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the party revealed there had been 115 chemical leak incidents at NHS hospitals between June 1 2022 and May 31 2023. Hospitals are falling apart, with chemical leaks in critical wards and a frightening number of faulty fire alarms. The repair budget for crumbling hospitals is mounting up yet ministers are nowhere to be found Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrats Manchester University Trust recorded the highest number of chemical leaks with 22. A statement from the trust said it takes chemical safety extremely seriously. The statement added: As one of the largest NHS Foundation Trusts in the country operating across 10 hospitals, meaningful comparison with smaller organisations is very difficult. Our colleagues are diligent and robust in flagging incidents, no matter how small. For example, one patient in our maternity ward reported a chemical smell, which quickly dissipated. In another incident in obstetrics, a member of staff reported an allergy to the handwash. All incidents are reported using the correct process, and investigated as appropriate to ensure lessons are learned. Another FOI request sought figures on the number of fires in NHS trusts in England during the period, as well as the number of broken fire alarms. Of the 83 trusts that supplied data, there were 297 recorded fires, although the Liberal Democrats said NHS statistics showed there were 1,159 fires across the health service in 2022. Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust had 17 fires during the timespan and also had 17 broken fire alarms. University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust has two fires and 15 broken alarms, while the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust reported one fire but also had 17 broken alarms. Liberal Democrat health and social care spokesperson Daisy Cooper said their findings are shocking. She added: Hospitals are falling apart, with chemical leaks in critical wards and a frightening number of faulty fire alarms. The repair budget for crumbling hospitals is mounting up yet ministers are nowhere to be found. Last month the public spending watchdog said the Government is on track to break a key promise to build 40 new hospitals by 2030. A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) found delays in projects mean the target is not likely to be met. By the watchdogs analysis, 32 hospitals in England classed as new by the definition the Government first used are set to be completed in 2030. Ms Cordery added: Many trusts in the Governments New Hospital Programme were deeply disappointed to learn that their building plans wont be delivered before 2030. It was even more frustrating for those that missed the cut and werent given any funding at all despite expectations. Hospitals and mental health, ambulance and community NHS services need investment for essential projects to overhaul ageing facilities, improving care, supporting staff and giving a lift to their communities. Ms Cooper said patients deserve the dignity of being treated in safe, modern and clean hospitals. Instead we have heard stories of sewage spills and chemical leaks leading to evacuations, she added. The British public pay their fair share and deserve better than this. The Conservative Government needs to step up and fix our hospitals. The Conservative party simply cannot be trusted with the NHS. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: Patient safety is our top priority and we are investing record sums to upgrade and modernise NHS buildings so staff have the facilities needed to provide world-class care. This includes 4.2 billion last year and a further 8.4 billion over the next two years to allow trusts to invest, refurbish and maintain their buildings. We are also building 40 new hospitals by 2030 through the New Hospital Programme, which is now expected to be backed by over 20 billion. 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 }} Police have arrested nine people and issued 34 dispersal orders after an incident on Londons Oxford Street, following social media rumours of planned disorder. Two people were held in Essex for conspiracy to commit robbery following online social media posts, while others were arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and going equipped to steal. In one incident, two young men were led away from near to a McDonalds fast food restaurant in handcuffs, close to a shop rumoured to be the target of the disturbance. Nearby shops including an optician and pharmacy closed their shutters briefly shortly after 3pm on Wednesday, as crowds gathered on the busy street. The men, one wearing a green hoodie and the other a grey tracksuit, were apprehended by police before being handcuffed. Traffic on the packed street was temporarily brought to a halt, until four mounted police alongside security personnel were able to disperse onlookers. There was a heavy police and security presence on the popular shopping street in the build-up to the disturbance, after rumours of a planned disorder were circulated on social media. City of Westminster Police said: Throughout Wednesday, officers maintained a high-visibility presence within the Oxford Street area. It added: Four people were arrested on suspicion of breaching the dispersal order, one person was arrested on suspicion of going equipped to steal, one person arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and one person was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence. Earlier in the afternoon, officers arrested two people in Essex for conspiracy to commit robbery following online social media posts. Dispersal orders provide the police with extra powers to break up groups of two or more people, where they believe their behaviour is causing a nuisance, harassment or distress. Oxford Street is Europes busiest shopping street, with about half a million daily visitors. 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 }} MP Diane Abbott has prompted outrage by tweeting that migrants had indeed f****d off to the bottom of the sea, as she posted about a shipwreck in which 41 people died. The former shadow home secretary later deleted her tweet, which was a reference to Tory MP Lee Andersons use of the f-word about migrants. But it prompted indignation on social media, and some commentators called for Ms Abbott to face sanctions. Her tweet was branded obscene and revolting. Rishi Sunak has backed his deputy party chairman Mr Anderson, who said migrants who do not want to live on a barge should f*** off back to France. However, the prime ministers decision has divided the Conservatives, some warning him against turning the Tories into the even nastier party and a lurch to the right. Mr Anderson has refused to apologise for his incendiary comments, made after a group of 20 migrants were granted a last-minute reprieve as the first group boarded the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset. Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, said while the MPs language was salty, his indignation was well placed and his comments were not bigotry at all. No 10 said the cabinet minister had been speaking for the government when he backed Mr Anderson. But Dominic Grieve, the ex-attorney general who was a Conservative MP for more than two decades, told The Independent that such foul language would turn off floating voters and risked making the Tories the even nastier party. Ms Abbott, who in April was suspended from the Labour Party after suggesting Jewish people do not face racism, had been quote-tweeting a BBC news story on a shipwreck in the central Mediterranean, in which 41 people are thought to have died. These migrants have indeed f***ed off. To the bottom of the sea, she wrote. Its thought she had been trying to mock Mr Andersons attitude. Some people who did not remember that she had already been suspended from the Labour Party called for her to be suspended or sacked. A separate row on immigration has emerged after Mr Anderson claimed that the party had failed on the subject. That was rejected by immigration minister Robert Jenrick and Downing Street, which said it was making progress but was not complacent. 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 senior Conservative minister has called on Nadine Dorries to get on with her promise to quit parliament by stepping down from her seat as soon as possible. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick made clear his frustration with the staunch Boris Johnson ally and her refusal to formally resign despite vowing to leave with immediate effect two months ago. The former culture secretary said on 9 June she would quit her Mid Bedfordshire seat in fury over her failure to get a peerage in Boris Johnsons resignation honours, alleging that posh boy Rishi Sunak had blocked it. But she has yet to formally resign demanding that the Sunak government hands over any documents related to the peerage decision before she goes. Asked if it was finally time for her to go, Mr Jenrick told Sky News on Wednesday: Yes. The minister said: Being in parliament is a special privilege. You sign up for a term in office if you decide you want to leave parliament for whatever reason you need to get on and do that. Mr Jenrick added: I dont think Nadine Dorries constituents are being properly represented. I hope shell reach that conclusion soon. Ms Dorries has not spoken in the Commons for over a year and has been urged to step down including by a local council in her constituency. Senior Labour MP Chris Bryant has warned that she could be ousted from his Mid-Bedforshire using an obscure law when parliament returns in early September. The chair of the standards select committee says an 1801 rule preventing MPs from going out of town without leave of the house should be reinstated, and hopes to win cross-party support. Nadine Dorries has sparked guessing game on when she will quit (PA Archive) Asked about Mr Bryants plan, Mr Jenrick said: Im not familiar with the details of his proposal. I know hes relying on quite an arcane piece of legislation If he puts forward serious proposals, as individual members of parliament well have to consider that. Asked if she was now an embarrassment to the Tory party, the immigration minister suggested she was failed to represent the people of Mid-Bedfordshire. Im not going to get into particular criticism of Nadine you should get on, so that people in your constituency have the representation they deserve. Sir Chris said that when MPs return in September it would be perfectly legitimate to table a motion saying MPs who fail to show up for six months must attend a date or be suspended for 10 sitting days or more. Such a suspension would trigger the threshold for Ms Dorries constituents to launch a recall petition again her, finally triggering the by-election she promised in June. Ms Dorries broke her recent silence on Tuesday, accusing Mr Bryant of publicity seeking after he revealed he had been repeatedly groped by male colleagues during his time in parliament. Ahh, Chris Bryant has a book out well, I never. This latest bout of publicity seeking was so unlike him All is now clear, she tweeted on X. The Independent revealed last month that Ms Dorries is set to an earn an extra 22,000 from the taxpayer by clinging on to her job in parliament over the summer. Some Tory MPs now expect her to wait until later in the year before finally exiting parliament. But some fear she will try to cling on all the way to the general election, likely to be in autumn 2024. I doubt she will resign now, one senior Tory told The Independent, saying she wanted to hang around as long as possible to cause the maximum amount of trouble for Mr Sunak. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rishi Sunak has been warned against turning the Conservatives into the even nastier party after he backed his deputy party chair telling migrants who dont want to live on a barge they should f*** off back to France. No 10 defended Lee Anderson but his words were met with horror by many in his party unnerved by a lurch to the right on immigration. Tory MPs branded him a fascist who is peddling cheap populism. Dominic Grieve, the ex-attorney general who was the Conservative MP for Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire for more than two decades, told The Independent that such foul language would turn off floating voters and risked making the Tories the even nastier party. It came as: Boris Johnson ally and ex-minister Zac Goldsmith said he is very tempted to support Labour at the next election Minister Robert Jenrick was forced to reject Mr Anderson's verdict that the Tory party had failed on immigration Ministers were told they risked sending an appalling signal after Mr Jenrick hinted at quitting the European Convention on Human Rights over Rwanda Ex-Labour MP Diane Abbott deleted a tweet about 41 drowned migrants, saying they have indeed f***ed off. To the bottom of the sea. Major Tory donor Alexander Temerko, a Ukrainian-born businessman, also expressed concerns, warning the topic of immigration was delicate and calling for more co-operation with France, as he said ministers should be be more aggressive and decisive in actions rather than words. Mr Anderson has refused to apologise for his incendiary comments, made after a group of 20 migrants were granted a last-minute reprieve as the first group boarded the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset. On those complaining about the accommodation, Mr Anderson said: "If they don't like barges then they should f*** off back to France." He was backed by Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, who said while the MPs language was salty his indignation is well placed and his comments were not bigotry at all. No 10 said the cabinet minister had been speaking for the government when he backed Mr Anderson. The Independent understands chancellor Jeremy Hunt also backs Mr Chalks sentiment that the f*** off back to France comments were not bigotry at all. Lee Anderson at centre of new Tory rows (PA) But a separate row emerged after Mr Anderson claimed that the party had failed on immigration. That was rejected by immigration minister Mr Jenrick and Downing Street, which said it was making progress but not complacent. In a separate Tory rift, former Conservative minister Zac Goldsmith said he was very tempted to back Labour at the next general election. The Tory peer who recently quit Rishi Sunaks government in a blaze of acrimony attacked his own party for not having a clear answer to climate change. One senior Tory, a former minister, warned Mr Sunak against following Mr Andersons cheap populism and urged the party to remember this is as big a problem for France as it is for us. Another former Tory minister told The Independent the comments look chaotic and unsophisticated which puts Rishi in a slight mess. Mr Grieve argued that it was a sad commentary on the current state of the Conservative party when its deputy chairman resorts to crude and threatening profanities. He also said the silence from the cabinet in condemning Mr Anderson was deafening and that Mr Chalk had been dragged down by actively defending the rhetoric. Sir Jake Berry, the former Tory chairman, said: Its not the sort of language I would use, though he agreed with the sentiment of Mr Andersons comments which reflect the frustration of the British people. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick also defended Mr Anderson, saying he was expressing the deep frustration of the British public. Robert Jenrick defended Andersons remark (PA) London mayor Sadiq Khan accused the government of stoking division and hate, while the Liberal Democrats said the governments defence of Mr Anderson was toe-curling. Chris McEleny, general secretary of Alex Salmonds pro-independence Alba Party attacked the broken politics of pound-shop Enoch Powells. Labours shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused the Tories of promoting division and lashing out due to their failures on tackling unlawful migration and the asylum backlog. She told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: It is clearly the wrong language to use and it is ramping up the rhetoric as a distraction from the fact the government is failing. Home secretary Suella Braverman known to support quitting ECHR (PA) Meanwhile, Mr Jenrick caused dismay in some Tory circles after hinting the Tories could quit the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) if Rwanda flights continue to be blocked. At least eight cabinet ministers are among the senior Tories prepared to put leaving the ECHR at the heart of the next election campaign, according to The Telegraph. Lord Heseltine told The Independent that pulling out of the convention would send an appalling signal to the world about Britains view of international law. The former deputy PM said it was part of the Brexit disaster, arguing that the right of the party know Brexit has failed and is constantly looking for ways to reinforce prejudices. Meanwhile, asylum seekers who refuse to move onto the barge are being threatened with eviction and potential homelessness, as resistance hampers ministers ambitions to pack 500 people on board. Mr Jenrick threatened to pull support for anyone who did refuse to go on the barge. If you decline the accommodation thats provided, such as a barge, then we will consider removing your asylum support and that individual will ultimately have to fend for themselves, he told BBC Radio 4. A significant number of asylum seekers who had objected to moving to barge have since changed their minds, he said. We are a generous country but it is not an a la carte menu from which people can choose the particular hotel or location that suits them best, he said. If you are destitute, then you will accept the decent accommodation the state is able to provide for you. 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 }} Russia is suspected of being behind the cyber attack on the Electoral Commission which left the data of 40 million UK voters exposed, sparking fears of an attempt to interfere with British democracy. The elections watchdog apologised after revealing that it first detected the complex hack in October 2022. But the breach had happened more than a year before, in August 2021. Britains intelligence services have detected evidence linking the attack to Russians, according to The Times and The Telegraph, after the commission asked GCHQ to investigate the breach. Former GCHQ director Sir David Omand told BBC Radio 4s PM that Moscow would be first on my list of suspects, while Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, said Russia would be at the top of the suspects list by a mile. Mr Omand said: Russians and I point to them in particular have been interfering with democratic elections for some years now. Think of the 2016 US election, and then the French election, and then the German election, even our own 2019 election. Signs of ransomware software designed to block an organization accessing its own files were reportedly found. It has sparked concerns that the watchdog could have been blocked from accessing its own voter lists. The hack, publicly confirmed on Tuesday, allowed the cyberattackers to access reference copies of electoral registers containing names and addresses of everyone registered to vote between 2014 and 2022. The Electoral Commission apologised and insisted that there was little risk of hostile actors influencing the outcome of a vote. But the commissions chief executive Shaun McNally admitted that his organisation did not know yet exactly which files had been accessed. Ballots are counted at recent Uxbridge byelection (PA) We know which systems were accessible to the hostile actors, but are not able to know conclusively what files may or may not have been accessed, he said. While the data contained in the electoral registers is limited, and much of it is already in the public domain, we understand the concern that may have been caused by the registers potentially being accessed and apologise to those affected. The watchdog chief said measures had been taken to improve security on the commissions IT systems playing down the risk of election interference because of paper-based voting. It would be very hard to use a cyberattack to influence the process, said Mr McNally. Ukraine has faced unprecedented Russian-linked cyber attacks (PA Wire) The hackers were able to access reference copies of the electoral registers, held by the commission for research purposes and to enable permissibility checks on political donations. The registers held at the time of the cyberattack include the name and address of anyone in the UK who was registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, as well as the names of those registered as overseas voters. The exposed files included those who opted to keep their details off the open register, but can still be credit agencies and other. But they did not include the details of those who have registered completely anonymously. Senior Labour MP Chris Bryant, responding to criticism online that it took almost one year for the commission to reveal the hack, said it raised fresh questions about the intelligence and security committees report into Russia influence. Why did the government refuse to publish the unexpurgated Russia Report? the standards committee chair tweeted. The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) has launched an investigation as a matter of urgency, saying voters would be alarmed by the news. Labours deputy leader Angela Rayner said: This deeply concerning attack serves as a reminder of the critical importance of Britains resilience to cyber-attacks. This serious incident must be fully and thoroughly investigated so lessons can be learned. 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 }} Lee Anderson has sparked fresh anger with his remarks that asylum-seekers who do not wish to be housed in the governments Bibby Stockholm barge should f**** off back to France. The Tory deputy chair has been accused of stoking division and hate by London mayor Sadiq Khan, and caused discern on his own benches too with one ex-Tory minister telling The Independent that the MP does not represent the same party as me. But Mr Anderson doubled down on his remarks in a conversation with fellow GB News host Nigel Farage on Tuesday night, denying the former Ukip leaders suggestion that his remarks were perhaps [in] bad taste. Lee Anderson used to be a Labour councillor until he defected to the Conservatives (PA) No, the MP for Ashfield said. Its borne out of frustration. Its borne out of me being absolutely furious. Below we look at the man behind the headlines and his political career to date. Who is Lee Anderson? Born in 1967, the 56-year-old had quite a political journey even before he entered politics. Having left John Davies Primary School in Huthwaite and Ashfield School in Kirkby with several O-levels, he studied shipping management at Nottingham technical college. After college, he worked a number of local jobs, including labourer in a concrete factory, before following his father into the Nottinghamshire coal mines where he worked for 10 years. With some of his relatives said to have taken part in the 1984 miners strike, Mr Anderson also joined industrial action when John Majors government was closing mines in the early 1990s. But now he considers it a pointless gesture, urging striking workers to put the family first, not the union, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. Mr Anderson said he left the pits at one point working seven 12-hour shifts a week in 1997 to devote his time to his two sons, who he raised as a single parent for 17 years. During that time he was forced to sell his car to make ends meet. Mr Anderson has a history of controversial comments (Lee Anderson) The father-of-two then began volunteering at the citizens advice bureau, where he worked for 10 years, also working in hostels for homeless care leavers, before holding a role as office manager for Gloria De Piero, the former Labour MP for Ashfield. After serving as a Labour councillor in the constituency from 2015 for three years, he defected to the Conservatives in what he claimed was a response to the hard-left takeover of the party under Jeremy Corbyn. A month prior to his defection, he was suspended by the local Labour party after being handed a community protection warning by the council for placing boulders to deter travellers from setting up camp at a site in the area, Mansfield and Ashfield Chad reported. His second wife, Sinead is also a Conservative councillor in Mansfield, who has represented Eaking ward since 2019. Election as MP after controversy on campaign trail Mr Anderson was elected to represent Ashfield in July 2019 with a majority of 5,733. H became the constituencys first Tory MP in 22 years after a campaign which saw him post a video claiming that nuisance tenants should be forced to live in tents and pick potatoes. That episode which saw him accused of entrenching division was not the only controversy of his campaign. Minutes before bringing a journalist to the door of one prospective constituent, Mr Anderson appeared to forget he was wearing a microphone as he told them: Make out you know who I am ... you know Im the candidate, but not a friend, alright? Tory MP candidate Lee Anderson says 'nuisance tenants' should be forced to live in fields and pick potatoes at 6am every morning Earning the nickname 30p Lee Mr Andersons fondness for contentious comments only grew once entering parliament, where he has become known to critics as 30p Lee after claiming theres not this massive use for food banks in this country, insisting that generation after generation ... cant cook a meal from scratch [and] cannot budget. To illustrate his point, he decided in January to tweet a picture of a member of his staff with details of her earnings and outgoings, claiming she was an example of someone earning less than 30,000 who did not need to use a food bank. The move was heavily criticised, and Mr Anderson was accused of a form of bullying by Labour MP Dawn Butler, who said she had reported him to the Commons authorities. During the Euro 2020 competition, Mr Anderson said he would boycott watching Englands games, over the players decision to take the knee in an anti-racism gesture. What does Mr Anderson say about his approach? Mr Anderson has defended his approach to such issues, telling The Spectator: I can say it because I was a single parent for 17 years with two boys. I struggled ... so Ill take no lectures from anybody about being hard up and struggling for survival. Maybe some of my colleagues think Im a little bit too divisive, he said. But Im of the mind that half the population will hate you, whatever colour you wear. Urging the government to start promoting personal responsibility as well as aspiration, he told the Telegraph in January that a can do spirit is the mentality of the Red Wall. It is your family, you provide for them. Make sure that you live in a safe, decent country with good education, a good health-care system and a good police force, he said. Deputy chairman of the Conservative Party Mr Anderson has been defended over his barge remarks (PA Wire) Promotion to Tory deputy chair The outspoken Ashfield MP has become well-loved by the Conservative Partys grassroots, emerging in a ConservativeHome survey of Tory members as their favourite backbench MP of 2022. In his bid to unite the fracturing party he inherited from Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak appointed Mr Anderson as Tory deputy chair in February this year. That move prompted some concern among colleagues, as it came just a week after leaked messages from a Tory MP WhatsApp group reportedly saw Mr Anderson liken the government to the band on the Titanic on the issue of small boat crossings, playing the same tune and ignoring the obvious. Just days after his appointment, No 10 was forced to remind journalists and the public that Mr Anderson, while deputy chairman, was not actually a member of the government, after he backed the return of the death penalty in an interview with The Spectator. Despite his promotion within the Tory ranks, Mr Anderson continued in a similarly combative vein even this week as he told Mr Farage there was no doubt about it that Mr Sunaks government has failed in effectively stopping the boats one of the PMs five key pledges. Mr Anderson has now become the latest Tory MP to be granted his own show on GB News, where he names a wokey of the week, and features a token lefty. So far he has spoonfed a fellow MP baked beans and sought to convince fellow presenter Michelle Dewsbury to eat cat food. 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 }} Former Conservative minister Zac Goldsmith has said he is very tempted to back Labour at the next general election. The Tory peer and key Boris Johnson ally who recently quit Rishi Sunaks government in a blaze of acrimony attacked his own party for not having a clear answer to climate change. Lord Goldsmith said he was seriously considering switching his support to Labour if Sir Keir Starmer emphasised his commitment to reaching net zero carbon emissions. The simple truth is there is no pathway to net zero and theres no solution to climate change that does not involve nature, massive efforts to protect and restore the natural world, he told BBCs Hardtalk. And at the moment, Im not hearing any of that from the Labour Party, said Mr Goldsmith. He added: If I do, if theres a real commitment the kind of commitment that we saw when Boris Johnson was the leader then Id be very tempted to throw my weight behind that party and support them in any way I could. It raises the prospect of defections as part of 1997-style hemorrhaging of support to Labour, with donors and other senior figures switching sides. Christian Wakeford MP defected last year, while former Tory minister Claire Perry ONeill quit the party earlier in 2023 to throw her support behimd Sir Keirs competent political leadership. Leading donors and business figures such as Gareth Quarry and Iain Anderson have also quit the Tory party in recent months and switched allegiance to impressive Labour. Zac Goldsmith with his former boss Boris Johnson (Evening Standard) Mr Goldsmith was the Sunak governments international environment minister, until a row blew up in June when he was accused of undermining the Partygate inquiry along with other Johnson backers. Mr Sunak made clear that Lord Goldsmith had been asked to apologise over his comments about the privileges committee inquiry that found Mr Johnson lied to MPs with his Partygate denials. But the ally of the former PM insisted he had quit because of Tory apathy over climate change and the environment, accusing Mr Sunak of being simply uninterested in the issues. Mr Goldsmith said he had been horrified that the government appeared to be abandoning its climate commitments and was pulling back from any global leadership. Sunak and Goldsmith at odds over environment and Partygate inquiry (Getty/PA) The senior peer, a former Tory MP and London mayoral candidate, told the BBC that the Tory government cannot now meet its vow to spend 11.6bn over five years on global climate change programmes. Its great that the government is saying that theyre committed to 11.6bn, but mathematically, it is impossible for us to meet that target. Unless the Treasury intervenes, unless the prime minister intervenes, its simply impossible. He added: If you look at the trajectory of expenditure, in order to fulfil that promise the first year of the next government which may or may not be this government, it might be the Labour Party will have to spend over 80 per cent of all of its bilateral aid on climate finance. And that obviously is not going to happen. Mr Goldsmith said Labour still had a blind spot on the natural environment. When the Labour Party thinks environment, when it talks environment, it is thinking carbon, taxation and regulation and all the things that go with that. He said he wanted to hear Sir Keirs party commit to massive efforts to restore the natural world before he could take the dramatic step of switching sides and backing the opposition. 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 }} Ministers have continued to back senior Conservative Lee Anderson after he reportedly said asylum seekers complaining about being moved to an accommodation barge should f*** off back to France. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the deputy Tory Party chairman was expressing the deep frustration of a large body of the British public through his remarks about those objecting to being given a bed on board the Bibby Stockholm in Portland, Dorset. I think everyone chooses their own language but I think the point Lee Anderson was making is a fair one which I agree with, Mr Jenrick told LBC. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said on Tuesday that there was a lot of sense in what the former Labour aide had said. We are in Government and we have failed on this there is no doubt about it Deputy Conservative chairman Lee Anderson Labour criticised the comments, calling them wrong and accusing the Tories of using them to distract from their record on immigration. But despite agreement on the Ashfield MPs barge comments, Mr Jenrick said he did not concur with Mr Andersons argument that the Government had failed to stop migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping the boats one of his five key pledges ahead of next years likely general election. Mr Anderson told GB News on Tuesday: Im not going to sit here and make excuses to anyone. This is out of control. We are in power at the moment, Im the deputy chair of the Conservative Party. We are in Government and we have failed on this there is no doubt about it. We have said we are going to fix it it is a failure. Mr Jenrick told BBC Breakfast he disagreed with that part of the deputy chairmans claims, arguing that weve put in place a number of things in the course of the last few months which are already seeing dividends. He said the migrant crisis was an incredibly complex international challenge and proposed that the UK had the most comprehensive plan of any European country to tackle this. The Home Office minister told broadcasters that, as of Wednesday, about 20 men were on board the Bibby Stockholm barge, with the plan to steadily increase that number over several weeks. The Government has said the vessel, which was initially designed to fit about 200 people, has a 500-person capacity, with occupants due to share rooms. While asylum seekers started boarding on Monday, around 20 migrants challenged the decision through lawyers. On those complaining about the accommodation, Mr Anderson told Express.co.uk: If they dont like barges then they should f*** off back to France. Defending the comments, Mr Jenrick told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think what Lee was expressing was the fact that the accommodation we are providing as a country at huge expense billions of pounds a year is decent, it is good quality, it meets our legal obligations. It doesnt need to be luxurious, we shouldnt be putting people up in four-star hotels. The barge we are using in Portland that has been the subject of some interest has been used for oil and gas workers, it has been used by other countries. Barges like this are used in Belgium, in the Netherlands. The Scottish Government have used a similar vessel for Ukrainian refugees. So if it is good enough for all those people then it should be good enough for the migrants. But shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the Conservative Government was promoting division and lashing out due its own failures on tackling unlawful migration and the asylum backlog. The senior Labour MP told Today: It is clearly the wrong language to use and it is ramping up the rhetoric as a distraction from the fact the Government is failing. One thing Lee Anderson did say, he did admit that the Government is failing to tackle the boats crisis. What we need is grip rather than gimmicks, we need solutions rather than just this ramping up the rhetoric all of the time. And that is the problem because they are failing, because they have been flailing around for years while they have just made things worse with the policies they have pursued, they have ended up now lashing out trying to promote division and trying to find someone else to blame. That is not what responsible governments do. They should be getting on with trying to solve the practical problems around the gangs and around the backlog. The press briefing was held following a Council of Ministers session at the Government Palace in Lima. El premier Otarola resalto que el viaje de la presidenta Dina Boluarte a Brasil significa el retorno pleno de la diplomacia presidencial peruana. Permitio fortalecer la relacion con este pais hermano, y los altos intereses del Peru a nivel internacional, enfatizo. 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 }} Comments by immigration minister Robert Jenrick suggest the Government is still considering an option to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in order to tackle the problem of small boats crossing the English Channel. Here are details on the convention, the potential implications of the UK leaving it and the political positions on the issue. What is the ECHR? The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is an international treaty which came into force in 1953. It broadly protects the human rights and political freedoms of all citizens within the 46 states belonging to the Council of Europe. This means the ECHR is not a European Union convention so the UKs adherence to its principles were not affected by Brexit. The convention is ruled on by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, with judgments binding on the states concerned. Why is the ECHR in the news again? There have been repeated calls from within the Conservative Party for the UK to leave the ECHR, particularly in relation to migration policy. Comments by immigration minister Robert Jenrick on Wednesday once again raised the prospect of this happening to enable the Government to stem the flow of migrants crossing the English Channel. Despite the Government insisting it can deliver on Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks pledge to stop the boats within the convention, Mr Jenrick said ministers would do whatever is necessary even if that means pulling out of the ECHR. On Times Radio, Mr Jenrick said he, Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Mr Sunak were all working on every possible front on the issue, suggesting a united view within the Cabinet that leaving the ECHR remains an option. What are the views on the ECHR within the broader Conservative Party? There are some Conservative MPs who are strongly opposed to the UK remaining in the ECHR as a matter of principle. This is because the convention protects the rights of everyone within Council of Europe states, regardless of which country they are a citizen of. Therefore the ECHR is seen by some Tories, most notably Home Secretary Suella Braverman, as an unreasonable restriction which limits domestic action on not only migration but other politically sensitive issues such as security and criminality. Others in the party, such as Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, argue it is in the UKs interests to remain a signatory to the convention. The role of the European court in stopping migrant flights to Rwanda last year caused frustration within the party when a last-minute intervention halted departures, despite the policy being cleared by UK courts. The plans then became caught up in legal process, with the UKs Court of Appeal ruling against the policy last month. An appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court is due in the autumn. The official Government line remains that it will abide by its international treaty obligations, with changes necessary to reduce dangerous crossings still deliverable while remaining party to the ECHR. But Mr Jenricks comments are set to reignite a debate among Conservatives over the Governments approach, with the forthcoming Supreme Court decision potentially key to how this transpires. If the ruling does not go the Governments way, there are set to be growing calls for exploring new options. Even if the Supreme Court rules in favour of the plans, potential delays caused by further legal challenges could undermine action aimed at stopping small boats and heighten concerns within the Cabinet over a key pledge to the electorate. What are the implications for the UK of leaving the ECHR? For the UK to leave the ECHR, the Human Rights Act 1998 would have to be repealed. Various other legislation which refers to the Act, including statutes relating to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, would also have to be amended. There is also the complex matter of a potential violation of internal law relating to the UKs agreement to be part of the ECHR in signing a number of treaties. For example, the Good Friday Agreement requires the ECHR to be part of law in Northern Ireland and this has not changed due to the Windsor Framework. Therefore, the UK departure from the convention would be a breach of the Good Friday Agreement, which would still be the case if a new domestic Bill of rights replaced it. Furthermore, the UK-EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement, which governs the post-Brexit relationship, contains an obligation for both the UK and the EU to continue their commitment to human rights. However, the removal of the ECHR would not automatically lead to a suspension or termination of the agreement. As well as the practicalities, there are warnings that leaving the convention could cause significant reputational damage to the UK. The move would leave the UK as a significant regional outlier without membership of Europes major human rights organisation. The only other two states to leave the Council of Europe are Russia and Belarus, which were expelled following the invasion of Ukraine. Commentators have noted that this position could significantly shift international perceptions of the UK, with potentially far-reaching consequences for foreign policy and influence on the global stage. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Nicola Sturgeon is writing a deeply personal memoir covering her proudest achievements as well as her regrets throughout her time in politics, a publisher has announced. Pan Macmillan said it has secured the British and Commonwealth rights to the former Scottish first ministers memoirs following a hotly contested auction. The as-yet-untitled book will chart how she went from being a shy child from a working-class family in Ayrshire to the steps of Bute House, the publisher said. Pan Macmillans announcement said: The result will be a deeply personal and revealing memoir from one of Britains most significant political leaders of recent times. The book is expected to be published in 2025. Ms Sturgeon said: I am thrilled to be working with Pan Macmillan, a globally-renowned publisher with proud Scottish roots. I aim to chronicle key events of the past three decades of Scottish and British politics and take the reader behind the scenes to describe how it felt to be 'in the room' Nicola Sturgeon I have loved my life in politics, but ever since I was a child I have harboured an ambition to write. Embarking on this book is therefore exciting, if also daunting. I aim to chronicle key events of the past three decades of Scottish and British politics and take the reader behind the scenes to describe how it felt to be in the room, who else was there, the relationships involved and how decisions were arrived at. I will talk about what I am proud of and be frank about my regrets. I will reflect on the challenges of being a woman in politics and reveal more about the person behind the politician. I will also draw on my 35 years of experience to offer some thoughts on the future of Scotland, the UK and democracy in general. She said she will dedicate the book to her late uncle. Ms Sturgeon said: It is slightly bitter-sweet today, though, as I head to the funeral of my uncle, the journalist Iain Ferguson. It will touch on many important political events, including the Scottish independence referendum, Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic. This is something that I always hoped we might work together on some day. Instead, it will be a book I dedicate to him. First Minister Humza Yousaf said: A lot of politicians of her stature then go on to release a book, particularly a book-lover like Nicola, so I look forward to reading it in due course. He said he has not spoken to Ms Sturgeon face-to-face since her arrest, but they had exchanged messages here and there. He added: She was in good spirits, I messaged her just to wish her a happy birthday not too long ago when we last exchanged messages, but I think shes in good spirits. Ms Sturgeons political opponents attacked her record in government. Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said: Nicola Sturgeons well-documented difficulties are sure to fuel interest in her book, but unless she wants it filed under fiction, she needs to be up front and honest about her huge failings as first minister and SNP leader. Her reputation has taken a huge hit in recent months, not just for the scandal engulfing her and her husband, but because of the fact that several of her key policies such as the Deposit Return Scheme, the National Care Service, devastating fishing restrictions and the alcohol advertising ban have unravelled. Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie said: Im sure she will have interesting things to say about leading the country through the Covid pandemic, her split from Alex Salmond and more. Given the ongoing ructions within the SNP, I imagine she is leaving the final chapter blank for now. And with a rumoured six-figure advance she can finally buy the motorhome she has always wanted. 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 British doctor is believed to have been shot and killed after taking a wrong turn in Cape Town, according to police, as violent protests rock parts of the city. The 40-year-old, reportedly a GP who was visiting South Africa as a tourist, was killed in the citys Ntlangano Crescent area last Thursday, officials said. The doctor was driving with two other persons in the vehicle, a police spokesperson told MailOnline. From the airport he apparently took a wrong turn off and headed towards Nyanga. In Ntlangano Crescent a number of suspects approached his vehicle, shot and killed him. No arrests yet. His is one of five deaths the South African Police Service say have occurred since taxi drivers first began to strike last Tuesday in protest against having their vehicles overzealously impounded by officers. Warning of an upsurge in serious crime since the protests began as a result of the diversion of forces from key policing priorities, police say they have had their hands full this week in dealing with sporadic incidents such as stone throwing, road blockades, looting, arson related incidents and public violence. An on-duty law enforcement officer fatally shot on Saturday also in Nyanga is among the other four individuals to have been killed, police said. Some 120 suspects have been arrested since Thursday for damaging property, public violence, and looting, South African police minister Bheki Cele said on Tuesday, adding that the murders are being investigated. Residents of Masiphumelele throw rocks at police amidst an ongoing strike by taxi operators (REUTERS/Nic Bothma) The taxis union Santaco has denied that its members were instigating violence, blaming it instead on other protesters using the taxi demonstrations as cover. The unions president Abner Tsebe on Wednesday urged all parties to negotiate in good faith, as he offered condolences to the loved ones of those who have tragically lost their lives in the abhorrent violence that has beset our communities. The Foreign Office has advised British citizens to be on alert while travelling in the country. Additional reporting by agencies Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann must provide a DNA sample, a Suffolk County judge ruled on Wednesday. The 59-year-old Manhattan architect who is charged with the murders of three women put up a fight against the request for a cheek swab of DNA. But the judge sided with prosecutors. The Court finds that contrary to the defendants contentions, there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed the crimes charged and, therefore, a basis to compel the buccal swab, Judge Timothy Mazzei wrote in the court filing. The judge added that the court found that a comparison of Heuermanns DNA with the evidence obtained, including the DNA found on the pizza crust and napkin, will yield probative material evidence, whether it is inculpatory or not. Mr Heuermann, who resided with his wife in Massapequa Park on Long Island until his arrest last month, is charged with three counts of first-degree murders in the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello. All of their remains were found within a quarter-mile radius of each other along Gilgo Beach in 2010. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Mr Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes who was last seen alive in early June 2007 in New York City and who, together with the three other women, is known as part of the Gilgo Four. Long Island Serial Killings Key evidence came this year in the case when investigators reportedly recovered the suspects DNA from leftover pizza crust thrown and a used napkin into the trash close to his office in Manhattan. The new DNA swab will be used to test against a DNA profile developed from the pizza crust and napkin which was found to be matching to a hair sample found on a burlap used to restrain and transport Watermans remains. Gilgo Beach: What we know so far In the court ruling, the judge also stated that cheek swabs were previously obtained from Mr Heuermanns wife Asa Ellerup and their two children upon consent for further DNA analysis. The samples were collected from a trash can outside the couples Long Island home and linked through mitochondrial DNA testing to hairs found on or near three of the victims. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A second person has been arrested in connection with the murder of Georgia mother of four Imani Roberson. Ms Roberson's body was found by Rockdale County Sheriff's deputies approximately two weeks after she disappeared. Cedarius Glaze, her brother-in-law was arrested on Tuesday and has been charged with helping to hide her body, according to the sheriff's office. Mr Glaze, 28, is the brother of Ms Roberson's husband, Donell Anderson, who was also arrested and charged with felony murder of his wife. Mr Anderson has also been charged with malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm. Shortly after Mr Anderson was arrested, the sheriff's office announced another arrest was pending. Ms Roberson was last seen on 16 July in Conyers after she left her mother's house, where she and her four children were having dinner. Imani Roberson, a Georgia mother-of-four who was allegedly killed by her husband, according to police (Roberson Family provided photo) She returned home with two of the children that night. The next day Ms Roberson's mother called her several times, but received no answer. When she visited Ms Roberson's house, she did not find her, and later filed a missing person's report with the police. Ms Roberson's car was eventually found torched and in pieces near Atlanta, approximately 24 miles from her home. Cedarius Glaze, 28, was arrested and charged with helping to hide the body of his sister-in-law (Rockdale County Sheriff's Office) The family provided photos of the scene with WXIA in Atlanta, which showed charred pieces of vehicle strewn on the ground. When I couldnt reach Imani almost three weeks ago, I knew something was wrong, Clarine Andujar-White, Ms Roberson's mother, said. She said when her body was located, the family's "worst fears were confirmed." Ms Roberson's father was emotional during a press conference, revealing that his daughter was the "third child I've lost to the state of Georgia." "I've seen all I can see," he said. "Three of my babies gone." Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A New York City doctor who was previously accused of raping a woman at his Queens home was hit with a slew of new charges alleging that he filmed the assaults of at least seven women including patients at the hospital where he worked. Zhi Alan Cheng, 33, was arraigned Monday on charges of sexually abusing three of his patients at New York-Presbyterian Queens hospital and raping three other women inside his apartment, the Queens district attorney announced. Videos were seized in the investigation that allegedly show Mr Cheng assaulting three patients between March 2021 and May 2022. All three patients appeared to be unconscious and their closed eyelids were pulled open during the assault, according to the district attorneys office. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said the evidence showed that the young gastroenterologist was a sexual predator of the absolute worst kind. Doctor charged with drugging, abusing patients She called Mr Cheng a serial rapist, someone willing to not only violate his sacred professional oath and patients trust, but every standard of human decency. Mr Cheng was initially arrested and charged back in December for allegedly drugging and raping a female acquaintance in his home. That female acquaintance alerted police to videos she allegedly found in Mr Chengs home of him assaulting her and other women, which launched the investigation, according to the district attorneys office. Shortly after his arrest in December, Cheng was terminated from his job at the hospital where prosecutors said even more assaults took place. The crimes committed by this individual are heinous, despicable, and a fundamental betrayal of our mission and our patients trust, New York-Presbyterian said in a statement. In December 2022, as soon as the District Attorney made us aware of allegations of sexual abuse against this individual, he was immediately placed off duty, banned from hospital property, and terminated. The videos found during a search of Mr Chengs home showed female hospital patients and female acquaintances who appeared to be unconscious while he allegedly sexually assaulted them. Some videos showed locations other than Queens, including Westchester County, Manhattan, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Thailand, according to the district attorneys office. Drugs were also found in Mr Chengs home, including propofol and sevoflurane, which are used in healthcare to sedate people, according to prosecutors. Fentanyl, ketamine and LSD were also found. Zhi Alan Cheng, 33, was arraigned Monday on charges of sexually abusing three of his patients at New York-Presbyterian Queens hospital and raping three other women inside his Queens apartment (Google maps) Prosecutors said one of the videos shows Mr Cheng handling a brown bottle similar to the one seized from his apartment containing the anesthetic sevoflurane. It was noted that the women have no memory of the events. On Monday, Mr Cheng stood in court in Queens as 50 new counts were brought against him. He pleaded not guilty to the new charges. Dr Cheng has pleaded not guilty to the charges and we intend to fight them, Mr Chengs attorney Jeffrey Lichtman told CNN. Mr Cheng is expected to be back in court on 19 September. He faces multiple 25 years to life sentences if convicted. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz is urging women who think they may have been victimised to contact her offices Special Victims Bureau at (718) 286-6505 or SpecialVictims@queensda.org. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Maryland man who claimed he saw the body of 37-year-old Rachel Morin was not even within eyesight of the crime scene when she was found, the Harford County Sheriffs Office told The Independent. Michael Gabriszeski, 49, claimed to multiple news outlets that he and his stepdaughter came across Morins body on Sunday when they joined the search for the missing mother-of-five, who had vanished on Saturday after going for a jog on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland. Mr Gabriszeski said that his stepdaughter, who he said was a friend of Morins, was the first to discover the body in a tunnel near the trail before they alerted police. He gave his first public comments to WMAR on Monday. On Thursday, multiple media outlets published interviews in which Mr Gabriszeski described seeing Morins remains in a horrifying state. Mr Gabriszeski gave graphic accounts of what he claimed he saw to both the Daily Mail and WBFF, telling the latter that he saw a terrible mess. But a spokesperson for the Harford County's Sheriff's Office confirmed to The Independent on Thursday that Mr Gabriszeski did not find Rachels body and that he did not view her body. He has no first-hand knowledge of the crime scene, the sheriffs office added. Mr Gabriszeski was in the area to help search for the missing woman, the sheriffs office explained, but said that he was not within eyesight of the crime scene. The spokesperson would not confirm whether or not the stepdaughter was the one to locate the body. Rachel Morin was last seen alive heading off on the Ma and Pa Trail (Harford County Sheriffs Office) Investigators have also not confirmed any details about Morins injuries or the state of her remains. Morin initially left her home around 6pm on Saturday to go for a jog. When she failed to return five hours later, her boyfriend called the police to report her missing. Her body was found on Sunday afternoon. Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler announced that evening that the case was now a murder investigation. Together we will solve this crime and find the heinous coward who took Rachel Morin from her family and friends, Mr Gahler said in another briefing on Wednesday. He added that a team of detectives have been working around the clock to piece together a timeline of the case and that some of the more than 100 tips that have been submitted by the public have been promising. Investigators in the Harford County Sheriffs Office do not have an official suspect yet in the case. We do not have a solid suspect. Not knowing whether this was a targeted event specific to Rachel, we are going to say, yes, be aware, be thinking there could be somebody out here and this is a random event, Mr Gahler said. Mr Gahler urged the public to be vigilant when walking along the Ma and Pa Trail and said there will be increased patrols along the trail. This article was amended on 10 August 2023. It previously stated that Michael Gabriszeski had discovered Rachel Morins body, based on his own accounts. Close Woman's body found off of popular trail believed to be missing Maryland woman 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 }} More than a week after mother-of-five Rachel Morin was found dead on a popular trail in Maryland, authorities have yet to make any arrests in the investigation into her death. Morin, 37, was last seen heading to the Ma & Pa Trail at around 6pm on 5 August. Her boyfriend reported her missing that night after she failed to return home and her body was found the following day. On Thursday, Harford County Sheriffs Office said investigators had been made aware of potential witnesses who may have seen Morin on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air on Saturday. The witnesses either three men, two women and two dogs or two men, three women and two dogs were urged to come forward. Officials said that these individuals had been identified and were contacted by investigators. A spokesperson for the sheriffs office told The Independent on Tuesday that the department had increased patrol on the Ma & Pa Trail area to reassure the community in the aftermath of Morins tragic death, but noted that there is no perceived threat at this time. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An Oklahoma man was arrested for allegedly stabbing another man through the head with a flagpole following an argument at a Sonic Drive-In in Tulsa. The American flag was still attached to the pole as it pierced through the bottom of the victims mouth and out the right side of his head near the temple, police said. The man, who has not been publicly named, is expected to survive but could lose an eye. Witnesses told police they heard 54-year-old Clinton Collins saying Thats what he gets. He deserved it after allegedly stabbing the man. Mr Collins was taken into custody on 2 August and charged with one count of felony maiming after a former conviction of a felony. Tulsa police were called to Sonic in Tulsa Hills on 81st Street to a report of a stabbing around 7.30pm. Witnesses reportedly told police they saw Mr Collins charge at the victim and stab him with the flagpole through his head. Tulsa Fire Department officials had to cut part of the flagpole in order to fit the victim into the ambulance, according to the news release. Officer Bean told KJRH-TV, Officer Danny Bean that it was like youd see on TV or a horror movie he ran at him and literally stabbed him through the head. We certainly know that he did this on purpose, Bean added. Another witness told local news outlets that she recognised Mr Collins after seeing him exhibit similarly disturbing behaviour about a week earlier. We saw him start to charge at this person who was just sitting on the ground in front of the McDonalds, she said. He charged at him with the flagpole and started doing like a stabbing motion with it. Tulsa police reassured residents that it appeared to be an isolated incident and do not typically see a lot of violent crime in the Tulsa Hills area. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Charles Gregory endured two days of baking sun during the day, cool ocean chill during the night, plus jellyfish stings and shark spottings over the weekend after he was swept out to sea during an early-morning fishing trip off the coast of St Augustine, Florida. His father Raymond told CNN that Mr Gregory struggled to stay alive before being rescued. He was scared to death, Raymond said. He said hes had more conversations with God in that 30 hours than hes had his whole life. Charles Gregory, a Florida boater who was swept out to sea then rescued on 12 August, 2023 (US Coast Guard / family handout) At night being sunburnt, and the wind would be blowing, he said it was freezing cold out there in that water, he added. The 25-year-old boater originally set off on Friday at around 4am from the Lighthouse Park Boat Ramp, and his family became alarmed when he didnt return later that day. Mr Gregory later said that the tide rose more quickly than expected and he and his 12-foot jon boat were taken out to sea, with the Coast Guard finding the lost boater 12 miles from shore. We cannot thank the Coast Guard, fire, rescue, St Augustine, everybody, the paddleboarders, everybody, we just want to say thank you so much, his mother told FCN2. The 25-year-old flashed a hang-loose sign at news reporters as he was wheeled away in a stretcher on Saturday. His family says hes suffered from severe sunburns and rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of damaged muscle tissue. US Coast Guard teams spotted Mr Gregory on Saturday morning from an HC-130 Hercules aircraft. (US Coast Guard) We are pleased about the outcome in this case and I would like to thank all of our local and state partners who were heavily involved in searching for Charles and bringing him home to his family," commander Nick Barrow of the Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville said in a statement. While this case resulted in rescuing Charles from a life-threatening situation, it highlights the importance of having safety gear onboard and being prepared for the worst, he added. If you plan to head out on the water, remember to have a life jacket, VHF marine grade radio, signaling devices and an emergency personal locator beacon to contact first responders in case you are in need of assistance. "It was a very important meeting because we have been able to see how Indonesia has grown as a country," Mrs. Boluarte said in remarks to TVPeru. The Head of State indicated that the Asian country has based its progress on six axes: industrialization, digitalization, honest economic management, education, decarbonization of the environment, and interconnection. "We have agreed that next week, via zoom, technical and professional officials from Indonesia can get interconnected with technical officials from Peru so as to gain that experience and start working on the industrialization (of the country)," Mrs. Boluarte announced. The top official affirmed that Peru must bet on the industrialization of those raw materials existing in the national territory, so that they can be used in technological products. Awaiting Lula's response "He has gladly thanked (us for) the invitation; we hope that he will be giving a response soon," she expressed. Regarding her participation in the Amazon Summit, Mrs. Boluarte said Peru has emphasized that "all the work on defending the Amazonia must be focused mainly on how we serve the people, human beings." Concerning the agreement to be signed by the top dignitaries participating in this meeting, Peru's president indicated that there are eight topics on which consensus has been reached so far. La jefa de Estado indico que, durante la reunion, el ministro de Indonesia resalto que la industrializacion, la digitalizacion, el manejo economico, la educacion, la descarbonizacion y la interconexion fueron los ejes que impulsaron el crecimiento de su pais. pic.twitter.com/PhiLqF2U8S Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An American nurse and her daughter have been released after being kidnapped from a medical mission in Haiti. Alix Dorsainvil of New Hampshire was working for the nonprofit Christian ministry El Roi Haiti providing healthcare services when she and her young daughter were abducted by kidnappers in late July. Ms Dorsainvil is married to the founder of El Roi Haiti, Sandro Dorsainvil. On 9 August a blog entry went live on El Roi Haiti's website announcing that Ms Dorsainvil had been released. It noted that she was being held in the capital, Port au Prince, and that she and her daughter were safe. "It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti," the group said on its blog. "Today we are praising God for answered prayer!" Ms Dorsainvil was well-loved in her local community; after she was taken, protesters marched on the capital with signs testifying to her work as a nurse and demanding that she be released. The ministry has asked for privacy for the Dorsainvils in the wake of the kidnapping. "There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation, so we are asking that no attempts be made to contact Alix or her family at this time," El Roi said in its statement. "We will continue to release information as appropriate on our website. Please keep checking back. And again, thanks for all of the prayers and support through this incredibly difficult time." Haiti has experienced a surge of gang violence over the last year, and with it a spike in kidnappings. Many nonprofits which are some of the few remaining aid organisations operating in regions of the country most afflicted by gang violence have closed due to the worsening violence. Alix Dorsainvil, right, an American nurse working in Haiti, has been released after being kidpanned (El Roi Haiti) Among those is Doctors Without Borders, which announced earlier this month it was suspending its services at one of its hospitals after 20 armed men burst into an operating room and kidnapped a patient. A woman who was waiting for a checkup at the nonprofit witnessed Ms Dorsainvils abduction. She recalled seeing a man enter, pull out a gun, and tell her to relax. The US State Department issued an advisory warning Americans to avoid traveling to Haiti on the same day the aid worker was abducted. It also ordered nonemergency personnel to leave the country citing the widespread kidnappings. The protesters who demanded action at the capital carried signs supporting the aid worker, including one that read she is doing good work in the community, free her. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A female black bear nicknamed Hank the Tank believed to be responsible for 21 home break-ins has been apprehended by wildlife officers in California. Officials in South Lake Tahoe say that the 400-pound animal, who became an internet star was safely mobilized by a tranquilliser dart on Friday. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement that the female bear was found responsible through DNA for the string of break-ins in Tahoe Keys dating back to 2022. The bear will now be transported to an animal sanctuary in Colorado. Hank the Tank was captured after being shot with a tranquiliser dart (AP) Relocation is not typically an option for conflict animals over concern that relocating an animal will relocate the conflict behavior to a different community, the agency stated. However, given the widespread interest in this bear, and the significant risk of a serious incident involving the bear, CDFW is employing an alternative solution to safeguard the bear family as well as the people in the South Lake Tahoe community. Authorities initially blamed a total of 28 break-ins and 152 reports of conflict behavior on the bear. But now they believe that it was at least three bears, including the female Bear 64F, that were behind the trespassing. California Fish and Wildlife say that the female bear was accompanied on a recent break-in by her three young cubs, who will be relocated to Sonoma County. A CDFW-permitted wildlife rehabilitation facility in Petaluma in hopes they can discontinue the negative behaviors they learned from the sow and can be returned to the wild. Colorado governor Jared Polis welcomed the bears relocation to his state on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter. We welcome Hank the Tank (turned out to be Henrietta the Tank) to Colorado! Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A woman who lost a chunk of her leg in a shark attack at a popular New York City beach was saved by a pair of hero lifeguards who jumped into action and used sweatpants to make a tourniquet. The 65-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, was swimming alone in the ocean at Rockaway Beach just before 6pm on Monday when a shark bit her left leg, the city parks department said in a statement. The bite left a gaping wound several inches wide and deep, according to a photo shared with The Associated Press. Bill McDonnell, 24, and Romeo Ortiz, both lifeguards at the beach, sprung into action when they heard the womans screams and pulled her from the water. The duo got crafty and used the sweatpants and rope from an orange rescue float as a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding, Mr McDonnells mother Janet McDonnell told the New York Daily News. Their quick thinking saved that womans life, Ms McDonnell said. Her son, who works as a substitute teacher during the school year, has also been a lifeguard for the last eight summers. She said Mr McDonnell told her that the whole back of her leg was gone. He didnt think she was going to make it. She was bleeding profusely. He said he was just holding her hand ... They actually thought she was going to bleed out on the beach in front of everybody. A woman was in critical condition after a shark attack on Monday off Rockaway Beach in Queens (Citizen App) The woman was rushed to Jamaica Hospital where she is listed in stable condition, a hospital spokesperson told The Independent. It was definitely a group effort, Ms McDonnell added. It was great that they had some senior lifeguards there to jump in. If the lifeguards didnt step in and do that crafty tourniquet first, I dont know if [police] would have made it on time. A city worker who was at the beach during the attack recalled the frightening scene as the woman struggled to swim back after the attack. Chunks were washing up on the beach, he told the Daily News. The beach was closed on Tuesday but reopened on Wednesday. Though this was a frightening event, we want to remind New Yorkers that shark bites in Rockaway are extremely rare, Parks spokeswoman Meghan Lalor said. We remain vigilant in monitoring the beach and always clear the water when a shark is spotted. The bite appeared to be the most serious shark attack in New York waters since at least the 1950s, said Gavin Naylor, the program director of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida, told the Associated Press. He said the bite mark was most consistent with a juvenile white shark, though he said it may have also been a bull shark or sandbar shark. This is a very severe injury from something thats powerful and unambiguous, he added. Its very deliberate. Shark sightings and minor bites have become more frequent in New York waters, as the predators are drawn closer to shore by a growing population of bait fish that have flourished under recent conservation efforts. In the past two summers, at least 13 swimmers reported being bitten off the coast of Long Island, surpassing the total of reported bites throughout New York history prior to 2022. None of the recent injuries were considered serious, however. On Rockaway Beach, a bustling city shoreline that often attracts more than 100,000 people in a single day, officials have repeatedly closed stretches of water after shark sightings in the past two summers. Senior lawmakers from the United States and Europe are calling for a change in the Western diplomatic approach toward Serbia and Kosovo amid concern that tensions between the two could rapidly spiral out of control. In the letter, signed by U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and his counterparts in Germany, the U.K., Ukraine and other countries, the lawmakers said U.S. and European Union negotiators were not putting enough pressure on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Serbia and its former province of Kosovo have been at odds for decades. Their 1998-99 war left more than 10,000 people dead, mostly Kosovo Albanians. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008 but Belgrade has refuses to recognize the move. It is hugely underestimated how serious the situation is that the EU and allies have brought themselves into with the continued appeasement of autocrats in the region like Vucic and (Bosnian Serb leader Milorad) Dodik, one of the letter's signatories, Dutch EU lawmaker Thijs Reuten, told the Associated Press on Wednesday. The letter, addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, highlights a series of incidents, including attacks on NATO peacekeepers, since Serbs living in the north of Kosovo boycotted municipal elections there in April. All point toward a rapidly deteriorating situation which not only threatens the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, but regional peace itself, the lawmakers wrote. They said recent finds of hidden weapons in northern Kosovo and cross-border arms smuggling highlight the risk of further escalations. Borrell and his team lead a Belgrade-Pristina dialogue aimed at normalizing ties, and the U.S. is the other major player. In June, emergency talks with Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to defuse tensions ended without producing a clear result. The two refused to meet face-to-face and Borrell, who held talks separately with both men, conceded that they have different interpretations of the causes and also the facts, consequences and solutions. In their letter, the lawmakers warned that the current approach is not working. We would ask that the international community learns from our past and ensure we do not adopt a Belgrade-centered policy for the Balkans. They noted a lack of pressure on Serbia over the attacks on peacekeepers and the detention of Kosovo police and said the Wests diplomatic response highlights the current lack of even-handedness in addressing such flashpoints. Borrells team confirmed he received the letter. Spokesman Peter Stano underlined that the EU is a neutral facilitator" in the normalization dialogue and that both Serbia and Kosovo's governments were being asked equally to help ease tensions. The EU is currently closely monitoring Serbias compliance to the EUs requests and stands ready to take measures in case of non-compliance to these requests, Stano said. Vucic told reporters Tuesday that even though the letter was directed against him personally, it is actually directed against Serbia. He said the lawmakers who signed it think he's guilty because he does not recognize Kosovos 2008 declaration of independence. Im causing instability in the region because Im advocating for the rights of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Montenegro, Vucic said. It is my fault and Im proud of that. Vucic, a former ultranationalist who now claims to want to take Serbia into the EU, has maintained close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has refused to impose sanctions on Russia over its war on Ukraine. There are widespread fears in the West that Moscow could use Belgrade to reignite ethnic conflicts in the Balkans, which experienced a series of bloody wars in the 1990s during the breakup of Yugoslavia, in an effort to draw world attention away from the war. At the same time, Kurti, a longtime Kosovo independence activist who served prison time in both Serbia and Kosovo, has proven a thorny interlocutor for negotiators to work with. Little progress has been made on improving ties since he took office as prime minister in 2021. ___ Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade contributed. President Joe Biden is raising money for his reelection campaign by offering donors the chance to meet himself and Barack Obama, meaning the former president will be entering the 2024 political fray earlier than he did during last year's midterms or the last presidential election. An email to supporters urged them to donate for a chance to meet President Biden and President Obama and featured a hypothetical text message chain where Biden writes Hey pal, what do you say we band together to thank some grassroots supporters in person" and Obama replies See you there together with a smiling emoji wearing sunglasses. Biden also posted on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, You and a guest could win a trip to meet @BarackObama and me" over a photo of the two posing for a selfie. Obama has frequently campaigned for his former vice president and Democratic leaders around the country, though usually not this early in the campaign cycle, given that the 2024 election is still about 15 months away. The former president campaigned for Democrats in key swing states including Nevada and Wisconsin in the days before last November's election, when Democrats defied historical precedent and did far better than expected, picking up a seat in the Senate and only narrowly losing control of the House to Republicans. He also did fundraising for the Democratic National Committee in the year leading up the midterms, similar to how he is now raising money for Biden. And Obama campaigned for Biden amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, releasing a joint video with his former No. 2 that summer. It featured a socially distanced meeting between the pair that was their first since the pandemic began, and showed them in discussions defending the Obama administration's record while criticizing then-President Donald Trump as unworthy of the White House. Later that fall, Obama held drive-in events for Biden in Florida and reunited with his former vice president for an outdoor rally in Philadelphia the weekend before Election Day. But those efforts only came after Obama refrained from taking sides during the Democrats' competitive 2020 presidential primary, which Biden rallied to win after opening losses in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. The Biden reelection campaign says its top surrogates, including Obama, are broadly focused on the campaign's current top priorities, which include fundraising, and that offering a meeting with Biden and Obama to entice donors doesn't mean the former president is likely to be out campaigning for Biden anytime soon. Since announcing his reelection bid in April, meanwhile, Biden himself has focused more on governing than campaigning. So far, the president has attended just one 2024 rally, a June event in Philadelphia sponsored by many of the nation's top labor organizations. President Joe Biden has issued an executive order barring US citizens, permanent residents and corporations from financial transactions involving Chinese and Chinese-owned technology companies working on semiconductors, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. The order, which was announced by the White House on Wednesday, bars US persons from undertaking particular transactions involving certain entities located in or subject to the jurisdiction of a country of concern, and certain other entities owned by persons of a country of concern, engaged in activities related to defined sub- sets of technologies and products, and requires notification to the US Treasury by anyone undertaking certain permitted transactions pertaining to entities engaged in activities related to other defined technologies and products. Mr Biden said in the order that he had officially found that countries of concern are currently engaged in comprehensive, long-term strategies that direct, facilitate, or otherwise support advancements in sensitive technologies and products that are critical to such countries military, intelligence, surveillance, or cyber-enabled capabilities. He also noted that the countries at issue eliminate barriers between civilian and commercial sectors and military and defense industrial sectors, not just through research and development, but also by acquiring and diverting the worlds cutting-edge technologies, for the purposes of achieving military dominance. In a separate annex to the executive order, Mr Biden designated China and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau as a country of concern. The presidents order lays out three specific categories of technologies that will be subject to the new restrictions, which were chosen based on their critical role in accelerating the development of advanced military, intelligence, surveillance, and cyber-enabled capabilities. Advancements in sensitive technologies and products in these sectors will accelerate the development of advanced computational capabilities that will enable new applications that pose significant national security risks, such as the development of more sophisticated weapons systems, breaking of cryptographic codes, and other applications that could provide these countries with military advantages, Mr Biden said. He added that he was declaring a new national emergency to deal with the threat posed by US investments in those technologies being taken advantage of by China, allowing him to use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose the new restrictions laid out in the order. Those technology categories will include semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence systems. Mr Bidens order also instructs Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to further define sensitive technologies and products in the categories that will be subject to the investment ban and notification requirements in consultation with other departments and agencies. Separately, the Treasury Department announced a new administrative rule-making proceeding and asked the public for comments on the regulations Ms Yellen will promulgate under the new executive order. In a statement accompanying the notice of proposed rule-making, the Treasury Department said the administration is committed to keeping America safe and defending Americas national security through appropriately protecting technologies that are critical to the next generation of military innovation. The department added that the new narrowly targeted rules will complement our existing export control and inbound investment screening tools, and protect our national security while maintaining our longstanding commitment to open investment. According to a Treasury fact sheet, the new program will be narrowly targeted at investments in highly sensitive technologies and products for the purposes of protecting US national security, and will likely include exceptions for publicly-traded instruments and intracompany transfers from U.S. parents to subsidiaries. The new rules come after calls from members of Congress in both parties for a crackdown on American investment in the Chinese technology sector, citing policies that require companies operating in China to aid the Chinese military when ordered to by state officials. The restrictions are likely to trigger a negative response from Chinese officials who have bristled at Mr Bidens simultaneous efforts to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States and boost American investment in artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies with military potential. Speaking in New Mexico on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the semiconductor manufacturing funding bill he signed into law last year, Mr Biden boasted of $230 billion in investments made with the aim of helping companies onshore production of semiconductor products that are essential to key US industries and the defence sector. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has fired back at former President Donald Trump after he emphasised comments referring to Mr Christie as a fat pig. Mr Trump was at a rally in New Hampshire on Tuesday when he yet again made derogatory remarks about Mr Christies weight. Christies eating right now, Mr Trump said to a cheering and laughing audience. He then pointed into the audience and said Sir, please dont call him a fat pig. Im trying to be nice, dont call him a fat pig, he added. We want to be very civil, right? If you had the guts you would show up to the debate and say it to my face, Mr Christie tweeted on Tuesday night. Mr Trump responded on Truth Social, writing: I was extremely respectful of Sloppy Chris Christie today in New Hampshire. During a speech in front of a large crowd of Patriots, somebody shouted out that Chris Christie is a fat pig. Rather than acknowledging that, which many speakers would have done, I said, No, No, he is not a fat pig. Im sure Chris would have been very happy with my defense of him! Its unclear if anyone in the audience actually made any comments about Mr Christie. Mr Trump has long leaned on jabs aimed at making fun of the former New Jersey governors weight in Truth Social postings and other comments about his once-ally. The moment was a revealing preview of his debate strategy should he eventually end up onstage with Mr Christie and his other GOP rivals like his former vice president, Mike Pence, later this summer and into the fall. The GOP debates are set to be the bloodiest televised fight for the former president in years, following a largely sleepy set of debates against now-President Joe Biden in 2020 and the tame performance, by comparison, of Hillary Clinton in 2016. Theres no indication that either Mr Trump or Mr Christie, who has made a name for himself in recent weeks with aggressive attacks of his own against his rival, will hold anything back should they come face-to-face in front of the cameras. And there are other Republicans who will be on that debate stage who have likely learned the lessons of 2016 and 2020 and plan to take on Mr Trump in his own commandeering manner if only to avoid the fates of Jeb Bush and other Republicans who were bullied into submission by him in his first presidential run. Several Republicans including most prominently Mr Christie have attacked Mr Trump over his leadership and electoral track record, blaming him for poor GOP performances in the House and Senate. Mr Christie has also taken a sharp edge against the former presidents campaign to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 election, which has now resulted in four criminal charges against Mr Trump as well. Mr Christie and to a lesser extent other Republicans like Asa Hutchinson have argued that Mr Trumps growing legal baggage makes him an untenable candidate for the GOP to field against an incumbent Democratic president, Joe Biden, in 2024. Despite Donald Trumps penchant for attacking his political rivals on social media, the former president has taken issue with a tweet where Joe Biden is seen sipping coffee from a Dark Brandon themed mug. In a court document filed in Washington DC on Monday, Mr Trumps attorneys complained that Mr Biden is capitalising on the former presidents legal troubles with the meme post. President Biden has likewise capitalized on the indictment, posting a thinly veiled reference to his administrations prosecution of President Trump just hours before arraignment, his attorneys wrote in the filing. The court document then included a photo of the offending image, showing Mr Bidens video post on his personal account on X formerly known as Twitter. In the video, the president is seen drinking a cup of coffee from a mug featuring an image of Mr Biden with lasers coming out of his eyes also known as Dark Brandon. In the clip, captioned A cup of Joe never tasted better, Mr Biden says: I like my coffee dark. The social media post includes a link to buy the mug, which is part of the merchandise being promoted by Mr Bidens campaign as he seeks to capitalise on a trend that was first adopted by his critics. The Dark Brandon moniker was born out of the right-wing chant Lets Go Brandon a thinly-veiled chant meaning f*** Joe Biden before it was adopted and turned into a merchandise opportunity by the president himself. Mr Bidens tweet was posted on Thursday morning, hours before Mr Trump was arrested and arraigned on charges over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his role in the lead-up to the January 6 Capitol riot. Mr Trumps complaint about the Dark Brandon meme post came in a court document filed by his defence attorneys on Monday arguing against a protective order in the case. Last week, special counsel Jack Smiths office had requested a protective order in the federal criminal case limiting what Mr Trump can publicise about the case. Donald Trump took issue with this social media post (UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) Such an order would not stop Mr Trump from commenting on the case altogether, but would simply prevent him from disclosing evidence such as secret grand jury materials. The request specifically referred to a seemingly threatening Truth Social post from the former president where he wrote: IF YOU GO AFTER ME, IM COMING AFTER YOU! On Monday, Mr Trumps defence team filed a motion pushing back against the protective order, claiming that his political rivals are campaigning off the back of his legal troubles. They also claim a protective order would violate Mr Trumps right to free speech in what they say is a trial about First Amendment rights. Instead, Mr Trumps defence is asking the judge to narrow limits of a protective order so that his right to free speech is protected. Mr Smiths office quickly filed a motion in response, accusing the former president of trying to litigate this case in the media. Now, Judge Tanya Chutkan has ordered that a court hearing will take place this week over the issue of a protective order in the case. The judge told both parties to give her two proposed dates and times by 3pm ET on Tuesday for when a hearing can be held over the matter. The hearing must take place by Friday, she said, and Mr Trump is not required to attend. The irony of Mr Trumps issue with the presidents post comes as the former president has repeatedly railed against Mr Biden, the DOJ, Mr Smith and the judges overseeing his criminal cases in angry tirades on his Truth Social page. Meanwhile, Mr Biden has made no public comments on Mr Trumps indictment on criminal charges. The former president was arrested last Thursday on four federal charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The Dark Brandon meme has been coopted the Biden campaign (Twitter / TJ Ducklo) He appeared in court in Washington DC for his arraigment that afternoon, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges. The former president is accused of conspiring with his allies to overturn the 2020 election, in a bid to sabotage the vote of the American people. A grand jury, which has spent months hearing evidence in special counsel Jack Smiths investigation, returned a federal indictment on 1 August hitting him with four federal charges. The Justice Department alleges that Mr Trump and his circle of co-conspirators knew that he had lost the election but launched a multi-prong conspiracy to do everything they could to enable him to cling to power. This included spreading knowingly false claims of election fraud to get state legislators and election officials to subvert the legitimate election results and change electoral votes for the Defendants opponent, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., to electoral votes for the Defendant, the indictment states. Mr Trump and his allies also allegedly plotted to send slates of fake electors to seven targeted states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin which President Joe Biden had won to get them to falsely certify the election for Mr Trump. The indictment also alleges Mr Trump tried to use the DOJ to conduct sham election crime investigations, sending letters to the seven states claiming that significant concerns had been found in the elections in those states. As well as the false claims about the election being stolen from Mr Trump, the scheme also involved pushing false claims that Vice President Mike Pence had the power to alter the results and pushing Mr Pence to fraudulently alter the election results. When Mr Trumps supporters stormed the US Capitol in a violent attack that ended with five deaths, Mr Trump and his co-conspirators exploited the incident by redoubling efforts to levy false claims of election fraud and convince Members of Congress to further delay the certification based on those claims, the indictment claims. At a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Smith placed the blame for the January 6 attack on the US Capitol firmly on Mr Trumps shoulders. Former President Donald Trump speaks before he boards his plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after arraignment last week (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) The attack on our nations capitol on January 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy, he said. As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies. Lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the US government the nations process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election. The indictment marks Mr Trumps second federal indictment, his third criminal indictment overall and arguably his most serious. While the former president is the only person charged in the case, the indictment also refers to six co-conspirators who worked with him to try to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The six individuals four attorneys, one Justice Department official and one political consultant have not been named in the charging documents because they have not yet been charged with any crimes. However, based on the details in the indictment and records already known about the events leading up to the Capitol riot, the identities are apparent as Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, Kenneth Chesebro and Boris Epshteyn. This marks Mr Trumps third indictment after he was hit with New York state charges following an investigation into hush money payments made prior to the 2016 election and then separate federal charges over his alleged mishandling of classified documents on leaving office. He has pleaded not guilty in both of those charges as well. Senator Dianne Feinstein was briefly hospitalised on Tuesday after suffering what a spokeperson said was a minor fall in her California home. The fall, first reported by TMZ, is just the latest incident in a climbing number of health-related issues that have troubled the 90-year-old Ms Feinstein in recent months and is likely to contribute to growing concerns about her ability to serve. The senior California lawmaker only recently returned to Congress after an extended absence due to illness; that departure left Democrats unable to subpoena members of the Supreme Court for a spring hearing about ethics in the nations highest judicial authority though its unclear whether she and others on the panel had the stomach for such a move to begin with. Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home. All of her scans were clear and she returned home, a spokesperson told the San Francisco Chronicle. Ms Feinstein is set to retire at the end of her term next year. Her succession has sparked a major primary fight in the state of California, with three prominent members of Californias congressional delegation all vying for the job. Her staff, meanwhile, remains adamant that the aging senator remains active and completely able to perform her duties. Those assertions have brushed up sharply against reports in the media of her frequent bouts of confusion throughout the halls of Congress, including numerous instances where she has been heard asking aides where they are guiding her and a recent episode during a committee hearing when the senator began calling for a vote that was already underway. Defenders of the Democratic veteran have claimed that criticisms of her performance and reports of her bouts of confusion are rooted in sexism, arguing that the same concerns are not applied equally to male politicians of similar ages. To be clear, those criticisms are far from only centred around Ms Feinstein; they recently were vocalised in regards to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell by Republicans like Nikki Haley after the former appeared to freeze and become unable to speak at a press conference, before being led away by a colleague. The latest news about Ms Feinstein comes only a week after it was revealed in a news report that she has ceded power of attorney to her daughter. Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit the Iowa State Fair Saturday, a time-honored rite of presidential candidates working for support in the states leadoff nominating caucuses next January. Campaign aides Tuesday confirmed Trump's plan to visit the fair Saturday afternoon, on the 10-day event's first weekend. However, he is not planning to participate in a series of GOP presidential candidate conversations hosted by Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is popular and influential among Republicans in the leadoff caucus state. Trump criticized her last month. Trump's first Iowa State Fair visit was a circus of its own in 2015, when the then-emerging 2016 Republican presidential nominee drew hundreds of onlookers and news media as the New York real estate executive waded through the crowds at the fair - a celebration of Midwestern agriculture and rural life. Saturday's scheduled visit can be expected to be different, with the restrictions of free movement that come with the detail of Secret Service protection that accompanies any former president. Still, it was unclear Tuesday precisely what Trump's campaign team had planned. It also comes with the latest round of Trump drama, in the wake of his federal indictment last week on felony charges alleging he worked to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It also comes ahead of the first debate, set for Aug. 23, of the 2024 Republican nominating campaign. The former president has not said whether he will attend. One thing clear from Reynolds' public schedule is that Trump would not be joining her for a State Fair program her political team is putting on called Fairside Chats, where GOP presidential hopefuls are to meet with the governor for public conversations. Trump last month criticized Reynolds, who has pledged neutrality in the caucus campaign, for what he complained was her cozy relationship with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign. Reynolds has introduced DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis at campaign events, as well as other candidates, including Trump at his first campaign event in Iowa last March. Reynolds introduced South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott at a Scott campaign event in Ankeny last month. Thirteen candidates are participating in the individual public conversations with Reynolds, including DeSantis, Scott, radio host Larry Elder, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former Vice President Mike Pence, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, businessman Ryan Binkley, businessman Perry Johnson and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd. YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has congratulated the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong on the National Day. "I heartily congratulate you and the friendly people of Singapore on the occasion of the National Day of the Republic of Singapore, PM Pashinyan said in the congratulatory message. Since independence, Singapore has served as an example to the world, introducing an efficient model of economic growth, supporting democracy and the rule of law. Armenia attaches importance to further deepening and development of cooperative relations with Singapore. Taking this opportunity, I reaffirm my willingness to make efforts to expand existing cooperation with friendly Singapore in all areas of bilateral and multilateral interest," PM Pashinyan added. Washington, DC Federal District Judge Tanya Chutkan chose to ignore the latest delay attempt by Donald Trumps legal team when scheduling a hearing regarding a protective order to prevent the former president from sharing certain details set to be revealed in the discovery process. This comes after Mr Trumps lawyers appeared to ignore the judges orders in their latest filing in the case related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. US Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith and the Trump defence team submitted their suggestions for when a hearing may be held on prosecutors proposed protective order to restrict what the former president can share about the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan requested a hearing date between 9 and 11 August. The special counsel said his team would be available on any of those days while Mr Trumps team ignored the judges order and suggested 14 or 15 August. On Tuesday, the judge ultimately set a hearing date for 10am ET on 11 August. In a filing on Monday night, the special counsels office wrote that Mr Trump was attempting to litigate this case in the media. This came after Mr Trump objected to the proposal that public discussion of the discovery evidence in the case be restricted. The defendants principal objection to it as defense counsel stated publicly yesterday, and in conference with Government counsel is that it would not permit the defendant or his counsel to publicly disseminate, and publicize in the media, various materials obtained from the Government in discovery, the office wrote. But there is no right to publicly release discovery material, because the discovery process is designed to ensure a fair process before the Court, not to provide the defendant an opportunity to improperly press his case in the court of public opinion. The filing came shortly after Mr Trumps attorneys requested that the judge in charge of the case give permission to the former president to use large parts of the discovery materials while campaigning for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. Over the course of 13 pages, the attorneys responded to the governments motion for a protective order banning Mr Trump from sharing any of the material that is set to be handed over by the prosecution during the pre-trial discovery process. Mr Trump faces three criminal conspiracy charges and a charge of obstruction of an official proceeding. The defence lawyers argued that the standard protective order would mean that the judge would be able to censor Mr Trump and put in place content-based restrictions on his political speech. Prosecutors pointed to Mr Trumps frequent public statements on social media regarding witnesses, judges, attorneys, and others associated with legal matters pending against him, including insults and attacks lobbed at the prosecutors and judges overseeing other criminal cases and investigations in New York and Georgia. They had asked the judge to impose an order barring Mr Trump from sharing discovery materials directly or indirectly to any person or entity other than persons employed to assist in the defense, persons who are interviewed as potential witnesses, counsel for potential witnesses, and other persons to whom the Court may authorize disclosure. Mr Smith filed the request for the protective order on Friday night after Mr Trump posted If you go after me, Im coming after you on Truth Social. The special counsel argued that Mr Trumps posts may have an effect on witnesses. The Trump legal team claimed to be busy this week, requesting a delay until next week for the hearing now set for Friday. President Trump will not appear. However, he would like to have both his counsel John Lauro and Todd Blanche at the hearing, the lawyers wrote to the court, according to Mediaite. Todd Blanche is not available on Thursday, since he must appear for a court proceeding in the prosecution brought against the same defendant, President Trump, by the Special Counsel in SD Florida. Mr. Lauro is available on Thursday, with a preference for an afternoon setting. However, since we lost Friday as an option, we would respectfully request a setting on Monday (after 12:00 p.m.) or Tuesday (all day) to allow for both Mr. Blanche and Mr. Lauro to be present. Judge Chutkun wrote in a minute order that The court hereby schedules a hearing on the parties respective protective order proposals in this matter on August 11, 2023 at 10:00 AM in Courtroom 9. The requirement of Defendants appearance is waived for this hearing. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus criticised Texas governor Greg Abbott for deploying cruel and inhumane tactics like razor-tipped buoys as part of his controversial effort to lock down the US-Mexico border. Today was eye-opening, Rep Sylvia Garcia of Texas wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, sharing a video of orange buoys used in the Rio Grande which are separated with blade saw-like barbed disks. Seeing the barbaric, inhumane, and ungodly practices in my home state of Texas. This is beyond politics and crosses a line into human rights violations. Everyone needs to see what I saw in Eagle Pass today, said Texas congressman Joaquin Castro in his own dispatch from the border. Clothing stuck on razor wire where families got trapped. Chainsaw devices in the middle of buoys. Land seized from US citizens. Operation Lone Star is barbaric and Governor Abbott is making border communities collateral damage. The Texas governor has insisted that the buoys and razor wire hes installed across the border between the state and Mexico will save lives by deterring migration. However, as The Independent has reported, advocates and Texas troopers are warning the tools are already putting people at risk. In July, a Texas state border medic named Nicholas Wingate went public with allegations that the border barriers were already causing severe injuries, and that he and his fellow troopers were ordered, as part of the governors Operation Lone Star, to push exhausted migrants back into the river and refuse to offer them water. (The state denies this order existed.) I believe we have stepped over a line into the inhumane, he told his superiors, in messages shared with media outlets. Last week, Mexican officials informed the state of Texas that two bodies were found in the Rio Grande: one ensnared in Governor Greg Abbotts controversial floating border wall, and another in a nearby area. Critics allege the border build-up cause these deaths, though the cause of death for the two people found hasnt been determined yet. Guardsmen watch as migrants try to cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into the US near Eagle Pass, Texas, in July (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Despite years of border security installations and billions invested across multiple state and federal administrations, migration continues to increase, hitting a record in December. Its been proven time after time that these so-called prevention through deterrence strategies dont work, Fernando Garcia of the Border Network for Human Rights told The Independent last month. They have not stopped immigration flows, but what they have done is they have put immigrants at risk. Its very likely that with [the floating buoy wall] they are looking for more remote and isolated places to come across so that whenever they are in danger by heat exhaustion, by drowning, they will not have anybody to help them, he added, saying he worries it could be a record year for migrant deaths in the Rio Grande. Members of Congress and human rights activists arent the only ones taking issue with the border barriers. Last month, a local kayak guide in Eagle Pass named Jessie Fuentes sued the state, arguing it doesnt have authority to erect a floating border barrier in the Rio Grande. Youve taken a beautiful waterway and youve converted it into a war zone, he toldThe Independent. The Department of Justice has also sued the state, arguing it violated federal waterways laws. Texas has insisted it has legal authority to carry out such measures, some of which it argues are allowed under a controversial reading of the US Constitution granting states war powers when theyre under invasion. Legal experts told The Independent this is a mistaken reading of the clause, which was intended to cover invasion by military forces, not regular immigration by civilians. The theory that Abbott is relying on here is that the influx of undocumented individuals is an actual invasion. That also doesnt pass muster, Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Centers Liberty & National Security Program, told The Independent. President Joe Biden said Wednesday that hes open to granting assistance for people sickened by exposure to radiation during nuclear weapons testing, including in New Mexico, where the worlds first atomic bomb was tested in 1945. Biden brought up the issue while speaking Wednesday in Belen at a factory that produces wind towers. Im prepared to help in terms of making sure that those folks are taken care of, he said. The state's place in American history as a testing ground has gotten more attention recently with the release of Oppenheimer, a movie about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and the top-secret Manhattan Project. Biden watched the film last week while on vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico spoke of how the first bomb was tested on soil just south of where the event was. The senator also discussed getting an amendment into the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which gives payments to people become ill from nuclear weapons tests or uranium mining during the Cold War. And those families did not get the help that they deserved. They were left out of the original legislation, Lujan added. Were fighting with everything that we have to keep the amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act. Last month, the U.S. Senate voted to expand compensation. The provisions would extend health care coverage and compensation to so-called downwinders exposed to radiation during weapons testing to several new regions stretching from New Mexico to Guam. Biden said he told Lujan that hes prepared to help in terms of making sure that those folks are taken care of. Ohio voters have resoundingly rejected a measure that would make it more difficult to amend the states constitution a proposal Republican officials bluntly admitted was an effort to kneecap an upcoming ballot measure asking voters to enshrine a right to abortion care. That proposal has failed, with roughly 65 per cent of the vote tallied by Tuesday night after polls had closed, according to projections from the Associated Press. Issue 1 would have required that proposed amendments to the state constitution receive at least 60 per cent of the vote, raising the threshold substantially from a current simple majority vote. It also would have increased the minimum number of petition signatures that groups would have to collect before qualifying an issue to get on a ballot. The proposals failure means that a November referendum on abortion rights will need only 50 per cent of the vote to enshrine those protections into the states constitution, a major victory for abortion rights advocates and democratic campaigns in the aftermath of the US Supreme Courts decision to strike down Roe v Wade. President Joe Biden called the measure a blatant attempt to weaken voters voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won, he said in a statement. Within the last year, voters have also turned out in record numbers to protect abortion rights in California, Kansas, Michigan and Vermont, underscoring the overwhelming unpopularity of the Supreme Courts decision and the volatile landscape for reproductive healthcare in its wake, while scrambling anti-abortion campaigns from Republican officials were emboldened by the ruling. Issue 1 campaign Protect Our Constitution was largely supported by GOP mega-donor and Illinois businessman Richard Uihlein. A coalition of abortion rights, civil rights and democratic advocacy groups joined a No On Issue 1 campaign. Tonight was a major victory for democracy in Ohio, the group said in a statement following projections of the measures defeat. The majority still rules in Ohio, and the peoples power has been preserved because Ohio voters showed up and overwhelmingly voted down Issue 1. Ohio voters saw the proposal for what it was: a deceptive power grab designed to silence their voices and diminish their voting power, the group said. Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, said the results mark an incredibly profound and inspiring day for democracy. When faced with the choice of whether to allow politicians and special interests to consolidate power and strip voters of their rights, Ohioans fought back, she said in a statement. The defeat of Issue 1 should send a clear message to other extremist officials around the country that democracy will not die; people are ready to defend their rights against blatant attacks like Issue 1. The upcoming proposal for a constitutional amendment in November will ask Ohio voters whether every individual has a right to make and carry out ones reproductive decisions. After the Supreme Courts ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization last June, Ohio lawmakers swiftly outlawed most abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, a law that is currently suspended by a state court injunction but could be reinstated by the state Supreme Court. A vote to enshrine abortion rights in the states constitution would effectively overrule any such law. Abortion rights advocates and providers have warned that Ohios ban, which does not include exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest, ignited a healthcare crisis that endangered patients and their families across the state, forcing people to seek care hundreds of miles out of state and navigate complicated legal and medical minefields while experiencing pregnancy complications. Ohio Republicans initially canceled August elections altogether, which have historically low turnout. But in May, they reversed that decision to put Issue 1 on the ballot a decision that appears to have backfired for them. Nearly 600,000 Ohio voters cast their ballots early, with voters reporting busy polling locations across the state on election day. Close Related video: Trump polls far ahead of Republican rivals, despite legal troubles Donald Trump is cementing his lead in the Republican presidential primary. His closest rival, Ron DeSantis, is slipping behind according to a new CBS poll out Sunday while other GOP rivals are gaining on the Florida governor. Meanwhile, in the Democratic primary, support is dropping for the anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr. A poll by Quinnipiac University released on Wednesday revealed that Mr Kennedy is supported by 13 per cent of Democrats, a drop of 3.5 per cent compared to June. The recent poll was conducted between 10 and 14 August and included 1,632 likely voters. It showed a slight increase in support for Marianne Williamson, the self-help author who also ran for president in 2020. Her support increased from eight per cent in June to nine per cent in August. Support for President Joe Biden increased from 70 to 72 per cent. Floridas Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has suspended another elected Democratic prosecutor from office on accusations that she failed to impose mandatory sentences for certain crimes and let juvenile offenders avoid incarceration. Floridas Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell, who was elected in 2020 and took office in 2021, has been clearly and fundamentally derelict in her duties, Mr DeSantis alleged in a press conference on 9 August. Ms Worrell the only Black woman serving as a state prosecutor in Florida had recently announced her intention to run again in 2024. If were mourning anything this morning, it is the loss of democracy, Ms Worrell said in remarks in response. I am your duly elected state attorney ... and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that. This is an outrage. An executive order signed by the governor and Republican Secretary of State Cord Byrd accuses the Democratic state attorney of systematically allowing people to avoid jail time, either by dropping charges or declining to allege provable facts. He acknowledged that prosecutors like Ms Worrell do have a certain amount of discretion about which cases to bring and which not but he claimed that she has abused that discretion and effectively nullified certain laws in the state of Florida. Last year, Mr DeSantis suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren after he criticised the governors positions on abortion care and gender-affirming care for transgender people. A federal judge affirmed the suspension but admonished the governor for falsely accusing Mr Warren of relying on a blanket policy to avoid prosecuting certain cases with which he disagreed. Monique Worrell (Office of the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit) The allegation was false, US District Judge Robert Hinkle said in a ruling issued on 20 January. Mr Warrens well-established policy, followed in every case by every prosecutor in the office, was to exercise prosecutorial discretion at every stage of every case. Any reasonable investigation would have confirmed this. Mr DeSantis has appointed Orlando-area judge Andrew Bain to replace Ms Worrell. She had recently come under fire from Republican officials following a shooting that left three dead in February, with a suspect with an alleged history of criminal offenses on the streets at the time of the shooting; 19-year-old Keith Melvin Moses is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty. Another man, 28-year-old Daton Viel, had been released on bond following a March arrest for sexual assault against a child when he allegedly fired at officers during a recent traffic stop. Bond is something that individuals are entitled to as a matter of law. In this case, the court determined that this individual was entitled to bond, Ms Worrell said at a news conference earlier this week. I dont determine who gets out of jail. All I do is uphold the law. Democratic officials in Florida have accused the governor of using politically motivated removals of elected prosecutors to elevate his national profile as he campaigns for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. This is absolutely disgusting, Orlando-area state Rep Anna Eskamani said in a statement. Her removal is a complete slap in the face to Orange and Osceola County residents and another example of Governor DeSantis eroding our local control and democracy, she added. This politically motivated action by the governor in a predominantly Democratic part of the state should alarm everyone. DeSantis is extreme, unfit to serve, and must be held accountable. Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said the governor has gone too far and demanded that Mr DeSantis immediately reinstate her. Monique Worrell is a devoted public servant one who was elected overwhelmingly by her constituents, she said in a statement. This political hit job threatens our democracy and undermines the will of the people. A judge has sanctioned Southwest Airlines, writing that the airline twisted his words and disregarded his order in the case of a flight attendant who claimed that she was fired for expressing her opposition to abortion. U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr found Southwest in contempt for the way it explained the case to flight attendants last year after losing a jury verdict. In a blistering 29-page order, the judge said the airline acted as if its own policy limiting what employees can say is more important than a federal law protecting religious speech. On Monday, the judge ordered Southwest to pay the flight attendant's most recent legal costs, dictated a statement for Southwest to relay to employees, and ordered three Southwest lawyers to complete religious-liberty training" from a conservative Christian legal-advocacy group. Southwest filed an appeal of last year's judgement in May. A spokesman said Tuesday that the Dallas-based airline also plans to appeal the judge's new sanctions. For Southwest, the sanctions add insult to injury. They stem from a roughly $800,000 judgment against the airline and the flight attendant's union. Although that was less than the jury's $5.1 million award, Charlene Carter also got her job back. Carter, a longtime union critic, said she was fired after she called the union president despicable for attending the 2017 Womens March in Washington, D.C. At the event, women protested the inauguration of President Donald Trump and called for protecting abortion rights among many issues. The airline and Local 556 of the Transport Workers Union said Carter had made offensive posts on Facebook and harassed the union president in private messages. The jury in a Dallas court found that Southwest violated Carters right to religious speech. After the trial last year, the judge a Trump nominee who joined the bench in 2019 ordered the airline to tell flight attendants that under federal law, it may not discriminate against Southwest flight attendants for their religious practices and beliefs. Instead, the airline told employees that it does not discriminate," and it doubled down by telling flight attendants to follow the airline policy that it cited in firing Carter. In an order this week that alternated between sarcasm and outrage, Starr ruled that Southwest didn't come close to complying with the Court's order. He schooled the airline on the definitions of may, does and tolerate" complete with footnotes citing the Merriam-Webster dictionary. The judge ordered Southwest to email a new, verbatim statement declaring that the airline may not discriminate against flight attendants for religious beliefs including but not limited to abortion. Starr ordered three company lawyers to undergo eight hours of religious-liberty training this month by the Alliance Defending Freedom, calling the group particularly well-suited for the work. The Southern Poverty Law Center has called ADF an anti-LGBTQ hate group. ADF disputes the characterization. Starr held senior positions in the Texas attorney general's office for several years before Trump nominated him for the federal bench. The Senate confirmed his nomination 51-39, voting along party lines in the then-GOP-controlled body. He is a member of the conservative legal group the Federalist Society. When a harsh winter storm in Texas left thousands without heat or water in 2021, Senator Ted Cruz packed his bags and headed with his family to the warmer climes of Mexico. He was chided for his actions then. And now, as he went on a Twitter attack on CNN, asking them to move elsewhere, he was reminded of that time he went abroad when things were tough in his home state. On Tuesday, CNN published an article about a family that moved to Italy. The Dawkins family bought a property in Latronico in the southern region of Basilicata, for a just over $45,000 wanting to connect with Ms Nadine Dawkins Italian roots. After hearing my nonnas stories, I always felt a connection to Italy, she told CNN Travel. And then George Floyds murder in 2020 was the final push the family needed to move to a neighborhood within a national park surrounded by hot springs. Basically, police brutality towards Black people, mass shootings from domestic terrorists, and just the overall hate in this country is why we are leaving the USA, Ms Dawkins told CNN Travel. When Mr Cruz saw the article on the social media platform now called X, he pounced on it asking the left leaning media organization to move. If @cnn hates America so much, they are welcome to move elsewhere Mr Cruz said on Twitter. However, Cancun Cruz as many referred to him in the backlash that followed his decision to travel to Mexico, was soon reminded of the time he jumped ship and went abroad during the brutal winter storm. Says a man who flees his state for cancun anytime theres a thunderstorm, a Twitter user replied to Mr Cruzs tweet. While another user mocked Mr Cruz saying Strong words for someone that left to Mexico during a state/national crisis. Following the backlash to his trip to Cancun, Mr Cruz booked an earlier return flight, calling his decision to leave the country a mistake. I was trying to be a dad, and all of us have made decisions when youve got two girls who have been cold for two days and havent had heater power, and theyre saying Hey, look we dont have school why dont we go, lets get out of here. I think there are a lot of parents that would be like, Look, if I can do this great. Thats what I wanted to do, he told the TV station KTRK at the time. [But] really from the moment I sat on the plane, I began really second-guessing that decision, and saying Look, I know why were doing this, but Ive also got responsibilities, and it had been my intention to be able to work remotely, to be on the phone, to be on the internet, to be on Zoom, to be engaged, but I needed to be here and thats why I came back, Mr Cruz said. YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. On August 9, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a phone call with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria Mariya Gabriel, the foreign ministry said. In continuation of the discussions of two ministers within the framework of Dubrovnik Forum in July, Ararat Mirzoyan briefed on the deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor and its irreversible consequences for the 120,000 population of Nagorno-Karabakh, the foreign ministry said in a readout. Extremely difficult conditions incompatible with a decent life especially for the most sensitive groups such as children, pregnant women and the elderly were highlighted. Minister Mirzoyan emphasized that despite the clear assessments and appeals of international partners, various bodies, including the UN, Azerbaijan continues the blockade of the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world. The urgency of taking additional steps in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6 in order to restore free movement through the Lachin corridor as well as to prevent Azerbaijans real intention of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh was emphasized. During the phone call, the sides also touched upon the expansion of partnership between Armenia and Bulgaria, expressing mutual satisfaction with the intensifying political dialogue. A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia could be asked to return a fourth set of criminal charges against former president Donald Trump and a large number of his associates as soon as next week, according to multiple reports. For the last two and a half years, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been pursuing a wide-ranging probe into alleged efforts by Mr Trump and numerous Republican allies to unlawfully overturn Georgias 2020 presidential election results after the then-president became the first Republican in decades not to carry the Peach States electoral votes. Ms Willis announced she was launching an investigation into the ex-president after the public release of a recorded phone call between Mr Trump and Brad Raffensperger, Georgias Secretary of State. The recording, which was first published by The Washington Post, includes a section in which Mr Trump pressured Mr Raffensperger, who is Georgias top elections official, to find enough non-existent votes in his favour to overtake the winner, President Joe Biden. A seven-month investigation by a special purpose grand jury convened by the Fulton County Superior Court has reportedly named roughly 20 people as targets, including close allies of the ex-president such as Rudolph Giuliani, the disgraced former New York City mayor who served as Mr Trumps personal attorney during the latter months of 2020 and early 2021. Ms Willis has signalled her intention to seek indictments against multiple targets from a regular grand jury that began meeting at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta late last month. According to CNN, the Atlanta-area prosecutor is set to ask grand jurors to vote on charges for more than a dozen separate defendants, capping off the more than two years of work by investigators with her office. The timeline for possible charges in the long-running probe has been known since May, when in a letter to the chief judge of the Fulton County Superior Court, Ms Willis asked for regular activities at the courthouse to be paused and said she planned for most of her team to work remotely during this month. Last week, law enforcement officials began erecting physical barriers and stepping up security around the courthouse, a sign that charges against Mr Trump and the protests that could accompany them could soon be coming. And earlier this week, at least two witnesses who have received subpoenas to appear before the grand jury said in media interviews that they have yet to be served with legally-required papers giving them 48 hours of notice before their grand jury appearances. Because of the known schedule of the two grand juries currently meeting in Fulton County, this makes it unlikely that grand jurors could be asked to vote out charges against Mr Trump before next week. The charges against Mr Trump and his allies that Ms Willis is considering are said to include racketeering charges, as well as charges of conspiracy and solicitation of election fraud. The racketeering charges, which would make use of a Georgia law modelled on the federal Racketeering and Corrupt Organisations Act, are understood to centre on efforts to pressure election officials into unlawful actions, the fake elector scheme that has already resulted in federal charges against Mr Trump, and a breach in security around voting systems in rural Coffee County, Georgia. Although the voting security incidents under investigation did not occur in her jurisdictions, Georgias racketeering statute allows her to charge defendants by referencing criminal acts that occurred anywhere in the state or the country. While Mr Trump could potentially pardon himself to end the two federal criminal cases against him were he to win next years presidential election, an indictment in Georgia falls outside the jurisdiction of the presidents pardon power. Moreover, Georgia law does not allow for a governor to issue pardons. Instead, a nonpartisan board decides whether to grant them, and only after five years have passed following the completion of any sentence imposed after a conviction. The defence of Donald Trump playing out on television and on social media for the most serious charges against him yet revives the same bogus theory that the US Supreme Courtshot down less than two months ago. That legal theory formed the basis of the same false claims that the former president and his co-conspirators are accused of making as they allegedly schemed to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The former president has been charged with three overlapping criminal conspiracies, fuelled by knowingly false claims about election fraud and a fraudulent reading of the US Constitution from the fringes of right-wing legal activism. Unfortunately for Mr Trump, that defense has never been available to him, because the independent state legislature theory has always been wrong, Eliza Sweren-Becker, senior counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, told The Independent. But it is especially bad timing for him because the Supreme Court just shot down this idea a mere five and a half weeks ago, she said. The independent state legislature theory misreads the Constitutions elections and electors clauses for regulating federal elections like presidential ones by asserting that state lawmakers have unilateral authority to determine the results. The outcomes of presidential elections rest on slates of electors who decide their votes based on the outcome of their states popular vote. A 45-page federal indictment outlining the case against Mr Trump alleges a multi-state scheme to arrange slates of alternate electors in seven states he lost to Joe Biden, a plot to effectively toss out electors representing the votes of millions of Americans. The independent state legislature theory re-emerged from the fringe of right-wing academia and legal groups in 2020, as Mr Trump and his allies tried to prevent governors, secretaries of state and election officials from implementing election policies that would make it easier for people to vote at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. After courts struck down attempts to challenge vote-by-mail policies, and after the failures of his campaign and administration to find the evidence of fraud to defend his claims, then-President Trump routinely used his bully pulpit at the White House and on stage at his campaign rallies to launch a flood of false claims spread widely among his supporters and on social media. And after months of laying the groundwork, Mr Trump relied on the predictable delay between the counts for Election Day votes and mail-in ballots as a pretext to convince his supporters that the election was stolen from him. As the indictment alleges, he spent the weeks that followed planning with his co-conspirators and state officials to undermine those results, using the independent state legislature theory as their guide. That was 2020. Jump forward to December 2022, when the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Moore v Harper, an unrelated but not unfamiliar case about election rules. The case involved North Carolinas Republican-drawn gerrymandered congressional map and a lawsuit from voters and advocacy groups against it. North Carolina Republicans, with support from an influential right-wing legal group, appealed to the Supreme Court with a question invoking the independent state legislature theory at the centre of its argument. US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar warned justices that the so-called independent state legislature theory would wreak havoc on elections. Neal Katyal, a former acting solicitor general under Barack Obama who argued the case on behalf of voting rights groups and the states Democratic voters, said the theorys blast radius would sow election chaos. Related Supreme Court rejects fringe theory that could give GOP state lawmakers unchecked election authority Months earlier, there were some signals from the Supreme Courts conservative justices including Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas that the court would be willing to hear a case involving the theory, arguing that it presents an exceptionally important and recurring question of constitutional law. In 2020, Justice Gorsuch wrote that the Constitution provides that state legislatures not federal judges, not state judges, not state governors, not other state officials bear primary responsibility for setting election rules. In dozens of briefs to the court, constitutional law experts, election officials, voting rights advocates, judges and prominent Republicans including lawyer Ben Ginsberg, who worked on the landmark Bush v Gore case in 2000 that opened the door for the theory to take shape urged the justices to reject that idea. On 27 June, the nations highest court issued a 6-3 opinion wholly rejecting the theory. Justices Alito, Gorsuch and Thomas dissented. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion with support from Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Trump-appointed justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett plainly asserting that the Constitution does not vest exclusive and independent authority in state legislatures to set the rules regarding federal elections. That decision was about as unequivocal as the Supreme Court gets, Ms Sweren-Becker told The Independent. The court reaffirmed hundreds of years of precedent and practice in the United States, and stated that state legislatures are not above their own state constitutions. Theyre not above judicial review, she added. And the chief wrote in no uncertain terms that that was the case, and that to argue otherwise was a complete manipulation or an attempt at manipulating the courts precedent and was totally ungrounded in history and practice and the text of the Constitution and, frankly, the system of government and the rule of law that we have had for hundreds of years. Two months later, the former presidents lead defence attorney performed an apparent media tour insisting the exact opposite. John Lauro told CNN on 1 August that the actual responsibility for qualifying electors is in the state legislatures. The president was told, given advice, that under these circumstances, the state legislatures have the ultimate ability to qualify electors, he added. He followed that advice. Now you may disagree as to whether or not those things actually occurred or not. Thats why we have political debate; we dont have criminal trials over that. We have the discussion, like were just having. On 3 August, hours after appearing in court for his clients arraignment, he told Fox News that Mr Trump wanted to halt and pause the voting to allow state legislatures to take one last look and make a determination as to whether or not the elections were handled fairly. Thats constitutional law, he said. Thats not an issue of criminal activity. His claims are simply not grounded in any real law, Ms Sweren-Becker told The Independent. This is the difference between arguing a case in the court of public opinion and arguing the case in a court of law, she added. Just because Mr Trumps lawyers can make these arguments on air doesnt mean that they hold water in court. Ultimately, its the role of the judiciary to be our system of accountability, and thats where we will need to watch and see how this plays out. Related How Donald Trump finally met his match in Jack Smith Former US Attorney Joyce Vance said Mr Lauros defence would be funny if it wasnt so serious. You know who else asks people to commit crimes in an aspirational way without directing them to? she said. Mob bosses, human traffickers [and] the heads of organized drug rings. Right-wing pundits were also quick to adopt Mr Trumps defence. On advice of counsel, Trump asked Pence to kick it back to the states for recertification where state legislatures are constitutionally empowered to determine elections. Thats called politics, Fox News host Jesse Watters said on his prime-time programme. During a media blitz on 6 August, Mr Lauro told CNN that Mr Trump was told, given advice, that under these circumstances, the state legislatures have the ultimate ability to qualify electors. On ABCs This Week, he said that John Eastman a chief architect of the fake elector plan told Mr Trump that there is a constitutional pathway to nullify a states popular vote and install electors loyal to the loser. A technical violation of the Constitution is not a violation of criminal law, he told NBCs Meet the Press. Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis said the criminal conspiracy charge against Mr Trump for allegedly depriving peoples right to vote is exactly that. When a person conspires to injure a constitutional right like the right to vote and have it counted then a constitutional violation is a crime, he wrote. That long-standing statute was established in 1870 to protect what were then newly enshrined constitutional rights of equal protection under the law and due process. The idea that a president can run roughshod over voters ability to cast ballots in a free and fair election as an exercise in vanity in pursuit of power is profoundly wrong, Mr Kreis wrote. The former president spent the days after his indictment and court appearance lashing out at federal prosecutors and casting himself as a victim of political persecution from his Democratic rival, using the multiple criminal indictments against him in his campaign fundraising messages and in his stump speeches as he seeks the 2024 Republican nomination for president. He is also defending his alleged actions as First Amendment-protected speech, a point that US Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith appeared to anticipate in the indictment; Mr Trump has a right like every American to lie about election results, the charging document states. But theres no First Amendment right to participate in a conspiracy. Mr Trump isnt being prosecuted for what he said but whether those actions amount to criminal conspiracy. What President Trump was doing is within the reality and the realm of free speech, Mr Lauro told CNN on 6 August. What President Trump did not do is direct Vice President Pence to do anything. He asked him in an aspirational way. Asking is covered by the First Amendment. Days earlier he told Newsmax that Mr Trump wanted to get to the truth of the election in the courtroom and by lobbying legislatures thats all First Amendment. And then at the end he asked Mr Pence to pause the voting for 10 days, allow the state legislatures to weigh in, and then they could make a determination to audit or re-audit or re-certify, he said. The indictment doesnt allege misconduct on the basis of Mr Trumps speech. It alleges misconduct on the basis of his acts, Ms Sweren-Becker said. So the First Amendment as a defence is really a red herring. For now, the Supreme Courts rejection of the independent state legislature theory cuts off any attempt to similarly subvert the outcome of the 2024 election, a ruling that Mr Ginsberg said keeps the toothpaste in the tube while conspiracy theory-fuelled state lawmakers and election-denying officials manoeuvre potential future losses. The theory is firmly dead, Ms Sweren-Becker said. And so that makes the attempt to resuscitate it, in defense of this indictment, particularly unfounded. Its clear now that the court has seen the evidence and deeply considered the issue and that they have firmly rejected this radical notion and reaffirmed that it has never been a part of our law, she said. It has never been a part of our system, and it wont be going forward. Donald Trump may be eventually forced to return millions of dollars of campaign funds he raised after the 2020 elections on fraudulent claims, a retired FBI official said on Tuesday. Frank Figliuzzi, a former FBI assistant director, said it isnt over for Mr Trump after he was indicted over alleged efforts to overturn 2020 election results in charges led by special counsel Jack Smith in federal district court in Washington DC. When you raise millions based on a fraudulent claim, youve committed a crime. And, you just might have to give those millions back... Special counsel still scrutinizing finances of Trumps PAC, Mr Figliuzzi said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. His comments came on the heels of a Politico report which said investigators held a closed-door interview on Monday with Bernard Kerik, the disgraced ex-NYPD Commissioner who was pardoned by Donald Trump in 2020. His lawyer Tim Parlatore told the outlet that Mr Kerik was quizzed with multiple questions on the enormous fundraising haul by Save Americas PAC in the weeks between Election Day and Jan 6 riots at the Capitol. The special counsel has been long thought to have been focusing the investigation on whether Mr Trump or his PAC broke federal laws by soliciting funds based on false voter fraud allegations. However, the recent indictment of Mr Trump does not contain any accusations of financial wrongdoing. The report said the interview was the clearest indication yet of Mr Smiths focus on fundraising and spending by Mr Trumps political action committee. Its a laser focus from Election Day to Jan. 6, Mr Parlatore reportedly said. Kerik, a longtime ally of former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, was pardoned by the ex-president in 2020. He pleaded guilty in 2009 to eight felony charges involving tax fraud and making false statements to the federal government. Donald Trump branded a Georgia prosecutor a young racist and claimed she had an affair with a gang leader, speaking to a rally just days before he is expected to face a criminal indictment from her office. The three-times indicted former president took shots at Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis, who is investigating him for his conduct in the state during the 2020 presidential election. Theres a young racist in Atlanta ... They say she was after a certain gang and she ended up having an affair with the head of the gang or a gang member, claimed Mr Trump during a speech in New Hampshire on Tuesday. This is a person who wants to indict me. Shes got a lot of problems. But she wants to indict me to try and run for some other office Wants to indict me for a perfect phone call, this was even better than my perfect call on Ukraine. And he added: I challenged the election in Georgia, which I had every right to do and they want to indict me because I challenged the election. Last week Mr Trump posted a video on Truth Social featuring a Rolling Stone headline about Ms Willis defending rapper YSL Mondo in 2019, and falsely claiming that she got caught hiding a relationship with a gang member she was prosecuting. There is no suggestion or evidence that Ms Willis had any romantic relationship with the rapper, who described mother-to-son type of talks with her, reported the magazine. Ms Willis, who is married with two children, is expected to soon indict him for illegally trying to reverse Joe Bidens victory in the state, which paved his way to the White House. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (AP) Mr Trumps alleged election interference included his infamous phone call to Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, in which he demanded that he find him the 11,780 votes he needed to beat Mr Biden. Trump attacks Fani Willis pic.twitter.com/WDnwII5KRe Acyn (@Acyn) August 8, 2023 Ms Willis has also investigated a scheme to put in place an alternate slate of presidential electors. Even if Mr Trump wins the 2024 election he cannot fire Ms Willis, unlike special counsel Jack Smith, as state crimes are not subject to presidential pardon. Fulton County Sheriff officers block off a street in front of the Fulton County Courthouse on August 07, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia (Getty Images) Mr Trump has already been indicted on federal charges that he tried to overturn the 2020 election and a separate federal case over alleged retention of government documents at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. He has also been charged by the Manhattan DA in a hush-money case linked to the 2016 presidential election. That case relates to allegations he paid off a porn actress he had allegedly had an affair with while his wife was nursing their newborn son. He has pleaded not guilty in all of the cases and strongly denied any wrongdoing. Earlier this year the former president was found liable for sexually assaulting a magazine columnist, E Jean Carroll, in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. Mr Trump has a long history of making outrageous false claims about his opponents. He called his own former secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, dumb as a rock, and his former defence secretary James Mattis the worlds most overrated general. He has recently taking to insulting fellow Republican presidential nominee and former friend Chris Christie over his weight. The Washington Post calculated that during the four years of his presidency, Mr Trump made more than 30,000 false or misleading statements. The day after his presidency ended, the paper wrote: What is especially striking is how the tsunami of untruths kept rising the longer he served as president and became increasingly unmoored from the truth. 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 }} Eleven people have been killed in a devastating fire that ravaged a holiday home for disabled people in France. The blaze tore through a building in the town of Wintzenheim, burning the vacation home down to charred smithereens. Dozens of firefighters battled raging flames as they fought to contain the fire and treat the victims. Firefighters tackling a fire that erupted at a home for disabled people in Wintzenheim near Colmar, eastern France (AFP via Getty Images) Eleven people have been found dead with several more still missing (AFP via Getty Images) Initially, 11 people were reported missing with 17 others evacuated, including one casualty who was sent to a hospital. At around noon Lieutenant Colonel Philippe Hauwiller, who headed the rescue operations, said nine bodies had been found with two more feared dead. But later this afternoon, deputy prosecutor Nathalie Kielwasser confirmed there are 11 victims, as prime minister Elisabeth Borne and other officials visited the site of the fire. Christophe Marot, the secretary general of the local administration, said on news broadcaster France Info that 10 people with disabilities and a carer accompanying the group were believed to be among the dead. The holiday home was rented for the summer by two charities that take care of people with learning disabilities. Twenty-eight people were staying there, and 17 of them managed to escape the fire, officials said. Many of the visitors came from the city of Nancy in eastern France, a statement from the Haut-Rhin prefecture said. A total of 76 firefighters, four fire engines and four ambulances were deployed to contain the blaze (AFP via Getty Images) The holiday home was rented by two charities that take care of people with learning disabilities (AP) Nathalie Kielwasser, deputy prosecutor for Colmar, said 11 people who were sleeping on the upper floor and in a mezzanine area of the private accommodation in the town of Wintzenheim were trapped by the fire, while five managed to escape. Some 12 people who were staying on the ground floor were able to evacuate, she said. Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the fire and whether the building met all the required security standards, she added. Authorities said one of the survivors was sent to a hospital with serious injuries. Philippe Hauwiller, who is leading the fire brigade search operation, speaks to the media (AFP via Getty Images) French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrived at the scene on Wednesday afternoon. She said she wanted to show the governments support for the families of the victims and for the firefighters and rescuers on site. Lt Col Philippe Hauwiller, who was leading the rescue work of firefighters, said the fire likely started on the homes upper floor. The ground floor was made of stone and the upper part of the building was built entirely of wood in the traditional style of the region, which might partly explain why the fire spread so quickly. View more Wintzenheim deputy mayor Daniel Leroy said that those missing were likely to be aged between 25 to 50. The building was being used ... for their vacation, a statement from the Haut-Rhin prefecture said. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne speaks with the head of the firefighters in charge of the rescue operations (POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said there were several casualties after the fire ravaged 300 square metres of the 500-square metre building. Despite the rapid and courageous intervention of the fire department, several casualties are reported, he said, adding rescue operations were still ongoing. Local deputy mayor Daniel Leroy told BFM Alsace that the sleeping quarters are all gone, adding: The wooden structure collapsed there is nothing left. Firefighters said the blaze started on the ground floor of the building, which is a renovated barn. A total of 76 firefighters, four fire engines and four ambulances attended the scene, and 40 police officers were also mobilised. The fire was quickly brought under control, a statement said. The French Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne earlier said she was heading to the scene. She wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: Following the terrible fire that took place in Wintzenheim last night, I am going there with @auroreberge. My first thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. I salute the mobilisation of the firefighters. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote: In the face of this tragedy, my thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families. Thank you to our security forces and emergency services. 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 }} Britons driving abroad have been warned to ensure they have one crucial thing with them or risk a fine. Holidaymakers visiting France this summer could be penalised if they do not purchase a windscreen emissions sticker before setting off, a leading motoring services company has warned as more areas now require them. RAC reported that the number of areas across the country requiring drivers to display a CritAir sticker rose to 12 in July, with Bordeaux and Clermont-Ferrand joining the list. The stickers of which there are six types based on a vehicles air pollutant emissions cannot be purchased locally and must be ordered in advance from the French government website. Costing 4.61, the scheme helps motorists to avoid a fine of 68, rising to 180 if not paid within 45 days. The cost will skyrocket further next year, reaching 750 after camera-based enforcement is rolled out. However, the RAC has warned drivers to avoid falling for third-party websites which will charge customers up to six times as much as the official sticker. The cleanest electric and hydrogen vehicles use a green 0 sticker, whilst the most polluting vehicles require a 5 sticker, with certain areas in France restricting vehicle movements based on a cars sticker rating. Paris operates on the strictest policy, with certain roads only open to cars with 0, 1 or 2 stickers at certain hours. The number of areas across France requiring drivers to display a CritAir sticker rose to 12 in July (AFP via Getty Images) Meanwhile, other European countries Spain and Switzerland included also employ increasingly strict emissions regulations, but a sticker from one country is not valid in another. From January 2023, all cars in Spain were required to have an eco-sticker classifying its emission rating. Blue stickers are used to identify the most efficient vehicles, whilst yellow indicates the least, and must be displayed in the lower-right corner of the windscreen. Likewise, from January 2020, Switzerland banned the most polluting vehicles from driving through the centre of Geneva during pollution peaks, using StickAIR stickers or vignettes as part of the capitals differentiated traffic scheme. RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: Many UK drivers will be familiar with clean air zones such as Londons ultra-low emission zone, but they should also be ready to encounter them abroad this summer. Its vital anyone travelling to Europe does their homework to see whether an emissions-based windscreen sticker is needed and give themselves enough time to order one before their trip. Anyone without the right sticker or driving a non-compliant car into a low-emissions zone risks an on-the-spot fine. In France, six years after CritAir emissions stickers were first introduced in a bid to improve air quality, there are now 12 locations where British drivers movements can be restricted based on how much their cars emit. As time goes on, the regulations also get stricter and within a few years all but zero-emission vehicles will be banned from some city centres. 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 }} Forty-one migrants are believed to have died in a shipwreck in the central Mediterranean, according to accounts from survivors who have reached the Italian island of Lampedusa Local public prosecutor Salvatore Vella said that four people who survived the shipwreck last week have told rescuers they were on a boat carrying 45 people, including three children. An investigation has been launched by officials. The 7-metre-long boat set off on Thursday morning from Tunisia's Sfax, but capsized and sank after a few hours when hit by a big wave, the survivors were quoted as saying by Italian news agency Ansa. Only around a dozen are believed to have been wearing life vests. The survivors a 13-year-old boy, a woman and two men arrived in Lampedusa on Wednesday, almost six days after the sinking of their boat, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Unicef and UNHCR, said in a joint statement. The Sea-Watch charity rescue group said one of its surveillance planes spotted them being rescued by a cargo ship. They were then transferred onto an Italian coast guard vessel and disembarked in Lampedusa, where they shared their story. The Italian Red Cross and Sea-Watch both said the four had survived by hanging on to life jackets or other inflatable rubber devices and then finding another empty boat at sea, on which they spent several days adrift with no food or drinking water. [The survivors] said they were among the few aboard [the sunken boat] with a life jacket, and [after the shipwreck] they remained in the water until they found another empty boat, Sea-Watch said in a statement. The Italian coast guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The migrants arrived in Lampedusa exhausted and in a state of shock, and are due to be questioned by police, the prosecutor Mr Vella said. A doctor on Lampedusa who treated the four, Dr Adrian Chiaramonte, said that the survivors had sustained small wounds and were suffering from dehydration, but nothing major. They said one boat saw them and kept on going. An hour later they saw a copter, then the oil tanker came and rescued them, Dr Chiaramonte told RaiNews24, adding that the survivors reported that altogether around 15 people had rudimentary lifesavers. No bodies have been recovered. More than 1,800 people have died attempting the crossing from North Africa to Europe so far this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Since 2014, more than 17,000 deaths and disappearances have been registered in the central Mediterranean, making it the most dangerous crossing in the world. Lampedusa has for years been the first port of call for thousands of people making the treacherous journey. More than 2,000 people have arrived in recent days after being rescued by the Italian coast guard and NGO ships. The UN agencies said migrants who set off from Tunisia in recent days faced prohibitive weather and sea conditions, making their journeys on unseaworthy iron boats disproportionally dangerous. The coast guard had reported two shipwrecks on Sunday, saying around 30 people were missing from them. The bodies of a woman and a toddler were recovered. The coast guard had also said they had recovered 57 survivors and the two bodies, amid media reports that at least one of the sunken boats had set off from Sfax on Thursday. The first vessel had 48 people onboard, of whom 43 were rescued. The second boat had been carrying 42 passengers, of whom 14 were rescued. However, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters it was unlikely that the shipwreck experienced by the survivors was one of those two. The UN agencies reiterated a call for governments to dedicate more resources to Mediterranean search and rescue missions an expensive and politically sensitive endeavour for which there is little appetite in EU capitals. Italy has seen 93,700 migrant arrivals by sea so far this year, according to the countrys Interior Ministry data last updated on Monday, compared to 44,700 in the same period of 2022. The most frequent nationalities of those arriving are Guinea, Ivory Coast, Egypt and Tunisia. Italys hard-right government, led by prime minister Giorgia Meloni, has put in place a number of anti-immigration measures aimed at reducing the number of people entering the country via the sea. That includes fines of tens of thousands of euros if they do not request a port and sail to it immediately after one rescue. Boats can be granted ports in central or nothern Italy, rather than Lampedusa or Sicily, meaning longer journeys and reducing their ability to make rescues. It also stops boats from staying out at sea and making multiple rescues from boats in difficulty. Tunisian authorities said on Monday that they had recovered 11 bodies from a shipwreck near Sfax on Sunday, with 44 migrants still missing from that sinking. Last month, the EU signed a wide-ranging deal with Tunisia that is expected to be worth around 1bn (860m). That deal includes funds to help to stop irregular migration into the bloc. Reuters Close Firefighters battle wildfires in Portugal as thousands forced to evacuate 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 }} Portuguese authorities fear new wildfires could spark as blistering 37C heat has provoked extreme weather warnings. Yellow warnings - the lowest level on a three-tier scale - will remain in place across the Beja and Faro districts until 10 August at the minimum, with the Met Office anticipating that, on Friday, temperatures will reach highs of 37C across Faro in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. Vitor Vaz Pinto, regional commander of the emergency and civil protection authority (ANEPC), said on Wednesday the wildfire in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo region, was brought under control at 10.15am. The wildfire started on Saturday, but high temperatures and strong winds hampered efforts by more than 1,000 firefighters and water-dousing planes to extinguish the flames, which destroyed some 8,400 hectares, according to preliminary data. For now, firefighters, water-dousing planes and bulldozers being used to prevent the spread of the fire will remain on the ground and then gradually be demobilised, Vaz Pinto said. Temperatures have now dropped along the Portuguese coast but remain high across the countryside, with around 100 municipalities remaining at maximum risk of wildfires. The biggest blaze, in the northeast, burned about 600 hectares (1,500 acres) and required the evacuation of 150 people. YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. On August 9, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece George Gerapetritis. Minister Mirzoyan briefed his colleague on the deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor, stressing the importance of clear messages from the EU member states and the implementation of concrete steps, the ministry said in a readout. Minister Mirzoyan emphasized that since June 15, Nagorno-Karabakh has been under a complete blockade, as a result the problem of supplying food, medicine and other essentials to the local population has greatly worsened. Ararat Mirzoyan noted that Azerbaijan, in violation of all norms of international humanitarian law, also disrupts the humanitarian activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the only international humanitarian organization with access to Nagorno-Karabakh, endangering the lives of people in need of urgent medical assistance. Minister Mirzoyan added that in case of minimal possibility of transfer from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia for medical treatment, accompanied by the ICRC, Azerbaijan carries out unacceptable acts of intimidation such as the abduction of Nagorno-Karabakh resident Vagif Khachatryan by the border guard service of Azerbaijan on July 29. The importance of the immediate lifting of the blockade of the Lachin corridor in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6 was emphasized. The sides also expressed readiness to take steps towards further expansion of bilateral partnership between Armenia and Greece. Close Ukraine war: Footage appears to show moment drone attack hits building in central 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 }} President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed revenge for the attack which left seven dead and 144 injured in Chernihiv. I am sure our soldiers will give a response to Russia for this terrorist attack, Zelensky said in his nightly video address, delivered early on Sunday at the end of a visit to Sweden. A notable response. He said that of the 144 people injured, 15 were children, and named the girl killed as Sofia. Fifteen others were police officers, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram. Klymenko said most of the victims were in vehicles, crossing the road, or returning from church. Regional governor Viacheslav Chaus said 41 people were in hospital on Saturday. Zelensky said the strike on Chernihiv, a city of leafy boulevards and centuries-old churches about 145 km (90 miles) north of Kyiv, coincided with the Orthodox holiday of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. It comes as a Ukrainian drone crashed into the rooftop of a railway station in the Russian city of Kursk, injuring five people and setting off a fire, the TASS news agency said on Sunday, citing regional governor Roman Starovoit. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Ukrainian forces broke through Russias defensive lines after launching a surprise raid across the Dnipro River. The river divides liberated Ukrainian territory on one bank and Russian-occupied land on the other, and for months it has served as part of the front line in southern Ukraine. Russian military bloggers said that up to seven boats, each carrying up to six troops, arrived on the Russian-occupied bank, apparently under the cover of darkness, and advanced 800m. Blogger Trinadtsatyi, posting on the Telegram messaging app to more than 150,000 followers, said a number of Russian soldiers were allegedly killed or taken captive during the raid. Images circulating on social media appeared to show captured soldiers. Monitors of Russia's invasion said there were clear signs of a major battle. The Russian-imposed head of the occupied part of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, claimed the Ukrainian raid had been repelled. But the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) which tracks movements on the battlefield said the limited raid appeared partially successful. And that while Russian forces appeared to have partly pushed back Ukrainian troops, the ISW said Saldo was likely purposefully trying to refute claims of Ukrainian presence in this area to avoid creating panic. The ISW said of the raid: The majority of prominent Russian [military bloggers] claimed that Ukrainian forces managed to utilise tactical surprise and land on the east bank before engaging Russian forces in small arms exchanges. Data from the past 24 hours in this area appear to confirm that there was significant combat, likely preceded or accompanied by artillery fire, the ISW added. The raid is said to have happened during a rotation of Russian troops, as more experienced fighters were redeployed towards Zaporizhzhia in the south and the Donbas region in the east. Both front lines that have been the scene of heavy fighting. Ukrainian forces have tried a number of times to cross the Dnipro, as gaining a foothold on the Russian-occupied bank would enable them to push further into Moscow-held territory. This latest raid appears to be the most significant since the launch of a similar operation by Ukraines 73rd marine special operations unit. Meanwhile, in Russia, one person was killed and more than 50 injured in a blast at the site of a factory that makes optical equipment for Putins security forces in the town of Sergiev Posad, 30 miles (50km) northeast of Moscow, local authorities said. Emergency services said the explosion occurred in a warehouse containing pyrotechnic equipment, state news agency Tass reported. Tass also quoted emergency services who dismissed early reports that the blast was caused by a drone attack, many of which have peppered Moscow and the surrounding area in recent weeks. Russia's Investigative Committee, Russia's top law enforcement agency, also denied the blast was from drones. Russia often blames Ukraine for such attacks and while Kyiv rarely claims responsibility for them, officials are happy to play up the disruption and suggest that the war is coming home to Russia. Before the factory explosion, Russian officials said air defences had shot down two drones aimed at the capital overnight, accusing Ukraine. One of the drones came down in the Domodedovo district south of Moscow, and the other fell near the Minsk highway west of the city, according to the mayor, Sergei Sobyanin. Moscow Domodedovo airport is one of the capital's busiest hubs. It wasn't clear where the drones were launched, and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment. Mr Sobyanin said there were no casualties. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Since Vladimir Putin rose to power as Russias president 23 years ago, few things have rocked his leadership as much as Saturday 24 June when Wagner mercenaries barrelled towards Moscow. The army within an army who had been ruthlessly grinding away for months at the vanguard of some of the bloodiest fighting in eastern flanks Ukraine were now on the verge of triggering a war within a war - this time, against the Kremlin. But the Russian president was spared that when the mutiny was halted in its tracks about 125 miles from the capital, in a deal between the leader of the mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin and Putin brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Prigozhin himself was due to head to Belarus although he has been pictured in Russia since with an invitation for Wagner fighters to gather in Belarus. Thousands are set to entered the country since. Nato-member Poland is sending thousands of troops to its border with Belarus, with Warsaw worried increasingly about the potential threat from Wagner fighters, who have been training Belarusian troops at a military range a few miles from the border in recent weeks. Belarus also started military exercises near the border this week, and Lukashenko has said several times that he is restraining Wagner fighters who want to attack Poland. Leader of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, led an armed rebellion against Kremlin in June that was swiftly called off (AP) What is the Wagner Group? The Wagner Group is a private military company under the control of Prigozhin that cut its teeth in deployments to Crimea illegally annexed by Russia and Ukraines eastern Donbas region in 2014. The rebel group has since dispatched troops to several conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, including the Syrian civil war. Prigozhin a 62-year-old ex-convict sometimes known as Putins chef because his catering business has hosted dinners for the Russian president had denied all links with the group until September last year when he announced he was proud to be its founder. When did they join the Ukraine war? The UKs Ministry of Defence (MoD) first reported that Wagner had been deployed in Ukraine on 28 March 2022, little over a month into Moscows invasion after Russian losses had already begun to hamper the pace of the initial assault. Military consultant Nicholas Drummond told The Independent: Wagner was involved from the start but the group started to become a key player when the initial assault ran into difficulty. By the end of March, it was very evident that the invasion had gone wrong. Putin used Prigozhin as a troubleshooter and Wagner was there to fill the gaps. Belarusian soldiers of the Special Operations Forces (SOF) and mercenary fighters from Wagner private military company attend maneuvers at a firing range near the border city of Brest (Belarus' Defense Ministry) Former Nato commander Hamish de Bretton-Gordon emphasised Wagners crucial role in strengthening Russias offensive in the war. Speaking to The Independent, the former commander of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment of the British army, said: In the early stages of war when Wagner wasnt heavily committed, the Russian army pretty much nearly collapsed. Wagner fights with no boundaries. Criminals fill the ranks of the army. When all of this is over, Im sure there are going to be horrific things conducted in Wagners name. Below we track Wagners involvement in the invasion of Ukraine and their infamous- but failed- march to Moscow: View more Crimea: In February 2014, were used to help Russia illegally annex Ukraines Crimean peninsula. Crimea sits at the top of the Black Sea. The annexation condemned by countries in the West, including the UK. The mercenary group was also involved in Russias invasion of eastern Ukraine throughout 2015, where they allegedly carried out assassinations of local rebel leaders. Kyiv: In March 2022, weeks after Putin launched his invasion, reports suggested a special group had been sent into Kyiv to take out Zelensky. This resulted in a strict 36-hour curfew in Kyiv as Ukrainian soldiers reinforced the capital to protect Zelensky and his government. Since then, reports of Wagners activities have mainly focused on the eastern regions of Ukraine, though Kyiv remains a target of ceaseless strikes and artillery from the Russian army. The Wagner group is largely made up of recruits from prisons (Reuters) Bucha: In the first week of April 2022, sickening images of a massacre in Bucha began to emerge following weeks of Russian occupation. Just days after Russian troops withdrew from the city, hundreds of bodies were discovered in the city approximately 16 miles northwest of Kyiv, some in mass graves. While Kremlin has always denied causing civilian deaths although their credibility over such matters is thin at best. Interceptions by the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Germanys foreign intelligence service, found evidence to suggest Wagner may be linked to the massacre, Der Spiegel reported. Destroyed Russian military vehicles are seen on the street on April 4, 2022 in Bucha, Ukraine (Getty Images) Bakhmut: In May 2022, Wagner began an offensive towards the town of Soledar and the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Ukranian province of Donetsk. It is an area that Putin seeks to control. The battle for Bakhmut has seen some of the most fierce fighting in the war. Located around 34 miles north of Donetsk, the region was an important industrial centre before being ravaged by war. In July, Prigozhin was given the green light to beef up his troops and began recruiting prisoners on a large scale, unconcerned about the type of crime they had committed. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group military company speaks holding a Russian national flag in front of his soldiers in Bakhmut (PRIGOZHIN PRESS SERVICE) By the end of October 2022, the group gained at least 20,000 conscripts, which then more than doubled to 50,000 by the end of January 2023. Between November 2022 to January 2023, Wagner captured the salt-mining town of Soledar and strengthened its position in the south and north of Bakhmut. Fast-forward to May 2023, after months of merciless fighting, Prigozhin claimed to have captured Bakhmut and began withdrawing his troops from the city. Prigozhin claimed to have captured Bakhut in May 2023 (PRIGOZHIN PRESS SERVICE) The march to Moscow: Towards the end of June 2023, Prigozhin claimed Wagner fighters were deliberately shelled by Kremlins soldiers while leaving Bakhmut. This seemed to be the last straw for Prigozhin who had been complaining publicly for weeks about the slaughter of Wagner soldiers due to a lack of ammunition from Moscow. A power struggle was very publicly playing out between the Russian defence ministry and Prigozhin. On Friday 23 June, Prigozhin accused Russias defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, of destroying his fighters and concocting lies to justify the invasion of Ukraine. Months of videos rants had been directed by Prigozhin towards Shoigu, with the Wagner leader getting increasingly riled about the actions of the Defence Ministry and the Russian military top brass as the invasion dragged on. A call to action was made by the mercenary group leader, inciting an armed rebellion heading to Kremlin in Moscow. Wagner soldiers in Rostov-on-Don on their march to Moscow (AP) Leaving their stations in the east, Wagner soldiers began their march to the capital and within hours had successfully occupied military headquarters in Rostov and Voronezh on the morning of Saturday 24 June. The group shot down Russian helicopters and and took out Russian artillery as they made their way up the main road to Moscow. The rebel group was seen as far north as Yelets in the evening, just 125 miles from Moscow, before the coup was suddenly called off at the 11th hour by Prigozhin, following the deal with the Kremlin. View more Belarus and beyond? Following the attempted rebellion in June, thousands of Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus. A deal was struck under which the mercenaries would move to Belarus in return for charges against them relating to the uprising being dropped. Putin said the fighters could either leave for Belarus, come under the command of the defence ministry or go back to their families. Before moving to Belarus, Wagner handed over its weapons to the Russian military, part of efforts by Russian authorities to defuse the threat posed by the mercenaries. A fighter from Russian Wagner mercenary group and a Belarusian service member take part in a joint training outside Brest (Belarusian Defence Ministry via Reuters) Between 3,450 and 3,650 soldiers have travelled to a camp close to Asipovichy, a town about 140 miles (230km) north of the Ukrainian border, according to Belaruski Hajun, an activist group that tracks troop movements within the country. Satellite images show that about 700 vehicles, along with construction equipment, have also arrived in Wagner convoys to Belarus, Belaruski Hajun said. They have also helped train Belarusian troops at a military range near the city of Brest. Prigozhin also registered a real estate management company in Belarus last week under the name Concord Management and Consulting in Belarus. Documents analysed by independent Belarusian media outlets showed that the companys registered address is in the same village as the Wagner mercenary camp. Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin leaving the headquarters of the Southern Military District amid the group's pullout from the city of Rostov-on-Don (REUTERS) Asked about what Prigozhins next move could be, Mr de Bretton-Gordon said: People like Prigozhin are wardogs, they are out to make money out of conflict. He is now lining his pockets with as much as gold as he can. I think he will stay in Belarus as long as the money stays floating. Mr Drummond questioned Prigozhins motives in Belarus, noting there are several factors at play. Is he acting as a reserve force in case Putin wants to open a fresh front against Kyiv, or has he genuinely been banished and is considered too powerful to do anything? But like Mr de Bretton-Gordon, Mr Drummond does not think the Russian president has alienated Prigozhin, but more likely placed him in a state of suspended animation. Prigozhin has suddenly realised he could go straight into Moscow, and then he stopped and turned around. I think he freaked Putin out. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Wildfires have ravaged two countries in Europe this week, forcing thousands of evacuations as firefighters battle on in tinderbox conditions. Extreme heat and billowing winds have created the perfect storm for fires to rip through swathes of land in Portugal and Italy. Portugal is facing wildfires raging across the south of the country, with more than 850 firefighters battling to put out the flames. The first wildfire started in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo region on Saturday, but it has since spread south towards the Algarve. Portugal is battling wildfires raging across the south of the country (AFP via Getty Images) The local mayor confirmed that there are two active fronts in both Odemira and Monchique. Monchique, a lush green mountainous area in the Algarves countryside, last burned in 2018. It is popular amongst locals and tourists due to its thermal springs and hotels. Elsewhere in the country, a fire broke out in Ourem, in the district of Santarem, on Sunday but has since been brought under control. A nearby fire in the district of Leiria - in Caranguejeira and Arrabal - was extinguished on Tuesday morning. Odemiras mayor, Helder Guerreiro, called the situation critical, difficult and complex while Jose Ribeiro, commander of the emergency and civil protection authority, said there was a lot of work ahead to bring the wildfire under control. The Portugal wildfires have now scorched thousands of hectares of land and forced the evacuation of around 1,400 people. Follow the latest on wildfires in Portugal here. View more Elsewhere, in Italy, wildfires have been spreading across the island of Sardinia. The Cagliari and Nuoro Provinces have been severely impacted, with 28 active fires in Nuoro Province and 16 in Cagliari Province confirmed by the Italian authorities. View more According to local media reports, four people have been injured and at least 600 people have been evacuated, with over 12,000 people cut off from their water supply across the Podasa and Siniscola Municipalities. Meanwhile, the JRC European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) reports that the main fire in the Posada area covers 514 hectares, with other blazes in the Cagliari Province spanning 657 hectares. A firefighter airplane drops water in a wildfire in Carrascal, Proenca a Nova, 6 August 2023 (AFP via Getty Images) Countries outside of Europe have also been battling wildfires this week during scorching temperatures. In Algeria, approximately 35 wildfires have been spreading across more than 11 regions in the northeast since 24 July. The Algerian government has reported 34 deaths, with temperatures exceeding 45C and high wind speeds reaching over 50kmph by the Tunisian border worsening the situation. Here, the fires have most affected Bejaia, Skikda, Tizi Ouzou, Bouira, Jijel and Boumerdes. Smoke clouds cover the sky during wildfires in the forests of Bejaia in northern Algeria, 25 July (AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images) View more It comes after Rhodes saw the latest evacuation operation in Greek history launched last month as a wildfire inferno swept the island, with more than 20,000 tourists and locals having fled from the now-extinguished blaze. In the hard-hit area of Magnesia, wildfires reached an air force ammunition depot close to the coastal town of Nea Aghialos. The blaze at the depot caused powerful explosions and the coast guard said people were forced to escape by land and sea to Volos, the regional capital. Climate Crisis and Civil Protection minister Vassilis Kikilias said: Given the climate crisis, we will again have extreme weather conditions that will again test our strength. Nothing is over, the battle will continue throughout the summer. 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 }} Bots are better and significantly faster than humans at cracking Captcha tests, according to a comprehensive new study that inspected the security system deployed in over 100 popular websites. Automated bots pose a significant threat to the internet because they can masquerade as legitimate human users and perform harmful operations like scraping content, creating accounts and posting fake comments or reviews, as well as consuming scarce resources. If left unchecked, bots can perform these nefarious actions at scale, warned scientists, including those from the University of California, Irvine. For over two decades, Captchas have been deployed as security checks by websites to block potentially harmful bots by presenting puzzles that are supposed to be straightforward for people to solve but very difficult for computers. Earlier forms of Captcha, for instance, asked users to transcribe distorted text from an image, but with advances in computer vision and machine learning, bots soon caught up to recognise the text with near perfect accuracy. Engaged in an arms race with bots, Captchas have since evolved into an annoying presence on the internet, becoming increasingly more and more difficult to solve for both bots and humans. However, the new yet-to-be peer-reviewed research, posted in arXiv, finds bots are able to quickly crack Captcha tests with ease, suggesting global effort users put into cracking these puzzles every day may be more trouble than its worth. In the study, scientists assessed 200 of the most popular websites and found 120 still used Captcha. They took the help of 1,000 participants online from diverse backgrounds varying in location, age, sex and educational level to take 10 captcha tests on these sites and gauge their difficulty levels. Researchers found many bots described in scientific journals could beat humans at these tests in both speed and accuracy. Some Captcha tests took human participants between nine and 15 seconds to solve, with an accuracy of about 50 to 84 per cent, while it took the bots less than a second to crack them, with up to near perfection. The bots accuracy ranges from 85-100 per cent, with the majority above 96 per cent. This substantially exceeds the human accuracy range we observed (50-85 per cent), scientists wrote in the study. They also found that the bots solving times are significantly lower or nearly the same as humans in almost all cases. Since current Captchas do not meet the required security goal of keeping bots away, researchers have called for better and more dynamic approaches to protect websites. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A train ticket to London was so expensive that a couple decided to fly abroad for a day after discovering it would cost only a fraction of the price. Jill and Keith McCormack headed to Irelands capital, Dublin, after realising a return ticket from their home in Liverpool to London by rail would cost them more than 100 even though they hold a Two Together railcard, which shaves a third off fares when two named adults travel together. Instead, the couple booked a mad trip to Ireland for the day after finding early flights for 36 each with Ryanair, The Mirror reported. Ms McCormack, a psychotherapist, said: We wanted to go for London for the day. Weve got a couples railcard and looked at the price of a day trip and it came out at 101 return. It was ridiculous. The trains are scandalous. It was a 36 return for Dublin and a half-hour flight. It was a no brainer. The pair flew out at 6.30am and were in the centre of the Irish capital just three hours later. Mr McCormack said the couple try to have fun day Friday, where they take the day to do things in Liverpool or go to the beach, or go for lunch and have wine. They managed to get through a packed itinerary on their trip, with a visit to the castle, popping into an art gallery, breakfast, lunch, and drinks and dancing in Temple Bar before a 10.30pm flight home. Describing it as a long but a great day, Ms McCormack said: It sounds a bit mad but we went for it. It was like having a night out in the day. We did two days in one day. It was a bit weird getting on a plane with just a handbag, she added. They enjoyed it so much, they plan to return next month and theyve already found flights for 9.99. According to the National Rail website, an off-peak return train journey from Liverpool to London without a railcard costs 145.40. James Dunne, founder and CEO of Rail Online, said earlier this year that the primary way to encourage more people to choose rail above air travel is to ensure that routes by rail are more affordable than flying. Last month, a major study from Greenpeace showed that Brits are virtually forced to take flights instead of trains due to overpriced rail fares. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A British tourist was left gobsmacked after a 2 charge was added to his restaurant bill for cutting a sandwich in half. The unnamed visitor was dining at Bar Pace in Gera Lario by popular holiday spot Lake Como in Italy when the incident occurred. He scanned his receipt to find a diviso da meta, or cutting in half, charge of 2 for his toasted sandwich. A picture of the receipt uploaded to Tripadvisor (Tripadvisor) Describing it as incredible but true, the tourist uploaded the receipt to Tripadvisor following a holiday in June. There were two of us and we asked for a toasted sandwich to share at the table, he wrote on the reviews site. We have to pay because the toast was cut in half? The controversial sandwich-cutting fee cost more than a cup of espresso, according to the receipt, and raised the total cost of the sandwich from 7.50 to 9.50. The cafes owner, however, defended the charge. Additional requests have a cost, owner Cristina Biacchi told Italian newspaper La Repubblica. We had to use two plates instead of one and the time to wash them is doubled, and then two placemats. It wasnt a simple toasted sandwich, there were also French fries inside. It took us time to cut it in two. She added that the customer in question made no complaint at the time and, if queried, the charge would have been struck from the bill. Its not the first time tourists in Italy have complained about the price of a meal. In 2019, a couple of Japanese tourists dining in Rome were shocked to receive a bill for more than 380 (429.80) after ordering two plates of spaghetti and fish and two glasses of water. The pair uploaded a picture of the bill to TripAdvisor, which showed they were charged 349.80 for the food and an extra 80 as a compulsory service charge. The incident took place at Antico Caffe di Marte near Castel SantAngelo in the city centre and the review quickly went viral. The restaurant hit back at accusations it was scamming tourists out of hundreds of euros, telling Italian paper Corriere de la Sera: The menu is clear, the reason they (the Japanese tourists) paid that price is because they not only ordered the spaghetti but also the fish that was fresh. The customers chose it at the counter themselves. A local priest has expressed her disbelief at the suspected mushroom poisonings which led to the deaths of three people and the serious illness of a fourth in Victoria, Australia. Heather Wilkinson, her sister Gail Patterson, and Pattersons husband Don Patterson died after eating toxic mushrooms during a lunch in Leongatha on 29 July. Reverend Ian Wilkinson is awaiting a liver transplant Korumburra Anglican minister Fran Grimes told 9 News that the community has been rattled and locals are numb and disbelieving. They just cant believe that its actually happened, she added. A holiday cottage welcoming disabled people in eastern France has been completely destroyed, in a fire, a local deputy mayor has said. Daniel Leroy told BFM Alsace on Wednesday (9 August) that the sleeping quarters are all gone, adding: The wooden structure collapsed there is nothing left. Mr Leroy said no children were inside. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said there were likely several casualties after the fire ravaged 300 square metres of the 500-square metre building. Rescue operations were ongoing, he added. 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 }} Reality TV and drama go together like birds of a very ruffled feather. Fights, romance, scheming these are the bread and butter of so-called reality shows. Whether its Netflixs latest offering at finding love, or the well-trodden formats of Big Brother or Real Housewives, the endless channels have endless offerings. The increasingly staged and edited nature of reality shows should probably instead let them fall squarely in drama, but apparently reality is where they remain. The immensely popular Bravo show, Below Deck, aired an episode of its Down Under spin-off this week, in which two cast members carried out unwanted sexual advances on their fellow crew members. The producers are being praised for intervening in both situations, which from the available footage it seems they did swiftly and professionally, but the question of why this was ever aired remains. Amid the historic strikes rocking Hollywood, unscripted shows are facing a different kind of battle, with those in the industry reportedly struggling to find work, and creators asking questions around when is someone considered a writer? As well as crew members, some reality TV stars have put their heads above the picket line parapet. Love might be blind, but the contestants no longer seem to be. Season two star Nick Thompson (remember, the guy who didnt like costumes then reluctantly dressed as corn?) claims the Netflix show ruined [his] life and is stopping him from finding employment. Speaking with The Daily Mail, Thompson said he was paid $10,000 for filming, which he estimates amounts to $7.14 an hour. Danielle Ruhl, who said I do to Thompson before their eventual divorce in 2022, has previously spoken out about their allegedly unsafe working conditions. The Independent has reached out to Netflix for comment. In 2022, fellow season two contestant Jeremy Hartwell filed a lawsuit against the Netflix show, claiming that he and other contestants were subject to inhumane working conditions. Kinetic Content, which produces Love Is Blind, previously issued a statement to The Independent regarding the lawsuit last year, in which the firm said there was no merit to Harwell's claims and that the company would vigorously defend against them. The tragic past of Love Island, Bachelor in Paradise allegations, Big Brother the list of accusations seems to always be growing in this chaotic industry. The knee-jerk reaction is, of course, accusatory: what do you expect when you go on a show like that? Many times Ive shouted something similar at the television, criticizing contestants for seeking fame and fortune without properly considering what the repercussions of such public humiliation may be. I now feel entirely differently. As the reality of reality shows become more apparent and, it seems, appalling the question has gone from why would you go on a show like that? to why do they make shows like this? Reality TV may have been something I discovered later in life (having spent my arrogant adolescence thinking myself above it) but discover it I did. Love Is Blind, Below Deck, Married At First Sight, The Circle, Too Hot To Handle, Selling Sunset I can reel off a dozen or more shows Ive devoured in recent years. They numb the mind after a long days work, they distract you when life is hard, they give an easy-to-follow frivolity that sometimes we just need. But it seems our enjoyment of reality shows is starting to grow sour. Take Love Is Blind as an example. On first watch, it seemed a silly, entertaining jolly to keep us sane during lockdown. Years later, scenes that were once funny or dramatic now sit uneasily; were they drunk there? Had they slept or eaten that day? If I wasnt sure what day or time it was, and was fueled by hanger and nerves, would I have made a comment even worse than them? Below Deck is the dream reality TV cocktail rich people, romance, exotic locations, danger but should shows funneling young people with alcohol, in the most confined of quarters, even be being made? It may once have felt as if we painted reality stars as heroes or villains, making them our water cooler moment topics. But thats of course not the case. The people who make and edit the shows are the artists, giving little to no ambiguity to how we perceive the people we are watching. And they are people, real people. Yes, they have chosen to appear on these shows, but some have been scouted out, some need the money, and I am certain that most do not know the realities of what theyre signing up for. Better regulation is desperately needed in television. Anyone involved in these money-making shows should be paid fairly, never be at risk of assault of any kind, and execs should be quicker to cut things that simply shouldnt be aired. Once these necessary changes are made, we can all go back to obsessively binging the latest season of whatever trash tickles us most guilt-free. YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. During the 8-month blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, thanks to the efforts of various actors of Artsakh, Armenia and the Diaspora, it was possible to give a clear and purposeful assessment of the deepening humanitarian crisis in Artsakh by influential international human rights and humanitarian organizations and a number of authoritative experts, the Human Rights Defender of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Gegham Stepanyan said in a statement on August 9. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, Global Center for Responsibility to Protect, International Committee of the Red Cross, special rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council, Lemkin Institute for the Prevention of Genocide, International Association of Genocide Scholars and a number of other human rights activists expressed their position during this period. The statements of all humanitarian and human rights organizations unanimously demand the authorities of Azerbaijan to stop blocking the Lachin corridor, ensure the free and unhindered transportation of people, goods and vehicles along the corridor, and put an end to the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh. The Azerbaijani authorities scornfully and brazenly respond to the statements of all the organizations and blatantly show disrespect for everyone as if everyone is lying, only they are right. This behavior of Azerbaijan once again demonstrates the simple truth that Azerbaijan has neither commitment, nor desire to fulfill the obligations assumed at the international level, moreover, in front of all structures, it continues to pursue a policy of genocide against the people of Artsakh. The assessments of the international human rights organizations should not remain on paper. These addressed statements must become the basis for the positions of various states and international structures on saving the people of Artsakh from starvation, ethnic cleansing and genocide. That is why these structures were created to prevent mass atrocities and violations of human rights. The human rights activists have expressed their stance; it is the turn of the political decision-makers in the international arena to prove that they will not allow the criminal authorities of Azerbaijan to question the authority of the international human rights and humanitarian organizations. Otherwise, the indifference shown and disregard for authoritative opinion will lead to irreversible human consequences in which international actors will be directly responsible for complicity, Stepanyan added. Cormac Keenan, Head of Trust & Safety at TikTok, Minister Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Social Protection, Rural and Community Development and Aine Kerr, Chair, Rethink Ireland TikTok has donated 750,000 to create the TikTok Digital Fund in partnership with Rethink Ireland, an organisation which provides grants and support to social innovations. Police in Carrickfergus have closed High Street, Castle Street and part of the Marine Highway. Pacemaker Press An eight-year-old girl who died following a crash in Co Antrim has been named by police. Cillian Rafferty (21) denies stealing the sports car A 21-year-old man allegedly dragged the owner of a Porsche 911 from his sports car in south Dublin before it was driven erratically around the city and crashed, a court has been told. The gang is alleged to have transported narcotics between Spain, Ireland, Germany, Holland and Norway. An Irishman in his 40s was among 23 people arrested for allegedly being part of a major Spanish drug smuggling organisation that has been broken apart after a two-year investigation. Dismissed executive Michael OSullivan accused of making wild, unfounded allegations against Mr Casey The Irish-American businessman and former presidential candidate Peter Casey was abusive, bullying and almost violent at a meeting two years ago when he fired an executive at his recruitment company, the Labour Court has heard. People are free to put their money on deposit in other EU countries if they can get better interest rates Donohoe Simon Bourke: First the pubs, now the clubs soon therell be nowhere to go for a drink Irish News Man (30s) slashed in the face in attack on Talbot Street in Dublin as gardai identify suspect Russias Defense Ministry has reported a failed attempt by Kiev to attack facilities in the Moscow Region by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), adding that two drones were shot down by air defense systems. August 9, 2023, 09:41 Russian defense ministry reports Kievs failed attempted attack on Moscow Region by drones STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 9, ARTSAKHPRESS: "An attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack by unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of the Moscow Region was thwarted during the night. Two drones were shot down by air defense systems," the report said, Tass informs. Gardai remove 24-hour protection from outside home of The Monks brother Patsy Hutch Its understood the officers have been deployed elsewhere and the protection has been replaced with regular garda patrols. Patsy Hutch Niall Feiritear Wed 9 Aug 2023 at 09:39 A Dublin comedian appearing at the world famous Edinburgh Fringe has said that women are still in the minority in the tough business. FAMILY ties stretching like the TransAtlantic cable of old across the great pond from Valentia to North America grew ever stronger last week with a very special reunion on the island. News A special celebration marking 30 years of the MS North West Therapy Centre in Sligo Sligo based MS North West Therapy Centre celebrated its 30th anniversary on Thursday, as an appeal was made to the community to continue to support it through fundraising Dublin based garda perished in carrick fire Tragic Garda Deirdre Finn who died in a fire which broke out on her boat on Bank Holiday Monday in Carrick-on-Shannon had taken part in the 61st annual Shannon Boat Rally which had finished on Sunday in the County Leitrim town.. Wexford & District Flourishing womens shed in south Wexford creates a new space to call its own Since its inception in 2015 the Tomhaggard Womens Shed (TWS) has seen its membership grow to almost 50 members. This increase in numbers has led to the creation of An Tigin, the groups new creative workspace and a venue which will accommodate Luis Moreno Ocampo, a leading specialist in international law, former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and lecturer at Harvard and Yale has issued an expert opinion in response to the Nagorno-Karabakh presidents request and concluded that the Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh in fact constitutes genocide. August 9, 2023, 11:37 Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh constitutes genocide, confirms ex-ICC prosecutor L. Ocampo STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 9, ARTSAKHPRESS: There is an ongoing Genocide against 120,000 Armenians living in NagornoKarabakh, also known as Artsakh. The blockade of the Lachin Corridor by the Azerbaijani security forces impeding access to any food, medical supplies, and other essentials should be considered a Genocide under Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, Ocampo said in the expert opinion. There are no crematories, and there are no machete attacks. Starvation is the invisible Genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks, he warned. The International Court of Justice, at the request of Armenia, has already analyzed the Lachin corridors blockade. The Court focused on State liability for alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination rather than individual criminal responsibility for the commission of Genocide. Though predicated on a different set of State obligations, the Court confirmed the occurrence of the material elements of Genocide that are set out in Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction. The Courts preliminary findings considered plausible that the Lachin corridor blockade produced a real and imminent risk to the health and life of an ethnic group, the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. The intention, a subjective element required by the crime of Genocide, should be deduced from the facts and statements from President Aliyev, who has supreme authority in Azerbaijan. President Aliyev, in a fair trial, would have the opportunity to provide a different interpretation of the indicia. In the meantime, there is reasonable basis to believe that President Aliyev has Genocidal intentions: he has knowingly, willingly and voluntarily blockaded the Lachin Corridor even after having been placed on notice regarding the consequences of his actions by the ICJs provisional orders. The facts are: President Aliyev deliberately blocked the provision of lifes essentials to the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. He openly disobeyed the specific orders of the International Court of Justice, to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The ICJ order put him on notice about the real and imminent risk created by the blockade to an Armenian group health and life. President Aliyevs public statements affirming that the blockade was the consequence of people smuggling minerals and i-phones through the Lachin Corridor is a diversion. Smuggling activities should be properly investigated but they are not an excuse to disobey a binding order of the International Court of Justice or a justification to commit a Genocide, the international law expert added. Regarding President Aliyevs intentions, Ocampo concluded, The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, is de jure and de facto Supreme Commander of the security forces in Azerbaijan. Under his command the security border personnel have been placed in control of the checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor and blocked transit of all goods and people. President Alliyevs intention to destroy the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh should be deduced from his informed, voluntary and antagonistic decisions with full disregard of the International Court of Justice orders. In 2020, when President Aliyev accepted the Russian peacekeepers and agreed to guarantee a free corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, he implicitly recognized the Nagorno-Karabakhs de facto autonomy. Then, a few months later, when Russia became engaged with Ukraine, President Aliyev reversed direction and decided that the region has no autonomy. Instead of negotiating the autonomy of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, he systematically took steps through a series of decisions to eliminate the Armenians living in NagornoKarabakh. President Aliyev should be investigated for Genocide because he is at the top of the state apparatus and controls decisions politically, militarily and diplomatically. Hes the mastermind behind the operations of the Genocide, he added. Article IV of the Genocide Convention establishes that persons committing genocide shall be punished, even if they are constitutionally responsible rulers. But there is no independent criminal justice system ready to investigate the crime of Genocide allegedly committed by President Aliyev. President Aliyev cannot be investigated by any foreign national authorities because he enjoys immunity as a head of state. The International Criminal Court provides a jurisdiction where such immunity does not apply. There are three ways to start an ICC investigation for the commission of the crimes in Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh: 1) Azerbaijan becomes a state party (Article 12(1) of the Rome Statute); 2) Azerbaijan accepts the jurisdiction of the Court on its territory (Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute); or 3) The UN Security Council refers the situation of the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh after December 2022 to the ICC (Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute). But Azerbaijan is not a state party of the Rome Statute (Article 12(1)), the treaty creating the ICC and has not accepted the ICCs jurisdiction (Article 12(3)). As a result, immediate state action is required to adopt a UN Security Council Resolution referring the situation in the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh to the ICC, Ocampo said, citing precedents. In March 2005, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1395, referring the Darfur, Sudan situation to the ICC. Five years later, President Omar Al Bashir was indicted for Genocide. In February 2011, the UN Security Council referred the situation in Libya to the Court. In June 2011 the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Muammar Gaddafi for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Obtaining a UN Security Council Resolution to provide ICC jurisdiction should be feasible. Under the Genocide Convention, state parties have an obligation to prevent and punish Genocide, and 14 of the current 15 members of the UN Security Council are also parties of that Convention, providing an overwhelming majority. France proposed, as early as in 2013, that the five permanent members of the Council voluntarily and collectively suspend the use of the veto in case of Genocide and other mass atrocities. The expert noted that the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is an opportunity for the international community to develop an innovative and harmonious solution to prevent Genocide. How to Prevent the Final Destruction of the Armenian Group? President Aliyev as well as the international community has the rare opportunity to prevent further casualties and the physical destruction of a group in this Genocide. Timely prevention requires the adoption of urgent political decisions, a) to stop the blockade and reestablish the provision of essentials to Nagorno Karabakh in one or two weeks, and b) institutional solutions to the disputed territorial claims. It should be adopted before May 2025 because, at that moment, Azerbaijan can request the end of the Russian peacekeeper protection. By design, there are no central authorities at the international level to adopt such urgent measures. A specific International Court of Justice ruling on Genocide, smart sanctions, and other classic diplomatic tools would not be quick and strong enough. In the short term, which is crucial to stop the ongoing Genocide by starvation, the duty of prevention would be exclusively defined by the interest of the states involved in the conflict. In April 1994, most of the UN Security Council members refused to call "Genocide" what was happening in Rwanda. During the debate the Czech Ambassador challenged the intense focus on a negotiation to achieve a new ceasefire, which he likened to asking the Jews to reach a truce with Hitler. In A Problem from Hell, Samantha Power explains the crucial role of the citizen in transforming the national leaders interests in a Genocide abroad. The voice of the Armenians in the diaspora could reduce the failure by design created by the international legal architecture. They should be mobilized worldwide to reach national leaders and promote a pragmatic solutions. Russia, responsible for peacekeeping in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the US, promoting current negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, are state parties of the Genocide Convention, as are all the European Union members. They have a privileged position to prevent this Genocide. Their intense confrontation due to the Ukrainian conflict should not transform the Armenians into collateral victims. Is it possible to assist European, Russian, and USA leaders to reach a joint position to stop the ongoing Armenian Genocide? If they could agree, the food will reach the Armenians within one day. The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is an opportunity for the international community to develop an innovative and harmonious solution to prevent Genocide. Under Article 16 of the Rome Statute, a criminal investigation could eventually be suspended by the UN Security Council to find a final and fair solution. President Aliyev asked: Why Spain does not allow Catalunya to have a referendum? Why should we tolerate separatism? The simple answer to complex issues of sovereignty involved in the question is that Spain is not committing genocide to control separatist efforts, he said. A Wexford native who suffered a brain haemorrhage after being assaulted in Perth last month had moved to Australia to try and set up a new life for his family. Frank Staples (41) was knocked to the ground as a result of one punch to the side of the head during a disagreement outside a McDonalds on Beaufort Street in Perth on Monday, July 24. He was quickly brought to ICU at The Royal Perth Hospital and fell into a coma which lasted for ten days. Wicklows legendary community spirit was on full show when thousands of visitors gathered to sample the bounty of offerings on display at a bumper edition of the Tinahely Agricultural Show. Arklow author Eleanor O'Reilly pictured with her daughter at the ancient acropolis in Lindos, Greece. A Wicklow author whose family were caught up in the Greek wildfires and evacuated to a makeshift emergency centre has heaped praise on the local Rhodes community for the miracle of their hospitality. Wicklow & District Popular kids sea safaris to hit Wicklow beaches next week DONT give up on summer just yet! Wicklow County Councils popular sea safari workshop for children is hitting several local beaches next week. Former members of the Carrig Brownie pack in Blessington pictured on one of their many outings. Former leaders of the historic Blessington Brownies unit have started a push to restart the group and are actively seeking new leaders to take up the torch. Italian authorities say 41 one migrants are thought to have died in a shipwreck last week in the central Mediterranean, according to accounts by survivors who have been taken to the island of Lampedusa. Much of Canadas immigration history is shaped by war in faraway lands. Yesterdays enemies have become todays neighbours in Canada, as the countrys immigration policies evolved from favouring an exodus from one side of a conflict over the other, to becoming more inclusive and diverse. While this has led to a more open and multicultural immigration system, it has also afforded an opportunity to learn how past enmity can prevent future wars. For D.I. Lee, a Korean-Canadian filmmaker and newspaper publisher, enemy soldiers from a war zone talking about their new home in Canada is a long-held vision that is now getting traction to be turned into a documentary series. These short documentaries are not only about learning by walking in each others shoesmore importantly it about learning from finding out where those shoes have been, Lee said. This documentary aims to show how ordinary folks, once enemies in the past, are living in harmony under the umbrella of Canadian multiculturalism, he said. With a working title called No Longer Enemies, Not Yet Friends, Lees film has the backing of Telefilm Canada and the Korea Communications Agency. His first foray into the subject will be interviewing participants in the Korean War, which ended 70 years ago with a ceasefire. The three-year brutal struggle left millions of North and South Koreans dead, and over 100,000 casualties for the United Nations forces involved. More than 26,000 Canadians served on land, at sea and in the air during this bitter conflict that raged in from 1950 to 1953. China intervened on North Koreas side during the 1950-53 Korean War. An estimated three million Communist Chinese troops fought alongside Pyongyangs forces and helped tip the balance of the conflict for the North. Western estimates commonly cite a figure of 400,000 Chinese deaths. Beijings intervention ended the hostilities, but an impasse persists to this day. One of the most brutal episodes in the Korean war was the Battle of Kapyong, where 10 Canadians were killed and 23 were wounded. They were among the 516 Canadians who died in service during the Korean War. The Battle of Kapyong took place from April 22 to 25, 1951 and was one of the first battles in which Canadians participated during the Korean War, according to Canadian government archives. For two days a battalion of roughly 700 Canadian troops (the 2nd Battalion of the Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry Regiment) helped defend a crucial hill in the front lines of the Korean War against a force of about 5,000 Chinese soldiers. Besieged by waves of attackers, the Canadians held their position amid the horror of close combat until the assaulting force had been halted and the Canadians could be relieved, according to the Canadian Encyclopaedia. The battle was a turning point in the Korean War. The 2nd Battalion was awarded the United States Presidential Unit Citation a very rare honour for a Canadian unit. Lee has connected with soldiers and officers from the various participating armies but finding a Chinese soldier who was at Kapyong or who was enlisted by the Chinese to fight on behalf of North Korea remains elusive. This is a component I am missingmost of the surviving soldiers are in the 90sI have contacted some families and I am hoping there is someone out there who can speak to their involvement in the war, he said. Lee said the ultimate objective of the documentary series is to show what drove the opposite sides to hate and wage war. This can address some deep rooted but often questionable cultural characterizations which have been at the root of many hate crimes we are seeing today in Canada and the US. We can learn from the past conflicts and todays neighbors to create a better future for all in Canada, he said. After the segment featuring soldiers from the Korean War, Lee hopes to tell the stories of the warring sides from conflicts in Africa, South America and Europe who have now come to call Canada their home. If you know interested parties who want to share their experiences in these documentary series, especially the ongoing segment featuring the Korean war, please contact Di Lee at dilee@hankookin.ca Britain Obituary: Doreen Mantle, Olivier-winning actress who was Mrs Warboys in the sitcom One Foot In The Grave Local residents stand outside an apartment building in Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, damaged by a Russian missile strike. Photo: REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi Ukraine is highly unlikely to make a major breakthrough in its counter-offensive to retake territory held by Russia, senior US and Western officials have said, citing sobering intelligence. Scientists point blame squarely at climate change caused by humans A man looks on as wildfires ravage the Greek island of Rhodes. Photo: AP Now that Julys sizzling numbers are all in, the European climate monitoring organisation made it official: July 2023 was Earths hottest month on record by a wide margin. Ukrainian officials accused the Kremlins forces yesterday of targeting rescue workers by hitting residential buildings with two consecutive missiles the first one to draw crews to the scene and the second one to wound or kill them. Image Courtesy: Pixabay After agreements with United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Indonesia, India is considering the possibility of establishing bilateral agreements with important partners in Latin America and Africa to bolster trade using local currencies, thereby contributing to the broader goal of internationalizing the Indian rupee, Moneycontrol reported. A government official has indicated that countries like Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Senegal, and Tanzania are potential candidates for India's initiative to settle transactions in local currencies. The strategy involves initially approaching smaller nations to encourage them to accept payments in rupees for various transactions. If we have to push rupee trade, we have to start with smaller nations where it would be easier to give a push rupee internationalisation, an official told Moneycontrol on the condition of anonymity, adding that the plans are initial and would require discussions. With Brazil and Tanzania, New Delhi maintains a trade surplus of $3.25 billion and $1.39 billion respectively, according to data from the commerce ministry for the year 2022-23. Similarly, with South Africa, Senegal, and Argentina, the trade deficit is minimal at best, as per the same data period. India's primary exports to these countries encompass various categories, including petroleum products, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, and rice. On the import side, India traditionally sources edible oils from both Brazil and Argentina, while also procuring substantial amounts of fertilizers, cotton, and toys from South Africa. Additionally, Tanzania and Senegal are important partners in meeting India's demands for gems and jewellery, said the report. Recently, New Delhi has taken significant steps in this direction by entering into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UAE. This agreement aims to use the rupee and the dirham for conducting bilateral transactions. Discussions over a local currency settlement strategy were held with Indonesia. These talks occurred on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Gandhinagar in mid-July, said the report. India is reportedly considering the inclusion of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in its local currency settlement plan. These neighbouring countries are currently facing currency shortages, making them potential candidates for such arrangements. Commentary By Sylvain Charlebois We have just learned that major Canadian food companies, namely Loblaw, Metro, Maple Leaf Foods, Walmart, and Weston Bakeries, find themselves entangled in a class-action lawsuit filed in Quebec. It seems inevitable that we may soon witness a similar class-action lawsuit affecting the rest of Canada. The lawsuit in Quebec alleges that these industry giants colluded to unlawfully manipulate the price of meat, resulting in households allegedly paying more than $4 billion in unjustified excess. At the centre of the case lies a critical piece of evidence an email dating back to March 2007, wherein the former president of Maple Leaf Foods, Michael McCain, outlines a concerning discussion with Paul Del Duca, a former Senior Vice President at Metro in Ontario. There is some truth in the perspective that this is just another class-action lawsuit perfect for an ambulance-chasing law firm seeking work. However, the implications of this lawsuit are profound, casting a shadow of doubt on the integrity of these corporate behemoths and raising serious concerns about consumer justice in the Canadian market. The gravity of these allegations cannot be understated, as they potentially represent a betrayal of trust and a breach of ethical business practices, impacting countless Canadian families. For many years, observers have speculated that the price-fixing culture in the food industry might extend beyond just bread and impact other sections of the grocery store, including meat. In 2017, when Loblaw and Weston Bakeries admitted guilt for fixing bread prices for 14 years, they also implicated Empire/Sobeys, Metro, Giant Tiger, Walmart, and Canada Bread. Initially, all companies denied involvement, but Canada Bread, under new ownership, recently admitted their role and paid a $50 million fine, revealing a link between bread and meat price-fixing. Canada Bread was owned by Maple Leaf Foods during most of the 14 years when the alleged bread price-fixing scheme was ongoing. The email from 2007, likely written by Michael McCain himself, suggested that a new pricing strategy could be considered for other food categories, including meat. Data shows that the average household spends over $2,000 on buying meat trifecta components, which include beef, chicken, and pork, making it more than double the amount Canadian households spend on bakery goods. The financial implications for each and every one of us are significant. Interestingly, the Quebec-based lawsuit mentions the same companies involved in the alleged bread price-fixing scheme, except for two companies, Empire/Sobeys and Giant Tiger. Although both carry Maple Leaf Foods branded products, no rationale was provided for their exclusion. For months now, many Canadians have accused the food industry of gouging consumers, citing record profits recorded by many companies. Coping with market conditions and higher operational costs is one thing, but colluding and breaking the law is an entirely different matter. If proven true, the accusation of price-fixing strikes at the core of fair competition, stifling the fundamental principles that govern a healthy market. When corporations conspire to manipulate prices, consumers become the ultimate victims, forced to bear the burden of unjustified costs while their trust in the system erodes. Particularly alarming in this case is the alleged involvement of high-ranking executives from prominent companies. The email correspondence between McCain and Del Duca serves as a chilling reminder that unethical practices may have reached the upper echelons of corporate leadership, where decisions of far-reaching consequence are made. Such revelations expose the vulnerabilities in our corporate governance and demand immediate scrutiny to ensure that similar breaches of trust do not persist. In other words, the food industry indeed has a price-fixing problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. The significance of the class-action lawsuit becomes even more pronounced considering the entity spearheading the legal action. The lawyers involved are taking up the mantle for the Competition Bureau, which has faced criticism for its lacklustre track record in enforcing fair competition practices. Although Loblaw and Weston Bakeries received immunity when coming forward in 2015, the gift cards and apologies offered to Canadians do not make them feel protected in any way. In the United States, executives caught colluding go to jail, while in Canada, they receive immunity. The contrasts could not be more significant. Rather than waiting for companies to admit guilt or relying solely on lawyers to do its work, the Competition Bureau needs to step up as soon as possible. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agri-food analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University. Mumbai: Ola, owned by ANI Technologies reported a substantial increase in consolidated revenue to Rs 1,970.42 crore in Q1FY24, marking a nearly 100 percent year-on-year (YoY) growth, Moneycontrol reported citing a filing with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). Comparatively, in FY21, Ola's consolidated revenue stood at Rs 983 crore. Despite the growth in revenue, Ola reported a consolidated loss of Rs 1,522.3 crore in FY22, which reflects a YoY increase of approximately 36.3 percent. The rise in losses can be attributed primarily to an increase in overall expenses. In FY21, Ola had reported a loss of Rs 1,116 crore. The company's total expenses amounted to around Rs 3,362 crore, indicating a YoY rise of about 67.5 percent. Ola's employee benefit expenses, which include components such as salaries, wages, contributions to Provident Fund, and staff welfare, were recorded at Rs 552 crore in FY22, in contrast to Rs 436 crore in FY21. ANI Technologies operates a range of subsidiaries, which includes entities like Ola Electric, Pickup.ai, Ola Fleet Technologies, Ola Financial Services, and international operations such as Ola Singapore Pte Ltd. These operations extend beyond India to regions including the USA and France. Ola's subsidiary focused on electric vehicles (EV), Ola Electric, incurred an operating loss of $136 million on revenue of $335 million during the fiscal year 2022, which ended in March, according to a Reuters report. These reported losses coincide with a period during which Ola's investors have been re-evaluating the fair value of the company's assets. Image: UNI New Delhi/IBNS: Participating in the No-Confidence Motion debate in Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi and accused the Congress leader of "indulging in a drama" when the latter visited violence-hit Manipur. "Rahul Gandhi went to Manipur, I welcome that. But he indulged in drama. He wanted to go by road to Churachandpur. We said he should take a chopper, but he didn't. Then he took a chopper the next day. If you think you can trouble the government and people won't notice, they will," Shah said. The attack came as Rahul Gandhi earlier in the day accused the government of "killing Bharat Mata". "India is a voice, a voice of the heart. You have killed that voice in Manipur. You have murdered Bharat Mata in Manipur. You are traitors," he said. The Congress MP also alleged that the Prime Minister "has not gone to Manipur as he doesn't consider it a part of India". In a veiled jibe at Gandhi who was reinstated to Parliament after his relief from the Supreme Court in the 'Modi surname' case, Shah, without taking his name, said, "There's a leader in this house who was launched 13 times in the House and failed 13 times." "In one of his speeches, he mentioned one 'Kalavati'. All facilities to 'Kalavati' were given by our government," he added. Responding to the debate over the No-Confidence Motion moved by the opposition against the government, Shah presented a report card of the Centre in terms of fighting Covid and the drugs menace. He said the politics done in the name of Manipur is "shameful". "They (the Congress) have done nothing for the Northeast, we have done that... For 10 years under UPA, nothing happened," the Home Minister said, accusing the Congress of promoting infighting. "Now there has been a 68 percent decline in incidents of violence... Infrastructural development reduced time and distance. PM Modi went to the northeast over 50 times in 9 years. he connected northeast to India," he said. Alleging that the No-Confidence Motion was brought to "mislead people", Shah said, "For 30 years, the country was suffering from dynastic politics, corruption, and casteism and PM Modi finished all these and gave politics of performance to the country". "Post-Independence, if there is one leader whom India completely trusts it is PM Modi. This no confidence motion doesn't reflect the people's choice, it has been brought in only to disrupt," he added. Unlike the Congress, the BJP will not resort to bribery to win, he assured the House saying: "When Narsimha Rao was in power, a No-Confidence Motion was brought. The Congress wanted to save the government and they won the motion. JMM and several leaders were bribed. Many leaders were jailed, even Narsimha Rao (former Prime Minister) was also jailed." "In 1999, during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, we could have also done that (bribing leaders) and we put forward our points and lost the motion by 1 vote. We could have saved the motion," he said. Smriti Irani attacks Rahul Gandhi over blowing a flying kiss: Union Minister Smriti Irani earlier accused Rahul Gandhi of blowing a "flying kiss" while leaving Parliament after his speech during the No-Confidence Motion debate in Lok Sabha. "Only a misogynist man can blow a flying kiss to Parliament that seats women MPs. The action lacked dignity," she charged. "Never before has the misogynistic behaviour of a man been so visible in parliament. When the House of the people - where laws are made to protect the dignity of women - during the course of a session stands witness to a man's misogyny, my question is should he be brought to task?" she questioned. The Congress defended that Gandhi was gesturing towards MPs of the ruling BJP who were shouting slogans. "Rahul Gandhi gestured towards the treasury benches as he was leaving with a flying kiss as he had called them brothers and sisters. He did not direct it towards any particular minister or MP, and not at all towards Smriti Irani," a Congress leader said. However, women BJP MPs demanded action and complained to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that Gandhi had insulted women with his alleged "indecent gesture". Photo courtesy: Press Information Bureau Pune/IBNS/UNI: A Pune-based resident running a website has claimed to have received a message threatening to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and triggering bomb blasts in several places in India, police said on Wednesday. Pune Police have registered a case and started an investigation into the matter following the allegation levelled by the website's owner Rahul Dudhane. According to the police, one MA Mokheem allegedly sent the message from abroad on the website. The threat message on the website said: "I am funding many terrorist organisations." After Dudhane informed the control room of Pune City Police, a case was registered against MA Mokheem at Alankar police station. Police are now probing the message on the website to find out its authenticity. The information about this message has also been passed on to other security agencies of the country, said a police officer. A view of Kerala's backwaters/ courtesy: Pixabay Thiruvananthapuram/IBNS: God's Own Country won't be called Kerala anymore as it embraces the traditional name called 'Keralam', which is what it is called in Malayalam. A resolution moved by the Kerala chief minister to rename the state 'Keralam', has been passed unanimously by the Assembly. The House has also urged the Centre to take "immediate steps" to amend the name under Article 3 of the Constitution, which deals with the formation of states as well as any changes to the names or areas of existing states. Tabling the resolution Wednesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, "The name of our state is Keralam in the Malayalam language. States were formed based on language on November 1, 1956. Kerala Day is also on November 1. The need to unite Kerala for the Malayalam-speaking communities has been strongly evident since the time of the national freedom struggle." "However, the name of our state is listed as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution. This Assembly unanimously requests the Union Government to take immediate steps to amend it to 'Keralam' under Article 3 of the Constitution. This House also requests that our state be renamed as 'Keralam' in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution," he said. The First Schedule of the Constitution lists the states and Union Territories and their territorial jurisdictions, while the Eighth Schedule lists the 22 official languages of India. The resolution was accepted by the opposition United Democratic Front alliance, led by the Congress, which did not suggest any amendments to it. Based on a show of hands, the resolution was then declared unanimously adopted by Speaker AN Shamseer. Last year, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha that it had given its approval for the renaming of seven cities and towns, including Allahabad to Prayagraj, in five years. Russian authorities on Wednesday said two Ukrainian drones were shot down before they could reach Moscow. Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia Commons Russia on Wednesday said they shot down two Ukrainian drones which were moving towards Moscow, the latest in a surge of drone attacks on the Russian capital. Air defence systems have shot down two unmanned aerial vehicles on an approach to Moscow, city Mayor Sergey Sobyanin was quoted as saying by TASS news agency. He said no injuries were caused due to the incident. "Two combat drones have attempted to fly to the city. Both were shot down by air defence systems, one in the Domodedovo area, and another one in the vicinity of Minskoye Highway. No injuries have been reported," Sobyanin wrote on his Telegram channel as quoted by the Russian news agency. Meanwhile, a UN spokesperson on Monday said attacks against Ukrainian port infrastructure are not isolated and with Russias termination of the Black Sea Initiative, are impacting global food prices and affecting the most vulnerable people. Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, made the comment while speaking at the regular press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York. The Danube port of Izmail, in the Odesa Region, was hit on 2 August. The attack damaged facilities storing thousands of tons of food grains. The Secretary-General also condemned Russias intensification of attacks on Ukrainian ports, calling for the immediate cessation of all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, he said. The Black Sea Initiative enabled the export of millions of metric tons of food from Ukrainian ports, and together with the UNs parallel accord with Russia on export of food and fertilizer, had been vital for global food security and price stability, including in areas hit hard by conflict and hunger, such as Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and Yemen. Two physics teachers at Ghazi University in Pakistans Punjab, Dera Ghazi Khan have been accused of sexually assaulting a young female student, reported The News International on Tuesday. The News International is an English-language newspaper in Pakistan. The victim girl alleged in a viral video that the two teachers kept her in the hostel with them overnight. She added, Now both the teachers are blackmailing my younger sister, and added that if the concerned professors are not punished, she would self-immolate. As per The News International, responding to the accusations against teachers, Ghazi University Spokesperson Shoaib Raza stated that the video being circulated was an old one and that action was taken on the victims complaint. It is also reported that a post on the universitys Twitter handle read: Regarding the viral video by a female student on social media, all people are informed that this video is 4 months old and an inquiry was conducted on the request of the female student, as a result of which the concerned teachers were suspended. According to The News International, the post also shared an image of a notification, dated May 5, 2023, declaring that the two professors, Dr Zafar Wazir and Dr Khalid Mehmood Ur Rehman, had been suspended. The statement further added: This video statement is currently being used on social media by those few teachers of the university for their interests, against whom inquiries are going on in the university for malpractice cases. This video has been made viral by him on such occasion to tarnish the reputation of the university. While university admissions are on the rise currently, all teaching and other affairs of Ghazi University are going on very smoothly. Now is the time to take legal action against such negative elements who want to tarnish the reputation of the university unnecessarily, the post concluded. (Image and text credit: Khalsavox.com/ANI) Picture Courtesy: Pixabay Bhutan recently hosted a panel discussion where experts from the field participated to discuss the pros and cons of implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI). The panel discussion was titled AI in Bhutan: Balancing traditional and Technological Advancement. The event was attended by Profesor Toby Walsh, a chief Artificial intelligence scientist at the University of New South Wales in Australia who advocates that AI should be used to improve lives. He added that for Bhutan, education and healthcare can reap the benefits of AI, ANI reported quoting The Bhutan Live. At the event former chief executive officer of Thimphu TechPark, Dr Tshering Cigay Dorji talked about the opportunities of AI for country like Bhutan. Unknowingly, we are benefiting a lot from AI. And besides that, AI can be used for education, AI can be used for environmental conservation, and AI can be used for improving efficiency and productivity at work. So, all we need is to leverage the data that we have. And through machine learning, we can implement all these different AI technologies at the workplace, he was cited as saying in The Bhutan Live. CHICAGO - Governor JB Pritzker signed three legislations that would give Native and Indigenous Illinoisans more protection. The Human Remains Protection Act, or HB3413, provides protocols for dealing with graves and returning human remains to Native American Nations. SB1446 forbids educational institutions from forbidding graduates from donning traditional regalia. Native American history education is required in Illinois public schools under HB1633. Today, we take another step forward in repairing generations of harm and building a brighter future for our states Native American and Indigenous Peoples, said Governor JB Pritzker. At its core, this legislation is about respect. Respect for those who came before us and those who will come afterand that is why we want to teach our children this history, to avoid the mistakes of the past and to instill that respect from an early age. As we are seeking new ways to continue to make Illinois inclusive and welcoming to all, our administration is committed to expanding protections for our Native and Indigenous Illinoisans - past, present, and future. Todays bill signing is a measure to address the generational injustice, while we extend our hand in support for our Native and Indigenous communities, said Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. Thanks to the compassionate leadership of Governor Pritzker and members of the General Assembly, and the voices of residents in Illinois, together we honor the history, contributions, and experiences of Indigenous people with honesty and dignity at the forefront. The proposed HB3413 legislation is geared towards consolidating and streamlining the process of returning Native American remains and cultural artifacts to their respective tribal origins. A considerable number of these Native remains and artifacts are housed in museums across the country. This bill proposes amendments to the existing Human Remains Protection Act to facilitate collaboration between the Illinois State Museum and federally recognized tribes associated with Illinois. The intention is to identify the tribal origin of the remains and ensure they are returned for suitable burial rites. The bill also provisions for the establishment of a cemetery for remains that cannot be identified. At present, Illinois hosts the second largest collection of unrepatriated remains in the United States. The Illinois State Museum has taken on the most extensive repatriation task in the history of the state. Any individuals found violating this bill will be obliged to pay restitution, which will be placed into a fund to support the reinterment or restoration of remains. The implementation of this law is with immediate effect. SB1446 safeguards the rights of students in Illinois to display accessories that represent their cultural, religious, or ethnic background at graduation ceremonies. This legislation was introduced in response to an incident where a high school senior, Nimkii Curley, was not permitted to participate in his graduation ceremony unless he removed his traditional Native regalia. The statute defends not just the display of Native American and Indigenous cultural attire, but any attire tied to a students protected characteristic, as defined under the Illinois Human Rights Act. The law is effective immediately. In a similar vein, HB1633 augments the mandatory curriculum for Illinois public schools to include Native American history. The law dictates that this must cover the genocide and forced displacement of Native Americans by settlers, as well as the history of tribes in the Midwest and across the country. In the past, Governor Pritzker has signed laws necessitating the teaching of Asian American and LGBTQ+ history in Illinois schools. It is important that our childrens learning experiences are formulated in an atmosphere that is both inclusive and equitable, said State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). These new laws will empower students to express their cultural identity and provide them with a full picture of how our nation was founded. We need to invigorate our classrooms and present different perspectives to give our children learning opportunities they havent had before. Native American history is Illinois history, from the awe-inspiring Cahokia mounds to the Illiniwek tribes encountered by French colonists to the tens of thousands of people of Native American ancestry who live in Illinois today, said State Rep Maurice West (D-Rockford). We must understand the history and experience of Native Americans if we want to truly understand our home state, but too many students miss out on this important aspect of our nations past and present. These laws will help preserve and promote the rich history of Native Americans in Illinois while ensuring students can freely honor their cultural, ethnic, or religious identity through their attire during their graduation ceremonies. I cant imagine how horrible I would feel if someone dug up the grave of my grandmother, stole a necklace she was buried with to be sold as a curiosity, and put her bones on display, but thats what were talking about here, said State Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights). Illinois past and present are better because of the history and impacts of Native Americans. Reconciling the sins of our past means ensuring these remains are reburied with the honor and respect they deserve. Weve longed for the day we can bring respect to our history and our ancestors the way they shouldve been respected centuries ago. Today means that can finally happen, said Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Chairman Joseph Zeke Rupnick. This new law puts Illinois on a path to free the remains of our ancestors so they can be buried with the dignity they always deserved. The new Human Remains Protection Act is just one step in our commitment to continue to elevate Indigenous voices at the Illinois State Museum, said Jenn Edginton, interim director of the Illinois State Museum. Native people have always been on the land on which we stand. Their stories are the stories of Illinois. The Illinois State Museum and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources are committed to continuing to ensure Native stories are heard and that we continue to collaborate with them. HUARINA BOLIVIA - The feet of a septuagenarian sink into the soil as he meanders past forsaken vessels in the area that once housed the waters of Lake Titicaca. According to Bolivian officials, the renowned highest navigable lake on the planet has... By Michael Staples New Canadian Media Newcomers looking to join the Canadian Armed Forces face a tough and challenging environment, but conditions are getting better as the military struggles against bias, systemic racism and discrimination. Thats the message from a former African immigrant who went on to become a padre in the Canadian Armed Forces, spending several years at 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, situated just south of Fredericton. Charles Deogratias, raised as a refugee in Tanzania after his parents fled Rwanda in 1959, said steps are being taken to fight bias, systemic racism and discrimination in the military. Its still so real and so hard for many people to grasp, Deogratias, a retired major, said in a telephone interview from Kigali, Rwanda. I experienced this many times. Deogratias said a report released last year in which the issues were examined in detail and recommendations made to correct the situation is a good first step. The Minister of National Defence Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism and Discrimination discovered, among other things, evidence of white supremacists, as well as the participation of defence team members in Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism (IMVD), which includes anti-authority, xenophobic, and gender-driven motivations. The probe recommended change in 13 areas across the organization, including ensuring reporting procedures and tools are made accessible and are well understood by all members of the Forces. It will take time; it cannot happen overnight, but, at least this is a start, Deogratias, a veteran of Canadas combat mission in Afghanistan, said. Now, there is a concerted effort to see that this is eliminated in the (CAF). They are working toward that and there is hope. Last years findings come as the Forces prepare to welcome more immigrants into its ranks. The Department of National Defence revealed in May that it had received approximately 11,000 applications to join from permanent residents, people who are not citizens, but are allowed to live, work, and study in Canada on a permanent basis. The military announced in December that such individuals are welcome to apply. Deogratias, who has outlined his journey from the jungle to the Canadian Armed Forces in a book called Born to Die From a Refugee to a Call to Serve, said newcomers seeking a career in the military should not be afraid of the environment because they have more room to maneuver than those who came before them. He said the old guard, those who may not be thrilled with immigrants joining the ranks, have no choice but to accept them. There is a policy now in the (CAF) that if someone treats you with abuse, abusive language if its reported, they are no longer protected. Deogratias, a Presbyterian minister who came to Canada in 1993 after spending time in the U.S., said he did a lot of talking about racism during his nearly 22 years in the Forces. Despite challenges facing permanent residents intent on joining the Forces, Deogratias said his message never varies. He tells them change has come to the military and there is a lot to celebrate in terms of what is happening. I tell all newcomers now that the (CAF) is the place to be. I tell them everywhere I go. Deogratias said the secret to success for minorities is to stay resilient, do what the military throws at them, and take care of themselves and their families. A recent CNN poll administered by SSRS indicates that the majority of Americans disapprove of Congress allocating more funds to aid Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, revealing a divide in public opinion about whether the U.S. has provided suffi... OKLAHOMA CITY - Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, a member of the Republican Party, has initiated a lawsuit against the leadership of the state legislature. He asserts that they have crossed their jurisdictional boundaries by deliberately excludin... WASHINGTON - On Friday, the Supreme Court denied Tulsas appeal to overturn a lower court verdict that has raised questions about the Oklahoma citys capacity to implement municipal regulations, such as traffic laws, against Native Americans.... Mobile phones had become the go-to devices for a large section of students in India in the pandemic years when classes went online. Now even after offline classes become the norm, mobile phones are the only source to access the internet for a large section of the student community. BCCL Over 50% don't have mobile phone access But a new study has found that only 49.3 per cent of students in rural India have access to smartphones. The study, conducted by the Development Intelligence Unit (DIU), a collaboration between Transform Rural India and Sambodhi Research and Communications, found that among those students who have access to mobile phones, only 34 per cent use them for study downloads, while 18 per cent of rural Indian students access online learning via tutorials. BCCL How COVID brought focus on education The report, titled State of elementary education in Rural India 2023, was unveiled by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on August 8. "COVID pandemic was an eye-opener for many things. But it has opened up various other aspects that have been talked about earlier too but not realised seriously and acted so well across- A- technology, B-community, C- child safety and mental health, D-child's own language and culture in education, E- early childhood care and education. These were partly because of the reason COVID had given an avenue to act but also because NEP has come into the part of the discussion on education," Javed Siddiqui, Lead, Education at Transform Rural India, said. BCCL Online classes during pandemic According to him, during COVID-19, it was important to bring the children back into the learning loop, which was enabled by technology-based platforms. "Yes, we are on the verge to work on various dimensions to make this platform more useful and effective. This has the potential to serve our children better in rural areas. But the teacher's role is crucial; there's no alternative; the teacher is irreplaceable," he said. BCCL Why are students dropping out of school? The study on 6 to 16-year-old children in rural communities across 20 states in India revealed that the biggest reason for girls dropping out of school was to help with the family's earnings. A total of 36.8 per cent of the parents whose daughters had dropped out of schools sighted this as the reason, followed by 31.6 per cent who mentioned their child's lack of interest in studies. For another 21.1 per cent, their daughters had to drop out of school to take care of household chores and siblings at home. For boys, as per the survey, the key reason for dropping out from school is the child's lack of interest in studies (71.8 per cent), followed by the need to help out in earning for the family (48.7 per cent). BCCL How to reduce school dropout rate Based on the study's findings, Siddiqui suggested the following to reduce school dropouts in the future: 1, Community perspectives: Parents tend to understand more and send children regularly to schools. They monitor their wards and also make collective efforts with schools to solve the issue. 2, Making school more cohesive and integrative will include parents' voices building their ownership in engaging with teachers and acting on making school facilities and functions better. It helps retain children in school. 3, Improving education governance is another area that helps improve school facilities and attracts children to attend schools. 4, Most notably, building teachers' capacity to use local context and language in instructions helps children connect well and learn well. 5, Teacher absence and school closure is a major reason for children's irregularity reasoned out in the survey report. Schools need to be built with teachers' capacities to use technology so that teachers can be spared for teaching only. Parents want children to be graduates Interestingly, the study found that 78% of parents in rural India aspire to educate their girls to graduation and beyond. A total of 78 per cent of parents of girls and 82 per cent of parents of boys wanted to educate their children to graduation and above. BCCL/REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE Parents from rural communities firmly believe that a child's gender should not hinder their educational aspirations, the study said. "This highly positive sign has the potential to further strengthen educational growth in the rural sector. We hope that our policymakers, educational institutions, and other stakeholders will acknowledge these common aspirations to establish an inclusive environment that ensures growth and development for every child in rural India," Siddiqui said. For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. With offices globally starting to encourage return-to-office plans, employees in India aren't eager to return to a five-day office routine like before the pandemic. A recent survey by job platform Indeed shows that 71 percent of Indian professionals prioritize flexibility when seeking jobs. The survey gathered information from over 1,200 job seekers in India and found that flexibility "includes the ability to work from home, set your hours, and take breaks as needed," CNBC Make It reported. Professionals are increasingly valuing flexibility, as they've seen improved productivity and work-life balance by being able to decide when and where they work. Indeed's survey revealed that 70 percent of employed individuals sought job opportunities that included hybrid or remote work options. Additionally, 67 percent considered the job's compensation, encompassing salary, benefits, health insurance, and family leave. However, this stance contrasts with numerous global companies urging employees to return to physical offices. This discrepancy could potentially result in higher attrition rates within firms, particularly in instances like TCS, where many resignations occurred after the call for office return, primarily among women. "Employers attitudes towards remote work remain at odds with the preferences of job seekers in India," Sashi Kumar, Indeed Indias head of sales, told CNBC Make It. "The latter remains keenly interested in remote work, whereas employers are far less likely to mention work from home in the job ads they post." Unsplash The survey also revealed that 63 percent of employees favor a hybrid arrangement, enabling them to work from home on certain days and from the office. However, only 51 percent of the 561 surveyed employers confirmed offering this option. For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram. The experience of being fired from a job can evoke a range of emotions, and people often cope with this setback in various ways. From finding new opportunities to reassessing career paths, the responses to job loss can be as diverse as the individuals affected. However, some individuals might adopt unconventional and harmful methods to express frustration and disappointment. Unsplash After losing his job, a man got furious and locked nine ex-workers in an office in Singapore. This happened last September, and the only way in or out was the main door, which he padlocked. He admitted to doing this and sending a mean message to a former coworker. As a result, he has been fined $2,983 (around Rs 2.47 lakh). According to information from the court documents, as reported by CNA, Lim started working as a driver and logistics assistant at an electronics company in Pantech Business Hub in May 2022. He officially started his job on July 1, 2022, and his work hours were from 8 am to 5 pm, including a one-hour lunch break. Unfortunately, his career ended on August 30, 2022, before his probation period ended. After he lost his job, Lim bought a padlock from a hardware store. He planned to lock the only door to his old workplace because he was angry about getting fired. On September 1, 2022, at about 2:20 pm, he got to the office and used the padlock to lock the door. Lim thought his former coworkers were all on lunch breaks and that they had probably left the office. Nevertheless, lunch breaks were scheduled at different times to ensure someone was always in the office. About 10 minutes after Lim locked the door, an employee tried to leave for the restroom but couldn't because the door was locked. This worker then noticed that the door had been locked from the outside and told the other trapped colleagues. In total, nine employees were stuck inside. Unsplash They got help from a coworker in another part of the building, who confirmed that the entrance door had been padlocked. To solve the problem, the company got a locksmith who had to be paid around $60 to take off the padlock on the same day. The owner also went to the police and showed them the CCTV footage of Lim's actions. Now, Lim is charged with wrongful confinement, which could mean up to three years in jail, a fine, or both penalties. For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram. Gerapetritis noted that the Greek government took very important steps from the outset to deal with an issue that has been creating tension between the two countries. In contacts with EU officials associated with Albania's EU accession negotiations process and with NATO , Gerapetritis said he had personally made clear that Albania's accession cannot progress when there is such disregard for the rule of law , the presumption of innocence and respect of civil rights. The United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, has said infants who are not breastfed are fourteen times more likely to die before their first birthday than those who are exclusively breastfed. The UN body explained that breast milk remains the first vaccine for every child and advocated that mothers, especially those that are working, must be encouraged to exclusively breastfeed their children for six months. UNICEF Chief of Bauchi Field Office, Dr. Tushar Rane, disclosed this on Tuesday, at a media dialogue in Azare, Bauchi, for journalists from Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, Adamawa and Plateau states. According to him, Breastmilk is the mainstay for safeguarding infants against life-threatening infections, it supports optimal brain development in children, especially in the first 1,000 days and it ultimately lowers healthcare costs. READ MORE: Examine Your Partners Breast Before Sucking Expert Advices Men Workplaces challenges to breastfeeding are one of the primary factors responsible for early cessation of breastfeeding. For working mothers, juggling between tasks and breastfeeding may be nearly often impossible. The government and employers must provide the needed assistance for mothers and caregivers including those in the informal sector or on temporary contracts to conveniently breastfeed or support breastfeeding. Policies that encourage breastfeeding, such as paid maternity leave for six months, as well as paid paternity leave, flexible return-to-work options, regular lactation breaks during working hours and adequate facilities that enable mothers to continue exclusive breastfeeding for six months must be promoted. Chairman, Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, who also spoke, confirmed that the government is also at the verge of enacting a law that would give nursing mothers ample time to exclusively breastfeed their infants. He said the state is planning to take a cue from Lagos and Kaduna which had prescribed and regularised six months maternity leave for working class mothers to ensure their infants are adequately taken care of. Police officers guarding a damaged office block in the Moskva Citi district following a previous drone strike, carried out on Moscow on July 30 (AFP via Getty Images) Russia said it had shot down two Ukrainian drones near Moscow on Wednesday, in the latest attack on the capital city. The defence ministry said one drone was shot down near a major airport to the south of Moscow, and one to the west of the capital near the Minsk Highway. A defence ministry spokesperson decribed it as an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack with unmanned aerial vehicles. Ukraine has not commented on the attack. Two combat drones have attempted to fly to the city. Both were shot down by air defense systems, one in the Domodedovo area, and another one in the vicinity of Minskoye Highway, Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on social media app Telegram, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS. No injuries have been reported. The incident follows a number of recent drone strikes upon the Russian capital. Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky warned the war was returning to Russia after Moscow was hit by a drone attack just over a week ago. Russias airspace was briefly closed after it brought down what it claimed was three Ukrainian drones in the early hours of Sunday, July 30. Nobody was hurt in the incident and Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there was only minor damage to the facade of two office buildings in the Moskva-Citi business district which is several miles from the Kremlin. Kyiv typically does not claim responsibility for specific incidents on Russian territory, and did not claim the attack, but President Zelensky said the war was gradually returning to Russias territory to its symbolic centres. Moscow was targeted by a second attack just two days later, on August 1. Russia again downed the drones, but one struck the same high-rise tower in the Moskva Citi business district, a few miles from the Kremlin, that had been targeted in the earlier strike. Russias Defence Ministry claimed its forces had thwarted a terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime and downed two drones. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has announced sanctions against individuals collaborating with the coupists in Niger Republic. According to Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Publicity, the leadership of the community, resolved on Tuesday, to impose financial sanctions on the individuals and entities believed to be supporting the military junta in the West African country. Ngelale, also told state house correspondents that Tinubu, the ECOWAS chairman has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to implement the financial sanctions on those concerned. Though the presidential spokesman did not specify the sanctions and also did not reveal the identities of the individuals affected, he said: Mr President has directed the acting CBN governor to levy another slate of sanctions against entities and individuals associated with the military junta in Niger republic. I said that intentionally I didnt make a mistake, because I was given permission to make that statement and I emphasised that this is not an individual action taken by an individual president on behalf of an individual nation. This is an action taken. Yes, by ECOWAS chairman, who is the president of Nigeria but standing on the authority provided by the consensus resolution of all ECOWAS members and heads of state with regard to financial sanctions being levied by ECOWAS member states against the military junta in Niger Republic. There is an authority that we are standing on. It is not the Nigerian governments authority, it is the authority of the resolution passed in public before now. READ ALSO: No Cause For Begging, Adeleke Never Prostrated For Makinde Osun Govt. Dispels Rumours Ngelale said the seven-day ultimatum issued against the military junta is not a personal decision taken by Tinubu but that of ECOWAS. Concerning the ultimatum given to the military Junta in Niger Republic, it is an ECOWAS mandate, and it is not a Nigerian ultimatum. It is not a Nigerian mandate. And the office of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, also serving as the chairman of ECOWAS, to emphasise this point, that due to certain domestic and international media coverage, tending toward personalisation of the ECOWAS sub-regional position to his person and to our nation individually. It is because of this that Mr President has deemed it necessary to state unequivocally that the mandate and ultimatum issued by ECOWAS is that of ECOWAS position, Ngelale said. Recall that following the military takeover in Niger Republic, ECOWAS issued a seven-day ultimatum to the junta to reinstate the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. Despite pressures from the Community and other countries, the coupists have refused to reinstate Bazoum. Note that on Thursday, ECOWAS leaders will reconvene to discuss the crisis in Niger Republic. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned the general public that fruits ripened with calcium carbide and buying drugs from hawkers is a complete risk that could lead to death. The Director-General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, stated this on Tuesday, in her keynote address during the media sensitisation workshop on Dangers of drug hawking and ripening of fruits with calcium carbide, held in Awka, the Anambra State capital. Adeyeye said the chemicals in calcium carbide were hazardous to pregnant women and children and will lead to headaches, dizziness, mood disturbances, mental confusion, memory loss, swelling in the brain caused by excessive fluids, sleepiness, seizure, and others. READ ALSO: NAFDAC Warns Public Against Contaminated Whippy Mayonnaise In Circulation The programme was organised by NAFDAC for the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists, South-East Zone with a view to sensitising residents of the region on the dangers and risks associated with such acts. Adeyeyes address was read by the NAFDACs Director, Chemical Evaluation and Research, Dr Leonard Omokpariola, who represented her at the event. She said, The consumption of fruits ripened with calcium carbide may cause cancer, heart failure, kidney failure, and liver failure and we must avoid such. Calcium carbide generally contained impurities such as arsenic, lead particles, phosphorus, and others that pose several serious health hazards. Fruits ripened with calcium carbide could cause frequent thirst, irritation in mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, and skin ulcer. You can identify such artificially ripened fruits if you notice that the fruits are all yellow whereas the stem is dark, this is true especially with banana and plantain. In addition, naturally ripened fruits usually have brown or black spots, while those artificially ripened have traces of powdery substances and peel off quickly. The DG noted that since 2019, the agency had taken some decisive steps such as sensitisation of the public through different media outlets, enforcement through intelligence, and raids in fruit markets that have resulted in seizures and destruction of violative products. She added that the agency had commissioned a scientific study on the best approach towards mitigating the health hazards posed by the ripening of fruits with carbides. The artificial ripening of fruits quality would lead to the considerable loss of properties such as colour, taste and feel, and such practice does not give the natural aroma and flavour to the fruits. These fruits do not possess uniform colour and are less juicy than when ripened naturally and have a comparatively shorter shelf life, she added. She further explained that acetylene produced by calcium carbide would affect the neurological system and reduce oxygen supply to the brain and further induces prolonged hypoxia. The participants were enlightened on natural methods of ripening fruits. Former Kaduna Central lawmaker, Shehu Sani, says legislators are usually paid discreetly away from awareness of the public. The socio-political commentator said this in reaction to a gaffe made by Senate President Godswill Akpabio when he announced to the lawmakers that they have been paid to enjoy their recess. Recall that on Monday, the upper legislative chamber concluded the screening and confirmation of ministerial nominees given by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. After the exercise, the lawmakers adjourned the plenary to September 26. Addressing his colleagues before the adjournment motion was moved, Akpabio said money has been sent by Magaji Tambuwal, clerk of the National Assembly, to the senators to enjoy their holidays. In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the clerk of the national assembly, Akpabio had said. The senate president was promptly alerted by his colleagues that he was speaking on live television. Fearing that his disclosure will bring another backlash to him, Akpabio quickly recanted his comments with a feeble attempt at downplaying his gaffe by rephrasing the initial comment. READ ALSO: Emefiele Moves To Stop DSS From Further Prosecution He however rephrased saying, In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the Senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return. I withdraw that statement, he said. Sani, in a post via X on Wednesday, said Akpabio mistakenly brought the matter into the spotlight. Crediting the legislators accounts are done under the mute button, the uncommon senate president mistakenly pressed the alarm, he tweeted. Information Nigeria understands that the salaries and allowances of federal lawmakers are often shrouded in secrecy. The announcement of the money sent to lawmakers accounts comes as the citizens are bearing the brunt of the removal of fuel subsidy. However, this is not the first time Akpabio will be in the news for the wrong reason, he was the target of public backlash couple of weeks ago for his lack of discretion after a video of him taunting Nigerians over the hardship in the country went viral. He was also quoted to have demanded a raise in the salary of federal lawmakers despite strident calls for the senators to slash their salaries. Bill McDowell, the Executive project manager, walks through the main gallery in the new Barnes Foundation museum on the Parkway. Read more The Barnes Foundation may soon be sharing its celebrated collection of impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern art masterpieces with the world, thanks to a recent court decision. A decree issued late last month by Montgomery County Orphans Court grants the Barnes Foundation the ability to lend some of its artworks to other cultural institutions. The Barnes Foundations board unanimously approved the loan policy and provided a signed copy to the Court and Attorney Generals office in accordance with the decree, according to a Barnes spokeswoman. The court decision also allows the foundation to temporarily relocate paintings from its collectionwithin the Barnes Philadelphia museum to create temporary special exhibitions. According to Barnes spokeswoman Deirdre Maher, Temporary exhibitions at the Barnes only take place in our Roberts Gallery. Departures from Albert C. Barnes indenture Both new provisions are departures from terms prescribed by the foundations 1922 indenture and agreement between the late Albert C. Barnes and the foundation. That highly restrictive agreement required Barnes vast collection of impressionist and other masterpieces to be displayed as they were in their Merion gallery space before they were moved to a new building in Philadelphia in 2012. The Barnes Foundations move to the Parkway from the Merion location was controversial and hotly contested. Opponents said it went against Barnes wishes. However, city officials and philanthropists pursued the move as an enrichment of the citys cultural life and a boost to tourism. Advertisement The new changes seem to have been pursued quietly. No opposition to the changes appears to have been given standing in the proceeding. One petitioner, Richard R. Feudale, sought standing in case, but was denied. Museums lending their artworks to other cultural institutions is a common practice that enables them to share their treasures with art lovers elsewhere and have that benefit reciprocated. It can also be advantageous financially. The 1990s lending tour The Barnes Foundation did hold a one-time-only international lending tour allowed by Orphans Court in the 1990s. The intent was to raise at least $7 million to pay for needed repairs and renovation at what was then the Barnes nearly 70-year-old Merion gallery and administration building. A traveling exhibition of 80 works by Cezanne, Renoir, Matisse, Monet, Picasso, and others was initially approved for stops in museums in Paris, Tokyo, Washington, and Philadelphia, and expanded to the Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. The Barnes Foundation president at that time, Richard H. Glanton, said the additional money from the two other stops was desperately needed to strengthen the foundations sagging endowment. During the tour, La Danse by Henri Matisse was damaged. Opponents to the tour said deviating from Barnes will was further proof the artworks should not have been allowed to travel. Details of the ruling The court decree stipulates time limits and some other restrictions for lending Barnes artworks. The proposed loan policy entered with the court said the loans of paintings would be made to further the foundations mission to promote the advancement of education and appreciation of the fine arts. The new loan policy comes with a number of limitations. Among them, it stipulates that no more than 20 paintings should be on loan simultaneously, and generally no more than two paintings from a single room; that no painting shall be lent for more than 12 months in a 24-month period or, in special circumstances, 15 months in a 30-month period; and that a loaned work be in stable condition. In testimony given April 10 before Judge Melissa S. Sterling, lawyers and witnesses for the Barnes made their case based on the premise that it is primarily an educational institution, rather than a museum, according to the court record. The use of exhibition space is the lifeblood of museum education, lawyer Adam T. Gusdorff told the court. He pointed out that Barnes himself lent works to other institutions, such as the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. William Perthes, Barnes Foundation director of adult education, testified how Barnes and his teaching acolytes would regularly mix and match ensembles of paintings and other works for analysis in their teaching. The restriction on lending works has limited the kinds of partnerships that the Barnes has been able to enter with other institutions, and also limited what and how much the foundation has been able to borrow for its special exhibitions space, testified Nancy Ireson, the Barnes deputy director for collections and exhibitions and chief curator. There are only so many times you can knock at your neighbors door and ask to borrow their car or ask for a cup of sugar or what have you, Ireson said. If you cant actually reciprocate, theres a limit to how much you can impose. She also testified that she finds it astounding that so many people dont know about the Barnes. Its one of the worlds greatest collections of paintings from the late 19th and 20th centuries, and its relatively unknown because its really through the exhibition economy that the word get out, she said. People get excited. People want to see these things. They want to share them. And so you really are attracting learners by letting your pieces be seen and telling Barnes story in different cities and countries. This story has been updated to include new information provided by the Barnes. ALBANY A New York judge has temporarily blocked the state from issuing retail marijuana licenses after a lawsuit from four veterans who argue that regulators are wrongly prioritizing applicants with drug convictions. New York Supreme Court Justice Kevin Bryant issued the temporary restraining order Monday halting the state from issuing or processing marijuana dispensary licenses. The order is the latest legal setback for the state's fledgling marijuana market, which has been beset by a slow rollout critics have blamed on a cumbersome process designed to give the first round of licenses to people with prior drug convictions or to certain types of nonprofit groups. The attorney general's office, in a court filing, has cautioned that halting the program will financially hurt retailers who are spending money to set up shop under provisional licenses. The state is not expected to issue new licenses until at least September when a cannabis regulatory board is set to meet, the attorney general's office said in a filing last week. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for Friday in Kingston, New York. The veterans' lawsuit alleges the state's Office of Cannabis Management created a licensing system that is at odds with the state's recreational marijuana law, improperly limiting initial licenses to people with drug convictions rather than a wider category of so-called social equity applicants. The order halting the state's program comes after regulators voted in May to settle a federal lawsuit that blocked them from issuing licenses in the Finger Lakes region. That suit was filed by a company owned by a Michigan resident who said New York's licensing system unconstitutionally favors New Yorkers over out-of-state residents. Separately, state regulators last month approved the sale of marijuana at festivals and other events after farmers complained that there aren't enough legal dispensaries in the state to handle their harvests. As the state's legal licensing program has stalled, authorities have begun to shut down a glut of illegal marijuana shops that have cropped up as unlicensed sellers move to fill the vacuum. Shakena Lum-Cox, director of talent development and diversity at Benefits Data Trust, in her home office. She says the rewards and team-building application Bonusly has "really helped our company culture." Read more More people are working remotely than ever before. That can be an attractive benefit for employees and a cost saver for employers, but it can also create challenges for many employers. A recent Gallup report found that debates about in-person vs. remote work are a leading cause of stress for many workers. How can employers address this problem while still making sure that your remote employees are being productive? What can be done to maintain a positive company culture when you employ people who are spread out among geographic areas? While some companies use software to monitor their employees, others have succeeded with a more positive approach: team-building applications. Humans are social animals, said Raphael Crawford-Marks, the CEO of Bonusly, a popular team-building and rewards platform thats used by thousands of workers around the world. We build trust and rapport much more easily when we are having in-person interactions with our colleagues, and companies allowing their employees to work from home are looking for ways to keep those interactions and maintain relationships. Bonusly and other rewards and team-building platforms like Awardco, Worktango, and Motivosity aim to help solve that problem. These applications are being used by a growing number of companies to improve employee happiness and engagement, to help boost collaboration, and to provide awards to employees for a job well done, regardless of where theyre located. Advertisement While each application has its own specific features, the approach is generally the same: Using a mobile app or a desktop browser, a manager or fellow employee can award points to their colleagues as recognition for achieving certain goals or to highlight good effort. The points accumulate over a period of time and can then be cashed in for actual rewards like gift cards, donations to charities, company swag, or straight cash. From our executive team to our entry-level positions, everyone has access to our rewards application, said Shakena Lum-Cox, a director of talent development and diversity at Benefits Data Trust in Philadelphia. Managers and senior leaders as well as any other staff person are able to give to their teams and team members give back to each other. Its really helped our company culture. In 2019, Benefits Data Trust, which helps people in communities nationwide access benefit programs and employs more than 300 employees across the country, was looking for a tool that could help workers focus on achieving certain key internal metrics as well celebrate their staff who worked directly with clients. After initially starting with a small group, their team-building application (Bonusly) was deployed company-wide with significant success. And then 2020 happened. When the pandemic hit we became a remote-first organization, said Lum-Cox. We knew that being in the office is easier to recognize good work but as we grew and employed more people around the country, we expanded our team-building application to keep us all together, even though we werent in the office. Lum-Cox says that her companys internal rewards platform has become an important way for managers to make sure that their staff are still connected. People can use the platform to really recognize each other for their good work and have a sense of togetherness and celebrate wins across teams, she said. For employees, the benefits are simple: compensation in various forms for a job well done and even a way to be recognized for an anniversary, birthday, or other milestone. For managers, team-building applications go even further by providing performance metrics for workers that can then be used in employee reviews and help determine annual pay raises and bonuses. Most importantly, its all done in real-time. Recognition is a form of positive feedback, said Crawford-Marks. It needs to be timely, it needs to be frequent, it needs to be visible. There are some drawbacks, however. Some organizations may not like the competitiveness that the software creates, others may bristle at getting a reward for what is considered to be just part of their normal job responsibilities, and there are always people who prefer not to be in the spotlight. Like any benefit, there is an added cost to the employer as well. In addition to the softwares monthly fee (Bonusly costs anywhere from $3-$5 per month per employee, with custom pricing available) an employer would have to fund the purchase of gift cards or other awards and cash payments. I also mention being an accountant that employers need to be careful how they treat these awards for tax purposes. In most cases, the IRS would consider these payments as compensation and would be both taxable and reportable on their annual W-2 form. Regardless, Ive personally seen many companies use a rewards platform to integrate with their existing payroll or human resources system so that they can build a better culture in this remote working world and enable their workers to stay focused on their goals. More importantly, it helps to bring employees together even when theyre working in another part of the world. Its hard to build a team culture when so many people are working from home, said Lum-Cox. Our application has really helped us to keep our companys values up front for our employees. Former Jackass star Bam Margera was arrested in Radnor Township following an incident at the Radnor Hotel early Wednesday morning, a police source told The Inquirer. The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of not being authorized to discuss the case, said Margera was cited for public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Radnor police received a call about an argument between a man and a woman at the Radnor Hotel around 3 or 4 a.m. When police arrived on scene, they allegedly found Margera intoxicated. He was taken into custody and brought to the local police station, and was released later Wednesday morning to a friend, the source said. READ MORE: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are coming back to Philly. Is it still the greatest show on earth? Advertisement Margeras lawyer, Michael T. van der Veen, said his understanding was that Margera was not arrested, but rather was only cited in connection with the incident. With citations, as with arrests, he enjoys the presumption of innocence, van der Veen said. I am not sure what transpired to lead to the citation, but we will be looking into it. The incident is the latest in a string of troubles for the former MTV star. Last month, a Chester County judge ruled that Margera will go to trial on charges that he assaulted his brother, Jesse, and made terroristic threats toward family members in April. READ MORE: Jackass star Steve-O he says cant perform within city limits because his show is banned in Philly As part of that case, Magisterial District Judge Albert Michael Iacocca ordered that Margera remain within the five-county Philadelphia region until the matter is resolved. He also ordered that Margera report to a rehabilitation center in Devon, and that he is to cooperate with random drug and alcohol screenings. Margera was also told to avoid criminal contact with his brother and his brothers girlfriend. Additionally, as part of Margeras bail release conditions, he was ordered to take part in no drug or alcohol use. It was not immediately clear how the Wednesday incident might effect his ongoing court case. All of my information is that he is in complete compliance with the requirements of his bail conditions, van der Veen said. Last month, Iacocca warned Margera to abide by his bail terms. You dont have an excuse for this, Iacocca said. This is not a joke. This is not a movie. This is life. A mourner waits in line to pay respects to OShae Sibley The Met in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Read more At the Met on Tuesday morning, as Vanessa Bell Armstrongs Nobody But Jesus echoed through the former opera house, Onederful Ancrum danced in memory of her friend OShae Sibley. As she fought back tears, Ancrum glided gracefully across the floor, then darted forward powerfully, as if carried by gusts of wind in front of the indigo coffin that held the body of her friend. One moment she drifted upward. The next, she tumbled to the ground. Then she clasped her hands together as she stood side by side with a banner emblazoned with the image of Sibley, both dancers in arabesque. It was a farewell to Sibley, who loved dance more than anything. His grand finale. At the Met on Tuesday morning, hundreds of friends and family of Sibley, 28, the Philadelphia native and former Philadanco student who was killed in New York City last month, gathered for a joyful celebration of his life, trading tears for dancing and song. Sibley had moved to New York City to pursue a career in dance, eventually becoming a dancer and choreographer at Ailey Extension school at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Advertisement Police say a 17-year-old fatally stabbed Sibley the night of July 29 while he and his friends were at a Brooklyn gas station blocks from where he lived. The teen, whom police did not identify, turned himself in Friday and was charged with second-degree murder, authorities said. Representatives of the Kings County District Attorneys Office who were at Tuesdays celebration of life declined to comment, citing an ongoing grand jury investigation. We were here to express our sympathies and support the family, said Joseph Alexis, an assistant district attorney with the office. Authorities say Sibley and his friends stopped at the gas station on their way home from New Jersey and started playing Beyonce's Renaissance album as they filled up. The group began voguing, a dance created and primarily performed by Black and Latinx LGBTQ people that emulates fashion models and is an integral part of the ballroom scene. A group of men approached Sibley and his friends and told them to stop dancing and said they didnt want to see gay men dancing in their neighborhood, authorities said. The men yelled homophobic and racist slurs at Sibley, who was gay, and his friends, police said. Bystanders tried to help and the group began to leave, except for the teen police say stabbed Sibley. Video of the stabbing shows the teen stabbing Sibley in the chest, police told the New York Times. When officers arrived, they found Sibley with a stab wound to his torso and he was taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead later that night. Police did not release a motive for the killing, but a hate crimes unit is involved in the investigation. On Tuesday, speakers who gathered to remember Sibley chose to focus on his life, rather than the circumstances of his death. They recalled the tall, graceful man who loved building and nurturing community wherever he went and who loved God and his friends. They spoke of Sibleys unbridled love for dance, one that carried him through the Philadelphia school system, to Temple University, and eventually to New York City. At Wakisha Charter School, Karen Still-Pendergrass would catch 14-year-old Sibley stealing glances at her dance class, always curious but hesitant to come in, she said. One day, she said, she gave the precocious young boy an ultimatum. Listen. You got one more time to come past my door. Because then youre coming in this room. The next time Sibley peered into her class, she said, she invited him in, and made him take off his shoes, roll his pant legs up, and start dancing. He excelled in her class and went on to earn a scholarship at Philadanco, she said. From there, she said proudly, he just flourished. Joined by some of Sibleys friends, Otis Pena, wearing orange Sibleys favorite color spoke of how his close friend was unapologetic about being himself and encouraged his friends and community to stand out and be themselves, even in times of darkness and fear. Pena was with Sibley the night he was killed, and had pressed on his friends wound to stop the bleeding, the Times reported. OShae was a beacon of light for a lot of us in our community that was engulfed in darkness, said Pena. But OShae rejoiced. OShae was OShae. During her remarks, Still-Pendergrass announced that Philadanco had created a scholarship fund in Sibleys name, news that drew rousing applause. Joan Myers Brown, founder of Philadanco, said she decided to create the fund to encourage boys to pursue dance without having to consider the financial burden of paying for classes. The fund will be called OShae Sibleys Scholarship for Dance, she said. Boys get a hard time when they say lets take ballet, she said. Especially in the Black community, they really dont want guys to be ballet dancers. But so many of them really want to. Outside of the Met, family carried Sibleys coffin, painted with an image of Sibley dancing, draped in red, into a hearse as they readied for the final procession. Sibleys father, Jake Kelly, remembered how much Sibley loved his friends and family, and how much they loved him back, evidenced by the hundreds of people who turned out to honor and remember him on Tuesday. As the line of cars formed to take Sibleys coffin to Fernwood Cemetery in Lansdowne, his father said it was impossible not to love his son once you met him. Everybody really loved him, his father said. He was a loving child. He was always about family. He was a loving person. To know OShae is to love OShae. The Universal Vare Charter School, on S. 24th Street in South Philadelphia, will remain closed for in-person learning for the 2023-24 school year. Students will instead learn at an alternate site, the McDaniel Annex on S. 23th Street. Read more Asbestos will keep students out of a South Philadelphia charter for the entire 2023-24 school year, officials said Thursday. Universal Vare, a charter operating in a district building, had closed in late April because of damaged asbestos. The schools 173 students learned virtually until classes finished in June. But Vare students will report to a new location on Sept. 5, the first day of school, and for the entire school year. Next week, the Philadelphia school board is expected to consider approving moving Vare students into the McDaniel Annex Building at 1901 S. 23rd St. (That building is separate from the Delaplaine McDaniel School, a district school at 1801 S. 22nd St.) Students will, however, be able to return to Mitchell Elementary, the Southwest Philadelphia school that was also closed for months last year because of damaged asbestos. Advertisement Six Philadelphia School District buildings district schools Building 21, C.W. Henry, Mitchell, Frankford, and charters Universal Vare and Mastery Simon Gratz were closed in the 2022-23 term because of asbestos. At the end of the school year, just Frankford, Mitchell, and Universal Vare remained closed. Officials had announced earlier plans for Frankford, which was closed for in-person learning since April, with all but the schools special education students learning remotely. In the coming school year, the high schools ninth graders will move to Roberto Clemente Middle School, on West Erie Avenue in North Philadelphia, while the 10th through 12th graders will learn in the schools annex. Its not clear whether Frankfords main building will be remediated and reoccupied or torn down and built new. But school district officials confirmed that Mitchell, also closed since April, will return to the school at 55th and Kingsessing. Students had been temporarily relocated to McMichael Elementary, in West Philadelphia. Oz Hill, the districts chief operating officer, said the building will re-open for staff on Aug. 29, even if we still are completing the final touches of paint and non-environmental work, and students on Sept. 5. Teams from the Office of Environmental Management & Services and Facilities and Maintenance have been working tirelessly on the necessary repairs and preparing the space for students and staff, Hill wrote. Upon your return, you will also find brighter welcoming learning spaces with fresh coats of paint, new ceiling tiles and LED lighting, as well as three new hydration stations and improved doors. The asbestos work, Hill said, is nearing completion. Air samples are taken to confirm the spaces meet health standards to reopen, Hill wrote. Hill thanked Mitchells staff especially for their extraordinary efforts during the challenging relocation at the end of last school year. Pictured is the exterior of the building that houses Real Alternatives in Harrisburg, Pa., in 2021. The state's contract with the organization, which funds crisis pregnancy centers, will not be renewed at the end of the year. Read more Gov. Josh Shapiro says his administration will cut ties with an organization that funds crisis pregnancy centers when its multimillion dollar state contract expires at the end of the year. Real Alternatives, a Harrisburg nonprofit, for decades has received millions in funding from the state legislature earmarked for programs that offer alternatives to abortion. State lawmakers have also sent Real Alternatives about $1 million per year in federal funding from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program, which is intended to provide cash assistance to women and children in poverty. In Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives funds 27 facilities that dissuade clients from obtaining abortions and instead offer pregnancy and parenting support. Advocates for reproductive rights have for years criticized these centers, saying they distribute misleading information to vulnerable patients seeking help with an unplanned pregnancy. For decades, taxpayer dollars have gone to fund Real Alternatives. My administration will not continue that pattern we will ensure women in this commonwealth receive the reproductive health care they deserve, Shapiro said in the statement. Advertisement Shapiros administration said the state Department of Human Services will instead ask for applications from womens health providers across the state to fund womens health programs. In an email, Real Alternatives representatives said they were shocked Shapiro had decided not to renew its contract. The organization has served about 350,000 women over the last 27 years, they said, offering services up to a year after a woman gives birth. We believe the governor has been terribly misinformed about the need for the program and its success, they said. Republicans in the state legislature have sharply criticized the move. Changes to how money previously given to Real Alternatives is spent will need to be addressed during fiscal code negotiations, which are ongoing, said Kate Flessner, a spokeswoman for the state Senate Republican Caucus. Advocates for reproductive rights have cheered Shapiros decision, but said they want the administration to do more to improve access to reproductive health care. Not paying public dollars for pseudo-medicine that puts people at risk is the absolute floor, said Kelly Davis, the executive director of New Voices for Reproductive Justice, an organization that focuses on the needs of Black women and people across the full spectrum of gender identities in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Its crucial, she said, that Black patients who are four times as likely as white people to die of pregnancy-related causes receive adequate medical care while theyre pregnant. Crisis pregnancy centers are often located in areas where obstetrical care is scarce and patients feel they have few options, she said. She and other advocates said they will continue to press Shapiros administration to fund other organizations that provide health care to pregnant people. Were going to work to ensure the funds are reallocated to support evidence-based support for pregnant people, said Tara Murtha, director of strategic communications for the Womens Law Project, a nonprofit legal organization that advocates for reproductive rights. A 2021 report on crisis pregnancy centers by the group found that none funded by public dollars in Pennsylvania provide prenatal care, and just under half referred patients out for care. None of the centers in the state provide contraception, according to the report. More than half put out false or biased information on reproductive health, the report said. On its website, Real Alternatives said that it does not mislead its clients about its services and that its centers must be open about the fact that they do not offer abortion services. In an email, they said the organization has never purported to deliver medical care and instead refers clients to care outside its organization if they need it. Terminating this program will result in an increase in abortions throughout the commonwealth, the group said. My Summer Job is a weekly series that explores the jobs of seasonal workers in Philadelphia. Each week, well share stories from a typical day in the life of the people who make summer happen in the region. Some teens spend their summers reluctantly working one part-time job, grumbling through each shift when theyd rather be somewhere else. Madison McGill is not one of those teens. The aspiring entrepreneur is working two part-time jobs this summer at locally owned businesses, taking notes from the founders while she dreams of being her own boss one day. A rising senior at the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, McGill plans to go to community college and esthetician school, and she wants to start her own business after that. But for now shes saving up money by working for her moms business, and she took on a second job for the summer at a new gelato shop in Fishtown. McGill, who splits her time between Northeast Philadelphia and Delaware County, started scooping gelato at Cloud Cups in July. The Inquirer joined Madison for a weekday evening shift, to catch the vibe of working at Fishtowns new gelato spot. Cloud Cups opened its brick-and-mortar store in the spring, after founder Galen Thomas built a following with his pop-up gelato business. The new shop is attached to Pizza Brain, occupying a space previously held by Little Babys ice cream. When she got the job at Cloud Cups, McGill was already working part-time for her mother, Charisse McGill, who owns Lokal Artisan Foods. The company, founded in 2018, sells French toast bites at several locations throughout the city. Advertisement Lokal Artisan Foods had previously teamed up with Cloud Cups to create a French toast gelato, so Madison McGill was familiar with the company. When she learned that Thomas was opening a new shop, she asked if she could have a job. Its a small staff, McGill said, and she works about three shifts a week, sometimes four, making $10 per hour. She gets a tips here and there, she said, but not a lot. Its fun to work here honestly, and its a pretty easy job, McGill said. I dont really care how much it pays. Having prior experience in food service made it easy to learn the job, McGill said, and Thomas told her on her first day that she didnt seem to need any more training. The gelato is pretty easy to scoop, she said, a lot softer than ice cream. Shes tasted every flavor Thomas creates, but she rarely treats herself to an entire cup. The best part of the job, she said, is watching customers enjoy it. When you like scoop it up and make it look all pretty and stuff, theyre like, Oh my God. On a rainy Wednesday evening, the shop was quiet. McGill started her shift by cleaning the serving area, then passed the time looking at her phone, facing the door in case a customer arrived. After almost an hour of waiting, and after the rain storms had passed, a customer walked in. Some days are like that, McGill said, but sometimes it gets much busier. One night she served a line of people that had stretched from the freezer to the front door of the shop. It took me forever to get down the line, she said. McGill got some entrepreneurial inspiration from watching her own mother, and now Thomas, start their ventures. But she has unique ideas of how shell build her own brand. My mom thought I would want to be in the food industry because every company I worked for was in food, she said. But I like beauty, cosmetic, personal care type stuff. Thats what I want to do. She already has a business plan sketched out for her own venture. She wants to open not just an esthetician shop where shell work, but a lounge where the best of the best in the city can provide services from waxing to facials to lashes. I want to own it, she said. The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office announced Tuesday that it had filed a civil-rights complaint against the City of Millville in Cumberland County, alleging discrimination last year by the local municipal court against Latino people when scheduling court appearances. Although virtual appearances were available with translation services, the municipal court required in-person appearances by people needing Spanish-English translation or had names that appeared to make them Spanish-speaking, according to the complaint filed by the Attorney Generals Division on Civil Rights. The alleged practice emerged as a public controversy in December when Jason Witcher, who was the municipal court judge in Millville, asked defendants in court whether they had been offered the option of virtual court appearances, and many said no. Witcher then stated for the record that the apparent forcing of people to attend in-person was the most discriminatory thing he had ever encountered in his career. A months-long investigation by the Division on Civil Rights corroborated Judge Witchers allegation that the Millville Municipal Court required litigants who were or were perceived to be Spanish-speaking to appear in person and thereby denied these litigants equal access to virtual court proceedings, the complaint states. Advertisement In a statement issued Wednesday, Brock D. Russell, city attorney for Millville, said the operation of the municipal court is determined by rules established by the states judiciary. While the city has the power to appoint the judge and other officers of its municipal court, under the state constitution the state judiciary has sole power to oversee the operations of the court, Russell said. Witcher resigned from his judgeship in Millville, along with three other courts, and has filed a lawsuit against the states Administrative Office of the Court, claiming he was the victim of retaliation for raising the discrimination allegation. Were pleased that the attorney general is investigating this [issue], said Drake Bearden, a lawyer representing Witcher. In February, the Administrative Office of the Court released its own 45-page investigative report on the matter. What Witcher alleged was deeply concerning and warrant[ed] a thorough, careful review, the administrative arm of the state judiciary said. That investigation found no direct evidence that Millville Municipal Court officials were denying individual defendants the opportunity to appear for court virtually because they had a Hispanic/Latino-sounding surname or a need for interpreting. The court report did, however, offer suggestions for improving the availability and awareness of translation services. In its complaint filed Tuesday, the Division on Civil Rights said it reviewed the findings of the Administrative Office of the Court. But the Division on Civil Rights investigation which analyzed a much larger dataset of court appearances, and included expert data analysis, numerous interviews, and review of thousands of emails tells a different story, according to the complaint. Even when taking into account other factors, such as a state Supreme Court order requiring in-person appearances for more serious criminal charges, defendants with Hispanic surnames were almost twice as likely as defendants with non-Hispanic surnames to be scheduled for an in-person court appearance, according to the complaint. Before the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, people needing a Spanish-language interpreter were scheduled to appear on one of two Mondays each month because that was when the interpreter was available. After the pandemic hit, court hearings became virtual. About July 2021, a video language-translation service became available for virtual hearings. But despite having that service available, Millville continued its practice of scheduling litigants who were or were perceived to be Spanish-speaking on the two in-person Mondays a month that the court interpreter was available, the complaint states. It also appeared that scheduling may not have been based only on litigants actual need for interpreting services, but also may have been based on surname or other indicators of national origin, according to the complaint. The complaint, which covers the period from June to December 2022, doesnt allege a motive for why in-person appearances were favored. New Jerseys laws forbid discrimination on the basis of national origin. That anyone in the [c]ity of Millville had to face discrimination from any public entity is disappointing, disheartening, and unacceptable, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement. Such practices only serve to erode the publics trust. New Jersey is committed to eliminating discrimination, no matter where it occurs, Platkin said. Jaret Rynkewicz, 18, applies makeup for Brianna Swan, 20, during drag group at the Attic Youth Center in Philadelphia on Thursday, July 13, 2023. LGBTQ teenagers have a higher rate of homelessness than other teens, and Swan, who is trans, is housing insecure.. Read more Its been 18 months since she arrived in Philadelphia and Brianna Swan, 20, still isnt sure whether she has found stable housing. Swan, who uses she/they pronouns, shrugged and slowly pondered the question. Its hard to say, she finally answered. What she knows is that as a young transgender person, finding an affordable, safe place where she is respected has been a herculean struggle. And she isnt alone. Advertisement READ MORE: The future is gender expansive A 2018 University of Chicago study reported that 40% of youth between the ages of 18 and 25 who are experiencing homelessness, at least 3.5 million people, identify as LGBTQ. The rate of LGBTQ youth homelessness is more than double that of non-LGBTQ youth. Those identifying as both LGBTQ and Black or multiracial have the highest rates of homelessness, with transgender youth facing the most severe types of discrimination and trauma. For unaccompanied LGBTQ youth, family conflict is a common reason for being unhoused. Parents and guardians throw young folks out. It happens more frequently than any of us want to admit, said Jasper Liem, executive director of the Attic Youth Center, which provides support services needed to help LGBTQ youth transition to independent living. Its been 30 years since the Attic opened its doors and it has grown into one of the largest community centers in the United States committed exclusively to serving LGBTQ youth. According to Liem, it serves 40 to 50 youths a day, providing mental health support, basic needs, food, companionship, and supportive housing referrals to organizations such as Valley Youth House, which provides support to youth at risk of homelessness. It is a large difficulty in finding permanent housing for trans youth, said Tatyana Woodward, a trans woman who opened Ark of Safety, the citys first shelter for LGBTQ people. We wanted to house folks 16 and older but in the nine months weve been open, we realize that the number of trans youth that are homeless is large. Woodward said, adding that they recently accepted their youngest resident a 13 year old who felt unsupported at home and who was discovered wandering the streets and brought to the shelter. Swan, who is originally from Louisiana was also raised in a family that didnt accept her. When I was 17 my mom found out I was trans. They could accept that I was gay but not trans. A University of Chicago study showed that identifying as LGBTQ was associated with significantly higher rates discrimination or stigma, both within and outside the family. Swan decamped to Texas to live with their grandmother who, despite multiple health issues, was an affirming presence. I just had to get away from Louisiana, Swan said. Their grandmothers death left Swan without a home and their family trauma left them unwilling to go back to Louisiana. On a whim, Swan picked Philadelphia and boarded a Greyhound bus north. At the time they had saved $10,000, believing that it was enough to live on. There is no prevention service to prevent homelessness. Why do I have to be in crises in order to get help? Ava Campbell I didnt even think about housing insecurity, they said. Weary of the bus ride, during which she almost lost all of their belongings and money, Swan switched to Amtrak in Washington and exited 30th Street Station into the reality of having no place to stay. The Office of Homeless Services (OHS) official 2022 Point-in-Time Count, an annual count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January, tallied 23 unaccompanied youth between the ages of 18 and 24. Eighty percent were African American, and one-third were chronically unhoused. Swan spent $1,000 on a three-day stay at a Center City luxury hotel and then began the search for affordable accommodations. An opportunity came up to become the fifth roommate in a household in West Philadelphias Spruce Hill area. One of the roommates interviewed Swan, and she lied and said she made $40 an hour. I didnt know about wages, Swan said. But she got a room. It lasted four months before they were all kicked out and she had to find another place. Staying at a shelter presents its own dilemma. A person may be too young to enter a traditional adult shelter, and youth fear triggering child welfare involvement. Adult shelters can be intimidating and unsafe, and lack gender-affirming supports. They put me in shelters, like really bad shelters. said Swan, adding that she was constantly misgendered during the experience. On Woodwards crowdfunding page, she has raised $13,345 of a $20,000 goal. We used the money to start up Ark of Safety and if we reach our $20,000 goal, we will use it to start a youth focused shelter. There is no prevention service to prevent homelessness. Why do I have to be in crises in order to get help? said Ava Campbell, 20, a member of the Attics youth leadership group who uses they/them pronouns. Campbell said the only reason housing insecurity has not been a problem is because of a supportive family. According to Philadelphias Office of Homeless Services, in fiscal year 2021, the city gave some form of assistance to about 1,700 young adults through the OHS office. The city currently funds 29 separate programs specifically focused on addressing youth homelessness and has 387 dedicated youth beds. READ MORE: It doesnt matter who I am, as long as Im funny. A Q&A with transgender stand-up comedian Tan Hoang Last October, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded an $8.8 million Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) to Philadelphias Office of Homeless Services to support a range of housing programs including rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, and transitional housing. The funds will be invested in innovative housing programs to help young adults ages 18-24 end their experience of homelessness. This grant recognizes the unique needs of youth homelessness, said Liz Hersh, director of OHS. These are the kinds of investments we need to break intergenerational poverty, and make sure we dont leave young adults behind. Fans dance to Pusha T at the Made in America festival in Philadelphia in September 2022. This year's festival was abruptly canceled. Read more In the day after it announced the abrupt cancellation of this years Made in America music festival, music mogul Jay-Zs production company has maintained its silence over why the annual event was called off three weeks before it was scheduled to take over the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. But it appears one potential explanation conflict with Philadelphia City Hall can be ruled out. Mayor Jim Kenney in 2018 floated moving the festival off of the Parkway, prompting outcry from fans and Jay-Z. Kenney abandoned the idea, but the cancellation of this years event prompted speculation that the city was once again at loggerheads with the fest. Two City Hall sources with knowledge of the festivals planning, however, said the city had nothing to do with the decision by Roc Nation, Jay-Zs company, to cancel the festival. Advertisement READ MORE: Who loses money when Made in America cancels? In its announcement on Made in Americas social media channels Monday, Roc Nation, which produces the festival in partnership with concert promoter Live Nation, said the fest was canceled due to severe circumstances outside of production control but would return to the great city of Philadelphia next year. No additional information has been released, and Roc Nation and Live Nation did not respond to further questions from The Inquirer. The festival has been an annual Labor Day weekend fixture in Philadelphia since 2012, with the exception of a coronavirus-related cancellation in 2020. Concert industry observers have speculated that this years cancellation was due to poor tickets sales. Another theory is that the recent lawsuit filed by three of Lizzos former dancers, accusing her of sexual harassment and allowing a hostile work environment, factored into the cancellation. Lizzo was the biggest name in the festival lineup this year. But that speculation has not been confirmed or commented on by any of the involved parties. Lizzo has denied any wrongdoing and called the allegations in the lawsuit false and too outrageous not to address. Last year, the city spent just over $1.5 million on services needed to host the event, such as police overtime and cleanup, and invoiced the festival for about $630,000, a city spokesperson said. The city did not respond to questions on why the invoice only covered a portion of the expenses, but festival organizers say the overall economic impact far exceeds the citys cost of hosting it. In an op-ed opposing Kenneys comments about moving the festival in 2018, Jay-Z said that the event generated $102.8 million in local economic activity in its first six years. Staff writer Anna Orso contributed reporting. David Wilcox Executive editor Follow David Wilcox 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 New York State Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit against Kinney Drugs by husband-and-wife pharmacists in the Cayuga County area who say they were fired over the COVID-19 vaccine. The court, in Tompkins County, granted a motion for summary judgment by Kinney parent company KPH Healthcare Services, with prejudice, in May. The lawsuit was filed in 2021 by Joel and Katie Wood, of the Tioga County town of Berkshire, who said they were fired by the company for raising objections about the vaccine and its appropriateness for youth at Kinney locations in Ithaca and Moravia. The Woods filed an appeal to the Third Judicial Department of the court's Appellate Division in June. In the filing, their attorney, Sheldon Karasik, questioned the court granting the motion on several grounds: that administering the vaccine was not "an essential job duty," that Kinney was obligated to accommodate the pharmacists' objections to administering it to youth, that Katie Wood never actually refused to vaccinate anyone against COVID-19, and that Kinney breached parts of New York state pharmacist law concerning patient counseling, administering immunization agents and more. The Woods are seeking reinstatement to their jobs at Kinney and damages in an amount to be determined by a jury. The court's dismissal followed a May 10 conference with Karasik and KPH attorney Emily Middlebrook of Hancock Estabrook LLP. There, Middlebrook argued that affidavits by the Woods showed they wanted to talk people out of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, despite elsewhere saying they just wanted to make sure they were able to obtain informed consent before administering it. Karasik said there is some truth in Middlebrook's argument that the Woods "tried to insert their own personal judgment for that of a patient's preference," as she later said. "After months and months of study from sources that weren't mainstream at the time but have now become so, as we see information coming out that the virus transmission is not prevented by the vaccine," Karasik said, "it wasn't necessarily mainstream at the time, but then again, Your Honor, neither was Galileo. He was a quack in view of mainstream science and he hanged for it." Returning to his point, the attorney said that study led the Woods to conclude that "informed consent could not be achieved no matter what. There wasn't (enough) information out there." As a result, Karasik said, Joel Wood "drew the line" at vaccinating patients 50 and younger, and Katie at vaccinating children. They shared these objections with Kinney in May 2021. In response, they received an email from company Integration Manager Neil Tierson saying, "Don't create doubt or panic. Don't inflict personal or political views and use professional and scientific information." "Well, one man's political views are another man's professional views," Karasik said. "Who's to say what is political and what's personal and what's professional? What mainstream science says?" Kinney fired the Woods on May 13, 2021. Meanwhile, Karasik alleged, another employee who has "needle phobia" continues to work there, suggesting vaccine administration is not an essential duty. Regardless, Judge Elizabeth Aherne said KPH Healthcare Services submitted evidence that "certified immunizer" is a requirement of Kinney pharmacists, and that administering vaccines is "a valid essential job duty." With the company meeting its burden for the summary judgment motion, the Woods had to provide evidence showing "a genuine issue for trial," Aherne said, but did not do that. "The mere existence of some alleged factual dispute between the parties does not defeat an otherwise properly supported motion for summary judgment," the judge wrote before granting the motion. "It is implied that a certified immunizer would be compelled to administer all types of vaccines." New York State Police in Elbridge have arrested the owner of a pizza shop there on charges of forcibly touching a female minor at the business. Sotirios Gotsis, 57, of Auburn, was charged Aug. 4 with forcible touching, a class A misdemeanor, and endangering the welfare of a child, also a class A misdemeanor. State police said Gotsis had sexual contact with "a female under the age of 17 at his place of business" on June 15. The arrest was announced Wednesday afternoon. Gotsis, who goes by "Sam," is the owner of Dimitri's Pizzeria, which opened a new location at 1124 Route 5 in Elbridge in June. The pizzeria originally opened in Elbridge Plaza in 2018. Gotsis was issued appearance tickets and is scheduled to appear in Elbridge Town Court at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21. No one ever thinks of entering the insurance industry, but I believe it truly is one of the best industries to be in, and I have never looked back, she said. After multiplying our business tenfold in the second year of operations, alongside my husband, I am thoroughly enjoying my journey on the other end of things, where I am mentoring more people starting out in the insurance industry. I think whats different is that five years ago a lot of the main people I spoke with were technical consultants with an organization, said Sydney-based Johnston. Now what Im finding is its much wider, so its the C-suites and the board members who are asking the technical people, what is our position? What do we do? And the employees are all playing off it as well. Commenting on the numbers, group chief executive Steve Johnston said: Our dedicated focus on digitising and automating, reinvigorating our leading brands, becoming more efficient, and improving how we serve our customers has helped us to deliver strong top-line growth across our businesses and improve underlying margins. If, in fact, the outcome of the Tribunal was not what we hoped, then wed certainly regroup around the strategy and work out how we take it forward... I dont think nows the time for us to be speculating around what that might look like. We will contemplate it if that were to be the case. According to the press release, the private collections policy was designed to bridge the coverage gap for valuable personal property. It can serve as an independent insurance plan or be added as an endorsement to a homeowner's insurance policy, depending on the insurance carriers requirements. It has also been tailored to provide higher coverage limits for high-value items that may exceed standard homeowners policy limits. Were not trying to acquire or aggregate only revenue, said Triche, who is president, Mid-South at Gallagher. We want to be very mindful of how a company reflects our corporate culture and how will they fit into our plans for the future. I was looking to partner with a national-scale firm that understood the power of deep expertise to drive client and business success, Richardson said. Risk Strategies stood out as a true specialist. Theyve built success across multiple practice areas on this approach and Im confident our people and clients will benefit from our joining together. Kemper is the latest carrier taking action on their personal lines portfolios amid significant catastrophe exposures. Major players such as State Farm and All State have halted sales of new policies in California, while Farmers Insurance announced it would limit new business in the state. Nationwide Insurance similarly took corrective action across its personal and commercial businesses. New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! As state lawmakers rush to get a handle on fast-evolving artificial intelligence technology, they`re often focusing first on their own state governments before imposing restrictions on the private sector. Legislators are seeking ways to protect constituents from discrimination and other harms while not hindering cutting-edge advancements in medicine, science, business, education and more. We`re starting with the government. We`re trying to set a good example, Connecticut state Sen. James Maroney said during a floor debate in May. Connecticut plans to inventory all of its government systems using artificial intelligence by the end of 2023, posting the information online. And starting next year, state officials must regularly review these systems to ensure they wont lead to unlawful discrimination. Maroney, a Democrat who has become a go-to AI authority in the General Assembly, said Connecticut lawmakers will likely focus on private industry next year. He plans to work this fall on model AI legislation with lawmakers in Colorado, New York, Virginia, Minnesota and elsewhere that includes broad guardrails and focuses on matters like product liability and requiring impact assessments of AI systems. Its rapidly changing and theres a rapid adoption of people using it. So we need to get ahead of this, he said in a later interview. Were actually already behind it, but we cant really wait too much longer to put in some form of accountability. Overall, at least 25 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia introduced artificial intelligence bills this year. As of late July, 14 states and Puerto Rico had adopted resolutions or enacted legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The list doesnt include bills focused on specific AI technologies, such as facial recognition or autonomous cars, something NCSL is tracking separately. Legislatures in Texas, North Dakota, West Virginia and Puerto Rico have created advisory bodies to study and monitor AI systems their respective state agencies are using, while Louisiana formed a new technology and cyber security committee to study AIs impact on state operations, procurement and policy. Other states took a similar approach last year. Lawmakers want to know Whos using it? How are you using it? Just gathering that data to figure out whats out there, whos doing what, said Heather Morton, a legislative analysist at NCSL who tracks artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, privacy and internet issues in state legislatures. That is something that the states are trying to figure out within their own state borders. Connecticut`s new law, which requires AI systems used by state agencies to be regularly scrutinized for possible unlawful discrimination, comes after an investigation by the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School determined AI is already being used to assign students to magnet schools, set bail and distribute welfare benefits, among other tasks. However, details of the algorithms are mostly unknown to the public. AI technology, the group said, has spread throughout Connecticuts government rapidly and largely unchecked, a development thats not unique to this state. Related: NAIC Releases Draft Model Bulletin on Insurers Use of Artificial Intelligence Richard Eppink, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho, testified before Congress in May about discovering, through a lawsuit, the secret computerized algorithms Idaho was using to assess people with developmental disabilities for federally funded health care services. The automated system, he said in written testimony, included corrupt data that relied on inputs the state hadn`t validated. AI can be shorthand for many different technologies, ranging from algorithms recommending what to watch next on Netflix to generative AI systems such as ChatGPT that can aid in writing or create new images or other media. The surge of commercial investment in generative AI tools has generated public fascination and concerns about their ability to trick people and spread disinformation, among other dangers. Some states haven`t attempted to tackle the issue yet. In Hawaii, state Sen. Chris Lee, a Democrat, said lawmakers didnt pass any legislation this year governing AI simply because I think at the time, we didnt know what to do. Instead, the Hawaii House and Senate passed a resolution Lee proposed that urges Congress to adopt safety guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence and limit its application in the use of force by police and the military. Lee, vice-chair of the Senate Labor and Technology Committee, said he hopes to introduce a bill in next year`s session that is similar to Connecticut`s new law. Lee also wants to create a permanent working group or department to address AI matters with the right expertise, something he admits is difficult to find. There arent a lot of people right now working within state governments or traditional institutions that have this kind of experience, he said. The European Union is leading the world in building guardrails around AI. There has been discussion of bipartisan AI legislation in Congress, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in June would maximize the technologys benefits and mitigate significant risks. Yet the New York senator did not commit to specific details. In July, President Joe Biden announced his administration had secured voluntary commitments from seven U.S. companies meant to ensure their AI products are safe before releasing them. Maroney said ideally the federal government would lead the way in AI regulation. But he said the federal government can`t act at the same speed as a state legislature. And as weve seen with the data privacy, its really had to bubble up from the states, Maroney said. Some state-level bills proposed this year have been narrowly tailored to address specific AI-related concerns. Proposals in Massachusetts would place limitations on mental health providers using AI and prevent dystopian work environments where workers don`t have control over their personal data. A proposal in New York would place restrictions on employers using AI as an automated employment decision tool to filter job candidates. North Dakota passed a bill defining what a person is, making it clear the term does not include artificial intelligence. Republican Gov. Doug Burgum, a long- shot presidential contender, has said such guardrails are needed for AI but the technology should still be embraced to make state government less redundant and more responsive to citizens. In Arizona, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed legislation that would prohibit voting machines from having any artificial intelligence software. In her veto letter, Hobbs said the bill attempts to solve challenges that do not currently face our state. In Washington, Democratic Sen. Lisa Wellman, a former systems analyst and programmer, said state lawmakers need to prepare for a world in which machine systems become ever more prevalent in our daily lives. She plans to roll out legislation next year that would require students to take computer science to graduate high school. AI and computer science are now, in my mind, a foundational part of education, Wellman said. And we need to understand really how to incorporate it. Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Legislation New York InsurTech Data Driven Connecticut Artificial Intelligence A report issued by the Upstate Flood Mitigation Task Force is the basis for legislation to address flooding that has affected communities in Cayuga County and others within the Oswego River/Finger Lakes Watershed. A bill introduced by state Sen. John Mannion and Assemblyman Al Stirpe would adopt one of the task force's recommendations to map the watershed using the Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System. The mapping technique is used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The legislation would also establish the Oswego River Basin Authority to manage water flows and discharges. "Big problems like persistent flooding in upstate communities require big solutions," Mannion, D-Geddes, said. "Creating an authority will centralize water and discharge management across the 5,000-square-mile Oswego River Watershed. Deploying advanced mapping and modeling techniques will give us a new understanding of the watershed and that knowledge can be applied to flood mitigation, environmental conservation, agriculture and recreational uses." The Oswego River Basin covers a 5,122-square-mile area across several central New York counties, including Cayuga and Onondaga. It includes Cross Lake, a water body on the border of Cayuga and Onondaga counties where flooding has been a problem. In 2021, Mannion, D-Geddes, met with residents on Cross Lake to survey the flood damage. That meeting led to legislation that reactivated the Upstate Flood Mitigation Task Force. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the bill in 2022. In its report, the task force noted that flooding in the Oswego River Watershed has caused $16 million in damage to recreational assets, such as boat launches and docks, over a five-year period and $13.6 million in structural losses annually. The bill introduced by Mannion and Stirpe has been endorsed by the Central New York Waterways Association because, according to Dan Rehkugler, the group's president, "in our experience we do not have enough data and too many people have suffered from the lack of an effective flood mitigation strategy." He credited Mannion and Stirpe for listening to their concerns and including them in the process. Barring a special session to consider the legislation, which is unlikely, the earliest the bill would receive a vote is in 2024. New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Wind power developers proposed four new projects off the New Jersey Shore on Friday, a surge that would more than double the number of wind farms built off its coast if they are approved by regulators. At least two of them are more than twice as far out to sea than others that have drawn the ire of residents who don`t want to see windmills on the horizon. These two would not be visible from the beach, the companies proposing them say. They would join three wind farms already approved by New Jersey regulators as the state races to become the East Coast capital of the fast-growing offshore wind industry. In the first project to be made public Friday by the companies proposing it, Essen, Germany-based RWE and New York-based National Grid applied for permission to build a wind farm in the waters off Long Beach Island. Their joint venture is called Community Offshore Wind, and it aims to generate enough electricity to power 500,000 homes. Unlike other projects that have drawn intense opposition from homeowners in part because they are close enough to the Atlantic City and Ocean City shorelines to be seen by beachgoers, this project would be built 37 miles (59 kilometers) offshore and would not be visible from the shore, said Doug Perkins, president and project director of Community Offshore Wind. He said the project has the potential to transform New Jersey into a nation- leading clean energy development, training and manufacturing hub. He said his company is the second-largest wind power developer globally, following Danish wind developer Orsted. Community Offshore said it has not yet determined how many wind turbines would be built as part of the project. The second bid was submitted by Chicago-based Invenergy and New York-based energyRE for a project 40 miles (64 kilometers) off Long Beach Island called Leading Light Wind. It would consist of up to 100 turbines, enough to power 1 million homes. The company is playing up its American ownership as the foreign ownership of key players in New Jersey`s offshore wind industry has generated opposition in some quarters. Leading Light Wind is ready to build out a world-leading domestic offshore wind industry with American-led ingenuity and expertise, said Ryan Brown, energyRE`s chief operating officer. And the two companies that received approval to build the Atlantic Shores wind farm Shell New Energies US and EDF Renewables North America submitted a bid to build a second as yet unnamed project 10 to 20 miles (16 to 32 kilometers) offshore. The companies have lease areas in the large expanse of ocean between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light on the northern tip of Long Beach Island, but they did not specify exactly where the second project would be built. They also did not say how many turbines it would include or how many homes its electricity could power. Friday night, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities said a fourth application had also been received, but would not release any information about it. The company or companies proposing it had not come forward publicly to discuss their plans. Community Offshore and Leading Light said that while they plan to take advantage of existing federal tax credits, they will not seek the same sort of tax break that New Jersey recently approved for Orsted, which is being challenged in a lawsuit brought by opponents of offshore wind. Atlantic Shores, which earlier this year indicated it wanted similar tax relief to that given Orsted, said Friday it is not asking for anything specific from state government but is in talks with the governor`s office, the utilities board and the Legislature about what might be possible. The proposals unveiled Friday come in addition to the three projects already approved by New Jersey regulators. Orsted is building two wind farms, called Ocean Wind I and II. And Shell New Energies US and EDF Renewables North America are partnering on the Atlantic Shores project. Photo: Windmills near Atlantic City. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry) Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Numbers New Jersey Russias lack of ships and Western grain traders shrinking appetite for business with Moscow are adding to rising costs of moving Russian wheat, at a time when the war in Ukraine has spilled perilously close to vital Black Sea supply routes. President Vladimir Putin promised to replace Ukrainian grain with Russian shipments to Africa after Moscow in July ended an arrangement that gave Ukraines food cargo safe passage in the Black Sea, imposing a de-facto blockade on its neighbor and attacking storage facilities, in an escalation of the war. Ukraines response, sea-drone attacks on a Russian oil tanker and a warship at its Novorossiysk naval base, next door to a major grain and oil port, has added to these new dangers for transport in the Black Sea. Ukraines Drone Attack Hasnt Yet Jolted Insurance Costs for Black Sea Oil Carriers Eduard Zernin, head of Russias Union of Grain Exporters, cited a potential aggravation of what he called hidden sanctions that may lead to an increase in freight and insurance costs for Russia. This will be reflected in the price level of wheat and other grains on the world market, Zernin told Reuters. Even though agriculture exports are not subject to direct European and U.S. sanctions imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Moscow says restrictions placed on banking and Russian individuals are hidden sanctions on the food trade. The financial and security risks associated with trading with Russia compounded by the Black Sea corridor collapse are driving up costs of freight for Moscow and pushing it toward older and smaller vessels run by less established shipping operators, Reuters reporting based on conversations with 10 marine insurers, traders and shipping companies showed. The situation is raising doubts about whether Russia can keep up a record pace of exports and if not resolved could push global wheat prices higher, the sources said. Already, prior to the expiry of the deal, grain carriers and commodity houses had reduced exposure to Russia. Global commodity houses are no longer helping Russia with the mechanics of trading its grain. Cargill, Louis Dreyfus and Viterra stopped such work on July 1, adding more pressure on Moscow to handle all aspects of grain deals including transport. Cargill has said it would continue to ship grain from Russias ports. It declined further comment. Dreyfus, Viterra and ADM declined to comment, while another major international group, Bunge, did not respond to a request for comment. It is not going to be easy for them (Russia), said one industry executive with knowledge of grains exports. Last year, Russia exported a record volume of wheat on ships chartered from international companies and traders. While exports remain strong, in the past few months it has had to source more of its own freight, increasingly relying on a shadow fleet of older vessels typically operated by companies based in Turkey and China, three shipping industry sources said. There is very little coming out now for international companies, said the executive, who, like other industry sources consulted for this story, asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. Most of what is coming out is dealt with by Russian traders using (shadow) fleet ships, which international traders would not touch. In a sign of Russias growing hunt for vessels, its requests for charters doubled to 257 in July compared with the same month last year, according to data from maritime platform Shipfix that collates from hundreds of market participants. The data does not show how many of the requests were fulfilled, or which ship operators were involved. The requests for ships were up 40% from June and are likely to climb further as the export season gathers pace. Denmarks NORDEN and two other Western shipping groups that declined to be named told Reuters they stopped working with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Insurance Without the Black Sea corridor in place, both Russia and Ukraine warned in July that ships destined for each others ports could be treated as legitimate military targets, which three marine insurance source said was a further blow to Western companies risk appetite. Insurance for ships heading to Russias Black Sea ports currently costs tens of thousands of dollars in additional premiums daily, the three sources said, with rates ticking higher following Russias attacks on Ukraines other waterways through the Danube in recent days and Kyivs response. The Black Sea remains a critical area for Russian exports, with other locations more complicated and costly. One shipping source familiar with the matter said even before insurance, ship operators were charging up to $10,000 more daily for Russian cargoes than for cargoes leaving nearby ports in Bulgaria and Romania, as the collapse of the deal and Black Sea escalation weighed. Mike Salthouse, head of external affairs with leading ship insurer NorthStandard, said that ever since the United States and Europe imposed sanctions, some traders and insurers fear the ultimate beneficial owners of Russias ports and terminals could be connected to designated individuals. The ownership structure is not readily apparent from routine or even enhanced due diligence, he said, leading to a level of reluctance with engaging in Russian trades. The industry executive said another risk was if a vessel needed to buy fuel from Russia, a situation the source said could create problems with Western sanctions enforcers, making it harder to then conduct non-Russian business. Its not easy to flip into the normal trade after that, the executive said. Russias Black Sea terminals handle about 70% of the countrys grain exports. They include the Novorossiisk and Taman ports. Trade Barriers Despite the tensions, global wheat prices remain well below the peak after Russias invasion last year triggered fears of a global hunger crisis. The removal of more Ukrainian grain from the world market could add to supply pressure unless Russian exports or large crops from other producers make up the difference. Two sources said the escalation of tensions in the Black Sea was likely to impact Russias export numbers and was discouraging shipping companies from bringing vessels to Russian ports, especially newer ships that carry more. In a statement to Reuters, Russias agriculture ministry forecast grain exports will fall about 8% during the 2023/24 season from Russian last years high of 60 million tonnes. It did not give a reason for the drop. Wheat exports will be down a little less, to 44-45 million tons, Zernin said, in line with estimates from the International Grains Council. Ship Building The ministry in December announced a plan to build a fleet of 61 new grain ships, citing sanctions pressure and the refusal of many international carriers to cooperate with Russia. Russian exporters need 34 grains ships with a carrying capacity of 60,000 tonnes and 27 with capacity of 40,000 tonnes, the ministry said in December. It did not say when they could be built by Russian shipyards. Russias state-owned agricultural leasing company Rosagroleasing said in March of this year it had placed orders for a fleet of grains ships that it planned to launch within three years. No orders have currently been reported for Russian companies either domestically or internationally, according to data from valuation company VesselsValue. New ships typically take up to three years to build. Many of the Russian operated current fleet of 31 mainly smaller dry bulk carriers are over 30 years old, VesselsValue data showed, making it harder to access some ports with stringent requirements for ships over a certain age. We dont see Russia building its own fleet from scratch in the short term in order to meet its immediate needs. The primary focus is going be on chartering from the commercial market, said Victoria Mitchell, analyst with Control Risks consultancy. (Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Nigel Hunt in London, Reuters reporters, additional reporting by Polina Devitt in London and Gus Trompiz in Paris; editing by Frank Jack Daniel) Photograph: This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC appears to show the damaged Russian landing vessel Olenegorsky Gornyak leaking oil while docked at Novorossiysk, Russia, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. Ukraine said its sea drones struck a major Russian port Friday and damaged the warship in an attack that underlined Kyivs growing capabilities as the Black Sea becomes an increasingly important battleground in the war. (Planet Labs PBC via AP) Related: Topics Russia Dozens of ships are backed up around critical Danube arteries close to Ukraines river gateways days after Russian drone attacks on the countrys ports, shipping data showed on Tuesday. The river and its mouth are Ukraines last remaining waterborne grain export route. Russia has attacked the agricultural and port infrastructure of Ukraine, one of the worlds top grain exporters, in recent weeks after refusing to extend a year-old safe passage grain corridor brokered by the United Nations and Turkey effectively shutting Ukraines Black Sea ports. These included the Danube ports of Izmail and Reni, shipping sources said. Romania Expects to Clear Danube Logjam After Ukraine Attack; Insurers Remain Wary At least 30 ships had dropped anchor around Musura Bay in the Black Sea, which leads into a channel that links up with Izmail further along the waterway, tracking data from analytics company MarineTraffic showed on Tuesday. There were at least 20 ships anchored leading up to Izmail. It is impossible to transport the entire volume by river or rail, Ukraines First Deputy Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskiy told national television. In order to export all the grain, the Black Sea ports need to be reopened. In addition, there were at least 20 commercial ships waiting close to the Romanian port of Constanta, the MarineTraffic data showed. Many of the vessels had reported their destination as Romanian ports. The two Ukrainian ports continue to reel from the Russian attacks. It took time to reorganize, re-establish communication, Florin Uzumtoma, navigation director for Romanias Danube administration agency, said. Not all the ships clustered on the water want to enter Romania. Some of them are just waiting in safe waters. There are anchor spots on the Danube, and they are just waiting there until they are ready to meet all the formalities to cross. Some marine insurers have started to restrict the amount of cover they are providing for Danube shipments after pausing insurance provisions for Ukraine ports that were part of the grain corridor initiative, insurance sources said. This is not only about insurance, but also about overall shipping activities in the area for shipowners who might consider that risks for their crew and their assets are just too high, one underwriter said, asking not to be named. Before Russia pulled out of the safe passage corridor, the Danube ports accounted for around a quarter of Ukraines grain exports. Ukraine, which needs to boost exports of its bumper grain crop, has started work to expand alternative export opportunities by organizing raid transshipment near the mouth of the Danube River, seaports authorities said on Tuesday. (Reporting by Jonathan Saul London, Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv and Luiza Illie in Bucharest, additional reporting by Carolyn Cohn in London; editing by Barbara Lewis) Photograph: Ships are docked in the Black Sea port of Constanta, Romania, on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. Neighbors Romania, Ukraine, and Moldova signed joint agreements on Thursday, April 13, 2023, in Romanias capital after a trilateral security meeting that focused on ways to strengthen security in their Black Sea region to counter threats posed by Russian aggression. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File) Related: Hackers were able to access UK voter registers undetected for 15 months, the Electoral Commission said, raising questions about data security even as it played down fears about the impact on elections. Hostile actors could obtain the name and address of anyone in the UK who registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, as well as the names of those registered as overseas voters, the commission said Tuesday, describing it as a complex cyber attack. The hackers first accessed Electoral Commission systems in August 2021, but the breach was not identified until October 2022. While the commission said there was not a high risk to individuals, it highlights security risks surrounding sensitive digital records held by British institutions. Targeting the Electoral Commission is especially sensitive, and it moved quickly to try to allay concerns about the risk of vote manipulation. The attack has not had an impact on the electoral process, the commission said in a separate question-and-answer page on its website. It said it doesnt yet know who is responsible for the attack, and investigations are ongoing. The National Cyber Security Centre, part of the governments GCHQ listening post, warned this month that organizations should update their systems after a series of malicious cyber attacks in 2022. We are concerned about this situation, Robert Jenrick, who attends Cabinet as immigration minister, told LBC radio on Wednesday. The commission has been working for several months with the National Crime Agency and the NCSC to better understand who might have be behind this, he said. Im not able to speculate on that today, Jenrick added. The Electoral Commission said its email system was also compromised, though it has not yet been able to know conclusively what files may or may not have been accessed, Chief Executive Officer Shaun McNally said in the statement. The organization warned that anyone who had been in contact with the commission or had registered to vote between 2014 and 2022 should remain vigilant for unauthorized use or release of their personal data. It also explained the delay in disclosing the hack, saying it needed to take steps beforehand including removing the hackers from its systems, assessing the extent of the incident and understanding who might be affected. Photograph: The Electoral Commission said there wasnt a high risk to individuals as a result of the hack. Photo credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Copyright 2023 Bloomberg. Topics Cyber Meta Platforms is asking a court in Norway to stop a fine the Nordic countrys data regulator imposed on the owner of Facebook and Instagram for breaching users privacy, according to a court filing. Meta Platforms will be fined 1 million crowns ($97,700) per day from Aug. 14 over privacy breaches, Norways data protection authority told Reuters on Monday, in a decision that could have wider European implications. Meta Platforms is asking for a temporary injunction against the order, according to a court filing. Its petition will be presented on Aug. 22 during a two-day hearing. The companys Norwegian lawyer said media queries should be directed to Meta. Meta Platforms did not reply to a request for comment. The Norwegian data regulator, Datatilsynet, said Meta Platforms was seeking to stop the imposition of the fine. They say that the court should put a pause on our order, pending a full trial, Tobias Judin, head of Datatilsynets international section told Reuters. Datatilsynet will argue that there is no basis for an injunction. The regulator has said Meta cannot harvest user data in Norway, such as users physical locations, and use it to target advertising at them, called behavioral advertising, a business model common to Big Tech. The fine will run until Nov. 3. Datatilsynet can make it permanent by referring its decision to the European Data Protection Board, which has the power to do so, if it agrees with the Norwegian regulators decision. That could also widen the decisions territorial scope to the rest of Europe. Datatilsynet had yet to take this step. ($1 = 10.2326 Norwegian crowns) This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Xceedance, Chubb, and Howden. A summary of these new hires follows here. Xceedance Names Tiwari President, EMEA & APAC Xceedance, the Boston-based provider of technology and digital solutions, claims services, and data and analytical insights to the insurance industry, announced the promotion of Amit Tiwari to the new role of president, EMEA & APAC. In his new role, Tiwari will focus on growing awareness of the Xceedance brand in the London, continental Europe, and Australia insurance markets and work to connect with industry professionals across those locations. Tiwari relocated to London as part of this new role and will work out of the Xceedance office, located at 8 Lloyds Avenue. This new position expands on Tiwaris previous responsibilities as EVP, chief operating officer India and Poland for Xceedance. Amit is a co-founder of Xceedance and one of the companys original 13 team members, which gives him a unique perspective on the company and how we want to advance as an organization, said Arun Balakrishnan, chairman and chief executive officer at Xceedance. I cant imagine a better person to fill this new strategic leadership role, and I cant wait to see Amit expand and grow Xceedance across Europe and Australia. *** Chubb Climate+ Appoints Prunier for International Product Engagement/Services Chubb announced that Dorothee Prunier has been appointed head of Product Engagement and Services for the international operations of Chubb Climate+, further strengthening the leadership team of the companys global climate business unit. In her new role, Prunier will be responsible for expanding the service capabilities of Chubb Climate+ in 51 countries and territories outside North America for clients looking to build resiliency and support their transition to a low carbon economy. She will also drive both internal and external engagement as Chubb Climate+ develops and rolls out new products. Prunier, who has served as head of Environmental Risks for Overseas General Insurance since 2018, will retain those responsibilities. The appointment is effective immediately. Prunier will remain based in Paris and will continue to report to Mark Homan, division president, International Property and Casualty for Overseas General Insurance. Prunier has more than 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. She joined Chubb in 2007 as environmental risks manager for its Continental Europe, Middle East and North Africa region. She began her career as a loss control engineer for a major international carrier before managing technical lines and environmental risks for the French Federal Society of Insurers. Prunier holds a Master of Business Administration from La Sorbonne in Paris. Pruniers appointment follows the launch in January of Chubb Climate+, the companys global climate business unit. Chubb Climate+ will provide a full spectrum of insurance products and services to businesses engaged in developing or employing new technologies and processes that support the transition to a low-carbon economy. It also provides risk management and resiliency services to help those managing the impact of climate change. Matt Hardy, leader of Chubb Climate+ for Overseas General Insurance, said: Dorothee has many years of experience working with environmental and industrial safety risks and her impressive background and expertise make her a natural fit for our expanding Chubb Climate+ team. *** Howden Taps Aons Green for Property Team Howden, the London-based global insurance group, announced the appointment of Robert Green as executive director, Property, effective immediately. The appointment reflects Howdens continued investment in expertise for its well-established Property division, particularly for the benefit of its UK and European clients with large and complex property risks. In his role, Green will service companies across both Howdens Specialty and Retail divisions. Green is based in London and reports to Peter Naylor, executive director in the Property team Green brings with him over 22 years of industry experience, 16 of which were spent in the UK multinational sector. He joins Howden from Aon, where he held the role of broking director in its UK Retail Broking division. Prior to this, he worked for Marsh in the position of vice president, Placement. With an emphasis on property program design and placement, Green has a strong track record of broader strategic market engagement across client portfolios, including high end automotive, high street banking, large grocery retailers and the chemical industry. Green will work closely with Adam Reed, managing director, Retail Large & Complex Risks, and use his specialist knowledge to introduce cutting-edge innovations that address a wide array of complex risks, not only driving growth internally, but also delivering optimal outcomes for clients. Roberts industry expertise and experience represents a significant benefit to our clients with complex property risks and his appointment further underpins our close collaboration with Howdens Retail Large & Complex Risks team for seamless client service delivery. We welcome him to the team, commented Edward Longfield, head of Property, Howden. Topics Property Chubb Aon Hundreds of cattle died in Iowa from extreme heat and humidity in late July, the state and livestock producers said, as the world recorded its hottest month ever. The deaths show the toll of severe weather on farm animals and food production. The losses further trim the U.S. cattle herd, which is already the smallest in decades after drought drove ranchers to slaughter more cows due to a lack of pasture to feed them. While not massive in number, producers said the recent deaths were unusual. Cattle also died from heat in Kansas and Nebraska, state officials said. Iowas Department of Natural Resources told Reuters it received a request on July 31 to dispose of approximately 370 cows that died due to heat in western Iowa recently. Gary Vetter, who raises cattle in western Iowa, said he worked to protect local herds but about 53 cattle died at three of his neighbors feedlots during the last week in July. They just start dropping and there was nothing you could really do about it, Vetter said. Ive never seen anything like it. Heat is usually most dangerous for the heaviest cattle that weigh more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg), but temperatures and humidity spiked so high that even lighter 700-pound cattle died, Vetter said. In Carroll, Iowa, near Vetters farm, the heat index climbed to 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius) on July 28, the National Weather Service said. Two hundred miles away (322 km), in the northeastern Iowa city of Riceville, Bob Noble said two of his cattle died in different pens, the first deaths he has linked to heat in years. The 1,100-pound to 1,200-pound carcasses will be composted. They just couldnt handle the extra stress of the heat and humidity, said Noble, president of the Iowa Cattlemens Association. Iowa is the fifth largest cattle-producing state and had 630,000 cattle in feedlots on July 1, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA offers disaster assistance that may help compensate producers whose cattle died. Kansas received a request for disposal of 50 cattle due to heat stress this summer, said Matthew Lara, spokesman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Last summer, the state had at least 2,000 cattle deaths when an early June heat wave caught producers off guard. In Nebraska, phones started ringing at the states Department of Environment and Energy on July 26 or July 27, spokeswoman Amanda Woita said. On the line were informal phone calls from producers who have experienced cattle deaths due to heat, she said, without providing death tolls. Nebraska feedlots house 2.3 million cattle, while Kansas feedlots have 2.4 million cattle. To prevent losses, Kansas State University in June updated an online weather tool, Kansas Mesonet, to use National Weather Service forecasts to predict comfort levels for cattle a week ahead of time. Previously, the tool provided day-of weather data, said Christopher Chip Redmond, a meteorologist and manager of Kansas Mesonet. By then its too late, he said. Topics Iowa Kansas CMS Energy Corps unit Consumers Energy said on Wednesday it will explore the sale of its 13 hydroelectric dams, as the energy provider looks to minimize the cost burden on customers. The utility service provides natural gas and electricity to 6.8 million of Michigans 10 million residents, according to its website. We know the current model for financing our hydroelectric power operations requires customers to pay more than nine times for the cost of energy compared to other sources of generation, said vice president Norm Kapala. Consumers Energys 13 dams together produce less than 1% of electricity used by the energy providers customers, and they are several times more expensive than other energy sources. Michigans largest energy provider will be issuing a request for proposal (RFP) to explore the possibility of a sale. The company said no final decision has been made, adding it continues to explore all options. New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Word spread through an Oregon hospital last month that a visitor was causing trouble in the maternity ward, and nurses were warned the man might try to abduct his partner`s newborn. Hours later, the visitor opened fire, killing a security guard and sending patients, nurses and doctors scrambling for cover. The shooting at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland was part of a wave of gun violence sweeping through U.S. hospitals and medical centers, which have struggled to adapt to the growing threats. Such attacks have helped make health care one of the nation`s most violent fields. Data shows American health care workers now suffer more nonfatal injuries from workplace violence than workers in any other profession, including law enforcement. Health care workers dont even think about that when they decide they want to be a nurse or a doctor. But as far as actual violence goes, statistically, health care is four or five times more dangerous than any other profession, said Michael DAngelo, a former police officer who focuses on health care and workplace violence as a security consultant in Florida. Other industries outpace health care for overall danger, including deaths. Similar shootings have played out in hospitals across the country. Last year, a man killed two workers at a Dallas hospital while there to watch his childs birth. In May, a man opened fire in a medical center waiting room in Atlanta, killing one woman and wounding four. Late last month, a man shot and wounded a doctor at a health center in Dallas. In June 2022, a gunman killed his surgeon and three other people at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, medical office because he blamed the doctor for his continuing pain after an operation. Its not just deadly shootings: Health care workers racked up 73% of all nonfatal workplace violence injuries in 2018, the most recent year for which figures are available, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. One day before the July 22 shooting in Portland, employees throughout the hospital were warned during meetings to be prepared for a possible code amber announcement in case the visitor attempted to kidnap the child, according to a nurse with direct knowledge of the briefing who spoke to The Associated Press. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared retaliation at work. Fifteen minutes before the shooting, someone at the hospital called 911 to report the visitor was threatening staffers, according to a timeline provided by Portland police. He kind of fell through the cracks, the nurse said. I don`t know how many chances he received. It kind of got to the point where staff did not know what to do, or what they could or couldn`t do with him. Police arrived at the maternity ward within minutes, but it was too late. Bobby Smallwood, a security guard who had been called in from another Legacy hospital to cover shifts for Good Samaritan`s understaffed security team, had been fatally shot. Another hospital employee was wounded by shrapnel. The suspect fled and was later killed by police in a nearby community. The hospital declined to respond to the nurses comments because the case is still under investigation. Events like these are unpredictable, but our team exhibited professionalism and a great deal of courage in the face of extraordinarily challenging circumstances that day, Legacy Health said in a statement to the AP. Legacy Health in Portland plans to install additional metal detectors, require bag searches at every hospital and send patients and visitors to controlled entrances. More security officers will be provided with stun guns, the hospital said, and bullet-slowing film is being applied to some interior glass and at main entrances. Around 40 states have passed laws creating or increasing penalties for violence against health care workers, according to the American Nurses Association. Hospitals have armed security officers with batons, stun guns or handguns, while some states, including Indiana, Ohio and Georgia, allow hospitals to create their own police forces. Critics say private hospital police can exacerbate the health care and policing inequities already experienced by Black people. They also say private police forces often don`t have to disclose information such as how often they use force or whether they disproportionately detain members of minority groups. Security teams cannot address all of the factors leading to violence because many of them are caused by a dysfunctional health care system, said Deborah Burger, a registered nurse and the president of National Nurses United. Patients and families are often bounced between emergency rooms and home, and are frustrated over high costs, limited treatment options or long wait times, Burger said. Hospitals dont really have a complaints department, so the only real target they have is the nurse or staff that are standing right in front of them, she said. Understaffing forces nurses to care for more patients and affords them less time to assess each one for behavior problems. Efforts to de-escalate aggression aren`t as effective if nurses haven`t had time to bond with patients, Burger said. Understaffing is an absolutely catastrophic formula for workplace violence increasing, D`Angelo said. Now you dont even have the good old buddy system of two co-workers keeping an eye out for each other. Some hospital administrators encourage staff to placate aggressive visitors and patients because they are worried about getting bad reviews, Burger said. Thats because the Affordable Care Act tied a portion of federal reimbursement rates to consumer satisfaction surveys and low satisfaction means a hit to the financial bottom line. The results of those surveys should never take priority over staff safety, DAngelo said. Eric Sean Clay, the president-elect of the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety and vice president of security at Memorial Hermann Health in Houston, said the workplace violence rates attributed to health care facilities are grossly underreported. I think that a lot of it comes down to caregivers are just very tolerant, and they come to look at it as just part of the job, he said. If theyre not injured, sometimes they dont want to report it, and sometimes they dont think there will be any change. Clays hospital uses armed and unarmed security officers, though he hopes to have them all armed eventually. We actually have our own firing range that we use, Clay said. None of his security officers have drawn their weapons on the job in recent years, but he wants them to be ready because of the rise in gun violence. Clay and Memorial Hermann Health declined to answer questions about whether an armed security force could negatively affect access to health care or existing inequities. The nurse at the Portland hospital said the shooting left her colleagues terrified and unusually solemn. She is worried Legacy Health`s promises of increased safety will be temporary because of the cost of finding, training and retaining security officers. Some of her co-workers have resigned because they don`t want to face another code silver, the alert issued when someone at the hospital has a weapon. You know, we always say these patients and their families are so vulnerable, because theyre having the worst day of their life here, the nurse said, and that makes many staffers reluctant to demand better behavior. We have to stop that narrative, she said. Being vulnerable is bleeding out from a bullet wound in your chest. Being vulnerable is having to barricade yourself and your patients in a room because of a code silver. Photo: Law enforcement officers stand Northside Hospital Midtown medical office building, where a man opened fire in the medical center waiting room, killing one woman and wounding four, on May 3 in Atlanta. Data shows American health care workers now suffer more nonfatal injuries from workplace violence than workers in any other profession, including law enforcement. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Southwest Airlines Co. on Tuesday said it will appeal a Texas federal judges unusual order requiring three of its senior lawyers to attend religious liberty training by a prominent conservative Christian legal group. The airline in a statement confirmed that it would file an appeal one day after U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr said the lawyers had undermined his earlier ruling in a religious bias case by Southwest flight attendant Charlene Carter. Starr said that instead of notifying employees of their rights against religious discrimination, as he had ordered Southwest to do, the lawyers penned a memo warning workers not to violate the company policy that led it to fire Carter. Carter says she was fired for criticizing her unions decision to participate in the 2017 Womens March, a nationwide protest following the inauguration of former President Donald Trump, because Planned Parenthood was a sponsor. Carter has said she is a Christian who opposes abortion. Starr, a Trump appointee, gave the lawyers until Aug. 28 to attend an eight-hour training conducted by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is routinely involved in high-profile court cases on abortion and religious liberties. ADF has spearheaded efforts to restrict the availability of abortion pill mifepristone and helped draft a Mississippi abortion ban upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in its June 2022 ruling eliminating womens constitutional right to abortion. Southwest in its statement did not elaborate on the basis for its appeal. Carter is represented by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a conservative worker advocacy group. Mark Mix, the groups president, said Mondays ruling shuts down Southwest Airlines bald-faced attempt to dodge its responsibility to inform flight attendants of its wrongdoing. Judges often require employers to take steps to remedy discriminatory conduct, such as training workers and adopting new policies, but it is unusual for them to order company officials to undergo training conducted by specific groups. Starr cited older rulings requiring lawyers to attend continuing education or ethics training. The ruling may be unprecedented, and the choice of ADF to conduct the training is troubling given its history of advocating a conservative Christian viewpoint, according to David Lopez, who was general counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) during the Obama administration. That could interfere with the lawyers constitutional rights, he said, especially if they practice other religions. The court is moving into some really dangerous territory here, said Lopez, who is now a law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. But Andrea Lucas, a current EEOC commissioner appointed by Trump, said the case highlighted that many companies view workers religious liberty as an afterthought. Companies and their lawyers should take findings of religious discrimination as seriously as discrimination based on race (or) sex, Lucas said. ADFs chief legal counsel, Jim Campbell, said the group was happy to help by providing training on laws barring religious discrimination. Every company should respect religious liberty and diverse viewpoints in the workplace, Campbell said in a statement. Southwest has maintained that Carter was fired for harassing coworkers about the Womens March on social media in violation of a company civility policy. A jury last year found that Southwest and Carters union had engaged in religious discrimination. Starr ordered them to pay Carter more than $800,000 and reinstate her to her job. Southwest and the union are appealing that decision, which also required the airline to notify employees of their right to express their religious views on social media. Starr on Monday said Southwest flouted that order by instead telling employees that the court ordered us to inform you that Southwest does not discriminate against our employees for their religious practices and beliefs. Southwest in a memo drafted by the three lawyers Kerrie Forbes, Kevin Minchey, and Chris Maberry also defended Carters firing and said it would continue enforcing its social media policy. Topics Legislation Training Development Six years ago, U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney voted to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that lowered income tax rates for individuals and small businesses. Now, as a key plank of her tax plan that was unveiled Tuesday, Tenney, R-Canandaigua, endorsed legislation to make these tax cuts, which were signed into law by then-President Donald Trump, permanent. Tenney has cosponsored the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Permanency Act, a bill that would keep the tax cuts for individual filers and small businesses in place. These cuts have an expiration date they are due to sunset at the end of 2025 so Republican lawmakers, including Tenney, are pushing to make them permanent. Other bills supported by Tenney include the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, legislation to make the 20% pass-through small business tax deduction permanent that was also part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. She also supports ending the estate tax, which critics refer to as the "death tax," which she says affects family businesses and farms. Tenney dubbed her series of proposals as the "America First Tax Plan." "Since I was elected to public office, my mission has always been to put New York taxpayers first," Tenney said. "For America to remain competitive and free, our nation needs a straightforward tax code that encourages work, allows Americans to keep more of their earnings and establishes competitive races for employers." As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Tenney said she is "leading tax policies that are pro-growth and pro-worker, while working to ensure that our nation's tax laws are carried out in a fair manner." Tenney's tax plan also includes making the new markets tax credit permanent and increasing the tax credit, from 20% to 30%, for historic rehabilitation projects. She has sponsored legislation that would direct the comptroller general to audit the funding provided in the five COVID-19 relief bills. She also supports a bill that aims to prevent the Internal Revenue Service from auditing families and small businesses. Tenney encouraged constituents to share their views by calling her office at (202) 225-3665 or by commenting on her website, tenney.house.gov. Tenney represents the 24th Congressional District, which includes all of Cayuga County. New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! The Florida Supreme Court this week declined to hear an appeal from Florida Farm Bureau General Insurance. The move essentially upholds a lower court that cut down the insurers argument that a burglars blood and fecal matter are not covered by a homeowners policy. Farm Bureau, which stopped writing new HO business in Florida last year, had pressed the $4,100 claim all the way to the high court, contending that the homeowners policy exclusion barred coverage for damage from pollution, and blood and feces from an injured burglar should have been considered pollutants. The county court in Marion County in 2020 ruled against the insurer, as did Floridas 5th District Court of Appeal in April of this year. A fair reading of the exclusion provision leads us to conclude that the blood left at the Worrells residence by Antons unlawful entrance onto their property is not a pollutant as defined by the policys exclusion provision, the 5th DCA opinion reads. The case stemmed from an incident at John and Joyce Worrells Ocala home in January 2020. The burglar, Laurance Anton, while intoxicated and apparently injured, broke into Worrells shed and left his fluids behind. He was later found dead outside a neighbors house, the appellate court explained. Medical examiners ruled that Antons cause of death was blunt head trauma from a fall, and the manner of death was an accident, according to a local news report at the time. Anton, who lived nearby, had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit. The Worrells hired Accident Cleaners and Restoration to clean the shed, and they assigned benefits to the firm. The cleaning company then filed a claim with Farm Bureau, which denied it, citing the pollution exclusion. The family filed suit and the county court entered a summary judgment in the Worrells favor, for $4,104, plus interest, attorneys fees and costs. The homeowners policy exclusion notes that the policy will not cover losses caused by: Discharge, dispersal, seepage, migration, release or escape of pollutants unless the discharge, dispersal, seepage, migration, release or escape is itself caused by a Peril Insured Against under Coverage C of this policy. Pollutants means any solid, liquid, gaseous or thermal irritant or contaminant, including smoke, vapor, soot, fumes, acids, alkalis, chemicals and waste. Waste includes materials to be recycled, reconditioned or reclaimed, the policy reads. The appellate judges held that the exclusion was clearly worded, but blood does not meet the definition of a pollutant or a waste product. Very similar policy language was declared unambiguous by a 1998 Florida Supreme Court decision, Deni Associates vs. State Farm Fire & Casualty Insurance, the court noted. The fecal matter also was not excluded in the Worrell policy. Since we have determined blood is not a pollutant that would be excluded from the policys coverageand that, as a result, the policy covers the restoration services secured by the Worrells it is unnecessary to reach the same question as to the fecal matter, 5DCA Judge Adrian Soud wrote. The fecal matter, at most, is a concurrent cause of loss to the Worrells. The policy does not contain any language limiting the concurrent cause doctrines application to the pollution exclusion provision. The Worrells were represented by attorney Mark Nation. Virgil Wright and Julie Ogelsby represented Farm Bureau. Topics Florida New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Divers working missing persons cold cases have found 32 cars submerged in a lake near Miami, prompting questions about the vehicles connection to crimes. Multiple news outlets reported that the cars were found in murky lake in Doral, near the Miami International Airport. Its a commercial area with a Walmart, a car dealership and restaurants, USA Today and the New York Times noted. Investigators Doug Bishop and Ken Fleming work with United Search Corps, a non-profit that helps to reopen missing persons cases. The men told local 7 News that they had found some 60 cars across Florida, but this is most theyve ever seen in one body of water. Police officials said they are now investigating the findings. The vehicles will likely be removed from the lake at some point. One official suggested the cars could be linked to the cocaine wars of the 1980s, when Columbian drug cartels were reported to be heavily involved in smuggling in the area, the Times reported. Other cars were found in a lake in May in Deerfield Beach, and other waterways are expected to yield more vehicles as search efforts continue. It was not clear if insurance claims had ever been made on the cars. Photo: The body of water where the cars were found. (Google Maps) A wildfire erupted in Maui on Wednesday fueled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, destroying homes and businesses in a tourist town and forcing some residents to jump into the ocean to escape the flames. The Associated Press is reporting the fire was widespread in Lahaina Town, including on Front Street, a popular shopping and dining area, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said by phone early Wednesday. Traffic has been very heavy as people try to evacuate the area, and officials asked people who werent in an evacuation area to shelter in place to avoid adding to the traffic, she said. The American Property Casualty Insurance Association responded with insurance tips and a statement. Insurers are ready to help Maui homeowners, renters and businesses impacted by these wildfires, said Karen Collins, APCIA vice president, property & environmental. This first step is contacting your insurer to start your claim. This is what you have insurance for. Your company or agent will help you navigate this process and get you what you need each step of the way. AM Best lists the top homeowners multi-peril insurers in Hawaii as of 2022 as State Farm with 35% of market share and $162 million in direct premiums written. Other top writers are Tokio Marine U.S. PC Group (12% market share), Allstate Insurance Group (8%), USAA Group (7%) and Liberty Mutual Insurance Companies (6%). Crews on Maui fought multiple blazes in two the tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which was passing to the south of the island chain at a safe distance of 500 miles, was partly to blame for gusts above 60 mph that knocked out power, rattled homes and grounded firefighting helicopters, the Associated Press reported. Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Hawaii Vancouver, BC - August 9, 2023 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Getchell Gold Corp. (CSE: GTCH) (OTCQB: GGLDF) ("Getchell" or the "Company") announces that as part of the planned 2023 drill program to expand the Mineral Resource at the Fondaway Canyon gold project ("Project"), the Company has received authorization from the US Bureau of Land Management to construct an additional 12 drill pads. The Fondaway Canyon gold project is host to a large, at and near surface Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") reporting: Inferred Mineral Resource of 38.3 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.23 g/t Au for 1,509,100 ounces of gold; of 38.3 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.23 g/t Au for of gold; Indicated Mineral Resource of 11.0 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.56 g/t Au for an additional 550,800 ounces of gold; of 11.0 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.56 g/t Au for an additional of gold; Strong gold mineralization in the most peripheral drill holes leaves the mineral resources open in most directions for further expansion and indicates a substantially larger body of mineralization than delineated to date; and The drill plan is designed to expand the volume of mineralization to grow the mineral resources and upgrade Inferred resources to Indicated. "Having released a continuous series of exceptional drill results in batches over the last three years, it is important to step back and weigh the potential of the Fondaway Canyon project as a whole," States Getchell President Mike Sieb. "What becomes immediately obvious is the strong and prevalent gold mineralization encountered in the most peripheral drill holes, signifying a robust mineralization system that has yet to be truly tested. This causes us to seriously wonder how big it can be, and the authorization for an additional 12 drill pads will enable us to conduct step-out drilling and start to answer that question." Permitted Drill Pads The Company has received authorization from the US Bureau of Land Management to construct twelve additional drill pads under its Notice level permit for the Fondaway Canyon gold project has brought the total number up to 26 property wide. The additional 12 permitted holes allow the Company to substantially increase the already sizable mineral resource, as well as further delineate the mineralization internal to the current mineral resource to upgrade Inferred Resources to Indicated. The remaining 22 drill pads that cover the Central Area span a considerable zone of 500m x 650m, a 270% increase in range from the previously permitted pad coverage. The 22 drill pads will provide an excellent drill array, sufficient to support more than one drill campaign with multiple directional holes intended from each drill pad. For reference, from just six drill pads in the Central Area the Company has drilled 26 drill holes over three drill campaigns. Mineralization Wide Open Of the 26 drill holes drilled in the Central Area, only 18 were used in the Mineral Resource Estimate due to the resource model data inclusion cut off in late September 2022. These 18 drill holes were responsible for a doubling of the Mineral Resource Estimate from historical levels. The balance of the drilling not included in the MRE - nine holes drilled in the latter half of 2022 - all intersected substantive mineralization. Upon completion of the 2022 drill program the limits of the gold mineralization had yet to be encountered, remaining open in most directions and with strong gold mineralization observed in the most peripheral drill holes (i.e. the furthest extent of drilling). These are highlighted in yellow on the plan map of the Central Area below (Fig. 1). Figure 1: Fondaway Canyon Central Area plan map highlighting most peripheral drill holes Six drill holes on the periphery of existing drilling have been selected to illustrate the continued strength and degree of openness of the gold mineralization at the furthest edge of drilling. Three drill holes into the Colorado SW Zone: FCG22-20: open up dip to the NE; FCG21-08: open on strike to the NW; and FCG21-15: open down dip to the SW. Three drill holes into the North Fork Zone: FCG22-18 and FCG22-22: open on strike to the SE; and FCG22-19: open down dip to the SW. Figure 2: Colorado SW Zone cross section C1W highlighting gold intervals from most-peripheral drill holes Figure 3: Colorado SW Zone cross section C highlighting gold intervals from most-peripheral drill holes As shown in the Colorado SW cross section C1W (Fig 2), the most northwestern extents of drilling, the trend of the gold mineralization is well defined, displaying high consistency along a 300m down-dip drill length, maintaining good thickness, and shallowly dipping. These are all highly favourable attributes to look for in a deposit in terms of both level of confidence and future potential. Hole FCG22-20, drilled vertically from the base of the Colorado Pit, a historic small-scale open pit, intersected two gold intervals grading 0.8 g/t Au over 33.0m and 1.7 g/t Au over 56.6m. The mineralization remains open with the plan to drill on section to the northeast to extend the mineralization up-dip towards the surface. Hole FCG21-08, drilled to the southwest from the Colorado Pit, intersected a lengthy gold interval grading 1.4 g/t Au over 203.9m. The mineralization remains open with the plan to drill off section to the northwest to extend the mineralization along strike. The Colorado SW cross section C (Fig 3), adjacent and to the southeast of section C1W, continues to show the well-defined trend of the gold mineralization. Hole FCG21-15, drilled steeply to the northeast, intersected 1.2 g/t Au over 87.5m. This is the furthest down-dip hole drilled on the Colorado SW zone and leaves the mineralization wide open in this direction with the plan to drill to the southwest to extend the mineralization down-dip. By themselves, these three holes display highly noteworthy intercepts - but when considered that the gold intervals encountered are at the furthest extents of drilling, a significantly larger body of mineralization is indicated at Fondaway Canyon than delineated to date. In the North Fork cross section N70 (Fig 4), the most southeastern and southwestern extents of drilling are shown. The North Fork zone differs from the Colorado SW zone as it is generally higher grade, appears less constrained, and reveals the potential thicker and deeper roots of the mineralizing system. Hole FCG22-18 and FCG22-22, drilling to the northeast at the Fondaway Canyon and North Fork branch junction, tested the southeastern extents of the mineralization and intersected multiple significant gold intervals spanning over 200 metres down hole distance. Hole FCG22-18 intersected three gold intervals grading 2.5 g/t Au over 43.4m, 2.1 g/t Au over 46.6m, and 1.9 g/t Au over 72.6m; and hole FCG22-22 intersected four gold intervals grading 3.0 g/t Au over 59.3m, 2.4 g/t Au over 21.7m, 0.8 g/t Au over 41.6m, and 1.1 g/t Au over 25.8m. The mineralization is fully open along strike to the southeast with the drill plan intending to step out to extend the mineralization in this direction. Hole FC22-19, set up on the same drill pad, is a vertical hole and the furthest down-dip intersection of the North Fork zone. Multiple significant gold intervals were encountered spanning 145 metres down hole distance comprising 0.8 g/t Au over 23.5m, 2.1 g/t Au over 87.6m, and 2.1 g/t Au over 10.8m. The mineralization is fully open down dip to the southwest with the drill plan intending to test the extent of the mineralization further in this direction. These three holes have encountered exceptional drill intercepts of significant extents and grade, but when once again considered that these gold intervals are at the furthest extents of drilling, the indication of a substantially larger body of mineralization than delineated to date is reaffirmed at Fondaway Canyon Figure 4: North Fork Zone cross section N70 highlighting gold intervals from most-peripheral drill holes Scott Frostad, P.Geo., is the Qualified Person (as defined in NI 43-101) who reviewed and approved the content and scientific and technical information in the news release. Engagement of Investor Ideas The Company is also announcing the engagement of Investor Ideas, an online media company, to provide investor relations, news publishing, content creation, and communication consulting services to the Company for a period of one year. Content produced by Investor Ideas for the Company may appear on the Investor Ideas website, through Newswire services, and emailed to Investor Ideas subscribers. In connection with the engagement of Investor Ideas, the Company has granted Investor Ideas a total of 60,000 stock options exercisable at a price of $0.20 per share for a period of five years. Investor Ideas does not have a pre-existing relationship with the Company. Notes on the Mineral Resource Estimate: The independent and qualified person for the mineral resources estimate, as defined by NI 43-101, is Michael Dufresne, P.Geo., from APEX Geoscience Ltd. Mineral Resources, which are not Mineral Reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability. There has been insufficient exploration to define the inferred resources tabulated above as an indicated or measured mineral resource, however, it is reasonably expected that the majority of the Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration. There is no guarantee that any part of the mineral resources discussed herein will be converted into a mineral reserve in the future. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, marketing, or other relevant issues. The mineral resources in this report were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum standards on mineral resources and reserves, definitions, and guidelines prepared by the CIM standing committee on reserve definitions and adopted by the CIM council (CIM 2014 and 2019). The Mineral Resources Estimate is underpinned by data from 518 reverse circulation and diamond drillholes totalling 52,395m of drilling that intersected the mineralized domains. The mineral resource is reported at a lower cut-off of 0.3 g/t Au for the conceptual open pit and 2.0 g/t Au for the conceptual underground extraction scenario. The lower cut-off grades and potential mining scenarios were calculated using the following parameters: mining cost = US$2.70/t (open pit); G&A = US$2.00/t; processing cost = US$15.00/t; recoveries = 92%, gold price = US$1,650.00/oz; royalties = 1%; and minimum mining widths = 1.5 metres (underground) in order to meet the requirement that the reported Mineral Resources show "reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction". The effective date of the Mineral Resources Estimate is December 12, 2022, and a technical report on the Fondaway Canyon project titled "Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate Fondaway Canyon Project, Nevada, USA" was filed by the Company on SEDAR on February 3, 2023. About Getchell Gold Corp. The Company is a Nevada focused gold and copper exploration company trading on the CSE: GTCH and OTCQB: GGLDF. Getchell Gold is primarily directing its efforts on its most advanced stage asset, Fondaway Canyon, a past gold producer with a significant in-the-ground historic resource estimate. Complementing Getchells asset portfolio is Dixie Comstock, a past gold producer with a historic resource and two earlier stage exploration projects, Star (Cu-Au-Ag) and Hot Springs Peak (Au). Getchell has the option to acquire 100% of the Fondaway Canyon and Dixie Comstock properties, Churchill County, Nevada. For further information please visit the Companys website at www.getchellgold.com or contact the Company at info@getchellgold.com or by phone at +1 647 249-4798. Mr. William Wagener, Chairman & CEO Getchell Gold Corp. 1-647-249-4798 info@getchellgold.com The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the amendment of the Warrants. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although management of Getchell have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. Disclosure: In connection with the engagement of Investor Ideas, Getchell Gold Corp. (CSE:GTCH) has granted Investor Ideas a total of 60,000 stock options exercisable at a price of $0.20 per share for a period of five years. Investor Ideas does not have a pre-existing relationship with the Company. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Video-sharing app TikTok is investing 750,000 in partnership with Rethink Ireland to back nonprofit organisations that work to build digital and creative skills to support marginalised young people. The company said it wants to equip young people with the skills needed in the ever-changing digital economy. "Education and training are vital to increasing opportunities and a positive outcome for young people. TikTok and Rethink Ireland are committed to making a positive social contribution to communities in Ireland and a meaningful difference to the lives of young people. Rethink Ireland supports non-profit organisations working in communities across the country. To date, it has invested 34.2m in education. In 2021 their awardees supported 1,008 people to achieve a QQI qualification, including 127 leaving certificates and 181 junior certificates. TikTok said it will be providing a further 250,000 to Rethink Ireland in advertising support. TikTok's head of trust and safety Cormac Keenan said they wanted to support projects that offer inclusive economic opportunities. "We are extremely proud that The Digital Future Fund will work to enhance the lives of young people in Ireland who are unemployed, underemployed, or wish to upskill. In an ever-changing economic environment, equipping young people with digital skills of the future is critical to the prosperity of our society and economy. Rethink Ireland chairwoman Aine Kerr said the pandemic amplified the countrys existing digital divide, highlighting an urgent need for investment into education. "We are delighted to partner with TikTok to create a Fund that focuses on closing that digital divide and preparing our young people for employment by empowering them with the skills they need to do so," she said. Around 230 workers at London Gatwick, Britain's second busiest airport, will take eight days of strike action this month over pay disputes as the Unite trade union warns of flight disruptions. Ground handlers, passenger assistance and other airport workers at Gatwick have been negotiating with various employers including Red Handling, Wilson James, Menzies and ASC, in separate pay disputes. Last year, Dublin Airport was Gatwicks number one destination, flying 1.1 million passengers in total. In July, some planned strikes were called off after workers received improved pay offers. However, on Wednesday Unite said workers from Red Handling and Wilson James would take industrial action. The latest strikes, which will take place in various tranches from August 18 to 28, ending on the day of a bank holiday for most of Britain, will disrupt or delay over 200 flights during the first four days, Unite said. "Red Handling and Wilson James need to wake up and smell the coffee, other employers at the airport are prepared to pay the going rate and there is no excuse why they shouldnt do the same," Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said. "There is no way our members will accept a real terms pay cut and poverty pay." A Gatwick spokesperson said the airport would support airlines and other companies in their contingency planning for the strikes to ensure as many flights as possible run on schedule. Read More Travel industry braces for summer of airport disruptions across Europe Reuters Milk producer PJ Brennan at Lismore, Co Waterford, is one of the few Irish farmers who knows how much greenhouse gas emissions his business emits. PJ told Teagasc, AgNav showed that our farm was generating 428,426kg of carbon dioxide equivalent before we started to take on any mitigation actions". AgNav calculates farm emissions using data from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), Bord Bia, and Teagasc. Some Teagasc advisors and farmers have been trying it out, and it will be further distributed in the next year through regional workshops. From 2024, it is targeted that 10,000 farmers will utilise AgNav each year. Initially, AgNav will be available to all Irish beef and dairy farmers who sign up for the free Signpost advisory programme (in which 21 dedicated Teagasc advisors help farmers to achieve the 25% emissions cut target for agriculture). Farmers stay in control of the data in AgNav that relates to their farm. PJ said: I liked getting the emissions figure for my farm, as it allows me to see where I am on the start of my journey to reduce farm emissions. Farming 42 hectares and milking 70 cows, PJ delivered 549kg of milk solids per cow to Tirlan in 2022. PJ is a member of the Ballyduff-Ballysaggart dairy discussion group which has taken part in a Signpost advisory workshop. "I used 205kg of nitrogen per hectare in 2021, which is my latest AgNav figure, and 79% of that nitrogen was in the form of protected urea. It was great to be able to see that, on my farm, that this one simple action reduced my farm emissions by 6.8%, while at the same time saving me thousands of euro, compared to using CAN fertiliser", said PJ, who now aims for 90% of chemical nitrogen spread to be protected urea, to reduce emissions further. His other goals include reducing chemical fertiliser by 20% (through correcting lime, P and K levels, and incorporating clover and multispecies swards); continuing with 100% low emission slurry spreading (75% in the spring, the remaining 25% after first-cut silage); and increasing the grazing season by ten days. Combining these actions is calculated to reduce PJs farm emissions to 378,921kg, a reduction of 11.5%. According to PJ: These are all actions that will save me money as well as being good for the environment". Teagasc Director of Knowledge Transfer Dr Stan Lalor has explained that knowing their carbon emissions number gives farmers a baseline on which to act. Knowing your number is really important, he told Cathal Somers and Deirdre Glynn, presenters of Teagascs The Environment Edge podcast. Dr Lalor said, A lot of farmers are very aware of the technologies available; theyre very aware of what the sector needs to do, but maybe not quite sure what they need to do at home. And what we have with AgNav, now, is a system where a farmer can see not only the total emissions from the farm, but also, what is contributing to those emissions. Is it methane? Is it nitrous oxide? What is the big contributing factor, and therefore, what are the most appropriate things for me to do on my farm? Dr Lalor explained: Some measures are relatively straightforward. Going out and buying a different kind of fertiliser, for example, is something which is relatively easy to do, or spreading your slurry a different way. But other things are more complicated. They take trial and error by farmers, things such as clover adoption by farmers, reducing nitrogen. "Those have impacts across the whole farm and advisory support, and industry support, are there to help farmers to take that on and guide them and support them in their journey to making progress. Thats what the Signpost Advisory Programme is doing. Also speaking on the podcast was Pete OHanrahan, a dairy-calf-to-beef producer in partnership with his father Thomas at Thomastown, Co Kilkenny. Pete purchases 220 to 230 dairy-bred calves at two weeks old and rears them to slaughter. Working with his Signpost Climate Advisor, Patrick Dunphy, Pete has learned how replacing standard urea fertiliser with protected urea, and reducing the amount of CAN fertiliser used, he has reduced emissions by 3.5%. There was a 7.5% total reduction, when low emissions slurry spreading was also factored in to AgNav. The O'Hanrahans have their own dribble bar for 100% low-emission slurry spreading. "Were incorporating clover in nearly everything were doing now, white clover in most of the reseeds and weve another 35 acres of red clover silage, said Pete. No chemical nitrogen is applied to the red clover and at certain times of year, chemical nitrogen is reduced on the white clover sward. They also have a programme in place to apply lime annually. They have reduced the age of slaughter through good grassland management, selecting appropriate calves, and attention to animal health. They measure grass weekly, for grazing planning. Signpost Climate Advisors Dr Seamus Kearney and Patrick Dunphy explained how they visit Waterford and Kilkenny farmers, convene discussion groups and workshops, outline what the new AgNav programme entails, how participants can reduce emissions, and the financial benefits of doing so. A plan is drawn up for each participating farm, with three or four actions to be implemented over three years. Patrick said switching to protected urea is a key move in lowering emissions, as well as reducing farm costs. Clover and low-emission slurry spreading are also very effective. But soil fertility must be right for clover, and lime can play a key role in this. Once the plan is in place, the advisors can do follow-up one-to-one visits. Dr Kearney said the aim is for the Signpost Advisory Programme to reach 54,000 farmers by 2030 (500 farmers per advisor). He said farmers already signed up are more than happy to take on three or four actions. Its a free service. Its available to all clients, he explained. Data for Agnav comes from Bord Bia audits (which record fertiliser usage), and farm figures known to ICBF, combined with how and when farmers spread slurry. Currently, the focus is on interventions related to slurry, fertiliser, and the length of the grazing season. Further actions will be emphasised as time goes on. The plan long-term is that there will be euro figures beside those emissions figures, Dr Kearney said. If you want to maximise the savings you can make, from a financial point of view, four simple steps. No 1 is change your fertiliser towards a higher compound such as 18-6-12 for your P fertiliser. "Get out as much of your nitrogen as you can in the form of protected urea. "Message No 2 is we try to reduce the amount of chemical nitrogen by improving our lime, our P and K, incorporating clover, and using low emissions to retain more of the nitrogen in the soil. "Message No 3 is calving heifers that bit earlier, at two years of age, maybe reducing your replacement rates a little where herds have become stagnant. "And message No 4, we need to look at the 5% of the poorest stock on any farm, are they adding any value, or only extra work? Going to 90% protected urea, cutting fertiliser 10 or 20%, low emission slurry spreading, slurry in the spring, can together reduce emissions 8% to 10% on many farms (25% needed by 2030)." Everything in the world of farming and food starts with grain. About 2.9 billion tonnes are produced globally, with 1.3 billion estimated to be for human food, and nearly 1.6 billion for animal feed, biofuels, and other uses. There has been disquiet globally about just four companies (ADM, Bunge, Cargill and Dreyfus) getting control of between 75% and 90% of the 750bn global grain trade (the export value of grains and oilseeds in 2020 before prices jumped). However, such fears have receded into the background, since Russia started bombing its way further into the grain trade. This started when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. There were dozens of missile strikes on cities all over Ukraine, but it was noted that facilities for storing and shipping Ukraine's huge grain production suffered disproportionately. For more than four months, Russian military vessels blocked Ukraine's Black Sea ports, halting grain exports. The US accused Russia of "weaponising food" to gain leverage in its failing invasion of Ukraine. Grain exports are a key revenue source for Ukraine, which accounts for 9% of global wheat exports (Ukraine and Russia together provide 30% of the world wheat supply). In July 2022, a deal agreed by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the UN allowed Ukraine to resume exports of grain, other foodstuffs, and fertiliser, from three of its Black Sea ports. More than 1,000 ships full of grain (almost 33 million tonnes) and other foodstuffs left Ukraine from the three ports (Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny-Pivdennyi) in the next year. This freed up storage space for Ukraine's 2022 harvest tonnage, estimated to be reduced by one-third due to the war. The extra grain coming on the world market stabilised the price at about 800 per tonne, down from a wartime high of 1,360. Western sources say 61% of the 2022-23 Ukraine exports went to low and middle-income countries (including 750,000 tonnes bought by the World Food Programme for Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan). But Russian sources say less than 4% went to the very poorest countries. In July 2023, Russia announced its decision to terminate the Black Sea grain agreement. This was not unexpected, after Russia slowed ship inspections last October. By April, there was a 29% decrease in food exports, and 66% by May. Russia reimposed a maritime blockade in mid-July and launched air strikes on Ukraine's ports, again bombing port infrastructure, grain silos, and processing equipment. Russia warned that any ships sailing to Ukraines Black Sea ports would be seen as potentially carrying military cargoes. Ukrainian government sources said the Russian bombing last month knocked out a significant part of the grain export infrastructure, and it will take at least a year to repair, at the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk. Bombs also destroyed an estimated 60,000 tonnes of grain. Russia even bombed Reni, a Ukrainian port town on the Danube River, about a mile across the river from Romania, a NATO member. Apparently, another effort to cripple Ukraines exports of agricultural products, it was the closest Russia has come to hitting the military alliances territory and risking direct military confrontation with the US and European allies. The Danube and other routes through the EU have been used for Ukraine to export about 16 million tonnes of grain in the past year. The new Russian port blockade and attacks pushed benchmark Chicago wheat futures towards their biggest weekly gain since the February 2022 invasion. Egypt condemned Russias actions. This was significant, because Egypt has a high economic dependence on Russia. But it is one of many African countries which depend heavily on Russian and Ukrainian grain to feed its people. Egypts state buyer, GASC, bought 300,000 tonnes of Russian wheat in mid-July. The United Nations warned that millions in poor countries were at greater risk of starvation from the rising prices. Russian President Vladimir Putin told African leaders Russia was ready to replace Ukrainian grain exports to Africa on both a commercial and aid basis. The EU, in turn, warned developing countries that Russian cheap grain would "create new dependencies". "As the world deals with disrupted supplies and higher prices, Russia is now approaching vulnerable countries with bilateral offers of grain shipments at discounted prices, pretending to solve a problem it created itself," said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Top US State Department sanctions official James O'Brien said Russia needs to be clear in its demands, pointing out that Russia is already exporting record amounts of grain, and its "complaints amount to minor allegations about a system that is working very well." Russia may export at least 55 million tonnes in the 2023/24 marketing season, slightly less than the estimated record-breaking 57 million tonnes in the 2022/23 season, Russia's Grain Union said. The intergovernmental International Grains Council says world total grains production is heading for a new peak of production in 2023/24, with the output of maize and sorghum jumping, to more than offset declines for wheat, barley, oats, and rice. But consumption is also predicted at a record level, and carryovers are forecast to tighten for a seventh successive season. The IGC said there was market unease about ongoing events in the Black Sea region, along with the usual news of difficult cropping and harvesting weather around the world. The IGC grains and oilseeds price index rose in July for a second consecutive month, by 4%, but it is running about 15% lower than in May. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy said, "Moscow is fighting a battle for a global catastrophe. These lunatics need the world food market to collapse, they need price crises, supply disruptions. Someone in Moscow thinks they can make money on this." The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has apologised to its thousands of serving officers and civilian staff whose personal and employment data was compromised in a significant data breach. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he is deeply concerned by the data breach, while the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) said its members are appalled. The incident happened when the PSNI responded to a Freedom of Information request seeking the number of officers and staff at all ranks and grades across the organisation. In the published response to this request a table was embedded that contained the rank and grade data, but also included detailed information that attached the surname, initial, the location and the departments for all employees of the PSNI. The data was potentially viewable by the public for between 2.5 to three hours. The Police Service of Northern Irelands Senior Information Risk Officer, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd, has made a statement on todays data breach. Full details here: https://t.co/b3cLBPDGm1 pic.twitter.com/p78ns37Zfy Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) August 8, 2023 Addressing the media in Belfast on Tuesday, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd apologised to officers for the unacceptable breach. He said that once it was brought to the PSNIs attention it was taken down quickly, and that early indications were that this was a simple human error. Mr Todd also said there were no immediate security concerns, but they were monitoring the situation. I understand that that will be of considerable concern to many of my colleagues and their families indeed, at the moment, he said. We operate in an environment at the moment where theres a severe threat to our colleagues from Northern Ireland-related terrorism and this is the last thing that anybody in the organisation wants to be hearing this evening. So, I owe it to all my colleagues to make sure that this is investigated thoroughly, and weve initiated that and will keep them informed, keep all the staff associations informed of that investigation, and weve been engaging with them throughout the afternoon. Im deeply concerned by the data breach involving the PSNI. My officials are in close contact with senior officers and are keeping me updated. Chris Heaton-Harris MP (@chhcalling) August 8, 2023 The information was taken down very quickly but, nevertheless, I do appreciate the concern, of course we will seek to find the extent to which that has been viewed. What I would say is that although the error was our own, once that information was out there if anybody did have access to it, I would ask them to delete it straight away. The incident was first reported by the Belfast Telegraph, which reported that it viewed the uploaded material after it was contacted by a relative of a serving officer. Apart from the person who released the information, the PSNI was unaware the information had been released until they saw it on a website, Mr Todd confirmed. He said that despite the data only including surnames and initials, the breach will still be of significant concern to many of my colleagues. We will ensure we do anything we can to mitigate any security risks that are identified. Our Chair, Liam Kelly said this is a breach of monumental proportions and the officers we represent are appalled, shocked and angry. They want action to ensure this never happens again. @NIPolicingBoard @Justice_NI @PoliceServiceNI Read in full: https://t.co/uOmnvLneNM Police Federation for Northern Ireland (@PoliceFedforNI) August 8, 2023 He added: Weve looked into the circumstances, well continue with our investigation, but the very early considerations are that this is simple human error and the people who have been involved in the process have acted in good faith. Weve identified some steps that we can take to ensure that it doesnt happen again. It is regrettable but it is simple human error. Liam Kelly, chairman of the PFNI, said an urgent inquiry is needed into the monumental breach. Even if it was done accidentally, it still represents a data and security breach that should never have happened, he said. Rigorous safeguards ought to have been in place to protect this valuable information which, if in the wrong hands, could do incalculable damage. The men and women I represent are appalled by this breach. They are shocked, dismayed and justifiably angry. Like me, they are demanding action to address this unprecedented disclosure of sensitive information. Politicians have reacted with shock the SDLPs policing spokesman Mark H Durkan called on PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne to make a statement. DUP MLA for South Antrim, Trevor Clarke, a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, said they would look for answers when it meets on Thursday, and pinned some blame on Mr Heaton-Harris. The Secretary of State has presided over a budget, which is the worst that the police have ever had theyve looked to reduce numbers at a time they shouldve been increasing numbers, he told BBC Radio 4s World Tonight. Mr Todd said Mr Byrne is aware of the issue, but would not comment on whether he would return from his summer break to respond. Im the duty officer and Im the senior information risk owner, so I take responsibility for this, he said. A spokesman for the Information Commissioners Office said the PSNI has made us aware of an incident and we are assessing the information provided. A major data breach has compromised the personal and employment details of thousands of Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers and civilian staff. The forces Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd apologised to his staff for the breach, which left the Police Federation of Northern Ireland (PFNI) appalled. Here, we look at how the breach happened and what it means for those affected. How did the breach occur? The breach occurred when the PSNI responded to a Freedom of Information request seeking the number of officers and staff at all ranks and grades across the organisation. The data was then released and potentially able to be accessed by the public for between two and a half to three hours. Mr Todd said the breach was a result of human error. He said: Weve looked into the circumstances, well continue with our investigation, but the very early considerations are that this is simple human error and the people who have been involved in the process have acted in good faith. Weve identified some steps that we can take to ensure that it doesnt happen again. The breach was taken down by the PSNI but Mr Todd asked anyone who has obtained the information to delete it straight away. How did the PSNI become aware of the breach? Mr Todd said that, other than the person responsible for the breach, the PSNI were unaware it had occurred until they saw it online. The Belfast Telegraph, who first reported on the breach, became aware of it after they were contacted by a relative of a serving officer. What information was released in the breach? The response to the request was an embedded table that had the rank and grade data of all employees at the PSNI, including surnames, initials, the locations of their departments and what department they work in. Mr Todd said: It is limited to surname and initial only, so theres no other personal identifiable information contained within the information that was published. What does it mean for officers and civilian employees? The breach could jeopardise the safety of officers. When Mr Todd was asked if the information breached could be useful to terrorist organisations, he said it is of significant concern. He added: We operate in an environment at the moment where theres a severe threat to our colleagues from Northern Ireland-related terrorism and this is the last thing that anybody in the organisation wants to be hearing this evening. The Democratic Unionist Partys (DUP) Policing Board representative MLA Trevor Clarke said: This not only jeopardises the safety of officers, but will further undermine morale within the organisation at a time when staff are holding the line amid unprecedented budget cuts. -Who has spoken about the data breach? The UK's Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said he is deeply concerned about the data breach. Meanwhile, the chairman of the PFNI Liam Kelly called it a breach of monumental proportions. Mr Clarke said the extent of the data breach in the PSNI is unprecedented. The Social Democratic and Labour Party policing spokesman Mark H Durkan called on the PSNI Chief Constable to make a statement. A dog that was stolen on Saturday from the Waterloo Premium Outlets, and the vehicle containing him, were recovered the next night by New York State Police from Auburn during a traffic stop in Junius. State police announced the recovery on their Facebook page Tuesday morning. The dog, a 3.5-pound, 6-year-old male Morkie (Maltese poodle Yorkie mix) named Glenn, was healthy and unharmed. Glenn has been reunited with his owner, state police said. He was inside a black 2015 Jeep Cherokee Latitude when it was stolen from the Waterloo shopping center. During the traffic stop police arrested Charles A. Donato, 45, of Fleming, and Jay L. Garrigan Jr., 41, of Auburn, and charged them with third- and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, which are a class D felony and class A misdemeanor, respectively. They were transported to the Cayuga County Jail for arraignment. State police thanked the public for its assistance finding the vehicle and Glenn. Its Facebook post announcing the theft was shared more than 8,000 times and received more than 750 comments. A town in North Kerry is celebrating after it set the official Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as Dolly Parton. Following a successful Dolly Day event on June 25, which saw more than 1,100 Dolly lookalikes gather together, Listowel says it is "thrilled" that it has now claimed the Parton crown. Committee member Liz Horgan says the team were relieved to receive news of the official world record on Monday, following months of hard work and preparation. We were thrilled to hear the news, they had said it could take 10 to 12 weeks and it has only been six weeks really, so they got back to us really quickly, she added. Dolly Day chairwoman Cora O'Brien, writer and publican Billy Keane, and publican Christy Walsh. Christy's pub will host the cheque presentation on August 26. Picture: Don MacMonagle Committee chairperson Cora OBrien spotted the email confirmation from Guinness World Record on Monday, before organising a group call to tell her team-mates. She did a group call with all of us and we were delighted, thrilled really, because as you know, it wasn't a given that we'd get it," Liz said. We could have been put down on a technicality or on anything, so to get it in the bag, we're just relieved and delighted to be honest, Despite only needing 250 people who were instantly recognisable as Ms Parton herself, the committee had a number of rules and regulations to follow in order to secure the world record title. Listowel also currently holds the record for the largest gathering of people dressed in nun costumes, which it achieved in 2012, with the help of the same committee. Robert Hackett among the 1,436 people dressed as nuns during Listowel's record-breaking Nunday in 2022. Picture: Dan Linehan The Nunday event saw a total of 1,436 people partake in the dress-up challenge, which smashed the previous record held of 250 people. Although this wasnt their first attempt, Liz Horgan admitted that Nunday was a walk in the park compared to Dolly Day. In total, 1,137 Dolly lookalikes made their way to Frank Sheehy Park in Listowel but only 959 of these were included in the official world record, following careful examination and consideration by the team in the weeks that followed. There was a pile of work behind the scenes that nobody knew about, Liz added. Liz said the big day was enjoyed by young and old alike with the oldest Dolly recorded 95 years of age. "The crowd was just unreal, and everybody was in such great form", Liz said. Maura Tomei and Eilish Stack from Italy and Kerry, playing Dolly Parton Music for passers by in Listowel for Dolly Day. It was a great boost for the town as well. All the publicans and what not were thrilled with it. The event garnered international attention in the weeks that followed, with news platforms across Australia and America picking up on the day, and the great Queen of Country, Dolly Parton herself, also spoke about the record event on national television. Dollywood company president, Eugene Naughton, attended the Listowel event on Ms Partons behalf, keeping her informed about the day. The event, held in aid of the Kerry Hospice foundation and Comfort for Chemo Kerry, exceeded the committees expectations, with money still coming in to this day. We're really, really happy with what we've raised and apart from that, Mary from comfort for chemo said that, they couldn't have paid for the exposure that the charity has gotten, Liz added. A total of 1,137 Dolly Parton lookalikes made their way to Frank Sheehy Park in Listowel in June, and 959 of them were included in the official Guinness World Record tally. File picture A cheque presentation will take place at 6.30pm on Saturday, August 26, in Christys Bar, The Well, in Listowel, where the total figure raised will be announced. The big thing is the support that we got from everyone even people who werent in a position to dress up, like OAPs, dropped money in to support us and the charities, she added. As for whats next for this committee? Talks of another world record may not be on the cards just yet, but the group are already planning a trip to Dollywood, following an invitation from Mr Naughton himself. The committee plans to make the visit next year. The community spirit in Listowel came to fruition again we definitely have something special here," Liz said. DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson denied suggesting his party was split over the Windsor Framework in a message sent to party members earlier this month. In an emailed message to party members at the start of August, Mr Donaldson expressed frustration after claiming the actions of some within DUP ranks, briefing against the party, were damaging its electoral prospects and the cause of the Union. He suggested those briefing against their own party were motivated by a desire to gain media coverage or advance their own personal agenda. It comes as the DUP continues to deliberate on whether to end its ongoing blockade of devolution in Northern Ireland in protest at the internal UK trade barriers created by the contentious post-Brexit arrangements. The party says the recent deal struck by the EU and UK to reform the protocol the Windsor Framework does not go far enough to address its concerns and has made clear that it will not countenance a return to devolution until the UK government provides further assurances, by way of legislation, over Northern Irelands place within the UK internal market. In his first media appearance since the leaked email, Mr Donaldson said there was nothing in my email suggesting there was a split within the party over the Windsor Framework. He said: I was talking about the need for unionists to work together, and I think that is what the vast majority of unionist voters want to see: that co-operation. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was making his first media appearance since the leaked email (Rebecca Black/PA) As you know, Ive been meeting with Doug Beattie and the Ulster Unionists, weve been taking forward our conversations around greater unionist co-operation, and I expect the same within my own party as well. Its important that we (have) good discipline, particularly at this time when our focus is on getting a solution that restores Northern Irelands place within the United Kingdom. He added: But let me be clear: the propositions that we have put to the government, the paper that went to the government on the Windsor Framework, was collectively agreed by our party officers, and that of course includes [Nigel] Dodds. But Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said those who did not believe there were rifts within the DUP had been living under a rock. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long suggested there was a deep divide within the DUP (Rebecca Black/PA) She said: It was fairly clear that there were those who were much more hardline about leaving the Executive, for example, others who were willing to remain in the First Ministers office, and keep the institutions running whilst bargaining with the UK Government to address these issues. Those rifts, I dont think, are news. What is news, and it has to have been factored in before that email was written, is that the party leader is appealing for unity, quite publicly. As a party leader, if I wrote an email like that to my party, I would know that that was going to be reported and leaked. So, you do that in the full knowledge that that information is going to be in the public domain, and I think the fact that Sir Jeffrey is pleading publicly with his own colleagues to back him, I think it makes no sense unless there is a deep divide within the party, which simply confirms what I think weve all witnessed over the last 12 months. UUP leader Doug Beattie said the DUP boycott had not worked (Rebecca Black/PA) Ulster Unionist Party leader Mr Beattie also gave his view on the matter, speaking to media after the parties met with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Belfast. Every political party has differences of opinion, whether we call that a split, or whether we call that where people are going in different directions, its really up to him to decide what it is, he said. But I suppose hes articulating the fact that every party will have disagreements. Its up to them to fix them but the bottom line is we need to deal with the issue around the Windsor Framework. The boycott has not worked and has not achieved any workable outcomes. So its better to be in Stormont working to find solutions than it is standing outside complaining about it. Last week Alan Gilsenans impressive film, The Seven Ages of Noel Browne, looked back at his controversial Mother and Child Scheme. It was 72 years ago when Browne attempted to introduce it, but neither the scheme nor his broader vision of universal healthcare ever came to pass. Browne as minister for health in the John A Costello coalition was ousted before he could achieve either. On the same day the film aired on RTE1, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission published a lengthy policy document raising issues straight out of the Noel Browne playbook. Brownes Mother and Baby Scheme, which aimed to offer universal healthcare to women and children up to the age of 16, was torpedoed by medical consultants and the Church. The former were worried about their bank balances, the latter terrified that Browne would introduce family planning. They leant on politicians who caved and Irish women were trapped into endless pregnancies, with one of the highest rates of infant mortality in post-war Europe. We no longer live in a nasty, narrow theocracy, one that saw Browne ostracised and unable to find work for years as a doctor because he was roundly punished for wanting to tinker with the Irish social order. Nor are we anywhere near a universal model of healthcare. Dr Noel Brownes vision for universal healthcare never came to pass. Our health system is two-tier with many services more accessible to high-income earners leading to health inequality. Social care and community care allied to the health service are underfunded. And Irish women continue to shoulder a burden where unpaid and underpaid caregiving work is concerned. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission proposes a publicly funded, non-profit universal-style model of caregiving that would reach from cradle to grave. Browne, who died in 1997, would heartily endorse this kind of big-ticket stuff. At the core of the Commissions document is the idea that seeking to profit from care contradicts the values of caring for somebody. Adopting this idea would require what Commission chief Sinead Gibney has called a major cultural shift or reversal in thinking on the part of both the State and the public. Big business This is an understatement because far from socialising health and caregiving we are privatising it with an acceleration in private equity ownership in medical or caregiving settings. And globally its big business. Even in Britain, whose NHS is a universal model of healthcare, a front-page article in last Saturdays Guardian warned about allowing childcare and social care sectors to become a playground for private equity. In Ireland, the State often subcontracts out caregiving services to for-profit services. To take an example, 15 nursing home groups run 50% of all nursing home beds in this country. The Commissions report advocates deprivatising services because it claims that research shows that the quality of care provided in the private profit-making sector is poorer over time. But is this true? There is a lack of empirical research on this topic. However, last month, a global study published in the British Medical Journal suggested that private equity ownership of healthcare services, including hospitals and nursing homes, had mixed to harmful impacts on the quality of care. The thing that stood out most was the finding that healthcare costs were increased. Also, no consistently beneficial impacts of private equity ownership were identified. The study is considered to be one of the first systematic reviews of its kind and was carried out in eight countries, including the UK, Canada, the US, the Netherlands, and Sweden. The suspicion is that profit-driven private companies often with opaque ownership structures are duty-bound to sweat the assets through cost-cutting measures, reducing investment, or raising prices. Running a business and making a profit is not a crime, but you do wonder if the profit-driven philosophy marries well with health and caregiving services and the notion of the public good. In Ireland, covid highlighted fault lines in the nursing home model with 30% of all covid-related deaths between March 2020 and February 2022 occurring in nursing homes. Five of the eight studies in the British Medical Journal showed that private equity ownership in nursing homes is associated with reduced nursing levels or changes in nursing skill sets to reduce operator costs. With an ageing population and over one million people aged 60 or older, deciding on the right structures and supports to deliver high-quality care for older people in a cost-effective way will become more of an issue here. And on a human level, as they age, many older people want to remain in their own homes and communities. Currently, the HSE provides homecare and support services but nowhere near enough. Another key area in which the Commission makes recommendations is the perennially hot-button topic of caregiving within the family. The childcare sector continues to be in relative crisis. Although there is progress in the expansion of the Early Childhood Care and Education programme we largely rely on for-profit childcare with childcare costs among the highest in the world. We can only envy many of our European neighbours who take affordable, accessible, and high-quality childcare for granted. Its a crippling economic burden to many families and it holds many Irish women back. Attitudes are changing, but gender equality will ultimately remain a pipedream as long as women perform the bulk of unpaid and underpaid caregiving. As the Commission puts it, care inequality is a root cause of global female socio-economic disempowerment. Staying at home to look after children (or anybody who needs care) is great if you make a choice and can afford to do so but being compelled to because the State doesnt support you or being hammered for it financially down the line is stone-age. One potentially controversial suggestion by the Commission is that the State should introduce maternity, paternity and parents' benefit schemes that would be adequately funded and non-transferable to encourage the sharing of responsibilities presumably meaning that Daddy couldnt hand his leave over to Mummy. The non-transferable aspect of this proposal will have social conservatives reaching for the vapours because it involves reaching into the bosom of the family and constitutes a form of social engineering, which is exactly what the Church opposed with Brownes scheme. Referendum The referendum on equality and care, which is supposed to take place in November (now unsurprisingly delayed because of difficulty in formulating a definition of the family) proposes replacing the references to a womans duties in the home with more gender-neutral language. Updated language may chime with a more modern sensibility but unless lofty aspirations are backed up by adequately funded, high-quality childcare measures, accessible to ordinary families, lone parents, and women, then it's all just window-dressing. One of the rationales put forward for opposing the Mother and Child scheme 72 years ago was that we couldnt afford it. While that justification was a fig leaf for darker, less noble reasons, the Irish State was comparatively poorer then. Thats no longer the case. We could fund universal care, the issue is whether we want to. The European Union will soon require thousands of large companies to actively look for and reduce human rights abuses and environmental damage in their supply chains. And although its an EU law, it will also cover foreign businesses, including American ones, that have operations in the region. The European Parliament approved a draft of the new rules in June 2023, and now EU member states and the European Commission will negotiate to finalise the law, which is expected to begin rolling out in phases a few years from now. We study the impacts of human rights disclosure and due diligence laws on businesses. In the past, governments have generally asked only that companies voluntarily comply with efforts to advance human rights. The EU law would be the biggest attempt yet to legally mandate compliance with major implications for human rights and businesses around the world. Human rights are those fundamental rights that all individuals hold simply by virtue of being human, such as rights to life and freedom of thought. Human rights usually inform laws that limit what governments can do for example, by obliging them to refrain from torturing people. Increasingly, however, they are also informing business regulations, because powerful companies can have serious impacts on individuals human rights. Businesses have a long history of human rights abuses, from the British East India Companys pivotal role in the slave trade and IBMs complicity in the Holocaust to more recent deadly environmental disasters involving oil and mining companies. More contemporary examples of this are children in the Democratic Republic of Congo mining cobalt destined for mobile phones or forced labour being used in the production of cotton in Chinas heavily Muslim Xinjiang region. In 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council took a step toward policing these abuses by unanimously adopting guiding principles on business and human rights. These principles urge governments to compel companies in their jurisdictions to respect human rights wherever they operate. Such an approach stands in contrast to more common voluntary standards, such as supplier codes of conduct, which some observers have suggested have been ineffective. In 2017, France became the first country to actually mandate that companies police their supply chains for human rights abuses. Human rights due diligence The EUs human rights due diligence law, first drafted in 2022, builds on the French version but goes a few steps further. Human rights due diligence is a process by which companies are meant to map out, understand and address all potential human rights abuses that occur throughout their operations. The term due diligence is borrowed from the common business practice of financial due diligence, wherein financial risks are investigated before any large investment. So just as businesses evaluate financial risks, human rights advocates argue companies should put similar effort into investigating the risk that an activity might violate someones human rights. The EU law would mandate that all large companies that operate in the bloc conduct human rights due diligence among their suppliers by, for example, making sure child or forced labour wasnt involved but also on how their products are used by consumers, such as when a piece of technology is used to surveil citizens. The law would cover most human rights, including labour rights and environmental rights, past or present. In practice, that would mean companies would have to map any harmful impacts that have occurred or could occur and take action to remedy or prevent them. The rules would also include provisions for enforcement and penalties for non-compliance through fines and other sanctions. And victims of abuse would be able to seek damages. In its current form, the law would cover EU companies with at least 500 workers and 150m in net revenue, but those thresholds fall to 250 workers and 40m in sectors with a higher risk of abuse, such as clothing, footwear and agriculture. Non-European companies must comply if they have EU revenues that meet those thresholds. An estimated 13,000 EU companies and 4,000 based outside Europe including household names like Apple, Amazon and Nike would be subject to the law. Potential impact If it works as intended, the EU law could be transformative in protecting human rights, including worker health and safety and workers free speech, around the world. According to a recent report by human rights scholars, it could be particularly valuable in the context of transnational supply chains, where the fragmented nature of production has long presented formidable legal and practical barriers to efforts to secure greater corporate accountability for labour rights violations and poor working conditions. While many companies have already endorsed mandatory due diligence rules, others worry this kind of government mandate would be too onerous. A full map of risks in a companys value chain from raw materials to consumers is difficult to establish when suppliers are separate companies operating on the other side of the world and global supply chains are frequently large and complex. Some companies also strongly resist the idea of being held responsible for human rights violations that take place in their supply chains overseas. The USA For this reason, the US has so far preferred voluntary rules when it comes to pushing companies to respect human rights. But thats slowly beginning to change. In 2012, California implemented the Supply Chain Transparency Act, which requires companies operating in the state to disclose their efforts to eradicate human trafficking and slavery in their global supply chains. And in 2021, Congress passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans the importation of goods mined, produced or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China home of the Uyghur people, who have been subjected to an intense program of state suppression since 2017. Between these rules there is a clear trend developing of an increasing number of US companies being obliged to implement some form of human rights due diligence. But these rules, unlike the developing European approach, are very narrowly tailored and dont require companies to routinely undertake due diligence. As a result, the US companies that would be subject to the EU rules would be at a competitive disadvantage to many of their domestic rivals. Thats why we believe the time may be ripe for Congress to consider its own more comprehensive human rights due diligence law, which would let the US take the lead on the issue and have more of a say in these global standards. We believe that such a move would also be a major boon to protecting the human rights of marginalized groups across the world. Rachel Chambers is Assistant Professor of Business Law, University of Connecticut. David Birchall is Senior Lecturer in Law, London South Bank University. This article first appeared on The Conversation. A Utah man accused of making threats against Joe Biden was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president was expected to land in the state, authorities said. Special agents were trying to serve a warrant on the home of Craig Deleeuw Robertson in Provo, south of Salt Lake City, when the shooting happened at 6.15am, the FBI said in a statement. Robertson posted online on Monday that he had heard Mr Biden was coming to Utah and he was planning to dig out a camouflage suit and clean the dust off the m24 sniper rifle. The posts indicated he did appear to own a long-range sniper rifle and numerous other weapons, as well as camouflage gear known as a ghillie suit, investigators said in court records. Robertson also referenced a presidential assassination and made other threats against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, US Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York Attorney General Letitia James, court documents state. The time is right for a presidential assassination or two. First Joe then Kamala!!! authorities say Robertson wrote in a September 2022 Facebook post included in the filings. No attorney was immediately listed for Robertson in court documents. No further details were immediately released about the shooting, which is under review by the FBI. Mr Biden is in the middle of a trip to the Western United States. He spent Wednesday in New Mexico, where he spoke at a factory that will produce wind towers, and is scheduled to fly to Utah later in the day. On Thursday, he is expected to visit a Veterans Affairs hospital to talk about the Pact Act, which expanded veterans benefits, and hold a reelection fundraiser. The Australian government has found that mining firm Mallee Resources Limited failed to consider the human rights impact of its ownership of the Bawdwin mine in Namtu Township, northern Shan State, upholding a complaint by rights groups. Australian National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct, managed by Australias Department of the Treasury, reported that Mallee Resources did not assess the impacts of its joint venture with Win Myint Mo Industries Co Ltd (WMM), which has links to cronies previously sanctioned by the US for alleged drug trafficking and funneling cash to Myanmars military. Mallee, formerly known as Myanmar Metals Limited, disinvested its entire stake in the Bawdwin mine in Myanmars northeast in August 2021, saying the situation in Myanmar has undermined the confidence of markets. Mallee disposed of its 51-percent, US$30 million stake in the Bawdwin project to its partner WMM in Myanmar. The Australian mining company in 2018 entered the deal with WMM, which had been given a 15-year license. Mallee held a 51-percent stake while Myanmars EAP Global Mining and WMM owned 24.5 percent each. WMM was unavailable for comment on Wednesday. Mining of silver, lead and zinc at Bawdwin dates back to the 15th century, with Chinese artisanal miners extracting silver from the surface and near-surface deposits. British underground mining commenced in the early 1900s under the management of Herbert Hoover, who became US president in 1929. Before World War II, Bawdwin was the worlds largest-producing lead mine and one of the largest silver mines. After independence, state-owned firms held the mining concession until 2009, when WMM acquired the rights. The complaint against the disinvestment of Mallee was submitted by Publish What You Pay Australia, Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability and the Bawdwin Labour Union to Canberra in September 2021. The official Australian report said Mallee neglected to make proper disclosures about its activities and corporate structure in Myanmar. The complaint said WMM evolved out of Asia World, a conglomerate that had been sanctioned by the US along with one of its directors, Steven Law, over ties with former military juntas and engagement in illicit activities. Asia Worlds founder Lo Hsing Han, a Chinese-Burmese tycoon and drug lord, was an important backer of the military before he died in 2013, and his son Law, who still runs the company, has also been accused of laundering military cash. Mallee denied that it had not disclosed links between WMM and Asia World to the Australian authorities, saying it carried out two rounds of due diligence on its partners and officers which confirm ownership/director holdings in WMM and there is therefore no disclosure to be made on this matter. WMM was officially a subsidiary of Asia World when it took control of the mine under a 10-year contract in 2009. In 2015 WMM became a subsidiary of the National Infrastructure Holding Co Ltd. Two founders of that firm, U Maung Kyay and U Than Myint, worked with Asia World for 20 years along with Law. The Australian report said the history of abuse and fighting in Shan State over natural resources meant Mallee should have conducted enhanced due diligence to assess the gravity of human rights abuses that could be caused, contributed to or directly linked to the Bawdwin mine. While the directors referred to an environmental and social impact assessment, Shanta Martin, the independent Australian examiner, found that there is no evidence that human rights risks were assessed. The sale drew complaints from civil society organizations over fears that proceeds from the mine which is forecast to produce US$2.9 billion in 13 years once operational could fund Myanmars military and increase violence in northern Shan State. After 35 years, many members of the 88 Generation, most of whom were young student activists during the 8888 Uprising of 1988, continue to inspire and make sacrifices for the cause of democracy and freedom in Myanmar. Among the 88 Generation members who remained active and sacrificed for the ongoing revolution to root out the military dictatorship after another military takeover ended the short-lived countrys democratic period in February 2021, one stands out as the most exemplary. He was Ko Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Ko Jimmy. The new military regime led by Min Aung Hlaing hanged the veteran democracy activist in Yangons Insein Prison on July 23 last year, after eight months of detention, for his anti-regime activities against military rule. Also killed were former hip-hop artist and parliamentarian Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw and two others. The executions were the first in more than four decades. The 53-year-old was held dear by the Myanmar people, including the young, for his democracy activism. He is survived by a daughter, now 15, and his wife, Ma Nilar Thein, who was herself an 88 Generation Student Group leader. Ma Nilar Thein is in hiding due to her anti-junta activism. In 1988, Ko Jimmy was a young university student and among the leading figures of the 88 Generation Student Group. He spent nearly half his life as a prisoner, serving 21 years in Insein and Tharawaddy prisons from 1988 to 2005 and 2007 to 2012. He was first sentenced to 20 years in jail for his involvement in the student demonstrations and underground movement during the 1988 popular uprising, and was later given five years for his role in the Saffron Revolution in 2007. After his release in 2012, Ko Jimmy worked with philanthropic projects, capacity-building schemes for young people and educational programs along with 88 Generation comrades like Ko Min Ko Naing. He was also known for his literary works. When the military staged a coup and overthrew the civilian government led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Ko Jimmy was one of the 88 Generation members at the forefront of the anti-regime movement and called on the public to root out the military dictatorship. The junta arrested him in October at his hideout in Yangon and charged him with high treason and counterterrorism for allegedly masterminding a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the regime in the countrys biggest city. He was accused of threatening public tranquility with social media posts criticizing military rule. The regime also said Ko Jimmy was the leader of Operation Moonlight, which carried out hugely successful urban guerrilla attacks. In an interview for the 33rd anniversary of the 8888 uprising in August 2021 with local media outlet Burma VJ, two months before of his arrest in Yangon, Ko Jimmy expressed concern that the revolution should proceed without delay, saying the country and people would have to suffer if it took a long time. But he said he believed that the current struggle would be the final battle to bring down the junta and end military dictatorship once and for all, saying there is unprecedented unity between the old and new generations and different groups, while also praising the new generations bravery and intellectual approach to the revolution. If we continue forward like this, I believe, we will definitely win, he said. Do you wanna write history with bullets saying the winner is right? You will only achieve this if this generation of students is gone. Do you wanna write history with artillery? You will only achieve this if the sky stops raining. Only the right shall win. From a popular speech by Ko Jimmy Two pupils, their father and two teachers at an online school run by the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) in opposition to military rule remain in junta detention after Myanmars regime arrested them more than a week ago. Among the detainees are two children aged around eight and 14, their father U Kyaw Min Htay, who is a striking employee of Myanma Railways from Sagaing town, and two striking teachers, Daw Myint Myint Than and U Wai Yan Min Htike from Mandalay, who ran the online Bright Future Federal School. They were detained on July 27. They were detained because someone informed the regime, said U Nay Phone Latt, the NUG spokesman. Children have the right to choose what type of learning they want to receive. Arresting children attending an NUG-linked school harms childrens right to learn freely. It is a violation of the right to education, which is unacceptable. Pro-junta Telegram channels reported that the two sisters phones were used for learning at the NUGs online school. The channels last month called on the regime to check if private schools in Mandalay employ striking teachers and take action against schools with NUG links. A Sagaing resident said: Soldiers came in military vehicles to Ywar Htaung ward and made the arrests. At first, we thought the man was arrested because he is a striker from Myanma Railways. But we heard it was because his two children attended an NUG-run online school. It is an unlawful act to arrest someone for learning. It is an act of extrajudicial bullying to arrest children. The NUG has told teachers and pupils to go into hiding and keep their learning secret. Teachers who joined the civil disobedience movement following the 2021 coup have opened schools for families that reject education under the junta. While most schools are online, in some parts of Sagaing Region and ethnic-minority areas where resistance forces have replaced the junta administration, children can study in community schools. The regime has been using various ways to arrest and threaten teachers. Some were killed. But we continue to provide our services to the people while ensuring their safety, said U Nay Phone Latt. On July 17, a junta court inside Mandalays Obo Prison sentenced teacher Daw Ei Shwe Sin Myint to 20 years in prison for running an online school opposed to military rule. Along with her, 14 teachers aged between 20 and 40 from the Federal School of Aungmyaythazan were arrested in March last year. The fate of 14 other teachers is unknown. The regime tries to stop striking teachers working at private schools and has required schools to issue lists of their teachers and their addresses. Junta raids and indiscriminate shelling have wounded a child and at least three other civilians while forcing about 8,000 villagers to flee in Khin-U Township, Sagaing Region, according to local sources. A 10-year-old boy was among four civilians hurt when troops based in Ye-U Township fired shells into Khin-U villages this morning, according to a local volunteer. They have been shelling since last night. A boy was hit by shrapnel and sustained leg injuries, the volunteer said. All of the victims are receiving medical treatment and none has life-threatening injuries, he added. Villagers said junta troops also opened fire with artillery as they attempted to raid the townships Inn Pat village. However, the raid failed when regime soldiers ran into a mine ambush laid by resistance forces at the north side of the village. Two junta dogs [soldiers] died on the spot and four were injured, a local resistance member said. The Irrawaddy was unable to verify the number of junta casualties. At least 3,000 residents from six villages including Inn Pat fled their villages as a result of the junta raid and bombardments. Many people have left their villages because junta forces are deliberately conducting artillery attacks on villages, a villager said. Another 100 junta troops and allied Pyu Saw Htee militia raided Ya Than village in southern Khin-U on Wednesday morning to rescue Pyu Saw Htee members who were being detained in the village, according to a local resident. At least 25 Pyu Saw Htee members from Hpoke Kone village were arrested by resistance forces a few days ago and they were being detained at Ya Than village, a villager said. Sources said junta troops left the village soon after they had rescued the militia members. About 5,000 people from five villages in southern Khin-U fled their homes on Wednesday and are sheltering at monasteries and schools, according to residents. Five civilians, including a six-year-old boy, were killed and seven injured in indiscriminate junta shelling in Khin-U last month. Around 5,500 houses in 75 villages have reportedly been incinerated by junta infantry in the township since the 2021 coup. Three protesters were arrested in Sagaing Regions Monywa Township on Tuesday evening after regime forces opened fire on six young activists commemorating the 35th anniversary of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising. Seven junta personnel in civilian clothes arrived by car on Pyi Htaung Su Road and opened fire on the small flash-mob protest, but three escaped, according to the Monywa Peoples Strike Committee. The three who escaped were not harmed, a committee spokesperson told The Irrawaddy. We heard that only one of those arrested was injured, the spokesperson added. The fate of the three arrested activists remains unknown. Tuesday marked the 35th anniversary of the nationwide 1988 pro-democracy uprising in Myanmar. The day in August 1988 still stands as a turning point in Myanmars historya day that marked the emergence of a full-fledged democracy movement that managed to topple the regime led by General Ne Win. Although the regime was ousted, a new junta seized power. The day defines Myanmars ongoing struggle to topple successive military dictatorships and replace them with democracy. Protests were also held in Sagaing, Magwe, Tanintharyi and Yangon regions on Tuesday to mark the 35th anniversary of the uprising. In Yangon, youths staged a Umbrella Movement protest by raising red umbrellas adorned with the Burmese digit 8 and the slogan Revolutionary flames are still burning. Another anti-regime protest was held on the Sule Pagoda overpass in central Yangon by members of the Democratic Party for a New Society and Youth for a New Society. The hanged black T-shirts emblazoned with the Burmese digit 8 from the railings of the overpass to commemorate the anniversary of the uprising. Flash mob protests have become a regular form of protest against the regime. They are usually conducted by small groups of youths. They started in Yangon, the countrys largest city, and have spread to other regions and states. Editors Note: This story was updated on Thursday with a correction to say it was regime personnel who arrived by car, not activists. 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC launch event comes to end Mercedes-Benz has launched the 2023 GLC SUV in the Indian car market and with this, the launch event has come to an end. To read the full launch report, click here. Mercedes-Benz GLC 2023 price revealed The SUV has been priced 73.5 lakh for the GLC 300 while the GLC 220 costs 74.5 lakh (both prices are ex-showroom). The OEM has announced that 1,500+ bookings have already been received for the SUV. Interior highlights The 2023 GLC gets a 11.9-inch LCD screen tilted six degrees, 64-colour Ambient Lighting, Brumester 3D surround, lates NTG7 telematics and energizing air control. Also check these Cars Find more Cars Mercedes-benz Glc 73.5 - 74.5 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers Explore your Vehicle Check vehicle details Check Insurance & PUCC due date Mercedes-benz Glc Coupe 68 - 69 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers Mercedes-benz Eqb 74.5 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers UPCOMING Mercedes-benz Eqe 70 - 90 Lakhs* *Expected Price View Details Design & engine highlights The new GLC gets increased chrome highlights, additional 70 litres of boot space, off-road package, and 19-inch bi-colour alloys, among othere. It gets two new powertrains options with better fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions. Mercedes-Benz produces 14 cars locally in India The OEM produces 14 Made-in-India models at its facility in Chakan in Pune, which it claims to be the largest facility for any luxury carmaker in India. Over 2.6 million GLC units sold worldwide Mercedes-Benz has so far sold more than 2.6 million units of GLC SUV worldwide while a total of 13,000 units have been sold in India since launch in the second half of 2016. Growth in luxury car market Luxury car market has seen a growth in India from 16,000 units in H1 2022 to 20,000 units in H1 2023. 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC unveiled Mercedes-Benz has taken the wrap off the 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV. Mercedes-Benz GLC The power of hybrid? The new GLC comes with something that Mercedes calls a 48V Integrated Starrter Generator technology. What this essentially does is boost the mileage of the vehicle - in both petrol and diesel versions - while bringing down emission levels. There is more power and torque on offer as well. The 2023 GLC from Mercedes-Benz has more power and torque on offer, thanks to 48V Integrated Starter Generator technology, or ISG. Big on style but big in size too The GLC has grown in proportions with an increase in length and wheelbase. The length has gone up by 50 mm while the wheelbase has increased by 15 mm. The return of the GLC not that it went anywhere! The second-generation Mercedes GLC has the precarious task of retaining the overall flavour of being a best-seller while throwing in fresh ingredients to make an even more lip-smacking recipe. The changes on the exterior styling and cabin aren't radical, but that is only understandable. But how is the GLC to drive? Check out our first-drive review of 2023 Mercedes GLC in scenic Hampi in Karnataka Mercedes H1 sales in India Mercedes-Benz India has the wind behind its proverbial sales. And it has enjoyed the breeze for quite some time now. Little wonder then that its sales performance in the first half of this year grew by 13 per cent to 8,525 units when compared to H1 of 2022. Even in the second quarter of the year, the German brand continued to bat strong and sold 3,831 units. A number of factors are at play here. Mercedes has an extensive and diverse range of models in the Indian market - from electrics and petrol motors to even diesel engines. Remember, Audi has ditched diesel motors entirely. Then there are the super performance cars under the AMG portfolio as well. Another factor at play is local manufacturing. Most of Mercedes-Benz India models are either locally manufactured or locally assembled. This includes some of the AMG models as well. This helps drive down costs and makes the product more affordable. Obviously, even the wealthy love to save a buck when they can. Mercedes sells its vehicles under its Retail of the Future model which means it sells vehicles to customers directly, with dealers acting as brand representatives tasked with delivering the booked vehicles. The company says that this allows for transparency and helps meet quicker delivery timelines. What has Mercedes been up to in India this year? Mercedes has a dominant say in the Indian luxury car space and is ahead of its German rivals BMW and Audi in terms of sales volumes. The company has been extremely aggressive with its product launches and sells cars across various price brackets and powertrain options. This year, Mercedes-Benz India has focused on top-end vehicles or TEVs and has so far launched super-expensive models like the updated G-Wagon, E53 Cabriolet and the GT 63 SE Performance. The company says there is a decent demand for such vehicles although models like the GLC remain part of the core offerings' group. A look back the Mercedes GLC legacy The GLC does not have to go back too far in time to trace its roots. In fact, it was first showcased to the world back in 2015 before its launch in 2016. Closer home in India, the model was brought in in 2016 as well. Mercedes says that this here is the SUV equivalent of the C-Class sedan which too received an update in early 2022 in India. The first global units of the GLC were manufactured at the Mercedes plant in Bremen (Germany) but the model is now locally manufactured in many parts of the world. While classified as a compact vehicle in many markets, it is taken as a mid-size SUV in the US. In India, where SUV definitions are ever evolving, the Mercedes GLC is seen as an all-out luxury SUV. JAKARTAIndonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday said a resolution to the Myanmar crisis that has dragged into its third year needed political will from all sides of the conflict, as divided Southeast Asian nations step up diplomatic efforts. The country has been ravaged by violence in the two years since civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was deposed in a coup and hit with 19 criminal cases ranging from corruption to breaching COVID-19 rules. We are aware the situation in Myanmar is still full of challenges. We must also realize this situation can only be resolved if there is political will from all parties, he told an anniversary event for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Indonesian leader told foreign dignitaries the 10-member bloc, which includes Myanmar, must continue to work together to find a breakthrough to the crisis. ASEAN, as a big ship, must move forward. This big ship must continue to sail, he said. This big ship cannot sink because this is our responsibility to hundreds of millions of people inside. Indonesia is this years chair of the ASEAN bloc and will host a leaders summit in September. Jakarta has engaged in what it calls quiet diplomacy with the Myanmar junta in a bid to bring it back to the negotiating table. Widodo said the blocs efforts to solve the crisis would continue along the lines of a five-point deal agreed with Myanmars junta two years ago. But the junta has largely ignored that agreement, which aims to end violence and resume talks between the military and the anti-coup movement. ASEAN has been divided over how to engage with junta since the 2021 coup and has barred it from high-level summits over a lack of action on the five-point agreement. Thailand has taken a separate track to ASEAN efforts, hosting informal talks with the juntas foreign minister. Bangkoks top diplomat also said last month that he met with deposed democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and said she was in good health. The junta has since granted the 78-year-old a partial pardon, reducing her 33-year sentence by six years. GENEVAUN investigators said Tuesday they had gathered strong evidence of surging war crimes in Myanmar, including mass executions and sexual violence, and were building case files to help bring perpetrators to justice. The Southeast Asian country has been ravaged by deadly violence since a coup deposed leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyis government in February 2021, unleashing a bloody crackdown on dissent that has sparked fighting across swathes of the nation. The United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) said it had evidence that Myanmars military and affiliated militias were committing increasingly frequent and brazen war crimes. It pointed among other things to indiscriminate aerial bombardments, the burning of villages and mass killings of civilians and detained combatants, as well as torture and horrific sexual violence. The investigation team warned in its annual report that the number of incidents bearing the hallmarks of serious international crimes had surged since the coup. Every loss of life in Myanmar is tragic, but the devastation caused to whole communities through aerial bombardments and village burnings is particularly shocking, Mechanism chief Nicholas Koumjian said in the statement. Our evidence points to a dramatic increase in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country, with widespread and systematic attacks against civilians, and we are building case files that can be used by courts to hold individual perpetrators responsible. Highest level of cruelty The IIMM was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2018 to collect evidence of the most serious international crimes and prepare files for criminal prosecution. While the team has never been permitted to visit Myanmar, it said it had engaged with over 700 sources and had collected over 23 million information items, including witness statements, documents, photographs, videos, forensic evidence and satellite imagery. The teamalready cooperating with the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Courtsaid it plans to accelerate its collection of evidence of the most serious international crimes. The investigators said they were particularly looking for linkage evidence demonstrating responsibility of specific individuals, especially high-level officials. The IIMM report explained that military commanders have a duty under international law to prevent and punish war crimes committed by those under their command. Repeatedly ignoring such crimes may indicate that the higher authorities intended the commission of these crimes, the report said. It highlighted evidence of the use of child soldiers by various armed actors, and said it was seeing more and more evidence concerning torture, sexual violence and other forms of severe mistreatment at numerous detention facilities. The evidence indicated that such crimes were being committed with the highest levels of cruelty and harm to the victims, including rape with objects, other forms of humiliation, mutilation, gang or serial rape and sexual enslavement, the report said. The IIMM said it was also investigating rampant sexual violence committed during the bloody crackdown on Myanmars Muslim Rohingya minority that in 2017 resulted in the displacement of nearly a million people. Sexual and gender-based crimes are amongst the most heinous crimes that we are investigating, said Koumjian, saying these were pervasive during the Rohingya clearance operations. At his very first meeting with regime ministers on Monday since the cabinet reshuffle earlier this month, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing repeated his call for efforts to restore stability and law and order in the country, again blaming ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and Peoples Defense Force groups (PDFs) for the instability he said has inevitably delayed the election he plans to hold. Just a week ago, when the junta boss extended military rule for another six months at the National Defense and Security Council meeting on July 31, Min Aung Hlaing also pointed a finger at EAOs and PDFs, accusing them of forcing him to postpone the vote, which he had previously promised would be held this month. On Monday, Min Aung Hlaing reiterated that the ultimate goal of his regime, which calls itself the State Administration Council, is to hold a free and fair election. Governments around the world have publicly expressed doubts that any voting held by the regime would be legitimate. Such interruptions will hinder the development of the country and the people, and also delay the election, Min Aung Hlaing told the cabinet meeting on Monday, referring to the resistance movement against his regime. Again, the junta boss did not present a timeline for his proposed election. The junta leader called for expediting efforts to restore stability and law and order in areas experiencing terrorist attacks. The regime has labeled the parallel National Unity Government and its armed wing, the PDF, as terrorist organizations. At a meeting of his regimes cabinet on July 13, Min Aung Hlaing also called for increased security operations in Sagaing Region as well as Chin and Kayah states, which he described as hotbeds of terrorism. At the NDSC meeting on July 31, he also repeated an earlier admission that the regime does not have full control of the country, saying it is struggling to gain control in Sagaing, Magwe, Bago and Tanintharyi regions as well as Karen, Kayah, Chin and Mon states, because of the PDFs and EAOs. Nearly 50 townships in Yangon, Mandalay, Sagaing and Magwe regions and Chin and Kayah states remain under martial law. The state of emergency was initially declared in February 2021 when the military ousted the democratically elected government of the National League for Democracy led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The countrys constitution states that an emergency can be declared for an initial period of one year and can normally be extended for a maximum of two half-year terms at the discretion of the military-dominated NDSC. However, Min Aung Hlaing has extended emergency rule twice beyond the maximum of two years, thereby breaching the charter. Observers say he will maintain his grip on power, using instability as an excuse. The first military coup in Myanmar took place in 1962. Myanmar was under military rule for 28 years before a general election was held in 1990. The NLD won a landslide victory, but the Myanmar military refused to accept the results, and held power for another 20 years until 2010. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On August 8, United Automotive Electronic Systems Co., Ltd. ("UAES"), the joint venture between China's Zhonglian Automotive Electronics Co., Ltd. and Germany's Robert Bosch GmbH, commemorated the 5th anniversary of its Taicang factory's inauguration, and officially announced the beginning of the operation at the Taicang factory's second phase, according to a post on UAES' WeChat account. Photo credit: UAES Established in August 2018, UAES' Taicang factory emerged as a pivotal production hub for the company's new energy vehicle (NEV)-related products, specializing in producing electric motors, inverters, and power modules. After five years of steadfast dedication, extensive manufacturing expertise, and expanding industrial scale, the facility has grown into a prominent benchmark factory in the realm of NEV core components. Covering approximately 20,000 square meters, the Phase 2 expansion of UAES Taicang factory encompasses two electric motor production lines, one inverter production line, and three power module production lines. The facility will see the formal mass production of the latest generation X-Pin electric motors and in-house developed silicon carbide (SiC) power modules. Anticipated production for the full year of 2023 is set at nearly 700,000 electric motors, 450,000 inverters, and nearly 600,000 power modules. Both the X-Pin electric motors and SiC power modules are slated to be integrated into UAES' upcoming next-generation integrated inverters. This integration promises to elevate operational efficiency, achieve high-level module integration, and cater to a broader array of applications, satisfying diverse customer demands. Just a month before the inauguration of the Phase 2 project, UAES achieved a remarkable milestone, surpassing the cumulative sale of 2 million electric motor units. From its inaugural electric motor project IMG290 putting into volume production in 2013 to reaching the first million electric motor sales milestone in early 2022, UAES embarked on a decade-long journey. Impressively, the company achieved the second million-unit milestone in less than two years. Wednesday, Aug 9th, 2023 (3:51 pm) - Score 912 The perhaps tediously named telecoms infrastructure provider Altnets, which supplies things like optical fibre cable and active equipment to UK FTTP broadband builders, has announced that theyve been shortlisted as a finalist for the Growth Business of the Year category in the Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards 2023. According to the awards page, the category that Altnets has been shortlisted for is intended to celebrate companies that have exceeded growth expectations over the last 18 months (i.e. a substantial increase in sales, headcount, profitability, market share or geographical expansion) and demonstrated that across a range of metrics, backed up by a robust plan to deliver sustained financial success and impact. The awards host a year-long programme of networking events, round tables and exemplary judging processes, all of which will then culminate in a spectacular awards ceremony on Tuesday 14th November 2023 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. Sam Bangle, Co-Founder and Director of Altnets, says: Im thrilled that our rapid growth, industry innovation and outstanding customer service has been acknowledged by the UKs premier business awards. Our award-winning team deserves to be celebrated for being behind our outstanding customer retention and growth statistics. Every member of the team represents what is at the heart of the business creating a place that meets all of our customers needs and supports them throughout the often complicated telecoms procurement process. In doing so they have hugely grown our company client base since we launched. Since we began in 2020, our turnover has increased 500% and our net profit has increased by a huge 900%! We are proud of our growth and are committed to continued growth in the future, including supporting our local economy in Brighton where we are based and have sourced the majority of our workforce. Additionally, Altnets have also won the Best ISP Fibre Optic Products Provider Award in the 2023 SME Business Elite Awards. Today Cloudy and windy. High around 85F. Winds SE at 25 to 35 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph. Tonight Tropical storm conditions likely. Windy with rain showers this evening overnight with mostly cloudy skies. Low 72F. Winds S at 25 to 35 mph, becoming N and decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Tomorrow Partly cloudy skies. High 92F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Beijing (Gasgoo)- In the seventh month of this year, Chinese automaker JAC Group saw a double-digit rise in monthly sales compared to a year ago, according to the companys report released on Tuesday. Aipao; photo credit: JAC Motor In July, JAC Group sold 50,572 vehicles, representing a 6.55% increase from June and a 15.55% jump from the previous year. Among the vehicles sold in the past month, 31,908 units were passenger vehicles, climbing up 8.54% from the earlier month while surging 23.46% year over year. Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 62.94% of JACs overall passenger vehicle sales in July, which came in at 20,082 units. In the first seven months of this year, JAC Groups cumulative auto sales stood at 329,377 vehicles, indicating an 18.07% increase from a year ago. Year-to-date sales of battery-electric passenger cars amounted to 86,939 units in the same period, dropping 10.65% year on year. In July, JAC Group shipped 11,006 vehicles to overseas markets, representing a 32.25% spike compared to that of the year-ago period. In the Jan.-Jul. period, the automakers cumulative exports reached 100,182 units, soaring 75.58% from that of the previous year. Beijing (Gasgoo)- Chinese legacy automaker Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd., ("Changan Automobile") announced on August 8 that it sold 207,743 vehicles in July 2023, indicating a 3.4% edge up year over year. The companys year-to-date sales volume reached 1,423,424 vehicles by the end of July, up 7.29% year on year. Among the vehicles sold in the past month, 170,655 units are vehicles under Changans wholly-owned brands, climbing up 7.3% from a year ago. In the first seven months of this year, the automaker sold 1,191,161 vehicles under wholly-owned brands, which jumped 12.47% from the earlier year. Notably, of the wholly-owned brands sales in July, 20,145 units were sold to overseas markets. Photo credit: Changan Automobile In July, Changan Automobiles wholly-owned brands sold 39,513 units of new energy vehicles, indicating a 68.89% leap from the previous year. Among which, the DEEPAL brand contributed 13,172 units while the Lumin mini electric vehicle model recorded a sales volume of 12,231 units. As to sales of individual brands, the CS family sold 40,486 vehicles last month, with the CS75 being the main contributor with 25,345 units sold. Meanwhile, sales of Changans sedan series reached 23,641 vehicles. The automakers signature UNI series moved 20,664 vehicles in July, 14,341 units of which were from the UNI-V lineup. As to Changans two joint ventures, Changan Ford sold 20,620 vehicles in the past month, representing a 12.64% drop from a year ago but a 2.32% notch up from the previous month. On the other hand, Changan Mazda faced a 38.3% year-on-year plunge and a 33.38% month-on-month decline with 4,937 vehicles sold in July. With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information. Hongqis inaugural prototype of all-new L5 rolls off line Hongqi officially revealed the first prototype of its highly anticipated all-new L5 model, bearing the internal codename C801. Positioned as a flagship luxury sedan within the L-series, the L5 features a dual-tone exterior and boasts a captivating triple-screen arrangement. Photo credit: Hongqi CALB partners with SPIC for green energy development CALB forged a strategic cooperation agreement with State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC)'s Hubei Electric Power Company, to advance various initiatives, including "zero-carbon parks," user-side energy storage, shared energy storage, new energy bases, green transportation, and electrification of maritime vessels. Hainan Province aims to have over 1.5 million new energy vehicles by 2030 Hainan Province issued its "Medium- and Long-Term Action Plan for Promoting New Energy Vehicles (2023-2030)," outlining ambitious goals for the next decade. By 2025, the province aims to promote over 500,000 new energy vehicles, with new energy vehicles constituting more than 60% of new additions and an overall vehicle-to-charging ratio below 2.5:1. Additionally, Hainan seeks to achieve a 100% adoption rate of new energy vehicles in the public service and social operation sectors. By 2030, the province aims to have more than 1.5 million new energy vehicles cumulatively, with a new energy vehicle ownership ratio exceeding 45%, a vehicle-to-charging ratio around 2:1. Tiggo 8 PRO Champion Edition hits market, starting at 126,900 yuan On August 8, Chery Automobile officially put the Tiggo 8 PRO Champion Edition onto the market, adding another heavyweight model to the Tiggo lineup. Hongqi's 3rd-Gen L4 Robotaxi sails through autonomous driving test in Beijing Hongqi, the premium automobile brand under FAW Group, announced the success of its third-generation L4 Robotaxi in the autonomous driving road test license examination conducted within the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area (BJHAD). Sunwoda EVB to build power battery factory in Hungary In a strategic move to advance its global expansion strategy and tap into international markets, Sunwoda Electric Vehicle Battery Co., Ltd. ("Sunwoda EVB") will invested approximately 1.9 billion yuan through its subsidiary, Hungary Sunwoda EVB, in establishing a new energy vehicle (NEV) battery plant's first phase in Hungary, Sunwoda Electronic Co., Ltd. ("Sunwoda"), Sunwoda EVB's parent company, announced on Aug. 9 via its WeChat account. Changan Automobile sees 3.4% YoY rise in July sales Chinese legacy automaker Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd., ("Changan Automobile") announced on August 8 that it sold 207,743 vehicles in July 2023, indicating a 3.4% edge up year over year. The companys year-to-date sales volume reached 1,423,424 vehicles by the end of July, up 7.29% year on year. JAC Group exports over 100,000 vehicles in Jan.-Jul. 2023 In the seventh month of this year, Chinese automaker JAC Group saw a double-digit rise in monthly sales compared to a year ago, according to the companys report released on Tuesday. Geely Auto Group, Longquan city to co-work in NEV-dedicated thermal management industry On August 8, Geely Auto Group signed an agreement with the government of Longquan city, a county-level city under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Lishui city, Zhejiang province, to carry out cooperation in new energy automotive thermal management, battery swapping, and automobile technology industry investment projects, according to a post on Lishui government's WeChat account. Boschs China joint venture UAES begins operation of Taicang factorys second phase On August 8, United Automotive Electronic Systems Co., Ltd. ("UAES"), the joint venture between China's Zhonglian Automotive Electronics Co., Ltd. and Germany's Robert Bosch GmbH, commemorated the 5th anniversary of its Taicang factory's inauguration, and officially announced the beginning of the operation at the Taicang factory's second phase, according to a post on UAES' WeChat account. BYD TANG EV hits Costa Rican market Chinese leading new energy vehicle (NEV) maker BYD saw its flagship all-electric SUV, the TANG EV, officially go on sale in Costa Rica on Aug. 3, according to a post on BYD's WeChat account focusing on its overseas moves. Li Auto boasts highest-ever quarterly revenue, deliveries in Q2 2023 Chinese new energy vehicle maker Li Auto announced its financial report for the second quarter of 2023 (Q2 2023), with record-breaking revenue and delivery volume. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On August 8, Geely Auto Group signed an agreement with the government of Longquan city, a county-level city under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Lishui city, Zhejiang province, to carry out cooperation in new energy automotive thermal management, battery swapping, and automobile technology industry investment projects, according to a post on Lishui government's WeChat account. Photo credit: Geely The collaboration between Geely Auto Group and Longquan city is strategically tailored towards the new energy automotive thermal management sector. This dynamic partnership will leverage the existing thermal management resources of Longquan and Geely's technological and intelligent manufacturing prowess, collectively propelling the transformation, elevation, and cluster development of Longquan's thermal management industry. Simultaneously, their cooperation in battery swapping projects and fund initiatives is set to further expedite the implementation of Chinas "dual carbon" strategy. As of March this year, the Longquan Economic Development Zone has successfully attracted two projects involving over 100 million yuan of investment each. These projects encompass the domains of new energy vehicle (NEV)-used heat pump silencers and NEV heat pump fluid storage tank casings, alongside the construction of an automotive parts injection molding production line. Furthermore, discussions are underway for five additional projects, further augmenting the growth trajectory of the region. An N.C. House Select Committee is recommending that the General Assembly change a state law forcing districts to start school the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and end no later than the Friday clo CHIZ WANTS CHARGES FILED VS ERRING OFFICIALS, INDIVIDUALS IN MANILA BAY RECLAMATION PROJECTS Sen. Chiz Escudero on Wednesday said the government should ensure that appropriate charges are filed against erring public officials or individuals if there are sufficient evidence against them in relation to the controversial Manila Bay Reclamation Projects. In a statement, the veteran legislator supported President Marcos' decision to suspend ongoing reclamation projects in Manila Bay, except for one, after he received reports of problems in their implementation. Escudero, who earlier cautioned Malacanang against blocking the reclamation projects solely on the basis of the United State government's concern over "long-term environmental impact," clarified he is not opposing a review "as long as it is evidence-based, and not arbitrary." If the investigation eventually finds corruption Xor irregularity in the granting of the environmental permits, they should rectify it if it can still be rectified "taking into account the huge investments involved." "Make sure that it will not have any adverse impacts on our environment, given climate change, as well as the safety and convenience of our people in potentially affected areas," Escudero pointed out. "Lastly, if any will be cancelled or rectified, appropriate charges to be filed against erring officials and individuals in order to exact accountability/responsibility para hindi na tularan pa ng iba," he added. The planned 24 reclamation projects in Manila Bay aim to create new land for commercial and residential development. According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) these will occupy 9,000 hectares of the sea, bigger than the combined size of the cities of Manila, Makati, Pasay, San Juan and Pateros. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- In a strategic move to advance its global expansion strategy and tap into international markets, Sunwoda Electric Vehicle Battery Co., Ltd. ("Sunwoda EVB") will invested approximately 1.9 billion yuan through its subsidiary, Hungary Sunwoda EVB, in establishing a new energy vehicle (NEV) battery plant's first phase in Hungary, Sunwoda Electronic Co., Ltd. ("Sunwoda"), Sunwoda EVB's parent company, announced on Aug. 9 via its WeChat account. Photo credit: Sunwoda The new facility will be primarily engaged in the manufacturing and sales of lithium-ion batteries and power battery systems. The Hungarian project signifies Sunwoda's inaugural self-built production facility in Europe, and it also marks the third overseas factory following its global expansion in New Delhi, India, in 2017. This milestone underscores Sunwoda's enhanced global strategy, aimed at refining its business layout, lifting global market share, and fostering the company's long-term steady growth. Hungary emerged as the prime choice for Sunwoda's manufacturing base in Europe due to its robust automotive industry heritage, hosting numerous original equipment manufacturers. Situated at the heart of Central Europe, Hungary's pivotal location facilitates Sunwoda's swift responsiveness to client demands and efficient local production. Moreover, in 2022, the European Union (EU) reached a consensus to achieve "zero carbon dioxide emissions from all new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in the EU market by 2035." Hungary has proactively embraced this initiative, propelling its automotive manufacturing sector towards electrification. Reddit Email 60 Shares ( Tomdispatch.com ) In his message to the troops prior to the July 4th weekend, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin offered high praise indeed. We have the greatest fighting force in human history, he tweeted, connecting that claim to the U.S. having patriots of all colors, creeds, and backgrounds who bravely volunteer to defend our country and our values. As a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel from a working-class background who volunteered to serve more than four decades ago, who am I to argue with Austin? Shouldnt I just bask in the glow of his praise for todays troops, reflecting on my own honorable service near the end of what now must be thought of as the First Cold War? Yet I confess to having doubts. Ive heard it all before. The hype. The hyperbole. I still remember how, soon after the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush boasted that this country had the greatest force for human liberation the world has ever known. I also remember how, in a pep talk given to U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2010, President Barack Obama declared them the finest fighting force that the world has ever known. And yet, 15 years ago at TomDispatch, I was already wondering when Americans had first become so proud of, and insistent upon, declaring our military the worlds absolute best, a force beyond compare, and what that meant for a republic that once had viewed large standing armies and constant warfare as anathemas to freedom. In retrospect, the answer is all too straightforward: we need something to boast about, dont we? In the once-upon-a-time exceptional nation, what else is there to praise to the skies or consider our pride and joy these days except our heroes? After all, this country can no longer boast of having anything like the worlds best educational outcomes, or healthcare system, or the most advanced and safest infrastructure, or the best democratic politics, so we better damn well be able to boast about having the greatest fighting force ever. Leaving that boast aside, Americans could certainly brag about one thing this country has beyond compare: the most expensive military around and possibly ever. No country even comes close to our commitment of funds to wars, weapons (including nuclear ones at the Department of Energy), and global dominance. Indeed, the Pentagons budget for defense in 2023 exceeds that of the next 10 countries (mostly allies!) combined. And from all of this, it seems to me, two questions arise: Are we truly getting what we pay so dearly for the bestest, finest, most exceptional military ever? And even if we are, should a self-proclaimed democracy really want such a thing? The answer to both those questions is, of course, no. After all, America hasnt won a war in a convincing fashion since 1945. If this country keeps losing wars routinely and often enough catastrophically, as it has in places like Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, how can we honestly say that we possess the worlds greatest fighting force? And if we nevertheless persist in such a boast, doesnt that echo the rhetoric of militaristic empires of the past? (Remember when we used to think that only unhinged dictators like Adolf Hitler boasted of having peerless warriors in a megalomaniacal pursuit of global domination?) Actually, I do believe the United States has the most exceptional military, just not in the way its boosters and cheerleaders like Austin, Bush, and Obama claimed. How is the U.S. military truly exceptional? Let me count the ways. The Pentagon as a Budgetary Black Hole In so many ways, the U.S. military is indeed exceptional. Lets begin with its budget. At this very moment, Congress is debating a colossal defense budget of $886 billion for FY2024 (and all the debate is about issues that have little to do with the military). That defense spending bill, you may recall, was only $740 billion when President Joe Biden took office three years ago. In 2021, Biden withdrew U.S. forces from the disastrous war in Afghanistan, theoretically saving the taxpayer nearly $50 billion a year. Yet, in place of any sort of peace dividend, American taxpayers simply got an even higher bill as the Pentagon budget continued to soar. Recall that, in his four years in office, Donald Trump increased military spending by 20%. Biden is now poised to achieve a similar 20% increase in just three years in office. And that increase largely doesnt even include the cost of supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia so far, somewhere between $120 billion and $200 billion and still rising. Colossal budgets for weapons and war enjoy broad bipartisan support in Washington. Its almost as if there were a military-industrial-congressional complex at work here! Where, in fact, did I ever hear a president warning us about that? Oh, perhaps Im thinking of a certain farewell address by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1961. In all seriousness, theres now a huge pentagonal-shaped black hole on the Potomac thats devouring more than half of the federal discretionary budget annually. Even when Congress and the Pentagon allegedly try to enforce fiscal discipline, if not austerity elsewhere, the crushing gravitational pull of that hole just continues to suck in more money. Bet on that continuing as the Pentagon issues ever more warnings about a new cold war with China and Russia. Given its money-sucking nature, perhaps you wont be surprised to learn that the Pentagon is remarkably exceptional when it comes to failing fiscal audits five of them in a row (the fifth failure being a teachable moment, according to its chief financial officer) as its budget only continued to soar. Whether youre talking about lost wars or failed audits, the Pentagon is eternally rewarded for its failures. Try running a Mom and Pop store on that basis and see how long you last. Speaking of all those failed wars, perhaps you wont be surprised to learn that they havent come cheaply. According to the Costs of War Project at Brown University, roughly 937,000 people have died since 9/11/2001 thanks to direct violence in this countrys Global War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and elsewhere. (And the deaths of another 3.6 to 3.7 million people may be indirectly attributable to those same post-9/11 conflicts.) The financial cost to the American taxpayer has been roughly $8 trillion and rising even as the U.S. military continues its counterterror preparations and activities in 85 countries. No other nation in the world sees its military as (to borrow from a short-lived Navy slogan) a global force for good. No other nation divides the whole world into military commands like AFRICOM for Africa and CENTCOM for the Middle East and parts of Central and South Asia, headed up by four-star generals and admirals. No other nation has a network of 750 foreign bases scattered across the globe. No other nation strives for full-spectrum dominance through all-domain operations, meaning not only the control of traditional domains of combat the land, sea, and air but also of space and cyberspace. While other countries are focused mainly on national defense (or regional aggressions of one sort or another), the U.S. military strives for total global and spatial dominance. Truly exceptional! Strangely, in this never-ending, unbounded pursuit of dominance, results simply dont matter. The Afghan War? Bungled, botched, and lost. The Iraq War? Built on lies and lost. Libya? We came, we saw, Libyas leader (and so many innocents) died. Yet no one at the Pentagon was punished for any of those failures. In fact, to this day, it remains an accountability-free zone, exempt from meaningful oversight. If youre a modern major general, why not pursue wars when you know youll never be punished for losing them? Indeed, the few exceptions within the military-industrial-congressional complex who stood up for accountability, people of principle like Daniel Hale, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden, were imprisoned or exiled. In fact, the U.S. government has even conspired to imprison a foreign publisher and transparency activist, Julian Assange, who published the truth about the American war on terror, by using a World War I-era espionage clause that only applies to American citizens. And the record is even grimmer than that. In our post-9/11 years at war, as President Barack Obama admitted, We tortured some folks and the only person punished for that was another whistleblower, John Kiriakou, who did his best to bring those war crimes to our attention. And speaking of war crimes, isnt it exceptional that the U.S. military plans to spend upwards of $2 trillion in the coming decades on a new generation of genocidal nuclear weapons? Those include new stealth bombers and new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the Air Force, as well as new nuclear-missile-firing submarines for the Navy. Worse yet, the U.S. continues to reserve the right to use nuclear weapons first, presumably in the name of protecting life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And of course, despite the countries nine! that now possess nukes, the U.S. remains the only one to have used them in wartime, in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Finally, it turns out that the military is even immune from Supreme Court decisions! When SCOTUS recently overturned affirmative action for college admission, it carved out an exception for the military academies. Schools like West Point and Annapolis can still consider the race of their applicants, presumably to promote unit cohesion through proportional representation of minorities within the officer ranks, but our society at large apparently does not require racial equity for its cohesion. A Most Exceptional Military Makes Its Wars and Their Ugliness Disappear Heres one of my favorite lines from the movie The Usual Suspects: The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. The greatest trick the U.S. military ever pulled was essentially convincing us that its wars never existed. As Norman Solomon notes in his revealing book, War Made Invisible, the military-industrial-congressional complex has excelled at camouflaging the atrocious realities of war, rendering them almost entirely invisible to the American people. Call it the new American isolationism, only this time were isolated from the harrowing and horrific costs of war itself. America is a nation perpetually at war, yet most of us live our lives with little or no perception of this. There is no longer a military draft. There are no war bond drives. You arent asked to make direct and personal sacrifices. You arent even asked to pay attention, let alone pay (except for those nearly trillion-dollar-a-year budgets and interest payments on a ballooning national debt, of course). You certainly arent asked for your permission for this country to fight its wars, as the Constitution demands. As President George W. Bush suggested after the 9/11 attacks, go visit Disneyworld! Enjoy life! Let Americas best and brightest handle the brutality, the degradation, and the ugliness of war, bright minds like former Vice President Dick (So?) Cheney and former Secretary of Defense Donald (I dont do quagmires) Rumsfeld. Did you hear something about the U.S. military being in Syria? In Somalia? Did you hear about the U.S. military supporting the Saudis in a brutal war of repression in Yemen? Did you notice how this countrys military interventions around the world kill, wound, and displace so many people of color, so much so that observers speak of the systemic racism of Americas wars? Is it truly progress that a more diverse military in terms of color, creed, and background, to use Secretary of Defense Austins words, has killed and is killing so many non-white peoples around the globe? Praising the all-female-crewed flyover at the last Super Bowl or painting rainbow flags of inclusivity (or even blue and yellow flags for Ukraine) on cluster munitions wont soften the blows or quiet the screams. As one reader of my blog Bracing Views so aptly put it: The diversity the war parties [Democrats and Republicans] will not tolerate is diversity of thought. Of course, the U.S. military isnt solely to blame here. Senior officers will claim their duty is not to make policy at all but to salute smartly as the president and Congress order them about. The reality, however, is different. The military is, in fact, at the core of Americas shadow government with enormous influence over policymaking. Its not merely an instrument of power; it is power and exceptionally powerful at that. And that form of power simply isnt conducive to liberty and freedom, whether inside Americas borders or beyond them. Wait! What am I saying? Stop thinking about all that! America is, after all, the exceptional nation and its military, a band of freedom fighters. In Iraq, where war and sanctions killed untold numbers of Iraqi children in the 1990s, the sacrifice was worth it, as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright once reassured Americans on 60 Minutes. Even when government actions kill children, lots of children, its for the greater good. If this troubles you, go to Disney and take your kids with you. You dont like Disney? Then, hark back to that old marching song of World War I and pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag, and smile, smile, smile. Remember, Americas troops are freedom-delivering heroes and your job is to smile and support them without question. Have I made my point? I hope so. And yes, the U.S. military is indeed exceptional and being so, being #1 (or claiming you are anyway) means never having to say youre sorry, no matter how many innocents you kill or maim, how many lives you disrupt and destroy, how many lies you tell. I must admit, though, that, despite the endless celebration of our militarys exceptionalism and greatness, a fragment of scripture from my Catholic upbringing haunts me still: Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Copyright 2023 William J. Astore Via Tomdispatch.com ) Reddit Email 62 Shares By Esther Brito Ruiz, American University School of International Service and Jeff Bachman, American University School of International Service | (The Conversation) War entails suffering. How and how often that suffering is reported on in the U.S., however, is not evenhanded. Take, for example, the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in March 2015 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The media attention afforded to the crises reveals biases that relate less to the human consequences of the conflicts than to the United States role and relationship with the warring parties involved. In Yemen, the U.S. is arming and supporting the Saudi-led coalition, whose airstrikes and blockades have caused immense human suffering. Meanwhile in Eastern Europe, the U.S. is arming and aiding Ukraines efforts by helping to counter missile strikes that have targeted civilian infrastructure and to retake occupied territories where horrific killings have taken place. As scholars who study genocide and other mass atrocities, as well as international security, we compared New York Times headlines that span approximately seven and a half years of the ongoing conflict in Yemen and the first nine months of the conflict in Ukraine. We paid particular attention to headlines on civilian casualties, food security and provision of arms. We chose The New York Times because of its popularity and reputation as a credible and influential source on international news, with an extensive network of global reporters and over 130 Pulitzer Prizes. Purposefully, our analysis focused solely on headlines. While the full stories may bring greater context to the reporting, headlines are particularly important for three reasons: They frame the story in a way that affects how it is read and remembered; reflect the publications ideological stance on an issue; and, for many news consumers, are the only part of the story that is read at all. Our research shows extensive biases in both the scale and tone of coverage. These biases lead to reporting that highlights or downplays human suffering in the two conflicts in a way that seemingly coincides with U.S. foreign policy objectives. Ukraine in spotlight War in Ukraine is clearly seen as more newsworthy to U.S. readers. This double standard may have less to do with the actual events than that the victims are white and relatively European, as one CBS News correspondent put it. Our broad search of New York Times headlines concerning the overall civilian impact of the two conflicts yielded 546 stories on Yemen between March 26, 2015, and Nov. 30, 2022. Headlines on Ukraine passed that mark in under three months and then doubled it within nine months. Front-page stories on Ukraine have been commonplace ever since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. In comparison, front-page stories on Yemen have been rare and, in some cases, as with coverage on food security in the country, came more than three years after the coalition initiated blockades that led to the crisis. The first front-page article with explicit focus on the hunger crisis was published on June 14, 2018, with the headline Saudi-Led Attack Deepens the Worlds Worst Humanitarian Crisis. By this point, 14 million Yemenis were already facing catastrophic food insecurity, according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. More context on Ukraine When we analyzed headlines on Yemen and Ukraine, we classified them as either episodic, meaning focused on specific events, or thematic, meaning more contextual. An example of an episodic headline is Apparent Saudi Strike Kills at Least Nine in Yemeni Family. An example of a thematic headline is Ferocious Russian Attacks Spur Accusations of Genocide in Ukraine. New York Times headlines on Yemen were mostly focused on events, accounting for 64% of all headlines. In contrast, headlines on Ukraine involved a greater emphasis on context, accounting for 73% of total articles. The reason this is important is that by focusing more on either episodic or contextualized stories, newspapers are able to lead readers to different interpretations. Photo by asamw on Unsplash The largely episodic headlines on Yemen may give the impression that the harm reported is incidental, rather than symptomatic of the coalitions violence. Meanwhile, contextual articles on Ukraine trace the broader implications of the conflict and reflect stories of continual Russian responsibility and accountability. Differences in assigning blame Accountability in coverage is also vastly different. We found 50 headlines on Yemen that reported on specific attacks carried out by the Saudi-led coalition. Of them, 18 just 36% attributed responsibility to Saudi Arabia or the coalition. An egregious example that omits responsibility is this headline from April 24, 2018: Yemen Strike Hits Wedding and Kills More Than 20. A reader could easily interpret that as meaning that Yemen rebels were behind the attack rather than the Saudis as was the case. It is hard to imagine a Russian strike on a wedding in Ukraine headlined as Ukraine Strike Hits Wedding and Kills More Than 20. Over the period we looked at, there were 54 headlines on specific attacks in Ukraine 50 of which reported on Russian attacks, with the remaining four reporting on Ukrainian attacks. Here, of the 50 headlines about Russian attacks, 44 of them or 88% explicitly attributed responsibility to Russia. Meanwhile, none of the four headlines on Ukrainian attacks attributed responsibility to Ukraine. This shows the selectivity of responsibility attribution clear in Ukraine when covering Russias actions, but often obscured when it comes to the Saudi-led coalitions attacks in Yemen. Furthermore, a June 2017 headline portrays the coalition as concerned about the destruction it has caused: Saudis Move to Address Civilian Toll in Yemen. Compare this to how Russias attempts to address civilians are categorically dismissed: Russias Explanations for Attacking Civilians Wither Under Scrutiny. A tale of two humanitarian crises Both invasions have led to situations of food insecurity in Yemen creating a national risk of famine, and in Ukraine compromising global grain supply. However, the way the news stories speak about hunger in both countries has little in common. Russian actions blocking grain exports and destroying crops and agricultural infrastructure are portrayed as deliberate and weaponized: How Russia Is Using Ukrainians Hunger as a Weapon of War. In contrast, the Saudi-led coalitions blockade, despite being the primary driver of the famine and even equated to torture by the World Organisation Against Torture, was rarely afforded this intent. In fact, coverage of the hunger crisis often did not mention the coalition at all, such as in this March 31, 2021, headline: Famine Stalks Yemen, as War Drags on and Foreign Aid Wanes. Out of 73 stories broadly about food security in Yemen, only four unequivocally attributed rising starvation to the actions of the coalition and condemned their role. Moral outrage vs. neutrality Headlines on Ukraine tend to invoke moral judgments, we found, compared with a more neutral tone on Yemen. Russia is portrayed as a violent, relentless and merciless villain: Russian Forces Pound Civilians and Russia Batters Ukraine . In turn, Ukrainians are presented as heroes who are fighting for the survival of their nation, and they are humanized in their suffering: They Died by a Bridge in Ukraine. This Is Their Story. This moral positioning on the conflict in Ukraine is not necessarily a problem. After all, falsely equating Ukraines actions with those of Russia fails to account for Russian aggression, which initiated the armed conflict, as well as Russias routine targeting of civilian sites. However, it is noteworthy that New York Times headlines on Yemen fail to employ similarly condemnatory narratives toward the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. This is despite reports produced by human rights organizations, conflict trackers, and international and regional experts that have blamed the coalition for the vast majority of civilian suffering. As a consequence, Yemeni civilians become forgotten victims, unworthy of attention and obscured by opaque numbers, detached language on the consequences of coalition violence, and narratives of the inevitability of war. These editorial decisions obscure the role of the U.S. in Yemeni suffering even if they do not reflect the underlying intent behind the reporting. Journalism of deference In both the Yemen and Ukraine conflicts, the U.S. has spent tens of billions of dollars more than US$75 billion in humanitarian, financial and military assistance to Ukraine and over $54 billion in military support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates between 2015 and 2021 alone. Whats different is that the U.S. is essentially on opposite sides in these conflicts when it comes to its relationship to those inflicting the most civilian casualties. Washington officials have made open and direct declarations about the inhumanity of atrocities in Ukraine while avoiding inquiry and condemnation of those in Yemen. Our research suggests that such messaging may be supported by the news media. Esther Brito Ruiz, Adjunct Instructor, American University School of International Service and Jeff Bachman, Professorial Lecturer in Human Rights; Director, Ethics, Peace, and Human Rights MA Program, American University School of International Service This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Middle East Monitor ) As protests continue against the judicial overhaul proposed by the Israeli government, the leadership of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) fears an increase of discontent within its ranks as well as an increase in its lack of competence. The signs get worse every day, prompting army commanders to warn of weakness that will affect its readiness for war. Senior officers have admitted to an unprecedented crisis in the IDFs competence; its more serious than what is presented to the public. Hundreds of pilots accuse the chief of staff and minister of national security of lying when they claim that the armys competence has not been damaged. It is true that the IDF may be prepared for war, but there has been serious damage to relations between its various arms. The number of reserve pilots and officers who are refusing to turn up for volunteer service is much larger than what the IDF claims. More than a thousand have announced the suspension of their service as a prelude to steps against the government. There are concerns that Israel may have reached a point where the air force may be unable, and even unwilling, to protect it. This reveals a dangerous blindness to reality, in a way that reminds me of the misguided smugness that proceeded Israels defeat in the 1973 war. Lack of trust within the Israeli army is more concerning than its loss of suitability for war as many pilots describe their senior officers as arrogant. The biggest test for those who are refusing to volunteer will be the upcoming air command exercise, because the air force operations HQ is mostly staffed by reserve personnel. This crisis also affects other IDF units, and Israel fears that it will soon affect the artillery and the accuracy and thus effectiveness of its missiles. Article continues after bonus IC video WION: Controversial judicial reforms deeply divide the Israeli society | World At War Dozens of reserve officers in the elite intelligence unit have also announced their discontent, as have experienced naval officers. Their absence in operational roles endangers lives within the ranks of those they should be leading. The data suggests that the IDF is not confident in its capability to fulfil its role if the judicial overhaul is passed by the Knesset. All arms of the IDF will be affected negatively, and this will in turn affect their combat readiness and effectiveness. All of this coincides with the Israeli opposition attracting support from more senior officers from the army, the Mossad and Shin Bet spy agencies, and the police, including a long list of retired generals. Many have sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing him of fatally harming state security, and declaring their support for the reservists who confirmed their suspension of military service. They say that he is directly responsible for the grave damage to the IDF and state security, and that the judicial overhaul proposed by his government violates the social contract that has existed for 75 years between the state and thousands of IDF troops who have volunteered for many years to defend it. It is interesting that reservists of the IDFs 8200 intelligence unit have been involved in the protests and sent a message to the heads of the government, army and intelligence services; to Knesset members and the minister of national security, warning of dire consequences in the event that the overhaul is passed by parliament. This unit collects the most sensitive intelligence, which makes it indispensable to the armed forces daily operations. At the same time, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy is under tremendous pressure to tell Defence Minister Yoav Gallant that the army is no longer ready to defend the state. He cannot ignore the signs, which means that he needs to re-examine everything and monitor IDF competence even as hundreds of personnel announce an end to their volunteer service. The pressure on the IDF is becoming unbearable, with fears mounting as the tension coincides with security threats on the northern border with Lebanons Hezbollah, and the current unrest in the occupied West Bank. Thats the context of the crisis within the Israel Defence Forces. As powerful individuals line up to accuse the Netanyahu government of damaging the IDFs competence, it is being said that if the judicial overhaul legislation is passed Israel citizens will not be obliged to comply with their obligations to the government. If too many people refuse to serve in the armed forces, then the infrastructure on which the occupation state has been built will start to collapse. The situation has pushed some generals to demand the overthrow of the government through non-cooperation and acts of rebellion against the authorities which, they argue, are turning Israel into a right-wing dictatorship. There is no reason in any case for Israelis to cooperate with the government, because the oath taken by IDF personnel focuses on serving the state, its laws and its elected institutions in that order. Their loyalty is due to the state first and foremost, not to the laws enacted by a government to meet the personal needs of its ministers. The main outcome of the opposition to the judicial review a judicial coup by senior IDF officers will be that the International Court of Justice in The Hague will be able to investigate Israeli soldiers. Moreover, by pushing ahead with this process, Netanyahu is putting himself and his country at odds with the US administration. He is thus undermining the common values upon which the alliance between Israel and the United States is based. This is clearly a decisive moment in Israels relatively short history. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment. Via Middle East Monitor VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 9, 2023 /CNW/ - Getchell Gold Corp. (CSE: GTCH) (OTCQB: GGLDF) ("Getchell" or the "Company") announces that as part of the planned 2023 drill program to expand the Mineral Resource at the Fondaway Canyon gold project ("Project"), the Company has received authorization from the US Bureau of Land Management to construct an additional 12 drill pads. The Fondaway Canyon gold project is host to a large, near and at surface Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") reporting: Inferred Mineral Resource of 38.3 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.23 g/t Au for 1,509,100 ounces of gold; of 38.3 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.23 g/t Au for of gold; Indicated Mineral Resource of 11.0 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.56 g/t Au for an additional 550,800 ounces of gold; of 11.0 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.56 g/t Au for an additional of gold; Strong gold mineralization in the most peripheral drill holes leaves the mineral resources open in most directions for further expansion and indicates a substantially larger body of mineralization than delineated to date; and The drill plan is designed to expand the mineral resources and upgrade Inferred resources to Indicated. "Having released a continuous series of exceptional drill results over the last three years, it is important to step back and appraise the potential of the Fondaway Canyon project as a whole," states Getchell President Mike Sieb. "What becomes immediately obvious is the strong and prevalent gold mineralization encountered in the most peripheral drill holes, signifying a robust mineralizing system that has yet to be truly tested. This causes us to seriously wonder how big it can be, and the additional 12 drill pads will enable us to conduct step-out drilling and start to answer that very important question." Permitted Drill Pads The Company has received authorization from the US Bureau of Land Management to construct twelve additional drill pads under its Notice level permit for the Fondaway Canyon gold project that has brought the total number up to 26 property wide. The additional 12 permitted drill pads allow the Company to step out and potentially increase the already sizable mineral resource, as well as further delineate the mineralization internal to the current MRE to upgrade Inferred Resources to Indicated. The remaining 22 drill pads covering the Central Area span a considerable 500m x 650m area, a 270% increase in extent from the previously permitted pad coverage. These 22 drill pads provide an excellent drill array, sufficient to support more than one drill campaign with multiple directional holes intended from each drill pad. For reference, from just six drill pads in the Central Area the Company has drilled 26 drill holes over three drill campaigns. Mineralization Wide Open Of the 26 drill holes drilled in the Central Area, only 18 were used in the Mineral Resource Estimate due to the resource model data inclusion cut off in late September 2022. These 18 drill holes were responsible for a doubling of the Mineral Resource Estimate from historical levels. The balance of the drilling not included in the MRE nine holes drilled in the latter half of 2022 all intersected substantive mineralization. Upon completion of the 2022 drill program the limits of the gold mineralization had yet to be encountered, remaining open in most directions and with strong gold mineralization observed in the most peripheral drill holes (i.e. the furthest extent of drilling). These are highlighted in yellow on the plan map of the Central Area below (Fig. 1). Six drill holes on the periphery of existing drilling have been selected to illustrate the continued strength and degree of openness of the gold mineralization at the furthest edge of drilling. Three drill holes into the Colorado SW Zone: i. FCG22-20: open up dip to the NE; ii. FCG21-08: open on strike to the NW; and iii. FCG21-15: open down dip to the SW. Three drill holes into the North Fork Zone: i. FCG22-18 and FCG22-22: open on strike to the SE; and ii. FCG22-19: open down dip to the SW. As shown in the Colorado SW cross section C1W (Fig 2), the most northwestern extents of drilling, the trend of the gold mineralization is well defined, displaying high consistency along a 300m down-dip drill length, maintaining good thickness, and shallowly dipping. These are all highly favourable attributes to look for in a deposit in terms of both level of confidence and future potential. Hole FCG22-20, drilled vertically from the base of the Colorado Pit, a historic small-scale open pit, intersected two gold intervals grading 0.8 g/t Au over 33.0m and 1.7 g/t Au over 56.6m. The mineralization remains open with the plan to drill on section to the northeast to extend the mineralization up-dip towards the surface. Hole FCG21-08, drilled to the southwest from the Colorado Pit, intersected a lengthy gold interval grading 1.4 g/t Au over 203.9m. The mineralization remains open with the plan to drill off section to the northwest to extend the mineralization along strike. The Colorado SW cross section C (Fig 3), adjacent and to the southeast of section C1W, continues to show the well-defined trend of the gold mineralization. Hole FCG21-15, drilled steeply to the northeast, intersected 1.2 g/t Au over 87.5m. This is the furthest down-dip hole drilled on the Colorado SW zone and leaves the mineralization wide open in this direction with the plan to drill to the southwest to extend the mineralization down-dip. By themselves, these three holes display highly noteworthy intercepts, but when considered that the gold intervals encountered are at the furthest extents of drilling, a significantly larger body of mineralization is indicated at Fondaway Canyon than delineated to date. In the North Fork cross section N70 (Fig 4), the most southeastern and southwestern extents of drilling are shown. The North Fork zone differs from the Colorado SW zone as it is generally higher grade, appears less constrained, and reveals the potential thicker and deeper roots of the mineralizing system. Hole FCG22-18 and FCG22-22, drilling to the northeast at the Fondaway Canyon and North Fork branch junction, tested the southeastern extents of the mineralization and intersected multiple significant gold intervals spanning over 200 metres down hole distance. Hole FCG22-18 intersected three gold intervals grading 2.5 g/t Au over 43.4m, 2.1 g/t Au over 46.6m, and 1.9 g/t Au over 72.6m; and hole FCG22-22 intersected four gold intervals grading 3.0 g/t Au over 59.3m, 2.4 g/t Au over 21.7m, 0.8 g/t Au over 41.6m, and 1.1 g/t Au over 25.8m. The mineralization is fully open along strike to the southeast with the drill plan intending to step out to extend the mineralization in this direction. Hole FC22-19, set up on the same drill pad, is a vertical hole and the furthest down-dip intersection of the North Fork zone. Multiple significant gold intervals were encountered spanning 145 metres down hole distance comprising 0.8 g/t Au over 23.5m, 2.1 g/t Au over 87.6m, and 2.1 g/t Au over 10.8m. The mineralization is fully open down dip to the southwest with the drill plan intending to test the extent of the mineralization further in this direction. These three holes have encountered exceptional drill intercepts of significant extents and grade, and when considering that these gold intervals are at the furthest extents of drilling, the indication of a substantially larger body of mineralization than delineated to date is reaffirmed at Fondaway Canyon Scott Frostad, P.Geo., is the Qualified Person (as defined in NI 43-101) who reviewed and approved the content and scientific and technical information in the news release. Engagement of ECON Corporate Services (dba: Investorideas.com) The Company is also announcing the engagement of Investorideas.com, an online media company, to provide investor relations, news publishing, content creation, and communication consulting services to the Company for a period of one year. Content produced by Investorideas.com for the Company may appear on the Investorideas.com website, through Newswire services, and emailed to Investorideas.com subscribers. In connection with the engagement of Investor Ideas, the Company has granted ECON Corporate Services a total of 60,000 stock options exercisable at a price of $0.20 per share for a period of five years. Investor Ideas does not have a pre-existing relationship with the Company. Notes on the Mineral Resource Estimate: The independent and qualified person for the mineral resources estimate, as defined by NI 43-101, is Michael Dufresne, P.Geo., from APEX Geoscience Ltd. Mineral Resources, which are not Mineral Reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability. There has been insufficient exploration to define the inferred resources tabulated above as an indicated or measured mineral resource, however, it is reasonably expected that the majority of the Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration. There is no guarantee that any part of the mineral resources discussed herein will be converted into a mineral reserve in the future. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, marketing, or other relevant issues. The mineral resources in this report were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum standards on mineral resources and reserves, definitions, and guidelines prepared by the CIM standing committee on reserve definitions and adopted by the CIM council (CIM 2014 and 2019). The Mineral Resources Estimate is underpinned by data from 518 reverse circulation and diamond drillholes totalling 52,395m of drilling that intersected the mineralized domains. The mineral resource is reported at a lower cut-off of 0.3 g/t Au for the conceptual open pit and 2.0 g/t Au for the conceptual underground extraction scenario. The lower cut-off grades and potential mining scenarios were calculated using the following parameters: mining cost = US$2.70 /t (open pit); G&A = US$2.00 /t; processing cost = US$15.00 /t; recoveries = 92%, gold price = US$1,650.00 /oz; royalties = 1%; and minimum mining widths = 1.5 metres (underground) in order to meet the requirement that the reported Mineral Resources show "reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction". The effective date of the Mineral Resources Estimate is December 12, 2022 , and a technical report on the Fondaway Canyon project titled "Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate Fondaway Canyon Project, Nevada, USA " was filed by the Company on SEDAR on February 3, 2023 . About Getchell Gold Corp. The Company is a Nevada focused gold and copper exploration company trading on the CSE: GTCH and OTCQB: GGLDF. Getchell Gold is primarily directing its efforts on its most advanced stage asset, Fondaway Canyon, a past gold producer with a significant in-the-ground historic resource estimate. Complementing Getchell's asset portfolio is Dixie Comstock, a past gold producer with a historic resource and two earlier stage exploration projects, Star (Cu-Au-Ag) and Hot Springs Peak (Au). Getchell has the option to acquire 100% of the Fondaway Canyon and Dixie Comstock properties, Churchill County, Nevada. Mr. William Wagener, Chairman & CEO Getchell Gold Corp. 1-647-249-4798 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the amendment of the Warrants. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although management of Getchell have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Denarius Metals Corp. (TSXV: DSLV) (OTCQX: DNRSF) ("Denarius Metals" or the "Company") announced today that the Company plans to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 40,000,000 common shares of the Company at a price of CA$0.50 per common share for gross proceeds of up to CA$20,000,000 (the "Offering"). It is anticipated that the closing of the Offering will occur on or about September 6, 2023. Completion of the Offering is subject to receipt of TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") approval. The common shares issuable in connection with this Offering will be subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day after the date of issuance. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering (i) to pay for the Phase 1 construction activities nearing completion in the third quarter of 2023 at the Company's Zancudo Project in Colombia, including access road construction, plant site refurbishment, the acquisition and installation of new crushing equipment, and associated civil works, (ii) to fund the Phase 2 construction at the Zancudo Project including acquisition and installation of a new concentrate plant, tailings storage facility construction and other site infrastructure, and (iii) for working capital and general corporate purposes. Serafino Iacono, Executive Chairman and CEO of Denarius Metals, commented, "The Zancudo Project is rapidly taking shape as our first mine to come into operation and will provide us with an ongoing source of internally generated cash flow as we explore and develop our larger polymetallic projects in Spain. Designing the Zancudo Project to focus on producing and selling a concentrate once the Phase 2 construction is completed allows us to minimize the start-up capital investment and to limit the local environmental impact at the site. We have recently completed the third phase of our validation and in-fill drilling program at our Lomero Project in Southern Spain. Final assays are pending and we expect to have a drilling update shortly. Europa Metals announced on August 4, 2023 that the current drill campaign at the Toral Project in Northern Spain is nearing its close and all holes have intersected mineralization as expected and the intersections reported to date have correlated well with the known existing resource. With the support of further institutional investment to strengthen our equity through the proposed private placement, and the engagement of a market maker, we remain focused on enhancing shareholder value as we endeavor to bring our portfolio of projects into production over the next couple of years." The Zancudo Project, 100% owned by Denarius Metals, is located in a historic mining district in the Municipality of Titiribi, Department of Antioquia, Colombia, approximately 30 km SW of Medellin. The Zancudo Project, which includes the former producing Independencia Mine, was the subject of approximately 40,000 meters of exploration drilling carried out between 2011 and 2022 by Gran Colombia Gold (now Aris Mining) and IAMGOLD. The Company announced in its press release on March 1, 2023 that it had completed a maiden Mineral Resource estimate prepared by SRK Consulting (U.S.), Inc. ("SRK") with total Inferred Resources of 2.8 million tonnes grading 6.5 g/t gold and 112 g/t silver totaling 576,000 ounces of gold and 10.0 million ounces of silver. At a gold equivalent grade of 8.0 g/t, the Inferred Resources total approximately 718,000 gold equivalent ounces based on a 4 g/t AuEq cut-off grade over a 1.0 m minimum mining width. This initial Mineral Resource estimate confirmed the historically significant high gold-silver grade potential of this project which remains open for further expansion in all directions. Earlier this year, the Company partnered with an experienced local contract miner who will be responsible for mine development and mineral extraction at the Zancudo Project. The mine contractor is currently carrying out preparatory work, targeting the existing mine workings and veins of the Independencia Mine in anticipation of commencing mining operations in 2024 at the rate of approximately 500 tonnes per day ("tpd"). With further development, the Company anticipates increasing the mining rate to about 1,000 tpd in 2025. The Company is currently working with SRK on the preparation of a preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") for the Zancudo Project. The PEA will be based on a mine plan related to the Mineral Resource estimate announced earlier this year and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2023. Concurrently, the Company is moving ahead with other essential elements required to bring the Zancudo Project into operation next year. Construction has already commenced and is proceeding well on an approximately 3.7 km access road that will connect the site infrastructure with the regional highway, allowing transportation to bypass the Town of Titiribi and other local communities in the immediate area of the project. The former plant site outside the entrance to the Independencia Mine has been cleared and refurbished. Installation of the new crushing equipment, which has recently arrived at site, is getting underway. Mining and environmental permits are well advanced and expected to be received in the next few months. The Company is finalizing the specifications for a new concentrate plant to be ordered for delivery and installation next year and has selected a site for the tailings storage facility within its land package at the project site. The Company intends to produce concentrate at site that will then be shipped and sold to an end customer. Discussions with several offtake customers are underway. The Company also expects to commence an in-fill drilling program later this year to upgrade and expand the current Mineral Resource estimate and for ongoing mine planning purposes. Market Maker Denarius Metals announced today that, subject to regulatory approval, it has engaged the services of ICP Securities Inc. ("ICP") to provide market-making services in accordance with TSXV policies. ICP will trade shares of the Company on the TSXV and all other trading venues with the objectives of maintaining a reasonable market and improving the liquidity of the Company's common shares. ICP is a Toronto-based CIRO dealer-member that specializes in market making and liquidity provision. Established in 2023, with a focus on market structure, execution and trading, ICP has leveraged its own proprietary technology to deliver high quality liquidity provision and execution services to a broad array of public issuers and institutional investors. Under the agreement, ICP will receive compensation of CA$7,500 per month in advance. The agreement is for an initial term of four months and will renew for additional one-month terms unless terminated. The agreement may be terminated by either party with 30 days' notice. There are no performance factors contained in the agreement and ICP will not receive shares or stock options as compensation. ICP does not own any shares of the Company. ICP and the Company are unrelated and unaffiliated entities. Stock Option Grants The Company also announced today that it has granted a total of 400,000 stock options to two third party firms providing advisory and consulting services to the Company. Each stock option is exercisable at CA$0.55 per common share for a three-year term to expiry. The stock options will fully vest by the first anniversary of the respective advisory and consulting agreements. No U.S. Offering or Registration This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction, including the United States, other than the provinces and territories of Canada. The securities being offered pursuant to the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States. Such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, any U.S. Person (as defined in Regulation S of the US Securities Act) or person in the United States except in a transaction exempt from or not subject to the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Qualified Persons Review The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Ben Parsons, Principal Consultant (Resource Geology) with SRK, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined under National Instrument 43-101. About Denarius Metals Denarius Metals is a Canadian junior company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and eventual operation of polymetallic mining projects in high-grade districts, with its principal focus on the Lomero Project in Spain. The Company signed a definitive option agreement with Europa Metals Ltd. in November 2022 pursuant to which Europa has granted Denarius Metals two options to acquire up to an 80% ownership interest in the Toral Zn-Pb-Ag Project, Leon Province, Northern Spain. The Company's 100%-owned Zancudo Project in Colombia provides an opportunity to develop near-term production and cash flow through local contract miners and long-term growth through exploration. Additional information on Denarius can be found on its website at www.denariusmetals.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains "forward-looking information", which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Offering, TSX Venture Exchange conditional approval, the use of proceeds of the Offering, the Company's strategic plans, timing and expectation of mining rates, construction and drilling programs and estimates of mineral resources. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Denarius to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated April 21, 2023 which is available for view on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and Denarius disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Cautionary Statement on Mineral Resources Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues. In particular, the quantity and grade of reported inferred mineral resources are uncertain in nature and there is insufficient exploration to define these inferred mineral resources as an indicated or measured mineral resource in all cases. It is uncertain in all cases whether further exploration will result in upgrading the inferred mineral resources to an indicated or measured mineral resource category. For Further Information, Contact: Michael Davies Chief Financial Officer (416) 360-4653 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. TORONTO / Aug 08, 2023 / Business Wire / Triple Flag Precious Metals Corp. (with its subsidiaries, Triple Flag or the Company) (TSX: TFPM, NYSE: TFPM) announced its results for the second quarter of 2023 and declared an increased dividend of US$0.0525 per common share to be paid on September 15, 2023. All amounts are expressed in US dollars unless otherwise indicated. I am pleased to announce another quarter of record results for Triple Flag, in which we achieved record GEOs, revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and operating cash flow. The solid performance of our portfolio has provided the basis for us to increase our annualized dividend by 5%, the second consecutive increase since we listed in 2021. commented Shaun Usmar, CEO. Looking forward, our deal pipeline remains consistently active with actionable opportunities, and we are especially encouraged by an increasing cadence of new discoveries, reserve replacement and expansion at multiple assets across the portfolio such as Northparkes and Beta Hunt, and a number of important catalysts and operational milestones achieved within our portfolio as detailed below. Q2 2023 Financial Highlights Q2 2023 Q2 2022 Revenue $52.6 million $36.5 million Gold Equivalent Ounces (GEOs)1 26,616 19,507 Operating Cash Flow3 $40.9 million $29.9 million Net Earnings $16.0 million ($0.08/share) $10.9 million ($0.07/share) Adjusted Net Earnings2 $17.7 million ($0.09/share) $14.9 million ($0.10/share) Adjusted EBITDA4 $41.6 million $28.1 million Asset Margin5 91% 90% GEOs Sold by Commodity, Revenue by Commodity, and Financial Highlights Summary Table Three Months Ended June 30 ($ thousands except GEOs, Asset Margin and per share numbers) 2023 2022 GEOs1 Gold 17,134 11,446 Silver 8,215 6,717 Other 1,267 1,344 Total 26,616 19,507 Revenue Gold 33,856 21,412 Silver 16,232 12,564 Other 2,503 2,514 Total 52,591 36,490 Net Earnings 16,034 10,922 Net Earnings per Share 0.08 0.07 Adjusted Net Earnings2 17,660 14,854 Adjusted Net Earnings per Share2 0.09 0.10 Operating Cash Flow3 40,875 29,940 Operating Cash Flow per Share 0.20 0.19 Adjusted EBITDA4 41,630 28,144 Asset Margin5 91% 90% Corporate Updates 2023 Guidance : Our guidance for 2023 was introduced on February 21, 2023 and remains unchanged. : Our guidance for 2023 was introduced on February 21, 2023 and remains unchanged. Dividend: Triple Flags Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of US$0.0525 per common share that will be paid on September 15, 2023, to the shareholders of record at the close of business on August 31, 2023. This increases the annualized dividend by 5% from US$0.20 per common share to US$0.21 per share and is Triple Flags second consecutive annual increase of the dividend since its May 2021 initial public offering. Triple Flags Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of US$0.0525 per common share that will be paid on September 15, 2023, to the shareholders of record at the close of business on August 31, 2023. This increases the annualized dividend by 5% from US$0.20 per common share to US$0.21 per share and is Triple Flags second consecutive annual increase of the dividend since its May 2021 initial public offering. Maverix Integration: The integration of Maverix Metals is substantively complete, and we have delivered the identified synergies outlined in our previous disclosures. Our acquisition and integration of Maverix assets has added further scale, cash flow, diversification, and optionality. The integration of Maverix Metals is substantively complete, and we have delivered the identified synergies outlined in our previous disclosures. Our acquisition and integration of Maverix assets has added further scale, cash flow, diversification, and optionality. Agbaou Royalty Acquisition: In late June 2023, Triple Flag acquired a 2.5% net smelter return royalty on the producing Agbaou gold mine from Auramet Capital Partners, L.P. for consideration of $15.5 million, which included $13.5 million in cash and the remaining paid through an in-kind contribution of an asset held by Triple Flag. Agbaou is located in Cote dIvoire and is operated by Allied Gold Corp. In late June 2023, Triple Flag acquired a 2.5% net smelter return royalty on the producing Agbaou gold mine from Auramet Capital Partners, L.P. for consideration of $15.5 million, which included $13.5 million in cash and the remaining paid through an in-kind contribution of an asset held by Triple Flag. Agbaou is located in Cote dIvoire and is operated by Allied Gold Corp. Release of 2022 Sustainability Report: Early this July, we released our 2022 Sustainability Report entitled Progress In Motion, showcasing our contributions and commitment to helping evolve market-leading sustainability performance. Subsequent to the quarter end, Triple Flag received a rating of AA in the MSCI ESG Rating assessment, placing us amongst the leaders in the gold sector. Early this July, we released our 2022 Sustainability Report entitled Progress In Motion, showcasing our contributions and commitment to helping evolve market-leading sustainability performance. Subsequent to the quarter end, Triple Flag received a rating of AA in the MSCI ESG Rating assessment, placing us amongst the leaders in the gold sector. Prieska Royalty and Stream: The closing conditions related to the royalty (0.8% GR royalty on copper, zinc, gold and silver) have been met and the transaction has now closed. Orion Minerals Ltd expects to complete an updated feasibility study later this year, after which Triple Flag has the right, but not the obligation, to provide $80 million for a separate gold and silver stream on Prieska. Triple Flags funding is complemented by investment from the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Limited (IDC) and Clover Alloys (SA), a privately owned South African mining group that has a track record in developing and operating chrome operations. The closing conditions related to the royalty (0.8% GR royalty on copper, zinc, gold and silver) have been met and the transaction has now closed. Orion Minerals Ltd expects to complete an updated feasibility study later this year, after which Triple Flag has the right, but not the obligation, to provide $80 million for a separate gold and silver stream on Prieska. Triple Flags funding is complemented by investment from the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Limited (IDC) and Clover Alloys (SA), a privately owned South African mining group that has a track record in developing and operating chrome operations. Team: Subsequent to quarter end, David Lee joined Triple Flag as Vice President, Investor Relations. Prior to joining Triple Flag, David held the role of Director, Investor Relations at Barrick Gold Corporation and has held positions in equity research with National Bank Financial and Desjardins Capital Markets and in Forensic Advisory at KPMG LLP. Q2 2023 Portfolio Updates Australia: Northparkes (54% gold stream and 80% silver stream): Sales from Northparkes in Q2 2023 were 4,558 GEOs based on sales of 3,657 ounces of gold and 70,857 ounces of silver. Northparkes has now mobilized surface mining equipment for the commencement of open pit mining at E31, which hosts higher gold grades than the ore reserve average. (54% gold stream and 80% silver stream): Sales from Northparkes in Q2 2023 were 4,558 GEOs based on sales of 3,657 ounces of gold and 70,857 ounces of silver. Northparkes has now mobilized surface mining equipment for the commencement of open pit mining at E31, which hosts higher gold grades than the ore reserve average. Fosterville (2.0% net smelter return (NSR) gold royalty): Royalties from Fosterville in Q2 2023 equated to 1,697 GEOs. Fosterville produced 81,813 ounces of gold during the quarter. The Victorian EPA lifted the prohibition notice on Fosterville with respect to low-frequency noise that was imposed in late 2021, which restricted underground activities from midnight to 6 a.m. The Fosterville mine returned to full operating hours in June, with the additional resources focused on advancing delayed mine development and upgrading of the primary ventilation system. (2.0% net smelter return (NSR) gold royalty): Royalties from Fosterville in Q2 2023 equated to 1,697 GEOs. Fosterville produced 81,813 ounces of gold during the quarter. The Victorian EPA lifted the prohibition notice on Fosterville with respect to low-frequency noise that was imposed in late 2021, which restricted underground activities from midnight to 6 a.m. The Fosterville mine returned to full operating hours in June, with the additional resources focused on advancing delayed mine development and upgrading of the primary ventilation system. Beta Hunt (3.25% gross revenue (GR) gold royalty): Royalties from Beta Hunt in Q2 2023 equated to 1,443 GEOs. Karora Resources Inc. (Karora) announced record quarterly consolidated gold production of 40,823 ounces for Q2 2023 from its Beta Hunt and Higginsville mines in Western Australia. Over the course of 2023, Karora has had meaningful exploration results which indicate that the Fletcher Shear Zone is the third major gold system in the Hunt Block after the Western Flanks and A Zone. Latin America: Cerro Lindo (65% silver stream) : Sales from Cerro Lindo in Q2 2023 were 4,054 GEOs based on 337,096 ounces of silver sold. Nexa Resources S.A. (Nexa) expects to increase production in Q3 2023 due to renewed access to high-grade areas that were restricted in Q2 2023 after the rainfall-related shutdown in mid-March due to the effects of Cyclone Yaku, which impacted mine development for fifteen days before normal operations resumed. Nexa maintained 2023 guidance for Cerro Lindo, despite this interruption. During Q2 2023, Nexa remained focused on expanding orebodies within the stream area. (65% silver stream) Sales from Cerro Lindo in Q2 2023 were 4,054 GEOs based on 337,096 ounces of silver sold. Nexa Resources S.A. (Nexa) expects to increase production in Q3 2023 due to renewed access to high-grade areas that were restricted in Q2 2023 after the rainfall-related shutdown in mid-March due to the effects of Cyclone Yaku, which impacted mine development for fifteen days before normal operations resumed. Nexa maintained 2023 guidance for Cerro Lindo, despite this interruption. During Q2 2023, Nexa remained focused on expanding orebodies within the stream area. Buritica (100% silver stream) : Sales from Buritica in Q2 2023 were 1,430 GEOs based on 118,626 ounces of silver sold. Production expectations for Buritica remain unaffected, despite a security incident earlier in the year, which tragically resulted in two fatalities. (100% silver stream) Sales from Buritica in Q2 2023 were 1,430 GEOs based on 118,626 ounces of silver sold. Production expectations for Buritica remain unaffected, despite a security incident earlier in the year, which tragically resulted in two fatalities. Camino Rojo (2.0% NSR gold royalty): Royalties from Camino Rojo in Q2 2023 equated to 532 GEOs. Orla Mining Ltd. reported that Camino Rojo remains on track to meet its 2023 guidance. (2.0% NSR gold royalty): Royalties from Camino Rojo in Q2 2023 equated to 532 GEOs. Orla Mining Ltd. reported that Camino Rojo remains on track to meet its 2023 guidance. Eastern Borosi (1.0% NSR gold and silver royalty) : Calibre Mining Corp. announced high-grade drilling results within the Eastern Borosi District that includes 12.9 g/t Au over 8.5 meters Estimated True Width (ETW), including 23.30 g/t gold over 1.6 meters ETW and 35.50 g/t gold over 1.24 meters ETW in Hole BL-23-097. (1.0% NSR gold and silver royalty) Calibre Mining Corp. announced high-grade drilling results within the Eastern Borosi District that includes 12.9 g/t Au over 8.5 meters Estimated True Width (ETW), including 23.30 g/t gold over 1.6 meters ETW and 35.50 g/t gold over 1.24 meters ETW in Hole BL-23-097. Polo Sur (2.0% NSR copper, molybdenum and gold royalty): Antofagasta plc (Antofagasta) progressed studies relating to the development of Polo Sur; the project is expected to be reviewed by Antofagastas Project Committee in 2023. North America: Young-Davidson (1.5% NSR gold royalty) : Royalties from Young-Davidson in Q2 2023 equated to 700 GEOs. Young-Davidson produced 45,200 ounces of gold in Q2 2023. With production totaling 90,200 ounces through the first half of the year, and higher grades and throughput rates expected to drive stronger production in the second half of the year, Young-Davidson remains on track to achieve full year production guidance of 185,000 200,000 ounces of gold. (1.5% NSR gold royalty) Royalties from Young-Davidson in Q2 2023 equated to 700 GEOs. Young-Davidson produced 45,200 ounces of gold in Q2 2023. With production totaling 90,200 ounces through the first half of the year, and higher grades and throughput rates expected to drive stronger production in the second half of the year, Young-Davidson remains on track to achieve full year production guidance of 185,000 200,000 ounces of gold. Gunnison (3.5% to 16.5% copper stream): Subsequent to quarter end, Excelsior Copper Corp. announced that it has entered into an option agreement with Nuton LLC, a Rio Tinto venture, to further evaluate the use of its Nuton copper heap leaching technologies at Excelsiors Johnson Camp mine. Under the agreement, Excelsior remains the operator and Nuton funds Excelsiors costs associated with a two-stage work program at Johnson Camp. Johnson Camp is within the Triple Flag stream area and represents additional upside to our underwritten investment case. Excelsior remains committed to the in-situ leach project at Gunnison, and is pursuing Johnson Camp with Nuton technologies in parallel. (3.5% to 16.5% copper stream): Subsequent to quarter end, Excelsior Copper Corp. announced that it has entered into an option agreement with Nuton LLC, a Rio Tinto venture, to further evaluate the use of its Nuton copper heap leaching technologies at Excelsiors Johnson Camp mine. Under the agreement, Excelsior remains the operator and Nuton funds Excelsiors costs associated with a two-stage work program at Johnson Camp. Johnson Camp is within the Triple Flag stream area and represents additional upside to our underwritten investment case. Excelsior remains committed to the in-situ leach project at Gunnison, and is pursuing Johnson Camp with Nuton technologies in parallel. Nevada Copper (97.5% gold and silver stream): Nevada Copper Corp. provided a positive operational update at Pumpkin Hollow during Q2 2023, with development mining progressing ahead of schedule, a significant surface ore stockpile formed that is ready for the commencement of milling operations, and positive infrastructure-proximal drill results. (97.5% gold and silver stream): Nevada Copper Corp. provided a positive operational update at Pumpkin Hollow during Q2 2023, with development mining progressing ahead of schedule, a significant surface ore stockpile formed that is ready for the commencement of milling operations, and positive infrastructure-proximal drill results. Hope Bay (1.0% NSR gold royalty): Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (Agnico) had a total of nine exploration drill rigs operating at the Doris and Madrid deposits and regionally during Q2 2023. Agnicos objective is to grow the mineral resources at both deposits to support future project studies and potentially resume mining at Hope Bay. The drilling has resulted in good grades and thickness at Doris and significant extensions to the Patch-7 Zone. (1.0% NSR gold royalty): Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (Agnico) had a total of nine exploration drill rigs operating at the Doris and Madrid deposits and regionally during Q2 2023. Agnicos objective is to grow the mineral resources at both deposits to support future project studies and potentially resume mining at Hope Bay. The drilling has resulted in good grades and thickness at Doris and significant extensions to the Patch-7 Zone. Moss (100% silver stream): Sales from Moss in Q2 2023 were 1,494 GEOs based on 768 ounces of gold and 61,646 ounces of silver sold under the stream and related agreements. Elevation Gold Mining Corporation reported strong mineralization intercepts near the Reynolds Pit, extending a significant mineralized zone to the east, following an intersection of 225.6 meters of nearly continuous gold mineralization with an average grade of 0.56 g/t gold. These results fall within an area that is fully permitted for mining. Rest of World: RBPlat (70% gold stream) : Sales from RBPlat in Q2 2023 were 1,601 GEOs based on 1,600 ounces of gold sold. Subsequent to quarter end, Impala Platinum Limited (Implats) secured control of Royal Bakofeng Platinum (RBPlat), thereby concluding a prolonged competitive process. Implats is one of the worlds largest integrated PGM producers and brings a strong balance sheet as well as a track record of excellent operational performance and productivity at neighboring mines. RBPlats assets are contiguous and complementary to Implats operations, securing a significant Western Limb production base. We are encouraged by the outlook for this asset, particularly as the Styldrift mine ramps up to nameplate hoisting capacity of 230kt per month. (70% gold stream) Sales from RBPlat in Q2 2023 were 1,601 GEOs based on 1,600 ounces of gold sold. Subsequent to quarter end, Impala Platinum Limited (Implats) secured control of Royal Bakofeng Platinum (RBPlat), thereby concluding a prolonged competitive process. Implats is one of the worlds largest integrated PGM producers and brings a strong balance sheet as well as a track record of excellent operational performance and productivity at neighboring mines. RBPlats assets are contiguous and complementary to Implats operations, securing a significant Western Limb production base. We are encouraged by the outlook for this asset, particularly as the Styldrift mine ramps up to nameplate hoisting capacity of 230kt per month. ATO (25% gold stream and 50% silver stream): Sales from the ATO stream and related interests in Q2 2023 were 2,843 GEOs based on 2,678 ounces of gold and 14,609 ounces of silver sold. Subsequent to quarter end, Steppe Gold Ltd. signed a binding term sheet for $150 million dollars to fully fund the Phase 2 expansion at ATO. Triple Flags gold and silver stream directly benefits from this investment that extends the ATO life of mine by a further 12 years to 2036, without the need for additional investment from Triple Flag. Conference Call Details Triple Flag has scheduled an investor conference call at 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT) on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, to discuss the results reported in todays earnings announcement. The live webcast can be accessed by visiting the Events and Presentations page on the Companys website at: www.tripleflagpm.com. An archived version of the webcast will be available on the website for two weeks following the webcast. Live Webcast: https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/816200992 Dial-In Details: Toll-Free (U.S. & Canada): +1 (888) 330-2384 International: +1 (647) 800-3739 Conference ID: 4548984 Replay (Until August 23): Toll-Free (U.S. & Canada): +1 (800) 770-2030 International: +1 (647) 362-9199 Conference ID: 4548984 About Triple Flag Triple Flag is a pure play, gold-focused, emerging senior streaming and royalty company. We offer bespoke financing solutions to the metals and mining industry with exposure primarily to gold and silver in the Americas and Australia, with a total of 229 assets, including 15 streams and 214 royalties. These investments are tied to mining assets at various stages of the mine life cycle, including 29 producing mines and 200 development and exploration stage projects. Triple Flag is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange, under the ticker TFPM. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, respectively (collectively referred to herein as forward-looking information). Forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, targets, expects, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, outlook, forecasts, projection, prospects, strategy, intends, anticipates, believes, or variations of such words and phrases or terminology which states that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might, will, will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Companys preliminary sales and revenue information for the second quarter of 2023, the release of its financial results for the second quarter of 2023, the conduct of the conference call to discuss said results, identified synergies from the integration of Maverix Metals Inc., the payment of a dividend, developments in respect of the Companys portfolio of royalties and streams and those developments at certain of the mines, projects or properties that underlie the Companys interests. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, intentions, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts but instead represent managements expectations, estimates and projections regarding possible future events or circumstances. The forward-looking information included in this news release is based on our opinions, estimates and assumptions considering our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, our assumptions regarding the acquisition of Maverix Metals Inc. (including our ability to derive the anticipated benefits therefrom), as well as other factors that we currently believe are appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is also based upon a number of assumptions, including the ongoing operation of the properties in which we hold a stream or royalty interest by the owners or operators of such properties in a manner consistent with past practice; the accuracy of public statements and disclosures made by the owners or operators of such underlying properties; and the accuracy of publicly disclosed expectations for the development of underlying properties that are not yet in production. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the following: assumptions in respect of current and future market conditions and the execution of our business strategies, that operations, or ramp-up where applicable, at properties in which we hold a royalty, stream or other interest, continue without further interruption through the period, and the absence of any other factors that could cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated, intended or implied. Despite a careful process to prepare and review the forward-looking information, there can be no assurance that the underlying opinions, estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information is also subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, those set forth under the caption Risk Factors in our most recently filed annual information form which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. For clarity, mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability and inferred resources are considered too geologically speculative for the application of economic considerations. Although we have attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other risk factors not presently known to us or that we presently believe are not material that could also cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date made. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents our expectations as of the date of this news release and is subject to change after such date. We disclaim any intention or obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. All the forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements. Cautionary Statement to U.S. Investors Information contained or referenced in this press release or in the documents referenced herein concerning the properties, technical information and operations of Triple Flag has been prepared in accordance with requirements and standards under Canadian securities laws, which differ from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K (S-K 1300). Because the Company is eligible for the Multijurisdictional Disclosure System adopted by the SEC and Canadian Securities Administrators, Triple Flag is not required to present disclosure regarding its mineral properties in compliance with S-K 1300. Accordingly, certain information contained in this press release may not be comparable to similar information made public by US companies subject to reporting and disclosure requirements of the SEC. Technical and Third-Party Information: Triple Flag does not own, develop or mine the underlying properties on which it holds stream or royalty interests. As a royalty or stream holder, Triple Flag has limited, if any, access to properties included in its asset portfolio. As a result, Triple Flag is dependent on the owners or operators of the properties and their qualified persons to provide information to Triple Flag and on publicly available information to prepare disclosure pertaining to properties and operations on the properties on which Triple Flag holds stream, royalty, or other similar interests. Triple Flag generally has limited or no ability to independently verify such information. Although Triple Flag does not believe that such information is inaccurate or incomplete in any material respect, there can be no assurance that such third-party information is complete or accurate. Endnotes Endnote 1: Gold Equivalent Ounces (GEOs) GEOs are a non-IFRS measure that is based on stream and royalty interests and calculated on a quarterly basis by dividing all revenue from such interests for the quarter by the average gold price during such quarter. The gold price is determined based on the LBMA PM fix. For periods longer than one quarter, GEOs are summed for each quarter in the period. Management uses this measure internally to evaluate our underlying operating performance across our stream and royalty portfolio for the reporting periods presented and to assist with the planning and forecasting of future operating results. GEOs are intended to provide additional information only and do not have any standardized definition under IFRS and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The measures are not necessarily indicative of gross profit or operating cash flow as determined under IFRS. Other companies may calculate these measures differently. The following table reconciles GEOs to revenue, the most directly comparable IFRS measure: 2023 ($ thousands, except average gold price and GEOs information) Three months ended June 30 Three months ended March 31 Six months ended June 30 Revenue 52,591 50,269 Average gold price per ounce 1,976 1,890 GEOs 26,616 26,599 53,215 2022 ($ thousands, except average gold price and GEOs information) Three months ended June 30 Three months ended March 31 Six months ended June 30 Revenue 36,490 37,755 Average gold price per ounce 1,871 1,877 GEOs 19,507 20,113 39,620 Endnote 2: Adjusted Net Earnings (Loss) and Adjusted Net Earnings (Loss) per Share Adjusted net earnings (loss) is a nonIFRS financial measure, which excludes the following from net earnings (loss): impairment charges gain/loss on sale or disposition of assets/mineral interests foreign currency translation gains/losses increase/decrease in fair value of financial assets nonrecurring charges; and impact of income taxes on these items Management uses this measure internally to evaluate our underlying operating performance for the reporting periods presented and to assist with the planning and forecasting of future operating results. Management believes that adjusted net earnings (loss) is a useful measure of our performance because impairment charges, gain/loss on sale or disposition of assets/mineral interests, foreign currency translation gains/losses, increase/decrease in fair value of financial assets and non-recurring charges do not reflect the underlying operating performance of our core business and are not necessarily indicative of future operating results. The tax effect is also excluded to reconcile the amounts on a post-tax basis, consistent with net earnings. Managements internal budgets and forecasts and public guidance do not reflect the types of items we adjust for. Consequently, the presentation of adjusted net earnings (loss) enables users to better understand the underlying operating performance of our core business through the eyes of management. Management periodically evaluates the components of adjusted net earnings based on an internal assessment of performance measures that are useful for evaluating the operating performance of our business and a review of the non-IFRS measures used by industry analysts and other streaming and royalty companies. Adjusted net earnings (loss) is intended to provide additional information only and does not have any standardized definition under IFRS and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The measures are not necessarily indicative of gross profit or operating cash flow as determined under IFRS. Other companies may calculate these measures differently. The following table reconciles adjusted net earnings to net earnings, the most directly comparable IFRS measure. Reconciliation of Net Earnings to Adjusted Net Earnings Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 ($ thousands, except share and per share information) 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net earnings 16,034 10,922 32,568 26,811 Loss (gain) on disposition of mineral interests 1,000 - 1,000 (2,099) Foreign currency translation (gains) losses (6) 100 (52) 153 (Increase) decrease in fair value of financial assets 954 3,834 (2,699) 4,492 Income tax effect (322) (2) 358 969 Adjusted net earnings 17,660 14,854 31,175 30,326 Weighted average shares outstanding basic 202,041,353 156,013,933 196,938,120 156,020,615 Net earnings per share 0.08 0.07 0.17 0.17 Adjusted net earnings per share 0.09 0.10 0.16 0.19 Endnote 3: Free Cash Flow Free cash flow is a non-IFRS measure that deducts acquisition of other assets (excluding acquisition of financial assets or mineral interests) from operating cash flow. Management believes this to be a useful indicator of our ability to operate without reliance on additional borrowing or usage of existing cash. Free cash flow is intended to provide additional information only and does not have any standardized definition under IFRS and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The measure is not necessarily indicative of operating profit or operating cash flow as determined under IFRS. Other companies may calculate this measure differently. The following table reconciles free cash flow to operating cash flow, the most directly comparable IFRS measure: Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 ($ thousands) 2023 2022 2023 2022 Operating cash flow 40,875 29,940 79,744 56,299 Acquisition of other assets - - - - Free cash flow 40,875 29,940 79,744 56,299 Endnote 4: Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA is a nonIFRS financial measure, which excludes the following from net earnings: income tax expense finance costs, net depletion and amortization impairment charges gain/loss on sale or disposition of assets/mineral interests foreign currency translation gains/losses increase/decrease in fair value of assets/investments; non-cash cost of sales related to prepaid gold interests; and nonrecurring charges Management believes that adjusted EBITDA is a valuable indicator of our ability to generate liquidity by producing operating cash flow to fund working capital needs, service debt obligations and fund acquisitions. Management uses adjusted EBITDA for this purpose. Adjusted EBITDA is also frequently used by investors and analysts for valuation purposes whereby adjusted EBITDA is multiplied by a factor or multiple that is based on an observed or inferred relationship between adjusted EBITDA and market values to determine the approximate total enterprise value of a company. In addition to excluding income tax expense, finance costs, net and depletion and amortization, adjusted EBITDA also removes the effect of impairment charges, gain/loss on sale or disposition of assets/mineral interests, foreign currency translation gains/losses, increase/decrease in fair value of financial assets, non-cash cost of sales related to prepaid gold interests and non-recurring charges. We believe these items provide a greater level of consistency with the adjusting items included in our adjusted net earnings reconciliation, with the exception that these amounts are adjusted to remove any impact of income tax expense as they do not affect adjusted EBITDA. We believe this additional information will assist analysts, investors and our shareholders to better understand our ability to generate liquidity from operating cash flow, by excluding these amounts from the calculation as they are not indicative of the performance of our core business and not necessarily reflective of the underlying operating results for the periods presented. Adjusted EBITDA is intended to provide additional information to investors and analysts and does not have any standardized definition under IFRS and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Adjusted EBITDA is not necessarily indicative of operating profit or operating cash flow as determined under IFRS. Other companies may calculate adjusted EBITDA differently. The following table reconciles adjusted EBITDA to net earnings, the most directly comparable IFRS measure. Reconciliation of Net Earnings to Adjusted EBITDA Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 ($ thousands) 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net earnings 16,034 10,922 32,568 26,811 Finance costs, net 1,269 442 2,578 979 Income tax expense 1,626 1,269 2,992 3,412 Depletion and amortization 15,832 11,577 31,852 24,853 Loss (gain) on disposition of mineral interests 1,000 - 1,000 (2,099) Foreign currency translation (gain) loss (6) 100 (52) 153 (Increase) decrease in fair value of financial assets 954 3,834 (2,699) 4,492 Non-cash cost of sales related to prepaid gold interests 4,921 - 10,481 - Adjusted EBITDA 41,630 28,144 78,720 58,601 Endnote 5: Gross Profit Margin and Asset Margin Gross profit margin is an IFRS financial measure which we define as gross profit divided by revenue. Asset margin is a non-IFRS financial measure which we define by taking gross profit and adding back depletion and non-cash cost of sales related to prepaid gold interests and dividing by revenue. We use gross profit margin to assess profitability of our metal sales and use asset margin to evaluate our performance in increasing revenue and containing costs and providing a useful comparison to our peers. Asset margin is intended to provide additional information only and does not have any standardized definition under IFRS and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The following table reconciles asset margin to gross profit margin, the most directly comparable IFRS measure: TORONTO, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Labrador Gold Corp. (TSX.V:LAB | OTCQX:NKOSF | FNR: 2N6) (LabGold or the Company) is pleased to announce results from recent drilling targeting the highly prospective Appleton Fault Zone. The drilling is part of the Companys ongoing 100,000 metre diamond drilling program at its 100% owned Kingsway Project. Highlights of follow up drilling at Pristine include an intersection of 11.98g/t Au over 6 metres from 91 metres (64 metres vertical) including 30.61g/t over 2.33 metres and 82.2g/t over 0.75 metres that contained 77 grains of visible gold in Hole K-22-270. All mineralization drilled to date at Pristine occurs above 86 metres vertical depth and extends over a strike length of approximately 160 metres. Further results from first stage drilling at DropKick include 1.15g/t Au over 12.4 metres from 190.25 metres including 7.74g/t Au over 0.3 metres in hole K-23-231 and 1.46g/t Au over 6.75 metres from 162.25 metres including 3.72g/t Au over 2.15 metres in Hole K-23-251. Ongoing drilling at Big Vein returned 1.10g/t Au over 9.3 metres from 195 metres, including 1.49g/t over 5.3 metres in Hole K-23-246 and 1.47g/t Au over 6.55 metres from 107.88 metres in hole K-23-237. Todays result of high-grade, near surface gold mineralization at Pristine validates our belief that there is more to be found at Pristine. It is also the third discovery along the Appleton Fault Zone, after Big Vein and Dropkick, to produce such high grades associated with visible gold. Following our initial discovery of near surface visible gold at Pristine announced in May 2022, we did not intersect similar high-grades to those seen at Big Vein. As a result, we returned our focus to expanding Big Vein along strike and at depth and have successfully defined mineralization there over a 720-metre strike length. said Roger Moss, President and CEO of Labrador Gold Corp. With near surface mineralization at Pristine now drilled over an approximate 160 metre strike length and the potential for high grades demonstrated, we are looking forward to receiving the permit to drill The Gap between Pristine and Big Vein, a distance of approximately 700 metres, as we continue to focus our drilling along the very prospective Appleton Fault Zone. Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Zone K-23-270 91.00 97.00 6.00 11.98 Pristine including 92.97 95.30 2.33 30.61 including 94.00 94.75 0.75 82.20 K-23-251 162.25 169.00 6.75 1.46 DropKick including 166.45 168.60 2.15 3.72 including 167.00 168.60 1.60 4.48 K-23-250 152.40 152.80 0.40 6.87 Big Vein K-23-246 195.00 204.30 9.30 1.10 Big Vein including 199.00 204.30 5.30 1.49 K-23-240 75.22 75.63 0.41 1.82 DropKick 86.00 90.72 4.72 1.16 including 86.00 88.68 2.68 1.51 K-23-237 93.00 120.00 27.00 0.63 Big Vein including 107.88 114.43 6.55 1.47 K-23-234 100.55 101.90 1.35 1.02 DropKick 116.00 117.00 1.00 1.26 K-23-231 190.25 202.65 12.40 1.15 Dropkick including 197.45 201.60 4.15 1.78 including 201.30 201.60 0.30 7.74 K-23-230 16.00 19.30 3.30 0.41 Big Vein K-23-229 nsv Big Vein SW K-23-228 91.55 91.85 0.30 1.18 DropKick 122.35 123.15 0.80 2.63 K-23-226 nsv Big Vein SW Table 1. Summary of assay results. All intersections are downhole length as there is insufficient Information to calculate true width. Figure 1. Plan map of Pristine showing significant intersections. Figure 2. Visible gold in drill core from Hole K-23-270. A total of 77 gold grains were observed. Figure 3. Interval of visible gold mineralization in Hole K-23-270 Almost 83,000 metres have been drilled to date out of the planned 100,000 metre program. Assays are pending for samples from approximately 8,877 metres of core. The Company has approximately $12 million in cash and is well funded to carry out the remaining 17,000 metres of the planned drill program as well as further exploration to add to the current pipeline of drill targets on the property. Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Inclination Total Depth K-23-270 661930 5436075 52.0 315 45 187 K-23-251 663167 5438130 58.2 140 65 229 K-23-250 661554 5435471 53.0 125 70 320 K-23-246 661272 5435093 62.4 145 45 250 K-23-240 663365 5438261 60.2 140 45 128 K-23-237 661352 5435080 45.8 145 45 280 K-23-234 663304 5438259 55.9 140 45 266 K-23-231 663303 5438259 56.3 140 65 260 K-23-230 661737 5435329 44.7 20 45 208 K-23-229 661133 5434768 42.9 140 45 173 K-23-228 663348 5438353 54.7 140 65 126.2 K-23-226 661176 5434794 42.3 140 45 528 Table 2. Drill hole collar details QA/QC True widths of the reported intersections have yet to be calculated. Assays are uncut. Samples of HQ split core are securely stored prior to shipping to Eastern Analytical Laboratory in Springdale, Newfoundland for assay. Eastern Analytical is an ISO/IEC17025 accredited laboratory. Samples are routinely analyzed for gold by standard 30g fire assay with atomic absorption finish as well as by ICP-OES for an additional 34 elements. Samples containing visible gold are assayed by metallic screen/fire assay, as are any samples with fire assay results greater than 1g/t Au. The company submits blanks and certified reference standards at a rate of approximately 5% of the total samples in each batch. Approximately 5% of sample pulps are submitted to Bureau Veritas, an ISO 17025 accredited Laboratory in Vancouver, BC for check assays.. Qualified Person Roger Moss, PhD., P.Geo., President and CEO of LabGold, a Qualified Person in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in NI 43-101, has read and approved the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for the disclosure contained in this release. The Company gratefully acknowledges the Newfoundland and Labrador Ministry of Natural Resources Junior Exploration Assistance (JEA) Program for its financial support for exploration of the Kingsway property. About Labrador Gold Labrador Gold is a Canadian based mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and exploration of prospective gold projects in Eastern Canada. Labrador Golds flagship property is the 100% owned Kingsway project in the Gander area of Newfoundland. The three licenses comprising the Kingsway project cover approximately 12km of the Appleton Fault Zone which is associated with numerous gold occurrences in the region. Infrastructure in the area is excellent located just 18km from the town of Gander with road access to the project, nearby electricity and abundant local water. LabGold is drilling a projected 100,000 metres targeting high-grade epizonal gold mineralization along the Appleton Fault Zone with encouraging results. The Company has approximately $12 million in working capital and is well funded to carry out the planned program. The Hopedale property covers much of the Florence Lake greenstone belt that stretches over 60 km. The belt is typical of greenstone belts around the world but has been underexplored by comparison. Work to date by Labrador Gold show gold anomalies in rocks, soils and lake sediments over a 3 kilometre section of the northern portion of the Florence Lake greenstone belt in the vicinity of the known Thurber Dog gold showing where grab samples assayed up to 7.8g/t gold. In addition, anomalous gold in soil and lake sediment samples occur over approximately 40 km along the southern section of the greenstone belt (see news release dated January 25th 2018 for more details). Labrador Gold now controls approximately 40km strike length of the Florence Lake Greenstone Belt. The Company has 170,009,979 common shares issued and outstanding and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol LAB. For more information please contact: Roger Moss, President and CEO Tel: 416-704-8291 Or visit our website at: www.labradorgold.com Twitter @LabGoldCorp Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. When used in this document, the words may, would, could, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including those factors discussed in filings made by us with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties, such as actual results of current exploration programs, the general risks associated with the mining industry, the price of gold and other metals, currency and interest rate fluctuations, increased competition and general economic and market factors, occur or should assumptions underlying the forward looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, or expected. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Kingsmen Resources Ltd. (TSXV: KNG) (OTCQB: KNGRF) ("Kingsmen" or the "Company") is pleased to report new results from its on-going surface sampling program of old workings along the Soledad and Soledad II structures, and their subsidiary structures, in the southeast part of the Las Coloradas project, Chihuahua, Mexico. Located 30km from Hildago de Parral, Chihuahua, the Soledad structures were historically mined by ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company), from 1943 to 1952. Results are presented in Figure 1 and Table 1. Highlights Twenty-one (21) samples were collected. 4 > 300 g/t silver 2 > 200 g/t silver 2 > 100 g/t silver Three areas with high grade silver values are recognized. Prospecting and sampling are continuing. Scott Emerson, President, commented: "These first results are extremely encouraging as they clearly demonstrate the persistence of high-grade silver mineralization on part of a second important structure which is 1.2 km to the NW of the old Las Coloradas mine. Work is continuing along the entire extent of the structure. This is an area, of unexplored potential due to the previously fragmented property ownership." The old workings on the NW-trending Soledad II structure are distributed over approximately 1,000 meters (Figure 1). The best silver grades are found over a 400 meters length of the northern part of the structure where it occurs in volcanics and tracks felsic intrusives. The best silver grades are found in the El Nido, Enjambre and La Pila mines. At El Nido the quartz vein structure is offset to the northeast, likely due to an intersection with the NE-trending La Chiquita structure, indicating structural complexity with high grade silver. This is a positive setting for mineralization. A similar structural intersection with high grade silver occurs where the NE-trending La Avispa structure intersects at the La Pila mine. Anomalous silver also occurs in the La Avispa mine. The La Avispa structure tracks the contact of volcanics with felsic intrusives. The overall structural picture is one where the two principal NW-trending mineralized structures (Soledad and Soledad II) are cut by NE-trending structures (+/- mineralization). Unsurprisingly, the projected intersections of the two sets of structures appear favourable for high grade silver mineralization and this is supported by the sampling. The currently exposed geology, structures and mineralization are functions of erosion and imperfect exposure. The significant strike length of the Soledad and Soledad II structures indicate the structures will continue at depth with the potential for high grade silver mineralization. The structures have not been tested/explored at depth, to-date. Figure 1 SAMPLING RESULTS* CHECK SAMPLING** Sample Width (m) Au_ppm Ag_ppm Site Type Au_ppm Ag_ppm Cu_ppm Pb_ppm Sb_ppm Zn_ppm PRSLC-0001 0.7 0.243 497.97 El Nido Mine Surface 1.985 427 103 >10000 74 155 PRSLC-0002 1 2.462 218.89 El Nido Mine Surface PRSLC-0003 0.8 0.233 85.6 El Nido Mine Surface PRSLC-0004 1 0.225 142.95 El Nido Mine Surface PRSLC-0005 1 0.269 35.7 El Nido Mine Surface PRSLC-0006 0.5 0.223 138.57 El Enjambre Vein Surface PRSLC-0007 1 0.01 4.8 El Enjambre Vein Surface PRSLC-0008 0.5 2.893 481.66 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0009 0.6 0.454 68.3 La Pila Mine Surface PRSLC-0010 0.5 0.983 284.12 La Pila Mine Surface PRSLC-0011 0.5 1.287 375.47 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0012 0.7 0.369 329.82 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0013 1.3 0.093 52.4 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0014 1.3 0.044 19.6 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0023 0.6 0.13 43 La Avispa Mine Surface PRSLC-0024 0.8 0.048 54.7 La Avispa Mine Surface PRSLC-0025 0.6 0.121 362.03 La Avispa Mine Surface PRSLC-0030 1.3 0.0025 1.2 El Arroyo Vein Surface PRSLC-0031 0.5 0.017 5.9 El Arroyo Vein Surface PRSLC-0035 0.5 0.008 16.6 La Escalera Mine Surface PRSLC-0036 0.5 0.162 13.7 La Escalera Mine Surface *Actlabs Mexico S.A. de C.V. **ALS Chemex Labs, Ltd. About Las Coloradas The Las Coloradas Project ( 8.5 km2 -3.3 sq miles) represents a consolidation of a historic mining district which covers numerous silver-gold-lead-zinc-copper mines previously exploited by ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company). Las Coloradas is in the Parral mining district of the Central Mexican Silver Belt, and is located approximately 30 kilometers southeast of the city of Hildago de Parral and 40 kilometers east of the San Francisco de Oro and Santa Barbera mining districts where several old major mines are located, such as La Prieta, Veta Colorada, Palmilla, Esmeralda, San Francisco del Oro and Santa Barbara. As well, new major mining projects are currently being explored in the district; Cordero (Discovery Silver Corp.), 35 kms north of Parral, and La Cigarra (Kootenay Silver Inc.), 35 kms northwest of Parral. Click here to see locator map: https://www.kingsmenresources.com/area-history. Qualified Person Kieran Downes, Ph.D., P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure set out in this news release. About Kingsmen Resources In line with Kingsmen's organic-growth strategy, the Company's focus is on exploration and development, and is currently focused on district-scale exploration for high -margin metallic mineral deposits in the prolific mining districts of Parral Mexico. In addition, the company has a 1% NSR on the Los Ricos North project in Mexico operated by GoGold Resources Inc. The Company's leaders have extensive experience in the mining and financial sectors. Kingsmen is a publicly-traded company (TSXV: KNG) (OTCQB: KNGRF) and is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. On behalf of the Board, Signed: "Scott Emerson" Scott Emerson, President & CEO Phone: 6046859316 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statement All statements, trend analysis and other information contained in this press release about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements regarding the completion of the acquisition of the Las Coloradas Project and receipt of regulatory approval, are forward-looking statements. Although Kingsmen believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since Kingsmen can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in Kingsmen's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators, and assumptions made with regard to: Kingsmen's ability to make the required payments under the definitive agreements; and Kingsmen's ability to secure the necessary regulatory approvals. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Kingsmen's expectations include risks associated with the business of Kingsmen; risks related to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions to the closing of the acquisition of the Las Coloradas Project; non-completion of the acquisition of the Las Coloradas Project; risks related to exploration and potential development of the Las Coloradas Project; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; the need for cooperation of government agencies in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time and additional risks identified in Kingsmen's filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com). Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. Kingsmen does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements The United States on Wednesday accused Sudan of having threatened to expel the United Nations mission from the war-torn country if the UN envoy, already in Khartoum's crosshairs, speaks before the Security Council on the atrocities of the conflict. During a session devoted to Sudan and South Sudan, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, whose country is chairing the Council in August, slammed the absence of Volker Perthes, the special representative of the secretary-general in Sudan and head of the UN mission there, known as UNITAMS. "We had expected SRSG Perthes to brief the Council. We now understand that the Sudanese government warned it would end the UN mission in Sudan if the SRSG participated in this briefing. And that is unacceptable," the US ambassador said in front of her Sudanese counterpart, Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed. The Sudanese ambassador denied the charge. "The mission of Sudan has not sent a letter or a correspondence saying that we are threatening to boycott the session," he said. But Thomas-Greenfield repeated the charge in front of assembled media after the session. "We were told yesterday that Volker would be briefing the Council. And this morning his name was pulled. And we understand that that happened because the Sudanese government threatened to pull UNITAMS out of Sudan if he briefed the Council," she said. "We were appalled by it, it was outrageous, it was unacceptable," she added. The Sudan briefing was delivered by the Assistant Secretary General for Africa, Martha Ama Pobee, who said the conflict "continues to have immense repercussions on the country and its people who continue to face unimaginable suffering." She noted that "sexual violence continues to be perpetrated on a large scale, while children continue to be killed or victimized or are at risk of being recruited to fight." The war in Sudan, pitting the nation's army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (FSR) of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagl, began on April 15 and has claimed around 4,000 lives according to the NGO Acled, and has left nearly four million internally displaced persons and refugees. In June, Perthes denounced possible "crimes against humanity" in Darfur, after which Khartoum declared him persona non grata, accusing him of being biased. Farhan Haq, a spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres said Perthes "continues to be the Special Representative of the Secretary-General dealing with Sudan," without however confirming the accusations of the US ambassador. TACOMAA subsidiary of Canadian company MindGeek was awarded the domains once owned by a porn pirate after the offender ignored a federal district court injunction. MG Premium and its counsel sued a class of defendants affiliated with a popular network of known piracy sites, including the adult tube site DaftSex. A recent filing issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Tacoma held defendant Vasily Kharchenko in contempt for knowingly violating a previous order after MG Premium was awarded the domains in question. DaftSex is a massive DMCA violator, according to initial filings submitted to a federal court in Washington by MG Premium. In those filings, MG Premium asserted that its DMCA takedown efforts targeted at least 832,000 DaftSex URLs indexed throughout Google search engine results. U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle awarded MG Premium over $32 million in damages in a ruling in November 2022 after Kharchenko, the operator of DaftSex and its network of sites, failed to appear before the court and answer the claims against him outlined by the lawsuit. Judge Settle also authorized the transfer of several domains from the possession of Kharchenkos operation to MG Premium. While compliance was clear at the beginning, the network of sites that Kharchenko owns eventually shifted to similar-sounding domains in defiance of the federal courts order, and they openly advertised the moves over social media. Counsel representing MG Premium pointed this out and requested Judge Settle to sanction Kharchenko for violating court orders. While the court sought to grant Kharchenko the ability to plead his case before the court, he was again absent from any of the proceedings, resulting in the court decision last week that granted MG Premium ownership of the new domains and the social media accounts for DaftSex. Kharchenko relocated the at-issue websites to new domains immediately upon the transfer of original domains to plaintiff MG Premium, writes Settle in his order issued on August 3, 2023. He re-located the websites previously located at Daftsex.com, Artsporn.com, and Biqle.com to new domains located at Daft.sex, Dsex.to, and Biqle.org. MG Premium has demonstrated that the websites at their current domains are 'mirrored' sites to the original websites, Settle says. The court also compelled Twitter (now X.com) and GitHub to eject Kharchenko and any other accounts he and his team may own and transfer the ownership of those accounts to MG Premium. Torrent Freak reporter Andy Maxwell observed that Judge Settle classified DaftSex as a property wholly owned by MindGeek, and the ownership of that account should be transferred to the awarded party at reasonable expense. Maxwell reports that this applies to the GitHub domains daftsex.github.io and daftpost.github.io. These accounts were also used to promote the news surrounding the transfer of the sites from the old domains to the new domains after the first order from Settles court was granted. Settle outlines no other sanctions in the new order. At present, DaftSexat the domain daft.sexis still live on the internet and operating. PATTAYA, ThailandCorey Silverstein of Silverstein Legal is this weeks guest on "Adult Site Broker Talk" for a follow-up discussion to the previous week's episode. Silverstein is the managing and founding member of Silverstein Legal. Silverstein is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, and New York. His practice and clientele focus on a variety of legal areas that affect the adult industry. In addition, his practice focuses on intricate contracts, business structure, and business formation. Silverstein takes pride in providing representation tailored to the specific requirements of each client. He is a frequent speaker at international trade fairs and conferences. Silverstein belongs to the First Amendment Lawyers Association, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, the Free Speech Coalition, and the Association of Sites Promoting Child Protection, and serves on the board of Pineapple Support. Follow Silverstein on Twitter @MyAdultAttorney. His website address is adult.law. Bruce, host of the show and CEO of "Adult Site Broker" said, Part two of my conversation with Corey was fantastic, like the first one. We got into more areas of adult industry law and discussed the political climate, crypto, and other issues affecting our industry. Adult Site Broker helps people buy and sell websites in the adult space. For more information, visit the website at adultsitebroker.com. Listen to Corey Silverstein on "Adult Site Broker Talk's" website starting today. Jung Hae In gave hints of his possible comeback in romance drama following his heavy series in Netflix's "D.P." Keep on reading for details. Jung Hae In Grateful to Work on Netflix's 'D.P' Jung Hae In is famously one of the busiest K-stars today, after the release of his Netflix series, the actor just started completing his fan meeting tour in Asia. The K-heartthrob just made his small screen return through the second installment of the military-themed drama "D.P." He reprised the role of Ahn Jun Ho and reunited with Han Ho Yeol (Koo Kyo Hwan), the duo in the Deserter Pursuit unit, who is in charge of tracking down South Korean men who attempt to escape required military service. In an interview with the drama's cast members, the main protagonist, Jung Hae In shared his experiences working on "D.P." Season 2. He expressed that he felt more dark emotions for the second book as it required heavier scenes. But no matter how challenging the project was, he was thankful for all the opportunities and people he met. Jung Hae In Expresses His Desire To Do Melodramas Again "D.P." is a work that gave me confidence. Thanks to the military material, I gained many male fans. There were quite a few men who came to my fan meeting after watching 'D.P.', and there were even those who came alone. It feels like I'm getting farther and farther away from melodramas." With that being said, Jung Hae In expressed his interest in returning to melodramas, a lighter and easy-to-digest genre. He continued, "It was a natural flow rather than intentionally choosing a genre. I think it's time to work on a melodrama again. I have a desire to show bright acting now." Even though there are no confirmed romance genre projects yet for the actor, fans were delighted to know that they might finally see Jung Hae In again in melodramas sooner. Jung Hae In is loved for his past works such as "Something in the Rain," "One Spring Night," "Prison Playbook," "While You Were Sleeping," and more. On the other hand, the K-drama leading man celebrated his 10th debut anniversary this 2023. He praised his colleagues who have been in the industry for years, "I think a lot of seniors who act for a long time without a break are amazing. It seems that I need to take good care of my mental and physical health. Looking at the fans who filled the fan meeting venue, I pledged, 'The reason I'm loved is because of acting, not anything else. That's why I'll do my best in acting." What do you anticipate for Jung Hae In's comeback in melodrama? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars. Kdramastars owns this article. Shai Collins wrote this. Han Hyo Joo opened up about being accused of getting plastic surgery. The actress didn't escape the prying eyes of the media and public after rumors circulated that she had had double eyelid surgery. During her appearance on the Youtube channel "VIVO TV," Han Hyo Joo appeared as a guest along with "Moving" co-star Ryu Seung Ryeong. In the interview, the actress couldn't help but talk about the rumors surrounding her. Han Hyo Joo on Plastic Surgery Rumors The 36-year-old actress graced the interview with minimal makeup, showing off her natural beauty. During the interview, obtained by a media outlet, host Song Eun Yi showed a graduation photo of Han Hyo Joo, pointing out her amazing visuals. When asked if she would prefer receiving a compliment about her looks over acting, the actress chose both and talked about how her physical appearance changed through the years. "I had single eyelids when I was in middle school, but after entering high school, I developed double eyelids. That's how my current face was formed," she said, referring to her puberty or when a person goes through physical changes as he or she gets older. Because of it, Han Hyo Joo said that she was accused of going under the knife and having her face done. "As I get older, my double eyelids can be seen more clearly. Some days, I even have 5 eyelids. However, there are still plastic surgery suspicions," she shared, finally dismissing rumors about Han Hyo Joo's plastic surgery issue. Besides the "Happiness" star, several actresses have been accused of going under the knife. Among them is "Alchemy of Souls" star Go Yoon Jung, whose pre-debut photo circulated on the internet. In addition, Kim Sejeong was once rumored to have had double eyelid surgery, and was criticized because it was "poorly done." Han Hyo Joo's New Drama 'Moving' Her appearance with Ryu Seung Ryeong comes ahead of the official release of her K-drama comeback, "Moving." Han Hyo Joo headlines alongside Jo In Sung, Cha Tae Hyun, Ryu Seung Ryeong, Kim Sung Kyun, Kim Hee Won, Lee Jung Ha, Kim Do Hoon, and Go Yoon Jung. Based on the webtoon of the same name, "Moving" focuses on a group of teenagers with superhuman abilities that they inherited from their parents. They eventually teamed up to fight against dark forces. In the upcoming K-drama, Han Hyo Joo takes on the role of Lee Mi Hyun. She used to be a secret agent, working under the Ministry of Security. Interestingly, she has superhuman senses, which she passed on to her child. "Moving" is slated to premiere on August 9, airing every Wednesday through Hulu and Disney+. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Han Hyo Joo Reveals Physical Transformations She Did for New Film 'Believer 2' For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars. KDramaStars owns this article Written by Geca Wills Kennesaw State economic impact climbs to more than $2 billion in 2022 KENNESAW, Ga. | Aug 9, 2023 Kennesaw State University had an economic impact of $2.03 billion on Georgia in fiscal year 2022, according to a University System of Georgia (USG) report released Tuesday. Kennesaw States economic impact in FY 2022 marked an 10.3% increase from $1.84 billion the previous year, while the University System of Georgias economic impact grew by 4.14% over fiscal year 2021. The total impact of all 26 USG institutions on their local communities was $20.1 billion in FY 2022, up from $19.3 billion in fiscal year 2021. Kennesaw States personnel and operating expenses, combined with education-related spending by students, accounted for $1.3 billion of its total FY 2022 economic impact. The remaining more than $728 million resulted from the institution, its employees and students purchasing goods and services in the community, such as at restaurants and retail stores. Kennesaw State is an important driver of the economy within our region and the state of Georgia, said KSU President Kathy Schwaig. Our academic programs, impactful research, enrollment and community partnerships continue to have a growing positive impact. Serving more than 43,000 students, Kennesaw States collective employment impact in FY 2022 was 15,917 full- and part-time jobs including 4,095 jobs on campus and 11,822 jobs off campus in either the private or public sectors. The study found that for each job created by KSU on its campus, another 2.8 jobs was created in the local community. In addition to USGs annual economic impact study, the system released a companion study that found bachelors graduates in the class of 2022 from Georgias public colleges and universities will earn over $1 million more during their lifetimes than they would without a degree. USGs 26 public colleges and universities, individually and collectively, make a significant economic impact across the state, helping to put Georgians to work while spending money in local communities and helping their regional economies support Georgias growth, USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue said. At the same time, our graduates are the real winners with this million-dollar deal. Were focused on continuing to help all our students be successful as they use their degrees to prepare themselves for their future prosperity. The University Systems measure of economic impact reflects direct and indirect spending that contributes to the regions served by its colleges and universities. The report evaluates economic impact in terms of output (sales, plus or minus inventory), value added (gross regional product), labor income and number of jobs. The annual USG study was conducted by the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the University of Georgias Terry College of Business, which analyzed data for the period of July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, to calculate each schools economic impact. Read the full USG economic impact report here and the companion study on earnings here. Related Stories A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 43,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The universitys vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu. With Red Butte, deeply sacred to the Havasupai, behind him, President Joe Biden proclaimed nearly 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon as the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument on Tuesday morning. Its official, Biden said after signing the proclamation in Tusayan, flanked by tribal leaders, conservation groups and a gaggle of White House reporters, all surrounded by sagebrush and in the midst of the largest ponderosa pine forest in the world. Americas natural wonders are central to our heritage and our identity as a nation. Conserving them not only protects the livelihoods of the people that depend on them, it preserves key pieces of our history for the full American story for generations to come. It unites us, Biden said. Today marks a historic step for preserving the majesty of this place, first among American landmarks, sacred to tribal nations, revered by every American. It speaks to the soul of our nation. The remarks came at the historic Red Butte Airfield -- and after decades of pressure on the part of tribes and conservation groups. The president also tied the proclamation to the administrations larger goals of fighting climate change. [Preserving lands is] also key to building resilience against drought and climate change, creeks and streams flowing into the Colorado River supporting farms and ranches across the Southwest, bringing clean water to 40 million Americans, Biden said. Folks, preserving these lands is good, not only for Arizona but for the planet. Its good for the economy. Its good for the soul of the nation, and I believe its the right thing to do. The presidents remarks and proclamation were preceded by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and several Arizona public officials, including Rep. Raul Grijalva, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Gov. Katie Hobbs and 2022-23 Miss Navajo Nation Valentina Clitso, who sang the national anthem in Navajo. Gallery: Biden designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument President Joe Biden was in northern Arizona as he designated 1,500 square miles of land near the Grand Canyon National Park as the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument Tuesday. Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument President Joe Biden cheers with gathered members of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition and various Arizona state representatives after designat Politics top story Video: Biden designates new national monument in Arizona Declaring it good not only for Arizona but for the planet, President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a national monument designation for the gre Native Nations Welcome New National Monument Two Havasupai dancers chant and dance to open the an event at the historic Red Butte Airfield Tuesday morning during which President Joe Biden Native Nations Welcome New National Monument Miss Navajo Nation, Valentina Clitso, sings the national anthem in Navajo Tuesday morning at the historic Red Butte Airfield, welcoming the cr alert top story Native Nations and AZ State Representatives Welcome New National Monument Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument Senator Kyrsten Sinema delivers her remarks Tuesday morning at the historic Red Butte Airfield before President Joe Biden designated 1500 squa Native Nations Welcome New National Monument Members of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition sit at the historic Red Butte Airfield Tuesday morning preparing for President Joe Biden to desig Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument Representative Raul Grijalva delivers his remarks Tuesday morning at the historic Red Butte Airfield before President Joe Biden designated 150 Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument Flagstaff city councilmembers Austin Aslan (left) and Miranda Sweet (middle) pose with mayor Becky Daggett (right) for a photo Tuesday afterno Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland delivers her remarks Tuesday morning at the historic Red Butte Airfield before President Joe Biden desig Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs delivers her remarks Tuesday morning at the historic Red Butte Airfield before President Joe Biden designated 150 Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument President Joe Biden shakes hands with Maya Tilousi of the Hopi Tribe after she welcomed him to the stage at the historic Red Butte Airfield Tu Native Nations Welcome New National Monument Maya Tilousi of the Hopi Tribe welcomes President Joe Biden to the stage Tuesday morning at the historic Red Butte Airfield as he prepares to Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument Two secret service agents stand on top of a hotshot truck Tuesday afternoon, keeping an eye out for threats at the historic Red Butte Airfield Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument President Joe Biden signs a document on Tuesday in Tusayan designating over 1,500 square miles of land around the Grand Canyon National Park a Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument President Joe Biden speaks to the crowd at the historic Red Butte Airfield. Biden flew to the Grand Canyon area to designate over 1,500 square web only Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument President Joe Biden speaks to the gathered crowd at the historic Red Butte Airfield Tuesday morning. Biden flew to the Grand Canyon area to de Clitso said it was powerful to see the proclamation take place amid lands that hold such power. Each of the tribes and my ancestors, they have been working since the beginning of time to always advocate and protect our lands, so I am very fortunate to see it in my time but Im not surprised. More and more people are realizing the importance of these lands, the importance of the air we breathe and the quality of these lands, Clisto said. The Havasupai youth dance group also performed before remarks by public officials. Clark Tenakhongva, former vice chair of the Hopi Tribe, told the Arizona Daily Sun that the proclamation was an act to right past history and one that had been long fought for. Its long overdue. Its finally a feeling of hope from the horizon from the east, meaning the White House, that this administration is finally looking at tribal issues rather than just talking about it, Tenakhongva said. Havasupai Councilmember Stewart Chavez also spoke to the long journey that led to Tuesdays proclamation, saying the last step happened so quickly that it was "almost like whiplash." There are generations before me that are gone that are definitely rejoiceful in the spirit world at this point, he said. I think the message that I have is thank you, from the bottom of my heart' -- for someone to have finally acknowledge Indigenous tribes, and it took this long, but for someone to actually respond, understand the request that we've had for years, the importance of preserving not only our history, but also our culture and the land for future generations. And Grijalva thanked tribes for the persistence in efforts to fight for protections over the course of decades. It has taken a struggle [to get here] and no one knows that better than the tribal people who have never forgotten that struggle, Grijalva said. The new monument comes after years of work on the part of tribes and conservation groups to see areas around Grand Canyon National Park protected from uranium mining in particular. The monument will largely eliminate the possibility of future mining within the designated area. Existing mines would still be able to operate. In April, a coalition of 14 tribes began a renewed push for the administration to declare the area a new monument. Earlier this year, Haaland made a visit to Supai Village to hear from tribal members pushing for the monument. Haaland also heard from other tribes in the coalition and local Anglo leaders. These special places are not a passthrough on the way to the Grand Canyon. They are sacred and significant unto their own right. They should not be open to new mining claims and developed beyond recognition, Haaland told reporters at the time. We are in a new era, one in which we honor tribally led conservation, advanced code stewardship and care about the wellbeing of Native people. The proclamation includes about 917,618 acres of public lands split into three distinct chunks. South of the Canyon, the monument encompasses much of the Kaibab National Forest. Northeast of the Canyon, the monument includes much of the House Rock Valley from the edge of Marble Canyon to the Kaibab Plateau. Finally to the northwest of the Canyon, the monument includes areas spanning from south of Fredonia and the Kaibab Indian Reservation to the edge of the park. Thats somewhat distinct from the proposed 1.1 million acres asked for by the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition. The monument proclamation leaves out several thousand acres of land proposed in the northeastern section. A senior administration official said new mining claims are still not permitted in that area under a 2012 moratorium enacted by the Obama administration. Officials also said tribes will have a role in developing and managing the monument, as will state and local agencies. It is not exactly clear what form co-management will take, but officials said tribes with connections to the monument areas will be included in a commission that is meant to inform and guide what co-stewardship means. The proclamation also establishes an advisory committee between tribes, stakeholders, and state agencies such as Arizona Game and Fish, and land management agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. In this time of the climate crisis, Indigenous knowledge is becoming increasingly valuable for the management of our public lands, and I just want to state that it's important that we have tribal input into how these lands are being managed, Haaland said. The Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument becomes the nations 133rd national monument, and brings the number of national monuments in Arizona to 19. Baaj Nwaavjo means where tribes roam, for the Havasupai people, while, for the Hopi, Itah Kukveni translates to our footprints." Reaction The monument designation was applauded by many who have been working toward the protection of lands around the Canyon for years. Grijalva has introduced countless bills to do so, and thanked the efforts of tribes and tribal members for getting the administration to act. [We] are witnessing the culmination of a monumental journey. Designation of the [monument] is a remarkable triumph and a testament to the unwavering dedication of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition, local communities and other allies, Grijalva said in a statement. Together with the Biden-Harris administration, were ensuring the protection of the regions vast and rich natural resources, safeguarding cultural heritage and preserving the incredible beauty of this iconic landscape for generations to come. Recent polls commissioned by conservation groups have shown the monument designation to be popular with Arizonans of all political stripes. One poll showed that about 75% of Arizona voters supported a monument designation. But that doesnt mean the new monument wont ruffle any feathers. At a public listening session in Flagstaff last month, several Mohave County officials spoke strongly in opposition to the monument designation, saying they had been left out of the process. In Coconino County, residents of Fredonia and other Arizona Strip communities also expressed displeasure with the monument proposal. Opponents of establishing a monument have argued it wont help combat a lingering drought and could prevent thinning of forests and stop hunters from keeping wildlife populations in check. Ranchers in Utah near the Arizona border say the monument designation would strip them of privately owned land. And the effort has been strongly opposed by mining companies that hope to extract uranium from the area. Energy Fuels Vice President of Marketing and Development Curtis Moore called the monument designation a mistake and one that is counter to the administrations own goals on climate change. Energy Fuels owns and operates the Pinyon Plain Mine located just south of the Grand Canyon and just north of Red Butte. While that mine has yet to begin extracting uranium ore, its operations will be unaffected by the monument designation. While our Pinyon Plain mine should not be affected by a national monument designation, we dont think permanently locking off Americas lowest environmental impact and most globally competitive uranium deposits makes sense, Moore said. Designating a national monument to stop uranium mining goes against the great weight of science and facts on the ground. Energy Fuels has long held that modern uranium mining is much safer and less impactful than past efforts to mine uranium throughout the region, an assertion that tribes and conservation groups dispute. On the other hand, Alicyn Gitlin with the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club said she is still having a hard time believing that the monument designation is a reality. We're thrilled and relieved to finally see this happen. It is the culmination of the efforts of tribal members, and conservation-minded people over decades. You know, these fights started in the '80s and it's great to see it now [come to fruition], Gitlin said. And local leaders also applauded the effort. Flagstaff Vice Mayor Austin Aslan said Monday he was proud of the role he and the City of Flagstaff could play in supporting the effort. These protections are valuable to the Flagstaff community, and our solidarity with our tribal neighbors is critical and meaningful. For this region, when the tribes state that water is life, its not just a platitude. Im so proud to be a witness to this designation, Aslan said. Both the Flagstaff City Council and Coconino County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to support tribal efforts to designate the monument. The boundaries of this new national monument encompass a great deal of land within Coconino County, added Patrice Horstman, Chair of the Board and Supervisor for District 1, on Tuesday. The Board of Supervisors unanimously supports the creation of this National Monument as it benefits Coconino Countys tourist and outdoor recreation economy, preserves significant tribal and cultural sites and prevents potential contamination of the critical Colorado River Plateau watershed. In 2017, Democratic President Barack Obama backed off a full-on monument designation. The idea faced a hostile reception from Arizona's Republican governor and two senators. Then-Gov. Doug Ducey threatened legal action, saying Arizona already has enough national monuments. The landscape of Arizona's political delegation has since changed considerably. Hobbs, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly and Sinema, an independent, were all on board. Hobbs, a Democrat, has openly urged Biden to issue a designation. In a letter sent to Biden in May, Hobbs claimed that she heard from people across the political spectrum, including sporting groups and outdoor groups, in support of a monument. President Bidens designation of this new national monument is a welcome decision that will protect cultural sites as well as the communities and recreation jobs that depend on this land, Kelly said in a statement Tuesday. "Its also the result of years of advocacy by Arizona community and tribal leaders who I was proud to support by leading this effort alongside Sen. Sinema in the United States Senate. Ive had the opportunity to see the Grand Canyons beauty from space and up close, and there is just no other place like it. Now, generations of tribal residents, hikers, bikers, rafters, and others will continue to enjoy all the Grand Canyon region has to offer to the benefit of our state and our economy. Close President Joe Biden, left, is greeted by Reps. Raul Grijalva, center, and Ruben Gallego, right, after landing at Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan Monday. President Joe Biden walks down the stairs of Air Force One Monday evening after landing at Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan. Biden attended a ceremony Tuesday to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, which contains just under 1 million acres of land bordering Grand Canyon National Park. The pilot of Air Force One sits in the cockpit after landing at Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan on Monday. President Joe Biden will designate the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, which contains just under 1 million acres of land bordering Grand Canyon National Park. A Secret Service agent waits for Air Force One Monday evening at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan. President Joe Biden arrived in Arizona Monday in advance of a ceremony Tuesday to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. Secret Service agents wait for Air Force One on the runway of Grand Canyon National Park Airport at Tusayan Monday evening. Air Force One arrives at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport on Monday evening in Tusayan. A Secret Service sniper team stands on a hill of gravel watching the forest surrounding the Grand Canyon National Park Airport at Tusayan Monday evening before the arrival of Air Force One. Marine One sits on the apron at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport on Tusayan Monday evening. A Secret Service dog looks to his handler Monday evening at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan. President Joe Biden arrives in Arizona Monday in advance of a ceremony Tuesday to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, which contains just under 1 million acres of land near Grand Canyon National Park. Gallery: President Biden arrives at Grand Canyon Airport aboard Air Force One Biden will attend a ceremony Tuesday to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. President Joe Biden, left, is greeted by Reps. Raul Grijalva, center, and Ruben Gallego, right, after landing at Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan Monday. President Joe Biden walks down the stairs of Air Force One Monday evening after landing at Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan. Biden attended a ceremony Tuesday to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, which contains just under 1 million acres of land bordering Grand Canyon National Park. The pilot of Air Force One sits in the cockpit after landing at Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan on Monday. President Joe Biden will designate the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, which contains just under 1 million acres of land bordering Grand Canyon National Park. A Secret Service agent waits for Air Force One Monday evening at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan. President Joe Biden arrived in Arizona Monday in advance of a ceremony Tuesday to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. Secret Service agents wait for Air Force One on the runway of Grand Canyon National Park Airport at Tusayan Monday evening. Air Force One arrives at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport on Monday evening in Tusayan. A Secret Service sniper team stands on a hill of gravel watching the forest surrounding the Grand Canyon National Park Airport at Tusayan Monday evening before the arrival of Air Force One. Marine One sits on the apron at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport on Tusayan Monday evening. A Secret Service dog looks to his handler Monday evening at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan. President Joe Biden arrives in Arizona Monday in advance of a ceremony Tuesday to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, which contains just under 1 million acres of land near Grand Canyon National Park. The annual suicide rate of physicians over the past few decades has amounted to about 400 highly trained and competent American physicians per year and is now increasing. That wipes out about one large medical school four-year class each year in our nation. Our medical school education system has for the last century rejected and intentionally prevented offering an academic business education to all medical students, which has unfortunately become a factor in preventing physicians suicide later in their medical practice careers. In fact, that single medical education factor is a major cause of medical professional suicides, especially when their medical practice incomes are dropping, and physicians have no knowledge about resolving that problem. The medical profession literature has never revealed that issue as being of concern. Medical school education scholars insist that medical school faculties must not mention that direct connection to students. The truth is obvious but intentionally camouflaged. We are left to believe that nearly every physician in clinical private medical practice today, who is fed up with excessive barriers and disruptions of their private practice businesses, has no known or proven cause. Even worse, our medical school scholars accept absolutely no responsibility for potentially causing all of those abuses that practicing physicians deal with daily and are increasing remarkably. When was the first time you heard about burnout? Think about the tsunami of physicians who are quitting medical practice and academic positions and seeking jobs outside of medical practice. Why isnt anyone keeping records of those numbers? Why would any physician even consider searching for those things, if they were satisfied with their practices? Why are American males refusing to apply to medical schools anymore? When good physicians finally recognize what superficially is causing their disappointment and eventual loss of their private medical practice for lack of enough income to keep their practice open, the guilt of failure in their chosen profession can easily push them over the edge. It can be argued that every medical student entering private medical practice has already been predestined to fail to some financial degree in their private practice, without ever recognizing that they have no knowledge of how to prevent it when it happens. Their only backup solution is the business education they are prevented from obtaining while in medical school. Are there any physicians in independent medical practice today that are willing to stop their medical practice for two years, spend up to $50,000 additionally for an MBA degree that is of minimal value and effectiveness, find money to maintain their living situation during that education, and may often financially fail anyway? The answer is none. After medical school, it is rare to find physicians who will sacrifice that much money and time away from their income-earning practice. Are there any valid statistics being kept on how many physicians fail in medical practice for financial reasons? I havent found any. First, the medical education industry doesnt want this egregious information published because it would reflect their failure to provide a business education. Second, it is highly likely that approximately 14 to 15 percent of physicians who move their practices elsewhere annually are those who move elsewhere because of their inability to earn enough income to stay in practice and are lost to any statistics. Of course, those physicians will never confess that their move is because of the lack of incomealways some other more acceptable and professional reasons. Consequences tell the real story. Physicians have found no solutions to their increasing struggles, no easing of the abuse they feel, and no understanding of how much deceit their medical schools subjected them to regarding the complete lack of business education. These physicians also suffer from their own guilt feelings, divorce, depression, and finding no way out to remain in medical practice. Is that enough to end it all? Sometimes. I raise no toast to the few medical schools that will take another ten years to begin to offer business education to medical students because the other business worlds surrounding us already have learned how all businesses became successfulbusiness management knowledge and use of marketing strategies. Business experts tried to tell us this years ago, but we didnt listen, and they now avoid physicians, medical school education, and all the ignorant medical school scholars. All of this has been well-known outside of the medical profession for decades. The core cause is that physicians have been left with no backup to rely on for their professional medical practice business success. Small commercial businesses have been failing about 95 percent of the time for a lack of business knowledge. How is it that medical education scholars dont like to be reminded of that issue? They know it is true and yet refuse to change or improve anything to make physicians lives easier. Wise physicians know that and do nothing about it. The quality of physicians and medical care is rapidly decreasing. We all see the evidence of that consequence. Medical schools are reducing restrictions on acceptance. Medical school recruiting is increasingly difficult. Medical literature has begun a surge to persuade abused and fed-up physicians that they should seek outside jobs to supplement or replace medical practicerather than take the far more intelligent approach to the provision of business education that enables physicians to remain in their profession and eliminate most of the factors that are holding physicians hostage. The awaiting consequence of all this is total government control of health care and the medical profession. When physicians look closely at their multiple problems to seek a solution, it all comes back to not having enough incomein one way or another. The purpose of a business is to make money/profitsnothing else. When it doesnt, you either lose the business or seek a business education. The fault also takes us back to the other co-conspirators. If you had been instructed in your college pre-med program of the remarkable benefits of business education to all physicians in private medical practice business, would you have done some preparation, diligence, and research on the topic? I doubt that ever happens. Why dont medical schools make a business education a requirement for medical school applications? Or promise it in medical school. If you had been told as soon as you entered medical school that you must have a business education, would you have taken it if offered or provided? If they told you all the benefits that it added to medical practiceprobably yes. Medical schools never tell medical students anything about that. The rightful conclusion is that medical educators want you to remain financially dumb for some reason. It should anger you. It should anger you while in your practice when suddenly you discover your income is dropping month after month. And you have no real solution to that problemexcept one. We all know that seeing more patients improves income. The question is how to do that. marketing. With a business education, you have the backup knowledge to resolve those issues anytime. And the beauty of it is that you can earn as much income as you want or need whenever you desire. Thats when you see your medical practice grow, profits increase, and most problems become of minimal concern. That outcome happens to physicians with backup business knowledge and skills. There are rare exceptions, such as family wealth who can afford business education. Curtis G. Graham is a physician. Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party president Mr. Patrick Amuriat has called for disciplinary action against the party spokesperson Mr. Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda and six other party leaders over what he called hostility towards the party. In a letter dated 8th August 2023 addressed to Dokolo district LCV chairman Mr. James Otto, Amuriat says in line with article 28(3)(b)(iii) of the party constitution, a disciplinary committee must be convened. The leaders include; Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lubwago (acting deputy president), Kennedy Obello, the acting deputy secretary for presidency, and Dr. George Obeli Ekwaro, the acting deputy secretary for mobilization. Others are; Samuel Mabhoba WMugenyi (deputy for international & regional affairs), Mubarak Munyagwa, who is serving as the secretary for mobilization and Amon Ayesiga Rubarema, the secretary for works and transport. Amuriat has meanwhile moved to appoint other leaders in acting capacity to replace the listed members. Once the proceedings commence I will be available to provide details of the partys case against each of the accused. In the meantime and moving under the above-mentioned constitutional provision, I will be making appointments on acting basis to offices held by the above-mentioned members, the letter reads in part. You may need to note that with exception of Hon. Ibrahim Ssemuju Nganda and Mr. Amon Ayesigome who were elected by the National Delegates Conference, all the above members were appointed by me on acting basis, the letter reads further. The fights started when Ssemujju accused the party secretary-general, Nandala Mafabi and Amuriat of picking money from President Museveni to fund their 2021 campaigns. The call for disciplinary action has followed another tough decision by Nandala to sack Ssemujju as the partys chief whip in Parliament. The Democratic Party (DP) has criticised the Electoral Commission (EC) for releasing the 2026 election roadmap without consulting stakeholders. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, the president of DPs youth wing, Ismael Kirya said EC should have consulted the National Consultative Forum (NCF) to allow political parties share their views. According to the road map, the Commission will demarcate new areas and constituencies, depending on the number of voters in a given electoral area. However, Kirya wonders how this will be possible without knowing the current population of Uganda. He further asked the Electoral Commission boss, Justice Simon Byabakaka, not to take the 2026 elections as a joke, saying it is the only channel through which voices and choices of Ugandans can be heard as they elect leaders of their own choice. Government has set a new date for the implementation of digital number plates. The Security Minister, Gen Jim Muhwezi, while appearing before Parliaments Infrastructure Committee yesterday, said the number plates will be rolled out either October or late November. The minister explained that the delayed rollout was occasioned by unforeseen logistical challenges from the project implementer, M/s Joint Stock Company Global Security (JSCGS). We are going to roll out the project at the beginning of November [or] at the end of October, Gen Muhwezi said. Originally, we had set the beginning of July but there were logistical problems and that could not happen but by October 31, they [service provider] will be ready to roll out, he added. The scheme, which was initially planned to be rolled out in March, was postponed to July 1 and later suspended indefinitely following an order by the Inspectorate of Government. Minister Muhwezi yesterday indicated that the rollout will begin with Kampala Metropolitan Area. We shall begin with Kampala for obvious reasons because that is where most of the crime is committed, he said. Read more A section of Members of Parliament has strongly criticized World Banks move to pause approval for new public finance projects for Uganda following the countrys move to criminalise same-sex relationships. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Bank said Ugandas Anti-Homosexuality law contradicts its values. Ugandas Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Groups values, the development lender said in a statement Tuesday, adding that no new public financing, would be presented to the banks board of directors for approval for the time being. Tororo District Woman MP, Sarah Opendi says the Banks move to block funds to Uganda is unfortunate, explaining that the law was passed to block what she termed as promoting a vice that is not Ugandan. It is extremely unfortunate that the Bank, whose major function is to give loans to countries in need of finances can tag a law that is made by majority of Ugandans to the loan, Opendi said. Kilak South MP, Gilbert Olanya says unlike in the past when Uganda used to depend on World Bank alone for financial support, the country will turn to other countries for loans. Nowadays, we have so many countries [offering loans], we have China, India, the Arabs world so the World Bank should not think that they are the only source of funds, said Olanya. On the other hand, Karim Masaba, the Mbale City (Industrial division) legislator says Ugandans should brace themselves for the worst following World Banks move to halt the loans. He says the country will not be able to get better loan offers before highlighting various projects that the international money lender has been financing. China-Russia Photo: VCG (Global Times) China's top diplomat Wang Yi assured Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that China will maintain a fair position on the Ukraine crisis, and that China and Russia are "trustworthy and reliable good friends" in a phone call late Monday. In return, Lavrov said Russia appreciates and welcomes China's constructive role in resolving the crisis, shattering Western narrative of a "rift" between the two sides after the Jeddah talks. Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, said new progress in the strategic and pragmatic cooperation between the two countries has been made since Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia in March. He noted that bilateral trade has reached a new high, energy cooperation has been steadily carried out, and people-to-people exchanges have rapidly recovered. The most important task for both sides at present is to continue to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and promote the high-level development of the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in the new era between China and Russia, Wang said. On the Ukraine crisis, Wang emphasized that China will uphold a fair position on any multilateral occasion, make objective and rational observations, actively promote peace and encourage talks and seek political solutions. For his part, Lavrov said that Russia highly appreciates China's position on a political resolution to the crisis and welcomes China's constructive role in this regard. The phone call is a timely communication between China and Russia after the Jeddah talks, Cui Heng, a lecturer at the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization training base for international judicial exchanges and cooperation, told the Global Times on Tuesday. It is appropriate for China to convey the dialogue's message to Russia, otherwise the dialogue would lose its value and become a mere Western "trial," Cui explained, noting that it demonstrates the unique role China has played in the Ukraine issue. Russia's positive response toward China's actions serves as a genuine rebuttal to Western sensationalism, the expert said, noting that China's neutral stance and its role in facilitating the exchange of views among all parties have always been appreciated by the Russian side. Chinese special envoy Li Hui attended the talk in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia over the weekend where discussions were held on a feasible and durable peace settlement to the Ukraine crisis, as senior officials from China, the US, Europe as well as countries in the Global South met. Calling the Western hype of China's "possible shifts in tone" complete nonsense, experts stressed that China's stance has not changed, and the attendance signals a more mature timing for dialogue, slamming such Western rhetoric as only seeking to sow discord between Beijing and Moscow. During the Monday phone call, the two sides also discussed the upcoming BRICS summit, which will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 22 to 24 with a potential expansion of the bloc high on the agenda. According to Reuters, South Africa said last month that more than 40 nations had expressed interest in joining the organization, which aims to offset the perceived hegemony of the US-led West in global affairs. Of those, 22 had formally asked to join. In light of this, Wang said Monday that the BRICS mechanism keeps pace with the trend of the times and demonstrates abundant vitality, and the process of an expansion is inevitable. China is willing to promote the healthy and vigorous development of BRICS, Wang said. The West has been hyping "disagreements" among member states of the BRICS regarding the expansion, and some even dialed up the opposition as saying it may crush the organization. Zhang Hong, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, elaborated that the construction of any international organization is a gradual process, and it is normal for members to have different demands. However, the West has consistently exaggerated these differences in an attempt to weaken the strengths of BRICS countries, which is a typical conspiracy theory. The fact that all parties are able to engage in dialogue and address their differences indicates a positive trend, Zhang told the Global Times on Tuesday. Wang Yi's remarks are telling Russia and the world that although it still needs negotiation on the pace of the expansion, the overall direction is consistent, Cui noted. Another purpose for the Monday phone call is to prepare for upcoming high-level bilateral visits, experts said, as Russian media TASS confirmed earlier that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China in October to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. By AFP Coup-hit Nigers neighbours have not ruled out military intervention, Nigerias president said, ahead of a West African coalitions crisis summit in Abuja on Thursday. Bola Tinubu, who also chairs the bloc ECOWAS, still believes diplomacy is the best way forward to resolve the crisis, according to his spokesman. So far efforts by ECOWAS and the United States to convince Nigers new rulers to hand back power to the democratically elected leader have made little headway. The soldiers who took charge defied a Sunday deadline to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face the possible use of force and have been unswayed by negotiations, instead staging a rally at a stadium in the capital Niamey. No options have been taken off of the table, Tinubus spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said on Tuesday. The United States said it still hopes the coup could be undone but is realistic, a day after a top US envoy appeared to make no progress in an unannounced visit. At the same time, we are making clear, including in direct conversations with junta leaders themselves, what the consequences are for failing to return to constitutional order, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on social media that he had spoken to Bazoum to express our continued efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the current constitutional crisis. Delegation rebuffed ECOWAS the Economic Community of West African States imposed trade and financial sanctions on Niger after the rebel soldiers toppled Bazoum. Instead of heeding the blocs seven-day ultimatum to reinstate Bazoum or face potential military intervention, the soldiers who seized power closed Nigers airspace. Bola Tinubu, who also chairs the bloc ECOWAS, still believes diplomacy is the best way forward to resolve the crisis, according to his spokesman. So far efforts by ECOWAS and the United States to convince Nigers new rulers to hand back power to the democratically elected leader have made little headway. The soldiers who took charge defied a Sunday deadline to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face the possible use of force and have been unswayed by negotiations, instead staging a rally at a stadium in the capital Niamey. No options have been taken off of the table, Tinubus spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said on Tuesday. The United States said it still hopes the coup could be undone but is realistic, a day after a top US envoy appeared to make no progress in an unannounced visit. At the same time, we are making clear, including in direct conversations with junta leaders themselves, what the consequences are for failing to return to constitutional order, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on social media that he had spoken to Bazoum to express our continued efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the current constitutional crisis. Delegation rebuffed ECOWAS the Economic Community of West African States imposed trade and financial sanctions on Niger after the rebel soldiers toppled Bazoum. Instead of heeding the blocs seven-day ultimatum to reinstate Bazoum or face potential military intervention, the soldiers who seized power closed Nigers airspace. The bloc also sought to send a delegation to Niamey on Tuesday ahead of Thursdays crisis summit. But the ruling military blocked the mission, saying public anger triggered by the blocs sanctions meant the delegations safety could be at risk. In a statement, ECOWAS confirmed that the visit by a joint delegation with African Union and United Nations officials had been refused. In a further show of defiance and possible intent to hold on to power, the military leaders announced on Monday the appointment of Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine as the new prime minister. Difficult talks ECOWAS is struggling with a cascade of coups since 2020 that have now hit four of its 15 members. In Mali, Burkina Faso and now Niger, all the takeovers have been fuelled by jihadist insurgencies that have claimed many thousands of lives, forced at least two million from their homes and dealt crippling blows to some of the worlds poorest economies. On Monday, veteran US envoy Victoria Nuland met with Nigers military rulers for more than two hours but came away empty-handed. She described her talks as extremely frank and at times quite difficult. She said she offered the coup leaders a number of options to end the crisis and restore relations with the United States, which like other Western nations has suspended aid. I would not say that we were in any way taken up on that offer, she told reporters before her departure. Nigers new head, General Abdourahamane Tiani, did not attend the meeting, and Nuland was unable to see Bazoum, who has been detained since July 26. Warnings The military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso have expressed solidarity with Niger, saying any military intervention would be seen as a declaration of war against them. The two countries sent letters Tuesday to the United Nations and the African Union, calling on them to prevent military intervention against Niger where the security and humanitarian consequences of such action would be unpredictable. Algeria, which shares a long land border with Niger, has also cautioned against a military incursion, which President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said would be a direct threat to his country. Bazoum, 63, was feted in 2021 after winning elections that ushered in Nigers first-ever peaceful transition of power. He took the helm of a country burdened by four previous coups since independence, and survived two attempted putsches before he himself was ousted. France has 1,500 troops in Niger and the United States has 1,000 personnel, most of whom are deployed at two major air bases. Deputy President of ICMSA, Denis Drennan, has described as an astonishing omission the decision by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine not to publish the most up-to-date figures they have for farmer Nitrates and Phosphorus use. The Kilkenny farmer, who also serves as Chairperson of the Farm and Rural Affairs Committee dealing with matters relating to the Nitrates issue, said that in previous years farmers were able to check online early in July and at regular intervals thereafter allowing them to adjust their stocking rate accordingly. The Departments failure to supply these guide figures meant that farmers were now flying blind in terms of their Nitrates and Phosphorus. This, in turn causes an impact on stocking rates in a situation where breaching limits could have enormously significant consequences. The kind of shortfall in knowledge that this failure represents is incredibly serious. Farmers need to know where they are at both in terms of general room to manoeuvre and specifically on issues relating to TAMS and maybe the need to go to LESS. That would be true in any year, but in this year where both cow banding and the derogations situation are already going to be causing chaos, then farmers will find the Departments inability to inform individual farmers of where they stand in relation to the limits absolutely chaotic and inexcusable. In 2021, we calculate that farmers had eight opportunities to check their N and P usage. So far this year, weve had none, said Mr Drennan, adding that it amounted to telling people to be mindful of limits that they could not establish or check. Calling on the Department to immediately publish the most up-to-date figures and then provide opportunities for regular updates and checks, the ICMSA Deputy President said that farmers were effectively being asked by the Department to obey a speed limit without being supplied with a speedometer. Mr Drennan said it was not good enough and the Department must redeploy resources immediately so that the relevant data was made available to the farmers concerned. Western smear Illustration: Liu Rui/GT (Global Times) On July 31, authorities in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou canceled a TEDx event that was scheduled for August 13, and the organizers said this was done over "concern about foreign influence," according to Bloomberg. Is this really the case? According to a WeChat post by the organizers, the Guangzhou Police's Office for the Management of Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations viewed the TEDxGuangzhou event as a foreign non-governmental organization carrying out activities within the territory, and thus believed the organizers should establish a domestic representative office or obtain a "temporary activity record" as required by the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Management of Domestic Activities of Overseas Non-governmental Organizations. The organizers quibbled, stating that they do not fall under the jurisdiction of this law, as they are merely "a group of local volunteers who occasionally come together to plan some activities." However, the right and wrong in this situation are quite clear. The authorities in Guangzhou ordered the cancellation of the TEDx event as it's illegal. This is due to the fact that foreign NGOs are required to file with the local authorities before conducting large events in China. Zhang Xiaoming, a professor at the School of International Relations, Peking University, told the Global Times that the TEDx organizers cannot determine whether they are a non-governmental organization or not. Since they are conducting activities in China, they are obligated to adhere to Chinese law, he added. It's reasonable and feasible that the Guangzhou authorities demand the TEDx organizers establish a domestic representative office or obtain a "temporary activity record. "Any large-scale event needs to be officially approved, as this is a matter of public safety. Every country has such management measures; otherwise, it would be unacceptable to any government," said Zhang. Ignoring the fact, some Western media outlets are hyping China's "concern over foreign influence," in an attempt to create an impression that China is cracking down on social activities out of "fears of foreign infiltration." They also linked the issue with China's intensifying counter-espionage efforts, particularly singling out China's revised Anti-espionage Law. National security is now particularly emphasized in the world. It is also natural for China to strengthen its national security. China certainly wants to eliminate external factors of insecurity, but this doesn't conflict with China's sincerity in welcoming and encouraging cultural and academic exchanges with other countries. Normal non-governmental organizations or groups without hostile overtones only need to follow legal procedures. China's revised Anti-espionage Law is a measure for maintaining national security and is intended to address the imperfections of the previous legal system, but not to target the activities of foreign organizations in China. Therefore, normal and legal activities need not worry about being affected by the law. The underlying motive behind the West's hype over the cancellation of the Guangzhou event is to disrupt China's social stability. Faced with China's intensifying efforts to safeguard national security, the US and West are attempting to tarnish China's national image and instill panic among the people by smearing China. Given this, it is crucial for China to strengthen the overall concept of national security and address any shortcomings in important areas, in order to better protect its achievements in development. Forests can bind large quantities of carbon in their biomass and, hence, mitigate the effect of greenhouse gases. (Photo: Gabi Zachmann, KIT) Terrestrial carbon sinks can mitigate the greenhouse effect. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and other research institutions pooled various data sources and found that European carbon storage takes place mainly in surface biomass in East Europe. However, changes of land use in particular have caused this carbon sink to decline. The researchers report in Communications Earth & Environment. (DOI: 10.1038/s43247-023-00893-4) Forests can bind large amounts of carbon on the land surface. In this way, they decisively contribute to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions. For some areas, however, data are still lacking. In East Europe, in particular, the network of installed measurement stations is very loose, such that little has been known about carbon flows and their drivers there. But East European forests have a great potential as a long-term carbon sink, says Karina Winkler from the Atmospheric Environmental Research Department of the Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK-IFU), KITs Campus Alpine in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Political upheavals in East Europe, however, have caused big changes of land use. Moreover, climate change there increasingly affects the forests. This unique interaction of socioeconomic and climatic factors influences the carbon sinks. Study Area Covers 13 Countries Researchers of IMK-IFUs Land Use Change & Climate Group, together with researchers from other European research institutions, have now recalculated the carbon sinks in East Europe. The area studied covers 13 countries, from Poland in the West to the Russian Ural Mountains in the East, from the Kola peninsula in the North to Rumania in the South. Calculations are based on different data sources, such as models, satellite-based biomass estimates, forest inventories, and national statistics. From the datasets, we concluded that East Europe stored most of Europes carbon from 2010 to 2019, Winkler says. Comparison of carbon balances revealed that the land surface in East Europe bound about 410 million tons of carbon in biomass every year. This corresponds to about 78 percent of the carbon sink of entire Europe. The biggest carbon sinks can be found in border region of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, in the southern Ural Mountains, and on the Kola peninsula. Timber Extraction Has the Biggest Influence on the Carbon Sink in East Europe However, data also show that carbon absorption in East Europe with time was anything but constant and has even declined. The East European carbon sink is shrinking. To determine the causes, researchers compared the trends of carbon changes with factors of land use, such as land conversion for agriculture, timber extraction, and share of abandoned agricultural areas, as well as with environmental factors, such as temperature, precipitation, soil humidity, and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and nitrogen concentrations in the atmosphere. They found that environmental impacts, such as the change in soil humidity, have a big influence on the carbon balance. Still, spatial patterns of the carbon sink in East Europe can be explained mainly by land use changes. From 2010 to 2019, timber extraction had the biggest influence on the land-based carbon sink in East Europe. Data analysis suggests that an increase in timber extraction in West Russia and reduced forest growth on former agricultural areas caused the carbon sink in East Europe to decline between 2010 and 2019. The researchers are now working to predict how East European forests and their important carbon sinks will develop under the influence of land use changes and climate change in future. In view of the increasing number of extreme weather events and reduced water availability, however, they fear that the East European carbon sink will continue to decline. Original Publication (Open Access): Karina Winkler, Hui Yang, Raphael Ganzenmuller, Richard Fuchs, Guido Ceccherini, Gregory Duveiller, Giacomo Grassi, Julia Pongratz, Ana Bastos, Anatoly Shvidenko, Arnan Araza, Martin Herold, Jean-Pierre Wigneron & Philippe Ciais: Changes in land use and management led to a decline in Eastern Europes terrestrial carbon sink. Communications Earth & Environment, 2023. DOI: 10.1038/s43247-023-00893-4 https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-00893-4 Details on the KIT Climate and Environment Center Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence. TORONTO, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Barrick Gold Corp is open to bringing in Saudi Arabia's wealth fund as one of its partners in Pakistan's Reko Diq gold and copper mine, Barrick CEO Mark Bristow told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. He also dismissed a June media report that Barrick was in talks with fellow Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals on a possible acquisition as a "rumour". Barrick Gold owns a 50% stake in Pakistan's Reko Diq mine, with the remaining 50% owned by the governments of Pakistan and the province of Balochistan. Barrick considers the mine one of the world's largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas. Bristow said Barrick won't be diluting its equity in the project but "will not mind" if Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) wants to buy out the equity of the Pakistan government. "There is a strong relationship between Saudi and Pakistan and since we control the project we have the first right of refusal," Bristow added. He said that Barrick will support PIF coming into the mine through Pakistan's 25% equity stake. Pakistan has not publicly stated that it is considering selling. Earlier this month Pakistan hosted officials from Saudi Arabia in a mining conference in its capital Islamabad where officials of Barrick was also present. Barrick and Saudi's state-owned mining company Ma'aden jointly operate a copper project in Jeddah. PIF has been looking to invest in copper projects across the world as part of its drive towards funding energy transition projects. Earlier this month, PIF agreed to acquire a 10% stake in Brazilian mining company Vale base metals business. Barrick, the world's No.2 gold producer, considers sovereign wealth funds from the Middle East as "serious", long-term investors to whom the company can sell its long term vision of growing its copper and gold business. Asked about the company's interest in First Quantum Minerals, Bristow said Barrick will stick to growing its production organically and that its acquisition strategy would be "measured." "We have people suggesting us First Quantum... but our shareholders are gold bulls," Bristow said. "So I don't know where that rumour came from, it was definitely not us, but that certainly helped lift their shares up." > (Reporting by Divya Rajagopal; Editing by Mark Porter and Conor Humphries) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. Get all the essential market news and expert opinions in one place with our daily newsletter. Receive a comprehensive recap of the day's top stories directly to your inbox. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - Sean Roosen, CEO and chair, Osisko Development Corp., said the recent joint-venture agreement between Osisko Mining and Gold Fields for the Windfall project in Quebec, including a CAD$300 million initial cash payment, is the best deal for OSK shareholders. Roosen spoke to Kitco at the Rule Symposium Natural Resource Investing 2023 show held in Boca Raton, Florida. With the proceeds from the $1.2 billion investment, Osisko is fully funded to bring Windfall, which Roosen describes as "the highest-grade discovery in all of Quebec", at 9-10 grams per tonne, into production. "This is a one-off dilution to get to the end game of being in production and maintaining 50 percent of it," he said. "Hopefully with the exploration-development, that will double and you'll end up back basically with 100 percent of what you started with today, so it's about keeping more of the assets for our shareholders and having a fully funded outcome in a very seesaw market where you don't really know what the cost of equity capital or debt capital will be." Roosen also highlighted Osisko Development's feasibility-stage Cariboo gold project in British Columbia, the drill-ready Tintic gold and base metals project in Utah, and Osisko Gold Royalties' five percent royalty on the Canadian Malartic mine, which has paid out almost $500 million in revenue since 2014. Kitco Mining's coverage of the Rule Symposium Natural Resource Investing 2023 was sponsored by G Mining Ventures. Jason Ball, president of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, moderates a question and answer session with Nebraskas congressional delegates during legislative summit Tuesday in Ashland, Neb. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner) ASHLAND, Nebraska Workers are hard to come by, and Congress should help. State business leaders shared that message and more with Nebraskas all-GOP congressional delegation Tuesday during the annual summit held by the Nebraska, Omaha and Lincoln Chambers of Commerce at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum. Local chamber members and Christine Scullion, the U.S. Chamber of Commerces executive director of government affairs, pressed the delegation to embrace an all-hands approach to supplying new workers, including supporting politically challenging fixes to the immigration system. What were trying to do is lay out that failure is actually the only not acceptable option, said Scullion, the days keynote speaker. She leads an effort by the U.S. Chamber to encourage Congress to pass legal immigration reform and border enforcement this year. Smaller, incremental changes Scullion said the national chamber, which advocates for state and local chambers, is no longer pushing a catch-all immigration reform bill, which the chamber believes wont pass. They now seek incremental bills addressing flaws of the immigration system, in digestible bites that the public can understand. She offered the breakfast crowd of more than 300 a handful of specific ways Congress can make a difference. Among them: expanding the numbers of specialty visas set aside each year for talent from other countries in fields where there arent enough American workers. Congress can also work on cutting the lag time between when someone applies for asylum and when a case is heard by adding more immigration judges and encouraging more lawyers to take on immigration-related cases. She said she would like to see speedier access to ID verification technologies for employers and potential employees and to see Congress clean up and clarify the alphabet soup of temporary and longer-term visas so sectors like agriculture and technology can get the help they need. The workforce challenges in the U.S. are massive, and we need to find a way to bridge that gap, Scullion said. We dont want people taking American jobs, but we want to make sure that the economy is continuing to grow. All-GOP delegation open to approach She found a receptive audience for a separate, incremental approach to immigration from U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts and U.S. Reps. Mike Flood and Adrian Smith. Rep. Don Bacon was traveling and recorded a video message for the summit. Fischer said she prefers breaking legislation on complicated topics like immigration into smaller pieces because its easier to find political allies and build support for changes that members can more easily explain to voters. It also lets members vote against changes they will not support, she said. Ricketts said he is working with other senators to consider some changes, including letting governors request higher numbers of specialty visas in targeted industries. He said he is also open to providing green cards to the children of immigrants who are in the country legally. Some want border security first Fischer, Ricketts, Flood and Smith stressed the need to get better control over illegal border crossings, which the Department of Homeland Security said jumped 30% in July after dropping in June. The delegation credited Scullion for acknowledging the political reality that little substantive change would occur in federal immigration law without new investments in border security. Smith, said Nebraskans in his largely rural district might be more willing to discuss opportunities for immigrants seeking a better life if they felt the country was taking border security more seriously. The U.S. is spending about $17.5 billion on customs and border security this year. Fischer said there is bipartisan agreement to secure the border. Ricketts agreed. We tried giving amnesty first, Ricketts said of the 1980s immigration reform efforts under former President Ronald Reagan. It didnt work. So thats why we know we have to secure the border first, and Im pleased to hear the U.S. Chamber actually taking that seriously. Empathy needed Flood said advocates for immigration reform need to understand and empathize with border ranchers in Texas and Arizona who get knocks on their doors in the middle of the night from migrants who need water after spending days in the hot sun or who find dead people on their properties. He asked how Nebraskans would feel if that was happening on farmsteads near Fairbury, Neb., for example. We would be pulling every fire alarm in a five-state area if anything remotely similar was happening in Nebraska, Flood said. Nebraskans critical of congressional inaction on immigration fixes argue that the only way to significantly cut the number of illegal border crossings is to increase the number of people allowed in legally and to improve the speed and clarity of the processes to enter the country. Elsa RamonArranda of LULAC of Nebraska, which advocates for Latino residents, chafed at the description of border crossings as somehow new. She grew up in Laredo, Texas, and said she was used to seeing Border Patrol agents on the streets, just like police. She said it was offensive to embrace immigration reform now that the U.S. needs workers and not because of human suffering along the border. She encouraged the chamber and its allies to reach out to Nebraska Latinos through groups like hers and include their voices in these discussions. Immigrants and refugees contribute 8% of the states economic output, an OpenSky Policy Institute study indicated. Immigration has never been able to be fixed, no matter what percentage of Congress is Republican or Democrat, RamonArranda said. Its a very narrow view and an attempt to scare people. Looking ahead Newbies Ricketts and Flood expressed some optimism that progress was possible this year on immigration. Smith said he was encouraged by the chamber recognizing the value of smaller, more measured steps. Fischer, as she sometimes does, offered a dose of skepticism. Asked whether she saw a path to passage of immigration bills soon, she said simply: No. Get all the essential market news and expert opinions in one place with our daily newsletter. Receive a comprehensive recap of the day's top stories directly to your inbox. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - Christian Easterday, CEO & managing director of Australias Hot Chili Limited, said Costa Fuego is one of the five largest copper projects that will help copper supply to meet demand by the end of the decade. He said it is also the lowest-capital intensity project in the global copper development pipeline. Cost savings are realized through the propertys low elevation, and the use of seawater for processing instead of fresh water that would have to be desalinated. Easterday spoke to Kitco at the Rule Symposium Natural Resource Investing 2023 show held in Boca Raton, Florida. The project on the coast of Chile is the consolidation of two copper-gold deposits, Cortadera and Productora, one of which is a porphyry. Hot Chili (TSX-V:HCH) is working to advance the property through a prefeasibility study, and test several high-priority exploration targets. Hot Chili envisions increasing copper production from about 100,000 tonnes a year to 150,000, and extending the mine life from 16 years to 23. Easterday said this will depend on whether the Cortadera porphyry deposit can be developed into a single open pit. A prefeasibility study is due out next year. Kitco Minings coverage of the Rule Symposium Natural Resource Investing 2023 was sponsored by G Mining Ventures. Get all the essential market news and expert opinions in one place with our daily newsletter. Receive a comprehensive recap of the day's top stories directly to your inbox. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - Gatos Silver (NYSE: GATO) (TSX: GATO) yesterday reported that its 70%-owned Cerro Los Gatos (CLG) mine in Mexico produced 2.0 million ounces of silver in Q2 2023, down 13% from Q2 2022 (2.3 million ounces). The company said the reduction in silver output is mainly attributable to a 29% decline in silver grades in Q2 2023, as expected in the mine plan, and partially offset by the 26% increase in mill throughput. For the Los Gatos joint venture, the company reported Q2 2023 revenue of $58.3 million, up 2% from $57.2 million in Q2 2022; cost of sales of $25.8 million, down 7% from $27.8 million; EBITDA of $27.5 million, up 29% from $21.4 million; free cash flow of $19.7 million, up 1% from $19.5 million; and net income of $0.7 million, down 78% from $3.4 million. In Q2 2023, Gatos Silvers net loss was $3.6 million or $(0.05) per share compared with net income of $5.2 million or $0.08 per share in Q2 2022. The company explained that the decline is primarily attributable to lower equity income from the Los Gatos joint venture driven by higher depreciation, depletion and amortization and income tax expenses. CEO Dale Andres commented, The LGJV continues to generate robust cash flows and perform in line with our expectations, and we remain on track to achieve 2023 guidance at CLG. We are in a strong financial position with the company now debt free and with a strong cash balance. We are progressing well with our planned update to CLGs mineral resource and reserve estimate which we expect to announce later this quarter, including a new life of mine plan. Gatos Silver is a 70% owner of the Los Gatos Joint Venture in Mexico. The company is primarily focused on operating the Cerro Los Gatos mine and on growth and development of the Los Gatos district. Get all the essential market news and expert opinions in one place with our daily newsletter. Receive a comprehensive recap of the day's top stories directly to your inbox. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - Microsoft has formed a new partnership with Aptos Labs, the firm behind the development of products and applications on the layer-1 blockchain network Aptos, with the goal of accelerating global web3 adoption using Microsoft Azure OpenAI service through the creation of an artificial intelligence chatbot, dubbed Aptos Assistant. The relative newness of web3 means that onboarding new users is still a challenge, as the process can be complex and time-consuming, which prevents many people from exploring the web3 ecosystem. Some challenges new web3 users face once they've started engaging with the ecosystem include creating wallets to complete the onboarding process, converting fiat currency to cryptocurrency, and understanding how blockchain and decentralization benefit users personally. To help overcome these challenges, Aptos Labs created the Aptos Assistant, which will operate as a responsible, user-friendly and secure assistant bridging web2 to web3 for the everyday internet user and organization, according to the press release. Aptos Assistant will enable users to seamlessly onboard into web3 by asking any kind of question regarding the Aptos blockchain ecosystem using natural language, the release said. It will also be available to guide developers as they build smart contracts and decentralized apps and direct them toward relevant, accessible resources. Blockchain technology is slowly becoming a key component of the underlying infrastructure for global financial markets as governments around the world explore things like central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbots over the past year holds the promise of ushering in the next wave of technological innovation. This partnership between Microsoft and Aptos Labs is looking to harness the building momentum behind these two fields to help accelerate the process of migrating users into the web3 ecosystem. Artificial Intelligence and blockchain technologies are quickly converging for one important reason: they are both generational breakthroughs that profoundly impact the evolution of the internet and shape society, said Mo Shaikh, CEO of Aptos Labs. Together with Microsoft, our shared vision is to ensure that this technology is accessible to more people and organizations than ever before. The partnership will also explore other facets of the emerging digital asset economy that are predicted to further advance the adoption of web3 by financial services enterprises, including asset tokenization, payments and CBDCs. Aptos will run validator nodes on Azure as a way to enhance the reliability and security of the Aptos blockchain. The intersection of AI and blockchain is one of the most interesting combinations of emerging technologies and can generate transformational use cases, said Rashmi Misra, General Manager of AI and Emerging Technologies at Microsoft. By fusing Aptos Labs' technology with the Microsoft Azure Open AI Service capabilities, we aim to democratize the use of blockchain enabling users to seamlessly onboard to web3 and innovators to develop new exciting decentralized applications using AI. Microsoft continues to be one of the most active multinational technology companies participating in the development, rollout, and adoption of blockchain technology on a global scale. In February, the company partnered with Ankr, a decentralized blockchain infrastructure provider, to provide a novel node hosting service on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace in order to support enterprises and organizations that need access to blockchain data. Through the collaboration, developers are able to develop on Ankr's RPCs and middleware platform for decentralized apps (DApps) and use Microsoft's cloud platform to meet their scaling needs. RPC nodes, such as those offered by Ankr, allow decentralized applications to link to blockchains and access user data. For this reason, they serve as a critical piece of infrastructure for the blockchain sector. Microsoft is also a participant in the Central Bank of Brazils (BC) pilot project for its CBDC, which was recently rebranded to the Drex, and the company is also involved with the Canton Network, a privacy-enabled interoperable blockchain network designed for institutional assets. The goal of the Canton Network is to help create opportunities for financial institutions to offer new innovative products to their clients while enhancing their efficiency and risk management. The platform enables participants to safeguard permissions, exposure, and interactions across the network while maintaining full compliance with security, regulatory and legal requirements. BUCHAREST, Aug 9 (Reuters) - A Romanian security officer who was kidnapped from a manganese mining project in Burkina Faso in 2015 has been freed and safely returned to Romania, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Iulian Ghergut was 39 when he was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen from the Tambao manganese mining project in northern Burkina Faso near the border with Mali where he was working in security. Islamist militant group Al-Mourabitoun later claimed the kidnapping, when a speaker for the group said it had offered terms to Romania for his release. The foreign ministry confirmed Ghergut was alive in June of this year. "He has been released and is now safely on Romanian territory," the ministry said in a statement, adding it was thanking "all foreign partners, particularly Moroccan authorities for the important support given to solve this extremely complicated case." West Africa's Sahel region where Ghergut was kidnapped has been shaken by a military coup in Niger in late July following military takeovers in neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad since 2020. (Reporting by Luiza Ilie, editing by Pritha Sarkar) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. Aug 9 (Reuters) - WeWork (WE.N) warned of a possible bankruptcy in a stunning reversal of fortune for the shared workspace provider that four years ago was one of the world's most prized startups with a valuation of $47 billion. The SoftBank-backed company, valued at just $446.8 million as of last close, has been in turmoil ever since it filed its IPO paperwork in 2019 as investors pointed out governance issues involving its then founder-CEO Adam Neumann. The company went public in 2021 through a SPAC merger after abandoning its IPO plans, but the struggles continued as investors doubted its business model and clients moved to hybrid work since the pandemic. WeWork's business model involves taking long-term leases and renting out spaces for a short term. "Fewer and fewer companies from mature large-cap businesses to startups are willing to enter into long-term leases for geographically fixed spaces," Interim CEO David Tolley said in an investor call on Wednesday. The company may need to consider strategic options, including raising more money or obtaining relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, it said on Tuesday. In March, WeWork had reached a deal to cut debt by about $1.5 billion and extend the date of some maturities to save cash. The WeWork logo is displayed on a screen during the company's IPO on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 21, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File photo The company is yet to turn a profit and has been cited as an example of over-inflated valuations commanded by technology firms that are backed by Silicon Valley investors. "WeWork was perhaps the most overhyped startup of recent years," said Steve Clayton, head of equity funds at Hargreaves Lansdown. The company shuttered offices and cut jobs in a turnaround attempt but the departure of its CEO and CFO earlier this year has complicated the efforts. The search for a new CEO is on, WeWork said on Tuesday. Its stock plunged as much as 35% to a record low of 13 cents in early trade on Wednesday, after it said three board members would step down. Cost cuts, however, helped it report a smaller net loss of $349 million in the second quarter from $577 million a year ago. But it burnt $646 million in cash in the first six months of 2023 and had $205 million in hand as of June end. WeWork said it was planning to shore up liquidity by cutting rent and tenancy costs, controlling expenses and reducing member churn. The jury will be instructed they are not to consider Vincent Hayes' mental illness while examining the elements of the alleged crime, as the state attempts to poke holes in Hayes' two alleged identities and his self-defense argument. Hayes is accused of shooting his 70-year-old father, William Johnson, multiple times on Nov. 11, 2021, in their east Casper home after they got into an argument about social justice and race. On Tuesday, the state continued making their second-degree murder case against him in Natrona County District Court. He alleges his alternate personality, "Reno," which is a symptom of his dissociative identity disorder, shot his father that night. District Court Judge Catherine Wilking ruled to allow a witness doctor to testify to a "general discussion" of the disorder, however, the defense was barred from mentioning the doctor is employed at Wyoming State Hospital. But prosecutor Kevin Taheri indirectly mentioned that detail in front of the jury, so Hayes' public defender, Kurt Infanger, will now be allowed to introduce it which hints the witness doctor worked where Hayes' official mental health report was produced. In that medical report, it was concluded that Hayes did "meet the criteria for dissociative identity disorder," Infanger said in court Tuesday. Although, the jury will not be allowed to consider his illness. There is no "diminished capacity" defense in the state of Wyoming. On Monday, Hayes' recorded interview with authorities was played to the courtroom. Hayes and "Reno" discussed cleaning up the alleged crime scene to shield his mother from the gore, acting in self-defense, waiting overnight to contact authorities and considering the possibility of an intruder. Former Casper police detective Shannon Cole, who conducted the interview following the alleged murder, took the stand Tuesday. Taheri questioned Cole about the amount of times Hayes randomly spoke as the wrong personality during that interview, alluding to him breaking character. "There were two occasions, I believe, he spoke out of character," Cole said. On the evening of the alleged murder, Johnson allegedly threatened to murder his son and loaded a gun at some point. Prosecutors say that Hayes or "Reno" "didn't know whether his dad had the gun or not" when he fired his weapon first. Hayes' fearing for him and his mother's life is the crux of his self-defense argument, but no weapon was found on or around Johnson's body, prosecutors say. Throughout the investigation process, Hayes told officials his father had threatened him with a Glock pistol, prosecutors said. A team of people searched their east Casper home for several "long" days, a Casper police officer said. Other guns were located, but there was no Glock pistol in the residence. "He didn't think anyone would believe that he acted in self-defense, which is why the story about the intruder came up," said Infanger, Hayes' public defender. When Thomas Bennett, a forensic pathologist, walked the jurors through Johnson's autopsy photographs. His head was covered in blood, and he had brown paper bags placed over his hands. Johnson was shot twice once in the upper right forehead and once in the upper left back of his head, Bennett said in court Tuesday. The state rested its presentation of the case late Tuesday afternoon. It was still undetermined if Hayes' was planning to testify on his own behalf Wednesday. Hayes is facing up to life in prison if convicted. 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. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. A group of anti-abortion lawmakers and advocates is asking the Wyoming Supreme Court to reconsider a judge's decision that blocked them from joining a lawsuit challenging two abortion bans. Reps. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams and Chip Neiman, as well as the anti-abortion group Right to Life Wyoming, filed the appeal Friday afternoon. Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, sponsored the Life is a Human Right Act a sweeping abortion ban that supporters hoped would bring a quick end to abortions in Wyoming. The group attempted to intervene in a lawsuit that seeks to strike down the Life is a Human Right Act as well as another law that would have banned medication abortions. But Teton County Judge Melissa Owens denied their request last month. She argued that the proposed intervenors don't have a "legally protectable interest" in joining the lawsuit and that their interests are already adequately represented by the state defendants. What's more, she said in court filings that their involvement in the lawsuit would "unduly delay and prejudice" the litigation. Owens also temporarily halted enforcement of the two abortion bans while the lawsuit ensues. For now, abortions until viability are still legal in Wyoming. Secretary of State Chuck Gray had also been a part of the group attempting to join the lawsuit a move that political observers said was unusual. He wasn't, however, included in the recent appeal. Gov. Mark Gordon and State Attorney General Bridget Hill, who are defending the two abortion bans in the case, had opposed the state secretary's involvement. A pair of out-of-state investors is challenging Montana's residency requirement to own or invest in a licensed business in the state's marijuana market. Tom Reed and his father, Jerry Reed, last month sued the Montana Department of Revenue in two separate filings, one in federal court and the other in state court in Lewis and Clark County. Together, the lawsuits add up to allegations of "economic protectionism," contending that Montana's residency requirement violates their right to do business in the state. While the entire industry in one way or another relies on out-of-state components, out-of-state business owners or investors are unfairly cut out of the enterprise, the Reeds argue in court filings. Out-of-state residents are allowed to come to Montana and buy marijuana; producers must obtain lights and soil nutrients from out-of-state vendors for their cultivation operations; and the Cannabis Control Division under the Department of Revenue uses METRC, a Florida-based software company, to track products in the market from seed to sale. The route in which the Reeds find themselves challenging the case is, as their Helena attorney Brian Miller put it, complex. "It never was their intention to come here and challenge the residency requirement," Miller said. "They initially got into this whole thing as passive investors. It just so happened they got involved in a situation that ended up being way more complicated." Montana's recreational marijuana market went live at the start of 2022, and sales have shown continued growth. Now in the market's second year, total sales (recreational and medical marijuana combined) have outperformed the same month in the previous year by an average of $1.2 million, according to figures available on the Department of Revenue's website. The Reeds approached Montana's industry in 2021, after voters approved recreational marijuana legalization the year prior but before the sales start date set by the Legislature. According to court filings, they landed on an investment opportunity posted online with MBM Management and Consulting, which was operated under another company's marijuana business license. The Reeds state in court records MBM provided them with a brochure laying out its operations plan, projected revenues and more, without mention of the state's residency requirement. Together, the Reeds bought ownership shares with MBM at a price of $2.2 million. They allege, however, that MBM quickly became unstable; the company's proprietors demanded more funding and the Reeds suspected product was being diverted, according to the lawsuit. Roughly a year later, the market had been underway for six months, and the Reeds ultimately purchased MBM in an attempt to salvage their investment, which by then had exceeded the initial $2.2 million, according to court papers. The next month, the Reeds filed a lawsuit against the previous MBM proprietors, alleging fraud, deceit, breach of contract and other civil allegations. That case is still pending in Madison County District Court. With more attention on rescuing MBM, the Reeds reached out to the Cannabis Control Division for transaction records of Therapeutic Essentials, the licensed marijuana business under which MBM was operating. The Cannabis Control Division in turn became aware of the Reeds' involvement in the business, and notified Therapeutic Essentials it had initiated an administrative process to potentially revoke its business license. An official with Cannabis Control Division declined to comment on the matter, citing state policy to not discuss pending litigation. "We fully support the license holder and we are 100% behind them," Miller said in a phone interview Monday. "We hope that they are able to prevail and get something worked out with the department." The Reeds filed their federal suit against the Department of Revenue on July 24, alleging the residency requirement violates their right to interstate trade under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The state case, filed July 25, hangs on the Montana Constitution's equal protection clause, arguing the law discriminates against them based on residency status. The residency requirement has been in place for nearly 20 years, since Montana's medical marijuana program launched in 2004. It carried over into the recreational market in the 2020 ballot initiative language to legalize recreational sales and became law in 2021 after the Legislature passed the Montana Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, known more commonly as House Bill 701, in response to voters approving legalization. "It's very normal in the development of state medical markets that states have included those residency requirements," Kate Cholewa, government affairs specialist with the Montana Cannabis Industry Association, said Tuesday. "These are state markets, one state at a time, thats how this has evolved. Therefore when people from out of state want to participate they often get involved in complicated business arrangements, and perhaps eliminating the residency requirement is a path they see out of those relationships." The Legislature this year also extended its moratorium on new licenses until 2025, meaning only the existing license holders that were doing business when voters approved legalization in 2020 will be able to stake out the new recreational market for the first four years. During the last two sessions, lawmakers have held up such measures as a way to allow previously vetted businesses the opportunity to ramp up production to the market demands and for the Cannabis Control Division to get its regulatory footing before the market is flooded with new businesses. Miller, the Reeds' attorney, emphasized the case at hand only challenges the statute as it applies to his clients, but if the residency requirement falls, others can pick up the judge's ruling and make an effort to enter the market. "If this is struck down, the department may have to make changes in making sure out-of-state buyers go through additional quality checks, which I think is a reasonable thing," Miller said. As for the purpose of the residency requirement, Miller argues his clients are within their right to do business in Montana. "I can't think of any other purpose (for the requirement) other than economic protectionism," Miller said. "Public safety or anything, that has nothing to do with being in the state of Montana." Weather Alert ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THURSDAY... * WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with heat index values of 105 to 115 degrees. * WHERE...Portions of south central, southwest, and west central Illinois. Portions of central, east central, northeast, and southeast Missouri. * WHEN...Until 10 PM CDT Thursday. The heat may last into Friday for some areas. * IMPACTS...Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && Pacific Justice Institute Launches New Position to Strategically Impact Legislatures NEWS PROVIDED BY Pacific Justice Institute Aug. 9, 2023 SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 9, 2023 /Christian Newswire/ -- Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is proud to announce that the non-profit legal defense firm has launched a new position titled Legislative Counsel. Filling this role is Janice Lorrah, a persuasive and successful civil litigator with more than 20 years' experience. As PJI's Legislative Counsel, Ms. Lorrah will uniquely be focused on strategically Monitoring federal, state and municipal legislation related to religious liberty, sanctity of life, traditional values, and important constitutional issues; drafting legal opinion letters in support ofor opposition tolegislation; testifying before lawmakers; writing and distributing press releases; and making television and radio appearances. The Legislative Counsel will work in conjunction with PJI's already well-established presence across the United Statesmultiplying PJI's impact on a macroscale. PJI not only provides legal defense and resources all without charge, but the ministry also strategically targets the source of opposition to fundamental freedoms by fighting at the ground level to prevent radical and harmful bills from being enacted. Through PJI's over 30 officesCalifornia (seven offices), New York (two offices), New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, Washington (three offices), Mississippi, Wisconsin, Ohio, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Georgia, Hawaii, Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and North Carolinaand coupled with a network of hundreds of affiliate attorneysPJI is matchless in the battle to defend religious freedom. "I am excited to take the next step in my legal career! I am honored to join a team committed to the mission of defending freedom by fighting for/against bills impacting how we can live out our faith," PJI Legislative Counsel, Janice Lorrah commented. "The need for our organization continues to grow as the attack on freedom is more prevalent than ever. Now with Ms. Lorrah, PJI Legislative Counsel, our offense strategy will unquestionably ensure anti-freedom bills are abolished," stated PJI Founder and President, Brad Dacus. "I am excited that PJI can take this next step in our growth to continue finding new approaches to protecting our rights." For over 25 years, PJI has not left anyone on the side of the road as it relates to their defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and sanctity of lifealways without charge. PJI deeply appreciates your partnership, and willingness to give support and a strong voice to those who struggle against the forces of oppression. Feel free to show that you stand with us through a contribution today! SOURCE Pacific Justice Institute CONTACT: Brad Dacus, 916-616-4126 Press Release August 9, 2023 Hontiveros urges gov't to reject China-funded reclamation projects in PH Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday urged government to reject all China-funded reclamation projects in the Philippines. According to reports, two of the six initially approved reclamation projects in Manila Bay are executed by China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., a subsidiary of China state-owned Communications Construction Co. or CCCC. However, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has since suspended the operations of all but one reclamation project in Manila Bay due to management issues. "I welcome the President's suspension, but government should not approve reclamation projects by China state-owned companies anymore. Certainly not now. CCCC, like its home country China, has committed many violations against the Philippines. From building artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea to now reclaiming land in Metro Manila, China is destroying Philippine territory left, right, and center. Nabawasan lalo ang respeto ko sa Tsina. Nanghihimasok na nga sa Pilipinas, sinisira pa ang ating likas-yaman," Hontiveros said. In 2022, the senator filed Proposed Senate Resolution 300, directing the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry into the reported large-scale land reclamation projects being undertaken on a nationwide scale in the Philippines. In the resolution, Hontiveros cited scientist Dr. Giovanni Tapang who said that the reclamation of more than 38,000 hectares, 26,232 hectares of which are along the coast of Manila Bay, covered by the National Reclamation Plan will translate to a loss of the same area of seagrass, the spawning ground, and habitat of aquatic life, leading to an annual loss of 4-7 billion invertebrates and 3-78 trillion fish. "Kailangang maimbestigan ito sa Senado. Delikado ang mga reclamation areas. Matinding pagbaha ang pwedeng asahan dahil sa pagpapatuloy ng mga reclamation activities. Housing and commercial areas in planned reclamation projects will put people in harm's way. Food security will also be affected, especially since Manila Bay is an important fishing ground. Reclamation will destroy remaining marine habitats, like mangroves, seagrasses, and coral ecosystems," the senator said. "These China-funded reclamation projects may cause irreversible damage to our cherished natural resources. Ang likas-yaman na nga lang ng Pilipinas ang napanghahawakang yaman ng mga Pilipino, kaya dapat matindi ang ginagawa nating pagdedepensa dito," the senator said. Hontiveros also called on the ban of CCCC as a response to the repeated provocations of China in the West Philippine Sea, including the recent firing of a water cannon by the Chinese Coast Guard at the Philippine Coast Guard last Saturday, blocking the resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal. After the indignation expressed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, the PCG, and the AFP against the use of water cannons, China, instead of issuing an apology, asserted her baseless claims and demanded that the Philippines remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal. "BRP Sierra Madre is a Philippine asset that we have all the right to maintain in Ayungin Shoal. We will never allow anyone to forcibly take that vessel out of our own waters. The sheer arrogance of China is what causes deep instability in the region," the senator said. "Everything that comes out of China's mouth should be analyzed carefully by any nation worth their salt. It is so much lies and manipulation. How can we negotiate with Beijing when she acts in bad faith? This is why we must draw up other diplomatic and political ways to stand our ground, including stopping China-funded projects on our shores," Hontiveros concluded. A pair of environmental groups is preparing to challenge Montanas program for exporting wolf pelts, contending the states recent moves to liberalize wolf trapping has put endangered lynx in the crosshairs as well. The Center for Biological Diversity, a national organization based in Washington, D.C., and Hamilton-based Trap Free Montana on Tuesday sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, spelling out their intent to sue the agency over its continued approval of Montanas program for exporting wolf pelts. The state is one of just two, along with Alaska, that have been approved for the programs. Once listed under the Endangered Species Act throughout the Lower 48 states, gray wolves were removed from the list in Montana and most of the Northern Rockies in 2011. The Fish and Wildlife Services Division of Management Authority oversees Montanas pelt export program, which was approved in 2014. The approval process included a biological opinion detailing how wolf killing in the state wouldnt significantly impact other protected species, including lynx. But the groups allege that changes to Montanas wolf policies, particularly those that became law after the 2021 legislative session, are sufficient to require the feds to revisit that document. Montanas new wolf trapping rules explicitly contradict assumptions that the (biological opinion) relied on in approving Montanas wolf pelt export program, the Center wrote in its intent-to-sue-letter. The rules reject conservation measures to reduce the likelihood of incidental trapping of lynx considered in the (biological opinion). The groups say the approval of Montanas pelt export program relied on a prohibition on the use of snares, required setbacks from roads and trails and a season length that was limited to avoid accidentally trapping protected species. Each of those assumptions was upended by the 2021 Legislature, they argue. The allowable window for the wolf trapping season was extended by more than 30 days, some setbacks were eliminated and snares are now allowed on public and private land. The Fish and Wildlife Service ignored the fact that Montanas horrifying new trapping regulations have widespread environmental consequences, including harming rare and beautiful lynx, said Sophia Ressler, an attorney at the Center. Allowing even more of Montanas wolves to be trapped and tortured puts lynx and other wildlife in the crosshairs of the states war on wolves. Thats simply unacceptable. A spokesperson for the Fish and Wildlife Service didnt immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday. The notice of intent to sue starts a 60-day clock, after which the groups can file a petition in federal court to challenge the agencys continued approval of the export program. Ressler said the lawsuit will ask the court to require that the agency issue an updated biological opinion analyzing the changes to Montanas wolf seasons. It would be one of several legal actions challenging the state's new wolf policies in the past couple years. A 2022 lawsuit filed by WildEarth Guardians and Project Coyote alleges that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks failed to timely review its 2002 wolf management plan, that its use of a model to estimate populations was adopted without public comment and that killing wolves near national parks conflicts with federal law. The case is still pending in Lewis and Clark County District Court after a judge last November denied the groups' request for an injunction to restrict the state's hunting and trapping season. And last month, another Helena judge issued a summary judgment finding the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission's rules implementing a 2021 law went beyond the limits of the statute. That law authorized hunting wolves on private land outside of daylight hours with the use of artificial lights and night-vision scopes. Ruling in favor of Trap Free Montana and Wolves of the Rockies, that judge found that a rule allowing the use of infrared technology to kill wolves was not authorized by the new law. Robert Floyd, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at a hotel in Seoul, Aug. 9. Yonhap The head of the international body tasked with overseeing a global ban on nuclear tests said Wednesday that he hopes to see North Korea take a "small step" in committing not to proceed with what would be its seventh nuclear test. In an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul, Robert Floyd, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), said he hopes to see "North Korea take a small step towards building some bridges of trust and confidence with other countries." Based in Vienna, Austria, the CTBTO is a global organization tasked with building up the verification regime of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). "It would be a helpful first step, and on that, hopefully, we could see discussions and negotiations and some level of peace and security that could actually be built upon that," Floyd said. Pyongyang is widely believed to have been preparing to conduct what would be its seventh nuclear test, as the regime focuses on increasing the quantity of its nuclear forces and advancing related technologies. The North conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017. Floyd, who visited South Korea for the first time in his capacity as CTBTO executive secretary, added that he wishes to "engage with the leadership" in the North for talks on potential suspensions of nuclear tests. "My desire is to have a conversation with them. And I would not want to prejudge anything, but to have that conversation would be a wonderful thing," he said. Floyd, who previously worked as the director general of the Australian Safeguards and Non-proliferation Office before joining the CTBTO in 2021 as its chief, stressed that South Korea has been "involved in technical exchange and interaction with our organization to see the improvement of the international monitoring system and the international data center." The CTBTO's global network comprises 321 monitoring stations across the world, detecting seismic vibrations and sounds in both the atmosphere and ocean, as well as radioactive isotopes to detect nuclear tests across the world. The organization has a monitoring station in Wonju, 87 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Robert Floyd, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at a hotel in Seoul, Aug. 9. Yonhap Floyd expressed confidence in the CTBTO's capacity to pick up "every seismic activity" that takes place in North Korea, saying that its system detects "even small events, such as the crumbling of the tunnels inside the Punggye-ri test site," despite not having any measuring equipment inside the North. When asked about North Korea's evolving ballistic missile technology and its implications for the country's nuclear warhead delivery capabilities, Floyd made clear that ballistic missile development "was not our focus." He stressed his organization's focus was to "detect any country anywhere in the world that might test a nuclear device and conduct a nuclear explosion." The CTBTO chief also highlighted that the organization provides "objective, independent information" related to nuclear testing to all 186 signatories to the CTBT. North Korea, India and Pakistan are the only countries among the organization's Annex-2 nations that haven't signed the treaty. The United States, China, Israel, Iran and Egypt have signed it but have yet to ratify it. According to a CTBTO official, more than 2,000 nuclear tests were conducted in over 60 locations between 1945 and 1996, when the CTBT was adopted for signing. Since 1996, there have been fewer than 12 tests, of which North Korea conducted six, all since 2000, the official added. Robert Floyd, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at a hotel in Seoul, Aug. 9. Yonhap Images of Korean independence fighter Choi Jae-hyung, left, and his wife Elena Petrovna Choi restored by artificial intelligence technology / Courtesy of Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs By Lee Hyo-jin The remains of Korean independence fighter Choi Jae-hyung and his wife Elena Petrovna Choi will be reunited in Korea after being separated for over a century. The remains of the independence fighter's spouse were repatriated to Korea from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Tuesday, after more than 70 years following her passing in 1952, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Her remains will be temporarily laid to rest at Seoul National Cemetery until Monday. The ministry will bring soil from where the independence fighter is assumed to have died in the far eastern region of Ussuriysk, Russia, Friday. Choi was killed by the Imperial Japanese Army in April 7, 1920, but his remains have not been recovered. The soil and the remains of the independence fighter's wife will be interred together at an enshrining ceremony next Monday at Seoul National Cemetery, a day before National Liberation Day which falls on Aug. 15. A grave for the independent fighter was initially established at the national cemetery in 1970. But in 2009, it was found that the wrong remains had been buried by someone who had claimed to be his descendant. The independence fighter was born on Aug. 16, 1865, in North Hamgyong Province, which now lies in North Korea. He made a fortune by providing military supplies to Russia and used the money to finance independence fighters and to support Korean immigrants in Russia. He built 30 schools in Russia's Primorsky Krai. Choi married Elena in Russia in 1897 and the couple gave birth to eight children. Choi's wife supported her husband's independence movement efforts and took care of the family of renowned independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun after his death. But after her husband's death in 1920, she was deported to Kyrgyzstan where she spent the rest of her life. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller is seen answering questions during a daily press briefing at the department in Washington, U.S., Aug. 8, in this captured image. Yonhap The United States will continue to enforce all existing sanctions on North Korea, a state department spokesperson said Tuesday, amid concerns over growing military cooperation between North Korea and its two closest supporters China and Russia. Matthew Miller, however, declined to comment on any future sanctions. "First I will say we will fully enforce our existing sanctions," the state department spokesperson said when asked if the U.S. was considering imposing additional sanctions on North Korea. "But then I will give the answer you have heard me give in the past, which is with respect to any potential future sanctions actions, I would never want to preview them from this podium," he told a daily press briefing. His remark follows a high-profile visit to Pyongyang by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu late last month to take part in events marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, celebrated in North Korea as Victory Day. U.S. administration officials have noted the visit may indicate increased military cooperation between the two countries. "We have made clear our concerns about cooperation between Russia and North Korea," the state department spokesperson warned Monday. "We have made clear our concerns about North Korea seeking to assist Russia in its aggression in Ukraine, and we will continue to make those concerns clear and we will continue to enforce all of our sanctions." A Pentagon spokesperson stressed that any potential arms deal between North Korea and Russia would violate United Nations Security Council resolutions. "If you are referring to reporting that North Korea might be considering the sale of ammunition to Russia, that's something that is extremely concerning to us," Department of Defense deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh told a daily press briefing. "It's obviously a decision that North Korea is making to align itself with Russia and its unprovoked war in Ukraine, and any arms deal between the DPRK and Russia would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions," she added. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. The Pentagon spokesperson also warned that any country planning to engage in any illegal arms deal with North Korea will pay a price. "We will continue to identify and expose these transfers, these sales that happen and make sure that any country that does decide or plans to do business with North Korea is prepared for the consequences," she told the press briefing. (Yonhap) 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. Customers of the Montana Dakota Utilities can expect a $96 a year rate increase for electric service, following the split vote by the Montana Public Service Commission on Tuesday. The commission voted 3-2 to approve the rate increase. MDU has 25,000 metered electric customers in Eastern Montana. Randy Pinocci and Tony ODonnell, the only commissioners with MDU customers as constituents, both voted against the rate hike. The increase has no bearing on MDU natural gas rates. The size of the rate increase resulted from a settlement between MDU, the Montana Consumer Counsel and Denbury Onshore, an enhanced oil recovery company active in southeast Montana. Commissioners had the option of rejecting the settlement and proceeding with their own ratemaking deliberations something that Montanas utility regulators havent done in at least 20 years. The PSC is a five-member elected commission that regulates monopolies, more specifically the states largest utilities NorthWestern Energy and MDU. In that capacity, the PSC affects the household budgets of more than 400,000 Montana utility customers, some drawing electricity and natural gas from the same monopoly. Customers of monopolies are legally recognized as captive, meaning they lack the free-market choice of shopping around for a better deal. This is one of the few scenarios in which the government directly determines the prices consumers pay. ODonnell, a Republican from Billings, argued against accepting the settlement, which was a take-it-or-leave-it proposition for commissioners. I feel it is the very strong responsibility of this agency to ask all the questions that need to be, whether they're embarrassing to anybody or not, whatever, ODonnell said. I believe that our job is to have the lowest reasonable fees to ratepayers that respects highly respects. As was pointed out in the open Bloomfield requirements, and it's fair to the utility, but still fair to ratepayers and fairness to me, means the lowest cost to ratepayers. Pinocci, a Republican from Sun River, raised the issue of MDUs closure of Lewis and Clark Generating Station near Sidney in 2021, as well as MDUs decision not to locate a new gas-fired power plant in Montana. The closure of Lewis and Clark has been a sore spot with Pinocci, who has constituents in Sidney. Lewis and Clark was one of several coal-fired power plants in the previous decade that had to upgrade its pollution controls to remain compliant with federal mercury air toxics standards. The upgrades cost million of dollars, which customers paid for under terms approved by the PSC. But the Lewis and Clark plant closed just a few years later, a move MDU said was necessary as it pivoted to a cheaper source of electricity. Commissioners do not tell the power companies how to run their business. But I just have too many questions that I have bad answers for, Pinocci said. The rate increase was anticipated by customers who coalesced against the rate hike after Northern Plains Resource Council raised the issue of commissioners granting MDU a more than 15% rate increase enacted in 2020. The Billings-based nonprofit held listening sessions and letter-writing campaigns about the proposed increase. We are extremely disappointed in the commissioners who sided with MDUs executives and shareholders over the families, ag producers, and small business owners whose electricity bills will increase yet again, said Melissa Holt, Glendive resident and member of the Dawson Resource Council. However, we are also extremely proud of our work to raise awareness about this issue, which led to cutting this rate increase by more than half, saving our combined communities millions of dollars. The rate increase approved Tuesday was 9.1% for residential customers. MDU had initially requested a 19.2% increase in rates. Commissioner Ann Bukacek, a Republican from Kalispell, said the rate increase approved Tuesday wasnt that bad, likening it to the cost of a couple iced lattes, or a movie without popcorn when broken down as a per-month increase of $8. Commissioner Jennifer Fielder, a Republican from Thompson Falls, said she didnt think the Commission could come up with a more affordable amount through its own ratemaking. I've analyzed this case and I agree with staff that this settlement agreement falls on the lowest cost end of the range of reasonableness. It cuts Montana Dakota utilities initial request by more than half. And I feel that if we as a commission were not to approve this settlement agreement. We are not likely to achieve lowering the costs any further. A Stanton woman accused of dealing meth and using a fake identity in Bismarck has pleaded not guilty. Shelby Lemer, 28, faces a felony charge of drug possession with intent to deliver that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. She also is accused of giving false information to police, a misdemeanor. Officers conducted a welfare check July 2 on a vehicle that had been in the J.C. Penney parking lot at Kirkwood Mall for two hours. The woman in the car allegedly identified herself as Emilee Pflinger, using a North Dakota drivers License, according to a police affidavit. Authorities said they later discovered her real identity. The affidavit states that the vehicle did not belong to Lemer. She reportedly stated that she was in town just for the day and was going to Hazen after she finished her food. A K-9 alerted officers to the presence of drugs, and a search allegedly turned up a small amount of heroin, meth pipes and 126 grams of meth. A low-level user typically has no more than 3 grams, according to authorities. Lemers trial is scheduled for Nov. 22. Back To School Be sure and send your back to school photos to pics@ktbs.com. You just might see them on TV. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has approved a request from the state board responsible for licensing teachers to allow student teachers to lead classrooms in the upcoming academic year as teacher shortages impact districts across the state. The North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board proposed after an emergency meeting on July 27 that education students who have completed their coursework be allowed to serve as the teacher of record for one semester while they complete an internship. Students would be the only teacher in the classroom, though they would be partnered with mentors in the building -- a departure from current state law. The proposal received some pushback from education leaders in the state. Both Burgum and the board have pitched the amendment as a short-term fix to a broader issue, but some education advocates say it could compromise standards while failing to address the root of the problem. Burgum's announcement comes amid an uncertain academic landscape where districts arent impacted equally: At least 75 of the states 167 public districts have filled all teaching positions for the upcoming academic year, according to the boards data. However, districts across the state have reported increased vacancies and decreases in average application counts for their postings, with rural schools and large schools frequently taking hits. In the boards initial letter to the governor, it cited the then-17 vacancies at Bismarck Public Schools as one example of a concerning scenario. "The ESPB board is grateful for the governors consideration and approval of this request," Executive Director Rebecca Pitkin said in a statement to the Tribune. "The board recognizes this is not a long-term solution. This is a way to provide local boards and administrators increased flexibility and local control to work with universities to fill positions with individuals who have completed all of their teacher education coursework, and meet criteria established by universities, so districts can meet the needs of their students." The emergency amendment includes a sunset clause that means it can remain in effect only through June 30, 2025. Burgum said its important to tackle the broader retention and hiring issues behind the shortage; to that end, he plans to form a statewide task force with local stakeholders to address the matter. As the ESPB executive director has stated, this is a Band-Aid, not a permanent solution, Burgum wrote in a letter to the board. This emergency action simply gives local school boards and administrators additional flexibility and retains local control in determining how to fill teacher openings with the best interests of students in mind. Prior to the requests approval some members of the Education Standards and Practices Board expressed hesitation about the proposal. One board member raised the issue of existing placements for students seeking internships for the fall semester, many of whom have already found a position, while others were concerned about the harm that could be caused by a bad student teaching experience, according to KYFR. Three of the boards nine members voted to rescind the proposal. That hesitation doesnt exist just within the board. North Dakota United, the union that represents K-12 educators across the state alongside other public employees, has expressed skepticism about the programs long-term impact on the profession. The organization is worried that the emergency amendment compromises teaching standards and could lower the quality of education across the state, according to President Nick Archuleta. Furthermore, Archuleta said he doesnt expect the move will end up filling many positions, and it doesnt do anything to address long-term issues. The best news that came out of this thing today is that the governor will be forming a task force on teacher recruitment and retention, so that we might, as we called for earlier, finally get some deep dive into why are teachers leaving the classroom, Archuleta said. LAS VEGAS Cattle rancher Todd Hall was standing on land near the Strip, surveying real estate his tribal government had purchased more than 1,000 miles from their reservation. The Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation spent $115 million for land along Las Vegas Boulevard over the past three years without concrete plans for the sites or public votes on most of the spending. Hall and other critics say the tribal government has lacked transparency, and they contend there are plenty of needs and other ways to spend the money back home in North Dakota. Im not against business, but to buy land with no plan doesnt make sense to me, Hall said in April during a visit to Las Vegas to protest his leaders actions and see what the tribes bought. The tribes own 23 acres along the south edge of the Strip, giving the group also known as Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation plenty of space to develop a real estate project in the famed casino corridor. MHA Nation Chairman Mark Fox has touted the economic opportunities that come with owning land in Americas gambling capital, a lucrative yet fiercely-competitive tourism market. But his administration has faced criticism over its venture to Southern Nevada. Our tribal leadership has no business buying land in Las Vegas when we havent taken care of our people back at home, said Carol Good Bear, who ran unsuccessfully last year to unseat Fox, and joined Hall and other tribal citizens at the Las Vegas protest. In 2019, the year before MHA Nation started buying real estate in Las Vegas, a tribal council member outlined billions of dollars in spending needs to Congress that ranged from health care and housing to road construction and law enforcement. At a protest in North Dakota in May, a woman held a sign that declared, No more off reservation spending!! and Build our future here!! Another sign, propped up against a man in a cowboy hat with stars on his boots, declared: No Lost Vegas misspending of the peoples money! MHA Nations governing body, the Tribal Business Council, regularly votes on real estate deals and other expenditures. But the Las Vegas Review-Journals inspection of council minutes and other tribal documents posted online since 2020 found no public votes or resolutions on two of its three real estate acquisitions along the Strip. These include its nearly $93 million purchase last year of most of the former Route 91 Harvest festival site, the scene of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history in 2017. As far as Im concerned, thats hallowed ground, said Hall, who added that its like any other battle site on American soil and should be treated with respect, with no casino or other businesses built on top of it. Following multiple requests for an interview, Foxs office initially said the chairman was booked and provided a written statement for this story. On Thursday, a few hours after this story was published online, Fox told the Review-Journal that he strongly disputed the notion that tribal leaders dont take care of the citizens. He cited, among other things, the construction of medical facilities, roads and other infrastructure. This doesnt mean the tribes dont have needs, he said, so the leadership makes investments to generate returns, helping them finance new facilities and services. What we did in Las Vegas is exactly in line with that, Fox said. Other members of the Tribal Business Council could not be reached for comment or referred questions to Fox, who was first elected chairman in 2014 and is now serving his third term. Committing to plan when the time is right MHA Nation, which owns the 4 Bears casino on the tribes oil-rich reservation in North Dakota, entered Las Vegas with its purchase of an 8.7-acre dirt lot for $12 million through a bankruptcy case. The Tribal Business Council approved a resolution in June 2020 to buy the site. Its meeting minutes that day indicate the deal was discussed in a closed session. That summer, Fox told the Review-Journal he had been eyeing activity in Las Vegas for years. The tribes expanded their holdings in December 2022 when they bought 13.3 acres of the former Route 91 site from casino giant MGM Resorts International. The business council held no public hearing or public vote on that purchase. MHA tribal leaders said revenue from a venture there would help fund tribal programs and projects. They also wholeheartedly supported a proposed memorial site for the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting, slated for two acres set aside by MGM. Fox said MGM required a nondisclosure agreement for the sale negotiations. As a result, tribal leadership couldnt publicly discuss the deal until it was finalized, he added. A court filing in January showed that MHA Nation also was buying the long-shuttered White Sands Motel site for more than $10 million through a probate case. The narrow, 1.1-acre plot is surrounded on three sides by the former Route 91 property. The sale closed in April again without a public vote in North Dakota. Fox said that he has the authority to negotiate in court and that it was well known that tribal leadership was trying to acquire the property. He also said they bought the site through the courts, an open venue. He said that the tribes land holdings have climbed in value, but noted MHA leadership is still weighing its options and hasnt determined what to do with the properties. Its going to take time, he said. He previously said their options include developing a casino resort or flipping the land to new owners. The tribes already found at least one way to make money from their first real estate purchase in Las Vegas. In early 2021, the Tribal Business Council gave the green light to allow American Ninja Warrior to use its property for 30 days to film the show, for the price of $100,020. Its not uncommon for buyers to pick up land on or near the Strip without finalized plans in place. Plenty of people have also built projects that make big money, or sold land at high values. But the resort corridor also has a long history of developers pitching big plans that stall or die on the drawing board, and of landowners trying to sell for steep prices that buyers dont pay. The former White Sands property, for instance, was on the market several years ago for $25 million more than double what the tribes bought it for. MHAs real estate holdings also are right near the failed SkyVue observation-wheel project a never-finished tourist attraction that for years has consisted of little more than two giant concrete columns sticking out of the ground across from Mandalay Bay. Shocked, appalled, and fully opposed MHA Nations business council holds regular meetings each month and frequently votes on real estate-related matters, including purchases and leases. It also votes on other spending, including, in recent years, $5,000 to sponsor a gymnastics club, $18,611 for barber shop supplies and $1.8 million for firefighting trucks and other equipment. Hall, however, wrote in a January opinion piece that he learned of the Route 91 acquisition through the media. I, like many, many others, am shocked, appalled, and fully opposed to this purchase, the rancher wrote. Hall told the Review-Journal that tribal money spent in Las Vegas could have instead funded education for our people immediately instead of umpteen years down the road. MHA member Kelly Hosie said that the tribal government could have invested in clean air and water back home and that the reservation needs 24-hour emergency medical service. MHA citizens critical of the Fox administration have put public pressure on him. They have held some protests in recent months, including near MHA Nation headquarters, and tribal members nominated the administration for a national journalism award that aims to highlight violations of the publics right to know. The Society of Professional Journalists cited a litany of transparency issues when giving its annual Black Hole Award to the Fox administration this past March. The journalism group said that to the publics knowledge, the tribes had not conducted an annual audit since 2018. It also said the administration had purchased at least $90 million worth of real estate but did not inform citizens until the deal was finalized. Fox said in a written response in March that council members are elected by tribal membership and do not operate in secrecy. Disinformation flows freely on social media, misleading our tribal members with stories of corruption, he wrote. While inflammatory posts and articles generate clicks, the reality is that the Tribal Business Council and Fox Administration adhere to the MHA Nation Constitution. We honor freedom of the press. We honor transparency. We do not condone false, baseless attacks that cast our nation in a bad, and false, light. He said Thursday that the pandemic and the hiring of a new accounting firm caused delays in completing tribal audits. We are going to catch up, he said. Warm welcome The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation spans 988,000 acres and, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures, has an estimated population of just 7,544. MHA Nation says its total enrolled membership tops 17,000. MHA Nation offers a range of services, including animal control, business development, drug awareness, housing, and food distribution. It also gets windfalls of revenue from oil production. From 2017 through 2022, an average of nearly 101 million barrels of oil were produced annually on the reservation, according to data from the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources. The tribes received more than $1.5 billion in oil and gas tax revenue from the state between fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2023, according to North Dakota Legislative Council figures. In the 2000s, oil production on the reservation was a sliver of current levels. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, helped enable the boom. Energy development brought economic opportunities to Fort Berthold but also overwhelmed its transportation infrastructure and strained law enforcement and health care facilities, Tribal Business Council member Monica Mayer said in written testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019. With inadequate federal services, she said, the tribes had to acquire private insurance that covers some health care costs for members. She also said that over the next decade, MHA Nation estimated it would need more than $3.6 billion for physical and governing infrastructures and to keep up with growth. The tribes had an immediate need for about $825 million for paved road construction and about $685 million to maintain and resurface those roads, and an immediate need of $270 million for housing and $160 million for housing related infrastructure, she wrote. They also needed $10 million for their drug enforcement agency and $75 million for social services and public safety, according to Mayer. All told, the majority of MHA Nations revenue comes from oil and gas development, but these resources will not last forever, Fox said. And while its still unclear what MHA leaders will do with their land assemblage along the Strip, Fox already received a warm welcome in Las Vegas. At a court hearing in March, District Judge Gloria Sturman came down from the bench to thank the chairman and shake his hand after she approved the tribes purchase of the former White Sands property. We appreciate the nation joining us in our gaming community, she said earlier in the hearing. Validating your browser . . . Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Please enable cookies and reload the page. This may take up to 5 seconds Event ID: 143811361084471701507343921206665099475 Validating your browser . . . Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Please enable cookies and reload the page. 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This may take up to 5 seconds Event ID: 1831249900435628843017683199873766404614 Earlier this morning, I posted about Jennifer Meeks, the wife of an Arkansas GOP Congressman, who posted to Facebook that she has been "swapping out books in little free libraries for awhile," adding "From what I have seen, a lot of these books and other things don't align with our Christian values. Today I saw a bunch of Pride stuff in one." Meeks said she was adding Bibles, "good devotion books," and "kids' Bible stories." She added, "a gospel tract is a nice idea too." She told one commenter on Facebook, "I have taken out a bad one and left a good one in its place." Meeks has drawn quite a bit of criticism for her self-appointed role as an officer of the promotion of Christian virtue and prevention of Non-Christian vice squad, so much so that her husband, Jeff Meeks, has stepped in with a dubious explanation. He told The Arkansas Times that her statement about "swapping out" "bad" books was about replacing worn-out copies of books with newer versions, not removing Pride books and replacing them with Christian books. He also complained to Newsweek that darn communists were twisting her words for nefarious purposes. Meeks' husband said that her words were being taken out of context and clarified that she did not take out any LGBTQ-related materials in exchange for the bibles she has added to the libraries, nor would she advocate for others to do something similar. "Somebody on the left took that and interpreted it as my wife going all over central Arkansas, pulling Pride books out of these little libraries and replacing them with bibles and nothing is further from the truth," Stephen Meeks told Newsweek. "My wife would not do that. She would not advocate for that. She would be opposed to that." Above image from Faulkner County Coalition for Social Justice. Validating your browser . . . 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Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Please enable cookies and reload the page. This may take up to 5 seconds Event ID: 453325755015631904811328557758320609056 Validating your browser . . . Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Please enable cookies and reload the page. This may take up to 5 seconds Event ID: 539862489847539781417573555680465791175 Validating your browser . . . Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Please enable cookies and reload the page. This may take up to 5 seconds Event ID: 1628314352176511327613035294360819814110 On 8 August Brazils government led by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hosted representatives from the member states of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation (OTCA) for the first day of a two-day leaders summit in the northern city of Belem, capital of Para state. Analysis: Since taking office in January, Lula has sought to position Brazil as a global leader on environmental protection and has called for fostering regional integration, with multilateral forums such as the OTCA group of eight Amazonian countries serving as an ideal vehicle for Lulas foreign policy goals. The very act of hosting the first OTCA summit in 14 years could be seen as a positive signal, as a major paradigm shift from the administration of Lulas right-wing predecessor Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2023), under whom regional cooperation and the protection of the Amazon biome were not prioritised. But the joint communique signed by the leaders in yesterdays session (a 113-point document known as the Belem Declaration) lacked a clear roadmap detailing shared objectives and timeframes on how Lulas green agenda, of which reducing deforestation is a key pillar, could be achieved. The Declarations vague commitments to the ideal of reaching zero deforestation did not echo Lulas previously stated goal of reaching net zero deforestation by 2030, which he announced last November at the United Nations (UN) climate change conference (COP27) in Egypt. The Belem Declaration did provide some encouraging signs for the Lula administrations goal of fighting crime in the Amazon, including security operations targeting criminal organisations, such as illegal mining groups, whose activities have been known to cause deforestation and pollution. Point 65 of the Declaration welcomed the future establishment of the Amazon International Police Cooperation Centre with headquarters in Manaus, capital of Brazils Amazonas state. Point 66 called for a process of dialogue for the creation of an Integrated Air Traffic Control System to monitor the transnational routes used by the aircraft of criminal groups, such as drug trafficking organisations (DTOs) and illegal miners. Colombias President Gustavo Petro similarly called for increased cooperation on security responses and judicial oversight. In his speech yesterday, Petro even suggested the creation of an international Court of Amazonian Environmental Justice and an Amazonian NATO, a military agreement akin to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) which could institutionalise joint operations between the armed forces of OTCA countries, although neither of these regional integration goals were specified in the Declarations text. similarly called for increased cooperation on security responses and judicial oversight. In his speech yesterday, Petro even suggested the creation of an international Court of Amazonian Environmental Justice and an Amazonian NATO, a military agreement akin to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) which could institutionalise joint operations between the armed forces of OTCA countries, although neither of these regional integration goals were specified in the Declarations text. Petros speech also addressed an elephant in the room by calling for fossil fuels to be phased out. Rather than concrete pledges to phase out or phase down fossil fuel production, point 79 of the Declaration called for a dialogue among State Parties on the sustainability of sectors such as hydrocarbons and mining. Speaking to press in Belem yesterday, Brazils foreign minister, Mauro Vieira , insisted that Brazils and Colombias stances on fossil fuels were not divergent, adding that many countries depend on fossil fuels but that does not mean that they will be against decarbonisation. , insisted that Brazils and Colombias stances on fossil fuels were not divergent, adding that many countries depend on fossil fuels but that does not mean that they will be against decarbonisation. Other points of the Declaration called for more international cooperation on financing mechanisms for sustainable development initiatives. The day before the summit, Brazils state-owned development bank (BNDES) signed an agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and financial institutions from other OTCA countries to provide R$45bn (US$9.18bn) for sustainable businesses in the Amazon region. Looking Ahead: The next major climate diplomacy forum which Lula and other South American presidents are expected to attend will be the UN climate change conference (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates which takes place from 30 November to 12 December. Former President and current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump recently went on a massive rant against Special Counsel Jack Smith and the judge presiding over his 2020 election interference case. This could lead him to more trouble. In what many say is a threat to investigators, Donald Trump wrote an all-caps warning on Truth Social, writing, "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU!" This may be directed to Jack Smith himself, who is investigating Trump for not just the 2020 elections, but also the classified documents scandal. The former president went on a rant storm over the weekend, targeting potential star witness and former Vice President Mike Pence, who is also running against him in the 2024 GOP primaries. "WOW, it's finally happened! Liddle' Mike Pence, a man who was about to be ousted as Governor Indiana until I came along and made him V.P., has gone to the Dark Side. ... He's delusional, and now he wants to show he's a tough guy. I once read a major magazine article on Mike. It said he was not a very good person," he ranted. However, he went back to all-caps when targeting the judge presiding over his 2020 election interference case, Judge Tanya Chutkan, according to USA Today. Trump wrote, "THERE IS NO WAY I CAN GET A FAIR TRIAL WITH THE JUDGE 'ASSIGNED' TO THE RIDICULOUS FREEDOM OF SPEECH/FAIR ELECTIONS CASE. EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS, AND SO DOES SHE!" This is in reference to the judge and her harsh decisions against January 6 rioters. Trump then went back to attacking Jack Smith, writing, "DERANGED JACK SMITH AND OUR HIGHLY PARTISAN, AND VERY CORRUPT, DEPARTMENT OF INJUSTICE, COULD HAVE BROUGHT THIS BIDIN 'OPPONENT' CASE YEARS AGO, BUT CHOSE TO WAIT AND BRING IT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY ELECTION CAMPAIGN. NO WAY!!! I HOPE YOU ARE WATCHING AMERICA. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED." These rants may bear some consequences for the former president as the judge may issue a gag order against him, as his "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU!" threat prompted Smith to ask for a protective order. This would stop Trump from publicizing or spouting off on evidence shared with his defense team and spinning it to win in the court of public opinion. READ MORE: Donald Trump vs. E. Jean Carroll: Ex-POTUS Gets Big Loss in Defamation Counterclaim Donald Trump Lawyers Try To Stop Jack Smith's Protective Order Request Meanwhile, the ex-POTUS's lawyers argued that Smith's proposal is infringing on their client's right to free speech. They tried to stop Smith's request, trying to get narrower limits on the protective order. ABC News reported that the Trump attorneys argued that these narrower limits "would protect sensitive materials while ensuring Trump's right to free speech." The Trump attorneys also argued that the protective order would be aimed at the "administration's primary political opponent, during an election season in which the administration, prominent party members, and media allies have campaigned on the indictment and proliferated its false allegations." Judge Denies Donald Trump Lawyers' Request for More Time Before their request on Monday, the Trump attorneys tried to delay their response to Smith's protective order request. However, the judge struck it down. Smith argued in his request that Trump might intimidate witnesses by improperly disclosing confidential evidence that were given by the government, according to CNBC. As seen by his latest rants on social media, that may very well be possible, noted Smith. Now, Judge Chutkan has called for a new hearing. The special counsel and the Trump legal team would have to argue for their dueling motions regarding the protective order. Both sides now have to agree on a date by Tuesday at 3 pm. The judge did say that she would prefer the hearing to happen before Friday. READ MORE: Court Finds Donald Trump Liable For Sexual Abuse This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Trump lashes out at special counsel over new protective order - TODAY Dianne Feinstein, the 90-year-old Democrat Senator from California who has been suffering from ill-health and apparent cognitive problems, is back at home after suffering a fall earlier this week, reports Roll Call. She was briefly hospitalized. "I spoke with Sen. Feinstein this morning," said New York Senator Chuck Schumer in a statement. "She said she suffered no injuries and briefly went to the hospital as a precaution. I'm glad she is back home now and is doing well." Feinstein's cognitive challenges have drawn attention in recent times, including televised instances of memory problems and confusion, including the inability to remember colleagues' names or recall information. Despite her health issues, Senator Feinstein has refused to resign from her seat in the Senate. Mexico conducted a four-day inspection raid across the Caribbean Coast six months after the US warned that Mexican pharmacies are selling fake pills laced with fentanyl. These fake pills are often sold as various legitimate medications like Oxycodone, Percocet, and Adderall and are often sold to American tourists. According to the Associated Press, these raids targeted pharmacies around Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. This resulted in the Mexican government shuttering 23 pharmacies around those areas. After the raids, Mexico's Navy Department released a statement on Tuesday, saying that they found irregular sales at 23 of the 55 drug stores inspected. The department also confirmed that these pharmacies usually only offered these fake pills to tourists, even advertising that they sell these pills and also offering home delivery services for them. In addition, the Mexican Navy Department also stated that it found outdated medications. These pharmacies also had no record of the supplier, as well as blank or unsigned prescription forms. Back in March, the US State Department issued a travel warning to its citizens in Mexico that fake pills are being sold in legitimate pharmacies around Mexico. UCLA First Sounded Alarm on Fentanyl-Laced Fake Pills Being Sold in Mexico The University of California in Los Angeles first released a study back in January and found that "brick and mortar pharmacies in Northern Mexican tourist towns are selling counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine." The study also found that these pharmacies usually target tourists from the United States, passing them off as "controlled substances such as Oxycodone, Percocet, and Adderall." READ NEXT: U.S. Marine Gets 12 Years for Smuggling Fentanyl, Other Drugs From Mexico Into the U.S. The study was mostly conducted around Northern Mexican tourist towns and in February, UCLA released additional findings that revealed that researchers found 68% of the 40 Mexican pharmacies they visited in Northern Mexico sold Oxycodone, Xanax, or Adderall. Some of these sold legitimate pills while 27% of those pharmacies were selling fake pills. "These counterfeit pills represent a serious overdose risk to buyers who think they are getting a known quantity of a weaker drug," said UCLA assistant professor-in-residence of medicine Chelsea Shover. The study also found that the fake pills were discovered in 11 pharmacies. Nine of the 45 samples they found were sold as Adderall, which contained meth, while eight sold as Oxycodone had fentanyl. Finally, three of the samples sold as Oxycodone contained heroin. Mexico Suffering From Increase in Fentanyl Overdoses While the fake pills are usually targeted toward American tourists, local Mexican residents are also suffering, with border communities being particularly hard-hit. Al Jazeera noted that the Mexican government still denies opioid use is a problem, but despite these, communities along the US-Mexico border have seen a spike in overdoses from fentanyl. Fentanyl is being sold to impoverished communities around the border, such as the border city of Tijuana, with people formerly addicted to heroin changing their preference to fentanyl. These powerful opioids are often being sold as drugs around the streets and are often mixed with meth and heroin to make them more addictive. READ MORE: Mexico: Ex-Drug Czar Took Bribes From El Chapo, Sinaloa Cartel This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: A rare look inside one Mexican cartel's fentanyl operation, and how the drug reaches the U.S. - PBS NewsHour President Joe Biden has fulfilled the longstanding aspirations of Native American tribes and environmental advocates by signing a national monument designation for Arizona's greater Grand Canyon region. This declaration, symbolically made against the breathtaking backdrop of the mountainous terrain, came as part of President Biden's Western trip, spanning three states, AP reports. The newly designated national monument encompasses approximately 1,562 square miles (4,046 square kilometers) of land north and south of the Grand Canyon National Park. This area comprises diverse landscapes, including canyons, plateaus, and tributaries, which sustain various flora and fauna, including bison, elk, desert bighorn sheep, and rare cactus species. This act marks President Biden's fifth monument designation. Tribes in Arizona had long advocated for creating a new national monument named Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni, a designation deeply meaningful to the local Havasupai and Hopi communities. President Biden acknowledged the significance of this endeavor, with "Baaj Nwaavjo" translating to "where tribes roam" about the Havasupai people and "I'tah Kukveni" signifying "our footprints" for the Hopi tribe. President Biden expressed his conviction that preserving these lands is a positive step for Arizona and the entire planet. He underscored the multifaceted benefits, including economic prosperity and a deep connection to the nation's spirit. His address, delivered amidst the grandeur of the landscape, reaffirmed the importance of this conservation effort and its resonance with the well-being of the land and its people. READ NEXT: Joe Biden Signs Bill Declassifying COVID-19 Origin Republicans Criticize Joe Biden's Proclamation of New National Park The recent national monument designation for the greater Grand Canyon area has encountered criticism from House Republicans, who have called for an investigation into the selection of monument boundaries and the potential impacts on mining and energy development, according to POLITICO. These Republicans argue that the designation could hinder uranium mining, which they believe is vital for bolstering U.S. energy independence, especially considering Russia's significant presence in supplying low-enriched uranium for nuclear reactors. Nathan Rees, the Arizona field coordinator for Trout Unlimited, highlighted the broad support the site has garnered, transcending partisan lines and encompassing hunters and anglers within the state. Rees commended the administration for honoring the wishes of countless individuals eager to safeguard this picturesque landscape's natural splendor. He also underscored the region's historical concerns associated with uranium mining, further justifying the conservation effort. It's worth noting that while the national monument designation will temporarily halt new mining claims within the area, its implementation under the Antiquities Act does not necessarily imply a complete cessation of all extraction activities. The dynamics between the mining industry, Indigenous tribes, and environmental advocates, which have spanned decades, may not be entirely resolved by this designation. Joe Biden Says Grand Canyon Is "One of the 9 Wonders of the World" in Latest Gaffe During a speech focused on his administration's climate and conservation efforts, President Joe Biden committed an error by incorrectly stating that the Grand Canyon is one of the "nine" wonders of the world, Fox News noted. At Red Butte Airfield in Arizona, near the Grand Canyon, Biden described it as "one of the Earth's nine wonders, wonders of the world." However, the generally recognized list of world wonders consists of seven sites, which do not include the Grand Canyon. The Seven Wonders of the World include the Great Wall of China, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Petra in Jordan, Machu Picchu in Peru, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, the Colosseum in Italy, and the Taj Mahal in India. Nevertheless, the Grand Canyon is on the list of seven natural wonders of the world, compiled by CNN in 1997. This list also features the northern lights, the Great Barrier Reef, the Harbor at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Paricutin in Mexico, Victoria Falls on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia, and Mount Everest. READ MORE: Joe Biden Net Worth This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: Joe Biden gaffes, claims Grand Canyon is one of the 'nine' wonders of the world - From Sky News Australia After a hearing to see if he could stand trial, a jury found that suspected California serial stabber Carlos Dominguez is mentally unfit. This comes after a court-appointed psychologist told the jury that Dominguez had psychological issues, a statement that was challenged by prosecutors with the Yolo County District Attorney's Office. Last week, however, prosecutors dropped their challenge regarding his competency to stand. with the judge dismissing the jury and suspending the University of California Davis serial stabbings case, per CNN. "At this point, there is no longer a dispute as to his competency and the court has issued an order that Carlos Dominguez is not competent to stand trial," said Judge Samuel McAdam to the jury last Monday. Carlos Dominguez, a former University of California Davis student, will now be transferred to a state hospital after court-appointed psychologist Dr. Juliana Rohrer testified that the suspected serial stabber was "a textbook example of schizophrenia." However, the prosecution had a problem with this assessment, stating last Thursday, "We disagreed with the initial doctor's report and how she reached her conclusions regarding competency." The defense brought in a different psychologist who found that Dominguez "was most likely schizophrenic," prompting prosecutors to drop the case. In a statement, prosecutors said, "Based on the information that came out in trial and the recently initiated involuntary medication proceedings, we are now in agreement that Mr. Dominguez is presently not competent to stand trial." A jail tele-psychiatrist also testified that Dominguez has schizophrenia and is gravely disabled. He will remain jailed in the meantime as he awaits his transfer. "Within due course, hopefully, a short amount of time, he'll be transported to a state hospital to receive treatment with the goal of restoring his competency. From there, only time will tell. The law and the facts will dictate how the case goes," said the judge, suspending the case until Dominguez is deemed competent again. READ NEXT: Suspect in Gilgo Beach Serial Murders Arrested: Who Is He? Yolo County DA Stands by Challenge Against Findings That California Serial Stabber Is Not Competent Even though the Yolo County District Attorney's Office has dropped its challenge against the main suspect for now, it stood by its decision to challenge the findings on Dominguez's incompetency, according to CBS News. "We stand by that decision to challenge the findings. However, based on the information that came out in trial and the recently initiated involuntary medication proceedings, we are now in agreement that Mr. Dominguez is presently not competent to stand trial," said the Yolo County DA's Office in a statement. Carlos Dominguez and the California Serial Stabbings Carlos Dominguez was a third-year student at the University of California, Davis. However, his gruesome attacks led the school to expel him last April. The stabbings occurred around the school's campus, leading to the deaths of two people, according to the Associated Press. The first victim was identified as David Breaux, 50, a homeless man who died after he was stabbed to death at the Davis Central Park on April 27. The second victim is an immigrant who is a UC Davis student. Karim Abou Najm. He was not able to kill the third and final victim, 64-year-old Kimberlee Guillory, a homeless woman whose testimony helped catch Dominguez. READ MORE: Richard Ramirez: A Look at Horrific Crimes of 'Satanic' Serial Killer Dubbed the 'Night Stalker' This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Davis stabbings suspect Carlos Dominguez found not competent: What happens next? - CBS Sacramento A 9-year-old Chicago girl, Serabi Medina, was fatally shot while riding her scooter outside her apartment building in the Portage Park neighborhood, AP reports. Prosecutors allege that the accused, Michael Goodman, allegedly targeted Medina deliberately. He crossed a street, entered the vestibule of the apartment building, and headed straight toward the girl before opening fire. Despite her father's shouts, Goodman allegedly disregarded them, raised his arm, and shot Medina in the head Saturday night. Medina's father attempted to intervene by tackling Goodman, causing the firearm to discharge again and striking Goodman in the eye. Goodman was subsequently apprehended and treated for his injury, after which he was released from the hospital and appeared in court Tuesday. Tragically, the Chicago girl was rushed to Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead. READ NEXT: Chicago Mom, Son, 'Falsely Arrested' Suspect on Chicago Girl's Shooting Death Is Being Held Without Bond During the court hearing, the motive behind the shooting remained undisclosed, according to ABC 7. However, a Cook County judge ruled against granting Michael Goodman a bond. He faces the charge of first-degree murder. The defendant's public defender refrained from providing a statement following the hearing, but she did advocate for a reasonable bond in court, highlighting that Goodman has no prior criminal record. Police reportedly discovered a bullet hole in a wall within Goodman's apartment and a bullet casing. According to prosecutors, Goodman has worked as a computer programmer for the past two decades and possesses a Firearm Owners Identification card. California Girl Remembered by Her Family and Neighbors Family members and neighbors fondly remembered the 9-year-old girl, Serabi Medina, for her joyful spirit and adventurous nature, per Chicago Tribue. She adored her dog, enjoyed riding her bicycle around the neighborhood, and assisted her mechanic father in fixing cars. Jacqueline Rodriguez, one of her aunts, recounted a recent family trip to a water park where Serabi was filled with happiness and excitement. "She was having the time of her life," Rodriguez shared. Marisol Cruz, another aunt, described Serabi as a fearless and daring child. Neighbors gathered to pay their respects as a memorial outside Serabi's apartment building continued to grow with candles, flowers, balloons, and photographs. Stuffed animals were placed around a tree as a symbol of remembrance. Mario Silva, who helps manage the building, fondly recalled seeing Serabi many times and remarked on her beauty and cheerful demeanor. The heartbreaking tragedy visibly moved passersby at the memorial for Serabi Medina. Some placed their hands over their hearts as they walked past the memorial, while a group of young boys paused to make the sign of the cross, expressing their condolences. A young woman lit a candle and took a moment to collect herself, wiping tears from her eyes. Edwin Roman, a 38-year-old resident of Portage Park, left a tie-dye teddy bear attached to colorful balloons at the memorial. Despite not knowing Serabi personally, he felt compelled to pay his respects upon learning of the tragic event. He expressed his sorrow for the young girl's short life. Known as "Bibi," Serabi eagerly anticipated the start of fourth grade before the tragedy occurred. The Chicago girl's mother, Blanca Miranda, tragically lost her life in a shooting incident 2018. The family had moved to their Portage Park apartment following her mother's passing. READ MORE: Uvalde Shooter's Cousin, Arrested After Allegedly Threatens to Local School This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: 9-year-old girl shot to death years after mother gunned down - From ABC 7 Chicago Dictator Ron DeSantis removed Florida's top state prosecutor in Orlando today an extremely rare move who happens to be a Black Democrat. Apparently, she was too lenient for the MAGA fascist. "I am today announcing the suspension of state attorney Monique Worrell from the ninth judicial circuit, effective immediately," he announced (see video below, posted by Ron Filipkowski). And it's the second time in a year that DeSantis has purged an elected state attorney, the first being Andrew H. Warren (Democrat, of course) for promising not to prosecute abortion providers. (Warren is currently fighting the suspension in court). "This could flip any day we could get a Democratic governor who then decides to go around suspending all Republican prosecutors because we are not in alignment in ideology," Worrell said, via The New York Times. "It has to stop. This is a dictatorship. This is not a democracy." (See part of Worrell's reaction in second video below, posted by The Recount.) From NYT: Ms. Worrell, who was elected in 2020, was known to be in Mr. DeSantis's sights. He criticized her office earlier this year, and his general counsel sent her a letter seeking documents about previous arrests. Mr. DeSantis is a former federal and military prosecutor. In March, anticipating that she might be suspended, Ms. Worrell released data showing that her prosecution rate was similar to that of her predecessors. In an interview at the time, she warned of the dangers of a governor pushing the boundaries of his executive power to remove law enforcement officials who belong to the opposing political party. Ms. Worrell and Mr. Warren were among many prosecutors who have been backed by groups supported by the liberal billionaire investor George Soros. Mr. DeSantis uses derisive mentions of Mr. Soros's name to draw cheers as he campaigns for president. "We have stood for law and order in the state of Florida," Mr. DeSantis said last week in Cedar Falls, Iowa. "And when we had a Soros-funded left-wing prosecutor in Tampa saying that he wasn't going to enforce laws that he didn't like, I removed him from his post." In suspending Ms. Worrell on Wednesday, Mr. DeSantis did not discuss Mr. Soros. But as with the removal of Mr. Warren, right-wing commentators online emphasized the Soros connection to Ms. Worrell, and members of Mr. DeSantis's campaign amplified that message. Dictator Desantis announced this morning that he is removing another elected prosecutor. This time it's Orlando-area Democratic State Attorney Monique Worrell, who also just happens to be a black female. He claims she isn't prosecuting crime aggressively enough. pic.twitter.com/eXaLI3219z Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) August 9, 2023 "This is simply a smokescreen for Ron DeSantis' failing and disastrous presidential campaign." State Attorney Monique Worrell (D) slams Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for suspending her from office pic.twitter.com/7RDZczg64W The Recount (@therecount) August 9, 2023 Front page thumbnail image: Ron DeSantis / State of Florida For Lehigh Valley lifers, Musikfest is practically a high school reunion already. For Musikfest 2007, alumni from three local schools made it official. Dubbed the tri-high reunion, the Liberty, Freedom and Bethlehem Catholic Classes of 1982 jointly gathered under one tent at Dankeplatz to celebrate 25 years since graduation a graduation that was two years before the first Fest, by the way. We were all home from college when Musikfest started, Freedom graduate Jennifer Maloney told The Express-Times ahead of the gathering. Wed meet under the Hill-to-Hill Bridge and just hang out. Well, this is a bit more sophisticated, but the spirits the same. As Musikfest has grown, the rest of the world shrank, class members noted. It used to be that if you were going to Allentown, it was a big to-do because you had to cross a bridge, Bethlehem Catholic grad Ann DeLazaro said. It was like going to the other side of the world. Now people commute to New York and Philadelphia. Its a no-brainer to commute an hour to work. The area has changed. More on Musikfest 07 Musikfest 40 for 40: 2007Ashli Truchon | lehighvalleylive.com contributor Not everyone is a fan of the headline choices. The Bethlehem NAACP speaks out against Ludacris, and rap music in general, saying his lyrics perpetuate violence. Musikfests move to Southside is imminent. Plans are announced to move headline shows from RiverPlace on Sand Island to the planned SteelStax on old Bethlehem Steel land by 2009. (The move wouldnt actually happen until 2011.) Musikfest 40 for 40: 2007Ashli Truchon | lehighvalleylive.com contributor Headliners: The Black Crowes; Ludacris with Lil Mama; B.B. King with Al Green; Meat Loaf; The Moody Blues; Patti LaBelle; Deep Purple with John Kay & Steppenwolf; Joe Walsh with JD & The Straight Shot; Big & Rich with Cowboy Troy; Stone Sour with Sydonia. (Etta James canceled due to illness.) Estimated attendance: 1.05 million Musikfest 40 for 40: 2007Ashli Truchon | lehighvalleylive.com contributor MUSIKFEST 40 FOR 40 Musikfest 40 for 40 is a special series based on archived stories from The Express-Times and lehighvalleylive.com, one for each year of Musikfests four decades. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. UPDATE: Bethlehem Township accident victim identified by coroner A driver died following a single-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon, Bethlehem Township police report. The crash occurred a little before 1 p.m. on Hecktown Road and township police said they are investigating. Police said a 64-year-old man was driving a 2003 Dodge Neon north in the 3600 block of Hecktown Road and another vehicle was traveling behind him at the time. At some point, the Dodge drifted off the road, onto the right shoulder and collided head-on with a utility pole, township police Chief Greg Gottschall said. The other driver immediately stopped, called 911 and tried to help the driver in the crash, who was unconscious, the chief said. Police, fire and EMS responded and the driver was found to be unresponsive and not breathing, police said. The man was taken to St. Lukes Anderson campus and later died, police said. Police said the Northampton County coroners office would release the name of the crash victim. Coroner Zachary Lysek could not be reached Wednesday morning. Gottschall said the department has a very good witness account of how the crash occurred. The collision is still under investigation pending a determination from the coroner on the cause and manner of death. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Last month, the Ikitu indigenous residents of Alto Nanay District were terrorized by what they described as flying extraterrestrials. "These gentlemen are aliens," one leader in the community reportedly said. "They seem armored like the Green Goblin from Spider-Man. I have shot him twice, and he does not fall, but rises and disappears. We are frightened by what is happening in the community." But a police investigation has revealed that these flying creatures are actually illegal minors attempting to scare the locals into leaving them alone to continue their operation. From La Republica (translated): People went to see Train, but they cheered for Stephen Marks. The Bethlehem Police officer was shot and wounded during a robbery a few days before Musikfest 2006. He got a standing ovation when he appeared a week later at the headlining show, escorted by a police SUV and wearing a cast, bandages and moving with the aid of a walker. He thought of Musikfest like a high-school reunion. He used to attend with his school buddies and said you always run into people you know. This time was extra special. Its nice to be alive and be out here, Marks said. More on Musikfest 06 Musikfest 40 for 40: 2006Ashli Truchon | lehighvalleylive.com contributor 16-year-old Eric Steckel stole the show at the Musikfest 2006 opening ceremony, ripping the licks of Jimi Hendrixs version of The Star-Spangled Banner. Steckel, formerly of Allentown, has gone on to record 12 albums and sharing the stage with Gregg Allman, Johnny Winter, Ray Charles, Ace Frehley and more. Where do police like to be stationed at Musikfest? In 2006, Sgt. Kevin Spano, who organizes the roster, said there were more requests for RiverPlace where the headliners play, and Festplatz where officers are most likely to see locals they know. More officers are always stationed on densely traveled Main Street. Remember back in 1990, when Musikfesters were mad that Money magazine put the Lehigh Valley dead last in livability rankings? Well, that turned around in 16 years. By Musikfest 2006, Money had Bethlehem ranked in its top 100 places to live. In 2006, ArtsQuest had a working name for its planned, eventual Southside venue: SteelStax. Musikfest 40 for 40: 2006Ashli Truchon | lehighvalleylive.com contributor Headliners: Alice in Chains; Train; LL Cool J with Ne-Yo; Trace Adkins with The Wreckers; KC and the Sunshine Band with Gloria Gaynor, Tavares, and Sister Sledge; Melissa Etheridge; Styx and Kansas; Kenny G; Carrie Underwood; Heart Estimated attendance: 1.14 million MUSIKFEST 40 FOR 40 Musikfest 40 for 40 is a special series based on archived stories from The Express-Times and lehighvalleylive.com, one for each year of Musikfests four decades. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. A roundup of conversations we're having daily on the site. Subscribe to the Reckon Daily for stories centering marginalized communities and speaking to the under-covered issues of the moment. The City of Detroit is being sued for falsely arresting a 32-year-old mother of three in February on carjacking charges after police used facial recognition technology in their investigation. Porcha Woodruff is the sixth person to report being wrongly accused and arrested in connection to a crime using the technology. Woodruff is suing the city and Det. LaShauntia Oliver in his professional and individual capacities on counts of false arrest and imprisonment, malicious prosecution, violation of public accommodation and public service and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit did not cite a specific monetary amount being sought by Woodruff, who was eight months pregnant at the time of her arrest. She was released from jail after posting a $100,000 bond. The ordeal led her to have stress-related contractions. In a written statement, Detroit Police Department Chief James E. White said, I have reviewed the allegations contained in the lawsuit. They are very concerning. We are taking this matter very seriously, but we cannot comment further at this time due to the need for additional investigation. We will provide further information once additional facts are obtained and we have a better understanding of the circumstances. Its not the first time the police department has come under fire for such an arrest since it began using facial recognition technology in 2019. In 2020, Detroit authorities wrongfully arrested Robert Williams for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of watches. A year earlier, authorities falsely arrested then-26-year-old Michael Oliver for allegedly reaching into a teachers car, grabbing a cellphone and chucking it, damaging the device. All of the plaintiffs in these cases have one thing in common: Theyre all Black. Researchers and critics have long argued that facial recognition technology is increasingly likely to harm people from vulnerable communities. In 2022, researchers at Georgia State University found that police departments that used it disproportionately arrested Black people. Research conducted by scholars from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Microsoft in 2018 concluded that some algorithms wrongly identified Black women almost 35 percent of the time but correctly identified white men nearly 100 percent of the time. The technologys unreliability has led cities across the country to ban law enforcement departments from utilizing it altogether. In 2019, San Franciscos Board of Supervisors voted 8-to-1 to prohibit its police department from using it. Lawmakers in about a dozen communities around the nation have made similar decisions. Among advocates, there is concern about the lack of oversight police departments have after getting their hands on the technology. I think the case we hear made for the ban is that police cant be trusted to use their technology in a way that wont harm peoples civil rights and civil liberties, Katie Kinsey, chief of staff of The Policing Project at New York University School of Law, said. The organization works to promote public safety through transparency, equity and democratic engagement. On the legal side, there has been debate about whether the use of such technology in police investigations could be a violation of the Fourth Amendment. Under the law, people in the U.S. are protected against unreasonable searches and seizures. The courts have yet to take up that concern, however. Nathan Freed Wessler, deputy director of ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, said that his organization is in favor of banning police departments from implementing the use of facial recognition technology. Even though departments are being sued for using it, there continues to be interest in its adoption. In 2018, authorities in Annapolis, Md. used facial recognition to identify the person responsible for the shootings at The Capital Gazette newsroom. At the very least, we need lawmakers in Congress and state legislatures to sit down and take a very serious look at this technology and how its being used and figure out what the guardrails are, Wessler said. Still, advocates differ on how to address concerns. For Kinsey, her organization believes that communities should be able to make their own choices about how they want law enforcement agencies implementing it. If a community wants to implement the technology, then it should be regulated, she argued. Folks feel like policing is often not keeping those communities safe, Kinsey added, speaking generally about the issue. And so why give a more powerful tool to this agency when we havent solved some of the harm that its caused already? With National Heritage Week 2023 fast approaching it's time to check out whats happening here in Laois. This year Heritage Week will run from 12th - 20th August, with a huge range of events taking place across the county, including lots of talks and events in Laois Libraries. The library services has organised activities at branches around the county for children and adults as follows. Children's events in Laois Libraries Dinosaur Show with Bugs and Beasties, Mountmellick Library, Tuesday 15th August, 3pm. Join Dale Threadwell to learn all about bugs and beasties, including readings from Dales books, Harry the Hedgehog and Robby the Robin. Irish History Live: Ancient Times, Rathdowney Library, Wednesday 16th August, 10am. Children of all ages will enjoy Michael Moylans fun and interactive workshop which explores ancient times in fun and engaging ways. Irish History Live: The 1916 Rising, Durrow Library, Wednesday 16th August, 12pm. Michael Moylans interactive workshop on the 1916 Rising will entertain and educate children of all ages with the use of costumes, replica weaponry and Michaels humorous story telling. Irish History Live: The Titanic, Abbeyleix Library, Wednesday 16th August, 3pm. Michael Moylans travelling museum brings to life the story of the Titanic. This interactive history show will engage, entertain, and educate children of all ages. Irish History Live: World War I, 1914-18, Mountmellick Library, Thursday 17th August, 10am. Michael Moylans interactive workshop on World War I will entertain and educate children of all ages with the use of costumes, replica weaponry and Michaels engaging story telling. Irish History Live: The Middle Ages, Portlaoise Library, Thursday 17th August, 11am. The Middle Ages are brought to life in this interactive history show using costume, replica weaponry and artefacts. The humorous and lively storytelling of the presenter will engage and entertain children of all ages. Irish History Live: The Tudors, Stradbally Library, Thursday 17th August, 3pm. Children of all ages will enjoy Michael Moylans fun and interactive history show exploring the Tudor times in fun and engaging ways. Bronze Age Jewellery Crafts with Donna Gilligan, Mountrath Library, Wednesday 16th August, 11am, Portarlington Library, Wednesday 16th August, 3pm, Durrow Library, Thursday 17th August, 11am, Abbeyleix Library, Thursday 17th August, 3pm Donna is an archaeologist and museum curator. She has worked in heritage education for children for over a decade, developing effective and enjoyable methods of child-friendly heritage interpretation through activities and workshops. Her Bronze Age Jewellery Craft events will take place in library branches in in Mountrath, Portarlington, Abbeyleix and Durrow during Heritage Week. Adult Events in Laois Libraries Digital Skills for Exploring Local History, Abbeyleix Library, Tuesday 15th August, 7pm. Regina Dunne, public historian, will deliver a hands-on workshop at Abbeyleix library this Heritage Week focusing on Digital Skills for Local History. This workshop is suited to absolute beginners and those looking to expand their knowledge on resources for study of local history. A selection of the websites that will be utilised are the Irish Civil Records, the Griffiths Valuation documents, and the Irish Census records. Other topics such as storing your research will be touched on. World War I Volunteer Aid Detachment (VADs) of Queens County, Portlaoise Library, Wednesday 16th August, 7pm. Regina Dunne, public historian, has been researching the Volunteer Aid Detachments (VADs) of Laois for several years now and has gathered information on over 300 volunteers with addresses registered in County Laois. This talk will focus on Reginas research to date, highlighting the women who worked on the front lines or military hospitals in France, England and Ireland. Some of these women were mentioned in dispatches and awarded medals but have been relatively forgotten about until now. Regina hopes her research will encourage relations and local history enthusiasts to further explore the role of these women in Laois society in the early twentieth century. Irish Grant Committee Reparations in Laois, Mountrath Library, Thursday 17th August, 6.15pm. Dr Cormac Moore will give a talk on applications for reparation for alleged damage to property from the Truce to the Civil War in Laois. In 1922 the Irish Distress Committee, later reconstituted as the Irish Grants Committee (March 1923), was set up in London to provide assistance to refugees from Ireland, but later extended its activities to granting loans to persons having valid claims against either Government. Its work was suspended and charged with the responsibility of discovering whether any further action with regard to persons who had suffered injury to persons or property in Ireland since 11 July 1921 was necessary. Irelands Weather and Climate: A Journey Through Time Portlaoise Library, Tuesday 15th August, 7pm. Evelyn Cusack, Laois native and renowned meteorologist, takes us on a journey looking at Irelands climate through time, including a look towards the future. Evelyn worked for Met Eireann for 42 years, retiring as Head of Forecasting earlier this year. She is the longest-serving weather presenter on RTE. Historic Portarlington: an Evening of Talks, Portarlington Library, Thursday 17th August, 8pm Join Liam Murphy of Irish Rail for a talk on the Conservation of Victorian Buildings at Portarlington Railway Station, with copies of the original drawings on display. This will be followed by Ray Simmons talk on Saving a Country House: the Restoration of Woodbrook House. The final talk will be delivered by David Orford on Portarlingtons Forgotten Artist: Walter Chetwood Aiken of Woodbrook House. The evening will conclude with light refreshments. An Evening of Irish Dancing, Music and Singing with Spink Comhaltas, Durrow Library, Thursday 17th August, 5.30pm Spink Comhaltas is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2023. Join in the celebrations during Heritage Week in Durrow Library. For information on all Heritage Week 2023 events happening in Laois check out the Laois Heritage Week Brochure. ational Heritage Week is a nine-day celebration of Irelands natural, built and cultural heritage. The main aim of the week is to promote awareness of our heritage, thereby encouraging its conservation and preservation. It is part of European Heritage Days, a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union. Carpenters, electricians and plumbers are being recruited by the Irish Prison Service (IPS) to apply for Recruit Prison Officer (RPO) posts to work at jails in Laois and elsewhere. The IPS says a Recruit Prison Officer (Trades) will be required to carry out general maintenance and project work at prisons. There will be a requirement to supervise offenders from time to time. The IPS says the RPO) is the entry level to the Service and it is proposed to set up a panel from which vacancies arising in the Irish Prison Service may be filled. Vacancies will be filled at Recruit Prison Officer (Trades) level initially. Following the successful completion of 3 years service including probation and a Higher Certificate in Custodial Care, the Recruit Prison Officer (Trades) will be appointed as an established Prison Officer (Trades). The IPS says working as a Recruit Prison Officer (Trades) can be complex and difficult, but it can be varied, challenging and highly rewarding. "We are looking for individuals who have the capacity to relate to and engage with prisoners, act with professionalism, tolerance and humanity and the ability to role model positive social behaviour. They must also have the ability to think on their feet in dealing with situations that require security and control," said the job description. Apart from being aged 18 by August 17, 2023 applicants must have achieved National Craft Certification Examinations for the relevant carpentry, electrical or plumbing trade or be eligible for the award of the National Craft Certificate for the relevant trade. The deadline for applications is August 17, 2023. Farmers, artisan and small food businesses in Laois are being encouraged to tap into hundreds of thousands of euro in extra funding. The appeal was made by Laois Offaly based Minister of State Pippa Hackett who has co-announced an additional 883,000 in funding for the LEADER Food Initiative (LFI) Scheme. The LEADER Food Initiative opened in May 2018 as part of Irelands 2014 2020 Rural Development Programme to support the further development of food and beverage businesses throughout rural Ireland, and closed in December 2021, with 168 projects benefitting of the 15 million LFI funding allocated. The LFI is delivered using the LEADER model and is managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development, with funding provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The maximum amount of funding per project permitted under this call is 200,000 and funding proposals must not be for less than 5,000 per project. Laois Partnership is the lead agency for Laois applications. This funding call will support farmers and other artisan, micro and small food businesses in the Midlands and right across rural Ireland to establish sustainable routes to market and to showcase their locally grown and produced, high quality, sustainable Irish food," said Minister Hackett. The call is targeted at eligible small food businesses in line with a commitment in the Programme for Government to support the small food producer, providing support for on-farm diversification enterprises and investment in local processing facilities, allowing farmers to sell their products into the local and wider domestic markets. Each enterprising step taken towards sustainable employment for themselves and others, no matter how small, is another thread woven into the fabric of a local community. I am delighted to be part of a Government supporting this and particularly in an area of personal interest to me; local and sustainable food. I know from my own area of the Midlands that there is a wealth of food expertise and ideas for development and I encourage all eligible producers to avail of this opportunity of support, she said. The maximum amount of funding per project permitted under this call is 200,000 and funding proposals must not be for less than 5,000 per project. Potential applicants are encouraged to engage with their Local Action ( Leader ) Groups with regard to the deadline for applications of 31 August 2023. Coinciding with this announcement, Minister Heather Humphreys also extended the timeframe for approval of all LEADER funded projects from 30th August 2023 to 31st December 2023 and the completion date deadline for all projects from 31st December 2023 to the 31st March 2024. The LEADER programme is delivered by 29 Local Action Groups (LAGs) in 28 sub-regional areas. These groups are partnerships of public and private entities from a defined geographical area. The current LEADER Programme will soon be replaced by the next iteration, LEADER Programme 20232027. Further information in relation to the Programme will issue in due course. Labour local area representative Bryan Corrigan has expressed his concern at the manner in which Laois firefighters have as he puts it 'left in limbo' by being dispatched to incidents outside the county because of shortages elsewhere. As industrial action continues, Mr Corrigan, who is a former retained firefighter, claims that firefighters have been requested to go outside of the County to attend to incidents in border counties that are experiencing reduced levels of cover. One such instance occurred over the last weeks where Rathdowney Fire Station personnel were sent to an incident in Thurles, Co. Tipperary," he said. He also claimed that Laois staff have to cover a large section of the Cork to Dublin motorway. "I am also aware that the current national impasse between management and the Laois Fire Service has seen cover reduced to an extent that during certain periods including weekends the M8 Motorway will have no Fire Service RTA (Road Traffic Accident) cover from Mannor Stone Junction three as far as Fermoy in Co Cork Junction fourteen, thus leaving Rathdowney Fire Service as the nearest station expected to provide cover in the unfortunate event of a RTA. This section of the M8 Motorway represents a distance of over 100 kilometres. He said Kildare also has to call on Laois firefighters. "There are also regular requests made from neighbouring stations in Co. Kildare for Portlaoise Fire personnel and their assistance thus stretching resources even further across the county," he said. The Mountmellick Borris-in-Ossory representative said pay and conditions are at the centre of the ongoing dispute. "From talking with local firefighters, one area that is frequently mentioned is the guaranteed payment by way of an annual Retainer and guaranteed calls (practice nights). The Retainer, which is paid on a quarterly basis, currently, stands at 8,870 per annum. As a retained firefighter myself, I recall being stationed at the Portlaoise Fire Station from 2003 to 2006 when the retainer then was circa 7,200 per annum and was aghast to learn that the Fire Fighters' wages and entitlements have not kept pace with other public sector pay in 2023. When compared with the average minimum wage although not like-for-like comparable, it does show the gross failure of this Government to respect the Fire Service and what it stands for. Mr Corrigan said from 2002 to 2023 the slowness with which the Government has respected the Fire Service is truly shocking with the minimum wage increments known to be 35% while the Fire Service Personal having only received a 19% increase in their retainer alone over the same time period," h said. Mr Corrigan also claimed that there is a reluctance by management to fully honour agreements made in 1999 which is also feeding into the current situation. "With this in mind, he said, the Ministers involved need to intervene. Clearly, the Government is out of its depth. It is time to end the stream of tokenistic and ineffective promises of better pay and conditions. The Government should wake up and treat and respect these brave and courageous men and women fairly and properly," he concluded. Retained firefighters who are members of the trade union SIPTU are engaged in industrial action after rejecting a recommendation by the Labour Court that their retainer pay be increased by 24% The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has met the Chief Constable of the PSNI over the unprecedented data breach that saw personal and employment data published online. Chris Heaton-Harris said he is being kept abreast of developments in relation to the leak, which he described as very serious. Northern Ireland party leaders have all expressed serious concern at the implications of the data breach. On Tuesday evening it emerged that the surname, initial, location and departments for all PSNI employees had been mistakenly published by the organisation in a response to an innocuous Freedom of Information request. Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd apologised on behalf of the PSNI to the 10,000 officers and staff who have been affected. A special meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board will take place on Thursday to discuss the data breach with the PSNI senior team. Chief Constable Simon Byrne, who had been on annual leave when news of the data leak emerged, is expected to return to Belfast ahead of the emergency meeting. Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill described the PSNI data breach as very worrying. Im very mindful of the officers, the staff and their families at this time, she said. But we now need all the facts laid out bare for us all to see. She said she hoped accountability would be achieved in the emergency policing board meeting on Thursday, adding that she believed the Chief Constable would be there to answer questions from party representatives. When asked if Simon Byrne should step down over the data breach, Ms ONeill said: I think the story is unfolding but I think whats very clear is that we need to have this emergency policing board meeting we need to see the reason why this happened and there needs to be accountability around all of that. But I think we need to let the policing board do its work tomorrow. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the PSNI data breach was a matter of grave concern and is expected to meet with Mr Byrne on Thursday. Already Ive had police officers in my own constituency in touch with me. Theyre very worried about what this means for them, for their security and that of their family, he said. The Chief Constable is returning from leave, I expect to speak with him this evening and well get a better sense then of what is being done as a follow-up to this very serious breach of security. I know the senior command of the PSNI recognises the gravity of the situation and its important that they now take the steps that are necessary, not only to reassure their officers and staff, but to also ensure that they are adequately protected. Until I know more about the background to how this data leak occurred, what were the circumstances, I think it is premature to be talking about the position of the Chief Constable. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has said it was essential the Chief Constable return from leave after the PSNI data breach in order to display strong leadership. I think its essential in terms of building confidence among officers that theres recognition at senior leadership level in the PSNI of the seriousness of what occurred yesterday, she said. While for many officers, they may well say the details that were released into the public domain in this format would have already been in the public domain in one format or another, there are others who have had very sensitive information about the work that they do disclosed. There are members of the civilian staff within the PSNI who had no expectation whatsoever that their role in the PSNI would ever be exposed to public scrutiny have had that disclosed. I think it is understandable that not only will officers and their families, and staff and their families, be distressed and anxious, that they will be looking for strong leadership from the top level of the PSNI. Doug Beattie, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, said everyone should be concerned about the PSNI data breach. Until we know the full extent of this and the repercussions from it, I think we all need to keep some cool heads. But the most important thing here is to rally around those police officers and their families and civilian staff who are affected by this. And theyre the ones that we need to really focus on at this moment in time. Asked if the Chief Constable should resign over the matter, Mr Beattie said: I think its too early to be in the space to call for anybody to resign. But the more we get to know about this, the more we can make informed decisions. But right now, theres no point doing speculation, its better getting the information. 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 new podcast that concentrates on womens issues and cultivating a conversation around making the world a more equal place has been set up by a Kildare woman. Anita Whyte-Moran, who originally hails from Kilberry but now lives in Kilcullen, launched the Femcast (stylised as 'THE FEMCAST') last month. She describes herself as 'a highly motivated with an entrepreneurial background, and a passion for empowering women and promoting gender equality.' She elaborated: "My mission is to educate, empower, and encourage women to harness the power of their voices and share their lived experiences to help others. "I am committed to personal development and societal impact, I have pursued various courses and training programs to get this podcast off the ground. "The last one I completed was a course in Understanding and Responding to domestic abuse and gender-based violence in SETU, so I could use those skills to help educate others and raise awareness. "I then did a course on responsible reporting on domestic violence and homicide with a UK-based organisation, which made sense as a follow-on for what Im doing with the podcast and reporting on femicide on my website and across social media. "I then did a higher diploma in Journalism and New Media Content in SETU last year. I graduated in November 2022." When asked about why she set up THE FEMCAST, Anita said: "I want to get involved in important social and political events to make a positive impact in peoples lives: I campaigned for Marriage Equality in 2015 and then the repeal of the Eighth Amendment. "As a staunch advocate for equality and womens rights, I am committed to shedding light on the challenges women encounter in their everyday lives." Commenting on what it was like for her when setting up THE FEMCAST, she said: "Technology was certainly daunting for me, I got on better than I thought I would, still honing the skills. "Ill be honest, Ill never love the technical side of it., but just give me a mic all day long and I can talk for Ireland!" Anita continued: "I released the first series in all its imperfect glory because the message was so important to get out there. "I wasnt waiting or depending on anyone to fine tune or make it perfect. "I think thats what we all wait for, it being perfect, and it can hold us back." Anita also said that an event from her past also inspired her to set up THE FEMCAST: "I had endured a traumatic experience of abuse in a job, which had a profound impact on my mental well-being. "During my research into understanding the issues with my brain and seeking ways to improve my mental health, I came across Jens book, The Bullied Brain. "The aftermath of the abuse manifested in the form of depression, severe anxiety, and frequent panic attacks, further exacerbating my struggles... it wasnt just mental health, but my physical health suffered too, with fatigue and eczema, and I developed ulcers. "My health was so bad, I had several A&E visits for panic attacks that felt like a heart attack. Never underestimate stress, it truly is a killer; I now see a cardiologist." Anita added that she was 'determined' to regain control over her life and health, so she embarked on a relentless pursuit of solutions to her issues. She explained: "I explored countless remedies, engaged in therapy sessions, and sought various treatments, but to no avail. "The grip of depression remained unyielding, and the daily onslaught of anxiety and fear continued to ravage me both mentally and physically." However, Anita finally caught a break when she got in touch with Dr Jen Fraser for THE FEMCAST. She said: "While waiting for Jens book to arrive (in the post), I reached out to her, she very kindly extended the hand of friendship, without any questions or any expectation of anything in return. "This is what women do for each other; Women are incredible. We understand each others struggles so much. "Jen explained the intricacies of the bullied brain, and that when we experience bullying and abuse, our brains undergo damage, resulting in neurological scars and the disruption of our brains architecture. "Its not all doom and gloom: through Jens eleven years of research working with neuroscientists, she will show you how to heal, she also shares that we possess the ability to reverse the damage and heal our scars. "Youll hear her brilliant work on the podcast, we talk about bullying in schools, adult to children, peer to peer in the workplace, and in relationships." 'I WOULD LOVE MORE MEN TO GET INVOLVED' Anita also said that she would encourage men to listen to and get in touch with THE FEMCAST: "I would love more men to get involved, I actively invite them. "My commitment is to empower and educate everyone. Men are most welcome to join the community. "There are a few hundred men on my LinkedIn profile for THE FEMCAST, they advocate with me to end mens violence against women and raise awareness that there is an urgent need for societal change to protect and value the lives of women. "We all need to get out and emphasise the urgent need to address the pervasive issue of gender-based violence and the brutal femicides that continue to plague our society. It is imperative for us all to rally together and advocate for change, encouraging men to join us in the fight against these heinous acts... we cannot do it without the men." When asked about her feminist idols, Anita said: "My grandmother was a force to be reckoned with. She instilled in me the importance of independence and financial security." Anita also pointed to the late civil rights activist Maya Angelou, as well as one of her close friends, Colette Byrne, whom she said 'has been an incredible force for change since the 1970s; tirelessly advocating for equality for women, better healthcare, and equal pay.' Anita said that she intends to use her experience to help others, with the Femcast acting as her medium: "I never in a million years thought Id ever be experiencing bad mental health from the actions of another person, but here we are. "I must use my lived experience now to help others get through it and come out the other side, educating people is the only way. "When youre going through it you feel so alone, its good to know you are not alone and this will help people navigate their way through." She continued: "(On The Bullied Brain) We present an evidence-based step-by-step plan to repair the harm inflicted upon victims. "Jens groundbreaking book is renowned as the most comprehensive scientific treatment of the subject serves as the foundation for our discussions. Jen challenges outdated beliefs surrounding bullying and abuse by highlighting the neurological scars, trauma leaves on the brain. "Bullying and abuse does not have to touch the body to do significant damage to the brain: neuroscientists can see what bullying and abuse do to the brain with MRIs, and how it leads to neurological scars. "We talk about the untold harm to brains, people dont even know they have a brain injury because our society doesnt talk about it, despite all the research. A brain injury impacts all facets of your life, we need to take this seriously." Anita was also asked about her views on womens rights in the modern world. She responded: "While progress has undoubtedly been made in recent years, it is clear that Ireland, and the wider world, still has a long way to go in creating a truly inclusive society for women. "Gender-based violence remains a deep-seated and pervasive problem, and despite various campaigns, it appears to be getting worse. "More women than ever are dying in their homes, the very place they should feel safest. These distressing realities serve as a stark reminder that our society is far from being genuinely inclusive." She continued: "When we consider the issue of inclusivity, we must acknowledge the persistent prevalence of gender-based violence. "It is a deeply rooted problem that affects women across the globe. Despite efforts to combat it, women continue to face physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in alarming numbers. "The fact that the rates of such violence are on the rise is deeply concerning and indicative of the larger challenges we face in creating an inclusive society. "Gender-based violence not only harms individuals but also perpetuates a culture of fear, limiting womens ability to participate fully and freely in society. "The unequal treatment of women in the workplace remains a significant obstacle to achieving true inclusivity. "The promotion gap faced by women who start families is a stark example of how societal norms and biases continue to hinder womens progress. "It is disheartening to see talented and qualified women being passed over for career advancements simply because they choose to have children. This not only perpetuates gender inequality but also undermines womens economic independence and hinders their professional development. "It is crucial for businesses and organisations to address these biases and provide equal opportunities for all employees, regardless of their gender or family choices. "The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the existing inequalities faced by women. Womens jobs have been disproportionately affected, with many working in sectors heavily impacted by lockdowns and restrictions. "Additionally, the burden of unpaid care work, such as childcare and household responsibilities, has fallen disproportionately on womens shoulders... this unequal distribution of responsibilities has negatively impacted womens careers, mental health, and overall well-being. "The pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities and disparities that persist in our society, making it clear that more needs to be done to create a truly inclusive world for women." Further information about THE FEMCAST can be found on www.thefemcast.com, and @thefemcast on social media. Concluding all her points, Anita said: "We want to teach young girls and women to harness the power of their voices and share their stories." A new variant of Covid-19 - designated EG.5 and named Eris - has been detected in Ireland, according to the HSE. The variant is a descendant of Omicron, RTE.ie reports. Symptoms The top Eris strain symptoms are: Sore throat Runny nose Blocked nose Sneezing Dry cough Headache Wet cough Hoarse voice Muscle aches Altered smell The World Health Organization has not designated EG.5 as a variant of concern or a variant of interest, but the lesser rating as a variant under monitoring (VUM). The HSE said that Eris is more transmissible than previous circulating variants and has been associated with outbreaks, including in hospitals in Ireland and elsewhere. It said there is currently no evidence of increased clinical severity of infection in Ireland with this strain. Eris has become established in the UK and the US. A rise in cases internationally is being driven by several factors, including greater indoor mixing, increased international travel and waning immunity. Covid-19 cases Meanwhile, the HSE has recorded a further rise in Covid-19 cases in hospitals. There are now 408 cases in hospital with the virus, up from 121 two weeks ago. Of these, 12 people are in ICU with the virus, compared with 11 two weeks ago. The HSE said that the overall number of patients in ICU with Covid-19 remains low. A number of hospitals and healthcare institutions have reported outbreaks in recent weeks, including Galway University Hospital and St Luke's in Kilkenny. If given his druthers, former President Donald Trump would like to move to the South of France. Sadly, his raft of criminal indictments may be keeping him in the United States, where his best chance to avoid incarceration is to win the race for President and fire the prosecutors in charge of the case. At a recent rally in New Hampshire, Trump told the crowd he would prefer to live in France. I would like to sign the goodbye card. Yahoo: The National Anglers Representative Association, (NARA) have said that it is "no surprise" that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reported deterioration in water quality across the country's rivers and lakes saying that Ireland has an "abysmal record" of tackling environmental degradation are calling on the Irish government and the European Commission to reject calls from the agricultural sector to maintain the Nitrates Derogation, a licence that allows farmers to exceed the limit of 170 kg of livestock manure nitrogen per hectare up to a maximum of 250 kg per hectare. The statement continued: "The European Commission have taken action against Ireland on a number of occasions in order to get proper implementation of Environmental Legislation. Examples include the recent fines imposed on Ireland for non-compliance with the Water Framework Directive." NARA went on to say that it is clear from the EPA reports that one of the major causes of the deterioration in water quality is from the agricultural sector. NARA was referring to a new study from the EPA that shows no improvement in the water quality of Irish rivers, lakes, estuaries or coastal waters and that nitrogen levels increased in rivers and groundwater, while phosphorus levels were stable but still too high. Excess nutrients like these cause an overgrowth of plants and algae in water courses, using up oxygen and impacting fish and other aquatic life and the agency called on the agriculture sector and Uisce Eireann to do more to deal with runoff and wastewater discharges, to limit the impact on rivers and lakes with EPA. The angling body said: "NARA supports the need to have a vibrant and sustainable agricultural sector if rural Irish communities are to survive. However, this cannot be achieved by continuing the agricultural policies which promote the pollution of our rivers and lakes. The calls from some in the agricultural community for the continuance of the nitrates derogation is not credible. We cannot continue to incentivise the pollution of our rivers and lakes for the benefit of one sector. "We can no longer claim to be a clean and pristine food producer while the production of that food involves the degradation of our aquatic environment. To do so will not only destroy our waterways but will also damage the food industry and its enviable green image." NARA said it is now calling on the Irish Government and the European Commission to reject the calls from the agricultural sector to maintain the nitrates derogation. "We are also asking that a full review of agricultural policy take place with the aim of creating a sustainable industry which will keep family farms in place in Irelands rural communities whilst protecting our environment." Inevitable changes are fast approaching for the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, as the foundations of the secessionist entity in which they have lived for the past 30 years crumble. The prospects are bleak: either forced integration into Azerbaijan, where the population is overwhelmingly hostile to them, or departure for neighboring Armenia, which no longer has the military, economic or diplomatic means to support Nagorno-Karabakh. Hunger has been driving the narrative most recently, as the blockade of the region ordered by Baku has been in place for a month. According to Marout Vanyan, an Armenian journalist based in Stepanakert (Khankendi in Azerbaijani), "the shelves of the towns five supermarkets are empty, apart from those that stock alcohol. The small stores are all closed. Theres no gas and very often no electricity. Women beg for washing powder and sometimes table salt. Men barter oil for cigarettes. No one can cross into Armenia anymore. Its complicated even for the Russian [2,000 peacekeepers]. Their helicopters fly over Stepanakert every day." Azerbaijan, which claims that its sovereignty over Karabakh is recognized by the entire international community, is tightening the screws, three years after its military victory over Armenian forces. Since December 2022, Baku has been progressively closing the Lachin corridor, the only crossing point between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, creating a siege that could end in a humanitarian catastrophe. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Azerbaijan blocks vital route linking enclave to Armenia At the end of July, Armenia tried to send humanitarian aid, but the convoy of dozens of trucks was blocked by Azerbaijan at the Lachin corridor checkpoint. In accordance with the ceasefire agreement of November 10, 2022, Baku is demanding the opening of all roads blocked by Armenia. These include the roads linking Azerbaijan to Karabakh, as well as the road linking Azerbaijan to the exclave of Nakhchivan, wedged between Armenia and Iran. Bakus coercive measures come against the backdrop of a breakdown in negotiations for a comprehensive agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Baku and Yerevan agreed in May to recognize each others territories, but the question of the status of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh remains unresolved. For Baku, granting any autonomy to the Armenians is out of the question and the indomitable Azerbaijani president, Ilham Aliev, who has been in power for 20 years, has recently said multiple times that locals will be "Azerbaijani citizens with the same rights and duties as everyone else, either living under the Azerbaijani flag, or leaving." His firm stance is paying political dividends in a context in which resentment towards Armenians remains strong. During the first Karabakh war, almost one million Azerbaijanis were brutally expelled from Armenia and Karabakh, while 350,000 Armenians were similarly driven out of Azerbaijan. The two had mixed freely before then. You have 41.51% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. Scout evacuations on August 8 in Buan, North Jeolla province ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP Already compromised by the sweltering summer heat, the 2023 edition of the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea has been further disrupted by the approach of powerful typhoon Khanun, and tarnished by suspicions of misappropriation of public funds. Tropical storm Khanun, with its torrential rains and winds exceeding 150 km per hour, forced authorities to evacuate the 37,000 young people and volunteers from 150 countries who had gathered for the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, on Tuesday, August 8. They boarded the 971 buses provided, in addition to 273 police cars and four helicopters, and were taken to 128 sites in Seoul and seven other provinces, where they will stay until the official end of the event on August 12. The Scout motto might be "be prepared," but this event has taken an unexpected turn. Right from the start of the meeting, on August 1, the Scouts had to contend with the sweltering South Korean summer heat, without sufficient resources to keep hydrated and cool. Even health services were lacking: only 50 beds were available in the hospital set up on the site. Hundreds of young people suffered from heatstroke. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes South Korea: Hot weather turns World Scout Jamboree into political fiasco Added to this were food safety issues, showers in tents that let in prying eyes, and the incessant onslaught of swarms of mosquitoes. The situation was so serious that British, American and Singaporean Scouts left the site on August 4. It also forced President Yoon Suk-yeol to interrupt his week's vacation to rebuke the authorities and call on them to do everything in their power to protect the youngsters. Questions are being asked about the reasons for the lack of preparations. Journeys with vague justifications The event had a budget of 117.1 billion won (81 million), to cover the costs of organization, site operation and the K-pop concert scheduled to close the jamboree, which is held every four years. It would appear that officials from the ministry of gender equality and family, and others from Northern Jeolla, made dozens of trips abroad, for reasons which remain unclear. Five officials from the province, for example, spent eight days in Switzerland and Italy in May 2018, a trip punctuated by visits to Interlaken, Lucerne, Milan and Venice. Switzerland and Italy have never hosted jamborees, however. Other trips have included cruises again, a far cry from a scout gathering. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Deadly floods in South Korea prompt tentative climate change awareness A North Jeolla official earnestly explained that they had used the trips to conduct research to "develop Saemangeum's tourism and leisure industry, in addition to preparing for the jamboree". You have 10.5% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. A MAN with Limerick connections is selling over 1,400 acres of what is considered to feature some of Irelands most breathtaking landscapes. The Conor Pass in County Kerry has a price tag of 10 million and is a popular scenic destination for tourists around the world. American Mike Noonan owns the land - his family are originally from Galbally. Sometime when you get older you have to see what you can and cant do and its time for me to move on, Mr Noonan told Katie Hannon on RTEs Liveline. The landowner said that he decided to sell the land as he wanted to spend more time with his grandchildren and family. Mr Noonan began buying the land of Conor Pass a little over 25 years ago. He started by buying six farms. The Conor Pass is a unique landscape in west Kerry that is very familiar to many in Limerick who are fond of visiting or holidaying in places such as Dingle. What happens to the Conor Pass means a lot to locals in west Kerry with Micheal ODowd, owner of OConnors Bar and Guesthouse near the pass calling it a perfect place for the government to create a greenway. If we look up and down the country where the government is trying to put in greenways, they have difficulties with farmers. They could put a greenway in here no bother, Mr ODowd said. Were going to put fierce pressure on the government to help us because were a community that is dying here. I mean it. When Mr ODowd was growing up in Cloghane, where his business is based, there were nine pubs in the area and now there are currently three. If it became a national park it would be a huge, huge boost to our local economy. Not alone to our own local economy but the population of the county really. People would like to go see wild parks and recreational areas like what we have here, he added. One of the more prominent features of the Conor Pass are the hundreds of sheep that graze on the land. All the sheep on the Conor Pass land belong to Mr Noonan. What happens to the sheep will depend on the sale. Right now we are looking at opportunities. Well sell them off if the person who buys it wants to manage their own sheep on the property, Mr Noonan told Liveline. Mr Noonan mentioned he wants to sell the land to someone who would like to keep it together and that it would be nice if the government were to look at setting it up as a national park. A CAMPAIGNER has spoken of his elation, anger and sadness after hearing a judge recommend the exoneration of a man convicted of killing a Limerick priest in the USA. Scott Lomax, who helped run the campaign to free Barry George, wrongly convicted of the murder of Jill Dando, has supported the efforts of James Reyos to clear his name for almost two decades. Mr Reyos was convicted of the murder of Patrick Ryan, aged 49, from Doon, who was found dead in a motel room in Odessa, Texas on December 21, 1981. He was beaten to death. The savage killing of the Pallottine priest made headlines in USA, Ireland and shocked County Limerick. A 24-year-old Apache Indian (Mr Reyos) was sentenced to 38 years in prison for the heinous crime, however, newly-discovered evidence points at other possible perpetrators. The Innocence Project of Texas filed a lawsuit earlier this year asserting Mr Reyos innocence as a result of recently discovered evidence by members of the Odessa Police Department (OPD). See story below On Monday, Judge Denn Whalen, of Ector County Court in Texas - the court where James was convicted in June 1983 - recommended that Mr Reyos be exonerated and that his case should proceed to the appeals court. Mr Reyos attorney Allison Clayton, of the Innocence Project of Texas, contacted Mr Lomax shortly after to share the news and sent him the 57-page document. The judge's recommendation is made in a 57-page document which concludes that, 'Based on the preceding findings of fact and conclusions of law, the trial court recommends the Court of Criminal Appeals find Mr Reyos actually innocent of the conviction of the murder of Father Patrick "Paddy" Ryan and that it vacate his conviction for Father Ryans murder, said Mr Lomax. He said they are not quite at the exoneration stage but "this a huge step in the right direction. When I heard the news, and read the 57-page document, I became very emotional and don't mind admitting that tears came to my eyes. I cannot find the right words to express how I feel, because no words do it justice. I am elated, because it is a wonderful decision by the judge, though I am angry that it has taken all these years for a court to realise that this miscarriage of justice has taken place. And I feel sad for James, that he has had to endure the agony of being wrongly convicted for all these years. I am 40 years old, and James was charged when I was a few weeks old, and that fact has always been in my mind when I think of this case. Throughout all my life experiences, James has been fighting to clear his name, said Mr Lomax, who also feels sad that justice was never achieved for Fr Ryan. His killers took their secret to their graves knowing that an innocent man was doing time for their crime. The only solace is that James' name is going to be cleared, and it will be cleared in his lifetime, said Mr Lomax, who described the forensic evidence found by the police as a game-changer and has led the Innocence Project to be able to take the case back to court. On Tuesday, Pope Francis urged for a worldwide period of contemplation regarding the potential risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI). He acknowledged the "disruptive possibilities and ambivalent effects" inherent in this emerging technology, as per the Reuters. At 86 years old and having previously expressed unfamiliarity with computers, Pope Francis conveyed this cautionary message in anticipation of the upcoming World Day of Peace observed by the Catholic Church on New Year's Day. The Vatican adhered to its customary practice by releasing the message well ahead of time. The pope "recalls the need to be vigilant and to work so that a logic of violence and discrimination does not take root in the production and use of such devices, at the expense of the most fragile and excluded," it reads. "The urgent need to orient the concept and use of artificial intelligence in a responsible way, so that it may be at the service of humanity and the protection of our common home, requires that ethical reflection be extended to the sphere of education and law," it adds. In 2015, Francis openly admitted his struggle with technology, labeling himself as "a disaster." Nonetheless, he also referred to the internet, social networks, and text messages as "a gift of God," emphasizing their value with prudent usage. In 2020, the Vatican collaborated with prominent technology companies Microsoft and IBM. Their collaboration aimed to champion the ethical advancement of AI and advocate for the oversight of invasive technologies like facial recognition. Meanwhile, Pope Francis also said recently that the Catholic Church is open to everyone, including the gay community, stating that it has a responsibility to accompany them on their spiritual journey while adhering to the framework of Church rules on August 6th. Speaking to reporters on his return flight to Rome from Portugal, the Pope also reassured them of his good health after undergoing surgery for an abdominal hernia in June. He mentioned that his stitches had been removed but he would have to wear an abdominal band for a few more months until his muscles strengthened, Reuters reported. (With inputs from Reuters) Press Release August 9, 2023 TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW Senator Risa Hontiveros with Pinky Webb CNN PH's THE SOURCE TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW Senator Risa Hontiveros with Pinky Webb CNN PH's THE SOURCE Q: Ang sabi ni Mr. Malaya, it's a figment of their imagination. Guni-guni ang sabi niya. Was there any statement that you can recall, commitment in the past that even mentioned that the Philippines was going to tow away the BRP Sierra Madre? SRH: Straight from the horse's mouth. Mr. Malaya said not they in the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, not the Dept. of Foreign Affairs have any written or even memory of any such commitment from our end. Ang ganda po ng turn of phrase ni Mr. Malaya - a figment of China's imagination. So that supposed promise that we made to them to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, which is within our Exclusive Economic Zone, so that is now in the ranks of their so-called nine-dash line- both and all figments of China's imagination. Q: Why do you think China is asserting that there was a commitment previously by the Philippines to remove the BRP Sierra Madre? SRH: It's hewing to the Goebbels school of propaganda that if you repeat a lie, though it is a lie, often enough, over and over again, it fixes itself in people's imagination also and becomes the truth. But the Philippines, we are the one standing on, ika nga, solid ground. Malinaw sa 2016 ruling that Ayungin Shoal, it is even specifically mentioned in that ruling, ang Ayungin Shoal ay squarely nasa loob ng Exclusive Economic Zone ng Pilipinas. So talagang figment of the imagination yung pinagpupumilit ng Tsina na pangako daw natin to tow the BRP Sierra Madre away. Why would we? Why would any self-respecting country make such a commitment to remove a commissioned ship, a Philippine Navy marine station there, kung nasa loob ng ating teritoryo at nasa loob pa ng ating EEZ. Q: China is standing by its move of blocking and using water cannons on Philippine vessels over the weekend. The latest statement from China's Foreign Ministry, they said that their actions were professional, restrained, and beyond reproach. Kung sinabi sa aking restrained, sa akin lang na description, parang nagpigil pa. Is this kind of statement telling us that if we once again do a resupply mission, which authorities are already saying we will do, a similar incident happen or it could even get worse? SRH: That is the not so veiled threat of China. Tignan lang natin yung pagdadahilan nila. Does that powerful stream of water against a Philippine vessel look like restraint to you? Kung yan ang restraint, hindi ko na alam kung ano pa ang todo bigay no? Baka Tsunami na. Was that professional? Hardly. The DFA statement cited no less than four international laws that China's illegal actions violated at isa narin yung tinatawag na collision regulations ng international maritime organization dahil talagang sumingit sila blinock nila yung isang Philippine vessel na kung hindi umiwas, kung hindi nagpatay ng makina yung Philippine vessel, the Chinese vessel would have rammed the bow of our Philippine vessel. Beyond reproach. Nako, kasisi sisi talaga, utterly reproachable yung actions niya. Almost ramming because they blocked our vessels, subjecting our vessels to that water cannoning, and then seeking to deny the Philippine Navy marines and personnel on BRP Sierra Madre, on Ayungin Shoal, the regular supplies and rotationing. Hindi talaga katanggap-tanggap yung ginawa nila at lalong hindi katanggap-tanggap yung kanilang paliwanag kuno at pagsisinungaling pa. Q: A note verbale was already issued and the Chinese Ambassador also summoned. This is not new to us. This has happened in the past. What should the government do next aside from this? It's not to downplay the note verbale that numbers over 30 just this year and I think since 2020 about 400 note verbales. Note verbales are important to clear the narrative that one country is trying to project. What should we do next? SRH: Notes verbale are very important because they make of record, they put in black and white, they make official our country's protest pero ano pa ang pwedeng gawin ng ating gobyerno? This is precisely why, kung hindi man prophetic, very very timely yung unanimous resolution na inadopt namin sa Senado. Urging government through the DFA and in effect supporting them to take any and all more assertive actions politically and diplomatically kasama na isang posibilidad, resolusyon ng Philippine government sa UN General Assembly at marami pang iba we in. fact shortlisted a few of the more assertive diplomatic and political actions they could take in various forms, resolusyon man yan in various international fora, sa UN man iyan o sa iba pa at sinundan ko pa yan ng isang paalala na last year I filed a resolution calling for an investigation on many reclamation projects dozens of which ay mukhang isang Chinese state-owned company ang nagsasagawa starting with unacceptable actions within the Philippines EEZ in the West Philippine Sea. SO economically din pwedeng iparamdam ng Pilipinas yung displeasure natin at yung pagkondena natin sa mga ganitong illegal actions. It wouldn't even be the first time because previously former finance secretary Dominguez already suspended loan processes with this one particular Chinese state-owned company, the CCCC, tinigil niya yung loan processes for certain important infrastructure projects to include the Davao-Digos Rail segment, the Calamba-Matnog Longhaul Rail and Subic-Clark rail, Nakakagulat na sa ilalim ng kasalukuyang administrasyon a loan negotiations have resumed pero nasa interes natin, ng Pilipinas idecline ang ano pa mang dagdag na CCCC -- Q: Senator if this loan agreement was suspended or cancelled by the previous finance secretary and then now you're saying that itinuloy po ito with CCCC. Who allowed this? SRH: Well, kaya kailangan din sa kasalukuyang administrasyon baka isa ito sa economic actions that they can take as in previous years para iparamdam sa Tsina na ayaw na ayaw natin ng kanilang government and state-owned actions laban sa atin, It appears that this CCCC is holding two of the current six approved reclamation projects in Manila Bay at sila rin po, itong CCCC ang kasabwat ng Chinese maritime militia sa kanilang pagsira ng coral reefs sa West Philippine Sea. at pagpoach pa sa mga endangered clams. Big disguise ang CCCC na lehitimong negosyo pero tinutulungan lang nila ang estado ng Tsina sa kanilang creeping invasion kaya pinaalala ko ulit ang aking proposed Senate Resolution 300. I filed that last year in 2022 and it directed an inquiry into reported large scale reclamation projects being undertaken on a nationwide basis here in the Philippines. Siguro naka spotlight ngayon ang CCCC dahil na rin sa recently ginawa ng Chinese Coast Guard sa ating Ph. Coast Guard sa Ayungin Shoal. Q: You said that you filed this resolution last year, are there moves and actions now to actually look into this particular resolution? SRH: Well, it's still pending, so my reminder to us in the senate is also a friendly reminder to the chair of the committee to which my resolution must refer, na mas timely oa ngayon na dinigin na sana itong resolution not just to show our displeasure against these hostile actions of China against us in the West Philippine Sea pero para rin isalba ang ating kalikasan. In fact, I think in a 2014 interview, one of our Filipino scientists, Dr. Giovanni Tapang, sinabi po niya na yung reclamation ng 26,000+ hectares just along the coast of Manila Bay na kasama po ito sa national reclamation plan, it would translate to a loss of the same area of seagrass, seagrass na spawning ground, and habitat of aquatic life. That is an annual loss of 4-7 billion invertebrates and 3-78 trillion fish. So grabe ang impact sa ating kalikasan there would also be immediate cause to us human beings, housing and commercial areas sa mga planned reclamation projects na ito would be put people in harm's way. Pati food security maaapektuhan dahil nga itong manila bay lalo na ay isang importanteng fishing ground at gaya ng pinag-uusapan natin kanina pa, sa reclamation na ganito masisira yung mga marine habitats tulad ng mangroves, seagrass nga at coral ecosystem so for many and more and more reasons magandang magbalik-aral ang administrasyon sa ganitong reclamation projects, ngayon nakikita natin konektado pa sa ating national security at national interest dahil sa mga kumpanya tulad ng CCCC na yan. Suspect dito sa West Philippine Sea at EEZ suspect pa sa Manila Bay. Q: Timely sabi niyo yung senate resolution even before the incident last Saturday this is something you filed, nauna po kayo dito then eventually it was amended in a way, there are 5 options for the government to take ang naging option po is to bring this resolution to the UN General Assembly in September but your original resolution is dalhin na. Yung pinasang resolusyon kasi it remained an option for the executive department to do this. Now that this happen, nangyari po itong sa Ayungin, do you think that dapat mas naging strong yung inyong resolution in terms of not being an option but urging the DFA to bring this to the UNGA? SRH: Actually wala akong regrets sa inadopt namin unanimously na senate resolution no. 718 which was actually a combination of my original resolution 659 and SP Migz Zubiri resolution 707 kasi kahit naman sa original resolution ko, it was an expression of the sense of the senate urging DFA. So, urging, ibig sabihin pagkatapos naming aprubahan yun, it would be in their hands now whether or not to take that course of action in that forum at kung anong timing, wala namang pagmamadali doon because a resolution by any country iun the UNGeneral Assembly could take months or years, we expressed our sense kaya masaya ako sa senate resolution 718 because it also expressed the sense of the senate it included a resolution before the UNGA as one of the possible options at ngayon nakikita natin the strong actions ,diplomatic actions that the DFA has taken again, especially after this recent aggressive hostile action at Ayungin Shoal. Confident ako na they will take as many and as appropriate actions as possible to uphold the national interest. Q: And you had a meeting with Secretary Manalo recently. What can you share with us? Ano ho ba ang kanyang sinabi, nagmeeting po ba pa kayo pagkatapos nung sinummon na si Chinese Ambassador? SRH: Well yes the DFA summoning of the Chinese Ambasssador happened before the meeting pero naset na po namin ang pulong na iyon even before naipasa yung unanimously na-adopt yung senate resolution. It was a very warm lunch meeting discussing of course, recent events pati itong hostile action ng China sa Ayungin Shoal. Halos hindi na namin kinailangang pag-usapan ang senate resolution kasi may meeting of minds naman kami kahit simula doon sa caucus before the senate adopted in unanimously. Pinag-usapan din namin yung aking legislative agenda kasi gusto ko malaman how I can continue to support DFA in upholding the Philippine national interest particularly in the WPS among others. Q: Did he mention anything of the meeting with the Chinese ambassador? Is there anything you can share with us? SRH: Well he did share that they summoned the Chinese ambassador and the Philippine side expressed our thoughts and opinions on that hostile action in very clear terms. Pero siyempre we've seen in the statement of the Chinese Ambassador which DFA has also already responded to, eh pareho pa rin and playbook ng Chinese ambassador pareho pa rin and marching orders niya mula sa kanyang foreign ministry itself has also spoken. So ano pa rin nagmamatigas pa rin ng ulo at loob ang Tsina hindi nila talaga kinikilala ang karapatan natin sa WPS at sa EEZ which makes our Senate resolution more and more timely. And I think the executive will appreciate it more now these days, this week, in the wake of the Ayungin hostile action. Q: Among the options in that Senate resolution there were 4 or 5, one of which you mentioned is to take this to the UNGA, and one of which again you mentioned isn't really that easy, which should have been prepared months or even years. It must be calendared etc. Hindi ganun kadali magfile ng resolution before the UNGA. Among the suggestions that the Senate had put forward, what is the DFA inclined to do? SRH: I cannot second guess them kahit sa caucus at least sabi nila wala silang opposition doon sa resolution at pagaaralan nila ang iba't ibang actions that they can take as they have been doing at inilista nga namin yung ilan sa aming combined resolution. Q: There's a suggestion from Congressman Rodriguez if I'm not mistaken to downgrade our embassy to China and it in fact went on to say we should sent a lower rank diplomat. Do you think it is a good idea? SRH: Well it's a worth studying I'm sure the DFA I've heard Rep. Rufus loud and clear, and it's always in the arsenal of any foreign affairs department or ministry, when a foreign country has taken hostile action against us so I'm sure the DFA is also studying that suggestion of Rep. Rufus. Q: But that's something you feel as a Senator you need to look into because of the possible many repercussions of doing such an action. SRH: Well any diplomatic action of course the possible repercussions and any hostile action against us we must also study what is the right scale and tone of our reaction. Basta lumabas din sa survey at pinaalala ito ni SP during the interpolation of my original resolution, top of mind ng mga Pilipino at pabor tayo, 80% of us according to the survey that China get out of the West Philippine Sea and 90% favor government taking assertive actions to achieve that scenario. Q: I read an article that actually said quoted Rep. Castro that the PCG has gotten ten million pesos in intel funds since 2009. Hindi na daw tumaas yan ng 10 million. Will you push for an increase in their intel funds, and number 2 by how much? SRH: I think we should support the increase of intel funds sa lahat ng totoong intelligence gathering agencies and the coast guard may well be one of those agencies in this day and age lalo na dahil katapat natin ang Tsina in the West Philippine Sea and our EEZ as we have just seen again so dramatically and in such an insulting manner in the last few days. Siyempre yung ating mga importanteng intelligence gathering agencies ay yung mga intel units ng AFP ng DND ng PNP and of course ng National Security Council. So ito yung mga ahensya na risonableng tingnan kung ano ang mga request nila for intel funds at hindi yung mga confidential at intelligence funds ng mga ahensya, opisina at department which are not intel gathering, they don't do the analysis, they don't forward their intel analyses to government but they are intelligence using agencies for example the office of the President and Vice President or certain departments, like Education. If the coast guard has received such a poultry sum in more than one decade at ngayon front and center siya sa ating karagatan at EEZ then dapat tingnan kung ano pa ang intel request nila this year at kung risonableng suportahan sila sa Kongreso. Q: I know the NEP was just submitted a week ago or maybe even 10 days ago and the Senate will scrutinize this, but when you are already saying that the intel funds should go to agencies or departments that are involved in intelligence operation and finding right now kung meron pong irerealign kasi from what we know so far there's about 10 billion and almost half of that 4.5 billion goes to the OP, 500 million OVP, 150 million sa DepEd, doon sa nakikita nating intel funds sa ngayon, saan kayo kukuha for example for the PCG. SRH: Well yung pinakanagjujump out sa mata natin yung confidential funds of the Office of the President and Vice President at Education, it will really feel like part 2 of Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel and my arguments last year laban sa mga unreasonable and confi intel funds ito yung mga sukat na ilipat sa totoong intelligence gathering agencies. Last year nagpasok kami ng amendya sa Senate version ng GAA for these civilian and non-intel gathering agencies to at least present kumbaga program of work sa Kongreso and quarterly to make a report of how they use these funds unfortunately tinanggal yung amendments sa Senate version sa bicam, and so this time around simula sa development budget coordinating council briefing next week hanggang sa debate on the individual office and department budgets tatanungin namin gamit ang COA reports, paano nga ba ginamit itong confi and intel funds and should they not in fact be again subject to reduction this year as I was able to do partially with the confidential and intelligence funds sa DepEd nilipat ko sa line budget ng Dep Ed, we are still in the middle of an education crisis for goodness' sake, o irealign mula sa civilian agencies na iyon papunta sa mga intelligence gathering agencies. More than a year after winning town approvals and county tax breaks, Amazons mega-warehouse project in the Town of Niagara may finally be moving forward. The Seattle-based company confirmed Wednesday that it has purchased the sprawling property where it plans to construct its $550 million regional distribution center. That was considered a major holdup in starting the project, which is expected to bring more than 1,000 jobs to the site. Sign up for the Buffalo Next free newsletter The News' Buffalo Next team covers the changing Buffalo Niagara economy. Get the news in your inbox 5 days a week. We feel fairly confident that its moving forward, said Mark Gabriele, counsel for the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency, which had granted $123 million in tax breaks for the project last August and approved a six-month extension on Wednesday. They own the property now. We havent had much contact with them, but we anticipate this project moving forward. Amazon did not say how much it paid for the 217 acres of vacant land along Lockport, Packard and Tuscarora roads, adjacent to the Niagara Falls International Airport and Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. But the late July purchase of the site at 8995 Lockport Road from a New York City-based investment group headed by Morris Fateha at least clears the way for construction to begin. That would represent a big relief to county leaders and economic development officials. Similar facilities have opened or are in process in Rochester, Syracuse and Wilmington, Del., among other places. Amazon finally has plans to move into empty Hamburg distribution center Hamburg IDA Executive Director Sean Doyle said Wednesday that Amazon is "moving forward" and will begin doing interior work very soon as it prepares to move late this year into the $47.2 million facility. But the future of the Niagara project had been in doubt after Amazon began pulling back on its aggressive years-long expansion last year because it had overbuilt its capacity and needed to reduce costs. A much smaller last-mile facility in Hamburg is still empty. Amazon spokesman Steve Kelly said the Niagara project is still in the planning stage, and could not give an update on when it would start. This extension is administrative in nature, and the status of the project remains the same, he said. We are grateful for the support of the town and the Niagara County IDA, and we will continue to work closely with all stakeholders as plans progress. Amazon and its developer, Atlanta-based JB2 Partners, plan to construct a 3.08-million-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility on part of the northern 111 acres of the vast site. The site has been designated as shovel-ready since 2012. Located on the south side of Lockport and Packard roads, its also bounded by Haseley Drive and Tuscarora Road, as well as the airports to the east and south. The former Niagara Drag Strip closed since 1974 cuts across the southern portion of the site, but very little remains from that operation. The property had been acquired by Fatehas company in June 2021, for $2.4 million. About 150 acres of the site are currently used for growing corn, while the property also includes shrubs, fields, woodlands, ditches and wetlands. The Amazon.com Services operation would function as a first-mile fulfillment center to receive bulk shipments of products from vendors, suppliers and sellers, and then package them for the first leg of delivery. The proposed five-story building would consist of a 650,000-square-foot ground level and four additional floors of 606,750 square feet each. 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The Student Helpline is a free assignment help website that provides expert assistance and high-quality solutions to students across various academic disciplines. With a team of qualified writers, it offers personalized and timely services to ease students' academic burdens. The platform's commitment to excellence and user-friendly interface makes it a reliable choice for online students seeking free assignment help. Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same. ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited has received a Goods and Services Tax ( GST ) show-cause notice, alleging a tax demand of 273.4 crore along with interest, the company informed the BSE. On August 8, ICICI Lombard received a Show Cause Notice (SCN) dated July 26 from the Directorate General of GST Intelligence in New Delhi. The notice alleges a tax demand of 273,44,50,284 under Section 74(1) of the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Act, 2017, along with interest under Section 50(1) of the Act and a penalty under Section 74(1) read with Section 122(2)(b) of the Act. Also Read: ICICI Bank gets RBI's nod to raise stake in ICICI Lombard. Details here This issue primarily revolves around an industry-wide concern regarding the applicability of GST on salvage-adjusted and ineligible Input Tax Credit for motor claims settled. The Company, without accepting liability, has deposited 104,13,18,970 under protest. This deposited amount has been disclosed in the Financial Statements of the Company for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, under Notes to Contingent Liability, the company said in its statement. ICICI Lombard has said that it would be "filing its response against the said SCN within the prescribed timelines". RBI approval The ICICI Bank earlier received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to increase its ownership in ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited, one of its subsidiaries. The central bank of India has granted permission to ICICI Bank to gradually raise its stake in ICICI Lombard by a maximum of 4%, spread across multiple phases. The private lender has duly informed the Indian stock market exchanges regarding the RBI's endorsement of its plan to augment its share in the subsidiary. It's important to note that this approval is contingent upon the fulfillment of specific regulatory prerequisites. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sounak Mukhopadhyay Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and social media. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer. Read more from this author NEW DELHI : The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Ltd (NIIF) has mandated global leadership advisory firm Russell Reynolds Associates to find the next managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Indias quasi-sovereign wealth fund, two people familiar with the development said. After Sujoy Bose, who served as NIIFs first MD & CEO for six years since 2016, quit in May, the company named Rajiv Dhar, the executive director and chief operating officer, the interim MD & CEO. In 2015, the then-department of economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das headed a search-cum-selection committee to select the CEO for the investment management company under NIIF. Queries emailed to the spokespeople for NIIF and the finance ministry on late 2 August remained unanswered. Queries posted on Russell Reynolds Associates website also remained unanswered. NIIF is sponsored and anchored by the Government of India, which holds a 49% interest in the company. It primarily focuses on investing in core infrastructure sectors, such as transportation, airports, ports, logistics and roads, green energy and digital. It manages over $4.3 billion of equity capital commitments across its three fundsMaster Fund, Fund of Funds, and Strategic Opportunities Fund. These funds have been invested in ports and logistics, renewable energy, roads, digital infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors. NIIF recently exited its investment in Manipal Hospitals. NIIF, a collaborative investment platform for international and Indian investors, anchored by the Government of India, today announced its board of directors has appointed Mr Rajiv Dhar, executive director and chief operating officer, as the CEO and MD of NIIF on an interim basis, effective 11 May 2023. The planned succession follows Mr Sujoy Boses request to relieve him from his current responsibilities as MD and CEO, a position he held since 2016 in the company," NIIF said in an 11 May statement. Over the last six years, Mr Bose, as its first CEO, helped onboard over 20 premier global and institutional investors and partners, ensuring successful closure of the largest Indian Infrastructure Fund and the Fund of Funds with investments spanning across infrastructure and other sectors. He built a team that spearheaded commercially viable investments in sectors of national importance while incubating six businesses across key infrastructure sectors," the statement added. NIIF funds drew investments from Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, AustralianSuper, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, PSP Investments, Temasek, US International Development Finance Corporation, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, New Development Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Asset Management Co., HDFC Life Insurance, ICICI Bank, and Kotak Life Insurance. Renewable energy solutions provider Suzlon Energy on 8 August has said that the company has received shareholders approval for raising funds via QIP. In this context and in terms of Regulation 30 read with Schedule III(A)(13) of the Listing Regulations, we wish to further inform that the shareholders have approved the resolution proposed by the Company vide Postal Ballot Notice dated 7th July 2023 by requisite majority," the company said in a BSE filing. Earlier on 7 July, it had said its board has approved a proposal to raise up to 2,000 crore. The company will explore various financial routes to raise the amount, it had said in a BSE filing. The board approved "issuance of such number of fully paid-up equity shares and/or convertible bonds and / or non-convertible debt instruments and / or any other instruments and / or combination of instruments with or without detachable warrants with a right exercisable by the warrant holders to convert or subscribe to the equity shares or otherwise...in one or more tranches, denominated...for an aggregate consideration not exceeding 2,000 crore," Suzlon Energy said in the exchange filing. On 14 July, the company had also secured an order of 100.8 MW wind power project from Everrenew Energy, however, the value of the order was not disclosed. The company said it would supply wind turbines and supervise the execution and commissioning of the project in Tamil Nadu wherein it would install 48 wind turbine generators (WTGs). Apart from this, on 25 July, Suzlon Energy announced its Q1 results wherein it registered a 96 percent decline in consolidated net profit at 101 crore in the April-June quarter, compared to 2,433.33 crore in the corresponding period last year. The company's revenue from operations in the first quarter of current fiscal came in at 1,347.52 crore, registering a decline of 2 per cent, compared to 1,377.58 crore in the year-ago period. The company had registered a consolidated net profit of 2,433 crore in the year-ago quarter, an investors' presentation showed. A US plan to restrict investment in China is likely to apply only to Chinese companies that get at least half of their revenue from cutting-edge sectors such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence, people familiar with the matter said. The revenue provision would limit the scope of an executive order the Biden administration is expected to unveil in the coming days as part of a push to limit Chinese access to sensitive technology. The rule would allow US private equity and venture capital firms to put their money in larger Chinese conglomerates that may have artificial-intelligence divisions but get most of their revenue from other sources. The people who detailed the current thinking about the order asked not to be identified discussing a proposal that has yet to be released. One of the people said the order will prohibit investments in AI for military end users while requiring notification for investments in other AI activity. It is expected to ban investments in some quantum computing activities, such as key encryption and sensing, as well as certain super-advanced semiconductors. That person also said the order will take about a year to go into force given the time required for additional industry comments and rule-making. It wont be retroactive so there wouldnt be restrictions on investments made during that period. The White House declined to comment, and the Commerce and Treasury departments didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. US investors will be prohibited from investing in the most advanced semiconductors, specific areas of quantum computing, and AI activity designed for military end users, the person said. Investments in other AI activity in China will require notification, but wont be prohibited. The executive order, which has been more than a year in the making, is another prong in the Biden administrations effort to limit Chinas access to American technology and to funding to fuel its own innovation in areas that may pose a US national-security risk. At the same time, President Joe Biden is determined to improve ties with Beijing and has recently sought to underscore that the order will be narrow in scope and shouldnt damage ties. The final version is expected to be far less ambitious than the earliest versions, and will likely only apply to new investments. Last month, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the order will be narrowly targeted" and wouldnt have a fundamental impact" on the investment climate for China. Yellen Says US Investment Curbs Wont Fundamentally Hurt China Even with the administration messaging, China has pushed back against the proposed investment curbs. In July, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the country opposes the U.S. politicizing and weaponizing trade and tech issues." The provision on revenue would mean that Chinese companies most affected by the limits will be early-stage Chinese startups. Thats intentional: The administration wants to make sure American investors arent helping Chinese companies develop technology and outpace the US. The difficulty of verifying the revenue streams for private Chinese startups may mean cautious US investors will pull back more than required. Weapons come in all shapes and sizes, from the Javelins that blow up Russian tanks to the F-16s Ukrainian aces may soon be flying. As his invasion of Ukraine got bogged down last year, Vladimir Putin, Russias president, reached for a weapon few imagined he would dare to wield: the throttling of deliveries from Russias vast gasfields to its main customers in Europe. Particularly for Germany and other countries that had piped the stuff straight into their homes and factories, doom-mongers predicted dire consequencesthink double-digit falls in GDP, surging unemployment, not to mention freezing households. Yet Mr Putins weapon of mass economic destruction has turned out to be a dud. The crisis has all but passed, and far less harm came of it than expected. Once they are done breathing a sigh of relief, policymakers should reflect on what this means as they ponder their next geopolitical challenge: how to de-risk" the continents trade with China. If Putins super-weapon fizzled, how much should Europe pay to rid itself of dependence on China for its imports of everything from rare earths to mobile phones? In retrospect, the dependence built up by dozy policymakers and short-sighted businesses on Russian gas was reckless: gas accounted for a quarter of energy consumption in Europe, and Russia made up a third of that. Yet the impact of the Kremlin turning off the tap (not entirely, as some Russian gas is still being piped west through Turkey and Ukraine, of all places) fell well short of the gastastrophe" feared by some. Prices for natural gas in Europe have tumbled from over 300 ($324) per megawatt hour last summer to 30 in recent days. That is high, but back within the normal historical range. Even if prices jump once thermostats are cranked back up come winter, few expect them to spike very much. How has Europe gone from running out of gas to wondering where it will store the stuff? Benjamin Moll, Georg Zachmann and Moritz Schularick, three economists, recently compared the doom-mongers vision with reality in Germany. Far from falling into an abyss, Europes largest economy suffered only the mildest of technical recessions. Some have put this down to luck, notably a mild winter in much of Europe reducing the demand for heating. In fact, the economists find, the weather was in line with recent years. If anything, other factors compounded the effect of missing Russian gas. French nuclear plants turned out to need unexpected maintenance at the worst possible time, for example. Rather, millions of firms and people in Europe have turned out to be unwitting heroes of making do. Market economies have a tremendous ability to adapt to changing circumstances," says Mr Moll, a professor at the London School of Economics. Households turned down the heating, at least in countries where politicians did not cap energy prices in a bid to placate voters. Factories once dependent on gas found ways to switch to other fuels. The most power-hungry bits of industry, such as those producing paper, cement, aluminium and some chemicals, were sometimes shuttered. Instead, those products were imported: effectively, an alternative way to bring energy to Europes shores. The supply of energy also adapted. New piped gas was found, from Norway, Algeria or Azerbaijan. Given sky-high prices, ships laden with liquefied natural gas (LNG) flocked in. The installation of a new facility to unload such boats was thought to need years, yet Germany pulled it off in ten months. Mothballed coal-fired plants were revived, and renewables installed. Countries far and wide contributed to Europes energy pivot, too. It can be difficult for a factory in Spain to make do without gas, say. But a utility in Vietnam or China (where demand was muted by covid-19 lockdowns) might have more options, and its cargoes of LNG could be diverted to Europe. The effects can be brutal: Pakistan faced power shortages as its utilities could not outbid gas-starved Europeans. From Nord Stream to No Stream Europe will not soon come to depend on Russian gas againnot least because the Nord Stream pipeline that brought lots of it was blown up by an unknown party in September. But the episode has spooked politicians into thinking about which other nefarious powers might one day hold them to ransom. Prompted in no small part by America, Europe wants to ensure it is not beholden to China. What good is defusing the Russian gas weapon if it is replaced with a similar dependence on Chinese solar panels? One coping mechanism is to replace imports with stuff made in Europe. This idea, popular with trade sceptics in France, gained ground during the pandemic, when the EU ran short of facemasks and paracetamol. Voters were promised that production would be reshored". Thus mask factories popped up in France (now gathering dust); a paracetamol plant is in the offing, backed by millions in state aid. The Russian gas imbroglio has increased the list of products statists think Europe should make at home. Targets have been set, Soviet-style, for various sectors. The largesse for microchip and battery plants can already be counted in billions. The other approach is to keep buying from abroad, but diversify. Businesses that would herd to a single countrys suppliers, often Chinese ones, can be nudged to new shores. Under the impetus of more liberal (ie, less French) forces in Brussels, this is being mooted: public tenders for renewables projects, for example, will be penalised if products are sourced from a country that supplies more than 65% of the EU market. That will induce firms to look beyond the usual Chinese factories. Because the effect is gradual and harnesses market forces, it will be far less costly. The Russian gas embargo that failed is a useful reminder that economies are more adaptable than politicians think. But recession was averted in part thanks to expensive bungs from government. All the more reason for the right lessons to be learned. It pays to think where your stuff comes from. But some ways of de-risking are smarter than others. 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com Indian firms spending on corporate social responsibility (CSR) remained flat in 2021-22, a new analysis by primeinfobase.com based on companies annual reports showed. The combined CSR expenditure by 1,205 listed companies that were required to spend under the law stood at 14,801 crore, similar to 14,763 crore in 2020-21. This was despite a 6% rise in the net profit benchmark used to decide how much a company should spend on CSR. However, to their credit, at an aggregate level, companies have already been spending more than they are mandated to since 2019-20, said Pranav Haldea, managing director, PRIME Database Group. To be sure, this doesnt mean all companies are doing so. 1. CSR kitty In any given year, the law requires companies that fall within a set of criteria to spend at least 2% of their average net profit of the preceding three years on CSR projects. This 2% mark for the 1,205 companies that were analyzed added up to 13,977 crore in 2021-22. The actual spending of 14,801 crore was around 6% more. (The data for a bulk of companies for 2022-23 is not yet available.) The surplus came not only from increased spending, but also from the unspent amounts of previous years that some companies put to use. Yet, not all companies met their mandates: among companies that didnt, the unspent amount totalled 1,225 crore, compared to 913 crore in 2020-21. Overall, firms spent nearly 2.01% of their net profit in 2021-22, against 2.13% in 2020-21. On average, each company spent 12.03 crore, down from 13.03 crore and 12.68 crore in 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively. 2. Pick your cause Similar to previous years, education-related sectors and healthcare segments continued to find favour with companies. These sectors received close to 60% of the CSR expenditure in 2021-22. This was accompanied by spending on disaster management, which received an amount of 1,556 crore and environmental sustainability, with 1,227 crorethese two fields had a 10.5% and 8.3% share, respectively, the data showed. In comparison to the previous year, spending on national heritage increased the most (27%), followed by a 26% rise in healthcare expenditure and a 25% higher payout towards environment sustainability. Besides, contribution to the Prime Ministers Relief Fund fell the most (48%), followed by spending on armed force veterans (43% decline). Further, nearly 817 companies have disbursed a whopping 9,365 crore over a three-year period on covid-related relief activities. The sectors are classified as per the provisions of the CSR law, which has 12 scheduled kinds of activities on which companies may spend. 3. Top spenders Reliance Industries Ltd, Indias most-valued company, continued to lead the charge in CSR initiatives by shelling out 813 crore in 2021-22. HDFC Bank Ltd took the second spot, with an expenditure of 736 crore. The top 10 companies, which also included four public sector firmsOil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd, NTPC Ltd, Indian Oil Corp Ltd, and NMDC Ltdtogether accounted for almost a third of the total CSR spends. In terms of spending as a share of net profits, Sundaram Clayton Ltd and Setco Automotive Ltd led the way, giving away over 150% of their three-year average net profit for such activities. Meanwhile, there were 42 companies that contributed to CSR projects despite reporting a loss. (Loss-making companies were not part of the list of 1,205 firms as they were not obligated to spend.) Half of the firms in the analysis witnessed a rise in their CSR spending. Public sector units, however, saw an 8% decline. 4. State split Companies CSR payouts across states were uneven. The biggest beneficiaries of CSR funds were large and industrialized states, while smaller ones received smaller amounts. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradeshsome of the biggest state economiestogether received nearly 50% of the funds. Maharashtra accounted for 13.4% of the total spends, retaining its top slot from past years. Gujarat had a 6.4% share. Two relatively smaller state economiesOdisha and Jharkhandalso managed to figure in the top 10, with a 5.2% and 3.7% share in funds. Delhi received the biggest jump of 366 crore in CSR funding, followed by Odisha and Maharashtra, with a rise of 196.9 crore and 155.9 crore, respectively. The ones witnessing a major decline included Puducherry, where CSR funds dropped from 189.7 crore to 127.3 crore, and Lakshadweep with a 59.7 crore fall in the absolute amount. 5. Preferred routes Companies carry out CSR activities either on their own, or through eligible external agencies. Data indicates that a little less than half of the firms used a combination of both meansan external implementing agency and the direct modefor their CSR spends. Around 29% of the companies spent directly on CSR-related activities, while 20% used an external implementing agency. The remaining 3% did not specify the route chosen by them. However, in terms of amount spent, the maximum amount was spent through the direct route ( 8,795 crore) which had a 61% share in the total, while the amount spent through engaging external agencies had a 27.2% share. The share of the amount of firms preferring to route their CSR funds through both these modes was just at 6.4% in 2021-22. The ones not specifying the mode again had a miniscule share of 5.7%. Last week, Indias Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) imposed restrictions on importing seven items, including laptops, tablets, and personal computers. According to the notice, from 1 November 2023, the import of these restricted items would now require a valid license. The new law implies that laptop and computer giants like Apple, Dell, Lenovo etc., cannot simply manufacture their products elsewhere and sell them in India. They are now required to manufacture in the country to tap into the burgeoning Indian market. This move, driven by security concerns and domestic manufacturing goals, aligns well with the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. From the production-linked incentive scheme (PLI), specifically for large scale electronics manufacturing, to the NLP policy, to a comprehensive effort to enhance the logistics ecosystem in India, the government is leaving no stone unturned. And the shifting global supply chain dynamics are giving this a much-needed impetus. This gradual shift towards India and other countries (Vietnam, Thailand) as a global supply chain hub, is not a new approach. It comes from a global business strategy referred to as the China-plus-one strategy. The term is not new and was coined way back in 2013. According to the China-plus-one strategy, companies must avoid investing only in China. Instead, they must aim to diversify their businesses to alternative destinations. While the dire need for diversification was felt before, it only came to fruition after the pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic caused several bottlenecks in global supply chains, leading to a new wave of diversification in supply routes and manufacturing hubs away from China. Indias ambitious pursuit to become a global laptop manufacturing hub India being the front-runner is strategically positioning itself to make the most of this opportunity. And the outcomes are increasingly visible. Amazon plans to set up its first production line for its TV Firestick in India. IKEA plans to build a 48,000 square-metre shopping centre in northern India. Foxconn, popular for manufacturing 70% of the world's total iPhones, will now foray into manufacturing AirPods in India. Apple has also joined the bandwagon, planning to manufacture its iPhone 14 in India. However, the tech giant is refraining from manufacturing its world-renowned laptops in the country, choosing to work with Vietnam instead. It will start producing Mac Books in Vietnam by mid-2023. Vietnam is well-placed to snap up supply chain shifts from China for laptop manufacturing by 2030. Apple's move to Vietnam comes despite the enhancement in the PLI limit announced by the government. Leaving nothing on chance Earlier this year, the government approved a 170 bn incentive scheme for manufacturing laptops and servers in India, increasing the PLI from the earlier 73 bn, a 132% jump. This new plan comes with a 5% incentive to companies that make local investments and the potential to enhance it by an extra 3% if they also procure specific parts from local suppliers. The goal is to cater not just to local demand but also to bolster exports. Apple, given its substantial export value, was a prime target for the government. So, when it booted India for Vietnam, it seems to have prompted the government to restrict laptop imports. And for good reason. India has seen an increase in imports of electronic goods and laptops/computers over the last few years. Electronics imports in India, which include laptops, tablets and personal computers, stood at US$ 19.7 bn in April-June 2023, up 6.25% YoY. Moreover, computer hardware manufacturing growth in India has been dismal. Between 2014-15 and 2019-20, the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for computer hardware was only 3.8%. It was 64% for mobile phones and 23.5% for the entire electronics industry. This poor growth comes on the back of imports, ranging between 7-10% of the country's total merchandise. The majority of them come from China. 87% of laptops and 63% of tablets are imported. Therefore, as tech companies diversify their manufacturing hubs, India wants to grab a sizeable chunk of that pie. But Vietnam and Thailand are well on their way to becoming the worlds laptop manufacturing centres. Moreover, India and Vietnam have an FTA, which allows laptops assembled in Vietnam to be sold in India without customs duties. This agreement, in tandem with the cost (of manufacturing) differentials, makes it tough for the country to compete on an equal footing. Addressing the US$75 bn opportunity Given the outsized growth prospects of laptop manufacturing, India aims to become a global hub for manufacturing laptops and tablets. The opportunity can be huge. Not only can it go a long way in lowering India's import bill, but it can also expand its export base and generate employment. As per the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India, electronics manufacturing services can employ over 6 m individuals by the end of 2025-26. This implys an astonishing 400% growth from the current 1.2 m individuals. The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology is projecting the electronics manufacturing sector to expand from the current US$ 75 bn in 2020-21 to US$ 300 bn by 2025-26. These numbers imply a growth of 300%. The main drivers of growth in India's electronics manufacturing include mobile phones, IT hardware (laptops, tablets), consumer electronics (TV and audio), industrial electronics, auto electronics, electronic components etc. Transposing mobile phone success to laptops Judging by the current projections, it appears the government aims to replicate, in the laptop sector, what it successfully achieved in the mobile phone sector. Starting in 2016, the government raised tariffs on imported mobile phone parts, and in April 2018, it imposed a 20% tariff on importing an entire mobile phone. The idea was to enhance mobile phone production in India, and it succeeded. India transformed from being a net importer in 2017 to a net exporter of mobile phones in 2022. And now, it is anticipated that India might account for around 50% of Apple's worldwide iPhone production by 2027. The laptop manufacturing sector can also go the same route, with some of the top companies leading the way. Netweb Technologies India is one of Indias leading high-end computing solutions providers, with fully integrated design and manufacturing capabilities. Dixon Technologies is the largest homegrown design-focused solutions company engaged in manufacturing products in the consumer durables, lighting, and mobile phones/smartphones markets in India. Optiemus Infracom is primarily engaged in the distribution of mobile handsets of reputed brands like Nokia and Samsung for the last 25 years. Avalon Technologies is a leading fully integrated electronic manufacturing services company with end-to-end capabilities in delivering box-build solutions, focusing on high-value precision-engineered products. Conclusion India's drive to establish itself as a global laptop manufacturing hub is both strategic and ambitious. With recent restrictions on imports and an eye on replicating its mobile phone manufacturing success, the government aims to tap into this potential US$ 75 bn market. The country still faces a lot of challenges, from logistical to facing different laws in different states. According to Mr Panzica, a Foxconn employee, India is the wild west in terms of consistent rules and getting stuff in and out." However, the consistent and evolving governments policy thrust is adding impetus to India's competitiveness. Will India succeed in achieving this goal? We cant say for sure. But people must have asked the same question back in 2016. Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. It is not a stock recommendation and should not be treated as such. This article is syndicated from Equitymaster.com The RBI has set up a price for early redemption of Series I of SGB 2016-17. This series opened for subscription from July 18 to 22 in 2016. The issue price of the Sovereign Gold Bond was fixed at 3119 per gram of gold. According to an RBI notification dated July 28, 2023, the redemption price for premature redemption was fixed at 5950. Accordingly, the next due date of premature redemption of the above tranche shall be August 05, 2023," RBI said. Further, the redemption price of SGB shall be based on the simple average of closing gold price of 999 purity, of the week (Monday-Friday) preceding the date of redemption, as published by the India Bullion and Jewellers Association Ltd (IBJA). Accordingly, the redemption price for the premature redemption due on August 05, 2023, shall be 5950/- (Rupees Five thousand nine hundred fifty only) per unit of SGB based on the simple average of closing gold price for the week of July 24-28, 2023," said RBI in a statement. Series I of SGB 2016-17 has given the investors absolute returns of about 91% in 6.5 years and a Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.7%. Plus not to forget 2.5% interest on a half-yearly basis. The interest on Sovereign Gold Bonds is paid @ 2.50% on the issue price and is credited to your bank account on a half-yearly basis. Mumbai-based tax and investment expert Balwant Jain said that an investor should have at least 10% of their portfolio in gold, and what better to park your money in SGB? Talking about the Series I of SGB 2016-17, Jain said that aCAGR of 12% is almost at par with the returns from the equities. Sovereign gold bonds Sovereign gold bonds are issued by RBI on behalf of the government. This gold bond scheme is available to resident individuals, HUFs, Trusts, Universities, and Charitable Institutions. The tenure of the scheme is eight years with an option of premature redemption after the 5th year to be exercised on the date on which interest is payable. Under sovereign gold bonds, the minimum permissible investment will be One gram of gold, while the limit for a subscription can go a maximum of up to 4 Kg for individuals, 4 Kg for HUF, and 20 Kg for trusts and similar entities per fiscal year (April-March) notified by the Government from time to time. Taxation of Sovereign Gold Bonds The interest received on Sovereign Gold Bonds is fully taxable. As far as profits made at the time of redemption of Sovereign Gold Bonds are concerned, the same is fully tax-free in your hands. According to Balwant Jain, if the bonds are transferred or sold, the profits made on the sale of these bonds become fully taxable as long-term or short-term depending on the holding period. You also have the option to pay a flat tax @ 10% of the profit if it is more beneficial than indexing the capital gains. You can also claim an exemption under Section 54F for such long-term capital gains by investing the proceeds in a residential house within the specified time period, added Jain. Government employees from both Central and state departments are set to gather at Ramlila Maidan on August 10, united in their call for the reinstatement of the Old Pension Scheme. As announced by a group of railway union leaders, the event titled 'Pension Rights Maharally' will be organised under the umbrella of the Joint Forum for Restoration of Old Pension Scheme (JFROPS)/National Joint Council of Action (NJCA). Addressing the media during a press conference, Shiv Gopal Mishra, the national convener of NJCA and the general secretary of All India Railway Men's Federation (AIRF), conveyed that a significant portion of employees who commenced government service after January 1, 2004, strongly oppose the New Pension Scheme (NPS). These employees express apprehension about their post-retirement prospects, feeling that they have been stripped of the Old Pension Scheme and involuntarily placed under the New Pension Scheme, PTI reported. "Due to this, the future and old age support of millions of employees are in jeopardy and this is why we have formed the Joint Forum for Restoration of Old Pension Scheme (JFROPS)/NJCA," PTI quoted Mishra as saying. The upcoming 'Pension Rights Maharally' is scheduled for August 10 at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, commencing at 9:30 am, as confirmed by Mishra. The rally is expected to attract a diverse participant pool, encompassing Central, state, railway, and PSU employees, along with teachers, defence personnel, and ex-paramilitary personnel from across the nation, Mishra indicated. Also read: Explained: Why govt employees are demanding restoration of Old Pension Scheme? Mishra mentioned that the group has organised various demonstrations, rallies, and torch processions on a regional level. They have also submitted memorandums to district officials, governors, cabinet secretaries, and even the prime minister, highlighting their concerns regarding this matter. Mishra voiced the growing discontent among employees due to what they perceive as the government's "anti-employee policies." Also read: Govt mulling over assured pensions at 40-45% as some states move back to OPS: Report Mishra emphasised that if leaders are entitled to the benefits of the Old Pension Scheme, then the employees who dedicate their entire careers to public service deserve similar support during their retirement years. He asserted that restoring the Old Pension Scheme is the right of these employees. "This is their right and the government should immediately restore the Old Pension Scheme," he said. Mishra warned that if the government fails to address their demands, the possibility of a nationwide protest known as a 'Bharat Bandh' will be announced, bringing the nation to a standstill. In such a scenario, Mishra asserted that the government would bear sole responsibility for the resulting consequences. (With inputs from PTI) Amherst-based information technology company Computer Task Group is being acquired by a larger IT company in Europe. Under an agreement announced Wednesday, Cegeka Groep will acquire CTG for $10.50 per share in an all-cash transaction, representing a deal value of about $170 million. The purchase price is a 31% premium over the $8 closing price of CTGs stock on Tuesday. CTGs stock has largely stagnated over the past nine years, trading in a narrow range of as little as $4 a share and a peak of more than $11 in April 2021, which was the last time the shares traded above $10. The boards of directors of both companies have approved the acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions. The deal is expected to close later in 2023, at which point CTG will become a privately held company under Cegeka, the companies said. In a statement, CTG President and CEO Filip Gyde appointed to those roles in 2019 said the transaction is a testament to the significant efforts the company has taken to become a pure-play digital IT solutions provider. In Cegeka, we are pleased to have found a partner that will enable us to accelerate this important work, Gyde said. We are confident that joining with Cegeka is in the best interest of our employees, will continue to drive the high-value services and solutions our customers have come to expect, and will deliver immediate value to our shareholders. The news release did not address how the acquisition will affect CTGs local employment and presence. In an email, Chief Marketing Officer Amanda LeBlanc declined to disclose CTGs current Western New York employee count, how much space it leases in Amherst and how the acquisition by Cegeka could affect the companys local operations. CTG has a total worldwide employee headcount, when including subcontractors, of about 3,200, including 1,800 in North America, South America and India and the rest in Europe, according to its most recent annual report. As of a few years ago, news reports indicated CTG still had more than 200 employees in Western New York. About 86% of CTGs worldwide employees are IT professionals, while the remaining 14% are those who work in sales, recruiting, delivery, administrative and support positions.The company now has its corporate headquarters in a suite in a corporate park in Amherst, after it sold its prior headquarters the 48,000-square-foot Knox Mansion building at 800 Delaware Ave. in Buffalo in 2020. Ross Cellino bought Knox Mansion for new firm's offices The Knox Mansion is more than just a building, Cellino said in a statement. Its a part of Buffalos unique social and cultural history." CTG, which had put the Knox Mansion on the market multiple times before making a deal, had been headquartered in that building since 1978. CTG, founded in 1966 by David Baer and Randy Marks, went public in 1969, undergoing a period of brand office expansion throughout North America in the 1970s and early 1980s. By the mid-1980s and early 1990s, CTG had expanded its operations into Europe. In recent years, CTG had been made several transactions of its own: buying Belgium-based health care consulting firm etrinity in 2013; expanding to Paris with the acquisition of Soft Co. in 2018; acquiring Luxembourg-based Tech-IT in early 2019; buying in 2020 StarDust, with operations in Marseille, France, and Montreal, Canada; and then last year acquiring Eleviant Tech in Dallas.In February 2021, CTG announced an updated brand and tagline, reflecting its increased investment and focus on digital transformation solutions. Today, it provides those solutions to a client base that spans several industries, including health care, finance, energy, manufacturing and government. The company recorded $325 million in revenue for 2022. On Wednesday, CTG reported second-quarter revenue of $74.6 million, a drop of $82.8 million in the comparable quarter a year ago. Its net loss in the quarter was $130,000, compared with net income of $2 million a year earlier. Annually, on August 9th, the world observes World Tribal Day, dedicated to advocating for and safeguarding the rights of indigenous populations. It's a day to recognize their valuable contributions and accomplishments that have enhanced global living conditions. Also referred to as World Indigenous Day or International Day of World's Indigenous People, this occasion offers a prime opportunity to actively work towards safeguarding the fundamental rights of tribal communities worldwide. Tribal Day 2023 History The origins of observing this day stem from a worldwide movement aimed at acknowledging the rights and valuable contributions of indigenous peoples. Despite constituting around 6% of the global population, indigenous communities are frequently marginalized, even though they possess rich cultural diversity. The concept of designating a day to honor indigenous people's started within the United Nations. The primary goal was to safeguard the rights of these populations and ensure their voices received global recognition. In December 1994, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to officially recognize and commemorate the International Day of the World's Indigenous People. Tribal Day 2023 Theme The theme chosen for World Tribal Day 2023 centers around Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self-determination." Tribal Day 2023 Significance The significance of the International Day of the World's Indigenous People in 2023 lies in its capacity to spotlight the difficulties encountered by numerous indigenous communities. These challenges encompass issues such as poverty, prejudice, and limited availability of education and healthcare services. This occasion functions as a prompt to uphold and rejoice in the abundant cultural legacy, customs, languages, and insights that indigenous individuals contribute to the global tapestry. It's intended to cultivate unity among indigenous communities and to increase consciousness within the wider populace. Grasping and valuing indigenous cultures facilitate heightened empathy and regard, thus aiding in establishing a society that is more comprehensive and caring. Adivasi in India In India, the term 'Adivasi' is used to encompass a diverse range of ethnic and tribal communities that are regarded as the original inhabitants of the country. These tribal groups make up approximately 8.6% of India's overall population, which amounts to around 104 million individuals as per the 2011 census. Although the most substantial tribal communities are concentrated in central India, they constitute merely about 10% of the total population in that region. The Kerala assembly, in a unanimous decision, has adopted a resolution urging the BJP-led Central government to refrain from implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across the nation. The resolution was introduced by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who labeled the proposed UCC as a "unilateral and hasty" step taken by the Central government. Vijayan asserted that the version of the UCC envisioned by the Sangh Parivar did not align with the principles of the Constitution. Instead, he argued that it was derived from the Hindu legal text 'Manusmriti'. He clarified, "The Sangh Parivar has explicitly indicated this previously. Their intention is not to enforce a provision within the Constitution. It's essential not to misinterpret it in that manner." Vijayan criticized the BJP government for focusing on criminalizing divorce laws within the Muslim personal law, rather than ensuring the safety of women and marginalized individuals. He questioned whether the UCC would genuinely address the under-representation of tribals, dalits, minorities, and the backward classes in education and employment. The Chief Minister highlighted concerns regarding religious freedom, wondering if individuals from marginalized communities would be granted access to places of worship and the freedom to practice their own rituals. The resolution underwent modifications following suggestions from the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), including the removal of references to B R Ambedkar and the notion that UCC could be implemented after comprehensive discussions with all stakeholders. The UDF held the stance that discussions wouldn't necessarily lead to successful implementation of the UCC. Ultimately, the Chief Minister read out the finalized resolution, expressing the assembly's concerns over the Central government's unilateral and hastily made decision to impose the UCC. Vijayan contended that the imposition of the UCC could undermine the country's secular character. He emphasized that the Constitution only suggests a general civil law as a directive principle, not as a mandatory provision. He argued that any legislation infringing on the freedom of religion and religious personal rules would violate constitutional rights. Vijayan also highlighted that Article 44 of the Constitution merely urges the state to strive for a common civil code. He stressed the importance of debates and discussions to build a consensus among the populace before implementing such a significant change. In conclusion, Vijayan asserted that the Kerala assembly shared the belief that imposing the UCC could threaten the unity of the nation and its people. He referred to historical debates, indicating that even during the Constituent Assembly discussions, opinions on the UCC were divided, and B R Ambedkar's stance was not an insistence on its compulsory implementation. The move to pass this resolution by the CPI(M)-led government coincides with ongoing campaigns against the UCC by both the ruling Left and the opposition UDF in Kerala, as well as various religious organizations within the state. The Law Commission of India recently received public submissions regarding the potential implementation of the UCC, while Chief Minister Vijayan accused the BJP of pursuing an "electoral agenda" by pushing the UCC and urged the Centre to withdraw the move. On late Tuesday, the Customs department made a significant recovery at Cochin International Airport in Kerala, uncovering a cache of gold weighing over 500 grams, with an estimated value of about 25.75 lakhs, according to officials. The gold was discovered to be concealed beneath the inner soles of the passenger's shoes. The incident involved a passenger traveling from Bahrain to Cochin, Kerala, as reported by officials. During the inspection of a female traveler arriving from Bahrain to Cochin, authorities discovered two square-shaped, black-colored packets. These packets contained gold in paste form, weighing a total of 275.94 grams, concealed within the inner soles of her shoes. In addition to this, five rough bangles and a gold chain weighing 253.45 grams were found on her person and subsequently confiscated. The overall estimated worth of the seized gold amounted to 25.75 lakhs, as conveyed by a statement issued by Cochin Customs. The authorities have initiated further investigations into the matter. In an earlier occurrence on Sunday, Cochin Customs intercepted a total of 1,364.60 grams of compound-form gold, valued at approximately Rs. 60 lakhs, from two separate passengers. Additionally, 300 grams of gold were confiscated in the form of a concealed chain from a passenger identified as Muhammed from Thalassery. Both individuals were apprehended in connection with the seizures, according to Customs officials. Two weeks ago, Customs officials had similarly confiscated gold worth 50 lakhs from a passenger arriving from Dubai at Cochin International Airport. The seized gold was contained in four cylindrical-shaped capsules. Another incident on July 18 saw the Customs Department seizing gold worth 29.75 lakh from a passenger at Cochin International Airport. The gold, totaling 629.50 grams in paste form, was concealed in three capsules located inside the passenger's rectum, as confirmed by an official statement. Likewise, on July 11, Customs officials encountered a passenger carrying 554.600 grams of gold at Cochin International Airport. The gold was concealed within the passenger's rectum. The detainee was traveling from Malaysia to Kochi at the time of interception by officials. After seeing a closure of nearly two month due to the ethnic clashes, schools in Manipur is set to reopen for Class 9-12 from tomorrow i.e. 10 August, media reports have stated. The report citing an order stated there are currently 1229 schools in Manipur having Class 9-12 run by different managements, however, resumption of schools will not be applicable to 28 schools currently involved in relief measures. Separate order for resumption of these schools will be issued later. Adequate compulsory measures will be taken up for the students of these schools so as to prevent any learning loss," the order added. All Zonal Education Officers under the Department of Education, Schools Manipur are hereby directed to inform all concerned and take up necessary actions accordingly," reports have stated citing Director L Nandakumar Singh of Directorate of Education (Schools) in an order. The state government also collected a report on the number of school children in relief camps. It added that from pre-primary to class XII, presently 4747 are staying in relief camps. Earlier, schools from class 1-8 had resumed on 5 July. Over 4,521 schools from from class I to VIII had resumed schools after a gap of over two months during which the state witnessed ethnic violence. The students who were displaced by the ethnic strife were allowed to get admission for free to nearby schools and the requirement of permission for students of class IX to class XII opting to change school has been relaxed for those affected by the violence, according to an official release as reported by PTI. According to the release, out of 4,617 schools, 96 could not be opened since those were being used for relief measures and other purposes. Earlier on 8 August, The Manipur Police had filed a case against the Assam Rifles paramilitary force amid growing calls for their withdrawal from the northeastern state. AR troops have also been replaced by the CRPF in key conflict areas. 9 Assam Rifles personnel have been accused of disobeying law by public servant with intent to cause injury to any person, obstructing public servant in charge of public function." The FIR was filed on August 5 and the police allege that Assam Rifles personnel blocked their vehicles on the Kwakta Gothol road in Bishnupur district. The state police had been on Pholjang Road to conduct search operations in an arms act case in search of Kuki militants" when 9 AR parked their Casper vehicle and blocked the road. The Manipur unit of BJP had also urged PM Modi to permanently replace the Assam Rifles with "any other paramilitary forces" in the interest of the public. Meanwhile, the state had been on the boil for the past three months after ethnic clashes broke out between two tribal communities Meities and Kukis. The agitation began after the Manipur High Court asked the state government to consider adding one of the communities to the list of Scheduled Tribes. More than 160 people have been killed since then while hundreds of others have been injured. (With inputs from agencies) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rains over Northeast India, Bihar and Uttarakhand during next four days. The weather department has issued an orange alert in Uttarakhand on 9 and 10 August with 115 mm -204.4 mm rains. An orange alert has also been issued in Bihar for today. As per IMD, orange alert of heavy to very heavy rains has also been issued in Assam and Meghalaya on 11 and 12 August. Moreover, the weather department has predicted subdued rainfall activity Central, West and South India during next one week. In Delhi, the weather department has predicted generally cloudy sky and light rain over the next two days. It said that on Wednesday, the national capital may witness high humidity. The Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, on Wednesday recorded a minimum temperature of 26.6 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 35 degrees Celsius. Delhi has already recorded 762 mm of rainfall this year so far, which is around 99 per cent of the average annual precipitation of 774 mm. Moreover, the weather department has also issued a warning for the fishermen due to high winds Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Gujarat coasts. In a tweet on X, IMD wrote, Attention fishermen! High winds of 45-55 kmph (gusting to 65 kmph) expected in Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Gujarat coasts. It's safer to skip fishing for now." Check full IMD weather forecast here Northwest India -Isolated heavy rainfall very likely over Uttarakhand during 8-12 August; East Uttar Pradesh during 8, 9th and 12 August and over West Uttar Pradesh on 9 August. -Isolated very heavy rainfall also likely over Uttarakhand on 9 and 10 August. -Apart from these regions in the Northwest India, subdued rainfall activity has been predicted by the weather department during next 7 days. East India: -Isolated heavy rainfall very likely over Bihar during 8-10th, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on 8, 11th and 12 August. -Isolated very heavy rainfall likely over Bihar on 8th and 9th August. Northeast India -IMD in its weather bulletin has predicted isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall activity very likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura during next four days. Central, West & South India -The weather department has predicted subdued rainfall activity Central, West and South India during next 7 days Earlier in the day, senior party leader Adhir Ranjan Chaudhury confirmed that Rahul would be speaking during the Parliament session today. While, opening his speech, the Congress leader first thanked the speaker for letting him join the Parliament. Then in a veiled attack towards the government, he said, said, dont worry, wont speak on Adani today' He added, I will definitely throw some bombs, but they won't be as deadly as the last time" Bharat Jodo Yatra Speaking about Bharat Jodo Yatra, he added, Initially, I had no agenda. All I wanted to do is experience my India, my country. ...When I started (the Yatra), I had in my mind that walking 25 km is no big deal if I can run 10 km every day. Today, when I look at that - it was arrogance. I had arrogance in my heart at that time. But India erases arrogance, erases it in a second. So, within 2-3 days, my knees started hurting, it was an old injury. In the first few days, the wolf became an ant. Jo Hindustan ko ahankar se dekhne nikla nikla that wo poora ka poora ahankar gayab ho gaya..." He further added, What I understood during the Yatra is fact that is Bharat ek Awaz hein. And unless you can ignore your ego and ambition, you cannnot listen to that Awaz Manipur Attacking PM Modi on the Manipur issue, he said, PM Modi did not visit Manipur as he does not consider the state to be part of India" They (BJP) have not only killed the Awaz in Manipur, they have murdered the Awaz of India." He further accuses, They are not Deshipremi but Deshdrohi The Supreme Court last week stayed Rahul Gandhi's conviction in the criminal defamation case over Modi surname remark. He was on Monday reinstated as member of Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha took up debate on no-confidence motion on Tuesday. New Delhi: Rakesh Mohan, a part-time member of the Prime Ministers economic advisory council , has criticised the licencing requirement that the central government recently imposed on imports of computer hardware, calling the move disturbing" and regressive." In an interview, the former RBI deputy governor said India has to remain connected to the Asian supply chain. Edited excerpts: Is double-digit growth a thing of the past for India? It is going to be a big challenge in the next seven years. Global growth is going to be relatively low. The same is true for global trade. So, the external environment is clearly not as conducive for us as it was between 1992-2010. To get higher growth rates, investments need to go up. Public investment is better, but private investments need to go up further. To get 8% growth, you need something like a 37% gross domestic investment. We are currently far from that. These things will not happen unless companies grow faster, and this includes higher export growth. The annual growth of merchandise exports, for example, has been at 4% or lower in the last 10 years. This grew at 20% the decade before. So, to achieve 8% plus growth, gross domestic investment has to go up to 40% of GDP. For investments to go up, savings need to go up. Strangely, gross domestic savings have contracted since 2010. It has two components, corporate savings and household savings. Trade growth also needs to be higher. But this is not expected to increase more than 5% in the next 10 years. If we want to have 8% plus GDP growth, investments, savings and exports are crucial. Indian industry must become more competitive to be able to replace other countries exports. What should be our focus in trade? We have to focus on the East. If India doesnt do that, we are not going to grow as fast as we like. We must be a part of the global supply chain. In fact, even to enhance exports to Europe and North America, we will not be able to do it unless we are part of the global supply chain, which is to the East of us. A recent announcement that I find most disturbing is (licencing requirements on) imports of computer hardware items, which is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing. We have to be connected to the Asian supply chain for us to be competitive in manufacturing of laptops, desktops, tablets and other computer equipment. That is what we need to do rather than shutting them off. So, this regressive move doesnt augur well for the future. How should India view the China narrative vis-a-vis trade and the global supply chain? We must remember that if Chinas exports are high, so are their imports. Chinas latest annual import bill is $2.7 trillion, while Indias aggregate merchandise exports are about $450 million. We should see what items they are importing and where we can be competitive. In 2022, India, the fifth largest economy in the world, ranked No. 31 in terms of exports to China. Even Ireland exports more to China than we do. We need to look at things more dispassionately. We should look at where the markets are. If you look at Asia, you have China, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and a whole host of other countries, apart from Japan, which are growing. In the next 20 years, even if these countries grow at 4-5%, its a large market for India to tap. The West is not going to grow as fast. These are the markets where we can sell our goods. But we have to be a part of either RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), the IPEF (Indo-Pacific Economic Framework) trade pillar or CPTPP (an agreement for trans-Pacific partnership) trade blocs. Otherwise, we are out of the global supply chain. This will even impact exports to the West. Your views on MPCs action on interest rate? I have never commented on specific actions by the RBI on monetary policy ever since I stepped down as deputy governor. However, what I can say is that our current rate is now slightly real-positive (higher than inflation). Therefore, I dont believe that there is a need for any significant monetary accommodation as long as the current rate is real positive. Which is good for the economy. Savings, which are sensitive to real interest rates, have come down significantly in the last 10 years or so. You need positive real interest rates (higher than inflation) for savings to keep up, so there can be an argument for somewhat higher interest rates. Increased savings can then can finance the higher investments that we need for growth. What steps should be taken to address concerns related to food inflation? These days there is a big spike in the price of tomatoes, which has brought inflation into focus. Such spikes in the price of food items happen every now and then, particularly in specific fruits and vegetables due to local supply problems. Such spikes do not imply any kind of trend and are usually transitory. Hence, they are not amenable to treatment through monetary policy, unless they are prolonged and feed into generalised core inflation. The correct treatment for such kind of price increases is for the government to do some kind of supply management. It sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. Banning rice exports, because of domestic rice price increases, is not a good idea. If you are a significant player in the export market, which India is, there needs to be some degree of certainty in supply. However, in the medium and longer terms what needs to be looked at is how good the supply chains are, which means cold storages, warehouses, refrigerated trucks and so on, which to some extent implies larger scale retail formats. Because of urbanisation demand for superior food items like milk, fruits and vegetables and other perishables increases continuously. The catchment area around cities is limited, so unless there is a good cold supply chain, there can be a continuous upward pressure on the prices of such items. DEA's monthly economic survey for July pegs India's medium-term growth to strong domestic consumption. Do you agree? If you expect to grow at 6-6.5% without any special measures, you double in about 12 years in terms of per capita income. I would differ somewhat from what the government is saying. Though, a good part of our growth, demand will indeed come from domestic consumption, it's not correct to say that we can't get more growth from exports. If exports grow, income grows, and so domestic demand grows too. So, both are not mutually exclusive. Private investments haven't really picked up. What do you think are the reasons? As far as I can make out, growth in private investment has indeed begun. It is still to pick up as much as we would like it to. What is very interesting to look at is that total corporate profits as a percentage of GDP at their peak, around 2008-09, amounted to about 7% of GDP. In 2020, this has come down to 1% of GDP. It has been coming up since then, but only gradually. It will take some time for that to increase further. For corporate private investments to go up, you need an increase in both equity and debt. A lot of equity comes from internal accruals. For that to happen, profits will have to go up. There are currently reasonable indications of profit growths taking place. So, I think it's still early to say how much private investment can grow. How has the tightening of the monetary policy in the West impacted India? First, it's not really correct to say that monetary tightening has been taking place in developed countries. In Europe and in the UK, the policy interest rates are still lower than inflation. Hence, the real policy interest rates are still negative. So, one can't say that monetary policy there is particularly tight. What is correct is that they have been reducing the gap. In the US, real interest rates have just become positive, as they have been rising continuously for some time. The job market, however, still seems to be tight. The rising policy rate has had an impact on the bond market. As interest rates rise, the value of bonds comes down, so investors invested in fixed income instruments make losses. It can also impact the stock markets. Interestingly, the impact on stock markets has been muted. In terms of impact on India, it can have an impact on temporary flows, like portfolio flows. But, in terms of FDI, it doesn't make much difference. There's a general expectation that India will grow at 6%-6.5% annually during the next 6-7 years. These expectations are what will drive FDI. New Delhi: The Circle: Founders Club (FC), a business accelerator backed by Hunch Ventures,has collaborated with the Embassy of Israel in India to launch a program to empower early-stage startups in water tech and foster innovations that solve water-related problems in India. The program The Water Challenge" marks a critical milestone in India-Israel bilateral relations, fostering cooperation in the crucial domain of water technology. The Israeli embassy and Circle FC will jointly scout and identify promising startups in the water tech domain and facilitate their growth. Selected startup founders will be part of a comprehensive accelerator program that includes mentorship and networking opportunities from both Indian and Israeli specialists in water technology. Naor Gilon, said This 3-month long acceleration programme is a promising opportunity for start-ups in the field of water to innovate, collaborate, and create sustainable solutions. This programme will include experts from Israel & India, and harness the power of innovation from both nations and address crucial water challenges of our time. I believe this will drive positive change, fostering sustainable solutions and shaping a brighter, water-secure future. Together, Israel and India will lead the charge towards a brighter, water-secure future." The program was formally launched on 3 August by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ambassador of Israel in India, Naor Gilon and the founder of Hunch Ventures and The Circle, Karanpal Singh, solidifying the commitment to accelerate the growth of water tech startups in India, read a joint statement by The Circle and the Embassy of Israel in India. Karanpal Singh commented, Israel is the global leader in water technologies and given Indias large population we are thrilled to work together towards sustainability and water security. Through this collaboration we will bring leading technologies to work with Indian companies to find domestic solutions." Pakistan has extended visa by one year of a 34-year-old Indian woman who crossed the border to marry her Facebook friend. Anju, who now goes by the name of Fatima after converting to Islam on July 25 married her 29-year-old friend Nasrullah. On Tuesday, Nasrullah, her now husband said that Anju's visa, which was earlier set extended for 2 months has now been extended for a year after their marriage, PTI has reported. Her original one-month visa which she had got when she came to Pakistan was also set to expire on August 20. "The visa of my wife Anju has been extended for a year after the provision of related documents to the Interior Ministry," said Nasrullah as quoted by PTI. "All Pakistani institutions are cooperating with us," he added. The mother of two children had travelled to a remote village in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to marry her Facebook friend after converting to Islam, her Pakistani husband had earlier said. Anju's father had expressed grief and said that her actions had left her 13-year-old daughter and five-year-old son in a difficult situation, and it would now be their responsibility to care for them. Some reports also stated that Anju had denied rumors of marriage to her father. She denied the rumors of her marriage and referred to them as baseless speculations" during a video call with his father Gaya Prasad Thomas, a report by Live Hindustan said on 30 July. Last month, a real estate company had gifted the couple a plot of land in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and presented them with a cheque. Anju, who was born in Kailor village in Uttar Pradesh and lived in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, travelled to Pakistan legally from India via the Wagah-Attari border. She was granted a 30-day visa, valid for Upper Dir only. In India, she is married to Arvind, who is in Rajasthan and have a 15-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son. He had said that before leaving, his wife told him that she is visiting one of her friends in Jaipur. I got a voice call last night, she said that I am in Lahore. I have no idea why she went to Lahore and how she got the visa and other stuff. She informed me that she will return within two to three days," Kumar had said while speaking to ANI Meanwhile, her story is similar to Seema Ghulam Haider, a 30-year-old Pakistani mother of four who sneaked into India to live with Sachin Meena, a 22-year-old Hindu man she got in touch with while playing PUBG in 2019. However, unlike Seema, Anju was granted entry into Pakistan by the authorities on the basis of a visa. (With inputs from PTI) A federal judge overseeing the trial of former President Donald Trump, who faces charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, has issued an order for his legal team and federal prosecutors to appear in court on Friday on August 11. The purpose of this hearing is to address how evidence can be utilised and shared in the case, Reuters reported. US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan scheduled the hearing for Friday at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT), shortly after disagreements arose between Trump's attorneys and members of US Special Counsel Jack Smith's office regarding the timing of the proceeding. While prosecutors were available throughout the week, Trump's lawyers had sought a delay until the early next week. The hearing comes as a response to Trump's defence team opposing a request from prosecutors, on August 7, to implement a protective order preventing the public sharing of confidential evidence by Trump. Prosecutors argued that such an order would prevent Trump from potentially intimidating witnesses by using the information. Trump has entered a not guilty plea, asserting that the charges are politically motivated. Also read: Donald Trump indictment: Prosecutors alert judge to ex-US President's Coming After You! post Trump's lawyers contended that imposing limits on the sharing of evidence would infringe on his First Amendment right to free speech, as guaranteed by the US Constitution. It's expected that Trump will not personally appear in court on Friday, as Chutkan waived his presence. Ordinarily, defence attorneys do not contest such protective orders because doing so can slow down the government's process of disclosing evidence for trial preparation in a process known as discovery. This disagreement regarding the hearing date is the latest attempt by Trump's legal team to delay legal proceedings. The situation also highlights the logistical complexities faced by Trump's lawyers as they simultaneously handle two separate federal criminal cases initiated by Jack Smith's officeone in Washington, DC, and the other in southern Florida. The latter case charges Trump with retaining highly classified records after his presidency and obstructing the government's efforts to recover those records. Trump has entered a not guilty plea in this case as well. Also read: Donald Trump indictment: Former president charged with conspiracy for efforts to overturn 2020 polls. Key charges here One of Trump's attorneys, Todd Blanche, is expected to appear in federal court in Florida on Thursday, that is August 10, for an arraignment, following the filing of a superseding indictment by the government. This new indictment introduces additional criminal charges against Trump and another employee in the case. In a joint filing in Washington, Trump's legal team expressed his desire for both Todd Blanche and his other attorney, John Lauro, to be present during the hearing before Judge Chutkan. (With inputs from Reuters) Facing a shortage of air traffic controllers, the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it will let airlines continue to limit flights in the New York City area into October without penalties that they would normally face for such reductions. Airlines that fail to use enough of their takeoff and landing rights or slots at those airports risk losing them to competitors. The FAA said, however, it will extend current easing of those rules through Oct. 28 because the staffing shortage is beyond the control of the airlines. The waivers were set to expire Sept. 15, after the peak summer travel season. Airlines including Delta, American, United and JetBlue had agreed to cuts at LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. The relief provided by the FAA during the peak of the summer season has provided stability at the NYC area airports, the FAA said. The agency said canceled flights at the three big New York City-area airports from May 15 through June 30 fell 40% from the same period last year. The FAA said airlines have reduced their New York flights this summer by 6%, but increased the number of seats by 2% by using larger planes on average. The waiver of penalties also applies to some flights at Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C. United Airlines, which has cut flights at its big hub in Newark, and trade group Airlines for America had asked FAA to extend the penalty waivers. In a report to Congress this spring, the FAA detailed its efforts to hire and train about 3,000 new air traffic controllers. The agency is only half-staffed at a key facility that directs planes in and out of the New York City area. Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, who was arrested last week in Toshakahana corruption case, has expressed his sadness about staying in jail and asked his lawyers to take him out of Attock prison, Geo News reported Wednesday. While talking with his lawyers in the Attock jail, the former prime minister said, "Take me out of here; I don't want to remain in jail," the prison officials quoted Khan as saying. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief said he does not want to remain in a cell that is infested with flies during the day and insects at night, reported India Today. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party Monday petitioned Islamabad High Court to shift the former prime minister from the Attock jail in Punjab to high-security Adiala prison in Rawalpindi. The party also requested the honourable High Court to transfer Imran Khan to a prison having A-class facilities and allow his physician Dr Faisal Sultan to meet him. Khans counsel Naeem Haider Panjotha, who met the former Pakistan prime minister in Jail jail, said he was being kept in distressing" conditions" and provided C-Class jail facilities". The former PM was arrested on Saturday shortly after an Islamabad trial court found him guilty of "corrupt practices" in the Toshakhana case. Khan's counsel Naeem Haider Panjotha, who was granted access to meet the former Pakistan prime minister by the jail authorities on Monday, said the PTI chairman was being kept in "distressing" conditions and is provided C-Class jail facilities". Panjotha added that Khan was in high morale and vowed to spend his lifetime in jail but wouldn't bow to slavery, reported Geo News. On Saturday, Pakistan district and sessions court sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to three years in prison in the Toshakhana case for illegally selling state gifts and he was disqualified from politics for a period of five years, local media reported. The court also imposed a fine of 100,000 on the PTI chief, Geo News reported. Khan later challenged his conviction and three-year jail sentence by the trial court, saying the verdict by a "biased" judge was a "slap in the face of due process and fair trial" and "a gross travesty of justice". In a rather intriguing incident, a burglar had recently exited a garage clutching a valuable $1,300 bicycle, only to be met with an unexpected turn of events. What the surveillance footage captured next added a heartwarming twist to the situation. Displayed on the video was a friendly golden retriever playfully rolling over in front of the bike thief at a residence located in San Diego. The juxtaposition of the daring burglary and the endearing interaction between the canine and the suspect rendered the scene undeniably charming, leaving viewers both amused and touched. Hi, buddy," the man told the watchdog as it leapt up to kiss him during the July 15 burglary. As per a report by Washington Post, with a chuckle, the individual pushed the Electra 3-speed bicycle back into the confines of the San Diego garage, propping it against a shelf a scene that was captured by the city's police department and subsequently shared via surveillance footage. As reported by Washington Post, police have made a plea for assistance from the public in identifying either the individual depicted in the video or the purloined bicycle. The stolen bike, a 2019 model in black, is adorned with "8-ball" caps on its tire valves, features an "8-ball" emblem on its frame, and boasts a black-and-white checkered design on the back wheel frame. Upon reentering the garage, the thief bestowed affection upon his enthusiastic welcomer. Youre so cool. Come here," he told the dog, bending down to cup its face. Youre the coolest dog Ive ever known. I love you, too. Youre a sweetheart." Subsequently, the individual seemed to get concerned about the dog having an open route to escape. Wheres your dad?" he asked the retriever while rubbing its belly. Your dad should know enough not to leave the garage open."Then he called out toward the open door of the home: Dad! Where are you?" After expressing his affection for the dog once more, the intruder seized the bicycle by its handles and pushed it along. Meanwhile, the golden retriever observed his departure, with its tail still wagging. New Delhi: India and the Philippines are exploring cooperation on digital payments platforms, according to persons aware of the matter. While conversations are currently in preliminary stages, cooperation between Indias UPI and Philippine payments firms may be on the table. The matter was suggested by external affairs minister S. Jaishankar during a meeting in New Delhi in June with his counterpart, Enrique Manalo of the Phillipines. Queries to the ministry of external affairs remained unanswered at press time. Such a development would be in line with Indias push to internationalize its flagship UPI platform. In an interview with Mint in August, NPCI International CEO Ritesh Shukla stated that interoperability with the payments platforms of foreign partners will enable remittances as well as merchant payments. He also spoke of plans to double the number of countries where UPI is live. India and the Philippines signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on financial technologies in June. The MOU envisages the constitution of a Joint Working Group (JWG) co-chaired at the Undersecretary level from the Ministries of Finance, and comprising senior representatives from Foreign and IT Ministries, Central Banks, financial sector regulatory institutions and other related agencies as members. The JWG would identify concrete measures for partnership in innovative technologies; fintech industry, digital governance; payment linkages; creation of interoperable APIs; financial inclusion and other related areas," reads a press release from Indias Embassy in Manila. Finance minister Benjamin Diokno, who was present at the signing of the MoU stated that the focus should be on including development of fintech solutions across business and financial sectors; creation of inter-operable standards for Application Programming Interface (API) thereby strengthening digital governance; promoting use of digital signatures across borders and mainstreaming digital fund transfer platforms, among others." Indias Ambassador to the Philippines, Shambhu Kumaran, batted for the India Stack Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) platforms. This development could make it easier for Indian workers in the Philippines to send money home. The Indian community in the Philippines, according to the Bureau of Immigration, is estimated to be about 130,000. Around 5,000 persons of Indian origin have acquired Filipino citizenship," according to the Embassy of India in the Philippines. Iraq's official media regulator has directed all media and social media companies operating not to use the term homosexuality". The Arab stated told to replace the word homosexuality with sexual deviance, Reuters' report mentioned. The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) said that the use of the term "gender" was also banned. The regulator "directs media organisations ... not to use the term 'homosexuality' and to use the correct term 'sexual deviance'," the Arabic-language statement said. A government spokesperson said a penalty for violating the rule had not yet been set but could include a fine. Iraq does not explicitly criminalise gay sex but loosely defined morality clauses in its penal code have been used to target members of the LGBT community. Major Iraqi parties have in the past two months stepped up criticism of LGBTQ rights, with rainbow flags frequently being burned in protests by Shi'ite Muslim factions opposed to recent Koran burnings in Sweden and Denmark. Recently, Kuwait banned a horror film featuring a transgender actor. The film titled 'Talk to Me', which is currently in theatres in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, features transgender Australian actor Zoe Terakes but no explicit LGBTQ references in any of its scenes. Kuwaiti authorities have "banned the screening of the Australian film, Talk to Me" which was scheduled for release last week, Hisham Alghanim, vice chairman of the Kuwait National Cinema Company said. Gulf Arab states, including Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia -- all of which outlaw homosexuality -- routinely censor films that contain LGBTQ references. Most recently, they banned the latest Spider-Man animation in June, reportedly over a scene that includes a transgender pride flag. More than 60 countries criminalise gay sex, while same-sex sexual acts are legal in more than 130 countries, according to Our World in Data. In light of the Dalit and Christian communities' call for a strike in Punjab, the state administration has chosen to shut down all schools on August 9, 2023. As per media reports, this comes as a demonstration of support for the extensive rally protesting against acts of ethnic violence and the mistreatment of women in Manipur. In a collaborative effort, the Dalit and Christian groups are set to orchestrate a statewide shutdown on August 9, aiming to highlight pressing concerns. To enhance their demonstration, the Christian Brotherhood convened a media briefing at the Jalandhar Press Club and launched the Manipur Insaf Morcha, formally declaring the upcoming Punjab strike, TOI reported. Surjit Thapar, President of Manipur Insaaf Morcha, detailed the strategy, specifying that the state's movement would be paused from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on August 9. Also Read: Manipur Police files FIR against Assam Rifles for obstructing search ops With a concern for potential disruptions and a priority on safeguarding children, the state authorities have opted to keep schools shut tody. This measure is intended to avert any undesirable occurrences and uphold the students' safety. The catalyst behind this protest is a disturbing event that surfaced via a video recorded on May 4. The video depicted a distressing incident wherein a group of men publicly humiliated two women from different communities in Manipur by forcing them to parade naked. This deeply unsettling act prompted nationwide indignation on a large scale. The bandh movement is a reaction to the broader and ongoing problem of ethnic turmoil that erupted in Manipur on May 3. The unrest ensued after a 'Tribal Solidarity March,' arranged by hill districts, was held to counter the Meitei community's plea for Scheduled Tribe (ST) classification. With more than 160 fatalities and numerous injuries, the call for a bandh echoes as a potent plea for justice and increased awareness. Earlier on Monday, the Central government has dispatched 800 additional security personnel to Manipur as the tiny state has remained gripped in severe ethnic clashes for nearly 100 days, Hindustan Times reported. Besides, Manipur Chief Minister is facing a new challenge--an "indefinite social boycott" by Meitei's outfit, as well as, the Kuki Peoples Alliance. At present, around 125 companies of different paramilitary forces have been deployed in the strife-torn Manipur and nearly 164 columns of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles. One company has around 120-135 personnel. There are around 55-70 personnel in one army column. Also Read: Manipur governor Anusuiya Uikey pens for safety measures for out-of-state students Meanwhile, Manipur police, in a press note issued on Twitter, has said that reports of looting of arms and ammunition from different police stations and armouries in the valley districts only on August 5 were misleading. They added that the security forces have been continuously raiding the hill and valley areas to recover the looted arms and ammunition. 1057 arms and 14201 ammunitions have been recovered in the valley districts and 138 arms and 121 ammunitions have been recovered in the hill districts. (With insights from agencies) New Delhi: Three retired service chiefs are visiting Taiwan to discuss defence and security cooperation between India and Taiwan. Former army chief Manoj Naravane, navy chief Karambir Singh and air chief RKS Bhadauria are in Taiwan with the support of the countrys government. Adm Singh, who retired in 2021, spoke at the Ketagalan Forum, a security event focused on the Indo-Pacific which is hosted by Taiwans foreign ministry. The three visitors are also expected to take part in a defence and security dialogue. Taro Aso, former Prime Minister of Japan and current member of the House of Representatives and Vice President of the LDP, and Andrus Ansip, former Prime Minister of Estonia, will deliver keynote speeches. The roster of other guests comprises 14 parliamentarians, political figures, scholars, and experts from 12 countries, including Admiral Karambir Singh, Chairman of Indias National Maritime Foundation," reads a press release from Taiwans foreign ministry. The move comes as India and Taiwan look to boost strategic cooperation given that the two share a common perception of the threat from China. India has been engaged in a three-year-long border standoff with Chinese troops in Ladakh. Taiwan too faces military pressure from Chinas navy and air force, which has intensified since 2021. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has exercised considerable economic and political pressure to reduce Taiwans diplomatic space. Security cooperation between the two countries is currently understood to include military training programmes for Indian officers focused on understanding Chinas armed forces. However, such cooperation is also sensitive given that India does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Government of Indias policy on Taiwan is clear and consistent. Government facilitates and promotes interactions in areas of trade, investment, tourism, culture, education and other such people-to-people exchanges," said Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, in a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha in 2021. The presence of three retired service chiefs in Taiwan indicates that the island country is looking to boost its Track II, or non-official, talks with India. Taiwan will also set up a third Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre (TECC) in Mumbai, expanding on its current presence in Chennai and New Delhi. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to step down from his position on Wednesday and dissolve the coalition government currently ruling the nation. The August 9 dissolution comes a few days ahead of schedule and is intended to give the ruling faction extra time for holding the general elections. The PM also paid a farewell visit to Pak Army HQ on Tuesday evening. The country will now get a interim government while preparation for the national polls continue. Sharif will inform President Arif Alvi - a former leader of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf - about the dissolution tomorrow. The Assembly will be dissolved within 48 hours - irrespective of delays on the part of the President. "After completing our (government's) term tomorrow, I will write and send (the advice) to the president to dissolve the assembly and then an interim government will take over," Sharif said while addressing an event in Islamabad. While the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led government had initially mulled a dissolution on August 11, this was preponed to circumvent delays. The dissolution of the Assembly before the end of its term would now give the Election Commission of Pakistan 90 days to hold fresh polls. In the natural course of events the ECP would have been bound to hold an election within 60 days. However there are concerns that a three month gap might not be enough time with the Council of Common Interests endorsing a new census. This will involve a new delimitation exercise for which the ECP gets 120 days as per law. Following approval from the constitutional body, the ECP will have to hold elections according to the Council. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has already indicated the possibility of a delay in holding the next general elections. He told Geo News on Tuesday that 2023 would not be an election year, adding that the caretaker government would carry out the delimitation process. (With inputs from agencies) Defence officials and diplomats from the United States and Iraq met at the Pentagon on Monday for the start of two days of talks that include a meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Iraqi Minister of Defense Thabit Muhammad al-Abbasi, Voice of America (VOA) reported. The United States and Iraq hope to take critical steps to expand their partnership from one focused almost entirely on countering the Islamic State (IS) to a 360-degree whole-of-government alliance, Voice of America (VOA) reported. "We recognize our military mission will change as your forces build up their capabilities," Austin told Abbasi, describing the talks as part of the "next step in our strategic defence partnership." Speaking through a translator, Abbasi said that while it was crucial to "maintain the victories" Iraqi and US forces had already secured, "[it is] most important now to enhance the relationships and the cooperation between us and the United States moving forward". "We are very encouraged that we are not going to leave Washington without success," he added. The US has about 2,500 troops in Iraq tasked with advising and assisting Iraqi security forces as they pursue the remnants of the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS or Daesh, VOA reported. Also Read: US Defense chief visits Iraq for talks on troop presence US officials say the arrangement, with Iraqi forces in the lead, since December 2021, has proven successful. US estimates show IS ranks have been cut to fewer than 1,000 fighters in Iraq while the group's leadership in Iraq has likewise been continually degraded by Iraqi forces. The payoff has been a 64 per cent reduction in IS attacks in Iraq so far this year, US officials say. And the attacks that have taken place have been less deadly. "I think it's fair to say decades into the future, US forces will not be present in Iraq in the current formation that we are today," Dana Stroul, deputy assistant secretary of defence for the Middle East, told reporters before the talks began on Monday. US officials said they have also been encouraged by Iraq's progress in fighting corruption, noting improvements especially in the banking sector, though Washington's decision to blacklist 14 Iraqi banks for alleged money laundering on behalf of Iran sparked protests last month. Still, the heavy focus is likely to remain on defence cooperation given the ongoing, if somewhat minimized, threat from IS, VOA reported. "I still believe the reemergence of ISIS is a, is a considerable risk," said Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve Commander Major General Matthew McFarlane ahead of the US-Iraq talks. Also Read: Chinas Iran-Saudi deal is a wake-up call for India "Their ideology remains unconstrained and is still a threat as they seek to rebuild some capacity and capability to conduct attacks and to regain or reemerge as a, as a significant threat to the population," he said. While Iraqi forces have managed to maintain a consistent tempo of anti-IS operations, US military officials still see areas that need to be strengthened, such as using drones and surveillance aircraft to find and eliminate IS targets, VOA reported. A US Defense Department Inspector General report released earlier this month also raised concerns about Iraq's elite Counterterrorism Service, noting it "has not recruited any new soldiers since November 2018". Also Read: Can Saudi-Iran accord trigger a domino effect and stabilize Middle East? US officials said work also needs to be done to prepare Iraqi forces to take on security concerns outside the scope of IS and counterterrorism, VOA reported. US officials are additionally aware there is competition from other countries that would like to increase security cooperation with Iraq, such as China, Russia and Turkey, according to the report. Insurance Australia Group (IAG) sacked a woman consultant Suzie Cheikho-- 18-year career with the companyin February this year for not typing enough while working remotely, The New York Post reported. The company had used keystroke technology to monitor her work from home performance. According to New York Post, the Australia's Fair Work Commission (FWC) has also rejected her "unfair" dismissal application, saying that she was fired for a "valid reason of misconduct". The New York Post stated, Cheikho was responsible for creating insurance documents, meeting regulatory timelines and monitoring "work from home compliance" as a consultant for the insurance company. Ironically, her own work from home performance was found to be lacking. The company used keystroke technology to track her activity for 49 days between October and December, and found that she had very low keystroke activity". The company found that Cheikho started work late on 47 days, finished early on 29 days and did not work her rostered hours for 44 days. It also discovered that on 4 days, she did zero hours of work. The women consultant averaged 54 strokes per hour over the 49 days. During the survey it was found that she was not presenting for work and performing work as required." According to New York Post, Cheikho attended one Microsoft Teams meeting with her manager regarding her performance with the word Fk" written across her hand. Cheikho received a formal warning in November 2022 about her output and was put on a performance improvement plan. The company finally fired Cheikho in February for missing deadlines and meetings, being absent and uncontactable, and failing to complete a task which caused the industry regulator to fine her company. She brought an unfair dismissal application against the IAG, which was later rejected by the Fair Work Commission (FWC). FWC ruled that she was fired for valid reason of misconduct." Three hundred Indians remain in prisons across Pakistan, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. India, on the other hand, had 417 Pakistanis in its custody as on 1 July this year. Mint breaks down the situation: In a response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Indias Ministry of External Affairs revealed that 308 Indians are being held in prisons in Pakistan, which include 42 civilians and 266 fishermen. India also holds 417 Pakistanis in its jails, who are also largely fishermen. The arrest and detention of fishermen on both sides has been a recurring theme in bilateral relations. Given that the maritime boundaries between the two countries are somewhat blurry, fishermen have been caught in the net of authorities from both India and Pakistan. This sets in motion a flurry of diplomatic activity where both governments push for the early release and repatriation of those languishing in jails. Once arrests are made, the Indian High Commission in Pakistan rushes to ascertain the welfare of its citizens and provide basic welfare, according to the MEA. Under the terms of a 2008 Agreement of Consular Access, India and Pakistan exchange a list of prisoners in their custody twice a year. This happens on 1 January and 1 July. 2559 Indian fishermen and 63 Indian civilian prisoners have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014. This includes 398 Indian fishermen and 5 Indian civilians who have been repatriated from Pakistan this year, so far," says the Ministry of External Affairs. India has shared lists of 343 civilian prisoners and 74 fishermen in its custody, who are Pakistani or are believed to be Pakistani," the MEA said on 1 July this year when it exchanged its list of prisoners with Pakistan. Alongside technical mechanisms governing the Indus Waters Treaty, the exchange of prisoner lists is another bilateral diplomatic mechanism that has functioned normally despite tensions between India and Pakistan. The two countries also exchange a list of nuclear installations and facilities every year in an effort to boost transparency and reduce potential tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. Stewart Desmonds history of Buffalo makes Buffalo history in its own right, as the first full-scale narrative history of our fair city. And it is a triumph. My history is not a novel, he says, but I have tried to use some of the storytelling techniques of a novel. As well he might: Desmond, 69, has a doctorate in American literature from New York University. I always said that when I retired, I was going to write a history of Buffalo, he says. So I started working on it with no idea at all how long it would take. The answer, so far, is five years. The first four volumes came out early this year. Two more are in the works. Desmond sees our regions history through the people who lived it as much as through the events of their times. It is an approach that makes the distant past come alive. You can almost smell the embers of Buffalos burning during the War of 1812. I didnt write this for an academic audience, Desmond says of the generously footnoted books, but I have made a real effort to document everything so that people who are interested in Buffalo history could look at the source material that I found and go deeper. Or check that things happened the way that I say they happened. There is room for lots of different points of view. "Main Street: The History of Buffalo" is the overarching title of the series, and each of the volumes stands on its own; they need not be read in chronological order. Out of the Wilderness: 1679-1814 tells the story of the Senecas and their encounters with the Europeans and African Americans who came to the Niagara Frontier. It begins with LaSalle, the French explorer, who built Le Griffon the first European-style ship to sail on the Upper Great Lakes on the Niagara River in 1679. It ends with the stoic heroism of Margaret St. John, the lone local to remain in town and preserve her house from fire as the British burned Buffalo. Out of the Ashes: 1814-1825 describes Buffalos growing from frontier outpost to Great Lakes port on the Erie Canal. It centers on two main themes: the resistance of the Seneca Nation to displacement by white settlers Red Jacket, the great Seneca leader, comes alive through his keen oratory and the politics that led to construction of the canal, with Buffalo chosen over Black Rock (a separate village at the time) as the canals terminus. Into the Whirlwind: 1825-1865 tells of the boom that followed the opening of the canal as Irish and German immigrants poured into the city. The citys small African American community helped get fugitive enslaved people to Canada, via the Underground Railroad, in the years leading up to the Civil War. The volume also tells of the death of Buffalos Bayard Wilkeson at Gettysburg, chronicled by the New York Times correspondent Sam Wilkeson his father. Into the Temple of Music: 1866-1901 relates how the rapid growth of trade and industry in Buffalo created fortunes that were built on the backs of cheap immigrant labor. It tells of how the wealthy built mansions along Delaware Avenue, and how Fredrick Law Olmsted built the treasure of Delaware Park. And it tells of how Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist laborer, assassinated President William McKinley at the Pan American Exposition. The next book begins with the tearing down of the Pan American Exposition, Desmond says. It covers the period from 1901 to 1939. I foresee that the book after that, from 1940 into the 1950s or 1960s, will be the end of my efforts. The fifth book, to be titled On a Rollercoaster: 1902-1939, is expected to come out in the fall. He had toyed with the idea of calling it Stormy Weather, as in the American standard by the Buffalo-born composer Harold Arlen. Stewart Desmond and I were classmates at Canisius High School, but somehow we didnt know each other well back then. Until we talked for this story, we hadnt spoken in more than 50 years, near as we can remember. I did sit next to Mike Desmond, Stewarts brother, in the Courier-Express newsroom an eon ago, when Mike and I worked as reporters there. Its Mike who tipped me off to his brothers ambitious project. I wasnt really understanding that a book is a big commitment, Stewart says, and six of them is a bigger commitment. But I am a maniac. I acknowledge that. He has lived in the same apartment in New Yorks Greenwich Village for 30 years and did much of his research for the Buffalo books at the New York Public Library. He also availed himself of the rich resources of the Buffalo History Museum, much of it online. Some of his research came from just walking around the city of his youth to see for himself the places where all of this history happened. When I go back to Buffalo, and I walk around, Im constantly taking notes, he says. The books are a lot about architecture. And Buffalo remains a good place for walking. Previous Buffalo histories have tended to be what I would call thematic, Desmond says. They are often very good, but theres a chapter on the railroads, and a chapter on the steel industry, and a chapter on the churches, and a chapter on the harbor. Whereas, in my head, I tried to take an approach on stories about people. After five years and soon-to be five books, can Stewart Desmond tell us who we are? What is a Buffalonian? I dont have the answer, but I have been thinking of things that are characteristic of Buffalo over the years. From very early in our history, being a Buffalonian has meant being used to disappointment. When Buffalo Harbor was being built in 1820, and it kept collapsing, I remember a writer saying, But the people of Buffalo are so used to disappointment that this did not prevent them from donating money to shore up the harbor. So I think this disappointment thing that recurs over and over in our history is what I would call resilience. So I would say the people of Buffalo are familiar with disappointment, but also with dealing with it. Please understand that Desmond is thinking in a context wider than Wide Right. If you are thinking of the biggest disappointment in Buffalo history, it is the Pan American Exposition, he says. It was gorgeous. It was beautiful. But it didnt draw a big attendance. It lost money. And, of course, then the president got shot. So the whole thing was kind of a disaster. But when it was over and the stockholders were told, Sorry, you are not getting any money back, we lost everything the people at the meeting were disappointed, but they said, OK. Its not really your fault. The death of the president and all. So they accepted it. Desmond chose Main Street for the series title because it is a pathway that both defines us and divides us. My family lived in Parkside; thats what I knew, he says. I knew how to get ... to Canisius High School, but I was totally ignorant of East Buffalo, of the Germans, of the Poles, of the African Americans. I call the whole thing Main Street because from my earliest childhood, I knew we didnt go across Main Street. Thats when I started to see how there has always been in Buffalo history this divide. I was ignorant about a whole lot of Buffalos history. So I made a serious effort to dig up diverse people who dont leave a trail like a Grover Cleveland might and show people that Buffalo, really from the first, was a diverse community with all kinds of people and ideas. I wanted to show what it was like for women in the 19th century. And African Americans. And Native Americans. And immigrants. Just to understand my city a little bit differently. My city? Stewart Desmond has been away for more than 40 years. It is always my city, he says. And I always think Ill be back someday. WHEN IT COMES to tracing the geography of global supply chains, few companies provide a better map than Foxconn , the worlds largest contract manufacturer. This year the Taiwanese giant has built or expanded factories in India, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam. The Chinese production sites once beloved by Western companies are firmly out of fashion. Souring relations between the governments in Washington and Beijing have made businesses increasingly fretful about geopolitical risks. As a consequence, in the first half of the year, Mexico and Canada traded more with America than China for the first time in almost two decades. The map of global trade is being redrawn. At first glance, this is almost exactly what is desired by Americas policymakers. Under first Donald Trump and then Joe Biden, officials have put in place an astonishing array of tariffs, rules and subsidiesan executive order introducing outbound investment screening, the latest sally, is expected soon. The aim is to weaken Chinas grip on sensitive industries and, in a motivation that mostly goes unspoken, prepare for a possible invasion of Taiwan. This attempt to de-risk" trade with China is the cornerstone of the White Houses foreign policy. Yet despite extensive efforts, and the reshaping of trade seemingly evident in headline statistics, much of the apparent de-risking is not what it appears. Instead of being slashed, trade links between America and China are enduringjust in more tangled forms. The American governments preferred trading partners include countries such as India, Mexico, Taiwan and Vietnam, in which it hopes to spur the friendshoring" of production to replace imports that previously would have come from China. And trade with these allies is rising fast: just 51% American imports from low-cost" Asian countries came from China last year, down from 66% when the Trump administrations first tariffs were introduced five years ago, according to Kearney, a consultancy. The problem is that trade between Americas allies and China is also rising, suggesting that they are often acting as packaging hubs for what, in effect, remain Chinese goods. This flow of products means that, although America may not be buying as much directly from China as before, the two countries economies still rely on each other. View Full Image ... For evidence, look at the countries that benefit from reduced direct Chinese trade with America. Research by Caroline Freund of the University of California, San Diego and co-authors investigates this dynamic. It finds that countries which had the strongest trade relationships with China in a given industry have been the greatest beneficiaries of the redirection of trade, suggesting that deep Chinese supply chains still matter enormously to America. This is even truer in categories that include the advanced-manufacturing products where American officials are keenest to limit Chinas presence. When it comes to these goods, Chinas share of American imports declined by 14 percentage points between 2017 and 2022, whereas those from Taiwan and Vietnamcountries that import heavily from Chinagained the greatest market share. In short, Chinese activity is still vital to the production of even the most sensitive products. Exactly how the re-routing works in practice differs across countries and industries. A few products can be sourced only in China. These include some processed rare earths and metals where Chinese companies dominate entire industries, such as the gallium used in chip production and the lithium processed for electric-vehicle batteries. Sometimes exports to America and the rest of the West from their allies are nothing more than Chinese products that have been repackaged to avoid tariffs. Most often, though, inputs are simply mechanical or electrical parts that could be found elsewhere at greater cost by an assiduous importer, but are cheaper and more plentiful in China. Pass the parcel All three types of phony decoupling can be found in Chinas backyard. The latest official data, published in 2018, concerning exports by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional club, show that 7% by value were actually attributable to some form of production in Chinaa figure that is probably an underestimate given how difficult it is to disentangle trade. Fresher data suggest that China has only grown in importance since then. The country has increased its share of exports to the bloc in 69 of 97 product categories monitored by ASEAN. Electronic exports, the largest category, which covers everything from batteries and industrial furnaces to hair clippers, have exploded. In the first six months of the year Chinese sales of these goods in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam rose to $49bn, up by 80% compared with five years ago. There is a similar pattern in foreign direct investment, where Chinese spending in crucial South-East Asian countries has overtaken Americas. View Full Image .. Factories farther afield are also humming with Chinese activity, perhaps most notably in the car industry. In Mexico the National Association of Autopart Makers, a lobby group, has reported that last year 40% of nearshoring investment came from sites moving to the country from China. A rich supply of intermediate goods is duly following. In the past year Chinese companies exported $300m a month in parts to Mexico, more than twice the amount they managed five years ago. In central and eastern Europe, where the car industry has boomed in recent years, phony decoupling is even more conspicuous. In 2018 China provided just 3% of automotive parts brought into the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania. Since then, Chinese imports have surged, thanks to the rapid adoption of electric vehicles, of which the country increasingly dominates production. China now provides 10% of all car parts imported into central and eastern Europe, more than any other country outside the EU. View Full Image How-America-is-failing-to-break-up-with-China Tighter trade links between Americas allies and China are the paradoxical result of Americas desire for weaker ones. Companies panicked by worsening relations across the Pacific are pursuing China plus one" strategies, keeping some production in the worlds second-largest economy, while moving the rest to countries, such as Vietnam, that are friendlier to Uncle Sam. Yet American demand for final products from allies also tends to boost demand for Chinese intermediate inputs, and produces incentives for Chinese firms to operate and export from alternative locations. Although Apple, the worlds largest company by market capitalisation, has moved production outside China in recent years, this comes with a caveat: much of the production still relies on Chinese companies. The tech giant lists 25 producers in Vietnam on its official suppliers list. Nine are from mainland China. How concerning should this state of affairs be to American policymakers? In the worst casea war in which supplies of goods between China and America are almost completely severeddealing only indirectly with China or with Chinese firms on the soil of third countries is probably an improvement on Chinese production. Moreover, companies are adapting to security rules so as to reduce costs for consumers. But that carries its own risks: a belief that decoupling is under way may obscure just how critical Chinese production remains to American supply chains. The fact that so much production in Asia, Mexico and parts of Europe ultimately relies on imports and investment from China helps explain why so many governments, particularly in Asia, are at best fair-weather friends to America, at least when it comes to shifting supply chains. After all, if forced to choose sides once and for all, exporters would suffer mightily. A recent study by researchers at the IMF models a scenario in which countries must pick between America and China, with their decision on which of the two superpowers to side with decided by recent voting patterns at the UN. Such a scenario, the researchers calculate, would reduce GDP by as much as 4.7% for the worst-affected countries. Those in South-East Asia would be struck particularly hard. Frenemies Given that most countries are desperate for the investment and employment that trade brings, America has been unable to convince its allies to reduce Chinas role in their supply chains. Many are content to play both sidesreceiving Chinese investment and intermediate goods, and exporting finished products to America and the rest of the West. Ironically, then, the process driving America and China apart in trade and investment may actually be forging stronger financial and commercial connections between China and Americas allies. Needless to say, that is not what President Biden had in mind. 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com Speaking in the discussion on the no-confidence motion against the government, Home Minister Amit Shah Wednesday said the Opposition move is politically motivated" and is brought only to create a delusion". He also questioned the character of the Opposition alliance, saying its true face was seen when it indulged in corruption to save its governments. The Prime Minister has given new hope to the poor of this country. Nowhere in this country is there a whiff of no-confidence. There is not a no-confidence in the PM and this government in the country. People have complete faith in PM. This no-confidence motion has been brought only to create a delusion.... This no-confidence motion is politically motivated," ANI reported quoting the home minister as saying. The home minister further said that after independence, it is the only Modi led-government which has won the trust of the most people in the country. Shah said Prime Minister Modi is the most popular leader who works tirelessly for the welfare of people. After Independence, PM Modi's govt is the only one which won the trust of most of the people. PM Modi is the most popular leader among the public...PM Modi works tirelessly for the people of the country. He works continuously for 17 hours a day, without taking a single leave. People trust him", the Home Minister said in the House. Speaking on thenortheast, the home minister said the previous governments have not done anything for the northeast. Prime Minister Modi has brought all-round development in the region," he said. Speaking on Manipur he said as a society we are ashamed of incidents of violence in Manipur. We are pained at incidents of violence in Manipur," he said. On Kashmir, the minister said 40,000 people have lost lives in Kashmir; we have now improved the situation. Article 370 was result of wrong policy of former PM Nehru and prime minister Modi took historic decision to completely merge J-K with India." He further said, We will not hold talks with Pakistan, Hurriyat, Jamiat but only with the youth of Kashmir." He said that this no-confidence motion will show the real character of the Opposition in the country. "The character of political parties and alliances is revealed in such times of crises. UPA's character is to indulge in corruption to save the government by hook or by crook, while the BJP-led NDA's character is to stand up to the principles," PTI reported quoting Shah as saying. The home minister said when then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee faced a no-trust vote in 1999, he chose to step down instead of indulging in corruption to save his government but when in 1993, then prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao had to faced a no-confidence motion, the Congress chose to remain in power by hook or by crook. "Narasimha Rao won the trust vote, but Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) members had to go to jail. Later, Narasimha Rao also went to jail... today, the Congress and the JMM are sitting in the opposition in the Lok Sabha," he said. "In 2008, Manmohan (Singh) ji brought the confidence motion, this House saw its most disgraceful moments when MPs were bribed in crores of rupees and the government was saved. This is the character of the UPA," the home minister said. Shah said opposition parties do not have confidence in the government, but the people of the nation think otherwise. "Post independence, if the nation has confidence in any leader, it is Narendra Modi who was elected twice with complete majority. After 30 years, people elected a full majority government," the PTI quoted the home minister as saying. Do you know who Hugh McCulloch was? Dont feel bad. Almost no one else remembers him either. Yet here in Americas hidebound capital, where power sometimes takes the shape of a rectangular gilded frame, two federal agencies are squabbling over the 143-year-old portrait of a long-dead public servant so obscure hes more like Who McCulloch to Americans today. In a drawn-out turf battlea canvas battle, actuallyboth claim to be the rightful owners of the only known portrait of McCulloch. The painting currently hangs in a third-floor hallway at the Treasury Department, which might seem fair enough. McCulloch was a two-time Treasury secretary. Not fair at all, says the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, an independent agency within the Treasury that occupies a separate building a mile and a half away. McCulloch was appointed during the Lincoln administration as the nations first comptroller of the currency, and was best known for creating a national currency that helped to bankroll the Union in the Civil War. More than three decades ago, the OCC says, it lent the portrait to Treasury. Since then, despite the OCCs pleas, Treasury wont give it back. Treasury is in charge of federal borrowing, but for the OCC, this loan is long overdue. Current acting Comptroller Michael Hsu and his staff want the painting returned, people familiar with their thinking said, although they havent said so publicly. Hsu, after all, is a career federal employee who got his current job thanks to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Social media and streaming content may rule supreme these days, but in Washington, portraits are still a big deal. Paintings of committee chairmen adorn congressional hearing rooms. The president gets at least twothe official portrait in the White House and another in the National Portrait Gallery. They also can cause partisan bickering. Earlier this year, after Republicans took control of the House Ways and Means Committee, a painting of former Rep. Charles Rangel (D., N.Y.) disappeared from the hearing-room walls. Others, including William McKinley (R., Ohio)a Ways and Means guy before he won the presidencyappeared. Democrats were concerned, said one House Democratic aide. Rangel was the committees first and only Black chairman. A House Republican aide said the portraits needed refurbishing and cleaning. Rangel reappeared. Charlies back where he belongs," says Rep. Gwen Moore, a Wisconsin Democrat. Alls well that ends well." Political portraits are a very effective tool for conveying power," says art historian Alba Campo Rosillo. She describes the portrait of McCulloch as typical of the dark palette used in the late 19th century, where the sobriety of the chromatic choices spoke to the moral rectitude of the sitter." Unfortunately for the OCC, theres apparently only one original portrait of McCulloch. It was painted by George Peter Alexander Healy, a famous 19th century portraitist. His 1868 painting called The Peacemakers"of Lincoln and the Union high commandstill hangs in the White House. The wall of the comptrollers office is adorned with paintings of recent comptrollers, but the one of the nations first is just a copy. Former comptrollers and their staffers say they lent the original of McCulloch to Treasury before the departments bicentennial in the late 1980s, and that when the Treasury staff turned over between the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, the department reneged on a promise to return it. Sure, well bring it back when the celebration is over," Bob Clarke, comptroller during those two administrations, recalls being told by a former top Treasury official. I made a terrible mistake, of course, by not getting it in writing." Former Comptroller Clarke and his successors through different administrations have attempted to get the painting returned. Their entreaties were ignored or met with evasive responses, said Jesse Stiller, a former historian for the OCC. In 1999, Comptroller of the Currency Jerry Hawke pressed Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin to return McCulloch. The portrait, he wrote in a letter, had been a part of the OCC since it was unveiled in 1881, and when the OCC moved out of the Treasury building to LEnfant Plaza in 1974, the portrait moved with the agency." A few weeks later, an assistant to Rubin responded that the department had paid $500 for the McCulloch portrait in 1881, so it was rightfully theirs. (Today, comptrollers portraits cost much moretypically between $30,000 and $40,000. They are paid for after a comptroller leaves office by the American Bankers Association, an industry group.) Former OCC officials say who paid for it is irrelevant because, at the time, Treasury paid for all of the comptrollers nonexamination expenses. Treasury had no intention of breaking up its collection of fine and decorative arts," the departments then chief financial officer, Nancy Killefer, wrote to Hawke, because it was small and needed to be shared among a large number of executive offices and members of the public who tour the building." Former Comptroller Hawke, who died last year, was still bristling about McCulloch at the unveiling of his own portrait in 2006. The next time they have a fire at the Treasury, you ought to send a team in" to grab back the old painting, he joked at an unveiling ceremony, according to the American Banker publication. About a decade ago, the staff for Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry asked to display the McCulloch painting during the OCCs 150th anniversary. Treasury officials again said they had no plans to break up their complete collection of Treasury secretary portraits, and they also reminded the OCC staff that they were just a bureau of the Treasury, according to former regulatory officials. Joseph Otting, the last Senate-confirmed comptroller of the currency, joked with his staff that the original portrait was rightfully theirs, and we should go get it," according to former aides. Senior OCC officials, when visiting the Treasury for meetings, also joked about running off with the original. But Treasurys views about the painting havent changed, an agency official said. So for now, Treasury is still the controller of the comptrollers portrait. The Thai coffee industry is growing rapidly, with the market expected to reach $2.4 billion by 2027. The growth of the industry is being driven by a number of factors, including the increasing popularity of specialty coffee in Thailand, the growing number of coffee shops and roasters in Thailand, and the increasing awareness of the health benefits of coffee. Thai coffee is gaining a reputation for its unique flavor profiles. The beans have a fruity, floral flavor that is different from coffee beans from other countries. Thai farmers are increasingly adopting sustainable farming practices, which is good for the environment and for the quality of the coffee. Moreover, Thai coffee is also becoming more popular in international markets, which is a good sign for the future of the industry. Monberry Coffee is a Thai coffee company that was founded in 2001 by Mon Matushum. The company is based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and it is committed to producing high-quality coffee beans that are grown and roasted sustainably. Monberry Coffee beans are grown in the fertile highlands of Chiang Mai, where the ideal climate and soil conditions produce a unique flavor profile that is both complex and smooth. The beans are then roasted to perfection in Monberry Coffees state-of-the-art roastery, using a method that brings out the natural sweetness and acidity of the beans. The result is a cup of coffee that is truly unique and unforgettable. Monberry Coffee beans are available in a variety of roasts, from light to dark, to suit all tastes. The company also offers a variety of coffee drinks, including espresso, lattes, and cappuccinos. In addition to its commitment to quality, Monberry Coffee is also committed to sustainability and social responsibility. The company sources its beans from certified organic farms, and it works with local farmers to ensure that they are paid a fair price for their beans. Monberry Coffee is also a member of the Rainforest Alliance, an organization that promotes sustainable coffee production. If you are looking for a truly special cup of coffee, then you need to try Monberry Coffee. The companys beans are grown, roasted, and brewed with care, and the result is a cup of coffee that is sure to please. Maehong Son Coffee Trade Association (MCTA) is a group of coffee farmers and roasters in Maehong Son province. They are dedicated to promoting Thai coffee and to improving the quality of coffee production in the region. MCTA organizes coffee workshops, attends events such as the Thai Tourism Festival, and creates promotional materials such as posters and booklets. They are also working to develop new coffee varieties that are better suited to the climate of Maehong Son. Maehong Son is the most remote of the three regions, but it is also home to some of the most unique and flavorful coffee in Thailand. The climate in Maehong Son is cooler than that of Chiang Mai and Phayao, which results in a more acidic coffee. The soil in Maehong Son is also unique, as it is rich in minerals that give the coffee a distinctive flavor. MCTA is a valuable resource for Thai coffee farmers and roasters. They provide training and support, and they help to connect farmers and roasters with buyers. MCTA is also working to raise awareness of Thai coffee in international markets. Phayao Coffee Roaster is a new coffee company that was founded just a few years ago. They focus on producing high-quality coffee beans that are roasted to perfection. They also experiment with different flavor combinations, such as yuzu coffee and coffee with fruits. Phayao Coffee is passionate about the growth of the Thai coffee industry, and they are committed to making Thai coffee a global success. Phayao is a relatively new player in the Thai coffee industry, but the region is quickly gaining a reputation for producing high-quality coffee. The climate in Phayao is similar to that of Chiang Mai, with warm days and cool nights. The soil in Phayao is also similar to that of Chiang Mai, as it is rich in nutrients and drains well. Phayao Coffee Roaster is a creative and innovative company that is shaking up the Thai coffee industry. They are not afraid to experiment with new flavors and techniques, and they are always looking for ways to improve the coffee experience. Phayao Coffee is a rising star in the Thai coffee industry, and they are sure to make a big impact in the years to come. Conclusion Thailand coffee industry is on the rise, and it is poised to become a major player in the global coffee market. The government is supportive, and businesses and farmers are taking advantage of the opportunities that the industry has to offer. The future of Thai coffee looks bright. In addition to the factors mentioned in the article, the growth of the Thai coffee industry is also being driven by the increasing number of tourists visiting Thailand. Tourists are often exposed to Thai coffee during their visits, and they often take home a taste of Thailand with them by purchasing Thai coffee beans or coffee products. This exposure to Thai coffee is helping to create a demand for Thai coffee in international markets. Thai government is also supporting the growth of the coffee industry by providing subsidies to coffee farmers and by investing in research and development. The government is also working to promote Thai coffee in international markets. These efforts are helping to create a favorable environment for the growth of the Thai coffee industry. The future of the Thai coffee industry looks bright. The industry is well-positioned to succeed in the years to come due to the increasing demand for coffee, the growing number of coffee shops and roasters in Thailand, and the governments support for the industry. I believe that Thai coffee has the potential to be a global success, and I am excited to see how the industry continues to grow in the years to come. A Texas man was indicted on multiple charges of rape and sexual abuse of a child under the age of 13 in the Village of Orchard Park, the Erie County District Attorneys Office said Wednesday. James Q. Carollo, 28, of Crosby, Texas, was arrested in mid-July and was returned to Western New York on Aug. 1. He was indicted last week before State Supreme Court Justice Amy C. Martoche on multiple felony charges two counts of first-degree rape, one count of first-degree sexual abuse, six counts of second-degree sexual act and one count of second-degree strangulation. He was also charged with a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child. Authorities accused Carollo of forcibly engaging in sexual intercourse with the child described as being under the age of 13 on multiple occasions between Jan. 1, 2019 and Oct. 31, 2022. The reported incidents took place in the Village of Orchard Park. On one occasion, Carollo is accused of obstructing the breathing or blood circulation of the same child by placing his hands on the victims throat, the DAs Office said in a statement. Carollo, who waived extradition from Texas, was held without bail at the Erie County Holding Center. A temporary order of protection was issued on behalf of the victim and the victims mother. He was scheduled to return before State Supreme Court Justice Deborah A. Haendiges at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 23. The case was investigated by Town of Orchard Park police, including Detective Darryl Purucker and the Harris County Sheriffs Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant DA Meredith M. Mohun of the Special Victims/Domestic Violence Bureau. A group of midwives and doctors on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging what they described as Alabamas de facto ban on freestanding birth centers by requiring the facilities be licensed as hospitals Police in the suburb of Lenexa, Kansas, say a Tennessee man fled from police along Interstate 35 in what officers believed was a stolen car. Tens of thousands still without power after deadly storms as a new wave of severe weather and flooding hits Greyson Woods of North Tonawanda cant help but attract attention. Supermarkets, amusement parks, restaurants. Wherever he goes, perfect strangers stop in their tracks to look at him. When we go out in public, people want pictures with him, his mother Angel Zawadzki said. Id say hes like a little Western New York celebrity. Thats life when youre a 2-year-old with a mullet. Baby Joe Dirt Greysons nickname inspired by the David Spade movie has made it to the final round of the Mullet Champ 2023 Kids Mullet Digital Contest. Hes among 25 kids ages 1 to 12 competing for a $5,000 prize and the title of the nations best kids mullet. Even before Greyson was born, he had a full head of hair, Zawadzki said. He had so much hair, it was visible on Zawadzkis 25-week sonogram when she was pregnant. He was born with a full head of thick hair and by the time Greyson was 4 months old, his hair was long enough to put in a ponytail. Greyson got his first haircut the mullet when he was 18 months old, Zawadzki said. His haircut was chosen for him when he was like 2 months old, she said. Now, the mullet is part of Greyson and he knows he has a unique haircut. He gets upset when family members joke about cutting it, Zawadzki said. His light brown hair encapsulates the mullet motto business in the front, party in the back. Cut short in the front, Greysons hair flows down his back ending in delicate baby curls. To maintain his style, Greyson gets his hair cut about every six weeks at the Gentlemens Club barber shop in North Tonawanda. If the time ever comes when Greyson wants to change up his look, his mom says it will be his decision. But, it will definitely take some time to get used to, dad Mike Woods said. I cant picture him without a mullet, Woods said. Its not gonna be Greyson without it. Hes had a mullet like literally his whole life. His older siblings, Jayden, 8, and Juliana, 6, like their brothers mullet. Jayden used to have a mullet, too, and might grow one again, he said. Zawadzki said she entered her son in the mullet contest just for fun. She never imagined Greyson would make it this far. We didnt think we were even going to get to the second round, she said. But Ive been shocked to see how many people have supported us on Facebook and everything like that. Its pretty cool. Voting for the mullet competition is open until Friday. People can vote for their favorite mullet once per day. Voters can also donate money to the charity Jared Allens Homes for Wounded Warriors in a contestants name. After voting closes, judges score each mullet. The score, number of votes and donation totals are combined to determine the winner. To vote for Greyson, go to mulletchamp.com/kids_and_teens/greyson-woods-baby-joe-dirt. Family and friends of a Longford man battling an aggressive form of throat cancer are hoping a major fundraising campaign will enable them to fly him to Mexico for potentially life saving treatment. Father of five Johnny Maguire was given the heartbreaking news he had Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma weeks after initially believing his symptoms were linked to a severe case of tonsillitis. Upon closer inspection, doctors found the former St Mel's student had a sizable tumour from his nose to the back of his throat. Given the intrusive nature of his condition, a decision was taken to seek alternative treatment in Mexico in a bid to ensure Johnny is there for his partner and five children. A Gofundme page, fittingly named 'Johnny's Journey to Recovery' has so far raised over 16,000. However, with time very much against them, many of Johnny's close friends and family have organised a number of events over the coming weeks to try and fast-track their fundraising drive. Gardai probe second car theft in Longford inside 48 hours Gardai have begun an investigation after a car was stolen in south Longford overnight. A motorbike run, starting at Longford's N4 Axis Centre to the Kinnegad Plaza in Co Westmeath with a number heading onto the Sally Gap in Wicklow, was held on Saturday morning as part of that quest. Dozens of bikers turned out to throw their weight behind the campaign, despite the indifferent weather conditions. Stephen Guy, who together with his wife Jenna, organised Saturday's fundraiser, said the whole community were behind his friend's battle for survival. Id know Johnny down through the years through a mutual friend, he said. Hes a man with a young family and if you can help out youll do anything you can. Johnny's sister, Marie, who flew home from Australia after setting up the GoFundMe page, said the focus was very much on acceleraing the 38-year-old's surivial hopes. That's what we are trying to do, raise as much as we can as quickly as we can, she said. Johnny's in good form and we had a movie night last night (Sunday). Marie has been in almost daily contact with doctors from the Hope4Cancer Hospital in Playas de Tijuana in Mexico where the family are hoping Johnny will be able to undergo his treatment. Marie said the money raised will allow her to travel alongside her brother to Mexico while also offsetting the costs for Johnnys alternative immunotherapy treatment. He is a young man with a young family and we are all right behind him, she added. *As part of 'Johnny's Journey to Recovery', a 'Battle of the DJs' will take place this Friday night (August 11) in Longford's Spiral Tree Nightclub from 9pm. To donate to the online GoFundMe appeal, simply follow the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/pkm78q-johnnys-journey-to-recovery A defendant in the grip of serious alcohol addiction was warned of the consequence of coming back before District Court Judge Bernadette Owens at Longford District Court. Ann Murphy of 10 St Michael's Court, Longford came before the court on a number of public order and theft charges. The most recent charges for the defendant was that on April 30, 2023 at Ambulance Station, Mount Carmel, Dublin Road, Longford she engaged in threatening or abusive behaviour, on February 18, 2023 at Lidl, Dublin Rd, Longford she stole steak and wine to the value of 18.68. There were eight other public intoxication charges between September '22 and July 23, and five other charges of theft, public order and failing to keep a court appointment. Solicitor Frank Gearty said his client has previously endeavoured to deal with her addiction issues and is awaiting a place in Cluain Mhuire. The solicitor said the defendant was entering a plea of guilty to all charges. Ann has serious problems she must address, Mr Gearty said. Sergeant Mark Mahon told the judge the defendant has 25 previous convictions; 16 for public order and six for theft. Mr Gearty said: Ann appreciates that the court has been good to her. She will continue her efforts to address her issues. Judge Bernadette Owens acknowledged the defendant was a person of tragedy in the grip of serious alcohol addiction. The judge sentenced her to serve a two month sentence for the April public order offence, and a consecutive two month sentence for the February theft charge, both were suspended. The period of suspension was 12 months and 18 months, all other matters were taken into consideration. The judge concluded by saying: If she comes before me on a public order or bail issue she will be remanded in custody. If she is then convicted any suspended sentences will be invoked. Over the next two weekends Edgeworthstown lad Setanta Flood will have the opportunity to show the astonishing breadth of his artistic abilities as he performs on two national stages. Backstage Youth Theatre has a good track record for developing talent. Over the years the local drama collective have furnished The National Youth Theatre with young actors for their bi-annual programme. The National Youth Theatre (NYT) is a biennial event that sees 20 young people from youth theatres across Ireland working together for a year. This year BYT member Setanta Flood will participate in the exciting programme. The 2023 National Youth Theatre director Niall Cleary and playwright Eimear Hussey are working with an ensemble of sixteen young actors and four young designers to create a new play about dance, care, and agency. The play, 'Like We Were Born To Move!', will debut on the Peacock Stage of the Abbey theatre next week. When Setanta spoke to the Leader about his involvement in the show last week it was still at the rehearsal stage. We are in Cork for the last three weeks, the young actor said as he took a break from the rehearsals taking place in Graffiti Theatre, Cork. We are just getting to know the play, going through it scene by scene. Next week we head up to Dublin for our tech week. After that we take to the Peacock Stage of the Abbey Theatre, the talented young performer said. Such chances for young performers to show their capabilities on a national stage are rare: It's absolutely amazing. It is great to be able to work with new people. It can get stressful. You have to mentally prepare yourself as well. I have worked with some of the people in the play before over the last few years. Working on a professional level has been incredible, and of course getting the chance to perform in the Abbey Theatre. Setanta comes from a family steeped in music and drama. His father is a musician, his aunt lectures in drama and his grandmother has written plays, acted and is a driving force in the Longford traditional music circuit: We are very involved in Irish music and theatre, he said. Over the weekend Setanta was participating in Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann 2023. His band, Ril Og, consisting of Dylan Hanly (Accordion), Tomas Mulligan (Banjo & Fiddle) and Setanta (Bodhran & Guitar) played the Arts Centre in Mullingar. He says he has equal passion for both disciplines: Before I was probably leaning more toward music, but in the last few years drama has probably taken over, but where drama goes music will follow. The preview of 'Like We Were Born To Move!' is on Monday August 14, with the opening night scheduled for Wednesday, August 16 and the show will run to Sunday, August 19 on the Peacock Stage at the Abbey Theatre. Local authority officials are to be pressed into installing further traffic calming measures in a north Longford village following a recent spate of road traffic collisions. Drumlish village has, according to local Cllr Paraic Brady, been the scene of a number of road accidents over the past few months. The latest, involving two cars at a crossroads in the village, took place last month in an incident which prompted the Fine Gael councillor to table a notice of motion at last week's meeting of Granard Municipal District. Cllr Brady had initially sought additional measures to be put in place to address speeding concerns which, he said, was a huge issue. The Fine Gael local politician said while he was satisfied by the promise that three new stop signs would be installed, further measures were still needed. I do welcome that (stop sign additions) but more has to be done, he said, when addressing the response given at the meeting. There seems to be a real need for more to be done for the entire area of Drumlish in relation to speed and traffic calming. Crime By Long Island Published: August 08 2023 Man Gets 13 Years for Shooting After Lost Puppy Argument. Tyriek Corbin, a resident of Mastic, found himself facing a 13-year prison sentence following a verdict delivered by the Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, August 8. Corbin was found guilty by a jury for his involvement in a shooting incident that unfolded in August 2022. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office, the altercation took place on August 14, 2022, when Corbin engaged in a heated dispute with two individuals inside a vehicle. The victims were in the midst of searching for a missing French Bulldog puppy along Lockwood Drive in Shirley. The confrontation rapidly escalated, leading Corbin to retreat into a nearby residence. Disturbingly, he reemerged brandishing a loaded firearm. In a shocking turn of events, Corbin discharged several rounds at the departing victims' vehicle as they attempted to flee the scene. Miraculously, neither of the victims sustained injuries, although their vehicle bore the scars of the encounter with three bullet holes. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney expressed his disbelief at the situation, stating, "The fact that this defendant fired shots on a residential street following a discussion about the search for a lost puppy, is incomprehensible and will not be tolerated here in Suffolk County." Tierney further emphasized the reckless nature of Corbin's actions, highlighting the potential for serious harm or even loss of life resulting from his violent act. The consequences of his actions caught up with him, and the court's ruling dictates that Corbin will spend a considerable amount of time incarcerated as a result. Following a thorough legal process, a Suffolk County jury reached a verdict on April 11, 2023, finding Corbin guilty of possessing a weapon, classified as a violent felony. In conjunction with his prison term, the presiding judge mandated an additional five years of post-release supervision for Corbin. This multifaceted approach to his sentencing underscores the seriousness of his offense and aims to deter any future recurrence of such behavior. Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Genovese Family Captains NICHOLAS CALISI and RALPH BALSAMO, Genovese Family Soldiers MICHAEL MESSINA and JOHN CAMPANELLA, and Genovese Family Associates MICHAEL POLI and THOMAS POLI were sentenced by U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl following their earlier guilty pleas to racketeering conspiracy. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: La Cosa Nostra and its various Families are criminal organizations that prey on the public. These sentences demonstrate that those who seek to enrich themselves through allegiance to such organizations will face not only jail time but also real financial consequences. According to the Superseding Indictment, the defendants statements when pleading guilty, and statements made in related court filings and proceedings: The Genovese Organized Crime Family is part of a nationwide criminal organization known by various names, including La Cosa Nostra (LCN) and the Mafia, which operates through entities known as Families. Like other LCN Families, the Genovese Organized Crime Family operates through groups of individuals known as crews. Each crew has as its leader a person known as a Captain and consists of made members, known as Soldiers. Soldiers are aided in their criminal endeavors by other trusted individuals, known as associates, who sometimes are referred to as connected or identified as with a Soldier or other member of the Family. Associates participate in the various activities of the crew and its members. In order for an associate to become a made member of the Family, the associate typically needs to demonstrate the ability to generate income for the Family and/or that the associate is capable of committing acts of violence. A Captain is responsible for supervising the criminal activities of his crew, resolving disputes between and among members of the Family, resolving disputes between members of the Family and members of other Families and other criminal organizations, and providing Soldiers and associates with support and protection. In return, the Captain typically receives a share of the illegal earnings of each of his crews Soldiers and associates. At times relevant to the charges in the Superseding Indictment, NICHOLAS CALISI and RALPH BALSAMO were Captains in the Genovese Family, MICHAEL MESSINA and JOHN CAMPANELLA were Soldiers in the Genovese Family, and MICHAEL POLI and THOMAS POLI were associates of the Genovese Family. Members of the Genovese Family, including CALISI, BALSAMO, MESSINA, and CAMPANELLA, and associates MICHAEL POLI and THOMAS POLI, engaged in extortionate extensions of credit, financing extortionate extensions of credit, collecting extensions of credit by extortion, extortion, operating illegal gambling businesses, and the transmission of gambling information. * * * CALISI, 64, of Boca Raton, Florida, was sentenced principally to two years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to forfeit $40,000. BALSAMO, 52, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced principally to 34 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to forfeit $20,000. MESSINA, 70, of New Fairfield, Connecticut, was sentenced principally to 18 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to forfeit $200,000. CAMPANELLA, 48, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced principally to 13 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to forfeit $40,000. MICHAEL POLI, 38, of Hawthorne, New York, was sentenced principally to 31 months in prison, three years of supervised release, ordered to forfeit $175,000, and ordered to pay a $15,000 fine. THOMAS POLI, 65, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced principally to 22 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to forfeit $200,000. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Office of the New York Attorney Generals Organized Crime Task Force and the Kings County District Attorneys Office and thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation for its assistance in this investigation. The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Offices Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Celia V. Cohen, Rushmi Bhaskaran, and Justin Rodriguez, as well as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela Murray, are in charge of the prosecution. Local News By Chris Boyle Published: August 09 2023 LED Lights Reduce Energy Use, Lower Carbon Emissions and Improve Community Safety. Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that New York State has achieved its goal of replacing 500,000 streetlights with energy-efficient SMART LED fixtures throughout the state through the Smart Street Lighting NY program. The ongoing installation of nearly 4,000 streetlights throughout the Town of Ramapo, financed and implemented by the New York Power Authority, achieved New Yorks goal of replacing 500,000 streetlights with LED technology nearly three years ahead of the programs scheduled goal of the end of 2025. The program directly supports the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the most aggressive clean energy law in the nation, through the increased use of energy efficiency by participating municipalities to annually reduce their electricity demand by three percentequivalent to 1.8 million New York householdsby 2025. State and local officials joined together in Ramapo today to celebrate the program milestone with the replacement of the 500,000th streetlight in the state with an LED fixture. New York is making incredible progress towards our climate agenda every day, and the latest example is the completion of the Smart Street Lighting NY program nearly three years ahead of schedule, Governor Hochul said. This common-sense program saves municipalities money and curbs statewide electricity use, and I urge New York communities to continue to work with state partners to advance energy-efficient upgrades. Smart Street Lighting NY, and its goal to replace 500,000 streetlights with LED fixtures, was announced by then-Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul in 2018 and has been administered by the New York Power Authority. The New York State Public Service Commission has directly supported the program by facilitating the sale of streetlights from electric utilities to municipalities across the state. New York Power Authority President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said, Municipalities across the state have been participating in the Smart Street Lighting NY program because it is among the most effective ways to upgrade critical energy infrastructure, save tax-payer dollars, and increase municipal energy efficiency. The Power Authority has partnered with more than 130 municipalities throughout New York to achieve the states goal of replacing 500,000 streetlights with LED fixturesan incredible achievement that has significantly reduced New Yorks electricity use. Im especially proud of NYPAs role in leading this effort working with municipalities across the state. Public Service Commission Chair Rory M. Christian said, New York has long-encouraged municipalities to reduce their energy usage and demonstrate climate leadership. Implementing LED street-lighting options can play an important role in helping the State achieve its clean-energy goals in support of New Yorks nation-leading clean energy initiatives. Ramapo, which partnered with NYPA to install nearly 4,000 streetlights, has thus far completed the first phase of the project, which consisted of replacing more than 1,300 town-owned streetlights with energy-saving LED fixtures. As part of the towns $5 million street lighting upgrade, 2,500 additional LED streetlights will be newly installed by spring 2024. In total, the project will further improve town safety and reduce the towns greenhouse gas emissions. The town will benefit from a new asset management system to monitor and control the entire streetlight system, providing diming options and outage reporting. Albany, Utica, Rochester, Syracuse, White Plains, and others have already converted to LED streetlights in collaboration with NYPA. Town of Ramapo Town Supervisor Michael Specht said, We are thrilled to witness the successful completion of the first phase of our smart streetlight project. The positive impact of these modern streetlights on our community has been remarkable, and we are excited to embark on the next phase to further leverage technology for the betterment of our town. Smart Street Lighting NY: Energy Efficient and Economically Advantageous NYPA is working with cities, towns, villages and counties throughout New York to fully manage and implement a customers transition to LED streetlight technology. NYPA provides upfront financing for the project, with payments to NYPA made in the years following from the cost-savings created by the reduced energy use of the LED streetlights, which are 50 to 65 percent more efficient than alternative street lighting options. Through this statewide street lighting program, the Power Authoritys government customers are provided a wide array of lighting options to help meet their individual needs, including specifications on the lights to incorporate SMART technology, which can be used for dozens of other functions, such as cameras and other safety features, weather sensors, and energy meters. To further advance the states effort to replace existing New York streetlights, in 2020, NYPA launched a new maintenance service to provide routine and on-call maintenance services for LED street lighting fixtures installed by NYPA throughout the state. The new service is available to municipalities that have engaged the Power Authority to implement a LED street lighting conversion and have elected to install an asset management controls system on their street lighting system, reducing the number of failures and repairs needed after installation is complete. To learn more about the Smart Street Lighting NY program, visit the program webpage on NYPAs website. New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan New York State's nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York's unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $33 billion in 102 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting nearly 158,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2020, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings. About NYPA NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the nation, operating 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80 percent of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower. NYPA uses no tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. For more information visit www.nypa.gov and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagra m, Tumblr and LinkedIn. heres a hard and unavoidable bottom line as school districts are called to pay up for abuses revealed under the state Child Victims Act: The costs of settling these cases must not come out of pockets that penalize todays students. Inevitably, that requires a role for Albany. The question is how to shape that role. As much as possible, school districts should resolve their own lawsuits without undermining the urgent mission of preparing children for life as productive adults. That will be easier for larger districts than smaller ones but, either way, state government will have to help, possibly with increased foundation aid. The answer is not the proposed $200 million state fund to help public schools and voluntary foster care agencies cover the cost of resolving CVA lawsuits, as some well-intentioned legislators might prefer. That bill is stalled in the State Legislature more than a year after it was introduced, and for good reason: It could release insurance carriers from responsibility while inappropriately influencing the settlement negotiations. It could also lead to larger settlement requests. To be sure, those who were victimized should be compensated. As children, they were horribly wronged by adults they trusted. It is essential not to compound the evil done years ago. Some area districts have reached lawsuit settlements requiring payments of $1 million or more. In the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda district, accusations against one former teacher led to several dozen lawsuits and settlements totaling more than $17 million. Arthur F. Werner, a former social studies teacher was accused of blatant, repeated abuse of students in his classroom. But according to Julia M. Hilliker, a lawyer who represents school districts in this litigation, quite a number of school districts have pending CVA claims that are uninsured. A Buffalo News review of court filings found that in the eight counties of Western New York, just over 200 CVA lawsuits were filed against public school districts, private schools and former school employees. About 180 of those complaints named public schools. Forty-eight of them were against the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda district, while Buffalo faced 24 CVA lawsuits. In Niagara County, the Niagara Falls City School District faces 23 lawsuits. It is a particularly difficult situation for smaller districts with smaller coffers. The Holland Central School District, for example, may get a bump in foundation aid from the state. Larger districts have more options. The Ken-Ton School Board agreed last year to pay $17.5 million to settle the 35 remaining lawsuits that claimed abuse by Werner. The district took $7.5 million from reserves and borrowed the rest. In the end, its going to be a matter of which taxpayer pocket the money comes out of, but, eventually, the bill must be paid without making todays students suffer because of the evils committed by yesterdays villains. As for the well-intentioned bill introduced by Assembly Member Jen Lunsford, a Democrat from suburban Rochester, to set up a $200 million fund, forget about it. Instead, listen to Buffalo Democrat State Sen. Sean Ryan, whose district includes Ken-Ton, and who has not signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill: Do not let insurance carriers off the hook for covering CVA claims. And setting up a defined pot of money for districts expenses could lead to larger settlement requests. As Ryan said, any fund should be delayed until all such lawsuits are resolved.. Whas your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing. Crime By Chris Boyle Published: August 09 2023 U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: For years, Edward Mullins abused his position as the head of the SBA to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the pockets of hard-working NYPD sergeants." Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that EDWARD MULLINS, the former President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA), the union that represents all current and former sergeants of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), was sentenced today to two years in prison in connection with a scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the SBA through the submission of fraudulent expense reports. MULLINS pled guilty on January 19, 2023, before U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl, who imposed todays sentence. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: For years, Edward Mullins abused his position as the head of the SBA to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the pockets of hard-working NYPD sergeants. Mullins publicly vowed to protect the interests of the thousands of active and retired sergeants that he represented. But behind the scenes, Mullins stole from the SBA and its members, treating the SBA as his personal piggy bank. In doing so, Mullins disgraced his uniform, broke the law, and undermined the publics trust in law enforcement. As todays sentence demonstrates, no one not even high-ranking union bosses is above the law. According to the Information filed in the case and other filings and statements made in court: The SBA is the fifth-largest police union in the United States with its headquarters located in lower Manhattan. The SBAs membership consists of all active and retired sergeants of the NYPD with approximately 13,000 members. From 2002 until October 2021, EDWARD MULLINS served as President of the SBA. Beginning in 2017, MULLINS devised a scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the SBA. MULLINS used his personal credit card to pay for meals at high-end restaurants and to purchase luxury personal items, among other things, and then submitted false and inflated expense reports to the SBA, representing that his charges were legitimate SBA expenditures when, in fact, they were not. MULLINSs expense reports were fraudulent in at least three ways. First, MULLINS routinely included meals on his expense reports that were not SBA-related. Second, MULLINS routinely inflated the costs of his meals whether SBA-related or not thereby taking more money from the SBA. Third, MULLINS took certain expenses from his credit card statements, including clothing and supermarket expenses, and recategorized them as SBA-related meals, thereby obtaining even more money from the SBA. MULLINSs fraudulent expenses were paid through the SBAs Contingent Fund, which was funded primarily through annual dues paid by SBA members. In total, between 2017 and 2021, MULLINS stole at least $600,000 from the SBA through the filing of hundreds of fraudulent expense reports. In addition to his prison term, MULLINS, 61, of Port Washington, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to make restitution to the SBA in the amount of $600,000. MULLINS was also ordered to forfeit $600,000. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the FBI/NYPD Public Corruption Task Force. Today it emerged that Bulgaria is in possession of further evidence that ties Hezbollah to the July 2012 Burgas terror attack that killed five Israelis and a Bulgarian national. Investigators have discovered that a Hezbollah operative was the owner of a printer used to produce fake documents that facilitated the attack, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported. The new disclosure was made during a European Union working group meeting that was discussing whether or not the EU should designate Hezbollah as a terror organization. An EU diplomat who participated in the meeting told the JTA that [t]he Bulgarians put new evidence on the table during this meeting Their representative said the printer had been sold to someone from Hezbollah. In February, in an interview with NOW, Bulgarias then-Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov had said that [t]here are a number of findings that are still classified. On Feb. 5, Bulgarias then-Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov announced that the identities of three of those involved in the Burgas terror attack were known and that at least two of them are members of Hezbollah. While the real names of the two living suspects have not yet been released, authorities believe that they are now living in Lebanon. On Feb. 6, Tsvetanov revealed that the three members of the cell flew from Beirut to Warsaw before taking a train to Bulgaria. Although the two living suspects entered Europe on genuine Canadian and Australian passports, in Bulgaria they used forged drivers licenses that were created by the same source in Lebanon, according to Europol. The Canadian suspect is said to have used a US drivers license under the name of Ralph William Rico, while the Australian used the alias Brian Jameson. The terrorist who has not been identified, but is believed to have been a relative of the Canadian suspect, had used the alias Jacques Felipe Martin on his fake US drivers license. According to Haaretz, [t]he forged drivers licenses that all three of them carried yielded the most significant smoking gun, since with the help of foreign intelligence sources the Bulgarians managed to locate the printer that had produced the forged documents and it wasnt in Canada or in the United States, but in Lebanon. In recent months, the European Union has held a couple of working group meetings to discuss whether or not Hezbollah should be designated as a terrorist group. While a majority of EU states reportedly back designating Hezbollah in some form, opposition from Austria and Italy, among others, has stalled the designation process, which requires a consensus from all 27 member states. Europes inability to come to a consensus has frustrated American and Israeli officials alike. During a meeting today with Catherine Aston, the European Unions high representative for foreign policy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the EUs inability to reach agreement on the issue. Its hard to see how you cannot have a consensus on Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, Netanyahu said. The Burgas attack On July 18, 2012, the 18th anniversary of the Buenos Aires AMIA bombing, a bomb exploded as Israeli tourists boarded buses at the airport in Burgas, Bulgaria. Five Israelis and one Bulgarian national were killed in the attack, which wounded dozens. Bulgarias Interior Minister said the bombing was a deliberate attack, and Israeli officials quickly pointed the finger at Iran and Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon declared: I know based on absolutely rock-solid intelligence that this is Hezbollah and this is something that Iran knows about very, very well. Mohammad Khazaee, Irans Ambassador to the United Nations, countered by saying that Israel had carried out the attack. Such [a] terrorist operation could only be planned and carried out by the same regime whose short history is full of state terrorism operations and assassinations aimed at implicating others for narrow political gains, he claimed. Despite Iranian allegations, American and Israeli officials were soon fairly certain that the attack had been carried out by Hezbollah with direction from Iran. Israeli intelligence has evidence of many telephone calls between Lebanon and Burgas in the two months before the bombing with the volume intensifying in the three days leading up to it, the New York Times reported in early August. 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. Over the weekend, Hezbollah media sources released a photo of a meeting between its Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and Yemens Houthi leadership. The Houthis are engaged in a multi-year insurgency against Yemens internationally-recognized government, which is backed by a coalition of Gulf countries. Houthi spokesman Mohamad Abdelsalam led the delegation. Abdelsalam previously represented the Houthis in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran in Feb. 2018. Two other Houthi leaders, Abdul Malik Al Ajri and Ibrahim Al Daylami, were present at the meeting and included in the photo. The meeting reportedly occurred in Beirut, Lebanon. The meeting demonstrates Hezbollahs growing regional role, as well as the prominence of the Houthis as an Iranian proxy. The Saudi-led coalition regularly presents evidence that Hezbollah directly supports the Houthis. In Feb. 2016, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya released a video of a Hezbollah commander training Houthi militants the summer prior. Saudi Arabias ambassador to the United States posted clips of the video on his Twitter last Thursday. The Saudi-led coalition has also announced Hezbollah casualties in Yemen: it announced the death of ten Hezbollah experts deployed to support Houthi militants in two separate incidents this summer. Alexandra Gutowski is the senior military affairs analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 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. The dynamic nature of Israels northern border is being heavily influenced by the aggressive actions of Lebanese Hezbollah. Over the past thirteen months, a series of provocative acts and attacks have transpired, revealing the growing threat posed by Hezbollah. As initially reported by Roy Sharon and subsequently verified by FDDs Long War Journal, the recent attempted targeting of IDF troops by Hezbollah on July 6 signifies an alarming escalation, highlighting the need for heightened vigilance in response to the precarious security situation on Israels northern border. The recent targeting of IDF soldiers by Hezbollah serves as a clear indication of the Iranian proxys preparedness for a potential confrontation with Israel. This strategic move is part of a larger, comprehensive effort to disrupt Israels northern border region through various tactics, including kinetic action and the dissemination of controversial propaganda via Hezbollahs media partners like al-Manar, al-Mayadeen, and its online platform, Central Military Media. As Hezbollahs efforts continue to unfold, their multifaceted approach to destabilization poses a formidable challenge for the Israeli defense establishment. Kinetic Attacks While most of the events on the ground have occurred in the last six months, July 2022 should be considered the inception of Hezbollahs shift in strategy. On July 2, 2022, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) destroyed three unarmed drones entering Israeli maritime waters. Following the launch, Hezbollah issued a communique claiming responsibility, saying the required mission was accomplished and the message was delivered. The IDF said it downed another Hezbollah drone entering Israeli maritime waters four days later. Hezbollah did not issue a formal statement claiming responsibility. To add a propaganda element to the drone incidents, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah boasted about the capabilities of the so-called Islamic resistance during a speech on July 13, saying it can launch drones of different sizes and in larger numbers against Israeli targets. In 2023, Hezbollah increased its attacks and instigated multiple incidents at Israels northern border. On March 13, a Hezbollah operative crossed into Israel and planted a roadside bomb at Megiddo junction, injuring an Arab-Israeli driver. Israeli forces located the attacker and killed him after identifying that he was a clear danger. In June, Hezbollah breached Israeli territory and established two tents manned by armed operatives. Following Israeli threats of an armed confrontation, one of the tents was dismantled, while the second remains standing. Following Israels threat, Hassan Nasrallah warned that Hezbollah would respond if the IDF were to attack the remaining tent. If theres any harm to the tent, we wont stay quiet, Nasrallah remarked. On July 12, three Hezbollah operatives who attempted to breach the security fence on Israels northern border were wounded by a nonlethal explosion triggered by the IDF. Propaganda Strategy Although media headlines focus on Hezbollahs kinetic activities, one should not disregard the propaganda aspect of the groups newly adopted strategy. Hezbollah closely monitors Israeli news outlets. The group and its media partners frequently translate and spread content that negatively portrays Israeli security and political affairs. For example, Hezbollah often reports terrorism against Israeli civilians to glorify the event. On July 2, Hezbollah posted several messages updating users on the rising casualty count following a terrorist attack in the West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim. Zionist media: The number of casualties as a result of the shooting operation in the vicinity of the Maale Adumim commercial complex, east of Jerusalem, has increased to 5, in addition to the neutralization of the attacker. Other notable media propaganda includes Hezbollah video publications depicting Hezbollahs Radwan unit entering Israel and attacking an Israeli community. Lastly, Hezbollahs most prominent on-the-ground media representation at the Lebanon border is presented through the propagandistic reports of journalists like Ali Shoeib from al-Manar. An Old and Dangerous Pattern is Developing The actions of Hezbollah that incite conflict resemble the tactics employed by Palestinian militant factions at the Gaza-Israel border in 2018 and 2019. Militant factions continuously assaulted the security fence, breached the buffer zone, deployed explosive devices, and launched assaults on unoccupied IDF military outposts. These border incursions persisted unabated and grew progressively more deadly, resulting in the casualties of both militants and Israeli forces. Gradually escalating, these occurrences eventually escalated into localized confrontations encompassing rocket barrages by Palestinian armed groups and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes within Gaza. The escalation of aggressive rhetoric from both sides of the border is concerning. The prevailing political instability in Israel undeniably provides heightened confidence to Hezbollah and, to some degree, Iran, thereby fueling their inclination to seize opportunities during a perceived period of Israeli vulnerability. Hezbollahs actions along Israels northern border lack clear, tangible objectives. Still, it is plausible that a strategy is being employed to compel the Israeli military to exhaust its forces. At the same time, the IDF is already involved in operations within the West Bank, Syria, and sometimes in Gaza. Its clear by the pattern that has developed, Hezbollah has gained confidence in perpetrating aggressive acts. The question is when will this boldness lead to a mistake, triggering a full-blown confrontation? Joe Truzman is a contributor to FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. The Ukrainian military on Sunday struck a pair of bridges that Russia uses to supply its forces in southern Ukraine. These strikes may cause a larger disruption to Russian logistics than a previous strike against one of those bridges in June. But Sundays strikes alone likely will not cripple Russian logistics. Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head of occupied Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine, said Kyiv had launched a dozen missiles at the Chonhar and Henichesk road bridges. These bridges link Kherson Oblast to the Crimean Peninsula and Arabat Spit, respectively. The Chonhar bridge provides the quickest route for vehicles driving from Crimea to Ukraines Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where Kyiv is focusing the main thrust of its counteroffensive. Saldo said the strike used SCALP-EG air-launched cruise missiles, the French version of the UK-supplied Storm Shadow, which Ukraine has employed in previous strikes. While some of the missiles appear to have been shot down or missed their mark, at least two found their targets. A strike blasted a hole in the middle of the Chonhar road bridge, prompting Russian authorities to suspend traffic through the nearby Dzhankoi checkpoint. Russian-installed officials said repairs would begin shortly, but offered no timeline for their completion. The Henichesk bridge suffered worse damage. The strike not only tore a hole in the road but caused one of the bridges spans to partially collapse. The next day, Saldo said traffic had been reopened using the bridges undamaged lane, but only for light vehicles. While there is also an old iron bridge nearby, it cannot support heavy vehicles and these days is used mainly by tourists and fishermen. Russia Attempted to Target Ukrainian Airbases The night prior to the bridge strikes, Russia had launched missile and drone barrages targeting Ukrainian airbases near Starokonstantinov, in Khmelnitsky Oblast, and Dubno, in Rivne Oblast, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Russia appears to have to hit a few targets at and around the Starokonstantinov base, home to Su-24M(R) aircraft used to launch Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG missiles. However, the barrages evidently failed to prevent Kyivs missile strikes the next day, as the Ukrainian Defense Ministry gloated on social media. According to the spokesman for Ukraines Air Force, Ukrainian aircraft at Starokonstantinov managed to relocate before the Russian missiles struck. He did not specify whether Russia struck any targets at the Dubno base, but the Rivne governor indicated Russian missiles had been shot down somewhere in the region. Russia has targeted the Starokonstantinov base on several other occasions over the last few months. In late May, local authorities said a Russian strike damaged a runway, disabled five aircraft, and caused fires in storage facilities containing fuel, lubricants, and munitions. Ukraine Aims to Degrade Russian Logistics As its forces struggle to advance in the south, Ukraine has sought to weaken Russian resistance by striking Russian command posts, supply depots, and key bridges. Kyiv hopes these deep strikes, coupled with attrition suffered by Russian combat units, will eventually enable a breakthrough. At least so far, however, Ukraine does not appear to have crippled Russian logistics or command and control. On June 22, a Storm Shadow strike temporarily disabled the Chonhar road bridge and also damaged an adjacent decommissioned bridge. Russia subsequently repaired the former in around two weeks but apparently has not bothered to fix the latter. On July 29, Ukraine targeted the nearby Chonhar rail bridge. Although Saldo claimed that Russia shot down all the missiles, at least one appears to have struck the railway tracks. But the damage appeared repairable. Ukraines latest barrage may cause a greater disruption. Following the June 22 strike on the Chonhar road bridge, Russian forces reportedly compensated in part by increasing their use of the Henichesk bridge. That option is now off the table. But Moscows forces still have other albeit far less efficient routes at their disposal. In addition, Russia can erect pontoon bridges across the narrow Chonhar and Tonka straits until the two bridges are repaired, as it did after the June 22 strike. On August 6, Russian troops were reportedly seen transporting pontoon bridge equipment near Dzhankoi. Low-resolution satellite imagery taken today indicates Russia has indeed established a pontoon crossing next to the Chonhar road bridge. August 4, 2023 August 9, 2023 Low-resolution satellite imagery taken on August 4 and 9, 2023. Image credit: EO Browser, Sinergise Ltd. Kyiv apparently lacks sufficient missile stocks to hit Russias bridges and pontoon crossings frequently enough to keep them out of action. Ukraines best bet would be to take out the Crimean Bridge, which Moscow uses to transport equipment and supplies to the peninsula. While not a silver bullet, disabling the Crimean Bridge would kneecap Russias logistics system. It would also make strikes on the bridges to Kherson Oblast less important. A July 17 strike using unmanned surface vessels (USVs) damaged the bridge. But its road section remains partially usable, and the vital rail lines are apparently still functional. U.S.-made ATACMS missiles, which have a longer range than the Storm Shadow or SCALP-EG, could enable Ukrainian forces to disable the Crimea Bridge, at least temporarily. But despite indications that the White House was warming to Kyivs requests for ATACMS, The Washington Post reported last month that the administration remains opposed. Meanwhile, Germany is facing growing pressure to supply Ukraine with Taurus air-launched cruise missiles. With a range of over 500 kilometers, the Taurus could easily reach the Crimean Bridge. However, Berlin appears cool to the idea. For now, it seems Ukraine will have to rely on USVs to attack the bridge. John Hardie is the deputy director of FDDs Russia Program and a contributor to FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. A Chinese Coast Guard ship launches what the Coast Guard says is a warning water cannon spray in the direction of a Philippine vessel at an unknown location at sea By Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Wednesday denied making an agreement with China to remove a grounded warship that serves as a military outpost in South China Sea, and said if there ever were such a deal, it should be considered rescinded. The Philippines maintains a handful of troops aboard the World War Two-era Sierra Madre at the Second Thomas Shoal, known by Manila as Ayungin shoal, which is located inside its 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). China on Monday accused the Philippines of reneging on a promise made "explicitly" to remove the ship, which was grounded in 1999 to bolster its territorial claims in one of the world's most contested areas. "I'm not aware of any such arrangement or agreement that the Philippines will remove from its own territory its ship," Marcos said in a video statement. "And let me go further, if there does exist such an agreement, I rescind that agreement now". Jonathan Malaya, National Security Council assistant director general, earlier challenged China to produce evidence of the promise. "For all intents and purposes, it is a figment of their imagination," he said. China's embassy in Manila said it had no comment. China and the Philippines have been embroiled for years in on-off confrontations at the shoal, the latest on Saturday. The Philippines accused China's coast guard of using water cannon to impede a resupply mission to the Sierra Madre. The Philippines was "committed to maintain" the rusty ship on the shoal, Malaya said, adding it was "our symbol of sovereignty in a shoal located in our EEZ". An EEZ gives a country sovereign rights to fisheries and natural resources within 200 miles of its coast, but it does not denote sovereignty over that area. The Philippines won an international arbitration award against China in 2016, after a tribunal said Beijing's sweeping claim to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea had no legal basis, including at the Second Thomas Shoal. Story continues China has built militarised, manmade islands in the South China Sea and its claim of historic sovereignty overlaps with the EEZs of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Jay Batongbacal, a maritime expert at the University of the Philippines, said control of the Second Thomas Shoal was not only strategic for China but it could be "another ideal place to build a military base." (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty) Remember those serious Meltdown and Spectre CPU flaws from about five years ago? Well, Intels in hot water again with another serious vulnerability that affects years worth of processors. Known as Downfall, the vulnerability exploits a flaw in the AVX vector extensions of every Intel CPU from the Skylake generation onward until we get to the more recent 12th-gen Alder Lake processors. Macs with these processors started appearing in late 2015 with the 21.5-inch iMac, and just about every Intel-based Macdesktop or laptopsince that time is on the list of affected processors. Apple switched to its own chips in 2020 rather than using the newer 12th- and 13th-gen Intel processors (though those arent affected by the flaw anyway). What is Downfall? Researcher Daniel Moghimi, who discovered the flaw, created a microsite about it and described it this way: Downfall attacks target a critical weakness found in billions of modern processors used in personal and cloud computers. This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2022-40982, enables a user to access and steal data from other users who share the same computer. For instance, a malicious app obtained from an app store could use the Downfall attack to steal sensitive information like passwords, encryption keys, and private data such as banking details, personal emails, and messages. Similarly, in cloud computing environments, a malicious customer could exploit the Downfall vulnerability to steal data and credentials from other customers who share the same cloud computer. In short, the flaw exploits the way a particular Gather instruction (part of the vector instructions in these Intel processors) is executed to access data in RAM that the program shouldnt usually have any access to. PCWold has more info on this flaw. Thats bad. Real bad. The vulnerability was first revealed to Intel last summer, but only just now published in order to give Intel time to work on a fix. Intel has just begun releasing microcode for its processors to mitigate the issue, which users would get in the form of updates from their hardware vendors. The Intel Downfall logo. Downfall.page Are any Macs affected? At this point, its unclear whether Macs are affected. Nearly every Mac from the Skylake generation onward (starting in late 2015) that has an Intel CPU inside uses a processor that is on Intels list of affected products. If you have an Intel-based Mac from 2016 or later (or the iMac released in late 2015), your CPU is almost certainly affected. But Macs are sort of unique. Intel Macs used custom motherboards and firmware, some even have the T2 processor that manages a lot of stuff. It doesnt seem as though any of this would necessarily prevent an attack using the Downfall vulnerability, but its hard to know until we get confirmation from Apple. weve reached out for clarification and will update this article if someone responds. Its worth noting that the Skylake generation was the main impetus for Apple turning to its own silicon for the Mac, according to a 2020 interview with Ex-Intel principal engineer, Francois Piednoel. Piednoel claims that Apple quality assurance of Skylake was more than a problem, and Apple became the number one filer of problems in the architecture. So its very possible that Apple took extraordinary steps to mitigate any potential issues with the chip, such as this Downfall flaw. We can find no reference to CVE-2022-40982 on the Apple Security Releases site, but it was only just published, so even if there was a fix it wouldnt have referenced it by name or CVE ID. Odds are, if Intel is only just now releasing microcode to mitigate this problem, Apple has not yet incorporated it into a macOS update. Is there a fix? The latest version firmware update contains a new microcode located in platform flash designated by firmware interface table (FIT) entry point to mitigate the potential issues with the flaw. However, some users have reported significant performance issues, and Intel itself admits that Heavily optimized applications that rely on vectorization and gather instructions to achieve the highest performance may see an impact with the GDS mitigation update. To our knowledge, Apple hasnt applied the mitigation to any of its Intel Macs. What should you do next? If you have a Mac made in late 2015 or later, you might be affected, but theres not much to do but wait. Apple will push out a macOS update to update the processor microcode, if necessary, or implement any other necessary mitigations. If you have a Mac that uses Apple Silicon (an M1 or M2-based processor), you have nothing to worry about. When macOS Sonoma arrives in the fall, it will still support some Intel Macs, including the iMac from 2019 and 2020, the iMac Pro, the MacBook Air from 2018 and 2020, the MacBook Pro from 2018, 2019, and 2020, the 2019 Mac Pro, and the Mac Mini from 2018. Some older Intel Macs will also get periodic security updates. As always, its a good idea to only use software from trusted sources. That utility you downloaded from a website you never heard of before carries far more risk of malware than the latest release from a known entity like Microsoft or Google, or something from the Mac App Store. Macworld has several guides to help, including a guide on whether or not you need antivirus software, a list of Mac viruses, malware, and trojans, and if you want more protection, take a look at our roundup of the best Mac antivirus software. Executives of United Airlines on Wednesday expressed optimism about the daily nonstop service from Manila to San Francisco on exploding demand for US travel. We are seeing the travel demand for US exploding as far as international demand is concerned, and were very confident that the flight will be well, Walter Dias, Uniteds regional director of sales for Greater China, Korea and Southeast Asia, said in a briefing. The Philippines is fantastic destination for our customers in the US, he said. The first westbound flight from SFO to Manila would depart on Oct. 29, 2023. All flights will use the B777-300ER aircraft offering 60 seats in the United Polaris business cabin, 24 seats in the United Premium Plus cabin and 266 seats in the United Economy cabin. United Airlines executives express optimism on the daily nonstop service from Manila to San Francisco which will start on Oct. 29, 2023. Leading the media briefing at Grand Hyatt Manila in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City are (from left) United Airlines country manager for sales in the Philippines Pam Navarro and regional director for sales in Greater China, Korea and Southeast Asia Walter Dias. Dias also expressed confidence that load factor for the Manila to San Francisco service would be higher. Data from the Department of Tourism showed that US tourists visiting the Philippines reached 505,089 in 2022. The DOT said travelers from the US accounted for 550,579 or 18.35 percent of the total 3 million tourists in the first seven months of 2023. United Airlines operates two-times daily flights between Manila and Palau and daily flights from Manila to Guam. San Francisco is Uniteds largest hub airport in the US West Coast and a gateway to Asia-Pacific. United operates more than 200 daily departures from San Francisco International Airport, taking customers to more than 100 destinations around the globe, including the most international service with flights to 31 different international cities. The hub will offer direct flights to 15 Asia-Pacific destinations this winter, including Manila (Philippines), Auckland and Christchurch (New Zealand), Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney (Australia), Haneda/Tokyo, Narita/Tokyo, and Osaka (Japan), Incheon/Seoul (South Korea), Papeete/Tahiti, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Engagements between the Philippines and the United States are anchored on the promotion of peace and the protection of national interest, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said. Mr. Marcos made the statement during a courtesy call of members of the US-ASEAN Business Council at the Malacanang Palace on Wednesday. The President likewise confirmed his attendance to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting in the United States in November. With the US, our engagements are now grounded on a two-pronged, very simple foreign policy approach and that is the promotion of peace and of course the protection of the national interest, he said. By shoring up our individual and collective capabilities, we are able to advance our countries as well as the Indo-Pacific Regions security, stability, and economic prosperity. The evolution of geopolitics and the global economy have lumped all of these elements [defense, security, and economic spheres] together, we cannot approach any of these elements separately without seeing the effects that one has on the other, he added. The US-ASEAN Business Council, for its part, pledged to pursue more investments in the Philippines. Council president and chief executive officer Ted Osius said: Were very much focused and you highlight these themes on sustainable development, transformative digitalization, innovative healthcare solutions, supply chain resilience, and ease of doing business. We are determined that we come here not just to talk but also to bring a lot of action to create real partnerships and to show our commitment in the form of investments, he added. Osius was joined by representatives of 30 companies the largest delegation to visit the Philippines in the 40-year history of US-ASEAN Business Council. Mr. Marcos acknowledged the councils crucial role in Philippine economic development. I recognize the critical role that the United States and American businesses have played in advancing a robust and inclusive economic growth in the Philippines, not only in this period but for a very long time now, he said. I invite the members of the esteemed Council to continue being valuable partners of the Philippines. Let us push for greater economic engagement between our two countries, for our mutual benefit, for the prosperity, especially of the region, the President added. Mr. Marcos said he will join other APEC leaders in California in November. I look forward to joining fellow APEC leaders in California this year. This will be my third trip to the US since I assumed office, he said. The Philippines is actively participating in the Indo-Pacific economic framework and the APEC meetings leading up to the Leaders Summit in San Francisco in November, he added. During last years APEC Leaders Summit in Bangkok, Mr. Marcos spoke about food security, climate change, and the need to shift to renewable energy, among others. Before flying to the US for the APEC Leaders Meeting, the President is scheduled to travel first to Indonesia in September for the ASEAN Summit. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Washington, United States US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned against Russias Wagner mercenaries taking advantage of instability in coup-hit Niger, whose neighbor Mali has become a partner of Moscow. In an interview with the BBC released Tuesday, Blinken doubted that Wagner which in June staged a shadowy rebellion against President Vladimir Putin plotted the Nigerien militarys July 26 ouster of the elected president, Western ally Mohamed Bazoum. I think what happened and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, Blinken said in the interview Monday, according to a transcript released by the State Department. But to the extent that they try to take advantage of it and we see a repeat of whats happened in other countries, where theyve brought nothing but bad things in their wake that wouldnt be good, he said. Every single place that this group, Wagner Group, has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed. Wagner has partnered with African nations including Mali and the Central African Republic, leading to wide accusations of abuses by rights groups and Western governments. Military-run Mali has become the rare country to shift toward Russia diplomatically during the Ukraine war, in which Wagner has fought ruthlessly. Mali and Burkina Faso whose military leaders have also been accused of ties with Wagner have sent envoys to Niger in solidarity with the coup leaders. Niger has been the key base for US and French anti-jihadist operations in the Sahel, even more so with the withdrawal of French and other international forces from Mali. Blinkens acting deputy, Victoria Nuland, visited Niger on Monday and said the military leadership understood the risks of partnering with Wagner. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Yuzhnoukrainsk, Ukraine Ukrainian nuclear power plants located in territory held by Kyiv will be fully operational by winter to provide electricity for the country, Ukraines atomic energy operator said Monday. All the power at our disposal will be given to the electricity grid, after the servicing of some reactors before winter, Energoatom chief Petro Kotin, told journalists. He was speaking at the Pivdennoukrainsk plant in southern Ukraine to mark the recommissioning of one of its three reactors each with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts. Ukraine currently has three power stations with a total of nine reactors in the territory under its control. We will enter winter with nine reactors at full capacity, said Kotin, adding that four reactors currently under repair would be operational before November, with a total capacity of almost 7,600 megawatts. The fourth nuclear power station, which is also the biggest in Europe, is the Zaporizhzhia plant which houses six reactors. It has been occupied by Russian forces since March 2022. Kotin added that it was vital to regain control of the Zaporizhzhia plant, with a capacity of 6,000 megawatts, in order to supply electricity to Ukraine. Since the start of June, Kyivs troops have led a counteroffensive in the area near Zaporizhzhia in the east and south of Ukraine, in an attempt to retake territory held by Russia since the start of the invasion in February 2022. According to Kotin, Ukrainian nuclear power stations were not directly affected by the wave of Russian strikes on energy infrastructure in the autumn and winter of last year, which cut off power to millions of Ukrainian homes. Energoatoms chief was not surprised by the statement from Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which found no explosives on the roof of the Zaporizhzhia plant. In early July, Ukraine accused Moscow of preparing a provocation, with the army claiming that objects similar to explosive devices had been placed on the roofs of reactors three and four. IAEA experts had very limited access. They had access to the roofs of two units (out of six). They were not authorised to go to other units They (Russian troops) simply do not allow access, Kotin said. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Belem, Brazil Eight South American countries agreed Tuesday to launch an alliance to fight deforestation in the Amazon, vowing at a summit in Brazil to stop the worlds biggest rainforest from reaching a point of no return. The closely watched summit of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) adopted what host country Brazil called a new and ambitious shared agenda to save the rainforest, a crucial buffer against climate change that experts warn is being pushed to the brink of collapse. The groups members Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela signed a joint declaration in Belem, at the mouth of the Amazon River, laying out a nearly 10,000-word roadmap to promote sustainable development, end deforestation and fight the organized crime that fuels it. But the summit stopped short of environmentalists and Indigenous groups boldest demands, including for all member countries to adopt Brazils pledge to end illegal deforestation by 2030 and Colombias pledge to halt new oil exploration. Its a first step, but there isnt a concrete decision, just a list of promises, said Marcio Astrini, head of the Brazil-based Climate Observatory coalition. The planet is melting, temperature records are being broken every day it is not possible for eight Amazonian leaders to fail to put in a declaration in bold letters that deforestation must be zero, he added. In his opening speech of the two-day summit, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva emphasized that the severe worsening of the climate crisis required action in unison. It has never been so urgent, he said in remarks just hours after the European Unions climate observatory confirmed July had been the hottest month ever recorded. Colombian President Gustavo Petro meanwhile called for a massive program to cancel developing countries debt in exchange for action to protect the climate, linking the idea to the post-World War II Marshall Plan. If were on the verge of extinction and this is the decade when the big decisions have to be made then what are we doing, besides giving speeches? he said. Vital carbon sink Seeking to pressure the gathered heads of state, hundreds of environmentalists, activists and Indigenous demonstrators marched to the conference venue in Belem, urging bold action. It is the first summit in 14 years for the eight-nation group, set up in 1995 by the South American countries that share the Amazon basin. Home to an estimated 10 percent of Earths biodiversity, 50 million people and hundreds of billions of trees, the vast Amazon is a vital carbon sink, reducing global warming. But scientists warn the destruction of the rainforest is pushing it dangerously close to a tipping point, beyond which trees would die off and release carbon rather than absorb it, with catastrophic consequences for the climate. Regional leaders appeared divided on some issues. Colombias Petro is pushing other countries to adhere to his pledge to ban all new oil exploration a touchy subject for some members, including Brazil, whose state-run oil company is controversially seeking to explore new offshore blocks at the mouth of the Amazon River. Achieving zero deforestation isnt even enough to absorb all our carbon emissions, Petro said. The solution is to stop burning coal, oil and gas. Lula test The summit is something of a dress rehearsal for the 2025 UN climate talks, which Belem will host. Lula, Petro, Bolivian President Luis Arce and Perus Dina Boluarte were all present. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, absent due to an ear infection, sent Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, while Ecuador, Guyana and Suriname were represented by high-level officials. Arce urged wealthy nations to help fund efforts to protect the Amazon. All the responsibility for the climate crisis and its consequences shouldnt fall on our shoulders and our economies. Were not the ones who created the crisis, he said. The summit is a key test for veteran leftist Lula, who previously served as president from 2003 to 2010 and returned to office in January, vowing Brazil is back in the fight against climate change, after four years of massive deforestation under his far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. Indigenous groups whose lands are crucial buffers against the destruction of the worlds forests, according to experts urged South American leaders to take decisive action. Our struggle isnt just for Indigenous peoples, said Nemo Guiquita, head of Ecuadoran Indigenous confederation CONFENIAE. Its for the entire world, so future generations can survive on this planet, she told AFP. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. BEIJINGChinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia this week, Beijing said Wednesday as it seeks to build ties in the region. Wang, who returned to the post last month after the unexplained disappearance of predecessor Qin Gang, will travel to the three countries from Thursday to Sunday, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. China hopes to strengthen strategic communication with the three Southeast Asian countries through this visit, the foreign ministry said. Cambodia has become one of Chinas strongest allies in the region under the rule of outgoing ruler Hun Sen, receiving huge sums of Chinese investment. But the flood of Chinese money has brought problems, including a rash of casinos and online scam operations staffed by foreign workers. Chinas relations with Southeast Asia have been complicated by self-proclaimed control over most of the South China Sea despite competing claims from nations including Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. Maritime disagreements have pitted some members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) against Beijing and boosted sympathy for US opposition to Chinas growing assertiveness. Others have backed Beijing. Singapore has for decades juggled ties with China and the US, engaging in an increasingly delicate balancing act amid the growing rivalry between the two powers across the Asia-Pacific. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Gov. Maura Healey just signed into law the long-awaited $56 billion state budget for the 2024 fiscal year, a spending bill that will double K-12 per-pupil funding from last year, and provide millions of dollars in access to higher education for all state residents. The new fiscal year budget allocates $6.6 billion in state funds to the commonwealths public schools and doubles the minimum Chapter 70 aid level from $30 to $60 per student. The spending bill will also allocate $172 million in permanent funding to provide free school meals to all K-12 public school students. This House-backed program initially was funded with federal dollars at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. And its popularity led to its continuation. I taught school for 12 years and I was on the school committee in Quincy for 16. So I know the stresses of putting a budget together on the school system, state House Speaker Ron Mariano said Wednesday. I know the stresses of being in the classroom and seeing kids come in from the projects hungry, falling asleep at their desks because they havent eaten since lunch the day before. But what we have done is take a huge transformative step in this country to do away with hunger within our children. State funding for free school meals will save families nearly $1,200 per-student, per-year, according to state Senate President Karen Spilka. Massachusetts is now the seventh state in the country to provide free meals to its public school students. The commonwealth will also fully fund the Student Opportunity Act, a piece of legislation that earmarks state money toward struggling school districts, with a nearly 10% increase in school funding. Fully funding the act has been a high priority for the Healey administration. Earlier this year, both Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll made a commitment to support the education reform legislation. The Student Opportunity Act calls for a historic investment in our schools, our students, our educators and their futures. Additionally, these funds will help cities and towns support their first responders, public works, youth violence prevention programs, housing production, cybersecurity and more, Healey said in February. Lieutenant Governor Driscoll and I know that predictability and transparency from state government is essential for municipal leaders to serve their communities and were committed to delivering just that. Read More: House answering call for special education funding The spending blueprint allocates $50 million toward free community college by next fall, including $38 million for free community college programs for students pursuing a nursing degree. The line item comes in response to the nursing shortage in Massachusetts, which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Registered nurse vacancies in the commonwealth doubled from 6.4% in 2019 to 13.6% in 2022, according to a report from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. We have a dire need for nurses, Spilka said. And that is in this program, free community college for nursing students. The $50 million will also support free community college for Bay State residents 25 years or older. Lawmakers have estimated that 1.8 million state residents would be eligible for this program. The funding would also extend in-state tuition rates at the states public universities to undocumented residents. However, migrant students must have attended a Massachusetts high school for at least three years or obtained their GED to qualify. Massachusetts now joins a growing number of states that have tuition equity laws, or laws that allow immigrants to pay the same tuition as their in-state peers regardless of their legal status, according to the National Immigration Law Center. We have a commitment to high-quality K through 12 education so that every zip code will continue to be fully funded here, Spilka said. And we give every student who wants to go to college an opportunity without worrying about excessive cross or immigration status. The budget also allocates $475 million to C3 grants for monthly state funding of early education and care providers operational costs. The program draws money from the states general fund ($270 million), a transitional escrow fund ($102.5 million) and an early education trust fund ($102.5 million), according to State House News Service, which covers state government. Additionally, $71 million to increase childcare slots for income-eligible families, with the aim of implementing universal pre-K, according to the Healey administration. The bottom line is that this budget is accomplishing so much good for our Commonwealth, and again, makes Massachusetts more competitive, more inclusive, and more affordable as well as more equitable, Spilka said. So Im really proud of what we all here have accomplished. Other expenditures include: Jonathan Graziano always knew his dog Noodle was special. Within a few weeks of adopting the 7-year-old pug, it was clear that Noodle was truly one-of-a-kind. There were dogs who act like dogs and do dog things, and Noodle just never did that, Graziano said in an interview with MassLive. If an old witch had come up to me in 2016 and been like, The worlds going to plunge into darkness and your pug is going to be the light, I wouldve been like, Sure that kind of checks out. City Winery Boston is hosting Live Noodz: A Life of Noodle on Wednesday, Aug. 9 to celebrate Noodles life and Grazianos ownership of the silly, grumpy old dog, who died on Dec. 2, 2022. The event is intended to highlight Noodles star power, which Graziano said it still felt by many to this day. Im still getting stopped on the street and people still recognize me and people are buying VIP tickets to come to a show where I talk about him and share stories about him he said. I think thats what makes this show kind of special. Graziano said doing events like these have helped him navigate Noodles death while allowing him to share more stories about his incredibly long life with those who also loved the pug. Theres so much of his life that people dont know a lot about. Im so grateful to have the opportunity to share more of it, Graziano said. The people of Boston have been really, really encouraging about it. The event also marks Grazianos return to Boston, who graduated from Emerson College in 2013. I just have so much nostalgia there, he said. Just the fact that I get to go back to the city and share some college stories, Im just very grateful to get to do that. Noodle rose to fame in 2021 when Graziano posted morning videos on TikTok that showed the pug deciding if he was going to stand up or flop down on his dog bed. This started the trend of no bones day, which determined if Noodle was going to sleep in. The videos garnered millions of views and introduced Noodle to a global audience. While Graziano was not surprised that his dog achieved such a high level of fame, he was surprised that these videos were the ones that became Noodles signature series. I shared the first bones or no bones video with him on TikTok, and I remember specifically thinking, I bet the old pug community of TikTok will think this is silly and be able to relate to this, he said. Turns out it was everyone. Graziano, who has worked in social media marketing for a decade, said one never expects something to go viral on the internet, let alone something that makes people so happy. Graziano was more than pleased that his dogs videos left a positive impact on people, especially those going through a difficult time. If nurses are sending me messages and saying, Were in hell, but its easier when we know if its a bones or no bones day. Thats just a good thing, he said. Its very cool to have had that opportunity to share him with so many people and to know that I wasnt the only one who had the privilege of loving him is really special. But it wasnt only the TikTok world that Noodle took by storm. Graziano even wrote a childrens book featuring Noodle, called Noodle and the No Bones Day, in June 2022, according to publisher Simon & Schuster. The book went on to become a number one New York Times bestseller. We wanted a book that someone could pick up and relate to and think was great without the context of bones or no bones, Graziano said, and we did, we accomplished that. A second book is due to be published in November, called Noodle Conquers Comfy Mountain, also with Simon & Schuster. While Boston fans await the books release, they can buy tickets to Live Noodz on City Winery Bostons website. General admission for the event is $30, while stage premier VIP tickets cost $100. The VIP tickets include a post-show meet-and-greet and photo opportunity with Graziano, as well as a laminate signed by Graziano. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., where guests can dine before the show starts at 7:30 p.m. A 17-year-old was arrested and charged Friday after Springfield police said he pointed a gun and stole the car of ride-share driver. At about 1:05 p.m. on Friday, a ride-share driver attempted to pick up a customer in Springfield. But the customer got inside the car and pointed a gun at the driver, Springfield police said. The driver got out of the car and the 17-year-old, who had ordered the ride, stole the car, police said. Officers located the stolen car and attempted to stop it on Boston Road. But, police said, the driver sped away. The driver of the stolen car then hit a parked motorcycle and continued to drive on a flat tire. He eventually crashed into a fence on Berlin Street, police said. He got out of the car and began running. K9 Officer Ryan Carter along with K9 Phoenix found the 17-year-old hiding in a gazebo inside Adams Park. Officials did not release the 17-year-olds name or specific charges due to his age. A New England woman and her daughter have been freed after being kidnapped in Haiti, El Roi Haiti Outreach International said. Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were kidnapped on July 27 while serving in El Roi Haiti Outreach Internationals community ministry near Port-au-Prince, the nonprofits website states. She has been a nurse for the school, according to a video on the website. But she also provides services for the community. It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti, the nonprofits website states. Today we are praising God for answered prayer! The Christian nonprofit also thanked people for prayers and support and said there is still much to process and to heal from in this situation. Witnesses told The Associated Press that Dorsainvil was working in the small brick clinic when armed men burst in and seized her. Lormina Louima, a patient waiting for a check-up, said one man pulled out his gun and told her to relax. When I saw the gun, I was so scared, Louima told the AP. I said, I dont want to see this, let me go. Some members of the community said the unidentified men asked for $1 million in ransom, a standard practice of the gangs killing and sowing terror in Haitis impoverished populace. The U.S. State Department confirmed to the Boston Globe that it was aware of reports of the kidnapping of two U.S. citizens in Haiti. We are in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners, a department spokesperson told the newspaper. The nonprofit previously said it was thankful for the team working to find Dorsainvil. We are so thankful for the very knowledgeable and experienced professionals God has brought together to complete the task of securing their freedom, the website reads. She first visited Haiti soon after the 2010 earthquake. She was still in college but fell in love with the people, the website reads. She continued taking trips back to Haiti during her breaks from school and during the summers. Alix Dorsainvil, who is also the directors wife, and their child were kidnapped Thursday morning from El Roi Haiti Outreach Internationals campus near Port au Prince while serving in their community ministry. Dorsainvil is originally from New Hampshire. Dorsainvil is originally from New Hampshire and graduated from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, according to the Associated Press, where there is a program to support nursing education in Haiti. She then started working as a nurse. It doesnt surprise me that Alix chose to get involved in this type of service work, Regis College president Toni Hays told WMUR. She [is] amazing. She [is] passionate, she [is] compassionate. And she continued going to Haiti. Once she started working as a nurse she would save money and then self-fund all of her trips to Haiti, going as often as she could, the website said. She had lived in Haiti for multiple years, showing love and care in a variety of ways before coming on staff with us, but has had a heart for the hurting since she was a child. She seeks people out to show them love and compassion, and no one is excluded from receiving her kindness. In 2020, Dorsainvil became a staff member at El Roi Haiti as a school nurse. Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family, the website states. 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. About a year later, she married the ministry director, Sandro Dorsainvil. Sandro Dorsainvil grew up in the Cite Soleil area, a community in Port-au-Prince known for its poverty and violence, according to the website. He taught himself English and Spanish and had multiple translating jobs in Haiti, including a translating job by an adoption agency. He later attended high school in Montana and graduated from Liberty University in 2018. He is now the founder and director of El Roi Academy. The violence has stirred anger among Haitians, who say they simply want to live in peace. Around 200 protesters, largely from the area around El Roi Haitis campus, echoed that call as they walked through the sweltering streets wielding cardboard signs written in Creole in red paint. She is doing good work in the community, free her, read one. Local resident Jean Ronald said the community has significantly benefitted from the care provided by El Roi Haiti. Such groups are often the only institutions in lawless areas, but the deepening violence has forced many to close, leaving thousands of vulnerable families without access to basic services like health care or education. Earlier this month, Doctors Without Borders announced it was suspending services in one of its hospitals because some 20 armed men burst into an operating room and snatched a patient. As the protesters walked through the area where Dorsainvil was taken, the streets were eerily quiet. The doors to the clinic where she worked were shut, the small brick building empty. Ronald and others in the area worried the latest kidnapping may mean the clinic wont reopen. If they leave, everything (the aid groups programs) will shut down, Ronald worried. The money they are asking for, we dont have it. There is also a do not travel advisory issued for Haiti. Do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure, the advisory states. It states kidnappings are widespread and that victims regularly include U.S. citizens. Kidnappers may use sophisticated planning or take advantage of unplanned opportunities, and even convoys have been attacked, it reads. 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. Still, Massachusetts organizations said there have been security challenges for years and the latest update by the U.S. State Departments do not travel advisory is nothing new. Weve already adapted to the security risks for some time, said Elizabeth Fischelis, program manager for the Haiti Development Institute, an initiative of The Boston Foundation. Haiti Development Institute, a non-profit with an office in Boston, supports organizations in rural Haiti and provides funds and grants to grassroots organizations. Fischelis said many donors have stopped going, although some still do. There are intrepid donors who still go, but many dont, she said, adding that she arrived on the island last week and planned to stay only for a few days. Fischelis said that the non-profit intentionally set up offices outside of Port-au-Prince to promote development in rural areas before violence grew. There are definitely security concerns and areas not to go, but there are some places you can go safely and there is work that is proceeding, she said. The Associated Press contributed to this reporting. Lamicko Magee, former president of the Amherst-Pelham Education Association, claims district officials discriminated and retaliated against her after she raised concerns that the district was racially discriminating against employees and students of color. Magee said this impacted her during the promotion process. She submitted her complaint to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), and filed the complaint Monday, naming the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District. Magee said timing was important for her in filing, and that she didnt want her union position, which ended earlier this year, affecting the complaint. I wanted to wait for for my term as the president to end because its, for me, this is personal. And in addition to that, I needed to wait until I was at a mental state where I can actually get it done, Magee told MassLive. Zip-closed bags containing rice and offensive content targeting the Jewish community were found by West Brookfield residents on Tuesday, the towns police department announced Wednesday. Police said they received reports from individuals in the community who received the bags. Read more: Boston man sues Patriot Front supremacist group he says assaulted him While the content may be protected by free speech laws, we recognize the impact it can have on those affected, police said in the statement. We want to assure the community that we take this incident seriously. Our officers are available to provide support and address any concerns residents may have. We encourage community members to reach out to us if they encounter similar incidents or have information that could aid in our understanding of the situation. West Brookfield police said they were in contact with the Anti-Defamation League of New England and to other area religious leaders. Read more: Pittsburgh synagogue gunman will get death sentence for 2018 antisemitic attack After consultation with the ADL, we believe this literature was distributed by the Goyim Defense League which is recognized as neo-Nazi extremist group operating nationally, police said. With a name parodying the ADLs name, the Goyim Defense League is comprised of a loose network of individuals connected by their virulent antisemitism, according to the ADLs website. The group is made up of around five or six primary organizers and public figures, with dozens of supporters and thousands of online followers. The more prominent voices out of the organization are based in California, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Georgia, New York and South Carolina. Read more: Suffolk DA staffer on leave amid investigation of antisemitic remarks The group also engages in antisemitic stunts and schemes to troll or otherwise harass Jews, according to the ADL. The department did not name any individuals in the community associated with the hate group but noted in its statement that it remains dedicated to upholding the values of safety, unity, and respect for all residents. CHICOPEE Voters will continue to be able to cast ballots by mail in the November municipal election, but the fate of early in-person voting remains undecided. With members saying residents should have every opportunity to vote, the City Council agreed in a 12-0 vote that people can cast ballots by mail. But state law puts the decision of whether to hold early in-person voting mainly in the hands of the Board of Registrars. Starting in 2016, state officials began creating new voting rules, including requiring communities to offer in-person early voting. Options expanded to voting by mail in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is similar to absentee voting, but residents do not have to give an excuse to mail in ballots. This year, communities can opt out of allowing people to cast ballots by mail and can opt in to offer early voting. City Clerk Keith W. Rattell brought the issue to the councils attention asking if the city should offer mail-in voting for the municipal election this November. In-person and early voting in the last two elections cost taxpayers a combined $17,659 and a year later $38,242. I want 100% voting, Rattell said. In one of our elections, half of the people voted by mail and it did not increase voter turnout. Residents have not embraced early in-person voting. At most, the clerks office sees seven or fewer voters a day in the polling place set up at City Hall. On weekends no one shows up, Rattell said. For a number of city councilors, the benefit of having other options for voting outweighs the price tag. The costs stem from overtime for employees in the clerks office who have to mail out and then process returned ballots, as well as hiring extra poll workers and a police officer to provide safety at early polling booths, he said. As Ive said before, voting is priceless, Councilor Mary-Elizabeth Pniak-Costello said. She and Councilor Delmarina Lopez said they are disappointed the Board of Registrars voted against recommending early in-person voting, but pushed for voting through mail to continue. I think we should have every opportunity possible for people to exercise their right to vote and you cant put a price on democracy, Lopez said. The decision on early in-person voting for the November election has not been made by the Board of Registrars. The members did not recommend in-person early voting for the September preliminary election a decision which is moot because there are not enough candidates for a preliminary, said Barbara Galindo, the registrar of voters. Because of the short period between the Aug. 1 date to return nomination papers and the September date a preliminary would be held, the Board of Registrars had to make the decision on in-person voting in July in case a preliminary election was needed, she said. State law calls for the Board of Registrars to make a recommendation on early in-person voting for Novembers election. If members reject early voting, the proposal dies. If they vote favorably, it is then turned over to the City Council for a final confirmation, Galindo said. The board is expected to meet Aug. 14 and will discuss early in-person voting then, she said. A second tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Barnstable the same day that another was reported in Mattapoisett on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The small EF-0 tornado touched down near the village of Marstons Mills at 11:52 a.m., according to the weather service. The storm traveled down Evergreen Drive for about four minutes before lifting over Joe Thompson Road at about 11:56 a.m. Read More: Tornado touches down in Mattapoisett Tuesday The storm, with an estimated peak wind of 80 mph, traveled about 1.1 miles and was 650 yards wide, forecasters said. The tornado ripped trees out of the ground, knocked down electrical poles and left some debris from smaller trees. A second tornado has been confirmed from this morning in Barnstable, MA; near the village of Marstons Mills. This tornado was approximately 1.1 miles long with maximum winds of 80 MPH. More details can be found here: https://t.co/mPgJqe4RG4 pic.twitter.com/ww29Mjlcbc NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) August 8, 2023 The damage was most concentrated near the center of the track at the intersection of Race Lane and Osterville-West Barnstable Road, forecasters said in a statement. Witnesses described a chaotic event, observing airborne fence posts and branches. Barnstable police posted several photos of the damage saying, be carful out there, there are lots issues with roadways. Please be cautious and patient as the town cleans up from todays storm. Be carful out there, there are lots issues with roadways. Please be cautious and patient as the town cleans up from todays storm. Posted by Barnstable Police Department on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 This comes the same day that an confirmed EF-1 tornado touched down in Mattaspoisett Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters said the tornado was on the ground for around three minutes after it was detected at around 11:20 a.m. and moved northeast at about 20 mph on North Street just north of Eldorado Drive. Numerous large Pine and Maple trees were uprooted falling in several directions, forecasters said in a statement. There were also numerous pine trees along the path that were snapped off between 10 and 20 feet above the ground. The most concentrated damage was found along Eldorado Drive by Granada Court. A chart tweeted out by the weather service said that the tornado drew a path that was almost one mile long and left no injuries or deaths in its wake. This tornado peaked at 95 mph, according to the chart. Three tornado warnings were issued as storms moved east, impacting Worcester, Middlesex, Plymouth, Bristol and Barnstable counties, even stretching across into parts of Cape Cod. A former Massachusetts man who police said left the state in 2018 after paying to have sex with a 15-year-old girl who was being held, sex trafficked and assaulted by a man she knew and his girlfriend was arrested in an airplane terminal on Sunday, Massachusetts State Police said. Thomas Almeida, 57, was arrested at TF Green International Airport in Rhode Island on Aug. 6, on a warrant charging him with paying for sexual conduct with a child under 18, state police said. The former Massachusetts man had gone to Florida following the reported assaults five years ago, police said. He was heading for a flight back to Florida from Rhode Island when police apprehended him Sunday afternoon in the JetBlue terminal at the airport. A Boston man was sentenced to prison after he pleaded guilty to robbing a USPS postal worker with a gun in January, Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy said. Anthony Diaz, 20, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to four years in prison and three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in April. In January, Diaz went up to a USPS letter carrier in Peabody and stated, Give me the keys, while pointing a semi-automatic pistol at the victim, officials said. After the worker handed Diaz the USPS vehicle key, Diaz told him to give him the rest of the keys and to hurry up or Ill shoot you. Officials said the USPS postal worker removed his keychain, which was attached to his belt, containing his USPS Arrow Key and asked if he could have his vehicle key back. Diaz placed the firearm in his right jacket pocket and left. An Arrow Key is a key designed to open designated blue USPS collection boxes in a specific area, according to officials, adding that it is a federal offense for an unauthorized person to have one. Read more: Emilio Matarazzo found guilty of murdering wife who had filed for divorce There have been at least 12 assaults on USPS letter carriers while in the performance of their official duties in Boston and surrounding cities and towns since July 2022. At least 10 of them were related to USPS Arrow Keys. Additionally, suspects in six of the robberies were armed with a knife, firearm or both, officials said. The national trend of threatening, assaulting and robbing United States postal employees for Arrow Keys has sadly made its way to Massachusetts. Postal workers are essential to countless aspects of our community and often go to great lengths to provide their invaluable services, at times in incredibly challenging circumstances, former United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins previously said. In 2020, an audit found the Postal Services management controls over arrow keys were ineffective. It was suggested to implement Keyless lock options and key tracking, which could significantly reduce the risk associated with lost or stolen arrow keys and enhance the security of mail receptacles. The charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees, provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, according to Rollins office. The charge of robbery of any person having lawful charge, control, or custody of any mail matter or of any money or other property of the United States provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. New Hampshire prosecutors argued in state Superior Court on Wednesday in favor of bringing a civil rights case against a regional Neo-Nazi leader after a judge initially dismissed the petition as unconstitutional earlier this year. Christopher Hood and the organization he leads, NSC-131, have drawn public focus for white supremacist rallies and protests across New England. Hood stood accused of violating the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act when his group hung a Keep New England White banner from a Portsmouth overpass last year. Both people and their pets should avoid contact with the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge through Thursday afternoon following the release of sewage into the river, according to public health officials. Mixed stormwater and sewage, known as combined sewer overflow, was released into the river to prevent contaminated water from backing up into homes, businesses and city streets, health officials wrote. The release took place on Tuesday between Magazine Park and the Boston University Bridge shortly before noon and through 3 p.m. The warning is in effect through Thursday at 3 p.m. The public should avoid contact with impacted areas of the river for 48 hours from the time the overflow ends because of increased health risks due to bacteria or other pollutants carried by the stormwater, such as fertilizers or pesticides, health officials wrote. Avoid paddle boarding, boating, fishing, or other activities that can bring you in close contact with this water. The areas affected include the Cambridge and Boston sides of the river just upstream of the Boston University Bridge to the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge, health officials said. Since 2022, state law requires municipalities to inform the public about sewage discharges into waterways. Further information is available through the Cambridge public health department. Henry Ruggs was sentenced on Wednesday morning for the 2021 DUI crash that claimed the life of a woman and her dog in Las Vegas. The former Raiders wide receiver was sentenced to 3-10 years in prison by a judge. Ruggs pleaded guilty in May to a felony charge of DUI resulting in death, as well as a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter. The 24-year-old was originally facing more than 50 years in prison for DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in bodily harm, two counts of reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm and possession of a firearm while under the influence. FanDuel Sportsbook Massachusetts $1,000 NO-SWEAT BET CLAIM OFFER 21+ and present in participating states. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. A plea deal was reached, leading to the guilty plea and lighter prison sentence for Ruggs. Before the judge read Ruggs his sentence, the 2020 first-round pick read a statement to the courtroom. I sincerely apologize for my actions the morning of Nov. 2, 2021, he said, via 8News Now. My actions are not a true reflection of me. My guilty plea will allow me to begin the healing process. Ruggs was driving 156 mph on residential streets in Las Vegas with a blood alcohol content of 0.16 percent twice the legal limit in Nevada when he crashed his Chevrolet Corvette into the back of 23-year-old Tina Tintors Toyota RAV4 in Nov. 2021. Tintor and her dog were killed in the fiery crash. Ruggs was cut by the Raiders the following day. He will be eligible for parole after three years. With the 2024 race for the White House already in full swing, Vice President Kamala Harris is slated to visit Marthas Vineyard on Saturday for a high-dollar fundraiser. The event will be hosted by a cadre of power players, including banker C. Bernard Fulp, Vickee Jordan Adams and Robin Leeds, the state Democratic Party said in a statement. Admission to the event runs $50 to $10,000. In its statement, state Democratic Party bosses said attendance at the fundraiser will help ensure the Biden-Harris Democrats have the resources needed to win in 2024. Read More: At NAACP convention, VP Kamala Harris blasts attack on civil liberties Harris made national headlines earlier this month when she shot down Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis invitation to debate Floridas controversial Black history curriculum, which teaches that enslaved people learned skills they later could use to their advantage, CBS News reported. There is no roundtable, no lecture, no invitation we will accept to debate an undeniable fact. There were no redeeming qualities of slavery, Harris said during a stop in the Sunshine State. Q: According to Japanese media, Japan is considering beginning the ocean discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water between late August and early September. Whats Chinas comment? It is learned that the Japanese government hopes to explain to China the safety of the ocean discharge plan before starting the disposal. Whats the Foreign Ministrys comment? Have the two sides had communication on explaining the safety of the ocean discharge? A: China has been and remains opposed to Japans headstrong push to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea and leave the entire world at risk of nuclear contamination. The Japanese government needs to comprehensively address the concerns of the international community, live up to its moral responsibilities and obligations under international law and stop pushing for the ocean discharge. Japan needs to find a truly responsible, safe and effective way to deal with the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water and subject itself to rigorous international oversight so as to avert irrevocable damage to the global marine environment and human health. Chinas position is objective, fair and based on facts and reasonfor both peoples health and a safe global marine environment. We have been communicating our concerns to Japan on the basis of the science and facts and have engaged Japan bilaterally and multilaterally to repeatedly state the views and concerns from Chinas professional agencies. In addition, based on science and technology and international nuclear safety good practices, China and Russia presented three joint lists of technical questions to Japan to demand clarifications regarding its ocean discharge plan. The safe disposal of the nuclear-contaminated water depends on a serious and responsible attitude and a science-based and comprehensive assessmentnot publicity campaigns. Regrettably, over the past two years and more, Japan has given little heed to the legitimate concerns and opposition from various quarters and refused to discuss other disposal methods that might be safer, while insisting on initiating the ocean discharge this summer. If Japan has any sincerity about alleviating the concerns of its neighbors, it should immediately stop pushing for the discharge, communicate with other parties without taking the decision in advance and fully discuss all potential options for disposing of the water safely. Otherwise, an explanation will just be meaningless. Serving on the Loup Power District board for years, it's safe to say Chris Langemeier has experience in the field. After a recent appointment by Gov. Jim Pillen, he'll be taking that experience to a whole new level with the Nebraska Public Power District Board (NPPD) Langemeier, a real estate broker with Land Mark Management and Realty, joined the Loup board in 2016/2017 when he ran and was elected to fill the position left by the late Laverne Kracl. He was then re-elected in 2020 for another four-year term, according to Loup President and CEO Neal Suess. Suess added that Langemeier brought experience with him even then. "He's a good board member, mostly because of his time in the legislature when he was the representative from Schuyler's district back in the day," Suess said. "We worked with him a lot because he represented some of our service area." Langemeier said that, at the time, it seemed like a natural fit for him to take the things he had learned from his time in the legislature into a board position at Loup. Now, he'll be taking that expertise and what he learned at Loup to a much larger scale. He will have to resign from the Loup board to take his new seat. "I think Nebraska Public Power deals with a little bigger issues as well as how to deal with the desire to have more renewable energy within the system like the use of power for cars," Langemeier said. "I think it's going to be crucial to make sure we evaluate where those opportunities are in the future." The meetings will be held in Columbus, not too far from where the Loup meetings are held, so his commute is roughly the same for meetings, but he has a way to go when it comes to understanding everything he needs to within the role, Langemeier said. NPPD, he added, sells power to other suppliers, whereas Loup sells directly to end users, which is a whole different ball game. "I have to admit I have a lot to learn, but I think there are a lot of important visions in our future, supplying renewable energy for Nebraskans," Langemeier said. "It's a little more generation of power, wholesaling power to Loup and others, a little more right to the production side of energy and power." Suess said the scale of Langemeier's duties will be the biggest change. Loup deals with hydroelectric power, where NPPD deals with nuclear and coal, which have a lot more oversight and more people he will have to work with. Langemeier's position at NPPD, Suess said, will be an expanded version of what he does at Loup, overseeing finances, policy and doing the CEO/president reviews, all vital functions of a board. Given his track record in the legislature and with Loup, Suess is confident Langemeier will do well. "He's a good board member and his time at the legislature and as head of the natural resources committee, he basically oversaw the electric utility industry matters, had good knowledge of what went on in the utility industry in his time and has the ability to talk to other folks in that realm," Suess. "With politics being a bigger and bigger player on a daily basis, it not only helps at our level but when you get to NPPD's level." Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency on Tuesday in regard to the shortage of available shelters needed to house the rising number of migrants arriving in Massachusetts. We remain unwavering in our commitment to be safe and a people of compassion, safety, opportunity and respect, Healey said Tuesday during a press conference at the State House. But the increased level of demand is not slowing down. And due to both a long-standing shortage of affordable housing, as well as delays and barriers to federal work authorizations, we find ourselves in this situation. Were unable to move people from housing and shelter into permanent housing. Because of this, so instead, weve been expanding and continuing to look for housing and shelter opportunities, expanding shelter at a rapid pace, and its unsustainable. What is a state of emergency? In Massachusetts, the governor has the authority to declare a state of emergency when the commonwealth is affected by either a natural or man-made disaster, according to the states website. A state of emergency can cover municipalities, multiple communities or the entirety of the state. Sometimes a state of emergency will require that schools, businesses and/or state offices be closed as a way to protect state residents. Thats not the case with Healeys current declaration. The governor is also allowed to issue executive orders that would meet the needs of a threat, emergency, or disaster, the states website said. These executive orders are to be treated as law and can override any existing law over the course of the emergency. The governor is authorized to exercise any and all authority over persons and property necessary to protect the public, according to the state website. Depending on the disaster, this may include taking and using property for the protection of the commonwealth. Ordering evacuations, implementing curfews, or enacting other restrictions can be used to protect public health and welfare if warranted. What is the recent state of emergency about? On Tuesday, Healey declared a state of emergency in relation to the states overwhelmed shelter system not being able to house the rising number of migrants coming to the commonwealth. The governor reported that there are almost 5,600 families, including more than 20,000 people, residing in state shelters, marking an 80% increase from the previous year. The influx of migrants entering the commonwealth has caused the states shelter system to become overwhelmed. These numbers are being driven by a surge of new arrivals in our country whove been through some of the hardest journeys imaginable, she said during a press conference Tuesday. They are the face of the national international migrant crisis. Theyre here because where they came from is too dangerous to stay. Theyre here because Massachusetts has and will always be a beacon of hope, compassion, humanity and opportunity. Specifically, the Healey administration is asking the federal government for funds and to expedite work authorization papers for migrants, according to a letter she sent to the Department of Homeland Security. Who is already helping the incoming migrants? Under Massachusetts right-to-shelter law, the state is required to provide immediate housing to families in need. But, due to the increasing number of migrants coming to Massachusetts, the states shelter system has become overwhelmed. As a result, the commonwealth has had to explore alternative housing options for incoming migrants. Currently, some migrant families are housed in dorms at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy and Salem State University and at a temporary shelter at Joint Base Cape Cod. Amid the states shelter crisis, the Healey administration is also asking those who can to step up and host a migrant family. I am also calling on all of our partners from cities and towns to the faith community, philanthropic organizations, and human service providers to rise to this challenge and do whatever you can to help us meet this moment, Healey said in a press release. How much would this cost? Despite the fact that the Healey administration is spending $45 million a month on housing, the administrations ability to create new shelters to house migrants is falling short, the administration said in a letter. The line item for Emergency Assistance Family Shelters for the fiscal 2024 budget currently sits at $325 million for the states shelter system, according to State House New Service. This would fund the shelters at about $27 million per month from just that line item, which is $18 million less than what is currently being spent, the State House New Service said. But, the $325 million total is a 48% increase over last years shelter funding of $219.4 million. What is driving the surge of migrants to Massachusetts? Thousands of migrants are coming to Massachusetts to escape political violence. According to Dr. Geralde Gabeau, executive director of the Immigrant Family Services Institute, the influx of migrants began in 2021 and exacerbated in 2022, in an interview with the Boston Globe. In a statement released by Healeys office Tuesday, the governor also cited federal policies on immigration and work authorizations, inadequate production of affordable housing over the last decade and the end of COVID-era food and housing security programs as factors exacerbating the crisis. What is the Massachusetts Migrant Families Relief Fund? The Massachusetts Migrant Families Relief Fund is a partnership between the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and The Boston Foundation to address the influx of migrants coming into the commonwealth. The partnership also supports local community-based organizations that serve the newly-arrived immigrants in the state. The fund aims to deliver emergency aid to shelter organizations in the commonwealth and support livelihood opportunities like health screenings and translation services. The fund will also provide direct services to local community-based organizations that already have stretched-out budgets. As we face this unprecedented stress on our shelter system, we must embrace our collective responsibility to care for those individuals and families in need of housing and support, and to work in partnership with cities, towns and civic and community organizations leading this work, said M. Lee Pelton, president and CEO of The Boston Foundation in a statement. We are honored to join the Healey Administration, the United Way and the roster of community leaders who are tirelessly working to ensure the dignity, safety, and health and wellbeing of these new arrivals. How does the Immigrant Assistance Services program factor in? The Immigrant Assistance Services program is specifically created to aid recently arrived immigrants in Massachusetts with accessing services that cater to their immediate needs. In May, the Healey administration awarded the program with $1.75 million in funds. The state money supported 800 individuals and families who were currently being sheltered. Massachusetts is home to many service providers who do heroic work to connect immigrant families with the resources and support that they need. Our administration is proud to support their efforts with the establishment of the Immigrant Assistance Services, said Healey. This funding represents an essential boost to our efforts to ensure that all families in Massachusetts have access to safe shelter, food and health care. Two tornadoes struck the ground in Massachusetts on Tuesday, one in Mattaspoisett and one in Barnstable. But over a century ago, on Aug. 9, 1878, New England saw the second deadliest tornado in the regions history. While Tuesdays tornadoes scaled at an EF-1 and an EF-0, respectively, the tornado that struck Wallingford, Connecticut, in 1878 scaled at an F-4, according to Today in Connecticut History. The EF, or Enhanced Fujita scale, ranks the intensity of a tornados wind speed. EF-0 and EF-1, between 65 and 110 mph, are considered weak; EF-2 and EF-3 tornadoes are expected to be strong, reaching speeds of 111 to 165 mph; and EF-4 and EF-5 tornadoes reaching somewhere between 166 or over 200 mph are considered violent, according to the National Weather Service. The Fujita Scale was the original method of ranking a tornados speed. Developed in 1971, was replaced by the EF scale in 2007, according to the weather service. The tornado that hit the ground in Wallingford was estimated to be reaching wind speeds of up to 260 mph. In the late 19th century, most Connecticans lived under the impression that the monster tornadoes that annually devastated the Great Plains could never happen in New England; on Aug. 9, many residents were too quick to dismiss the incoming storm clouds as merely another bad summer thunderstorm and failed to seek shelter by the time the massive, half-mile-wide funnel cloud touched down, Today in Connecticut History said about this tornado. The tornado was said to have destroyed wooden homes, multi-story factory buildings and nearby trees, reducing them to twigs, Today in Connecticut History added. A shantytown full of day laborers near the train station was completely wiped out, and the towns new brick schoolhouse was nearly leveled, the website continued. Nearby telegraph poles were ripped from the ground, delaying communication with neighboring communities during the first crucial hours after the skies cleared. The town recorded 34 deaths and 70 injuries, ConnecticutHistory.org said. With telegraph wires downed by the storm, a request for help was sent by train as the rails of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad remained open. Doctors from Meriden, along with other first responders from neighboring towns and from Hartford. The deadliest tornado to strike New England was the Worcester tornado in 1953, which left 94 people dead at least 10,000 people were homeless as a result. In addition, 4,000 buildings were destroyed. The National Weather Service also noted in the same tweet that on Aug. 9, 1972, three smaller tornadoes hit parts of Massachusetts. An F-1 tornado struck Wilbraham at 1:05 p.m. and traveled half a mile, uprooting dozens of trees. Two hours later, an F-2 tornado traveled from Templeton to Winchendon, downing trees and wires and leaving one person injured. A third tornado traveled across Massachusetts that day, scaling at F-1 on the Fujita scale, according to the weather service. This tornado traveled from Needham to Newton to Brookline, damaging trees and homes. Debris from this tornado killed one person and injured six people. Afrika Insights Inc., an Ontario-based risk advisory and publishing company, joined The Canada-Africa Business Chamber last month, ahead of the annual Canada-Africa trade and investment forum, Africa Accelerating . The firms primary objective is to provide Canadian companies and individuals with the information and knowledge to make beneficial investments in Africa. During Africa Accelerating 2023, the Chambers premier event each year, CEO Felix Ofulue will address the 3-day gathering during the session on Knowledge Generation: The Role of the Chambers Institutional and Research Members across Africa. For many businesspeople and investors in developed countries such as Canada, Africa was for long an uncharted territory, says Felix Ofulue, who is proud of his experience working for The Coca-Cola Company across Africa for almost two decades. Many money and asset managers avoided the continent for reasons including political instability, lack of amenities and utilities needed to run a business, frequent policy changes and the absence of the kind of predictability that minimizes risk. Yet for those who dared, Africa consistently yielded among the highest rates of return on investment globally for the past two decades when compared with other emerging and frontier markets, adds Ofulue. Whether in long-term foreign direct investment or in portfolio flows, Africa has hugely benefited those who understood its terrain and navigated its risks with knowledge. Afrika Insights argues it is in prime position to provide timely and up-to-date business and political risk analyses to guide investors to profitable investment decisions across Africa: In a globalized world in which people are increasingly interconnected and can engage in real-time, instantaneous communication from any point in the globe, business opportunities are also transcending old barriers and boundaries. New risks are also emerging. Afrika Insights is led by outstanding professionals with the right skills and experience to deliver actionable advisories in a rapidly changing global environment. Felix Ofulue, Afrika Insights Inc.s Chief Executive Officer, says his experience at The Coca-Cola Company across Africa for almost 20 years included stints in the east, south and west of the continent. He now manages a team of researchers and analysts located across the continent to deliver information in easily digestible formats to our clients and readers. Included on the team is Dulue Mbachu, a writer and journalist with more than two decades of experience. Dulue worked for the Reuters and Associated Press news agencies as a journalist covering Africa before he joined Bloomberg News in 2008 as an energy correspondent and went on to become the pioneer Nigeria bureau chief in 2010, says Ofulue. He worked in other capacities as speed editor and government editor during his 13 years at the company. We are proud to have him serve in overseeing our research and publications at Afrika Insights. Felix Ofulue says he looks forward to the active role he and his colleagues will play, following Afrika Insights accession into The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business: Jointly, and in collaboration with other partners and professionals, we will put our best efforts to support the work of The Canada-Africa Business Chamber toward boosting business relations between Canada and African markets. A meeting chaired by Alan Ganoo, Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade on the 07 August 2023 at 10 30 hours, in the Conference Room of the Human Rights Division, 7th Floor, St James Court, Port Louis. This working session was done with key human rights stakeholders as part of the consultations being held to finalise the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Report 2023: Mr Harry Ganoo, G.O.S.K, Ombudsman Mrs Rita Venkatasawmy, O.S.K, Ombudsperson for Children Dr Mitrajeet Dhaneshwar Maraye, F.C.C.A, Ombudsperson for Financial Services Mr Ramesh Sunt, Ombudsperson for Sports Mrs Deviyanee Beesoondoyal, G.C.S.K, Chairperson Independent Police Complaints Commission Mr Louis Richard Toulouse, Member of the Equal Opportunities Commission The Universal Periodic Review is a unique process driven by the Human Rights Council which involves the review of Human Rights records of all UN Member States. It is an opportunity for States to inform of actions taken to uphold human rights. Mauritius is required to submit its next Universal Periodic Review Report to the Human Rights Council for the 4th Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review Exercise in October 2023. The consultation process to come up with the Report started in October 2022 with working sessions held by the Human Rights Division with Ministries/Departments, whereby the importance of the report and the information required were explained. In January 2023, the Hon Minister A.Ganoo led the consultations held with members of the Rodrigues Regional Assembly. He personally chaired two meetings of the National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow Up with stakeholders and NGOs earlier this year in February 2023 to explain the UPR process and call for inputs. A press communique was thereafter issued in February/ March 2023 to invite submissions from civil society. A workshop was held on 19 June 2023 with relevant Ministries/Departments to review inputs received. It is to be noted that following review of the 3rd UPR Report for Mauritius, which was submitted on 13 August 2018, Mauritius received a total of 176 recommendations out of which 133 recommendations were supported, whilst 43 were noted. The recommendations were shared with stakeholders for necessary action to be taken to address same. The Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Ballina TD Dara Calleary, will today publish the progress report on the implementation of the National AI Strategy 'AI Here for Good'. The Minister said a number of key achievements have been delivered so far including: - Appointing Irelands AI Ambassador, Dr. Patricia Scanlan, and the completion of her first year in the role - Establishing an Enterprise Digital Advisory Forum, focussing on industry adoption of AI and other digital technologies - Establishing an AI Innovation Hub (CeADAR ) to provide services such as specialist training and project feasibility work in particular to SMEs - Completing the Expert Group on Future Skills report on AI Skills - Delivering the National Youth Assembly on AI in October 2022 - Joining the Global Partnership on AI, a multi-stakeholder initiative originating in the OECD Publication of the NSAIs AI Standards and Assurance Roadmap Deputy Calleary stated: As consumer AI tools have become widely available, more and more of us are aware that AI is here for good. It is already transforming many aspects of the ways we work and live, and it will continue to do so. Ireland was a front runner in publishing our National AI Strategy two years ago, and we have made excellent progress so far in putting the building blocks in place to get the coming transformation right, including seeking the views and participation of young people from across Ireland on AI policy and I am pleased to see their inputs published. Looking ahead, I want to ensure we maintain our strong position and are ready for new challenges and opportunities as they emerge. The Minister is now seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified individuals from academia, business, law, security, social sciences, economics, and civil society to serve on an AI Advisory Council. The Council will provide independent expert advice to government on artificial intelligence policy, with a specific focus on building public trust and promoting the development of trustworthy, person-centred AI. He added: In order to better understand the risks and identify the opportunities of this technology, I am establishing an AI Advisory Council to support government in our work to build a more digitally, integrated, inclusive and competitive society and economy. I will continue to work with my colleagues across government, to ensure we have the policies, skills, infrastructure, and laws in Ireland to harness the great potential of these technological tools to deliver for the good of all. The progress report on the implementation of the National AI Strategy 'AI Here for Good' identifies a number of specific priorities for the coming year. These include: - Influencing the regulation of AI in Ireland and internationally, in particular, the development of the EU AI Act. - Supporting businesses, enterprise, and workers on AI adoption as well as upskilling, reskilling and adapting, including through the AI Innovation Hub. - Finalising and implementing the principles and guidelines for the use of AI in the public sector. - Considering what additional supports may be needed for the AI sector and businesses adopting AI in Ireland. Minister Calleary concluded: As a small, open economy, international developments in this space are important. Irelands approach to AI, one that is human-centred, ethical, and trust-based, underpins our engagement in national and international fora, particularly as development of the EU AI Act enters the next phase. We are actively promoting a robust governance framework to safeguard against risk and ensure public trust in AI. My core priority is making sure that AI is fostered and deployed in a way that is safe, trustworthy and builds the confidence for innovation to flourish. ALL 12 Mayo fire stations will 'go dark' from Saturday (August 12) as part of the latest escalation of industrial action by retained firefighters. Today (Wednesday) the SIPTU National Retained Fire Fighter Committee has today confirmed that union members will escalate their strike action due to the failure of government to respond to their concerns. This week, half of Mayo fire stations have been completely shut on any given day, with crews frequently assisting stations from other areas. A proposed pay increase, which came on foot of a Labour Court recommendation, was recently rejected by retained firefighters, who commenced strike action nine weeks ago. SIPTU Public Administration and Community Division Organiser, Karan O'Loughlin, has accused the government of 'astonishing' silence regarding retained firefighters' concerns. "It has abandoned the retained fire service, leaving fire fighters at the side of the road in an effort to break their dispute," Ms O'Loughlin stated. "This strategy will not work. The men and women of the retained service are steadfast in their belief that the service will collapse if adequate measures are not taken to address the current recruitment and retention crisis and this dispute will continue until this happens. "Today the National Retained Fire Fighter Committee agreed that we would inform the management that, as of 8.00 a.m. on Saturday, August 12, all stations will go dark and will have no internal communications other than life saving information." SIPTU has threatened that one additional fire station will close across the county every week if negotiations are not re-started. "Stations around the country are already closed fifty per cent of the time because of the refusal by management to agree adequate cover arrangements with fire fighters, and because many of them dont have enough staff to respond to calls. This situation will now escalate," added Ms O'Loughlin. SIPTU Local Authority Sector Organiser, Brendan OBrien said: "While members are angry at the lack of respect and support for the service shown by management and politicians, they are buoyed by the support they are receiving from the people in their own communities. This anger had transformed itself now into determination to ensure that this dispute delivers for the new recruits that are needed and for the future of the service." Most Russians Wary of Digital Ruble, Survey Finds Blow for Moscows CBDC? Source: yulenochekk/Adobe Most Russian citizens say they distrust or have no interest in using the digital ruble, Russias CBDC, a survey has found. The survey was carried out by the media outlet and information service provider BankInform, which asked its subscribers to give their thoughts on the CBDC. The coin is currently being piloted in real-world scenarios with what the Central Bank has labeled a select group of consumers. Fifteen Russian commercial banks are also participating in the pilot, along with a small group of small- and medium-sized retailers. The media outlet reported that only 13% of respondents said they intend to use the digital ruble and see it as bringing new opportunities. Over a third of respondents (34%) said that while they were interested in the arrival of a new form of the ruble, they had no intention of using the token. More than a fifth of respondents (21%) said they were not interested at all in the digital ruble. And it appears that the Central Bank has a lot of PR work to do if it is to win over Russian hearts and minds. The media outlet wrote: The most curious result of our survey is the fact that 32% chose an option that read: The digital ruble is some kind of fraud. People should exercise caution. BankInform opined that this option was selected predominately by people who are poorly informed about the digital ruble. But it claimed that it would be an oversimplification to reduce everything to ignorance. The media outlet wrote: Increased awareness does not guarantee that suspicions will dissipate. And it claimed that its small survey demonstrated the need for a large-scale study, which has not yet been attended to. The Russian Central Banks Nizhny Novgorod offices. (Source: amanderson2 [CC BY 2.0]) Russias Digital Ruble Problems for Moscows CBDC? The news follows developments earlier this week from the nations biggest banking association, which claimed that citizens were extremely wary of the digital ruble. The group wrote a letter to the Central Bank with a request to clarify certain issues pertaining to the digital ruble. And the association called on the Central Bank to introduce a direct ban on forcing citizens to open a digital ruble wallet. Business leaders in Russia have also expressed mixed feelings about Moscows fast-tracked digital ruble pilot. But the Kremlin and the bank appear to think that a Russian CBDC will help Moscow and its allies de-dollarize their trade operations without the need for further cryptoasset adoption. The Downtown Carlisle Association is prepared to meet incoming U.S. Army War College families with open arms Saturday. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. the organization will host its annual Welcome Jam downtown. The event will enable U.S. Army War College families who are new to the area to explore restaurants and businesses downtown. Welcome Jam participants can join in the Colonel Carlisle Scavenger Hunt by finding Colonel Carlisle at participating businesses for a chance to win Love Bucks, a universal gift certificate for downtown locations. Live music will be provided by acoustic trio Not Quite Rite at the Square from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. St. John's Preschool at the Square will host a carnival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring a dunk tank, games, prizes, raffles, face painting and the Central PA Ghostbusters. Photos: Scenes from the Annual Ford Parade in downtown Carlisle by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, August 9, 2023 Billions premiered only seven years ago in 2016, but so much has happened since then in the TV business that the series -- returning for its seventh and final season this week -- feels like a golden oldie. Its not that its story and situations are stale -- because they are not. But think about how much has changed since then. At the time of the shows premiere on January 17, 2016, Showtime was a unit of CBS Corp., then presided over by Les Moonves. Billions was developed and brought to life by a Showtime regime that is long gone. Moonves left under a sexual-harassment cloud in September 2018. advertisement advertisement Viacom merged with CBS to become ViacomCBS in 2019. The whole thing got renamed Paramount Global in 2022. There is still a Showtime, but it is now a cog in a much bigger media machine. But even more than just the changes at Viacom and CBS, the character of the entire business changed when the majors all decided to bet the farm and join Netflix in the subscription streaming business. Billions may seem like it came out of a distant age, but it is also true that streaming -- in its case, the companys streaming service Paramount+ -- gives everlasting life to the show and many others like it. A line uttered by lawyer Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) in the seventh-season premiere links Billions to a series that is much older, but by all accounts popular with a new generation of viewers -- The Sopranos, which streams on Max. When Rhoades has a clandestine meeting with someone in his familys mausoleum, he remarks to the person that the crypt is like Uncle Juniors doctors office. I had to think about that reference for a minute before I remembered that at some point in The Sopranos, Uncle Junior would hold his face-to-face meetings on mob business inside an examining room at his doctors office because he was certain the meetings would be neither observed nor overheard. In the Billions season premiere, a reference is made to the War in Ukraine, which helps establish that the new season of Billions is rooted in the present. Like a self-obsessed business titan from the real world, one of the central characters sets his sights on the presidency and vows to run in 2024. However, Episode One (701 in the parlance of TV -- meaning Season 7, Episode 1) concludes with a rock song that is 44 years old -- London Calling by the Clash. Do younger people even know who the Clash is (or was)? A crypt is not the only place where some of the Billions characters meet secretly. For New Yorkers, the locations used in the show are one of its main attractions. In Episode 701, the meeting places include the famed Wo Hop on Mott Street in Chinatown, and Famous Joes Pizza on Carmine Street. As a story set in the higher reaches of extreme wealth and the jockeying that goes on to secure a piece of it, Billions is not unlike Succession. Although Succession was about an aging corporate patriarch and his striving, grasping children, both are billion-dollar soaps. Long-time fans of Billions will love what Episode One of the final season sets up -- an epic clash of wills between some of the shows longest-running characters. Showtime is being particularly generous with this finale storyline a reported 12 episodes, a number almost unheard of for drama series in the streaming era. The seventh and final season of Billions starts on Friday (August 11) on Paramount+ and premieres Sunday (August 13) at 8 p.m. Eastern on Showtime. by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, August 8, 2023 In its latest effort to reshape ideas about aging, RoC Skincare is expanding its partnership with actor Sarah Jessica Parker. The company is pushing the Look Forward Project, which the skincare brand launched with Parker last year, to include even younger customers. The idea behind the effort is the same: helping women feel less anxious about aging, and more upbeat about the future. But this iteration incorporates more insights from psychologists and other experts, gearing the initiative toward teens. Profits from sales of the new limited-edition skincare set will go to mental health advocacy programs aimed at teens and their parents. This year's effort is based on research showing how people wished they had begun being more positive about the future earlier. It says 59% of women RoC interviewed say they weren't optimistic when growing up and wish they had been. And 69% of moms fear their negativity could impact their children, with 79% saying they have tried to instill positive thinking in their kids, but didn't know where to start. The effort includes a new optimism curriculum for young people, created with experts Deepika Chopra, also known as the "Optimism Doctor," Josie Howard, MD, psychiatrist and psychodermatology specialist focusing on skin and emotional well-being, and Shani Tran, a therapist. RoC intends to distribute 5,000 new resource kits to middle-school students around the U.S. There's also a social media push, urging people to share inspirational messages using the #BeARoC TikTok campaign. RoC, known for wrinkle-zapping retinol-rich products, is owned by Gryphon Investors, a private equity group that acquired it from Johnson & Johnson in 2019. The new campaign comes at a moment when consumers are rethinking what's in their beauty routines. Circana's latest report, tracking first-half of the year sales, says makeup is the fastest growing segment right now, with 3% more people using color cosmetics -- especially lipstick --than last year. In terms of skincare, face serum, body spray and facial cleansers were the top gainers, at least in the prestige segment. And clinical brands did the best. Sales of hybrid products that solve skin concerns and provide makeup coverage are gaining. More shoppers are trading down to drugstores and mass brands, which includes RoC. Circana says 67% of consumers say these brands are as good as prestige products, an increase from a year ago. by Erik Oster , August 8, 2023 Its a match made in California. Costa Mesa-based footwear and apparel company Vans, a staple of skateboarding culture for decades, rolled up to the Barbie brand partnership party about a week after the Greta Gerwig blockbuster had its summer-stealing opening weekend, in a fashionably late entrance An initial announcement teaser hinted at an earlier release around the time of the movies debut, so it would appear it was pushed back for some reason. As of deadline, Vans hadnt responded to questions about the release. The Barbie deal might have appeared with more fanfare, particularly given Vans recent struggles. Parent company VF Corporation recently reported Vans revenue was down 22% year-over-year as part of a broader decline of 8% for the Denver-based company reported for its first fiscal quarter of 2024. The collection features a stackform shoe in hot pink, a high-platform stackform shoe in light pink/white, multicolored slide-on sandals, and the adorable Barbie style 93 DX shoe in white with pink trim and bow accent. Each comes enclosed in a Barbie-inspired clear box packaging designed to look like what youd find Barbie inside at the toy store. Beyond footwear, there are also such items as an oversized Tee, a long-sleeved crop top, and a mini backpack in the same swirled mult-color pattern as the slide sandals. The Vans x Barbie collection is the latest in a line of collaborative releases for Vans, including partnerships with designer and multidisciplinary artist Nicole McLaughlin, New York-based fashion label Collina Strada, leading gummy candy brand Haribo, and Netflixs Cobra Kai and Stranger Things series. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, August 8, 2023 An artists voice makes their persona and often is the most valuable part of their livelihood. "To steal it, no matter the means, is wrong, Universal Music Group general counsel Jeffrey Harleston told U.S. lawmakers last month. Google and Universal Music Group are in talks to license artists melodies and voices for songs generated by artificial intelligence (AI) as the music industry tries to determine how to protect one of the the biggest revenue generators -- mainly the artist's voice. Frank Sinatras voice, the Financial Times reports, has been used on a version of the hip-hop song Gangstas Paradise, while Johnny Cashs voice has been deployed on the pop single Barbie Girl. PluggingAI, a YouTube user, offers songs that imitating the voices of rappers Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. advertisement advertisement Discussions have been confirmed by four people familiar with the matter, reports FT. The goal is to create a partnership between technology and an industry that is trying to figure out how to deal with the challenges of AI technology. The early stage talks between Google and Universal Music aim to determine how to develop a tool for fans who want to create these tracks legitimately, and pay the owners of the copyrights for it, reported the FT, citing people close to the situation. Artists would have the choice to opt in. Warner Music reportedly has also been talking to Google about a product. With the right framework in place, AI will also enable fans to pay their heroes the ultimate compliment through a new level of user-driven content, including new cover versions and mashups, Robert Kyncl, chief executive of Warner Music, said during the companys earnings call. AI is unquestionably one of the most transformative forces in human history. Nonetheless, this technology shift is more familiar terrain than first meets the eye. Like many technologies before, it presents massive opportunities for human creativity and innovation. Artists should have the choice to opt in Kyncl said. While major record labels are struggling with the idea and what to do with it, some artists have embraced AI technology. Grimes, the electronic artist, has offered to let people use her voice in AI-generated songs for 50% of the royalties. I'll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice, Grimes wrote on the social media platform X. Same deal as I would with any artist i collab with. Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings. by Erik Oster , August 8, 2023 Anheuser-Busch InBev has agreed to sell eight properties from its Brewers Collective craft brewing unit to Tilray Brands, a company listed as the worlds largest cannabis company by total assets, and also a player in the craft beer arena. The Anheuser-Busch portfolio includes the Shock Top brand it introduced in 1996 to compete with MillerCoors Blue Moon, as well as its initial craft beer acquisition, Redhook Brewery. Theres also the Blue Point Brewing Company, Breckenridge Brewery, 10 Barrel Brewing Company, and Widmer Brothers Brewing, as well as non-beer brands HiBall Energy and Square Mile Cider Company. The acquisition sees Tilray Brands add to a beverage portfolio that already included breweries Alpine Beer Company, Green Flash Brewing Company,Montauk Brewing Company, and SweetWater Brewing Company. Tilray Brands also owns spirits brand Breckenridge Distillery, and the Happy Flower brand of CBD sparkling non-alcoholic cocktails. Todays announcement both solidifies our national leadership position and share in the U.S. craft brewing market and marks a major step forward in our diversification strategy, Tilray Brands Chairman and CEO Irwin D. Simon said in a statement. The company intends to significantly expand national distribution to coveted markets across the U.S. and internationally, and intends to act as a change agent that reinvigorates the sector. And yes, that may (eventually) include THC-infused brews. Upon [U.S.] federal cannabis legalization, we expect to leverage our leadership position [and] wide distribution networkto include THC-based products and maximize all commercial opportunities, Simon added. Notably, cannabis is already legal in the companys home country of Canada. On an investors call regarding the announcement, Simon said Tilray hoped to close the deal in 60-90 days. In response to a question regarding AB InBevs craft portfolio seeing consecutive years of revenue declines as a whole, Simon said, The way we looked at it was not what the brands were doing beforebut what we could do with them as they complement our current brands. With the increased production and sales volume following the completion of the acquisition, Tilray anticipates becoming the fifth largest maker of craft beer in the U.S., based on 2022 Beer Institute data, with 5% market share of the craft beer market. by Ray Schultz , August 8, 2023 New York Universitys Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute has launched a journalistic ethnics initiative backed in part by a $395,000 grant from OpenAI. The initiative also includes $50,000 in support from the Carter Journalism Institutes Journalism Venture Capital Fund. Stephen Adler, editor in chief of Reuters from 2011 to 2021, will lead the Ethics and Journalism initiative. As trust in the media declines, and advances in technology pose fresh challenges, practicing journalism ethically is more important than its ever been, Adler says. The program will bring leading thinkers and practitioners to campus for workshops and discussions that will also include Carter Journalism Institute faculty. All of our students as well as the wider community of journalists will benefit from this deeper immersion in the difficult ethical issues that we face, adds Stephen Solomon, professor of journalism and director of the Carter Journalism Institute. Fewer than 100 days after the first flight took off, Charlottesvilles airport announced it has lost its direct service to Orlando. The last Avelo Airlines flight between Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport and Orlando International Airport will be Sept. 4. Low customer demand is to blame. We have decided to end Avelo service in Charlottesville, Courtney Goff, spokeswoman for the Houston-based low-cost carrier, said in a statement. This was not the outcome we envisioned when Avelo took flight at CHO on May 3, unfortunately, CHO has not been generating the demand we expected. The airline said that all customers who have tickets booked after Sep. 4 will be automatically refunded by the end of this week. When the first Avelo airplane landed on the runway at CHO on May 3, it was greeted by bevy of University of Virginia cheerleaders, an animated Cav Man and a water salute. The celebration marked the restoration of a Charlottesville-to-Orlando route after CHO lost another low-cost carrier, Allegiant Air, which provided service to Orlando Sanford International Airport up until 2014. Avelo offered one round trip each Friday and Monday. A passenger can choose whether they fly out on a Friday and come home on a Monday, or they can take a long week, Jason Burch, then the airports chief operating officer, told The Daily Progress at the time. You know, Orlandos definitely got things to do for a long week. Burch, who will taking over as CEO next month, was credited as instrumental in the restoration of Orlando service by outgoing CEO Melinda Crawford. Neither Burch nor airport officials made any mention of Avelos departure when announcing his promotion earlier this week. Airport officials declined to provide any further details when contacted by The Daily Progress on Wednesday. Though we are disappointed that Avelo will cease their nonstop Orlando flights, we are thankful for their service to CHO and our region, Crawford said in a statement. Though we wish Avelo would have continued to serve CHO during our busy fall season, we respect the difficult decisions Ultra Low Cost Carriers (ULCCs), such as Avelo, must make as the air service industry environment continues to evolve. Avelos departure does not mean that business has taken a turn for the worse at the airport, according to Burch. As of this month, passenger count is back at 91% of what it was pre-pandemic, Crawford previously told The Daily Progress. The end of Avelos service in Charlottesville is by no means a negative reflection on the community, Burch said in a statement. Our existing services are performing great, and we will continue to work diligently with our airline partners on other expansion opportunities. Orlando was one of three direct routes restored at CHO this year. In April, American Airlines began providing service to Philadelphia. Earlier this month, United Airlines began providing service to Chicago. Both of those routes are still in operation. A criminal charge could be coming for the person who was at the helm of a pyrotechnic machine blamed for a late-winter, party-clearing fire at a University of Virginia fraternity house. The ignition of mounds of foam peanuts near whats called a cold spark machine in the ground-floor party room of the Kappa Sigma house emptied the Rugby Road building and caused three people to get evaluated for smoke inhalation. There was too much stuff around those machines, Shawn Maddux, Albemarle County deputy fire marshal, told the Daily Progress. Theres been a trend at fraternities to create a Winter Wonderland effect with foam peanuts, which are light and white like snow. But unlike snow, the polystyrene packing materials are flammable. On the night of the fire, March 17, witnesses said that a Chapel Hill-based musical act called Always Friday had been slated to perform. Neither the acts management nor the fraternity responded to requests for comment from The Daily Progress. Maddux said that the buildings sprinkler system activated to tamp down the flames and that none of the three people complaining of smoke inhalation were transported for medical treatment. Concert pyrotechnics were once associated with classic rock bands such as Kiss. It was pyrotechnics backing another hair metal band called Great White that started the Rhode Island nightclub fire that killed 100 people in 2003. Today, cold spark machines, also known as sprinkler fountains, may seem a safer alternative than conventional fireworks, but they still generate heat. Its not really hot to the touch, if you put your hand near the top where the sparks are, said Maddux, but the base gets very warm. He said the base of at least one machine in the Kappa Sigma house was proximate to the piles of polystyrene. Its all about excess, said Maddux. We calculated the amount of peanuts, and it was the equivalent of filling four average bedrooms floor to ceiling. While Maddux said a contributing factor was the cushy carpet of combustibles, the pending criminal charge would be the failure to obtain a permit for pyrotechnics. Many party rental firms claim that cold spark machines are not pyrotechnics. That was one of the assertions made by some of the brothers there that night, said Maddux. But legally they very much are. If the charge does get levied, it is a Class 1 misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to a year behind bars. But since its not a felony, the person who is the target of the investigation would not be subject to extradition. Well talk to him and see if hell return to Charlottesville and do the right thing, said Maddux. Were not going to go to North Carolina and pick him up. Legal analyst David Heilberg said that states dont typically extradite over misdemeanors, but with easily searchable databases, the charge wont disappear. If its out on the wire that theres a warrant out for your arrest, you could get arrested, said Heilberg. A speeding ticket could land you in jail. Heilberg, a frequent criminal defense attorney, said that sometimes an out-of-state misdemeanor charge can be handled with a fine and without actually going to court. But that, he said, doesnt mean a charge should be avoided. I always tell people to face the music, said Heilberg. The Marine Corps identified the MV-22 Osprey part that was failing and causing dangerous hard clutch mishaps in 2010 -- more than a decade before the mechanical problem resulted in the deaths of five Marines, according to a document obtained by Military.com. The document, drafted by the service, also reveals that the Marines and the manufacturer made several efforts to fix the problem years before the deadly 2022 Osprey crash in the California desert. Ever since the clutch issue became public in August 2022, the Marines have made it clear that their experience with the problem went back to 2010, but the document reveals the service was also focused on a component called the input quill assembly -- the part it would point to much later as the key to its attempted fix -- in the same time period. Read Next: Veterans Hit with Error Messages While Filing to Make PACT Act Deadline The document says that, after the very first incident of a hard clutch engagement on the Osprey, the input quills were identified as the failing component. It would be 13 years until the military would publicly say that. The persistent mechanical issue -- a hard clutch engagement, often referred to as HCE -- is capable of shredding the components responsible for powering the Osprey's propellers and enabling it, in the event of a single engine failure, to keep flying. The issue only became public after the Air Force abruptly grounded its Osprey fleet last August over a cluster of such incidents. Yet the Marine Corps, which operates the lion's share of the military's Osprey fleet, said the very next day that it didn't need to ground its aircraft. Officials who spoke with reporters at the time stressed that the issue largely occurred "within seconds after takeoff" and that "in every incident, the aircraft landed safely." Months later, though, Military.com would exclusively report on a 2017 HCE incident with an Air Force Osprey that happened mid-flight and forced the aircraft to perform an emergency landing with a single engine. In June 2022, a Marine Corps Osprey -- call sign Swift 11 -- would crash in southern California, claiming the lives of five Marines. In March, the Marine Corps investigation would find that they were the first deaths stemming from the problem. The branch wouldn't tell the victim's families or the public until July. In February, when the military announced that replacing the input quills would be a mitigation measure put in place to stop the issue from happening, officials wouldn't say how often the replacement would need to take place or how many Ospreys would be down as a result. When the Swift 11 investigation was released, it became known that the quills were being replaced every 800 flight hours. However, that investigation also revealed that the Marine Corps does not know the definitive cause of the issue. The document reviewed by Military.com says that the entire "in-reporting" Osprey fleet has now been retrofitted. Despite the absence of an understanding of what causes the issue, the Marine Corps says replacing the quills is a near-perfect, 99% fix. A widow of a Marine killed in the Swift 11 incident, as well as aviation experts, told Military.com they were skeptical of this claim. Amid this back and forth, the Marines and the Osprey's manufacturer, Bell/Boeing, were apparently working on a fix for years, according to the document shown to Military.com. An effort to redesign the input quills first kicked off in 2017 though it would fail three years later in 2020, the document explained. Another redesign effort began in 2022 and continues to this day. However, neither effort included an actual fix, and the cause of HCEs is still unknown. Complicating these efforts is the fact that, according to the Marine Corps document, the service hasn't been successful in recreating an HCE in a lab environment where they could document the exact chain of events that causes the problem. A double HCE -- the kind of incident that downed Swift 11 -- is even harder to duplicate. In fact, the document makes clear that at the time Swift 11 went down, the Corps wasn't aware that such a thing was even possible. The service hadn't seen any models or simulations that suggested that both of the aircraft's clutch assemblies failing simultaneously was feasible. Despite that, between data within the document and other Marine Corps sources, it appears that out of all 16 known instances of hard clutch engagements in the military, two incidents -- Swift 11 and one other incident -- involved a double HCE. Media representatives for Bell/Boeing referred questions to Naval Air Systems Command. Additionally, the Air Force and Navy did not provide comment on the latest information provided in the documents. The Marine Corps and Air Force officially started flying the Osprey in 2007 and 2009, respectively. The Navy got its first operational aircraft more recently, in 2021, according to fact sheets from all the services. Fast-forward to when the fiscal 2024 budget documents came out for all the services earlier this year, and something becomes clear: The military is done buying the flawed aircraft. The latest budget documents, released in March by the Navy, say that the military services ultimately want 464 aircraft -- 360 for the Marines, 48 for the Navy, and 56 for Special Operations Command and the Air Force. -- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin. Related: Marine Corps Widow Pushes Back After Claims Deadly Osprey Malfunction Is 99% Fixed NIAMEY, Niger Niger's deposed president is running out of food and experiencing other increasingly dire conditions two weeks after he was ousted in a military coup and put under house arrest, an advisor told The Associated Press on Wednesday. President Mohamed Bazoum, the West African nation's democratically elected leader, has been held at the presidential palace in Niamey with his wife and son since mutinous soldiers moved against him on July 26. The family is living without electricity and only has rice and canned goods left to eat, the advisor said. Bazoum remains in good health for now and will never resign, according to the advisor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive situation with the media. Bazoum's political party issued a statement confirming the president's living conditions and said the family also was without running water. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Bazoum on Tuesday about recent diplomatic efforts, a spokesman said, and Blinken emphasized that the safety and security of President Bazoum and his family are paramount. This week, Niger's new military junta took steps to entrench itself in power and rejected international efforts to mediate. On Monday, the junta named a new prime minister, civilian economist Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine. Zeine is a former economy and finance minister who left office after a previous coup in 2010 toppled the government at the time. He later worked at the African Development Bank. The establishment of a government is significant and signals, at least to the population, that they have a plan in place, with support from across the government, Aneliese Bernard, a former U.S. State Department official who specialized in African affairs and is now director of Strategic Stabilization Advisors, a risk advisory group. The junta also refused to admit meditation teams from the United Nations, the African Union, and West African regional bloc ECOWAS, citing evident reasons of security in this atmosphere of menace, according to a letter seen by The Associated Press. ECOWAS had threatened to use military force if the junta didnt reinstate Bazoum by Sunday, a deadline that the junta ignored and which passed without action from ECOWAS. The bloc is expected to meet again Thursday to discuss the situation. Its been exactly two weeks since soldiers first detained Bazoum and seized power, claiming they could do a better job at protecting the nation from jihadi violence. Groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have ravaged the Sahel region, a vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert that includes part of Niger. Most analysts and diplomats said the stated justification for the coup did not hold weight and the takeover resulted from a power struggle between the president and the head of his presidential guard, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who now says he runs the country. The coup comes as a blow to many countries in the West, which saw Niger as one of the last democratic partners in the region they could work with to beat back the extremist threat. It's also an important supplier of uranium. Nigers partners have threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance if it does not return to constitutional rule. While the crisis drags on, Nigers 25 million people are bearing the brunt. Its one of the poorest countries in the world, and many Nigeriens live hand to mouth and say theyre too focused on finding food for their families to pay much attention to the escalating crisis. Harsh economic and travel sanctions imposed by ECOWAS since the coup have caused food prices to rise by up to 5%, say traders. Erkmann Tchibozo, a shop owner from neighboring Benin who works in Nigers capital, Niamey, said its been hard to get anything into the country to stock his shop near the airport. If it continues like this, the situation is going to become very difficult, he said. The junta also shut Niger's airspace this week and temporarily suspended authorization for diplomatic flights from friendly and partner countries, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Acting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met with the coup leaders but said they refused to allow her to meet Bazoum. She described the mutinous officers as unreceptive to her appeals to start negotiations and restore constitutional rule. The U.S. has some 1,100 military personnel in the country and has seen Niger as a strategic and reliable partner in the region. Still, Nuland made more headway than other delegations. A previous ECOWAS delegation was prevented from leaving the airport. Its unclear how much coordination is involved in the various mediation efforts. Some experts have worried that if the work is not coordinated, it could undermine ECOWAS. I think the U.S would come to a modus vivendi with this junta, if the junta proved particularly amenable to U.S interests, but that doesnt seem to be on the table for now, Alexander Thurston, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, said. But analysts say the longer it takes to find a solution, the more time the junta has to dig in and the less momentum there will be to oust it. Other African nations are also divided on how to proceed. Neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which are run by military regimes, have sided with the junta and warned that an intervention in Niger would be would be tantamount to a declaration of war against them. In a joint letter Tuesday to the United Nations, the two countries appealed for the organization to prevent by all means at its disposal, armed action against a sovereign state. Mali and Burkina Faso also sent representatives to Niamey this week to discuss military options. Officials from all sides said the talks went well. ___ AP writer Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed. WASHINGTON The U.S. Navy is naming a ship after decorated Alaska Native veteran Solomon Atkinson of Metlakatla. Atkinson, who died in 2019, was one of the first Navy SEALs. He was deployed to Korea and completed three tours in Vietnam, for which he was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Among his many acts of service, Atkinson also trained astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in underwater weightless simulations. The Navy announced plans Monday to name a future Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship which are traditionally named for prominent Indigenous people and tribes after Atkinson. "Atkinson's achievements as a SEAL have left behind an enduring legacy, not just in the Special Warfare Community, but with our nation's astronauts as well," Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in a statement. "I am pleased to ensure that his name will extend globally to all who views this great ship." Atkinson was born in Metlakatla in 1930 and raised in Alaska's only federally recognized Indian reservation. Before enlisting in the Navy in 1952, he worked as a commercial fisherman. After his retirement from the Navy as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 in 1973, Atkinson founded the first veterans organization on Annette Island and served as mayor of Metlakatla, among other roles in the community. The Navy named Atkinson's widow, Joann Atkinson, and daughters Michele Gunyah and Maria Hayward as sponsors of the vessel. In that role, they will maintain a relationship with the ship and crew. Joann Atkinson said the news that the Navy planned to name a ship after her late husband was "completely overwhelming." "I still haven't come down off the clouds," she said. "I just wish he was here to receive, but I know he's looking down on us right now," she said of her husband. "And he's probably just smiling. He had the most beautiful smile." Caitlin Steinberg is an archivist chronicling Atkinson's life for a book and the executive director of Operation Green Faces, a nonprofit that preserves SEALs' oral histories from the Vietnam War. Steinberg called the task of preserving Atkinson's story "intimidating" because it spans so many historical events. In an interview, she outlined Atkinson's experiences preparing for the Cuban missile crisis, training astronauts, serving in the Vietnam War and being in Washington, D.C., during 9/11. "His life is filled with such extraordinary circumstances that can only be described as either fate or incredible coincidence," she said. Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan recognized Atkinson as "Alaskan of the Week" in a 2017 U.S. Senate floor speech. Sullivan knew Atkinson and called him "a legendary Alaskan and an American hero" in a statement. "You would never hear Sol brag about his accomplishments and illustrious career because Sol was as most of the greats are a truly humble man," Sullivan said. Hayward, Atkinson's daughter, thanked the Navy for honoring Atkinson. She said in a statement that her father embodied the Tsimshian tradition of "akadi lip a'algyaga sm'ooygit," which loosely translates to "a chief never speaks for himself." "Through all of his time as a U.S. Navy UDT and SEAL, as well as a leader of veterans and Native Alaskans, Sol lived this ethos," she said. "And, here today, in the shadow of Sol's death, he holds to it still." ___ (c)2023 the Alaska Dispatch News (Anchorage, Alaska) Visit the Alaska Dispatch News (Anchorage, Alaska) at www.adn.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. At the same time ex-Congressman Tom Garrett has been mounting a political comeback, he and his wife Flanna Sheridan have been embroiled in bitter divorce proceedings, with court filings claiming the Republican strangled Sheridan, attempted suicide and thought of ways to kill his chief of staff. In a 2019 complaint filed by Garrett, his counsel wrote that Sheridan abandoned him without just cause or provocation. A counterclaim by Sheridans counsel includes a long list of allegations against her husband, including that he is guilty of both physical and emotional abuse. Garrett, who won the GOP nomination and will almost certainly be elected to the heavily Republican 56th Districts seat in the Virginia House of Delegates this fall, has denied nearly all the claims. More than 1,000 pages organized into five thick folders at the Louisa County Courthouse document the ugly allegations. The Republican nominees counsel has submitted a motion for a gag order, asserting his wife was engaged in a campaign to discredit and criticize him. In a sworn affidavit, one witness writes that Sheridan told her that she wanted to ruin Tom, bankrupt him, take all of his money, and do anything she could to prevent him from making money. In Sheridans counterclaim, her counsel outlines a number of violent incidents. Among them are allegations that Garrett twice struck her in the head during their marriage and that he has a history of physically pinning [Sheridan] to the ground, pushing her, and punching holes in the walls. The counterclaim also alleges that the politician often threatened suicide. In August 2017, for instance, Sheridan, who was eight months pregnant at the time, went for a 30-minute walk to take a breather from an argument she was having with her husband, the counterclaim says. When she returned home, she said she found Garrett in the car with the engine running and the garage door sealed. I told you I was going to kill myself if you left (go for the walk), the filing claims Garrett said. His counsel denies this. Garrett was a sitting U.S. congressman at the time representing Virginias 5th District in the House. Prior to that, he served six years in the Virginia state Senate. His political career was put on pause in May 2018 when he announced that he is an alcoholic and that he would not run for reelection. Life is about priorities and values, and for the most part, I am proud of mine. But theres one area where I havent been honest, Garrett said in a video announcement at the time, visibly choked up. The tragedy is that any person, Republican, Democrat or independent, who has known me any period of time and has any integrity knows two things: I am a good man and I am an alcoholic. Both parties in the recent legal proceedings agree that Garrett stopped drinking at that time. But what triggered that decision depends on who is telling the story. In Sheridans telling, it was Mothers Day 2018, and the family was on a trip to New Orleans. Garrett drank himself into a fiery rage, her counterclaim reads, and then tried to strangle her as their infant daughter was sleeping next to her. In a long line of physical and emotional abuses by Husband against Wife, that apparently prompted Husband to publicly announce he was seeking treatment for his alcoholism, reads the counterclaim. Garrett, however, says the last night he touched alcohol was some 10 days later, when he fired his then-chief of staff. I still have not had so much as one drink since the night that I fired Jimmy Keady, Garrett responded in court documents, adding that he terminated Keady because Keady hated Flanna and she hated him. A person familiar with the matter told The Daily Progress that Keady was not fired but resigned. The next spring, nearly one year after Garrett claims to have stopped drinking, he and Sheridan were traveling together in Belgrade, Serbia. There, according to Sheridans filing, he disclosed to her that he was thinking of ways to kill Keady because he blamed him for ruining his political career. That same day, Garrett threatened to jump off the balcony at a Serbian shopping mall, according to the filing. Garretts counsel denied both allegations. In explaining his exit from Congress, Garrett wrote in a court filing that after he fired Keady, his ex-chief of staff concocted a story which ran in Politico. That May 2018 story is headlined: Ex-aides say congressman made them his servants. In it, Politico reported that the Garretts assigned aides mundane tasks such as grocery shopping and caring for their dog. The Majority Leader called me prior of me even knowing about the story to say he could help if any bad things came to pass, Garrett wrote in his filing. This is essentially how I learned of the accusations. At the time the story was published, the U.S. House and Senate were in Republican hands: Paul Ryan of Wisconsin leading the lower chamber, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky leading the upper. In its motion for a gag order, Garretts counsel wrote there was good cause to seal the courts file, so that the contents therein are not available to members of the public or the press. With no gag order, his counsel said it was concerned Garretts ability to obtain future employment will be negatively affected. The general election will take place this November. Currently there is no Democrat challenging Garrett in his district, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration. My father, a real-life "Saving Private Ryan" veteran (first wave, third landing craft to touch the sand at Normandy), taught me many things, including never to let opinion outweigh fact. To that point, one thing he said to me has resonated many times across the years: "Son, opinions are like a. " Well, you know the rest. Gary Anderson's op-ed of Aug. 3 on Military.com is an example of my father's prophetic advice. First and foremost, to so blatantly disparage any veteran days after his retirement, especially one like Gen. David Berger, who dedicated his entire life to the Marine Corps and moreover this nation in a myriad of roles including combat, is not only disrespectful, it's dishonorable! More to the point, Mr. Anderson fails to properly identify the principal "why" in Commandant Berger's planning guidance. The general's force design was initiated to comply with the guidance of the 82nd Congress (80 years ago!) directing the Marines to remain most ready when our nation is least ready. As any defense analyst understands, we are now firmly focused on a new National Defense Strategy in keeping with a new era of great power competition in which we are arguably behind. Mr. Anderson further fails to appropriately account for the roots of the modern U.S. Marine Corps amphibious operations and the architects of that capability -- initially, Lt. Col. Pete Ellis and later Commandant Ben Fuller. It was their "bold" and not always embraced Fleet Marine Force concept of the 1930s, coming from having been a land-centric force in World War I, that heralded the success of the Marine Corps' island-hopping campaigns of World War II. Finally, Mr. Anderson alludes to the classified games at the Naval War College and what they may have indicated concerning Commandant Berger's vision. Thankfully, that's the reason they were classified. Had the findings indicated anything differently, the concept would have shifted. It hasn't. Taking a page from Commandant Fuller, Commandant Berger looked at the "coming storm" and made the bold and courageous decision to realign the Marine Corps back to its amphibious roots. His redesign of the Corps took it from the land-centric force it had become during the War on Terror to a highly mobile, flexible and adaptable fighting force capable of engaging in island-hopping campaigns in the Pan Pacific theatre, reminiscent of the Marine Corps of old! While Mr. Anderson dismissively alludes to the threat of a land-centric Marine Corps being consumed into the Army, having served as a senior adviser to a highly respected U.S. senator, those types of "economies of scale" initiatives are often discussed by the uninitiated on Capitol Hill. As history has also educated us, anything Congress considers could occur. Finally and most especially, Commandant Berger "sold" his concept to seasoned experts in the Pentagon, including Gen. Jim Mattis, then the secretary of defense, a fellow highly decorated Marine, and the Honorable Richard V. Spencer, the 76th secretary of the Navy and another former Marine. 'Nuff said! No, Commandant Berger's vision to redesign the Corps does not mark him as Mr. Anderson opines. Rather, having the honor to serve with Commandant Berger, I watched a gentleman and a committed patriot who greatly loved the Marine Corps check his own ego time and time again to do the right thing for the Corps, always placing "service above self." The 37th commandant, Gen. Bob Neller, and my predecessor, Secretary Spencer, got it right in seeing Gen. David Berger become the 38th commandant of the Marine Corps. Thankfully, neither my opinion nor Mr. Anderson's matters, as history will be the final judge of Gen. Berger's efforts. But mark my words, if that coming storm does materialize, Gen. Berger will go down in the annals of Marine Corps history as the greatest commandant to ever serve our nation. -- Kenneth J. Braithwaite, a retired Navy rear admiral, served as the ambassador to Norway during the Trump administration and later as the 77th secretary of the Navy. In 2004, 52-year-old Vietnam veteran Don Nicholas tried to join the Marine Corps to serve in Afghanistan. When the Corps said he was too old, he went to the Army Reserve, which was only too happy to take him. By 2011, Sgt. Nicholas was 59 and the oldest active deployed soldier, but he was hardly the oldest ever. During the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, a War of 1812 veteran named John Burns donned his old uniform, a flintlock rifle and powder horn, and joined the fight on the Union side. He was 69 years old at the time. Even he wasn't the most elderly vet to enjoy a good fight. The honor might go to John W. Boucher, a Canadian veteran of the U.S. Civil War, who finagled his way onto the battlefields of World War I. All he had to do was convince a doctor he was of military age -- twice. Boucher was born in Ontario in the 1840s, at a time when Canada was still a province of the British Crown. He was sent to a boarding school after his father's death sometime in the 1850s. When the Civil War broke out in the United States, the young man escaped from the school, crossed the border and tried to join the Union Army. "He gave up his Canadian citizenship -- his manhood's right -- to fight for the Union, in which he had no part and for the emancipation of the negro," journalist Beatrice Fairfax wrote of Boucher in an April 1918 edition of the Syracuse Post-Standard. That was his plan, anyway: At the time, It was illegal for British subjects to fight in a foreign army, and enlisting in the Union Army required parental permission for men ages 18-20. The recruiters in Buffalo, New York, who met with Boucher deemed him too young. He was also rejected in Cleveland. Finally, the 25th Michigan Infantry Regiment accepted him when he enlisted in Kalamazoo in September 1864. Boucher had just missed the 25th's participation in Gen. William T. Sherman's Atlanta Campaign, but arrived in Tennessee in time to fight in the Battles of Franklin and Nashville, which he remembered later in his Post-Standard articles. The 25th later rejoined Sherman in the Carolinas Campaign that forced Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston's Army of the South to surrender, leading to the end of the Confederacy. The 1864 Battle of Franklin (Kurz & Allison) After the Civil War, Boucher returned to Canada and began working on railroads, in foundries and as a guide on the St. Lawrence River near Gananoque for the next 49 years. His wife died, his children became adults and he settled into retirement until Germany invaded Belgium in the summer of 1914. Boucher was then 72 years old, well past the British Army's enlistment age limit. Canada was a self-governing dominion of the British Empire at that point, but 620,000 Canadians would line up to fight the Germans in Europe for the crown. Boucher watched as enlistees flocked to his sleepy fishing village for training. Something in him felt his place was among them, and he joined the war the one way he knew how: lying. He was clearly older than the average soldier (his fellow troops would call him "Dad"), but his active lifestyle on the St. Lawrence kept him in good shape. Aside from a touch of arthritis, he was ready for war. Like his efforts in the Civil War, however, unit after unit rejected him because he didn't look to be in his 40s. In 1917, Boucher got his best chance when the 257th Canadian Railway Battalion raised its age limit to 48. He passed the physical, claiming to be 48 years old. With a wink, an elderly doctor approved his enlistment. He was made a sapper, a battlefield combat engineer, and shipped to the Western Front to build railroads. Soldiers of an Australian 4th Division field artillery brigade on a duckboard track passing through Chateau Wood, near Hooge in the Ypres salient, 29 October 1917. He arrived in time to hear the Allies celebrate America's entry into the war against Germany. "I went through camp routine like a man in a dream," he later wrote in the Post-Standard. "I had constant reminders of my Army life at Nashville and the contrast was so great I could hardly comprehend it all." Also unlike the Civil War, the modern battlefields of World War I had to contend with attacks from the air, and railroads under construction were prime targets for enemy airmen. For eight months, Boucher endured air attacks as the Allied forces marched into Belgium. Finally, in December 1917, a Red Cross corporal ordered him to see a medical officer. The jig was up. "How old are you?" the medical officer asked. "I don't want your army age. I want your true age." Boucher was forced to admit he would soon be 73 years old. The officer "threw a fit," saying the elderly sapper "should be at home by the fireside, instead of eating iron rations served up by Fritz." Boucher's military career was over, and he was sent to London to await transportation back home. Sapper Pvt. John Boucher in uniform in his 70s. While in London, however, word about the old man's story apparently got around, because Boucher was summoned in uniform to Buckingham Palace. King George V met Boucher in his private study, where the two talked about Canada, his Civil War service and American dedication to the ongoing war. "I've lived among them for many years," Boucher told the king about the Americans. "I can safely say that the United States is determined to wipe the Kaiser's war machine out of existence." After returning home in February 1918, Boucher toured the U.S. to rally support for the war effort, saying, "Now, it is for you Americans to make good my promise to King George -- that you will prove real fighters." He eventually moved to the United States, first to Upstate New York, where he became an American citizen. Then he moved to Detroit and Miami, dying on Feb. 27, 1939. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, or on LinkedIn. Want to Learn More About Military Life? Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for post-military careers or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox. MEARS, MI Biking in the winter? Thats right. With fat tires on Lake Michigan sand dunes. This winter, Silver Lake State Park will host a second season of fat-tire biking Dec. 15 to March 15. This follows a successful first season in 2022, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said. Cyclists can enjoy 450 acres of open sand dunes, elevation changes of 80 to 100 feet, access to Lake Michigan and sunsets over the lake from atop the dunes, the DNR said. RELATED: Horseback riding along Lake Michigan shoreline returning to this state park Its part of continuing efforts to expand outdoor recreation at the park in the off-season, the DNR said. Silver Lake is home to one of Michigans six state ORV scramble areas, and the only one that features sand dunes. There is no cost or registration for fat-tire biking. A Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into the state park, located at 9679 State Park Road in Mears. READ MORE: Secluded Lake Michigan beach is perfect reward after 1.5-mile hike through wilderness Do mermaids live in Lake Michigan? Unclear. But we do have Mermaids Milk. New Northern Michigan trail will cross Boardman River Lavender labyrinth is Instagrammable treat at Michigan road-side market Little Traverse Wheelway gets $800K to rebuild section that collapsed into Lake Michigan Beachfront hotel with views of Lake Michigan now open Up North 850-ton limestone pavilion is one of the finest examples of rustic architecture in Michigan DETROIT -- A Commerce Township man pleaded guilty this week to a charge of wire fraud after he allegedly stole more than $850,000 in COVID-19 relief funds intended for small businesses. Ryan Carruthers, 32, entered the guilty plea before United States District Judge Paul D. Borman Monday as part of a plea agreement. Prosecutors accused Carruthers of submitting electronic applications for pandemic relief loans on behalf of companies that he claimed to own and was in control of. As part of the applications, Carruthers provided false and misrepresented information about the number of employees, revenues and business operations for the phony companies. Ryan Carruthers stole nearly a million dollars from programs intended to help our community weather an unprecedented national crisis. Every dollar that went to Mr. Carruthers is a dollar that did not go to a small business that needed help during the pandemic, said United States Attorney Dawn Ison. My office takes pandemic fraud extremely seriously, and we will continue to dedicate resources to bringing those who perpetrated such frauds to justice. In total, prosecutors say Carruthers received approximately $851,963 in funds from 13 loans that were funded. Twelve of those loans came through the Paycheck Protection Program. As Carruthers received the money, he used it to pay off the mortgage on his house, buy a personal watercraft and pay for various personal expenses. This case shows the efforts some will take to defraud their fellow community members and taxpayers, said HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar. Today, three years after the start of the pandemic, we are still investigating fraud and working to ensure that those who received this money did so honestly and justly. The message should be clear for anyone who stole these funds for personal enrichment, our HSI agents and partners are committed to holding you accountable. Carruthers is scheduled to be sentenced of Dec. 5. in Judge Bormans courtroom. READ MORE: Brother & sister from Michigan charged in multi-million dollar COVID-19 scheme Latest student loan forgiveness bill would remove interest for current borrowers, cap future rates Boy, 13, dies after being struck by vehicle in hit-and-run crash WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI -- A 23-year-old Ann Arbor man has been charged with five felonies for allegedly breaking into a Washtenaw County home and sexually assaulting someone. Edward Newland, 23, was arraigned on Saturday, Aug. 5, before Magistrate Tamara Garwood in the 14A District Court on charges of first-degree home invasion, assault with intent to rob while unarmed, assault with intent to commit sexual penetration, secon- degree sexual assault and assault with a dangerous weapon. All five charges are felonies. The incident occurred in the 2100 block of Glencoe Hills Drive in Pittsfield Township around 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 4, according to the Pittsfield Township Police Department. Newland and the victim knew each other, police said, adding there is no ongoing threat to the community. If it wasnt for the fact of the amount of fight and resistance that was placed by the victim in this case, these would be significantly different charges, said Lou Danner, assistant prosecuting attorney for Washtenaw County, during the arraignment hearing on Saturday. The victim said Newland knocked at her door, presenting a knife and asking for money, according to testimony from Pittsfield Township Police Officer Skylar Gonzales-Tripp. He then forced his way in and attempted to sexually assault her, the victim said. Newland claims he was there to meet a sex worker he met online, who attacked him when he said he did not have enough money, Gonzales-Tripp testified. Newland also has an open case for a domestic assault charge from July of this year. He was arraigned on that charge, a misdemeanor, on Sunday, Aug. 6. Newland currently is being held in the Washtenaw County Jail on a $200,000 bond. He is next set to appear in court for the felony case on Thursday, Aug. 17. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter. Read more from The Ann Arbor News: University of Michigan plans to replace striking grad workers Ann Arbor to assess citys response, costs for prolonged power outages 1800s Ann Arbor life depicted in Concordia University oil painting gallery One person is dead after a two-vehicle crash Tuesday morning that was caused by a fallen tree on Thomas Jefferson Parkway near Monticello. Another person was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Albemarle County Police Department. The identity of the deceased is being withheld until next of kin is notified, authorities said. Albemarle police said in a Tuesday Facebook post the crash occurred on the parkway, also known as state Route 53, after a vehicle was struck by a fallen tree. The post did not say how the second vehicle was involved. Albemarle County police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Progress. The stretch of the parkway between Route 20 and Milton Road was closed for several hours Tuesday morning. It was reopened as of midday. FLINT, MI A Clio man ripped the head off his girlfriends animal and then shoved her face into a bucket hed placed the body as a form of psychological domination and intimidation, according to the Genesee County Sheriff. Michael Lee Humphries, 49, is charged with first-degree killing/torturing animals, assaulting/resisting/obstructing police and misdemeanor domestic violence in the case, which Sheriff Chris Swanson said is alarming. OTTAWA COUNTY, MI Elected leaders with the embattled Patmos Library will ask voters a third time if theyll help keep the librarys doors open. On Tuesday, Aug. 8, the six-member Patmos Library Board of Trustees unanimously approved asking voters Nov. 7 to decide on a three-year millage renewal of .4119 mills. If approved, the tax would be collected in 2023, 2024 and 2025. The board on Tuesday also unanimously approved applying tags to the inside cover of books that will give parents and patrons a brief overview of a books genre and topics. That policy to give additional insight at a glance for parents and parents about a books contents came after trustees deadlocked in July about approving a new millage question, with motions to move forward with a five-year question as well a one-year millage question both failing. The tags will be sourced from the Library of Congress and commonly used book sites and be selected by cataloging librarians at the library at 2445 Riley St. in Jamestown Township. Jamestown Township voters last year effectively defunded the library amid a campaign against a few LGBTQ books and others with sexual content accessible in the librarys young adult section. Voters shot down two operating millage proposals last year that wouldve provided a majority of the librarys annual operating budget. Without a new operating millage, the library will eventually be forced to close. Related: Public library defunded over LGBTQ themes going back to voters. See the book challenges filed. The board had previously talked about examining the feasibility of allowing parents to place restrictions on their library account that would bar their child from checking out specific books as well as material falling under specific genres, topics and age categories. However, that isnt feasible with the librarys current system, said Library Board President Kathy VanZandbergen. The board also examined giving the library board some oversight in the purchase of new books that happens each month. Currently, staff oversees those purchases. The change wasnt enacted. Related: West Michigan library eyes giving parents, board more power over what minors read Beyond budget concerns, the library is also at risk of closing its doors due to losing its Lakeland Library Cooperative membership. Trustee Alaina Kwiatkowski said that if the board didnt approve a millage question for the fall ballot, the library would likely lose its membership with the co-op, which has 42 public library members across eight West Michigan counties. Because the library relies on Lakeland Library Cooperative for its library systems and cant afford those on its own, the library would have to close its doors, Kwiatkowski said. Read more on MLive: Holland police identify woman struck, killed by train GVSU receives $2.6M to train more nurses practitioners Effort to find person reportedly in distress in Grand River now a recovery mission OTTAWA COUNTY, MI Patmos Library leaders are optimistic that voters, after shooting down two past attempts, will approve a new operating millage this fall to keep the librarys doors open after the board enacted a new book labeling policy. It was a little bit difficult to determine tonight with some of the comments, that some of them are still talking about getting rid of the books, Library Board President Kathy VanZandbergen said of whether she thinks the millage renewal will pass. Im optimistic. I am more optimistic than in the past two, where pretty much I didnt think anything was going to happen. Jamestown Township voters last year effectively defunded the library amid a campaign against a few LGBTQ books and others with sexual content accessible in the librarys young adult section. Voters shot down two operating millage proposals last year that wouldve provided a majority of the librarys annual operating budget. Without a new operating millage, the library will eventually be forced to close. On Tuesday, Aug. 8, the Patmos Library Board unanimously approved putting a three-year millage renewal before voters on Nov. 7. That unanimous approval came after the board also approved a new labeling policy meant to give parents and patrons a brief overview of a books genre and topics. Im hoping this change is a big one, VanZandbergen said. It will give them the information for making the choices that they want for their kids. Its an aid. Related: Defunded over book controversy, West Michigan library will try third time for millage Under the new policy, cataloging librarians at the library will place up to 10 tags on the inside cover of every book. Theyll start with new books and then work through the catalog. The tags will be sourced from the Library of Congress and commonly used book sites, such as Goodreads. Trustee Alaina Kwiatkowski gave an example of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which could include a tag like magic from Goodreads in addition to tags of WWII and fantasy fiction from the Library of Congress. Tagging of LGBT content wasnt brought up, but it is a tag on Goodreads and is tagged on the website for several controversial books that some residents have been trying to get removed from Patmos Library. Related: Public library defunded over LGBTQ themes going back to voters. See the book challenges filed. During the Tuesday meeting, Jamestown Township resident Lynn Dornbush told board members she planned to vote no again on the millage because the library board hadnt made any changes. It wasnt clear if the new labeling policy, which was approved later in the meeting, would satisfy her. Its the children that have to come first. The books are crap, Dornbush said. This whole LGBTQ, transgender I dont care. Its from the devil himself. And its evil and its sucking in our children and its grooming our children. And so if were going to continue on in this direction then Im going to push for a no vote. Jamestown Township resident Tammy VanderMolen told the board she wouldnt recommend putting another millage question on the ballot, as the board hasnt enacted any changes. VanderMolen said her grandchildren love the library but arent allowed to go there because there are books on the shelves that she doesnt want them to see. She didnt specify what books. Several others voiced their support for the library during public comment. Board Vice President Betty Besteman said that when she was campaigning a lot of people asked her what her ideas were for the library. The labeling idea, she said, was one of them. This was one of the ideas that I thought was practical right from the beginning, that we have some a tagging label... some kind of system to help our parents know what their children are reading faster and easier, Besteman said. Board Treasurer Marcia Frobish said people had been asking the board to make common sense policy changes. So would we all agree this is a common sense policy change that the board has now made in response to things that the community has said? Frobish asked after the labeling policy was passed. The board had previously talked about examining the feasibility of allowing parents to place restrictions on their library account that would bar their child from checking out specific books as well as material falling under specific genres, topics and age categories. However, that isnt feasible with the librarys current system, VanZandbergen said. The board also examined giving the library board some oversight in the purchase of new books that happens each month. Currently, staff oversees those purchases. The change wasnt enacted. Beyond budget concerns, the library is also at risk of closing its doors due to losing its Lakeland Library Cooperative membership. Kwiatkowski said that if the board didnt approve a millage question for the fall ballot, the library would likely lose its membership with the co-op, which has 42 public library members across eight West Michigan counties. Because the library relies on Lakeland Library Cooperative for its library systems and cant afford those on its own, the library would have to close its doors, Kwiatkowski said. 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. Read more on MLive: City of Grand Rapids to borrow up to $12M to redevelop downtown riverfront park West Michigan mayor charged in Trump fake elector scheme faces calls to resign Warby Parker opening first trendy eyewear location in Grand Rapids KENT COUNTY, MI Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services has received state approval for 40 child and adolescent inpatient hospital beds at its planned two-story, $68 million Pediatric Behavioral Health Center thats expected to open in fall 2025. In all, the 134,840-foot addition to Pine Rests headquarters on 68th St. SE in Gaines Township will have 66 beds for children and teens suffering from mental health issues such as eating disorders, depression, substance abuse and more. Heide Rollings, medical director of the new center, said in a news release the space aims to help alleviate a shortage of pediatric behavioral health services in Michigan. Wait times for many types of behavioral health services are too long, he said. Families are often forced to travel long distances to find accessible care. Sometimes they are even told the services they need dont exist. The Pediatric Behavioral Health Center will help alleviate that strain for our community. The center was announced in July 2022 after it was awarded $38 million through the bipartisan 2023 state budget. It joins other expansions of behavioral health services in Kent County that are currently underway, including a 96-bed psychiatric hospital in Byron Township operated by Trinity Health and Universal Health Services thats expected to open in 2025. Trinity Health also broke ground in May on a 24/7 behavioral health crisis center at Trinity Health Saint Marys campus at 260 Jefferson Ave. SE in downtown Grand Rapids. The facility is a partnership between Trinity Health and Network180, Kent Countys mental health authority. Pine Rests new center will include three units, each of which will have 22 private patient rooms. Forty of the 66 beds were recently approved by the states Certificate of Need process. The remaining 26 beds are being relocated from Pine Rests existing 36-bed child and adolescent unit. The Certificate of Need is a regulatory process that evaluates requests from health care providers to add hospital beds, acquire a new health facility and more, according to the Michigan Health and Hospital Association. Services to be offered at the Pediatric Behavioral Health Center: 66 child and adolescent inpatient beds Partial hospitalization programs Pediatric Psychiatric Urgent Care Center Expanded psychological assessment and testing services Specialty clinics Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility for children and adolescents 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: Electronic billboards can now be built in Grand Rapids Muskegon school worker fired for multiple allegations of physical aggression with children City of Grand Rapids to borrow up to $12M to redevelop downtown riverfront park 5 great spots to find an espresso martini in Grand Rapids Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect new information from Michigan State University about Jordan Eppersons degree credentials. OTTAWA COUNTY, MI A legislative aide for a controversial Michigan Republican has been selected as the senior executive aide to Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs. MICHIGAN CENTER, MI -- A project to overhaul the air and heating systems at several Michigan Center School District buildings will move forward with the passage of a $6.3 million bond proposal. The proposal on the Aug. 8 ballot passed with 532 yes votes trumping 449 no votes out of a total of 981 ballots cast, according to results certified by the Jackson County Board of Canvassers Tuesday night. Michigan Center Superintendent Brady Cook described his reaction to the results as one of pure elation after voters showed up to support the proposal. We put our heart and soul into this, Cook said. We are overwhelmed with joy just knowing that this was the right thing to do for our students, staff and community. Related: $6.3M bond aims to fund air, heating improvements at Michigan Center Schools The bond will levy a 0.85 mill tax in 2024 for an overall 0-mill net tax increase over the prior years levy. The current bond millage rate is 2.9 mills, according to the proposal. The millage would generate about $6.3 million earmarked for air quality improvements for Keicher Elementary School and Michigan Center Jr./Sr. High School, officials said in a post on the Michigan Center website. As a result of the election, we will be able to provide a safer, more comfortable, and more efficient/sustainable environment, Cook said. The infrastructure of the districts buildings has been an area in need of significant upgrading for some time, Cook said. The first phase of improvements to heating systems in the district currently is taking place at Arnold Elementary School and the upstairs area of Keicher Elementary. This cost the district about $2 million, most of which was covered by COVID-19 relief funding. This work is set to be completed by Aug. 17. The passage of the Aug. 8 bond proposal will finance phase two of the air quality projects to include the rest of Keicher Elementary and the entire high school building, officials said. I assured our taxpayers that we would be transparent with the process, and we will, Cook said. We owe it to our community to show them that their tax dollars will be spent responsibly on what we value the most -- the students we serve. We are endlessly grateful for the support of our Cardinal Family. In the event that there are funds left over after the air and heating work is completed, the district has plans to potentially install upgraded instructional technology into classrooms and purchase new school buses, Cook said previously. Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Jackson daily newsletter. More from The Jackson Citizen Patriot: More closures are coming to I-94 and U.S. 127 in Jackson County Estimated Mega Millions jackpot jumps to would-be record of $1.58 billion for Aug. 8 drawing Robber arrested for trying to steal cash from Jackson gas station Check out the rare and wild animals at the Jackson County Fair BATTLE CREEK, MI A Battle Creek man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly had two machine guns and four kilograms of methamphetamine. A federal grand jury indicted Travon Deshaun-Roderick Mansker, 26, on Aug. 8 on two counts each of possession of machineguns, and felon in possession of firearms. He is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. CASS COUNTY, MI -- A passenger was killed and the driver was critically injured in a crash, the Cass County Sheriffs Office said. Troopers responded to a single vehicle injury crash at 11:20 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, at the intersection of Corey Lake Road and County Line Road in Newberg Township. MUSKEGON, MI Incumbent Muskegon city commissioners survived primary elections Tuesday and will move on to the November general election. Voters in Ward 2 and Ward 4 on Aug. 8 narrowed the field of candidates from three to two. In Ward 2, incumbent Willie German Jr. will face Jeanette Burt-Moore in the Nov. 7 general election. In Ward 4, incumbent Teresa Emory will face Katrina Kochin in the general election. Ward 2 and Ward 4 were the only ones that had more than two candidates, requiring the primary election. Terms are for four years. Results provided by Muskegon City Clerk Ann Meisch show that German received 249 votes, Jeanette Burt-Moore received 213 and candidate Mike Gallavin received 113. Ward 2 includes the Jackson Hill and Angell neighborhoods and much of Nelson, including downtown, and McLaughlin neighborhoods. Related: Three Muskegon City Commission candidates facing off in Ward 2 primary German, first elected in 2012, indicated his top priorities are affordable and attainable housing, youth programs, public safety, economic development and diversity, equity and inclusion. German is the citys vice mayor and works as an information commons technician supervisor/student success advocate for Muskegon Community College Burt-Moore said her priorities are to close the communication gap, create job opportunities for all educational levels and attract new businesses that reflect everyone. She works as a Muskegon Area Transit System attendant/bus driver In Ward 4, Emory received 642 votes to Kochins 385. Candidate John Carey received 218 votes. The ward includes the Beachwood-Bluffton, Lakeside, Glenside and Campbell Field neighborhoods. Related: Muskegons city commission primary pits three candidates for Ward 4 Emory said her top priorities are preserving public access to the waterfront, keeping the shoreline and lakes clean and making sure residents needs and desires are kept first. Emory, who is completing her first term on the commission, is retired and previously owned Liberty Tax Service of Muskegon for 14 years. Kochin said her priorities are a robust parks and recreation department, government transparency and protection of dunes, beaches and other natural resources. She works for works for STAHM. There will be four seats open on the city commission when voters head to the polls in November. The others are Ward 1, where there are no candidates on the ballot and the winner will be chosen through write-in votes, and Ward 3, where Destinee Keener is the only candidate on the ballot. Commissioners Michael Ramsey and Eric Hood, representing wards 1 and 3 respectively, are not seeking re-election. Want more Muskegon area news? Bookmark the local Muskegon news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Muskegon daily newsletter. Also on MLive Defunded over book controversy, West Michigan library will try third time for millage Colton Dixon, For King & Country among headliners at Unity Christian Music Festival Muskegon area man sentenced 150 months for felony firearm possession MUSKEGON, MI An elementary school worker who was accused of multiple instances of physical aggression with students, including slapping and restraining a 3-year-old child, has been fired by Muskegon Public Schools (MPS). Cindy Brown, who was employed as a paraprofessional at Marquette Elementary School, was notified on July 14 of her termination from MPS, effective immediately, according to a letter sent to Brown by Muskegon Superintendent Matthew Cortez. SEBWAING, MI Last year, FBI agents raided a Thumb-area home after a man allegedly made numerous online threats to kill LGBTQ+ people, the president, and Michigans governor. Now, his mother is facing a federal indictment for allegedly buying four firearms for him from businesses in Saginaw and Genesee counties. Michelle M. Berka, 56, on Aug. 8 was arraigned by U.S. District Magistrate Judge Curtis Ivy Jr. on five counts of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. The charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a quarter-million dollar fine. HOUGHTON LAKE, MI FBI investigators are assisting local law enforcement agencies in the search for two sisters, Iris and Tamara Perez. A Houghton Lake resident last saw the siblings Wednesday, June 28, heading toward woods near their home there, officials with the FBI office in Detroit said in a statement. Saginaw County records showed Carrollton Township residents by a 377-to-260 vote renewed a 17.7-mill school tax as well as a .3-mill increase. Both measures will span 10 years, from 2024 to 2033.Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com In a move underscoring their distaste for Gov. Gretchen Whitmers new lifelong learning department, the Michigan State Board of Education voted unanimously to ask Attorney General Dana Nessel if that new department violates the states constitution. The Democratic-majority board voted 8-0 Tuesday to formally ask Nessel for her departments opinion on the legality of Whitmers reorganization, contending it may create overlapping authority with the Michigan Department of Education they oversee. Last month Whitmer announced the creation of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential, deeming it MiLEAP. It aims to encompass lifelong learning, career readiness and workforce training. Related: Whitmer to form new department covering lifelong learning Some Democrats on the board hadnt initially come out against the reorganization, but the latest move makes their disagreement plain. The Boards president, Democrat Pamela Pugh, said MiLEAP threatens the very essence of our education system in a statement after the vote. If we yield our educational system to the ever-shifting landscape of politics of the governors office, we potentially jeopardize the integrity of an institution that holds the key to our childrens aspirations, Pugh said. In an era marked by divisive rhetoric, we cannot afford to allow our schools to be potentially manipulated for political gain by future governors or face the risk of blindly trusting governor after governor to make education a real priority with a kids-first approach. Education board members are also elected in statewide votes after being nominated by Michigans political parties at party conventions. Michigans state constitution gives the board of education leadership and general supervision over all public education below four-year college degrees, and the board cited preschool public education as something thats within their jurisdiction. Whitmers office contended MiLEAPs focus falls outside their scope. We consulted with our attorneys at the Department of Attorney General, Stacey LaRouche, Whitmers press secretary, said in a statement. We are confident in our legal authority and look forward to working with everyone who is serious about providing Michigan students with a world class public education. While Attorney Generals department regularly provides opinions in state government, they dont carry the same weight as a court ruling. The board-appointed state superintendent of public instruction Michael Rice was tasked with making the opinion request. Nikki Snyder, a Republican board member, said in the meeting she was concerned the creation of an additional bureaucratic body will only increase chaos and confusion. I definitely have major concerns and reservations about the constitutionality of the governors executive order, Snyder said. Im not sure that the AG opinion will adequately satisfy those concerns but its definitely a step forward. The new department, which under Whitmers executive order is set to come into existence Dec. 1, is meant to encompass both lifelong learning, career readiness and workforce training. For too long, we have thought of education as K-12, but we know thats not good enough, Whitmer said in announcing the department. Whitmers office has emphasized the new department aims to play a complementary and supplementary role to the Department of Education, rather than replace it. Read more on MLive: Recall for ceremonial vote is frivolous, says targeted GOP lawmaker No charges for 6 of 9 in Michigan tabulator investigation, prosecutor says DePerno, Rendon charged for role in Michigan tabulator probe Meet the Michigan legislatures first Black woman overseeing state spending Whitmer signs $57.4 billion state budget, enacting a Democratic trifecta agenda JACKSON, MI Consumers Energy officials said the company will explore whether to sell its 13 hydroelectric dams because they cost too much to operate. The utility intends to end its coal use by 2025 and rapidly ramp up its buildout of renewable energy generation with wind and solar fields. But hydroelectricity, although renewable, costs its ratepayers nine times as much as any other power source; thats just too inefficient, company officials said. Consumers Energy officials confirmed the company experienced a recent yearly $150 million-plus loss on its hydroelectric fleet because of needed upgrades to its 13 dams on five Lower Michigan rivers. Thats because of expensive capital investments required for the 100-year-old structures, said Adam Monroe, the companys director of hydroelectric operations. Now the utility wants to know its options. Monroe said officials will review purchase proposals for the 13 dams after the bid deadline in March next year. They will then decide whether to sell the dams, relicense and continue to operate them, modify them to low-head dams to maintain impoundments, or decommission the structures and restore the river to its natural state. The utility will issue a request for proposals designed for a single buyer for the fleet of hydroelectric dams, but officials said they remain open to the possibility of the dams being purchased individually or in groups. Consumers Energys federal operating licenses on the Au Sable, Grand, Kalamazoo, Manistee, and Muskegon rivers are set to expire between 2034 and 2041. Six dams are on the Au Sable, three on the Muskegon, two on the Manistee, and one each on the Grand and Kalamazoo rivers. Norm Kapala, Consumers vice president of power generation, said there are better choices for energy than what the aging in-river structures can provide. Plus, he argued that hydroelectricity accounts for a fraction of the utilitys generation portfolio at a mere 1%. As we look at the sources of generation that we have across our portfolio now and how we serve our customers, there are more economic options, Kapala said during an Aug. 9, 2023, press conference. Despite that, the hydroelectric fleet continues to be part of the companys pending rate increase case before the Michigan Public Service Commission. MPSC officials declined to comment on Consumers announcement about its hydroelectric dams. The state agency regulates utility companies power generation plans and where infrastructure can be built, as well as the rates the companies charge customers. Meanwhile, Consumers officials said they hosted a series of public meetings last year about the future of the dams. Thats when they learned the impoundments created by the dams provide invaluable recreational and economic opportunities for their respective communities so maintaining that is an overarching goal. If we choose to move forward and sell these facilities, our intention is to minimize the cost to our customers, while keeping the recreational and economic benefit for the communities that we serve, Kapala said. The company officials said ensuring the safety of the dams is an equally important goal. As a part of the divestment if we were to transfer the license to a new owner, the biggest thing is that we do maintain and have a qualified owner that comes in that does take into account the safety of the structures and environmental stewardship, Monroe said. Consumers Energy provides natural gas and electricity to its customers in Michigans Lower Peninsula. The company continues to shutter coal-burning power plants such as the D.E. Karn Nos. 1 and 2 units in Bay City closed in June this year as part of its clean energy plan to address climate change. Consumers Energy will rely instead on natural gas and renewable sources to reduce its planet-warming carbon emissions. Sign up to receive MLive's free new environment and climate newsletter, "Lake Effect." Enter your email here: Related articles: Republicans deny climate science in Michigan clean energy hearing DTE agrees to close Monroe coal plant sooner, accelerate shift to clean energy Coal plants close in Bay County as Consumers Energy moves toward clean energy Michigan gets nearly $15M federal grant to improve power grid resilience All of the Great Lakes are higher than their long-term average water levels. The forecast shows the lakes are getting ready to start lowering as we head into fall. The Great Lakes water levels have an annual cycle of rising and falling. Water levels start rising in March or April as the snow melts and spring rains becomes more numerous and heavier. The water levels rise to around July or August, reaching a high water mark. The water then typically lowers through fall and winter to do it all over again in March or April. This is the usual cycle if precipitation is near normal. If its extremely dry or very wet, the ups and downs of the Great Lakes water levels may not follow this pattern. None of the Great Lakes are currently situated at a very abnormal level. All of the Great Lakes are higher than their long-term averages. Lake Superior is 6 inches above normal, but still 7 inches lower than a record August level. Lake Superior is the closest to a record high water level, but not in a threat of climbing to record levels. Lakes Michigan and Lake Huron are only 4 inches above the August normal level. Essentially, Lakes Michigan and Huron are near normal. Lake Erie is 12 inches higher than normal and Lake Ontario is 10 inches above normal. Aside from Lake Superior being somewhat close to record high levels, Lakes Michigan-Huron, Erie and Ontario are 29 inches below record, 17 inches below record and 17 inches below record, respectively. The Great Lakes are also all 2 to 4 feet higher than record low water levels for August. When comparing to last year, Lake Superior is one inch higher. Lakes Michigan-Huron are 5 inches lower. Lake Erie is one inch higher. Lake Ontario is 12 inches higher. The September forecast reflects the start of the annual decline of Great Lakes water levels. September rain amounts are typically lower than the heavy summer thunderstorm rains, and the evaporation is high with warm days and cooler nights. Lake Superior is still forecasted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to remain at about the same level. Lakes Michigan-Huron are projected to decline one inch. Lake Erie is projected to decline 5 inches and Lake Ontario 6 inches. In all at the current time, the Great Lakes have just about normal water level conditions. Here are the graphs of water level for each lake. The green dashed line is the most likely forecasted water level for the next six months. Notice that most of the water level forecasts bring the water level to near average levels. Lake Superior water levels in solid red line and forecast in green dashed line. Lake Michigan and Lake Huron water levels in solid red line and forecast in green dashed line. Lake Erie water levels in solid red line and forecast in green dashed line. 09.08.2023 LISTEN Iconic Ghanaian gospel diva Ohemaa Mercy has said not even Jesus Christ as President can address the problems of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA). Ohemaa Mercy's comments come at a time when MUSIGA is in turmoil. The Accra High Court has imposed an interlocutory injunction on the union's elections, which were scheduled to be held on August 8, 2023. The injunction was granted following a legal challenge filed by two MUSIGA members, Doe Kwablah Seyenam Nyamadi and Frederick Van Dyk. In their petition, the plaintiffs alleged that MUSIGA and its current executives have failed to comply with the unions constitution by failing to provide comprehensive financial accounts. The injunction is a major setback for MUSIGA, which has been struggling to hold its elections for several years. The last time the union held an election was in 2014. In an exclusive interview with GhanaWeekend, Ohemaa Mercy, while answering a question about whether she believes the only way to solve the union's problems is to make an expatriate president, said, "Even if Jesus Christ were made president, the problems would still be there." The celebrated gospel musician emphasized that she does not agree with the idea of making an expatriate the president of the union saying unless we do it ourselves". Meanwhile, the 2023 edition of the biggest praise and worship program Tehillah Experience has been scheduled for August 13. The event organized by Ohemaa Mercy is in its 10th year running and has been unveiled as Tehillah X. This year, it comes off at the Oil Dome of the RoyalHouse Chapel International at 4pm. It will be held with the theme Fire and Fragrance. Tehilla X will see other gospel acts including Cece Twum, Uncle Ato, Pastor Joe Beechem, Diana Hamilton and Efe Grace also ministering. Watch the video below: 08.08.2023 LISTEN I. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, this eighth month I charge thee to be steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not going to be in vain. You need to stand firm and let nothing move you. The eighth month sometimes brings frustration as the ambition set at the beginning of the year seems to be fading away. It is also associated with stocktaking and mapping up strategies to recover lost ground and set the stage to complete the year on a good note. Thats why you need to be strong and immovable, firmly rooted, and move on for the change you have been praying for. Dont whether in faith, but march on, Christian soldier, to victory. II. Daughter of Zion, this eighth month, we appeal to you not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit, message, or news, for the Lord shall definitely see you through. Therefore, let no one deceive you in any way to bow down to Baal, any spirit, or the gods for a token of bread and a cup of tea. The Lord, who made the way for you to enter into that marriage, will provide to sustain you. The Lord, who took you out of the slave market and planted your feet on the rock that cannot be moved, will establish you. Beloved, God will order your steps to meet that life partner in due season. And God, who opened the door for you to be employed, will definitely promote you. Promotion comes not from the north or the south but from above only. God will sanction. III. BELOVED SON OF MAN, reaffirm and proclaim the WORD of GOD dont worry, for it shall be well with you. Any productive venture you set your heart to undertake God says it shall be well. Yes! It shall be well with you throughout that journey; you will not encounter any accident or incident, for God is in control. If God says it shall be well with you, no one can change it. It will be well with your family. Yes, it will be well with your marriage and your business. Yes! You shall enter into a fruitful relationship and it shall be well with you. IT IS ESTABLISHED BOTH IN THE SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL REALM THAT IT SHALL BE WELL WITH YOU. IV. BRETHREN IN JESUS CHRIST, fear thou not; for I am with thee. God is reassuring you that irrespective of what you see or hear, JEHOVAH is still with you. Fear not my dear sister for God has not FORSAKEN you. Be not dismayed, do not be intimidated, and dont let the temporal setback discourage you, for God is with you. I am thy God; you are not alone, therefore, do not be afraid of physical loneliness. I am with you so do not believe any other report. This is God's assurance unto you: I WILL STRENGTHEN THEE. YEA, I WILL HELP THEE. YEA, I WILL UPHOLD THEE WITH THE RIGHT HAND OF MY RIGHTEOUSNESS. This is DIVINE FOOD FOR THE SOUL sent forth through the Authority and Power of Christ Jesus and serve to the Brethren through God's Vessel Francis Ameyibor, Yes! God is my greatest source of strength. He is my defender, my salvation, and is good and faithful in every way. V. 2023 MY DIVINE YEAR TO PURSUE, CAPTURE, AND TAKE POSSESSION I assure you that God will carry you through, fear not. Look up to the Lord, you shall see the salvation of the Lord for surely it shall be well with you. PRAYER: I believe that God does not make any mistakes, if He says all things shall work together for my good, so shall it be this year and beyond. Hark my soul for it is the Lord who says all things shall work together for my good through Christ Jesus name I pray Amen REF: I Corithian 15:58 I Thessalonians 2:2 Isaiah 3:10 Isaiah 41:10 Exodus 15:2 WHATSAPP CONTACT: +233277438688 GOD'S VESSEL GLOBAL FOUNDATION Dr. Albert Arkoh Wiredu, former deputy registrar of the Ghana Pharmacy Council, will submit his nomination forms on Wednesday, August 9 to contest the Wasa Amenfi Central parliamentary seat on the ticket of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). He picked up the forms on July 15 following the party's decision to open nominations for orphan constituencies without sitting NPP Members of Parliament. Speaking after picking up the nomination form, the astute pharmacist said it was time for him to contribute to the growth and development of the constituency where he comes from, after serving the country at the national level. According to some constituents, Mr Wiredu has already contributed significantly to developing deprived communities, including reconstructing a dilapidated bridge at Asaasetre and solely funding the connection of the Agyadum community to the national grid. He urged all party members to unite ahead of the 2024 general elections, which will be key for the party's agenda of 'breaking the 8' in securing a third consecutive term in government. The NPP prepares to hold its parliamentary primaries from September 23 to December 2, 2023 for orphan constituencies on a case-by-case basis across the country. A dispute between actors and friends John Dumelo and Fred Nuamah over the NDC's parliamentary candidacy for Ayawaso West Wuogon has come to an amicable end. In March, Ghanaians were shocked when both Nuamah and Dumelo announced intentions to contest the NDC primaries in the constituency. Although Mr. Nuamah declared first, many advised him to step aside for Mr. Dumelo, who was the party's candidate in 2020. The actor cum producer accused John Dumelo of betrayal, claiming he had given his blessing to him to run. John Dumelo denied ever giving his blessings to Fred Nuamah in an interview on UTV. Amid the back and forth, the party suspended vetting and primaries of the two in April. Now, Fred Nuamah has stepped down from the race and endorsed his friend and colleague John Dumelo. "I wholeheartedly endorse and throw my support behind my good friend and brother, Mr. John Dumelo, to be the parliamentary candidate for the NDC in Ayawaso West-Wuogon," Nuamah wrote. He urged supporters to rally behind Dumelo and provide him with all the support to clinch the seat from NPPs Lydia Alhassan. Together, with a renewed sense of togetherness, we can secure victory in the 2024 elections and uplift our nation from its current state," he added. In response, Dumelo tweeted on Tuesday, August 8, noting he had called to thank his friend for stepping aside and pledging support. "Together we will make sure I win the Ayawaso West parliamentary seat for the NDC and also make sure John Dramani Mahama becomes president in 2025," Dumelo stated. Therapists looking to set up psilocybin centers in Corvallis won't have to be mindful of their proximity to schools, the City Council decided Monday, Aug. 7, one of two tweaks to local laws that concern the magic mushrooms. The council first passed an ordinance in November following the 2020 statewide initiative that made Oregon the first in the nation to legally allow therapeutic use of psilocybin. The measure featured a two-year pause button. The Oregon Health Authority began first training and then licensing providers just this year. But at the time Corvallis had passed its related law which prohibited psilocybin centers within 1,000 feet of schools and publicly owned playfields the outstanding issue was the fact that the Oregon Health Authority hadnt finalized all of their rules and regulations related to how psilocybin would be regulated for administrative session purposes, Deputy Attorney Catherine Pratt told councilors this week. The newly amended local ordinance instead lists out zoning areas as defined in the city's Land Development Code where psilocybin production and treatment service centers will be allowed. As part of the process to obtain a license from OHA, a psilocybin treatment service center, as well as production and processing centers, must demonstrate that local zoning laws allow the presence of such a facility. Pratt said the need for the change became apparent when the city received a request for a land use compatibility statement after the OHA opened its license application portal. While the revised city ordinance removes the distance rules pertaining to schools, the OHA will still be in charge of and in a better position to accurately assess and regulate how close to elementary and secondary school grounds these facilities will be situated, Pratt said. City leaders also changed the type of land use the centers represent to a medical service. Using the medical service classification, Pratt said, is a way to differentiate the administering of psilocybin at treatment centers from other personal use-type facilities, like bars. As a medical service, psilocybin treatment service centers will be allowed in business, commercial and mixed-use zones, which typically accommodate both homes and shops. In a mixed-use building, a treatment service center may only be located in a space designated for commercial uses. The changes still require some buffer zones and restrictions; a treatment service center may not be located: Within 300 feet of the property line of a city park. Within 1,000 feet of the property line of another psilocybin treatment service center. Within an accessory dwelling unit on a lot whose primary use is residential. Within the same tenant space as any marijuana-related business or business license for the retail sale of alcohol. Meanwhile, psilocybin production and processing centers, which the ordinance considers a horticulture use and sub-use of agriculture, will be allowed mixed use transitional zones, limited industrial and general industrial zones, intensive industrial zone and mixed-use employment zone. Locations where a production and processing facility cannot be located include: Within 300 feet of the property line of a city park. Within a zone that permits horticulture for personal use as an accessory use. Final approval of psilocybin licenses comes from OHA. The second change in how Corvallis will regulate psilocybin centers was brought forward by Ward 3 City Councilor Hyatt Lytle, who proposed increasing the hours of operations. As written in November, Corvallis would have restricted the hours to 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Lytle suggested 6 a.m. to midnight. Lytle felt the original time was arrived at somewhat arbitrarily during prior deliberations, she said. Amending the hours would allow more residents to receive the benefits of psilocybin treatment, she added. Ward 4 City Councilor Gabe Shepherd, who had voted in November against longer hours, said with more OHA regulations in place, he's OK with a longer business day. Oregon law, Pratt said, requires clients remain within the treatment service center and in the presence of a facilitator for a designated number of hours following the administering of psilocybin. A client who ingests less than 5 mg of psilocybin must remain in the facility for at least an hour, and a client who ingests 25 to 50 mg of psilocybin must do so for at least six hours. Subsequent OHA regulations also mandate a certain number of facilitators be present during a treatment session. An individual session must take place in the presence of one facilitator. In group sessions where less than 5 mg of psilocybin has been ingested, there must be one facilitator for every 25 clients. In group sessions where 35to 50 mg of psilocybin has been ingested, there must be at least one facilitator for every two clients. Video surveillance cannot take the place of an in-person facilitator. Stay up to date on mid-Willamette Valley news, wherever you go Easily access the latest Corvallis, Philomath and Benton County news in an app that lets you select the topics that matter most to you. Ward 8 City Councilor Tracey Yee was in support of the extension to allow more residents who, for instance, have regular 9-to-5 jobs, time to receive psilocybin treatment if they so desire. Councilors voted unanimously to extend the operation hours of psilocybin treatment service centers from 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Only the species psilocybe cubensis will be legal. In spite of skepticism and misconceptions, experts believe a history of safe use with careful regulation guiding its cultivation, processing and administration makes psilocybin a much low-risk therapeutic respite particularly in difficult cases of anxiety and depression. Psilocybin has also shown promise in helping curb tobacco and alcohol abuse. Related stories: District Chief Executive of Dormaa East, Hon. Emmanuel Kofi Agyeman has called on young entrepreneurs and all those who aspire for greatness to be willing to make grave sacrifices toward it. He reiterated that becoming a successful business person often requires trading off certain lifestyles, resources and ensuring self-discipline. The DCE made the call at Dormaa Municipal on Monday, August 8, 2023 when he visited the final 52 participants of the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project of the YouStart flagship programme who have made it to the advanced stage of the trainee. The project which is ongoing across the country, began few weeks ago in three stages; the beginners, immediate and now at the advanced stage which is the final stage. The 52, comprise of selected participants who have successfully completed the first two stages from the Dormaa East and West Districts and Dormaa Central Municipal. The advanced group would after the training receive a whole package under what they term the Competitive Business Start-Up Grants. Sharing his personal experience with the trainees, Hon. Emmanuel Kofi Agyeman emphasized that natural talents alone do not achieve success but it demands determination and self-motivation. He advised the youth to appreciate humble beginnings, have a clear purpose, value time and people as well as truthfulness. He argued that no one government in any country has been able to ensure 100 percent employment for its citizens and that is why innovations from the private sector have gone a long way to augment the efforts of the public sector, and government of Ghana by supporting that; is doing everything possible to address issues of unemployment through the implementation of policies in Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, Apprenticeship, Construction and many more. The DCE, therefore asked all beneficiaries not to take the opportunity for granted but attempt to make it great and successful for the benefit of others. The CEO of Voice FM in Dormaa Ahenkro who is a facilitator of the project, Mr. Atta Daboni, commended government for the flagship programmes and innovations introduced to reduce unemployment in the country. He appealed to the DCEs to support their people in the registration of their business and other documentation when they finally pass out. The Dormaa Municipal Chief Executive Hon. Iddrissa Ouattra who was there earlier to encourage the final stage participants challenge them to go the extra mile to make governments efforts fruitful. A total number of 2,096 candidates made up 1,031 boys and 1,065 girls drawn from public and private Schools are writing this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination in severn examination centers in the Gomoa Central District of the Central Region. The centers are Gomoa Ekwamkrom Primary and Junior High School, Agona Abodom 'A' Junior High School, Aboso AME Zion Basic School, Gomoa Gyaman Senior High School and Asebu-Pomadze Basic School. Gomoa Central District Chief Executive, Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo accompanied by the Gomoa Central District Director of the Ghana Education Sevice, Madam Theodora Abalo visited all the centers to encourage them as they begin their exams. Madam Theodora Abalo disclosed that seven supervisors have been assigned to each of the examination centers to tighten the supervision of the candidates. She noted that heads of participating basic schools and their teachers have been cautioned against assisting students in their examinations. Madam Theodora Abalo lauded the teachers for comporting themselves and tasked them to continue till the last paper. Addressing the candidates at Gomoa Ekwamkrom, Gomoa Central District Chief Executive, Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo cautioned them against examination malpractice. He added such action would ruin their future career. According to the DCE, a conducive environment has been created for them to write the exams without hindrance. He encouraged them to pass with flying colours. " This is the beginning of your dreams to come true so you ought to tackle this exam with all seriousness knowing that it is about your future. "Let nobody deceive you with any foreign materials only for you to be caught up in the act. Your parents have spent enough on you, it is time for you to make them proud. "Remember that the free SHS policy is there for you take advantage of it by getting a better grade to attend your dream school," he stated. Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo urged teachers around the examination centers to comport themselves and never engage in acts contrary to rules governing the exams. Present were the Public Relations Officer of the Gomoa Central District Directorate of the Ghana Education Sevice (GES), Madam Asabea Okyere and the Gomoa Central District Director of Community Development Mr. Bashirudin Wahab Aidoo. Similar exams are being held in all the 22 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Central Region. Chief Executive Officer for the Africa Centre for Security, Paul Boateng has appealed to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare to do more in winning public trust to enhance community policing. The security analyst said the move can be achieved if the police involve the people at the community level in executing their law enforcement duties. He believed that if the police educate the people in the community on security matters, it will encourage them to assist in crime combating. In ensuring public safety, peace and crime combat, Mr Boateng stated that public trust in community policing is very crucial. He said bad relationships between the public and the police will make policing in the community difficult, which can lead to social disorders like murder, stealing and drug trafficking among others. Mr Paul Boateng was speaking on Otec FMs morning show Nyansapo hosted by Captain Koda, on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, on the fight against crime in the country. Without the support and cooperation of the people in the community, policing will be difficult for the police in executing their duties to maintain law and order. That is why it is imperative in educating the people on the activities of the police. If the people have trust in the police, they are ready to give information on criminal activities in the areas to the people without hesitation, for the assurance that they (people) will not be betrayed by the police, he added. Mr Boateng also advised the public not to entertain any person who might want to breach the peace and stability in their communities. Nigeria's president has not ruled out military intervention in neighbouring Niger after its president was ousted in a coup but believes diplomacy is the "best way forward" to resolve the crisis, his spokesman said Tuesday. Bola Tinubu, also head of the West African bloc ECOWAS, weighed in for the first time since the soldiers behind the coup in Niger defied the bloc's Sunday deadline to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face the possible use of force. Meanwhile efforts by ECOWAS and the United States to parlay with Niger's new rulers have made no headway ahead of a crisis summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Thursday. "No options have been taken off of the table," Tinubu's spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said, while adding that Tinubu and other West African leaders favour a diplomatic solution. The United States said it still held out hope for reversing the coup but was "realistic" a day after a top US envoy appeared to make no progress in an unannounced visit. "We do have hope that the situation will be reversed but at the same time, we are making clear, including in direct conversations with junta leaders themselves, what the consequences are for failing to return to constitutional order," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. Path to dialogue ECOWAS -- the Economic Community of West African States -- imposed trade and financial sanctions on Niger after the rebel soldiers toppled Bazoum. Bazoum became Niger's fifth leader to be overthrown since independence in 1960. By Issouf SANOGO (AFP/File) The bloc also gave Niger a seven-day ultimatum to reinstate Bazoum or face potential use of force. A source close to ECOWAS said Monday that military intervention was not being immediately envisaged and that the path to dialogue still appeared open. The bloc had sought to send a delegation to Niamey on Tuesday ahead of the crisis summit due to be held in Abuja on Thursday. But the soldiers who seized power in Niamey on July 26 blocked the mission, saying public "anger" triggered by the bloc's sanctions meant the delegation's safety could be at risk. In a statement, ECOWAS confirmed that the visit by a joint delegation with African Union and United Nations officials had been refused by Niger's new military rulers. US envoy ECOWAS is struggling with a cascade of coups since 2020 that have now hit four of its 15 members. Map showing the members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including those suspended or sanctioned following a coup. By Nalini LEPETIT-CHELLA (AFP) In Mali, Burkina Faso and now Niger, all of the takeovers have been fuelled by jihadist insurgencies that have claimed many thousands of lives, forced at least two million from their homes and dealt crippling blows to some of the world's poorest economies. On Monday, Victoria Nuland, a veteran US envoy, met with Niger's military rulers for more than two hours but came away empty-handed. She described her talks as "extremely frank and at times quite difficult". She said she offered the coup leaders "a number of options" to end the crisis and restore relations with the United States, which like other Western nations has suspended aid. "I would not say that we were in any way taken up on that offer," she told reporters before her departure. Niger's new strongman, General Abdourahamane Tiani, did not attend the meeting, and Nuland was unable to see Bazoum, who has been detained since July 26. Warnings The military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso have expressed solidarity with Niger, saying that any military intervention would be seen as a "declaration of war" against them. Algeria, which shares a long land border with Niger, has also cautioned against a military incursion, which President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said would be "a direct threat" to his country. Bazoum, 63, was feted in 2021 after winning elections that ushered in Niger's first-ever peaceful transition of power. He took the helm of a country burdened by four previous coups since independence, and survived two attempted putsches before he himself was ousted. His support was a key factor in France's decision last year to refocus its Sahel anti-jihadist mission on Niger after withdrawing from Mali and Burkina Faso. A French soldier checks a Reaper drone at the French base in Niamey in May. France has 1,500 troops in Niger under its anti-jihadist mission in the Sahel. By ALAIN JOCARD (AFP) France has 1,500 troops in Niger and the United States has 1,000 personnel, most of whom are deployed at two major air bases. Mali and Burkina Faso sent letters Tuesday to the United Nations and the African Union, calling on them to prevent "military intervention against Niger" where the security and humanitarian consequences of such action "would be unpredictable". Government has been advised to implement mechanisms to address loopholes in 'cash out' during Electronic Transactions Levy (E-levy). In addition, there should be a reduction in the rate of tax from the current one per cent to a range of 0.5 to 0.75 per cent, and the tax handle be made to cover all electronic commercial transactions. Professor Peter Quartey, the Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) who said this at an appraisal forum on the mid-year budget review in Accra on Tuesday, was optimistic that, when done, would be increased compliance, hence, increase domestic revenue for the government. The E-levy, which was introduced in 2021 to widen the country's tax net, particularly in the informal sector and increase domestic revenue recorded more than 380 per cent growth in revenue projections for the first six months of 2023. However, the tax handle failed to achieve its mid-year target by more than 50 per cent. The E-levy growth rate for the first quarter of 2023 is 386.1 per cent year-on-year compared to the same period last year, however, it underperformed. It fell short of the programme target by 53.6 per cent. Prof Quartey said. He observed that many Mobile Money (MoMo) users were avoiding the payment of the levy through 'cash out' through negotiations with MoMo Agents who benefited, rather than the government making revenue from the levy. When we made calls and the rate was reduced to one per cent, you've seen the growth in the figure; we believe if it is reduced further to 0.5-0.75 per cent, and then we block the leakages through cash out, we'll generate more revenue, he said. The Economist said electronic transactions tax had the potential of increasing domestic revenue, but it should be extended to cover all online transactions, including e-commence. The initial idea was E-levy, but it's narrow, it should be e-commerce. If the Government is able to rope in all of these and the rate is low that even if you are paying, you won't feel it, people will pay, he said. Prof. Quartey called for an evaluation of the taxes that were underperforming, including the COVID-19 levy, and property rate. -GNA Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante 08.08.2023 LISTEN A former presiding bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante has asked the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to convince Ghanaians why they deserve to be given political power. Speaking in an interview on Joy TV, he argued that the NPP needs to tell Ghanaians why the party deserves a chance to continue ruling beyond 2024. He also indicated that if the NDC wants to return to power, the opposition party should make a strong case for it. The NPP is currently ruling and you say you will break the 8. They need to tell Ghanaians why they should be allowed. We have the NDC also trying to come back. They believe because they have been in power before, they can come back again. They should also tell Ghanaians why they should be allowed to come back, Rev. Prof. Asante stressed. He was speaking on the subject: In search of peace: How is Ghanas religious diversity keeping the country together. With a year and four months to the next general elections, both the NPP and the NDC are gearing up for what could be a historic contest. The ruling NPP is confident that it will win the polls to stay in government beyond the eight years of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The NDC time and again has accused the NPP government of failing Ghanaians and is optimistic that its flagbearer John Dramani Mahama will win the presidential election in 2024. The United States is seeking to prevent Russia from scoring a major new win with coup-hit Niger, wagering despite initial disappointment that long-standing military ties will keep the country in the Western orbit. Niger has been the linchpin of US and French anti-jihadist operations in the Sahel, especially since the military takeover of neighboring Mali, which has shown the door to Western forces and welcomed Russia's ruthless Wagner mercenary force. Victoria Nuland, the acting deputy secretary of state, on an unannounced visit to Niamey on Monday acknowledged little progress on reversing the July 26 coup but said that the military leaders "understand very well the risks to their sovereignty when Wagner is invited in." She said that her main interlocutor, the newly named military chief of staff Brigadier General Moussa Salaou Barmou, has worked closely with US Special Forces and that she went into detail on "aspects of our cooperation that he has historically cared about a lot." "So we are hopeful that that will sink in," she said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken just months earlier paid a highest-ranking visit ever by a US official to Niger. He saluted gains under the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, who was an honored guest both at democracy and Africa summits thrown by President Joe Biden. US policymakers see no Russian hand in the coup but point to Russian influence operations since then, including French-language social media postings and rallies in support of the military takeover. Playing on resentment of former ruler France, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a purported audio message hailed the coup as "nothing more than the struggle of the people of Niger against colonizers." In an interview with the BBC, Blinken said that Bazoum's ouster was "not instigated by Russia or by Wagner," but warned that Wagner would "try to take advantage of it." State Department spokesman Matthew Miller brushed aside suggestions of pro-Moscow sentiment after Russian flags appeared in demonstrations in Niger. "I think it's very strange that if your country is taken over by a military junta and you want to show your support, the way you decide to do that is by running out and buying -- I guess at a store locally -- a Russian flag," Miller said. Different from Mali? Cameron Hudson, an Africa expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the coup showed the West had made incorrect judgments on Niger, where France and the United States together have stationed some 2,500 troops. "I think Washington was operating under the impression that they were engaged with a very reliable Western partner," he said. A woman holds an image of ousted Niger President Mohamed Bazoum during a protest outside the Niger Embassy in Paris. By STEFANO RELLANDINI (AFP/File) But Hudson said Niger was different from the Wagner strongholds of Mali and the Central African Republic, which both turned to the Russians after sensing an "existential threat." He said that Niger's military, by contrast, appears happy to preserve relations with the United States -- which instead has suspended aid and demanded restoration of the constitutional order. "But the one thing that Russia does offer is a chance to break isolation," Hudson said. "If you do find yourself being pressured by regional and international organizations like the UN and the AU and ECOWAS, then Russia presents itself as a very convenient tool for helping to skirt or undermine that isolation." Benefits for Russia Wagner has also backed warring sides in Sudan and Libya and allegedly has links with Burkina Faso. The mercenaries offer brutal military tactics -- UN investigators say more than 500 people were massacred last year in the Malian town of Moura -- and support to preserve regimes. A video grab taken from footage posted on Telgram shows Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin (center) walking in the city of Rostov-on-Don. By Handout (TELEGRAM / @razgruzka_vagnera/AFP/File) In return, Wagner wins coveted access to minerals and other natural resources and Russia gains diplomatically, with Mali one of the only countries to vote no at the United Nations on condemning the Ukraine invasion. A month before the Niger coup, Prigozhin -- a gruff former inmate who grew wealthy on catering contracts to Vladimir Putin's Kremlin -- staged a dramatic revolt at home as he derided supposed military weakness in Ukraine. But to the surprise of many outside observers, he has survived. Shortly before the Niger coup he vowed that Wagner would step up operations in Africa. Prigozhin "has created such a complex network of companies as well as mercenaries that he's still of value to the Kremlin, despite his actions with the mutiny," said Heather Ashby, acting director of the Center for Russia and Europe at the US Institute of Peace. "It's lucrative for Russia to continue along these lines. And so I don't anticipate that Wagner will go anywhere." Alan Kyeremanten, a flagbearer aspirant for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has pledged to significantly increase the party's electoral fortunes if elected as the presidential aspirant. He said he has the ability to secure more votes from the party's stronghold in the Ashanti Region. Addressing delegates in the Ashanti Region, Mr Kyeremanten claims he has the political clout to garner two million votes from the region alone. He noted that for the ruling NPP to retain power in the upcoming 2024 elections, securing two million votes from the Ashanti Region is essential. The aspirant indicated that overwhelming majority of Ghanaians prefer him to other candidates in the flagbearer race suggesting that his leadership would greatly help the party win with a wide margin. Speaking during his campaign tour in Bidieso, Mr Kyeremanten conveyed said his candidacy offers the NPP a significant opportunity to extend its rule. He urged delegates not to be swayed but make a choice that aligns with the party's winning strategy. According to him, he has the appeal to pull massive support from the Volta Region, the traditional stronghold of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). This, he contended, would weaken the NDC's influence and bolster the NPP's chances. Politics is about numbers. If you say your stronghold is a particular area, and you cannot get maximum votes from there, can you win? We all know that as for NPP, since the return to multi-party rule, our stronghold is the Ashanti Region. So if the party wants someone who will become president, we need someone who has political capital in the Ashanti Region, he stated. Founder and Presiding Bishop of the United Denomination Originating from the Lighthouse Group of Churches, Dag Heward-Mills has clarified a sermon he preached last week that has been met with backlash on social media. In the sermon, Heward-Mills made reference to the professional and unprofessional practice of the law, medicine, and pastoral ministry. He also made illustrations to clarify his points, but some people have interpreted these illustrations as being targeted at a specific person or case. Heward-Mills has since issued a statement saying that his intention was not to smear any particular professional or individual, but to teach the word of God. He has also apologized to anyone who may have been offended by his sermon. My intention as a preacher was not to smear any particular professional or individual but to teach the word of God. To the extent that any relationship has been drawn to any case pending in or out of court or to any individual or individuals, I consider it unfortunate and unintended, and I hereby disassociate myself from it, retract it and render my sincere apologies to anyone who may be affected by it, he added. Read the full statement below: -CitiNewsroom The Ghana Health Service (GHS) in collaboration with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has called a favourable work environment for breastfeeding and working parents. Long working hours, limited maternity leave, inadequate breastfeeding leave, and the stigma surrounding breastfeeding in the workplace are some barriers preventing parents from providing optimal nutrition for their infants. A joint statement issued by the GHS and FDA and copied to the Ghana News Agency on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week, has said. World Breastfeeding Week is held in the first week of August (1-7) every year and it is a global campaign to raise awareness and galvanise action on themes related to breastfeeding. The statement recommended laws and workplace policies for breastfeeding mothers, employer support, public awareness, capacity building, and cooperation between the government, the private sector, and civil society to promote breastfeeding-friendly policies. The statement said critical actions were needed to reaffirm its commitment to promoting and supporting breastfeeding in the country. This year's breastfeeding week celebration is on the theme, Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a Difference for Working Parents which emphasizes the importance of creating a supportive environment that allows working parents to continue breastfeeding without affecting their work. The statement said breastfeeding was a fundamental right of every child and that it was vital to child survival and development, adding that it is not only a natural and nutritious act but an essential factor in building a healthier and more sustainable future for our society. As we celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, we recognise the significant benefits of breastfeeding for infants, mothers, families, and communities. It said breast milk provided essential nutrients and antibodies that helped to protect infants from infections, reduce the risk of malnutrition, and improve cognitive development, For mothers, breastfeeding promotes postpartum recovery, reduces the risk of certain cancers, and fosters a strong emotional bond with their babies, it said. It said despite the irrefutable benefits of breastfeeding, many working parents still faced difficulties in keeping up with exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended six months and continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or longer. It appealed to the media to promote positive and accurate breastfeeding messages to support working parents. GNA Some farmers and neighbors say they are concerned about the construction of a solar energy park proposed in Linn County and took their ire to the Board of Commissioners this week. But the county's elected leaders say the matter is completely out of (their) hands. On Tuesday Aug. 8, several members of the public addressed Linn County commissioners, asking them to publicly join them in their opposition to a solar energy park proposed for 1,588 acres about 8 miles south of Brownsville near Interstate 5. A California subsidiary of Seoul-based Hanwha Q Cells wants to set up the solar panels on land now zoned for farming. Because the project exceeds 160 acres, the decision-making power lies in the hands of the Energy Facility Siting Council, a governor-appointed body that reviews and makes decisions on energy projects within state jurisdiction. The facility would generate 199 megawatts of power, enough to service about 34,000 homes in the Willamette Valley, according to an Aug. 8 Linn County news release, adding that the company would allow sheep to graze beneath the photovoltaic cells. In June, Linn County commissioners decided to sit on a special advisory committee concerning the possible development of the solar energy park. Last month, neighbors packed a Brownsville meeting hall to voice concerns over the loss of prime farmland. On Tuesday, three residents looked for help from the Linn County commissioners, days before the Oregon Department of Energy public comment period closes. Troy Jones, who lives close to the proposed project area, listed a number of concerns, such as the energy parks potential impact on wetlands and wildlife, including eagles, deer, herding elk, waterfowl, migratory birds and drainage affecting mussels and crawfish, among other species. Jones comments were not unlike those voiced to commissioners the week before. He called for the commissioners to publicly oppose the project. Commissioner Will Tucker said he did not know enough to be in opposition, but he did know enough to be concerned about the project. Acknowledging she was cautious in what she wanted to share, Commissioner Sherrie Sprenger also expressed concern. Commissioner Roger Nyquist was not present. Sprenger looked for avenues that would have allowed Linn County to have a say, but came up short, she said. I havent seen any information that this will be something good for Linn County, she said. On the other hand, she was open to learning something in the future that could change her mind, Sprenger said. A group of about 10 concerned Linn County residents have formed a group, called Friends of Gap Road, to seek legal representation, Jones said after the meeting. He declined further comment. Arnie Kampfer owns a cattle ranch adjacent to the proposed solar park. He wanted commissioners to challenge the state. The hammer should be in your hands, not the states, he said. Sprenger said she has attended meetings about the project with the public and welcomed them to reach out to her about other opportunities to engage with their concerns. The public comment period closes 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11 and can be submitted through the Oregon Department of Energy online portal at https://odoe.powerappsportals.us/en-US/SitingPublicComment/. Editor's note: This article was edited to correct what decision-making entity is responsible for reviewing the project In six months' time the Senegalese will head to the polls to choose their next president. But observers say that government-imposed restrictions on social media, journalists and opposition parties are a sign that one of the strongest democracies in West Africa is in trouble. Senegalese authorities have experts and rights groups worried by their recent arrests, infringements on press freedom, internet shutdowns and the repression of protests. "It seems to have escalated in the past few weeks, and even more in the past few days," said Jeffrey Conroy-Krutz, a professor of political science who specialises in African politics at Michigan State University. Opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, now on hunger strike and in hospital, has been convicted of immoral behaviour and charged with fomenting insurrection, while human rights advocate and journalist Pape Ale Niang was arrested after commenting on Sonko's detention. At its general assembly on 5 August, Amnesty International called on Senegal to release Ale Niang and to end attacks on press freedom. Worrying internet shutdown The internet has also been shutdown regularly, as reported by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a recent report. In June Senegal's government began blocking digital platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and YouTube. Days later, it extended the disruptions to all mobile internet and several television stations. "The shutdowns have become more serious, even after president Sall announced that he would not run for a third term and protests eased," Conroy-Krutz told RFI. The shutdowns and arrest of journalists must be taken seriously, he said, adding they did not bode well for a liberal democracy such as Senegal's. "Senegal's internet shutdowns are another sign of a democracy in peril." The dissolution of Sonko's Pastef political party which set off a wave of rising tensions is the most worrying development, says Conroy-Krutz. "That's never happened before in Senegal." HRW has urged authorities to rescind this dissolution of Pastef and to respect the rights of citizens to protest peacefully. On Monday, Senegal's justice minister said Sonko remained ineligible to run in February's presidential election and was not entitled to a retrial after his recent conviction. Sonko's Franco-Spanish lawyer Juan Branco has been expelled to France after his arrest this week in Mauritania, near the border with Senegal, from where he was transferred to a prison in Dakar. Branco's lawyers told RFI the arrest was politically motivated and an example of "political muzzling". The Senegalese Justice Minister, Ismaila Madior Fall, told RFI's correspondent in Dakar that Branco could still be prosecuted, tried and sentenced to prison in France. The arrests and violent put-down of protests by Sonko's supporters are evidence of a serious escalation in Senegal, says Conroy-Krutz. "Political parties are not always very strong in Senegal, and coalitions even less so, but an important challenge will be to see if the opposition manages to unite and organise a single front," he said. Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has alleged that the government will soon introduce a Bank of Ghana (BoG) recapitalization levy for Ghanaians to pay. He contends that this will be a tax to recapitalize the central bank since it is on the verge of collapsing. This follows the National Democratic Congress (NDC) call for the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Addison and his deputies to resign immediately for allegedly mismanaging the institution, resulting in the GH60 billion losses the Central Bank recorded in 2022. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, Dr Ato Forson described the mismanagement at the Bank of Ghana as unfortunate. The IMF has made offers to assist the Government to develop a plan for the recapitalization of the Central Bank. That is why paragraph 18 of Ghana's Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policy (MEFP) sent to IMF stated this fact. Let me assure you that very soon, Ghanaians will be made to pay for Bank of Ghana recapitalization levy, a tax to recapitalize the Bank of Ghana, because the central bank has collapsed virtually, the Minority Leader claimed. He lashed out at the Governor of BoG for spending $250 million on building a new head office while the apex bank struggles to stay afloat. Perhaps the more troubling fact is that, having brought the Bank of Ghana to this terrible financial state, the Governor and his deputies have found it prudent and expedient to invest $250 million (GHC2.8 billion) on another Head Office building somewhere at Ridge. In our circumstances, this is the height of insensitivity in the management of the finances of a troubled country. The founder of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, has blamed the lack of publicity by the media on the ineptitude of minor political parties. His comments come amid widespread concerns about the low participation rate of minor political parties in national issues. Speaking in an exclusive media engagement, the business magnate further attributed the problem to inadequate funding of minor political parties activities. It is you media people who are always saying the major political parties, and now you are calling them minor political parties. And they say if I vote for this one, they wont win, so why should I waste my votes? Waste your votes, now you are suffering, who do you blame? You also need to find alternatives to help them develop and grow. That is the only way, else you will keep doing the same things, and we will keep getting the same results. Its simple. I know people who are trying, but they dont have cash, politics require cash, if the people are demanding cash, and you dont have it, in politics, it doesnt work that way, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom stated. EC cancels registration certificates of 17 dormant political parties The Electoral Commission had earlier struck out the names of some 17 political parties from Ghana's political parties register. Between May and June 2022, the EC embarked on a nationwide exercise to inspect the offices of all registered political parties in Ghana. But after the exercise, the EC invoked Section 15 (3) (c) of the Political Parties Act of 2000, Act 574, which mandates it to cancel the registration of Political Parties which do not have offices at the National and Regional levels. The general public is hereby informed that the registration certificates of the underlisted political parties have been cancelled in accordance with Section 15 (3) (c) of the Political Parties Law, 2000 (Act 574) effective the 1st day of November 2022, the commission announced in a statement. citinewsroom The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) demand for the resignation of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison, and his deputies is a reflection of the partys lack of ideas to help stabilize the economy. The NDC on Tuesday, August 8, threatened to march to the premises of the Bank of Ghana to drag Dr. Addison and his deputies from office if they fail to resign within 21 days, due to what it described as the reckless management of the bank by the officials. Speaking to Citi News, the Director of Communications of the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah, said the public should disregard the NDCs propaganda. Is the NDC trying to run the Bank of Ghana now? Is that the point they want to communicate to us, that the Bank of Ghana cannot make a decision until they refer to the NDC? This whole thing the NDC is doing is a clear distraction, clear evidence that the NDC doesnt have any message. The relevant message any political party should communicate now is how do we strengthen this recovery, how do we make this recovery long term, how do we turn the curve and remain on a path to growth? The NDC must call another press conference on Wednesday, this one they have done is a mistake. They should call another and tell Ghanaians their ideas to ensure this economy continues to build forward, that is where the conversation should go. He added that the 60 billion Ghana cedi losses incurred by the Bank of Ghana in its 2022 fiscal year are not unique to Ghana, but are being experienced by other central banks as well. Central banks across the world are posting heavy losses, and the NDC knows about this. The Bank of England is owed in excess, a debt on their books, the Swiss bank is also owed, this is an incident happening across the board. This is because all economies are trying to build back due to COVID-19 and Russian-Ukraine war, the Director of Communications of the NPP said. 09.08.2023 LISTEN Madam Akua Afriyie, a member of the opposition National Democratic Congress at Kumawu has been sacked for her declaration to support NPP Flagbearer hopeful Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen. She indicated her admiration for the NPP presidential hopeful even though she is a member of the opposition National Democratic Congress. According to her, her dismissal came shortly after the video of her declaration of support for Alan went viral during the Kumawu by-election. She had told the whole world that though she was an NDC member if the NPP presented Alan as their flagbearer in the 2024 elections, she will gladly vote for him. She stated then that Alan had a vision that could save this country and give the teeming youth hope. She has since become the talk of town in political circles for which the NDC did not take kindly to her pronouncement. Akua Afriyie says she is now a floating voter having been served with a dismissal letter. I am currently not a member of the NDC or a member of the NPP but l am a strong supporter of Mr. Kyerematen. She has cautioned that if the NPP denies Mr Kyerematen the opportunity to lead the party, she Akua will simply stay clear of the 2024 elections. Meanwhile, the constituency delegates Durbar for the Kumawu, Afram Plains and Effiduase Asokore constituencies was massively attended with delegates vowing that it will not happen this time around Alan will not win. The delegates assured in unison that discerning Ghanaians are now fully awake from their slumber and would not allow themselves to be taken unawares. They contended that it is Alan's time to lead the party and nothing should stand his way this time round. Citi Newsroom The Bank of Ghana's "staggering" loss of GHS60.8 billion, per the Auditor-General's 2022 report, which is equivalent to $6 billion, the opposition National Democratic Congress has computed. "This is twice the amount [$3 billion] we are to receive from our recent IMF bailout", Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson told journalists on Tuesday, 8 August 2023 at the party's 'Moment of Truth' press conference. "This means, the recklessness and mismanagement of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana has cost the nation twice what we are struggling and sacrificing to receive from the IMF amid major conditionalities", Dr Forson analysed. Apart from the GHS60.8 billion loss, the bank also recorded a negative equity of over GHS55.1 billion. "What this simply means", Dr Forson explained to the layperson, 'is that the Bank of Ghana is insolvent". "In other words, the once prestigious Bank of Ghana, the mother of all banks in Ghana, has been bankrupted and collapsed by this NPP economic management team led by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia with the complicity of the Governor of the Central Bank", he alleged and accused. The former deputy finance minister also said after central bank's "dastardly act of over-lending to the government", "they then proceeded to do the unthinkable to write-off a whopping GHS48.4 billion, about half of Ghana Governments indebtedness to the Central Bank, without parliamentary approval". "This is illegal and criminal and the NDC Members of Parliament will not allow this to pass". West African bloc ECOWAS, which meets Thursday after threatening to intervene in the Niger crisis, has become a key player in the management of regional conflicts. First set up in 1975 to promote economic development among its 15 members, it has since stepped in in conflicts from Sierra Leone to Mali. 15 members ECOWAS, based in the Nigerian capital Abuja, has 15 members: Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ivory Coast Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, all French speaking, along with Anglophone Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone and two Portuguese speaking countries, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau. Of those, four have been suspended or sanctioned following military coups: Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and most recently Niger. The organisation is dominated politically and economically by regional giant Nigeria, which accounts for more than half the bloc's population and GDP. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the current ECOWAS president of its supreme decision-making body. Single currency a dead letter The Lagos treaty which set up ECOWAS was signed on May 28, 1975 in the Nigerian economic capital, with the aim of removing economic, political and linguistic barriers to trade. But ECOWAS gradually had to scale back its economic ambitions. The Eco, the single currency that its members were due to adopt in 2020, is probably dead in the water. Peacekeeping The bloc has however seen its political clout grow. It has intervened directly in conflict resolution across the region. In 1993 it adopted a new statute formally giving it responsibility in the prevention and settlement of regional conflicts. In June 2004 West African military chiefs approved the creation of a 6,500-strong force, including a rapid intervention contingent, in case of conflict. In November 2005 a five-year training programme was adopted to allow peacekeeping operations. Military interventions ECOWAS played a key political role during the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, setting up in 1990 a West African force of several thousand men. It played a key role in bringing peace to Liberia in 1997. ECOWAS also intervened in Guinea-Bissau during the armed rebellion in 1998-99 and after the coup d'etat in 2012. In 2003 it weighed in in Ivory Coast after a rebellion and a decade later in Mali to help Bamako retake control of the north which fell into the hands of jihadists. In The Gambia in 2017 it intervened when outgoing president Yahya Jammeh, who had lost elections, refused to step down. 09.08.2023 LISTEN President and Founder of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe has described the overspending by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) cited in the recent annual report as ridiculous. According to Mr. Cudjoe, former President John Dramani Mahama's administration never approved of such unethical behavior. He lambasted the management of the central bank in a tweet on August 9, labelling them as "inconsiderate." The Bank of Ghana has reported significant losses totaling GH60.81 billion for the financial year 2022, in stark contrast to the GH1.23 billion profit recorded in 2021. The losses were primarily attributed to the government's domestic debt restructuring and the depreciation of the local currency, among other factors. The audited financial statement for 2022 released on July 28, revealed that as of December 31, 2022, the total liabilities of the central bank and its subsidiaries exceeded its total assets by GH54.52 billion. This decline in net worth was a direct consequence of the impact of the Domestic Debt Exchange Program (DDEP) and the impairment of certain assets of the Group. The DDEP led to the impairment of the Government of Ghana's securities holdings by GH48.45 billion, while loans and advances granted to Quasi-government and financial institutions amounted to GH6.12 billion. Additionally, the depreciation of the local currency resulted in a net exchange loss of GH5.27 billion. The Orange Girl Foundation has raised concern about how taxes on sanitary pads are discriminating against young girls in the country. In a press release, the Foundation has reminded Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia about his campaign promise to scrap the taxes on sanitary pads. The Vice President in August 2020 during a manifesto launch of the New Patriotic Party in Cape-coast, promised that the next NPP government will scrap the 20% luxury tax on sanitary pads. "We will eliminate import duties on sanitary pads to improve health conditions, particularly for girls. It is very important. What we intend doing is to make sure we produce sanitary pads in Ghana until that happens in their numbers, we are going to eliminate import duties to bring down their cost, Dr. Bawumia said. Years down the line, the prices of sanitary pads in the country continue to go up. In its press release, Orange Girl Foundation has urged Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to walk the talk and see to it that taxes on sanitary pads are scrapped. We believe he might have forgotten due to his busy schedules with his digitalization drive. Hence a gentle reminder to him. Like he mentioned, "IT IS VERY IMPORTANT", hence the need to walk the talk, parts of the release from Orange Girl Foundation said. The Foundation argues that due to the unaffordability of sanitary pads, some girls are forced to offer sex in exchange for it, whiles others have to resort to the use of rags, baby pampers and other unhealthy materials. The taxes on sanitary pads discriminate against a section of the population as it pushes them into poverty, and as a gender advocacy group, we believe there's the urgent need for government to address this canker, the Orange Girl Foundation emphasised. The closure of the Benin border in the wake of the recent coup in Niger is anticipated to lead to an increase in onion prices across various markets within the country. Onion traders who find themselves stranded at the Benin border for an extended period have issued an appeal to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, urging his intervention for the prompt release of approximately 70 trucks carrying onions from Niger to Ghana via Benin. As a consequence of the border closure arising from the Niger coup, these trucks and their drivers have remained immobilized at the border for several weeks. Expressing concerns, the group of onion sellers responsible for over 70 truckloads emphasized that without swift action from the President, there is a significant risk of the onions perishing, leading to a potential surge in onion prices. Prices of vegetables have seen astronomical increases due to the political tussle in Niger, with bags of vegetable prices ranging between GH1,500 to GH1,600. Industry players fear the prices could push to GH3000- GH4000 if the situation is not swiftly handled. In an interview on Eyewitness News, the spokesperson for the onion sellers, Yakubu Apendiba explained, Monday night, they opened about 35 trucks of onions. They have also parked about 45 trucks at the Burkina Faso border. The Ghana Ambassador in Benin visited the truck drivers on Saturday, Monday night they moved to the Burkina Faso border, and some were able to pass through the Benin border. But some are still stuck at the Burkina Faso border. Now if you come to the onion market today, its not easy, onions which used to be sold at GH1,000 to GH1,100 are now being sold at GH1,500. Theres a lack of onions at other places as well. So we are pleading with the government to help us talk to Burkina Fasos President so that the trucks will be escorted to Ghana. Soldiers in the West African country of Niger announced a coup on national television on July 27. They said they had dissolved the constitution, suspended all institutions, and closed the nation's borders. Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was held by troops from the presidential guard. He was promised Washington's unwavering support in a call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The coup leaders, on August 7, closed the country's airspace until further notice, citing the threat of military intervention from their neighbours. The West African group of countries, ECOWAS, had earlier warned that it could use force if President Mohamed Bazoum was not reinstated by 23:00 GMT on Sunday. A junta spokesman says Niger's armed forces are ready to defend the country. citinewsroom Q: A delegation of foreign diplomats posted in China visited Xinjiang a few days agothe first of its kind this year. Could you share some details with us? A: From July 31 to August 4, at the foreign ministrys invitation, a delegation of 40 ambassadors and other senior diplomats from the foreign missions of 25 countries in China, including those of Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran, Egypt, Guinea, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Dominica and Nicaragua, visited Xinjiang. Heads of the CPC committee and the government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region met with the delegation. The delegation traveled to Kashgar, Aksu and Urumqi, where they visited a renovated old town, a mosque, an Islamic institute, a museum, a smart agricultural machinery company, a rural revitalization project and a counter-terrorism and de-radicalization exhibition. They also had conversations with the local clergy and people of minority ethnic groups to know more about the facts regarding the thriving economy, freedom of religious belief, protection and promotion of historic and cultural heritage and so on, and why counter-terrorism and de-radicalization is legitimate, justified and necessary for Xinjiang and what has been achieved in this regard. The delegation shared their views about the tour saying that Xinjiang has beautiful landscape, a warm and hospitable people and remarkable economic dynamism, and that each stop of the visit had been impressive. They saw a stable Xinjiang, where people can live safely thanks to the governments efforts. They saw an economically fast-growing Xinjiang, which has become a frontier of Chinas opening-up. They saw a happy Xinjiang, where peoples lives have improved significantly. They saw a culturally diverse and thriving Xinjiang, where the traditional culture of minority ethnic groups are well protected and passed on from one generation to another. They saw no forced labor in Xinjiang. Local agriculture already uses the most advanced machinery, whereby cotton-picking efficiency has been greatly increased. The delegation noted that the real Xinjiang is completely different from the stories concocted by some Western media and expressed hope for deeper exchanges and cooperation with the region. The first-hand experience of the foreign diplomats again shows that truth will always prevail. The international community will not be deceived by the smears and false accusations of genocide and forced labor that came from a handful of Western countries led by the US. China sincerely welcomes friends from all countries to come to Xinjiang more to see for themselves its beauty, harmony and progress. Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and other Republican senators who surpassed a voter-approved limit on unexcused absences during the 2023 legislative session will not be allowed to file for reelection when candidates are allowed to sign up beginning Sept. 14. Under Measure 113, passed with a 68% yes vote in November 2022, lawmakers who have more than 10 unexcused absences cannot seek re-election. Ten senators passed the absence threshold as part of an effort to keep the Senate from reaching the two-thirds of members present required under the state constitution to form a quorum to meet and do any legislative business. The record 42-day walkout only ended when Democrats agreed to water down legislation on abortion, transgender medical care and gun control. Republicans argued that language in Measure 113 made it unclear when senators were barred from running again. They also said the measure itself was a violation of federal and state freedom of speech protections. After the 2023 session, Knopp and Sen. Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls, announced they planned to run for reelection in 2024 and asked Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade for a declaratory judgment. Griffin-Valade, on Tuesday, Aug. 8 directed the Oregon Elections Division to implement an administrative rule clarifying Measure 113. The rule disqualifies legislators with 10 or more unexcused absences during the 2023 legislative session from running for legislative seats in the 2024 election. It is clear voters intended Measure 113 to disqualify legislators from running for reelection if they had 10 or more unexcused absences in a legislative session, Griffin-Valade said. She said the decision was backed-up by legal advice she received from the office of Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. Knopp issued a statement that Republicans would challenge the ruling. The case would go to the Oregon Court of Appeals for review. "It appears the Democrat Attorney General and the Democrat Secretary of State are willing to cover for the Democrat Senate President Rob Wagners decision to ensure Measure 113 quashes the free speech of minority Senate Republicans as it was designed to do by political special interests," Knopp said. Measure 113 called for disqualification from holding office as a Senator or Representative for the term following the election after the members current term is completed. Knopp and other Republicans with more than 10 absences said the wording meant they could run next year, but not in 2028. Griffin-Valade said voter intent was clear. My decision honors the voters intent by enforcing the measure the way it was commonly understood when Oregonians added it to our state constitution, she said in her decision Tuesday. Oregon Department of Justice attorneys advised Griffin-Valade that there was no evidence to show that voters held an alternative view other than Measure 113 banned lawmakers from their first re-election bid after violating the rule. We found no suggestion prior to enactment that the Measure was understood or intended to allow absent legislators to serve an additional term, the DOJ said. Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that Republicans will swiftly move the issue to the courts. Portland attorney John DiLorenzo, who represents the senators, said Tuesday that a challenge of the administrative rule will be the first action. Our most likely course is first to determine what Measure 113 means, DiLorenzo told OPB. The senators could then pursue the freedom of speech issue in state or federal court. Of the 10 senators who surpassed the 10-absence limit, six would be up for re-election in 2024. In addition to Knopp and Linthicum, Republican Art Robinson has said he would seek another four-year term. 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. Brian Boquist, an Independent senator who took part in the walkout, also said he plans to run again. Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, has said he is undecided, but recently updated his campaign finance committee so that it is raising funds for the 2024 election. Only Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, is not running again. The veteran lawmaker announced prior to the walkout that he planned to retire after his current term. Related stories: Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, a presidential hopeful representing the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), has expressed his belief that the party's "break-the-eight" aspiration can be achieved by amassing approximately two million votes from the Ashanti Region. He emphasised that the realisation of this goal hinges on securing a substantial vote count from the Ashanti Region during the December 2024 general elections. Kyerematen outlined that the pivotal step towards this aim rests on the delegates' decision during the upcoming super conference. He encouraged them to narrow down the field of presidential aspirants to five contenders for the November presidential primary. He underlined the importance of heeding the grassroots' call for his leadership and urged the delegates to endorse his candidacy. During his visit to the Ashanti Region, Kyerematen interacted with party delegates as part of his tour. He acknowledged the competence of all aspirants in the race while highlighting the grassroots' overwhelming support for his candidacy. Mr Kyerematen confidently asserted that, if elected, he is uniquely positioned to secure the coveted two million votes required for a successful 2024 general election campaign. He fervently called upon the party delegates participating in the super conference to unite in electing him, as this would substantially contribute to realizing the set electoral target. In a show of support, Nana Afrani Okesse, the Paramount Chief of Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, urged Mr Kyerematen to stand unwavering in his determination to lead the party. Nana Afrani Okesse encouraged him to remain focused, emphasizing a belief that Kyerematen's leadership has been appointed by a higher power. He said the narrative underscores Kyerematen's vision for achieving the "break-the-eight" objective, illustrating his campaign efforts in the Ashanti Region and highlighting the significant backing he enjoys from grassroots supporters and influential figures within the party. Classfmonline.com Deputy Railway Development Minister, Kwaku Asante-Boateng, has expressed his displeasure with the faction of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in the New Patriotic Party's flagbearer contest. He has, thus, thrown his express support behind flagbearer aspirant Alan Kyerematen. Mr Asante-Boateng cited a lack of courtesy from certain members of Dr Bawumias camp during a campaign visit to constituencies in the Asante Akyem region, for his fury and decision to back the former minister of trade. While recounting the campaign visit, the Deputy Minister revealed, "Upon Vice President Dr. Bawumia's arrival in Asankare, my attempt at extending a hand in greeting was met with no response from any of his team members." The Member of Parliament for the Asante Akyem South Constituency expressed his disappointment at the perceived exclusion by the Bawumia camp, indicating that he feels marginalised. "It's impossible to garner my support after such a disrespectful gesture during your campaign," he asserted during a gathering in the Ashanti Region, adding that he would rather support Mr Kyerematen, a fraternal figure. Classfmonline A Law Lecturer at the University of Professional Studies-Accra (UPSA), Lawyer Albert Quashigah has called on journalists in the country to take the law on publishing fake news seriously. According to him, the law of Publishing fake news which falls under the Electronic Communication Law section 67, does not target Journalists but can be used against Journalists. We need to take the law of publishing fake news seriously, he said. Lawyer Albert Quashigah shared these thoughts while speaking at a Forum to Commemorate the one-year Anniversary of the current GJA Leadership. "The electronic communication law section 67 does not target Journalists but can be used against Journalists so it must be deleted or relooked at to protect Journalists," he argued. Lawyer Quashigah who was speaking on the topic An assessment of the Criminal law on false news and its application against media Practitioners in Ghana, called for the amendment of the law it in order to safeguard Journalists. I think this law has been used against Journalists. This law must give way, Dr. Quashigah noted. On his part, the Director General of GBC, Prof. Amin Alhassan expressed worry over the principles of Journalism which he said has been jettisoned with the advent of the new media. He explained further that new media, in whatever form we think of it is occasioned by the mainstreaming of digital technologies to the extend that the platforms that they create becomes the main source of new media cultures of information consumption. The old media channels of mediums is giving way to new technoscapes of media platforms. In Broadcasting, this transformation has been phenomenal. Analogue transmission has been jettisoned in favour of multiple platforms of DTT, DTH satellite, Online Streaming, DAB, and much more is to come when G5 networks are rolled out Internet of Things become part of our everyday life, Dr. Alhassan emphasized. He said these changes are transforming Journalism practice and functions and raise several ethical issues. According to him, in the new media ecosystem, audience size is not determined by good journalism adding that it is determined by clickbaits and amplifications strategies, including misinformation content. The new media ecosystem has brought about the phenomenon of weaponization of information. Fake news has high virality than truthful news. It even becomes turbo charged if the content is meant to damage the reputation of a target. These are developments that make nonsense of the professional values and ethics of Journalism. The question that stares us in the face is how do with protect journalism and a professional practic that will continue to function as an institution of democracy and development, the learned Professor queried. The GJA President, Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour touched the need for Journalists to be guided by their constitutional obligations and work towards the development of the nation. Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour He said the media is needed the most in such critical times when the country is facing economic challenges. Madam Chair, as media professionals, we have a crucial role to play in ensuring the economic growth of the country, particularly in such critical times when the global economy is experiencing difficulties. While highlighting social evils such as corruption and abuse of power, we should also project or highlight activities and programs that promote the economic development of the nation, the GJA President advised. Notable and distinguished personalities who graced the ceremony including the Deputy Minister for Education Madam Fati Abubakar, Press Attache at the US Embassy- Mr. Kevin Brosnahan and Madam Joyce Asiedu of the US Embassy PR Department, among others. The Ministerial Advisory Board (MAB) of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGCSP) inaugurated on Tuesday, August 8 in Accra. The establishment of the Board is in accordance with Section 39 of the Civil Service Act, 1993, (PNDC Law 327), which requires all Ministries to have such advisory boards. Its main purpose is to facilitate continuous engagement between the Ministry and its stakeholders and to provide advice on policies and operational strategies. The Board is chaired by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Lariba Zuweira Abudu, and includes Hon. Francisca Oteng Mensah, Dr. Afisah Zakariah. Other Members are Dr. Susana Aga Alo, Miss Yvonne Aboagyewaa AwornorWilliams, Tony Lamptey, Angela Ofori-Atta, and Kwabena Denkyira. During the inauguration, the oath of office and secrecy was administered to the members by Mr. Jonathan Acquah, a Principal State Attorney. In her speech, Hon. Lariba Zuweira Abudu highlighted the Ministry's mandate, which includes promoting gender equality, ensuring the welfare and protection of children's rights, and empowering vulnerable groups such as the aged and persons with disabilities, all for the sake of sustainable national development. She urged the Board members to be dedicated to fulfilling their role to ensure that the Ministry's policies and programs yield the desired results. The Minister expressed her enthusiasm for collaborating with the Board members, as they represent some of the key stakeholders of the Ministry, which will strengthen decision-making processes and enhance their working relationship. Mr. Tony Lamptey, on behalf of the other Board members, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the country and pledged their full support to the tasks that lie ahead. Among the attendees at the inauguration were Mr. Ebenezer Charway, the Director of the General Administration Directorate, Ms. Vida Owusuaa Mensah, the Director of the Human Resource Management Directorate, and the Acting Director for PPME, Mrs. Florence Ayisi Quartey. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, an aspiring flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has promised massive changes if he is elected president in upcoming elections. Mr. Agyepong has noted his intention to eliminate what he deems as unnecessary ministries in his effort to tighten government spending if elected president. With Ghana facing economic difficulties, the flagbearer hopeful aims to demonstrate leadership through fiscal discipline when given the opportunity. In an interview on Accra-based JoyNews' PM Express on Tuesday, August 8, Mr. Agyepong stated "If Im blessed to have the opportunity to be President, Ill be substantially different. I dont see why there should be a Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs or Ministry of Chieftaincy. It used to be a Secretariat at the Presidency." "So there are many things I want to see cut, especially when we are going through very tough economic times. It is not the quantum of money you save by reducing the Ministries per se but it is the strong moral message you send to the country that youly tightening your belt and that youre leading by example and that you mean what you say," he told host Evans Mensah. He urges the NPP delegates to vote for him to become the party's flagbearer stating "with Kwabena Agyepong, my word is my bond." The NPP will be reducing its pool of ten presidential aspirants to five in a special delegates' conference on August 26, before selecting the party's flagbearer on November 4. The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour has indicated that his administration is committed to making the lives of journalists in the country better. Speaking at a forum to mark the first anniversary of his administration, the GJA President said protection for the media, better conditions of service, and a scheme of service for Ghanaian journalists is a priority for his administration. Suffice it to say that the issue of media protection, better conditions of service, and a scheme of service for Ghanaian journalists is at the heart of the GJA agenda. It's worthwhile to note that the legislative arm of government is showing commitment towards this struggle. Due to the deteriorating economic conditions confronting journalists in this country, our ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has declined. The World Press Freedom report captured this. We're hopeful to garner the support of all stakeholders to see to the realisation of this dream, Mr. Albert Dwumfour said. According to the GJA President, press freedom is meaningless until it is linked to the professional development and total financial liberation of journalists in the country. In his address, Albert Dwumfour admonished journalists to professionally play their role in ensuring the economic growth of the country, particularly in such critical times when the global economy is experiencing difficulties. The forum was held at the British Council Hall in Accra on Tuesday, August 8. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, an aspirant for the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) flagbearer position has expressed disappointment over the huge sums of money recently discovered in former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah's home. Mr Agyepong said the former Minister should have known having served in public office for long. In an interview on Accra-based JoyNews' PM Express on Tuesday, August 8, Mr. Agyepong stated "What for me I worry about, especially with this case, was the fact of the amount of money that was found in the household...Suffice it to say I was disappointed that that amount of money was in the household." He continued, "Its important that we realise that we cannot, as politicians, preach one thing and do another. So when youre encouraging everybody to be part of the formal economy, the least we can do as leaders is to lead by example. So I was disappointed that she would keep that amount of money in the household." "It is important that as political leaders, we should have the political will to do the right thing for our country," the former NPP General Secretary emphasized. Background In July, two of Dapaah's housemaids were arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing over GH95,000 worth of clothes, handbags, perfumes and other items from Dapaah's home in Accra between July and October 2022. Large sums of local and foreign currencies were also stolen by two house helps. The matter led to widespread criticism from the public against the former Minister for keeping such huge amounts of money at home. She subsequently resigned from her post as Sanitation Minister, stating that she does not want the government to be dragged into the matter. The Office of the Special Prosecutor has opened investigations into the source of the money based on petitions from concerned citizens. Akua Afriyie 09.08.2023 LISTEN A member of the opposition k9olqNational Democratic Congress (NDC) at Kumawu in the Ashanti Region, Akua Afriyie, has declared support for New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer candidate, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, leading to her dismissal from the opposition party. She has indicated her admiration for the NPP presidential hopeful even though she is a member of the opposition NDC. According to the former NDC Women's Organiser, her sack came shortly after the video of her declaration of support for Alan went viral during the Kumawu by-election. She had told the whole world that though she was an NDC member, if the NPP presented Alan as their flagbearer in the 2024 elections, she will gladly vote for him. She stated then that Alan had a vision that could save the country and give the teeming youth hope. She has since become an advocate for Alan Kyerematen's presidential mission. Her declaration has since become talk of town in political circles for which the NDC did not take kindly to her pronouncement. Akua Afriyie says she is now a floating voter having been served with a dismissal letter. I am currently not a member of the NDC or a member of the NPP, but l am a strong supporter of Mr. Kyerematen, she stated. Akua Afriyie has cautioned that if the NPP denies Mr. Kyerematen the opportunity to lead the party, she will simply stay clear of the 2024 elections. Meanwhile, the constituency delegates' durbar for Kumawu, Afram Plains and Effiduase Asokore constituencies was massively attended, with delegates declaring that it is Alan's time to lead the party and nothing should stand his way. Asante Akim South MP Declares Support For Alan In a new twist, Member of Parliament for Asante Akim South, in the Ashanti Region, Kwaku Asante-Boateng, has joined the Alan Kyerematen team. The MP, a known supporter of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, announced the switch on Monday during the former Trade Ministers cluster delegates' durbar at the auditorium of the Church of Pentecost at Konongo, where he met delegates from Asante Akim North, South and Central constituencies. Mr. Asante-Boateng explained that Dr. Bawumias team had disrespected him by not greeting him during the recent campaign tour of the Vice President to the constituency. According to the MP, even though he was asked to welcome Dr. Bawumia upon his arrival, he was ignored and publicly ridiculed to his utmost dismay, which he saw as a sign of disrespect. You cannot disrespect me and expect me to follow you, he told the delegates amid cheers. Nana Akomea Responds Meanwhile, Nana Akomea, a member of Dr. Bawumia's campaign team who was alleged to have snubbed David Asante-Boateng, has responded. He indicated that he left Parliament some time ago, and do not know by face many MPs who entered Parliament after 2012, adding that the first time he saw David Asante-Boateng was when he was introduced at the event. Anytime the campaign bus stopped at a constituency, there is usually a big welcoming group of people gathered at the door of the bus, to welcome Dr. Bawumia. Those of us who get down before Dr. Bawumia have to wade through the crowd quickly to pave way for him. In the process of rushing through the crowd, if I had known the MP, I would have made every effort to say hello and shake his hand, he said. He further explained that after he had been introduced, Mr. Boateng went on to give a resounding speech endorsing Dr. Bawumia. It is therefore a complete surprise to see him in a video doing an about turn, because of an incident that happened before his speech endorsing Bawumia. Be that as it may, I assure the Hon. David Asante-Boateng, on behalf of Dr. Bawumias campaign team, that there is no deliberate attempt by the team to disrespect him. And we respect his decision to whoever he chooses to support, he added. Daily Guide Two weeks after the coup in Niger, France has abandoned its tough tone on the crisis and is now inclining towards diplomatic solutions, with military action seemingly ruled out for now, experts said. West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS had given coup leaders a deadline of last Sunday to reinstate elected president Mohamed Bazoum, or face potential use of force. But the Niger's new rulers defied the ultimatum and it elapsed with no action being taken. The leaders of ECOWAS -- the Economic Community of West African States -- meet again on Thursday in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. On the eve of the deadline, France loudly showed its support for ECOWAS, saying it "firmly and resolutely" backed the bloc's efforts to restore Bazoum. But Paris' latest declaration on Tuesday was cautious and measured, marking a clear shift from the earlier, more combative stance. France stands by its policy of backing efforts to "restore democracy" in Niger, but believes it is up to ECOWAS "to take a decision on how to restore the constitutional order in Niger, whatever that decision may be," said a diplomatic source, asking not to be named. French President Emmanuel Macron, right, with Bazoum at the Elysee Palace on June 23. Just over a month later, Bazoum was toppled. By Ludovic MARIN (AFP) The statement came after US acting deputy secretary of state Victoria Nuland went to Niamey to speak with coup leaders. But she acknowledged her talks made no headway and was unable to meet the new strongman, General Abdourahamane Tiani, or the detained Bazoum. 'About diplomacy now' Bertrand Badie, a professor at the Sciences-Po university, said France's early belligerent tone was gone. "It's no longer about military intervention, it's no longer about denying this government all legitimacy, it's about diplomacy now," Badie told AFP. "They're backing away from what they said at the start." Niger's new government has accused France repeatedly of planning military action, a charge that Paris denies. France's more hawkish tone at the weekend notable contrasted to calls for dialogue by Germany, Italy and the United States. Respective coups in Mali and Burkina Faso in 2020 and 2022 had forced the pullout of French troops from those countries deployed to fight a jihadist insurgency in the Sahel region. Normal life has continued in Niamey and some have welcomed the coup. By - (AFP) President Emmanuel Macron has since staked a lot on the relationship with Bazoum. Paris has 1,500 troops in Niger, most of whom are deployed at a major air base neary Niamey. The United States also has around 1,000 military base, also at a key base. Badie at Science-Po said that France's early stance had been "abnormally confident and aggressive" and Paris was now on the back foot. "There is no doubt that France is losing the diplomatic initiative here," Badie said. 'A little freewheeling' "Silence and restraint are not necessarily bad things," observed Jean-Herve Jezequel, director of the Sahel project at the International Crisis Group (ICG). France "is not the best-placed (country) to lead this dialogue" with Niger's new rulers, he said. France may have erred tactically by rejecting the right of Niger's coup leaders to cancel bilateral military agreements, Jezequel argued. "By being intransigent, France prompted the military to harden their position" and enabled them to build up support among the public, he said. There have been anti-French protests in Niamey, with signs outside the French embassy trampled on, although Paris warns against exaggerating the extent of anti-French feeling and suggests Russian disinformation is to blame. Thousands also gathered on Niamey on Sunday in a show of popular support for the coup. France may have boxed itself into a diplomatic corner, said Francois Gaulme, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), a think tank. He said it was a "contradiction" that France, having accepted previously to pull its troops out of Mali and Burkina Faso following military takeovers there, was now denying Niger the right to the same treatment. A major demonstration in favour of the coup took place on Sunday. By - (AFP) "I find French diplomacy a little freewheeling," he said. This could become painfully obvious if ECOWAS does indeed find a diplomatic solution to the crisis. "French diplomacy would find itself deeply humiliated," Badie warned. Such an outcome would be seen across the region as an indication of France's "structural inability... to emerge from a post-colonial attitude," he said. The Niger crisis is a sign that "the times of a strong French military presence in the Sahel is over," said Jezequel. There is "now also a question mark over its future in West Africa," he said. Renowned Ghanaian pastor Reverend Christian Kwabena Andrews, popularly known as Osofo Kyiri Abosom has expressed concern over the frequent church services in the country. He observed that most Ghanaians spend almost their entire week attending church services, which he believes has been limiting productivity and increasing poverty levels. The founder of the Life Assembly Church says he is worried that the daily church services held in every corner of the country threaten Ghana's progress. In an interview with Accra-based UTV this week, Osofo Kyiri Abosom stated "Everyday church service is very worrying and a threat to the nation. People who have nothing join the pastors who are already enjoying spending all their time in the church. He called on church leaders to free up weekdays for people to focus on their work and increase productivity. "So I plead with my fellow men of God to allow us to set rules that every denomination will choose their official days of worship such as Sunday, Saturday or Friday as the only day for worship," he urged. Renowned Ghanaian pastor and founder of the Life Assembly Worship Centre, Reverend Christian Kwabena Andrews, well known as Osofo Kyiri Abosom has heavily criticized President Nana Akufo-Addo for pumping millions of Ghana cedis into the stalled National Cathedral project. Osofo Kyiri Abosom fumes how several properties were demolished including residences of judges and embassies to pave way for the construction of the National Cathedral. He threatened legal action against Akufo-Addo for "misusing public money" if elected president in 2024. In an interview on Accra-based UTV this week, the 2020 presidential candidate for the Ghana Union Movement (GUM) stated, "I will take Prez Akufo-Addo to court if I am voted to power for wasting money on National Cathedral because I dont understand why he will demolish judges' bungalows built with state money for this project." With many churches already struggling, Osofo Kyiri Abosom questioned the essence of spending state funds on the national cathedral when Ghanaians are suffering. According to the GUM Founder the third largest political party in Ghana, the money could have been channelled to important projects that would better the lives of the citizenry. "All the churches in the country are even collapsing because people have waited on God for too long but He is not coming, he said. 09.08.2023 LISTEN Tricycle operators in Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital, have blocked major roads in a series of protests that have caused major disruptions in the city. The tricycle operators are escalating their protests to ensure that the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly overturns a ban on their operations in the Central Business District of Kumasi. The normally tranquil streets of the Ashanti Regions towns and cities have become a battleground between the tricycle operators and the local authorities since the ban was implemented last week. The tricycle operators have been vocal about their discontent with certain regulations and policies that have affected their ability to operate freely. Local residents and businesses have been caught in the crossfire, facing severe delays and disruptions to their daily routines. On Tuesday, a scuffle between the police and tricycle operators in Kumasi resulted in the injury of six police officers. The officers had been called by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to restore calm after the tricycle operators besieged the KMA offices to retrieve their seized tricycles. The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has warned that it will continue to crack down on tricycle users in the central business district of Kumasi. The KMA began enforcing its ban on tricycles, popularly known as aboboya, on July 25 and faced fierce resistance from operators. More than ten defiant operators were arrested on August 1, which infuriated other operators and led to a scuffle between the metropolitan police and operators.+- Speaking on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, the head of transport at the Assembly, Randy Wilson, reiterated the Assembly's commitment to stopping the activities of the tricycle operators, which he said are impeding business activities in the central business district. The exercise is not stopping anytime soon, and the security apparatus is rather beefing up its activities because we have intelligence that the tricycle operators are planning to mass up tomorrow to fight the authorities, he said. Citi Newsroom Ashanti Regional Secretariat of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has refuted claims that it has sacked its Womens Organiser for Kumawu for allegedly declaring her support for governing New Patriotic Partys (NPP) flagbearer aspirant Alan Kyerematen. I wish to by this statement debunk the publication and put on record that no such declaration has been made by any our womens organisers and no such purported suspension has been occasioned by any structure of the party, the Ashanti Regional NDC Secretariat noted in a statement issued on Wednesday, 9 August 2023, signed by its Secretary Dr Frank Amoakohene. Some media outlets reported that the main opposition NDC had sacked its Womens Organiser for Kumawu, for supporting Mr Kyerematens bid as flagbearer aspirant of the NPP. Reacting to the reports, however, the Ashanti Regional NDC Secretariat called on Ghanaians to disregard such reportage. It noted that Akua Afriyie the purported sacked Kumawu NDC Womens organiser, which is linked to the story, does not exist in any of its records as a party womens organiser or party executive either at the branch, constituency or regional level." According to the Ashanti Regional NDC Secretariat, the NPP will be voted out of office in 2024 irrespective of who gets to carry the flag of the most corrupt party/government in the history of the Republic of Ghana. It added that the NDC has no interest or whatsoever as a party in the primaries of the NPP but rather focused on rescuing the country by ensuring victory for its flagbearer John Dramani Mahama in the 2024 elections. classfmonline.com The Wa Circuit Court, presided over by His Honour Mr Jonathan Avogo, has remanded a suspected serial paedophile into police custody to reappear in court on Monday, August 14. Rashid Anaata, the suspect, was arrested at the weekend and arraigned before the Wa Circuit Court and was subsequently remanded to enable the police conclude its investigations. Mr Saeed Abdul Shakur, the Principal State Attorney in the Upper West Region, told the media in Wa that the suspect was denied bail, considering the gravity of the crime he was suspected to have committed and the risk of reprisal attack on him by some members of the public. Someone who has left the district before, we cannot be sure he will not escape, considering the gravity of the offences and the punishment that will be meted out if he is convicted. We are talking about a minimum of eight years and a maximum of 25 years in each of the counts, if we succeed with the case he might be going in for a long term, so if the court allows him on bail, we might not get him to try. We also say that it is in his own interest because of the anger, you can gauge the anger in society if such a person is charged loose we might not even get him to try, people might take the law into their own hands, so in order to prevent that situation too, we prayed the court to keep him in custody, the Principal State Attorney explained. Mr Shakur assured the public that the trial would be fast-tracked because of the immense public interest in the matter, and cautioned the public against any attempt to influence the prosecution witnesses in the case and that anyone caught in that would be made to face the full rigours of the law. In May 2023, the suspected paedophile fled Wa after he was accused by some girls of defilement in a viral video on social media. It was alleged that Rashid Anaata, a celebrated Islamic Wedding Master of Ceremony in Wa, defiled about 30 children in Wa. Following the allegations by the girls, Mr Eliasu Baba Yussif, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bahass Foundation in Wa, lodged a formal complaint with the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service on behalf of the alleged victims. Rashid Anaata was first arrested in 2014 for allegedly defiling some children but was left off the hook, which Mr Shakur attributed to the interference of some members of society. Mr Shakur, however, said, This time round we have all plans in place to ensure that nobody goes behind anywhere to touch any of the witnesses, we are going through this trial, and we are doing it expeditiously, the evidence is solid. Scores of members of the public thronged the court premises on Monday morning, August 7, 2023, to catch a glimpse of the suspect in court. GNA Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has reiterated the need for Ghanaians and in particular journalists, to do whatever it takes to protect the right to free expression in the country. Speaking at a forum to commemorate the first anniversary of the new administration of the GJA, in Accra, on Tuesday, Mr Dwumfour said the right to free expression was key to the development of the country, which must be protected and safeguarded. Madam Chair, it must be emphasised that the right to free expression is crucial to the development of every nation, and therefore, all measures must be taken to ensure it is not infringed in any way, he said. The forum, held in partnership with the Agricultural Development Bank (adb), among other things, was to enable the current administration of the GJA to evaluate its performance a year after assuming office. It was on the theme: Current Trends In Ghanas Media Landscape. Mr Dwumfour said the leadership was on course to restoring the Association to its former glory, stressing that, since assuming office a year ago, the leadership of the GJA had made significant strides indicating that the Association was headed to the right direction. Some of the achievements are the refurbishment of the Ghana International Press Centre; the launch of the Journalist Support Fund to address welfare concerns, campaigns attacks against journalists; increased advocacy for, and defense of, press freedom, and increased participation in the activities of the GJA. Madam Chair, although the task seemed daunting at the beginning, we have been able to make some significant achievements over the past one year in office, he stated. Mr Dwumfour also indicated that media protection, better conditions of service, and scheme of service for journalists remained a priority for the GJA, noting that Ghanas ranking on the World Press Freedom Index had suffered in recent time due to poor economic conditions of Ghanaian journalists. We believe that press freedom is meaningless until it is linked to the professional development and total financial liberation of journalists, he said. Mr Dwumfour added that leadership was taking some steps in the interest of members, collaborating with the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana, the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association and Media Foundation for West Africa, to help fight attacks on press freedom. The challenges are many but with your support, we are resolved to overcome them, he assured. Dr Gilbert Tietaah, a Senior Lecturer, Department of Communication, University of Ghana, noted that the multiplicity of media ownership had served the media well, and strengthened the country's democracy. However, he raised concern about the increased in media ownership by political actors, and the growing tendency towards media empire building and urged authorities to address the current broadcast regime. We are concern that the current regime of broadcast legislation, which allows considerable power and influence on those whose conduct the media are supposed to be checking upsets the hope and aspiration about the medias role as the fourth estate, about the medias role as a bridge between citizens and their governments or the medias role as watchdogs, he stated. Dr Charity Binka, a Gender and Communication Expert, and Chairperson of the forum, said the media still had a critical role to play in the development of the country by providing information on every sector of the economy and safeguarding democracy. Therefore, she warned that any attack on press freedom was an attack on society. If you kill the media, you are killing the society. We need the media to get information for our health, politics, everything, she emphasised. GNA The upcoming NPP Special Delegates Conference scheduled for August 26 has been described as an "unnecessary distraction" by Yaw Buaben Asamoah, spokesperson for Alan Kyerematen's campaign team. The conference aims to reduce the number of presidential aspirants from 10 to 5 before the main congress on November 4. However, Buaben Asamoah believes the process serves no good purpose and should therefore be removed from the party's constitution. "At this time that they are going to organize that election. I think its so unnecessary, I think it is going to be a distraction from normal campaigning that one has to stop and organize oneself over 16 regions to conduct a process that has no bearing on popularity," he said. The conference is expected to take place in all 16 regions of Ghana. The 10 aspirants hoping to represent the NPP in the 2024 elections include Alan Kyerematen, Kennedy Agyapong, Joe Ghartey, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Kofi Konadu Apraku, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, and others. Vice: (similar) fault, failing, flaw, deficiency, immoral behavior, corruptible Vice President: An official or executive deputizing for a president Not Another Vice Hello Fifth John! I had to forgo the artistic pleasure of using the Fourth John accolade to address you as Fifth John because it is expressly evident that Ghanaians see you as the next servant of the Republic of Ghana. Others may argue, regardless, that you will still be recorded as the fourth president christened John. Well, such persons may have to know, now, that the next John we would see, possibly after December 7, 2024, will be a greater version than the one we saw between 2012 and 2016. In respect of a Biblical allusion, it will be the return of a John from the wilderness of wealthy experiences to offer to Ghanaians a mass baptism from the series of sins committed since 2017. Towards the realization of that, before and after elections, it is important that all objectives and strategies employed are advanced with utmost care and concern that sit with the interest of every Ghanaian. Over time, political discussions around running mates have not received a pinned interest that ensures a proper critique of their personalities, skills and abilities and how all these meet the benefits of the voters or citizens. In examining the candidature of running mates, critical conversations around the novel levels of development they bring to the table are partially done. Certain moral and leadership qualities that facilitate tolerance and teamwork towards development are really not considered. What we usually fall for is the fanaticism around the perceived fame of the individual as purchased from and created by the media. Now, that is the danger! In the end, the voters delegate power to vices, who have successfully patronized the hungry medias attention, and not vice presidents who clearly have the competence that drives development. But A Vice President Fifth John, it is important that the National Democratic Congress wins the next presidential election in Ghana. What is more important, however, is the quality of the individual who pairs you to serve the country Ghana. In recognition of the current economic woes of Ghana, blamed on an economic management team chaired by a vice, it is essential, then, to ensure that whoever becomes your pair, our vice president, is not a repetition of sour history. More than ever, the choice of your running mate must be approached with very delicate caution. It is important to indicate how sleepless your thoughtful pillow is every night. Truly, you may have heard of calls from caucuses, think-tanks, industries, comrades and cadres to select a vice presidential candidate from the Volta Region of Ghana. The numerous reasons behind that, logic and emotional, all sound appealing and honest, anyway. In fact, the recent one indicates that a selection of a Voltarian as a vice presidential candidate is sure to nullify any intention of the New Patriotic Partys Alan or Bawumia camps to pick a running mate from the Volta after their presidential primaries. Another reason indicates that you do so to solidify the ever-loyal Volta base to ensure that a percentage lesser than zero is not even snatched by the NPP who only need a percent or two to sail through. Unfortunately, all these will not matter administratively if the selected Voltarian has half-baked competencies, qualities and morals. In respect of that, I believe, strongly, that a name like Leslie Mensah Tamakloe has surfaced in almost every proposal laid on your humble doormat. The serial endorsement is no error at all. Leslie Mensah Tamakloe holds a wide span of experiences that have journeyed from the very democratic revolution that birthed the foundation of the NDC to present day. More importantly, this seed and star of Volta bears pure industrial abilities relative to Energy, ICT, Infrastructural Development, Data Sciences, Robotics and Economics. In recognition of how disadvantaged we are, as a country, in terms of digital infrastructure development, it is a blessing to consider a vice presidential candidate who will practically lead such engagements in the interest of Ghanaians and to the advantage of the NDC. Additionally, this comrade is a well-accomplished and resourceful individual who would not be pairing you to misdirect state funds like other thirsty persons who see political administration as the climax of career and an advantage to loot the poor. Really, this may sound like pure patronage to some persons but surely not to you, Fifth John. An old lady I met when I visited my Fante grandmother in Cape Coast three months ago mentioned, proverbially, that the best of every traders confidence was only demonstrated in favour of excellent products. With similar confidence, in favor of this excellent comrade, the NDC and its sympathizers plead for a vice president and not a vice. Take charge! Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, Prof. Ransford Gyampo has opined that the Bank of Ghana (BoG) has virtually collapsed. This is in tandem with the stance of the Minority in Parliament who are calling for the resignation of the Central Banks leader. According to Prof. Gyampo, President Akufo-Addo must be questioned for appointing Dr. Ernest Addison as the Governor of the Bank of Ghana. The BoG has virtually collapsed. Its ok if Ernest Addison is incompetent and lacks the strong will to keep manipulators at bay. It is the analytical abilities of the one who appointed him that must be questioned, Prof. Ransford Gyampo shared in a post on Facebook on Wednesday, August 9. The Bank of Ghana has been on the receiving end of a lot of backlash in the last few days after reporting a loss of GHS60 billion in 2022. In its latest Annual Report and Financial Statement, it revealed that the Bank also spent a whopping GHS131.6 million on Motor vehicle maintenance and running in 2022 alone - a 114% increase over the previous years expenditure. Foreign and domestic travels of the Bank of Ghana cost the Ghanaian taxpayer a staggering GHS97.4 million, which is about a 246% increase over the previous year. The Minority is outraged by the report and has given Governor Dr. Ernest Addison a 21-day ultimatum to resign. 09.08.2023 LISTEN HLF/RCCG CSR proudly announces a remarkable School Feeding Initiative, aiming to provide nutritious meals to 1,000,000 students in primary schools across Lagos while actively promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Zero Hunger and Quality Education. In July, through the Manna Meal School Feeding Program, HLF has already fed 8,954 children in 118 schools in Lagos for the third term, with plans to continue in the upcoming first term starting in September 2023. Additionally, a total of 106,728,606 people has been fed globally through its various feeding initiative and in the 28 daily feeding centers in Lagos. With over two million children currently out of school in Lagos alone, HLF has already made a difference in the lives of 2,062,260 students. Through The Build a School project, HLF has impacted 39,160 individuals. His Love Foundation has of July has executed a total of 1,816,579 projects, significantly impacting the lives of over 149,047,261 individuals, with a spend of =N=56,531,763,720 on various nationwide projects in the last five years. HLF/RCCG CSR firmly believes in providing every child with access to quality education, recognizing that addressing hunger is pivotal to achieving this goal. The School Feeding Initiative serves as a testament to the organization's commitment to uplift communities, following the mandate of compassion and support found in the biblical book of Matthew. Guided by this divine inspiration, the initiative aims to nourish not only the bodies but also the minds of the young generation, empowering them to exceed expectations and make a meaningful impact on society. HLF/RCCG CSR acknowledges the urgency to fill the void of hunger and extend support to vulnerable segments of society. Aligned with the theme of RCCG's 71st Convention, "Beyond Expectation," the initiative aims to break perceived limitations and create a transformative impact on the lives of a million students in Lagos. HLF/RCCG CSR's School Feeding Initiative seamlessly aligns with the SDGs of Zero Hunger and Quality Education. The firm belief is that hunger should not hinder a child's ability to learn and thrive. By providing daily nutritious meals to 1,000,000 students, the initiative aims to break barriers and pave the way for a brighter future where no child is left behind. The organization extends an invitation to other corporate entities, non-governmental organizations, and stakeholders to join hands with HLF/RCCG CSR in this noble cause. Together, they can create a sustainable and hunger-free environment that nurtures the potential of children and fosters a generation equipped to contribute positively to the nation's growth. HLF/RCCG CSR's School Feeding Initiative is a testament to the dedication of making a meaningful impact on society, leaving a lasting legacy of compassion and empowerment. The commitment remains steadfast in realizing a Nigeria where hunger is eradicated, and education thrives and the potential of every child is nurtured beyond expectation. A staunch member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and a Public Relations Strategist, Joshua Anoumou Agbenu, has written an opinion piece urging former president and NDC flagbearer John Mahama to select a competent, experienced running mate for the 2024 elections, rather than simply "another vice." He provided the distinction between a Vice and a Vice President, explaining that the word Vice is a fault, flaw, deficiency, failing, immoral behaviour or corruptible. A Vice President, he said, is an official or an executive, deputizing for a president. In the opinion titled, A Vice President, Not a Vice!", Mr. Agbenu implored Mahama to avoid choosing a running mate based on factors like fame or region of origin. "In examining the candidature of running mates, critical conversations around the novel levels of development they bring to the table are partially done. Certain moral and leadership qualities that facilitate tolerance and teamwork towards development are really not considered," Mr Agbenu wrote. He stressed the need for Mahama's running mate to have the skills and experience to help govern effectively and promote national development. "It is important that the National Democratic Congress wins the next presidential election in Ghana. What is more important, however, is the quality of the individual who pairs you to serve the country Ghana," Mr Agbenu stated. The Public Relations Strategist, specifically recommended that Mahama pick Energy and IT entrepreneur Leslie Mensah Tamakloe as his running mate. He described Mr Tamakloe as someone with "pure industrial abilities in Energy, ICT, Infrastructural Development, Data Sciences, Robotics and Economics." "In recognition of how disadvantaged we are, as a country, in terms of digital infrastructure development, it is a blessing to consider a vice presidential candidate who will practically lead such engagements in the interest of Ghanaians and to the advantage of the NDC," Mr Agbenu wrote. He also portrayed Tamakloe as "a well-accomplished and resourceful individual who would not be pairing you to misdirect state funds like other thirsty persons who see political administration as the climax of career and an advantage to loot the poor." The NDC member acknowledged that there have been calls for Mahama to choose a running mate from the Volta Region for political reasons. However, he emphasized that "all these will not matter administratively if the selected Voltarian has half-baked competencies, qualities and morals." He urged Mahama to "Take charge!" in selecting the best possible running mate for the good of Ghana. "With similar confidence, in favor of this excellent comrade, the NDC and its sympathizers plead for a vice president and not a 'vice'," Mr Agbenu added. Mahama, who served as Ghana's president from 2012 to 2016, is expected to pick his running mate soon as the NDC prepares for the 2024 elections against the incumbent New Patriotic Party. Dakar, August 08, 2023 The Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday welcomed the release of journalist Pape Ale Niang, but called for charges against him to be dropped and for Senegalese authorities to unconditionally release journalist Ndeye Maty Niang, also known as Maty Sarr Niang. The release of journalist Pape Ale Niang is a relief, but Senegalese authorities should never have arrested or charged him in the first place. The cases against him should be dropped and journalist Maty Sarr Niang, who was arrested in May, should also be released, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa Program Coordinator, from Durban, South Africa. Senegal was once a beacon of press freedom in West Africa, but that light is being snuffed by the repeated jailing and harassment of journalists. On Tuesday, August 8, a court in Dakar, the capital, provisionally released Pape Ale Niang, editor of the privately owned news site Dakarmatin, after a 10-day hunger strike, according to the journalists lawyer, Moussa Sarr and local media reports. Sarr told CPJ that Niang still faces charges of insurrection and acts or maneuvers likely to compromise public security. Niang was arrested on July 29, the day after a broadcast on his outlets YouTube channel in which he discussed the latest arrest of opposition politician Ousmane Sonko. Authorities did not place any new conditions on Niangs release, Sarr said, but the journalist remains under strict conditions connected to an ongoing case from November 2022. Those conditions include a gag order and a ban on foreign travel. Separately, Maty Sarr Niang (no relation to Pape Ale Niang) has remained in detention since her arrest on May 16. Authorities have charged her with calling for insurrection, violence, hatred, acts and maneuvers likely to undermine public security, contempt of court and usurping the function of a journalist. She similarly conducted a hunger strike from July 30 until August 3, according to family members of the journalist who spoke to CPJ over a messaging app but asked not to be named for security reasons. Under the auspices of the Faculty of Public Relations, Advertising, and Marketing (FoPAM), the University of Media Arts and Communications-Ghana Institute of Journalism (UniMAC-GIJ) hosted an exciting entrepreneurship seminar on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. The esteemed guest speaker for the event was Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, a distinguished Ghanaian business consultant, politician, and founding member of the Progressive People's Party. With the goal of nurturing innovative talents among students, the program was a significant step towards driving the future development of the attendees. Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, in his role as the guest speaker, brought valuable insights and perspectives to the forefront, inspiring the participants to explore the realms of entrepreneurship and innovation. Beyond his enlightening address, Dr. Nduom demonstrated his commitment to humanitarian values by extending a helping hand. During the seminar, it was revealed that Dr. Nduom had generously donated five thousand dollars to Mr. Philip Atawura, a dedicated lecturer. Mr. Atawura is currently battling end-stage polycystic kidney disease and has been undergoing dialysis treatment as a temporary measure to sustain his life. In a heartwarming gesture, the funds will aid his upcoming kidney transplant in India. The official presentation of the generous sum took place in the presence of Dr. Mavis Essandoh, the Dean of FoPAM, who received the cheque on behalf of Mr. Atawura. The entire faculty, alongside Mr. Atawura himself and the student body, collectively expressed their profound gratitude for this remarkable act of kindness. The seminar did not only provide a platform for exploring the world of entrepreneurship but also showcased the power of community support and empathy. 09.08.2023 LISTEN The National Democratic Congress' succession and continuity stand as paramount objectives, alongside campaign strategies designed to counteract the disturbing trends of electoral malpractice set by the current Government. The outcome of the 2024 Presidential election and the future trajectory of the NDC hinge upon a pivotal decision that the party leader, in conjunction with the council of NDC elders, must carefully deliberate upon. This decision possesses the potential to either solidify or shatter the party's path ahead. This crucial determination stems from the culmination of efforts to identify the ideal running mate. Should the candidate hail from the North, South, East, or West? An erroneous selection of a running mate for H.E. John D. Mahama could sow seeds of discontent within the party's ranks, given the ongoing discussions and concerns among party members. It is imperative that this choice be made devoid of sentimental biases, financial considerations, personal ambitions, or group interests. It is vital to acknowledge the prevailing national security crisis ushered in by the NPP, which, if not navigated astutely when choosing a running mate for John D. Mahama, could potentially jeopardize the unity and stability of our cherished nation post-Mahama's term. The NDC finds itself at a pivotal juncture in Ghana's modern history, demanding a youthful, dynamic, and seasoned candidate who comprehends the party's formal and informal structures, the policy evolution spanning from the J.J. Rawlings and Atta Mills eras to John Mahama's initial term, and the current 'BIG PUSH' agenda. This search for a running mate, who will bolster the Mahama brand now resonating more powerfully in Ghana can be likened to the quest for the incarnation of a Dalai Lama. Numerous names have surfaced, each possessing considerable strength. However, approaching this matter with objectivity and pragmatism, Ghana requires a robust candidate of a relatively youthful disposition, potentially even younger than H.E. John D. Mahama. It is undeniable that our journey must lead to finding a successor to John Mahama, one who appeals not only to party loyalists but also to voters across political divides. This candidate must possess the ability to evoke confidence among NDC members and supporters. Gender should not be a determining factor; instead, emphasis should be placed on identifying a resolute candidate capable of making tough decisions and taking decisive actions in critical moments. The victory of the NDC in the 2024 general elections hinges on a running mate who resonates with John Mahama's vision and the NDC's mission. The need for a social adept who can counteract the sociopathic tendencies exhibited by the NPP is imperative. A running mate who commands respect within the fourth estate of our democratic landscape in Ghana is pivotal for advocating the NDC's 'BIG PUSH' agenda. To counteract economic challenges and the intimidation of NPP critics, a candidate with robust human and diplomatic relations skills is required to restore order in a nation that risks spiraling into chaos if the government disdains the rule of law. An individual who has emerged from the trenches, possessing both interpersonal acumen and resource mobilization abilities across various party levels, is indispensable. REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE: To counterbalance the perception of NPP as an Akan party and to strengthen the NDC's appeal, selecting an Akan running mate from either the Ashanti or Eastern region is advisable. The NDC should target these regions to neutralize the strongholds of the Ashanti and Eastern region as demonstrated by the 2008 election results. Given the Eastern region's history of producing formidable party stalwarts, it stands as a potential powerhouse adjacent to the influential Volta region. The chosen running mate should possess an in-depth understanding of our evolving culture and the socio-economic landscape of both the NDC and Ghana at large. Familiarity with the party's formal and informal structures, as well as its internal political dynamics, is indispensable. This candidate must bridge the past, present, and future of the party, serving as a vital link between the nation's history and its aspirations. In the current political landscape, age carries significance alongside knowledge and posture. Therefore, the NDC requires a young yet mature, energetic individual to complement H.E. John Mahama. While I personally do not hold religious beliefs, it is evident that the NDC, under John Mahama's leadership, has risen from a barrage of falsehoods and malicious propaganda propagated by the ethically questionable NPP. In my candid assessment, among the names circulating within party ranks, Hon. Julius Debra stands out prominently. His experience in both governance and opposition, sociable nature, and ethnic background (Akan) make him an appealing choice. His charisma, ability to mobilize party members, and deep loyalty further solidify his candidacy. The perceived limitation of delayed communication responses could be better understood within the context of his demanding role. I perceive this as an opportunity to bridge generational gaps and gain insights into the needs of future generations. The choice of a running mate must counteract the stereotype that the NDC is an Ayigbe (Ewe tribe) party, thereby ensuring the party's survival. His Excellency Julius Debrah aligns closely with JM's vision, embodying loyalty and substantial political experience. He has gone through the mail as Social Democrat, Cadre, Regional Chairman of the NDC in the Eastern Region for years and has held positions in government as Director General of Ghana Tourist Board, Eastern, and Greater Accra Regional Minister, and most of all the Chief of Staff under John Mahama 1st term. Against this backdrop I firmly believe that the fortunes and prospects of the NDC in the forthcoming general elections, especially in the Akan-speaking regions, will be favorable to the NDC if Julius Debrah is selected. This accomplishment can serve as inspiration for the party's youthful base and youth of Ghana who are yearning for the return of John Mahama as the next President of the Republic of Ghana. Phillibert Deku, Political Analyst, Socialist Movement. Yakubu Fedaws Mohammed, known popularly as YFM, an aspirant for the presidential position of the Students' Representative Council (SRC) at the University of Media, Arts and Communications-Ghana Institute of Journalism (UniMAC-GIJ), has urged students to consider competence over gender or tribal affiliations in the upcoming polls. In a statement issued on Tuesday, August 8, Mohammed appealed to the student body to vote based on his track record and commitment to student welfare, rather than his nationality, tribe, language, complexion, gender, or religion. "I urge you to support me because of my genuine concern for serving the best interests of my fellow students," said Mohammed in his statement. "Coupled with the experience I have acquired over the years in my quest to serve my colleagues, I believe I am the right candidate for the SRC Presidency, the statement added. He further highlighted his three years of service and collaboration with UniMAC-GIJ students, during which he has developed a deep understanding of student needs. He noted that he has worked diligently to find effective solutions which he compiled into ten comprehensive policies. "Your decision to vote for me, Yakubu Fedaws Mohammed, will help ensure that the interests of students remain at the forefront," he added. In YFM's words, "I look forward to working together to make UniMAC-GIJ an even better place for all." Mohammed faces stiff competition from Fati Ali, whose supporters believe that it's time for a female SRC president at UniMAC-GIJ. This sentiment has been amplified by the recent achievement of Yvonne Adobea, who made history as the first female SRC President of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). The SRC elections are scheduled for Friday, August 11, and will be conducted online for all eligible students. Nairobi, Kenya. 9 August 2023: African experts in space technology have been urged to collaborate with policymakers across the continent to enable communities to access information and data that will guide them in decision-making processes. Space technology experts need to simplify and share their scientific evidence and data with policymakers to boost the continents economic growth, the meeting heard. As policymakers, we need to get simplified information to help us make informed decisions. This way, we will get science for transformation that we seek for our African communities, said Judith Nabakooba, Chairperson, RCMRD Conference of Ministers during the opening ceremony. This call was made at the ongoing 7th Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development International Conference(RIC 2023) in Nairobi under the theme Next Level: Space to Community. Dr Saley Mahaman Bachir, Senior Scientific Officer, African Union Commission Space Program noted that earth observation is a major contributor towards meeting the UNs Sustainable Development Goals. Every research that we generate using space technology needs to fit in Africas Agenda 2063 to fill the gap between the technical pieces and the space science stakeholders, said Dr Bachir. Promoting scientific innovation and governance that is driven by data will help Africa fight poverty. Let us avoid working in silos because in any case, we are serving the communities. We need to work together to help the data that we generate help others, added Mr Davie Chilonga, Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development Malawi. Africas emerging space industry is booming. There are more than 20 African countries with space programs. Clearly, countries are ramping up efforts to own satellites in space to gather country-specific information on weather, climate change, and security. The continents space economy is estimated to be worth nearly $20 billion and is poised to grow, according to the 2022 annual sector report of research firm Space in Africa. Ms Mbarak Husna, Programme Manager at Food and Agriculture Organization, Kenya noted that coordination and integration of space technology and policy still remains a challenge in the continent. For a long time, we have ignored the academia. So there is a need for a connection between the policymakers and the academia that conducts the earth observation research, said Mbarak. She said space science and technology need to be adopted in its totality across the continent. The question now is how can we bring the two groups together to integrate and coordinate their activities for the growth of the sector. Dr Humbulani Mudau, South African National Space Agency(SANSA) noted it is critical to create strong alliances within the continent to boost the growth of space technology. It is critical to creating policies in the continent even before we start to set up space agencies, said Dr Mudau. There is a huge potential in the continent. We only need to organize ourselves internally before looking into partnerships. Dr Emmanuel Nkurunziza, Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development Director General noted the conference provides a fertile ground on how geo-science can effectively be used to inform policy. Dr Nkurunziza stressed the need to build the impact of Geo-spatial technology in Africa. We need more innovations, and investments in space technology. And to extend these benefits to our African communities, said Dr Nkurunziza. Mr Colin Marangu, Plant Protection and Food Safety Directorate at the Ministry of Agriculture, Kenya said plant protection is vital if the continent is to avert food and nutrition insecurity. Noting the importance of space technology in tackling transboundary and invasive pest infestations, Mr Marangu said, In Kenya, for example, during the desert locust infestation we were able to get real-time pests infestation through space science. With space science, you are able to know when you are being attacked Mr Marangu added that scientists, academia, and policymakers need to trust each other. It took more than 30 years for policymakers to take action on climate change and came up with mitigation measures yet they were warned in the early 1990s about the effects of climate change, said Mr Marangu. Dr Madau called for capacity building and the creation of opportunities for the youth and women to grow in the space industry. At SANSA, we are already focusing on a number of areas to build capacity in the space agency, we will develop small and medium enterprises in developing applications based on our common interest in earth observation, said Dr Madau. The Earth Observation Conference brought together stakeholders in space technology to find solutions to challenges facing the Earth through the use of Earth Observation technology. Member countries are Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somali, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. About RCMRD The Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) is an inter-governmental organization established in 1975 under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Union (AU). It currently has contracting Member States in the Eastern and Southern Africa Regions and works to strengthen the member States and stakeholders capacity through Generation, Application and Dissemination of Geoinformation and Allied Technologies for sustainable development. www.https://rcmrd.org/en/ For more information, contact Mr. Job Mwangi, Communications Coordinator Tel: 0701165626 Email: [email protected] 09.08.2023 LISTEN The ECOWAS States have truly shown to its people and the world at large that their mandate has never been to empower black people to stand up for what is right for all or what we all believe in ., rather the leadership of ECOWAS has erred in a grand style in giving the Junta in Niger an ultimatum that was only aimed at pleasing its colonial masters - France . African youths across board may seem very disenfranchised but united when it comes to patriotic alliance to their identity as Africans and their quest for equal rights for all , however the older generation of Africans (pre-internet times) dont seem to share the same sentiments because their generation still wants to hold onto the status quo that gives them false credibility while they remain blind to the geo-political strategies playing out around them , because they cant seem to be bother learn about real time happenings around the globe that many of the youth today follow thanks to the internet . Democracy cant be good to a people that do not have the same infrastructures that the writers of democratic constitution have . Think about it, l know a particular song that l dance to each time l hear it, now l want you to dance to that same song without playing it for you , and thats democracy explained . Can Africans say the same to Europeans /Americans when it comes the sounds of African drums ? Today , Africans in the Diaspora who are following events happening in subsaharan Africa , are likening it to the Arab spring packaged in Military uniform. From Guinea , Mali , Burkina-Faso , and Niger , all the military men and women involved in taking power , are doing so because they are seeing the cry of the African youth , whilst aging leaders enrich themselves with no care for the people they lead . Western nations , crying foul and pretending to want whats best for the African , and yet having never lived the African life is a joke , trying to dictate to the African how the African should dance , when the African drums teaches the African otherwise is where the conflict begins. Until the philosophy that forces the African to try to live the western style democracy is reviewed there would always be coups because African states dont have the structures that oils the European democracy for Europeans on the African continent. Ghana is one country that is trodding carelessly on the edges of an Army revolt , or coup detat , with all the tail tell signs riddled in newspapers and media spaces continent wide . The chatter on Ghana is so deafening that one begins to wonder if the leadership in Ghana is actually paying attention or too busy amassing individual wealth at alarming rates . Ironically , the United States, Britain , France , Germany and Holland are all beneficiaries to corrupt money from the West African corrupt leaders who hide their monies in Banks in their respective countries , buy expensive real estate properties in their countries and even stash raw cash in safes across Europe . What happened in Niger is also a wake up call to other West African states , and Ghana leads the pack as the most probably for such a revolt , due to the atrocities created under the current government under Nana Akuffo Addo Danquah , who seem to be overseeing the worst corruption the country has ever witnessed since its independence. The people of Ghana, most especially the youth , on various platforms across the online space have Niger on their mind with some calling on the Ghana Army to grow balls and courage to save the country from the grips of western puppets who lead them . Ghana indeed is not a poor country yet its leaders would rather make the masses poor so that they can continue to dance to western tunes , rather than embrace the African drum beats that unites all and embraces collective progress. Word to the wise is surely not in the north . Ghana must rise again. Kwafo Diasporan Network [email protected] World Bank has announced it will halt new loans to Uganda over the country's controversial anti-LGBTQ law. The Washington DC-based lender said on Tuesday it would pause project financing pending a review of measures it introduced to protect sexual and gender minorities from discrimination and exclusion in its projects. Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group's values, the lender said in a statement. We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a livable planet can only succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality. This law undermines those efforts. Inclusion and non-discrimination sit at the heart of our work around the world. The lender will also increase third-party monitoring and grievance redress mechanisms allowing us to take corrective action as necessary, it said. The World Bank Group said in May that the law was not consistent with the lender's values and that it was highly concerned about its adoption. World Bank President Ajay Banga, who took office in June, faced pressure to respond to the legislation, with 170 civic groups urging specific, concrete and timely actions, including suspending future lending. Human rights organisations have widely condemned the anti-LGBTQ law, which imposes capital punishment for aggravated homosexuality, an offence that includes transmitting HIV through gay sex, and 20 years in prison for promoting homosexuality. In June, the US imposed travel restrictions on Ugandan officials in response to the legislation, which was signed by President Ugandan Yoweri Museveni. Museveni, who has referred to homosexuality as a psychological disorder, has rejected international criticism of the legislation, which he has defended as necessary to stop the LGBTQ community from trying to recruit people. In its statement on Tuesday, the World Bank said it remained committed to providing assistance to Uganda despite its pause on financing. The World Bank Group has a longstanding and productive relationship with Uganda; and we remain committed to helping all Ugandans without exception escape poverty, access vital services, and improve their lives, the lender said. Source: Aljazeera Hon. Peter Lanchene Toobu, Member of Parliament (MP) for Wa West has stated that in order for African nations to gain respect internationally and change negative impressions of the continent, they must wean themselves from the West. To achieve shared ambitions, he recommended greater unity among African nations. If Africans stop begging and start spending their money on the continent, we wont need to beg for respect; well get the respect we deserve, not the respect we need. Respect will come as a result," according to Mr. Hon. Peter Lanchene Toobu. Hon. Peter Lanchene Toobu told Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Adwenekasa on Accra-based Original FM 91.9 that Africans are tougher outside of Africa than inside. We must keep in mind that there is no such thing as Nigeria, Ghana, or Kenya to the outside world; we are just Africans. We are all responsible for one others fate as people. According to Hon. Peter Lanchene Toobu, the continent has the talent and resources necessary to make Africa work but it also needs a coordinated political will. Watch Full Video Here: 09.08.2023 LISTEN In recent times, the world of journalism has undergone a significant transformation, raising concerns among aspiring journalists about their future prospects. Completing a comprehensive four or two-year course on journalism with dedication and passion, once guaranteed a promising career. However, the current media landscape has witnessed a growing, disheartening trend, whereby celebrities, with little to no background in journalism, are being favoured over trained professionals due to their potential to attract a large audience. This unsettling phenomenon is not unique to any particular region, as even in places like Ghana, media outlets have opted to employ movie actors, actresses, TikTok content creators, and others, as journalists. The primary reason behind this decision seems to be the allure of increased viewership, as these celebrities boast of a significant following. Regrettably, this practice undermines the essence of journalism, the profession should not be reduced to mere popularity contest. For an aspiring journalist, this development can be disconcerting. The fear of diligently completing journalism school only to find their career path obstructed by celebrities-turned-journalists looms large. Such a situation does not only creates uncertainty, but, also raises questions about the integrity of the profession and its core values. One of the most concerning aspects of this trend is that these non-journalist celebrities often lack the essential knowledge and skills required for quality reporting. The nuances of hosting shows, covering issues, and adhering to journalistic ethics are neglected in favor of flashy presentations and sensationalism. This disregard for professional standards does not only undermines journalism the field, particularly broadcast journalism, but, also diminishes its significance, leaving the public with a distorted view of what true journalism is . Authentic journalism thrives on passion, curiosity, research, critical thinking, and adherence to ethical principles. It is a profession that requires craft, authority, dedication, integrity, and a commitment to the truth. By allowing untrained celebrities to take on journalistic roles, media houses risk compromising the essence of this vital practice. Furthermore, this celebrity-led journalism has contributed to a decline in educative content. The pursuit of ratings and sensationalism often overshadows the necessity of informative and thought-provoking news. Consequently, the medias role in fostering an informed and engaged society is being compromised. Aspiring journalists must remain steadfast in their pursuit of truth and maintain their dedication to professional integrity. While the current landscape may appear uncertain, it also presents an opportunity for the next generation of journalists to reclaim the essence of the profession. By remaining true to the core values of journalism, aspiring reporters can restore trust and credibility in the field. It is essential for media houses to reconsider their hiring practices and prioritize merit, expertise, and passion over sheer popularity. By fostering an environment that values journalistic excellence, media organizations can elevate the standard of reporting and contribute positively to society. Ultimately, the path of a journalist is one that requires commitment, determination, and a genuine desire to serve the public by providing reliable and informative news. The challenges posed by the influx of celebrities in journalism can be overcome by upholding the principles that define this noble profession. Aspiring journalists must stand firm, united and assert the value they bring to society, ensuring that the spirit of journalism remains untarnished in the face of changing times. By Hilda Yaa Tebuah Ghana Institute of Journalism. The Sahel belt covers an area of about 1,000 km wide. Stretching Senegal in the west to Eriteria in the east on the Red Sea and covering a total area of 5,400 km. It covers 13 States namely Senegal, The Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic (CAR), South Sudan, Sudan and Eritrea. The Sahel is an Arabic term for the "Coast or Shore". That is the coast or shore of the Sahara desert. 10,000 people were killed in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali in 2022. The Sahel is where great warriors like Samoru Toure and Babatu fought the French before colonial rule. Babatu is buried in new Yendi, some 60 miles east of Tamale. 1. Nigers location is strategic. She is strategically located across middle of the Sahel. For efficient air traffic to Europe, Southern Africa, East and Horn of Africa and Asia. Any war will make air travel much costly. 2. Niger has strategic minerals reserves including uranium. It supplies 24.3 percent uranium to Europe. Specifically France to power its nuclear plants. And, yet the vast majority of Nigeria (80 percent) have no electricity. Any war would disrupt vital supplies to Europe. Unfortunately, Europe lost the natural gas supplies from the Russian Federation. 4. The fight against the jihadists in the Sahel is extremely important for the security of Sahel and the littoral states of Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo. Nigeria armed forces are in joint operations with Chadian and Nigerian armies around Lake Chad and in northern Nigeria. This is so important for the security of the northern states sharing a common border with Niger. The states are Adamawa, Jigawa, Sokoto,Bauchi, Kebbi, Borno, Yobe, Katsina and Zamfara. 6. There are strong historical relationships between Nigerian and Nigerian people. Islamic relations. Cultural and above all political. The pan-African language Hausa is spoken in both countries. President Mahamadu Buharis father is from Niger, so are the relatives of many influential military, politicians, religious and opinion leaders. The Republic of Niger resisted pressure from France to support Biafra during the Nigerian civil war between 1967 - 1970. France was the biggest supplier of weapons to Biafra. Whilst the Union of Soviet Socialist States (USSR) was the main supporter of the Federal Republics armed forces. 7. Any military intervention by Economic Community of West African States backed by France, Britain, Germany, Canada and the USA will create collateral damages unheard of in the world. Genocide, more jihadists, more unregulated armed groups, communal violence, religious intolerance and most importantly human and economic violations. Just examine Libya post Colonel Gaddafi (2011 - 2023). Egypt is having a huge security challenges controlling its border with Libya. Jihadists in Libya are trying to infiltrate Egypt. So are Mali, Niger and Sudan. Libya is a failed state today. European companies are freely exploiting Libyas natural resources freely! 8. Any country that sends troops, its people would live to regret. Niger is a Sahel and desert country. The climate is hostile. Hence, Ghanaians, or Togolese or Nigerians or Senegalese troops would need specific equipment, specifically quality intelligence. West African leaders should not trust the Europeans and others who are promising equipment, finance among others. They will treat the African troops as second class human beings. These troops shall return to stage coups if the intervening forces meet their Waterloo (1815) or Dhen Bien Phu (1954). West African leaders should learn from the disastrous Gambian intervention in the Economic Community Monitoring Group (Ecomog) in Liberia. Captain Yahya Jammeh staged a coup against the respected African leader, Achimota educated President Sir David Dawda Jawara. West Africans should remember the soft spoken President Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone. A former World Bank and United Nations official. He was overthrown by Captain Valentine Strasser because the Republic of Sierra Leone armed forces stated that they were not well equipped for the ECOWAS operations in Liberia. 9. There will be irregular armed formations and banditry in a few countries post the invasion of Niger. It is important to note that Cpl Foday Sankors United Revolutionary From (RUF). The RUF invaded Sierra Leone soon after Ecomog went into Liberia in 1991. 10. It is only the Europeans, the Americans, their military industrial complex and multinational corporations that will benefit from this impending catastrophe. Africans will kill each other to make it easy, cheaper for the exploitation of Africas natural resources to continue by foreign businesses and military forces. See Libya. A word to ECOWAS. Negotiate for the release of President Mohamed Bazoum. Arrange and send him to Cairo, Egypt. Next, focus on the mismanagement of governance before and post elections to avoid coups. Fight corruption. Use Life Style Audit. The deficit in justice, security, governance needs immediate attention. There is too much injustice in the Sahel and Africa in general. No threats can prevent coups. Only democratic governance can save constitutional governance. And, this calls for more professionalism and patriotism at all levels of governance in Africa. Every Ghanaian knows that the 1992 constitution is outdated, outmoded and demands changes to reinvigorate constitutional democracy. Yet, not the NDC, NPP nor the CPP is thinking, acting, strategically to correct this historic wrong created by the populist Flt Lt John Jerry Rawlings and the group of decadent intellectuals who shepherded the constitutional process from 1990. Lenin, the great Russian revolutionary would say this coming ECOWAS war is unjust. Africans must not surrender to Frances demands. If the French were humble, and had not led the bombing of Libya there would be no coups in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. No to military intervention in Niger. No to coups. ECOWAS, give diplomacy a chance. What is good for the Republic of Chad, Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso must surely be good for Niger. 09.08.2023 LISTEN Mr. Yaw Opoku Mensah, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Education must be commended today, tomorrow and forever for his tremendous impact at the Ministry. He has been an inspiration to many to emulate his assiduous nature. Upon assumption of office as deputy public relations Officer at the Ministry, his impact has been felt everywhere in the country. His timely response to issues regarding the ministry whenever they pop up has been fantastic, for instance, he had to boycott an important radio interview to aid with the settlement of a violent incident at Islamic Senior High School, a swift intervention that brought about a lot of relief. Looking at his recent reactions and early response to the incidence regarding the free SHS indicates the man is on top of his job and must be commended at all cost. Mr. Yaw Mensah is an eloquent and energetic young man who has the country at heart and ready at all times to serve. The country is proud of having such a wonderful young man of his calibre, who has positioned himself toward the service of humanity and Ghanaians. Moreover, Bishop has been an inspiration to the many young political activists who are thriving to become effective leaders in the future. His affection for the youth of this country is unprecedented and unmatched. Through his communication skills, he has been able to assist the training of several NPP youth in Ashanti Region and with his help they are holding positions in our noble party NPP. Mr. Mensah is a great leader and all are looking up to lead someday when the opportunity comes. .Sign Advocacy for Politics and Governance Research Institute King kwadwo Abubada (NPP Political Activist) 0554884535 Nana Yaw Boakye Yiadom Opoku Agyemang (N.Y.B.Y.O.A) +233243065430 Mr Thomas Kofi Alonsi, the Director-General (DG) of the Ghana Maritime Authority, has filed nomination form to contest the Builsa North Constituency primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Upper East Region. The DG, who successfully submitted his form at the Party's Constituency office, was accompanied by Madam Vida Akantagriwen Anaab, the Chief Executive for the area and Mrs Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia, a former Member of Parliament for the Constituency and several Party members. Mr Alonsi assured the Constituency Executives that he would conduct clean campaigns based on critical issues of concern to Constituents, and called on all members of the Party to rally their support behind him to capture the seat from the National Democratic Congress. We are prepared in all respects to meet the National Democratic Congress boot for boot. I know with the support of all, with the support of the almighty God, come December 7, 2024, by close of the day, there will be a new deal for the people of this Constituency. A new deal that would ensure that the teeming youth of our Constituency are given their rightful places when it comes to job opportunities. A new deal that would ensure that this Constituency gets its fair share of the national cake, the Aspirant said. Mr Alonsi said the Builsa North, which was one of the oldest Constituencies in the Region, was backward in development, and emphasized that there was the need for a new deal to ensure that This Constituency takes its rightful place amongst other Municipalities in the Region. He appealed to delegates to vote massively for him to lead the Party in the Constituency as its Parliamentary Candidate to capture the seat from the NDC and work to turn the fortunes of the area to the benefit of all Constituents. Mr Albert Ajapoak Atuga, the Party's Constituency Chairman, who received the form, said We have inspected the form, it is well filled and everything is perfect. He said even though the deadline for the submission of forms had not elapsed, Mr Alonsi, was the only person who had picked the form and successfully submitted same. Mr Atuga said it was possible there could be other members of the Party who may declare interest to contest, There may be other candidates, so prepare. It is the delegates who can enskin you to be the Parliamentary Candidate of this Party, he added. He commended the DG for his support to Constituents over the years irrespective of their political backgrounds, We are not after the welfare of NPP members alone, but we are after the welfare of Buluk. The Chairman congratulated Mr Alonsi, who is also a former Chief Executive for the then Builsa North District, and wished him well in his campaigns. Madam Anaab urged all members of the Party to support Mr Alonsi, who she said did not discriminate among Constituents but extended support to all Constituents who reached out to him. According to the MCE, the Aspirant was famous in the Constituency, He has ever been a District Chief Executive and we all know the work he did during his tenure. Let's all support him to win the seat for the NPP, Madam Anaab told Party supporters at the Constituency office. GNA 09.08.2023 LISTEN The timely intervention of the Techiman North District Police Command averted a clash between the supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Tuobodom, the district capital in Bono East Region. The misunderstanding arose out of a traffic lights installation project in the town as each of the two parties claimed ownership of the project. Mr Everson Addo Donkor of the NPP, the District Chief Executive (DCE), argued that he started the project while Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare of the NDC and a sitting Member of Parliament (MP) also contended to be part of it. In view of that the DCE allegedly attempted to block and stop the MP who was on projects' inspection tour of the constituency from accessing the project site. Had it not been for the intervention of the Police led by Chief Superintendent Gyabeng Manu, the District Police Commander, a clash between supporters of both parties might have been nasty. The Command as a result took custody of traffic lights equipment, hoping to resolve the impasse. GNA A total of 125 animals made up of cattle, goats, sheep and pigs among others have died in the Upper East Region as a result of the outbreak of the Anthrax disease at the end of July, 2023. Only one person was however confirmed dead as result of the disease. Six Municipalities and districts in the region namely the Bolgatanga and Kassena-Nankana Municipalities, Bongo, Talensi, Binduri and Bawku West Districts recorded positive cases of the Anthrax disease. Also, in the first round of vaccination which ended before the lifting of the ban in early July, 2023, a total of 121,961 animals made up of cattle, goats, sheep and pigs were also vaccinated. Dr Henry Nii Ayi Anang, the Upper East Regional Director of the Veterinary Services made this disclosure during a quarterly Regional Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Subcommittee meeting held at Bolgatanga. The meeting was organised by the Upper East Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service with funding support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Breakthrough Action. It was part of efforts to train and strengthen awareness creation and community engagement activities in the Upper East Region to control and contain emerging zoonotic diseases such as Anthrax, rabies and Monkeypox among other public health issues. It brought together stakeholders from the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, National Commission for Civic Education, Food and Drugs Authority, Department of Agriculture, traditional and religious leaders among others. On June1, 2023, the Upper East Region recorded its first two cases of the Anthrax disease at Binduri where one person and four cattle were confirmed dead while several others were infected. The situation compelled the Upper East Regional Public Health Emergency Committee to place restrictions on the movement, slaughtering and consumption of animals particularly cattle and other small ruminants in the region. However, on July 12, 2023, a statement signed by Dr Bryan Acheampong, the Minister of Food and Agriculture noted that the ban had been lifted, adding that the situation had been contained with no recorded case of the disease since June 14, 2023. Dr Anang lauded the efforts of the subcommittee for engaging the communities and other members of the public which coupled with the ban on the movement, sale and slaughtering of animals for consumption had helped to contain the spread of the Anthrax disease in the region. The ban was a difficult decision and it brought a lot difficulties to people especially those who rely on the animals for their daily bread or income but it was necessary and it has helped us to overcome the threats. Even though the ban is lifted, we are not free yet and we still need to be vigilant, he said. The Regional Veterinary Director explained that first phase of the animals' vaccination against the Anthrax disease was done and the directorate had begun receiving vaccines to begin the second phase of vaccination and called for support from all stakeholders. The Anthrax disease is endemic in the region now and it is important for all stakeholders to heighten the risk communication to help control its spread, he added. Mr Rexford King James Adjei, Upper East Regional Health Promotion Officer, Ghana Health Service, noted that the RCCE subcommittee had been trained on risk communication to engage communities and subjects to help control emerging health concerns. He said Anthrax, rabies and Monkeypox among other zoonotic diseases were posing serious security threats to the globe and Ghana was no exception and underscored the need for the stakeholders to support to intensify education to ensure that the public was well informed. GNA The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak has urged tricycle operators to avoid taking the laws into their hands and comply with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assemblys directive to restrict their movement in certain parts of the metropolis. He has however assured of leading talks with city authorities to help address all concerns regarding the directive to ensure sanity in the region. He expressed dissatisfaction about recent disturbances at the premises of the KMA that resulted in a clash between some tricycle operators who were demanding the release of impounded tricycles. He warned the tricycle operators to refrain from attacking the police and state properties in trying to get their grievances addressed. The Asawase MP who addressed scores of tricycle operators also called on city authorities to adopt a pragmatic approach to enforcing the directive. I personally agree that if you look at the way Kumasi is getting choked, if you look at the way our suburbs are getting choked, if you see the way some of the guys are driving the pragya, it is cause for concern. So it is very genuine. But what we should not lose sight of as leaders is that you dont solve a problem by creating another problem. You try to solve the problem in a way that is a win-win situation. And I keep saying that, what can we do to help? Yes, we cannot run away from the fact that many of them do that for a living So, in trying to solve the problem as leaders, we need to be pragmatic so that we have a win-win. My suggestion has always been that, we cannot allow them to continue doing what they are doing, so what do we do to create some sanity? In my view, the easiest way is to introduce maybe congestion chargesfor the trotro, pragya and the aboboyaa, Mr Mubarak stated. Public Relations Officers for the Tricycle Drivers Union, Al-Asbat Alhassan Sidi says they will continue engaging with city authorities and also advise their members to comply with the directive. We are grateful to our MP. Our next line of action will be to engage the KMA on how they will carry out their exercise as they said they will continue up to Friday. So we have to go to them and assist them so that they will be no chaos. They should give us some directives to follow so that no one will lose out, he stated. -citinewsroom Deputy Minister for Finance, Dr. John Kumah has refuted claims by the Minority in Parliament that the Bank of Ghana (BoG) has collapsed. Addressing a Press Conference on Tuesday, August 8, Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson accused BoG Governor Dr. Ernest Addison of running down the Central Bank. Citing the 2022 Annual Report and Financial Statement of BoG which revealed that the Bank incurred GHS60 billion losses, the Minority Leader announced that his group is giving the Governor a 21-day ultimatum to resign. Reacting to the press conference by the Minority, Dr. John Kumah has described it as funny propaganda. According to him, the Central Bank is as solid as ever contrary to the claims by the Minority. Ignore this funny NDC Propaganda about the collapse of the Bank of Ghana (BoG). BoG is Solid! The NDC is funny! It's not true that a recapitalization levy is to be introduced for BoG, the Central Bank hasn't collapsed, the Deputy Finance Minister said in a post on Facebook. Dr. John Kumah further stressed that such propaganda and unnecessary attacks at the central bank only result in increased market volatility, and panic selling of assets, and can trigger a chain of events that can affect our overall economic stability. Below is the full post by the Deputy Finance Minister: Ignore this funny NDC Propaganda about the collapse of the Bank of Ghana (BoG). BoG is Solid ! The NDC is funny! It's not true that a recapitalization levy is to be introduced for BoG , the Central Bank hasn't collapsed. The main source of income to the Bank is from government transactions i.e. fees and charges on all government transfers, the bank's investments in marketable instruments and also earnings from non-marketable holdings of the Bank. Given that government transactions have gone down, naturally, the income of the bank will go down. Also, because of the debt restructuring, earnings on their holdings on markable and non- marketable bonds will go down. Beyond this, the Bank is solid and is capable of performing its core function. Article 183 clause 2 (c) of the 1992 constitution enjoins the Bank of Ghana to promote and encourage economic development in the country , hence there is nothing untoward in the actions of the Central Bank to support the state in its economic recovery efforts. It is important to further highlight that a negative balance sheet by a Central Bank is not unusual, in fact most Central Banks around the world run negative balances to achieve the overall economic anchor objectives of a Central Bank. History clearly illustrates this. Several central banks had negative equity yet fully met their objectives - for example, the central banks of Chile, Czechia, Israel and Mexico experienced years of negative capital. But throughout, financial and price stability were maintained. - Bank For International Settlements Bulletin No.68. According to Nordstrom and Vredin (2022), a central banks credibility depends on its ability to achieve its mandates. Losses do not jeopardise that ability and are sometimes the price to pay for achieving its aims. Such propaganda and unnecessary attacks at the central bank only results in increased market volatility, panic selling of assets, and can trigger chain of events that can affect our overall economic stability. 09.08.2023 LISTEN Abednego Orstin Rawlings, President of the United States Africa Command Ghana, has lambasted West African leaders for the collapse of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG). He argued that if African leaders had not caused the collapse of ECOMOG, the unrest witnessed in most African countries would not have occurred. Ortsin believes that the self-centeredness of these leaders collapsed the only monitoring group that intervened to halt numerous civil wars and coups in West Africa. He cited the example of Niger, where a coup was recently announced. The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It was formed in 1990 to end the bloody civil war in Liberia. Mr. Ortsin wondered why current West African leaders are not thinking of reviving ECOMOG to tackle the current wave of instability within the sub-region. He criticized African leaders for being self-centered and leaving their citizens to their fate. They only think of staying in power forever, he said. Guineas Alpha Conde tampered with his countrys constitution to stay in power for longer. What did his colleagues and other West African presidents say to him? Nothing. He was not cautioned and instead went ahead to amend his countrys constitution in his favour. A similar situation happened in the Ivory Coast and Senegal, while African leaders sat by and did nothing. He also lashed out at ECOMOG for allowing the opposition leader of Senegal, Ousmane Sonko, to be charged and thrown in jail for being seen as a threat to President Macky Sall. The opposition leader of Senegal, Ousmane Sonko, was charged and jailed because he was seen as a threat to President Macky Sall, he said. This was not the right thing to do if we want democracy to thrive. Most West African states consider Ghana to be the shining star of Africa because no opposition leader here nurtures the idea of overthrowing a democratically elected government. I urge other African leaders to do the same. Orstin Rawlings also noted that if European countries are pushing to become members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), then African countries need to strengthen ties with each other and revive ECOMOG. He also mentioned the United States Africa Command, which is one regional body that is in the driving seat to deal with issues on the continent. Soldiers in the West African country of Niger announced a coup on national television on July 27. They said they had dissolved the constitution, suspended all institutions, and closed the nation's borders. Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was held by troops from the presidential guard. -citinewsroom Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye 09.08.2023 LISTEN The Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye has urged the Members of the Health Workers Union at the Kumasi South Hospital to report any grievance they have on the posting of former Chief Executive Officer for Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Dr Oheneba Owusu Danso to the facility, the Ashanti Region Health Directorate for further deliberations. Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye, who confirmed the posting of Dr Oheneba Owusu Danso to the Kumasi South hospital in an interview on the Kumasi-based OTEC 102.9 FMs morning show Nyansapo said GHS had given the plastic surgeon a two year post-retirement contract. "Yes I have written a letter to that effect, assigning the former KATH CEO to the facility because Ghana will need his specialty for effective health care delivery," he said during the interview on Wednesday, August 8, 2023. Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye however revealed that the Ghana Health Service has re-engaged a number of retired Specialists because of how rare their skills are in the country, adding that the case of Dr Oheneba Owusu Danso was nothing new but a legitimate practice in the country. His explanation follows a demonstration by the Health Service Workers Union at the Kumasi South Hospital against the posting of Dr Oheneba Owusu Danso to the facility. Members of the union who raised concerns and questioned the rationale behind Dr Danso's reassignment to the hospital said they cannot work with him pointing to what they termed as his unsatisfactory relationship between him and the staff of KATH during his tenure as the CEO. The union has since warned that they will lay down their tools if their demand is not taken into consideration. Meanwhile, Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye has disclosed that the former KATH CEO will only serve as a consultant in plastic, reconstructive and hand surgeon at the facility, not the overall head. He added there was nothing wrong with the decision, "so if any group or individual objected to the move, they must use the right channel for effective dialogue." Governor of Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison 09.08.2023 LISTEN Bank of Ghana released its full-year 2022 audited financial statements on 28th July 2023. The financial statements reported a total loss of GHS60 billion, which has since become a matter of unfortunate politicization. It is noteworthy that GHS53.1 billion of those losses were a direct result of the Governments domestic debt restructuring exercise (phase 1 and II). It is important to put the Bank of Ghanas 2022 financial results in proper context with a clear statement of the problem that Ghana faced and the chronology of events in Ghana since 2019. There was a clear mismatch between revenue inflows and expenditure financed in 2020 by exceptional support from the IMF and World Bank resources, and in addition to financing from the Bank of Ghana through the issuance of the GHS10 billion Covid-19 bond. As a result, sovereign spreads on Ghana bonds widened, signalling investor dissatisfaction with the stance of fiscal policy. The Budget for 2022, which was read in 2021, failed to address fiscal concerns as the Budget was even more expansionary by about 23% with a raft of revenue measures to raise financing. As a result, the Credit Rating Agencies further downgraded Ghanas sovereign debt rating, which blocked Ghanas access to international capital market borrowing. This triggered a liquidity crisis, spilling over into a balance of payments crisis. External and domestic payments needed to be made, the domestic auction was failing, and the Bank of Ghana had to step in to arrest a major economic and social crisis. In 2 months, the Bank of Ghana lost US$500 million in reserves and built significant overdraft with the government as a result of the auction failures. It became clear that Ghana was on a path that was unsustainable, and the Government had to approach the IMF for support in July 2022. The IMF process included putting into place a credible programme of reform, which included restructuring of the total government debt to sustainable levels. Until Staff Level Agreement with the IMF was reached in December2022, the Bank of Ghana had to continue to provide the necessary support to keep the economy running. In line with the provisions of the Bank of Ghana Act, (Act 612), as amended, the Bank informed the Minister of the developments in its finances. The Minister reported this to Parliament as part of his briefing to Parliament on the IMF programme and the Domestic Debt Exchange. A major plank of the corrective action required for the IMF programme was the Domestic Debt Exchange, where the stock of Government of Ghana debt was to be halved from 105% of GDP to 55% of GDP by 2028. The holders of Government debt had their debt instruments exchanged for new ones with lower interest payments and longer terms. Despite the losses inflicted on households and banks, the threshold of 55% of GDP was not met. The Bank of Ghana was used to close the gap to enable Ghana meet the debt threshold that qualified Ghana for the IMF programme(Bank of Ghana therefore, acted as a loss absorber). This means the Bank of Ghana had to absorb a 50% haircut on its non- marketable holdings of Government debt instruments. This singular act led to significant impairment losses of GHS 32.3 billion to the Banks accounts. Impairments of marketable instruments also accounted for another GHS16.1 billion, bringing the total impairments of Government holdings to GHS48.4 billion. As experienced by central banks globally, price and exchange rate movements led to a loss of GHS5.2 billion whiles impairments of Cocobod loans amounted to GHS4.7 billion. This is the reason the Bank of Ghana reported a loss of GHS60 billion in 2022. Central banks are not commercial banks. This financial outcome has very little implication for the operations of the Bank of Ghana as supported by evidence from other central banks. Technically, Central Banks cannot be insolvent or bankrupt. Bank of Ghana assures key stakeholders and the general public that we are committed to the highest standards of prudent management, governance, and transparent accounting and audit practices. END 9TH AUGUST 2023 Factory Mutual Insurance Co. cut its position in shares of Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC Free Report) by 3.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,225,580 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 39,700 shares during the quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co.s holdings in Bank of America were worth $35,052,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Bank of America in the 4th quarter worth about $207,000. James Hambro & Partners purchased a new stake in Bank of America in the 4th quarter worth about $542,000. Planning Center Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bank of America during the 4th quarter worth about $211,000. Radnor Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bank of America during the 1st quarter worth about $202,000. Finally, 180 Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Bank of America by 9.1% during the 1st quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 21,978 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $629,000 after purchasing an additional 1,826 shares in the last quarter. 67.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Bank of America alerts: Insider Activity at Bank of America In other Bank of America news, insider James P. Demare sold 75,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.53, for a total value of $2,364,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 185,108 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,836,455.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider James P. Demare sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.53, for a total value of $2,364,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 185,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,836,455.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Dean C. Athanasia sold 77,806 shares of Bank of America 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 transaction, the insider now owns 353,971 shares of the companys stock, valued at $11,143,007.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Bank of America Stock Down 1.9 % Shares of NYSE:BAC traded down $0.61 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $31.27. 45,919,293 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 51,393,793. Bank of America Co. has a 52 week low of $26.32 and a 52 week high of $38.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a market cap of $248.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $29.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $30.45. Bank of America (NYSE:BAC Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $25.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $24.98 billion. Bank of America had a return on equity of 12.01% and a net margin of 19.97%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Bank of America Co. will post 3.41 EPS for the current fiscal year. Bank of America Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 1st will be paid a $0.24 dividend. 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. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. Bank of Americas payout ratio is 25.29%. Analysts Set New Price Targets BAC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Bank of America from $41.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Bank of America from $45.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Bank of America from $32.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Friday, July 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Bank of America from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an underperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Bank of America from $38.00 to $33.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $36.26. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on BAC 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 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. Howard Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in iShares National Muni Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:MUB Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,895 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $204,000. A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in iShares National Muni Bond ETF by 31.6% during the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 59,273 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $6,386,000 after purchasing an additional 14,241 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Financial Management LLC raised its holdings in iShares National Muni Bond ETF by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Phillips Financial Management LLC now owns 54,281 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $5,848,000 after purchasing an additional 1,889 shares during the last quarter. Vantage Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in iShares National Muni Bond ETF during the 1st quarter worth approximately $258,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in iShares National Muni Bond ETF by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,932 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WealthShield Partners LLC raised its holdings in iShares National Muni Bond ETF by 22.9% during the 1st quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 74,970 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $8,077,000 after purchasing an additional 13,988 shares during the last quarter. Get iShares National Muni Bond ETF alerts: iShares National Muni Bond ETF Stock Performance Shares of NYSEARCA:MUB traded up $0.39 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $105.87. The company had a trading volume of 3,894,047 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,467,910. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $106.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.80. iShares National Muni Bond ETF has a one year low of $101.35 and a one year high of $108.66. About iShares National Muni Bond ETF iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index (the Index). Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MUB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares National Muni Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:MUB Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares National Muni Bond ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares National Muni Bond ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp acquired a new position in shares of Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE:PXD Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,004 shares of the oil and gas development companys stock, valued at approximately $205,000. Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Montag A & Associates Inc. grew its position in Pioneer Natural Resources by 36.3% in the 4th quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 199 shares of the oil and gas development companys stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. grew its position in shares of Pioneer Natural Resources by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 1,101 shares of the oil and gas development companys stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc bought a new position in shares of Pioneer Natural Resources during the 4th quarter worth $170,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of Pioneer Natural Resources by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 84,950 shares of the oil and gas development companys stock worth $19,402,000 after buying an additional 4,349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Pioneer Natural Resources by 42.6% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 85,212 shares of the oil and gas development companys stock worth $17,404,000 after buying an additional 25,443 shares in the last quarter. 84.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Pioneer Natural Resources alerts: Pioneer Natural Resources Stock Up 0.5 % NYSE:PXD traded up $1.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $233.39. The company had a trading volume of 1,302,208 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,237,677. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $210.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $211.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Pioneer Natural Resources has a 1 year low of $177.26 and a 1 year high of $274.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.43. Pioneer Natural Resources Cuts Dividend Analyst Ratings Changes The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.84 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 5th. This represents a $7.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%. Pioneer Natural Resourcess dividend payout ratio is presently 21.31%. A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Pioneer Natural Resources from $273.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. UBS Group began coverage on Pioneer Natural Resources in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. They set a neutral rating and a $238.00 price objective for the company. Susquehanna increased their price target on Pioneer Natural Resources from $266.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Pioneer Natural Resources from $270.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, July 14th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price target on Pioneer Natural Resources from $268.00 to $265.00 and set a strong-buy rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $255.74. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Pioneer Natural Resources About Pioneer Natural Resources (Free Report) Pioneer Natural Resources Company operates as an independent oil and gas exploration and production company in the United States. The company explores for, develops, and produces oil, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and gas. It has operations in the Midland Basin in West Texas. Pioneer Natural Resources Company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Pioneer Natural Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pioneer Natural Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. decreased its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV Free Report) by 1.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,010 shares of the companys stock after selling 249 shares during the period. Almanack Investment Partners LLC.s holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $1,819,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 180.4% during the 4th quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 401 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the period. Luken Investment Analytics LLC acquired a new position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC acquired a new position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Get iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF alerts: iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Trading Down 0.2 % USMV stock traded down $0.17 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $74.79. 1,981,271 shares of the stock were exchanged. The firms 50 day moving average is $73.77 and its 200 day moving average is $72.85. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a twelve month low of $47.44 and a twelve month high of $55.45. The firm has a market cap of $28.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.17 and a beta of 0.75. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Company 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. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding USMV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV Free Report). 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. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF (NYSEARCA:CLTL Free Report) by 0.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 258,094 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,948 shares during the quarter. Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF accounts for approximately 1.5% of Avidian Wealth Solutions LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC owned about 2.67% of Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF worth $26,581,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CLTL. Lincoln National Corp bought a new stake in shares of Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF in the 1st quarter worth $607,000. Dubuque Bank & Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF by 101.2% in the 1st quarter. Dubuque Bank & Trust Co. now owns 33,935 shares of the companys stock worth $3,581,000 after buying an additional 17,067 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $9,949,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF in the 4th quarter worth about $1,365,000. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 218,306 shares of the companys stock worth $22,996,000 after buying an additional 21,826 shares during the last quarter. Get Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF alerts: Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF Price Performance Shares of NYSEARCA:CLTL traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $105.57. The company had a trading volume of 54,854 shares, compared to its average volume of 121,595. The companys 50 day moving average price is $105.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.51. Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF has a 52-week low of $104.81 and a 52-week high of $105.82. About Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF The Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF (CLTL) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the U.S. Treasury Short Term index. The fund tracks a market-weighted index of debt issued by the US Treasury. Remaining maturity must be between 1-12 months. CLTL was launched on Jan 12, 2017 and is managed by Invesco. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CLTL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF (NYSEARCA:CLTL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Brighton Jones LLC reduced its position in shares of JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN (NYSEARCA:AMJ Free Report) by 28.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,422,523 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 2,105,684 shares during the period. JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN accounts for approximately 6.8% of Brighton Jones LLCs holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Brighton Jones LLCs holdings in JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN were worth $120,326,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AMJ. UBS Group AG bought a new stake in JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN during the 1st quarter worth about $40,000. Lee Financial Co lifted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN by 405.4% during the 4th quarter. Lee Financial Co now owns 1,870 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN by 128.4% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 4,465 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 2,510 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN by 111.9% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 5,501 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $120,000 after acquiring an additional 2,905 shares during the period. Get JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN alerts: JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN Price Performance Shares of NYSEARCA:AMJ traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $23.95. 206,867 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 347,354. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $23.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.73. JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN has a 12 month low of $19.03 and a 12 month high of $24.27. Insider Transactions at JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN In other news, Vice Chairman Peter Scher sold 1,240 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.02, for a total transaction of $167,424.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,056 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,083,461.12. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink . In related news, General Counsel Stacey Friedman sold 4,310 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.16, for a total transaction of $677,359.60. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 57,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,073,632.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website . Also, Vice Chairman Peter Scher sold 1,240 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.02, for a total transaction of $167,424.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,056 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,083,461.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last three months, insiders sold 150,171 shares of company stock valued at $20,535,635. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMJ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN (NYSEARCA:AMJ Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bennett Selby Investments LP trimmed its position in Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI Free Report) (TSE:CNR) by 3.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,561 shares of the transportation companys stock after selling 144 shares during the period. Bennett Selby Investments LPs holdings in Canadian National Railway were worth $538,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CNI. BCK Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian National Railway during the first quarter worth $2,575,000. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 26.2% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 931,027 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $124,888,000 after buying an additional 193,116 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 3.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 762,341 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $102,260,000 after buying an additional 22,984 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 1.4% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 60,441 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $8,107,000 after buying an additional 807 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 18.9% during the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 33,602 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $4,511,000 after buying an additional 5,349 shares during the period. 64.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Canadian National Railway alerts: Canadian National Railway Price Performance CNI traded down $1.31 on Tuesday, reaching $116.96. 672,826 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,136,912. The stock has a market cap of $77.06 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.90. Canadian National Railway has a twelve month low of $103.79 and a twelve month high of $129.89. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $117.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend Wall Street Analyst Weigh In The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $0.5996 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 7th. This is a positive change from Canadian National Railways previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. Canadian National Railways payout ratio is presently 40.58%. CNI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $124.00 to $122.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$169.00 to C$172.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. CIBC reduced their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$177.00 to C$175.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. Argus cut shares of Canadian National Railway from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, August 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$177.00 to C$175.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Canadian National Railway currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $145.71. Check Out Our Latest Report on Canadian National Railway Canadian National Railway Profile (Free Report) Canadian National Railway Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in rail and related transportation business. The company offers rail services, which include equipment, custom brokage services, transloading and distribution, business development and real estate, and private car storage services; and intermodal services including temperature controlled cargo, port partnership, transloading and distribution, logistic parks, customs brokerage, trucking, and moving grains in containers. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CNI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI Free Report) (TSE:CNR). Receive News & Ratings for Canadian National Railway Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian National Railway and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. CAVA Group, Inc. (NYSE:CAVA Get Free Report) has received an average rating of Moderate Buy from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $45.86. CAVA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of CAVA Group in a report on Monday, July 10th. They issued a buy rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on shares of CAVA Group in a research report on Monday, July 10th. They set an outperform rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup started coverage on shares of CAVA Group in a report on Monday, July 10th. They issued a neutral rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. William Blair started coverage on shares of CAVA Group in a report on Monday, July 10th. They set an outperform rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of CAVA Group in a research note on Monday, July 10th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $43.00 price objective on the stock. Get CAVA Group alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on CAVA Group Insider Buying and Selling at CAVA Group Institutional Investors Weigh In On CAVA Group In other news, insider Kenneth Robert Bertram acquired 2,295 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $22.00 per share, with a total value of $50,490.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 1,500 shares of the companys stock, valued at $33,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link . In related news, CFO Tricia K. Tolivar bought 2,500 shares of CAVA Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $22.00 per share, with a total value of $55,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,500 shares of the companys stock, valued at $55,000. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, insider Kenneth Robert Bertram purchased 2,295 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $22.00 per share, for a total transaction of $50,490.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 1,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,000. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here . In the last quarter, insiders purchased 9,295 shares of company stock worth $204,490. Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CAVA. Glassman Wealth Services purchased a new position in CAVA Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Barclays PLC purchased a new position in CAVA Group in the second quarter worth $250,000. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in CAVA Group in the second quarter valued at $27,229,000. LPL Financial LLC purchased a new stake in CAVA Group during the second quarter valued at about $415,000. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management bought a new stake in CAVA Group during the second quarter worth about $312,000. CAVA Group Price Performance CAVA stock opened at $50.51 on Friday. CAVA Group has a 1-year low of $36.45 and a 1-year high of $58.10. CAVA Group Company Profile (Get Free Report CAVA Group, Inc owns and operates a chain of Mediterranean restaurants. The company offers salads, dips, spreads, toppings, and dressings. It sells its products through whole food markets and grocery stores. The company also provides online food ordering services. Cava Group, Inc was founded in 2006 and is based in Washington, District of Columbia. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for CAVA Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CAVA Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cheniere Energy Partners (NYSE:CQP Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note issued on Wednesday. Cheniere Energy Partners Stock Performance Shares of CQP traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $49.46. The stock had a trading volume of 132,318 shares, compared to its average volume of 182,773. Cheniere Energy Partners has a 1-year low of $42.96 and a 1-year high of $62.08. Get Cheniere Energy Partners alerts: About Cheniere Energy Partners (Get Free Report) Further Reading 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. 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. Ballston Spa Bancorp (OTCMKTS:BSPA Get Free Report) and Shinhan Financial Group (NYSE:SHG Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, valuation, earnings, risk and institutional ownership. Dividends Ballston Spa Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Shinhan Financial Group pays an annual dividend of $1.23 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. Shinhan Financial Group pays out 18.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Get Ballston Spa Bancorp alerts: Profitability This table compares Ballston Spa Bancorp and Shinhan Financial Groups net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Ballston Spa Bancorp N/A N/A N/A Shinhan Financial Group 17.86% 9.18% 0.70% Valuation and Earnings Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Ballston Spa Bancorp N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Shinhan Financial Group $18.75 billion 0.75 $3.25 billion $6.53 4.16 This table compares Ballston Spa Bancorp and Shinhan Financial Groups gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Shinhan Financial Group has higher revenue and earnings than Ballston Spa Bancorp. Risk & Volatility Ballston Spa Bancorp has a beta of -0.24, suggesting that its share price is 124% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Shinhan Financial Group has a beta of 0.84, suggesting that its share price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500. Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Ballston Spa Bancorp and Shinhan Financial Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Ballston Spa Bancorp 0 0 0 0 N/A Shinhan Financial Group 0 3 0 0 2.00 Shinhan Financial Group has a consensus target price of $32.31, indicating a potential upside of 19.07%. Given Shinhan Financial Groups higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Shinhan Financial Group is more favorable than Ballston Spa Bancorp. Insider and Institutional Ownership 2.4% of Ballston Spa Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 2.7% of Shinhan Financial Group shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of Shinhan Financial Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Summary Shinhan Financial Group beats Ballston Spa Bancorp on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks. About Ballston Spa Bancorp (Get Free Report) 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. It also provides personal investment services, which include annuities, college savings plans, mutual funds, and life and long term care insurance products; investment and asset management; trusteeship; estate settlement; custodial; and wealth management services. In addition, the company offers treasury management services; and merchant and payment processing services, as well as online and mobile banking, eStatements, and mobile wallets. The company was founded in 1838 and is based in Ballston Spa, New York. About Shinhan Financial Group (Get Free Report) Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd. provides financial products and services in South Korea and internationally. The company operates through six segments: Banking, Credit Card, Securities, Life Insurance, Credit, and Others. It offers retail banking services, including demand, savings, and fixed deposit-taking; checking accounts; mortgage and home equity, and retail lending; electronic banking and automatic teller machines (ATM); and bill paying, payroll and check-cashing, currency exchange, and wire fund transfer services. The company also provides corporate banking services, such as investment banking, real estate financing, overseas real estate and development project financing, infrastructure and structured financing, equity/venture investments, mergers and acquisitions consulting; securitization and derivatives services comprising securities and derivative products, and foreign exchange trading; and working capital loans and facilities loans. In addition, it is involved in treasury and investment activities in international capital markets consisting of foreign currency-denominated securities trading, foreign exchange trading and services, trade-related financial services, international factoring services, and foreign banking operations. Further, the company offers real estate trust, investment advisory, venture capital, non-life insurance, trust account management, securities brokerage, and asset management services, as well as leasing and equipment financing, savings banking, loan collection and credit reporting, collective investment administration, private equity investment, and financial system development services. Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd. was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. 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. Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vestas (NYSE:VTMX Get Free Report) quiet period will expire on Wednesday, August 9th. Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta had issued 12,500,000 shares in its initial public offering on June 30th. The total size of the offering was $387,500,000 based on an initial share price of $31.00. During the companys quiet period, insiders and any underwriters involved in the IPO are restricted from issuing any research reports for the company because of SEC regulations. Following the end of the companys quiet period, the brokerages that served as underwriters will likely initiate research coverage on the company. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, Barclays started coverage on shares of Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. They issued an overweight rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Get Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on VTMX Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta Stock Down 0.7 % Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta stock opened at $34.01 on Wednesday. Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta has a twelve month low of $31.50 and a twelve month high of $37.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta (NYSE:VTMX Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 20th. The company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $51.92 million during the quarter. Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta had a return on equity of 16.31% and a net margin of 137.00%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta will post 3 EPS for the current year. Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 1st were paid a $0.1703 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 13th. About Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta (Get Free Report) Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta, SAB. de C.V., together with its subsidiaries, acquires, develops, manages, operates, and leases industrial buildings and distribution centers in Mexico. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. lowered its position in EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG Free Report) by 1.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,010 shares of the energy exploration companys stock after selling 402 shares during the quarter. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc.s holdings in EOG Resources were worth $2,752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC lifted its stake in EOG Resources by 74.0% in the first quarter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 4,724 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $541,000 after acquiring an additional 2,009 shares during the last quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. raised its position in shares of EOG Resources by 0.6% in the first quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 40,439 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $4,636,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its position in shares of EOG Resources by 58.8% in the first quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 672,073 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $77,040,000 after purchasing an additional 248,949 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of EOG Resources by 9.5% in the first quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 86,746 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $9,944,000 after purchasing an additional 7,495 shares during the period. Finally, Cannell & Co. bought a new position in shares of EOG Resources in the first quarter valued at about $27,210,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.58% of the companys stock. Get EOG Resources alerts: EOG Resources Price Performance Shares of EOG traded up $0.75 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $128.38. The company had a trading volume of 2,958,926 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,575,477. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $117.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $117.85. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 1-year low of $98.52 and a 1-year high of $150.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 2.39. The company has a market capitalization of $75.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.55. EOG Resources Announces Dividend EOG Resources ( NYSE:EOG Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The energy exploration company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.21. EOG Resources had a net margin of 33.58% and a return on equity of 28.52%. The company had revenue of $5.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.74 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.74 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was down 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that EOG Resources, Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 17th will be given a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 16th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.57%. EOG Resourcess dividend payout ratio is presently 22.24%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, EVP Jeffrey R. Leitzell sold 2,031 shares of EOG Resources stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.26, for a total transaction of $238,155.06. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 37,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,409,796.82. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other EOG Resources news, COO Lloyd W. Helms, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.87, for a total transaction of $579,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 149,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,344,464.43. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jeffrey R. Leitzell sold 2,031 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.26, for a total transaction of $238,155.06. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 37,607 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,409,796.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of EOG Resources from $150.00 to $145.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of EOG Resources from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of EOG Resources from $170.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of EOG Resources from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of EOG Resources from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a strong-buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, EOG Resources presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $145.32. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on EOG EOG Resources Company Profile (Free Report) EOG Resources, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, and natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its principal producing areas are in New Mexico and Texas in the United States; and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The company was formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for EOG Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EOG Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK Free Report) by 8.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,828 shares of the asset managers stock after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the quarter. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc.s holdings in BlackRock were worth $1,223,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BLK. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Steward Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in BlackRock by 168.1% during the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 47 shares of the asset managers stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its position in BlackRock by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 48 shares of the asset managers stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.37% of the companys stock. Get BlackRock alerts: BlackRock Stock Performance Shares of BLK stock traded down $15.34 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $697.21. The company had a trading volume of 676,930 shares, compared to its average volume of 657,898. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $704.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $689.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 4.20 and a quick ratio of 4.20. BlackRock, Inc. has a one year low of $503.12 and a one year high of $785.65. The company has a market capitalization of $104.41 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.27. BlackRock Dividend Announcement BlackRock ( NYSE:BLK Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 14th. The asset manager reported $9.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.52 by $0.76. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 29.90%. The company had revenue of $4.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.36 EPS. BlackRocks revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that BlackRock, Inc. will post 35.16 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $5.00 per share. This represents a $20.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 7th. BlackRocks payout ratio is presently 58.41%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities analysts recently commented on BLK shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on BlackRock from $780.00 to $820.00 in a research report on Monday, July 17th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on BlackRock in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on BlackRock from $741.00 to $781.00 in a report on Monday, July 10th. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price target on BlackRock from $662.00 to $673.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Monday, April 17th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on BlackRock from $928.00 to $921.00 in a research note on Sunday, July 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $767.69. Get Our Latest Stock Report on BLK Insider Transactions at BlackRock In related news, Director Mark Wiedman sold 2,079 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $733.82, for a total value of $1,525,611.78. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,160 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,520,331.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 20,200 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $742.04, for a total value of $14,989,208.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 464,125 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $344,399,315. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mark Wiedman sold 2,079 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $733.82, for a total value of $1,525,611.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,520,331.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.06% of the stock is owned by insiders. About BlackRock (Free Report) BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM Free Report) (TSE:CM) Investment analysts at Desjardins raised their Q3 2023 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in a research note issued on Wednesday, August 2nd. Desjardins analyst D. Young now forecasts that the bank will earn $1.19 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.17. The consensus estimate for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerces current full-year earnings is $5.14 per share. Desjardins also issued estimates for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerces FY2023 earnings at $5.18 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $5.25 EPS. Get Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce alerts: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM Get Free Report) (TSE:CM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 25th. The bank reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.05. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce had a return on equity of 14.13% and a net margin of 11.14%. The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.15 billion. A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on CM. CIBC raised Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, May 9th. StockNews.com raised Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, June 29th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, May 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $70.40. Read Our Latest Report on CM Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Stock Down 1.8 % Shares of NYSE CM opened at $42.05 on Monday. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has a one year low of $39.40 and a one year high of $53.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $42.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.63 billion, a PE ratio of 10.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.00. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 28th were given a dividend of $0.642 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 27th. This is a positive change from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerces previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. This represents a $2.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.11%. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerces dividend payout ratio is 64.65%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CM. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 8,361 shares of the banks stock valued at $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 14.7% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,323 shares of the banks stock valued at $527,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 6,630 shares of the banks stock worth $807,000 after acquiring an additional 1,287 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,512 shares of the banks stock worth $549,000 after acquiring an additional 763 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 308,427 shares of the banks stock worth $37,532,000 after acquiring an additional 18,653 shares during the last quarter. 37.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Company Profile (Get Free Report) Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Floor & Decor (NYSE:FND Free Report) had its price target trimmed by Wells Fargo & Company from $125.00 to $115.00 in a research note released on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock. A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on FND. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Floor & Decor from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, July 31st. Wedbush decreased their target price on shares of Floor & Decor from $115.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Floor & Decor from a buy rating to a hold rating and cut their price target for the company from $110.00 to $108.00 in a report on Friday, July 21st. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Floor & Decor from $85.00 to $105.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Floor & Decor in a report on Friday, June 23rd. They issued a buy rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $103.19. Get Floor & Decor alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on FND Floor & Decor Stock Up 1.5 % NYSE:FND traded up $1.56 on Friday, hitting $105.48. The stock had a trading volume of 1,007,132 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,382,296. Floor & Decor has a 1 year low of $63.51 and a 1 year high of $116.03. The stock has a market cap of $11.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 1.20. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $103.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $96.85. Floor & Decor (NYSE:FND Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.66. Floor & Decor had a net margin of 6.55% and a return on equity of 16.94%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.76 EPS. Floor & Decors revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Floor & Decor will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Activity In other news, EVP David Victor Christopherson sold 5,804 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $638,440.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,552 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,020,720. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Floor & Decor news, CEO Thomas V. Taylor sold 18,656 shares of Floor & Decor stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total value of $2,145,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 177,891 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $20,457,465. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Victor Christopherson sold 5,804 shares of Floor & Decor stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $638,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,552 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,020,720. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 48,920 shares of company stock worth $5,323,160 over the last 90 days. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Floor & Decor Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Floor & Decor by 32.2% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 6,652 shares of the companys stock valued at $539,000 after buying an additional 1,619 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Floor & Decor by 28.2% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 13,092 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,062,000 after purchasing an additional 2,882 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Floor & Decor by 84.2% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,055 shares of the companys stock valued at $733,000 after purchasing an additional 4,138 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in Floor & Decor by 4.3% during the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 11,755 shares of the companys stock worth $1,047,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its holdings in Floor & Decor by 273.9% during the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 789 shares of the companys stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 578 shares during the period. About Floor & Decor (Get Free Report) Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc together with its subsidiaries, operates as a multi-channel specialty retailer and commercial flooring distributor in Georgia. The company offers tile, wood, laminate, vinyl, and natural stone flooring products, as well as decorative accessories, wall tiles, and installation materials and tools. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Floor & Decor Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Floor & Decor and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK Free Report) by 10.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,136 shares of the asset managers stock after buying an additional 288 shares during the quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLCs holdings in BlackRock were worth $2,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in BlackRock in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Steward Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in BlackRock in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in BlackRock by 168.1% in the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 47 shares of the asset managers stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in BlackRock in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its stake in BlackRock by 71.4% in the 4th quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 48 shares of the asset managers stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. 79.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get BlackRock alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have weighed in on BLK. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of BlackRock from $741.00 to $781.00 in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $750.00 to $815.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $780.00 to $820.00 in a report on Monday, July 17th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of BlackRock from $760.00 to $740.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on shares of BlackRock from $928.00 to $921.00 in a report on Sunday, July 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BlackRock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $767.69. BlackRock Stock Down 0.7 % BLK stock traded down $4.89 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $692.09. The companys stock had a trading volume of 440,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 656,503. The company has a quick ratio of 4.20, a current ratio of 4.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. BlackRock, Inc. has a 52-week low of $503.12 and a 52-week high of $785.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $103.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.19, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $704.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $689.23. BlackRock (NYSE:BLK Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 14th. The asset manager reported $9.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.52 by $0.76. BlackRock had a net margin of 29.90% and a return on equity of 14.29%. The company had revenue of $4.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.36 EPS. The firms revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that BlackRock, Inc. will post 35.16 EPS for the current year. BlackRock Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, September 8th will be paid a dividend of $5.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 7th. This represents a $20.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. BlackRocks payout ratio is currently 58.41%. Insider Activity at BlackRock In related news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 20,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $742.04, for a total value of $14,989,208.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 464,125 shares of the companys stock, valued at $344,399,315. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Mark Wiedman sold 2,079 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $733.82, for a total transaction of $1,525,611.78. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,160 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,520,331.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laurence Fink sold 20,200 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $742.04, for a total value of $14,989,208.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 464,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,399,315. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. About BlackRock (Free Report) BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MGIC Investment (NYSE:MTG Free Report) had its price target increased by Royal Bank of Canada from $17.00 to $18.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. Royal Bank of Canada currently has a sector perform rating on the insurance providers stock. Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on MGIC Investment in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Compass Point raised their price target on shares of MGIC Investment from $18.00 to $20.00 in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $17.00. Get MGIC Investment alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on MGIC Investment MGIC Investment Stock Performance MTG traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $18.05. 2,152,645 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,591,654. The stock has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.31. MGIC Investment has a 12 month low of $12.13 and a 12 month high of $18.25. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66. MGIC Investment (NYSE:MTG Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The insurance provider reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $290.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $292.51 million. MGIC Investment had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 67.83%. The firms revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.81 EPS. Analysts anticipate that MGIC Investment will post 2.37 earnings per share for the current year. MGIC Investment Increases Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.115 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 9th. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. This is a boost from MGIC Investments previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. MGIC Investments dividend payout ratio is presently 15.15%. Institutional Trading of MGIC Investment Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in MGIC Investment by 450.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,943,450 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $200,541,000 after purchasing an additional 12,227,328 shares during the period. Goldentree Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in MGIC Investment during the first quarter worth about $50,560,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of MGIC Investment by 32.8% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,022,698 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $182,295,000 after purchasing an additional 3,463,253 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in MGIC Investment by 38.4% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 10,458,631 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $141,715,000 after purchasing an additional 2,904,381 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in MGIC Investment by 80.6% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 5,431,147 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $72,886,000 after buying an additional 2,424,112 shares in the last quarter. 95.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About MGIC Investment (Get Free Report) MGIC Investment Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides private mortgage insurance, other mortgage credit risk management solutions, and ancillary services to lenders and government sponsored entities in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The company offers primary mortgage insurance that provides mortgage default protection on individual loans, as well as covers unpaid loan principal, delinquent interest, and various expenses associated with the default and subsequent foreclosure. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for MGIC Investment Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MGIC Investment and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Floor & Decor (NYSE:FND Free Report) had its target price cut by Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $95.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock. Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial started coverage on Floor & Decor in a research note on Friday, June 23rd. They issued a buy rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Credit Suisse Group reissued a neutral rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Floor & Decor in a research note on Friday. Citigroup lowered their target price on Floor & Decor from $133.00 to $122.00 in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Floor & Decor from $120.00 to $115.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wedbush cut their price objective on Floor & Decor from $115.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have issued 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 $103.19. Get Floor & Decor alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on Floor & Decor Floor & Decor Price Performance Shares of FND traded up $1.56 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $105.48. The company had a trading volume of 1,007,132 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,382,296. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $103.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.85. The company has a market capitalization of $11.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.90. Floor & Decor has a 1-year low of $63.51 and a 1-year high of $116.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 1.20. Floor & Decor (NYSE:FND Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.66. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.15 billion. Floor & Decor had a return on equity of 16.94% and a net margin of 6.55%. Floor & Decors revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.76 EPS. Analysts expect that Floor & Decor will post 2.48 EPS for the current year. Insider Activity In other Floor & Decor news, EVP David Victor Christopherson sold 5,804 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $580,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,356 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,235,600. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Thomas V. Taylor sold 18,656 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $1,958,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 215,203 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $22,596,315. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Victor Christopherson sold 5,804 shares of Floor & Decor stock in a transaction on Friday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $580,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,356 shares in the company, valued at $4,235,600. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 48,920 shares of company stock worth $5,323,160 in the last three months. Company insiders own 2.50% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FND. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Floor & Decor by 11.1% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 135,525 shares of the companys stock valued at $14,089,000 after buying an additional 13,590 shares during the period. Commerce Bank raised its holdings in shares of Floor & Decor by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 6,496 shares of the companys stock worth $675,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the period. Giverny Capital Inc. grew its holdings in Floor & Decor by 4.8% during the second quarter. Giverny Capital Inc. now owns 277,959 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,897,000 after purchasing an additional 12,615 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its position in Floor & Decor by 93.1% in the second quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 8,829 shares of the companys stock worth $918,000 after buying an additional 4,257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lincoln National Corp raised its stake in shares of Floor & Decor by 6.3% in the second quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 4,930 shares of the companys stock valued at $513,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the period. Floor & Decor Company Profile (Get Free Report) Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc together with its subsidiaries, operates as a multi-channel specialty retailer and commercial flooring distributor in Georgia. The company offers tile, wood, laminate, vinyl, and natural stone flooring products, as well as decorative accessories, wall tiles, and installation materials and tools. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Floor & Decor Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Floor & Decor and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. HC Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of New Gold Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:NGD Free Report) by 41.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 209,350 shares of the basic materials companys stock after buying an additional 61,800 shares during the period. HC Advisors LLCs holdings in New Gold were worth $230,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in New Gold by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 72,242,626 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $79,467,000 after purchasing an additional 5,959,821 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in New Gold by 48.4% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 16,612,687 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $29,903,000 after buying an additional 5,421,488 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in New Gold by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 16,144,682 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $15,859,000 after buying an additional 2,449,000 shares during the period. TSP Capital Management Group LLC boosted its position in New Gold by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. TSP Capital Management Group LLC now owns 11,017,000 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $12,119,000 after buying an additional 634,000 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in New Gold by 85.1% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 6,263,233 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $6,143,000 after buying an additional 2,879,222 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 30.96% of the companys stock. Get New Gold alerts: New Gold Price Performance Shares of New Gold stock traded down $0.03 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $1.05. 2,261,504 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,342,875. The company has a market cap of $718.49 million, a PE ratio of -13.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 1.47. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $1.25. New Gold Inc. has a 12-month low of $0.61 and a 12-month high of $1.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth New Gold ( NYSEAMERICAN:NGD Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter. New Gold had a negative net margin of 7.93% and a positive return on equity of 1.02%. The firm had revenue of $184.40 million for the quarter. As a group, research analysts forecast that New Gold Inc. will post 0.05 earnings per share for the current year. Several brokerages have commented on NGD. TheStreet raised shares of New Gold from a d rating to a c- rating in a research report on Thursday, July 27th. TD Securities decreased their price target on shares of New Gold from $1.05 to $1.00 and set a reduce rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of New Gold from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $1.33. View Our Latest Stock Report on NGD New Gold Profile (Free Report) New Gold Inc, an intermediate gold mining company, engages in the exploration, development, and operation of mineral properties. It primarily explores for gold, silver, and copper deposits. The company's principal operating properties include 100% interests in the Rainy River mine located in Ontario, Canada; New Afton mine situated in British Columbia, Canada; and the Cerro San Pedro mine in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NGD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for New Gold Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:NGD Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for New Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for New Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Invesco Senior Loan ETF (NYSEARCA:BKLN Free Report) by 10.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,586,814 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after acquiring an additional 239,577 shares during the period. Invesco Senior Loan ETF comprises 0.6% of New York Life Investment Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. New York Life Investment Management LLC owned approximately 1.42% of Invesco Senior Loan ETF worth $53,806,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Invesco Senior Loan ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $245,805,000. State of Wisconsin Investment Board increased its stake in Invesco Senior Loan ETF by 30.7% during the 4th quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 9,241,172 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $189,721,000 after buying an additional 2,170,172 shares during the period. Grimes & Company Inc. increased its stake in Invesco Senior Loan ETF by 3,084.2% during the 1st quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 7,641,955 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $158,953,000 after buying an additional 7,401,962 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its stake in Invesco Senior Loan ETF by 296.0% during the 1st quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 4,950,003 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $102,960,000 after buying an additional 3,700,000 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its stake in Invesco Senior Loan ETF by 112.5% during the 1st quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 4,286,923 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $93,327,000 after buying an additional 2,269,823 shares during the period. Get Invesco Senior Loan ETF alerts: Invesco Senior Loan ETF Price Performance BKLN traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $20.99. 3,399,221 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,625,455. Invesco Senior Loan ETF has a 12-month low of $20.06 and a 12-month high of $21.49. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $20.93 and a 200 day moving average of $20.90. Invesco Senior Loan ETF Company Profile The Invesco Senior Loan ETF (BKLN) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in high yield fixed income. The fund tracks a market-value-weighted index of senior loans issued by banks to corporations. BKLN was launched on Mar 3, 2011 and is managed by Invesco. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Invesco Senior Loan ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco Senior Loan ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. New York Life Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (NYSEARCA:IWD Free Report) by 37.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 150,239 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 89,283 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLCs holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF were worth $22,875,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IWD. Chapin Davis Inc. lifted its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 3,811 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Allegheny Financial Group LTD lifted its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Allegheny Financial Group LTD now owns 6,133 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $934,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Estate Counselors LLC raised its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Estate Counselors LLC now owns 21,430 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $3,250,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. JFG Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. JFG Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,504 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $986,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fusion Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Fusion Capital LLC now owns 2,711 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $411,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF alerts: iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF Stock Down 0.5 % Shares of NYSEARCA IWD traded down $0.73 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $161.08. 1,003,117 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,816,022. The company has a market cap of $51.45 billion, a PE ratio of 13.53 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $157.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $154.78. iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has a 12 month low of $134.09 and a 12 month high of $164.18. iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF Company Profile iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Value Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the large capitalization value sector of the U.S. equity market, as represented by the Russell 1000 Value Index (the Index). Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN Free Report) had its price target lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $50.00 to $46.00 in a research note published on Friday, Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the utilities providers stock. Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Northwest Natural from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 5th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Northwest Natural from $57.00 to $59.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 17th. Maxim Group downgraded Northwest Natural from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, May 5th. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their price objective on Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $42.00 in a research note on Friday, July 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Northwest Natural presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $49.75. Get Northwest Natural alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on NWN Northwest Natural Stock Down 1.0 % NWN traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $40.92. 195,304 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 174,317. Northwest Natural has a fifty-two week low of $40.61 and a fifty-two week high of $53.97. The company has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.41, a PEG ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $42.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.81. Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.10. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 8.47% and a net margin of 8.49%. The business had revenue of $237.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $211.65 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Northwest Natural will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Investors of record on Monday, July 31st will be issued a $0.485 dividend. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 28th. Northwest Naturals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.31%. Insider Buying and Selling In other Northwest Natural news, VP David A. Weber sold 920 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.38, for a total value of $40,829.60. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 186 shares in the company, valued at $8,254.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.84% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of Northwest Natural Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its position in Northwest Natural by 185.7% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 820 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the period. Mcmillion Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Northwest Natural during the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Spirit of America Management Corp NY acquired a new position in Northwest Natural during the 2nd quarter worth $54,000. Finally, FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 23.8% in the first quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,452 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.12% of the companys stock. Northwest Natural Company Profile (Get Free Report) Northwest Natural Holding Company, through its subsidiary, Northwest Natural Gas Company, provides regulated natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The company operates Mist gas storage facility contracted to other utilities and third-party marketers; offers natural gas asset management services; and operates an appliance retail center. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Northwest Natural Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Northwest Natural and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Roth Capital upgraded shares of Ormat Technologies (NYSE:ORA Free Report) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Monday, PriceTargets.com reports. Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. StockNews.com started coverage on Ormat Technologies in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating for the company. Bank of America lifted their target price on Ormat Technologies from $85.00 to $87.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 14th. Barclays initiated coverage on Ormat Technologies in a research report on Monday, May 22nd. They set an equal weight rating and a $89.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Ormat Technologies from $86.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised Ormat Technologies from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $92.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $91.25. Get Ormat Technologies alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on Ormat Technologies Ormat Technologies Trading Down 1.6 % Shares of Ormat Technologies stock traded down $1.26 on Monday, reaching $77.59. The company had a trading volume of 386,168 shares, compared to its average volume of 441,732. The firm has a market cap of $4.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.69. The firms 50-day moving average price is $82.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.27. Ormat Technologies has a 1 year low of $75.56 and a 1 year high of $101.81. Ormat Technologies (NYSE:ORA Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The energy company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $194.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $196.74 million. Ormat Technologies had a return on equity of 5.17% and a net margin of 11.74%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.22 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Ormat Technologies will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Ormat Technologies Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 15th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. Ormat Technologiess payout ratio is presently 30.97%. Institutional Trading of Ormat Technologies A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Ormat Technologies by 14.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 191,885 shares of the energy companys stock worth $15,439,000 after buying an additional 23,590 shares during the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in Ormat Technologies by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 784,802 shares of the energy companys stock worth $63,145,000 after purchasing an additional 10,082 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ormat Technologies by 58.7% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the energy companys stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP raised its holdings in Ormat Technologies by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 11,093 shares of the energy companys stock worth $893,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Ormat Technologies by 83.2% in the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 79,148 shares of the energy companys stock worth $6,367,000 after purchasing an additional 35,950 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.23% of the companys stock. About Ormat Technologies (Get Free Report) Ormat Technologies, Inc engages in the geothermal and recovered energy power business in the United States, Indonesia, Kenya, Turkey, Chile, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Ethiopia, New Zealand, Honduras, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Electricity, Product, and Energy Storage. The Electricity segment develops, builds, owns, and operates geothermal, solar photovoltaic, and recovered energy-based power plants; and sells electricity. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Ormat Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ormat Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Parthenon LLC decreased its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT Free Report) by 0.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,816 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock after selling 150 shares during the period. Waters makes up about 1.6% of Parthenon LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Parthenon LLC owned about 0.06% of Waters worth $10,470,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in Waters by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 5,966 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $1,847,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters by 25.3% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 5,085 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $1,574,000 after buying an additional 1,028 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 3,453 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $1,069,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Waters by 7.6% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 44,648 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $13,824,000 after buying an additional 3,139 shares during the period. Finally, Bailard Inc. raised its position in shares of Waters by 7.0% during the first quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 2,248 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $696,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.09% of the companys stock. Get Waters alerts: Insider Transactions at Waters In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.48, for a total transaction of $1,165,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,382 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,192,065.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.77% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waters from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, May 12th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Waters from $275.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Waters from $345.00 to $288.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Waters from $345.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on Waters from $350.00 to $315.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 10th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $327.60. Read Our Latest Stock Report on Waters Waters Stock Up 2.4 % WAT traded up $7.01 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $296.73. 681,956 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 494,626. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $248.18 and a 12-month high of $353.70. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $268.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $293.22. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.88, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.86. Waters (NYSE:WAT Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $740.58 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $733.51 million. Waters had a return on equity of 124.03% and a net margin of 22.54%. Analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Waters Company Profile (Free Report) Waters Corporation, a specialty measurement company, provides analytical workflow solutions in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through two segments, Waters and TA. The company designs, manufactures, sells, and services high and ultra-performance liquid chromatography, as well as mass spectrometry (MS) technology systems and support products, including chromatography columns, other consumable products, and post-warranty service plans. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Waters Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Waters and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Parthenon LLC trimmed its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Free Report) by 1.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,329 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after selling 526 shares during the period. Parthenon LLCs holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $3,375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 15,855 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $1,605,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 3.1% during the first quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 34,321 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $3,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,042 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its position in Abbott Laboratories by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 534,872 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $54,161,000 after purchasing an additional 3,973 shares during the last quarter. Ropes Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Ropes Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 34,193 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $3,462,000 after purchasing an additional 1,869 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 71.4% during the 1st quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 832,531 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $84,302,000 after buying an additional 346,897 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.08% of the companys stock. Get Abbott Laboratories alerts: Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance Shares of ABT stock traded down $2.87 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $105.58. The stock had a trading volume of 7,544,250 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,053,127. Abbott Laboratories has a one year low of $93.25 and a one year high of $115.83. The firm has a market cap of $183.60 billion, a PE ratio of 36.03, a P/E/G ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.67. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $107.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement Abbott Laboratories ( NYSE:ABT Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 12.83% and a return on equity of 20.50%. The firm had revenue of $9.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was down 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.4 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 13th. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio is 69.62%. Insider Activity In other news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.76, for a total value of $5,688,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,775,316 shares in the company, valued at approximately $770,759,948.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades ABT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, July 21st. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $118.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Abbott Laboratories from an underperform rating to a peer perform rating in a report on Friday, July 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given 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 target price of $120.82. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on ABT 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 Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ABT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Free Report). 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. PCG Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:QGRO Free Report) by 51.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,306 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 7,251 shares during the quarter. PCG Wealth Advisors LLC owned 0.36% of American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF worth $1,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital Analysts LLC grew its position in American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF by 19.4% in the 1st quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 20,712 shares of the companys stock worth $1,330,000 after purchasing an additional 3,369 shares during the period. Brio Consultants LLC bought a new position in American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF in the first quarter valued at about $201,000. Mainstay Capital Management LLC ADV boosted its position in American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF by 3.0% in the first quarter. Mainstay Capital Management LLC ADV now owns 515,874 shares of the companys stock worth $33,128,000 after purchasing an additional 15,203 shares during the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF by 37.4% during the 1st quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 20,048 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,287,000 after purchasing an additional 5,461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF by 161.1% in the 1st quarter. V Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,096 shares of the companys stock worth $777,000 after purchasing an additional 7,464 shares during the period. Get American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF alerts: American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF Trading Down 0.7 % NYSEARCA QGRO traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $69.19. 59,407 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 46,950. American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF has a 52 week low of $52.88 and a 52 week high of $72.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $631.70 million, a P/E ratio of 17.75 and a beta of 1.08. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $68.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.92. About American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF The American Century U.S. Quality Growth ETF (QGRO) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund tracks an index of large- and mid-cap US stocks. Holdings are selected and weighted by growth and quality factors. QGRO was launched on Sep 10, 2018 and is managed by American Century Investments. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding QGRO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:QGRO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. decreased its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB Free Report) by 11.3% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 51,250 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock after selling 6,555 shares during the quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $4,812,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LYB. Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 1.0% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 10,812 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $1,112,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 26.2% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 41,362 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $4,349,000 after purchasing an additional 8,596 shares during the period. Prudential PLC purchased a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the first quarter worth approximately $731,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 29.0% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 7,488 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $770,000 after buying an additional 1,684 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 20.2% in the first quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 6,268 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $644,000 after acquiring an additional 1,053 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.58% of the companys stock. Get LyondellBasell Industries alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays reduced their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 11th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday. 888 reissued a maintains rating on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a report on Thursday, June 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $110.00 in a report on Monday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight 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 $99.18. LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance LyondellBasell Industries stock traded up $0.10 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $98.45. 1,530,935 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,008,641. LyondellBasell Industries has a 12-month low of $71.46 and a 12-month high of $101.30. The company has a market cap of $32.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $91.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $92.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.14. LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 4.92%. The company had revenue of $10.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.19 earnings per share. The firms revenue was down 30.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that LyondellBasell Industries will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current year. LyondellBasell Industries Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.08%. This is a positive change from LyondellBasell Industriess previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 26th. LyondellBasell Industriess payout ratio is presently 77.64%. LyondellBasell Industries Profile (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. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LYB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB Free Report). 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. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. lowered its position in KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (NYSEARCA:KWEB Free Report) by 5.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,385 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,970 shares during the quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.s holdings in KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF were worth $1,603,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KWEB. Brown Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF during the first quarter worth approximately $317,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF by 8.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 811,739 shares of the companys stock worth $25,318,000 after purchasing an additional 63,984 shares during the last quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF during the first quarter worth approximately $70,000. Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD raised its stake in shares of KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF by 17.5% during the first quarter. Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD now owns 1,087,729 shares of the companys stock worth $34,514,000 after purchasing an additional 162,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd. raised its stake in shares of KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF by 16.8% during the first quarter. Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd. now owns 1,494,700 shares of the companys stock worth $46,620,000 after purchasing an additional 214,800 shares during the last quarter. Get KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF alerts: KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF Price Performance Shares of KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF stock traded down $0.59 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $29.51. 20,567,781 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 19,088,766. KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF has a 1 year low of $17.22 and a 1 year high of $36.19. The business has a 50-day moving average of $28.27 and a 200-day moving average of $29.39. About KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF The KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the CSI Overseas China Internet index. The fund tracks a market cap-weighted index composed of overseas-listed Chinese Internet companies. KWEB was launched on Jul 31, 2013 and is managed by KraneShares. See Also Receive News & Ratings for KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk (NYSE:TLK Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday morning. Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk Stock Up 0.6 % TLK opened at $24.23 on Friday. Perusahaan Perseroan has a 1-year low of $23.02 and a 1-year high of $31.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.69. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $26.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.70. Get Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk alerts: Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $1.1296 per share. This is an increase from Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbks previous annual dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbks payout ratio is currently 57.43%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows About Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA boosted its stake in shares of Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk by 120.2% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 784 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. Credit Suisse AG boosted its stake in Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk by 121.4% during the 3rd quarter. Credit Suisse AG now owns 870 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk by 118.2% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,618 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,418 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk by 3,131.9% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,941 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 2,850 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.92% of the companys stock. (Get Free Report) Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk provides information and communications technology, and telecommunications network services worldwide. The company operates through mobile, consumer, enterprise, Wholesale and International Business, and Other segments. The Mobile segment offers mobile voice, SMS, value added services, and mobile broadband services. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado cut its stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Free Report) by 3.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 916,632 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 31,894 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorados holdings in Pfizer were worth $37,399,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PFE. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Pfizer by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 21,596 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $881,000 after purchasing an additional 3,557 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC increased its position in Pfizer by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 100,961 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $4,119,000 after acquiring an additional 591 shares during the period. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Pfizer by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 169,646 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $6,922,000 after acquiring an additional 16,948 shares in the last quarter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL boosted its position in Pfizer by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL now owns 12,494 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $510,000 after acquiring an additional 642 shares during the period. Finally, Jensen Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 10.4% in the first quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,617,395 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $469,110,000 after purchasing an additional 1,091,421 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.80% of the companys stock. Get Pfizer alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets PFE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Pfizer from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Pfizer from $40.00 to $38.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, May 17th. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday, July 14th. They set a buy rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Credit Suisse Group lowered shares of Pfizer from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and reduced their price objective for the company 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 five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $46.35. Pfizer Stock Up 0.6 % PFE traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $35.84. 17,190,547 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 24,510,217. The company has a market cap of $202.33 billion, a PE ratio of 9.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.60. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $37.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Pfizer Inc. has a one year low of $34.65 and a one year high of $54.93. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.10. Pfizer had a net margin of 27.55% and a return on equity of 28.55%. The firm had revenue of $12.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.04 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 54.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 3.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Pfizer Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 28th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 27th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.58%. Pfizers payout ratio is 43.62%. 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. Featured Articles 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. PowerSchool (NYSE:PWSC Free Report) had its target price lifted by Barclays from $24.00 to $26.00 in a research note published on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. PWSC has been the subject of several other reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of PowerSchool in a research report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler reissued an overweight rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of PowerSchool in a research report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of PowerSchool from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their price target for the stock from $20.00 to $24.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of PowerSchool from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of PowerSchool from $24.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PowerSchool currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $26.91. Get PowerSchool alerts: View Our Latest Stock Report on PowerSchool PowerSchool Stock Performance Insider Activity at PowerSchool Shares of PowerSchool stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $20.21. The company had a trading volume of 986,456 shares, compared to its average volume of 763,175. The stock has a market cap of $4.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -155.46 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.46. PowerSchool has a 12-month low of $15.60 and a 12-month high of $26.05. In related news, insider Marcy Daniel sold 2,150 shares of PowerSchool stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.82, for a total value of $40,463.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 51,468 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $968,627.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other PowerSchool news, CFO Eric Ryan Shander sold 4,532 shares of PowerSchool stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.01, for a total transaction of $86,153.32. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 200,623,713 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,813,856,784.13. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Marcy Daniel sold 2,150 shares of PowerSchool stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.82, for a total transaction of $40,463.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 51,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $968,627.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 74,287 shares of company stock valued at $1,399,870. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PWSC. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new position in shares of PowerSchool during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,711,000. Blair William & Co. IL raised its holdings in PowerSchool by 104.8% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 2,981,738 shares of the companys stock valued at $59,098,000 after buying an additional 1,526,052 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD purchased a new stake in PowerSchool in the 4th quarter valued at about $17,345,000. Rheos Capital Works Inc. raised its holdings in PowerSchool by 290.1% in the 1st quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. now owns 1,005,300 shares of the companys stock valued at $19,925,000 after buying an additional 747,600 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in PowerSchool by 18.6% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,540,357 shares of the companys stock valued at $89,990,000 after buying an additional 711,695 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.98% of the companys stock. About PowerSchool (Get Free Report) PowerSchool Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers cloud-based software to the K-12 education market. Its solution embedded in school workflows and is used on daily basis by educators, students, administrators, and parents in schools and districts. In addition, the company provides cloud-based technology platform helps schools and districts manage state reporting and related compliance, special education, finance, human resource, talent, registration, attendance, funding, learning, instruction, behavior, grading, college and career readiness, assessments, and analytics. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for PowerSchool Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PowerSchool and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. PPL (NYSE:PPL Get Free Report) updated its FY 2023 earnings guidance on Monday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $1.50-$1.65 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.58. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on PPL shares. Guggenheim lowered their price target on PPL from $34.00 to $31.00 in a report on Friday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on PPL from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, July 21st. StockNews.com started coverage on PPL in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, TheStreet cut PPL from a b- rating to a c rating in a report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $31.71. Get PPL alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on PPL PPL Trading Up 1.3 % PPL traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $26.43. 665,006 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,236,580. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a market cap of $19.48 billion, a PE ratio of 25.10, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.78. The firms fifty day moving average is $26.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.55. PPL has a 1-year low of $23.47 and a 1-year high of $31.74. PPL (NYSE:PPL Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. PPL had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 7.75%. PPLs revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.30 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that PPL will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. PPL Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 9th were given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 8th. PPLs dividend payout ratio is currently 92.31%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On PPL Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Toroso Investments LLC raised its position in shares of PPL by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 20,012 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $556,000 after acquiring an additional 1,105 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of PPL by 48.8% during the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 46,380 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,296,000 after acquiring an additional 15,209 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in shares of PPL by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 88,315 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,453,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC grew its stake in PPL by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 428,540 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $11,909,000 after buying an additional 4,391 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in PPL during the 1st quarter worth approximately $183,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.46% of the companys stock. PPL Company Profile (Get Free Report) PPL Corporation, an energy company, focuses on providing electricity and natural gas to approximately 3.5 million customers in the United States. It operates through three segments: Kentucky Regulated, Pennsylvania Regulated, and Rhode Island Regulated. The company delivers electricity to customers in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Rhode Island; delivers natural gas to customers in Kentucky and Rhode Island; and generates electricity from power plants in Kentucky. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for PPL Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PPL and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shinhan Financial Group (NYSE:SHG Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday. Separately, Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Shinhan Financial Group from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 16th. Get Shinhan Financial Group alerts: Check Out Our Latest Report on Shinhan Financial Group Shinhan Financial Group Stock Performance Institutional Investors Weigh In On Shinhan Financial Group SHG stock traded down $0.32 on Tuesday, reaching $27.14. 92,450 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 137,259. Shinhan Financial Group has a 12 month low of $22.98 and a 12 month high of $36.64. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $26.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.07 billion, a PE ratio of 4.16, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SHG. Raymond James & Associates bought a new stake in Shinhan Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at $488,000. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Shinhan Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at $202,000. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in Shinhan Financial Group by 522.0% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 85,333 shares of the banks stock valued at $2,854,000 after buying an additional 71,614 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Shinhan Financial Group by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 11,791 shares of the banks stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 349 shares during the period. Finally, BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Shinhan Financial Group by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,825,885 shares of the banks stock valued at $61,038,000 after buying an additional 32,458 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 2.69% of the companys stock. Shinhan Financial Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) Shinhan Financial Group Co, Ltd. provides financial products and services in South Korea and internationally. The company operates through six segments: Banking, Credit Card, Securities, Life Insurance, Credit, and Others. It offers retail banking services, including demand, savings, and fixed deposit-taking; checking accounts; mortgage and home equity, and retail lending; electronic banking and automatic teller machines (ATM); and bill paying, payroll and check-cashing, currency exchange, and wire fund transfer services. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Shinhan Financial Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Shinhan Financial Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shira Ridge Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV Free Report) by 2.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,681 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 182 shares during the quarter. Shira Ridge Wealth Managements holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $486,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in USMV. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 140,054.1% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,961,456 shares of the companys stock valued at $790,321,000 after buying an additional 10,953,635 shares in the last quarter. Allstate Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $308,588,000. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp bought a new stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $234,835,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 483.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,685,247 shares of the companys stock valued at $121,507,000 after buying an additional 1,396,259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 15,673,112 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,130,031,000 after buying an additional 1,111,338 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF alerts: iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Stock Down 0.2 % USMV traded down $0.17 on Tuesday, reaching $74.79. 1,981,271 shares of the company traded hands. The company has a market cap of $28.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.17 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.89. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a one year low of $47.44 and a one year high of $55.45. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Company 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. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding USMV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV Free Report). 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. Squarespace (NYSE:SQSP Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by stock analysts at Barclays from $29.00 to $33.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Barclayss price target would suggest a potential upside of 7.42% from the stocks previous close. Several other research analysts have also weighed in on SQSP. Citigroup raised Squarespace from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their target price for the stock from $30.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. Credit Suisse Group increased their target price on Squarespace from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 10th. Mizuho upped their price target on Squarespace from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, May 10th. B. Riley started coverage on Squarespace in a report on Wednesday, June 28th. They issued a buy rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Squarespace from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, May 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $32.92. Get Squarespace alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Squarespace Squarespace Trading Down 4.2 % Insider Transactions at Squarespace Shares of NYSE SQSP traded down $1.34 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $30.72. The company had a trading volume of 847,772 shares, compared to its average volume of 705,013. The stock has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a PE ratio of -25.60 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $31.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.77. Squarespace has a 1-year low of $16.86 and a 1-year high of $34.38. In other Squarespace news, CEO Anthony Casalena sold 52,546 shares of Squarespace stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.88, for a total transaction of $1,727,712.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,569,489 shares in the company, valued at $150,244,798.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, General Counsel Courtenay Oconnor sold 2,091 shares of Squarespace stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.55, for a total value of $63,880.05. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 38,216 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,167,498.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Anthony Casalena sold 52,546 shares of Squarespace stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.88, for a total value of $1,727,712.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,569,489 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $150,244,798.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 286,312 shares of company stock worth $9,029,230 in the last three months. Insiders own 47.14% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Squarespace A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SQSP. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Squarespace by 46.9% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 71,287 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,248,000 after buying an additional 22,768 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Squarespace in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,165,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Squarespace in the second quarter valued at approximately $510,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Squarespace by 266.0% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,160,423 shares of the companys stock valued at $36,582,000 after buying an additional 843,404 shares during the period. Finally, American International Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Squarespace by 46.4% in the second quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 21,515 shares of the companys stock valued at $679,000 after buying an additional 6,816 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 40.38% of the companys stock. Squarespace Company Profile (Get Free Report) Squarespace, Inc operates platform for businesses and independent creators to build online presence, grow their brands, and manage their businesses across the internet. Its suite of integrated products enables users to manage their projects and businesses through websites, domains, e-commerce, marketing tools, scheduling, and hospitality services, as well as tools for managing a social media presence. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Squarespace Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Squarespace and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Stokes Family Office LLC reduced its position in shares of iShares International Equity Factor ETF (NYSEARCA:INTF Free Report) by 8.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,113,482 shares of the companys stock after selling 101,794 shares during the period. iShares International Equity Factor ETF makes up about 3.7% of Stokes Family Office LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Stokes Family Office LLC owned approximately 3.08% of iShares International Equity Factor ETF worth $29,496,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of iShares International Equity Factor ETF during the first quarter valued at about $71,000. Bank of Montreal Can acquired a new stake in shares of iShares International Equity Factor ETF during the first quarter worth $29,000. Cowa LLC grew its position in iShares International Equity Factor ETF by 9,901.8% in the first quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 5,344,258 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,479,000 after purchasing an additional 5,290,825 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of iShares International Equity Factor ETF by 38.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 22,878 shares of the companys stock valued at $633,000 after acquiring an additional 6,394 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares International Equity Factor ETF by 111.2% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 220,946 shares of the companys stock worth $6,114,000 after buying an additional 116,345 shares during the last quarter. Get iShares International Equity Factor ETF alerts: iShares International Equity Factor ETF Stock Down 0.7 % Shares of NYSEARCA:INTF traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $26.97. The stock had a trading volume of 37,363 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,263. The company has a market capitalization of $941.25 million, a P/E ratio of 10.65 and a beta of 0.87. The companys 50-day moving average price is $26.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.61. iShares International Equity Factor ETF has a fifty-two week low of $20.47 and a fifty-two week high of $27.78. iShares International Equity Factor ETF Profile The iShares International Equity Factor ETF (INTF) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the STOXX International Equity Factor index. The fund tracks an index of large- and mid-cap equities in developed markets outside the US. Stocks are selected and weighted to maximize exposure to five factors: momentum, quality, value, low volatility, and size. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding INTF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares International Equity Factor ETF (NYSEARCA:INTF Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares International Equity Factor ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares International Equity Factor ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors acquired 7,045 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 912% compared to the typical volume of 696 call options. Insider Activity In other news, Director Deanna L. Goodwin sold 112,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.69, for a total transaction of $749,280.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 99,532 shares in the company, valued at approximately $665,869.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Get Kosmos Energy alerts: Institutional Trading of Kosmos Energy Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Kosmos Energy by 2.1% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 626,228 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $3,751,000 after purchasing an additional 13,010 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kosmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $220,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Kosmos Energy by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 53,918 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $323,000 after buying an additional 4,216 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 5.7% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 67,601 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $405,000 after acquiring an additional 3,657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American International Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 0.9% in the second quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 219,882 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $1,317,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.51% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Kosmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a sell rating on the stock. Benchmark reissued a buy rating and set a $10.00 target price on shares of Kosmos Energy in a report on Tuesday. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Kosmos Energy from $9.50 to $9.40 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Redburn Partners assumed coverage on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 20th. They set a buy rating and a $9.00 price target on the stock. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Kosmos Energy from a c rating to a b- rating in a report on Tuesday, May 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kosmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $130.32. Read Our Latest Analysis on KOS Kosmos Energy Stock Performance Shares of KOS stock opened at $7.25 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $6.40 and a 200-day moving average of $6.87. The company has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 2.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.52. Kosmos Energy has a 52 week low of $4.64 and a 52 week high of $8.55. Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Sunday, August 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.10 by ($0.04). Kosmos Energy had a net margin of 15.16% and a return on equity of 51.10%. The business had revenue of $273.32 million for the quarter. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Kosmos Energy will post 0.92 earnings per share for the current year. About Kosmos Energy (Get Free Report) Kosmos Energy Ltd. engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas properties along the Atlantic Margins in the United States. The company's primary assets include production projects located in offshore Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, as well as a gas projects located in offshore Mauritania and Senegal. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Kosmos Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kosmos Energy 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 report published on Sunday. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the technology companys stock. WidePoint Price Performance WYY remained flat at $1.81 during midday trading on Friday. The companys stock had a trading volume of 5,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 26,526. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1.93. The company has a market cap of $15.81 million, a PE ratio of -1.04 and a beta of 1.04. WidePoint has a fifty-two week low of $1.70 and a fifty-two week high of $3.06. Get WidePoint alerts: WidePoint (NYSEAMERICAN:WYY Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 15th. The technology company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. WidePoint had a positive return on equity of 2.98% and a negative net margin of 16.03%. The firm had revenue of $25.27 million during the quarter. Institutional Inflows and Outflows About WidePoint Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WYY. Citadel Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of WidePoint by 121.1% in the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 13,577 shares of the technology companys stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 7,437 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG purchased a new stake in shares of WidePoint in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of WidePoint by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 43,483 shares of the technology companys stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 9,377 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. grew its stake in shares of WidePoint by 49.8% in the 2nd quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. now owns 36,487 shares of the technology companys stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 12,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna International Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of WidePoint in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. 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. Featured Stories 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of WPP (NYSE:WPP Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning. WPP Stock Performance Shares of WPP traded down $1.44 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $50.24. The companys stock had a trading volume of 186,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 94,670. The company has a market cap of $10.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.39, a PEG ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.82. WPP has a 52-week low of $39.67 and a 52-week high of $64.07. Get WPP alerts: WPP Cuts Dividend The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 13th will be given a $0.9536 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 12th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.9%. WPPs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.88%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On WPP WPP Company Profile A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WPP. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its position in shares of WPP by 2,330.9% in the first quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 349,753 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $20,817,000 after acquiring an additional 335,365 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new position in shares of WPP during the second quarter worth approximately $5,455,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD purchased a new position in shares of WPP during the third quarter worth approximately $2,866,000. Leuthold Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of WPP during the second quarter worth approximately $3,459,000. Finally, Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of WPP during the second quarter worth approximately $3,000,000. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. (Get Free Report) WPP plc, a creative transformation company, provides communications, experience, commerce, and technology services in North America, the United Kingdom, Western Continental Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe. The company operates through three segments: Global Integrated Agencies, Public Relations, and Specialist Agencies. Read More Receive News & Ratings for WPP Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WPP and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report) by 4.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 518,686 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 21,776 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbanks holdings in Altria Group were worth $23,144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake 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 during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 5.2% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 18,647 shares of the companys stock worth $974,000 after buying an additional 929 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,711,773 shares of the companys stock valued at $141,690,000 after acquiring an additional 89,334 shares during the period. Finally, First Western Trust Bank purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 1st quarter worth $498,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.38% of the companys stock. Get Altria Group alerts: Altria Group Stock Up 0.4 % Shares of MO traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $44.41. The company had a trading volume of 465,619 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,731,547. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $44.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.61, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.59. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.35 and a 52-week high of $51.57. Altria Group Dividend Announcement Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $1.31. Altria Group had a net margin of 27.40% and a negative return on equity of 225.61%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.26 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were given a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.47%. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.69%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth MO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their price target on Altria Group from $49.50 to $47.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. They set a buy rating and a $52.00 price target for the company. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $46.00. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on MO 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. Recommended 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. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO Free Report) (TSE:BMO) by 2.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 197,359 shares of the banks stock after purchasing an additional 4,514 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbanks holdings in Bank of Montreal were worth $17,555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Bank of Montreal in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bank of Montreal by 339.0% in the 4th quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 439 shares of the banks stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Bank of Montreal in the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Bank of Montreal in the 1st quarter valued at about $78,000. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Bank of Montreal in the 1st quarter valued at about $11,685,000. Institutional investors own 40.18% of the companys stock. Get Bank of Montreal alerts: Bank of Montreal Stock Performance Bank of Montreal stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $88.15. 70,701 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 586,063. Bank of Montreal has a 52 week low of $81.57 and a 52 week high of $105.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market cap of $63.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.15. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $89.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $91.25. Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend Bank of Montreal ( NYSE:BMO Get Free Report ) (TSE:BMO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 24th. The bank reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.35 by ($0.19). Bank of Montreal had a return on equity of 13.14% and a net margin of 12.83%. The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter. On average, analysts expect that Bank of Montreal will post 9.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, July 28th will be paid a $1.085 dividend. This is a boost from Bank of Montreals previous quarterly dividend of $1.08. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 27th. Bank of Montreals payout ratio is 58.37%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Bank of Montreal from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, July 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bank of Montreal has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $149.50. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Bank of Montreal 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. Featured Stories 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. An aerial view of a wildfire in Kihei, Maui County, Hawaii, on 8 August 2023. Photo: Clint Hansen / Maui Real Estate / Reuters By Holly Yan, Amanda Jackson, Jamiel Lynch and Chris Boyette 9 August 2023 (CNN) The wildfires raging out of control in Maui are so catastrophic, some residents are hurling themselves into the ocean to escape the flames. Even emergency crews might not be able to help as the infernos fueled in part by Hurricane Dora churning some 800 miles away have cut off 911 services and communications in Maui. 911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke told CNN on Wednesday morning. Our hospital system on Maui, they are overburdened with burn patients, people suffering from inhalation, she said. The reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support because Maui hospital cannot do extensive burn treatment. People watch as smoke and flames fill the air from raging wildfires on Front Street in downtown Lahaina, Maui on Tuesday, 9 August 2023. Wildfire in the historic town burned parts of one of the most popular tourist areas in Hawaii. County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said in a phone interview early Wednesday that fire was widespread in Lahaina, including Front Street, an area of the town popular with tourists. Photo: Alan Dickar / AP The disaster also has wiped out power to about 14,000 homes and businesses in Maui, according to PowerOutage.us. Clint Hansen took drone video Tuesday night that showed wildfires spreading just north of Kihei. Lahaina has been devastated, Hansen told CNN. People jumping in the ocean to escape the flames, being rescued by the Coast Guard. All boat owners are being asked to rescue people. Its apocalyptic. [more] Its apocalyptic: People jump into the ocean to flee Maui wildfires as patients overwhelm hospitals and 911 gets cut off This photo provided by County of Maui shows fire and smoke filling the sky from wildfires on the intersection at Hokiokio Place and Lahaina Bypass in Maui, Hawaii on Tuesday, 8 August 2023. Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds burned multiple structures in areas including historic Lahaina town, forcing evacuations and closing schools in several communities Wednesday, and rescuers pulled a dozen people escaping smoke and flames from the ocean. Photo: Zeke Kalua / County of Maui / AP People in Hawaii flee into ocean to escape wildfires that are burning a popular Maui tourist town By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher 9 August 2023 HONOLULU (AP) Wind-whipped wildfires raced through parts of Hawaii on Wednesday, burning down businesses in a historic town on the island of Maui, forcing evacuations and leading some to flee to the relative safety of the ocean, where they were rescued by the Coast Guard. Fire was widespread in Lahaina Town, including on Front Street, an area that is popular with tourists, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said by phone early Wednesday. Traffic has been very heavy as people try to evacuate, and officials asked people who werent in an evacuation area to shelter in place to avoid adding to the traffic, she said. Photos posted by the county overnight showed a line of flames blazing across an intersection in Lahaina and leaping above buildings in the town, whose historic district is on the National Register of Historic Places. Do NOT go to Lahaina Town, the county tweeted hours before all roads in and out of West Mauis biggest community were closed to everyone except emergency personnel. The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which was passing to the south of the island chain at a safe distance of 500 miles (805 kilometers), was partly to blame for gusts above 60 mph (97 kph) that knocked out power, rattled homes and grounded firefighting helicopters. Dangerous fire conditions created by strong winds and low humidity were expected to last through Wednesday afternoon, the weather service said. Smoke rises from a wildfire in Maui, Hawaii, on Tuesday, 9 August 2023. Photo: Dominika Durisova / Reuters The Coast Guard on Tuesday responded to areas where people had fled into the ocean to escape the fire and smoky conditions, the county said in a statement. The Coast Guard tweeted that a crew rescued 12 people from the water off Lahaina. Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation on behalf of Gov. Josh Green, who is traveling, and activated the Hawaii National Guard to assist. Officials were not aware of any deaths and knew of only one injury, a firefighter who was hospitalized in stable condition after inhaling smoke, Martin said. Theres no count available for the number of structures that have burned or the number of people who have evacuated, but Martin said there were four shelters open and that more than 1,000 people were at the largest. This is so unprecedented, Martin said, noting that multiple districts were affected. An emergency in the night is terrifying, she said, and the darkness makes it hard to gauge the extent of the damage. Right now it is all-hands-on-deck and we are anxious for daybreak, she said. Alan Dickar said hes not sure what remains of his Vintage European Posters gallery, which was a fixture on Front Street in Lahaina for 23 years. Before evacuating with three friends and two cats, Dickar recorded video of flames engulfing the main strip of shops and restaurants frequented by tourists. Every significant thing I owned burned down today, he said. Ill be OK. I got out safely. Dickar, who assumed the three homes he owns burned down, said it will take a heroic effort to rebuild what has burned in Lahaina, which is home to about 13,000 people. Everyone who comes to Maui, the one place that everybody goes is Front Street, he said. The central two blocks is the economic heart of this island, and I dont know whats left. Smoke blows across the slope of Haleakala volcano on Maui, Hawaii, as a fire burns in Mauis upcountry region on Tuesday, 8 August 2023. Several Hawaii communities were forced to evacuate from wildfires that destroyed at least two homes as of Tuesday as a dry season mixed with strong wind gusts made for dangerous fire conditions. Photo: Matthew Thayer / The Maui News / AP The fires werent only raging on Maui. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a disaster declaration to provide assistance with a fire that threatened about 200 homes in and around Kohala Ranch, a small rural community on the Big Island, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. When the request was made, the fire had burned more than 600 acres (243 hectares) and was uncontained. Fire crews on Maui were battling multiple blazes concentrated in two areas: the tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. In West Maui, 911 service was not available and residents were directed to call the police department directly. Because of the wind gusts, helicopters werent able to dump water on the fires or get aerial estimates of the fire sizes, and firefighters were encountering roads blocked by downed trees and power lines as they worked the inland fires, Martin said. About 14,500 customers in Maui were without power early Wednesday, according to poweroutage.us. Its definitely one of the more challenging days for our island given that its multiple fires, multiple evacuations in the different district areas, Martin said. Winds were recorded at 80 mph (129 kph) in inland Maui and one fire that was believed to be contained earlier Tuesday flared up hours later with the big winds, she added. The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house, Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said. [more] People In Hawaii Flee Into Ocean To Escape Wildfires That Are Burning A Popular Maui Tourist Town ANI Technologies-owned Ola on August 9 reported a consolidated revenue of Rs 1,970.42 crore during the financial year 2022 (FY22), up nearly 100 percent year-on-year (YoY), showed filings sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC). In FY21, Ola reported a consolidated revenue of Rs 983 crore. The company reported a consolidated loss of Rs 1,522.3 crore in FY22, up by around 36.3 percent YoY mainly on account of a rise in its overall expenses. In FY21 Ola reported a loss of Rs 1,116 crore. The firms total expenses were at around Rs 3,362 crore, up by around 67.5 percent year on year. Olas employee benefit expense which includes expenses such as salaries and wages, contribution to Provident Fund, and staff welfare was recorded at Rs 552 crore in FY22 as against Rs 436 crore in FY21. ANI Technologies operates multiple subsidiaries including Ola Electric, Pickup.ai, Ola Fleet Technologies, Ola Financial Services and outside India operations like Ola Singapore Pte Ltd and in other regions including the USA and France. Its EV subsidiary, Ola Electric, recorded an operating loss of $136 million on a revenue of $335 million in the last FY22 which concluded in March, as per a Reuters report. The losses reported by the startup also come at a time when its investors are marking down their fair value of Ola. On August 1, Vanguard cut the fair value of ANI Technologies, the parent company of ride-hailing platform Ola, for the second time in three months, effectively valuing it at less than half of its previous valuation. Vanguard, which holds 166,185 shares of Ola or about 0.7 percent stake in the company, has pegged the fair value of its stake at $25,038,000, down from its acquisition cost of $51,748,000, the AMC's regulatory filings showed. Uber India, which directly competes with Olas cab aggregation business, reported a rise in revenue of 7 percent to Rs 396.5 crore. Ubers total loss fell to Rs 216.42 crore, from Rs 333.89 crore in FY21. On August 7, IndiGo operated its maiden non-stop flight to Indonesias capital Jakarta from Indias financial capital, Mumbai. Later this week, Batik Air Indonesia will start flights between Medan and Chennai. For two countries as large as India and Indonesia, which have traditional bonds and growing trade, it is surprising that the connectivity has thus far been lacklustre to say the least. Indonesia ranks seventh in imports for India and 4.02 percent of our Indias imports are from Indonesia. About two percent of Indias total exports are to Indonesia, yet there has not been any direct connectivity between the two countries. As both IndiGo and airlines part of the Air India group have publicly stated that international expansion is their focus area going forward, the immediate links could be those where trade is high but connectivity low. A look at the trade numbers A look at the data released by the Ministry of Commerce for the top 10 countries India imports from and exports to, shows that there are six countries which are present in both lists. These include the United States of America, UAE, China, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. In addition, the list of top countries where India exports includes the Netherlands, Bangladesh, the UK and Germany, while the countries from which India imports include Russia, South Korea, Iraq and Australia. How does it translate to connectivity? Data shared by OAG Aviation exclusively for this article shows that there isnt much of a correlation between the quantum of trade and connectivity. For example, there are 18,051 weekly seats each way between India and the United States, but 1,31,418 seats between India and Dubai alone. When all airports in the UAE are clubbed, the seats on offer per week rise to 2,27,193 each way! Singapore, on the other hand, sees 55,922 seats each way per week. Between India and Saudi Arabia, there are 55,683 weekly seats each way. Trade is just one part of the traffic driver, there are other aspects as well. The migrant population in the Middle East, a large number from South India, is a major driver of connectivity between the two countries. Then there are the middle eastern airlines who have considerable presence in India to feed their global network and work on a mix of superior products and lack of direct flights by Indian carriers. Impact on bilaterals? International flights are governed by Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA).While the United States and India have an open skies agreement, the one between India and the UK is restricted by frequencies while that between India and Dubai is restricted by seats per week. Over the years, multiple countries have requested additional seats and India has time and again pushed back demands, focusing instead on giving room to the local carriers to grow. Among the top 10 importing and exporting countries, the Indian carriers do not fly to Russia and Iraq while connectivity to Indonesia has just started. As Air India starts receiving planes from its mega order and IndiGo charts its expansion path, are these the blanks which will get filled up? In an interview with CNBC TV-18 Amit Mahajan, Director-Technical & R&D, Paras Defence & Space Tech said that the company's Q1 margin was impacted by higher employee costs and that they are targeting Rs 100 crore revenue from the drone business by FY25. When asked about the company's ability to achieve its predicted profit margin of 30-40 percent for the current year, Mahajan said he wouldn't revise the prediction as the company has a strong order book value. Also Read: Paras Defence Consolidated June 2023 Net Sales at Rs 48.32 crore, up 18.55% YoY "I have always maintained we are a company, which cannot be judged on the basis of quarterly results so I am not going to revise my guidance. It is between conservatively 30-40 percent and this quarter is in no way an indicator as to how we're gonna perform in the coming year," Mahajan said. The director also addressed the slight reductions in margins, which the company witnessed in this quarter but cited investments in manpower as a reason for the decline. "Our margins will sustain, the quarter one shows a slight reduction in margins but that's probably because our employee benefit costs have gone up in the last few months because we have been investing in our own manpower, which is going to fuel our growth in the future," he added. Also Read: Paras Defence shares surge 7% on JV with Israeli company When asked about the range in which the margin is likely to be in the next couple of quarters, Mahajan said that the company is likely to close the year with a margin of "28-30 percent or slightly better than that". Talking about the company's future bids and the status of the company's order book value, Mahajan said the order book stands in excess of Rs 650 crore. He also added that the company has opportunities in front of it in excess of Rs 2,000 crore. "We have opportunities in front of us in excess of Rs 2000 crore so that's that's something which is increasing exponentially from year on year," Mahajan said. When asked about the contribution of Paras Defence & Space Tech's drone business and export orders in the overall order book value, he said the drone business accounts for less than five percent of the total order book value. "If you want me to put in absolute figures it is(drone business) still less than five percent of our order book value so drones are yet to make a positive influence, which is a good sign," Mahajan said. Addressing the company's possible foray into exports, the director said that the company is not focussed on exports at the moment and is busy with domestic opportunities. However, he didn't rule out the possibility and said that the exports would come as a 'natural growth or progression' in a year or two. Co-working space provider WeWork issued a warning on August 8, saying its management needed to raise additional capital to keep the company afloat and maintain liquidity over the next 12 months. The company also said there was substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern, and said three board members had stepped down. Addressing their India business the co-working space provider has clarified that 'any development globally has no impact on our business here'. The company also said that WeWork India is backed by Embassy Group who holds the majority stake. The company reassured their claims by adding that despite the pandemic the company emerged profitable last year, ending FY23 with a revenue of Rs 1,400 crore & Rs 250 crore in earnings. Israeli investor Adam Neumann started the business in 2010 with designer Miguel McKelvey. Their vision was to lease office space and then rent smaller parcels to customers. In this explainer, we take a look at why the co-working space provider is in dire straits. Membership cancellations As of today, the New York-based company is bleeding cash, and customers of its office rentals are cancelling their memberships in droves, according to WeWorks statement. The company has also been impacted by the larger changes in the market as trouble brews in the tech sector, where mass layoffs have become rampant. Also Read: WeWork raises going-concern doubt, shares tank Messy IPO debut Neumann attempted to take the company public in 2019. However, the attempt at an initial public offering crashed, despite considerable interest in the business. Investors failed to agree with the companys extravagant spending and Neumanns power-hungry eccentricities. Disclosures in the prospectus showed he was leasing space to the company in buildings he owned and charged his own business $5.9 million for a trademark on the name We, which he owned. Nearly four years on from the abortive IPO attempt, the company is yet to turn a profit. Neumanns departure and Covid Neumann was ousted in late 2019 and the company went through with a series of layoffs. WeWork undertook a change in leadership and brought in former Brookfield Properties group CEO Sandeep Mathrani to lead the company, hoping for a turnaround. Mathrani took over as CEO in February 2020, promising to stop the money bleed and restore order in the company. His term as CEO began during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Offices were shut across the globe as the virus forced prolonged lockdowns. Offices resorted to work-from-home setups and occupancy plunged, impacting the entire office space leasing industry. Exits by the top brass WeWork seemed to have achieved a milestone in March when it struck a deal with some of its biggest creditors and SoftBank to reduce its debt load by around $1.5 billion and extend other maturities. However, Mathrani's sudden exit in May left WeWork without a permanent replacement for the role. Mathrani suddenly stepped down for a job at Sycamore Partners. The company also witnessed the exit of top executives, including CFO Andre Fernandez in 2023. Mitigation plan In its release warning of difficult times ahead, WeWork also said that it was going to focus on reducing rental costs over the next 12 months. Additionally, the company is also looking at ways to negotiate more favorable leases, increase revenue and raise capital. Suzlon Energy on August 9 said the Securities Issue Committee of its board has decided to raise Rs 2,000 crore through the qualified institutional placement (QIP) route. The renewable energy solutions provider said its board sanctioned the proposal during a meeting on July 7, 2023. Subsequently, on August 8, the shareholders of the company endorsed the special resolution through a postal ballot, it added. The company said the committee has approved equity shares with a face value of Rs 2 each and fixed a floor price of Rs 18.44 per equity share to eligible qualified institutional buyers in accordance with the special resolution passed by the shareholders by way of postal ballot on August 8. The company also said it may offer a discount of not more than 5 percent on the floor price calculated for the Issue. "..the floor price in respect of the aforesaid Issue, based on the pricing formula prescribed under Regulation 176(1) of the SEBI ICDR Regulations and in accordance with the special resolution dated 8th August 2023 passed by the shareholders of the Company by way of postal ballot is Rs.18.44 per Equity Share. Pursuant to Regulation 176(1) of the SEBI ICDR Regulations, the Company may offer a discount of not more than 5% on the floor price so calculated for the Issue," Suzlon informed the exchanges. Suzlon further said the Securities Issue Committee would discuss the issue of endorsement of the issue price, and also any potential discounts on August 14. "We wish to inform you that a meeting of the Securities Issue Committee of the board of directors of the Company is scheduled to be held on Monday, 14th August 2023 to, inter alia, consider and approve the Issue price, including a discount, if any thereto, as permitted under the SEBI ICDR Regulations, for the Equity Shares to be allotted to qualified institutional buyers, pursuant to the Issue," the company said. The company was in the news for bagging an order for a 47.6 MW wind power project from KP Group in Gujarat. The project is located at Vagra in Gujarat's Bharuch district and is expected to be commissioned in 2024, a company statement said. Suzlon enjoys a market share of 33 percent in Indias domestic market based on total installations. It has 20GW of operational wind power capacity globally and is well ahead of its competitors, pointed out ICICI Securities. The companys existing order book at 1.5GW bodes well for execution through the next two years, the domestic brokerage firm observed. Suzlon Energy reported that its net profit in Q1FY24 was down 99.99 percent from Rs 2,305.87 crore in June 2022. Its EBITDA stood at Rs 100.66 crore in June 2023, up 2296.67 percent from Rs 4.20 crore in June 2022. Suzlon Energy shares on August 9 closed at Rs 19.50 apiece on the NSE, which was up 4.85 percent or Rs 0.90 percent from the previous day's close. AM Naik (81) may be stepping down as the Non-Executive Chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on September 30, passing on the baton to SN Subrahmanyan, but he will continue to be involved with the company as chairman of the employees trust, an advisor to the board, and chairman of the two information technology (IT) subsidiaries. In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol, Naik said that he will give up all his other roles only by 2025. "I am still the Consul General of Denmark until 2025. I have told the ambassador I can't continue beyond 2025. I am still the chairman of both IT companies for one year. I am still the advisor for L&T up to 2025. I have decided that by 2025, I will give up everything and only run the trust and my two trust social work ventures," Naik said. Naik is the Honorary Consul General for Denmark. Naik, who has worked at L&T for six decades, was appointed chief executive officer (CEO) in 1999 and chairman in 2003. The octogenarian has been conferred the status of chairman emeritus by the board. MC Interview: India needs to focus on speed and scale; hopeful of L&Ts future: Chairman AM Naik Naik, a veteran business leader, has been credited with thwarting two attempts at hostile takeover of L&T. He was instrumental in creating the Larsen & Toubro Employee Trust (LTET), which is the single largest shareholder of the company. "We saved L&T and formed an employees trust like the Tata Trust. This employees trust is the biggest shareholder, and its value has grown from nothing to Rs 52,000 crore. We have ring-fenced L&T to the extent possible," he said. SN Subrahmanyan, who is currently the CEO and Managing Director (MD) of the company, will take over as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) with effect from October 1. He was promoted to the roles of CEO and MD in 2017 after a rigorous selection process. Naik groomed him for the top job for three years before his elevation. "The trust is running many schemes to help retired L&T people as well as current L&T people beyond what the company can do out of its own medical scheme. It is promoting sports, and so on. A lot of creative work needs to be done at the trust, which I am doing," he said. "I am always a well-wisher for L&T. I keep talking to them. I will continue to talk to our chairman, Mr S N Subrahmanyan. Being the chairman of the trust, I am sure whoever is there will always be happy to talk to me," he added. Naik led L&Ts many diversifications, most notably in IT, as well as the initial public offerings (IPOs) of its subsidiaries. He will continue to be the chairman of LTI Mindtree and L&T Technology Services. Naik was the first professional manager to make it to the top 10 in the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2022. He founded two charitable trusts the Naik Charitable Trust for education and skill training, and the Nirali Memorial Medical Trust. The latter was named after his granddaughter, who died of cancer in 2007. The hurdles preventing the demerger of Shipping Corporation of India Land and Assets (SCILAL) and Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) are likely to be removed in the next couple of weeks, following which SCILAL will be listed on the stock exchanges, multiple sources aware of the ongoing proceedings said. There were two major hitches to the demerger. One related to the waiver of stamp duty by the Maharashtra government and the other to a letter from an SCI employees association to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). A senior government official told Moneycontrol that the issue surrounding the letter by the SCI employees association has been resolved and SCI will send a reply to the regulator and bourses this week. "A letter from some employees has gone to SEBI on categorising a particular property under SCI Land and Assets... The issue was already sorted, it's not that serious; the employees had got the wrong information. Most probably SCI will write a reply to SEBI this week," the official said. Emails sent to the ministries of finance, and ports, shipping and waterways, SCI and SEBI remained unanswered until the time of publication. The other issue of waiver of stamp duty by the Maharashtra government for the registration of SCILAL, expected to be around Rs 300 crore, is also expected to be resolved soon, multiple sources said. "We have requested the Maharashtra government to exempt stamp duty. So far the reply has not come," the government official cited above said, adding that financial bids for the company will be invited in September and that the listing of SCILAL will happen soon. Similarly, multiple senior executives from SCI told Moneycontrol that officials from the company, the Union government and the Maharashtra state revenue department met last week, and the state government is expected to forgo stamp duty. "The state government has agreed to waive stamp duty for the registration of SCILAL and a formal letter for the same is expected to come soon," a senior SCI officer said. Another senior SCI executive said that all formalities for the registration of SCILAL are likely to be completed in the next two weeks. The demerger of SCI and SCILAL into separate entities was approved by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in February this year but the demerger has faced multiple delays and is still pending. Earlier, the government had planned to list SCILAL on the stock exchanges by June but the process was delayed due to issues raised by SEBI. The government official mentioned above too said that there were a lot of institutional problems while getting SEBI approval for the listing of SCILAL. "SCI was still operating under the old Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 1952, which delayed the receipt of SEBI approval for the listing of SCILAL," the official said. As part of the strategic sale process, the government hived off the real estate assets of SCI Shipping House, a 19-storey building, and the Maritime Training Institute, both in Mumbai and certain other non-core assets to SCILAL. As per the balance sheet of SCI, the value of non-core assets meant for demerger as on March 31, 2022, stood at Rs 2,392 crore. The alternative mechanism (AM) approval for the divestment of SCI has also come in and SCI has already received the all-clear from the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) to transfer ownership of a training institute that was built on MHADA land to its demerged entity, SCILAL. The AM on strategic disinvestment consists of the finance minister, the minister for road transport and highways, and the minister representing the respective administrative departments to decide on matters relating to the terms and conditions of the sale. The AM for SCI comprises the ministers of finance, road transport and highways, and shipping. As part of the divestment of SCI, the central government is looking to sell its 63.75 percent stake in SCI. It expects three to five players to bid for its stake. Sources said that companies such as Vedanta, DP World and shipping firms from Norway and South Korea have shown interest in SCI in the virtual road shows that have been conducted. Based on the current stock market price, the government would rake in over Rs 3,010 crore for its stake in SCI. The company reported net sales of Rs 1,200 crore in the quarter ended June 2023, down 17.9 percent from Rs 1,462.2 crore in the corresponding quarter a year earlier. Net profit came in at Rs 171.6 crore, up 57 percent from Rs 109.2 crore a year ago. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) stood at Rs 363.8 crore in the quarter, compared with Rs 299 crore in the corresponding period in the previous fiscal. SCI has a fleet strength of 70 vessels and is the largest Indian shipping company, catering to the overseas and coastal transportation of goods. SCILAL was formed in November 2021 to hold the non-core assets of SCI, which falls under the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways. The SCIs board of directors authorised a demerger scheme in August last year. SCI announced the demerger of its land and assets in a 1:1 ratio, which was completed on March 31, 2023. Thus, if an investor held 100 shares of SCI, he or she would get an equal number of shares of SCILAL. In November 2020, the Union cabinet gave in-principle approval for the strategic divestment. In December 2020, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management invited expressions of interest for the disinvestment of the governments entire stake of 63.75 percent in SCI. The Lok Sabha passed the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill on August 7, bringing India closer to a legislation that specifically lays down provisions for safeguarding personal data. The Bill is set to come up in the Rajya Sabha on August 9. If it is passed, the Bill will become a law, after the Presidents assent. Here, we explain what exactly the Bill says, how it may affect citizens, and what options are there for a citizen to protest, if he/she is aggrieved. On whom and on what type of data does the DPDP Bill apply? The Bill, as it is named, will apply to personal data collected in India in a digital format, and in a non-digital format, if it is subsequently digitised. It will also apply to Indian citizens whose data is transferred to other countries for availing any goods or services. On what type of data is the Bill not applicable? It will not apply on personal data, available publicly. The Bill provides an illustration of this, which says: X, an individual, while blogging her views, has publicly made available her personal data on social media. In such cases, the provisions of this Act shall not apply. Who can process your personal data? The Bill uses the term data fiduciary to describe those who can process a persons data. Data fiduciaries can be anybody, including public and private bodies, that collects personal data and processes it. When can data fiduciaries (private and public bodies) process your data? A private entity, like a social media platform, or a government body can only process personal data after the person concerned has given her consent. The reason for processing a persons data has to be within law. Also read: Data protection board may block content, govt gives itself wide exemptions from provisions and more Accompanied with consent, users will also receive a notice from platforms, in English or in any of the major languages of the country. This notice will state the exact personal data of the user that is going to be processed, the purpose, process of grievance redressal, and so on. On the other hand, public or private entities, in specific cases, can also process personal data without consent. Will platforms be obliged to safeguard data that is stored with them? Yes. The Bill says that a data fiduciary will protect personal data in its possession or under its control, by taking reasonable security safeguards. This includes data that is being processed by a third party. If there is a data breach, the platform will have to notify the user, and the personal data protection regulator. Will there be a nodal body for data protection? What will be its powers? Yes. India will soon have its own data protection regulator, the Data Protection Board (DPB), which will be the nodal body for all data processing and data breach-related issues that may come up. The boards members, including the chairperson, will be appointed by the central government. They will be appointed for two years and can be reappointed. The board can direct mitigation measures in case of a personal data breach, inquire into it and also impose a penalty. It has to give the person concerned an opportunity to be heard, and can issue directions, and the person is bound to comply with the directions it gives. Also read: Will India's proposed data protection regulator have enough powers as global peers? The overarching powers of the DPB have been criticised, and its independence questioned. Although the legislation says that the board will function as an independent body, the government controls the appointees, its functions and more, analysts pointed out. Can a platform seek consent from a user, with terms and conditions that go against the aim of the Bill? No. The Bill provides an example of this. X, an individual, buys an insurance policy using the mobile app or website of Y, an insurer. She gives to Y her consent for (i) processing her personal data by Y for the purpose of issuing the policy, and (ii) waiving her right to file a complaint to the Data Protection Board of India. Part (ii) of the consent, relating to waiver of her right to file a complaint, shall be invalid. Can you ask a platform to stop processing your data? Yes. If a user has given her consent to a platform to process her data, she can still withdraw that consent, and the platform will be obliged to stop processing it. After a user withdraws her consent, the Bill states that the platform will cease to process the data within a reasonable time, based on legal obligations. When can platforms or governments access data without your consent? Public or private entities are empowered to process a persons data without her consent through the clause called certain legitimate uses which, as the name suggests, provides specific scenarios where consent wont be necessary. What are those scenarios? If someone has voluntarily given her personal data to a data fiduciary, and has not actively refused consent to process that data. An illustration given in this regard, reads: X, an individual, makes a purchase at Y, a pharmacy. She voluntarily provides Y her personal data and requests Y to acknowledge receipt of the payment made for the purchase by sending a message to her mobile phone. Y may process the personal data of X for the purpose of sending the receipt. The government can process ones data to provide subsidy, benefit, service, certificate, licence or permit The government can process a persons data for any function under any law.. in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India or security of State. For fulfilling any obligation under any law For complying with any judgement of a court For responding to a medical emergency For taking measures in cases of a disaster, or breakdown of public order. For employment purposes such as safeguarding employers from loss or liability Are there special provisions for processing childrens data? Yes. The DPDP Bill, which defines a child as someone below the age of 18, mandates that parental consent is required to process the data of a child. The Bill also puts a bar on tracking children or behavioural monitoring or targeted advertising at children. Also read: DPDP Bill: Restrictions on processing children's data will curtail innovation, say experts However, it has added the clause that if the government finds that a platform is safely processing the data of a child, they can take up children's data processing without consent of their parents, or even take up targeted advertising. Are there separate compliance requirements for significant data fiduciaries, and what are significant data fiduciaries? Yes. The central government can notify any data fiduciary as a significant data fiduciary based on the volume of personal data that it processes, the potential risk that this processing may have on users, risk to democracy, and so on. So, for all purposes, major MNCs, and big tech platforms can very well be notified as significant data fiduciaries. These platforms will have to appoint a data protection officer who will be the representative of the company with regard to the provisions of the Bill. The DPO should be based in India, should be a member responsible to the Board of Directors, and will also be the point of contact for the grievance redressal mechanism. If a significant data fiduciary fails to observe these additional obligations, the body can be fined up to Rs 150 crore. Can you ask platforms to give access to or erase your personal data stored with it? Yes. Users, provided they have given consent to the processing of that data, can request a platform to provide a summary of the data being processed. Significantly, a user can also ask the platform to share the identities of all other platforms and data processors with whom data has been shared. However, this provision will not apply if the data sharing happened for the purpose of prevention and detection of crimes. Similarly, a user can ask a platform to delete, modify or update the personal data stored with it. What are your duties as a user? Apart from laying down stringent clauses which mandate how a body can process a persons data, the Bill has certain duties assigned to a user. Firstly, a user cannot impersonate another person while providing their data, and the user cannot suppress any material information while providing personal data for any identifier that is issued by the government. The bill also puts the onus of furnishing "verifiably authentic" information if the user wants to modify or erase their data stored with a platform. When can a platform transfer your data outside the country? A users data cannot be transferred to countries which will be listed as restricted by the government. Also read: How India's DPDP Bill may impact cross border data transfer with EU companies "The central government may, by notification, restrict the transfer of personal data by a data fiduciary for processing to such country or territory outside India as may be so notified," the Bill says. Will all the rules, which will apply for a private platform, also apply for governments? If yes, how will that affect you? No. Section 17(2) of the Bill specifically says that all provisions of the Act, which includes giving consent to access data, obligation to keep data safe and so on will not apply when it comes to the "instrumentality" of the state or central government. The government may notify such instrumentalities in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, maintenance of public order or preventing incitement to any cognizable offence Also read: Data Protection Bill: Regulations like GDPR in EU give far more exemptions, says Ashwini Vaishnaw Additionally, the government will also have the power to call for information for the purposes of the Bill. Experts and critics of the Bill have pointed out that this provision may facilitate government surveillance, as the government can effectively put certain of its agencies beyond the purview of the Bill, if it wants to. Can a startup or a platform also be exempted from the compliance requirements of the bill? Yes. The bill says that the Central government can notify exemptions to a certain certain class of data fiduciaries including startups. If granted exemption, a platform will not have to give notice to a user detailing the type of personal data the platform can process; the purpose for which the data can be processed and so on. A platform can also be exempted from ensuring "completeness, accuracy and consistency" if it is processing personal data that can affect a user and also if that data is disclosed to another data fiduciary. Will the DPB have blocking powers? Yes. The DPB can ask the central government to block content. However, this will only be applicable if the platform has been fined twice for breaching the provisions of the Bill twice or more. The board can advise the government to block access to any information that is hosted on any computer resource that enables a data fiduciary to offer services to data principals. (I suppose it is principals.) What can you do if a platform has misused your data, or if you discover that your data has been breached? Firstly, if a user is aggrieved regarding any issue related to her personal data, she can approach the platforms grievance redressal mechanism. Secondly, a person will have the option to complain to the DPB in case of a personal data breach, or if it has been observed that there has been any contravention on the part of the platform, when it comes to compliance with the Bill and its provisions. Thirdly, if a person is not satisfied with the decision of the DPB, she can go for appeal at the Telecom Disputes and Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). What will happen to a platform if it has misused your data or breached provisions of the Bill? If the DPB determines that a data fiduciary has breached the provisions of the Bill, it can impose a monetary penalty on the platform. The penalty will depend on the nature, gravity, duration of the breach (of the provisions of the Bill) and so on. The Bill says that if a data fiduciary has been adjudged to have breached the provisions of the Act, specifically related to safeguards to personal data, the fine can extend to Rs 250 crore. If a data fiduciary fails to notify a persons data breach, the platform may attract a penalty of up to Rs 200 core. If a platform does not abide by the restrictions imposed on processing childrens data, the platform can be fined up to Rs 100 crore. What are the points of concern in the Bill that you should know about? Lawyers and digital experts have criticised the government for giving itself wide exemptions from the provisions of the Bill. The Editors Guild of India said that these provisions will clamp down on press freedom and lead to surveillance. Retired judge BN Srikrishna, who headed the committee that drafted the PDP Bill in 2018, said that the exemptions in the Bill were far "worse" when compared to the PDP (Personal Data Protection) Bill. Also read: All you need to know about Personal Data Protection Bill 2019, and why it was withdrawn Legal experts said the powers of the DPB seems to be very limited and vague" when compared to those set up by the European Union's General Data Protection Regulations and the UK's Data Protection Act. Provisions for penalties also fall short of those stated in the European Union's GDPR or similar laws in China, legal experts said. Last, but not the least, why are people talking about RTI in connection with the DPDP Bill? The Bill proposes amendments to the RTI Act, which would mandate that the personal information of public officials will not be disclosed under the RTI Act. Indian industry to take advantage of the global 'China plus one' sentiment and the Indian government should come up with a long-term strategy with a time-bound plan for implementation, said veteran industry leader AM Naik (81), who will be stepping down as non-executive chairman of the Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Group on September 30. "I think India has spent (the last) 50 years not very wisely, we should have spent a lot of time on building manufacturing like China and becoming self-sufficient in defence," Naik said in an exclusive interview to Moneycontrol, adding that Indian industry missed the boat on sectors like the smartphones and aeronautics. "China manufactures 70 percent of smartphones. India has just started. But India still depends on China for components. We must have a strong ancillary base to support the final product," Naik said. Also Read: Naik to pass on the baton to Subrahmanyan but will still be involved with L&T He added that China has been able to add aircraft manufacturing capacity in the last few decades while India has not created a manufacturing base for the aeronautical industry till now and depends on imports from the US, France and Russia. "While some indigenisation has taken place, a lot more must happen. The government has invested heavily in Hindustan Aeronautics. But the question is why in the past 50 years Hindustan Aeronautics has not been able to do what China did in less than thatmanufacture planes, including commercial planes," the industry expert with 60-plus years of experience said. He called for a think tank to make decisions on when India needs to move away from imports and set up manufacturing capacity indigenously. Naik added that in order to not fall behind in other sectors, Indian industry needs to act fast and set up large-scale manufacturing. "I am a restless man. I believe things should happen faster. There is a need for speed and scale," Naik said. Also read: MC Interview | India needs to focus on speed and scale; hopeful of L&Ts future: Chairman AM Naik Following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the disruption of global supply chains across the world, most large manufacturing companies have tried to adopt a "China plus one" strategy by diversifying their investments and manufacturing facilities and looking for alternative countries to set up a manufacturing base. He pointed out that while the scale of manufacturing has increased in India in the consumer goods, automobile, steel and electronic appliances sectors in the last few decades, the government should come up with long-term strategies to increase manufacturing scale for all sectors. Naik highlighted that under the current government, central policies have helped boost manufacturing capacities in India. "I have struggled my whole life with respect to government policies; there was always something or the other... There have always been challenges, but I think as time has passed, and particularly in the current prime ministers time, when he started talking, Atma Nirbhar Bharat What I was talking about alone is now the voice of men," Naik said. Naik added that L&T has been championing self-reliance in the key sectors of defence, nuclear power, space research, power and infrastructure. He called for Indian industry to not be afraid of international competition and pointed to L&T's foray into the information technology space as an inspiration for the growth of manufacturing in the country. "If you talk about international competition, where have we not had international competition? IT is 95 percent international and we started from zero. Look at all infrastructure, our hydrocarbon business is at least Rs 50,000 crore over the year which is outside India," Naik said. Naik, widely known as AMN, has been a part of L&T for more than 60 years. Throughout his tenure, he was instrumental in the companys fortune and in its transformation into a global conglomerate. Naik said that India has the potential to transform and grow any manufacturing industry in the country. "We have to have talent, which is so good and so devoted, that they can transform the company in terms of the applied technology, or creation of new technology. We need to have the right leadership," Naik said. He pointed out that going forward, the government needs to help the industry expand in the green energy segment. Naik throughout his tenure has been a champion of increasing manufacturing capacity in India to compete with global players. In July 2022, a grouping of 18 economies, including India, the US and the European Union, unveiled a roadmap for establishing collective supply chains that would be resilient in the long term. The roadmap also included steps to counter supply chain dependencies and vulnerabilities. This can be seen as a part of the overall China-plus-one strategy. Safaricom has confirmed the resignation of its Board Director and longstanding employee Michael Joseph. Since joining the operator in 2000, Joseph has twice served as chief executive officer, as well as a stint as chairman of the board. He was the founding CEO of the company, and is credited by Safaricom as "steering the company from a subscriber base of less than 18,000 in 2000 to over 17 million subscribers by his retirement in 2010". Josephs dual tenures as CEO are marked by major developments at Safaricom, perhaps most significantly the launch of the operators tremendously successful mobile money platform M-Pesa. Local outlet The East African notes that Joseph also took the company public in 2008 and oversaw the creation of the Safaricom and M-Pesa Foundations. The late Bob Collymore took over the CEO role from Joseph in November 2010, and remained at the helm until his death in July 2019, following which Safaricoms board opted to reinstate Joseph as interim CEO. He remained in the position for almost a year, during which time he was a key player in pushing Safaricom to enter the Ethiopian market. Joseph was succeeded as CEO by Peter Ndegwa in April 2020. Safaricom Ethiopia recently saw the unexpected departure of its first CEO, Anwar Soussa. Tech giants such as Apple, Dell and HP want India to extend by a year the deadline for the licences needed to ship in computers and related items following the government's move to slap import curbs on laptops, computers, tablets and other electronic devices, a report has said. The Centre imposed a licensing requirement to put a check on information technology (IT) hardware coming in with in-built security loopholes that may endanger sensitive personal and enterprise data, several reports said after the curbs were announced. The move is also likely to cut imports from countries like China. A day after it announced the curbs, the government on August 4 deferred the implementation of the decision to November 1 amid concerns that limited supplies cut push up prices. On August 8, top executives of several tech companies met senior ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) officials. They conveyed to the government that companies needed time to set up manufacturing units in India, the Economic Times reported. Moneycontrol couldn't verify the report independently. The companies need reasonable time to set up manufacturing. We are also unsure about the process for licensing, and the data needed from us. So, we will need this time, the financial daily quoted one of the industry executives present at the meeting as saying. Also Read: Apple, Samsung halt India laptop imports after sudden curbs For clearance of import consignments with effect from November 1, 2023, a valid licence for restricted imports is required, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said. At present, these imports are allowed freely. As internet penetration grows, the possibility of citizens being exposed to harm and criminality has also gone up, with cybersecurity incidents seeing a spike. As an IT and services hub, Indias import of items being put under restrictions was worth $8.8 billion in 2022-23 compared to the overall merchandise import bill of over $700 billion. Also Read: Laptop, PC import restrictions will lead to near-term price hikes, industry disruption: Experts The August 8 meeting was attended by large hardware companies and lobby groups Manufacturing Association of IT Hardware (MAIT) and the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA). The government said that the restrictions were not to restrain or ban imports but to reduce them and find ways of promoting exports by enhancing domestic manufacturing capabilities, the ET reported officials as saying. Also Read: India Restricts Laptop, Tablet Import | Here's Why The IT ministry might ask foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to give an estimate of how many units of top-end electronic products they were planning to import over the next year, especially after November 1. The idea is to understand the volumes and then look at the best possible ways for these imports to flow smoothly into India, the report quoted a source as saying. German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has launched its second-generation GLC for the Indian market. Priced in the range of Rs 73.5 lakh to Rs 74.5 lakh (ex-showroom), the compact luxury crossover sports utility vehicle (SUV) will be pitted against Volvo XC60, BMW X3, Lexus NX and Audi Q3. Pre-launch bookings for the new GLC are already underway for Rs 1.5 lakh. The SUV comes in two variantsthe GLC 300 4MATIC petrol and the GLC 220d 4MATIC dieselfeaturing the all-wheel 4MATIC as standard providing traction on all terrains. Nearly 1,500 units of this model have been booked so far. The company has invested nearly Rs 100 crore to upgrade its assembly unit at Chakan, Pune. Santosh Iyer, MD, Mercedes-Benz India, while unveiling the model, said, The launch of the new GLC will only make the core luxury segment even bigger, because this product was not available in the market for the last six months. The GLC is one of the 14 models the company assembles at its Chakan plant. It will be brought in as completely knocked down (CKD) kits imported from its parent company's facility in Bremen, Germany, and assembled at Chakan. GLC is the company's highest selling SUV in the country and also a key product globally. This year we expect this model to contribute around 15 percent of our sales. The bookings have commenced and the response is phenomenal, Lance Bennett, vice president of sales and marketing for Mercedes-Benz India, told Moneycontrol at the unveiling. The SUV will be offered with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol and a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine, which will get a 48V integrated starter motor that provides an additional 23hp. Both petrol and diesel engines will come paired with a 9-Speed 9G-Tronic automatic transmission. Apart from the features offered in the first-generation GLC, the 2024 GLC will be equipped with enhanced safety features including blind spot assist, active brake assist, parking with 360-degree camera, active lane-keeping assist, etc. The new GLC is also the first in the Mercedes-Benz SUV portfolio to get the latest NTG 7 infotainment system and is larger than its predecessor, which helps in packing in significantly more cabin and boot space, the company claims. Nearly 2.6 million GLCs were sold last year worldwide, making it the highest-selling model for the luxury carmaker. The company sold 13,000 units of this model in India. Mercedes Benz India is aiming for a double-digit sales growth this year and expects the contribution of SUVs to go up from 52 percent currently to nearly 60 percent. The remaining 48 percent is derived from luxury sedans like the C-Class, E-Class and S-Class. "We've got some really good demand in the first couple of weeks of order taking. The GLC is a very important product for us. I wont be surprised if the SUVs share goes up to 60 percent by the end of this year, added Bennet. When queried about new rollouts, Bennett said the company has already introduced the AMG E53, AMG GT 63 e-Performance, AMG A45, G400d and AMG SL55, and is gearing up to drive in more vehicles by 2023-end. On whether the company is looking to assemble more products in the country, he said the automaker keeps evaluating such proposals. "In the second half of the year, we have lined up five products out of which one would be an EV (electric vehicle)," he said. He didn't specify whether it would be an e-SUV or an e-sedan. Regarding plans for the upcoming festive season, Bennett said the company is in the process of ramping up supplies to deliver cars to customers during the period. SEBI, which regulates Depositories (NSDL and CDSL), has simplified the death claim settlement process, listing document requirements for transmission under diverse scenarios. In spite of this, nominees / heirs / beneficiaries continue to be vulnerable targets, with a few depository participants and banks disregarding the notifications. Three such cases came to our attention recently. Sharthake Dikshit (from Kolkata) died with a will bequeathing his entire wealth to his wife Umadevi Dikshit. His demat account with a leading private sector bank was in his sole name and had no nomination. A probate was awarded by the Kolkata High Court (a probate is a judicial process to examine the authenticity of a will and duly pass a probate order). Umadevi submitted an application for closure of the demat account of the deceased with a transmission request enclosing the notarised copy of the Probate and CML of her demat account. The depository participant rejected the application with a rejection memo seeking a no objection certificate from all legal heirs on non-judicial stamp paper of Rs100 or a copy of the family settlement deed executed by all legal heirs. Also read | Struggling With Financial Problem? Know How Much You Can Partially Withdraw From Your Existing Savings Umadevi made a representation to the depository participant with a copy to NSDL and SEBI as the rejection is tantamount to challenging the decision of the competent court of jurisdiction, which undergoes a rigorous process before awarding Probate. The Depository participant and depository NSDL have not been responsive. Passing away in a foreign land Premlata Maheshvari, a widow (from Chennai) had a demat account in her sole name with her daughter as registered nominee with a depository participant owned/ sponsored by a public sector bank, wherein she also had a savings bank account (linked to this demat account). In 2020, during a holiday to the US, she died due to a pulmonary issue. Her death certificate was issued by The California Department of Public Health Vital Records. A transmission request by Saraswati Maheshvari, Premalatas daughter, was refused on the grounds that the same needed to be apostilled by the Indian embassy, as required by NSDL. Interestingly no such stipulation exists in NSDL or under SEBI guidelines. Further an additional objection mentioned that the death certificate had no barcode, thereby disallowing online authentication. The depository participant was informed that a barcode is meant for unique identification during issuance and is starkly different from a QR Code (prevalent in Indian death certificates), which enables online authentication. A SEBI circular dated May 18, 2022 (Clause no 6.2) categorically states that a transmission form duly signed by the nominee with the original death certificate or copy of the death certificate attested by a notary public or by a gazetted officer is a valid submission. Further the NSDL Compliance Manual for Depository Participants also endorses the same requirement. The officer concerned abstained from answering calls / emails and correspondence. Also read | Why a separate healthcare fund is a must for those living with Parkinsons, Alzheimers diseases Saraswati submitted the proof that the public sector bank (sponsor/ owner of the depository participant) had already processed the death claim on the same death certificate. The high market value of the securities and the unrealistic attitude of the official made her succumb to pressure and arrange for a new death certificate from San Diego, duly notarised by the US notary, which finally broke the deadlock. All representations made to NSDL officials and to SEBI remain unanswered even after five months. PAN card in the name of the estate Aspi Nousheer Panthaki (87), a bachelor, died with a will naming a priest of the Agiary (Parsi fire temple), his niece, the son-in-law of his youngest sister and his maternal cousin jointly or severally as executors. The term jointly or severally means that any one of them individually can be the executors. Panthakis will was located and the Probate was secured, with the niece as executor. (some of the others named as executors had passed on by then; one person was overseas). A PAN card application was made for the estate of Aspi Nousheer Panthaki when a person dies, all his or her assets become a part of the estate. Hence, when there are multiple beneficiaries, only the estate (which is an artificial person) can distribute the assets seamlessly this is a preferred structure for tax compliance. This also means that the demat account and the bank account into which the estates assets, such as shares and money, would be deposited to be eventually distributed to the beneficiaries, also has to be held in the estates name. When Panthakis niece (the named executor, as per the courts probate) approached a leading private sector bank to open a 3-in-1 account to enable wealth distribution, she got a shock. The bank refused to open a demat account as per the PAN card (the estates PAN card), stating that a depository account can be opened only in the name of executor, or as per NSDL confirmation. Also read | Retail investors prefer index funds over ETF while going passive: Motilal Oswal AMC Survey An application form of another leading private sector bank states that the estate account is to be treated like a Trust account and no cheque book/ debit card/ net banking facilities will be provided. And this account, once opened, must be closed within six months. That is another bizarre rule how can wealth be distributed to legal heirs in the absence of a cheque book or internet banking or even within six months? Plus, a defined closure time can hurt if it takes longer to distribute wealth to legal heirs, especially if real estate assets need to be sold. Coming back to Panthakis case, in spite of the probate, the bank has been seeking an affidavit from legal heirs that they are legitimate heirs and are required to indemnify the bank, while showing a willingness to open an account as per the PAN card. This defeats not only the sanctity of the probate but also the purpose of an estate account and distribution among multiple beneficiaries. While a digitally enabled grievance redressal mechanism exists with depositories (NSDL and CDSL), the lack of clarity among depository participants is acting as a damper, lengthening the transmission process. Its time SEBI reviewed the situation and took appropriate steps in the interest of investors. Indias laws on inheritance, coupled with court procedure, are well laid out to ensure smooth transmission of assets once a person dies. However, unnecessary roadblocks by depositories and bank accounts create roadblocks that result in large sums with estates lying in limbo. [Names have been changed to protect identities] Real-estate developer Dosti Realty, which is active in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Pune, said on August 9 that it has signed Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor as its brand ambassador for a project named Dosti Greater Thane in MMR. The company is constructing a new phase in the project, spread across 20.61 lakh sq ft. It is expected to have 1 and 2 BHK apartments in the Rs 39.99 lakh to Rs 55.49 lakh range. The project will have 5,020 units and the completion will be in phases, between 2027 and 2028. "The partnership with Anil Kapoor reflects the excellence and reputation that Dosti Realty has developed over the years," said Deepak Goradia, Chairman and Managing Director, Dosti Realty. "The project location offers unbeatable connectivity as it is less than 10 minutes from Thane. The actors reputation aligns seamlessly with the long illustrious history of Dosti Realty. As a company, we continuously seek opportunities to collaborate with people who share our brand's values and exemplify our vision for excellence," said Anuj Goradia, Director, Dosti Realty. "As an artist, I have always believed in embracing roles that connect with people on a profound level. Becoming the brand ambassador for Dosti Greater, Thane, is a natural extension of this ethos. Dosti Realty's commitment to crafting homes that elevate lifestyles resonates deeply with me. Just as I strive to deliver memorable performances, Dosti Realty strives to create living spaces that leave an indelible mark on residents' lives," said actor Anil Kapoor. Dosti Realty had recently announced its foray into the Pune real-estate market and has a portfolio of 129 properties, with over 11.70 million sq ft. Further, the trend of signing Bollywood actors as brand ambassadors is not new. In a similar collaboration on July 13, Pune-based Gera Developments, which has been constructing homes in Pune for the last 50 years, had said that it has signed Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan on as its brand ambassador. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued an administrative warning to Infosys over some delays in entries in the companys Structured Digital Database (SDD) -- the database of unpublished price sensitive information (UPSI). There were certain entries which were logged with a delay in the SDD. It was submitted by INFY that during FY2020-21 due to the ongoing Covid -19 pandemic, most of the workforce was working from their respective homes and not from the office premises. Therefore, it was logistically difficult to coordinate and maintain these records. While the information pertaining to UPSI during such period was available within INFY, it seems that updating of such information in the SDD system was delayed, the IT major said in a regulatory filing on August 9. Also Read: MC Exclusive | Infosys defers pay hikes for employees The companys response that the delay in updating the SDD was due to the pandemic has not been accepted, it added. A review of the SDD should have been carried out on a periodic basis, which would have ensured that such information was logged properly. The above violations have been viewed seriously by SEBI. Therefore, the Company Secretary was warned, and henceforth advised to be careful with respect to the maintenance of SDD, the filing said. As a good governance practice, Infosys is now in the process of internal due diligence in exercising completeness of SDD records, it added. Also Read: Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani: 'I am what I am because of IIT Bombay There is no impact on financial, operation or other activities of the listed entity pursuant to the above[1]mentioned administrative warning letter, the company said. Shares of Infosys closed marginally up at Rs 1,392.45 on the BSE. Structured Digital Database is the database of unpublished price sensitive information (UPSI), shared internally or externally, with the intent of keeping track as to who all were in the know of an UPSI before it became public. The concept emanates from the SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015. It has been effective from April 1, 2019. Anil Manibhai Naik (81), the Non-Executive Chairman of Larsen and Toubro (L&T), said he is not mentally geared for starting anything small, looking back at his six-decade-long career leading the construction behemoth. Talking exclusively to Moneycontrol ahead of his last annual general meeting (AGM), he said that when he decided to start an IT business, which was completely different from L&Ts core business, he had the companys backing. "If I had to start IT on my own, I would have to create a small start-up, and I am not mentally geared for starting anything small; anything less than a billion is not on my mind," Naik told Moneycontrol in a recent interview. Naik said that while ownership has not been an aspiration for him for the longest time, keeping him away from the entrepreneurial journey, the many hospitals and schools that he has set up give him the satisfaction of creating something. Also read: MC Interview | India needs to focus on speed and scale; hopeful of L&Ts future: Chairman AM Naik One of the tallest leaders of India Inc, Naik has been credited with single-handedly growing L&T and shielding it from takeover bids. He has been the mastermind behind the many diversifications of the $23-billion engineering major. Naik said he was unstirred in the face of such challenges, for, he said, they were a driving force throughout his career. "The most challenging times were 2003 and 2004. Did that give me sleepless nights? Maybe one or two nights would go sleepless, but otherwise, I slept well because I looked at every challenge as a hobby and I enjoyed it. Without challenges, I am a little unhappy, and I get tense," he said. Naik, who chose to become a manager over an entrepreneur, advises start-up founders not to rush into their ventures, as haste may lead to failure. "In general, I want to advise them not to rush into anything just because they want to be another billionaire. Everyone doesn't become a billionaire; eight out of 10 may not succeed. They dont succeed because they rush without proper study on what they are starting and how they can stand up to others who are anyway doing the same thing in South America, China, Japan, or the US," Naik told Moneycontrol. Naik was born on June 9, 1942, in Gujarat. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya Engineering College, Gujarat. His father, Manibhai Nichhabhai Naik, was a freedom fighter who quit his job in a Mumbai school to contribute to rural India. "I was not an IIT graduate because my father went to a village, but destiny brought me to L&T. I believe the best students of second-level colleges are better than the bottom quadrant of first-level colleges," said Naik. According to the L&T head, the company also largely depends on training talent from mid-tier engineering colleges and not flying engineers who will go to other industries. Naik said that today, the whole industry has sourced professionals from L&T. The L&T chief, who has been made Chairman Emeritus, pegs L&Ts next phase of growth on its talent, leadership, and entrepreneurial thinking. "When the opportunities come, we must know which one to pick. We should never do anything that will be less than $1 billion, even if it looks small now. Scale and speed will be important. You must create a size that is economically viable and make sure that you are ahead of the competition," Naik added. Shares of Brigade Enterprises fell over 4.18 percent to Rs 563.85 at 9.17 am on August 9 after the company's net profit fell 65 percent year-on-year (YoY) in the April-to-June quarter. Brigade Enterprises' consolidated net profit came at Rs 38.5 crore for Q1FY24. Company's revenue also fell 21 percent YoY to Rs 685 crore in Q1FY24. Its net sales from commercial projects was down at Rs 4.3 crore in Q1FY24 as compared with Rs 71 crore in Q1FY23. Muted leasing lowered sales in the said quarter, said the company in an exchange filing dated August 8. Meanwhile, the real-estate companys net sales from residential projects rose 33 percent YoY to Rs 991 crore in the same period. But occupancy levels in the hospitality industry fell 5 percent YoY in Q1FY24. Brigade Enterprises expects conferences, trade shows, events planned in the coming days to boost growth in occupancies. Follow our live blog for more updates In the hospitality segment, Brigade Enterprises achieved EBITDA of Rs 38 crore, an increase of 31 percent YoY in the April-to-June quarter. The company launched Padmini Tech Valley-Tower C in Bengaluru in the April-to-June quarter. The real-estate company plans to launch 9.7 million sq.ft in residential and commercial segment in the next four quarters. Brigade has developed real-estate across South India in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi with developments across residential spaces, offices, retail and hotels. Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. 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 Taj GVK shares saw a steep price fall on Wednesday after the company reported a 17.5 percent year-on-year (YoY) decline in net profit at Rs 13.2 crore. Except for its revenue numbers, the luxury hotels operator reported a poor show on all other major financial metrics for the April-June quarter. At 3.20 pm, Taj GVK stock was quoting at Rs 252.30, down 9.06 percent or Rs 26.85. In its Q1FY24 results, the company reported a 7.1 percent YoY growth in its revenue from operations at Rs 91.6 crore. Its earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the June quarter were down 11.4 percent YoY at Rs 26.2 crore, while EBITDA margins for the quarter under review slipped by 600 basis points on a yearly basis to 28.6 percent. The company reported a 13.61 percent YoY rise in its consolidated expenditure at Rs 72.42 crore for the quarter ended on June 30. In a separate filing, the company also announced that it would hand over the Taj Banjara Hotel property located in Hyderabad's prime locality back to its owners in due course of time. It said that the property would be handed back to Hotel Banjara Limited as the two parties couldn't agree upon the commercial terms for the renewal of the hotel's operating licence. Taj GVK Hotels and Resorts Limited is a joint venture between infra major GVK group and the Tata group-owned India Hospitality Company Limited. Taj GVK is engaged in the hospitality industry and operates 6 five-star hotels, 3 of which are located in Hyderabad while others are in Chennai, Mumbai and Chandigarh. Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. 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 Meghalaya government has failed to produce witnesses and documents at the Assam's inquiry commission probing the Mukroh violence that left six people dead in November last year, officials said here on August 9. The one-person commission headed by Justice Rumi Kumari Phukan (retd) has closed its proceedings after no one turned up before the commission during its sitting at the Assam House here, they said. "With deep concern, the commission has closed the proceeding (hearing) in Meghalaya and has returned to Guwahati. No one turned up for the hearing and even the government officials did not depose before it, an official told PTI. He said the commission had come here to ensure that those with documents and evidence on the violence could depose before it. The state government was also notified and the commission had requested its cooperation to produce all the relevant witnesses. West Khasi Jaintia Hills district deputy commissioner was also directed to serve notice to the witnesses to appear before the commission but there was no information on whether the orders were complied with, he said. Six people five from Mukroh and a forest guard from Assam were killed in a clash that broke out along the disputed border on November 22 last year after a truck with "illegally felled timber" was allegedly intercepted by the forest personnel from the neighbouring state. Mukroh village is one of the many villages that fall in the six disputed areas claimed by both the neighbouring states. Assam and Meghalaya had in March last year signed a MoU in Delhi to formally resolve interstate disputes in the six areas of differences between the two states. Talks are on for the remaining six areas of differences which include Langpih in West Khasi Hills district and Mukroh. PTI JOP MNB A BJP delegation arrived in Nuh on August 9 to meet administrative officials and take stock of the situation in the violence-hit district, even as an AAP team was stopped on its way. The BJP delegation was led by the party's state unit chief Om Prakash Dhankhar. It included Mohan Lal Badauli, the state general secretary and a party MLA, ministers Dr Banwari Lal and Samay Singh Bhati and Sohna MLA Sanjay Singh, police said. A seven-member delegation of the AAP's Haryana unit, however, was stopped by the police just before it entered Rewasan village in the Rojka Meo area. A senior officer said the delegation was stopped and sent back in view of the curfew imposed at the place. The delegation was led by the AAP's Haryana chief and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Sushil Gupta. He was accompanied by Anuradha Sharma, Manish Yadav, Mukesh Dagar, Dharmender Khatana, Dheeraj Yadav and Meenu Singh, the police said. "People from the BJP were allowed to go while we were stopped. We wanted to meet the victims of the riots and go to the temple and the mosque. What is the BJP afraid of?" Gupta asked. Deputy Commissioner Dhirendra Khadgata said the administration made it clear that any political delegation can visit Nuh to discuss the situation with officials at the guest house. The BJP delegation said they wanted to meet the officials, he added. Dhankhar said, "Our delegation came to meet the administrative officials to take stock of the situation. There is no plan to go anywhere else. We will now head back." Khadgata said delegations from the Congress, AAP and the Communist Party of India (CPI) that wanted to go for field visits and meet the people were not allowed. On Tuesday, a 10-member delegation of the Congress' Haryana unit was stopped from entering violence-hit villages of the district, the police said. On Sunday, they stopped a four-member delegation of the CPI, citing prohibitory orders. Khadgata said the law is equal for all, irrespective of political party or organisation. "Due to the imposition of Section 144, the district administration appealed to political and other organisations not to make any visits in view of the sensitivity of the situation," he said. Following his visit, Dhankhar told reporters that the conspirators behind the violence, whether they belonged to the Congress, AAP or other organisations, will not be spared. The criminals behind the conspiracy that hindered the development of the Mewat region will not be able to escape. "Today, the administrative officers of Nuh gave similar confidence to our delegation during the meeting," Dhankhar said. He also targeted the Congress and the AAP, saying the parties whose leaders have cases registered against them for spreading riots are now talking about harmony. The BJP leader said the Haryana government and the Nuh administration are working with promptness to restore peace. "Today, the atmosphere is peaceful and the markets have also opened. Everything will be normal in the coming days," he said. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Khadgata said the Haryana government has set up an online portal for people who have suffered losses to seek compensation. Five people, including two home guards, were killed in Nuh and a cleric died in an attack on a mosque in adjoining Gurugram. The violence erupted in Nuh on July 31 when mobs attacked a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession. PTI COR SZM Q: It was reported that Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party and former Prime Minister of Japan Taro Aso has visited Taiwan, where he met with Tsai Ing-wen, William Lai and others and delivered a speech saying that there should be no war in the region, including the Taiwan Strait, and calling for a posture of strong deterrence and a readiness to fight. What is your comment? A: Despite Chinas strong opposition, certain Japanese politician visited Chinas Taiwan region and made irresponsible remarks that sought to hype up cross-Strait tensions, stoke antagonism and confrontation, and blatantly interfere in Chinas internal affairs. This seriously violates the one-China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan and tramples on the basic norms governing international relations. China has made serious demarches to Japan and strongly condemns this. Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory and the Taiwan question is entirely Chinas internal affair that brooks no external interference. For half a century, Japan exercised colonial rule over Taiwan, brutally suppressed its peoples resistance and committed atrocious crimes. As a country responsible for the historical crimes it committed against China, Japan needs to all the more draw lessons from history and act prudently. The Japanese politician, however, kept raising the possibility of a war whilst in Taiwanan obvious attempt to stir up trouble in the Taiwan Strait and push the people in the Taiwan region over the edge of an abyss. Todays China is no longer what it was when the Qing government signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895. What makes this Japanese politician think he is in a position or has the confidence to make such unwarranted remarks on Taiwan? I want to stress that the complete reunification of the motherland is the common aspiration of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation and an unstoppable historical trend. No one shall underestimate the strong resolve, will and capability of the Chinese people to defend the nations sovereignty and territorial integrity. We seriously urge Japan to deeply reflect on its history of aggression, abide by the one-China principle and its commitments regarding the Taiwan question, and stop meddling in Chinas internal affair and lending support to the Taiwan independence separatist forces in any form. We also have a clear message for the Taiwan authorities: Taiwan independence has no future, soliciting Japans support and selling Taiwan away will only harm the people in Taiwan, and any attempt to collude with external forces in seeking independence and provocations will only fail. Indian tax authorities are investigating motorcycle maker Hero MotoCorp's relationship with a vendor suspected of reporting about 900 million rupees ($11 million) in false expenditure, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Based on the alleged fake spending by vendor Salt Experiences, Hero MotoCorp received a tax credit, leading to suspected tax evasion of about 160 million rupees, one of the two sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A spokesperson for Hero MotoCorp said "there is no ongoing investigation against" the company on the matter, but did not elaborate further. Salt could not be reached for immediate comment. The probe is being conducted by the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI), the sources said. India's finance ministry, which oversees the DGGI, did not respond to an email seeking comment. The investigation comes after India's Directorate of Enforcement (ED), in a separate case, last week conducted searches at 12 premises owned by Hero MotoCorp and its founding shareholder Pawan Kant Munjal, seizing $3 million in assets. The first source said Salt Experiences had paid 120 million rupees to the DGGI related to the alleged tax evasion, and the investigation was ongoing. The probe by the DGGI is being monitored by other agencies, such as the ED and Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), the sources said India's MCA is also investigating Hero MotoCorp's relationship with Salt Experiences in a case related to alleged diversion of funds, two government sources told Reuters in June, adding it was looking into whether the motorcycle maker controls Salt Experiences. Hero MotoCorp said at the time that it had received no communication from the government and could not comment. ($1 = 82.8325 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Nikunj Ohri in New Delhi; editing by Mark Potter and Jason Neely) A special court here on August 9 remanded five persons, arrested in connection with the Maharashtra ISIS module and terror plot case, to the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) till August 14. The NIA has taken over the probe into the case from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which had arrested the five accused. After the NIA took over the probe in the case, it produced the five accused Mohammad Imran Mohammad Yunus Khan, Mohammad Yunus Mohammad Yakub Saki, Kadir Dastagir Pathan, Sima Nasaruddin Kazi and Zulfikar Ali Barodawala before the special NIA court here. The agency sought nine-days custody of the accused on the ground that their custodial interrogation was required to probe the case further and to ascertain their roles. The NIA claimed that two of the accused in the case Khan and Saki had been imparting training to the pther accused in the case and were part of a frontal group of the ISIS Al-Sufa. The agency said the duo was wanted in a case lodged with its Delhi unit. Special NIA court judge A M Patil remanded the five accused in NIA's custody till August 14. The central investigative agency had earlier arrested one person, Aakif Ateeque Nachan, who is said to be closely-associated with these five accused. A special court in Pune on Tuesday directed the transfer of investigation into the case to the NIA. Khan and Saki were nabbed by police in the Kothrud area of Pune city last month while stealing a motorcycle, but another suspect Shahnawaz Alam managed to escape. The investigation revealed that Saki and Khan were wanted by the NIA in a March 2022 Rajasthan terror plot case, and they were the alleged members of the Al-Sufa outfit who escaped from Ratlam after NIA made some arrests in the case, investigators had said. As per the ATS, Khan and Saki were hiding in Pune's Kondhwa area for the last 16 months and were sheltered by Dastgir. The ATS had arrested one person- the fifth suspect- from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra for allegedly providing financial aid to Khan and Saki. Barodawala, arrested by the NIA earlier, was the "mastermind" who used to handle Khan and Saki and used to provide aid, it said. PTI SP NP State-owned Union Bank of India on August 9 presented a dividend cheque of Rs 1,712 crore for 2022-23. It is the highest dividend Union Bank of India has given in any financial year, the bank said in a statement. Union Bank of India managing director A Manimekhalai handed over the dividend cheque to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the presence of Joint Secretary (Banking) Sameer Shukla. 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 ongoing war in Ukraine would be one of the top topics of discussion during the G-20 Summit in New Delhi next month, according to a senior official of the United States. Leaders of G-20 nations, including US President Joe Biden, are scheduled to attend the G-20 summit in New Delhi in the first half of September. "In all of our conversations with allies and partners around the world, we continue to discuss the war in Ukraine. It is always one of the top topics that comes up in all of our conversations, and I have no doubt that'll be true at the G20," State Department's Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday. 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 Indias ambitious plans to have physical connectivity with southeast Asia and beyond could be derailed due to the violent ethnic conflict that has engulfed Manipur in Indias northeast. Indeed, the entire northeast region is seen as a crucial gateway to east and southeast Asia and, therefore, is a vital component of the Act East Policy. Any instability there does not bode well for Indias long-term strategic interests. A prolonged upheaval in the region could well stymie Indias concerted efforts to forge deeper links and economic integration with countries to its east. Indias Act East Policy Manipur has been on the edge for over three months now with hundreds dead and thousands displaced after violence erupted in the state on May 3. The state has a long and porous frontier with Myanmar, the only ASEAN country with which India shares land as well as a maritime border. The northeast lies at the heart of India's policy of Act East, a nomenclature that replaced the earlier Look East policy in 2014, placing the 10-member ASEAN bloc at the core of this vision. The new coinage reflected the proactive approach that New Delhi sought to adopt nearly a decade ago to engage with countries of SE Asia and beyond. Coupling Act East with its Neighbourhood First mantra, New Delhi hopes to build robust partnerships with countries in its immediate periphery and even beyond. India has a comprehensive strategic partnership with this regional grouping and considers it the core of its Act East Policy. Hoping to reap the benefits of connectivity, New Delhi sees it as an Arc of Prosperity for India and the ASEAN member states. ASEAN is also central to Indias Indo-Pacific vision, one which has gained tremendous importance for New Delhi in recent years as it seeks to counter an increasingly belligerent China. Some of the other regional groupings through which India has been pushing for closer ties and connectivity under the Act East rubric are the seven-member BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) mechanism and the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD). Connectivity to SE Asia would give the landlocked northeast alternative access and thus unlock its economic potential, bringing benefits to the region and the countries beyond. But Indias push for seamless land connectivity allowing cross-border movement of goods and people has been hampered by difficult terrain, insurgencies, ethnic divisions and an overall underdeveloped northeast region over the years. The Manipur strife has now further compounded the problem. Union minister of state for external affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh told Parliament last year that the Act East policy, which was originally conceived as an economic initiative, has gained political, strategic and cultural dimensions. With ASEAN as its core, India is robustly engaging countries of South East Asia, East Asia, South Asia and Oceania, he declared. But today, there is a virtual civil war raging in Singhs home state of Manipur, which has seen even his own house in Imphal being torched during the violence. The Kuki-Meitei ethnic clashes have had a fall-out in the neighbouring state of Mizoram as well. Overall, the situation appears extremely grim, not just for Manipur but for the entire northeast, already wracked by a fragile security situation due to various insurgencies over the decades. Connectivity projects in jeopardy The instability in Myanmar with whom four northeastern states Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh share a border has not helped either. And now with Manipur in the vortex of turmoil, the progress on connectivity projects could further slow down. For, in the absence of stability, how do you execute connectivity projects or even ensure smooth movement through existing routes? The crucial land port of Moreh in Manipur, located on the Indo-Myanmar border and thus far considered the only feasible land route between the two countries, has already been hit by the ongoing violence. Located barely 4 km away from Myanmar's border town of Tamu, it has historically served as an important cross-border trading point. The border crossing has remained closed for trade and entry of Myanmar nationals since early 2021, ostensibly to check the spread of Covid19 but in reality, to check the influx of Chin refugees who began entering India in huge numbers following the takeover by the military junta in Myanmar. The situation is further complicated with the Meiteis and Nagas of Manipur alleging that the Chin refugees are being assisted by the Kukis to settle down in Manipur and fear this might change the states demographics and be detrimental to their interests. Another regional connectivity project that could take a hit is the 1,400 km long trilateral highway project to link Moreh to Myanmar and onto Mae Sot in Thailand. Already stalled because of the situation in Myanmar, this project has been riddled with difficulties and slow progress. External affairs minister S Jaishankar has acknowledged that work on the trilateral highway project has been challenging owing to the law-and-order situation in Myanmar. Though 70 per cent of the work has now been completed on the project, this crucial connectivity may now not be operational even by 2025 the latest target set for its completion. The ethnic violence that has consumed Manipur and threatens the peace and stability of the larger northeast will have a debilitating impact on Indias infrastructure-building efforts for connectivity and its thrust to Act East if peace and stability do not return to the region soon. Parul Chandra is a New Delhi-based senior journalist who writes on foreign affairs. Twitter: @ParulChandraP. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication. A new bonhomie between the opposition parties, some of which were arch-rivals till INDIA grouping came into existence, was among the key highlights of the monsoon session of Parliament that began on July 20. It was perhaps the first time since 2014 that the opposition parties presented a united front in Parliament. As many as 26 opposition parties came together to form the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in a bid to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The name was finalised in the Bengaluru meeting on July 18. Battle Lines Redrawn Sceptics have predicted the collapse of the opposition alliance under its own weight due to contradictions between different constituents. Take for example, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as the two are bitter rivals in Punjab. Similarly, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress don't see eye-to-eye in West Bengal while the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) are at each other's throats in Kerala. But these parties have decided to bury their differences for the time being to take on the BJP. The next meeting in Mumbai will decide on the names of the convenor and members of the coordination committee that is expected to steer the alliance and devise a comprehensive strategy for the 2024 elections. The formation of INDIA alliance also prompted the BJP to reach out to some old allies such as the Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas Paswan faction) and Jitan Ram Manjhi of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM). The Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena also attended the meeting. So did Chirag Paswan's uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras who heads the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party that was already a part of the NDA. Congress Reaches Out Coming back to the monsoon session of Parliament, an improved floor coordination could be seen among the INDIA constituents not only within the two Houses but outside as well. Last week, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi walked up to AAP member Sanjay Singh to assure him that he has her full support, exhibiting the grand old party's willingness to walk the extra mile and shun its big brother attitude to keep the opposition flock together. Sanjay Singh was protesting his suspension from the Rajya Sabha for the entire monsoon session. Sonia Gandhi's move visibly silenced the Congress leaders from Delhi and Punjab who were vehemently against any tie-up with the AAP. This was followed by another positive move from former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, 90, who came to the Rajya Sabha in a wheelchair to participate in the discussion on the Delhi services bill. He also voted against the bill, a gesture that won the hearts of the AAP leaders and supporters. The Congress has realised that being the largest political party in the grouping with a pan-India presence, the responsibility of keeping the opposition parties united lies with it. The Fence Sitters The Rajya Sabha approved the Delhi services bill by 131 to 102 votes with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), the ruling parties in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh respectively, supporting the government. Though these two parties often claim to maintain equidistance from both the BJP and the Congress, they have always supported the central government on critical issues in Parliament and outside. In fact, Andhra Pradesh seems to follow the Northeast model as the ruling parties there readily extend unconditional support to the party in power at the Centre on any matter due to political compulsions. The bill also highlighted some cracks within the INDIA alliance as Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary skipped the voting on the Delhi services bill citing medical emergency as the reason for his absence. However, Chaudhary's move revived the buzz of a possible tie-up between the BJP and the RLD for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. PM Modi Vs Opposition The protests by the opposition parties over the Manipur situation stalled the monsoon session like their demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the Adani issue dominated the budget session. The opposition wanted the Prime Minister to speak on the Manipur issue though he did touch upon the situation during his customary press conference at the beginning of the session. As the stalemate prevailed, some opposition parties decided to use the tool of the no-confidence motion to force the PM to speak on the issue. However, not all the opposition parties were on the same page on the issue. While one group was of the view that the Prime Minister, being an excellent orator, would use the motion to rip off the opposition, the other argued that it was the only option to corner him on Manipur and various other issues. Though the government managed to get a major part of its legislative business passed amid the ruckus, the deadlock once again brought to the fore the lack of management skills among its floor leaders. On some occasions, the proceedings were disrupted due to the remarks made by the government floor leaders. That said, the opposition did present a united house in Parliament, but the question is will it sustain till the 2024 Lok Sabha elections? Aurangzeb Naqshbandi is a senior journalist who has been covering the Congress for 15 years, and is currently associated with Pixstory. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication. The obvious place to look if you want to understand the future is cyberspace the birthplace of virtual worlds, artificial intelligence and other digital wonders. But we shouldnt forget the case for keeping a watchful eye on something more elemental the relative fortunes of land powers versus sea powers. Sages from Homer onwards have argued that land and sea powers generate different societies and we forget their wisdom at our peril. Everywhere you look, land powers are on the march. Russia is trying to reassemble its old imperium by gobbling up first Crimea and now Ukraine. China has ingested the great seaport of Hong Kong and may be planning to do the same to the island of Taiwan. Brexit means that the European Union is more than ever a land-power: dominated by Germany and France and looking eastward towards land-locked Mitteleuropa. The United States, which has long flipped between being a land power and a sea power, is turning inwards once again. This is bad news for the future of both free trade and liberty. Sea powers, most notably Great Britain, created both the institutional and intellectual infrastructure of a distinctively liberal form of capitalism: limited government at home and free trade abroad supported by innovative stock markets and powerful navies. Land powers, by contrast, pursued a more authoritarian road to modernity: overbearing governments, standing armies necessitating efficient tax systems, dirigiste economies, and, above all, a hunger for yet more land (at its most monstrous manifestation, Adolf Hitlers lebensraum). The founders of modern economic liberalism saw numerous links between open seas and open societies. Adam Smith argued that water carriage opens a more extensive market than land carriage. David Hume noted that merchants who possess the secret of importation and exportation check the power of the ancient nobility and tempt other adventurers to become their rivals in commerce. In the 16th century, England and another smallish seafaring nation, the Dutch Republic, became the worlds first capitalist powers. They both created powerful navies, ambitious merchant classes, sprawling empires, far-flung alliances and vital political philosophies Hugo Grotius, John Locke of global import. The relationship between sea power and land power, and between both and liberty, was more nuanced than these great thinkers supposed. Spain had a powerful enough navy to challenge the British to a fight (the Armada of 1588 was repulsed as much by the weather as Francis Drake) and founded a giant empire in the Americas. Japan was a hermit kingdom until the late 19th century when it launched on imperial expansion in Asia and the Pacific. The Atlantic worlds commitment to freedom was also nuanced. The Netherlands and Britain created vast overseas empires. British trading companies, particularly the Royal Africa Company, dealt in slaves. The navys detractors described ships as floating prisons that relied on press gangs to provide them with men and rum and the lash to keep those men in order. Yet qualifications dont discredit the thesis. Spain was a highly centralised state that treated its South American territories as a source of gold to finance its military exploits on the European mainland rather than as a trading partner. Slavery and colonialism have been ubiquitous in human history. In 1807, Britain was the first country to abolish the slave trade within its territories and to use the might of its navy to enforce the abolition. And, for all their abuses, sea powers developed principles of limited government and secure property rights whereas prominent land powers, notably Russia and China, remain despotisms. Britains history and culture are saturated in sea salt: many of the countrys greatest heroes were admirals (Horatio Nelson who still looks over central London from his column) and many of its greatest artists, notably JMW. Turner, focused on maritime themes. The British navy was known as the Senior Service to the armys junior. The unofficial national anthem, Rule Britannia, was fully conscious that the countrys source of power came from ruling the waves. The US was never as committed to the sea as Britain. It began life as a maritime power with its population concentrated on the north-east seaboard and its political elite soaked in the writings of Smith and Locke. In the 19th century it turned inwards, colonising the vast interior, protecting its infant industries and steering clear of foreign entanglements. But in the late 19th century it turned outwards once again as it built its own navy, extended its commerce around the world, and renewed its links with Britain. The US and Britain together twice prevented Europe from becoming a German province. During World War II, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt bonded in part over their shared naval experience the US president was Assistant Secretary of State for the Navy in 1897-8 and the British prime minister was First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911-15. Seadog to seadog. The Atlantic Charter, which provided a joint declaration of Britain and Americas war aims on Aug 14, 1941, was celebrated in an extraordinary religious service on the HMS Prince of Wales. Thereafter, Britain and America co-operated in re-founding the world on the basis of the liberal principles of free trade and rule-bound global institutions. Victory, however, had its costs. While defeating the Axis, Britain lost about 280 major warships and 1,000 smaller ones like minesweepers. It was an astonishing demonstration of its continued naval prowess amid the decline of its empire but also a loss from which an exhausted power could never recover. Today, the UK scarcely has a fishing fleet, a shipbuilding industry, a merchant marine, or sailors. The Senior Service has suffered from merciless cuts. It is hard to see Britain sending a fleet to the South Seas to thwart an Argentinian invasion of the Falklands Islands as it did in 1982. The coastguard is locked in the endless job of rescuing refugees from the sea. The US still has by far the worlds biggest navy. But it is nevertheless reverting to its old land-based habits. Joseph Biden has entrenched Donald Trumps America First policies by reinforcing barriers to the export of strategic industries to China, focusing on promoting domestic manufacturing and national industrial strategies rather than global trade. Having played a leading part in creating the World Trade Organization, America is now sidelining or even undermining it. US culture is increasingly inward looking, focused on addressing domestic decay, which is understandable, or fighting toxic culture wars, which is less so. (Europe is now mimicking the US in subsidising and protecting domestic manufacturers and turning its attention away from global trade.) The critical shift in the balance of power is gathering pace elsewhere. China has the capacity to define the 21st century in the way that the US did the 20th. History and geography have conspired to make the Middle Kingdom a quintessential land power. The Emperor disbanded the countrys formidable navy in the 15th century and banned trading with the outside world. The government is based in the inland city of Beijing and has long been preoccupied by threats from marauders from the vast northern steppe, hence the Great Wall. The West once hoped that coastal provinces and cities most notably Hong Kong would pull the country towards freedom. Instead, the former British colonys liberty has been crushed and the metropolis has gone from entrepot to garrison. The next great global clash may well be ignited should China try to conquer Taiwan. China is allied to another great land power that stretches from Asia to Europe. In the 17th century, Peter the Great tried to reorient Russia to the West and modernity by building a navy and creating the port city of St Petersburg. But, over the ensuing centuries, the enterprise failed spectacularly. Today Russia displays all the defects that have long been associated with land powers at their worst: an omnipotent state, a lack of private property rights, and an addiction to seeking power and prestige by acquiring land. Russias basic instinct is to extend its influence by marching into neighbors territories, but it is also extending its tentacles around the world, dispatching Wagner group mercenaries to Africa and using the proceeds of its mineral wealth to twist, subvert or otherwise corrupt foreign institutions. There have been dire consequences in the past when sea powers have been supplanted by land powers. Athens, the birthplace of democracy, declined rapidly after Sparta destroyed its navy at Aegospotami in 405 BCE. Venice pioneered limited government at home the Doge was elected for life but required to take advice from a rotating council while trading with all the known world. But it eventually sank into beautiful irrelevance. Its fate holds poignance for Britain. JR Seeley, one of the most influential 19th century historians, once dubbed Britain a world Venice, with the sea for streets. One of the great 18th century politicians, Thomas Pelham-Holles, the first Duke of Newcastle, noted that Britain had no choice but to consider the whole globe because every part of the world affects us. Now, Britain can barely manage to look across the channel. It skitters from one geopolitical strategy to another first joining Europe, then leaving it and now feverishly searching for a place in a regionalising world. The countrys departure from the EU has handed power to a Franco-German alliance something that centuries of British foreign policy had tried to avoid and reduced the size and sophistication of the free trade caucus in Brussels. Many Brexiteers hoped to use the departure to construct an Anglosphere of culturally similar powers linked by similar maritime traditions the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand to function as a counterbalance to a land power future. But this has not happened. The AUKUS agreement, whereby Britain and the United States are helping to provide Australia with nuclear submarines, hardly compensates for the failure to create an Anglo-American trading deal. A striking number of Britains seaside towns are moldering places like Clacton-on-Sea. They provided the Brexit-mongering UK Independence Party with its first footholds in British politics. British naval heroes have been moved from the center of school curriculums to the margins, mentioned, if they are mentioned at all, with a lecture on colonialism. University history departments have almost abandoned naval history. The spirit that defined the buccaneering world of Englands Francis Drake is now finding new homes in cyberspace and outer space. Todays pirates spend their time surfing the web rather than skimming the waves. Our contemporary adventurers finance flights to the moon and Mars rather than the East Indies. But will these they create a liberal culture in the way that the English and Dutch once did? China has broken the link between the web and liberty by building a Great Fire Wall and using the internet to spy on its people. Russia exerts its cyber prowess interfering in foreign elections and stirring up discord across the West. The decline of sea power is clearly a tragedy for Britain. Over the coming decades, it is likely to prove just as tragic for the rest of the world. Adrian Wooldridge is the global business columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication. Credit: Bloomberg For many students who have secured admissions at universities abroad, particularly in the United States of America, its time to fly out to their study destinations. If you are a student headed to your study institution abroad, by now, you probably have all the paperwork Visa, admission and loan formalities in place already. To listen to the podcast, click above. To read the podcast conversation, scroll down. However, your plan can be considered foolproof only after you buy insurance against the risks that you might encounter during your journey. No one wants to consider the possibility of falling sick, losing expensive gadgets or crucial documents while travelling or after reaching the destination country, but these risks cannot be wished away. Also read: Why students going abroad need an overseas travel insurance cover Most universities overseas insist on students being covered under health insurance policies. Some also encourage students to opt for covers offered by local insurers once they reach the campuses. However, even if it is not mandated, you must ensure that you purchase an international student travel insurance policy offered by Indian general insurers before you leave the countrys shores. Your university-recommended policy can come to your aid once you reach the campus, but an overseas travel policy will take care of risks such as loss of baggage or laptop and trip cancellation or flight delay that may crop up during your journey. Moneycontrol spoke to Amit Chhabra, Chief Business Officer, Travel Insurance, Policybazaar.com to understand the importance of buying these policies, nitty-gritties, choosing between university-recommended health covers and overseas student policies offered by Indian insurers. Here are some key pointers that emerged out of the discussion: - August and September typically see a lot of students flying out, as September semester typically sees a large intake, particularly in the US. - As against business or leisure travel, which offer coverage for a maximum of 180 days, an overseas student travel policy offers longer-term insurance. - This is important because unlike business or leisure travellers, students have to stay in their destination countries for one to five years, depending on the courses they have signed up for. - Another big difference is that regular travel policies are primarily meant to cover emergency situations (for instance, a stroke that needs immediate medical attention). Student travel insurance policies are more comprehensive. - They will not only pay for medical expenses incurred if you, say, contract a viral infection or have to undergo dental treatment but also for loss of laptop and study interruptions due to emergency at home or violence in the city where your university is located, for instance. - It is like your long-term companion during your stay abroad a health insurance policy with additional benefits such as sponsor protection, compassionate visit, study interruption, coverage for legal expenses if the need arises and so on. - You can buy an international student insurance policy online even a couple of days before you fly out, but ideally, you should do it at least a week prior. Also read: Studying abroad? Be aware of these 5 additional costs linked to your education - It is a serious subject and premiums are not cheap, so you ought to do a thorough comparison before you choose a policy. - A student travelling to Europe and choosing a $500,000-cover will have to pay a premium of Rs 23,000 for two years, while the premium for a sum insured of $100,000 would be Rs 14,000. - The difference in premiums is not exorbitant. So, ideally, you should look to buy policies with maximum sum insured, budget permitting. - Understand the sub-limits and deductibles. For instance, even if you buy a $500,000-policy, the coverage for baggage loss could be limited to $500 or $1000, for instance. - Likewise, there could be deductibles. For instance, if the dental treatment cover is $500, you might have to shell out $50 from your pocket before the insurance company chips in with the balance. - Universities abroad encourage students to buy health insurance from local insurers they might have tied up with. However, they typically do not make it mandatory to buy covers from such partnered insurers - Buying overseas student travel policies offered by Indian insurers is a better idea for two reasons. One, they are rupee-denominated and not foreign-currency denominated unlike university-recommended covers and hence, cheaper. Some sample (university-recommended plans) that we have seen are 2-3 times costlier than Indian travel policies. - Secondly, university-recommended plans are essentially health insurance policies that cover illness and accidents. - Overseas student travel policies, on the other hand, offer additional covers such as baggage loss, passport loss, trip cancellation, flight delay, personal liability and study interruption. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi expressing his gratitude "on behalf of the people of Delhi" for voting against the Services Bill. Parliament had on Monday passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, that gives the central government control over bureaucrats in the Delhi government, with the Rajya Sabha approving it with 131 votes in favour and 102 against. "I write to you expressing gratitude on behalf of the 2 crore people of Delhi for their party's support in rejecting and voting against the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill, 2023," the AAP national convener said in his letter. 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 In a blistering attack against the BJP over violence in Manipur, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that its politics had "murdered Bharat Mata" in the northeastern state and termed members of the ruling party "traitors". Participating in the no-confidence motion debate, Gandhi also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur and alleged that he does not consider the state to be part of India. "I went to Manipur a few days ago. Our prime minister has not gone there, he has not gone there till now. He does not consider Manipur part of India. I used the word Manipur, but the reality is there is no Manipur left. You have divided Manipur into two parts, you have broken up Manipur," Gandhi said. Gandhi said he visited Manipur and met women and children at the relief camps, but the prime minister had not done. The prime minister was not in the House when Gandhi spoke. "I asked a woman, 'What happened with you?' She said, 'My small son, only child, was shot before my eyes. I spent the whole night with the body of my child and then I felt afraid. I left my house'. I asked her if she had brought along something with her and she said only the clothes she wearing and a photo," Gandhi said, narrating his experiences. In another camp, he said he asked a woman the same question -- "What happened with you?" As he did so, she started trembling and fainted. "These are the two examples. In Manipur, they (BJP) have murdered Hindustan. Their politics has not killed Manipur but killed Hindustan in Manipur. Hindustan has been murdered in Manipur....By killing the people of Manipur you have murdered Bharat Mata, you are not desh bhakts (patriots) but deshdrohis (traitors)," the former Congress chief said. As the treasury benches protested and slammed Gandhi, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress leader should apologise for his remarks as it is the Congress which is responsible for insurgency and other problems in the northeast. Continuing his no-holds barred attack against the government in his over 30-minute speech, Gandhi went on to say that it is the Army that can bring peace to Manipur but the government is not deploying it. "You have murdered the voice of India, which means you have murdered Bharat Mata in Manipur... My mother is sitting here. The other mother, Bharat Mata, you killed in Manipur," he said, pointing to Sonia Gandhi who was present in the House. "You have sprinkled kerosene everywhere. You have set fire to Manipur. You are now trying the same thing in Haryana," he added, referring to recent communal clashes in Gurugram and Nuh. Gandhi alleged that the prime minister listens to only two people, Amit Shah and Gautam Adani, just as Ravan paid heed to only two. He did not elaborate on the point. The former Congress president also said the Bharat Jodo Yatra is not over and he undertook the cross-country march to understand what was it he loved and for what had he faced abuse for 10 years. The Congress leader also thanked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for reinstating his membership of the House. "The last time I spoke, I also caused you (Birla) pain. I focussed on Adani ji with such intensity, your senior leaders felt pain. That pain also affected you, for that I apologise to you," Gandhi told Birla. "I only spoke the truth. My BJP friends you need not be afraid because my speech today will not be focussed on us. Rumi said, 'Jo shabd dil se aate hain woh dil mein jaate hain'. Will not attack you much." "I walked from one end of the country to another, from the coast to the snowy mountains of Kashmir. The yatra is still not over ... Many people asked me after it started, 'Rahul why did you walk, what is your aim'. "I did not know why I wanted to walk but I soon understood the thing that I love and the thing for which I am willing to die and go to Modi ji's jail, the thing for which I bore abuse for 10 years, I wanted to understand," he said. The no-confidence motion has been brought by the Congress on behalf of the opposition grouping INDIA. The debate was initiated on Tuesday by Congress' Gaurav Gogoi. It will conclude with the prime minister's reply on Thursday. Many Rajya Sabha members were in the gallery when he spoke. In an effort to bring peace to restive Manipur, a collective of tribals from the state on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here and raised their various demands. A delegation of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) held the talks with the home minister, ITLF secretary Muan Tombing told PTI. The ITLF has been seeking solution to their five key demands which include total separation from Manipur and the burial of the bodies of Kuki-Zo community members. The bodies are currently lying in Imphal and the group has been demanding that they be brought to Churachandpur. According to an ITLF memorandum, addressed to the Union home minister and submitted through the headquarters of the 27 Sector, Assam Rifles, early this week, the tribal body had a long deliberation with various stake-holders on the request of Shah to delay the burial for another five days. The ITLF leaders reached Delhi coming via Aizawl, the capital of neighbouring Mizoram. Shah had earlier extended an invitation to the ITLF for a meeting with him in the national capital to discuss the situation in Manipur. Ethnic clashes first broke out between Kukis and Meiteis in Manipur on May 3 and since then more than 160 people have lost their lives. 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 Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday came down heavily on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his "murder of India in Manipur" remark in Lok Sabha, saying this is for the first time in parliamentary democracy that someone has made such a statement. Speaking soon after Gandhi concluded his speech on the no-confidence debate in the House, the BJP member, who is minister for women and child development, said Manipur is an integral part of India. "I condemn the behaviour that was displayed. This is the first time that someone talked about the murder of India, and Congress leaders were thumping desks," Irani said. "Manipur is not divided, it is a part of this country. A member of his (opposition) alliance said in Tamil Nadu that India only means north India. If he has the courage, Rahul Gandhi should comment on this... another Congress leader said there should be a referendum on Kashmir... Was the statement given as per the order of the Congress leadership that a leader talked about referendum in Kashmir?" she said. "You are not India because you define corruption in India, you define incompetence... you are not India," the BJP MP said attacking the Congress. Mentioning Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, she said, "I will not speak on joint pains... the valley that India has seen to be soaked in blood, (but) when they went there, they were playing with snow balls. That was possible after Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi abrogated Article 370." "He said he went on a yatra and gave assurance that they will restore Article 370... Article 370 will never be restored," Irani asserted. She also recounted the horrors of the Emergency to attack the Congress, saying the party's history is smeared in blood. The BJP MP also raised the issues of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the unrest in Kashmir during Congress regimes at the Centre. The Consulate General of India in Chicago has established contact with a woman student hailing from Hyderabad, who was reportedly depressed and starving, and said she was fit and offered help, including medical assistance and travel to India. Syeda Lulu Minhaj Zaidi, who hails from Telangana and came to the US to pursue higher education, was seen on a street in Chicago on the verge of starvation. Her mother had written a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar seeking his help to bring her back home. "Happy that we could contact Ms Syeda Zaidi and offered help, including medical assistance and travel to India. She is fit and has spoken to her mother in India," the Consulate General of India in Chicago posted on platform X, formerly known as Twitter. "She is yet to respond to our offer of support to return to India. We stand ready to extend to her all assistance," it said. The mother said her daughter went to the USA to pursue MS from TRINE University, Detroit, in August 2021. "For the last two months, she was not in touch with me and recently through two Hyderabadi youths, we came to know that my daughter is in deep depression and her entire belongings have been stolen due to which she is on the verge of starvation and was spotted on roads of Chicago, USA," the mother said in her letter. An Australian woman has been sacked from her job of 18 years after her company used keystroke technology to monitor her work from home performance. According to The New York Post, Insurance Australia Group (IAG) consultant Suzie Cheikho was fired for not typing enough while working remotely. Cheikho was responsible for creating insurance documents, meeting regulatory timelines and monitoring work from home compliance in her role as consultant for the Australian insurance company. Ironically, her own work from home performance was found to be lacking. Insurance Australia Group used keystroke technology to track her cyber activity for 49 days between October and December, and found that she had very low keystroke activity. The company found that Cheikho started work late on 47 days, finished early on 29 days and did not work her rostered hours for 44 days. On 4 days, she did zero hours of work. However, the consultant denied that she worked less than her set hours, saying she sometimes used other devices to log in. She averaged 54 strokes per hour over the 49 days her performance was surveyed, which showed she was not presenting for work and performing work as required. Cheikho was fired on February 20 for missing deadlines and meetings, as well as for being uncontactable and absent without permission. Her failure to complete a task led to the industry regulator fining her company. The dismissal came three months after Cheikho was issued a formal warning in November 2022 and put on a performance improvement plan. She brought an unfair dismissal application against the IAG, which was later rejected by the Fair Work Commission (FWC). FWC ruled that she was fired for valid reason of misconduct. A consumer court in Gujarat has ruled that fast food chains KFC and Pizza Hut should not charge extra fees for packaging charges from consumers. The judgment comes after a law student from Bihar filed a PIL when he noticed that extra charges were being added to his order when he tried ordering food via the food delivery app Zomato. In its eight-page judgment, the consumer court observed that KFC and Pizza Hut must bear the expenses of packaging and they cannot recover the expenses from the consumers. It also held that levying of restaurant packaging charge amounted to unfair trade practices. Speaking to Moneycontrol, the petitioner, 21-year-old Rounak Sinha, a final-year law student at Faculty of Law, Marwadi University, said, "A year ago, while ordering food from Zomato, I noticed that they were charging restaurant packing fees for every food product. At that time, KFC was charging Rs 33 as packing charges. So I served a notice to Pizza Hut and KFC. When they did not respond, I filed a consumer complaint against the district consumer forum of Rajkot, Gujarat and then they responded that the packaging charges were being levied by Zomato." Zomato on the other hand, responded that it is the restaurant partners who decide the packaging fee, he added. "My contention before the district consumer court was that it is the duty of the seller to ensure that the food is in a deliverable condition and the seller cannot ask the consumers to bear the expenses. And then there were certain judgments of the state commission which supported my point." Sinha clarified that when he filed the PIL in 2022, only two to three restaurants were charging the extra fee unlike now when almost all food orders on apps have a separate packaging charge. Following the consumer court's order, Sinha wrote to Zomato again, requesting the platform to not engage in such "deceptive practices" with their restaurant partners. "I am pleased to share that two restaurant partners listed on your portal namely KFC and Pizza-hut have been held liable for unfair trade practice for levying the 'restaurant packaging charge' from the consumers," Sinha stated in a legal notice sent to Zomato which was sourced by Moneycontrol. "Such deceptive practices are taking place on the Zomato Platform. I sincerely believe that you, being one of the biggest market players, will not allow restaurants to adopt such highly unfair and illegal trade practices on your platform." Sinha also mentioned that he may take legal action against the food delivery giant if no action is taken in the matter. When asked if he had also written to Zomato's rival Swiggy, Sinha said, "There was no specific reason. Since I ordered food on Zomato, I sent them the legal notice. Right now, not only Swiggy but Eat Sure is also allowing the levy of packaging charges." Paying extra for packaging charges has been a bone of contention for several consumers. Last week, a Zomato customer in Ahmedabad, who placed an order of three plates of theplas for Rs 60 each was charged Rs 60 for the food containers. Complaining about the fee, the woman took to Twitter and demanded an explanation from the food tech company. Container charge is equivalent to the item that I have ordered 60 for the container charge Seriously?? @zomato @zomatocare @zomato#zomato #zomato pic.twitter.com/2ceQFgiB5h Khushboo Thakkar (@khush_2599) August 2, 2023 "Container charge is equivalent to the item that I have ordered Rs 60 for the container charge. Seriously?" Khushboo Thakkar tweeted tagging Zomato. A photo of the bill shared showed that each plate of the ordered dish was worth Rs 60 -- same as the fee charged for the food container. Responding to the tweet, Zomato explained, "Hi Khushboo, while taxes are universal and vary from 5 percent to 18 percent depending on the type of food. Packaging charges are levied by our restaurant partners, they are the ones who implement and earn from this practice." Moneycontrol has reached out to Zomato for a comment, this story will be updated when the company responds. Read more: Shashi Tharoor bats for eco-friendly food packaging, Twitter shares favourite picks Sun Group chairman Kalanithi Maran has filed an application in the Delhi High Court and has sought for attachment of 50 percent of SpiceJet's daily revenues towards payment of Rs. 393 crore that the low cost airline owes him. Maran sought for the money to be paid on a weekly basis. The Delhi High Court on August 9 issued a notice to SpiceJet in Maran's application and asked the airline to file their statement of accounts along with the affidavit of assets and liabilities in a week's time. The court has also asked SpiceJet's Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh to be personally present in the court on August 24. Deliberate design Maran's lawyer Mainider Singh informed the Delhi High Court on August 9 that SpiceJet is yet to file their affidavit of assets and liabilities in addition to not complying with any order of both the High Court and Supreme Court. Singh alleged that SpiceJet has orchestrated a deliberate design to defy the orders of the court. According to Maran, SpiceJet's liability towards him has now increased to Rs. 393 crore as of August 3 owing to its non-compliance of court's orders. Maran also told the court that SpiceJet will neither file the requisite documents nor will it pay the amount it owes to Maran unless the court takes a drastic step. Appearing for the airline, senior advocate Sandeep Sethi argued that the court had given them time till the September 5 to comply with its orders. He told the court that any drastic order will affect thousands of employees working for the airline and passengers who have booked tickets with them. Sethi told the court that the margin for profit in an airline business is just one percent. The court, however, refused to listen to SpiceJet's justifications noting that it had not complied with any of its previous orders and proceeded to issue notice in the application. Maninder Singh was briefed by Nandini Gore, senior partner at law firm Karanjawala and Co. On July 31, the Delhi High Court upheld the validity of the arbitral award against SpiceJet making way for Maran to press for the enforcement of the award. While the Delhi High Court asked the airline to file an affidavit of assets and liabilities in 2020, the airline has not done so to date. Owing to this failure of action by SpiceJet, the court on July 24 summoned the airline's CMD to be personally present for non-compliance. SpiceJet in Supreme Court: The airline had challenged Delhi HC's 2020 order asking it to deposit Rs. 242 crore in six weeks. While the court had initially stayed the HC order, it eventually permitted Maran to encash Rs. 250 crore bank guarantee and asked SpiceJet to pay Maran Rs. 75 crore in three months. However, SpiceJet did not comply with the apex court's order and sought for an extension of time. On July 7, SC juked its application and permitted the arbitral award to be executed. Arbitral award In February 2015, Maran and KAL Airways, his investment vehicle, transferred their 58.46-percent stake in SpiceJet to Ajay Singh, the current Chairman and Managing Director (CMD). Singh, a co-founder of SpiceJet, took on the airlines liabilities of around Rs 1,500 crore. As part of the agreement, Maran and KAL Airways said they paid SpiceJet Rs 679 crore for issuing warrants and preference shares. However, Maran alleged that the warrants and preference shares were not allotted and initiated arbitration proceedings against SpiceJet and Ajay Singh. In July 2018, an arbitration panel rejected Marans claim of damages of Rs 1,323 crore for not issuing warrants to him and KAL Airways, but awarded him a refund of Rs 579 crore plus interest. SpiceJet was permitted to furnish a bank guarantee for Rs 329 crore and make a cash deposit of the remaining sum of Rs 250 crore. According to the award, SpiceJet had to pay Rs 308 crore in cash together with 12 percent interest for 30 months, as well as Rs 270 crore, either in the form of compulsory redeemable preference shares or by the return of money in terms of a Share Purchase Agreement. If the company fails to adhere to this timeline, Maran is entitled to an interest of 18 percent. Walmart India Private Limited has moved the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Delhi under sections 66 and 52 of the Companies Act, 2013, for the reduction of share capital. Walmart India is the parent organisation of e-commerce giant Flipkart. Reduction of share capital is a process that a company undertakes to eliminate or adjust accumulated losses, return capital to shareholders, or adjust the capital structure of the company. Accumulated losses are losses that have been carried forward from previous years. Walmart has moved the NCLT to eliminate accumulated losses against the share premium that it has received from its existing shareholders. The case came up for hearing on August 8 and the tribunal decided to adjourn the proceedings to the upcoming week. The company's attorney was directed by the tribunal to provide supporting judgments from higher courts and the supreme court to reinforce their arguments. What are sections 52 and 66 of the Companies Act? Section 52 of the Act states that when a company issues shares at a premium, it is empowered to transfer a sum equal to the premium it has received to securities premium account to provision for the reduction of share capital at a future date. Section 66 of the Companies Act permits a company to reduce its share capital, with the consent of NCLT. The tribunal will have to issue notice to the Registrar of Companies (RoC), central government and SEBI (in case it is listed company). Flipkart's response: Responding to Moneycontrol's query on the move, Flipkart said "In compliance with the Companies Act, 2013 and with the consent of the Companys Board and shareholders, Walmart India has proposed to undertake the Reduction of Share Capital. The reduction of share capital essentially entails the set-off of our accumulated losses with securities premium and does not have any impact on creditors and shareholders of the company, nor does it impact the value of the shares." Flipkart reiterated that the capital reduction is subject to the approval of NCLT. "The company is confident of honoring its commitments and meeting its liabilities, and both present and future fund requirements," Flipkart said. US President Joe Biden said Tuesday he would travel to Vietnam "shortly" as part of an effort to improve ties with Hanoi, as Washington seeks to counter China's influence in the region. "I'm going to be going to Vietnam shortly because Vietnam wants to change our relationship and become a partner," Biden said during remarks in New Mexico. "We find ourselves in a situation where all these changes around the world are taking place at a time we have an opportunity ... to change the dynamic," he added. The United States and Vietnam have increasingly close trade links, while both share concern over China's growing strength in the region. Friction has been increasing for years between Beijing and Southeast Asian nations, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines, over China's sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea. Washington and Hanoi pledged in April to upgrade diplomatic ties when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stopped over on his way to a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers' meeting in Japan. "We think this is an auspicious time to elevate our existing partnership," Blinken told reporters during the visit with Vietnamese leaders. "We've had for the last 10 years this comprehensive partnership that has created an incredibly strong foundation of cooperation across many different areas. As a result, we think this is a good moment to go even further." Blinken also attended a ground-breaking for a new US embassy in Hanoi. And in March, Biden spoke with the head of Vietnam's ruling Communist party, Nguyen Phu Trong. Washington has, however, bristled over human rights concerns in Vietnam, with Blinken saying he continued "to underscore how future progress on human rights is essential to unleashing the full potential of the Vietnamese people." The South China Sea, the longtime center of tensions between China and Vietnam, is seen as a powder keg, and many fear a miscalculation or accident could ignite a military conflict. Analysts say Hanoi may be more reluctant to elevate relations with Washington, wary of upsetting Beijing -- an important economic partner -- despite rival claims in the South China Sea. The United States has no territorial claim over the waters, but has persisted in conducting its own patrols there, angering Beijing. Washington says this is to ensure what it terms "freedom of navigation" in the sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually. The United States has also sought to improve relations with China in recent months, with Blinken visiting in June after a previous trip was canceled when an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down by a US warplane after traversing the country earlier this year. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was poised on Wednesday to formally recommend the dissolution of the National Assembly to President Arif Alvi to pave the way for the next general elections in the country. The five-year tenure of the 342-member lower house of Parliament was scheduled to expire on August 12. On the completion of the incumbent government's term, I would send a summary to the President of Pakistan for dissolution of the National Assembly by Wednesday and then an interim government will take over," Shehbaz said on Tuesday addressing a ceremony. President Alvi can either issue a notification forthwith to dissolve the assembly or can delay it for 48 hours and after that, it will stand dissolved. It is for the second time President Alvi is dissolving the assembly. First, in April of the previous year, then-Prime Minister Imran Khan advised its dissolution, which he followed but the move was subsequently overturned by the Supreme Court. A final meeting of the federal Cabinet would also be held, where the premier will give a round-up of his government's performance since April last year, Dawn newspaper reported. A farewell session of the National Assembly will be held at 2 pm and during which the prime minister will address the assembly, the Express Tribune reported. After the Cabinet meeting and the farewell session, the prime minister expected to move the recommendation for the dissolution. He is also expected to meet opposition leader Raja Riaz for the final round of talks for the appointment of the caretaker prime minister. The 15th National Assembly came into existence following the election held on July 25, 2018, and its first session was inaugurated on August 13. The National Assembly is being dissolved earlier to get more time for holding elections. The Express Tribune reported that the current National Assembly's journey has been tumultuous. It weathered an early dissolution attempt and notably, it etched its name in history by becoming the first National Assembly to depose a prime minister through a successful no-confidence vote. Over the course of its tenure, the assembly witnessed the election of one president, two prime ministers, two speakers, and two deputy speakers. Despite these changes in leadership, a significant portion of its seats remained unoccupied for nearly 14 months, reported the paper. Tesla Inc. has a long history of promoting talent from within. Outside hires dont last for very long in the carmakers scrappy, hard-charging culture, and it takes a certain stamina to work for Elon Musk. Teslas new chief financial officer, Vaibhav Taneja, already has a hefty gig serving as the companys chief accounting officer. Tesla watchers were surprised to hear Monday that he was replacing Zach Kirkhorn, a 13-year Tesla veteran who abruptly stepped down from the CFO post. While Kirkhorn has been a calm, steady presence and regularly spoke at length with investors, even playing the role of Musks surrogate the time he skipped Teslas earnings presentation, Taneja is less well-known. He worked for Teslas accounting firm and later at SolarCity, a troubled company many investors wish the EV maker hadnt acquired. He has spoken briefly on just one Tesla earnings call, back in early 2019. Taneja, 45, didnt respond to a request for comment. Shares of the company fell 1.1% on Tuesday to $248.58 as of 9:34 a.m. in New York. The stock has more than doubled so far this year. The change comes at a critical time for Tesla. The company is building a new factory in Mexico and preparing to bring its Cybertruck pickup to the market as it fends off rivals in the increasingly crowded EV market. Tesla has been cutting prices across its lineup to maintain its position atop the electric-car industry, and profitability has taken a hit. Taneja started his career in New Delhi. He graduated in 1999 with a bachelors degree in commerce from Delhi University, according to his LinkedIn profile. He then spent almost 17 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Teslas longtime accounting firm. He joined SolarCity in 2016 and became corporate controller. Tesla soon thereafter acquired the solar panel installer. The automakers shareholders later sued Musk and Teslas board, accusing them of hiding SolarCitys financial woes. Taneja became Teslas corporate controller in May 2018 and was named chief accounting officer in March 2019. His predecessor, Dave Morton, had been hired away from Seagate Technology but resigned after less than a month. Unusual Arrangement Greg Selker, a managing director at executive search firm Stanton Chase, said that the general trend in corporate America is to hire business-oriented CFOs with a lot of operational experience. Taneja came up through the auditing ranks at PwC and his two concurrent titles at Tesla are an unusual arrangement. A CAO is responsible for all of the financial reporting Taneja is really an accountants accountant, Selker said in a phone interview. Typically, a CFO has a broader business background. Taneja may have been instrumental to Teslas early inroads in India. Hes one of the four directors at Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Ltd., which was established in 2021 in the southern city of Bengaluru, according to the the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Tesla doesnt sell any EVs in India yet. He owned about 105,000 shares of the company as of July 7, a stake that is currently valued at about $26 million, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Musk, the richest person in the world, oversees six companies: Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly known as Twitter), Boring Co., Neuralink and xAI, his most recent venture. Musks many interests and the competing demands for his time have long raised concerns about whether Tesla is too dependent on a single individual. The EV maker has just four executive officers: Musk, Drew Baglino, the senior vice president of powertrain and energy engineering; Tom Zhu, senior vice president of automotive; and now Taneja. AUBURN UNIVERSITY As students head back to school, Alabama 4-H is excited to welcome new and previous members to another exciting year in 4-H. Enrollment is now open for Alabama youths ages 9 to 18. Molly Gregg, the Alabama Cooperative Extension Systems assistant director for 4-H programs, said there are many ways students can become involved in 4-H. No matter your interest, there is something for everyone in 4-H, Gregg said. Alabama 4-H helps young people see themselves as unique, resilient, life-long learners who actively participate in their own future. About Alabama 4-HAlabama 4-H is the states leading youth development organization. It is a part of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and works with young people in all 67 Alabama counties. For more than 100 years, Alabama 4-H has empowered youths to use their heads, hearts, hands and health to become their best self and achieve their goals. 4-H believes that all young people, as members of families, communities and citizens of a global society, should have the opportunity to reach their full potential, Gregg said. Program opportunitiesThere are many different types of 4-H programs and clubs. In fact, in the 2022 club year, Alabama 4-H offered more than 11,000 educational activities and more than 3,100 clubs statewide to its members. These programs and clubs are delivered by regional agents as well as community volunteers, corporate partners, alumni and parents. There are eight main programming categories including the following: animals and agriculture; creative arts; environmental education; healthy living; outdoor education; leadership and citizenship; science and technology; and Alabama 4-H Science School. 4-H clubs are delivered both inside and outside of school. In-school clubs are one of the most important modes of delivery for 4-H. In fact, 4-H regional agents lead programming in more than 1,000 Alabama schools. In-school programs are a great way to introduce students to 4-H, said Nancy Alexander, an Alabama 4-H specialist. We hope that they come to love 4-H and engage in various 4-H clubs outside of school throughout their academic careers. The great thing about 4-H clubs that meet outside of school is that members can join and/or start clubs that focus on a particular interest. For example, members that enjoy fishing can be a part of their countys sportfishing club. Enroll todayParent and guardians can enroll their student in Alabama 4-H through the 4HOnline platform. Find more information about enrollment at www.Alabama4H.com, or contact your county Extension office to speak with an Alabama 4-H agent. Alabama 4-H has a commitment to helping young people thrive by providing opportunities to be healthy, caring and responsible, Gregg said. Lets work together this upcoming club year to learn, lead and make a difference in our communities. August 09, 2023 World Bank Group Goes Woke The World Bank Group is a global institution controlled by the U.S. government. It is supposed to lend low interest money to developing countries in need. Last year the position of its president became controversial. David Malpass, a former Treasury official, was perceived as being ambiguous about the cause of climate change. In February he threw the towel: The president of the World Bank will step down from his post in June, leaving the organisation almost a year before his term was due to end. David Malpass announced his decision on social media, without providing a specific reason for his departure. The pick of former US President Donald Trump, he has been criticised as a climate-change denier. Last year, the White House rebuked him after he said he did not know if fossil fuels were driving climate change. He later apologised for the remarks. In June one Ajay Banga, a former CEO of Mastercard, was installed as the new president. He had worked as an outside adviser for the Obama administration and later for Vice President Kamala Harris. Under Banga the World Bank Group has gone woke: World Bank halts new lending to Uganda over anti-LGBTQ law WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank said on Tuesday it would halt new lending to the Ugandan government after concluding that its anti-LGBTQ law, which has been condemned by many countries and the United Nations, contradicts the bank's values. In response, the East African country dismissed the move as unjust and hypocritical. A World Bank team traveled to Uganda immediately after the law was enacted in May and determined that additional measures were needed to ensure projects were being implemented in line with the bank's environmental and social standards. "No new public financing to Uganda will be presented to our Board of Executive Directors until the efficacy of the additional measures has been tested," the bank said in a statement, adding that such measures were now under discussion with Ugandan authorities. "Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group's values. We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a livable planet can only succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality," the bank said. ... On May 2 the Ugandan Anti-Homosexualty Act passed its third reading in parliament by a vote of 348 to 1. On May 29 it became law. Ajay Banta started his World Bank presidency on June 2. Uganda's society is, like many others, against the 'unnatural' differentiation of gender and sexuality. The World Bank Group has a page about values but those are designed for the World Bank workforce and its interaction with other people: For the diverse workforce of the World Bank Group, integrity, ethical behavior, and adherence to corporate values are core to the success of our mission to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity. The World Banks mission, according to its website, consists of just two targets: To end extreme poverty: By reducing the share of the global population that lives in extreme poverty to 3 percent. To promote shared prosperity: By increasing the incomes of the poorest 40 percent of people in every country. I find nothing about the bank being supposed to push for controversial 'values' that only a few western societies halfheartedly support. Will World Bank loans to Kuwait, Pakistan, Kenia or the Vatican now only come with vague value mandates attached to them? How is that supposed to help the World Bank's to fulfill its core mission? This stinks of a very specific intervention in the World Bank mission by some woke Democrats. As the Ugandan government correctly points out: Uganda's state minister for foreign affairs, Okello Oryem accused the bank of hypocrisy, saying they were lending to countries in the Middle East and Asia that have the same or harsher laws on homosexuality. "There are many Middle East countries who do not tolerate homosexuals, they actually hang and execute homosexuals, in the United States of America many states have passed laws that are either against or restrict activities of homosexuality ... so why pick on Uganda?" he said. "The World Bank has been put under pressure by the usual imperialists." Posted by b on August 9, 2023 at 15:11 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page FORT NOVOSEL When mere seconds mattered, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Nigel P. Huebscher, command chief warrant officer for 1st Aviation Brigade, was the first on the scene of a house fire in the vicinity of Bonifay, Florida, on Oct. 9, 2022, and helped save the lives of two residents. For his heroism, he was awarded the Soldiers Medal during a ceremony at Fort Novosel Aug. 7, 2023. The Soldiers Medal is the highest honor a soldier can receive in an act of valor in a noncombat situation, equivalent to the Distinguished Flying Cross, had the act of heroism occurred during battle. As the ceremony opened, 1st Aviation Brigade Chaplain (Maj.) Scott Kennis gave thanks for Huebschers selfless deed that leaves us amazed and prompts us to much self-reflection to consider the depth of our own conviction of the God-given value of human life, and the willingness to sacrifice it all for one who is in peril. Maj. Gen. Michael C. McCurry, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Novosel commander, welcomed attendees and lauded Huebschers efforts. Were here in the (U.S. Army Aviation Museum), and right around the corner there is the Hall of Heroes for Army Aviation, so no more fitting place to recognize a hero thats living among us today in the form of CW5 Huebscher, McCurry said. Heroes are among us every day, and become known when they stand up and act, he explained. By definition, a hero is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities, and I think those of us who know Nigel and selected him to be command chief warrant officer, recognized that in him before these actions, this just helped solidify that in our mind, he said. The Soldiers Medal is a peacetime medal, and an individual must face danger to the point of risking their own life in saving another, he explained. Two people are alive today because of his actions, McCurry said. Im so thankful that youre part of our formation, and you truly are above the best, McCurry said. On Oct. 9, Huebscher and his family were traveling north on Florida State Route 79, returning to the Wiregrass area from a trip to Mexico Beach, when they saw flames on the porch area and going up the side of a house just north of Bonifay. They turned their vehicle around to see if they could be of assistance. Huebschers wife Devi quickly called 911. Heubscher jumped a locked gate and made his way to the house. He noticed a large pile of rags burning on the wooden porch. An elderly woman came to the door and seemed confused; Huebscher directed her away from the house toward a safe area. He entered the house to determine if people were inside and discovered an elderly gentleman asleep in a bed. He woke the gentleman, who was confused to have a stranger in his home, and repeatedly told him the house was on fire. Huebscher led him to the door. By this point, the smoke was thick black inside the home, and the exterior was engulfed in flames. Seeing the flames across the open doorway, the gentleman turned to go back toward his bedroom. By this time, Florida Air National Guard Maj. Bradley J. Vaughn, a senior air defense officer at the 601st Air Operation Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and his family had also noticed the fire from the road, as they were headed back to the Panama City Beach area from a trip to Aplin Farms, and stopped to help. At that point, the fire was exponentially worse. Devi, on the phone with 911, yelled to him that her husband was inside the house. Vaughn approached the house, but the flames and heat were too intense to try to go inside at that point, and he could hear popping noises on the inside of the house, as if ammunition had been ignited. Huebscher suddenly shoved the older gentleman and himself through the flames, out of the house, and the two of them spilled out into the yard. Within seconds the house exploded and a fireball shot out, flames scorching the yard. As Huebscher collected himself, Vaughn ran toward the elderly gentleman who had fallen and was still in harms way and got him out of the flames to safety. Emergency responders arrived on the scene, and Huebscher relayed the information to them. The residents of the home were soon taken by ambulance for medical treatment. Huebscher later learned the man was airlifted for medical treatment for burns. Thankfully, the residents both survived the incident. Huebscher, in his remarks, thanked leaders for the opportunity to serve at Fort Novosel, and his parents for the values instilled in him growing up. Time seemed to slow down that day. It was immediately clear what needed to be done, and I just happened to be the first person available to it, Huebscher said. He gave credit to the training, the actions and ethic inherent in the Army Values and training every Soldier receives and internalizes as part of our profession of arms. Huebscher said he was humbled and proud to receive the award. He said he shared the medal with his wife and daughter, other unnamed good Samaritans, first responders, and Vaughn who also heroically ran into the fire, all of whom were part of the team effort that day to save lives. This traumatic situation brought a group of complete random strangers together as a team. This impromptu team all did what had to be done to help another complete random stranger, despite the danger to themselves and their safety. I am proud to have been a part of that team, and I am proud to be part of the Army team. After assisting the elderly lady that day, and pulling the elderly gentleman out of the fire to safety, Vaughn also retrieved bottled waters to give to people from his familys camping gear. A week after the incident, a water bottle could still be seen exactly where it was left that evening, on top of a fence post by the same gate Huebscher jumped to enter the property, with the scorched remains of the home and yard in the distance behind it where Huebscher was able to get the gentleman and himself out of the house just in time. I think that whole event was a matter of seconds really, Huebscher said in an interview. Thirty seconds to a minute earlier and Id never have seen the flames. Thirty seconds to a minute later and Id never got out of the house. Timing was everything in this case. Travis Cook, fire chief for the City of Bonifay, presented a token of appreciation to Huebscher. In my opinion, there is no such thing as a coincidence. I wholeheartedly believe God places each and every person at specific locations at specific times for specific reasons, Cook said in an interview. If not for the selfless, heroic efforts of these two men, I believe this would have been a fatal fire for the homeowner. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the truck was traveling south on County Road 286 near Interstate 10, when at around 7:30 a.m., the driver failed to maintain his lane and lost control, causing the truck to run off the roadway on the east shoulder, and collide with several trees before overturning into a ditch. A rendering of Bank of Hawaiis West Pacific regional headquarters to be built in Tamuning, Guam. Reporter Andrew Roberto was raised his whole life on Saipan. He graduated from Saipan Southern High School, holds a degree from Northern Marianas College, and a BA in English from the University of Guam. He once worked for KUAM, UNO Magazine, and the Guam Daily Post. (Reuters) Access to the abortion pill mifepristone must be restricted, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday, ordering a ban a ban on tele Republican presidential candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, delivers remarks at the annual Christians United for Israel Summit (CUFI), at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., July 17, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Wurm/File Photo MONTGOMERY A federal judge sentenced John Eugene Dibello, 41, of Pasadena, Texas, to 43 months in prison for conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud and the separate offense of aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart Tuesday. In addition, the judge also ordered that Dibello serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. According to his plea agreement and other court records, in late 2021, Dibello and a companion, Taelor Amie Owens, 30, of Houston, Texas, traveled to Alabama so Owens could visit family. While in Troy, Dibello and Owens broke into several mailboxes and stole mail that included checks and identity information. Dibello and Owens then used the identity information they acquired to cash the stolen checks and pocket the proceeds. Investigators discovered that Dibello and Owens were staying in a hotel in Pike County and found more stolen mail from Texas inside their room. Among their belongings were also a post office arrow key (a universal key used by postal workers to access collection boxes, outdoor parcel lockers, cluster box units, and apartment panels) and at least two fake identities, one for each of them. On May 25 of this year, Owens pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy and aggravated identity theft offenses as those to which DiBello pleaded guilty. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Owens on Sept. 28. At that proceeding, she will face a term of imprisonment of not less than two years and a maximum of 30 years. The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Troy Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Megan A. Kirkpatrick is prosecuting the case. BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 is pictured on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea, March 29, 2014 Garbage trucks are parked at the Guam Solid Waste Authority Harmon Transfer Station in the Harmon Industrial Park on May 18, 2023. More Alabamians will soon have access to high-speed internet. Broadband expansion has always been a top priority of this administration since Day One, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said. For people to continue to live happy and healthy lives, we needed to get serious about our broadband infrastructure because its how we work, communicate, and how our children learn. On Tuesday, Ivey announced at Wallace Community College in Dothan that more than $400 million in federal funding will be used to bring broadband internet to all 67 counties in the state. Of that $400 million, $182 million will come from the capital projects fund and over $200 million will come from the new Anchor Institution/Middle Mile program, which will be funded by the second round of American Rescue Plan Act funds. This will provide actual connections to homes, businesses, community anchors, universities, rural hospitals, and other vital facilities currently underserved, Ivey said. The new funds come in addition to the $88.6 million the state has already invested in broadband projects over the last five years from award grants through the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund. Ivey said the projects have already given over 80,000 Alabamians access to high-speed internet. These current projects alone mean more than 82,000 Alabama households, businesses, and community institutions finally have the ability to connect to broadband, Ivey said. Alabama Sen. Donnie Chesteen said the additional funding will have a major impact on families and communities across the state. This is very important for our state, Chesteen said. If you are in a rural area, it is just as much a priority for us to get that customer served at the end of the line and have the same access to high-speed internet as those do in the urban areas. With these dollars, I look forward to us being able to deploy that throughout the state. Outside of the new funding, Ivey also announced the creation of Be Linked Alabama website, which features an Alabama broadband map, county profiles and dashboards, and statewide broadband news. According to the websites map, in Houston County, four percent of the county has access to internet speeds of 25/3 megabits per second, but not 100/20. Seven percent of the county has no access to the internet at all. Education is also at the forefront of broadband expansion as Wallace along with the states other community colleges, is offering a fiber-optics training program for those interested in becoming fiber-optic technicians. The course is free of charge, and students learn about different types of fiber, ways to terminate it, how to fusion splice the cable, and how to troubleshoot and fix any issues through hands-on lab activities. Having all the community colleges in Alabama involved in this program is a huge asset, Ivey said. There is a need for fiber-optic technicians right now, so this course allows the colleges to spread this program out and hopefully get people interested in the field. Although Ivey is happy with the progress the state has made, there is still more work to be done to get every community connected to broadband. Its safe to say that were taking a proactive approach towards fully connecting Alabama, Ivey said. Were deploying every resource at our disposal. Im proud of our progress, but we still have a long way to go. Lets continue to work together to create a bright future for Alabama. An artist's impression of Long Thanh International Airport's terminal. Photo courtesy of Airports Corporation of Vietnam The bidding for the construction of Long Thanh International Airports terminal was conducted according to regulations, according to the developer Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV). The bidding, which resulted in Vietur Consortium being qualified to bid in upcoming rounds while its two competitors were disqualified, was evaluated fairly by experts and independent entities, it said in response to a recent complaint by one of the losers. Vietur, a Vietnamese consortium comprising 10 companies including Ricons, Newtecons, Sol E&C and Turkeys IC Holdings, is being considered in terms of its financial proposal for the project and the result will be published on August 22. After that Vietur will negotiate with ACV for contract specifics. Last week, one of the disqualified bidders, Hoa Lu Consortium, petitioned Vietnamese authorities saying that it had evidence to show Vieturs Turkey-based IC Holdings was not capable of building large projects, such as the terminal of Long Thanh International Airport. Hoa Lu, a consortium of eight contractors, is led by Vietnamese construction giant Coteccons. Long Thanh terminal, set to cost VND35 trillion ($1.47 billion), is the biggest contract in Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province. The total price tag of the airport is around VND336.63 trillion. Its construction is divided into three phases. The first, with one runway and terminal, is expected to be completed in 2025, allowing the airport to handle 25 million passengers a year. In the second, to be completed by 2035, another runway and terminal will be added, doubling the capacity to 50 million. Other infrastructure will be built by 2050 in the third phase, when the capacity will again double to 100 million passengers. Romanian care homes scandal spotlights abuse described as inhumane and degrading View Photo BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) After receiving distressed text messages from a young man worried about the conditions his friend was living in at a social care home in central Romania, Georgiana Pascu arranged an impromptu visit to inspect the facility. In the beginning, we were quite sure there is nothing there, said Pascu, program manager at the Center for Legal Resources, a rights group. She said that a day earlier, state authorities had carried out an inspection of the care home for older and disabled people, and no issues had been flagged. But what she and her colleagues uncovered at the care home in the village of Bardesti, she said, was outrageous inhuman. There was a very young woman who looked malnourished, she didnt move, she didnt speak at all she was lying on the basement floor, she told The Associated Press. There was another young woman, she was crying and asking for water. The nongovernmental organization discovered six residents in late July living in the Little House of Mins cluttered, dingy basement surrounded by construction materials in addition to 23 people living on the floors above. Four residents with severe disabilities were lying on mattresses soiled with feces, urine, and blood, with flies on them, they said, who couldnt defend themselves and couldnt ask for help. The team of three from the Center for Legal Resources immediately called the emergency services, and police and ambulance crews arrived, but even they called for backup, Pascu said. Hours later, a resident directed Pascu to what she describes as a small secluded room with just a bed inside where two residents lived with no artificial or natural light. The NGOs findings triggered a judicial investigation and follow similar discoveries in other private institutions. So far, two Cabinet members were forced to resign over what Romanian media have dubbed the horror homes scandal. The discovery is just the latest in a string of disturbing revelations that have made front-page news in the local media, spotlighting the impact corruption can have on the socially vulnerable in Romania, which joined the European Union in 2007. One of the main conditions of Romanias accession to the EU was that it crack down on endemic corruption, but it remains one of the blocs most corrupt members, according to Transparency International. In early July, police raids at three separate care homes in Ilfov County near Bucharest also uncovered widespread abuse and neglect of older and disabled people. Images emerged of residents tied to beds in filthy rooms, some exhibiting signs of physical abuse and appearing rake-thin. In those cases, Romanias anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said that two organized criminal gangs accused of human trafficking and other charges were formed in 2020 to exploit people with disabilities or in vulnerable situations. Prosecutors said residents were subjected to unpaid labor via acts of coercion as well as physical violence, and werent given enough food. Prosecutors launched a criminal investigation and said there are more than 20 suspects in the case. DIICOT detained three people after the findings at the Little House of Min, which it alleges formed a criminal gang in 2020 to commit the crime of human trafficking, and that residents were subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment through acts of physical and mental aggression. Residents were being exploited under the guise of an association that withheld their state benefits payments or sums sent to them by friends and relatives, prosecutors said. Instead of the money going toward the residents care, it was mainly used for the benefit of the members of the group. Two local officials were fired over the findings and the authorities shuttered the home. The AP contacted the young man who had raised concerns to Pascu about the Little House of Min, but he wasnt authorized to talk because hes considered a victim in the legal case. Doru Constantin, a spokesperson from Mures County social services, confirmed to the AP that the Little House of Min was checked by inspectors a day before the NGOs discovery, but said they didnt find anything because they didnt have access to the basement of the building. I cant believe even now something like this could happen in our county, he added. President Klaus Iohannis has called the revelations a national disgrace and said measures must be taken to cut evil from the roots. One of the Ilfov care home bosses, DIICOT alleges, was squandering residents money on prostitutes, drugs and parties. He is also being investigated for abuse of office by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, which is also investigating two social inspectors for corruption who carried out favorable checks on his home in May. Family Minister Gabriela Firea, who is reported to have close ties to that care home boss, was forced to resign amid the sprawling scandal, as was Labor Minister Marius Budai. They both denied knowledge of care homes woes. Alin Mituta, a Romanian legislator at the European Parliament, asked the European Commission in July if it planned to investigate Romanias abusive care homes issue, which he said directly violated the blocs Charter of Fundamental Rights. The responsible Romanian authorities, Mituta said, were made aware of these issues but no action was taken. European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper said in a statement sent to the AP on Wednesday that the Commission is deeply concerned by this case as there is no place for mistreatment of vulnerable people in the EU, adding it cant comment on ongoing investigations. The recent revelations have also brought back memories of when Romanias communist-era orphanages gained international exposure after communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu was executed in 1989. In the early 1990s, images were broadcast around the world of thousands of children abandoned in orphanages where they existed in squalid conditions. Bianca Albu, a Romanian investigative journalist who first reported on the Ilfov care homes six months ago along with her colleague Ovidiu Vanghele, said their report didnt initially yield any attention from the local or national authorities. She fears that these problems are happening all over Romania. Its like a disease, she said. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu expressed gratitude last week to the NGOs that exposed abuses in the welfare system. It is obvious that the Romanian state needs help, he said. We need to close this chapter of abuse. ___ Stephen McGrath reported from Sighisoara. ___ This story has been corrected to reflect the correct spelling of former Family Minister Gabriela Fireas first name. It is Gabriela, not Gabriel. By STEPHEN McGRATH and VADIM GHIRDA Associated Press Sonora, Ca The Tuolumne County Sheriffs Office arrested a man on assault, drug, and weapon charges. During the early morning hours recently, deputies responded to Skyview Drive, near Columbia Way, just outside the Sonora city limits. A 39-year-old unidentified man told deputies that he was hit in the head with a flashlight by either Shawna Alexander or a man she was with. The victim was transported by ambulance to the hospital to his treat injuries. Deputies later went and spoke with Shawna Alexander at a home on Cover Ranch Road. Officials found 34-year-old Andrew Buzinskis hiding in the closet. He had a felony warrant from an outside county for his arrest. In addition, he had methamphetamine in his possession, and a loaded 12-gauge shotgun next to him (which he is prohibited from possessing). Buzinskis was arrested in relation to the earlier assault, along with various other charges. Meanwhile, Alexander was arrested for harboring a felon and for two misdemeanor warrants. The sheriffs office adds, Deputies continued their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the assault. This investigation is ongoing and no further information will be released at this time. Fire breaks out at north Syria camp housing families linked to Islamic State group fighters View Photo QAMISHLI, Syria (AP) A fire broke out Wednesday in a sprawling camp in northeast Syria housing tens of thousands of mostly women and children linked to the Islamic State group causing material damage but no casualties, the camps director said. The Al-Hol Camp holds about 51,000 people, the vast majority of them women and children, including the wives, widows and other family members of IS militants. Most are Syrians and Iraqis. But there are also around 8,000 women and children from 60 other nationalities who live in a part of the camp known as the Annex. They are generally considered the most die-hard IS supporters among the camp residents. The camps director, Jihan Hanan, told The Associated Press that the fire broke out in the annex torching 10 tents and reaching a center for an organization that takes care of children. She added that a container used by the center was burnt as well. Hanan said the cause of the fire that broke out in the early afternoon Wednesday was still unknown. She added that the local Kurdish police force known as Asayesh brought tanker trucks from outside the camp to extinguish the fire. The camp population is down from its height of 73,000 people, mostly because Syrians and Iraqis who were allowed to go home. But other countries have largely balked at taking back their nationals, who traveled to join IS after the radical group seized large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014. Despite the extremist groups defeat in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019, IS sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in both countries. Over the past years, grisly crimes were committed inside al-Hol. By HOGIR AL ABDO Associated Press Wildfire on Maui kills at least 6, damages over 270 structures as it sweeps through historic town Wildfire on Maui kills at least 6, damages over 270 structures as it sweeps through historic town View Photo KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) A wildfire tore through the heart of the Hawaiian island of Maui in darkness Wednesday, reducing much of a historic town to ash and forcing people to jump into the ocean to flee the flames. At least six people died, dozens were wounded and 271 structures were damaged or destroyed. The fires continued to burn Wednesday afternoon, fueled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora as it passed well south of the Hawaiian islands. Officials feared the death toll could rise. This is a deeply somber day, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said. The gravity of losing any life is tragic. As we grieve with their families, we offer prayers for comfort in this inconsolable time. As winds diminished somewhat, some aircraft resumed flights, enabling pilots to view the full scope of the devastation. Flyovers of the coastal town of Lahaina by U.S. Civil Air Patrol and the Maui Fire Department showed the extent of the loss, said Mahina Martin, a spokesperson for Maui County. Aerial video showed dozens of homes and businesses in Lahaina flattened, including on Front Street, a favorite spot for tourists to shop and dine. Smoking heaps of rubble lay piled high next to the waterfront, boats in the harbor were scorched, and gray smoke hovered over the leafless skeletons of charred trees. Its horrifying. Ive flown here 52 years and Ive never seen anything come close to that, said Richard Olsten, a helicopter pilot for a tour company. We had tears in our eyes, the other pilots on board and the mechanics, and me. Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke said the flames wiped out communities, and urged travelers to stay away. This is not a safe place to be, she said. Maui officials urged visitors to leave Lahaina, and the island was organizing a mass bus evacuation Wednesday afternoon to take people directly to the airport, according to an update from the county. West Maui remained without cell or landline phone service or electricity, the county said. The exact cause of the blaze couldnt be determined, but a number of factors, including high winds, low humidity and dry vegetation, likely contributed, said Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, adjutant general for Hawaii State Department of Defense. Experts also said climate change is increasing the likelihood of more extreme weather. Climate change in many parts of the world is increasing vegetation dryness, in large part because temperatures are hotter, said Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University. Even if you have the same amount of precipitation, if you have higher temperatures, things dry out faster. The wind-driven conflagration swept into the area with alarming speed and ferocity, blazing through intersections and leaping across wooden buildings in the Lahaina town center, which dates to the 1700s and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was apocalyptic from what they explained, Tiare Lawrence said of 14 cousins and uncles who fled the town and took refuge at her home in Pukalani, east of Lahaina. Lahaina resident Keeaumoku Kapu was tying down loose objects in the wind at the cultural center he runs in Lahaina when his wife showed up Tuesday afternoon and told him they needed to evacuate. Right at that time, things got crazy, the wind started picking up, said Kapu, who added that they got out in the nick of time. Two blocks away they saw fire and billowing smoke. Kapu, his wife and a friend jumped into his pickup truck. By the time we turned around, our building was on fire, he said. It was that quick. Crews were battling three fires in Maui: in Lahaina, south Mauis Kihei area and the mountainous, inland communities known as Upcountry, said Mahina Martin, spokesperson for Maui County. In the Upcountry community of Kula, at least two homes were destroyed Tuesday in a fire that engulfed about 1.7 square miles (4.5 square kilometers), County of Maui Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. said. There have been no reports of injuries or homes lost to three wildfires burning on Hawaiis Big Island, Mayor Mitch Roth said Wednesday. Firefighters did extinguish a few roof fires. The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which was passing to the south of the island chain at a safe distance of 500 miles (805 kilometers), was partly to blame for gusts above 60 mph (97 kph) that knocked out power, rattled homes and grounded firefighting helicopters on Maui. The Coast Guard on Tuesday rescued 14 people, including two children, who had fled into the ocean to escape the fire and smoky conditions, the county said in a statement. Fires killed six people on Maui, but search and rescue operations continued and the number could rise, Bissen said. Six patients were flown from Maui to the island of Oahu on Tuesday night, said Speedy Bailey, regional director for Hawaii Life Flight, an air-ambulance company. Three of them had critical burns and were taken to Straub Medical Centers burn unit, he said. The others were taken to other Honolulu hospitals. At least 20 patients were taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center, he said. Authorities said earlier Wednesday that a firefighter in Maui was hospitalized in stable condition after inhaling smoke. Luke issued an emergency proclamation on behalf of Gov. Josh Green, who is traveling, and activated the Hawaii National Guard to assist. Certain parts of Maui, we have shelters that are overrun, Luke said. We have resources that are being taxed. President Joe Biden said in a statement Wednesday evening that he has ordered all available Federal assets to help Hawaii. The president said the Coast Guard and Navy are supporting response and rescue efforts, while the Marines are providing Black Hawk helicopters to fight the fires. There was no count available for the number of people who have evacuated, but officials said there were four shelters open housing 2,100 people. Kahului Airport, the main airport in Maui, was sheltering 2,000 travelers whose flights were canceled or who recently arrived on the island, the county said. Officials were preparing the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu to take in up to 4,000 displaced tourists and locals. Local people have lost everything, said James Tokioka, director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Theyve lost their house, theyve lost their animals. Former President Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii, said on social media Wednesday evening that its tough to see some of the images coming out of a place that is so special to many. Michelle and I are thinking of everyone who has lost a loved one, or whose life has been turned upside down, he said. Kapu, the owner of the Na Aikane o Maui cultural center in Lahaina, said he and his wife didnt have time to pack up anything before being forced to flee. We had years and years of research material, artifacts, he said. Alan Dickar said hes not sure what remains of his Vintage European Posters gallery, which was a fixture on Front Street in Lahaina for 23 years. Before evacuating with three friends and two cats, Dickar recorded video of flames engulfing the main strip of shops and restaurants frequented by tourists. Every significant thing I owned burned down today, he said. Lahaina is often thought of as just a Maui tourist town, Lawrence said, but we have a very strong Hawaiian community. Im just heartbroken. Everywhere, our memories, she said. Everyones homes. Everyones lives have tragically changed in the last 12 hours. ___ This story was edited to correct that Bissen is the mayor of the County of Maui, not Lahaina. ___ Sinco Kelleher reported from Honolulu and Weber from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Beatrice Dupuy in New York contributed to this report. By AUDREY MCAVOY, JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press Florida Gov. DeSantis suspends another Democratic prosecutor as he seeks GOP presidential nomination View Photo TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended the top prosecutor in Orlando, again wielding his executive power over local government in taking on a contentious issue in the 2024 presidential race. Its the second time DeSantis, a Republican, has removed a Democratic state attorney and follows an investigation that began when a teenager was charged with fatally shooting a television reporter and a 9-year-old girl. It is my duty as Governor to ensure that the laws enacted by our duly elected Legislature are followed, DeSantis said during a news conference in Tallahassee announcing the suspension of State Attorney Monique Worrell of the 9th Judicial Circuit, which serves Orange and Osceola counties. Worrell vowed to seek reelection next year and said her removal was political and not about her performance. She also suggested DeSantis timing was to distract from a stagnant presidential campaign that has faced layoffs and changes at the top as it has struggled to regain traction. He needed to get back in the media in some positive way that would be red meat for his base, and he will have accomplished that today, she said. He replaced his campaign manager yesterday, and I guess today its my turn. DeSantis office began investigating Worrell after 19-year-old Keith Moses was charged with first degree murder in the deaths of Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons, Nathacha Augustin and 9-year-old Tyonna Major. The girls mother and Spectrum News 13 photographer Jesse Walden were also shot. Shortly after the shooting, DeSantis general counsel said in a letter to Worrell that she failed to hold Moses accountable despite his criminal record and gang affiliation. The governors office sought Moses juvenile records, which are usually protected. In his announcement Wednesday, DeSantis cited other cases and said Worrell avoided minimum mandatory sentences on charges that included gun crimes, drug trafficking and child pornography. He also said the state attorneys office had a pattern of letting juveniles avoid serious charges or incarceration and noted the shooting over the weekend of two Orlando police officers by a 28-year-old man with a long criminal history. But Democrats said the Worrells suspension was politically motivated and noted she is the only Black woman in Florida elected to serve as a state attorney. This is absolutely disgusting, Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani said. Her removal is a complete slap in the face to Orange and Osceola County residents and another example of Governor DeSantis eroding our local control and democracy. This politically motivated action by the Governor in a predominantly democratic part of the state should alarm everyone. DeSantis last year removed State Attorney Andrew Warren, a twice-elected Democrat in Tampa, over his signing of pledges that he would not pursue criminal charges against seekers or providers of abortion or gender transition treatments, as well as policies about not bringing charges for certain low-level crimes. DeSantis is one of a number of Republicans in various jurisdictions across the U.S. who have called into question decisions from Democratic prosecutors. The governor appointed Andrew Bain, an Orange County judge, to replace Worrell. Bain previously served as assistant state attorney in Orlando. The people of Central Florida deserve to have a State Attorney who will seek justice in accordance with the law instead of allowing violent criminals to roam the streets and find new victims, DeSantis said. Bain, a Republican, said the job is quite simple. He said, We are here to prosecute crimes and to hold people accountable. Worrell said she knows and respects Bain and wouldnt criticize him, adding that the issue is about DeSantis. Elected officials are being taken out of office for political purposes, and that should never be a thing, she said. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington noted in a statement that Worrell had been elected with nearly two-thirds of the vote in the district. Make no mistake, State Attorney Worrell has done nothing wrong, they said. This abuse of power by Gov. DeSantis is not only an attack on Democratic Black leaders in Florida, but an attack on our democracy itself. ___ Frisaro reported from Fort Lauderdale. By BRENDAN FARRINGTON and FREIDA FRISARO Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: Aug. 3 The Washington Post on a threat to PEPFAR President George W. Bush could not have foreseen how successful the outcome would be when he told aides in 2002 he wanted a game changer to fight the scourge of HIV/AIDS in Africa and elsewhere. But that is what he accomplished with the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which he launched in 2003. To date, it is credited with having saved more than 25 million lives. So it now makes little sense that this impressive public health achievement is being disrupted by political wrangling on Capitol Hill. Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.), a longtime backer of PEPFAR, is threatening to block a five-year reauthorization to make a tangential point about abortion funding, and some conservative groups are vowing to count the issue in their scoring of members voting records which means supporting the program could be used as a weapon against them at election time. The current authorization expires Sept. 30. A failure to reauthorize PEPFAR would not immediately curtail the provision of drugs and health-care services to those suffering from AIDS, but it would undermine the structure of what has been a signature U.S. foreign policy success. A short-term reauthorization say, a year is far from ideal. PEPFAR has spent more than $100 billion to fight AIDS across more than 50 countries. It has enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Congress. According to KFF, a health policy organization, PEPFAR is the largest global health program devoted to a single disease, and it helped change the trajectory of the HIV epidemic. In a report last September, the program said it had supported antiretroviral treatment for 20.1 million people; enabled 5.5 million babies to be born HIV-free to mothers living with HIV; provided critical care and support for 7 million orphans, vulnerable children and their caregivers; and helped train 340,000 health-care workers to deliver and improve HIV care and other health services. And there is more. Also significant: PEPFAR is a banner for benevolent U.S. global leadership, like the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program that extended a helping hand to others abroad in a time of trouble and uncertainty. Mr. Smith, who chairs a key foreign affairs panel overseeing PEPFAR, sent a letter to colleagues in Congress on June 6 complaining that President Biden has hijacked PEPFAR to promote abortion on demand through what he calls bad actor nongovernment organizations that provide abortion services. Although PEPFAR is barred by U.S. law from supporting abortion, some organizations working with PEPFAR provide abortion services backed by separate funding from other sources. Mr. Smith is seeking restoration of the GOPs Mexico City policy, which would bar foreign organizations that receive U.S. funding from supporting abortion access. Mr. Smiths letter effectively froze progress on the reauthorization, The Posts Dan Diamond reported. Mr. Smith surely can find another venue or legislative vehicle to fight the abortion battle. PEPFAR should not be disrupted by such politicking. Congress shares in the bipartisan credit for making PEPFAR a success story and should not now undo the progress it has achieved. ONLINE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/08/03/pepfar-hiv-aids-republicans-public-health/ ___ Aug. 2 The New York Times on Donald Trump and the 2020 election Of all the ways that Donald Trump desecrated his office as president, the gravest as outlined in extraordinary detail in the criminal indictment issued against him on Tuesday was his attempt to undermine the Constitution and overturn the results of the 2020 election, hoping to stay in office. The special counsel Jack Smith got right to the point at the top of the four-count federal indictment, saying that Mr. Trump had knowingly targeted a bedrock function of the United States federal government: the nations process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election. Bedrock. Its an apt word for a sacred responsibility of every president: to honor the peaceful transfer of power through the free and fair elections that distinguish the United States. Counting and certifying the vote, Mr. Smith said, is foundational to the United States democratic process, and until 2021, had operated in a peaceful and orderly manner for more than 130 years, since electoral counting rules were codified. Until Mr. Trump lost, at which point, the indictment makes clear, he used dishonesty, fraud and deceit to impair, obstruct and defeat that cornerstone of democracy. The criminal justice system of the United States had never seen an indictment of this magnitude. Its the first time that a former president has been explicitly accused by the federal government of defrauding the country. Its the first time a former president has been accused of obstructing an official proceeding, the congressional count of the electoral votes. Mr. Trump also stands accused of engaging in a conspiracy to deprive millions of citizens of the right to have their votes counted. This fraud, the indictment said, led directly to a deadly attack by Mr. Trumps supporters on the seat of American government. Its the third criminal indictment of Mr. Trump, and it demonstrates, yet again, that the rule of law in America applies to everyone, even when the defendant was the countrys highest-ranking official. The crimes alleged in this indictment are, by far, the most serious because they undermine the countrys basic principles. The prosecutions list of false voter fraud claims made by Mr. Trump and his associates is extensive: that 10,000 dead people voted in Georgia, that there were tens of thousands of double votes in Nevada, 30,000 noncitizens voting in Arizona and 200,000 mystery votes in Pennsylvania, as well as suspicious vote dumps and malfunctioning voting machines elsewhere. After presenting this list, the indictment makes its case with 12 simple but searing words: These claims were false, and the defendant knew that they were false. Mr. Smith points out how many people told Mr. Trump that he was repeating lies. He was told by Vice President Mike Pence that there was no evidence of fraud. He was told the same thing by the Justice Department leaders he appointed, by the director of national intelligence, by the Department of Homeland Security, by senior White House attorneys, by leaders of his campaign, by state officials and, most significantly, by dozens of federal and state courts. The indictment emphasizes that every lawsuit filed by Mr. Trump and his allies to change the outcome was rejected, providing the defendant real-time notice that his allegations were meritless. Demonstrating Mr. Trumps knowledge that he was lying will be central to the prosecutions case when it comes to trial, because Mr. Smith wants to make clear that Mr. Trump wasnt genuinely trying to root out credible instances of voter fraud. The indictment doesnt charge him with lying or speaking his mind about the outcome of the election, and it notes that he had the right to challenge the results through legal means. But the charges show in detail how, after all those methods failed, his pervasive and destabilizing lies set the table for the criminal activity that followed, specifically fraud, obstruction and deprivation of rights. As much as defense lawyers are trying to frame the case as an attack on Mr. Trumps free speech, the indictment makes clear that it was his actions after Election Day that were criminal. That criminal scheme began, the indictment says, on Nov. 14, 2020, when Mr. Trump turned to Rudy Giuliani ( acknowledged by his lawyer to be co-conspirator 1) to challenge the results in the swing state of Arizona, which Mr. Trump had lost. From that point on, the charges state, the defendant and his co-conspirators executed a strategy to use knowing deceit in the targeted states, which also included Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In an example cited in the charges, Mr. Giuliani sent a text to the Senate majority leader in Michigan on Dec. 7 demanding that the legislature pass a resolution saying the election was in dispute and that the states electors were not official. That demand was refused, but Mr. Trump continued to claim that more than 100,000 ballots in Detroit were fraudulent. The scope of Mr. Trumps plot touched every level of American political life. While the four federal crimes charged by Mr. Smith all relate to the same set of facts, three of those crimes, one for fraud and two related to obstruction of a proceeding, are crimes against the U.S. government. The fourth crime is against the American people, millions of whom Mr. Trump sought to deprive of their right to have their vote counted. This crime carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. It appears increasingly likely that Mr. Trump will soon face charges for crimes against yet another level of American government the states as the district attorney in Atlanta reaches the final stages of a grand jury investigation into his pressure campaign to get Georgia to reverse its certified vote count and award its 16 electors to him instead of Joe Biden. The former president responded to this latest and most serious indictment in his customary style, denouncing it as corrupt and invoking, among other things, the Biden Crime Family and Nazi Germany. Mr. Smith, a veteran prosecutor on the International Criminal Court who has prosecuted far more brutal and popular leaders than Mr. Trump, has surely heard it all before. But that does not excuse the support Mr. Trump is receiving from his Republican allies in Congress, who insist that this prosecution is political and have helped damage the respect for the criminal justice system in the minds of so many voters. Yes, some in Mr. Trumps party, including his former vice president, have stood up for democratic norms in the wake of these indictments, and yet it is impossible to ignore those who have not. These attacks are dangerous and have led to death threats against prosecutors, judges and other civil servants for doing their jobs. If Mr. Smiths previous indictment of Mr. Trump is any indication, we have not heard the end of the charges in this case. In that earlier case, which charged Mr. Trump with illegally hoarding and refusing to return highly classified documents after he left office, the special counsel issued a superseding indictment last week, adding serious obstruction charges against the former president and one of his aides at Mar-a-Lago. It would not be surprising if Mr. Smith has more coming in the new case as well, whether additional evidence of Mr. Trumps lawbreaking or charges against his co-conspirators, who are not named in the indictment but who are readily identifiable. Several are lawyers who advised or worked for the former president, including Mr. Giuliani, Sidney Powell and John Eastman. In many ways, the indictment continues the work of the House Jan. 6 committee, which uncovered many of the same allegations. Several of the committees members had urged this prosecution, particularly after the Senate failed to convict Mr. Trump after he was impeached for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. After he voted to acquit Mr. Trump, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, said there were other ways to bring Mr. Trump to account. We have a criminal justice system in this country, he said. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one. In that, at least, Mr. McConnell was right. A former president is now being charged with extreme abuse of office and will eventually be judged by a jury. Mr. Trump tried to overturn the nations constitutional system and the rule of law. That system survived his attacks and will now hold him to account for that damage. ONLINE: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/opinion/trump-jan-6-indictment.html ___ Aug. 4 The Wall Street Journal on VP Biden, family business and Ukraine diplomacy As soon as Devon Archers closed-door sit-down with the House Oversight Committee ended Monday, New Yorks Daniel Goldman emerged to give the Democratic spin: President Bidens conversations with his sons business partners were innocent discussions about the weather or other niceties. That was exposed as false on Thursday when the committee made the complete transcript public. Mr. Archer is a former business partner of Hunter Biden and served with him on the board of Ukrainian energy giant Burisma. Mr. Archer described the value-added that Hunter brought to the business as the brand, which was the Biden name. When Hunter put his father on speakerphone with his business clients, there was (a) brand being delivered. He further clarified that it was Joe Biden that brought the most value to the brand. In other words, Hunter was selling his fathers power in Washington. That is what Burisma was paying for, and it looks like it got its moneys worth. Burisma would have gone out of business if it didnt have the brand attached to it, Mr. Archer said. Joe Biden famously bragged of his role in using $1 billion in U.S. aid to get Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin fired during his December 2015 visit to Kyiv. Mr. Archer says Mr. Shokin, who was investigating Burisma, was not specifically on my radar, and that he was spun a tale how of Mr. Shokin was actually good for Burisma. But he also said he wasnt on the phone with Hunter, Burisma owner Mykola Zlochevsky and Burisma exec Vadym Pozharski when they called D.C. after a meeting in Dubai to discuss how Washington might alleviate the pressure on them. All of this underscores Joe Bidens horrendous judgment in blending his sons business with his duties as Vice President. Mr. Biden was the Obama Administrations point man for Ukraine, which was fighting Russias first invasion, and he cant claim ignorance about his sons dealings. Amos Hochstein, a senior energy official in the Obama Administration, warned the Vice President in 2015 that Russia-backed media were using Hunters presence on the Burisma board to undermine the U.S. anti-corruption message. The following year a top diplomat in Kyiv, George Kent, was even more blunt in a message to State. Ukrainians, Mr. Kent said, heard one message from us and then saw another set of behavior, with the family association with a known corrupt figure whose company was known for not playing by the rules in the oil/gas sector. Mr. Archer also explained how Hunter received $142,300 from Kazakh oligarch Kenes Rakishev to buy an expensive careither a Fisker or a Porsche. Mr. Rakishev attended a spring 2014 business dinner at Washingtons Cafe Milano with the Vice President and his son. Also in attendance was Elena Baturina, the wife of Moscows mayor, who wired $3.5 million to a company linked to Mr. Archer. The House Committee says it will provide more details when it releases its next tranche of related financial documents. When the public first learned of Hunters sleazy deals, Joe Biden denied ever discussing his sons business with him. But Mr. Archer has also released a letter from Mr. Bidenon official vice presidential stationerysaying how happy he was that Mr. Archer was in business with his son. The letter was written right after a lunch he and Mr. Archer attended with visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao. Its one thing to develop relationships in office that turn into business opportunities later, the way Jared Kushner, Donald Trumps son-in-law, did in the Middle East. Its another to leverage the office while in office to promote the family business. As Mr. Archer said, the advantage of the Biden brand is that legally people would be intimidated to mess with them. Whether or not Joe Biden took a dime from these dealings, this is a form of political corruption. Covered up by the press in 2020, it will be an issue in 2024. Democrats should worry that as more facts emerge about the Biden mix of politics and business, it could help Mr. Trump neutralize his many legal vulnerabilities. ONLINE: https://www.wsj.com/articles/devon-archer-testimony-transcript-house-oversight-hunter-biden-joe-biden-ukraine-a21915bc ___ Aug. 3 The Los Angeles Times on federal disaster relief for climate catastrophe When communities are hit by hurricanes, floods and wildfires they can often count on receiving federal disaster relief to help respond to the unfolding crisis and recover from its effects. But no U.S. president has ever issued an emergency or major disaster declaration for extreme heat, even though its the deadliest weather-related hazard. That means that local communities and states are mostly on their own as they deal with events like this summers stifling, weeks-long spell of dangerous heat. As temperatures continue to break records, it makes little sense to exclude life-threatening heat waves from federal relief. Thats why Congress should get behind the Extreme Heat Emergency Act, straightforward and common-sense legislation introduced in June by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.). It would amend the Stafford Act, the law that governs federal disaster relief, to include extreme heat along with 16 other types of major disasters spelled out in the law, including hurricanes, fires, landslides, drought, and high water. Though it has bipartisan support and the backing of groups such as the National League of Cities and U.S. Conference of Mayors, its prospects in the Republican-led House are unclear. Changing the law is necessary because the Federal Emergency Management Agency has shown little interest in using its disaster relief authority for heat waves. In its history, the agency has only received three requests for extreme heat declarations the last one was in 1995 and denied all on the grounds that they did not demonstrate that response was beyond the capabilities of state and local government. Nothing in the law precludes an emergency or disaster declaration for extreme heat, according to the agency, but FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has also suggested it is restricted by the law, telling the Washington Post that we dont necessarily have the authorities right now within the Stafford Act. Though applications for heat emergency relief may be harder to visualize than the rebuilding that happens after fires or hurricanes, there are many ways heat-stricken communities could benefit from federal assistance. For example, federal funds could be used to offset the cost to local governments of responding to the surge in heat-related medical emergencies and for expanding and operating cooling centers and other shelters for the elderly, unhoused people and other vulnerable populations. Disaster relief could support hospitals and healthcare providers strained with an influx in patients, to repair or strengthen electrical and cooling infrastructure. And at the individual or household level, it could fund the installation of air conditioning and help those who do have it pay for the sky-high energy bills theyve racked up. FEMA says that the costs of responding to extreme heat are usually low compared to other hazards and that its unlikely they would reach the level that would meet the laws requirement that a federally declared disaster be of such severity and magnitude that local and state governments cant effectively respond on their own. But tell that to authorities in Phoenix, where people endured a record-shattering 31 consecutive days above 110 degrees and hospitals filled up with patients with heat-related illness and even burns from touching the 180-degree pavement. The city had to deploy air-conditioned buses as mobile cooling stations, and the Maricopa County medical examiners office was so over capacity last month it was forced to bring in refrigerated coolers to store bodies for the first time since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, who months earlier called for adding extreme heat to FEMAs list of major disasters, said in an interview this week that communities across the country could use federal relief dollars to repair and strengthen power generation and backup power systems as protection against blackouts, open more cooling centers and offer financial help to people struggling to cool their homes. Federal assistance could save lives, she said. We have only so many folks in the workforce to open up and operate cooling centers. Many people in my community will have their highest ever electricity bill in the next month that will be financially devastating for some folks. Federal disaster assistance has evolved in the past, like during the COVID-19 pandemic when it was used to send billions of dollars in aid to local government and individual households, even though disease is not among the catastrophes listed in the Stafford Act. Theres no reason it cant also adapt to accommodate the toll of extreme heat on public health and safety, especially as climate change plays an increasing role. If used to their full potential, these disaster declarations could provide another important tool for local officials, especially in smaller communities that dont have the resources of places like Phoenix or Los Angeles or are less accustomed such severe and long-lasting heat. A portion of federal funding made available after a disaster declaration can also be used on projects that make communities more resilient to future disasters. That seems especially appropriate for heat waves, where there is so much work to be done to increase access to air conditioning, insulate homes, plant trees to reduce the urban heat island effect and more to address the deadly consequences of a warming planet. The great emergency underlying all of this, of course, is climate change and the pollution causing it. President Biden and his administration need to be doing much more to restrict the extraction and burning of fossil fuels and to protect Americans from the rapidly worsening effects. That includes speeding up the development of federal workplace safety standards to protect workers from extreme heat, which is likely to take years to complete because of bureaucratic delays and industry resistance. In the meantime, federal leaders should update the law to treat severe heat waves like the disasters they are. ONLINE: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-08-03/extreme-heat-major-disaster-declaration ___ Aug. 2 The Guardian on Donald Trumps most recent indictment The indictment served on Donald Trump on Monday marks the beginning of a legal reckoning that is desperately required, if American democracy is to properly free itself from his malign, insidious influence. Mr. Trump already faces multiple criminal charges relating to the retention of classified national security documents and the payment of hush money to a porn star. But the gravity of the four counts outlined by the special counsel, Jack Smith, is of a different order of magnitude. Mr. Trump stands accused of conspiring, in office, to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election. Following Joe Bidens victory, the indictment states, Mr. Trump knowingly used false claims of electoral fraud in an attempt to subvert the legitimate election results. A bipartisan congressional committee report last year came to similar conclusions and provides much of the basis for the charges. But this represents the first major legal attempt to hold Mr. Trump accountable for events leading up to and including the storming of the Capitol by a violent mob on Jan. 6, 2021. The stakes could hardly be set higher. Democratic elections and the peaceful transfer of power are the cornerstones of the American republic. The testimony given to Congress indicates that Mr. Trump used his authority to try to bully federal and state officials into supporting his claims that the election had been stolen from him. Repeatedly told that his assertions were baseless, he then mobilized a hostile crowd on Jan. 6 to intimidate lawmakers charged with ratifying Mr. Bidens victory. It is inconceivable that Mr. Trump should not be made to answer for actions that imperiled the constitutional and democratic functioning of the United States. The prosecutors case will hinge on their ability to prove that he knew his claims of a stolen election were bogus. But beyond the trial itself, it would be foolish to underestimate Mr. Trumps ability to turn even this situation to his own political advantage. The legal fronts on which Mr. Trump is now engaged will drain his financial resources. But a narrative of victimhood and persecution has become, and will remain, the galvanizing theme of his campaign. Two previous criminal indictments saw his poll ratings lift, helping him to establish a huge lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination for 2024. Whatever the evidence to the contrary, a sizable proportion of American voters will continue to back Mr. Trumps self-serving version of reality. One of the most dangerously polarizing elections in US history thus looms as, over the next 15 months, Mr. Trump uses political cunning to evade the legal net that is closing around him. Through his lawyers, he will do all he can to delay matters, hoping eventually to dictate the course of events from the White House. For his part, Mr. Smith said on Monday that the justice department will seek a speedy trial. It is in the interests of American democracy, to which Mr. Trump represents a clear and present danger, that the justice department gets its wish. A healthy body politic cannot allow its founding values and core principles to be trashed with apparent impunity. Prosecutors will need to proceed with care and be alert to the complex political dynamics. But this climactic reckoning in court needs to take place before Mr. Trump gets the chance to besmirch the countrys highest office all over again. ONLINE: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/aug/02/the-guardian-view-on-donald-trumps-new-indictment-america-needs-this-trial By The Associated Press SOUTHINGTON A town woman is raising money to start a family center at the former Lincoln College campus on Mount Vernon Road while two other schools also consider the property. The shuttered college has generated interest from many potential buyers over the years but so far none have been able to close a deal. Shea Wordell, who lives near the campus, founded Misfit Mamas, a support and community group for mothers thats grown to thousands of people across the state. Shes envisioned a family center that would offer daycare, transitional housing, special needs care and community. The dorms, lecture halls and community spaces of the former college uniquely matched to Wordells vision. What were looking for is really hard to find because it doesnt exist. Youd have to build it from the ground up, she said. Wordell started fundraising this week to raise $10 million to buy the property, make any needed improvements and fund the family center at its start. Schools interested Thomas Simjian, a real estate agent representing the property owners, said theres also a Korean school and a robotics school interested in the campus. Representatives of those schools plan to visit the property soon and havent yet put in any offers. Theyre showing interest but they haven't actually visited the site, Simjian said Tuesday. He said the price for the land and buildings is around $7 million. Over the years its been on the market for between $6 million and $9.5 million. The land is owned by P G X Holdings, LLC of New Haven. Owners include Mendel Paris, a New Haven developer. His company bought the property in 2022 for $3.5 million from the previous owners, Briarwood Real Estate Limited. The for-profit school was founded as Briarwood College in 1966, later changing to Lincoln College of New England. It closed in 2018 after declining enrollment and accreditation issues. Paris has marketed the property since buying it and other than a Jewish summer school, the campus has remained mostly vacant. The previous owners who leased the campus to Lincoln College made several attempts to return the property to use after failing to secure a new school for the property. The towns zoning rules allowed them to seek approval for medical, rehabilitation, veterinary and other uses. Opposition from neighbors over the potential for a drug rehabilitation center and hesitation from town planners caused property owners to withdraw the proposal. Without a school and another way to reuse the campus buildings, the previous property owners then got town approval for age-restricted cluster housing. Their intent was to develop the land with Mark Lovley, a local developer, but those plans were curtailed by Paris offer to buy the property. Who are The MisfitMamas? Wordell had her son in 2021 and watched her social circle evaporate with the business of motherhood and pandemic restrictions. She started a Facebook group to connect with other mothers feeling the isolation and the strong response surprised her. Within two months it had nearly 2,000 members, Wordell said. What I accidentally created is so much bigger than myself or anybody else out there and I want to see it continue. Theres now groups and events throughout the state, such as play dates, pregnancy and postpartum support groups and self-defense classes. Wordell just released an app for Misfit Mamas thats available in the Google Play store. Were hoping to bring this nationwide over the next few months, she said. Theres a host of needs that Wordell hopes to address with the family center. A major one is childcare that starts early and is open late. That lets parents go to a doctors appointment, run errands or go on a date if they dont have family or other childcare options in the area. Shes hoping to build a play area for children in one of the larger rooms of the school buildings and a special needs area for those children whod be overstimulated in large-group situations. Dorms would also provide temporary housing for parents and children as well as foster children who are transitioning from a home to college. Theyre being turned away because everywhere is full, Wordell said of adults in Misfit Mamas. By having the dorms, we have the option to turn them into temporary housing. Case workers at the family center could help those parents with career and budgeting help while staying in Southington, Wordell said. As a product of the foster system, Wordell said it can be stressful finding housing for transitional times in the college years. The family center could help there too, removing the stress or expense of finding housing for a few months. While her goal is to offer things for free or a reduced price, the housing would bring in a bit of income as would the daycare. Wordell said the family center could also lease space to professional services, such as lactation consultants or behavioral therapists, to bring in money. As a startup, we have no money. Theres no funding. Were raising money right now to be able to purchase it, Wordell said of the campus. Rather than take on a large mortgage, shes hoping to buy the property outright. Its a big price tag, she said, but shes presenting her business plan to Gov. Ned Lamont and corporations such as LEGO and ESPN. Misfit Mamas also has a Gofundme to gather donations. It can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-misfit-mamas-inc-family-center?utm_campaign=p_nacp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer. Every dollar counts, she said. When we come together we can do powerful things. jbuchanan@record-journal.com203-317-2230Twitter: @JBuchananRJ Nguyen Hien spent around 400 million ($16,887) on tuition and expenses to complete university, but her first job paid only VND6 million per month and she couldnt pay her bills. So she quit her desk job and now works as a bartender in the daytime and a cocktail waitress at night for around VND16 million a month. "I dont dare tell my parents about my real job," she said. "I just told them generally that I worked in the food and beverage industry." After four years of study, and hundreds of millions of dong, Hien said her undergraduate degree in law has given her no help in finding a job that can pay for her daily cost of living. And university graduates like Hien that cannot make a living with their bachelors degrees are not rare in Vietnam these days. A recent report by the Ho Chi Minh City Center of Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labor Market Information showed that less than 20% of positions being hired for in HCMC are seeking applicants holding university degrees or the equivalent. Meanwhile, around 85% of potential workers seeking employment are university degree holders. Labor market reports have pointed out that labor needs in sectors such as tourism, information technology, textiles, marketing, and law have decreased in 2023. The trend has pushed many students to the brink of unemployment after graduation. Human resources experts have also raised their concerns about how opportunities for university graduates are so limited that many highly educated young people are now competing with non-degree holders for manual labor jobs. Nguyen Duy Khoa graduated from a university in HCMC with a degree in marketing. He had been working low-level jobs since his freshman year, so he was confident that after graduation his degree and three years of experience would land him a good position. But after four months of applying to dozens of companies to no avail, he soon became depressed. "I attended a few interviews, and none of them were too difficult," he said. "But none of the companies that scheduled interviews with me got back in touch afterwards. I assume that means I failed." Khoa said he performed well in his interviews and met all of the requirements proposed by his potential employers. Still, "9 out of 10" places didnt return his calls when he reached out after his interviews and the only company that got back to him simply replied that he "was not a good fit." So Khoa began working as a moto courier for a ride-hailing app to make ends meet while he continued his job search. But even this new gig hasnt been much help as waves of layoffs and unemployment in Vietnam have created an oversupply of such drivers and finding enough fares amid the intense competition is rare. An estimated 150,000 people qualified for unemployment compensation in HCMC in 2022. Among these, as many as 46,000 were university degree holders, accounting for more than 31% of the total number. Mechanical engineer Le Dung has just gotten a new job after a year working as a moto courier. He had to lower his expectations and apply for entry-level positions instead of experienced engineer positions. "Thinking about how Im having to put my degree aside now, I feel sad sometimes," he said. "I regret spending my time pursuing my undergraduate course." Experts have attributed this phenomenon to several factors, including the fact that Vietnam has not invested enough in improving the quality of its higher education. According to a report by the Academy of Finance, Vietnamese authorities spent VND70 trillion on the higher education system in 2017, which accounted for the considerably low figure of only 0.34% of the countrys GDP. Moreover, the local higher education system is relatively chaotic as higher education institutions in Vietnam are governed by separate and different government bodies namely the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs which dont always work together to create a coherent system. This leads to differences in the quality of training among institutions. Experts have suggested that the Ministry of Education and Training should invest and focus more on creating a high-quality domestic labor market that can compete with foreign labor markets and contribute to improving the countrys economy and social conditions. In the meantime, graduates like Hien have to get by with the least worst career choices. "There are many traps, many risks, and many negative effects on health for someone working at a night bar like me," Hien said. "My memory, my hearing, and my eyesight have worsened [since I started the job]." Still, Hien showed no signs of quitting the job in the near future, as she did not know what else she could do to make a living. A TEENAGE Zimbabwean schoolboy died after he was allegedly forced to drink rat poison by bullies at Queens High School here in Johannesburg. He was a rugby player at school and a Liverpool fan. The school is located a few kilometres from the Joburg central business district. The Gauteng Department of Education and the South African Police Service are investigating the matter. Brian Tatenda Mukwereti Ndlovu (15) died last week at a clinic after complaining of stomach complications. He had told his mum what had transpired at school. His distraught mother, Mildred, is asking for authorities to get to the bottom of the story and bring the perpetrators to book. He first revealed what happened to his neighbour and friend Simba that he was pushed against the wall by a group of boys in the toilet and forced to drink poison. He then went home and asked his mum for milk as he was not feeling well. He came back home and was sweating and I asked him whats wrong? He then revealed that he had been forced to drink poison at school, he repeated the name of the boy who made him take the liquid. He even mentioned four more boys at the school, who included his best friend, and said mama if you do not believe me go and ask my four friends. They know what is happening at that school. It started in January 2023 but I could not tell you anything. I was afraid if I told you, youd come to the school and the boys were still going to come back for me, said a sobbing Mildred. The family rushed him to hospital but he could not make it. The family says it is reliably informed that there was a group of about six boys who were terrorising other kids at the school. Last week, there were protests by parents, who feel the school is not doing enough to stop bullying. The Gauteng Member of Executive Council on Education, Matome Chiloane, visited the school on Monday and assured everyone that his department was working with law enforcement agencies to ensure that if there is any foul play, perpetrators would be brought back to book. He did not want to confirm that the cause of death was bullying. His post-mortem results are expected to shed further light on Brians death. School principal, Johan Lourens, said the school takes any reports of bullying seriously. There have never been reports from Brian or his family that he was involved in any bullying in the school, said the principal. Brians family have indicated that there will be a memorial service in Doornfontein at the Kings & Queens Funeral Parlour today. He will be buried at the West Park Cemetery in Johannesburg on Saturday. The school has also announced plans to hold a memorial service for the student. Breaking News via Email The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) Commissioner-General, Shepherd Mpofu, has denied that convicted rapist Bobby Makazas release under a presidential amnesty was irregular. Makaza was released in May 2022 after serving less than five years of his 16-year sentence for rping a juvenile. His early release has sparked public outcry and condemnation from human rights lawyers. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), on behalf of the victims parents, filed a court application seeking Makazas re-arrest. They argued his release was illegal as rpists are not eligible for presidential amnesty. However, in a response filed on July 31, Commissioner-General Mpofu stated that Makaza was correctly released after assessing his age and identity. Mpofu said Makaza benefited from Clemency Order 1 of 2023, which granted full remission of sentence to prisoners aged 60 and above, except those sentenced to life imprisonment, death or convicted of public violence. Mpofu described suggestions that Makaza was ineligible as malicious and ridiculous. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and Police Commissioner Matanga are named as respondents in the court case. Breaking News via Email Why Insect Memories May Not Survive Metamorphosis Quanta. The URL is much more vivid: insect-brains-melt-and-rewire-during-metamorphosis. Florida sheriffs office: Stop calling the cops on manatee sex Axios KKR to acquire Simon & Schuster for $1.62 billion Axios. Let the strip mining begin! Alternatives Have Been Kryptonite to Alpha At Least for Public Pensions Institutional Investor Wall Street has purchased hundreds of thousands of single-family homes since the Great Recession. Heres what that means for rental prices CNBC Economists Reconsider Industrial Policy Dani Rodrik, Reka Juhasz, and Nathan Lane Project Syndicate. Climate Water The Curious Case of the Colorado Rivers Missing Water Atlas Obscura Air Study links air pollution to rising antibiotic resistance levels Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy An interrupted time series analysis of the cardiovascular health benefits of a coal coking operation closure IOP Science. A natural experiment following closure of a coal coking plant in Pittsburgh, PA. Statistically significant cardiovascular health benefits were documented in the local population, including a 42% immediate drop (95% CI: 33%, 51%) in cardiovascular emergency department (ED) visits from the pre-closure mean. Our study provides clear evidence that this intervention lowering fossil fuel-associated air pollution benefited public health in both the short and longer term, while also providing validation of the past use of observational air pollution epidemiology effect estimates in policy analyses. #COVID19 German Council Reprimands Vaccine Makers for Censorship Attempts Revealed in Twitter Files Lee Fang China? US beats China in soft power and popularity in Southeast Asia, giving it regional edge: analysis South China Morning Post Myanmar India The Lucky Country Africa US still hopeful but realistic on trying to restore constitutional order in Niger Anadolu Agency. Maybe we should clean our side of the street first? Syraqistan Dear Old Blighty Hackers had access to UK voter data for over a year before anyone noticed The Verge New Not-So-Cold War South of the Border 2024 Spook Country Digital Watch Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fashion US Apparel Retailers Break Up With China Amid Worries Bloomberg Superconductors Sports Desk Imperial Collapse Watch Class Warfare How to Tell If a Dog Is Dehydrated Field & Stream Antidote du jour (via): Bonus antidote: Animal UFC Buffalo vs buffalo pic.twitter.com/LB6VPhpaKH IB (@ProfBr_) July 31, 2023 See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/08/links-8-7-2023.html>here. Yves here. More and more Ukraine-supporting Western outlets are making admissions against interest as far as how the war is going. Consider the twofer in the headline: that Ukraine forces are by implication taking a drubbing from the Russians, and the once-implied-to-be-superior NATO training might be a big reason why. This framing is a very big shift from repeated claims by US, NATO, and EU officials, as well as many commentators. Russia was running out of missiles. Russian troops had poor morale. Russian forces were badly led. The Russian military was hopelessly corrupt. This sort of thing has finally started to die down as the much ballyhooed Ukraine counteroffensive has proven to be not just an embarrassing failure, but also a disaster. Independent Western experts like Douglas Macgregor (who recall has excellent contacts) suggest that Ukraine deaths in this campaign are approaching 40,000. To give a sense of significance, compare that to the 60,000 men specifically trained by NATO since March of last year to shore up Ukraine forces. And recall that there are additional, and significant, numbers of wounded men. On top of that, we had the spectacle of Western equipment such as the vaunted Leopard 2 tanks meeting densely mined Russian crumple zones ahead of the Russian fortified lines and not coming out well from the encounter. Western experts also seemed surprised that Russia engaged in remote mining, delivering mines behind the advancing armored vehicles so that if they retreated, more would be lost. Its not clear who was behind the decision to try to conserve equipment, but Ukraine has changed tactics to a more manpower-intensive approach of trying to move men close to Russian positions in small groups, usually along tree lines which they hope offers cover, then getting out and moving in on foot. As Alexander Mercouris in particular has chronicled, the US and NATO are engaged in a blame game with Ukraine. Ukraine is supposedly at fault for being forced to take on a military Mission Impossible, of attacking very well fortified Russian positions with no air support, and worse in a world of ISR where each side can see very well what the other is up to. So the Collective West line is that Ukraine is at fault for abandoning a combined arms operation approach like they were supposed to and reverting to something they hoped might work better. So that is a long-winded way of explaining that this piece is part of the Ukraine effort to point a finger at its sponsors. Those who have been following the war closely will notice all sorts of omissions and misleading spin. For instance, the piece says those trained by NATO since the war started get 35 days of basic training. As Brian Berletic and Mark Sleboda have pointed out, basic training for US service members is 90 days, and four months for Marines. Berletic made clear that was not remotely adequate for going into combat; he said something to the effect that all you know at that point is how to use a gun and that it takes many months more of working with a unit to reach a basic level of competence. Scott Ritter has elaborated on that observation by describing how service members need to learn to operate within their unit, then those units need to learn to function effectively as part of a battalion, and then battalions need to learn to train as part of a brigade, and then brigades need to coordinate as part of an army. Ritter has stressed that Ukraine is now burning through its third army and its poor performance is no reflection on the courage of its men, but that you cant expect forces built on the fly to be effective. Ritter also stated that training Ukraine troops in so many different countries would lead to additional problems, since each NATO member has its own armed forces and not 100% consistent approaches to operations. That means differences in flavors of training would undermine cohesiveness in action Berletic and Sleboda (I infer based on personal experience) said many months ago that NATO training is not so hot. Ritter and Macgregor have depicted NATO as in the business of fighting insurgents, as in noting even remotely approaching a peer power. The article confirms that criticism. For instance: A key concern about the Western training is that the instructors have never fought a war of this kind, or against an enemy like Russia. For years, Western armies and their defence industries have focused on fighting insurgencies in the Middle East. Even though this piece may seem fairly tame compared to what attentive war-watchers have seen elsewhere, the fact that it goes as far as it does is yet another proof that the West can no longer pretend that Project Ukraine is going well. But you see here nary an admission of how much our arrogance has cost in terms of Ukraine lives and loss of limb. By Isobel Koshiw, a journalist based in London covering corruption. Originally published at openDemocracy Ukrainian soldiers are being left underprepared for the realities of Russias war because of a disconnect between NATO and domestic military training, according to one frontline brigade. So far, more than 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers have taken part in military training in the West. Yet NATO can only currently offer Ukrainian soldiers basic training, shifting the burden of vital combat training back to Ukraine. Time constraints mean that stage two training doesnt always happen, or happen in full, in Ukraine or the West. I dont want to say anything against our partners, but they dont quite understand our situation and how we are fighting, said a senior intelligence sergeant in the newly formed 41st Mechanised Brigade who goes by the name Dutchman. Thats why the main training and the integrated training happens here. Nick Reynolds, an expert at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a UK defence think tank, said that the Wests current training for the Ukrainian military is less realistic, but safer and simpler. He admits that this approach shifts the risk from things going wrong at the training stage to things going wrong during live operations. We do have a lot of health and safety regulations yet this means they are going on to the battlefield less prepared, Reynolds told openDemocracy. Most of the day-to-day tactics used against Russias forces, along with combined arms training where battalions learn to operate together as a brigade are taught in Ukraine. The Western training is good and the guys gain experience, particularly in shooting and [the use of] equipment but the most useful training is still done in Ukraine, said Dutchman, who joined as a volunteer fighter at the start of the conflict in 2014. openDemocracy met Dutchman and other members of the 41st Brigade in Kupiansk, a town in north-eastern Ukraine, near one of the most active stretches of the frontline. Almost all the soldiers in the 41st have undergone training in the West. It usually takes between one and two years to form a brigade, but wartime conditions mean that 90% of the 41st Brigade were mobilised this year. Recruitment started in January and they were dropped into Kupiansk in early July. Before the invasion, basic training for Ukrainian troops was six months, but some of the men openDemocracy met had been mobilised as recently as March, highlighting Ukraines critical demand for troops. It would be better if either [the instructors] came here to see what were facing or we went there to train their instructors to train our troops, Dutchman added though he recognises that the former would break NATOs red line of no boots on the ground in Ukraine, while the latter would probably not be acceptable to NATO bureaucracies which require instructors to have risen through the ranks under NATO tutelage. A Different Kind of Enemy So far, some 63,000 Ukrainians (17 brigades in total) have been trained in the West, mostly in the UK and Germany. All receive a 35-day boot camp of basic soldier training. A source involved in the UK training process described it as a crash course and the most that could be provided in the time available. They pointed out that a big plus was the thousands of pounds worth of equipment, including body armour and medical supplies, the Ukrainian troops take home with them. A key concern about the Western training is that the instructors have never fought a war of this kind, or against an enemy like Russia. For years, Western armies and their defence industries have focused on fighting insurgencies in the Middle East. Members of the 41st Brigade said that their instructors often used examples of NATO operations in the Middle East, where the objective is to clear houses and identify potential insurgents among the local population, but thats not really relevant to us. For the most part, [Western instructors] have fought wars in cities and towns urban settings. We are on flat ground a lot of the time, said Dutchman. The tactics that Ukrainian officers and commanders badly want their troops to learn while being trained abroad are either only part of the syllabus or not featured at all. We need people to understand how to effectively clear trenches, enter them, how to throw grenades effectively, how not to trip on booby traps, to understand what grenades the [Russians] throw essentially to understand the enemy, explained Dutchman. Yura*, one of the newly mobilised soldiers from the 41st, gave the example of minefields. Russian forces have laid extensive minefields some of which span several kilometres to hamper the progress of Ukrainian troops involved in the recently launched counter-offensive. The [Western] training was good and interesting. But there was very little about de-mining, Yura said. They showed us a minefield about two metres wide. The training lasted about two hours. But you get here and look at whats in front of you, its just not comparable. Another major difference, argued Dutchman, who has attended several Western training courses in the UK and Germany, is in planning. Referring to the fact that NATO forces usually outgun (and overpower) their enemies, he said that Western instructors plan with a weaker enemy in mind. Ukrainian commanders also have to think on their feet much more, he said. Theres never going to be a warning regarding an offensive So when the attack happens, we have to make decisions, he said. [In the West] they make the plan and act according to the plan and when something doesnt go according to plan, they retreat and make another plan. NATO Training Regulations Another issue is NATO regulations on health and safety protection for troops in training. The way that we build the pathway [the training stages for troops] is you accredit units as safe at a lower level, and you build up with each layer, getting the safety tick-off A single death on a training ground in a NATO country is unacceptable, said RUSIs Reynolds. But Ukraine does not have the time to put its troops through these various levels, which means they cant access additional, more advanced training modules (on particular equipment or the responsibilities of different ranks, for example) that would be useful to them. The condensed training currently offered to Ukrainian troops makes it difficult to reach a stage where NATO would be comfortable layering on additional training, according to Reynolds. Im not saying one [training approach] is better than the other, he continued. From a legal, regulatory, safety and permissions perspective, we cant do [the type of training Ukrainians want], unless we make some fairly serious policy changes. But Reynolds said he believes there is some scope for changing the training, and that the limits of what the West can offer have not been reached: Western militaries providing aid need to come around to the realisation of what is required to make collective training work outside Ukraine. For now, Ukraines 41st Brigade is acclimatising to whats called the second line of defence outside Kupiansk although theyre within comfortable range of Russian artillery and tank fire, they are not as targeted as the first or zero line. At some point, they will be moved forward to face some of the 50,000 or so Russian troops around the town, who are attempting to draw Ukrainian forces from other areas in the south and east. Ultimately, said Dutchman, no soldier is properly trained until they are on the battlefield and can think through their reactions. However much you prepare someone, they wont understand that they are in a war until they have been shelled Most of the men here are unshelled, he said. *Names have been changed to protect identities Posted on by Yves here. I am in no position to judge the fairness of this post. But it does get points for saying, very early on, that the World Bank cancelled bidding on fiber optic cable project to benefit Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, and Nauru due to US diplomatic pressure. The article also calls out why the US and China legal frameworks for underseas cable are ill-suited to this kind of initiative (i.e., critics in each country can make a case) and that New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore offer better models. By William Yuen Yee of the Jamestown Foundation, an independent, non-partisan research institution founded in 1984 and dedicated to providing timely information concerning critical political and strategic developments in China, Russia, Eurasia and the world of terrorism. Cross posted from OilPrice The World Banks cancellation of submarine cable system bidding reveals deeper US-China diplomatic and security tensions over undersea cables. Both US and Chinas legal regulations around submarine cables present unique challenges and inconsistencies with UNCLOS. Stringent permitting processes in China are causing multinational companies to reconsider cable routes through the South China Sea. In May 2018, the World Bank opened bidding to all eligible firms from any country on a $72.6 million submarine fiber-optic cable system that sought to enhance the Internet infrastructure of three Pacific island nations: the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati, and Nauru (World Bank, May 1, 2018). Companies like Japans NEC, Frances Alcatel Submarine Networks, and Chinas HMN Tech leapt into the procurement frenzy. HMN Tech, formerly known as Huawei Marine Networks, submitted a bid that was 20 percent lower than its competitors and seemed to be in a favorable position to win. But in February 2021, the World Bank canceled the bidding process altogether, invalidating all participants as non-compliant with the required conditions (Nikkei Asia, March 18, 2021). The procurement contest concluded without an award. Subsequently, it was later revealed that the World Banks decision was largely influenced by US diplomatic pressure. In July 2020, a note from the US State Department warned officials in Micronesia that HMN Techs involvement in laying the cable posed a security risk of espionage by the Chinese government. In December 2021three years after the World Bank initiated the bidding processthe United States, Australia, and Japan announced that they would finance a cable along the same route. In June, manufacturing work on the 1,398 mile-long East Micronesia Cable System was officially underway (US Department of State, June 6). The story of the East Micronesia Cable System is just one example of the intensifying competition between Washington and Beijing to assert their influence over the 800,000-mile ecosystem of undersea cables. These cables are crucial to the world economy and international communications: 99 percent of intercontinental data traffic, the SWIFT financial messaging network that transfers $5 trillion worldwide daily, diplomatic cables, and military orders traverse these cables (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, accessed August 3). However, the preeminence of these underwater fiber-optic systems also makes them attractive targets for sabotage and espionage. The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence has labeled cyberattacks against cable landing stations a high risk to national security (Director of National Intelligence, September 28, 2017). Increasingly, policymakers view cables as critical infrastructure that must be protected. But asking whether a particular cable is owned by China Telecom or supplied by HMN Tech is not enough to guarantee a cables security from foreign and domestic threats. Another important question is whether the legal regimes of countries provide sufficient protection for the subsea communication lines in their waters. This article will analyze the governance regimes of the US and China, evaluating whether their domestic legal frameworks adequately deter against deliberate damage, comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and stipulate flexible policies to facilitate rapid repair in the case of damage. On each metric, both Beijing and Washington fall somewhat short, albeit for different reasons. The Punishment Does Not Fit the Crime The legal frameworks governing submarine cables in the US and China each face a distinct set of challenges. In the case of the US, the legal regime is hampered by antiquated and inadequate domestic legislation to protect its submarine cables. Conversely, while the PRC has relatively modern national laws in place, the countrys governance suffers from insufficient enforcement mechanisms. The most recent US legislation to protect against submarine cable sabotage dates to the Submarine Cable Act of 1888. Under 47 US Code Chapter 2, breaking a cable results in a maximum prison sentence of two years and a $5,000 fine (United States Code, accessed August 3). This penalty offers little deterrence against prospective cable saboteurs and cannot compensate for the cost of repairs, which average between $1 and $3 million (International Cable Protection Committee, accessed August 3). On the other hand, China does not have a strong track record of enforcing its laws. Under the Regulations on the Protection of Submarine Cable Pipelines, Beijing imposes different financial penalties depending on the type of criminal act. If a cable operator intentionally damages submarine cables or fails to take effective measures to ensure their protection, he will be ordered to cease operations and be subjected to a maximum fine of 10,000 RMB ($1,385) (State Council, January 9, 2004). Cable operators who lay submarine cables and pipelines without proper authorization face the harshest penalty, incurring a fine of 200,000 RMB ($27,700) (State Council, August 26, 1992). Despite these relatively robust measures, Beijings more modern legal framework has not achieved much success due to a lax record of enforcement; between 2008-2015, China averaged 26 cable faults each year, the highest of any nation in the world (Submarine Cables Protection and Regulations, 2021). Although China has taken steps to improve its enforcement mechanisms, their long-term impact remains to be seen. In 2020, the China Coast Guard launched a special operation called Deep Sea Defender 2020 in which it investigated potential threats to cables like sand mining, drilling, anchoring, and bottom trawling. In September 2021, the agency announced the seizure of a ship suspected of breaking a military communication cable (China Coast Guard, November 15, 2021). Examples of strong laws and robust enforcement exist elsewhere in the world, from which both Washington and Beijing can draw lessons. In New Zealand, willfully or negligently damaging a submarine cable results in a fine of up to 250,000 NZD ($152,530 (New Zealand Legislation, October 28, 2021). In Australia, the offense carries a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment and a fine of 40,000 AUD ($26,550) (Australian Federal Police, August 21, 2021). In August 2022, Singapore imposed three fines totaling 300,000 SGD ($220,000) on a private construction company for damaging multiple telecommunication cables while carrying out sheet piling works. [1] Inconsistencies With UNCLOS Both the US and China also have domestic regulations that are inconsistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the international agreement often described as the constitution of the oceans. China embraces an excessively liberal interpretation of the rights of coastal states, while the US lacks national legislation making damage of a submarine cable a punishable offense. Both countries also require cable laying ships to obtain permits before initiating operations in their respective waters, which contravenes Article 58 of UNCLOS. China subjects the delineation of cable routes to the consent of the coastal state, although UNCLOS does not allow this. Under Article 79(3), the delineation of the course for the laying of such pipelines on the continental shelf is subject to the consent of the coastal State, and no such requirement is mentioned for subsea cables (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, accessed August 3). This legal distinction reflects the disparate environmental impacts of a broken cable and a broken pipeline, the latter of which is far less ecologically benign. Under the Implemented measures for the Provisions Governing the Laying of Submarine Cables and Pipelines, foreign companies seeking to lay cables and survey cable routes on Chinas continental shelf must notify the nations State Oceanic Administration, and all routes must receive the express consent of Chinese authorities (Ministry of Natural Resources, August 26, 1992). The US also has domestic laws that are inconsistent with UNCLOS provisions. While Washington has not ratified the international agreement, US administrations have consistently treated the international treaty and its provisions as customary international law (US Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam, July 21, 2020). Article 113 of UNCLOS mandates that all states must adopt laws that define the breaking of a submarine cable willfully or through culpable negligence as a punishable offense. As previously mentioned, the US has not updated criminal penalties for cable faults for over 130 yearssince the Submarine Cable Act of 1888. Permits, Permits, Permits Both countries impose strict permit requirements that run counter to UNCLOS. The licensing measures of both states highlight their prioritization of national security considerations, but these regulations do not come without cost. Article 79(2) of UNCLOS empowers states to adopt reasonable measures in exploring the continental shelf and the exploitation of its natural resources, although such measures should not impede the laying or maintenance of such cables or pipelines (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982). While states with licensing requirements might argue that they are necessary to ensure that foreign cable ships are not engaging in potentially harmful activities, the legal text of UNCLOS explicitly indicates that this remains outside the scope of their jurisdiction. The US permitting process is particularly complex. Under the Cable Landing License Act of 1921, all submarine cable operators must acquire a license from the FCC (FCC, accessed August 3). For cables with significant foreign ownershipor cables that connect the US with foreign landing pointsapplications must undergo review by the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector, previously known as Team Telecom (Federal Register, April 8, 2020). Cables must also receive a federal permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate its potential impact on the environment and any endangered species. [2] This requirement is just at the federal level; it is often necessary to obtain state and local permits as well. Overall, the combined licensing processes can take up to two years. A 2016 report prepared by an FCC working group on enhancing submarine cable resiliency urged the US government to streamline its permitting requirements (FCC, June 2016). While many policymakers in Washington acknowledge the problem posed by such permitting standards, a workable solution that sufficiently balances legitimate national security considerations remains to be found. In the case of China, cable-laying providers must first obtain a letter of nonobjection from the Chinese military before they can submit a formal application to land fiber-optic systems in Chinese-controlled territories or waters (Nikkei Asia, May 19). Should a foreign vessel successfully obtain a license and start carrying out any laying and repair activities, however, other burdensome requirements remain. Foreign ships must report their ship names, call signs, and numbers; current positions and previous locations; and satellite telephone numbers to maritime authorities (Baijiahao, August 29, 2021). Chinese officials have also started requiring cable-laying permits in its exclusive economic zone, the waters that extend between 12 and 200 nautical miles from a states coastline. This infringes upon Article 58 of UNCLOS, which affirms the right of all States to navigation, overflight, and the laying of submarine cables and pipelines, and other internationally lawful uses of the sea related to these freedoms in the exclusive economic zone (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, accessed August 3). Moreover, Beijing reportedly has a lengthy approval process for cable projects within its nine-dash line, an expansive claim over much of the South China Sea that was rejected by an international tribunal at the Hague in 2016 (Nikkei Asia, May 19). In addition, the PRC has stringent cabotage laws that strongly preference domestically flagged and domestically crewed vessels for submarine cable installation and repair. Under Article 70(6) of the Marine Environment Protection Law, foreign vessels must obtain prior approval to enter Chinas territorial sea to repair, adjust, or remove its subsea cable lines (National Peoples Congress, 1982). That said, foreign maintenance ships may act where urgent repairs are required for damaged cables laid on Chinas continental shelf, provided that such operations do not violate Chinas sovereign rights and jurisdiction (State Council, January 20, 1989). Such bureaucratic requirements can significantly impede the maintenance of broken cables. Between 2005 and 2009, there were 19 cable faults caused by fishing vessels in Chinas EEZ in the East China Sea, and repairs were delayed by a couple of weeks due to Beijings requirements (Submarine Cables: The Handbook of Law and Policy, 2014). China is not likely to remove such requirements in the near future. The China Academy of Information and Communications Technologypart of the influential Ministry of Industry and Information Technologypublished a white paper in 2018 that recommended establishing a security review process for foreign enterprises which aim to partake in Chinas submarine cable construction environment (China Academy of Telecommunication Research of MIIT, August 2018). Beijings cumbersome permitting processes have caused some multinational companies to rethink plans to lay subsea internet cables crossing the South China Sea. Examples include the Meta-backed Echo and Bifrost subsea cables, scheduled for completion in 2024. Meta aims to establish the first transpacific cables that chart a new route through the Java Sea (Meta, March 28, 2021). By the end of 2024, a consortium of companies including Meta, Google, and Japans NTT aim to complete Apricot, a 7,439-mile cable that passes through the waters of the Philippines and Indonesia. One executive involved in the cable projects noted that over the past two to three years, weve been struggling with the permit acquisition, particularly for the territorial waters claimed by China (Nikkei Asia, May 19). For many corporations, navigating Chinas regulatory environment has become a major challenge to implementing cable routes that traverse its claimed waters. Arguably, these permitting measures might be relevant to safeguarding national security interests, especially given the sensitivity of critical infrastructure like subsea cables. But such laws require difficult tradeoffs. Current regulations increase costs, slow installations, and can consequently delay repairs of much-needed Internet access. These policies contradict the recommendations of the International Cable Protection Committee, an international non-profit organization that promotes the protection of the worlds submarine cables. [3] Conclusion The US and China are not alone in the need to modernize their submarine cable regulatory provisions. The same is true for the UNCLOS framework, which still fails to address several critical issues. For example, deliberate attacks on cables lying outside territorial seas are unlikely to be crimes under international law. [4] Additionally, coastal states have no legal obligation to adopt laws protecting submarine cables in their territorial seas. [5] If UNCLOS does not update its cable governance regulations to ensure adequate national security protections, states will take their own steps to do so, and the trend of a fragmented undersea cable landscape is likely to persist. This past March, the US House of Representatives passed the Undersea Cable Control Act, which would require the White House to develop a strategy to prevent foreign adversaries from acquiring American-made goods and technologies used in developing undersea cables, as well as establishing agreements with allies and partners to do the same (US Congress, accessed August 3). The domestic regulations within the US and China are particularly significant given the importance of both countries to the international submarine cable market. State-owned China Telecom has a network of 33 submarine cables that connect 72 countries, and the US boasts 88 FCC-licensed systems of the 400 total submarine cables worldwide (China Telecom Americas, accessed June 29; Submarine Networks, accessed August 3). As policymakers in both capitals start to analyze, review, and update their respective legal regimes, the regulatory frameworks of subsea cables will remain a critical space to monitor. The Azerbaijan National Museum of Art has started cooperation with the Aegean University in Izmir (Turkiye) to strengthen cultural ties and promote relations between the two countries, Azernews reports, citing Museum. Within the framework of cooperation, the head of the International Relations Department of the Azerbaijani Museum Konul Rafiyeva visited Izmir. During the visit, on the initiative of the staff of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture of the Aegean University, a meeting was held with the head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Izmir Murat Karachanta and his deputy Kaan Erge. During the meeting, a tripartite protocol on cooperation between the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art, Aegean University, and the Izmir Culture and Tourism Department was signed. According to the protocol, it is planned to organize an exhibition of Turkish artworks from the collection of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art in Izmir and implement modular training programs for museum staff. Flood in Khounkham District of Khammuane Province in Laos. Photo by VNA The Lao government and military have continued to search for a Vietnamese driver missing in a landslide incident after having rescued 45 Vietnamese citizens trapped in the area, Lao media reported. Local media quoted head of Khounkham District of Khammuane Province Keovilay Xayabouth as saying that the Lao government, especially the military, is speeding up the search for the missing driver. So far, rescuers have saved 45 Vietnamese citizens stuck at the incident and helped 40 vehicles flee from the affected areas, he said. Landslides happened in four locations along National Highway 8 between Khammuan and Bolikhamxay provinces on August 4, pushing 110 vehicles, including 95 trucks, 13 pickups, a bus and a motorbike, into the ravine. A total of 25 people, including three women and five children, were stranded at one location, while another 43 were trapped at another, all of whom were brought out safely. Local authorities said that currently the section of National Highway 8 through the mountainous areas of Phou Pha Man and Phou Hai is still temporarily blocked until further notice for repairing. Due to prolonged heavy rains recently, landslides have happened on many roads across Laos, leading to the blockage and damage of many roads. In addition to conducting rescuing activities and assisting people affected by floods and landslides, Lao authorities are focusing on repairing the damaged roads. AI-generated ads and addicting psychiatric medications make for a deadly cocktail The mental health watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) recently warned about the potential dangers of targeted marketing and artificial intelligence-powered apps in the mental health industry nowadays the way these direct users to habit-forming psychiatric drugs should not be ignored. According to CCHR, these apps use targeted AI ads to reach specific audiences on social media platforms to drive users to the psycho-pharmaceutical industry. Like any other high-technology application, these employ sophisticated algorithms that surveil the consumers' behaviors, interests, and interactions to determine their target audience. "Information about the user can then be utilized to personalize content to influence the user's behavior," an article on the CCHR website indicated. "Once a user is directed to a mental health app, they can be quickly diagnosed." Mental Health Apps & AI-Targeted Ads for Psychiatric Drugs Should Raise AlarmThe mental health app industry has surged with around 10,000-20,000 available, offering everything from assessment to treatment & potentially debilitating psychiatric drugs https://t.co/CT1YYPmt8k CCHR Int (@CCHRInt) July 27, 2023 The Los Angeles-based not-for-profit pointed out that any diagnosis of mental disorder, as listed in the American Psychiatric Association's book "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM), cannot be detected or confirmed by any physical or neurobiological test, brain scan, or X-ray, the way medical diseases can. These diagnoses are always subjective, the watchdog noted. "This holds true whether the diagnosis comes from a practitioner or a mental health app. And the 'treatment' for any mental health disorder diagnosis, is nearly always psychiatric drugs." Psychiatrist Allen Frances, the former DSM-IV Task Force Chairman, agrees with this, emphasizing that there are no objective tests in psychiatry that say definitively that someone does or does not have a mental disorder. "There is no definition of mental disorder. It's bull. I mean, you just can't define it," Frances said. As more people utilize mobile and computer applications often because they are more convenient and "private" they often do not have an inkling that manipulation is more rampant online; they are resorting to "consulting" these apps even when it comes to their mental health. Software developers, who are not even in the medical field, are taking advantage of this trend. Albert Fox Cahn, the founder and executive director of the New York-based civil rights and privacy group Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, recently told Insider of his own experience with AI-generated advertising and the mental health app, Cerebral. According to him, he encountered targeted ads on Instagram for the stimulant Adderall, promising an easy path to obtaining the ADHD drug through the said app. As per Cahn, this new trend of aggressive, data-driven marketing for habit-forming drugs draws parallels to the OxyContin crisis. In this case, targeted marketing led to widespread opioid addiction. So the anti-surveillance advocate, as well as the CCHR, called for the ban of targeted ads for dangerous drugs to prevent the same catastrophe from happening. "Above all, we need rules that ban targeted ads for drugs that can get patients hooked. The United States and New Zealand are the only countries in the world that allow direct-to-consumer marketing for prescription drugs. No matter what safeguards are in place, as long as companies can combine them, habit-forming medications and AI ad targeting will make a deadly cocktail," he stressed. According to IQVia's Total Patient Tracker Database (formerly IMS Health), 76,940,157 Americans are already prescribed psychiatric drugs, which carry 409 drug regulatory warnings citing dangerous side effects, including dependence, addiction, and a host of serious adverse reactions. Telehealth company is pushing Adderall to Gen Z on Tiktok During the pandemic, the government waived a rule requiring that patients see an in-person provider before a controlled substance can be prescribed. This allowed totally remote telehealth or virtual care apps. From 2020 to 2021, prescriptions for Adderall and its generic equivalents increased by nearly 25 percent for the 22-44 age group. At the same time, those medications have experienced shortages. (Related: CDC: Prescriptions for Adderall and other stimulant drugs SPIKED during the COVID-19 pandemic.) Back in August of last year, senior Vox reporter Sara Morisson featured a 25-year-old food service worker from western Iowa, who came across TikTok influencer Connor DeWolfe's videos about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. DeWolfe's posts showed up on Nick C.'s "For You" feed, which is effectively TikTok's homepage. Nick recognized some of the symptoms described by DeWolfe as things he also struggled with. "All of his content hit very close and I binge-watched almost all of it. Then more ADHD content started appearing," he said. He never consulted a specialist and had never been diagnosed with ADHD, but decided he had it and that stimulants would help. He just needed a diagnosis and prescription. And alas, the short-form video hosting platform made it easy for him as it started leading him to ads for a telehealth company called Done. The firm said its providers could diagnose patients with ADHD and write prescriptions, typically stimulants, in a matter of days. He was "evaluated" for about 15 minutes by one of Done's nurse practitioners and a few days later, walked out of his local pharmacy with a bottle of Adderall. "Scary easy. Sketchy as hell. But it worked for me," he said in a Reddit post at the time. It does not take a genius to see how something as convenient as this could lead to drug abuse and addiction. To think, the app evaluators are not even mental health practitioners and specialists. Sources for this article include: CCHRInt.org Vox.com Chinese student arrested for omitting link to PLA-backed university in F-1 visa application A Chinese postgraduate student with an F-1 nonimmigrant visa has been arrested and charged with fraud for failing to declare his link to a university connected to China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) in his student permit application in the United States. Attorney Trini E. Ross of the Western District of New York said on Aug. 3 that 28-year-old Jiaxuemo Zhang, currently residing in Amherst, is pursuing a master's degree at the State University of New York in Buffalo under the academic student visa issued by the Department of State in 2021. According to the complaint, the master's degree student did not include the information that he conducted research and attended Beihang University in China, a national public research university located in Beijing specializing in engineering, technology and the hard sciences. The university is known for doing research for the Chinese military. The educational institution is said to be one of China's "Seven Sons of National Defense" and houses nine major Chinese defense laboratories, including the National Laboratory of Computational Fluid Dynamics co-established with a military academy. Zhang conducted research in this laboratory and was mentored by Chongwen Jiang, the deputy director of the Military Research Office, the Epoch Times reported. Zhang only listed the China University of Mining and Technology in Beijing. If convicted, he will face a maximum of 10 years in prison. All of this was revealed when he applied for U.S. doctoral programs. The agent alleged that the information on the curriculum vitae he submitted is not the same as what was on his visa application as the former already included his ties with the PLA-linked university. "My client is a Chinese student at the University at Buffalo. The Government alleges that he left information off his visa application to study in the United States. Mr. Zhang simply wanted to come here because America could provide him with the best education in the world. We look forward to sorting this all out as the case proceeds," Fonda Dawn Kubiak, assistant federal public defender, told the Chinese language edition of the news outlet. Kubiak added that Zhang entered a "not guilty" plea to the charge and is presumed innocent. "The case is in the early stages of the criminal trial process. At this point, the defense team will review and assess the government's evidence and thereafter formulate our defense as the case proceeds," she added. Zhang reportedly appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer on July 28. He was released on conditions pending further legal proceedings. Annual reports from Open Doors show that there have been surges in the number of Chinese students applying to U.S. schools in the last 20 years a five-fold increase from 60,000 in 2000 to 317,000 in 2020. In May 2020, former President Donald Trump signed a proclamation that went into effect on June 1 of that year, suspending certain students and researchers from entry as nonimmigrants. "The [People's Republic of China] authorities use some Chinese students, mostly post-graduate students, and post-doctorate researchers, to operate as non-traditional collectors of intellectual property," the proclamation stated, adding that these students "are at high risk of being exploited or co-opted" by their county to acquire "sensitive U.S. technologies and intellectual property to modernize its military." FBI says China poses significant threat to national security The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has repeatedly warned that China's communist regime is targeting businesses, universities, and government research facilities to obtain artificial intelligence (AI) research and products in order to advance its own technologies, posing a national security threat. "Nation-state adversaries, particularly China, pose a significant threat to American companies and national security by stealing our AI technology and data to advance their own AI programs and enable foreign influence campaigns," a senior FBI official said during a background briefing call with reporters. A top intel official said China has a national plan to surpass the U.S. as the world's top AI power by 2030, but its progress is based on stolen or otherwise acquired U.S. technology. "What were seeing is efforts across multiple vectors, across multiple industries, across multiple avenues to try to solicit and acquire U.S. technology to be able to re-create and develop and advance their AI programs," the top intel official further exposed. FBI Director Christopher Wray sounded the alarm about China's AI intentions at last week's cybersecurity summit in Atlanta. He warned that after "years stealing both our innovation and massive troves of data," the Chinese are well-positioned "to use the fruits of their widespread hacking to power, with AI, even more, powerful hacking efforts." (Related: Chinese communist government orders AI chatbots to 'reflect the core values of socialism,' like American AI will reflect far-left 'wokeness.') Visit CommunistChina.news for more stories related to China's effort to take over the world. Watch the video below that talks about CCP sending spies to America. This video is from the Chinese taking down EVIL CCP channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Chinese tech giants join AI chatbot race but face challenges due to CCP censorship. BOMB IN A CHINA SHOP: Senator warns AI could displace millions of workers and undermine public safety. Watch what you feel: China now using "emotion recognition" technology to arrest people. Tech industry develops AI mind-reading technology capable of measuring citizen loyalty to government. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com CourtListener.com IIE.org VOANews.com Brighteon.com FEAR REBOOT: Health experts, CDC claim COVID-19 cases are rising again So-called health experts and organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are claiming that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is making a comeback in the United States after months of falling cases. According to data released by the CDC, there were 8,035 new hospital admissions related to COVID-19 for the week ending on July 22. This represents a 12.1 percent increase compared to the previous week, but still marks one of the lowest points in the pandemic. At the same time during the previous year, for comparison, the number of new COVID-19-related hospital admissions was over 44,000. Mount Sinai Health System Medical Director for Infection Prevention Dr. Bernard Camins said the health system in New York City is now seeing about 40 new COVID-19 patients a day, compared with just 10 per day earlier in the summer. He added that only about five percent of the patients who need to be hospitalized are sick enough to need intensive care treatment, which he said is a "very small number" compared to earlier in the pandemic. Bill Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, claims people are more likely to get COVID-19 now than they were earlier this summer. "If you do, and you are vaccinated, then your chance of being seriously ill is very slim," Hanage claimed. Wastewater analyses similarly claim that COVID-19 cases are increasing, especially in the American South and Northeast, followed by the West and Midwest. Test positivity from these analyses has risen to 7.6 percent, a level last seen in November 2021 as the post-vaccine Delta variant swept the nation. Doctors claim America needs to embrace "new normal" of COVID being resurgent in the summer Renewed fears of a resurgent COVID-19 come over two months after both the U.S. and the World Health Organization declared an end to the federal and global COVID-19 public health emergencies, respectively. "The U.S. has experienced increases in COVID-19 during the last three summers, so it's not surprising to see an uptick after a long period of declining rates," claimed CDC spokesperson Kathleen Conley, who further claimed that hospitalization rates are higher in unvaccinated individuals. But she did note that most Americans already have some form of immunity either natural immunity from past infections, artificial so-called "immunity" from vaccinations, or both. So-called health experts are now calling on the public to accept that COVID-19 will keep returning every year and that all people need to do to fend it off is to keep updated on their COVID-19 vaccinations. "To some extent, I'm thinking of this as the new normal," said Scott Becker, CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories. "We never expected variants to just disappear, so the virus is doing what viruses do. We're watching all of this in order to better be prepared for any fall surge in respiratory diseases." Between November 2022 and March 2023, an estimated 50,000 deaths were attributed to COVID-19 infections. public health analysts are studying this latest so-called resurgence to try to predict whether the coronavirus will peak during the summer or the early fall. "This fall is something that us, epidemiologists, are watching with much curiosity," said Dr. Katelyn Jetelina. "I think a lot of us are cautiously optimistic that we may start getting a new normal respiratory season." During an interview with David and Stacy Whited on "Flyover Conservatives," health expert Dr. Stella Immanuel warned that the resurgent COVID-19 cases could be part of a globalist plot to take over the global economy. "We have been anticipating something crazy is gonna happen. Why? Because the central bank digital currency was launched in July. The United Nations wants a digital compact for all banks," said Immanuel. "So I know that they're gonna bring up something that will be a stressful event that will allow them to crash the economy and lock us down if not a climate crisis, something else." The fact that health experts are arguing for yearly resurgences in COVID-19 to be treated as normal lends credence to Immanuel's concerns. (Related: Former Pfizer VP says next manufactured COVID-like crisis is "closer than ever.") Learn more about the COVID-19 pandemic at Pandemic.news. Watch this episode of "Flyover Conservatives" with David and Stacy Whited as they interview Dr. Stella Immanuel about the claims that COVID-19 is on the rise once again. This video is from the channel Flyover Conservatives on Brighteon.com. More related stories: 900 Mice genetically engineered to be COVID-19 CARRIERS found in believed-to-be-vacant, China-linked Fresno County lab. CDC to start pushing ANNUAL mRNA COVID "vaccine" injections to accelerate depopulation. Dr. Carrie Madej: COVID-19 vaccines are about introducing TECHNOLOGY into human bodies Brighteon.TV. Did Lebron James' son Bronny suffer a cardiac arrest because of the COVID-19 vaccine? Biden administration FINALLY ends HHS funding for Wuhan Institute of Virology. Sources include: Brighteon.com NBCNews.com NYTimes.com Wired.com Politico.com RFK Jr. sues YouTube, Google over misinformation policies that violated his First Amendment rights Children's Health Defense (CHD) founder and chairman on leave Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is taking aim at YouTube and its parent company Google for violating his and many others' First Amendment rights through censorship. The 2024 presidential candidate says YouTube flat-out engaged in a "censorship campaign" against him that included removing videos of his speech at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, as well as interviews he did with clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson and podcaster Joe Rogan. Filed on August 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Kennedy's complaint alleges that the United States government under fake president Joe Biden has taken "extraordinary steps to silence people it does not want Americans to hear." Because of this censorship regime between Big Tech and Big Government, Kennedy as a valid presidential candidate has been limited in reaching the tens of millions of potential voters who are interested in hearing his message and platform. The lawsuit states that it is expected the censorship regime will remain in place and fully functional throughout Kennedy's campaign, and will likely intensify the closer we get to the primaries. "Mr. Kennedy often speaks at length about topics people would like to ignore, including the negative health effects of toxic chemicals and potential safety concerns about the COVID-19 shots," the complaint reads, adding that YouTube uses its fascist "medical misinformation" policies as an excuse to silence him and others. (Related: Kennedy is a genuine environmentalist, not a climate cultist like the rest of the Democrat Party.) YouTube, Google guilty of election interference with Kennedy censorship Not only is YouTube guilty of censoring various comments that Kennedy has made concerning pertinent medical issues, but it is also guilty of interfering with his campaign-related speeches and interviews, which is also known as election interference. Even though YouTube is considered a private company, it is not acting as a mere provider of content by interfering with Kennedy's speeches and other content. By silencing him through censorship, the suit states, YouTube and Google are acting as both provider and publisher of content. This is problematic because YouTube has become "an important platform for political discourse in America, a digital town square that voters trust as a place to get news and opinions about the issues of the day," the suit states. "YouTube operates as a public forum, the digital equivalent of a town square. As such, it cannot remove protected speech, especially political speech, based on its viewpoint. There is a sufficiently close nexus between YouTube and the federal government such that YouTube's actions may be fairly treated as that of the government itself." Despite citing its own Covid-19 "vaccine" misinformation policies as an alleged valid excuse to engage in censorship, Kennedy says these policies "rely entirely on government officials to decide what information gets censored." YouTube does not allow any content that "contradicts local health authorities' (LHA) or the World Health Organization's (WHO) medical information about COVID-19," meaning these entities are somehow allowed to override the First Amendment just because YouTube has decided they should be allowed to do this. YouTube's entire misinformation policy infrastructure is inherently "unconstitutional," Kennedy says, because it is "vague" and "overbroad," and "because they give unnamed government officials, who the policies depend entirely on, the unfettered discretion to decide what information gets removed from YouTube." By seeking injunctive relief, Kennedy hopes to prohibit YouTube from further censoring his speeches and other campaign-related materials. We, too, hope that he is successful, though it would be even better if YouTube was prohibited from censoring everyone, though we will not hold our breath on that one. Learn more about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s run for president in 2024 at VoteDemocrat.news. Sources for this article include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org Newstarget.com Tap water across American southwest found to be HEAVILY CONTAMINATED with cancer-causing arsenic The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found that tap water in at least 31 states is contaminated with arsenic at levels above the legal limit. While much attention as of late is focused on PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water supply, it cannot be overlooked that arsenic, a metal naturally found in the earth's crust, is also problematic. Particularly in the American Southwest, arsenic-contaminated water is a serious issue that is only being made worse by pesticide use on crops and industrial processes like cement manufacturing, both of which leave behind toxic residues in groundwater used for drinking. Prolonged exposure to arsenic is linked to damaged DNA, which in turn can lead to cancer. Arsenic is also linked to immune system dysregulation, high blood pressure and heart disease. Researchers at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami warn that arsenic contamination is not getting nearly enough attention as PFAS, despite it posing a similar health risk. "Since many countries are still affected by high levels of arsenic, we believe arsenic exposure is a global public health issue that requires urgent action," FIU scientists say. "People who live in areas with naturally high levels of arsenic in the soil and water are at particular risk. In the U.S., for example, that includes regions in the Southwest such as Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico." (Related: U.S. water sources are also contaminated with herbicides, fragrances and disinfection products, not to mention toxic fluoride.) Bottled water is also often contaminated with arsenic Consumer Reports conducted an investigation in 2019 about arsenic in bottled water, which similarly shows that many popular brands are also contaminated with the toxin at levels above the legal limit. That limit, as set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is currently 10 parts per billion (ppb). Then we have baby food, which also often contains arsenic at levels far higher than the legal limit. There have been studies to suggest that children who consume arsenic-tainted baby food end up with lower IQ scores compared to their peers. In 2017, the American Chemical Society (ACS) published a study showing that up to 2.1 million people across the United States are exposed to arsenic simply through their drinking water, let alone added exposure through bottled water, baby food, juices and other products. It is also important to note that the human body can absorb arsenic through skin and inhalation in addition to through food and water. There are many routes of entry into the body for arsenic, in other words. "Research suggests that it damages DNA, stops cells from communicating with one another and impairs the immune system, creating the perfect environment for cancers to grow," reports explain. "Arsenic in soil and rock can dissolve into groundwater and get into drinking water wells. The chemical can enter food when used by farmers as a pesticide and fertilizer ... Chronic exposure to arsenic raises the risk of developing multiple types of cancer." We also know that arsenic interferes with cell signaling pathways while disrupting the immune system, both of which further put the body on the pathway towards the formation of cancer. Arsenic is also linked to the formation of cancer stem cells, meaning the cells inside tumors that cause cancer to grow and spread throughout the body not good. In order to reduce the burden of arsenic-related health effects, Andrade-Feraud, PhD candidate, and Diana Azzam, assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences at FIU, said more people need to learn how to reduce their exposure to the toxin. More related news coverage about toxic drinking water and what to do about it can be found at TapWater.news. Sources for this article include: DailyMail.co.uk Newstarget.com Zoom asks employees to RETURN TO OFFICE 3 years after start of pandemic Video conferencing giant Zoom has urged employees to return to office work , three years after the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began. The tech company is now requesting all employees within 50 miles of a company office to return to in-person work at least twice a week, following a hybrid schedule. Back in January 2022, Zoom said only two percent of its workforce worked in its offices. The company of more than 8,400 has offices in Denver and San Jose, California, as well as several international sites. A company spokesperson said in a statement to Insider: "We believe that a structured hybrid approach meaning employees that live near an office need to be onsite two days a week to interact with their teams is most effective for Zoom." "As a company, we are in a better position to use our own technologies, continue to innovate, and support our global customers. We'll continue to leverage the entire Zoom platform to keep our employees and dispersed teams connected and working efficiently." According to CBS News, the return-to-office (RTO) policy applies to its 7,400 workers who live near a company office. The new corporate policy, which takes effect immediately, "marks the end of a fully remote era" for Zoom. Despite this, there appears to be some leniency to the RTO policy with the company continuing to hire top talent regardless of where potential employees are based. Zoom's shares skyrocketed in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of employees and students to work and attend classes online from their homes. The platform allowed people to connect with others over video chat as much of the world was stranded in their homes due to lockdowns. Zoom's emergence came amid the availability of other apps such as Skype and Microsoft Teams. But toward the end of 2021, Zoom's stock took a nosedive losing at least $100 billion in market value since then. It coincided with employees all over the world returning to in-person work and no longer requiring video conferencing. Continued RTO policies put in place by different firms have caused Zoom's stock to stagnate this year. Other tech firms following suit with RTO policies Zoom joins the growing list of companies ditching fully remote work setups in favor of either 100 percent face-to-face or hybrid arrangements. Search engine giant Google announced back in March 2022 that employees at its Bay Area offices and several other U.S. locations will officially be required to show up on April 4. (Related: Rise of remote work and decline of commuters contributing to San Francisco's "urban doom loop.") According to Verge, the California-based tech giant expects most employees to be in the office approximately three days per week. Some may need to be on-site more than three days a week, while some would be remote full-time. Lora Lee Erickson, a spokeswoman for Google, said the company would use the month of March to help transition employees to the new hybrid work arrangement. She added that workers who want more time before they return to the office can request an extension. Over at Google's Mountain View site, the company has advertised its on-campus hotel offering $99 per night rates to help remote employees transition into a hybrid working schedule. Promotional materials sent to staffers tout the hotel as allowing "an extra hour of sleep" and "less friction" when getting to work. Breakfast is also available for employees staying at the hotel. The advertised rate for the hotel is definitely cheaper than others. Four-star hotels near Google's office cost between $120 and $250 per night. However, the $99 per night rate at the company hotel will only last until Sept. 30. Visit BigTech.news for more stories about Zoom and other technology firms. Watch this video about San Francisco's commercial real estate vacancy rate breaching the 30 percent mark, thanks to remote working. This video is from the WhatsInRoom101 channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Wave of empty office buildings about to take down the commercial real estate sector as more companies default. Tech companies amass large portfolios of new properties during pandemic. Coronavirus batters New York City's luxury real estate market. Sources include: FoxBusiness.com CBSNews.com TheVerge.com MSN.com Brighteon.com America is too reliant on foreign sources of key minerals needed for green economy, data shows In order to continue expanding its so-called "green" economy, the United States requires large amounts of rare-earth minerals that, quite frankly, are unavailable domestically The latest data shows that the U.S. is 100 percent reliant on imports for at least 12 different key minerals that have been deemed as "critical" by the government. And who do you think primarily supplies said minerals? Communist China. Visual Capitalist's Niccolo Conte and Pernia Jamshed collected data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) showing America's import dependence for 30 different key non-fuel minerals, as well as the nations from which the U.S. primarily imports them. Arsenic, fluorspar, gallium, indium, manganese, niobium, scandium, tantalum, and yttrium all top the list as being 100 percent imported into the U.S. from elsewhere, with communist China being the primary source for five of these 10 minerals. Bismuth and other "rare earths" are 96 and 95 percent, respectively, sourced from elsewhere, followed by titanium at 95 percent, and antimony and chromium at 83 percent. At least or greater than 50 percent of the following minerals are also primarily imported into the U.S. from other countries: Tin Cobalt Zinc Aluminum (bauxite) Barite Tellurium Platinum Nickel Vanadium Germanium Magnesium Tungsten Zirconium (Related: Demand for "critical" rare-earth minerals is rapidly outpacing available supplies.) How will the U.S. ever be energy independent if most of these critical "green" inputs come from overseas? As you can see, the vast majority of the minerals needed by the U.S. to fuel its "green" economy come from other countries, with the most prominent country being China. China is the primary import source for arsenic, gallium, graphite (natural), tantalum, yttrium, bismuth, rare earths (compounds and metals), antimony, barite, germanium, and tungsten. The U.S. also imports 100 percent of the following minerals from the following countries: Fluorspar from Mexico Indium from the Republic of Korea Manganese from Gabon Niobium from Brazil Scandium from Europe The "rare earths" category, by the way, includes a grouping of 17 nearly indistinguishable heavy metals with similar properties that are essential in technology, high-powered magnets, electronics, and various other industries. Natural graphite is also a critical component for lithium-ion batteries, which are used in mobile phones, power tools, laptop computers, electric vehicles (EVs), and all sorts of other modern inventions. Arsenic, fluorspar, indium, manganese, niobium, and tantalum are used in a variety of applications such as the production of alloys and semiconductors, as well as in the manufacturing of electronic components such as LCD screens and capacitators. As of Aug. 1, 2023, communist China has imposed export restrictions on gallium and germanium. This is bad news for the U.S., which is 100 percent reliant on China for gallium and 50 percent reliant on China for germanium. "These restrictions are seen as a retaliation against U.S. and EU sanctions on China which have restricted the export of chips and chipmaking equipment," reports indicate. "Both gallium and germanium are used in the production of transistors and semiconductors along with solar panels and cells, and these export restrictions present an additional hurdle for critical U.S. supply chains of various technologies that include LED lights and fiber-optic systems used for high-speed data transmission." The European Union (EU) is also feeling the heat from these export restrictions as it imports 71 percent of its gallium and 45 percent of its germanium from China. "It's another stark reminder to the world of China's dominance in the production and processing of many key minerals ... The announcement of these restrictions has only highlighted the importance for the U.S. and other nations to reduce import dependence and diversify supply chains of key minerals and technologies." The "green" energy scam is devouring the American economy. Learn more at GreenTyranny.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com Newstarget.com China warns Japan and other countries against backing NATOs expansion into the East and Asia-Pacific region Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui has warned Japan and other Asian countries against supporting the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into the East and Asia-Pacific region. Zhang stated that such a move would be akin to allowing "the wolf into the sheepfold." In an exclusive interview with TASS on August 3, Zhang emphasized the need to heed historical lessons and prioritize regional peace and stability. The ambassador also reiterated the potential dangers of involving the U.S.-led military alliance in the East. "We advise Japan and other courtiers to learn the lessons of history in full: They should not, without taking the stance of other nations into consideration, unilaterally undermine peace and stability in the region, they should not become the proponents of NATO's expansion into the East. Like they say: Let the wolf into the sheepfold, it will take a bite on every sheep," said Zhang. The warning follows recent discussions within NATO about establishing a liaison office in Japan. This move would mark the first official presence of the bloc in the Asia-Pacific. Although Tokyo indicated its interest in the proposal, the idea faced resistance from France during President Emmanuel Macron's visit to China. France argued that NATO's scope should remain confined to the North Atlantic, and as a result, the initiative was reportedly shelved. The opposition of China to the potential expansion of NATO into the region has been resolute. Earlier this year, Beijing vowed a strong response should the alliance move closer to its borders. In July, China pledged to "safeguard its sovereignty" and oppose any actions that threaten its legitimate rights and interests. These sentiments were echoed by Russia, which has also raised concerns about the presence of Western military forces near its territory. NATO plans to build a liaison office in Tokyo Back in May, Koji Tomita, the Japanese ambassador to the U.S., announced in a press conference the plan of NATO to build a liaison office in Tokyo. Tomita emphasized the pursuit of Japan for "closer alignment" on issues related to the growing influence and assertiveness of China in the Indo-Pacific region. This move comes as part of a broader effort by Japan to bolster its diplomatic and security ties, particularly with regard to China. (Related: NATO preparing for World War III.) Tomita said the overarching theme of the G-7 summit hosted by Japan in May is the commitment to "maintaining and strengthening a free, open, rules-based international order" amid the complex global landscape marked by the actions of Russia in Ukraine and the advancements of North Korea in long-range missile capabilities. The plan of NATO to establish a liaison office in Tokyo solidifies its recognition of Japan as a valuable partner nation, alongside Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the leaders of Australia, New Zealand and South Korea were invited to attend a NATO summit for the first time in June 2022. In late January, Kishida and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also convened in Tokyo. The two leaders affirmed their commitment to forging closer connections and fostering communication in light of rapidly shifting power dynamics in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. A joint statement released at the time emphasized the shared view that "unilateral change of the status quo by force or coercion is not acceptable anywhere in the world." The statement also hints at the growing military collaboration between Russia and China, specifically highlighting joint operations and drills near Japan. However, the plan seems to be on hold for the time being. Several media reports indicate that the alliance might build the office in Tokyo during the upcoming autumn or possibly at a later date. Watch this video to learn more about NATO. This video is from the Battle Axe of Yah channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: NATO offers Ukraine security guarantee but not an invite to the alliance. NATO claims Russia is preparing 200,000 troops for MASSIVE new attack on Ukraine. NATO members are running out of weapons that they can send to Ukraine. NATO, U.S., in trouble as Russia expands militarily and moves hypersonic missiles near Ukraine. Z-DAY APPROACHES as Russia prepares massive assault wave against Ukraine and NATO. Sources include: SHTFPlan.com RT.com KyodoNews.com Brighteon.com Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Texas, Rhode Island and California are reeling from a widespread cyberattack that has crippled computer systems in hospitals and clinics operated by Prospect Medical Holdings, causing disruptions in emergency services and patient care. John Riggi, an expert in cybersecurity and risk advisory for the American Hospital Association, emphasized the extent of the breach as hospitals resort to paper-based systems and manual processes. "These are threat-to-life crimes, which risk not only the safety of the patients within the hospital but also risk the safety of the entire community that depends on the availability of that emergency department," Riggi stated. Prospect Medical Holdings, which is based in California and has operating facilities in Texas, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, has taken its systems offline to protect against further damage. The company has launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity specialists, though the recovery process could last for weeks. Meanwhile, the White House is closely monitoring the situation, with the National Security Council providing oversight. The Department of Health and Human Services has also offered federal support to prevent disruptions in patient care. While the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Connecticut is collaborating with law enforcement partners and victim entities, officials have yet to confirm whether the attack is a case of extortive ransomware. Ransomware attacks involve criminals stealing sensitive data, activating encryption malware to paralyze systems, and demanding ransoms. (Related: Food giant Dole temporarily halts U.S. production following ransomware cyberattack.) Furthermore, experts have warned against paying ransoms, citing the risks of encouraging criminal behavior and the potential sale of stolen data on the dark web. Several states deal with the aftermath of the cyberattack As a result of the attack, emergency departments in several states faced closures, and patients had to be redirected to alternative medical centers. Democrats criminalize political dissent to preempt potential 2024 election challengers Special Counsel for the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Jack Smith formally charged former President Donald Trump for his alleged role in seeking to overturn the result of the 2020 election leading to the Jan 6 Capitol attack. This is the first time in the history of America that a former president has ever been indicted on criminal charges, which means that no court has been given the opportunity to rule on the topic. Trump faces four counts of charges: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction or an attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. This latest round of charges is the third indictment against the former POTUS. Smith, who had been investigating Trump and ultimately charged him, gave a brief statement to reporters after the charges had been made public. He said the DOJ is "committed to ensuring accountability for those criminally responsible for what happened on Jan. 6, which he described as an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy." He promised that his office will seek a "speedy trial" for the president. (Related: Biden's Justice Department might file a THIRD INDICTMENT against Donald Trump.) Trump isn't the only one facing charges in this case, according to Katie Couric Media. The indictment lists six co-conspirators who haven't yet been named, though theyre identified as four lawyers, a DOJ official, and a political consultant, all of whom allegedly either spread false claims of election fraud or assisted in strategizing about how to obstruct the certification of President Joe Biden's win in 2020. To critics, this occurrence just proved that the Left-leaning government is capable of criminalizing political dissent. People are now worried that disagreeing with the Democrats could send one to court or even prison. According to investigative journalist Daniel Greenfield of the Front Page Magazine, the 45th president's previous indictments had broken all sorts of new legal ground by turning misdemeanors into felonies and deciding that the statute of limitations is just a suggestion, but the Jan 6 indictment by Smith criminalizes election challenges or at least election "protests" against the current administration. And along with that, all political dissent. "This one [third indictment] is designed to intimidate any Republicans who might seek to challenge the outcome of the 2024 presidential election," Greenfield wrote. "Unsatisfied with indicting the leading GOP primary candidate in order to rig the election, Democrats are criminalizing political opposition before and after the upcoming election." Kind of like an early warning to not dispute the coming election results that are sure to be rigged and fraudulent. "When Democrats spread lies about an election, they get book deals and evening slots on MSNBC, and sometimes, like Former Vice President Al Gore, they even get Oscars and Nobel Peace prizes," the contributing writer also pointed out. Free nations such as the U.S. used to be open to election result disputes Going back over two centuries to the 1800 presidential election, it has been a traditional practice to challenge the pools. "Free nations with open elections are not afraid of election challenges and the Democrats have spent a fortune on their own election challenge efforts. The Biden campaign spent $20 million on over sixty post-election lawsuits in 2020," Greenfield stressed. "Smith wont be indicting Biden or Marc Elias because he is a longtime Democrat crony." Instead, the special counsel indicted Trump for such "invented crimes," he added. Democrats and the mainstream media contend that the indictment is apolitical. But actually, they are making it seem that Trump is only alleging "baseless fraud claims," "sham election investigations" and "false claims of election fraud." All of these are the partisan opinions of the prosecutor rather than the law. "If Smith's Jan 6 indictment succeeds, freedom dies and dissent becomes illegal. To disagree with leftists will no longer just lead to a loss of work or arguments on social media, but arrests, trials, and prison sentences," Greenfield stated. He shared concerned citizens' worry that this 3rd indictment will only set up an unprecedented suppression of political opposition. It will not end with Trump or with the 2024 presidential election. "Smith has done nothing less than to take sections of the law and use them to build a criminal infrastructure that can be used to outlaw most political parties and activities on a level with that of Communist China or Russia," he concluded. Meanwhile, reports indicated that Trump is set to plead "not guilty" to the charges. He also called for the trial to be moved from heavily Democratic Washington, D.C., to a more Republican-friendly place like West Virginia. "This Indictment is all about Election Interference!!!" said the top 2024 Republican presidential candidate on his Truth Social website. Visit Trump.news for more news related to the ongoing legal battle the former president is fighting. Sources for this article include: KatieCouric.com Politico.com FrontPageMag.com USAToday.com Vietnamese-American businessman Nguyen Duc An has made changes to the list of assets, worth around VND288 billion ($12 million), he wants his supermodel ex-wife Ngoc Thuy to return. Supermodel Ngoc Thuy. Photo by Milor Tran He sent a letter to the court asking to remove 13 of the 39 assets in a list he had submitted, including five villas in the coastal city of Phan Thiet, seven automobiles and a motorbike, citing that Thuy had sold these assets and "it can take the court more time to verify" as his reason. He has now added other assets to his claim. He wants Thuy to return an additional VND67.8 billion she had earned over the years by "renting out nine of his luxury HCMC District 1 apartments." He has also added VND422 million and US$447,000 that are in three bank accounts he had told Thuy to open in her name. He rejected her demand that all properties acquired after their marriage should be divide equally between them. Calling this "groundless," he said he was reclaiming "properties bought with his money" and wants them transferred to the company operated by him and Thuy so that their two daughters could get them when they turn 18. "If the investigating process takes too long, I want the HCMC People's Court to terminate the lawsuit and pass a verdict aligning with what The Superior Court of California has passed," he said in his letter to the court. An, 61, and Thuy, 43, married in September 2006 after knowing each other for just a week. They divorced in March 2008. An filed a suit in the HCMC Peoples Court claiming Thuy had not returned 39 Vietnam-based assets he had bought with "money he earned before marriage" in 2010. As a foreigner he "had to register the properties in Thuys name." The Superior Court of California in his native U.S. had ruled that Thuy had to return the properties to him as they "were purchased with his money [and not related to Thuy]." It has taken the HCMC People's Court 13 years to hear the case since it "had to obtain documents related to the properties in dispute." It is set to rule on the dispute on August 18. Thuy was once a famous supermodel and actress dubbed the "Marilyn Monroe of Vietnam." She retired when she married An. In 2016, she remarried a lawyer named Truong. CNN poll: MAJORITY of Americans do not want taxpayer dollars to fund Ukraines war effort A new poll released by mainstream media outlet CNN found that a majority of Americans do not approve of Congress or the administration of President Joe Biden spending more taxpayer dollars to fund Ukraine's war effort The poll, released on Aug. 4, found that 55 percent of Americans believe Congress should not authorize additional funding to support Ukraine. Forty-five percent believe Congress should authorize such funding. (Related: Ukraine received $1.25 billion grant from US taxpayers to pay the wages of government employees.) When asked whether or not they believe the U.S. has already done enough to help Ukraine, 51 percent agreed while 48 percent said the U.S. should do more. A majority 68 percent of those who want the U.S. to do more favor additional funding for Ukraine. When asked specifically about the types of assistance the U.S. could provide to Ukraine, 63 percent believe the best support the country can give is intelligence gathering (63 percent) and military training (53 percent). Only 43 percent want the U.S. to provide more weapons, and a very slim 17 percent believe the U.S. should put boots on the ground to participate in combat operations. Concerns about whether the conflict could lead to skirmishes outside of either Russia or Ukraine have also diminished to 64 percent, compared to 77 percent when the conflict began. Those concerned about a broader conflict erupting in Europe also decreased from 80 percent last February to 59 percent in July. Those concerned about the conflict threatening American national security also diminished significantly from 72 percent in February 2022 to just 56 percent in July. The CNN poll was conducted by polling and market research company SSRS from July 1 through 31 among a random national sample of 1,279 adults initially reached by mail. Surveys were conducted either face-to-face with an interviewer or by telephone. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. Despite public opinion turning, Biden administration unlikely to change policy Support for Ukraine is likely to be a major issue in the upcoming elections. Despite the change in public opinion, Biden is likely to continue demanding that Congress remain steadfast in providing support for Ukraine. Back in June, Biden and Congress approved another $2.1 billion aid package to Ukraine, and the White House promised even more support in the future. Providing more taxpayer-funded aid to Ukraine also has bipartisan support, as Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and war hawk Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina are very outspoken about their support for continuing the flow of taxpayer dollars to Ukraine. But more and more Republicans are becoming outspoken about reducing or outright eliminating U.S. support for Ukraine, including members of the House of Representatives and several of the people vying for the GOP's presidential nomination. If one of these candidates gets elected, that person would very likely take a second look at how much strain continued support for Ukraine puts on American taxpayers. Regular Republicans are also thinking twice about continued support for Ukraine, as a solid majority 71 percent believe Congress should stop authorizing any new funding for the country because the U.S. has done enough. CNN's poll noted that 77 percent of Americans are worried that the war will continue without a lasting resolution for a long time. This percentage remains high among party lines 82 percent for Democrats, 75 percent for independents and 73 percent for Republicans. Unless any significant changes occur in the national executive and legislative leadership, it is likely this concern will be vindicated. Learn more about the conflict in Ukraine at UkraineWitness.com. Watch this clip discussing the Polye-21 electronic jamming system that is easily taking down expensive Western-supplied equipment in Ukraine. This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Why can't the U.S. stop helping Kyiv? Zelensky's official who was present during BIDEN BRIBERY meetings holds BLACKMAIL info. MORE, MORE, MORE! Zelensky calls on West to provide Ukraine with air defense systems. Pentagon report: Huge amount of U.S. military aid to Ukraine has been stolen by criminal organizations and arms traffickers. All those armored fighting vehicles the U.S. sent to Ukraine? One third of them have already been destroyed by Russia. Nearly half of "foreign policy experts" who signed letter seeking more weapons for Ukraine are tied to lucrative defense industry. Sources include: ThePostMillennial.com Edition.CNN.com TheHill.com Brighteon.com Porsche comes under fire for editing landmark statue of Jesus out of car ad Porsche has come under fire after it released an ad for its popular Porsche 911 sportscar that was filmed in Lisbon, Portugal, and edited out a famous local landmark statue of Jesus Christ. The German luxury carmaker debuted an ad campaign last week to honor 60 years of the Porsche 911 and sell its new $290,000 Porsche 911 S/T model. It included a video advertisement showing the evolution of the popular car. The video, which was posted on Porsches website, depicts a woman driving the vehicle across Lisbon's 25 de Abril Bridge. As the car makes its way across the bridge around the 44-second mark, the 289-foot concrete pedestal on which the iconic Cristo Rei statue sits can be seen, but the statue itself an imposing 92-foot statue of Jesus Christ standing with his arms outstretched blessing the city is mysteriously absent. The statue was erected in the 1950s as an expression of gratitude that the people of Portugal survived World War II on account of the countrys neutrality during the conflict. Inspired by the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it has a viewing platform that offers incredible views over the city. It overlooks the Tagus River, which divides the city of Lisbon from Almada. A user of X, the social media platform that was previously known as Twitter, first drew attention to the matter, writing: Hey, @Porsche, why did you erase the statue of Jesus Christ from your video filmed in Lisbon? Multiple users with local knowledge pointed out that there was no need for the company to film the commercial from the angle they did if they wanted to avoid the depiction of Jesus, making the choice to film it there and then digitally remove the statue seem even more deliberate and baffling. Why would they include the platform and edit the statue out when so many people were likely to notice its absence and criticize them? Many people called the company out for being too woke and called for boycotts. Some insisted they would never consider buying a car from the brand after the fiasco. After the raft of online criticism, Porsche changed course and uploaded a new version that includes the statue of Jesus. The company said in a statement: "In an early version of a film created in Europe, the Cristo Rei Statue does not appear. We are truly sorry and can fully understand the hurt this has caused. This film has been removed." Porsche never provided an explanation for why the earlier video had been edited to take out the statue. However, they pinned a note above the new video on YouTube explaining that in a previously-uploaded version of the 911 S/T launch film, a landmark was removed. This was a mistake, and we apologise for any offence caused. Your comments on this video were appreciated. Lidl supermarket chain edited crosses off of Greek churches in food packaging Porsche is not the only company that has found itself at the center of controversy for editing references to Christianity in recent years. The German supermarket chain Lidl, which is popular throughout Europe and has stores in the U.S., came under fire in 2017 after they airbrushed crosses off the top of the dome of the Anastasis Church in Santorini, Greece, on the packaging of their Greek food range. Lidl said that the move was not intended as a statement, telling the media that they avoid using religious symbols out of a desire to maintain neutrality in all religions. The company apologized for removing the cross after social media outrage, noting: We are sorry for any offence caused by the artwork on our Eridanous range. We can confirm that we will be revising the design as soon as possible. Sources for this article include: DailyMail.co.uk FoxBusiness.com Prather Point: Resistance movement builds as Biden admin becomes more OPPRESSIVE and TYRANNICAL Brighteon.TV The oppressive and tyrannical Joe Biden administration is the reason why the resistance movement is on the rise in America. "As the government becomes more oppressive and more tyrannical, that builds the resistance. And that's exactly what is happening," said host Jeffrey Prather during the August 4 episode of "The Prather Point" on Brighteon.TV. The former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) intelligence collector said the Deep State is again running an election interference, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) at the front. They are doing this by repeatedly indicting President Donald Trump. Prather said this is really not about indicting or convicting Trump because the cases are garbage. "What they are doing is interfere with the election," he said. "They are trying to wrap up Trump, as well as defund and delegitimize him." But Prather said their tactic is not working. Instead, the resistance movement builds up with Trump getting more support. "And the more they pick on Trump, the more they show what bullies and evil petty tyrants they are," Prather said. (Related: Prather Point: Resistance movement continues to grow in America Brighteon.TV.) DOJ, FBI covering up crime, scandal involving Biden The former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent also talked about Devon Archer, Hunter Biden's former business partner, who came out and was given complete immunity by the DOJ. According to Prather, the DOJ is clearly running Archer and Americans won't be hearing anything about it because the fake news media is going to go along with it. The former Special Forces soldier said there is an even bigger story going with war and politics being the two sides of the same coin. "War is forcing someone to your point of view; politics is convincing someone to your point of view. The more oppressive this tyrannical fallen pedophile, pimp, pusher, prostitute government becomes the more the resistance builds because families are what builds the country, family is the micro civilization," Prather said. Prather also mentioned that the DOJ is now chasing PJ Media, which has confirmed that Ashley Biden's shower diary is real. The former DEA special agent said it's a typical undercover recording put into evidence, but the DOJ and FBI are expected to cover it up as well. He, however, stressed that the truth has already come out. "'Pedo' Joe creeping into a shower with his daughter is total evil and they are having trouble covering it up," Prather said. No wonder, this administration is supporting drag queen shows being shown and transgenderism agenda being pushed on children. "But 'pedo' Joe is the centerpiece for that, and that simply builds the resistance because to have a nation, to have a country, you have to have another generation that doesn't die off. You've got to have a man and a woman, heterosexual men and women who love each other, mating, emulating the Creator and having children and raising those children." Prather added those children must become functional and not like the Deep State children who are not functional and can't do anything because all they can do is prey on each other. He mentioned that Biden was reluctant to accept his illegitimate granddaughter because she has not been taught to become a predator. Follow Resist.news for more news about the rise of resistance movement in America. Watch the August 4 episode of "The Prather Point" below. "The Prather Point" with Jeffrey Prather airs every Friday at 10 a.m. and every Saturday at 7 p.m. on Brighteon.TV. More related articles: Prather Point: Jeffrey Prather calls on veterans to rescue the American Republic Brighteon.TV. Biden administration promotes child mutilations during roundtable with gender-confused kids. Mikki Willis: Dictators are using propaganda to CONTROL and MANIPULATE people Brighteon.TV. Biden launches "Bidenomics" campaign to celebrate big government tyranny.- The Trump indictment criminalizes political dissent. Sources include: Brighteon.com JeffreyPrather.com PJMedia.com Donald Trump pleads not guilty to ginned-up charges of attempting to overturn 2020 election results Former President Donald Trump is facing a growing list of indictments across multiple jurisdictions. The latest charges include accusation of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results, making Trump the first former president of the U.S. to be charged of blocking the peaceful transfer of power to his successor. On August 3, Trump pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to steal the 2020 election. The indictment, brought forth by special counsel Jack Smith, paints a detailed picture of Trump's efforts to delegitimize the election results and to hold on to power. It alleges that his campaign to overturn the election culminated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021. This latest indictment, however, is just one thread in a complex legal tapestry Trump now finds himself entangled in. In a separate federal case, he faces charges related to improperly retaining classified government documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and obstructing the efforts of the government to retrieve them. This questioned the potential breaches of national security and obstruction of justice. Moreover, local prosecutors in New York have hit Trump with 34 felony counts in connection with hush-money payments made to a porn star during the final stages of the 2016 election. The charges underscore the intricate legal challenges he faces on multiple fronts and shed light on his past financial dealings. (Related: Manhattan grand jury votes to INDICT Donald Trump.) In Fulton County, Georgia, another investigation into Trump's potential interference in the election further compounds his legal woes. Meanwhile, Attorney General Merrick Garland has refuted any claims of political bias in the investigations, asserting that they are conducted with impartiality. President Joe Biden has echoed this sentiment, emphasizing his respect for the autonomy of the Department of Justice. Supporters of Trump rally behind him as he faces latest indictment Amid a charged atmosphere near the U.S. Capitol, a diverse crowd of followers gathered, some holding banners that read "Stand Strong, President Trump" and "Innocent Until Proven Guilty." Chants of "We Stand with Trump" and "Justice for Our President" echoed through the air as they waited for updates on the courtroom proceedings. "President Trump is standing up against the establishment and fighting for us. He's a lion, a true leader, and we're here to show that we believe in him," said Daniel DeMoura, a 32-year-old Trump supporter from Florida. The indictment, spanning 45 pages, lays out a detailed narrative of the attempts to undermine the legitimacy of the 2020 election results. However, for his ardent supporters, these charges are politically motivated attacks on a leader who dared to challenge the status quo. Despite the mounting legal challenges and accusations, Trump's base remains resolute, standing firmly behind their leader. The ongoing legal battles, while potentially straining the resources of Trump, have also led to an uptick in fundraising for his potential 2024 presidential campaign. Read more news stories about former President Donald Trump at Trump.news. Watch this video to learn more about how Trump's indictment became an attack on those questioning election results. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Facebook spied on private messages of Americans who questioned 2020 election. Trump calls for new election to be held immediately after more indications surface that 2020 was stolen. 'TF3' confirms Twitter colluded w/ govt. to censor Trump, tilt 2020 election. Revealed: FBI met frequently with all major Big Tech platforms ahead of 2020 election to rig outcome against Trump. Trump was right: Pfizer was pressured to hold back announcement of new COVID vaccine until after the 2020 election. Sources include: WSJ.com MSN.com Brighteon.com Glitch? Wells Fargo bashed by bank account holders over missing deposits The multinational financial services company Wells Fargo was mentioned and tagged in several posts on a microblogging social media platform last week because customers were enraged over missing deposits from their bank accounts. Said clients contacted the bank via Twitter, now officially branded as 'X,' claiming they could not access money that they deposited into the bank. One account alleged that the firm stole $4,000 from him. Wells Fargo then overdrafted the customer's account. The bank responded to the irate customer. "Our technical teams are aware and are working to resolve this issue as soon as possible," it said. @wellsfargo.. you stole almost 4000 from me that I deposited on 8/2. I need my money now!!!! Then you have the balls to overdraft my account! @iamdonewithwellsfargo Vegas Daddy (@Randy08490149) August 3, 2023 Another client, an animal rescue in Georgia, also complained about missing deposits and negative balances. The customer service representative responded with the same excuse about a technical glitch and that the team is already looking into the issue. We are missing thousands of dollars in sales deposits and your system says we are now negative thousands. M&B Farm & Hatchery Inc (@Mbfarmhatchery) August 4, 2023 It was unclear how widespread the problem was Thursday night, but as of Friday, customer complaints about the issue were still being posted on social media, and the bank continued to respond that it was working on a fix, CNN Business reported. "A limited number of customers were unable to see recent deposit transactions on their accounts. The vast majority have been resolved and the few remaining issues will be resolved soon. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience," a Wells Fargo spokesperson told the news outlet later that day. This is the second time this year that bank customers have complained about deposits missing from their accounts. In March, the firm confirmed that some customers' direct deposits were not showing up but that their accounts "continue to be secure." The bank has also been "under fire" in recent years. It settled with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in December, agreeing to pay customers $2 billion and a record $1.7 billion fine for "widespread mismanagement" over multiple years that harmed over 16 million consumer accounts. (Related: AI-powered bot successfully requested refund from Wells Fargo using FAKE voice.) Its "fake accounts scandal" also created a national firestorm in 2016. In 2020, it settled with the SEC for $3 billion over fake accounts. It also admitted scandals in its auto loan and mortgage businesses. According to U.S. regulators, the bank wrongfully repossessed some borrowers' vehicles, improperly charged fees, and interest, and failed to refund certain fees. It also improperly denied thousands of mortgage loan modifications, causing some customers to lose their homes in "wrongful foreclosure." Wells Fargo is the biggest offender in failing to maintain employee comms e-records Barely rising above the recent tech issues in the faulty system over the weekend, Wells Fargo is facing another "trial" as regulators on Tuesday announced a combined $549 million in penalties against the company for its failure to maintain electronic records of employee communications. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed said charges and $289 million in fines against other firms for the "widespread and longstanding failures" in record-keeping, while the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) also said it fined four banks a total of $260 million for failing to maintain records required by the agency. "Today's actions stem from our continuing sweep to ensure that regulated entities, including broker-dealers and investment advisers, comply with their recordkeeping requirements, which are essential for us to monitor and enforce compliance with the federal securities laws," Sanjay Wadhwa, deputy director of enforcement at the SEC, said in the release. Wells Fargo, which is also the fourth-biggest U.S. bank by assets and a relatively small player on Wall Street, racked up the most fines with $200 million in penalties. An analysis of 13 of its employees found that all had violated the bank's communications policies by using text messages to communicate with co-workers and market participants. They used the side channels to communicate with more than 100 other employees, including senior supervisors, over thousands of messages, according to the CFTC complaint. "Employees' use of unapproved communication methods was not hidden within the firm," the paper included. "To the contrary, certain supervisors the very people responsible for supervising employees to prevent this misconduct routinely communicated using unapproved methods on their personal devices." But according to the bank's spokeswoman Laurie Kight: "We are pleased to resolve this matter." Meanwhile, French banks BNP Paribas and Societe Generale were fined $110 million each, while the Bank of Montreal was fined $60 million. The SEC also fined Japanese firms Mizuho Securities and SMBC Nikko Securities and boutique U.S. investment banks including Houlihan Lokey, Moelis, and Wedbush Securities. SEC also ordered to "cease and desist" from future violations and hire consultants to review bank policies. Glitch.news contains more stories related to this. Sources for this article include: TheGatewayPundit.com Edition.CNN.com CNBC.com SEC.gov CFTC.gov As most countries endured the extreme heat, hundreds of cattle died in the United States in late July. State officials reported that unusual numbers of cattle deaths were recorded in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. Unusual number of deaths A report from Reuters said that Iowa's Department of Natural Resources received a request to dispose of an estimate of 370 cows that died due to heat exhaustion in western Iowa. Gary Vetter, a cattle farmer in the area, said he tried hard to safeguard local herds, but 53 cattle perished at three of his neighbors' feedlots during the last week of July. "They just start dropping and there was nothing you could really do about it," Vetter said. "I've never seen anything like it." Heat is typically more deadly for cattle weighing more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg), but temperatures and humidity climbed so high that even lighter 700-pound calves died. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Iowa is the sixth largest cattle-producing state, with 630,000 cattle in feedlots as of July 1. Kansas received a request to dispose of 50 cattle due to heat stress this summer, according to Matthew Lara, a spokesman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. When an early June heat wave took producers off guard, at least 2,000 cattle died in the state last year. In Nebraska, the Department of Environment and Energy did not disclose the figures of cattle deaths; however, they claimed that they received numerous phone calls from producers who had experienced cattle deaths due to heat. There are 2.3 million cattle in Nebraska feedlots and 2.4 million cattle in Kansas feedlots. Read Also: Kansas Heat Wave Kills Around 10,000 Fat Cattle as Temperatures Reach over 100 Degrees Fahrenheit Online weather tool Christopher "Chip" Redmond, a meteorologist at Kansas State University, developed a seven-day animal comfort forecast tool called Kansas Mesonet for cattle farmers. According to the Kansas State University website, the project aimed to work with growers and researchers to develop a forecast product that would estimate loss potential in the future. According to Jackie Boerman, an associate professor in Purdue University's department of animal sciences, farmers must cope with the effects of climate change on a daily basis. "We want to cool cows, but we also have to recognize that we want to also be environmentally sustainable," Boerman said, as quoted by WDIO. The US government has recorded the lowest number of beef cows as a result of the drought, forcing ranchers to slaughter more due to a lack of forage to feed them. In the annual report of the Department of Agriculture, there were 29.4 million beef cows in the country as of July 1. This is a 2.6% decrease from the previous year. It was the smallest herd to date since the government began keeping records 52 years ago, and it was the sixth consecutive year of dwindling beef cow numbers. The AG Daily said Nebraska Representative Michael J. Flood wrote a letter to the U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requested that the department and the Farm Service Administration respond rapidly to producers and process aid applications. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen also contacted Vilsack to discuss the livestock losses, asking for immediate payment to producers. Related Article: Texas Cattle Deaths Sparks Mystery, Adds to Decades-Long Cattle Mutilations Related Video: When supposedly on his usual fishing trip in Florida, an experienced 25-year-old man was swept out to sea by a powerful wave and endured the pain of sunburn and jellyfish stings for two days. Fishing Trip Becomes Dangerous Drift to Sea Florida local Charles Gregory, who had frequently gone on early-morning fishing trips off the coast of Florida's St. Augustine on Friday, took extraordinary precautions to survive being lost at sea for over two days. But more quickly than he anticipated, the tide rose, after which, he was thrown into the lake by a wave that struck his flat-bottomed, lightweight 12-foot Jon boat. Although he was able to get back on the boat, the violent tides still carried him out to sea. According to his father, Raymond Gregory, the 25-year-old "struggled to stay alive" for over two days while clinging to the half-submerged boat in the scorching Florida sun, suffering from jellyfish stings and terrifying shark sightings. Raymond claimed that Charles was scared to death during the two days of being stranded in the middle of the sea. After an aviation crew discovered Charles 12 miles offshore on Saturday morning, boat workers were able to rescue him from the Atlantic Ocean, according to US Coast Guard News. The Coast Guard's video of the rescue showed Charles sitting in the tiny Jon boat with its bow already submerged in the water. Charles Gregory survived an almost two-day ordeal at sea after being lost in the ocean when his 12-foot boat was knocked over by a wave off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida. The 25-year-old clung to the partially submerged boat until he was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. pic.twitter.com/D17CDywZE2 NowThis (@nowthisnews) August 8, 2023 Dehydration and Sunburn Everything began on Friday at around 4 AM ET, when Charles was last seen driving the Jon boat away from the Lighthouse Park Boat Ramp. Charles struggled to hold on to the boat while exposed to the sun as the tide carried him out to sea, according to his father. Charles made frantic attempts to keep the tiny boat afloat throughout the course of nearly two days, even taking the motor out of the boat. In a desperate attempt to get assistance, his father stated, the boy removed his swim trunks and waved at passing boats and planes. Apart from experiencing sunburn, Charles informed his father that the night was particularly challenging due to persistent winds and cold conditions by the sea. Also Read: Survivor Sailor Rehomes Castaway Buddy Mexican Dog Bella Before Going Back to Sydney Although Charles is currently in the process of recovery at home, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that dehydration could potentially worsen his rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which damaged muscles break down, releasing their contents into the bloodstream. Due to the severity of his sunburn, bruises, and bites, Charles is finding it quite challenging to move and even get out of bed. Despite this, his father expects that he will soon return to a state of wellness. Raymond expressed his gratitude to the community, search teams, and himself for his son's safe recovery and expressed his joy at his return, AccuWeather reports. The young Gregory was rescued and met emergency services near the Vilano Beach Fishing Pier. The Coast Guard noted that although Charles was saved from a potentially fatal circumstance in this case, it should as a reminder to the public that having safety equipment on board and being ready for the worst is important. A life jacket, a VHF marine grade radio, signaling equipment, and an emergency personal locator beacon are all items that sailors should keep on board, according to the US Coast Guard News, in case they need assistance. Related Article: French Polynesia Catamaran Journey Waylaid by Weather; Sailor and Dog Survives on Rainwater, Raw Fish, Skill In an Illinois lake, authorities have reintroduced 11,000 baby endangered sturgeon along with frozen bloodworms for feeding. 11,000 Sturgeon Babies and Their Frozen Bloodworms Topeka's Jake Wolf Memorial fish hatchery acquired 11,000 young lake sturgeon earlier this month. The lake sturgeon is going to be released so that Illinois waters can support its repopulation. The Jake Wolf natural resources coordinator, Frank Sladek, reports that the young sturgeon are consuming enormous amounts of frozen bloodworms. To store hundreds of pounds of food for the new arrivals, the state fish hatchery has set aside an entire refrigerator and freezer. Sladek expressed amazement over the appetite of the baby sturgeon, describing them as "ravenous". Endangered Lake Sturgeon Sladek claims that because the 2-inch newborns are always moving, they are a great deal of fun to watch. The lake sturgeon are being grown in aquariums indoors out of the summer heat. Despite the heat waves, Jake Wolf's water cooling system keeps the fish comfortable. Over 15 million lake sturgeon, a "prehistoric species," lived in the Great Lakes region in the 1800s, when buffalo herds roamed the plains. Sturgeon, according to him, are living fossils that have existed on this planet for an extremely, extremely long time. The large snouts of bottom-feeding lake sturgeon enable them to suction up creatures that are on their path. Sladek claims that although lake sturgeons have a maximum length of 8 feet, reaching that size takes years. The armor-like look of lake sturgeon isn't due to scales but rather a layer that resembles teeth enamel. A lake sturgeon's lifespan can reach 100 years. Threats and Calls for Conservation Population decline has been caused by commercial fishing, dams, habitat loss, and habitat degradation. The demise of the lake sturgeon, according to Mark Fink from the Center for Biological Diversity, has been comparable to the killing of the buffalo. The quantity of these magnificent fish that formerly existed is hard to even fathom. Real protection for them and their habitats is required to ensure their long-term survival. As an indicator species, lake sturgeon are crucial to the Great Lakes ecosystem. Only a clear pond, lake, or river can support them. They are reliant on environmentally sensitive aquatic invertebrates. The opportunity to reintroduce the species into the waters of Illinois and stock them in rivers and tributaries in which they once spawned, in Sladek's opinion, makes the reintroduction effort very exciting. Also Read: Algal Bloom in San Francisco's Berkeley Marina Causes Worry Over Possible Massive Fish Kill Reintroduction to the Wild It will be difficult to repopulate the extinct species because, according to The National Wildlife Federation, lake sturgeon require 15 to 25 years to reach spawning age. Sturgeons do not always spawn as adults. They have lost the great bulk of their spawning runs. The Jake Wolf Memorial Hatchery faces difficulty in preserving as many baby fish as possible so that the species can be released into the wild. According to Sladek, the precise location of their final release has not yet been determined. Potential stocking sites are being carefully considered by Jake Wolf experts. Sladek asserts that because there are now modest populations of lake sturgeon in some areas of the Mississippi River, the Mississippi River has been mentioned as one of the primary stocking sites, Advantage News reports. Anglers should be informed that the Lake Sturgeon is a legally protected, state-endangered species. In the state of Illinois, Lake Sturgeon is not allowed to be harvested in any way. If one is captured, it must be immediately released, says the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Related Article: Nearly Extinct Prehistoric Fish Lake Sturgeon Respawns in Mississippi River The latest weather reported heavy rain unloaded in Norway and Sweden, causing slower commutes and travel disruptions. People with travel plans should check the road conditions in parts of Sweden and Norway, as the heavy rain resulted in flooded roads. The rainy conditions caused travel headaches for motorists, especially in Norway. Weather conditions in Sweden and Norway According to Reuters and Phys.org reports, weather alerts reminded residents and motorists about the unusual rainy conditions in Sweden and Norway due to low-pressure system. The report noted that the recent weather event resulted in Sweden's worst flooding in 50 years. In contrast, the flooding rain in Norway could be the worst in 25 years. The weather forecast added that a train in Eastern Sweden experienced delays after it was derailed due to the weather. Three people were injured and immediately brought to the nearest hospital. Meanwhile, the AFP and Phys.org reports noted that people in Are Town in Northwestern Sweden were alerted to the rise of water in the Susabacken stream. The heavy rain in Northwestern Sweden caused the Susabacken stream to overflow, causing mudslides. The Southwestern portion of Sweden also suffered from flooding, especially in Gothenburg. People in the affected areas should monitor the weather conditions, especially if their homes sustained damage from the severe weather. In Norway, the Guardian reported that the country suffered from landslides due to the flooding rainfall. A red danger warning was issued in Norway for the heavy rainfall to alert residents. Norwegian authorities also suspended the train due to the inclement weather. The report added that people were advised to work on their homes to avoid traveling amidst the flooding rainfall. Parts of Valdres and Asak also experienced severe flooding and landslides. The low-pressure system also affected portions of Denmark, Lithuania, Finland and Estonia. Weather in parts of Europe Recently, Nature World News (NWN) reported the intense heat in parts of Southern Europe, bringing record highs and health concerns. According to a Euronews report, portions of Southern and Northern Europe suffered from extreme weather events. In Slovenia, the torrential rain caused deadly flooding in the region. Six people reportedly died from the heavy rain. Wildfires and extreme continued to hit portions of Portugal and Spain. In the Associated Press(AP) report, soaring temperatures emerged. The report added that about 1,000 firefighters were deployed in the affected areas to extinguish the deadly wildfires in Portugal. The fire burned about 7,000 hectares. Authorities evacuated at least 1,4000 people. Also Read: South American Heatwaves: Human-Caused Climate Blamed For Abnormal Hot Temperatures Did you know? Extreme heat facts According to CNN and NWS news reports, extreme can become deadly, especially for older adults and people without a cooling environment. Based on the report published in Nature Medicine, heatwaves recorded 61, 672 deaths in Europe between May 30 and September 4 in 2022. Also Read: Widespread Damaging Winds, Flooding Rain to Hit Eastern US, New York State to Georgia, Forecast Warns Related Article: July As Hottest Month: Intense Global Heatwaves To Bring Health Risks For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News Intense heat can become deadlier than other natural weather events, including hurricanes and tornadoes. Recently, Nature World News (NWN) and the UN News reported that July reached the hottest month on record. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres explained that the world is entering an era of global boiling. Extreme heat impact In the U.S., extreme hit reached record-breaking temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona, California and Southwestern U.S. In Florida,t he Associated Press (AP) reported the coral bleaching that could impact the marine environment. Florida's coast also reached ocean temperatures that could set a new world record. In the Guardian's report, the Manatee Bay and Keys recorded a record-breaking 101.19. Furthermore, CNN reported that extreme temperatures could become deadlier than any other natural weather disaster, including tornadoes and hurricanes. According to CNN, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego explained that extreme heat is considered a long-term emergency. Although extreme heat can cause a silent death, the report highlighted that it is not part of the disaster list that can receive assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Meanwhile, the NWS Weather Prediction Center's latest advisory warned of dangerous heat in the Southern U.S. until the week's end. The advisory added that extreme heat could affect Louisiana and Texas, increasing the heat index to 110F. The forecast warned that the combination of humidity and heat could be dangerous. In the Southwest, the forecast added that heat concerns could likely return on the weekend. Also Read: Widespread Damaging Winds, Flooding Rain to Hit Eastern US, New York State to Georgia, Forecast Warns How to deal with the extreme heat Extreme heat can become deadly, especially for older adults, outdoor workers, children and animals. The American Red Cross explained that intense heat worsened by climate change could claim people's lives, which is worst than any natural disaster. As a result, Americans should protect themselves from the troublesome heat conditions, as some portions of the U.S. experienced oppressive heat conditions. Stay updated with the heat advisories Homeowners and motorists must stay updated with the latest heat advisories and forecasts. It can help themanticipate the heat outlook better. Homeowners should monitor the body temperatures of their family members, especially older adults and children. Stay at home as possible Homeowners should stay home as possible and limit outdoor activities with their pets. Prolonged exposure to hot weather can put people at risk of heat-related illnesses. Inside your home, it is best to look for cooler environments or areas. In addition, regularly checking your home's air conditioning is helpful to ensure it is working. Stay hydrated, and don't leave your pets or children unattended inside a hot car. Americans should stay hydrated at all times. Bringing bottled water is essential when you travel outside. Also Read: South American Heatwaves: Human-Caused Climate Blamed For Abnormal Hot Temperatures Did you know? The extreme heat in Arizona has affected the large cacti in the area, according to Reuters. The Saguaro cactus is important for birds and mammals in the region. Related Article: July As Hottest Month: Intense Global Heatwaves To Bring Health Risks For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News On July 26, the democratically elected President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, was detained by members of the Presidential Guard, who later that evening announced a government takeover. Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland traveled to Niger to express the United States grave concern regarding developments in Niger and resolute commitment to supporting democracy and constitutional order. The United States continues to call for the immediate release of President Bazoum, his family, and all those detained as part of the extra-constitutional attempt to seize power. Niger is the largest country in West Africa and is part of the region known as the Sahel - a swath of land that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. Niger has been a reliable counter-terrorism partner against various Islamist groups linked to either Islamic State or al-Qaeda. As such, Niger hosts French and US military bases to assist in the fight against terrorism. Acting Deputy Secretary Nuland met with Nigerien civil society and separately with members of the group asserting power in Niger to explain what is at stake if Niger does not respect its own constitutional order. This includes the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in economic and security support for the people of Niger. The U.S. is required under law to cut foreign and military assistance to the Nigerien government if a formal coup designation is made. That assistance will affect development aid to the government, security aid to the government. Its a significant amount, said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. For now, the United States has decided to pause certain assistance for the Government of Niger while the situation remains fluid, said spokesperson Miller in a statement. Acting Deputy Secretary Nuland underscored that the U.S. would remain in close contact with its Allies and partners, including the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS. Secretary Blinken affirmed that the United States remains committed to supporting the people of Niger to help them preserve their hard-earned democracy and reiterated his called for the immediate restoration of Nigers democratically elected government. A woman was critically hurt after a shark bit through her leg while swimming at a beach in New York City. According to the New York Police Department, an unnamed 50-year-old woman was swimming off Rockaway Beach when a shark allegedly attacked her at 6 p.m. on Monday, August 7. The BBC has reported that a portion of flesh was torn from her leg by the bite, leaving a gaping hole several inches wide and deep. Lifeguards dragged the woman from the water, offered first aid, and bandaged her leg. She was transferred to a local hospital, where her condition was described as serious but stable. "We hope for a full recovery for this swimmer," the city's Department of Parks and Recreation said. "Though this was a frightening event, we want to remind New Yorkers that shark bites in Rockaway are extremely rare." Read Also: Scared of Shark Attack? Here's How to Survive It! Evidence of shark bite The tooth traces on the victim's leg wound suggested she was bitten by a bull or thresher shark; a great white encounter is also part of the consideration. Dr. Gavin Naylor, the Program Director at the Florida Program for Shark Research, believes that it is a shark bite upon seeing the image of the victim's wound. "Looks as though it was a fairly clean single bite with some force. You can see the spacing between the teeth," he told the New York Post. However, he added that he needs to see the other side of the victim's leg to narrow the species down. Experts underscored that while it's possible that the woman was bitten by a blue fish, which has razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaws, the severity of her injuries made a shark bite more likely. A shark could have been lured to the Queens shoreline while seeking menhaden or small prey fish that congregate in huge schools, according to Gary Metzger, the South Fork Natural History Museum's Shark Research and Education Program Field Coordinator. This incident is believed to be the first shark attack at Rockaway Beach since 1953. In September 2017, a surfer reported a probable shark bite there, although experts indicated his wound was more likely caused by something else. Safety precaution Rockaway Shore was closed to swimming and surfing on Tuesday. The Associated Press reported police flew a drone over the area, searching for indications of sharks, but they claimed they hadn't seen any sharks since the incident on Monday. However, just 25 miles east on Long Island, officials discovered numerous sharks near the shoreline on Tuesday morning, forcing the closure of parts of Jones Beach. Shark sightings and minor bites have increased in New York waters as the predators are driven closer to shore by a rising population of baitfish that has thrived thanks to recent conservation measures. In the past two summers, at least 13 swimmers reported being bitten off the coast of Long Island, surpassing the total of reported bites throughout New York history prior to 2022. However, none of the recent injuries were considered serious. Related Article: Great White Shark Makes Mexican Diver Its Buffet, Making It The First Fatal Shark Attack of 2023 Related Video: Fierce gang violence continues to plague the people of Haiti. Many of the attacks are very brutal in nature, explained Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, Barbara Feinstein, in a recent briefing: These include indiscriminate attacks on women and children, including sexual and gender-based violence, widespread kidnappings, extortion, and other means of harassment which threaten food security, the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and basic livelihoods. The United States continues to pursue a comprehensive approach in Haiti, including assistance to strengthen, train, and equip the Haitian National Police. Towards this end, Secretary of State Antony Blinken commend(ed) the Government of Kenya for ... considering to serve as the lead nation for a multinational force in Haiti to help take on the scourge of gang violence. The United States supports the Haitian National Police as leading any efforts to improve security in Haiti, including through a multinational force, stressed Deputy Assistant Secretary Feinstein: Our assistance to the Haitian National Police more than $120 million in the last two years has increased the [Haitian National Police Forces] institutional capacity to stem gang violence in greater Port-au-Prince, including by equipping vetted specialized officers to undertake complex anti-gang operations, to work with community policing units in vulnerable neighborhoods, and to provide experts to advise HNP leadership. The next steps for the Kenyan Government are to perform an assessment on the ground in Haiti. And provided the Kenyans are able to secure approval from their own government to lead a multinational force, they would then work with the United Nations to gain UN authorization of such a force, said Deputy Assistant Secretary Feinstein: The United States is prepared to introduce a resolution authorizing a [Multinational Force], and we look forward to working with our partners on the Security Council to secure its swift passage. The United States is encouraged by this development to improve Haitis security through a multinational force. As Secretary Blinken affirmed, Our support for the people of Haiti remains unwavering. Opinion column Refrain from complaining Thank God instead James Knight points out that our lives will be enriched if we respond to circumstances with positivity, rather than moaning and complaining. Its not nice to be around people who complain a lot, is it? Not only does their constant grumbling repel us, it actually makes it harder for us to want to help them. Im sure you know what I mean we are more closely drawn to the person who needs our help but understates it in order to not be a bother, than we are the person who is always moaning about everything thats wrong, without much recourse to advice or improvement. Our distaste for perennial complaining isnt just psychologically reinforcing, it is based on Biblical wisdom too. There is a clear Biblical mandate to conduct ourselves without complaining. Philippians 2:14 says Do everything without grumbling or arguing, James 5:9 says Do not grumble against one another, and in Galatians 5:22-23, joy is mentioned as one of the fruits of the spirit. Instead of complaining, we are told to Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Give thanks in all circumstances, even the bad ones, for this is what builds us up in stronger faith and stronger character. Life has many challenges to overcome - so not complaining doesnt mean there are no struggles coming our way. It means that, in spite of challenges, we have the right perspective and the right attitude in relation to God and to others. In avoiding complaint and adopting a thankful, gracious attitude, we are honouring Gods wishes, and we will be more blessed because of it. There are several other reasons why its good not to complain. It has a detrimental effect on your mood, and may impede your mind from generating a more balanced perspective. It can be discouraging for others, and create distance in your relationships. It can make you a bad witness for others; a religion whose adherents are perennially dissatisfied with life and who continually grumble and complain may not be very attractive to unbelievers. It can be detrimental to the peace, joy, and patience that come from the Spirit, and it can block out the light of the good work that God is doing in those challenging circumstances. If we are not to complain, then how should we respond to challenges and frustrations in our life? I find it helpful to do the following. First, take it to God and invite Him in to the situation. Second, have some quiet time with Him and allow Him to speak into the grievance, and be open to revelation and a deeper understanding. Third, try to maintain a permanent sense of gratitude for all things good and bad in life, and thankfulness for all the ways that God is working in us during the challenges and the growth. Finally, whenever there feels like a need to complain, I find that with a moments thought it is not hard to declare something positive about the surrounding situation. Because everything is a trade-off, there is usually plenty of good working alongside the things we feel like complaining about. So my challenge is, when you are about to complain, refrain and endeavour to speak something positive, or something connected to the complaint for which you can feel grateful and thankful to God and I am confident that it will improve your relationship with God, your relationship with others, your sense of perspective, and your overall well-being. Then, as the Bible says, you will shine among them like stars in the sky. Photo by Craig Adderley on pexels.com James Knight is a local government officer based in Norwich, and is a regular columnist for Christian community websites Network Norfolk and Network Ipswich. He also blogs regularly as The Philosophical Muser, and contributes articles to UK think tanks The Adam Smith Institute and The Institute of Economic Affairs, as well as the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC). The views carried here are those of the author, not necessarily those of Network Norfolk, and are intended to stimulate constructive debate between website users. j.knight423@btinternet.com Help YMCA Norfolk reach finals of youth awards Help YMCA Norfolk reach finals of youth awards YMCA Norfolk has been announced as semi-finalists in five categories of the Youth Matters Awards 2023 and is appealing for help to reach the national finals. The YMCA Youth Matters Awards celebrate the incredible achievements of young people, staff, and volunteers at YMCAs across the UK. YMCA is a global youth organisation that operates on local, regional and national levels to best serve the needs of the community. This years Youth Matters Awards are an opportunity to honour the work YMCA Norfolk has done in the Norfolk community and the staff and young people that made it possible. From volunteers who give up their Friday nights to support people in Kings Lynn through the SOS Bus, to young people like Andrew Fountain who has been through YMCA programmes and continues to be an advocate for them. YMCA Norfolk has made the semi-finals in the following categories: YMCA of The Year - YMCA Norfolk Young Leader of The Year - Beth Fox Support & Advice Project of The Year - The SOS Bus Kings Lynn Young Campaigner of The Year - Andrew Fountain Young Worker of The Year - James Rodwell Young Worker of The Year - Abbie Wilson You can help YMCA Norfolk get to the finals by voting for them at https://ymca.e-activist.com/page/132363/survey/1 before Friday August 18. The YMCA has been established in Norfolk since 1856 supporting and advising various communities. Now, it provides accommodation for young people facing homelessness, provide wellbeing support in the community, run youth clubs, and has its own Community Hub on Aylsham Road with a cafe, soft play and nursery. Keith Morris, 09/08/2023 How deeply does the Kremlin fear Alexey Navalny? As the new verdict and sentence against him show very deeply. On August 4, a Russian court sentenced President Vladimir Putins most prominent critic and Russias foremost anti-corruption campaigner to an additional 19 years in prison on extremism charges. Navalny, who had predicted he would receive an additional long and Stalinist sentence so that the authorities can instill fear among the people, was already serving prison sentences of more than eleven years. Yet Navalny remains undaunted. In a social media post after his sentence was announced, he urged his fellow Russians not to lose the will to resist. The United States condemned the trial, the verdict, and the additional sentence. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement, This is an unjust conclusion to an unjust trial. Navalny has long been a target in Putins Russia. As Spokesperson Miller noted, For years, the Kremlin attempted to silence Navalny and prevent his calls for transparency and accountability from reaching the Russian people. Navalny was harassed by the authorities for his anti-corruption campaigning and political activism for over a decade. In 2020, the Russian government attempted to assassinate him with the chemical agent Novichok. After recovering in Germany, Navalny bravely returned to Russia where he was promptly and shamelessly imprisoned on politically motivated charges. Spokesperson Miller pointed out that Navalnys latest trial was conducted in secret and his lawyers access to purported evidence was limited - illustrating once again both the baselessness of the Russian authorities case and the lack of due process for those who speak up against the regime. Meanwhile, Russian authorities have repeatedly sent Navalny to solitary confinement, infringed on his access to counsel, and denied him medical care, said Spokesperson Miller. The United States strongly condemns Russias continued detention of Navalny, [pro-democracy activist] Vladimir Kara-Murza, and the more than 500 other designated political prisoners Russia holds. We will continue to follow their cases closely and advocate for the release of all unjustly detained persons. We once again join Mr. Navalnys family, colleagues, and supporters around the world in calling for his immediate release, and an end to the continued repression of independent voices in Russia. Preetha Nair By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha House Committee re-allotted the 12, Tughlaq Lane Bungalow to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, a day after he was reinstated as Lok Sabha MP. The whole country is my home, Gandhi quipped when asked about his reaction to being re-allotted the bungalow, which has been his home for nearly two decades. Gandhi vacated the official residence on April 22 after the LS housing committee, which deals with matters related to the housing of members of the Lower House, served a notice asking him to vacate. Ever since, he has been staying with his mother Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence. I am ready to pay any price for speaking the truth, he had said after vacating the house. On Monday, the Lok Sabha secretariat restored Gandhis status as an MP, days after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in a defamation case. He was disqualified as a member of Parliament on March 23 after a Gujarat Court sentenced him to two years. Meanwhile, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said on Tuesday that Gandhi will visit his constituency Wayanad in Kerala on August 12-13. NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha House Committee re-allotted the 12, Tughlaq Lane Bungalow to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, a day after he was reinstated as Lok Sabha MP. The whole country is my home, Gandhi quipped when asked about his reaction to being re-allotted the bungalow, which has been his home for nearly two decades. Gandhi vacated the official residence on April 22 after the LS housing committee, which deals with matters related to the housing of members of the Lower House, served a notice asking him to vacate. Ever since, he has been staying with his mother Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence. I am ready to pay any price for speaking the truth, he had said after vacating the house. On Monday, the Lok Sabha secretariat restored Gandhis status as an MP, days after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in a defamation case. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He was disqualified as a member of Parliament on March 23 after a Gujarat Court sentenced him to two years. Meanwhile, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said on Tuesday that Gandhi will visit his constituency Wayanad in Kerala on August 12-13. Yeshi Seli By Express News Service NEW DELHI: An American delegation led by US Congressmen Ro Khanna and Michael Waltz along with six others will take part in the Independence Day celebrations in Red Fort next week. Khanna and Waltz are co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. This is the first time a US delegation is attending the celebrations on August 15th. Both of us believe that the US-India relationship will be a defining one of the 21st Century. India is a key partner in ensuring multipolarity in Asia and the denial of China as a hegemon. We must continue to strive to make progress and build our partnership based on our shared founding values of democracy, freedom of the press and assembly, and human rights. This delegation is a historic opportunity to drive further collaboration and advance shared aims, the two co-chairs said in a statement. Khanna is a Democrat from California while Waltz a Republican from Florida. They will be accompanied by six other American legislators, Deborah Ross, Kat Cammack, Shri Thanedar, Jasmine Crockett, Rich McCormick and Ed Case. As co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, we are proud to lead a bipartisan delegation to India. We will be there to discuss how to strengthen economic and defence ties between our two counties, the oldest and largest democracies, according to a US government release. According to reports, the visit is likely to begin with the delegation first landing in Mumbai on August 10, where they are likely to meet corporate leaders including those with investments in the US, visit the Western Naval Command and also meet some members of the film industry. Their next stop will be Hyderabad where they will visit the Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited facility and a biotech company. They will then arrive in Delhi where they are expected to meet PM Modi and EAM Dr S Jaishankar. Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that Ro Khannas grandfather, Amarnath Vidyalankar was an Indian freedom fighter who is said to have spent four years in prison along with Mahatma Gandhi. Meanwhile, Khanna in March had expressed his dismay when Rahul Gandhi was expelled from Parliament. "The expulsion of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament is a deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and Indias deepest values. This is not what my grandfather sacrificed years in jail for. PM Modi you have the power to reverse this decision for the sake of Indian democracy, he had said. NEW DELHI: An American delegation led by US Congressmen Ro Khanna and Michael Waltz along with six others will take part in the Independence Day celebrations in Red Fort next week. Khanna and Waltz are co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. This is the first time a US delegation is attending the celebrations on August 15th. Both of us believe that the US-India relationship will be a defining one of the 21st Century. India is a key partner in ensuring multipolarity in Asia and the denial of China as a hegemon. We must continue to strive to make progress and build our partnership based on our shared founding values of democracy, freedom of the press and assembly, and human rights. This delegation is a historic opportunity to drive further collaboration and advance shared aims, the two co-chairs said in a statement.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Khanna is a Democrat from California while Waltz a Republican from Florida. They will be accompanied by six other American legislators, Deborah Ross, Kat Cammack, Shri Thanedar, Jasmine Crockett, Rich McCormick and Ed Case. As co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, we are proud to lead a bipartisan delegation to India. We will be there to discuss how to strengthen economic and defence ties between our two counties, the oldest and largest democracies, according to a US government release. According to reports, the visit is likely to begin with the delegation first landing in Mumbai on August 10, where they are likely to meet corporate leaders including those with investments in the US, visit the Western Naval Command and also meet some members of the film industry. Their next stop will be Hyderabad where they will visit the Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited facility and a biotech company. They will then arrive in Delhi where they are expected to meet PM Modi and EAM Dr S Jaishankar. Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that Ro Khannas grandfather, Amarnath Vidyalankar was an Indian freedom fighter who is said to have spent four years in prison along with Mahatma Gandhi. Meanwhile, Khanna in March had expressed his dismay when Rahul Gandhi was expelled from Parliament. "The expulsion of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament is a deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and Indias deepest values. This is not what my grandfather sacrificed years in jail for. PM Modi you have the power to reverse this decision for the sake of Indian democracy, he had said. Achieves 85% CO 2 emission reductions in nine years for DTE Electric with a goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 1 . Directs an additional $110 million to support the Company's most vulnerable customers through the clean energy transition. DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) today (July 26) received approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) on the Company's landmark CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). This approval comes just 14 days after a historic settlement agreement was reached between DTE and nearly two dozen organizations on the Company's 20-year plan that dramatically transforms how DTE generates electricity as part of its mission to invest in the future of Michigan. Developed over the past two years with the input of DTE's customers and other key stakeholders from across Michigan, this proposal accelerates DTE's clean energy transition increasing investments in Michigan-made solar and wind energy, speeding up the retirement of coal plants, and developing new energy storage - all reinforcing DTE's commitment to cleaner energy generated reliably and affordably. "We want to thank the Michigan Public Service Commission for approving our CleanVision Plan. This has been a collaborative process, with input from key stakeholders, to ensure we have the best plan possible for our 2.3 million customers and the state of Michigan," said Jerry Norcia, chairman and chief executive officer, DTE Energy. "We are transforming how we generate electricity - with the goal of getting as clean as we can as fast as we can - while ensuring we continue to produce energy that is reliable and affordable." DTE Electric will surpass its previously announced carbon emission reduction goals - targeting 65% in five years (2028), 85% in nine years (2032), 90% by 2040 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Key details of the CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan include: Investing in clean and reliable energy by: Developing more than 15,000 megawatts of Michigan-made renewable energy by 2042. This carbon-free generation is the equivalent to powering approximately 4 million homes. Accelerating the development of energy storage, targeting 780 megawatts through 2030 with a goal of more than 1,800 megawatts of storage by 2042 - reinforcing DTE's commitment to clean and reliable energy and more than doubling current storage capacity. Ending DTE's use of coal in 2032 with a responsible, phased retirement schedule of the Belle River and Monroe coal power plants - dramatically reducing the Company's use of coal from 77% in 2005 to 0% in less than three decades. The Company has further accelerated the retirement of the Monroe Power Plant - with half of the plant retiring in 2028 and full retirement in 2032. The Company will provide re-training for employees impacted by the coal plant retirements and will continue to partner with the local communities, who for years have hosted these coal-fired plants, on new economic development opportunities. Targeting 2% energy savings level from energy efficiency through 2027. Supporting increased distributed generation on the Company's distribution system. Delivering long-term customer value by: Investing over $11 billion into the clean energy transition over the next 10 years, supporting more than 32,000 jobs in Michigan, while reducing the future cost of the plan for the Company's customers by a projected $2.5 billion 2 . . Directing an additional $110 million to support income-qualified home energy efficiency programs, customer affordability programs and access to clean energy resources for the Company's most vulnerable customers. Repurposing the Belle River coal-fired power plant to run on natural gas at a fraction of the cost of building a new power plant, while accelerating reductions in carbon emissions. Natural gas, and other 24/7 resources like the Company's existing Fermi II carbon-free nuclear plant, play an important role in a diverse energy mix and will significantly reduce emissions while providing reliable and affordable energy to meet periods of high customer demand. A broad range of stakeholders from across Michigan signed onto a settlement agreement that was submitted to the MPSC for approval earlier this month. Signatories to the settlement agreement include DTE Electric, MPSC staff, Attorney General Dana Nessel, representatives of Michigan's environmental community, key business and labor organizations and energy industry associations. The Company anticipates the approved order will be made available on the MPSC docket later today. For further information, members of the media may contact: Jill Wilmot or Ryan Lowry, DTE Energy, 313.235.5555 About DTE Energy DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy Company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric Company serving 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas Company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, renewable natural gas, and energy marketing and trading. Through our commitment to cleaner energy, DTE Electric plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% and DTE Gas will plan to reduce methane emissions 80% by 2040, while keeping our energy safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric and Gas aspire to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. DTE is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com, empoweringmichigan.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com. Certain information presented herein includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the financial condition, results of operations, and businesses of DTE Energy (the "Company"). Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and conditions, but rather are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future results to be materially different from those contemplated, projected, estimated or budgeted. In particular, among other statements, statements relating to the Company's climate-related policies, procedures, initiatives or goals (including, for the avoidance of doubt, net zero goals) and the Company's targets, aims and objectives in connection with those ambitions, and to the Company's expectations, targets and aims for capital expenditure, are subject to change, and are aspirational and not guarantees or promises that all targets, aims and objectives will be met. Statistics and metrics relating to ESG and climate-related matters are estimates and may be based on assumptions or developing standards. Actual results may differ materially from any forward-looking statements. 1. Baseline set in 2005 2. $1.1 billion from 2019 plan and nearly $1.4 billion from the proposed 2022 plan related to regulatory asset treatment related to the net book value of Monroe and Belle River Power Plant Shruti Kakkar By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave Tamil Nadu time till September 30, 2023, to complete the investigation in the alleged cash-for-jobs scam case filed against minister V Senthil Balaji. The court said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be formed if the state government fails to complete the probe by the deadline. Calling the states request for six months time to complete the probe as unreasonable, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said it would not entertain any application regarding an extension of time. The case pertains to illegalities in the appointment of employees in state transport corporations during Senthil Balajis tenure as transport minister under the AIADMK government between 2011 and 2015. On May 16, the top court, while paving the way for the crime branch to continue its investigation and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to commence a money laundering probe in the case, directed the Investigating Officer to include offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. We had expressed our displeasure to Mr Gupta (the states counsel) that asking for six months time was totally unreasonable. In the original order itself, only two months' time had been granted. Considering the facts and circumstances of the case and the submissions made, we extend the time granted by this court by judgment dated May 16, 2023, till September 30, 2023. No further application for extension of time will be entertained and if it is brought to this court that the directions have not been complied with, the SIT would be constituted, the bench said in its order. ED continues questioning Senthil Balaji for second day The allegations pertain to five categories of posts --- junior engineer/assistant engineer/junior tradesman/ driver and conductor. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta in a brief hearing before the bench on Tuesday said the final report was filed in respect of junior engineer posts before the competent trial court. Investigation is also complete in respect of assistant engineers and appropriate authorities have been approached for grant of sanction for prosecution. The final report will be filed before the court pursuant to the receipt of sanction for prosecution from competent authorities. Gupta said, The recruitment involves five categories of posts. One category is complete. In the second one, it is ready and sanction is awaited. The minister is in jail and its not as if he is roaming free. With respect to the other three, there is voluminous material and we have prepared a chart also, Gupta said. Expressing difficulties being faced by the IO in examining the witnesses regarding the investigation for the three posts, Gupta said, A total of 37 lists containing the names of 2,794 persons were taken into account by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Chennai, and appointment orders were issued to them for the posts of junior tradesmen, drivers and conductors. These figures have to be verified by conducting an investigation, which is a time-consuming process. ALSO READ | Chennai court gives ED 5-day custody of arrested TN minister Senthil Balaji Pointing out the tardy and lethargic investigation being carried out by the state, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan and advocate Prashant Bhushan said six months of time was excessive. It was also stated that the police are scrutinising the documents extracted by the forensic sciences department from hard disks and pen drives seized from the minister and his associates houses. Meanwhile, the ED continued questioning the minister in Chennai for the second day on Tuesday. The agency took him under its custody on Monday evening after the SC allowed his questioning till August 12. Official sources were tight-lipped about whether the minister will be flown to New Delhi for further interrogation or if the ED would seek an extension of his custody. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave Tamil Nadu time till September 30, 2023, to complete the investigation in the alleged cash-for-jobs scam case filed against minister V Senthil Balaji. The court said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be formed if the state government fails to complete the probe by the deadline. Calling the states request for six months time to complete the probe as unreasonable, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said it would not entertain any application regarding an extension of time. The case pertains to illegalities in the appointment of employees in state transport corporations during Senthil Balajis tenure as transport minister under the AIADMK government between 2011 and 2015. On May 16, the top court, while paving the way for the crime branch to continue its investigation and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to commence a money laundering probe in the case, directed the Investigating Officer to include offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. We had expressed our displeasure to Mr Gupta (the states counsel) that asking for six months time was totally unreasonable. In the original order itself, only two months' time had been granted. Considering the facts and circumstances of the case and the submissions made, we extend the time granted by this court by judgment dated May 16, 2023, till September 30, 2023. No further application for extension of time will be entertained and if it is brought to this court that the directions have not been complied with, the SIT would be constituted, the bench said in its order. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); ED continues questioning Senthil Balaji for second day The allegations pertain to five categories of posts --- junior engineer/assistant engineer/junior tradesman/ driver and conductor. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta in a brief hearing before the bench on Tuesday said the final report was filed in respect of junior engineer posts before the competent trial court. Investigation is also complete in respect of assistant engineers and appropriate authorities have been approached for grant of sanction for prosecution. The final report will be filed before the court pursuant to the receipt of sanction for prosecution from competent authorities. Gupta said, The recruitment involves five categories of posts. One category is complete. In the second one, it is ready and sanction is awaited. The minister is in jail and its not as if he is roaming free. With respect to the other three, there is voluminous material and we have prepared a chart also, Gupta said. Expressing difficulties being faced by the IO in examining the witnesses regarding the investigation for the three posts, Gupta said, A total of 37 lists containing the names of 2,794 persons were taken into account by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Chennai, and appointment orders were issued to them for the posts of junior tradesmen, drivers and conductors. These figures have to be verified by conducting an investigation, which is a time-consuming process. ALSO READ | Chennai court gives ED 5-day custody of arrested TN minister Senthil Balaji Pointing out the tardy and lethargic investigation being carried out by the state, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan and advocate Prashant Bhushan said six months of time was excessive. It was also stated that the police are scrutinising the documents extracted by the forensic sciences department from hard disks and pen drives seized from the minister and his associates houses. Meanwhile, the ED continued questioning the minister in Chennai for the second day on Tuesday. The agency took him under its custody on Monday evening after the SC allowed his questioning till August 12. Official sources were tight-lipped about whether the minister will be flown to New Delhi for further interrogation or if the ED would seek an extension of his custody. Shruti Kakkar By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Hearing pleas challenging the remission granted to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday that it would go by legal merits and not consider the public outcry. We will only go by merits. Will consider only legal submissions. Suppose there is no public outcry, are we supposed to uphold the order? As a corollary, if there is a public outcry, are we supposed to set aside the order (premature release)? Say it is a wrong order? Justice BV Nagarathna, the presiding judge of the bench, asked as Bilkis lawyer Shobha Gupta drew the courts attention to the public outrage that followed the premature release of the convicts last year. Questioning its relevance, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan asked, How would it be relevant for judicial consideration? Interestingly, the bench, during the hearing, also expressed reservation with regard to the manner in which one of the convicts, Radhey Shyam, had approached SC seeking its directions to consider his petition related to the premature release. The bench also posted for Wednesday the plea to hear locus standi of multiple people who have filed PILs in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case. Besides the petition filed by Bilkis Bano, several other PILs, including one by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, independent journalist Revati Laul and former vice-chancellor of Lucknow University Roop Rekha Verma, have challenged the remission. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has filed a PIL as well. ALSO READ | Supreme Court raps Gujarat government for remission in Bilkis case Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for one of the convicts, told the bench that once the victim is in court, others may not have a locus standi (entitlement to bring a lawsuit in the court) to intervene in a matter of this nature. Bail to Morbi Bridge case accused upheld by SC The apex court has refused to cancel the bail granted by the Gujarat High Court to an accused who had issued tickets to visitors on the day when the Morbi bridge collapsed last year, leaving over 140 dead. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra did not agree to the submissions of the lawyer that the high court wrongly granted bail to the accused. ALSO READ | Gujarat court rejects bail pleas of seven accused in Morbi bridge collapse case He was just selling the tickets, the CJI said, while dismissing the plea for cancellation of the bail granted to accused Mansukhbhai Valjibhai Topia on June 9. We are not inclined to entertain the Special Leave Petitions under Article 136 of the Constitution. The Special Leave Petitions are accordingly dismissed, the bench said. NEW DELHI: Hearing pleas challenging the remission granted to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday that it would go by legal merits and not consider the public outcry. We will only go by merits. Will consider only legal submissions. Suppose there is no public outcry, are we supposed to uphold the order? As a corollary, if there is a public outcry, are we supposed to set aside the order (premature release)? Say it is a wrong order? Justice BV Nagarathna, the presiding judge of the bench, asked as Bilkis lawyer Shobha Gupta drew the courts attention to the public outrage that followed the premature release of the convicts last year. Questioning its relevance, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan asked, How would it be relevant for judicial consideration? Interestingly, the bench, during the hearing, also expressed reservation with regard to the manner in which one of the convicts, Radhey Shyam, had approached SC seeking its directions to consider his petition related to the premature release. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The bench also posted for Wednesday the plea to hear locus standi of multiple people who have filed PILs in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case. Besides the petition filed by Bilkis Bano, several other PILs, including one by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, independent journalist Revati Laul and former vice-chancellor of Lucknow University Roop Rekha Verma, have challenged the remission. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has filed a PIL as well. ALSO READ | Supreme Court raps Gujarat government for remission in Bilkis case Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for one of the convicts, told the bench that once the victim is in court, others may not have a locus standi (entitlement to bring a lawsuit in the court) to intervene in a matter of this nature. Bail to Morbi Bridge case accused upheld by SC The apex court has refused to cancel the bail granted by the Gujarat High Court to an accused who had issued tickets to visitors on the day when the Morbi bridge collapsed last year, leaving over 140 dead. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra did not agree to the submissions of the lawyer that the high court wrongly granted bail to the accused. ALSO READ | Gujarat court rejects bail pleas of seven accused in Morbi bridge collapse case He was just selling the tickets, the CJI said, while dismissing the plea for cancellation of the bail granted to accused Mansukhbhai Valjibhai Topia on June 9. We are not inclined to entertain the Special Leave Petitions under Article 136 of the Constitution. The Special Leave Petitions are accordingly dismissed, the bench said. By PTI NEW DELHI: The BJP on Wednesday commemorated the launch of the Quit India Movement by Mahatma Gandhi on this day in 1942 and called for riddance of dynasticism, corruption, and appeasement politics in an attack against the Congress and INDIA allies. Addressing a press conference at party headquarters here, BJP leader and former Union minister Ravishankar Prasad said corruption and appeasement politics come with dynastic politics. He spoke about several scams that took place during Congress-led UPA regime at the Centre, as well as those came under the watch of the TMC, RJD, DMK, TRS in the states ruled by them, saying that dynasty politics, corruption, and appeasement politics must quit India in the best interest of the country. ALSO READ | India asking corruption, dynasty, appeasement to quit India: PM Modi's swipe at Opposition These are the "three ills" of the country which must quit India, he said. "For the sake of india, its security, integrity, it is very important that these three ills, namely blatant family rule, corruption, and shameful appeasement must quit india," Prasad told reporters. "If the country's democratic fabric of the country is to be safeguarded, probity in politics has to be brought back and saved in the country, these three curses have to quit India," he added. Meanwhile, the BJP MPs staged a demonstration at Parliament House Complex seeking the banishment of dynastic politics, corruption, and appeasement politics from the country. NEW DELHI: The BJP on Wednesday commemorated the launch of the Quit India Movement by Mahatma Gandhi on this day in 1942 and called for riddance of dynasticism, corruption, and appeasement politics in an attack against the Congress and INDIA allies. Addressing a press conference at party headquarters here, BJP leader and former Union minister Ravishankar Prasad said corruption and appeasement politics come with dynastic politics. He spoke about several scams that took place during Congress-led UPA regime at the Centre, as well as those came under the watch of the TMC, RJD, DMK, TRS in the states ruled by them, saying that dynasty politics, corruption, and appeasement politics must quit India in the best interest of the country.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); ALSO READ | India asking corruption, dynasty, appeasement to quit India: PM Modi's swipe at Opposition These are the "three ills" of the country which must quit India, he said. "For the sake of india, its security, integrity, it is very important that these three ills, namely blatant family rule, corruption, and shameful appeasement must quit india," Prasad told reporters. "If the country's democratic fabric of the country is to be safeguarded, probity in politics has to be brought back and saved in the country, these three curses have to quit India," he added. Meanwhile, the BJP MPs staged a demonstration at Parliament House Complex seeking the banishment of dynastic politics, corruption, and appeasement politics from the country. Shruti Kakkar By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Hearing the pleas challenging the abrogation of Article 370 for the third day, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked if it was envisaged as a temporary provision to be converted into a permanent provision merely by proceedings of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly or if Parliaments intervention was required. A bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and Surya Kant asked if the power to amend Article 370 was completely lost once the J&K constituent assembly came to an end. The CJI also opined that once it is assumed that Parliament can amend Article 370, it would be subject to criticism on the ground of morality, but not based on a lack of authority. ALSO READ | What was Article 370 of the Constitution? Why was it revoked? ALSO READ | 'Unprecedented era of progress': Centre opposes pleas in SC challenging Article 370 abrogation NEW DELHI: Hearing the pleas challenging the abrogation of Article 370 for the third day, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked if it was envisaged as a temporary provision to be converted into a permanent provision merely by proceedings of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly or if Parliaments intervention was required. A bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and Surya Kant asked if the power to amend Article 370 was completely lost once the J&K constituent assembly came to an end. The CJI also opined that once it is assumed that Parliament can amend Article 370, it would be subject to criticism on the ground of morality, but not based on a lack of authority.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); ALSO READ | What was Article 370 of the Constitution? Why was it revoked? ALSO READ | 'Unprecedented era of progress': Centre opposes pleas in SC challenging Article 370 abrogation By PTI PATNA: The Bihar Education Department has asked district authorities in the state not to engage teachers in caste survey exercises during school hours. Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Education Department, K K Pathak, in a missive dated August 8, 2023, to all District Magistrates in the state, urged them to make it sure that teachers are not engaged in caste survey exercises during school hours. "The field-related activities of the caste survey exercise are almost complete now in the state. Now the data entry work is going on. Therefore, now it is requested that the services of teachers for the data-entry work should not be taken during school hours. Teachers should not be engaged for the remaining works of the caste-survey exercise during school hours", said Pathak in his letter to DMs. Earlier, Pathak, in another letter, dated August 1, 2023, to all DMs had urged them to make sure that no schools in their respective districts remained without teachers while engaging them in the caste survey exercise. "DMs are requested to ensure that except caste survey exercise, teachers are not engaged in any other administrative works", he had written in his letter maintaining that the quality of education in government schools should not be affected. The Bihar government recently resumed the caste survey exercise after the Patna High August 1 judgement. The Patna HC on August 1 held the caste survey being conducted by the Bihar government as valid and legal. The court also dismissed petitions that were filed against the caste survey started by the state government in June 2022. The decision of the Patna HC has now been challenged in the Supreme Court. PATNA: The Bihar Education Department has asked district authorities in the state not to engage teachers in caste survey exercises during school hours. Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Education Department, K K Pathak, in a missive dated August 8, 2023, to all District Magistrates in the state, urged them to make it sure that teachers are not engaged in caste survey exercises during school hours. "The field-related activities of the caste survey exercise are almost complete now in the state. Now the data entry work is going on. Therefore, now it is requested that the services of teachers for the data-entry work should not be taken during school hours. Teachers should not be engaged for the remaining works of the caste-survey exercise during school hours", said Pathak in his letter to DMs.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Earlier, Pathak, in another letter, dated August 1, 2023, to all DMs had urged them to make sure that no schools in their respective districts remained without teachers while engaging them in the caste survey exercise. "DMs are requested to ensure that except caste survey exercise, teachers are not engaged in any other administrative works", he had written in his letter maintaining that the quality of education in government schools should not be affected. The Bihar government recently resumed the caste survey exercise after the Patna High August 1 judgement. The Patna HC on August 1 held the caste survey being conducted by the Bihar government as valid and legal. The court also dismissed petitions that were filed against the caste survey started by the state government in June 2022. The decision of the Patna HC has now been challenged in the Supreme Court. By PTI GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister and BJP's chief troubleshooter in the northeast Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday asserted that despite the ethnic strife in Manipur, the party will win both the Lok Sabha seats from the state in next year's general elections. He called upon party workers to get ready for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and focus on increasing organisational strength across the region so that it can win maximum number of seats. Addressing a 'vistarak' meet of the region here, Sarma said, "People are asking how will the BJP fare in Manipur. I want to tell them that we will win both Lok Sabha seats from the state. Though there are clashes now, when it comes to making Modi the prime minister for a third term, the entire northeast will be united," he said. He said due to development work undertaken by the Narendra Modi government, prices of essential commodities in Manipur have not increased as much as compared to 2012, when the state had witnessed prolonged national highway blockades by different organisations over various demands. "Had it not been for the Silchar-Jiribam road, prices of petrol and diesel would have touched Rs 1,000 per litre in today's situation. In 2012, where this route was not there, these products had to be airlifted to Imphal and prices had touched Rs 350-400 per litre. Prices of essential items have also not increased to the degree that it had in 2012. The supply line to the (Imphal) valley has been kept clear," the BJP leader added. ALSO READ | BJP 'murdered Bharat Mata' in Manipur: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha He urged the party workers to view the region collectively in terms of Lok Sabha seats, which comes to 25 and is a significant number in the national political landscape. "We are eight states with seats ranging from one to 14 in the Lok Sabha. Collectively, we are 25, which is a big number. Together we can have a positive influence," he added. Sarma also asked the party members to not speculate on which seats the BJP will contest and the ones which it will leave for its allies in the NDA. "NDA is a reality. The PM has said we have to maintain the spirit of NDA. Whether we will contest a seat or an ally will do, the central leadership will decide. Our task is to be prepared to ensure victory of our candidate in whichever seat the party decides to contest," he said. "Even in seats where BJP doesn't stand a chance in today's scenario, we need to find out our strength and start working on it. We have to work with a long-term agenda," he said. Sarma said Assam BJP ministers and Lok Sabha MPs will be meeting in New Delhi on Thursday to discuss poll preparations. ALSO READ | Furore in Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi accuses NDA of murdering Bharat Mata He also took a dig at the Congress and accused it of not working for the country during its long tenures in power. "The Congress never worked for social upliftment and eradicating ills like untouchability. It never worked for the economic independence of the country. It only propagated dynastic politics," he claimed. "It moved away from the legacy of the freedom movement. As we commemorate the launch of Quit India movement today, let us free ourselves from dynastic politics, colonial legacy, corruption and such ills," the Assam CM added. GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister and BJP's chief troubleshooter in the northeast Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday asserted that despite the ethnic strife in Manipur, the party will win both the Lok Sabha seats from the state in next year's general elections. He called upon party workers to get ready for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and focus on increasing organisational strength across the region so that it can win maximum number of seats. Addressing a 'vistarak' meet of the region here, Sarma said, "People are asking how will the BJP fare in Manipur. I want to tell them that we will win both Lok Sabha seats from the state. Though there are clashes now, when it comes to making Modi the prime minister for a third term, the entire northeast will be united," he said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He said due to development work undertaken by the Narendra Modi government, prices of essential commodities in Manipur have not increased as much as compared to 2012, when the state had witnessed prolonged national highway blockades by different organisations over various demands. "Had it not been for the Silchar-Jiribam road, prices of petrol and diesel would have touched Rs 1,000 per litre in today's situation. In 2012, where this route was not there, these products had to be airlifted to Imphal and prices had touched Rs 350-400 per litre. Prices of essential items have also not increased to the degree that it had in 2012. The supply line to the (Imphal) valley has been kept clear," the BJP leader added. ALSO READ | BJP 'murdered Bharat Mata' in Manipur: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha He urged the party workers to view the region collectively in terms of Lok Sabha seats, which comes to 25 and is a significant number in the national political landscape. "We are eight states with seats ranging from one to 14 in the Lok Sabha. Collectively, we are 25, which is a big number. Together we can have a positive influence," he added. Sarma also asked the party members to not speculate on which seats the BJP will contest and the ones which it will leave for its allies in the NDA. "NDA is a reality. The PM has said we have to maintain the spirit of NDA. Whether we will contest a seat or an ally will do, the central leadership will decide. Our task is to be prepared to ensure victory of our candidate in whichever seat the party decides to contest," he said. "Even in seats where BJP doesn't stand a chance in today's scenario, we need to find out our strength and start working on it. We have to work with a long-term agenda," he said. Sarma said Assam BJP ministers and Lok Sabha MPs will be meeting in New Delhi on Thursday to discuss poll preparations. ALSO READ | Furore in Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi accuses NDA of murdering Bharat Mata He also took a dig at the Congress and accused it of not working for the country during its long tenures in power. "The Congress never worked for social upliftment and eradicating ills like untouchability. It never worked for the economic independence of the country. It only propagated dynastic politics," he claimed. "It moved away from the legacy of the freedom movement. As we commemorate the launch of Quit India movement today, let us free ourselves from dynastic politics, colonial legacy, corruption and such ills," the Assam CM added. By PTI KOLKATA: Former chief minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, was discharged from a hospital on Wednesday after 11 days of treatment. The 79-year-old was admitted to a private hospital on July 29 with lower respiratory tract infection and 'Type 2' respiratory failure. After his discharge, he was taken to his Palm Avenue residence in an ambulance with BIPAP facilities and necessary support he required at the moment, a senior doctor said. Bhattacharya will, however, be on medical support at home under the supervision of a team of doctors from the hospital. "His medical condition is fine. However, he will be on BIPAP and other necessary oxygen support at home. Our team of doctors will keep on monitoring his condition for some time," the doctor said. Bhattacharya, who has been suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and other age-related ailments, was rushed to the hospital on July 29. The Left leader took over as the chief minister of West Bengal in 2000 from party senior Jyoti Basu. He remained in the post till 2011, handling a tenure marked by agitations over the acquisition of land for industries led by present Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Bhattacharya lost the 2011 assembly election to Banerjee's TMC and the CPI(M)-led Left Front's 34-year-long rule in the state came to an end that year. Over the last few years, he has stayed away from the public glare due to his deteriorating health and remained confined to his two-room government apartment. Bhattacharya stepped down from the CPI(M) politburo and central committee in 2015 and gave up membership of the party's state secretariat in 2018. He was last seen in public when he surprised party workers by arriving unannounced at the Left's rally at Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with oxygen support. KOLKATA: Former chief minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, was discharged from a hospital on Wednesday after 11 days of treatment. The 79-year-old was admitted to a private hospital on July 29 with lower respiratory tract infection and 'Type 2' respiratory failure. After his discharge, he was taken to his Palm Avenue residence in an ambulance with BIPAP facilities and necessary support he required at the moment, a senior doctor said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Bhattacharya will, however, be on medical support at home under the supervision of a team of doctors from the hospital. "His medical condition is fine. However, he will be on BIPAP and other necessary oxygen support at home. Our team of doctors will keep on monitoring his condition for some time," the doctor said. Bhattacharya, who has been suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and other age-related ailments, was rushed to the hospital on July 29. The Left leader took over as the chief minister of West Bengal in 2000 from party senior Jyoti Basu. He remained in the post till 2011, handling a tenure marked by agitations over the acquisition of land for industries led by present Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Bhattacharya lost the 2011 assembly election to Banerjee's TMC and the CPI(M)-led Left Front's 34-year-long rule in the state came to an end that year. Over the last few years, he has stayed away from the public glare due to his deteriorating health and remained confined to his two-room government apartment. Bhattacharya stepped down from the CPI(M) politburo and central committee in 2015 and gave up membership of the party's state secretariat in 2018. He was last seen in public when he surprised party workers by arriving unannounced at the Left's rally at Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with oxygen support. By PTI NAGPUR: A four-year-old boy died when he suffered an electric shock on touching a television set-top box (STB) at his home in Nagpur district, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon in the Khaire Pannase area under Hingna police station limits when the boy was watching cartoons on television and his father was resting in the bedroom, they said. The boy pulled the STB and tried to carry it with him. In the process, he suffered an electric shock and fell unconscious, said the police. After some time, the boy's father noticed him lying unconscious on the floor and rushed him to a hospital where the child was declared dead by doctors, they said. A case of accidental death was registered by the police. NAGPUR: A four-year-old boy died when he suffered an electric shock on touching a television set-top box (STB) at his home in Nagpur district, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon in the Khaire Pannase area under Hingna police station limits when the boy was watching cartoons on television and his father was resting in the bedroom, they said. The boy pulled the STB and tried to carry it with him. In the process, he suffered an electric shock and fell unconscious, said the police.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); After some time, the boy's father noticed him lying unconscious on the floor and rushed him to a hospital where the child was declared dead by doctors, they said. A case of accidental death was registered by the police. By Online Desk The second day of discussions on the no-confidence motion brought by the opposition kicked up a lot of dust after Rahul Gandhi accused the ruling front of murdering Bharat Mata and scheme to set the entire country ablaze in communal strife. "You killed Bharat Mata in Manipur.. and every single day that you don't put an end to the violence, you continue to kill my mother," he said. The remarks shocked the members of the ruling benches, who typically fashion themselves as the defenders of Bharat Mata (Mother India). Many of the ruling MPs erupted from their seats, and even Om Birla, the Lok Sabha speaker, was moved to urge Rahul Gandhi to speak with restraint, to which Gandhi replied: "You are asking me to observe restraint! They have murdered my mother in Manipur.." BJP leader Smriti Irani attacked the Congress Party for "sitting silent" when there was talk of murdering Bharat Mata. "In this house today, there was talk of the murder of Bharat Mata, and it is shameful that you sat there and applauded," he said. SETTING FIRES Rahul Gandhi also made a second point aimed at the ruling front: He accused them of plotting to set fire across the country by fanning communal sentiments, dragging in the incidents of Nuh and other places. "You poured kerosene in Manipur and struck a match! This is what you are trying to do in Haryana, you want to set fire to the entire country." He accused the government of silently acquiescing to the violence in Manipur. "The Indian Army can put an end to the violence in the state in just one day. But you don't want that, because you want to kill [the spirit of] this country in Manipur." Trying to reply to the BJP in their own language, Gandhi compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ravan, the ruler of Lanka in the Hindu epic of Ramayana. "It was not Hanuman who set fire to Lanka, but Ravan's pride," he said. Gandhi recounted his interactions with people who had fled the Manipur violence to various relief camps, pointing out that Modi is yet to visit the troubled state. "I met a woman in a camp. I asked her: What happened to you? She froze, shuddered and fainted, because my question had triggered the memories of what she had been put through [during the ethnic violence]" he recounted. Meanwhile, his speech was preceded by media reports that said that he had 'flip-flopped' on whether to participate in the no-confidence motion or not. Congress leaders had, in the morning, told the media that Gandhi would participate. However, by mid-day, several TV channels started reporting -- with flashing headlines such as 'Flip flob by Rahul Gandhi' -- that Gandhi has decided not to speak in Parliament today. However, Gandhi rose to deliver his speech at around 12 PM, ending such speculation. The Congress leader started off his speech on a low-key note, assuring the ruling benches that he "will not attack them much" as only "words from the speaker's heart can really reach the listener's heart". Instead of attacking the government or even broaching the subject of Manipur violence, Gandhi spoke about his experience during the recently concluded cross-country march called Bharat Jodo Yatra, and how he started out on the march with all the wrong ideas. "When I started on the yatra, I did not know why I was doing it. People asked me - why are you going on this yatra, and I didn't really know what to tell them. But I realized the purpose only a few days into the yatra," he said. He said he started the yatra with hubris, with the attitude that it was going to be easy to walk a few tens of kilometers a day as he was used to running several kilometers every day. "One of the good things about India is that it puts you in your place, removes all such pride and arrogance from your mind," he said. "After two days, my knee started paining. It would pain in the morning, when I would have to start on the journey.. but I don't know from where, but some invisible force would come to my aid whenever I needed to overcome [the pain]" he said. "One day, one girl came to me with a chit, in which it was written, 'Rahul, I'm walking with you'. She had seen my injury and gave me her strength." He pointed out that he had started off the journey with a view to taking his message to the masses. "In the initial days, I would reach the venues, and tell everyone -- youngsters, farmers, students -- what I wanted them to do. Do this, do that. "But I soon realized that there were too many people, and I couldn't keep on doing it. I became silent. I started listening to them. "One day, a farmer came, and gave me a small bundle of cotton, and said: This is all that is left of my crop...I felt the sadness of his heart in my heart, the shame in his eyes in my eyes. His hunger was passed on to me. From that moment on, the yatra was transformed. After that, I could never hear the crowds. I could only hear the voice of the person standing in front of me, talking to me." The no-confidence motion was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday, with the claim that it was intended to break Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'vow of silence' over the violence in Manipur. The second day of discussions on the no-confidence motion brought by the opposition kicked up a lot of dust after Rahul Gandhi accused the ruling front of murdering Bharat Mata and scheme to set the entire country ablaze in communal strife. "You killed Bharat Mata in Manipur.. and every single day that you don't put an end to the violence, you continue to kill my mother," he said. The remarks shocked the members of the ruling benches, who typically fashion themselves as the defenders of Bharat Mata (Mother India).googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Many of the ruling MPs erupted from their seats, and even Om Birla, the Lok Sabha speaker, was moved to urge Rahul Gandhi to speak with restraint, to which Gandhi replied: "You are asking me to observe restraint! They have murdered my mother in Manipur.." BJP leader Smriti Irani attacked the Congress Party for "sitting silent" when there was talk of murdering Bharat Mata. "In this house today, there was talk of the murder of Bharat Mata, and it is shameful that you sat there and applauded," he said. SETTING FIRES Rahul Gandhi also made a second point aimed at the ruling front: He accused them of plotting to set fire across the country by fanning communal sentiments, dragging in the incidents of Nuh and other places. "You poured kerosene in Manipur and struck a match! This is what you are trying to do in Haryana, you want to set fire to the entire country." He accused the government of silently acquiescing to the violence in Manipur. "The Indian Army can put an end to the violence in the state in just one day. But you don't want that, because you want to kill [the spirit of] this country in Manipur." Trying to reply to the BJP in their own language, Gandhi compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ravan, the ruler of Lanka in the Hindu epic of Ramayana. "It was not Hanuman who set fire to Lanka, but Ravan's pride," he said. Gandhi recounted his interactions with people who had fled the Manipur violence to various relief camps, pointing out that Modi is yet to visit the troubled state. "I met a woman in a camp. I asked her: What happened to you? She froze, shuddered and fainted, because my question had triggered the memories of what she had been put through [during the ethnic violence]" he recounted. Meanwhile, his speech was preceded by media reports that said that he had 'flip-flopped' on whether to participate in the no-confidence motion or not. Congress leaders had, in the morning, told the media that Gandhi would participate. However, by mid-day, several TV channels started reporting -- with flashing headlines such as 'Flip flob by Rahul Gandhi' -- that Gandhi has decided not to speak in Parliament today. However, Gandhi rose to deliver his speech at around 12 PM, ending such speculation. The Congress leader started off his speech on a low-key note, assuring the ruling benches that he "will not attack them much" as only "words from the speaker's heart can really reach the listener's heart". Instead of attacking the government or even broaching the subject of Manipur violence, Gandhi spoke about his experience during the recently concluded cross-country march called Bharat Jodo Yatra, and how he started out on the march with all the wrong ideas. "When I started on the yatra, I did not know why I was doing it. People asked me - why are you going on this yatra, and I didn't really know what to tell them. But I realized the purpose only a few days into the yatra," he said. He said he started the yatra with hubris, with the attitude that it was going to be easy to walk a few tens of kilometers a day as he was used to running several kilometers every day. "One of the good things about India is that it puts you in your place, removes all such pride and arrogance from your mind," he said. "After two days, my knee started paining. It would pain in the morning, when I would have to start on the journey.. but I don't know from where, but some invisible force would come to my aid whenever I needed to overcome [the pain]" he said. "One day, one girl came to me with a chit, in which it was written, 'Rahul, I'm walking with you'. She had seen my injury and gave me her strength." He pointed out that he had started off the journey with a view to taking his message to the masses. "In the initial days, I would reach the venues, and tell everyone -- youngsters, farmers, students -- what I wanted them to do. Do this, do that. "But I soon realized that there were too many people, and I couldn't keep on doing it. I became silent. I started listening to them. "One day, a farmer came, and gave me a small bundle of cotton, and said: This is all that is left of my crop...I felt the sadness of his heart in my heart, the shame in his eyes in my eyes. His hunger was passed on to me. From that moment on, the yatra was transformed. After that, I could never hear the crowds. I could only hear the voice of the person standing in front of me, talking to me." The no-confidence motion was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday, with the claim that it was intended to break Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'vow of silence' over the violence in Manipur. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Kolkata is set to host the third and final two-day meeting of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) under Indias presidency from Wednesday. Over 154 delegates from G20 member countries, 10 invitee countries, and various international organisations will attend the meeting. This will be followed by the G20 Anti-Corruption Ministerial Meeting on August 12, 2023, which will be chaired by Dr Jitendra Singh, who is the Minister of State for the Ministry of Science and Technology, Minister of State for the Prime Ministers Office; for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, and for the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Space. #WestBengal is home to heritage architecture, fine arts & crafts, music-theatre-drama & delicious cuisine.#Kolkata - The City of Joy - is ready to showcase its diversity and unmatched hospitality as host of the 3rd #ACWG & Anti-Corruption Ministers' Meeting. #G20India #G20ACMM pic.twitter.com/wgYtFwSi9j August 8, 2023 This will be the second-ever ministerial meeting of the G20 ACWG and the first in-person ACWG ministerial meeting. The deliberations at the ministerial level will impart a further political impetus to fighting corruption as ACWG plays a crucial role in leading international efforts to combat the same. Under Indias G20 presidency, ACWG has been able to achieve significant progress on anti-corruption cooperation with respect to action against fugitive economic offenders and subsequent return of assets, guided by the nine-point agenda for Action Against Fugitive Economic Offences and Asset Recovery presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to G20 member countries in 2018. During the first and second ACWG meetings held in Gurugram and Rishikesh respectively, India was able to forge a consensus in G20 in order to advance the international anti-corruption agenda by finalising three outcome documents on important and sensitive issues. NEW DELHI: Kolkata is set to host the third and final two-day meeting of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) under Indias presidency from Wednesday. Over 154 delegates from G20 member countries, 10 invitee countries, and various international organisations will attend the meeting. This will be followed by the G20 Anti-Corruption Ministerial Meeting on August 12, 2023, which will be chaired by Dr Jitendra Singh, who is the Minister of State for the Ministry of Science and Technology, Minister of State for the Prime Ministers Office; for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, and for the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Space. #WestBengal is home to heritage architecture, fine arts & crafts, music-theatre-drama & delicious cuisine.#Kolkata - The City of Joy - is ready to showcase its diversity and unmatched hospitality as host of the 3rd #ACWG & Anti-Corruption Ministers' Meeting. #G20India #G20ACMM pic.twitter.com/wgYtFwSi9jgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); G20 India (@g20org) August 8, 2023 This will be the second-ever ministerial meeting of the G20 ACWG and the first in-person ACWG ministerial meeting. The deliberations at the ministerial level will impart a further political impetus to fighting corruption as ACWG plays a crucial role in leading international efforts to combat the same. Under Indias G20 presidency, ACWG has been able to achieve significant progress on anti-corruption cooperation with respect to action against fugitive economic offenders and subsequent return of assets, guided by the nine-point agenda for Action Against Fugitive Economic Offences and Asset Recovery presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to G20 member countries in 2018. During the first and second ACWG meetings held in Gurugram and Rishikesh respectively, India was able to forge a consensus in G20 in order to advance the international anti-corruption agenda by finalising three outcome documents on important and sensitive issues. In recognition of cultivating a collaborative, inclusive, and equitable culture, PPL Corporation has been ranked No. 4 in the nation on DiversityInc's Top Utilities list and has also been named to the nation's Top Regional Companies list, which includes leaders in the health care, finance and retail sectors. This is the third year PPL has been honored by DiversityInc. DiversityInc's list results are derived exclusively from survey submissions from employers with at least 750 employees in the United States. Companies are evaluated within the context of their industries on verified policies, practices and procedures. "This recognition reinforces our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion," said Vincent Sorgi, president and chief executive officer for PPL. "Fostering a culture that is rich with diverse perspectives and backgrounds not only allows us to deliver on our commitments to customers and the communities we serve, it also enhances our ability to innovate and grow as a company." PPL's dedication to an inclusive culture is evident through its enterprise-wide DEI commitments, which seek to: Attract, develop and retain a high-performing, diverse workforce. Increase diverse representation in leadership roles. Maintain a workplace culture of equity and inclusion. Foster partnerships that support the growth and vitality of the diverse communities and customers we serve. Develop and sustain relationships with diverse suppliers, vendors and service providers. While PPL does not have numeric targets or quotas, these commitments have resulted in a more diverse workplace, including an increase in minority representation at the officer level from 6 percent to 14 percent, as well as growth in the number of female senior leaders. As of 2022, nearly 30 percent of PPL officers and 40 percent of directors were women. "Diversity, equity and inclusion is a continual learning journey," stated PPL's Vice President and Chief DEI Officer, Angie Evans. "We are honored to receive this recognition from DiversityInc and remain steadfast in our commitment to foster understanding, unity and equity for all." About PPL Corporation PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is a leading U.S. energy company focused on providing electricity and natural gas safely, reliably and affordably to more than 3.5 million customers in the U.S. PPL's high-performing, award-winning utilities are addressing energy challenges head-on by building smarter, more resilient and more dynamic power grids and advancing sustainable energy solutions. For more information, visit www.pplweb.com. About DiversityInc DiversityInc's mission is to educate the workforce and bring clarity to the business benefits of workplace fairness, equity, and inclusion. The organization has evolved to become the preeminent source of human capital data, education, and advice. DiversityInc is a VA-certified and veteran-owned business. A Black woman CEO leads the organization. For more information, visit https://www.diversityinc.com. For information about the Top 50 overall model with a Cronbach Alpha Reliability score of .93, visit www.diversityinc.com/methodology. Contact: For news media: Liz Pratt, 502-544-8254 Paramita Ghosh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: For a country obsessed with politics and its prime ministers, few books have been written with insight, first-hand sources or with a gift of storytelling. At the evening book launch of veteran journalist Neerja Chowdhurys new book, How Prime Ministers Decide, published by Aleph, the speakers all politicians, barring the moderator, anchor Rajdeep Sardesai were in agreement that this was one of the most important books on the subject in the last 50 years. You can watch the formal Book Launch function today from 630pm here:https://t.co/pwmETQQtvt August 8, 2023 The auditorium of the Teen Murti Bhavan library, where the event was held, was chock-a-block with Delhis academics, journalists, parliamentarians, and many sources of Chowdhury, whom the author credited with giving her the inside information behind key decisions in the corridors of power. The book, they said, showed the inner workings of how governments work in a democracy driven by competing pulls and pressures; the ideas and thoughts behind PMs decisions, sometimes taken not by the PM himself, but by a cast of other characters. Publisher David Davidar compared it to a thriller. On every page there is real insight, a nugget of information or an eye-opening quote. Together with the author, they had pulled off a book that they hoped, in Muhammad Alis words, would float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, he said. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who had been part of the Rajiv Gandhi government, which he left in 1986 in protest against its stand on the Shah Bano case, quipped that as his name has been mentioned so many times in the book and he was a player in this key decision, he would refrain from comment. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor highlighted how the author had not included the current PM, Narendra Modi, in the book, with the caveat that his government was a work in progress. NEW DELHI: For a country obsessed with politics and its prime ministers, few books have been written with insight, first-hand sources or with a gift of storytelling. At the evening book launch of veteran journalist Neerja Chowdhurys new book, How Prime Ministers Decide, published by Aleph, the speakers all politicians, barring the moderator, anchor Rajdeep Sardesai were in agreement that this was one of the most important books on the subject in the last 50 years. You can watch the formal Book Launch function today from 630pm here:https://t.co/pwmETQQtvtgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); NEERJA CHOWDHURY (@neerjachowdhury) August 8, 2023 The auditorium of the Teen Murti Bhavan library, where the event was held, was chock-a-block with Delhis academics, journalists, parliamentarians, and many sources of Chowdhury, whom the author credited with giving her the inside information behind key decisions in the corridors of power. The book, they said, showed the inner workings of how governments work in a democracy driven by competing pulls and pressures; the ideas and thoughts behind PMs decisions, sometimes taken not by the PM himself, but by a cast of other characters. Publisher David Davidar compared it to a thriller. On every page there is real insight, a nugget of information or an eye-opening quote. Together with the author, they had pulled off a book that they hoped, in Muhammad Alis words, would float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, he said. pic.twitter.com/Smb1scroRC NEERJA CHOWDHURY (@neerjachowdhury) August 4, 2023 Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who had been part of the Rajiv Gandhi government, which he left in 1986 in protest against its stand on the Shah Bano case, quipped that as his name has been mentioned so many times in the book and he was a player in this key decision, he would refrain from comment. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor highlighted how the author had not included the current PM, Narendra Modi, in the book, with the caveat that his government was a work in progress. Mayank Singh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Hackers will be faced with maya should they decide to hack into the computer systems of Indias Ministry of Defence. The ministry has decided to drop the Microsoft operating system and go for a local one named Maya operating system, according to a source. On a trial basis, a few computers in the ministry will have the Maya OS installed by August 15, the source said. The ministry believes the new operating system, based on an open-source platform, will boost cyber security, the source said. Going forward, the ministry wants to install Maya on all systems connected to it. Maya OS was developed by a government agency in six months. It has additional security features for endpoint detection and protection, the source said. Indian Navy has decided to install Maya OS in their systems while the Army and the Air Force are evaluating it. Considering the potency of cyber warfare and the possibilities of cyber attacks, espionage and data theft the Army in April initiated steps to raise dedicated internet networks in all six operational commands. In May, the Defence Cyber Agency conducted cybersecurity drills, which included the participation of various branches of national security. Its focus was to evaluate the effectiveness of the firewalls in service to safeguard the countrys vital infrastructure. Measures to contain such attacks and safeguard the cyberinfrastructure picked up pace after an investigation revealed the role of hackers from China. In November 2022, a cyberattack on five servers of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi pointed to China-based hackers. Cyberspace is getting increasingly vulnerable to hacker attacks globally. Over 500 million hacker attacks were reported in India alone in the first quarter of this calendar year, according to a report. NEW DELHI: Hackers will be faced with maya should they decide to hack into the computer systems of Indias Ministry of Defence. The ministry has decided to drop the Microsoft operating system and go for a local one named Maya operating system, according to a source. On a trial basis, a few computers in the ministry will have the Maya OS installed by August 15, the source said. The ministry believes the new operating system, based on an open-source platform, will boost cyber security, the source said. Going forward, the ministry wants to install Maya on all systems connected to it. Maya OS was developed by a government agency in six months. It has additional security features for endpoint detection and protection, the source said. Indian Navy has decided to install Maya OS in their systems while the Army and the Air Force are evaluating it. Considering the potency of cyber warfare and the possibilities of cyber attacks, espionage and data theft the Army in April initiated steps to raise dedicated internet networks in all six operational commands.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In May, the Defence Cyber Agency conducted cybersecurity drills, which included the participation of various branches of national security. Its focus was to evaluate the effectiveness of the firewalls in service to safeguard the countrys vital infrastructure. Measures to contain such attacks and safeguard the cyberinfrastructure picked up pace after an investigation revealed the role of hackers from China. In November 2022, a cyberattack on five servers of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi pointed to China-based hackers. Cyberspace is getting increasingly vulnerable to hacker attacks globally. Over 500 million hacker attacks were reported in India alone in the first quarter of this calendar year, according to a report. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala legislative assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on Wednesday urging the Centre to officially change the states name to Keralam. Moving the resolution, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged the Union Government to change the states name to Keralam in all languages included in the eighth schedule of the Constitution. Pinarayi said that the state is called Keralam in Malayalam, but in other languages, it is still Kerala. The state's name was also listed as 'Kerala' in the First Schedule of the Constitution. This Assembly unanimously requests the Union Government to take immediate steps to amend it as Keralam under Article 3 of the Constitution and be renamed as Keralam in all the languages mentioned in the eighth schedule of the Constitution, he said. The Opposition UDF welcomed the resolution and did not suggest any amendments or modifications to it. Speaker AN Shamseer declared the resolution as unanimously adopted by a show of hands. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala legislative assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on Wednesday urging the Centre to officially change the states name to Keralam. Moving the resolution, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged the Union Government to change the states name to Keralam in all languages included in the eighth schedule of the Constitution. Pinarayi said that the state is called Keralam in Malayalam, but in other languages, it is still Kerala. The state's name was also listed as 'Kerala' in the First Schedule of the Constitution.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); This Assembly unanimously requests the Union Government to take immediate steps to amend it as Keralam under Article 3 of the Constitution and be renamed as Keralam in all the languages mentioned in the eighth schedule of the Constitution, he said. The Opposition UDF welcomed the resolution and did not suggest any amendments or modifications to it. Speaker AN Shamseer declared the resolution as unanimously adopted by a show of hands. Ramashankar By Express News Service PATNA: Ahead of the Opposition leaders conclave in Mumbai, RJD chief Lalu Prasad met chief minister Nitish Kumar late on Monday evening and held discussions on a range of issues. The meeting assumes special significance as earlier former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had met Lalu Prasad at the residence of RJD Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti (daughter of Lalu) in New Delhi. Lalu had also posted some pictures related to the meeting with Rahul on social media and informed that serious discussions were held on the countrys present social, political and economic situations. On the other hand, Lalu spent around 45 minutes with Nitish at 1, Anne Marg (chief ministers residence) on Monday evening. Sources claimed that both Nitish and Lalu held discussions on issues ranging from the forthcoming meeting of Opposition leaders in Mumbai and cabinet expansion. Both leaders reportedly discussed the strategy to strengthen the Opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The Mumbai conclave is going to be crucial as several important issues like the appointment of the convener of the opposition alliance, INDIA and seat sharing are likely to be discussed in it. After Hindustatni Awam Morcha (HAM) national president Santosh Kumar Suman resigned from the cabinet, Nitish inducted JD (U) MLA Ratnesh Sada into the state cabinet. It was expected that Nitish would expand his cabinet soon as two ministers from RJD Kartikeya Kumar and Sudhakar Singh had already resigned from the cabinet. Even state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh has also been demanding the induction of two legislators from his party into the cabinet. Sources said that both RJD and Congress have submitted the list of party MLAs to be inducted as ministers in the cabinet during expansion. At present, there are 30 ministers, excluding the cabinet. It means five more ministers can be accommodated. The highest number of ministers can be 36 in the 243-member assembly, a political analyst Pramod Kumar said. Bihar CM is taking time and delaying for the reason best known to him, said BJP leader Rakesh Kumar. Rahul who had visited the state capital during the meeting of Opposition leaders on June 23 raised the issue of cabinet expansion with Nitish. PATNA: Ahead of the Opposition leaders conclave in Mumbai, RJD chief Lalu Prasad met chief minister Nitish Kumar late on Monday evening and held discussions on a range of issues. The meeting assumes special significance as earlier former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had met Lalu Prasad at the residence of RJD Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti (daughter of Lalu) in New Delhi. Lalu had also posted some pictures related to the meeting with Rahul on social media and informed that serious discussions were held on the countrys present social, political and economic situations. On the other hand, Lalu spent around 45 minutes with Nitish at 1, Anne Marg (chief ministers residence) on Monday evening. Sources claimed that both Nitish and Lalu held discussions on issues ranging from the forthcoming meeting of Opposition leaders in Mumbai and cabinet expansion. Both leaders reportedly discussed the strategy to strengthen the Opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The Mumbai conclave is going to be crucial as several important issues like the appointment of the convener of the opposition alliance, INDIA and seat sharing are likely to be discussed in it.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); After Hindustatni Awam Morcha (HAM) national president Santosh Kumar Suman resigned from the cabinet, Nitish inducted JD (U) MLA Ratnesh Sada into the state cabinet. It was expected that Nitish would expand his cabinet soon as two ministers from RJD Kartikeya Kumar and Sudhakar Singh had already resigned from the cabinet. Even state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh has also been demanding the induction of two legislators from his party into the cabinet. Sources said that both RJD and Congress have submitted the list of party MLAs to be inducted as ministers in the cabinet during expansion. At present, there are 30 ministers, excluding the cabinet. It means five more ministers can be accommodated. The highest number of ministers can be 36 in the 243-member assembly, a political analyst Pramod Kumar said. Bihar CM is taking time and delaying for the reason best known to him, said BJP leader Rakesh Kumar. Rahul who had visited the state capital during the meeting of Opposition leaders on June 23 raised the issue of cabinet expansion with Nitish. By PTI JHARGRAM: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said tribals in ethnic strife-hit Manipur are facing a crisis and there is none to listen to their plight. Paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi on the anniversary of the Quit India movement, the chief minister said, "We pledge to make BJP quit Delhi." Banerjee, who is on a three-day administrative tour of Jhargram, blamed the BJP-led central government for failing to address the situation in the northeastern state and urged people across the globe to pray for them. "The tribals in Manipur are facing a crisis. There is none to listen to their plight. Dalits are tortured in India and the Centre is unmoved, unfazed. They have no right to be in power as they have tortured Dalits. People are being killed in encounters. They are planning to break the country into pieces through planned communal riots," Banerjee said. She was speaking at an administrative programme in Jhargram, mostly inhabited by tribals, to celebrate the 'International Day of World's Indigenous Peoples'. "We had told the British to quit India. Today, we want the BJP-led government at the Centre to quit Delhi. On Quit India Day, let us pledge today to teach BJP a lesson after their betrayal as the Central government. Removing the BJP from the Centre is my only goal for the welfare of the people," she said. In an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's using Mahatma Gandhi's 'Quit India' slogan and attacking the opposition bloc INDIA, Banerjee said, "We don't need to quit.We belong to this country." The Trinamool Congress supremo criticised the PM, claiming he failed to fulfil the promises he had made to the people of the country before the elections. Denouncing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Banerjee said, "There are various castes and practices among different communities and religions. Suddenly, they (the BJP) have started talking about the need to introduce UCC. Why should someone follow their set of rules while getting married? We won't accept the UCC," she said. People should have the freedom to observe their customs and religious practices according to their wishes, Banerjee stressed. The TMC chief accused the CPI(M), Congress and the BJP of having an 'understanding' in West Bengal. "It is extremely unfortunate that on the national front, CPI(M)-Congress are with INDIA but it seems they are with the BJP here. If they continue this, our fight in Bengal will be against CPI(M) and Congress, along with our fight against BJP," she said. JHARGRAM: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said tribals in ethnic strife-hit Manipur are facing a crisis and there is none to listen to their plight. Paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi on the anniversary of the Quit India movement, the chief minister said, "We pledge to make BJP quit Delhi." Banerjee, who is on a three-day administrative tour of Jhargram, blamed the BJP-led central government for failing to address the situation in the northeastern state and urged people across the globe to pray for them.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "The tribals in Manipur are facing a crisis. There is none to listen to their plight. Dalits are tortured in India and the Centre is unmoved, unfazed. They have no right to be in power as they have tortured Dalits. People are being killed in encounters. They are planning to break the country into pieces through planned communal riots," Banerjee said. She was speaking at an administrative programme in Jhargram, mostly inhabited by tribals, to celebrate the 'International Day of World's Indigenous Peoples'. "We had told the British to quit India. Today, we want the BJP-led government at the Centre to quit Delhi. On Quit India Day, let us pledge today to teach BJP a lesson after their betrayal as the Central government. Removing the BJP from the Centre is my only goal for the welfare of the people," she said. In an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's using Mahatma Gandhi's 'Quit India' slogan and attacking the opposition bloc INDIA, Banerjee said, "We don't need to quit.We belong to this country." The Trinamool Congress supremo criticised the PM, claiming he failed to fulfil the promises he had made to the people of the country before the elections. Denouncing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Banerjee said, "There are various castes and practices among different communities and religions. Suddenly, they (the BJP) have started talking about the need to introduce UCC. Why should someone follow their set of rules while getting married? We won't accept the UCC," she said. People should have the freedom to observe their customs and religious practices according to their wishes, Banerjee stressed. The TMC chief accused the CPI(M), Congress and the BJP of having an 'understanding' in West Bengal. "It is extremely unfortunate that on the national front, CPI(M)-Congress are with INDIA but it seems they are with the BJP here. If they continue this, our fight in Bengal will be against CPI(M) and Congress, along with our fight against BJP," she said. Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRINAGAR: After over three decades, police will be re-investigating the murder case of Neelkanth Ganjoo, a retired session judge, who was shot dead by militants in Srinagar on November 4, 1989. As a session and district court judge, Ganjoo had awarded the death sentence to the then JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat in 1968. The government may also order reinvestigation of some other high-profile murder cases in Jammu and Kashmir. J&K police State Investigation Agency (SIA) has appealed to all persons familiar with facts or circumstances of the murder of Ganjoo to come forward and share any account of events that has a direct or indirect bearing on the investigation of the instant case. Identity of all such persons shall be kept completely hidden and protected besides all useful and relevant information shall be suitably rewarded, a police official said. The SIA has asked the public to contact on 8899004976 or on email at sspsia-kmr@jkpolice.gov.in for any information related to the murder case, which took place about 34 years back. Ganjoo was shot dead by JKLF militants in Hari Singh High Street market in uptown Srinagar on November 4, 1989, after the eruption of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. He was killed after his retirement by the militants. As a session and district court judge, Ganjoo had awarded the death sentence to JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat in August 1968 in a case related to the murder of police officer Amar Chand. Justice Ganjoos death sentence to Maqbool Bhat was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1982 and Bhat was hanged in Delhis Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984. Sources said the government may also order a re-investigation in some other high-profile murder cases that took place during militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. Many top personalities including clerics Mirwaiz Farooq and Qazi Nisar, Director Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar Lassa Koul, Gujjar leader Maulana Masoodi and then BJP vice president J&K Tika Lal Taploo were killed by militants in Valley after the eruption of militancy. Earlier, in May this year, police arrested two accused involved in the assassination of the cleric Mirwaiz Farooq. Mirwaiz was shot dead by militants inside his residence in 1990. ALSO READ | Report on 1980 Moradabad riots in Uttar Pradesh assembly SRINAGAR: After over three decades, police will be re-investigating the murder case of Neelkanth Ganjoo, a retired session judge, who was shot dead by militants in Srinagar on November 4, 1989. As a session and district court judge, Ganjoo had awarded the death sentence to the then JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat in 1968. The government may also order reinvestigation of some other high-profile murder cases in Jammu and Kashmir. J&K police State Investigation Agency (SIA) has appealed to all persons familiar with facts or circumstances of the murder of Ganjoo to come forward and share any account of events that has a direct or indirect bearing on the investigation of the instant case. Identity of all such persons shall be kept completely hidden and protected besides all useful and relevant information shall be suitably rewarded, a police official said. The SIA has asked the public to contact on 8899004976 or on email at sspsia-kmr@jkpolice.gov.in for any information related to the murder case, which took place about 34 years back.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Ganjoo was shot dead by JKLF militants in Hari Singh High Street market in uptown Srinagar on November 4, 1989, after the eruption of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. He was killed after his retirement by the militants. As a session and district court judge, Ganjoo had awarded the death sentence to JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat in August 1968 in a case related to the murder of police officer Amar Chand. Justice Ganjoos death sentence to Maqbool Bhat was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1982 and Bhat was hanged in Delhis Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984. Sources said the government may also order a re-investigation in some other high-profile murder cases that took place during militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. Many top personalities including clerics Mirwaiz Farooq and Qazi Nisar, Director Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar Lassa Koul, Gujjar leader Maulana Masoodi and then BJP vice president J&K Tika Lal Taploo were killed by militants in Valley after the eruption of militancy. Earlier, in May this year, police arrested two accused involved in the assassination of the cleric Mirwaiz Farooq. Mirwaiz was shot dead by militants inside his residence in 1990. ALSO READ | Report on 1980 Moradabad riots in Uttar Pradesh assembly Mukesh Ranjan By Express News Service World Indigenous People Day to be commemorated The state is all set to organise Jharkhand Tribal Festival-2023 on August 9-10 to mark the International day of the Worlds Indigenous People, where various cultural programmes like singing, dancing, and instrumental performances will be organized. With an objective to showcase tribal art, culture, tradition and lifestyle, the two-day festival will be inaugurated by the UPA coordination committee Chairman and first Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren at Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Park-Museum in Ranchi. Artists from tribal groups of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan will be participating. Govt in favour of caste census, says minister Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam, while answering a question raised by Congress MLA Pradeep Yadav in the Assembly on Friday, said that the state government will pass a proposal in the Jharkhand Assembly and send it to the central government. Alam cleared that Jharkhand Government is in favour of caste census, for which, a decision will be taken very soon. Congress MLA Pradeep Yadav said the government has said in the Assembly that a proposal will be sent to the Centre and if it does not agree to it, the state may carry out a caste census on the lines of Bihar. Tomatoes stolen from 66 vegetable shops In an unusual incident, tomatoes were stolen from as many as 66 shops in Gumla vegetable market. The incident came to the fore when the vegetable vendors approached Sadar Bazar police station in Gumla with a complaint about the theft in as many as 66 shops located in the towns Tangra vegetable market. In their written complaint filed with the police, the vendors alleged that thieves broke open the locks of 66 shops and stole as many as 40 kg of tomatoes, 10 kg of ginger, a weighing machine (costing two lakh rupees), some cash and other valuable items. They came to know about the theft after they reached their shops on Saturday morning. Mukesh Ranjan Our correspondent in Jharkhand mukesh.r@newindianexpress.com World Indigenous People Day to be commemorated The state is all set to organise Jharkhand Tribal Festival-2023 on August 9-10 to mark the International day of the Worlds Indigenous People, where various cultural programmes like singing, dancing, and instrumental performances will be organized. With an objective to showcase tribal art, culture, tradition and lifestyle, the two-day festival will be inaugurated by the UPA coordination committee Chairman and first Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren at Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Park-Museum in Ranchi. Artists from tribal groups of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan will be participating. Govt in favour of caste census, says ministergoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam, while answering a question raised by Congress MLA Pradeep Yadav in the Assembly on Friday, said that the state government will pass a proposal in the Jharkhand Assembly and send it to the central government. Alam cleared that Jharkhand Government is in favour of caste census, for which, a decision will be taken very soon. Congress MLA Pradeep Yadav said the government has said in the Assembly that a proposal will be sent to the Centre and if it does not agree to it, the state may carry out a caste census on the lines of Bihar. Tomatoes stolen from 66 vegetable shops In an unusual incident, tomatoes were stolen from as many as 66 shops in Gumla vegetable market. The incident came to the fore when the vegetable vendors approached Sadar Bazar police station in Gumla with a complaint about the theft in as many as 66 shops located in the towns Tangra vegetable market. In their written complaint filed with the police, the vendors alleged that thieves broke open the locks of 66 shops and stole as many as 40 kg of tomatoes, 10 kg of ginger, a weighing machine (costing two lakh rupees), some cash and other valuable items. They came to know about the theft after they reached their shops on Saturday morning. Mukesh Ranjan Our correspondent in Jharkhand mukesh.r@newindianexpress.com Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: Forty-three years after the worst ever communal conflagration in UP, the report into the 1980 Moradabad riots, prepared by a retired High Court judge Justice MP Saxena after an investigation, was tabled in Uttar Pradesh assembly on Tuesday. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna tabled the report and gave reasons for the delay. In May, this year the state cabinet had decided to table the Justice MP Saxena Commissions report in the assembly. The report was pushed under the carpet for over a dozen times whenever efforts were made to make it public. When the riots took place, there was a Congress government in Uttar Pradesh. The 1980 Moradabad riots had begun with clashes between Muslims and Dalits in a locality. LUCKNOW: Forty-three years after the worst ever communal conflagration in UP, the report into the 1980 Moradabad riots, prepared by a retired High Court judge Justice MP Saxena after an investigation, was tabled in Uttar Pradesh assembly on Tuesday. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna tabled the report and gave reasons for the delay. In May, this year the state cabinet had decided to table the Justice MP Saxena Commissions report in the assembly. The report was pushed under the carpet for over a dozen times whenever efforts were made to make it public. When the riots took place, there was a Congress government in Uttar Pradesh. The 1980 Moradabad riots had begun with clashes between Muslims and Dalits in a locality.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Preetha Nair By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Setting the ball rolling for the three-day debate on a no-confidence motion against the Modi government, Opposition MPs on Tuesday demanded the immediate resignation of Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh and the restoration of peace in the state. Initiating the debate, Congress leader Gaurav lashed out at the government saying the Opposition alliance, INDIA, was forced to move a no-trust motion to break Prime Minister Narendra Modis vow of silence on the issue. Both the Centre and the state governments have failed to maintain law and order, he charged and sought to know why it took the PM 80 days to talk about Manipur. As the head of the state, PMs words carry weight and it will send a message to the people in Manipur that the country stands with them, Gogoi said, adding the Opposition wanted the PM to visit Manipur, lead an all-party delegation and hold meetings with various stakeholders there. The six-hour-long debate saw heated and bitter exchanges between both the Opposition and Treasury benches. Though freshly reinstated Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was expected to open the debate, the party fielded Gogoi in a last-minute change of strategy. The no-trust motion was moved by Gogoi on July 26. BJP leaders were caught off guard as Rahuls name was struck off the list of speakers just a few minutes before the session began. The surprise move evoked sharp responses from the treasury. We were expecting Rahul to speak first. Did he develop cold feet? asked Union Minister Pralhad Joshi. Leading the offensive, BJPs Nishikant Dubey took potshots at Rahul and Sonia Gandhi. No-confidence motion has been brought. Sonia Gandhi is sitting here and I have the utmost respect for her. She has to protect her son and son-in-law. Thats why this motion has been brought, he charged. ALSO READ | Congress' three big questions to PM Modi during no-confidence motion While the Oppositions strategy was to keep the focus of the debate on Manipur, the government opted to keep the pressure on the INDIA alliance. DMKs T R Baalu said, More than 140 people have been killed in Manipur. INDIA parties went there and understood what had happened. Taking on the Opposition, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said the INDIA parties will regret bringing the motion because it comes at the wrong time and wrong manner, at a time Indias achievements are appreciated globally. ALSO READ | BJD opposes no-confidence motion against govt, calls Manipur violence legacy issue Cong plan to pit Rahul against Modi tomorrow According to senior leaders in the Congress, the party deviated from its initial plan of fielding Rahul after sensing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not present in the House. The thinking in the party is to pit Rahul against Modi on August 10, the last day of the debate, when the PM is expected to reply to the debate NEW DELHI: Setting the ball rolling for the three-day debate on a no-confidence motion against the Modi government, Opposition MPs on Tuesday demanded the immediate resignation of Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh and the restoration of peace in the state. Initiating the debate, Congress leader Gaurav lashed out at the government saying the Opposition alliance, INDIA, was forced to move a no-trust motion to break Prime Minister Narendra Modis vow of silence on the issue. : @GauravGogoiAsm pic.twitter.com/dq8qVS6sxvgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Vikas Bansal (@INCBANSAL) August 8, 2023 Both the Centre and the state governments have failed to maintain law and order, he charged and sought to know why it took the PM 80 days to talk about Manipur. As the head of the state, PMs words carry weight and it will send a message to the people in Manipur that the country stands with them, Gogoi said, adding the Opposition wanted the PM to visit Manipur, lead an all-party delegation and hold meetings with various stakeholders there. The six-hour-long debate saw heated and bitter exchanges between both the Opposition and Treasury benches. Though freshly reinstated Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was expected to open the debate, the party fielded Gogoi in a last-minute change of strategy. The no-trust motion was moved by Gogoi on July 26. BJP leaders were caught off guard as Rahuls name was struck off the list of speakers just a few minutes before the session began. The surprise move evoked sharp responses from the treasury. We were expecting Rahul to speak first. Did he develop cold feet? asked Union Minister Pralhad Joshi. Leading the offensive, BJPs Nishikant Dubey took potshots at Rahul and Sonia Gandhi. No-confidence motion has been brought. Sonia Gandhi is sitting here and I have the utmost respect for her. She has to protect her son and son-in-law. Thats why this motion has been brought, he charged. ALSO READ | Congress' three big questions to PM Modi during no-confidence motion While the Oppositions strategy was to keep the focus of the debate on Manipur, the government opted to keep the pressure on the INDIA alliance. DMKs T R Baalu said, More than 140 people have been killed in Manipur. INDIA parties went there and understood what had happened. Taking on the Opposition, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said the INDIA parties will regret bringing the motion because it comes at the wrong time and wrong manner, at a time Indias achievements are appreciated globally. ALSO READ | BJD opposes no-confidence motion against govt, calls Manipur violence legacy issue Cong plan to pit Rahul against Modi tomorrow According to senior leaders in the Congress, the party deviated from its initial plan of fielding Rahul after sensing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not present in the House. The thinking in the party is to pit Rahul against Modi on August 10, the last day of the debate, when the PM is expected to reply to the debate Ramashankar By Express News Service PATNA: At a government hospital in Bihar, a Sprite bottle was attached to an accident victim instead of a urine collection bag due to a shortage of medical equipment. The incident happened late on Tuesday evening when a patient was admitted to Sadar Hospital in Jamui district in an unconscious condition. The patient was brought to the hospital by a constable of Jhajha government railway police. The video of the incident has gone viral, according to reports. The incident has been reported at Jamui Sadar Hospital. According to the locals, the doctor on duty asked the staff to provide a urine bag and drugs. He also instructed the staff to administer an insulin injection along with a gas pipe for resuscitation. The doctor then went for his rounds. As the hospital didn't have a urine collection bag, the staff attached a Sprite bottle instead. Locals said that the Sprite bottle was arranged from somewhere. Once hospital manager Ramesh Pandey came to know about the incident, he arranged a urine collection bag and replaced the Sprite bottle. Medicines and insulin injection was also administered. Pandey later told the media that he was not informed by the hospital staff about the shortage of urine collection bags and insulin injections. The facilities as per instruction of the doctor have been provided to the patient, he claimed. Defending the hospital authorities, Pandey said that the in charge of the storeroom was on leave as his leg was fractured in an accident. Had the in-charge been on duty, such an incident would not have happened, he added. No such incident should take place. How it can happen? The government is providing all required medicines and other facilities, he asserted. Neither health minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav nor any senior official of the health department was available for comments. However, an official of the health department said that the matter would be probed by the senior officials of the district concerned. However, Opposition BJP has decried the state government for its failure to provide Medicare to the people of the state. Tejashwi is busy in politics. Who cares for the sufferings of the people?, said former deputy chief minister and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi. The lack of medical facilities in government hospitals in the state has always been a matter of concern. PATNA: At a government hospital in Bihar, a Sprite bottle was attached to an accident victim instead of a urine collection bag due to a shortage of medical equipment. The incident happened late on Tuesday evening when a patient was admitted to Sadar Hospital in Jamui district in an unconscious condition. The patient was brought to the hospital by a constable of Jhajha government railway police. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); ! @yadavtejashwi @BiharHealthDept pic.twitter.com/WM6Nf5OfVo Journalist Nished Thakur (@nishedthakur123) August 9, 2023 The video of the incident has gone viral, according to reports. The incident has been reported at Jamui Sadar Hospital. According to the locals, the doctor on duty asked the staff to provide a urine bag and drugs. He also instructed the staff to administer an insulin injection along with a gas pipe for resuscitation. The doctor then went for his rounds. As the hospital didn't have a urine collection bag, the staff attached a Sprite bottle instead. Locals said that the Sprite bottle was arranged from somewhere. Once hospital manager Ramesh Pandey came to know about the incident, he arranged a urine collection bag and replaced the Sprite bottle. Medicines and insulin injection was also administered. Pandey later told the media that he was not informed by the hospital staff about the shortage of urine collection bags and insulin injections. The facilities as per instruction of the doctor have been provided to the patient, he claimed. Defending the hospital authorities, Pandey said that the in charge of the storeroom was on leave as his leg was fractured in an accident. Had the in-charge been on duty, such an incident would not have happened, he added. No such incident should take place. How it can happen? The government is providing all required medicines and other facilities, he asserted. Neither health minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav nor any senior official of the health department was available for comments. However, an official of the health department said that the matter would be probed by the senior officials of the district concerned. However, Opposition BJP has decried the state government for its failure to provide Medicare to the people of the state. Tejashwi is busy in politics. Who cares for the sufferings of the people?, said former deputy chief minister and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi. The lack of medical facilities in government hospitals in the state has always been a matter of concern. $500,000 to the New Underwood, South Dakota School District, sourced from its 128 megawatt (MW) Wild Springs Solar Project (Wild Springs or the project) located in Pennington County, South Dakota . The new Wild Springs Education Fund will be administered by the New Underwood Area Community Foundation, a local fund governed by the South Dakota Community Foundation. Today (July 24), National Grid Renewables announced its pledge to donate overto theSchool District, sourced from its 128 megawatt (MW) Wild Springs Solar Project (Wild Springs or the project) located in. The new Wild Springs Education Fund will be administered by the New Underwood Area Community Foundation, a local fund governed by the South Dakota Community Foundation. "The New Underwood School District appreciates the pledge of $25,000 per year for 20 years provided by the Wild Springs Education Fund," said Katie Albers, Superintendent of the New Underwood School District. "The district will use these funds in a variety of ways to benefit our students, school and community." National Grid Renewables initiates charitable funds for each of its large-scale renewable energy projects and commences funding of its pledge once the project achieves commercial operation. These charitable funds are intended to provide additional assistance to community activities and opportunities within the local host communities. These gifts donated by the charitable funds are above and beyond any tax revenue delivered by National Grid Renewables' projects. "We are incredibly proud of the local community benefits resulting from these charitable funds," said Joe Ibrahim, Vice President of Construction and Engineering at National Grid Renewables. "When we construct a clean energy project, we are laying down roots in a community - and we take our role as a good neighbor seriously. We have the opportunity and the responsibility to give back and be a positive impact on both the residents and the local economy." Wild Springs announced construction in early 2023 and is projected to be the largest solar energy project in the state to-date. Once operational, Wild Springs is anticipated to avoid 190,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually - the equivalent to removing roughly 42,000 cars from the road for one year. The project also expects to produce nearly $12 million in new tax revenue throughout the first 20 years of operation. About National Grid Renewables National Grid Renewables develops and operates large-scale renewable energy assets across the United States, including solar, wind, and energy storage. As a farmer-friendly and community-focused business, National Grid Renewables repowers America's electricity grid by reigniting local economies and reinvesting in a sustainable, clean energy future. National Grid Renewables supports National Grid's vision of being at the heart of a clean, fair, and affordable energy future for all. To learn more about National Grid Renewables, visit www.nationalgridrenewables.com or follow the company on LinkedIn. Contact: National Grid Renewables press@nationalgridrenewables.com Media Relations: 612.429.7050 Narendra Sethi By Express News Service DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government, which is determined to improve health services for pilgrims and other tourists visiting Char Dham, has come up with a lucrative package for doctors who often refuse to serve in hilly and inaccessible areas of the state. The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government has coined a you quote, we pay plan for such doctors. It believes that if the plan is successful, then not only would the shortage of doctors be met, but patients in remote areas will also get quality health facilities. In a bid to overcome the shortage of cardiologists in Uttarakhand, the state government has decided to give an honorarium of Rs 6 lakh per month to super specialist doctors under this proposed scheme. The Central government has approved a higher package for the cardiologist super specialist doctors on contract under the National Health Mission. Speaking to this newspaper, state health secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar said, Under the you quote, we pay formula, specialist and super-specialist doctors are being recruited on contract, with the application process for the third phase being initiated. Interviews will be held on August 22 and under this new formula, doctors posted in hilly areas will be given more honorarium. A package of Rs 4 lakh per month has been fixed for specialist doctors and Rs 6 lakh per month for super specialist doctors of heart diseases. Kumar admitted that this latest experiment has been implemented in view of the shortage of 60 per cent of doctors in the hilly areas of the state. A catheterisation laboratory, commonly known as cath lab, has been set up at Srinagar Medical College, where super specialist cardiology doctors will be posted, he added. In the specialist category, we have recruited 20 doctors so far, after which the recruitment of super specialist doctors will start. The recruitment is being done through in-camera interviews under a transparent process in the presence of the director, Medical Education, DG, Health and Vice-Chancellor, he said. DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government, which is determined to improve health services for pilgrims and other tourists visiting Char Dham, has come up with a lucrative package for doctors who often refuse to serve in hilly and inaccessible areas of the state. The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government has coined a you quote, we pay plan for such doctors. It believes that if the plan is successful, then not only would the shortage of doctors be met, but patients in remote areas will also get quality health facilities. In a bid to overcome the shortage of cardiologists in Uttarakhand, the state government has decided to give an honorarium of Rs 6 lakh per month to super specialist doctors under this proposed scheme. The Central government has approved a higher package for the cardiologist super specialist doctors on contract under the National Health Mission.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Speaking to this newspaper, state health secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar said, Under the you quote, we pay formula, specialist and super-specialist doctors are being recruited on contract, with the application process for the third phase being initiated. Interviews will be held on August 22 and under this new formula, doctors posted in hilly areas will be given more honorarium. A package of Rs 4 lakh per month has been fixed for specialist doctors and Rs 6 lakh per month for super specialist doctors of heart diseases. Kumar admitted that this latest experiment has been implemented in view of the shortage of 60 per cent of doctors in the hilly areas of the state. A catheterisation laboratory, commonly known as cath lab, has been set up at Srinagar Medical College, where super specialist cardiology doctors will be posted, he added. In the specialist category, we have recruited 20 doctors so far, after which the recruitment of super specialist doctors will start. The recruitment is being done through in-camera interviews under a transparent process in the presence of the director, Medical Education, DG, Health and Vice-Chancellor, he said. SV Krishna Chaitanya By Express News Service CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday released the latest synchronised elephant population estimation report, according to which, there are 2,961 wild elephants in 26 forest divisions in the state, an increase of 200 elephants compared to the figures of the previous census held in 2017. However, the 2012 census accounted a much higher population of 4,015 elephants, paving the way for doubts about whether the population is on the decline. The nationwide elephant population estimation exercise is carried out every five years by the forest departments of elephant-range states. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the exercise was not initiated by the Project Elephant Directorate of the Union environment ministry. So, the Tamil Nadu forest department in association with Kerala and Karnataka conducted a synchronised exercise from May 17 to 19 this year. Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas R Reddy told TNIE the population of around 3,000 elephants is stable, accurate and healthy. Elephants are typically long-ranging animals and are distributed across landscapes covering different states. So, only a synchronised census would give accurate population estimation. Tamil Nadu forests can support around 3,000 elephants. There will not be drastic changes in future as well. The official said if one looks at the sex-based elephant population, there are 27% adult females, 21% sub-adult females, 14% calves, 13% adult males, 12% sub-adult males and 5% juvenile males. The sex ratio is not skewed. This indicates there are enough recruits compensating for the deaths. The death rate of 5-7% is acceptable, he said. As per the official data, an average of 90 to 100 elephants die each year in Tamil Nadu due to various reasons. The latest census shows wild elephants have been reported in 26 forest divisions of the state and the total area of elephant distribution is approximately 16387.44 sq.km. Among these, effective elephant habitats comprise 9217.13 sq.km of which 3496.81 sq.km areas (38%) were sampled during this population estimation in the state. Presently, Tamil Nadu has five notified elephant reserves among which Nilgiris Eastern Ghats Elephant Reserve has the highest estimated density with a population of 2,477 elephants followed by Nilambur-Silent Valley in Coimbatore Elephant Reserve, Anamalai - Parambikulam (Anamalai) Elephant Reserve, Srivilliputhur Elephant Reserve and Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve. The authorities said the census was carried by three methods - block count, dung count or line transect and waterhole count. The results showed that a minimum of 1,181 elephants were counted from 690 sample blocks, while in the line transect, the estimated population size was 3,173 elephants. The lower and upper confidence intervals vary from 2,772 to 3,150 elephants. So, based on a defined formula we estimate there are 2,961 elephants in Tamil Nadu, Reddy said. Forest officials said, although the elephant population in the state is healthy, there are several challenges hampering the conservation including encroachments in the elephant corridors, electrocutions and change in elephants' behaviour and migration paths due to climate change factors etc. Only recently, the state government has notified Power Fences (Registration and Regulation) Rules, 2023 to protect the wildlife, especially elephants from getting electrocuted. In the last 10 years, around 100 elephants have died due to electrocution in Tamil Nadu. CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday released the latest synchronised elephant population estimation report, according to which, there are 2,961 wild elephants in 26 forest divisions in the state, an increase of 200 elephants compared to the figures of the previous census held in 2017. However, the 2012 census accounted a much higher population of 4,015 elephants, paving the way for doubts about whether the population is on the decline. The nationwide elephant population estimation exercise is carried out every five years by the forest departments of elephant-range states. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the exercise was not initiated by the Project Elephant Directorate of the Union environment ministry. So, the Tamil Nadu forest department in association with Kerala and Karnataka conducted a synchronised exercise from May 17 to 19 this year. Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas R Reddy told TNIE the population of around 3,000 elephants is stable, accurate and healthy. Elephants are typically long-ranging animals and are distributed across landscapes covering different states. So, only a synchronised census would give accurate population estimation. Tamil Nadu forests can support around 3,000 elephants. There will not be drastic changes in future as well.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The official said if one looks at the sex-based elephant population, there are 27% adult females, 21% sub-adult females, 14% calves, 13% adult males, 12% sub-adult males and 5% juvenile males. The sex ratio is not skewed. This indicates there are enough recruits compensating for the deaths. The death rate of 5-7% is acceptable, he said. As per the official data, an average of 90 to 100 elephants die each year in Tamil Nadu due to various reasons. The latest census shows wild elephants have been reported in 26 forest divisions of the state and the total area of elephant distribution is approximately 16387.44 sq.km. Among these, effective elephant habitats comprise 9217.13 sq.km of which 3496.81 sq.km areas (38%) were sampled during this population estimation in the state. Presently, Tamil Nadu has five notified elephant reserves among which Nilgiris Eastern Ghats Elephant Reserve has the highest estimated density with a population of 2,477 elephants followed by Nilambur-Silent Valley in Coimbatore Elephant Reserve, Anamalai - Parambikulam (Anamalai) Elephant Reserve, Srivilliputhur Elephant Reserve and Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve. The authorities said the census was carried by three methods - block count, dung count or line transect and waterhole count. The results showed that a minimum of 1,181 elephants were counted from 690 sample blocks, while in the line transect, the estimated population size was 3,173 elephants. The lower and upper confidence intervals vary from 2,772 to 3,150 elephants. So, based on a defined formula we estimate there are 2,961 elephants in Tamil Nadu, Reddy said. Forest officials said, although the elephant population in the state is healthy, there are several challenges hampering the conservation including encroachments in the elephant corridors, electrocutions and change in elephants' behaviour and migration paths due to climate change factors etc. Only recently, the state government has notified Power Fences (Registration and Regulation) Rules, 2023 to protect the wildlife, especially elephants from getting electrocuted. In the last 10 years, around 100 elephants have died due to electrocution in Tamil Nadu. By AFP PARIS: Eleven people were killed in eastern France on Wednesday when a fire tore through a holiday lodging being used by a group of adults with learning disabilities, officials said. The fire at the timbered residence in the eastern town of Wintzenheim struck deep in the night while the guests were asleep, with many of those on the upper floor unable to react fast enough to save their lives. The fire, which came at the height of the nation's summer holiday season, is the deadliest in France since a blaze at a bar in the northern city of Rouen in 2016 killed 14 people. "Those on the ground floor are all alive and upstairs five people managed to escape. The eleven others died," regional deputy prosecutor Nathalie Kielwasser said at the scene. The fire brigade said six bodies had been brought out and two of them had already been identified. Intensive efforts were ongoing to extract the other corpses. "The difficulty lies in accessing the affected levels, since there is a lot of rubble, a lot of collapsed parts and the stability of the floor is very uncertain," said Philippe Hauwiller, who was leading the fire brigade search operation. The local fire service told AFP authorities were alerted about the blaze in Wintzenheim, just outside the city of Colmar in the eastern Alsace region, at around 6:30 am (0430 GMT). "The fire was quickly brought under control despite the intensity of the flames," the prefecture the Haut-Rhin region said in a statement. It said 17 people were safely evacuated, with one person hospitalised and another treated for shock. Those staying at the centre were part of a group of adults with learning difficulties, some of whom who had come to the picturesque and hilly region from the nearby city of Nancy for the holidays. "In Wintzenheim, the flames ravaged a lodging which accommodated people with disabilities and their companions. In the face of this tragedy, my thoughts go out to the victims, to the injured and to their loved ones," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who went to the scene, expressed her 'sadness' over the 'appalling' disaster. Authorities found nine corpses after a fire ravaged a centre housing holidaying adults with learning difficulties in eastern France, the fire brigade said. (Photo | AFP) Extremely shocked: The secretary general of the Haut-Rhin prefecture in eastern France, Christophe Marot confirmed a total of 28 people had been inside at the time, with the 11 initially reported as unaccounted for. "Unfortunately, there is little doubt: all these people were present in the lodging and could not get out," he told reporters. People on the ground floor were able to quickly leave the premises but not those upstairs, he said. The missing and confirmed dead included 10 people with light learning difficulties and one supervisor, he said. Marot said there was no indication over the cause of the blaze and added an investigation would be opened by regional prosecutors. Kielwasser said the owner of the residence, who lived opposite, was being questioned by police. "She is extremely shocked, she is the one who set off the alert and heard the victims calling for help," she added. Deputy mayor Daniel Leroy said the residents were "taken by surprise in deep sleep, everyone was asleep". The guesthouse "has been running for several years without problems," he added. The traditional semi-timbered building, built in the style of the Alsace region, was severely damaged by the fire, according to the firefighters. The firefighters were dousing the scene of the disaster with the help of fire hoses, an AFP photographer said. The roof was consumed by the flames and, on the first floor, the charred wooden framework was visible. Other firefighters were clearing wreckage away from the scene of the disaster with smoke still rising up. PARIS: Eleven people were killed in eastern France on Wednesday when a fire tore through a holiday lodging being used by a group of adults with learning disabilities, officials said. The fire at the timbered residence in the eastern town of Wintzenheim struck deep in the night while the guests were asleep, with many of those on the upper floor unable to react fast enough to save their lives. The fire, which came at the height of the nation's summer holiday season, is the deadliest in France since a blaze at a bar in the northern city of Rouen in 2016 killed 14 people.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "Those on the ground floor are all alive and upstairs five people managed to escape. The eleven others died," regional deputy prosecutor Nathalie Kielwasser said at the scene. The fire brigade said six bodies had been brought out and two of them had already been identified. Intensive efforts were ongoing to extract the other corpses. "The difficulty lies in accessing the affected levels, since there is a lot of rubble, a lot of collapsed parts and the stability of the floor is very uncertain," said Philippe Hauwiller, who was leading the fire brigade search operation. The local fire service told AFP authorities were alerted about the blaze in Wintzenheim, just outside the city of Colmar in the eastern Alsace region, at around 6:30 am (0430 GMT). "The fire was quickly brought under control despite the intensity of the flames," the prefecture the Haut-Rhin region said in a statement. It said 17 people were safely evacuated, with one person hospitalised and another treated for shock. Those staying at the centre were part of a group of adults with learning difficulties, some of whom who had come to the picturesque and hilly region from the nearby city of Nancy for the holidays. "In Wintzenheim, the flames ravaged a lodging which accommodated people with disabilities and their companions. In the face of this tragedy, my thoughts go out to the victims, to the injured and to their loved ones," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who went to the scene, expressed her 'sadness' over the 'appalling' disaster. Authorities found nine corpses after a fire ravaged a centre housing holidaying adults with learning difficulties in eastern France, the fire brigade said. (Photo | AFP) Extremely shocked: The secretary general of the Haut-Rhin prefecture in eastern France, Christophe Marot confirmed a total of 28 people had been inside at the time, with the 11 initially reported as unaccounted for. "Unfortunately, there is little doubt: all these people were present in the lodging and could not get out," he told reporters. People on the ground floor were able to quickly leave the premises but not those upstairs, he said. The missing and confirmed dead included 10 people with light learning difficulties and one supervisor, he said. Marot said there was no indication over the cause of the blaze and added an investigation would be opened by regional prosecutors. Kielwasser said the owner of the residence, who lived opposite, was being questioned by police. "She is extremely shocked, she is the one who set off the alert and heard the victims calling for help," she added. Deputy mayor Daniel Leroy said the residents were "taken by surprise in deep sleep, everyone was asleep". The guesthouse "has been running for several years without problems," he added. The traditional semi-timbered building, built in the style of the Alsace region, was severely damaged by the fire, according to the firefighters. The firefighters were dousing the scene of the disaster with the help of fire hoses, an AFP photographer said. The roof was consumed by the flames and, on the first floor, the charred wooden framework was visible. Other firefighters were clearing wreckage away from the scene of the disaster with smoke still rising up. By Associated Press NIAMEY (NIGER): As a military junta in Niger marked two weeks in power Wednesday, its leaders are appointing a government and rejecting calls for negotiation in what analysts described as an attempt to entrench their power and show that they're serious about governing the West Africa country in the face of an escalating regional crisis. The junta has named a new prime minister and made a slew of other new cabinet appointments. They also refused to admit meditation teams that planned to come Tuesday from the United Nations, the African Union, and West African regional bloc ECOWAS, citing "evident reasons of security in this atmosphere of menace," according to a letter seen by the Associated Press. ECOWAS threatened to use military force if the junta didn't reinstate Bazoum by Sunday, a deadline that the junta ignored. "The establishment of a government is significant, and signals at least to the population, that they have a plan in place, with support from across the government," said Aneliese Bernard, a former U.S. State Department official who specialized in African affairs and who is now director of Strategic Stabilization Advisors, a risk advisory group. On Monday, the junta said that civilian economist Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine would be prime minister. Zeine is a former minister of economy and finance who left office after his government was ousted by a previous military coup in 2010 and later worked at the African Development Bank. On July 26, mutinous soldiers overthrew Niger's democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum, saying they could do a better job at protecting the nation from jihadi violence. Groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have ravaged the Sahel region, a vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert. But most analysts and diplomats say that reason doesn't hold weight and that the takeover was the result of a power struggle between the president and the head of his presidential guard, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who now says he runs the country. The coup comes as a blow to many countries in the West, which saw Niger as one of the last democratic partners in the region they could work with to beat back the extremist threat. Niger's partners have threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance if it does not return to constitutional rule. But so far diplomatic efforts have yielded little as the junta tightens its grip on power. Niger's capital, Niamey, appeared more tense on Tuesday, with security forces checking vehicles. On Monday, the junta shut its airspace, and on Tuesday it temporarily suspended authorization for diplomatic flights from friendly and partner countries, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Earlier this week, acting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met with the coup leaders, but said they refused to allow her to meet Bazoum, who has been detained since being toppled. She described the mutinous officers as unreceptive to her appeals to start negotiations and restore constitutional rule. The U.S. has some 1,100 military personnel in the country and has seen Niger as a strategic and reliable partner in the region. Nuland made more headway than other delegations. A previous ECOWAS delegation was prevented from leaving the airport. It's unclear what coordination is taking place between the various mediation attempts. Some experts have worried that if efforts are not coordinated, it could undermine ECOWAS. Alexander Thurston, assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, said: "I think the U.S would come to a modus vivendi with this junta if the junta proved particularly amenable to U.S interests, but that doesn't seem to be on the table for now," he said. In a statement Tuesday after being rejected from visiting Niger, ECOWAS said it was trying to find a peaceful solution to the crisis and will continue to "deploy all necessary measures to ensure the return to constitutional order." ECOWAS is expected to meet again Thursday in Abuja, the capital of neighbouring Nigeria, to discuss the situation. But analysts say the longer it takes to find a solution, the more time the junta has to dig in and the less momentum there will be to oust them. Regional countries are also divided on how to proceed. Neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which are run by military regimes, have sided with the junta and warned that an intervention in Niger would be "would be tantamount to a declaration of war" against them. In a joint letter Tuesday to the United Nations, the two countries appealed for the organization to "prevent by all means at its disposal, armed action against a sovereign state." Mali and Burkina Faso also sent representatives to Niamey this week to discuss military options. Officials from all sides said the talks went well. While the crisis drags on, Niger's some 25 million people are bearing the brunt. It's one of the poorest countries in the world. Many Nigeriens live hand to mouth and say they're too focused on finding food for their families to pay much attention to the escalating crisis. Harsh economic and travel sanctions imposed by ECOWAS since the coup has caused food prices to rise by up to 5 per cent say traders. Erkmann Tchibozo, a shop owner from neighbouring Benin who works in Niamey, said it's been hard to get anything into the country to stock his shop near the airport. If it continues like this, the situation is going to become very difficult, he said. NIAMEY (NIGER): As a military junta in Niger marked two weeks in power Wednesday, its leaders are appointing a government and rejecting calls for negotiation in what analysts described as an attempt to entrench their power and show that they're serious about governing the West Africa country in the face of an escalating regional crisis. The junta has named a new prime minister and made a slew of other new cabinet appointments. They also refused to admit meditation teams that planned to come Tuesday from the United Nations, the African Union, and West African regional bloc ECOWAS, citing "evident reasons of security in this atmosphere of menace," according to a letter seen by the Associated Press. ECOWAS threatened to use military force if the junta didn't reinstate Bazoum by Sunday, a deadline that the junta ignored. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "The establishment of a government is significant, and signals at least to the population, that they have a plan in place, with support from across the government," said Aneliese Bernard, a former U.S. State Department official who specialized in African affairs and who is now director of Strategic Stabilization Advisors, a risk advisory group. On Monday, the junta said that civilian economist Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine would be prime minister. Zeine is a former minister of economy and finance who left office after his government was ousted by a previous military coup in 2010 and later worked at the African Development Bank. On July 26, mutinous soldiers overthrew Niger's democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum, saying they could do a better job at protecting the nation from jihadi violence. Groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have ravaged the Sahel region, a vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert. But most analysts and diplomats say that reason doesn't hold weight and that the takeover was the result of a power struggle between the president and the head of his presidential guard, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who now says he runs the country. The coup comes as a blow to many countries in the West, which saw Niger as one of the last democratic partners in the region they could work with to beat back the extremist threat. Niger's partners have threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance if it does not return to constitutional rule. But so far diplomatic efforts have yielded little as the junta tightens its grip on power. Niger's capital, Niamey, appeared more tense on Tuesday, with security forces checking vehicles. On Monday, the junta shut its airspace, and on Tuesday it temporarily suspended authorization for diplomatic flights from friendly and partner countries, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Earlier this week, acting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met with the coup leaders, but said they refused to allow her to meet Bazoum, who has been detained since being toppled. She described the mutinous officers as unreceptive to her appeals to start negotiations and restore constitutional rule. The U.S. has some 1,100 military personnel in the country and has seen Niger as a strategic and reliable partner in the region. Nuland made more headway than other delegations. A previous ECOWAS delegation was prevented from leaving the airport. It's unclear what coordination is taking place between the various mediation attempts. Some experts have worried that if efforts are not coordinated, it could undermine ECOWAS. Alexander Thurston, assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, said: "I think the U.S would come to a modus vivendi with this junta if the junta proved particularly amenable to U.S interests, but that doesn't seem to be on the table for now," he said. In a statement Tuesday after being rejected from visiting Niger, ECOWAS said it was trying to find a peaceful solution to the crisis and will continue to "deploy all necessary measures to ensure the return to constitutional order." ECOWAS is expected to meet again Thursday in Abuja, the capital of neighbouring Nigeria, to discuss the situation. But analysts say the longer it takes to find a solution, the more time the junta has to dig in and the less momentum there will be to oust them. Regional countries are also divided on how to proceed. Neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which are run by military regimes, have sided with the junta and warned that an intervention in Niger would be "would be tantamount to a declaration of war" against them. In a joint letter Tuesday to the United Nations, the two countries appealed for the organization to "prevent by all means at its disposal, armed action against a sovereign state." Mali and Burkina Faso also sent representatives to Niamey this week to discuss military options. Officials from all sides said the talks went well. While the crisis drags on, Niger's some 25 million people are bearing the brunt. It's one of the poorest countries in the world. Many Nigeriens live hand to mouth and say they're too focused on finding food for their families to pay much attention to the escalating crisis. Harsh economic and travel sanctions imposed by ECOWAS since the coup has caused food prices to rise by up to 5 per cent say traders. Erkmann Tchibozo, a shop owner from neighbouring Benin who works in Niamey, said it's been hard to get anything into the country to stock his shop near the airport. If it continues like this, the situation is going to become very difficult, he said. By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways has suspended six officials, including a divisional engineer and a works manager, for their alleged negligence that led to a major train accident in the country's Sindh province that killed at least 34 people. Speaking in the National Assembly, Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique revealed details about the unfortunate incident, placing the blame on the damaged track for the derailment of the ill-fated train. The Hazara Express train travelling from Karachi to Rawalpindi derailed on Sunday in Nawabshah district near the Sarhari Railway Station, 275 kilometres from the provincial capital Karachi. In response to the tragic accident, six railway officials have been suspended, and financial compensation worth Rs 1.5 million each has been announced for the families of the victims. Speaking during Tuesday's assembly session, Rafique said that the investigations into the accident were underway and the report would be finalised in a few days. Explaining the cause of the accident, he said two wheels of a bogie were jammed at the time of its departure from Karachi. Besides that, the railway track near the site of the crash was also damaged, which led to the accident. However, as per the initial report, out of 12 total wheels of the locomotive were jammed when the train started its journey from Karachi which should have been removed. Besides, a piece of railway track near the accident site was also damaged, which led to the accident. Earlier, the Ministry of Pakistan Railways issued a notification for the suspension of the officials. The notification stated that the officials including a divisional engineer and a works manager had been suspended after an inquiry against them. An initial report on the accident stated that there were no fish plates connecting the line at the site of the accident and instead of the broken track, a piece of wood was previously installed for repair. The minister said that no wood was used in joints rather Parmelia fishplate was being used for railway signal systems worldwide as the signal system did not work without it. He explained that it was a special type of fishplate which was imported from Germany or Holland. The minister also completely ruled out the chance of any sabotage activity. ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways has suspended six officials, including a divisional engineer and a works manager, for their alleged negligence that led to a major train accident in the country's Sindh province that killed at least 34 people. Speaking in the National Assembly, Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique revealed details about the unfortunate incident, placing the blame on the damaged track for the derailment of the ill-fated train. The Hazara Express train travelling from Karachi to Rawalpindi derailed on Sunday in Nawabshah district near the Sarhari Railway Station, 275 kilometres from the provincial capital Karachi.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In response to the tragic accident, six railway officials have been suspended, and financial compensation worth Rs 1.5 million each has been announced for the families of the victims. Speaking during Tuesday's assembly session, Rafique said that the investigations into the accident were underway and the report would be finalised in a few days. Explaining the cause of the accident, he said two wheels of a bogie were jammed at the time of its departure from Karachi. Besides that, the railway track near the site of the crash was also damaged, which led to the accident. However, as per the initial report, out of 12 total wheels of the locomotive were jammed when the train started its journey from Karachi which should have been removed. Besides, a piece of railway track near the accident site was also damaged, which led to the accident. Earlier, the Ministry of Pakistan Railways issued a notification for the suspension of the officials. The notification stated that the officials including a divisional engineer and a works manager had been suspended after an inquiry against them. An initial report on the accident stated that there were no fish plates connecting the line at the site of the accident and instead of the broken track, a piece of wood was previously installed for repair. The minister said that no wood was used in joints rather Parmelia fishplate was being used for railway signal systems worldwide as the signal system did not work without it. He explained that it was a special type of fishplate which was imported from Germany or Holland. The minister also completely ruled out the chance of any sabotage activity. By PTI LONDON: A former deputy head teacher at a London primary school who had pleaded guilty to paying and instructing teenagers in India to abuse younger children was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Wednesday. Matthew Smith, 35, from East Dulwich in south London was arrested by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) in November last year after its investigators identified that he was sharing abuse material on the dark web and has now been sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in London. According to the NCA, Smith was online at the time of his arrest, speaking to a teenage boy living in India and asking him to send sexual images of a younger child, in return for money. He also had dark web sites and forums open on his computer which were dedicated to child sexual abuse. "Matthew Smith is a prolific offender and master manipulator, who coerced young men into abusing children on his behalf," said Helen Dore, Senior Officer of the NCA. "He constantly sought out opportunities to gain access to children but was adept at hiding his sexual interest in them. He conducted his offending while working as a teacher and head of pastoral care-- a deep betrayal of the trust placed in him. "It's clear Smith has absolutely no empathy for his victims and the harm he has caused them. He presents a very real and significant risk to children, but this investigation has ensured he will spend a long time in prison," she said. Smith is also subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life. The NCA stressed that it is committed to operating online and overseas, working with global partners to ensure that children are safeguarded and offenders like Smith are brought to justice. The agency's investigators interrogated chat logs and financial transactions and were able to establish that Smith had paid that same teenager, and another also based in India, a total of GBP 65,398 to abuse children over a five-year period. The chat logs showed that Smith would instruct the young men to perform sexual acts on boys and would send them images and videos as examples of ones he would like to receive in return. Smith also gave one of them advice on how to befriend children and build their trust with a view to abusing them. He had spent various periods working in orphanages and NGOs across India between 2007-2014 and was later living in Nepal and working at a school. The UK investigators found evidence of potential offending by Smith against children while he was working in India. The NCA shared information with the Indian authorities and said it continues to work with them in order to identify and safeguard victims. Smith moved back to the UK in July 2022 and began working at a primary school in London in September that year, where he was a deputy head teacher and head of pastoral care. He was found to have posted an online advert at the time looking to secure a flat-share, in which he said he was a primary school teacher and could assist with childcare. He was arrested before he could be taken up on his offer, the NCA said, adding that there is no evidence to suggest he committed offences against children based in Nepal or the UK. Officers recovered over 120,000 indecent images of children, which Smith had saved on a laptop, SD card and on his phone. In June, the NCA reported that he had pleaded guilty to an initial five offences, including causing the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, and was remanded in custody in November 2022. Earlier this year, he also pleaded guilty to a further 17 counts, including encouraging the rape of a child under 13, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and arranging the sexual abuse of a child. LONDON: A former deputy head teacher at a London primary school who had pleaded guilty to paying and instructing teenagers in India to abuse younger children was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Wednesday. Matthew Smith, 35, from East Dulwich in south London was arrested by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) in November last year after its investigators identified that he was sharing abuse material on the dark web and has now been sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in London. According to the NCA, Smith was online at the time of his arrest, speaking to a teenage boy living in India and asking him to send sexual images of a younger child, in return for money.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He also had dark web sites and forums open on his computer which were dedicated to child sexual abuse. "Matthew Smith is a prolific offender and master manipulator, who coerced young men into abusing children on his behalf," said Helen Dore, Senior Officer of the NCA. "He constantly sought out opportunities to gain access to children but was adept at hiding his sexual interest in them. He conducted his offending while working as a teacher and head of pastoral care-- a deep betrayal of the trust placed in him. "It's clear Smith has absolutely no empathy for his victims and the harm he has caused them. He presents a very real and significant risk to children, but this investigation has ensured he will spend a long time in prison," she said. Smith is also subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life. The NCA stressed that it is committed to operating online and overseas, working with global partners to ensure that children are safeguarded and offenders like Smith are brought to justice. The agency's investigators interrogated chat logs and financial transactions and were able to establish that Smith had paid that same teenager, and another also based in India, a total of GBP 65,398 to abuse children over a five-year period. The chat logs showed that Smith would instruct the young men to perform sexual acts on boys and would send them images and videos as examples of ones he would like to receive in return. Smith also gave one of them advice on how to befriend children and build their trust with a view to abusing them. He had spent various periods working in orphanages and NGOs across India between 2007-2014 and was later living in Nepal and working at a school. The UK investigators found evidence of potential offending by Smith against children while he was working in India. The NCA shared information with the Indian authorities and said it continues to work with them in order to identify and safeguard victims. Smith moved back to the UK in July 2022 and began working at a primary school in London in September that year, where he was a deputy head teacher and head of pastoral care. He was found to have posted an online advert at the time looking to secure a flat-share, in which he said he was a primary school teacher and could assist with childcare. He was arrested before he could be taken up on his offer, the NCA said, adding that there is no evidence to suggest he committed offences against children based in Nepal or the UK. Officers recovered over 120,000 indecent images of children, which Smith had saved on a laptop, SD card and on his phone. In June, the NCA reported that he had pleaded guilty to an initial five offences, including causing the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, and was remanded in custody in November 2022. Earlier this year, he also pleaded guilty to a further 17 counts, including encouraging the rape of a child under 13, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and arranging the sexual abuse of a child. Ardhendu Bose, nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose passes away His wife, Kermeen Bose shared the news of his demise with the media.Remembering Ardhendu, Kermeen said that he lived a proud man with his chest always high, and was very proud of his legendary uncle, his heroic deeds and sacrifice until the end.A model and actor by profession, Ardhendu Bose was based out in 1970s Bombay where he started his career and starred in various Bollywood movies such as 'Cobra', 'Mera Yaar Mera Dushman', 'Vishkanya' and Bengali films such as 'Kalkut'.He began a strong successful career as a Bombay Dyeing model in the 1970s for many years and from then on made his way towards films.Ardhendu's own life was not without hiccups, particularly back from his childhood in the 1960s to the 1980s as he, his father and mother all suspected that the government at the time was tapping their phones and keeping very high surveillance on them, he revealed back in 2015.Apart from being an ardent nationalist, Ardhendu was very protective of his uncle's legacy and had long asked for Netaji along with the many soldiers of the Indian National Army to be given the recognition they deserved.He was also highly critical of the Congress government, particularly in regards to figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru who he had said were given unfair credit for achieving India's independence, always saying that it was the bravery of the Azad Hind Fauj that got India its independence.Many others too have backed up this stance as the former English Prime Minister Clement Atlee had himself said so back in 1951.Apart from his wife Kermeen, Ardhendu is survived by his son, Nedal Bose.Ardhendu was also critical of Subhas Chandra Bose' daughter Anita Bose Pfaff and slammed for critiquing her father's stance on the use of violence.(IANS | Posted on 08 August 2023, 1692569098 162O158O110O29) Sarva Adivasi Samaj Chhattisgarh to field 50 candidates in assembly elections Moreover, the former Union Minister hinted at keeping a close watch on general seats."Tribal people in Chhattisgarh are fighting for 'Jal, Jungle, Zameen' and the government along with corporate houses is exploiting them. Tribal people in interior areas of Bastar have been agitating for a long time and this is the evidence that tribal people are dissatisfied," said Netam.It is their compulsion to contest the elections for protecting the interest of the tribal population, he added.Speaking about the celebration of International Day of World's Indigenous Peoples on August 9, Netam informed the media persons that in view of coming elections, the Sarva Adivasi Samaj has decided to field contestants and also review the schemes being run by the government in the interest of tribal people in the country."What Baba Saheb Ambedkar has given in the constitution or the provision made in the law, somewhere exactly the opposite is being done in the state. This is a matter of serious concern and there is a fight for existence and tribal communities are losing dominance over 'water, forest and land'," he stated.The tribal community will ensure the fielding of contestants in reserve seats. Moreover, we are identifying the seats, where tribal population is ranging from 20,000 to 70,000 or 80,000 so that contestants from the community will be fielded," said Netam, hinting that candidates from communities will also be considered, he added.The community will field candidates in at least 50 seats and a penal in this connection has been formed, said Netam.We have written to the Election Commission for registration of the party and it will be decided very soon, Netam said further.Talking to media persons, the minister said that he had informed Congress incharge Kumari Selja about the reply of show cause notice served to him ahead of plenary sessions in Raipur.Moreover, Netam had asked the party to make it clear whether he will be kept in Congress or not. If no response will be received from the party side then he will take a decision in this connection in days to come.(ANI | Posted on 08 August 2023, 1692569098 172O71O246O113) Avista, the Staff of the Public Utility Commission of Oregon (Commission), the Oregon Citizens' Utility Board ("CUB"), Alliance of Western Energy Consumers ("AWEC"), and the joint intervenor Sierra Club/Climate Solutions, parties to the Company's natural gas general rate case, have reached a settlement agreement that has been submitted to the Commission for its consideration, and which would resolve all remaining issues in the proceeding. If approved, this settlement would result in a base revenue increase request of $7.16 million (or 4.7%), as compared to Avista's original request of $11.0 million. The agreed-upon revenue requirement is predicated on a proposed rate of return of 7.235% with a common equity ratio of 50% and a 9.5% return on equity. "This settlement agreement will provide new rates in Oregon that are fair and reasonable for our customers, the Company, and our shareholders," said Dennis Vermillion, Avista president and CEO. "This outcome allows us to recover our costs in a timely manner and supports Avista's efforts to invest in and maintain our infrastructure so we can continue to provide the reliable energy our customers expect." Residential Customer Bills If the settlement is approved, a residential natural gas customer using an average of 47 therms per month, would see a $4.07 per month increase, or 5.3 percent, from a $77.01 bill for a revised monthly bill of $81.08 effective Jan. 1, 2024. The actual percentage rate change will vary by customer rate schedule and will depend on how much energy a customer uses. Avista serves approximately 106,000 customers in Oregon. Customer Resources To assist customers in managing their energy bills, Avista offers services for customers such as comfort level billing, payment arrangements and Customer Assistance Referral and Evaluation Services (CARES), which provide assistance to special-needs customers through referrals to area agencies and churches for help with housing, utilities, medical assistance and other needs. Avista also provides funding for energy assistance programs Project Share and the company's LIRAP, which are administered through community action agencies. Avista provides energy efficiency and outreach programs that include rebates and incentives as well as tips and resources to help customers manage their energy use and energy bills. Customers can learn more at www.myavista.com. About Avista Corp. Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production, transmission, and distribution of energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is the operating division that provides electric service to 403,000 customers and natural gas to 369,000 customers. Its service territory covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.6 million. Alaska Energy and Resources Company is an Avista subsidiary that provides retail electric service in the city and borough of Juneau, Alaska, through its subsidiary Alaska Electric Light and Power Company. Avista stock is traded under the ticker symbol "AVA." For more information about Avista, please visit www.avistacorp.com. This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the company's current expectations. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than historical facts. Such statements speak only as of the date of the news release and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, in addition to those discussed herein, all of the factors discussed in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2022 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. Contact: Media: Lena Funston (509) 495-8090, lena.funston@avistacorp.com Investors: Stacey Wenz (509) 495-2046, stacey.wenz@avistacorp.com Avista 24/7 Media Access (509) 495-4174 J-K: Fresh batch of pilgrims leave for Amarnath Yatra from Pantha Chowk base camp in Srinagar The pilgrims left from the Pantha Chowk base camp to Baltal and Pahalgam routes to reach the holy Amarnath Cave.A batch of pilgrims had earlier left from Pantha Chowk base camp in Srinagar for their onward pilgrimage to Amarnath cave shrine on Monday morning.The pilgrims were heard shouting 'Bam Bam Bhole' Slogans on their way to the holy shrine."The arrangements made for the yatra are very good, I have not seen such a facility anywhere, I would like to thank our Army for this. I will come here every year" Devi lal Kumawat, a pilgrim told ANI."Administration has helped in every way; local people are also very cooperative. Everyone should come and see Kashmir, we are very happy to be here," another pilgrim told ANI.The 62-day-long Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 1 will culminate on August 31, 2023.Earlier, the Additional Director General of Police of Jammu Zone and the Divisional Commissioner Jammu on Friday took stock of the security arrangements for Independence Day celebrations and Budda Amarnath Yatra."The Additional Director General of Police of Jammu Zone, Mukesh Singh accompanied by Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar and DIG Rajouri Poonch Range Haseeb Mughal convened a security review meeting with the Police and Civil administration and took stock of the security scenario in wake of forthcoming Independence Day Celebration and Budda Amarnath Yatra which commences from 17th August 2023," said a statement of the Jammu and Kashmir police.The ADGP Jammu and the Divisional Commissioner were briefed about the security and other related issues by SSP Poonch Vinay Kumar and DC Poonch Yaseen Mohd Choudhary.Later, the ADGP Jammu and Divisional Commissioner convened a meeting with the civil society members of Poonch.Prominent lawyers and elected representatives participated in the meeting. All the speakers apprised the officers of all the cooperation for the smooth Independence Day celebrations and peaceful conduct of the yatra.(ANI | Posted on 08 August 2023, 1692569098 172O70O243O44) Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre launches campaign for 'Maternal and Child Health' programme The initiative, which is part of the "Maternal and Child Health" campaign, reflects the visionary leadership's commitment to continuous progress and providing the best practices and developments that align with the needs of Emirati women.Through this programme, the centre aims to improve the health of newborns, mothers, and families in Abu Dhabi by enhancing community health and providing a comprehensive and sustainable healthcare system. The centre also seeks to develop supportive programmes and policies and adopt evidence-based preventive approaches by increasing community awareness of the importance of adopting healthy habits for a healthy pregnancy and the significance of regular check-ups during pregnancy for expectant mothers and routine check-ups for children.In this context, Dr Omniyat Al Hajeri, Executive Director of the Community Health Sector, stated, "The health and quality of life of the mother and child are two aspects that cannot be compromised. Both are positively influenced by early healthcare interventions. Interventions in the prenatal and early childhood stages play a crucial role in outcomes throughout life. Increasing evidence indicates that healthcare and nutritional interventions in early life have a significant impact on women's health in all stages of life."The "Maternal and Child Health" programme includes various preventive initiatives and regular screenings dedicated to the health of mothers and children in collaboration with maternity and children's hospitals in Abu Dhabi. The programme also aims to raise awareness about the importance of preventive screenings and the necessity of attending regular follow-up visits during pregnancy to ensure the health of the mother and child and early detection of any health issues that require necessary interventions.Newborns in Abu Dhabi undergo mandatory newborn screenings according to the defined health standards set by the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre. These screenings include comprehensive physical examinations, genetic heart disease screenings, hearing tests, and heel prick tests, in addition to referral, evaluation, and counseling if any results warrant such measures.All government and private healthcare facilities involved in childbirth are committed to implementing newborn screening protocols and taking necessary actions while providing early treatment and regular monitoring to avoid physical and mental disabilities and reduce mortality rates. These screenings detect any growth disorders, genetic diseases, or metabolic disorders that may affect the child's health and enable healthcare specialists to intervene early and take necessary actions before symptoms and problems worsen.According to reports from the Genetic Testing Laboratory under the Ministry of Health and Community Protection, 36,542 newborns in Abu Dhabi underwent newborn screenings during 2022. 2,458 cases of postnatal diseases with symptoms and signs were discovered, including genetic, metabolic, and blood-related diseases that may impact the child's long-term growth, health, or even threaten their life.In addition to screenings, Abu Dhabi offers a comprehensive program to educate and raise awareness among women and families about the importance of comprehensive healthcare for mothers and children. The program focuses on enhancing awareness of the importance of preventive screenings and health counseling during and after pregnancy. It also aims to promote healthy and preventive behaviors, develop public health policies, and enhance best practices in the field of maternal and child health.This pioneering initiative aims to achieve a healthy and sustainable society, where women are strong and healthy partners, and children grow and thrive in good health. It reflects the committed leadership's dedication to developing the healthcare sector and improving the quality of healthcare provided in Abu Dhabi.(ANI | Posted on 08 August 2023, 1692569098 172O70O242O22) Independence Day Dress: Celebrate with Sanskriti Fancy Dresses, A Parade of Patriotism and Style Whether you want to channel your inner freedom fighter, showcase your patriotic spirit, or simply add a touch of flair to your celebrations, Sanskriti Fancy Dresses has something to make your Independence Day truly special.Sanskriti Fancy Dresses proudly presents its exclusive "Independence Day Dress" collection, curated to honor the spirit of freedom and patriotism. To explore this unique collection, visit their website at https//fancydressnoida.com/independence-day-dress/. The assortment features a wide array of traditional Indian costumes, international ensembles, superhero outfits, and costumes inspired by beloved movies and television shows. Whether you're a history enthusiast or a pop-culture aficionado, there's something for everyone at Sanskriti Fancy Dresses.At Sanskriti Fancy Dresses, diversity is celebrated, and the team strives to meet the unique preferences and requirements of every customer. With costumes available in various sizes, there is no limitation to express your individuality. Moreover, the store offers a range of accessories that complement the outfits, elevating the overall look and feel of the costumes.Sanskriti Fancy Dresses takes pride in its founder's expertise and passion for the industry. With a background as a trained dance teacher, the founder brings over a decade of experience to ensure the costumes not only boast high quality but also serve practical purposes for performances and events. This dedication to excellence resonates through the entire team, providing customers with unparalleled service and top-notch products.The physical stores in Noida and Greater Noida offer a comfortable and hygienic environment for customers to explore and try on their preferred costumes. The knowledgeable and friendly staff is always on hand to provide expert guidance and assistance in choosing the perfect ensemble for every occasion. Recognizing that every event is unique, Sanskriti Fancy Dresses offers customization options to cater to individual requirements. Whether it's a school event, theatrical production, or a themed party, the team can design and create costumes tailored to specific needs, ensuring a perfect fit for every customer.At Sanskriti Fancy Dresses, cultural pride takes center stage. The store's commitment to offering traditional and cultural costumes that celebrate the rich heritage of India reflects its deep appreciation for the country's diverse culture. What sets Sanskriti Fancy Dresses apart is its dedication to creative and unique costume designs. Perfect for school events, competitions, and theatrical performances, these imaginative creations are guaranteed to captivate audiences and earn applause.The store's focus on customer satisfaction extends to the booking and payment process. Multiple payment options, including cash, card, and online payments, ensure a hassle-free experience for customers, enabling them to focus on the joy of selecting their perfect outfit.The good reviews and reputation garnered by Sanskriti Fancy Dresses speak volumes about its commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. Loyal customers are rewarded with discounts and promotions, making it an enticing choice for patrons seeking top-notch costumes at competitive prices.Beyond Independence Day, Sanskriti Fancy Dresses keeps the festive spirit alive with its seasonal costumes for various festivals and events. Embrace the joy of Diwali, Halloween, Christmas, and more with costumes that exude the essence of celebration. In the digital age, Sanskriti Fancy Dresses ensures convenience for customers through its online platform. The website allows customers to browse the extensive collection, make purchases, and have costumes delivered to their doorstep with ease.Sanskriti Fancy Dresses offers a comprehensive package for all your costume needs. From Independence Day Dress to costumes for various occasions and themes, the store takes pride in its wide range, quality, customer service, customization options, and competitive pricing. With its commitment to preserving cultural heritage and embracing creativity, Sanskriti Fancy Dresses remains a preferred destination for all those seeking to express themselves through the art of dressing up.As India prepares to commemorate its independence, Sanskriti Fancy Dresses is excited to be a part of the festivities. The team eagerly awaits the opportunity to collaborate with esteemed schools and organizers to contribute to memorable and inspiring events. For more information or to explore the collection, visit https//fancydressnoida.com/ or call 9650501299. Step into the world of costumes at Sanskriti Fancy Dresses and let the celebration begin!(ANI | Posted on 08 August 2023, 1692569099 172O69O150O210) Domestic equities remain subdued Nifty, after opening on a positive note, edged lower and traded in a narrow range to close with a marginal loss of 26 points at 19,571 levels.Broader market outperformed with Nifty midcap 100 and smallcap 100 up 0.2 per cent each. Sectorally, it was mixed bag with rally seen in PSU bank, which was up 3 per cent, he said.Most of the sectoral indices were in red while Nifty PSU Banks, Nifty Pharma and Nifty Bank outperform today with gains of 3.37 per cent, 0.64 per cent, 0.28 per cent, Vaibhav Vidwani, senior research analyst, Bonanza Portoflio, said.On August 10, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is expected to release its monetary policy.Rate-sensitive industries like Banking, NBFCs, Infrastructure and Real estate, expected to be in the spotlight prior to the policy. Market anticipates the repo rate to remain unchanged that was one of the reason for PSU banks outperformance, he said.Gland Pharma was up by 20 per cent because of increase in revenue by 41 per cent on QoQ basis in Q1FY24.Despite the fact that Concord Biotech's initial public offering (IPO) was a comprehensive offer for sale issue, investors responded favourably to the company. Concord Biotech is supported by the late renowned investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's Rare Enterprises, he said.Hero MotoCorp, SBI Life Insurance, Cipla, Tech Mahindra and Wipro were the top gainer on the Nifty while losers were Adani Enterprises, Power Grid Corporation, Hindalco Industries, M&M and Divis Labs.Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services said on the global front, investors are adopting a cautious approach even amidst declining bond yields as they await the release of crucial economic data.The significant drop in Chinese exports has also contributed to concerns within the global market.FIIs remain in a selling mode in the domestic market, yet active buying from DIIs is mitigating downside risks.Among sectors, PSU banks and pharma stocks inched up, while mid- and small-cap stocks have continued to outperform the benchmark, showcasing their resilience, he said.(IANS | Posted on 08 August 2023, 1692569099 172O70O250O87) France announces new initiatives in major push for Indian students This comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited France as Chief Guest on country's Bastille Day on July 14, where India and France, both raised people-to-people ties as one of the three pillars of strategic partnership, an official release of French Embassy said.President Emmanuel Macron announced France's goal to welcome 30,000 students from India by 2030. This goal reflects France's view that enlarging its Indian student population will promote academic achievement, cross-cultural understanding, and enduring friendship between our two countries.The establishment of "International Classes" in France will enable Indian students to flourish in their studies and easily transition to the French educational system. These specialised programmes will offer thorough training in the French language and other academic areas. This choice demonstrates France's dedication to facilitating the lives of Indian students as much as feasibleA five-year Schengen circulation visa for Indian alumni was also announced during PM Modi's visit to France in July.In a belief that when an Indian student spends even just a semester in France, it creates a connection that ought to be fostered and cherished, France announced that Indian students who hold a Master's degree or above and have spent at least a semester studying in France are eligible for a 5-year short-stay Schengen visa, the press release said.This is a special provision for Indian alumni to enable them to keep close links with France and their French counterparts.In order to implement these initiatives, France has also decided to strengthen its Campus France network in India with additional staff and resources.Commenting on these announcements, the official press release quoted the Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain as saying "Our teams are working double time to implement the decisions taken by President Macron and Prime minister Modi in Paris to benefit students. France has always been an inclusive and diverse country, eager to share our rich cultural heritage and world-class education opportunities with Indian students. My message for Indian students France will always be your friend, and we will do everything possible to ensure you have an amazing academic and life experience in our country."In light of these declarations, the French Institute in India and the Embassy of France are excited to announce the Choose France Tour 2023.It will be organised by the French Government and Campus France. Organized by the the education fair, it will be held in four major Indian cities, Chennai, Calcutta, Delhi, and Mumbai .It will give Indian students and their parents a fantastic opportunity to speak with representatives of the more than 40 French higher education institutions that will be present at the market and learn about a variety of study alternatives, the press release of French Embassy in India read.There are numerous strong reasons for Indian students to select France as their study abroad country, including a plethora of academic disciplines and programmes. Moreover, for those passionate about the culinary arts or hospitality management, France presents an exceptional opportunity to master gastronomic excellence and the art of hospitality. Without mentioning social sciences, art and design, among many others."France offers scholarships of over 15 crore rupees every year specifically designed for Indian students, making education even more accessible and affordable. These scholarships cover various disciplines, allowing students to pursue their desired academic fields without financial constraints," the press release read.With 570 French companies employing more than 400 000 staff in India, graduates with French qualifications gain access to a wide spectrum of career prospects, and the chance to work with globally renowned organizations.According to the French Embassy press release, Indian students with a French Master's degree also have the opportunity to work and explore professional alternatives in France during their two-year post-study work visa.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron during their meeting in July in France agreed that the relationship between India and France has been resilient in the darkest storms and bold and ambitious in riding the high tides of opportunities.The two leaders noted that the diplomatic and political engagements between India and France are among their "closest and most trusted." PM Modi and French President Macron called the defence and security partnership between the two nations "strong.""Our political and diplomatic engagements are among our closest and most trusted. Our defence and security partnership is strong and extends from seabed to space. Our economic ties reinforce our prosperity and sovereignty and advance resilient supply chains," the Joint Communique on the visit of PM Modi's visit to France read.Macron and PM Modi noted that the deepening ties in education, science and technology, culture, burgeoning youth exchanges, and growing Diaspora are bringing the relationship closer to the people and sowing the seeds of future partnerships.During his visit to France, PM Modi attended Bastille Day Parade as Guest of Honour at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron on the Champs-Elysees. PM Modi and Macron met notable dignitaries during the Bastille Day Parade in Paris.PM Modi and President Emmanuel Macron witnessed the Indian tri-services contingent fly over the Bastille Day Parade in Paris, showcasing the French national flag. They also saw French and Indian soldiers march along Paris' tree-lined Champs-Elysees avenue as Rafale fighter planes flew above the Arc de Triomphe.(ANI | Posted on 08 August 2023, 1692569099 162O158O86O65) Thailand King's son back in country after 27 years Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongsem was seen walking out of the arrival terminal at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in a viral video which went viral on Social media on Monday.As per the Bangkok Post, the Majesty's son was seen waving to a group of Thais who were there to greet him and said, "Thank you very much", before proceeding to an exit.He will stay in the country for a week, reported the Bangkok Post.Living in the United States from last many years, Vacharaesorn departed from John F Kennedy Airport on Aug 5 on board a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong, where he took a connecting flight that landed at Suvarnabhumi on Sunday evening, claims Bangkok Post.The Bangkok Post reported that Vacharaesorn went to Wat Ratchaborphit Sathitmahasimaram Ratchaworawihan in Phra Nakhon district where he paid respect to the Supreme Patriarch.The special guest of the country also pay homage to the city pillar before moving on to Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram and Wat Hong Rattanaram Ratchaworawihan temples where he posed for pictures at the request of people who happened to recognise him.As per the publication by Bangkok Post, the King has four sons and one daughter. All four went to the United States after completing their primary education while the younger sister is her royal highness princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, who lives in Thailand.Vacharaesorn has both bachelor's and master's degrees in law from Stetson University College of Law in the United States. He is a legal counsellor at a law firm in New York, where he has lived for 27 years. He has reportedly joined other Thai people in the US in activities showing Thai traditions and culture.(ANI | Posted on 08 August 2023, 1692569100 172O70O242O132) Upcoming Ola EV images leaked, furious Bhavish Aggarwal demands apology Aggarwal also said that going forward, the electric vehicle company may not showcase their products to journalists before the official launch.The images, likely to be of Ola S1X e-scooter, were part of an auto media event the company held on Monday "and content from this event was supposed to be embargoed and confidential", according to Aggarwal."Auto media does their own credibility a massive disservice when they sneakily take photos at a confidential event. Breaks the trust the brand places in them. We work really hard to make great products and entertaining events for our customers and delight them. Such instances can't have any place in a mature ecosystem," the Ola Electric CEO posted in a tweet."Unless it is clear who did this and an apology (which is unlikely), we will not have auto journalists being showcased our products before launch going forward. They will be shown the products only after customers are shown products at launch events," an outraged Aggarwal added.The company, which just launched the S1 Air, is reportedly planning to launch an electric scooter called S1X. It is expected to be an entry-level model, starting at less than Rs 1 lakh.Ola currently offers S1 Pro, S1, and S1 Air electric scooters to the consumers."Ola Community, mark your calendar. On 15th August, we're celebrating Customer Day with the most electrifying event of the year - End ICE age Part 1. The doors of the FutureFactory will be open for you," Aggarwal tweeted last week.(IANS | Posted on 08 August 2023, 1692569100 172O70O247O161) India-bound US lawmakers will raise issues of democracy, minority rights Ro khanna, a Democratic member of the House of Representatives, and Micheal Waltz, a Republican, who are also co-chairs of the India Caucus, are leading the delegation, according to an announcement.They will be joined by Representatives Deborah Ross, Kat Cammack, Shri Thanedar, Jasmine Crockett, Rich McCormick and Ed Case.The delegation will attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Red Fort speech on August 15, visit Raj Ghat and meet government, tech, business and film world leaders in Hyderabad and Mumbai, said the announcement from Khanna's office.The delegation will also raise issues that may be considered uncomfortable to their Indian interlocutors."The delegation will discuss issues of democracy, freedom of speech, pluralism and minority rights," said a Congressional aide.While there are no indications as to how and where the delegation will raise these issues, they are most likely to be raised in private conversations in line with what US officials have termed as their preferred platform, instead of public finger-pointing.Khanna, who is an Indian-American, has been a keen observer of the developments in India. He was very critical, for instance, of the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha in March, calling it a "deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and India's deepest values" in a post on Twitter (now 'X').He had also urged Prime Minister Modi to reverse the decision for the "sake of Indian democracy".In December 2020, the Indian-American lawmaker had sided with the farmers in their protests against the Modi government."India and the US share a rich tradition of democracy and peaceful protests. Farmworkers are the backbone of both our nations and must have their voices heard. I hope there's a peaceful and fair solution so they can provide for their families," he had tweeted.Khanna has also been critical at home of 'exclusionary' assertion of Hinduism."It's the duty of every American politician of Hindu faith to stand for pluralism, reject Hindutva, and speak for equal rights for Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhist & Christians," he wrote in a tweet in 2019, adding a reference to his grandfather late Amarnath Vidyalankar, a freedom fighter and three-time MP as a member of the Congress in India.The upcoming visit to India has been described as "history coming full circle" for Khanna, the announcement said."His grandfather Amarnath Vidyalankar was an Indian freedom fighter who spent four years in jail alongside (Mahatma) Gandhi and later was part of India's first Parliament."Khanna's reference to his grandfather in the Rahul Gandhi tweet had met with a barrage of criticism from BJP supporters and activists who had pointed to Vidyalankar's vote in support of the declaration of Emergency by India Gandhi in 1971.He was then an MP from Chandigarh and never ran again for office.Khanna had defended his grandfather then, writing in a tweet, "It's sad to see people maligning my grandfather who worked for Lala Lajpat Rai, was jailed in 1931-32 and 1941-45, and wrote two letters to Indira Gandhi opposing the Emergency, leaving Parliament right after. Attack me. Don't attack India's freedom fighters. And facts matter."Khanna is a rising star in the Democratic party and is widely believed to be considering a run for the White House at some stage. Although a member of the progressive wing of the Democratic party, he has sought to pitch for the middle ground, aligning himself with President Joe Biden on many key issues."As co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, we are proud to lead a bipartisan delegation to India. We will be there to discuss how to strengthen economic and defense ties between our two counties, the oldest and largest democracies," Khanna and Waltz said in the joint announcement(IANS | Posted on 08 August 2023, 1692569100 162O158O95O49) Kartik Aaryan heads to Australia for IFFM 2023 Taking to his Instagram, Kartik shared a selfie video from his way to Australia and informed that he is going to attend a screening of 'Satyaprem Ki Katha' with the fans there.Sharing the video, he wrote, "See you Austraaaaliaaa ??@iffmelbourne."https//www.instagram.com/p/CvrGw3SM_Td/Recently, the actor was spotted at the airport on his way to the Australia Film Festival, where he will be honoured by the Governor of Victoria for his accomplishments.It's the first time, Kartik has visited Australia.IFFM will also showcase multiple screenings of Kartik's films including 'Satyaprem Ki Katha' and 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2', which emerged as one of the biggest hits of 2022.Earlier, speaking about the same, Kartik said in a statement, "I am deeply honoured and grateful to the Victorian Government and the festival for this prestigious award and humbled to be celebrated at the 14th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. It is a tremendous privilege to receive this recognition for my work in Indian cinema. I have always believed in the power of storytelling and the ability of films to touch hearts and inspire minds. I look forward to celebrating the magic of cinema together."The 14th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will take place from August 11 to August 20.Meanwhile, Kartik will be seen in Kabir Khan's directorial 'Chandu Champion'.The film is all set to hit the theatres on June 14, 2024.'Chandu Champion' marks Kartik's first collaboration with director Kabir Khan.He will also be seen in director Hansal Mehta's upcoming film 'Captain India' and in director Anurag Basu's next 'Aashiqui 3'.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569101 172O69O150O210) S Paramesh appointed as Additional Director General Coast Guard The Flag Officer was at the helm of the Coast Guard Region, Coast Guard Region and Coast Guard Commander before assuming charge as Additional Director General Coast Guard. The Flag Officer is an alumnus of the National Defence College, New Delhi and Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.The Flag Officer has a professional history, studded with achievements and a proven track record of outstanding and meritorious performance in all assignments he has held.The Flag Officer is specialised in Navigation & Direction and his sea commands include all major vessels of ICG which include Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel Samar and Offshore Patrol Vessel Vishwast.His key staff assignments include Dy Director General, Principal Director at the Coast Guard Headquarters, New Delhi and Chief Staff Officer at the Coast Guard Regional Headquarters, Chennai.The Flag Officer is a recipient of the President's Tatrakshak Medal for Distinguished Service, Tatrakshak Medal and was also awarded the Director General Coast Guard Commendation in 2012 and FOCINC Commendation in 2009.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569101 162O158O110O225) CEOs announce innovative renewable energy project built on a coal mine that will honor Kentucky's legacy as an energy producer while benefiting climate, conservation, and local communities. Starfire Mine, formerly one of the largest coal mines in the United States, will be the new site of a solar energy center. The announcement was made today (July 25) by global renewable power producer BrightNight CEO Martin Hermann, Rivian Automotive Inc. Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe, and The Nature Conservancy CEO Jennifer Morris. They were joined by Kentucky Department of Energy and the Environment (EEC) Secretary Rebecca Goodman. Starfire Renewable Energy Center is the largest renewable power project in Kentucky and one of the largest in the U.S. Once complete, the BrightNight Starfire Renewable Energy Center will have an 800-megawatt (MW) capacity, producing enough electricity to power over 170,000 households per year. When completed, it will be the largest renewable power project in Kentucky and one of the largest in the nation to be built on former mine lands, representing a $1-billion infrastructure investment. The project will also include BrightNight's construction of up to a twenty-mile transmission line, enabling an additional 1 gigawatt (GW) of renewable power generation to be built in the region in the future. BrightNight's industry-leading work will serve as a model for future energy transformation projects nationwide, showcasing how engineering and commercial success can be achieved. Project development will take place over four phases, with Phase 1 construction beginning in 2025. Rivian, committed to promoting clean, equitable, and electrified transportation, will purchase 100 MW of renewable power from Phase 1 through a power purchase agreement (PPA) with BrightNight, producing enough energy to power up to 450 million miles of renewable driving every year. The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental nonprofit, will also purchase up to 2.5 MW of these renewable energy credits to complement its onsite solar arrays and achieve clean power sustainability commitments. The Nature Conservancy collaborated with Rivian to establish a rigorous competitive process for selecting a clean energy project that would accelerate an equitable, science-based clean energy transition that maximizes positive impacts on climate, conservation, and communities, known as the "3Cs." As a result, BrightNight emerged as the chosen developer for the Starfire Renewable Energy Center. Rivian and The Nature Conservancy co-developed "Power with Purpose," a public guide that describes this strategy along with tools and resources for industry leaders to use and adapt this approach to accelerate environmentally and socially driven clean energy projects. "Rivian is one of the most innovative and forward-thinking manufacturers in America, and we are proud that they have chosen BrightNight and the Starfire Renewable Energy Center to help achieve their sustainability goals," BrightNight CEO Martin Hermann said. "Together, we are transforming a coal mine, reinvesting in a region eager to continue its role as an energy leader, and demonstrating the incredible impact of corporate power procurement." "Shifting our energy system toward carbon neutrality goes beyond electrifying the roughly 1.5 billion vehicles in the global fleet," said Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe. "We must also support the decarbonization of our energy infrastructure through the responsible deployment of renewable energy. We are thrilled to collaborate with organizations like The Nature Conservancy and BrightNight to bring Starfire to life and help create a scalable model for a modern grid that provides reliable, affordable, and carbon free energy for all." "Significant investments in infrastructure will be critical to solving the climate crisis, but how we invest is just as important as how much we invest: We need to ensure both people and the planet are central to these decisions, especially in communities like the Appalachians that have powered America for centuries and have tremendous natural resources," stated Jennifer Morris, CEO of The Nature Conservancy. "We are proud to collaborate with Rivian and BrightNight on this important project." Kentucky EEC Secretary Rebecca Goodman expressed support for the project and thanked BrightNight for its willingness to discuss pathways to assist in the development of the Olive Branch Community, flood recovery housing championed by Kentucky Governor Beshear. The community, located just outside the mine, is aiming to provide affordable electricity and improved resiliency to residents. BrightNight and the KY EEC are currently exploring ways the independent power producer can assist with energy delivery, expanded and improved road infrastructure, and engineering support. Until Phase 1 construction begins, BrightNight, with the support of Rivian and The Nature Conservancy, is focused on engaging the local community early and often. BrightNight is determining community development priorities, procuring land needed for its extensive transmission line right-of-way, securing additional offtake, developing environmentally conscious site design based on best available science, and monitoring for possible grid-related decisions that could accelerate project construction. Edelen, a Kentucky-based renewables developer, has been supporting BrightNight on the project by providing landowner and site development support services. To learn more about the Starfire Renewable Energy Project, please visit https://brightnightpower.com/starfire-project. ABOUT BRIGHTNIGHT BrightNight is the first global renewable integrated power company designed to provide utility and commercial and industrial customers with clean, dispatchable renewable power solutions. BrightNight works with customers across the U.S. and Asia Pacific to design, develop, and operate safe, reliable, large-scale renewable power projects optimized to better manage the intermittent nature of renewable energy. Its deep customer engagement process, team of proven power experts, and industry-leading solutions enable customers to overcome challenging energy sustainability standards, rapidly changing grid dynamics, and the transition away from fossil fuel generation. To learn more, visit: www.brightnightpower.com ABOUT RIVIAN Rivian exists to create products and services that help our planet transition to carbon neutral energy and transportation. Rivian designs, develops, and manufactures category-defining electric vehicles and accessories and sells them directly to customers in the consumer and commercial markets. Rivian complements its vehicles with a full suite of proprietary, value-added services that address the entire lifecycle of the vehicle and deepen its customer relationships. Learn more about the company, products, and careers at www.rivian.com. ABOUT THE NATURE CONSERVANCY The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in 76 countries and territories 37 by direct conservation impact and 39 through partners we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter. Delegation of parliament members from Georgia visits Israel The delegation on Tuesday met with Israel's Ambassador to Georgia Yuval Fuchs, the Head of the Euro Asia Bureau at the Israel Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Einat Shlein, the head of Mashav - Israel's official international development cooperation program - and representatives of the consular division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Israel's Foreign Ministry reported that the participants stressed the good relations between Israel and Georgia and discussed further cooperation in capacity building and other issues.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569101 162O158O87O61) There is nothing sceptical in this film: Yami Gautam on 'OMG 2' Speaking to ANI, Yami said, "When one will see this film, they will find that there is nothing sceptical in this film. A very important and sensitive subject has been raised in this film, especially related to children's education. The whole subject has been covered beautifully in the form of a courtroom drama. There is also comedy and a lot of entertainment in this film and I am happy to be its part."Actor Pankaj Tripathi, who is essaying one of the lead roles in the film, also expressed his views, saying the film is "made with precautions and sensitivity.""This is an important story and the film is made with all precautions and sensitivity. In the past days when the teaser of the film was released, a lot of controversies started erupting. I very much wanted to speak up and say to everyone that please watch the film first and then judge it, we are responsible people, Amit Rai took a lot of time to write this story," he said.Helmed by Amit Rai, 'OMG 2' has been under the radar ever since the makers unveiled the film's posters and teaser. Several reports claimed that the film was put on hold by the censor board as the committee wanted to be extra cautious due to the film's religious theme. But recently, the film was passed by the Central Board of Film Certification .The censor board gave an 'A' certificate to the film, which also stars Akshay Kumar. In the film, Akshay will be seen essaying the role of Lord Shiva's messenger.'OMG 2' will hit the theatres on August 11.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569102 172O70O242O41) UAE Government approves federal decrees on regulations of healthcare professions This comes as part of regulating the practice of non-doctors and pharmacists for a number of healthcare professions, including nursing, laboratories, medical physics, functional therapy, physiotherapy, aesthetics, anaesthesia, audiology, and radiology.The amendments aim to aggravate penalties for healthcare workers who practice the profession without obtaining a license and those who do not meet the requirements.Also, the law and the updates on the provisions set out a number of medical ethics and professional conducts for healthcare professionals practising in the UAE, in addition to updating the disciplinary sanctions according to the violations committed with the continuity of the operation of private health facilities.The amendments included establishing a national medical register for licensed healthcare professionals in the country.As per the law, no one is allowed to practise a health profession unless they are authorised by the health authority in accordance with the provisions of this federal decree and its regulations and related decisions. Obtaining a license requires a bachelor's degree or a health professional qualification recognised in the country. The health professional must be of good conduct and should be medically fit to perform their duties.The law also requires healthcare professionals to perform their duties with the precision and trust required by the profession, pursuant to the generally accepted scientific and technical standards, and in line with the dignity and honour of the profession.The UAE Government approved the establishment of a national medical register for healthcare professionals at the Ministry of Health and Prevention. Health Authorities should create their own registers linked to the national register.Also, the Ministry or the Federal or Local Health Authority will be receiving and deciding on applications for healthcare professions licences.In accordance with the law, healthcare professionals are prohibited from selling or promoting medicines or samples to patients, or directing them to purchase medicines from a particular pharmacy.The law also prohibits the submission of false documents or incorrect data to the health authority or employer, in addition to prohibiting the disclosure of the patient's secrets.Whoever practices the profession without holding a licence and without meeting the conditions that allow him to obtain the licence, or whoever submits incorrect documents or data or resorts to unlawful means that result in their wrongful licensing, will be punished by imprisonment and by a fine of not less than fifty thousand dirhams and not exceeding AED 100,000 or by either penalty.In addition, the Health Authority may close the Health Facility by administrative decision if the violator operates it individually.As per the law, should be punished with a fine of not less than ten thousand dirhams and not exceeding a hundred thousand Dirhams a person who practices the profession without holding a licence but who meets the conditions that allow him to obtain the license. In any case, the Health Authority may close the health facility by administrative decision if the violator operates it individually.The amendment to the law introduced new penalties for healthcare facilities committed for non-serious offences that do not require the temporary closure of the facility, or the suspension of its director, operator, administration or employee. Updated penalties and fines include a written warning, a fine of not less than one thousand dirhams and not exceeding five hundred thousand dirhams, a temporary suspension of the License to practice the profession for a period not exceeding six months or the revocation of the License to practice the profession, in case the director or the manager of the health facility, the administration or personnel violates the provisions of the law, its executive regulations or decisions issued pursuant to it.As per the law, a fine of not less than one thousand dirhams and not exceeding one million dirhams, or temporary closure of the facility in whole or in part for a period not exceeding six months, or final closure of the facility in whole or in part, should be the sanction imposed on the private health facility in case of committing a violation of the provisions of the law or its executive regulations or decisions issued pursuant to it.In order to facilitate licensing procedures and provide functional competencies to veterinary facilities in the country, the law amendments include updating the duration of expertise required for the licensing of Emirati veterinarians and recent graduates to pursue the profession.Veterinarians and assisted medical professionals are exempt from certain fees.Amendments to the law also include allowing foreign entrepreneurs and investors to establish and own veterinary facilities, in order to enhance foreign investments in the UAE veterinary sector.The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has established a national register for veterinarians, veterinarian practitioners and assistants authorised to practise in the country.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569102 172O69O150O123) ADNEC Services, Kenes Group partner to launch specialised conferences, exhibitions in Abu Dhabi The agreement was signed by Ahmad Shaker, CEO of ADNEC Services, and Dan Rivlin, Executive Chair and Chief Vision Officer of Kenes Group, in the presence of senior officials from both sides.ADNEC Services, in cooperation with Kenes Group, will launch a number of specialised events in Abu Dhabi across several vital fields, as well as build partnerships with institutions to launch such events.Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNEC Group, said, "Signing this agreement forms part of our commitment to enhancing cooperation with global institutions specialised in the business tourism sector. The agreement will launch new specialised international conferences and exhibitions to be held in our venues in the UAE. The partnership will help strengthen ADNEC's direct and indirect economic contributions to the national business tourism sector. We will also improve the transfer and localisation of knowledge across a number of key sectors to solidify the position of Abu Dhabi as the business tourism capital in the region."Dan Rivlin said, "Our collaboration with ADNEC Group is a step forward in the consolidation of an international gathering in Abu Dhabi that will bring together professionals working with guests across industries and showcase the latest technology to enhance the guest experience."Kenes considers ADNEC Services to be the perfect partner in terms of the value they bring and the support and expertise they can deliver. We are certain that this strategic partnership will be pivotal in helping us achieve our vision of creating the world's largest guest tech event, which we believe will transform the guest experience across multiple industries."ADNEC Group plays a crucial role in driving Abu Dhabi's economic diversification, positively supporting the evolving interests of businesses in the emirate and the UAE, while exploring new and innovative ways to showcase Abu Dhabi as a fast-growing and dynamic business and tourist destination.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569102 172O70O242O183) Iraqi Airways issues apology after escaped bear delays flight to Baghdad The incident came to light after the Iraqi Airways issued an apology to a passenger, who posted a video saying that the return flight to Baghdad was delayed for "over an hour due to a bear in the cargo".In another video, a bear cub can be seen roaming outside of its crate on the plane while people pet and attempt to comfort it.Further, as per the CNN report, the bear was sedated by a specialist team in Dubai and taken off the plane, Iraqi Airways said in a statement."The company apologizes to the passengers on the flight from Baghdad International Airport to Dubai Airport for reasons beyond the control of the company," it said."The delay happened because of a shipment in the cargo hold," the statement added."Upon arrival to Dubai Airport, the animal escaped the crate specified for its shipment," the airline said, adding that it was being transported in line with international animal welfare guidelines."The plane crew coordinated with UAE's authority who sent a specialized team to sedate the animal and take it off the plane. After checking the plane and making sure there is no damage from this incident the flight returned to Baghdad," the statement added.The airline, however, did not reveal why the bear was being transported to the United Arab Emirates. Neither did they provide any information on its well-being after it was sedated and taken off the plane.Later Monday, the Iraqi transport ministry told CNN that there were, in fact, two bears on board the flight."Two small, endangered bears were shipped from Baghdad, and when the flight arrived in Dubai, one of the bears broke his cage, forcing health and environment authorities at Dubai airport to sedate it," the statement said.Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani directed the country's Ministry of Transport to open an investigation into the bear's escape, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Sunday.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569103 162O158O87O214) US deploys more than 3K sailors, Marines to Middle East following Iran's targeting of ships The forces from the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in the Middle East on Sunday, according to US Naval Forces Central Command ."Amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and dock landing ship USS Carter Hall entered the Red Sea after transiting from the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. Bataan ARG/26th MEU units bring to the region additional aviation and naval assets, as well as more US Marines and Sailors, providing greater flexibility and maritime capability to US 5th Fleet," CENTCOM said in a statement, reported Fox News."An amphibious assault ship can carry more than two dozen rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, including MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and AV-8B Harrier attack jets in addition to several amphibious landing craft," the statement added."A dock landing ship also supports operations for various rotary-wing aircraft, tactical vehicles and amphibious landing craft," it added, according to Fox News.The Navy said the Bataan ARG departed Norfolk on July 10 while the 26th MEU, which is based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, "is capable of conducting amphibious missions, crisis response," and "designated special operations", among other abilities.On July 20, CENTCOM said "in response to recent attempts by Iran to seize commercial ships in the CENTCOM area of operations, the Secretary of Defense has ordered the deployment of an Amphibious Readiness Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit into the CENTCOM area of responsibility"."In the past two years, Iran has attacked, seized, or attempted seizure of nearly 20 internationally flagged merchant vessels in the CENTCOM area of operations," CENTCOM added at the time, according to Fox News.On July 26, American F-35 fighter jets arrived in the Middle East to beef up deterrence against Iran amid a string of ship seizures in the Strait of Hormuz.The Air Force had announced that a squadron of US Air Force F-35 Lightning IIs arrived in the US Central Command Area of Responsibility, augmenting A-10s and F-16s that are already in the region patrolling the Strait of Hormuz.This came after multiple attempts by Iran earlier this month to seize oil tankers near the strait, prompting a response by the US Navy, Fox News reported."The Iranian navy did make attempts to seize commercial tankers lawfully transiting international waters," Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, said in a statement at the time, adding, "The US Navy responded immediately and prevented those seizures."According to the Air Force press release, the F-35 will deliver "increased capacity" to the region and "allow the US to fly in contested airspace across the theatre if required".The fighters will also be available to help in Syria during ongoing operations against the Islamic State."This deployment demonstrates the US' commitment to ensuring peace and security in the region, through maritime support and support to the coalition's enduring mission to defeat ISIS in Syria," the Air Force said.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569103 162O158O87O57) China's exports fall again, impeding Its economic recovery After the United States, China has the second-largest economy in the world, and its exports have now plummeted three months in a row, while imports have fallen five months in a row. The figures are a reflection of weakening domestic and foreign demand for Chinese goods, a real estate crisis, and geopolitical tensions, especially the conflict in Ukraine.China's exports dropped 14.5 per cent in July from the same point last year, the biggest decline since February 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic sent the world into lockdown and tangled global supply chains. Imports fell 12.3 per cent in the same period, New York Times reported.In the first seven months of the year, exports to the United States declined 18.6 per cent from a year earlier, while shipments to the European Union fell 5 per cent. Exports to Russia, which has been hit with Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, increased more than 70 per cent.Mexico and Canada surpassed China this year as the United States' top trading partners, as American companies seek to bring their supply chains closer to home. Foreign investment in China dropped more than 80 per cent in the second quarter from a year earlier, according to Chinese government data released Friday, New York Times reported.Officials in Beijing have been trying to foster a rebound from an economic slump after nearly three years of pandemic restrictions. After China ended its lockdowns last December, many expected the economy to bounce back, but recovery has been halting, New York Times reported.A real estate crisis and weak spending by consumers have put pressure on Beijing to increase exports to help stabilize the economy. But the trade numbers released on Tuesday suggest that weak demand may exacerbate a global slowdown.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569103 172O71O246O41) 76th Independence Day to be celebrated by saluting soil and worshipping heroes: CM Yogi According to an official statement, the independence day celebrations in the state will kick off on Wednesday and will continue till August 15. The state government is planning to organise many events in villages, cities and the state capital, Lucknow.On August 9, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will formally launch a week of programmes in Kakori by taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Panch Prana' pledge for Amrit Kaal, honouring families of fallen soildiers, and planting 75 saplings.Reviewing preparations for the Independence Day celebrations, on Tuesday, the chief minister said it is a festival for every citizen. "Every state resident should participate in this. The main function, which will take place in the capital on August 15, should be broadcast live in all villages and towns," CM Yogi was quoted as saying in an official release.The CM also urged the people to hoist the Tricolour at their homes on Independence Day during the 'Amritkal'.Further, according to the official press note, this year, there will be a special performance by a cultural troupe of Sikkim State at the main I-Day function in the state. The CM directed the ministers in his government and the local public representatives to be present at the programmes lined up in the districts and local bodies.CM Yogi said on Independence Day, freedom fighters, armed forces, paramilitary forces, armed police forces, award-winning police personnel, dependents of deceased soldiers, and ex-servicemen should be honoured in the spirit of saluting the heroes. "On special occasions, every citizen should be made to commit to the Panch Pran by taking soil or an earthen lamp in hand," CM Yogi informed through a statement.During the meeting, the CM said after setting a record last year by hoisting six crore national flags under the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, this year, too, the national flag should be hoisted at every residence, every business establishment, industrial unit, government buildings, and non-government buildings. He directed the officers to arrange time-bound delivery of the national flags, the statement informed.The CM said that in the 'Azadi ka Amrit Varsh', under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 'Meri Mitti Mera Desh' programme is being organized with the message of 'mitti ko naman,veeron ka vandan'. ."This is a program of expressing gratitude toward the nation. Every Uttar Pradesh resident should become a participant in this programme," the CM said.He added that under this programme, from August 9 to 15, 'Shilafalkam' has to be installed in every gram panchayat/urban body. "The vision of the Azadi ka Amrit Varsh,' will be displayed on the Shilafalkam. The introduction of local heroes/martyrs will be displayed," CM Yogi said."In every village and town, the Shilafalkam should be inaugurated by organising a grand programme," CM Adityanath said.He added that in order to fulfil the resolution of planting 35 crore saplings, 5 crore saplings are to be planted on the occasion of Independence Day. It would be appropriate to plant saplings near Amrit Sarovar or other water bodies, the statement quoted the CM as saying further.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569104 172O70O251O87) Xi Jinping attempts to stop the rot by purging his own appointees Although Chairman Xi Jinping has not given any explanation, the replacement of the top two generals of the PLA Rocket Force and the disappearance of Foreign Minister Qin Gang follow a well-worn pattern of corruption charges in China. Qin's last public appearance was on 25 June, and Xi officially removed him from office by a decree signed on 25 July.Qin, a Xi loyalist and rising star who previously served as ambassador to the USA, is rumoured to have had a romantic affair and love child with Phoenix TV presenter Fu Xiaotian, who has also disappeared. The married Qin had only taken up the foreign ministerial post in December 2022.The Foreign Ministry website now lists Wang as head diplomat, after he was recalled to the post he had held from 2013-22. With just 207 days in office, "wolf warrior" Qin was China's shortest-serving foreign minister. Chinese people are just as interested in Qin's fate as the rest of the world, as searches for "Qin Gang" on the Baidu search engine exploded 5,000 per cent in just one week in mid-July!Perhaps of greater concern than Qin's fate is massive upheaval within the PLARF, a force responsible for China's nuclear-missile arsenal. In the most serious purge of the PLA in a decade, its commander General Li Yuchao and political commissar General Liu Guangbin were removed from their posts, after being absent from public view for several months. Eyebrows were raised when General Li was anomalously absent from a promotion ceremony chaired by Xi in late June.As well as controlling conventional and nuclear-tipped missiles, the PLARF would also play a key role in any invasion of Taiwan. The fact that he was appointed to oversee China's nuclear arsenal, shows that General Li was once one of Xi's most trusted generals. Xi promoted him to this highest post from PLARF chief of staff in January 2022. China is currently prosecuting the most profound change in its nuclear strategy in decades, so the leaders' vanishing act represents the most serious cleanout of the PLA in years.Taking over command of the PLARF is General Wang Houbin, previously deputy commander of the PLA Navy. Simultaneously, the PLARF's new political commissar is General Xu Xisheng, previously political commissar of the Southern Theater Command Air Force. These naval and air force officers were both promoted at a Beijing ceremony on 31 July.It is unprecedented that figures outside the PLARF should be brought in to lead the organization. This is ample evidence that Xi is alarmed about the status of the PLARF's loyalty and integrity, and there are rumors that problems include leaked military information. The Rocket Force is one of the most secretive organizations in China's military, but Western analysts have a fairly good understanding of the force's structure, disposition and equipment.Cercius Group, a Canadian consultancy that tracks Chinese politicians, said the status of about ten senior PLARF officers is unclear. Last year, Cercius revealed that lower-level PLARF officials had been detained in late 2022. No official proclamation was issued by Beijing, but this is normal for this kind of graft situation.For commanders with no PLARF experience to be placed in charge of the missile force is a stunning move by Xi. It shows a total lack of confidence in the PLARF hierarchy. More than that, the force's status must surely influence Xi's decision-making in terms of whether or not to conduct a war campaign against Taiwan. The PLARF would play a key role, but if Xi has little trust in the force, this must give him pause for thought. Furthermore, if the Chinese leader does not feel that the PLARF can police itself, will he be tempted to divert money to other services in which he feels more confident?Previously known as the Second Artillery Corps, the PLARF was elevated to a full service of the PLA only in January 2016. This arrest of its top leaders must constitute a severe blow to its morale. Indeed, it is humiliating for the Rocket Force, for no other PLA service has ever suffered the ignominy of having its top leaders turfed out in one fell swoop.Yet it needs to be remembered who it was that appointed the PLARF's leadership? It was none other than Xi himself, demonstrating that he is just as fallible as anyone else when it comes to judging character. Xi has consolidated control over the PLA in a manner that no recent Chinese leader was able to, but it is obvious that his authority is far from total. Graft lurks deep within the heart of the PLA, as in every level of Chinese society, and there are valid reasons why Xi harps on about the necessity of the PLA's absolute loyalty to the CCP.As part of the step-up in China's nuclear strategy, huge inflows of money have been directed towards the PLARF, and it seems this cash injection proved too tempting for PLARF personnel to ignore.This was also evident in another case. In January 2021, Hu Wenming, once chairman of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation and who thus oversaw China's aircraft carrier program, was expelled from the CCP for "serious violations of party discipline and causing great damage to the national interest". His subordinate Sun Bo received the same treatment.The disappearance and downfall of the PLARF's leaders and the country's foreign minister demonstrate that Xi's power is not total, and that there are still endemic failings in this tightly controlled communist system. These failures represent a challenge to Xi's authority; they blight the paramount leader's reputation, for all were appointed directly by him.In July, the Central Military Commission called for a probe into corruption related to military equipment procurement over the past six years, and the establishment of an "early warning mechanism for integrity risks in the military". Xi told top brass that they must "focus on solving the prominent problems that persist at party organizations on all levels with regard to enforcing the party's absolute leadership over the military". We can expect CCP strictures over the military to tighten even further.How widespread is corruption in the PLA and CCP? In early June, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, an internal watchdog, stated that more than 39 senior military and political cadres had been arrested since the 20th Party Congress in October 2022. The commission stated it would "resolutely eliminate the cancer of corruption with a zero-tolerance attitude".Stretching back even further, nearly five million lower-level officials and thousands of higher-level "tigers" have been netted since 2012. From 2012-17, more than 13,000 PLA personnel were punished for corruption. By arresting so many, it does expose the graft-infested nature of the PLA. Nonetheless, this case of the PLARF helps Xi to send a clear signal that the military is being watched, and that no figure is too high to be taken down.The CCDI surprisingly acknowledged the double-edged sword nature of Xi's anti-graft campaign in 2015: "While it punishes party cadres who have violated discipline and laws, it hurts the organization and has caused damage to the party's image. The consequences of punishing every cadre who violates discipline and law hurt the party far worse than the individuals."Of course, corruption now is greatly reduced compared to the colossus it was ten years ago. Military officers would siphon money off military contracts, use military property and resources to conduct profit-making side businesses, and buy and sell promotions. The latter was almost essential to advance in a military career, whether platoon leader or admiral. Millions of dollars were moved offshore for personal use, and personnel and their families might eventually move overseas to enjoy their ill-gotten gains.There have been some spectacular arrests in the PLA in the past. Two former vice-chairmen of the CMC, Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, were prosecuted for corruption in 2014. Xu, who allegedly took at least CNY1 billion in bribes, died of cancer in 2015 before being charged, though Guo is serving a life sentence. Implicated in Xu's and Guo's scandals, Vice-Admiral Ma Faxiang jumped to his death in 2014. Just two months later, Rear Admiral Jiang Zhonghua did exactly the same way.Given that these high-profile cases occurred nearly a decade ago, Xi perhaps believes that current military leaders no longer feel as afraid as they should. This disappearance of the top PLARF leaders will therefore help reinvigorate Xi's anti-graft drive within the military and instill a fear of being caught. As the old Chinese proverb goes, kill the chicken to scare the monkey.In other high-profile corruption cases, General Fang Fenhui, former Chief of the Joint Staff of the PLA, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019. General Zhang Yang, former head of the CMC's Political Work Department, committed suicide in November 2017 after being investigated.In around 2016, the PLA installed anti-corruption inspection units within departments and theater commands. This mirrored actions in the civil sector, but no matter how hard Xi tries, it will be an impossible task to completely eliminate corruption from the communist system.It was Deng Xiaoping who said in his 1980s' economic reforms, that "to get rich is glorious". In a culture that values wealth above almost anything, few have qualms in implementing Deng's maxim. China's dual-track economy has seen private entrepreneurs, state enterprise representatives and local officials scratching each other's backs. Growth and corruption thus go hand in hand, and with no firewalls in place between the government and CCP, the influence of the state permeates everywhere. Furthermore, Xi has no desire for political liberalization to create more effective accountability and transparency mechanisms.In 2015, it was estimated that "grey income", otherwise known as bribes, contributed to 12% of China's GDP. Actually, China is interesting in that its widespread corruption tends to go against the grain of international trends. Corruption usually retards economic growth, but China's economy grew rapidly despite rampant corruption. As countries become more developed, corruption tends to diminish, but China again seems to buck this trend. Corruption often contributes to political instability, which may be one reason that Xi is so dead set against it.Xi warned several years ago: "There are careerists and conspirators in our party undermining the party's governance. We should not bury our heads in the sand and spare these members, but must make a resolute response to eliminate the problem and deter further violations." Despite preaching communism, the relatives of numerous CCP leaders are millionaires, including Xi's. The Panama Papers showed that many hold stakes in companies registered in offshore tax havens.Ian Easton, Senior Director at the Project 2049 Institute, commented: "Contrary to what you may have heard, Xi Jinping is not actually attacking corruption in China. There are three super weapons against corruption: free press, independent judiciary and non-political investigation branch . Under Xi, the PRC is now more corrupt, not less."Easton added a fourth factor contributing to China's corrupt system, the presence of at least one strong opposition party. "Party-states are inherently corrupt. Corruption permeates every aspect of PRC society."Unsurprisingly, corruption within the PLA is a direct national security threat. It impacts on the capability of China's military, because money is siphoned off into private pockets, promotions go to the rich rather than the talented, allowing incompetence to thrive at higher levels, and a general mood of poor morale and ill-discipline reigns. Furthermore, patronage networks form around individuals rather than the CCP, thus affecting the latter's control over the PLA.As the disappearance of China's former foreign minister and top nuclear force commanders demonstrates, all is not well in China. After the Orwellian restrictions of the COVID era, China's economy has refused to rebound. Its economic prospects are gloomy, and foreign investors are pulling out in droves as Xi tightens sovereign control over every facet of business and society in China. Xi's third term in power has begun, but cracks are deepening.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569104 162O158O94O163) Gujarat: Students in Surat form human chain as part of A 'Meri Maati, Mera Desh' campaign to honour fallen soldiers This was done to pay tribute to the courageous troops who gave their lives in defence of the nation.The Central Government has announced that it will organise a nationwide 'Meri Maati Mera Desh' campaign from August 9th to 30th to pay tribute to the 'Veers' who laid down their lives for the country.The closing ceremony of the programme will be held at Kartavya Path in Delhi on August 30th.The 'Meri Maati Mera Desh' campaign will include programs at the village, and block levels, by local urban bodies, as well as at the state and the national level."The campaign will include various programs across the country to remember the bravehearts . Shilaphalakams commemorating them will be installed in village panchayats."This campaign is the concluding event of the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav,' which began on 12th March 2021, and has witnessed widespread public participation with over 2 lakh programs organized across India," read a press release by the Ministry of Culture.Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, recently announced this campaign during his Mann Ki Baat broadcast. The campaign aims to honour the brave freedom fighters and bravehearts who sacrificed their lives for the country.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569104 162O158O87O70) On August 8, 2024, the interview of Elchin Amirbeyov, the representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on special tasks, was published in the leading French newspaper LeMonde. Answering journalist Emanuel Grinzspan's questions about the situation in the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan, especially the Lachin road, Elchin Amirbeyov answered the baseless claims in the western media, which were allegedly related to the closure of the road. The President's representative stated that in accordance with the tripartite statement dated November 10, 2020, the Lachin road should be used for humanitarian purposes, but for two and a half years, Armenia has misused this road for illegal purposes, including sending its armed forces to the territory of Azerbaijan, as well as weapons and ammunition, he said. He emphasized that the number of Armenians living in Garabagh as 120,000 is not true, and in fact there are 50,000 Armenians, including 10,000 illegal Armenian armed forces. In response to the reporter's question whether you consider Armenian soldiers your citizens, the special representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan noted that these Armenians are members of the armed forces of Armenia, who entered the territory of Azerbaijan illegally, contrary to the tripartite declaration. For this reason, the Azerbaijani side established a checkpoint in Lachin on April 23 in accordance with international law, he said. It was brought to the attention of the other side that medical supplies are currently passing through the Lachin road, and the offer of humanitarian goods to pass through the territory of Aghdam and Fuzuli of Azerbaijan was not accepted by the Armenians. E. Amirbeyov emphasized that if the situation was really as tragic as presented, people would not care from which direction the humanitarian aid came; it means that the so-called "ruling circles" are holding hostage the majority of Armenians living there, because dissatisfaction is heard on social networks. The so-called ruling forces want to use this situation to put pressure on Azerbaijan at the international level. In the interview, E. Amirbeyov talked about the facts related to the arrest of Vagif Khachatryan and pointed out that he was on the list of people who committed war crimes against civilian Azerbaijanis during the first Karabakh war. In response to the journalist's provocative question about Azerbaijan being an authoritarian regime, the special representative emphasized that Azerbaijan is a democratic country, and when it comes to human rights, no country, including France, is perfect. The six projects were developed by TPE as part of Delaware's community solar program. Originally signed into law in September 2021, the program accelerates the adoption of community solar projects by removing existing barriers to participation and promulgating a requirement that reserves 15% of each project's capacity for low-income customers. The law was years in the making with many stakeholders through a working group organized by State Senator Stephanie Hansen, Chair of the Senate Energy, Environment and Transportation Committee. "The level of investment that Nautilus Solar Energy and TurningPoint Energy are making here in Delaware is exactly what I had hoped for when I first proposed Senate Bill 2 last year," said Senator Hansen. "Thanks to the projects announced today, hundreds of our neighbors who otherwise would have been excluded from the solar revolution will soon be able to power their homes and businesses with clean, reliable, and less expensive electricity than what's available from fossil-fuel burning power plants. Getting here was truly a team effort and I want to thank both companies as well as the many Delaware energy stakeholders who provided input into the legislation that made this possible." Nautilus is the long-term owner of the projects and is responsible for overseeing construction, maintaining its long-term performance, and acquiring and managing customer subscriptions. Delmarva Power and Light (DPL) customers are eligible to join one of the projects through Nautilus with no upfront cost. "This acquisition marks our exciting entry into the Delaware market, a milestone made even more meaningful by our partnership with TPE. This initiative underlines Nautilus's commitment to our partners and reaffirms our aim to be a leading community solar company with projects located across the country," said Eric Paul, Vice President of Partner Development at Nautilus. "This is TurningPoint Energy's first demonstration of coming through on our overall commitment to invest over $100MM in the Delaware community solar market. We're thankful to continue to work in strategic partnership with Nautilus to make good on the first portion of this commitment," said Salar Naini, Executive Vice President of TurningPoint Energy. "We look forward to completing additional community solar project portfolios in Delaware, which we continue to develop and finance in parallel." The six projects will create construction and ongoing operational jobs along with collaboration and investment into local Delaware businesses on legal, permitting, engineering, construction, and related activities to support these developments. Additionally, TPE makes a charitable community investment commitment in each of its community solar project communities. For these six projects, TPE has designated a total of $120,000 in planned donations to local organizations and Nautilus has committed to match this commitment to double the total community investment in Delaware to $240,000. Once completed, the community solar projects will provide clean energy to more than 5,000 residential and small commercial subscribers within DPL's utility territory. Over their lifetime, the projects are expected to generate approximately 50 million kWh annually, contributing to Delaware's stated goals of providing economic growth, workforce opportunities, and 40 percent renewable energy by 2035. About TurningPoint Energy TurningPoint Energy is a clean energy development, advisory and investment company with solar development projects underway throughout the United States. Its principals have experience developing solar projects for utility and community solar clients totaling more than $3 billion in value over 2 GW of operating solar power plants throughout the United States within the last decade. TurningPoint Energy is a lean, privately held firm that adapts to its clients' needs and finds ways to invest in its clients and their communities at every turning point. For more information, please visit turningpoint-energy.com. About Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC is a leading community solar company, providing clean energy to residential and commercial customers in local communities. Nautilus operates and manages solar farms in 10 states and is responsible for financing, development, maintenance, and customer service for the lifetime of the project. Founded in 2006, Nautilus has helped shape the future of solar to provide an equitable and affordable renewable energy choice for all. Nautilus is owned by Power Sustainable, a wholly owned subsidiary of Power Corporation of Canada. Power Sustainable is a multi-platform alternative asset manager with a long-term investment approach focused on sustainable strategies. For more information on Nautilus Solar Energy visit nautilussolar.com. Join Nautilus on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 'Hu Ane Tu' trailer brings alive the concept of 'Jugaad' The film stars Siddharth Randeria with Sonaalee Lele Desai, Puja Joshi and Parikshit Tamaliya. The film's director Manan Sagar also attended the event along with producers Kumar Mangat Pathak, Ishaan Randeria.After watching the trailer Ajay Devgn said, "with humour there is also family emotions and that's very nice in the trailer."Veteran actor Siddharth Randeria known for films like 'Gujjubhai The Great' and 'Chaal Jeevi Laiye', said, "we are thankful to Panorama Studios to come on board. Kumar ji agreed to produce the film in just 7 minutes. We are thankful to Ajay ji that he came here to unveil the trailer.""We are trying to showcase this Gujarati film well not only in India but overseas as well. This is an initiative to take Gujarati cinema to the world." informed Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak.Presented by Panorama Studios, in association with Siddharth Randeria Production, 'Hu ane Tu' is slated to release in cinemas on August 30The music of 'Hu Ane Tu' is with Panorama Music.(IANS | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569105 172O70O250O254) US stocks sink as Moody's warns it could cut credit ratings of 6 big banks The credit ratings agency said that its warning on the three banks reflected "ongoing strain" in the US banking sector, including increased pressures on funding and potential "weaknesses" in the amount of capital lenders are required to hold, CNN reported.A lower credit rating could push funding costs for those banks even higher.US stocks sank on the news, with the Dow falling more than 400 points, or 1.2 per cent, lower. The S&P 500 also fell 1 per cent, and the Nasdaq was 1.2 per cent lower, CNN reported.Bank stocks in particular fell on the news. Wells Fargo lost 2.7 per cent, JPMorgan Chase 2.3 per cent and Bank of America 3.5 per cent, among others.The US banking industry was shaken earlier this year by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic in quick succession, CNN reported.On Tuesday, the KBW Bank Index fell 3.3 per cent, on track for its biggest one-day drop since May, when the collapse of regional lender First Republic Bank sent financial stocks slumping.A series of interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve dented US banks, a factor Moody's mentioned."Higher interest rates continue to reduce the value of US banks' fixed rate securities and loans and interest rate risk is not captured well in US bank regulation and thus can create liquidity risks," Moody's noted in each of the warnings, CNN reported.(IANS | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569105 172O70O247O172) Faria Abdullah went 500 feet deep inside real mine to shoot 'The Jengaburu Curse' scenes The shoot also also led to the dropping of oxygen levels. While talking about her shooting experience, Faria Abdullah, who portrays the character of Priyambada Das said that they had shot at real locations, be it the airport or the market.She said: "The team has really put in efforts to hold on to the authenticity of the locations. I remember shooting in a buzzing market and the team constantly instructing people to not look in the camera and look elsewhere. The most exciting yet thrilling part of the shoot was to shoot in the real mines.""We went 500 ft deeper inside the mines to shoot some scenes. We had to wear helmets and boots; the oxygen level dropped as we went deeper inside the mine. We were scared but the experience was surreal."Produced by Studio Next, 'The Jengaburu Curse' is created and directed by Nila Madhab Panda. Written by Mayank Tewari, Paulo Perez serves as the DOP on the series. Alokananda Dasgupta and Durga Prasad Mohapatra serve as music directors and production designers respectively. Edited by Jabeen Merchant, the series features Faria Abdullah, Nasser, Makarand Deshpande, Sudev Nair, Deipak Sampat, and Hitesh Dave in pivotal roles.The series is set to stream on Sony LIV from August 9.(IANS | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569105 172O70O242O41) CJI makes surprise late evening visit to new block, interacts with lawyers During his surprise visit at around 0730 p.m., the CJI Chandrachud walked up to the Advocates Chamber Block and interacted with the advocates.In the day, a five-judge constitution bench, headed by the CJI and comprising Justices S.K. Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai, and Surya Kant heard a clutch of petitions challenging abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.(IANS | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569106 162O158O110O254) Goa's power demand greater than supply: Power Minister Dhavalikar informed the Assembly that from March 2022 to 2023, the state government purchased 16,60,59,113 units from Indian Energy Exchange through M/s NVVNL."In 2020-21, around 10,59,54,665 units and in 2021-22, around 12,61,15,374 units were purchased," he said.Dhavalikar was replying to a starred question raised by Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai, Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira and AAP MLA Cruz Silva.The opposition MLAs had asked whether the power demand of the state is greater than the supply, to which the Power Minister said, "The power demand of the state mostly during peak hours is greater than the supply from tied up power sources to Goa."(IANS | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569106 162O158O87O70) SK Finance Achieves Staggering Financial Results: PAT Increases by 66 per cent and AUM Grows by 50 per cent Driven by a customer-first approach and fortified by over 28 years of financial expertise, SK Finance has achieved remarkable growth across key financial indicators, setting new benchmarks in the financial industry. The company looks forward to building upon this success and furthering its mission to provide inclusive financial solutions to individuals and businesses nationwide.Fostering Prosperity: A Stunning Surge in Asset Under ManagementAUM represents the total value of assets managed by a financial institution on behalf of its customers, partners, and investors, and for SK Finance, this metric witnessed an outstanding growth of 50 per cent from June 2022 to June 2023. The company's AUM soared from INR5303 crores to a substantial INR7937 crores, underscoring its exceptional financial prowess and ability to provide reliable and comprehensive financial services.SK Finance MD & CEO, Rajendra Setia says that "It has been an elated journey over the last 28+ years having a tremendous learning curve for the company. Started 1994 with a team of only five people, today the company is over 8,800 people strong. We have now become one of India's most trusted financiers. I will forever be grateful to all our customers, partners and investors who have reposed their faith in us and to my wonderful team for their sheer hard work and dedication which has brought us here. We are here to break the barriers and climb newer heights everyday!"Empowering Financial Success: Momentous Increase in Profit After TaxSK Finance exhibited robust financial performance, recording a noteworthy 66 per cent increase in Profit After Tax, an increase from INR37 crores in June 2022 to an impressive INR61 crores in June 2023. Such a substantial increase in PAT indicates SK Finance's effective cost management and revenue generation strategies during the mentioned period.Loan Disbursement Records a Significant RiseSK Finance continued its commitment to empowering dreams and aspirations by providing timely financial assistance. Over the course of the reporting period from June 2022 to June 2023, SK Finance demonstrated a significant increase in loan disbursements, providing a total of INR1451 crores worth of loans. This notable growth of 22 per cent compared to the previous year's disbursement of INR1194 crores in June 2022 shows SK Finance's steadfast commitment to supporting businesses and individuals across various sectors.SK Finance ProductsSK Finance demonstrates its commitment to offering straightforward and easily accessible financial solutions by presenting an extensive array of products designed to cater to diverse customer needs like Commercial Vehicle Loan, Car Loan, Tractor Loan, Construction Equipment Loan, Two-Wheeler Loan, MSME Loan, Home Renovation - Mortgage LoanTop AwardsIn 2023, SK Finance was honored with significant accolades that reflect its exceptional contributions and achievements in the financial sector.ITOTY AwardFastest Growing Tractor Financers SK Finance's remarkable accomplishments are recognized through the prestigious ITOTY Award, specifically the Fastest Growing Tractor Financers category. This accolade underscores the company's pivotal role in the agricultural sector by providing financing solutions for tractors, contributing to the growth of this vital industry.The Economic Times - Best Brands 2022SK Finance's commitment to providing comprehensive financial solutions with integrity and reliability has earned the title of The Economic Times Best Brands 2022 . This recognition highlights the company's ability to resonate with customers and stakeholders, showcasing its dedication to building a trustworthy brand.Financial Inclusion Across IndiaSK Finance's unwavering commitment to financial inclusion has positioned the company as a true pioneer in empowering dreams and aspirations across India. With a robust presence through 458 branches strategically spread across 11 states and 1 Union Territory SK Finance has become a catalyst for positive change in the lives of over 9 lakh customers.Through innovative and inclusive financial products, SK Finance has profoundly transformed lives. Budding entrepreneurs find support in establishing businesses, farmers secure vital agricultural equipment, individuals realize vehicular dreams, homeowners enhance their living spaces, and MSMEs gain momentum for growth. With each service, SK Finance contributes to the aspirations of a diverse populace, fostering prosperity and empowerment.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569106 162O158O110O233) Amazon nations fall short of agreed goal to end deforestation Delegates from Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela have assembled in the Braziliancity of Belem for a two-day summit on the issue, the first such gathering in 14 years, reports the BBC.A joint statement on Tuesday, named the Belem declaration, created a new alliance to combat deforestation, but left each country to pursue its own conservation goals.It also said the new alliance would aim to "prevent the Amazon from reaching a point of no return".The statement also included commitments to enhance co-operation on issues like water management, health, sustainable development and common negotiating positions at global climate summits.Addressing the "severe worsening of the climate crisis" in his opening speech at the summit on Tuesday, Brazilian President Luiz InAcio Lula da Silva said "the challenges of our era, and the opportunities arising from them, demand we act in unison"."It has never been so urgent," the BBC quoted the President as saying.Differences in opinion however, was witnessed at the summit.While Colombian President Gustavo Petro wants other countries to match his pledge to ban new oil exploration, Brazil is considering exploring new areas at the mouth of the Amazon river.The summit came less than a week after it was revealed that the level of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has dropped to its lowest since 2017.According to the data shared by the Brazilian space agency Inpe on Aug 3, 500 sq km of rainforest were cleared the country last month which was 66 per cent less compared to July 2022, reports the BBC.Inpe said that the area of forest cut down in the first seven months of 2023 was smaller than that razed in the same period in 2022.When President Lula took office in January, he had promised to halt the damage done during his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro's four-year term.Bolsonaro had promoted mining in indigenous lands in the Amazon and forest clearances soared at the same time as resources to protect the forest were cut.Preserving the Amazon is a central part of efforts to tackle climate change.The rainforest is a crucial buffer in the global fight against climate change and 60 per cent of it is located in Brazil.The billions of trees that make up the Amazon, often called "the lungs of the planet", hold vast amounts of carbon, accumulated over centuries, and every year their leaves continue to absorb carbon dioxide that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere and contribute to the rise in global temperatures.(IANS | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569107 172O71O250O117) Empowering Village Women - Asiya Jan's Beekeeping Revolution in Pulwama With an unwavering dream of achieving financial independence for herself and her fellow village women, Asiya embarked on a path less travelled, one that would soon weave together the sweetness of organic honey and the resilience of a close-knit community.Having completed her secondary school education, Asiya says her aspirations extended far beyond her own success.Her vision encompassed the upliftment of her village women, a collective empowerment that would change lives and traditions. It was this visionary spirit that led her to venture into the world of beekeeping, a novel concept in her locality, she said.Undaunted by the lack of precedent, she said that she sought guidance from the experts of the Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission .Armed with newfound knowledge and an unyielding determination, she embarked on her beekeeping journey.Challenges arose, as they do for any pioneering endeavour, but Asiya's dedication and perseverance proved unwavering. She meticulously learned the art and science of bee farming, transforming her once-small idea into a thriving business that yielded not just organic honey but also quality bee wax."Her honey was not just a product; it was a testament to her dedication and a symbol of purity," said a group of locals from her village."It successfully passed rigorous tests, validating its organic authenticity. Her success story was not solitary, as she soon became a beacon of inspiration for other women in her village," they said.Around 20 women joined her in the beekeeping venture, embracing the intricate techniques of modern beekeeping, hive management, and honey extraction, she added.The symbiotic relationship between the bees and the land bore fruit in more ways than one. As the industrious bees pollinated the local crops, agricultural productivity flourished, deepening the connection between the community and Asiya's mission. The villagers witnessed firsthand the interplay of nature, hard work, and ingenuity that led to their prosperity.The rhythmic cycle of bee colonies was in tune with the changing seasons. From the onset of spring till April 20, the bee colonies migrated to warmer climes. Thereafter, they returned to the embrace of the valley, resuming their vital pollination work until December. The meticulous process of honey extraction occurred four times a year, a tangible result of Asiya's meticulous planning and dedication.Asiya's journey from an ordinary woman to an accomplished beekeeper served as an embodiment of triumph against the odds. Her impact extended beyond her village boundaries, reaching neighbouring districts and inspiring a network of change. As a cluster coordinator for JKRLM, she trained over a thousand women in her district. Her tutelage included insights into establishing various business units, and her influence led many women to establish their bee farms or engage in mushroom cultivation for economic sustenance.In Gangoo, Asiya Jan became a trailblazer who transformed honeybees into agents of change, turning their diligent work into an allegory of resilience and progress.The neighbours said that her success highlighted the transformative power of one individual's vision, their determination to overcome challenges, and their commitment to uplifting their community.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569107 172O70O250O164) Angus Cloud gets heartfelt tribute on 'Euphoria' Season 2 The tribute comes in the form of a black and white photo card which reads: "In memory of Angus Cloud 1998 2023."Back in July 31, Angus Cloud's family had issued a statement following his untimely death "It is with the heaviest heart that we had to say goodbye to an incredible human today. As an artist, a friend, a brother and a son, Angus was special to all of us in so many ways.""Last week he buried his father and intensely struggled with this loss. The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend. Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence."Concluding the letter, the family wrote: "We hope the world remembers him for his humor, laughter and love for everyone. We ask for privacy at this time as we are still processing this devastating loss."Then the star also received a beautiful candlelight vigil at his hometown in Oakland, California from people who knew him and celebrated his legacy and mourned his death.Cloud had never acted professionally before being scouted by the series' casting director while working as a waiter. As such, his role in the series was his debut though his portrayal of the kindhearted drug dealer Fezco quickly resonated with audiences on a great level, making him both a fan favourite and a rising star in Hollywood.(IANS | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569107 172O71O246O4) Ileana D'Cruz celebrates 'one week' of being Koa Phoenix Dolan's 'mama' Ileana took to Instagram, where she posted a black and white picture with her son. In the image, Koa's seen holding on to Ileana's finger as she holds his hand.She captioned the image "1 week of being your Mama."Koa was born on August 1. His name means valiant and warrior.Earlier this week, Ileana took to Instagram to announce her son's birth. The announcement read ''Introducing Koa Phoenix Dola. Born on August 1, 2023. No words could explain how happy we are to welcome our darling boy to the world. Hearts beyond full."It was in April, when Ileana announced her pregnancy and posted photographs of her partner recently on social media.Ileana has been very secretive about her personal life but finally revealed her mystery man on social media.On the acting front, Ileana was seen in rapper Badshah's music video 'Sab Gazab'. On the film front she was in 'The Big Bull', starring Abhishek Bachchan. She will next be seen in 'Unfair and Lovely' with Randeep Hooda.(IANS | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569108 172O71O250O103) "The city of Southfield discovered DTE's MIGreenPower program while reviewing options for adding a large solar installation in our community," said Southfield Mayor Dr. Ken Siver. "After further researching the program, the city determined that enrolling in MIGreenPower will provide Southfield with all the benefits of renewable energy without the added responsibility of installing and maintaining our own solar arrays." MIGreenPower is among the largest voluntary renewable energy programs in the U.S., with more than 1,300 businesses and 90,000 residential customers enrolled. On an annual basis, MIGreenPower customers have enrolled four million megawatt hours of clean energy in the program, which has the environmental benefit equivalent to avoiding more than three million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually or the greenhouse gas emissions from more than 630,000 gasoline-powered passenger cars.1 "We are excited to welcome the city of Southfield to the MIGreenPower program, and to recognize it as the first municipality in Oakland County to join," said Brian Calka, vice president of Renewable Energy for DTE. "We appreciate the opportunity to help the city meet its environmental goals, easily and affordably. By attributing more of its electricity use to DTE's wind and solar projects, Southfield will help bring additional clean energy to the grid, creating a more sustainable future for the city and the state of Michigan as a whole." MIGreenPower participation is accelerating the development of new wind and solar projects in Michigan. By 2026, DTE will add more than 1,000 megawatts of new clean energy projects to meet program demand. The company is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and recently reached a settlement agreement with 21 Michigan organizations for its CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan, which has now also been approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission. The plan includes increasing investment in solar and wind energy to add more than 15,000 megawatts of new renewable energy projects over the next two decades, accelerating the retirement of coal plants and investing in the development of new energy storage - all reinforcing the company's commitment to cleaner energy. About DTE Energy DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, renewable natural gas, and energy marketing and trading. Through our commitment to cleaner energy, DTE Electric plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% and DTE Gas will plan to reduce methane emissions by more than 80% by 2040 to produce cleaner energy while keeping it safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric and Gas aspire to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. DTE is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com, empoweringmichigan.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com. About the city of Southfield The city of Southfield is one of the premier business and residential addresses in Michigan. Located in Oakland County, Southfield is home to more than 76,000 residents and over 100 "Fortune 500" companies. With a daytime population nearing 175,000, over 27 million square feet of office space and more than seven million square feet of retail and industrial space-Southfield is truly Michigan's undisputed business center. Residents and businesses alike come to Southfield for its central location, excellent city services and easy access to all of southeastern Michigan. For further information, members of the media may contact: Cindy Hecht, DTE Energy, 313.235.5555 City of Southfield Community Relations at 248.796.5130 or visit www.cityofsouthfield.com. 1 Avoided emissions and equivalencies are based on the Environmental Protection Agency equivalencies calculator at epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator Germany saw 209% spike in overnight stays by Indians in 2022 The German National Tourist Office (GNTO) and German Embassy in India successfully concluded a joint press conference, to showcase Germany as a preferred travel destination for Indian travellers.The conference took place at the German Embassy in New Delhi and was attended by various media personnel from India.The primary objective of this conference was to highlight Germany as a must-visit destination that offers 51 Unesco World Heritage Sites, coupled with a focus on nature and sustainability.GNTO aims to attract Indian travellers interested in exploring the country's natural beauty, picturesque villages, and innovative eco-tourism practices.In 2022, Indians spend a total of 623,363 nights in Germany (2021 201,194). The record level of 2019 with 961,656 has not yet been reached."Howver we have already reached 65 per cent of the level of 2019, leaving room for continuous growth as Indians return to travelling. There is huge demand among Indians for international travel," said Romit Theophilus, director India for the German National Tourist Office."Germany is an attractive destination with exceptional offers. Our goal in the medium term is to reach the number of overnight stays we had before the Covid-19 pandemic. We have achieved a remarkable increase this year compared to 2021, which shows that our diverse campaigns and offers are attractive and appeal to Indians."We know that Germany appeals strongly to Indians that are interested in culture and history, city breaks and culinary experiences. Sustainability is a key focus of Germany's tourism industry, and we're confident that the country's natural beauty, innovative eco-tourism practices, and rich cultural heritage will resonate with Indian travellers seeking responsible travel options."We believe the conference inspires media to promote Germany as an ideal travel destination," he added.The shift toward sustainable travel is accelerating and well received by Indians.The shift in values of international travellers clearly shows how much travel behaviour has changed since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic and has now consolidated toward more sustainability.Indians are increasingly looking for sustainable travel, according to the Sustainable Travel Report 2022 from Booking.com.The study says that 97 per cent expressed a desire to travel more sustainably in the next 12 months.(IANS | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569108 162O158O87O68) A Constitutional Culture allows Citizens to Hold Policymakers to Account: Justice B.V. Nagarathna, Judge, Supreme Court, at JGU's 12th Convocation The Presidential Address at the Convocation was given by Justice B.V. Nagarathna, Judge, Supreme Court of India on the subject of 'Nurturing our Constitutional Culture A Higher Calling'. Justice Nagarathna congratulated the graduating students and said, "JGU has become a role model for excellence in higher education amongst leading institutions in the world. Our country India, or Bharat, is not just a piece in history or geography. It is a nation of over a billion people with over a billion dreams. It is my firm conviction that one of the binding factors is the Indian Constitution -- a legal system committed to rule of law and an organised hierarchy of courts with a Supreme Court at the apex. Our core democratic institutions are vital intermediaries between citizens and government that serve both popular rule and the rule of law. One critical institution that has been absent from these conversations, namely our colleges and universities, which are indispensable to our liberal democracy guided by the rule of law. Universities are critical to the democratic process and they must purposefully and consciously embrace their role as one of the stewards of our constitutional culture. Constitutional Culture contains the attitudes, aspirations and sentiments of the citizens and civic values which include the commitment to the ideals of tolerance and equality, that provide the standard against which citizens hold policies and policymakers to account.Justice B. V. Nagarathna is a Judge of the Supreme Court of India. She served as a judge of the Karnataka High Court from 2008 to 2021. She has delivered a number of significant judgments relating to commercial and constitutional law in Karnataka. She will become the first woman Chief Justice of India in 2027.The Founding Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, Naveen Jindal, declared the Opening of the Convocation and addressed the august gathering, "It is a momentous occasion today as we celebrate the achievements of our graduating students. You will embark on a new chapter in your life, and I stand before you with a profound sense of admiration and hope, as each one of you holds the potential to shape the destiny of our nation and the world at large. A dream followed by focused action will become our reality. In the India of our dreams, every child will have access to quality education. We need to live in a world where people trust each other and also feel safe. To achieve that goal, we all need to play our role in a fair and just manner, with passion and commitment. JGU was established as a tribute to my father Shri O.P. Jindal, who was a pioneering industrialist and a passionate philanthropist who worked hard for the cause of India's development. He believed that education is the best gift that can be bestowed on anyone."Professor C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, presented the University Report and welcomed the gathering, "To fulfil the vision of the National Education Policy 2020 and to promote philanthropy in higher education, we need more enlightened and transformative business leaders like Naveen Jindal. Let us celebrate and witness together the proud moment of the graduation ceremony of the class of 2023. To the graduating students, I say with great humility that as you leave the portals of JGU, always remember that you can do more than others would like you to believe. We have always maintained that pluralistic thoughts and diversity of ideas is the essence of university life and learning. We will continue to promote this as a part of our effort, and I sincerely hope you will make the best use of this opportunity."The Convocation Address was given by Dr Joanna Newman MBE FRSA, Chief Executive & Secretary General, Association of Commonwealth Universities, United Kingdom. In her inspiring speech, she said, "It gives me great pleasure to be here in-person to commemorate the 12th Convocation Ceremony and Founder's Day of O.P. Jindal Global University, an institution I have come to know well and deeply admire. It is even more special to have an opportunity to deliver the Convocation Address to the class of 2023, in the presence of Justice BV Nagarathana, Judge Supreme Court of India, Naveen Jindal, Chancellor and Professor C Raj Kumar, Founding Vice-Chancellor of OP Jindal Global University. My best wishes to the graduates who will soon go out into the world, and make a difference, armed with a truly world-class education from one of India's finest higher education institutions. JGU's quest for institutional excellence, supported by an unwavering focus on multidisciplinarity, excellence in research & teaching, community service, nurturing socially responsible leaders and respect for the environment and sustainability makes the institution a role model for universities in India and across the Commonwealth. The ACU, we shares many of JGU's core values and is proud to have the institution as one of our most highly engaged members in India."The Convocation ceremony started with a symbolic academic procession and featured musical performances. More than 2700 students of 9 out of 12 schools and JIBS institute of JGU were conferred degrees by the Chancellor. The best-performing students of the Graduating Class of 2023 were honoured with the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals.The vote of thanks was given by Professor Dabiru Sridhar Patnaik, Registrar, O.P. Jindal Global University, who also initiated the Convocation Proceedings.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569108 172O70O250O53) India's answer to lithium-ion battery explosions: Firefite LithexA This year, many EV fires were reported especially the major fire breakout burning 3 electric vehicles in the parking lot. Several other EV fire incidents since last year and reported death cases have forced EV Manufacturers to take effective measures towards these safety issues. The government is enforcing the provision of Safety Mechanism, usage of Fire Protection products, change in testing standards for batteries, battery management and cells, due to growing concerns about safety issues as a result of previous fire occurrences.This has raised a serious concern about the Survival of the Lithium-Ion Battery Industry.The fire incidents that occurred served as a cautionary tale for the sector to be organised. In light of this serious warning, BHARATI FIRE ENGINEERS, a Mumbai-based 50-year-old Fire Expert has come up with its latest stunning innovation called Firefite Lithex, which is all set to revolutionise the meaning of 'Battery Fire Safety'.FIREFITE LITHEX EXTINGUISHER is ISI-marked and made specifically to put out battery fires. It employs a brand-new, ground-breaking technology in collaboration with AVD, UK called aqueous vermiculite dispersion, a fire extinguishing solution that uses both fixed and mobile delivery methods to successfully put out lithium-ion battery fires.It is safe to use on all electrical devices and has a strong, demonstrated effect on lithium-ion battery fires. It effectively puts out fires caused by flammable metals while also being environmentally friendly because it is formed of natural minerals.Under the Progressive MAKE IN INDIA policy, BHARATI FIRE ENGINEERS is manufacturing the Product in INDIA after a UK-based corporation patented it. To know more about the product visit http//bharatifire.com/Firefite_LithEx.php.Here's the Video that proves successful demos of extinguishing battery fires using FIREFITE LITHEX.ABOUT BHARATI FIRE ENGINEERSBharati Fire Engineers, founded in 1972, is celebrating its 50 years of service in the fire and safety industry. Currentlyin its third generation in this industry, it is also the first company to receive ISO certification and produces more than 1,00,000 extinguishers monthly. With an in-house R&D Facility, the company is currently in partnerships with international innovators to provide specialised technologies. To know more about Bharati Fire Engineers, click on the Link.ContactManager FireFite - LithexNirmalraj Showry+91 8591998713 sales@bharatifire.comPhoto https//mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171581/Firefite_Lithex.jpg(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569109 162O158O95O5) Infosys launches new sonic identity to reinforce its brand purpose As a strategic brand asset, the signature Infosys tune will serve to reinforce the company's core identity and brand purpose - 'to amplify human potential and create the next opportunity for people, businesses and communities', when stakeholders interact with the brand. The unique melody, the sonic landscape will be integrated across Infosys' many platforms used by employees, and across brand assets, ranging from videos to signature events that the company's clients and the broader community engage with."As more of our stakeholders interact with brands through digital channels, and more brands continue to crowd digital spaces, the Infosys tune will serve as an auditory reinforcement of our unique brand identity. It will also help deepen the emotional connection our stakeholders have with Infosys by cueing in the promise of opportunity creation that is integral to our brand purpose," said Sumit Virmani, EVP and Global Chief Marketing Officer, Infosys. "We aspire for the sound of Infosys to signal and be recognized as the sound of opportunity for all our stakeholders, across markets," he added.As a means to mark the debut of their sonic identity, Infosys activated a digital metaphor to demonstrate how the sound of Infosys can signal the sound of opportunity. The company has extended an invitation to all its stakeholders to unlock opportunities by engaging with its sonic brand here. Response, from the audience, will trigger transformative digital learning experiences for underprivileged students and graduate jobseekers in India.For over 4 decades, brand Infosys has sought to truly live its purpose. Infosys has been recognized in BrandZ's prestigious Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list, ranked at #66. Infosys is also ranked among the top three most valuable IT services brands globally by Brand Finance, with a growth of 84 per cent in its brand value since 2020, as per Brand Finance Global 500 2023 report.About InfosysInfosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. Over 300,000 of our people work to amplify human potential and create the next opportunity for people, businesses and communities. We enable clients in more than 56 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer clients, as they navigate their digital transformation powered by cloud and AI. We enable them with an AI-first core, empower the business with agile digital at scale and drive continuous improvement with always-on learning through the transfer of digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. We are deeply committed to being a well-governed, environmentally sustainable organization where diverse talent thrives in an inclusive workplace.Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys can help your enterprise navigate your next.Safe HarborCertain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, or our future financial or operating performance are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding the execution of our business strategy, our ability to attract and retain personnel, our transition to hybrid work model, economic uncertainties, technological innovations such as Generative AI, the complex and evolving regulatory landscape including immigration regulation changes, our ESG vision, our capital allocation policy and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, liquidity, capital resources, and our corporate actions including acquisitions. Important factors that may cause actual results or outcomes to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements are discussed in more detail in our US Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.Logo https//mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569109 162O158O86O201) Belarus set to become full member of SCO by 2024, says it relies on cooperation within body Speaking to ANI, the Belarusian envoy to India Andrei Rzheussky stressed how powerful and promising the Bloc is and how it will help to unite the developing nations."India hosted this summit virtually on July 4. Our President also participated in this summit and during the summit, a memorandum of commitment was signed by all member states. We are in the process of our Parliament adopting all treaties which is necessary for becoming a full-fledged member of the SCO. As our President said, we hope to become a member of SCO shortly," said the Envoy."As our president mentioned that we hope that very shortly, we will become a full-fledged member of this organization because we rely on a huge cooperation in this organization. And we have some vision, of how to develop this organization, even when we were in different capacities like observers or partners. We also participated in this activity and proposed a lot of projects, which were adopted and unanimously greeted by member states", he added.Earlier in July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the SCO Summit virtually where he said that Iran is going to join as a new member of the organization. He also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Obligation for the SCO membership of Belarus."I am happy that today Iran is going to join the SCO family as a new member. For this, I convey my best wishes to President Ebrahim Raisi and the people of Iran. Also, we welcome the signing of the memorandum of obligation for Belarus' SCO membership," PM Modi said at the summit then.Speaking further about the bloc, the envoy also believed that it is one of the tools that will help countries to not only follow the rules made by the Western countries."I can just quote our President saying that SCO is a very powerful and very promising organization and it will help to unite the developing nations which can make something different. It's one of the tools which can help countries to not only follow the rules of Western countries", said the envoy.Currently, SCO has Russia, India, China, Pakistan and four Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its members. Iran joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation at its 23rd leaders' summit, hosted virtually by India as chairman of the grouping.The SCO has mainly focused its fight against regional security issues, regional terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism. To date, the SCO's priorities have also included regional development.The last meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the Samarkand SCO Summit in 2022.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569109 162O158O111O234) Mohit Raina is on a mission to rescue a girl in strife-torn Syria in 'The Freelancer' trailer The 2 minute 36 second long trailer begins with Sushant Singh driving a car in a foreign land. In a flashback, a girl is running from a few men.A voiceover says: "Inayat Khan was suspended seven years back in a misconduct case." Sushant's character is referred to as Inayat Khan. "His daughter got married last month, now she is missing with her in-laws."Sushant is then shot down by the police and the little girl gets hit by a car. The voice says: "The story has just started."Mohit Raina's character Avinash turns into a "mercenary", with a backdrop of Syria, and the terrorism. His character is called "The Freelancer". He is seen in an intense avatar and is determined to rescue the girl from the war torn land.The series is based on the book - 'A Ticket to Syria' by Shirish Thorat, directed by Bhav Dhulia, produced by Friday Storytellers and Neeraj Pandey is the Creator and Showrunner.The series features Sushant Singh, John Kokken, Gauri Balaji and Navneet Malik, Manjiri Faddnis, Sarah Jane Dias amongst others.Director Bhav Dhulia said: "With a series like 'The Freelancer', we wanted to bring audiences a conventional story that makes them think and question what is happening around them. It is a one-of-a-kind thriller series and sheds light on the subject with sensitivity. Beyond being a story of a young girl stuck in a hostile environment and a freelancer's attempt to rescue her, the story is much more - parents' love for their child, courage, and undying hope."'The Freelancer' will air on September 1 on Disney+ Hotstar.sp/kvd(IANS | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569110 162O158O111O110) Dulquer Salmaan postpones 'King Of Kotha' trailer release after Malayalam filmmaker Siddique's demise Siddique breathed his last on Tuesday at a hospital in Kochi, KeralaAs a mark of respect to the director, the makers of 'King Of Kotha' starring Dulquer Salmaan, have postponed the launch of the trailer.Taking to Instagram, makers via King Of Kotha handle posted, "Due to the demise of director Siddique, the launch of KOK trailer has been postponed. Heartfelt condolences to Siddique sir family members and loved ones."https//www.instagram.com/p/CvsSXH-Sm1I/?The trailer was supposed to be released on today but now it has been postponed.Helmed by Abhilash Joshiy, the film is scheduled for a festive release on Onam this year.Superstars Mohanlal and Suriya were supposed to launch the trailer on their respective social media handles.On Tuesday, Amrita Hospital, Kochi, where the filmmaker was admitted, announced his death through a statement.He was declared dead at 9.10 pm. According to the official statement released by the hospital, the director passed away while undergoing treatment for liver disease.The renowned filmmaker and screenwriter was admitted to Amrita Hospital with chronic liver disease and bronchopneumonia."He was put on a ventilator for respiratory failure and his condition improved with medical management. He was taken off the ventilator and was on supplemental oxygen therapy. While on treatment, he had a massive heart attack while undergoing treatment in the hospital and underwent emergency angioplasty. He was placed on ECMO support due to cardiogenic shock and respiratory failure. He developed multiorgan dysfunction with clinical deterioration and was declared dead on August 8, at 9.10 pm," read the statement quoting a doctor at the hospital.After learning of the filmmaker's death, the members of the film industry took to social media to pay their condolences.Dulquer posted, "The gentlest soul. The kindest human. A gifted writer/director. The most incredible humor hiding behind his soft demeanour. He gave us some of the most iconic films. Part of our pop culture and referred to in our everyday conversations. This is an immeasurable loss. Prayers and strength to Siddique Sirs family and loved ones."Prithviraj Sukumaran posted, "Rest in peace Sir."In a condolence message, the chief minister said the Siddique's demise comes as irreparable loss to the Malayalam film industry and all Malayalis.Kerala minister P Rajeev said Siddique entered films through mimicry and moved from acting to directing and gave many hit films."He has frames that made many Malayalis laugh and cry. Through them, he will have an immortal place among the Malayalees. The relatives, Malayalam film world and fans share in the grief of Siddique's death," he posted.The state's Opposition leaders, in a joint condolence message, said the director was the "godfather of laughter"."Siddique was a filmmaker who can be described as the godfather of laughter. The death of a blessed artist Siddique is an irreparable loss to the art world. Share in the grief of family and friends," the message read.On Wednesday, Kareena Kapoor took to Insta story and wrote, "Will always remember you like this... with a smile. You will be missed Siddique sir."Siddique was under treatment for various ailments for quite some time. His condition worsened following a cardiac arrest the other day. His funeral will take place in Kochi today.Besides Malayalam, Siddique also directed Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films.He also directed Salman Khan's 'Bodyguard', which also had Kareena Kapoor.(ANI | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569110 172O70O242O41) Himachal CM assures assistance to cloudburst-hit orchard owners The Chief Minister directed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate at Rohru to expedite preparing of a comprehensive report within 12 hours, outlining the financial assistance to be payable to the affected people.Sukhu said a comprehensive assessment of the damage incurred by apple orchards was currently underway and augmented compensation would be provided to the orchard owners.He said the government has increased the compensation amount up to 10 times by amending the relief manual and the relief amount will be disbursed in accordance with new guidelines.The Chief Minister assured prompt restoration of a damaged drain's channelisation in the Laila area and the repair of a primary school wall damaged due to the cloudburst.He said cloudburst debris have entered many houses and the government was supporting the affected families in addressing this challenge.The Chief Minister said the government was engaged in providing assistance to the affected people.This unified effort underscores the government's commitment to stand with the families during the natural calamity, ensuring that every impacted individual receives the necessary aid.Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mohan Lal Brakta were also present on the occasion.(IANS | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569110 172O70O251O34) 'Suicide Squad' director David Ayer says DCEU's final cut was not his version In a post on X (formally Twitter) Ayer said that since James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as CEOs of DC Studios, they have assured him that his original version will be released.The post which was part of his discussion called 'Ted Talk' was a lengthy one which read "There's a genuine curiosity and interest from a lot of people. And I'm aware that there is another group of people that have fun mocking the film."He added "All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release. The interest in my cut being show seems real and organic. And Gunn told me it would have it's time to be shared."He absolutely deserves to launch his DC universe without more drama about old projects. In a way I'm chained to this thing. I'm riding a tiger here and navigating this situation the best I can. Life is a very strange journey."David Ayer has made no secret of his disdain for his hatred of the studio version which he had back then called an 'abomination', and something that, "I spent my flesh and blood creating what was a great story, which got s*** on by the executives."Since then, the director also went on to reveal his original script for the film which never made it to the big screen which included a much larger role for Batman as he fought Killer Croc, his relationship with Deadshot and his enmity with Deathstroke.There was also going to be a scene included in the movie which would go into greater lengths about the Joker and how he manipulated Harley Quinn back in Arkham Asylum.(IANS | Posted on 09 August 2023, 1692569111 172O70O247O80) PGE is a proud sponsor of the PNW Lineman Rodeo, as it supports our lineworkers and applauds their training and dedication to the trade. We are committed to investing in the workforce of tomorrow, so for the first time in event history, PGE and other event sponsors awarded a $1,000 scholarship to a student attending the NW VOLTA Line School. "I am proud of Team PGE and all the teams who showed off their dedication, trade skills, speed and safety to compete in support of the Legacy Oregon Burn Center," said Ben Felton, PGE executive vice president and COO. "This was my first Pacific Northwest Lineman Rodeo, and the competition was impressive." This year's rodeo saw a record turnout of guests and included a barbecue tent, various utility gear vendors, a children's play area and the "tiny" PGE All-Electric Home. The All-Electric Home, which features the latest in energy efficiency, comfort and sustainability, welcomed many guests at the rodeo. The tiny home travels to key events and serves as a showcase for options to electrify your home. Congratulations to everyone who competed and thank you to all the volunteers and community members who came out to make this year's rodeo a success. A Special thanks to Joel Wallace, PGE journeyman lineman, who served as rodeo chair this year. Wallace said more than $70,000 in proceeds will be donated to the Legacy Oregon Burn Center . Competition results: PGE Linemen (team) 5th overall: Luis Ochoa , journeyman lineman, Salem Line Crews; Charles Palmateer , repairman leadman, Distribution Response; Joel Wallace , journeyman lineman, Salem Line Crews 13th overall: Mason Lantz, journeyman lineman, PSC Line Crews, Dino Mercado, journeyman lineman, Sheridan Line Crews; Roger Thronson, journeyman lineman, Oregon City Line Crews PGE Apprentices (individual) 1st overall: Doug Fugate 12th overall: Timothy Schmauz 18th overall: Kodey James 34th overall: Stephen Smith PGE Pre-apprentices (individual) 3rd overall: Tyler Joseph Sims The official results have been published, and are available for review, 2023 PNW Lineman Rodeo Results . Brazil's Amazon Summit ends with a plan to protect the world's rainforests, but no measurable goals Brazils Amazon Summit has come to a close with a roadmap to protect tropical rainforests that has been welcomed as an important step in countering climate change In Utah and Kansas, state courts flex power over new laws regulating abortion post-Roe Abortion providers faced off against attorneys for Utah and Kansas in state courts Tuesday, part of the ongoing fight after last year's Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade As part of a focused effort to assess current cardiovascular treatment algorithms for racial bias, the American Heart Association, the single largest non-government supporter of heart and brain health research in the U.S., is funding three new scientific research projects at $50,000 each. Clinical algorithms are formulas, flow charts and computerized "calculators" that work behind the scenes to analyze health data and help determine a person's risk for heart disease or guide their treatment decisions. Age, weight, information from blood tests, personal health history, health habits -; like physical activity and smoking -; are among the types of data used by clinical algorithms. Some algorithms include race or ethnicity in their analysis, but recent evidence has suggested that race is often an inadequate substitute for genetics. "By inappropriately including race as a proxy for biological characteristics, algorithms may unintentionally perpetuate disparities in care," said Nav Persaud, M.D., M.Sc., co-chair of the American Heart Association's De-biasing Clinical Care Algorithms (DECCA) Expert Advisory Panel and a physician in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. Studying how race is incorporated into algorithms is an important endeavor in health equity by separating race from the social determinants of health that drive the relationship between race and disease." Judy Wawira Gichoya, M.D., M.S., an American Heart Association volunteer and assistant professor in the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine and an interdisciplinary researcher studying informatics in medicine Gichoya co-chairs the DECCA Expert Advisory Panel with Persaud. The teams of scientists who received funding for "Assessing Race in Clinical Research Models" are from Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Support for these studies is part of a two-year scientific research strategy funded in part by a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation to study the complex issue of how race and ethnicity factor into clinical care algorithms and risk prediction tools. Specifically, the researchers are charged with (1) assessing potential bias in risk models and identifying factors for the bias (e.g., sampling bias, selection bias, missing data values and potential risk factors); (2) developing statistical methods and advanced models that correct or mitigate against algorithm bias to support equitable care and treatment. The three research projects, which began July 1, 2023, and are funded for up to two years each, include: Evaluating Cardiovascular Risk Algorithms Among Single and Multiracial/Multiethnic Asian People led by Adrian Bacong, Ph.D., M.P.H., a postdoctoral research scholar with the Stanford University School of Medicine and associate program director for the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education Team Science Fellowship in Stanford, California. In a three-part project, this team will study the use of heart disease calculators for Asian-Americans who identify as "Asian only" and those who identify as multi-racial. They will first determine the prediction accuracy of Asian-specific heart disease calculators for people who identify as a single Asian race. Second, they will test which race adjustment (Asian or White) better predicts heart disease risk among Asian-Americans who identify as more than one race. Third, they will determine which clinical or lifestyle factors best predict heart disease among Asian-Americans. The team anticipates that their findings could be used to create a more accurate heart disease risk calculator for Asian-Americans. led by Adrian Bacong, Ph.D., M.P.H., a postdoctoral research scholar with the Stanford University School of Medicine and associate program director for the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education Team Science Fellowship in Stanford, California. In a three-part project, this team will study the use of heart disease calculators for Asian-Americans who identify as "Asian only" and those who identify as multi-racial. They will first determine the prediction accuracy of Asian-specific heart disease calculators for people who identify as a single Asian race. Second, they will test which race adjustment (Asian or White) better predicts heart disease risk among Asian-Americans who identify as more than one race. Third, they will determine which clinical or lifestyle factors best predict heart disease among Asian-Americans. The team anticipates that their findings could be used to create a more accurate heart disease risk calculator for Asian-Americans. Evaluating the Impact of Race-Specific Pooled Risk Equations for Cardiovascular Risk Prediction on Clinical Outcomes led by Ramla Kasozi, M.B.Ch.B., M.P.H., a family medicine physician and senior associate consultant in the Department of Family Medicine and assistant professor of family medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Sciences in Jacksonville, Florida. This study seeks to assess the potential influence of race on the performance of the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) pooled cohort equation (PCE) in a study population that is different from the original population that informed the creation of the PCE. They will assess in the cardiovascular disease risk results in the study population by sex and other races when using the race-specific PCE. They will also determine if use of the race-specific PCE in other races impacted clinical care. They expect to provide answers on the usefulness of including race in the PCE. led by Ramla Kasozi, M.B.Ch.B., M.P.H., a family medicine physician and senior associate consultant in the Department of Family Medicine and assistant professor of family medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Sciences in Jacksonville, Florida. This study seeks to assess the potential influence of race on the performance of the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) pooled cohort equation (PCE) in a study population that is different from the original population that informed the creation of the PCE. They will assess in the cardiovascular disease risk results in the study population by sex and other races when using the race-specific PCE. They will also determine if use of the race-specific PCE in other races impacted clinical care. They expect to provide answers on the usefulness of including race in the PCE. Machine Learning-based Models with Social Determinants of Health to Improve Incident Atrial Fibrillation Prediction co-led by Ambarish Pandey, M.D., M.S., assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and Matthew Segar, M.D., M.S., a cardiology fellow at the Texas Heart Institute in Dallas. The researchers are investigating new ways to predict the risk of cardiovascular disease. Using machine learning and data from five large community cohort studies, they will create and test new models that include social determinants of health (SDOH) instead of race to predict new onset atrial fibrillation (AF). They will compare the new model to current risk models to evaluate biases. The investigators hypothesize that including SDOH can improve the model accuracy and they hope to determine which factors contribute most to the development of AF. The American Heart Association has funded more than $5 billion in cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and brain health research since 1949. New knowledge resulting from this funding benefits millions of lives in every corner of the U.S. and around the world. Nevada Gold Mines is on the cusp of entering a new growth phase with its exploration success on several fronts, said Mark Bristow, the president and chief executive officer of Barrick Gold Corp., which operates NGM, as Barrick reported second-quarter adjusted net earnings of $336 million, or 19 cents per share. The adjusted net earnings dropped from $419 million, or 24 cents per share, in the second quarter of last year. Net earnings without adjustments totaled $305 million, or 17 cents per share, down from $468 million, or 27 cents per share, in the 2022 quarter. The 19 cents per share earnings for adjusted earnings were higher than analysts expected17 cents per shareand Barrick shares closed on Aug. 8 at $16.43, down 7 cents. Barricks average realized gold price for the quarter was an all-time high of $1,972 per ounce, compared with $1,861 per ounce in the second quarter of last year, and the company reported a quarterly dividend of 10 cents. Barricks gold production for the 2023 quarter was a little more than 1 million ounces, down from 1.04 million in the 2022 quarter. The Toronto-based company reported it is on target to meet its gold and copper production guidance for this year. Barrick expects to produce between 4.2 million and 4.6 million ounces of gold this year at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,170 to $1,250 an ounce, and 420,000 to 470,000 pounds of copper at an all-in sustaining cost of $2.95 to $3.25 per pound. Bristow said in the earnings webinar that the trend is already evident in Q2 that Barrick will see higher production in the second half of the year. Nevada exploration Talking about exploration success in Nevada, he said the Carlin Trend is the gift that keeps on giving, especially at the Leeville underground mine where drilling continues to intersect high grades. Were talking multi, multi million-ounce opportunities, so were super excited about this potential, Bristow said. At Cortez, he said the Robertson project still requires permitting, but it is a multi-million-ounce oxide deposit, and thats important for Nevada because we have got capacity at our oxide mills. Fourmile, the Barrick project that isnt in the NGM fold, also continues to show potential, and is on the way to Tier One status, Bristow said in the webinar. He said intersections add significant ounces every time we drill a hole at Fourmile, which is near Goldrush at Cortez. The Goldrush underground project at Cortez is still awaiting final U.S. Bureau of Land Management approval. Bristow said NGM hopes to have approval soon, especially because ventilation is needed now. Meanwhile, BLM gave NGM permission to extend underground development work under the exploration permit at Goldrush, he said. Bristow also stated in the announcement that Barricks mantra is that the best assets need to be managed by the best people, so theres been an equally strong focus on building a management team and a workforce with the skills and orientation required to make the most of the worlds largest mining complex. He said the training center that NGM established has already produced more than 170 frontline and support staff graduates. Production disruptions at NGM operations in the second quarter included completing processing plant maintenance and relining the autoclave at Turquoise Ridge ahead of schedule due to a hot spot, Bristow said. NGM production Nevada Gold Mines produced 458,000 ounces of gold for Barrick and 744,000 ounces on a 100% basis. Barrick owns 61.5% of NGM, and Newmont Corp. owns the remaining 38.5%. Barricks 61.5% gold production from NGM for the year is expected to be 1.9 million to 2.1 million ounces at all-in sustaining costs of $1,140 to $1,220 per ounce. The 458,000 ounces for Barrick was down slightly from the 462,000 ounces produced in the 2022 quarter, and the 100% production for NGM was down from 751,000 ounces in last years quarter, according to the Aug. 8 earnings report. Carlin operations produced 403,000 ounces in the second quarter on a 100% basis, up from 394,000 ounces last year, while Cortez Mine produced 178,000 ounces on a 100% basis, up from 158,000 ounces last year. Turquoise Ridges 100% production in Humboldt County totaled 112,000 ounces, down from 122,000 ounces in the 2022 quarter. Phoenix Mine south of Battle Mountain produced 46,000 gold ounces on a 100% basis in the quarter, with copper production melded with gold, compared with 43,000 ounces in the second quarter of last year, and the Long Canyon Mine where mining has ended produced 5,000 ounces from residual leaching on the 100% basis, compared with 34,000 ounces in the 2022 quarter. Barrick also reported that NGM commissioned ahead of schedule the first seven of a new 22-unit Komatsu 930 fleet of haul trucks. The rest of the 62 total trucks are scheduled to be commissioned over the next three years. We have purchased the Komatsu trucks for both Cortez and Carlin. Carlin trucks are expected to be delivered in 2024 and 2025, NGM spokeswoman Natacia Eldridge said in a text. The trucks are electric. Exploration is a focus companywide for Barrick, and Bristow said the focus is on adding reserves through exploration rather than looking for mergers or acquisitions to build reserves. Looking ahead to 2024, the completion of the prefeasibility study on the Lumwana Super Pit expansion project and the updated feasibility study on the Reko Diq project in Pakistan is expected to deliver organic growth over and above annual depletion in the groups mineral reserves, Simon Bottoms, mineral resource management and evaluation executive with Barrick, stated in the earnings announcement. Lumwana is a copper operation in Zambia. Next years reserve growth is also expected to be supported by the completion of conversion drilling in the greater Leeville complex and elsewhere at NGM, Bottoms said. Elsewhere in Barricks mining realm, the company reported that the expansion project at Pueblo Viejo in the Dominican Republic is progressing, with the process plant ramping up to full capacity. Barrick owns 60% of Pueblo Viejo and is the operator. Newmont owns 40%. Regarding Porgera in Papua New Guinea, Bristow said Barrick is at last nearing the end of the road toward the mines reopening. The company has started upgrading the mining fleet there, as well as submitting a new mining lease application with plans to restart production by the end of this year. Mining at Porgera was suspended in 2020 when the mining license wasnt renewed. The proverb "It takes a village to raise a child" takes on new significance when a mother of a child is experiencing depression. Being a mother with depression carries increased risks for a child's physical and psychological health. But it's not fated to be, especially if mothers have external supports." Dr. Sarah Dow-Fleisner, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and Director of the Centre for the Study of Services to Children and Families at UBC Okanagan Dr. Dow-Fleisner's findings, recently published in the Journal of Family Issues, have important implications for how social workers and clinical practitioners-;as well as families and communities-;can help. While a lot of research focuses on the postpartum period during which the rate of depression among mothers is highest, Dr. Dow-Fleisner wanted to focus on depression occurring later in childhood. Her team used data from a large longitudinal US study to compare depressed and non-depressed mothers of nine-year-old children. Her analyses revealed that mothers with depression were more likely to report parenting stress and less likely to view themselves as competent parents as compared to non-depressed mothers. They also reported engaging in more disciplinary tactics, including nonviolent tactics like taking away privileges as well as aggressive tactics like cursing or threatening the child. In terms of involvement, they were less likely to be involved at the child's school, such as attending an open house. However, they were equally likely to be involved in home activities, such as helping with homework. "Furthermore, mothers with depression reported fewer interpersonal supports and community resources than mothers without depression," says Dr. Dow-Fleisner. "This is consistent with previous research." Interpersonal supports refer to both emotional and material help from others, such as a relative providing advice or emergency childcare. Community resources refer to safety and neighbourhood cohesion. Neighbourhood cohesion measures the willingness of neighbours to help and the shared values of the neighbourhood, among other social and trust factors. "Notably, those mothers with depression who reported higher levels of support and cohesion felt less stressed and more competent in their parenting," says Dr. Dow-Fleisner. "These positive perceptions translated to less psychological aggression-based discipline and more home and school involvement with their children." These findings fit with a resilience perspective, whereby mothers facing adversity like depression can still thrive as parents-;especially when these protective factors are present. "We want to help moms both address their depression and improve the child's health and wellbeing-;this is known as a two-generation approach," says Dr. Dow-Fleisner. "As mothers may not seek out help for their depression alone, a child health check-up in a primary care setting is a good opportunity to screen for maternal depression and provide support in identifying interpersonal supports and community resources." Dr. Dow-Fleisner adds that supportive programs should go beyond addressing immediate parenting problems and instead build capacity. For example, a community-based parenting support group could help a mother to build a network of people who could provide material and emotional support as needed. Dr. Dow-Fleisner cites Mamas for Mamas as one such community-based group. Mamas for Mamas, with branches in Kelowna and Vancouver, builds community and provides material as well as other supports for mothers and other caregivers. "Further funding of programs that empower mothers-;including those experiencing mental health concerns-;would go a long way in improving the health and wellbeing of children, mothers and families," says Dr. Dow-Fleisner. New guidance published in Anaesthesia (the journal of the Association of Anaesthetists) provides clear advice to reduce avoidable errors on all steps of the pathway involving injectable medications used routinely in anesthesia care. The guidance has been written by a working party of UK anesthesia experts that include Dr Mike Kinsella, Honorary Consultant, Department of Anaesthesia, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston, Bristol, UK and Chair of the Working Party. The authors explain: "Perioperative medication safety is complex. Avoidance of medication errors is both system- and practitioner-based, and many departments within the hospital contribute to safe and effective systems. For the individual anesthetist, drawing up, labeling and then the correct administration of medications are key components. These guidelines aim to provide pragmatic safety steps for the practitioner and other individuals within the operative environment, as well as short- to long-term goals for the development of a collaborative approach to reducing errors. The aim is that they will be used as a basis for instilling good practice." This guidance has been produced by the Association of Anaesthetists in response to requests from members in view of continuing incidents of medication errors and patient harm. It ties in with the World Health Organization's (WHO) 3rd Global Patient Safety Challenge `Medication Without Harm, which was the theme of the WHO World Patient Safety Day in September 2022. Among other things, the importance, utility and enhanced safety offered by prefilled and labeled medication syringes is emphasized, as well as the use of aids such as color-coded medication trays that can help the anesthetist correctly organise the syringes before and during anesthesia. Neither prefilled syringes nor these colored aids are yet in widespread use in the UK NHS. The authors say that labeling errors have been noted in around 11.25% of peri-operative medication administrations and medication substitutions in 0.2% of administrations during anesthesia, although precise figures are lacking as research studies use different methodologies. It is important to acknowledge that every practitioner is open to error and that the risk can increase over time during a case, especially in the presence of specific factors that diminish performance such as fatigue. The authors say: "Understandably, there is considerable emphasis on medication errors. However, it is also important to give appropriate recognition to the fact that in virtually all cases the correct medication is given by the correct route, at the correct time. Good practice should be highlighted; in most cases there is a consensus on what this looks like." The summary recommendations of the Guidelines are as follows: 1 Safe handling of medicines requires clear institutional policy within multiple departments as well as careful individual practice. 2 Departments of anesthesia should have policies for safe handling of medicines. 3 Pharmacy departments should promote purchasing for safety, consistent supply and purchase from those companies complying with good labeling practice 4 Prefilled syringes have multiple advantages, and their purchase and use should be promoted. 5 Standardisation of fit-for-purpose physical structure and medicine storage in workplaces should be developed. 6 Technological solutions that reduce the opportunity for error should be explored and adopted whenever possible. 7 Standardisation of practice for syringe labeling and handling should be promoted and should form part of the curriculum for training anesthetists. This should reduce the risk of errors when anesthetists work together. 8 Individual anesthetists may have characteristics that affect their working; these should be recognized by the individual as well as their department, and suitable adjustments to practice made. The authors say: "'First do no harm' is what doctors strive for. We hope that these guidelines provide useful points for anesthetists' individual practice while acknowledging that patient safety also relies on supportive systems within their hospitals." University of Arizona Cancer Center researchers were awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to deliver an intensive, multidisciplinary cancer prevention and control research training program for undergraduate and graduate students. According to multiple principal investigators Jennifer Bea, PhD, and Cynthia Thomson, PhD, RD, the goal of the 10-week, full-time summer program is to motivate students to pursue a career in cancer prevention science. I am very concerned about the number of skilled scientists and clinicians retiring. It is absolutely critical to build the next generation of scientists and clinicians to address cancer prevention and control." Dr. Jennifer Bea, co-leader of the UArizona Cancer Center's Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program and associate professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health The training program, "Student Transformative Experiences to Progress Undergraduate and Graduate Professionals," or "STEP-UP," will immerse 75 upper-division undergraduate students and 25 master's degree-seeking students in mentored research laboratory experiences. It will allow them to develop knowledge and skills in cancer prevention science across the entire continuum of basic, applied and population research. The training program is centralized in southern Arizona and offers hands-on research training within the UArizona Cancer Center catchment area, which is rich in diversity. In the area, 31.7% of the population are Hispanic, 5.3% are Native American and 18% of the population are more than 65 years old. Robin Harris PhD, MPH, professor in the Zuckerman College of Public Health, is project co-investigator for the STEP-UP grant, which evolved from an earlier program, "Student Transformative Experiences to Progress Under-represented Professionals," that ran from 2018 to 2023. In that program, the team enrolled 88 diverse students and retained more than 94% of the students, even though it took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Students participating in STEP-UP have the advantage of establishing not only a foundational knowledge in cancer prevention and control research, but also a network of peers and faculty colleagues who will support their continued professional growth," said Dr. Thomson, interim associate director for population science at the UArizona Cancer Center and professor in the Zuckerman College of Public Health. "This is clear from our earlier data, where the majority of students in the first STEP-UP program selected to advance their academic pursuits after attending STEP-UP. The pipeline to fill gaps in the diversity of our cancer prevention scientists has been established through STEP-UP." In the first STEP-UP program, 32% of students went on to complete or enroll in an additional advanced degree, in addition to students who completed undergraduate and master's degrees that were underway when they enrolled. "Our students in each cohort form tight bonds with each other, with us, and with their mentors," Dr. Bea said. "It is so exciting to see their science identity grow and to witness their many successes as they move on from STEP-UP. We get inspiring updates from trainees regularly that range from graduations, new jobs and academic programs to grants and programs they can bring to communities." Mentors include more than 35 faculty members from diverse disciplines who are funded in cancer prevention and control research, as well as high-performing STEP-UP trainees from past years. "Our students would not have the ability to get in-depth training in their specific interest areas without our mentors," Dr. Bea said. "They learn gold-standard techniques at the bench, theoretical models, community engagement strategies and more from leaders in their field." One of the goals of the Cancer Center is to build and sustain the cancer prevention and control workforce of the future. Rather than shadowing mentors, students engage in hands-on research and create supervised experiments, focus groups, surveys and other standard practices based on their mentor's specialization. This research is funded by the National Cancer Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health, under award no. R25CA275753. In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers investigated whether individuals diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during childhood differed from those who were diagnosed during adulthood in terms of unique and shared genetic and functional architectures. *Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. Background ADHD, a neurodevelopmental condition, presents with persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The condition may be diagnosed at any age; however, symptoms must begin prior to 12 years of age. The age at attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis remains unclear, and effective treatment approaches are often trial-and-error. Understanding pathways, symptoms, and comorbidities specific to adulthood- and childhood-diagnosed ADHD subtypes could improve treatment outcomes and identify therapies effective for specific groups. About the study In the present study, researchers investigated the disparities in genomic associations between ADHD identified in adulthood and childhood in terms of psychiatric, behavioral, health, and cognitive outcomes. Stratified genomic structural equation modeling (SEM) as well as transcriptomic SEM (T-SEM), were applied to detect gene expression patterns and functional annotations related to genomic risk divergence or sharing across ADHD subgroups, as well as to investigate whether the age at attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis could demarcate etiological limits and clinical differences at varying levels of analysis. The genetic overlap between ADHD identified in childhood and adulthood was compared with cognitive, psychiatric, behavioral, social, drug misuse, and health outcome phenotypes. The most well-powered and publicly accessible genome-wide association study with unrelated European participants was chosen for each trait. The researchers investigated whether distinct kinds of genomic variations (such as evolutionarily conserved variants) or gene expression patterns are connected to genetic risk uniqueness or sharing across subgroups at the genetic and functional levels. The ADHD genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for ADHD diagnoses were collected from previously published original research that comprised 38,303, 14,878, and 6,961 Danish controls, pediatric ADHD patients, and adult ADHD patients, respectively. Persistent ADHD (1,473 instances) was removed from the study because it reflected individuals who received a diagnosis before the age of 18 who continued to exhibit symptoms during adulthood. To ensure a constant reference point across subgroups, the same controls were employed for all subgroups of ADHD GWAS. The International Classification of Disorders, Tenth Version (ICD-10) criteria were used to get the ADHD diagnosis. Results and discussion The study found that ADHD diagnosed in adulthood exhibited a larger negative genetic correlation (rg) with educational attainment, non-cognitive skills, and age at the initial sexual intercourse compared to childhood-diagnosed ADHD. Additionally, adulthood-identified ADHD had a larger positive genetic correlation with loneliness, suicidal behavior, major depressive disorder (MDD), and an internalizing factor based on ANX, PTSD, and MDD. The study discovered a combination of convergent and divergent genetic markers in adults and children with ADHD. The key distinctions were seen in cognitive and internalizing results. The data indicated that ADHD identified in adulthood had a genetic overlap, notably with the non-cognitive elements that contribute to academic achievement. Adult-diagnosed ADHD may incur a higher likelihood of misdiagnosis than in children, perhaps due to overlapping symptoms, like restlessness and anxiety issues, in the internalizing area. Following-up models that included an internalizing component explained the greater genomic overlapping between ADHD diagnosed in adulthood and two internalizing correlates: suicidal behavior and loneliness. Controlling for shared variation with internalizing, ADHD diagnosed in childhood had a significantly larger connection between ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to ADHD identified in adulthood. The genetic connection between adulthood-diagnosed and autism spectrum disorder was predicted to be around 0.0, indicating that when shared genetic variation with internalizing is removed, neurodevelopmental signals identified in the adulthood-identified ADHD GWAS are considerably attenuated or missing. Follow-up models exploring the relationship between chronic ADHD and internalizing provided evidence supporting findings against the misdiagnosis hypothesis. Internalizing problems may have a significant influence on ADHD persistence into adulthood. Internalizing overlaps with ADHD diagnosed in adulthood might be explained by gender variations in symptomatology and the age at ADHD diagnosis. Three annotations and 22 genes with significant relationships with genomic risk sharing across ADHD subtypes were discovered using stratified SEM and T-SEM analysis, of which 15 genes were linked to the univariate transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) of ADHD in children or adults, while 11 were linked to the general ADHD TWAS. The top five genes have previously been associated with ADHD symptoms. The ADHD genes CTC-498M16.4 and LINC02060 are linked, whereas the Mediator Complex Subunit 8 (MED8) gene is linked to schizophrenia susceptibility. In cases of ADHD, Lysine Demethylase 4A (KDM4A) is linked to disruptive behavior problems. Artemin (ARTN) promotes TWAS of general ADHD survival, growth, differentiation, and methylation and is linked to schizophrenia and ADHD. CRIM1 (cysteine-rich transmembrane BMP regulator 1) and DNM1 (dynamin 1) showed significant divergence, with greater relationships with ADHD diagnosed at minor and major ages, respectively. Conclusion Overall, the study findings showed genetic similarities between ADHD and internalizing disorders and clinical correlates compared to childhood-diagnosed ADHD. This highlights the importance of distinguishing subgroups within the disorder class. Future studies should explore the association between gender differences and the age of ADHD diagnosis for alternate interpretations. There are limitations to the application of these findings given the study was only carried out on Europeans. Expanding sample sizes to include underrepresented populations is crucial for understanding ADHD and its association with other diseases. *Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. The aim is aspirational: Hospital executives shouldn't make more than the president of the United States. Next spring, Los Angeles city voters will have a chance to put the brake on runaway salaries by capping hospital executives pay at $450,000 a year. The measure, proposed by a local union and approved by the City Council in June, will appear on the March 2024 ballot. The vote will be the first fruit of a long-running campaign by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, a California union with more than 100,000 members, to cap compensation. The advance has galvanized the union to collect signatures for similar efforts in San Diego, Chula Vista, and La Mesa. Union officials say a cap is necessary given that hospital executives' pay increases have outpaced those of hourly workers across the country, widening disparities, according to recent studies. Critics accuse the union of playing politics. The California Hospital Association, which lobbies for the hospital industry, says the proposal would drive out talent and is meant to exert pressure on hospitals, referencing previous proposals the union has made over the past 10 years. "This measure won't do anything to reduce health care costs or improve the quality of care in the community," said Jan Emerson-Shea, a spokesperson for the hospital association. "On the contrary, it will only make it more difficult to recruit qualified hospital leaders, including physicians and nurse leaders." If passed, policy and legal experts warn the cap could draw legal challenges and will likely be hard to implement. For one thing, the measure does not steer the funds that would be saved in cutting top salaries toward lower-wage staff or improving patient care. Glenn Melnick, a health care economist at the University of Southern California, said he understands SEIU-UHW's motive but questioned whether other policies could better improve health care delivery and lower costs. "It may be helpful to this group because theyre in negotiations and putting pressure on hospitals and negotiating their contracts, but I think, in the long run, its not necessarily good for the health care workers and patients," Melnick said. According to a Lown Institute study, hospital executives at nonprofit hospitals across the country made on average eight times what was earned by workers without advanced degrees, such as medical records personnel and janitorial staff. Some of the highest-paid CEOs received 60 times the hourly pay of general workers. The proposed city ordinance caps total executive compensation which includes salary, health insurance, housing allowances, stocks, and bonuses at any private health care facility, including hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. If approved, the cap would be enforced through civil lawsuits, and the city attorney's office would get to be first in line to sue. The union estimates the policy change could affect at least 23 hospital executives, managers, and administrators, 13 of them CEOs, and said that's likely an undercount. Thomas Priselac, for example, CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, made $5.7 million in 2020, according to the Lown Institute researchers. Scott Reiner, CEO of the Adventist Health system, made $2.4 million that same year. And Rodney Hanners, CEO of USC's Keck Medicine, made $1.4 million. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in L.A. from 2017 to 2021 was $69,778, on average. Yet the measure has holes. The motion targets only private health care facilities, excluding highly paid public hospital executives, such as Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center's CEO, Johnese Spisso, who made $1.9 million in 2020, according to Lown Institute. Ted Seto, a business law professor at Loyola Law School in L.A., said SEIU-UHW's proposal is not only poorly written but filled with ambiguities. For example, it's unclear whether an employee or a hospital would be on the hook for a $1,000-a-day fine. And because health benefits are included in total compensation, Seto said, it's conceivable an administrator who earns $100,000 at a self-insured hospital could be diagnosed with cancer and wind up paying the hospital back for any portion of their treatment exceeding the $450,000 cap. SEIU-UHW says it can't predict how the measure will be interpreted. And it might not even be legal in some cases. Seto said L.A. likely wouldn't have the power to enforce the cap for current executives because it can't override existing employment contracts. "I dont think its silly to try to address the huge discrepancies between higher-paid and lower-paid people," Seto said. "But I think that the approach that theyre taking here is really silly." Ivor Pine, a spokesperson for the city attorney's office, said that the office could not comment on the legality but stated that the council is merely passing the issue to the ballot. The cap has been proposed by SEIU at least five times in the past 10 years: in California in 2013, 2015, and 2016; in Oregon in 2014; and in Arizona in 2016. The hospital industry has opposed each initiative. The Los Angeles Times reported in 2013 that the hospital association accused the union of threatening to launch ballot measures aimed at executive pay if the hospital association didn't make it easier for 20,000 workers to organize. Months later, several media outlets reported that SEIU-UHW withdrew its ballot initiative on executive compensation after reaching a deal with the industry. Renee Saldana, a spokesperson for SEIU-UHW, rejected the idea that the current CEO cap is a negotiation tactic. "Weve never shied away from the political process," Saldana said. "We see this as a way to give voters an opportunity to weigh in on important issues that affect them as well." The cap is going on the same ballot as another one of the union's bills for a $25 minimum hourly wage for L.A. health care workers. The measure was approved by the City Council in 2022, but the hospital association challenged it, pushing it to the 2024 ballot for a referendum. "We felt it was appropriate to have both of those conversations at the same time the lowest-paid health care workers and the CEOs who are paying themselves millions of dollars while fighting tooth and nail to keep health care workers from making a $25 hourly minimum wage," Saldana said. State lawmakers are also weighing the union's bill in the legislature to adopt a statewide increase. Datosha Williams, a member of SEIU-UHW and a Kaiser Permanente service representative in L.A., said the issue of executive compensation is important to her given the industry's resistance to the $25 minimum wage for health workers. Williams, who has worked at KP for 16 years, earns more than $25 an hour, but she said it's still challenging, as a single mom, to raise a family on her income. "We have members who are literally homeless," Williams said. "People have told us that they decided to live out of their cars in west L.A. and get gym memberships to take showers to show up to work clean, just so they can afford to live on their own in California." This article was produced by KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. Deep-learning technology developed by a team of Johns Hopkins engineers and cancer researchers can accurately predict cancer-related protein fragments that may trigger an immune system response. If validated in clinical trials, the technology could help scientists overcome a major hurdle to developing personalized immunotherapies and vaccines. In a study published July 20 in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence, investigators from Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering, the Johns Hopkins Institute for Computational Medicine, the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy show that their deep-learning method, called BigMHC, can identify protein fragments on cancer cells that elicit a tumor cell-killing immune response, an essential step in understanding response to immunotherapy and in developing personalized cancer therapies. Cancer immunotherapy is designed to activate a patient's immune system to destroy cancer cells. A critical step in the process is immune system recognition of cancer cells through T cell binding to cancer-specific protein fragments on the cell surface." Rachel Karchin, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering, oncology and computer science, and a core member of the Institute for Computational Medicine The cancer protein fragments that elicit this tumor-killing immune response may originate from changes in the genetic makeup of cancer cells (or mutations), called mutation-associated neoantigens. Each patient's tumor has a unique set of such neoantigens that determine tumor foreignness, in other words, how different the tumor makeup is compared to self. Scientists can identify which mutation-associated neoantigens a patient's tumor has by analyzing the genome of the cancer. Determining those which are most likely to trigger a tumor-killing immune response could enable scientists to develop personalized cancer vaccines or customized immune therapies as well as inform patient selection for these therapies. However, current methods for identifying and validating immune response-triggering neoantigens are time-consuming and costly, as these typically rely on labor-intense, wet laboratory experiments. Because neoantigen validation is so resource intensive, there are few data to train deep-learning models. To address this, the researchers trained BigMHC, a set of deep neural networks, in a two-stage process called transfer learning. First, BigMHC learned to identify antigens that are presented at the cell surface, an early stage of the adaptive immune response for which many data are available. Then, BigMHC was fine-tuned by learning a later stage, T-cell recognition, for which few data exist. In this manner, the researchers leveraged massive data to build a model of antigen presentation, and refined this model to predict immunogenic antigens. The researchers tested BigMHC on a large independent data set, and showed that it was better at predicting antigen presentation than other methods. They further tested BigMHC on data from study co-author Kellie Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of oncology at the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and found that BigMCH significantly outperformed seven other methods at identifying neoantigens that trigger T-cell response. "BigMHC has outstanding precision at predicting immunogenic neoantigens," says Karchin. "There is an urgent, unmet clinical need to tailor cancer immunotherapy to the subset of patients most likely to benefit, and BigMHC can shed light into cancer features that drive tumor foreignness, thus triggering an effective anti-tumor immune response," says study co-author Valsamo "Elsa" Anagnostou, M.D., Ph.D., director of the thoracic oncology biorepository, leader of the Johns Hopkins Molecular Tumor Board and Precision Oncology Analytics, and associate professor of oncology in the Kimmel Cancer Center. The team is now expanding its efforts in testing BigMHC in several immunotherapy clinical trials to determine if it can help scientists sift through hundreds of thousands of neoantigens to filter down to those most likely to provoke an immune response. "The hope is that BigMHC could guide cancer immunologists as they develop immunotherapies that can be used for multiple patients, or develop personalized vaccines that would boost a patient's immune response to kill their cancer cells," says lead author Benjamin Alexander Albert, who was an undergraduate student researcher in the departments of biomedical engineering and computer science at The Johns Hopkins University when the study was conducted. Albert is now a Ph.D. student at the University of California, San Diego. Karchin and her team believe BigMHC and machine-learning-based tools like it can help clinicians and cancer researchers efficiently and cost-effectively sift through vast amounts of data needed to develop more personalized approaches to cancer treatment. "Deep learning has an important role to play in clinical cancer research and practice," Karchin says. Study co-authors were Yunxiao Yang, Xiaoshan Shao and Dipika Singh of Johns Hopkins. The work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (grant CA121113), the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (grant CA190755) and the ECOG-ACRIN Thoracic Malignancies Integrated Translational Science Center (grant UG1CA233259). Under a license agreement between Genentech and The Johns Hopkins University, Shao, Karchin and the university are entitled to royalty distributions related to the MHCnuggets neoantigen prediction technology. This arrangement has been reviewed and approved by The Johns Hopkins University in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policies. Anagnostou has received research funding to her institution from Bristol Myers Squibb, Astra Zeneca, Personal Genome Diagnostics and Delfi Diagnostics in the past five years. She is an advisory board member for Neogenomics and Astra Zeneca. She is an inventor on several patent applications submitted by The Johns Hopkins University related to cancer genomic analyses, ctDNA therapeutic response monitoring and immunogenomic features of response to immunotherapy that have been licensed to one or more entities. Under the terms of these license agreements, the university and inventors are entitled to fees and royalty distributions. In a recent review published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences, scientists discuss the effect of bisphenol A (BPA) on human male fertility. Study: The Effects of Bisphenol A on Human Male Infertility: A Review of Current Epidemiological Studies. Image Credit: Yurchanka Siarhei / Shutterstock.com Background Endocrine disrupting chemicals are harmful man-made substances found in pesticides, metals, and additives or contaminants in food and personal care products. These substances are capable of interfering with the biosynthesis, secretion, transportation, binding, or removal of endogenous hormones. As a result, these chemicals can have potentially damaging effects on the development, reproduction, neurological, cardiovascular, immune, and metabolism systems in both humans and animals. BPA is an endocrine disruptor chemical capable of triggering the onset and development of various health adversities, including infertility. This chemical is vastly used for the production of phenol resins, polyacrylics, polyesters, epoxy resins, and polycarbonate plastics. Humans can be exposed to BPA through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. Orally ingested BPA is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream across the intestine and subsequently metabolized by the liver. Within the liver, detoxification reactions by uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase or sulfotransferases eliminate the estrogenic activity of BPA. Free or unconjugated BPA is considered the active form with harmful endocrine disrupting effects. Over 99% of active BPA metabolites are excreted in feces and urine, while only 1% accumulate in tissues. Unlike ingestion, BPA entering in the body through skin contact can escape hepatic metabolism, thereby resulting in excessive accumulation of free BPA in the blood. Due to its structural similarity to 17 beta-estradiol, BPA can bind to alpha and beta estrogen receptors to trigger estrogenic effects. BPA can also bind to G-protein-coupled estrogen, gamma peroxisome proliferator-activated, and orphan nuclear estrogen gamma receptors, thereby leading to major cellular and endocrine disruptions. BPA can also compete with endogenous estradiol to block estrogen receptors, thus acting as an anti-estrogen substance. By directly binding to androgen receptors, BPA is capable of blocking endogenous androgen activities. Effect of BPA exposure on human male fertility BPA affects the human male reproductive system by disrupting the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis and altering the expression and activity of enzymes related to testicular steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis. BPA also causes sperm damage by suppressing the antioxidant system and subsequently increasing oxidative stress. BPA affects spermatogenesis by mimicking the activity of estradiol, thus leading to poor sperm quality and infertility. Moreover, BPA acts as an antagonist against the thyroid hormone receptor, which ultimately prevents the activity of thyroid hormones. Limited and inconsistent evidence is currently available regarding the effect of BPA exposure on human male fertility. Although many studies have found as association between BPA exposure and male infertility, these studies have primarily assessed occupational and high-level exposures. All studies are observational epidemiological studies. Regarding occupational exposure, three studies have been conducted in Chinese populations. Overall, these studies have shown that high-level and long-term BPA exposure is associated with reduced androstenedione, testosterone, and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, as well as increased sex hormone-binding globulin, estradiol, and prolactin levels. Taken together, these hormonal changes can potentially lead to male infertility. In one study conducted on the general Danish population, BPA exposure was associated with increased levels of testosterone, estradiol, and luteinizing hormone (LH). Another study conducted in low-industrialized area in China reported that low-level environmental exposure to BPA is associated with increased levels of LH and FSH in male smokers and decreased levels of total testosterone in overweight men. These findings suggest a role of body weight and smoking status on BPA-mediated hormonal alterations. Regarding testicular functions, an association has been observed between higher urinary BPA levels and lower sperm motility in men carrying a filaggrin gene mutation. Similarly, increased BPA level in biological fluids has been found to increase the risk of subfertility. Considering low-level environmental BPA exposure, one study involving fertile men could not identify any significant impact on male reproductive functions. In contrast, one study involving university students suggests an association between higher urinary BPA levels and lower Leydig cell capacity and sperm count. This study indicates a possible negative effect of environmental BPA exposure on the male reproductive system. Studies conducted on men with diagnosed infertility have found associations between increased urinary BPA levels and lower sperm count, sperm concentration, sperm vitality, sperm motility, and altered sperm morphology. In contrast, some studies comparing fertile men with infertile men have shown no association between BPA exposure and infertility. Overall, these studies indicate that male infertility cannot be attributed to BPA exposure and that only high-level BPA exposure can negatively affect fertility in men. Studies analyzing seminal BPA levels have found that increased levels of BPA in seminal plasma can reduce sperm quality and suppress testicular steroidogenesis. Studies investigating DNA methylation have identified notable associations between higher occupational BPA exposure and increased DNA hydroxymethylation, which can negatively affect male fertility. Regarding maternal BPA exposure and male reproductive function, a weak association of prenatal BPA exposure with sperm quality and testicular functions has been observed in men later in life. Conclusions Most recent studies investigating the impact of BPA on male fertility have identified an association between high-level occupational BPA exposure and reduced sperm quality, which could be attributed to BPA-induced hormonal alterations. However, the majority of studies investing low-level environmental BPA exposure indicate no association between BPA exposure and male infertility. Gary Flook served in the Air Force for 37 years, as a firefighter at the now-closed Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois and the former Grissom Air Force Base in Indiana, where he regularly trained with aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF a frothy white fire retardant that is highly effective but now known to be toxic. Flook volunteered at his local fire department, where he also used the foam, unaware of the health risks it posed. In 2000, at age 45, he received devastating news: He had testicular cancer, which would require an orchiectomy followed by chemotherapy. Hundreds of lawsuits, including one by Flook, have been filed against companies that make firefighting products and the chemicals used in them. And multiple studies show that firefighters, both military and civilian, have been diagnosed with testicular cancer at higher rates than people in most other occupations, often pointing to the presence of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in the foam. But the link between PFAS and testicular cancer among service members was never directly proven until now. A new federal study for the first time shows a direct association between PFOS, a PFAS chemical, found in the blood of thousands of military personnel and testicular cancer. Using banked blood drawn from Air Force servicemen, researchers at the National Cancer Institute and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences found strong evidence that airmen who were firefighters had elevated levels of PFAS in their bloodstreams and weaker evidence for those who lived on installations with high levels of PFAS in the drinking water. And the airmen with testicular cancer had higher serum levels of PFOS than those who had not been diagnosed with cancer, said study co-author Mark Purdue, a senior investigator at NCI. "To my knowledge," Purdue said, "this is the first study to measure PFAS levels in the U.S. military population and to investigate associations with a cancer endpoint in this population, so that brings new evidence to the table." In a commentary in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, Kyle Steenland, a professor at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, said the research "provides a valuable contribution to the literature," which he described as "rather sparse" in demonstrating a link between PFAS and testicular cancer. More studies are needed, he said, "as is always the case for environmental chemicals." Not 'just soap and water' Old stocks of AFFF that contained PFOS were replaced in the past few decades by foam that contains newer-generation PFAS, which now also are known to be toxic. By congressional order, the Department of Defense must stop using all PFAS-containing foams by October 2024, though it can keep buying them until this October. That's decades after the military first documented the chemicals' potential health concerns. A DoD study in 1974 found that PFAS was fatal to fish. By 1983, an Air Force technical report showed its deadly effects on mice. But given its effectiveness in fighting extremely hot fires, like aircraft crashes and shipboard blazes, the Defense Department still uses it in operations. Rarely, if ever, had the military warned of its dangers, according to Kevin Ferrara, a retired Air Force firefighter, as well as several military firefighters who contacted KFF Health News. "We were told that it was just soap and water, completely harmless," Ferrara said. "We were completely slathered in the foam hands, mouth, eyes. It looked just like if you were going to fill up your sink with dish soap." Photos released by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service in 2013 show personnel working in the foam without protective gear. The description calls the "small sea of fire retardant foam" at Travis Air Force Base in California "non-hazardous" and "similar to soap." "No people or aircraft were harmed in the incident," it reads. There are thousands of PFAS chemicals, invented in the 1940s to ward off stains and prevent sticking in industrial and household goods. Along with foam used for decades by firefighters and the military, the chemicals are in makeup, nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, rugs, food wrappers, and a myriad of other consumer goods. Known as "forever chemicals," they do not break down in the environment and do accumulate in the human body. Researchers estimate that nearly all Americans have PFAS in their blood, exposed primarily by groundwater, drinking water, soil, and foods. A recent U.S. Geological Survey study estimated that at least 45% of U.S. tap water has at least one type of forever chemical from both private wells and public water supplies. Health and environmental concerns associated with the chemicals have spurred a cascade of lawsuits, plus state and federal legislation that targets the manufacturers and sellers of PFAS-laden products. Gary Flook is suing 3M and associated companies that manufactured PFAS and the firefighting foam, including DuPont and Kidde-Fenwal. Congress has prodded the Department of Defense to clean up military sites and take related health concerns more seriously, funding site inspections for PFAS and mandating blood testing for military firefighters. Advocates argue those actions are not enough. "How long has [DoD] spent on this issue without any real results except for putting some filters on drinking water?" said Jared Hayes, a senior policy analyst at the Environmental Working Group. "When it comes to cleaning up the problem, we are in the same place we were years ago." On a mission to get screening The Department of Veterans Affairs does not recommend blood testing for PFAS, stating on its website that "blood tests cannot be linked to current or future health conditions or guide medical treatment decisions." But that could change soon. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), co-chair of the congressional PFAS Task Force, in June introduced the Veterans Exposed to Toxic PFAS Act, which would require the VA to treat conditions linked to exposure and provide disability benefits for those affected, including for testicular cancer. "The last thing [veterans] and their families need to go through is to fight with VA to get access to benefits we promised them when they put that uniform on," Kildee said. Evidence is strong that exposure to PFAS is associated with health effects such as decreased response to vaccines, kidney cancer, and low birth weight, according to an expansive, federally funded report published last year by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The nonprofit institution recommended blood testing for communities with high exposure to PFAS, followed by health screenings for those above certain levels. It also said that, based on limited evidence, there is "moderate confidence" of an association between exposure and thyroid dysfunction, preeclampsia in pregnant women, and breast and testicular cancers. The new study of Air Force servicemen published July 17 goes further, linking PFAS exposure directly to testicular germ cell tumors, which make up roughly 95% of testicular cancer cases. Testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among young adult men. It is also the type of cancer diagnosed at the highest rate among active military personnel, most of whom are male, ages 18 to 40, and in peak physical condition. That age distribution and knowing AFFF was a source of PFAS contamination drove Purdue and USUHS researcher Jennifer Rusiecki to investigate a possible connection. Using samples from the Department of Defense Serum Repository, a biobank of more than 62 million blood serum specimens from service members, the researchers examined samples from 530 troops who later developed testicular cancer and those of 530 members of a control group. The blood had been collected between 1988 and 2017. A second sampling collected four years after the first samples were taken showed the higher PFOS concentrations positively associated with testicular cancer. Ferrara does not have testicular cancer, though he does have other health concerns he attributes to PFAS, and he worries for himself and his fellow firefighters. He recalled working at Air Combat Command headquarters at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia in the early 2010s and seeing emails mentioning two types of PFAS chemicals: PFOS and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. But employees on the base remained largely unfamiliar with the jumble of acronyms, Ferrara said. Even as the evidence grew that the chemicals in AFFF were toxic, "we were still led to believe that it's perfectly safe," Ferrara said. "They kept putting out vague and cryptic messages, citing environmental concerns." When Ferrara was working a desk job at Air Combat Command and no longer fighting fires, his exposure likely continued: Joint Base Langley-Eustis is among the top five most PFAS-contaminated military sites, according to the EWG, with groundwater at the former Langley Air Force Base registering 2.2 million parts per trillion for PFOS and PFOA. According to the EPA, just 40 parts per trillion would "warrant further attention," such as testing and amelioration. The Defense Department did not provide comment on the new study. Air Force officials told KFF Health News that the service has swapped products and no longer allows uncontrolled discharges of firefighting foam for maintenance, testing, or training. "The Department of the Air Force has replaced Aqueous Film Forming Foam, which contained PFAS, with a foam that meets Environmental Protection Agency recommendations at all installations," the Air Force said in a statement provided to KFF Health News. Both older-generation forever chemicals are no longer made in the U.S. 3M, the main manufacturer of PFOS, agreed to start phasing it out in 2000. In June, the industrial giant announced it would pay at least $10.3 billion to settle a class-action suit. Alarmed over what it perceived as the Defense Department's unwillingness to address PFAS contamination or stop using AFFF, Congress in 2019 ordered DoD to offer annual testing for all active-duty military firefighters and banned the use of PFAS foam by 2024. According to data provided by DoD, among more than 9,000 firefighters who requested the tests in fiscal year 2021, 96% had at least one of two types of PFAS in their blood serum, with PFOS being the most commonly detected at an average level of 3.1 nanograms per milliliter. Readings between 2 and 20 ng/mL carry concern for adverse effects, according to the national academies. In that range, it recommends people limit additional exposure and screen for high cholesterol, breast cancer, and, if pregnant, high blood pressure. According to DoD, 707 active and former defense sites are contaminated with PFAS or have had suspected PFAS discharges. The department is in the early stages of a decades-long testing and cleaning process. More than 3,300 lawsuits have been filed over AFFF and PFAS contamination; beyond 3M's massive settlement, DuPont and other manufacturers reached a $1.185 billion agreement with water utility companies in June. Attorneys general from 22 states have urged the court to reject the 3M settlement, saying in a filing July 26 it would not adequately cover the damage caused. For now, many firefighters, like Ferrara, live with anxiety that their blood PFAS levels may lead to cancer. Flook declined to speak to KFF Health News because he is part of the 3M class-action lawsuit. The cancer wreaked havoc on his marriage, robbing him and his wife, Linda, of "affection, assistance, and conjugal fellowship," according to the lawsuit. Congress is again trying to push the Pentagon. This year, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) reintroduced the PFAS Exposure Assessment and Documentation Act, which would require DoD to test all service members not just firefighters stationed at installations with known or suspected contamination as part of their annual health checkups as well as family members and veterans. The tests, which aren't covered by the military health program or most insurers, typically cost from $400 to $600. In June, Kildee said veterans have been stymied in getting assistance with exposure-related illnesses that include PFAS. "For too long, the federal government has been too slow to act to deal with the threat posed by PFAS exposure," Kildee said. "This situation is completely unacceptable." A team of researchers from the University of Michigans College of Engineering and Medical School invented and developed histotripsy, and their efforts to bring it to the clinic to address human disease has earned them this years Distinguished University Innovator Award. Team members include: Zhen Xu, professor of biomedical engineering; Timothy Hall, research scientist in biomedical engineering; Jonathan Sukovich, assistant research scientist in biomedical engineering; J. Brian Fowlkes, professor of radiology and of biomedical engineering; and William Roberts, professor of urology and of biomedical engineering Histotripsy is a technique that uses sound waves to break down diseased tissue. Designed as a noninvasive alternative to surgical procedures, the novel technology uses focused ultrasound to mechanically disrupt target tissue, as opposed to thermal ablation. The technology holds promise to permit patients with diseased tissue, such as cancerous tumors, to obtain treatment with less discomfort and faster recovery times than traditional surgery. The Distinguished University Innovator Award is the highest honor for U-M faculty members who have developed transformative ideas, processes or technologies and shepherded them to market for broad societal impact. It was established in 2007 and is supported by endowments from the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Stephen and Rosamund Forrest Family Foundation. What distinguishes the University of Michigan as a leading public research university is our shared perpetual pursuit of innovative solutions to the greatest challenges impacting communities across the globe. Rebecca Cunningham, U-M vice president for research and the William G. Barsan Collegiate Professor of Emergency Medicine Together, we are persistent in our mission to serve the people of Michigan and the world, and as part of this collective commitment, we will continue to support our research discoveries and help translate them into real-world tools and services. What the histotripsy team has developed is a prime example of innovative research that needs to be shared broadly with the world. OVPR selected this years award recipients based on the recommendation of a diverse faculty selection committee that reviews a pool of nominees. The histotripsy team will receive the award Sept. 14 at the annual Celebrate Invention event at the Michigan Union. Changing the landscape of surgical treatment This highly collaborative team has developed a breakthrough idea with innovative hardware and software to enable the histotripsy process, said Mary-Ann Mycek, interim chair and professor of biomedical engineering. Theyve published a tremendous amount of data showing histotripsys disruptive and transformational potential, created a new subfield and formed a company that is making outstanding progress toward clinical translation and commercialization. The contributions theyve made are substantial and I look forward to seeing the teams future innovations. A startup company based on histotripsy, HistoSonics, was launched in 2010 with support from Innovation Partnerships, a unit based in OVPR that serves as a central hub to lead U-M research commercialization efforts. While minimally invasive and noninvasive technologies are routinely used in the clinic, they have limitations such as bleeding, infection, radiation and heat-induced complications. HistoSonics has developed the Edison System, which is the first noninvasive, nonionizing and nonthermal procedure to destroy targeted tissues that is guided by real-time imaging, alleviating the limitations of earlier versions. They have accomplished what has been out of reach for othersto successfully utilize sound wave energy to mechanically obliterate diseased tissue. We are grateful for the support we received from the University of Michigan on our journey to invent histotripsy and develop it into a platform that can be leveraged broadly to treat patients, Xu said. We would not have accomplished all that we have and come as far as we have without Innovation Partnershipsthey have been with us every step of the way to go from an inventor mindset to commercialization. HistoSonics now employs more than 100 people and has raised more than $200 million. With a presence in Ann Arbor, HistoSonics embodies what the university strives for in its research commercialization efforts; it not only delivers a product or service that positively impacts patients; it also generates a significant economic impact. One of the best parts about science is turning the impossible to possible. What our team has accomplished by providing an incisionless, nontoxic, painless way to destroy disease tissue via sound wave energy is incredible, Xu said. Im excited about the potential of histotripsy to change the field of medicine and cancer treatment, and eventually extend to treat many other disease types beyond cancer, such as stroke, neurological diseases, cardiovascular diseases and skin diseases. The University of Michigan, Xu, Hall, Sukovich, Fowlkes and Roberts have a financial interest in HistoSonics. Debt resolution platform Credgenics on Wednesday, August 9, said it has raised $50 million (about Rs 414 crore) in a Series-B funding round led by Westbridge Capital, Accel, Tanglin Ventures, Beams Fintech Fund and other strategic investors. The company, valued now at $340 million (nearly Rs 2,816 crore), will use the additional funds for product innovation and enrichment, international business expansion, and capturing other BFSI industry segments, Credgenics said in a statement. Since its launch in 2019, Credgenics has established a formidable presence in the Indian market and is breaking ground in the Southeast Asian region. With a steadfast commitment to reimagine debt collections through digitisation and analytics, the company has seen a remarkable 7x growth rate, since its last fundraise in 2021, Credgenics said. Credgenics is working with over 100 leading private banks, non-banking financial companies, fintechs, and asset reconstruction companies including IIFL Finance, Mahindra Finance, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, DMI Finance, Hero Fincorp, TVS Credit, IREP Credit Capital and Indifi," Credgenics said in the statement. The company has touched an overall loan book worth $47 billion in FY22. The SaaS-driven platform offers a comprehensive suite of debt resolution solutions, including digital collections, collections analytics, litigation management, field collections mobile app, agent performance management, and payments platform that use AI-driven intelligent automation and machine learning models to deliver highly efficient collections. Rishabh Goel, co-founder and CEO of Credgenics, said, We express our gratitude to our current investors for their unwavering support and trust in our vision. Their support propels us towards our mission of global expansion and fostering Indias financial growth." He added that with these resources, the company can extend its innovative debt recovery solutions to new markets, empowering individuals and businesses worldwide to regain control of their loan collections. This funding not only accelerates our growth but also enables us to make a meaningful impact on the economic landscape of countries, unlocking new opportunities for financial well-being." Anand Agrawal, co-founder & CPTO of Credgenics, said, At Credgenics, we are committed to harnessing the power of digital and emerging technologies for transforming the way debts are managed while ensuring a seamless experience for lenders and borrowers. We are in a prime growth phase where we plan to introduce more innovative solutions and expand our footprint in other countries as well as invest in product development." He added that strengthening the companys partnership with its existing investors is a strategic decision that will help it bring more agility, convenience and efficiency to the loan collections process. Sumir Chadha, co-founder and managing partner at WestBridge Capital, said, As steadfast investors in Credgenics remarkable growth, we recognise the immense potential and unwavering dedication of this visionary team. With AI at its forefront, what Credgenics is doing is truly exceptional." Chadha said its unique services and talented workforce are poised to put the company on the map for success and change the face of the debt collections industry for the better. As we stand beside Credgenics, we embrace the opportunity to reshape the future of debt recovery, together, paving the way for financial empowerment and growth." Backed by Westbridge Capital, Accel, Beams Fintech Fund, Tanglin Venture Partners, and other strategic investors, Credgenics recently turned operationally profitable and reached a revenue of Rs 100 crore in FY 2022-23. The company now has five offices in India and two others in Jakarta and Singapore, with another one set to open in Vietnam. Hecla Mining Co. announced adjusted net income of $15.1 million, or 3 cents per share, and silver production of 3.83 million ounces in the second quarter, along with 35,251 ounces of gold production impacted by wildfires and operational changes at the Casa Berardi Mine in Quebec. The Coeur d Alene, Idaho-based company posted a net loss applicable to common stockholders of $15.8 million, or a loss of 3 cents per share, compared with a loss of $13.66 million, or 3 cents per share, in the second quarter of 2022. Adjusted net income in the 2022 quarter was $20.09 million. Hecla reported the loss for the 2023 quarter included $5 million spent on increasing the ramp-up at Keno Hill in the Yukon, where the mill was restarted, and on impacts from the suspension of operations at Casa Berardi in June when fires closed access roads. Silver production of 3.83 million ounces was up from the 3.55 million ounces produced in the second quarter of last year, while gold production was down from 45,719 ounces in the 2022 quarter mainly because of events at Casa Berardi. Hecla still expects to produce 16 million to 17.5 million ounces of silver this year, but the company changed the gold production guidance to 140,000 to 160,000 ounces from 160,000 to 170,000 gold ounces. The all-in sustaining cost for silver is still at $10.25 to $11.50 per ounce, but the AISC for gold production is up to $2,000 to $2,250 per ounce from $1,975 to $2,050 per ounce. Heclas president and chief executive officer, Phillips S. Baker Jr., said in the earnings call that the company had a great quarter and silver production will be growing even faster now. He said that over the past five years there has been a 27% growth in revenue, a 79% growth in silver reserves and a 37% growth in production, and the company expects 40% production growth in the next three years and 20% growth just this year. Heclas average realized silver price for the quarter was $23.67 per ounce, up from $20.68 per ounce in the 2022 quarter, and the average realized gold price was $1,969 per ounce, compared with $1,855 per ounce last year. Baker said in the earnings report that Greens Creek Mine in Alaska continued its strong and persistent performance, Lucky Friday produced the most silver in a quarter since 2000, and with the service hoist now operational, this mine is closer to achieving 425,000 ore tons in annual throughput by year-end, and we restarted the Keno Hill mill during the quarter. He said in the call that Hecla is having our teething problems at Keno Hill. According to a CBC news report in July, Yukon mine inspectors found a series of problems at Keno Hill, such as sediment runoff from tailings facilities, poor storage of hazardous materials, discharged toxic water, and hydrocarbon stains on the ground. Hecla took over Keno Hill after it acquired Alexco Resource Corp. in a deal finalized in September 2022. Loren Roberts, Heclas senior vice president and chief operating officer who is retiring at the end of this year, said in the call that he is encouraged by the progress at Keno Hill, and he expects the mine to produce up to 4 million ounces of silver in 2024. Keno Hill produced 184,264 ounces of silver in the second quarter, including from stockpiles. At Casa Berardi, the mine is being converted to only open pit mining and has already closed the West underground operation while still mining at the East Mine. It becomes an open-pit-only operation in the future, Roberts said. He said $16 million in equipment is on site for use in the 160 Pit, and Hecla expects a gold production gap at Casa Berardi between 2028 and 2030 because of the conversion that includes permitting for higher grade ores. We are making the right decisions today to put Casa back on the path to cash flow generation and a brighter future, Roberts said in the call. Jobs are being affected, however, and Baker said that the reality is that the mine has to be economic. He said East Mine will remain open into 2024. Roberts said Casa Berardi started the year with 650 employees and there are now 522, and he doesnt expect more reductions other than through attrition until the closure of West Mine. He said some employees have already transitioned from the East Mine to open pit operations. Hecla is a silver company with a gold exposure, and we believe gold exposure will always be important to our portfolio for many reasons, Baker said, reporting that those reasons include market diversification, hedging against higher silver volatility and providing scaled growth. Casa Berardi produced 18,901 ounces of gold in the second quarter from underground and surface mining, compared with 33,335 gold ounces in the second quarter of last year, and all-in sustainable costs were at $2,147 per ounce, compared with $1,605 in the 2022 quarter. Lucky Friday in Idaho produced 1.29 million ounces of silver in the quarter, up from nearly 1.23 million ounces in the 2022 quarter, with all-in sustaining costs at $14.24 per ounce, up from $9.91 per ounce last year. A new collective bargaining agreement reached in the first quarter increased labor costs and higher consumables costs. Greens Creek produced 2.36 million ounces of silver in the second quarter, down from 2.41 million ounces in the 2022 quarter, and 16,351 ounces of gold, up from 12,413 ounces in the second quarter of last year. Hecla additionally declared a dividend of 0.00625 cents per share for the second quarter. Also in the second quarter, Hecla acquired ATAC Resources for $18.8 million in Hecla stock for more than 700 square miles of properties in the Yukon. Although Hecla isnt producing gold from properties in Nevada, it still has the Midas and Hollister exploration sites in Elko County, Fire Creek in Lander County, Aurora in Mineral County and Monte Cristo in Esmeralda County. Capital markets regulator Sebi on Wednesday halved the timeline for listing of shares on stock exchanges after the closure of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) to three days from six days at present. The new listing timeframe will be voluntary for all public issues opening on or after September 1 and mandatory for all the issues which come after December 1, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in a circular. The reduction in timelines for listing and trading of shares will benefit both issuers as well as investors. Issuers will have faster access to the capital raised thereby enhancing the ease of doing business and the investors will have the opportunity for having early credit and liquidity for their investment. It has been decided to reduce the time taken for listing of specified securities after the closure of public issue to three working days (T+3 days) as against the present requirement of 6 working days (T+6 days). T being issue closing date," Sebi said. The regulator said that the compensation to investors for the delay in unblocking of ASBA application money shall be computed from T+3 day. Sebi said that Registrar to an Issue would undertake third-party verification of the applications by matching the PAN available in the demat account with the PAN available in the bank account of the applicant. In instances of mismatch, such applications would continue to be considered invalid applications for finalising the basis of allotment. The move came after the board of Sebi approved a proposal in this regard in June. Last month, Sebi Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch also said the capital markets regulator is working on instant transaction settlement in the stock markets. She said India is the first major economy to move to T+1 for all shares and this is path-breaking. The Indian share market fully shifted to a shorter (T+1) trading cycle from January 27, making the country the first in the world to do so. Before that, the domestic equity market followed the T+2 settlement cycle, which means if you buy a share on Monday, it will be credited into your demat account on Wednesday (T+2). With the T+1 trading settlement system from January 27, investors will be able to get the shares in their demat accounts and sell them the next day (Tuesday, in this case). (With Inputs from PTI) UPSC civil services exam is considered one of the toughest exams due to its highly competitive level and rigorous preparation required to complete the syllabus. This exam is psychologically challenging as well and due to this reason, many candidates suffer from stress, anxiety and depression as well. Ram Sabbanwad cleared the UPSC civil services exam despite these problems and secured the 202nd rank. According to reports, Ram pursued an internship in Google, after completing his studies in engineering from Pune. He also pursued an MBA course in Public Administration. He told a portal that he could have chosen any career but decided to go for the IAS because of a life-changing incident. Ram said that he was ill for a long time during his job tenure in Pune. His blood platelet count was extremely low as well. He consulted a government hospital for the initial medical checkup and another hospital in Nanded for a blood test. He couldnt avail quality treatment in both hospitals. Ram was disappointed as the hospital in Nanded recommended him many unnecessary checkups. He decided to overhaul the system by becoming a civil service officer and started preparing for the UPSC exam. Ram took his first attempt for the UPSC in 2019 and reached the interview stage but failed to clear it. He tried for a second attempt in 2022 and finally cleared the examination with his relentless efforts. He has been appointed as the Assistant Collector in the Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh. It is part of the Saharanpur division. Ram had completed his schooling at Navodaya Vidyalaya and had to struggle a lot to get admission to this school as well. As per the reports, he hails from the Handarguli village, located in the Udgir Taluka of Latur district, Maharashtra. His father worked as a general store owner and his mother is a housewife. Ram also has a younger brother at home. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan have launched a special initiative called Transforming Lives, Building Futures: Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in the Northeast region. As part of the initiative, 2.5 lakhs youth will be provided with industry-relevant skill training programmes through a wide array of schemes and initiatives, including Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSS). The initiative has been launched along with G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Culture, Tourism & Development Of North Eastern Region (DoNER). The special initiative will include two lakh skill training under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), 30,000 apprenticeship engagements under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), 20,000 to be skilled under Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSS), Quality enhancement of ITIs under skill strengthening for industrial value enhancement (STRIVE), strengthening of polytechnics, special projects for the special needs of North-East region under SANKALP, and Skill India International Centre to promote overseas job opportunities. Pradhan said, India is undergoing a remarkable transformation into the global Skill Hub, and I take great pride in witnessing the NER effectively harnessing the array of emerging opportunities before it. Our overarching goal is to eradicate unemployment from Indias landscape, propelling us toward becoming a developed and self-reliant nation - an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. We persistently strive to empower the local youth of NER by instilling them with not only employability skills but also a resilient entrepreneurial mindset that seamlessly aligns with the ever-evolving demands of industries. With unwavering dedication, we are shaping a future where NERs youth are equipped to thrive. The inauguration of these skill-centric initiatives, as part of the special package for the NER, is destined to be a transformative and life-altering endeavour. I am glad to launch this special skill development and entrepreneurship initiative for our North-Eastern states. The initiative will transform lives and better prepare the #AmritPeedhi of our Ashtalakshmi states. A robust skill development mission is essential for turning Honble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modis vision for a developed India into reality. With a whole-of-a-govt approach, we are working to build capacities of our youth and make India the skill capital of the world, the minister further added. The government has earmarked 360 crores to facilitate inclusive development, nurture entrepreneurial talent, and propel the socio-economic growth of the region, states the official press release. Vocational education and skill development programmes will be offered to cater to the demand for skilled professionals across agriculture, tourism, handicrafts, and information technology sectors. Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, who is now a nominated member in Rajya Sabha, in his maiden speech in the Parliament on August 7 spoke on the Basic Structure Doctrine that was formulated by the Supreme Court in the year 1973 and is considered as pinnacle of judicial creativity. Speaking in the upper house Gogoi said, There is a book by (former Solicitor-General of India) Andhyarujina on the Kesavananda Bharati case. Having read the book, my view is that the doctrine of the basic structure of the Constitution has a debatable, very debatable jurisprudential basis. I would not say anything more than this. ALSO READ | What is the Basic Structure of Constitution That Ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi Opposed in Parliament His remarks attracted sharp criticism from the opposition parties, however, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud reacting to Gogois comment said that once judges demit office, whatever they say is just opinion and is not binding. Gogois comments have yet again ignited a historical debate over the Basic Structure Doctrine and the finality it provided to the judiciary in terms of interpreting the constitution. Kesavananda Bharati and Ors v State of Kerala The judgment was delivered on 24 April 1973, by a bench of the Supreme Court consisting of 13 judges, the largest-ever bench to sit so far, after five long months of regular hearings. The judgment ran into 800 pages and was named the longest appellate decision of the last century. The 13 judges on the bench included Chief Justice SM Sikri, Justices AN Grover, AN Ray, DG Palekar, HR Khanna, JM Shelat, KK Mathew, KS Hegde, MH Beg, P Jaganmohan Reddy, SN Dwivedi, YV Chandrachud and BK Mukherjea. VIDEO | "The law doesn't appear to be arbitrary. In my respectful submission, the bill is perfectly valid," says Rajya Sabha MP Ranjan Gogoi on the Delhi services bill.(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/CW0PeHOUtY Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 7, 2023 It also witnessed the engagement of biggest legal luminaries like NA Palkhivala, HM Seervai and Niren De and the fact makes it the most important case of Independent India. Thirteen judges delivered eleven separate opinions and what came to be called statement by nine of them. Basic Structure Doctrine The case is considered a unique case in the history of international constitutional law as it formulated the Basic Structure Doctrine that gave immense power of judicial review to the Supreme Court. The supreme court while holding that Parliament is constitutionally empowered to abridge or take away any of the fundamental rights, created a rider. It created a litmus test for any law, even the constitutional amendment passed by the parliament to ascertain its validity. And that litmus is known as the Basic Structure Doctrine. By formulating the doctrine of basic structure, the apex court could post 24 April 1973, review and strike down any law passed by the parliament, even the constitutional amendment, if found to be violating the basic spirit and ethos of the constitution of India. In its over 800-page judgment with a thin majority of 7:6, the apex court held that Parliament could amend any part of the Constitution so long as it did not alter or amend the basic structure or essential features of the Constitution. What constitutes Basic Structure Through different cases, the judiciary has created a list of features that constitutes the basic structure. The first major case where the doctrine of basic structure was applied was Indira Nehru Gandhi vs Shri Raj Narain. In this case, the apex court held the 39th Amendment to the Constitution as unconstitutional. Through this amendment, the election disputes related to the office of prime minister were made immune to judicial review. Since then, hundreds of cases where the supreme court has struck down a law or constitutional amendments as it violated the basic structure of the Constitution. M Laxmikantha in his book Indian Polity provides an elaborate list of cases and the basic features that emanate from them. Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) Supremacy of the Constitution Separation of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary Republic and democratic form of government Secular character of the constitution Federal character of the constitution Sovereignty and unity of India Freedom and dignity of the individual Mandate to build a welfare state Parliamentary System Indira Nehru Gandhi case (1975) India as a sovereign democratic republic Equality of status and opportunity of an individual Secularism and freedom of conscience and religion Government of laws and not of men (i.e., Rule of Law) Judicial review Free and fair elections which is implied in democracy Minerva Mills case (1980) - Limited power of Parliament to amend the constitution - Judicial review - Harmony and balance between fundamental rights and directive principles Central Coal Fields Ltd case (1980) - Effective access to justice Bhim Singhji Case (1981) - Welfare State (Socio-economic justice) SP Sampath Kumar Case - Rule of law (1987) - Judicial review P Sambamurthy Case - Rule of law (1987) - Judicial review Delhi Judicial Service Powers of the Supreme Association Case (1991) - Powers of the Court under Articles 32, 136, 141 and 142 Indra Sawhney Case (popularly known as the Mandal Case (1992) - Rule of law Kumar Padma Prasad Case (1992) - Independence of Judiciary Kihoto Hollohon Case (1993) (popularly known as the Defection Case) - Free and fair elections - Sovereign, democratic, republican structure Raghunath Rao Case (1993) - Principle of equality - Unity and integrity of India SR Bommai Case (1994) Federalism Secularism Democracy Unity and integrity of the nation Social justice Judicial review L Chandra Kumar Case - Powers of the High Courts (1997) under Articles 226 and 227 Indra Sawhney II Case - Principle of equality (2000) All India Judges Association Case (2002) - Independent judicial system Kuldip Nayar Case (2006) - Democracy - Free and fair elections M. Nagaraj Case (2006) - Principle of equality IR Coelho Case (2007) (popularly known as IX Schedule Case) - Rule of law - Separation of powers - Principles (or essence) underlying fundamental rights - Judicial review - Principle of equality Ram Jethmalani Case (2011) - Powers of the Supreme Court under Article 32 Namit Sharma Case (2013) - Freedom and Dignity of the Individual Madras Bar Association Case (2014) - Judicial review Case - Powers of the High Courts under Articles 226 and 227 NASA has recently discovered a mysterious question mark shining among the stars throwing up more questions than answers about the space. The giant cosmic question mark was discovered in a high-resolution infrared image captured by James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and released on June 26. The image provides a detailed look at a pair of actively forming stars named Herbig-Haro 46-47 located 1,470 light-years from Earth in the Vela Constellation, according to Space. The stars are buried deeply, appearing as an orange-white splotch. They are surrounded by a disk of gas and dust that continues to add to their mass, according to NASA. What is the Giant Question Mark? Days after the mysterious object was discovered in the image, scientists werent clear about the objects origins and structure. Some believed that the distorted shape and red colour could be a distant galaxy or a pair of interacting galaxies. 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 told Space. According to reports, it may be the first time that the astronomers have spotted a cosmic question mark. The red colour of the object indicated that that whatever the object is, it is likely very far. This may be the first time weve seen this particular object. Additional follow-up would be required to figure out what it is with any certainty. Webb is showing us many new, distant galaxiesso theres a lot of new science to be done!" the scientists added. Mark Caplan, an assistant professor of physics at Illinois State University, said the two distinct features could be merging galaxies in the background. The very first thing you can rule out is that its a star in the Milky Way. Stars always have these really big spikes, and thats because stars are point-like. Its called diffraction from basically the edges of the mirrors and the struts that support the sort of camera in the middle, Caplan said, according to CNN. However, he said that if you look closely, It tells you immediately that its not a star. He added that the distinct upper part of the object could be part of a larger galaxy getting tidally disrupted. According to Christopher Britt, education and outreach scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute, it could be a merger of two galaxies that, at probably billions of light-years away. There are many, many galaxies outside of our own Milky Way. This looks like the kind of thing that you get fairly frequently as galaxies grow and evolve over cosmic time which is that they sometimes collide with their near neighbours, he added. About James Webb Telescope Ever since the James Webb Telescope was launched by NASA in December 2021, it has been showing objects at astonishing distances from Earth. It has been designed to answer outstanding questions about the Universe and to make breakthrough discoveries in all fields of astronomy, the European Space Agency said in their website. It was launched on an Ariane 5 from Europes Spaceport in French Guiana on the Christmas of 2021. Its high-resolution near-infra-red imaging allows it to peer into the far reaches of the universe, spotting galaxies as distant as 13.4 million light-years away. It can see infrared light that is invisible to the human eye. It has helped to show that the galaxies in the first billion years of the universe were more active than previously thought, forming lots of stars in big bursts, according to The New Yorker. NASA scientists have said that the telescope has performed not only better than requirements but better than we could have possibly dreamed. Previous Question Marks in Space This isnt the first instance when a cosmic question mark has been spotted in the space. Earlier in October 2021, NASA released an image of a huge cosmic question mark NGC 7822 lies about 3,000 light-years away. The latest question mark discovered while capturing Herbig-Haro 46 and 47 is only 1,470 light-years far. The NGC 7822 was found in the northern constellation Cepheus, not far from the north celestial pole. The question mark appears reddish because its mostly hydrogen, which glows red when nearby stars energize it with ultraviolet light. 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. Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, a nominated member in Rajya Sabha, said on Monday (August 7) that the basic structure of the Constitution has a very debatable jurisprudential basis. Gogoi, who was nominated to the Parliaments upper house in March 2020, made the remarks on the basic structure doctrine during his maiden speech where he voiced his support to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill. The remark has caused an uproar with a Congress leader expressing his shock over the comment. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal wondered whether it was a ruling BJPs trick to begin the full-fledged dismantling of the Constitution. The debate over the basic structure is a long one and addresses a fundamental question- does Parliament have unlimited power to amend the Constitution or is it subject to limitations? The concept of basic structure came into existence in the landmark judgment in Kesavananda Bharati vs State of Kerala case in 1973. What is Kesavananda Bharati Case? In Kesavananda Bharati case, the petitioners sought relief against the Kerala government vis-a-vis two state land reform laws, which imposed restrictions on the management of religious property. The case was challenged under Article 26 of the Fundamental Laws, concerning the right to manage religiously owned property without government interference. The Supreme Court convened the largest-ever bench of 13 judges and addressed the fundamental question- Was Parliaments power to amend the Constitution limitless? The Kesavananda Bharati judgment ruled that the Parliament cannot use its constituent power to alter the basic structure of the Constitution of India. It held that the basic structure of the Indian Constitution could not be abrogated even through a constitutional amendment. The Parliament said cannot cease to be a creature of the Constitution and become its master. A Constitution is a living system. But just as in a living, organic system, such as the human body, (where) various organs develop and decay, yet the basic structure or pattern remains the same with each of the organs having its proper function, so also in a Constitutional system the basic institutional pattern remains even though the different component parts may undergo significant alterations. For it is the characteristic of a system that it perishes when one of its essential component parts is destroyed, the Supreme Court stated in the 703-page Kesavananda Bharati verdict on April 24, 1973. Several other cases including the Indira Gandhi vs Raj Narain case (1975), Minerva Mills Case (1980) and Waman Rao Case (1981) strengthened and reiterated the basic structure of the constitution. Basic Structure of the Constitution The Article 368 grants the power to the Parliament to amend laws whenever necessary and lays down the procedure in detail. As a result, after the Constitution was adopted in 1950, several crucial fundamental rights like the rights to property and free speech and expression were heavily diluted in the First Amendment. The term basic structure doctrine was coined in 1973 and it is one of the fundamental judicial principles to ensure that the power of amendment is not misused by Parliament. Though the basic structure doctrine is not defined in the Constitution, it holds that there is a basic structure to the Indian Constitution and the Parliament cannot amend it. In other words, the Parliaments cannot amend the laws which govern the rules of the Parliament and the principles feature of the Constitution. As per the Supreme Court, the basic structure constitutes the following elements: The supremacy of the Constitution Republican and Democratic forms of Government Secular character of the Constitution Separation of powers between the legislature, executive and the Judiciary Federal structure Is the Debate on the Basic Structure New? There have been several debates before and after the Kesavananda Bharati judgment over the basic structure doctrine and what constitutes it. Earlier in January this year, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar questioned the landmark verdict saying it set a bad precedent and if any authority questions Parliaments power to amend the Constitution, it would be difficult to say we are a democratic nation. Dhankhar said he does not subscribe to the Kesavananda Bharati case ruling that Parliament can amend the Constitution but not its basic structure. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud in response compared the basic structure of the Constitution to the North Star, an unfailing guide which shows the way when the path appears convoluted. The Karnataka government has banned unauthorised flexes and banners in Bengaluru. From August 15, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will charge a fine of Rs 50,000 on every unauthorised hoarding erected in the city. Citing that Karnataka High Court order, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the state government will fully back the civic body to ensure offenders pay, even if it is his or the chief ministers supporters. We will enforce the ban strictly. All types of hoardings, including those put up by political leaders or any other individuals, will be removed in the next two to three days. Whoever violates the order, the BBMP will slap a penalty of Rs 50,000 for each offence, starting August 15," a report in Deccan Herald quoted Shivakumar as saying on Tuesday. According to the DH report, the BBMP had banned all types of hoardings in 2018, but it struggled to implement the rule due to lack of political will. During a recent hearing, the high court had taken the officials to task for going soft on the offenders. The court had also expressed shock that the civic body did not fine those who had illegally erected hoardings, the report stated. The Bengaluru civic body has 59,413 illegal hoardings reportedly at its own cost. However, it filed First Information Reports (FIRs) against 40 offenders even though it received close to 134 complaints. The DH report quoted Shivakumar as saying that hoardings with birthday wishes, obituaries, greetings and those advertising social and religious programmes are also banned. According to the report, Shivakumar said the state government is working on a policy to allow the display of hoardings legally. We will draw up a policy earmarking certain places in the city for displaying hoardings legally. It is inevitable. The area and size of these hoardings will also be determined. Till then, the BBMP will file FIRs against all those who put up buntings or flexes," he was quoted. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has opted to lift the previously imposed 10 percent water cut in the city, its suburbs, and portions of the adjoining Thane district. This decision has been made due to a satisfactory increase in water reserves within reservoirs, as conveyed by an official on Tuesday. As indicated by a statement released by the civic authority, the reservoirs supplying water to the city now hold over 80 percent of their capacity. This substantial rise is attributed to substantial rainfall in the catchment areas during the past month. In response to dwindling water levels stemming from inadequate rainfall in the lakes catchment regions, the civic body had instituted a 10 percent water cut from July 1. The reservoirs now have 80 per cent useful water stock, and hence, the civic body has decided to withdraw the 10 per cent water cut from August 9, the statement said. However, the BMC said that it will take a decision on water cut again if rainfall is inadequate in August and September. Seven reservoirs Bhatsa, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Tansa, Modak Sagar, Vihar and Tulsi located in Mumbai, Thane and Nashik districts of Maharashtra require 14 lakh 47 thousand 363 million litres of useful water stock to supply water to Mumbai. The former chief minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, was discharged from a hospital on Wednesday after 11 days of treatment. The 79-year-old was admitted to a private hospital on July 29 with a lower respiratory tract infection and Type 2 respiratory failure. After his discharge, he was taken to his Palm Avenue residence in an ambulance with BIPAP facilities and the necessary support he required at the moment, a senior doctor said. Bhattacharya will, however, be on medical support at home under the supervision of a team of doctors from the hospital. His medical condition is fine. However, he will be on BIPAP and other necessary oxygen support at home. Our team of doctors will keep on monitoring his condition for some time," the doctor said. Bhattacharya, who has been suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and other age-related ailments, was rushed to the hospital on July 29. The Left leader took over as the chief minister of West Bengal in 2000 from party senior Jyoti Basu. He remained in the post till 2011, handling a tenure marked by agitations over the acquisition of land for industries led by present Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Bhattacharya lost the 2011 assembly election to Banerjees TMC and the CPI(M)-led Left Fronts 34-year-long rule in the state came to an end that year. Over the last few years, he has stayed away from the public glare due to his deteriorating health and remained confined to his two-room government apartment. Bhattacharya stepped down from the CPI(M) politburo and central committee in 2015 and gave up membership in the partys state secretariat in 2018. He was last seen in public when he surprised party workers by arriving unannounced at the Lefts rally at Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with oxygen support. Starting Wednesday, Mumbai will not face water cuts, as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) revoked the 10 per cent water cut, which was imposed amid shortage. After a good monsoon, the water stock in the seven reservoirs supplying water to the financial capital of the country was at 81.72 per cent till 6 am on Wednesday. The civic body said that it hopes for a good monsoon in the coming two months too. ALSO READ | Mumbai Smashes Rainfall Records with 1,557.8 mm in Wettest July Due to a good rainfall in July, there has been a satisfactory increase in water storage in all lake areas supplying water to the citizens of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation area. The same situation is expected to continue in August and September 2023. Keeping this in mind, the 10 percent water reduction implemented by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is being canceled from Wednesday, August 9, 2023, a press statement issued by the BMC stated. During this monsoon season, initially the water supply in the lake area which supplies water to Mumbai, was reduced due to less rainfall. Keeping that situation in mind, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation administration had decided to reduce the water supply of Mumbai by 10 per cent from July 1, 2023, it stated further. The seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai are Upper Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Hindu Hrudayasamrat Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray Middle Vaitarna Reservoir, Bhatsa, Vihar and Tulsi. Of these, Tulsi and Vihar are 100 per cent full. Modak Sagar has reported 99.90 per cent water storage, Tansa stands at 99.34 per cent, Middle Vaitarna at 96.48 per cent. Bhatsa is over 75 per cent full. However, if any adverse situation arises in August and September 2023, the municipal administration is informing that appropriate decision will be taken accordingly. Even though there is enough water storage in the lake area, the municipal administration is also making a humble request that the citizens should use water carefully, the BMC said. Department 1 Judge Kriston HillAug. 4Steven Andrew Gomez, 40, pleaded no contest to attempted receiving, possessing or withholding a stolen firearm was sentenced to 12 to 30 months in prison. Department 2 Judge Al KacinAug. 1 Taylor Marie Brummet, 30, pleaded no contest to receiving, processing or withholding stolen goods and was sentenced to 16 to 48 months in prison. Jeffery Allen Gonzales, 35, pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit possession of a controlled substance, was given a suspended sentence of 180 days in jail and was placed on probation for one year. Joel Steven Varnum, 52, pleaded no contest to receiving, possessing or withholding stolen goods, was given a suspended sentence of 32 to 96 months in prison, was ordered to pay $5,900 restitution to the victims and was placed on probation for three years. Aug. 2Tamara Jean Reese, 60, pleaded no contest to possession of a Schedule I or II controlled substance, was given a suspended sentence of 12 to 36 months in prison and was placed on probation for 18 months. Department 3 Judge Mason SimonsJuly 31Monica Dawn Blauer, 27, pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit fraudulent use of a credit card illegally possessed and was sentenced to 180 days in jail. Felicia Candace April Demore, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit fraudulent use of a credit card and was sentenced to 270 days in jail. Indelisa Mejia, 52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit embezzlement, was given a suspended sentence of 90 days in jail and was placed on probation for one year. Aug. 2 Dylan Allen Davis, 29, pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 120 days in jail. Aug. 8Jose Del Carmen Partida Celiz, 39, pleaded no contest to attempted grand larceny and was sentenced to 185 days in jail. Kristin Gene Lyle, 35, pleaded no contest to conspiracy to violate the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, was given a suspended sentence of 24 to 60 months in prison and was placed on probation for two years. Richard Kyle Alexander Martinez, 28, pleaded guilty to grand larceny of a motor vehicle and was sentenced to 24 to 60 months in prison and was ordered to pay $970 restitution to the victim and pay $308.88 to the Nevada Attorney Generals Office. Jason Roy Painter, 46, pleaded guilty to coercion constituting domestic violence, was given a suspended sentence of 12 to 30 months in prison and was placed on probation for three years. Brianne Megan Ramser, 36, pleaded guilty to possession of a Schedule I or II controlled substance, was given a suspended sentence of 12 to 30 months in prison and was placed on probation for 18 months Eric William Whitney, 31, pleaded no contest to possession of a Schedule I or II controlled substance less than 14 grams, was given a suspended sentence of 19 to 48 months in prison and was placed on probation for two years. Chancy Kenneth Thomas Yates, 29, pleaded no contest to one count of escape and one count of resisting a public officer with use of a dangerous weapon other than a firearm and was sentenced to 67 to 168 months in prison. Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday held talks with a delegation of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) in Delhi. The meeting was held as a follow-up of the appeal issued by the Government of India on August 3 to amicably resolve the issue of the burial of the mortal remains of the victims of the violence in Manipur. According to sources, following a request from ITLF leaders, Shah decided to give the governments sericulture farm for the burial of the remains. They added that the government asked the delegation not to insist on carrying out the last rites at the same venue, which falls within the conflict zone, and identify an alternate location in consultation with the deputy commissioner of Churachandpur district and perform the burials at the earliest. The delegation assured that in view of the request by the minister, they would finalise an alternate location in consultation with the people. Sources also said that Shah assured the ITLF representatives that the presence of central forces in Manipur will be further strengthened and reoriented to secure vulnerable areas in view of the apprehensions of the residents of the Hills. The state forces will operate under the directions of the state security adviser and in conjunction with the central forces in the Hill areas, they added. According to the sources, Shah also stated that necessary arrangements will be made to facilitate the identification and transportation of bodies of victims of the violence lying in Imphal to their respective hometowns. They added that the government also assured to facilitate the early initiation of helicopter services for the residents of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Moreh to their preferred destinations. Necessary steps will be taken to allow students to enrol in colleges in hill areas, transfer to universities outside the state, and open student facilitation centres of Manipur, they said. Assurances have also been given that the three-member Justice Lamba Commission investigating the Manipur violence will have an office in Churachandpur, and that the condition of prisoners will be monitored, said the sources. Ginza Vualzong, spokesperson of ITLF, told News 18, Solution to our political demand seems to be far as the home minister insists on peace to prevail before the process starts. There is no question of a Brexit-like referendum on abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday, as it grappled with the question as to whether its repeal was constitutionally legal. India, it said, is a constitutional democracy where the will of its people can be ascertained only through established institutions. Brexit was the name given to the United Kingdoms departure from the European Union. Britains exit from the EU was actuated by a rise in nationalistic fervour, daunting immigration issues, and a distressed economy. The remark by the five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud came following the submission by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, was a political act like Brexit where the opinion of British citizens was elicited through a referendum. This was not the case when Article 370 was repealed on August 5, 2019, he said. Sibal was appearing for National Conference leader Mohd Akbar Lone, who has challenged the abrogation of Article 370. The Parliament accorded its approval to the executive act to unilaterally change the provision of the Constitution as applicable to Jammu and Kashmir. Thats the central question this court has to decide whether the Union of India could do it, he said. Sibal has repeatedly questioned Parliaments power to abrogate Article 370 in the absence of the constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir. He has persistently maintained that only the constituent assembly, whose term expired in 1957, was vested with the power to recommend repeal or modification of Article 370, and since it ceased to exist after 1957, the constitutional provision according special status to J&K, assumed a permanent character. During the third-day of the hearing on the pleas challenging the Centres August 2019 decision, Sibal repeated his contention before the bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and Surya Kant. This court will remember Brexit. In Brexit, there was no constitutional provision (in England) seeking a referendum. But, when you want to sever a relationship which has been entered into, you must ultimately seek the opinion of the people because people are at the centre of this decision not the Union of India, Sibal asserted. CJI Chandrachud was, however, not impressed. In a constitutional democracy, seeking the opinion of people has to be done through established institutions. So long as a democracy exists as it does, in terms of constitutional democracy, any recourse to the will of the people has to be expressed and sought through established institutions. You cannot therefore envisage a situation like Brexit type referendum, he told Sibal. He concurred with Sibals view that Brexit was a political decision but said, Within a Constitution like us there is no question of referendum. Sibal said the repeal was a political decision taken unilaterally by the executive and it cannot be called a decision that was in consonance with the Constitution. Sibal, who argued through the day, said whether Article 370 was a temporary or permanent provision does not matter now. He said the ultimate question is whether the Union of India can terminate that relationship which was constitutionally recognised under Article 370. It is irrelevant. Temporary or permanent does not matter. The manner it was done is a fraud upon the Constitution. It is a politically motivated act. Executive orders are political acts not constitutional acts. Permanent or temporary at the moment is not the issue. The reason why I am saying this is because maybe there is a constitutional way of doing it. Though, I am not addressing that (issue) nor have they (Centre) resorted to constitutional methodology. If they resort to it, it will be tested in the court of law, Sibal said. Sibal has been insisting that Parliament could not have assumed the role of the constituent assembly to repeal Article 370. He questioned the Centres decision of dividing the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories and said the Constitution did not allow it. You cannot divide Madhya Pradesh or Bihar into two union territories. This is a representative form of democracy. In this case, where are the voices of people of Jammu and Kashmir? Where is the voice of representative democracy? Five years have passedhave you had any form of representative democracy? This way the whole of India can be converted into Union Territories, he said. Sibal said though the Constitution is a political document, one cannot manoeuvre or manipulate it as courts are not silent. Thats not how you interpret a Constitution. It is a political document but you cannot misuse it politically. What is a Constitution? Its a set of values. Values on the basis of which people will represent themselves and their voice will be heard. If you do such executive acts and silence the voices of people, what is left of democracy? All I can say is that this is the historic moment, historic not for the present but for the future of India. And I hope this court is not silent, Sibal said while concluding his arguments. The hearing remained inconclusive and will continue on Wednesday when senior advocate Gopal Subramanian will advance his arguments for the petitioners. Several petitions challenging abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which split the erstwhile state into two union territories Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh- were referred to a Constitution bench in 2019. Speaking on a viral video of women paraded naked and raped in Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, The video is from the 4th of May incident. Such actions cannot be supported anywhere in the world. Media friends pointed at me and asked if the video should be handed over to the police. Why did it emerge a day before the parliamentary session? Nine people were identified, arrested, and are facing trial since the video came to light. I was there for three days and nights, while Nityanand ji was present for 23 days. A commission has been appointed to investigate this. A buffer zone has been established. A unified command has been instituted. Six cases were with the CBI, and 11 more cases have been handed over to the CBI. Rice and medical teams were provided. Online education has commenced. Ninety-eight percent of schools are open, with 80% attendance, explained Amit Shah. Mahatma Gandhis great-grandson Tushar Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that was was detained by the Mumbai Police as he left his house to commemorate Quit India Day. He was later allowed to leave the Santa Cruz Police Station, after which he proceeded to August Kranti Maidan to pay respects to the day and its martyrs. Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said, for the first time in history of Independent India, I have been detained at Santa Cruz Police Station as I left home to commemorate 9th August Quit India Day." I am proud my Great Grandparents Bapu and Ba had also been arrested by the British Police on the historic date," he added. For the first time in history of Indipendent India I have been detained at Santa Cruz Police Station as I left home to commemorate 9th August Quit India Day. I am proud My Great Grandparents Bapu and Ba had also been arrested by the British Police on the historic date. Tushar GANDHI (@TusharG) August 9, 2023 Gandhi added that as soon as he will be permitted to leave, he will definitely commemorate August Kranti Din and its martyrs. Now being allowed to go. Proceeding to August Kranti Maidan. Inqilab Zindabad," he wrote in another tweet. This comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday recalled the Quit India movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi on August 9, 1942, and said India is now speaking in one voice against corruption, dynasticism, and appeasement". The prime minister took to Twitter and wrote, Tributes to the greats who took part in the Quit India Movement. Under the leadership of Gandhi Ji, this Movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial rule." The Bharat Chhodo Andolan or Quit India movement was started on August 8, 1942. The All India Congress Committee under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi decided to launch this movement at the Bombay session. It was during this time that the famous slogan Do or die was given by Bapu. Although the movement was suppressed by 1944, it played an important role in uniting the common people across the country against British rule. Read more on its history and significance here The resolution of the Quit India movement was passed by the congress leaders on August 8, 1942 as the Mumbai session, following the failure of the Cripps Mission. Based on this resolution, the Bharat Chhodo Andolan marked the beginning of a large-scale non-violent mass struggle for the countrys independence. With heavy rain impacting apple production and transportation in a big way, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday that orchard owners would be given higher compensation even as a comprehensive assessment of the damage caused to them is underway. The CM, who is on a two-day visit to disaster-hit areas of upper Shimla, said that the state government had increased the compensation amount by up to 10 times by amending the relief manual and the money would be disbursed in accordance with the new guidelines. Sukhu presided over a meeting of officials to review the ongoing rehabilitation and restoration efforts at Rohru. The chief minister directed officials to prepare a comprehensive strategy for opening all roads in the Rohru assembly segment by August 15. He also analysed reports of losses suffered by the Public Works, Jal Shakti, Electricity, Horticulture, and Agriculture departments, besides damage caused to private property. The CM announced an immediate allocation of Rs 1 crore to the Public Works Department to expedite the road restoration work in the Rohru constituency. He directed officials to release an additional amount of Rs 1.20 crore for the restoration of damaged roads in Rohru, Chauhara, Jubbal, and Kotkhai development blocks. Sukhu emphasised on unimpeded transportation of apple produce to markets and directed officials to work round the clock to facilitate farmers and horticulturalists. At least 34 houses were completely destroyed and 819 were partially damaged due to heavy rain in the Rohru constituency. Besides, 137 cow shelters and around 21,000 apple plants were also damaged. The chief minister also visited the Rampur and Theog assembly constituencies to take stock of the situation there. The CMs tour to disaster-hit areas comes at a time when the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has accused his government of not reacting in time to the rain havoc. The BJP has demanded that the government convene the monsoon session of the Vidhan Sabha immediately so that the situation arising out of the damage caused due to heavy rain and floods can be reviewed. State BJP vice-president Virender Kanwar accused the Congress government of running away from holding the assembly session. Heavy rain, floods, and cloudbursts have caused immense damage and the life of people remains disrupted with national highways and other roads still blocked. There is an urgent need for a free discussion on the unprecedented situation and so it is appropriate that the session is convened, he said. Kanwar said that the monsoon session would give an opportunity for all legislators to raise issues concerning their constituencies and present a clear picture of the damage suffered. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has told a Parliament committee that the Raisina Dialogue is now among the most significant global level think tank events in the world and it was Prime Minister Narendra Modis presence at the event in 2016 which transformed it. We have a platform which today rivals any other international conference. Today, Raisina Dialogue is a permanent fixture in the international calendar for any think tanker you ask for. For any opinion global-maker you want, they all want to come for Raisina Dialogue. They want to come in large numbers, the foreign secretary told the committee, whose report was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday. Since 2015, this annual event is held by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), which is an independent think tank. Kwatra told the committee that the government works with ORF because they do invite political leadership to their conferences. That is where the synergy between ORF and the government plays out, he said. How PM Modis Presence Transformed it The foreign secretary added that one thing that actually transformed the journey was when Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended and spoke at the Raisina Dialogue in 2016. Kwatra said after that, the entire attention, the entire framework and reference point of Raisina Dialogue changed. He pointed out to the humble beginning in 2015, when the event had a sum total of only 100 people in the room, but within a short period of eight years, today, is a centre piece of global think tank deliberations. It is a go-to place. It is a permanent fixture now in the international calendar for any think tanker for any speaker of repute to be on. There was a time when we used to look for sponsors for the Raisina Dialogue. Today, sponsors fight with each other to come to Raisina Dialogue. Such has been the nature of transformation, the foreign secretary said. Reflect Indian View Kwatra said it was a very conscious decision that the Raisina Dialogue will become the global benchmark to reflect Indian thinking. So, with regard to anything happening in the world, what is the Indian point of view in that situation, the ORF Conference, the Raisina Dialogue should reflect that, the foreign secretary told the committee. He said since 2014, the country has focused on the creation of India-centric thinking, India-centric think tanks, and based on that, the India-centric conferences. The idea is that the world outside should know what I think; not just know, appreciate what I think; accept that this is one of the things which is out there, and this was done through the Raisina Dialogue, Kwatra told the committee. The foreign secretary also said if one looks at the list of sponsors which Raisina Dialogue puts out when they do it, you will find the entire world is a co-sponsor to that Dialogue, and added that at some point, there is a degree of critical appraisal of governments foreign policy. How Big Raisina Dialogue has Become The Raisina Dialogue, which took place earlier in March this year, saw the presence of the Prime Minister of Italy and at least 30 foreign ministers. We saw representation and delegations from over 100 countries which participated in the Raisina Dialogue in March 2023, the foreign secretary said. He explained how the Raisina Dialogue had, for example, at least easily 40 to 50 domains that were addressed over a span of 48 hours. Sessions would start at 8 oclock in the morning and would go on till midnight. There was a session, which is most popular there, which is discussion over Kahwa which is after dinner you sit down at 10:30 and go on till well past midnight is one of the most popular proceedings. The four flagship annual conferences supported by the foreign ministry are the Raisina Dialogue (in partnership with Observer Research foundation), Asia Economic Dialogue (in partnership with Pune International Centre), Global Technology Summit (in partnership with Carnegie India) and Indian Ocean Conference (in partnership with India Foundation). No interference by strangers (third parties) is permissible in criminal matters, argued the central government on Wednesday while opposing the maintainability of the PILs filed before the Supreme Court challenging the early release of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case. The convicts were released in August last year after a Gujarat government panel approved their application for remission of their life sentence. A third party can never have a say. No third party or strangers interference in criminal matters is permissible in the garb of a PIL. No indulgence in the present matter at the instance of so-called public-spirited individuals is warranted," said additional solicitor general SV Raju appearing for the Centre and Gujarat government. The ASG further told the court that remission is nothing but the reduction of sentence and on the issue of sentence, there cannot be a PIL. Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra appearing for the convicts also weighed in with the submissions of the Centre and further argued that there cant be third-party elements once the victim is present. The hearing in the matter would continue on Thursday and the petitioners would respond to the government and convicts on the maintainability of the PILs. The case is being heard by a division bench led by Justice BV Nagarathna. While senior advocate Siddharth Luthra and advocate Rishi Malhotra argued on behalf of the convicts, the additional solicitor general appearing for the state of Gujarat also supported the opposition on behalf of the convicts to the maintainability of the PILs. Kannada actor-director Vijay Raghvendras wife Spandana breathed her last recently, at the age of 45. As per reports, she travelled to Thailand for a vacation. Thats when she suffered from a heart attack. Renowned celebrities are now extending their heartfelt condolences to her family members. Recently, actress Priyanka Upendra paid tribute to Spandana. She has worked with Vijay Raghvendra on a reality show. Priyanka spoke to the media with tears in her eyes. She said, We couldnt believe it for three days in a row. Our ( her and Vijay Raghvendras family) connection became much stronger after we moved to Sadashiva Nagar. Raghu (Vijay Raghvendra) used to come to all the events at our house; we were really close. Lets hope his family finds the strength they need during this tough period." Director Tharun Sudhir also paid his final respect to Spandana one last time. He has been there to support Vijay Raghavendra during this tough period. Tharun talked about Spandana and how she used to take care of everyone during filming, by making and serving food. He added that her son Shaurya, as well as Raghu depended a lot on Spandana. People from the film fraternity are extending their prayers to Spandanas family. Actor Srujan Lokeshs family, actress Anushree, director Akash Srivatsa, cinematographer-director Vikram Suri, actress Sudharani, veteran actor Srinath, veteran actress Girija Lokesh, and many other important people from the film industry paid their last respect to Spandana. Spandana is the daughter of retired police officer B K Shivaram. The couple tied the wedding knot in 2007 and are parents to a son. Spandanas mortal remains were brought to Bangalore airport from Bangkok, and her family was present to receive it. Subsequently, her remains were taken to her ancestral home in Malleswaram. Arrangements were made for people to pay their final respects. Aditya Roy Kapur recently became the talk of the town after he was spotted vacationing in Spain with his rumoured partner Ananya Panday. Pictures and videos of the duo spending quality time in the beautiful foreign location flooded the internet. After his return from the holiday destination, Aditya was recently spotted on the streets of Mumbai, entering a building premise to attend an undisclosed and perhaps intimate event. But what arrested the attention of social media users was the actors dressing style which bore a striking resemblance to his Aashiqui 2 character Rahul Jaykar. A video of Aditya Roy Kapur heading towards the building in Mumbai was dropped on Instagram by celebrity photographer Viral Bhayani on Instagram. Aditya Roy Kapur is back in Rahul Jaykar look. Giving all a nostalgic vibe Aditya Roy Kapoor is dressed up as Rahul Jaykar for an event in Mumbai, read the caption. The actor was dressed in an all-black ensemble, comprising a tee and faded charcoal denim jeans. He also sported a beanie of the same hue. A pair of black-rimmed sunglasses accentuated his casual avatar further. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) Aditya Roy Kapur rounded off his look with a simple wristwatch slipping into red-and-white sneakers. As soon as the actor stepped out from his vehicle, he was greeted warmly by his sea of fans. He posed for photographs quite patiently, flashing his beaming smile. Before entering the building, he waved at the shutterbugs too. Aditya Roy Kapurs well-dressed outfit had an uncanny similarity with his look from Aashiqui 2 where he essayed the character of Rahul Jaykar. Directed collaboratively by Anurag Basu and Mohit Suri, the romantic musical took the actor to overnight fame. He played the role of a singing sensation whose career took a downfall due to his own shortcomings. The film also starred Shraddha Kapoor as the female lead. Now, Anurag Basu will be directing the third segment of the Aashiqui franchise, titled Aashiqui 3. While Kartik Aaryan will be replacing Aditya, the female lead is yet to be announced. On the work front, Aditya Roy Kapur has been roped in for Anurag Basus upcoming romance drama Metro In Dino. According to reports, the film is expected to release in March 2024. Mahesh Babu, fondly known as Prince by his devoted fans, is celebrating his 48th birthday today. He has entertained the audience for a long time now with his memorable films, replete with fiery action sequences and interesting storylines. Mahesh Babu also dominated the limelight for his love story with actress and wife Namrata Shirodkar. They dont fail to paint the tinsel town red with their romantic pictures and set the couples goals high for their followers. This space articulates their love story that turned into a happy marriage as well. The two met each other for the first time in 2000 at the mahurat of their film Vamsi directed by Gopal B. It was love at first sight for both actors, but they did not profess their love at that time. The two spent some quality time on the sets of Vamsi and it is rumoured that they had begun dating each other by the end of the Vamsis shooting. Coincidentally, Vamsis plot also revolved around a love story between the characters of Mahesh (Vamsee) and Namrata (Shilpaa). Mahesh is 4 years younger than his wife Namrata and thats why was slightly apprehensive to talk to his family regarding this topic. He was head over heels in love with the Vaastav: The Reality actress and managed to convince his family somehow. Eventually, they tied the nuptial knot on February 10, 2005, in a close-knit ceremony attended by their family members, friends, and well-wishers. Namrata also bid adieu to the film industry after the marriage as Mahesh wanted a non-working wife. She revealed this in an earlier interview given to journalist Prema. Even if I was working in some office, he would have told me to leave work. There are certain things we had for each other," she said. The former Miss India too had placed a condition before marrying Mahesh Babu. Namrata has grown up in Mumbai so she wanted to live in an apartment after the couple moves to Hyderabad. Mahesh Babu had to initially live in an apartment to make her comfortable as she didnt want to live in his bungalow. The couple has two kids together- Sitara Ghattamaneni and Gautam Ghattamaneni. John Dalton, a retired Navy SEAL, lost nine of his fellow SEALs in the last year all to suicide or alcoholism induced by PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. It became obvious to me that current treatment modalities were just not cutting it, he told The Nevada Independent. In the wake of this loss, Dalton turned to advocating for a new kind of treatment for veterans, first responders and others who suffer from mental illness: magic mushrooms. Scientifically known as psilocybin, magic mushrooms are a naturally occurring psychedelic currently illegal in all states except Oregon, Colorado and certain cities, including Washington, D.C. A hallucinogen, psilocybin can induce a range of effects including sensory distortions, euphoria, and anxiety depending on the user and dosage. Although a bill was introduced this year by state lawmakers to decriminalize psilocybin in Nevada, the final version of SB242 signed by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo only created a working group to study the use of psychedelics and the impact that decriminalization and medical legalization could have in the state. This bill, passed with bipartisan support in both the Senate and Assembly, mirrors efforts in other states (such as Oregon and Colorado) to explore the benefits that psychedelics could have on mental health outcomes. The science behind magic mushrooms Psilocybin is found in certain types of psilocybe mushrooms, which can be ingested orally and brewed in tea. Though magic mushrooms are not considered addictive, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has classified them as a Schedule I substance, indicating a high risk of abuse and no legitimate medical use. But proponents say the medicinal properties of psilocybin are still not fully understood. Advocates and users say that when used properly, magic mushrooms can help treat mental health issues from anxiety to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For this kind of treatment, psilocybin is often taken in a microdose between 0.1 and 0.3 grams, or 10 percent of a full hallucination-inducing dose. As Kate Cotter, executive director of Nevada Coalition for Psychedelic Medicines, explained, Theres not a lot of research out on microdosing. Theres a lot of anecdotal evidence to support that it helps with mood and creativity. An early psilocybin study started at Harvard in 1960 found that microdoses could lead to a mood boost and self-reflection in users, without inducing some of the riskier side effects such as hallucination. In June 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released guidance for research involving psilocybin, emphasizing that the drug is still in an investigational stage. Advocates like Cotter suggest that in a controlled environment, psilocybin can help alleviate symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and addition. But the magic of magic mushrooms has its limits for patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, it can worsen symptoms. Rochelle Hines, a neuroscientist at UNLV who studies serotonin and how psilocybin can affect mental health, emphasized that psychedelics alone are not a cure-all without being backed up by more traditional methods of therapy. She explained that just making the brain labile to change probably isnt gonna be enough. There may need to be supports in place to help people work through and solidify those changes. Decriminalizing addiction, legalizing mental health care On the tail of movements to legalize medical and recreational marijuana have come similar efforts to decriminalize other drugs and legalize them under certain circumstances. In 2020, Oregon became the first state in the nation to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of most drugs, including LSD, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Instead of facing criminal penalties for drug possession, Oregonians now face a small civil citation similar to a parking ticket. Though the implementation of Oregons policy has seen mixed success, advocates including state and municipal officials heralded it as a step toward ending what boils down to be the criminalization of addiction. The original bill proposed in Nevada this year would have seen the state take a similar approach as Oregon. The possession, use and cultivation of up to 4 ounces of psilocybin-containing mushrooms would not have been made legal, but the bill would have removed associated criminal penalties. Law enforcement groups from across the state expressed opposition to the decriminalization aspects of the bill over concerns about public safety, especially keeping children and drivers safe. But supporters said that psychedelics could help law enforcement and first-responders deal with work-related trauma. In addition, the bill would have mandated a study on the treatment of mental health and other medical conditions with psilocybin in adults. But the final version of the bill does neither of those things. Instead, it creates a working group of politicians, advocates, scientists and psychiatrists to review the current research on the medicinal uses of psilocybin and assess the possibility of rolling out safe access to appropriate psychedelic treatment by the end of 2024. Scot Rutledge, a lobbyist with Argentum Partners who supported the later version of the bill, said that changing the criminalization laws was an effort to solve a non-existent problem. If you ask law enforcement, and this was part of the public record, people are not getting arrested for psychedelics and its not something thats being prosecuted, Rutledge explained to The Nevada Independent. The version of the bill that was passed leaves Nevadas current psilocybin penalties untouched: up to four years in prison or $5,000 in fines. A threat to sacred indigenous practices? While psilocybin and other psychedelics have seemingly sprung to political relevance in just the last few years in Nevada and other states, they have played an important role throughout history. Researchers believe that the use of psilocybin dates back to 9,000 BCE in North Africa and Spain, though some researchers speculate that it could have been used even earlier and helped move along the evolution of the homo sapien. More specifically, psilocybin use for religious and ceremonial purposes can be traced back to indigenous tribes of Mexico and Central America as early as 3,500 years ago. Today, psilocybin and other psychedelics such as peyote and ayahuasca still play an important role for certain tribes throughout the Americas. These customs are sacred to those who practice them and some advocacy groups, like the Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative, say that decriminalization expanding access to limited resources that have long been available only to tribes would be yet another form of colonization. Peyote is particularly rare, growing naturally only in small areas and taking many years to cultivate, so some advocates encouraged lawmakers to decriminalize psilocybin, but not other psychedelics. Though psilocybin and other psychedelics are not currently slated for decriminalization, advocates still feel hopeful that they can work out a solution that will meet the needs of everyone from law enforcement officers, to veterans struggling with PTSD, to indigenous communities trying to protect the practices most sacred to them. Dalton, the Navy SEAL, said that he expects getting Nevadans on board with psilocybin treatments will take time. I absolutely did not believe in the potential that this medicine had until I got to know it and understand this whole culture and look at the neuroscience behind it, he said. And I think all Nevadans will believe the same thing once they see it. Fans of Rajinikanth from overseas, including the USA, Dubai and Bahrain, are displaying strong enthusiasm for the upcoming release of the movie Jailer, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. The film is scheduled to release on Thursday and will be shown in more than 4,000 theatres globally. Supporters of Rajinikanth are making preparations in different locations to mark this occasion. Amidst this scenario, Rajinikanth fans in the states of New Jersey and Texas in the United States have organised diverse activities. These include acts like donations and engaging in dance events. Similarly, supporters of Rajinikanth are also actively taking part in the festivities in Bahrain and Dubai. To facilitate this, they have formalised an agreement to host celebratory events at three theatres. These events will feature DJ performances and dance programs. These preparations have been put in place two days ahead of the release of Jailer tomorrow. They intend to introduce even more inventive celebrations on the release day itself, as fans overseas often orchestrate diverse activities during the launch of Rajinikanths films. Rajinikanth followers in Madurai engaged in an act of devotion by offering a special prayer at a temple, praying for the movies success. According to reports, the actors enthusiasts conducted these prayers at the Thiruparankundram temple on Tuesday, August 8. Also, several offices in Chennai and Bengaluru have sanctioned leave for their employees on the day of the films release. A holiday notice from a company, declaring August 10 as a day off due to the release of superstar Rajinikanths movie Jailer, gained significant attention on social media. The notice mentioned that the holiday was being granted to prevent an influx of leave requests to the HR department. Additionally, the notice highlighted the companys commitment to supporting anti-piracy efforts by providing free tickets to employees. Jailer is a Tamil-language film that falls under the genres of black comedy and action. It has been written and directed by Nelson and is being produced by Kalanithi Maran from Sun Pictures. In addition to Rajinikanth, the movie boasts a noteworthy cast including Mohanlal, Jackie Shroff, Shiva Rajkumar, Sunil, Ramya Krishnan, Vinayakan, Mirnaa Menon, Tamannaah Bhatia, and Vasanth Ravi. The films music has been crafted by Anirudh Ravichander, while the cinematography has been skillfully handled by Vijay Kartik Kannan and the editing has been done by R Nirmal. Initially introduced in February 2022 under the working title Thalaivar 169," the movies official title, Jailer, was unveiled in June of the same year. Kannada actor Vijay Raghavendra was in tears as he attended the last rites of his wife, Spandana Vijay Raghavendra on Wednesday, August 9. In videos surfacing online, the Kannada star couldnt hold back his tears as he met mourners at the funeral. He was even seen breaking down when KGF star Yash hugged him. In a viral video, Yash was seen holding on to Vijay as he cried. According to a report by TV9, Spandanas mortal remains were brought to her father BK Shivarams residence in Malleswaram, Bengaluru. Several family members and well-wishers made their way to offer their condolences and offer their last respects. Vijay Raghavendras wife Spandana died of cardiac arrest on August 7. The couple was on a family trip in Bangkok when she suffered a cardiac arrest and died. She was 42 years old. The postmortem was done in Bangkok before the mortal remains were brought to India. Hailing from Bangalore, Spandana was the daughter of the decorated police officer BK Shivaram. She married Vijay Raghavendra in 2007. The couple then became parents to a son named Shaurya. The unfortunate struck just 19 days before their 16th wedding anniversary. The reports stated Spandana was complaining of chest pain after which she was rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, she couldnt make it and passed away on Monday, right before her return trip to India. Reportedly, Spandana suffered from low blood pressure, which might have contributed to cardiac arrest. While she was married to Vijay, Spandana was also known for a brief stint in the film industry. She was a part of the 2016 movie Apoorva starring Ravichandran and her performance caught everyones attention. Meanwhile, Vijay Raghavendra is known for his films like Seetharam Benoy Case No. 18, Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya, Nanna Ninna Prema Kathe, Shivayogi Sri Puttayyajja and Fair & Lovely to name a few. Kannada actor Vijay Raghavendras wife Spandana passed away a few days ago on a family trip to Thailand. According to reports, the cause of death is being cited as a heart attack. Kodi Mutt seer Shivananda Shivayogi Rajendra Swami, and politicians like Ramalinga Reddy, BC Patil, CT Ravi and veteran actress Umashree paid their condolences to the deceased by visiting her residence. Other public figures, including the Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and former Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai, paid their condolences through social media. Shivananda Shivayogi visited their residence today. Swamiji prayed to God for her soul to rest in peace. Consoling the family, the seer said, When the Lord wants, he calls such flowers. BJP leader and former minister CT Ravi offered his condolences too. While speaking to the media, he said that Spandana had gone to another world and that we all have to leave this world someday. He added, May her husband Raghavendra and father Shivaram be given the strength to grieve. Life is a jataka cart. I dont know when time will call us. Veteran actress and former minister Umashree Gagala started shedding tears as she talked about Spandana. She said that she was shocked to see the news of her death. Umashree revealed that during shoots, Vijay Raghavendra used to worry about his wife. She said, Even while shooting, Vijay Raghavendra was worried about his wife Spandana. Vijay Raghavendra is like my son. Spandana took good care of her family, Umashree added, as she broke down in tears. Siddaramaiah paid his condolences through a tweet which said, The demise of Spandana, the wife of popular Kannada actor Vijaya Raghavendra has shocked me. I pray for her soul. I condole with the bereaved families of Vijaya Raghavendra and BK Shivaram. Basavaraj Bommai also shared his condolences through a tweet which read, I pray to God that her soul rests in peace. I pray to God to give strength to the families of Vijaya Raghavendra and BK Shivaram in this moment of grief. Vijay Raghavendra and his late wife Spandana were married for 15 years. They have two children, a son named Shaurya and a daughter called Anaira. Spandana was the daughter of a retired police officer, BK Shivaram. Spandana, 44, the wife of the popular Kannada actor Vijay Raghavendra, passed away on Sunday night. She was on vacation with her cousins in Bangkok, and Vijay had also joined her after his shooting schedule. According to reports, she passed away due to low blood pressure which caused cardiac arrest. She was the daughter of retired Assistant Commissioner of Police BK Shivaram and the niece of a prominent political leader. Spandana and Vijay got married in 2007 and have a son named Shourya. After her sudden demise, many prominent personalities and celebrities expressed their grievances. Speaker UT Khader, Minister G Parameshwar, Priyank Kharge, Madhu Bangarappa and former MLAs CT Ravi and Kumar Bangarappa arrived to pay their condolences. Recently, Priyank M Kharge, a Cabinet Minister in the government of Karnataka and a three-time MLA from Chittapur district, shared his condolences for Vijay. He said, Spandanas death is not only a loss to the family but also to her friends. Spandana was very friendly. An irreparable loss for Vijay Raghavendra. I have studied with Vijay since childhood." Priyank Kharge remarked that Vijay, who is his childhood friend, has never shown the ego or power of a film star, and he prayed to God to give strength to Vijay and his family. A few days back, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, shared his grief for Spandanas sudden demise on social media. He said, The demise of Spandana, the wife of popular Kannada actor Vijaya Raghavendra, has shocked me. I pray for her soul. I condole with the bereaved families of Vijaya Raghavendra and BK Shivaram." Former CM Basavaraj Bommai also paid his condolences and said, I pray to God that her soul rests in peace. I pray to God to give strength to the families of Vijaya Raghavendra and B.K. Shivaram in this moment of grief." Vijay Raghavendra has extensively worked in the Kannada film industry and is the cousin of the late Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar, who also passed away in October 2021 due to cardiac arrest. Kartik Aaryan is riding high on the success of his latest film Satyaprem Ki Katha, co-starring Kiara Advani. With his choice of versatile films garnering rave reviews and bringing in the big bucks, the actor has one thing on his mind to further flourish in his career. Following his achievements and contribution to Indian Cinema, Kartik Aaryan will be honoured with the prestigious Rising Global Superstar of Indian Cinema award at the 14th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). The actor has flown to Melbourne to attend the event and has even treated us with a picture of himself from the destination. Penning a famous quote from the 1983 Hollywood film Scarface, Kartik Aaryan in his caption wrote, The Eyes, chico They never lie. The picture captured the actor donning a full-sleeved creme-coloured cardigan. He posed for a picture by drawing his hands closer to his chin, tucked inside the sleeves. Kartik, known for his dashing looks, besides his stellar performance, once again charmed us with his expressions and subtle smile. His piercing eyes looked straight at the camera. Kartik sported a messy hairdo and a full-grown beard. The Freddy actor added the song Shayad from his film Love Aaj Kal in the background. The picture was quick to arrest the attention of Kartik Aaryans admirers. Kartik Aaryan is synonymous with romance now, gushed one user. Kartik Aaryan ke aankhon me Romance hai (Kartik Aaryans eyes are full of romance) noted another. Eyes speaking Romance, the Song is the anthem of Love, and heres the Romantic Hero Of Our Generation, lauded a third individual. Just a day ago, Kartik Aaryan dropped a video on Instagram where he shared the happy news about attending the IFFM for the first time. He would be receiving the Rising Global Superstar of Indian Cinema award from the Governor of Victoria on August 11. In the video, the actor also added that he would be attending the screening of Satyaprem Ki Katha with his fans there. See you Austraaaaliaaa, he captioned his post. Kartik Aaryan has a couple of projects lined up in his kitty. He will next be seen in Anurag Basus much-awaited Aashiqui 3 and the third sequel of the Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise, titled Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. About 10 years ago, at an award show, Shah Rukh Khan jokingly asked Neil Nitin Mukesh why he had three first names and no surname. While answering the question, Neil asked Shah Rukh to shut up", stating that his question was insulting to the actor. The video often does rounds on social media, and Neil recently spoke about it in an interview. Talking to Siddharth Kannan, Neil shared, He was having fun, I was having fun with him. He knows this and I know this too." The actor added that he never meant to insult Shah Rukh Khan and added that he has a lot of love for the Pathaan actor. Neil was then asked if the incident was scripted when he said, If you say so, Ill believe it. If you want to call it scripted, let it be, but there was love He only told me that Ill have some fun with this. But there was also a pre-warning from him saying that I will have fun with you, you do your thing. So I asked, Sir, what level of fun are we talking about? He said, Whatever you can think of, do it. He gave me that liberty so I did it." For the unversed, at the awards show, Shah Rukh had said, I have a question for Neil Nitin Mukesh. Tumhara naam hai Neil Nitin Mukesh, bhaiya surname kahan pe hai? Saare ke saare first names hain. Why dont you have a surname?" To this, Neil had replied, Sir, very kind question, thank you so much. But can I take the liberty of saying something?" After a go ahead" from Shah Rukh, Neil had said, That is an insult for me actually, I feel. Its not right. I think you havent seen, but my fathers sitting out here. I think you guys just need to shut up. Im sorry." Neil added in the interview that Shah Rukh was not upset with him after the New York actor asked him to shut up. In fact, SRK told him that he did well. Neil concluded by saying he would never disrespect his elders. After a hiatus of two years, Rajinikanths fans are all set to experience their icons action-packed performance in Jailer, on August 10. As Thalaivaar returns to the big screen, fans have rightly indulged in a celebration. Ahead of its release, a Twitter user shared a video, exhibiting a cinema hall in Bengaluru, decked up with many banners of Rajinikanth. The clip gives a glance at the Aruna Theatre with a total number of 25 massive cutouts showing varied characters of the superstar, placed outside the premises. The text along with the video revealed that in a bid to welcome their king, later huge garlands will also be placed on these cut-outs. The text along with the clip reads, This is not Tamil Nadu. Bangalore is ready to welcome its King. 25 Cutouts in a single theatre (Aruna Theatre) have been placed. Huge garlands for all the Cutouts will be put in later today. Not just this, many theatres in Bangalore are filled with Thalaivars Cutout and banners. Take a look at the video: This is not #Tamilnadu #Bangalore is ready to welcome it's King 25 Cutouts in a single theatre (Aruna Theatre) has been placed. Huge garlands for all the Cutouts will be put later today. Not just this, many theatres in Bangalore are filled with #Thalaivar's Cutout and pic.twitter.com/nfCxTflcK7 Suresh Balaji (@surbalu) August 9, 2023 Hands down, Jailer is one of the highly anticipated movies of the year. The craze for Rajinikanth starrer is to such an extent that on its release day, a few offices in Chennai and Bengaluru have been granted leave to their employees. In addition, many companies are generously providing complementary Jailer tickets to their staff members. Meanwhile, days ahead of the release of his movie, Rajinikanth left for the Himalayas again. On August 9, the superstar was spotted leaving his home in Chennai. He exclusively told News18, I am continuing my trip to the Himalayas after a break due to the pandemic. Talking about his film, Rajinikanth urged his fans to watch his movie and shared their feedback. Jailer collaborated with Rajinikanth with its director Nelson Dilipkumar for the first time. The much-loved trailer of the film strategically highlights two distinct personalities of Rajinikanth. The superstar is seen as both a typical retired family man and an unrelenting force when engaged in action sequences. Apart from Rajinikanth, the trailer also gave a glance at its ensemble cast, including Jackie Shroff, Sunil, Ramya Krishnan, and Yogi Babu in prominent roles. Treating the fans and adding to the excitement, the trailer also displays a special appearance by Mohanlal. The film will be released in three languages, i.e., Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. The pre-booking of the film has already commenced worldwide. Both India and the US are expected to commence the films initial screenings around the same time. Actress Sobhita Dhulipala is currently gearing up for the release of the second season of her hit web series Made in Heaven. The much-awaited sophomore season is set to release nearly four years after the release of the first season. Sobhita took to Instagram on Tuesday to share that she will be sharing some trivia on the show with some radio jockeys. Sobhita looked gorgeous in a pastel, A-line, strapless plaid dress with a bow and ruffle detailing. She captioned the post, Playing dress up and sharing fun MIH trivia @ radio trails with some amazing RJs!" Check out her pictures here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sobhita (@sobhitad) About a week ago, Sobhita shared the poster for Made in Heaven 2 with the caption, Making it official, finally! Team Made In Heaven is ready to enter the shaadi business again." The poster featured old cast members Arjun Mathur, Jim Sarbh, Kalki Koechlin, Shivani Raghuvanshi, and Shashank Arora. New entrants Mona Singh and Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju were also featured on the poster. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sobhita (@sobhitad) Prime Video released the shows trailer earlier this month. Back then, Sobhita had said, It feels amazing to be back as Tara in Made in Heaven Season 2. For me, Taras journey has been both fascinating and challenging as she navigates her personal life with Adil and Faiza while planning lavish weddings. I had such an incredible time shooting for the second season, and I think this season will resonate even more with our audience. There is a little pressure to match and even surpass the audiences expectations from the previous season but Im positive about it. Im sure Made in Heaven Season 2 will enthral the viewers and prompt significant conversations about the complexities of human existence, making it an unforgettable and thought-provoking experience," she added. Sobhita had earlier told News18, I have to tell you, season two is so cool! It sounds very weird for me to say this because mera show hai but season one ke time pe we didnt know how it will do, like how it would perform. But because it did well, we can take risks in season two. So be it terms of skill, be it terms of guest appearances, technically, music, cinematography, plot, performances are insane. Season two is many notches up from season one. I feel very very excited." Co-created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, the show is scheduled to release on August 10 this year on Amazon Prime Video. Tamil film star Vishal has recalled almost dying while filming for his upcoming movie Mark Antony. The actor has been on a promotional spree with just over a month to go until the release of the highly anticipated sci-fi actioner, which also stars SJ Suryah. In an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, Vishal discussed shooting for a sequence in which he had a miraculous escape from a near-death situation on the sets of Mark Antony. Im reborn. A truck almost ran over me on the sets of Mark Antony. There was a sequence where SJ Suryah hit me There was a huge truck which lost control and advanced towards me. There was no ground clearance. The truck was supposed to hit a wall but it collapsed I was leaning on the ground so I could hear it. Luckily, it deviated towards the right and went and hit the set. After the incident, I told the crew to leave me alone for like 10 minutes. I was in a trance," the actor, who was last seen in Laththi, told us. Talking about collaborating with SJ Suryah in the movie, Vishal said, Hes an inspiration. We bonded so well during the shoot of this film. He was like an elder brother. I kept telling him that people usually look at the hero, but Im looking at you. For me as an actor, Suryah was another pillar in the film who was supporting the film. So hes one person who Ive been noticing for the last 25 years from Loyola College, where I studied. I used to stay that theres fire in his eyes. He never changes his track at all till he reaches his goal. So in this film hes acted as the villain, and hes shown the comical element of the villainism also." Furthermore, Vishal revealed that director Adhik Ravichandran had been chasing him for Mark Antony for over six years and he was shell shocked" when he heard the script for the first time. I dont think even a girl will be behind a guy, for like so many years. This guy has been behind me for the last 6 years. He came to Hyderabad when I was shooting for a film, but he couldnt narrate the script there. Then at one point, I called him post midnight. He came over and I told him to narrate the script. I didnt know what genre it was. When he narrated the first half, I was shell shocked. I couldnt sleep that day because I was so excited. A nice script excites you, for like forever, a bad script pulls you down the whole day. The script had a dual role, a period film where a father from the 70s is a gangster and has a different body language, while son is from the 90s and a mechanic. The set up was so amazing. Suryah also had a double role. So, it was interesting." Vishal continued, Another thing was that the screenplay was so easy to understand, because sci-fi thrillers usually cater to an A class audience. But this was universally appealing. So everything all put together, maybe 10 years down the line, I would show off telling in my resume that Mark Antony is one of the best films in my career." Mark Antony is slated to hit the theatres on September 15. As it turns out, China does not like to hear or see the phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Often used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his diplomatic addresses, the phrase has found its place at the top of the G20 agenda under Indias presidency. Chinese President Xi Jinping is not too pleased by this and judging by the discomfiture and pettiness of the Chinese in various G20 meetings, Xi may be setting the stage for skipping the final summit of G20 leaders in September this year. Is China looking to subvert Indias G20 presidency as the host nation strives to achieve an impactful joint communique, a Leaders Declaration, at the end of it despite a torn geopolitical landscape? It would not be a surprise that it may do so. Earlier, China boycotted the G20 meetings hosted by India in Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh. Now, it is reportedly opposed to welcoming or endorsing Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam as a concept. According to an Economic Times report, China opposed the inclusion of the phrase in almost every G20 meeting so far under Indias presidency. The Sanskrit phrase from the Maha Upanishad is the Indian presidencys G20 theme and essentially conveys that the world is one family. ET reports that most of the participant nations weighed in favour of India on the matter with some even observing that the theme was the prerogative of the presidency and host nation. But China has fought against this Sanskrit phrase tooth and nail. China argues that the G20 documents could not use the term Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in the official text as it is in Sanskrit, which is not one of the six official languages recognised by the United Nations. The six languages are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Obviously, this does not depict the global realities of today and only highlights the need for reforms in the UN. How wise did China expect to come off by writing off Sanskrit, the ancestor of most Indian languages? This is an incredibly petty grouse raised by the Chinese. While no other nation has a problem with this phrase, why is China so unsettled by it? After all, it only translates to The World is One Family a powerful and unifying message. What, then, irks China so much that it has opposed this in every meeting? A 21st-Century Clash of Two Ancient Civilisations The answer lies in Chinas deep-seated insecurities given Indias rising stature on the global stage, and the growth trajectory it is poised for. Perhaps, China sees this dynamic as a clash of two great ancient civilisations rising to the top once again, and it is afraid that India, still rooted in its culture, commands far more soft power in this space than the deracinated Chinese Communists can dream of. Indias Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam message resonates with all and inspires nations to look up to Indias great civilisational wisdom. There is no doubt that wisdom emanating from Indias ancient civilisation gives the nation tremendous soft power, one that China may envy, as it pushes its own civilisational history to claim the position of the ultimate world leader but finds fewer takers. An Unsure Xi At a time when Prime Minister Modi, while taking a tough stand against China for its refusal to settle the ongoing border issue, is being embraced globally, and frankly on both sides of the aisle factoring in his manoeuvres between Russia and the West, Xi is an unelected dictator who remains caught up in his adversarial image and is busy buying good press to redeem his public perception. That can make any man insecure, and Xi may not be above it. Unease over a challenging future Chinas discomfort may also have something to do with the harsh reality it has to deal with. At a time when reports of Chinas demographic decline have officially begun, India surpassed its population and is projected to continue growing until 2064. A shrinking and ageing population worries China deeply as it may jeopardise its superpower status going forward. As per an analysis done by the United Nations World Population Prospects-2022, Indias population is expected to grow up to 166.8 crore while Chinas population would shrink to 131.7 crore, by 2050. Indias median age is 28, 11 years younger than Chinas 39. Further, according to Goldman Sachs, India has the window to get it right in terms of setting up manufacturing capacity, continuing to grow services, continuing the growth of infrastructure. Indias dependency ratio is going to be among the lowest among large economies for at least 20 years. That means there will be a lesser burden of the non-working population on Indias working population. This is not the case with China, whose demographic landscape is skewered by the generational impact of its infamous One Child Policy. At the same time, India is projected to become the second-largest economy by 2075, after China, closing the GDP gap to $5 trillion. All signs show that Indias moment in the 21st century may have finally arrived and Chinas insecurities are loud and clear. Chinas opposition to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam appears rooted in a mix of insecurity, global power dynamics, and questionable arguments, shedding light on its complex motivations and concerns with regard to Indias G20 presidency. It is expected that China may try more such tricks to subvert Indias plans as it prepares to host G20 leaders this September. The annual ASEAN flag hoisting ceremony on the occasion of the founding of ASEAN on August 8 is a proud practice of all ASEAN member countries. (Photo: VNA) Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son chaired the ceremony. Ambassadors, representatives of the embassies of ASEAN countries, its partner countries in Hanoi, representatives of the ministries, and Hanoi People's Committee attended the ceremony. Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Bui Thanh Son emphasised that since its establishment, ASEAN has constantly grown, gradually becoming a central force in all regional processes, demonstrating the vision of a community living in peace, stability, and prosperous development. The image of Southeast Asia of solidarity, harmony, and flexibility has been spreading in the region and around the world. As a result, ASEAN's relations with the rest of the world have become opener, richer, and more durable. ASEAN's relations with partners have not only increased in quantity but also changed in quality, helping ASEAN maintain high growth reaching 5.5% in 2022, becoming the fifth largest economy in the world. That is proof of the identity, values, vitality, and reputation of ASEAN, Son said. According to the minister, the image of ASEAN can be found in the success of Vietnam during its innovation and integration and vice versa. In addition, the relationship between Vietnam and other ASEAN members is also the "bricks" to build up a strong and sustainable ASEAN Community today. Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that, with the advantages of geo-strategic location, young and abundant human resources, and the desire to integrate more deeply and comprehensively, ASEAN still has a great potential for development. He said that the world is facing challenges, the recovery of the global economy is still uncertain, the geopolitical environment continues to change, and the competition among major powers continues remains fierce, but the ASEAN Community has demonstrated its resilience, flexibility, and proactive adaptation to overcome challenges. Minister Bui Thanh Son said he believes with a solid foundation that has been cultivated for half a century and its aspirations, ASEAN will become an inclusive, a sustainable development community, and a focal point for the growth of the region and the world over./. The last word may not yet have been spoken on the tussle between the Delhi government and the Union Home Ministry over the issue of the administrative control of the officials. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders have said that the option for judicial remedy is open to them. Parliament has now given its assent to the Delhi Services Bill. Delhis chief minister will now be a member of a committee also consisting of the chief secretary and principal home secretary of the city government, while the Lieutenant Governor will have a position of eminence. Predictably, the Delhi CM has sought to play the victim card. In his statement broadcast, live within minutes of the passage of the bill by the Rajya Sabha, he accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of seeking a backdoor entry in the Delhi government after four defeats at the hands of the AAP. The Union Home Minister, on his part, has shared a number of explanatory notes while seeking a parliamentary nod for the Delhi Services Bill. He said on the floor of the Parliament that the bill will ensure a corruption-free administration in Delhi; that the Delhi government is not following the spirit of democracy by not holding sittings of the Assembly; that Cabinet meetings in Delhi are rarely called. The parliamentary nod to Delhi Services Bill has come close on the heels of large parts of the national capital facing flooding, a first in several decades, ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit in September. The people in Delhi heaved a sigh of relief after the team of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) de-clogged drains, which had led to the flooding. Even Raj Ghat, the resting place of Mahatma Gandhi, was flooded. Arvind Kejriwal is not the first chief minister who has reservations about the office of the Lieutenant Governor. Sheila Dikshit, former Chief Minister of Delhi, too had reservations against Tajender Khanna, former Lieutenant Governor. As the chief minister of Delhi, she lamented interference by Khanna in the functioning of the city government. On several issues, Khanna would call meetings with the officials. On the same issues, Dikshit would also hold meetings. Indeed, Dikshit worked closely with bureaucrats. Each Monday evening, she presided over the Cabinet meeting. Besides, Dikshit would hold several review meetings. She was polite but firm in her communication with the officials. Despite nursing grievances, neither Khanna nor Dikshit spoke in public against each other. Once Khanna was dragged into an issue for holding back a decision in news reports. He called a few reporters and discussed the affairs of Delhi in general and briefly shared his point of view on the issue of contention. At the end of the conversation, he politely sought that nothing should come in print. He was respectful of Dikshit. She too was graceful in her exchanges about Khanna. The constitutional decorum was enriched by them even while they differed in their stances on several issues. The office of the Lieutenant Governor indeed has special powers due to the uniqueness of Delhi being the National Capital Territory. The office of the chief minister in Delhi holds aspirations that the city should become a full-fledged state with jurisdictions over land and police too. But the existing arrangements of the governance structure impose obvious limitations on the office of the chief minister. It is in the very nature of the arrangement that the chief minister should work in close coordination with the office of the Lieutenant Governor, as well as maintain cordial relations with the Central government. Dikshit knew the limitations of the city government. She worked within the limits. Yet, she was served by some of the most loyal bureaucrats. And, she backed some of the bizarre ideas of her bureaucrats, including the BRT Corridor, which had to be shelved after public outcry. She laid the foundation of her tenure in Delhi with close ties with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and her predecessor Madan Lal Khurana. This helped in her gains through the rollout of the Delhi Metro, which over the years would become the lasting legacy of her political career. As per the existing constitutional arrangements, Delhi is the collective responsibility of the elected government in the city as well as the Central government. Even in the case of a full-fledged state, the chief minister maintains cordial relations with the Centre due to the very nature of governance which is incumbent upon collaboration and not confrontation. The author is a senior journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. In a chilling act that reverberated through history, on November 4, 1989, Neelkanth Ganjoo, a fearless former District and Sessions Judge, fell victim to Yasin Maliks terror audacity. As the Special Courts presiding officer under the Enemy Agents Act, he had sentenced Maqbool Bhat to death for murder. Yet, broad daylight at Hari Singh High Street witnessed his brutal execution by three terrorists. A decade later, Yasin Maliks spine-chilling confession to Tim Sebastian on the BBC confirmed the sinister truth: he orchestrated Ganjoos assassination. The agenda behind this atrocity transcended mere sensationalism; it aimed to shatter not just Kashmiri Pandits lives, but to sow terror deep into the veins of the judiciary. This malicious message reverberated far and wide, swiftly influencing the legal landscape. Once steadfast, the advocates general and legal practitioners succumbed to silence, leaving the courts bereft of their voices. A Legacy of Neglect and Compromise The haunting legacy of lost justice persisted not just for Ganjoo, but countless other Kashmiri Pandits victimised by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) terrorists. Empty promises by successive state and Central governments proved more detrimental than no action at all. This apathy emboldened the likes of Yasin Malik, Pakistan, and its insidious agencies. The untapped potential of prosecution, once envisioned during Governor Jagmohans tenure, could have served as a beacon of deterrence, a canvas to expose Pakistans dark hand in orchestrating terrorism and subversion in Jammu & Kashmir. But this potential remained untapped, while the ISIs poisonous influence metastasized. Previous governments and leaders shied away from principled policies, opting for compromise instead. The repercussions were stark, with even hardened terrorists like the kidnappers of Mufti Mohammad Sayeeds daughter, and killers of HL Khera, Lassa Kaul and Mushir ul Haq evading the justice they deserved. Special courts, once promising justice, found themselves bending under the weight of political and administrative pressures. Unmasking the Past, Reshaping the Future After 33 long years, a journey to justice commences for the Kashmiri Pandits, the victims of genocide, who were once prey to the terror of JKLF, which is now a banned UAPA outfit led by incarcerated terrorist Yasin Malik within Tihar Jail and charged with terror funding. The wheels of justice turn as the Jammu & Kashmir State Investigation Agency (SIA), an arm of the J&K Police, resuscitates the cold case of Justice Neelkanth Ganjoos murder. This monumental stride, a victory etched in history, reflects the unwavering commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, LG Manoj Sinha-led J&K administration and the resounding triumph of Kashmiri Pandits unyielding quest for justice. The reopening of Justice Neelkanth Ganjoos murder case by the Pakistani-sponsored JKLF terrorists, after a dormant three decades, reverberates with profound impact across the populace. A clear message resonates: no crime, no act of involvement shall escape the pursuit of justice. This groundbreaking move leaves even traditional local and national politicians, long complacent in their silence, stunned and speechless. Years of vote-bank politics and empty promises, hollow in the face of the refugee camps housing Kashmiri Pandits in their own homeland, are laid bare. In contrast, the Modi-led government demonstrates an unswerving resolve, drawing a resolute line in the sanda commitment to success. Ironically, the past narrative unfolds like a dark tale: Dr Manmohan Singhs handshake with Yasin Malik, his dalliance with the enemy, contrasts glaringly with the victimhood of the exiled Kashmiri Pandits. No cries for justice, no candlelit vigils for the Pandits anguish, echo through the corridors of power. Yet, the world witnesses a twist of fate where perpetrators are pampered while victims remain ignored. The weight of history settles heavily as the fight for justice continues. Reclaimed justice India reclaims the narrative from subversion by boldly reopening the Kashmiri Pandit killing cases under PM Narendra Modis resolute leadership. The states authority is unequivocally asserted, defying all odds, and demonstrating that J&K shall no longer cower before terror and subterfuge. Sacrifices have been met with unyielding determination. In this ruling era, J&K stands as a bastion against terrorism. The clarion call resounds: Never shall the region be left to the mercy of terror. The resolve is unambiguous. The quest for justice reverberates far beyond Justice Neelkanth Ganjoos caseit spans the tragic litany of names like Tika Lal Taploo, Satish Tikoo, PN Bhat, and countless others. 33 years of denial crumble in the face of a determined march toward justice. Emaad Makhdoomi is a Srinagar-based journalist and columnist. His Twitter Handle is @MakhdoomiEmaad. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. In a scathing attack on Opposition parties for politicising" the situation in violence-hit Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday dismissed talks of imposition of Presidents rule and replacing Chief Minister N Biren Singh, saying that the state government is cooperating" with the Centre to bring peace in the strike-torn northeastern state. Speaking during the discussion on the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, Shah said he is ready for discussion on Manipur where 152 people were killed in the ethnic violence since May 3 but the Opposition is not letting it happen". Shameful incidents have taken place in Manipur. But it is more shameful that some people are politicising it. Before the session began, I wrote to letters that we are ready for a discussion and there should not be a time limit. From day one, I am ready for discussion but they dont want it to happen and only want to protest. If they did not agree with my statement then they should have asked for the prime ministers statement," Shah said in his nearly two-hour-long intervention. Shah highlighted that there was no bandh and curfew or blockade for any day during the last six years of the BJP government in Manipur. He said whatever is happening in Manipur is ethnic violence triggered by circumstances and it should not be turned into a political issue. Over 14K Arrested, 1,106 FIRs Registered: Shah Shah said that 152 people were killed in the state and 14,898 people were arrested, and 1,106 FIRs were registered. Recalling his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Manipur crisis, Shah said that the PM had called him twice to discuss the situation after which the state DGP and Chief Secretary were changed. PM Modi called me at 4 AM and 6:30 AM the second day, we changed the DGP, Chief Secretary. CM is co-operating, no question of removing him. 152 people have been killed, violence is on the decline: Union Home Minister #AmitShah in #LokSabha#ManipurViolence #Manipur pic.twitter.com/vSlXzJzg5N News18 (@CNNnews18) August 9, 2023 After the violence began on May 3, Shah said 16 video conference calls were held between the Manipur administration and the Centre. He said that the central government changed the Chief Secretary, the DGP and the security advisor in Manipur. I was there for 3 days and 3 nights Nityanand ji (MoS Home) was there for 23 days. A commission has been appointed to enquiry into this," he said. He said violent incidents have reduced since 36,000 paramilitary personnel are deployed there. The Home Minister pointed out that a unified command has been formed for coordination among Indian Army, BSF, CRPF, Assam Rifles and Manipur Police. Shah said that the central government has also held talks with Myanmar. We will stop infiltration. We have held talks with Myanmar. We are making every effort," he said. Blot on Society: Shah on Manipur Viral Video Shah also questioned the intention of leaking the video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur just ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament which began on July 20. The video of the incident which happened on May 4 surfaced on July 19. Calling the incident a blot on society", the senior BJP leader said, The video is of the May 4 incident. No one can support these anywhere in the world. Media friends pointed to me and said should not this video be handed over to the police? Why did it come a day before the Parliament session?" He added that nine people have been identified and arrested and they are facing trial. What happened was a blot on society. Why did the video appear a day before #Parliament session? We arrested the culprits as soon as video was released. We are working towards attaining peace: Home Minister #AmitShah in #LokSabha on #ManipurViralVideo#ManipurViolence #Manipur pic.twitter.com/YdFEIwbZFZ News18 (@CNNnews18) August 9, 2023 The two women are alleged to have been sexually assaulted before being set free by a mob. A 26-second video of the incident had surfaced on July 19. Shah Explains Myanmars Link in Manipur Violence Explaining the events that led to violence, he said, In 2021, there was a change in government in Myanmar and the military seized power. There is a Kuki Democratic Front in Myanmar which started a movement for democracy. The military launched a crackdown on them. Since there is no fencing on the Myanmar border, a large number of Kuki people from Myanmar started to come to Manipur and Mizoram. They started settling in jungles. Manipur people started to feel their demography will change. In 2022, the Home Ministry decided that there needs to be fencing on the border. We have completed 10 km of fencing and work is underway on 7 km. The survey is underway for 600 km. This is being done to stop illegal immigration." Shah said that the Manipur High Courts order to declare Meitis as tribals added fuel to the fire in the state. Meitis live in the valley and Kukis and Nagas reside in the mountains. From January 2023, we started to give those seeking shelter identity cards. We took their thumb impression, and eye impression and put their details in a negative list of voter cards and Aadhar cards. But their numbers (those coming from Myanmar) increased, and Meitis started to have a sense of insecurity. On April 29, a rumour spread that 58 places of refugees have been declared as villages. This led to unrest in the valley. The Manipur HCs order in April added fuel to the fire. The HC said Meitis should be declared as tribal. This led to unrest in the mountains and there was a clash on May 3," he added. Violence is not a Solution: Shah Appeals for Peace Shah said that violence is not a solution to anything and appealed to both communities in Manipur to sit with the Government of India and find a solution for peace. We are in discussions with the Meitei community and also with the Kuki community. I request, lets sit together and talk to resolve the issues. The Government of India has no intention to change the demography. I also want to say that politics should not be done over this (Manipur) issue," he said. 107 people were killed (in Manipur) in May. 30 were killed in June, 15 were killed in July. Out of the 107 people killed in May, 68 people were killed on May 3, 4 and 5. What I want to say here is that violence is reducing gradually and we should not add oil to fire," he said in the Lower House of Parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to reply to the debate on August 10 which will be followed by voting - the outcome of which is already known with the numbers comfortably stacked in favour of the government. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a veiled attack at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his address to the Lok Sabha while responding to the no-confidence motion. We have a leader in this House, who has been launched in politics 13 times. However, he has failed every time," Shah said without naming the Congress leader. Referring to one of the political career launches that he had witnessed, he spoke about an interaction between Gandhi and a woman named Kalavati. I have witnessed one of his launchings in which he visited a poor woman from Bundelkhand named Kalavati. But what did you do for her? A house, ration and electricity were provided to her by the Modi government," he quipped. Who is Kalavati Bandurkar? Shah was referring to Kalavati Bandurkar, a Vidarbha farmers widow who landed on national spotlight after Rahul Gandhi visited her in 2008, amidst the agrarian crisis in Maharashtras Vidarbha. He had pegged his speech on her plight during the trust vote debate in Parliament against. Kalavati had expressed her intention to commit suicide due to her inability to meet basic needs. With seven daughters and two sons, she has said she was on the brink of starvation. Amit Shah Slams Opposition Shah in his speech launched a scathing attack against the Opposition alliance who he accused of indulging in corruption". The character of political parties and alliances is revealed in such times of crises. UPAs character is to indulge in corruption to save the government by hook or by crook, while the BJP-led NDAs character is to stand up to the principles," Shah said. He remarked that during 1993, the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao had confronted a no-confidence motion, and the Congress had resorted to any means necessary to cling to power. Narasimha Rao won the trust vote, but Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) members had to go to jail. Later, Narasimha Rao also went to jail today, the Congress and the JMM are sitting in the opposition in the Lok Sabha," he said During the 2008 confidence motion initiated by Manmohan Singh, the House became a witness to its most disgraceful moments", with MPs being tempted by crores of rupees, ultimately securing the governments survival, Shah said. Shah said that the no-confidence motion was brought in the House only to create distrust. Narendra Modi has dismantled corruption, dynasty politics and appeasement and gave importance to politics of performance," he said. This, according to the BJP leader, illustrates the character of the UPA." Shah said UPAs character is to indulge in corruption to save their government," and stated that while opposition parties might lack trust in the government, the nations citizens have full faith in the Modi government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most trusted PM since Indias Independence," he said. Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot reached Bhilwara districts Narsihpura village and said that those who raped and killed the minor girl have crossed the limits of humanity". The minors body, after gangrape and murder, was found in a coal furnace in Bhilwara, evoking nationwide outrage. While BJP has been targeting the Ashok Gehlot government over crime against women, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is on a one-day visit to Rajasthan. Sachin Pilot was among several leaders to visit Narsihpura village and console the family members. He assured them of speedy justice and all possible help to the family. Ministers Ramlal Jat and Rajendra Yadav also visited the home of the killed girl to offer their condolences and support. The incident that was carried out and the brutality with which a minor girl was raped and murdered, cannot be accepted in any civilised society. Those who had committed this heinous crime have crossed the limits of humanity," Pilot told reporters on Tuesday. The Congress leader also spoke to the Bhilwara Police to seek an update on the investigation in the matter. Police have arrested seven people in the case so far. Ive met the relatives of the victim and got to know that all the accused have been arrested and the police are also going to detain the two minorsThe administration has informed me that the court will conduct hearings daily and charge POCSO case and take strict actions against them, " he added. Earlier, on August 6, a four-member committee of BJP women MPs met the family of the victim. The minor was allegedly gang-raped and burnt to death, the police have said, adding that her remains were found inside a coal furnace. Police said some local residents found the charred remains of the girl and her bangles inside the furnace. Reportedly, the 12-year-old victims father attempted to jump onto the burning pyre of his daughter. The father was inconsolable and struggled to find the strength to stand. He was held by family members and others at the cremation ground. (With inputs from ANI) It has been nearly three months since the Karnataka election results were declared but the BJP appears to be taking its own time in appointing its state president and Leaders of Opposition for the legislative assembly and the legislative council. News18 has learnt that the names for these three positions will be announced after the Parliament session concludes. Several BJP leaders whom News18 spoke to confirmed that the central leadership of BJP has been occupied with parliamentary proceedings and pressing national concerns like the Manipur crisis. A meeting of top leaders will be held to finalise the names soon after the Parliament session concludes on August 11, said a senior BJP leader, acknowledging that the decision was originally intended to be made during the prior session but faced inadvertent delays. So, why the delay? There are two primary reasons: The first reason revolves around the disappointment of central leaders, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in light of the BJPs defeat in the assembly elections. The individuals responsible for the campaign were reprimanded for mismanagement and miscalculation of potential winning seats for the party. The BJP reportedly failed to effectively counter the Congresss campaign against corruption, leading to further embarrassment for the then-ruling party. The state leaders have not yet had a proper opportunity to sit down with the top brass and finalise the decisions. While it would take just a few hours to decide, the exact time and date are still pending, added the leader. The second reason is more strategic. The names chosen for each position should also be acceptable to former chief minister and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa. Delhi fully understands the importance of BSY and his role in rebuilding the party, especially at this time. Internally, they need to ensure that the suitable candidates name also gets BSYs approval. Otherwise, the party will face a challenging path ahead in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, revealed a BJP leader to News18. The partys confusion is such that even the BJP members find themselves at a crossroads without a state chief who can motivate them to secure the maximum number of seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The party cadre is also disheartened following the disappointing performance in the May assembly elections, which saw a drop from 118 to 66 MLAs of the 224 seats in the House. All our party activities be it protests against the present governments decisions and our morchas have been actively working in educating people on the misgovernance by the Congress since they came to power. We are forging ahead and since the decision is to be taken by the national president, we are also waiting for the announcement, said BJP spokesperson N Ravikumar. For the first time in Karnatakas history, a full legislature session, including the presentation of the state budget, took place without a Leader of Opposition (LoP). The absence has led to much embarrassment among many BJP leaders, causing some to cease responding to media inquiries about the delay. Another BJP leader pointed out that the final decision will rest with the BJPs higher-ups, acknowledging differences among state leaders in reaching a consensus on eligible candidates for the posts. There is a faction advocating for Basavaraj Yatnal to become the Karnataka state unit president, but the Vokkaliga leaders are against it. While Yatnals name is being discussed, the central leaders are not convinced," the leader stated. Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, who temporarily served as the acting state unit president, concluded his four-year tenure as the BJP state president in January. He has been on an extension since then, and the party leadership is currently deliberating on his successor. Several names are under active consideration for this crucial role, including former Karnataka ministers CT Ravi, Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, and Union Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje. All three leaders have strong ties to the RSS and belong to the Vokkaliga community, the second-largest in the state. Dont be surprised if the party leaders opt for dark horse Arvind Limbavali. He is a senior BJP leader but also represents the Dalit community. If chosen, it would be a first for the party. This move could also send a message across the state that the BJP stands with Dalits, commented a former BJP MLA from the Old Mysore region. If a Vokkaliga is chosen as the state president, a Lingayat would likely be selected as the Leader of Opposition to maintain caste balance. This is where the names of former BJP chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and former minister Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, both Lingayats, come into play. Insiders confirm that Yediyurappa is opposed to Yatnals potential candidacy for both roles. Despite internal party views suggesting that Bommai, a prominent Lingayat leader, bears some responsibility for the BJPs electoral setback due to flawed policy decisions in administration, he remains the primary contender for the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) position. However, the decision on his name appears to be further delayed due to an ongoing conflict between two senior Karnataka leaders, both holding positions within the BJPs central hierarchy. Dont worry, we will have announced the names before the Winter Session. Even Yatnal had made a statement saying that the BJP has time until the last day of this Legislature (2028) to appoint an LoP so all you people neednt be worried, quipped a state unit official. From Indian poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar to English great William Shakespeare, Lok Sabha members quoted extensively from literature to put across their arguments as they raised the Manipur issue during a debate on the no-confidence motion over the past two days. While Shakespeares Julius Caesar was invoked the most, the members also cited English poets Joha Donnes and John Miltons works to buttress their points. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," said Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi quoting American activist Martin Luther King. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi invoked 13th century Persian poet Rumi to say he will speak not from his mind but from his heart. My BJP friends," he said, You need not be afraid because my speech today will not be focussed on us. Rumi said, Jo shabd dil se aate hain woh shabd dil mein jaate hain. (Words spoken from the heart reach the heart)," he said. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagams T R Baalu quoted from Tamil classic Thirukkural which when translated means, He who defies righteous order, oversteps limit and enjoys self-aggrandisement gets lost first." The DMK leader in his remarks also invoked Krishna and his teachings. Krishna advised that you are not killing your friends but evilthe same thing I am doing. There was no other way than to bring a no-confidence motion to get the presence of prime minister in the House," he said. Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Ray, a former physics professor quoted from Shakespeares Julius Caeser, Rabindranath Tagore and even metaphysical poet John Donne while launching a scathing attack on the government. But as Brutus said in Julius Caesar, Not that I love Modi less, but I love India more," he said. In Bengali, he recited one of Tagores most heartfelt songs which when translated means: I shall not fear and I shall not die twice before dying actually." During his speech, the veteran leader also said he would like to remind the House of what Mark Antony said in Shakespeares Julius Caesar. I will paraphrase it and say, You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things! O You hard hearts, cruel men of BJP. You have no compassion. That is why, you have not gone to Manipur as all the Opposition parties have gone," he said calling the central government heartless". He then went on to quote English poet Donne as he was quoted in Ernest Hemingway. Each mans death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind. Therefore, ask me not For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee." NCP leader Supriya Sule too made use of literary works to explain her stand on the Manipur issue. In the epic poem, Paradise Lost by John Milton, the character of Satan displays hubris when he attempts to rebel against the Gods rule in Heaven, he eventually declares that it is better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven," she said. Quoting American economist Milton Friedmans emphasis on evaluating policies on the basis of outcomes rather than the intention, Sule said she did not intend to take away from the intention of the government but underlined that it was the outcomes that she had a problem with. With the Opposition members taking digs at the government using literary aids, BJP MP Heena Gavit too chipped in by quoting Swami Vivekananda, encouraging her partymen to rise and achieve their goals. Arise awake and stop not till the goal is achieved," she said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday recalled the Quit India movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi on August 9, 1942, and said India is now speaking in one voice against corruption, dynasticism, and appeasement". PM Modis indirect jibe at the Opposition came as the ruling BJP planned events across the country along these lines on Wednesday. The prime minister took to Twitter and wrote, Tributes to the greats who took part in the Quit India Movement. Under the leadership of Gandhi Ji, this Movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial rule." Tributes to the greats who took part in the Quit India Movement. Under the leadership of Gandhi Ji, this Movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial rule. Today, India is saying in one voice:Corruption Quit India. Dynasty Quit India. Appeasement Quit India. pic.twitter.com/w6acXBoNq1 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 9, 2023 Today, India is saying in one voice: Corruption Quit India. Dynasty Quit India. Appeasement Quit India, " he added. Prime Minister Modi has, time and again, accused opposition parties of pursuing the politics of corruption, dynasty and appeasement. On the other hand, BJP MPs held a demonstration on the Parliament premises in New Delhi today, remembering the Quit India Movement. #WATCH | Delhi | BJP MPs hold a demonstration on the Parliament premises, remembering the Quit India Movement.Slogans of Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India.and Appeasement Quit India being raised by the MPs. pic.twitter.com/jhUDvHK9Uf ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 The BJP leaders shouted slogans of Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India" and Appeasement Quit India" during the demonstration. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who returned to Lok Sabha after Parliament restored his membership post the Supreme Court, launched a scathing attack on the government over Manipur violence. A few days back, I went to Manipur. The truth is Manipur is no longer the same. It has been broken an divided," Gandhi said. He also made a derogatory statement against Bharat Matat, evoking immense anger among that Bharatiya Janata Party lawmakers and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla who asked the Congress leader to mind his language. Union minister Kiren Rijiju sought an apology from Sonia Gandhis son, while minister Smriti Irani attacked the INDIA bloc over his statement and said, You are not India because you define corruption, incompetence." Irani also lashed out at Congress MPs for clapping at their leaders statement while he was insulting" Mother India. The ruling MPs also asked Gandhi if he visited Rajasthan where multiple cases of crime against women were reported recently. I am going today," Gandhi replied. ALSO READ | 12-yr-old Girl Raped, Burnt Alive in Rajasthan Coal Furnace; Villagers Say More Bodies Could Be Inside As Irani was slamming him, Rahul Gandhi left Parliament for his programme in Rajasthan. He is scheduled to participate in the Congress meeting in Banswaras Mangarh. Earlier in Lower House, Rahul Gandhi said the Bharat Jodo Yatra is not over and he undertook the cross-country march to understand what was it he loved and what was it that he bore abuse for 10 years. Participating in the no-confidence motion debate, Gandhi also thanked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for reinstating his membership of the House. The last time I spoke, I also caused you (Birla) pain. I focussed on Adani ji with such intensity, your senior leaders felt pain. That pain also affected you, for that I apologise to you," Gandhi told Birla. I only spoke the truth. My BJP friends you need not be afraid because my speech today will not be focussed on us. Rumi said, jo shabd dill se aate hain woh dil mein jaate hain. Will not attack you much." I walked from one end of the country to another, from the coast to the snowy mountains of Kashmir. The yatra is still not over Many people asked me after it started, Rahul why did you walk, what is your aim. I did not know why I wanted to walk but I soon understood the thing that I love and the thing for which I am willing to die and go to Modi jis jail, the thing for which I bore abuse for 10 years, I wanted to understand," he said. TOKYO:Apple and Samsung Electronics will invest in SoftBank Group-owned chip designer Arm at its initial public offering (IPO), expected in September, Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported on Tuesday. Reuters reported in June that Arm was in talks with some ten companies - including Apple, Samsung and Intel - with the aim of bringing on one or more anchor investors in the offering. Last month, Reuters and other media reported that Arm was in talks to bring in U.S. chip designer Nvidia as an anchor investor for the New York listing. Apple, Samsung, Nvidia and Intel all plan to invest in Arm as soon as it is listed on the market, the Nikkei said. The SoftBank-owned firm will officially apply to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the listing later this month, the newspaper said. Arm plans to sell the chipmakers stakes of "a few percent each", the newspaper said. SoftBank declined to comment. Apple and Intel did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment, while Samsung and Nvidia declined to comment. The long-awaited IPO is seen as a potential windfall for Softbank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son's sprawling tech conglomerate. SoftBank has been targeting a listing for Arm since its deal to sell the chip designer to Nvidia collapsed last year due to objections from antitrust regulators. The planned U.S. listing could raise between $8 billion and $10 billion, sources told Reuters in April. At an earnings briefing on Tuesday, SoftBank's chief financial officer provided no details on a listing date or fundraising goal, but said preparations were going "very smoothly". SoftBank posted a surprise loss on Tuesday but said it was dipping its toes back into new investments after its Vision Fund unit returned to the black for the first time in six quarters. At the meeting (Photo: SGGP) On August 7, Mr. Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, received Ms. Sheng Thao, Mayor of Oakland (California, US), who is on a working visit to Vietnam. Welcoming the Oakland delegation to Ho Chi Minh City, he highly appreciated the visit of the delegation, and expressed his wish to promote comprehensive relationships with US partners and localities. At reception, he said that Ho Chi Minh City wants to promote cooperation with Oakland City in the fields of commercial investment, science - technology development, innovation, and development of an international financial center. Ho Chi Minh City also wishes to cooperate with Oakland City in sharing experiences and solutions to climate change adaptation technology; building a green financial fund to help the city have resources to implement climate change response projects. In addition, it wants to cooperate with Oakland City to promote investment cooperation between businesses of the two localities in the fields of clean energy, production of new materials, science and technology, digital transformation, and two-way trade promotion. Ho Chi Minh City invites Oakland businesses to invest in the city's Hi-Tech Park in chip production, semiconductors, new material technology, the infrastructure system serving import and export of goods and construction of seaports; and share experiences in building an international financial center. The city is committed to continuing to act more effectively, creating better conditions for US businesses, including overseas Vietnamese businesses in the US, to invest in Ho Chi Minh City, he said. Impressed by the development of Ho Chi Minh City, Ms. Sheng Thao said that Oakland, as well as the state of California, has a lot of potential for cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City and localities of Vietnam. She said the two cities have similar goals to combat climate change and look forward to working closely in this area. She added the two sides still have a lot of potential and areas for cooperation such as trade, investment and construction of seaports. Also at the meeting, leaders of a number of businesses and banks in California wished to promote cooperation in areas such as the development of port system, high technology, clean energy, agriculture, healthcare and environmental protection. According to Mayor Sheng Thao, the business trip to Vietnam is part of a series of events towards the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Partnership between the US and Vietnam to enhance practical effectiveness in promoting relations with Vietnam, including strengthening cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City, on the basis of mutual benefit. The two sides agreed to connect focal points for cooperation to build a legal framework for cooperation between the two cities in potential fields, bringing practical benefits to the two sides./. Alphabets Google and Universal Music are in talks to license artists voices and melodies for artificial intelligence-generated songs, Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing four people familiar with the matter. The music industry is grappling with deepfake songs, made using generative AI, that mimic artists voices, often without their consent. The goal behind the talks is to develop a tool for fans to create tracks legitimately and pay the owners of the copyrights for them, the report said, adding the artists would have a choice to opt in the process. Discussions between Google and Universal Music are at an early stage and no product launch is imminent, while Warner Music is also in talks with Google about a product, the report added. The companies did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. In related news, Google recently asked a U.S. appeals court in New York on Tuesday to pause a decision to return an antitrust lawsuit filed by the state of Texas back to federal court in Texas. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation in June granted the states request to send the lawsuit back to federal court in Texas. The lawsuit alleges that Google, a unit of Alphabet, abused its dominance in advertising technology. The panel stayed the decision to give Google time to appeal its decision to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. After the lawsuit was filed in 2020, Google successfully petitioned for it to be moved from Texas to a federal court in New York, where other advertising technology cases were being heard. Bolivia recently witnessed a concerning incident that highlights the potential dangers of children imitating superheroes from fictional worlds. An 8-year-old boys innocent aspiration to become Spider-Man led him down a perilous path when he allowed a black widow spider to bite him, resulting in a trip to the hospital. In a story reminiscent of the beloved Marvel character, the young boy, inspired by the iconic web-slinger, aimed to acquire superpowers through an encounter with a spider. However, the consequences turned out to be far more hazardous than he could have anticipated. Reports reveal that the boy had ventured near a river adjacent to his home in Bolivia, unaware of the dangerous arachnid lurking beneath a stone. Upon spotting a black widow spider, the child believed that its bite could potentially transform him into Spider-Man. In a bid to realize his aspiration, he fearlessly picked up the spider and allowed it to bite him on the back of his palm. The black widow spider, known for its potent venom, wields a toxin 15 times more potent than rattlesnake venom. The venom contains a chemical called alpha-latrotoxin, which triggers intense pain and disrupts nerve cells, leading to excruciating body contractions. Approximately three hours after the incident, the boy began experiencing severe body aches and pronounced muscular contractions. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, he confided in his mother about the spider bite. Swiftly, the concerned mother rushed him to the nearest hospital for urgent medical intervention. According to accounts provided by paediatrician Dr Ernesto Vasquez, the young boy is on a slow path to recovery. His motive, it seems, was to follow in the footsteps of his superhero idol, Spider-Man, and shield others from danger. Dr Vasquez further shared that the child was driven by an innocent desire to emulate the fictional characters traits. The boys mother acknowledged his affinity for Spider-Man but expressed shock at the drastic step he had taken. She had no inkling that his fascination with the superhero would lead him to such a risky experiment. Its a poignant reminder that childrens fascination with fictional characters can sometimes blur the line between reality and fantasy, leading to unintended consequences. You can overcome any challenge if you have strong willpower. Dr Raj Phanden of Haryana, known as Cycle Baba, is a true testament to this statement. According to reports, he has set out to travel the world on a bicycle. Till now, he has covered 92 countries. Raj was recently in Karnal. In a special conversation with News18, he said that by 2030, he has set a target to travel the whole world. He also said he wants to give the message of environment protection to the people during his yatra. Cycle Baba started his ride from Fatehabad, Haryana on September 5, 2016, with the theme Wheels for Green, and has covered one lakh kilometres so far. He has till now covered countries like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, China, Oman, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Philippines, Georgia, UK, and the Netherlands. He visited 15 countries in Europe and then went to Scotland. Raj further said that he wants to give a positive message to the environment, and thats why he is taking this journey. He believes that nature all around the world is affected, for which we all need to work together. Raj also said that his ride is still going on. He wants to measure the whole world with his bicycle. He was in Spain recently, but he got injured and had to return to India for treatment. As per reports, the cost of Cycle Babas cycle is Rs 2 lakh. Now, he is thinking of getting a new bicycle, which costs around Rs 5 lakh. Raj said that the Indian Embassy helps him a lot with his visa; in whatever country he goes to, he contacts the Indian Embassy there. With their help, he gets the visa there too. Raj further said that he was in the Philippines, and the ambassador had written a letter to the Indian Embassy there, where they gave him the name Dr Raj Cycle Baba. When Raj asked them the reason why he has been given the title Cycle Baba, they said that he is travelling on a bicycle; secondly, he is roaming around the world like Baba (Saint). After this, Raj also named his social media account Cycle Baba. Giving a message to the youth, Raj said that whenever you get time, travel. Whether it is by bicycle, train, or walking. Travel itself teaches many things. When you travel, you will get to know the culture there and also gain geographical knowledge. In a scary incident, a Hyderabad man died after falling from the terrace of a building while he was on a date with his girlfriend. The incident took place in Hyderabads Borabanda area on Sunday. Recognised as 20-year-old Shoaib, the boy had gone to the terrace of his girlfriends building with pizza around midnight for a late-night date. Soon, the couple heard her father coming up the steps. Being all panicky, Shoaib ran to the edge of the roof and fell off the building. Also Read: Over Thousand Applicants Waiting Outside Wipro Kolkata Office Shows Harsh Reality of Unemployment According to the police, he was trying to take support from some dangling wires. Shoaib fell around 3 AM and was rushed to Osmania Hospital. He was declared dead at 5.30 AM. As of now, Shoaibs father has filed a complaint with the police alleging foul play in his sons death. The police are also investigating if he jumped off the roof or slipped. Meanwhile, earlier, a man from Odishas Kalahandi district was arrested in the murder case of his daughter and her boyfriend who were allegedly killed as their family was against the relationship since they were relatives. The bodies of the couple, in their early 20s, were found hanging from a tree near their village in Dharamgarh police station on July 9. Also Read: Woman Wears Colourful, Candy Crush-Inspired Beanbag Dress In New York Subway Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhilas G said the man and the woman fell in love and were in a relationship for about a year. They were distant relatives. The girls family got to know about it during the Rath Yatra festival last month. They were against it. The White House on Wednesday will detail its plans to prohibit some U.S. investments in sensitive technology in China, and require that the government be notified of other investments, a senior government source told Reuters. The plans are aimed at preventing U.S. capital and expertise from helping develop technologies that could support Chinas military modernization and threaten U.S. national security. Reuters reported on Friday that President Joe Biden was expected to soon issue a the long-awaited executive order to screen outbound investments in sensitive technologies to China this week. The senior government source said that order is expected Wednesday. The White House declined to comment on Tuesday. Biden administration officials have stressed for months any restrictions on U.S. investment in China will be narrowly targeted. These are tailored measures, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in April. They are not, as Beijing says, a technology blockade." U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in March the administration did not want to be overly broad. Anything thats overly broad hurts American workers and the economy." The administration is expected to target active investment such as U.S. private equity, venture capital and joint venture investments in China in semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence. Most investments captured by the order will require that the government be notified about them, sources have said. Some transactions will be prohibited. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the Biden administration plans to require firms making investments in a broader range of Chinese industries to report that activity, which will give the U.S. government great visibility into financial transactions between the United States and China. Sources previously told Reuters investments in semiconductors that will be restricted are expected to track export control rules for China issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce in October. Emily Benson, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a bipartisan policy research organization, said she expects investments in artificial intelligence to be prohibited to military users and uses, and that other investments in the sector will only require notification to the government. Benson said the burden will fall on the administration to determine what AI falls into the military category. They will have to draw a line of what constitutes a military application of AI, and to define AI," said Benson, director of CSISs project on trade and technology. Bidens order is expected to direct publication of a notice of proposed rule-making. It is not expected to take effect immediately and to provide for a comment period to consider industry feedback before being finalized. Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia this week, Beijing said on Wednesday as it seeks to build ties in the region. Wang, who returned to the post last month after the unexplained disappearance of predecessor Qin Gang, will travel to the three countries from Thursday to Sunday, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. China hopes to strengthen strategic communication with the three Southeast Asian countries through this visit," the foreign ministry said. Cambodia has become one of Chinas strongest allies in the region under the rule of outgoing ruler Hun Sen, receiving huge sums of Chinese investment. But the flood of Chinese money has brought problems, including a rash of casinos and online scam operations staffed by foreign workers. Chinas relations with Southeast Asia have been complicated by self-proclaimed control over most of the South China Sea despite competing claims from nations including Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. Maritime disagreements have pitted some members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) against Beijing and boosted sympathy for US opposition to Chinas growing assertiveness. Others have backed Beijing. Singapore has for decades juggled ties with China and the US, engaging in an increasingly delicate balancing act amid the growing rivalry between the two powers across the Asia-Pacific. The United States said Wednesday it was watching with concern the prospect of election violence in Pakistan, which is set for polls from which leading politician Imran Khan has been barred. Were obviously concerned about any actions particularly violent actions that can contribute to instability in Pakistan or, frankly, any other country with whom we share a set of common interests when it comes to counterterrorism," said John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council. So were watching it with concern, of course," he told reporters. Kirby was responding to a question on whether violent extremists were taking advantage of political turmoil as the worlds fifth-most populous country heads to the polls. Pakistans parliament was set to be dissolved on Wednesday with an interim government appointed to oversee elections. Khan, the countrys most popular politician, is ineligible. He was booted from power in April last year and recently jailed on corruption charges that his supporters dismiss as politically motivated. The United States has been cautious in its comments on Khan and the election itself, fearing it will stir up conspiracy theories. Khan, a critic of US military operations, has alleged that a senior US official worked to oust him claims strongly rejected by the United States. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Tuesday that Khans arrest was an internal matter for Pakistan." But of course we continue to call for the respect for democratic principles, human rights and the rule of law in Pakistan as we do around the world," he said. Iraqs official media regulator on Tuesday ordered all media and social media companies operating in the Arab state not to use the term homosexuality" and instead to say sexual deviance," the regulator said. The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) said in a statement that the use of the term gender" was also banned. It prohibited all phone and internet companies licensed by it from using the terms in any of their mobile applications. The regulator directs media organisations not to use the term homosexuality and to use the correct term sexual deviance," the Arabic-language statement said. A government spokesperson said a penalty for violating the rule had not yet been set but could include a fine. Iraq does not explicitly criminalise gay sex but loosely defined morality clauses in its penal code have been used to target members of the LGBT community. Major Iraqi parties have in the past two months stepped up criticism of LGBT rights, with rainbow flags frequently being burned in protests by Shiite Muslim factions opposed to recent Koran burnings in Sweden and Denmark. More than 60 countries criminalise gay sex, while same-sex sexual acts are legal in more than 130 countries, according to Our World in Data. The Taliban in Afghanistan lashed out at Pakistan for alleging that Afghan soil is being used for terror attacks on Pakistan. Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban government, criticised the Pakistan government and their subsequent statement which blamed Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as a source of terrorism in the region. We have always maintained that Afghanistan soil will not be used for attacking Pakistan. Why has terrorism only increased in Pakistan? The country should look for answers inside its own borders, Mujahid said. Mujahid pointed to Pakistans spending in security forces and intel operations and said a large amount of the nations budget is being spent to fight terror, which then raises the question of why the nation is not able to contain terror. They should not blame Afghanistan for their shortcomings, Mujahid said, as per a statement accessed by CNN-News18. Mujahid then pointed out that the 18 Islamic State-affiliated terrorists who were killed in an operation were from Pakistan. He said after a probe into their identities it was proved that they were from Pakistan. We did not point our fingers at anyone and continued to secure our own country. Not allowing our soil to be used against our country does not mean that we are responsible for what happens in other countries, Mujahid said. He also called for joint efforts to wipe out elements like the Islamic State in the region. The Islamic States Khorasan wing is the most active in the western, northwestern Afghanistan region and parts of western and northwestern Pakistan and have attacked armed personnel and civilians in Pakistan and also carried out attacks targeting Taliban and Afghan citizens. People familiar with the developments said that this is the strongest statement from the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan. The statement also comes from the Kandhari side led by Mullah Mohammad Omar. Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, the acting defence minister, also was enraged when Pakistan said it is ready to conduct surgical strikes inside Afghanistan. People within the Taliban, familiar with the developments, told CNN-News18 that such statements will not help Afghanistan-Pakistan ties. Pakistan is currently facing a wave of terror which has led to loss of hundreds of lives of civilians and armed personnel. The attacks are being led by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Pakistan Taliban and Pakistan alleges that the group can be controlled if Afghan Taliban desires but the Taliban regime in Kabul are not doing anything to stop the chaos. There is strong evidence that the Myanmar military and its affiliate militias are committing increasingly frequent and brazen war crimes, according to the latest report by a UN Human Rights Council body. In its annual report released on August 8, the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (Mechanism) outlines these war crimes include indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks on civilians from aerial bombing, such as the military airstrike in Sagaing in April that killed over 155 people. There has also been an increase in the mass executions of civilians and detained combatants, and the large-scale and intentional burning of civilian homes and buildings, resulting in the destruction of entire villages in some cases, the report adds. Every loss of life in Myanmar is tragic, but the devastation caused to whole communities through aerial bombardments and village burnings is particularly shocking, said Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Mechanism. Our evidence points to a dramatic increase in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country, with widespread and systematic attacks against civilians, and we are building case files that can be used by courts to hold individual perpetrators responsible. The report points out that the Myanmar military has justified aerial bombings, including on schools and monasteries, as attacks against military targets. However, the Mechanisms evidence indicates that the military should have known, or did know, that large numbers of civilians were present in or around alleged military targets at the time of some of these attacks. The Mechanisms report explains that under international law, military commanders have a duty to prevent and punish war crimes committed by those under their command and failing to take reasonable measures to prevent and punish these crimes may make the commanders criminally responsible. The Mechanism notes that repeatedly ignoring such crimes may indicate that the higher authorities intended the commission of these crimes. In its investigations into the most serious international crimes committed in Myanmar, the Mechanism has collected information from more than 700 sources, including more than 200 eyewitness accounts, and additional evidence such as photographs, videos, audio material, documents, maps, geospatial imagery, social media posts and forensic evidence. The UN rights body continues to actively probe the violence that led to the large-scale displacement of the Rohingya from Myanmar in 2016 and 2017. In particular, the report stresses the prevalence of sexual and gender-based crimes committed against the Rohingya at this time. Sexual and gender-based crimes are amongst the most heinous crimes that we are investigating, said Koumjian. These were so pervasive during the Rohingya clearance operations that most witnesses we have interviewed have relevant evidence about this. Vietnamese NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (L) and Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf at their meeting in Tehran on August 8 (Photo: VNA) The talks formed part of Hues official visit to Iran from August 8 to 10. Expressing his delight at visiting Iran when the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, Hue noted with satisfaction the progress in bilateral cooperation over the past years, particularly in politics - diplomacy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. Meanwhile, Qalibaf stated the Parliament and people of Iran always attach importance to the further promotion of the friendship and multifaceted ties with Vietnam, an important partner of his country in the Asia-Pacific region. He voiced his belief that cooperation between the two countries, as well as between the two parliaments, will record development breakthroughs in the coming time. Discussing measures for improving cooperation effectiveness, both leaders agreed that Vietnam and Iran will continue increasing mutual visits at all levels, especially by senior leaders and officials of economic-related sectors and localities. They also discussed stepping up people-to-people and cultural exchanges to strengthen friendship and mutual understanding. They will enhance cooperation between their parliamentary agencies, parliamentary friendship groups, female parliamentarians, and young parliamentarians. They also want to promote the role of the two parliaments in supervising and fostering the implementation of their countries agreements and commitments. The two countries will continue to coordinate with and support each other at international forums, and well prepare for the 10th meeting of the Vietnam - Iran Inter-Governmental Committee in Hanoi. In terms of economic affairs, they concurred in holding more events connecting the countries localities and enterprises so as to seek opportunities for business and investment partnerships, and create conditions for strong products of each country to enter each others markets. NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue called on Iran to further import Vietnamese farm produce such as rice, tea, peppercorn, coffee, and rubber, and also highlighted the readiness to help facilitate Irans export of dried fruit to Vietnam. Both host and guest agreed to foster cooperation in customs and Halal product manufacturing. They also agreed to resume cooperation mechanisms between the two countries such as the joint working board for banking cooperation and the working group on trade in order to seek breakthrough measures for economic and trade links. The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament said enterprises of his country are paying more and more attention to the Vietnamese market. He highly valued the political stability and favourable investment and business climate in the Southeast Asian country, saying the Iranian side is ready to create optimal conditions for the countries enterprises to partner with each other. During the talks, the two leaders also looked into measures for augmenting ties in other potential fields like science - technology, digital transformation, education - training, student exchanges, and tourism. On this occasion, the Vietnamese NA Chairman invited his host to pay an official visit to Vietnam. Qalibaf accepted the invitation with pleasure. NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue also invited the Iranian Parliament to send a delegation to the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians in Hanoi this September. Following the talks, the two leaders signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the parliaments./. The West African nation of Niger, overtaken by a junta following President Mohamed Bazoums ousting, is grappling with concerns over Wagners potential involvement amid ongoing instability. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while not attributing the coup to Russia or Wagner, has voiced unease about their presence in the Sahel region. When asked if he was concerned about the waving of Russian flags on the streets of Niamey by supporters of the recent coup, Blinken said Washington sees Russia taking advantage of some of these conflicts and weaponising food to try to advance its own interests." In an interview with Waihiga Mwaura of BBC Focus on Africa, he said, we have concerns when we see something like the Wagner Group possibly manifesting itself in different parts of the Sahel, and heres why were concerned: because every single place that this group, Wagner Group, has gone, death, destruction, and exploitation have followed." I think what happened and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but to the extent that they try to take advantage of it and we see a repeat of whats happened in other countries, where theyve brought nothing but bad things in their wake that wouldnt be good," he added. Both the US and France maintain military bases in Niger to counter jihadist groups across the broader region. Following their expulsion from Mali after a coup, French troops established Niger as a critical hub. Wagner, reputed to possess numerous fighters in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali, advances business interests and fortifies Russias diplomatic and economic ties, despite allegations of grave human rights abuses in Africa. Speculation arises regarding Nigers solicitation of Wagners aid amid potential military intervention. US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland conducted difficult and frank" discussions with coup leaders, underscoring risks associated with collaborating with mercenaries. Detained President Bazoum expresses concerns about Wagners African influence, emphasizing potential Russian sway over the central Sahel region. Uncertainty prevails about Wagners presence in Niger, as a Wagner-linked Telegram channel hints at deployments to Africa without precise locations. Wagners leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, extends an offer of assistance to the junta, affirming allegiance to justice and the pursuit of sovereignty. Deadlock remains over the contender for the caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, with a joint session of Parliament expected to convene in the evening after which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to write to President Arif Alvi to initiate the dissolution process of the National Assembly, sources told News18. Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir is also expected to meet the PM to discuss the current situation of the country. After the National Assembly is dissolved, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will come into action. The ECP is an autonomous constitutional body in charge of organising and conducting elections. According to Article 224 of the Constitution, the ECP must conduct general elections within 60 days after the assembly has completed its five-year term, or within 90 days in the case of an early dissolution. Even if President Alvi fails to sign the dissolution advice, the National Assembly will stand dissolved on the night of August 11, hours before it would have completed its tenure the next day. Once the assembly is dissolved by the president or stands dissolved upon the advice, the National Assembly secretariat will issue a notification about the dissolution. The five-year term of the incumbent National Assembly the lower house of the Pakistan Parliament commenced on August 12, 2018, and thus it could have technically remained active till August 12, 2023. However, the PM and PDMs decision means it is now set for a premature dissolution. In between the dissolution of the assembly and fresh elections, an interim or caretaker government is appointed, which has to ensure a conducive environment for free and fair elections in the country. The caretaker cabinet is appointed by the president, but the choice is made in collaboration with the outgoing PM Sharif and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Raja Riaz. According to sources, the top contenders for the post of caretaker prime minister are: 1. Hafeez Sheikh, former finance minister, who has served in the cabinet of General Musharraf, former president Asif Zardari and Imran Khan. 2. Tariq Bajwa, former finance secretary, who is very close to former PM Nawaz Sharif. 3. Jalil Abbas Jillani, former foreign secretary, and relative of former PM Yousaf Raza Gilani. Jillani was named as the contender for caretaker Prime Minister in 2018 by PMLN. 4. Tassaduq Hussain Jillani is former Chief Justice of Pakistan. 5. Maqbool Baqir is a former Supreme Court judge. 6. Fawad Hassan Fawad - Retired Bureaucrat and Former PS to PM Nawaz Sharif. 7. Hussain Haroon, who served as foreign minister of Pakistan. Moscow accused Poland and Finland of threatening its security on Wednesday and vowed a response to multiplying threats" on Russias western frontier from NATO members. Poland, Ukraines staunch ally and neighbour, has strengthened security on its border with Belarus after Minsk became a new base for Russian Wagner fighters. Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, joined NATO in April in a historic move fuelled by Moscows Ukraine offensive. Threats to the military security of the Russian Federation have multiplied in the western and northwestern strategic directions," Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting with military officials. Those risks require a timely and adequate response," he added. We will discuss the necessary measures to neutralise them at the meeting and make appropriate decisions." He singled out Poland, which he said was being militarised" and used by the United States as the main instrument of anti-Russian politics". Warsaw announced Wednesday it would send an additional 2,000 troops to its eastern border to join the 2,000 soldiers already stationed there. The NATO member last week said Belarusian helicopters had violated its airspace and has warned of provocations from Belarus. Shoigu said the Polish troops would be in the immediate vicinity of the borders of the Union State," referring to an alliance between Moscow and Minsk. President Vladimir Putin said last month that Moscow would respond to any aggression against Belarus with all the means at our disposal". Shoigu also said that a serious destabilising factor is Finland joining NATO, and in the future Sweden." Last month, Turkey dropped its opposition to Sweden entering NATO, greenlighting Stockholms accession aspirations. The Kremlin has said that Sweden joining NATO would jeopardise Russias security and said it was planning countermeasures. Sweden shares a short Arctic border with Russia. Its a tumultuous day for Pakistans politics with a flurry of key meetings and deliberations to pick its caretaker prime minister. Retired diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani is said to be the top contender and he is set to meet PM Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday. The prime minister will also meet leader of opposition Raja Riaz Ahmad to deliberate on the caretaker PM probables. Meetings of the federal cabinet, national assembly, senate, and a joint session of parliament have also been called. The countrys top political leadership is meeting on Wednesday to finalise the caretaker setup and schedule for elections. Army chief General Asim Munir Ahmed will also meet PM Shehbaz Sharif and president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians Asif Ali Zardari to discuss the prevailing situation in the country. Apart from Jilani, economist and politician Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, retired civil servant Tariq Bajwa, and federal minister for privatisation Muhammad Mian Soomro are believed to be among the top contenders for the caretaker post. PM Shehbaz Sharif is set to formally recommend the dissolution of the national assembly to President Arif Alvi to pave the way for the next general elections in the country without former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been jailed and barred from politics for five years. The dissolution allows the interim government, which is still to be set up, to oversee the next general elections within 90 days, that is by November. The five-year term of the incumbent national assembly the lower house of the Pakistan parliament commenced on August 12, 2018, and thus it could have technically remained active till August 12, 2023. However, the prime ministers and PDM parties decision means it is now set for a premature dissolution, albeit by a mere three days. A joint session of the parliament is expected on Wednesday after the conclusion of which the premier is expected to write to the president to initiate the dissolution process. Thus, PM Shehbaz has until the night of August 9 to write to President Alvi, advising him to dissolve the assembly. Even if President Alvi fails to sign the dissolution advice, the assembly will stand dissolved on the night of August 11, hours before it would have completed its tenure the next day. Once the assembly is dissolved by the president or stands dissolved upon the advice, the national assembly secretariat will issue a notification about the dissolution. With the national assembly dissolved, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will come into action. The ECP is an autonomous constitutional body in charge of organising and conducting elections. According to Article 224 of the Pakistan constitution, the ECP must conduct general elections within 60 days after the assembly has completed its five-year term, or within 90 days in the case of an early dissolution. In between the dissolution of the assembly and fresh elections, an interim or caretaker government is appointed. The caretaker cabinet has one primary job: to create a conducive environment for free and fair elections in the country. This caretaker cabinet is appointed by the president, but this choice is made in collaboration with the outgoing prime minister and the leader of the opposition in the outgoing national assembly. If a consensus is not reached then the issue of caretaker prime minister is referred to a committee. If the matter is not resolved even then, the ECP will appoint the caretaker PM. Top contenders for post of caretaker PM 1. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh: Former finance minister of Pakistan. Served in General Pervez Musharraf, former President Asif Ali Zardari, and Imran Khans cabinets as finance minister. 2. Tariq Bajwa: Former finance secretary and very close to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. 3. Jalil Abbas Jillani: Former foreign secretary and relative of former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani. He was named caretaker PM in 2018 by PMLN. 4. Tasadduq Hussain Jilani: Retired Justice. 5. Maqbool Baqar: Retired Justice. 6. Fawad Hassan Fawad: Retired bureaucrat and former PS to PM Nawaz Sharif. 7. Hussain Haroon: Former diplomat. 8. Muhammad Mian Soomro: Federal minister for privatisation and former acting president of Pakistan. Top meetings happening today 1. Pakistan army chief and PM Shehbaz Sharif 2. Former President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif 3. PMLN supremo will hold virtual meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Zardari, and Maulana Fazl Rehman. 4. PDM leaders meeting. 5. Asif Zardari and army chief. 6. Opposition leader and PM. 7. Federal cabinet. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine is set to be a significant topic of discussion at the upcoming G-20 Summit in New Delhi next month, according to a US State Department official. Leaders of the G-20, including US President Joe Biden, are scheduled to convene in New Delhi next month. When asked about the potential outcome regarding the Ukraine conflict at the upcoming G20 Summit in India, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, In all our conversations with allies and partners around the world, we continue to discuss the war in Ukraine." During a press conference on Tuesday, Miller further added, It is always one of the top topics that comes up in all of our conversations, and I have no doubt thatll be true at the G20." India is poised to host the G20 leaders summit in New Delhi on September 9-10. This will mark Indias inaugural hosting of the summit for the worlds major economies. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, New Delhi aims to showcase its economic and political leadership on the global stage, advocating for the needs and agenda of the developing world. Since the outset of the Ukraine conflict in February last year, India has maintained an independent stance rooted in its longstanding policy of historical ties with Russia. Emphasizing peace and diplomacy, India has affirmed that this isnt an era of war." Meanwhile, the Biden administration seeks to reduce Indias reliance on its defense partnership with Russia. Progressing in this direction, Washington and New Delhi have signed significant agreements in the defense and technological sectors. Despite sustaining economic relations with Moscow, including increased acquisition of affordable Russian oil following the Ukraine invasion, New Delhis actions have raised concerns in Western quarters. On social networks, Armenians constantly complain that Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijani media are allegedly promoting hatred against Armenians. They do not miss any opportunity to show Azerbaijanis in a bad light. Observing the behaviour of such people in social networks, one can claim that they are organised and controlled from one centre. Besides, ordinary Armenians in social media and Armenian state and private media outlets carry out active propaganda not only against the Azerbaijani state but also against Azerbaijanis. Armenians continue to spread hatred against Azerbaijan both on social networks and in the traditional media organizations they have. They even started a hashtag on the Twitter social network about imposing sanctions on Azerbaijan, as well. In a comment for AZERNEWS on the issue, the Member of Parliament Fazil Mustafa emphasized that this is the traditional form of propaganda of Armenians. In order to cover up the crimes they have committed against the Azerbaijanis, they create propaganda in such a direction. This is also related to their desire to take advantage in the field of information and they can achieve it to a certain extent. This is not an issue that reflects reality, because no systematic work is being done on hatred of Armenians in Azerbaijan. On the contrary, the Armenians themselves carried out systematic hatred propaganda against Azerbaijanis. Besides, massive brutalities were committed in Garabagh and all Azerbaijanis abhor this brutality. This is not about hatred of Armenians, the MP said. As for the target audience, he opined that such kind of propaganda information is not diverted to the local audience. Fazil Mustafa mentioned that local Armenians do not need such propaganda, because they have carried out such propaganda for dozens of years. Here, the target audience is actually not the Armenians themselves. Because Armenians have been poisoned for many years. They don't need a new poison. This is to change the public opinion of people living in a foreign country, and the opinion of officials holding certain positions in foreign countries. It is done for this purpose and it is one of the certain methods and therefore we must seriously carry out our counter-propaganda to prevent it, he said. Responding to the question, of whether Armenian can cause any pressure on Azerbaijan through such propaganda, he said that it is not realistic. The MP pointed out that Armenians can only develop public opinions. I don't expect it to create any pressure, but it can create public opinion. When the opinion turns against us, it will express itself in future decisions. Therefore, we should prevent the creation of any opinion against us, the formation of a negative opinion as much as possible. We must take proactive steps. Otherwise, it would be wrong to expect that something will change in the world with such Armenian propaganda, he noted. He also touched on the sanctions which Armenians discuss too much and emphasized that it is not new intention. Armenians has tried to hinder the projects carried out by the Azerbaijani government but they have not achieved anything and they will not achieve either. They have been trying to hinder the projects implemented by Azerbaijan for 30 years with anti-Azerbaijani propaganda. When you have a strong state, you can overcome them. On the other hand, Azerbaijan has followed a smart path in foreign policy and is able to maintain balance. As a result, we have such good cooperation with countries where Armenian propaganda is strong and it is developing at a high level. From this point of view, it is not believable that our activities and economic cooperation are being boycotted or harmed in this direction in any way. I believe that it is impossible to do this, because Azerbaijan has already confirmed its strength and is a country that is taken seriously in the international arena, the Azerbaijani MP added. The Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and Israel (VIFTA) was officially signed on July 25 in Israel. (Photo: congthuong.vn) Under the direction of the Government, with the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the EFTA bloc (including Switzerland, Norway, Ireland and Liechtenstein), the two sides have undergone 16 official negotiation sessions. In the near future, the two sides will resume negotiations to soon conclude the negotiation of this FTA. It is expected that the 17th negotiation session of the Vietnam - EFTA FTA will take place in November 2023 in Switzerland. On the The Comprehensive & Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the first discussion session between the two sides was held in Hanoi in June. The two sides agreed on the Terms of Reference (TOR) defining the scope of CEPA, exchanged orientations for general discussions as well as orientations for discussions in specific areas, including in goods trade, rules of origin, trade in services, investment facilitation, e-commerce, customs cooperation and trade remedies. The Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Decision 1542/QD-BCT on June 26, 2023 officially establishing the CEPA negotiation team with the UAE. Currently, Vietnam and the UEA are actively discussing and negotiating to be able to conclude this FTA negotiation soon under the direction of the leaders of the two countries. Regarding free trade agreements within the ASEAN framework, relevant ministries and agencies concluded negotiations to upgrade the ASEAN - Australia - New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA). Currently, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is finalizing a draft report to the Government on the signing of the Protocol to amend the AANZFTA Agreement towards the goal of signing the Protocol with ASEAN countries and Australia - New Zealand in 2023. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has presided over and coordinated with relevant ministries and sectors to attend the negotiations of the ASEAN - Canada Free Trade Agreement in an online form in April and June 2023. At the same time, the Ministry has also coordinated with relevant ministries and sectors to participate in two negotiation sessions to upgrade the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement in Thailand in April and in China in June 2023; and the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) in Indonesia in February and May./. Processing products for the shipbuilding industry at Thang Loi Co., Ltd. in An Xa Industrial Park, Nam Dinh (Photo: VNA) Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong said that in the process of accelerating the national industrialization and modernization to achieve the goal to become a developing country with a modern industry by 2030, Vietnam has received active cooperation, support and help from international friends, including Japan. Therefore, on the basis of the cooperation between the senior leaders of the two countries, the Prime Minister approved Vietnam's Industrialization Strategy within the framework of Vietnam-Japan cooperation towards 2020 with a vision to 2030. Vietnam's Industrialization Strategy within the framework of Vietnam-Japan cooperation towards 2020, with a vision to 2030, prioritizes the concentrated development of 6 industries, including industrial machines; agricultural and aquatic product processing; electronic; shipbuilding; automobile and auto parts and environmental and energy saving industry. Deputy Minister Tran Quoc Phuong said that after the implementation period, the strategy has achieved a number of positive results, such as promoting the development of supporting industries, increasing the localization rate, and improving the productivity and competition of 6 priority industries. Mr. Matsumoto Izumi, First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, highly appreciated the certain progress of the Vietnamese side in the implementation of the Strategy. He also made a number of policy proposals to help Vietnam escape the middle-income trap and become a developed country by 2045, such as improving the development level of the industry, promoting restructuring industries and high technology, promoting the development of an economy based on innovation. Mr. Matsumoto Izumi affirmed that Japan wishes to cooperate with the Vietnamese side to set out industrial cooperation orientations in the new era, in line with the development orientations of both countries. At the recent meeting, the two sides discussed cooperation orientations in developing and implementing the Strategy in order to enhance Japan's support and experience sharing in the new context. The Vietnamese side proposed to continue promoting Japanese investment, especially investment projects using high technology, with research and development activities, connection, dissemination and technology transfer with domestic companies. In addition, the Strategy will continue to promote cooperation in the field of training, improving the quality of human resources; research activities and promotion of technology transfer and innovation; infrastructure development; policy research, sharing of experience in perfecting policies to promote greening and digitization of the economy./. Missouri authorities had been looking for Jaynie Crosdale since January, saying she was believed to have information about Timothy Haslett Jr.'s alleged abduction of a 22-year-old woman who says she was held captive in his home for a month before escaping. Now, in a horrific twist, Crosdale's body has been found. Kayakers found human remains in a barrel in the Missouri River that were last week identified as Crosdale's, NBC News reports. Crosdale had been considered a potential witness in the kidnapping case against Haslett, and at a hearing Monday, prosecutors said she "was inside" the suspect's home before his October arrest. The court hearing was requested by prosecutors who asked to increase Haslett's bond as soon as Crosdale's remains were identified, but their motion was denied. Prosecutors do not believe Crosdale and the victim in the case knew each other or saw each other, but they do believe Crosdale and Haslett had contact with each other prior to the victim allegedly escaping Haslett's home, KMBC reports. Crosdale was found inside a blue barrel, and the local police chief confirms that barrel was "very similar" to blue barrels seen outside Haslett's home around the time of his arrest last year. (Read more Missouri stories.) Iraq says all media and social media companies operating within its borders are now barred from using the terms "homosexuality" and "gender." In place of "homosexuality," the term "sexual deviance" must be used instead, Reuters reports. The new edict was issued by the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission, the Arab state's official media regulator, on Tuesday. All phone and internet companies licensed by the commission are also banned from using the prohibited terms in their mobile apps. No penalty for violations has yet been established, but a fine could be included, ABC.net reports. At least 17 people were evacuated from a French vacation home for people with learning disabilities after a fire broke out early Wednesday, with one person hospitalized, but another nine were killed and two remain missing and feared dead, local authorities tell CNN affiliate BFMTV . The cause of the fire at the facility in Wintzenheim, located near the German border, still isn't clear, but a rescue operation is ongoing, according to the country's interior minister, Gerald Darmanin. "We're almost certain of the death of the missing people," Christophe Marot, a senior local official, told France 3 TV, per Reuters, adding, "We're cautious until we've located all the bodies." Local media notes that the missing and dead include one staff member and 10 adults with disabilities, the latter of whom hailed from the city of Nancy, according to a statement from the local government of the Haut-Rhin region. Marot says that people on the ground floor of the burning building were able to quickly get out, while those on a higher level couldn't. "We know that people were trapped," Marot tells BFMTV, which notes the building was overtaken by "violent flames," per the statement. "It's very tragic." The victims are believed to range in age from their mid-20s to 50, according to Wintzenheim Deputy Mayor Daniel Leroy. More than six dozen firefighters were at the scene to battle the blaze, which broke out around 6:30am local time in an old converted three-story barn, per the BBC. The AP notes that 40 cops and four ambulances were also on-site to help with rescue efforts. Firefighters said about two-thirds of the building was burning at one point, but they soon were able to bring it under control. "My thoughts go out to the victims, to the injured, to their loved ones," French President Emmanuel Macron posted on Twitter, now known as X. (Read more France stories.) Ohio voters delivered a victory for abortion access on Tuesday, even if they didn't explicitly vote on abortion. Instead, they rejected a GOP-backed proposal (called Issue 1) that would have made it harder to amend the state's constitution. However, the vote was widely understood to be an attempt to restrict abortions because a measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state is on the ballot in November. In fact, prior to the vote, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Issue 1 was "100% about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution," per the Ohio Capital Journal. A look at the implications of the vote: The result is "significant," write David Leonhardt and Ian Prasad Philbrick in a New York Times assessment. Ohio is "increasingly conservative," and yet it rather easily defeated the proposal 57% to 43%. It's now the fourth straight red state, after Kansas, Kentucky, and Montana, to have voted in favor of abortion access on a referendum since the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. "At least for now, ballot initiativesas opposed to ousting otherwise popular Republican politiciansappear to be one of the few ways for advocates to expand abortion access in conservative states." However, more votes are upcoming, and the piece digs into those. Forty-one people are believed dead after a boat carrying migrants capsized off Tunisia in rough seas, the Italian Red Cross and rescue groups reported, citing four survivors who were rescued and brought to land Wednesday. The survivors reported having left Sfax, Tunisia, on a metal boat with a total of 45 people on Aug. 3. About six hours into their voyage, a huge wave overturned the vessel, RAI state television reported. The Red Cross said in a statement that the four survived using inner tubes and managed to climb onto another empty vessel nearby, evidence of the large number of boats setting out from Sfax and the rough seas that hit the area in recent days, causing several other capsizings, the AP reports. Photos released by the Sea-Watch humanitarian rescue group taken by its monitoring aircraft showed the four survivors waving for help from the boat and making their way to a commercial tanker, the Maltese-flagged Rimona. The rescued migrants were then transferred onto an Italian coast guard vessel which brought them to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday, said Sea-Watch's Paul Wagner. European Union border agency Frontex said that it had spotted a boat adrift in the Libyan search and rescue region and "informed all national rescue coordination centers in the region." Sea-Watch flew to the location, spotted the vessel and informed the closest merchant vessel, which was the Rimona, Wagner said. According to the GPS location shared by Sea-Watch, the survivors were spotted inside the Libyan search and rescue zone around 40 miles from Tunisia and about 125 miles from Lampedusa. The International Organization of Migration said that the shipwreck brings to more than 1,800 the number of people dead and missing in the central Mediterranean this year, the most active and dangerous migration route in the world. Rough seas over the weekend resulted in a series of shipwrecks and dramatic rescue attempts to save survivors. Italian authorities rescued dozens of migrants from the sea and from rocky reefs off Lampedusa, but at least 30 people were reported missing by survivors from other capsized vessels (Read more Mediterranean Sea stories.) Special counsel Jack Smith's team obtained a search warrant in January for records related to former President Donald Trump's Twitter account, and Twitter complied after some initial resistance, according to court documents released Wednesday. The details were included in a decision from the federal appeals court in Washington rejecting Twitter's claim that it should not have been held in contempt or sanctioned because it missed the deadline for complying, the AP reports. The filing says prosecutors got the search warrant directing Twitter to produce information on Trump's account after a court "found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses." "Although Twitter ultimately complied with the warrant, the company did not fully produce the requested information until three days after a court-ordered deadline," according to the appeals court ruling, per Politico. "The district court thus held Twitter in contempt and imposed a $350,000 sanction for its delay." The government also obtained a nondisclosure agreement prohibiting Twitter from disclosing the search warrant to Trump, the filing says. The court found that disclosing the warrant could risk that Trump would "would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation" by giving him "an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior," per the filing. Smith has charged Trump, in an indictment unsealed last week, with conspiring to subvert the will of voters and cling to power after he lost the 2020 election to President Biden. Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of Congress' certification of Biden's win. A spokesman for the special counsel's office declined to comment on the warrant or what exactly it sought. (Read more Donald Trump stories.) A Utah man accused of threatening President Biden and other officials was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president was due to arrive in the state Wednesday. Officials said the man was killed at his Provo home around 6:15am local time after "special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence," NBC News reports. Charging documents identified the man as Craig Deleeuw Robertson. According to a criminal complaint , Robertson threatened the president in a social media post Monday, saying, "I hear Biden is coming to Utah. Digging out my old Ghille suit and cleaning the dust off the M24 Sniper rifle." The complaint refers to the post as a "willful true threat to kill or cause injury to kill President Biden," ABC reports. The complaint states that Robertson was facing three counts: "interstate threats, threats against the president, and influencing, impeding and retaliating against federal law enforcement officers by threat," per ABC. In March, Robertson allegedly threatened to kill New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is leading the state criminal investigation of Donald Trump, Fox 13 reports. In one of dozens of social media posts included in the complaint, Robertson said he wanted to shoot Bragg in the forehead and watch him die. "I'll be waiting in the courthouse parking garage with my suppressed Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm to smoke a radical fool prosecutor that should never have been elected," he wrote. In other posts, he shared photos of his firearms and fantasized about killing officials including Attorney General Merrick Garland. After FBI agents spoke to him in March, he posted that the agents didn't know how close they had come to "violent eradication." It's not clear whether he was armed when the FBI went to his home Wednesday. The FBI said in a statement that the shooting is being reviewed by its Inspection Division and "as this is an ongoing matter, we have no further details to provide." (Read more Utah stories.) A white-headed langur cleans its ears at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 4, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua) Tourists view a white-headed langur at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) A tourist takes photos of a white-headed langur at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 4, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua) A white-headed langur runs past a journalist at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua) Editor: GSY Fairbanks, AK (99701) Today Rain likely. High 54F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Rain. Low 49F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. A white-headed langur cleans its ears at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 4, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua) Tourists view a white-headed langur at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) A tourist takes photos of a white-headed langur at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 4, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua) A white-headed langur runs past a journalist at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) A white-headed langur forages at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 4, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) A white-headed langur forages at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 4, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) A white-headed langur leaps at a national nature reserve in Luobai Town of Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 5, 2023. The white-headed langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and exclusive to China. The endangered animal, characterized by the white hair on their heads, are spotted in the karst hills between the Zuojiang and Mingjiang rivers in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the 1980s, the population of white-headed langur dwindled to some 300 due to deforestation, land reclamation and poaching. Now the population of the animal has increased to around 1,400. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) Editor: JYZ Diplomacy 'best way forward' in Niger but force still on table: Nigeria Diplomacy 'best way forward' in Niger but force still on table: Nigeria AFP | Niamey The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Nigeria's president has not ruled out military intervention in neighbouring Niger after its president was ousted in a coup but believes diplomacy is the "best way forward" to resolve the crisis, his spokesman said Tuesday. Bola Tinubu, also head of the West African bloc ECOWAS, weighed in for the first time since the soldiers behind the coup in Niger defied the bloc's Sunday deadline to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face the possible use of force. Meanwhile efforts by ECOWAS and the United States to parlay with Niger's new rulers have made no headway ahead of a crisis summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Thursday. "No options have been taken off of the table," Tinubu's spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said, while adding that Tinubu and other West African leaders favour a diplomatic solution. The United States said it still held out hope for reversing the coup but was "realistic" a day after a top US envoy appeared to make no progress in an unannounced visit. "We do have hope that the situation will be reversed but at the same time, we are making clear, including in direct conversations with junta leaders themselves, what the consequences are for failing to return to constitutional order," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. - Path to dialogue - ECOWAS -- the Economic Community of West African States -- imposed trade and financial sanctions on Niger after the rebel soldiers toppled Bazoum. The bloc also gave Niger a seven-day ultimatum to reinstate Bazoum or face potential use of force. A source close to ECOWAS said Monday that military intervention was not being immediately envisaged and that the path to dialogue still appeared open. The bloc had sought to send a delegation to Niamey on Tuesday ahead of the crisis summit due to be held in Abuja on Thursday. But the soldiers who seized power in Niamey on July 26 blocked the mission, saying public "anger" triggered by the bloc's sanctions meant the delegation's safety could be at risk. In a statement, ECOWAS confirmed that the visit by a joint delegation with African Union and United Nations officials had been refused by Niger's new military rulers. - US envoy - ECOWAS is struggling with a cascade of coups since 2020 that have now hit four of its 15 members. In Mali, Burkina Faso and now Niger, all of the takeovers have been fuelled by jihadist insurgencies that have claimed many thousands of lives, forced at least two million from their homes and dealt crippling blows to some of the world's poorest economies. On Monday, Victoria Nuland, a veteran US envoy, met with Niger's military rulers for more than two hours but came away empty-handed. She described her talks as "extremely frank and at times quite difficult". She said she offered the coup leaders "a number of options" to end the crisis and restore relations with the United States, which like other Western nations has suspended aid. "I would not say that we were in any way taken up on that offer," she told reporters before her departure. Niger's new strongman, General Abdourahamane Tiani, did not attend the meeting, and Nuland was unable to see Bazoum, who has been detained since July 26. - Warnings - The military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso have expressed solidarity with Niger, saying that any military intervention would be seen as a "declaration of war" against them. Algeria, which shares a long land border with Niger, has also cautioned against a military incursion, which President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said would be "a direct threat" to his country. Bazoum, 63, was feted in 2021 after winning elections that ushered in Niger's first-ever peaceful transition of power. He took the helm of a country burdened by four previous coups since independence, and survived two attempted putsches before he himself was ousted. His support was a key factor in France's decision last year to refocus its Sahel anti-jihadist mission on Niger after withdrawing from Mali and Burkina Faso. France has 1,500 troops in Niger and the United States has 1,000 personnel, most of whom are deployed at two major air bases. Mali and Burkina Faso sent letters Tuesday to the United Nations and the African Union, calling on them to prevent "military intervention against Niger" where the security and humanitarian consequences of such action "would be unpredictable". , Aug 09 ( News On Japan ) - A teacher in Japan has been dismissed for using coca leaves, a precursor to cocaine, as teaching material for third-grade elementary students. According to the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education, in February 2023, a 54-year-old female teacher at a Toyohashi City elementary school in Aichi Prefecture purchased coca leaves during a trip to Colombia and showed them to the students as part of a lesson on drug precursors. The incident came to light through consultations with parents, leading to the female teacher being investigated, although she was not prosecuted. Importing and possessing coca leaves is prohibited by law in Japan, and on August 8th, the prefectural board of education dismissed the female teacher. The teacher stated during the board's interview that she had no awareness of the illegality and introduced the topic with the intention of deepening understanding about different countries around the world. Oriental Pearl - Aug 10 Kabukicho is one of the most popular places for tourists in Japan, but behind the bright lights and stores is a very dark secret. Since the coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of children have run away from home and come to Tokyo for refuge from their broken families. BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to enhance dialogue and communication with all parties and contribute to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday. The spokesperson made the remarks when asked for more information on Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui's attendance of the meeting in Jeddah on the Ukraine issue last weekend. The spokesperson said that on Aug. 5, Li traveled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to attend the meeting on the Ukraine issue at invitation. Li had extensive contact and exchanges with participating parties, made clear China's position and propositions, listened to the opinions and advice from various parties, and worked for more common understandings on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. China's positive role in promoting talks for peace was fully recognized. The spokesperson said that China will continue to act in the spirit of the four principles, joint efforts in four areas and three observations proposed by President Xi Jinping, work on the basis of the document of China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, enhance dialogue and communication with all parties, and contribute to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. Editor: WXL TORONTO, Aug. 9, 2023 /CNW/ - Rexall Pharmacy Group, in partnership with the Toronto Police Service and Drug Free Kids (DFK) Canada, are joining forces throughout August to observe International Overdose Awareness Day , taking place on August 31, and to recognize National Drug Drop-Off Month. This collaboration aims to raise awareness about the crucial need to safely dispose of old, expired, or unused medications to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands or being used improperly within the community. Rexall Pharmacy offers a complimentary year-round Medication Take Back service, providing a safeguard against the non-medical use of medication. Patients and customers are encouraged to drop off old, expired prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, and natural health products at any Rexall Pharmacy for safe disposal. All returns are accepted, even if the medication was not initially purchased at Rexall. "Safe storage and disposal of prescription and non-prescription medications is of utmost importance to the communities we serve," said Nicolas Caprio, President of Rexall. In support of the National Drug Drop-off Month this August, we want to highlight our Medication Take Back program, ensuring our patients and customers have a safe option to dispose of unused medications and help to prevent accidents and misuse. We are pleased to again partner with the Toronto Police Services and also with Drug Free Kids Canada this year in our shared commitment to public safety and awareness during such an important month. The misuse of prescription medications among children and youth is a growing concern. Drug Free Kids Canada's recent report, in collaboration with the Health Products Stewardship Association (HPSA), revealed that over half of surveyed parents and guardians have unwanted medications at home, and up to 85 percent do not store their medications securely, increasing the risk of accidental ingestion among young individuals. "Parents and caregivers need to have open conversations with their children about the risks of taking medications that are not prescribed to them. To reduce the potential of accidental ingestion or recreational use of medications, it is more important than ever for parents and caregivers to securely store and properly dispose of unused medications," said Chantal Vallerand, Executive Director, DFK Canada. Toronto Police Services also acknowledges the ongoing crisis of drug use in Toronto and across Canada, and the importance of education around the use of Naloxone kits to help safeguard overdose cases. "The most recent data from the City of Toronto indicates that the majority of opioid toxicity deaths over the past year were accidental, both in Toronto (96%) and in the rest of Ontario (95%)," said Superintendent Greg Watts of Toronto Police Services' Community Partnerships and Engagement Unit. "I am so pleased to have Drug-Free Kids Canada on board for this year's joint-awareness campaign with Rexall Pharmacies. Building and connecting with corporations and organizations that are community-minded is a game-changer. We are headed in the right direction, and I am excited to see how far we can go in making a difference in the lives of many, especially our youth." To further raise awareness of safe drug disposal within the community, the partners will host a Medication Take Back Awareness Day at three Rexall Pharmacy locations in Toronto on August 31, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The participating locations are: 901 Eglinton Avenue West 474 Spadina Avenue 539 Parliament Street Complimentary Naloxone kits and education will be provided at each location. Additionally, community members responsibly disposing of their unused or expired medication throughout August will receive a special Be Well bonus coupon for use in-store at their local Rexall Pharmacy. About Rexall With a dynamic history of innovation and growth dating back over a century, Rexall is a leading pharmacy retailer in Canada, dedicated to caring for Canadians' health, one person at a time. Operating approximately 400 pharmacies across Canada, Rexall's 8,000 employees provide compassionate care to patients, becoming their trusted health partners along their wellness journey. Rexall is part of the Rexall Pharmacy Group ULC and a proud member of the global McKesson Canada Corporation family, a diversified healthcare company with deep roots in supporting patients across Canada. Media Contact: [email protected] About Toronto Police Services The Toronto Police Service is the fourth largest municipal police service in North America, with over 5,000 police officers and approximately 2,450 civilian employees. The Service is dedicated to delivering police services in partnership with its communities to keep Toronto the best and safest place to be. Media Contact: [email protected] About Drug Free Kids Canada Drug Free Kids (DFK) Canada is a national non-profit organization that creates and disseminates evidence-based drug prevention education to families to prevent and reduce the harms of problematic use by youth. DFK raises awareness about substance use issues and provides parents with information, valuable tools and practical tips that encourage and facilitate meaningful conversations with their kids. Media Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Rexall Pharmacy Group ULC. The new store will carry over 2,500 products, offer a Swedish Deli food experience, and will have endless home furnishing inspiration which reflects the vibrance of Toronto's east end. BURLINGTON, ON, Aug. 9, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, IKEA Canada announces that it will open its highly-anticipated IKEA Scarborough Town Centre store on August 23rd. The grand opening celebrations at the store will begin 8:30 am at the store's entrance within the shopping centre and the first customers will be welcomed through the doors at 9:00 am. IKEA Scarborough Town Centre (CNW Group/IKEA Canada) "At IKEA Canada, we are on an omnichannel transformation journey with a clear objective to continue to meet our customers in an accessible and seamless way," said Niclas Karlsson-Jarnkrok, Market Area Manager at IKEA Canada. "As a brand rooted in life at home, we hope our new store in the heart of Scarborough will serve as a convenient and accessible source of inspiration and home furnishing expertise." The 7,489 square metre store promises endless inspiration and a seamless shopping experience. The much-loved showrooms will spotlight affordable, sustainable, and small space living solutions which meet the everyday needs and dreams of the Scarborough community and beyond. The store will feature the traditional one-way flow layout renowned at larger format IKEA locations, with two entrances/exits and check-out lanes at each for a smooth shopping experience. The store will also have digital tools throughout, and a complete range of convenient services including assembly, returns, home delivery and a dedicated Planning Hub. Larger furniture items will be on display, and available to view and order for home delivery or pick up at convenient pick-up locations across the city or the IKEA Pick up Point in the store. This is the second small store format that IKEA Canada has introduced after the success of opening the IKEA Toronto Downtown - Aura store last year. The IKEA Scarborough Town Centre store will embrace many similar solutions displayed in Toronto including the Swedish Deli food experience where customers can enjoy contemporary and classic Swedish dishes including the meatball, veggie dog and much-loved frozen yogurt. "We are excited to welcome the community of Scarborough to our new store. Every detail was created with the unique needs of Scarborough residents in mind, from the proximity to public transportation and delivery and assembly options, to the wide product range curated specifically to help them with solutions to live a better everyday life at home," said Odette Walker, Market Manager at IKEA Scarborough Town Centre. IKEA is welcoming all customers from Scarborough and beyond to join the Scarborough Link Up - rewarding eager customers who line up before doors open. IKEA Scarborough Town Centre will be giving away gift card prizes as the lineup of customers continues to grow. For a chance to win these prizes, simply join the lineup and sign up for the free IKEA Family loyalty program. To learn more, please visit IKEA.ca/STC. ABOUT IKEA CANADA Founded in 1943 in Sweden, IKEA is a leading home furnishing retailer, offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. IKEA Canada is part of Ingka Group which operates 389 IKEA stores in 32 countries, including 14 in Canada. Last year, IKEA Canada welcomed 21.2 million visitors to its stores and 236 million visitors to IKEA.ca. IKEA Canada operates business through the IKEA vision - to create a better everyday life for the many people and does so through its local community efforts and sustainability initiatives. For more information on IKEA Canada, please visit IKEA.ca. SOURCE IKEA Canada For further information: For media inquiries: Heena Saini, Commercial PR Specialist, IKEA Canada, [email protected] Canada's destination for all things Back to School brings back teacher appreciation days, enhances membership program and launches contest to celebrate educators RICHMOND HILL, ON, Aug. 9, 2023 /CNW/ - Teachers are pillars in the communities they serve, and Staples Canada is helping teachers get ready for the return to the classroom with more value and special benefits for educators. "We have supported Canadians with Back to School since 1991 and know that teachers turn to us to stock up their classrooms," said Rachel Huckle, President, Staples Canada. "We understand that many teachers are spending out of pocket, not just for their classroom, but also to outfit their own families, so our aim is to offer the best value to help make it easy and fun." Staples is offering its best Teacher Appreciation discount yet to help educators get back to the classroom with everything they need. All educators registered with the Staples Teacher Membership Program can take advantage of special discounts and gifts from August 9 to September 5. With throwback pricing as part of its '90s-inspired Back to School campaign, Staples has lowered the price on classroom essentials, including: Teacher Appreciation Days and Membership Program Staples is offering its best Teacher Appreciation discount yet to help educators get back to the classroom with everything they need. All educators registered with the Staples Teacher Membership Program can take advantage of special discounts and gifts from August 9 to September 5. August 9 to 15, 2023 : 10% off tech purchases and 20% off just about everything else, on purchases over $40 (terms and conditions apply). : 10% off tech purchases and 20% off just about everything else, on purchases over (terms and conditions apply). August 15 to September 5, 2023 : $50 off tech purchases of $500 and 15% off just about everything else (terms and conditions apply). : off tech purchases of and 15% off just about everything else (terms and conditions apply). 2023 Teacher Appreciation Gift: a stylish gry mattr notebook and pen when you shop in-store (while quantities last). Staples' Teacher Membership Program provides exclusive perks and competitive pricing on essential supplies for teachers year-round. The program is free to join and available to all staff, faculty and teachers at public and private K-12 schools, colleges and universities, as well as home educators. Benefits include: Exclusive Offers: Members receive discounts on supplies, tech and print and marketing services at Staples Print Services. Members receive discounts on supplies, tech and print and marketing services at Staples Print Services. Service: Teachers will have access to one-on-one service with an account manager and have twice as long to return purchased items. Teachers will have access to one-on-one service with an account manager and have twice as long to return purchased items. School Tools : Teachers can create and share their class-specific lists of school supplies with parents and students. Staples Canada will donate three per cent back to the school for every purchase made. Teachers can create and share their class-specific lists of school supplies with parents and students. will donate three per cent back to the school for every purchase made. Perks: Every quarter, members receive free colour copies and photo prints, as well as annual appreciation gifts. Visit staples.ca/teachermembership for more information or to join. We Love Teachers Contest Staples' commitment to teachers extends beyond value, it also includes recognition. The We Love Teachers Contest returns from August 14 to September 14 for a second year to recognize exceptional teachers from across Canada. Eight teachers from across Canada will be selected for a chance to win a $1,000 Staples gift card for their classroom or to upgrade any technology and $500 Reitmans gift card. Winners will be revealed on World Teachers' Day (October 5). What's the best thing about the classroom? The teacher. Visit staples.ca/weloveteachers to learn more and nominate someone. Partnerships This Back to School Season, Staples has partnered with Lysol and Canadian retailer Reitmans on additional initiatives to support teachers. Lysol Here for Healthy Schools : Helping schools reduce absenteeism due to preventable illness. This year, Staples will assemble and deliver Welcome Back Packs to elementary schools across Canada to equip teachers with germ prevention resources, protocols and other helpful resources for the classroom. Helping schools reduce absenteeism due to preventable illness. This year, will assemble and deliver Welcome Back Packs to elementary schools across to equip teachers with germ prevention resources, protocols and other helpful resources for the classroom. Reitmans Style RSVP Back to Cool Event: On August 23 and 24, Reitmans will host a personal styling event for teachers and school staff across 20 of its stores in Ontario . Staples will provide a free gift to all attendees. To register, visit reitmans.com/en/rsvp. About Staples Canada Staples Canada is The Working and Learning Company. The privately-owned company is committed to being a dynamic, inspiring partner to customers who visit its 300+ locations and staples.ca . The company has two brands which support business customers: Staples Preferred for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and Staples Professional for medium to large-sized enterprises, as well as seven Staples Studio co-working facilities across Canada. Through Solutionshop, Canadians can access a variety of pack and ship options , as well as a broad suite of business services. Staples is a proud partner of MAP through its Even the Odds campaign, which aims to tackle inequities in communities across Canada and helps make a future that's fair for everyone. Visit staples.ca for more information or engage with us at @StaplesCanada on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , LinkedIn , TikTok or Pinterest . SOURCE Staples Canada ULC For further information: Media Information: Kathleen Stelmach, Staples Canada, 905-737-1147 Ext. 578, [email protected]; Golin, for Staples Canada: Meg Murphy, 647-475-4495, [email protected] General Motors will start making battery fixes to over 140,000 recalled Chevrolet Bolts EVs and EUVs beginning in mid-October. Every GM Bolt ever made and every Hyundai electric Kona ever made have been recalled because the battery packs can catch fire. There needs to be a $11000 to 12000 fix for each electric car. There were about 142,000 GM Bolts and 82,000 Hyundai Konas impacted. The 2017-19 model year Bolt EVs will get five new battery modules, essentially getting an enhanced battery pack. The 2020-22 Bolt EVs will get all new modules too, unless GM can finish developing software that will allow it to identify whether they have defective modules that need replacing. LG Chem has restarted production at LGs plants in Holland, Michigan, and Hazel Park. They have been down since August. LGs first 5GWh US battery production plant opened in Michigan in 2012, which LG said required an investment of around US$600 million. LG is also adding capacity to the plants so it can make more cells as needed by GM. Through a joint venture (JV) agreement with carmaker GM, it is now building a 35GWh plant in Ohio, worth around US$2.3 billion and expected to open in 2022. The Bolt EV has about a 60 kWh battery. The 5 GWh factory would take over two years of production to replace all recalled battery packs for GM and Hyundai. If the new LG Ohio battery factory opens in 2022, then increased battery production could accelerate completing the battery repairs earlier in 2023. Otherwise, it could take until early 2024 to complete the recall repairs. GM and LG confirmed the root cause of reported battery fires. There are two manufacturing defects called a torn anode and a folded separator. Both defects in the same battery cell cause a fire to occur. GM confirms that 13 Bolts have caught fire while parked, causing three injuries. Eleven of those fires were in the U.S. GM has told Bolt owners to not park within 50 feet of a building and not to charge over 90%. In about 60 days, there should be battery pack analysis software to determine if the battery defects are present in a particular vehicle. Tesla has to watch out as the electric car competitors are on fire. SOURCES- Detriot Free Press, GM, LG, Energy Storage News Written by Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com Seoul Economic Daily reports the Quantum Energy Research Institute, the original LK99 developer, has verified samples made by foreign researchers and will make an announcement around the end of August or beginning of Septemeber, 2023. The Seoul Economic Daily reports speculation that the Quantum Energy Research Institute will officially announce the results of the thesis review of the international academic journal APL Materials, which is currently undergoing the registration process, at the end of this month at the comprehensive announcement. An official from the scientific community explained, The surest way to secure the reliability of a sample is to receive it directly from the development team. If not, as a second best solution, it can be independently produced and then verified by the development team or a third party. The Q-Center (The company name of Sukbae Lee/Ji-Hoon Kim) says they are going to make an announcement at the end of the month or early next month regarding the LK-99 superconductor, likely to be the results of their peer review submission to APL materials. Seoul Economic Daily Floates0x (@floates0x) August 7, 2023 The Condensed Matter Theory Center tweets out the observations that there is no quality confirmation of the original LK99 research paper. The tests on attempted replication samples have not yet shown well defined critical temperatures or zero resistance states. Nextbigfuture notes that if this is a new type of superconductor then it could have different behaviors and we have not replicated pure and high quality samples of LK99 class materials. There is theoretical and simulation work from top national labs that lend support to LK99 being possibly viable. There are many partial replications and some measurements consistent with superconductivity. The theory work indicates that synthesis of pure samples will likely be very hard. The original team reported only 10% of their own samples worked in any way. Now bad: (1) no confirmation of the OP at all, 'making the material' (light yellow on the wiki) is meaningless since we have no idea what material is coming out; (2) levitation claims are often hoax; (3) well-defined T_c and true zero resistance state (or Meissner) absent so far Condensed Matter Theory Center (@condensed_the) August 7, 2023 Additional comments: (1)weak diamagnetism could arise from small grains of Pb/Cu/P in the sample, all of them are diamagnetic; (2)weak ferromagnetism may arise if razor blades are used to cut the material at any stage (this has happened in professional labs in other contexts) Condensed Matter Theory Center (@condensed_the) August 7, 2023 Type of Superconductors The new LK99 material has superconducting pathways that might be are one-dimensional or the initial production is too impure for full three dimensional levitation and superconduction. Proposed mechanisms for LK99 superconductivity Partial replacement of Pb2+ ions (measuring 133 picometres) with Cu2+ ions (measuring 87 picometres) is said to cause a 0.48% reduction in volume, creating internal stress inside the material]: The internal stress is claimed to cause a heterojunction quantum well between the Pb(1) and oxygen within the phosphate ([PO4]3) generating a superconducting quantum well (SQW). There are proposed theories that LK-99 is a Mott or charge transfer insulator, that electron or hole doping is needed to make it (super)conducting. Type-II Superconductor In superconductivity, a type-II superconductor is a superconductor that exhibits an intermediate phase of mixed ordinary and superconducting properties at intermediate temperature and fields above the superconducting phases. It also features the formation of magnetic field vortices with an applied external magnetic field. This occurs above a certain critical field strength Hc1. The vortex density increases with increasing field strength. At a higher critical field Hc2, superconductivity is destroyed. Type-II superconductors do not exhibit a complete Meissner effect. Type-II superconductors are usually made of metal alloys or complex oxide ceramics. All high temperature superconductors are type-II superconductors. While most elemental superconductors are type-I, niobium, vanadium, and technetium are elemental type-II superconductors. Boron-doped diamond and silicon are also type-II superconductors. Metal alloy superconductors can also exhibit type-II behavior (e.g. niobium-titanium, one of the most common superconductors in applied superconductivity), as well as intermetallic compounds like niobium-tin. Other type-II examples are the cuprate-perovskite ceramic materials which have achieved the highest superconducting critical temperatures. These include La1.85Ba0.15CuO4, BSCCO, and YBCO (Yttrium-Barium-Copper-Oxide), which is famous as the first material to achieve superconductivity above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77 K). Due to strong vortex pinning, the cuprates are close to ideally hard superconductors. (1) Type I Superconductors: Low Temperature Superconductors. (2) Type II Superconductors: High Temperature Superconductors. Type-1.5 superconductors are multicomponent superconductors characterized by two or more coherence lengths, at least one of which is shorter than the magnetic field penetration length and at least one of which is longer. Unconventional Superconductors Like Graphene Unconventional superconductors are materials that display superconductivity which does not conform to either the conventional BCS theory or Nikolay Bogolyubovs theory or its extensions. BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its national sovereignty while urging the Philippines to honor its commitment and cease any provocative activities, a defense ministry spokesperson said Tuesday. Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a query on the reactions of the Philippines and the United States to China's maneuvers in dealing with Philippine supply boats on a resupply mission in waters off Ren'ai Jiao. Wu said that China has sovereignty over Nansha Qundao, including Ren'ai Jiao, a fact that is backed by sufficient historical and legal evidence. The Philippines has violated its relevant commitment by attempting to send supplies to a military vessel illegally "grounded" at Ren'ai Jiao, the spokesperson said, denouncing the move as one that has infringed on China's sovereignty and breached the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. China Coast Guard vessels intercepted the Philippine boats in accordance with the law, and warned them off through appropriate law enforcement measures. Their maneuvers were legitimate, lawful, professional and standard, Wu said. He also expressed resolute opposition to the United States' groundless remarks on China's legitimate law enforcement actions. He urged the United States to immediately cease sowing discord among countries in the region. He also urged the United States to respect China's territorial sovereignty over the South China Sea, its maritime rights and interests, and efforts made by countries in the region to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea. The Chinese military will resolutely perform its duty to uphold China's national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, Wu added. Editor: WXL 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 The National Population Commission (NPC) said it has put everything in place to conduct the 2023 population and housing census. Clifford Zirra, NPC Federal Commissioner in Adamawa, disclosed that the commission now awaits instructions from President Bola Tinubu to start the exercise. Zirra spoke on Wednesday in Yola during an interactive session with media executives on the status of preparations for the census. According to the commissioner, President Tinubu is satisfied with the level of achievement recorded by the commission. He said the census is a vital exercise that plays a significant role in shaping the future of the nation. It provides us with accurate and up-to-date data about our population, which is indispensable for effective planning and development. The information collected during the census will serve as the foundation for policy formulation, resource allocation, and the implementation of various social and economic programmes, he said. Zirra further said: The commission welcomes the decision of the Federal Government on the postponement of the conduct of the census in order to give the new administration the opportunity to have input in the census process. According to him, the postponement has also given the commission the opportunity to further perfect its processes and systems for the conduct of the first-ever digital census. Zirra also disclosed that the commission had carried out all the necessary preparations, such as the Enumeration Area Demarcation, conduct of pre-tests and trial census, training of field staff, and the establishment of ICT infrastructure across the country, among other activities. Alhaji Abubakar Hamma-Adama, Director of NPC in the state, appreciated the support and collaboration between the commission and media organisations in the state. Hamma-Adama noted that census will be successful only if there is good publicity and enlightenment. The United Nations says the closure of borders and airspace in the Niger Republic is cutting off supplies of medicine and food to the landlocked country. The Nigers military junta has warned citizens to brace up for challenging weeks and months ahead as soldiers maintain their stance to defend the country against possible attacks. Part of the defence actions taken by the junta was closing the countrys airspace on Sunday. Reacting to the decision on Tuesday, Louise Aubin, the UN humanitarian chief in Niger, said any humanitarian cutbacks could have devastating impacts in Niger. The country has one of highest rates of child mortality in the world while its rural communities have been hit by a deadly Islamist insurgency. The UN was already set to provide emergency assistance to over four million people before the power grab that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. The risk is that we start running out of assistance materials to be able to help out people Im talking about simple things that are so life-saving, Aubin told Reuters The UN official listed food, vaccines, and cash as areas of concern. The people of Niger are likely to suffer more and so we need to be able to respond very, very strongly, Aubin added. Meanwhile, a joint peace mission with representatives of the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the UN was denied permission to land in Niger by the junta. Victoria Nuland, United States acting deputy secretary of state, had also been denied permission to meet with coup leader, Abdourahamane Tiani, or with Bazoum, who is in detention. Instead, she spoke for two hours with other army officers. These conversations were extremely frank and at times quite difficult, because, again, were pushing for a negotiated solution, Nuland said. They are quite firm in their view of how they want to proceed, and it does not comport with the Constitution of Niger. The National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Council (NANS JCC) says it has suspended its planned protest over the hike in school fees by the University of Lagos (UNILAG). Last month, UNILAG announced an adjustment in the obligatory fees for both returning and new students. The institution said the hike, which is to take effect from September 1, became necessary to cushion harsh economic realities and meet its obligation to its students, staff, and municipal service providers. The students council had planned on embarking on a protest. But in a statement on Tuesday, Alimi Idris and Abdulrazak Yusuf, chairman and secretary of the student association, addressed the hike in tuition. The student leaders said the suspension of the protest was due to the intervention of Idowu Owohunwa, the commissioner of police. They commended the commissioner and asked him to ensure the students grievances were communicated to the relevant authorities. Benjamin Hundeyin, police spokesperson, said the commissioner met with the student leaders on Monday. Hundeyin said the students planned to protest on Tuesday but were invited by the commissioner for discussion to find a solution. He said the commissioner assured the students of a meeting with the universitys vice-chancellor to discuss their grievances. Hundeyin said a police-student relations committee (PSRC) was set up to address issues that might arise from the meeting in the future. One of the students in the delegation, who is an indigent student, was given a scholarship by the CP throughout his university education, he said. Based on this and others, the student leaders agreed to suspend the protest. They promised to maintain peace within the campus. A breakdown of the fees shows that the mandatory charges for one academic session for new undergraduate students include N126,325 for courses without laboratory/studio. New students were asked to pay N176,325 as mandatory charges for one academic session for courses with laboratory and studio. A further breakdown of the approved mandatory charges for one academic year or session for returning students showed that they would pay N100,750 for courses without laboratory and studio. The approved mandatory charges for courses with laboratory and studio, according to the statement is N140,250. The approved charges for all medical students of the institution was N190,250. The Ekiti state government has rolled out palliative measures to cushion the effects of the petrol subsidy removal on residents. In July, Biodun Oyebanji, the governor, directed a three-man committee to meet with the leadership of organised labour to finalise proposals for the measures. Speaking with journalists on Wednesday, Akintunde Oyebode, commissioner for finance and economic development, said the government has approved the recommendations of the committee. Oyebode, who is the chairman of the committee, said the palliatives cover people in the formal and informal sectors as well as the elderly and indigent. He said some of the palliatives include N5,000 monthly conditional cash transfer to 10,000 poor and most vulnerable households from August to December 2023. Others include free shuttle buses for workers and students to and from their places of assignments; free medical care through the EKHIS programme (Ulera wa) for 10,000 residents and most especially the aged. Immediate payment of consequential adjustment of the minimum wage to officers on grade levels 14-17; leave bonus of 2017 as well as the implementation and payment of 2020 and 2021 promotion arrears, he said. Other approval of the Governor, according to the committee included the implementation of 90 percent CONHESS and 100 percent hazard allowance for local government health workers as well as salary parity for clinical staff of the Hospitals Management Board. Others palliatives are the distribution of food items to the poor and most vulnerable households, distribution of inputs to farmers, as well as financial support to small businesses and the informal sector. Oyebode restated the commitment of the Oyebanji administration to the people of the state and assured them that the increased revenue from the removal of petrol subsidy would lead to improved service delivery from the government. Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has called for the establishment of a trans-regional security task force to curtail growing cross-border criminality. He made the call when the General Officer Commanding, GOC, 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Valentine Okoro paid him a courtesy call in Osogbo on Tuesday. Adeleke said the visit is very significant and an opportunity to strengthen the security strategy on the sustenance of the current peace and stability not just in Osun but in the region. I call for the establishment of a regional task force to track and curb cross-border criminality in the southwest and other areas under his Command. With a symbiotic working relationship between the state government and the military, I assure the military team that Osun is the home of hospitality where no one is discriminated against based on tribe, ethnicity or religion,2 he said. The governor lauded the Commander of Engineering Construction Regiment, Ede Army Barracks, Brigadier General Sulaimon, for a good job in securing the state. Adeleke revealed that the awareness of the military barracks in Ede is enough deterrent to criminals who might be scouting for a place to perpetuate their criminal activities. General Okoro, while lauding the governor for creating a safe and secure environment for residents to live and conduct lawful businesses, added that he was in Osun as part of efforts to familiarise himself with the operational procedures in states under his Command. He described Osun State as lucky with the presence of the Engineering Construction Command, Ede, which is full of all sorts of Army engineers, specialists and combatants that contribute to the States security architecture. He appreciated the government and people of Osun for creating a stable and secure environment. I appeal for more collaboration between the security agencies and the people not just to secure but to sustain the stable environment but to improve on it by volunteering relevant and genuine information to the Nigerian Army because it is a people-centric organisation, Gen Okoro added. Godwin Emefiele, suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has asked a federal high court in Lagos to restrain the federal government from further prosecuting him. The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting Emefiele for illegal possession of a firearm. Emefiele is also seeking an order of the court discharging him of all offences preferred against him. He said the federal government is in brazen disobedience of the subsisting orders of court granting him bail on July 25. Emefiele wants the court to prohibit the government, through its agencies, from taking him before any other court unless it complies with the bail ruling. The application was filed by Joseph Daudu, counsel to Emefiele, on Tuesday. The application seeks to preserve and protect the efficacy, majesty and integrity of the court as well as the rule of law in a democracy. FACE-OFF BETWEEN AGENCIES IN COURT Emefiele has been in DSS custody since his arrest in June. On July 25, he was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on illegal possession of firearms at a federal high court in Ikoyi and was granted bail in the sum of N20 million. Nicholas Oweibo, the judge, had ordered that Emefiele be kept in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) pending the fulfillment of his bail conditions. But the DSS insisted that Emefiele must return to its custody a development that led to the face-off between the secret police and prison officials. After the face-off, DSS rearrested Emefiele on the court premises. The secret service proceeded to file an application before a high court of the federal capital territory seeking to further detain the suspended CBN governor. The application was struck out after it was withdrawn by the service over jurisdictional concerns. On August 3, the federal government also filed an application before the federal high court in Lagos, seeking leave to appeal against the order granting bail to Emefiele. In the application filed by Nkiru Jones-Nebo, a deputy director of public prosecutions of the federation, the federal government is also seeking a stay of execution of the order remanding Emefiele in the custody of the NCoS. The federal government wants him remanded in the custody of the DSS instead. Oweibo, the presiding judge, has fixed Thursday to hear the application. Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on media and publicity, says the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is determined to ensure that democratic rule returns to Niger Republic. Ngelale spoke during an interview with Al Jazeera on Tuesday evening, while reacting to concerns that Nigers junta had defied the ECOWAS deadline. ECOWAS had threatened the use of force if the junta did not adhere to the deadline which elapsed on Sunday. Ngelale said narratives bordering on ECOWAS ability to restore order in Niger are merely speculative. He said the blocs additional sanctions on the landlocked West African country are proof that the commission is focused on a diplomatic approach before resorting to the use of force as a last option. Tinubu, ECOWAS chairperson, earlier asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to impose financial sanctions on individuals and entities believed to be supporting the military junta in the Francophone country. Let us be clear, there has been a firm ultimatum that was based on a mandate that has been backed by ECOWAS protocols which have been in place for years and the ECOWAS member heads of state will not back down from upholding the protocols as agreed by all member states, Ngelale said. We will be fully committed as we have been throughout this process to upholding the ECOWAS protocols with respect to how the ECOWAS member states will handle the illegitimate overthrow of constitutional order in any of the ECOWAS member states. We are determined to ensure that civilian democratic governance is sustained on the continent for the prosperity, security, and development of the countries on our beloved continent. We are not taking the kind of simplistic approach that some international media have chosen to take which is that either you must go in or youre not serious or you stay out and youre not serious, we do not accept that simple narrative. What we are saying is that we have multiple levers on which we can leverage to achieve the end that we are seeking to achieve which is to uphold the ECOWAS protocols by ensuring that there is a return of civilian democratic rule under the leadership of President Bazoum as duly elected by the people of Niger Republic. Now, whether that happens today or next week or next month we will see, but we are determined to leverage on all elements of our power regionally to ensure that happens and that is not limited only to military intervention. Although military intervention has not and will not be taken off the table. ECOWAS is expected to meet on Thursday to draw up a plan on how it will proceed. Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu has said they might re-invite the three ministerial nominees who have not been confirmed yet for re-screening. Adaramodu disclosed this while speaking on Channels Televisions breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily. The Red Chamber refused to confirm former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, Delta State nominee, Stella Okotete and Taraba State nominee, Abubakar Danladi, over security reasons. When asked whether the Senate would still confirm them, Adaramodu responded: The question raised about them is an ongoing issue. So, once the Senate is satisfied, definitely, if we need to invite them to the chamber for the re-confirmation and re-screening, then well do that. If security is not satisfied, the Senate cannot be satisfied. It depends on what security agencies and the person that nominates them say. On Monday, the Senate approved and confirmed 45 ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu after a voice vote. However, the lawmakers withheld the ministerial confirmation of El-Rufai and two others pending security clearance. Peng Chengzhi (2nd L) and his colleagues talk about their research in front of the Zuchongzhi 2, a 66-qubit programmable quantum computing system, in Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science in east China's Shanghai, July 22, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Qian Yi) Peng Chengzhi (R) talks with a student after a lecture in the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi (L front) attends a meeting at the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of the University of Science and Technology of China in east China's Shanghai, July 22, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) Peng Chengzhi operates Zuchongzhi 2, a 66-qubit programmable quantum computing system, at QuantumCTek Co., Ltd in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi walks alongside a river in Pudong District of east China's Shanghai, July 22, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi (L) talks with Professor Ren Jigang at the Institute of Advance Technology of the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi listens to a report during a meeting at the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of the University of Science and Technology of China in east China's Shanghai, July 22, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Qian Yi) Peng Chengzhi talks with a student at a laboratory in the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) Peng Chengzhi speaks during a lecture in the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Qian Yi) Peng Chengzhi (2nd L) and his colleagues talk about their research in front of the Zuchongzhi 2, a 66-qubit programmable quantum computing system, in Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science in east China's Shanghai, July 22, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi (R) checks experimental data with Professor Yin Juan at a laboratory of the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of the University of Science and Technology of China in east China's Shanghai, July 22, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Qian Yi) Peng Chengzhi (1st R, back), Pan Jianwei (2nd R, front), Wang Jianyu (1st L, front), Yin Juan (2nd R, back) and Ren Jigang (3rd R, back) look at data received from quantum satellite "Micius" at Lijiang observatory in Lijiang city, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 22, 2016. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi walks alongside a lake in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi poses for a photo at QuantumCTek Co., Ltd in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi walks past a model of quantum satellite "Micius" in the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) This combined photo shows China launching the world's first quantum satellite on top of a Long March-2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province, Aug. 16, 2016. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi walks out of the gate of the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) This composite photo taken on Nov. 28, 2016 shows researchers making an experiment as the quantum satellite "Micius" flies over an observatory in Xinglong, north China's Hebei Province. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi talks with a student at a laboratory in the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Qian Yi) This composite photo taken on Dec. 9, 2016 shows a satellite-to-earth link established between quantum satellite "Micius" and the quantum teleportation experiment platform in Ali, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Editor: WRX The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended its nationwide protest earlier scheduled to commence today, August 9. Federal government representatives had met with the doctors on Tuesday over their ongoing strike action and the planned protest. Emeka Orji, NARD president, had said the outcome of the meeting would determine if the protest would go on. Orji disclosed this, after the meeting that the protest has been suspended. We review again in 72 hours. It was also learnt that the association took the decision after a meeting with Godswill Akpabio, the senate president, and other principal officers of the upper legislative chamber. We had a very fruitful meeting with the senate led by the president of the senate and from our discussions with them, we are very hopeful that when we table our discussions today before the NEC, something positive would come out, Orji told journalists. From our interaction with the president of the senate and the practical demonstration he did before us today, we are very confident that there would be light at the end of the tunnel in the next 24 hours. Because of the intervention of the president of the senate, who is the number three citizen and the assurance he has given us, our planned national protest has been cancelled while the decision on the ongoing strike would be taken as soon as we meet. On his part, Akpabio assured the doctors that the President Bola Tinubu administration will accede to their demands. I thank you on behalf of the senate for honouring us with your decision not only to cancel the planned public protest but to also call off the strike in the interest of the suffering masses, Akpabio said. Your demands are well noted and let me assure you that as soon as a minister in charge of health is appointed, the senate will work with him or her to expeditiously address all your grievances. The President Bola Tinubu-led administration is doctors friendly and that explains the large number of medical practitioners he has appointed into his cabinet. THE DEMANDS The association had embarked on an indefinite strike on July 26 over the failure of the government to implement its demands. Parts of the demands include payment of the 2023 medical residency training fund (MRTF); immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement and upward review of the consolidated medical salary structure (CONMESS). Others are payment of outstanding arrears of consequential adjustment, hazard and skipping allowance. Amid the strike action, NARD had announced that its members would embark on peaceful nationwide protests from Wednesday, August 9. The association said the protests would involve picketing of the federal ministry of health, the office of the head of the civil service of the federation, and the federal and state tertiary health institutions across the country. Speaking on Channels Television on Sunday, the NARD president had said it fixed its protest on Wednesday to allow some time for the federal government to intervene. We had options of starting these protests on Monday but we shifted it to give the federal government enough time to intervene, he had said. Resident doctors are medical school graduates training as specialists. They are a critical mass of frontline healthcare provision in Nigeria and dominate the emergency wards of the nations hospitals. Shehu Sani, a former senator from Kaduna, says legislators are usually paid discreetly away from public scrutiny. Sani was reacting to a gaffe recently suffered by Senate President Godswill Akpbio when he announced to the lawmakers that they have been paid to enjoy their recess. On Monday, the upper legislative chamber concluded the screening and confirmation of the ministerial nominees recommended by President Bola Tinubu. The senators, after the exercise, adjourned the plenary to September 26. Addressing his colleagues before the adjournment motion was moved, Akpabio said money has been sent by Magaji Tambuwal, clerk of the national assembly, to the senators to enjoy their holidays. In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the clerk of the national assembly, Akpabio had said. The senate president was promptly alerted by his colleagues that he was speaking on live television and press cameras. Upon realising the magnitude of his remarks, Akpabio swiftly beat a retreat. I withdraw that statement, he said. In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return. Akpabios off-the-cuff comment raises further questions about the allocation of funds to lawmakers. The salaries and allowances of federal lawmakers are often shrouded in secrecy. In a tweet on Wednesday, Sani, who was a senator between 2015 and 2019, said Akpabio mistakenly brought the matter into the spotlight. Crediting the legislators accounts are done under the mute button, the uncommon senate president mistakenly pressed the alarm, he wrote. President Bola Tinubu is currently in a meeting with former governors of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai and Nyesom Wike of Rivers State. The ex-governors arrived at the State House separately. Wike entered the presidential wing of Aso Rock at about 1:40 p.m. while El-Rufai came in at about 2 p.m. The two are ministerial nominees and have both been screened by the Senate. While Wike has been confirmed, El-Rufai is yet to get the nod of the Senate as his confirmation was put on hold over an alleged security report. Details later Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Timi Frank, has urged the United States to cause Nigerias President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release his Chicago State University academic records to a court in Nigeria. He said this would help douse tension and clear doubts, adding that it would also be in the spirit of reciprocity and freedom of information obtainable in the United States of America. In a statement on Wednesday, he called on President Tinubu to cooperate in allowing his acclaimed Chicago State University to release his academic records if he has nothing to hide. He said Tinubu, as a public servant, ought not to stop the release of his academic records, including his certificate, through a Court, as the citizens have the right to know all about their leaders. Recall that Tinubu had filed a motion seeking to prevent a United States Federal Court from releasing his university academic records to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as requested by the latter. Lamenting, Frank said the US is playing double standards in releasing Tinubus academic records, an issue so serious in their country but taken with levity because it concerns Nigeria, an African nation. Barely two days after former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP) approached the State District Court for the Northern District of Illinois subpoenaed the Chicago State University to release the records of Tinubu, it is rather shocking that the President has countered the request by filling a counter motion to restrain the Court from releasing his academic records to the petitioner. What seems to be more worrisome is the idea that a sitting President who had sworn to uphold the integrity and sanctity of the Presidential office would attempt to muzzle an independent judiciary of the United States through acts of coercion or frivolous motions unknown to the Justice Department, he said. Frank reminded the US of their effective justice system, which gave credence to the trial of the former President of the United States, Donald Trump, over alleged misconduct while in office. He insisted that Tinubu shouldnt have approached a US Court to stop the release of his academic records: What are you hiding in the Chicago University? If you are proud of your credentials, tell the University you claimed to have attended to release your academic information to Nigeria as requested by Atiku. This is simply the right thing to do because when a subpoena has been issued, its meant to be honoured anywhere. For anybody who wants to lead Nigeria, you should be able to surrender yourself to Nigerians for scrutiny as that is the minimum standard expected and Im aware Alh. Atiku is not doing anything extraordinary against the law. Counsel to ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Angela Liu, has pointed out that the vigorous opposition by President Bola Tinubu over his academic records is suspicious. A US court had dismissed a suit seeking Tinubus academic records after Atiku withdrew the case. An aide to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Phrank Shaibu, noted that his principal withdrew the suit in order to avoid abuse of court processes. However, in a statement on Wednesday, Liu said Tinubu should be eager to clear the controversy surrounding his academic records at the American institution. Mr Tinubu should have been keen to clear up any inconsistencies in his academic achievements and set the records straight by allowing the expedition of the legal process, she said. If there is an explanation for the discrepancies we have identified, we would think that Mr Tinubu would be eager to provide it. If you would like to provide an explanation to us, we are happy to consider it. That might preclude the need for, or at least expedite the deposition. In candour, the vehemence of Mr Tinubus opposition to this discovery is increasing rather than mitigating our suspicions. A 27-year-old man was charged with attempted murder shortly he stabbed and wounded another man on the Atlantic City boardwalk early Sunday, authorities said. Atlantic City police found Jamaal Campbell near the corner of North Carolina and Pacific avenues shortly after the 2:35 a.m. stabbing. The victim, a 27-year-old Philadelphia man, was brought to an area hospital with serious injuries that authorities said were not considered life-threatening. The stabbing occurred on the 1400 block of Boardwalk, police said. Campbell, of Atlantic City, is also charged with two counts of aggravated assault and weapons offenses. He was sent to the Atlantic County jail ahead of a court appearance Police also arrested an 18-year-old woman who refused to leave the scene of the stabbing and spit at a cop. The Atlantic City resident was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, obstruction of justice and criminal mischief before being released with a summons. Anyone with information is asked to call Atlantic City police at 609-347-5766 or submit a text anonymously to tip411 (847411). Begin the text with ACPD. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. UPDATE: Boater killed after vessel hit loose dredge pipe in Jersey Shore harbor IDd A boater died Wednesday evening after an earlier crash in Cape May Harbor in which he was thrown from his vessel, Cape May City Manager Michael J. Voll said. The 45-year-old male succumbed to his injuries in the hospital, Voll said. The city and U.S. Coast Guard have not released the victims name. Authorities received a report of two people thrown from a center console fishing boat about 2:24 a.m. in the marina, according to Jonathan Lally, a spokesman for the Coast Guard. The vessel was reported to have struck a submerged object in the water, Lally said. When first-responders arrived, they found that one person had made it back onto the boat and the Coast Guard, along with members of the New Jersey State Police Marine Unit, and Cape May Police Department, began a search for the other boater. A good Samaritan in another vessel found the person unresponsive in the water, Lally said. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital with unknown injuries. Lally said a joint investigation is underway to determine the events leading up to the crash. He said it was not immediately clear to investigators what the boat struck. NJ Advance Media staff writer Nicolas Fernandes contributed to this report. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. A day after the state Attorney General sued a New Jersey city alleging it discriminated against Latino defendants in its municipal court, the citys attorney responded that the state judiciary is responsible for how the court is run. Millvilles municipal court discriminated against Latino defendants by denying them the opportunity to appear virtually for court hearings, the state Attorney Generals Office alleged in a civil rights complaint filed Tuesday. A church in South Jersey was destroyed Monday night after a massive four-alarm fire broke out. The Voice of Deliverance New Covenant Church, a nondenominational church on East Chestnut Avenue in Vineland, said in a statement Tuesday that its building was completely destroyed in the fire. It is with great sadness to inform you that our church was tragically incinerated during a fire on Monday, August 7, 2023, the church said. The church also thanked the first responders involved and the owners of a nearby Pizza Hut, who provided them shelter as fire companies were battling the blaze during a heavy rain storm. The blaze was reported about 10 p.m. and crews had the fire under control within about two hours, CBS Philadelphia reported. No injuries were reported, but residents living in a unit behind the church were displaced from their homes, CBS reported. Police and fire officials did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday evening. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up in an effort to start raising funds to rebuild. The church said it plans to continue holding services, but has not yet released the location details. Senator Michael Testa, R-1st Dist., said in a statement Tuesday that he will support any efforts to rebuild the church. I am saddened by the news of the fire that ripped through the Voice of Deliverance New Covenant Church last night in Vineland, Testa said. This church was a safe place in the community where people from all walks of life could congregate, pray, and become closer to God. For those who lost their home and place of worship, you have my support for the recovery efforts that are underway to help restore this great church. About 70 firefighters from 21 different area agencies assisted with putting out the fire, according to CBS. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com. On the new album The Uninvited from Nelson Morales, aka Constant Flow (CF), everything permeates with struggling against that outside status quo. It starts with the albums cover, art that depicts Morales himself, in indigenous Teano/Arawak facepaint, at the Jersey City waterfront with the New York City skyline in the background. The Uninvited will release Monday, Aug. 14, via Bandcamp: https://cf201.bandcamp.com/album/the-uninvited. Morales is Puerto Rican and a Jersey City native. Hes pale and aware that makes him look white to some people, but even before awareness of his ancestry, bolstered by DNA testing that showed Teano and West African roots, diverseness in his family made it obvious to him that Blackness was part of his family tree. The idea of the Americas began in the Caribbean, he said. Arawaks met with the Spaniards, were decimated by their diseases and brutality, then largely replaced with enslaved Black West Africans. The fusion of these three places made the personality of what we know the Americas was going to be. With New York City looming in the album covers backdrop, Morales stands in a place close yet so far away and the only thing that separates us is a river. And thats the uninvited, he said. It can be the Death Star where it pulls you in and were like the Millennium Falcon, or it could be the club youre not invited to, so you gotta find another way of getting there. On The Uninvited, there is like the promised land, a place that in the world at the moment is more internal than local. In Jersey City there are so many different separate movements that are occurring the neighborhoods changing through gentrification. It makes one feel like theyre the uninvited even in their own home. Its like you dont belong anywhere. (On one side) you know you smart, they be like, You the nerd. Nah, we all could be like that. Oh, you rapping with multi-syllable words again? ... Then you go to (the other side) and youre like, Oh you dont belong there either. Where do I belong? On opening track TSA, CF uses the grueling screening process as a metaphor for removing your illusions so listeners can go into the album with an open mind. For the rest of the ten tracks, CF continues his accomplished and battle-rap worthy wordplay with guests like Billion Man Rebellion cohort Dontique Mangual, exploring the idea of the uninvited in a landscape full of challenges to rise above, as encapsulated in Pragmatic. In Pragmatic, what Im dealing with is things that are not how I wanted them to be. Its how it is and I have to deal with it as it is. The first verse, thats about friends who engage in a lot of drug-use. Theyre trying to escape the pain; drugs are their coping mechanism. And tying into the theme of TSA, its take away all of that. Start dealing with yourself, stop running away from issues and using coping mechanisms, because at the end of the day no matter how much you smoke youre still going to be in that cloud. You could break away from that cloud by just taking the time to look into yourself and dissect why is it your other relationships are failing outside of it. Youre in this insulated community in a room cloud of smoke in an echo chamber with a bunch of yes men. They keep telling you this and that, and theyre celebrating your failures and you dont even know it, because its all being celebrated through laughs, fun and getting high. What if you stop smoking or stop getting drunk? Would these people even be present in your life? The second verse of Pragmatic is about Morales coming to terms with his younger aspirations of being a social revolutionary in the face of the actuality of being a touring hip-hop artist. You come to find out that even some of the people who talk about all these things are just using it to generate revenue and chill with chicks, he said. It takes a strong person to fall back when the music doesnt take off and theres a curtain call and now the show is done. That stage personality still lives with you. What happens when you dont have the means to perform? Post-tour depression. That just made me more pragmatic. This isnt the end of the world. Im heading onto another chapter. Houseguest, with Perro Lu and DF Babylee, solidifies one aspect of The Uninvited by them speaking to rapper Lord Jamars comments about Latinos being guests in hip-hop. Puerto Ricans are part of the Black diaspora, Morales said. The unique thing about African-American culture is when people were stripped of the drums they were forced to adapt polytheistic patterns to European instruments. Thats how jazz was created in New Orleans that makes African-American music distinct from all other people in the diaspora. (But) in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, we have our tradition where people rap in Spanish or African on top of the barrel drums. That cousin-like relationship shouldnt be ignored in Morales eyes, nor should the diaspora mix that happened in the South Bronx, where hip-hop was created by African-Americans who lived side by side with Puerto Ricans in impoverished conditions. DJ Charlie Chase, whos Puerto Rican, was a pioneer who, despite resistance along what were perceived racial lines, carved out space for Hispanic artists during that pivotal time of the genres creation in the 1970s. That song specifically is like theyre treating us like houseguests, so were going to come out though another route, Morales explained of Houseguest. The way that they build walls to stop Mexicans from coming in even though they have as much native ancestry in this country as anyone, he said. The Uninvited is the result of Morales thinking about his ties to all of these different groups uninvited to different facets of not just hip-hop but American society. Music about now, he believes, can last longer than times people feel lost in. How many people can feel uninvited? Thats a universal theme. You could go to a family reunion and feel like they dont even like me here. The Uninvited was produced by Soulful Soze and mixed by Speedy Babyy. Find CF on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @cf201. Ukrainian grain transit via seaports of Lithuania and other Baltic countries may become regular, which would require additional investments in infrastructure, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte told the BNS news agency. Lithuania is promoting the idea of exporting Ukrainian grain via Baltic ports and specifically, Klaipeda. Vilnius argues that ports in the Baltic states can handle up to 25 million tonnes of grain annually. At the same time, inspections at the ports themselves, and not at the Polish-Ukrainian border, will make export easier, Vilnius says. In late July, three Lithuanian ministers called on the European Commission to create incentives for increasing grain transit via Baltic countries. Such shipments are now complicated by restrictions on the part of Poland, which fears that Ukrainian products will enter the local market and cause damage to Polish farmers. Warsaw's fears are unfounded, because when it comes to transit shipments of grain, the commodity does not get to the European Union market and thus has no impact on prices there, Simonyte said. "This transit of grain will never affect the domestic market, as this is transit to a port, and it won't have any impact on trade inside of the EU, nor will it increase supply or affect prices," she said. "It can be assumed that the domestic discussion is so heated, considering the calendar of elections in Poland, that perhaps, the government is hesitant to take any quicker steps for political reasons, because there are not many practical problems why we cannot do this," she said. Even if Poland agreed to move the inspection of Ukrainian grain cargoes to ports in Baltic countries, the ports' capacity would not be sufficient to meet all the demand for such transit, she said. "Looking further ahead, given that Ukraine will probably need this support with serious investments for a long time, the Council of Europe Development Bank could at least partially assume responsibility for them. With these investments, with an acceleration of the processes [of building European gauge railroads as part of] Rail Baltica, Lithuania's ability [to be a transit country for Ukrainian grain] would be much higher," she said. "So, the question is what in particular we want to solve. Do we want to solve the immediate issue right now, when there are physical limitations anyway in how we can we help, or do we really want to create a sustainable transit corridor, which will require some more serious investments than procedural ones?" Simonyte said. For many years, Ukraine exported most of its grain and other agriculture products from its own Black Sea ports. However, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, the work of the ports was limited severely. Export flows have since been largely redirected to Europe. The Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) estimates that Ukraine may export almost 48 million tonnes of grain in the new 2023-2024 season, while Ukrainian grain exports reached 58 million tonnes in the last season that ended on June 30. A man can be retried for a 2017 fatal crash in Jersey City after his 2019 trial ended in a mistrial because of inexcusable neglect by the prosecutors office in handling evidence, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. Stephen Zadroga, now 35, will likely stand trial on charges of aggravated manslaughter and death by auto in the Nov. 16, 2017 death of Matthew Nierstedt, a passenger in his car, on a dangerous stretch of Paterson Plank Road. Authorities say Zadroga was driving at least 88 miles per hour in a 25 miles per hour zone moments before a head-on collision. A metals refinery company that operated in Middlesex County for decades has agreed to a $103 million settlement for the wrongful emission of toxic wastes from smelting operations, according to court documents. United States Metals Refinery Co., of Delaware, owned a smelter from the early 1900s to 1991 on Middlesex Avenue in Carteret that discharged a by-product known to cause cancer and other health issues affecting adults and children, according to lawsuits filed in state and federal courts. The contaminants primarily consisted of lead, copper, arsenic, benzene, and other chemicals and heavy metals, said Boris Shmaruk, one of the attorneys representing Carteret residents. The total settlement of $103 million will be broken down into two categories $61 million for cleanup, remediation, community outreach and additional sampling and analysis. The other $42 million will be paid to about 1,200 affected property owners in the zone of contamination. Each property owner will receive about $18,000, according to the Vlasac & Shmaruk law firm. The affected residents live in the area of Middlesex Avenue, Peter J. Sica Industrial Highway, and Romanski, Cypress, Arthur, and East Grant Streets, borough officials have said. Two couples filed the original lawsuit on Jan. 30, 2017, in Superior Court of Middlesex County, claiming the toxic substances posed health threats and that the company for years failed to notify residents of the dangers. The lawsuit was later moved to federal court and a settlement was reached on July 26, according to court documents NJ Advance Media obtained on Wednesday. Because defendants concealed the dangers associated with and attendant to their conduct, plaintiffs did not know, nor could they have known, of the presence, nature and extent of smelter contaminants, the state lawsuit says. Beginning around 2016, United States Metals Refinery Co. began notifying Carteret homeowners in the affected areas that the soil was contaminated above safe levels and would require excavation and removal. In addition to health concerns, the residents who filed complaints said their property values had diminished due to the contamination. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Civil rights leaders stood with the family of Estiben Steven Hurtado and their attorney in Elizabeth on Tuesday to demand that state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin release all body camera video of the July 29 incident in which city police fatally shot the 42-year-old Colombian migrant. We came here today to call justice, for transparency, for what justice looks like, said the Rev. Kevin McCall, a Brooklyn-based preacher, who led the press conference at the Amity Street house where Hurtado was shot once by police, allegedly while holding a knife and threatening a woman. He said Hurtado came to Elizabeth a year ago seeking more opportunity, and sent money back home to support his two teenage sons in Colombia. Steven should be with us today, McCall said. The family attorney, Sanford A. Rubenstein, said two of Hurtados cousins were at the house during the fatal encounter. This family will fully cooperate with the criminal probe by the attorney generals office,he said. What witnesses there were to what happened will come forward. And the family calls upon the attorney generals office to release the body cam video, because those are pictures of the truth. And the family wants the truth to come out. A spokesman for the Attorney Generals Office, Michael Symons, said the video will be released, once the investigation is substantially complete. Symons cited the Attorney Generals 2019 directive governing the release of audio and video of fatal officer-involved shootings, which remains in effect. The investigation of this matter is ongoing and there is no further information available at this time, he said. The AGs office says it plans to release the video but only after the investigation is substantially complete, an an AG spokesman. The AGs office did not immediately respond Tuesday night to a request for comment. According to its preliminary investigation, Elizabeth police received a 911 at 7:59 a.m. pertaining to an unwanted individual at the Amity Street house. Police arrived at the home at 8:04 a.m., and a minute later, Officer Steven Lazo discharged his firearm, striking Hurtado. Estiben Alegria Hurtado, a 42-year-old Columbian migrant, was fatally shot by Elizabeth police on 7/29/23 Authorities recovered a knife near Hurtado, the AGs office said. Hurtado was rushed to University Hospital in Newark, but died the next night. The activists maintain that police could have backed off and called in a mental health professional to de-escalate the situation. The AGs guidelines prohibit the use of deadly force unless there is an imminent danger of death of serious bodily harm to the police officer or another person. Salaam Ismial, the director of the United Youth Council of Elizabeth, suggested that race was a factor, given that Hurtado was a Colombian migrant, so he was not given the dignity of a proper police response. Salaam Ismiall, the head of the United Youth Council in Elizabeth, calls on the Attorney General to release police body camera video of the July 29 fatal shooting of Estiben Alegria Hurtado. This is the same city, Elizabeth, where the police director had to resign in 2019 because he was using racial epithets, Ismiall said, recalling James Cosgroves departure following an investigation by the the Union County prosecutor. Meanwhile, the family has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for funeral expenses. It is not clear whether the two Elizabeth police officers involved in the incident are still on duty. A spokeswoman for the Elizabeth Police Department did not respond to an email or a phone call seeking comment on Tuesday night. Larry Hamm, the head of the Newark-based Peoples Organization for Progress, said Hurtados death once again underscored the need for a civilian review board with real subpoena power to oversee police conduct. But legislation to allow those boards has been bottled up in Trenton, he said. We thought we were making great strides after George Floyd, McCall said, referring to the Minnesota man whose death at the hands of Minneapolis cops prompted outrage over brutality and promises of reform. But it seems like weve taken 10 steps back. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Richard Cowen may be reached at rcowen@njadvancemedia.com. CHICAGO The Yankees bounce-back win over the White Sox on Tuesday night was a glimpse at what this team needs to do to stack up wins and crawl back into the playoff picture. It wasnt perfect, but the offense was able to break through. Stringing hits and walks together is a must, something the Yankees accomplished in their four-run fourth inning, a frame featuring two big hits with runners in scoring position. As the Yankees hover on the fringe of the wild-card race 4.5 games out, still hoping for a late surge to the postseason angry fans are ready to storm the gates. Theyre demanding regime change. Everyone, it seems, is on social media calling for the ousters of GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone. Despite the mounting pressure, a source familiar with Hal Steinbrenners thinking says the owner has already decided one of the two will be back in 2024. Cashman is safe. According to the source, The idea (of firing Cashman) isnt even on the table. Its not up for discussion. BUY YANKEES TICKETS: STUBHUB, VIVID SEATS, TICKETMASTER Boones fate is less certain, in part because he has only one year remaining on his contract. That, and the Yankees lackluster play throughout the 2023 season, have left Steinbrenner deeply frustrated, according to that same person with knowledge of Steinbrenners thinking. In May, when asked what it would take to fire Boone, Steinbrenner said, I think one of the most important things for me is he has the respect of the players. They want to play for him and they want to win for him. And if I saw that disappear, then I make a change. A month later, he sounded a warning: If we dont make the playoffs and were healthy the second half of the year and we start getting guys back and we get the team that we intended to be on the field, then Im going to be asking some tough questions. But unlike his father, who fired Billy Martin multiple times and dismissed Yogi Berra after just 16 games in 1985, the Young Boss is loathe to make a managerial change unless absolutely necessary. And even then a sacking isnt guaranteed. Boone apparently will be given every opportunity to resuscitate the Yankees over the final 48 games. Although theyve essentially been a .500 team (89-84) since August 1, 2022, Steinbrenner continues to hold out hope for a winning streak thatll erase a summer of mediocrity. The odds are not in the Bombers favor. FanGraphs says Boones crew has an 11.9 percent chance of getting to the playoffs and a 0.7 percent chance of winning the World Series. Given the probability of finishing out of the running, or at best an early-round exit, whats keeping Boones candidacy alive? Or, for that matter, Cashmans? The safety net, according to another voice in Steinbrenners orbit, is the owners wish to avoid tough choices and stay out of the spotlight. Firing people is not in Hals nature, the person said. To this point, hes been content to let Cashman make the decisions. He trusts him. And he happens to like Boone personally, too. But that could change if the Yankees dont accelerate quickly. With a $280 million payroll, theyre on a pace for 83 wins, which would be their worst season in 31 years. And its one thing to miss out on the playoffs it happened to Joe Girardi four times (2008, 2013-14, 2016) but a last-place finish in 23 would all but doom Boone. The Yankees pedigree doesnt allow for that kind of failure. Steinbrenner almost certainly would be forced to act, if for no other reason than to placate the public. But assuming the Yankees dont rebound, theres a second part of the reckoning that would involve Cashman. Hell have to answer for the rosters imbalance (too many right-handed power hitters), the failure to acquire a bona fide left fielder during the last off-season, the miscalculation of signing Carlos Rodon to a six-year, $162 million contract and the tepid moves at the trade deadline. Many of the Yankees problems are, in fact, systemic and cant be laid at Boones doorstep. These are GM-level decisions, and its hardly been Cashmans finest season. And although he has job security, signed through 2026, Cashman could be compelled by Steinbrenner to restructure the clubs talent evaluation process. The Yankees, as everyone knows, have been deep into analytics. Thats been Cashmans directive for several years, although the dependency has shifted recently with the hiring of new hitting instructor Sean Casey and old-school advisors Omar Minaya and Brian Sabean. But previously, statistics-based decision-making netted the Yankees, among others, Joey Gallo, Sonny Gray, Frankie Montas and hitting instructor Dillon Lawson all of whom failed in the Bronx. Even last month, according to an industry source, the Yankees couldve made a deadline deal for outfielder Randal Grichuk, who was batting .308 with the Rockies. But what wouldve been a two-month rental before Grichuks free agency was voted down by the clubs analysts. Grichuk, 31, potentially the Yankees left fielder for the final playoff stretch, was instead picked up by the Angels. To be fair to Cashman, many of the Yankees flaws couldnt have been foreseen. Rodon, for instance, shouldve been far more effective in Pinstripes, based on his outstanding 2022 season with the Giants. Rodon was free agencys top available pitcher last winter. The Yankees out-bid all competitors to install the left-hander as a co-ace with Gerrit Cole. No one couldve predicted to what extent Rodon would be sidelined (back, forearm and now hamstring injuries) and unable to get hitters out when on the mound (7.33 ERA, eight home runs allowed in 27 innings). The same goes for Domingo German. No one, including Cashman, had any clue the right-hander was still battling alcohol issues and would end up on the restricted list for the rest of the year. Luis Severino was never supposed to become one of MLBs worst pitchers. And the Yankees veteran core Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, D.J. LeMahieu and Josh Donaldson werent all supposed to decline at precisely the same time. But Cashman gambled on those players last winter when he passed on the chance of a makeover. The 23 Yankees looked a lot like the 22 Yankees. If you believe a GM should be accountable for the hunches that dont pay off, then Cashman is due for an inquisition this winter. And he might still be. But that doesnt mean a new GM will be in place next Opening Day. The Yankees still lead the American League in attendance. The YES ratings are equally strong. And the Bombers still have a mathematical chance at the third wild card spot. Meanwhile, theyve withstood crosstown owner Steve Cohens challenge to make the Mets the No. 1 team in this market. Those successes all weigh heavily in Cashmans favor. But stay tuned to the managerial sweepstakes theyll be more riveting. Remember: Steinbrenner likes Boone. The players like Boone, too. But the real jury will be the next 48 games. The clock is ticking. 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. - - - Watertown, NY (13601) Today A mix of clouds and sun. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 78F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. 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. Locally reported news and sports Stay Current with What's Happening Get the most of NNY360, register today! By providing your email address, you consent to receive emails and special offers from NNY360.com Ukraine's external financing needs next year will be at least $42 billion this year, as defense and security spending will remain at the 2023 level, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said in an interview with Radio Liberty. "Now we need $42 billion in external financing. Next year we plan no less. Why? Because we will plan the budget for the security and defense sector at the level of 2023," he said. The minister clarified that as of now, defense and security spending for the next year is estimated at UAH 1.6 trillion a year, while tax revenues amount to UAH 1.3 trillion. According to Marchenko, external funding for 2023 has been secured, while there are no guarantees of its receipt in 2024 in the required volume. "As for 2024, for now, there is only an understanding that we have assistance from the EU: EUR 50 billion for four years. There is the IMF, which helps us collect these obligations. I hope that the United States will also be. I really hope! This is very important. Because the United States gives a grant assistance. But this is not a given," the Minister of Finance said. As reported, at the end of July this year, the National Bank raised the forecast of the country's budget needs for the next year upward to $37 billion due to the deterioration of the forecast for the deficit of the consolidated budget (excluding grants) to 20% of GDP, and taking into account grants - to UAH 1.28 trillion, or 16.8% of GDP compared to UAH 810 billion, or 10.5% of GDP in the April report. Metal markers that record New Orleans history are vanishing from public spaces around the city, an official with the Department of Public Works said. In a July 24 meeting of the City Councils Quality of Life Committee, Sarah McLaughlin, acting director of the department, lamented the disappearance of everything from streetlights to catch basin covers at the hands of thieves and inattentive or unscrupulous scrap dealers. McLaughlin told committee members that she could not provide an exact dollar figure for the loss, but she estimated its easily in the tens of thousands. Perhaps the most discouraging of the disappearances are the informational plaques that so-called scrappers have pried from public monuments. The informational markers were discovered missing during a recent inspection by the Parks and Parkways Department. Louisiana's 2023 election season is officially underway. Candidates across the New Orleans area lined up Tuesday on the first day to register for the Oct. 14 ballot. While there were no major surprises, there's still two more days for political hopefuls to throw their hat in the ring. Jefferson's big races Setting up a clash among colleagues, four members of the Jefferson Parish Council signed up to run for the council's two parishwide seats, making official what political observers expect to be a costly and intense campaign. All four are Republicans. Council member Jennifer Van Vrancken, who is term-limited in her 5th District seat, qualified against at-large Division A incumbent Ricky Templet. And council member Dominick Impastato, term-limited in the 4th District seat, qualified against at-large Division B incumbent Scott Walker. Death toll from Russian missile attack in Pokrovsk rises to nine Zelenskyy President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an evening video address on Tuesday that the death toll from a Russian missile attack in Pokrovsk (Donetsk region) had risen to nine on Monday. He said among the wounded there are two children, one of them is in severe condition. "His name is Mykyta, he is only 11 years old, he is a 6th grade pupil. I wish a speedy recovery to everyone who suffered from this yet another Russian atrocity," the president said. Zelenskyy also said the second strike occurred when the rescue operation began. "This is a deliberate decision of the terrorists to cause the greatest pain and damage. And Russia will bear maximum responsibility for this - no matter how the events unfold, there must be sentences against the terrorists," the president said. As reported, on Tuesday evening, rescue work in the five-story residential building of Pokrovsk, damaged as a result of a Russian missile attack on Monday evening, was completed, according to the State Emergency Service. According to Head of Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko, some 88 victims were recorded. The Russians hit Pokrovsk on Monday evening, carried out two strikes with Iskanders at 19:15 and 19:52. In the latest salvo in a high-stakes political and legal drama, Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday directed the state Pardon Board to decide whether to grant clemency to nearly all of the inmates on Louisianas death row. Edwards, a death penalty opponent, acted after the Pardon Board on July 26 turned aside applications from 56 of the 57 death row inmates. The board said none of them were eligible for clemency because of a just-issued advisory opinion from Attorney General Jeff Landry, an ardent death penalty supporter who is the governors chief nemesis. Among those who supported Edwards decision to have the Pardon Board hear each of the cases was New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond. The head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Aykhan Hajizade, advised Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis not to fall under the influence of false Armenian propaganda. Aykhan Hajizade wrote about this on his page in X (Twitter), Azernews reports. On comment, his says: "Mr. Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, it is better not to be deceived by false Armenian propaganda. The Lachin road has been misused by Armenia for the last 3 years. Unfortunately, all these years Lithuania has demonstrated a silence. In order to prevent Armenias malign actions, Azerbaijan has established Lachin border checkpoint & suggested to use the Aghdam-Khankendi road for deliveries. In the meantime, the ICJ ruling of July 6, has unanimously rejected Armenian request to remove the ckeckpoint. Azerbaijan facilitates the transfer of Armenian residents in both directions. It would be more appropriate to urge Armenia to demonstrate more constructive approach, rather than undermine the peace process," Aykhan Hajizade told. The Headquarters meeting on Wednesday was dedicated to the offensive, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel. "Today's Headquarters is in a special format. The narrowest circle of people and all attention to the only subject our offensive. In-depth analysis of the current situation, planning future steps, providing the forces with everything necessary, analyzing the actions of the enemy. Reports were delivered by Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny, commanders Syrsky and Tarnavsky, Head of Intelligence Agency Budanov," he said. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted an appeal to the parliaments and governments of foreign states, international organizations and their parliamentary assemblies regarding the intentions of Russia to hold illegal "elections" on September 10 in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine. The adoption of relevant draft resolution No. 9581 was supported by 287 MPs at a plenary session on Wednesday, a member of the Holos faction Yaroslav Zhelezniak said. "Russia's next attempt to justify the illegal attempt to annex the temporarily occupied areas of the territory of Ukraine testifies to its unwillingness to end the armed aggression against our state and its intention to continue its predatory neo-colonial policy towards neighboring countries," according to the document. The Verkhovna Rada is proposed to appeal to the parliaments and governments of foreign states, international organizations and their parliamentary assemblies with a call not to recognize, if they are held, the legitimacy of any "elections" in the temporarily occupied parts of the territory of Ukraine, as well as the structures that organize them. However, Ukrainian parliamentarians consider it necessary to call on the world community not to recognize the legitimacy of any elective body of Russia, elections to which will be held on the temporarily occupied parts of the territory of Ukraine, or to which, as a result of such "elections," representatives of the occupation administrations of Russia in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, and prevent the participation of delegations of such authorities of Russia in the work of international organizations. The document also calls for the world to recognize that the illegal actions of Russia once again confirm the impossibility of holding peace talks before the complete withdrawal of the Russian occupying forces from the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine. In addition, they propose to the Verkhovna Rada to call on international monitoring structures to ignore Russia's possible appeals about sending observers to the "elections" of local authorities in the temporarily occupied parts of the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine. As reported, on a single voting day on September 10, 2023, election campaigns of various levels will be held in Russia, including by-elections of deputies to the State Duma, elections of heads of 26 subjects of the federation (21 direct and five through voting in parliament) and elections of deputies of legislative (representative) bodies of the state authorities in 16 constituent entities of Russia. In addition, the Russian Central Electoral Commission said "elections" would also be held on this day in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Currently, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) cannot confirm allegations about crossing the Dnipro River by the Ukrainian defense forces, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Maliar has said. "The Armed Forces and the General Staff do not confirm this information at the moment. We are asking and calling on everyone once again to trust only official sources," she said on the air of the national telethon on Wednesday. The deputy minister stressed that any information connected with the area of hostilities can affect the situation. "That is why, everything voiced by the General Staff and the Defense Ministry is information that is safe for our military operations," she said. Earlier, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its daily report that the AFU have conducted a limited raid across the Dnipro, landed on the left bank of Kherson region and, probably, advanced up to 800 meters deep. According to the ISW, which referred to several Russian milbloggers, Ukrainian forces landed up to seven boats, each carrying around six to seven people, on the east bank of the Dnipro near the settlement of Kozachi Laheri, broke through Russian defensive lines, and advanced up to 800 meters deep. President Joe Biden on Aug. 9 signed an executive order to begin the process of restricting U.S. investments into Chinese AI, quantum technology, and semiconductors. The executive order, due to take effect next year, will authorize the Treasury secretary to regulate U.S. investments into Chinese technologies deemed to affect national security, according to senior administration officials. The president, in the order, declared a national emergency in relation to the unusual and extraordinary threat posed by countries of concern advancing sensitive technology to aid their military and intelligence capabilities. It added that U.S. investments risk exacerbating this threat. The Biden administration is committed to keeping America safe and defending Americas national security, one official said in a Wednesday press call. That includes appropriately protecting technologies that are critical to the next generation of military innovation. [China] has a stated goal to acquire and produce key sensitive technologies that directly support [its] military modernization-related activities such as weapons development, and has exploited U.S. investments to develop domestic military and intelligence capabilities. The official said that the new executive order will target a narrow subset of investments into AI, quantum information technologies, and semiconductors and microelectronics to fill a critical gap in national security. This is a national security action, not an economic one, the official said. This executive order protects our national security interests in a narrowly targeted manner, while maintaining our longstanding commitment to open investment. Treasury to Announce New Rules Targeting China Investments In coordination with the presidents order, the official said, the Treasury Department will move to simultaneously release an advance notice for new proposed rules that would prohibit investment in entities that engage in activities related to the three domains and require notification of investments into related technologies. Though the Treasury still must go through a potentially lengthy rule-making process to give notice and receive comments on its proposed rules, administration officials are hopeful that a strong bipartisan desire in Congress to meaningfully regulate outbound investments will help to craft the most robust mechanisms possible. With that being said, the official noted that the United States would not pursue any form of decoupling from China, instead describing its moves as de-risking. We are pursuing a policy of de-risking with regard to [China], by taking targeted national security actions, the official said. [We are] not decoupling our economies, and this policy reflects that approach. The official added that the Treasurys proposed rules were made in coordination with the nations allies and partners through dozens of meetings, and will help to demonstrate unity of purpose on the international stage. US Firms Funding CCP Military Development The rules will focus in part on giving the administration better tools for preventing U.S. private equity and venture capital from flowing to Chinese entities that might provide an edge to the regimes military. U.S. tech companies and venture capital firms have long invested into entities associated with the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) military wing, with little interference from the federal government. To that end, the bipartisan House Select Committee on the CCP is opening investigations into several U.S. venture capital firms that it claims are funding Chinas development of AI and spurring its military modernization. In a letter announcing the probes, Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) said that the CCP is actively working to hone its military edge through American research and investments. [China] is actively seeking out and using advancements in AI to perpetrate human rights abuses and enhance its military capabilities, the letter states. It is likewise using advancements in quantum computing and semiconductor manufacturing to support the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). The regime is also stealing critical technologies including AI and quantum cryptography systems, which will have crucial military importance in the coming years, according to U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns. [Technology] is in many ways the heart of the competition, Burns said at a June meeting of the Global Leadership Coalition. All of those technologies are going to be militarized. Mr. Burns added that the CCP, which rules China as a single-party state, is engaged in the consistent and persistent theft of intellectual property to accelerate forced technology transfer from the United States. That malign influence, he said, is making it difficult for the United States and the CCP to peacefully compete, and will have ramifications for U.S. security in the region both in the near and long terms. US Seeks Non-Military Means to Deter Conflict The executive order comes as an increasing number of analysts and experts urge that Congress and the Executive Branch must better augment the nations ability to deter conflict with China through non-military means. To prevent a war between the great powers, according to retired Rear Admiral Mike Studeman, the United States will need to go beyond investing in military equipment and leverage all means of national power. We need to be looking at all forms of influence that will prevent a combat environment or a crisis that will, in fact, be devastating for the globe, Mr. Studeman said during an Aug. 8 talk at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank. The order also follows yet another trying week for the already-fraught U.S.-China relationship, wherein Chinese and Russian warships conducted their largest-ever joint naval operation near the coast of Alaska. Eleven Chinese and Russian vessels traversed through international waters near the coast of Alaska, drawing an escort of four U.S. destroyers to ensure that the forces did not enter U.S. territorial waters. Though the scale of the exercise is new, the incident is notin and of itselfunusual. A similar, smaller drill took place in September of 2022, involving three Chinese and four Russian naval vessels. The United States responded at that time by dispatching a single Coast Guard vessel. From The Epoch Times You are clearly a super-user of NUVO.net. Thats a good thing. It means you depend on independent and local news sources to keep you informed. You are a smart person. Coincidentally, independent and local news sources depend on you too. Youve read 25 articles this month and now, wed like you to be join our mission and become a NUVO Supporter. For as little as $4 a month, you can keep us alive and fighting -- and can have unlimited access to the independent news that cant be found anywhere else. The Chicago Assembly Plant temporarily laid off workers this week amid struggles with faulty Explorer cameras. The 2.8 million-square-foot automotive plant on the banks of the Calumet River sent a robocall to B crew and C crew seniority employees and all temporary full-time employees notifying them they were temporarily laid off this week, according to United Auto Workers Local 551. Some B crew and C crew employees continued to work this week, including paint mixers, phosphate solutions attendants, paint repair workers and paint repair team leaders. The only body, quality, trim and chassis, North Point and MP&L Sequence Center workers who still came in were called if needed. The temporary layoffs started Monday and run through Aug. 13. UAW Local 551 encouraged affected members to file for unemployment benefits. Ford has recalled its 2023 Explorer SUVs because of blue screens on the 360-Degree Camera system, which poses a potential crash risk. The safety recall has dampened Explorer sales, which Ford reported plunged by 51% last month. Workers at the Chicago Assembly Plant and Chicago Stamping Plant in Chicago Heights were temporarily laid off last month until July 17. The Ford plant at Torrence Avenue and 130th Street on the far South Side normally runs up to three shifts to make the Ford Explorer, the Lincoln Aviator and the Police Interceptor Utility. It normally has temporary layoffs for plant maintenance shutdowns every summer but forced layoffs have become more common since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which created supply chain shortages worldwide that have roiled the automotive industry. More temporary layoffs are coming. United Auto Workers Local 551 warned its members that the SHO Center, a facility named after the Taurus SHO sedan that was previously made there, will be idled on Sept. 21. Production will temporarily stop at the facility where workers assemble parts for the Explorer and Lincoln Aviator SUVs. A Ford spokesperson did not comment, saying the company was busy with labor negotiations with the UAW. MP of Ukraine Anatoliy Hunko, who "sold" land of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (NAAS) for $85,000, has been notified of suspicion. "On August 8, 2023, on behalf of the SAPO head, the prosecutor, with the participation of NABU detectives, reported the suspicion to the MP, exposed for receiving unlawful benefits for providing a private entrepreneur with the lease of state lands. The actions of the MP are qualified under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine," the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) reported. According to the SAPO message posted on Wednesday on the Telegram channel, it was established that the MP of Ukraine, being the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Interim Investigative Commission to investigate facts of corruption in state enterprises, institutions and organizations of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, used his powers to provide a private enterprise with land plots with a total area of 1,700 hectares belonging to the Academy of Agrarian Sciences. "For such services, the MP asked the entrepreneur to give him a 'reward,' which is $221,000 - at the rate of $130 per 1 hectare of state land," the SAPO said. The MP and his accomplices were exposed under the procedural guidance of the SAPO prosecutors by NABU detectives together with the SBU and with the assistance of the Prosecutor General after they received part of the agreed funds, namely $85,000. The SAP informs that a petition has been filed with the High Anti-Corruption Court to elect the suspect a measure of restraint in the form of detention with the alternative of making more than UAH 50 million bail. In addition, the issue of reporting suspicion to his accomplices and further measures is being decided. A South Bend "citizen-journalist" filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new Indiana statute requiring bystanders at the scene of a police investigation to stay back at least 25 feet, if requested by a police officer. Donald Nicodemus, owner of the YouTube channel "Freedom to Film," claims House Enrolled Act 1186 infringes on his constitutional right to observe and record police officers acting in their official capacities by inviting police to engage in content and viewpoint discrimination against Nicodemus by keeping him away from crime scenes. For example, Nicodemus said in his lawsuit South Bend Police repeatedly broadened their "investigation" of a July 20 shooting to push Nicodemus and other onlookers who were already more than 25 feet away from the bullet casings even further from the officers at the scene. According to the lawsuit, an officer used a 10-foot tape measure to estimate a 25-foot distance and threatened Nicodemus with incarceration if he approached any closer. "There was no basis for forcing Mr. Nicodemus to move even further back from the area fully across the street where police were conducting their activities. However, Mr. Nicodemus complied as he had been threatened with arrest," the lawsuit says. The lawsuit requests the statute be declared unconstitutional as applied to Nicodemus so he can continue recording and livestreaming South Bend Police activity to his more than 23,000 YouTube subscribers. "The right of citizens to observe and record the police is a critical check and balance," said Katie Blair, advocacy and public policy director at the Indiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit on Nicodemus' behalf. "Whether its a traffic stop, a police response to a mental health crisis or other police-community interactions, community members cannot hold police officers accountable if they cannot observe what is going on." The city of South Bend, which is expected to defend the statute enacted by the Republican-controlled General Assembly and Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, has not yet responded to the litigation. The law, which took effect July 1, created the crime of "unlawful encroachment on an investigation" and authorized police to arrest a person who knowingly or intentionally approaches within 25 feet of a law enforcement officer executing his or her duties after the officer has ordered the person to stop approaching. Police officers are not obligated to keep onlookers at least 25 feet away if they feel no need to do so. It simply sets 25 feet as the minimum bystander distance if a police officer orders a person to stop approaching. Refusing to comply is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Supporters of the new law said it improves officer and public safety by preventing distractions that potentially could give criminal suspects an opportunity to pull out a gun or attempt to flee from police. Those claims were backed by representatives of a variety of police organizations who told lawmakers during legislative committee hearings earlier this year that officers often struggle to do their jobs when the public approaches them and demands to immediately know the legal basis for an arrest or traffic stop. Opponents, meanwhile, said the law wrongly aims to shield officers from appropriate public scrutiny and recording of their actions in the wake of the 2020 police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. A ruling by the federal court in South Bend on the constitutionality of the statute is expected later this year or early next year. Gallery: Get to know these new Indiana laws that took effect July 1 AirTags Alcohol permits Animal facilities Annexation Book bans Bullying Charter schools Child molesting Childrens hospitals Domestic violence Drinking water Electric/hybrid vehicles Encroachment FAFSA Financial literacy Firefighting equipment Food and beverage tax Gender-affirming care Gary schools Gasoline tax Human trafficking Illiana Expressway Inmate gender Insurance fund Juror pay Juveniles Lake County convention center Lake County recorder Landlords Little Calumet River Lost farmland Machine guns Mail-in ballots Mental health Military bases Military pay Pension investments Public health School board elections Service animals Sex education SNAP assistance Speed cameras State comptroller Storage units Tax sales Taxpayer receipt Teachers unions Throwing stars Transit Development District 21st Century Scholars Valparaiso lawsuit Xylazine PORTER A motorcyclist, who initially claimed to have been struck by a vehicle after he was found to have crashed his bike, was not telling the truth and faces drunken driving charges, Porter Police Sgt. Thomas Blythe said. Police said they responded around 8:24 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a single motorcycle crash at Mineral Springs Road and Old Porter Road. Portage police led on vehicle, foot chase following U.S. 6 crash "Mr. Hamilton said he thought about stopping the pursuit a few times, however, he did not," according to police. Police found the driver able to walk around and refusing medical care. "The rider had minor injuries and claimed he was struck by a vehicle in the intersection, however multiple witness statements refuted that claim," police said. "The rider was reportedly driving at a high rate of speed just before the crash and a witness stated the rider 'spun out and toppled over.' " Porter man facing real estate fraud charges attempting to dodge trial, prosecutor says "This motion like the others is another attempt by the defendant to litigate issues other than the facts and escape prosecution," Brown said. After smelling alcohol on the driver, who was not identified by police, he was questioned and reportedly admitted to drinking alcohol both at home and elsewhere prior to the crash. He refused to submit to a chemical test, causing police to obtain a search warrant and take a blood test. After receiving medical clearance at a hospital, he was arrested and faces two counts of OWI, police said. "He was also cited for operating with no motorcycle endorsement and expired plates," according to police. LAPORTE A jury may be tasked with resolving a payment dispute between the Republican LaPorte County auditor and the former attorney for the LaPorte County Board of Commissioners, a prominent Indiana Democrat. Last month, Special Judge Mary DeBoer rejected competing motions to end the case without trial after determining genuine issues of material fact remain outstanding that require a jury to weigh the parties' differing accounts of the truth. Records show at stake is some $10,000 originally $27,775 attorney Shaw Friedman contends he's owed for legal work on behalf of the commissioners that he claims has been unlawfully withheld by Auditor Timothy Stabosz constituting negligence, theft and official misconduct. According to court records, Stabosz sought to dismiss the case because he was sued in his personal capacity, instead of in his official role as county auditor. DeBoer acknowledged it was unusual for Friedman to sue a government employee personally. She also said to describe the relevant statutes and case law as "a briar patch" would be "an understatement," since Stabosz clearly was acting as county auditor when he declined to pay Friedman's invoices. Nevertheless, the judge said given the well-known bad blood between Stabosz and Friedman: "There are far too many questions looming regarding Stabosz's alleged blatant abuse of his powers as the auditor which would place his actions outside the scope of his employment." Such questions preclude a grant of summary judgment in Stabosz's favor, DeBoer said. At the same time, DeBoer declined Friedman's motion for partial summary judgment on his claims of negligence and official misconduct against Stabosz due to the possibility of conflicting material facts or inferences that only a jury can resolve. A trial date has not yet been set, according to court records. Records show Friedman is suing Stabosz in a separate case that alleges the auditor unlawfully maligned Friedman's character and reputation by accusing him of committing illegal or unethical acts in his role as county attorney prior to 2023. That litigation also is poised for trial after the Indiana Court of Appeals last year authorized Friedman to pursue his defamation suit against Stabosz, notwithstanding Stabosz's claim that Friedmans lawsuit was a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) prohibited by Indiana statutes. The three appellate judges said they agreed with trial court Judge Stephen Bowers that Stabosz's remarks about Friedman were made in furtherance of his right to free speech and in connection with a public issue. But they found Stabosz did not show his statements had a reasonable basis in law and fact, as required by Indiana law, and there was no basis to dismiss Friedman's defamation suit. Specifically, the appeals court said if Stabosz had any evidence of illegal or unethical behavior by Friedman, he should have reported the alleged wrongdoing to the appropriate authorities. The Indiana Supreme Court, by a 3-2 margin, declined in April to review the appellate decision sending the case back to the trial court for further action. Gallery: Get to know these new Indiana laws that took effect July 1 AirTags Alcohol permits Animal facilities Annexation Book bans Bullying Charter schools Child molesting Childrens hospitals Domestic violence Drinking water Electric/hybrid vehicles Encroachment FAFSA Financial literacy Firefighting equipment Food and beverage tax Gender-affirming care Gary schools Gasoline tax Human trafficking Illiana Expressway Inmate gender Insurance fund Juror pay Juveniles Lake County convention center Lake County recorder Landlords Little Calumet River Lost farmland Machine guns Mail-in ballots Mental health Military bases Military pay Pension investments Public health School board elections Service animals Sex education SNAP assistance Speed cameras State comptroller Storage units Tax sales Taxpayer receipt Teachers unions Throwing stars Transit Development District 21st Century Scholars Valparaiso lawsuit Xylazine Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced Tuesday the fourth and possibly final installment of his so-called Parents Bill of Rights. Rokita unveiled the latest update during a virtual press conference on Facebook Live. It primarily focuses on religious expression in school. This edition emphasizes Hoosiers precious freedom to practice their religious beliefs, including within the walls of public schools, Rokita said in the press conference. The document, which is laid out in an FAQ format, asks, for instance, whether students can read or distribute religious material at school, leave school during the school day for religious reasons or form religious clubs. Can teachers and school employees have prayer groups during non-instructional time? Broadly, the answer is yes. The Parents Bill of Rights, now at 151 questions covering 108 pages, touches on a variety of topics, including Critical Race Theory and other so-called "Marxist theories," school choice, vaccinations and school governance. According to Rokita, the document was created so parents could have confidence and knowledge when interacting with school boards, school administrators and teachers. He also cited declining standardized test scores as a reason why parents should read it. When questioned about the principle of separation of church and state, the Republican attorney general replied that the concept of separation of church and state is a myth coming from case law decades ago. The states Democratic Party released a statement saying Rokita was doubling down on his crusade on culture war issues. Indiana is in the midst of a large teacher shortage because of the Republican supermajority and elected officials such as Rokita refuse to treat educators with the respect they deserve, the statement read. Destiny Wells, the 2022 Democratic nominee for secretary of state, went as far as calling the Parents Bill of Rights Christian nationalist propaganda on X, formally known as Twitter. The full document can be read on the Indiana Attorney Generals website. GALLERY: The Times Photos of the Week The Biden administration plans on Wednesday to issue new restrictions on American investments in certain advanced industries in China, according to people familiar with the deliberations, a move that supporters have described as necessary to protect national security but that will undoubtedly rankle Beijing. The measure would be one of the first significant steps the United States has taken amid an economic clash with China to clamp down on outgoing financial flows. It could set the stage for more restrictions on investments between the two countries in the years to come. The restrictions would bar private equity and venture capital firms from making investments in certain high-tech sectors, like quantum computing, artificial intelligence and advanced semiconductors, the people said, in a bid to stop the transfer of American dollars and expertise to China. It would also require firms making investments in a broader range of Chinese industries to report that activity, giving the government better visibility into financial exchanges between the United States and China. WeWork, which lost billions of dollars building and operating a global empire of co-working spaces, warned investors on Tuesday that it might not be in business for much longer. Substantial doubt exists about the companys ability to continue as a going concern, the company said in a financial filing. The announcement did not come as a surprise. WeWorks stock has been trading for pennies for months as investors concluded that the companys financial obligations and losses had become overwhelming. The company went through a financial restructuring this year to buy more time for a turnaround effort, but soon after that, Sandeep Mathrani, the chief executive seen as the companys savior, suddenly departed. WeWorks stock lost nearly a fourth of its value in trading after the announcement on Tuesday, which was issued after market hours along with the companys quarterly earnings. In the days after OShae Sibley, a Black gay man, was killed during an altercation outside a gas station in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn, the picture that emerged suggested an explosive combination of homophobia, religious intolerance and racism. A witness said a group of men that included the teenager charged in the killing used homophobic slurs and told Mr. Sibley that they were Muslim, and he should stop dancing. Some initial media reports picked up that account. Mayor Eric Adams and the police held a news conference at which the mayor stressed that the killing was not evidence of Muslim hatred of gay people. Now, it appears the man charged with Mr. Sibleys murder is not Muslim at all. The suspect, Dmitriy Popov, 17, is Christian, his lawyer said, altering at least one aspect of a killing that has drawn national attention. Mr. Sibleys death had raised concerns about how the charged accusations could hurt relations between two marginalized communities, gay people and Muslims. In fact, the two groups stood together. Shortly after last years midterms, when Republicans failed to take the Senate and eked out only a thin majority in the House, Paul Ryan gave an interview to ABCs Jonathan Karl in which he described himself as a Never-Again Trumper. Its worth recalling what Ryan and other Republicans said about Donald Trump the first time he ran to see what a sham this feeble self-designation is likely to become. In 2015, Ryan, the House speaker then, denounced Trumps proposed Muslim ban as not conservatism, not what this party stands for and not what this country stands for. Then-Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana privately complained that Trump was unacceptable, according to the G.O.P. strategist Dan Senor, before he accepted the vice-presidential nomination. Ted Cruz called Trump a sniveling coward for insulting his wife, Heidi, before declaring that Donald Trump will not be the nominee. They all folded and they all will fold again. Their point of principle wasnt that Trump had crossed so many moral and ethical lines that they would rather live with a Democrat they could honorably oppose than a Republican they would be forced to dishonorably defend. Their point was simply that Trump couldnt win. When he did, they became powerless to oppose him. Seven years later, theyve learned nothing. In his interview with ABC, Ryan said he was proud of the accomplishments of the Trump years, citing tax reform, deregulation, criminal-justice reform, and conservative Supreme Court justices and federal judges. So why oppose Trump in 2024? Because I want to win, Ryan said, and we lose with Trump. It was really clear to us in 18, in 20 and now in 2022. Some things need no translation. No matter what language you speak, you can probably recognize a fellow human who is cheering in triumph or swearing in anger. If you are a crocodile, you may recognize the sound of a young animal crying in distress, even if that animal is a totally different species like, say, a human baby. That sound means you are close to a meal. In a study published Wednesday in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers put speakers near crocodiles and played recordings of human, bonobo and chimpanzee infants. The crocodiles were attracted to the cries, especially shrieks that sounded more distressed. That means that distress is something that is shared by species that are really, really distant, said Nicolas Grimault, a bioacoustic research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research and one of the papers authors. You have some kind of emotional communication between crocodiles and humans. These infant wails most likely drew crocodiles because they signaled an easy meal nearby, the authors say. But in some cases, the opposite may have been true: The crocs were trying to help. Germany provides Ukraine with new batch of military aid, incl two Patriot launchers Germany has provided Ukraine with two more Patriot air defense launchers, according to a report by the German federal government. According to the official website of the German government on Wednesday, the new aid package also included ten Bandvagn 206 (BV206) tracked all-terrain vehicles, 6,525 155 mm artillery shells; materials for the disposal of explosive objects; five border guard vehicles; four VECTOR reconnaissance UAVs; 1,163 binoculars; six tractors 8x8 HX81 and five semi-trailers; two loading and unloading machines 8x6; 100 MG5 machine guns and 40,000 first aid kits. As reported, 20,000 safety glasses will also be transferred from the warehouses of the Bundeswehr to Ukraine. The German government also announced plans to transfer to Ukraine materials for the disposal of explosive objects and a new batch of safety glasses - 80,000 pieces. The report notes that the supplies come from industry stocks financed by German funds for building security capacity. Some deliveries need upgrading or production is ongoing; training activities are also held. Yet what we consider theatrical minimalism today used to be standard: Greek tragedies barely had sets; the major visual element in Elizabethan theater was the performance space itself. This changed in the latter half of the 17th century as indoor staging became the norm. As lighting technology improved over the next 200 years, among other aspects, productions grew increasingly ornate and complex. Throughout the 20th century, many attempted to bring minimalism back: Orson Welles and John Houseman thrilled audiences with a scenery-free Dr. Faustus and a modern-dress Julius Caesar, both in 1937. In Russia, Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vsevolod Meyerhold even developed their acting theories around the concept, forcing players to move as little as possible to reveal the subtext that lay beneath their performances. By 1968, the English director Peter Brook had written The Empty Space, a book many practitioners still study, which begins, I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage. ... This is all that is needed for an act of theater to be engaged. AT ITS BEST, minimalism ignites the audiences imagination, making theatergoers active participants instead of passive consumers. It can remove previous interpretations that may have congealed around a classic, allowing viewers to see it anew. Theres no visual noise to take your eye off what youre meant to be focusing on, Gilmour says of her recent production. But practicality may also be driving minimalisms appeal. Building a set on Broadway has only gotten more expensive: Not only has the cost of materials like wood and steel increased, says Mike Bosner, a producer on the new musical Shucked, which takes place inside the skeletal frame of a barn, but during the pandemic a lot of artisans that worked at these shops took other jobs. Ohio voters rejected a bid on Tuesday to make it harder to amend the State Constitution, according to The Associated Press, a significant victory for abortion-rights supporters trying to stop the Republican-controlled State Legislature from severely restricting the procedure. The abortion question turned what would normally be a sleepy summer election in an off year into a highly visible dogfight that took on national importance and drew an unprecedented number of Ohio voters for an August election. Late results showed the measure losing by 13 percentage points, 56.5 percent to 43.5 percent. The roughly 2.8 million votes cast dwarfed the 1.66 million ballots counted in the states 2022 primary elections, in which races for governor, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House were up for grabs. A lawyer allied with President Donald J. Trump first laid out a plot to use false slates of electors to subvert the 2020 election in a previously unknown internal campaign memo that prosecutors are portraying as a crucial link in how the Trump teams efforts evolved into a criminal conspiracy. The existence of the Dec. 6, 2020, memo came to light in last weeks indictment of Mr. Trump, though its details remained unclear. But a copy obtained by The New York Times shows for the first time that the lawyer, Kenneth Chesebro, acknowledged from the start that he was proposing a bold, controversial strategy that the Supreme Court likely would reject in the end. But even if the plan did not ultimately pass legal muster at the highest level, Mr. Chesebro argued that it would achieve two goals. It would focus attention on claims of voter fraud and buy the Trump campaign more time to win litigation that would deprive Biden of electoral votes and/or add to Trumps column. The memo had been a missing piece in the public record of how Mr. Trumps allies developed their strategy to overturn Joseph R. Biden Jr.s victory. In mid-December, the false Trump electors could go through the motions of voting as if they had the authority to do so. Then, on Jan. 6, 2021, Vice President Mike Pence could unilaterally count those slates of votes, rather than the official and certified ones for Mr. Biden. As lawyers for Donald J. Trump float various legal arguments to defend him in court against an onslaught of criminal charges, the former president has settled on a political defense: Im being indicted for you. In speeches, social media posts and ads, Mr. Trump has repeatedly declared the prosecutions a political witch hunt, and he has cast himself as a martyr who is taking hits from Democrats and the government on their behalf. They want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom, Mr. Trump told the crowd at a campaign event in New Hampshire on Tuesday. They want to silence me because I will never let them silence you. In two previous campaigns, 2016 and 2020, Mr. Trump presented himself to voters as an insurgent candidate who understood their grievances and promised to fight for them. Now, however, Mr. Trump has made his 2024 race principally about his own personal grievances attempting to convince supporters to see themselves in him. He continues to argue, falsely, that the 2020 election was stolen from him, and to present it as a theft also against his voters. The legal jeopardy he now faces from multiple indictments, he tells followers, is the sort of persecution that they, too, could suffer. Rosa Jimenez, a Texas babysitter who had been sentenced to 99 years in prison after being convicted of murder in the 2003 death of a toddler, was exonerated on Monday after years of appeals in which she maintained her innocence and testimony against her was called into question. On Monday, a Travis County District Court judge granted a motion by the district attorney to drop murder charges against Ms. Jimenez, 40, who had spent 18 years behind bars before her release in January 2021. In an interview on Tuesday night, Ms. Jimenez said she was happy and ready to move on with her life. Im still trying to reconnect with my kids, Ms. Jimenez said. Its not easy. Theyre already grown. She noted that hours after the charges were dismissed, she became a grandmother. In the center of a small Ukrainian city, rescuers shrouded in smoke and dust dug through what remained of buildings and bodies on Tuesday, looking for survivors after a pair of missile strikes that President Volodymyr Zelensky said had killed at least nine people and wounded 82 others. Two Russian missiles hit the city center of Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, just 37 minutes apart and in nearly the same location on Monday evening. They seriously damaged at least 12 multistory buildings, including a hotel that lay in ruins and a five-floor apartment block with its top floor partly sheared away and its windows blasted out. Pools of blood in the rubble were still wet on Tuesday, human flesh littered the wreckage, and the smell of smoldering fires hung in the air. On the ground floor of the apartment building, Corleones, an Italian restaurant that was popular with volunteers and journalists traveling to the front, was destroyed. Cafes, other businesses and a prosecutors office were damaged, and a playground was covered with debris. The discussion about returning wrongfully acquired heritage to countries in the global south has, until now, largely focused on the steps taken by Western museums and governments. But away from the spotlight, in countries like Cameroon and Indonesia, heritage workers, government officials and activists are laying the groundwork to reclaim long lost treasures, a process most expect will take decades. Identifying the objects and securing their recovery is just one part of the task. Challenges include establishing who will own and take care of the artifacts, upgrading museum infrastructure, involving communities and awakening public interest. We have an enormous mission, said Placide Mumbembele Sanger, a professor at the University of Kinshasa who is advising the Democratic Republic of Congos government. This is not something we can complete in five years, he added. It will be a long process. A poignant life-size statue of a wounded American Indian, long the subject of a tug of war between a Virginia museum named for Walter P. Chrysler and a Boston organization founded by Paul Revere, will be sent back to Boston in the wake of an investigation by the F.B.I., the Boston group said Wednesday. Known simply as The Wounded Indian, the statue was sculpted from a single block of white Vermont marble by Peter Stephenson, who completed the work in 1850. It is described by the group reclaiming it, the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, as among the most beautiful and affecting works of American neoclassical sculpture. Officials with the association, founded in 1795 by Revere to offer vocational training to poor students and citizens and now based in Quincy, Mass., said it was given the statue by a donor in 1893 and had displayed it for 65 years in its massive, castle-like civic center in Boston. In 1958, facing financial trouble, the association sold that 300,000-square-foot property, which was filled with artifacts, paintings and other objects. During the chaos of moving, said Greg Werkheiser, a lawyer for the association, M.C.M.A. officials were told that the Indian had been destroyed. The turbulent waters of the Black Sea Bordered by Ukraine, Russia and three NATO countries, but sometimes overlooked in the war, the Black Sea has become an increasingly dangerous cauldron of military and geopolitical tensions since Moscows decision last month to end a deal ensuring the safe passage of Ukrainian grain. Now, Russian warships patrol its surface, launching missiles at Ukrainian towns while creating a de facto blockade, threatening any vessel that might try to breach it. Ukrainian sea drones carry explosives stealthily toward Russian ports and vessels. In the airspace above, NATO and allied surveillance planes and drones fly over international waters. The battle for control of the sea could have implications for global energy markets and world food supplies. And it will almost certainly raise new challenges for NATO as it seeks to uphold a central tenet of international law free navigation of the sea without drawing the alliance directly into conflict with Russian forces. Background: After withdrawing from the grain deal, Russia pulverized Ukrainian Black Sea ports to stymie grain shipments key to Ukraines economy. It even struck sites on the Danube River a few hundred yards from Romania, which is a NATO member. Ukraine retaliated with two strikes on Russian ships on consecutive days. U.S. restricts tech investment in China President Biden escalated his confrontation with China today by banning American investments in key Chinese tech industries that could enhance Beijings military and surveillance capabilities. The proposed rules would apply to U.S. private equity and venture capital firms investing in quantum computing, artificial intelligence and advanced semiconductors. U.S. firms investing in a broader range of Chinese industries would also be required to report their activity. The White House has recently sought to calm relations with China. At the same time, it has pushed to de-risk critical supply chains by developing suppliers outside China, and has ramped up its restrictions on selling technologies to China, like semiconductors for advanced computing. In the past few years, investments between the U.S. and China have fallen sharply, but venture capital and private equity firms have continued to seek out lucrative opportunities for partnerships as a way to gain access to Chinas vibrant tech industry. In the Bakhmut direction, 140 Russian invaders were destroyed, 232 were wounded, and four were taken prisoner, Ukrainian soldiers continue to hold the initiative, Serhiy Cherevaty, Deputy Commander for Strategic Communications of the Eastern Group of Forces, said. "Our military continues to put pressure on the enemy and keep the initiative in the Bakhmut direction. The enemy puts up insane resistance. Some 626 times a day he struck at our positions with artillery of various types, made four air raids. In general, 11 clashes took place in the direction. Some 140 invaders were destroyed, 232 were wounded, and four were taken prisoner," Cherevaty said on the air of the national telethon on Wednesday. In addition, Ukrainian soldiers destroyed a lot of Russian military equipment. In particular, three tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, two Grad MLRS, Akatsiya self-propelled guns, D-30 howitzer, three ammunition depots, as well as the Borisoglebsk-2 electronic warfare system and three ZALA UAVs, three Lancet loitering munitions, and six UAV launchers. Answering a question about the situation directly near Bakhmut, in particular in the area of Klischiyivka, Cherevaty noted that "this is, to a certain extent, the epicenter." "We do not want to disclose the details, but the Ukrainian Defense Forces are holding the initiative. The enemy suffers heavy losses. Powerful pressure on the enemy continues, but very thoughtful, systematic, without frontal attacks that would lead to heavy losses of personnel," he stressed. In turn, in the Lyman-Kupiansk direction, the enemy made five attacks in a day and fired at Ukrainian positions 522 times. He also made 16 air raids. "During the repulsion of enemy attacks, 51 invaders were destroyed, and 117 were wounded. Two T-80 tanks were destroyed. IFV, two mortars, an anti-tank gun Rapier, two unmanned systems Orlan and eight loitering ammunition were destroyed," Cherevaty said. According to him, the increased number of enemy losses in a report of the General Staff is due to the fact that the enemy is trying to be more active in some areas and is becoming more vulnerable to hits by Ukrainian forces. U.S. restricts investment in China President Biden escalated his confrontation with China today by banning American investments in key Chinese tech industries that could enhance Beijings military and surveillance capabilities. The proposed rules would apply to U.S. private equity and venture capital firms investing in quantum computing, artificial intelligence and advanced semiconductors. U.S. firms investing in a broader range of Chinese industries would also be required to report their activity. The White House has recently sought to calm relations with China. At the same time, it has pushed to develop suppliers outside China, and ramped up restrictions on selling the country technologies like semiconductors for advanced computing. Investments between the U.S. and China have fallen sharply in the past few years. But venture capital and private equity firms have continued to seek out lucrative opportunities for partnerships as a way to gain access to Chinas vibrant tech industry. When youre making an independent film every second counts. Ash Avildsen had six days of filming left on his low-budget biopic Queen of the Ring including a climactic scene involving a majority of his cast when the actors union went on strike on July 14. The production, in Louisville, Ky., shut down immediately. If Mr. Avildsen could not receive an interim waiver from SAG-AFTRA, as the union is known, to continue filming, the project was likely to fall apart. The logistical and financial challenges of sending the cast and crew home and then trying to assemble them again after a strike would be too much for the shoestring production. It was maniacally stressful, said Mr. Avildsen, who wrote and directed the film, about Mildred Burke, who became a dominating figure in womens wrestling in the 1930s. We could maybe have lasted another day waiting, but after two or three days it would have been a house of cards falling down. Queen of the Ring was granted the waiver, one of more than 160 the union has handed out in the past three weeks. To get one, projects must have no affiliation with the studios the actors are striking against and the companies involved must comply with the most recent contract demands the union presented to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains on behalf of the studios. WeWork, which promised to revolutionize the way people work alongside one another, announced in a financial filing on Tuesday that it had substantial doubt it would stay in business. That declaration raises questions about not only the companys viability but also the future of commercial real estate. Heres what you need to know about WeWorks past and prospects. What is WeWork? WeWork was founded in 2010 by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey, tech entrepreneurs who used the funds from the sale of their previous co-working start-up, Green Desk. WeWorks vision was to create a physical social network that would appeal to a new class of workers who were freelancing or working from home. The business model was to sign long-term leases for office buildings (or individual floors), spruce up those spaces and rent them to freelancers and companies. The company would attract clients, the thinking went, by offering incentives like beer and hard kombucha as well as chic interior design and would charge them enough to make a profit after WeWork made its lease payments. The men behind Jurmo Watches say their clients often fall into one of two categories: those who know exactly what they want, and those who have little or no idea and need some direction. That is because the Finnish brand, founded in 2017 by Martin Kalland and Kim von Gerich, produces mechanical timepieces that can be customized, calling for a bit of decision-making. (Think ordering a pizza or getting a tattoo.) Many watchmakers outsource customization and charge hefty fees for the service, but the men said they aim to produce more affordable watches, sometimes for just a few thousand euros. For those who know what they want, we are at a point where we can do almost anything here for a reasonable price, Mr. Kalland said. For those who dont know, we try to narrow things down to a few options. Most of the customization at Jurmo involves small alterations the shape of the hands or the color of a dial to one of its four models, which sell for 2,000 to 3,000 euros ($2,225 to $3,335) on its website. But the brand can make more significant modifications, too. Fundamental Inventions Robert and Stephen always wanted to add something significant to the history of watchmaking, Mr. Calce said. But when you are incredibly creative, you are not a manager. That is the role that Mr. Calce, 56, a former chief executive of the Corum and Girard-Perregaux luxury watch companies, has filled with Mr. Greubel, 63, now holding the title of president and Mr. Forsey, 56, the title of technical director, occasionally consulting on the brands older models. While the founders have stepped back from the businesss operations, the creative team has continued to develop what the brand calls fundamental inventions and in October intends to introduce the Tourbillon Cardan ($534,000) with two tourbillon cages suspended in a 20-millimeter structure that looks like a gimbal. This patented arrangement allows the cages to tilt at separate angles, increasing the basic effect of a tourbillon: to improve accuracy by averaging out gravitys detrimental effect on timekeeping. And next year, the ninth fundamental invention is to be a convex-case constant force chronograph. Normally, the extra energy needed for the chronograph (the stopwatch operated with start, stop and reset buttons) affects the amplitude (the rotation of the balance wheel), which in turn affects the precision of the watchs timekeeping. But a constant force system, which directs the energy from the mainspring to the escapement at regular intervals, ensures the amplitude and precision remains constant. Leica Camera has spent the last few years working out its horological road map. The German company, known globally for its cameras, lenses and other optical instruments, dabbled in watches from time to time during its 154-year history. Then it announced its first in-house collection in 2018, with the two models arriving in stores early last year and a design variation introduced in April. Now, a collection of seven timepieces is scheduled to roll out by the end of the year. Like the cameras, the watches follow Das Wesentliche, this German expression that Leica follows that we translate to the essential, said Marcus Eilinger, co-managing director of Ernst Leitz Werkstatten, the Leica division that develops its watches. Its the idea of eliminating all distractions and looking to the core of something. Named for Leicas founder Ernst Leitz, the operation is based on the camera companys campus in Wetzlar, Germany, about an hours drive north of Frankfurt. The watches were designed by someone familiar with Leica: Achim Heine. A professor of experimental product design at the Berlin University of the Arts, Mr. Heine has worked on several Leica cameras, including recent versions of the M series, and he extended their aesthetic appearance to the watches. The first collection featured the L1, a time-and-date model ($10,000), and the L2, with a G.M.T. function ($14,000); the 41-millimeter stainless steel timepieces later were renamed the ZM1 and ZM2. The ZM stands for Zeitmesser, the German word for timepiece. Five years after Justin H. Min began pursuing acting by Googling how to pursue acting, he thought he was getting the hang of it. He had made a viral commercial, and he was in contention for three major roles. He landed none of them. I was not nervous and I did everything I wanted to, Min recalled of the auditions. And thats the most devastating because youre like, I guess I just dont have it. It was in this less-than-healthy head space that Min decided to pivot to a different unstable profession: travel writing. He had caught on with a British magazine and it seemed he might cobble together full-time work as a freelance writer if he got on a plane to London. So Min told his manager he was moving. But rather than beg him to stay (as Min had secretly hoped), the manager gave his full blessing. Before Min could head for the airport, though, a fellow actor urged him to reconsider timely encouragement that set Min, now 34, on the path to a star-making performance, as a critic for The Times put it, in the new comedy Shortcomings, as well as fan-favorite turns in the Netflix series Beef and The Umbrella Academy. For a year now, Mayor Eric Adams has been sounding the alarm about a humanitarian crisis like few New York City has seen before, as tens of thousands of migrants arrive from the southern border. On Wednesday, he made yet another plea for federal help and cited a staggering new cost estimate: $12 billion to house and care for the newcomers over three years. This fiscal year, the mayor said, the city has estimated that it will spend about $5 billion on migrants, as much as the annual budgets of the Fire, Parks and Sanitation Departments combined. Officials said they had raised the estimate as migrants continued to arrive in the city by the thousands. By 2025, the mayor said, the city could have more than 100,000 migrants in homeless shelters, about twice the number currently in the facilities, including people who have arrived since the spring of 2022. It couldnt go any other way. It cant fly. The engines were taken out before it became a museum piece. It cannot be towed. Its 84-foot wingspan is too wide for the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel or the Brooklyn Bridge. But after so much time in the Intrepids eclectic collection, it needs a paint job. And no wonder: New York is absolutely the worst environment to put an airplane on display, explained Eric Boehm, the curator of aviation and aircraft restoration at the Intrepid. We have salt water, we have severe weather, we have high winds that whip up the river even when its not a hurricane. The airplane needs T.L.C. constantly. So it has to have a complete repaint not just to make it pretty, but to protect it structurally, he said. The Intrepid is not the place to do the stripping, sanding and recoating. You cant paint it when its sticking out over the Hudson River, he said. You have to take it someplace where theres a giant tent. There is one at GMD Shipyard Corporation, at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Boehm said or there will be one by the time the barge pulls in this afternoon. How long the trip takes depends on tides, but Intrepid officials are figuring on two hours. A New York City agency responsible for protecting the rights of incarcerated people took steps to reassert its authority on Wednesday, suing the Department of Correction and the city over a lack of transparency as the majority of its members called for an outside authority to take control of the jails. The agency, the Board of Correction, filed its suit in Bronx State Supreme Court, seeking to wrest back unfettered access to surveillance video from the jails. The jails commissioner, Louis A. Molina, stopped the board from accessing the footage, which allows it to monitor jail conditions at any given moment, earlier this year. Weve been forced to take the unprecedented step of entering into litigation against the city in order to ensure that we, and our staff, have access to the tools we need to do our jobs, said one of the board members, Rachael Bedard, in a statement. A spokesman for the Department of Correction did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. Belavia Airlines, Minsk Civil Aviation Plant No. 407, and three other entities have been included in the U.S. sanctions lists for Belarus, the U.S. Department of Finance said in a press release. The blacklist also includes the Belarusian State Control Committee's Financial Investigations Department, the company Bel-Kap-Steel, LLC, Belarusian Steel Works (the management company of Byelorussian Metallurgical Company Holding), and one plane. Sanctions have also been imposed on seven Belarusian citizens and one Russian citizen. Two years ago, we got a chance to assure parents and teachers, in any future epidemic, that the air in classrooms was safer, making it easier for children to attend school in person and avoid learning loss and isolation. In March 2021, Congress allocated $122 billion for schools to cope with the Covid pandemic and its aftermath to hire tutors, retain teachers or improve their facilities. Public health and clean air advocates hoped that this would lead to widespread improvements in classroom ventilation and air quality to help ward off future pathogenic threats and reduce problems like dust, allergens and wildfire smoke. But only about 34 percent of school districts said they used any of the money to upgrade their heating ventilation and air-conditioning systems, according to a recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 28 percent more installed in-room air cleaners, 8 percent said they installed ultraviolet lights a more expensive and complicated method and the rest reported no changes that would substantially improve air quality. Moreover, once the federal spending was approved, aggressive salespeople descended on school officials who were struggling to open. School officials often were persuaded to spend more for products that many scientists believe arent substantially more effective than cheaper alternatives that have been thoroughly studied. Some of the products could even be dangerous. I thought parents rights, in the Republican framing, were supposed to be about keeping parents better informed about and more involved in what their children were learning about and doing. There are already carve-outs for children to work in certain circumstances, like family businesses, where, under federal law, Children of any age are generally permitted to work for businesses entirely owned by their parents. (Arkansas still says that for most other kinds of jobs, 14 is the minimum employment age.) Local opponents of the law find the parents rights argument dubious, as Tess Vrbin reported in The Arkansas Advocate in March. She quoted Laura Kellams, the Northwest Arkansas director for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, who argued that the permit is free and is processed quickly by the government. Vrbins report notes that Kellams isnt against teenagers working, and that as a teenager she herself worked at a local chicken plant that has a history of violating child labor laws. This is not red tape, Kellams said of the permit requirement. Its a burden to companies who are illegally hiring minors beyond the allowable hours and in conditions that arent allowed. Arkansas isnt the only state trying to chip away at child labor protections. In the past few years, Iowa, New Hampshire and New Jersey have enacted laws that roll back previous protections for child workers like extending allowable work hours and loosening restrictions on hazardous work, and several more states have introduced similar bills, according to analysis from the left-of-center Economic Policy Institute. Some of these laws, like Iowas, which allows 14- and 15-year-olds to work up to six hours a day during the school year, conflict with federal labor law. According to Nina Mast, a state economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, the ultimate goal of the proponents of these state laws is to weaken federal child labor law. There is growing energy behind this movement, explained John Fliter, an associate professor of political science at Kansas State University and the author of Child Labor in America: The Epic Legal Struggle to Protect Children. He told me that when he started teaching constitutional law 30 years ago, child labor law was considered an area that had been fairly settled since 1941, when the Supreme Court upheld the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Though there were attempts to weaken child labor law after that, he says, they werent really mainstream for decades. That started changing after the Great Recession, Fliter said. He gave the example of Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who, around the time he was first sworn in to the Senate in 2011, gave a speech in which he argued that it isnt the role of the federal government to regulate child labor that it should be left up to the states. In his book, Fliter notes that as a presidential candidate in 2012, the former House speaker Newt Gingrich proposed a plan to allow poor children to work as janitors in schools and called child labor laws truly stupid. Since then, political attacks on child labor laws have increased. Under Mr. Modis government, the state monopoly on violence is being surrendered to extremists and vigilantes. Those targeted by the kind of mob violence that we are seeing in India may conclude that equal rights are no longer guaranteed, that political differences can no longer be peacefully reconciled or fairly mediated and that violence is the only way for them to resist. The targeting of minorities particularly Muslims by right-wing Hindu extremists is now a way of life in many states. Vigilante mobs, which often assemble provocatively in front of mosques, regularly assault Muslims as understaffed and underequipped police forces fail to intervene. Lynchings and open calls for genocide are common. India now ranks among the 10 countries at the highest risk of mass killings, according to Early Warning Project, which assesses such risks around the world. In Manipur, Christians are bearing the brunt as the states B.J.P. government stokes the insecurities of the majority ethnic Meitei, who are predominantly Hindu. State leaders have branded the Kuki who populate the hill districts and who are mostly Christian as infiltrators from Myanmar, blamed them for poppy cultivation intended for the drug trade and evicted some of them from their forest habitats. The specific trigger for the current violence was a court ruling in the state in favor of granting the Meitei affirmative action provisions and other benefits that have long been enjoyed by the Kuki and other tribes, which sparked a protest by tribal communities opposed to the ruling. The Manipur government this year also began a citizenship verification drive that infringes on the privacy of Kuki. A similar drive in neighboring Assam state targeting Muslims has already reportedly disenfranchised nearly two million people. Emboldened by the state governments rhetoric, Meitei militias in Manipur have gone on a rampage of raping, pillaging, looting police armories and burning villages. More than 250 churches have been burned down. Those were Meitei men in the horrific 26-second video, sexually assaulting two Kuki women. (The video was shot in early May but came to light only in July, possibly delayed by a government internet ban imposed in the state in response to the violence.) Many similar attacks on Kuki women have been reported. Mr. Modi has called the rape incident shameful but has otherwise said little about the chaos in Manipur. Paul credited Jordan Ellenberg, a mathematician at the University of Wisconsin, with originating the vampire allegory in a 2013 blog post. The economist Russ Roberts, in turn, credited Paul in his 2022 book, Wild Problems: A Guide to the Decisions That Define Us. Wild problems, Roberts wrote, are untamed, undomesticated, spontaneous, organic, complex. Roberts cited the story of how Charles Darwin decided in 1838 to get married. Darwin made lists of marry and not marry scenarios, precisely as one would expect from a great scientist. At some point, though, he went with his gut. At the bottom of the page is scrawled, Marry Marry Marry Q.E.D. Which is Latin for that which was to be demonstrated, as if he had demonstrated anything except his own susceptibility to love. The decision of whether to marry is hard for economists to grapple with because the usual method of toting up pluses and minuses doesnt work well. Who are you trying to please? Today you or future you? Future married you will probably be happy, but he or she is a different person. Future you is you but also not you, if you know what I mean. That said, most married people are thankful to their past single selves for deciding to wed. (I certainly am.) A 2004 study estimated that the size of the marriage effect on mental well-being in Britain and the United States was equivalent to having an extra $100,000 a year. One of the authors of that paper, Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick, found in a paper he co-wrote a year later that the health gain from marriage may be as large as the benefit from giving up smoking. Marriages dont always work, and theyre not the only way to live and raise kids, as my Opinion colleague Ezra Klein observed in a June podcast. On average, though, I think children grow up best in intact, two-parent households, and married parents are more likely to stay together than cohabiting unmarried ones. In the early 1990s, 71 percent of children born to cohabiting unmarried parents could expect their parents to separate by their 12th birthday, compared with only 26 percent of children born to married parents, a 2008 study in the journal Demographic Research found. If maximizing the happiness of children and the adults they grow into is one of societys principal goals and it should be then few things are more important than marriage. The man smiled. Another man, standing to his side, placed his palms on his chin as his jaw dropped. Youre the most beautiful thank you! the first man replied. Ms. Villareal thanked him back and, as the car drove away, left him with another message: I love you! A video of the interaction, the first installment of La La Land Kind Cafes Drive-By Kindness series, uploaded to TikTok in November 2020, has racked up more than five million views. La La Land, a coffee shop chain, has posted more than 80 installments of the series in the years since building its TikTok following to over 6.6 million in the process, and building on what its employees refer to as the companys kindness mission. Though giving random compliments to strangers might seem odd, or even creepy, its impossible to argue with the reactions from those receiving them: You just made my whole life, one woman said. And after being told he looked handsome, a man responded, We need to spread some more kindness and love. Large wildfires burning across the islands of Maui and Hawaii, fueled by intense winds, turned scenic beach destinations into smoky, catastrophic scenes on Wednesday. The fast-moving flames have scorched hundreds of acres, destroyed homes and businesses, and prompted a series of evacuation orders, road closures, and power and cellphone service outages. At least 36 people have died. The fires are most intense along the western coast of Maui, according to local news reports, with the historic town center of Lahaina severely damaged. Declaring a state of emergency in all counties, the Hawaiian state government has asked travelers to leave West Maui as soon as possible and is discouraging travel to the affected areas. Heres what travelers need to know. Where are the fires? According to the local news outlet Hawaii News Now, at least three wildfires are burning on Maui, including one in Lahaina, a major tourist destination on Maui, and the upcountry section of the island. There are at least three blazes on the Big Island, in North Kohala and South Kohala, which includes the Mauna Kea beach area, according to Big Island Now. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida suspended the top state prosecutor in Orlando on Wednesday, accusing her of incompetence and neglect of duty for what he characterized as lenience against violent criminals. The move was the governors latest aggressive use of executive power against local officials of the opposing political party. Mr. DeSantis suspended Monique H. Worrell, the elected state attorney of Floridas Ninth Judicial Circuit, which includes Orange and Osceola Counties, and cited as reasons her handling of three cases and a low overall incarceration rate, among other things. One of the three cases involved a man who shot and injured two Orlando police officers over the weekend. It is the second time in a year that Mr. DeSantis, a Republican running for president, has taken the drastic and exceedingly rare step of removing an elected state attorney. Both have been Democrats. Mr. DeSantiss presidential campaign, with its focus on cultural issues, has struggled to gain traction among likely Republican primary voters, who said in a recent New York Times/Siena College poll that they would be more likely to support a candidate who focuses on restoring law and order over one who focuses on defeating radical woke ideology. Mr. DeSantis replaced his campaign manager on Tuesday. An Ohio woman and former bakery owner was sentenced to six years in prison and was ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution for stealing the identity of a dead baby and fraudulently obtaining a pandemic relief loan. The woman, Ava Misseldine, 50, was sentenced on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Columbus, Ohio, according to court documents, more than 10 months after pleading guilty to 16 counts of wire and passport fraud. Ava was very remorseful over her past criminal behavior, and, at sentencing she read a very emotional statement accepting responsibility for her actions, Alan Pfeuffer, a lawyer representing Ms. Misseldine, said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that she had outlined plans to seek counseling while in prison. As per the plea deal, which was outlined by the U.S. Attorneys Office last year, Mr. Pfeuffer confirmed that Ms. Misseldine had already paid over $300,000 from the sale of a home in Michigan that she had bought using money from her Paycheck Protection Program loan. Another home she owns in Utah is on the market, he said, and proceeds from that sale should bring her within a few hundred thousand dollars of making full restitution for her theft of P.P.P. funds. A little after 2 p.m. on Tuesday, David Chrzanowski, 31, walked into Knox Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, pushing his baby daughter in a stroller. He was there to vote on Issue 1, a measure meant to raise the vote threshold needed to approve a state constitutional amendment from a simple majority, as most states require, to 60 percent. It was a change that Mr. Chrzanowski, an engineer who described his politics as center right, might have been open to considering, he said if that were what it was really about. Everyone kind of knows, said Mr. Chrzanowski, who, along with 57 percent of Ohio voters on Tuesday, cast his ballot against Issue 1. It seems underhanded. It doesnt seem like the way we should conduct our politics. For months, it had been apparent that Issue 1, advertised as a measure to safeguard the State Constitution from wealthy out-of-state interests, was primarily about blocking an abortion-rights amendment that will be on the November ballot. Supporters of the measure hardly kept this a secret, and campaign donors lined up accordingly: Much of the money in support came from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a Washington-based anti-abortion advocacy group. Snip one male peacock, the thinking goes, and it will no longer be able to fertilize the eggs of the female peahens in its harem. Peacocks are bona fide polygamists, said Dr. Don J. Harris, the veterinarian hired by Pinecrest to perform the procedure. Were going to catch one peacock and probably stop seven females from reproducing. Its going to have an exponential benefit. No one knows if, or how well, the Pinecrest pilot program will work. But in balmy South Florida, where people have little choice but to coexist with wildlife both native (alligators, sharks) and invasive (pythons, iguanas), it is a new way to try to deal with an old problem. I certainly wouldnt want to kill them God, no, said Gerald Greenberg, who has about seven peafowl living in an oak tree in his front yard. But, he added, Weve got to do something. What makes Florida different, said Ron Magill, the communications director for Zoo Miami, is that in most other parts of the country, winter will kill off most exotic species. FMs of Ukraine, Botswana discuss steps to strengthen bilateral relations between countries Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Botswana Dmytro Kuleba and Lemogang Kwapediscussed steps to strengthen bilateral relations and issues of cooperation in international organizations. "I had a call with Botswana's Foreign Minister Lemogang Kwape to discuss steps to strengthen bilateral relations," Kuleba said on Twitter on Wednesday evening. "We also focused on cooperation in international organisations," he added. But the move has other effects, including obscuring exactly how many or how few online donations Mr. DeSantis has received. His dependency on larger contributors has been a source of concern for his campaign, after his first financial report last month revealed that less than 15 percent of his $20 million haul had come from donors who gave less than $200. News emerged on Tuesday that Mr. DeSantis had replaced his campaign manager as part of a broad shake-up. Matt Mackowiak, a Republican consultant based in Texas, said he was not convinced of the value of concealing small donors Generally, small donors dont care about disclosure, he said but he also did not see much of a threat to transparency in the campaigns arrangement. To me, the single most important aspect of the transparent philosophical debate is: Is somebody buying influence? Mr. Mackowiak said. Youre not going to buy anyone with a $200 or less donation. Until recent years, he noted, small donations were never broken out in federal campaign finance disclosures. In a sense and to the all but certain dismay of those who push for transparency the move by the DeSantis campaign suggests a return to a previous era when those contributions remained anonymous. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, was hospitalized on Tuesday afternoon after a fall at her home in San Francisco and returned to her residence after an examination showed no serious injuries, her spokesman said. The senator, 90, tripped over a chair in her kitchen around 1 p.m., according to her office. She was admitted briefly to the medical center at the University of California, San Francisco, as a precaution, Adam Russell, her spokesman, said on Wednesday. He added that she had remained there for an hour or two until doctors determined that her scans were clear. Ms. Feinsteins health has been a growing concern since February, when she was hospitalized with a severe case of shingles. Complications from the illness kept her home until May, and she has relied heavily on staff members to perform her duties on Capitol Hill this year. She and other lawmakers are in their home states for Congresss August recess. Ms. Feinstein has required extensive home care, the cost of which has become part of a dispute over control of the estate of her late husband, Richard C. Blum, a wealthy financier. When she was recovering from shingles in San Francisco this spring, she relied on housekeepers and home health aides. She also was accompanied by a health aide when she returned to Washington in May. Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, a Republican, argued that Tuesdays vote over how to amend the State Constitution was about protecting the state from a flood of special interest money. Secretary of State Frank LaRose, another Republican, urged voters to protect the very foundational rules of their constitution. But Ohio voters clearly didnt buy it. About three million of them showed up for a vote dominated by the debate over abortion rights an issue that was not technically on the ballot, but was the undeniable force that transformed what would have normally been a little-noticed election over an arcane legislative proposal into a national event. For decades, a majority of Americans supported some form of legalized abortion. But the Supreme Courts Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade has shifted the political intensity on the issue, reshaping a once mostly silent coalition of liberal, swing and moderate Republican voters into a political force. Its a force Democrats are working hard to harness in elections across the country next year, often with ballot measures, and its a power Republicans have yet to figure out how to match, or at least manage. Weve taken it on the chin since Dobbs, said Michael Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life in Columbus, Ohio, who helped organize efforts supporting the proposal on Tuesday. One of the things we learned was to get out in front and get out ahead and dont wait because youll be run over by the train. A brown-and-white hawk flying overhead had fumbled and dropped the four-and-a-half-foot-long scaly creature. The hawk quickly joined the fracas, swooping down to wrench its serpentine dinner from Ms. Jones arm. The hawk snatched, scratched and jabbed at her arm three to four times, to reclaim its meal, Ms. Jones recalled. Each time, its powerful talons slashed her forearm. At one point, the bird dragged Ms. Joness arm up into the air. On the fourth try, it successfully uncoiled the snake and flew away. The horrific ordeal, Ms. Jones said, lasted about 15 to 20 seconds, and left her arm scratched, bruised and punctured. I looked down at my arm and it was totally covered in blood, Ms. Jones said. Wendell Jones, her husband, eventually noticed that his wife was screaming, running in a zigzag pattern and flailing her arms. He promptly helped her into their truck and drove to the hospital. On the way there, he recalled, Ms. Jones was tongue-tied. By the time I got to her, she was pretty hysterical, Mr. Jones, 66, said in an interview. It took me probably three minutes to actually understand what had happened. Mr. Jones said he did not see the attack, but a local news station that came to film the property on Monday captured a video of a hawk he believes to be the same one that attacked his wife. There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation, El Roi said in its statement. We are so thankful for everyone who joined us in prayer and supported us during this crisis. A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed the release to The New York Times but did not provide more information. Out of respect for their privacy, we will allow individuals to speak for themselves if and when they feel ready, the spokesperson said by email. The kidnapping of Ms. Dorsainvil and her child had drawn scrutiny to a surge in abductions for profit as gangs have taken control over large swaths of Port-au-Prince. The U.S. Embassy in Haiti ordered the departure of nonemergency government personnel the same day that Ms. Dorsainvil and her child were abducted. While most kidnappings involve Haitian citizens, at least 51 foreigners were abducted between January and July, according to a report by the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights, known as CARDH. By comparison, an estimated 600 Haitians were kidnapped in the same period, according to Gedeon Jean, the organizations executive director. Women and children have become common targets, according to a report released Monday by UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children. Close to 300 such kidnappings happened during the first six months, nearly the total number documented in all of last year, according to the U.N. He said the authorities had removed Ms. Pattersons children from her home as a precaution. In video recorded by news outlets at Ms. Pattersons home on Saturday, she said through tears that she didnt do anything and had loved both couples. Theyre some of the best people I ever met; they never did anything wrong to me, she said. She described her former mother-in-law, Gail Patterson, one of the guests who died, as the mother I never had. The police said Erin Patterson had separated from her husband but had maintained an amicable relationship with him. I cant believe that this has happened and Im so sorry, she said. She did not answer reporters questions about what had been served at the lunch or where the mushrooms, if any, had come from. Inspector Thomas said that while the two couples symptoms were consistent with poisoning by death cap mushrooms, the police had yet to confirm that that had caused the deaths, or that such mushrooms had been served at the lunch. He said they had not determined what Erin Patterson had eaten, but believed that her children had not been served the same dish that the four guests were. All four, who lived in a nearby town, Korumburra, fell ill hours after the meal. They went to local hospitals and were later transferred to one in Melbourne. A blaze ripped through a vacation rental where 28 travelers were staying in a small idyllic commune in northeastern France on Wednesday morning, killing 11 people, French officials said. Seventeen people mostly those staying on the ground floor were able to escape, said Lt. Col. Philippe Hauwiller, who was in charge of the rescue operation. Some people on the mezzanine and an upper level were trapped as the blaze spread through the building. Smoke inhalation was the most likely cause of death, Mr. Hauwiller said. One person was hospitalized for smoke inhalation but was not in critical condition, a firefighter told Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne during a televised conversation. The prime minister was visiting the site of the blaze on Wednesday afternoon. The authorities were still searching for the cause of the blaze. The vacationers included people with mental disabilities and people accompanying them on an organized trip, said President Emmanuel Macron of France, who called the blaze a tragedy on social media. Filter bubbles and democracy Sometimes the dangerous effects of social media are clear. In 2018, when I went to Sri Lanka to report on anti-Muslim pogroms, I found that Facebooks newsfeed had been a vector for the rumors that formed a pretext for vigilante violence, and that WhatsApp groups had become platforms for organizing and carrying out the actual attacks. In Brazil last January, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro used social media to spread false claims that fraud had cost him the election, and then turned to WhatsApp and Telegram groups to plan a mob attack on federal buildings in the capital, Brasilia. It was a similar playbook to that used in the United States on Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol. But aside from discrete events like these, there have also been concerns that social media, and particularly the algorithms used to suggest content to users, might be contributing to the more general spread of misinformation and polarization. The theory, roughly, goes something like this: unlike in the past, when most people got their information from the same few mainstream sources, social media now makes it possible for people to filter news around their own interests and biases. As a result, they mostly share and see stories from people on their own side of the political spectrum. That filter bubble of information supposedly exposes users to increasingly skewed versions of reality, undermining consensus and reducing their understanding of people on the opposing side. The theory gained mainstream attention after Trump was elected in 2016. The Filter Bubble Explains Why Trump Won and You Didnt See It Coming, announced a New York Magazine article a few days after the election. Your Echo Chamber is Destroying Democracy, Wired Magazine claimed a few weeks later. Changing information doesnt change minds But without rigorous testing, its been hard to figure out whether the filter bubble effect was real. The four new studies are the first in a series of 16 peer-reviewed papers that arose from a collaboration between Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, and a group of researchers from universities including Princeton, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford and others. Those vessels are very weak, easily capsize and often disintegrate not long after setting out to sea, Mr. di Giacomo said. They are the most fragile boats that we have ever seen in the central Mediterranean in many years, he noted, adding that it was scandalous that traffickers employed the boats, particularly when there were forecasts of rough conditions, as was the case in the strait in recent days. In total this year, more than 1,800 people have died in the central Mediterranean, according to the United Nations migration agency, about twice as many as in the same period last year. According to several organizations who work with migrants, however, even those numbers are probably underestimates, because many shipwrecks leave no survivors to bear witness. The increase in deaths is in part linked to more departures and arrivals in Italy have also doubled when compared with the number at the same time last year. Many migrants, often fleeing the appalling conditions in their home countries, experience dire treatment and prejudice in the North African countries they pass through, pushing them harder to attempt the dangerous sea crossing. Even then, the reception in Europe, where governments have become increasingly intolerant of migration, can also be an ordeal. Nonetheless, thousands of migrants seeking the promise of a better future have little option but to put their lives in the hands of unscrupulous smugglers every year, leading to calamitous disasters. In June, more than 600 migrants died after their boat, the Adriana, capsized off Greece, with the countrys authorities facing accusations of failing to prevent the tragedy despite having known that the boat was at risk. Poland will send an additional 2,000 troops to reinforce its border with Belarus, a deputy interior minister told Polands state news agency on Wednesday, amid heightened tensions in the area related to Russias war in Ukraine. The minister, Maciej Wasik, said that the deployment was double what the countrys Border Guard had requested and that the reinforcements would arrive in two weeks, according to PAP, Polands state news agency. There was no immediate response from Belarus. While Mr. Wasik did not specify to PAP what had prompted the decision, the deployment comes as concerns are mounting in Poland, a NATO member, over the presence of mercenaries from Russias Wagner private military company in neighboring Belarus, a staunch Russian ally. The Wagner fighters were relocated to Belarus following their short-lived June mutiny in Russia, which ended after President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus brokered a deal allowing them to avoid prosecution by relocating to his country. Belarus borders Poland to the west, Russia to the east and Ukraine to the south. 20:39 09.08.2023 THREE DEAD IN ZAPORIZHIA AS RESULT OF RUSSIA SHELLING KNOWN, RESCUE OPERATION GOING ON - ZELENSKYY His thatched-roof shack on the bank of the Danube River just 200 yards from Ukraine has no running water, and getting to it involves waiting for a ferry and a bumpy ride on dirt roads. Last week, however, the farmyard home of Gheorge Puflea, 71, became a piece of attention-grabbing real estate thanks to its unwanted status as the first property in NATO territory damaged in a Russian attack aimed at Ukraine. The drone missile assault, carried out before dawn last Wednesday, hit a Ukrainian cargo port across the river, but it was so close that shock waves from the explosions shattered windows in Plauru, a tiny hamlet with just a dozen tumbledown homes on the Romanian side of the Danube. The sound of the blasts and breaking glass woke Mr. Puflea from his sleep and sent him rushing outside in a panic to see what was going on. An air defense missile system on top of the Russian Defense Ministry headquarters in Moscow last week. Russian officials have reported intercepting at least 12 drones on their way to Moscow over the last three weeks, suggesting that such attacks are now bringing the war to Russias capital city on a near-daily basis. In the latest such attacks, two drones flying near Moscow were shot down overnight, Russian officials said on Wednesday. The claims of the attacks and their interceptions could not be independently verified. But Ukrainian officials, long circumspect about whether their forces were involved in attacks on Russian soil, have acknowledged that some were orchestrated by Kyiv, making it increasingly clear that they will not allow the war to be limited to their own soil. And not all of the drones appear to have intercepted. Last week, a building in central Moscow housing government ministries was twice struck by drones in 48 hours. While the Russian authorities have largely tried to play down the risks of drone attacks, Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlins spokesman, spoke last week of a clear threat, adding that measures are being taken to build up defenses around the capital. On Wednesday, Russias Ministry of Defense said in a post on the Telegram messaging app that air defenses had destroyed the two drones near Moscow without casualties or damage. One had been flying over the Domodedovo area on the southern outskirts of the capital and the second was in the Minsk highway district to its west, Moscows mayor, Sergey S. Sobyanin, said in a Telegram post on Wednesday. Another drone was shot down approaching the capital on Sunday, Mr. Sobyanin said, prompting Vnukovo airport, which serves Moscow, to temporarily suspend flights for security reasons, according to a Telegram post from the Russian state news agency Tass. Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia to its symbolic centers and military bases, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said late last month. And this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Mr. Zelensky, said on social media last week that Moscow is rapidly getting used to a full-fledged war, Since the beginning of May, Russias Defense Ministry has reported at least 28 drone attacks on Russia soil. Though the assaults have caused nothing close to the devastation Moscows forces have inflicted in Ukraine, they have reached deep into Russian territory and have been aimed at symbolic and military targets, including the strike near the Kremlin. The May attack on the Kremlin was said to have unnerved the Biden administration. There was a relative lull in attempted aerial attacks inside Russia until mid-July, and while subsequent drone assaults have been far less audacious, they have highlighted Ukraines expanded reach. An analysis by The New York Times of attacks inside Russia using Ukrainian-made drones, as well as interviews with experts and officials, found that Ukraine is racing to scale up its homegrown drone fleet and is aiming to attack more frequently in Russia. Some Russian military bloggers have suggested that the attacks are acts of desperation by Ukraine, aimed at making headlines while its slow and grueling counteroffensive grinds on. But some have also acknowledged that the assaults could have a psychological effect on the Russian public, who have hitherto largely escaped the day-to-day reality of the conflict. Gaya Gupta contributed reporting. Alista Lineburg is not a lawyer, but she assumed the role when she couldnt find one to help her discharge $146,000 of federal student debt in bankruptcy. The process requires a separate lawsuit against the government, something that many lawyers refuse to take on given the time, expense and difficulty of winning. Ms. Lineburg, 49, knows this all too well. Even when the bankruptcy court tried to assign her counsel, there were no takers. The attorney called and she said, You cant win this, Ms. Lineburg recalled. So she pressed on, alone. And, despite the odds, she won her case. I feel like I can finally get ahead, said Ms. Lineburg, who lives in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. She was laid off from her information technology job in June, just two months after clearing her decades-old debt, from an undergraduate degree and a masters in business administration. Unlike credit card, medical and other consumer debts, student loans dont automatically disappear in bankruptcy. Debtors need to take an extra legal step both challenging and costly known as an adversary proceeding. But the federal effort to regulate ghost guns has been troubled by uneven enforcement, significant loopholes and ongoing court challenges. A lower court judge had struck down the regulation, but the Supreme Court said it could remain in place while a challenge moves forward. Heres what you need to know about the weapons. What is a ghost gun? Traditional firearms are made by licensed companies and then bought from licensed gun dealers. All guns manufactured in the United States, as well as those imported from abroad, are legally required to have serial numbers that are typically displayed on the back of the frame. In contrast, a ghost gun is sold in parts, and can be assembled at the home of an unlicensed buyer. Before federal regulations were put in place under the Biden administration, there was no need to pass a background check to obtain the components of a ghost gun. They are sold online as D.I.Y. kits, and typically shipped as 80 percent receivers. That means the gun is 80 percent complete, and buyers have to assemble the final 20 percent themselves. The key selling point for many buyers was that ghost guns were not required to have serial numbers, the critical piece of information that law enforcement agencies use to trace the gun from the manufacturer to the gun dealer to the original buyer. How hard are they to assemble? Its easy and relatively inexpensive. According to a report by Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun violence prevention organization, an AR-15 build kit costs as little as $345. An Australian woman believed to have invited her former in-laws over for lunch only to serve them highly poisonous mushrooms claims she knew nothing about the poisonous ingredients and had no reason to hurt her guests. Two weeks ago, Erin Patterson, a 48-year-old woman from Leongatha, near Melbourne, invited her ex-husbands parents to her house for lunch. She and her ex had reportedly split on amicable terms, so she and her former in-laws still maintained a friendly relationship. Gail and Don Patterson arrived with another couple, Heather, Gails sister, and her husband Ian. The meal was uneventful, but a few hours later, the two elderly couples started complaining about gastrointestinal problems. Around midnight, the symptoms had become so severe, that they were taken to a hospital in Melbourne. Unfortunately, a few days later, three of them passed away, while Ian Wilkinsons was left fighting for his life, awaiting a liver transplant. Meanwhile, Erin Patterson exhibited no symptoms whatsoever. Photo: Strobilomyces/Wikimedia Commons She hasnt presented with any symptoms but we have to keep an open mind in relation to this, that it could be very innocent but again we just dont know at this point, Victoria Police Detective Inspector for the Homicide Squad, Dean Thomas, told members of the press. The mystery surrounding this bizarre mushroom poisoning has gripped Australia because very little about it makes any sense. First of all, neither Erin Patterson nor her children appear to have eaten the same dish as the two couples, all of whom are believed to have consumed toxic mushrooms, most likely death cap mushrooms. They were taken to the hospital as a precaution but did not exhibit any symptoms. When asked where the mushrooms came from, who prepared them, or what meal she served to her guests, Patterson reportedly failed to answer clearly. On the other hand, the 48-year-old woman insists that she is grieving the loss of her former in-laws too, just like the community they had been a part of, claiming that she loved them and would have never done anything to hurt them. I didnt do anything, I loved them and Im devastated that theyre gone, Erin Patterson said. Gail was like the mum I didnt have because my mum passed away four years ago and Gail had never been anything but good and kind to me. Ian and Heather were some of the best people Id ever met. They never did anything wrong to me. Because there are still so many unknowns in this case police dont even know if the four victims consumed toxic mushrooms, or what kind of mushrooms they were Erin Patterson is not a suspect, but a person of interest. The trios death is currently treated as unexplained, not suspicious. The investigation remains ongoing and detectives are working closely with the Department of Health. Interestingly, it was revealed that Pattersons ex-husband, who had allegedly also been invited to the lunch but could not attend, had complained on Facebook of severe gastrointestinal problems last year, claiming that hed nearly died because of them. However, there is no evidence that his stomach issues are linked to the current case. I collapsed at home, then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation, Simon Patterson wrote in May of last year. My family was asked to come and say goodbye to me twice, as I was not expected to live. The Pollack Group is retained by the Latino Donor Collaborative, a nonprofit that conducts original research and studies centered on reshaping the perception of Latinos in the United States. The agency will spearhead all media relations, ensuring that LDC's reports get widespread recognition. TPG will also support LDC's upcoming LinkedIn Live announcement to increase awareness and stimulate engagement. A key focus for TPG will be promoting the release of the 2023 LDC U.S. Latino reports, a series that highlights the impact and growing influence of Latinos across a broad spectrum of industry sectors. LDCs reports are used by the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Congressional Joint Economic Committee, as well as numerous Fortune 500 companies, "We're thrilled to align our expertise with an organization as impactful and transformative as the LDC," said The Pollack Group president Stefan Pollack. BizCom Associates is selected to drive an integrated media relations and digital strategy program for PrimoHoagies, a hoagie chain that has been expanding its presence. The agency is tasked with maximizing exposure for the PrimoHoagies franchise opportunity and the overall brand in media outlets, trade shows and other platforms with the greatest potential to reach target franchise prospects. Founded in South Philadelphia, PrimoHoagies now numbers over 100 restaurants, with more than 70 currently in development. With a particular focus on Texas, Colorado and Florida, the company aims to establish a strong presence throughout the United States. Gunpowder, which works with hunting, fishing and outdoor lifestyle clients, signs on to lead public relations, creative, digital and social media efforts for Ravin, a designer, manufacturer and innovator of crossbows and accessories. Through creative marketing strategies and industry expertise, Gunpowder will assist Ravin in engaging new, existing and aspiring Ravin owners. Ravins products incorporate groundbreaking features and advancements to enhance accuracy, speed and the overall shooting experience. Through this strategic partnership, were confident well find new and creative ways to engage with our audience, cementing our position as a leader in the crossbow industry," said Ravin Crossbows chief brand officer Russ Rowan. Tony Sclafani Tony Sclafani, senior VP & chief communications officer at New York Citys Javits Center, has moved to Mercury Public Affairs as managing director. Based in New York, he focuses on media relations, crisis PR, government affairs, brand building and story development. Prior to joining the Javits Center, which is among the busiest convention halls in the US, Sclafani worked at the NYC Department of Buildings, where he was associate commissioner of communications and PA. Earlier, he was press secretary at the FDNY and police reporter at the New York Daily News. Omnicom owns Mercury. Cappuccino, a Sao Paulo-based digital marketing and technology agency that is part of Weber Shandwick, is working on a UNESCO campaign, supported by the Brazilian Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship, that utilizes Artificial Intelligence to raise awareness against violence and abuse towards elderly people. The campaign includes three films that aim to expose a side of aging often overlooked: violence against elderly people. The idea is to use Artificial Intelligence, a trending topic, to draw attention to an issue that goes unnoticed: confronting the idealization of our old age," explains Cappuccino co-president Vitor Elman. With the hashtag #AgingWithoutViolence, the campaign seeks to mobilize society to participate and widely disseminate the figures on violence against the elderly in Brazil. The films feature elderly people speaking out against the violence they face and advocating for their rights. In 2022, there were 97,000 reports of violence in Brazil, according to the National Human Rights Ombudsman. In the first quarter of 2023, there were more than 47,000 reports and over 282,000 violations. WPP and digital experience platform Optimizely are teaming up on a partnership aimed at delivering optimized digital experiences to all of their customers. WPP has been working with Optimizely for 17 years across such brands as ACCO Brands, Aegon and Oister. WPP clients will have full access to Optimizelys DXP tools including content marketing, content management, commerce and experimentation. The partnership also offers clients seamless integration with Optimizely Web Experimentation and Google Analytics 4 (GA4), in light of Googles September phase out of Google Optimize, its web analytics and testing tool. WPP and Optimizely are teaming up to support the seamless transition to a new experimentation platform to help brands deliver relevant content and features. Optimizelys platform provides data that allows brands to maximize the chance of driving customers through the ideal journey across channels, and were excited to develop a joint offering to take to our shared clients, said WPP chief technology officer Stephan Pretorius. Sprout Social, a social media management software provider, acquires influencer marketing and social intelligence platform Tagger Media. Founded in 2015, Tagger helps brands and agencies discover influencers, plan and manage campaigns, analyze competitor strategies, report on trends and measure ROI. The acquisition is intended to further establish Sprouts position in the social media software market with a comprehensive platform that empowers brands to execute a holistic social strategy at scale. By bringing Taggers influencer marketing software into Sprouts suite of solutions, we have the opportunity to deliver the next generation of social insights to our customers to fuel business strategy and measure the full ROI of holistic social investments, said Sprout Social CEO and co-founder Justyn Howard. At present, three people are known to have died as a result of the Russian strike on Zaporizhia, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. "Zaporizhia. Another strike by Russian terrorists. As of now, three dead are known. My condolences to the families," Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram channel on Wednesday evening. According to the President, the rescue operation continues. "The necessary assistance will be provided to all the victims. And this war crime of Russia will certainly receive its verdict. And the response to Russian terrorists will be on the front line - thanks to our heroic soldiers." India's 1st 3D Post Office In Bengaluru: What Is 3D Printing in Construction? Fire Breaks Out In Two Coaches Of Udyan Express At Bengaluru Railway Station 'They Called Me Chinese': Sikkim Man Thrashed By 3 Men In Electronic City Spandana Vijay Raghavendra Cremated In Bengaluru As Fans, Friends Bid Adieu To Actor Bengaluru oi-Madhuri Adnal The funeral of Kannada actor Vijay Raghavendra's wife Spandana was held today (August 9) at 4 pm at Harishchandra Ghat in Srirampur. The funeral proceedings began at 12:30 pm and concluded by 1:30 pm. Following that, the family performed prayers at her father BK Shivaram's residence in Malleshwaram. At 2 pm, the body was transported to Harishchandra Ghat. A large number of fans, friends, and family members gathered to pay their respects to Spandana. Many celebrities, including Shivarajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar, actress Sudhararani, senior actor Srinath, as well as politicians Kumar Bangarappa, UT Khader, and Sunil Kumar, were also present. Is The Real Cause Of Spandana Vijay Raghavendra's Death Extreme Workout? Gym Trainer Breaks Silence Vijay Raghavendra was seen inconsolable as he bid farewell to his wife. He was supported by his family and friends as he mourned her loss. A separate area was designated for public viewing, offering an opportunity to bid farewell until 2 pm in Malleshwaram. Spandana passed away on August 7 in Bangkok, where she was on a trip with her cousins and friends. She was 39 years old. The cause of her death has not been officially announced, but it is believed that she suffered a heart attack. With tears in his eyes, #VijayRaghavendra paid his final respects to his wife #Spandana's body. pic.twitter.com/uMEqayZBKb Madhuri Adnal (@madhuriadnal) August 9, 2023 On August 8, at 11:30 pm, Vijay Raghavendra brought Spandana's body to the Bengaluru airport. Subsequently, the body was taken directly to B.K. Shivaram's residence in Malleswaram, where arrangements for public viewing were made. Notable figures such as Shivarajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar, actress Sudhararani, senior actor Srinath, as well as politicians Kumar Bangarappa, UT Khader, and Sunil Kumar, paid their tributes to Spandana. Expressing his condolences, Raghavendra Rajkumar, another actor, conveyed his difficulty in witnessing the sorrow faced by actor Vijay Raghavendra and the Spandana family. "I don't know how to react. May God provide the Spandana family with the strength to cope with their grief," Raghavendra Rajkumar shared. Who Is Spandana Vijay Raghavendra? Vijay Raghavendra had married Spandana, the daughter of retired police officer B.K. Shivaram. The couple has a son named Shourya and a daughter. Tragically, Spandana passed away from a heart attack during a trip to Bangkok with her cousins and friends last week. Tragically, Spandana and Vijay were on the brink of celebrating their 16th wedding anniversary on August 26. Vijay Raghavendra and Spandana had tied the knot on 26th August 2007, and together they were blessed with a son named Shourya and a daughter. Compared to 2018, the number of flights operated by foreign airlines to Uzbekistan has doubled, making up 49% of the total number of international flights, Azernews reports, citing Kun.uz news agency. According to the Ministry of Transport, today, August 9, the Iranian airline Qeshm Air is expected to start regular flights from Tehran to Tashkent. Flights will be carried out every Wednesday. Azal Airways is also resuming regular flights on the Baku-Samarkand-Baku route. Flights are made every Thursday. This year, the number of flights has increased to almost 800 per week. Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'SPF responds to accusations of United Mining and Chemical Company's possible supply of titanium raw materials to Russia' On Thursday, August 10, at 12.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference titled "SPF responds to accusations of United Mining and Chemical Company's possible supply of titanium raw materials to Russia." Participants include Deputy Chairman of the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) Oleksandr Fedoryshyn, Member of the Board of JSC United Mining and Chemical Company Yehor Perelyhin (8/5a Reitarska Street). The event will be streamed on the Interfax-Ukraine YouTube channel. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot. Woman Scams Auto Driver Of Rs 23,400 In Bengaluru By Showing Fake Payment Receipt Bengaluru oi-Madhuri Adnal A woman in Bengaluru stole Rs 23,400 from a disabled auto driver by using a fake payment trick. The auto driver, Shivakumar, was driving his auto when he overheard a woman talking on the phone about needing to pay her college fees. The woman asked Shivakumar to take her to PES College, and he agreed. When they arrived at the college, the woman asked Shivakumar for his phone number so she could pay him through PhonePe. Shivakumar gave her his number, and she then told him that she needed Rs 23,400 to pay her fees. She said that she would transfer the money to his account, but she instead showed him a fake payment receipt and then ran away into the college. Shivakumar realised that he had been scammed, and he filed a police complaint. The police are investigating the incident, but they have not yet made any arrests. Rajinikanth's Jailer Release: Offices In Chennai, Bengaluru Shut, Employees Get Free Tickets This incident is a reminder to be careful when dealing with strangers, especially when it comes to money. It is also important to be aware of the latest scams that are being used to target people. If you are ever asked to pay for something in cash, be sure to get a receipt and check it carefully before handing over any money. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 12:38 [IST] Video Of Vijay's Father Touching Rajinikanth's Feet Goes Viral After His Clip With Yogi Triggers Controversy 'Jailer' Movie Review & Rating: What's Good, What's Bad; Find It Out From Viewers' Response Chennai oi-Prakash KL The Independence Day celebration will begin early in Tamil Nadu with the release of Tamil movie 'Jailer', which stars superstar Rajinikanth. Malayalam superstar Mohanlal and Kannada actor Shivaraj Kumar are part of the cast in 'Jailer'. Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff, Ramya Krishnan, Sunil, Vinayakan, Naga Babu, Yogi Babu and a host of other actors are part of the supporting cast. Tamannaah Bhatia has added colour to the movie with a special number. 'Kolamaavu Kokila' and 'Beast' fame Nelson has directed the movie which is being dubbed in several languages including Malayalam and Kannada. The film has Vijay Kartik Kannan's cinematography and R Nirmal's editing. Rajini's nephew Anirudh Ravichander has scored the music. His 'Kaavaalaa', 'Rathamaarey', 'Hukum' and 'Jailer Drill' songs have stuck the chord with the viewers. Rajinikanth will be seen as a jailer in the movie with a twist. The story revolves around a cop Muthuvel Pandian who has to stop a gang from trying to rescue their leader from prison. Will he succeed? The answer to this question forms the crux of the story. 'Jailer' Review The movie has generated a lot of buzz. The success of the trailer and audio songs have increased viewers' expectations on the movie. Will it live up to their expectations? Find it out in their words below: Aryan Raj: Prepare to be spellbound as "Jailer" unfolds its magic on the silver screen. Sir Rajnikanth's performance is nothing short of amazing, leaving audiences in awe of his captivating presence. The real showstopper, however, is the music by Anirudh, which transports you to a different world entirely - truly out of this world. Sir Mohanlal's divine cameo is a stroke of genius, adding a touch of ethereal elegance to the film. Meanwhile, Sir Shivarajkumar's brief appearance is an acting marvel in itself, showcasing his versatility effortlessly. The interval break is the stuff of legends, a masterclass in suspense that will have you yearning for the second half. Nelson's direction is a breath of fresh air, steering the film with finesse and creativity. As for Vinayakan, words fall short to describe his enigmatic performance. Experience it firsthand; watch the movie, and you'll be left in awe. In the end, "Jailer" is a cinematic triumph that seamlessly blends star power, music, suspense. Don't miss out on this spellbinding experience! Krishnan Unni: Jailer, a movie that revolves around an ex cop and his post retirement entanglement with villains. There's only one Super star. No one comes close to his swag, what an entertainer. The cast of remya k, mohanlal, Shiva Kumar, Vinayakan does there job in an excellent manner. Go and watch the movie, it's a must theater experience. Hats off to Anirudh for the musical prowess. Hats off to SuperStar Rajni. Common Man: JUST GOOSEBUMPS ! IF VIKRAM IS THE MOVIE FOR KAMAL THEN ITS JAILER FOR SUPERSTAR RAJNI. TOO GOOD ! SMOOTH SAIL OF THE MOVIE , USUALLY I HAVE THE HABIT OF SLEEPING IN MOVIES BUT THIS WONT AND NEVER MAKES U A BORE ! RAJNI SIR, AT THIS AGE WHERE MOST ACTORS WILL BE GONE BUT U STILL HAVE THAT CHARISMA AND SPEED TO MATCH ANY ACTORS ! SUPERSTAR ISNT A TITLE , ITS A BRAND AND THAT BRAND IS CALLED RAJNIKANTH ! A MOVIE NOT TO BE MISSED ! 5 STAR RATING .. WORTH THE MONEY ! WILL WATCH AGAIN Telugu 360: First Half Report : Jailer first half is superb ! Nelson mark Comedy, Superb Stylish Action by Rajini worked out BIG TIME Interval block is goosebumps Mass masala entertainer all the way Kousik Karthikeyan: #Jailer is a blast ! Career best for Nelson. He nails the screenplay with exact proportions of Fun, thrill and Thalaivar moments... It's the best mass film since Sivaji .. It's a festival Industry hit!!!! Thalaivara ah ipadi paathadhu podhum. Life time settlement .. #JailerReview #JailerFDFS Rajasekar: Halfway through #Jailer - Blockbuster vibes! After a long time, a proper Superstar Rajinikanth's commercial entertainer. Action sequences are lit, comedy scenes are laugh riot! #Superstar and @Nelsondilpkumar are back with a bang! I'm waiting for second half now Blue Sattai Maran: Jailer - First review is OUT. 1st half 100 days. Second half 500 days. What a calculation. What a entertainer.. this 70s kid is. ROFL. N: Jailer Climax is the one what we are missing for many many years Tharamana Sambavam Expect the unexpected CLIMAX IS 10000% Theatre Material Manobala Vijayan: Superstar #Rajinikanth as Tiger Muthuvel Pandian is Charismatic, Valiant and Indomitable throughout the movie. Huge comeback from Nelson with a gripping story line and magnificent direction. The Film has a Good first half and an extraordinary second half to entertain the audience. Action scenes were terrific. Dark comedy works well. BGM and Music were fabulous. Supporting cast did justice to their roles. This film will sail through the box office storm with ease. AmuthaBharathi: #Jailer First half was superb & totally engaging Full of Thalaivar Sambavam If the second half continues on this phase, Blockbuster loading Nelsaaa Kumar Swayam: Blockbuster #SuperstarRajinikanth get terrific writing & performs well Other Casts like Vinayakan, Ramya, Yogi were too good Anirudh's BGMs Past Scenes Mathew & Narasimha Scenes #Nelson Rating: /5 #JailerFDFS #JailerReview #Tamannaah Vikram Aditya: Super 1st half & Block buster 2nd half Overall Blockbuster Movie Anirudh bgm Vere level hukum hukum song Massive collection's loading Films Society: #Jailer first half - Fantastic!! Mass, comedy, action are nicely done. #Rajini at his vintage best. Stylish and totally underplaying. One-liners are good. It's engaging. The interval block is explosive. #Anirudh's background score is lit #JailerFDFS #Nelson Mathivanan: #Jailer Fun filled first half with Yogi Babu and Thalaivar combo !!! Oly one action block for thalaivar at the interval!!! Mass filled the second half along with the cameos. And a major twist Jailer won't disappoint #JailerFDFS #JailerFromAug10 #Rajinikanth Kumar Swayam: #Jailer Review FIRST HALF Good #SuperstarRajinikanth is shown in a subtle manner, similar to Nelson's lead characters #YogiBabu & Rajini scenes work effectively Comedy Racy Screenplay #Anirudh's BGMs especially Hukum BGM Interval Rajasekar: Thalaivar aggression, Style, Innocence, Fight #ThalaivarVeriAatam Yogi babu one liner Ani Waiting for second half Industry Hit loading da haters venamavanugala Midknightreviews: #Jailer #JailerFDFS it's interval... 1st half very slow and drags.. Only Rajni sir and background music superb.. Got bored ... Let's see what happens in second half... Now very low expectation.. AITAGI: #Jailer first Half Over... #Nelson what a come back #Anirudh Fire #Thalaivar sollavey venaam , God of Maaasssess Waiting Second half noufalbasha_official: I am So impressed on Nelson's work.. There are some questions in first half.. Hope it will get answered in second half!.. Really am so happy.. #JailerFDFS #jailer At Interval Achilles: #Jailer Charge ethurom Have been waiting to see the full rage of #Thalaivar for a long time. Petta was superb but truly hoping & believing this one will surpass Incredible edit by @AyyAyy0 #Rajinikanth #SuperstarRajinikanth #JailerFDFS Umair Sandhu: Typical Action Saga with " Stupid " Stunts by Grandpa #Rajinikanth. He is looking Worst in movie. Boring Black Comedy Story & Screenplay. Action Scenes are well executed. But Direction is not upto the mark. #Tamannaah looking so aged as Sex symbol. Jailer - First review is OUT. 1st half 100 days. Second half 500 days. What a calculation. What a entertainer.. this 70s kid is. ROFL.#Jailer. pic.twitter.com/d7Bg3GdHt4 Blue Sattai Maran (@tamiltalkies) August 10, 2023 'Indecent': BJP Women MPs Lodge Complaint Against Rahul Gandhi's Alleged Flying Kiss Gesture India oi-Madhuri Adnal Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, along with fellow women BJP MPs, lodged a formal complaint on Tuesday against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for an inappropriate gesture directed towards Union Minister Smriti Irani during a parliamentary session. Gandhi, who was given the opportunity to speak first on the No-Confidence Motion, departed for Rajasthan shortly after his speech. However, prior to leaving, Smriti Irani accused him of blowing a flying kiss in her direction, an action that was not captured by the cameras. Speaking to ANI, Shobha Karandlaje said,''This is the first time we have seen such behaviour from an MP in the House. He made a gesture of a flying kiss at women MPs in the House....It is unacceptable. We have complained to the Speaker to take action against him.'' #WATCH | Union Minister & BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje on Rahul Gandhi "This is the first time we have seen such behaviour from an MP in the House. He made a gesture of a flying kiss at women MPs in the House....It is unacceptable. We have complained to the Speaker to take action pic.twitter.com/ElRo6HOl5Y ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 Eyewitnesses reported that as Rahul Gandhi left after addressing the no-trust motion, he accidentally dropped some files. While bending to retrieve them, a few BJP MPs burst into laughter. Allegedly, at this point, Rahul Gandhi gestured a flying kiss toward the BJP MPs before departing. Recommended Video Rahul Gandhi allegedly blows out flying kiss; Smriti Irani calls him misogynistic |Oneindia News Strongly criticizing Rahul Gandhi for the flying kiss incident, Smriti Irani, the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, expressed her objection. She labeled such behavior as indecent and indicative of a misogynistic mindset, particularly in a Parliament that comprises female parliamentarians. She underscored that such behavior had never been witnessed before in the country's parliamentary history and accused Rahul Gandhi of demeaning women. Smriti Irani asserted, "I have a qualm. He misbehaved. Only a misogynistic man can give a flying kiss to female parliamentarians. Representative of the family he comes from...He broadcasted what he and his party feel about women...Such an instance was never witnessed before. This shows what he thinks of women. This is obscene." Smriti Irani Slams Rahul Gandhi Over 'Flying Kiss', Calls Him 'Misogynistic' Meanwhile, during the no-confidence motion debate on the Manipur violence, Rahul Gandhi directed his criticism towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He accused the government of dividing Manipur into two parts through its actions. Highlighting his recent visit to Manipur, Rahul Gandhi contrasted it with Prime Minister Modi's absence from the strife-torn state. He remarked, "A few days back, I went to Manipur. Our Prime Minister didn't go, not even to this day, because for him Manipur is not India." Further asserting that Prime Minister Modi was a "traitor" rather than a "nationalist," Rahul Gandhi accused the government of "killing India" in Manipur through its policies and actions. He declared, "They killed India in Manipur. Not just Manipur, but they killed India. Their politics has not killed Manipur, but it has killed India in Manipur. They have murdered India in Manipur." In major infrastructural milestone, PM to lay foundation stone for the National Institute for One Health Security increased after Nitin Gadkari gets threat calls at his Nagpur office Madhya Pradesh: BJP leader Sana Khan Missing From Jabalpur, Search Underway India oi-PTI Police have launched a search operation for a woman BJP worker from Maharashtra's Nagpur after she allegedly went missing in Madhya Pradesh, an official said on Wednesday. Sana Khan, a resident of Nagpur and associated with Bharatiya Janata Party's minority cell, went missing after she visited Jabalpur, he said. "A police team from Nagpur came to Jabalpur two days back in search of Nagpur resident Sana Khan, who is associated with the BJP's minority cell," City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Tushar Singh said. As per the information shared by the Nagpur police, the woman's last location on August 1 known to her family members was Jabalpur, where she came to meet one Amit Sahu, he said. Amit Sahu is also missing and a search operation to trace him also is going on, he said. Khan's family has lodged a missing person's complaint at Mankapur police station in Nagpur, Singh said. "The family members of Sana also accompanied the teams of Jabalpur and Nagpur police during searches at various locations in Jabalpur," he said. The investigation is underway and CCTV footage of various locations are being examined to get clues of the missing woman, he said. When contacted, a BJP leader in Nagpur said Khan is a party worker. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 22:51 [IST] Amit Shah Defends Manipur CM in Lok Sabha, Calls Him Cooperative India oi-Prakash KL Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday spoke about Manipur violence in the Parliament and defended Chief Minister N Biren Singh saying that a CM should be only changed when he is not co-operating. "A state CM needs to be changed when he is not cooperating. This CM is operated with the Centre," he said in the Lok Sabha during his speech on the no-confidence motion which has been brought by the Opposition parties. The Manipur violence which broke out on May 3 has killed over 150 people, so far. The Opposition parties have demanded Biren Singh's resignation. However, Shah slammed the Opposition parties for doing politics on the issue. "I agree with the opposition's claim that there has been excessive violence in Manipur. In fact, we are more hurt than them (opposition). Such incidents have happened there that we should be ashamed as a society. However, while the incidents are shameful, doing politics on it is even more shameful", Hindustan Times quoted Shah as saying. He then attacked Rahul Gandhi over his visit to trouble-hit Manipur. "Rahul Gandhi went to Manipur out of concern over the situation. After coming out of the airport, he said he wanted to visit Churachandpur. We suggested him to travel in a helicopter. Gandhi insisted on travelling by road. The police had to stop him. Rahul Gandhi staged a drama for three hours. The next day, he went there by a helicopter. He should have taken a chopper earlier", Shah added. Talking about the May 4 incident where two women were paraded naked by a mob, the Union Home Minister said that it was a "blot on the society". "This is a very unfortunate incident and it is a shame for society. But why did this video (Manipur viral video) come before the start of this Parliament session? If someone was having this video they should have given it to the DGP, and action would have been taken on that day itself (May 4)...We have identified all those nine people and arrested them", the minister claimed. He also appealed to the warring communities to engage in dialogue and said that violence is not a solution. Shah also claimed that he was ready to talk in the Parliament on the Manipur issue, but the Opposition parties prevented him from speaking. "From day one I was ready for the discussion on the Manipur issue but Opposition never wanted to do a discussion. The opposition doesn't want me to speak but they can't silence me. 130 cr people have selected us so they have to listen to us...During the past six years of our government, the need for curfew never rose," the Home Minister stated. The Home Minister said problems started in Manipur with the influx of Kuki refugees from neighbouring Myanmar after the military rulers there started a crackdown against militants in 2021. The Kuki refugees started settling down in the jungles in the Manipur valley, raising fears of a demographic change in the region, Shah said. The unrest in the Manipur valley began when rumours began to circulate that the refugee settlements have been declared as villages, Shah said. He said the Manipur High Court order to fast-track the process for the inclusion of Meiteis in the list of Scheduled Tribes added fuel to the fire. Shah said the violence that broke out on May 3 has been continuing to date and the Centre has established a peace committee as part of efforts to restore normalcy in the state. "Over 36,000 security personnel have been stationed between Kukis and Meiteis as a buffer zone. The anger has not subsided yet, but violence has reduced. "A unified command has been created to coordinate between BSF, CRPF, Assam Rifles and Manipur police deployed there. Six cases of conspiracy have been handed over to the CBI," Shah said. Manipur Police vs Assam Rifles Explained: FIR, Outcry And Demand For Replacement India oi-PTI Manipur Police has registered an FIR accusing the Assam Rifles of blocking their vehicle after an altercation between the two groups last week, while the state unit of the BJP requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to replace Assam Rifles "by any other paramilitary force permanently" from the state. Security sources, however, described the FIR as a "travesty of justice" and said the Assam Rifles was undertaking a task given by the command headquarters of ensuring sanctity of the buffer zones between Kuki and Meitiei areas. The FIR, a copy of which is with the PTI, was filed on August 5 when police alleged that the Assam Rifles blocked police vehicles on the Kwakta Gothol road in Bishnupur district. The FIR claimed Assam Rifles stopped its personnel from proceeding when "the state police was on its way to Pholjang Road along Kwakta as follow up action to conduct search operations in an arms act case in search of Kuki militants." The police claimed that its personnel were stopped by 9 Assam Rifles which parked their 'Casper' vehicle blocking the road. 'Vow Of Silence' Over Ethnic Violence In Manipur: Opposition Invokes Atal Bihari Vajpayee To Attack PM Modi Defence sources reacted stating "Assam Rifles was undertaking a task given by the command headquarters of ensuring sanctity of the buffer zones between Kuki and Meitiei areas." In the evening, the Manipur unit of BJP requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to replace Assam Rifles "by any other paramilitary force permanently" from the state in the interest of the public and also sought his intervention to bring an amicable solution to the ongoing ethnic unrest at the earliest. In a memorandum to Modi, the party's Manipur unit said, "The role of Assam Rifles in regard to the ethnic unrest and in maintaining peace and tranquility in the state has been under considerable criticism and public outrage." "Since Day 1 of the violence on May 3, Assam Rifles has failed to maintain neutrality so as to restore peace in the state," the party said, adding, "The public anger and protest over Assam Rifles for playing the role of partisanship in this highly delicate and sensitive ethnic unrest continues to be witnessed unabated...the Assam Rifles has been charged by the public for their biased role in tackling the situation." The memorandum signed by its president A Sharda Devi and vice-president Chidananda recalled the recent incident when Assam Rifles allegedly blocked a team of the state police who were in pursuit of militants who had killed three civilians. The memorandum comes days after Manipur Police filed an FIR against 9 AR for "disobeying law by public servant with intent to cause injury to any person, obstructing public servant in charge of public function." In another development, Assam Rifles personnel, based at Moirang Lamkhai checkpoint in Manipur's Bishnupur, where fresh violence erupted last week, have been withdrawn and substituted by the CRPF and the state police, a notification said. The notification, issued by Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) L Kailun on Monday, said "the checkpoint at Moirang Lamkhai on the Bishnupur to Kangvai Road shall be manned by the civil police and 128 Bn CRPF in place of 9 AR with immediate effect and until further orders". The army on Tuesday said it, along with the Assam Rifles, will continue to remain firm and resolute in carrying out actions to prevent any attempt that could result in furthering violence in strife-torn Manipur. In a statement posted on Twitter, the Army's Spear Corps said there have been fabricated attempts to malign the image of the Assam Rifles, which has been engaged in restoring peace in ethnic violence-hit Manipur. "Some inimical elements have made desperate, repeated, and failed attempts to question the role, intent, and integrity of the central security forces, especially Assam Rifles, working relentlessly towards saving lives and restoration of peace in Manipur from May 3 onwards," the statement said. "Continue to be Fair to all & Fear None. Our message to All Ranks deployed in #Manipur for restoring peace & normalcy," tweets @Spearcorps with a message that reads 'Fabricated Attempts to Malign Image of Assam Rifles'. pic.twitter.com/gfCAvszEQo Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 8, 2023 The army said it needs to be understood that due to the complex nature of the situation on the ground in Manipur, occasional differences at the tactical level do occur between various security forces. However, all such misunderstandings at the functional level are immediately addressed through the joint mechanism to synergise the efforts for the restoration of peace and normalcy in Manipur. The army said two instances have emerged over the last 24 hours aimed at maligning the image of Assam Rifles. In the first case, the army said, the Assam Rifles battalion has acted strictly in accordance with the mandate of the Unified Headquarters of strict enforcement of buffer zone guidelines towards the aim of preventing violence between the two communities. In the second case, it said, the Assam Rifles being moved out of an area is not even related to them. An infantry battalion of the army is deployed in the area, since the crisis erupted in May, from where the narrative of Assam Rifles being moved out has been made, it said. "Indian Army and Assam Rifles assure the people of Manipur that we will continue to remain firm and resolute in our actions to prevent any attempt that could result in furthering violence in an already volatile atmosphere," the statement said. Meanwhile, security has been tightened across the state ahead of United Naga Council's proposed rallies in Naga-inhabited areas of the northeastern state on August 9 to press for successfully concluding the peace talks with the Centre based on the Framework Agreement. Over 700 Myanmar Nationals Enter Manipur In 2 Days, Govt Seeks Reply from Assam Rifles In a statement, the United Naga Council (UNC) said rallies will be held in the district headquarters of Tamenglong, Senapati, Ukhrul and Chandel districts from 10 am on Wednesday. The UNC, an influential Naga body, has appealed to all Nagas to participate in the rallies in large numbers. Naga Hoho, a powerful civic body of the Naga tribes, has meanwhile asked the 10 Naga MLAs in Manipur not to attend the proposed assembly session from August 21, claiming that the Manipur government has been working against peace talks with Naga groups. Most of the Kuki MLAs irrespective of their party affiliations are unlikely to attend the Manipur assembly session in view of the continued ethnic violence, according to leaders from the community. There are 10 Kuki-Zomi MLAs, including seven from the BJP, two from the Kuki People's Alliance and one independent, in the Manipur House which has a strength of 60 members. Rioting between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zomi communities broke out in May after protests over a court judgment which seemed to favour the majority Meiteis who live in the Imphal valley and who have been demanding Scheduled Tribe status, currently enjoyed by Kuki-Zomi and Naga tribals in the state. More than 160 people lost their lives and several hundreds were injured since the 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 little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts. Will PM Modi Address The Nation From Red Fort Next Year? Here's What Times Now ETG Survey Says No-Confidence Motion: PM Modi To Reply In Parliament On Aug 10 India oi-Prakash KL Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply to the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against the BJP-led NDA government on Thursday. Just before the adjournment of the House on Wednesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made the announcement. "The PM will be present in the House tomorrow to reply to the no-confidence motion," the Union minister told the Lower House. On July 26, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepted a no-confidence motion moved against the Narendra Modi government by the Opposition. The motion's notice was submitted by Gaurav Gogoi, a Congress MP, and received backing from all members of the INDIA bloc, with a combined representation of 144 MPs in the Lok Sabha. Furthermore, the motion advocated by Gogoi, who holds the position of Congress party's deputy leader in the Lower House, was also endorsed by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led by Telangana CM KCR. Nonetheless, Modi's government is not poised to lose the vote, given that his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its coalition partners maintain a majority in the Lok Sabha. A no-confidence motion against the Council of Ministers can be initiated by any Lok Sabha MP who garners the backing of at least 50 colleagues, at any juncture. Subsequently, deliberations on the motion are conducted, during which MPs in favor of the motion underscore the government's deficiencies, while the Treasury Benches address the raised concerns. Ultimately, a voting process unfolds, and should the motion garner sufficient support, the government is compelled to vacate its position. The BJP alone has 303 MPs in the Lower House of the Parliament and the combined strength of the NDA stands at 331. The numbers of unaligned parties' MPs are 70 in the Lower House. It has to be noted that this is the second time Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing a no-confidence motion. In 2018, the first such motion against the Modi government was introduced in 2018 over granting a special category status to Andhra Pradesh which was later defeated. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 23:45 [IST] Manipur, The Country Stands With You, This Parliament Is With You: PM Modi Did A Phone Call From Kolkata Keep Adhir Ranjan Away From No Trust Debate? PM Modi In LS No-Confidence Motion: Rahul Gandhi Set To Initiate Opposition Debate Today; Fiery Discussion Expected In LS India oi-Madhuri Adnal Rahul Gandhi, a prominent figure within the Congress party, is on the verge of launching the debate from the opposition's perspective as the Lok Sabha gears up for deliberations concerning the no-confidence motion aimed at the government. According to reports, the Congress party have confirmed that Gandhi will kick off the discourse, followed in due course by other leaders including Gaurav Gogoi, the initiator of the motion. Lively Debate Expected in Lok Sabha Starting today, the Lok Sabha is preparing for a passionate debate revolving around the no-confidence motion aimed at the government led by the BJP. Gaurav Gogoi, Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, put forth the motion, which holds the third position on the List of Business. This discussion takes place against the backdrop of ethnic tensions in Manipur, which have led to significant disruptions in both houses of Parliament. Alongside Gandhi's involvement, Congress representatives like Manish Tewari and Depak Baij are expected to share their viewpoints during the debate. Opposition Brought No-Confidence Motion To Test Its Own Unity: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to provide his response to the debate on Thursday, a pivotal juncture in the proceedings. Despite the government's numerical advantage, the opposition seeks to demonstrate its newly consolidated unity in addressing the BJP led by Modi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress Chief, expressed unwavering confidence that Rahul Gandhi will indeed address the no-confidence motion, underscoring the party's dedication to the issue. "Jaroor bolenge (he will certainly speak)," stated Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge while interacting with reporters on Monday. Following a four-month disqualification, Gandhi's reentry into the Lok Sabha was facilitated on Monday, as the Supreme Court temporarily suspended his conviction in a defamation case. This development reinstated his membership in the Lower House. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 8:18 [IST] Bittu Bajrangi Had No Relation With Bajrang Dal: VHP Distances Itself From Arrested Cow Vigilante Nuh Violence: Haryana Deputy CM Blames 'Lack Of Assessment' By Administration India oi-Madhuri Adnal Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Tuesday said that there were administrative shortcomings in evaluating the situation in Nuh, where communal violence erupted on July 31 during a religious procession. Chautala mentioned that the additional DGP (law and order) had approved a procession with 3,200 participants, and the police force was deployed accordingly. "The administration's failure to adequately assess the entire episode is under investigation. The Nuh SP (now transferred) was on leave since July 22, and the one with additional charge couldn't evaluate it properly. The officials who granted permission for the procession also failed to assess it accurately," he told reporters, addressing questions about intelligence failures in assessing the situation. Earlier, the JJP leader had stated that the organizers of the attacked religious procession in Nuh did not provide a proper estimation of the expected crowd to the district administration, possibly contributing to the violence. 25 Rohingyas Arrested In Haryana As Violence In Nuh Continues Meanwhile, the state government has extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services in the district until August 11. Communal clashes in Nuh resulted in the deaths of six people, including two home guards and a cleric, when a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was attacked by mobs. As of Tuesday, a total of 312 individuals have been arrested, and 142 FIRs have been filed in connection with the communal clashes in Haryana, according to Home Minister Anil Vij. When asked about his knowledge of the July 31 incident, Chautala responded, "I learned about it at 1:30 pm...I spoke with ADGP (CID) and requested that SP Bhiwani be sent to the location (Nuh)." Chautala emphasized that strict action would be taken against all involved in creating the atmosphere of planned violence, whether minor or major. Regarding accusations of one-sided action, Chautala asserted that those arrested do not belong to a specific caste or community. The deputy CM highlighted the government's efficiency in controlling the situation within seven hours, noting that in some other states, similar incidents have persisted for weeks. Curfew restrictions are gradually being eased, and the situation is being managed effectively, Chautala stated. On Tuesday, Gurugram police arrested three out of five individuals accused of setting fire to a mazar (shrine) in Khandsa village. These actions were allegedly influenced by social media posts related to the communal clashes that spread from the neighboring Nuh district. Meanwhile, the Muslim organization Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has appealed to the Supreme Court for directions to rehabilitate those whose homes were demolished by authorities in Nuh district. Despite the Punjab and Haryana High Court halting the demolition drive, the organization contends that it did not order compensation or rehabilitation for the displaced individuals. Haryana: Nuh Hotel From Where Rioters Threw Stones Razed A delegation of Haryana Congress led by its president Udai Bhan was prevented from entering violence-affected villages in Nuh district due to curfew restrictions and security concerns. Nuh DSP Jai Prakash has been transferred to Panchkula, becoming the third officer after SP Varun Singla and Deputy Commissioner Prashant Panwar to be transferred from Nuh since the violence erupted on July 31. Nuh SP Narender Bijarnia stated on Tuesday that a search operation was underway to apprehend those accused in connection with the violence. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 9:48 [IST] No-Confidence Motion: Rahul Gandhi Slams Govt Over Manipur Violence, Calls It 'Bharat Mata Ki Hatya' India oi-Madhuri Adnal Congress MP Rahul Gandhi took the floor in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday to deliver his address regarding the No Confidence Motion against the Narendra Modi-led government. In his opening statement, Gandhi expressed gratitude for his reinstatement as a member of the Lok Sabha, saying, "First of all, I would like to thank you for reinstating me." Addressing the House, Gandhi referred to his previous remarks and the focus on issues like Adani that might have caused discomfort among senior politicians. He stated, "When I spoke the last time, I probably hurt you... because I focused so much on Adani, because of your senior leaders." However, he clarified that his speech this time would not be centered on Adani. Citing the renowned Persian poet Rumi, Gandhi conveyed his intention to present his thoughts from the heart rather than launching an aggressive assault on the BJP. "I want to speak from my heart today. I won't launch a fierce attack on the government today like I always do," he stated. Gandhi highlighted the ongoing "Bharat Jodo Yatra" and discussed its underlying purpose. Top quotes from Rahul Gandhi's Speech During No-Confidence Debate Recommended Video No-Confidence Motion: Rahul Gandhi delivers speech amid uproar by BJP MPs | Oneindia News Touching on his visit to Manipur, he juxtaposed his experience with the absence of Prime Minister Modi in the state, implying that the PM might not consider Manipur an integral part of India. He further noted the changes in Manipur's situation, attributing them to PM Modi's decision to divide the state. #WATCH | Congress MP Rahul Gandhi speaks on his Bharat Jodo Yatra; says, "...Initially, when I started (the Yatra), I had in my mind that walking 25 km is no big deal if I can run 10 km every day. Today, when I look at that - it was arrogance. I had arrogance in my heart at that pic.twitter.com/QhFjtkZhLb ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 In a poignant recollection, Rahul Gandhi shared an encounter from his visit to Manipur, recounting the poignant story of a woman who spent a night beside her deceased son's body. This emotional tale was presented by the Congress leader as an example of the struggles faced by people in the violence-affected state. In his address to the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi stated, "You (the government) have killed 'Bharat Mata'." "You are not a patriot but a traitor who has caused harm to Bharat Mata. You have killed my mother, Manipur. I have one mother here, and you have taken the life of another mother, Manipur," stated Rahul Gandhi. "Lanka was not set ablaze by Lord Hanumana, and Ravana was not slain by Lord Rama; it was Ravana's hubris that led to his demise," remarked Rahul Gandhi. The Lok Sabha echoed with commotion as Rahul Gandhi initiated his address on the state of Manipur, which has been impacted by violence. He emphasized that Prime Minister Modi has never visited this northeastern state, implying that it might not be perceived as an integral part of India by him. Amid all this Om Birla said,"The kind of behaviour you are doing coming to the table, it's not right. House can't run like this. Action will be taken against MPs who've come to the table." More than 150 companies have confirmed their participation in the Bread Industry Forum In a week's time, on August 17-18, Vinnytsia will host the Bread Industry 2023 conference and exhibition, which will bring together representatives of various businesses in the bread industry, from grain processors to suppliers of food equipment and technologies. So far, more than 150 companies from the industry have confirmed their participation in the conference. In particular, the event is attended by the heads of the leading manufacturers of - Concern Khlibprom, Skvyra Bakery, Stolychnyi Mlyn, Kyiv Bread, Kyiv BCC, Vinnytsia Bread Factory No. 2, Bread Investments, Formula Smaku, Mlyn Baza, HD Group, Bread Guild, Newsphere, Agrofirma Pole LLC, Khlibodar, Rivne Boroshno LLC, Energy Saving Technologies, Newsphere, Eldorado Trading House, Cascade Trading House and many other representatives of the grain processing and bakery business) - ingredients, mixtures and spices for the food industry (Foodreform, Zealand, Lesaffre, Stern Ingredients Ukraine) - equipment and technologies for the grain processing and food industry (Buhler Ukraine, OLIS, ProTek Systems, Kumkaya, Aventin, GVP Equipment Solutions, Basis, Habasit Ukraine LLC, Socktrade, etc.) In total, more than 150 delegates have already confirmed their participation in the business conference, the list of participants is available at The participants of the Bread Industry conference will enjoy a rich program with hot discussions and time to communicate with colleagues and partners. Register and join the professional business meeting on August 17-18! Interfax-Ukraine - information partner Rahul Gandhi To Speak On No-Confidence Motion Today, BJP Calls Him 'Escapist' India oi-Madhuri Adnal On the second day of the no-confidence motion debate against the Narendra Modi government, Rahul Gandhi will address the session, countering the BJP's label of him as an 'escapist' for not initiating the debate himself. Gaurav Gogoi, instead of Rahul Gandhi, opened the debate, a move that prompted criticism from the BJP. Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, confirmed that Rahul Gandhi will present the opposition's viewpoint at noon on Wednesday. Coinciding with his first public appearance after regaining his Lok Sabha membership, Rahul Gandhi is also scheduled to hold a rally in Rajasthan on Wednesday at 3 pm. The initial plan was for Rahul Gandhi to commence the debate from the opposition's side as announced on the official Congress Twitter handle. However, Gaurav Gogoi, who tabled the no-confidence motion, took the floor to begin the discourse, prompting the Congress to question this change in plan. No-Confidence Motion: Rahul Gandhi Set To Initiate Opposition Debate Today; Fiery Discussion Expected In LS During a press conference on Wednesday morning, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad commented that many were looking forward to Rahul Gandhi's speech, considering the Congress' initial announcement that he would be the first speaker. He humorously referred to Rahul Gandhi as "jana nayak" (people's leader), comparing it to the title given to a historical figure in Bihar. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 11:02 [IST] PM Modi Erased N And Put P Instead, P For 'Pettiness, Peeve': Cong Slams Nehru Memorial Name Change PM Should Be Held Accountable For 'Scams' Pointed Out By CAG: Congress Will PM Modi Address The Nation From Red Fort Next Year? Here's What Times Now ETG Survey Says Develop Every Village, Tehsil, District To Make India Developed By 2047: PM Modi At BJP's Meet Threat Message To Kill PM Modi Sets Internet On Fire, Maha Cops Registers Complaint India oi-Sushmita Halder A case has been registered by the Maharashtra Police against an individual named MA Hakim in connection with a comment on a religious website. Hakim threatened a bomb blast in India and the assassination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the website. According to the police, the accused wrote on August 6th, "I am planning a serious bomb blast in India. I will be funding terrorist organizations. I intend to destroy the Hindu religion and assassinate Narendra Modi as well." According to the sources, Rahul Dudhane is the owner of the portal. Rahul on discovering the comment on the website, promptly informed the police control room about the comment. Subsequently, a case was lodged against Hakim at Alankar police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. BJP MP Narayan Rane Tears Sena Minister For Criticising PM Modi And Amit Shah Deputy Commissioner of Police Suhail Sharma stated that the comment was openly posted on the website and the police have initiated an investigation. "We have already registered a case and we are currently conducting an investigation. The IP address appears to be located outside of India, and we are delving into the matter," said the Deputy Commissioner. The authorities, at present, are on the lookout for the accused. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 17:44 [IST] Why Did Mountbatten Choose August 15 As India's Independence Day? India oi-Prakash KL India is set to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the country's independence on August 15. Like every year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort. This year, US Congressmen, Ro Khanna and Michael Waltz, who are also co-chairs of the House India caucus will lead a bipartisan Congressional Member Delegation to India and will also attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address from the Red Fort on Independence Day. Even as the country is ready to celebrate its Independence Day, not many know why the British Raj decided to formally end its rule on August 15. Why Did Mountbatten Choose August 15 As India's Independence Day? Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, was entrusted with the responsibility of transferring power to India by June 30, 1948 by the British Parliament. However, he opted 15 August 1947 as the day the colonial rule ends in India. He had two reasons to pick the said date. Firstly, he did not want further bloodshed or riots. Additionally, Mountbatten selected August 15, as this date coincided with the second anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. One might be surprised to know that the date came out of the blue. Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins documented this in their 'Freedom at Midnight'. "I have selected a date for the Transfer of Power," he told a journalist who asked the exact date of Indian independence, according to The Wire. "He was uttering those words, the possible dates were still whizzing through his mind like the numbers on a spinning roulette wheel. Early September? Mid-September? Mid-August? Suddenly the wheel stopped with a jar and the little ball popped into a slot so overwhelmingly appropriate that Mountbatten's decision was instantaneous. It was a date linked in his memory to the most triumphant hours of his own existence, the day in which his long crusade through the jungles of Burma had ended with the unconditional surrender of the Japanese Empire. What more appropriate date for the birth of the new democratic Asia than the second anniversary of Japan's surrender? His voice constricted with sudden emotion, the victor of the jungles of Burma about to become the liberator of India announced: 'The final Transfer of Power to Indian hands will take place on 15 August 1947.'... Louis Mountbatten's spontaneous decision to announce the date of Indian independence on his own initiative was a bombshell. In the corridors of the House of Commons, Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, no one had suspected Mountbatten was ready to ring the curtain down so precipitously on Britain's Indian adventure. In Delhi, the Viceroy's most intimate collaborators had no inkling of what Mountbatten was going to do. Not even the Indian leaders with whom he had spent so many hours had received a hint that he would act with such decisive haste." Following this announcement, the Indian Independence Bill was passed in the British Parliament's House of Commons on July 4, 1947. It is interesting to note that India celebrated January 26 as Independence Day between 1930 and 1947. Is PAN-Aadhaar Linking Mandatory To Claim CRCS Sahara Refund? All Your FAQs Answered Independence Day 2023 Quiz: Freedom Of India History, Interesting Facts; Boost Your Knowledge New Delhi oi-Madhuri Adnal Question 1: When did India gain independence from the British Raj? A. August 15, 1947 B. January 26, 1950 C. February 2, 1948 D. None of the above Answer: The answer is (A). India gained independence from the British Raj on August 15, 1947. This date is celebrated every year as India's Independence Day. Question 2: Who was the first Prime Minister of India? A. Jawaharlal Nehru B. Mahatma Gandhi C. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel D. Subhas Chandra Bose Answer: The answer is (A). Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. He served from 1947 to 1964. Question 3: What is the national anthem of India? A. Jana Gana Mana B. Vande Mataram C. Sare Jahan Se Accha D. Ham Hindustani Answer: The answer is (A). Jana Gana Mana is the national anthem of India. It was written by Rabindranath Tagore. Question 4: What is the national flag of India? A. A tricolor of saffron, white, and green with a wheel in the center B. A white flag with a green Ashoka Chakra in the center C. A saffron flag with a white crescent moon and star in the center D. A green flag with a white lotus in the center Answer: The answer is (A). The national flag of India is a tricolor of saffron, white, and green with a wheel in the center. The saffron represents courage, the white represents peace, and the green represents prosperity. The wheel in the center is the Ashoka Chakra, which represents the law of dharma. Question 5: What is the capital of India? A. New Delhi B. Mumbai C. Kolkata D. Chennai Answer: The answer is (A). New Delhi is the capital of India. It is located in the north-central part of the country. Question 6: What is the official language of India? A. Hindi B. English C. Sanskrit D. Tamil Answer: The answer is (A). Hindi is the official language of India. However, English is also widely spoken and is the language of government and business. Question 7: What is the population of India? A. 1.3 billion B. 1.4 billion C. 1.5 billion D. 1.6 billion Answer: The answer is (C). The population of India is estimated to be 1.5 billion people. This makes India the second most populous country in the world, after China. Question 8: What is the currency of India? A. Rupee B. Dollar C. Euro D. Pound Answer: The answer is (A). The currency of India is the rupee. It is divided into 100 paise. Question 9: What is the climate of India? A. Tropical B. Temperate C. Continental D. Polar Answer: The answer is (A). India has a tropical climate. This means that it is hot and humid all year round. The temperature can vary depending on the region, but it is generally hot in the summer and warm in the winter. Question 10: What are some of the major industries in India? A. Agriculture, manufacturing, and services B. Tourism, IT, and finance C. Mining, oil and gas, and chemicals D. All of the above Answer: The answer is (D). India has a diverse economy with a wide range of industries. Some of the major industries in India include agriculture, manufacturing, services, tourism, IT, finance, mining, oil and gas, and chemicals. The 9th Edition of Razzle Dazzle, Fashion Show at HITS Press Release oi-Oneindia English Desk Chennai, 8.8.2023: Razzle Dazzle 9.0, a Design collection fashion show of the Department of Fashion, Design & Arts was held at Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Bay Range Campus. The event aimed at displaying the creativity and innovative designs of B.Sc. Fashion Design and B.Des. Fashion & Apparel Design students of the graduating batch. The designs intricate the theme of Spotted, Marbella, Galm from Gramam, Yatra, to Rue (street style), Luna, Prosty Blue Glamour, Cirpam, Garmine arabesque, Girl power, Tincture of Kashmir. Ms. Akshara Reddy, the International Beauty Pageant Winner and Big Boss Tamil Season 5 Contestant was the Chief Guest for the event. Mr. Ashok Verghese, Pro-Chancellor, HITS; Dr. R.W. Alexandar Jesudasan, Pro Vice Chancellor, HITS, Dr. Muthukumar Subramanian, Registrar HITS; and other Deans and Heads of the Institution attended this spectacular event along with the students. The event witnessed an array of professional models confidently strutting the designer wears of the budding fashion designers. Ms. Jules Verghese, curated and choreographed the show along with other staff members of the department trained and prepared the students for this extravagant show. Based on various judging criteria the winner and runners-up were selected by the chief guest. Ms. Vedha Varsha received the Best Designer Award and bagged Rs.50,000/- Cash prize, the Second-Best Designer Ms. Rasmikaa was awarded Rs.25,000/- Cash prize, and the second runner-up Ms. Savitha received Rs.25,000/- Cash prize that was announced by Mr. Ashok Verghese, Pro-Chancellor, HITS. Under the B.Sc. Fashion Design Programme; Ms. Hannah Josephine received the Best Designer and Mr. Prasanth received the Second-Best Designer award, and Ms. Prema was awarded as the second runner-up among all the designs that were presented. The cash prize and the memento were handed over by Ms. Akshara Reddy and Mr. Ashok Verghese along with the institution's officials. Starting with the 2000 United States presidential election, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to U.S. states whose voters vote predominantly for one party the Republican Party in red states and the Democratic Party in blue states in presidential and other statewide elections. By contrast, states where the vote fluctuates between the Democratic and Republican candidates are known as "swing states" or "purple states". Examining patterns within states reveals that the reversal of the two parties' geographic bases has happened at the state level, but it is more complicated locally, with urban-rural divides associated with many of the largest changes. A Melbourne man who played a central role in importing cocaine from Greece inside a jukebox has been jailed for more than a decade. Poland's German minority is angered by the government's decision to slash German language classes for its community and feels it is being exploited by the ruling party in its bid to be re-elected later this year. A German man is suspected of providing information on his work for a division of the German military to Russian secret services. Prosecutors say he visited Russia's embassy and general consulate multiple times this year. 2008-2023 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. French Le Monde has recently interviewed Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments, Elchin Amirbayov, Trend reports. Talking to journalist Emmanuel Grynszpan about the situation in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, particularly concerning the Lachin-Khankendi road, Amirbayov addressed the unfounded accusations from Western media regarding the alleged closure of the road. He pointed out that according to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020 (signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the second Karabakh war), the Lachin-Khankendi road should be used for humanitarian purposes. However, he said, for over two and a half years, Armenia abused this road for illegal purposes, including sending its armed forces and ammunition into Azerbaijani territory. The official emphasized that number of Armenian residents of Karabakh is not 120,000, as claimed by the Armenian side, but 50,000, including a 10,000 military personnel of Armenian illegal armed troops. Answering whether he considers Armenian military personnel as Azerbaijani citizens, Amirbayov noted that they are part of the Armenian armed forces, illegally stationed on Azerbaijani territory in violation of the trilateral statement. Consequently, on April 23, the Azerbaijani side established a checkpoint in Lachin in accordance with international law. Besides, Amirbayov said that the Lachin-Khankendi road is currently used to transport medical supplies, and Armenia did not accept Azerbaijan's proposal to transport humanitarian goods through the territories of Aghdam and Fuzuli. He stressed that if the situation was really tragic, people would not be concerned about the origins of the humanitarian aid. So it proves that the separatist "regime" in Karabakh is holding the majority of Armenians living there hostage, and aims to exploit this situation to pressure Azerbaijan on the international stage. Amirbayov provided information about the arrest of Vagif Khachatryan, noting that he was listed among those who committed war crimes against Azerbaijani citizens during the first Karabakh war. Addressing Grynszpan's provocative question about the ruling in Azerbaijan, he said the country is a democratic state. Amirbayov also noted that no country, including France, is flawless when it comes to human rights. 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, 2023, at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, on April 23 this year, 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. Despite the fact that Azerbaijan ensured the passage of Armenian residents, representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Russian peacekeeping contingent through the border crossing, the Armenian side spread false allegations about the alleged "tense humanitarian situation" in the region in order to continue its illegal activities in our territories. At the same time, Armenia committed provocations, such as shelling Azerbaijan's border guards on June 15, an attempt at smuggling, sending trucks to the territory of Azerbaijan on July 26 without permission. Moreover, despite the fact that Azerbaijan put forward a number of proposals for meeting the needs of Armenian residents of Karabakh, including the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road and other alternative roads, and they were supported by the European Union and the ICRC, the Armenian side opposes these proposals and blocked the entrance to the territory by erecting concrete barriers on alternative roads. All this once again showed that its statements about the "humanitarian situation" are political blackmail. In the latest surge of attacks on Moscow, Russia downed two more drones. Death toll in Ukraine's Pokrovsk climbs to nine after Russian missile attack. DW has more. Ahead of an ECOWAS summit debating a response to the coup, Germany has called for the return to Niger's "constitutional order." Meanwhile, ousted president Bazoum's house arrest conditions are said to be "deteriorating." United States President Joe Biden confirmed he is heading to Vietnam soon as the Communist Party chief wanted to boost ties. When Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed diplomatic relations in March after seven years, the power broker was, not the US, but China. Waning US influence seems to have woken up our president who has been sleep-walking through his term of office. That and the prospect of a tough fight in the election next year. The agreement was the result of intensive talks in China and the communique was issued jointly by Iran, Saudi Arabia and the host, China. A bit woozy, as if woken from a deep sleep, the US president has been scrambling wildly to assert his country's influence. A new US grand plan for Mideast peace has been launched although it is difficult to quite remember how many there have been in the past half-century. In return for its acceptance of Israel, Saudi Arabia would have a mutual security pact with the US but it would be required to dial down the scale of its China relationship. It would also provide a generous aid package to Palestinians in the West Bank. For its part, Israel would have to commit again to a two-state solution, and consequently cease expanding Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas. In turn, the Palestinian Authority would have to support the Israel-Saudi Arabia peace agreement. All of which is a tall order for Israel, bearing in mind that the religious parties like Shas and United Torah Judaism are part of Netanyahu's fragile coalition government. That these settlers often attack Palestinians at will, without consequences, only emboldens them despite the doubtful legality in international law of their settlements. All of which reduces the likely success of a grand Mideast peace plan to a near-zero status. No doubt a bemused China is looking on at the well-intentioned Joe Biden, who somehow fails to follow through. Of course, the Saudi-Iran deal is an extra complication, and from the American point of view lends further urgency to the situation. U.S. credibility in the region particularly with the Palestinians has suffered because of its tendency to blow hot or cold depending on Washington politics and the party in power. While its support of Israel seldom waivers, it takes two to tango as the saying goes and in this case it will be a four-sided negotiation -- Israel, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinians and the US. The veteran Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has become ancient, waiting for a settlement -- he is now 87 and has been president since 2005. Hamas is a rival party to Abbas' Fatah and is considered more militant. The last flare-up between Hamas and Israel was in May 2021, when some 200 people were killed. It has governed Gaza since 2007 while the Fatah rule the West Bank with Ramallah as the administrative capital. It is about 10 km (6 miles) north of Jerusalem. Relations between Hamas and Saudi Arabia were severed in 2007. There are signs of improvement this year as the Hamas leadership including Ismail Haniyeh the Chairman of the Political Bureau visited Saudi Arabia in April. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). "I ask you to consider this: that the policy that you consider tonight... may put our students at risk because they may not be in homes where they can be [safe] - Tony Thurmond Celebrating with Tony Thurmond after his 2018 win (Image by Nicole Thiroux-Petersen) Details DMCA In reality, there are children whose physical well-being would be put in danger if their parents were to find out that they were members of the LGBTQ+ community. Others might face emotional abuse or estrangement. According to the National Coalition For The Homeless, "LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ youth." These effects are not limited to parents whose hopeless bigotry is stronger than their love for their children. Some may have unwittingly sent homophobic messaging that they would surely drop if they knew how much they were hurting their child. Others might be struggling to process reality but, given the time, may provide the acceptance that is deserved. It is families within this last group of parents who will be hurt by policies like the one just passed by the Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD). By requiring parental notification "after a student requests to identify with a gender different than what is on their birth certificate", politicians are forcibly outing children at a pace that they may not be ready for. They are also eliminating a path to support from outside the family structure, which is essential when "LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers." Invited by students to speak against the proposed policy, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond addressed the CVUSD Board before they voted. While elected officials are customarily allowed to speak without restriction at public meetings, Thurmond's time was limited to one minute after which his microphone was cut off. When he approached the podium again to rebut the Board President's response to his comments, he was evicted from the room. Bullies do not like when someone stands up to them. Tony Thurmond is surrounded by School Safety officers. (Image by Chino Valley Unified School District) Details DMCA Mr. Thurmond: After watching a video of the July 20, 2023, meeting of the Chino Valley Unified School District's (CVUSD) Board of Education, I am deeply disturbed by the lack of respect shown not only to you but to others who attended this meeting to support the rights of our LGBTQ+ community. It was clear that the Board President was more interested in silencing the opposition than she was in evenly applying the rules. I hope that the proper safeguards are being put in place to ensure that future meetings of this Board do not violate the First Amendment rights of participants. As you are aware, the anti-LGBTQ+ rule passed by the CVUSD is a result of efforts by the right-wing to take control of our school systems. Just last month, an LAUSD School and the Glendale Unified School District were subjected to violent protests by these groups. At least one of the speakers at the CVUSD meeting was visibly present during these violent protests. Much of this hatred is being fueled by GOP Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. The target of his hatred has not only been members of the LGBTQ+ community but also immigrants and racial minorities. Just last week it was revealed that DeSantis' education department released standards stating that "slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit". Despite the passage of the "Don't Say Gay" and Stop Woke laws by DeSantis and his minions in the Florida legislature, the Los Angeles Unified School District signed a $6 million contract with the Florida Virtual School, which is affiliated with the Florida Department of Education. Under this contract, up to 6,000 Los Angeles students will be using services provided by this school in Florida. Will the curriculum used in this program exclude acknowledgment of the LGBTQ+ community or pretend that slaves benefited from their lack of freedom? Unfortunately, the LAUSD Board did not even debate this contract nor have they answered to the criticism of it. I ask that you use the same courage that you displayed at the CVUSD meeting to confront the members of the LAUSD Board. Families in Los Angeles deserve to know whether the hatred in Florida is being spread to our students. Tired of holding their prop, Christian Nationalist protestors place the American flag on the floor. (Image by Chino Valley Unified School District) Details DMCA Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). ND3 Inc is proud to announce that it has been awarded a contract that provides critical infrastructure along with all the peripherals needed for installation to an undisclosed US Military Facility in an austere overseas location. We are elated to be a part of supporting the US Military providing them with excellent service and equipment. https://www.nd3inc.com/logistics From the very beginning, ND3's vision has always been to be the premier interoperability service provider With the stroke of a pen, Baltimore Mayor Brandon D. Scott has signaled his commitment to the health, well-being, and longevity of city residents after signing a groundbreaking proclamation in honor of Maryland Vegan Restaurant Month, which runs through August 27. Acknowledging the limitations Black and Brown residents face in accessing healthy and nutritious foods-critical to the prevention of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes-Mayor Scott's proclamation is inclusive in nature, meeting BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. Azerbaijan has once again provided free passage for Armenian residents living in Karabakh through the Lachin border checkpoint with the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) operating on the Hakari River on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, Trend reports. The process of registration of civilians traveling from Khankendi to Gorus is being carried out at the Lachin border checkpoint. This once again testifies to the absence of any obstacles on the part of Azerbaijan at the border checkpoint across the state border. Armenia's statements and actions in recent days regarding the border are purely provocative. 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 Blue Suisse financial company has launched MetaTrader 5 for its clients. According to Blue Suisse's statement, the company's commitment in providing personalized, top-notch trading services has always been at the forefront of its business strategy. The global trading landscape is constantly evolving, requiring all market players to embrace innovative solutions. To stay ahead of the curve, companies continuously seek to adopt cutting-edge technologies. Mr. Sinan Aslan, Blue Suisse Director, has DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a regular reader of your column in the Sarasota, Florida, Herald-Tribune. I happen to be on 200 mg of hydroxychloroquine daily for my rheumatoid arthritis. There are mosquitos carrying Plasmodium vivax here, and so far, four people have contracted the disease. Does hydroxychloroquine offer any protection? -- A.L. ANSWER: There are four closely related parasites that cause malaria, and P. vivax is the most dangerous kind. Although malaria was declared to be eradicated from the U.S., there have been reports of sporadic cases. In 2003, for example, there were eight cases in Palm Beach County, Florida. Prevention of malaria in these circumstances is far more effective through public health measures (such as the measures taken for travelers heading to malaria-endemic countries) than from prophylactic medicine. In this case, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as local governments, are performing aerial and truck spraying for mosquitos. They also advise draining any items that hold water, such as old tires, bird baths, buckets and trash containers, at least once a month. Using screens on windows and doors and applying mosquito repellant are other effective ways to protect yourself against malaria. Hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment and preventive agent for P. vivax malaria in many parts of the world, but its use can be limited due to resistant parasites. The CDC did not report whether these cases were from hydroxychloroquine-resistant parasites, so I cannot say whether the hydroxychloroquine youre taking is highly effective. However, you are taking a much higher dose for your rheumatoid arthritis than the dose normally used for malaria prevention, so it may be protecting you. Since people with chronic conditions are at a higher risk, Id urge you to be cautious and implement other measures, since the medication isnt guaranteed protection. Id also recommend against readers in your area taking any kind of prophylactic medicine, since the number of cases is so small that the benefit likely isnt worth the risk (although additional cases have been reported since you wrote your letter). DEAR DR. ROACH: In your recent response to a question about treating obstructive sleep apnea, you mentioned the benefit of using a CPAP machine. You also mentioned that adding supplemental oxygen while sleeping could make sleep apnea worse. I am 80 now and have used two liters of oxygen at night with my CPAP for nine years. It was prescribed to help control my atrial fibrillation, which was exacerbated by my sleep apnea. Eight years ago, I had open-heart surgery (due to an aortic aneurysm) and underwent the maze procedure, which, thankfully, resolved my AFib. Should I ask my doctor about discontinuing oxygen at night and just keep using my CPAP? -- B.R.H. ANSWER: I want to emphasize that some people need oxygen and also need treatment, such as a CPAP, for obstructive sleep apnea. The theoretical concern is in people who are using oxygen instead of a CPAP, which can slow down breathing. There is no risk in people using oxygen along with a CPAP. However, since you were using oxygen for AFib (which you no longer have), you may no longer need the oxygen, so its a good idea to ask your doctor about it. * * * Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu or send mail to 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. (c) 2022 North America Syndicate Inc. All Rights Reserved The bicyclist killed in a crash in Clackamas County on Saturday morning was a manager at Mt. Hood Skibowl, according to a resort spokesperson. Mark Hendrickson, 48, leaves behind a wife and two children. I lost my best friend, life partner, husband and father to our boys, his wife, Casey Hendrickson, wrote on Facebook. He passed away doing what he loved. Mark Hendrickson, a Government Camp resident, was pedaling south on Oregon 173 from Timberline Lodge when a driver of a white Hyundai Tucson turned in front of him, crossing into his lane, police said. Mark Hendrickson collided with the car and was ejected from his bike just before 8 a.m. He died at the scene. No charges have been brought against the driver, identified as 71-year-old Emilio Trampuz, but the investigation is ongoing, police said. John Davis, a friend of Trampuz who was in the area leading a bike ride, said Trampuz was volunteering and putting up red flags to outline ski trails at Skibowl. Davis helps organize events with Trampuz for their recreational group, the Mountain High Snowsport Club. Davis didnt have details on the crash, and said he arrived at the scene after the collision. It broke his heart, Davis said. I still dont understand really why it happened, but I believe Emilio just didnt see him. Trampuz did not return a phone call Tuesday. Supporters have posted two GoFundMe fundraisers for the Hendrickson family, and they have raised over $20,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. Mark Hendrickson started working at Skibowl about four years ago, according to a statement from the resort. He was a mountain manager. Mark not only made Mt. Hood Skibowl a better place to work and visit, he made all of us just better people, the statement said. Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; 503-319-9744 Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe An Oregon Health & Science University physician assistant faces two sex-abuse counts involving a 19-year-old patient, Beaverton police said Monday. Alvin Ashneel Prasad, 34, pleaded not guilty after a grand jury handed up an indictment last Friday on two charges, one a felony and the other a misdemeanor. He has been released conditionally from jail and is scheduled to be back in court August 28. Prasad joined OHSU in April 2021 and worked at the universitys Immediate Care Clinics, an OHSU spokesperson said in a written statement. As soon as OHSU was made aware of the allegations, Mr. Prasad was immediately placed on leave, the spokesperson said, directing further questions to the Beaverton police department. His access to OHSU patient information and facilities has been terminated. Prasads staff webpage is no longer available, but an archive of the universitys website shows him employed as a physician assistant as recently as June, with 327 customer ratings and 141 reviews, the most recent He was very good submitted July 5. He graduated from OHSUs physician assistant program in 2020 and received his license several months later. The work locations listed on his license page are OHSUs Beaverton and South Waterfront locations. One of the conditions of Prasads release is that he not work in the medical field. The indictments felony charge sexual abuse in the second degree accuses Prasad of penetrating the patients vagina with an object. The misdemeanor charge accuses Prasad of touching a womans vagina without her consent on July 26. According to Prasads staff profile on OHSUs archived webpage, Prasad served in the U.S. Navy for six years, and he and his wife moved to Portland after the university accepted him to its physician assistant program. The couple does not have any children, unless you count 3 cats, his wife wrote in an affidavit to the court. Fedor Zarkhin; fzarkhin@oregonian.com Ive always done art, says Daren Todd. But I never thought I could make a career out of it. However, in a pivot inspired by the pandemic, Todd has moved beyond his former focus on music to embrace visual arts, and working as a curator. The most recent example of Todds efforts as a curator, Black History IS History, is a group exhibition by regional Black artists on display at the Multnomah Arts Center in Southwest Portland. The show was curated by Todd and Steph Littlebird, this years guest leaders of the MAC Gallery Committee. The Multnomah Arts Center is part of Portland Parks & Recreation, and, in addition to visual arts exhibitions in its gallery space, the center offers arts education programs, performance events, and more. The Multnomah Arts Center Association is an all-volunteer organization that offers scholarships, and other activities intended to support equity and access to arts education and other community engagement at the arts center. Daren Todd is, with Steph Littlebird, co-curator of the "Black History IS History" exhibit at the Multnomah Arts Center Gallery show. I think right now, a lot of people are thinking about diversity in the arts, and changing the representational pool, says Todd. Being a Black, transgender man, I go out of my way to look for the media that represents us. In most peoples everyday life, they dont necessarily meet people like me, or know people like me. As a young person, Todd, now 32, says, If I had seen more representations of myself in the arts world, I would think, Thats possible, to pursue art as a career. My goal is to just try and think about the next generation, and to include more people like me, more queer people, more Black people. HERE IS OREGON: HereisOregon.com | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok Megan Hatch, Multnomah Arts Center gallery specialist, writes in an email that each year, two regional artists from communities that have been under-represented or misrepresented in the Western art world are invited to partner with the arts center gallerist to act as jurors of the annual open call, and then pairing the selected artists for exhibitions. They are also invited to select a theme for an annual group exhibition, and to curate that show with the operational support of the gallerist, Hatch writes. In this way, their expertise and leadership shapes the MAC exhibition program each year. "Beast Sister," a work by artist Mahma Jaguar, is among the works included in the "Black History IS History" exhibit at the Multnomah Arts Center Gallery. In a statement accompanying the arts center exhibition, which runs through Sept. 2, Todd says, We are living in a time where our history is being erased, distorted, and ignored on many levels through our education system, in the courts, and in the media. As artists, we find ourselves in a unique position. At a time when the academicians, historians, reporters, and others are being silenced, I believe we have an opportunity to use our work to express and preserve what is being erased. Black History IS History creates a space for Black artists from the Pacific Northwest to reflect on the Black experience and to use their work in the continued fight for Black civil rights. Todds co-curator, Littlebird, is also an artist, curator and writer who is a member of Oregons Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes. Her resume includes such projects as curating This IS Kalapuyan Land, a reframing of what had been an existing exhibit that reflected stereotypical notions about Native people. That exhibit has been displayed at the Five Oaks Museum and Pittock Mansion in Portland, and was also featured in a segment that aired on the PBS NewsHour program. As Littlebird said in an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive earlier this year, for too long, Native American culture hasnt been appropriately honored. Instead, she said, dismissive messages have been sent by fine arts institutions that dont regard our work as fine art, or history museums that dont regard our history as valid unless they say its valid. Related: Oregons Steph Littlebird on new book and exhibit about Native resilience: I want children to know this history Todd is a muralist, illustrator and designer, and, as the owner of Art Larger Than Me, he has also worked with commercial clients. His focus on visual arts came about, he says, in part because of the pandemic. When he first moved from California to Portland in 2017, Todd says, he largely concentrated on music, performing in venues around Portland. But when COVID lockdowns shuttered performance spaces in 2020, Todd redirected his creative vision, and focused on painting murals and other works, while also learning about digital art design. In collaborating with Littlebird on the arts center shows, Todd says one of their goals was to showcase a range of artists. The Black History IS History community group exhibit features work by Nyasha Madamombe, a multidisciplinary artist who was raised in Zimbabwe, and whose work, as she has said, investigates human connections and my relationship with my present world, via the ancient Zimbabwean world of my ancestors; Ancestors who exist now only in traditions, stories, artifacts, and through me and my experience in new worlds. I am guided by the ancient African philosophy of Hunhu/Ubuntu which is the essence of that which makes us human: our compassion and connection to each other, for I am who I am because we all are. Alice Price's "Give Him Roses Without Thorns" is among the works included in the "Black History IS History" exhibit at Multnomah Arts Center Gallery. Central pieces in the exhibit include busts sculpted by Madamombe, in which the figures are adorned with beads or facial markings. The show includes other pieces, including a cut paper collage, The Very Last Time We Touched, by Nia Musiba, featuring a figure with a broken heart, and arms reaching in from either side of the image; colorful paintings by Raphael El Khalif; an art quilt made from Ghanaian and West African wax print fabric, called Jambalaya, by LaVerne Lewis; and a mixed-media assemblage by Jreyesha Brannon, called Black Liberation, a box-like object with an exterior panel that has text supposedly depicting portions of a persons brain, with areas labeled AFRO-CENTRIC, DREAM, STRUGGLE, FREEDOM, FAMILY, and more. In terms of what he wishes visitors may experience at the art center gallery, Todd says, I really hope people take the time to be present with the work, to empathize with where the artists are, and what their world might look like. Im hoping for an exchange of understanding. Kristi Turnquist 503-221-8227; kturnquist@oregonian.com; @Kristiturnquist Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe Oregon cherry prices fell near or below the cost of harvest this summer, to about 55 cents per pound, according to a state representative from one of Oregons most important cherry growing hubs, and growers are asking the governor to declare a state of disaster to help the industry. In a good year, growers hope to see $2.50 to $3.00 per pound for Pacific Northwest sweet cherries, as The Oregonian/OregonLive reported last month. In an open letter to Gov. Tina Kotek, Rep. Jeff Helfrich, R-Hood River, said a disaster declaration would allow growers to seek financial aid after enduring a fourth consecutive season of disappointment. Elisabeth Shepard, a spokesperson for the governor, said in an emailed statement that Kotek is prioritizing the request and is weighing what state and federal aid may be available to Oregon growers. Shepard did not specify when Kotek was expected to reach a decision. The Governor recognizes the serious impact of these losses on cherry farmers incomes, Shepard wrote. The Governors office and the Oregon Department of Agriculture have been working with the cherry industry and local and federal partners on the ground to see what resources are available for cherry farmers facing losses this harvest season. A record cold and wet spring put Californias cherry harvest behind by three weeks this year, leading to a flooded marketplace by the time Oregon cherries were ready to harvest, said B.J. Thurlby, president of Northwest Cherry Growers, a Yakima-based nonprofit that markets cherries from Oregon and other nearby states. Californias harvest doesnt typically overlap with Oregons or Washingtons. International export restrictions due to the pandemic, crop disease and extreme weather that yo-yoed between record heat in 2021 and late snow in 2022 marred the three previous cherry seasons. Thurlby said California growers didnt have a plan to sell the late crop that came in well after their usual season, which led to reduced returns for growers across the country this season. Cherry prices hovered around $1 per pound when Oregons season started in late June. Unlike grain farmers who can sit on their product until the market is right to sell, cherry growers need to sell their crop before it rots at whatever price the market has set. This years low prices at the peak of harvest in early- to mid-July meant growers barely made enough to cover the costs of picking, with some opting not to pick the entirety of their orchards, Thurlby said. When we came into the market, it was already crashed, Thurlby said. It was already down, and then it just got worse from there. Farmhand Jose Manuel picks a bundle of cherries from a tree at Cooper Family Orchards on Friday, June 30, 2023. Manuel said he has been picking cherries for 11 years and enjoys it because it is less labor intensive than other crops. Cherries in the Pacific Northwest are typically harvested from June to early August, with different varieties of sweet cherries grown at varying elevations so they reach peak ripeness at different times. The measured schedule allows growers to rely on fewer employees to pick the fruit, ensures those farm workers have consistent work for the summer and prevents a backlog of cherries in packing and distributing facilities. This year, however, most cherry trees in Oregon bloomed and ripened around the same time. Thurlby said many growers struggled to keep up with the condensed harvest season. Stacey Cooper, a fifth-generation grower who owns and operates a 220-acre cherry orchard in The Dalles, said some of her cherries, and those of her neighbors, failed to reach the signature heft that cherries from the region are known for. She cited hot temperatures and weeks of high wind as the trees bloomed in the Columbia River Gorge as the likely causes. Things just didnt grow, Cooper said. Cooper said another tumultuous year for cherry growers may mean smaller family-run operations will have to close their doors, sell their orchards or consolidate with bigger operations to stay afloat. She cited a string of mergers and buyouts of fruit growing and packaging facilities in the Pacific Northwest, including the Goldman-Sachs funded merger of Washington-based Columbia Fruit Packers of Wenatchee and Frosty Packing of Yakima last year. As we all know, consolidation is coming and its coming fast, Cooper said. Nick Gibson; ngibson@oregonian.com; @newsynicholas Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe HONOLULU Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds burned multiple structures, forced evacuations and caused power outages in several communities late Tuesday as firefighters struggled to reach some areas that were cut off by downed trees and power lines. The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which was passing to the south of the island chain at a safe distance of 500 miles (805 kilometers), was partly to blame for gusts above 60 mph (97 kph) that knocked out power as night fell, rattled homes and grounded firefighting helicopters. Acting Governor Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation on behalf of Gov. Josh Green, who is traveling, and activated the Hawaii National Guard. Fire crews on Maui were battling multiple blazes concentrated in two areas: the popular tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. It wasnt immediately known how many buildings had burned, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said in a phone interview late Tuesday. Because of the wind gusts, helicopters werent able to dump water on the fires from the sky or gauge more precise fire sizes and firefighters were encountering roads blocked by downed trees and power lines as they worked the inland fires, Martin said. About 13,000 customers in Maui were without power, Hawaiian Electric reported Tuesday night. Its definitely one of the more challenging days for our island given that its multiple fires, multiple evacuations in the different district areas, Martin said. Winds were recorded at 80 mph (129 kph) in inland Maui and one fire that was believed to be contained earlier Tuesday flared up hours later with the big winds, she added. The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house, Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said. Hurricane Dora was complicating matters for firefighters in an already dry season. Hawaii is sandwiched between high pressure to the north and a low pressure system associated with Dora, said Jeff Powell, a meteorologist in Honolulu. The dryness and the gusts make a dangerous fire situation so that fires that do exist can spread out of control very rapidly, he said. Its kind of because of Hurricane Dora, but its not a direct result, he said, calling the fires a peripheral result of the hurricanes winds. In the Kula area of Maui, at least two homes were destroyed in a fire that engulfed about 1,100 acres (1.7 square miles, or 4.5 square kilometers), Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said. About 80 people were evacuated from 40 homes, he said. Were trying to protect homes in the community, Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth said of evacuating about 400 homes in four communities in the northern part of the island. As of Tuesday, the roof of one house caught on fire, he said. Fires in Hawaii are unlike many of those burning in the U.S. West. They tend to break out in large grasslands on the dry sides of the islands and are generally much smaller than mainland fires. Fires were rare in Hawaii and on other tropical islands before humans arrived, and native ecosystems evolved without them. This means great environmental damage can occur when fires erupt. For example, fires remove vegetation. When a fire is followed by heavy rainfall, the rain can carry loose soil into the ocean, where it can smother coral reefs. A major fire on the Big Island in 2021 burned homes and forced thousands to evacuate. The island of Oahu, where Honolulu is located, also was dealing with power outages, downed power lines and traffic problems, said Adam Weintraub, communication director for Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. The weather service had in effect a high wind warning and red flag warnings for dangerous fire weather, Powell said. These conditions were expected through Tuesday, decreasing throughout the day Wednesday and into Thursday. This story was originally posted online at underscore.news. At Fridays meeting of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, not an empty seat could be found. Members of tribes in Oregon, Washington and Idaho filled the 150 chairs set out at the department headquarters in Salem. Dozens more crowded around the edges of the room. The item at hand was a proposed agreement allowing the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to issue its own hunting and fishing licenses to tribal members for subsistence and ceremonial harvest only an agreement similar to those the state agency has already approved with four other tribes in Oregon. The seven-hour meeting included testimony from dozens of members of five tribal nations. The commission, which has no Indigenous members, voted four-to-three to approve Grand Rondes historic agreement. One side of the room erupted in celebration. For Grand Ronde, the decision was a step toward righting a major historical wrong. This agreement, I believe, is an important step forward, beyond some of the dark history the state of Oregon holds, said Kathleen George, a member of Grand Rondes tribal council. Grand Ronde members exchanged hugs, many with tears of joy streaming down their faces. Dancing and drumming filled the dimly lit state meeting room. Its a good night, Grand Ronde Chairwoman Cheryle Kennedy said, wiping tears from her eyes just after the decision was announced. Members of other tribes there, including Warm Springs Chairman Jonathan W. Smith, saw it differently. Its clear this agreement would impact our rights on the Willamette and lower Columbia, and they were not considered by ODFW in their decision, Smith said. Were evaluating our legal options. Ultimately, the agreement could spark a federal lawsuit. The conflict taps into more than 150 years of historical injustices perpetrated by state and federal governments handling of treaty rights. And critics of the decision Friday say it also reveals modern-day ignorance about how sovereign Indigenous nations govern themselves. The elephant in the room Grand Ronde Chairwoman Cheryle Kennedy, center wearing black, sits with Grand Ronde Councilwoman Kathleen George on her left at a meeting of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission held in Salem on Aug. 4, 2023.Karina Brown / Underscore News After hours of conflicting testimony, Oregons commissioners urged their own staff and tribal leaders to find a compromise over what Commissioner Leslie King called the elephant in the room. Willamette Falls. Umatilla, Warm Springs, Yakama and Nez Perce all have treaty rights to fish at their usual and accustomed places, which they say includes Willamette Falls. But Grand Ronde, and ODFW Director Curt Melcher, say the opposite. That Umatilla, Warm Springs, Yakama and Nez Perce do not have treaty rights at the falls, or anywhere on the Columbia River downstream of Bonneville Dam. To avoid inflaming this dispute, representatives for Umatilla, Warm Springs, Yakama and Nez Perce have requested through letters and public testimony revisions to Grand Rondes agreement with ODFW that would exclude Willamette Falls altogether. We suggest this revision because [Grand Ronde] disputes the existence of treaty-reserved rights at locations in these units, and we have had conflicts in the past, N. Kathryn Brigham, chair of the Umatilla board of trustees, wrote in a July 18 letter. A compromise was not possible in the one-hour time period provided by ODFW commissioners, in part because the governing structure of the tribes involved requires leaders present at Fridays meeting to discuss the matter with their tribal councils before publicly advocating for a new position. The chair and commissioners do not understand the treaty tribes and how they operate, Jeremy Takala, Yakama Nation tribal councilman and vice chair of Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, told Underscore News after the meeting. Jeremy Takala, Yakama Nation tribal councilman and vice chair of Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, addresses the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission at a meeting held in Salem on Aug. 4, 2023. Sitting next to Takala is Ferris Paisano, member of the Nez Perce executive committee.Karina Brown / Underscore News When it came time to vote, some ODFW commissioners seemed unclear about what they were voting on, with questions about an option to delay a vote to allow further consultation. Two of three who voted not to approve the agreement advocated for more time to confer between tribes. If we make this decision right now, and we just pick winners and losers, we are stepping out of what I believe is our role. I dont believe thats what we should do, said ODFW Commissioner Becky Hatfield-Hyde, who voted against approving the agreement. I absolutely want the Grand Ronde tribe to have a co-management agreement with the state of Oregon, and I want more alignment with the rest of the tribes when that happens. But the commission voted to approve the agreement as-is, without building consensus among tribes. Grand Ronde joins four other tribes who operate under such agreements The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and the Coquille Indian Tribe. We were held hostage The fundamental issue disagreement about the rights of multiple tribes at Willamette Falls is informed not only by tribes own individual and shared histories, but also by the limitations and concessions forced by colonization. Today, Grand Ronde tribal members have a limited ability to fish for lamprey and salmon at Willamette Falls under agreements with the state of Oregon. Its something their ancestors have done since time immemorial. The Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855, negotiated between Grand Ronde leaders and Joel Palmer, includes Willamette Falls. But it doesnt specifically name fishing or hunting rights, or reserve the tribes rights to usual and accustomed places a phrase common in treaties negotiated by Isaac Stevens. That language is included in the treaties signed by Umatilla, Warm Springs, Yakama, Nez Perce and others. But David Harrelson, cultural resources manager for Grand Ronde, says the tribe still has hunting and fishing rights on its off-reservation ceded lands because Indigenous tribes retain all rights not expressly granted under the treaties. Another mechanism of colonization sets Grand Ronde apart from Umatilla, Warm Springs, Yakama and Nez Perce: termination. During the Termination Era of federal Indigenous policy, the U.S. government enacted devastating laws based on the idea that Indigenous people should be forced to assimilate into American society by giving up their tribal identities. The Western Oregon Termination Act of 1954 ended federal recognition of Grand Rondes tribal sovereignty, along with all other tribes west of the Cascades in Oregon. In all, Congress passed 46 laws terminating 109 tribes around the U.S., 62 of which were in Oregon. In 1983, after decades of tireless work from tribal members, the Grand Ronde Restoration Act reinstated the federal governments recognition of Grand Rondes sovereign status. While the Grand Ronde Restoration Act rendered the Western Oregon Termination Act inapplicable to tribes and restores all rights and privileges which may have been diminished or lost under it, the law also states that it precludes the restoration of any hunting, fishing or trapping rights under this act. The restoration act very specifically says everything that was terminated has been restored, Harrelson said. Theres an argument we have heard for years now from up-river tribes that says, They were terminated, so they dont have rights. And thats not how that works. Additionally, the state of Oregon balked at returning land the government seized from Grand Ronde as part of termination. The tribe was forced to make a terrible choice: gain back some of its land by agreeing to give up the hunting and fishing rights outside their reservation. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians had to sign a similar consent decree. We were held hostage the choice was remain a landless people or sign the decree, Kennedy told commissioners on Friday. The new state agreement will expand fishing and hunting access for Grand Ronde, but it is not intended to increase the consent decree, according to Davia Palmeri, conservation policy coordinator at ODFW. However, it is intended to allow the tribe to once again oversee fishing and hunting management for tribal members. It applies only to subsistence and ceremonial fishing, not commercial fishing. This agreement does not affect any other tribes, Kennedy said during the commission meeting. Its not about treaty rights, its an agreement with the state of Oregon. Tribal leadership from Nez Perce, Warm Springs, Umatilla and Yakama Nation worry this is not the case. We do not deny that [Grand Ronde] is a victim of historical injustice like all tribes, which is why our elders supported the restoration of [Grand Rondes] status as a federally-recognized tribe, Warm Springs Chairman Jonathan W. Smith wrote in a June 5 letter to ODFW. [Grand Ronde], however, ought not be allowed, as a matter of fairness and equity, to remedy any injustice visited upon it by the United States, the State of Oregon, or others at our expense or that of other Oregon tribes. 'It feels like an attack In a June 5 letter to ODFW, Chairman Smith said Grand Rondes agreement with the state could interfere with rights reserved under Warm Springs 1855 treaty. Warm Springs tribal citizens, like citizens of Umatilla, Yakama and Nez Perce, have the treaty-reserved right to fish off-reservation at all usual and accustomed areas. This right has been repeatedly affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. The four Columbia River treaty tribes exercise these rights through harvest and restoration work, both individually and through their work together at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC). Tribal leaders from Umatilla, Warm Springs and Yakama told Underscore News they see a threat to their usual and accustomed, treaty-reserved rights, which they say apply at Willamette Falls and in the Columbia River below the Bonneville Dam. It feels like an attack from Grand Ronde thats going to impact our treaty resources, Takala said. The commission incorporated some, but not all, of the feedback objecting tribes provided. The agreement adopted on Friday excludes state-owned lands at Willamette Falls and any area on the Columbia River upriver of the Bonneville Dam. Another addition to the version adopted by the commission: The summit and any area east of the summit of the Cascades included in the Santiam Unit are also excluded to ensure that there is no overlap between the geographic scope of the proposed Agreement and the ceded lands of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs as described in the Treaty of 1855. Both ODFW representatives and Grand Ronde Chairwoman Kennedy explicitly stated that the agreement will not impact treaty rights of other tribes. An agreement of this sort does not have the authority or the scope or the intent to change any other tribes treaty rights, Grand Ronde Councilwoman Kathleen George told Underscore News. An agreement like this is not the vehicle for that. It really is a co-management agreement intended to let Grand Ronde tribal members hunt and fish in their ceded lands. It really is not about any other agenda. Corrine Sams, an elected member of the Umatilla board of trustees and chair of the board of commissioners for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, made clear that the dispute is confined to the geography of the agreement. We were not opposing the entirety of the Grand Ronde [agreement], rather voicing our concerns for the lack of consultation from ODFW and Grand Ronde with the treaty tribes, Sams said. The four Columbia River treaty tribes were simply asking ODFW to complete consultation to address our specific concern regarding the broad geographical area proposed. But some opposed are concerned that this is an attempt for Grand Ronde to assert rights at places where Umatilla, Warm Springs, Yakama and Nez Perce currently hunt and fish including at Willamette Falls. Corrine Sams, an elected member of the Umatilla board of trustees and chair of the board of commissioners for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, poses for a photo at the second annual Lamprey Celebration, hosted in 2023 by Yakama Nation.Jarrette Werk / Underscore News & Report for America A threat of litigation Seated behind tribal leaders for Warm Springs, Umatilla, Nez Perce and Yakama during the meeting was a row of men in dark suits Warm Springs attorneys. A July 27 letter to the commission from Warm Springs Chairman Jonathan W. Smith foreshadowed their presence, urging the commission not to approve the agreement with Grand Ronde to avoid triggering possible federal litigation. The fear of a potential lawsuit was clear among the commissioners, who paused the meeting at one point to hold a closed door session where they discussed the possibility that their decision on the agreement could trigger a lawsuit akin to U.S. v. Oregon, one of the longest running lawsuits in U.S. history and a case that has revamped the governments responsibility to enforce tribal fishing rights guaranteed in treaties. Dozens of Grand Ronde tribal citizens made the trek to Salem on Friday. Prior to the commission meeting they ate together and passed out Grand Ronde flags. When the commission announced its decision, Grand Ronde tribal members celebrated together, giving hugs all around. Our hearts are filled with joy and gratitude we took a step toward righting a historic wrong, said Grand Ronde Council Member Kathleen George. We know that we can work with the state, and with other tribes, to make fish and wildlife resources better for everyone. And we can do that in cooperation. Others were not so happy. There will be steps taken, Takala told Underscore. Its not over. Corrections: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the agreement excluded state-owned lands in the Santiam Management Unit. The story also inaccurately said that ODFW wants to sign agreements similar to the one it approved with Grand Ronde with all nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon. The state planned to adopt these agreements with all federally recognized tribes west of the Cascades. Grand Rondes agreement is the final one in that series. The four federally recognized tribes east of the Cascades already have treaty rights to hunt, fish and co-manage land. Underscore News regrets the errors. Gov. Tina Kotek is encouraging district attorneys and community corrections directors to contact her office directly when someone whose sentence has been commuted violates the conditions of their release in a manner that warrants revocation of their commutation. Kotek will review each case individually based on the facts of each case and with an aim of keeping our communities safe, she wrote in a letter dated Tuesday. Gov. Tina Kotek announced Wednesday she is launching a task force focused on bolstering the economic future of Portlands central city, which continues to reel from converging crises. Kotek and the Oregon Business Council will convene a panel of local elected officials, business executives and civic leaders beginning later this month, she told The Oregonian/OregonLive in an interview. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. The list of imported machinery, technological equipment, and installations, as well as raw materials and materials categorized by economic activities and goods nomenclature, exempted from value-added tax and customs duties in the liberated territories, has been approved, Trend reports. The Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, Ali Asadov, has signed the relevant decree. Previously, on July 17, this year, the import of personal armor and mine-detecting dogs into Azerbaijan was exempt from taxes and customs duties through a bill amending Azerbaijan's law "On customs tariff" signed by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. According to the amendment, on the basis of a supporting document of the body (institution) established by the relevant executive authority, the import of goods intended for de-mining liberated territories as well as other war-affected territories of Azerbaijan, including explosives-containing devices, all types of machinery, equipment, technical means, and devices, their spare parts, protective clothes, tools, mine-detecting dogs, explosives, and pyrotechnics, is exempt from custodial measures. Ten Republican and Independent senators who participated in a six-week walkout this spring wont be allowed to run for reelection, Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade announced Tuesday. Griffin-Valade wrote that she views voter-approved Measure 113 as disqualifying Oregon lawmakers who received 10 or more unexcused absences during the 2023 legislative session from running for reelection in 2024. That was clearly what voters intended, even though wording of the full text of the measure said absentee lawmakers couldnt run in the election after their term, whereas lawmakers run for reelection about two months before their terms end. Ballot language and media coverage all communicated to voters that the punishment for absences would impact lawmakers in their next term, not a later one. It is clear voters intended Measure 113 to disqualify legislators from running for reelection to a term immediately following the one in which they have 10 or more unexcused absences, Griffin-Valade said in a statement. My decision honors the voters intent by enforcing the measure the way it was commonly understood when Oregonians added it to our state constitution. She said she directed the Oregon Elections Division not to accept reelection filings from any lawmaker who skipped that much work. Voters approved Measure 113 in November as an attempt to crack down on walkouts at the Legislature which Republicans used in 2019 and 2020 to kill priority bills for Democrats, including greenhouse gas cap-and-trade proposals. But the ambiguous language in the measure came under scrutiny after Republicans once again used the walkout tactic during the 2023 legislative session to get Democrats to water down bills on gun control and reproductive health care. Measure 113 states that lawmakers who receive 10 or more unexcused absences shall be disqualified from holding office as a Senator or Representative for the term following the election after the members current term is completed. Boycotting Republicans have argued that the language will enable them to run for reelection in 2024, but not 2028. The Secretary of States Office, however, argued in a press release that courts have emphasized that the text of adopted ballot measures must be interpreted in a way that is consistent with the voters intent. And voters universally understood Measure 113 would prohibit legislators who accumulate 10 or more unexcused absences during a legislative session from holding office in the immediate next term. Griffin-Valades office also pointed out that media reports and the Voters pamphlet interpreted the measure to mean that lawmakers who received 10 or more unexcused absences would be prohibited from serving their next term. Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, said in a statement Tuesday that he and other lawmakers who boycotted the Senate will challenge Griffin-Valades determination in court. He said the plain language in Measure 113 allows for lawmakers who received 10 or more unexcused absences to run in 2024. Knopp contended that Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, imposed unexcused absences during the session to quash the free speech of lawmakers who challenged his failed leadership. It appears the Democrat Attorney General and the Democrat Secretary of State are willing to cover for the Democrat Senate President Rob Wagners decision to ensure Measure 113 quashes the free speech of minority Senate Republicans as it was designed to do by political special interests, Knopp said in a statement. Knopp, along with eight other Republicans and Sen. Brian Boquist, I-Dallas, racked up more than 10 unexcused absences during the six-week walkout this spring, disqualifying them for reelection under Griffin-Valades interpretation of Measure 113. In addition to Knopp and Boquist, the senators disqualified under Measure 113 are: Daniel Bonham of Madras, Lynn Findley of Vale, Bill Hansell of Athena, Cedric Hayden of Fall Creek, Dennis Linthicum of Klamath Falls, Art Robinson of Cave Junction, Kim Thatcher of Keizer and Suzanne Weber of Tillamook. Six of those lawmakers have only one year left in their terms: Knopp, Boquist, Linthicum, Robinson, Findley and Hansell. Hansell has announced he will retire once this term ends. Jamie Goldberg; jgoldberg@oregonian.com; 503-221-8228; @jamiebgoldberg Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe When a pair of Australian Cattle Dogs arrived at Multnomah County Animal Services last November, they were terrified. Staff members observed them trembling inside their kennel and nervously licking their lips. They only seemed at ease when curled up in the back of their kennel, one resting her head on the other. But slowly, Fig and Petunia warmed up and became beloved by staff members and volunteers alike. They really came out of their shell once we showed them love, volunteer Kelley Sherman said. Sherman hoped the two dogs would be adopted to a caring home where they could live out their lives together. So did their former owner, who, according to shelter records, told staff, They are sisters, they have been together forever, please try to adopt them out together. Instead, a series of mistakes by leaders and staff members led to the dogs being allegedly neglected by an adopter with a sordid history while the shelter failed to follow its own protocol to try to get the dogs back. Seven months after becoming aware of the alleged neglect, shelter leaders dont know whether the dogs are alive. Alicia Mendez, a spokesperson for the county, said the case was not handled as it should have been and that the shelter has made policy reforms and had staff undergo training with the District Attorneys Office as a result. But the episode, which occurred under the watch of the shelters current leaders, raises questions about their ability to repair the troubled shelter, which is undergoing a review mandated by Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson after years of inaction to address serious concerns. THE ADOPTION Records show that the shelter agreed to adopt Fig and Petunia to Gerald Borton on Dec. 17 of last year. That was despite Borton telling adoption counselor Jessica Haltinner that his previous dog had escaped and now lives with the coyotes, according to notes written in the dogs shelter files. Haltinner wrote in shelter records a day before Borton picked up the animals that she felt he was a bad fit and that the two fearful dogs were likely to run away if left off leash. Haltinner is one of multiple volunteers and staff members who have raised concerns in interviews with The Oregonian/OregonLive about adoptions they think shouldnt have happened. Marian Cannell, the shelters operations manager, acknowledged that Haltinner noted her concerns in the dogs files. But Cannell said the shelters system isnt set up to alert managers when notes are entered. She said Haltinner should have spoken directly with a supervisor. Cannell also acknowledged that adoption counselors had long felt discouraged from raising concerns about potential adopters because they had been told by previous managers that the countys policy was to adopt to anyone. As part of its work with consultants from the University of Wisconsin, the shelter has prioritized getting animals out quickly, in recognition of the stress the shelter environment causes on pets. But Cannell says that doesnt mean they should adopt pets to the first person who walks through the door. I do not believe the counselors felt confident enough to approach their manager or supervisor to say I have some concerns about this and feel there was a result that happened as a result, Cannell said. I think that process has changed. Weve had some really intense conversations with staff. When the shelter allowed Borton to adopt Fig and Petunia, they did not know that the Southeast Portland man had a long criminal record that included convictions for harassment, domestic violence and felony robbery. Nor did they know that the nearby Oregon Humane Society had placed Borton on their do not adopt list in 2010, something county shelter officials learned later. Multnomah County Animal Services like other shelters in the Portland metro area does not run background checks on potential adopters. The shelter is now exploring how to establish a shared do not adopt list with other local shelters, Mendez said. On Dec. 18, Borton took the dogs home. The county gave them to him for free something that other local shelters said is not uncommon as part of a promotion to help move pets more quickly through the overcrowded shelter. CAUSE FOR CONCERN Three weeks after Fig and Petunia left the shelter, Gerald Bortons son, Seth Borton, called Multnomah County Animal Services, alarmed at the conditions in which the dogs were being kept. He told field officers that one dog was inside a crate too small for her while the other was in a shed at the back of the property. The house itself, he told The Oregonian/OregonLive, wasnt set up for people or pets. He said there were holes in the floor that he saw animals crawl through. He told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he hadnt seen his dad feed the dogs in at least a week by the time he called the county. He told field officers that his father had separated the two dogs and they were living in their own waste with limited access to food. A seven-second video he provided to field officers shows Petunia lying unmoving in a crate, her eyes half closed, with a wound or bed sore on her right leg. When field officer Megan Schiewe visited the house, however, she was only able to observe Fig, who was sitting in a back building with a blanket and water. Gerald Borton met Schiewe at the back of the house and told her she couldnt enter without a warrant, records show. Seth Borton told The Oregonian/OregonLive that his dad kicked him out later that day. He said that Petunia was dead by the time he left. Given the conditions the dogs were living in, he suspects that Fig may be dead by now, too. I thought if I showed animal control that video, they would bring the cops here, he said. It infuriates me that this was just able to happen. Over the next month and a half, records show, field officers tried multiple times to contact Gerald Borton and compel him to bring the dogs to the shelter for examination. At one point, Borton claimed he had been in the hospital since December for a flesh eating bacterial infection. Schiewe reminded him she had seen him at his home the week before. He ultimately stopped picking up calls from the shelter. His landlord told field officers he was staying illegally at the property and she was in the process of evicting him. On Feb. 26, the shelter sent Borton two deprive of proper care notices by certified mail, informing him that they were suspending his dog ownership. The notices were returned to the shelter as undeliverable in April. The Oregonian/OregonLive tried calling the number listed for Gerald Borton in shelter records but it was disconnected. Another number listed for Borton was disconnected too. FAILURE TO FOLLOW PROTOCOL When field officers and managers at Multnomah County Animal Services determine theres probable cause for an animal related crime, county policy says they should contact the District Attorneys Office to potentially secure a search warrant. But after visiting Bortons home Jan. 9, shelter leaders waited more than two and a half months before taking that step. The first time the shelter reached out to any agency with the power to issue a warrant was when then-Field Manager Jeanette Farrell emailed Lead Humane Special Agent Chris Allori at the Oregon Humane Society on Feb. 2 nearly a month after field officers visited Bortons home. Thats when the shelter learned of Bortons criminal history and that he was on Oregon Humane Societys do not adopt list. Erin Grahek, who was named the permanent director of Multnomah County Animal Services last September, did not become aware of the Fig and Petunia case until late February when she was informed about it not by members of her staff but by volunteers who had learned of the case through public records. Was there good communication in that chain of command? There was not, Grahek said. As soon as volunteers came and raised the question, did I start asking more questions and push on how we were investigating? Yes, I did. On March 10, Grahek spoke with Allori, who told her it was unlikely that a judge would sign a warrant because the evidence was no longer current. Three weeks later, on March 29, Grahek, Lee Girard, then-interim director of the Department of Community Services, which oversees the shelter, and David Blankfeld, a county attorney, finally met with Deputy District Attorney Nicole Harris. Grahek said Harris wasnt sure whether there would have been enough evidence to issue a warrant in January but reiterated that the evidence was no longer current and that the shelter should have come to the District Attorneys Office earlier. Following that conversation, field officers returned to Bortons home to gather more evidence to no avail. The case is now closed, but Mendez said it could be reopened if more evidence becomes available. The policy directing field officers and managers to contact the District Attorneys Office early in an investigation was adopted in 2016, but Cannell said organizational changes and mission confusion led to staff deviating from that policy to focus on building a case first. Cannell and Grahek have since participated in trainings with the District Attorneys Office and the Oregon Humane Society and have directed their staff to contact the district attorney earlier in the investigation process. Grahek said the organization is currently working with the District Attorneys Office on about five cases. This is an organization that has experienced so much change in both leadership and staff and there are a couple things that I think suffered as a result of that, Grahek said. As theres been changes in directors, I think there has been variability in terms of clear accountability and understanding of everybodys role in the organization. MOVING FORWARD The shelter is undergoing extensive changes in response to Vega Pedersons review, ordered in January. That review was supposed to be complete in July. But Grahek told The Oregonian/OregonLive that she now expects it will take until at least September for the shelter to produce a draft of formal metrics and a timeline for improvements. In the meantime, Grahek said, the shelter is pushing ahead with reforms. It is in the process of assigning staff members to run dog play groups for the first time in years something Cannell said will allow the organization to better evaluate dogs so it can ensure they go to homes that best fit their personalities. Grahek said the shelter is also working to increase the number of animals that go to foster homes while they await adoption and to build relationships with nonprofit rescue organizations that can take animals that need significant behavioral support. However, volunteers and former staff members have raised concerns about the pace of the changes. More than half a year after Fig and Petunia left the shelter, they remain on the minds of many volunteers including Sherman. She worries about whether there are other animals that may have been adopted out too quickly despite red flags. It scares me to think of how many other dogs are in that situation and we dont even know, Sherman said. Jamie Goldberg; jgoldberg@oregonian.com; 503-221-8228; @jamiebgoldberg Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe The Beheaded Lover Murder Trial that recently shocked the world is continuing, with a fresh broadcast starting live coverage today, Wednesday, August 9 at 7 a.m. PT on Law & Crime Trial Network. Watch the trial continue live on the Law & Crime Trial Network, and if you missed the verdict being read by the jury last week, check out repeats playing all week long. Who is on trial and what is the trial about? Taylor Schabusiness is the 25-year-old Wisconsin woman who is on trial for murdering, beheading, sexually assaulting, and dismembering her lover, Shad Thyrion in his mothers home. Schabusiness is facing multiple charges including first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and third-degree sexual assault, which may land her in a sentence of up to life in prison. You can watch the Beheaded Lover Murder Trial LIVE for free with Philo (free trial), or with Fubo (free trial, plus the News Plus add-on). If you are out of free trials, you can also watch it live with Sling (promotional offers). HOW TO WATCH What: Beheaded Lover Murder Trial When: Wednesday, August 9 at 7 a.m. PT / 4 a.m. ET TV channel: Law & Crime Trial Network Watch live stream online: You can watch the Beheaded Lover Murder Trial LIVE for free with Philo (free trial), or with Fubo (free trial, plus the News Plus add-on). If you are out of free trials, you can also watch it live with Sling (promotional offers). You can find which channel Law & Crime Trial Network is by using the channel finders here: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, and Dish. More about how to find online deals, live stream sports and watch TV on the cheap: Hoka running shoes sale: Best-rated mens, womens Clifton, Bondi models on clearance now 8 best-selling and on sale air conditioners and fans to stay cool right now from Lowes, Amazon What is Philo? The cheapest live TV streaming service: Cost, what it includes How to watch DAZN on your TV: What is it, what does it cost and include? Boxing fights, MMA and more A weak system moving east from the coast will drag clouds into northwest Oregon early Wednesday and could drop a shower or too before the morning is over. The National Weather Service says there are chances of showers prior to about 7 a.m. in the Portland/Vancouver area, and better chances as you head northward into Washington. Clouds will stick around through mid morning, then gradually clear to a mostly sunny afternoon. The high will be near 81 degrees. National Weather Service radar picked up this band of clouds moving through the metro area at 5 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Clouds will begin to fill back in later Wednesday night and linger into Thursday morning. This will help keep high temperatures relatively mild. Portland should see clearing by the afternoon, and a high temperature of about 81 degrees. Friday will be a mostly sunny day with high temperatures moving back into the mid 80s. The forecasted high will be near 84 degrees. Later in the day, high pressure will begin to build into the region and onshore flow will increase. The weekend is looking warm and sunny with highs in the mid 80s on Saturday and reaching into the 90s by Sunday. Breezy northwest winds are expected on Sunday as well. Gusts of up to 25 mph are likely at times. The jury is still out on when and if Portland will see temperatures reach 100 next week. The current thinking has the citys chances at about 20% of reaching triple digits by Tuesday or Wednesday. Eugenes chances are greater -rising to about 50%. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. Azerbaijan's Lachin road has been misused by Armenia for the last 3 years. Unfortunately, all these years Lithuania has demonstrated silence, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Aykhan Hajizada, wrote on his page on X (Twitter), Trend reports. In his reply to statements of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis, Hajizada pointed out that it is better not to be deceived by false Armenian propaganda. "In order to prevent Armenias malign actions, Azerbaijan has established Lachin border checkpoint & suggested to use Aghdam-Khankendi road for deliveries. In the meantime, ICJ ruling of July 6, has unanimously rejected Armenian request to remove the checkpoint. Azerbaijan facilitates the transfer of Armenian residents in both directions. It would be more appropriate to urge Armenia to demonstrate more constructive approach, rather than undermine the peace process," the spokesman concluded. Meanwhile, 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. Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth on Tuesday launched a National Campaign Against Drugs with the objectives of mobilising and creating awareness among the population on the dangers and risks of drug use and promote the prevention of drug abuse BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev said, Trend reports. Hajiyev made a statement on X (Twitter), commenting on a biased article published in Forbes. "Ewelina U. Ochab, your article in Forbes distorts reality, is one-sided, and is used by propaganda and misinformation machines of Armenia. As a human rights advocate, you have never raised the rights and plights of millions more Azerbaijanis who were subject to ethnic cleansing by Armenia," he said. Hajiyev reminded that Azerbaijan has suffered a devastating 30-year-long military occupation by Armenia. As a result of millions of mines infested by Armenia on a daily basis, Azerbaijani civilians become victims of landmine terror. "Lachin road was illegally used by Armenia for trafficking of landmines. And military equipment and personnel. But you were in silence over all of these. Your article omits Azerbaijan's proposal to open the Agdam-Khankandi road along with Lachin road. Puppet separatist regime sponsored by Armenia keeps Armenian residents of our Karabakh region as hostages. Such noble status as a human rights advocate requires being neutral, free from political manipulation, objectiveness and fairness. I do regret that I haven't observed these merits in your Forbes article. Also, I regret that Forbes provides a platform for one-sided propaganda," Hajiyev said. Rome, Italy (PANA) - The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) is calling for safer legal paths to migration following the latest tragic attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe Brussels, Belgium (PANA) Marking the International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples on 9 August 2023, the European Union has reiterated its firm and continued commitment to the respect, protection and fulfilment of indigenous peoples rights as set out in international human rights law and in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Germany has confirmed it will extend the deployment of Patriot air defence systems in Poland until the end of 2023, the Polish defence ministry said on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Germany had offered to extend the presence of the Patriots in Poland until the end of the year. The German Defence Ministry, according to Reuters, announced that a further extension of the deployment "is not foreseen" because in 2024 some of the Patriots will be included in Nato's rapid response force, while others will have to undergo maintenance. In July, Mariusz Blaszczak, Polish defence minister, said after meeting his German counterpart Boris Pistorius in the south-eastern city of Zamosc, that Poland was interested in keeping German Patriot missile systems in Poland "at least until the end of the year". Germany deployed its Patriots to Poland in January after a stray Ukrainian surface-to-air missile landed on Polish territory last November killing two people. According to Reuters, along with three Patriot air defence systems, some 300 German soldiers are based in Zamosc, about 50 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. (PAP) mr/md/mf Photo: (Photo : Kent Tupas on Unsplash) Tierra Young Allen, known as the "Sassy Trucker" online, has finally departed from Dubai after being stranded in the United Arab Emirates for several months following an altercation at a car rental agency. According to FOX News, the 29-year-old Houston woman took a flight out of the UAE and will transit through the United Kingdom on her way back to the United States. This development came after she paid a $1,360 deposit to Dubai police to clear the travel ban that had been imposed on her. Advocacy Group Detained in Dubai Supports Tierra Young Allen Throughout Her Legal Challenges The circumstances surrounding the April altercation at the unidentified car rental agency remain unclear. Allen was reportedly involved in a rental car accident prior to the incident. Radha Stirling, who runs the advocacy group Detained in Dubai and has been representing Allen, had described her potential charges as stemming from "shouting" at an employee of the rental car agency. However, the exact details of what transpired during the altercation were not disclosed. According to ABC News, Stirling accused the car rental agency employee of acting aggressively towards Allen, raising his voice and following her in a threatening manner. On the other hand, Dubai police refuted this account and stated that they had received a complaint from the car rental agency, accusing Allen of slandering and defaming an employee during a dispute over car rental fees. The UAE's strict regulations on speech and behavior have caught many foreign visitors off guard. Actions considered innocuous in Western countries can lead to criminal cases in the UAE. Even a simple gesture like raising a middle finger in a traffic dispute or using offensive language in public can result in severe legal consequences. Under Emirati law, publicly insulting another person carries the potential penalty of up to one year in prison and a fine of $5,450. Disputes over rental car fees have seen other foreign tourists stuck in Dubai in the past, highlighting the importance of being aware of local laws and customs when traveling to the UAE. According to AP News, Allen's ordeal of being stranded in a foreign country for months resonates with the experiences of many Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Dubai. For countless Filipinos seeking better economic opportunities, Dubai has become a popular destination. However, navigating the legal system and understanding cultural differences can be daunting for OFWs. The case of Tierra Young Allen underscores the significance of consular assistance for citizens facing legal challenges abroad, particularly for the vast Filipino community in Dubai. Advocacy groups like Detained in Dubai can provide vital support and guidance for OFWs caught in legal disputes overseas. Read Also: California Family With Baby Gets Rescued After Getting Stuck for 3 Days in Tahoe National Forest From Months-Long Ordeal to Freedom: Tierra Young Allen's Journey Back Home Concludes Tierra Young Allen's case also brings attention to the issue of freedom of speech in the UAE. While the nation has made significant strides in modernization and economic development, its approach to speech and expression remains subject to scrutiny. OFWs, many of whom come from countries with more liberal laws regarding speech, must exercise caution in their communications and conduct to avoid any inadvertent violations of local laws. As a transportation professional and social media personality, Allen's followers have been following her journey closely since she became stranded. The support she received from her online community played a significant role in raising awareness about her situation and advocating for her safe return home, reminiscent of the strong networks that OFWs often rely on in times of distress. For individuals traveling to foreign countries, especially OFWs working abroad, it is essential to familiarize themselves with the local legal system and seek assistance from their respective embassies or consulates in case of any legal troubles. Consular officials can provide valuable guidance and support to citizens facing challenging situations abroad. As Allen's plane departed from Dubai, her long-awaited return to Houston marked the end of a trying chapter in her life. Her story serves as a cautionary tale for travelers and underscores the importance of understanding and respecting local laws and customs while venturing abroad. With her departure, Tierra Young Allen takes with her the lessons learned from an unforeseen and challenging experience while also leaving a lasting impact on the minds of those who followed her journey from stranded to free, resonating particularly with the struggles faced by OFWs in Dubai. Related Article: Father Let Daughter Drown To Prevent 'Strange' Rescuers From Touching, Dishonoring Her Photo: (Photo : GREG GIBSON / Getty Images) Ohio's contentious Issue 1 faced defeat, altering the landscape for reproductive rights in the state. The outcome of this heated race has implications for the upcoming November ballot, where the fight to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution continues. Advocates and opponents alike poured significant resources into the campaign, turning an otherwise unremarkable late-summer off-year special election into a high-stakes showdown. Issue 1's Defeat Shifts Dynamics for Abortion Rights NBC News reported that reproductive rights advocates in Ohio have been engaged in a fierce struggle over Issue 1, a proposed amendment that has the potential to impact the upcoming November election. This amendment was positioned as a countermeasure to Ohio's "heartbeat bill," which imposed stringent restrictions on abortion post-Roe v. Wade. The defeat of Issue 1 now has major implications for the fight to secure abortion rights in the state constitution. The defeat of Issue 1 marks a significant victory for abortion-rights groups, which have seen success in all seven states where abortion rights were at stake since the Roe v. Wade ruling was overturned. One key aspect of the Issue 1 debate was the proposed shift in the constitutional amendment process. For over a century, Ohio's state law required a simple majority to pass constitutional amendments. Issue 1 sought to establish a 60% threshold for passing such amendments, a change that garnered opposition from various quarters. The defeat of this measure maintains the existing requirement for a simple majority, making the path to amending the constitution potentially less arduous. According to the Associated Press, Dennis Willard, the representative for the opposing group One Person, One Vote, described Issue 1 as a misleading attempt to seize control, aimed at weakening the influence of Ohio's electorate. Addressing an exultant audience at the opposition campaign's gathering, Willard proclaimed, This evening marks a significant achievement for Ohio's democratic principles. The voice of the majority remains paramount in the state. Read Also: Florida Amusement Park Horror: Six-Year-Old Injured After Roller Coaster Fall at Fun Spot The Influence of Political Timing The timing of the August election raised eyebrows and led to accusations of political maneuvering. Initially, Ohio Republicans eliminated the August special elections, citing cost and low turnout as reasons. However, as the November election drew closer, Republicans changed their stance and scheduled the contentious August race. A video of Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose acknowledging the election's purpose further fueled claims that the timing was aimed at derailing a pro-abortion constitutional amendment. As per USA Today, Issue 1's failure has immediate implications for the upcoming November ballot. The defeat means that a proposed amendment enshrining abortion rights will require only a simple majority to be included in the state constitution. This change in dynamics could significantly impact the chances of the amendment's success. While public polling indicates strong support for including abortion rights in the state constitution, it falls just short of the proposed 60% threshold. The defeat of this measure sets the stage for a consequential November ballot, where Ohioans will have the opportunity to shape the state's stance on abortion rights through a simpler constitutional amendment process. As the nation watches, the outcome will undoubtedly have far-reaching implications for Ohio's reproductive rights landscape. Related Article: South Korea Prepares Mass Evacuation of 36,000 Scouts as Typhoon Khanun Approaches World Scout Jamboree Site Yesterday , Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple Sued Over 'Tetris' Film by Gizmodo Editor Dan Ackerman." Gizmodo, alleges Apple TV+ film Tetris illegally copied from his book on the popular video game, in a lawsuit he filed seeking at least $4.8 million in damages from Apple and others. Today's report covers the original "Preliminary Complaint" filed with the court along with other details including a copy of the actual court filing for you to review. Preliminary Statement The movie entitled "Tetris" demonstrated the confiscation of Dan Ackermans original work and creation of his book The Tetris Effect. Plaintiff Ackermans book took a unique approach to writing about the real history of Tetris, as it not only applied the historical record, but also layered his own original research and ingenuity to create a compelling narrative non-fiction book in the style of a Cold War spy thriller. Mr. Ackermans literary masterpiece, unlike other articles and writings, dispelled of the emphasis on the actual gameplay and fans, and instead concentrated on the surrounding narrative, action sequences, and adversarial relationship between the players. This was the identical approach Defendants adopted for the Tetris Film, without notable material distinction, but often resonating the exact same feel, tone, approach, and scenes as the book introduced several years prior. As demonstrated herein, it becomes readily apparent that the Tetris film is substantially similar in almost all material respects including specific chapters and pages of said book that were simply adopted from the book to the film, without Plaintiffs knowledge, authorization, or consent. Defendants Defendant Noah Pink is a Canadian citizen and purported screenwriter, and currently resides in Toronto, Ontario. When Mr. Ackerman created and published his book The Tetris Effect, Mr. Pink was unknown within the film industry and had no screenwriting credits to his name. Defendant Pink has been credited as the screenwriter for the Tetris film. Defendant APPLE INC. is a Delaware Corporation with corporate offices in multiple countries and major US cities, including New York. Apple is the platform and distributor for the Tetris film, and continues to show the Tetris film on its Apple TV platform in violation of Mr. Ackermans copyright Co-Defendant ACCESS INDUSTRIES, INC is a New York corporation and resident of New York conducting business and maintaining an office in New York City with a registered office at 80 State Street, Albany, New York 12207, and principal corporate offices at 730 Fifth Ave, 20th Floor, New York, New York 10019. Access Industries is one of the producers for the Tetris film. Defendant AI PRODUCTIONS LTD. is a subsidiary of Access Industries, with offices at 28 Church Road, Stanmore, Middlesex, England HA7 4XR. AI Productions is one of the producers for the Tetris film. Defendant MARV STUDIOS LTD. is an English private limited company with a registered office address at 11 Portland Mews, London, England, W1F 8JL, and conducting business with a fair amount of permanency and presence in New York. Marv Studios is one of the producers for the Tetris film. Defendant FB COMMISSIONING LTD. is an English private limited company with a registered office address at 11 Portland Mews, London, England, W1F 8JL, and conducting business with a fair amount of permanency and presence in New York. FB COMMISSIONING is one of the producers for the Tetris film. Defendant The Tetris Company is a Nevada corporation formed on November 27, 2018 with a Registered Office at 9788 GILESPIE STREET, SUITE 418, LAS VEGAS, NV, 89183. The Tetris Company is the manager and licensor for the Tetris brand to third parties. Maya Rogers is a resident of Hawaii and Nevada, and is the CEO of the Tetris Company. Ms. Rogers is also an Executive Producer on the Tetris Film The full lawsuit presented in full below also covers a "Statement of Facts;" Cause of Action One Copyright Infringement; Cause of Action Two: Unfair Competition (against Maya Rogers, Tetris Company and Noah Pink); and, Cause of Action Three: "Tortious Interference with Business Relations (Against May Rogers and Tetris Company). The Plaintiff requested the following relief from the Court: Actual and compensatory damages in an amount equal to 3% of the total production budget of the Tetris film; Punitive damages equal to 3% of the total production budget of the Tetris film; For an award of pre-judgment interest and post-judgment interest in the maximum amount permitted by law; For such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper. Copyright Lawsuit Filed by Daniel Ackerman Against Apple Inc,, Noah Pink Etc., by Jack Purcher on Scribd BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. The Western Azerbaijan Community condemns Lithuania's continuous nature towards Azerbaijan after the second Karabakh war and regrets that this country has demonstrated a selective approach on issues such as territorial integrity, sovereignty, separatism, the Western Azerbaijan Community told Trend. The Western Azerbaijan Community calls on Lithuania not to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, but to focus on solving its own problems related to national minorities. "If Lithuania considers itself a "herald of justice", then it would be better to use close relations with Armenia, which it considers its friend and which for 30 years has kept Azerbaijani territories under occupation and carried out ethnic cleansing, to raise the issue of the return of Western Azerbaijanis to the homeland of their ancestors before Yerevan," said the statement. Ghandour Cosmetics Ltd, a reputable local cosmetic manufacturing company in Accra, known for serving the beauty and personal care needs of Ghanaian families for over 25 years, is proud to announce its partnership with Stonebwoy, the renowned Afropop, dancehall, and reggae music icon in Ghana, and his family, for the launch of The GC Brand. This brand will serve as the flagship name, encompassing the 17 distinct brands in their product portfolio, which fall under Body, Hair, Hygiene, and Baby Care categories. The momentous launch event was held at Ghandour Cosmetics Ltd.s Spintex Headquarters in Accra. The occasion included a signing ceremony to formalize the partnership, an unveiling of The GC Brand's tagline "It's all about you," and the introduction of its newly refreshed website. Stonebwoy and his team had the opportunity to tour the Company's factory premises and take memorable photos with the Companys management and staff. Stonebwoy, (Livingstone Etse Satekla), will serve as the ambassador for The GC Brand's Soldier and Style Up brands, while his wife, Dr. Louisa Ansong-Satekla, will represent Princess and Kleanz brands. Their children, Jidula and Janam, will also be involved as representatives for the Baby Girl and Baby Boy brands, respectively. This partnership also marks and celebrates the first brand representation for Stonebwoy's children and for the family. Tanal Ghandour, the Founder and Managing Director of Ghandour Cosmetics Ltd, expressed delight in the collaboration, emphasizing the company's vision to be the best innovative, customer-oriented cosmetic company in Africa. Their commitment is to provide safe, high-quality, and affordable cosmetic products for all market segments. The association with Stonebwoy, a celebrated artist in Ghana and Africa, aligns with Ghandour Cosmetics' pursuit of delivering excellence to their customers. The company is happy to have Stonebwoy's family represent the brand and collaborate in achieving their shared vision. In endorsing the brand, Stonebwoy expressed his excitement about the partnership with The GC Brand. He highlighted their joint commitment to providing customers and fans with an exceptional experience and maintaining local quality that meets international standards, with a continuous focus on improvement. The artist and his family are thrilled to be associated with such a prestigious and forward-thinking brand as The GC Brand. The launch of The GC Brand and the partnership with the Stonebwoy Family will be followed by an exciting media campaign and various engaging consumer activities in the coming months. To stay updated, visit www.thegcbrand.com, and follow Ghandour Cosmetics on their social media pages @ghandourcosmeticsltd. 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 Some say that the 10,000km trip from Accra to London further strengthened perhaps, an already strong bond between this father and son, but the simple thought of how they accomplished this feat together warms hearts. It is the story of Franklin Peters, and his son, Quincy, who were among the team of Ghanaians that made the historic journey to London. While there is little on who Franklin and his son are, GhanaWeb has been able to gather, from posts made by people on social media, that Franklin is the Chief Executive Officer of InkIt Ghana Limited, a prominent signage and digital printing company based in New Town, Accra. According to multiple posts, Franklin Peters son, Quincy decided to join his father on this memorable trip because the initial plan was that the InkIt Ghana CEO was going to drive alone. Not wanting his father to go solo on that trip, Quincy decided to tag along. On arrival in London, the two could not hide their excitement, even as Franklin posted on Facebook, Finally arrived in UK by road from Accra. The duo made the journey in a Lexus RS35, the least aggressive car in the fleet of cars that were used on the trip. The cars used to travel from Accra to London: In total, 13 gentlemen and one female took 5 vehicles and set off. Confirmed participants were Kwabena Peprah, Saka, Fred Papa Kwofie, Richard, Kwame Peprah, Kofi Peprah, Kwadwo Prakah-Asante, Franklin Peters and his son Quincy, Joseph, Cyprian Ed, Kwabena Ayirebi and his brother Kojo and the only female in the pack, Serwa the Shecanic. According to them, they sought for vehicle sponsors by contacting auto marketing companies who they hoped would provide vehicles and get promotions in return. In doing this, they approached every major car dealer in Ghana including Kantanka which produces Made in Ghana vehicles but were ignored. In the end, they decided to use their own vehicles; 2 Land Cruisers, a Raptor, a Defender, a G63 and an RX350. In a recent post, one participant of the trip; Wanderlust Ghana while showing pictures of the vehicles used, sought to suggest that deliberations are being made about whether or not the vehicles should be auctioned in London or be shipped to Ghana for auctioning later. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare has said that President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has a keen interest in the need for the legislation of organ donation in Ghana. According to him, president Akuffo-Addo is ever ready to append his signature to the legislation when it gets to his office. He disclosed that the Ghana Kidney Association (GKA) and then the Ghana Ophthalmologic Association (GOA) of Ghana are working assiduously to ensure that the legislation of organ donation comes to fruition. In an interview with GhanaWeb TV on The Lowdown, on August 7, 2023, Dr. Nsiah-Asare said that he has briefed President Akufo-Addo comprehensively on the legislation of organ donation in Ghana and he is optimistic it will be passed into law before the president leaves office. We advise the president [Akufo-Addo] and he's very interested in improving the health systems in this country he showed it during the COVID, day and night. "He was chairing the National COVID Tax Force, asking the relevant questions. He gave 29 addresses, the fellow Ghanaian's addresses. You can see that anytime he's speaking, he speaks with passion. People were thinking he has now become a professor of epidemiology because he listens and he looks at the welfare of Ghanaians and anything which will improve the health system because health is wealth. But we have to go through a system before we get this thing done. We are speaking behind closed doors, people who matter. "We know already that they have something in front of them and they are looking at the ministry. But once in a while, I call to ask the legal person, where have you reached? And we are all keen. Apparently, both the Ghana Kidney Association and then the Ghana Ophthalmologic Association of Ghana have also all charged me personally, of course, when they have any meetings, they intentionally know you have the yes of the president now. And because of that, it's very dear to my heart both the kidney and the cornea, he said. Dr. Nsiah-Asare further intimated that education on organ donation in Ghana should not be limited to only health professionals but all individuals. The education should not be only for the health professional. Should be for everybody, the entire population. They are going to be the donors. And especially, as you rightly said, the spiritual aspect of it is very important. "So we let the spiritualists and the other people understand that if somebody dies yes. And he has a very good organ to donate, and he takes it and is buried or he's cremated, you just burn it off, which he can use to save people, he said. 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 There was euphoria at the Klottey Korley Constituency yesterday in Accra as the darling boy of Osu, Valantino Nii Noi Nortey submitted his nomination forms to contest the NPP Parliamentary Primaries for the 2024 elections. Tens of thousands of NPP delegates, Osu Chiefs and supporters clad in NPP paraphernalia lined up the streets of Osu amidst singing, chanting and dancing as they joined Nii Noi and his campaign team for the historic moment. They cheered him at the forecourt of the Osu Mantse Palace in appreciation of his good works for the party and the crowd continued their chanting; "No Nii Noi, No vote". Nii Noi Nortey who was optimistic of unseating Zenator Rawlings in the 2024 general parliamentary election said; My message is simple. It is to unseat Zenator Rawlings in the 2024 election. He continued; it is has been 16 years in opposition for the NPP but in 2024, we want to wrestle the seat from the NDC. So after vetting, I will plead with delegates to look at my good works in reviving the constituency to be a winning one for the NPP and vote for me. He further said my message to the delegates is to look at my hard work and reward me accordingly. Osu Adabraka, Asylum Down victory is near for us to change the destiny of this constituency. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the delegates and his support base and stressed my slogan is action and not words. Over the years, there have been speculations against Nii Noi Nortey about his identity with few people saying hes not a Ga but yesterday that conspiracy was disregarded as Osu chiefs threw their full support for their son. Joseph Nii Noi Adumuah, a principal member of Owuo wei Royal family, confirmed that Valentina Nii Noi Nortey belongs to this house Owuo We Royal house and whoever is saying otherwise should prove because we know our own. The entire family give him the full support and we are hoping that he will succeed. If anyone knows the source of his birth, he should prove it. You cant go to any family house you dont belong to but you go to where you belong to and the people receive you, he added. He urged the good people of Osu and the constituency to disregard the false information against their Nii Noi Nortey. The Constituency Secretary of the NPP, Richard Kwabena Mpery also stated; We empowered you to go fight and be elected by the delegates so that you can help us wrestle the seat from the NDC. We want peace and unity in this constituency, so after the primaries we will also need all on board to win the general election so we will plead with you to advice your supporters to campaign devoid of insults. Some of the delegates described Nii Noi Nortey as a unifier, charismatic and down to earth leader who listens and understands his people. The delegates touted Nii Noi as the right candidate for the party to win the parliamentary seat saying the NPP must make a conscious and deliberate effort to support to win us majority seats, come the 2024 general elections. He was accompanied by NPP delegates from all the 11 electoral areas, Osu Chiefs and Queenmothers, Asafo groups, Opinion Leaders, Assembly Members, supporters and sympathizers across the Klottey Korle constituency. Source: Peacefmonline Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Member of Parliament (MP) for Okere, Dan Botwe has conceded that even though in his estimation the NPP will win the 2024 general elections, the party must put in a lot of hard work as it has always done. He stressed that based on his experience as a former administrator of the party; Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is the right person to lead the NPP into victory. He has therefore appealed to the delegates to vote massively for him. NPP is going to win 2024. But as we always do, we have to do the hard work to win 2024. However we need a winning candidate [Dr Mahamudu Bawumia], he declared. Mr. Botwe minced no words in asserting that for the sake of strengthening the NPP and winning the 2024 general election, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia ought to be elected flagbearer come November 4, 2023, when the National Delegates Conference is held. I love all the aspirants, but I love the NPP more. My friends in the NPP, if we look at what is happening in Ghana and NPP now, we are looking into the future. Based on my knowledge of the Party and judging from what is happening, I want to say and ask all of you to go and vote for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. We have to be very strategic as a party in order to win 2024 and the best strategic decision is to elect Vice President Bawumia as our flagbearer, he added. Dan Botwe made the pronouncements when Dr. Bawumia visited the Okere Constituency on Sunday as part of his interaction with the people of the Constituency ahead of the partys Super Delegates Conference scheduled for August 26, 2023. Source: mynews Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Minister for Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong has clarified a controversial comment he made months ago on whether or not the New Patriotic Party will be the next government in power. The Minister addressing supporters at an event at Mpraeso in April this year told them that "it will never happen that we, the NPP, will stand on a platform to hand over power to the NDC". He cautioned; "If the NDC dares to use threats, violence and foolishness in the 2024 election, we will let them know we have the men. We will show them that we have the men." These statements by the Agriculture Minister caused a stir in the public as many people wondered what he meant by the New Patriotic Party will not cede the seat of government to the National Democratic Congress. Some critics from the National Democratic Congress also called for his arrest. Hon. Bryan Acheampong, in an interview with host of Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, Kwami Sefa Kayi, has broken his silence on the backlash of his previous comments. According to him, his comments were misconstrued stressing "I didn't say it to destroy the nation but I said it to encourage the NPP that things will be better and when it becomes better, we will remain in government". Revealing the true meaning of his statements, he explained "it is the Electoral Commission that declares results and when the Electoral Commission declares the results, nobody in Ghana has the authority to refuse it". "President Rawlings couldn't do that. President Kufour didn't do that, likewise President Mills. President Mahama didn't do that and President Akufo-Addo won't do it. Once the Electoral Commission declares, it is final but the fact is that, when we put our things in order, I believe the Electoral Commission will declare in favor of the NPP. And when they declare for the NPP, NPP will not hand over that power," he added. 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 In an massive show of support, the Omanhene of Ejisu Traditional Area, Oguakro Afrane Okese II, on Monday, threw his weight behind the candidature of Hon. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen in the race for the flagbearership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Speaking during a courtesy call on him at his palace in Ejisu at the start of his constituency campaign tour of the Ashanti region, Monday, the Nana Afranie OKesse II, referred to Hon Kyerematen as his 'beloved son of the land', and assured him of the unflinching support of him and his family. The Omanhene also invoked the spirit of the legendary female warrior, Yaa Asantewaa, the late brave queen mother of Ejisu, to support the the bid of Hon Kyerematen who is a son of the land. "He is my son and the gods and spirit of the legendary Yaa Asantewaa are behind you", Ejisumanhene told Alan Kyerematen. The late Yaa Asantewaa, the female warrior and queenmother of Ejisu, is revered for her bravery in standing up to British invasion of the Ashanti Kingdom 1901. Invoking her spirit in support of the choice of the man popularly called Alan Cash, is a massive boost to him and an encouragement to forge ahead with determined vigour for victory. Hon. Kyerematen's visit to Ejisu is a significant return to his roots, as the chief's palace was overflowing with people eager to catch a glimpse of him admist cultural drumming and dancing. Earlier, the Ejisu township was set agog as throngs of people swarmed the streets with shouts of 'aduro wo su', 'yedie nie', in show of appreciation and support for Hon Kyerematen as he walked through to interact with them. As has been his style, Hon Kyerematen will hold cluster meetings with executives of all 47 constituencies in the Ashanti region between Monday, 7th August and Saturday, 12th August, when he ends his tour of the region The NPP holds its super delegates conference on Saturday, 26th August to sieve to five the 10 contesting delegates, for the major showdown on 4th November when the about 300,000 delegates of the party meet to choose their flagbearer for the party for the 2024 elections. Hon Kyerematen, is tipped by many to win both the NPP primaries and the 2024 presidential elections. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is calling for the resignation of the Governor of Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Ernest Addison and his deputies. The party has threatened to march to the premises of BoG to drag Dr Ernest Addison and his deputies from office if they fail to resign within 21 days. Minority Leader, Ato Forson addressing Journalists under the NDCs Moment of Truth series on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, accused Dr Addison of mismanaging BoG resulting in an IMF bailout. The Bank of Ghana recorded a staggering loss of GH60.8 billion within the 2022 fiscal year. "We in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) saw the red flags and have consistently warned of the mismanagement of the financial sector by the Governor of the Central Bank and his team of incompetent deputies. "Only last week, the Annual Report and Financial Statement of the Bank of Ghana was released. This report depicted the catastrophic decline of the Bank into a bottomless pit. The report revealed the following astonishing facts: 1. The Bank of Ghana recorded a staggering loss of GHS60.8 billion, which is equivalent to $6 billion. This is twice the amount we are to receive from our recent IMF bailout. This means the recklessness and mismanagement of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana has cost the nation twice what we are struggling and sacrificing to receive from the IMF amid major conditionalities," a statement read by Minority Leader, Ato Forson outlined. According to him this is how the Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Ernest Addison who is now known as the Printer of Money, conspired with members of the Economic mis-management Team led by the failed Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia and the inept Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta aka One Problem, One Bond, to destroy Ghanas Central Bank. Call to Step Down In this regard, the NDC is calling for the resignation of the Governor of the Central Bank and his deputies within 21 days from today. "We are resolved to embark on popular action to occupy the Central Bank and drive out the team of inept, callous and criminal mismanagers of the finances of this country and Save the Bank of Ghana. "The March to Ensure Accountability will begin in 21 days if the Governor of the Bank of Ghana does not do the needful and pack bag and baggage out of that sacred institution that he has so desecrated. "Dr Ernest Addisson Must Go! There has to be an end to impunity and it is NOW!" Read attached the full statement Your browser does not support iframes. 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 Three more persons have been arraigned in addition to four others who were initially charged with counts of stealing and dishonestly receiving monies stolen from the home of former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah while one other person who is of interest to the investigations is said to be on the run. This brings to eight the number of people standing trial currently. The court however discharged Kwaku Botwe, father of the first accused person, Patience Botwe who was initially charged with the offence of dishonestly receiving. These were made known to the court after police prosecutors substituted the charge sheet based on the advice of the Attorney General. The police prosecutor revealed that charges against the father of Patience Botwe were dropped following the advice of the Attorney General, Godfred Dame. Kwaku Botwe was previously charged with dishonestly receiving after he was accused of receiving GH50,000 out of the stolen money from his daughter. Mr. Botwe however in his caution statement noted that he only received GH10,000 from his daughter and was not aware that it was stolen money. Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame after analysing the case against Mr. Botwe concluded that there is not enough evidence to sustain a charge of dishonest receiving. Based on this, his name was excluded from the new charge sheet and was therefore discharged by the court. The police prosecutor further revealed that based on the advice of the Attorney General to broaden the scope of investigation, three more persons have been arrested while one person is at large. The three new arrests are Christiana Achab, Job Pomary, Yahaya Sumail. The person at large is one Franklin Sarakpo. According to the facts of the case against the three new arrests and the one at large, the first accused (Patience Botwe) gave unspecified amounts of dollars to her brother identified as Joe, who parted some of the stolen money to Christiana Achab who was living in a wooden structure in the same neighborhood as the first accused person. Christiana Achab is said to have received over GH2 million of the stolen money, purchased an eleven-unit chamber and hall self-contain house at Budumburam at the cost of GH800,000 for herself. She is also alleged to have purchased a three-bedroom at Aplaku at the cost of GH300,000 for A1 (Patience Botwe). Christiana Achab and Job Pomary are also alleged to have purchased a four-bedroom house at Kokrobite at the cost of GH280,000 for Christiana Achab. Christiana Achab is further accused of contacting A7, Yahaya Sumaila, and purchased a three-bedroom self-contain house at Amrahia at the cost of GH850,0000 in the name of Yahaya Sumaila. Christiana Achab the fifth accused person, is said to have also purchased two Honda Acura vehicles at the cost of GH300,000 each registered in the name of A8, Franklin Sarakpo, who is stated to be at large and A1, Patience Botwe. Prosecution prayed the court to further remand the accused persons as investigations were still ongoing. But the defence team opposed this on grounds that the continuous detention of their clients will be against their rights as the prosecution has not even proved that the accused when granted bail will interfere with investigations. Lawyers of A2 (Sarah Agyei) and A5 (Christiana Achab) urged the court to grant their clients bail as they are lactating mothers. The judge granted bail to the two lactating mothers and remanded the rest. The bail conditions for the two lactating mothers are set to the tune of GH1 million each, with three sureties each to be justified. The three sureties according to the court are expected to deposit their passports and Ghana cards with the court registry and not to leave the jurisdiction of the court. The case has been adjourned to August 22. Source: Citinewsroom Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on Tuesday, August 8, commissioned a Junior High School (JHS) classroom block in Kwaboanta in the Kraboa Coaltar District of the Eastern Region. The facility, which was personally funded by Dr. Bawumia, is a donation to the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in fulfillment of a pledge he made to the Akuapem Presbytery last year during its centenary anniversary celebration which Dr Bawumia attended as Guest of Honour. The facility has been fully furnished with desks in all the classrooms and also includes an ICT library equipped with computers. Leadership of Kraboa Coaltar Presby District, who joined Dr. Bawumia to commission the classroom, commended the Vice President for fulfilling his promise to the Church and prayed for God's blessings on him. Vice President Bawumia, who visited Kwaboanta earlier this year to inspect progress of work on the facility, expressed gratitude to God for the successful completion of the classroom block and noted it will enhance education in the community and its environs. The Chief and elders of Kwaboanta were present for the commissioning and expressed their gratitude to Dr. Bawumia for his generous gesture. The facility will address a long-standing infrastructure problem for the Kwaboanta Presby Primary and JHS school. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. In accordance with the instruction of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the return of former internally displaced persons to the restored city of Lachin continue, Trend reports. Another caravan was sent from the Gobu Park 3 residential complex in the Garadagh district of Baku on August 9. At this stage, another 23 families (93 people) moved to the city of Lachin. The resettled families will settle in the houses where they once lived in Lachin, which were restored or rebuilt on the basis of instructions from the head of state after the end of the Armenian occupation. Lachin residents thanked President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva for their comprehensive care, expressed gratitude to the valiant Azerbaijani army, which liberated the lands from occupation. Thus, until today, a permanent settlement in the city of Lachin has been provided for 203 families - 793 people. Former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has reprimanded the Minority in Parliament and opposition National Democratic Congress for issuing a 21-day ultimatum to the Governor of Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison and his deputies to resign. The Minority accused Dr. Addison and his team of recording a staggering loss of GH60.8 billion within the 2022 fiscal year due to their mismanagement. "We in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) saw the red flags and have consistently warned of the mismanagement of the financial sector by the Governor of the Central Bank and his team of incompetent deputies. "Only last week, the Annual Report and Financial Statement of the Bank of Ghana was released. This report depicted the catastrophic decline of the Bank into a bottomless pit. The report revealed the following astonishing facts...Bank of Ghana recorded a staggering loss of GHS60.8 billion, which is equivalent to $6 billion...twice the amount we are to receive from our recent IMF bailout," Minority Leader, Ato Forson said during an event dubbed "Moment of Truth" held by the NDC on Tuesday, August 8. He added; "This means the recklessness and mismanagement of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana has cost the nation twice what we are struggling and sacrificing to receive from the IMF amid major conditionalities." The Minority therefore says they will picket the Bank of Ghana (BoG) should the Governor and his deputies fail to resign but Kwamena Duncan finds the Minority's position ridiculous. He described their threat to picket the BoG as a political ambush targeted at the Governors. "That's not how we want to run our country. You want to use a certain political ambush. There are laws," he slammed the Minority and the NDC while discussing the issue during Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' show Wednesday morning. 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 Scores of Ghanaian celebrities have joined the Second Lady, Mrs Samira Bawumia at the Africa Women and Children Conference (AFRIWOCC) Concert to pledge their support for Climate Action. The concert which climaxed the maiden AFRIWOCC held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra brought together hundreds of Ghanaians who dance to several tunes from the award-winning artiste, Okyeame Quame, Kwame Eugene, Adina and the Play Boy Band. The celebrities, mostly from the movie and music industries pledged their support to Mrs Bawumia who is championing the cause to end the negative impact of climate change on women and children in Africa. Veteran actors David Dontoh, Fred Amugi, Adjetey Anang, and the ever-young Akorfa Edjeani Aseidu were also there to throw their weight behind the second lady. In their solidarity message, ace radio personality, Lexis Bill and Musician, Kidi said they were supporting the event to end the impact of climate change on women and children who were at the receiving end. Counsellor and relationship expert, Cyril George Carstensen Lutterodt emphasized the need to support the program, stating that Climate Action was the only way to restore the environment to what God planned it to be. The controversial counsellor noted that the negative impact of climate change had adversely affected the country, resulting in natural disasters. Notable among the celebrities were gospel musicians Cece Twum and Ohemaa Mercy, actors Prince David Osei, Kobby Rana, and James Gardiner, actress Gloria Sarfo and comedian, Kalybos. Also present at the concert was the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Charles Abani and celebrated Playwright, Latif Abubakar. AFRIWOCC Following the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC) inclusion of women and children in the climate-related negotiations and decision-making processes, the Samira Empowerment and Humanitarian Projects (SEHP) under the auspices of the office of the President initiated AFRIWOCC to bring together a diverse range of participants, including high-level government officials, policymakers, renowned experts, representatives from international organizations, civil society, and grassroots community leaders to deliberate on meaningful dialogue and collaboration on climate change issues affecting women and children across Africa and beyond, and also highlight the unique ways women can influence the achievement of positive Climate Action. Themed Amplifying the Voices of Women and Children in Climate Action," the two-day conference which was championed by the Second Lady, sought to assess the impact of the climate crises on women and children, advocate for policies that champion the interest of women and children in climate change sector regulations and development, and coordinate a network of organizations focused on women and children in the climate change economy. The two-day conference brought together hundreds of participants and ended with the signing of a communique that represents a collective commitment to action and will guide governments, civil society, and the private sector to prioritize the rights and well-being of women and children in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. The outcomes of the conference will contribute to discussions at the Africa Climate Week and Africa Climate Summit, scheduled for September 4th 6th, 2023, in Nairobi, Kenya, and expected to shape Africas position at the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties' twenty-eighth session (COP 28), that would be held from November 30th -December 12th, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). 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 Editors note: Welcome to the world of Paranormal PA, a PennLive series that delves into Pennsylvania-grown stories of spirits (like the ghost of a murdered girl whose cries can be heard in one of Penn States libraries); cryptids (Bigfoot); oddities and legends; and the unexplained. Sign up here to get our Paranormal PA newsletter delivered to your inbox. Discussions about UFOs have hit a new fervor following the now-notorious congressional hearing that took place on the unexplainable flying objects a few weeks ago. Outside of official testimony, over 40 UFOs were reported having been spotted in Pennsylvania this past year. ABC 27 reports how a total of 43 UFOs now referred to as UAPs, or unexplained aerial phenomenon were spotted over Pennsylvania in 2023. This number was gleaned from the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), a Washington State-based nonprofit thats been collecting UFO reports from over the past 49 years with over 170,000 total sightings accounted for. The NUFORC website, in going by state sightings, lists Pennsylvanias overall total at 4,916. The latest one is described as a triangle-shaped craft that was seen over Bellefonte, Centre County on Saturday, July 22. Craft was low overhead, made no noise, reads the report. Made almost a right angle turn, never slowing down. 3 blinking lights. A separate NUFORC post states that 722 new UFO reports were filed nationwide between May and July of this year alone. Sightings included a Starlike UFO that vanished into thin air as well as one incident involving A short creature with big black shiny eyes. A soldier from Pennsylvania who was killed during the Korean War has been identified and will be buried at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery. Army Cpl. Francis James Jury, 23, of Clearfield, was accounted for on Feb. 10, 2022, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. The agency said Jury was identified last week and his family has received a full briefing. Jury was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. The agency said, He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, during battle with enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered, and there is no evidence that he was ever a prisoner of war. In July of 2018, the agency said, North Korea turned over 55 boxes that purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. The action came after a June 2018 summit between former President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, supreme leader of North Korea. The agency said Jurys remains were identified using anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis. The date of Jurys burial has not yet been determined. According to newspaper clippings provided by the agency, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ashley W. Jury of LeContes Mills. He joined the army on Nov. 22, 1948, and had basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He also served in the 17th Infantry Regiment at Sendia, Japan. The agency said a rosette will be placed next to Jurys name on the American Battle Monuments Commissions Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, to indicate he has been accounted for. READ MORE: North Korea still isnt talking about U.S. soldier who ran across border. SEATTLE (AP) Five people affiliated with white nationalist hate group Patriot Front are suing a Seattle-area man who they say infiltrated the group and disclosed their identities online, leading them to lose their jobs and face harassment. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for Western Washington, The Seattle Times reported on Tuesday. The suit accuses David Capito, 37, also known as Vyacheslav Arkhangelskiy, of using a false name in 2021 when Patriot Front accepted him as a member. Then, Capito took photos at the groups Pacific Northwest gatherings, recorded members license plates, and used hidden microphones to record conversations, according to the lawsuit. FILE - Members of a group bearing insignias of the white supremacist Patriot Front shove Charles Murrell with metal shields during a march through Boston on July 2, 2022. The Black musician sued the organization on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)AP The lawsuit also alleges that around November 2021, Capito got in touch with anarchist hackers known for targeting far-right groups, who helped him access Patriot Fronts online chats. Resulting leaks published online exposed the names, occupations, home addresses and other identifying information about the groups members, who had sought to hide their involvement. At a deeper level, this complaint seeks to vindicate the rule of law and basic principles of free expression for persons who espouse unpopular opinions, the lawsuit states. As a result of the members identities surfacing on the internet, the five plaintiffs say they were fired from their jobs, threatened at their homes and have had their tires slashed, among other consequences, the lawsuit says. Three of the plaintiffs have Washington state ties: Colton Brown, who lived near Maple Valley and led the states Patriot Front chapter; James Julius Johnson from Concrete, and his wife, Amelia Johnson. Brown and James Johnson were among 31 Patriot Front members arrested in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, last year and charged with planning to riot at a Pride event. Johnson and four other men were convicted of misdemeanor conspiracy to riot and sentenced last month to several days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The two other plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit are Paul Gancarz of Virginia and Daniel Turetchi of Pennsylvania. Capito did not respond by phone or email to messages from The Seattle Times. The newspaper attempted to contact him through the now-defunct Washington nonprofit organization with which he is registered. Efforts by The Associated Press to reach him were also unsuccessful. The Patriot Front lawsuit lays out the groups racist ideology in describing its collective objective: reforge our people, born to this nation of our European race as a new collective capable of asserting our right to cultural independence. It describes the groups actions as provocative but nonviolent. The lawsuit seeks unspecified economic and punitive damages from Capito and an order barring him from using the Patriot Front members personal information. More: Whats a patriot in the U.S.? The answer varies wildly By SYLVIE CORBET, The Associated Press PARIS (AP) A fire ripped through a vacation home for adults with disabilities in eastern France on Wednesday, killing at least nine people, the head of rescue operations said. Authorities said 17 people were evacuated, including one who was sent to a hospital with serious injuries. Lt. Col. Philippe Hauwiller, who was leading the rescue work of firefighters, said two more people were believed to have died. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrived at the scene on Wednesday afternoon. Officials told her rescuers think they located 11 victims with the help of search dogs but not all the bodies were recovered yet. Fire rages at a vacation home in the town of Wintzenheim, north-eastern France, Wednesday Aug. 9, 2023. (TNN/dpa via AP)AP Hauwiller said the fire likely started on the homes upper floor and an investigation would determine the cause. Only those who were staying on the ground floor of the private accommodation in the town of Wintzenheim managed to escape, he said. The 11 remaining occupants were trapped on the upper floor and in a mezzanine area that collapsed, according to Hauwiller. The ground floor was made of stone and the upper part of the building was built entirely of wood in the traditional style of the region, which might partly explain why the fire spread so quickly. The group staying in the house was on a vacation sponsored by two associations, and many of the visitors came from the city of Nancy in eastern France, a statement from the Haut-Rhin prefecture said. Firefighters try to contain the blaze at a vacation home in the town of Wintzenheim, north-eastern France, Wednesday Aug. 9, 2023. (TNN/dpa via AP)AP The local administration of the Haut-Rhin region said the fire broke out at 6:30 a.m. Christophe Marot, the secretary general of the local administration, said on news broadcaster France Info that the vacationers included adults with slight intellectual disabilities. Ten people with disabilities and a person accompanying the group were believed to be among the dead. No other information about the victims was provided. A teen was shot in the face during an altercation between groups of people in West Philadelphia, according to 6ABC. The incident took place at 55th Street and Haverford Avenue around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, where a group of teens flagged down authorities. Once there, police found the 17-year-old male unresponsive on a sidewalk with a face wound caused by a gunshot, according to reports. He was rushed to Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia by police in critical condition. The fight occurred between two groups of teens, which led to gunshots, according to reports. During an investigation, at least four spent shells were located by police, Fox29 reported. So far, no arrests have been made, according to reports. Read More: On any given school day, Steelton-Highspire School District assistant superintendent Willie Slade gets to see first hand the benefits of providing children with free school breakfast. Whether in the elementary or middle school or the high school, Slade takes note of all the students participating in the free breakfast program. By Rodrigo Torrejon, New York Daily News (TNS) PHILADELPHIA At the Met on Tuesday morning, as Vanessa Bell Armstrongs Nobody But Jesus echoed through the former opera house, Onederful Ancrum danced in memory of her friend OShae Sibley. It was a farewell to Sibley, who loved dance more than anything. His grand finale. At the Met on Tuesday morning, hundreds of friends and family of Sibley, 28, the Philadelphia native and former Philadelphia Dance Company student who was killed in New York City last month, gathered for a joyful celebration of his life, trading tears for dancing and song. Sibley had moved to New York City to pursue a career in dance, eventually becoming a dancer and choreographer at Ailey Extension school at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This undated photo shows O'Shae Sibley, center, during a class at the Ailey Extension dance school in New York. (Photo courtesy of Whitney Brown and Ailey Extension via AP)AP Police say a 17-year-old fatally stabbed Sibley the night of July 29 while he and his friends were at a Brooklyn gas station blocks from where he lived. The teen, whom police did not identify, turned himself in Friday and was charged with second-degree murder, authorities said. Representatives of the Kings County District Attorneys Office who were at Tuesdays celebration of life declined to comment, citing an ongoing grand jury investigation. We were here to express our sympathies and support the family, said Joseph Alexis, an assistant district attorney with the office. Authorities say Sibley and his friends stopped at the gas station on their way home from New Jersey and started playing Beyonce's Renaissance album as they filled up. The group began voguing, a dance created and primarily performed by Black and Latinx LGBTQ people that emulates fashion models and is an integral part of the ballroom scene. A group of men approached Sibley and his friends and told them to stop dancing and said they didnt want to see gay men dancing in their neighborhood, authorities said. The men yelled homophobic and racist slurs at Sibley, who was gay, and his friends, police said. Bystanders tried to help and the group began to leave, except for the teen police say stabbed Sibley. Video of the stabbing shows the teen stabbing Sibley in the chest, police told the New York Times. When officers arrived, they found Sibley with a stab wound to his torso and he was taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead later that night. Police did not release a motive for the killing, but a hate crimes unit is involved in the investigation. On Tuesday, speakers who gathered to remember Sibley chose to focus on his life, rather than the circumstances of his death. Jake Kelly, right, father to O'Shae Sibley, carries the casket with fellow pallbearers following a celebration of life on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, at The Met Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)AP They recalled the tall, graceful man who loved building and nurturing community wherever he went and who loved God and his friends. They spoke of Sibleys unbridled love for dance, one that carried him through the Philadelphia school system, to Temple University, and eventually to New York City. At Wakisha Charter School, Karen Still-Pendergrass would catch 14-year-old Sibley stealing glances at her dance class, always curious but hesitant to come in, she said. One day, she said, she gave the precocious boy an ultimatum. Listen. You got one more time to come past my door. Because then youre coming in this room. The next time Sibley peered into her class, she said, she invited him in, and made him take off his shoes, roll his pant legs up, and start dancing. He excelled in her class and went on to earn a scholarship at Philadanco, she said. From there, she said proudly, he just flourished. During her remarks, Still-Pendergrass announced that Philadanco had created a scholarship fund in Sibleys name, news that drew rousing applause. Joan Myers Brown, founder of Philadanco, said she decided to create the fund to encourage boys to pursue dance without having to consider the financial burden of paying for classes. The fund will be called OShae Sibleys Scholarship for Dance, she said. Boys get a hard time when they say lets take ballet, she said. Especially in the Black community, they really dont want guys to be ballet dancers. But so many of them really want to. Outside of the Met, family carried Sibleys coffin, painted with an image of Sibley dancing, draped in red, into a hearse as they readied for the final procession. Sibleys father, Jake Kelly, remembered how much Sibley loved his friends and family, and how much they loved him back, evidenced by the hundreds of people who turned out to honor and remember him on Tuesday. As the line of cars formed to take Sibleys coffin to Fernwood Cemetery in Lansdowne, his father said it was impossible not to love his son once you met him. Everybody really loved him, his father said. He was a loving child. He was always about family. He was a loving person. To know OShae is to love OShae. An ex-Lehigh County Jail inmate says her mentally ill cellmate attacked her while she was sleeping, banged her head into the wall and left her blind in one eye, according to a federal lawsuit. Its the third lawsuit filed in three months against the jail and has attorneys calling for more oversight and accountability at the Allentown facility. The lawsuit filed Monday says the alleged attacker, identified in the suit as CP, should have been housed by herself due to her mental health diagnosis. CP said she wanted to kill somebody prior to the beating, put a blanket over Luzerne County resident Kristin Pantzars head and banged it against the cider block wall until Pantzar was unconscious, the lawsuit says. The plaintiff was beaten so badly that the cell was a bloody mess, says the lawsuit filed in federal court by Allentown attorney Robert Goldman. Lehigh County Jail Director of Corrections Janine Donate said the county doesnt comment on pending legal matters. The lawsuit says CP was having a mental health crisis that prompted a Bethlehem Police Department response on May 1, 2022. The lawsuit says she damaged a wall, television and lamp; ripped down blinds; and threw a coffee table into a wall in the group home where she lived. When CP was put in the cell with Pantzar on June 9, 2022, she made increasingly agitated requests and demands for her mental health medications but wasnt provided the medicine, the lawsuit says. She attacked Pantzar the next day, the lawsuit says. Last week, attorney Josh Karoly sued Lehigh County Jail for allegedly letting out an inmate by mistake. Inmate Dominic Escalera was awaiting trial on charges he hired someone to murder his ex-girlfriend. When he was released, he went to the ex-girlfriends home and terrorized her for two hours until police re-captured him, Karolys lawsuit says. Attorney Ettore Ed Angelo sued the jail in May, claiming the jail inhumanely kept his mentally ill client locked up in isolation for four months. Angelos lawsuit argues essentially the opposite of what Goldmans argues: that his client should not have been kept in isolation, that the jail should have put her in with the general population because solitary confinement is inhumane. Angelo and Goldman agree that policies and procedures must be put in place that balance the prisons need for security with the well-being of its inmates. Lehigh County Jail simply cannot or will not adequately treat mentally ill inmates, the vast majority of whom are harmless people in need of help, Angelo said Tuesday. Goldman said keeping a prisoner in isolation for a few days for observation is a lot different than isolating someone for months. There are different kinds of isolation, he said. Lehigh County Jail was named the facility of the year by The National Commission on Correctional Health Care, according to attorney John R. Ninosky. The Camp Hill-based attorney wrote a response filed Monday to Angelos lawsuit. Ninosky represents PrimeCare Medical, the health care provider at Lehigh County Jail. Ninoskys response says most U.S. jails dont obtain accreditation through the national commission, but Lehigh County Jail did. The response doesnt say what year Lehigh County Jail was named facility of the year. Ninosky wrote that the policies and procedures for the provision of medical care at the Lehigh County Jail meet or exceed national accreditation standards. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. More: PennLive investigation into jail phone calls spurs two bills to address key findings State to investigate how homicide suspect escaped from Pa. jail BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. The joy of returning to Azerbaijan's Lachin city after so many years is beyond words, the former IDP from the city, Agil Naghiyev, told Trend. Naghiyev recalled leaving the city at the age of 22 in 1992 as a result of an invasion by Armenian armed forces. In the same year, his brother Javanshir was killed in the fights for Lachin, according to him. "We liberated our lands at the expense of our martyrs and heroes." May God grant our President health and strength! God bless our veterans!" exclaimed the former IDP. Following the 2020 Second Karabakh War, the city of Lachin was liberated from Armenian occupation. The return of former IDPs to the restored city of Lachin continues in accordance with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev's directions. Lachin residents, who became more beautiful and improved, thanked the President, the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva for their comprehensive care and expressed gratitude to the valiant Azerbaijani army, which liberated the lands. Another 23 families (93 persons) returned to Lachin City today. As a result, 203 families, or 793 people, have found permanent housing in the city to date. People make their way through a shopping mall in Montreal, Saturday, December 5, 2020. Less than half of Canadians believe retail stores are implementing the right amount of security measures to prevent shoplifting but the majority say they would feel safe working in one, a new Leger poll found. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes China urges the Philippines to honor commitment, cease provocation Xinhua) 08:14, August 09, 2023 BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its national sovereignty while urging the Philippines to honor its commitment and cease any provocative activities, a defense ministry spokesperson said Tuesday. Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a query on the reactions of the Philippines and the United States to China's maneuvers in dealing with Philippine supply boats on a resupply mission in waters off Ren'ai Jiao. Wu said that China has sovereignty over Nansha Qundao, including Ren'ai Jiao, a fact that is backed by sufficient historical and legal evidence. The Philippines has violated its relevant commitment by attempting to send supplies to a military vessel illegally "grounded" at Ren'ai Jiao, the spokesperson said, denouncing the move as one that has infringed on China's sovereignty and breached the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. China Coast Guard vessels intercepted the Philippine boats in accordance with the law, and warned them off through appropriate law enforcement measures. Their maneuvers were legitimate, lawful, professional and standard, Wu said. He also expressed resolute opposition to the United States' groundless remarks on China's legitimate law enforcement actions. He urged the United States to immediately cease sowing discord among countries in the region. He also urged the United States to respect China's territorial sovereignty over the South China Sea, its maritime rights and interests, and efforts made by countries in the region to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea. The Chinese military will resolutely perform its duty to uphold China's national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, Wu added. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Turkiye's foreign sales to Saudi Arabia exceeded $1.2 billion in the January-July period of 2023, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency. With the normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia, commercial activities between the two countries continue to improve. During President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Saudi Arabia last month, five new memoranda of understanding (MoU) were signed between Turkish and Saudi Arabian delegations. Agreements in defense, research and development, energy, media, and direct investments were signed during the visit. Turkish drone-maker Baykar also signed an export agreement with Saudi Arabia for Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicle. According to the information compiled by Anadolu from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) data, Turkiye's exports decreased by 0.5% in the seven months of the year compared to the same period last year to $143.4 billion. Meanwhile, Turkiye's exports to Saudi Arabia increased by 630% to $1.25 billion. The carpet sector realized the highest exports to Saudi Arabia with $173.08 million. It was followed by chemicals and products with $129.09 million, cereals, pulses, oil seeds and products with $124.6 million, machinery and parts with $98.1 million, ready-to-wear clothing and apparel with $95 million. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. Theres no limit to the joy of being back home, the resident of Azerbaijan's Lachin, Arif Pashayev told Trend. "I bow before our martyrs who fell in returning our native lands to us at the cost of their lives. May God grant health to our President and our veterans!" he added. In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the return of former internally displaced persons to the restored city of Lachin continues. Residents of the city of Lachin, which has become even more beautiful and comfortable, thanked the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva for their comprehensive care and expressed gratitude to the valiant Azerbaijani army that liberated the lands from occupation and its heroic soldiers and officers. Thus, 203 families (793 people) have been provided with permanent residence in Lachin. Following the liberation of its territories from Armenian occupation in 2020, Azerbaijan initiated the long-awaited 'Great Return' program, which envisions the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their native lands. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Judge Chutkan rejected Trumps stall tactics on the protective order hearing and scheduled it for Friday at 10 AM. Lisa Rubin of NBC News tweeted: Update: Judge Chutkan is in charge, and she is making sure everyone knows it. No one cited a Friday conflict, so Friday at 10 it is. pic.twitter.com/uJVJplUeTe Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) August 8, 2023 As we noted earlier on Tuesday, Judge Chutkan isnt buying into any of Trumps delay and stall tactics. She has rejected previous motions for delay and isnt tolerating foot-dragging. Things are moving quickly in the Trump 1/6 case because there is no reason for them not to. Trump and his lawyers have one gameplan and that is to drag this case out past the 2024 election. If Trump wins, he can make the case disappear. Outside of Judge Aileen Cannon, the courts appear to have developed a very low tolerance for Trumps behavior. There was no scheduling conflict that would prevent the hearing from being held this week. The judge saw that and gave Trump no benefit of the doubt. The message here is that Judge Chutkan is in charge. Donald Trump will likely be going to trial in Washington, DC, and he will be going there quickly. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. At the cost of the lives of Azerbaijani martyrs and heroes, people are returning to their homeland - Lachin, the resident of Lachin, Firuza Hasanova told the journalists, Trend reports. She noted that she was 46 years old when she left Lachin. At that time, her son was at the front, now he is a veteran. "Azerbaijan is our homeland. May God grant health to our President and our veterans. May God protect Azerbaijan from war!" Hasanova added. The return of former internally displaced persons to the reconstructed city of Lachin continues in accordance with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev's directions. Residents of Lachin thanked the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva for their comprehensive care, as well as the valiant Azerbaijani army that liberated the lands from occupation and its heroic soldiers and officers. Thus, 203 families (793 people) have been provided with permanent residence in Lachin. Following the liberation of its territories from Armenian occupation in 2020, Azerbaijan initiated the long-awaited 'Great Return' program, which envisions the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their native lands. Joc Pedersons bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning forced in Michael Conforto and the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3. Luis Matos and Wilmer Flores hit home runs for the Giants, who won for just the second time in 14 road games. The Braves had a seven-game home winning streak snapped. Camilo Doval earned the win and was part of a bullpen effort that pitched the final 7 1/3 innings after starter Jakob Junis left in the second inning. The relievers did not allow an earned run against the Braves, who lead the majors in runs scored. Kirby Yates walked two and hit two batters in the ninth inning. Read moreJoc Pederson's bases-loaded walk in 9th lifts Giants to 4-3 win over Braves The union that provides dockworkers for the Port of Charleston is seeking at least $500 million from a pair of container shipping lines that violated a labor contract by using the Leatherman Terminal. The International Longshoremen's Association has asked a federal court to order arbitration talks with Hapag-Lloyd, Orient Overseas Container Line and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, also known as USMX, which is consortium of container lines that hires union members to load and unload cargo from its members' ships. The ILA has an interest in arbitrating the matter without any further delay because the ILA is entitled to a large amount of contractual damages that none of the respondents have made any attempt to address, the union said in its court filing. The shipping lines and USMX have not formally responded to the ILA's filing. No court date has been set. Hapag-Lloyd declined to comment when reached Aug. 9. The alliance and OOCL did not respond to requests for comment. The ILA said ship operators violated their labor contract by having the vessels call on Leatherman, where non-union State Ports Authority employees operate the containers cranes and other heavy-lift equipment. The contract, revised in 2012 and reaffirmed in 2018, calls for union members to operate that equipment at any new terminal that opens at East and Gulf coast ports. The $1 billion first phase of Leatherman opened on the south end of the former Navy base in North Charleston in March 2021. A three-judge federal appeals court panel dealt the SPA a defeat on July 28 by upholding the contract terms and the ILA's right to sue container lines that violate them. The the SPA has not decided whether it will appeal. The maritime agency could ask the full 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for a rehearing or ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the ruling. "Given the critical nature of this issue to our business and our state, we are still evaluating all our options," Barbara Melvin, the SPA's president and CEO, said late last week. The labor contract calls for shipping lines to pay $1,000 in damages for each container that's unloaded at a newly built Southeast terminal that doesn't use all-ILA labor. OOCL docked once at Leatherman in 2021. Hapag-Lloyd continued to use the terminal for about two years, according to court documents. The ILA, in its court filing, said that "given the length of time involved, it is reasonable to calculate that approximately $500,000,000 in contractual damages have accrued and are owed to the ILA ..." Harold Daggett, the union's president, blasted the maritime alliance during a convention late last month. When the new terminal in Charleston was built the Leatherman Terminal opened the port authority would not allow the ILA to have all the new jobs, Daggett said during a speech to union delegates, adding the alliance "did not back us up on our contract. "Now I have lost faith in USMX," he said. "You are not honorable. The dispute over who will operate cranes at Leatherman has all but shut down the terminal, which in fiscal 2023 operated at about 15 percent of its capacity to handle 700,000 20-foot-long containers per year. There are now no container lines with regular service to Leatherman, although a Hapag-Lloyd ship was at the terminal this week, according to the SPA's vessel schedule. The ILA which represents dockworkers from Maine to the Gulf Coast filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the alliance, Hapag-Lloyd and OOCL in 2021, but the case was administratively dismissed after the SPA filed unfair labor practices charges with the National Labor Relations Board. The ports authority scored an early win in that case, but the NLRB later ruled in favor of the ILA. The 4th Circuit panel upheld that decision last month. The ruling promises to have widespread impact on future terminals at ports in the Carolinas and Georgia, where for decades non-union state employees have operated cranes while ILA members move containers through the yards. Existing facilities at those sites including Charleston's Wando Welch and North Charleston Terminal will continue to operate under the old "hybrid labor" model. This ruling doesnt just apply to new work in Charleston, Daggett said. It will apply in Savannah, Ga., and any port area that is constructing new terminals. Meanwhile, ILA local president Charleston Brave told The Post and Courier he has been working to get its members certified to operate cranes at Leatherman. That includes sending some of them to Baltimore for training on a simulator. This is part of The Post and Couriers Daily Digest series, in which one of our food reporters asks a local to describe a day of eating in detail. Interested in being featured in Daily Digest? Email pmilner@postandcourier.com. Brittney Pierce, who goes by Bippy, lives downtown in the East Central neighborhood. Pierce is the event specialist at Carolina Dream, a hemp company that sells products and advocates for the legalization of cannabis in South Carolina. You can always catch me either walking around or going on my bike ride around the peninsula. At night you might see me trying a new restaurant or out watching live music. When Im not doing all of that, Im probably experimenting in the kitchen. Every so often I go full vegan for a month or so and then go back to a plant-forward lifestyle. You have caught me in the middle of a vegan time. Being that its tomato season I wanted to make a fun substitute for the Southern classic: a tomato sandwich. My first meal of the day was country white bread with local tomatoes, avocado, vegan mayo and plenty of salt and pepper. After a full day of work organizing events and creating content for our social media I decided not to cook dinner. Me and my roommate Cory brought in Thai food from Basil in North Charleston and we watched "Ratatouille," the Pixar film from when we were kids. Thai food is always great for my vegan needs. I got the tofu green curry, which I put over jasmine rice. Corry and I also split tom kha gai, a spicy coconut soup. This was my first time trying Basil, and man, was it yummy! GEORGETOWN Georgetown's affordable housing shortage will continue after a proposal to address that need failed to find support among local leaders. The Georgetown Housing Authority maintains a waiting list that can require applicants to stand by for six months to two years. City and county leaders acknowledge the need for public housing is glaring but they haven't agreed on a solution to the problem. Representatives from the GHA and City Council met Aug. 8 to discuss the affordable housing shortage. Much of the meeting focused on the Marquis Complex, a proposal for 168 housing units with rents reduced through low-income housing tax credits. Developer Will Moody of the Georgetown-based real estate company Grimes and Associates presented his plans for the complex to the City Council in October 2022. Moodys proposal called for four three-story buildings two for families and two for residents age 55 and older. Each building would have been constructed on property owned by the Georgetown Housing Authority, whose main office sits immediately south of the complexs proposed site on Lincoln Street. Ultimately, the authority did not move forward with Moody's proposal. Chairman Kalib Moyer of the GHA Board of Commissioners said that while the authority recognizes the need for local public housing, Moody's proposal didn't represent the best use of that land. "We think there's a need, but as that presentation was given to us, it wasn't acceptable," Moyer said. Moyer noted that a driveway depicted in Moody's proposal could have forced the relocation of tenants or buildings from an adjacent GHA property. Nate Fata, one of Moyer's fellow commissioners, noted a lack of green space in Moody's proposal. "I'm not a developer but I would think if you're going to go pitch a family tower in the middle of an area that's all green, you've got to have some green space for the kids," Fata said. Fata also noted that a bureaucratic issue exists because the property is encumbered by a mortgage with HUD. Moody told the council last year that the next step to be taken by GHA would be to declare the property surplus. "We have to first go to HUD, say, 'This is the deal, we want to get rid of land, you have a mortgage on it, and we still owe you money,'" Fata said. "So there's that initial challenge." But Moyer also insisted, amid calls from the audience for more transparency in GHA operations and questions about who its commissioners answer to, that the Housing Authority is more than willing to hear further proposals. "There is a dearth," Moyer said of the city's affordable housing situation. "There's just an absolute lack." Mayor Carol Jayroe said the next step in any potential development on the Lincoln Street site will be for the GHA to decide the best use for the property and hear further proposals from developers. "The word will get out that they're willing," Jayroe said. For nearly two years, Greenvillians have asked the question: What will fill the Husk space? The historic building with the distinctive stained-glass windows has remained frozen in time, paper over the windows, with a mysterious no vacancy sign since October 2021, when Husk Barbeque closed its doors a little under a year after opening. Now, there is an answer. The Matador, a Seattle-based tequila-focused bar and restaurant, will fill the 6,500-square-foot space, bringing new energy to the former Husk building later this year. Its not a rumor, its happening, Matador co-founder Zak Melang confirmed during an interview with The Post and Courier. Ive been looking in Greenville a long time, so its nice to finally find a space." The growth in Greenvilles West End comes as that part of the city is seeing great development. New Realm Brewing will open later this year, the Trueline music venue is also in development, and The Greenville Drive has opened along with District 356. All promise to bring long-anticipated new life and new energy to that part of the citys downtown. The next question might be how a Washington state-based concept find its way to Greenville, South Carolina? That answer is Melang, himself. The restaurant veteran who co-founded Matador with his wife, Renessa, and business partner, Nate Opper, in 2004 was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. While Melang has lived in Seattle and Mexico for nearly two decades, he remains connected to the Carolinas. Summerville, SC (29483) Today Mainly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mainly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Kingstree, SC (29556) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. Returning to the native home and land is an indescribable feeling, resident of Azerbaijan's Lachin city Sabina Guliyeva told Trend. Guliyeva reminded her of leaving the city at 13. "We honor the memory of our martyrs, wish health to our veterans, and thank everyone who worked for us to return to our lands," the former IDP emphasized. Lachin city was occupied by Armenia in 1992 and liberated from the occupation following the 2020 second Karabakh war. In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the return of former IDPs to the restored city of Lachin continues. Lachin residents, who became more beautiful and improved, thanked the President, the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva for their comprehensive care and expressed gratitude to the valiant Azerbaijani army, which liberated the lands. Today, another 23 families (93 people) returned to Lachin City. Thus, to date, a permanent settlement in the city has been provided for 203 families, or 793 people. Mount Pleasant, SC (29464) Today Mainly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Mostly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mostly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds light and variable. South Carolina's Supreme Court reversed a Summerville woman's 2019 murder conviction after ruling gruesome autopsy photos presented to the jury unlawfully prejudiced the case against her. In the Aug. 9 order overturning Carmie Josette Nelson's conviction, the justices determined the trial judge erred in permitting Charleston County prosecutors to show grisly photos of the deceased. Jordan Brooke Lum, 51, was bludgeoned with a hammer, repeatedly stabbed and left in a crate on April 2, 2017 at the Summerville apartment she shared with Nelson. The only question for jurors to decide during the May 2019 trial was whether Nelson or her husband murdered the victim, according to the order. "The admission of these excessively gruesome autopsy photos unnecessarily created the potential for the jury to convict Carmie of the murder based on inflamed emotions," the order states. Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said her office intends to retry Nelson, a 57-year-old former Army nurse who has been serving a life sentence in state prison. The solicitor maintained Aug. 9 that the images were important for jurors to consider because they accurately depicted a "horrible crime." "We respect the courts differing opinion, however, and will follow their instructions going forward in this now six-plus year old murder case," she said. At trial four years ago Nelson testified in her defense that her husband killed the victim, held her hostage and coerced her to confess in a recording that she committed the murder. She testified her husband threatened her and threatened to kill her pets. The husband, Daniel Joseph Nelson, had a prior conviction in Charleston for family domestic violence and he had a second, pending case of family violence against his wife at the time of Lum's murder. Daniel Nelson, who was the first to go to the police, testified his wife killed her roommate and then enlisted his help to cover up her crime. He was charged with accessory-after-the-fact to murder. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison, records show. The pending domestic violence charge was dismissed. Carmie Nelson's attorney acknowledged during his opening statement Lum was "brutally" murdered, having suffered "at least 90 wounds to her body," the court order relates. Prosecutors argued the images helped explain the victim's cause of death and proved malice a necessary element to convict someone of murder. The defense objected, stating the images would "inflame the passions of the jury," but Circuit Judge J.C. Nicholson sided with prosecutors. The justices found the trial judge erred in his decision, and that prosecutors established their case through other evidence. The justices quoted the court's 2010 decision in State v. Torres in which the justices cautioned solicitors to abstain from "pushing the envelope on admissibility in order to gain a victory which, in all likelihood, was already assured" by putting into evidence gruesome photographs that added little to nothing to the issue of guilt. GASTONIA, NC Two years after their last meeting, Piedmont Lithium officials again appeared before Gaston County commissioners to address environmental concerns related to the potential construction of a local lithium mine. The mine, if opened, would become one of North America's largest sources of lithium and the only U.S. mine in the Southeast, where the vast majority of America's electric vehicle fleet will be manufactured. Gastonia, located in the Charlotte region, sits less than 10 miles from the South Carolina border and just north of fast-growing York County. About 200 people packed into the county courthouse during the Aug. 8 meeting. Many wore red T-shirts and stickers that read Gaston County Pit Mine with a slash through it. County commissioners made no decision on the mine, but the meeting seemed to do little to resolve residents' concerns. Piedmont Lithium doesnt care about the community, said Tim Leonhardt, who lives 250 yards from proposed mine. They only care about the money they can make off our homes. During the three-hour meeting, Piedmont Lithium officials gave a presentation about the potential impact on the environment and surrounding homes. They then fielded a barrage of questions from county commissioners. Lithium is critical to making batteries for electric vehicles. It is driving todays energy transition, just as fossil fuels drove the industrial revolution. The price of lithium has jumped 500 percent overall in the past two years. Companies like Piedmont Lithium stand to profit handsomely as a result. In January, the company expanded an agreement with EV giant Tesla to supply 125,000 metric tons of lithium-bearing minerals. The company maintains that Gaston County also stands to profit. According to a study commissioned by Piedmont Lithium, its operations would generate $3.9 billion over five years for the wider Gaston County community. Commissioners responded to these estimates with skepticism when presented with them last year. The study's author, a university professor, said his study did not account for environmental costs. Piedmont Lithium officials had not publicly appeared in front of the commissioners since 2021, when tensions first rose. Commissioners criticized company CEO Keith Phillips in 2021, alleging poor communication and a lack of the transparency. Phillips spoke at the 2021 meeting, promising improved communication and offering to hold monthly meetings with commissioners to update them regularly. Commission chairman Chad Brown told The Post and Courier, "I haven't heard from that guy since." Phillips did not make an appearance at the Aug. 8 meeting, leaving some county commissioners including Brown frustrated. "Look at all these people," Brown said during the Aug. 9 meeting, motioning to the crowd. "Your CEO refused to come tonight. He knew about this meeting months in advance. That kills me inside." The Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt stretches across the South Carolina and North Carolina border, reaching as far south as Gaffney, S.C. When cracked, crushed and processed, spodumene a pale green crystallized rock turns into lithium hydroxide. The rush for Carolina lithium is being nudged gently along by the Inflation Reductions Act, a bill that incentivizes consumers with $7,500 tax credit to buy American-made electric vehicles that source battery materials from North America. South Carolina is actively trying to attract EV automakers and their suppliers, with a splashy website and powerful incentives packages. Albemarle, another lithium mining and processing company, announced in May that it will build a $1.3 billion lithium hydroxide processing plant in Chester County. Albemarle and Piedmont are in competition to be the regions lead lithium supplier. Piedmont Lithium faces growing community opposition and ongoing regulatory setbacks. After two years, Piedmont Lithium still hasn't secured mining permits. Since submitting a state permit application in 2021, the company has answered two rounds of requests from North Carolina regulatory officials seeking additional information. Reuters reported that regulators told Piedmont in January that they had "many concerns" about the company's plans to discharge chemicals into the public sewer system. The company's response topped 1,000 pages. In May, regulators submitted a third round of questions, requesting further clarity about arsenic testing and waste storage. Piedmont has until Sept. 8 to respond. These delays and growing uncertainty has forced the company to look for lithium abroad. Last year, Piedmont Lithium invested in mining companies operating in Canada and Ghana. On Aug. 2, the company announced that its partnership with Canada-based Sayona had resulted in the company's first shipment of North American lithium to one of its buyers. It also marked the 7-year-old company's first revenue. Even if state regulators do issue a permit for the N.C. mine, Piedmont Lithium still must secure two more approvals: an air quality permit from the federal government and rezoning approval from the Gaston County commissioners. The chances of Piedmont getting county approvals are uncertain. Residents and commissioners heard primarily from Erin Sanders, senior vice president of corporate communications and investor relations, and Monique Parker, vice president of health, safety and environment. They discussed the handling of arsenic and impact to nearby water, with a chance that water wells could dry up. If that happens, they would provide water tanks and trucks to residents. The mine will have an on-site wastewater treatment plant that will be able to test and treat the water, before it is discharged. When they find arsenic in water, they will treat it before releasing it, company officials said. Based on the reserves in Gaston County, Piedmont Lithium said it can assure the mine will have a lifespan of at least a 11-years. But based on their study of the land, company officials said they believe that there are double the reserves available and that the lifespan could be extended. Residents at the meeting expressed concern about the project, almost all speaking against the proposed mine. At one point, the crowd laughed after Piedmont Lithium said that their home values wouldnt decrease. One person stormed out of the room, yelling, "We don't want you here, I'm leaving." Warren Snowdon, who shares a property line with Piedmont Lithium, said he hasn't heard from the company in over two years, outside of receiving a box of cookies and a bag of coffee. He said he left with more questions. "I was hoping to get answers," he said. "I was hoping to learn more tonight." FLORENCE The Kings Academys new head of school is aiming to spearhead growth at the private Christian school. David Raines is stepping in as the new head of school after leaving the Pee Dee for Georgia in 2016. Raines served at another regional Christian school from 2012 to 2016. He has more than 20 years of experience in Christian education, with more than 10 in administration. Raines is helping the school continue its multiphase construction plan. The school, a mission of Trinity Evangelical Presbyterian Church, is seeking to complete four new buildings and eliminate the need for mobile units. The first phase of that plan, a new elementary school building, is already underway. I need to play my part in helping young kids grow their relationship with the Lord, thats the spiritual goal, which is our most important, he said. The operational goal would be what weve talked about, seeing through the start of this multibuilding campaign. The school has seen steady growth since its opening in the early 1990s. What began as a school for six families who wanted Christian education had nearly 340 enrolled students for the 2022-23 school year, said Jennifer Hoover, the schools director of institutional advancement. Enrollment has gone up by around 5 percent, Raines said. However, the school is not wholly focused on increasing numbers. His plan for growth is more intentional than just boosting enrollment. It's big enough to offer things and prepare them, but small enough to where it really is a family, he said Even when they get out of elementary school, they still see those teachers, they still bond with them. Bonds, both in the classroom and at home, are important to the school, Raines said. Parental involvement is one of the driving factors behind the schools intentional growth plan. The school enters into a covenant relationship with families, with the family providing a Christian lifestyle at home along with the schools Christian-centered education. Families are interviewed during enrollment to ensure that the school is a good fit for their child. COLUMBIA People convicted of sex crimes can't get their names removed from the sex offender registry simply by leaving the Palmetto State, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled. The justices' Aug. 9 opinion involves an unnamed former Greenville County resident who sued in 2020 five years after moving to Georgia to get his name deleted from the South Carolina registry. After completing his probation in Georgia, he came off that state's registry. But his name, picture, offense, vehicle information and last known address continue to appear in South Carolina's searchable online database. In the federal lawsuit, "John Doe" and the American Civil Liberties Union alleged the State Law Enforcement Division policy unconstitutionally punishes people who no longer live in South Carolina. Keeping him on SLED's online registry needlessly limits his ability to work, travel and find housing, his attorneys argued. A federal court asked South Carolina justices to weigh in on whether state law allows the public registry to include information on people who don't live here. The high court answered with a resounding "yes." "We conclude South Carolina has a legitimate and fundamental interest in promoting the public health, safety and welfare of its citizens, regardless of imaginary boundary lines between states," Justice George James wrote in the unanimous opinion. "For example (and there are many), a sex offender who resides in and registers in South Carolina might move to Savannah, Georgia, or Charlotte, North Carolina," he continued. While the convicted offender may no longer be a South Carolina resident and no longer need to show up in person to register his whereabouts, "he or she could easily travel to and from South Carolina at convenient times for licit and illicit purposes," the opinion continues. Allowing sex offenders to get their names deleted by moving would ignore the reason for the law, James wrote. He noted state law provides several ways for sex offenders to get their names removed, which include getting their conviction overturned or securing a pardon. The Legislature created another option last year under orders from the state high court to fix what had otherwise been an unconstitutional lifetime placement. The 2022 law ranked sex crimes and made those convicted of first-tier offenses, such as computer crimes, eligible for removal 15 years after completing their punishment. John Doe is still years away from qualifying. According to court filings, he was convicted in 2011 of an online sex crime in Colorado and sentenced to probation. At the time, he was a University of South Carolina student. He registered twice a year with his local sheriff as South Carolina law required until he moved to neighboring Georgia. John Doe's lawyers argued that since he's no longer required to physically register in South Carolina, his identifying information should be deleted. "We disagree," James wrote, adding the law refers only to the registration process. SLED's required to do so only if the Legislature chooses to amend the law, he wrote. In a statement to The Post and Courier, attorneys for the ACLU of South Carolina said they're disappointed by the state's answer to the U.S. District Court's question. But we "look forward to vindicating our clients constitutional rights when the case returns to federal court," they said. More than 8,000 people on South Carolina's public registry don't live there, the ACLU told the federal court last year. "Some of these individuals like John Doe are listed on our registry despite no longer being required to register as a sex offender anywhere in the world," the ACLU said in a court filing. "Because these individuals are not actively registering with law enforcement, their registry information is necessarily stale, inaccurate, and irrelevant to the safety and welfare of South Carolinians. And although publication of out-of-state offenders provides no discernible benefit to law enforcement or the community, it inflicts profound damage on the lives and reputations of the out-of-state individuals that are listed. A South Carolina man who for years lobbied lawmakers to recognize an official standardized version of the state's distinctive palmetto flag has died. He was 61. Scott Malyerck of Newberry, who launched a popular, debate-sparking campaign aimed at settling how deep-blue the hue and how ornate the tree, died Aug. 8. A cause was not immediately disclosed. "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of a true patriot, an icon of our country and of the state of South Carolina," a message relayed on behalf of his family said. Malyerck served as executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party from 200507, as deputy state treasurer and director of multiple successful political campaigns. He also played an integral role in South Carolina serving as the GOP's first Southern presidential primary state. But it was his flag-defining effort that drew him the most attention. As a history buff, Malyerck began lobbying the Legislature to endorse a single design after noticing different government buildings in Columbia were flying various versions of the flag. Some were dark blue but showed a visually inaccurate version of the tree. Others were a lighter blue but displayed a more realistic tree design. From that, he reasoned the flags being flown were provided at random by whichever vendor was the supplier. Our flag is meaningful historically, Malyerck told The Post and Courier in 2020. We should be proud of it. South Carolina's flag is tied to one of the most significant days in the state's history. During the 1776 siege of Charleston, Col. William Moultries indigo Liberty flag was blown off the ramparts by the British bombardment and a plucky young sergeant ran into the open to retrieve and hoist it once more. Over time it became a ubiquitous symbol of the state, with the palmetto tree in the center design based on a form that was official from 1910 to 1940. But no true version has been recognized since then after a provision of state law was repealed in 1940. Malyerck spent years pressing lawmakers to take action. Some felt the cause worthy, while others considered it government overreach. We dont need to superimpose what you think the flag ought to look like, state Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, told The Post and Courier in January. Malyerck did have some success with his campaign as he showed off differing versions for the public to judge. A state Senate committee studied the history of the flag and recommended an official design in December 2021. But that design, which featured a somewhat scraggly palmetto tree, was widely mocked on social media. The latest version of flag design legislation is currently on hold in the Senate. If the measure becomes law, the official flag would feature a deep-indigo background dubbed Pantone 282C with a white crescent, or gorget, in the upper left corner. The Statehouse does not convene again until January. Malyerck also served as a lieutenant colonel in the State Guard since 2006. Details on a life celebration will be announced later. COLUMBIA South Carolina lawmakers are exploring the expense of offering free meals to all K-12 students statewide and the costs to society when children go hungry. A joint House-Senate panel is tasked with looking at how to maximize various nutrition programs funded by the federal government to feed more students, while increasing collaborations with local farmers. "There are already areas that have a great farm-to-school program. We just dont do it statewide," Rep. Patrick Haddon told The Post and Courier after panelists elected him chairman at their inaugural meeting Aug. 9. The Greenville Republican, who authored the law creating the study committee, called its findings a potential "huge win-win" for South Carolina's farmers and families. The panel will study the costs of offering free universal breakfasts and lunches as well as providing more take-home meals for dinners and weekends. Since 2021, six U.S. states have passed laws for universal free school meals. "We know there are students going home, especially on the weekends who may not have anything," said Haddon, a farmer who raises cattle, pigs and poultry. "How do we provide more, better nutrition?" He expects a deep dive over the next few months to be a tough, "eye-opening experience" for him. As of last spring, nearly 470,000 students were eligible for free lunch, while about 30,000 more were eligible for reduced-price meals. Combined, that's nearly two-thirds of all K-12 students, according to the state Department of Education. Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Columbia, said he hopes the focus stays on children, with farmers benefiting as a byproduct. While existing federal programs cover the costs of school meals for poor children, not all qualifying parents sign up and, when they do, students who do get free meals may be singled out by their peers, he said. Johnson knows firsthand. His family became homeless when he was 14, and he lived in motels or on friends' couches into adulthood. "I got treated differently because I was getting free lunch," he said. If all students eat for free it "would remove the stigma, the shame that some kids feel, the bullying some kids have to deal with because theyre not in the same situation." Many high-poverty schools in South Carolina qualify for a federal program that covers meal costs for all students without parental paperwork. But not all eligible schools in the state have participated. As a way to change that, legislators put a clause in the state budget requiring local school boards to either participate where eligible or pass a resolution explaining to the public why they're not. The clause also bars schools from denying meals or serving alternative meals to students with a lunch debt. They also can't make the student do chores or extra work in exchange for meals or deny participation in any school event or field trip. The practice in some schools of providing "shame lunches" to children or singling them out if they can't afford to eat must end, said Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, who learned about it after a boy in her church approached her. "He said, 'Miss Katrina, Im the only kid in my class who has to get the shame lunch,' and I said, 'What is that?' and he said, 'Its a bag with two pieces of bread and a piece of cheese and a carton of milk.' He said, 'My daddy wont fill out the paperwork to get a free lunch,'" she told The Post and Courier, adding she went to his school to change that. She prefiled a bill last November that would provide free breakfasts and lunches to all students in South Carolina by requiring the state to reimburse school districts any costs not covered by the federal government. It never received a hearing this year. She's eager to see what the study committee recommends, as long as it includes free meals for all students. "We shouldnt have to point out whos poor and whos not to feed children," she said. "Kids shouldnt be made to feel different because that lowers their self-esteem, and if theyre hungry, theyre not going to learn and theyre going to misbehave." Committee recommendations due before the Legislature returns in January also include whether it would help farmers and children to move oversight of the programs to the state Department of Agriculture. Federal meal programs have long been handled by the state Department of Education. While the costs of providing meals for all are to be determined, Haddon said a guesstimate he received from the state education agency a year or so ago was $50 million to $60 million. That's a comparatively small expense in a state spending package of nearly $14 billion this fiscal year, he said. "These children are our future. I know it's a worn-out cliche," he said. "But do we want to feed them now or incarcerate them later, because I think that goes hand in hand." ROEBUCK In middle school, Thomas Massey Jr. went on two field trips to Walnut Grove Plantation. During Masseys visit to the 3,000-acre property in Spartanburg County, hed mention to classmates and tour guides that his ancestors were the last people to live on the property before it was deemed a historical site, but no one believed him. I couldve taken the pictures, but I was a kid so I didnt think of that, Massey, now 43, said. Massey is a descendant of Henry and Lelia Foster, an African American couple from Spartanburg County who lived in the Walnut Grove Plantation manor house from 1940 to 1961. Masseys familys story will soon be told as part of the plantations history. One hundred ninety-three descendants of Henry and Lelia Foster gathered at the property on Otts Shoals Road for a 49th family reunion event on Aug. 5. For the first time, a proclamation of their ties to the plantation was read. Also this year, Massey partnered with the Spartanburg County Historical Association to ensure that his family's story is implemented into programming at Walnut Grove. The reading of the proclamation on that Saturday morning was an auspicious occasion," he said. "It was just an amazing gathering to fellowship and reflect over my family's heritage." Foster, Moore families forged rare relationship Every year, the Foster, Butler, Woodruff and Rogers family reunion is held during the first weekend of August. It's been 20 years since the family toured Walnut Grove as part of the weekend-long events. For Massey, returning to the property was special because of the stories he was able to hear from family members who remember spending time at the manor house. In 1763, Charles and Mary Moore were granted land from King George III. The couple emigrated from Ireland to the Carolinas. Charles Moore received additional grants that brought this total acreage to around 3,000. By 1765, the Moores built their farmhouse on the property and established Walnut Grove Plantation. The family raised 10 children in the farmhouse, and with the help of around 10 enslaved people, successfully raised livestock and farmed their land. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. Representatives of the Azerbaijani Ombudsperson have met with Azerbaijanis repatriated from Syria, the press service of the Office of the Ombudsperson of Azerbaijan said, Trend reports. As many as 16 more people (13 children and 3 women) were brought from Syria to Azerbaijan on August 3. Representatives of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan inquired about the state of ensuring their rights after meeting with these people in the Social Services Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Azerbaijan. The psychological state of women and children was studied, and staff representatives were informed about the steps made to socially rehabilitate and reintegrate them into society. The House Oversight Committee has released a third Biden bank memo detailing new information obtained in the Committees investigation into the Biden familys influence peddling schemes. The committee has now identified over $20 million in payments from foreign sources to the Biden family and their business associates. Thats $20 million and counting. The press release summarizes the bank records memo: The memorandum outlines how the Bidens and their business associates received millions from oligarchs in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine during Joe Bidens vice presidency. After Hunter Biden received millions of dollars in payments, then-Vice President Joe Biden dined with his sons foreign associates in Washington, D.C. Devon Archer, Hunter Bidens former business partner, recently testified that then-Vice President Joe Biden was the brand sold to enrich the Biden family and was used to send signals of access, power, and influence. The press release includes this statement from Chairman Comer: During Joe Bidens vice presidency, Hunter Biden sold him as the brand to reap millions from oligarchs in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. It appears no real services were provided other than access to the Biden network, including Joe Biden himself. And Hunter Biden seems to have delivered. This is made clear by meals at Cafe Milano where then-Vice President Joe Biden dined with oligarchs from around the world who had sent money to his son. Its clear Joe Biden knew about his sons business dealings and allowed himself to be the brand sold to enrich the Biden family while he was Vice President of the United States. The House Oversight Committee will continue to follow the money trail and obtain witness testimony to determine whether foreign actors targeted the Bidens, President Biden is compromised or corrupt, and our national security is threatened. The press release is posted here. The bank records memo is posted here. Maybe someone will make something of this one of these days. There are hundreds of jargon-filled academic articles published every day, and as such are not worth noting. But once in a while a special effort at ideological academic babble deserves notice when it is indistinguishable from parody. Such is this article from Ethnos, an anthropological journal, published yesterday: That Which They Will Not See: Climate Denial as a Vector of Epistemological Crisis in the Contemporary United States Susannah Crockford, University of Exeter Abstract Climate denial continues as a cultural epistemology for anthropogenic climate change in the United States, despite worsening impacts. This article offers an ethnographic account of rural areas in three states in the southern US Arizona, Louisiana, and Missouri based on long-term participant observation and interview data. Engaging with the literature on agnotology, the social construction of ignorance, the argument is made that this literature as it pertains to climate denial does not go far enough in accounting for the persistence of the rejection of climate science. Theoretically drawing from anthropological work on the incommensurability of paradigms, the argument is based on a tripartite construction of denial as produced through an interaction of a cultural norm of radical empiricism, a political-media ecosystem funded by fossil fuel companies, and a cosmological schema derived from conservative white evangelicalism. The result of this process is an epistemological crisis in contemporary American society. In other words, the author drove around rural America, talked to them, and condescended to them for an academic journal. And this is called science. The only thing missing from this abstract is neoliberalism, but the rest of the checklist is there (social construction, paradigms, evangelicalism, etc). Im going to go back to staring at my vectors now. The following story was related to me by a former Governor of Minnesota, who was of Norwegian descent. A number of years ago, a Norwegian dignitary (the Prime Minister, I think) visited Minnesota. Talking to our governor, the Prime Minister tut-tutted about Minnesotas crime rate, saying that there was much less crime in Norway. Minnesotas governor replied, We dont have a crime problem with our Norwegians, either. That anecdote came to mind when I read, in the London Times, Swedens slide from peaceful welfare state to Europes gun-killings capital. Today, Sweden is Europes capital of gun homicide. Last year, according to the Swedish national council for crime prevention, 63 people were shot and killed: more than double the European average and, per capita, multitudes higher than London or Paris. The effect on Swedish society has been striking. As well as the lives lost, the violence has brought down a government, changed laws and policies, and become the biggest talking point in a country that once prided itself on its reputation as a peaceful welfare state. Violent crime will do that, although, to be fair, Swedens homicide rate is considerably lower than ours. But it is now significantly higher than homicide rates in quite a few other European countries, including Norway. Why is that? Have Swedes suddenly started getting violent? No. It has also kicked the hornets nest of integration. Today, one fifth of all people living in Sweden were born outside the country. That is an extraordinarily high number. The overwhelming majority of the people involved in gang crime are young Swedish men who were born abroad or whose parents or grandparents emigrated to the country. So Swedens crime problem isnt really about the Swedes. This culprit, though, is familiar: For too long, many have argued, the authorities ignored the rising problem with gang violence because they wanted to avoid being seen as racist, or because it simply felt as if it were happening in the highly segregated suburbs, far away from the comfortable lives of policymakers. Some other Scandinavian countries have seemingly done a better job of dealing with crime and immigration issues: Some have seized on the example of neighbouring Denmark, which has had some success in combating gang violence. In the past decade, according to the authorities, the number of gang members has fallen by a third. Swedish politicians have argued that Denmark, which has a much more openly hardline attitude towards immigration and integration, beat the gangs through harsher sentencing and the introduction of stop-and-search zones. Of course, a liberal paper like the Times cant sign on with that approach, although it does later give space to a Swede who says that more social programs are not the answer. On the whole, one gets the sense that the crime issue is of concern mostly because it favors right wing political parties: Even before the conservative Moderate Party, in alliance with the populist right-wing Sweden Democrats, toppled the Social Democrats in elections in September, every other politician and authority figure had been falling over themselves to appear tough on crime. Because voters foolishly believe that being tough on crime will lead to less crime. Western Europes crime problem is largely a consequence of those countries immigration policies. When voters have had an opportunity to express an opinion on whether the benefits of mass third-world immigration outweigh the costs, their answer has usually been No, as was recently the case in Sweden. PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-09 20:55:35 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 700 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S.TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX-V:BAY)(OTCQB:ATBHF) ("Aston Bay" or the "Company") has recently announced significant exploration discoveries made at the Company's Storm Copper Project (the "Project") on Somerset Island, Nunavut, Canada by the Project operator American West Metals Limited (see news releases dated August 2, 2023 and August 8, 2023). These advancements are deemed to be Material Information, as defined in the policy of the TSX Venture Exchange that pertains to the pricing of private placements.Due to this development, the ongoing non-brokered private placement's pricing structure can no longer be maintained within the previously announced terms, and the Company is unable to proceed with the private placement as originally announced. As a result of these circumstances, both the private placement and the share consolidation initiative are now terminated.In the coming days, the Company plans to establish revised terms for a new private placement.About Aston Bay HoldingsAston Bay is a publicly traded mineral exploration company exploring for high-grade copper and gold deposits in Virginia, USA, and Nunavut, Canada. The Company is led by CEO Thomas Ullrich with exploration in Virginia directed by the Company's advisor, Don Taylor, the 2018 Thayer Lindsley Award winner for his discovery of the Taylor Pb-Zn-Ag Deposit in Arizona. The Company is currently exploring the high-grade Buckingham Gold Vein in central Virginia and is in advanced stages of negotiation on other lands with high-grade copper potential in the area.The Company is 100% owner of the Storm Project property, which hosts the Storm Copper Project and the Seal Zinc Deposit and has been optioned to American West Metals Limited.The Company's public disclosure documents are available on www.sedar.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTSStatements made in this press release, including those regarding the closing and the use of proceeds of the private placement, management objectives, forecasts, estimates, expectations, or predictions of the future may constitute "forward-looking statement", which can be identified by the use of conditional or future tenses or by the use of such verbs as "believe", "expect", "may", "will", "should", "estimate", "anticipate", "project", "plan", and words of similar import, including variations thereof and negative forms. This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect, as of the date of this press release, Aston Bay's expectations, estimates and projections about its operations, the mining industry and the economic environment in which it operates. Statements in this press release that are not supported by historical fact are forward-looking statements, meaning they involve risk, uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although Aston Bay believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which apply only at the time of writing of this press release. Aston Bay disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by securities legislation. We seek safe harbour.Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.THIS PRESS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN IN THE UNITED STATES. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN, AND WILL NOT BE, REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:Thomas Ullrich, Chief Executive Officer(416) 456-3516Sofia Harquail, IR and Corporate Development(647) 821-1337SOURCE: Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. Huseyn Akhundov, an Azerbaijani serviceman who is being held captive in Armenia, has contacted his family, Trend reports. Footage in this regard were distributed in telegram channels. The serviceman has contacted his family via video call through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Azerbaijani military servicemen Agshin Babirov (born in 2004) and Huseyn Akhundov (born in 2003) went missing due to limited visibility under adverse weather conditions in the border area of the Shahbuz district of Azerbaijans Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with Armenia on April 10. Later, it was revealed that both of the servicemen were captured by Armenian Armed Forces. PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-09 23:07:07 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 541 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.Class Period: Mar. 1, 2020 - July 26, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Sept. 26, 2023Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/t Contact An Attorney Now: T@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895AT&T Inc. (T) Securities Fraud Class Action:The complaint alleges AT&T made false or misleading statements and failed to disclose that AT&T: (1) owns cables around the U.S. that are highly toxic due to their being wrapped in lead, and which harm company employees and non-employees alike; (2) faces potentially significant litigation risk, regulatory risk, and reputational harm as a result of its ownership of these lead-covered cables and the health risks stemming from their presence around the U.S; and (3) was warned about the damage and risks presented by these cables but did not disclose them as a potential threat to employee safety or to everyday people and communities.Investors began to learn the truth after the Wall Street Journal published a series of articles spanning July 9 - July 26, 2023.These articles revealed that AT&T and others left behind toxic lead cables that they laid years ago. The WSJ also reported that independently tested samples from underwater cable sites revealed lead on the banks of the Mississippi, Willamette, and Passaic Rivers as well as in parts of Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere.The WSJ further reported that AT&T officials have known for decades that lead in its networks was a possible health risk to its workers, some workers have illnesses that can be linked to lead, and lead could leach into the environment.Finally, on July 26, 2023, the WSJ reported that the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency are investigating whether telecom companies knew of the potential risks posed by the abandoned lead cables.As a result, AT&T's stock has been downgraded by analysts and its price was inflated over the past five years."We're focused on investors' losses and AT&T's knowledge of potential liability stemming from its sprawling network of toxic lead-sheathed cables across the U.S.," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in AT&T and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding AT&T should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email T@ hbsslaw.com About Hagens BermanHagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.Contact:Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895SOURCE: Hagens Berman PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-09 12:09:15 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 778 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Registration for the retail tour and conference is now live, bringing together over 200 licensing, manufacturing and retail executives for two days of collaboration and education.NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit (B&LIS), the thought leadership event dedicated to transforming the future of brand licensing, opens registration for its live event, where industry leaders and decision makers come to learn and connect over the latest trends and insights impacting the brand licensing business. Organized by License Global, Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit (B&LIS) will be returning to Convene New York at 117 West 46th Street in New York City November 2-3, 2023.The Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit starts with a dedicated retail tour and networking event, presented by international candy and confectionery leader, IT'SUGAR, Thursday, Nov. 2. The 60-minute tour will be held at its central New York flagship store in Times Square as IT'SUGAR shares how to best bring licensed products to life through innovative experiential in-store activations. The retail networking event is complimentary and included as part of B&LIS delegates attendee passes.B&LIS connects exclusive senior-level brand licensing thought leaders from brand owners to manufacturers and retailers, and will take place Friday, Nov. 3. The conference provides panel discussions and case studies designed to inspire ingenuity and cover trends predicted to impact the industry over the next few years. Early registered speakers include Circana (formerly known as The NPD Group), IT'SUGAR, Vox Media and Falcon's Beyond, to highlight hot topics such as e-commerce, consumer buying patterns, the future of AI, as well as marketing and engaging consumers across generations.Immediately following the conclusion of the conference program, License Global will unveil its 2023 "The Influentials" honorees, commemorating those changing the face of the business of brand licensing, to be presented at 5 p.m., Nov. 3. The Influentials recognizes individuals in specific categories who have contributed towards advancing the quality of the licensing industry. Proceeding The Influentials ceremony, guests are invited to enjoy a cocktail reception to celebrate the winners amongst colleagues."B&LIS is designed to exclusively connect the international thought leaders and trend setters shaping the future of licensed consumer products to discuss the evolving digital and experiential landscapes that impact these industries through in-depth educational sessions. Think of it as graduate school for licensing industry professionals," says Amanda Cioletti, Vice President of Content and Strategy for the Global Licensing Group at Informa, which includes the flagship trade show Licensing Expo and the media brand, License Global. "This year, Licensing Expo hosted a record number of retailers, so it is critical to create ongoing spaces to share retailer insights. B&LIS aims to continue the discourse and reconnect the industry in New York, addressing challenges and opportunities this industry will face in 2024, 2025 and beyond." This year's Top Global Licensors report, released by License Global, totaled $278 billion in retail sales of licensed consumer products in 2022, with over 40 of the 84 brands in the report seeing a collective growth of more than $29 billion. Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit arms attendees with the educational tools needed to continue to expand consumer engagement and worldwide industry growth.To register to attend the two-day education and networking event, please visit www.brandlicensinginnovationsummit.com . Early Bird pricing is available and will end on September 22nd.Interested media may contact for consideration to attend. Press for B&LIS is exclusive to invitation.About Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit:The Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit (B&LIS) is an educational conference focused on the future of licensed consumer products and the issues that matter most to the global industry, curated by leading licensing news source, License Global. Geared toward senior business management, manufacturers, brand owners and retail professionals, the annual event addresses the latest industry trends and topics through thought-provoking panel discussions, fireside interviews, and workshops. B&LIS is organized by the Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets. The Summit is designed to complement the Global Licensing Group's trade shows and information products, which include Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Shanghai, and License Global.About Global Licensing Group:The Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LON:INF), is the licensing industry's leading tradeshow organizer and media partner. Its mission is to provide licensing opportunities around the world by bringing brands and products together. The following events and information products are produced for the licensing industry by the Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets: Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Shanghai, Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit and License Global. Global Licensing Group events are sponsored by Licensing International.Media Contact:Informa Markets Licensing PRlicensingpr@ informa.com SOURCE: INFORMA MARKETS - GLOBAL LICENSING GROUP (Licensing Global) PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-09 21:45:52 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 719 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LONG ISLAND, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Since their start as a family-owned Long Island roofing company in 1961, Clearview Roofing & Construction has expanded through new locations across New York, including a Babylon office to be opened just in time for storm season. The new office will be open for business to join their current offices in Port Washington, Huntington and Rockville Centre, as well as services offered to all of Nassau, Suffolk and Queens counties.The company specializes in shingle roofing, TPO and EPDM Rubber Flat roofing, slate roofing, cedar shake roofing and skylights. These services will now be offered to residents of Babylon, where the new office will be open for business in the coming month.Long Island and Queens residents may still turn to Clearview for any of their construction or roofing necessities, and as the company continues to grow, their volume of insurance restoration jobs has also expanded. Residents of Babylon, NY and the surrounding south shore of Suffolk county may find that they need assistance dealing with not only roofing but water-related damage. "Clearview provides air movers, air scrubbers and power vacuums to remove water out of basements from flooding or pipe burst events," says Chris Feniello. "We have serviced many homeowners with their insurance claims and we feel that the south shore is in need of these services as well - this ultimately inspired our decision to open up the new location in Babylon, NY." "We get most roofs done in one day. Since we have such a large workforce, we don't have our customers waiting weeks to months on end for their project to be scheduled. When we start a job, we stay on the job until we finish, and we are paid upon completion," says Feniello. "We encourage customers to communicate with our employees and I feel it's important to talk to the client throughout the process, beginning to end." To accommodate the magnitude of clients requesting Clearview's services, they have taken a multi office approach. This ensures efficiency and prompt response time. Clearview is big on safety and accountability. "It's important that homeowners understand the difference between roofing category insurance and home improvement insurance that contractors carry. Roofing insurance is, on average, 10x more than just home improvement insurance for contractors." Employees are also required to take Osha safety classes and go through ongoing training prior which is part of the job and a top priority for Desmond and Feniello. "Our employees are also GAF certified for both shingle roofing and flat roofing." As a family-owned business, Clearview does their best to ensure customers are offered a seamless contracting job from start to finish. This includes free on-site estimates, fair pricing, and consistent communication between contractors and clients. In order to ease clients into the process, Clearview also works with most major insurance companies to offer customers the most out of their claim. Services are also offered 24/7 Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m on Friday and Sunday to accommodate unexpected issues or emergencies.Clearview Roofing and Construction serves many counties in New York, and customer reviews are a testament to their integrity. As client satisfaction and employee safety are two main priorities for both Desmond and Feniello, both hope to continue offering their trustworthy services to more New York counties with their new office opening soon. For Babylon residents hoping to finally complete that renovation job or proactively improve the safety and lifespan of their roof, check out their new location opening up at 83 Fire Island Ave. (Suite 2), Babylon, NY, 11702.About Clearview Roofing and ConstructionClearview Roofing and Construction first began operations in 1961 as a family-owned business by the uncle and father of Kevin Desmond. Kevin along with Chris Feniello, the company has running offices in Port Washington, Huntington and Rockville Centre, and also services all of Nassau, Suffolk and Queens counties. Clearview specializes in roofing services such as shingle roofing, TPO and EPDM Rubber Flat roofing, slate roofing, cedar shake roofing and skylights. To get a free on-site estimate or request a quote, contact Clearview Roofing & Construction through their website or email/call:Clearview Roofing & ConstructionNassau County:Rockville Centre location516-764-7663Suffolk County:Huntington location631-262-7663SOURCE: Clearview Roofing and Construction PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-09 15:00:52 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 324 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / LongPath Technologies (LongPath) announced today that ConocoPhillips has invested $7.0 million to complete the company's Series A equity financing round. The two companies executed a Joint Development Agreement designed to optimize the application of LongPath's greenhouse gas detection and methane emissions monitoring technology across the various geographies in which ConocoPhillips operates. The investment brings the total Series A raised to $29.5 million. White Deer Energy led the round."The addition of ConocoPhillips as an investor further demonstrates strong support for LongPath's distinctive value proposition for continuous monitoring of methane emissions," said LongPath CEO Ian Dickinson. "We are excited to have ConocoPhillips, a leading multi-basin independent producer with premier positions in the Permian, Eagle Ford, and Bakken basins, support the commercialization of our technology." "ConocoPhillips has been an early adopter of many methane detection technologies, especially continuous monitoring. This investment positions them to stay at the forefront of technology innovation where efficient deployment at scale offers potential to manage emissions responsibly," added Greg Rieker, LongPath co-founder and Chief Technology Officer.ConocoPhillips joins Williams Companies and Pro-Frac as oil and gas value chain leaders who have elected to invest in LongPath.About LongPath Technologies:LongPath Technologies is an emissions network for accurate real-time data, specializing in continuous monitoring of methane emissions across the oil and gas supply chain with expanded services to various markets. LongPath-managed sensing infrastructure provides unrivaled coverage, delivering reliably accurate high-precision data tailored to clients' requirements. Our mission is to enable operators to confidently validate their gas performance, boosting operational credibility while driving sustainable futures. We are a trusted partner in emissions management and methane reporting, offering comprehensive coverage and reliably accurate data for confident quantification, measured methane intensity, and responsibly sourced gas (RSG) certification. LongPath offers cost-effective continuous emissions monitoring solutions supporting the journey towards a lower carbon energy transition. www.longpathtech.com CONTACTRachael Shayne, CROSOURCE: LongPath Technologies PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-09 15:16:20 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 434 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Company also introduces a revamped identity that reflects the company's continued commitment to transforming how destination marketers source, share, and scale authentic content.TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Today, CrowdRiff, the all-in-one visual marketing platform for DMOs, unveils its brand refresh and accompanying campaign, "Showcase it." This non-scripted campaign explores how four destinations use CrowdRiff's visual content solutions to scale their marketing efforts.CrowdRiff Brand LaunchCrowdRiff offers more than UGC solutions. "Our brand campaign encapsulates a new vision for CrowdRiff. We're now enabling destination marketers to source, share, and scale authentic visuals that power their strategies and attract audiences on a global scale with multiple solutions," said Dan Holowack, CrowdRiff's CEO and co-founder. "Our Creators and UGC solutions, in harmony with DAM and Studio, provide an all-in-one visual marketing platform for destination marketers. It offers the power to showcase their destinations in a truly compelling and authentic way," emphasized the CEO.CrowdRiff's newest solution, CrowdRiff Creators, connects DMOs to local creators in their destination, fostering a community of content producers who provide unique, location-specific content. This offers destination marketers an endless supply of original short-form videos and photos that showcase their destinations from an authentic point of view.CrowdRiff's "Showcase it" campaign will be strategically placed across various social media platforms and a series of engaging short-form video ad spots. By spotlighting four unique DMOs, the campaign takes viewers behind the scenes of each destination's visual marketing strategy, illustrating how other destination marketers can scale their marketing operations with CrowdRiff solutions.CrowdRiff is also embracing a new look in its brand refresh. While preserving the core of the original CrowdRiff brand, the revamped identity reflects the company's continued commitment to transforming how destination marketers source, share, and scale authentic content. The updated visual elements encompass a wider range of colors, an innovative typographic system, and a focus on motion graphics. This new visual identity proudly honors the creative spirit of the destination marketing community.The brand refresh underscores CrowdRiff's dedication to making destination marketing more effective, user-friendly, and visually stunning than ever before. To learn more about CrowdRiff's "Showcase it" campaign and brand evolution, click here.About CrowdRiffCrowdRiff is an all-in-one visual marketing platform that empowers destination marketers to source, share, and scale original content that connects with today's travelers. With tools for original short-form video, user-generated content discovery, digital asset management, and more, CrowdRiff is how busy DMOs showcase their destinations to stand out across channels. For more information, visit www.crowdriff.com Contact InformationKash Miahmarketing@ crowdriff.com SOURCE: CrowdRiff PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-09 18:05:16 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 447 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Dr. Marcus Robinson's Expertise and Passion for Community Development and Social Innovation Will Help C4 Grow the Impact of Businesses They ServeALGONQUIN, IL / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / C4 Behavioral Health Consulting is honored to have Dr. Marcus Robinson join the company's Board of Directors.Dr. Marcus Robinson Founder, Social Innovation GroupDr. Marcus Robinson Joins C4 Consulting's (Behavioral Health Business Consulting) Board of Directors Dr. Marcus Robinson is a thought leader on the human ecology of belonging. He is a published author, nationally renowned speaker, and transformative leader in nonprofit management and community development. Dr. Robinson is a consultant and trainer in the field of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Through his extensive and impactful career, he has influenced many of the world's leading companies, including Whirlpool Corporation, Xerox, Whirlpool Europe, Eastman Kodak Company, Honeywell Canada, General Dynamics, and SC Johnson Wax, among others. He has also counseled governmental entities, such as the City of Santa Barbara; the City of Rochester, NY; the League of Cities of California and the State of California. Dr. Robinson, currently serves as the Executive Director of Collaboraction Theatre Company, curating socially conscious theatre in Chicago, IL. His impact, values, and passion for social innovation and change are attuned with the mission of C4 Consulting."C4 Consulting is poised to make considerable contributions to the body of work and praxis in the behavioral health space. This work aligns well with my commitment to personal transformation and wellness. I am excited to join C4 as a member of its board and help make a difference in this space. It's a great way to contribute to society." - Dr. Marcus Robinson, Founder - Social Innovation Group and C4 Consulting Board Member"We are honored to have Dr. Robinson join our Board of Directors in stewardship of our organization. His wisdom, experience, understanding and passion for community development and social innovation will help guide us as we continue to grow the impact of the businesses we serve, and ultimately the communities our clients serve. We look forward to his guidance in our growth and the impact our service has for behavioral providers and their communities." - Jonathan P. De Carlo, CEO of C4 Consulting.Members of the C4 Consulting team will be presenting at several industry events, including:Cape Cod Symposium - September 7-9, 2023Rocky Mountain Symposium - September 29 - October 1, 2023PTACC Training Summit - October 6 - 9, 2023East Coast Symposium - November 3-5, 2023The Treatment Center Investment & Valuation Retreat - November 27-29, 2023To learn more, contact Christopher Bennett at: info@ c4-consulting.com or 866-329-7170 extension 715.Contact InformationChristopher BennettC4 Consultinginfo@ c4-consulting.com 866-329-7170SOURCE: C4 Consulting PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-09 16:20:23 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 490 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Endear Health is focused on reducing the hurdles older adults face while navigating an increasingly digital world through the development of innovative consumer-centric engagement solutionsMIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Endear Health, a digital engagement platform built for the rapidly evolving value-based landscape, announced it has successfully closed an $8M funding round from new and current investors including Optum Ventures, Blue Cross of Idaho, 8VC and additional strategic partners. The funds will be used to accelerate the development and expansion of Endear Health's proprietary platform, which improves the way value-based care organizations deliver digital experiences to their members.Endear LogoAccording to recent studies, 61% of adults aged 65 and older own a smartphone, and 73% of them use the internet daily1. Endear Health recognizes the untapped potential of technology in improving the lives of older adults and aims to bridge the digital divide by offering user-friendly solutions that cater to their unique needs.With Endear Health, organizations can offer members a personalized and intuitive digital platform, purposefully designed for seniors, which integrates educational resources, core benefits, and supplemental benefits into a single location. Additionally, through a marketplace of scalable integrations with third-party digital health vendors, Endear Health empowers payors to quickly deploy innovative programs in an efficient manner ultimately resulting in better member satisfaction and improved overall health outcomes."Blue Cross of Idaho remains at the forefront of closing gaps in care for Idahoans, and we are constantly seeking innovative, frictionless ways to improve the health and wellness of our members. We are excited to invest in Endear Health's member-centric, digital solutions that connect seniors with plan benefits, programs, and even reminders for a check-up or screening." Drew Hobby, Chief Revenue Officer for Blue Cross of IdahoThe latest funding round represents a significant milestone for Endear Health, reflecting the growing recognition of the company's promising impact on the healthcare industry, particularly for older adults. With the new capital injection, Endear Health is well-positioned to scale its operations, expand its team, and continue innovating its platform to meet the evolving needs of Medicare Advantage plans and risk-bearing entities nationwide.1 Faverio, Share of those 65 and older who are tech users has grown in the past decade (Pew Research Center)About Endear HealthEndear Health, the first digital engagement platform built for the rapidly evolving value-based landscape, is on a mission to fundamentally improve the Medicare experience. Founded in 2021 and backed by Optum Ventures, 8VC and additional strategic partners, Endear Health is focused on reducing the hurdles older adults face while navigating an increasingly digital world through development of innovative consumer-centric engagement solutions. Endear Health believes that seniors who are accustomed to receiving assistance and care across nearly all facets of their daily lives should receive that same high level of support when it comes to how they access healthcare.For more information, visit: endearhealth.com Contactpress@ endearhealth.com Contact InformationMichael ChappelearCo-founder, COOpress@ endearhealth.com (940) 277-7222SOURCE: Endear Health PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-09 13:47:31 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 966 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Planting Hope has been selected to join 1871's nationally recognized Foodtech Innovation Lab program as a Late Stage partner alongside Farmer's Fridge and HumanCoPlanting Hope has engaged global intellectual property (IP) valuation firm Metis Partners to conduct an in-depth third-party valuation of the Company's deep bench of IPPlanting Hope will host a webinar in September to review strategic milestones, the Company's IP Strategy, and the outcome of the Metis Partners IP ValuationCHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK)(OTCQB:MYLKF)(FRA:J94) ("Planting Hope" or the "Company"), a foodtech company focused on leveraging cutting-edge ingredient, formulation, and packaging technology to develop breakthrough sustainable food and beverage solutions, is proud to announce that it has been selected as a Late Stage Partner by 1871 for its Foodtech Innovation Lab. Based in Chicago, IL, 1871 is the #1 ranked private business incubator in the world and an internationally recognized technology hub."Planting Hope is unlocking the nutrition in the world's most sustainable crops to create breakthrough products that are delicious, nutritious, and planet-friendly, and that fill key needs for consumers and deliver better operational solutions for Foodservice partners. These are the products that Generation Z is demanding and Generation Alpha will grow up with," said Julia Stamberger, CEO and Co-founder, Planting Hope."We are proud to have our food technology leadership recognized by 1871 through our selection as a Late Stage Partner for the nationally recognized Foodtech Innovation Lab, and to be aligned with other food innovation leaders, including Farmer's Fridge and HumanCo, and with World Business Chicago," Ms. Stamberger continued.The FoodTech Innovation Lab program will showcase Planting Hope's thought leadership and build relationships with curated strategic partners to support and enhance the Company's reach and growth. Planting Hope will also participate in the Chicago Venture Summit Future of Climate Tech on October 5, 2023, presented by World Business Chicago.Intellectual Property ValuationPlanting Hope has engaged Metis Partners to conduct a thorough third-party valuation of its intellectual property (IP) assets."One of our key strengths as a company is innovation, encompassed in our IP Strategy which incorporates IP development and protection that spans proprietary ingredients, forward-leaning packaging, defined production processes, trade secret formulations, trademarks, and branding. Combined with our culture of continuous improvement, our IP strategy delivers breakthrough planet-friendly products with high quality, taste, and performance," said Ms. Stamberger."IP Strategy is a core focus of our company culture, given the competitive and economic moat it provides our company and products. We believe the capital markets have not yet recognized the depth of the significant IP platform we have built, and a third-party valuation will assist to support visibility on the value of our IP as a vital and leverageable asset," Ms. Stamberger continued.Metis Partners' process includes identifying both an IP Score reflecting IP quality, as well as an IP valuation range. Depending on the strength of its IP Score, the Company could earn a coveted spot on the Metis Partners IP100 list. The Metis Partners IP100 is an annual ranking of companies based on a rating of their IP asset strength and track record in exploiting IP and is recognized as the leading global intellectual property league table. Per Metis Partners, businesses featured on the IP100 are considered to be the most effective at commercializing their IP assets.The Metis Partners IP scoring process involves an assessment of IP-specific data linked to the following IP asset classes: brands, software, patents, trade secrets, and critical databases. The IP100 research team uses its proprietary process to calculate an IP Score and subsequent ranking for each company.Planting Hope's IP Score and IP Valuation will be discussed at a webinar in the second week of September. Those interested in receiving an invitation should email webinar@ plantinghopecompany.com; details about the webinar including date and time will be released in early September.About 18711871 is Chicago's technology hub and the #1 ranked private business incubator in the world. It exists to inspire, equip, and support early stage, growth scalers and innovators in building extraordinary businesses. 1871 is home to ~450 technology startups, ~300 growth stage companies, and ~1,500 members, and is supported by an entire ecosystem focused on accelerating their growth and creating jobs in the Chicagoland area. The member experience includes virtual and in person access to workshops, events, mentorship, and more. The nonprofit organization has 350 mentors available to its members, alongside access to more than 100 partner corporations, universities, education programs, accelerators, venture funds and others. Since its inception in 2012, more than 650 alumni companies are currently still active, have created over 11,000 jobs, and have raised more than $1.65 billion in follow-on capital.About Metis PartnersMetis Partners' mission is to build trust in Intellectual Property Valuation. Metis delivers valuations that are robust, reliable, and provide clients with a sophisticated IP narrative that demonstrates how their IP assets will drive business growth. Metis' unique information discovery process, Metisology, is continually evolving to incorporate technology and innovation, emerging sectors, new business models, and changing market conditions.About The Planting Hope Company Inc.Planting Hope is a foodtech company focused on leveraging cutting-edge ingredient, formulation, and packaging technology to develop breakthrough sustainable food and beverage solutions. Planting Hope's IP strategy and culture is centered on unlocking the nutrition in the world's most sustainable crops to create on-trend products that are delicious, nutritious, and planet-friendly. Planting Hope brands and products fill key needs for consumers and deliver better operational solutions for Foodservice partners. These are the products that Generation Z is demanding and Generation Alpha will grow up with.The Planting Hope brand family includes Hope and Sesame Sesamemilk, Barista Blend Sesamemilk, and Sesamilk creamers, RightRice Veggie Rice, Mozaics Real Veggie Chips, and Veggicopia Veggie Snacks. Planting Hope products are currently found in more than PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-09 15:00:42 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 538 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / In a world that thrives on constant competition and individual achievements, the value of genuine collaboration to drive results often gets overlooked. The true power of partnerships lies in authentic collaboration, not only in the workplace, but also in various facets of life, such as partnerships between organizations and communities. When individuals and entities come together with a shared purpose, they can create lasting impact that transcends mere operating transactions.In this article, we will explore the significance of authentic collaboration and its transformative potential, with insights from Raj Kalyandurg, a wealth management advisor and industry leader.Fostering Innovation and CreativityAuthentic collaboration has the remarkable ability to foster innovation and creativity. When diverse perspectives and ideas converge, they give birth to groundbreaking solutions that an individual mind might never have conceived.Raj Kalyandurg emphasizes this point, stating, "Innovative ideas thrive in an environment where different minds can unite to challenge conventional thinking. True collaboration sparks creativity and drives growth." When people from various backgrounds and expertise collaborate with intention, they bring with them unique experiences and insights. This melting pot of ideas encourages individuals to step out of their comfort zones, inspiring them to explore uncharted territories and push the boundaries of innovation. Businesses that embrace authentic collaboration often find themselves at the forefront of their industries, consistently adapting and excelling in an ever-changing landscape.Strengthening Trust and RelationshipsTrust is the bedrock of any successful partnership, be it between colleagues, businesses, or communities. Genuine collaboration cultivates trust by promoting open communication, transparency, and accountability.Raj Kalyandurg emphasizes, "Trust is the currency of collaboration. It is built through mutual respect, active listening, and delivering on commitments." When individuals trust one another, they are more willing to share knowledge, take calculated risks, and invest in collective goals. This synergy enhances the effectiveness of teams and enables them to overcome challenges together. In the broader context of partnerships between organizations and communities, trust bridges the gap between diverse stakeholders, aligning their objectives and fostering a sense of unity.Creating Meaningful ImpactAuthentic collaboration can lead to the creation of meaningful and sustainable impacts, surpassing short-term gains.Raj Kalyandurg highlights, "When partnerships are built on a foundation of shared values and a common vision, they have the potential to create enduring change." Partnerships that focus solely on immediate benefits might achieve short-lived success, but they often lack the depth required for lasting change. In contrast, genuine collaboration seeks to address core issues, identify long-term solutions, and uplift all involved parties. Such partnerships empower communities, enabling them to become self-sufficient and resilient. In business, impactful collaborations contribute to both economic growth and social progress, leaving a positive legacy for future generations.In conclusion, the significance of authentic collaboration cannot be overstated, as it holds the potential to drive innovation, strengthen relationships, and create lasting impacts. By embracing diverse perspectives and working together towards shared goals, individuals, businesses, and communities can forge partnerships that transcend transactional arrangements.As Raj Kalyandurg aptly states, "Authentic collaboration is a powerful force that can transform not just business success, but also the world around us." Contact: Andrew Mitchell, media@ cambridgeglobalmedia.com SOURCE: Raj Kalyandurg After a long day selling firewood, sleep eluded Khadija Musa. Her head throbbed and her temperature rose throughout the night. The next morning, the 28-year-old resident of one of the 500 housing units built by the state government for resettled internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Auno, Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State went to the primary healthcare centre (PHC) In the councils headquarters. Going by the publicised plan of the state governments resettlement exercise for IDPs, Ms Musa should only have walked a few blocks before getting to a PHC. But the PHC standing on the first row of homes at her resettlement community has not been opened since it was completed about a year ago, residents said. That has forced the residents to turn to the PHC in a neighbouring community, resulting in overcrowding at a facility that was already stretched to the limit. A PHC should serve between 10,000 and 20,000 patients, according to Nigerias Minimum Standards for Primary Health Care Even before the arrival of the newly resettled 500 households, Auno PHC had 14,700 people to serve, Zanna Shariff, who heads the facility, said. The distance between the resettlement area and the Auno PHC also encourages self-medication as many former IDPs prefer to patronise any nearby drugstore instead of travelling to the PHC lying many kilometres away. Ms Musa, for instance, said she had used paracetamol for many days before deciding to go to Auno PHC after her condition persisted. But at the centre, there was no doctor to attend to her. The nurse on duty told her she had Malaria, a common ailment that she had also suspected. When I got to the hospital in Auno, they gave me drugs for Malaria and Typhoid, she said. I continued taking the drugs but it kept getting worse. A few days later, her family took her to the Umaru Shehu General Hospital in Maiduguri, 19 kilometres away, where she was placed on admission for two weeks. Displeased residents, overwhelmed facility But Auno residents are also concerned. The arrival of the former IDPs has narrowed their access to healthcare services as their PHC now has more patients to attend to every day. Since they brought the IDPs, theres always a long queue, Maryam Abba, a 30-year-old mother of five, said in frustration. Even when drugs are available, you have to wait longer because the staff are not many. Aishatu Idris, 29, wished the resettled IDPs had their own hospital so that they would not have to overcrowd our own. The population is now high. You get to the hospital and find out there are no drugs, she said. What she didnt know is that a PHC had been built for the former IDPs but has remained unopened. Mr Shariff, the Auno PHC head, said the facility has a manpower shortage, a problem that the addition of over 500 households to the existing 14,700 individuals has compounded. The Primary Health Care Centre, Shuwari, is visible from the entrance of the Shuwar settlement. The PHC was built as part of the blocks of houses built for displaced residents and is currently being managed by the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), a Dakar-based medical humanitarian organisation. A nutritionist at the facility, Zarah Bako, said the facility handles outpatient department (OPD) consultation, antenatal care, child delivery, nutrition, and routine immunisation. She listed the manpower resources of the PHC including three Community Health Extension Workers (CHEW), two nurses, two midwives, one clinician and one pharmacist. However, on a Wednesday, just before 2 p.m. when PREMIUM TIMES visited the facility, only two health workers were on duty Ms Bako and Aishatu Abba, a midwife assistant. We close by 1 p.m. due to the insurgency sometimes there are attacks nearby not more than 3 to 4 kilometres away. So we close by 1 p.m. so as to get a tricycle to go back to town (Maiduguri). But the normal time for closing is 3 p.m., Mrs Bako said. PREMIUM TIMES visited again on a Sunday around 9 a.m. but the facility was shut, confirming what the residents said about the hospital operating only on weekdays. What this means is that an emergency beyond 2 p.m. cannot get any attention. It also means that patients cannot be admitted to the facility as the workers do not work beyond noon. When asked about the water supply in the facility, Ms Bako said they use a generator to power the water pump that extracts water into the PHCs water reservoir. For electricity, she said the facility uses a generator from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. when they close for the day. No solar, no electricity, she said. Many residents of the resettlement community expressed satisfaction with the services they get which include free consultation and drugs. But some of them raised concerns. Yagana Ali, 38, said she doesnt visit the health centre anymore despite it being a few steps away from her residence just behind Shuwari resettlement. Her decision was due to what she described as the rationing of drugs at the centre. They dont give enough drugs, she claimed. They may write a one-week dosage for a drug for you but they will only give you the dosage daily, asking you to come back when its finished. She said she once had a skin condition that required her to use Miconazole cream on her body from time to time. But they only fetch Miconazole cream in nylon for me. How will that work? Are they not supposed to give me the complete tube? she queried. Similarly, Bukar Bulama, 60, said the hospital always gives drugs even when they would prefer injections. We prefer injections. There are no injections, they always give drugs. Injections work faster, he said even though he has no medical or pharmaceutical competence. However, a midwife assistant at the facility, Aishatu Abba, said the facility was no longer getting many supplies, prompting it to ration what is available. We used to get some supplies that we give to women. For instance, when they come for antenatal we give them mosquito nets and detergents to wash their clothes and when they deliver babies at the centre, we give them mama kits. But since we dont have supplies anymore, the attendance has dropped. We will look into it, government responds When contacted, Governor Babagana Zulums spokesperson, Isa Gusau, said the governments resettlement exercise prioritises the provision of healthcare centres in all the resettled communities. He said the government has standing committees in the resettled communities and gets almost weekly briefings from them. The first thing before any resettlement exercise, the government ensures that the place is safe and then puts in place basic amenities like water, healthcare centre, school and means of livelihood, he said in a telephone interview. We have some standing committees that were established for the purpose of monitoring the progress of post-settlement in all the communities that have been resettledThe government directed them that all of them must be on the ground where people are settled. So the government gets almost weekly briefings on what is happening just to ensure that life is picking up. Mr Gusau, however, said he was unaware of the situation in some of these health centres. The governors aide asked our reporter to send him the location of some of the findings and promised to pass them on to the appropriate officials. I will contact the relevant officials in charge of health to know what the problem is. I dont know about the community, so I will contact either the permanent secretary of health to find out what the problem is, he said. Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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. Doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have suspended their planned nationwide daily protest after a closed-door meeting with principal officers of the Senate on Tuesday. The President of NARD, Emeka Orji, confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday morning. A statement by the office of the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, had also hinted of the doctors decision in a statement shared with this newspaper. Speaking with our reporter on the phone, Mr Orji said the planned protest slated for Wednesday (today) has been suspended, adding that there will be an update in the next 72 hours. We met with the Senate President, majority and minority leaders and Whip today, he said. The planned protest slated for Wednesday has been suspended and we will review again in 72 hours. Senate intervention In a separate statement obtained by this Newspaper on Tuesday night, the President of the Senate, Mr Akpabio, applauded the doctors for calling off the protest and also working towards calling off the strike. According to the statement by Mr Akpabios media office, the Senate President said the doctors demands are well noted and will be addressed as soon as a new minister is appointed for the health sector. I thank you on behalf of the Senate for honoring us with your decision not only to cancel the planned public protest but to also call off the strike in the interest of the suffering masses, he said. Your demands are well noted and let me assure you that as soon as a Minister in charge of Health is appointed, the Senate will work with him or her to expeditiously address all your grievances. He said the President Bola Tinubu-led administration is doctors friendly and that his passion for the reform of the countrys health sector explains the large number of medical practitioners appointed into his cabinet. He noted that strike by medical practitioners should not be allowed even for a day because of the impact it creates in the polity. That is why the senate is determined to ensure through interactions and consultation with relevant offices, the amicable settlement of the impasse is reached. Planned protest The striking doctors had earlier planned to commence a daily peaceful protest, starting from Wednesday, if the government fails to meet their demands. The decision followed the directive by the Nigerian government to the management of federal tertiary hospitals to commence the enforcement of the no work, no pay policy against the striking doctors. This policy means that the doctors who continue to stay away from their duty posts will not receive their regular salaries while the strike lasts. In a letter dated 1 August, the government instructed the hospitals to implement the no work, no pay policy and keep an attendance register for resident doctors willing to continue working despite the strike. The striking doctors, however, said they are unmoved by the decision, noting that the government has no moral justification for its action. They said the protest had become necessary to press home their demands which they noted have been largely neglected by the government. The association also accused the government of demonising doctors rather than making genuine and concerted efforts to resolve the challenges that led to the industrial action. Doctors strike The doctors embarked on an indefinite industrial action on 26 July following the failure of the Nigerian government to meet their demands. The doctors are demanding, among other issues, the immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), tangible steps on the upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), and payment of all salary arrears owed its members since 2015. The doctors also want the immediate massive recruitment of clinical staff in the hospitals and abolishment of the bureaucratic limitations to the immediate replacement of doctors and nurses who leave the system. They also want the immediate review of hazard allowance by all the state governments as well as private tertiary health institutions where any form of residency training is done. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the strike disrupted health services in health facilities in major parts of the country. The resident doctors comprise the bulk of medical personnel in Nigerias tertiary hospitals; hence health activities are mostly crippled when they are on strike Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The President of the Nigerian senate, Godswill Akpabio, has made a gaffe during plenary when he mistakenly revealed that money has been sent to senators to enjoy their recess. A video clip showing Mr Akpabio making the blunder has gone viral on social media. The clip surfaced on Wednesday. The incident reportedly happened on Monday after the senators concluded the screening and confirmation of President Bola Tinubus ministerial nominees. The senators later adjourned plenary to 26 September. The gaffe Mr Akpabio, who forgot that the proceeding was being streamed live, began to address his colleagues before adjournment motion was moved at the end of the Senates ministerial screening. In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly, he said. The senate president was immediately informed by his colleagues that he was speaking on live television. Upon realising the seriousness of his remarks, he quickly announced its withdrawal. I withdraw that statement, he said. In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return, Mr Akpabio rephrased the comment, apparently to correct what was considered an embarrassment. The amount that was sent to the senators remains unknown. However, the salaries and allowances of National Assembly members are often shrouded in secrecy. The holiday allowance Mr Akpabio said was paid to lawmakers is unknown to the law. The remuneration package approved for lawmakers by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMARC) has no holiday allowance or token provision. But the lawmakers are entitled to recess allowance under the law, which is 10 per cent of the annual basic salary of each legislator, and is paid once a year. Mr Akpabio may have, in his comment, referred to that recess allowance as holiday allowance. However, Nigerian lawmakers are infamous for drawing illegal allowances from public funds and padding annual budgets to enrich themselves illegally. The latest development comes amid nationwide economic hardship caused by the removal of fuel subsidy. Last week, the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and other affiliate unions, held a nationwide protest against the removal of fuel subsidy and the attendant economic hardship in Nigeria. Not the first time This is not the first time Mr Akpabio would be stirring controversy on the floor of the senate. There was outrage, last month, when the senate president was filmed on live TV making light of the Let The Poor Breathe, phrase which is often used by Nigerians to criticise the current hardship in the country. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print On Monday, 7 August, the US Department of States Ambassador, Acting Deputy Secretary of State, and Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, travelled to Niger and met with some of the coup leaders, in the countrys capital, Niamey. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said the aim of the visit was for the US to express our grave concern regarding developments in Niger and our resolute commitment to supporting the democracy and constitutional order. After Ms Nulands more than two hours-long meeting and side conversations with coup participants Brigadier General Moussa Barmou, who claims the job title of Chief of the Defence Staff of the coup, and three of his colonels Ms Nuland briefed journalists via teleconference; she was speaking from Niamey. Ms Nulands travel to Niamey came about at the express direction of the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken President Bidens chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary asked me to make this trip, Ms Nuland confirmed. Before we arrived and throughout the day, Ms Nuland said, she requested to see overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum, for some gestures of health and welfare. The coup leaders denied her request while also blocking her from meeting with the overall coup leader and current military head of government, General Abdourahamane Tiani. Weve talked to him on the phone, but we havent seen him, she explained. Also, we were not granted an opportunity to see the self-proclaimed president, Mr Tiani. So, we were left to have to depend on Mr Barmou to make clear, again, what is at stake. Notably, Ms Nulands visit is one day after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)s deadline expired on Sunday, 6 August and 14 days after the day the coup occurred. So, a difficult mission, but a necessary one from the perspective of American interest in trying to see if this very difficult situation can be solved diplomatically, Ms Nuland said. In other coup events in Africa such as the coup in Zimbabwe in November 2017, there was much public discourse on whether to call it a coup or not a coup. Like in Harares 2017 coup, a general dressed in military fatigue addressed the countrys population, from the state broadcaster, after a military takeover. In a 1st August readout, S=spokesperson Miller characterized the coup as an attempted takeover, in disclosing that Secretary Blinken spoke with the African Union (AU)s Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat. The US has not yet labelled the coup event as a coup but rather as concerning developments, Ms Nuland told journalists on Monday, We understand our legal responsibilities, she said. The US government officials may be constrained by Americas domestic law: Section 7008, of the US Department of States Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act which would be set in motion if a duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup detat or decree in which the military played a decisive role in the ousting of a duly elected head of government. Not only would the State Department be constrained in being able to help a country when a coup detat has happened, but the US Department of Defense (DoD) may also be restricted by some legal statutes. Regardless, American policy advisors and their legal counsel would need to evaluate the Niger context. Last Friday, 4 August, Secretary Blinken paused some foreign assistance to Niger. In the meantime, Mondays meeting means that Ms Nuland is now the highest-ranking Biden administration official to have an in-person meeting with the coup detat leaders. This is important in the publics, practitioners, and scholars understanding of how the Biden administration has assessed and adopted a perspective on the junta activity in Niger. Other people that Ms Nuland did get to see, include A broad cross-section of Nigerien civil society, Ms Nuland said. In characterizing them, Ms Nuland said These are longtime friends of the United States. They are journalists, they are democratic advocates, they are human rights activists. We had a frank exchange about the situation here. There are at least 1,100 US troops in Niger because both President Bazoum and the Biden administration consider their relationship important, particularly in counterterrorism. The Global Terrorism Index 2023 (GTI) ranks Niger in the top 10 countries most impacted by terrorism, in terms of fatalities, injuries, and hostages, with a score of 7.6, behind Myanmar. General Barmou has many years of previous experience working with US Special Forces in Niger. This made it easier for Ms Nuland and her team. Ms Nuland confirmed, So we were able to go through, in considerable detail, the risks to aspects of our cooperation that he historically cared about a lot. On the juntas interactions with the Wagner Group, Ms Nuland said, I got the sense in my meetings today that the people who have taken this action here understand very well the risks to their sovereignty when Wagner is invited in, adding that I would not say that we learned much more about their thinking on that front. The US proposed to the coup leaders to keep an open door to continue talking, said Ms Nuland, adding that the aim is for the military junta to hear our offer to try to work with them to solve this diplomatically and return the constitutional order. She said, Their ideas do not comport with the Constitution. And that would be difficult in terms of our relationship if thats the path they take, but we gave them a number of options to keep talking and we hope they take us up on that. Whats at stake from the US-lens, should Niger not abide by its constitutional order? Ms Nuland explained, the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in economic and security support for the people of Niger. On how to publicly characterize the coup activity in Niger, the US Executive Branch in particular, the State Department and DoD may need to be convincingly transparent, coupled with consistent, public diplomacy activity and narratives that provide explanations of its defence, foreign, and political affairs behaviour. This is Ms Nulands third visit to Niger in the two years that she has held the position of under-secretary at the State Department. Mr Blinken had an official visit to Niamey in March. Pearl Matibe is a Washington, DC-based White House Correspondent, and media commentator with expertise on U.S. foreign policy and international security. You may follow her on Twitter: @PearlMatibe Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print As part of its efforts to improve the quality of conversations around climate change and environmental issues across West Africa, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) is set to engage 20 mainstream journalists in a 2-day capacity-building workshop focused on climate change and environmental reporting. The workshop aims to enhance media practitioners skills and knowledge in effectively reporting on environmental and climate change issues and holding the government accountable for its sustainable and green climate commitments. Speaking about the workshop, the project manager, Felicia Dairo, said the workshop is part of CJIDs efforts to ensure the media is adequately informed about climate change-related issues across the region. She said: There is a general dearth of knowledge on climate change-related issues across the region, and most times, environmental reporting is misconstrued for climate change reporting. Despite Africa being the most vulnerable to climate change, studies show that the media in Africa pay little attention to climate change reporting. The series of capacity building for journalists by CJID is a conscious effort in ensuring we bridge the knowledge and capacity deficit of climate change reporting across West Africa and a way of changing the narrative of low climate change reportage. Also, in his comments, Nicholas Adeniyi, the project coordinator, said effective policies and sustained socio-political commitments are necessary to mitigate the impacts of climate change towards a sustainable future. He noted that the media is crucial in communicating these needs and galvanising actions. Mr Adeniyi disclosed that the workshop will feature a combination of training, experience sharing and hands-on practical sessions to ensure participants are equipped with the best practices in climate change journalism. The 2-day workshop will take place on Wednesday and Thursday in Abuja. After the workshop, 10 journalists would be supported with story grants to pursue climate change deep dives across the country, the organisers said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has met with representatives of local government areas on flood management in the state. The meeting was in continuation of the agencys flood mitigation and adaptation awareness campaign themed A Flood Free Lagos 2023: Building Flood Resilience is our Collective Responsibility. The , on Tuesday at the agencys Command and Control Centre in Ikeja, met with representatives of local authorities in the Lagos East senatorial district. In a statement by its spokesperson Nosa Okunbor, LASEMA said it had conducted an analysis of flooding in all the council areas in the district to sensitise authorities and expose them to ways to check the menace. It was discovered that the flooding incidents in the local council development areas in the district are man-made and wreaking havoc on the environment, the statement reads. Major causes of flooding outlined in LASEMAs analysis are high river levels, concentration of overland flow due to heavy rainfall, limited capacity of drainage systems as well as blockage of waterways and drainage channels developed to facilitate surface run-offs. Proactive measure Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said that a flood-free Lagos is everyones responsibility. He urged them to establish a chain of command in their respective areas while warning against a non-challant attitude to refuse disposal. Eighty per cent of the disaster we are experiencing, especially flooding is man-made, so we have decided that we are going to change the attitude and orientation of the people towards mitigation, so, we are ready to work with local governments, partner with them to curb the menace of flooding and ensure that there will be no mortality or morbidity no matter the intensity of the rain forecast by NIMET, the agencys permanent secretary was quoted as saying. Data from LASEMA indicate that the agency attended to 119 incidents in July alone, while it responded and managed 795 incidents between January and July, ranging from road traffic accidents, collapsed buildings, fire and gas/pipeline explosions. Mr Oke-Osanyintolu pointed out that the state governments huge investment in emergency management would not yield the desired result without effective commitment and support from the local authorities, as well as residents. Femi Kabir, the vice chairman of Ijede local council identify poor drainage systems as responsible for flooding and promised that LASEMAs advice on the necessary intervention would be duly implemented. We are going back home to strengthen the advocacy on flood prevention. We will meet with CDC and CDAs to curb indiscriminate dumping of refuse, Mr Kabir said, on behalf of his colleagues. Before now, we have been designing and clearing the gutters, we will go back to our communities and tell our people what LASEMA has shown us and the part each and every one of us should be playing in preventing disasters caused by flooding. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Ondo State Security Network, also known as Amotekun, says it needs automatic weapons to fight armed criminals in the state effectively. The agency had recently been grappling with recurring kidnapping cases involving suspected cattle herders armed with guns such as AK47s. Amotekun commander Adetunji Adeleye, who was a guest at the Secretariat of the Ondo State Correspondent Chapel on Tuesday, said the major challenge confronting the agency is inadequate equipment to match what criminals are carrying. He, however, said the agency was undeterred by its handicap. Amotekun, very adequately, works with other security agencies in the state. The synergy encompasses operational, strategy, and intelligence gathering at the grassroots level, and I must tell you that it has been yielding great results, Mr Adeleye said. Some of the challenges we face as a result of inadequate equipment have cost us the very precious lives of some of our men. But we remain determined as we pledged to sacrifice. Mr Adeleye said Amotekun had arrested about 7,000 suspected criminals across the state within the last three and half years of its creation. The corps commander said out of those arrested, about 1,500 were charged to court with judgement secured against many accused persons. According to him, due to the agencys intervention, m farmers/herders clashes have reduced by over 95 per cent in the last two years. Mr Adeleye, who is the Special Adviser (Security Matters) to the state governor, and Chairman of the Council of Amotekun Commanders in the South-west, said the corps had recorded tremendous success in fighting crime in the region. Amotekun was founded on 9 January 2020 in Ibadan, Oyo State, as a regional security outfit by the governors of the Southwest states. The support of sister security agencies, particularly the DSS, has been assisting us in getting the requisite geo-location of kidnap victims and suspects, he said. All these, coupled with our local intelligence and unconventional methods, have assisted us in arresting, to date, well over 7,000 suspected criminals, out of which 1,500 of them have been charged to court. We have even secured the judgement of very many of them. At a time when the turnout of criminals was becoming unmanageable for the judiciary, the government of Oluwarotimi Akeredolu graciously approved the building of two courts to assist the judiciary in the prompt dispensation of justice. Mr Adeleye said the birth of the Amotekun Corps has helped the state to be adjudged one of the most peaceful in the country. He, however, said despite skirmishes at some of its border communities, Ondo State has remained peaceful as action had been taken in the affected communities. Mr Adeleye said four officers were summarily dismissed for running foul of the laws and rules guiding the operation of the corps, while several others were sent to detention centres to ensure that they conform with the norms and standard operational practice of the organisation. ALSO READ: Amotekun arrests man for allegedly torturing his two children to death He said: By the time we took off, within two weeks, we received over 5,000 petitions of herders/farmers clashes. It was becoming impossible for farmers to go to their farms completely for fear of herders molesting, kidnapping, maiming or killing them. It was becoming very difficult for civil servants to board a taxi across the town without being kidnapped, molested or robbed in daylight. The worse was climbing on Okada. The first area of attack by Amotekun was the herders/farmers clashes. We started by mass public enlightenment that farmers have the right to plant and herders the right to rear their cows, but they dont have the right to infringe on the business of the other one, and after this, we called the meeting of the Miyetti Allah group in the state and South West, and we explained the position of the corps, giving a deadline after which we announced that we would commence enforcement. To the glory of God, our first operation, we found out that even within Alagbaka GRA, where the government house and office is located, over 500 cows were house the promises that was forcefully taken over from a widow and all efforts in the last five years at that time for the widow to recover met with stiff opposition from the herdsmen with a final warning that if she dare comes there again, they will bury her alive in the premises. So, we followed suit, and we were able to arrest over 200 of the cows; the owner and the owners of the farmlands that were destroyed around the place came for compensation because we made sure that in compliance with the position of the state government, they paid for whatever they destroyed. In the next few days, we were able to arrest a thousand cows from Owena Dam around Igbara-oke. We also made sure that upon negotiation between the farmers/herders, they paid for whatever they destroyed before releasing their cows to them. The corps commander pointed out that implementing the anti-open grazing law in the state was also an added advantage for the agency. Governor Akeredolu had earlier called on the Federal Government to allow state security outfits to bear automatic weapons. The stance had pitted him against the President Buhari administration, with some officials exchanging words with the governor on the issue. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The First lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu has emphasised the need to remove barriers that limit the progress of Nigerian women. One of such hindrances is the low representation of women in the President Bola Tinubus cabinet and in the federal parliament under his administration. She indicated this when female deputy governors paid her a courtesy visit on Wednesday and promised to help her advance advocacy on womens rights. The First Lady, according to a press statement released by the Special Adviser on Media to the first lady, Busola Kukoyi, appreciated their support which she noted is coming at a time when Nigerians need succour. Your support in aligning with areas of the initiative which is intended to improve the quality of life of Nigerians is needed especially at a time when Nigerians need succour. To ensure that the future generations of Nigerians are healthy, educated and productive, the quality of education and skills empowerment for the youth must be a priority. There is still a lot of work needed to eliminate the systematic barriers that hinder the progress of women in the country and results can be achieved with determination and focus especially with the right leadership and support, she said. Earlier, speaking on behalf of the deputy governors, Ogun State Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, had promised Mrs Tinubu, as a champion of womens rights, to amplify and advocate the voices of Nigerian women, youth and children who face challenges in various sectors such as education, healthcare, economic empowerment and politics, we want you to know that we are with you and committed to the cause. The deputy governor further noted that the future of Nigerias human capacity is dependent on the investment made in women, youth and children. Meanwhile, the deputy governors from Kaduna, Plateau and Ekiti States were also in attendance at the event. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The member representing FCT-North Constituency in the House of Representatives, Joshua Obika, has urged the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) to redress the lopsidedness against the territory in its recruitment process. Mr Obika also reiterated his commitment to offering development-oriented representation through partnership with all agencies that have bearing on the welfare of FCT residents. He stated these indications when he paid a courtesy call on the Commissioner representing FCT and Niger State in the Commission, Shehu Danyaya. Mr Obika expressed worry over the allotment to Abuja of only one-third of what the states receive during recruitments. He therefore, requested to know if there was any grounds known to law why FCT should be treated as such. He drew attention to Section 299 of the Constitution, which enshrined that the provisions of the Constitution shall apply to the Federal Capital Territory as if it were one of the states of the Federation. Mr Obika stressed that FCT today has more population than many states as well as posts a greater number of qualified manpower than most states of the federation who receive thrice what is given to Abuja. The lawmaker cited Abujas hosting of the seat of the federal government agencies as well as its sacrifices in terms of land and other resources as a major reason it should be given a special consideration compared with the states when it comes to recruitments. He stated, It is very worrisome to observe that Abuja is downgraded into a third rate status when it comes to recruitment into the Federal Civil Service, he said. Mr Obika, therefore, appealed to the commission to take urgent measures to redress the lopsidedness being meted out to the FCT in the interest of fairness and justice. He also drew attention to the recent nomination of a minister from the Federal Capital Territory describing it as a positive recognition of the long standing demands by FCT residents for a proper consideration and representation in the Federal Executive Council. He urged the FCSC to emulate the good example of the federal government by redressing the imbalance. Earlier Mr Danyaya welcomed the visitor and indicated that the mandates of the FCSC include to recruit, promote and discipline all Federal Civil Servants. Mr Danyaya disclosed that whenever there are vacancies in the Federal Civil Service, FCT is allotted one-third of whatever is given to the states of the federation. The commissioner said that it had been so long before he assumed office probably because while the states elect three senators, FCT only elects one. Mr Danyaya said the Federal Civil Service Commission, unlike other commissions such as the Federal Character Commission, has 15 commissioners because commissioners represent groups of two or three states. This, he indicated, explains why FCT/Niger State has one commissioner. These representatives are rotated among the constituent states at the expiry of the tenure of each serving commissioner. He noted that the commission has been up and doing in the discharge of its mandate and ensures observance of the federal character principle in all recruitments into the Federal Civil Service. He thanked the lawmaker for the visit and pledged to work with him towards ensuring that both FCT and Niger State get their dues from the commission. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Zamfara State Government has explained the reasons the N1.6 billion debt owed to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) cannot be paid immediately. WAEC had on Monday announced that the government of eight states in Nigeria have unpaid debts from registration fees of candidates they willingly sponsored to take part in its examination over some years. The Head of Nigerias Office of WAEC, Patrick Areghan, while addressing a briefing to announce the release of the results of the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, disclosed that candidates from eight states owing the examination body will not be able to access their results until the states pay up. Though Mr Areghan did not reveal the identities of all the indebted states, he noted that Zamfara and Niger states are the highest debtors. Zamfara confirms indebtedness In a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, Mustapha Kaura, confirmed that the state is owing WAEC about N1.6 billion. Mr Kaura said the debt has accumulated over time from the immediate past administration of former Governor Bello Matawalle and that of his predecessor, Abdulazeez Yari. Why delayed payment Mr Kaura said the government is committed to paying the debt either in full or instalmentally but that the governor is waiting to get approval once his cabinet is formed. The governors spokesperson said: The N1.6bn is beyond the approval of the governor unilaterally. He has to seek approval from the state executive council. The WAEC debt will be a front-line issue to be presented before the cabinet and payment will be made so that the results of students will be released to pursue higher education. Alleged maladministration Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Kaura said the states huge debt to WAEC is a result of the maladministration of the past administration. He said the previous administrations failed to pay fees for indigents of Zamfara. However, Mr Kaura said his principal, Mr Lawal, had intervened and that about 18,000 Zamfara indigents were allowed to register for WAEC and NECO this year. I am happy to inform you that the present administration of Dauda Lawal has strictly intervened and persuaded NECO and WAEC. This year 2023, the management of WAEC and NECO allowed the Zamafara indigent students to sit the 2023 WAEC and NECO examinations, he said. WASSCE 2023 Apart from the states owing, the examination body also noted that out of a total of 1,613,733 candidates that sat the examination, the results of 262,803 candidates are being withheld due to reports of cases of examination malpractice. This is as Mr Areghan announced an improvement in pass rate by candidates as a total of 1,361,608 candidates, representing 84.38 per cent, obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects with or without English Language or Mathematics. Also, 1,287,920 candidates, representing 79.81 per cent of the total candidates, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects including English Language and Mathematics. Mr Areghan said out of the candidates that sat the examination in Nigeria, only the results of 1,476,565 candidates, representing 91.5 per cent have been fully processed and released while 137,168 candidates, representing 8.5 per cent have a few of their subjects still being processed. He explained that the delay is due to some shortcomings, nonchalant, lethargy, incomplete CASS upload, disobedience of rubrics, etc associated with the schools and candidates concerned. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC ) has said the negotiation committee of the federal government deliberating on how to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy is incapable of meeting the demands of Nigerian workers. The federal government committee negotiating with the organised labour on how to mitigate the hardship of removal of fuel subsidy is led by Mr Tinubus Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. The organised labour said Mr Gbajabiamila refused to hold a negotiation meeting with them, a development that makes demands of the NLC delayed. The National President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, made this known when he met with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and other principal officers of the Senate at the National Assembly on Tuesday. Festus Osifo of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) was also at the meeting. The meeting is coming six days after members of the NLC occupied the complex of the National Assembly to protest against the hardship inflicted on Nigerians as a result of the removal of petroleum subsidy. They demanded that the federal government reverse the removal of petroleum subsidy for them to have a meaningful life. Ali Ndume, the chief whip of the Senate, who addressed the protesting workers, pleaded for a seven-day ultimatum for the Senate to intervene. At the meeting with the leadership of the Senate, the NLC National president stressed that demands of Nigerian workers are getting delayed because the chief of staff to the president refuses to create time for the labour leaders to deliberate on the demands. Part of our challenge is the issue of the committee put in place. The committee seems not to be capable. As labour, we are done with negotiation and engagement with the government from the time of Ikaite, as SGF, Kingibe, Pius Ayim and Boss Mustapha. At no time had the chief of staff to the president, who is very busy, called to negotiate or lead negotiations, and that has delayed the issues. After our protest, another meeting has not reconvened, though, the president promised that he will restructure the mechanism of engagement with the government to help things to be treated fast, Mr Ajaero said. The labour leader also complained that the committee set up by Mr Tinubu to deliberate on the increase of minimum wage is yet to sit and commence its meetings. We had agreed on a wage award, and up till this moment the committee on wage award is yet to sit, he said. Palliatives Mr Ajaero urged the leadership of the Senate to supervise and encourage the federal government to distribute the N8,000 palliative to the right beneficiaries. He also urged the government to create another data for distribution of the palliative to beneficiaries to capture more vulnerable households. Nothing is yet to happen on the issue of $800 million projected to be borrowed. We have not perfected the list of the people who will benefit from it. We should not follow the record that was used in 2019 because we have our doubts on that record, and no indices have been put forward to dictate those that are termed poor. The senate president, while responding, appreciated the leadership of the organised labour for engaging the Senate. Mr Akpabio promised that the Senate will intervene and that the demands of Nigerian workers will be met by the federal government. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. The price of Azeri LT CIF Augusta brand totaled $89.45 per barrel on August 8, remained at the level of the previous indicator, Trend reports, referring to the source from the country's oil and gas market. Azeri LT FOB Ceyhan brand currently costs $88.5 per barrel, which is $0.05 less than the previous price. Additionally, Azerbaijan sells its URALS oil through the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline from the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. URALS cost $73.02 a barrel when shipped from the port, an increase of $0.28 from the previous price. Meanwhile, the price of a barrel of Brent Dated oil produced in the North Sea increased by $0.11 from the previous day on August 7 to $86.66 per barrel. (1 USD = 1.7 AZN on August 9, 2023) The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has conducted a journalism training programme for 60 students of the Federal University Lokoja and Kogi State University, Anyigba The training, conducted through CJIDs The Campus Reporter project, occurred between 13 and 16 June in Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State. CJID said the Kogi training was the 34th of its kind, where participants were taught by media professionals and journalists from PREMIUM TIMES newspaper, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Dubawa, CJID and the Nigeria Media Innovation Programme (NAMIP). Participants were trained in newsgathering and tools for investigative reporting, multimedia tools and skills for investigative journalism and photo and video editing. They were also taught a course on Data Journalism, Fact Checking, Gender Transformative Approach to Storytelling, and Media Ethics and Professionalism. Others include The Use of Grammarly and Google Docs for Basic Editing, Introduction to Media Product Development, The Use of the Freedom of Information Act, Media in Elections, Safety Tips for Campus Journalists, Introduction to Audience Development and Solutions Journalism. The participants were guided on how to write news reports and paired into six groups for their first report writing. At the end of the four-day training, the participants submitted their first-ever news reports, including multimedia and data visualisations, the statement noted. Ms Ajibola said several beneficiaries of the Campus Reporter training are now full-time professionals. We have Kunle Adebajo, who is now the Investigations Editor of HumAngle, and Alfred Olufemi, who was formerly on the investigations desk of Punch and now freelances in the UK. Chiamaka Okafor is the foreign correspondent at Premium Times, and Iretomiwa Dele-Yusuff now coordinates the Campus Reporter project, Busola Ajibola, the deputy director of CJIDs Journalism Programme, said. While Dubawas editor, Kemi Busari, took sessions on Newsgathering and Tools for Investigative Reporting and Media Ethics & Professionalism, Kehinde Ogunyale, a data journalist at ICIR, took a session on Data Journalism. Other trainers were the Project Officer of the Campus Reporter project, Iretomiwa Dele-Yusuff, (Freedom of Information Act), Adedeji Adekunle, the Programme Director of NAMIP (audience and media development) and Akintunde Babatunde, the Programme Director of CJID, (solutions journalism and the importance of not just naming a problem but proferring a solution) Titilope Fadare, a multimedia journalist at Premium Times, explained that multimedia elements such as images and videos are essential in capturing an audiences attention and visualising information that might otherwise not catch their attention. She taught them how to use Inshot during video recording, the statement added. Lois Ugbede, a fact-checker and researcher at Dubawa took the session on definition of fact-checking and the perils of fake news in society, Ms Ajibola facilitated the session on gender transformative approach to storytelling and Mboho Eno, the deputy director of CJIDs Accountability Programme, introduced the participants to CJIDs Media in National Elections (MiNE) programme. The Campus Reporter project team also visited the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Lokoja, Olayemi Akinwumi, who commended the Chief Executive Officer of CJID, Dapo Olorunyomi, and the team for their efforts in training students to be journalists. The CJID programme director, Mr Babatunde, said the centre believes in promoting quality Journalism as a way of promoting democratic endeavours. The Campus Reporter Project seeks to bridge the gap between what is taught in universities and the skills that are required in journalism at this period, Ms Ajibola said. The Campus Reporter The Campus Reporter project was established in 2017 as a learning platform to help undergraduates hone their reporting, journalistic and writing skills and teach them the principles of evidence-based ethical reporting towards championing sustainable media in West Africa. The project adopts a Training-Internship-Mentorship (TIM) model and has organised training across 34 tertiary institutions in Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The project also boasts a network of over 3,000 students across West Africa. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has stated its opposition to the sanctions imposed on Niger by ECOWAS following the coup in the country. it is well known that such kinds of economic sanctions are counter-productive and eventually end in futility, the NSCIA stated in a statement by its Deputy Secretary-General, Salisu Shehu. The NSCIA, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar, also stated its opposition to using force to dislodge the putschists who ousted President Mohamed Bazoum from office last month. PREMIUM TIMES reported how ECOWAS imposed sanctions on Niger following the coup. The sanctions include the closure of air and land borders, freezing Nigers accounts in ECOWAS central banks, and so on. In its statement, NSCIA acknowledged that the coup leaders were defiant in their stance but called for dialogue in dealing with them. The NSCIA is the most influential Islamic organisation in Nigeria where millions of Muslims consider the Sultan as their leader. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Sultan was appointed as a member of a three-person team to negotiate with the coup leaders. The team was, however, humiliated by the putschists. Details later Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The World Bank Group on Tuesday said it is suspending new public financing to Uganda over the countrys enactment of its new Anti-Homosexuality Act. The bank, in a statement on Tuesday, said Ugandas law contradicted its moral values of eradicating poverty without discrimination. The World Bank decision came after pressure from human rights organisations and members of the United States Congress to suspend loans to Uganda in response to the countrys Anti-Homosexuality Act. On 29 May, Ugandas President Yoweri Museveni signed a bill criminalising same-sex conduct, including potentially the death penalty for those convicted of aggravated homosexuality, into law. According to Human Rights Watch, the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 violates multiple fundamental rights guaranteed under Ugandas constitution and breaks commitments made by the government as a signatory to some international human rights agreements. In May, the United States (US) President, Joe Biden, described the enactment of the Act as a tragic violation of universal human rights, one that is not worthy of the Ugandan people, and one that jeopardizes the prospects of critical economic growth for the entire country. My Administration will also incorporate the impacts of the law into our review of Ugandas eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). We are considering additional steps, including the application of sanctions and restriction of entry into the United States against anyone involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption, Mr Biden said. In July, the US Congress called on the World Bank President, Ajay Banga, to immediately postpone and suspend all current and future lending to Uganda until the law is struck down. As Members committed to protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ people globally, we urge you to immediately postpone and suspend all current and future lending to Uganda until the recent Anti-Homosexuality Act, signed by President Yoweri Museveni on May 29, 2023, is struck down. While we undoubtedly support efforts to promote long-term economic development and poverty reduction in Uganda, the recent law mandates state-sponsored discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, creating a humanitarian crisis that plainly violates World Bank stated policies. We join more than 170 international organizations in urging you to act swiftly so that the World Bank is a leader among multilateral development banks (MDBs) in condemning this egregious and unjust law that threatens LGBTQ+ people across Uganda, the US Congress said in a letter to Mr Banga. On Tuesday, the world bank said Ugandas Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Groups values. We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a livable planet can only succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality. This law undermines those efforts. Inclusion and non-discrimination sit at the heart of our work around the world, the world bank said. Immediately after the law was enacted, the World Bank said it deployed a team to Uganda to review its portfolio in the context of the new legislation. That review determined additional measures are necessary to ensure projects are implemented in alignment with our environmental and social standards. ALSO READ: Ugandan journalist detained on criminal trespass charges Our goal is to protect sexual and gender minorities from discrimination and exclusion in the projects we finance. These measures are currently under discussion with the authorities. No new public financing to Uganda will be presented to our Board of Executive Directors until the efficacy of the additional measures has been tested, the world bank said. It added that third-party monitoring and grievance redress mechanisms will significantly increase, allowing it to take corrective action as necessary. The World Bank Group has a longstanding and productive relationship with Uganda; and we remain committed to helping all Ugandans without exception escape poverty, access vital services, and improve their lives, the bank said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Court of Appeal in Lagos has overturned a judgement granting exclusive rights to local governments to conduct statutory marriages in Nigeria. The appellate court said both local governments and the Federal Marriage Registries can hold marriages and issue certificates to couples. Four local governments Eti-Osa (Lagos State), Gor (Edo State), Owerri Municipal (Imo State) and Port-Harcourt (Rivers State) had sued the Minister of Interior and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, seeking to have the exclusive right to administer marriages. The plaintiffs sued the federal government at the Federal High Court in Lagos. Delivering judgement on the suit at the trial court in December 2021, the judge, Daniel Osiagor, restrained the Minister of Interior who operates the Federal Marriage Registries from further contracting marriages under the Marriage Act Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. Dissatisfied with Mr Osiagors decision, the Attorney General and the Interior Minister filed their separate appeals on the matter. The AGF, represented by Tijjani Gazali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), urged the Court of Appeal to hold that the trial court was wrong to have conferred exclusive rights to the local governments to conduct marriages and issue certificates to couples. Judgement In a copy of the judgement delivered on 2 August but seen by PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, led by Olukayode Bada, held that neither the local councils nor the federal government have the exclusive right to conduct statutory marriages. In the lead decision, Abubakar Umar, citing a 2002 judgement of the Federal High Court on a similar dispute, said, It is my considered view that the pronouncement of the court in 2002 does not confer either the local governments or the Interior Minister with the exclusive rights to conduct, celebrate or contract marriages. Mr Umar added that any allusion to exclusive rights to conduct marriages by the parties is not only inconsistent with the decision of the Federal High Court in 2002 but at variance with the extant provision of the Marriage Act and the subsidiary legislations The appellate court agreed with the trial court that the celebration and contraction of marriages in local government councils are valid. The lower court was in manifest error when it granted an injunction restraining the 5th respondent (Interior Minister) from further contracting, celebrating, issuing marriage certificates or registering marriages within local government areas, the Appeal Court said. Mr Umar cautioned against arrogating to themselves the exclusive powers to conduct, celebrate and register statutory marriages. The appellate court further refused the local governments request to order the Interior Minister to return all marriage fees received from couples since 2002. The Justice noted that the suit instituted by the local governments did not constitute an abuse of the court process as earlier argued by the AGF in his briefs. Background There has been a protracted dispute between local authorities and the federal government over whom to conduct statutory marriages in Nigeria. The issue got to a head when embassies in Nigeria refused to recognise marriage certificates issued by local government councils, citing credibility issues. In granting visas to married couples, embassies and foreign organisations only recognise marriage certificates issued by the Federal Marriage Registries in Abuja, Lagos and other major cities in Nigeria. As a result, the four local councils in Lagos, Edo, Imo and Rivers States, lodged the suit at the Federal High Court in Lagos, praying it confer exclusive jurisdiction on them to conduct marriages. In an originating summons filed on 12 April 2019, the plaintiffs through their lawyer, Michael Roger, urged the court to grant an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Interior Minister or his agents from further contracting marriages under the Marriage Actof the Federation of Nigeria. They also sought an order restraining the Interior Minister or his agents from further celebrating marriages under the Marriage Act of the Federation within the plaintiffs local government councils. An order of court directing the 1st defendant to return all marriage certificates issued within the respective plaintiffs local government councils since 2002. An order directing the 1st defendant to return all fees paid by couples since 2002 to the plaintiffs marriage Registries for re-issuance. An order of court sealing all the Federal Marriage Registries established by the 1st defendant in the applicants local governments in Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has confirmed the authenticity of its certificate presented before the Nigerian Senate for screening by one of President Bola Tinubus ministerial nominees, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. A PREMIUM TIMES investigation had picked holes in the NYSC certificate presented by Mr Tunji-Ojo, a second-term member of Nigerias House of Representatives nominated to be a minister in Mr Tinubus cabinet. Mr Tunji-Ojo claimed to have undergone the National Youth Service Scheme between November 2019 and November 2020. But a scrutiny of his NYSC certificate showed that it was issued in February and signed by Yushau Ahmed, a Brigadier General, who only became NYSC Director-General (DG) in January. This raised questions about the authenticity of the nominees certificate because NYSC issues certificates immediately after completion of the programme and does not reprint lost or damaged certificates. But despite these gaps yet to be filled by the nominee, Nigerian lawmakers approved Mr Tunji-Ojos nomination to be appointed minister. This newspaper, therefore, wrote a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the management of the NYSC, requesting the verification of the said certificate. In the request, this newspaper also asked NYSC to clarify why the certificate was signed in February, more than two years after the lawmaker was said to have completed the scheme. PREMIUM TIMES also requested information regarding Mr Tunji-Ojos mobilisation for NYSC, considering he was, throughout the duration, a member of the House of Representatives. If the certificate is genuine, in what organisation did he carry out his primary assignment? What was his community development service project? Through which bank was he paid allowances? Did he participate in the orientation programme signalling the commencement of Service, and the passing-out parade signalling the completion of service? parts of the letter read. NYSC responds In its response to PREMIUM TIMES, the organisation said Mr Tunji-Ojos certificate is genuine, noting that the nominee was first mobilised in 2006 but absconded from the service. NYSC said Mr Tunji-Ojo only later resurfaced in 2018 and was remobilised in 2019 and deployed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in Garki, Abuja, as his place of primary assignment. The organisation, however, said Mr Tunji-Ojos certificate was omitted when others were printed in 2020. During the passing out, his Certificate of National Service was not available because it was omitted in the Certificate Printing Application, the NYSC said. He (Mr Tunji-Ojo) applied for his Certificate of National Service through the State Coordinator FCT on 18th October 2022, and the State Coordinator forwarded the same to the Headquarters and his Certificate of National Service No. A004523631 was produced on 28th February 2023 for collection. More questions for NYSC While it is commendable that NYSC responded to the newspapers inquiry within a record time as mandated by Nigerias Freedom of Information Act, PREMIUM TIMES has also noted clear omissions in the agencys response to some of the questions. NYSC failed to explain why a sitting member of the National Assembly would be mobilised for another full-time engagement as a corps member. Also, NYSC would be required to explain whether Mr Tunji-Ojo earned an allowance while in service and how he was able to cope by combining the two engagements. Also, does the law establishing NYSC permit a lawmaker or any other elected official to be mobilised for the service? These and many more questions are what NYSC has failed to answer in its response to this newspapers request. Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A former Governor of Nigerias Central Bank, Lamido Sanusi, is in Niger to meet with the junta leaders. In a picture seen by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Sanusi, a former Emir of Kano, was seen standing beside the leader of the junta, General Abdourahamane Tchiani. It is not clear in what capacity Mr Sanusi visited Niger. However, the former monarch is a close ally of Nigerias President Bola Tinubu who is also the ECOWAS leader. Mr Sanusi is also the spiritual leader (Khalifah) of the Tijaniyah Islamic movement in Nigeria, a movement with millions of members across West Africa, including Niger. Mr Sanusi was accompanied on the visit, believed to be today (Wednesday), by the Emir of Damagaram in Zinder, in the Maradi region of Niger. Since regional body ECOWAS imposed sanctions on Niger following last months coup, Mr Tchiani has refused to meet most of the official delegations sent to the country. PREMIUM TIMES reported how he refused to meet a joint delegation of the UN, AU and ECOWAS. Mr Tchiani also declined to meet with an ECOWAS delegation led by former military leader Abdulsalami Abubakar. He also refused to meet with the US Acting Deputy Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland. ECOWAS leaders will meet Thursday to review the situation in Niger following the expiration of the one week ultimatum given to the coup leaders to relinquish power back to President Mohamed Bazoum. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Azman Air Services Limited has asked all its staff to embark on compulsory leave without pay amidst ongoing C-checks on its aircraft and the high cost of operations. The decision was made due to a number of factors, including the ongoing C-checks on its aircraft and the high cost of operations, Nurudden Aliyu, the airlines spokesperson, told TheCable newspaper. We have temporarily suspended the operation, and it was due to all our 737 we are using for domestic operation are due for C-checks, Mr Aliyu said. C-check entails the inspection, overhaul, repair, preservation and replacement of parts of an aircraft, including preventive maintenance, identified as a full block C Check under the airframe manufacturers maintenance manuals and planning documents. Mr Aliyu explained that the airline had already sent two of its aircraft to a maintenance facility in Turkey, but the process was delayed due to a queue in the maintenance hangar. The other two we are using here are also due for maintenance, and we are trying to send them for C-checks also. Also, one of the aircraft has achieved 90 per cent completion so we are expecting two of the aircraft to be back in Octoberfest, Mr Aliyu added. The overhead is heavy, so the management decided to put the company on hold. The Suspension According to reports, in an internal memo titled Placement of Leave Without Pay, issued to staff members and signed by the airlines Human Resources Manager, Magaji Misau, the airline directed its staff to embark on leave without pay. As you are aware, our domestic operations have been put on hold for a while due to the conveyance of our aircraft for C-checks, and the MROs have given a longer time of completion, the memo reads. The management (has) directed to write and communicate its decision that all staff have been placed on leave without pay with effect from August 1, 2023. READ ALSO: 10 airlines most culpable for delayed flights in Nigeria According to the memo, only eight senior staff are exempted from the compulsory leave. Two years ago, following a series of incidents involving Azman Air Boeing 737 aircraft, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) suspended the operations of all the Boeing 737 aircraft in the fleet of the airline. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has tasked the new board and management of North-East Development Commission (NEDC) to prioritise access to quality education, healthcare, economic opportunities, noting that today, we must remember that development is not merely about bricks and mortar. The vice president gave the charge in his remarks at the inauguration of the board and management of the NEDC at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday. Mr Shettima who emphasised the importance of human capital development said progress is also about empowering minds, cultivating talent, and fostering an environment where dreams can flourish. The commission can only guarantee the safety of the emerging and future generations if it nurtures the seeds that will produce them. For Nigeria to regain its stability, this commission must refuse to be extinguished even in the face of adversity, as it has since its establishment, he said. The VP said the inauguration of the new management was not merely a political protocol but the renewal of the nations hope, the making of a legacy and a testament to the commitment of the Tinubu administration to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the region. He reminded the members that President Bola Ahmed Tinubus investment in the human capital and development trajectory of the North-east fuels the enthusiasm with which he has prioritise the affairs of the NEDC. Mr Shettima then commended the efforts of the immediate past board, stressing that I have no doubt that the leadership of this commission is prepared to shoulder the trust placed upon it by the government, as it has done in the past years. Your impressive fiscal discipline and financial transparency, which have resulted in a credit balance of N222.9 billion in your coffers in the wake of the second quarter of 2023, are marks of the managerial expectations and character for which NEDC is known. I appeal to each of you, for the people summon us. We must don our combat gear to fulfill our promise of preventing any lapses in our intervention, providing the people an escape from undeserved realities. We must restore the glories of the North-east as a vast land of history and culture, and crafts and industry, the VP tasked the new board. Mr Shettima then appealed to leaders and the people of the North-east region to support the new board and management to deliver on its mandate of transforming the region, noting that this is a journey we cannot afford to undertake divided. In his remarks, the Chairman of the NEDC board, Paul Tarfa, a retired major general, thanked President Bola Tinubu for finding them worthy of service, assuring that the present board will among other things, focus on implementing human capital development projects in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda. Members of the inaugurated board present at the event included, the MD of the Commission, Mohammad Alkali; Gambo Maikomo, member (North-east Taraba); Abdullahi Abbas member (North-west Kano); Steven Tsav member (North-central, Benue); Mutiu Lawal-Areh Member (South-west, Lagos); Samuel Oni Ebo Member (South-east, Abia); Frank Owhor, member (South-south, Rivers); Musa Yashi, Executive Director Humanitarian Affairs (North-east Bauchi); Ahmed Yahaya, Executive Director, Operations, (North-east Gombe), and Abubakar Iliya, Executive Director Admin and Finance, (North-east, Yobe). The event was witnessed by some dignitaries including Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum; NDLEA Chairman, Buba Marwa; the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hadejia; Kaka Lawan, Musliu Obanikoro, and Lagos State APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, among others. *Olusola Abiola* *Director Information* *Office of the Vice President* *9th August 2023* Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print I am on record as saying that if Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali or ANY OTHER country, attacks Nigeria, violates our territorial integrity or attempts to take one inch of our nation we must and will fight them to the last man. I have also said that Nigerias defence budget is FAR higher than all the other 14 countries in West Africa PUT TOGETHER and that there is no nation in our sub-region that can defeat us in a military conflict despite our many challenges. I stand by these words. I am however constrained to add the following as a word of caution to those who seek to cry havoc and unleash the dogs of war and as a piece of unsolicited advice to the advocates of military invasion. It would be imprudent and unwise for Nigeria to attempt to clean up Frances mess in Niger Republic. The French are the most rappacious, greedy, vicious, pervasive, destructive and unrelenting neo-colonial foreign power on the African continent. They have done nothing for Africa other than pillage, rape, undermine, plunder and take advantage of her. To deploy our military, go to war and allow Nigerian blood to be spilled just to help her to continue to gang rape the Nigeriens and subject them to slavery would be unjust, wicked, short-sighted, stupid and counter-productive. Worse still it would have implications for the stability of our nation, our entire sub-region and our increasingly fruitful relationship with President Putin and the Russian Federation who are slowly emerging as Africas best friend and, together with the Chinese, appear to be the only foreign power that truly seeks to assist and support the growth and development of African countries. To those who believe that Nigeria ought to continue to be the poodle, local enforcer and hatchet man of the French, the Europeans, the British and the Americans in our sub-region, I ask the following: who do they think is behind Boko Haram and ISWAP and why did these so-called Western allies refuse to sell us arms to fight those two terrorist organisations until Trump came along? And of course since Trump left we have been given nothing. Not one of them truly cares for Nigeria in the way the Chinese or Russians do and to them we are nothing but a source of mineral resources and a local sheriff. They want us to go and fight a war against our African brothers just to further and protect their own economic and regional interests and they want us to throw the West African sub region into a theater for a horrific, brutal and never-ending proxy war between them and Russia which would result in turning the whole of the West and North African sub region into a cauldron of fire. Worst still they want Northern Nigeria particularly and the entire African Sahel region and all the countries in it to be burnt to ashes and go the way of Ukraine, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan whilst they sell their arms, test their weapons, pillage our resources, turn our people into homeless destitutes and penniless refugees, destroy our collective future and serve our flesh and blood, on a dark satanic alter to the sinister forces and the blood-lusting vultures and demons that they work for and serve. We must never allow this to happen and if the truth be told the biggest mistake that ECOWAS made in the first place was to threaten Niger with military action if the coupists refused to step down and restore President Bazoum to power. I say this because once a threat is issued and it is not followed up with action you look weak, ineffectual and pathetic. That is the quandry we are now in and the wisest thing to do at this point is to step back from the brink and rhetoric of war and engage in diplomacy. Deploying our troops into our neigbours country in an attempt to effect regime-change on behalf of a bunch of power-obsessed feral psychopaths like the French whose primary dream and fantasy has always been the dismemberment, destabilisation and destruction of Nigeria is asinine and unacceptable. To do the dirty work for a nation that stood on the wrong side during our civil war and that almost pushed us into a war with the Cameroons over the Bakassi Peninsular is deeply insultng to our sensibilities. I do not support military Governments and I cannot abide or stomach the way in which Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have threatened, insulted and made mockery of our nation and people over the last few days but one thing is clear: the military regimes in all of those three countries are wildly popular and the hatred for France in each of them is palpable and irreversible. Why should we get involved in all this? This is not our fight and if we choose to stand on the side of the French imperialists, neo-colonialists and oppressors against the will of the people of these three sovereign nations it may well result in chaos, mutiny, rebellion and a revolution in our own country. This must be avoided at all costs. It is time to get sense and sheath our swords. This whole thing is obviously a western conspiracy and trap and we must ensure that our newly-elected President does not fall into it. This is the time for restraint and wise counsel to prevail. This is the time for us to put our national interest before that of any other. This is the time for us to indulge in some sober reflection and reject any gung-ho and bellicose action that would ultimately result in a reversal of the great strides that we have made as a nation over the last 24 years and the destruction of our great country. A word is enough for the wise. Femi Fani-Kayode is a former federal minister and erstwhile Director of Special Media Projects, Special Media Operations and New Media of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Noor Takaful Insurance Limited, the pioneer and leading composite Takaful insurance firm in Nigeria, has distributed a total of Two Hundred and Eight Million, Four Hundred and Ninety-Six Thousand, Eight Hundred Naira (N208,496,800.00) as surplus to an eligible group of policyholders who did not make claims on their insurance during the 2021 financial year. The surplus distribution was announced on Wednesday, 2 August, 2023, during the two-day African Takaful and Non-Interest Finance conference held at Oriental Hotel, Lagos, which was well attended by industry practitioners, relevant stakeholders, international insurance experts, brokers, agents, the media among others. The participants that benefited from the surplus include individuals, private and public organizations, and banks. Some of the customers who received surplus distribution include Lotus Capital Limited, Jaiz Bank Plc, Sterling Bank Plc, Ahmed Zakari& Co, Nasco Group, Istabraraqim Nigeria Limited, and Kings College Old Boys Association, among others. While the likes of Sterling Bank Plc, Jaiz Bank Plc, and Lotus Bank Limited got N13 477,583.42, N13,151,076.33, and N1,495,559, respectively, Kings College Old Boys (1997-1982 set received N465,957.70. Delivering his remarks at the event, the Managing Director Noor Takaful Insurance Limited, Rilwan Sunmonu, explained that from the total amount of N208, 496,800.00 to be distributed, Group Family Takaful will distribute N173,994,800 while General Takaful will N34, 502,000.00. The distributable amounts are net of reserves and Jualah / performance incentives due to the Takaful Operator. The surplus amounts have been approved by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), which regulates Noor Takaful Insurance Ltd. Sunmonu stated that the distribution of surplus to participants is in line with the true spirit of the Takaful concepts. He stressed that the payment of surplus by the company is a clear demonstration of its commitment to offering Sharia-compliant solutions to policyholders while reinforcing Takaful as the best alternative insurance. He maintained that Noor Takaful was the first takaful operator to declare profit and remained the only one to distribute surplus yearly since it started operations in 2017. While assuring Nigerians of the companys commitment to transparency, Sunmonu expressed profound appreciation to the regulator, NAICOM, for providing the much-needed enabling environment, which has assisted a great deal in deepening the penetration of Islamic finance among Nigerians. Also speaking, the Vice-Chairman of Noor Takaful Insurance Limited, AminuTukur, described the payment of surplus as part of the fulfillment of its pledge to policyholders noting that Takaful insurance has gained huge acceptance among Nigerians over the last few years. As a Takaful policy or plan participant, you get better treatment. You also get faster claims payment. More importantly, you also get surplus when you dont make a claim at the end of your policy year, he said. While thanking the stakeholders for their support toward the success of the conference, Tukur assured them that the company would continue to show leadership in the Takaful Insurance industry by devising innovations that would help in deepening the interest and patronage of Nigerians for Takaful products. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print ASTANA, Kazakhstan, August 9. Kazakhstan plans to build two large factories, where 4,500 people will be employed, said deputy akim (head) of the region, Zhasulan Bisembiyev, Trend reports. The first factory, a butadiene production facility, will be built in collaboration with a major Russian corporation. This factory will concentrate in the production of rubber materials used in tire manufacturing. It is expected to create approximately 2,500 job opportunities at a cost of $800 million. The construction of this business is set to begin next year, with the factory due to open in 2026. "The second factory is a $500 million collaborative venture with foreign investors focused on gas processing." More than 2,000 jobs will be created by this factory. "The construction of this gas processing facility will begin this year, indicating a promising boost to the region's economic landscape," he stated. Both enterprises plan to primarily employ people laid off in connection with the completion of the expansion project at the Tengiz field. The criticism trailing the list of commissioners nominated by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has further heightened as a group of Islamic clerics and scholars on Tuesday described the composition of the nominees as a continuation of the governors longstanding bias against Muslims in the state. They said the list exhibited a callous insensitivity to diversity, equity, and fairness. But the governor has denied the allegation, saying his administration has no preference for one faith over another, and that excellence has been the watchword of his government. Mr Sanwo-Olus Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Gboyega Akosile, in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES reporter on Tuesday, said in response to the issues raised, engagements with relevant stakeholders including the Muslim leaders are ongoing for prompt resolutions. Earlier, legislators in the state House of Assembly had kicked against the list submitted to them for screening by the governor, saying some local government areas were not represented. Mr Sanwo-Olu had sent 39 names to the Assembly for confirmation as commissioners in his cabinet. The list, according to his chief press secretary, Gboyega Akosile, has 30 per cent women, youths, technocrats and politicians. Alleged discrimination But reacting at a press briefing organised under the aegis of Joint Muslims Forum (JMF), Islamic scholars led by the National Missioner of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Abdrahman Ahmad, said Muslims in the state rejected the list as submitted by the governor. Mr Ahmad, an imam, said: Over the past years, we have witnessed several instances of injustice towards Muslims by the Governor Sanwo-Olu-led state government through its unfavourable policies, lopsided appointments, and infringements on our religious and socio-political rights as a community. The released list of commissioners is thus a continuation of the old abnormality and a reaffirmation that the state government has no regard whatsoever for the Muslims in the state nor our interest. He said the group had at various times engaged the government regarding the grievances but the government has yet to act on them. Out of the 39 names forwarded to the state assembly, only eight are Muslims, the group said. Muslims make up less than 20 per cent of the list, even though they constitute over 60 per cent of not just the states population but her voting public. We observed that out of 39 nominees, only eight are Muslims, Mr Abdul Rahman, said. He said the Lagos Muslim community rallied around Mr Sanwo-Olu and the APC when most people, especially the Christians, did not as a result of the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the partys presidential candidate. We mobilised our community to not only vote for the return of the governor but also defended the votes under very difficult circumstances. It must be stated that the Muslim community did not collect a dime from either the APC flagbearers or any of their opponents in that election. Rather we acted truthfully and selflessly with the hope for a more prosperous Lagos. We want to emphasise yet again that Muslims of the state are not disposable items to be used and discarded at will. It is time that we insist most emphatically that it cannot and will not be business as usual again, Mr Ahmad said. The group, therefore, demanded a review of the appointments to reflect a 60 per cent Muslim population. Governors act violates Constitutional provisions According to the forum, the governors act was not only a violation of the provisions of Nigerias constitution but also an affront to the collective sensibilities of the Muslims. Mr Ahmad said Mr Sanwo-Olus act violates Section 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which he noted stipulates that; The composition of the Government of the Federation, a state, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such government or council, and the conduct of the affairs of the government or council or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the people of the Federation. We the Muslims of, and in Lagos State wish to categorically state that the entire leadership of the Muslim Community of Lagos State representing various Muslim organisations, unequivocally and unanimously reject the list of the commissioner-designates of Governor Sanwo-Olu and we demand a reversal and review to reflect 60 per cent in favour of Muslims in a fresh list, the group said. Also in attendance at the briefing were leaders of the various groups represented including the Grand Mufti of Islamic Organisations of Nigeria (CIO); Dhikrullah Shafii; Isiak Tejidini of Rahmatu Islamiyyah Society of Nigeria; AbdulJaleel Olori-Aje of Association of Muslim Professionals, and Isiaq Akintola, a professor, representing Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC). Others are Muhammad Basheer of Zumratul Muhmineen Society of Nigeria; Ismail Yusuf of Lagos Mainland Muslim Community; AbdulGafaar Muslideen of Dawah Front of Nigeria; Amina Muhammad representing The Criterion (Al-Furqan), and AbdulRahman Adangba of Adangba Central Mosque, among others. Mr Akosile, who said his principal and his deputy- Obafemi Hamzat, have built their administration on competence and capacity, noted that everyone across faith, gender, youth, and technocrats will be carried along in the administration of the state. He said: Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu did not do anything deliberately to sideline any faith. The administration has been built on competence and capacity because Lagos is known as the Centre of Excellence, and it is that excellence that is driving the duo of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Amzat, in everything theyve been doing. He said the government has always encouraged inclusion and that it is what informed the vision for greater Lagos. He added; So, what he seeks to achieve is the best for the entirety of Lagosians, not based on political, ethnic sentiment, or whether you are a man or a woman. its about delivery and performance that will alleviate the suffering of our people. But when these complaints were made the leadership has taken note of it and right about now, they are engaging the religious stakeholders to assuage their concerns. And I believe that we will definitely assuage their concerns and everybody will be happy at the end of the day. Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Aircraft on ground delay words to strike dread into anyone connected with the aviation industry. In this article, Artemis Aerospace looks at the most common technical faults which cause a plane to be taken out of service, and what can be done to get it back up in the sky as quickly as possible. WISTON, England, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Approximately $6 billion is lost per year in the airline industry due to an AOG situation. Every minute an aircraft is idle on the ground awaiting repairs, it's haemorrhaging money for its owner or operator and causing a serious back-up of passengers across the world missing important meetings, family occasions and holidays. Aircraft have extensive and tightly regulated maintenance programmes, but when a plane such as a Boeing 747-8 comprises 6 million components (according to Lufthansa) there will inevitably be occasions when unscheduled technical faults occur. So, what are the most common technical faults which cause an AOG delay, and how long does it take to fix them? AOG - the technical faults which can ground a plane Credit: https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER?mediatype=photography There's a sliding scale in terms of the seriousness of an aircraft malfunction, from post-inspection failure to instrument failure to critical issues such as sudden cabin decompression, landing gear failure or engine failure. In the vast majority of these cases, potential faults are discovered before they become an issue, during normal maintenance. Aircraft are required to undergo regulatory inspections every six to eight months and between every 400 to 600 hours. In the event of a mechanical fault happening mid-flight, a skilled crew should still be able to bring the plane down safely for repairs to be carried out. Whatever the situation in which a fault becomes apparent, however, the aircraft is immediately grounded. Many mechanical issues are fairly basic and easily corrected. Most manufacturers of components for aeroplanes have thorough diagnostic routines to enable mechanics to identify issues rapidly and methodically. Landing gear extension and retraction failure happens twice as often as engine problems on commercial aircraft. It can be due to low temperatures freezing the gear into the retracted position or being jammed by inadequate lubrication and an excess of dust or sand in the mechanism. Hydraulic leaks are another scenario which should be picked up in inspections. Hydraulics are used in landing gear, brakes and flaps, and in spoilers, thrust reversers and flight controls. Damage to an aircraft frequently occurs while it's on the ground, for example, during loading and unloading. A surprisingly large number of events involve airbridges during connection to the plane, which can cause damage to the fuselage, the engines, and particularly the doors and door seals. Parking an aircraft can result in damage to the wing tips, especially when they're not visible from the flight deck, which can affect the ailerons. Water drainage and moisture control systems can cause problems, especially in the winter. When the aircraft is descending, frost melts quickly if the aeroplane skin temperature rises above freezing. This results in a sudden onset of drainage, which can end up making its way into the top (attic) of the aeroplane and then dripping onto passengers from the cabin roof known as 'rain in the plane'. If not fixed, it soaks into the insulation material and can saturate it, and even corrode electrical systems. It also causes the weight of the aircraft to rise, with subsequent increased fuel use. By the time it's discovered, it can be a lengthy repair. Slow cabin decompression occurs as a result of an almost imperceptible decrease in cabin pressure. This can be caused by a faulty door seal, which is a very common fault, a crack in one of the windows or a pressurisation system breakdown. Contamination of the fuel system or malfunction of a component within it, issues with the air conditioning or engine fan blades, worn catches or door locks, instrument failures such as faulty sensors, and general wear and tear all contribute to the minutes ticking away as an aircraft is taken out of circulation. Minor part replacements and defective sensors can usually be fixed within a couple of hours. Issues which require extensive investigative work, or a specific component which isn't immediately available and has to be flown in from another location, are the AOG situations which every airline wants to avoid. At Artemis Aerospace, we understand the pressure to get aircraft back up in the air as quickly as possible; having a reliable, worldwide, around the clock component supply and repair service is critical to ensuring that issues are resolved rapidly and that the economic and reputational complications of an AOG are minimised. Aircraft safety is the most vital consideration for anyone involved in the aerospace industry, and passengers embarking on a flight, whether domestic or long-haul, can be reassured that when a mechanical fault develops, the most creative minds in the business will be working on it full time until the plane is completely safe to fly. Website: www.artemisaerospace.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171561/Artemis_Aerospace.jpg SOURCE Artemis Aerospace BARTLESVILLE, Okla., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Voice of the Martyrs has confirmed 13 Eritrean Christians were released from prison late last month. These Christian believers, seven women and six men, had been falsely imprisoned for 10 years. Due to security concerns, names of the released prisoners have yet to be made public. The Voice of the Martyrs has confirmed 13 Eritrean Christians were released from prison late last month. Tweet this On July 22nd, VOM sent an email calling on Christians to commit to pray for the release of two Eritrean church leaders on their 7,000th day in prison. VOM also provided information to help Christians email or fax the Eritrean embassy on behalf of imprisoned Christians. In the days following, more than 10,000 people responded to the email and declared their intention to pray for imprisoned Christians in Eritrea. Just six days later, VOM received word about the release of these 13 believers from local ministry partners inside the country. Pastor Haile Nayzgi and Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel, the imprisoned pastors who were the focus of the July 22 email, were not among the released Christians. "We thank the Lord for the freedom of these brothers and sisters who have been released from prison in Eritrea. We thank Him for intervening on behalf of these 13," said Todd Nettleton, VOM's spokesperson, who met with and interviewed Christians in Eritrea in 2004. Nettleton expressed gratitude for the 10,000 who responded to the ministry's email and encouraged believers to continue praying. "Don't stop praying," he said. "There are still more than 300 Christians in Eritrean prisons. Don't stop being a voice for them to the Eritrean embassy. Go today and add your name to the list of those who are committed to pray. Share it with a friend. Share it with your whole church. Share it with your whole Bible study group. Share it with somebody who will join you to pray for more prisoners to be released, including Pastor Haile and Dr. Kiflu." According to The Voice of the Martyrs' 2023 Global Prayer Guide, Eritrea is classified as a "restricted nation" due to the government's ongoing persecution of Christians. All churches outside the Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran denominations were ordered to close by the government in 2002. Since 1997, VOM has tracked persecution of Christians and designated nations or areas where followers of Christ regularly face persecution as either "restricted" or "hostile" in their annual prayer resource. Add your name online at vom.org/eritreanprisoners . SOURCE The Voice of the Martyrs JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- REPT BATTERO and renewable energy company VENA ENERGY have officially signed a framework agreement to explore opportunities in establishing local production lines for energy storage components in Indonesia. These components are also intended to support VENA ENERGY's hybrid megaproject in the Riau Islands currently under development, which will feature a 8GWh large-scale energy storage project. This momentous collaboration marks the formal establishment of a strategic partnership between the two companies, setting to drive the expansion of Indonesia's renewable energy supply chain and infrastructure, while also fostering global promotion and adoption of renewable energy. REPT BATTERO and VENA ENERGY have officially signed a framework agreement The signing ceremony in Indonesia was successfully completed With the support from the leadership of the Indonesian government, the partnership between REPT BATTERO and VENA ENERGY aims to furnish Indonesia with sustainable, efficient, and stable clean energy supply, thereby making significant strides in reducing carbon emissions. Empowered by advanced technology and innovative solutions, REPT plays a pivotal role in infusing the global green energy revolution with potent momentum, propelling numerous nations towards environmentally conscious and sustainable energy systems. "We are honoured to have His Excellency, Mr. Rachmat Kaimuddin, Deputy Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Transportation witness the signing of this landmark Framework Agreement. VENA ENERGY has been supporting Indonesia in its green energy transformation journey since 2015, having commissioned five solar and onshore wind projects totaling 114 MW. With this Framework Agreement, we aim to significantly contribute to the development of a productive domestic supply chain in the renewable energy sector, which will support Indonesia's energy transition plan and enhance the local economy by creating jobs, fostering industrial expansion and opening export opportunities in this growing sector of the economy", said Nitin Apte, CEO of VENA ENERGY. "We are grateful to the Indonesia Government for its continued support, and we look forward to accelerating its long-term goal of achieving low carbon and climate resilience." "As we know that Indonesia and many countries plan to achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2060 and are transiting from conventional energy to clean energy. In the Solartech Jakarta Exhibition and SNEC Shanghai Exhibition, REPT has not only showed our high-quality battery products and solutions but also represented our successful cases and strategy to support the Global Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development. It's 10 years since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed in 2013. China Government and Enterprise bring more and more benefits to the peoples in the Countries along. REPT would like to do our best to contribute as well." said Dr. Hui Cao, Chairman and CEO of REPT BATTERO. "Over the time, we do believe we can build great cooperation, achieve great success and create great future together!" ABOUT VENA ENERGY VENA ENERGY's mission is to accelerate the energy transition across the Asia-Pacific region through the development of sustainable and affordable renewable energy solutions that deliver lasting economic, social, and environmental benefits to our host communities and stakeholders. As of December 2022, they own, develop, construct, operate, manage, and commercialise a renewable energy portfolio of Onshore Wind and Solar, Offshore Wind, and Stationary and Transportable Energy Storage projects totaling 43 GW, with an extensive local presence of ~900 employees across 77 corporate and site offices in the Asia Pacific region. ABOUT REPT BATTERO REPT BATTERO Energy Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as REPT BATTERO), established in 2017, is the first enterprise invested by TSINGSHAN Industry in new energy field. By virtue of TSINGSHAN's rich resources of nickel mine, REPT BATTERO focuses on research and development, production and sales of power battery and system-level applications, and offers high-quality solutions for BEV and intelligent power storage. In 2022, REPT was among the Top 5 energy storage battery companies in global shipments and No.2 in domestic utility energy storage battery shipments. The company is on track to raise its total capacity to over 150 GWh in 2025. Please visit our Website and LinkedIn for more information. Website: www.chinarept.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reptbattero/ SOURCE REPT BATTERO NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The DeGregorio Family Foundation with the support of the Price Family Foundation and the Esophageal Cancer Awareness Association has awarded $87,500 to Dawit Kidane-Mulat, PhD, Associate Professor at Howard University College of Medicine to complete his grant. Dr. Kidane-Mulat is working to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy in gastric cancers, which now has a very low success rate, in the five percent range. Dr. Dawit Kidane-Mulat The overarching goal of this study is to harness XRCC1-deficient gastroesophageal cancer cells that will likely enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy response. Dr. Kidane-Mulat is examining how defective XRCC1 and targeting DNA damage response contributes to aberrant innate immune cells inflammatory response. He and his lab are pursuing how inhibition of ATM activity in XRCC1 deficient/low expressing gastric cells induces DNA sensor cGAS/STING mediated aberrant inflammatory response. This work lays the foundation for additional in-depth preclinical studies, and for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for stomach cancer. Commenting on his award, Dr. Kidane-Mulat said, "I am grateful to the DeGregorio Family Foundation. As a result of this award, I am generating a long line of research into understanding the basis of DNA repair/response and immunotherapy treatment in stomach cancer. This grant award is opening a new opportunity to propel the field forward and build a solid foundation for future immunotherapy therapeutic strategies in gastric cancer." In 2020, gastric and esophageal cancers combined to kill over 1.3 million people worldwide making it the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Patients continue to face poor prognoses following gastric and esophageal cancer diagnoses due to their chemo-resistant behavior and ability to metastasize. "Dr. Kidane-Mulat's grant could be paradigm-changing," concluded Lynn DeGregorio, President and Founder. "We're honored to fund deserving research like this that has the potential to significantly improve how we treat gastroesophageal cancers." The DeGregorio Family Foundation, founded in 2006 after a 10th member of the DeGregorio family died of stomach cancer, has raised more than $8 million to fund innovative research focused on curing gastric and esophageal cancers. It is the only foundation funding research grants for both of these cancers. SOURCE DeGregorio Family Foundation Young Arabs considering emigration would like to move to Canada , US, Germany , UK and France Nearly two-thirds (62%) in North Africa and about three-quarters (72%) in Levant say their national economy is going in the wrong direction At over 25%, youth unemployment in the MENA region is the highest and fastest-growing in the world DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Over half of Arab youth in the Levantine and North African countries say they are actively trying to leave or are considering leaving their country for better opportunities. The desire to emigrate is strongest among young men and women in the Levant (53%) followed by North Africa (48%), with the primary goal of finding a job. On the other hand, just over a quarter (27%) of youth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states say they have considered emigration, with a majority saying they would 'never leave their country.' Over half of Arab youth in North Africa and Levant want to leave their home country Canada, US, Germany, the UK and France are the top destinations young Arabs like to move to Most Arab youth say they would like to emigrate to Canada (34%), with the United States (30%) coming a close second, followed by Germany and the UK (both on 20%) and France at 17%. These are some of the key findings under the theme 'My Aspirations' in the 15th annual ASDA'A BCW Arab Youth Survey, the most comprehensive study of its kind of the Arab world's largest demographic, its over 200 million youth, conducted by ASDA'A BCW, the Middle East and North Africa's leading communications consultancy. The desire to emigrate corresponds with the bleak economic outlook in many Arab nations. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of young Arabs in the Levant (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Syria and Yemen), and about two-thirds (62%) in North African countries surveyed (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, South Sudan and Tunisia) said their national economy is going in the 'wrong direction'. In the GCC, however, youth remain extremely optimistic, with nearly nine in 10 (88%) saying their country's economy is headed in the 'right direction'. With youth unemployment in the Middle East exceeding 25% - the highest and fastest-growing in the world, according to the International Labour Organisation - getting a job is understandably a priority for young Arabs. Among those who said they are actively considering emigration, nearly half (49%) said the reason was to 'look for a job.' One in four (25%) GCC youth said they have considered emigration to 'experience something new' compared with 13% in North Africa and 11% in Levant. Despite their fears about their national economy, more than two-thirds (69%) of Arab youth believe their best days lie ahead of them, a 5% increase over 2022. Youth in the GCC are the most hopeful (85%), followed by those in North Africa (64%) and the Levant (60%). Compared with four years ago, youth optimism in the region is at its peak, with 57% today saying they will have a better life than their parents, compared with 45% who said this in 2019. The positivity is highest among GCC youth (75%), followed by young Arabs in Levant (52%) and North Africa (50%). Thinking about the next 10 years, Arab youth mostly want to start a career (18%) followed by finishing their education (17%). Pursuing a personal interest they are passionate about ranked third (15%). In another insightful finding, more than 8 in 10 (85%) said Arab countries must uphold universal values such as freedom, equality and respect for human rights a sentiment shared by most young Arabs in all the three regions covered 91% in North Africa, and 81% each in the GCC and Levant. Sunil John, President, MENA, BCW and Founder of ASDA'A BCW, said: "The increasing number of Arab youth seeking greener pastures abroad reveals two of their important characteristics: One, their disappointment in the lack of opportunities at home for a good education and a successful career, and two, their eagerness to shape their own destiny. "Youth emigration is a huge drain on the economy of the Arab world, which must be stopped if the region is to benefit from the youth dividend. The region is one of the youngest in the world with over 60% of its population, over 200 million, below the age of 30," added John. "Despite the bleak economies in North Africa and Levant, what shines through is the youthful exuberance of being optimistic of the future. This is evident in most young Arabs being defiantly hopeful about their chances for a better life. These findings underline that Arab countries must focus on creating the right enabling environment for young people to thrive - the responsibility for this lies with both the government and the private sector." ASDA'A BCW commissioned SixthFactor Consulting, a leading research company, to conduct face-to-face interviews with 3,600 Arab citizens aged 18 to 24 in their home nations from March 27 to April 12, 2023. In the coming weeks, ASDA'A BCW will publish insights under the last theme of this year's research, My Lifestyle, as well as findings on climate change, mental health and gender rights, making this year's study the most comprehensive in its 15-year history. The initial findings of the 2023 edition of the ASDA'A BCW Arab Youth Survey, under the themes My Aspirations, My Global Citizenship, My Politics, My Livelihood and My Identity, are available with expert commentaries at arabyouthsurvey.com. The overarching theme of this year's study is 'Living a New Reality'. Notes to Editors: About the ASDA'A BCW Arab Youth Survey The annual ASDA'A BCW Arab Youth Survey, now in its 15th year, is the largest study of its kind of the Arab world's largest demographic, its over 200 million youth. The survey fills a vital gap in critical data and insights on this very important demographic segment. The evidence-based insights inform governments, the private sector, multilateral institutions and academics on policymaking and business strategy. The 15th annual ASDA'A BCW Arab Youth Survey explores the hopes, fears and aspirations of young Arabs in 53 cities in 18 states in the Middle East and North Africa region. The face-to-face interviews were conducted by professional interviewers from March 27 to April 12, 2023, covering 3,600 young Arabs aged 18 to 24. The cohort was split equally between men and women. The survey covered five Gulf Cooperation Council states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE), North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and South Sudan newly added this year), and the Levant region (Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Syria) and Yemen. www.arabyouthsurvey.com Follow, like, share on Facebook; Twitter; Instagram; YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok About ASDA'A BCW ASDA'A was founded in 2000 as an independent communications firm by Sunil John, who leads the agency in its 24th year. In 2008, WPP (NYSE: WPP) acquired a majority stake in ASDA'A and merged it with BCW, one of the world's top three communications firms. The agency has a team of nearly 200 professionals across its seven wholly owned offices. With an additional 11 affiliates, ASDA'A BCW covers 16 countries across the Middle East and North Africa. The agency serves over 100 retained clients and is the leading PR consultancy in the MENA market. www.asdaa-bcw.com Follow, like, share on Facebook, Twitter; Instagram; YouTube and LinkedIn. About BCW BCW, a leading global communications agency, is in the business of moving people on behalf of clients. BCW partners with clients in the B2B, consumer, corporate, crisis management, healthcare, public affairs, purpose and technology sectors to set strategic direction for all communications and create powerful and unexpected ideas that earn attention. Through an Earned-Plus offer earned media plus paid media, creative technology, data, AI and an expanding suite of innovative capabilities BCW moves people with power and precision to move its clients forward. BCW is a part of WPP (NYSE: WPP), a creative transformation company. www.bcw-global.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171922/Arab_Youth_Survey.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171923/Arab_Youth_Survey.jpg SOURCE ASDAA BCW Arab Youth Survey UNION CITY, N.J., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Anviz, a leading provider of intelligent security solutions, has developed Secu365 after extensive research on the US market to address security risks across diverse industries. This one-stop cloud-based security management platform is equipped with an array of tools that empower companies to build a future-proof yet streamlined security system. With Secu365, businesses can capture, store, and manage mission-critical footage, as well as deploy applications such as access control, staff management, and security dashboards. Powerful and versatile, Secu365 offers SMEs in retail, education, healthcare, business offices, light-industrial, and food & beverage sectors a customized, future-ready security surveillance solution that helps them achieve cost reductions while strengthening their safety measures. "In building a total security system that can offer all-around protection to our users, we believe its design should go beyond safeguarding people and properties, but considering the time and space where the solution is deployed to help companies maximize their productivity and operational efficiency. Leveraging our technological prowess in security hardware and software, as well as our insights into the customer demand in the US, we have created an all-in-one Cloud-based security solution that incorporates an alarm system to offer timely warnings, data encryption to strengthen cybersecurity, and a unified system that manages staff attendance and visitor access," said Felix, Product Manager of Secu365. "Simplicity and affordability are also our priorities. By making the system free, Secu365 significantly lowers the initial investments for building a comprehensive security system. The SaaS platform features instructive UI and dashboard design, making it easy to use and quick to deploy. In addition, the edge AI, coupled with a powerful neural processing unit (NPU) and Anviz's proprietary deep-learning algorithms, businesses can benefit from its features such as intelligent algorithms for cameras that deliver industry-leading perimeter monitoring performance," he added. The Challenges SMEs Face With The unrelenting year-on-year growth of physical risks experienced by businesses continues to pose challenges to the operation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), leading to added financial loss and jeopardizing their commercial sustainability. According to the "The State of Physical Security Entering 2023" report by Pro-Vigil, almost a third of business owners have witnessed an increase in physical security incidents in 2022, prompting half of the surveyed companies to turn to surveillance systems in a bid to reinforce their safety measures. Despite the heightened awareness of upgrading hardware and software to improve their security measures, the complexity of modern security devices, compounded by the constantly evolving threat landscape, means that companies often lack the necessary expertise and resources to implement robust solutions. Over 70% of the businesses featured in the report have already put in place video surveillance yet are unable to prevent asset damages, indicating the difficulties and gaps in technical knowledge that blunt their effort to safeguard their properties. Organized retail crime causes significant inventory loss to retail companies, with the US retail giant Target saying the criminal activity will fuel $500 million more in stolen and lost merchandise this year compared with a year ago. Other potential risks such as "zero-dollar" purchases and shoplifting also add to their financial loss which can be mitigated by security cameras powered by AI behavioral analytics that can analyze and spot suspicious events faster and more accurately than human staff. The technology is also promising in ensuring safety on school campuses and at hospitals for its ability to identify possible risks and send real-time warnings to emergency responders to avert threats. A holistic security surveillance solution is also essential for SMEs seeking to establish a flexible and robust staff management system. For this reason, the global demand for employee monitoring systems saw an unprecedented growth rate at the beginning of 2022, up 65% from 2019, according to internet security and digital rights firm Top10VPN. For office space, it can track employees' attendance, authorize personnel to access sensitive areas and fend off information breaches. In factory settings, the solution is useful in monitoring and managing the usage of tools and facilities, ensuring that employees adhere to safety protocols, and preventing unauthorized access or misuse. Greater Utility with Lower Transition Costs Unlike traditional video surveillance systems with high hardware threshold that brings up the budget, Secu365 is a cloud-based platform that minimizes hardware installment and maintenance costs while offering a wide range of functions available for users to choose from in building a system that best suits their business operations. The devices for attendance tracking and cameras come with multiple connectivity options to simplify the installation process. In addition, the cloud architecture of Secu365 means that footage is offloaded to cloud servers which both Web and App users can remotely access and manage anytime, anywhere. The design also allows for lower marginal costs compared with traditional video surveillance systems that require users to set up local servers at many locations. Easy to Purchase and Install Anviz has optimized its product to reduce friction for customers at the beginning of the purchasing journey. Secu365 can be easily purchased online, with expert teams from Anviz available to offer prompt assistance. Users can quickly register a cloud account and start using the platform without the complexities associated with traditional installations. Secu365 offers a user-friendly interface for both administrators and employees, with features tailored to their roles in security management. Meanwhile, the platform streamlines system maintenance by providing automated updates and remote management capabilities. Looking ahead, Anviz remains committed to creating more power products based on customer needs. By continuously updating its technological solutions, Anviz aims to meet the evolving needs of SMEs and provide them with state-of-the-art security and management tools. CONTACT: Title: Marketing Specialist Name: Nic Wang Phone: +86 15541141093 Email: nic.wang@anviz.com SOURCE Anviz Global Bugcrowd Joins Appdome's Mobile App Defense Project LAS VEGAS, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Appdome, the one-stop shop for mobile app defense, announced that Bugcrowd, the only multi-solution crowdsourced cybersecurity platform, joined its new Mobile App Defense Project, a community program aimed at improving mobile DevSecOps for everyone. This collaboration aims to create a more secure mobile app economy, raise the bar on mobile app defense, and provide rapid, validated, continuous cyber and anti-fraud solutions for all mobile applications globally. As mobile application use and revenues continue to rise dramatically, mobile application security testing is a hot topic and fast emerging discipline in the economic landscape. Cyber threats, attacks, tools, methods, and techniques targeting Android and iOS apps, infrastructures, and users continue to evolve and proliferate. The Mobile App Defense Project is designed to harness the collective strength of the global pen testing community to provide state-of-the-art cybersecurity, anti-fraud, anti-malware, and other solutions in mobile applications worldwide. Bugcrowd Joins Appdome's Mobile App Defense Project Tweet this "Sophisticated threat actors are targeting mobile applications relentlessly," said Dave Gerry, CEO of Bugcrowd. "By collaborating in Appdome's Mobile App Defense Project with Bugcrowd's proven expertise in crowdsourced security, together, we are helping organizations adopt mobile applications with comprehensive protection against vulnerabilities. This collaboration exemplifies our shared commitment to driving excellence in mobile app security and our dedication to staying ahead of threat actors before they strike." Through this program, Appdome will collaborate with Bugcrowd, renowned for its expertise in identifying exploits and vulnerabilities, and conducting rigorous security assessments of mobile applications. By integrating the services and recommendations provided by Bugcrowd, Appdome aims to streamline cybersecurity delivery for all mobile apps. "Bugcrowd's multi-solution cybersecurity platform has always impressed me," said Tom Tovar, CEO of Appdome. "I love the agility and speed of delivery that Bugcrowd offers and that matches our ethos of getting cyber and anti-fraud defenses out in the mobile app economy fast." As a community project, Appdome will also contribute its cyber and threat research to the community, as well as fund education, awareness, and other programs to benefit mutual customers and the broad cyber community defending mobile brands, businesses, and users. For more information on the Mobile App Defense Project see www.appdome.com . About Bugcrowd We are Bugcrowd. Since 2012, we've been empowering organizations to take back control and stay ahead of threat actors by uniting the collective ingenuity and expertise of our customers and a trusted alliance of elite hackers, with our patented AI-powered Security Knowledge Platform , built on the industry's richest repository of vulnerabilities, assets, and hacker profiles carefully curated over a decade. Our network of hackers brings diverse expertise to uncover hidden weaknesses, adapting swiftly to evolving threats, even against zero-day exploits. With unmatched scalability and adaptability, our data and ML-driven CrowdMatch technology finds the perfect talent for your unique fight. We aim to create a new era of modern crowdsourced security that outpaces threat actors by unleashing collective ingenuity and instilling confidence. Based in San Francisco, Bugcrowd is supported by Rally Ventures, Costanoa Ventures, Blackbird Ventures, Triangle Peak Partners, and others. Outpace threat actors before they strike with Bugcrowd, visit www.bugcrowd.com. Read our blog here. Bugcrowd: Ingenuity Unleashed. About Appdome Appdome, the mobile app economy's one-stop-shop for mobile app defense, is on a mission to protect every mobile app in the world and the people who use mobile apps in their lives and at work. Appdome provides the mobile industry's only mobile application Cyber Defense Automation platform, powered by a patented articial-intelligence based coding engine, Threat-Events Threat-Aware UX/UI Control and ThreatScope Mobile XDR. Using Appdome, mobile brands eliminate complexity, save money and deliver 300+ Certified Secure mobile app security, anti-malware, anti-fraud, MOBILEBot Defense, anti-cheat, MiTM attack prevention, code obfuscation and other protections in Android and iOS apps with ease, all inside the mobile DevOps and CI/CD pipeline. Leading nancial, healthcare, mobile games, government and m-commerce brands use Appdome to protect Android and iOS apps, mobile customers and mobile businesses globally. Appdome holds several patents including U.S. Patents 9,934,017 B2, 10,310,870 B2, 10,606,582 B2, 11,243,748 B2 and 11,294,663 B2. Additional patents pending. SOURCE Appdome Report provides roadmap for private companies seeking transparency and accountability in environmental and corporate responsibility areas WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arcadia , a technology company connecting the clean energy future, announced the release of its inaugural Corporate Responsibility Report . The report's goal is to demonstrate Arcadia's commitment to transparency and accountability. "As a climate tech company, we're defined by our work as a champion for the environment," said Kiran Bhatraju, co-founder and CEO, Arcadia. "That's why we're excited to launch this annual report we've been living by these values for nearly a decade, so it's about time for us to share this part of our story." "We're defined by our work as a champion for the environment," said Kiran Bhatraju, co-founder and CEO, Arcadia. Tweet this The report provides visibility into both Arcadias accomplishments and areas for improvement across all practice areas, enabling the company to acknowledge successes and gain deeper insights into areas that require attention. And by fostering transparency among Arcadias employees, investors, and customers, Arcadia is demonstrating its commitment to accountability. The report provides visibility into both Arcadia's accomplishments and areas for improvement across all practice areas, enabling the company to acknowledge successes and gain deeper insights into areas that require attention. And by fostering transparency among Arcadia's employees, investors, and customers, Arcadia is demonstrating its commitment to accountability. "We're pleased to see the work that Arcadia has done on its first Corporate Responsibility Report," said Tanya Barnes, Managing Partner of Sustainable Growth Equity at JPMorgan. "This report effectively highlights the company's climate and social impact and we encourage companies across the spectrum, both public and private, to engage in this level of transparent sustainability reporting." Key highlights from the report *All stats as of end of 2022, unless otherwise noted Arcadia's Arc platform Our platform spans 300+ enterprise customers with coverage of over 95 percent of US utility data Community solar In 2022, Arcadia's community solar product helped provide ~260 million kWh of solar energy to Arcadia's subscribers and prevented ~179k tons of CO2 from being emitted. Public policy Arcadia's public policy team played a pivotal role in creating community solar programs in Virginia , California , New Mexico , and Delaware . team played a pivotal role in creating community solar programs in , , , and . The company also improved verification for low-to-moderate income ("LMI") subscribers and subscribers in historically disadvantaged communities in virtually every active market, with ~14% of Arcadia's subscribers coming from LMI households, amounting to over 24k LMI subscribers. Diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion Demographically, 38 percent of Arcadia employees identify as female, and ~30 percent identify as Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and Asian. Board composition Arcadia's Board has eleven members, including five independent members, four women, and three members from underrepresented groups. GHG Emissions In 2022, Arcadia's emissions totaled 43 tCO2e for scope 1, 322 tCO2e for scope 2, and 8,462 tCO2e for scope 3. "We firmly believe in the necessity of this transparency, particularly within our industry," said Bhatraju, "and recognize the significant strides that private companies can make on this transformative path toward enabling a zero-carbon economy." Arcadia will continue publishing this report annually, enabling seamless tracking of its progress and growth. "We know that we are not perfect as a company," Bhatraju added, "but with this level of transparency we are hoping to track our year over year improvements within the values we have committed ourselves to." About Arcadia Arcadia unlocks access to global utility data. Our technology powers the next generation of climate solutions, giving anyone the tools to electrify and decarbonize. Learn more Media Contact Chris Phillbrook [email protected] 202.744.5788 SOURCE Arcadia ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascend Vision Partners ("AVP"), a leading provider of comprehensive business services for eye care professionals, is pleased to announce its strategic partnership with Mills Eye + Facial Surgery, a state-of-the-art eye care practice in Pensacola, Fla. The partnership will enhance the quality of eye care services offered to patients in the region, leveraging the expertise of both AVP and Mills Eye's esteemed medical and professional teams. Chad Tomlinson, Chief Growth Officer at Ascend Vision Partners, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "we are thrilled to join forces with Dr. Mills and the clinical care team at Mills Eye + Facial Surgery. By leveraging AVP's comprehensive administrative support services, we look forward to enabling the esteemed medical professionals at Mills Eye to devote their undivided attention to their patients, ensuring optimal eye health and happiness." Ascend Vision Partners announces a strategic partnership with Mills Eye + Facial Surgery in Pensacola, Fla. Tweet this AVP's mission is to empower eye doctors to provide clinically-excellent care by providing comprehensive administrative solutions that enable partner doctors to prioritize their patients. The partnership with Mills Eye + Facial Surgery further reinforces AVP's reach and commitment to enabling the delivery of top-notch eye care services across the Southeastern United States. Mills Eye + Facial Surgery takes pride in staying at the forefront of eye care advancements while emphasizing patient education and happiness. The practice's medical staff features the expertise of Dr. David Mills, a board-certified ophthalmic surgeon and oculofacial plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgeon, and Dr. Wes Mayes, an esteemed optometrist. Together, their combined decades of experience and dedication make Mills Eye + Facial Surgery a premier choice for exceptional eye care. Dr. Mills commented, "Partnering with Ascend Vision Partners is an exciting step towards further elevating our eye care services. With AVP's support, we can streamline our business operations and focus on delivering the best possible care to our patients. Our commitment to utilizing the latest advances in eye care, coupled with AVP's expertise, will create a seamless and fulfilling experience for those we serve." Dr. Mayes also expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "At Mills Eye + Facial Surgery, we have always prioritized patients' well-being, and this collaboration allows us to enhance our patient-focused approach even further. With AVP handling the business aspects, we can continue to concentrate on providing superior diagnosis and treatment to our valued patients." The partnership between Ascend Vision Partners and Mills Eye + Facial Surgery, backed by the expertise of Chicago Pacific Founders, heralds a new era of exceptional eye care services in Pensacola, Fla. Patients can expect a seamless and satisfying experience, combining AVP's comprehensive business support with the cutting-edge expertise of Mills Eye's medical staff. For more information about Ascend Vision Partners and Mills Eye + Facial Surgery, please visit https://www.ascendvision.com/news/. About Ascend Vision Partners Established in 2022, Ascend Vision Partners delivers custom business solutions for eye care professionals, allowing ophthalmologists and optometrists to focus entirely on patient care. Building on a clinical tradition spanning over 62 years, AVP's partners leverage experience, best-in-class information technology and cutting-edge equipment to deliver industry leading ophthalmologic outcomes. Our team of 300 employees is dedicated to providing exceptional eye care to over 250,000 patients annually across the southeastern U.S. Explore more at: www.AscendVision.com. About Mills Eye + Facial Surgery Mills Eye + Facial Surgery is a state-of-the-art eye care practice located in Pensacola, Fla. Led by Dr. David Mills, a board-certified ophthalmic surgeon and oculofacial plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgeon, and Dr. Wes Mayes, a highly regarded optometrist, the practice is dedicated to providing top-notch eye care services with an emphasis on patient education and happiness. Learn more at www.millseye.com. About Chicago Pacific Founders Chicago Pacific Founders is a leading investment advisor that manages private funds, focusing exclusively on investments in growth companies within value-based care innovation, healthcare services, AI and tech-enabled healthcare services. CPF believes that the most significant societal impact and investment returns from healthcare for the next decade will be generated by investment in delivery model innovation. CPF's leadership team is made up of former healthcare CEOs, senior executives and investment professionals with a passion for and track record of building healthcare businesses. For more information, please visit www.cpfounders.com. Media Contact Kristen McCullough (407) 808-8027 [email protected] www.KAMCOMMedia.com SOURCE Ascend Vision Partners SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AssuriSec, a leading cybersecurity solutions provider, is proud to announce the launch of its comprehensive Website Security Monitoring and Penetration Testing services. In an era of escalating cyber threats and sophisticated attacks, AssuriSec is committed to empowering businesses with advanced tools and strategies to fortify their digital assets and maintain an airtight online presence. As technology advances, we often ignore or disregard the implications of the possible affects of a cyber attack on our business. Cyber criminals are getting creative and even more demanding with ransomware and other intrusion exploitation. Check to see how vulnerable your website is with our penetration testing service at: https://www.assurisec.com/order-penetration-test The new services from AssuriSec are designed to address the increasing challenges posed by cybercriminals who exploit vulnerabilities in websites and applications, endangering sensitive data and tarnishing the reputation of businesses. With a steadfast dedication to proactive cybersecurity, AssuriSec's offerings provide a multi-layered defense mechanism that not only detects and mitigates threats but also ensures robust protection against potential breaches. Key Features of AssuriSec's Website Security Monitoring and Penetration Testing Services: Real-time Threat Detection: AssuriSec employs state-of-the-art monitoring tools that actively scan websites for potential threats, enabling rapid identification and swift response to emerging risks. Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment: With extensive penetration testing, AssuriSec identifies vulnerabilities in web applications and networks, offering actionable insights to enhance security infrastructure. Tailored Solutions: AssuriSec understands that each business has unique security requirements. Its team of experts crafts personalized security strategies to align with specific business needs and goals. 24/7 Security Monitoring: AssuriSec's services provide around-the-clock monitoring, ensuring that businesses are safeguarded against threats at all times, day or night. Experienced Professionals: AssuriSec's team of highly skilled cybersecurity experts boasts years of experience in the industry, equipping clients with unparalleled expertise and guidance. "AssuriSec is committed to delivering top-notch cybersecurity solutions that empower businesses to defend their digital assets with confidence," said Nelson Pearce, CTO at AssuriSec. "Our Website Security Monitoring and Penetration Testing services stand as a testament to this commitment, providing businesses with the tools they need to thrive in an increasingly digitized world." To learn more about AssuriSec's Website Security Monitoring and Penetration Testing services, please visit https://www.assurisec.com or contact the team at [email protected] or (855) 531-0092. About AssuriSec: AssuriSec is a leading cybersecurity solutions provider dedicated to securing digital assets and fortifying online defenses. With a team of experienced professionals and cutting-edge technologies, AssuriSec delivers comprehensive security services tailored to meet the unique needs of businesses across industries. SOURCE AssuriSec National Program Kicks Off with Complimentary Live Online Event, Aug. 10 WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts (Escoffier) and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) announce a new national collaboration designed to support the vital connection between farmers, ranchers and the culinary industry with education-focused programs, interactive events and training sessions. Through this joint effort, AFBF will offer Escoffier culinary students unprecedented opportunities to interact with farmers across the country to better understand and experience sustainable farming practices and innovations in agriculture, including virtual learning sessions that augment Escoffier's curriculum as well as live farm-to-table events. In addition, the culinary-farmer collaboration includes Escoffier's participation in AFBF's Convention, "Target Training" conference, "Amplify Agriculture" online series and networking events. Escoffier also becomes the preferred culinary school of AFBF throughout the duration of the relationship. "This new alliance opens the door for us to cultivate meaningful relationships with aspiring chefs and culinary thought leaders and share advances and innovations in farming," said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. "Farmers and ranchers produce the food that chefs choose and prepare every day. We look forward to sharing our stories and perspectives with those writing the menus that shape consumer dining trends." With nearly 6 million member families and 2,800 county Farm Bureaus, AFBF is the country's largest general farm organization. AFBF's national Promotion and Education Committee will lead the collaborative effort for the federation. The committee works to equip grassroots farmer and rancher members with effective tools to increase consumer awareness and understanding of agriculture. Escoffier currently has more than 7,300 students and is the largest culinary school brand in the U.S., with campuses in Austin and Boulder, including their degree and diploma programs offered online. The collaboration kicks off Aug. 10 at 8:00 p.m. EDT with AFBF's "Amplify Agriculture" complimentary online episode, "Sowing Seeds of Knowledge: Exploring the Essential Collaboration between Farmers and Culinary Education." Escoffier Provost and Boulder Campus President Kirk T. Bachmann and Director of Education Stephanie Michalak White will be interviewed and on hand for a live question and answer session. Registration is complimentary and open to the public. "It is essential to understand where our food comes from, how it's grown and produced, and who better than farmers and ranchers to bring lessons on agriculture and best practices to life," said Bachmann. "Escoffier's commitment to farm-to-table and teaching sustainable practices is a natural fit with the goals of Farm Bureau members who are passionate about conveying the significance of agriculture. We are grateful for this opportunity to work together," he added. More about Escoffier Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts (Escoffier) is the largest culinary school brand in the U.S. (based on comparable student population data currently reported in IPEDS) . Escoffier's Boulder, CO campus is the only accredited institution in the United States to offer both fully online diploma and degree programs with culinary classes and hands-on industry externships. Ranked in the top 10 culinary schools in the United States by USA Today and number one in the world by Chef's Pencil , the school's professional programs offer the proven combination of a classic and contemporary approach to industry skills training as well as sustainability-centered and business-focused curriculum. Escoffier is a Great Place to Work-Certified institution, a Newsweek Top Online Learning School and its Boulder (includes online programs) and Austin campuses are designated as Military Friendly Schools . Escoffier offers diploma programs for culinary arts, pastry arts, food entrepreneurship and plant-based culinary arts as well as Associate of Applied Science degrees in culinary arts, pastry arts and Associate of Occupational Studies degrees in culinary arts, baking and pastry, plant-based culinary arts, hospitality and restaurant operations management, holistic nutrition and wellness and food entrepreneurship. Click for more information on Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts accreditations and degree and diploma programs . More about American Farm Bureau Federation As the nation's largest general farm organization, Farm Bureau is a grassroots membership agricultural non-profit. Farm Bureau organizes farmers and ranchers at the local, state and national levels to serve as the voice of agriculture. The issues and concerns that are most important to Farm Bureau's grassroots membership drive the work of the organization. Farm Bureau's mission is to build a sustainable future of safe and abundant food, fiber and renewable fuel for our nation and our world. Learn more at http://facebook.com/FarmBureau or follow @FarmBureau on Twitter or @farmbureau on Instagram. SOURCE Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts MIAMI, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Australis, a leading expedition cruise company renowned for its voyages through the Southern Hemisphere, has selected Kreps PR & Marketing as its Agency of Record to provide public relations support and overall communications services. Australis, a leading expedition cruise company renowned for its voyages through the Southern Hemisphere, has selected Kreps PR & Marketing as its Agency of Record to provide public relations support and overall communications services. The Chilean-based expedition operator navigates the southernmost Patagonian fjords. . It offers four-night, five-day itineraries with routes traveling through Cape Horn and Tierra Del Fuego between September and April. With its extensive regional expertise, Australis provides a luxury-grade, multi-faceted exploration of the environments of Patagonia. Kreps PR will provide strategic public relations services to further awareness of Australis within its key markets in North America, inclusive of media relations, educational tours, and strategic alliances. "Kreps PR has decades of experience working within the tour and travel space," said Felipe Castro, Sales Director North America for Australis. "We look forward to leveraging their strategic skills to augment our visibility in key markets." "It is an absolute privilege to have been selected to represent Australis," says Israel Kreps, CEO of Kreps PR. "They offer one of the most unique expedition experiences in the world, true once-in-a-lifetime experiences." Australis's offerings range from $1,500 up to $6,500 per person from September through April. Stay tuned for season kick-off announcement. For additional booking and cruise information, please visit https://www.australis.com About Australis Australis is a leading expedition cruise company, navigating the southernmost Patagonian fjords since 1990. With a long history navigating the waters of Tierra del Fuego, the Magellan Strait, Cape Horn, and the Beagle Channel in Patagonia, Australis feels completely at home in this pristine natural landscape. Its presence in Patagonia is well-established, offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences for its valued guests. Its fleet of expedition sister cruise vessels, such as the Ventus and Stella Australis, provide guests with exquisite Chilean food, spacious lounge areas, and luxury cabins as well as exciting excursions, zodiac boat tours, and wildlife walks. For additional information, visit https://www.australis.com About Kreps PR & Marketing PR & Marketing, with a presence in Miami and New York City, is one of the industry's most trusted agencies. Rooted in a keen understanding of the media and their needs, the firm is comprised of a diverse team of former journalists, long-time publicists, and ex-in-house Fortune 500 communications directors. Specializing in all facets of residential and commercial real estate, hospitality, corporate and financial services public relations, and offering public relations, social media, even activation and strategic digital services, Kreps PR is recognized for delivering measurable communications programs that build brand value and drive business leads. For additional information, visit www.KrepsPR.com . Kreps PR Veronica Villegas (305)-905-5440 [email protected] Emily Goiricelaya (786)-368-0612 [email protected] SOURCE Australis BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, August 9. Uzbekistan has offered Kyrgyzstan to increase the number of flights, Trend reports. The idea was proposed during the meeting of the Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan, Musa Dzhamanbaev with the head of Uzbekistan Airways Shukhrat Khudaikulov. During the meeting, the parties discussed issues in the field of civil aviation, and also paid attention to expanding the geography of flights between the countries and the possibility of increasing the frequency of flights by national air carriers of the two countries. Furthermore, the head of Uzbekistan Airways proposed to increase flights on the Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) - Tashkent (Uzbekistan) route. The parties agreed that the increase in flights will have a positive impact on the tourism sector, and also agreed to work actively with tour operators. At the moment flights on the Bishkek - Tashkent route and back are carried out five times a week: on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. ALPHARETTA, Ga., Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Avanos Medical, Inc. (NYSE: AVNS) today announced that Michael Greiner, senior vice president, chief financial officer, and chief transformation officer will participate in a fireside chat at the UBS MedTech, Tools and Genomics Summit 2023 on Tues., Aug. 15 at approximately 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. A webcast of the conference presentation will be available on the Investors section of the Avanos Medical website and will be archived on that site. About Avanos Medical, Inc. Avanos Medical, Inc. (NYSE: AVNS) is a medical technology company focused on delivering clinically superior medical device solutions that will help patients get back to the things that matter. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, we are committed to addressing some of today's most important healthcare needs, including providing a vital lifeline for nutrition to patients from hospital to home, and reducing the use of opioids while helping patients move from surgery to recovery. We develop, manufacture and market our recognized brands globally and hold leading market positions in multiple categories across our portfolio. For more information, visit Avanos.com and follow Avanos Medical on Twitter (@AvanosMedical), LinkedIn and Facebook. SOURCE Avanos Medical, Inc. Exclusive tech developer box offers a turnkey approach for justice-impacted entrepreneurs to launch content designed for those in prisons and jails to achieve better reentry outcomes from day one DALLAS, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aventiv Technologies, a technology company delivering secure and affordable products to bridge the digital divide and help America's 1.9 million incarcerated individuals successfully reenter society, is partnering directly with justice-impacted tech entrepreneurs to launch Justice Sandbox. As the first-of-its-kind secure, technical development 'box' or environment, Justice Sandbox provides justice-impacted entrepreneurs an exclusive platform to develop their products. The Justice Sandbox environment, built and hosted by Aventiv, gives tech developers a plug-and-play platform to connect, test, and launch content. This content will be available on up to 650,000 Securus tablets distributed to individuals in prisons and jails. "Aventiv is a modern technology company with a responsibility to partner and bring secure connections and tablets to corrections facilities, helping eliminate the digital divide that leaves incarcerated individuals behind," said Dave Abel, CEO of Aventiv Technologies. "In creating connections, we're building a digital marketplace for justice-impacted tech entrepreneurs who can bring their experiences successfully navigating post-incarceration reentry to those currently spending time inside, amplifying value for all stakeholders." Aventiv has led an aggressive multi-year transformation to deliver quality, affordable, and secure technology that prioritizes the needs of incarcerated individuals. In 2022, as a key component of the transformation, Aventiv formed an Advisory Board of independent experts and advocates in correction, reentry, workforce, rehabilitation, education, and business whose diverse experience provides actionable guidance to help ensure Aventiv's products and services lead to better outcomes. The inspiration for the Justice Sandbox came from Teresa Hodge, Chair of the Advisory Board, as well as listening sessions organized by the Advisory Board. When deployed, the Justice Sandbox Apps connect users with education, employment, and inspirational content, developed and designed by those who have lived through the incarceration experience and understand what it takes to achieve stability upon release. The goal is to help incarcerated individuals build the proficiency, confidence, and knowledge to increase their likelihood of post-incarceration success. Before launching Justice Sandbox, Aventiv was already creating highly engaging content in partnership with formerly incarcerated individuals. Apps like "Second Acts" and "Day 1," featuring inspirational podcasts created by Aventiv Advisory Board Member Andre Norman, rose to instant popularity by offering first-hand content from people who have successfully navigated reentry. In fact, this content became the most viewed via Aventiv's Securus tablet. "People in prison want to see themselves in the future, and Justice Sandbox gives them the motivation and access they need to complete their sentences and plan for a better tomorrow," said Andre Norman, Aventiv Board Member and Co-founder of the Hope Media App. "Men and women in prison should not have to compete for a handful of programming and reentry readiness slots and I'm proud to be part of a program that puts reentry readiness information directly in their hands via modern tablets." Norman's latest app, Hope Media, will launch with the Justice Sandbox pilot, expected to go live in September. In addition to Hope Media, the Justice Sandbox pilot includes two other venture-backed technology and software companies: Honest Jobs, a nationwide job board explicitly designed for justice-impacted individuals; and R3 Score Technologies' R3UP App, a reentry planner to prepare users for release that also offers tools to manage risk assessments for post-release background checks. Aventiv is proud to partner with these tech founders, who often go underfunded and underestimated. Following the pilot with these three Apps, the Justice Sandbox will expand its offerings to other justice-impacted service providers and tech entrepreneurs, offering an easy onboarding experience in a single "store-like" destination on Securus tablets, that aggregates content to help guide incarcerated individuals toward successful reentry. The Apps offered in each development phase will be delivered with the highest level of security, ensuring a safe environment for facilities and consumers. "There are thousands of successful nonprofit service providers or business owners who, after they were released from prison, started businesses to help others who will return to society after their release. Who best to help someone understand the challenges and possibilities of finding a meaningful and productive life than those who walked in their shoes," said Teresa Hodge, Aventiv Advisory Board, Chairwoman. "These tech and information entrepreneurs are removing the guesswork around completing your sentence and navigating a path back to the community." About Aventiv Technologies Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Aventiv Technologies serves more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement, and corrections agencies and over 1.1 million incarcerated individuals across North America. Aventiv is committed to serving and connecting by providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, incarcerated self-service, and monitoring products and services to make our world safer. For more information, please visit Aventiv.com or join us on LinkedIn. Aventiv is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity. Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with a portfolio of approximately 40 operating companies serving customers worldwide. About Hope Media Hope Media is a one-of-a-kind app created by and for individuals with justice-involved backgrounds. The app is designed to provide a unique perspective by delivering content that is educational, enlightening, and entertaining to a population that is otherwise underserved and forgotten. By sharing stories from those who have walked the path, we aim to foster deeper connections and offer encouragement for meaningful progress in the lives of those with access. About Honest Jobs Honest Jobs (www.honestjobs.com) is the nation's leading employment platform for people impacted by the criminal legal system. Founded in 2018, Honest Jobs developed a job board to address the specific needs of job seekers with criminal records, dramatically reducing rejection and the time it takes for job seekers to find employment (up to 8x faster). Honest Jobs' Founder and CEO, Harley Blakeman, was previously incarcerated due to felony convictions, and many of the employees at Honest Jobs are also justice-involved. Since its inception, Honest Jobs has grown to over 80,000 job seekers, 1,400 fair-chance employers, and a network of 20,000+ community-based partners. About R3 Score Technologies, Inc. R3 Score Technologies, Inc. is a Baltimore, Maryland-based Software-as-a-Service company founded in 2018. The company's signature product, the Advanced R3 Score Report, is a more contextualized criminal background check report that offers better insights into talent and consumer segmentation for businesses and governments. R3 Score recently expanded its product portfolio with R3Up - an Android app exclusively available on Aventiv Technologies prison tablets nationwide. To learn more about R3 Score, visit www.R3Score.com. Media Contact: Jade Trombetta [email protected] SOURCE Aventiv Technologies Leading Coffee Franchise Proves to be a Brand to Watch in the QSR Space as Franchise Development and AUV Continue to Rise DENVER, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, a leading coffee franchise renowned for its premium sourcing of Hawaiian coffees and memorable cafes, reports on its mid-year performance noting 19 new franchise signings and a 23% year-over-year increase in systemwide sales (year-to-date June 2023). Momentum builds as Bad Ass Coffee enters the back half of 2023 with more than 14 stores in various stages of development. Multi-unit growth continues to play a significant role in Bad Ass Coffee's franchise expansion strategy. More than 70% of the system is now comprised of multi-unit operators. In addition, new franchisees are seeing immense value in diversifying their portfolios with an emerging coffee shop. Multi-unit growth continues to play a significant role in Bad Ass Coffee's franchise expansion strategy. Tweet this Bad Ass Coffee recently signed a three-unit agreement in Myrtle Beach, another three-unit deal in Fort Worth, a five-unit agreement in San Antonio, and a five-unit agreement in Phoenix, among others. Leadership aims to continue focusing development in the Southeast, Rocky Mountain West, Southwest, California, and Texas, in addition to re-establishing store presence in Hawaii. With rapid expansion underway, the brand has set aggressive expansion plans to open 150 new locations over the next five years, with prime markets available nationwide. "We're focused on clustering new stores regionally with legacy stores and establishing new groupings of stores in prime markets with experienced multi-unit, multi-brand operators. This strategy will continue to guide our future development," said Scott Snyder, CEO of Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii. "With an aggressive push to build a best-in-class national coffee franchise opportunity with modern prototypes, a strong infrastructure, technology & innovation, and a craveable menu, we're poised for remarkable accomplishments this year." Driving Bad Ass Coffee's strong performance has been a refined focus on its retail strategy unlocking immense revenue growth potential. Systemwide sales in merchandise is over 6% of total sales, with the top 1/3 of the system achieving over 11% in total sales*. New this year, Bad Ass Coffee enlisted professional surfers from Maui as brand ambassadors to create new coffee flavors and a limited-run merchandise line. The limited-time-offers proved immensely successful for the brand as it continues to become innovative and find new ways to pay homage to its Hawaiian heritage. In addition to its brand ambassador collaborations, Bad Ass Coffee has long found success in its seasonal LTO launches, including this year's Spring Swell drink line, all-new energy drink Mana, and Summer Beach Bonfire Collection, with more slated for the fall and winter seasons. These products complement a significant five-year menu innovation project currently underway that is set to provide a comprehensive future roadmap for both food & beverage offerings that are on-trend and inspired by Hawaii. According to Bad Ass Coffee's 2023 FDD, the top 50% of stores saw an average net sale of more than $1 million, with the average of the top 25% exceeding $1.2 million*. "We're on a mission to validate Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii's position nationally as the premium coffee franchise brand in the QSR space, while providing unparalleled support to our franchisees as we continue to grow our brand footprint. As we aim to expand and elevate our brand to new heights, our franchisee-first mentality will be instrumental to our long-term success," added Snyder. The success of Bad Ass Coffee has not gone unnoticed. The brand recently ranked on QSR's 2023 40/40 List as one of America's hottest emerging fast casual brands. Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii was born on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1989 with the dream of sharing American-grown, premium Hawaiian coffee with customers everywhere. In addition to premium coffee from the famous Kona region of the Big Island, Bad Ass Coffee also sources from Kauai and Maui. Beyond premium Hawaiian coffees, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii serves up a full menu of popular blended drinks, signature lattes, cold brews, teas, innovative foods with a Hawaiian twist, and branded merchandise. Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is looking to partner with qualified and engaged individuals seeking single and multi-unit opportunities. The brand offers an affordable, highly scalable opportunity with strong profit-potential. Franchisees can expect a total investment range between $454,200 920,500*. As International Franchise Association VetFran members, veteran franchisees who join will receive a $10,000 discount* off the initial franchise fee. For more information on Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii franchise opportunities, visit badasscoffeefranchise.com or call 833-205-2224. *Source: 2023 FDD Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii About Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii was born on the Big Island of Hawai'i in 1989 and is dedicated to sharing premium Hawaiian coffees "with a kick" from the Hawaiian Islands through 30 U.S. franchise locations with additional shops in various stages of development. Today, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii stores also serve popular blended drinks, teas, food, along with other international premium coffees and sell popular branded merchandise with exceptional service and the Aloha Spirit. Bad Ass Coffees are available in franchise stores, online and will soon be available through grocery, hospitality, and specialty retail channels. The Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii brand and franchise is owned by Royal Aloha Franchise Company, LLC. For more information, visit badasscoffee.com and connect on Facebook and Instagram @badasscoffeeofhawaii. Franchise information is available at badasscoffeefranchise.com. SOURCE Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Banco BBVA Argentina S.A. (NYSE; BYMA; MAE: BBAR; LATIBEX: XBBAR) today announced that it will report its Second Quarter 2023 results. Earnings Release Wednesday, August 23, 2023 Time: After market close Conference Call Thursday, August 24, 2023 Time: 12:00 p.m. Buenos Aires time (11:00 a.m. EST) Quiet Period From Wednesday, August 9, through Wednesday, August 23, 2023 Executives Ms. Carmen Morillo Arroyo, Chief Financial Officer Ms. Ines Lanusse, Investor Relations Officer Ms. Belen Fourcade, Investor Relations To participate, please dial in: 1-844-450-3851 (US Toll-Free) 1-412-317-6373 (International) 54-11-3984-5677 (Argentina) Web Phone: click here Conference ID: BBVA Webcast & Replay: click here BBVA Argentina Investor Relations [email protected] ir.bbva.com.ar About BBVA Argentina Banco BBVA Argentina (NYSE, BYMA, MAE: BBAR; LATIBEX: XBBAR) is a subsidiary of the BBVA Group, the principal shareholder since 1996. In Argentina, it is one of the leading private financial institutions since 1886. Nationwide, Banco BBVA Argentina offers retail and corporate banking to a broad customer base, including: individuals, SME's, and large-sized companies. Banco BBVA Argentina's purpose is to bring the age of opportunities to everyone, based on our customers' real needs, providing the best solutions, and helping them make the best financial decisions, through an easy and convenient experience. The institution rests in solid values: "Customer comes first, we think big and we are one team". At the same time, its responsible banking model aspires to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable society. SOURCE Banco BBVA Argentina S.A. "Our Summit will equip the African American community with the valuable information, and resources, needed to advocate for better health outcomes for themselves and for their loved ones," said Roslyn Young Daniels, founder and publisher of Black Health Matters. "Our hope is that everyone will take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to connect with some of the best medical experts and community partners from New York City and around the country." SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS Real talk from prominent experts on topics such as asthma, endometrial cancer, shingles, mental health, prostate cancer, sleep hygiene, and several more. The list of acclaimed hosts presenters, and panelists, includes: Rolonda Watts , Actress, Producer, Award-Winning Journalist and Summit Co-Host; DaShaun Johnson , aka "The Guru of Abs", Fitness Exert and Summit Co-Host; Elijah Westbrook , Emmy-Award Winning Reporter, CBS2News New York and Summit Moderator; Dr. Ashwin Vasan , Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Dr. Wendy Wilcox , Chief Women's Health Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals; Dr. Sheri Prentiss , Shingles Expert; Dr. Onyinye Balogun , Radiation Oncologist, Weill Cornell Medicine; Dr. Olajide Williams , Chief of Staff and Professor of Neurology at Columbia University and founder of Hip Hop Public Health; and Padmore John , Assistant Commissioner of Bureau of Harlem Neighborhood Health, among others. , Actress, Producer, Award-Winning Journalist and Summit Co-Host; , aka "The Guru of Abs", Fitness Exert and Summit Co-Host; , Emmy-Award Winning Reporter, CBS2News and Summit Moderator; , Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; , Chief Women's Health Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals; , Shingles Expert; , Radiation Oncologist, Weill Cornell Medicine; , Chief of Staff and Professor of Neurology at and founder of Hip Hop Public Health; and , Assistant Commissioner of Bureau of Harlem Neighborhood Health, among others. Free on-site health screenings and training will be offered including mammograms screenings (must pre-register), PSA testing, opioid NARCAN training, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), CPR training, colon cancer testing kits and more. The Black Health Matters Harlem Week Summit & Expo is sponsored by Amgen, AstraZeneca, Eisai, Genentech, GSK, and Janssen Oncology. The Positive Community publication is the Summit's media partner. ABOUT BLACK HEALTH MATTERS Founded in 2012, Black Health Matters' mission is to continue to be the leading evidence-based, chronic disease management and wellness resource for African Americans. We exist to radically redefine health and wellness for Black Americans by empowering them to demand the best in healthcare utilizing our multi-platform approach. Our reach extends to over one million African Americans interested in health monthly across our ecosystem that includes digital, social, and experiential. We create a culture of health where Black Americans can achieve their best quality of life possible and work with the top pharmaceutical companies across the country. SOURCE Black Health Matters LUMBERTON, N.J. and TORONTO, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BLANCO, the premium kitchen solutions brand backed by industry-leading German engineering and known for the BLANCO UNIT a customizable combination of BLANCO sink, faucet and accessories unveils the new CATRIS Flexo Filter faucet. Expanding its faucet portfolio, BLANCO North America's first filter-ready faucet offers convenient access to filtered water right at the kitchen water place for drinking, prepping food, filling pots to cook and more. BLANCOs new CATRIS Flexo Filter Faucet Designed to optimize workflow at the BLANCO UNIT, the new two-in-one faucet features both filtered and non-filtered water delivery on demand and seamlessly connects to all common water filtration systems. The semi-professional faucet has an insulated pull-down dual spray with a magnetic docking arm that delivers filtered water through a discrete waterspout. Intuitive design integrates two handles a single lever for tap water located on the right side and a separate dial on the left to easily access cold filtered water. "With our new filter-ready faucet, BLANCO continues to broaden its span of water place solutions for residential kitchens," notes Lars Christensen, BLANCO North America's Vice President of Strategic Portfolio Development & Market Intelligence. "The CATRIS Flexo Filter faucet will streamline access to fresh filtered water for easy convenience, while decluttering the sink deck of beverage faucets for a simplified design." The CATRIS Flexo Filter faucet has a height of 18" allowing for potential installation below upper cabinets. The CATRIS boasts a 1.5 GPM flow rate for tap water and a 0.7 GPM flow rate for filtered water. With its beautiful combination of functional elements and modern industrial flair, this sleek faucet will be available in Matte Black, Chrome and PDV steel finishes in September 2023. To build your own Filter Ready BLANCO UNIT, pair the CATRIS Flexo Filter faucet with a BLANCO sink and accessories. About BLANCO With BLANCO, kitchen chores are transformed to be sources of joyful moments. BLANCO is the premium brand for the well-thought-out kitchen water hub in residential homes. At its core, the BLANCO UNIT is based on three founding pillars: "Drink, Prep, Clean" and is characterized by a wide array of seamless combinations of sinks, high-end faucets, water optimization solutions, complementary accessories and organization systems. This range of product and the design, color and material options, make it easy for every kitchen lover to find their perfectly customized UNIT at BLANCO. Founded over 95 years ago, the company is now an internationally recognized premium brand for the kitchen water hub. With subsidiaries in Europe, North America and APAC, plus its trading partners, BLANCO has a presence in about 100 countries all over the world and offers its customers a portfolio that is perfectly tailored to consumer needs. The company headquarters and key production sites in support of North American demand are in Southwest Germany and Canada. Established in 1925 by Heinrich Blanc, BLANCO is part of BLANC & FISCHER Family Holding. BLANCO America and BLANCO Canada have proudly served the North American market for over 30 years. BLANCO.com Connect with us on social: BLANCO America Instagram | BLANCO America Facebook | BLANCO America LinkedIn BLANCO Canada Instagram | BLANCO Canada Facebook | BLANCO Canada LinkedIn SOURCE BLANCO The first edition in a multi-part series, Coleccion Visionaria Edicion 01, Cacao, is crafted using a first in class Aromatic Cask Toasting technique developed by Maestra Ronera Jassil Villanueva Quintana MIAMI, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Born from the passion of five generations of Maestros Roneros and more than 135 years of rum mastery, Dominican ultra-premium rum brand, Brugal, today unveils the first edition of a limited-edition sipping rum collection, Coleccion Visionaria. Crafted using the world's first Aromatic Cask Toasting technique, Coleccion Visionaria was developed by Brugal family member and fifth generation Maestra Ronera, Jassil Villanueva Quintana. Coleccion Visionaria Edicion 01, Cacao Brugal rums are 100% Dominican, and this collection is no exception. The Maestros carefully selected the finest natural ingredients from their beloved homeland, the Dominican Republic to craft the most authentic ultra-premium sipping rum. For this first edition of Coleccion Visionaria, Brugal hand-selected one of the island's most cherished treasures, cacao beans, and infused the toasted casks with their distinct nutty, velvety and fruity aromas. At $100 USD per bottle, only four batches of the rare expression rum will be distilled and sold worldwide. Known for its exploratory and pioneering spirit, Brugal set upon a new wonderous journey with Coleccion Visionaria, inviting us to experience a new vision a collection of rums entirely inspired by their homeland. Coleccion Visionaria 01, Cacao, is reminiscent of Villanueva Quintana's upbringing and heritage. "One of my most cherished childhood memories is walking amongst the cacao trees surrounding my family home. I remember the lush and green cacao fields, the bittersweet scent of the cacao pods, and the rich aromas of roasted beans," says Jassil Villanueva Quintana. "It's this memory I wanted to recreate with the first edition of Coleccion Visionaria." The collection, expertly crafted by the fifth generation of family maestros, embodies Brugal's visionary spirit and over 135 years of wood and cask expertise. Each generation of Brugal family Maestros has played an essential role in carrying out the brand's legacy and passion for rum-making. Just like her predecessors, Villanueva Quintana has dedicated herself to creating truly exceptional rums, uncovering a new wave of rum making with Brugal's innovative cask toasting technique used to craft Coleccion Visionaria. Completely unique to Brugal, the toasting process begins with the selection of the finest virgin European oak casks. Each cask is thoughtfully toasted with hand-picked Dominican cacao beans infusing them with its organic, aromatic notes. The cacao beans are then removed before the rum is added into the toasted casks, saturating the liquid with the aromas created by the toasting process before they are aged to perfection under the Dominican sun. This new technique adds a layer of depth and complexity to the liquid without the cacao beans ever touching the rum directly. The result is a rich, elegant, and well-rounded sipping rum, without any added sugars or additives. Coleccion Visionaria Edicion 01, Cacao is a deep, radiant amber liquid that on the nose boasts a decadent, sultry culmination of rich aromas of hot chocolate, toasted oak, spices, and citrus perfectly balanced by soft and gentle notes of vanilla. On the palate, tastes of vanilla surface with subtle hints of caramel, giving way to the richness of dark chocolate and dried fruits with a touch of toasted nuts. A smooth, long-lasting finish of toasted oak notes linger long after the rich sweetness of the liquid disappears. Edicion 01, Cacao is best enjoyed sipped slowly, neat or over ice. Each batch of the exclusive bottling is a true collector's piece, handcrafted with care and presented in beautiful bottles wrapped in navy blue netting, an elevated version of Brugal's iconic protective netting. Carefully sealed by hand and personally signed by Jassil Villanueva Quintana herself, each bottle also displays the batch number on the label. Coleccion Visionaria Edicion 01, Cacao is the first limited-edition releases across the Coleccion Visionaria collection and will be available at select retailers across the US. For more information on Brugal, the home of rum mastery in the Dominican Republic, please visit: www.brugal-rum.com . COLECCION VISIONARIA EDICION 01, CACAO QUICK FACTS: $100 USD per bottle per bottle Only four batches will be distilled and sold worldwide 45% ABV Expertly crafted using a new, proprietary aromatic cask toasting technique Appearance : Deep, radiant amber in color : Deep, radiant amber in color Aroma : Rich aromas of hot chocolate, toasted oak, spices, and citrus balanced by subtle notes of vanilla : Rich aromas of hot chocolate, toasted oak, spices, and citrus balanced by subtle notes of vanilla Palate : Tastes of vanilla surfaces with subtle hints of caramel, giving way to the richness of dark chocolate and dried fruits with a touch of toasted nuts : Tastes of vanilla surfaces with subtle hints of caramel, giving way to the richness of dark chocolate and dried fruits with a touch of toasted nuts Finish: A smooth mouthfeel and long finish with toasted oak notes lingering long after the sweetness is gone ABOUT BRUGAL: Home to 135 years of rum mastery, Brugal is an award-winning premium rum producer from the Dominican Republic. An esteemed portfolio of high-quality, top shelf aged rums tells the story of five generations of liquid mastery that began in 1888 by legendary founder Don Andres Brugal. After traveling from Spain and Cuba to the Dominican Republic, Don Andres and his family settled in Puerto Plata and began distilling a uniquely light and pure spirit, harnessing the warm, tropical sun to imbue their spirit with complexity and flavor to create elegant, aromatic and smooth Dominican rum. Since its foundation, Brugal's cherished traditions and production expertise has been passed down through five generations of Maestros Roneros, each continuing to innovate. This mindset ensures that each expression remains of the highest quality, yet relevant through the decades. Over 130 years later, the legacy of Brugal continues to bring out the very best in our rum as demonstrated by outstanding growth in its home market of the Dominican Republic, and in Spain, its leading international market. International growth for Brugal's ultra-premium expression, Brugal 1888, has accelerated as more consumers discover and shared the wonders of our double-aged Dominican rum. To learn more, please visit https://www.brugal-rum.com/en-us. ABOUT EDRINGTON: Edrington's vision is to give more by crafting exceptional ultra-premium spirit brands. Edrington owns some of the leading Scotch whisky and rum brands in the world, including The Macallan, Brugal Rum, Highland Park, The Glenrothes, The Famous Grouse, Naked Malt and Noble Oak bourbon. Edrington also has strategic partnerships with No.3 London Dry Gin and Wyoming Whiskey in the American Whiskey category. Edrington is headquartered in Scotland and employs over 3,500 people in its wholly owned and joint venture companies, with over 70% employed overseas. We own our route to market in 16 countries and distribute our brands to more than 100 countries around the world through joint ventures and third-party agreements. Edrington's principal shareholder is The Robertson Trust, which has donated over 320 million to charitable causes in Scotland since 1961. Our business is underpinned by the Edrington values of giving, respect, integrity and excellence. MEDIA CONTACT: For US inquiries contact [email protected] SOURCE Brugal VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - BZAM Ltd. (the "Company" or "BZAM") (CSE: BZAM) (US-OTC: BZAMF), a leading Canadian producer of premium cannabis, is pleased to announce that it has completed the sale (the "Transaction") of the majority of its assets in both its Midway properties in B.C, including all associated lands, support buildings, related equipment and on-site biomass, as applicable. In accordance with two purchase and sale agreements between the Company and arms-length parties dated August 1 and 4, 2023, total gross proceeds received from the Transaction were $3,228,000 with 50% of the total net proceeds from the Transaction, after commission and costs, being applied against the Company's term portion of its credit facility. About BZAM Ltd. BZAM Ltd. (CSE: BZAM) (USOTC: BZAMF) is a leading Canadian cannabis producer with a focus on branded consumer goods, innovation, quality, consistency, integrity and transparency. The BZAM family includes core brands BZAM, TGOD, ness, Highly Dutch Organic, TABLE TOP, and partner brands Dunn Cannabis, FRESH and Wyld. BZAM operates facilities in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, as well as retail stores in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Regina, Saskatchewan. BZAM's common shares and certain warrants issued under the indentures dated June 12, 2020, October 23, 2020 and December 10, 2020 currently trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") under the symbol "BZAM", "BZAM.WR", "BZAM.WA", and "BZAM.WB" respectively. BZAM's Shares trade in the U.S. on the OTCQX under the symbol "BZAMF". For more information on BZAM Ltd., please visit www.bzam.com . Cautionary Statements This news release includes statements containing certain "forwardlooking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law ("forwardlooking statements"). Forward looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, statements about the level and availability of working capital, the financial health of the Company, the execution of operating plans, and the existence of potential growth opportunities. Forwardlooking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "should", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forwardlooking statements throughout this news release, such as assumptions that the Company's financial trajectory will continue, the Company not having any issues with regulators, cultivation patterns at the Company's facilities continuing and there not being significant disruptions in cultivation such as disease or shortages in resources, the Company being insulated from supply chain issues and inflation affecting the global economy, the Company being able to access the capital markets and existing lenders for necessary funding, when necessary, demand for the Company's products continuing as expected and based on past trends. Forwardlooking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties (including market conditions) and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forwardlooking statements, including those risk factors described in Management's Discussion and Analysis and the Company's most recent Annual Information Form filed with Canadian securities regulators and available on the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information or forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law. Neither the CSE nor the CSE's Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of CSE) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE BZAM LTD. SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council (CRMSDC) announces its selection as a grant recipient in the highly competitive Capital Readiness Program (CRP) awards. Vice President Kamala Harris revealed the 43 winners out of 1,000 submissions for the $125 million American Rescue Plan-funded CRP on Friday, August 4. The Capital Readiness Program (CRP), a groundbreaking initiative under the American Rescue Plan, is dedicated to empowering small businesses through targeted support, resources, and training. It aims to foster entrepreneurship, create jobs, and enhance economic resilience in high-growth industries. Administered by the US Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency, the CRP is a landmark initiative in the agency's 50-year history, fundamentally transforming the landscape of small business support and empowerment. Representing the largest direct Federal investment in small business incubators and accelerators sets the stage for profound and lasting growth. Sharon R. Pinder, President, and CEO of CRMSDC, expressed gratitude for the grant award, affirming, "The CRMSDC Ingenuity Consortium (CIC) will operate as an ecosystem of incubators and accelerators, fostering capacity building, technical assistance, and access to capital programming for Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Individuals (SEDI) across the DMV region." Pinder also announced that Sonya Bigelow-Smith has been named the Director for the CIC. Our strategic partnerships enable us to provide training and education, empowering financially savvy, procurement-ready, and competitively viable SEDI companies. They include the region's HBCUs, MSIs, chambers, capital access partners, banks, CDFIs, SSBCI funders, incubators, and accelerators. Stanley Tucker, President, and CEO of Meridian Management Capital Group emphasized the importance of the partnership: "We understand the ongoing challenges faced by business owners in accessing affordable financial assistance. Serving as a strategic partner of CRMSDC's CIC to equip our socially and economically disadvantaged businesses with the education and tools they need is of utmost importance to us." Mary Kane, President, and CEO of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, shared similar sentiments: "We are excited to partner with CRMSDC on the Capital Readiness Grant. Equipping our small businesses with the necessary resources and support is central to their ability to thrive, create jobs, and impact local communities." About the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council (CRMSDC) www.crmsdc.org CRMSDC is recognized as one of the Largest Business Advocacy Groups in the Greater Washington, DC, region by the Washington Business Journal. CRMSDC plays a vital role in promoting and advancing minority-owned businesses in the capital region. With a strong emphasis on empowerment and economic growth, CRMSDC drives diversity and inclusivity within the business community. CRMSDC also operates the Virginia Minority Business Development Center www.mbda-virginia.com. Located at the Mason Enterprise Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Tommy Marks, VP and COO of CRMSDC and Director of the Business Center, leads the center helping MBEs gain greater access to contracts, markets, and capital. For media inquiries or further information, please contact: Carolyn Mosby Cole Brown Strategies 363531@email4pr.com 317.918.2335 SOURCE The Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council Multilateral, close and continuous cooperation in defence between Georgia and the United States was discussed on Wednesday in a farewell meeting between the Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze and the outgoing United States Ambassador Kelly Degnan, Azernews reports, citing Agenda. Burchuladze thanked Degnan for the fruitful cooperation and emphasised her important role and efforts in defence cooperation between the two countries, the Georgian Ministry of Defence said. The meeting focused on joint projects implemented with the involvement and support of American partners of the Ministry, and reviewed issues of bilateral cooperation. The officials also discussed the visit of the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin to Georgia in 2021 and the initiative to strengthen the defence and deterrence of Georgia, signed between the defence bodies of the two countries. They also discussed bilateral and multinational military exercises and training. DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, August 9. The ban on cement exports from Tajikistan was imposed due to a "small misunderstanding, the Head of the Export Agency of Tajikistan Bahriddin Sirodzhiddinzoda said at a press conference, Trend reports. The details of this "misunderstanding" were not clarified, but he stressed that the problem arose because of the prices of cement exported to Uzbekistan, which caused a conflict between government agencies. He added that the problem has been resolved, and at the moment the ban on cement exports has been lifted. In addition, the Minister of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan, Sherali Kabir, said that the ban on cement exports was valid for only five days and was due to a lack of high-quality cement for the construction of some important economic facilities. According to the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan, about 2.1 million tons of cement were produced in the country in the first half of this year, which is four percent more than in the same period of 2022. In general, Uzbekistan imported 538,000 tons of cement from Tajikistan during this time and 193,700 tons were imported by Afghanistan. Revenue from cement exports to Afghanistan amounted to $19.9 million. SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Carl's Jr. restaurants is thrilled to announce an exciting back-to-school promotion aimed at supporting local families and helping to ensure children start the academic year on the right foot. As part of this initiative, Carl's Jr. will be giving away 4,500 free backpacks in total to children visiting restaurants in Utah and Idaho Falls, Idaho, on August 19, 2023. Carls Jr. is giving away 4,500 free backpacks to children visiting restaurants in Utah and Idaho Falls, Idaho, on August 19, 2023. Understanding the importance of education and the impact it has on a child's future, Carl's Jr. is committed to giving back to the community by providing backpacks to alleviate some of the stress that comes along with starting a new school year. Families are encouraged to go to your local restaurant and take advantage of this awesome deal! Participating restaurants will be giving backpacks to school age children 18 years and younger from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on August 19, or while supplies last. "At Carl's Jr. we believe in supporting our community and guests. We hope to help families facing financial burdens at the start of the new school year," said Ahmad Moalej, Carl's Jr. franchisee. "This is just a small way to say thank you to our neighbors for their continued support of our business. We want to make sure that every child has the necessary tools to succeed academically and feel confident as they begin the new year." To participate in this promotion, families are encouraged to visit the participating Carl's Jr. restaurants and enjoy a delicious meal. Each child will receive a backpack, while supplies last, with no purchase necessary. The restaurants' friendly staff will be on hand to provide backpacks while making dining experiences memorable. Carl's Jr. invites the local community to join them in this back-to-school celebration and take advantage of this offer at non-truck stop, or gas station locations in Utah and Idaho Falls, Idaho. For more information about the back-to-school promotion please visit your local restaurant. About Carl's Jr. Carl's Jr. has been committed to serving big, bold, impossible to ignore flavors inspired by its California roots. Guests have enjoyed over-the-top, juicy charbroiled burger favorites, hand-breaded chicken tenders and sandwiches and redefined breakfasts for more than 80 years. With more than 1,000 locations across the U.S. and a presence in 28 countries worldwide, guests count on Carl's Jr. for memorable, boundary-pushing meals. For more information about Carl's Jr., please visit carlsjr.com. About Snow Star LP Snow Star LP, a privately held company based in Salt Lake City, UT, runs and operates Carl's Jr. a beloved brand, known for one-of-a-kind premium and innovative menu items such as 100% Black Angus Thickburgers and Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders. With both a U.S. and international footprint, Snow Star LP, have 44 franchised restaurants in two states. For more information about Carl's Jr., please visit www.carlsjr.com SOURCE Carls Jr. CHICAGO, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Increased security precautions, evolving certificate types (IoT, quantum-resistant), integration with automation and DevOps, potential blockchain-based identity solutions, adapting to shifting regulations, and improving user experience are likely to be key components of the Certificate Authority (CA) market's future. Other significant variables influencing the CA landscape include collaborations, artificial intelligence, global expansion, and environmental concerns. The global Certificate Authority Market size is projected to grow from USD 167 million in 2023 to USD 282 million by 2028 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.0% during the forecast period, according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. Rise in instances of HTTPS phishing attacks drives the growth of the Certificate Authority Market. Moreover, lack of awareness among organizations about the importance of SSL certificates may hinder market growth. Browse in-depth TOC on "Certificate Authority Market" 367 - Tables 37 - Figures 273 - Pages Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=77821481 Scope of the Report Report Metrics Details Market size available for years 2017-2028 Base year considered 2022 Forecast period 20232028 Forecast units Value (USD Million) Segments Covered offering, SSL certification validation type, organization size, verticals, and regions Geographies covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America Companies covered Major vendors in the global Certificate Authority Market include Sectigo (US), Digicert (US), GlobalSign (Belgium), GoDaddy (US), IdenTrust (US), Entrust (US), Certum (Poland), Actalis (Italy), Lets Encrypt (US), SSL.Com (US), E-Tugra (Turkey), WISekey (Switzerland), Trustwave (US), SwissSign (Switzerland), TWCA (China), Buypass (Norway), Camerfirma (Spain) and many more. Based on offerings, the services segment is expected to grow at higher CAGR during the forecasted period. Certificate authority services are the support offered by vendors to assist their customers with the efficient use and operation of certificates. These services include support services, implementation and integration services, and managed PKI services. Moreover, these services offer guidelines on the use of certificates and help embed best practices in organizations. Services associated with certificate authorities contribute to enhanced user experience by providing secure and seamless digital interactions. SSL/TLS certificates, for example, display padlock icons or green address bars in web browsers, indicating a secure connection, which instills trust in users and encourages them to engage with online services. Technological advancements, such as quantum computing and blockchain, present new challenges and opportunities in the field of digital security. Certificate authorities are evolving their services to address these emerging technologies, including developing quantum-resistant encryption algorithms and providing blockchain-based certificate management solutions. Request Sample Pages @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=77821481 By SSL certificate validation type, the domain validation segment to hold a larger market size during the forecast period Domain validation offers organizations an economical, quick, and easy-to-implement option for securing their websites. Domain validated, and fully automated validation type enables users to start protecting their eCommerce, logins, webmail, blog visitors, and more within a few minutes. It is one of the fastest and most affordable ways to activate SSL protection for the website. Various industry standards and best practices, such as those set by the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), require the use of SSL/TLS certificates for secure data transmission. In such cases domain validation certificates help organizations meet these compliance requirements in a cost-effective manner. By region, Asia Pacific is to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing region in the Certificate Authority Market, with promising growth opportunities in China, Japan, India, and other developing countries. The large enterprises and SMEs in the region realize the significance of data security and are receptive to adopting dedicated certificate authority solutions to protect their critical and sensitive business data from commercial espionage, cyber threats, and misuse of data for monetary gains. Enhancements in the industries which handle critical data like government, BFSI and healthcare infrastructure have increased the demand for certificate authority solutions in this region. Due to the rise in internet users and the frequency of cyberattacks, several Asia Pacific nations are putting on large public awareness campaigns and programs on cybersecurity. Due to their capacity to increase online security, these initiatives are driving the need for identity certificates or digital signatures. As a result, the market for certificate authorities in the Asia Pacific region is expanding. Top Key Companies in Certificate Authority Market: Sectigo (US), Digicert (US), GlobalSign (Belgium), GoDaddy (US), IdenTrust (US), Entrust (US), Certum (Poland), Actalis (Italy), Lets Encrypt (US), SSL.Com (US), E-Tugra (Turkey), WISekey (Switzerland), Trustwave (US), SwissSign (Switzerland), TWCA (China), Buypass (Norway), Camerfirma (Spain), Harica Greece), Certigna (France), NETLOCK (Hungary), TURKTRUST (Turkey), certSIGN (Romania), Disig (Slovakia), Network Solutions (US), OneSpan (US) are the key players and other players in the Certificate Authority Market. Recent Developments In January 2023 , DigiCert launched Trust Lifecycle Manager. The solution unifies CA-agnostic certificate management, private PKI services, and public trust issuance for seamless digital trust infrastructure. , DigiCert launched Trust Lifecycle Manager. The solution unifies CA-agnostic certificate management, private PKI services, and public trust issuance for seamless digital trust infrastructure. In March 2023 , GlobalSign announced the successful establishment of a technology partnership with essendi it. The partnership will integrate essendi xc with GlobalSign's certificate platform, Atlas. , GlobalSign announced the successful establishment of a technology partnership with essendi it. The partnership will integrate essendi xc with GlobalSign's certificate platform, Atlas. In May 2022 , IdenTrust issued new Subordinate CA (SubCA), "IGC Device CA 2" to remain compliant with all Federal Public Key Infrastructure Policy Authority (FPKIPA) requirements. It will replace the current "IGC Device CA 1" SubCA. , IdenTrust issued new Subordinate CA (SubCA), "IGC Device CA 2" to remain compliant with all Federal Public Key Infrastructure Policy Authority (FPKIPA) requirements. It will replace the current "IGC Device CA 1" SubCA. In February 2022 , Sectigo announced accessibility updates to its flagship product Sectigo Certificate Manager (SCM) that meet global compliance guidelines. SCM's new artificial intelligence automatic accessibility solution through Equal Web improves the user experience. , Sectigo announced accessibility updates to its flagship product Sectigo Certificate Manager (SCM) that meet global compliance guidelines. SCM's new artificial intelligence automatic accessibility solution through Equal Web improves the user experience. In November 2021 , Sectigo partnered with Infinite Rangers. Infinite Ranges is one of the leading experts in public key infrastructure (PKI), encryption, and identity and access management. It offers DevSecOps consulting services. Infinite Ranges provided Sectigo professional services in the United States through this collaboration. Inquiry Before Buying @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=77821481 Certificate Authority Market Advantages: A dependable and centralised source for confirming the legitimacy of digital entities is provided by CAs. CAs assist in preventing numerous security concerns, including man-in-the-middle attacks, phishing, and data breaches by providing certificates and authenticating the identities of websites and servers. Data exchanged between users and servers can be encrypted thanks to digital certificates issued by CAs. By ensuring that sensitive data is kept private and secure while in transit, this encryption shields users against data interception and eavesdropping. By confirming the legitimacy of organisations' and entities' identities, CAs build trust in the online world. Users can be sure that a website is authentic and reliable when they see a valid SSL/TLS certificate. For e-commerce websites and online platforms, the availability of genuine certificates from reputable CAs is essential. Customers' confidence in completing online purchases and transactions is increased by these certifications, which reassure them that their financial and personal information is being delivered safely. Regulatory requirements dictate the usage of SSL/TLS certificates and secure communications across a wide range of enterprises and sectors. Organisations can avoid fines and legal problems by adhering to these compliance standards with the aid of CAs. Search engines and major web browsers accept certificates from well-known CAs. Your website will be accessible and visible to a larger audience without issues or security alerts if it has a certificate from a trustworthy CA. Users may tell that your company appreciates their security and privacy by seeing a legitimate SSL/TLS certificate displayed. This can boost the reputation of your company and increase client loyalty. A single certificate can be used to secure several subdomains or domains thanks to CA solutions like multi-domain and wildcard certificates. This lowers costs and streamlines credential management. Report Objectives To define, describe, and forecast the Certificate Authority Market, by offering (certificate types and services), SSL certificate validation types, organization size, industry vertical, and region. To provide detailed information about the major factors (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges) influencing the market's growth. To analyze opportunities in the market and provide the competitive landscape of the market. To forecast the market size of segments with respect to five main regions: North America , Europe , Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America . , , (APAC), and (MEA), and . To profile key players and comprehensively analyze their market rankings and core competencies. To analyze competitive developments, such as mergers & acquisitions, product enhancements, and research and development (R&D) activities, in the market. To analyze the impact of recession on the growth of the market Browse Adjacent Market: Information Security Market Research Reports & Consulting Browse Other Reports: Cyber Insurance Market - Global Forecast to 2028 Blockchain Identity Management Market - Global Forecast to 2028 Digital Evidence Management Market - Global Forecast to 2028 SASE Market - Global Forecast to 2028 Decentralized Identity Market - Global Forecast to 2027 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients. The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. 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Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/certificate-authority-market.asp Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/certificate-authority.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg SOURCE MarketsandMarkets YORBA LINDA, Calif., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chipoys and Chef Sam have come together in a dynamic JOINT VENTURE to introduce the brand across Europe. Born in Barcelona in 2016, Chef Sam's brand accelerator continues its mission to elevate INSURGENT BRANDS that are already thriving in their home markets. Originally from Tijuana, Mexico, Chipoys crafts its products with a bold vision and has already captivated consumers across the United States, Mexico and Australia. Focused on rolled tortilla corn-based snacks, Chipoys delivers an authentic taste of Mexico with a playful and adventurous twist. The result? A one-of-a- kind, intense, spicy and delightfully crunchy snack experience that's the essence of Chipoys. With an impressive revenue exceeding USD 10 million in 2023 and boasting triple-digit growth, Chipoys has positioned itself as the challenger brand in the rapidly expanding snack category. Mike Berro, CEO of Chipoys, shared his enthusiasm, stating, "We are thrilled to expand our presence in Europe hand in hand with Chef Sam. Beyond our current footprint in the UK and Germany, where the brand has already made an impact, we aspire to reach over 10 additional countries. Chef Sam's expertise will be key in establishing our brand's foothold." Jose Cano, CEO of Chef Sam, expressed his excitement as well, saying: "We are delighted to bring this highly successful and promising brand, Chipoys, across the Atlantic. Mike and his team have crafted a snack that is truly unique and delicious, and we aim to make it available in over 10,000 points of sale within the next 12 months." Chipoys precisely aligns with the desires of modern consumers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, who crave excitement, connection and fresh experiences. Embracing their love for video games and technology, Chipoys caters to a generation constantly seeking new flavors and sensations. Presented in convenient 113-gram packages for both Retail and HORECA, Chipoys offers four tantalizing flavors: Fire Red Hot, delivering an extra kick of spicy red chili. Chile & Lime, a delightful fusion of two classic tastes. & Lime, a delightful fusion of two classic tastes. Original, expertly seasoned with the perfect balance of salt and lime. Spicy Ranch, featuring sour cream, garlic, and onion for a savory punch. To find out more, visit www.chef-sam.com or reach out to [email protected]. About Chipoys Chipoys is more than just a chip, it's a lifestyle! Our mission is to create an authentic rolled tortilla chip packed with bold flavors and fun in every bite. We are dedicated to preserving traditional Mexican flavors, while constantly evolving to bring you new and exciting tastes! See more about Chipoys including all of its flavors at www.chipoys.com/ . Follow us @eatchipoys. Media contact: Matt Kovacs [email protected] 1-310-395-505 SOURCE Chipoys Salutes Patients Driving Bipartisan Living Donor Protection Act Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Tom Cotton Lead Senate Effort WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), the nation's oldest and largest independent kidney patient organization, hosted its 6th Annual Public Policy Summit entitled "Issues and Implications: What Kidney Patients Need to Know" on July 28, 2023. Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), co-sponsor of the bipartisan Living Donor Protection Act (H.R 2923 / S.1384), headlined the event as an honored special guest. Congressman Nadler discussed the origin and intent of the legislation with AAKP President Edward V. Hickey, III, USMC (WATCH DISCUSSION HERE). AAKP is a leading advocate for greater patient consumer care choice, patient-centered care and treatments such as kidney transplantation - that best empower patients to fulfill their aspirations, including ongoing full-time or part-time work in their chosen trade or profession. The bipartisan legislation is aimed at preventing job and insurance discrimination against living donors solely because of their courageous decision to donate an organ to save a life. For over two decades, insurance discrimination against living organ donors has been consistently cited as a major barrier to the nation's efforts to increase living organ donation. The legislation was introduced in the Congress on April 27th by Congressman Nadler, Congressman Troy Balderson (R-OH), Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA), Congressman John Curtis (R-UT), Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO), Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Congressman Gregory F. Murphy, M.D. (R-NC), along with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR). Kidney disease and kidney failure are both healthcare and workforce issues. Over 37 million people suffer from kidney disease, over 700,00 live with kidney failure, nearly 100,000 are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. For people with kidney failure, transplantation is considered the preferred therapy over dialysis, which is a vastly more burdensome and costly treatment in terms of life and resources, for both patients and taxpayers. Dialysis, especially status quo in-center hemodialysis care, is characterized by high mortality and extremely high rates of disability, dependency, and unemployment. The United States spends over $130 billion a year on kidney disease, not counting the costs of disability and unemployment caused by outdated dialysis treatments. The Medicare End Stage Renal Disease Program (ESRD) was originally established in 1973 as a bridge to transplantation. AAKP launched an unprecedented national grassroots and social media campaign to inform, mobilize, and activate all sectors of the kidney and healthcare community, as well as major national employers, in support of the Living Donor Protection Act. The campaign has already resulted in thousands of engagements with elected leaders of Congress, through letters, calls, texts, and social media posts. Online efforts included a "Voices of Transplantation" video series featuring kidney patients, living donors, and care partners sharing how a living organ donation changed their life. Click here to watch the video series and then visit the AAKP Action Center to send a letter to your Congressional representatives asking them to support this legislation. Commenting on the groundswell of living donor and kidney patients who are working to support the passage of the legislation, Congressman Nadler stated, "I'm grateful to the dedicated advocates with AAKP for their work to support donors. Together, we will pass the Living Donor Protection Act a bipartisan bill that will save lives by lowering barriers to living organ donation. The bill would prevent insurance companies from discriminating against living organ donors, allow organ donors to access FMLA time to recover from surgeries, and direct HHS to update their materials on live organ donation. Your advocacy is so important in this work. I am proud to lead the Living Donor Protection Act, and I am thankful for your support." AAKP President Ed Hickey stated, "We are grateful to Congressman Nadler for his unwavering focus on a bipartisan solution to fix a substantial barrier to the nation's efforts to increase living organ donation. No person should be discriminated against in their job or insurance coverage solely for stepping up to save another life, and no patient on the organ waiting list should have their life expectancy further jeopardized by such short-sightedness. AAKP has deep respect and admiration for the courage demonstrated by Congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle with their support of the Living Donor Protection Act. Our hope is that a majority of the Congress will follow their lead and pass this law in 2023 to save more lives and the livelihoods of people in tremendous need." Hickey is a kidney patient and attorney with experience as a senior staff member on Capitol Hill and appointed service under two presidents. He is also Chair of AAKP's Veteran's Health Initiative and is involved with veteran service organizations aiding homeless veterans and advancing protections for their earned legal rights and benefits. The legislation is also supported by a rapidly growing number of Congressional leaders as well as a highly diverse and expanding alliance of national stakeholders including AAKP, the American Council of Life Insurance (ACLI), the National Council of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL), the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS), the American Society of Transplantation (AST), the American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), The Organization for Donation and Transplant Professionals - NATCO, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the Renal Physicians Association (RPA), the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation (PKDF), and many other organizations working in alliance with kidney patients and organ donors. In 2019, AAKP launched the first and largest national voter registration effort, entitled KidneyVoter, to engage the over 37 million people impacted by kidney diseases and their families in the policy process. AAKP believes patients and their families must hold their elected leaders accountable for their efforts to address policy issues related to transplantation and other treatment innovations as well as the unaddressed consequences of status quo care, including disability and unemployment. AAKP will engage over 500,00 KidneyVoters in 2024. This year's Policy Summit was held virtually and brought together a network of policy leaders, healthcare experts, and patient advocates to discuss current and emerging issues that impact kidney patient consumers and how kidney advocates, and our collective voices, play an instrumental role in shaping policies that impact care choice and care access. Key elements of AAKP's National Kidney Patient Consumer Policy Agenda, as outlined during the organization's 2022 Policy Summit, were highlights of the day. The appearance by Congressman Nadler was followed by a panel discussion among AAKP's President Hickey and Ms. Anita Sites, MSN, RN, AG-ACNP-BC, CCTC, Member of the Board of Directors and Councilor-at-Large for NATCO - The Organization for Donation and Transplant Professionals who also serves as an Advanced Practice Provider-Transplant Surgery and Lead Living Donor Transplant Coordinator at University of Virginia Transplant Department and Ms. Suzanne Ruff, a living kidney donor who serves as AAKP Treasure, Ambassador, and the renowned author of award-winning book The Reluctant Donor. (WATCH PANEL HERE) AAKP's 2023 Policy Summit sponsors were: Gold Level, Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi; Silver Level, Akebia Therapeutics and AstraZeneca; and Bronze Level, Veloxis Therapeutics. All 2023 Policy Summit presentations will be available OnDemand through the AAKP website and AAKP YouTube Channel and will continue to reach additional viewers across the U.S. to increase the AAKP reach exponentially of this year's Policy Summit content. About the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP): Since 1969, AAKP has been a patient-led organization driving policy discussions on kidney patient care choice and medical innovation. In 2018, AAKP established the first and largest U.S. kidney voter registration program, KidneyVoters. Over the past decade, AAKP patient advocates have helped advance lifetime transplant drug coverage for kidney transplant recipients (2020); the presidential Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health (2019) and Congressional legislation allowing HIV-positive organ transplants for HIV-positive patients (2013). Follow AAKP on social media at @kidneypatient on Facebook, @kidneypatients on Twitter, and @kidneypatients on Instagram, and visit www.aakp.org for more information. MEDIA CONTACT: Diana Clynes Executive Director [email protected] (813) 400-2391 SOURCE American Association of Kidney Patients TORONTO and GATINEAU, QC, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Converge Technology Solutions Corp. ("Converge" or "the Company") (TSX: CTS) (FSE: 0ZB) (OTCQX: CTSDF) is pleased to provide its financial results for the three and six months period ended June 30, 2023 ("Q2-23"). All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. Financial Summary In $000s except per share amounts Q2 2023 Q2 2022 H1 2023 H1 2022 Gross Sales1 957,219 729,678 1,922,477 1,403,607 Revenue 665,813 515,196 1,344,011 1,009,236 Gross profit (GP) 175,672 133,152 347,260 242,196 Gross profit (GP) % 26.4 % 25.8 % 25.8 % 24.0 % Adjusted EBITDA1 41,527 39,187 82,735 68,836 Adjusted EBITDA1 as a % of GP 23.6 % 29.4 % 23.8 % 28.4 % Adjusted EBITDA1 as a % of Revenue 6.2 % 7.6 % 6.2 % 6.8 % Net (loss) income (4,495) 11,678 (7,856) 9,270 Adjusted net income1 $25,124 29,900 $49,565 52,410 Adjusted EPS1 $0.12 $0.14 $0.24 $0.24 Q2-23 Financial Highlights: Gross sales 1 of $957.2 million compared to $729.7 million in Q2-22; an increase of $227.5 million or 31% of compared to in Q2-22; an increase of or 31% Gross services sales 1 of $317.2 million increased by 33% year-over-year of increased by 33% year-over-year Gross Profit of $175.7 million compared to $133.1 million in Q2-22; an increase of $42.5 million or 32% compared to in Q2-22; an increase of or 32% Organic gross profit growth for Q2-23 was 2.5% driven by 14.4% increase in services organic gross profit Adjusted EBITDA1 of $41.5 million , increasing from $39.2 million in Q2-22 by 6% , increasing from in Q2-22 by 6% Revenue for Q2-23 of $665.8 million , an increase of 29% over Q2-22 , an increase of 29% over Q2-22 Product Bookings backlog 2 at the end of Q2-23 was $447.6 million at the end of Q2-23 was Achieved 112 net new logos3 in Q2-23, securing 215 net new logos in H1-23 ___________________________________ 1 This is a Non-IFRS measure (including non-IFRS ratio) and not a recognized, defined or a standardized measure under IFRS. See the Non-IFRS Financial Measures section of this news release for definitions, uses and a reconciliation of historical non-IFRS financial measures to the most directly comparable IFRS financial measures. 2 Bookings backlog is calculated as purchase orders received from customers not yet delivered at the end of the fiscal period for North America Region. 3 Statistic based on North American Region. Q2-23 Business Highlights & Subsequent to Quarter Board of Directors authorize second quarter dividend of $0.01 per common share to be paid on September 22 nd , 2023 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 8 th , 2023 per common share to be paid on , 2023 to shareholders of record at the close of business on , 2023 Converge concluded its previously announced NCIB program after purchasing 4.28 million shares throughout Q2-23 The Company announced that the Toronto Stock Exchange approved the Company's Notice of Intention to make a Normal Course Issuer Bid. Pursuant to the NCIB, the Company may purchase for cancellation up to an aggregate of 19,427,276 common shares. All common shares acquired by the Company under the NCIB will be cancelled "Converge continued to execute on its cross-sell strategy throughout the second quarter and drove high value solutions with clients by leveraging our advisory, implementation, and managed services across all practice areas. Today 60% of Converge sales representatives in North America are now driving more than 4 solution areas with their clients," said Greg Berard, Converge Global CEO. "In today's IT environment, Converge continues to shape and transform innovation, revolutionizing client-technology interactions. A distinguishing reason clients continue to partner with Converge is our ability to provide end-to-end solutions for cloud, hardware, and software, all while leveraging the technical expertise required for effective professional and managed services. Converge has built a unique set of skills supported by foundational partnerships across Analytics, AI, Cloud, and Cybersecurity and will continue to develop leading solutions to adapt with our clients' growing needs. I am extremely proud of our team's performance which has resulted in record gross profit in Q2-23." Conference Call Details: Date: Wednesday, Aug 9th, 2023 Time: 8:00 AM Eastern Time Participant Webcast Link: Webcast Link https://app.webinar.net/gkXqYQ1YE8v Participant Dial-in Details with Operator Assistance: Conference ID: 70789128 Toronto: 416-764-8609 North American Toll Free: 888-390-0605 International Toll-Free Numbers: Germany: 08007240293 Ireland: 1800939111 Spain: 900834776 Switzerland: 0800312635 United Kingdom: 08006522435 You may register and enter your phone number to receive an instant automated call back via https://emportal.ink/3OgdiaZ Recording Playback: Webcast Link - https://app.webinar.net/gkXqYQ1YE8v Toronto: 416-764-8677 North American Toll Free: 1-888-390-0541 Replay Code: 789128 # Expiry Date: August 16th, 2023 Please connect at least 15 minutes prior to the conference call to ensure time for any software download that may be required to access the webcast. A live audio webcast accompanied by presentation slides and archive of the conference call and webcast will be available by visiting the Company's website at https://convergetp.com/investor-relations/ . About Converge Converge Technology Solutions Corp. is a services-led, software-enabled, IT & Cloud Solutions provider focused on delivering industry-leading solutions. Converge's global approach delivers advanced analytics, application modernization, cloud platforms, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and digital workplace offerings to clients across various industries. The Company supports these solutions with advisory, implementation, and managed services expertise across all major IT vendors in the marketplace. This multi-faceted approach enables Converge to address the unique business and technology requirements for all clients in the public and private sectors. For more information, visit convergetp.com. Summary of Consolidated Statements of Financial Position (expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars) June 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 Assets Current Cash $ 78,443 $ 159,890 Restricted cash 2,611 5,230 Trade and other receivables 781,330 781,683 Inventories 160,411 158,430 Prepaid expenses and other assets 23,337 23,046 1,046,132 1,128,279 Non-current Other assets 17,943 4,646 Property, equipment, and right-of-use assets, net 73,659 88,352 Intangible assets, net 419,403 463,751 Goodwill 561,283 563,848 Total assets $ 2,118,420 $ 2,248,876 Liabilities Current Trade and other payables $ 814,855 $ 824,924 Other financial liabilities 63,082 123,932 Deferred revenue 47,475 60,210 Borrowings 398 421,728 Income taxes payable 7,816 7,112 933,626 1,437,906 Non-current Other financial liabilities 51,701 77,183 Borrowings 429,909 - Deferred tax liabilities 88,278 102,977 Total liabilities $ 1,503,514 $ 1,618,066 Shareholders' equity Common shares 604,144 595,019 Contributed surplus 9,243 7,919 Exchange rights - 1,705 Accumulated other comprehensive income 156 13,708 Deficit (27,186) (18,441) Total equity attributable to shareholders of Converge 586,357 599,910 Non-controlling interest 28,549 30,900 614,906 630,810 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 2,118,420 $ 2,248,876 Summary of Consolidated Statements of Loss and Comprehensive Loss (expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars) Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Revenues Product $ 511,597 $ 410,361 $ 1,048,286 $ 807,753 Service 154,216 104,835 295,725 201,483 Total revenue 665,813 515,196 1,344,011 1,009,236 Cost of sales 490,141 382,044 996,751 767,040 Gross profit 175,672 133,152 347,260 242,196 Selling, general and administrative expenses 136,699 95,823 268,732 176,235 Income before the following 38,973 37,329 78,528 65,961 Depreciation and amortization 26,893 17,178 52,783 31,657 Finance expense, net 10,652 3,094 20,002 4,912 Special charges 13,292 5,559 17,576 11,280 Share-based compensation 1,117 1,685 1,965 2,897 Other (income) expenses (6,529) (3,265) (4,060) 3,138 Income before income taxes (6,452) 13,078 (9,738) 12,077 Income tax (recovery) expense (1,957) 1,400 (1,882) 2,807 Net (loss) income $ (4,495) $ 11,678 $ (7,856) $ 9,270 Net (loss) income attributable to: Shareholders of Converge (3,548) 12,017 (5,505) 10,223 Non-controlling interest (947) (339) (2,351) (953) $ (4,495) $ 11,678 $ (7,856) $ 9,270 Other comprehensive (loss) income Item that may be reclassified subsequently to income: Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations (15,725) 5,554 (13,552) (1,034) (15,725) 5,554 (13,552) (1,034) Comprehensive (loss) income $ (20,220) $ 17,232 $ (21,408) $ 8,236 Comprehensive (loss) income attributable to: Shareholders of Converge (19,273) 17,571 (19,057) 9,189 Non-controlling interest (947) (339) (2,351) (953) (20,220) 17,232 (21,408) 8,236 Adjusted EBITDA 41,527 39,187 82,735 68,836 Adjusted EBITDA as a % of Gross Profit 23.6 % 29.4 % 23.8 % 28.4 % Adjusted EBITDA as a % of Revenue 6.2 % 7.6 % 6.2 % 6.8 % Summary of Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars) For the three months ended June 30, For the six months ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Cash flows (used in) from operating activities Net (loss) income $ (4,495) $ 11,678 $ (7,856) $ 9,270 Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash from operating activities Depreciation and amortization 29,235 18,739 56,785 33,969 Unrealized foreign exchange (gains) losses (5,281) (2,968) (2,818) 3,701 Share-based compensation expense 1,117 1,685 1,965 2,897 Finance expense, net 10,652 3,094 20,002 4,912 Gain on sale of property and equipment (598) - (598) - Change in fair value of contingent consideration 6,551 - 6,551 - Income tax (recovery) expense (1,957) 1,400 (1,882) 2,807 35,224 33,628 72,149 57,556 Changes in non-cash working capital items (40,349) 9,214 (41,585) (44,290) (5,125) 42,842 30,564 13,266 Income taxes paid (4,520) (16,272) (11,446) (17,025) Cash (used in) from operating activities (9,645) 26,570 19,118 (3,759) Cash flows used in investing activities Purchase of property and equipment (2,091) (3,123) (7,197) (14,479) Proceeds on disposal of property and equipment 3,681 - 3,749 178 Payment of contingent consideration (975) - (9,935) (10,168) Payment of deferred consideration (4,066) (5,208) (29,720) (6,948) Payment of NCI liability - - (29,994) - Business combinations, net of cash acquired - (131,545) - (199,471) Cash used in investing activities (3,451) (139,876) (73,097) (230,888) Cash flows (used in) from financing activities Transfers from (to) restricted cash 2,371 58,980 2,587 (4,513) Interest paid (7,365) (2,102) (15,242) (3,058) Dividend paid (2,067) (1,100) (2,067) (1,100) Payments of lease liabilities (5,089) (2,304) (10,224) (5,032) Repurchase of common shares (14,230) - (14,230) - Repayment of notes payable (40) (38) (80) (159) Net (repayment) proceeds from borrowings (22,815) 22,351 11,384 184,819 Cash (used in) from financing activities (49,235) 75,787 (27,872) 170,957 Net change in cash during the period (62,331) (37,519) (81,851) (63,690) Effect of foreign exchange on cash 1,746 4,526 404 (328) Cash, beginning of period 139,028 217,168 159,890 248,193 Cash, end of period $ 78,443 $ 184,175 $ 78,443 $ 184,175 Non-IFRS Financial Measures This release refers to certain performance indicators including Adjusted EBITDA that does not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Management believes that these measures are useful to most shareholders, creditors, and other stakeholders in analyzing the Company's results. These non-IFRS financial measures should not be considered as an alternative to the consolidated income (loss) or any other measure of performance under IFRS. Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA represents net income or loss adjusted to exclude amortization, depreciation, interest expense and finance costs, foreign exchange gains and losses, share-based compensation expense, income tax expense, and special charges. Special charges consist primarily of restructuring related expenses for employee terminations, lease terminations, and restructuring of acquired companies, as well as certain legal fees or provisions related to acquired companies. From time to time, it may also include adjustments in the fair value of contingent consideration, and other such non-recurring costs related to restructuring, financing, and acquisitions. The Company uses Adjusted EBITDA to provide investors with a supplemental measure of its operating performance and thus highlight trends in its core business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on IFRS financial measures. The Company believes that securities analysts, investors and other interested parties frequently use non-IFRS measures in the evaluation of issuers. Management also uses non-IFRS measures to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period, prepare annual operating budgets and assess the ability to meet capital expenditure and working capital requirements. Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized, defined or standardized measure under IFRS. The Company's definition of Adjusted EBITDA will likely differ from that used by other companies and therefore comparability may be limited. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered a substitute for or in isolation from measures prepared in accordance with IFRS. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's financial statements and disclosures in their entirety and are cautioned not to put undue reliance on non-IFRS measures and view them in conjunction with the most comparable IFRS financial measures. The Company has reconciled Adjusted EBITDA to the most comparable IFRS financial measure as follows: For the three months ended June 30, For the six months ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net income (loss) before taxes $ (6,452) $ 13,078 $ (9,738) $ 12,077 Finance expense 10,652 3,094 20,002 4,912 Share-based compensation expense 1,117 1,685 1,965 2,897 Depreciation and amortization 26,893 17,178 52,783 31,657 Depreciation included in cost of sales 2,342 1,561 4,002 2,312 Foreign exchange loss (gain) (6,317) (2,968) (3,855) 3,701 Special charges 13,292 5,559 17,576 11,280 Adjusted EBITDA $ 41,527 $ 39,187 $ 82,735 $ 68,836 Adjusted EBITDA as a % of Gross Profit The Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA as a % of Gross Profit is a useful measure of the Company's operating efficiency and profitability. This is calculated by dividing Adjusted EBITDA by gross profit. Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted Earnings per Share ("EPS") Adjusted Net Income (Loss) represents net income (loss) adjusted to exclude special charges, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and share-based compensation. The Company believes that Adjusted Net Income (Loss) is a more useful measure than net income (loss) as it excludes the impact of one-time, non-cash and/or non-recurring items that are not reflective of Converge's underlying business performance. Adjusted EPS is calculated by dividing Adjusted Net Income (Loss) by the total weighted average shares outstanding on a basic and diluted basis. The Company has provided a reconciliation to the most comparable IFRS financial measure as follows: For the three months For the six months ended June 30, ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net (loss) income $ (4,495) $ 11,678 $ (7,856) $ 9,270 Special charges 13,292 5,559 17,576 11,280 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 21,527 13,946 41,735 25,262 Foreign exchange loss (6,317) (2,968) (3,855) 3,701 Share-based compensation 1,117 1,685 1,965 2,897 Adjusted Net Income: $ 25,124 $ 29,900 $ 49,565 $ 52,410 Basic 0.12 0.14 0.24 0.24 Gross sales and gross sales for organic growth Gross sales, which is a non-IFRS measurement, reflects the gross amount billed to customers, adjusted for amounts deferred or accrued. The Company believes gross sales is a useful alternative financial metric to net revenue, the IFRS measure, as it better reflects volume fluctuations as compared to net revenue. Under the applicable IFRS 15 'principal vs agent' guidance, the principal records revenue on a gross basis and the agent records commission on a net basis. In transactions where Converge is acting as an agent between the customer and the vendor, net revenue is calculated by reducing gross sales by the cost of sale amount. The Company has provided a reconciliation of gross sales to net revenue, which is the most comparable IFRS financial measure, as follows: For the three months For the six months ended June 30, ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Product $ 639,996 $ 491,821 $ 1,305,306 $ 945,210 Managed services 45,182 32,268 85,818 66,251 Third party and professional services 272,041 205,589 531,353 392,146 Gross sales $ 957,219 $ 729,678 $ 1,922,477 $ 1,403,607 Adjustment for sales transacted as agent (291,406) (214,482) (578,466) (394,371) Net Revenue $ 665,813 $ 515,196 $ 1,344,011 $ 1,009,236 Organic Growth The Company measures organic growth at the gross sales and gross profit levels, and includes the contributions under Converge ownership in the current and comparative period(s). In calculating organic growth, the Company therefore deducts gross sales and gross profit generated from companies that were acquired in the current reporting period. Gross sales organic growth is calculated by deducting prior period gross sales, as reported in the Company's public filings, from current period gross sales for the same portfolio of companies. Gross sales organic growth percentage is calculated by dividing organic growth by prior period reported gross sales. The following table calculates gross sales organic growth for three and six months ended June 30, 2023: For the three months For the six months ended June 30, ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Gross sales $ 957,219 $ 729,678 $ 1,922,477 $ 1,403,607 Less: gross sales from companies not owned in comparative period 214,227 215,748 459,857 404,433 Gross sales of companies owned in comparative period $ 742,992 $ 513,930 $ 1,462,620 $ 999,174 Prior period gross sales 729,678 452,120 1,403,607 860,220 Organic Growth - $ $ 13,314 $ 61,810 $ 59,013 $ 138,954 Organic Growth - % 1.8 % 13.7 % 4.2 % 16.2 % Gross profit organic growth is calculated by deducting prior period gross profit, as reported in the Companies public filings, from current period gross profit for the same portfolio of companies. Gross profit organic growth percentage is calculated by dividing organic growth by prior period reported gross profit. For the three months For the six months ended June 30, ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Gross profit $ 175,672 $ 133,152 $ 347,260 $ 242,196 Less: gross profit from companies not owned in comparative period 39,239 40,737 83,836 72,545 Gross profit of companies owned in comparative period $ 136,433 $ 92,415 $ 263,424 $ 169,651 Prior period gross profit 133,152 78,244 242,197 146,041 Organic Growth - $ $ 3,281 $ 14,171 $ 21,227 $ 23,610 Organic Growth - % 2.5 % 18.1 % 8.8 % 16.2 % Forward-Looking Information This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation regarding Converge and its business. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected" "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts". "estimates", "believes" or intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could, "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Converge assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a detailed description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's filings statement available on SEDAR under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com including its most recent Annual Information Form, its Management Discussion and Analysis and its Annual and Quarterly Financial Statements. SOURCE Converge Technology Solutions Corp. PANAMA CITY, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE: CPA), today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2023 (2Q23). The terms "Copa Holdings" and the "Company" refer to the consolidated entity. The following financial information, unless otherwise indicated, is presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). See the accompanying reconciliation of non-IFRS financial information to IFRS financial information included in the financial tables section of this earnings release. Unless otherwise stated, all comparisons with prior periods refer to the second quarter of 2022 (2Q22). OPERATING AND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Copa Holdings reported a net profit of US$17.5 million for 2Q23 or US$0.44 per share. Excluding special items comprised of the unrealized mark-to-market net loss of US$137.0 million related to the Company's convertible notes, as well as changes in the value of financial investments, the Company would have reported a net profit of US$154.5 million or US$3.92 per share. for 2Q23 or per share. Excluding special items comprised of the unrealized mark-to-market net loss of related to the Company's convertible notes, as well as changes in the value of financial investments, the Company would have reported a net profit of or per share. Copa Holdings reported an operating profit of US$194.7 million and a 24.1% operating margin for the quarter, as compared to an operating profit of US$42.3 million and an operating margin of 6.1% in 2Q22. and a 24.1% operating margin for the quarter, as compared to an operating profit of and an operating margin of 6.1% in 2Q22. Passenger traffic, measured in terms of revenue passenger miles (RPMs), increased by 15.4% year over year, while capacity (available seat miles or ASMs) increased by 13.6%. As a result, the load factor for the quarter increased by 1.3 percentage points to 86.1%, as compared to 2Q22. Total revenues for 2Q23 increased 16.7% to US$809.2 million , mainly driven by higher capacity, while yields increased 2.0% to 13.3 cents . Revenue per available seat mile (RASM) increased 2.7% to 12.0 cents , as compared to 2Q22. , mainly driven by higher capacity, while yields increased 2.0% to . Revenue per available seat mile (RASM) increased 2.7% to , as compared to 2Q22. Operating cost per available seat mile (CASM) decreased 17.0% from 10.9 cents in 2Q22 to 9.1 cents in 2Q23, mainly driven by a decrease of 35.9% in the price of jet fuel per gallon. CASM excluding fuel (Ex-fuel CASM) decreased by 0.8% in the quarter to 5.9 cents , when compared to 2Q22. in 2Q22 to in 2Q23, mainly driven by a decrease of 35.9% in the price of jet fuel per gallon. CASM excluding fuel (Ex-fuel CASM) decreased by 0.8% in the quarter to , when compared to 2Q22. The Company ended the quarter with approximately US$1.3 billion in cash, short-term and long-term investments, which represent 39.6% of the last twelve months' revenues. in cash, short-term and long-term investments, which represent 39.6% of the last twelve months' revenues. The Company closed the quarter with total debt, including lease liabilities, of US$1.8 billion , while our Adjusted Net Debt to EBITDA ratio ended at 0.5 times. , while our Adjusted Net Debt to EBITDA ratio ended at 0.5 times. During the quarter, the Company announced that it will start service to Barquisimeto, Venezuela , bringing the total number of destinations in its network to 81. This new route is scheduled to start in October of 2023. , bringing the total number of destinations in its network to 81. This new route is scheduled to start in October of 2023. During the quarter, the Company took delivery of two Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, ending the quarter with a consolidated fleet of 101 aircraft 67 Boeing 737-800s, 24 Boeing 737 MAX 9s, 9 Boeing 737-700s, and 1 Boeing 737-800 freighter. Copa Airlines had an on-time performance for the quarter of 91.6% and a flight completion factor of 99.8%, once again positioning itself among the very best in the industry. Subsequent Events In July, the Company took delivery of one Boeing 737 MAX 9 and expects to receive five additional aircraft during the remainder of 2023. The Company expects to end the year with 107 aircraft. On July 14, 2023 , Copa Holdings publicly announced the redemption of all its outstanding 4.50% Convertible Senior Notes due in 2025, which will be completed on September 18, 2023 . Notes surrendered for conversion will be settled through a combination of cash (up to the principal amount of US$350 million ) and shares of Copa common stock, the latter to cover the remainder of the conversion obligation. , Copa Holdings publicly announced the redemption of all its outstanding 4.50% Convertible Senior Notes due in 2025, which will be completed on . Notes surrendered for conversion will be settled through a combination of cash (up to the principal amount of ) and shares of Copa common stock, the latter to cover the remainder of the conversion obligation. In July, Copa Airlines was recognized by Skytrax for the eighth consecutive year as the "Best Airline in Central America and the Caribbean ". and the ". Copa Holdings will make its third dividend payment of the year of US$0.82 per share on October 13, 2023 , to all Class A and Class B shareholders on record as of September 29, 2023 . Consolidated Financial & Operating Highlights 2Q23 2Q22 Variance vs. 1Q19 1Q23 Variance vs. 1Q23 YTD23 YTD22 Variance vs. YTD22 Revenue Passengers Carried (000s) 2,980 2,481 20.1 % 2,881 3.4 % 5,860 4,765 23.0 % Revenue Passengers OnBoard (000s) 4,469 3,796 17.7 % 4,295 4.0 % 8,764 7,272 20.5 % RPMs (millions) 5,826 5,047 15.4 % 5,723 1.8 % 11,550 9,632 19.9 % ASMs (millions) 6,767 5,955 13.6 % 6,596 2.6 % 13,363 11,578 15.4 % Load Factor 86.1 % 84.8 % 1.3 p.p. 86.8 % -0.7 p.p. 86.4 % 83.2 % 3.2 p.p. Yield (US$ Cents) 13.3 13.0 2.0 % 14.6 -8.9 % 13.9 12.4 11.9 % PRASM (US$ Cents) 11.4 11.0 3.6 % 12.6 -9.6 % 12.0 10.3 16.3 % RASM (US$ Cents) 12.0 11.6 2.7 % 13.1 -9.1 % 12.5 10.9 14.8 % CASM (US$ Cents) 9.1 10.9 -17.0 % 10.2 -11.1 % 9.6 10.2 -5.2 % CASM Excl. Fuel (US$ Cents) 5.9 6.0 -0.8 % 6.2 -4.5 % 6.1 6.0 1.5 % Fuel Gallons Consumed (millions) 79.9 71.5 11.8 % 78.2 2.2 % 158.1 138.0 14.5 % Avg. Price Per Fuel Gallon (US$) 2.65 4.14 -35.9 % 3.36 -21.1 % 3.00 3.52 -14.8 % Average Length of Haul (miles) 1,955 2,034 -3.9 % 1,987 -1.6 % 1,971 2,021 -2.5 % Average Stage Length (miles) 1,260 1,273 -1.1 % 1,281 -1.7 % 1,270 1,285 -1.2 % Departures 33,385 29,369 13.7 % 31,984 4.4 % 65,369 56,559 15.6 % Block Hours 107,055 95,315 12.3 % 104,626 2.3 % 211,681 183,790 15.2 % Average Aircraft Utilization (hours) 11.8 11.2 5.4 % 11.9 -0.8 % 11.8 10.9 8.5 % Operating Revenues (US$ millions) 809.2 693.4 16.7 % 867.3 -6.7 % 1,676.5 1,265.0 32.5 % Operating Profit (Loss) (US$ millions) 194.7 42.3 360.6 % 193.2 0.8 % 387.9 87.0 345.7 % Operating Margin 24.1 % 6.1 % 18.0 p.p. 22.3 % 1.8 p.p. 23.1 % 6.9 % 16.3 p.p. Net Profit (Loss) (US$ millions) 17.5 124.1 -85.9 % 121.5 -85.6 % 139.0 143.8 -3.3 % Adjusted Net Profit (Loss) (US$ millions) (1) 154.5 13.2 1073.1 % 157.8 -2.1 % 312.3 42.7 632.0 % Basic EPS (US$) 0.44 3.01 -85.3 % 3.07 -85.5 % 3.52 3.49 1.0 % Adjusted Basic EPS (US$) (1) 3.92 0.32 1125.7 % 3.99 -1.8 % 7.92 1.04 664.9 % Shares for calculation of Basic EPS (000s) 39,442 41,212 -4.3 % 39,565 -0.3 % 39,442 41,212 -4.3 % (1) Excludes Special Items. This earnings release includes a reconciliation of non-IFRS financial measures to the comparable IFRS measures. FULL 2Q23 EARNINGS RELEASE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD AT: https://copa.gcs-web.com/financial-information/quarterly-results 2Q23 EARNINGS RESULTS CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST Date: August 10, 2023 Time: 10:00 AM US ET (9:00 AM Local Time) Join by phone: https://register.vevent.com/register/BI4c91a9ca6f634c05bd431cabc09bb55d Webcast (listen-only): https://copa.gcs-web.com/events-and-presentations Speakers: Pedro Heilbron, Chief Executive Officer Jose Montero, Chief Financial Officer About Copa Holdings Copa Holdings is a leading Latin American provider of passenger and cargo services. The Company, through its operating subsidiaries, provides service to countries in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. For more information visit: www.copaair.com. CONTACT: Copa Holdings S.A. Investor Relations: Ph: 011 507 304-2774 www.copaair.com (IR section) This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based on current plans, estimates, and expectations, and are not guarantees of future performance. They are based on management's expectations that involve several business risks and uncertainties, any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. The risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statements in this release are among those disclosed in Copa Holdings' filed disclosure documents and are, therefore, subject to change without prior notice. CPA-G Copa Holdings, S.A. Income Statement - IFRS (US$ Thousands) Unaudited Unaudited % Unaudited % Unaudited Unaudited % 2Q23 2Q22 Change 1Q23 Change YTD23 YTD22 Change Operating Revenues Passenger revenue 773,781 656,943 17.8 % 834,018 -7.2 % 1,607,798 1,198,198 34.2 % Cargo and mail revenue 23,888 26,734 -10.6 % 23,252 2.7 % 47,140 48,270 -2.3 % Other operating revenue 11,521 9,718 18.6 % 9,995 15.3 % 21,516 18,508 16.3 % Total Operating Revenue 809,190 693,394 16.7 % 867,264 -6.7 % 1,676,454 1,264,976 32.5 % Operating Expenses Fuel 214,121 295,952 -27.7 % 265,498 -19.4 % 479,619 487,208 -1.6 % Wages, salaries, benefits and other employees' expenses 105,788 88,995 18.9 % 102,652 3.1 % 208,441 178,754 16.6 % Passenger servicing 21,460 16,074 33.5 % 20,391 5.2 % 41,852 31,681 32.1 % Airport facilities and handling charges 54,146 47,280 14.5 % 50,479 7.3 % 104,625 93,067 12.4 % Sales and distribution 56,596 56,222 0.7 % 61,406 -7.8 % 118,002 102,255 15.4 % Maintenance, materials and repairs 31,430 28,311 11.0 % 40,296 -22.0 % 71,726 51,662 38.8 % Depreciation and amortization 74,818 65,337 14.5 % 72,677 2.9 % 147,494 128,640 14.7 % Flight operations 25,005 24,068 3.9 % 27,424 -8.8 % 52,429 46,106 13.7 % Other operating and administrative expenses 31,158 28,894 7.8 % 33,228 -6.2 % 64,387 58,568 9.9 % Total Operating Expense 614,523 651,133 -5.6 % 674,053 -8.8 % 1,288,576 1,177,942 9.4 % Operating Profit/(Loss) 194,667 42,261 360.6 % 193,212 0.8 % 387,878 87,035 345.7 % Non-operating Income (Expense): Finance cost (30,517) (21,270) 43.5 % (24,365) 25.2 % (54,882) (41,715) 31.6 % Finance income 11,970 3,526 239.5 % 8,842 35.4 % 20,812 6,071 242.8 % Gain (loss) on foreign currency fluctuations 3,712 (6,834) -154.3 % 1,201 209.0 % 4,914 (3,916) -225.5 % Net change in fair value of derivatives (137,473) 113,670 -220.9 % (37,933) 262.4 % (175,406) 106,918 -264.1 % Other non-operating income (expense) 925 (2,717) -134.0 % 1,235 -25.1 % 2,160 (5,381) -140.1 % Total Non-Operating Income/(Expense) (151,382) 86,375 -275.3 % (51,020) 196.7 % (202,402) 61,977 -426.6 % Profit before taxes 43,284 128,636 -66.4 % 142,192 -69.6 % 185,476 149,012 24.5 % Income tax expense (25,775) (4,560) 465.2 % (20,671) 24.7 % (46,447) (5,177) 797.2 % Net Profit/(Loss) 17,509 124,076 -85.9 % 121,521 -85.6 % 139,030 143,835 -3.3 % EPS Basic 0.44 3.01 -85.3 % 3.07 -85.5 % 3.52 3.49 1.0 % Shares used for calculation: Basic 39,442,367 41,211,540 -4.3 % 39,565,223 -0.3 % 39,442,367 41,211,540 -4.3 % Copa Holdings, S. A. and subsidiaries Consolidated statement of financial position (US$ Thousands) June 2023 December 2022 ASSETS (Unaudited) (Audited) Cash and cash equivalents 281,863 122,424 Short-term investments 833,576 812,323 Total cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments 1,115,439 934,747 Accounts receivable, net 162,333 135,415 Accounts receivable from related parties 2,388 2,168 Expendable parts and supplies, net 104,332 93,332 Prepaid expenses 46,025 52,322 Prepaid income tax 335 798 Other current assets 21,855 17,043 337,268 301,078 TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 1,452,707 1,235,825 Long-term investments 222,282 202,056 Long-term prepaid expenses 8,832 7,770 Property and equipment, net 3,025,624 2,883,524 Right of use assets 258,268 234,380 Intangible, net 82,919 78,555 Net defined benefit assets 1,732 504 Deferred tax assets 29,499 30,743 Other Non-Current Assets 16,796 17,005 TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS 3,645,952 3,454,537 TOTAL ASSETS 5,098,659 4,690,362 LIABILITIES Loans and borrowings 445,083 142,484 Derivative financial instruments 426,555 - Current portion of lease liability 71,940 80,084 Accounts payable 161,880 166,660 Accounts payable to related parties 2,340 1,004 Air traffic liability 649,054 651,805 Frequent flyer deferred revenue 114,570 111,526 Taxes Payable 49,178 43,878 Employee benefits obligations 39,537 44,913 Income tax payable 14,814 6,276 Other Current Liabilities 757 1,175 TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 1,975,708 1,249,805 Loans and borrowings long-term 1,107,037 1,301,819 Lease Liability 186,558 158,289 Derivative financial instruments - 251,150 Deferred tax Liabilities 34,710 16,571 Other long - term liabilities 239,763 220,618 TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES 1,568,068 1,948,447 TOTAL LIABILITIES 3,543,776 3,198,252 EQUITY Class A - 34,064,142 issued and 28,367,386 outstanding 21,366 21,327 Class B - 10,938,125 7,466 7,466 Additional Paid-In Capital 105,551 103,465 Treasury Stock (360,001) (344,541) Retained Earnings 1,652,916 1,367,784 Net profit 139,030 348,054 Other comprehensive loss (11,445) (11,445) TOTAL EQUITY 1,554,883 1,492,110 TOTAL EQUITY LIABILITIES 5,098,659 4,690,362 Copa Holdings, S. A. and subsidiaries Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows For the six months ended June 30, (In US$ thousands) 2023 2022 2021 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Cash flow from operating activities 420,171 327,833 149,669 Cash flow used in investing activities (293,193) (262,743) (119,776) Cash flow from (used in) from financing activities 32,461 (142,046) 107,806 Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 159,439 (76,956) 137,699 Cash and cash equivalents at January 1 122,424 211,081 119,065 Cash and cash equivalents at June 30 $ 281,863 $ 134,125 $ 256,764 Short-term investments 833,576 801,132 925,680 Long-term investments 222,282 140,374 99,235 Total cash and cash equivalents and investments at June 30 $ 1,337,721 $ 1,075,631 $ 1,281,679 Copa Holdings, S.A. NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURE RECONCILIATION This press release includes the following non-IFRS financial measures: Adjusted Net Profit, Adjusted Basic EPS, and Operating CASM Excluding Fuel. This supplemental information is presented because we believe it is a useful indicator of our operating performance and is useful in comparing our performance with other companies in the airline industry. These measures should not be considered in isolation and should be considered together with comparable IFRS measures, in particular operating profit, and net profit. The following is a reconciliation of these non-IFRS financial measures to the comparable IFRS measures: Reconciliation of Adjusted Net Profit 2Q23 2Q22 1Q23 Net Profit as Reported $ 17,509 $ 124,076 $ 121,521 Add: Net change in fair value of derivatives $ 137,473 $ (113,670) $ 37,933 Add: Net change in fair value of financial investments $ (512) $ 2,761 $ (1,655) Adjusted Net Profit $ 154,469 $ 13,168 $ 157,798 Reconciliation of Adjusted Basic EPS 2Q23 2Q22 1Q23 Adjusted Net Profit $ 154,469 $ 13,168 $ 157,798 Shares used for calculation of Basic EPS 39,442 41,212 39,565 Adjusted Basic Earnings per share (Adjusted Basic EPS) $ 3.92 $ 0.32 $ 3.99 Reconciliation of Operating Costs per ASM Excluding Fuel (CASM Excl. Fuel) 2Q23 2Q22 1Q23 Operating Costs per ASM as Reported (in US$ Cents) 9.1 10.9 10.2 Aircraft Fuel Cost per ASM (in US$ Cents) 3.2 5.0 4.0 Operating Costs per ASM excluding fuel (in US$ Cents) 5.9 6.0 6.2 SOURCE Copa Holdings, S.A. ITHACA, N.Y., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cornell Tech is proud to announce the launch of its groundbreaking Product and Tech Executive Summit. This innovative event is designed to equip leaders in tech or product functions with the skills and knowledge to drive innovation, growth, and success in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. Counter to typical conferences, the program blends leading-edge research with advice from top industry experts, excludes commercial sponsorships, and pre-screens participants to ensure high-value, closed-door conversations for the limited group of 50 leaders that attend. Networking at Cornell Tech in NYC Networking at Cornell Tech in NYC "The Product and Tech Executive Leadership Program will cover the most critical and timely topics, including implementing AI while managing ethical considerations, keeping up with trends that are shaping the future of tech and shifting organizations to succeed amid the latest market dynamics," said Keith Cowing '04, MBA '10, one of the directors of the program and a visiting lecturer at Cornell Tech. "By leveraging industry insights and real-world case studies, participants will gain valuable knowledge and practical tools to drive success at their own organizations." The program will take place Sept. 19 to 21, 2023, at Cornell Tech in New York, NY, and participants will participate in a combination of interactive workshops, case studies, and hands-on projects. Among the featured speakers are: Scott Belsky , Chief Strategy Officer and EVP of Design & Emerging Products, Adobe , Chief Strategy Officer and EVP of Design & Emerging Products, Adobe Mamuna Oladipo , VP of Product, Shopify , VP of Product, Shopify Nikita Miller , SVP and Head of Product Management, The Knot Worldwide , SVP and Head of Product Management, The Knot Worldwide Justin Bauer , CPO, Amplitude , CPO, Amplitude Kristen Lalowski , SVP, VillageMD , SVP, VillageMD Catherine Miller , CTO, Flatiron Health In addition to the rigorous curriculum, the program will provide participants with an unrivaled networking experience. Josh Hartmann, a tech industry veteran and co-director of the program at Cornell Tech, highlighted the networking opportunities available. "Connecting with peers and meeting new mentors is a crucial aspect of professional growth," said Hartmann. "The Product and Tech Executive Leadership Program was created to facilitate meaningful connections, with closed-door conversations, to enable participants to expand their professional networks and forge valuable relationships across the sector." Hartmann serves as chief practice officer at Cornell Tech and oversees its signature Studio entrepreneurship curriculum for students in master's programs. The program is tailored for mid and senior-level executives with a background in technology, product management, engineering, or related fields. Interested individuals can find more information and apply on the summit's website. About Cornell Tech Cornell Tech brings together faculty, business leaders, tech entrepreneurs and students in a catalytic environment to produce visionary results grounded in significant needs that will reinvent the way we live in the digital age. The Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute embodies the academic partnership between the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Cornell University on the Cornell Tech campus. Media Contact: Molly Israel [email protected] 301-471-4197 SOURCE Cornell Tech Data center provider rolls out an agile framework for HPC-ready facilities DALLAS, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DataBank , a leading provider of enterprise-class edge colocation, interconnection, and managed services, announced today a new approach to building high-density data centers to accommodate High-Performance Computing (HPC). Enabling HPC, Universal Data Hall Design (UDHD) empowers businesses with the flexibility to support any deployment their workloads require. With a market expected to reach $103.74 billion by 2030, generative AI's accelerated adoption has driven an increase in demand for high-density colocation. As technology continues to advance, data centers must be able to scale and adapt quickly to handle an increasingly diverse range of workloads from power-dense HPC clusters to sprawling hyperscale cloud installations to traditional raised-floor, enterprise colocation. "In order to future-proof their facilities, multi-tenant data center operators must rethink facility design, construction, and operations to allow for more flexibility and sustainability," said Eric Swartz, vice president of engineering at DataBank. "With UDHD, DataBank is able to accommodate hyperscale, traditional, and HPC all within the same, highly secure data hall." Key elements to DataBank's Next-Gen Data Centers implementing a Universal Data Hall Design are the traditional components of data center colocation with an eye toward flexibility and resiliency: Space - Starting with slab floor and all power and cooling infrastructure outside the data hall as the initial base, with raised floor and water to rack layers that easily can be added to any hall; this layered design approach allows any hall within the data center to be adjusted to customer needs. Power - Support for distribution as traditional 120/208V or high density 240/415V as whips or through busway without change to the supporting infrastructure. Cooling - With a closed chilled water loop and the layered design approach, each hall can independently support different cooling methods from flooded room to localized air delivery using raised floor and even water to the rack supporting rear door heat exchangers and/or direct chip cooling. This design renders the additional benefit of sustainability, as efficient power and water systems reduce the consumption of resources. "Universal Data Hall Design is crucial to innovation. As technology evolves, our data centers are able to evolve with it," said Joe Minarik, COO of DataBank. "While most of the industry is trying to navigate the here and now, we're already building the data centers of the future." For more information on DataBank's innovative approach to data center infrastructure, visit databank.com or download our white paper "The Need for More Flexible and Sustainable Data Center Design Now and Into the Future." About DataBank DataBank helps the world's largest enterprises, technology, and content providers ensure their data and applications are always on, always secure, always compliant, and ready to scale to meet the needs of the artificial intelligence era. Our edge colocation and infrastructure footprint consists of 65+ "HPC-ready" data centers in 27+ markets, 20 interconnection hubs, and on-ramps to an ecosystem of cloud providers with virtually unlimited reach. We combine these platforms with contract portability, managed security, compliance enablement, hands-on support, and a guarantee of 100% uptime availability, to give our customers absolute confidence in their IT infrastructure and the power to create a boundless digital future for their business. SOURCE DataBank SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global decision intelligence market size is expected to reach USD 36.34 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 15.9% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. As businesses increasingly adopt artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to gain a competitive edge, decision intelligence is emerging to connect decision support, decision management, and complex systems applications. In today's data-driven landscape, organizations face the challenge of navigating through vast amounts of information. This results in decision intelligence emerging as the vital solution, bridging the gap between data and improved decision-making. Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report: The solutions segment dominated the market in 2022 and accounted for a revenue share of over 73%, owing to the increasing adoption of data-driven decision-making and the growing availability of big data The on-premises segment led the market in 2022, accounting for over 55% share of the global revenue owing to its capabilities to provide more flexibility for customization and integration with existing systems The large enterprise segment led the market in 2022, accounting for over 72% share of the global revenue owing to the increasing investments by large businesses in deploying next-gen technologies and decision intelligence solutions The healthcare segment is predicted to foresee significant growth in the forecast years as decision intelligence helps the healthcare industry to address the challenges faced by providing insights into data, automating processes, and improving decision-making North America dominated the market in 2022, accounting for over 45% share of the global revenue. The market is growing in the region as several established vendors offer solutions, and businesses have more experience with decision intelligence Read full market research report, "Decision Intelligence Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Vertical (BFSI, Healthcare), By Component (Solutions, Services), By Deployment (Cloud, On-Premises), By Enterprise Size (Large, SMEs), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030", published by Grand View Research. Decision Intelligence Market Growth & Trends Industries, such as financial services, healthcare, and supply chain management, urgently need reliable decision-making capabilities. By harnessing the power of decision intelligence, these industries can fully leverage the potential of their data and effectively optimize the utilization of AI, empowering these industries to thrive. Despite the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on various industries, the market for decision intelligence has experienced a notable positive impact. Numerous companies and organizations were compelled to close their physical operations to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Consequently, many businesses transitioned to utilizing intelligent software solutions to monitor workflows and make informed decisions remotely and effectively. Decision intelligence distinguishes itself from other analytical methodologies by its unique approach of commencing the process with a precise decision and the associated business problem it intends to resolve. Thus, decision intelligence actively seeks out pertinent data directly relevant to the decision and problem. This distinctive methodology has played a pivotal role in driving the market's rapid expansion during the pandemic, emphasizing the increasingly widespread recognition and adoption of decision intelligence within various industries. North America accounted for the largest market share in 2022. The growth is attributed to this region's widespread adoption of AI and ML technologies. The U.S. emerged as the dominant country worldwide, significantly contributing to revenue generation within the decision intelligence industry. The retail and banking sectors, in particular, are experiencing a surge in demand for advanced decision-making capabilities, thus propelling the growth of the decision intelligence industry. The rising investment in research and development of AI and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies is also significantly driving the market expansion in the North American region. Decision Intelligence Market Report Scope Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2023 USD 12.97 billion Revenue forecast in 2030 USD 36.34 billion Growth rate CAGR of 15.9% from 2023 to 2030 Base year for estimation 2022 Historical data 2017 - 2021 Forecast period 2023 - 2030 Decision Intelligence Market Segmentation Grand View Research has segmented the global decision intelligence market based on component, deployment, enterprise size, vertical, and region Decision Intelligence Market - Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2030) Solutions Services Decision Intelligence Market - Deployment Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2030) Cloud On-Premises Decision Intelligence Market - Enterprise Size Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2030) Small & Medium Enterprises Large Enterprises Decision Intelligence Market - Vertical Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2030) BFSI IT & Telecom Retail & Ecommerce Healthcare Manufacturing Government Others Decision Intelligence Market - Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2030) North America U.S. Canada Europe UK Germany France Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Australia Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East & Africa & KSA UAE South Africa List of Key Players in the Decision Intelligence Market Board International Domo, Inc. Google LLC H2O.ai. International Business Machines Incorporation Intel Corporation Microsoft Oracle Provenir Pyramid Analytics BV Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research: AI Chipset Market - The global artificial intelligence chipset market size is expected to reach USD 59.2 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The artificial intelligence (AI) chipset market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 33.6% from 2019 to 2025. An artificial intelligence chipset is built on the concept of adding a dedicated component in an electronic device, to execute machine learning tasks. In addition, an increased amount of data has led to the need for high-speed processors and faster computing, which is addressed by incorporating artificial intelligence into the set of electronic components. For instance, Apple has implemented a neural engine in its A11 Bionic chip's GPU to speed-up the third-party applications. With the growing implementation of AI in smartphones and other smart devices, the growth in the market has been boosted. The global artificial intelligence chipset market size is expected to reach by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The artificial intelligence (AI) chipset market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 33.6% from 2019 to 2025. An artificial intelligence chipset is built on the concept of adding a dedicated component in an electronic device, to execute machine learning tasks. In addition, an increased amount of data has led to the need for high-speed processors and faster computing, which is addressed by incorporating artificial intelligence into the set of electronic components. For instance, Apple has implemented a neural engine in its A11 Bionic chip's GPU to speed-up the third-party applications. With the growing implementation of AI in smartphones and other smart devices, the growth in the market has been boosted. AI in Construction Market - The global artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market size is expected to reach USD 3.3 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is anticipated to witness a CAGR of 34.0% from 2019 to 2025. Artificial intelligence in building solutions is being adopted rapidly due to the increasing need for risk management and deployment of more safety measures at the job site. Specialized artificial intelligence solutions are trained on architecture images, which helps in predictive maintenance. These artificial intelligence solutions can review thousands of images and identify risk factors to provide insights into risk indicators at a scale that cannot be achieved by humans. Furthermore, artificial intelligence has become more predictive and can observe the activities taking place at job sites, based on which it can predict the results of these activities. - The global artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market size is expected to reach by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is anticipated to witness a CAGR of 34.0% from 2019 to 2025. Artificial intelligence in building solutions is being adopted rapidly due to the increasing need for risk management and deployment of more safety measures at the job site. Specialized artificial intelligence solutions are trained on architecture images, which helps in predictive maintenance. These artificial intelligence solutions can review thousands of images and identify risk factors to provide insights into risk indicators at a scale that cannot be achieved by humans. Furthermore, artificial intelligence has become more predictive and can observe the activities taking place at job sites, based on which it can predict the results of these activities. Edge Artificial Intelligence Chips Market - The global edge artificial intelligence chips market size is expected to reach USD 9.5 billion by 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is anticipated to register a CAGR of 21.3% from 2020 to 2027. Semiconductor companies are experiencing high demand for their existing chips with hardware serving as a differentiator in AI. Also, these companies are developing workload-specific (training and inference) AI accelerators. For instance, Apple has implemented a neural engine in its A11 Bionic chip's processor to speed-up the third-party applications. The market is growing rapidly with the rising implementations of edge-based AI in smartphones and autonomous vehicles. Browse through Grand View Research's Next Generation Technologies Industry Research Reports. About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Grand View Compass | Sector Reports Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. The global defense geospatial system market is experiencing growth due to a demand of reconnaissance and surveillance, and Integration with other systems in the defense industry PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Defense Geospatial System Market by technology (Geographic Information System, Global Positioning System, and Remote Sensing), by type (Surface Analysis, Network Analysis, and Geo Visualization), by application (Military Logistics, Intelligence Gathering, and Battlefield management): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032". According to the report, the global defense geospatial system market was valued at $126.4 billion in 2022, and is projected to reach $367.40 billion by 2032, registering a CAGR of 11.4% from 2023 to 2032. Download Sample Pages - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/14264 Geospatial technology is increasingly important in national security issues, as individuals working in the defense sector can benefit from data exchange. As social media and other platforms create massive amounts of data every second, government agencies may now utilize GIS as a tool to evaluate data and generate meaningful insights. Defense intelligence employs geographic information systems (GIS) to track important data on hotspots and establish preventive actions for future risks to national security and public safety. Prime determinants of growth The global defense geospatial system Market is driven by factors such as demand of reconnaissance, and surveillance, and Integration with other systems. However, high cost and lack of accessibility, and concern of data privacy and protection are hampering the growth of the defense geospatial system Market. On the contrary, AI combined with geospatial system, and use of AR and VR in defense Geospatial system is expected to offer remunerative opportunities for the expansion of the defense geospatial system market during the forecast period. Report Coverage & Details: Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20232032 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 $126.4 billion Market Size in 2032 $367.40 billion CAGR 11.4 % No. of Pages in Report 280 Segments Covered Technology, Type, Application, and Region Drivers Demand of Reconnaissance, and surveillance Integration with other systems Opportunities High Cost and lack of accessibility Concern of Data Privacy and Protection Restraints AI combined with geospatial system Use of AR and VR in defense Geospatial system Impact of Russia-Ukraine war Many geospatial system providers offered their services to the Ukraine in the Russia - Ukraine war. For instance, on March 1, 2022 , Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation requested synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) data from worldwide remote sensing enterprises and organizations to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces. SAR technology is a type of earth observation (EO) data that is very important in wartime since it can penetrate cloud cover and give imagery in a variety of weather conditions. The demand from Ukraine helps the technology to market itself in the defense geospatial market. in the - war. For instance, on , Ministry of Digital Transformation requested synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) data from worldwide remote sensing enterprises and organizations to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces. SAR technology is a type of earth observation (EO) data that is very important in wartime since it can penetrate cloud cover and give imagery in a variety of weather conditions. The demand from helps the technology to market itself in the defense geospatial market. The pandemic led to increase demand for defense geospatial system market, as most of the European countries are looking to enhance their geospatial system due to the Russia - Ukraine war. Procure Complete Research Report Now - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/defense-geospatial-market/purchase-options The Remote Sensing segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period Based on technology, the remote sensing segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the global defense geospatial system market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. Remote sensing plays a vital role in defense geospatial applications since they are used for variety of operations including surveillance and reconnaissance. There are several market developments, as well as emerging technologies developed by manufacturers and brought to modern geospatial systems. However, the global positioning system (GPS) segment would cite the fastest CAGR of 12.2% from 2023 to 2032. The surface analysis segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period Based on type, the surface analysis segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than two-fifths of the global defense geospatial system market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. Geospatial surface analysis assists military forces in assessing the terrain, comprehending the physical environment, and making strategic and tactical decisions. It is also used to map the underwater surface, as in July 2022. Such developments have been creating opportunities for the private players operating in the defense geospatial system market. The network analysis segment, on the other hand, is estimated to showcase the notable CAGR of12.8% during the forecast period. The intelligence gathering segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period Based on application, the intelligence gathering segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the global defense geospatial system market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. The same segment is projected to cite the fastest CAGR of 12.0% from 2023 to 2032. Various countries have dedicated surveillance and intelligence collection services. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), for example, are two departments that support US intelligence. NGO collects and analyses geospatial information before disseminating it to other government agencies such as the military forces and law enforcement, whereas NRO gets essential information using satellites and meets its primary aim of acquiring imagery. NRO supports the US intelligence services in carrying out activities. North America held the highest market share in 2022 Based on region, North America held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2022, accounting for more than one-third of the global defense geospatial system market revenue, however LAMEA region and is estimated to gain market domination in the forecasting period with growing CAGR of 13.2%. The domination of North America region is due to the presence of major geospatial companies in the region. Whereas in LAMEA region defense geospatial technology is widely used in military planning, surveillance, and information gathering. One of the prime examples is Israel's IDF or Israel defense forces which utilizes IDF collects data using signal intelligence, geographical intelligence, and visual intelligence among the others. Leading Market Players: - Airbus BlackSky NV5 Global, Inc. Hexagon AB Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) Trimble Inc. Maxar Technologies ON Semiconductors MapLarge Orbital Insight TerraGo Interested to Procure the Research Report? Inquire Before Buying - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/14264 The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players of the global defense geospatial system market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, joint ventures, agreements, and others to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario. Similar Reports We Have on Defense Industry: Geospatial Solutions Market Research Report 2023-2035 Aerial Imaging Market Research Report 2023-2035 Commercial Satellite Imaging Market Research Report 2023-2035 Military RADAR Market Research Report 2023-2035 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 1209 Orange Street, Corporation Trust Center, Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware 19801 USA. USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-800-792-5285 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com Allied Market Research Blog: https://blog.alliedmarketresearch.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Allied Market Research ASHGABAT. Turkmenistan. August 9. A joint committee has been set up to discuss gas imports from Qatar and Turkmenistan, the Minister of Electric Power of Iraq, Ziyad Ali Fadel, said, Trend reports. The Minister of Electric Power Industry stated that the country's government has decided to form a committee on production issues comprised of officials from the Ministry of Oil, the head of the Department of Electric Power Industry, and Ministry of Electric Power Industry consultants. Fadel stated that a committee delegation will travel to Turkmenistan to examine prospective gas import arrangements, while another group will travel to Qatar to discuss the supply of liquefied gas to Iraq through one of Iraq's ports. Furthermore, the imported gas is utilized to fuel power plants in Iraq's central and southern regions, which generate approximately 7,000 megawatts each day. Moreover, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, at an emergency meeting dedicated to the search for alternative sources of gas imports to the country, considered the possibility of importing gas from Turkmenistan. Neurotoxins, such as Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, Jeauveau and, most recently, Daxxify, are used for wrinkle reduction in facial aesthetics. Despite botulinum neurotoxin efficacy in reducing wrinkle severity, several adverse effects may arise from spread of toxin beyond the target treatment area, and yet there is no reversal agent. In this proof-of-concept human study, we investigated the potential for ReViVox as a candidate small molecule drug to reverse muscle paralysis or weakness. Results were positive in showing the reversal effect in a small cohort of healthy subjects. SAN DIEGO, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DelNova Inc., is developing a rescue drug, ReViVox, to resolve side effects that may result from botulinum neurotoxin treatment. Neurotoxins, such as Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, Jeauveau and, most recently, Daxxify, are used for wrinkle reduction in facial aesthetics. Delnova Announces First-In-Human Demonstration Of Reversal Of Neurotoxin Muscle Weakness Although neurotoxins are effective in reducing wrinkle severity, several known adverse effects, such as ptosis (e.g. droopy eyes or low-lying brows), can arise from spread of neurotoxins beyond the target treatment area. Although these adverse events are transient, they can severely impact a patient's quality of life, and there is currently no commercially available reversal agent for neurotoxins. In a proof-of-concept study, volunteer subjects who experienced wrinkle reduction from the neurotoxin treatment were subjected to reversal therapy. Based on a 4-point validated photo-numeric scale, subjects treated with the ReViVox active drug demonstrated recovery in muscle movement as soon as 5 minutes after treatment. This is the first human demonstration of the reversal of muscle weakness caused by a neurotoxin via a local muscle injection. These results further validate the potential for ReViVox as a candidate drug for neurotoxin rescue. This study was conducted by Steve Yoelin, M.D. (Newport Beach, CA), a board-certified ophthalmologist who is a leading practitioner, researcher, and trainer of neuromodulators, dermal fillers, and other medical aesthetic products in the United States. Dr. Yoelin delivered a compelling presentation at the 17th Annual Botulinum Research Symposium on July 21st. We are excited to be the first to demonstrate evidence of reversal in a clinically relevant patient setting. We congratulate Dr. Yoelin for bringing to bear his renowned expertise in the design and conduct of this study. Botulinum neurotoxins represent over $5 billion in revenues worldwide for both aesthetic and medical therapies, yet there is no treatment to reverse potentially undesirable side effects. DelNova is poised to deliver on this unmet need with a transformative patent-protected drug candidate. About DelNova, Inc. DelNova, Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics using clinically validated molecules linked to advances in drug delivery to solve unmet medical needs. The company's lead clinical candidate, ReViVox, is designed for the rescue of complications caused by off-target muscle paralysis following aesthetic and medical neurotoxin therapies, specifically botulinum toxins type A (e.g., Botox). For DelNova: Mary Gardner, Chief Executive Officer [email protected] About DelNova, Inc. Solving Botulinum Treatment Complications Press Contact: Mary Gardner [email protected], http://www.delnova.net SOURCE DelNova, Inc. RALEIGH, N.C., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dentognostics, a research-driven technology company, has secured significant investments from Dental Innovation Alliance (DIA) and Dental365, further propelling its growth and innovation in the U.S. dental market. With their patented products for oral health and wellness, Dentognostics has gained the trust and support of industry leaders; notably, Pacific Dental Services made a major investment in 2021, partnering with Dentognostics to actively explore innovative technologies, including the tool to screen patients by taking a simple mouth rinse sample, within their supported practices. Dentognostics, a research-driven technology company offering patented products for oral health and wellness, has secured significant investments from Dental Innovation Alliance (DIA) and Dental365. Dentognostics seeks to empower patients with knowledge about what is happening in their mouth and with the understanding of the importance of proper dental hygiene, periodontal care, and maintenance. This is done with a patented product that analyzes saliva to determine the collagen breakdown activity in the mouth. By providing patients with a quantitative Oral Fitness Score, the technology keeps the patients accountable for their daily home care behavior and allows the clinician to truly personalize the patients' care needs based on the data generated, ultimately developing trust between patients and their dental care provider. DIA is a first-of-its-kind venture firm that funds, advises, and propels the success of early-stage dental technology companies through its leadership and investor team, which has a combined 200+ years of dental industry experience. Beyond capital, DIA provides mentorship and connectivity that can enhance sales activity for portfolio companies. "Supporting Dentognostics aligns perfectly with our mission at DIA, which is to foster innovation and collaboration in the dental and health sectors," says Thomas Sharpe, DIA Managing Partner. "We firmly believe in the transformative power of Dentognostics' technology and see it as a game-changer in improving patient outcomes." Joining PDS and DIA as an investor is Scott Asnis, DDS, CEO of Dental365, a full-service dental group with locations throughout New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. This addition further underscores the widespread adoption potential of this technology within the U.S. dental market. "Investing in and providing other DIA resources to Dentognostics is a natural fit. We believe in their technology and see potential in their testing to greatly improve outcomes in patients. We are excited about its potential to revolutionize patient care and elevate oral health globally," adds Doug Brown, DIA Managing Partner. "We sincerely thank Pacific Dental Services for their unwavering partnership and support over the past two years. Their belief in our vision has been instrumental in our growth," said Dirk-Rolf Gieselmann, Dentognostics founder and CEO. "We are equally thrilled to welcome DIA and Dental365, whose investments further strengthen our position in the industry and affirm our dedication to 14 years of research and development. Together, we are poised to revolutionize the oral health landscape and reach new heights." About Dental Innovation Alliance www.dialliance.com Dental Innovation Alliance (DIA) is a close group of dental industry executives that funds, advises and propels the success of early-stage companies building the future of dentistry through technology. Its investor base includes executives and experts from some of the largest and most innovative dental support organizations and other dental businesses. DIA has offices in New York, Nashville, and Raleigh-Durham. SOURCE Dental Innovation Alliance (DIA) LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Depix Technologies, Inc, a pioneering force in artificial intelligence, unveils its groundbreaking AI-driven software that dramatically changes the landscape of 3D rendering. The first of its kind with patent pending, Depix's new software empowers users to create high dynamic range (HDR) panoramic images and backplates using simple text prompts, ushering in a new era of ease, precision, and endless creativity for the world of 3D design. Depix Tech: Turn text into HDRI visuals! AI reshapes 3D design. Tweet this "This software revolutionizes the way professionals across industries like automotive design, video game development, product design, and film production can create and utilize 3D rendering," said Philip Lunn CEO Depix. "Our text-to-HDR feature enables an infinite array of backgrounds and matching high-resolution backplates." Generating HDR images in a striking 8K x 4K resolution or higher, Depix's software ensures the most vivid and immersive visual experiences for any project. Depix's ground-breaking technology isn't limited to one platform. It's soon to be available across major 3D rendering applications, with forthcoming plugins for Autodesk, Blender, Catia, Solidworks, Siemens, Unity and Unreal from Epic. Depix's cutting-edge solution is here to streamline, enhance, and redefine 3D rendering. Be part of the change, and witness the power of text-to-HDR. For more information, visit www.depix.ai About Depix Depix is an innovative technology company specializing in AI-driven solutions. Through their expertise and dedication, they strive to redefine boundaries and transform various industries, empowering creatives and professionals around the world. Media Contact: Philip Lunn Depix +1 (310) 985-9202 SOURCE Depix Technologies, Inc. TSX.V: DME U.S. OTC: DMEHF Frankfurt: QM01 VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY CORP. (the "Company") (TSXV: DME) (U.S. OTC: DMEHF) (Frankfurt: QM01) From the President of the Company. Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael O'Shea to the Board of Directors. Michael has agreed to become the head of the audit committee as an independent director. The Company acknowledges that being a publicly traded entity, it requires a board filled with competent independent members to meet the corporate governance standards set by the BCSC. Michael O'Shea (CNW Group/Desert Mountain Energy Corp.) "We are fortunate to have Michael join our board and bring years of accounting expertise to the audit committee," comments Robert Rohlfing, Executive Chairman and CEO of DME. "DME has built multiple revenue streams that require the head of the audit committee to have the level of expertise that Michael possesses." Michael is an accomplished professional with significant experience in senior audit and management roles. His career spanned +35 years initially articling with KPMG and the Ontario Provincial Auditor's Office, followed by senior audit positions at Enbridge and Gulf Canada. Michael then returned to the Ontario government where he held senior management and audit roles, including Ontario Hydro and regulatory positions at the Ontario Telephone Commission and the Ontario Energy Board. Michael has acted as a director on several boards including Whitby Minor Lacrosse and a Condominium Board. In addition to his professional career, Michael has taught Audit and Accounting courses at York University and several colleges. He is an active member of the Quinte Health Board, which oversees four hospitals and serves on the Audit and Resources and Senior Leadership Evaluation and Compensation Committees. ABOUT DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is a publicly traded resource company primarily focused on exploration, development and production of helium, hydrogen and noble gases. The Company is primarily looking for elements deemed critical to the renewable energy and high technology industries. We seek safe harbor "Robert Rohlfing" Robert Rohlfing Exec Chairman & CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in polices of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward looking statements and information herein include but are not limited to statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance in the future the planned exploration activities, receipt of positive results from drilling, the completion of further drilling and exploration work, and the timing and results of various activities. Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company and its operations to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, among others, changes in national and local governments, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and the United States; financial risks due to helium prices, operating or technical difficulties in exploration and development activities; risks and hazards and the speculative nature of resource exploration and related development; risks in obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and challenges to the Company's title to properties. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the continued operation of the Company's exploration operations, no material adverse change in the market price of commodities, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company does not intend to, and nor does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. SOURCE Desert Mountain Energy Corp. MADISON, Wis., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The widespread adoption of technology in K-12 learning has brought remarkable advancements in education, enabling at-home learning, personalized instruction, and various other classroom benefits. However, this new reality also presents challenges, with schools facing the escalating costs of device maintenance, repair, and loss. Recent studies have highlighted an increasing dependence on devices for student learning, emphasizing the urgency of managing device downtime effectively. However, as more schools equip students with devices, they are facing the challenge of regular "computing device return-and-repair rituals." Maintaining devices is essential, as technology plays a pivotal role in preparing students for the workforce and facilitating personalized instruction that improves learning outcomes for all. When devices are unavailable due to damage, loss, or security concerns, students' learning outcomes suffer. In November 2022, LocknCharge surveyed 171 US-based teachers. Their findings revealed that 57% of those US educators help replace student devices at least once per week on average, diverting valuable teaching time. Additionally, 63% of surveyed educators reported that students without working devices experience lost learning time. To address these challenges and streamline device management, schools across the globe are implementing Smart Locker Systems with autonomous checkout functionality. Recently, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest school system in the US, turned to LocknCharge for 1,800 FUYL Tower Smart Lockers, which enables students and educators to access ready-to-use devices at their convenience. LAUSD's decision to implement Smart Locker Systems stemmed from the need to efficiently distribute devices and reduce downtime caused by lost, forgotten, or broken devices. Jun Kim, Director of Technology at Moore Public Schools in Oklahoma, recommends Smart Lockers for the efficiency brought to his district's technology operations. The district deployed LocknCharge Smart Lockers and the Incident IQ IT Help Desk Ticketing System integration to manage device infrastructure effectively and facilitate easy access for students. The Smart Lockers, powered by a Cloud platform, have reduced device downtime and enhanced classroom engagement. By leveraging this cutting-edge technology, schools can minimize learning disruptions caused by device downtime and ensure an efficient, secure, and streamlined educational experience for students and teachers alike. About LocknCharge LocknCharge is a software and hardware company that is revolutionizing the way organizations manage mobile devices and other physical assets. LocknCharge exists to help schools and businesses uncover a better way to manage devices. For media inquiries, please contact: Jen Lichtie VP of Global Marketing jen.l@lockncharge.com SOURCE LocknCharge Distinguished General and Interventional Cardiologist Returns to South Florida to Provide Comprehensive Cardiovascular Care MIAMI, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- My Cardiologist, South Florida's leading provider of comprehensive cardiovascular care and services, is delighted to welcome back Dr. Phillip Erwin to South Florida. Joining our esteemed team at the Boca Raton location, Dr. Erwin brings extensive expertise in managing complex coronary artery disease and valvular heart conditions, along with a dedication to preventative cardiology. Phillip Erwin, M.D., P.h.D., general and interventional cardiologist with special expertise in the management of complex coronary artery disease and valvular heart disease. Located in Boca Raton, FL After spending several years in Colorado, Dr. Erwin is excited to return to the area and continue his mission of providing exceptional cardiac care to the Boca Raton community. With a focus on caring for the whole person and optimizing total health and wellness, Dr. Erwin takes a comprehensive approach to cardiovascular care, ensuring his patients receive the highest standard of treatment. "We are delighted to welcome Dr. Phillip Erwin back to South Florida and to My Cardiologist," said Dr. Harry Aldrich, President at My Cardiologist. "His commitment to personalized patient care and his expertise in managing complex cardiac conditions make him a valuable asset to our team and to the Boca Raton community." Dr. Erwin's impressive background includes training at prestigious institutions such as Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and the Cleveland Clinic. His extensive knowledge and skill in interventional and structural cardiology have earned him recognition as a leading expert in his field. "I am thrilled to be part of the My Cardiologist team and to be back in South Florida," expressed Dr. Phillip Erwin. "As a cardiologist, I believe in taking a proactive approach to heart health and in fostering strong patient-doctor relationships to achieve the best possible outcomes." With fluency in English, French, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, Dr. Erwin is dedicated to providing accessible and compassionate care to a diverse patient population. He has the next day availability to see patients within a couple of days at the Boca Raton office. My Cardiologist is renowned for its commitment to excellence, wellness, and prevention. The addition of Dr. Phillip Erwin further reinforces their position as a leading destination for comprehensive cardiac care in South Florida. Patients can expect exceptional care, innovative treatments, and personalized attention as they embark on their journey to better heart health. For more information or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Phillip Erwin at My Cardiologist's Boca Raton location, please contact: Boca Raton 1599 NW 9th Ave Suite #203 Boca Raton, FL 33486 Tel: 561-338-8884 [email protected] About My Cardiologist: My Cardiologist is a premier provider of cardiovascular care in South Florida. With a focus on excellence, wellness, and prevention, the practice offers comprehensive cardiac services to patients, including specialized diagnostic testing and treatments. Comprised of a team of highly skilled physicians, My Cardiologist is committed to delivering exceptional patient care through personalized attention and state-of-the-art technology. To learn more, visit www.mycardiologist.com. SOURCE My Cardiologist PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inverness Graham backed Electron Microscopy Sciences ("EMS") and Azer Scientific ("Azer") are pleased to announce that they are coming together as one company to create a market leading solutions provider for research, clinical, and industrial lab supplies and services. With a common legacy of supplying high-quality products, custom capabilities, and responsive service, the combined company will offer customers over 30,000 laboratory products and deep market expertise. Electron Microscopy Sciences and Azer Scientific Join Creating a Leading Life Sciences and Clinical Lab Products Company Tweet this The combination of EMS and Azer further builds upon private investment firm Inverness Graham's platform in Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostics, establishing a diversified lab supplier at scale that leverages Azer's 20+ year history as a leading supplier of healthcare lab consumables and EMS's market leading presence as a research consumables supplier to the microscopy markets. Raj Kapadia, CEO of EMS, who will lead the combined entity as CEO, stated: "Lab customers continue to face increasing and evolving challenges. Our new company combines two trusted brands, enabling EMS and Azer to serve our customers in new ways while maintaining our high levels of service." Reza Ardekani, founder of Azer, who will continue as CEO of Azer, added: "We are excited to join forces with EMS and offer our customers a broader suite of high-quality products and services. Our combined expertise will enable us to provide even more innovative solutions and create a more comprehensive customer experience." Adam Ardekani, President of Azer, adds "The two brands are complementary and expand the scale and reach for each other. I am excited to draw upon the talent and resources at both EMS and Azer to aid customers on their journey to empower scientists who are having a profound impact on the world." The new company will maintain headquarters and facilities in the Greater Philadelphia area and will continue to promote the EMS and Azer brands. About Inverness Graham Inverness Graham is a Philadelphia based buyout firm that acquires innovative companies where technology is transforming traditional industry. The firm's Flagship strategy focuses on high-growth businesses leveraging technology in Healthcare, Software and Advanced Manufacturing. The firm's Green Light strategy targets technology-enabled businesses where Environmental Sustainability is a key driver of accelerating growth. Inverness Graham executes a differentiated, repeatable model for value creation through its proprietary Strategic Platform Build approach. Founded by senior executives of the Graham Group, the firm builds upon a 60-year legacy of operational excellence, bringing substantial value creation resources and an innovative mindset to support its portfolio company partners. Electron Microscopy Sciences (EMS) Founded in 1969, Electron Microscopy Sciences (EMS) is the most comprehensive source for all microscopy, histology, and general laboratory research fields. Its mission is to partner with customers to drive product and service innovation within the life sciences and research industries. Today, EMS has over 80 employees and serves customers across ~100 countries. Learn more about EMS here. Azer Scientific (Azer) Founded by Reza Ardekani, Azer Scientific began with a Dell computer in his family's living room and will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. Azer Scientific supports laboratories across the globe with the highest level of service and integrity in their advancement of science. Today, Azer Scientific has over 75 employees and is an established leading healthcare supplier. Learn more about Azer here. SOURCE Electron Microscopy Sciences Data Reveals Employees of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps Experienced Significant Improvements in Mental Health Conditions from Ketamine-Assisted Therapy BOSTON, Mass., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Enthea , the first and only licensed provider of health insurance benefits to cover psychedelic-assisted therapies, today released their one-year results from the benefit program it administers for Dr. Bronner's, the seventy-five year old, top-selling natural brand of soap in the United States. The California based company generated $170.3M in revenue in 2023 and prides itself on offering generous employee benefits. Since 2022 the company has offered employees and their families coverage for ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT). Employers like Dr. Bronner's are motivated to offer additional benefits for mental health care to improve employee well-being. Offerings like KAT can also support improved productivity, increase employee retention rates, lower medical costs, and a more engaged workforce overall. The partnership between Enthea and Dr. Bronner's to offer KAT as an ancillary benefit launched in January 2022, paving the way to more effective mental health treatment. Enthea's services allowed Dr. Bronner's to become the first company to add KAT to its existing employer-sponsored health insurance plan. During the first year, 7% of overall health plan members completed their physician-recommended KAT treatment regimen, which includes medical and psychiatric intake, preparatory sessions, ketamine medicine sessions, and therapy sessions to integrate the experiences into their daily lives. The data revealed eye-opening symptom score reductions for patients diagnosed with various conditions: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: 86% improvement Major Depressive Disorder: 67% improvement Generalized Anxiety Disorder: 65% improvement All treatments under the Dr. Bronner's-sponsored benefit were provided by San Diego based Flow Integrative , Enthea's flagship Credentialed Provider, who partnered with Enthea to pilot this model. Enthea is collaborating with employers to add KAT as an ancillary benefit, similar to add-on fertility benefits or dental coverage. The encouraging outcomes seen with Dr. Bronner's employees validate Enthea's approach of removing barriers to access by way of employee mental health benefits. "In recent years, more workplaces have started paying closer attention to the well-being of employees. This is incredibly important to us at Dr. Bronner's and is key to our mission," said David Bronner, Cosmic Engagement Officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner's. "Partnering with Enthea to offer ketamine-assisted therapy to our workforce is something that I'm especially proud of. While not everyone experiences such deep healing, many of our team members have reported dramatic improvements in their lives as a result of ketamine-assisted therapy. We hope to inspire other companies and organizations to also partner with Enthea and offer this benefit to their staff." Encouraged by the Dr. Bronner's pilot, Enthea also announced the addition of a telemedicine/at-home treatment model for ketamine assisted-therapy (KAT) through a partnership with leading mental wellness provider, Nue Life . As part of Nue Life's entry into the Enthea Provider Network , Enthea will ensure compliance with its Medical Policy and Standards of Care, as well as completion and verification of all required practitioner credentialing. This partnership begins with a limited rollout that will allow patients to be safely and conveniently treated in the comfort of their own homes, and further reducing barriers to access such as cost, location and wait times. "Enthea and Nue Life are working in tandem to provide cutting-edge mental health solutions, no matter the environment," said Juan Pablo Cappello, CEO & Co-Founder of Nue Life Health. "We are excited to be Enthea's first partner for at-home treatment and to be providing cutting-edge ways to capture patient data so Enthea can achieve its mission of equity and access while being able to demonstrate outcomes." In the United States, millions suffer from challenging mental health conditions, but insurance often fails to cover KAT fully. Conventional approaches have limitations, but KAT's effectiveness in clinical trials offers great hope. Enthea's turn-key operation seeks to make it seamless for employers to provide coverage for these treatments for employees and families. Enthea has a rapidly growing list of premium partners and employers that will be onboarded on a regular basis. For more information on the latest company developments at Enthea, visit www.enthea.com . About Enthea Enthea is a licensed, third-party administrator of health insurance benefits with a mission to provide access to safe and affordable psychedelic-assisted therapies, starting with ketamine therapy. Through these benefits, companies can cover this new and innovative treatment for their employees and families, leading to improved productivity, increased retention, lower medical costs, and a more engaged workforce. Enthea's services currently cover ketamine-based treatments and will include MDMA and psilocybin-assisted therapies as they are approved. About Dr. Bronner's and Ketamine Assisted Therapy Dr. Bronner's Ketamine-Assisted Therapy employee health benefit program is administered through the provider Enthea and services are currently offered to employees by Flow Integrative. At this time, Flow Integrative is the only treatment provider covered by Dr. Bronner's health benefit in collaboration with Enthea. Dr. Bronner's strongly encourages anyone considering Ketamine-Assisted Therapy treatment to make the decision in consultation with a licensed physician and general practitioner and only after it is confirmed that you have no contraindications. Dr. Bronner's does not support or encourage the unlicensed use of ketamine or the illegal practice of Ketamine-Assisted Therapy in any circumstances. For more information on Dr. Bronner's and their ketamine-assisted therapy benefit, please see here. Media Contact Autumn Communications [email protected] SOURCE Enthea NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Market is estimated to grow by USD 3,403.04 million during 2022-2027, growing at a CAGR of 9.15%. North America will contribute 34% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. Factors like the growing focus of governments on good health and safety practices in workplaces drive regional market growth. Furthermore, the US has implemented multiple measures to minimize environmental hazards in the industrial workplace. Hence, such factors boost the regional market growth during the forecast period. For Comprehensive details on the market size of the historic period (2017 to 2021) and forecast period (2023-2027) - View Sample report Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Market 2023-2027 Company Landscape The environment, health, and safety (EHS) market is fragmented; the vendors are competing with competitors and are trying to get a greater market share. The market is growing, and the chances of new entrants cannot be overlooked. The major vendors have well-established economies of scale and market presence and generally rely on positioning, technological advances, and the price of the products -The report provides a full list of key vendors, their strategies, and the latest developments. Buy Now Market Dynamics Major Drivers & Challenges- The market is driven by factors such as the increase in government initiatives to strengthen EHS compliance. Across the world, organizations are concerned about managing compliance policies to eliminate compliance-related issues. Furthermore, organizations have understood that maintaining compliance is not a single event but a process. This builds and maintains a risk mitigation system in place to prevent instances of compliance breaches. Hence, builds and maintains a risk mitigation system in place to prevent instances of compliance breaches. The high initial capital investments challenge the growth of the EHS market. The replacement of existing infrastructure with EHS infrastructure involves high expenditure and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and industries face a major challenge in adopting such infrastructure. This is due to the high initial costs, which restricts market growth. Also, since EHS standards are involved in almost all operational activities of an enterprise, the greater benefits of EHS standards can be achieved by integrating them with the ERP system. Hence, such challenges might affect the adoption of EHS software and services and thereby adversely impact the growth of the global EHS market. Key Trends- The shifting focus from detection to prevention of hazards are some of the opportunities for the market players to grow. Companies used to spend a significant amount of time detecting unsafe conditions where the mitigation of risks is heavily skewed to prevent accidents from recurring instead of preventing them from happening in the first place. However, companies can save lives by investing in accident prevention and being proactive about the safety of their employees. Hence, a shift toward risk mitigation at the workplace will make it necessary for market vendors to modify their EHS software offerings, thus creating further opportunities for market growth during the forecast period. Technavio has identified key trends, drivers, and challenges in the market, which will help clients improve their strategies to stay ahead of their competitors. - View Sample Report Company Profiles The environment, health and safety (EHS) market report includes information on the product launches, sustainability, and prospects of leading vendors including AECOM, AMEC EUROPE LTD., Benchmark Digital Partners LLC, Cority Software Inc., Enhesa NV, Fortive Corp., Hexagon AB, International Business Machines Corp., Johnson Controls International Plc, ProcessMAP Corp., SAP SE, SGS SA, Sphera Solutions Inc., Tetra Tech Inc., Vector Solutions, VelocityEHS Holdings Inc., Verisk Analytics Inc., WSP Global Inc., Wolters Kluwer NV, and W. R. Grace and Co. Competitive Analysis The report includes competitive analysis, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their industry position score and market performance score. The competitive scenario categorizes companies based on various performance indicators. Some of the factors considered include the financial performance of companies over the past few years, growth strategies, product innovations, new product launches, investments, and growth in market share, among others. Market Segmentation This environment, health and safety (EHS) market report extensively covers market segmentation by end-user (energy and utilities, chemicals and materials, healthcare, construction and engineering, and others), deployment (on-premise and cloud based), and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). The energy and utilities segment will be significant during the forecast period. The growing investment in the energy and utilities industry and the growing importance of EHS compliance standards at the workplace drive the segment growth. Furthermore, regulatory agencies like OSHA have mandated stringent regulatory standards such as the control of hazardous energy. Hence, such factors drive segment growth during the forecast period. Gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Related Reports: The environmental disinfection robot market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 30.88% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 531.72 million. This report extensively covers market segmentation by technology (UV-C and HPV), type (autonomous mobile robots and automated guided robots), and geography (Europe, North America, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America). The changes in cleaning protocols to prevent HAIs (Healthcare-Associated Infections) are notably driving the market growth. The medical facility environmental monitoring system market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.96% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 99.19 million. This report extensively covers market segmentation by type (monitoring equipment, software, and microbiology services), end-user (hospitals and diagnostic centers, pharmacies, and medical storage centers), and geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest Of World (ROW)). The enhanced profitability by lowering medical losses is notably driving the market growth. Environment, Health And Safety (EHS) Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 9.15% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 3,403.04 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 8.17 Regional analysis North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 34% Key countries US, China, India, Germany, and France Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled AECOM, AMEC EUROPE LTD., Benchmark Digital Partners LLC, Cority Software Inc., Enhesa NV, Fortive Corp., Hexagon AB, International Business Machines Corp., Johnson Controls International Plc, ProcessMAP Corp., SAP SE, SGS SA, Sphera Solutions Inc., Tetra Tech Inc., Vector Solutions, VelocityEHS Holdings Inc., Verisk Analytics Inc., WSP Global Inc., Wolters Kluwer NV, and W. R. Grace and Co. 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 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 Deployment 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 environment, health and safety (EHS) market 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size Data Table on global environment, health and safety (ehs) 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 Deployment Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size Deployment 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 Energy and utilities - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 34: Chart on Energy and utilities - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Energy and utilities - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 36: Chart on Energy and utilities - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 37: Data Table on Energy and utilities - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.4 Chemicals and materials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 38: Chart on Chemicals and materials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Chemicals and materials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 40: Chart on Chemicals and materials - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 41: Data Table on Chemicals and materials - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.5 Healthcare - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 42: Chart on Healthcare - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 43: Data Table on Healthcare - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 44: Chart on Healthcare - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 45: Data Table on Healthcare - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.6 Construction and engineering - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 46: Chart on Construction and engineering - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 47: Data Table on Construction and engineering - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 48: Chart on Construction and engineering - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 49: Data Table on Construction and engineering - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 50: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 51: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 52: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 53: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.8 Market opportunity by End-user Exhibit 54: Market opportunity by End-user ($ million) Exhibit 55: Data Table on Market opportunity by End-user ($ million) 7 Market Segmentation by Deployment 7.1 Market segments Exhibit 56: Chart on Deployment - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 57: Data Table on Deployment - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 7.2 Comparison by Deployment Exhibit 58: Chart on Comparison by Deployment Exhibit 59: Data Table on Comparison by Deployment 7.3 On-premise - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 60: Chart on On-premise - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 61: Data Table on On-premise - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 62: Chart on On-premise - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 63: Data Table on On-premise - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.4 Cloud based - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 64: Chart on Cloud based - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 65: Data Table on Cloud based - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 66: Chart on Cloud based - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 67: Data Table on Cloud based - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.5 Market opportunity by Deployment Exhibit 68: Market opportunity by Deployment ($ million) Exhibit 69: Data Table on Market opportunity by Deployment ($ million) 8 Customer Landscape 8.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 70: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 9 Geographic Landscape 9.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 71: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 72: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) 9.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 73: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 74: Data Table on Geographic comparison 9.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 75: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 76: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 77: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 78: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.4 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 (%) 9.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 83: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 84: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 85: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 86: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 87: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 88: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 89: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 90: 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 91: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 92: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 93: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 94: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 95: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 96: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 97: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 98: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.9 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 99: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 100: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 101: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 102: 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 103: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 104: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 105: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 106: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.11 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 107: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 108: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 109: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 110: 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 111: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 112: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 113: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 114: Data Table on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 115: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) Exhibit 116: 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 117: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027 10.4 Market trends 11 Vendor Landscape 11.1 Overview 11.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 118: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 11.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 119: Overview on factors of disruption 11.4 Industry risks Exhibit 120: Impact of key risks on business 12 Vendor Analysis 12.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 121: Vendors covered 12.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 122: Matrix on vendor position and classification 12.3 AECOM Exhibit 123: AECOM - Overview Exhibit 124: AECOM - Business segments Exhibit 125: AECOM - Key news Exhibit 126: AECOM - Key offerings Exhibit 127: AECOM - Segment focus 12.4 AMEC EUROPE LTD. LTD. Exhibit 128: AMEC EUROPE LTD. - Overview LTD. - Overview Exhibit 129: AMEC EUROPE LTD. - Product / Service LTD. - Product / Service Exhibit 130: AMEC EUROPE LTD. - Key offerings 12.5 Benchmark Digital Partners LLC Exhibit 131: Benchmark Digital Partners LLC - Overview Exhibit 132: Benchmark Digital Partners LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 133: Benchmark Digital Partners LLC - Key offerings 12.6 Cority Software Inc. Exhibit 134: Cority Software Inc. - Overview Exhibit 135: Cority Software Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 136: Cority Software Inc. - Key offerings 12.7 Fortive Corp. Exhibit 137: Fortive Corp. - Overview Exhibit 138: Fortive Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 139: Fortive Corp. - Key news Exhibit 140: Fortive Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 141: Fortive Corp. - Segment focus 12.8 Hexagon AB Exhibit 142: Hexagon AB - Overview Exhibit 143: Hexagon AB - Business segments Exhibit 144: Hexagon AB - Key news Exhibit 145: Hexagon AB - Key offerings Exhibit 146: Hexagon AB - Segment focus 12.9 Johnson Controls International Plc Exhibit 147: Johnson Controls International Plc - Overview Exhibit 148: Johnson Controls International Plc - Business segments Exhibit 149: Johnson Controls International Plc - Key news Exhibit 150: Johnson Controls International Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 151: Johnson Controls International Plc - Segment focus 12.10 SAP SE Exhibit 152: SAP SE - Overview Exhibit 153: SAP SE - Business segments Exhibit 154: SAP SE - Key news Exhibit 155: SAP SE - Key offerings Exhibit 156: SAP SE - Segment focus 12.11 SGS SA Exhibit 157: SGS SA - Overview Exhibit 158: SGS SA - Business segments Exhibit 159: SGS SA - Key offerings Exhibit 160: SGS SA - Segment focus 12.12 Sphera Solutions Inc. Exhibit 161: Sphera Solutions Inc. - Overview Exhibit 162: Sphera Solutions Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 163: Sphera Solutions Inc. - Key offerings 12.13 Tetra Tech Inc. Exhibit 164: Tetra Tech Inc. - Overview Exhibit 165: Tetra Tech Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 166: Tetra Tech Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 167: Tetra Tech Inc. - Segment focus 12.14 Vector Solutions Exhibit 168: Vector Solutions - Overview Exhibit 169: Vector Solutions - Product / Service Exhibit 170: Vector Solutions - Key offerings 12.15 VelocityEHS Holdings Inc. Exhibit 171: VelocityEHS Holdings Inc. - Overview Exhibit 172: VelocityEHS Holdings Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 173: VelocityEHS Holdings Inc. - Key offerings 12.16 Verisk Analytics Inc. Exhibit 174: Verisk Analytics Inc. - Overview Exhibit 175: Verisk Analytics Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 176: Verisk Analytics Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 177: Verisk Analytics Inc. - Segment focus 12.17 Wolters Kluwer NV Exhibit 178: Wolters Kluwer NV - Overview Exhibit 179: Wolters Kluwer NV - Business segments Exhibit 180: Wolters Kluwer NV - Key offerings Exhibit 181: Wolters Kluwer NV - Segment focus 13 Appendix 13.1 Scope of the report 13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 182: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 183: Exclusions checklist 13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 184: Currency conversion rates for US$ 13.4 Research methodology Exhibit 185: Research methodology Exhibit 186: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 187: Information sources 13.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 188: 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 provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com SOURCE Technavio NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fairstead today announced the promotion of two team members to the role of Managing Directors. In recognition of their impact and expertise, as well as Fairstead's commitment to developing and supporting internal talent, Rob Dunn and Noah Hale have been appointed as Managing Directors. With almost two decades of experience in the real estate industry, Rob Dunn, Managing Director, Asset Management, will serve as head of Fairstead's asset management group, overseeing the firm's portfolio of workforce, market rate, affordable, and mixed-use communities. Prior to joining Fairstead, Dunn spent six years overseeing asset management, property management, and complex capital transactions for a large New York City based firm. Noah Hale, Managing Director, Development, offers expertise in acquisition, rehabilitation, and development of affordable and mixed-income housing. Hale's experience spans geographies, ranging from the recently approved ground-up redevelopment of 532 new homes at Samuel Madden Homes in Alexandria, VA to the 250 unit rehabilitation of Goodlette Arms affordable senior housing in Naples, FL. Both Dunn and Hale are based primarily out of Fairstead's newly opened Florida office, reflecting Fairstead's growth and commitment to the southeast market. The two joined Fairstead in 2020 and in that time have increased responsibilities while generating positive outcomes for residents and partners. "We are proud to elevate Fairstead team members Noah Hale and Rob Dunn to the roles of Managing Directors," said Jeffrey Goldberg, CEO of Fairstead. "Their commitment, teamwork, and dedication have made concrete contributions in our company's growth and continued success across the country. With their expertise and collaboration across our organization, Fairstead will reach new heights and deepen our impact in the communities we serve." The promotions come on the heels of the recent acquisition of more than 10,000 new units under ownership, bringing the total units owned to 24,000. Fairstead was also recently named the #1 company in completing acquisitions, #3 company in completing substantial rehabs, and #8 top affordable housing owner, by Affordable Housing Finance through their 2023 AHF Top 50 lists. About Fairstead Fairstead is a purpose-driven real estate firm dedicated to building sustainable communities across the country. Headquartered in New York, with offices in Colorado, Florida, and Maryland, Fairstead manages more than 170 communities across 28 states. Fairstead's commitment to communities is realized through a comprehensive platform that leverages in-house expertise in acquisitions, development, design and construction, and property management. In 2022, the company launched Fairstead Ventures, a proptech investment initiative with a focus on energy and decarbonization. For more information, visit fairstead.com. Media Contacts [email protected] ; [email protected] SOURCE Fairstead WowWee's Global Hit Brand Returns with New Characters and Heartwarming Features to Inspire Fans Worldwide MONTREAL, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fingerlings encourage the world to Go Bananas for Friendship on August 11th to celebrate "Fingerlings Friday'' with the help of YouTube megastars, Jordan and Salish Matter, along with 150 additional content creators. Staying true to their message of Friendship @ Your Fingertips, the campaign celebrates the new heart-to-heart connection feature, a fresh twist on the bestselling play pattern that saw Fingerlings win the 2018 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Award. One of the Hottest Toys of Year, Fingerlings by WowWee are back with new features and a heart-to-heart connection. Tweet this With a new heart-to-heart connection, Fingerlings by WowWee Go Bananas for Friendship! Available wherever toys are sold. Pictured: Harmony Jordan and Salish Matter anchor the campaign with a hilarious and heartwarming transformation challenge. Additional creators will join in to spread friendship and inspire good deeds. "We're taking the core values that have always been a part of this brand, and bringing them to life by showing fans how all these small but meaningful good deeds add up to something huge," said Andrew Yanofsky, Head of Marketing and Operations for WowWee. Named one of the hottest toys of the summer by The Toy Association and Clamour, and a crowd favorite at last month's Toy Insider Sweet Suite event, Fingerlings are packed with exciting new features including fuzzy fur on their heads, posable tails, and a heart that glows when you place them on your finger! An early launch in the UK is proving that this message of positivity is resonating with consumers. "Fingerlings are already on pace to more than double the sales we had predicted," says Mark Hunt, UK Marketing Director of Character Group. "We are extremely pleased with the results so far." "Fingerlings are designed with friendship and positivity at their core. Their heart-to-heart connection makes them the perfect sidekick and companion!" said Sydney Wiseman, Vice President of Brand Development and Creative Strategy at WowWee, and creator of Fingerlings. Fingerlings are available now at all major retailers for $14.99 MSRP. Stay tuned for new characters and Fingerlings toys to collect this fall including Lulu the Unicorn! About WowWee WowWee is a global innovator and industry leader in developing, marketing, and distributing hi-tech consumer robotic, toy, and entertainment products. Since its launch in 1988, WowWee has revolutionized the way consumers interact with robotics - fusing technology and imagination to deliver award-winning toys and gadgets such as Robosapien and MiP, The Toy Association's Innovative Toy of the Year (TOTY) in 2015. WowWee's Fingerlings - the first-ever line of animatronic collectible toys - instantly skyrocketed in popularity, topping retail best-selling lists around the world, and won the 2018 Collectible Toy of the Year and overall Toy of the Year awards. With offices in Montreal, San Diego, and Hong Kong, WowWee continues to innovate across the toy and entertainment categories. Please visit https://www.wowwee.com . SOURCE WowWee DUBLIN, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Fire Hydrant Market: Trends, Opportunities and Competitive Analysis 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global fire hydrant market is expected to experience promising growth opportunities, reaching an estimated value of $1.8 billion by 2028 with a CAGR of 4.4% from 2023 to 2028. The major drivers for this market's growth include the increasing industrialization and urbanization, rising commercial and industrial construction activities, and the implementation of strict fire safety regulations by governments. The market is segmented based on various factors, including product type, operating type, construction, end-use industry, and region. The product types analyzed in the study are dry barrel and wet barrel fire hydrants. Among these, the dry barrel segment is expected to remain the largest over the forecast period, particularly in regions with colder climates. Dry barrel fire hydrants are designed to prevent freezing in areas with lower temperatures, making them suitable for regions with harsh weather conditions. The operating types considered in the study are conventional and smart fire hydrants. As the adoption of smart technologies continues to increase across various industries, the demand for smart fire hydrants is also expected to grow. Smart fire hydrants offer advanced features such as remote monitoring, leak detection, and real-time data analysis, enhancing their efficiency and effectiveness in fire safety management. Based on construction, the market is segmented into underground and above-ground fire hydrants. The choice of construction type depends on factors such as geographic location, weather conditions, and infrastructure requirements. The end-use industries analyzed in the report include commercial and industrial sectors. The commercial segment is expected to remain the largest due to the high risk of human life losses associated with fire accidents in commercial spaces, where large numbers of people are present. Increasing awareness of asset protection is also contributing to the demand for fire hydrants in commercial establishments. Geographically, North America is projected to hold the largest share of the fire hydrant market over the forecast period. This can be attributed to strict government regulations, the availability of corrosion-free hydrants, and the region's emphasis on quick water storage for fire safety. In the competitive landscape, companies in the market focus on product quality, expansion of manufacturing facilities, R&D investments, and integration opportunities across the value chain to cater to increasing demand, develop innovative products, and reduce production costs. Overall, the fire hydrant market is expected to witness substantial growth due to the increasing need for fire safety measures in commercial and industrial settings and the growing adoption of smart technologies in fire hydrant systems. Key Topics Covered 1. Executive Summary 2. Global Fire Hydrant Market: Market Dynamics 3. Market Trends and Forecast Analysis from 2017 to 2028 4. Market Trends and Forecast Analysis by Region from 2017 to 2028 5. Competitor Analysis 6. Growth Opportunities and Strategic Analysis 7. Company Profiles of Leading Players A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes: American Cast Iron AVK International Bocciolone Antincedio EJ Group IMP Armature Kupferle Foundry McWane International Mueller Newage Fire Protection Services Rapidrop Global For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/kr6jkp 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 CHICAGO, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In the near future, the flow cytometry industry is poised to undergo remarkable advancements, driven by ongoing innovations in technology and its widening applications across various fields. With the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning, data analysis and interpretation will become more efficient and accurate, enabling researchers and clinicians to gain deeper insights from complex cellular data. The miniaturization of flow cytometry instruments will lead to portable and point-of-care devices, revolutionizing diagnostics and personalized medicine. Additionally, the incorporation of multi-parameter analysis and higher-throughput capabilities will enhance the speed and comprehensiveness of cellular profiling. As the industry continues to evolve, collaborations between academia, industry, and healthcare will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of flow cytometry, unlocking its potential to uncover novel discoveries and improve patient outcomes. Flow Cytometry Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $4.7 billion in 2023 and is poised to reach $7.0 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 8.3% from 2023 to 2028 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The growth of this market is driven by the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and increasing funding for research. Moreover, the launch of novel products in the market by key market players and increased use of flow cytometry in clinical research & diagnostics, such as HIV/AIDS Monitoring, organ transplantation, and cancer diagnostics, are some of the elements propelling the growth of the market. Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=65374584 Browse in-depth TOC on "Flow Cytometry Market" 477 - Tables 47 - Figures 416 - Pages Flow Cytometry Market Scope: Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2023 $4.7 billion Estimated Value by 2028 $7.0 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 8.3% Market Size Available for 20212028 Forecast Period 20232028 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Technology, Product & Service, Application & End User Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America (LATAM), and Middle East and Africa (MEA) Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Public-private funding initiatives in stem cell research Key Market Drivers Technological advancements in flow cytometry instruments The Reagents & consumables segment accounted for the largest share of the product & service segment in the flow cytometry market in 2022. Based on products & services, the flow cytometry market is segmented into software, services, reagents & consumables, instruments, and accessories. Reagents & consumables accounted for the largest share of the flow cytometry market in 2022. The factors attributable to the growth, development of high-quality reagents, increased research activities, and launch of application-specific cytometry reagents. The Research application segment accounted for the largest share of the application segment in the flow cytometry market in 2022. Based on applications, the flow cytometry market is segmented into clinical, research and industrial applications. In 2022, the research applications segment accounted for the dominant share in the global flow cytometry market. The dominance of the market is attributable to various factors, such as increased research activities & funding and a rise in industrial & academic collaboration. The clinical applications segment is likely to grow at a significant CAGR owing to the increased adoption of flow cytometry in clinical applications. North America dominated the flow cytometry market in 2022. Based on region, the flow cytometry market is segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. In 2022, North America dominated the market, followed by Europe. The presence of key market players in the region and increasing public-private initiatives for research activities are key factors supporting the growth of the North American flow cytometry market. The Asia Pacific market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The high prevalence of HIV/AIDS & cancer and rising treatment options for target diseases (cancer and immunological disorders) are driving the market growth. Further factors like rising government funding and the strong presence of key players in the region are some of the factors anticipated to contribute to the flow cytometry market growth in the Asia Pacific. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=65374584 Flow Cytometry Market Dynamics: Drivers: Rising incidence of HIV/AIDS and cancer Wide applications in research for drug discovery & development Use of flow cytometry in regenerative medicine Growing public-private initiatives in immunology and immuno-oncology research Technological advancements in flow cytometry instruments Restraints: High product pricing Opportunities: High growth potential in emerging economies Rising focus on stem cell research Uptake of recombinant DNA technology for antibody production Challenges: Complexities related to reagent development Shortage of skilled professionals Key Market Players: Key players in the flow cytometry market include BD (US), Danaher Corporation (US), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (US), Agilent Technologies, Inc. (US), Sony Corporation (Japan), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (US), Miltenyi Biotec (Germany), Enzo Biochem, Inc. (US), Sysmex Corporation (Japan), bioMerieux (France), Cytonome/ST, LLC (US), Sartorius AG (Germany), Cytek Biosciences (US), Union Biometrica, Inc. (US), Luminex Corporation (Italy), Apogee Flow Systems Ltd. (UK), Stratedigm, Inc. (US), NanoCellect Biomedical, Inc. (US), On-chip Biotechnologies, Co., Ltd. (Japan), (US), Nexcelom Biosciences LLC. (US), BennuBio Inc. (US), Orflo Technologies (US), Bay Biosciences Co., Ltd. (Japan), BioLegend, Inc. (US), and CytoBuoy B.V (Netherlands). Recent Developments: In June 2023 , BD launched The BD FACSDuet Premium Sample Preparation System to automate sample preparation in clinical flow cytometry diagnostics. , BD launched The BD FACSDuet Premium Sample Preparation System to automate sample preparation in clinical flow cytometry diagnostics. In May 2023 , Sysmex launched Clinical Flow Cytometry System Flow Cytometer XF-1600, Sample Preparation System PS-10, antibody reagents, and other related products in Japan . , Sysmex launched Clinical Flow Cytometry System Flow Cytometer XF-1600, Sample Preparation System PS-10, antibody reagents, and other related products in . In June 2022 , BD (US) launched BD FACSDiscover S8 Cell Sorter with high-speed imaging technology that sorts cells based on visual characteristics. , BD (US) launched BD FACSDiscover S8 Cell Sorter with high-speed imaging technology that sorts cells based on visual characteristics. In March 2022 , Beckman Coulter , Inc. (US) launched a fully automated sample preparation system (SPS) CellMek SPS, which offers on-demand processing for many sample types to help laboratories expand their capabilities. Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=65374584 Flow Cytometry Market Advantages: Multiparameter Analysis: Flow cytometry enables simultaneous analysis of multiple cellular parameters (e.g., size, shape, markers), offering a comprehensive view of complex cell populations and their interactions. Single-Cell Resolution: The technology provides insights into individual cells, allowing researchers to study heterogeneity, identify rare cell populations, and understand cellular behavior at a granular level. High Throughput: Flow cytometers can analyze thousands of cells per second, facilitating rapid data acquisition and significantly reducing experiment duration. Automation and Reproducibility: Integration of automation and robotics ensures consistent and reproducible results, minimizing experimental variations and human errors. Cell Sorting: Flow cytometers equipped with cell sorting capabilities enable isolation of specific cell subsets for downstream analysis, transplantation, or further experimentation. Functional Analysis: Flow cytometry can assess cellular functions, such as viability, proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle progression, providing insights into cell health and behavior. Immunophenotyping: Valuable in immunology research, flow cytometry helps characterize immune cell populations, aiding in the understanding of immune responses, diseases, and therapies. Drug Discovery: Flow cytometry plays a pivotal role in drug development by assessing drug effects on cells, identifying potential drug candidates, and evaluating drug toxicity. Cancer Research: It aids in cancer diagnostics and research by detecting cancer cells, characterizing tumor heterogeneity, and evaluating treatment responses. Personalized Medicine: Flow cytometry contributes to personalized medicine by enabling tailored treatments based on individual patient profiles and disease characteristics. Advanced Data Analysis: Integration with AI and machine learning enhances data interpretation, uncovering complex patterns and relationships within datasets. Portable Systems: Miniaturization of instruments results in portable flow cytometry devices suitable for point-of-care diagnostics, field research, and resource-limited settings. Clinical Applications: It's used in clinical laboratories for diagnosing immunological disorders, monitoring disease progression, and assessing treatment efficacy. Research Versatility: Flow cytometry finds applications in various fields, including immunology, hematology, microbiology, neuroscience, stem cell research, and more. Collaborative Potential: The technology encourages collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and industries, fostering cross-disciplinary advancements. These pointers highlight the multifaceted advantages of flow cytometry, making it an indispensable tool in scientific research, clinical diagnostics, and healthcare innovation. Related Reports: Cell Analysis Market - Global Forecasts to 2028 Single Cell Analysis Market - Global Forecasts to 2028 Stem Cell Assay Market - Global Forecasts to 2027 Esoteric Testing Market - Global Forecasts to 2026 Sepsis Diagnostics Market - Global Forecasts to 2026 About MarketsandMarkets: MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients. The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing. Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry. To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/flow-cytometry-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/flow-cytometry.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg SOURCE MarketsandMarkets Through the use of the Stream Platform, surgeons have the potential to make a more accurate and timely diagnosis of postoperative leaks, dreaded complications of digestive tract surgeries, which can lead to better treatment outcomes and an improved quality of life for their patients. Stream Platform's international debut, made possible through the company's strategic partnerships with Canadian Hospital Specialties Limited (CHS Ltd.) and Gulf Medical Co. Ltd., marks an exciting new chapter in postoperative care around the world. "The launch of Stream Platform is a pivotal milestone in addressing the critical need we hear from surgeons across the globe: patients suffer from life-threatening complications, and we don't catch them soon enough. With a data-driven approach backed by artificial intelligence, we can predict complications and enable preventative medicine - an entirely new paradigm of care that is precise and tailored to individual patient needs." - Youssef Helwa, CEO and Cofounder of FluidAI About Stream Platform Postoperative leaks are a potential complication for patients who have undergone gastrointestinal surgery. Leaks are a significant concern, carrying a high risk of morbidity and mortality for patients, potential short- and long-term consequences, and significant implications for healthcare systems more broadly, including increased length of patient stay and decreased quality of life. The Stream Platform is a system that utilizes patient-specific data to improve postoperative care. Using advanced sensors and an AI-driven algorithm, this non-invasive, easy-to-use device, can help drive detection of leaks early on, which can ultimately save hospitals both time and money. The Stream Platform consists of the Origin Inline Device, which gathers patient data from the surgical site; and the Delta Bedside Monitor, a tablet that utilizes the Stream app to analyze and display the patient data. About FluidAI Medical FluidAI (formerly known as NERv Technology Inc.) is a Canadian medical technology company that uses AI to aid with the early detection of postoperative leaks. From general to gastrointestinal surgeries, FluidAI's mission is to empower healthcare providers with data-driven solutions that improve patient outcomes and advance postoperative care. To learn more about FluidAI and how the company is transforming postoperative care, please visit https://fluidai.md/. 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Luis Moreno Ocampo , first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, calls on world powers to prevent a genocide starvation of 120,000 Armenians Nagorno-Karabakh has been blockaded by Azerbaijan for months, blocking food and other supplies Report notes the blockade constitutes genocide according to the Genocide Convention in "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction." MONTROSE, Calif., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Luis Moreno Ocampo, who as the International Criminal Court's Prosecutor obtained arrest warrants for Genocide in Darfur against then Sudan President Omar Al Bashir, has issued an alarming report. He warns that the 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in the blockaded enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, cut off from food and other supplies by Azerbaijan, are victims of genocide by starvation. Luis Moreno Ocampo "Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks," Ocampo wrote in the pro bono report (read it here ), entitled "Genocide against Armenians in 2023." He noted that Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention determined that "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction" constituted genocide. The blockade is therefore not just a humanitarian catastrophe but a genocide against an ethnic group: the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, a region known by Armenians as Artsakh. "You will find no crematoria in Nagorno-Karabakh, nor machetes, but genocide by starvation is no less devastating for being silent," Ocampo said. "It was the same deadly method used against Armenians in 1915, against Poles and Jews in 1939, and against the people of Srebrenica in 1993. And unless we intervene right now, we'll have a group of Armenians exterminated by year's end." (genocide already happens. It is to create the conditions, it is not requiring the deaths) Scathingly noting past world indifference, Ocampo wrote: "The U.S., Russia, members of the European Union, all state parties of the Genocide Convention, and UN members have a rare historic opportunity to stop genocide against an Armenian group in 2023." The report has been delivered to the President of Nagorno-Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, to Armenia's Ambassador to the United Nations Mher Margaryan, and to the Armenian Foreign Ministry in Yerevan. The enclave, which lies inside Azerbaijan's official borders but which has operated as a self-governing entity for decades, is connected to the outside world by the Lachin Corridor. On December 12, 2022, Azerbaijan blocked the road, allowing only intermittent passage by the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers and since June 15 all passage has been entirely blocked. Ocampo, who began his legendary career by helping to liberate his native Argentina from military dictatorship, also references a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice that found "a real and imminent risk" to the "health and life" of the Armenians in the enclave. Prior to the release of the report, on July 31, Ocampo wrote to Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, demanding explanations about his intentions and cautioning that his behavior could be investigated as a Genocide. He did not receive a reply. Ocampo said Aliyev should be investigated by the ICC, but the priority now is to prevent the physical elimination of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. Ocampo noted that since December 2022, Aliyev deliberately blocked the provision of life's essentials to the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, openly disobeying the specific orders of the International Court of Justice "to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions." During his time at the ICC, in 2008, Ocampo obtained arrest warrants against Sudan's then-President Omar al-Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur. Bashir was deposed and is in jail in Khartoum. MEDIA CONTACT: Arda Nazerian: 1 (516) 457-5187 and [email protected] SOURCE Luis Moreno Ocampo The new partnership delivers care for hemodialysis patients at their local hospital, who previously had to travel nearly 100 miles for care, eliminating the need to be transferred to a more urban hospital. WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresenius Medical Care, the world's leading provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases has launched an on-site dialysis program with Sarah Bush Lincoln, a regional health system in Mattoon, IL. This program now provides dialysis services with the NxStage VersiHD home hemodialysis system to patients in the local community who previously had to travel 100 miles to receive care. By keeping patients at the local hospital, the doctors and nurses have visibility to all other diagnostics and treatments. Pictured: Dr. Timothy Pflederer, Medical Director of the dialysis program at Sarah Bush Lincoln and Alexandra Boyer, RN, BSN, MBA, CDN, CNML, Procedural Services Director at Sarah Bush Lincoln. "Rural communities across the country struggle with providing access to high quality health care, especially when more complex procedures like dialysis are needed. Utilizing the smaller, simpler NxStage system makes it possible to provide dialysis to hospitalized patients in their own community, closer to their home and loved ones. This is an added benefit of the NxStage VersiHD in rural hospitals as patients who choose home dialysis have better outcomes than those who require dialysis in an outpatient facility," said Dr. Timothy Pflederer, Medical Director of the dialysis program at Sarah Bush Lincoln and former President of the Renal Physicians Association. When Sarah Bush Lincoln first implemented the NxStage VersiHD in partnership with Fresenius Medical Care in September of 2022, they quickly discovered their dialysis volumes grew significantly higher than anticipated, resulting in several hundred treatments thus far. "It is incredible to see the immediate impact Sarah Bush Lincoln and the local community are experiencing since launching an on-site dialysis program," said Joseph Turk, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Home Therapies at Fresenius Medical Care. "Now the patients can receive treatments, work on their rehabilitation and have family visits all in one location. We always strive to make a positive impact on patients' lives. It is very rewarding to see how our system helps dialysis providers and hospitals improve efficiency and patient experience." The NxStage VersiHD was chosen by Sarah Bush Lincoln for its ease of use and flexibility, which enabled the care team to start offering dialysis services quickly without a significant capital outlay. The simplicity of the device was designed to have web-based setup and troubleshooting guidance which also made it easy for dialysis nurses to learn and use the system with only one and a half days of training. The product has a home-like feel, so when their patients are discharged, they may easily transition into continuing their dialysis treatments at home. Alexandra Boyer, RN, BSN, MBA, CDN, CNML, Procedural Services Director for Sarah Bush Lincoln, and Dr. Pflederer led the team who selected the NxStage VersiHD hemodialysis system for Sarah Bush Lincoln. "We evaluated three dialysis machines and opted for NxStage. All three devices appeared easier to use than conventional systems, but the NxStage system rose to the top for a few key reasons. NxStage does not require us to purchase or lease-to-own the equipment. We opted for a month-to-month license which allows us greater flexibility if the needs of our program change over the years. The NxStage service model sends us a replacement device right away when the machine needs service. This gave us peace of mind that delay in care would not be an issue, as well as eliminated the need for biomedical staff to be trained on the system. The blood tubing and dialyzer cartridge are self-contained, which eliminates the need for heat or chemical disinfection of the system. We also chose to use its pre-mixed dialysate bags, which eliminates the need for water testing. This feature is the safest option for our patients and would help reduce our regulatory risk as water testing and decontamination are heavily regulated. Our first concern is always patient safety. A few patients now choose to continue home hemodialysis instead of going in-center when they saw how easy NxStage is to use. This has made our outpatient dialysis partners happy since insurance is pushing them to increase home dialysis use," said Boyer. Patients and family members credit Sarah Bush Lincoln for exposure into a flexible modality to their dialysis treatments. "It is our mission to improve our patients' lives, and it's been powerful to see these patients have the opportunity to remain on-site and then transition home," said Dr. Brigitte Schiller, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Home Therapies at Fresenius Medical Care. To hear more patients' stories or more information about VersiHD, please visit https://www.nxstage.com/hcp/products/nxstage-versihd Disclaimer: Despite the health benefits that home hemodialysis may provide to those with chronic kidney disease, this form of therapy is not for everyone. The reported benefits of home hemodialysis may not be experienced by all patients. The risks associated with hemodialysis treatments in any environment include, but are not limited to, high blood pressure, fluid overload, low blood pressure, heart-related issues, and vascular access complications. The medical devices used in hemodialysis therapies may add additional risks including air entering the bloodstream and blood loss due to clotting or accidental disconnection of the blood tubing set. Certain risks are unique to the home. Treatments at home are done without the presence of medical personnel and on-site technical support. Patients and their partners must be trained on what to do and how to get medical or technical help if needed. 2023 Fresenius Medical Care. All Rights Reserved. Fresenius Medical Care, the triangle logo, NxStage, and Versi are trademarks of Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc. or its affiliated companies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. APM4899 Rev. A Fresenius Medical Care is the world's leading provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases of which around 3.9 million patients worldwide regularly undergo dialysis treatment. Through its network of 4,050 dialysis clinics, Fresenius Medical Care provides dialysis treatments for approximately 344,000 patients around the globe. Fresenius Medical Care is also the leading provider of dialysis products such as dialysis machines or dialyzers. Fresenius Medical Care is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FME) and on the New York Stock Exchange (FMS). For more information visit the Company's website at www.freseniusmedicalcare.com. Media Contact: Emanuela Cariolagian T +1 800 723-2384 [email protected] SOURCE Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc. LONDON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Matthew Ball, a metaverse expert, tech authority, media producer, and bestselling author, is set to deliver a keynote address at the upcoming SBC Summit Barcelona 2023 conference and trade show - SBC's biggest event to date. Ball has been slated for an in-person appearance as the opening keynote speaker on September 21st, in response to the positive feedback and enthusiasm generated by his digital keynote at the 2022 edition of the show. Bestselling Author Matthew Ball to Give Keynote on the Metaverse in Barcelona (PRNewsfoto/SBC Events) Ball is widely known for his work on "The Metaverse," a book that delves deep into the revolutionary potential of the metaverse. Within its pages, Ball provides a comprehensive exploration of this immersive digital universe, covering its core concepts, underlying technologies, and profound impacts on industries, economies, social interactions, and personal experiences and firmly establishing the author as one of the most influential voices associated with this concept. In his keynote, Ball will explore the future of the metaverse and emerging technologies, showcasing its potential to revolutionise the gambling industry with innovative engagement and monetisation. Drawing on his expertise, he will discuss how augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) unlock transformative gaming experiences, inviting attendees to envision a dynamic and interconnected future where the industry thrives within this new digital landscape. Matthew Ball commented: "Gaming has always been at the forefront of digital transformation from new devices to business models, events, and experiences. I'm delighted to speak at the SBC Summit Barcelona, review why and how members of the audience should embrace the metaverse, and speak in person with the summit's many leaders, entrepreneurs, and attendees." Throughout his career, Ball held prominent positions, including Global Head of Strategy for Amazon Studios, Director at The Chernin Group's Otter Media, and an Executive at Accenture. Presently, he serves as the CEO of Epyllion, which provides advisory services, produces TV series, films, and video games, and makes venture investments. Ball has also co-founded the NYSE-listed Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF, the largest gaming or Metaverse ETF globally and the largest sector ETF launch of 2021. The author's work has been featured in prestigious publications such as the New York Times, The Economist, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Washington Post, Vice, CNN, Financial Times, and BBC, among others. Rasmus Sojmark, CEO & Founder of SBC, said: "We couldn't be more excited to welcome Matthew Ball to SBC Summit Barcelona. The concept of the metaverse has often been challenging for many to grasp, but Matthew's exceptional work has undoubtedly established him as the go-to expert in explaining its intricacies. Our aim is to acquaint our audience with this concept and inspire them to explore future possibilities they may have never considered before." Whether you are a tech enthusiast or simply curious about the future of the new digital reality, Ball's keynote is certain to challenge your perceptions and offer an exciting glimpse into the forthcoming metaverse revolution. Head over to the SBC Summit Barcelona website and secure your Full Access Pass to the largest conference and trade show hosted by SBC to date. With over 350 exhibitors and insights from more than 450 industry executives and specialists, this event promises to be an unmissable experience. SBC Summit Barcelona attendees will have the exclusive opportunity to get a copy of "The Metaverse." Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2182412/SBC_Events.jpg SOURCE SBC Events Exyte CEO Dr. Buchele: "With the acquisition of Intega, we are strengthening our vertical integration further." Intega covers the entire spectrum from engineering to project execution Continued growth in target industries such as semiconductors, life sciences and pharmaceuticals STUTTGART, Germany, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Exyte, a leading company in the design, engineering, and delivery of high-tech facilities, intends to acquire Intega GmbH, a specialist in high-purity media supply systems. Corresponding agreements were signed by Exyte and private investment company Nimbus, the current owner of Intega. Intega develops, plans, and implements high-purity media supply systems. The company's systems provide gas, water, and other chemicals for semiconductor manufacturing facilities and other advanced technology production facilities. Based in Munich, Germany, Intega employs around 300 people. The company currently achieves a sales level of around 60 million euros. The transaction is subject to the necessary approvals by anti-trust authorities. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Intega develops, manufactures, installs, commissions, and services high purity media technologies (copyright Intega) Products of Intega include predominantly gas supply systems, but also chemical supply and drain & water systems (copyright Intega) Intega was founded in 1946 and is now active at seven locations in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Intega's customers are international market and technology leaders from the semiconductor, automotive, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. With the acquisition of Intega, Exyte advances its strategy of vertical integration. This foresees strengthening the business in the area of mission-critical equipment and installation services. Founded in 2021, Exyte's business area Technology & Services (T&S) consists of companies that provide cleanroom technology, mission critical sub-systems and installation services. Intega perfectly complements Exyte's existing portfolio. Further growth of equipment and installation services "With the acquisition of Intega, we are strengthening our vertical integration. Intega's offerings and regional presence flawlessly complement our business area Technology & Services. This is the next strategic step in growing our competence in the area of critical sub-systems for advanced technology facilities, especially for the semiconductor industry. In addition, Intega will form the core of our European service activities. As a result, the combination of Exyte and Intega will create new growth drivers that will ultimately be advantageous for our clients," says Exyte CEO Dr. Wolfgang Buchele. "With Exyte, Intega is gaining a strategic owner who will accompany and promote our long-term development. Both companies, at different levels of the value chain, have been working together successfully for decades. Exyte is the perfect partner for Intega's expansion in the DACH region and globally, its continued growth, and for the further strengthening and executing of its strategy. Both existing and new customers as well as our employees will benefit from the combined forces of Exyte and Intega," says Paul Metten, CEO of Intega. "Since our acquisition of Intega in 2018, we have strategically developed the company successfully and managed to realize a strong growth trajectory on a stand-alone basis, both in terms of revenue and profitability. During this time, Intega, together with Nimbus, has significantly expanded its market position through innovations and excellent customer orientation. We are convinced that Exyte is the perfect partner to realize the next growth phase," emphasizes Henning Andresen, Managing Partner at Nimbus. Acquisitions as part of the "Next Level" future agenda Exyte is currently successfully pursuing its "Pathway to Ten", the goal of achieving sales of ten billion euros by 2027. To this end, the company has defined the future agenda "Next Level". Sales are expected to further increase in all business segments, including strategic acquisitions. The agreement to acquire Intega is the third acquisition to strengthen Exyte's Technology & Services business area, following the acquisition of the US companies Critical Process Systems Group (CPS) in 2021 and Airgard, Inc. last year. With these acquisitions, Exyte enlarged the portfolio of T&S by chemical and gas delivery systems as well as exhaust gas management, among others, for industries like semiconductors and life sciences. In 2022 T&S almost doubled its sales with 775 million (2021: 427 million), which was around 10 percent of the group's total sales. The strong growth path is also reflected in an order intake of 1.1 billion euros in 2022. In the mid-term, the business area Technology & Services is expected to continue its strong growth path organically and through further bolt-on acquisitions. About Exyte Exyte is a global leader in the design, engineering, and delivery of ultra-clean and sustainable facilities for high-tech industries. With cutting-edge expertise developed over more than a century, the company serves clients in the sophisticated markets of semiconductors, battery cells, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and data centers. Exyte offers a full range of services from consulting to managing the implementation of turnkey solutions with the highest standards in safety and quality to its customers worldwide. Exyte creates a better future by enabling key industries to enhance the quality of modern life. In 2022, the company generated sales of 7.4 billion with around 9,000 employees worldwide. www.exyte.net About Intega Intega is a specialist in the development, manufacturing, installation, commissioning, and service of high purity media technologies. The company's products include gas supply systems, chemical supply- and water systems that meet the high purity and safety critical requirements of their respective end markets. Intega serves primarily the semiconductor industry but is also active in the pharma industry and several high-tech markets. The company's know-how of the semiconductor production process enables the diversification into the production of customized equipment for process tool makers (OEMs). Products in this segment comprise primarily customized gas line or cooling assemblies for application in process machines and gas boxes which control the distribution of gas/air into these machines. Being run out of Munich, Germany, the company employs dedicated people across locations in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. A significant number of employees is based permanently on selected customer sites (On Site). (Inter-)national OEM Business Development, developing strong On Sites, win & execute new Equipment & Installation projects and establish new fields of business for serving modern society are key pillars of its future. www.intega.com About Nimbus Nimbus is a private investment company that has been operating for over 20 years, with offices in the Netherlands (Zeist), Germany (Munich) and United Kingdom (Leeds). Since 1999, Nimbus has invested in over 100 mostly industrial companies that are at crossroads in their development requiring both capital and management support to reach the next stage in the development of the company. Nimbus has a practical attitude and a true hands-on approach to investing and employs a team of professionals that devote most of their time helping our current over 30 portfolio companies improve their business. www.nimbus.com Contacts Rene Ziegler Vice President Corporate Communications and Investor Relations & Investor Relations +49 711 88044606 +49 172 5838786 [email protected] www.exyte.net Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2167203/Exyte_1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2167204/Exyte_2.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2167202/Exyte_Logo.jpg SOURCE Exyte ST JULIANS, Malta, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gaming Innovation Group Inc. (GiG) publishes its interim report for the second quarter 2023 before market opening on Wednesday 16 August 2023. CEO Richard Brown will present the Q2 2023 results via livestream at 10:00 CET. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A-session, and investors, analysts and journalists are welcome to participate. The presentation will be given in English. Link to the livestream: https://www.redeye.se/events/928869/liveq-gaming-innovation-group For further information, please contact: Tore Formo, Group CFO, [email protected], +47 91668678 About Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) Gaming Innovation Group is a leading iGaming technology company, providing solutions, products and services to iGaming Operators. Founded in 2012, Gaming Innovation Group's vision is 'To be the industry leading platform, sportsbook and media provider delivering world class solutions to our iGaming partners and their customers. GiG's mission is to drive sustainable growth and profitability of our partners through product innovation, scalable technology and quality of service. Gaming Innovation Group operates out of Malta and is dual-listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GIG and on Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker symbol GIGSEK. www.gig.com SOURCE Gaming Innovation Group DENVER, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gates Industrial Corporation plc (NYSE: GTES, "Gates" or the "Company") announced today the pricing of the previously announced secondary offering of 15,000,000 ordinary shares (the "Offering") by certain selling stockholders affiliated with Blackstone Inc. (the "Selling Stockholders") at a public offering price of $11.75 per share. The Selling Stockholders have also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional ordinary shares. The offering is expected to close on August 14, 2023, subject to customary closing conditions. Gates is not offering any ordinary shares in the Offering and will not receive any proceeds from the sale of ordinary shares in the Offering. Citigroup and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC are serving as the joint lead book-running managers of, and as representatives of the underwriters for, the Offering. BofA Securities, Barclays, Morgan Stanley, RBC Capital Markets and UBS Investment Bank are also serving as joint book-running managers for the Offering. The offering of these securities is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement. The offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. A copy of the prospectus relating to these securities may be obtained upon request by contacting: Citigroup, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717 (Tel: 800-831-9146); or Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282 (Tel: 866-471-2526) or by e-mail at [email protected]. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Gates: Gates is a global manufacturer of innovative, highly engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions. Gates offers a broad portfolio of products to diverse replacement channel customers, and to original equipment ("first-fit") manufacturers as specified components. Gates participates in many sectors of the industrial and consumer markets. Our products play essential roles in a diverse range of applications across a wide variety of end markets ranging from harsh and hazardous industries such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing and energy, to everyday consumer applications such as printers, power washers, automatic doors and vacuum cleaners and virtually every form of transportation. Our products are sold in more than 130 countries across our four commercial regions: the Americas; Europe, Middle East & Africa; Greater China; and East Asia & India. ForwardLooking Statements and Information: This press release contains forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts. In some cases you can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "outlook," "believes," "expects," "potential," "continues," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seeks," "predicts," "intends," "trends," "plans," "estimates," "anticipates" or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current expectations and actual results may differ materially. Other risks and uncertainties are more fully described in the section entitled "Item 1A. Risk Factors" of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, as filed with the SEC, as such factors may be updated from time to time in the Company's periodic filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider carefully the disclosure in our filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Gates undertakes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. SOURCE Gates Industrial Corporation plc If you like sailing, you are going to love the new Corum Admiral 38 Automatic Planning our sailing trip to Greece with WorldTempus on Tour, there was no question that we would leave port without a Corum timepiece. When it comes to sailing, Corums Admiral Collection has a deep historical connection to the sea and the sport of sailing. It is named after the worlds oldest international sailing race, the Admirals Cup, which dates back to 1851. The competition had a 21-year hiatus after the Second World War, but returned in force in 1957 and hasnt stopped since. The first Admirals watch came out in 1960 and was square-shaped, water resistant, and had a sailboat engraved on the caseback. Corum Admiral 38 Automatic Christopher Shand for WorldTempus From Square to Dodecagonal Over the years, the collection has evolved from a square into the 12-sided case shape of today, making it instantly recognizable at a glance. Another design feature that has added to the watchs iconic status is the inclusion of nautical pennants on the dial. These colourful pennants or flags are derived from the International Code of Signals and allow vessels to communicate important safety and navigational information with each other at sea. Dozens of Admiral models have been unveiled over the decades, and the collection continues to grow. One of the latest series is the Admiral 38 Automatic, which we got to test in the Aegean Sea on our elegant Solaris 60 yacht, and it couldnt have been more at home! Corum Admiral 38 Automatic Christopher Shand for WorldTempus This 38 mm model comes in a 12-sided, grade 5 titanium case and embraces the identity of the Admiral collection with its contemporary lines and elegant finishes. It is water resistant to 100 metres and marks a new chapter in the collection with a slightly more rounded case shape and both polished and satin-brushed finishing on the case and bracelet. A Tour of the Dial The white dial has an interesting Grenadier Fendu motif, a proprietary motif that was designed at Corums manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 2019. Instead of the typical colourful nautical pennants, the dial of the Admiral 38 Automatic is adorned with black and white nautical flags on the inner bezel, keeping the watchs colour palette more discreet. The hands and indexes are coloured in 5N gold and are enhanced with white SuperLumiNova, while the Corum key and logo are applied onto the dial. A date framed in a 5N gold window completes the dial aesthetic at three oclock. The timepiece is powered by an Automatic movement that indicates the hours, minutes, seconds, and date, and it has a 42-hour power reserve. Corum Admiral 38 Automatic Christopher Shand for WorldTempus We all took turns wearing it during our WorldTempus on Tour Greek experience and we all appreciated how light and comfortable it was to wear. The team also praised the 38 mm size of the watch that wasnt too small or too large and looked good on all of our wrists. We also liked how legible it was and how it caught the light with its red-gold accents and Grenadier Fendu dial. Photographed here is the newest member of our team, Allissa Pataki, who enjoyed both the watch and the sailing! DUBLIN, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Allogeneic Cell Therapy: Global Market Report 2023-2035" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global allogeneic cell therapy market is estimated at USD 900 million in 2023, and is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14% during the forecast period, 2023 to 2035. In the realm of regenerative medicine, the spotlight is firmly on allogeneic cell therapies an innovative approach that promises to reshape how we treat various disorders. This comprehensive overview takes a deep dive into the forces driving this transformative field, ranging from the advantages of allogeneic therapies over autologous counterparts to the dynamic landscape of partnerships, clinical trials, and regional market trends. Diverging Paths: Allogeneic vs. Autologous Cell Therapies Allogeneic and autologous cell therapies represent distinct avenues within regenerative medicine. Autologous therapies involve using a patient's own cells, which are processed and reintroduced. While personalized, this process is time-consuming. Allogeneic therapies, on the other hand, utilize donor cells that are readily available, scalable, and cost-effective. They eliminate the need for personalized production, ensuring uniform quality, lower costs, and the flexibility to approach different donors for subsequent treatments. Pipeline and Clinical Insights: A Global Wave of Innovation The allogeneic cell therapy market is in the midst of a significant wave of innovation, with a vast array of stakeholders driving the development of therapies for diverse indications. Currently, over 470 allogeneic cell therapies are under evaluation across different developmental stages. These therapies target a range of disorders from infectious diseases to neurological and oncological disorders, signaling the wide-reaching potential of allogeneic approaches. Recent approvals, such as Gamida Cell's Omisirge for hematologic malignancies, underscore the market's momentum. As industry and non-industry players collaborate and clinical trial results continue to inspire confidence, the allogeneic cell therapy landscape is evolving at an accelerated pace. Partnerships: The Catalysts of Innovation Collaboration has become a cornerstone of the allogeneic cell therapy market's growth. Companies are forming strategic partnerships to bolster research, development, and commercialization efforts. These alliances facilitate knowledge sharing, resource utilization, and access to complementary expertise, thereby accelerating the journey toward innovative allogeneic therapies. For instance, Tessa Therapeutics' collaboration with the US National Cancer Institute demonstrates the potential of collaborative ventures in advancing allogeneic therapies. Over 90 partnerships established since 2019 highlight the enthusiasm within the sector to push the boundaries of innovation collectively. Investment and Funding: Nurturing Breakthroughs Investor interest in the allogeneic cell therapy market is evident from the significant funds raised by companies engaged in this space. Over the last four years, approximately USD 8.8 billion has been invested globally. Venture rounds have played a pivotal role in funding, indicating the growing confidence in the market's transformative potential. This influx of funds not only fuels the development of allogeneic cell therapies but also spurs technological advancements and innovative breakthroughs. Market Growth Factors: Challenges and Opportunities Several factors drive the growth of the allogeneic cell therapy market. The ongoing dedication of industry and non-industry players, coupled with the prevalence of chronic and non-malignant disorders, is fostering the development and adoption of allogeneic therapies. Moreover, the challenges associated with producing autologous cell therapies, which are personalized and time-intensive, further underscore the transformative potential of allogeneic therapies. Clinical Trials: Unveiling Efficacy and Safety The robust allogeneic cell therapy landscape is supported by a plethora of clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness and safety of these therapies. Over 365 clinical trials are registered, targeting diverse indications such as hematologic malignancies, infectious diseases, neurological disorders, and more. North America dominates this arena, with around 55% of total enrollments. The promising outcomes of clinical trials, like Allogene's ALLO-715 allogeneic CAR T cell therapy for multiple myeloma, underscore the credibility of allogeneic cell therapies and their potential to revolutionize treatment approaches. Regional Market Insights: North America's Leadership With a thriving ecosystem of allogeneic cell therapy developers, North America is poised to capture over 60% of the global market share by 2035. Rising disease prevalence, FDA approvals, and government support for reimbursement are propelling the region's market growth. The government's recognition of allogeneic cell therapies' transformative potential in enhancing patient outcomes is a testament to the industry's impact. Key Players and Prospects for the Future Numerous key players are actively pushing the boundaries of allogeneic cell therapies, targeting diverse indications. Players like Celularity, Allogene Therapeutics, and Fate Therapeutics are driving innovation. As these players continue to innovate and gain approvals, the allogeneic cell therapy market is on track for substantial growth, heralding a new era in regenerative medicine. Allogeneic Cell Therapy Market Research Conclusion The global allogeneic cell therapy market is in the midst of a remarkable journey, fueled by innovation, collaboration, investment, and promising clinical trial results. Allogeneic therapies hold the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery through their immediate availability, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. With industry and non-industry players relentlessly pushing boundaries, the allogeneic cell therapy market is primed for robust growth, ushering in a new era of possibilities in regenerative medicine. Key Topics Covered 1. PREFACE 1.1. Allogeneic Cell Therapy Market Overview 1.2. Key Market Insights 1.3. Scope of the Report 1.4. Research Methodology 1.5. Frequently Asked Questions 1.6. Chapter Outlines 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3. INTRODUCTION 3.1. Overview of Allogeneic Cell Therapy 3.2. Manufacturing Process of Allogeneic Cell Therapy 3.3. Advantages Offered by Allogeneic Cell Therapy 3.4. Challenges Associated with Allogeneic Cell Therapy 3.5. Recent Developments in Allogeneic Cell Therapy Industry 3.6. Future Perspectives 4. MARKET LANDSCAPE 4.1. Allogeneic Cell Therapies: Market Landscape 4.2. Allogeneic Cell Therapies: Developer Landscape 5. PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS 5.1. Chapter Overview 5.2. Partnership Models 5.2. Allogeneic Cell Therapies: Partnerships and Collaborations 6. FUNDING AND INVESTMENTS 6.1. Chapter Overview 6.2. Types of Funding 6.3. Allogeneic Cell Therapies: Funding and Investments 7. CLINICAL TRIAL ANALYSIS 7.1. Analysis Methodology and Key Parameters 7.2. Allogeneic Cell Therapies: Clinical Trial Analysis 8. KEY OPINION LEADERS 8.1. Methodology and Key Parameters 8.2. Allogeneic Cell Therapies: Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) 9. MARKET FORECAST AND OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS 9.1. Chapter Overview 9.2. Forecast Methodology and Key Assumptions 9.3. Global Allogeneic Cell Therapy Market, 2023-2035 9.4. Allogeneic Cell Therapy Market: Product-wise Sales Forecast, 2023-2035 10. EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS 10.1. Chapter Overview 10.2. Mesoblast 10.3. Triumvira Immunologics 11. APPENDIX I: TABULATED DATA 12. APPENDIX II: LIST OF COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS Companies Mentioned (378 Total) 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force AbbVie Academisch Medisch Centrum Acepodia Adaptimmune Therapeutics Adicet Bio Aegle Therapeutics Affiliated Hospital to Academy of Military Medical Sciences Affimed Alaunos Therapeutics Allogene Therapeutics AlloVir Alpha Biopharma Altaco XXI Amgen Angiocrine Bioscience Anhui Provincial Hospital Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Anterogen Antion Biosciences APICES Athersys Artiva Biotherapeutics Astellas Pharma Atara Biotherapeutics Athenex Athersys Autolomous Azidus Brasil Bayer Baylor College of Medicine Baylx Be The Match BioTherapies Beijing 302 Hospital 302 Hospital Beijing Doing Biomedical Beijing GD Initiative Cell Therapy Technology Beijing Immunochina Medical Science & Technology JD Biotech Beijing SH biotechnology Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center BHI Therapeutic Sciences BioCardia Bioceltech Therapeutics BioCentriq Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) Biorasi Bioray Laboratories BioSenic (Previously known as Bone Therapeutics) Bristol Myers Squibb California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Cancer Research UK Capricor Therapeutics CardioCell Caribou Biosciences Cartesian Therapeutics Junta de Castilla y Leon Catalent Pharma Solutions Catamaran Bio Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Celixir Cell2Cure Cellavita Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Cellectis Cellenkos Cellerant Therapeutics Cellerix Celltex Therapeutics Cellular Biomedicine Group (CBMG) Celularity Celyad Oncology Center for Breakthrough Medicines Central South University Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Limoges Chabiotech Chandler Regional Medical Center Changhai Hospital Huaxia Intech (Biotech) Biotechnology (Previously known as China Immunotech Biotechnology) China-Japan Friendship Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Chinese PLA General Hospital Cipla Citospin Cleveland Clinic Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc CoImmune Copenhagen University Hospital Hospital Corestem CRISPR Therapeutics Cynata Therapeutics CytoMed Therapeutics Cytopeutics Cytora Cytovia Therapeutics Daewoong Pharmaceutical Department of Health and Human Services Deverra Therapeutics Direct Biologics DiscGenics Dt&SanoMedics Duke University EdiGene Editas Medicine ElevateBio ENCell Enlivex Therapeutics European Commission European Union Ever Supreme Bio Technology Fate Therapeutics Ferrer Internacional FGK Clinical Research FibroBiologics Fondazione Matilde Tettamanti Menotti De Marchi Onlus Formula Pharmaceuticals Fortress Biotech Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Fundamenta Therapeutics Gamida Cell GC Cell Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss Genentech GentiBio Genzyme Ghent University Global Cord Blood Corporation Glycostem Therapeutics Gracell Biotechnologies Granzer Regulatory Consulting & Services Greenlight Clinical Gwo xi Stem Cell GX Acquisition Qihan Biotech Hanyang University Medical Center Medical Center HCW Biologics Hebei Yanda Ludaopei Hospital Help Therapeutics Henan Cancer Hospital Histocell Hope Biosciences Hospital Clinico Universitario de Valladolid Hospital del Rio Hortega Hospital for Special Surgery Hospital Infantil Universitario Nino Jesus Hospital San Carlos Hospital Vera Cruz Huashan Hospital Hyundai Bioland iCAR Bio Therapeutics iCell Gene Therapeutics ICON plc Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) IMAC Regeneration Centers Immunitybio Implant Therapeutics Imugene IN8bio Incyte inno.N Innovate UK Institute of Biophysics and Cell Engineering of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital Instituto de Salud Carlos III International Research Institute Servier Janssen JCR Pharmaceutical jCyte Jiangsu Topcel-KH Pharmaceutical Jinling Hospital JW Therapeutics Kadimastem Kangstem Biotech Karolinska Institutet Kinesiometrics KSQ Therapeutics Kuur Therapeutics Kyocera Legend Biotech LG Chem Lineage Cell Therapeutics Link Health Longeveron Lonza LUMICKS Lung Biotechnology PBC M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Magellan Stem Cells Magenta Therapeutics Masonic Cancer Center MaxCyte Mayo Clinic McGill University Health Centre Health Centre Medac Medeor Therapeutics Medical University of South Carolina MEDIPOST Medpace Medsenic Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Mendus Merck Sharp & Dohme Mercy Gilbert Medical Center Mesoblast Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion Ministry of Health & Welfare (MOHW) Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University Nanjing Bioheng Biotech Nanjing Enricnk Biotech NantKwest National Cancer Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Institute of Health Research and Development (NIHRD) ( Indonesia ) ) National University Hospital, Singapore Hospital, Nature Cell Neurona Therapeutics NexImmune NextCell Pharma Nippon Shinyaku Nkarta Therapeutics Nohla Therapeutics Northern Therapeutics Novartis Pharmaceuticals NuVasive Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Comprehensive Cancer Center OmniaBio Oncternal Therapeutics Ono Pharmaceutical Orca Bio Orthofix Osiris Therapeutics Ossium Health Overland Pharmaceuticals Pandorum International PersonGen BioTherapeutics (Suzhou) Pfizer Pharmicell Phio Pharmaceuticals Pieris Pharmaceuticals Pierre Fabre Pluristem Therapeutics Poseida Therapeutics PPD Precision BioSciences Precision Biotech Pregene ProMab Biotechnologies Promethera Biosciences Protech Pharmaservices PT Prodia StemCell Indonesia (ProSTEM) Pulthera Q Therapeutics Quintiles R3 Stem Cell Red de Terapia Celular Regeneus ReNeuron Renji Hospital Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University University Restem resTORbio RHEACELL Rigenerand Rigshospitalet Roche Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals and Harefield hospitals Ruijin Hospital S.Biomedics Salvat Sanofi Santen Pharmaceutical Sclnow Biotechnology SCM Lifescience Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Sentien Biotechnologies Seoul CRO Servier Shanghai Changzheng Hospital Shanghai East Hospital Shanghai GeneChem Shanghai General Hospital Shanghai iCELL Biotechnology iCELL Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Shenzhen Pregene Biopharma Shenzhen University General Hospital Shire SK Bioland SMT Bio Sorrento Therapeutics Springworks Staburo Stanford University Stemedica Cell Technologies Steminent Biotherapeutics Stempeutics Research Taiga Biotechnologies Taipei Veterans General Hospital Taiwan Bio Therapeutics Talaris Therapeutics Tang-Du Hospital TC BioPharm Teijin Pharma Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center Tessa Therapeutics Tevogen Bio The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University The Affiliated Union Hospital of Fujian Medical University The Cleveland Clinic The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology University of Science and Technology The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University University The First People's Hospital of Hefei The Foundation for Orthopaedics and Regenerative Medicine The General Hospital of Western Theater Command The Marcus Foundation The Methodist Hospital Research Institute The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University The Second Hospital of Shandong University University The University of Texas Health Science Center Health Science Center The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center MD Anderson Cancer Center Thomas Jefferson University TICEBA TiGenix (Acquired by Takeda) Timmune Biotech Tiziana Life Sciences Translational Biosciences Trinity College Dublin Tri-Service General Hospital Triumvira Immunologics Tscan Therapeutics Twist Bioscience UCI Medical Center UMC Utrecht UnicoCell Biomed Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman University Medical Center Groningen University of California University of Florida University of Kansas Medical Center University of Louisville University of Miami University of Minnesota University of Munich University of Sydney University of Valladolid University of Wisconsin-Madison Uppsala University National Cancer Institute Utooth Biological Technology VetStem Biopharma ViaCyte ViGenCell Vinmec Research Institute of Stem Cell and Gene Technology Vinnova Virginia Contract Research Organization Viscofan Vitro Biopharma Washington University Wugen Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital Xindu (A subsidiary of Xintela) Xinqiao Hospital of Chongqing Xintela Xuzhou Medical University Zelluna Immunotherapy Zhejiang University University Zhengzhou University For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sa1mvd 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 DUBLIN, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Bluetooth 5.0 Market: Trends and Forecast up to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Bluetooth 5.0 is the fifth major revision of the Bluetooth standard, offering faster data transfer, extended range, improved broadcasting, and low-energy operation, making it ideal for wireless audio streaming, IoT applications, and smart home automation. In 2022, the global Bluetooth 5.0 market was valued at US$4.01 billion, and is probable to reach US$8.25 billion by 2028. The Bluetooth 5.0 ecosystem is gradually expanding through feature enhancements and the emergence of new use cases. The growing consumer preference for wireless connectivity and seamless integration among devices has fueled the demand for Bluetooth 5.0-enabled products. Additionally, the rapid adoption of smartphones and other mobile devices, which often feature built-in Bluetooth capabilities, has further boosted the demand for Bluetooth 5.0. Moreover, the tendency of Bluetooth 5.0 to stream audio simultaneously to two Bluetooth-enabled devices such as headphones or speakers, from a single audio source is growing the demand for Bluetooth 5.0, which is driving the market growth. The global Bluetooth 5.0 market value is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.79%, during the forecast period of 2023-2028. Market Segmentation Analysis: By Application: The global Bluetooth 5.0 market is segmented into four segments based on its application: Audio streaming, Data Transfer, Device Network, and Location Services. Audio streaming segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2022 and is the fastest growing segment as well. Bluetooth 5.0 revolutionizes audio streaming by providing wireless transmission between devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, and smart home devices. This technology eliminates cables and offers freedom of movement. Bluetooth 5.0 is gaining traction in wireless headsets, speakers, and in-car systems, enabling hands-free streaming and calling. Also, Bluetooth 5.0 supports multi-device connectivity, enabling users to stream audio simultaneously to multiple speakers or headphones from a single source. This feature enhances the user experience and enables seamless audio sharing in social or group settings. The global Bluetooth 5.0 market is segmented into four segments based on its application: Audio streaming, Data Transfer, Device Network, and Location Services. Audio streaming segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2022 and is the fastest growing segment as well. Bluetooth 5.0 revolutionizes audio streaming by providing wireless transmission between devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, and smart home devices. This technology eliminates cables and offers freedom of movement. Bluetooth 5.0 is gaining traction in wireless headsets, speakers, and in-car systems, enabling hands-free streaming and calling. Also, Bluetooth 5.0 supports multi-device connectivity, enabling users to stream audio simultaneously to multiple speakers or headphones from a single source. This feature enhances the user experience and enables seamless audio sharing in social or group settings. By Component: The global Bluetooth 5.0 market is bifurcated into three components: Hardware, Services and Software. Hardware segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2022, as they provide the necessary infrastructure and functionality to support seamless data transfer and device connectivity. Whereas, the service segment is expected to have the highest CAGR in the future as it is essential for facilitating the successful adoption and implementation of Bluetooth technology in a dynamic environment. The global Bluetooth 5.0 market is bifurcated into three components: Hardware, Services and Software. Hardware segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2022, as they provide the necessary infrastructure and functionality to support seamless data transfer and device connectivity. Whereas, the service segment is expected to have the highest CAGR in the future as it is essential for facilitating the successful adoption and implementation of Bluetooth technology in a dynamic environment. By Region: The report provides insight into the Bluetooth 5.0 market based on the geographical operations, namely North America , Asia Pacific , Europe , Latin America and Middle East and Africa . North America Bluetooth 5.0 market enjoyed the highest market share in 2022, primarily owing to reasons such as the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT), embraced smart home devices, wearables, and industrial automation. The US is the world's strongest market for Bluetooth 5.0 because of its focus on cutting-edge technology, coupled with strong partnerships between semiconductor manufacturers, device manufacturers, and developers. The report provides insight into the Bluetooth 5.0 market based on the geographical operations, namely , , , and and . North America Bluetooth 5.0 market enjoyed the highest market share in 2022, primarily owing to reasons such as the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT), embraced smart home devices, wearables, and industrial automation. The US is the world's strongest market for Bluetooth 5.0 because of its focus on cutting-edge technology, coupled with strong partnerships between semiconductor manufacturers, device manufacturers, and developers. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region primarily due to rapid growth in the population and the adoption of smartphones and other connected devices. Consumers value the convenience and versatility that Bluetooth 5.0 offers, enabling them to connect wirelessly to peripherals such as headphones, speakers, wearables, and smart home devices. The popularity of wireless audio devices, such as Bluetooth headphones, earbuds, and speakers, has been another significant driver of Bluetooth 5.0's adoption in the Asia Pacific region. China is the largest market within Asia Pacific . The rapid growth of the Chinese consumer electronics market has led to a surge in the adoption of wireless audio devices, smart home solutions, and wearable technology, all of which rely heavily on Bluetooth connectivity. China's strong presence in the manufacturing and industrial sectors has also driven demand for Bluetooth 5.0-enabled devices in industrial automation, asset tracking, and machine-to-machine communication applications. Global Bluetooth 5.0 Market Dynamics: Growth Drivers: Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) due to its energy-efficient capabilities, which enable prolonged battery life for connected devices is a prominent growth driver. As consumer demand for wireless devices like wearables, smart home devices, and IoT solutions increases, BLE's low power consumption becomes crucial in sustaining the prolonged operation of these gadgets. Additionally, BLE's ability to support a vast number of connected devices simultaneously promotes the proliferation of interconnected ecosystems, fostering a broader adoption of Bluetooth 5.0 technology across various industries and applications. The combination of low energy consumption, scalability, and compatibility makes BLE a key factor driving the continued growth of the Bluetooth 5.0 market worldwide. Further, the market is expected to increase due to increasing popularity of wireless audio devices, increasing investment in IoT, and increased utilization of peripheral devices, etc. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) due to its energy-efficient capabilities, which enable prolonged battery life for connected devices is a prominent growth driver. As consumer demand for wireless devices like wearables, smart home devices, and IoT solutions increases, BLE's low power consumption becomes crucial in sustaining the prolonged operation of these gadgets. Additionally, BLE's ability to support a vast number of connected devices simultaneously promotes the proliferation of interconnected ecosystems, fostering a broader adoption of Bluetooth 5.0 technology across various industries and applications. The combination of low energy consumption, scalability, and compatibility makes BLE a key factor driving the continued growth of the Bluetooth 5.0 market worldwide. Further, the market is expected to increase due to increasing popularity of wireless audio devices, increasing investment in IoT, and increased utilization of peripheral devices, etc. Challenges: Security Concerns can present several challenges for the Bluetooth 5.0 market. Unauthorized access and hacking are primary concerns, as attackers may attempt to gain access to devices, intercept data, or execute malicious activities. Attackers could try to pose as genuine devices, compromising the communication's security and integrity. The other challenge that Bluetooth 5.0 market faces is packet interference. Security Concerns can present several challenges for the Bluetooth 5.0 market. Unauthorized access and hacking are primary concerns, as attackers may attempt to gain access to devices, intercept data, or execute malicious activities. Attackers could try to pose as genuine devices, compromising the communication's security and integrity. The other challenge that Bluetooth 5.0 market faces is packet interference. Trends: A major trend gaining pace in Bluetooth 5.0 market is Bluetooth Mesh. With Bluetooth Mesh, devices can communicate with one another directly or through intermediate devices, forming a self-healing and self-organizing network. This enables information and commands to be relayed across the network, ensuring robust and efficient communication. More trends in the market are believed to augment the growth of Bluetooth 5.0 market during the forecasted period include, dual audio streaming, increasing investment in advanced sensor technology, etc. Competitive Landscape and Recent Developments: Global Bluetooth 5.0 market is fragmented in nature with the presence of many large players operating worldwide. Key players of global Bluetooth 5.0 market are: Qualcomm Incorporated NXP Semiconductor N.V. Nordic Semiconductor Broadcom Inc, Synopsys Inc Silicon Laboratories Inc. Microchip Technology Inc. Renesas Realtek Semiconductor Corp. MediaTek Inc. STMicroelectronics N.V. Texas Instruments Inc. Infineon Technologies AG Inventek Systems The key players are constantly investing in strategic initiatives, such as new product launches, introducing their products to emerging markets and more, to maintain a competitive edge in this market. For instance, in March 2023, Silicon Labs announced two new Bluetooth designed for the smallest IoT devices. These offer IoT device designers energy efficiency, high performance, trusted security, and in the case of the xG27 family, wireless connectivity. Nordic Semiconductor also benefits from the expansion of its product portfolio, growing customer base, and the higher value of its designs. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/o9pdkn 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 DUBLIN, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Furniture Retailing Market (2023-2028) by Types of Market, Application, Distribution Channel, and Geography, Competitive Analysis, Impact of Economic Slowdown & Impending Recession with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Furniture Retailing Market is estimated to be USD 432.39 Bn in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 690.06 Bn by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 9.80%. Competitive Quadrant The report includes a Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc. Ansoff Analysis The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Furniture Retailing Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as the Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development, and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach. The analyst analyses the Global Furniture Retailing Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position. Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth. Why buy this report? The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Furniture Retailing Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies. The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry. The report includes an in-depth Market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model, PESTLE Analysis, and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of COVID-19 and the impact of economic slowdown & impending recession on the Market are also featured in the report. The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies. The report also contains a competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's competitive positioning tool. Report Highlights: A complete analysis of the market, including the parent industry Important market dynamics and trends Market segmentation Historical, current, and projected size of the market based on value and volume Market shares and strategies of key players Recommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the market Market Dynamics Drivers: Regular introduction of innovative and luxurious items. Growing popularity of stylish and comfortable furnishings among residential buyers. Restraints: Rising demand for second-hand furniture items. Opportunities: Escalating demand for smart furniture. Government investments in infrastructural development. Awareness and importance of environment protection measures. Challenges: Growing cost of production. Companies Mentioned ArredissimA Ashley Furniture Industries, LLC Conforama Dare Studio Ltd. DEDON GmbH Duff and Phelps, LLC Global Furniture Group Harman Miller , Inc. , Inc. HNI Corp. IKEA Systems B.V. JYSK Mondo Convenienza P & C ArteMobili SA Poltronesofa Ricci Casa Saudi Modern Factory Co. Steelcase, Inc. ZouYou Market Segmentation The Global Furniture Retailing Market is segmented based on Types of Market, Application, Distribution Channel, and Geography. By Types of Market, the market is classified into Organized and Unorganized. By Application, the market is classified into Home Furniture, Office Furniture, Hospitality Furniture, and Other Furniture. By Distribution Channel, the market is classified into Home Centers, Flagships Stores, Specialty Stores, Online, and Other Distribution Channels. By Geography, the market is classified into Americas, Europe , Middle East & Africa , and Asia-Pacific . For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/z034n8 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. 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 DUBLIN, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Hematology Market (2023-2028) by Product, Reagent, Application, End User, and Geography, Competitive Analysis, Impact of Economic Slowdown & Impending Recession with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Hematology Market is estimated to be USD 9.34 Bn in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 13.80 Bn by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 8.12%. Competitive Quadrant The report includes a Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc. Ansoff Analysis The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Hematology Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach. The analyst analyses the Global Hematology Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position. Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth. Why buy this report? The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Hematology Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies. The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry. The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model, PESTLE Analysis, and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of COVID-19 and the impact of economic slowdown & impending recession on the market are also featured in the report. The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies. The report also contains a competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's competitive positioning tool. Market Dynamics Drivers: Increasing incidences of blood disorders and other diseases. Emergence of high throughput haematology analysers. Restraints: High cost of instruments. Opportunities: Increasing number of product launches. Advances in transplant biology and immunology. Challenges: Low adoption of haematology analysers in emerging economies. Stringent reimbursement policies and absence of standards and protocols. Companies Mentioned Abbott Laboratories Agilent Technologies Inc. Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. Danaher Corp. Diatron MI PLC (Stratec Biomedical Systems) Drew Scientific Group Ortho Clinical Diagnostics F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ag Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co. Ltd. Siemens Healthineers Sysmex Corp. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Market Segmentation The Global Hematology Market is segmented based on Product, Reagent, Application, End User, and Geography. By Product, the market is classified into Hematology Analyzers, Flow Cytometers, Coagulation Analyzers, Slide Stainers, Centrifuges, and Hemoglobinometers. By Reagent, the market is classified into Coagulation Reagents, Flow Cytometery Reagents, and Immuno-hematology Reagents. By Application, the market is classified into Drug Testing, Auto-immune Diseases, Cancer, Diabetes Mellitus, and Infectious Diseases. By End User, the market is classified into Hospitals, Clinical Testing Institutes, and Patient Self-Testing. By Geography, the market is classified into Americas, Europe , Middle-East & Africa and Asia-Pacific . For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xeqqr1 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 DUBLIN, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Industrial Gases Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2018-2028F Segmented By Type, By End User, By Distribution, By Region, and Competition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Industrial Gases market is set to experience significant growth in the forecast period of 2028, driven by a surge in demand for industrial gases in emerging economies, the expanding healthcare and food processing industries, and increasing investments in the development of new applications for these gases. Notably, the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical importance of oxygen supply systems, with the World Health Organization calling for increased investments to ensure hospitals have sufficient oxygen supplies to meet future demands. The industrial gases market serves various sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and chemicals, providing gases like oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide for numerous applications such as welding, food processing, medical treatment, and refrigeration. Major players in the industry, like Air Liquide, Linde plc, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., and Messer Group GmbH, are heavily investing in research and development to explore new applications and expand their product offerings to meet the growing demands from various end-use industries. This favorable landscape is poised to drive the demand for industrial gases on a global scale in the forecasted period. Growing Demand from Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals is Driving the Market Growth The pharmaceutical industry relies on industrial gases in various stages of drug development and manufacturing. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the use of industrial gases in the healthcare industry for medical applications such as cryotherapy, which involves the use of extreme cold temperatures to treat various medical conditions. This has led to collaborations between companies in the healthcare and industrial gases industries to develop new products and therapies. Therefore, while the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry and the industrial gases market are distinct industries, there are some areas of overlap and potential for collaboration in the development of new products and therapies. This development led to an increase in the demand for industrial gases from the healthcare and pharmaceuticals sector, driving the global industrial gas market growth. Industrial gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide play a crucial role in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Different industrial gases are used in the healthcare sector for the treatment process. For example, oxygen is used in hospitals to treat patients with respiratory issues. It is also used during surgical procedures as a component of anesthesia. In the pharmaceutical industry, oxygen is used in various stages of drug development and manufacturing, including fermentation and cell culture. For example, a hospital with 200 beds may use approximately 1,000 cubic meters of oxygen per day. Nitrogen is used in hospitals for cryotherapy, a medical treatment that involves the use of extremely cold temperatures to treat various medical conditions, such as skin lesions and cancer. Nitrogen is used in the pharmaceutical industry for various purposes, such as freezing and storing biological samples and stabilizing drugs. Carbon dioxide is used in hospitals as a component of respiratory therapy and as a coolant in surgical procedures. In the pharmaceutical industry, carbon dioxide is used in various stages of drug development and manufacturing, such as for the purification of active ingredients. Overall, industrial gases play a critical role in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, and their uses are diverse and far-reaching. Hence, the global industrial gas market is expected to rise significantly in the forecasted period. Rising Demand from the Chemical and Petrochemical Industries are Market Driving Factors The industrial gases market includes companies involved in the production and distribution of gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, and helium, which are used in a wide range of industrial applications such as metal fabrication, chemical production, and healthcare. This industry is driven by factors such as economic growth, industrial production, and environmental regulations. Approximately 14.8 million metric tons of nitrogen gas and 9.2 million metric tons of oxygen gas were produced in the United States in 2020. The chemical and petrochemical industries are heavy users of industrial gases, which play a critical role in their production processes. Industrial gases in chemical and petrochemical industries are used for different purposes. For example, nitrogen is used in the chemical and petrochemical industries for various applications, such as blanketing and purging of storage tanks and pipelines, inerting of reactors, and cooling of process streams. Oxygen is used in the chemical and petrochemical industries for various applications, such as oxidation reactions and combustion processes. It is also used in wastewater treatment to enhance the efficiency of biological treatment systems. Hydrogenation reactions, desulfurization of crude oil and natural gas, and as a fuel for power generation are among various applications of chemical and petrochemical industries where hydrogen is needed. Carbon dioxide is used in the chemical and petrochemical industries for various applications, like a feedstock to produce chemicals, such as urea and methanol, and as a cooling agent. Apart from these, other industrial gases such as helium and argon are also used in the chemical and petrochemical industries for various applications, such as cooling and purging. Therefore, industrial gases are essential for the chemical and petrochemical industries, and their use is critical for efficient and safe production processes, thereby propelling the demand for industrial gases worldwide. Favorable Government Policies as a Key Supporting Factor for the Industrial Gases Market Growth Government policies on industrial gases vary by country and region, but its main aim is to ensure the safe handling, transportation, storage, and use of industrial gases while also minimizing their impact on the environment and public health. Governments may offer subsidies or tax incentives to promote the production and use of industrial gases that either have environmental benefits or support specific industries. For example, the US government offers tax credits for the production and use of hydrogen fuel cells, which are powered by hydrogen gas. These factors led to an increase in the production and demand of industrial gases globally in the upcoming period. Increasing Technological Advancements Driving the Innovation and Increasing the Market Demand Technological advancements have played a significant role in the industrial gas industry by driving innovation, improving efficiency, and creating new applications. Some examples are: Gas Separation Technologies: Advances in gas separation technologies have enabled the production of ultra-pure industrial gases with high levels of purity and reliability. This has been particularly important for the electronics and semiconductor industries, which require high-purity gases for their manufacturing processes. Cryogenic Technologies: Cryogenic technologies have enabled the production and storage of industrial gases at very low temperatures, which has opened new applications in areas such as medical and scientific research, food freezing, and rocket propulsion. Gasification Technologies: Gasification technologies have enabled the conversion of coal, biomass, and other feedstocks into gases such as hydrogen and syngas, which can be used for power generation, chemical production, and other applications. Process Control and Automation: Process control and automation technologies have improved the efficiency and safety of industrial gas production and distribution, reduced costs, and improved product quality. Digitalization and Data Analytics: Digitalization and data analytics technologies have enabled the collection and analysis of data from industrial gas production and distribution processes, allowing companies to optimize their operations and improve their products and services. Competitive landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the global Industrial Gases market. Air Liquide SA Air Products and Chemicals Inc. Asia Technical Gas Co Pte Ltd. BASF SE Bhuruka Gases Limited Ellenbarrie industrial Gases Ltd. Sapio Life Srl IBO INDUSTRIA BRESCIANA OSSIGENO Srl Iwatani Corporation Linde PLC Messer Group Inc. Aneka Gas Industries PT Report Scope: Industrial Gases Market, By Type: Nitrogen Oxygen Argon Hydrogen Carbon Dioxide Others Industrial Gases Market, End User: Metal Production & Fabrication Automotive Chemical & Petrochemical Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Food & Beverages Others Industrial Gases Market, By Distribution: On-site Bulk Cylinder Others Industrial Gases Market, By Region: North America United States Mexico Canada Europe France Germany United Kingdom Spain Italy Asia-Pacific China India South Korea Japan Australia South America Brazil Argentina Colombia Middle East & Africa & South Africa Saudi Arabia UAE For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/acfna2 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 DUBLIN, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Strategic Opportunities in the Global School Bus Market" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report on the global school bus industry provides an in-depth analysis of the growth environment, global trends, and an extensive examination of the school bus space segmented by region. The global school bus industry is expected to grow at a 4.1% rate as market demand experiences a rebound after the pandemic, with replacement for aging fleets contributing to growth. In 2022, the total school bus shipments rose to 59,346 units, and the largest share went to North America (combining the United States and Canada), with 40,556 school buses sold in 2022, followed by India with 13,659 buses and China with 5,131 buses. In the United States, the introduction of the 'Clean School Bus' (CSB) program as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by the Biden administration aims to replace current fossil fuel buses with low- and zero-emission buses. The benefits of this federal program are paramount to both the environment and the health of school children, as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will introduce the Green House Gases (GHG) phase 3 program with stricter emission norms. These factors will determine the growth of electric school buses in North America, with significant market penetration by 2030. In China, electrification will largely depend on the government, as safety is the main factor it considers in school transportation. Similarly, electric school buses will gain ground in India if the government incentives are structured specifically for this segment. As an alternative to electric, the natural gas powertrain will gain momentum, although natural gas prices have been affected by the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2022. North America already provides incentives for propane, also known as liquefied natural gas (LNG), and it is included in the CSB program under the low-emission category. In India, compressed natural gas (CNG) school bus offerings see boosting from OEMs as CNG is cost-effective compared to diesel. Regarding segment classification, in 2022, medium-duty buses led the market with 67.4% out of the total school bus industry, light-duty buses reached 26.2%, while heavy-duty constituted 6.5% of the market. Medium-duty school buses will continue to dominate the market as they offer higher seating capacity with optimal efficiency in operations. The light-duty segment is preferred in urban areas due to its easy maneuverability with moderate operating distance. With electrification in the anvil, the focus on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is expected to gain prominence as safety norms for school buses in North America are more advanced compared to other markets; and while the telematics market for school buses is poised to grow, there is an expectation for safer school transportation and reducing operation costs through fleet management solutions. The revision of existing school bus safety standards in markets like India and China will likely ensure the introduction of new technology safety systems, which further contribute to the preference for regulated school bus usage over other forms of transport. Growth Opportunity Universe Action Toward Zero-emission School Transportation in Developing Markets Expanding Charging Ecosystem for ESBs and Focus on V2G Systems Advanced Safety and Telematics Solutions for Safer and Profitable School Transportation A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes Ashok Leyland Blue Bird Corporation Tata Motors Thomas Built Buses Yutong Bus Zhongtong Bus Key Topics Covered: 1. Strategic Imperatives Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow? The Strategic Imperative The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Global School Bus Market Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine 2. Study Scope Scope of Analysis Product and Technology Segmentation 3. Growth Environment Primary Highlights of the Global School Bus Industry in 2022 Global Trends will Influence the Future of the School Bus Market (2023 to 2030) Snapshot of the Global School Bus Market by Region in 2030 4. Growth Opportunity Analysis Primary Findings: Global School Bus Market Global School Bus Unit Sales by Region Key Global Growth Metrics Main Forecast Criteria Growth Drivers Growth Restraints Unit Sales Forecast Forecast Discussion 5. School Bus Market: North America Regional Snapshot: North America Key Growth Metrics: North America Unit Sales Forecast: North America Powertrain Forecast: North America HD Powertrain Forecast: North America MD Powertrain Forecast: North America LD Powertrain Forecast: North America Forecast Discussion: North America OEM Powertrain Technology Platforms: North America OEM Profile: Blue Bird Corporation OEM Profile: Thomas Built Buses 6. Telematics and Driver Assistance Systems Overview: North America Telematics Systems Favorability: North America Driver Assistance System (DAS) Favorability: North America 7. Total Cost of Ownership: North America Total Cost of Ownership: Parameters and Assumptions Total Cost of Ownership: North American Diesel, NG, and ESB Operational Cost per Mile Comparison 8. ESB Overview: North America Electric School Bus: Vehicle 2 Grid (V2G) Overview - North America Electric School Bus (ESB) Specifications: North America ESB Incentives: North America 9. School Bus Market: China Regional Snapshot: China Key Growth Metrics: China Unit Sales Forecast: China Powertrain Forecast: China HD Powertrain Forecast: China MD Powertrain Forecast: China LD Powertrain Forecast: China Forecast Discussion: China OEM Powertrain Technology Platforms: China OEM Profile: Yutong Bus OEM Profile: Zhongtong Bus 10. Telematics and Driver Assistance Systems Overview: China Telematics Systems Favorability: China Driver Assistance System (DAS) Favorability: China 11. School Bus Market: India Regional Snapshot: India Key Growth Metrics: India Unit Sales Forecast: India Powertrain Forecast: India HD Powertrain Forecast: India MD Powertrain Forecast: India LD Powertrain Forecast: India Forecast Discussion: India OEM Powertrain Technology Platforms: India OEM Profile: Tata Motors OEM Profile: Ashok Leyland Telematics and Driver Assistance Systems Overview: India Telematics Systems Favorability: India Driver Assistance System (DAS) Favorability: India For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/etv1lu 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 Partnering with Feeding America, GoGo squeeZ helps provide 250,000 meals to kids and families as actress and advocate Leighton packs lunches at Los Angeles Food Pantry and invites fans to join in NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GoGo squeeZ, the leading snack pouch brand, is joining forces with actress, mom, and hunger relief advocate, Leighton Meester to help ensure kids have access to nutritious foods as they head back to cafeterias this back-to-school season. As part of their work, GoGo squeeZ and Leighton will be filling up lunchboxes at North Valley Caring Services Food Pantry in LA county and providing up to 250,000 meals1 to families through a donation to Feeding America, the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Leighton Meester and kids prep for back to school with GoGo squeeZ at North Valley Caring Services in Los Angeles, benefiting Feeding America. More than 9 million children live in food insecure households across the United States. That's an average of 1 in 8 kids at risk for hunger in every community across the country. Since the pandemic, food insecurity among families with children has increased1. GoGo squeeZ, as part of its commitment to provide wholesome food solutions for kids of all ages, is working to ensure families across the country have access to nutritious lunch foods. Since 2008, the brand has been the leading squeezable pouch made with fruit and vegetables making on-the-go snacking delicious with more than 30 varieties of squeezable applesauce, Fruit & VeggieZ, YogurtZ, Happy CollectionZ and SmoothieZ. Each pouch is crafted with the highest quality ingredients. "We know that setting children up for a healthy future starts with ensuring they have nutritious food to eat every day," said GoGo squeeZ Chief Marketing Officer Mark Anthony Edmonson. "And with more families facing food insecurity, we must do our part to ensure that kids of all ages can continue their everyday adventures fueled by nutritious snacks. We're thrilled to kick-off back to school season by partnering with Feeding America and Leighton Meester, a long-standing ambassador and food security advocate to make a difference." Following her visit to North Valley Caring Services Food Pantry, GoGo squeeZ and Leighton are encouraging fans to get involved. For every comment of a fruit or veggie emoji on Leighton's Instagram post, GoGo squeeZ will donate the monetary equivalent of 10 meals to Feeding America, up to 250,000 meals2. "As someone who struggled with access to food growing up, child hunger is a cause very close to my heart," said Leighton Meester. "I'm proud to be partnering with GoGo squeeZ and making an impact this back-to-school season. As a mom of two, I know just how important it is to feed our kids with nutritious foods so that they can use their energy for putting their all into every day." 1According to the USDA. 2Up to $25,000. $1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local partner food banks. Visit bit.ly/3QpgO4l for more information. Terms and conditions apply. About GoGo squeeZ GoGo squeeZ is on a mission to provide wholesome food solutions for kids of all ages and being responsible to our planet as they continue their everyday adventures! Since 2008, the brand has been the leading squeezable pouch made with fruit and other nutritious ingredients. GoGo squeeZ makes on-the-go snacking nutritious and delicious with more than 30 varieties of squeezable applesauce, Fruit & VeggieZ, YogurtZ, Happy CollectionZ and SmoothieZ. Each pouch is crafted with the highest quality ingredients. For more information visit www.gogosqueez.com. About MOM Group MOM Group was founded in 2006 following the merger of Mont Blanc and Materne, two companies with the center of know-how in the French dairy and fruit dessert industries. Today, with its fruit and dairy pouches, Pom Potes in France and GoGo squeeZ in the United States, the group is dedicated to offering families convenient and fun snacking solutions made from the best of nature. It draws its success from its industrial know-how and its capacity to innovate and create snacking solutions based on high-quality raw materials. MOM Group has experienced outstanding growth in the last 10 years, consolidating its position as a snacking leader in several strategic geographies. It is comprised of 1,300 employees across five countries and four factories in France and the US. MOM Group's parent company is the Bel Group, a world leader in single-serving portion cheese. For more information visit www.momgroup.com. About Feeding America Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 5.2 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Anna Whitelaw Weber Shandwick [email protected] 212-445-8341 SOURCE GoGo squeeZ New Loan Brings Total to $50 Million Arranged by GCL for Aemetis Project, Which Processes Methane From California Dairy Farms Into Carbon Negative Renewable Natural Gas for Use as Transportation Fuel RENO, Nev., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Greater Commercial Lending (GCL), which provides government-guaranteed loans to businesses and organizations in under-served and rural communities, has completed its second $25 million loan for the Aemetis Biogas Central Dairy Digester Project. The first $25 million loan was completed in October 2022. The loan, guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), will finance the construction of biogas digesters and related assets for eight dairies located in Stanislaus County and Merced County, California. The digesters capture biomethane from animal waste, which is delivered via pipeline to a central facility that converts the biogas into carbon negative renewable natural gas (RNG) for use as a transportation fuel. The RNG has a negative Carbon Intensity rating because it removes damaging methane gas emissions from the environment and converts the biomethane into a transportation fuel to replace diesel. "Renewable fuels projects such as the Aemetis dairy renewable natural gas project play a pivotal role in shaping a sustainable future for our planet. However, their successful implementation often requires substantial financial support that isn't easily accessible through traditional financing sources," said Jeremy Gilpin, president of GCL, one of the largest providers of USDA loans. "Government-guaranteed loans are critical in advancing these innovative technologies. As we embrace renewable energy, harnessing the power of government-guaranteed financing becomes indispensable in creating a sustainable and thriving future for generations to come." The second phase of the project will expand Aemetis Biogas from its current seven operational dairy digesters to biogas digesters at 15 dairies, supplying an estimated 400,000 MMBtu per year of carbon negative RNG. The initial phase of the project, which also included a 40-mile biogas pipeline, was made possible by the first USDA-guaranteed loan completed by GCL. "We are grateful for our continued working relationship with Greater Commercial Lending, which enables us to expand our operations to improve air quality and reduce carbon pollution," said Eric McAfee, Chairman and CEO of Aemetis. "This project would not have been possible without USDA-guaranteed financing." The Aemetis biogas project, when fully built, will connect biogas digesters spanning more than 65 dairy farms and produce more than 1,650,000 MMBtu of renewable natural gas from captured dairy methane each year. The project is on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to an estimated 6.8 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide over 10 years, equal to removing the emissions from approximately 150,000 cars per year, according to Aemetis. Magnolia Bank of Elizabethtown, Kentucky provided the primary funding for the loan. The loan was made to Aemetis Biogas 2, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aemetis, Inc. About Greater Commercial Lending Greater Commercial Lending (GCL) is a credit organization that brings together banks, credit unions and other lenders to provide U.S. government-guaranteed loans to businesses and initiatives in rural and under-served markets throughout the U.S. and its territories. It helps finance key infrastructure services, like power, renewable energy, transportation and fiber optics, as well as schools, hospitals, restaurants, agriculture, hotels and manufacturers. GCL partners with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which guarantee loans, to arrange credit at favorable terms. GCL's network of lenders includes nearly 200 banks, credit unions and other financial institutions. About Aemetis Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Aemetis is a renewable natural gas, renewable fuel and biochemicals company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of innovative technologies that replace petroleum-based products and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Founded in 2006, Aemetis has completed Phase 1 and is expanding a California biogas digester network and pipeline system to convert dairy waste gas into Renewable Natural Gas. Aemetis owns and operates a 65 million gallon per year ethanol production facility in California's Central Valley near Modesto that supplies about 80 dairies with animal feed. Aemetis also owns and operates a 50 million gallon per year production facility on the East Coast of India producing high quality distilled biodiesel and refined glycerin for customers in India and Europe. Aemetis is developing the Carbon Zero sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel fuel biorefineries in California to utilize distillers corn oil and other renewable oils to produce low carbon intensity renewable jet and diesel fuel using cellulosic hydrogen from waste orchard and forest wood, while pre-extracting cellulosic sugars from the waste wood to be processed into high value cellulosic ethanol at the Keyes plant. Aemetis holds a portfolio of patents and exclusive technology licenses to produce renewable fuels and biochemicals. For additional information about Aemetis, please visit www.aemetis.com. Media contact: Michael-Jon Romano Allison+Partners [email protected] SOURCE Greater Commercial Lending H2 Green Steel has entered an agreement for the supply of direct reduction iron ore pellets with Vale to its steel plant in northern Sweden STOCKHOLM, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a multi-year agreement, Vale will supply H2 Green Steel with iron ore pellets as input material for its steel mill in Boden. Vale is a Brazilian mining company and the world's largest supplier of direct reduction pellets. "Vale has followed the developments of the green transition of the steel industry in northern Sweden closely and now chooses to take an active role in contributing to it. H2 Green Steel is pushing the entire value chain of steel to move faster towards sustainable solutions. By working closely together with them, we show once more our support to the decarbonization of the steel sector. We have committed to reducing our scope 3 net emissions by 15 percent up to 2035, which means an absolute emission reduction need of more than 80 million tonnes of CO 2 emissions. This is equivalent to the emissions from the nation of New Zealand by comparison", says Bruno Pina, Global Sales Director at Vale. Iron ore in pelletized form is, along with green hydrogen from H2 Green Steel's own electrolyzer facility, critical input materials for the green direct reduced iron (DRI) production which will be used to make near-zero emissions steel in the steel plant in Boden. The process of direct reduction of iron ore using green hydrogen and a fully electrified process achieves a CO 2 reduction of up to 95 percent compared to the conventional steel making process using coal and coke in a blast furnace. "This marks another strategic agreement for H2 Green Steel where Vale, in addition to the supply of iron ore pellets, also brings significant experience and great technical knowledge into the collaboration. We look forward to developing decarbonization paths together with the team at Vale. It's truly impressive to see the engagement outside Sweden for our great project in Boden, says Henrik Henriksson CEO of H2 Green Steel. The pellets will be delivered from Tubarao in Brazil to Boden via the Port of Lulea in Sweden. CONTACT: Karin Hallstan, Head of Public and Media Relations, phone: +46 76 842 81 04, email: [email protected] The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/20623/3815151/2220468.pdf H2 Green Steel and Vale in iron ore agreement_FINAL https://news.cision.com/h2-green-steel/i/tubarao-port-vitoria-espirito-santo-es-brazil-pellets-stocking-yard,c3204290 Tubarao Port Vitoria Espirito Santo ES Brazil Pellets stocking yard SOURCE H2 Green Steel TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthEdge Investment Partners ("HealthEdge"), a Tampa-FL based private equity firm, is pleased to announce that it has completed the final close of its fourth fund, HealthEdge Investment Fund IV, L.P. ("Fund IV"), which exceeded its target with over $160 million of commitments, including a meaningful investment by the General Partner and robust support from HealthEdge's existing limited partner base, including prominent fund of funds, pension funds, endowments, and high-net-worth individuals. Fund IV will remain consistent with the strategy of the preceding three funds providing the first institutional capital to leading entrepreneurial businesses in attractive segments of the healthcare industry. As an operationally-oriented, sector-focused private equity firm, HealthEdge delivers attractive and replicable returns to its investors by partnering with lower middle market healthcare companies where HealthEdge's investment and operational teams can add substantial value driving organizational transformation, cultural excellence, and accelerated growth through active involvement with management. "We are grateful for the ongoing support of our longtime limited partners and are excited to add a select group of new investors. We believe our ability to raise Fund IV is a testament to our talented team, disciplined investment strategy, and long track record of success," said Managing Partner Phil Dingle. To date, Fund IV has allocated approximately 24% of its capital to its first two platform investments: Anodyne, a leading provider of clinical footwear solutions for the growing diabetic population, and Veridian Healthcare, an outsourced manufacturer and distributor of private label and branded in-home diagnostic, pain care management, and personal care products. Since 2006, HealthEdge has completed 70 acquisitions, including 21 platforms and 49 add-ons, and 13 exits, while expanding the HealthEdge team to 17 people, including 8 investment professionals. In addition to Fund IV, HealthEdge has overseen three previous investment funds focused on the lower end of the domestic healthcare market; Fund I, a 2006 vintage, is fully liquidated and produced top quartile returns for its vintage year, Fund II, a 2012 vintage, is presently performing at a higher rate of return than Fund I, and Fund III, a 2016 vintage, which completed its final platform investment in July 2022 and has had two successful exits. Touchstone acted as the exclusive placement agent to Fund IV. Hill Ward Henderson, LLP served as legal counsel. ABOUT HEALTHEDGE HealthEdge Investment Partners, LLC is an operating-oriented private equity firm founded in 2005 that focuses exclusively on the healthcare industry. HealthEdge seeks to achieve superior returns by investing in businesses that benefit from the knowledge, experience, and network of relationships of its partners. HealthEdge's partners have more than 100 years of combined operating experience in healthcare as CEOs and investors. For more information on HealthEdge, please visit healthedgepartners.com. CONTACT: HealthEdge Investment Partners, LLC 5550 W. Executive Drive, Suite 230 Tampa, Florida 33609 (813) 490-7100 www.healthedgepartners.com SOURCE HealthEdge Investment Partners, LLC Francois-Henry Bennahmias gives his final media interview as Audemars Piguet CEO but is this really goodbye? After more than a decade at the helm of one of the world's biggest watch companies (and several more years before that steering its North America subsidiary to great success), Francois-Henry Bennahmias steps down to make way for the next generation of leadership at Audemars Piguet. In the role of CEO, what achievement does he consider his proudest moment? What advice will he give to his successor? And the question we've all been wanting to ask him what's next on the horizon? Watch our exclusive one-on-one interview to find out. Healthcare Advocate Summit: A Must-Attend Event for Anyone Involved in the Patient Health Care Journey GERMANTOWN, Md., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The HealthWell Foundation, an independent non-profit that provides a financial lifeline for inadequately insured Americans, is pleased to announce that it will be presenting and exhibiting at the third annual Healthcare Advocate Summit to be held in New Orleans, LA, September 6 8, 2023. As a presenting sponsor for this must-attend event, the HealthWell Foundation, and other similarly mission-focused organizations, is honored to host a full day seminar, devoted specifically to interested and existing corporate manufacturer donors in the charitable patient assistance program (CPAP) space. During the seminar, attendees will receive a complete overview and in-depth detail toward assisting patients with their medication copays, insurance premiums, and other ancillary costs through independent foundational support. The session will take place on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time. Individual seminar details are provided below and a full list of speakers for each session can be viewed by visiting: https://www.healthcareadvocatesummit.com/cpap Best Practices for Compliant, Effective, Patient-Focused Interactions Between Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Donors, CPAP Foundations, and Other Stakeholders Welcome and Opening Remarks Case Study: How Past Industry Changes Have Affected Patient Assistance CPAP Overview How CPAPs are different from manufacturer programs and how they can cross-refer/co-exist cross-refer/co-exist OIG guidance and translation into operations and donor relations Starting the CPAP Discussion/Communication Best Practices Roundtable Panel Discussion How to start an appropriate dialogue with a CPAP and maintain compliance throughout Red flags in operations and donor relations What best practices should be integrated into ongoing communications between donors, foundations, and other stakeholders How to Compliantly Structure Donation Agreements What language should be standard in a donation agreement based on OIG Guidance Discussion of agreements and interactions deemed problematic by the DOJ and OIG The Idiosyncrasies of Different Disease Areas and Patient Groups How different diseases cause unique and different patient out-of-pocket needs Rare diseases and how CPAP's can help The weight of importance of distinct referrer relationships among different disease areas Ask the DOJ/Independent Counsel What areas of Federal Law pertain most in this part of the industry General state of government oversight of the space All sessions will be both in-person and live-streamed, with the ability to submit questions anonymously prior to the seminar and ask questions in person and via the live-stream throughout the day. You can submit your questions before, during and after the sessions at: https://www.healthcareadvocatesummit.com/cpap-qa Additionally, members of HealthWell's senior management team will lead two main stage discussions on Thursday, September 7, 2023. Join us and our esteemed panelists for: What's Next In Patient Assistance and Support and a Deep Dive: Advancing Health Equity with Patient Assistance. Visit: https://www.healthcareadvocatesummit.com/cpap for the full lineup. To learn more about the Healthcare Advocate Summit and why you should join the over 600 expected registered attendees, visit: https://www.healthcareadvocatesummit.com. To learn more about HealthWell programs and our robust disease fund portfolio, visit our website at HealthWellFoundation.org. Visit the Conference section of our website to learn about future industry and disease-specific venues where you can connect with the HealthWell team. About the HealthWell Foundation A nationally recognized, independent non-profit organization founded in 2003, the HealthWell Foundation has served as a safety net across over 85 disease areas for more than 822,000 underinsured patients. Since its inception, HealthWell has provided over $3.3 billion in financial support through more than 1.3 million grants to access life-changing medical treatments patients otherwise would not be able to afford. HealthWell provides financial assistance to adults and children facing medical hardship resulting from gaps in their insurance that cause out-of-pocket medical expenses to escalate rapidly; HealthWell assists with the treatment-related cost-sharing obligations of these patients. HealthWell ranked 34th on the 2022 Forbes list of The 100 Largest U.S. Charities and was recognized for its 100 percent fundraising efficiency. For more information, visit HealthWellFoundation.org. CONTACT: Ginny Dunn 240-632-5309 [email protected] SOURCE HealthWell Foundation A guide to fit and fashion for the upcoming season MIAMI, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the sophisticated man looking to update his wardrobe this fall, Hive & Colony expert bespoke stylists forecast a fashion season of classic palettes with vibrant accents and statement tailoring. Today's modern gentleman gracefully adapts their wardrobe to the shapes, fabrics, and patterns that complement the change of season. At Hive & Colony, our fall collection features ready-to-wear and custom garment lineups to highlight popular styles without sacrificing the individualism of each unique customer. Sophistication meets elegance with a horizontal structure and luxurious flow from the top down. Tweet this This fall, classic tones, particularly light gray, return with a refreshed energy through modern tailoring choices and bright pops of color. Photo courtesy of Hive & Colony. "This fall, classic tones, particularly light gray, return with a refreshed energy through modern tailoring choices and bright pops of color. Whether it's in the lining of a custom suit or the handcrafted Italian accessories like a pocket square or tie this fall, we're predicting contrasting colorways of neutral and bright tones," said Brittanie Gigler, Head of Product Development and Design. With neutral colorways of grays, tans, blacks, and blues offering effortless elegance, men look for customized tailoring to add distinction to their style. Our specialists predict relaxed-fit suits with a structured square bottom and longer lines, with the fall's outerwear collection's strong shoulder to dominate designs. On the trouser scene, expect modern to classic cuts. Sophistication meets elegance with a horizontal structure and luxurious flow from the top down. In addition to distinctive tailoring, flannel, jacquard, and heavy wools will make a statement in texture and pattern for fall weather fabrics. "Hive & Colony showroom specialists tailor the client experience, curating a one-of-a-kind look that blends contemporary and modern fashion trends," Gigler added. "Our stylists excel in precise measurement and tailoring to fit not only the customer's unique body type but the fit and appearance they desire." To begin your bespoke journey, visit the nearest Hive & Colony showroom to curate a relaxed, effortless fall wardrobe and explore our collection of Italian accessories. About Hive & Colony From the streets of Manhattan to its first showroom in Boston, Hive & Colony has pollinated its vision of redefined menswear from coast to coast. Through the utilization of 1,000+ rich materials and 3D measurement technology, Hive & Colony has tailored a custom shopping experience as unique as it is luxurious. Sophistication is never sacrificed through Hive & Colony's array of hand-crafted Italian accessories or custom suits and tuxedos. To book an individualized experience at a showroom visit hiveandcolony.com or follow on Instagram at @hiveandcolony . SOURCE H&C Retail Management LLC BEIJING, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn: During the World Dairy Industry Conference, Hohhot, capital city of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, was awarded the title of "Dairy Science and Technology Capital of the World" by the International Union of Food Science and Technology on Aug 5. The cutting-edge Yili Global Dairy Intelligent Manufacturing Benchmark Base in Hohhot is said to lead the industry. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] With a long history in the dairy industry, Hohhot has nurtured global leading dairy companies, Yili and Mengniu. It has a rich ecosystem for dairy technology innovation, including multiple comprehensive platforms for dairy technology innovation. The city is home to three higher education institutions and seven research institutions related to the dairy industry. It has obtained 44 national-level technology innovation carriers and gathered 24.75 percent of the country's talent in the dairy product industry. It has also established long-term strategic partnerships with 13 leading domestic universities, over 50 international academic units, and renowned companies. These collaborations cover various areas including forage breeding, planting, animal breeding, farming, deep processing of dairy products, and dairy technology. This has formed a complete technological innovation system for the entire dairy industry chain. SOURCE chinadaily.com.cn Landspeed Racing Icon & Record-holder Immortalized for Lifetime Achievements STURGIS, S.D., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Indian Motorcycle, America's First Motorcycle Company, today celebrates Burt Munro's induction into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame. A motorcycle racing icon and landspeed record-holder, Munro inspired generations of riders through his relentless drive to reach the record books. Indian Motorcycle "You cannot tell the history of motorcycles without mentioning Burt Munro," said Aaron Jax, Indian Motorcycle Vice President. "Burt's stories have literally molded the Indian Motorcycle brand, as we continue to live like Burt and push the envelope to drive innovation, break boundaries and blaze new trails." Born and raised in Invercargill, New Zealand, Munro had an unnatural need for speed, famously saying, "You live more in five minutes on a bike like this going flat out than some people live in a lifetime." Munro spent decades rebuilding and wrenching his 1920 Indian Scout from his garage, ultimately setting three world records at the iconic Bonneville Salt Flats. In 1967, at 68 years old, Munro set an under-1,000cc record of 184.087 mph. This record still stands today. "Burt's a legend. His accomplishments, through trials and tribulations, inspire our racing efforts today," said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Technology and Service for Indian Motorcycle. "While it may be overdue, it's quite an achievement for Burt to be enshrined into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame, and we're incredibly proud and grateful to celebrate Burt Munro not just today, but every day." The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame pays homage to the remarkable individuals who have made enduring contributions to the motorcycle community. The Hall of Fame celebrates visionary pioneers, while showcasing their extraordinary accomplishments and unwavering passion. The Hall of Fame class of 2023 includes 1981 Des Nations Team USA, Burt Munro, Chris Callen, Jay Allen, Roland Sands, Russel Radke and Scott Jacobs. Learn more at SturgisMuseum.com. To learn more about Indian Motorcycle, visit IndianMotorcycle.com, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE Indian Motorcycle is America's First Motorcycle Company. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America's most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com. SOURCE Indian Motorcycle Birmingham, Alabama-based company INMO launches scoreboard with giveaways on its new social media app for creators. BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- INMO, a new social media platform, has officially launched its app, available for download on the App Store and Google Play. INMO was made for creators to showcase and be rewarded for their original contentand if you've never heard of it, it's probably because other social media apps aren't allowing INMO to advertise on their platforms. INMO The INMO app brings something new to the market, with a more transparent algorithm and users dictating the market. "INMO is doing something that's never been done before, as it's made for creators by creators, and we're looking to drive competition and collaboration while leveling the playing field," said INMO Founder Blake Patterson. "The INMO Scoreboard (patent pending) allows creators to see where they rank in real time, so we're operating with a transparency that's never been seen before." Patterson is a serial entrepreneur, formerly founding Simpeo , a professional employee organization (PEO) provider. Simpeo was acquired by Group Management Services , the largest privately-owned PEO in the United States, in January. While Patterson suspects the in-app competition will enthrall users who feel more control, he also recognizes INMO will likely become a competitor to existing social media platforms like Meta , which, at the time of this press release, isn't allowing INMO to run ads on its platform. A large part of INMO's continuous tech expansions is built on the blockchain (Web3), meaning any data, including interactions, achievements, and content, is securely stored to enhance user experience and transparency. Uploaded content is owned by the users themselves rather than the application or platform, and in the near future, these users will be rewarded with special badges showcasing creators' dedication and involvement. Adelaide Matte, co-founder and CEO of AMD Creative , a branding and design agency in Birmingham, expressed her desire to create an app that rewards creators for their originality and pays them what they're worth. "As a creator myself, it's discouraging to see creators become burned out when they don't see the growth and engagement they want or they're regurgitating the same content because it has gone viral," Matte stated. "We're really excited about the new methods we've come up with for creator compensation like the upcoming giveaways we're offering to the leaders on the INMO Scoreboard." On August 1, INMO launched a giveaway contest, with prizes every Friday for 1st-3rd places on the INMO Scoreboard. The first week's giveaway, ending August 4, features an iPhone 14 for the winner. For more information on the giveaway, download the INMO app and for general information about INMO, visit inmo.xyz . ABOUT INMO Founded by Blake Patterson in 2022, INMO is changing the way creators connect with each other and reach new audiences. The INMO brand empowers its users to create original content and share it on the INMO app for a chance to place on the INMO Scoreboard (patent pending). Company: INMO Contact: Jennie Fisher Phone: 601.513.1342 Email: [email protected] SOURCE INMO PITTSBURGH, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- "I wanted to create a way to help absorb sudden forces in vehicle accidents," said an inventor, from Cahokia Heights, Ill., "so I invented the PROTECTIVE RESTRAINT. My design would help protect against seat belt-related injuries." The invention provides a seat belt accessory to reduce impact on the body in a vehicle collision. In doing so, it offers an extra layer of physical protection. As a result, it helps prevent bruising, injuries and sciatic nerve damage and it enhances safety and comfort. The invention features a simple design that is easy to use so it is ideal for vehicle owners, professional drivers, travelers, etc. Additionally, it is producible in design variations. The original design was submitted to the National sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 21-JMC-1999, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com. SOURCE InventHelp MONTREAL, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - IOU Financial Inc. ("IOU" or the "Company") (TSXV: IOU) announces that it has delivered a notice to North Mill Equipment Finance LLC ("NMEF") advising NMEF of its determination that the non-binding, indicative unsolicited proposal (the "NMEF Proposal") received from NMEF to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of IOU ("Shares") at a price of $0.28 in cash for each Share does not constitute a "Superior Proposal" under the Arrangement Agreement entered into between IOU and 9494-3677 Quebec Inc. (the "Purchaser") on July 13, 2023 (the "Arrangement Agreement") and therefore does not provide a basis upon which to enter into discussions with NMEF. That determination follows a comprehensive review of the NMEF Proposal by the special committee (the "Special Committee") of the board of directors of IOU (the "Board") and the Board, with the benefit of advice of their legal counsel and financial advisor. The Special Committee and the Board (with Philippe Marleau, Lucas Timberlake and Robert Gloer abstaining from deliberations and voting) arrived at this determination, among other reasons, on the basis of the written confirmation provided to them by the Purchaser and its affiliates, who own, control, direct or have subject to a hard lock-up more than 48% of the issued and outstanding Shares (on a non-diluted basis), that they would not vote (or permit to be voted) any such Shares in favour of the NMEF Proposal. To be successfully consummated, the NMEF Proposal would need, among other things, to gather the support of more than two-thirds of the holders of Shares (the "Shareholders"), which would not be possible in the present circumstances without the support of the Purchaser and its affiliates. Despite having been given an opportunity, in writing and orally, to clarify how it intended to overcome the Purchaser's opposition to the NMEF Proposal, NMEF did not propose any satisfactory course of action pursuant to which the NMEF Proposal could reasonably be expected to be consummated. The Board therefore reaffirms its unanimous approval and recommendation (with Philippe Marleau, Lucas Timberlake and Robert Gloer abstaining from deliberations and voting) that the Shareholders vote for the plan of arrangement contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (the "Arrangement") and confirms that IOU will continue with the process set forth in the Arrangement Agreement, including holding a special meeting of the Shareholders called for September 12, 2023 for the purpose of considering and voting on the Arrangement. For more information on the Arrangement Agreement, please see IOU's press release of July 14, 2023. About IOU IOU Financial Inc. is a wholesale lender that provides quick and easy access to growth capital to small businesses through a network of preferred brokers across the US and Canada. Built on its proprietary IOU360 technology platform that connects underwriters, merchants and brokers in real time, IOU has become a trusted alternative to banks by originating over US$1 billion in loans to fund small business growth since 2009. IOU was named one of the 50 Best Places to Work in Fintech for 2022 by American Banker and trades on the TSX-V under the symbol "IOU", and on the US OTC markets as "IOUFF". To learn more about IOU's corporate history, financial products, or to join our broker network please visit www.IOUFinancial.com . Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the completion of the Arrangement and the outcome of the NMEF Proposal, and other statements that are not material facts. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "believe", "estimate", "plan", "could", "should", "would", "outlook", "forecast", "anticipate", "foresee", "continue" or the negative of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Although the Company believes that the forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information and assumptions that are reasonable, including assumptions that parties will receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary court, shareholder and U.S. State regulatory approvals, and that the parties will otherwise be able to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the closing of the Arrangement, these forward-looking statements are by their nature subject to a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from management's expectations and plans as set forth in such forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the following factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control and the effects of which can be difficult to predict: (a) the possibility that the Arrangement will not be completed on the terms and conditions, or on the timing, currently contemplated, and that it may not be completed at all, due to a failure to obtain or satisfy, in a timely manner or otherwise, required shareholder, regulatory and court approvals and other conditions of closing necessary to complete the Arrangement or for other reasons; (b) the possibility of litigation relating to the Arrangement; and (c) the potential of a third party, including, but not limited to, NMEF, making a "Superior Proposal" to the Arrangement; and (d) other factors beyond the Company's control which could have a material adverse effect on the Company or its ability to complete the Arrangement. The Company cautions investors not to rely on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release when making an investment decision in their securities. Investors are encouraged to read the Company's filings available under its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release and IOU undertakes no obligation to update or revise any of these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. SOURCE IOU Financial Inc. IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IRA Capital ("IRA"), a leading Southern-California based private equity firm, was recently named by The Orange County Business Journal as one of the Best Places to Work. Organized by Workforce Research Group, the 2023 Best Places to Work in Orange County program identifies and celebrates the region's top employers, highlighting those companies that foster an outstanding work culture, prioritize employee well-being, and offer attractive benefits. This recognition signifies IRA Capital's ongoing efforts to create a workplace where employees can thrive, achieve their full potential, and enjoy a fulfilling professional journey. "We are immensely proud to be recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Orange County," said Amer Malas, Managing Partner. "At IRA, our team is our greatest asset and the foundation of our success. This honor reflects our dedication to cultivating an environment where our employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to do their best work. Our company culture places great emphasis on encouraging collaboration, innovation, and personal development. We will always continue to prioritize the well-being and growth of our employees along with a healthy work/life balance." About IRA Capital IRA Capital is a Southern-California based private equity firm founded in 2010 by partners Amer Kasm, Samir Patel, Jay Gangwal, Amer Malas, and Mohannad Malas. IRA invests capital for its own account and on behalf of its co-investment partners, which include pension funds, institutions, and family offices. Headquartered in Irvine California, IRA has acquired over seven million square feet of property in 30 states, with a total capitalization greater than $3 Billion. To learn more, visit www.IRAcapital.com For more information, please contact: Danielle de Souza, IRA Capital Corporate Communications [email protected] / 949.612.2742 SOURCE IRA Capital CAIRO, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A defining moment in the history of JETOUR has been welcomed at the Great Pyramid of Giza one of the seven ancient wonders of the world - which hosted a brand renewal and product launch event, further promoting JETOUR's "Travel+" brand strategy to the globe. Themed "Travel Together", the event saw the participation of over 500 guests, including the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, the Embassy of Egypt in China, the Egyptian Automotive Industry Association, Xinhua News Agency, and nearly 80 media and Internet celebrities. The event, live-streamed on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms, allowed JETOUR fans to witness this important milestone together, further strengthening the JETOUR "Travel +" brand concept on a global scale. Focusing on the global "Travel +" market segment, JETOUR has been developing consumers' car demands through design, research and development, manufacturing, marketing, and more. Through co-creating with users, JETOUR can fully meet their diverse range of travel needs. Ke Chuandeng, Vice President of JETOUR Auto, said that the Great Pyramid is a world-famous travel mecca, so the launch of JETOUR's new car here is a milestone, which is an important embodiment of JETOUR's "Travel +" brand strategy going global. He added that in the future, JETOUR will continue to focus on the "Travel +" strategy, allowing global users to experience a different travel culture and recognize that a JETOUR car is not only a vehicle but also the carrier of their beautiful travel life. At present, JETOUR has established over 400 sales and service networks in more than 40 countries and regions, including the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America, Asia Pacific, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It has gained the recognition of 760,000 users and 27 million followers across the world in 58 months, ranking first in the SUV market segment in multiple countries including Angola, Uruguay, and Colombia, scoring a double win in both sales and reputation. Chen Jiacai, Assistant General Manager of JETOUR AUTO and General Manager of JETOUR International Marketing Company, said that the three flagship models that have debuted in Egypt, namely X70Plus, X90Plus, and Dashing, are positioned as medium-to-large SUVs in the family travel series and the trendy travel series. He added that partnering with KG will enable JETOUR to continue to establish its presence as a benchmark in Egypt's SUV market segment. Chen said that JETOUR will surpass 10 percent market share of the overall Egyptian market by 2027. According to the company, the newly-launched models are flagship vehicles in the international market of JETOUR, leading in SUV market sales in several countries. X70Plus is a brand-new, stylish 7-seater SUV, with a class-leading wide car and a variety of intelligent technology configurations. Equipped with a 1.5T+6DCT classic powertrain, it can fully meet the travel demands of users. X90Plus belongs to the medium and large SUV class, with luxury quality on par with first-class cabins, 4.85-meter body size, and B-class large space. It is equipped with a super-efficient 1.6T + DCT powertrain and a 12.3-inch central control screen, displaying superior qualities in technology and luxury. DASHING, positioned as a high-tech and fashionable urban 5-seater SUV, has a dynamic and smooth shape design. The wheelbase measures 2.72 meters, making it the king of the A-class SUV in terms of wheelbase. A 1.5T+DCT dynamic system also makes it economical and durable. In the future, JETOUR will continue to pursue its "Travel +" strategy. Integrating its strategy with the user demand for travel vehicles, JETOUR will launch a T series hard-core SUV and P series pickup truck while accelerating its business positioning in the new energy segment. Establishing a diversified layout in products, services, and ecology will enable JETOUR to further satisfy the demands of different international regions, and further its commitment to becoming a "Travel +" leader in the automobile market. SOURCE Jetour LONDON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The John Lewis Partnership, the UK's largest employee-owned company, today announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud, worth 100m over the next five years. The move represents a major expansion of the successful relationship it has had with Google since 2012. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in the John Lewis Partnership's digital transformation of its much loved brands, John Lewis and Waitrose, and its ambitions to provide customers with even more tailored and personalised experiences. Under the expanded agreement, more of the organisation's technology will migrate to Google Cloud, harnessing the cloud provider's latest and most innovative technologies, including advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). These tools will enable the John Lewis Partnership workforce, known as Partners, to be more efficient, spend more time focusing on customers, and better use data insights to help curate great products and services. The investment in Google Cloud is a fundamental part of the John Lewis Partnership's transformation story. The company's strategy of creating brilliant in-store and online experiences has already been successful in attracting more customers this year. This partnership with Google Cloud will take its retail experience to the next level - both in-store, and via its digital platforms, including JohnLewis.com, Waitrose.com, and its owned mobile apps. Moreover, the agreement will support the John Lewis Partnership's ambition to get closer to its customers by creating a pan-Partnership loyalty programme in 2024. Nish Kankiwala, Chief Executive Officer at the John Lewis Partnership, said: "Investing in cutting edge technology is not just a choice, it's a necessity for a modern retailer like us. Core to our strategy is building our technology infrastructure for the long term, drawing on latest innovations to benefit our customers." Zak Mian, Chief Transformation and Technology Officer at the John Lewis Partnership, added: "At the John Lewis Partnership we've always been focused at finding better ways to do business. Today's announcement marks a significant step in transforming our technology, and ensures that our Partners have the best tools to provide our customers with even more personalised experiences, across all our channels. "Imagine a world where a customer can use an image scanning feature in their John Lewis App to show our Home Design Stylists a room they're looking to furnish, which tells us all we need to know about the intricacies of the space, layout and measurements. Not only does it save customers a lot of time and hassle, but even before the appointment we can take inspiration from their unique preferences and give tailored recommendations that can even complement products they already have. We're looking forward to an era of fresh innovation." "As an innovative British retailer with a strong commitment to customer service, the John Lewis Partnership is always looking for new ways to reinvent how it does business," said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. "By turning to Google Cloud's leading AI and ML tools, John Lewis will help transform the Partner experience, which in turn will deliver a better and more seamless experience for its customers." Notes to editors About the John Lewis Partnership The John Lewis Partnership owns and operates two of Britain's best-loved retail brands - John Lewis and Waitrose. Started as a radical experiment over a century ago, the Partnership is now the largest employee-owned business in the UK, with around 74,000 employees who are all Partners in the business. The Partnership is purpose-driven, existing to create a fairer and more sustainable future for our Partners, customers, suppliers and communities. Our Purpose not only inspires our principles, drives our decisions and acts as our guide to be a force for good, it steers us to do things differently and better - all in service of creating a happier world for everyone and everything we touch. About Google Cloud Google Cloud accelerates every organization's ability to digitally transform its business and industry. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google's cutting-edge technology, and tools that help developers build more sustainably. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems. SOURCE Google Cloud The life of beauty pageant winners may seem like a fairy tale if you forget about the fierce competition, envy and sudden popularity that hang over each contestant. ADVERTISIMENT Both young participants in children's beauty contests and adult ladies are not immune to the dreaded death. OBOZREVATEL will tell you about the deaths of beauties who have won prestigious awards (to see photos and videos, scroll to the bottom of the page). JonBenet Patricia Ramsey The little American girl was the winner of many children's beauty contests, but her life ended at the age of 6. According to a forensic report, the girl was hit on the head, strangled with a garrote and possibly raped. Traces of blood belonging to a man were found on JonBenet's underwear. The girl's parents told the police that they had found a note demanding payment for their daughter, but law enforcement officers later found her body in the basement of the house. The killer has not yet been found. ADVERTISIMENT Irene Garza On 16 April 1960, a 25-year-old schoolteacher and Miss South Texas titleholder went to confession in a Catholic church, but did not return home. Her body was found 5 days later in a canal. The girl had been hit on the head with a blunt object, raped and then strangled. The culprit, who turned out to be the priest John Bernard, was convicted only 57 years later, when he was over 80 years old. All these years he had been the main suspect, and in 2002 another priest broke the confidentiality of his confession and told police that Bernard had confessed to the murder. ADVERTISIMENT Damaris Ruiz Damaris Ruiz won the title of Miss Venezuela in 1973, but she did not find happiness in it. The girl lived with her brother, who starved her, was jealous of men and abused her. Unable to stand it, Ruiz ran away from home in 2000, after which she lived on the streets for another 15 years. A beauty queen with a law degree failed to start her life anew. Her body was found in a park, and no one even came to say goodbye to the deceased. Csilly Molnar The winner of Miss Hungary 1985 suffered from an excess of attention after participating in beauty pageants. In 1986, she took part in one of the versions of the Miss Europe pageant held in Malta, where she took 3rd place, and on 10 June of the same year she committed suicide. The beauty took a lethal dose of a heart drug. ADVERTISIMENT Agnieszka Kotlarska The Polish model and winner of the Miss Poland and Miss International 1991 titles was murdered 5 years after her global triumph. Everything was going well in her life - contracts with brands, a loving husband and daughter. However, the family idyll did not appeal to the model's crazed stalker, who attacked the couple with a knife outside their home in Poland. Agnieszka died of her wounds in hospital, and her husband was injured. The attack was witnessed by the couple's 2-year-old daughter. ADVERTISIMENT Earlier, OBOZREVATEL wrote that American actress Sandra Bullock lost her lover. The star's boyfriend, popular US photographer Brian Randall, died at the age of 57. Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes! KANAZAWA, Japan, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in STAR Protocols procedural details and tips for nanoendoscopy-AFM, for capturing images of nanoscale structures inside living cells. Images of nanoscale structures inside living cells are in increasing demand for insights into cellular structure and function they can reveal. So far, the tools for capturing such images have been limited in various ways, but researchers led by Takeshi Fukuma and Takehiko Ichikawa at Kanazawa University have now devised and reported a full protocol for using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to image inside living cells. AFM was first developed in the 1980s and uses the changes in the forces between a sample surface and a nanoscale tip attached to a cantilever to "feel" surfaces and produce images of the topography with nanoscale resolution. The technique has grown increasingly sophisticated for extracting information about samples and at speeds sufficient for the tool to capture moving images of dynamics at the nanoscale. However, so far, it has been limited to surfaces. Other techniques exist that can provide a view of the inside of a cell but with limitations. For instance, there is electron microscopy, which is capable of resolving details at the nanoscale and smaller, but the required operating conditions are not compatible with living cells. Alternatively, fluorescence microscopy is regularly used on living cells, but while fluorescence techniques exist to increase the resolution, there are practical challenges that inhibit fluorescence imaging at the nanoscale. AFM suffers from neither limitation and by embellishing the tool with a nanoneedle to penetrate cells, Fukuma, Ichikawa and their collaborators have recently demonstrated the capability to image inside cells at the nanoscale, which they describe as nanoendoscopy-AFM. In their protocol, the researchers break down the method for nanoendoscopy-AFM into 4 stages. The first few steps involve cell preparation and staining with a fluorescent dye and checking the fluorescence, which is used to identify the imaging area quickly. Next is the fabrication of the nanoneedles themselves, for which there are two options either etching away a nanoneedle structure with a focused ion beam or building one up with electron beam deposition. Then comes the nanoendoscopy stage itself, and in the report, the researchers describe the approach for both 2D and 3D nanoendoscopy. There are even details outlined to describe the best way to clean up after the nanoendoscopy images are captured before finally outlining the data processing needed to visualize the measured data. The method is replete with tips for successfully accomplishing each stage, as well as a guide for troubleshooting when things are not quite working out. This technique should be suitable for the observation of intact intracellular structures, including mitochondria, focal adhesions, endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes, Golgi apparatus, organelle connections, and liquid-liquid phase-separated structures. They conclude, "This protocol can be expected to become a standard tool for studying nanoscale structures." Figure: https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/Graphical-abstract_EN.jpg Caption: Overview of the method for observing actin fibers in living cells using nanoendoscopy-AFM. 2023 Ichikawa, et al., STAR Protocols Glossary Atomic force microscopy Atomic force microscopy detects the attractive forces between a sample surface and tip from the resulting deflection of a cantilever that bears a nanoscale tip. Because the tip gradually tapers to such a small area, and the attractive forces dwindle so rapidly with distance, the topography of the surface can be obtained with nanoscale resolution. The technique was first reported shortly after the scanning conductance microscope, and although it was not the first to report an imaging resolution potential on the atomic scale, it had the great advantage of operation requirements that are compatible with non-conducting samples and living cells. It has also since provided valuable insights into dynamic insights with the development of a high-speed version of the tool at Kanazawa University. The development of this nanoendoscopy-AFM to penetrate cells extends the scope of the tool even further. In one variation of AFM, the tip oscillates up and down as it is scanned over a structure, and the effect of changes in the resonance frequency of the oscillating tip gives an indication of the forces it is subject to. Tapping, dynamic, or AC AFM, as this has been described, has been attractive for imaging fragile structures as no contact is made. Here it is used inside the cell for 2D nanoendoscopy. An alternative is 3D nanoendoscopy, where at each point that is raster scanned, the tip is retracted by a specified distance, which may be between 0.1 and 1 micrometres. The measured force until it reaches the set point is then noted at each point. Reference Takehiko Ichikawa, Mohammad Shahidul Alam, Marcos Penedo, Kyosuke Matsumoto, Sou Fujita, Keisuke Miyazawa, Hirotoshi Furusho, Kazuki Miyata, Chikashi Nakamura and Takeshi Fukuma Protocol for live imaging of intracellular nanoscale structures using atomic force microscopy with nanoneedle probes, STAR Protocols September 15, 2023. DOI10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102468 URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102468 Contact Hiroe Yoneda Senior Specialist in Project Planning and Outreach NanoLSI Administrative Office WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) Kanazawa University Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan Email: [email protected] Tel: +81 (76) 234-4550 About Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/ Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University is a research center established in 2017 as part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The objective of this initiative is to form world-tier research centers. NanoLSI combines the foremost knowledge of bio-scanning probe microscopy to establish 'nano-endoscopic techniques' to directly image, analyze, and manipulate biomolecules for insights into mechanisms governing life phenomena such as diseases. About Kanazawa University http://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/e/ As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities. The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students including 600 from overseas. SOURCE Kanazawa University ATLANTA, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KORE Group Holdings, Inc . (NYSE: KORE, KORE.WS) ("KORE" or the "Company"), the global pure-play Internet of Things ("IoT") hyperscaler, and provider of IoT Connectivity, Solutions and Analytics, today reported financial and operational results for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. KORE: Company Highlights Second quarter 2023 revenue of $69.5 million increased 5% sequentially from the first quarter of 2023, marking the Company's second sequential revenue growth quarter. Further, KORE remains on track to return to generating year-over-year growth in the second half of 2023. increased 5% sequentially from the first quarter of 2023, marking the Company's second sequential revenue growth quarter. Further, KORE remains on track to return to generating year-over-year growth in the second half of 2023. Net loss increased 6% to $19.5 million ( $0.24 per share) compared to $18.4 million ( $0.24 per share) in the first quarter of 2023. Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP metric 1 , increased to $14.2 million , a 7% improvement over $13.3 million as delivered in the first quarter of 2023. ( per share) compared to ( per share) in the first quarter of 2023. Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP metric , increased to , a 7% improvement over as delivered in the first quarter of 2023. KORE's sales funnel, which the Company defines as opportunities for new business the KORE sales team is actively pursuing, now includes almost 1,500 opportunities with an estimated potential Total Contract Value (TCV) 2 of approximately $660 million , a 32% sequential increase from first quarter 2023's estimated potential TCV of $501 million . of approximately , a 32% sequential increase from first quarter 2023's estimated potential TCV of . KORE added approximately 500,000 connections in the second quarter, in addition to nearly 2.9 million connections added from the Twilio IoT acquisition. Total Connections, including those gained from the Twilio IoT acquisition, were 18.5 million as of June 30, 2023 . . Despite experiencing order delays at a few IoT Solutions customers and an increased focus on expense management by all our customers, owing to the prevailing economic uncertainty, the Company is maintaining its 2023 revenue guidance of $300 million to $310 million and adjusted EBITDA guidance of $60 million to $62 million . "We continue to build momentum this year, coming off the 2G/3G sunsets and other transitory factors that have obscured our real organic growth. As we said we would do, we are delivering sequential revenue expansion, which we expect to continue for the remainder of 2023. Further, we are reiterating our projection of year-over-year growth starting in the third quarter." said Romil Bahl, President and CEO of KORE. "On the all-important new business development front, in the second quarter, not only did we deliver the highest quarter of bookings in the history of the Company, but our global sales pipeline also expanded in both number of opportunities and potential TCV dollar value, which positions us well to deliver on our growth commitments over the coming years." Financial Performance for Second Quarter 2023, Compared to the Same Period of 2022: Total revenue decreased by 2% to $69.5 million , compared to $70.9 million in the second quarter of 2022. In Q2 2022, KORE had 2G/3G revenue and LTE transition project revenue from our largest customer, which, as expected, did not repeat in Q2 2023. Excluding the impact of LTE transition project revenue, Non-Core customers 3 , and the Twilio IoT acquisition, second quarter normalized revenue increased by 2% year-over-year. , compared to in the second quarter of 2022. In Q2 2022, KORE had 2G/3G revenue and LTE transition project revenue from our largest customer, which, as expected, did not repeat in Q2 2023. Excluding the impact of LTE transition project revenue, Non-Core customers , and the Twilio IoT acquisition, second quarter normalized revenue increased by 2% year-over-year. IoT Connectivity revenue of $48.3 million increased by 8%, compared to $44.7 million in the second quarter of 2022. The second quarter of 2022 included 2G/3G revenue from Non-Core customers, largely offset by revenue from Twilio IoT in the second quarter of 2023. increased by 8%, compared to in the second quarter of 2022. The second quarter of 2022 included 2G/3G revenue from Non-Core customers, largely offset by revenue from Twilio IoT in the second quarter of 2023. IoT Solutions revenue declined by 19% to $21.3 million , compared to $26.2 million one year ago, as this segment faced a difficult year-over-year comparison owing to the one-time LTE transition engagement at our largest customer. , compared to one year ago, as this segment faced a difficult year-over-year comparison owing to the one-time LTE transition engagement at our largest customer. Net loss increased to $19.5 million , or $0.24 per share, compared to $10.8 million , or $0.14 per share, one year ago. The primary drivers for the increase in net loss were increased operating expenses primarily due to the inclusion of Twilio IoT headcount, higher depreciation and amortization expense, increased interest expense, and a lower income tax benefit compared to the year-ago quarter. , or per share, compared to , or per share, one year ago. The primary drivers for the increase in net loss were increased operating expenses primarily due to the inclusion of Twilio IoT headcount, higher depreciation and amortization expense, increased interest expense, and a lower income tax benefit compared to the year-ago quarter. Adjusted EBITDA increased 7% sequentially to $14.2 million from $13.3 million in the first quarter of 2023. On a year-over-year basis, Adjusted EBITDA declined 15% from $16.8 million due to increased costs for headcount to invest in the Company's growth, the addition of Twilio IoT headcount, and costs to enhance public company processes and systems, including SOX compliance. Financial Performance for Six Months Ending June 30, 2023, Compared to the Same Period of 2022: Total revenue decreased by 3% to $135.5 million , compared to $139.9 million . , compared to . IoT Connectivity revenue increased by 3% to $91.9 million , compared to $88.8 million . , compared to . IoT Solutions revenue decreased by 15% to $43.6 million , compared to $51.1 million . The revenue decline in the six-month period was primarily due to the difficult year-over-year comparison, as the first half of 2022 included approximately $11.5 million in LTE transition project revenue from our largest customer. Excluding this transitory revenue, IoT Solutions revenue increased 11% compared to the first six months of 2022. , compared to . The revenue decline in the six-month period was primarily due to the difficult year-over-year comparison, as the first half of 2022 included approximately in LTE transition project revenue from our largest customer. Excluding this transitory revenue, IoT Solutions revenue increased 11% compared to the first six months of 2022. Net loss increased to $38.0 million , or $0.49 per share, compared to $22.4 million , or $0.30 per share. The primary drivers for the increase in net loss were a significant increase in interest expense and increases in non-cash items, including stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization, and a lower income tax benefit versus the prior period. , or per share, compared to , or per share. The primary drivers for the increase in net loss were a significant increase in interest expense and increases in non-cash items, including stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization, and a lower income tax benefit versus the prior period. Adjusted EBITDA declined by 14% to $27.6 million , compared to $32.1 million . The tables below summarize our revenue and specific key metrics: Three Months Ended June 30, ($ in thousands) 2023 2022 IoT Connectivity $ 48,284 69 % $ 44,705 63 % IoT Solutions 21,252 31 % 26,216 37 % Total Revenue $ 69,536 100 % $ 70,921 100 % Period End Total Connections 18.5 million 15.2 million Average Total Connections for the Period 16.5 million 15.2 million Six Months Ended June 30, ($ in thousands) 2023 2022 IoT Connectivity $ 91,873 68 % $ 88,840 64 % IoT Solutions 43,638 32 % 51,059 36 % Total Revenue $ 135,511 100 % $ 139,899 100 % Period End Total Connections 18.5 million 15.2 million Average Total Connections for the Period 15.8 million 15.1 million Second Quarter 2023 Key Metrics and Business Successes KORE's Total Connections were approximately 18.5 million as of June 30, 2023 , including approximately 2.9 million connections added from the Twilio IoT acquisition. Excluding the Twilio IoT connections, KORE added approximately 400,000 Total Connections on a year-over-year basis compared to June 30, 2022 , and approximately 500,000 connections compared to March 31, 2023 . , including approximately 2.9 million connections added from the Twilio IoT acquisition. Excluding the Twilio IoT connections, KORE added approximately 400,000 Total Connections on a year-over-year basis compared to , and approximately 500,000 connections compared to . DBNER 4 was 99% for the twelve-month period ending June 30, 2023 , compared to 114% for the twelve months ending June 30, 2022 . Excluding our largest customer, DBNER was 115% vs.109%. was 99% for the twelve-month period ending , compared to 114% for the twelve months ending . Excluding our largest customer, DBNER was 115% vs.109%. KORE added $32 million of new business TCV in the second quarter bringing the year-to-date TCV to $60 million . The Company's new business sales funnel now includes almost 1,500 opportunities with an estimated potential TCV of approximately $660 million as of June 30, 2023 , compared to $501 million and $475 million as of March 31, 2023 , and June 30, 2022 , respectively. of new business TCV in the second quarter bringing the year-to-date TCV to . The Company's new business sales funnel now includes almost 1,500 opportunities with an estimated potential TCV of approximately as of , compared to and as of , and , respectively. KORE continues to develop its CSP/Retail vertical, and the Company announced new high bandwidth 5G connectivity through fixed wireless access (FWA), including a new pre-configured and managed solution that offers retailers, restaurants, and other multi-site companies a high bandwidth, 5G connection, which provides high-speed internet access and management traditionally available only through wireline solutions. To support the Company's purpose statement, "IoT for Good", and related to a biodiversity sensor project for AgTech company Syngenta, KORE is providing scalable global IoT connectivity to digitally connect farmlands across the globe and provide farmers with analytics to adapt to climate change and improve biodiversity. KORE had several notable new business wins in the second quarter, including: Increasing Share of Wallet: KORE secured three contracts with TCVs of over $9 million , $6 million , and $1.5 million from customers in the fleet, asset tracking, and healthcare markets, respectively, as these customers look to consolidate direct carrier business to a single partner to improve operational efficiency. KORE secured three contracts with TCVs of over , , and from customers in the fleet, asset tracking, and healthcare markets, respectively, as these customers look to consolidate direct carrier business to a single partner to improve operational efficiency. Cross-Selling IoT Solutions to Existing Customers: KORE won a $500,000 TCV engagement to support IoT Managed Services for a usage-based insurer (UBI) seeking to upgrade its logistics. KORE won a TCV engagement to support IoT Managed Services for a usage-based insurer (UBI) seeking to upgrade its logistics. Upsell / Land-and-Expand: Expanding on a recent win with a major restaurant chain, KORE has been selected to provide fixed wireless access (FWA) services to 650 of the customer's locations and will upgrade these locations to 5G technology. This contract has a TCV of $850,000 . Expanding on a recent win with a major restaurant chain, KORE has been selected to provide fixed wireless access (FWA) services to 650 of the customer's locations and will upgrade these locations to 5G technology. This contract has a TCV of . International Opportunities / Global Deployments: KORE won contracts from a leader in fleet AI video telematics headquartered in the UK and a leading medical equipment and remote patient connectivity provider based in France to support their entries into the U.S. market. These contracts have a combined TCV of approximately $1.5 million . Maintaining 2023 Financial Outlook For the twelve months ending December 31, 2023, the Company expects the following: Revenue in the range of $300 million to $310 million ; and to ; and Adjusted EBITDA in the range of $60 million to $62 million , and a margin of approximately 20%. Bahl concluded, "With the completion of the 2G/3G sunsets in our high-margin IoT CaaS business, we saw an encouraging connections volume uptick in the second quarter. With over 18 million connections now in place, a stabilizing ARPU environment, and our focus on high-bandwidth IoT use cases, we are bullish about our status as an IoT connectivity hyperscaler. As the IoT market continues to grow through the Decade of IoT, we remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering exceptional service to our customers and sustainable value appreciation to our shareholders." Conference Call Details KORE management will hold a conference call today (August 9, 2023) at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (2:00 p.m. Pacific time) to discuss its financial results, business highlights, and outlook. President and CEO Romil Bahl and CFO Paul Holtz will host the call, followed by a question-and-answer session. Webcast: Link U.S. dial-in: (877) 407-3039 International dial-in: (215) 268-9922 Conference ID: 13740057 The conference call and a supplemental slide presentation to accompany management's prepared remarks will be available via the webcast link and for download via the investor relations section of the Company's website, ir.korewireless.com. For the conference call, please dial-in 5-10 minutes prior to the start time, and an operator will register your name and organization, or you may register here. If you have difficulty with the conference call, please contact KORE investor relations at (678) 392-2386. A replay of the conference call will be available approximately three hours after the conference call end time and will remain on the investor relations section of the Company's website for 90 days. An audio replay of the conference call may be accessed by calling (877) 660-6853 or (201) 612-7415 using access code 13740057. About KORE KORE is a pioneer, leader, and trusted advisor delivering mission critical IoT solutions and services. We empower organizations of all sizes to improve operational and business results by simplifying the complexity of IoT. Our deep IoT knowledge and experience, global reach, purpose-built solutions, and deployment agility accelerate and materially impact our customers' business outcomes. For more information, visit www.korewireless.com. Non-GAAP Financial Measures In addition to our results determined in accordance with GAAP, we believe the following non-GAAP measures are useful in evaluating our operational performance. We use the following non-GAAP financial information to evaluate our ongoing operations and for internal planning and forecasting purposes. We believe that non-GAAP financial information, when taken collectively, may be helpful to investors in assessing our operating performance. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA "EBITDA" is defined as net income (loss) before other non-operating expense or income, income tax expense or benefit, and depreciation and amortization. "Adjusted EBITDA" is defined as EBITDA adjusted for unusual and other significant items that management views as distorting the operating results from period to period. Such adjustments may include stock-based compensation, integration and acquisition-related charges, tangible and intangible asset impairment charges, certain contingent liability reversals, transformation, and foreign currency transaction gains and losses. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are intended as supplemental measures of our performance that are neither required by, nor presented in accordance with, GAAP. We believe that the use of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provides an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating ongoing operating results and trends and in comparing the Company's financial measures with those of comparable companies, which may present similar non-GAAP financial measures to investors. However, you should be aware that when evaluating EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA we may incur future expenses similar to those excluded when calculating these measures. In addition, our presentation of these measures should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Our computation of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures computed by other companies, because all companies may not calculate Adjusted EBITDA in the same fashion. Because of these limitations, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA on a supplemental basis. You should review the reconciliation of net loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA below and not rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business. We have not provided the forward-looking GAAP equivalents for the forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin or a GAAP reconciliation as a result of the uncertainty regarding, and the potential variability of, reconciling items including but not limited to stock-based compensation expense, foreign currency loss or gain and acquisition and integration-related expenses. Accordingly, a reconciliation of these non-GAAP guidance metrics to their corresponding GAAP equivalents is not available without unreasonable effort. However, it is important to note that material changes to reconciling items could have a significant effect on future GAAP results and, as such, we also believe that any reconciliations provided would imply a degree of precision that could be confusing or misleading to investors. Key Metrics KORE reviews a number of metrics to measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, prepare financial projections, and make strategic decisions. The calculation of the key metrics and other measures discussed below may differ from other similarly titled metrics used by other companies, securities analysts, or investors. Number of Customer Connections Total Customer Connections or "Total Connections" constitutes the total of all KORE Connectivity services connections, including both CaaS and CEaaS connections, but excluding certain connections where mobile carriers license KORE's subscription management platform from KORE. Total Connections include the contribution of eSIMs and is the principal measure used by management to assess the performance of the business on a periodic basis. DBNER DBNER (Dollar Based Net Expansion Rate) tracks the combined effect of cross-sales of IoT Solutions to KORE's existing customers, its customer retention and the growth of its existing business. KORE calculates DBNER by dividing the revenue for a given period ("given period") from existing go-forward customers by the revenue from the same customers for the same period measured one year prior ("base period"). The revenue included in the current period excludes revenue from (i) customers that are non go-forward customers, meaning customers that have either communicated to KORE before the last day of the current period their intention not to provide future business to KORE or customers that KORE has determined are transitioning away from KORE based on a sustained multi-year time period of declines in revenue and (ii) new customers that started generating revenue after the end of the base period. For example, to calculate our DBNER for the trailing 12 months ended June 30, 2023, we divide (i) revenue, for the trailing 12 months ended June 30, 2023, from go-forward customers that started generating revenue on or before June 30, 2022, by (ii) revenue, for the trailing 12 months ended June 30, 2022, from the same cohort of customers. For the purposes of calculating DBNER, if KORE acquires a company during the given period or the base period, then the revenue of a customer before the acquisition but during either the given period or the base period is included in the calculation. Further, it is often difficult to ascertain which customers should be deemed not to be go-forward customers for purposes of calculating DBNER. Customers are not required to give notice of their intention to transition off of the KORE platform, and a customer's exit from the KORE platform can take months or longer, and total connections of any particular customer can at any time increase or decrease for any number of reasons, including pricing, customer satisfaction or product fit accordingly, a decrease in total connections may not indicate that a customer is intending to exit the KORE platform, particularly if that decrease is not sustained over a period of several quarters. DBNER would be lower if it were calculated using revenue from non go-forward customers. DBNER for the twelve-month periods ending June 30, 2023, and June 30, 2022, excludes connections from non-go-forward customers, the vast majority of which are connections from Non-Core Customers. KORE defines "Non-Core Customers" to be customers that management has judged to be lost as a result of the integration of Raco Wireless, Wyless, and other acquisitions completed in the 2014-2017 period but which continue to have some connections (and account for some revenue) each year with KORE. Non-Core Customers are a subset of non-go-forward customers. As of January 1, 2024, these Non-Core Customers will neither have connections with nor generate revenue for KORE. DBNER is used by management as a measure of growth at KORE's existing customers (i.e., "same store" growth). It is not intended to capture the effect of either new customer wins or the declines from non go-forward customers on KORE's total revenue growth. This is because DBNER excludes new customers which started generating revenue after the base period and also excludes any customers which are non go-forward customers on the last day of the current period. Revenue increases from new customer wins, and a decline in revenue from non go-forward customers are also important factors in assessing KORE's revenue growth, but these factors are independent of DBNER. Total Contract Value (TCV) Total Contract Value (TCV) represents KORE's estimated value of a revenue opportunity. TCV for an IoT Connectivity opportunity is calculated by multiplying by forty the estimated revenue expected to be generated during the twelfth month of production. TCV for an IoT Solutions opportunity is either the actual total expected revenue opportunity, or if it is a longer-term "programmatically recurring revenue" program, calculated for the first 36 months of the delivery period. Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes certain statements that are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "should," "would," "plan," "predict," "potential," "seem," "seek," "future," "outlook," "target" and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the benefits of the acquisition of Twilio's IoT business, estimates and forecasts of revenue, adjusted EBITDA and other financial and performance metrics, future capital availability, projections regarding recent customer engagements, projections of market opportunity and conditions, the total contract value (TCV) of signed contracts and potential revenue opportunities in KORE's sales funnel, and related expectations. These statements are based on various assumptions and on the current expectations of KORE's management. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by any investor or other person as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of KORE. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including general economic, financial, legal, political and business conditions and changes in domestic and foreign markets; the potential effects of COVID-19; risks related to the rollout of KORE's business and the timing of expected business milestones; risks relating to the integration of KORE's acquired companies, including the acquisition of Twilio's IoT business, changes in the assumptions underlying KORE's expectations regarding its future business; our ability to negotiate and sign a definitive contract with a customer in our sales funnel; our ability to realize some or all of the TCV of customer contracts as revenue, including any contractual options available to customers or contractual periods that are subject to termination for convenience provisions; the effects of competition on KORE's future business; and the outcome of judicial proceedings to which KORE is, or may become a party. If the risks materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that KORE presently does not know or that KORE currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect KORE's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. KORE anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause these assessments to change. However, while KORE may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, KORE specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing KORE's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements. KORE Investor Contact: KORE Media Contact: Charley Brady Mary Cosgrove Vice President, Investor Relations Senior Manager, Marketing [email protected] [email protected] +1-678-392-2386 +1-678-710-3606 1 See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and "Reconciliation of Net Loss to EBITDA to Adjusted EBITDA" below for more information. 2 See "Key Metrics" below for more information. 3 See "Key Metrics" below for definitions 4 See "Key Metrics" below for definitions KORE Group Holdings, Inc Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss (Unaudited) (In thousands, except share and per share data) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Revenue Services $ 51,023 $ 47,805 $ 98,573 $ 95,348 Products 18,513 23,116 36,938 44,551 Total revenue 69,536 70,921 135,511 139,899 Cost of revenue Cost of services 18,068 16,610 34,611 34,159 Cost of products 13,648 17,018 27,422 34,741 Total cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below) 31,716 33,628 62,033 68,900 Operating expenses Selling, general and administrative 32,892 29,407 63,092 57,125 Depreciation and amortization 14,512 13,753 28,637 26,928 Total operating expenses 47,404 43,160 91,729 84,053 Operating loss (9,584) (5,867) (18,251) (13,054) Interest expense, including amortization of deferred financing costs, net 10,407 7,297 20,602 13,921 Change in fair value of warrant liability 3 (106) (133) Loss before income taxes (19,994) (13,058) (38,853) (26,842) Income tax benefit (495) (2,268) (864) (4,480) Net loss $ (19,499) $ (10,790) $ (37,989) $ (22,362) Loss per share: Basic and diluted $ (0.24) $ (0.14) $ (0.49) $ (0.30) Weighted average number of shares outstanding: Basic and diluted 79,849,299 76,239,989 78,196,201 75,146,201 KORE Group Holdings, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (In thousands, except share data) June 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 ASSETS Current assets Cash $ 22,916 $ 34,645 Accounts receivable, net 47,031 44,538 Inventories, net 7,368 10,051 Income taxes receivable 400 502 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 11,121 13,484 Total current assets 88,836 103,220 Non-current assets Restricted cash 582 362 Property and equipment, net 12,901 11,899 Intangibles assets, net 185,173 192,504 Goodwill 373,085 369,706 Operating lease right-of-use assets 9,988 10,019 Deferred tax assets 54 55 Other long-term assets 651 971 Total assets $ 671,270 $ 688,736 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities Accounts payable $ 21,600 $ 17,835 Accrued liabilities 16,375 15,793 Current portion of operating lease liabilities 1,515 1,811 Income taxes payable 977 207 Deferred revenue 8,695 7,817 Current portion of long-term debt and other borrowings, net 4,817 5,345 Total current liabilities 53,979 48,808 Non-current liabilities Deferred tax liabilities 19,418 25,248 Warrant liability 33 33 Non-current portion of operating lease liabilities 9,567 9,275 Long-term debt and other borrowings, net 412,853 413,910 Other long-term liabilities 12,389 10,790 Total liabilities $ 508,239 $ 508,064 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity Common stock, voting; par value $0.0001 per share; 315,000,000 shares authorized, 86,538,741 and 72,027,821 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively $ 9 $ 8 Additional paid-in capital 455,381 435,292 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (6,132) (6,390) Accumulated deficit (286,227) (248,238) Total stockholders' equity 163,031 180,672 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 671,270 $ 688,736 KORE Group Holdings, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (In thousands) Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 1,303 $ 10,691 Cash flows from investing activities Additions to intangible assets (7,653) (5,610) Additions to property and equipment (2,592) (1,589) Payments for acquisitions, net of cash acquired (46,002) Net cash used in investing activities $ (10,245) $ (53,201) Cash flows from financing activities Repayment of term loan (1,576) (1,576) Repayment of other borrowingsnotes payable (1,078) (148) Equity financing fees (126) Payment of deferred financing costs (453) Payment of financing lease obligations (151) Net cash used in financing activities $ (2,654) $ (2,454) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash 87 (575) Change in cash and restricted cash (11,509) (45,539) Cash and restricted cash, beginning of period 35,007 86,343 Cash and restricted cash, end of period $ 23,498 $ 40,804 KORE Group Holdings, Inc. RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS TO EBITDA TO ADJUSTED EBITDA (Unaudited) (In thousands) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net loss $ (19,499) $ (10,790) $ (37,989) $ (22,362) Income tax benefit (495) (2,268) (864) (4,480) Interest expense 10,407 7,297 20,602 13,921 Depreciation and amortization 14,512 13,753 28,637 26,928 EBITDA $ 4,925 $ 7,992 $ 10,386 $ 14,007 Change in fair value of warrant liability (non- cash) 3 (106) (133) Transformation expenses 1,694 1,901 3,558 3,466 Acquisition costs 795 1,776 1,400 Integration-related restructuring costs 3,098 3,791 5,323 7,684 Stock-based compensation (non-cash) 3,005 2,501 5,575 4,551 Foreign currency loss (non-cash) 122 480 236 477 Other 597 230 713 614 Adjusted EBITDA $ 14,239 $ 16,789 $ 27,567 $ 32,066 SOURCE KORE Group Holdings, Inc. JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LandSouth Construction is celebrating an exciting milestone achieving 25 years in business, providing best-in-class multifamily construction since 1998. In honor of the anniversary, LandSouth hosted a 25th celebration in May and unveiled a "Momentum" theme for events and campaigns throughout the year. James Pyle, President/CEO, reflects on the start of LandSouth, and where it stands today, "My #1 goal was to make the next year better than the year before. I wanted to create lasting relationships that could equate to repeat business. Today we have 20 active projects and over 100 employees. I am so proud of what the company has grown into." One of LandSouth's goals for its 25th year is to continue to embrace development and growth. This year Joseph Pesticci was named LandSouth's Chief Financial Officer and will focus on strategic planning for the company's future. A multi-faceted People Development initiative launched, offering live and online training, a Mentorship program, and a college Internship program. LandSouth has always believed in giving back, and this celebratory year is no different. LandSouth continues long-standing partnerships with organizations that align with its charitable mission of providing education, life skills, and resources to struggling youth and their families. LandSouth has awarded $25,000 in college scholarships, donated to Hunger Fight's new building, the Beaches Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida, and will pack 250 school backpacks for Kids in Need. The company continues to expand its footprint throughout the Southeast with projects in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina. They were named a 2023 Best Workplace by Inc. Magazine, a Top 400 Contractor by Engineering News Record, and a Top Builder by the National Multifamily Housing Council. With a twenty-five-year commitment to excellence and strong relationships with its partners, LandSouth has the momentum to continue growing. Looking forward, Pyle continues, "The legacy of LandSouth embodies our Mission Statement: Transforming Ideas, Building Communities, Developing People. My goal is that 25 years from now, those who are just starting their career here will lead the company. With the momentum we have now, I know that is possible." LandSouth Construction, specializing in multifamily and mixed-used developments, was named one of Engineering News Record's Top 400. Since 1998 LandSouth has transformed ideas into best-in-class communities. Headquartered in Jacksonville, FL, LandSouth has completed over 25,000 multifamily units. For more information, call LandSouth's Mary Hamilton, 904.760.3182 or visit www.landsouth.com. SOURCE LandSouth Construction RESTON, Va., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE:LDOS), a FORTUNE 500 science and technology leader, today unveiled the recipients of the 2023 Supplier Innovation & Technology awards. The annual awards, presented at the Leidos Supplier Innovation & Technology Symposium on Aug. 8, honor suppliers for their excellence in technology, collaboration, partnership and innovation. "We are thrilled to announce the exceptional recipients of this year's Supplier Innovation & Technology awards," said Bob Gemmill, Leidos Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer. "These trusted partners have demonstrated exceptional dedication to innovation, quality and collaboration. This has not only strengthened our supply chain, but also enabled unparalleled value to support our customers' missions." As an organization committed to driving innovation and pushing the boundaries of what's possible, Leidos recognizes the critical role that its suppliers play in delivering cutting-edge solutions and driving success across various industries. The annual Supplier Innovation & Technology awards serve as a platform to acknowledge the exceptional contributions of these partners. The 2023 winners are: Alliance Partner of the Year: Amazon Web Services The award recognizes a supplier that contributes to the success of Leidos customers through long-term relationships that support and advance the company's strategic objectives. Innovation Partner of the Year: Intel Corporation The award recognizes a supplier who has consistently provided new ideas and solutions to Leidos, resulting in increased efficiencies for customer deliverables. Channel Partner of the Year: Carahsoft The award recognizes a supplier who has helped Leidos go to market efficiently through innovative solutions. Their support resulted in effective bottom-line savings, increased revenue or performance outcomes and consistently demonstrated a collaborative business relationship with Leidos. Small Business Channel Partner of the Year: ThunderCat Technology The award recognizes a small business supplier who has helped Leidos go to market efficiently through innovative solutions, resulting in effective bottom-line savings and increased revenue or performance outcomes. Emerging Technology Partner of the Year: HashiCorp The award recognizes a supplier with outstanding product design and engineering in cutting edge technology products that help our customers achieve mission success. Account Manager of the Year: Aaron Cooperman, Carahsoft The award recognizes an account executive/manager who consistently provides excellent service to Leidos and fosters a collaborative partnership. About Leidos Leidos is a Fortune 500 technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company's 46,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $14.4 billion for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2022. For more information, visit www.leidos.com. SOURCE Leidos C$ unless otherwise stated TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945 TORONTO, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife's Board of Directors today announced a quarterly common shareholders' dividend of $0.365 per share on the common shares of Manulife Financial Corporation (the "Company"), payable on and after September 19, 2023, to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 23, 2023. In respect of the Company's Canadian Dividend Reinvestment and Share Purchase Plan and its U.S. Dividend Reinvestment and Share Purchase Plan, the Company will purchase common shares on the open market in connection with the reinvestment of dividends and optional cash purchases under these plans. The purchase price of these common shares will be based on the average of the actual cost to purchase them and there are no applicable discounts. About Manulife Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our Global Wealth and Asset Management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2022, we had more than 40,000 employees, over 116,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 34 million customers. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com. SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation The DPH finding follows a jampacked public hearing where more than 200 residents, policymakers, caregivers and community advocates turned out to deliver four hours of compelling testimony in unanimous opposition to UMass Memorial Health's decision to close the Birthing Center and endanger the lives of mothers and newborns in the region According to the Community United Coalition and the Massachusetts Nurses Association the finding of the DPH letter contains an extensive list of demands for UMass Memorial to meet as part of a detailed plan in response to the concerns raised by the community, such as how UMass can ensure adequate transportation and access to care, provide healthcare equity for the most vulnerable residents impacted, as well as for the corporation to provide evidence to justify what the community contends were numerous false claims UMass made to justify the closing With these findings in hand, community advocates, area legislators and the Mass Nurses Association will now look to UMass and the Healey administration to do whatever is necessary to maintain this vital service LEOMINSTER, Mass., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has issued its findings regarding UMass Memorial Health's controversial plan to close the Birthing Center at Leominster Hospital, deeming the program an essential service "necessary for preserving access and health status within the hospital's service area." The full DPH letter can be found here. The DPH finding follows a jampacked public hearing where more than 200 residents, policymakers, caregivers and community advocates turned out to deliver close to four hours of compelling testimony in unanimous opposition to UMass Memorial Health's decision to close the Birthing Center and endanger the lives of mothers and newborns in the region. "The DPH has made it clear that our birthing center is vital to protecting our community, and especially the most vulnerable members of our poor and BIPOC communities, who will stand to suffer the most if this center closes," said Irene Hernandez, a member of the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation and co-chair of Community United to Save Our Birthing Center, a broad-based coalition of residents, public officials, caregivers and community advocates formed to fight the closure. "These are the mothers and newborns who will be harmed and could die as a result of this cruel decision by UMass Memorial. We now call upon Dr. Dickson, the DPH and the Healey administration to save this service and protect our community." In making this determination the DPH is requiring UMass Memorial Health to provide a detailed plan that responds to all the concerns raised at the hearing, including how the hospital can ensure appropriate transportation for those who lack such access, accurate information on travel times for those placed at risk, how they intend to address numerous concerns raised about ensuring equitable access for vulnerable communities including the poor and people of color. They have also asked for UMass Memorial to provide evidence of efforts they have made to staff the facility, as well as to detail solutions they considered as an alternative to closing the unit, along with information as to why they rejected alternative solutions. Opponents to the closure contend that no alternative solution was ever considered, and that no effort was ever made with hospital staff, members of the community or local officials prior to announcing the closing to discuss or consider any viable alternatives. In fact, opponents to the closure made an overwhelming case to DPH at the hearing that there is no safe or adequate alternative that UMass Memorial could implement that can or will compensate for the loss of this vital service. The only result will be that 500 700 mothers a year would have their lives and their newborns lives placed in jeopardy due to the lack of local access to maternity care. "DPH has confirmed what we already know: two Gateway cities need this labor and delivery unit," said State Senator John Cronin (D-Fitchburg), a member of the Northern Worcester County delegation and the community coalition. "We hope this determination is a wakeup call to UMass Memorial and that Dr. Dickson engages with the state so we can partner to keep this unit open." "We must preserve this Birthing Center at Leominster Hospital. This is a critical access point, because in labor, minutes matter and it can be the difference between life and death," said State Rep. Natalie Higgins (D-Leominster), a member of the Northern Worcester County delegation and the community coalition. "Severe maternal morbidity rates have doubled in the last decade, while Hospital executives shuttered 10 birthing centers, I hope DPH and the Healey Administration use every tool available to preserve this Birthing Center." "The Birthing Center at Leominster Hospital is imperative to protect the lives of the hundreds of thousands of residents in North Central Mass. Its closure would have a devastating impact on this community," said State Rep. Michael Kushmerek (D-Fitchburg). "Our work remains committed to preserving the longevity of such an essential unit and ensuring that DPH understands the importance of this unit on the future of our region." "I am relieved but not in the least bit surprised at the Department of Public Health's decision'" said Tara Corey, a nurse who works in the Birthing Center and member of the community coalition. "I am proud of the community for providing the testimony to prove that the Birthing Center is essential to DPH and I hope this will open the eyes of those who have the power to reverse this decision." Advocates for the Birthing Center made a strong case that the Birthing Center must be maintained, including labor, delivery, postpartum and nursery care for families living in communities of Northern Worcester County. The hearing also provided an opportunity for local officials and others to provide powerful data and information that invalidated each and every claim made by UMass Memorial Health as a rationale for the closing, including: Shortage of staff to operate the facility testimony was provided showing that nurses have documentation of dozens of qualified nurses who sought positions on the unit who were turned away without being interviewed or hired. Current nurses on staff, through their union, also offered numerous strategies for the cross training of staff to cover holes in the schedule, strategies that the HealthAlliance administrators refused to pursue. And finally, as soon as the closure was announced, UMass found the resources to hire 12 temporary staff to operate the unit through the closing. testimony was provided showing that nurses have documentation of dozens of qualified nurses who sought positions on the unit who were turned away without being interviewed or hired. Current nurses on staff, through their union, also offered numerous strategies for the cross training of staff to cover holes in the schedule, strategies that the HealthAlliance administrators refused to pursue. And finally, as soon as the closure was announced, UMass found the resources to hire 12 temporary staff to operate the unit through the closing. Lack of Obstetrical Coverage the legislative delegation and the nurses on the unit offered testimony regarding information from local providers who have been willing and continue to offer a plan to provide obstetrical coverage to maintain the unit. Again, the hospital has refused those overtures and instead seeks to shutter the service. the legislative delegation and the nurses on the unit offered testimony regarding information from local providers who have been willing and continue to offer a plan to provide obstetrical coverage to maintain the unit. Again, the hospital has refused those overtures and instead seeks to shutter the service. Declining Birth Rates the Hospital has also pivoted to declining birth rates as a rationale but the data the legislative delegation has provided confirmed the region's population is growing and young families are growing. Our birth rate competes and exceeds the state's birth rate. Beyond that, challenging the notion that the "market has spoken" and has chosen other hospitals, is disproven by UMass Health Alliance's own data. Leominster Hospital, until this year when the Hospital Administration began implementing the closure, was the largest provider of birthing services for North Central Mass families. And we would argue, any plan that would place 500 700 women a year in such peril is on its face, immoral and in direct violation of our oath to do no harm. DPH Report on Increase in Maternal Morbidity Underscores Need for Administration to Save Service The Coalition's position on the closing was further buoyed by the release last week of an alarming report by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health showing a dramatic increase in the rate of serious complications and maternal child deaths from labor and delivery in our state over the last 10 years. DPH researchers found that rates of severe maternal morbidity climbed from 52.3 per 10,000 deliveries in 2011 to 100.4 per 10,000 deliveries in 2020, an average increase of 8.9 percent each year. It also found that women of color continue to face higher rates of complications, with black women consistently experiencing the highest rates. Compared to white non-Hispanic women, black non-Hispanic women experienced 2.3 times higher rates of complications on average during the study period, and Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander women experienced rates 1.2 times higher. This is the very population placed most at risk by the proposed closure of the Birthing Center at Leominster Hospital, the only facility serving the two Gateway Cities of Leominster and Fitchburg. A quote by Governor Maura Healey in the press release about the DPH report clearly articulates the same concerns about the need for access to services like the Birthing Center that opponents to the closure made at the DPH public hearing, when she stated, "This report shows that there is much more work that we need to do to address racial and gender inequities in health care. It is essential that everyone has access to comprehensive, high-quality and inclusive maternal health care. We can and must do better for mothers, for kids and for families and our administration is committed to doing just that." With the DPH findings in hand, the Community United to Save Our Birthing Center Coalition and others who oppose the closing will be looking to the Healey administration to honor that commitment by providing whatever support is needed to preserve the Birthing Center to ensure continued access to safe maternity care in Northern Worcester County. The period of time covered in the new DPH maternal child health report is the same period when the state saw community hospitals close 10 programs providing maternity care. These were closures that occurred despite the fact that the DPH declared those services essential to preserving the health of those communities. According to a White Paper on maternal services in Massachusetts published by MNA's Congress on Nursing Practice, the decision by UMass to close this service follows a trend by other healthcare corporations in the state to close vital community-based programs and services as a means of funneling their patients to larger and more profitable major medical centers. Maternity services have been a specific target for these closures across the nation. As part of the campaign, the Community United Coalition has launched a petition drive for community members and supporters to register their support for the Birthing Center, which will be shared with UMass Memorial Health, the Department of Public Health and other officials, urging them to rescind this dangerous plan, and to preserve this vital service. Click here to view the petition: bit.ly/LeominsterMaternity. SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The social media industry continues to take on proven risks to mental health, addictive algorithms, and data privacy issues. The Seattle school system is suing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Google over contributing to wide scale mental health crises among youths. In fact, Utah law bans social media companies from using addictive algorithms for minors while Montana has banned TikTok completely. RTRO RTRO Meet RTRO: the new standard in social media. Launched in May 2023, RTRO's mission is to take us back to when social was simply about sharing authentic content and making positive connections between people, brands and creators. RTRO provides an alternative and supports mental well-being by enabling people to do the two things they love most: keep up with friends and family without brand ads in their feed (RTROcircles) and exploring cool content without harmful algorithms (RTROtv). With social media growth projected to grow to six billion users by 2027, RTRO is the solution for fun and connective social. The U.S Surgeon General recently announced social media causes profound risks for our youth. Universities are releasing research showing a sharp decline in teen mental health including dramatic increases in anxiety, depression, and suicide around the time when social media became common in 2010. What actually uplifts and energizes Gen Z? Indeed, research studies and trend reports indicate that nostalgia from previous eras gives them a sense of comfort. 70% of American Z's watch and listen to media from earlier decades as it reminds them of when things were simpler. 80% of Gen Z said they like when brands bring back old aesthetics, and 74% like when brands produce retro-style products and content. Indeed, Research studies and trend reports indicate that nostalgia from previous eras gives them a sense of comfort. The RTRO social media platform is the first innovation in the chat space in years. "RTROcircles" are where you can get creative and have fun sharing messages, videos, photos, and music with unique throwback features like postcards, mixtapes, RTROpolaroids. These introduce a way to "slow social," where you live in the moment, feel present and fall in love with staying connected to friends and family. The nostalgic energy of the app appeals to the masses from boomers who miss the good ol' days to gen Zers who are becoming more and more infatuated with the past and yearn for those back-in-the-day experiences from the pre-internet eras. 59% of GenZ are concerned that Big Tech algorithms are creating digital echo chambers, an indicator of algorithm anxiety. RTROtv is the first algorithm-free "channel-surfing" exploration of brand and creator content, putting people back in control over what they want to see and when. RTROtv is where we reclaim our attention spans and rewire how we consume content. RTROtv connects brands, creators in a safe space fostering 2-way relationships built on mutual admiration instead of "followers." "RTRO combines what we love most about social media with what we feel nostalgic for from the past. Because of this, RTRO is designed to connect people, brands, and creators in communities rather than just being about individuals or followers. RTRO's algorithm-free environment lets you live and think freely." - Nicole Falco, CEO/Founder. RTRO Founder, Nicole Falco curated an advisory team of Gen Z/Millennial influencers and professionals with diverse backgrounds including Fashion, Sports, Beauty, Culture, Music and the Arts. They guide and shape how the platform evolves so that the needs of the community are truly served. A fan of fun, Nicole collaborates with the RTRO creator community, which includes over 250 TikTok and IG influencers who joined the platform, inspired by the mission of "to support our best social lives." RTRO is available in the Apple Store and can be downloaded here. For Inquiries: Nicole Falco RTRO [email protected] 646-649-4515 SOURCE RTRO LONG BEACH, Calif., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MemorialCare, a prominent nonprofit Southern California integrated health system, announced today that Todd Blake has been named the company's new Chief Operating Officer for Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach. MemorialCare appoints Todd Blake new Chief Operating Officer for Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Childrens & Womens Hospital Long Beach As the new chief operating officer of MemorialCare's Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach, Blake will be responsible for the planning, development, implementation and continuous improvement of the programs and services provided by Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children's & Women's Hospital, while creating a synergistic and collaborative culture with the staff, management team and medical staff. Blake brings over 15 years of extensive hospital leadership experience to MemorialCare. Before joining MemorialCare, he was the operations officer for Intermountain Medical Center, the flagship hospital for Intermountain Health, a level 1 trauma center with 510 licensed beds, 25,000 in patient discharges and 85,000 emergency department (ED) visits annually. Prior to that position, Blake was chief operating officer at Banner Health where he oversaw hospital operations at its two hospital campuses in Tucson, AZ including Banner University Medical Center Tucson and Banner University Medical Center - South. "We are thrilled to have Todd join the executive leadership team at Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children's. Not only does Todd have extensive experience in hospital operations, but he has an exceptional talent for building relationships across the teams he works with and a keen sense of leadership that will continue to drive the momentum and growth of MemorialCare in Southern California," said Blair Kent, chief executive officer, MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center and MemorialCare Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach. Blake is a proven leader who is skilled at building relationships with clinical and operations leaders to execute on organization goals and key strategic initiatives. Blake has demonstrated success in improving access across key service lines, achieving significant supply cost savings, and improving patient experience scores across hospital campuses he has led in previous roles in the health care industry. "I am impressed by MemorialCare's talent and growth, and I'm excited to be a part of it. The potential for continued progress and innovation in health care is tremendous, and given the skilled and enthusiastic people, leading medical improvements across the hospital network, and its regional footprint, MemorialCare is poised to be a leader in driving value in health care delivery to the communities we serve," says Todd Blake, chief operating officer, MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center and MemorialCare Miller Children's & Women's Hospital. "I look forward to working closely with the teams across the MemorialCare network to boost the health system in Long Beach that will ultimately benefit the community." Blake graduated with his master's in business administration and master's in health care administration from the University of Utah - David Eccles School of Business. He is also Board Certified in HealthCare Management as a Fellow in American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). About MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center has been providing the community with compassionate, quality health care for more than 100 years. While leading in specialized care, research and education, Long Beach Medical Center uses the most advanced health care technologies it is the only hospital in L.A. County with the innovative ExactechGPS and ExcelsiusGPS surgical systems. Long Beach Medical Center is ranked no. 7 in the Los Angeles Metro Area by U.S. News & World Report and has earned Magnet recognition for nursing excellence. With leading centers for cancer, heart, rehabilitation, orthopedics, neurology and trauma, physicians and surrounding hospitals continually refer to its accredited programs. For more information, visit memorialcare.org/LongBeach. About MemorialCare Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach MemorialCare Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach provides specialized pediatric care for children and young adults, as well as maternity care for expectant mothers. Only five percent of hospitals are children's hospitals, making them unique not only to children's health care needs in the community, but across the region. Miller Children's & Women's is one of only eight free-standing children's hospitals in California treating more than 14,000 children each year and has become a regional pediatric destination for more than 65,000 children, who need specialized care in outpatient specialty and satellite centers. With maternal-fetal medicine specialists and neonatologists available 24/7, Miller Children's & Women's cares for women with high-risk pregnancies and premature infants under one roof. Learn more at milllerchildrens.org. SOURCE MemorialCare's Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mindray, a leading global provider of medical devices and solutions and Operation Smile, a global nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of patients and their communities by increasing access to safe surgery and providing high-quality cleft surgery and comprehensive care, today announced a new 10-year partnership. This solidifies a strategic partnership between the two organizations to collaborate on improving the quality of health care and providing life-changing medical interventions to low-and-middle income communities worldwide. As a globally trusted innovator in medical devices and solutions, Mindray brings cutting-edge technology and medical expertise to the collaboration. Through the partnership, Mindray will contribute its advanced medical equipment, technical support, specialized education programs, and employee involvement to empower Operation Smile's 10-year commitment to increase access to care for 1 million patients who need cleft care and other essential surgical procedures. With Mindray's support in equipment donation including anesthesia machines, ventilators, patient monitors, defibrillators, operating tables, and electrosurgical units, Operation Smile's China Medical Center was successfully inaugurated on August 3rd in Yunnan, China. The newly established medical center aims to offer safe and high-quality restructuring surgeries and other comprehensive care including dental treatments, speech therapy, psychological counseling, and nutritional assessments in proximity to patients in China. The Center plans to conduct over 1,000 surgeries and train nearly 200 medical professionals within the first five years. During Operation Smile's 2023 Wenshan Surgical Program, which ran from August 2 to August 9 in the Center, 77 cleft lip and cleft palate repair surgeries were successfully completed. "We are honored to be Operation Smile's partner in their mission to bring hope and healing to those in need," said Emily Guo, Executive Vice President of Mindray. "With Mindray's cutting-edge technology and unwavering commitment to advancing health care, we are confident that our partnership will empower Operation Smile to reach more patients, transform more lives, and make a lasting impact on global health care." Benedetta Spinola, SVP Strategy and Global Development of Operation Smile, expressed her enthusiasm about the partnership: "This is a catalytic partnership, that drives forward our goal of providing safe surgical care for 1 million people by 2030. Together with Mindray we can leverage our collective strengths to provide comprehensive care to the patients with cleft conditions, and provide urgently needed training and education to health care professionals, ultimately improving the lives of children and families around the world." Mindray's mission is to "advance medical technologies to make health care more accessible", focusing on the development of medical devices and high-precision medical instruments, promoting the application of medical technological innovations, and ensuring that medical care is accessible, timely, comprehensive, and affordable. Over the years, the company has actively collaborated with multiple nonprofit organizations worldwide, donating medical equipment, providing medical training, supporting health consultations, offering cross-border medical support, and assisting in health care and education development. In the future, Mindray will continue to prioritize sustainable development and support the initiatives of Operation Smile. Through collaborations with more nonprofit organizations, the company aims to contribute to the advancement of the medical industry and explore a sustainable path of healthcare. About Mindray Mindray is a leading developer, manufacturer, and supplier of medical device solutions and technologies used in healthcare facilities around the globe. We believe we can change lives by making the most advanced healthcare technology attainable for all. For more information, please visit http://www.mindray.com. About Operation Smile Operation Smile is a global nonprofit passionately dedicated to transforming the lives of patients and their communities by increasing access to safe surgery and providing high-quality cleft surgery and comprehensive care. We provide medical expertise, research and care through our dedicated staff and medical and student volunteers around the world, working alongside local governments, nonprofits and health systems and supported by our generous donors. Since 1982, Operation Smile has been committed to providing patients with health that lasts through lifesaving cleft surgeries and comprehensive care, helping them to better breathe, eat, speak and live lives of greater quality and confidence. For more information, please visit https://www.operationsmile.org/ SOURCE Mindray NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bilt Rewards , the leading rewards platform for renters, today announced the appointment of Douglas M. Bibby as Chairman of the Bilt Rewards Alliance. In this new and critical role Doug will work closely with Bilt's network of owners and operators representing over three million units and growing. These include Greystar, Asset Living, AvalonBay, Equity Residential, Related Companies, GID, Starwood, Cushman & Wakefield, Bozzuto, Camden, Brookfield, Berkshire Residential, ZRS, Highmark, Beztak, Trammell Crow, PGIM, and more. Mr. Bibby said, "What drew me to Bilt was their positively disruptive business model that has literally turned the rent payment paradigm on its head. "This exciting opportunity is a continuation of my passion to make the rental experience intrinsically and financially rewarding for residents as well as drive value for owners through resident retention and engagement. "Rent Day is no longer dreaded by renters because of this breakthrough rewards program, and owners and managers are the beneficiaries through greater resident loyalty, alongside meaningful cost savings and new revenue streams. "Moreover, Bilt has found a way to work with the credit reporting agencies so that residents, for the first time ever, can build credit histories at no cost. On Mr. Bibby's appointment, Ankur Jain, CEO and founder Bilt Rewards said: "We're delighted to welcome Doug to the Bilt team. "He is a renowned leader in the Multifamily Housing sector and his commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is legendary and will be an important part of his new role." Mr. Bibby added, "The social impact offered by Bilt can now be quantified as these accumulated rewards points can be used to pay rent, take trips and spread wealth to local communities, all the while building bonafide credit histories. "These benefits translate to measurable and significant social contributions, which will catch the attention of investors looking for ESG contributions from apartment companies." Mr. Bibby is an experienced executive whose career has spanned senior leadership positions in communications, mortgage finance, and residential real estate. He most recently retired from the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) where he served as president for over 21 years. During his tenure at NMHC, Mr. Bibby led the team representing over 1,600 member firms in the $3 trillion multifamily housing sector. In recognition of his service to the multifamily industry, Mr. Bibby was elected to the Multifamily Executive publication's Hall of Fame in 2019 and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Multi Housing News. Prior to joining NMHC, Mr. Bibby spent 16 years as a senior officer of Fannie Mae, where he served on the company's Management Committee throughout his tenure. He was part of the top management team that is credited with the remarkable turnaround at Fannie Mae in the book Good to Great. Mr. Bibby began his career with the worldwide communications firm J. Walter Thompson where he served a variety of clients both domestically and internationally over his 12-year career with the company. At the time of his departure from J. Walter Thompson, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager of the firm's Washington, D.C. operations. Mr. Bibby has been active in the non-profit community of Washington, D.C. for the past 35 years. Mr. Bibby graduated from Denison University with a B.A. degree and was honored with the university's Alumni Citation Award in 2004. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin. For more information on Bilt Rewards, visit BiltRewards.com , download the Bilt Rewards App , or follow Bilt on Instagram at @BiltRewards and on TikTok at @PointQuest . ABOUT BILT REWARDS Bilt Rewards is the first-of-its-kind loyalty program that allows renters to earn Bilt Points on rent, while building credit and creating a path towards homeownership. Through a partnership with the country's largest owners including Greystar, Asset Living, AvalonBay, Equity Residential, Related Companies, GID, Starwood, Cushman & Wakefield, Bozzuto, Camden, Brookfield, Berkshire Residential, ZRS, Highmark, Beztak, Trammell Crow, PGIM and more, Bilt Rewards enables renters in more than 3 million units across the country to earn Bilt Points just by paying rent, while these owners benefit from resident loyalty, cost savings and a share of revenue. Bilt Rewards boasts one of the highest value rewards programs on the market today, including one-to-one point transfers to 12 loyalty programs allowing members to travel across over 100 major airlines and hotel partners. Members can also book travel through the Bilt Travel Portal powered by Expedia; book fitness classes at the country's top boutique studios including SoulCycle, Solidcore, Rumble and Y7; shop limited-edition and exclusive collections of art and home decor through the Bilt Collection; shop on Amazon.com; or redeem Bilt Points for credits towards rent or even towards a down payment on a future home. Bilt has also partnered with Mastercard to create the Bilt Mastercard issued by Wells Fargo - the first and only credit card that can be used to pay rent and earn Bilt Points with no transaction fees. For more information on Bilt Rewards and the Bilt Alliance, visit BiltRewards.com . SOURCE Bilt Rewards People's Artist of Russia Liya Akhedzhakova, who resigned from the Moscow theater "Sovremennik", where she worked since 1977, again brought Russians to hysterics. In Germany, the artist took the stage with a Ukrainian flag to the applause of the audience, which shook the fragile patience of the Putinists. ADVERTISIMENT They lightningly declared that the star should be recognized as a "foreign agent", although preliminary checks for "discrediting the Russian army" found nothing. This was stated by the propagandists (to see the photo, scroll to the end of the page). A short video circulated on the network, where Liya Akhedzhakova stands on stage with a bicolor in her hands, while words of gratitude are shouted to her from the audience. The caption said that the actress was filmed at a concert in Germany on July 27 this year. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office was asked again to check the star, "reward" her with the status of "foreign agent" and deprive her of all titles received in Russia. ADVERTISIMENT The corresponding appeal was prepared by Vitaly Borodin, head of the Federal Project on Security and Anti-Corruption. It should be noted that he is "knocking" at the Prosecutor General's Office for the second time. Then he asked to initiate three criminal cases against Akhedzhakova . According to him, the actress should be punished under articles on state treason, discrediting the Russian army and for inciting ethnic hatred. It should be noted that Liya Akhedzhakova supported Ukraine from the first days of the full-scale invasion, but stayed in Moscow for a long time. When the work in Sovremennik was finished, she apparently emigrated. As OBOZREVATEL wrote earlier, in Moscow during a theater performance with Liya Akhedzhakova sprayed pepper spray. Employees said that a male spectator was to blame for the incident, but he himself does not recognize it. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information from us in Telegram-channel Obozrevatel and in Viber. Do not fall for fakes! The purpose of xDay 2023 is to foster a convergence of blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, Metaverse, and Web3, transcending and intersecting multiple technological domains to spur innovation and accelerate development. The event will feature debates, presentations, and panel discussions, while providing abundant networking opportunities for developers, creators, and technology enthusiasts. Anticipating more than 3,000 participants, including esteemed government officials, venture capital funds, and key industry players, xDay 2023 is expected to play a pivotal role in expanding the blockchain ecosystem, enhancing the MultiversX network, and introducing unique features in the industry. In parallel with xDay, within the illustrious Palace of Parliament renowned as one of the few human-made structures visible from space and the largest administrative building in the world MultiversX will host one of the largest Web3 Hackathon in Europe, offering prizes totaling up to $1 million. Over the course of three days, participants will have the opportunity to showcase their skills, collaborate with fellow innovators, and develop practical Web3 solutions. The event will culminate with the prestigious MultiversX Ecosystem Awards, celebrating the contributions of visionaries, innovators, and community leaders. "At MultiversX, we strive to provide a better experience for builders, enabling them to expand the blockchain utility and contribute to improving society. With xDay, we are not only highlighting the technological and user experience breakthroughs driving our ecosystem, but also opening up new pathways to shortcut development time together with a large hackathon spotlight scene" said Beniamin Mincu, MultiversX CEO. Tickets are on sale on xday.com. The first edition of xDay took place last year in Paris, in the Brongniart Palace, which for decades hosted the Paris stock exchanges. The event announced new products, protocol upgrades, new strategic integrations and celebrated the growth of the MultiversX ecosystem with over 6000 decentralized applications and hundreds of startups launched worldwide. About MultiversX MultiversX is a highly scalable, secure and decentralized blockchain network created to enable radically new applications, for users, businesses, society, and the new metaverse frontier. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171706/Beniamin_Mincu.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171707/MultiversX_Foundation.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171708/MultiversX_Foundation.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171709/MultiversX_Foundation.jpg SOURCE MultiversX Foundation Modal title PRN Top Stories Newsletters Sign up to get PRNs top stories and curated news delivered to your inbox weekly! Enter Your Email Select Country Select Country Submit Thank you for subscribing! Our newsletters contain tracking pixels to help us deliver unique content based on each subscriber's engagement and interests. For more information on how we will use your data to ensure we send you relevant content please visit our By signing up you agree to receive content from us.Our newsletters contain tracking pixels to help us deliver unique content based on each subscriber's engagement and interests. 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Vous pouvez a tout moment revenir sur votre consentement par le biais des informations situees au bas de chaque e-mail recu. DALLAS, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nanoscope Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on gene therapies for retinal degenerative diseases, presented key results from its Phase 2 clinical trial, STARLIGHT, at the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) annual meeting in Seattle last week. The trial evaluated the effects of their novel therapeutic, MCO-010, for patients with Stargardt disease, a condition currently lacking available treatments. Key results from the STARLIGHT clinical trial: Patients treated with MCO-010 demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in best-corrected visual acuity An approximate 3 dB gain in mean sensitivity , as measured by Octopus visual field perimetry , as measured by Octopus visual field perimetry No serious adverse events (SAEs) were observed in patients treated with MCO-010 in this study "I appreciated the opportunity to present on the promising results of Nanoscope's Phase 2 STARLIGHT clinical trial. With no current treatment options, MCO-010 may bring hope to those patients with severe vision loss due to Stargardt disease by restoring broadband light sensitivity," said Dr. Allen Ho, Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University and Attending Surgeon, Director of Retina Research and Co-Director of the Retina Service at Wills Eye Hospital. "We are thrilled to have had Dr. Allen Ho present the Phase 2 STARLIGHT clinical trial data at this year's ASRS. MCO-010 is advancing our proprietary AAV gene therapy platform with the potential to improve vision for patients with Stargardt disease and other inherited retinal diseases (IRDs). These results offer promising prospects for addressing this challenging disease," said Sulagna Bhattacharya, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder of Nanoscope. About Stargardt Disease Stargardt disease is a rare inherited eye disorder caused by fatty deposits in the macula, leading to center field loss of vision. It affects approximately 8,000-10,000 patients in the U.S., often with symptoms beginning in childhood or adolescence. Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments. About Nanoscope Therapeutics, Inc. Nanoscope Therapeutics is developing gene-agnostic, sight restoring optogenetic therapies for the millions of patients blinded by retinal degenerative diseases, for which no cure exists. The company's lead asset, MCO-010, recently reported topline results from the RESTORE Phase 2b multicenter, randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled clinical trial in the U.S. for retinitis pigmentosa (NCT04945772). The company has also fully enrolled a Phase 2 STARLIGHT trial of MCO-010 therapy in Stargardt patients (NCT05417126). MCO-010 has received FDA Fast Track designations and FDA orphan drug designations for both RP and Stargardt. Preclinical assets include non-viral laser delivered MCO-020 gene therapy for geographic atrophy. Investor Contact: Argot Partners 212-600-1902 [email protected] REFERENCE: Ho, et al. MCO-010 optogenetic therapy for severe vision loss in Stargardt disease: 6-month outcomes from the Phase 2 STARLIGHT trial. ASRS 2023. SOURCE Nanoscope Therapeutics WASHINGTON and HOUSTON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- King & Spalding announced today that leading antitrust and consumer protection lawyer Sean Royall has joined the firm as a partner in its Trial and Global Disputes practice group. Royall, who will serve as the firm's Global Practice Head for Antitrust and Consumer Protection, is based in the firm's Washington, D.C. and Houston offices and will also spend significant time in the firm's Brussels office. Sean Royall Royall, whose practice focuses on antitrust and consumer protection litigation and related government investigations and counseling, brings to the firm a wealth of experience. He has spent his entire career handling complex antitrust litigation matters and government investigations and has long been ranked in Band 1 by Chambers and Partners. He is a highly experienced courtroom litigator with a stellar track record for winning high-stakes cases. His antitrust career, both in government and private practice, has included work on many major mergers and acquisitions, as well as lead roles in complex litigation matters that intersect with other areas of law, including patent law, various federal regulatory regimes, consumer protection, and privacy. In addition to his trial-level experience, he has successfully argued appeals in courts around the country and regularly handles government investigations before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Justice, state attorneys general, and foreign competition authorities. "Sean is a seasoned and well-respected antitrust and consumer protection litigator with a strong international presence and a desire to build with the firm's other global antitrust and consumer protection leaders. He will play a critical role in helping us expand on our existing strengths to become a market leader for all types of antitrust and consumer protection work," said Andy Bayman, leader of King & Spalding's Trial and Global Disputes practice group. "We are pleased to welcome Sean as the latest in the string of high-profile trial lawyers we have added recently." Royall joins the firm from Sidley Austin, where he served as co-leader of the Antitrust and Consumer Protection practice. Earlier in his career, he served as deputy director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition, where he was lead trial lawyer in its landmark monopolization suit against computer chip maker Rambus Inc., a novel case that established new legal standards applicable to patent disclosure within industry standard-setting consortiums. He earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. "King & Spalding is committed to continue building a world-class antitrust and consumer protection practice and has the platform and resources to do it," said Royall. "I am excited to be taking on a leading role in driving this growth and thrilled to be joining the firm, where I look forward to reuniting with many friends and former colleagues whom I respect tremendously. The assembly of litigation, trial, and government investigations talent at King & Spalding is impressive, and I am proud to be part of such an extraordinary team." About King & Spalding Celebrating more than 130 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 1,300 lawyers in 23 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognized for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality, and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com. SOURCE K&S ABILENE, Texas, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking the latest step in a news-making effort to commission and complete a revolutionary nuclear reactor, Natura Resources awarded its Detailed Design Engineering (DDE) contract to Zachry Nuclear Engineering (ZNE), a recognized leader in its field. ZNE will complete the engineering and design of Natura's 1MWth Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) system. The agreement also provides terms under which Zachry may execute the EPC phase of the project. This system isn't just another paper reactor designthe process to deploy this design as a research reactor is already underway at Abilene Christian University (ACU). In August 2022, ACU submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) seeking approval to construct this MSR system. And ACU recently completed construction of its Science and Engineering Research Center (SERC), a 28,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility that will house, among other things, ACU's research reactor. Advanced nuclear reactors like the Molten Salt Reactor are being called "the future of nuclear energy." Tweet this Today, advanced reactors like the MSR are being called "the future of nuclear energy." Natura Resources' MSR design is on track to be one of the first advanced reactors licensed by the NRC and deployed for operation in the United States. This initial system will serve as a catalyst for Natura's development of larger MSRs for commercial applications. Natura intends to deploy MSRs that are factory-built modular construction and fully walk-away safe. These reactors will produce firm, carbon-free energy with significantly less waste than conventional reactors due to the utilization of liquid fuel. Ultimately Natura Resources line of MSRs will create safe, clean, on-demand energy that can produce carbon-free electricity, provide both electrical and thermal energy to support a range of applications that require high-temperature steam or process heat, such as water desalination and chemical/material production, and produce life-saving medical isotopes, all at a competitive price. Douglass Robison, Founder and President, Natura Resources, said: "Natura Resources is excited to partner with Zachry Nuclear for the detailed design engineering of our first Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) system. In just over three years Natura Resources and our four university partners have quickly become one of the leading advanced reactor projects in the country. Collaborating with Zachry, a company that will soon celebrate 100 years of engineering excellence, creates a one-of-a-kind working relationship that will further enhance this industry-leading project. We believe Zachry's track record of excellence in both engineering and construction makes them a great addition to our team and they will help move our MSR project across the finish line as we seek to be one of the first advanced reactor systems to be licensed and built in the U.S." John Zachry, Chairman and CEO, Zachry Group, said: "We are excited to embark on this journey with Natura and support the advancement of the nuclear industry, an industry where we have a rich history. This significant opportunity allows us to play a crucial role in accelerating decarbonization efforts. It will allow us to leverage our nuclear engineering expertise and apply our construction-driven mindset to an exciting new technology that can lead us to a more sustainable future." About Natura Resources Natura Resources is an advanced reactor developer located in Abilene, Texas, committed to answering the world's increased demand for reliable energy, medical isotopes, and clean water by developing commercially deployable molten salt reactors. To support this vision, Natura brought together Abilene Christian University, Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Austin, and Georgia Institute of Technology to form the Natura Resources Research Alliance. This revolutionary partnership between an advanced nuclear developer and a team of universities has helped put Natura Resources at the forefront of MSR deployment. Visit www.naturaresources.org for more information. About Zachry Group Zachry Group is North America's pacesetter in turnkey engineering, construction, maintenance, turnaround and fabrication services to the energy, chemicals, power, manufacturing and industrial sectors. We work with customers to plan, build, and renew their most critical facilities, so they can achieve their immediate and long-term goals, all at the highest safety standards. Since 1924, we have been a purpose-driven organization, united by a shared set of values and the desire to deliver the very best outcome for our customers. Visit www.zachrygroup.com for more information. SOURCE Natura Resources WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new book called Evolution Ended has proposed three laws of artificial intelligence that will help AI serve the needs of humanity while keeping us safe. These rules update Isaac Asimov's famous three laws of robotics to take into account the technical, legal, and moral implications of AI. Evolution Ended reveals that mankind is in the midst of a grand transition from survival of the fittest to survival through technology and the earthshaking ramifications for our society (nonfiction). J.J. Jerome is an award-winning engineer and futurist who used his unique background in brain science and digital technology to become a seminal influence in numerous cutting-edge technologies. He has been an internationally acknowledged leader in human interfaces and intelligent building technology and is currently one of the nation's leading thinkers on using AI to mitigate climate change. Evolution Ended is the product of highly accomplished futurist, engineer, and author J.J. Jerome. The book posits that humanity is in the midst of a technologically induced transition that is dramatically affecting our social, economic, and political systems. Evolution Ended shows how this trend will continue to lead to enormous changes in how we live, work, and the very evolution of mankind. Evolution Ended is available in bookstores August 1, 2023 and has already received excellent reviews. J.J. Jerome is available for comment or an interview. Advanced copies of the book are available on request. J.J. Jerome is an award-winning engineer and futurist who used his unique background in brain science and electronics to become a seminal influence in numerous cutting-edge technologies. He has been an internationally acknowledged leader in developing human interfaces and intelligent building technology and is currently one of the nation's leading thinkers on using big data to mitigate climate change. He presents regularly at national conferences and is an advisor for STEM education. If you would like more information on the book or would like to interview Jeff Jerome, please contact him through his website jjjerome.com, or contact his publicist Cristina Deptula at [email protected] or 510-589-8252. SOURCE J. J. Jerome SAN MATEO, Calif., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As students head back to class this month, Verkada's inaugural Teen Vaping Survey reveals a rise in vaping among teens across the country and profound negative impacts tied to it, including lowered academic performance, decreased student engagement and heightened depression. The data show that teens who vape are actually willing and trying to quit but are unable, with the school environment among contributing roadblocks. Nowhere has the impact of this rise in teen vaping been felt more than at school, primarily, the research reveals, in bathrooms and classrooms. Teachers are on double duty, both presiding over class instruction and attempting to monitor and police teen vaping. Teens, who already navigate a full list of challenges tied to the school experience, are now adding vaping to their lists of disruptors. Verkada partnered with Harris Poll to survey 2,650 Americans, including parents, high school teachers and vaping and non-vaping teens. These survey findings, paired with aggregate insights from Verkada's over 20,000 US vape-detecting devices, provide a view into what's happening on school campuses across the U.S. Key findings from Verkada's 2023 Teen Vaping Survey include: Vaping's popularity amongst teens is on the rise. Verkada's Vape Activity Index shows a 20% increase in vaping activity in the 2022-2023 academic year compared to the academic year prior. More than 4 in 5 teachers (84%) and students (82%) surveyed believe there has been an increase in teen vape usage over the past 24 months. Verkada's Vape Activity Index shows a 20% increase in vaping activity in the 2022-2023 academic year compared to the academic year prior. More than 4 in 5 teachers (84%) and students (82%) surveyed believe there has been an increase in teen vape usage over the past 24 months. This rise in vaping is having a direct impact on educators' ability to teach and students' academic performance. Among teachers who deal with classroom disruptions due to vaping, most (92%) say those disruptions have a negative impact on overall student academic performance. Among teachers who deal with classroom disruptions due to vaping, most (92%) say those disruptions have a negative impact on overall student academic performance. Teens know it's a problem, especially those who vape. Nearly all teens who vape (96%) view teen vaping to be a problem, with 61% of vaping teens considering themselves to be addicted and 54% wanting to quit vaping altogether. Nearly all teens who vape (96%) view teen vaping to be a problem, with 61% of vaping teens considering themselves to be addicted and 54% wanting to quit vaping altogether. Vaping teens are taking over the bathrooms, which is having ripple effects on student engagement and attendance. Almost all teens surveyed report that bathrooms are where vaping occurs most frequently on campus (90% of non-vaping teens vs. 70% of vaping teens). Almost all teens surveyed report that bathrooms are where vaping occurs most frequently on campus (90% of non-vaping teens vs. 70% of vaping teens). Vaping teens are sending alarming signals of depression. They are twice as likely than non-vaping teens to have felt depressed in the last month (71% vs. 35%) and are significantly less likely to feel positive about their physical health (42% vs. 67%). They are twice as likely than non-vaping teens to have felt depressed in the last month (71% vs. 35%) and are significantly less likely to feel positive about their physical health (42% vs. 67%). Teachers, who have some of the best insight into the issue, are concerned about its impact on academic performance. Nearly 9 in 10 teachers (87%) agree that vaping in school is disruptive to the learning environment. Around half report that vaping teens struggle to stay motivated (53%) and have trouble focusing (51%). Nearly 9 in 10 teachers (87%) agree that vaping in school is disruptive to the learning environment. Around half report that vaping teens struggle to stay motivated (53%) and have trouble focusing (51%). Teachers and teens agree that additional security and technology would be most effective in curbing vaping in school. Three-quarters of vaping teens (77%) believe it's easy to get away with vaping at school, but school leadership is underutilizing technology that they say would help them address the problem. "The post-pandemic resurgence of teen vaping has made the already difficult job of educating middle school and high school students even more challenging," said Brandon Davito, Senior Vice President of Product and Operations at Verkada. "Teachers and school administrators have the best visibility into the impact of vaping on teens, and they are rightly concerned. The findings from this study reinforce what we are hearing from school staff across the country and issue an urgent warning for all parents, administrators, and teens to take action." "I have seen firsthand the negative impact vaping has on teens who vape as well as the ripple effect on those who do not. The vaping epidemic very quickly consumed school restrooms, and our students who did not vape didn't felt safe using them," said Tim Ivey, Chief Technology and Facilities Officer at Iredell-Statesville Schools. "In our district, we prioritized adding sensors in the restrooms to tackle the problem directly and equipped our school administrators with the tools they needed to quickly mitigate the behavior. We've dramatically reduced vaping in the restrooms and our students have seen the impact. When we asked them about how the new sensors were working, one told us that vaping had declined so much that they felt the technology had 'given the bathroom back to everyone.'" "Verkada's Teen Vaping Survey is a foundational research study that provides a unique view into teen vaping and its implications," said Rob Jekielek, Managing Director at the Harris Poll. "The findings which include that over 60% of vaping teens say that they are addicted may be startling but are likely not too surprising. They clearly showcase both the magnitude of issues with vaping and their classroom impact." For more information about the study, please visit https://www.verkada.com/blog/teen-vaping-survey/ . Methodology The Harris Poll conducted the survey online on behalf of Verkada, from March 29-April 18, 2023, among 2,650 Americans, including 250 high school teachers, 200 teens who vape, 200 teens who do not vape and 200 parents. Data for the General Population, Teachers and Teens were weighted to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. About Verkada Verkada is the leading physical security platform to protect people and places. Designed with simplicity in mind, Verkada's product lines video security cameras, access control, environmental sensors, alarms, workplace and intercoms provide unparalleled building security through an integrated, secure cloud-based software platform. More than 17,000 organizations across more than 70 countries worldwide trust Verkada as their physical security layer for easier management, intelligent control, and scalable deployments. For more information, please visit www.verkada.com . About Harris Poll The Harris Poll is a global consulting and market research firm that strives to reveal the authentic values of modern society to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. It works with clients in three primary areas: building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. One of the longest-running surveys in the U.S., The Harris Poll has tracked public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963, and is now part of Stagwell, the challenger holding company built to transform marketing. SOURCE Verkada The Texture Education Collective, led by The Professional Beauty Association and founding partners Aveda, DevaCurl, L'Oreal USA, and Neill come together with key industry leaders to champion texture-inclusive education legislation. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Professional Beauty Association (PBA), whose mission is to advocate and fight for the rights and professionalism of the beauty industry, in conjunction with the Texture Education Collective (TEC), is pleased to announce the stewardship of texture-inclusive legislation in New Jersey. Courtesy of Professional Beauty Association New Jersey is expected to soon pass bill A5443/S3845, which requires training of cosmetologists, defined as hairstylists, beauticians, barbers, and hair braiders, to include working on textured hair. This bill is sponsored by New Jersey State Assemblywoman Angela McKnight and New Jersey State Senator Teresa Ruiz. "As I said when I introduced the Crown Act, no one should be penalized for the way they wear their hair or the way it grows out of their head. This bill requiring cosmetology training to include textured hair will help stylists as well as patrons," says Assemblywoman Angela McKnight. "Most schools have never taught how to care for natural hair so stylists often turn away clients with textured hair or charge a higher price. Now, stylists will not feel intimidated because of lack of know-how and patrons don't have to fear being turned away. This bill is a huge step for inclusion." The Texture Education Collective was formed by an alliance of professional hair industry leaders with a shared goal of encouraging cosmetology state board licensing requirements and curriculums nationwide to be inclusive of all hair types and textures. One of the primary objectives of the TEC is to encourage states to adopt textured hair education as part of their curriculum and state board exams. The goal is to empower cosmetologists and stylists with the confidence to consult and work with clients who have textured hair, while maintaining the styling performance, health and safety standards they learn in their cosmetology programs. The mission of the Texture Education Collective is twofold: To ensure all hairstylists are equipped with the education, skills and tools to be able to service all clients and all hair types and textures. To pave the way for all consumers to feel welcomed, valued, understood, and seen when getting serviced by hairstylists while upholding the highest standards in health and safety. "Textured hair" can be defined as hair that is coiled, curly, or wavy. The requirements shall include training on: a. working with hair with various curl, coils and wave patterns; b. hair strand thickness; and c. volumes of hair. Founding members of the Texture Education Collective include Aveda, DevaCurl, L'Oreal USA, and Neill. Supporting partners include Avalon, BBR, Bumble and bumble, Evie Johnson, L'ANZA, Living Proof, Milady, Sam Villa and Texture vs. Race. The Professional Beauty Association, in partnership with the Texture Education Collective, urges supporters to sign the petition on the TEC website to include textured hair in cosmetology testing standards. Additionally, the Professional Beauty Association urges all industry professionals to encourage their state elected officials in New Jersey to pass the bills. For more information on the Professional Beauty Association or to become a supporting member visit probeauty.org. About Professional Beauty Association The Professional Beauty Association (PBA) is dedicated to advocating and fighting for the rights and professionalism of the beauty industry, and is committed to the long-term success of beauty professionals and the businesses that employ and support them. As the largest and most inclusive trade organization representing the entire beauty industry, PBA advocates for legislation on behalf of the industry, including such things as fighting against deregulation. PBA also provides curated resources to empower members, including education, business tools and resources, curated healthcare and insurance options, exclusive events, charitable initiatives, scholarships, networking opportunities and proprietary reports and data. Members include manufacturers, distributors, salons, spas, schools, independent practitioners, students, and industry suppliers. For more information on membership, please visit: www.probeauty.org/join. SOURCE Professional Beauty Association Researchers report innovative techniques to treat challenging cancers and manage the side-effects of therapy XI'AN, China, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Although cancer treatment has advanced significantly over the last decade, some fairly common cancers remain extremely difficult to treat. Besides, some chemotherapeutics or anti-cancer drugs can have serious, irreversible side-effects. The latest issue of the JPA features three articles that highlight novel treatment strategies based on cutting-edge research on cancer and chemotherapeutic drug-induced adverse events. Highlights of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis June 2023 issue The first study reports a new approach to prevent hearing loss induced by the widely used chemotherapeutic drug "cisplatin". The article was available online in April 2023 and published in Volume 13, Issue 6 in June 2023. The researchers focused on an inhibitor of protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), a histone-modifying enzyme and epigenetic regulator. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that inhibition of PRMT5 alleviated cisplatin-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis, and thus ameliorated hearing loss by protecting cochlear hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons. A better understanding of the role of PRMT5 in hearing loss could help scientists develop effective hearing protection drugs and prevent this unwanted side-effect. In this regard, corresponding author Yingzi He states that "Our findings suggest that PRMT5 inhibitors have strong potential as agents against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity and can lay the foundation for further research on treatment strategies for hearing loss." In the second study, scientists addressed the problem of inconsistent kinetics of multiple drugs given in a combination therapy. They developed a super-assembled nano-pill that can encapsulate and deliver two different drugs to liver cancer cells. They engineered a supramolecular assembly combining an exportin 1 (XPO1)-inhibiting peptide and a small-molecule inhibitor of ataxia telangiectasia mutated-Rad3-related (ATR). These compounds act synergistically in liver tumors by promoting DNA damage, preventing DNA repair, and arresting the cell cycle. The nano-pills were highly biocompatible with a remarkable therapeutic effect. "This work not only provides a co-delivery strategy for intensive liver cancer treatment with potential for clinical translation, but also extends the scope of drugs for developing advanced combination therapies," highlights the corresponding author Suxia Han. Finally, the third article by Han Xiao et al. presents a comprehensive analysis of the compound STM2457, the novel small-molecule inhibitor of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3), which has been reported to promote the disease progression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors used a combination of experimental and bioinformatic data to show that STM2457 could significantly inhibit pulmonary colonization and halt NSCLC progression. "The idea of targeting METTL3 is like a "black swan", and its silhouette across the sky was first captured by leukemia and pharmaceutical experts, who synthesized STM2457, the first bioavailable small-molecule inhibitor of METTL3. The cheer of the "black swan" discovery inspired our follow-up work. In the future, targeting the components of translation machinery will become a new therapeutic strategy for NSCLC," states the corresponding author Han Xiao. These studies will pave the way to safer and more effective treatment options for difficult cancers and help improve the quality of life of cancer patients. Reference Authors: Zhiwei Zheng1, Benyu Nan2, Chang Liu3, Dongmei Tang1, Wen Li1, Liping Zhao1, Guohui Nie4, and Yingzi He1 Title of original paper: Inhibition of histone methyltransferase PRMT5 attenuates cisplatin-induced hearing loss through the PI3K/Akt-mediated mitochondrial apoptotic pathway Journal: Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpha.2023.04.014 Contact: Mengjie Wang +86-(0)29-82657423 363510@email4pr.com SOURCE Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis According to the new resource, having a complete retirement process helps support both the organization and retiring employees as they transition out of their roles. TORONTO, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - With more than 150 million jobs expected to be held by workers over the age of 55 by 2030 in the Group of Seven (G7) countries, the global workforce is rapidly aging and starting to transition into retirement. The surge in retiring employees has illuminated the need for organizations to streamline retirement processes that support the needs of both the business and its employees. In response, global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company has released its timely new Organizational Retirement Preparation Guide. McLean & Company provides a timeline of the retirement process in the new guide, which walks HR leaders through forecasting workforce needs and preparing employees for retirement in the pre-retirement phase, preparing for the employee exit and ensuring a smooth transition of work and transfer of knowledge in the peri-retirement phase, and successfully offboarding and maintaining relationships in the post-retirement phase. (CNW Group/McLean & Company) The firm explains in the resource that HR's role is to support both the organization and its employees to bridge the gaps left behind by retirees as they depart. The new research will guide HR in curating resources to effectively manage retirements before, during, and after they occur. "Employees often don't have the right support or resources to plan and execute their retirement," says LynnAnn Brewer, director of HR Research & Advisory Services at McLean & Company. "An intentional process ensures the right steps are taken for a smooth transition. As such, HR must work with the organization to develop an effective retirement procedure and provide appropriate resources to employees to better support both soon-to-be retirees and the employees affected by the departure." In the guide, a three-phase timeline of the retirement process is outlined to assist HR leaders identify which outcomes must occur in each stage for successful planning and retirement support. The phases and their required components are as follows: 1. Pre-retirement: Activities that take place before an employee announces their intent to retire. The first phase is focused on forecasting workforce needs and preparing employees for retirement. Pre-retirement planning includes: a. Retirement planning information sessions b. Critical role identification c. Succession planning d. Retirement policy e. Workforce planning f. Skills inventorying 2. Peri-retirement: The second phase includes activities that occur once an employee has announced their intent to retire. This phase focuses on preparing for the employee exit, ensuring a smooth transition of work, and the transfer of knowledge. Peri-retirement planning requires: a. Notice of retirement b. Tracking upcoming retirements c. Upcoming retirements communication d. Process mapping e. Knowledge transfer f. Mentoring g. Exit summary h. Employee departure checklist 3. Post-retirement: The third and final phase consists of activities that take place as and after a retiring employee exits the organization, with a focus on successful offboarding and maintaining relationships. Post-retirement planning and support outcomes include: a. Phased retirement b. Offboarding c. Exit interviews d. Engaging alumni "There is a common misconception that the relationship between an employee and the organization ends when the employee retires," explains Brewer. "But continuing to engage alumni post-retirement creates benefits for both the employees and the organization." McLean & Company advises HR leaders that taking an active role in all three phases of the retirement process is key to overall mutual success, and that the journey does not end upon retirement. Designing an impactful organizational alumni program that includes retirees, offers organizational benefits, including increased brand awareness, access to desirable talent pools, and support for strategic goals and objectives, and fosters a sense of belonging and increased personal and professional networks. To access the full guide, download the Organizational Retirement Preparation Guide. As a future-focused advisory partner, the firm has also recently released its cutting-edge The Future of HR Report, which examines how HR leaders must prepare for the unpredictable through the evaluation of HR trends and consideration of drivers of change. For HR leaders as well as C-suite and VP-level executives who are responsible for enabling, streamlining, and future-proofing their organization's HR functions, Signature, the highly anticipated HR industry conference from McLean & Company, is returning from November 5-7, 2023, in Orlando, Florida. Register for Signature 2023 or learn more here. Early bird tickets are available until August 1, 2023. Media interested in connecting with McLean & Company analysts for exclusive, data-backed insights and commentary on the retirement planning process, generative AI in HR, the future of work, and more can reach out to [email protected]. About McLean & Company Through data-driven insights and proven best-practice methodologies, McLean & Company offers comprehensive resources and full-service assessments, action plans, and training to position organizations to meet today's needs and prepare for the future. McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group. Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and over 200 industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected]. SOURCE McLean & Company ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NNN REIT, Inc. (NYSE: NNN) (the "Company"), a real estate investment trust, today announced that it has priced its public offering of $500,000,000 of 5.600% senior unsecured notes due 2033 (the "notes"). The notes were offered at 97.676% of the principal amount with a yield to maturity of 5.905%. Interest on the notes will be payable semi-annually on April 15 and October 15 of each year, commencing on April 15, 2024. The notes mature on October 15, 2033. The offering is expected to close on or about August 15, 2023, subject to customary closing conditions. BofA Securities, Inc., Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc., PNC Capital Markets LLC, RBC Capital Markets, LLC, TD Securities (USA) LLC, and Truist Securities, Inc. are acting as joint book running-managers and Capital One Securities, Inc., Raymond James & Associates, Inc., and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated are acting as senior co-managers for the offering. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the notes to repay all of the outstanding indebtedness under its credit facility, to fund future property acquisitions and for general corporate purposes. The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus, which are part of an effective shelf registration statement the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). You may obtain copies of these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, copies of these documents, when available, may be obtained by contacting BofA Securities, Inc., 201 North Tryon Street, NC1-022-02-25, Charlotte, NC 28255-0001, Attn: Prospectus Department, by telephone: 1-800-294-1322 or by email at [email protected]; Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 608 2nd Avenue South, Suite 1000, Minneapolis, MN 55402, Attn: WFS Customer Service, by email [email protected], or by calling toll-free at 1-800-645-3751; Citigroup Global Markets Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by telephone: 1-800-831-9146 or by email: [email protected]; Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 1585 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, New York 10036, by telephone: 1-866-718-1649 or by email: [email protected]; U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc., by telephone: 1-877-558-2607. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. NNN REIT invests primarily in high-quality retail properties subject generally to long-term, net leases. As of June 30, 2023, the Company owned 3,479 properties in 49 states with a gross leasable area of approximately 35.5 million square feet and with a weighted average remaining lease term of 10.2 years. Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements. These statements generally are characterized by the use of terms such as "believe," ""expect," "in position," "intend," "may," "estimated," or other similar words or expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, which may cause the Company's actual future results to differ materially from expected results. For example, the fact that this offering has priced may imply that this offering will close, but the closing is subject to conditions customary in transactions of this type and may be delayed or may not occur at all. No assurance can be given that the offering discussed above will be completed on the terms described or at all or that the net proceeds of this offering will be used as described. Completion of this offering on the terms described, and the application of the net proceeds of this offering, are subject to numerous possible events, factors and conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company or are unknown to it. Other risks include, among others, general economic conditions, including inflation, local real estate conditions, changes in interest rates, increases in operating costs, the preferences and financial condition of the Company's tenants, the availability of capital, risks related to the Company's status as a REIT, and the potential impacts of an epidemic or pandemic (such as the outbreak and worldwide spread of a novel strain of coronavirus, and its variants) on the Company's business operations, financial results, and financial position on the world economy. Additional information concerning these and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is contained from time to time in the Company's SEC filings, including, but not limited to, the Company's (i) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and (ii) Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023. Copies of each filing may be obtained from the Company or SEC. Such forward-looking statements should be regarded solely as reflections of the Company's current operating plans and estimates. Actual results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecast in this press release. NNN REIT, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date these statements were made. SOURCE NNN REIT, Inc. The popular Ukrainian band Quest Pistols, which reunited in 2022 after more than a 10-year hiatus to help Ukraine, has been caught up in a high-profile scandal over a recent performance in Bali. The private party where the musicians sang was attended, in particular, by Russians. The members of the collective commented on the heath in their address, assuring that they did not know about the guests from the terrorist country. In addition, according to the artists, the organization of their performance at the corporate party was handled by a Ukrainian company. ADVERTISIMENT Participants of Quest Pistols said that they performed at the birthday party of a citizen of Kazakhstan, so most of those present were from there. Clarifications were released on the official page of the collective in Instagram. "The performance was at the birthday party of Rafael Romain, a Kazakh citizen, not for Russians. There were mostly citizens of Kazakhstan. We were invited by an event agency from Ukraine, they were organizing the event", - assured the artists. The musicians also justified themselves for singing their Russian-language tracks. They said that part of the repertoire has already been translated into their native language and now they are in the process of writing new Ukrainian-language songs, but they continue to perform old untranslated hits at concerts. ADVERTISIMENT The network showed that the corporate party was attended by people who either live or periodically visit Moscow. In particular, the photo of a certain Roxana Geller, who published a photo from the Russian capital in her profile, was spread. Quest Pistols responded to this: "The audience shouted "Glory to Ukraine!" and these videos also go around the network.... There were a few people among the guests, kind of Russians. We probably don't know about their citizenship. They were not holding a passport at the time of the event. A reproach that judging by social networks they visit Moscow periodically. So, everyone can see that the photo of Roxana Geller, which is posted as evidence, is the last one in her social networks from Russia, it is dated 2021, because the person is in emigration." ADVERTISIMENT Ukrainians were most outraged by the fact that the birthday boy, who was entertained by Ukrainian artists, posted InstaStories in his social networks after the holiday, in which he sang the track "I am Russian" by the disgraced Kremlin jester SHAMAN. The Quest Pistols members explained that it was allegedly a mock propaganda song. "In his social networks there is a video to the song of the band Kalush Orchestra - Stefania, where the man allegedly shows how with friends preparing for the victory of Ukraine. Rafael posted that storis after our performance, the next day. He signed it as "cringe is already in town", but it was not paid attention to for some reason. And Cringe means - it is a concept describing everything that is disgusting, unpleasant, shows shame and indignation," - said the performers. ADVERTISIMENT The artists also urged "not to look for betrayal where there is none", assuring that their team is doing everything possible to bring Ukraine's victory in the war closer, and part of the money in various percentages from their private and public events goes to help the Foundations, as well as personally to the military. However, even this did not convince some fans. Thus, under the post, some commenters wrote: "What kind of excuses? What at all during the war you b*tch can go to perform at someone's dr? In Bali? In Bakhmut there will be a performance?", "If you were going to a concert, there is no question (popularization of Ukrainian), but this is just someone's corporate party, disappointed with you." ADVERTISIMENT Earlier OBOZREVATEL wrote that in a similar scandal got into a similar scandal host Ostapchuk, who held the birthday party of the Odessa woman Julia Buryak, who a few years ago married Russian businessman Leonid Arapov nicknamed "aluminum king". At the holiday of the Ukrainian there were guests from the Russian Federation, of which the presenter allegedly did not know. Only verified information from us in Telegram-channel Obozrevatel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Numinus Wellness Inc. ("Numinus" or the "Company") (TSX: NUMI) (OTCQX: NUMIF) a mental health care company advancing innovative treatments and safe, evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapies, today announced that Nikhil Handa, CFO, will participate in a Water Tower Research Fireside Chat on Thursday, August 17, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. ET / 8:00 a.m. PT. The discussion will focus on Numinus' financial strategy, key priorities, and the pathway to positive cash flow and profitability. For all investors and other persons interested in participating, please register here. For more information about the event, or to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Numinus' management, please send an email to [email protected] . About Numinus Numinus Wellness Inc. (TSX: NUMI) helps people to heal and be well through the development and delivery of innovative mental health care and access to safe, evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapies. The Numinus model - including psychedelic production, research and clinic care - is at the forefront of a transformation aimed at healing rather than managing symptoms for depression, anxiety, trauma, pain and substance use. At Numinus, we are leading the integration of psychedelic-assisted therapies into mainstream clinical practice and building the foundation for a healthier society. Learn more at www.numinus.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Forward-looking statements Statements and other information contained in this press release about anticipated future events constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend" and statements that an event "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the risks set forth in the Company's annual information form dated December 12, 2022 and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements even if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. SOURCE Numinus Wellness Inc. Online Advantages Charlotte SEO Provides Customized Digital Marketing and SEO Services to its Valued Clients CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Matt Maglodi, founder of the Charlotte, North Carolina full-service internet marketing company Online Advantages, is pleased to announce that he and his team offer customized and tailored plans to their clients that provide effective and proven results. To learn more about how digital marketing can help virtually any business, please check out https://onlineadvantages.net/how-can-digital-marketing-in-charlotte-nc-help-your-business/. As Maglodi noted, he knows first-hand that while there are plenty of advertising agencies in Charlotte NC internet marketing, they are definitely not created equally. While many firms offer cookie cutter solutions to their Charlotte SEO clients, Maglodi and his team take the time to get to know their clients' businesses from the inside out. "We review every aspect of your online presence, from your public relations and reputation management to your website's UXUI design and search engine optimization, so we can double down on the things that are working for you and your customers and create a path forward to help correct the things that aren't," Maglodi said, adding that from automotive repair and medical healthcare providers to Realtors and pest control companies throughout Charlotte, everyone can benefit from a robust online marketing plan. "We focus our content marketing efforts on crafting bespoke, customized digital strategies and inbound marketing campaigns that deliver a superior user experience targeting the precise customers you want to attract." "Perhaps most importantly of all, we have the systems, tools, and technical SEO knowledge to deliver tangible results that can compete head-to-head with any of the top digital marketing agencies in Charlotte at prices just about any online marketing budget can afford," Maglodi said. About Online Advantages Charlotte SEO Online Advantages Charlotte SEO is a unique full service internet marketing company. Founder Matt Maglodispecializes in all aspects of online marketing from video marketing, to pay per click advertising, organic search and social media. For more information, please visit https://onlineadvantages.net/charlotte-internet-marketing-seo-company/. Online AdVantages Charlotte SEO SOURCE Online Advantages Online Advantages Celebrates 52th Year At It's Mesa Seo Location MESA, Ariz., Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Matt Maglodi, founder of the full-service internet marketing company Online Advantages, is pleased to announce that he has joined forces with the Mesa, Arizona business community with the opening of his company's newest location. To learn more about Online Advantages Miami SEO and how Maglodi and his team are preparing for a busy 2023, please check out https://mesa-seo.onlineadvantages.net/ . "As proud new members of the Mesa, Arizona Chamber of Commerce, we are looking forward to working with our fellow business owners and managers to help continue to keep Mesa the strong, vibrant city it has been since its inception," Maglodi said, adding that he is excited to show Mesa businesses how Online Advantages Mesa SEO can help boost their online presence and sales. Online Advantages Miami SEO will offer the following Mesa SEO services: Mesa Search Engine Optimization Mesa SEO Mesa Local Search Optimization Since 2010, Online Advantages has helped businesses of every size, description, and industrial niche build their online presence and achieve superiority in their respective fields. Now, with the addition of their new location in Mesa, Arizona, Online Advantages Mesa SEO is proud to be the premier source for SEO and internet marketing services. Some of the industries Online Advantages Mesa SEO will serve in Mesa, AZ and the surrounding region include the construction trades, including Mesa plumbing, HVAC, electricians and paving companies in Mesa; attorneys in Mesa, Mesa bakeries and restaurants; Arizona E-commerce; the financial sector; Mesa healthcare; charities and nonprofits in Mesa, AZ and nationwide and Mesa auto mechanics and body shops. Maglodi said he and his team are looking forward to a busy 2022. Mesa business owners who would like to find out more about how Online Advantages Mesa SEO can help their company grow and prosper are welcome to sign for a complimentary website analysis and SEO audit by visiting the Mesa SEO Online Advantages website. About Online Advantages Mesa SEO: Online Advantages is a unique full service internet marketing company. Founder Matt Maglodi specializes in all aspects of online marketing from video marketing, to pay per click advertising, organic search and social media. SOURCE Online Advantages New DARPA Challenge with $18.5M in prizes launched to automatically find and fix software vulnerabilities using artificial intelligence LAS VEGAS, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) announced today at Black Hat 2023 its collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on the AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC) a two-year competition aimed at driving innovation at the nexus of AI and cybersecurity to create a new generation of cybersecurity tools. AIxCC brings together leading AI organizations that will work with DARPA to make their cutting-edge technology available for challenge competitors, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Microsoft. We are excited to advise DARPA on AIxCC drawing on the expertise of the OpenSSF in securing open source software Tweet this The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) will serve as challenge advisor to guide teams creating AI systems capable of addressing vital cybersecurity issues, such as the security of our critical infrastructure and software supply chains. "Open source software is an essential and core part of our nation's critical infrastructure," said Omkhar Arasaratnam, General Manager of the OpenSSF. "Finding new and innovative ways to ensure our open source software supply chain is secure by construction is in everyone's best interest. We are excited to advise DARPA on the AI Cyber Challenge drawing on the expertise of the OpenSSF in securing open source software, and as a result of this challenge, we look forward to a more secure open source software supply chain for the greater public good." In an increasingly interconnected world, open source software undergirds everything from financial systems to public utilities. As software enables modern life and drives productivity, it also creates an expanding attack surface for malicious actors. This surface includes critical infrastructure, which DARPA experts say is especially vulnerable to cyberattacks given the lack of tools capable of securing systems at scale. However, advances in modern technology provide a path towards securing the nation's most critical software. AIxCC will consist of two phases, the semifinal phase and the final phase. The semifinal competition and the final competition will be held at DEF CON in Las Vegas in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Teams will participate in a qualifying event during the semifinal phase, where the top scoring teams (up to 20) will be invited to participate in the semifinal competition. Of these, the top scoring teams (up to five) will receive monetary prizes and continue to the final phase and competition. The top three scoring competitors in the final competition will receive additional monetary prizes. For complete details about the competition, including the timeline to register, eligibility information, rules and more, visit AICyberChallenge.com . MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES For Black Hat USA Registered Media On Aug. 9, from 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. PT in conference room Oceanside D, Level 2 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, DARPA officials and AIxCC stakeholders will be available to take questions. Please note, this opportunity is open to all media who are registered to attend Black Hat USA and are on-site. Questions will be addressed in a group setting and media are welcome to visit at any point during this timeframe as their schedule allows. For All Media, Virtual Press Conference On Aug. 9, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. PT, representatives from DARPA and AIxCC stakeholders will take questions over Zoom. Participation is limited to reporters actively representing a media outlet and registration is required. Interested media may contact DARPA Public Affairs at [email protected] by 12:30 p.m. PT on Aug. 9 to receive details to join the discussion. For Media Attending DEF CON On Aug. 11, from 2:30-2:50 p.m. PT in DEF CON Track 2, AIxCC program manager Perri Adams will moderate a panel with AIxCC stakeholders about the motivations behind the competition. Adams and other panelists will have limited availability immediately following the panel for questions. About the OpenSSF The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) is a cross-industry organization at the Linux Foundation that brings together the industry's most important open source security initiatives and the individuals and companies that support them. The OpenSSF is committed to collaboration and working both upstream and with existing communities to advance open source security for all. For more information, please visit us at openssf.org . About the Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, hardware, standards, and data. Linux Foundation projects are critical to the world's infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, ONAP, PyTorch, RISC-V, SPDX, OpenChain, and more. The Linux Foundation focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users, and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org . Media Contact Jennifer Bly, OpenSSF [email protected] SOURCE OpenSSF OPPO leads Chinese smartphone market for global smartphone shipments in H1 2023 and ranks fourth globally, following success of Find N2 and Find X6 flagship phones OPPO holds 10% of global smartphone market share in H1 with 51.9 million shipments and an impressive 18% share in China , making it the leading brand in the country for the first half of 2023 Success of foldable smartphones, led by OPPO's Find N2 Flip, contributes significantly to growth DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Propelled by the performance of OPPO's latest flagship smartphone series, the Find N2 and Find X6, the global technology brand has secured the top position in the Chinese smartphone market for H1 2023 and fourth spot globally during the same period. According to data from Canalys, OPPO held a 10% share of the global smartphone market in H1, with 51.9 million shipments. In the China smartphone market for H1 2023, OPPO secured an 18% share, establishing it as the best-selling brand in the country during the first half of the year. Mainland China foldable smartphone OPPO's performance has been driven in part by the success of foldable smartphones, a segment that has witnessed rapid growth this year and continues to show significant potential. Counterpoint Research estimates a 114% compound annual growth rate in global shipments of foldable smartphones from 2019 to 2025, with numbers expected to increase four-fold between 2022 and 2025, reaching 55 million units. Chinese OEMs, including OPPO, have been quick to embrace the foldable market, contributing to China's leading 26% share of the market in 2022. New data from Canalys also reveals that OPPO held a dominant 31% share of the foldable market in China during Q1 2023, firmly positioning it as a leader in the growing segment. Notably, the OPPO Find N2 Flip outperformed other foldable options in the market, constituting 15% of foldable smartphone sales in China from January to May 2023, according to Counterpoint. as the first vertical flip phone featuring a larger cover screen, the Find N2 Flip is designed for practicality and daily use. It boasts a narrow crease, a durable battery, and an intuitive UI design, alongside other industry-leading innovations. These advancements, coupled with the commercial success of the Find N2 Flip, have helped OPPO to surpass the global foldable market's growth this year. Its market share increased from 5% in Q1 2022 to an outstanding 13% in Q1 2023, according to Canalys. OPPO remains committed to driving the growth of the foldable smartphone market and enhancing the user experience through its continued focus on technical innovation and excellence. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone - "Smiley Face" - in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO also provides its users with ColorOS operating system and internet services such as OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO has footprints in more than 60 countries and regions, with more than 40,000 employees dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world. About OPPO MEA OPPO started its journey in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region in 2015. Now OPPO is physically present in more than 13 markets across the region, including Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Based on insights of local consumers in each country, OPPO has evolved the progress of product localisation, taking into consideration several perspectives towards each market, including product localisation, to further meet the core needs of users; marketing localisation, to better communicate with local young customers; and talent localisation, to understand local consumers further and provide an optimum customer service. Within the last year, OPPO has started to adjust its product line in the Middle East region specifically. This has included the launch of its flagship OPPO Find X Series and the introduction of the OPPO Reno Series. OPPO will continue to evolve its local product line to offer more premium series to consumers in the region. A forward-thinking international technology company, OPPO strives to be a sustainable company that contributes to a better world and have enacted positive change in every way possible through activating local community initiatives and humanitarian, charity campaigns. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2182414/China_foldable_phone.jpg SOURCE OPPO VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Pathfinder Ventures Inc. (TSXV: RV) (the "Company" or "Pathfinder.") continues to gain market share in Western Canada's RV resort and camping industry. The Company reports total occupied site nights in July increased by 15% compared to the same period last year. Pathfinder Camp Resorts see Increased Customer Demand in July 2023 Pathfinder Ventures is committed to developing the business opportunities that exist given the growing trend of people looking to explore, reside and vacation in RVs. (CNW Group/Pathfinder Ventures Inc.) Occupied site nights increased by 15% in July 2023 compared July 2022. The Company reports demand from repeat and new customers remained strong and drove the increase. Pathfinder also added additional camping sites to its resorts, which added to the total occupied site nights. "We're thrilled to report Pathfinder Camp Resorts are busier than last year. Despite the RV Resort Industry anticipating this year to be softer as post pandemic excitement fizzles, and new RV sales decline, Pathfinder has maintained steady growth and continues to show success in building year-round family friendly RV resorts," said CEO and Founder Joe Bleackley. August Outlook The Company estimates it will meet or beat last year's record occupancy results in August 2023. Mr. Stan Duckworth, COO of Pathfinder, commented, "We have noticed that customers are booking closer to their travel dates this year; however, customers are still choosing to spend their holidays with us and the demand during peak holiday season remains strong." Growth Opportunities The Company states there is still room to grow overall occupancies at its current RV resorts. Pathfinder is seeing high demand for hard roof accommodations in Parksville and is assessing opportunities for expanding its offerings and exploring different booking platforms for such accommodations. The Company's Agassiz location was successfully rezoned, and it expects to complete the development and open in 2024. As part of the development, smaller RV sites in the current operating property will be converted to larger sites to accommodate bigger RVs with a longer average length of stay. The Company is exploring JV opportunities to complete the Agassiz expansion which when operational, would create significant value for Pathfinder Shareholders. Pathfinder Ventures Private Placement Financing On July 25th, the Company announced a Private Placement where it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of up to 12,500,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.04 per Unit to raise total gross proceeds of up to $500,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share (a "Share") and one-half of a share purchase warrant, with each full warrant exercisable to acquire one Share at a price of $0.08 for a period of eighteen months from closing (the "Closing date"). If, after the date that is four months and one day after the Closing date, the Shares trade or close on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"), or such other exchange or market on which the Shares may become traded, at $0.15 or more for ten consecutive trading days, the Company may accelerate the expiry of the warrants by giving notice via news release and thereafter the warrants will automatically expire at 4:00 p.m. (Pacific time) on the 30th day after such news release. Finder's fees may be payable in accordance with the policies of the Exchange. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Private Placement for general working capital, to support the development of its Agassiz Campground expansion and to advance acquisition opportunities within its pipeline, consisting of RV resorts and RV & self-storage opportunities. About Pathfinder Ventures Pathfinder Ventures Inc. is developing a network of premier branded, upscale and family-friendly RV parks and campgrounds under the "Pathfinder Camp Resorts" name. Pathfinder currently has three camp resorts located in B.C. and is focused on growing its network through both acquisitions and new construction. The Corporation is taking advantage of the rapidly growing market of Canadians who want to experience the great outdoors in an RV. To learn more about Pathfinder Camp Resorts, click the link below: www.PathfinderCampResorts.com On behalf of the board of directors of the Corporation: Joe Bleackley Chief Executive Officer, Founder and Director Pathfinder Ventures Inc. Website: PathfinderVentures.ca || PathfinderCampResorts.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Forward-Looking Information Cautionary Statement This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Corporation and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Corporation, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Corporation's expectations include risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Corporation with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Corporation. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Corporation does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any forward-looking statements that are contained or incorporated in this press release. In the case of RV, this news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are particular to RV and are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe RV's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that RV or its management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to RV, RV provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, RV's objectives, goals or future plans, statements, refinancing and funding, and anticipated future growth in new markets. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the ability of the RV to successfully implement its development strategy and whether this will yield the expected benefits; competitive factors in RV's industry sector; the success or failure of product development programs; currently existing applicable laws and regulations or future applicable laws and regulations that may affect RV' s business; decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; Covid-19 related risks, availability of properties; the economic circumstances surrounding RV's business, including general economic conditions in Canada, the US and worldwide; changes in exchange rates; changes in the equity market; inflation; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; and those other risks disclosed in the filing statement or other disclosure document prepared and supplied on Sedar. Although RV believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. RV disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. SOURCE Pathfinder Ventures Inc. OSLO, Norway, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Photocure ASA (OSE: PHO) today reported Hexvix/Cysview revenues of NOK 115.9 million in the second quarter of 2023 (Q2 2022: NOK 99.9 million), and an EBITDA of NOK 23.4 million (NOK 1.4 million). The Company reiterates its 2023 annual guidance of new Saphira blue light tower installations in the U.S. expected in the range of 65 to 75, anticipated consolidated product revenue growth above 20%, and positive EBITDA excluding business development spending. "In the second quarter of 2023, Hexvix/Cysview revenue increased 16% year over year driven by higher unit sales in the U.S., price increases and foreign exchange. We generated over NOK 23 million in EBITDA, including a positive contribution from our commercial business and a milestone payment from Asieris related to the clinical development of Cevira. During the second quarter, we delivered 4% sequential unit sales growth in North America and 6% in Europe, demonstrating continued positive traction in the region," says Dan Schneider, President & Chief Executive Officer of Photocure. Photocure reported total group revenues of NOK 144.3 million in the second quarter of 2023 (NOK 100.6 million), and an EBITDA* of NOK 23.4 million (NOK 1.4 million). Hexvix/Cysview revenues ended at NOK 115.9 million in the quarter (Q2 2022: NOK 99.9 million), and the total group revenues includes a milestone payment related to the development of Cevira by Asieris of NOK 26.9 million. The EBIT was NOK 16.8 million (NOK -4.6 million), and the cash balance at the end of the period was NOK 258.9 million. Photocure paid off the balance of its term debt during the second quarter of 2023. At the end of the second quarter of 2023, the total installed base of rigid blue light cystoscopes (BLC) in the U.S. was 327, an increase of 21% or 56 towers since the same period in 2022. These figures do not include the 69 flexible cystoscopy towers that were installed in the U.S. as of December 31, 2022. In early 2023, Karl Storz announced that it will no longer sell flexible BLC equipment for use in the surveillance setting and will cease servicing existing units when the availability of replacement parts has been exhausted, anticipated in late 2023. Despite Karl Storz' decision to discontinue its flexible BLC equipment, surveillance of bladder cancer patients with flexible BLC remains a strategic priority for Photocure, and the Company plans to pursue initiatives to restore this specialized equipment in the U.S. and in international markets. "Offsetting the loss in flexible BLC equipment, the installed base of rigid blue light capital equipment expanded once again, with 13 new Saphira towers installed in Q2. Eight new placements and five upgrades were installed prior to Karl Storz's recent promotional discount program which went into effect in July and shifted the timing of some tower installations into the third quarter. In July alone, 40 quotes were issued for new Saphira systems, and so far in Q3, 12 purchase orders have been received. We believe that this momentum will result in a strong second half of the year for new tower placements," Schneider adds. Photocure reiterates its guidance for 2023 and continues to expect new Saphira blue light tower installations in the range of 65 to 75, consolidated product revenue growth above 20%, and positive EBITDA excluding business development spending. "I remain confident in Photocure's future and our ability to bring Hexvix/Cysview to more patients and establish Blue Light Cystoscopy as standard of care. The new technology cycle of high-definition blue light equipment from multiple manufacturers is expected to significantly increase the use of Hexvix/Cysview. We continue to await information from Karl Storz and the FDA regarding the Citizen's Petition to re-classify BLC as a Class 2 device, which we believe will enable additional equipment manufacturers to enter the U.S. market and build critical mass behind BLC. Given our prior success in creating and accelerating the use of BLC in the large untapped bladder cancer surveillance market, we are pursuing a strategy to reintroduce the technology in the near to intermediate future. For the remainder of the year, we will focus on driving sales in the rigid cystoscopy setting, and we look forward to several milestone events including the anticipated Phase 3 results for Hexvix in China and Cevira with our partner Asieris," Schneider concludes. Photocure also announced today that Jan H. Egberts, M.D. has decided to step down from his position as Chairperson of the Company's Board of Directors due to increased time commitments to his personal companies. Dr. Egberts will leave the Board in September 2023, and the Nomination Committee has initiated a search for a new Chairperson. Robert Blatt, Chair of Photocure's Nomination Committee, said, "I would like to express my gratitude to Jan, who has made important contributions to Photocure during his more than six years as Chairperson of the Board. His dedication and medical experience will be missed". Please find the full financial report and presentation enclosed. EBITDA* and other alternative performance measures (APMs) are defined and reconciled to the IFRS financial statements as a part of the APM section of the second quarter and first half 2023 financial report on page 23. The quarterly report and presentation will be published at 08:00 CEST and will be publicly available at www.photocure.com. Dan Schneider, CEO and Erik Dahl, CFO, will host a live webcast at 14:00 CEST. The presentation will be held in English and questions can be submitted throughout the event. The streaming event is available through: https://channel.royalcast.com/hegnarmedia/#!/hegnarmedia/20230809_1 The presentation is scheduled to conclude at 14:45 CEST. For further information, please contact: Dan Schneider President and CEO Photocure ASA Email: [email protected] Erik Dahl Chief Financial Officer Tel: +47 450 55 000 Email: [email protected] David Moskowitz Vice President of Investor Relations Tel: +1 202 280 0888 Email: [email protected] Media and IR enquiries: Geir Bjrlo Corporate Communications (Norway) Tel: +47 91540000 Email: [email protected] About Photocure ASA Photocure: The Bladder Cancer Company delivers transformative solutions to improve the lives of bladder cancer patients. Our unique technology, making cancer cells glow bright pink, has led to better health outcomes for patients worldwide. Photocure is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: PHO). For more information, please visit us at www.photocure.com, www.hexvix.com, www.cysview.com All trademarks mentioned in this release are protected by law and are registered trademarks of Photocure ASA. This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This stock exchange announcement was published by Tolv Hillestad, Group Controller, Photocure ASA, on 9 May 2023 at 08:00 CEST. The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/17498/3815122/2220409.pdf Release https://mb.cision.com/Public/17498/3815122/b27850e0100367fc.pdf 2Q2023 Presentation https://mb.cision.com/Public/17498/3815122/a2c0a1b002b74a71.pdf 2Q2023 Report SOURCE Photocure Dallas-based firm strengthens capabilities of legal team fighting for injured 1-year-old and her family ST. LOUIS , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Daycare injury heavyweights Russell Button and Ashley Washington of The Button Law Firm have joined the legal team representing a St. Louis family that claims Lily Pad Learning Center violated multiple safety laws resulting in a caregiver abusing their 1-year-old daughter. The Texas trial attorneys were enlisted by Finney Injury Law, a trusted personal injury firm based in Missouri that helps victims recover after life-changing incidents. The Button Law FIrm's Texas daycare injury lawyers Russell Button (left) and Ashley Washington (right) were enlisted by Finney Injury Law, a trusted personal injury firm based in Missouri, to represent a St. Louis family that claims Lily Pad Learning Center violated multiple safety laws resulting in a caregiver abusing their 1-year-old daughter. "With their extensive expertise and proven track record in securing justice against negligent daycare centers, Russell and Ashley are the right partners to strengthen our firm's capabilities in advocating for this family," says Chris Finney, attorney and founder of Finney Injury Law. The Button Law Firm attorneys are recognized on the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers List and are dedicated to fighting for children and their families in meaningful litigation to make local communities safer. The firm represents young victims of daycare injuries, including incidents of abuse, neglect, inappropriate discipline, and overheating in daycare vehicles. Attorneys at The Button Law Firm also aid parents in pursuing wrongful death cases arising from fatal injuries that children experience at irresponsible daycare centers. "This innocent girl deserves to have a voice in court," says Russell Button. "Together, our firms will do everything we can to hold Lily Pad Learning Center accountable for its blatant disregard for child safety." Filed in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County on June 13, the lawsuit states surveillance video at Lily Pad Learning Center captured a worker force-feeding the infant to the point of choking and vomiting, slamming the child onto a diaper changing table, and demonstrating other abusive treatment in January 2023. The attorneys allege the childcare facility broke state laws by falsifying an incident report about the malicious actions, including the origins of a bruise on the girl's arm. "Russell and I are proud to partner with Chris and his firm in the fight to get this little girl and her family justice," says Ashley Washington. The case is Jamyil Thomas, as next friend and father of Winter Thomas, a minor child, vs. Lily Pad Learning Center #2, LLC, d/b/a Lily Pad Learning Center, Case No. 23SL-CC02459, St. Louis County Circuit Court. About the Button Law Firm The Button Law Firm (buttonlawfirm.com) is a Texas-based personal injury law firm that advocates for children and their families in meaningful litigation to make local communities safer. The firm focuses on daycare and child-related injuries such as abuse and neglect cases, finger injuries, toy-related injuries, and catastrophic injuries. With attorneys in Dallas, Houston, and Midland, The Button Law Firm helps families across the Lone Star State. SOURCE The Button Law Firm SCOTTSDALE, AZ, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Premium Jane, a leading name in the hemp-derived CBD market, is once again taking the self-care industry by storm with the unveiling of their latest addition: Amanita Muscaria mushroom gummies. As a brand renowned for its commitment to quality - as well as its organic sourcing of plant-based materials - Premium Jane is poised to redefine the realm of self-care with this exciting addition to its overwhelming product range. Amanita Muscaria, a time-honored treasure in the fungi world, has long been associated with traditional practices and wellness rituals. Premium Jane's decision to introduce this unique ingredient to its product lineup is a testament to their dedication to providing customers with novel self-care solutions. "We believe in the power of nature to enhance well-being, and our new Amanita Muscaria gummies exemplify that belief," says Premium Jane co-founder, Jeff Yauck. "Just like our loyal customers have come to expect, this new addition is a result of meticulous sourcing and rigorous quality standards." Premium Jane has earned a reputation for curating products that meet the highest industry standards. The Amanita Muscaria product line is no exception. Crafted with the same precision and care as their existing offerings, these new products harness the potential of Amanita Muscaria to contribute to a holistic, and truly unique, self-care routine. As a company committed to evolution and experimentation, Premium Jane "wants this release to be a special moment for our customers, a true discovery that resonates with their self-care journeys," explains Yauck. "Rest assured, this is just the beginning of our continued commitment to innovative wellness solutions." Premium Jane's dedication to quality extends beyond product formulation. All products are made in the USA, and sourced from a meticulously cultivated supply of Amanita Muscaria that adheres to the highest standards of sustainability and ethics. Customers can place online orders now to experience the transformative potential of the Amanita Muscaria product line. At the time of this press release going live, the official Premium Jane website will be updated and the company will be taking orders until the first batch of amanita gummies are sold out (which will likely be in a matter of days). For more information about Premium Jane and their innovative self-care solutions, visit: PremiumJane.com Premium Jane [email protected] SOURCE Premium Jane WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- News Advisory: Austin Tice Event: Panel discussion "Why Are They Not Home?" to mark the 11th anniversary of the abduction of journalist Austin Tice in Syria. When: Monday, Aug. 14 Breakfast; 9:00am: Panel 9:30-10:30am; Q&A 10:30-11am Where: National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC Holeman Lounge Who: Debra Tice, mother of Austin Tice Jason Rezaian of the Washington Post Paul Beckett of the Wall Street Journal Sonya Smith, freelance (Texas Monthly) Bill McCarren, National Press Club (moderator) Eileen O'Reilly, National Press Club (welcome and close) Sally Buzbee, Executive Editor, Washington Post (opening remarks) Context: Held in Syria 11 years, Austin Tice is the longest-tenured U.S. hostage. Almost twice as long as Terry Anderson of the Associated Press was held. At this 11th anniversary, we consider why journalists are so often held the longest or suffer fates like those of Jamal Khashoggi and Shireen Abu Akleh? In light of new hostage cases like that of Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal, we are compelled to look at the approach and results of the USG in these cases. In this panel we will try to discover what are the special challenges government encounters when the hostage is a journalist and if there are ways to work around these issues or best practices that should be deployed. It is honestly hard to find a recent government success story when it comes to freeing journalist hostages. Possibly the Danny Fenster case would be one -- but the person who did the most to free Danny was explicitly told by the government not to do what he did. If left to the government, Danny might still be in prison. Jason Rezaian at 544 days was the best example of a successful case we have. This is grim news for Evan and any future journalists taken. When a journalist is taken hostage, it deprives citizens of the information they need to participate in a functioning democracy. And when a hostage is held for 11 years it makes the government look incredibly weak and disorganized and limits their ability to project power. The panel will begin with Debra Tice who will share her thoughts on this day about Austin's case. This event is open coverage for credentialed journalists. Those who cannot attend in person may view the livestream here. Contact: Bill McCarren, 202-662-7534 for The National Press Club SOURCE National Press Club The world-famous American actress Sandra Bullock has lost her beloved. The star's boyfriend, the popular US photographer Brian Randall, died at the age of 57 after a long but, unfortunately, unsuccessful battle with a serious illness. ADVERTISIMENT The cult film star had been in a relationship with the photographer since 2015. The tragic news was announced by Randall's family on Monday, and the man died on Saturday, 5 August. This was reported by . In 2020, Brian was diagnosed with ALS - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is a rare genetic disease of the central nervous system that affects motor neurons. Over time, people with this diagnosis lose function in the muscles of the arms and legs, tongue, and lungs. Stephen Hawking, a prominent theoretical physicist, had the same disease, and in 2014, a film called Stephen Hawking's Universe was made about him during his lifetime. ADVERTISIMENT His family said that Randall had chosen to keep his battle with ALS private, and "those in his family who cared for him did everything they could to honour his request." "We are eternally grateful to the tireless doctors who fought this disease with us and the amazing nurses who became our roommates, often sacrificing their families to be with us," the family added. Bullock met Randall in 2015 when he was photographing her son Louis' birthday. The actress did not openly seek marriage after she divorced TV presenter Jesse Gregory James in 2010. However, the star of the films Miss Congeniality, The Proposal, Ocean's Eight and others literally had a real family with the photographer. They rarely appeared in public together, but the man sometimes accompanied the starlet to her film premieres and other social events. ADVERTISIMENT In 2022, Bullock announced that she wanted to take a break from her career and devote herself to her family. Probably, this decision was prompted by the illness of her lover, with whom she wanted to spend more time before his passing. The actress considered Randall to be the love of her life, as she said in an interview at Red Table Talk 2021. The couple did not have any children together, but together they raised the actress's adopted son and daughter, 13-year-old Louis and 11-year-old Layla. The man also has an adult daughter, Skylar, from a previous relationship. Earlier, OBOZREVATEL told about other famous women who had to bury their loved ones. Thus, Marion Cotillard, Meryl Streep, and others experienced the tragedy. Read more in our article. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes! SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP is investigating a sprawling data breach impacting the personal information of millions of individuals stemming from a security vulnerability in the widely used file transfer software programs MOVEit Transfer and MOVEit Cloud. The MOVEit products are developed by Progress Software Corporation and used by businesses and organizations around the world for sending and storing sensitive information. On May 31, 2023, Progress Software announced that hackers exploited a security vulnerability in certain versions of MOVEit software that "could lead to escalated privileges and potential unauthorized access" in local computing environments. The company also disclosed that the vulnerability was present in software versions dating back to 2021. Impacted individuals may receive data breach notifications from numerous potential businesses and organizations that used MOVEit software to send or store their sensitive data. They include Pension Benefit Information, LLC ("PBI"), Fidelity Investments, Genworth Financial, Transamerica Life Insurance Company, VALIC Retirement Services Company, California Public Employees' Retirement System ("CalPERS"), California State Teachers' Retirement System ("CalSTRS"), Teachers Retirement System of Georgia, Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System, Oregon Department of Transportation, Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicle, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, among many others. Depending on which business or organization has your data, your name, address, date of birth, Social Security numbers, or other highly-sensitive information may have been breached. If you received a letter indicating that you may be affected by this data breach or provided your personal information to any of the above entities, you may be entitled to money damages and an injunction requiring changes to Progress Software's or others' security practices. If you received notification of this data breach or are a customer or member of an entity listed above and wish to obtain additional information about your legal rights, please contact us today or visit our website at https://www.classactionlawyers.com/moveit. About Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe represents shareholders, employees, and consumers in class actions against corporate defendants, as well as shareholders in derivative actions against their officers and directors. The firm is based in San Francisco, and with the help of co-counsel, litigates cases nationwide. Contact Amber L. Schubert Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP [email protected] Tel: (415) 788-4220 SOURCE Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP BANGALORE, India, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Market is Segmented by Type ( Nano , Micro , Medium, Large ), by Application (Petrochemical and Gas Industry, Steel Industry, Automobile Industry, Electrical And Electronics Industry, Semiconductor Industry, Power Industry): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2029. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) market size is estimated to be worth USD 13560 Million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 19510 Million by 2029 with a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period 2023-2029. Download Free Sample: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-26C9115/Global_Programmable_Logic_Controller Major Factors Driving the Growth of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Market: Over the forecast period, high demand for PLC from various end-use industries is anticipated to propel market expansion. During the forecast period, an increase in industrial automation or a growing acceptance of Industry 4.0 is anticipated to fuel the growth of the PLC market. Industry 4.0 is transforming how businesses produce, enhance, and distribute their goods. With the introduction of Industry 4.0, numerous industrial facilities are embracing digital technology to improve, automate, and modernize the entire process, enhancing the facilities' performance. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-26C9115/global-programmable-logic-controller-plc TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLER MARKET: The adoption of Industry 4.0 standards and the development of automation have been key market drivers for PLCs. PLCs are essential for enabling smart manufacturing processes since industries are increasingly focused on efficiency, productivity, and cost-cutting. PLCs aid in the integration of data from numerous devices, enabling smooth system and machine communication, increasing output, and decreasing downtime. The need for PLCs has increased as a result of the manufacturing industry's ongoing expansion and modernization. These controllers provide flexible manufacturing processes and automation, enabling businesses to respond swiftly to shifting consumer demands and enhance production cycles. Furthermore, PLCs play a crucial role in maximizing energy use and monitoring resource utilization as industries work to lower their environmental effect and energy consumption. PLCs are a good option for organizations that care about the environment since they improve process control by being more accurate and effective. Industrial automation has been transformed by the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies combined with PLCs. PLCs may receive real-time data from IoT-enabled sensors and devices, enabling data-driven decision-making, remote monitoring, and predictive maintenance. This integration has created new possibilities for improved productivity and data-driven improvements. Process optimization is becoming more and more important, and PLCs provide unmatched flexibility in programming and control, making it possible to optimize processes precisely. Industries are putting more of an emphasis on cutting waste, improving product quality, and making sure everything runs smoothly. PLCs give them the precise control and data-driven insights they need to accomplish these objectives. The demand for PLCs is increasing as emerging economies continue to engage in infrastructure improvement and industrialization. These nations strive to improve their industrial capacities and maintain their competitiveness on the international scene. To fulfill the needs of their developing industrial sectors, there is an increasing requirement for automation systems like PLCs. PLC troubleshooting is fairly simple compared to relay logic. To show the IO status, LED indicators are placed over the controller hardware. Additionally, we may verify the input or output status with the associated program, and diagnostic data is also available to find system flaws. Buy Chapters: https://reports.valuates.com/request/chaptercost/QYRE-Auto-26C9115/Global_Programmable_Logic_Controller PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLER MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS Among the major PLC manufacturers worldwide are Siemens, Rockwell (A-B), Mitsubishi, and others. The top three players hold around 63% of the market. The greatest producer in Europe, with a market share of around 35%, followed by North America and Japan, each with a market share of about 24%. With a market share of roughly 37%, Asia-Pacific leads the way, followed by Europe and North America, each with 34% and 23%. Download Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-26C9115/Global_Programmable_Logic_Controller Key Companies: Siemens Rockwell (A-B) Mitsubishi Schneider (Modicon) Omron Emerson (GE Fanuc) ABB (B&R) Bosch Rexroth Beckhoff Fuji Toshiba Keyence Idec Panasonic Koyo Buy Now for Single User + Covid-19 Impact : https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-26C9115&lic=single-user SUBSCRIPTION We have introduced a tailor-made subscription for our customers. Please leave a note in the Comment Section to know about our subscription plans. SIMILAR REPORTS - Programmable Logic ICS Market - Programmable Logic Controller Automation (PLC Automation) Market - Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Battery Market - Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Control Panel Market - Compact Programmable Logic Controller Market - Manufacturing Execution System (MES) market size is estimated to be worth USD 12550 Million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 19270 Million by 2028 with a CAGR of 7.4% during the review period. - The global factory automation market was valued at USD 242.5 Billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 558.8 Billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 8.7% from 2022 to 2031. - Industry 4.0 market size is projected to reach USD 280150 Million by 2028, from USD 107250 Million in 2021, at a CAGR of 14.4% during 2022-2028. - Electrical Digital Twin market was valued at USD 4664.3 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 13510 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 19.4% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - The global digital twin market size is projected to reach USD 26320 million by 2027 from USD 3203.4 million in 2020 at a CAGR of 35.1% during 2021-2027. - Smart Factory market is projected to reach USD 131740 million by 2028 from an estimated USD 71200 million in 2022, at a CAGR of 10.8% during 2023 and 2028. - Industrial Automation market size is projected to reach USD 212410 million by 2027, from USD 130710 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 6.7% during 2021-2027. - Industrial Controls and Factory Automation market size is projected to reach USD 224400 million by 2028, from USD 137150 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 7.2% during 2022-2028. - Industrial IoT (IIoT) market size is projected to reach USD 102460 million by 2028, from USD 71160 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 5.3% during 2022-2028. - Smart Manufacturing market size is projected to reach USD 397120 Million by 2028, from USD 203530 Million in 2021, at a CAGR of 9.9% during 2022-2028. - The global supply chain management market was valued at USD 27.2 Billion in 2022, and is projected to reach USD 75.6 Billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 10.9% from 2023 to 2032. Click here to see related reports on Programmable Logic Controller Market ABOUT US: Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs. Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs. To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. Each sample we share contains a detailed research methodology employed to generate the report. Please also reach our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources. CONTACT US: Valuates Reports [email protected] For U.S. Toll-Free Call 1-(315)-215-3225 For IST Call +91-8040957137 WhatsApp: +91-9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/918 https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/919 https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/920 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg SOURCE Valuates Reports After achieving the elite AI and Machine Learning in Microsoft Azure specialization, Protiviti has launched new Microsoft Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center of Excellence and AI Solutions to help clients adopt responsible AI MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global consulting firm Protiviti has achieved the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in Microsoft Azure specialization. Microsoft solution specializations recognize partners for deep expertise in the designated capability areas and illustrate the partner has met demanding requirements to demonstrate solution competency, all validated by a third-party audit. With the AI and ML in Microsoft Azure specialization, Protiviti has shown proven capabilities enabling customer adoption of Al and implementing Azure-based solutions for Al-powered applications and machine learning. As part of this Microsoft specialization achievement, Protiviti has launched a Microsoft AI Center of Excellence (MSAI COE) and new Microsoft-certified AI solutions. The MSAI COE is focused on researching and developing AI solutions that drive impactful change to businesses, and how they operate and serve their customers. It also brings together a high concentration of Microsoft MVPs, world-class data scientists, award-winning AI solutions, and Protiviti's risk heritage focusing on delivering trusted and secure AI solutions. Protiviti's MSAI COE will operate and deliver solutions that embed Microsoft's responsible AI principles: fairness, inclusiveness, reliability and safety, transparency, security and privacy, and accountability. Within Protiviti's suite of 50+ AI solutions and accelerators, the company has developed Microsoft-certified offerings to help clients get started with generative AI, including: the Generative AI Roadmap and Generative AI Proof of Concept. The Generative AI Accelerated Roadmap is a four-week assessment to define objectives and develop a strategic plan for deploying Microsoft Azure-based Open AI-LLM applications across business functions. Generative AI Proof of Concept provides a six-week solution utilizing a proven methodology and a knowledgeable team to accelerate ideation to functional prototype. "Protiviti is proud to collaborate with Microsoft to be a leading provider of AI enabled capabilities," said Christine Livingston, global leader of Protiviti's AI services. "Together with Microsoft, we look forward to helping organizations utilize AI solutions responsibly to drive impactful transformation in their businesses." Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI and the acceleration of large language models have unlocked new ability to deliver transformational AI-enabled capabilities and experiences, while maintaining the security and privacy of organizational data. Protiviti's MSAI COE will enhance its 50+ proprietary models with the latest advancements in Microsoft and OpenAI technologies. "We're excited to be a leader for Microsoft-enabled AI solutions and look forward to driving business value to our clients," said Tom Andreesen, Protiviti's Microsoft global alliance leader. "The MSAI COE will focus on leveraging the latest Microsoft AI capabilities and driving research and resulting solutions that consider the broad risk considerations in today's business environment and is well aligned with Protiviti's rich risk management and governance history." To learn more about Microsoft AI, Protiviti and Microsoft will host a webinar on August 17 to discuss "Are You Ready for (Responsible) AI? How to Embrace the Future of Productivity and Limitless Innovation with Microsoft AI", register here. About Protiviti Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and its independent and locally owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, digital, legal, governance, risk and internal audit through its network of more than 85 offices in over 25 countries. Named to the 2022 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, Protiviti has served more than 80 percent of Fortune 100 and nearly 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies. The firm also works with smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public, as well as with government agencies. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half Inc. (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half is a member of the S&P 500 index. SOURCE Protiviti BOSTON and NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Provident Healthcare Partners ("Provident"), a leading healthcare investment banking firm, announced it has advised Blair Gastroenterology Associates ("BGA") in its partnership with US Digestive Health ("USDH"), backed by Amulet Capital. BGA's seven physicians and 14 APPs provide a full range of gastroenterology services through its two office locations and surgery center in central Pennsylvania. Provident's deal team was led by Managing Director Eric Major and Director Dustin Thompson. McNees Wallace & Nurick served as legal counsel to Blair Gastro and Sheppard Mullin served as legal counsel to USDH. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "Provident's team saw our vision and was steadfast in ensuring that we found the right partner." Tweet this "We are thrilled to partner with USDH, the leading GI practice in the Northeast and one of the largest in the country. With the current pressures facing independent medical practices, we wanted to strategically align with a group that shared our vision of focusing on patient care while continuing to innovate and grow. To accomplish such an important transaction, we relied on the expertise of Provident. With their guidance, we were able to navigate through the complex process required to complete a partnership of this size. Provident's team saw our vision and was steadfast in ensuring that we found the right partner and were well educated throughout the entire process. Provident's expertise was obvious from the onset. We can confidently say that this partnership would not have been possible without their guidance," stated Dr. Mitul Patel, Physician Partner at Blair Gastroenterology Associates. "We are excited to have guided BGA in its strategic alignment with USDH. Both organizations share a dedication to quality patient care and outcomes, and we look forward to seeing the group's continued expansion in Central Pennsylvania," stated Thompson. About Blair Gastroenterology Associates Blair Gastroenterology Associates, established in 1980, consists of a team of highly skilled physicians specializing in disorders and diseases of the digestive system, which include the Esophagus, Stomach, Small Intestine, Colon, Gallbladder, Liver and Pancreas. Today Blair Gastro has over 100 employees including seven board certified gastroenterologists. Visit https://blairgastro.com/ for more information. About US Digestive Health US Digestive Health (USDH) is the leading gastroenterology practice in the Northeast and one of the largest in the United States, managed by US Digestive Health Management (USDHM). USDH and USDHM were formed in 2019 by Amulet Capital Partners, LP ("Amulet"), a healthcare private equity investment firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut, in partnership with member practice partner physicians. USDH aims to deliver high-value, patient-centric digestive healthcare by bringing new insight into the care, treatment, and prevention of digestive health disorders. USDH consists of more than 33 locations, 19 ambulatory surgery centers, over 225 GI providers, and more than 1100 employees throughout Southeastern, Central, and Southwestern Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Visit https://usdigestivehealth.com/ for more information. About Provident Healthcare Partners Provident is a leading healthcare investment banking firm specializing in merger and acquisition advisory, strategic planning, and capital formation services for healthcare companies. The firm has a comprehensive knowledge of market sectors and specialties, including gastroenterology. Provident also has unsurpassed experience and insight into the M&A process, which includes working with a multitude of investors such as private equity firms and strategic consolidators. For additional information, visit www.providenthp.com or follow on LinkedIn. SOURCE Provident Healthcare Partners LLC BOSTON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanocrystals ranging from 2-10 nanometers (10-50 atoms) with size-tunable features. They exhibit quantum confinement effects due to their nanoscale dimensions, leading to remarkable optical and electrical characteristics. The quantum dot features can be adjusted by particle size, material, and composition. QD materials such as Cd-based, In-based, PbS, perovskites, as well as emerging CuInS 2 , InAs, ZnTeSe QDs have varied bandgap and thus absorption and emission spectra. This fine-tuning ability has resulted in quantum dots' significant application potential, notably in display, image sensors, photovoltaic, lighting, and various other use cases. Quantum dot mode of operation. Source: IDTechEx Since first discovered in 1980, QDs have demonstrated immense potential in transforming display, image sensor, photovoltaic, lighting and greenhouse film technologies with commercial products. The new report, "Quantum Dot Materials and Technologies 2024-2034: Trends, Markets, Applications", provides IDTechEx's technology roadmap considering how the technology mix in various applications will be transformed with time. Display: Successful Application? In display technology, QDs have found extensive use as a color-enhancing component offering a wider color gamut, higher color accuracy, and increased brightness compared to a traditional liquid crystal display (LCD). The unique photoluminescent property of emitting specific wavelengths of light upon excitation enables QDs to convert blue light from LEDs into pure red and green, thus achieving a more extensive and precise color palette. The evolution of QD integration approaches in displays is examined in the report, highlighting the dominance of the film-type adoption over the obsolete edge optic. Nevertheless, emerging approaches such as QD color filters for OLED and micro-LED (LED) or on-chip type are gaining momentum, facilitated by material advancements and fabrication technique improvement, which could eventually surpass the film type. Additionally, this analysis recognizes QDs as the ultimate emissive material for displays, tracking efficiency, and lifetime improvements while delving into persistent challenges regarding performance, lifetime, deposition/patterning, and device design. Emerging Dominance: Quantum Dots in Image Sensors? Lead sulfide QDs offer the advantage of tunability across an extensive spectrum of wavelengths, making them suitable for near-infrared (NIR) or short-wave infrared (SWIR) sensing applications. An intriguing possibility arises as they can be combined with a silicon Read-Out Integrated Circuit (ROIC) to form a hybrid QD-Si NIR/SWIR image sensor. This innovative integration presents a potential pathway towards achieving high-resolution small-pixel silicon-based NIR/SWIR sensors, eliminating the necessity for heterogeneous hybridization of indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) sensors with Si ROIC. The low-cost hybrid QD-based image sensors can not only target applications traditionally realized by InGaAs SWIR image sensors but also help to reach new applications. With the first generation of products already on the market and giants also getting involved in this area, the promise of this technology remains strong. This report explores hybrid QD-Si image sensors that can simultaneously achieve high resolution, low pixel pitch, and global shutter with potentially low costs. Technology analysis and player introductions are provided within the IDTechEx report as well. Quantum Dots: Illuminating the Future of Lighting? Existing commercial products are based on QDs' photoluminescent features and have demonstrated remarkable potential in lighting technologies. They can be integrated into LED lighting systems as color converters, enabling the production of tunable and high-quality white light. QD-based LEDs can achieve excellent color rendering indices (CRI) and color temperatures, making them suitable for a variety of lighting applications, including indoor and automotive lighting. Moreover, the narrow emission spectra of QDs reduce the need for complex filtering, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing light pollution. Quantum Dots in Photovoltaics: Yes or No? QDs can be potentially integrated into photovoltaic (PV) devices, leading to the emergence of third-generation solar cells. By engineering the bandgap of quantum dots to match specific regions of the solar spectrum, these cells can efficiently capture a broader range of light wavelengths, as well as enable multiple exciton generation" (MEG) effect, allowing improved light harvesting, higher conversion efficiencies, and better performance under low-light conditions. They can also offer the potential for flexible and transparent photovoltaic applications. The report benchmarked various PV technologies, exploring commercial and technical challenges that need to be overcome. Quantum Dots: Changing and Expanding Applications? QDs can provide added value to existing technologies in various applications from both their photoluminescent and electroluminescent features. The potential to reshuffle the supply chain for different case cases also brings new opportunities to relevant players. With in-depth technological research and analysis on the QD topic, the IDTechEx report "Quantum Dot Materials and Technologies 2024-2034: Trends, Markets, Applications" provides data-driven evaluation and insights from years of accumulation on QD topic research. The roadmap comprehensively examines the integration of QDs for various applications with outlook. Challenges such as toxicity concerns, long-term stability, and large-scale manufacturing techniques and costs must be addressed. Researchers are actively exploring non-toxic and more stable materials to overcome these hurdles. Additionally, advancements in QD synthesis techniques and manufacturing processes are likely to drive down production costs and promote widespread adoption in commercial applications. The IDTechEx report also provides 10-year market forecasts in area (square meter), weight (ton) and value, and at the material level, for 11 application sectors, including LCD TV, miniLED backlight displays, QD-OLED TVs, QD-LED TVs, on-chip type, emissive QLED displays, photodetectors, lighting, agricultural films, research and other. The forecasts draw heavily from IDTechEx's technology analysis which gives a realistic and expert view of when and how various technologies can become commercially viable compared incumbents, and also from our detailed interviews, deep market insights, and close trend tracking. IDTechEx has been analyzing the technologies and markets for quantum dots since 2013. Since then, it has stayed extremely close to the latest research and market developments via its interview program and company and conference visits. Furthermore, IDTechEx has engaged closely with many of its clients, helping them better understand the technology and market landscape and helping them set up their innovation and commercialization strategies. In its analysis of quantum dots, IDTechEx brings its wealth of expertise in analyzing advanced electronic materials and devices. IDTechEx have been in this business for the past 20 years and, in this time, have closely observed the rise and/or fall, and the success and/or disappointment, of many emerging technologies. This gives a uniquely experienced eye when it comes to analyzing emerging electronic material technologies. This is crucial because it helps to establish a realistic market and technology roadmap that reflects the true potential of the technology based on its intrinsic characteristics and on the true level of technical and commercial challenges that it faces. To find out more about the new IDTechEx report "Quantum Dot Materials and Technologies 2024-2034: Trends, Markets, Applications", including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/qd. About IDTechEx IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com. Images download: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/7269tgwfvdbvh8efj1vqb/h?rlkey=gfntlg2gnu22xfqak650dm4cx&dl=0 Media Contact: Lucy Rogers Sales and Marketing Administrator [email protected] +44(0)1223 812300 Social Media Links: Twitter: www.twitter.com/IDTechEx LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/IDTechEx Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171826/IDTechEx.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/478371/IDTechEx_Logo.jpg SOURCE IDTechEx MDR Leader's Double-Digit Growth Driven by Strong Demand for its Enterprise Security Solutions DENVER, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Canary, a leader in managed detection and response, today announced results for its second quarter fiscal 2024 ended July 31, 2023, growing new business by approximately 50% quarter over quarter. Nearly 1,000 customers, including many of the world's largest and fastest growing companies, trust Red Canary's industry-leading technology to protect their environments from cybersecurity threats. Red Canary delivers enterprise security solutions to organizations of varying sizes and across diverse industries. "We've been leading the next major revolution in MDR bringing together the petabytes of data and world class security operations that companies need to level up their enterprise security," said Brian Beyer, CEO of Red Canary. "That's why organizations around the world count on us year after year to protect their organizations." In the beginning of this fiscal year, the company surpassed more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue. Since its launch nearly a decade ago, it has raised $86 million from investors like Summit Partners and Noro-Moseley Partners. With a continued commitment to the highest quality products, durable growth, and delivering healthy and consistently improving operating margins, highlights from the latest quarter include: Financial Highlights Grew new business by approximately 50% quarter over quarter, and the enterprise segment nearly doubled its growth from the same period Achieved 35% year-over-year growth of customers spending more than $100,000 each year, with several new Fortune 1000 companies signed in the last quarter each year, with several new Fortune 1000 companies signed in the last quarter Increased the number of global customers by approximately 30% year-over-year, highlighting the global demand for MDR solutions and the increasing need for better enterprise security across industries Red Canary's threat intelligence provides real-time insights and analysis on emerging cyber threats and vulnerabilities, empowering organizations to find and stop threats. Its commitment to enterprise security is demonstrated through its customer-validated 99% accuracy, driven by innovations in cloud security, threat intelligence, and advanced detection and response. The latest highlights and new innovations include: Product Innovations Named a Leader in The Forrester Wave : Managed Detection and Response, Q2 2023 , receiving the highest possible score in nine evaluation criteria, including time-to-value, threat hunting, threat intelligence, extended detection and response (XDR), and platform capabilities , receiving the highest possible score in nine evaluation criteria, including time-to-value, threat hunting, threat intelligence, extended detection and response (XDR), and platform capabilities Expanded its depth of detection for cloud security , launching 24/7/365 detection and investigation of suspicious activity in the cloud through advanced analytics on unfiltered AWS CloudTrail and Amazon GuardDuty data , launching 24/7/365 detection and investigation of suspicious activity in the cloud through advanced analytics on unfiltered AWS CloudTrail and Amazon GuardDuty data Added additional endpoint security features to the leading Linux EDR product in the market used by some of the largest technology companies, including full telemetry search and response actions features to the leading Linux EDR product in the market used by some of the largest technology companies, including full telemetry search and response actions Announced it is now available in AWS Marketplace and Microsoft Azure Marketplace Red Canary also received an average overall Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) rating of 99% in the first half of this fiscal year, which represents an industry-leading score and ongoing commitment to deliver an exceptional customer experience designed to help customers achieve their security outcomes. About Red Canary Red Canary is a leader in managed detection and response (MDR). We serve companies of every size and industry, focusing on finding and stopping threats before they can have a negative impact. As the security ally for nearly 1,000 organizations, we provide MDR across our customers' cloud workloads, identities, SaaS applications, networks, and endpoints. For more information about Red Canary, visit: https://www.redcanary.com . SOURCE Red Canary Sarcopenia age-related loss of muscle mass and strength affects up to 1 in 5 elderly people globally [i] but there are no approved drugs The newly-published data validate the predictive value of Rejuvenate Biomed's proprietary drug discovery platforms and have accelerated the advancement of RJx-01 into an ongoing 6-week placebo-controlled trial in human volunteers DIEPENBEEK, Belgium, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rejuvenate Biomed NV ("Rejuvenate"), a clinical-stage company dedicated to the discovery and development of therapeutics to delay the onset of multiple age-related diseases, today announced the publication of RJx-01 efficacy data in two mouse models in JCI Insight, a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to biomedical research. The paper, titled "A combination of metformin and galantamine exhibits synergistic benefits in the treatment of sarcopenia," has been published in collaboration with researchers at the Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine and Padova University in Italy. RJx-01 is a safe, orally administered and proprietary combination drug comprised of metformin and galantamine. RJx-01 was identified by Rejuvenate Biomed's CombinAgeTM and CelegAgeTM drug discovery platforms and is being developed for sarcopenia and other age-related diseases. Based on these published results, Rejuvenate has started the evaluation of RJx-01 in a 6-week placebo-controlled Phase 1b clinical trial in 42 elderly volunteers with disuse-induced muscle atrophy. Results of this clinical proof-of-mechanism trial are expected later this year. The data published in JCI Insight demonstrate that RJx-01 significantly enhanced physical performance, muscle mass and force, neuromuscular junction stability and systemic inflammation in an Opa1-/- mouse model of sarcopenia. In addition, RJx-01 significantly improved physical performance and muscle strength in aging wildtype mice. Skeletal muscle ultrastructure, mitochondrial morphology, autophagy, lysosomal function, and satellite cell content were also significantly enhanced in this model. Both metformin and galantamine are approved drugs that have well-established safety profiles. Metformin is commonly used to treat Type 2 diabetes while galantamine is used to treat Alzheimer's disease. The combination of both is now, for the first time, investigated in sarcopenia. The published data also confirm the strong predictive value of Rejuvenate's proprietary platforms, AI driven "CombinAgeTM" and in vivo C. elegans "CelegAgeTM", as well as the utility of both platforms for screening small molecules for modulation of age-related pathways. Rejuvenate is using these two platforms to identify a pipeline of other drug combinations with the potential to combat age-related diseases. Rejuvenate intends to make both platforms available to third parties through partnering or licensing agreements. Dr. Evi Mercken, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Rejuvenate Biomed, said: "Sarcopenia is an age-related muscle disease which affects millions of people worldwide, adversely impacting their functional mobility and putting them at risk of events like falls. The encouraging results of our recent work bring us a step closer to an effective pharmacological treatment for sarcopenia that would enhance quality of life, particularly among the elderly". Dr. Ann Belien, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rejuvenate Biomed, added: "This is an exciting day for Rejuvenate Biomed. These results demonstrate the real promise of our combination drug RJx-01 as a potential option for the treatment of sarcopenia and confirm the validity of our drug discovery platforms, CombinAgeTM and CelegAgeTM. This would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our talented team at Rejuvenate Biomed." About Rejuvenate Biomed Rejuvenate Biomed is a privately held, clinical stage, platform and pipeline company committed to the discovery and development of safe and proprietary combination drugs that delay the onset of multiple age-related diseases. Using proprietary drug discovery platforms, Rejuvenate Biomed explores synergies of well-known and safe small molecules that, when developed as unique combination drugs, have the potential to influence age-related molecular mechanisms, and thus alter the process of degenerative diseases. Rejuvenate Biomed's strategy is to rapidly build a pipeline of clinical development candidates by screening novel combinations of approved compounds. It is also working with companies to utilize its unique In Silico and In Vivo platforms that have the potential to efficiently screen small molecule libraries for modulation of a broad range of age-related pathways. To learn more about their approach, click here. [i] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30498820/ SOURCE Rejuvenate Biomed Human rights attorneys make new appeal for justice and accountability on the ninth anniversary of Michael Brown's killing WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- Nine years after Michael Brown's killing by Ferguson police, attorneys from Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University have filed briefs before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) requesting a hearing on Brown's case and the 2012 killing of Rekia Boyd, a 22-year-old Black woman, at the hands of Chicago police. Representing Brown and Boyd's families, the attorneys are pursuing one last avenue for justice for those impacted by fatal police violence. This filing marks a first-of-its-kind legal endeavor, as the RFKHR and Howard University team bring issues of systemic police violence in the United States to an international human rights body. "Michael Brown and Rekia Boyd's killings highlight the nightmare of policing in the United States," said Delia Addo-Yobo, staff attorney at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and co-author of the IACHR briefs. "Mr. Brown and Ms. Boyd's deaths, and the subsequent failings of the government to bring justice to their families, are emblematic of the systemic racism that permeates every level of the U.S. criminal legal system." "These briefs are not just legal documents; they are powerful testaments to the urgent need for accountability and systemic change," said Justin Hansford, founding director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University. "As we strive for justice, we stand firmly committed to defending human rights and dismantling the structures of oppression that perpetuate such devastating injustices." This IACHR filing is the latest step in a years-long legal journey. In 2015, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights filed two separate petitions on behalf of Brown's family and Boyd's family , urging the IACHR to consider the cases. In 2022, the IACHR determined that the two petitions raised colorable claims that the United States' failure to hold the officers accountable violated rights guaranteed under the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man. The RFKHR and Howard University team are moving forward with the goal of an in-person IACHR hearing that would allow family members to testify. "Years after the killings of their loved ones, every U.S. mechanism for justice has failed the Brown and Boyd families," said Wade McMullen, SVP of Programs and Legal Strategy at RFKHR. "This is really the only remedy that we have left. International law recognizes different rights and principles, allowing us to address the heart of the issue and granting survivors the chance to seek accountability in a public forum." "While the U.S. Government tries to move on, we continue to fight for Mike Brown, Rekia Boyd, and their families," said Maggie Ellinger-Locke, staff attorney at the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center. "These state killings will not just disappear into history books. We are hopeful that the Commission will do the right thing, grant us a hearing, and issue a report in favor of justice. These families have suffered for too long without any measure of accountability." Visit the following links to read the Brown brief and the Boyd brief . About Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights We are a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that has worked to realize Robert F. Kennedy's dream of a more just and peaceful world since 1968. In partnership with local activists, we advocate for key human rights issueschampioning change makers and pursuing strategic litigation at home and around the world. And to ensure change that lasts, we foster a social-good approach to business and investment and educate millions of students about human rights and social justice. About Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center The Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center is Howard University's flagship institutional setting for the study and practice of civil rights, human rights, and racial justice law and advocacy. We seek to obtain the goal of racial justice by using a human rights framework and a social movement centered approach. The center and its lawyers employ engaged research when fighting the battle of ideas in the ivory tower, movement lawyering when fighting for rights in the courts, the congress, and other halls of power, and community organizing when fighting to build power in Black communities. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1494582/RFKHR_Logo.jpg SOURCE Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Human rights attorneys make new appeal for justice and accountability on the ninth anniversary of Michael Brown's killing WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nine years after Michael Brown's killing by Ferguson police, attorneys from Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University have filed briefs before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) requesting a hearing on Brown's case and the 2012 killing of Rekia Boyd, a 22-year-old Black woman, at the hands of Chicago police. Representing Brown and Boyd's families, the attorneys are pursuing one last avenue for justice for those impacted by fatal police violence. This filing marks a first-of-its-kind legal endeavor, as the RFKHR and Howard University team bring issues of systemic police violence in the United States to an international human rights body. "Michael Brown and Rekia Boyd's killings highlight the nightmare of policing in the United States," said Delia Addo-Yobo, staff attorney at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and co-author of the IACHR briefs. "Mr. Brown and Ms. Boyd's deaths, and the subsequent failings of the government to bring justice to their families, are emblematic of the systemic racism that permeates every level of the U.S. criminal legal system." "These briefs are not just legal documents; they are powerful testaments to the urgent need for accountability and systemic change," said Justin Hansford, founding director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University. "As we strive for justice, we stand firmly committed to defending human rights and dismantling the structures of oppression that perpetuate such devastating injustices." This IACHR filing is the latest step in a years-long legal journey. In 2015, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights filed two separate petitions on behalf of Brown's family and Boyd's family , urging the IACHR to consider the cases. In 2022, the IACHR determined that the two petitions raised colorable claims that the United States' failure to hold the officers accountable violated rights guaranteed under the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man. The RFKHR and Howard University team are moving forward with the goal of an in-person IACHR hearing that would allow family members to testify. "Years after the killings of their loved ones, every U.S. mechanism for justice has failed the Brown and Boyd families," said Wade McMullen, SVP of Programs and Legal Strategy at RFKHR. "This is really the only remedy that we have left. International law recognizes different rights and principles, allowing us to address the heart of the issue and granting survivors the chance to seek accountability in a public forum." "While the U.S. Government tries to move on, we continue to fight for Mike Brown, Rekia Boyd, and their families," said Maggie Ellinger-Locke, staff attorney at the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center. "These state killings will not just disappear into history books. We are hopeful that the Commission will do the right thing, grant us a hearing, and issue a report in favor of justice. These families have suffered for too long without any measure of accountability." Visit the following links to read the Brown brief and the Boyd brief . About Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights We are a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that has worked to realize Robert F. Kennedy's dream of a more just and peaceful world since 1968. In partnership with local activists, we advocate for key human rights issueschampioning change makers and pursuing strategic litigation at home and around the world. And to ensure change that lasts, we foster a social-good approach to business and investment and educate millions of students about human rights and social justice. About Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center The Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center is Howard University's flagship institutional setting for the study and practice of civil rights, human rights, and racial justice law and advocacy. We seek to obtain the goal of racial justice by using a human rights framework and a social movement centered approach. The center and its lawyers employ engaged research when fighting the battle of ideas in the ivory tower, movement lawyering when fighting for rights in the courts, the congress, and other halls of power, and community organizing when fighting to build power in Black communities. SOURCE Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Accreditation recognizes Rockwell's commitment to a more inclusive economy JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockwell Automation today announced it has been awarded Level 2 in the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) program, South Africa's policy to advance economic transformation and enhance the economic participation of Black people in the economy. Rockwell Automation has been awarded Level 2 in the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) program. "This rating is a notable accomplishment and testament to the commitment of Rockwell Automation to socio-economic development initiatives and driving a more inclusive economy," said Canninah Dladla, Managing Director & Country Sales Director Sub-Sahara Africa, Rockwell Automation. "This Rockwell Automation South Africa team has worked hard for the accreditation, which is a great door opener for governmental, parastatal organizations and businesses governed by B-BBEE codes." To achieve B-BBEE Level 2 Rockwell Automation has undertaken significant changes within the South African organisation. When it comes to ownership criteria the South African entity was challenged by the global nature of the enterprise, so Rockwell Automation partnered with local entities as well as mentored employees in management positions. Rockwell Automation had to address a disparity in the level of skills development of their employees. There is now a strong focus on skilling the previously disadvantaged demographic through continuous personal development or MBA programmes. In addition, Rockwell Automation is positioning itself externally as a learning organization by taking in students through the SETA programme. Significant efforts have also been made to empower and educate disabled employees. The local community also feature heavily in the strategy including programmes that empower young girls to go to school as well as supporting local orphans. "This accreditation reflects Rockwell Automation's ongoing commitment to inclusivity, which we will continue to make a priority," Dladla added. "Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is built into our business strategy, and our daily interactions. Our people are the foundation of all we do and creating an environment where all employees are enabled and inspired to do their best work is fundamental to our success." About Rockwell Automation Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK) is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 28,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171652/RABrandphoto__54.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1981317/Rockwell_Automation_Logo.jpg SOURCE Rockwell Automation More than 3 thousand fatal traffic accidents are recorded every day in the world. No one is immune from such involvement, not even famous stars. ADVERTISIMENT Fame, fame and regalia did not save celebrities from death. OBOZREVATEL recalls the celebrities, whose life was suddenly cut short after a car accident. Princess Diana The death of 36-year-old Princess Diana has come as a shock to the world. The mother of the two heirs to the British throne was returning to a hotel in Paris, but the driver was driving at high speed and failed to cope with the control. The luxury hotel chauffeur was groggy and under the influence of antidepressants. The car was traveling in a tunnel and crashed into a wall. In addition to Diana, her close friend and the driver himself died. Only the princess's guard survived, who had to undergo many operations and lost his memory. The public puts forward dozens of versions from a conspiracy to the need to speed away from the paparazzi. The death of the princess became a world scandal. At the time of her death, Diana had already ceased to be a member of the royal family after her divorce from King Charles, so Elizabeth II did not plan to organize a lavish farewell ceremony. This is what angered Lady Di's fans, who called her the "Queen of Hearts." ADVERTISIMENT Paul Walker In the fall of 2013, the whole world heard the news about the death in a traffic accident of the star of the movie "Fast and Furious" Paul Walker, who was only 40. His death was considered symbolic, as he became famous for his fast driving in the movie. The tragedy occurred during the filming of the next part of the movie. Paul Walker took a ride in a Porsche Carrera GT with his friend Roger Rodas during a charity car show. The driver was not the actor himself, but his friend. The driver lost control, the car hit a pole, then drove into a tree and caught fire. Both men died on the spot from injuries and burns. ADVERTISIMENT Grace Kelly Princess of Monaco and actress Grace Kelly was involved in a car accident in 1982. While traveling on a serpentine road, she had a stroke. The star lost consciousness, but the car continued driving, went off the mountain and overturned. The woman was traveling with her daughter in the car, and she suffered a broken neck as a result of the accident. Kelly had been on life support for almost half a year and doctors reported that medicine was powerless and she would never regain consciousness. The royal family decided to disconnect the machine. Grace Kelly was 52 years old. Earlier OBOZREVATEL wrote about the winners of beauty contests, who died a terrible death. The most beautiful women of the universe had tragic fates. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information from us in Telegram-channel Obozrevatel and in Viber. Do not fall for fakes! NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of RTX Corporation f/k/a Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE: RTX) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. Class Period: February 8, 2021 to July 25, 2023 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: October 2, 2023 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in RTX: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/rtx-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=43227&from=4 RTX Corporation f/k/a Raytheon Technologies Corporation NEWS - RTX NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that RTX Corporation f/k/a Raytheon Technologies Corporation made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the GTF engines had been affected from at least 2015-2020 by a quality control issue; (2) this quality control issue would require RTX to recall and reinspect many of its GTF airplanes, affecting customers and harming its business; and (3) as a result, defendants' statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in RTX you have until October 2, 2023 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased RTX securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the RTX lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/rtx-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=43227&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. 535 Fifth Avenue 4th Floor New York City, NY 10017 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm New communications pod will work with commercial and military satellites in Low Earth Orbit, Medium Earth Orbit and Geostationary Orbit MCKINNEY, Texas, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Collins Aerospace, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, has been awarded a $36 million contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop and demonstrate a platform-agnostic, Beyond-Line-Of-Sight, satellite communications pod. The communications pod will provide warfighters resilient, high bandwidth, low latency communications and data directly to the cockpit. The pod brings together military and commercial satellites to add resiliency to the host platforms; and will switch between services from different vendors with little or no hardware modification, while providing the ability to utilize future constellations as they come online. "It is critical in a contested environment that the warfighter can communicate with operators regardless of communication path," said Ryan Bunge, vice president Communication & Networking Solutions for Collins Aerospace. "This resilient communications terminal is designed for survivability in degraded environments to offer military leaders enhanced situational awareness to make better decisions, faster across the battlespace." About RTX RTX is the world's largest aerospace and defense company. With more than 180,000 global employees, we push the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. Through industry-leading businesses Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon we are advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems for operational success, and developing next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2022 sales of $67 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. About Collins Aerospace Collins Aerospace is a business of RTX, the largest aerospace and defense company in the world. Our global team of 73,000 employees dreams, designs and delivers smarter, more connected solutions for passenger safety and comfort, mission success, space exploration, and operational efficiency and sustainability. We make the most powerful concepts in aerospace a reality. For more information, visit CollinsAerospace.com. For questions or to schedule an interview, please contact: Liz Maddy [email protected] SOURCE RTX KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory is collaborating with NASA on a solicitation to advance research on cancer and other diseases. ISS National Lab Research Announcement (NLRA) 2023-10: Igniting Innovation: Science in Space to Cure Disease on Earth, in partnership with NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences Division, will offer resource allocation and up to $5 million in total funding for an expected two to four awards for multiflight translational and transformative research and technology development projects. Nearly 2 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2023, and more than half a million people will die from the disease this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Cancer and other disease-related research on the space station is of critical importance not only to the ISS National Lab and NASA but also to the Biden-Harris administration. In 2022, the White House renewed the Cancer MoonshotSM an initiative to prevent more than 4 million cancer deaths by 2047 and improve the experience of people touched by cancer. The National Low Earth Orbit Research and Development Strategy positions the space-based research community to uniquely contribute to the development of innovative new treatments for cancer and other diseases to improve the quality of life for patients on Earth. This NLRA seeks proposals for multiflight research on the space station to address the goals of the Cancer Moonshot initiative or advance studies on other human diseases. Proposals should seek to accelerate the translation of stem cell- and organoid-based disease models and advanced technologies for biomanufacturing to make significant advancements in one or more of the following key areas: Accelerate scientific discovery leading to preclinical translation and clinical application advancing translation in bioengineering, biomanufacturing, biotechnology, cell biology, chemistry, material science, tissue engineering, or regenerative medicine leading to new insights. Foster outstanding collaborations between researchers, scientists, academia, industry, and government agencies to address complex challenges and promote knowledge- sharing by leveraging access to space and facilitating partnerships and interdisciplinary research projects to leverage diverse expertise and resources for innovative solutions. Initiate Earth- or space-based product development accelerating the path to new products, technologies, therapeutics, and solutions that have commercial viability and application in disease prevention, diagnosis, or treatment to improve medical outcomes on Earth. Identify areas where research and technological advancements in low Earth orbit can push the boundaries of what is currently possible, leading to transformative breakthroughs in innovative treatment and patient care on Earth. "We are proud to collaborate with our partners at NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences Division to accelerate scientific discovery and further disease treatments for patients through space-based inquiry," said ISS National Lab Chief Scientific Officer Michael Roberts. "Additionally, through this opportunity, we hope to enable access to space for advancing translational concepts that ignite innovation and fuel research and technology development for the benefit of humanity." "This research will also serve an important role in supporting deep-space exploration," added Lisa Carnell, division director for NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences Division. "To go farther and stay longer, we must understand the effects of prolonged exposure to space radiation on crew. Partnering with the ISS National Lab on this research is another exciting step toward supporting astronaut health during future Artemis missions." The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc., which manages the ISS National Lab, and NASA intend to select and fund spaceflight projects that lead to defined milestones in technological innovation on a roadmap that aligns with national research and technology development priorities and the ISS National Lab mission to benefit humanity and the U.S. economy. This research announcement will follow a three-step proposal submission process (Step 1A: Concept Summary, Step 1B: Technology Roadmap, and Step 2: Full Proposal). Step 1A: Concept Summaries must be submitted by end of day on September 26, 2023. Those interested in learning more about this research announcement can attend a webinar hosted by the ISS National Lab on August 24, 2023, at 1 p.m. EDT. For more information about the funding opportunity and how the space-based environment can accelerate research and technology development for the benefit of life on Earth, please visit the official solicitation page. About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory: The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Lab allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative Agreement with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit our website . About NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences Division: NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences Division pioneers scientific discovery and enables exploration by using space environments to conduct investigations not possible on Earth. Studying biological and physical phenomenon under extreme conditions allows researchers to advance the fundamental scientific knowledge required to go farther and stay longer in space, while also benefitting life on Earth. Media Contact: Patrick O'Neill 904-806-0035 [email protected] SOURCE International Space Station National Lab North America's Original Blow Dry Bar Franchise Now Open in McAllen, Texas MCALLEN, Texas, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Blo Blow Dry Bar, North America's original blow dry bar and blow dry bar franchise, is happy to announce the opening of the brand's newest location in McAllen, Texas. Located at 2801 W Expressway 83, the new bar now offers guests five signature styles on its hair menu, a la carte options, a variety of hair treatments, plus five signature makeup looks and a brand-new section of customized looks to provide endless inspiration. For a limited time, in celebration of the location's initial opening, Blo Blow Dry Bar in McAllen will offer its signature Mane Squeeze Membership at a founder's rate, which includes two blowouts per month for $70, 10% off retail products and $5 off each additional blow out. The new bar is owned and operated by serial entrepreneur, Velma McMillan. A multi-unit franchise partner with Blo Blow Dry Bar, McMillan brings an impressive list of qualifications to her new business: more than 10 years of experience in sales, marketing and operations, and four years of experience as Chief Financial Officer for Quantum Alliance General Agency. In addition to her work in the insurance industry, McMillan has worked as an independent beauty consultant for Mary Kay since 2016. First introduced to Blo Blow Dry Bar as a customer, McMillan initially inquired about the brand's franchising opportunity after authentically enjoying the experience of her first few appointments. In November 2022, she successfully opened her first Blo Blow Dry Bar location in Rockwall and recruited her sons to help manage the location's day-to-day operations and marketing. Her new McAllen location is also a family-operated business. McMillan also intends on continuing her expansion of the Blo Blow Dry Bar concept by her plans to one day open the first Blo Blow Dry Bar location in the state. "It's been a wonderful experience operating our first Blo Blow Dry Bar location as a family and we cannot be any prouder of the local relationships we've established in Rockwall," said McMillan. "With our eyes now set on building a loyal fan following in McAllen, we're ready to become a standout small business for the local community." Blo Blow Dry Bar is on a mission to create a space where people of all ages, ethnicities, and orientations are welcomed, represented, and made to feel gorgeous, while emphasizing the need for self-care and wellness. Combining a sophisticated design with a fun and energetic environment, Blo cultivates a seamless and enjoyable experience for guests upon their arrival, during, and after their services. Expertly trained blo-ers are available for consultation seven days a week to meet the needs of all guests. The brand's hair menu includes five signature styles from sleek and straight to bouncy curls, plus a wide assortment of customized looks including updo's and braids. Blo Blow Dry Bar also offers makeup services from expert artists on hand to help guests look and feel amazing for any occasion. Blo Blow Dry Bar is now open Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. 7 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. 4 p.m. For more information on Blo Blow Dry Bar in McAllen, please visit https://blomedry.com/blo-mcallen/, or call (956) 331-8245. About Blo Blow Dry Bar Blo Blow Dry Bar is North America's original blow dry bar and blow dry bar franchise. The company transformed beauty norms and reinvented the salon industry when it launched the "no cuts, no color" concept: only blow outs. Since opening its first location in Canada in 2007, Blo has grown to over 140 locations across the U.S. and Canada and continues to expand rapidly. With a mission to enhance the lives of those in the community through the power of flawless blow outs and beauty services, Blo Blow Dry Bar offers perfectly styled hair and exceptional customer experiences seven days a week. For more information visit www.blomedry.com. Media Contact: Alec Miszuk | Fishman Public Relations | [email protected] | (630) 484-0797 SOURCE Blo Blow Dry Bar The technology proves to be a practical solution in low-resource communities for tackling the leading cause of vision loss among working-age adults NEW YORK , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eye care nonprofit Orbis International announces new findings supporting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to detect diabetic retinopathy in patients; anyone with diabetes is at risk of developing the condition, which can lead to irreversible blindness. Conducted in Rwanda in partnership with the Rwanda International Institute of Ophthalmology, the study demonstrates that AI-based screening for diabetic retinopathy is not only feasible at diabetes clinics in sub-Saharan Africa, but also leads to high levels of patient satisfaction. Published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, this is one of the first clinical studies on the practical applications of AI in diabetic retinopathy screening in Africa. The research found that patient satisfaction with AI screening was high, at over 99%. Tweet this Etienne Uwingabire, Senior Nurse and Executive Director of the Rwanda Diabetes Association, uses Cybersight AI and digital imaging to screen a patient for diabetic retinopathy at the organizations clinic in Kigali, Rwanda. Photo: Serrah Galos "This study has the potential to make a big impact for patients with diabetes in Africa," says Dr. Ciku Mathenge, Medical Advisor for Orbis International and the study's principal investigator. "In the study, we found that most patients had not had a recent full eye exam despite worrying about their vision and knowing their risks for developing diabetic retinopathy. Our research findings show that access to easy-to-use and conveniently located screening technologies allows patients to get the care they need and to prevent vision loss or blindness from diabetic retinopathy. The key now will be to ensure that such technologies become affordable and accessible to all." The study looked at the satisfaction levels of patients screened for diabetic retinopathy and other eye conditions using Orbis's Cybersight AI tool. The screenings were conducted during routine appointments at four diabetes clinics in and near Kigali, Rwanda, in 2021. The research found that patient satisfaction with AI screening was high, at over 99%. More than 63% of the study participants preferred AI over human graders. Factors that may have contributed to high participant satisfaction include: Receiving the exam during their diabetes appointment, as opposed to scheduling a separate appointment with an eye clinic, saved time and the cost of travel, an important barrier for rural patients, who composed nearly half the participants. The AI screening model was integrated into the existing workflow at the four diabetes clinics where the study took place. Most patients were not required to have their pupils dilated to undergo AI screening, which reduces time commitment and avoids temporarily blurred vision. Printed reports, available immediately during the screening, provided an opportunity for patients to learn about the condition and their risks while at their appointment, as opposed to waiting for delayed reporting from human grading. The study showed Cybersight AI performed well and led to accurate referrals from diabetes clinics. Diabetes is on the rise globally, and diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss among working-age people around the world. Recent reports show the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa, more than in any other region. Access to diabetic retinopathy screening is critical to preventing visual impairment as most patients with diabetes do not realize they have the disease until their vision is already affected irreversibly. Low-resource settings, such as Rwanda, lack the infrastructure and trained personnel to implement the screenings effectively. There is an extremely low number of eye doctors in sub-Saharan Africa, averaging 3.7 ophthalmologists per 1 million people. Training other medical personnel to conduct diabetic retinopathy screenings is an alternative and effective model in low- and middle-income countries that also preserves ophthalmologists' time for care only they can manage. AI makes the screening process accessible for medical personnel and patients alike in non-ophthalmic settings. "It was like a miracle," said Etienne Uwingabire, Senior Nurse and Director of the Rwanda Diabetes Association, after receiving the AI screening camera at the clinic in Kigali. "This camera gives a direct response, and the patient is very happy to know the status of their eyes." Uwingabire and the diabetes clinic team spent two sessions learning how to use the camera. Uwingabire is now able to supervise other members of the clinic in the use of the technology. "Anyone can do it [AI screening] with the training," said Dr. Raban Susabimana, a medical doctor at the Rwanda Diabetes Association clinic who recently completed his residency and was trained to use the AI camera. "It cannot take a long time at all to learn how it works." Orbis's new study is a follow-up to one the organization published last year in Ophthalmology Science showing that AI screening led to patients' increased uptake of diabetic retinopathy referral services. About Orbis Orbis is a leading global non-governmental organization that has been a pioneer in the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness and vision loss for over four decades. Orbis transforms lives by delivering the skills, resources and knowledge needed to deliver accessible quality eye care. Working in collaboration with local partners, including hospitals, universities, government agencies and ministries of health, Orbis provides hands-on ophthalmology training, strengthens healthcare infrastructure and advocates for the prioritization of eye health on public health agendas. Orbis operates the world's only Flying Eye Hospital, a fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10 aircraft, and an award-winning telemedicine platform, Cybersight. For the past ten consecutive years, Orbis has achieved Charity Navigator's coveted four-star rating for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency, placing Orbis in the top 3% of U.S. charities. For the past two years, Orbis has earned GuideStar 's platinum Seal of Transparency. In 2022, Orbis earned "accredited charity" status from the Better Business Bureau by meeting all 20 of their standards for charity accountability. To learn more, please visit orbis.org . MEDIA CONTACT Orbis International Jenna Montgomery Manager, Global Communications and Marketing [email protected] SOURCE Orbis International The regulator is not getting the full picture of incidents that are gridlocking San Francisco. After losing over $1 billion during the first two quarters, GM Cruise is facing immense financial pressure to gain swift regulatory approval. LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of the August 10 vote by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) over robotaxi service in San Francisco, Consumer Watchdog urges the regulator to vote against unlimited expansion for Waymo and Cruise vehicles and require better reporting data. "The technology is simply not there, and the public isn't getting the full picture. There is a clear disconnect between what Waymo and Cruise are saying about the safety of their vehicles and what the public and first responders are dealing with on a day-to-day basis," said Justin Kloczko, tech and privacy advocate for Consumer Watchdog. Cars have been abruptly stopping, blocking traffic, flashing wrong turn signals, and impeding emergency responders from doing their jobs. "The city of San Francisco said there have been over 240 such reported incidents since the beginning of the year. But you wouldn't know it if you asked regulators or the robotaxi companies themselves. They don't have to report such incidents," said Kloczko. The resolutions before the CPUC do not mention these reported incidents. While the regulator is looking into the issue of data reporting, it cannot leapfrog this safety concern and go ahead with the vote, according to Consumer Watchdog. The data reporting requirements at a minimum must be on the books first, and once the CPUC sees the full picture it should understand that robotaxis put not only passengers but the general public in danger, said the advocacy group.. Read Consumer Watchdog's letter here. "These robotaxis would definitely fail a driver's license test," said Kloczko. "The CPUC can't pass the buck to the Department of Motor Vehicles. It has the appropriate regulatory authority and it should use it." The CPUC shouldn't just take Waymo's word for it, said the advocacy group. City departments estimated Waymo vehicles were involved in collisions with injuries reported at a rate 1.3 times higher than the national average of human-driven vehicles. This analysis is based on data that Waymo submitted to federal regulators, the CPUC and the Department of Motor Vehicles. Further, current CPUC voting member John Reynolds is a former Cruise lawyer, who worked for the robotaxi company before joining the CPUC in 2021. Consumer Watchdog calls on Reynolds to recuse himself from the Cruise expansion vote. He did so last year in a vote involving Cruise. Cruise has yet to turn a profit in its 10-year existence. It lost $611 million during the second quarter this year, according to a recent earnings report. The total loss so far for 2023 is over $1 billion. Despite this Cruise expects to make $1 billion in revenue by 2025. "There is tremendous financial pressure to get swift regulatory approval," said Kloczko. Currently, Waymo only has the authority to offer fared passenger service in San Francisco with a safety driver present. If the vote passes, it will give the companies unlimited expansion. "Los Angeles is next. An unlimited approval would be irresponsible. The CPUC needs to pump the brakes on expansion," said Kloczko. SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Collective Retreats launches a singular curation of design forward hotels for nature enthusiasts NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Collective Retreats , a pioneer in experiential outdoor hospitality, has announced The Conservatory , a community of design-forward hotels for nature enthusiasts. A first of its kind, The Conservatory presents a portfolio of nature-based, artfully designed properties that expand upon their locations' culture, environment, and history. Inspired by the power of design to frame nature's beauty and foster connection, The Conservatory is proud to announce its first partners: Collective Retreats launches a singular curation of design forward hotels for nature enthusiasts Tweet this Piaule , a 24-room landscape hotel and spa in New York's Catskill mountains where modernist luxury cabins float above the forest floor, rounded out by an otherworldly spa and a highly regarded restaurant , a 24-room landscape hotel and spa in mountains where modernist luxury cabins float above the forest floor, rounded out by an otherworldly spa and a highly regarded restaurant Casa MUSA , a secluded 5-bedroom villa, pool, and luxury safari tents situated between palms and coast on a mile of uninhabited tropical beachfront , a secluded 5-bedroom villa, pool, and luxury safari tents situated between palms and coast on a mile of uninhabited tropical beachfront Casa TO , a contemplative architectural oasis in the heart of Puerto Escondido's surfing capital that invites green views and tranquility a stone's throw from a vibrant local scene , a contemplative architectural oasis in the heart of surfing capital that invites green views and tranquility a stone's throw from a vibrant local scene GrayBarns , a historical textile mill reimagined as a haven of refuge along the Silvermine River in Norwalk, CT featuring a 6-bedroom inn, tavern, barn and mercantile. , a historical textile mill reimagined as a haven of refuge along the Silvermine River in featuring a 6-bedroom inn, tavern, barn and mercantile. hinter , modern cabins where Nordic and Japanese design coalesce in contemporary, climate-positive spaces amongst the Quebec forests that propose a slow living lifestyle modern cabins where Nordic and Japanese design coalesce in contemporary, climate-positive spaces amongst the forests that propose a slow living lifestyle Hill Farm by Sagra , a boutique inn and private cottages in the Equinox Mountain Valley presenting the future of agritourism in Vermont , inspired by the longstanding European tradition of farmers hosting guests at olive oil farms and wineries , a boutique inn and private cottages in the Equinox Mountain Valley presenting the future of agritourism in , inspired by the longstanding European tradition of farmers hosting guests at olive oil farms and wineries Kokos Huis , a 200-year-old farmhouse-turned-hotel in the heart of South Africa's wine country, Riebeek Kasteel, that has been thoughtfully renovated and decorated by local artisans , a 200-year-old farmhouse-turned-hotel in the heart of wine country, Riebeek Kasteel, that has been thoughtfully renovated and decorated by local artisans The Malin , a coworking brand partner offering work-focused members clubs for professionals to work amongst high design and low distraction with multiple locations in New York City and Nashville Designed by a leader in outdoor hospitality, The Conservatory is the new school of nature-based hospitality. "As passionate leaders in the outdoor hospitality industry, we celebrate like-minded visionaries who deliver memorable experiences in extraordinary settings," says Peter Mack, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Collective Retreats. "The Conservatory is a collective where design-driven hotels connect people to nature and to each other." The Conservatory is launching with exclusive perks, including 10% off best available rate and upgrades if available. Guests can count on bespoke delights and surprises, such as excursions and amenities. For more information about The Conservatory, please visit ConservatoryCollective.com or on Instagram, @theconservatorycollective. Press Contact: Baltz & Company [email protected] ABOUT THE CONSERVATORY The Conservatory is a new collection of design-forward hotels for nature enthusiasts. A first of its kind, The Conservatory presents a portfolio of nature-based, artfully designed properties that expand upon their locations' culture, environment, and history. Evoking the aura of sun-drenched glasshouses, the properties in The Conservatory embrace singular settings, erasing the boundaries between indoors and out, and offer guests beautiful, intentional experiences to observe and interact with each of the spectacular locales. Destinations include Piaule in Catskill, NY; Casa MUSA in Loma Bonita, Guerrero; Hill Farm by Sagra in Sunderland, Vermont; GrayBarns in Silvermine, Connecticut; Casa TO in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca; hinter in Mont Tremblant, Quebec; Kokos Huis in Franschhoek, South Africa; and The Malin in New York City and Nashville. ABOUT COLLECTIVE RETREATS Collective Retreats is proud to be the first and largest global outdoor hospitality brand to receive certified B-Corp status. Collective Retreats is an ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) focused experiential travel company redefining traditional hotels through a collection of unique luxury retreats in unexpected places. Each bold, eco-centric concept embraces the local landscape and culture of a destination, allowing guests to connect with the land, community, and themselves through unique on-site activities, immersive culinary activations, personal hospitality, and culture-forward programming. By breaking away from the traditional mold of a luxury hotel, Collective Retreats is opening a whole new world of exploration where a transformative five-star luxury experience coexists with authentic ruggedness. Founded by CEO Peter Mack (Starwood, Tough Mudder), Collective Retreats is currently operating in Vail, Colorado; Hill Country, Texas; and Governors Island, NY with a growing pipeline of new developments across North America and the Middle East including Texas, Montana, Vermont, California, and Saudi Arabia. SOURCE The Conservatory Global Partners Klear, Net at Work and Zift Solutions Join Forces with Global Payables Leader to Reduce Friction and Increase Efficiency FOSTER CITY, Calif., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tipalti , the leading finance automation platform, today announced it has expanded its Alliances Program , adding more than 50 new partners, dramatically growing Tipalti's global distribution and implementation reach. Some of its newest partners include RSM , Klear , Net at Work , Zift Solutions and Swaarm . Tipalti also joined the QuickBooks Solution Provider Program (QSP) and became an active participant of the BDO Alliance USA Vendor Marketing Program to add to its list of offerings. The company also broadened its offerings and enhanced integrations to continue enabling partners to meet their customers' needs and drive business growth. Tipalti's extensive partner program experienced unprecedented growth since its inception in 2019, boasting a 300% YoY channel business growth rate. At present, the partner ecosystem consists of more than 570 partners, 25% of which are outside of the United States. Committed to growing with its partners, Tipalti rolled out a Partner Hub earlier this year featuring marketing resources, training videos, partner success stories, lead generation tools and more. "Creating KlearPay in partnership with Tipalti has helped us ensure we are supporting our customers' needs," said Elise Yu, Global Marketing Manager at Klear. "Now more than ever, tools and software are the core of how businesses run operations and manage communication. KlearPay by Tipalti enables Klear customers to add Payments to their suite of capabilities, thus providing a more streamlined and transparent method for paying influencers by reducing headaches and friction." Further supporting the business objectives and customer needs of existing partners Microsoft Dynamics Business Central (BC) and Xero , Tipalti released pre-built API integrations for both and officially joined the Xero App Store in the US and UK. The latest technical investments allow for more Xero and Microsoft Dynamics BC users to benefit from near real-time, automated data updates and two-way syncing between Tipalti and their accounting platform, allowing companies to maximize efficiency and accelerate their financial close. Earlier in the year, Tipalti joined the QSP Program, enabling growing QuickBooks customers to better service their businesses with access to Tipalti's financial automation platform. Additionally, Tipalti became part of the BDO Alliance USA Vendor Marketing Program, a program designed to provide BDO Alliance USA members greater reach, better client service and long-term retention. "BDO USA, LLP is pleased to welcome Tipalti into the BDO Alliance USA Vendor Marketing Program," said Rob Merl, Practice Leader for the BDO Alliance USA's Business Resource Network. "By helping firms automate their financial processes, Tipalti offers a competitive advantage to our independent Alliance members in helping them further develop seamless end-to-end payment experiences. The BDO Alliance USA strives to establish relationships with product and service providers like Tipalti that share BDO's commitment to client service." At Tipalti's third annual Illuminate conference on September 21, 2023, the company will announce the finalists of the 2023 Alliance Partner Awards, which recognize the remarkable achievements and innovations from Tipalti's diverse, global partner ecosystem. The virtual event will feature insights and best practices from industry experts on how automation, AI and leading innovations will impact the future of finance. "Since launching our partner program, we've experienced remarkable growth and success through strategic collaborations. Our partners have not only accelerated our growth but have also fortified our position as industry leaders," said Zach Svendsen, Vice President of Alliances. "They have introduced us to new markets, enhanced our credibility and fostered a network of trust that has propelled our business forward. We firmly believe our journey towards continued success lies in the power of collaboration, so we continue to forge new partnerships to unlock a future filled with limitless possibilities." In 2023, Tipalti was awarded "Partner of the Year" by existing partner EverFlow and became a designated Sage Tech Partner Plus. Additionally, the company was a spotlighted vendor in CRN's 2023 Partner Program Guide , which recognizes vendors that are dedicated to continued innovation, providing industry-leading solutions to meet customer needs, supporting their partner community and pushing positive change throughout the IT channel. To learn more about Tipalti's Partner Program, or to find out how to become a partner, please visit https://tipalti.com/partners/ . To register and learn more information about Illuminate, visit here . About Tipalti Tipalti is the only company handling both Global Payments and Accounts Payable workflows for high-velocity companies across the entire financial operations cycle: onboarding and managing global suppliers, instituting procurement controls, streamlining invoice processing and approvals, executing payments around the world and reconciling payables data across a multi-subsidiary finance organization. Tipalti enables companies to scale quickly by making payables strategic with operational, compliance and financial controls. Companies can efficiently and securely pay thousands of partners and suppliers in 196 countries in their own currency within minutes. Thousands of companies, such as Amazon Twitch, GoDaddy, Roku, WordPress.com, and ZipRecruiter use Tipalti to reduce operational workload by 80% and accelerate the financial close by 25%, while strengthening financial and spend controls. For more information, visit tipalti.com . Media Contact Rachelle Avila [email protected] SOURCE Tipalti Prominent local owners plan to build a community-focused fence installation business and create a legacy that can be passed along to future generations HOUSTON , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Top Rail Fence, the on-time professionals in fence design, quality, installation, and service, announced today that it has opened its Top Rail Fence Northwest Houston location owned by Brett and Tracy Bozeman. The Bozemans hosted an introductory event on Tuesday at No Label Brewing Company in Katy, Texas to kick off their location's grand opening. Top Rail Fence Northwest Houston General Manager Mark Thorn, left, and owners, Tracy and Brett Bozeman (middle, right) plan to build a community-focused fence installation business to serve the Houston area. "Fort Bend County is one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States and has been for the past 22 years," Brett Bozeman said. "There are so many families moving in, and these families are buying homes and need fencing. We want to be known as the go-to location for their fencing needs." The Bozeman family is already well established in the Houston and Katy areas because of the family's charitable outreach through the Bozeman Foundation. Tracy Bozeman served as an elected municipal utility company board member for more than seven years. "We foresee ourselves continuing to be involved in area events like becoming high school sponsors or helping the community in other ways," she said. "We have quite a large family and we're interested in developing a legacy for the next generation." Both the Bozemans have spent their careers owning and operating several businesses. Brett Bozeman is a petroleum engineer who has led companies in the oil and gas industry while Tracy Bozeman has worked in insurance for 22 years. Brett Bozeman spent the majority of his life in the Houston area, and Tracy Bozeman has lived there for more than 19 years. Top Rail Fence Northwest Houston is the second franchise location to open in Texas, bringing top-of-the-line quality and top-notch service to homeowners and businesses throughout the region. Mark Thorn will serve as the general manager for the Top Rail Fence Northwest Houston location. The fencing company offers residential, commercial and agricultural fencing types, including aluminum, wood, and vinyl. Top Rail Fence is part of the growing family of home services franchises within HomeFront Brands. "We're very eager to get started and want the community to know we're ready to build their fence tomorrow," Tracy Bozeman said. To learn more about Top Rail Fence in Northwest Houston, please visit https://toprailfence.com/locations/northwest-houston. About Top Rail Fence Top Rail Fence got its start in 2014 in Greenville, South Carolina as Brookview Fencing, a veteran-owned and family-operated business. In 2022, the company joined the HomeFront Brands family of companies to serve more communities as Top Rail Fence. Since that time, Top Rail Fence has added locations throughout the United States and is continuing to expand. It strives to be at the top rail in customer responsiveness, quality design and materials, on-time delivery and installation, and in customer satisfaction. The company provides fencing solutions for residential, commercial and agricultural locations and offers wood, aluminum, vinyl, and chain link to provide the right fence to fit the customer's needs. For more information about Top Rail Fence, please visit https://toprailfence.com/. About HomeFront Brands: HomeFront Brands empowers entrepreneurs to create thriving franchised residential and commercial property service brands. Driven by an experienced team of franchise executives and rooted in family values, HomeFront Brands helps emerging or established concepts accelerate their growth by delivering enterprise-level solutions to local business owners who aspire to build a dynasty and create generational wealth. By leveraging integrated technology, data-driven intelligence and advanced learning management systems, HomeFront Brands is building a foundation for its brands -- Window Hero, The Designery, Temporary Wall Systems, BiltRite Home Inspections, Top Rail Fence and Mozzie Dome to transform lives through franchise ownership. For more information about HomeFront Brands' current solutions, new business development, and franchising opportunities, please visit HomeFrontBrands.com. MEDIA CONTACT: Heather Ripley Ripley PR 865-977-1973 [email protected] SOURCE HomeFront Brands DUBLIN, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Trade Credit Insurance Market 2023-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global trade credit insurance market is projected to reach USD 22.13 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 11.1% over the forecast period. The market's growth is driven by factors such as increasing uncertainty and non-payment frauds, as well as the rise in import and export trades worldwide. One of the notable trends in the market is the focus of venture capital firms on insurance start-ups, helping them raise funds to expand their product portfolios and strengthen their market position. For example, Hokodo Services Ltd, a London-based insurance company, raised USD 40 million through a series B funding round led by Notion Capital in June 2022, with the aim of redefining the way businesses transact. Partnerships between market players to expand their offerings across different regions are also expected to drive the market's growth. In June 2022, Coface, a trade credit insurance provider, entered into a strategic partnership with Doha Insurance Group in Qatar to offer credit insurance products to companies in Qatar and support their growth in export and domestic markets. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the industry, with lockdowns leading to temporary restrictions on import and export, manufacturing, and a drop in demand for trade credit insurance policies. However, the pandemic also resulted in increased losses for businesses, leading to a surge in payment defaults and driving demand for trade credit insurance to mitigate credit risks. Trade Credit Insurance Market Report Highlights Large Enterprises: The segment accounted for the largest share in 2022, as trade credit insurance helps large national and multi-national companies improve credit management, expand sales markets, and protect cash flow. The segment accounted for the largest share in 2022, as trade credit insurance helps large national and multi-national companies improve credit management, expand sales markets, and protect cash flow. Whole Turnover Coverage: This segment led the market in 2022, offering better protection and risk management solutions by covering all accounts receivable and reducing credit risk. This segment led the market in 2022, offering better protection and risk management solutions by covering all accounts receivable and reducing credit risk. International Application: This segment dominated the market in 2022, with low risk and greater confidence due to no fear of non-payment by foreign buyers. This segment dominated the market in 2022, with low risk and greater confidence due to no fear of non-payment by foreign buyers. Food & Beverage: This segment was a dominant force in 2022, with high credit risk in the sector due to perishable items and reliance on a few large customers. This segment was a dominant force in 2022, with high credit risk in the sector due to perishable items and reliance on a few large customers. Europe : The region dominated the market in 2022, as trade credit insurance policies gained adoption across the region. Market Dynamics Drivers Rapid Market Expansion in New Regions Rapid Digitization of the Insurance Sector Challenges Trade Regulations Across Different Jurisdictions Opportunities Scaling Technologies such as AI and ML Industry Value Chain Analysis Underwriters Outlook Credit Insurance Providers Outlook End-users Outlook Industry Analysis Tools Porter's Analysis PESTEL Analysis Overall, the trade credit insurance market is expected to witness significant growth due to the increasing need for risk mitigation and protection against non-payment frauds in the global trade landscape. The market is also witnessing advancements in technology, which are expected to further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of trade credit insurance policies. Key Topics Covered Chapter 1 Methodology and Scope Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Trade Credit Insurance Market Variables and Trends Chapter 4 Trade Credit Insurance Market: Coverage Estimates & Trend Analysis Chapter 5 Trade Credit Insurance Market: Enterprise Size Estimates & Trend Analysis Chapter 6 Trade Credit Insurance Market: Application Estimates & Trend Analysis Chapter 7 Trade Credit Insurance Market: End-use Estimates & Trend Analysis Chapter 8 Trade Credit Insurance Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis Chapter 9 Trade Credit Insurance Market: Competitive Landscape Companies Mentioned Allianz Trade Atradius N.V. Coface American Interantional Group, Inc. (AIG) Zurich Chubb QBE Insurance Group Limited Great American Insurance Company Aon PLC Credendo For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hkhrsb 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 Mahira Adnayeva has been dismissed from the post of head of the executive power of Sadarak district of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. In this regard, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed the relevant decree. When packing a child for school, parents try to choose a comfortable backpack so that it does not lead to back problems. Schoolchildren carry a lot of textbooks and notebooks every day and a backpack should help them feel comfortable and convenient. ADVERTISIMENT PubMed published a study showing how the weight of a backpack affects children's backs. Most believe that a backpack can lead to spinal deformity. Researchers reduced the weight of the school bag in elementary schoolchildren and some of them complained less, while the rest of the children did not notice a difference. The American Academy of Pediatrics assures that the weight of the backpack should not exceed 20% of the child's weight. The straps should be wide and adjusted so that the bottom of the briefcase does not fall below the waist. This will avoid unnecessary strain on the muscles of the neck and back, which can cause children to feel pain. Scoliosis is a very common disease among schoolchildren. It is an S- or C-like form of curvature of the spine and can lead to serious complications from the respiratory, cardiovascular and digestive systems. ADVERTISIMENT According to scientists, a backpack cannot cause this condition. The main factor in the deterioration of posture is sitting for long periods in classes, at a computer or smartphone. On the contrary, it is better to wear a backpack rather than a bag to avoid scoliosis. The bag loads only one part of the body, which leads to curvature. You should also do exercises to stretch your muscles after sitting for a long time. Earlier OBOZREVATEL published why it is harmful to hold the stomach in constantly. Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL channels in Telegram and Viber to keep up to date with the latest events. TAMPERE, Finland, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Treon, a leading technology company specializing in wireless edge products for massive IoT, announces that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USTPO) has granted Treon patent US11656239. The patent covers Treon's cutting-edge technology, which involves embedding the accelerometer inside the bolt of Treon Industrial Node 6 and its variants, eliminating unwanted resonances, and delivering high-quality measurement data. "We are delighted to announce the granting of our patent for innovative acceleration and vibration measurement technology inside our sensor. This achievement reflects our team's expertise in designing wireless products. The precise arrangement of the fastener ensures a secure fit of the accelerometer and temperature sensor inside the bolt of Treon Industrial Node 6, enabling accurate measurement and transmission of acceleration data," asserts Jari Toivanen, Chief Engineer at Treon. The patent US11656239 protects the innovation within Treon Industrial Node 6, which is a wireless, battery-operated sensor that measures tri-axial vibration and surface temperature of rotating equipment, such as pumps, motors, and compressors, with a frequency range up to 6.3kHz. In addition, Treon Industrial Node 6 Ex has ATEX, IECEx, and HazLoc certifications which allow measuring vibration in potentially explosive atmospheres. The patent strengthens the differentiation of Treon and provides us and our partners a sustainable competitive advantage in manufacturing next-generation wireless vibration sensors," states Joni Korppi, CEO of Treon, and continues "with the recognition of this patent, we strengthen our dedication to pushing the boundaries of wireless products for condition monitoring solutions, paving the way for new and exciting partnerships in the US." Securing this patent is a key accomplishment for Treon, aligning with its strategic entry into the North American market and building on Treon's series of successful US partnerships. This includes notable collaborations with SymphonyAI Industrial, a prominent innovator in predictive maintenance and autonomous plant operations. By partnering with market leaders, Treon further strengthens its commitment to strategic alliances and propels its innovative growth. Visit Treon.fi ____________________ Boilerplate Treon, a Finnish leading technology company, founded by experts with a strong background in wireless communication and battery-operated devices. Treon empowers global leading customers in industrial, commercial buildings, and logistics to build massive IoT solutions using sensors, gateways, platform, and services, leveraging Treon Aito Platform for rapid and innovative developments. Press inquiries Samah Zain [email protected] +35850 5507331 SOURCE Treon Oy Cuyahoga Community College partners with SkillStorm to scale tech talent pipelines; provide credit-eligible courses to meet increasing demand for technology skills in the region CLEVELAND, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) today announced the launch of a new partnership designed to close talent gaps in Ohio's fast-growing tech industry. The effort, powered by tech talent accelerator SkillStorm, will provide Ohio employers with access to previously untapped talent pools and a means to close skills gaps within their existing workforce. Aspiring tech professionals and workers seeking career advancement can enroll in a new slate of Tri-C courses, eligible for college credit, that lead to high-demand credentials from employers including Salesforce and AWS. SkillStorm's certification courses will be eligible for three credits through Tri-C's Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) process, which awards credit for demonstrated relevant, college-level knowledge and proficiency through nontraditional schooling, work, or other life experiences. "Tri-C remains dedicated to meeting the needs of Ohio's employers by providing training and credentialing programs that are aligned with the demands of a rapidly changing labor market," said Thandeka Cox, IT Fast-Track Program Manager at Tri-C. "This partnership with SkillStorm is a key part of that effort, enabling us to create a pipeline of skilled tech professionals who can play a leading role in driving the region's economy forward." Tri-C is widely recognized for its commitment to innovative workforce development initiatives, having recently announced a $2 million grant from the KeyBank Foundation to develop and scale innovative, accessible workforce training to help address Northeast Ohio's employment and earnings gaps. The new investment will enable targeted recruitment of underemployed and underrepresented populations, improve training program affordability, create curriculum that responds to industry needs, and increase job placement support and employer partnerships. The initiative with SkillStorm, combined with the KeyBank Foundation's grant, will enhance and expand upon Tri-C's Workforce, Community, and Economic Development (WCED) division, which already offers more than 40 credit and noncredit training programs in high-demand fields including cybersecurity, information technology, software engineering, and network architecture. "Closing talent gaps and building a stronger tech workforce requires collaboration, innovation, and a shared vision for success," said Joe Mitchell, COO at SkillStorm. "Together with Tri-C, we are empowering workers with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in today's increasingly tech-driven economy." Through SkillStorm's platform, Tri-C will offer a range of courses to prepare for certifications including AWS Cloud Practitioner and Salesforce Administrator, as well as foundational courses in core topics like Java and object-oriented programming. About SkillStorm SkillStorm is bringing together Fortune 500 employers, universities, and government agencies to build tomorrow's highly skilled tech workforce. Through partnerships with platforms like Pega, Salesforce, and ServiceNow, we help working learners and aspiring tech experts build in-demand skills and earn industry-recognized certifications to compete in an increasingly dynamic economy. Our work is rooted in the belief that closing skill gaps and boosting economic mobility are two sides of the same coin, and that new approaches to training can help to both expand the pool of skilled tech talent and create new pathways to opportunity. About Cuyahoga Community College Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) opened in 1963 as Ohio's first community college. It remains Ohio's largest public community college and offers the lowest tuition in the state. Over the past half-century, Tri-C has provided high-quality, affordable education and programs to more than 1 million community members, fueling economic growth and meeting workforce needs throughout Northeast Ohio. The College is among the top institutions in the nation in conferring associate degrees. Visit tri-c.edu to see why Tri-C is where futures begin. SOURCE SkillStorm TrustRadius recognizes 165 B2B technology companies for exceptional corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, showing a trend for the care and support of our communities and environment. AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, TrustRadius, the most-trusted B2B technology decisioning platform, announced the winners of the 2023 Tech Cares Awards, recognizing B2B technology companies for going above and beyond to provide impactful corporate social responsibility (CSR programs for their employees, the environment, and people around the world. The list of nominated vendors has grown each year, showing an increase in CSR awareness and initiatives. This year was no different, with 165 vendors being recognized as award winners. Of the 165 Tech Cares Award winners: 2023 TrustRadius Tech Cares Badge 9 Vendors have made the list for all four consecutive years 43 were consecutive winners from last year 106 are new to the Tech Cares Award list All nominations require supporting proof of the company's CSR initiative, and everyone was welcome to make a submission, including employees. Each submission is thoroughly vetted by the TrustRadius research team to find companies making the biggest difference. Showcasing how prevalent CSR programs have become, this year's submissions had the highest number of vendors who deserved spotlight recognitions at 53 company initiatives. Trending CSR programs in the tech industry are: Sustainability and the environment: Companies are making sustainability and environmental targets a priority, setting high partner standards and practicing carbon neutrality. Companies are making sustainability and environmental targets a priority, setting high partner standards and practicing carbon neutrality. Volunteerism: A shared value among many nominated vendors, volunteerism reflects a company's commitment to giving back to the community. A shared value among many nominated vendors, volunteerism reflects a company's commitment to giving back to the community. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): A widespread initiative that accelerates momentum in equity and representation and fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace. A widespread initiative that accelerates momentum in equity and representation and fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace. Generous donations: More donations are being made to small or disadvantaged businesses, community programs, climate change programs, and more. More donations are being made to small or disadvantaged businesses, community programs, climate change programs, and more. Community impact: In both broader and niche communities, companies are providing needed support to empower the young and old around the globe. In both broader and niche communities, companies are providing needed support to empower the young and old around the globe. Employee well-being and development: A new trendvendors are placing a significant focus on investing in their employees' development, well-being, and individual growth. A new trendvendors are placing a significant focus on investing in their employees' development, well-being, and individual growth. Support for women in technology: A prominent theme, vendors are addressing gender disparities by empowering women and supporting their advancements in the tech industry. A prominent theme, vendors are addressing gender disparities by empowering women and supporting their advancements in the tech industry. Education support: Now a significant trend, vendors are supporting the education of individuals and communities by addressing disparities and enhancing STEM education. "I am incredibly proud of the 2023 Tech Cares Award winners and their remarkable commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the B2B tech space. These exceptional companies have demonstrated the transformative power of CSR programming, not only in their organizations but also in the broader tech community. Their dedication to environmental sustainability, support for diversity and inclusion, philanthropic efforts, and employee well-being sets a shining example for the entire industry. Congratulations to all the winners for their unwavering dedication to making a difference and for being the driving force behind positive change in our industry." Vinay Bhagat, CEO of TrustRadius. Visit the TrustRadius blog to find the full list of B2B organizations who embody compassion and exceptional CSR initiatives and were named a 2023 Tech Cares Award winner. About TrustRadius TrustRadius delivers the most credible B2B technology decisioning platform, helping buyers confidently make decisions with comprehensive, vetted product information and customer-generated content. Technology providers are empowered to tell their unique stories, engage high-intent buyers, and gain customer insights. Founded by successful entrepreneurs and headquartered in the technology hub of Austin, Texas, TrustRadius is backed by Mayfield Fund, LiveOak Venture Partners, and Next Coast Ventures. CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE TrustRadius, Inc. RENO, Nev., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- U-Haul Holding Company (NYSE: UHAL, UHAL.B), parent of U-Haul International, Inc., Oxford Life Insurance Company, Repwest Insurance Company and Amerco Real Estate Company, today reported net earnings available to common shareholders for its first quarter ended June 30, 2023, of $256.8 million, compared with net earnings of $338.3 million for the same period last year. Earnings per share for Non-Voting Shares (UHAL.B) were $1.31 for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 compared to $1.68 for the same period in fiscal 2023. "Moving and storage is a highly competitive business," stated Joe Shoen, chairman of U-Haul Holding Company. "Our customers have many choices. Our opportunity is to make U-Haul products and services the customer's best choice. I am focused on the implementation of our customer focused programs." Highlights of First Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results Self-moving equipment rental revenues decreased $91.6 million , or 8.4% for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 compared with the first quarter of fiscal 2023. Transactions, revenue and average miles driven per transaction decreased. These declines were more pronounced in our one-way markets. Compared to the same period last year, we increased the number of retail locations, independent dealers, trucks and trailers in the rental fleet. , or 8.4% for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 compared with the first quarter of fiscal 2023. Transactions, revenue and average miles driven per transaction decreased. These declines were more pronounced in our one-way markets. Compared to the same period last year, we increased the number of retail locations, independent dealers, trucks and trailers in the rental fleet. Self-storage revenues increased $25.8 million , or 14.9% for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 compared with the first quarter of fiscal 2023. The average monthly number of occupied units during the quarter increased by 9%, or 44,957 units, compared to the same quarter last year. Our reported occupancy of all properties regardless of length of time in the portfolio decreased 1.7% to 82.8% for the first quarter. The occupancy ratio for the subset of these properties that have been stabilized at 80% for the last 24 months also decreased 1.7% to 95.1% during the quarter. The growth in revenues and square feet rented comes from a combination of occupancy gains at existing locations, the addition of new capacity to the portfolio and a 6% improvement in average revenue per occupied foot. During the quarter, we added approximately 1.1 million net rentable square feet. , or 14.9% for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 compared with the first quarter of fiscal 2023. The average monthly number of occupied units during the quarter increased by 9%, or 44,957 units, compared to the same quarter last year. Our reported occupancy of all properties regardless of length of time in the portfolio decreased 1.7% to 82.8% for the first quarter. The occupancy ratio for the subset of these properties that have been stabilized at 80% for the last 24 months also decreased 1.7% to 95.1% during the quarter. The growth in revenues and square feet rented comes from a combination of occupancy gains at existing locations, the addition of new capacity to the portfolio and a 6% improvement in average revenue per occupied foot. During the quarter, we added approximately 1.1 million net rentable square feet. Sales of self-moving and self-storage products and services decreased $8.5 million , or 7.8% compared with the first quarter of fiscal 2023 due to decreased sales of hitches, moving supplies and propane. The decrease in self-moving transactions has negatively affected the sales of moving supplies. , or 7.8% compared with the first quarter of fiscal 2023 due to decreased sales of hitches, moving supplies and propane. The decrease in self-moving transactions has negatively affected the sales of moving supplies. For the first quarter of fiscal 2024 compared with the first quarter of fiscal 2023, depreciation, net of gains on sales increased $24.0 million . Page four of this press release contains additional detail about this change. . Page four of this press release contains additional detail about this change. For the first quarter of fiscal 2024 compared with the first quarter of fiscal 2023 gross rental equipment capital expenditures were approximately $454 million compared with approximately $351 million . Proceeds from sales of rental equipment were $193 million compared with $156 million . Spending on real estate related acquisitions and development were approximately $294 million compared with $278 million , respectively. compared with approximately . Proceeds from sales of rental equipment were compared with . Spending on real estate related acquisitions and development were approximately compared with , respectively. Fleet maintenance and repair costs increased $29.6 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 compared with the same period last year due to preventative maintenance combined with the costs associated with preparing trucks for sale. The primary driver behind these increases has been the slower rotation of new equipment into the fleet and older equipment out of the fleet over the last several years. in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 compared with the same period last year due to preventative maintenance combined with the costs associated with preparing trucks for sale. The primary driver behind these increases has been the slower rotation of new equipment into the fleet and older equipment out of the fleet over the last several years. Operating earnings at our Moving and Storage operating segment decreased $94.9 million compared with the same period last year to $386.7 and represent the third best first quarter result in the Company's history. Total revenues decreased $64.1 million and total costs and expenses increased $30.8 million . compared with the same period last year to and represent the third best first quarter result in the Company's history. Total revenues decreased and total costs and expenses increased . Cash and credit availability at the Moving and Storage segment was $2,792.4 million as of June 30, 2023 compared with $2,499.2 million at March 31, 2023 . as of compared with at . We are holding our 17th Annual Virtual Analyst and Investor meeting on Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 11 a.m. Arizona Time ( 2 p.m. Eastern). This is an opportunity to interact directly with Company representatives through a live video webcast at investors.uhaul.com. A brief presentation by the Company will be followed by a question-and-answer session. U-Haul Holding Company will hold its investor call for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 on Thursday, August 10, 2023, at 8 a.m. Arizona Time (11 a.m. Eastern). The call will be broadcast live over the Internet at investors.uhaul.com. To hear a simulcast of the call, or a replay, visit investors.uhaul.com. About U-Haul Holding Company U-Haul Holding Company is the parent company of U-Haul International, Inc., Oxford Life Insurance Company, Repwest Insurance Company and Amerco Real Estate Company. U-Haul is in the shared use business and was founded on the fundamental philosophy that the division of use and specialization of ownership is good for both U-Haul customers and the environment. About U-Haul Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our patented Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 192,200 trucks, 138,500 trailers and 44,500 towing devices. U-Haul is the third largest self-storage operator in North America and offers 959,000 rentable storage units and 82.3 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities. U-Haul is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S., and continues to be the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. U-Haul has been recognized repeatedly as a leading "Best for Vets" employer and was recently named one of the 15 Healthiest Workplaces in America. Certain of the statements made in this press release regarding our business constitute forward-looking statements as contemplated under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated as a result of various risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publish revised forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. For a brief discussion of the risks and uncertainties that may affect U-Haul Holding Company's business and future operating results, please refer to our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, which is on file with the SEC. Report on Business Operations Listed below on a consolidated basis are revenues for our major product lines for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 and 2023 Quarter Ended June 30, 2023 2022 (Unaudited) (In thousands) Self-moving equipment rentals $ 999,206 $ 1,090,775 Self-storage revenues 198,961 173,177 Self-moving and self-storage product and service sales 100,872 109,351 Property management fees 9,177 9,139 Life insurance premiums 23,131 25,781 Property and casualty insurance premiums 20,322 19,972 Net investment and interest income 64,592 33,573 Other revenue 124,047 136,072 Consolidated revenue $ 1,540,308 $ 1,597,840 Listed below are revenues and earnings from operations at each of our operating segments for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 and 2023. Quarter Ended June 30, 2023 2022 (Unaudited) (In thousands) Moving and storage Revenues $ 1,459,513 $ 1,523,598 Earnings from operations before equity in earnings of subsidiaries 386,691 481,617 Property and casualty insurance Revenues 27,839 23,082 Earnings from operations 11,982 8,351 Life insurance Revenues 55,681 54,103 Earnings from operations 1,356 5,916 Eliminations Revenues (2,725) (2,943) Earnings from operations before equity in earnings of subsidiaries (371) (382) Consolidated Results Revenues 1,540,308 1,597,840 Earnings from operations 399,658 495,502 Debt Metrics Debt Metrics (in thousands)(unaudited) June 30, March 31, December 31, September 30, June 30, 2023 2023 2022 2022 2022 Real estate secured debt $2,744,416 $2,660,878 $2,682,036 $2,860,764 $2,794,440 Unsecured debt 1,200,000 1,200,000 1,200,000 1,200,000 1,350,000 Fleet secured debt 2,305,116 2,205,824 2,277,387 2,196,935 2,043,904 Other secured debt 74,250 76,648 77,399 78,871 81,008 Total debt 6,323,782 6,143,350 6,236,822 6,336,570 6,269,352 Moving and Storage cash $2,302,380 $2,034,242 $2,429,943 $3,025,390 $2,982,541 Moving and Storage assets 15,742,770 15,235,637 15,234,112 15,243,508 14,911,413 Moving and Storage EBITDA (TTM) 1,816,319 1,888,513 1,906,046 1,995,170 2,053,296 Net debt to EBITDA 2.2 2.2 2.0 1.7 1.6 Net debt to total assets 25.5 % 27.0 % 25.0 % 21.7 % 22.0 % Percent of debt floating 7.7 % 8.4 % 8.3 % 10.5 % 16.7 % Percent of debt fixed 92.3 % 91.6 % 91.7 % 89.5 % 83.3 % Percent of debt unsecured 19.0 % 19.5 % 19.2 % 18.9 % 21.5 % Unencumbered asset ratio* 3.56x 3.44x 3.35x 2.91x 2.99x * Unencumbered asset value compared to unsecured debt committed, outstanding or not. Unencumbered assets valued at the higher of historical cost or allocated NOI valued at a 10% cap rate, minimum required is 2.0x The components of depreciation, net of gains on disposals are as follows: Quarter Ended June 30, 2023 2022 (Unaudited) (In thousands) Depreciation expense - rental equipment $ 135,192 $ 126,521 Depreciation expense - non rental equipment 22,302 21,621 Depreciation expense - real estate 35,981 30,002 Total depreciation expense $ 193,475 $ 178,144 Gain on disposals of rental equipment (55,807) (64,001) (Gain) loss on disposals of non-rental equipment 146 (347) Total gain on disposals equipment $ (55,661) $ (64,348) Depreciation, net of gains on disposals $ 137,814 $ 113,796 Loss on disposals of real estate $ 1,021 $ 2,307 The Company owns and manages self-storage facilities. Self-storage revenues reported in the consolidated financial statements represent Company-owned locations only. Self-storage data for our owned locations follows: Quarter Ended June 30, 2023 2022 (Unaudited) (In thousands, except occupancy rate) Unit count as of June 30 683 620 Square footage as of June 30 57,530 51,845 Average monthly number of units occupied 563 518 Average monthly occupancy rate based on unit count 82.8 % 84.5 % End of June occupancy rate based on unit count 83.9 % 85.6 % Average monthly square footage occupied 48,627 44,847 Self-Storage Portfolio Summary As of June 30, 2023 (unaudited) U-Haul Owned Store Data by State Annual State/ Units Rentable Revenue Occupancy Province Stores Occupied Square Feet Per Foot During Qtr Texas 89 34,947 4,018,287 $ 14.28 78.8 % California 86 32,043 2,935,423 $ 20.25 82.1 % Illinois 80 35,615 3,480,159 $ 15.11 84.0 % Florida 79 33,263 3,158,595 $ 17.70 87.6 % Pennsylvania 69 28,310 2,772,657 $ 16.81 78.0 % New York 64 26,295 2,415,628 $ 22.25 78.5 % Ohio 57 24,148 2,392,993 $ 14.50 83.6 % Michigan 56 19,575 1,902,259 $ 15.06 89.3 % Georgia 49 22,050 2,197,226 $ 15.67 88.8 % Arizona 43 24,620 2,508,128 $ 15.32 88.4 % Wisconsin 43 16,861 1,895,611 $ 13.11 81.3 % Washington 37 12,334 1,277,336 $ 16.41 78.3 % North Carolina 36 16,871 1,705,429 $ 14.66 84.0 % Tennessee 34 14,934 1,377,814 $ 14.11 91.2 % New Jersey 33 15,343 1,322,293 $ 19.87 88.7 % Ontario 32 10,284 1,054,891 $ 21.67 77.0 % Missouri 31 11,336 1,214,621 $ 14.72 78.1 % Indiana 30 10,027 1,024,799 $ 13.56 81.2 % Massachusetts 30 10,882 983,653 $ 19.43 84.4 % Alabama 25 6,829 769,170 $ 13.58 76.0 % Top 20 Totals 1,003 406,567 40,406,973 $ 16.39 83.1 % All Others 432 166,816 17,156,943 $ 15.57 82.2 % 1Q 2024 Totals 1,435 573,383 57,563,916 $ 16.15 82.8 % Same Store 1Q24 820 266,447 24,473,487 $ 16.28 95.1 % Same Store 1Q23 718 222,894 20,716,950 $ 14.79 96.8 % Same Store 1Q22 599 171,843 16,145,296 $ 14.28 96.0 % Non Same Store 1Q24 615 306,936 33,090,429 $ 16.02 74.3 % Non Same Store 1Q23 658 308,298 31,161,636 $ 15.14 77.0 % Non Same Store 1Q22 713 281,820 30,735,485 $ 13.72 71.9 % Note: Store Count, Units, and NRSF figures reflect active storage locations for the last month of the reporting quarter. Occupancy % reflects average occupancy during reporting quarter. Revenue per foot is average revenue per occupied foot over the trailing twelve months ending June 2023. Same store includes storage locations with rentable storage inventory for more than three years and have had a capacity change of less than twenty units for any year-over-year period of the reporting month. The locations have occupancy each month during the last three years and have achieved 80% or greater physical occupancy for the last two years. U-HAUL HOLDING COMPANY AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS June 30, March 31, 2023 2023 (Unaudited) (In thousands) ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,377,124 $ 2,060,524 Reinsurance recoverables and trade receivables, net 206,663 189,498 Inventories and parts, net 164,884 151,474 Prepaid expenses 232,039 241,711 Investments, fixed maturities and marketable equities 2,469,512 2,770,394 Investments, other 620,140 575,540 Deferred policy acquisition costs, net 123,596 128,463 Other assets 60,821 51,052 Right of use assets - financing, net 420,496 474,765 Right of use assets - operating, net 59,496 58,917 Related party assets 43,102 48,308 6,777,873 6,750,646 Property, plant and equipment, at cost: Land 1,555,326 1,537,206 Buildings and improvements 7,364,517 7,088,810 Furniture and equipment 942,036 928,241 Rental trailers and other rental equipment 866,916 827,696 Rental trucks 5,594,132 5,278,340 16,322,927 15,660,293 Less: Accumulated depreciation (4,486,766) (4,310,205) Total property, plant and equipment, net 11,836,161 11,350,088 Total assets $ 18,614,034 $ 18,100,734 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 778,605 $ 761,039 Notes, loans and finance leases payable, net 6,287,231 6,108,042 Operating lease liabilities 58,808 58,373 Policy benefits and losses, claims and loss expenses payable 878,436 880,202 Liabilities from investment contracts 2,384,330 2,398,884 Other policyholders' funds and liabilities 12,218 8,232 Deferred income 64,790 52,282 Deferred income taxes, net 1,371,859 1,329,489 Total liabilities 11,836,277 11,596,543 Common stock 10,497 10,497 Non-voting common stock 176 176 Additional paid-in capital 453,643 453,643 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (261,836) (285,623) Retained earnings 7,252,927 7,003,148 Cost of common stock in treasury, net (525,653) (525,653) Cost of preferred stock in treasury, net (151,997) (151,997) Total stockholders' equity 6,777,757 6,504,191 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 18,614,034 $ 18,100,734 U-HAUL HOLDING COMPANY AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS Quarter Ended June 30, 2023 2022 (Unaudited) (In thousands, except share and per share data) Revenues: Self-moving equipment rentals $ 999,206 $ 1,090,775 Self-storage revenues 198,961 173,177 Self-moving and self-storage products and service sales 100,872 109,351 Property management fees 9,177 9,139 Life insurance premiums 23,131 25,781 Property and casualty insurance premiums 20,322 19,972 Net investment and interest income 64,592 33,573 Other revenue 124,047 136,072 Total revenues 1,540,308 1,597,840 Costs and expenses: Operating expenses 763,241 733,167 Commission expenses 106,927 118,493 Cost of sales 70,675 79,671 Benefits and losses 45,344 39,757 Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs 8,045 7,672 Lease expense 7,583 7,475 Depreciation, net of gains on disposals 137,814 113,796 Net losses on disposal of real estate 1,021 2,307 Total costs and expenses 1,140,650 1,102,338 Earnings from operations 399,658 495,502 Other components of net periodic benefit costs (365) (304) Interest expense (60,598) (49,799) Pretax earnings 338,695 445,399 Income tax expense (81,857) (107,054) Earnings available to common stockholders $ 256,838 $ 338,345 Basic and diluted earnings per share of Common Stock $ 1.27 $ 2.18 Weighted average shares outstanding of Common Stock: Basic and diluted 19,607,788 19,607,788 Basic and diluted earnings per share of Non-Voting Common Stock $ 1.31 $ 1.68 Weighted average shares outstanding of Non-Voting Common Stock: Basic and diluted $ 176,470,092 $ 176,470,092 EARNINGS PER SHARE We calculate earnings per share using the two-class method in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 260, Earnings Per Share. The two-class method allocates the undistributed earnings available to common stockholders to the Company's outstanding common stock, $0.25 par value (the "Voting Common Stock") and the Series N Non-Voting Common Stock, $0.001 par value (the "Non-Voting Common Stock") based on each share's percentage of total weighted average shares outstanding. The Voting Common Stock and Non-Voting Common Stock are allocated 10% and 90%, respectively, of our undistributed earnings available to common stockholders. This represents earnings available to common stockholders less the dividends declared for both the Voting Common Stock and Non-Voting Common Stock. Our undistributed earnings per share is calculated by taking the undistributed earnings available to common stockholders and dividing this number by the weighted average shares outstanding for the respective stock. If there was a dividend declared for that period, the dividend per share is added to the undistributed earnings per share to calculate the basic and diluted earnings per share. The process is used for both Voting Common Stock and Non-Voting Common Stock. The calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the quarters ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 for our Voting Common Stock and Non-Voting Common Stock were as follows: For the Quarter Ended June 30, 2023 2022 (Unaudited) (In thousands, except share and per share amounts) Weighted average shares outstanding of Voting Common Stock 19,607,788 19,607,788 Total weighted average shares outstanding for Voting Common Stock and Non-Voting Common Stock 196,077,880 196,077,880 Percent of weighted average shares outstanding of Voting Common Stock 10 % 10 % Net earnings available to common stockholders $ 256,838 $ 338,345 Voting Common Stock dividends declared (9,804) Non-Voting Common Stock dividends declared (7,059) - Undistributed earnings available to common stockholders $ 249,779 $ 328,541 Undistributed earnings available to common stockholders allocated to Voting Common Stock $ 24,978 $ 32,854 Undistributed earnings per share of Voting Common Stock $ 1.27 $ 1.68 Dividends declared per share of Voting Common Stock $ $ 0.50 Basic and diluted earnings per share of Voting Common Stock $ 1.27 $ 2.18 Weighted average shares outstanding of Non-Voting Common Stock 176,470,092 176,470,092 Total weighted average shares outstanding for Voting Common Stock and Non-Voting Common Stock 196,077,880 196,077,880 Percent of weighted average shares outstanding of Non-Voting Common Stock 90 % 90 % Net earnings available to common stockholders $ 256,838 $ 338,345 Voting Common Stock dividends declared (9,804) Non-Voting Common Stock dividends declared (7,059) - Undistributed earnings available to common stockholders $ 249,779 $ 328,541 Undistributed earnings available to common stockholders allocated to Non-Voting Common Stock $ 224,801 $ 295,687 Undistributed earnings per share of Non-Voting Common Stock $ 1.27 $ 1.68 Dividends declared per share of Non-Voting Common Stock $ 0.04 $ - Basic and diluted earnings per share of Non-Voting Common Stock $ 1.31 $ 1.68 NON-GAAP DISCLOSURE As of April 1, 2019, we adopted the new accounting standard for leases. Part of this adoption resulted in approximately $1 billion of property, plant and equipment, net ("PPE") being reclassed to Right of use assets - financing, net ("ROU-financing"). As of June 30, 2023, the balance of ROU-financing also includes the rental equipment purchased under new financing liability leases during fiscal 2024. The tables below show adjusted PPE as of June 30, 2023 and March 31, 2023, by including the ROU-financing. The assets included in ROU-financing are not a true book value as some of the assets are recorded at between 70% and 100% of value based on the lease agreement. This non-GAAP measure is intended as a supplemental measure of our balance sheet that is neither required by, nor presented in accordance with, GAAP. We believe that the use of this non-GAAP measure provides an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating our financial condition. This non-GAAP measure should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for other measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. June 30, March 31, 2023 2023 Property, Property, ROU Plant and Plant and June 30, Assets Equipment Equipment 2023 Financing Adjusted Adjusted (Unaudited) (In thousands) Property, plant and equipment, at cost Land $ 1,555,326 $ - $ 1,555,326 $ 1,537,206 Buildings and improvements 7,364,517 - 7,364,517 7,088,810 Furniture and equipment 942,036 7,109 949,145 937,928 Rental trailers and other rental equipment 866,916 128,865 995,781 979,990 Rental trucks 5,594,132 879,054 6,473,186 6,228,178 Subtotal 16,322,927 1,015,028 17,337,955 16,772,112 Less: Accumulated depreciation (4,486,766) (594,532) (5,081,298) (4,947,259) Total property, plant and equipment, net $ 11,836,161 $ 420,496 $ 12,256,657 $ 11,824,853 March 31, 2023 Property, ROU Plant and March 31, Assets Equipment 2023 Financing Adjusted (In thousands) Property, plant and equipment, at cost Land $ 1,537,206 $ - $ 1,537,206 Buildings and improvements 7,088,810 - 7,088,810 Furniture and equipment 928,241 9,687 937,928 Rental trailers and other rental equipment 827,696 152,294 979,990 Rental trucks 5,278,340 949,838 6,228,178 Subtotal 15,660,293 1,111,819 16,772,112 Less: Accumulated depreciation (4,310,205) (637,054) (4,947,259) Total property, plant and equipment, net $ 11,350,088 $ 474,765 $ 11,824,853 Non-GAAP Financial Measures Below is a reconciliation of Moving and Storage non-GAAP financial measures as defined under SEC rules, such as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("EBITDA"). The Company believes that these widely accepted measures of operating profitability improve the transparency of the Company's disclosures and provide a meaningful presentation of the Company's results from its core business operations excluding the impact of items not related to the Company's ongoing core business operations and improve the period-to-period comparability of the Company's results from its core business operations. These non-GAAP financial measures are not substitutes for GAAP financial results and should only be considered in conjunction with the Company's financial information that is presented in accordance with GAAP. Moving and Storage EBITDA (In thousands, unaudited) TTM June 30, March 31, December 31, September 30, June 30, 2023 2023 2022 2022 2022 Earnings from operations * $ 1,301,196 $ 1,396,122 $ 1,435,667 $ 1,534,803 $ 1,575,848 Depreciation 749,210 733,879 721,950 712,896 703,059 Net gains on disposals (238,397) (247,084) (255,419) (256,495) (228,228) Net (gains) losses on disposal of real estate 4,310 5,596 3,848 3,966 2,617 Depreciation, net of (gains) losses on disposals 515,123 492,391 470,379 460,367 477,448 EBITDA $ 1,816,319 $ 1,888,513 $ 1,906,046 $ 1,995,170 $ 2,053,296 * before insurance subsidiaries SOURCE U-Haul Holding Company Dallas-Fort Worth DMC Celebrates 30 Years Welcoming Corporate Groups ADDISON, Texas, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For 30 years, Ultimate Ventures (UV) has played a crucial role in facilitating memorable events, conferences, and experiences for clients and guests visiting the Dallas-Fort Worth area. From intimate VIP meetings to citywide conferences, the company has developed a reputation for delivering high-quality services and giving its clients peace of mind. The UV team celebrating 30 years of award-winning meetings and events in Dallas-Fort Worth. Ultimate Ventures owners, Laurie Sprouse and Val Lenington In 1993, UV's President, Laurie Sprouse, and Vice President, Val Lenington, formed Wild West Adventures (later becoming Ultimate Ventures) where they began working with corporate groups holding meetings and conventions in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Today, UV is one of the industry's leading destination management companies (DMCs) winning more industry awards and honors than any other Texas DMC for its stunning special events, inspiring team-building programs, and transportation logistics. Thanks to the company's commitment to excellence and innovation, Ultimate Ventures has received over 100 industry awards and nominations in categories such as Corporate Events, Overall Meeting, Design & Decor, Team-building, and Transportation Logistics, as well as numerous personal honors for team members. Although there have been many, one particularly memorable award-winning program stands out. Taking place at the start of the pandemic, it tested the grit of the company like no other. UV had 24-hours to assemble a team and secure resources to help 300 teenage Spanish foreign exchange students from across the country return home to Spain. It was a testament to our team and their determination regardless of obstacles like a citywide lockdown. "Reaching this 30-year milestone is the result of the hard work, dedication, and passion of the team behind Ultimate Ventures. We are blessed to have a team that cares so much about each program's success." remarks UV's President, Laurie Sprouse. She adds, "Of course, we wouldn't be here without our clients and our incredible vendor partners. We are beyond grateful for their support and encouragement." Laurie continues, "Although our 30th anniversary gives us an opportunity to reflect upon our success, our eye is toward the future and continuing to make a positive impact on the Dallas-Fort Worth area's event and hospitality industry. We are proud to live and work in such a dynamic destination with so much to offer incoming groups. It's an exciting time for our company and North Texas!" About Ultimate Ventures, a DMC Network Company The destination experts at Ultimate Ventures (UV) have been bringing the best of Dallas-Fort Worth to life for 30 years. As the most awarded corporate event and destination management company in Texas, UV prides itself on providing a full range of services including special events, team-building, group tours/excursions, and transportation logistics. Recognized as the Best Meeting & Event Planning Company in Texas by Texas Meetings & Events magazine and as the only ADMEI accredited DMC (ADMC) in North Texas, our women-owned company gives our clients what they crave most: Time Savings, Expertise, and Peace of Mind. To learn more about the best Dallas DMC, visit www.uvdmc.com. Contact: Val Lenington Vice President T: 972-732-8433 E: [email protected] W: www.uvdmc.com SOURCE Ultimate Ventures The campaign celebrates the collection's bold, luxe styles alongside dynamic women from the return of brand icons to new trailblazing talent. NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Victoria's Secret announced the debut of The Icon by Victoria's Secret, a new collection of bras, panties and lingerie that celebrate the shape of you. Centered around the new Icon by Victoria's Secret Push-Up Demi Bra, the campaign features megawatt talent including Adut Akech, Hailey Bieber, Paloma Elsesser, Sui He and Emily Ratajkowski, as well as the return of Gisele Bundchen, Naomi Campbell, Adriana Lima, and Candice Swanepoel. Naomi Campbell for Victoria's Secret | Photo credit: Mikael Jansson Paloma Elsesser for Victoria's Secret | Photo credit: Mikael Jansson Gisele Bundchen for Victoria's Secret | Photo credit: Mikael Jansson Lensed by acclaimed photographer Mikael Jansson and styled by Camilla Nickerson, the campaign features silhouetted imagery that captures the power of each woman in the cast. Select talent included in the campaign will also be featured in The Tour, the brand's reimagined fashion show that will center on emerging global creatives, premiering this fall. "We are so excited to be launching The Icon by Victoria's Secret collection. The collection was made to enhance one's natural shape while staying true to the supportive and seamless look that we love. It's an exciting, elevated collection to add to your wardrobe, while reinforcing that we are all icons" said Janie Schaffer, Chief Design Officer at Victoria's Secret The collection includes the Icon by Victoria's Secret Push-Up Demi Bra, which features a first of its kind lifting and shaping technology that is customized to enhance the wearer's natural shape. With an all over lace that disappears under clothes, the bra also features light push-up padding, a smoothing wing and fully adjustable and convertible straps. The full collection, that includes panties, slips and robes featuring the brand's classic logo design, starts at $18.50 for panties, $54.95 for bras and $34.95 for lingerie, with sizes ranging from 32A-44DDD, XS-XXL. The Icon Collection was made to be your new signature style. To shop The Icon collection early, visit victoriassecret.com and register to become a member of Victoria's Secret Collective Loyalty Program. The collection will officially become available in retail locations nationwide on Thursday, August 10. The collection will also be available in international retail locations and online, launch dates per region to be announced. Notes to Editors: Stay Connected: Victoria's Secret: https://www.victoriassecret.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/VictoriasSecret Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictoriasSecret Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriassecret TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@victoriassecret Victoria's Secret & Co. (NYSE: VSCO) is a specialty retailer of modern, fashion-inspired collections including signature bras, panties, lingerie, casual sleepwear, athleisure and swim, as well as award- winning prestige fragrances and body care. VS&Co is comprised of market leading brands, Victoria's Secret and Victoria's Secret PINK, that share a common purpose of inspiring and uplifting our customers in every stage of their lives, and Adore Me, a technology-led, digital-first innovative intimates brand serving women of all sizes and budgets at all phases of life. We are committed to empowering our more than 30,000 associates across a global footprint of approximately 1,350 retail stores in approximately 70 countries. We provide our customers with products and experiences that make them feel good inside and out while driving positive change through the power of our products, platform and advocacy. SOURCE Victoria's Secret Conference call to take place on Tuesday, August 15 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time HENDERSON, Nev, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- VolitionRx Limited (NYSE AMERICAN: VNRX) ("Volition") today announced it will host a conference call on Tuesday, August 15 at 8.30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its financial and operating results for the second quarter 2023, in addition to providing a business update. Details of this event can also be found below. Event: VolitionRx Limited Second Quarter 2023 Earnings and Business Update Conference Call Date: Tuesday, August 15, 2023 Time: 8:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time U.S. & Canada Dial-in:1-877-407-9716 (toll free) U.K. Dial-in: 0 800 756 3429 (toll free) Toll/International: 1-201-493-6779 Conference ID: 13740530 Cameron Reynolds, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Volition, will host the call along with Terig Hughes, Group Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Tom Butera, Chief Executive Officer of Volition Veterinary Diagnostics Development LLC, and Scott Powell, Executive Vice President, Investor Relations. The call will provide an update on important events which have taken place in the second quarter of 2023 and upcoming milestones. A live audio webcast of the conference call will also be available on the investor relations page of Volition's corporate website at http://ir.volition.com . In addition, a telephone replay of the call will be available until August 29, 2023. The replay dial-in numbers are 1-844-512-2921 (toll-free) in the U.S. and Canada and 1-412-317-6671 (toll) internationally. Please use replay pin number 13740530 . About Volition Volition is a multi-national epigenetics company powered by Nu.Q, its proprietary nucleosome quantification platform. Through its subsidiaries, Volition is developing simple, easy to use, cost effective blood tests to help diagnose and monitor a range of life-altering diseases including some cancers and diseases associated with NETosis such as sepsis and COVID-19. Early diagnosis and monitoring have the potential to not only prolong the life of patients but also improve their quality of life. The tests are based on the science of Nucleosomics, which is the practice of identifying and measuring nucleosomes in the bloodstream or other bodily fluid - an indication that disease is present. Volition's research and development activities are centered in Belgium, with an innovation laboratory and office in the U.S. and additional offices in London and Singapore. The contents found at Volition's website address are not incorporated by reference into this document and should not be considered part of this document. Such website address is included in this document as an inactive textual reference only. Nu.Q is a trademark of VolitionRx Limited and its subsidiaries. Media Enquiries: Louise Batchelor/Debra Daglish Volition [email protected] +44 (0)7557 774620 SOURCE VolitionRx Limited BANGALORE, India, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Waterproofing Membrane Market is Segmented by Type (Sheet Based Membranes, Liquid Applied Membranes ), by Application (Roofing and Walls, Building Structures, Waste and Water Management, Tunnels and Landfills, Bridges and Highways): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2029. The global Waterproofing Membrane market was valued at USD 19050 Million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 26450 Million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period 2023-2029. Download Free Sample: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-22A1206/Global_Waterproofing_Membranes Major factors driving the growth of Waterproofing Membranes Market: The rising urbanization, industrialization, and economic growth of emerging economies are to blame for the rising need for waterproofing membranes. The demand for waterproofing membranes is also being driven by rising infrastructure projects. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-22A1206/global-waterproofing-membranes TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF WATERPROOFING MEMBRANE MARKET To stop water from penetrating the foundations, they can be erected or fastened (like a structural slab). Waterproofing will help prevent water from penetrating your foundation and preserve your property from water damage, whether it's to safeguard your building's roof or basement. By preventing water from moving in front of or behind the membrane, should it be ruptured, the spray-on waterproofing membrane system provides benefits for maintenance and repair. A dry shotcrete machine can apply the membrane in a very straightforward manner. These factors are expected to drive the growth of the Waterproofing Membranes Market. Designers must gauge a landfill liner or a ground waterproofing's effectiveness in decades rather than in years. Our bitumen geomembrane systems have been created to offer a strong shield that will hold its watertight seal over time. Due to their flexibility, they can withstand changes in temperature and structural movement without tearing or degrading. The membranes can also withstand lengthy UV exposure, harsh weather conditions, and puncturing forces, typically enabling them to be deployed without a caution layer. They are a perfect choice for drinking water reservoirs because of their improved chemical resistance, which shields the water from any pollutants in the earth below. These factors are expected to drive the growth of the Waterproofing Membranes Market. In an effort to stop this specific kind of rapid deterioration in bridge decks, waterproofing membrane systems have been created. To safeguard the bridge's underlying structure, a waterproofing membrane is a thin, impermeable coating that is applied over an asphalt overlay (which serves as the riding surface). Waterproof Membranes Support the Upkeep of Vital Bridge, Rail, and Road Infrastructure. This new class of spray-applied waterproofing materials is seamless, tough, quick to dry, watertight, capable of bridging cracks, and able to persist for decades without requiring a lot of maintenance. These factors are expected to drive the growth of the Waterproofing Membranes Market. Waterproofing helps keep your building's structural integrity for longer by preventing flooding, water leaks, pollutant leaks, mold, and mildew from getting inside. When a building is structurally sound, it is better able to endure weather conditions and environmental changes that would typically require property insurance to cover the cost of repairs. These factors are expected to drive the growth of the Waterproofing Membranes Market. Buy Chapters: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-22A1206/global-waterproofing-membranes/1 WATERPROOFING MEMBRANES MARKET SHARE With a 36% market share, China has the largest market for waterproofing membranes. With a market share of around 23%, Europe is a laggard. Buy Regional Reports: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-22A1206/global-waterproofing-membranes/7 Key Companies: The key players are Soprema Group, Sika, Fosroc, GAF, Icopal Group, TehnoNICOL, Polyglass, Imperbit Membrane, General Membrane, Carlisle, Modern Waterproofing, ChovA, Bauder, ARDEX Group, Henkel Polybit, Renolit, Tegola Canadese, Index, Hansuk, Schluter-Systems, Protecto Wrap, Grace, Colas, Vetroasfalto, Tamko, Multiplan Yaltm, Oriental Yuhong, CKS, Hongyuan Waterproof, Tangshan Desheng etc. The top 3 companies held around 12% of the market. Click here to Buy Corporate Profiles: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-22A1206/global-waterproofing-membranes/12 Buy Now for Single User + Covid-19 Impact : https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-22A1206&lic=single-user SUBSCRIPTION We have introduced a tailor-made subscription for our customers. 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SIMILAR REPORTS - Waterproofing Liquid Membranes Market - Liquid Applied Membrane for Construction Market - Liquid Applied Roofing Market - RO Membrane Cleaners Market - PVC Waterproofing Membrane Market - Breathable Roofing Membrane market was valued at USD 1258.1 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 1784.5 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Hot Rubberized Asphalt Waterproofing Membrane Market - EPDM Waterproofing Membrane Market - Synthetic Polymer Waterproofing Membrane Market - Foundation Waterproofing Membrane Market - Exterior Waterproofing Membrane market was valued at USD 5551 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 7422.5 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 4.0% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Flat Roof Waterproofing Membrane Market - PVC Architectural Membrane Market - Olefins Architectural Membrane market was valued at USD 657 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 800.4 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 2.8% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - The membrane microfiltration market size was valued at USD 3,772.7 million in 2020, and is projected to reach USD 8,849.5 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 8.9% from 2021 to 2030. - Zero Liquid Discharge Systems Market - PTFE Architectural Membrane Market - Basement Waterproofing Membrane Market - Interior Basement Waterproofing Membrane Market - Bituminous Waterproofing Membrane Market - Building Geomembrane Market - Membrane Separation Systems Industry - The global Light Steel Framing (LSF) market was valued at USD 23220 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 40570 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 8.2% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Smart Water Management market was valued at USD 2932.9 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 5329.4 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 8.8% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Shower Wall Panels Market - Slab Repair Service Market - Cobiax Slabs Market - CLT Engineered Timber Market Click here to see related reports on Waterproofing membranes market ABOUT US: Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs. Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs. To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. Each sample we share contains a detailed research methodology employed to generate the report. Please also reach our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources. CONTACT US: Valuates Reports [email protected] For U.S. Toll-Free Call 1-(315)-215-3225 For IST Call +91-8040957137 WhatsApp: +91-9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/921 https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/922 https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/923 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg SOURCE Valuates Reports MOKENA, Ill., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Westside Children's Therapy is excited to announce the opening of their new clinic in Machesney Park, Illinois. Located at 1205 West Lane Rd, the clinic will open its doors in September 2023 and provide pediatric services including Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy. The family-owned and operated business has been providing therapeutic services for more than 26 years with 27 locations throughout the Chicagoland area. CEO Mark Cassidy says: "We are thrilled to be able to serve families in Machesney Park with our comprehensive therapy services. We look forward to being a part of this community and helping children reach their goals." The clinic is designed with kids in mind and features everything they need for a fun and effective therapy experience. The sensory gym includes a rockwall, crash pit, slides, ziplines and trampolines that can be used by all therapy disciplines. There are also private treatment rooms where therapists can help each child sharpen their skills one on one. At Westside every child receives 1:1 therapy even during group sessions. Each program is tailored specifically for the needs of each child as determined by an initial evaluation before starting services. Westside also offers three therapeutic school-readiness programs IGNITE (ages 2-6), RISE (ages 5-8) and FOCUS (afterschool program). Westside Children's Therapy looks forward to serving Machesney Park families starting in September 2023! About Westside Children's Therapy Westside Children's Therapy is a family-owned ABA and pediatric therapy provider located throughout Chicagoland. Westside is committed to achieving long-term outcomes that sustain beyond childhood, building meaningful relationships with families, and offering convenience to parents. For more information visit WestsideCT.com or call 815-469-1500. Media contact: John Kaplan, 815-469-1500 SOURCE Westside Children's Therapy Whistic's market-leading solution is the first of its kind to deliver AI capabilities to meet both customer trust and third-party risk management needs in a single, unified platform SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Whistic , a leading third-party risk management solution and vendor security network, recently unveiled new artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities designed to transform the future of third-party risk management. The first in an ongoing rollout of leading-edge AI advancements, today's announcement signals Whistic's commitment to a unified assessment experience with artificial intelligence as a foundational element for security teams on both sides of the third-party risk management process. According to the 2023 G2 Software Buyer Behavior Report, 86% of buyers require a security assessment prior to purchase. Assessing vendor risk has traditionally required customers to exchange detailed questionnaires with vendors, resulting in delays and back-and-forth that slow the sales and procurement process by weeks or months. This is not the case with Whistic, which is designed to deliver a future in which the world is empowered to assess third-party risk and build customer trust without the need to request or respond to questionnaires. "This announcement reflects our belief that AI will revolutionize the way customer trust and security teams operate moving forward," says Nick Sorensen, Chief Executive Officer of Whistic. "In the first seven years of Whistic, we brought down the time it takes to conduct a vendor assessment from weeks or months to days. Now, we're excited to announce that AI will enable us to take that time down from days to minutes." Whistic is the first platform to provide its customers with standardized questionnaires to assess the risk of AI in their own supply chain or to self-assess against as a part of trust center documentation. These questionnaires are based on the most up-to-date AI frameworks (the European Union's capAI framework and the ISO 23053 standard ) and are now available to all Whistic users as a part of the library of more than 40 industry-recognized standards. "The pace of change in artificial intelligence is accelerating so quickly thatuntil nowit was difficult for buyers to fully evaluate the ways their vendors were utilizing AI, and it was difficult for vendors to demonstrate their controls around AI," explains Jake Bernardes, Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Whistic. "We're very excited to be the first third-party risk management platform to provide teams on both sides of the assessment with industry-best frameworks to assess AI risk and build trust around AI tools." Whistic's new Knowledge Base with AI-powered Smart Search gives customer trust teams a powerful and intuitive way to store, organize, and contextually search security documentation and receive answers to questions with precision, creating a more intelligent foundation for their Whistic trust center. Whistic will continue its investment in AI and intends to release more meaningful AI capabilities in the coming months. "We envision a world where AI makes it possible for buyers and sellers to eliminate the manual steps in the vendor security assessment process entirely, without sacrificing security and confidence," says Sorensen. "This is only the beginning." Whistic will be providing free demonstrations of its AI-powered platform during this week's Black Hat USA conference. Schedule your demo here . About Whistic: Whistic is an AI-powered platform that streamlines both sides of the third-party risk assessment process through a unified experience and an extensive network of buyers and sellers. Whistic equips InfoSec teams to easily assess vendors and confidently share security posture from an all-in-one platform without being reliant on requesting and responding to questionnaires. To learn more, visit www.whistic.com and follow us LinkedIn . SOURCE Whistic American psychologist Albert Mehrabyan has derived an interesting formula for communication: 45% of the impression of a person is formed by speech - voice, words, timbre, and the ability to express one's opinion. Everyone has heard about the rules of conversational etiquette, but few people observe them. ADVERTISIMENT You can conduct a short test: record an impromptu story on a tape recorder or video to find weaknesses that can notice your interlocutors. Tell an impression of a book or a movie, hold a reflection on some event. OBOZREVATEL publishes the basic rules of conversational etiquette, which will help to improve conversational skills and add confidence in communication. Slang rule In business conversations, slang should be excluded. Speak in words that are simple and understandable to your interlocutor. Do not try to make an impression by operating with narrowly specialized concepts that your interlocutor may not understand. This will make him or her feel uncomfortable. The rule of other people's mistakes According to the rules of etiquette, it is very impolite to correct someone else's mistakes. You can gently mention them when you have a chance or when you are alone with the person you are talking to. It is not worthwhile to loudly tell the speaker about unimportant mistakes in pronunciation or accent, sitting in a large meeting room in the company of potential clients or colleagues. If mistakes are detrimental to the reputation of a person or company, find a way to communicate this tactfully in a private conversation. Alternatively, if possible, try to pronounce a difficult word yourself with the correct stress or sound. ADVERTISIMENT Politeness rule Do not interrupt your interlocutor. Even though there is not enough time or the discussion is too emotional, do not interrupt. Let the person finish his/her opinion and only then start counterarguments. Rule of uncertainty If you don't know what to answer a question, don't just say anything. Don't start pausing and stretching out parasitic words: "well... now... now... how to explain it....". It is better to say: "This question needs more detailed study" or "I can't answer right away, I need to think about it". The rule of thumb In conversation, try to lower your voice a little - by half a tone from your usual tone, especially when you first get acquainted. With strangers, it is better to choose a soft, friendly tone. Earlier OBOZREVATEL told that there are several rules of etiquette, which unintentionally violate all. For example, a woman is accepted to skip ahead - but even in this rule there are exceptions, which few people know about. ADVERTISIMENT Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL channels in Telegram and Viber to be aware of the latest events. DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilden , part of PSG and Dover (NYSE: DOV), today announced that it has extended its line of small air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) pumps with the addition of two new 6 mm (1/4") Bolted Plastic Pump models, the Pro-Flo SHIFT Series PS25 and Accu-Flo Series A25PS. Providing the reliability, energy efficiency, and dependability required in challenging fluid-handling activities, the PS25 and A25PS AODD pumps are ideal for dosing and batching applications. "These new additions are part of the best-in-class Wilden Pro-Flo SHIFT line," said Michael Um, Wilden Product Manager. "The Pro-Flo SHIFT Air Distribution System in our 38 mm (1.5") and larger pumps automatically restricts the amount of air that enters, eliminating overcharging of the air chamber without reducing flow rate. This results in an AODD pump that delivers an up to 60% reduction in air consumption and 34% more product yield than competitive models, saving energy use over the life of the pump." The Pro-Flo SHIFT PS25 is an ideal solution for small-dosing applications, combining maximum efficiency with superior containment and featuring a bolted construction for improved flow rates and higher dry/wet suction lift capabilities. The Accu-Flo A25PS offers the same benefits as the PS25 while also featuring a direct electrical interface that utilizes impulses to stroke the pump, enabling the variable stroke rate to be easily set and controlled as needed. For more information about Wilden, please visit wildenpump.com . Wilden is a brand of PSG, a Dover company. For more information on PSG, please visit psgdover.com. About Wilden: Jim Wilden revolutionized the pumping industry when he invented the air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) pump in 1955. Since that time, Wilden has been at the forefront of bringing AODD technology into the future by building its extensive infrastructure, knowledge base and intellectual capital. Wilden offers a comprehensive line of safe, reliable and energy-efficient AODD pumps including the Pro-Flo SHIFT Series, Pro-Flo Series and Specialty Series for critical pumping applications in the general industrial, paint and coatings, oil and gas, chemical process, water and wastewater, hygienic, mining, ceramics, and military and marine markets. Wilden is a brand of PSG, a Dover company. To learn more about Wilden, please visit psgdover.com/wilden. About PSG: PSG is the global pump, metering and dispensing-solution expert, enabling the safe and efficient transfer of critical and valuable fluids that require optimal performance and reliability in applications where it matters most. Additionally, PSG is a leading provider of flow meters designed to reduce waste and downtime while accurately measuring, monitoring and controlling the distribution of fluids. Headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, USA, PSG is comprised of several world-class brands, including Abaque, All-Flo, Almatec, Blackmer, Ebsray, em-tec, Griswold, Hydro, Malema, Mouvex, Neptune, PSG Biotech, Quantex, Quattroflow, and Wilden. PSG products are manufactured on three continents North America, Europe and Asia in state-of-the-art facilities that practice lean manufacturing and are ISO-certified. PSG is part of the Pumps & Process Solutions segment of Dover Corporation. For additional information on PSG, please visit psgdover.com. PSG: Where Innovation Flows. About Dover: Dover is a diversified global manufacturer and solutions provider with annual revenue of over $8 billion. We deliver innovative equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions, and support services through five operating segments: Engineered Products, Clean Energy & Fueling, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions and Climate & Sustainability Technologies. Dover combines global scale with operational agility to lead the markets we serve. Recognized for our entrepreneurial approach for over 65 years, our team of over 25,000 employees takes an ownership mindset, collaborating with customers to redefine what's possible. Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Dover trades on the New York Stock Exchange under "DOV." Additional information is available at dovercorporation.com. PSG Contact: Christopher Walsh (331) 277-8137 [email protected] Dover Media Contact: Adrian Sakowicz, VP, Communications (630) 743-5039 [email protected] Dover Investor Contact: Jack Dickens, Senior Director, Investor Relations (630) 743-2566 [email protected] SOURCE Dover For its latest update, Goodnotes built first-of-its-kind AI handwriting capabilities, such as Spellcheck for handwritten notes and AI Math Assistance for math test prep Goodnotes 6 also includes much-anticipated features, such as pen gestures like Scribble to Erase, customizable templates and folders, and a new in-app marketplace of digital stationery Goodnotes will soon launch other revolutionary features that allow users to retrieve answers to contextual questions from their notes LONDON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodnotes, the beloved digital paper app for note-taking and 2022 iPad App of the Year, unveils Goodnotes 6 today exclusively on Apple's platforms. By pushing the boundaries of handwriting with new AI-backed features such as Spellcheck and AI Math Assistance, Goodnotes 6 will transform how people interact with information personally and professionally. Automatically correct typos in your own handwriting Fall in love with handwriting again New in-app marketplace for digital stationery like stickers, planners, covers, and more Goodnotes is on a mission to remove barriers for ideas and knowledge. Users can have all of their note-taking needs fulfilled inside a single app, whether it's sharing, planning, getting unstuck, inspiring creativity, or learning from other people's insights and materials. Goodnotes 6 elevates the digital paper experience with its newest features: AI-powered Spellcheck that instantly corrects handwritten typos in a user's own handwriting Interactive exam prep materials for SAT and other standardized tests, with built-in hints and AI Math Assistance to identify errors A new in-app marketplace where users can download new templates, stickers, and digital stationery directly in app Customizable folders and d ynamic templates that allow user to customize the size and color of the digital paper in their notebook s ynamic templates that allow user to customize the size and color of the digital paper in their notebook New pen gestures like Scribble to Erase and Circle to Lasso "Our team has been enormously excited to reimagine the way people interact with information and bring true innovation to the digital note-taking experience," said Steven Chan, Founder and CEO of Goodnotes. "We're thrilled to finally put Goodnotes 6 in the hands of our users, who we hope will feel the magic of a smarter and more delightful Goodnotes with our new user interface and our industry-first AI handwriting features." Goodnotes unveils its rebrand alongside the launch of Goodnotes 6, featuring a refreshed brand strategy, visual identity, and updated logo to present the joy and journey of digital note-taking. Goodnotes partnered with Motto, a strategic branding company, for the rebrand. Goodnotes 6 is free to download on iOS, iPadOS and macOS, and free to use for up to 3 notebooks. The full suite of features can be unlocked with unlimited notebooks for $9.99 USD per year or $29.99 USD as a one-time purchase (local pricing applies). Existing paid GoodNotes 5 users can continue using GoodNotes 5, or upgrade to Goodnotes 6 at a discount. Goodnotes 6 will continue to be free for educational institutions through Apple School Manager. On the heels of this Goodnotes 6 release, Goodnotes will continue to invest in and create AI note-taking features that will enhance note-taking itself and allow users to manipulate handwritten and typed information in new ways. ABOUT GOODNOTES: Goodnotes is the leading AI digital paper used by millions of users worldwide. Launched in 2011, Goodnotes started as an improvement to physical paper notes introducing the ability to take handwritten digital notes, search handwritten text, and organize everything into a digital library. Today, Goodnotes is pioneering generative AI for digital handwriting in the productivity space. Goodnotes was most recently named Apple's 2022 iPad App of the Year. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2170413/iPad_12_9_EN_9_AutoCorrect.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2170466/iPad_12_9_EN_2_Hand_Writing_ID_9fea4a5e7e14.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2170467/iPad_12_9_EN_6_Marketplace_ID_a5f7d5383ac5.jpg SOURCE Goodnotes Limited NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wood Pellets Market is experiencing rapid growth as a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to traditional fossil fuels, driven by increasing demand for bioenergy and strict regulations on CO2 emissions. Wood pellets are widely used for power generation, combined heat and power systems, and heating in residential, commercial, and industrial settings. According to the latest market analysis report by Technavio, Wood Pellets Market is set to achieve a staggering Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.84% between 2022 and 2027, propelling the market size to skyrocket by an astonishing USD 5,283.83 million between 2022 to 2027. Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Wood Pellets Market 2023-2027 The Wood Pellets Market Analysis Report provides a detailed segmentation based on end-users, applications, and geography. Geographically, the market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), South America, and the Middle East and Africa. Additionally, the report includes historic market data from 2017 to 2021, providing valuable insights for companies to refine their marketing strategies and gain a competitive edge. Click here to view the report. Technavio's research report also includes detailed analyses of the competitive landscape of the market and information about 15 market companies, including: AS Graanul Invest Binderholz GmbH BioPower Sustainable Energy Corp. CT Pellet Drax Group Plc ECARE Energy Pellets of America LLC Enviva Inc. Highland Pellets LLC JP Green Fuels Pvt. Ltd. Land Energy Girvan Ltd. Laxmi Subhi Sales Corp. Lignetics Inc. Pfeifer Holding GmbH PREMIUM PELLETS s.r.o PRODESA Key takeaways of the Wood Pellets Market report: Growing Bioenergy Adoption: The rising adoption of bioenergy as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels is a key driver behind the market's growth. Wood pellets, derived from organic matter, offer a renewable and eco-friendly energy source. The rising adoption of bioenergy as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels is a key driver behind the market's growth. Wood pellets, derived from organic matter, offer a renewable and eco-friendly energy source. Decline in Coal Usage: The market is witnessing a trend of declining coal usage in the power industry, as countries shift towards cleaner and renewable energy sources like wood pellets for power generation. The market is witnessing a trend of declining coal usage in the power industry, as countries shift towards cleaner and renewable energy sources like wood pellets for power generation. Europe is the Leading Region: Europe is expected to be the dominant region in the wood pellets market, contributing around 73% of the market's growth. Strict policies promoting renewable energy sources and government support through incentives and grants are fueling the demand for wood pellets in the region. Europe is expected to be the dominant region in the wood pellets market, contributing around 73% of the market's growth. Strict policies promoting renewable energy sources and government support through incentives and grants are fueling the demand for wood pellets in the region. Installation Challenges: The installation requirements for biomass boilers and feedstock storage pose challenges to market growth, especially in urban areas with space constraints. Overcoming these challenges will be crucial for sustained market expansion. The installation requirements for biomass boilers and feedstock storage pose challenges to market growth, especially in urban areas with space constraints. Overcoming these challenges will be crucial for sustained market expansion. Positive Environmental Impact: Wood pellets offer a carbon-neutral and environmentally friendly energy source, contributing to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. Wood pellets offer a carbon-neutral and environmentally friendly energy source, contributing to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. Diverse Product Range: The market offers various types of wood pellets, including those used for power generation, heating, and other camping gear and accessories, providing a wide range of options for consumers. To get an insight into the Wood Pellets Market product range, download the sample report here. The wood pellets market is set to experience substantial growth driven by the increasing demand for bioenergy and a shift away from coal in the power industry. Europe emerges as a dominant force in the market, promoting renewable energy and sustainable practices. However, the industry must address challenges related to biomass boiler installations and feedstock storage to ensure continued progress. As companies strategize to enhance their presence in the market, alliances, partnerships, mergers, and product/service launches are likely to play crucial roles in shaping the industry's future. Buy the report to get full insights into the Wood Pellets Market and make informed decisions. Below, find a few related reports: Global Wood Fuels Market: The camping furniture market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9% during the forecast period. The wood fuels market is segmented based on geographic regions into three key areas: Americas, APAC (Asia-Pacific), and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa). Additionally, based on the type of product, the market can be divided into two main categories: wood pellets and wood chips. Global Biomass Pellets Market: The Global Biomass Pellets market to grow at a CAGR of 11.0 % over the period 2014-2019. The report covers the Global Biomass Pellets market landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also includes the segmentation of the Global Biomass Pellets market by end-user as well as geographical segmentation. About Technavio Technavio is a trusted source for industry news and insights that help companies stay ahead in today's competitive landscape. With a team of experienced analysts and researchers, we continuously scrutinize and evaluate the dynamic landscape of markets across the globe. Our comprehensive coverage, meticulous research methodologies, and pragmatic industry expertise have earned us the trust and reliance of a vast clientele, including over 100 esteemed Fortune 500 organizations. SOURCE Technavio Global community of business leaders calls for entries by October 6 for second annual showcase of DEI progress and best practices Finalists and winners to be celebrated in Miami on March 27, 2024 ATLANTA, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- World 50 Group, the global community of business leaders from the most respected and influential companies, announced today the call for entries for the 2024 I&D Impact Awards . Launched in early 2023, the awards recognize and celebrate outstanding organizations, leaders, and teams who are pioneering systemic and scalable solutions for achieving greater equity in the workplace. During a pivotal time for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), World 50's I&D Impact Awards offer a platform to honor progress and exchange best practices in the field including remarkable contributions and achievements in community impact, inclusiveness, innovation, leadership, and transparency. The awards are further bolstered by the recent release of World 50's third annual Inclusion & Diversity Impact Report , which serves as a comprehensive source for insight into the current state of DEI efforts in the business world. "We are immensely proud to kick off the 2024 World 50 I&D Impact Awards as we continue to celebrate and elevate pioneers in DEI," said World 50 Chief Impact Officer Jennifer Bird Newton. "These awards are a testament to the transformative power of collective action and reflect our unwavering commitment to recognizing exceptional leaders, organizations, and teams who are paving the way toward a more inclusive and equitable future." Categories for the 2024 awards include: Community Impact Award : Recognizes a company that has had an impact on communities by supporting education or development programs, health care, infrastructure, or other areas of need. : Recognizes a company that has had an impact on communities by supporting education or development programs, health care, infrastructure, or other areas of need. Gender Equality Award : Presented to a global team, function, or company that has made exceptional contributions to advancing gender equality in their organizations and beyond. It also recognizes organizations that have taken proactive measures to challenge and break down gender-based barriers, promote equal opportunities, and foster a diverse work environment. : Presented to a global team, function, or company that has made exceptional contributions to advancing gender equality in their organizations and beyond. It also recognizes organizations that have taken proactive measures to challenge and break down gender-based barriers, promote equal opportunities, and foster a diverse work environment. I&D Ally Award : Acknowledges a team, function, or division that has made significant contributions to advancing the company's inclusion and diversity objectivesone that goes beyond day-to-day responsibilities to support a greater DEI vision and uphold the organization's values. : Acknowledges a team, function, or division that has made significant contributions to advancing the company's inclusion and diversity objectivesone that goes beyond day-to-day responsibilities to support a greater DEI vision and uphold the organization's values. I&D Leader of the Year : Recognizes the senior-most inclusion and diversity leader who empowers their team, inspires progress for the organization, and is committed to delivering meaningful and measurable results. : Recognizes the senior-most inclusion and diversity leader who empowers their team, inspires progress for the organization, and is committed to delivering meaningful and measurable results. I&D Team of the Year : Celebrates an inclusion and diversity team that shares a clear purpose and works together to drive progress while encouraging a culture of openness, equality, individual and collective growth, and trust. : Celebrates an inclusion and diversity team that shares a clear purpose and works together to drive progress while encouraging a culture of openness, equality, individual and collective growth, and trust. Inclusion Award : Recognizes a company that has made progress in fostering a culture of inclusiveness and embracing diverse techniques and approachessuch as implementing neurodiversity representation, diversity training programs, and employee resource groups, and promoting inclusive leadership practicesto create a positive environment for its entire workforce. : Recognizes a company that has made progress in fostering a culture of inclusiveness and embracing diverse techniques and approachessuch as implementing neurodiversity representation, diversity training programs, and employee resource groups, and promoting inclusive leadership practicesto create a positive environment for its entire workforce. Innovation Award : Showcases a company that has developed technology to improve DEI efforts. : Showcases a company that has developed technology to improve DEI efforts. Transparency Award : Recognizes an organization that has publicly declared its current position and openly shared its intentions and targets for improvement. This organization displays honesty, realism, ambition, and a willingness to face the scrutiny of third parties. : Recognizes an organization that has publicly declared its current position and openly shared its intentions and targets for improvement. This organization displays honesty, realism, ambition, and a willingness to face the scrutiny of third parties. I&D Impact Award: The pinnacle of the awards, which celebrates an organization that has displayed true excellence in making DEI progress, providing a benchmark for others to aspire to, and offering clear evidence of improvement. Entries will be carefully considered and selected by prominent, cross-industry leaders and World 50 members who champion DEI initiatives at companies such as Allstate, Best Buy, Glencore, Intel, KPMG, Lenovo, Mars, MetLife, Pinterest, Warner Bros. Discovery, Wipro, and others. "Being a part of the I&D Impact Awards judging panel provides an opportunity to highlight the progress of the inclusion and diversity journey in companies globally. It is also a way to learn about the brilliant I&D initiatives from various industries," said Putri Realita, group head of inclusion, equity, and diversity at Glencore. Asif Sadiq, chief global diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at Warner Bros. Discovery, added: "Now more than ever before, it is important to recognize the contributions made in the DEI space. The Impact Awards are great for that recognition." The 2023 I&D Impact Awards celebrated trailblazing recipients, including The Cigna Group, Pfizer, and Fannie Mae all of which exemplified excellence in their respective categories. Organizations and individuals interested in submitting entries for the 2024 I&D Impact Awards can find detailed information and submit their applications on the I&D Impact Awards site from now until October 6, 2023. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on March 27, 2024, in Miami. Preceding the ceremony will be a DEI Congress, where member participants will gather to discuss progress, emerging pressures, and strategies for moving DEI initiatives forward. "Fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace isn't just a social imperative; it's a strategic business imperative," said Sunita Cherian, chief culture officer at Wipro. "I am honored to have the opportunity to help recognize organizations that exemplify the transformative power of inclusion and individuals who are inspiring others to create a more equitable world, where unique perspectives are valued and respected." About World 50 Group Leaders of the world's most respected companies join World 50 to learn from one another. More than 4,800 global CEOs, board directors, and senior executives across every functionfrom 37 countries across six continentstrust the World 50 community for insights that deliver impact at scale. World 50 is the safe space to exchange ideas, navigate complex challenges, and evolve as a leader. Members are at the forefront of transformation, leading organizations with a total market cap exceeding US$34 trillion and more than 37 million employees worldwide. To learn more about membership and request an invitation, visit world50.com . SOURCE World 50 Group An international team of scientists has investigated an extremely powerful gamma-ray burst caused by the collision of neuron stars, or a neuron star and a black hole. The explosion produced gold and platinum, with an approximate mass 1,000 times that of the Earth. ADVERTISIMENT The scientists reported the study in a paper for the journal Nature Astronomy. The gamma-ray burst itself, dubbed GRB 211211A, was detected back in December 2021 by NASA's Neil Gerrels Swift Observatory and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The GRB 211211A gamma-ray burst detected in a neighboring galaxy lasted about a minute, a relatively long burst that usually indicates that a supermassive star has collapsed and become a supernova. But the scientists' observations revealed an excess of infrared light and, unlike a classic supernova, this event was much fainter and faded faster. So the researchers realized something else was going on. The analysis found that the infrared light detected in the flare came from a kilonova. This is a rare cosmic event that is thought to occur when neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole collide. ADVERTISIMENT Such explosions produce heavy elements such as gold and platinum that explode into space. That said, normal gamma-ray flashes associated with kilonovae last less than two seconds, while this one lasted about a minute. "We found that this single event produced very heavy elements with a mass about 1,000 times that of the Earth. This supports the idea that these kilonovae are the main gold factories in the Universe," Dr. Matt Nicholl, Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham, told the paper. The kilonova spawned by GRB 211211A is the closest of those discovered without gravitational waves. Its distance from us by just 1 billion light years has given scientists the opportunity to study the properties of the merger in unprecedented detail. "This has been a remarkable GRB. We don't expect mergers to last more than two seconds. But this merger somehow powered the jet (gamma-ray bursts) for almost a full minute. Perhaps this behavior can be explained by a long-lived neutron star, but we can't rule out that what we saw was a neutron star being torn apart by a black hole," SciTechDaily quoted University of Birmingham associate professor Dr. Benjamin Gompertz, PhD, as saying. ADVERTISIMENT According to him, the study of more such events will help determine which answer is correct, and the detailed information obtained from GRB 211211A will be "invaluable to this interpretation". Earlier OBOZREVATEL told about the fact that in space there was a "perfect" explosion that makes no sense and contradicts the laws of physics. Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL channels in Telegram and Viber to be aware of the latest events. 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 The Economic Court of Kyiv recognized as lawful the termination of the contract between the monastery of the UOC-MP and the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra". The session was held on Wednesday, August 9. ADVERTISIMENT This was reported in the press service of the Ministry of culture and information policy of Ukraine. Monks of the Moscow patriarchate had to leave the territory of the Lavra even before July 4. "Today the Economic court of the city of Kyiv recognized legal termination of the contract concluded between the Holy Assumption Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Male Monastery) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra". We are talking about the premises of the Lower Lavra", - emphasized in the press service. The Ministry explained that the court has refused to satisfy the claims of the Holy Assumption Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra by its decision. The Moscow patriarchate further wanted to use the buildings and other property of the Reserve, which is state property. "Thus, the court confirmed the legality of the termination of the contract on the part of the Reserve", - emphasized in the Ministry of the Ministry. ADVERTISIMENT We will remind, earlier the Ministry of culture and information policy of Ukraine decided to unilaterally terminate the contract with the men's monastery of the Holy Assumption Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The monks of the UOC-MP had to leave the Lavra's territory by July 4. As reported by OBOZREVATEL, the Economic Court of Kyiv refused the U OC-MP in access and conduct services on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The meeting was held on June 13. Only verified information from us in Telegram-channel Obozrevatel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! 2 people killed in separate Caltrain crashes in US. Image Source: IANS News San Francisco, Aug 9 : A person was hit and killed by a Caltrain in Redwood City of California on Tuesday afternoon, officials said. At about 12:30 p.m., a train heading south struck and killed an individual, who hasn't been identified. None of the passengers onboard were injured, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Caltrain's public information officer Dan Lieberman. The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office Transit Police and county coroner responded to the scene. The tracks were cleared by 3:00 p.m., according to Lieberman. The accident marked the transit agency's eighth fatality of the year. Five of them happened in the past two months, the transit agency said. Dubai, Aug 9 : President of the UAE Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has met visiting US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan to discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues. During the meeting held in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, the two sides "discussed the close, strategic ties between the UAE and the US, and expressed their shared interest in further strengthening these bonds", Xinhua news agency reported, citing the official news agency WAM. They also discussed regional and international developments and stressed the importance of taking joint actions to ensure peace and stability in the Middle East. Srinagar, Aug 9 : The Jammu and Kashmir Police along with security forces arrested a terrorist associate linked with proscribed terror outfit TRF in Bandipora and recovered a hand grenade from his possession on Tuesday, officials said. "Police along with 26 Assam Rifles and CRPF 3rd Bn arrested a terrorist associate linked with proscribed terror outfit TRF at a checkpoint established at Kehnusa Bandipora," police said. Security forces have recovered a hand grenade and other incriminating materials from his possession. The arrested accused has been identified as Aatif Amin Mir resident of Manzpora Aloosa Bandipora. A case has been registered against the accused and further investigation has been initiated. Brasilia, Aug 9 : The eight countries that share the Amazon basin have fallen short of an agreed goal to end deforestation, leaving each nation to pursue its own conservation goals. Delegates from Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela have assembled in the Braziliancity of Belem for a two-day summit on the issue, the first such gathering in 14 years, reports the BBC. A joint statement on Tuesday, named the Belem declaration, created a new alliance to combat deforestation, but left each country to pursue its own conservation goals. It also said the new alliance would aim to "prevent the Amazon from reaching a point of no return". The statement also included commitments to enhance co-operation on issues like water management, health, sustainable development and common negotiating positions at global climate summits. Addressing the "severe worsening of the climate crisis" in his opening speech at the summit on Tuesday, Brazilian President Luiz InAcio Lula da Silva said "the challenges of our era, and the opportunities arising from them, demand we act in unison". "It has never been so urgent," the BBC quoted the President as saying. Differences in opinion however, was witnessed at the summit. While Colombian President Gustavo Petro wants other countries to match his pledge to ban new oil exploration, Brazil is considering exploring new areas at the mouth of the Amazon river. The summit came less than a week after it was revealed that the level of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has dropped to its lowest since 2017. According to the data shared by the Brazilian space agency Inpe on Aug 3, 500 sq km of rainforest were cleared the country last month which was 66 per cent less compared to July 2022, reports the BBC. Inpe said that the area of forest cut down in the first seven months of 2023 was smaller than that razed in the same period in 2022. When President Lula took office in January, he had promised to halt the damage done during his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro's four-year term. Bolsonaro had promoted mining in indigenous lands in the Amazon and forest clearances soared at the same time as resources to protect the forest were cut. Preserving the Amazon is a central part of efforts to tackle climate change. The rainforest is a crucial buffer in the global fight against climate change and 60 per cent of it is located in Brazil. The billions of trees that make up the Amazon, often called "the lungs of the planet", hold vast amounts of carbon, accumulated over centuries, and every year their leaves continue to absorb carbon dioxide that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere and contribute to the rise in global temperatures. Lucknow, Aug 9 : Leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), indicted by the (retired) Justice M.P. Saxena Commission for their involvement in the Moradabad riots that erupted in 1980 and claimed numerous lives, have rejected their party's role in the rampage. Qauser Hayat Khan, national joint secretary of IUML, dismissed the findings of the probe report that has attributed responsibility for the riots to the "Muslim League". The violence occurred during the Eid festival. "Yes, IUML has been accused of involvement in the riots but the reality is that the then Congress government was accountable for the events. The Saxena Commission merely documented official statements," he said and added that a comprehensive investigation was not carried out by the Commission. During that period, both the central and Uttar Pradesh state governments were led by the Congress party. Khan's clarification comes in the wake of the state government tabling the report of the one-man inquiry commission -- headed by justice (retired) M.P. Saxena -- which gives clean chit to the then local administration and blames the 'Muslim League' leaders for inciting violence. Khan also called for compensation to be provided to the individuals killed in the police firing that transpired at the Eidgah on August 13, 1980. A total of 108 cases were lodged, as per the investigation report tabled in the state Assembly on Tuesday. "The police opened fire without provocation on innocent, unarmed Muslims who had congregated at the Eidgah to offer prayers. Contrary to the prevailing narrative, this was not a communal riot. It was a one-sided police action against Muslims that resulted in numerous fatalities, far exceeding the officially documented toll," the IUML leader said. "For three days following the police firing, there was no communal tension. The situation escalated when the then Union home minister, Giani Zail Singh, visited Moradabad and ordered an inquiry into the firing. It was only after this intervention that the police and local administration portrayed the incident with a communal slant. "To fabricate the appearance of a communal riot, the local administration engineered an assault on a Muslim village. This provoked a retaliation that triggered a significant communal outbreak lasting until November 1980," he added. Lucknow, Aug 9 : The Association of Private Schools in Uttar Pradesh has urged the state government to bring the 'School Safety Bill' or issue a government order that prohibits arrest of any school member without proper investigation in a case. Over 45,000 private schools across Uttar Pradesh remained closed on Tuesday following a call by their association to protest against the arrest of a principal and a teacher in connection with the suicide of a student in Azamgarh district. A Class 11 student of a girls' college in Azamgarh had allegedly killed herself on July 31. The principal and the class teacher were arrested in the matter on August 5, following a complaint by the girl's family members. In wake of the arrests, the association felt there was a need for some "safeguard measures so that heads of institutions and teachers were not harassed by police in case of any eventuality". The Unaided Private Schools Association, Uttar Pradesh, also urged the state government to form a committee to probe such incidents. The Association of Private Schools will also give a representation to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in this connection. Atul Kumar, president of Association of Private Schools, said: "We deeply condole the death of the girl student in Azamgarh. But we strongly condemn the arrest of the principal and the teacher under Section 305 without any investigation into the case. The arrest has shaken the teachers, principals and school management." Kumar said the student's suicide was extremely unfortunate, but blaming the principal and teacher of the school without any investigation was "injustice to the entire school fraternity". "Mobile phones are prohibited on the school campus, but parents still give phones to their wards. It is sad that parents threaten to lodge FIR against the school at the slightest instance. Even children have stopped respecting teachers," he added. Chief of the Unaided Private Schools Association, Anil Agarwal claimed that director-general of school education Vijay Kiran Anand assured formation of a committee and sought names of the members. Singapore, Aug 9 : An Indian national has been accused of using a fugitive lawyer's name in Singapore to cheat two insurance companies into disbursing nearly S$77,000 in settlement sums linked to two foreign workers' injury claims. Saha Ranjit Chandra, 48, was charged in a district court on Tuesday for allegedly deceiving the companies into believing that they were negotiating with an authorised person from Whitefield Law Corp under the Legal Profession Act, The Strait Times reported, citing police. A director at multiple firms, including Ranjit Investment Holdings and RS Global Immigration Consultancy, Chandra was handed five charges, including two counts of cheating. He is said to have corresponded with the insurers in 2020 and 2021 in the name of lawyer Charles Yeo Yao Hui. Hui was a director of Whitefield Law Corp at the time, according to court documents, and had an arrest warrant issued on him in August 2022, following which he absconded with criminal charges pending against him. A search with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) found that Hui is no longer a shareholder and director at Whitefield Law Corp. However, he is a director and shareholder of Charles Yeo Law Practice, where Chandra used to be a director and shareholder until 2020. Between July 29 and November 30, 2020, Chandra allegedly cheated Great Eastern Life Assurance by using Hui's name to negotiate for the workplace injury claim of a foreign worker named Manbir Singh. After that, Great Eastern Life Assurance allegedly released the workeras settlement sum of SGD35,000 to Whitefield Law Corp. Chandra is also accused of cheating China Taiping Insurance (Singapore) by using Hui's name, between January 5 and February 22, 2021. The insurer released a settlement sum of nearly S$42,000 over the workplace injury claim of one Sikder Md Shalim. From this amount, nearly S$32,600 was allegedly released to Whitefield Law Corp, while more than S$9,200 was said to be released to a company called Joseph Chen & Co. Separately, Chandra is also accused of giving false information to a public servant, the Registrar of Regulated Dealers of the Ministry of Law, on January 15, 2022, The Straits Times reported. His case has been adjourned to October 3. For each count of cheating in Singapore, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined. --IANS mi/ksk Kiev, Aug 9 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged that his country's counteroffensive against Russia is "happening probably slower" than some had hoped. Zelensky's remarks featured in a video released by his office on Tuesday which he made during a meeting with Latin American media outlets over the weekend, CNN reported. "But all of this is secondary. In some places, there are mines, in some places there are technical difficulties, in some places we have been waiting for long. Or there are other complications. We can be discussing it for a long time," Zelensky said. "The direction of the counteroffensive, what's wrong with it, what we have enough of, what we lack." The President went on to say that the "counteroffensive is when the army is attacking and not when it is retreating". "And this is an important and positive moment. And it is Ukraine that has the initiative. It is very difficult to be fighting for such a long time which is obvious. All this is very difficult when you lack this or that equipment. I know it is difficult for us but I definitely know it is more difficult for the Russians," CNN quoted Zelensky as saying in the video. "While there is fatigue in the eyes of Ukrainians, there is fear in Russians' eyes," the President added. The primary challenge for Ukrainian forces is the continued difficulty of breaking through Russiaas multi-layered defensive lines in the eastern and southern parts of the country, which are marked by tens of thousands of mines and vast networks of trenches, reports CNN. Ukrainian forces have incurred staggering losses there, leading Ukrainian commanders to hold back some units to regroup and reduce casualties. Lucknow, Aug 9 : Lucknow is witnessing a surge in cases of conjunctivitis or eye flu, particularly among schoolchildren. Various hospitals have reported a rise in the number of cases by more than 50 per cent in a week with most patients in the 10-16 years age group. Medical superintendent of Lok Bandhu Hospital Dr Ajay Tripathi said conjunctivitis cases rise generally during the monsoon season. In the past one week, however, the ophthalmology outpatient department of the hospital has witnessed a five-fold surge in eye flu cases, from 30 daily to about 150 every day. Similar is the situation at the King George's Medical University. Ophthalmologist Prof S.K. Bhaske said humid conditions and unhygienic environment are main causes of the infection. Dr Akansha Singh, an eye surgeon in Balrampur Hospital, said people should seek medical help instead of going for home remedies. "A significant surge in conjunctivitis cases has been reported by ophthalmologists from both private and government setups," associate professor at SGPGIMS Dr Rachna Agarwal said. An official spokesperson from the medical institute said that the outbreak has prompted health authorities to take swift action to address the situation, with experts looking into the details of each case with pathological and microbiological aids for identification of the causative agent and determination of the extent of the outbreak. "Patients are being made to undergo viral culture and multiplex real-time PCR among other tests for the purpose. So far, most cases belonged to enterovirus, followed by adenovirus and human herpes virus," said Dr Atul Garg, associate professor, virology unit, department of microbiology, SGPGI. Head of department of ophthalmology, Professor Vikas Kannaujia recommended frequent hand-washing and refraining from touching eyes. The mysterious circles in wheat fields that captured the imagination of the world in the 1990s and early 2000s have completely disappeared from the media in recent years, despite the fact that social media is the perfect environment for such viral stories. It was believed that the amazing drawings were either messages from alien visitors or a trace left by their spaceships during landing or take-off. ADVERTISIMENT They have been hunted, studied and attempted to be reproduced using various methods, but now it seems that no one wants them. And this is despite the fact that the topic of UFOs continues to be in the news. IFLScience recalls the history of this phenomenon and explains who was really behind the alien messages. In the 90s, when UFO-mania took over the world (not without the help of the hugely popular Top Secret series, of course), strange circles in the fields were discussed by everyone from teenagers on the streets to the national media. And this is despite the fact that the world lived in an era before social media, blogs, and the Internet was not very accessible. Nevertheless, it was reported that "greetings" from aliens were seen literally all over the world. ADVERTISIMENT But they appeared not 30 years ago, but much earlier. Back in 1678, strange signs appeared on grain crops in Hertfordshire, England. At that time, evil spirits were blamed for everything, and later it was considered the first recorded case of "alien" circles on the fields. However, it should be noted that, unlike traditional circles, the stalks of the crops in Hertfordshire were cut, not bent. Therefore, it is likely that this case should not be associated with the phenomenon at all. Another mention of circles in the fields appeared in 1880, when the journal Nature published a letter from John Rand Capron, who had seen several "round spots" appearing in the field with his own eyes. He believed that the circles were caused by cyclonic winds. ADVERTISIMENT In the second half of the twentieth century, circles in the fields began to appear more and more often and attracted more and more attention. In 1963, the English astronomer Sir Patrick Moore described a crater seen in a field in Wiltshire. He suggested that the crater was the result of a meteorite impact. He also said that in some neighbouring fields he had noticed spiral-shaped formations on the crops. Moore suggested that they were probably caused by "strong air currents caused by the falling body" and also claimed that all the patterns on the wheat led to the crater. Despite Moore's attempts to find a natural explanation for the phenomenon, alien theories began to grow around it. Later, similar circles appeared in Australia, and no one was even ashamed of them - they were immediately recognised as the work of aliens. At the same time, stories about circles in the fields that resembled a giant alien ship's engine began to appear in the UK. ADVERTISIMENT People's curiosity about aliens reached its peak in the late 1970s, when a retired US Air Force officer told of the 1947 Roswell incident, when a spaceship allegedly crashed in the New Mexico desert. Meanwhile, two Englishmen from the countryside were bored one evening and came up with what would be called a prank. Doug Bauer and Dave Chorley came up with a fairly simple method that allowed them to create circles in fields of varying complexity, and their remoteness from urban life left their nocturnal activities unnoticed. The men used wooden planks with ropes attached to them to create circles in fields on the border between Hampshire and Wiltshire. ADVERTISIMENT By stepping on the board, they created wide lines and bent the stems rather than breaking them, making it look like they had been bent by a powerful wind. Over the course of almost 20 years of pranking, Bauer and Chorley created more than 200 circles, until they admitted to it in the early 1990s. Despite the fact that the human hand behind the alien drawings had been exposed, ufologists continued to believe that aliens were behind it all. The confessions of Bauer and Chorley not only did not put an end to the appearance of these drawings in the fields, but also went viral around the world. People from other countries, using the idea of the British, began to draw even larger and more amazing circles in the fields. Eventually, however, interest in this phenomenon gradually waned as it became increasingly difficult to interpret it as reliable evidence of the existence of aliens. ADVERTISIMENT Today, crop circles have rather become an art form that no one associates with UFOs. Earlier, OBOZREVATEL also told about a Harvard physicist who claims to have discovered fragments of an alien "spaceship" in the Pacific Ocean. Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL's Telegram, Viber and Threads channels to keep up with the latest developments. Warsaw, Aug 9 : Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that he has accepted the resignation of Health Minister Adam Niedzielski who provoked outrage by disclosing sensitive information about a doctor. On August 3, Poland's private broadcaster screened footage about patients in the city of Poznan being unable to receive painkillers due to new prescription regulations, rpeorts Xinhua news agency. A doctor commenting on the situation said he was unable to prescribe the necessary medication. Niedzielski later published the doctor's personal data on social media, along with claims that he had prescribed the restricted medication in his own name. The doctor then issued a legal notice on Monday demanding an apology and a payment of 100,000 zloty ($24,600) by Niedzielski, reported local media. UN vessel arrives at site of decaying tanker off Yemen's coast. Image Source: IANS News Sanaa, Aug 9 : The Yemen government announced that the UN's delicate operation to unload oil from the decaying super oil tanker FSO Safer moored off the country's western coast, is in its final stages. According to a statement from the state-run Saba news agency, Minister of Transport Abdul-Salam Humaid revealed that the international effort to address the Safer tanker situation has made remarkable progress. He clarified that "with meticulous coordination and rigorous execution", 1,083,285 barrels of crude oil have been successfully transferred from the Safer onto a replacement vessel, reports Xinhua news agency. This accounts for 94 per cent of the total amount stored onboard the deteriorating tanker. The Minister expressed gratitude for the collaborative efforts of various international partners and local authorities, highlighting the importance of proactive measures in safeguarding the environment and preventing such disasters from unfolding. The 45-year-old FSO Safer, marooned off the port of Hodeidah since 2015, had been a ticking time bomb containing approximately 1.1 million barrels of oil. As the vessel's condition continued to deteriorate, concerns escalated regarding the potential for a devastating oil spill. The situation grew dire enough that the UN issued a warning about the possibility of an oil spill that could surpass the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in scale. The ship-to-ship transfer of more than 1.1 million barrels of oil from the decaying floating storage and offloading unit FSO Safer to a replacement tanker, the Yemen, began on July 25 as announced by the UN. Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014, with the Houthi rebels fighting against the internationally-recognised government and its allies. The war disrupted Yemen's food supply chain and caused widespread famine, bringing the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of collapse. Bengaluru, Aug 9 : The Karnataka Lokayukta has summoned top government officials on August 24 in connection with the water contamination case in which six persons have died and more than180 are hospitalised in the Kavadigarahatti area of Karnataka's Chitradurga city. Lokayukta Justice B.S. Patil stated on Wednesday that suo moto case has already been taken, and the tragedy was painful. He also expressed concern over the development and sought a report. The Secretary of Department of Urban Development from Bengaluru, District Commissioner of Chitradurga, Administrative Director of Chitradurga Municipality, District Health Officer, Municipality Commissioner, AEE and Health Inspectors have been summoned to the office of Lokayukta. The concerned officials have been asked to furnish complete facts of the case with the report at his office. The death toll in the water contamination case reported in Kavadigarahatti of Chitradurga district rose tosixlast week, said officials, adding that the number of persons hospitalised has also risen from149to185. The incident of water contamination was reported on July 31. Many of those who have been hospitalised are in critical condition, according to local authorities. The latest victim is the unborn child of 22-year-old Usha. She had come to her parents' place in Kavadigarahatti for delivery. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered a probe into the incident and directed the district authorities to initiate stern action against the officers found guilty. The authorities have sent a report recommending suspension of AEE (assistant executive enginee) R. Manjunath Giraddi and JE (junior engineer) S.R. Kiran Kumar, attached to Chitradurga Municipality. Prakash, who worked as a volve operator in Kavadigarahatti was also suspended by the district commissioner. Meanwhile, Kannada film actor and activist Chetan Ahimsa stated that there was no clarity over what exactly caused the tragedy. "Sometimes officials maintain that it is due to contamination of water and there is a serious allegation that Dalits are targeted here. The truth must come out and there must be a transparent probe," said Ahimsa. "In this case, Dalits who are victims are neglected and there are glaring lapses. The water is supplied to thousands and why is the impact seen only in the locality where Dalits are dwelling? If the same incident had happened in a posh locality of Bengaluru, it would have been international news. There is negligence towards the people who are poor, region which is away from the state capital. The government is reactive and it should be proactive. There is no answer to the question on why only Dalits are dying and getting admitted to the hospital," Ahimsa questioned. The latest report from the Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute has given a report on finding cholera bacteria variants. The report also stated that five deaths had occurred due to cholera bacteria. The report by the local authorities had the same findings. Dubai, Aug 9 : An Indian couple who flew to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and managed to track down their missing son were left heartbroken after finding him dead, a media report said. The body of the son, who died of a heart attack, remained undiscovered for days as he lived alone and had little contact with anyone, The Khaleej Times reported on Tuesday. The parents, who had not seen their son for over 10 years, begged him to return home while they were in contact, but he refused. According to social worker Ashraf Thamarassery, the son had faced some problems in his hometown after his engagement broke. "After that he never returned home," Thamarassery told The Khaleej Times. The worried parents decided to come to the UAE to search for him after they lost all contact with their son for several months. Since they had minimal details, they knocked on many doors in search of his address, the report said. After several days of searching, the parents tracked down their son's residence and learnt that he is no more. From there, the parents went to the morgue where they identified their son's body and completed necessary formalities for repatriation. "I can never forget the sorrow on the faces of the parents," Ashraf told The Khaleej Times. "It was one of the most heartbreaking cases I have dealt with." Over 3,860,000 Indian expats are estimated to be living in the UAE, which is over 38 per cent of the total population of the country. In June this year, 35-year-old Indian expat Neethu Gansh died of an electric shock while she was taking a shower at home in Dubai. Earlier this year, a 48-year-old man from Kerala went missing from the UAE and was found dead in a Pakistani prison. The Pakistan government handed over the body to Indian authorities at the Attari border. --IANS mi/ksk Kolkata, Aug 9 : BJP Lok Sabha member of Alipurduar constituency in West Bengal and the Union Minister of state minority affairs, John Barla has given shelter at his residence to 45 elected BJP panchayat members for facing life threats allegedly from ruling Trinamool Congress activists. The members have been facing threats since the time they got elected in the recent polls for the three- tier panchayat system in the state. They are being sheltered at the Union minister's personal residence at Lakhipara Tea Estate, the Union minister has confirmed. These 45 individual were elected as BJP candidates in the two-tiers of the panchayat system, namely village panchayat and panchayat samitis under the areas of Falakata and Madarihat Assembly constituencies both of which come under Alipurduar Lok Sabha constituency where from Barla is the elected BJP parliamentarian. It is learnt that a majority of these elected BJP rural civic body members sheltered there are women and some of them are even staying there with their kids. Initially they took shelter in Assam and recently they came to the state and Barla offered them shelter at his personal residence. They have alleged that after they were declared elected, they have been facing tremendous pressure from their local ruling party activists to change camp and join Trinamool Congress. It is learnt that they will continue to remain at the shelter at Barlaas residence till the time rural civic body boards are formally constituted. Trinamool Congress leadership, however, has ruled out the allegations and said that the development was because of infighting between two factions of BJP in these two Assembly constituencies. Mumbai, Aug 9 : A Bollywood AI spin has been given to one of the most popular shows 'Game Of Thrones', where Hindi film actors have been given the iconic roles of characters Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark, Sansa Stark. The three siblings Cersei, Jaime Lannister and Tyrion Lannister too have got a sprinkle of Bollywood magic too. With the help of artificial intelligence, Emilia Clarke has been replaced by former beauty queen and actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for the role of Daenerys Targaryen. Aditya Roy Kapoor is seen as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's Jaime Lannister. Ranveer Singh replaces Kit Harington for Jon Snow. Actress Alia Bhatt suits perfectly as Arya Stark, originally played by Maisie Williams. Kiara Advani plays Sophie Turner's Sansa Stark in the AI version of the video. Then There is Tabu stepping into the shoes for Lena Headey's cunning Cersei Lannister. For Tyrion Lannistor, originally played by Peter Dinklage, is Kay Kay Menon. 'Game of Thrones' is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first of which is A Game of Thrones. The show was shot in the United Kingdom, Canada, Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, and Spain. It premiered in the US in 2011, and concluded in May 2019, with 73 episodes broadcast over eight seasons. Set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, Game of Thrones follows several story arcs throughout the course of the show. The first major arc concerns the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros through a web of political conflicts among the noble families either vying to claim the throne or fighting for independence from whoever sits on it. The second focuses on the last descendant of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty, who has been exiled to Essos and is plotting to return and reclaim the throne. The third follows the Night's Watch, a military order defending the realm against threats from beyond Westeros's northern border. The series received 59 Primetime Emmy Awards, the most by a drama series, including Outstanding Drama Series in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. It got five nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series a" Drama. A prequel series, House of the Dragon, premiered in 2022. New Delhi, Aug 9 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge for their support against the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which has been passed by the Rajya Sabha. "I write to you expressing gratitude on behalf of the two crore people of Delhi for your party's support in rejecting and voting against the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill, 2023. I would like to place on record the heartfelt appreciation for championing the rights of the people of Delhi inside as well as outside Parliament. I am certain that your unflinching loyalty towards the principles of our Constitution will be remembered for decades," Kejriwal said in his letter. Kejriwal further said that he looked forward to their continued support on other matters as well. "We look forward to your continued support in the fight against forces that are undermining the Constitution." Kejriwal had earlier met the Congress leaders in Bihar and during the opposition party meeting in June and sought their support against the Bill. Initially, the Congress remained silent on their stance, but later openly supported Kejriwal. However, the bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Tueday despite a strong fight by the opposition parties in the Upper House. --IANS atk/ksk Goa accident: Man was driving Mercedes, police are firm on it, says CM Sawant. Image Source: IANS News Panaji, Aug 9 : Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that police were firm that a male was driving the Mercedes car, which killed three people in Goa. "Police are investigating the case in detail. They have verified everything. They are firm that male person was driving the car. Hence they have done an alcohol test on him. If people have different versions, then CCTVs can be verified,"Sawant speaking to reporters said on Tuesday. On Tuesday night hundreds of people from Divar village in Goa gathered outside the Mardol police station demanding arrest of Meghana Sawardekar, the owner of the car, claiming that she was driving the vehicle, and not her husband when the accident took place. On Sunday night, three persons were killed and three others sustained critical injuries after a speeding Mercedes rammed into three cars and 2 two-wheelers while heading towards Panaji on the Banastari bridge in Ponda taluka, around 17 km from here. After the accident, the people present at the site told reporters that a woman was driving the car. However, the police have arrested a male. As per police, the driver of the car, Paresh Sinai Sawardekar (48) -- husband of Meghana, has been arrested Among the dead were Suresh Fadte, 58, and his wife Bhawana, 52, from Divar-Cumbarjua, as well as Anup Karmarkar, 26, from Bandora in Marcaim constituency. People gathered at the police station alleged that police personnel were trying to compromise the case as the owner of the Mercedes is a relative of a politician. "Police are trying to safeguard the killer on the behest of political power. Hence, they have not arrested Meghana Sawardekar and failed to do her alcohol test," one villager said. Cumbharjua MLA Rajesh Faldessai, who was present with the crowd, appealed to the lawyers not to defend the accused persons. "Two persons from my constituency were killed in this accident. I have raised this issue in the assembly session. Thorough investigation in this case should take place and the guilty should be punished. Give the case to the CBI, if the police cannot solve it," Faldessai, the BJP MLA, said. He said that Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashish Shirodkar has assured to arrest Meghana Sawardekar by Wednesday. Gurugram, Aug 9 : In a purported video, a group of Hindus carrying the banner of Nuh's Brij Mandal Jalaabhishek Yatra were seen urging shopkeepers in Haryana not to employ Muslims and to boycott the community vendors. The Hindu group gave out this warning during a rally in a market place in Haryana. Shockingly this announcement was made in the presence of police personnel who were seen walking along with the group members in the video. The members of the Hindu outfit raised "Jai Shri Ram" slogans during the rally. However, the video is yet to be verified by the police. The police said they are probing the matter. "No one will be allowed to disrupt peace and Harmony in Nuh," said officials.On Sunday, a maha panchayat was held at Tigra village of Gurugram in support of the four suspects who were arrested in connection with the murder of Imam Muhammad Saad, Anjuman Masjid in Sector 57. The villagers said the four arrested were wrongly framed in the alleged incident. They demanded to see the evidence against the men who have been arrested for the violence. The maha panchayat was attended by hundreds of villagers along with Hindu outfit groups where they publicly announced that hundreds of Muslim men working in Gurugram as carpenters, barbers, vegetable vendors, mechanics, and cab drivers should be boycotted and apartments or shanties should not be rented out to them. Tigra village is close to the Anjuman Masjid in Sector 57 which was targeted in the city soon after attack on a Hindu procession which was passing through a Muslim-majority village in Nuh. During the violence in Gurugram several meat shops, scrap shops, furniture shops, and slums were targeted in different areas of Gurugram to target a community of people. "Several police teams are on the ground to protect people from any incidents. We have ensured the deployment of police at all key locations. We are urging people to immediately inform the police or dial 112 for any incident. No one will be allowed to disrupt law and order in the city," Varun Dahiya, ACP (crime) said. --IANSstr/ Imphal, Aug 9 : The Army on Wednesday said that some hostile elements have made desperate, repeated and failed attempts to question the role, intent and integrity of the central security forces, especially the Assam Rifles, working relentlessly in Manipur since the ethnic violence erupted on May 3. In an official statement, the Spear Corps of the Indian Army said it needs to be understood that due to the complex nature of the situation on the ground in Manipur, occasional differences at tactical level do occur between various security forces. Noting that continuing to be fair to all and to fear none, the Spear Corps said that all such misunderstandings at the functional level are immediately addressed through the joint mechanism to synergise the efforts for restoration of peace and normalcy in Manipur. Citing two instances that emerged in the past 24 hours, the statement said that in the first case, the Assam Rifles battalion acted strictly in accordance with the mandate of the unified headquarters of strict enforcement of buffer zone guidelines towards preventing violence between two communities in Bishnupur district. In the second case of Assam Rifles being moved out of an area is not even related to them. An Infantry Battalion of the Army is deployed in the area (ever since the crisis erupted on May 3) from where the narrative of Assam Rifles being moved out has been made. "Indian Army and Assam Rifles assure the people of Manipur that we would continue to remain firm and resolute in our actions to prevent any attempt that could result in furthering violence in an already volatile atmosphere," the statement said. Last week, the Manipur Police had registered an FIR accusing the personnel of the ninth battalion of Assam Rifles of blocking their movement in Bishnupur district. A police officer in Imphal said that the Assam Rifles jawans, led by their officers, had blocked police vehicles on the Kwakta Gothol road while the police were going to undertake operations against militants. The Assam Rifles officers, however, said the para-military troopers were undertaking their task assigned by the command headquarters to ensure security of the people and to prevent clashes between Kuki and Meitei cadres. The Manipur government, by an order issued on Monday, replaced Assam Rifles by the state police and the CRPF at the check-point in Moirang Lamkhai in Bishnupur after fresh violence erupted last week. After various Meitei organisations, including the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and Meira Paibi, the ruling BJP in the state also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday to replace Assam Rifles with any other central paramilitary force in the state. A letter jointly signed by state BJP President A. Sharda Devi and Vice-President Chidananda said: "The role of Assam Rifles with regard to the ethnic unrest and in maintaining peace and tranquility in the state has been under considerable criticism and public outrage." Since the outbreak of the ethnic violence on May 3, the Assam Rifles troopers completely failed to maintain their impartial role to restore peace and normalcy in the state, the letter said. --IANS sc/ksk An interview is not an easy process for a candidate, because you need to show all your strengths and make a good impression on the manager. But a person can be tested not only with the help of questions, but also using various tricky methods. ADVERTISIMENT The New York Post has published an interesting test to determine whether a candidate is suitable for the position. All you need is a cup of coffee. Former Xero Australia director Trent Innes explained how this method works. During the interview, a person is shown around the office and kitchen and offered coffee. At the end of the conversation, the candidate can leave the cup in the office or take it to the kitchen and wash it. According to Trent, this secret trick helps to see who you are and what kind of employee you are. If you wash the cup and put it back, you have successfully passed the test. "It's just confirmation that they're going to really fit in with the culture within Xero and do what's needed. Only 5 out of 10 per cent failed the test because they didn't take their cups back to the kitchen," said Trent. ADVERTISIMENT Writer Victoria Devine also shared her way of vetting candidates. "If you want to send your CV, you can find detailed instructions on the website. You need to use the email address at the bottom of this announcement and address it to Victoria, and send an email directly with a cover letter," Devine said. If candidates apply without meeting the requirements, they will not even be considered, as it is already clear how the employee will approach the tasks. People who come to apply for a job are often checked from the very entrance to the office. If you have a dismissive attitude towards your staff, you may not get the job. For example, one candidate didn't even pay attention to the receptionist. He did not say hello and did not try to start a conversation when he was asked about something. In fact, the receptionist was a woman who works as a hiring manager. ADVERTISIMENT After that, she called the candidate back and explained that every person in the team is valuable and worthy of respect, but he ignored it. Earlier, OBOZREVATEL published 10 forbidden phrases that should not be said during a job interview. Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL's Telegram, Viber and Threads channels to keep up with the latest developments. New Delhi, Aug 9 : The BJP on Wednesday launched a fresh attack on the Opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and termed it as "arrogant". "Tributes to the greats who took part in the Quit India Movement. Under the leadership of (Mahatma) Gandhi Ji, this movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial rule. Today, India is saying in one voice, Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India and Appeasement Quit India," Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote in a tweet, in a veiled attack on the Opposition's alliance 'INDIA' as he recalled on this day Gandhi launched the 'Quit India' moved in 1942. Echoing similar sentiment, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad while slamming the Opposition said, "Family rule is inherently undemocratic and irresponsible. Corruption and appeasement are other curses to the country. 'INDIA' alliance is called 'arrogant' and they fully deserve it." When all the "family parties" come together, then "arrogance" alliance forms, he asserted. "Family rule, corruption and appeasement must Quit India.Corruption exists where there is dynasty and appeasement exists where there is corruption," Prasad said. In an apparent attack at the Gandhi family referring to previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the MP said,"There was a 'family rule' at that time. Coal scam, Commonwealth scam, Submarine scam and Helicopter scam, all know that one or the other member of the family is involved." Last week, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the Prime Minister after his jibe at Opposition's 'INDIA' and accused him of doing "divisive" politics. New Delhi, Aug 9 : The Global Kashmiri Diaspora (GKPD) has welcomed the government's decision to reopen cases of Kashmiri Hindu genocide. One of GKPD's key demands over the last 34 years has been to get justice for martyrs who were killed because they owed allegiance to the Constitution of India and because of their faith. "We have worked tirelessly over the intervening years to approach the judiciary but have had no positive response. This announcement to direct the State Investigation agency (SIA) to effectively investigate terror related cases against the Kashmiri Pandits and coordinate with central agencies marks the beginning of a process which will go a long way in providing much needed succour to our long-suffering community," GKPD said. GKPD will actively monitor the progress that SIA is making in the speedy prosecution of these terror crimes both at the individual perpetrator level as also the mastermind conspirators whether domestic or abroad. "Thirty four years back our community was ethnically cleansed from our ancestral homeland following a pogrom of violence and terror unleashed against us. Eminent community members like Justice Neelkanth Ganjoo, Pandit Tika Lal Taploo, Pandit Sarwanand Kaul Premi, Pandit Lassa Kaul, Justice P.N. Bhat to name a few were murdered in cold blood," it said. "In total over 1,400 members of our community were martyred with lakhs rendered homeless almost overnight. Till date, no one has been trialed or persecuted for these murders. In a vast majority of cases even an FIR was not lodged," said GKPD. Patna, Aug 9 : As a result of the incessant rain, the water level of rivers in Bihar have been increasing since the last few days. The state government has issued a flood alerts in Gopalganj, East Champaran, West Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Muzaffarpur and other adjoining districts of North Bihar. The torrential rain has also led to waterlogging in the low-lying areas and also inundated several villages. The district administrations have appealed to villagers to move to safer places. In Muzaffarpur, a makeshift bridgewas destroyed due to excess water in Bagmati river in Aurai block. The water level of the river has reached the danger level mark in Muzaffarpur. In Gopalganj, 2.90 lakh cusec water was released from the Valmikinagar Barrage on Tuesday, while overflowing water from the Gandak river will soon flood the in the low-lying areas of Gopalganj. Meanwhile, the situation of the Ganga river in Patna is also at an alarming level, with the water level heading towards the danger mark. Indian-origin doc in US fined for removing cyst instead of kidney. Image Source: IANS News New York, Aug 9 : An Indian-origin urologist in the US state of Florida has been fined $7,236 and ordered to take a medical education course in risk management after he removed a cyst instead of a kidney during a surgery in 2021. Zamip Patel, who was supposed to remove a patient's right kidney on June 16, 2021, ended up removing "a significant mass, which was sent to pathology", the Miami Herald reported. The pathology report, which came two days later, said Patel removed a "hemorrhagic and inflamed cyst, not the intended kidney", a complaint filed with Florida Department of Health said. The patient, who was not told about the blunder, showed up at Advent Health Orlando after two months complaining of pain. A CT scan revealed he still had the right kidney, the complaint said. Patel did not respond to an email sent to the address on his online Department of Health profile and declined to comment when a Miami Herald reporter called his office, shortly after the complaint was filed. In addition to the $5,000 fine and $2,236 reimbursement of Florida Department of Health investigation and prosecution costs, Patel has been ordered to take a five-hour continuing medical education course in risk management. He has also been asked by the state health department to give a one-hour speech at a medical facility on wrong-site surgeries, the Herald reported. However, according to the Miami Herald, the punitive action didn't address why the patient was not informed about the blunder for two months. Patel has been board certified with the American Board of Urology since 2013 and licensed in Florida since February 25, 2011. His Florida Department of Health profile says this is the first disciplinary action against his license. In June 2022, another Indian-origin urologist from Florida was accused of incorrectly performing the vasectomy procedure on his 51-year-old patient. According to a complaint by the Florida Department of Health, 72-year-old Dilipkumar Patel performed the procedure on the right side of the patient instead of the left side. --IANS mi/ksk New Delhi, Aug 9 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday allowed Kal Airway's and its promoter Kalanithi Maran's application seeking 50 per cent of the daily revenue collection of low-cost airline SpiceJet Ltd to be paid to them on a weekly basis. While Justice Yogesh Khanna issued notice to the airline and its Chairman and Director (CMD) Ajay Singh, he mandated the latter's presence on the next date of hearing, which has now been set to August 24 from September 5. Considering the willful default and lackadaisical attitude of SpiceJet and Singh, the judge reiterated his July 24 order and advanced the hearing. The court directed the airline and CMD to file an affidavit disclosing their assets and their revenue collection within one weeks' time. During the hearing, Senior Advocate Maninder Singh submitted that in view of the willful defaults at every stage and laid back attitude it is just and fair that the Spicejet and Singh should deposit 393 crores Approx. and file their affidavit of assets before the next date of hearing. The counsel sought directions from the court for his client that the 50 per cent of the daily revenue collected by the judgement debtors be paid to decree holders -- Kal Airways and Kalanithi Msran -- on weekly basis, the affidavit of disclosure of assets be filed at the earliest, the statement of accounts be filed within one day in court and the main prayer i.e. entire arbitral awarded amount be paid to the decree holders. On the other hand, Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi admitted that the orders have not been complied with by Spicejet. However, he said that this is a fresh application listed on Wednesday and submitted that since the matter is already directed to be listed on September 5, the matter may be heard on that date as the judgment debtor -- SpiceJet and CMD -- is bound by court orders. He also argued that there is no reason for allowing early hearing at this stage. To which, the judge then observed that the decree holder is not left with any other option but to move an early hearing application as the judgement debtor is not complying with the orders passed by the courts and the judgement debtor should have filed its affidavit of disclosure of assets till date. On July 24, the high court issued notice to SpiceJet and Singh seeking urgent hearing of its enforcement petition in a case where the former is to pay approximately Rs 390 crore to it towards its interest liability under the arbitral award. Allowing the application, Justice Khanna had directed SpiceJet and its CMD to file an affidavit disclosing all their assets before the next date of hearing, September 5, and also mandated the physical presence of Singh before it. The Supreme Court had, on February 13, directed SpiceJet to pay Rs 75 crore to decree holder (Kal Airways and Maran) within a period of three months towards its interest liability under the arbitral award, and had also clarified that in the event of failure to pay, the entire award would become executable in entirety in favour of decree holder. On the applications seeking further time extension that were moved by SpiceJet for two more months as the three months time period had expired on May 13, and it failed in honouring the top court's order, the counsel for the decree holder had informed the court that the apex court order of February 13 has been now reaffirmed by another order dated July 7, whereby the time applications of SpiceJet are also dismissed. The apex court, while dismissing the same, observed that SpiceJetas application is nothing but a delay tactic to not pay money even when there are court orders directing the same. Singh had told the high court that SpiceJet is not honouring the orders passed by any of the courts, and has earlier too failed to comply with the order passed by this court dated November 4, 2020, directing the airlines to file its affidavit of disclosure of its assets. It was also reaffirmed by order dated May 29 by this court and the same is not filed till date, he apprised the court. He had submitted before Justice Khannaas bench that Order XXI Rule 41 (iii) of Code of Civil Procedure clearly provides that the court may, for a period not exceeding three months, pass an order of arrest of the Judgement Debtor for not complying with the order to file affidavit of assets. Following the top courtas order dated February 13, the high court had on May 29, directed SpiceJet and Ajay Singh to pay the entire executable amount under the award to the decree holder. On Wednesday, Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi with advocate Atul Sharma appeared on behalf of SpiceJet Ltd and Ajay Singh. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, instructed by senior partner Nandini Gore, principal associate Sonia Nigam, associate Yash Dubey and associate advocate Akarsh Sharma from Karanjawala & Co. appeared on behalf of the Kal Airways Pvt Ltd and Kalanithi Maran. --IANSspr/dpb Chennai, Aug 9 : A day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said passage of Delhi Service Bill was the dark day of democracy, state BJP president K. Annamalai said real black days of democracy were during the Congress regime when the state governments were dismissed 90 times using Article 356 of the Constitution. The BJP leader said that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi alone had dismissed elected state government's 50 times and added that theose were dark days of democracy. He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had explained clearly in Parliament as to what the Delhi Services Bill was and added that it was not against the democracy like what the Congress has done during its hey days in power. Annamalai also charged that in 1975, Indira Gandhi declared emergency and pushed the country into a deep pit. He said that it was Stalin's father and former Chief Minister Karunanidhi who had rolled out a red carpet welcome to Indira Gandhi after the emergency inviting her to Tamil Nadu with the statement, "Daughter of Nehru come and bring stable government". The BJP Tamil Nadu state president said that someone should inform Tamil Nadu Chief Minister that he was confusing with the state rights of Delhi and added that Delhi was a Union Territory with limited powers. He charged that DMK was a "loyal slave" of the Congress party and had held the rights of the people of the state hostage for several years. He also said that being a "loyal slave" of Congress party, DMK cannot support the welfare bills of the Central government. Bengaluru, Aug 9 : The bar council has deleted the name of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar from the invitation of a programme being attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Chief Justice Prasanna B. Varale, Supreme Court Justice A.S. Bopanna. Speaking to reporters here, Shivakumar stated on Wednesday that members of the association for advocates came and met him. "I don't mind and that is not my priority also. I respect the law of the land and the advocates' association can take any decision. I don't want to embarrass the advocates' association or the judiciary. The law will take its own course," he stated. Former minister and BJP MLA S. Suresh Kumar had objected to the participation of Shivakumar in the bar council programme organized in Mysuru. He had contended that since judges are participating in the event, Shivakumar, who is facing many cases in the courts, can't share the platform with them. The two-day State Level Advocates' Conference has been organised by the Mysuru Bar Council from August 12. The organizers had published the invitation along with Shivakumar's name. However, following the objections, the invitation was reprinted after dropping his name. Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs H.K. Patil is participating in the programme as the chief guest. BJP MLA Suresh Kumar had said that the participation of Shivakumar in the event is not tenable. He had questioned that participation of Shivakumar would violate the protocol of the judiciary. He also recollected that when he was the minister of Law, he was specifically asked whether he had any cases against him before sharing the platform with the then Chief Justice of the High Court. Suresh Kumar further stated that the cases against Shivakumar are pending before the High Court and the Supreme Court. "Is it correct for such a person to share the platform with judges? The advocates' association must answer this question and are judges okay with this? The protocol should apply to everyone," he underlined. He had also written a letter to the Registrar General of Karnataka High Court in this regard. "I want to ask one question. Why Suresh Kumar did not object when B.S. Yediyurappa was the CM? He was also facing many cases. I had earlier attended many events earlier organized by the advocates, then why did Suresh Kumar not raise his voice then?" Shivakumar said while commenting on the objection by BJP MLA Suresh Kumar. --IANS mka/dpb Mumbai, Aug 9 : Actress Ileana D'Cruz is loving being a mother and her latest post on social media is proof as she has shared a glimpse with her son Koa Phoenix Dolan celebrating "one week" of being his "mama". Ileana took to Instagram, where she posted a black and white picture with her son. In the image, Koa's seen holding on to Ileana's finger as she holds his hand. She captioned the image: "1 week of being your Mama." Koa was born on August 1. His name means valiant and warrior. Earlier this week, Ileana took to Instagram to announce her son's birth. The announcement read: ''Introducing Koa Phoenix Dola. Born on August 1, 2023. No words could explain how happy we are to welcome our darling boy to the world. Hearts beyond full." It was in April, when Ileana announced her pregnancy and posted photographs of her partner recently on social media. Ileana has been very secretive about her personal life but finally revealed her mystery man on social media. On the acting front, Ileana was seen in rapper Badshah's music video 'Sab Gazab'. On the film front she was in 'The Big Bull', starring Abhishek Bachchan. She will next be seen in 'Unfair and Lovely' with Randeep Hooda. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed New Delhi, Aug 9 : Customs officials at the Delhi airport said on Wednesday that they have arrested a man for smuggling gold worth more than Rs 99.5 lakhs upon his arrival from Dubai. A senior Customs official said that the accused MD Sadik Khan arrested based on profiling. "The passenger was intercepted after he crossed the green channel and was approaching towards exit gate of International Arrivals Hall. Subsequently on thorough personal checking of the accused, two pouches wrapped with white adhesive papers containing chemical gold pasteand weighing 2,306 grams were recovered," said the official. The official said that after extraction of chemical gold paste, recovery of three Uneven Rectangular Shaped gold piece collectively weighing 1.892.8 grams valued at Rs 99,53,175 was made. "The said recovered gold has been seized under section 110 of the Customs Act. The said passenger has been placed under arrest in terms of section 104 of the Customs Act," said the official. New Delhi, Aug 9 : O. P. Jindal Global University held its 12th Convocation and Founder's Day Celebration on August 7 which was marked by the award of undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees to more than 2700 students. The Presidential Address at the Convocation was given by Justice B.V. Nagarathna, Judge, Supreme Court of India on the subject of aNurturing our Constitutional Culture: A Higher Callinga. Justice Nagarathna congratulated the graduating students and said, "JGU has become a role model for excellence in higher education amongst leading institutions in the world. Our country India, or Bharat, is not just a piece in history or geography. It is a nation of over a billion people with over a billion dreams. It is my firm conviction that one of the binding factors is the Indian Constitution - a legal system committed to rule of law and an organised hierarchy of courts with a Supreme Court at the apex. Our core democratic institutions are vital intermediaries between citizens and government that serve both the popular rule and the rule of law. "One critical institution that has been absent from these conversations, namely our colleges and universities, which are indispensable to our liberal democracy guided by the rule of law. Universities are critical to the democratic process and they must purposefully and consciously embrace their role as one of the stewards of our constitutional culture. Constitutional Culture contains the attitudes, aspirations and sentiments of the citizens and civic values which include the commitment to the ideals of tolerance and equality, that provide the standard against which citizens hold policies and policy makers to account. She served as a judge of the Karnataka High Court from 2008 to 2021. She has delivered a number of significant judgments relating to commercial and constitutional law in Karnataka. She will become the first woman Chief Justice of India in 2027. The Founding Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, Naveen Jindal, declared the Opening of the Convocation and addressed the august gathering, "aIt is a momentous occasion today as we celebrate the achievements of our graduating students. You will embark on a new chapter in your life, and I stand before you with a profound sense of admiration and hope, as each one of you holds the potential to shape the destiny of our nation and the world at large. "A dream followed by focused action will become our reality. In the India of our dreams, every child will have access to quality education. We need to live in a world where people trust each other and also feel safe. To achieve that goal, we all need to play our role in a fair and just manner, with passion and commitment. JGU was established as a tribute to my father Shri O.P. Jindal, who was a pioneering industrialist and a passionate philanthropist who worked hard for the cause of Indiaas development. He believed that education is the best gift that can be bestowed on anyone." Professor C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, presented the University Report and welcomed the gathering, "To fulfil the vision of the National Education Policy 2020 and to promote philanthropy in higher education, we need more enlightened and transformative business leaders like Mr. Naveen Jindal. Let us celebrate and witness together the proud moment of the graduation ceremony of the class of 2023. "To the graduating students, I say with great humility that as you leave the portals of JGU, always remember that you can do more than others would like you to believe. We have always maintained that pluralistic thoughts and diversity of ideas is the essence of university life and learning. We will continue to promote this as a part of our effort, and I sincerely hope you will make the best use of this opportunity." The Convocation Address was given by Dr Joanna Newman MBE FRSA, Chief Executive & Secretary General, Association of Commonwealth Universities, United Kingdom. In her inspiring speech, she said, "It gives me great pleasure to be here in-person to commemorate the 12th Convocation Ceremony and Founderas Day of O.P. Jindal Global University, an institution I have come to know well and deeply admire. It is even more special to have an opportunity to deliver the Convocation Address to the class of 2023, in the presence of Honourable Mrs. Justice BV Nagarathana, Judge Supreme Court of India, Mr. Naveen Jindal, Chancellor and Professor C Raj Kumar, Founding Vice-Chancellor of OP Jindal Global University. "My best wishes to the graduates who will soon go out into the world, and make a difference, armed with a truly world-class education from one of Indiaas finest higher education institutions. JGUas quest for institutional excellence, supported by an unwavering focus on multidisciplinarity, excellence in research & teaching, community service, nurturing socially responsible leaders and respect for the environment and sustainability makes the institution a role model for universities in India and across the Commonwealth. The ACU, we shares many of JGUas core values and is proud to have the institution as one of our most highly engaged members in India." The Convocation ceremony started with a symbolic academic procession and featured musical performances. More than 2700 students of the 9 out of 12 schools and JIBS institute of JGU were conferred degrees by the Chancellor. The best performing students of the Graduating Class of 2023 were honoured with the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals. The vote of thanks was given by Professor Dabiru Sridhar Patnaik, Registrar, O.P. Jindal Global University, who also initiated the Convocation Proceedings. Explosions were heard in temporarily occupied Crimea since the morning of August 9. Residents of the Dzhankoy district also report acrid smoke rising near Sevastopol Bay. The occupants have stopped traffic on the Crimean Bridge. ADVERTISIMENT Russian media write about it. Sevastopol Gauleiter Mikhail Razvozhayev tried to assure Crimeans that the explosions and smoke were the consequences of "exercises," but they did not believe him much. Russian media began reporting about the suspension of traffic on the Crimean Bridge at about 9:30. Residents of the Dzhankoy district of temporarily occupied Crimea complained of explosions just half an hour later. Crimeans also spoke about choking acrid smoke rising in the area of Sevastopol Bay. Gauleiter of temporarily occupied Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev explained that these were "fleet exercises". "If you see smoke in the area of Sevastopol Bay, don't worry. It's the Navy conducting a training session on RChBD calculations. Everything in the city is under control," a representative of the occupational "authorities" wrote. ADVERTISIMENT Crimeans had a slightly different opinion on the matter, which they shared in the comments under his Telegram post. "Wow, exercises. The whole center, railway and auto station in acrid smoke, you can't even see a ship behind it", "It's impossible to breathe! Children are coughing. What kind of training is this?", "Exercises on poisoning people? You can smell the burning on Prospekt Peremoha", "You can warn about the training in advance, not when something has already happened", "Chemical smell in the apartments. The city center is in smoke. It's impossible to breathe. The wind is in the direction of the city", "Smoke is visible and smells like rubber", commentators wrote. ADVERTISIMENT Ukrainian soldiers earlier struck Chonhar and Henichensk bridges. They were damaged. The occupiers are now forced to supply their groups on the mainland of Ukraine using the route through Armiansk and Chaplynka, which doubles the travel time. Only verified information from us in Telegram-channel Obozrevatel, Threads and Viber . Do not fall for fakes! New Delhi, Aug 9 : The BJP on Wednesday launched a scathing attack at the Opposition bloc, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), saying when "family parties" come together, then "arrogant" alliances form. "Tributes to the greats who took part in the Quit India Movement. Under the leadership of (Mahatma) Gandhi Ji, this movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial rule. Today, India is saying in one voice, Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India and Appeasement Quit India," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted in a veiled attack on INDIA as he recalled the Quit India Movement launched on this day in 1942 by Mahatma Gandhi. Also remembering the sacrifices made by freedom fighters during the Quit India Movement, BJP national president J.P. Nadda said in a tweet: "Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are equally determined to adopt that spirit and unanimously pledge to make -- Corruption Quit India, Appeasement Quit India and Dynasty Quit India." Earlier in the day, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad took a dig at the opposition alliance and said: "When all family parties come together, then arrogant alliances form. Family rule, corruption and appeasement must Quit India. "Family rule is inherently undemocratic and irresponsible. Corruption and appeasement are other curses to the country. INDIA alliance is called arrogant and they fully deserve it. Familism means a leader's son or daughter will only become the the leader of the party. Only they will usurp the important positions, there will be no place for others." In an apparent attack at the Gandhi family referring to previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the MP said: "There was a family rule at that time. Coal scam, Commonwealth scam, Submarine scam and Helicopter scam, all know that one or the other member of the family is involved." Taking a swipe at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Prasad said: "The packaging and re-packaging of Rahul Gandhi keeps happening. Now, people within the Congress have to decide what is his leadership capability." Last week, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the Prime Minister after his jibe at INDIA' and accused him of doing "divisive" politics. Seoul, Aug 9 : South Korea's on-year job growth slowed for the fourth consecutive month in July, with the fewest number of jobs being added in 29 months, amid sluggish employment in the manufacturing and construction sectors, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people came to 28.68 million in July, up around 211,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Last month, the country's jobless rate came to 2.7 per cent, down 0.2 percentage point over the period, the lowest since 1999 for the same month, reports Yonhap News Agency. South Korea's on-year job additions slowed for nine consecutive months through February before rebounding in March, when they rose 469,000 on-year. The growth, however, has continued to slow since April. Positions for those aged 60 and above rose 298,000, with those for people in their 50s increasing 61,000. The number of jobs for people in their 20s and 40s, on the other hand, dropped 128,000 and 61,000 over the period, respectively. By sector, the number of jobs in the welfare and social service segment moved up 145,000, and those in the accommodation and restaurant sector advanced 125,000 as more people returned to pre-pandemic normalcy. Those employed in the science and technology segment also moved up 62,000 over the period. The number of jobs in the retail and wholesale industry, however, fell 55,000, with those in the construction segment also decreasing 43,000 amid the economic slowdown. The manufacturing sector's positions fell 35,000, marking seven consecutive months of decline. The agricultural industry saw the number of positions decline 42,000. Meanwhile, the employment-to-population ratio of South Koreans aged 15-64 edged up 0.5 percentage point to 69.6 per cent, the highest for the same month since 1989. The finance ministry recently estimated the number of employed people to rise by 320,000 on-year each month in 2023, significantly up from the previous estimate of 100,000. Madrid, Aug 9 : Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre's son Daniel Sancho Bronchalo has pleaded guilty for the murder of his boyfriend Edwin Arrieta Arteaga and has been charged with premeditated murder and concealing and removing body parts to cover up a death. According to The Mirror, the 29-year old was arrested last week and when presented to court he pleaded guilty to the murder of his boyfriend Arteaga. Bronchalo was charged with dismembering his boyfriend, whose remains were found strewn across multiple locations on the island of Koh Phangan in Thailand. He also told the Spanish news agency EFE that his late boyfriend had taken him "hostage" and that he was obsessed with him. His guilty plea comes less than a week after Sancho filed a missing people report at a Koh Phangan police station. Authorities back on August 3 had said that Daniel went to a Koh Phangan police station to report Arteaga missing shortly after which human remains were discovered by trash collectors at a landfill on Koh Phangan. It's believed that Edwin's body had been chopped into 14 pieces, with Daniel accused of taking a kayak into the sea to dump his hands and head. Police have also claimed that he had been purchasing knives, plastic bags and cleaning liquid at convenience stores on the island, planning the murder beforehand. Meanwhile, Edwin's clothing including boxer shorts, a black t-shirt and shorts have since been recovered within the bags which contained human body parts as well as cleaning products. Following Daniel's arrest, a family member told Spanish media: "A little respect for the family is all we ask for because this is so painful." Meanwhile, a legal representative for Daniel's family told the media: "I think he is relaxed. He knows what he did a He wants to plan how to live." Not all of Artega's remains have been found so far, though authorities have confirmed from DNA testing that these indeed belong to the deceased. Daniel on his part is currently held in a Thai prison where he has been getting consular access and has been asked for extradition back to Spain as the penalty for murder in Thailand is capital punishment. Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre best known for his role in the drama series 'El ministerio del tiempo' or 'The Ministry of Time' became a big sensation after the Spanish fantasy drama show became a big hit worldwide. Daniel for his part also became a sensation on YouTube as a chef where he garnered millions of views. New Delhi, Aug 9 : Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with help of Interpol has brought back a man, convicted in a case at Bangalore for defrauding the bank by forging the Inland Letter of Credits, cheating and forgery, from the USA. The accused was identified as T Rabindranath Gupta. He was on the run after the court delivered the sentence. "The Global Operations Centre of CBI in close coordination with Interpol channels has coordinated the return of a Red Notice Subject. He was returned to India from USA. The said Red Notice Subject was wanted in a CBI case at Bangalore for defrauding the Bank by forging the Inland Letter of Credits, cheating and forgery," said the official. A senior CBI official said that an Interpol Red notice was published against the accused on April 4. It was published based on CBI's report. The official said that the accused was convicted by the Special Judge, CBI Cases, Bangalore and sentenced to undergo three years imprisonment after which he had absconded from the country. "He was returned to Cochin International airport from the USA via UAE and was arrested by the CBI. He is being produced before the Special CBI Court in Bangalore," said the official. Lucknow, Aug 9 : The special PMLA court has taken cognisance of the chargesheet filed by Enforcement Directorate (ED) against three persons in the multi-crore scholarship fraud case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on July 23. The ED officials said that the court was pleased to take cognisance of the chargesheet against three accused including two brothers Izhar Hussain Jafri and Ali Abbas Jafri, the owners of Hygia College of Pharmacy and their employee Ravi Prakash Gupta. The trio was arrested under PMLA on April 26 and are currently in jail since then. A senior ED official said extensive searches were conducted at nine pharmacy colleges and other educational institutes of Lucknow, Hardoi and Farrukhabad based on intelligence input about illegal acquisition and use of the governmentas scholarship fund, which was given to facilitate the education of SC, ST, PH and EWS candidates. Seizures were made under provisions of PMLA, 2002, said officials. An official said four Lucknow colleges that were raided are SS Institute of Management, Hygia College of Pharmacy, Hygia Institute of Pharmacy/Central Institute of Pharmacy and Institute of Management and Education. Besides, four Hardoi colleges, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Foundation and Jivika College of Pharmacy, RP Inter College, Gyanwati Inter College and Jagdish Prasad Verma, Uchatar Madhyamik Vidyalaya and a college in Farrukhabad --Dr Om Prakash Gupta Institute of Management and Technology, were also raided. The investigation revealed that these institutes and colleges had unlawfully availed scholarships in the names of several ineligible candidates. He said the investigation revealed that these colleges and institutes used bank accounts even of minor children in the age group of 07 to 12 years of age and persons in age group of 45 years and above in order to avail more and more of scholarship funds. He said these institutes opened 3000 such accounts using documents of various persons and common email IDs. A huge number of SIM cards and stamps and seals of various institutes were found and seized from the accused personsa premises during searches. He said the probe discovered that these institutes and colleges were found involved in forgery and fabrication of various documents. It was also revealed during investigation that most of the beneficiaries are villagers who are not even aware of these bank accounts and have never received any scholarships. Gorakhpur : , Aug 9 (IANS) Two female professors from Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University have been served a notice by the university registrar for allegedly welcoming eight activists of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), who were reportedly involved in vandalising the Vice-Chancellor's office and assaulting the registrar on July 21. Registrar Professor Ajay Singh has confirmed that, in accordance with university regulations, an explanation has been requested from two professors. University authorities had lodged a complaint against 22 individuals, including student leaders. Following the filing of the First Information Report (FIR), police arrested eight ABVP leaders, who were subsequently jailed. However, after 11 days, these students were released on bail on August 1. The two female professors, Uma Srivastava and Sushma Pandey, who hold positions on the central executive committee of ABVP, extended their welcome to these activists. A video clip of the incident went viral on various social media platforms. After verifying the content of video, the registrar issued a notice to them. Notably, students had been conducting a protest at the Vice-Chancellor's office as part of an ongoing agitation in support of their seven-point demands, which include the reversal of the fee hike across various courses. However, the university authorities exhibited an "indifferent" attitude towards the demands. The situation took a violent turn on July 21 when the Vice-Chancellor disregarded the protesting students. Enraged by this negligence, student leaders engaged in destructive behaviour, physically assaulting both the VC and the registrar. In another development, in response to a directive from the UGC, the authorities of DDU Gorakhpur University launched a website for reporting cases of sexual harassment on Tuesday. Additionally, a 10-member committee has been established to address such complaints. Peoples everyday pleasures like listening to music may improve cognitive performance: Study. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Aug 9 : People's everyday pleasures, such as listening to music and drinking coffee, can impact a person's brain activity in ways that improve cognitive performance, including tasks requiring concentration and memory, a new study has shown. This is the finding of a new US-based NYU Tandon School of Engineering study involving MINDWATCH, a revolutionary brain-monitoring technology. MINDWATCH is an algorithm that analyses a person's brain activity from data collected via any wearable device that can monitor electrodermal activity (EDA). This activity reflects changes in electrical conductance triggered by emotional stress, linked to sweat responses. In this study, subjects wearing skin-monitoring wristbands and brain-monitoring headbands completed cognitive tests while listening to music, drinking coffee and sniffing perfumes reflecting their individual preferences. They also completed those tests without any of those stimulants. According to the MINDWATCH algorithm, music and coffee measurably altered subjects' brain arousal, essentially putting them in a physiological "state of mind" that could modulate their performance in the working memory tasks they were performing. MINDWATCH discovered that the stimulants increased "beta band" brain wave activity, a state associated with peak cognitive performance. "The pandemic has impacted the mental well-being of many people across the globe and now more than ever, there is a need to seamlessly monitor the negative impact of everyday stressors on one's cognitive function," said NYU Tandon's Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Rose Faghih. Moreover, the researchers tested three types of music, energetic and relaxing music familiar to the subject, as well as novel AI-generated music that reflected the subject's tastes. Consistent with previous MINDWATCH research, familiar energetic music delivered bigger performance gains, as measured by reaction times and correct answers, than relaxing music, while AI-generated music produced the biggest gains among all three, the study showed. Drinking coffee led to notable but less-pronounced performance gains than music, and perfume had the most modest gains. --IANS shs/ksk 'An own-goal Smritiji', says Shashi Tharoor after her speech in LS over no-trust motion. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Aug 9 : Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said that Union Minister Smriti Irani's response to party leader Rahul Gandhi's 'barnstorming speech' in support of the no-confidence motion as an "own-goal" He also said that Union Minister for Women and Child Development Irani's speech focused entirely on what-aboutery as it indirectly supported the Opposition's claims of the central government's failures. In a tweet, hailing the speech of party leader Rahul Gandhi, Tharoor said, "Lively scenes in the Lok Sabha during and following Rahul Gandhi's barnstorming speech in support of the no-confidence motion." Taking a jibe at Union Minister for Women and Child Development Irani, the Congress leader said, "Smriti Irani's response focused entirely on what-aboutery, reciting a series of incidents and atrocities, going back many decades, under Congress rule, that she claimed proved that things were just as bad earlier." "This line of argument indirectly supported the Opposition's claims of GOI's failures because all she was saying amounted to a "so what? You were bad too." Resorting to what-aboutery is always an admission that you have no substantive refutation to offer. An own-goal, Smriti ji," he said. His remarks came after Rahul Gandhi spoke on Manipur violence in the Lok Sabha during his 37 minute speech tearing into the BJP and saying that "its politics has killed India in Manipur". He alsosaid that the Prime Minister's arrogance is burning the whole country Irani during her speech after Rahul Gandhi raked up several incidents of violence committed in the past, while highlighting the "failures" of previous Congress regimes Speaking against the no-confidence motion after Rahul Gandhi's speech, she said that the crux of all the problems was dynasty politics, while listing out a series of incidents of crime against women during the 1990s' Kashmir insurgency against Kashmiri Pandits, during anti-Sikh riots of 1984, violence in Assam and even the recent incidents of violence against women in opposition-ruled states of Rajasthan and West Bengal. She said that those speaking about the voice of India, never heard the voices of Kashmiri Pandits and victims of anti-Sikh riots. New Delhi, Aug 9 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted four weeks' more time to the Central government to file its response on a petition seeking ban on political parties with names having caste, religious, ethnic or linguistic connotations and flags resembling the national Tricolour. A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Saurabh Banerjee was dealing with petitioner lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay's PIL arguing that such political parties names might prejudicially affect the poll prospects of a candidate amounting to a corrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951. Such a step will help ensure free and fair elections, the petition said. During the hearing Wednesday, the counsel for the Centre through the Ministry of Law submitted: "They prima-facie say that they want to examine it and seek two week's time for that." "Learned counsels for the respondents pray for four weeks' time to file reply. List the matter thereafter," the court said. The matter has been posted for hearing next on October 18. "Review the political parties, registered with caste, religious, ethnic or linguistic connotations and ensure that they are not using a flag, similar to the national flag, and de-register them if they fail to change it within three months," the petition reads. Earlier, the court was apprised that in spite of issuance of notice on the PIL in 2019, the Centre has not filed a reply. The court had observed that the Centre was an "equally important party" to the PIL. As the counsel for the Central government had prayed for grant of four weeks' time to seek instructions, the court had allowed it and also asked the counsel for the Election Commission of India (ECI) to seek further instructions in the matter. The ECI has already filed a response to the petition. Referring to political parties such as Hindu Sena, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and Indian Union Muslim League, the petition says this violates the RPA and the Model Code of Conduct. It says: "In addition, there are many political parties including the Indian National Congress, which use a flag similar to the national flag, which is also against the spirit of the RPA." According to ECI's 2019 reply, in 2005 it took a policy decision not to register any political party having a name with religious connotations and has since registered no such party. It added that any such party registered before 2005 will not lose its registration for having a name with a religious connotation. --IANSspr/dpb Lucknow, Aug 9 : Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak has said that the state government is committed to reducing the mortality rate among pregnant women and infants, and its initiative to provide free ultrasound testing at pregnancy facilities near their homes through private diagnostic centres is rapidly gaining momentum. Pathak, who also holds the Health portfolio, said that the initiative was launched on May 24 with 100 private diagnostic centres to provide ultrasound services to pregnant women registered under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA). Now, their number has reached 1,200. "Pregnant women receive cashless ultrasound services at private ultrasound centres under PMSMA. QR codes known as 'e-rupee vouchers' are issued to women registered under PMSMA by government hospitals/CHCs and/PHCs. QR codes can be presented at private ultrasound centres recognised by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories to facilitate direct payment for the ultrasound." Additionally, he said that the state government recently launched the mission 'Indradhanus 5.0', under which pregnant women and children are vaccinated. "We are ensuring that children, who missed vaccinations due to Covid-19 across the state, are covered," he added. Instructions have been given to doctors that even in normal delivery cases, the mother and infant should be kept in the hospital for 48 hours. Drone attacks, which are increasingly announced in Russia, are "an impeccable symbol of the present". The Kremlin regime is increasingly moving the war onto Russian territory. ADVERTISIMENT This will inevitably lead to a civil war inside the Russian Federation, the demolition of the ruling top brass and the political transformation of the aggressor state. This was stated by Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. "An impeccable symbol of the present" that perfectly outlines the current situation and allows predicting the future of the aggressor state Podolyak called the increasingly frequent drone attacks on Russian territory. "An unidentified drone over Russia is an impeccable symbol of the present. "Putin's clan" more and more actively and persistently transfers the war to its own territory," - said the adviser to the head of the OPU. He is convinced that the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin awaits inevitable collapse. "A correct and reasonable strategy that will engage the RF in a salutary political restructuring will accelerate the destruction of the 'chauvinist clan' and finally close the country in a traditional internal civil war," Podolyak ironically noted. ADVERTISIMENT We will remind, the last time about the attempt of "Ukrainian drones" to attack the Russian capital Moscow in the aggressor state said in the morning of August 9. In particular, powerful explosions were heard in Domodedovo. However, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, both drones allegedly managed to shoot down on the approach to the Russian capital. Meanwhile, Russians threw a tantrum over the new drone attack on Moscow. Many commentators wrote that they had "big questions" for the head of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov. Others dreamed of a nuclear strike on Kyiv. Only verified information from our Telegram channel Obozrevatel and Viber . Do not fall for fakes! Skylo and FISHCOPFED team up to improve fishermen safety, increase catch.. Image Source: IANS News Chennai, Aug 9 : Three Sri Lankan fishermen were arrested on Wednesday by Tamil Nadu Coastal police from Vedarnyam coast in Nagapattinam district. The three fishermen, who were stranded in mid-sea due to an engine failure, were first rescued by the Tamil Nadu Coastal police and later arrested. The arrested, identified as Ronald Reagan (40), Sivakumar (25) and Srikanthan (37), are natives of Jaffna in Sri Lanka. The trio had ventured into the sea for fishing in an unregistered mechanised boat on August 6 and were stranded in mid sea due to an engine failure. The Coastal Security Group sources told IANS that during a routine patrol in the sea, they came across the stranded boatmen at 3 nautical miles from Maniyantheevu and rescued them. The unregistered mechanised boat and the fishing equipment with them were confiscated by the Coastal Police. Ahmedabad, Aug 9 : Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday launched 'Meri Mati Mera Desh' campaign and the event was marked on the occasion of World Tribal Day. The campaign will continue until August 30 which was inaugurated during the state-level celebrations of aThe International Day of the Worldas Indigenous Peoplesa in Gunsada village, located in the Songadh taluka of Tapi district. The campaign is set to encompass a variety of events with different themes across the state. Local dignitaries and ministers participated in district-level events to kickstart the campaign simultaneously. By August 15, a series of programs aligned with these themes will be executed in all villages across Gujarat, as outlined in the official release. The campaign will feature inscriptions etched onto stones, termed aShilaphalakam,a placed across 11,900 village panchayats in Gujarat. The stones will serve as lasting memorials to the valiant individuals who sacrificed their lives for the country. The activities planned under the campaign encompass a wide range, including tree plantation, painting, rangoli, and essay writing competitions, all centered around the lives and contributions of these national heroes. In support for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, Gujarat's Education Minister Kuber Dindor announced the scheme to provide financial assistance to ST students. The ST students who have secured admission based on merit into government quota courses will benefit from this scheme. If the course fee exceeds Rs 6 lakh after accounting for scholarships, the state government will cover the remaining amount above Rs 6 lakh on behalf of the ST students. Gurugram, Aug 9 : A week after communal violence rocked Haryana's Nuh and Gurugram districts, Muslim traders here have been left in a state of shock as an 'economic boycott' was announced by a Hindu body at a Mahapanchayat organised in Tigra village of Gurugram. A year ago, Imran (name changed) opened his meat shop in Gurugram's Rajiv Nagar area. He was at his shop when he heard about riots that had broken out in Nuh on July 31 a procession organised by the VHP. "I assumed the matter would be sorted out in Nuh only but later, it escalated to different parts of Gurugram. As the news of violence in Gurugram spread, around six Muslim traders including I in the Rajiv Nagar area did not open shops to assess the situation," he said. Imran said he was planning to re-open his shop over the weekend. However, the announcement on Sunday during the Mahapanchayat organised by a Hindu group members in Tigra village has come as a shocker for Imran. During the meeting, calls were made to boycott Muslim-run businesses. Imran has said that it has come as a shocking reminder that "I could be their next target". He said this did not happen to him for the first time. During Navratri, the Muslim traders closed their shops for nine days to avoid any incidents and returned to their native places. He alleged that "Hindu groups can abuse us, beat us, threaten us and can do anything... while the police and the government stay silent". Imran said that he suffered a loss of Rs 1,400 per day as his shop remained shut. Muslim traders used to come here some years ago from regions in western Uttar Pradesh such as Bijnor, Aligarh and Saharanpur. Another meat shop owner in Sanjay Gram, Iqbal, said: "As the violence spread to Gurugram our lives are at stake now. Our shops have been closed. We have to pay monthly rent. We are even borrowing money from our well-wishers for food. This 'economic boycott' will crush our business." In Gurugram, Muslims own hundreds of shops, including clothing stores, salons, scrap shops, and motorcycle repair shops. "We barely make enough to sustain ourselves. We are migrant workers. If we are not allowed to earn a living, we won't be able to survive," Abdul said. Meanwhile, ACP Varun Dahiya has said that action is being taken against those disturbing law and order in the city. The presence of police personnel and patrolling has been intensified in Gurugram to protect migrant workers and others, the police officer said. Bhopal, Aug 9 : Ahead of the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, former dacoit Malkhan Singh joined the Congress in the presence of State Congress President Kamal Nath. Apart from Malkhan Singh, a large number of people took membership of the Congress in a function organised at the state office of the Congress. Malkhan Singh had joined the BJP in 2014. Later, he resigned from the BJP and joined Progressive Samajwadi Party (Lohia). Now Malkhan Singh has joined the Congress and has claimed that he will campaign for the Congress in the upcoming assembly elections in the state slated this year, which will wipe out the BJP and form the Congress government. Presently Malkhan Singh's wife is a Sarpanch from Singayai Panchayat of Aaron area of aaGuna district, she won the election unopposed. There was a time when Malkhan Singh was counted among the dreaded dacoits of Chambal. There was a reward of more than one lakh on him, while more than a hundred cases were registered, including kidnapping, murder, dacoity etc. Malkhan Singh surrendered in 1982 and spent almost six years in jail. After being acquitted of all the cases in 1989, he walked out of jail and since then he is active in politics. India-born college student is first Republican to enter US Senate race in Wisconsin. Image Source: IANS News Washington, Aug 9 : India-born college student Rejani Raveendran has announced her senate candidacy for the US state of Wisconsin, becoming the first Republican to officially get in the race against Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin. Raveendran, chair of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College Republicans, launched her run against Baldwin on Tuesday in Portage County with just under a year to go until the primary, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. A mother of three, Raveendran has never run for office in the state, and had only decided to run for Senate after her trip to Washington earlier this summer. "I see whatas going on in our country. I realised how much D.C. is (dominated) by these polished politicians. I realised there is a need for a change in our political system. We need some new faces with new ideas.who has never run for office in the state," Raveendran, who recently visited Washington, told The Sentinel. She joined the Stevens Point College Republicans this year and plans to graduate with a bacheloras degree in political science and a certificate in international relations next year. "I am not a politician, and I do not want to be a politician," said Raveendran, who immigrated to the US in 2011 from India, where she was a nurse and midwife. She became a US citizen in 2015 and lived in California before moving to Wisconsin in 2017. Raveendran said her campaign will focus on securing the border and cracking down on illicit drugs like fentanyl, stopping illegal immigration and advocating for "medical freedom", implying that she is opposed to vaccine mandates. She raised concerns over purported adverse reactions to the coronavirus vaccine and said she also "will be fighting against the woke agenda to preserve the innocence of our children". Raveendran told the Sentinel that she supported former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 and is supporting him again in 2024. As Baldwin seeks a third term in a presidential election year, other Republicans considering a run include Madison businessman and 2012 Senate candidate Eric Hovde, Franklin businessman Scott Mayer and former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke. --IANS mi/vd Mohit Raina is on a mission to rescue a girl in strife-torn Syria in 'The Freelancer' trailer. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Aug 9 : The trailer of Neeraj Pandey's riveting thriller series 'The Freelancer' which was released on Wednesday, is about an extraction mission where a girl is held captive in the war-torn hostile environment of Syria, and her escape from the world of death. The 2 minute 36 second long trailer begins with Sushant Singh driving a car in a foreign land. In a flashback, a girl is running from a few men. A voiceover says: "Inayat Khan was suspended seven years back in a misconduct case." Sushant's character is referred to as Inayat Khan. "His daughter got married last month, now she is missing with her in-laws." Sushant is then shot down by the police and the little girl gets hit by a car. The voice says: "The story has just started." Mohit Raina's character Avinash turns into a "mercenary", with a backdrop of Syria, and the terrorism. His character is called "The Freelancer". He is seen in an intense avatar and is determined to rescue the girl from the war torn land. The series is based on the book - 'A Ticket to Syria' by Shirish Thorat, directed by Bhav Dhulia, produced by Friday Storytellers and Neeraj Pandey is the Creator and Showrunner. The series features Sushant Singh, John Kokken, Gauri Balaji and Navneet Malik, Manjiri Faddnis, Sarah Jane Dias amongst others. Director Bhav Dhulia said: "With a series like 'The Freelancer', we wanted to bring audiences a conventional story that makes them think and question what is happening around them. It is a one-of-a-kind thriller series and sheds light on the subject with sensitivity. Beyond being a story of a young girl stuck in a hostile environment and a freelancer's attempt to rescue her, the story is much more - parents' love for their child, courage, and undying hope." 'The Freelancer' will air on September 1 on Disney+ Hotstar. New Delhi, Aug 9 : Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Shobha Karandlaje on Wednesday hit out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his alleged gesture of "flying kiss" and termed it as "inappropriate and indecent". "Rahul Gandhi by giving a flying kiss towards Smriti Irani ji and towards all the women members went away. This is totally misbehavior of a member. This is inappropriate and indecent behaviour of a member," Karandlaje told reporters here. The Minister said: "Senior members are telling that this has never happened in the history of Parliament of India. This has happened for the first time, a member inside the Parliament is sharing a flying kiss against a member. What is this behaviour?" Karandlaje also informed that she along with women MPs from the BJP met Lok Sabha Om Birla and demanded action against the Congress MP. "We have complained to the Speaker and demanded action against the member," she said. Meanwhile, in a tweet she wrote, "Rahul Gandhi's obnoxious behaviour demands unequivocal condemnation. His disgraceful and indecent conduct is a reflection of his misogynistic mindset. Deranged members like him are a threat to women's dignity." Earlier, Minister for Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani alleged that Gandhi saying never before has the misogynistic behaviour of a man been so visible in Parliament as what was done by him. "Never before has the misogynistic behaviour of a man been so visible in Parliament as what was done by Rahul Gandhi today. When the House of the people, where laws are made to protect the dignity of women, during the course of a session stands witness to a man's misogyny, my question is should he be brought to task?," Irani said. Taking a swipe at the Gandhi family, "Did not know that misogyny and indecent behaviour against women was one of the cultures of the Gandhi family." The Congress MP from Kerala's Wayanad on Wednesday once again landed in another controversy over his alleged gesture of flying kiss while leaving from the Lok Sabha after speaking in favour of the no-confidence motion. New Delhi, Aug 9 : DMK MP Kanimozhi on Wednesday slammed the government over bringing the 'Sengol' in the new Parliament building saying that you talk about the Chola tradition but don't know anything about the history of Tamil Nadu. He said that Pandyan Sengol was burnt and shattered after the king failed his people. Speaking in support of the no-confidence motion over the situation in Manipur, Kanimozhi in Lok Sabha said, "You brought the Sengol to the Parliament with much pomp and show. "You talked about the Chola tradition. You don't know about Tamil Nadu history. Have you heard of the Pandian Sengol? It was shattered and burnt when the king failed the common people. "Do you know the story of Kannagi? Please stop imposing Hindi on us and go read the Cilappatikaram. It has a lot of lessons to teach you," she said. She was referring to the story of the Tamil classical text, the Cilappatikaram. She also targeted the BJP government in Manipur over the violence and said that for the first time in India, the judiciary had to intervene in a state. "Isn't it shameful?" the DMK LS MP said, adding, that it is not 'double engine sarkaar', but it is a double-edged sword. She also dubbed the action by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh to control the situation in the northeastern state as 'shameful' and said that while a woman was killed and raped, the double engine government did nothing. Referring to the parading of two women naked by a mob in Manipur, she said, "Before the two women were stripped, paraded naked and gang raped, they went to the police for help, but the police refused." The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties have been demanding for a detailed statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Manipur in both Houses of Parliament and also a detailed discussion on the situation in the state. Violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 and since then hundreds of people have died while thousands have been forced to take refuge in the relief camps. Kolkata, Aug 9 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) during its probe into the multi-crore cash for school jobs case in West Bengal has come across crucial clues about similar recruitment irregularities in the fisheries department. The source of the clues is a person named Gopal Chandra Das, who was recently questioned by the central agency for allegedly acting as an agent for collecting money from the candidates in the school jobs case. Sources said that Das reportedly told the CBI that some of the candidates from whom he collected money were recruited in the state fisheries department instead of state-run schools. However, as informed by Das, these candidates were recruited in the fisheries department for contractual employment of 10 months at the end of which their contracts were not renewed. These candidates paid money for school jobs, but they were told to take up contractual positions in the fisheries department till the time fresh vacancies were created in the state-run schools. Some of them accepted the offer as they were assured of school jobs before the end of their contract period with the fisheries department. Now, some officials of the fisheries department who were allegedly involved in these recruitment irregularities are under CBI's lens. To recall, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) while raiding the residence of Aryan Sill, real-estate promoter and accused in the school jobs case, had earlier accessed crucial documents regarding irregularities in different municipalities of the state. Sill is presently in judicial custody. Mumbai, Aug 9 : In a shocking incident, a 16-year-old boy jumped off a building in Mumbai and ended his life as his horrified family looked on this afternoon, police said on Wednesday. According to police, the boy took the plunge from his 5th floor flat in Pratiksha Nagar Building No 18, even as his stunned father, mother, and sisters shouted at him to stop. A student of the Guru Nanak College at Sion, Siddhant was rushed in a badly-injured condition to a nearby hospital but succumbed soon thereafter. The incident occurred after the boyas father Sanjay Bhosale, an officer with the BMC L Ward Office, Kurla, had reportedly scolded him for some unknown reasons. An accidental death report has been filed in the case at the Wadala Truck Terminus Police Station (WTT). "We are making further investigationsa The victimas mobile phone and laptop have been seized for the probea but no suicide note has been recovered," WTT Police Stationas Senior Inspector Dyaneswar Argade told IANS. A police team has also gone to question his friends in the college and the neighbourhood where he lived to examine all angles to the teenageras sudden fatal act. Cluster munitions transferred to Ukraine by the United States have encouraged Ukrainian Defense Forces' counteroffensive operation. They cover a larger area than conventional artillery shells, strike clusters of Russian infantry, groups of vehicles and other targets and clear the way for the advance of ground troops. ADVERTISIMENT The Wall Street Journal reports, "Cluster bombs destroy trees completely in three shots." It is said by a military officer Oleksandr, adding that "even if you miss a little bit," these munitions will still work. As the WSJ noted, the occupiers' wide minefields and predominant aviation were a problem for the Ukrainian counteroffensive and slowed the Ukrainian military's advance. U.S.-provided cluster munitions, combined with a change in tactics, allowed Ukrainian forces to advance within range of Russia's main defense lines in some places. At the same time, captain and commander of the reconnaissance company Anatoly Kharchenko emphasized that the cluster bombs are quite effective, but the Russians "burrow deep and learn quickly." According to him, enemy trenches can be more than 2 meters deep and the occupiers adapt by dispersing their troops to avoid heavy losses. ADVERTISIMENT According to media reports, the Ukrainian army used cluster shells in the area of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia. Our fighters came under heavy fire from the Russians and were asking to withdraw when the command decided to approve the use of this weapon. Chaos was heard on Russian radio channels after that. "They were shouting that they had many wounded and needed evacuation. They also said they were to retreat", the Ukrainian military officer said, adding that the platoon then moved forward to capture the Russian positions. As the publication noted, Ukraine has yet to reach Russia's strongest defenses, including a series of trenches, tank traps and other barriers. Military experts say Ukraine will likely need Leopard-2 tanks and other Western armored vehicles to break through these lines. To preserve the equipment already available, the Ukrainian army changed tactics in June. Now infantry, reinforced by reserves drafted from other units, is leading the offensive through the minefields on foot. Thanks to strategic changes, the Ukrainian Forces now believe they have a chance for a breakthrough, the journalists noted. ADVERTISIMENT The United States announced a new aid package to Ukraine with cluster munitions on July 7. Ukraine has asked for it multiple times because they allow to destroy enemy infantry and equipment. US President Joe Biden explained the need to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine after the announcement of the new package. He noted that it was not "an easy decision, but a very important one". As reported by OBOZREVATEL: - A representative of the Eastern Group of Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Cherevaty confirmed that the Ukrainian Defense Forces use the entire line of ammunition provided to the Ukrainian army by Western partners on the battlefield on July 25. For example, cluster munitions were used to strike enemy troops in the Bakhmut direction; - The Ukrainian army finally got the opportunity to use them on the battlefield after numerous discussions on whether or not to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions. Military expert and reserve colonel Petro Chernyk said that this weapon saves expensive artillery and high-precision shells and has up to 25% more damage to enemy manpower and equipment. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information we have in our Telegram channel Obozrevatel, Threads and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Hyderabad, Aug 9 : AIMIM's floor leader in Telangana Legislative Assembly, Akbaruddin Owaisi on Wednesday inspected the construction work of the mosque at the State Secretariat. The state government recently announced that a temple, mosque and a church will be inaugurated in State Secretariat premises on August 25. The MLA also had a meeting with Principal Secretary, Revenue, Navin Mittal on Wednesday in the Secretariat on allotment of government lands to Muslim graveyards, Eidgahs and Shadikhanas in all districts of Telangana. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had last month announced that the decision to inaugurate three places of worship in the Secretariat was taken in tune with his governmentas policy of equality of all religions and reflecting the secular spirit enshrined in the Indian Constitution. It was announced that these three religious places will be accessible for Secretariat employees to perform rituals during their festivities. Foundation stone for re-construction of two mosques in the new State Secretariat premises was laid on November 25, 2021, five months after they were razed during demolition of the old secretariat buildings. The foundation stone was laid in the presence of home minister Mahmood Ali. The state government had allotted 1,500 yards for the two mosques, which are estimated to cost Rs 2.9 crore. Two mosques and a temple were razed during the demolition of old secretariat buildings. KCR had expressed his regret over the incident. He had claimed that the places of worship were damaged due to the fall of the debris on them. He had promised to rebuild the place of worship on more spacious sites and at the governmentas cost. On September 5, 2021, KCR announced that the government will rebuild mosques and a temple along with a church. The Christian leaders had informed the chief minister that church services used to be held in the old secretariat. New Delhi, Aug 9 : Equity mutual funds saw net inflows dip sequentially in July on the back of outflows from large-cap funds, but flows remained positive for the 29th consecutive month, says Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities. Net investments into actively managed equity schemes fell 11.7 per cent to Rs 7,626 crore in July from Rs 8,638 crore in June. SIP inflows stood at Rs 15,242.7 crore during July, a new record high, he added. NS Venkatesh, CEO, AMFI, stated: "The surge in retail investors' interest in mutual funds has translated into impressive inflows across scheme categories. The star performer this month has been Systematic Investment Plan (SIP), with an impressive 33,06,337 new SIP accounts registered and a record Rs 15,245 crores of monthly contribution. Moreover, the industry's AssetsUnder Management (AUM) have grown by 25 per cent YoY, underscoring mutual funds' significance infinancialisation of savings. "Investors in B30 cities are indirectly investing in stock markets via SIPs in Equity Mutual Funds. "Short term debt fund inflows continue due to treasury management by banks and corporates, while hybrid categories like multi-asset allocation funds have seen increased investor interest. Investors are increasingly realising that mutual funds have various options suited for their risk profile and goals and that they can partake in the India growth story by investing as little as Rs 500 a month." New Delhi, Aug 9 : Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik, who is undergoing a life sentence in a terror funding case, appeared before the court through video conference (VC) on Wednesday. A bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Anish Dayal, which was scheduled to take up National Investigation Agency (NIA)'s plea seeking death penalty for Malik challenging the trial court's order, did not assemble on Wednesday. and the case is likely be heard on December 5. On May 29, Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta had said that Malik avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty "very tactfully". "Wider issue troubling us that any terrorist may come, commit terror activities and the court may say because he has pleaded guilty, we are giving life sentence. Everyone would come here and avoid trial by pleading guilty because they would know if they enter trial, hanging is the only result," he had argued. The high court had on May 29 also issued production warrants for Wednesday to Malik on NIA's plea, however, on August 4, the court modified its order and allowed Tihar jail superintendentas urgent application seeking to produce him through video conference (VC), citing security issues. Citing an order issued by President last year, Delhi governmentas Standing Counsel Sanjay Lao, appearing for the jail authorities, had said that Malik is a threat to the society and thus, he shall not be moved out of jail or taken out from Delhi till one year or completion of his trial. In another incident, on July 21, the Supreme Court was stunned to see Malik before it as he appeared for an appeal filed by the CBI against a special Jammu court order calling for his physical appearance for trial in kidnapping and murder cases against him. Lao had also apprised the court of the above-mentioned event. Taking note of the order issued by the President, the court had said: "In that view of the matter, the order dated May 29, 2023, is necessarily modified to the extent that the jail superintendent is directed to produce Yasin Malik through VC alone on August 9 and not in person. No further directions are necessary to be passed in the application. The application is allowed and disposed of accordingly." The jail authority had sought modification of the high court's order directing personal presence of Malik during the hearing, saying that the convict is marked as a "very high risk" prisoner, hence he should be allowed to join the proceedings through VC. "... it is submitted that the Respondent/Convict Yasin Malik has been lodged in the Tihar Jail, New Delhi under the category of very high risk prisoners and thus, the present Application is in relation to a heavy security issue. Therefore, it is imperative that the Respondent/Convict Yasin Malik is not physically produced before this Honable Court in order to maintain public order and safety," the application had said. On July 21, Supreme Court bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Surya Kant recused itself from hearing the case and deferred it by four weeks. The Solicitor General had taken up issue of Malik's appearance before the top court, saying that the procedure is that the Registrar of the court needs to approve of such appearances. He apprised the bench that Malik cannot be brought out of jail since Section 268 of the Criminal Procedure Code applies to him. The SG added that the Central government will be taking necessary steps to ensure that Malik is not let out of jail again, and said that it is a heavy security issue. Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, who appeared for the CBI, said that Malik was brought out of jail callously by the jail authorities upon misinterpretation of the top court's order. The next day, Delhi prison authorities suspended four officers in Malik's security lapse case, an official had told. Last year in May, Malik -- who was pleaded guilty -- was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special NIA court in a terror funding case, and was convicted of offences under various sections of IPC. Shimla, Aug 9 : After a recent devastating cloudburst in Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Wednesday reached out to affected orchard owners and assured providing all possible assistance. The Chief Minister directed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate at Rohru to expedite preparing of a comprehensive report within 12 hours, outlining the financial assistance to be payable to the affected people. Sukhu said a comprehensive assessment of the damage incurred by apple orchards was currently underway and augmented compensation would be provided to the orchard owners. He said the government has increased the compensation amount up to 10 times by amending the relief manual and the relief amount will be disbursed in accordance with new guidelines. The Chief Minister assured prompt restoration of a damaged drain's channelisation in the Laila area and the repair of a primary school wall damaged due to the cloudburst. He said cloudburst debris have entered many houses and the government was supporting the affected families in addressing this challenge. The Chief Minister said the government was engaged in providing assistance to the affected people. This unified effort underscores the government's commitment to stand with the families during the natural calamity, ensuring that every impacted individual receives the necessary aid. Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mohan Lal Brakta were also present on the occasion. San Francisco, Aug 9 : A US programmer has admitted to stealing billions of dollars in Bitcoin from virtual currency Bitfinex in 2016. Ilya Lichtenstein, who was born in Russia, made the admission as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in the US, who arrested Lichtenstein and his wife Heather Morgan last year on charges of laundering the stolen funds, reports Silicon. Prosecutors did not identify Lichtenstein as the hacker at the time of their arrest in February 2022, stating that the funds had been transferred into a cryptocurrency wallet under his control. Under the terms of the agreement, Lichtenstein and Morgan pleaded guilty to attempting to launder the crypto coins, which were worth approximately $4.5 billion at the time of their arrest, making it the largest financial seizure in US Justice Department history, according to the report. At the time of their theft in 2016, the 1,19,000 Bitcoins were worth approximately $72 million. Moreover, the report said that Morgan, who pleaded guilty to an additional count of conspiracy to defraud the US, faces up to 10 years in prison, while Lichtenstein faces up to 20 years. Bitfinex initially deducted 36 per cent of the value of all of its customer accounts as a result of the hack but later reimbursed its customers, implying that the company will profit once the coins are returned. "In a futile effort to maintain digital anonymity, the defendants laundered stolen funds through a labyrinth of cryptocurrency transactions," Deputy US Attorney General Lisa O Monaco was quoted as saying. According to prosecutors, the couple converted some of the funds into physical gold coins, which Morgan buried. While the couple tried to launder stolen Bitcoins, Morgan portrayed herself as a tech entrepreneur, writing columns for Forbes and filming rap videos under the alias Razzlekhan, the "Crocodile of Wall Street". Panaji, Aug 9 : A court in Goa's Ponda on Wednesday granted interim protection to Meghana Sawardekar, the owner of the Mercedes car, which mowed down and killed three villagers on Sunday night. "The applicant is granted interim protection/bail until disposal of application for anticipatory bail on merits. In the event of arrest of the applicant, she shall be released upon executing personal bond of Rs 20,000 and one surety of like amount. "The applicant shall co-operate in the investigation of the crime. She shall not tamper with the evidence directly or indirectly. She shall not influence witnesses," Additional Sessions Judge, Panaji, sitting at Ponda, Cholu M. Gauns, said in the order. The next hearing is scheduled on August 16. Enraged at the death of fellow villagers, hundreds of people from Divar village on Tuesday had gathered outside the police demanding arrest of Sawardekar, claiming she was driving the vehicle, and not her husband when the accident took place. On Sunday night, three persons were killed and three others sustained critical injuries after a speeding Mercedes rammed into three cars and 2 two-wheelers while heading towards Panaji on the Banastari bridge in Ponda taluka, 17 km from here. After the accident, the people present at the site told reporters that a woman was driving the car. However, the police have arrested a man. As per police, the driver of the car Paresh Sinai Sawardekar, 48, the husband of Meghana, has been arrested. The dead were identified as Suresh Fadte, 58, and his wife Bhawana, 52, from Divar-Cumbarjua, as well as Anup Karmarkar, 26, from Bandora in Marcaim. --IANS sbk/vd Bengaluru, Aug 9 : The tug-of-war between the Congress government and contractors in Karnataka is escalating each passing day. The contractors who are on a war path against the state government met former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Wednesday and requested him to support them to get their pending bills cleared. The delegation of the State Contractors' Association met Yediyurappa at his residence here and sought his cooperation and support for their agitation against Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. The contractors have alleged that Shivakumar is demanding 15 per cent cut in the pending bills and they have also complained about this to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot. They even challenged Shivakumar to take a pledge before his family deity over the commission charges. According to K.T. Manjunath, President of BBMP Contractors' Association, many projects have been taken up and completed in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike limits and also in other Assembly constituencies. But Shivakumar stopped paying the bills and formed a team to investigate the matter and submit a report on the execution of projects by the contractors, Manjunath said. The contractors are not in a position to wait until the report is submitted, he said. Many of them have also written to the Prime Minister and the President to grant them mercy killing instead of delaying their payments. Yediyurappa is yet to make a public statement in this regard. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said that State Contractors' Association President Kempanna, who had waged a war against the previous BJP government alleging that it demanded 40 per cent commission in all bills, is now maintaining that the contractors have fallen into the fire from the frying pan. Kempanna had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard, while the Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, made it a big issue in the run-up to the Assembly elections. "You (Congress leaders) made '40 per cent commission' allegation a weapon and came to power. Now you have dumped Kempanna," Kumaraswamy said. Meanwhile, reacting to contractors meeting Yediyurappa, Shivakumar said that "let them meet anyone... It cannot be prevented". "I hope their struggle gets results. We are observing everything and carrying out administrative work with discretion and will continue doing it," he said. Shivakumar had earlier said that he can't be blackmailed by the contractors and he knew who was behind them. "The bills for executed works amount to Rs 25,000 crore while the available funds are Rs 600 crore. The bills can't be sanctioned in a day or two. We have got complaints that bills have been produced for bogus works, and the government will clear the pending bills only for works genuinely carried out," he had said. Mumbai, Aug 9 : The Father of the Nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, had visited the 'Government House' -- now known as Maharashtra Raj Bhavan, the stately official residence of the Governor -- during the British Rule, an official said here on Wednesday. Reminiscing those three memorable occasions when Gandhiji had stepped in the Government House, the Raj Bhavan has released a 11-minutes documentary coinciding with the 81st anniversary of the historic 'Quit India Day' on Wednesday (August 9). The presenter, the Governor's Media Advisor Umesh Kashikar narrates in an interesting manner the three times when Gandhiji was hosted by the then Governors of Bombay Province. The first visit was on January 14, 1915 when the young Barrister Gandhiji had just arrived here from South Africa after launching his epochal anti-Apartheid movement, and was already a 'hero' in his motherland. The then Governor Lord Willingdon (Freeman Freeman-Thomas) was among the first dignitaries to welcome Gandhiji and then invite him for a formal meeting in the Government House. The invite was sent through another legend, Gopal Krishna Gokhale who requested that Gandhiji should meet the Governor before departing for Pune as scheduled. After that meeting, Lord Willingdon described Gandhiji as "honest, but a Bolshevik and for that reason very dangerous". Little did anyone realise that those words would be prophetic after Gandhiji intensified the Independence Struggle, and political stand-offs with the British Government and Lord Willingdon as Governor of Bombay (1913-1918), then Governor of Madras Province (1919-1924), and later as Viceroy and Governor-General of India (1931-1936). The second time, Gandhiji came to Raj Bhavan on April 16, 1931, when the tenure of Viceroy and Governor-General of India, Edward F. L. Wood, or Lord Irwin, had ended and he was due to embark on a ship from Mumbai for Great Britain, for . Incidentally, the duo had met a month earlier and signed the 'Gandhi-Irwin Pact', but this time, Gandhiji submitted a letter to him, addressed to the British Cabinet, addressing various concerns of India and the people of this country. The very next day, on April 17, 1931, Gandhiji visited Raj Bhavan the third time for certain other official reasons and was received by the then Governor of Bombay, Maj.Gen. Frederic Sykes. In the documentary, Kashikar has revived memories of those visits with the help of available references and research material from various sources. Having some great anecdotes that would inspire the modern generations and afford a peep into the history in the making then, the documentary can be accessed at this link: https://youtu.be/HwILgRdZ0KA. The most coveted address in the city, Maharashtra Raj Bhavan is sprawled across 50 acres of lush greenery on the tip of Malabar Hill, and steeped in history in all its nooks and crannies. Since Independence, the Raj Bhavan has been the official residence of 23 Governors, including a sole woman Vijayalakshmi Pandit (Nov. 1962-Oct. 1964) - and Ramesh Bais is the present Governor. Flanked on three sides by the Arabian Sea, it boasts of a private beach, a rich flora and fauna within its precincts, imposing buildings, an underground bunker discovered in 2016 which now houses a Gallery of Indian Revolutionaries, old British era cannons, and other attractions. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in) Gurugram, Aug 9 : Five members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by State President Om Prakash Dhankar on Wednesday visited the violence-hit Nuh district of Haryana to meet administrative officials and take stock of the situation. However, a seven-member delegation of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Haryana unit was stopped by police near Sohna on its way to the district. They were sent back in view of the "curfew" imposed in Nuh. After meeting with the officials, BJP State President Dhankhar said that at present the situation in Nuh is normal and everything is getting better slowly. He said that the demolition of business units and residential houses was done under the supervision of the administration. "The administration is completely working in the right direction, conspirators will not be spared," he said. State Cooperative Minister Banwari Lal, MLA and State General Secretary Mohan Lal Badauli, Sohna MLA Sanjay Singh, and State Minister Samay Singh Bhati were also part of the delegation. On Tuesday, a 10-member delegation of the Haryana Congress was also stopped from entering violence-hit villages of Nuh district. On Sunday, police also stopped a four-member delegation of the Communist Party of India (CPI) citing prohibitory orders. New Delhi, Aug 9 : Industry leaders on Wednesday hailed the passing of the Digital Protection Data Protection (DPDP) Bill 2023 by the Parliament, saying India is rapidly digitising and hence the bill stands as a crucial and long-awaited piece of legislation which upholds an individual's right to safeguard their digital privacy. Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, tweeted that he feels deeply privileged at being given an opportunity by Prime Minister Narendra Modi "to help achieve this important step to protect our citizens rights and support innovation economy and governance". "My engagement on the issue of privacy started in 2010 and led to me filing a case in the Supreme Court as a petitioner that fought and succeeded in order that Privacy is a fundamental right," he said. "More than a decade on, India and Indians under PM Modi have a global standard Digital Personal Data Protection law," the minister posted. Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw moved the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 for consideration and passing in the Rajya Sabha after the Lok Sabha had already passed it. From hefty penalties ranging from a minimum of Rs 50 crore to a maximum of Rs 250 crore on social media platforms for violating rules to enabling digital markets to grow more responsibly while safeguarding citizens' data, the data protection bill envisages the creation of a Data Protection Board of India. Ruchir Shukla, MD, Safehouse Tech said that the bill is set to establish an international benchmark for data protection frameworks. "While online safety for institutions have been prioritised thus far, this bill will ensure safeguarding individuals in the digital world too," Shukla said. The Data Protection Bill will assess penalties based on the nature and severity of the breach, with potential fines of up to Rs 250 crore for instances of data breaches, failure to protect personal data, or failure to inform the Board and users of a breach. The Bill will apply to the processing of digital personal data within India where such data is collected online, or collected offline and is digitised. It will also apply to such processing outside the country, if it is for offering goods or services in India. Personal data may be processed only for a lawful purpose upon consent of an individual. Consent may not be required for specified legitimate uses such as voluntary sharing of data by the individual or processing by the state for permits, licences, benefits, and services. Data fiduciaries will be obligated to maintain the accuracy of data, keep data secure, and delete data once its purpose has been met. The Bill grants certain rights to individuals, including the right to obtain information, seek correction and erasure, and grievance redressal. The Centre may exempt government agencies from the application of provisions of the Bill in the interest of specified grounds such as security of the state, public order, and prevention of offences. According to Manish Sehgal, Partner, Risk Advisory, Deloitte India, the Bill will enhance the privacy cognisance of Indian citizens by empowering them with their privacy rights through transformative accountability measures to be adopted by the enterprises. The Bill brings in the much-needed legal framework to foster trust in digital markets. On one hand, it protects the privacy of Indian digital citizens and on the other, it enables digital markets to grow more responsibly. In the event of a data breach, companies are mandated to promptly inform the Data Protection Board (DPB) and the affected users. Processing data of minors and individuals with guardians must be done only with the consent of guardians, according to the Bill. Companies are required to appoint a Data Protection Officer and share their contact details with the users. --IANS na/vd Former teacher in UK gets 12 years in jail for abuse of Indian children. Image Source: IANS News London, Aug 9 : A former deputy head teacher of a primary school in London was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Wednesday for paying and instructing teenagers in India, where he worked for seven years, to abuse younger children. Matthew Smith, 35, from East Dulwich, was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in November 2022, after investigators identified that he was sharing abuse material on the dark web. Sentencing him to 12 years in prison, the Southwark Crown Court subjected Smith to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and placed him on the sex offenders register for life. Smith was online at the time of his arrest, speaking to a teenage boy living in India and asking him to send sexual images of a younger child, in return for money. He also had dark web sites and forums open on his computer which were dedicated to child sexual abuse. NCA investigators probed chat logs and financial transactions and were able to establish that Smith had paid that same teenager, and another also based in India, a total of GBP 65,398 to abuse children over a five-year period. The chat logs showed that Smith would instruct the young men to perform sexual acts on boys and would send them images and videos as examples of ones he would like to receive in return. He also gave one of them advice on how to befriend children and build their trust with a view to abusing them, an NCA statement read. Smith was living in Nepal and working at a school for the majority of this time. Prior to this, he spent various periods working in orphanages and NGOs across India between 2007-2014. Investigators found evidence of potential offending by Smith against children while he was working in India. Smith moved back to the UK in July 2022 and began working at a primary school in London in September, where he was a deputy head teacher and head of pastoral care. That summer, Smith posted an online advert looking to secure a flat share, in which he said he was a primary school teacher and could assist with childcare. He was arrested before he could be taken up on his offer. There is no evidence to suggest he committed offences against children based in Nepal or the UK. Officers recovered over 1,20,000 indecent images of children, which Smith had saved on a laptop, SD card and on his phone. "Matthew Smith is a prolific offender and master manipulator, who coerced young men into abusing children on his behalf. He constantly sought out opportunities to gain access to children, but was adept at hiding his sexual interest in them. He conducted his offending while working as a teacher and head of pastoral care -- a deep betrayal of the trust placed in him," Helen Dore, Senior Officer of the National Crime Agency, said. "It's clear Smith has absolutely no empathy for his victims and the harm he has caused them. He presents a very real and significant risk to children, but this investigation has ensured he will spend a long time in prison." Smith pleaded guilty to 22 counts, including encouraging the rape of a child under 13, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and arranging the sexual abuse of a child. Chandigarh, Aug 9 : The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday condemned the 'legal murder' of biopic on human rights activist, late Sardar Jaswant Singh Khalra through massive cuts imposed by the Censor Board of India. These restrictions have reportedly killed "its spirit as well as the theme," the Akali Dal said. The film 'Punjab 95', earlier titled 'Ghallughara', highlights state repression against Sardar Jaswant Singh Khalra and is based on court documents. "The Sikh community is perturbed that the Censor Board is seeking to whitewash the atrocities committed by the state against an activist who was collecting data of extra-judicial killings," said party President Sukhbir Badal. "It is also condemnable that different yardsticks are used when dealing with films associated with the Sikh community and their anguish. The same Censor Board did not feel it fit to censor 'Kashmir Files' which speaks about the agony of Kashmiri Pandits. This gives the impression that the board is biased in its outlook towards minority communities," he said. The Akali Dal demanded withdrawal of all cuts suggested by the Censor Board and release of the original film to ensure the truth and pain of the community is not suppressed. Patna, Aug 9 : The police in Bihar's Gopalganj on Wednesday arrested seven persons, including two women, and seized 102 kg marijuana from their possession. The contraband was hidden in a box placed on the roof of a three-wheeler, which was used for transporting narcotics. The traffickers reportedly smuggled in the marijuana from Odisha. The accused have been identified as Jamir Mian, Sachidanand Mahto, Sailesh Prasad, Uday Kumar, Antrip Kujur, Manju Devi and Manka Devi. The police are currently interrogating them to find out the kingpin of the drug trafficking racket. On Tuesday, the police in Sitamarhi had arrested four drug traffickers and seized 363 kg marijuana from their possession. Kolkata, Aug 9 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused the Congress and the CPI(M) of having a 'clandestine understanding' with the BJP in West Bengal. She also accused the Congress and CPI(M) of following the path of double standards as regards the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), stating that while the opposite parties are trying to get united at the national level against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Congress and CPI(M) are providing oxygen to the BJP in West Bengal. "There is a clandestine understanding between the BJP, Congress and CPI(M) in West Bengal. Nationally, we are trying to achieve 'INDIA', while in West Bengal there is an attempt for BJ-India," the Chief Minister said while speaking at a function on the occasion of the International Day of Indigenous People at tribal-dominated Jharkhand in West Bengal. "They are silently shaking hands with the BJP in West Bengal. They should be ashamed of themselves. There should be a minimum political honesty. Every party should follow a definite line of political ideology. If they continue with this strategy, I will be forced to say that Trinamool Congress is also against the Congress and BJP in West Bengal," the Chief Minister said. Banerjee's remarks came a couple of days after the CPI(M) at its central committee meeting in Delhi made it clear that the party will be immune from the path of INDIA alliance as regards West Bengal, where both the BJP and Trinamool will be treated as equal opponents. Bengal Congress chief and veteran Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has also been attacking the Trinamool government over corruption. The Chief Minister also attacked the BJP over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), saying that UCC is against the Constitutional provisions and the system of federal democracy in the country. "There are diversified rituals among different communities living in the country. All cannot be brought in the same bracket," Banerjee said. Jaipur, Aug 9 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, during his visit to Mangarh Dham in Rajasthan on World Tribal Day on Wednesday, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants Manipur to keep burning, adding the BJP's ideology has killed the spirit of Mother India in Manipur. Addressing the gathering, he said that the tribals were the first owners of India. "This is our land, which we call India today... this land was the land of tribals. This was told to me by my grandmother Indira Gandhi, but the BJP calls tribals 'Vanvasi'. This is an insult to the tribals and Mother India," he said. Regarding the violence in Manipur, Rahul Gandhi said that the Prime Minister wants Manipur to keep burning. "The Prime Minister wants the fire to keep burning in Manipur. It has been three months, it seems that Manipur is not a part of the country at all. I went to the relief camp. The leader of the opposition went but the PM did not. He did not say a word about Manipur," the Congress MP said. The former Congress president further said "wherever the people of BJP go, they try to suppress the voice of India". "BJP's thinking has set Manipur on fire. Manipur has been on fire for months. Bharat Mata was murdered in Manipur. BJP's ideology has killed Mother India," he added. Besides, addressing the tribals, Rahul Gandhi said: "The BJP says that you are not the owner of the country, you are the people living in the jungle. They call you 'Vanvasi' and hand over the forest to the industrialists. They want to finish the forest gradually, and you will be left nowhere." Describing the Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government's Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme as the 'best health scheme' in the country, Rahul Gandhi said "we run the government for the poor". Earlier, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced that Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for the development of Mangarh Dham. Addressing the gathering, former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot said the Central government is failing on every front. New Delhi, Aug 9 : Congress on Wednesday said that Home Minister Amit Shah is accepting his own incompetence and is admitting the absolute unworthiness of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh over the violent situation in the northeast state. "It's absolutely shameful that the Home Minister is questioning the "timing" of the release of the horrific video from Manipur," Congress General Secretary Communications incharge Jairam Ramesh said. "By claiming on the floor of the Parliament that the intelligence agencies did not know about the existence of such a video, he's only accepting his own incompetence as the Home Minister of India. He's also inadvertently admitting the absolute unworthiness of the Chief Minister of Manipur," the Rajya Sabha MP said. The video of the two women being paraded by a mob in Manipur went viral on July 19, a day before the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Shah, while speaking in Lok Sabha on the no-confidence motion said that the ethnic strife in Manipur is shameful, but what's more shameful is how opposition is playing politics over the issue. "Why was the video not shared with the DGP and police agencies? Why were the cops kept in dark about the incidents?" Shah asked in Lok Sabha. He said, "Once the video came in public domain, we acted immediately. We identified the culprits and arrested them." New Delhi/Imphal, Aug 9 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday assured the tribal leaders from Manipur that security will be further tightened in the hill and tribal areas of the northeastern state. The Home Minister held a meeting with the six-member delegation of Manipur's Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), led by its secretary Muan Tombing, in Delhi to discuss their demands, which include a separate state for the tribals. Sources said that Shah rejected the demand of a separate administration or separate state for the tribals in Manipur. Senior ITLF leader and spokesman Ginza Vualzong said that taking note of their apprehensions about the safety and security of the residents of the hill areas of the state, Shah assured that deployment of Central forces will be further strengthened and reoriented to plug the vulnerable gap areas. The state forces will operate under the direction of the state security advisor and in conjunction with the Central forces in the hill areas, Vualzong said, referring to the decisions taken in the meeting. Necessary arrangements will also be made to facilitate identification and transportation of bodies of victims of ethnic violence lying at hospitals in Imphal to their respective hometowns. Vualzong said that in view of the request by the Home Minister, they would finalise an alternative location for mass burial of people killed in the ethnic violence in consultation with their families and the Deputy Commissioner of Churachandpur district. The Central government also assured to facilitate early initiation of helicopter services for the residents of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Moreh areas to take them to their preferred destinations. Considering the difficulties being faced by the student community in the hill areas, necessary steps will be taken to allow students to enroll in colleges in other areas, transfer to universities outside the state besides opening student facilitation centres of Manipur University in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts. While assuring that the condition of prison inmates will be monitored regularly, Shah also assured that a separate office of Justice Lamba inquiry commission will be set up in Churachandpur with immediate effect. Gauhati High Court's former Chief Justice Ajai Lamba (Retd) is heading the three-member commission of inquiry to probe the ethnic violence in Manipur. The ITLF leaders had gone to Delhi on Monday to press their demands, which included creation of separate administration (equivalent to separate state) for the tribals, withdrawal of Manipur governmentas police and commando forces from the hill and tribal-inhabited areas, shifting of inmates lodged in jails in Imphal to others states, and legalisation of a site for mass burial of tribals killed in the ethnic violence. The volatile Manipur situation further escalated after the tribal organisation announced to conduct mass burial in Churachandpur on August 3. The move was strongly opposed by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body of the Meitei community. However, the mass burial was postponed after the Manipur High Court ordered to maintain status-quo of the proposed burial site in Churachandpur. In a letter to ITLF and COCOMI on August 3, Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, had appealed to maintain peace and communal harmony. Since May 12, 10 tribal MLAs, including seven BJP legislators, ITLF and the influential Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) have been demanding separate administration for the tribals. Shah, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, the ruling BJP and various other organisations, including the COCOMI, have strongly opposed the separate administration demand. Four suspected members of Bambiha gang held in Punjab. Image Source: IANS News Chandigarh, Aug 9 : The Punjab Police's Anti-Gangster Task Force on Wednesday arrested four suspected members of the Bambiha gang following an encounter in Barnala district, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said. Describing it as a major breakthrough, he said it was an intelligence-based operation. The criminals opened fire on police and in self-defence, the police party fired back, resulting in the accused sustaining gunshot injuries, he said. Three other criminals were arrested along with three pistols and 20 cartridges and a snatched car. They were active in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, Yadav added. --IANS vg/vd What is PM Modi afraid of: Cong as Sansad TV shows Rahul's speech for 14 out of 37 minutes. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Aug 9 : Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the BJP's politics has "murdered" 'Bharat Mata' (mother India) in the northeastern state and the arrogance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will burn the entire India. He also asked why the government is not deploying the Army which can bring normalcy in the state within a few days. He also accused the Prime Minister of dividing Manipur and thus he was unable to visit the northeastern state. After participating in the no-confidence motion discussion in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, whose membership was reinstated on Monday, in a tweet said: "Today BJP has sprinkled kerosene on the whole country. Sprinkled it on Manipur, set it on fire, Sprinkled on Haryana, that too is burning. They are busy burning the whole country. They are not the protectors of 'Bharat Mata', they are the murderers of 'Bharat Mata'. Speaking in Lok Sabha he also slammed the Prime Minister for not visiting Manipur and alleged that he does not consider the state to be part of India. The Congress leader also dubbed the BJP government as "anti national" and its leaders as anti-national and traitors, and took a pot shot at the Prime Minister for dividing Manipur into two parts. In his no-holds barred attack against the government in his 37-minute speech, Rahul Gandhi said, "BJP's politics has murdered India in Manipur. They have killed India in Manipur. They have murdered India in Manipur." "My mother is sitting here. The other mother, Bharat Mata, you killed in Manipur," he said, pointing to Sonia Gandhi who was also present in the Lok Sabha. He also targeted the Prime Minister for not visiting Manipur and said: "When I said that India is a voice of people, the heart, that voice has been murdered in India. It means Bharat Mata has been killed in Manipur. By killing the people of Manipur you have murdered Manipur. You are anti-national as you have killed Bharat Mata (mother India). "And it is the reason why your Prime Minister cannot go to Manipur as he has killed India in Manipur and in the hearts of the people of Manipur," he said. He also said that you (BJP) have killed Bharat Mata in Manipur and till the time you don't stop violence you are murdering India. "The armed forces can bring normalcy in one day but you are not using it as you want to kill India in Manipur. If Modi cannot listen to the hearts of people of India...," he said. "I used the Manipur word, but today's truth is that Manipur is no more as it has been divided into two and you have broken it. I visited relief camps in Manipur and spoke to women there," he said, with disruption from the Treasury Bench members. The Congress leader recounted the ordeal of the victims of the Manipur violence and said: "I asked a woman, 'What happened to you?' She said, 'My small son, an only child, was shot before my eyes. I spent the whole night with the dead body of my child and then I felt afraid. I left my house'. I asked her if she had brought along something with her and she said only the clothes she was wearing and a photo." Besides Manipur, the Congress MP also referred to the recent violent clashes in Haryana's Nuh and said: "Lanka was not burned by Lord Hanuman but it was burned by the arrogance of Ravana. Ram did not kill Ravana but the arrogance of Ravana killed him. "You are sprinkling kerosene in entire India. You sprinkled kerosene in Manipur and then you ignited it. Now you are doing that in Haryana. You are trying to burn the entire India and you are trying to kill India," he alleged. He also said that the country is a voice. "This country is the voice of people, their pain, and their hardships. And if we have to listen to the voice then we have to wipe the arrogance, desires, dreams. When we remove our dream then only we can listen to the voice of India," he said. "Now you will ask why you kept this in a no-confidence motion? Because if we have to listen to the voice of India then we have to remove the hatred," Rahul Gandhi explained while discussing his experience from the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari to Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar. The no-trust motion has been brought by the Congress on behalf of the opposition bloc of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). The debate was initiated on Tuesday by Congress Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi. It will conclude with the Prime Minister's reply on Thursday. New Delhi, Aug 9 : A slew of women opposition MPs on Wednesday attacked the Narendra Modi government for its failure to curb the violence in Manipur. Participating in the discussion on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, DMK's K Kanimozhi sought to know whether the Centre was indeed nationalist in its outlook, as it had failed to do anything on the Manipur situation. She highlighted the pitiable condition of relief camps where displaced persons are being kept in Manipur, saying that the conditions there are inhuman. "There are hundreds of relief camps (in Manipur) but no food. People are living in fear. We went there to tell them that India stands with them," Kanimozhi said. "We went there to say - INDIA (the opposition bloc) stands with you (people of Manipur). We would like to see if the government stands with them," she added. Kanimozhi went on to criticise the BJP-led government, labelling it as a "shame" that a state within the country is enduring such violence. Citing the viral video of two women paraded naked during the ethnic conflict in the state, she said: "The incident occurred in May, yet no action was taken. "You (PM Narendra Modi) brought the sengol to the new Parliament, saying it belongs to the Chola tradition. You don't know Tamil Nadu history properly. Have you heard about Pandyan sengol? Please stop imposing Hindi on us and read Cilappatikaram, it has a lot of lessons to teach you all," she added. Trinamool Congress member Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, while participating in the discussion on the no-confidence motion, said that the nation is seeing an unforeseen betrayal to democracy. She pointed out that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was "denied permission" to visit the strife-torn Manipur. Dastidar said that the "double-engine government" is not working, citing the Manipur situation and the recent violence in Haryana's Nuh. Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that the Centre remembers anti-Sikh riots as per its convenience otherwise it's not bothered about minorities. She attacked both the Centre and the opposition, the latter for its "past crimes" and the former for its inaction in Manipur. Badal said that the current BJP-led dispensation did not bother to visit Manipur, and sought to know the reason behind it. --IANS ans/vd Dana Gas, the Middle Easts largest regional private sector natural gas company, has seen its first-half (H1) net profit drop 25% to AED304 million ($83 million) as compared to AED407 million in H1 2022 on falling oil prices. Profitability for the first half declined amid a 25% drop in the average price of Brent during H1 2023 to $80 per barrel compared to $107 per barrel in H1 2022. The decline in profitability was also due to additional discounts on condensate sales in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (KRI), where the firm began to sell to third party local buyers as other companies shut down production in KRI. Revenue decrease Revenue for the first six months of the year decreased 22% to AED814 million compared to AED1.04 billion in H1 2022 due to lower realised prices amid the softening global oil and gas prices. The companys realised prices during the period averaged $56/bbl for condensate and $37/boe for LPG compared to $87/bbl and $44/boe respectively in H1 2022. The impact of lower realised prices on the companys profitability was partially offset by a production increase in the KRI and reduced operating costs by 15%. Pearl Petroleum recently received $101 million from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) despite the ongoing challenges within Iraq and is in ongoing discussions with the KRG to settle outstanding receivables as soon as possible. Unlike other operators in the KRI Pearls operations and production have continued without interruption since all its products are consumed locally. Challenging environment Dr Patrick Allman-Ward, CEO of Dana Gas, commented: Dana Gass first half results reflect the challenging environment hydrocarbon producers have been facing amid a decline in global oil prices. To counter the downturn in energy prices, the Company has strengthened its focus on maintaining production and lowering costs, while working with partner governments in Egypt and the KRI to settle outstanding payments. As oil prices have turned a corner and started to rise, we are optimistic about the potential positive impact on our Company's financial results for the remainder of the year, provided that this upward trend persists. Operations & production The groups overall production in H1 2023 averaged 59,800 boepd (barrels of oil equivalent per day), a 2% decrease as compared to 61,100 boepd in H1 2022 as a decline in Egypt production outweighed an increase in the KRI. The 12% production drop in Egypt was mainly the result of natural field declines. Owing to active reservoir management and optimisation of production from existing wells, the reduction was significantly below expected levels of decline for Nile Delta fields, which are typically between 20-30% each year. KRI production grew by 6% to 36,400 boepd from 34,500 in H1 2022, KRI production was supported by the successful debottlenecking project that added 50 mmscfd (million standard cubic feet per day) to output in January. In the second quarter, a partial shut down for maintenance in Kor Mor was successfully carried out without any HSSE incidents but impacted production during its duration. Pearl Petroleum has now successfully completed the drilling of the six KM250 project development wells. Once complete, the KM250 expansion project will add 250 mmscfd of production, resulting in 750 mmscfd total daily production capacity. Liquidity The companys cash position at the end of H1 2023 stood at AED370 million, including AED301 million held at the Pearl Petroleum joint venture. The group collected a total of AED388 million during H1 2023, with the KRI and Egypt contributing AED293 million and AED95 million respectively. In Q2 2023, Pearl management proactively began the sale of condensate to third party local buyers which has allowed Pearl to improve its liquidity position through regular collections on condensate sales. The companys receivables in KRI stands at AED356 million and in Egypt at AED150 million at the end of the first half. In May, Dana Gas also received regulatory approval to increase foreign ownership in the companys shares, in line with the UAEs new Commercial Companies Law that has abolished a requirement that UAE nationals own 51% of onshore companies. Foreigners can now hold up to 100% of Dana Gass shares, up from 49%, a decision that was approved by the companys shareholders at its Annual General Meeting on April 26.-- TradeArabia News Service New Delhi, Aug 9 : The Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested a couple -- who was on the run for the last four years, for cheating a non-banking financial company (NBFC) to the tune of Rs 22 crore on the basis of forged property papers, an official said on Wednesday. The officials said that the husband and wife -- identified as Vikas Shandilya a.k.a. Vikas Sharma and M. Sharma -- were arrested from their residence after consistent field efforts of more than 10 days in various nooks and corners of north Goa. The couple was running an eatery in Goa. "Inspired by a recent web series, Kohra, the police team ordered food online from local eateries to identify the food delivery business being clandestinely run by the husband-wife duo while they were hiding in Goa," said a senior police officer. The arrest comes after a case was registered on the complaint of a reputed NBFC, wherein it was alleged that one Amrit Mann, a DSA, alongwith Nilanjan Majumdar, Sales Manager and Nitesh Kumar, Reporting Manager, were supposed to source genuine proposals of applicants seeking a Loan against Property (LAP) from complainant-company. "Mann, who formerly managed a sales agency, collaborated with Majumdar, the sales manager at the complainant company, to secure deals from businesses seeking property-based loans," said a senior police officer. "One of the accused, M Sharma, associated with a company named M/s Sewaa Apparels, applied for a property loan of Rs 5 crore. An amount of Rs 4.11 crore was approved on August 31, 2017. In this case, M/s Sewaa Apparels acted as the borrower, with Gaurav Sharma, Vikas' mother, and Vikas' wife as co-borrowers. The loan was obtained using a property in Roop Nagar, Delhi, as an equitable mortgage. Subsequently, consistent defaults in loan repayment occurred," said the official. Upon investigation, it was discovered that property documents submitted by Vikas' mother to the complainant company were forged. Moreover, she had even sold the property to another buyer. "Further scrutiny of M/s Sewaa Apparels' accounts revealed that after receiving the loan, the company engaged in transactions with three other firms, along with Amrit Maan, Ambika Maan, and Nilanjan Mazumdar. These individuals were identified as co-conspirators in the fraud," said the Joint Commissioner of Police (EOW) Sindhu Pillai. According to the police, Vikas established a partnership firm, M/s Sewaa Apparels, under his mother's and wife's names. He used fake documents related to the Roop Nagar property to secure a loan of Rs 4.11 crore from a NBFC, which was subsequently misappropriated. During the loan application process, Vikas had provided an affidavit to the complainant company indicating his consent for his mother and supposed brother Gaurav to obtain the loan. However, investigations revealed that Gaurav was not, in fact, his brother. "Vikas and his wife had been evading the authorities by moving across different cities with various identities. Eventually, their location was traced to Goa. Subsequent raids in North Goa led to their arrest," said the police officer. New Delhi, Aug 9 : Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the incidents of Manipur are shameful and said that the government has no intention to change the demography of the northeast state. He also appealed the all the ethnic groups to shun violence and look for a peaceful solution to the problem by talking to the central government. "I agree with the opposition about the violence which has happened there. It is shameful, but it is all the more shameful to politicise it," he said. Shah at the same time said that had the video been shared with the state's DGP or the police on time, then action would have been taken against the perpetrators at the earliest. The Home Minister wondered why the video was leaked just a day before the commencement of the monsoon session. He also urged the ethnic groups to talk to the Central government and look for a peaceful solution to the strife torn situation prevailing there. Participating in the discussion on the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, the Home Minister attacked the Congress-led opposition saying that the most instances of ethnic and communal violence and riots took place during the reigns of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. He even listed out all such incidents of the past several years, and went on to add that in 1993 and 1997 when ethnic violence had broken out in Manipur, no discussion took place in Parliament during the first instance, and when it did take place at the time of the second incident, only the Minister of State for Home replied to the discussion. Shah said no prime minister or home minister had visited Manipur during those occasions however he had himself stayed there for three days and his junior minister Nityanand Rai stayed there for 23 days. "I was the first Home Minister ever to do so," he said. Shah also blamed Rahul Gandhi for playing politics on the Manipur issue. After his more than two hours long speech, Shah requested through the Speaker to pass a resolution to seek peace in the state in Lok Sabha. Leader of the Congress Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury opposed this proposal saying that their only demand was that Prime Minister should come to the House and speak on Manipur. The House however passed the resolution through voice vote, after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that as Home Minister has already spoken on the matter and tomorrow the Prime Minister will reply to the motion, the resolution for peace in Manipur should be passed. Earlier, the Home Minister in an all out attack on the Congress, said that while the erstwhile UPA regime was steeped in scams, the NDA had only done politics of development for 15 years (including six years of the Vajpayee government). "That's why you felt the need to change the name of your alliance to INDIA from UPA, while we don't feel any such need to do so," Shah retorted. He even listed out a long list of scams which had taken place during the erstwhile UPA regime, which were gleefully echoed by the treasury benches. Chowdhury on several times tried to intervene, however Shah quietened him by saying that his own party had not given him time to speak on the no-confidence motion. Shah also explained the genesis of the Manipur violence and explained how due to increasing Kuki population in the state, owing to their exodus from neighbouring Myanmar, the tensions had been rising between Meiteis and Kukis there. The simmering tensions of past several months culminated in the eruption of violence in May, he said. Shah also informed the House that violence has gradually ebbed in Manipur and out of the 152 dead, 101 had died in May itself, while the number of casualties have decreased since June. He also elaborated on various measures taken by the government to normalise the situation there adding that the Chief Secretary and the DGP have been replaced while those who made the video have been caught. On opposition's question why the Chief Minister was not replaced, Shah said that this was because he was cooperating with the Centre. The Home Minister also in detail explained all the welfare schemes launched by the government in the past nine years of the NDA government. Attacking Rahul Gandhi, Shah said that he was a politician who had been launched 13 times in politics. Referring to Gandhi's visit to a Dalit woman Kalawati's house during the UPA regime, Shah said that while the Congress leader only elaborated on her travails, it was the NDA government, which provided her with electricity and toilet and a house, when it came to power. He also targetted INDIA alliance partners SP and NCP saying that while both SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi had described the Covid vaccine as Modi vaccine, Sharad Pawar had toppled the Maharashtra government with support from Jan Sangh He ridiculed the opposition for criticising the Prime Minister, saying that he was one of the most popular prime ministers in the history of the country adding that while the opposition may not have confidence on the government but the people have the confidence in the government and that the NDA will again come back to power in 2024. New Delhi, Aug 9 : Leading industry leaders and stakeholders hailed the passing of Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (DPDP) 2023 by the Parliament as it secured the Rajya Sabha's nod on Wednesday, terming it a "watershed moment". Nasscom said this marks a significant leap forward for India to establish a robust framework for personal data protection and build India as a trusted data destination. Ensuring comprehensive data protection is paramount for accelerating India's digital economy and the bill strikes a harmonious balance between flexibility and data privacy measures, it said. "The technology industry and Nasscom have been working collaboratively with the government from the start to share insights and industry experiences from global regulations, the India differentiators and provided detailed submissions through the evolution of this Bill," Nasscom President Debjani Ghosh said. According to some of the key recommendations which are reflected in the Bill, the concept of purpose limitation and data minimisation should be provided in the law. "The law should enhance trust in processing data in India. Processing of foreign data in India should avoid overlaps with the laws of the countries whose data is being processed," said the IT industry's apex body. Accordingly, the bill provides that companies processing foreign data in India will need to adhere to security safeguards to prevent personal data breaches under the law. "Obligations should be risk-based so that start-ups and small and medium enterprises are not unduly burdened," Nasscom said in a statement. Sivarama Krishnan, Partner & Leader, Risk Consulting, PwC India, said the DPDP Bill 2023 is a much-needed leap in the right direction as it establishes the rights and duties of 'Data Principals', the owners of data, and the obligations and liabilities of 'Data Fiduciaries', who collect, store, and process the data. "The Bill places reasonable obligations on data fiduciaries, ensuring responsible handling of digital personal data. Introduction of consent managers, additional obligations on Significant Data Fiduciary and verifiable parental / guardian consent for are welcome inclusions to bill," Krishnan said. Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw moved the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 for consideration and passing in the Rajya Sabha after the Lok Sabha had already passed it. Murali Rao, Cybersecurity Consulting Leader, EY India said that the DPDP Bill is India's first data protection act, and it establishes a framework for the processing of personal data in India. "As the next steps towards the enforcement journey, a Data Protection Board needs to be set up and rules to be released through separate notifications which could be for specific parts of the law," Rao noted. Vihang Virkar, Partner, Lumiere Law Partners, said that it is time that India established a robust legal mechanism to protect personal data of its citizens, in line with global standards. "The current legal framework in India dealing with protection of personal data is formed of an assortment of legal provisions which can be found in various separate legislation. While India is moving rapidly to become a dominant player in the global digital economy, it is important that the existing collage of data protection laws in India be unified into a single statute," Virkar added. --IANS na/vd New Delhi, Aug 9 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed two separate supplementary chargesheets against several key members of the dreaded Lawrence Bishnoi and Bambiha gangs, even as a special court declared seven absconders as Proclaimed Offenders (POs) in the multi-state terrorist-gangster-drug smuggler network case. Notorious 'listed terrorist' Arshdeep Dala of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), who was chargesheeted by NIA on July 22, is one of the seven absconders declared POs on Wednesday. Lakhbir Singh a.k.a. Landa, an important member of proscribed terror outfit, the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), is among the three Lawrence Bishnoi gang members chargesheeted by the NIA. In its second major supplementary chargesheet of the day, the NIA has filed charges against nine members of the notorious Bambiha gang. With these, the total number of accused charge-sheeted by the NIA so far in these two cases has gone up to 38. Ichchapuram: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu addresses during an election rally at Ichchapuram in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh on March 30, 2019. . Image Source: IANS News Amaravati, Aug 9 : Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following an attack on him in Chittoor district. He has alleged that the attack on him on August 4 was a conspiracy and premeditated. Naidu reacted strongly to police booking a case against him when he was the victim. "I was attacked by some goons but the case has been filed against me," he told reporters in Vizianagaram. The TDP chief alleged that by filing false cases against the TDP cadre, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy was trying to get benefits in the coming election. He dared the state government to reply to the questions raised by the leaders of the Opposition parties. "I have been travelling across the State as part of the Yudha Bheri programme to inform the people about the corruption, injustice, destruction and devastation caused to the irrigation projects. As part of the programme, I was in Angallu village where I was attacked and an attempted murder case was registered against me," Chandrababu said. He alleged that the local minister and his brother hatched a conspiracy and filed a case against him. Narrating as to how the incident took place, Chandrababu Naidu said that the contract works for a parallel canal to Handri-Neeva were awarded to the PLR Company belonging to minister Ramachandra Reddy. "When I went to oversee the ongoing works the local farmers complained to me that the officials, with the help of the police, have forcibly taken their lands without officially acquiring the lands and without paying for their relief and rehabilitation. "While I was returning, the YSRCP goondas created obstructions to me and made an attempt to kill me. My Chief Security Officer (CSO) had informed the district Superintendent of Police (SP)," he said. Pointing out that he is under National Security Guard (NSG) security, Chandrababu asked whether he should run away from there when the goondas are attacking him. "What will be the fate if the state if I, as a former chief minister and Leader of the Opposition, run away from there," he asked. He said that it has become a habit for the YSRCP to attack someone and then file cases against the victim. He said similar incidents of stone-pelting were reported from Yerragondapalem and Nadigama too. Chandrababu Naidu said that the facts will come to light only with the CBI inquiry and wanted the probe be conducted in all the incidents that have taken place in various parts of the State. "Who were involved in the attacks, who is behind these incidents and under whose directions the goondas resorted to these assaults, all these facts will come to light only with CBI probe," he said. Chandrababu Naidu presented all the visuals of the Chittoor incidents at the media conference and how the police failed to prevent these attacks. Patna, Aug 9 : Patna Police on Wednesday arrested an accused for killing his son in a village which falls under Bhagwanpur police station. The deceased son has been identified as 14 year-old Ankit Kumar. The accused father hanged him from a mango tree on July 19. After murdering his son, the father had lodged an FIR against unknown persons for killing his son. During the investigation it appeared that the accused forcibly established sexual relations with his eldest daughter and the victim saw them in objectionable position. Following the incident, the son objected to his father's act and in the fit of rage the father strangled his own son. After committing the crime, the accused hanged him from a mango tree using a Sari. "The father was the prime suspect from day one. We have cross checked his statement with other family members and found some contradictions. When we strongly quizzed him, he broke down and confessed to his crime," police said. Police said that the accused is also a drug and liquor addict. He was raping his own daughter for the last two-years. His wife is also mentally unstable. New Delhi: Congress leader Randeep S. Surjewala addresses a press conference regarding state assembly elections result, at the party hq in New Delhi on Thursday, March 10, 2022. (Photo: Wasim Sarvar/IANS). Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Aug 9 : Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday fumed over the alleged paper leaks in Haryana and demanded scrapping of the Common Eligibility Test (CET) conducted on August 6 and 7, for filling 12,116 vacancies in various Haryana government departments. Surjewala, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP alleged that questions were found repeated from the previous day's exam thus proving beyond any doubt that it was the handiwork of the paper-leak mafia, which was being protected and patronized by the Manohar Lal Khattar government. He disclosed that of the 100 questions that were asked in group 56 paper conducted on August 7, 41 were straightway "copy-pasted as it is", from the group 57 paper, conducted previous day on August 6. He said that this was obviously done to facilitate and make the job of the middlemen involved in the paper leak, easy. "They simply needed to convey 'one line' that prepare the previous day's paper", Surjewala pointed out, while remarking, for this "one line the middlemen in the paper mafia case made between Rs 25 to Rs 35 lakhs". He observed that, with such huge stakes involved, the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) knocked the doors of the court at midnight, to get the single judge court order cancelling the paper, stayed and conducted the test in a tearing hurry within 24 hours. The Congress leader alleged that the modus operandi of the "paper leak mafia" appeared to be the same and similar to the HPSC. He also highlighted that in the HPSC paper leak case also, 38 questions were repeated from the previous paper in a "cut copy paste" pattern. Surjewala demanded scrapping of the test saying not only was the paper leaked, but there were also some glaring mistakes in the question papers. He asked, when questions were wrong, how can candidates answer these correctly. He demanded that the entire HPSC and the HSSC should be disbanded and an inquiry be ordered by a sitting High Court judge into multiple cases of paper leak. Patna, Aug 9 : Two gangs of sand mafias in Bihar's Buxar district were involved in a incident of firing as they met to allegedly resolve an issue, an official said on Wednesday. The incident occurred during a meeting to sort out issues between Anand Rai of Jalhara village and Bablu Rai of Kritpura village under Mufassil police station on Tuesday night. are active in sand mining in the Ganga and are rivals of each other As Anand Raias brother Aman Rai threatened Bablu Rai with dire consequences on the phone, the latter contacted Anand Rai and a meeting was fixed at Kritpura village to discuss the matter. Local villagers claimed that Aman Rai reached there and fired three rounds, which led to chaos at the venue. Following the incident, members of both the gangs fled from there. "Following the incident, we have visited the place and investigated the matter. The two sides assembled there for a negotiation on an unknown subject. During the meeting, firing took place. We have recovered a spent cartridge. An FIR has been registered against the accused and efforts are on to nab the accused," Buxar SP Manish Kumar said. New Delhi, Aug 9 : National Conference MP and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi represents the whole of India, "and not just one colour". He also said that the NDA government has failed to bring any Kashmiri Pandit back to the valley. Meanwhile in another interesting incident in Lok Sabha seen during the discussion on the no-confidence motion, Shiv Sena member Shrikant Shinde, the son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, recited the Hanuman Chalisa in the House. Abdullah, while participating in the discussion on the no-confidence motion, said that PM did not just represent one colour, and instead, represented all of India. He said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir were proud to be part of India. "But this nation has a responsibility not only to Hindus but to Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and everybody who lives in India. The Prime Minister doesn't represent only one colour, he represents India. He represents 1.4 billion people of India, let's not ignore that," he said. Abdullah also said that while everyone makes mistakes, he had tried to bring Kashmiri Pandits back home, however it did not bear the desired results. "When we tried, the forces from across the border killed innocent Kashmiri Pandits in a village. Immediately we stopped the 50 vehicles that were to bring them back home." He, however, questioned the Centre, asking how many Kashmiri Pandits has it brought back in the last 10 years to the valley. "How many Kashmiri Pandits have you brought back in these last 10 years? None," Abdullah said. Reacting to Abdullah, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said: "To say that that this government did not do anything for Kashmiri Pandits is wrong and misleading the House." Meanwhile Shrikant Shinde, in his speech, heavily criticised the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, saying that it has aligned with the UPA, which has a completely divergent ideology. Samajwadi Party, a constituent of the UPA, had even fired at kar sevaks during the Ayodhya agitation, Shinde said, referring to the 1990 incident when late SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Tearing into the Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray faction for "abandoning" Hindutva and Bal Thackerayas ideology, he claimed that during Thackeray's reign as Chief Minister, people were stopped from reciting Hanuman Chalisa in Maharashtra. "I know the whole Hanuman Chalisa," he said and started reciting it. He, however, could not complete it as the Chair asked him to continue with his speech. --IANS ans/vd Elephant population in TN increases by 200 in six years. Image Source: IANS News Bengaluru, Aug 9 : Karnataka Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology Eshwar B. Khandre on Wednesday said that the number of elephants in the state has gone up by 350. A census was conducted as a part of the Synchronized Elephant Population estimation -- conducted once in five years, and being held across the southern states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Speaking to reporters after releasing the elephant census report at his office in Bengaluru, Khandre said that in 2017, there were 6,049 elephants in the state. According to the latest census on elephants, the number has increased to 6,395. Khandre said that to ascertain the decrease or increase in the number of elephants, the census is undertaken every five years. Such a census was undertaken in 2017. An attempt was made to carry out the census of elephants along with the census of tigers in 2022. The latest census will help towards categorisation of elephants as per gender and age. The elephant census was carried out between May 17 and May 19 simultaneously by Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A similar exercise was also taken up by Andhra Pradesh on the same dates, Khandre said. He said Karnataka has got first place in terms of numbers of elephants. It was in second place in terms of the number of tigers in the country. New Delhi, Aug 9 : Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday called upon pharma companies to ensure the highest levels of production quality. Mandaviya, who is also the Minister in-charge of Chemicals and Fertilizers, made the appeal while reviewing the Good Manufacturing Practices and Compliances of Pharma Industry. "Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed Good Manufacturing Practices and Compliances of Pharma Industry. Called for further strengthening aContinuous Self Monitoring of Regulatory Compliancea by manufacturers.This will give big boost to India's reputation as pharmacy of the world," Mandaviya's office wrote in a tweet on Wednesday. The Minister also urged the industry to do a self-assessment of its manufacturing processes and make their own teams to inspect their plants to ensure the highest levels of production quality, it said. --IANS std/vd New Delhi, Aug 9 : Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday took a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying that the latter is following his 'Saheb' as he is saying anything in the Parliament to mislead the country. Ramesh's remark came after Shah taunted Rahul Gandhi's much-hyped 2008 visit to the home of a widow -- Kalavati Bandurkar -- in Maharashtra's Vidarbha. Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without naming him, and Shah, the Congress Rajya Sabha MP said, "Amit Shah is completely following the path shown by his Saheb. Leave the election rallies, they are saying anything in the Parliament to mislead the country." "She (Kalavati) herself has told what Rahul Gandhi did for her after meeting her," Ramesh said, attaching a video clip of Shah and the remarks of Kalavati. His remarks came after Shah in the Lok Sabha took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi over his visit to the home of Kalavati in 2008. "There is a leader in this House whose political career has been launched 13 times till now. And all 13 attempts have failed," Shah said. Referring to Rahul Gandhi's visit to Vidarbha, Shah said, "I have seen one of the launches in this House. This leader visited the home of a less-fortunate woman, Kalavati, and had meal at her home. He then spoke about poverty and her hardships in the House. Their government was in power for six years after this. I want to ask, what did you do for her? The Modi government gave her a house, electricity, gas, ration, and toilet." Shah made the remarks during the discussion on the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition alliance. New Delhi, Aug 9 : The Delhi High Court has sought response from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the appointment of embryologist Dr. Nitiz Murdia as an expert member of the National Assisted Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy Board. A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Saurabh Banerjee issued notice on the plea and also sought Murdiaas response. The PIL has been filed by Dr Aniruddha Narayan Malpani, an IVF specialist, who alleges that Murdia's appointment lacks evidence of the required qualification of at least 15 years as an embryologist, which is a prerequisite for being an expert member of the Board. "You have to justify. Please file a reply," the bench said. Malpani's concerns stem from an RTI application filed to obtain information about Murdia's appointment. The reply to the RTI revealed that Murdia holds a Ph.D. in "Embryology, IVF Health, and Business" from California Public University. It has been said that the petitioner's investigation into this has revealed that the university does not offer any academic credits and all its programmes are via online/distance education mode. It was further stated that he possesses 17 years of experience as a chief embryologist. Malpani filed an appeal seeking copies of Murdia's Embryology degree and appointment letter to comprehend the basis upon which he was designated as an expert member of the Board. However, no response was received, prompting Malpani to bring the matter before the high court. The plea argues that Murdia has on the basis of false and misleading information obtained the appointment, clearly indicating that he has usurped a public office without possessing the requisite qualifications and training required under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, the Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act, 2021, and the Rules made thereunder. The petitioner has said that Murdia was a chemical engineer and there is no evidence of his training in embryology from any recognised university. --IANS spr/vd Colombo, Aug 9 : Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe assured the country's Parliament that a close relationship with India would not affect the island nation's sovereignty and integrity. Making a special statement to the Parliament on Wednesday, President Wickremesinghe said: "It must be understood that engaging in a robust relationship with our closest neighbour India would undoubtedly strengthen our ability towards ensuring mutually beneficial cooperation. "You have my assurance that I will not engage in initiatives inimical to the sovereignty and integrity of this country," he guaranteed. The Sri Lanka President was responding to the allegation from the opposing faction that his government was selling out the country to third parties to come out of the worst ever economic crisis that the 22 million populated island has been going through. Wickremesinghe stressed the importance of joining with India in the effort to come out of the economic crisis and transform country's ports as hubs for export of green hydrogen by developing Northern and Eastern, the provinces closer to India. "We have already taken steps on creating a conducive environment for the investment and export of solar and wind power, culminating in a Memorandum of Understanding with India to facilitate collaborative efforts in this area. Adani Group has come forward to invest in the renewable energy sector of Sri Lanka. I believe that this collaborative approach would lead to substantial growth in this area," the Sri Lanka President said at the 225-member Parliament. He detailed his plans for renewable energy through the production of green hydrogen and green ammonia. "This strategy aims to attract investments and could transform the Port of Colombo Pooneryn and even Trincomalee as hubs for export of green hydrogen," he said. The Sri Lankan President detailed his plans to upgrade air and sea connectivity between South India and Sri Lanka's Northern province and said that the development of the Kankesanthurai (KKS) Harbour, Vavuniya and Palali Airports and the ferry service connecting the south of India have been earmarked. President Wickremesinghe also said that basing Trincomalee, the strategic Eastern port city, the Eastern Province would be developed to a regional hub with the support of India. "India's assistance as our closest neighbour in implementing the Trincomalee District Development Project is of immense value to Sri Lanka. The ongoing cooperation in the development of the Trincomalee Tank Farms and India's agreement to further enhance Trincomalee as a national and regional hub of industry, energy and economic activity is a fillip for developing further mutually beneficial cooperation," President Wickremesinghe said. The President emphasised the significance of Trincomalee, the World War II British operation base for Southeast Asia after Singapore fell to the Japanese in 1842 and importance of joining with India to develop it. "The Eastern Province plays an important role in naval affairs and Trincomalee should be made into a leading strategic Port. It is important that we work together with India when developing the Eastern Province Port, by having discussions on several programmes in that region," he stressed. "Since India has a lead to develop industries in this Province, an Industrial Zone should be created. The Port, therefore, will also be connected and we are planning to establish a Joint Task Force for this purpose," he described. Udupi : , Aug 9 (IANS) The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials on Wednesday visited the Nethrajyothi Paramedical College here in connection with its probe into the matter related to filming of girls inside the college restroom by other female students. The CID team led by Superintendent of Police Raghavendra Hegde inspected the campus and recorded the statement of the girl student. The team also recorded the statements of the management and staff of the college. The CID team conducted a 'mahajar' of the scene of the offence in the college restroom and common hall. The ruling Congress party in Karnataka handed over the investigation of the filming in the restroom matter which went to create a row with the special wing of the CID on Monday. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had stated: "The CID probe has been ordered into the case as there is an allegation that video was shot in a private college restroom. This is a sensitive matter and for additional investigation, the case has been handed over to the CID." Earlier, a BJP delegation had met Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at the Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum demanding a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). CM Siddaramaiah had ordered a probe by a Deputy SP rank police officer. The BJP, however, asserted that a DSP rank officer would not be able probe the matter, and "the government will hush up the case as part of its appeasement politics". The BJP has been demanding legal action against three Muslim girls alleging that they were filming Hindu girls in the washroom and handed over the videos to others for circulation. The party leaders had claimed that it was an organised crime against Hindu girls. The Karnataka police were also accused of harassing a woman activist Rashmi Samant for raising her voice regarding the issue. The college, however, had maintained that the 'victim' was not willing to lodge the complaint against the Muslim girls. New Delhi, Aug 9 : Amid an uproar in the Lok Sabha over a "flying kiss" by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, his party and INDIA leaders defended the gesture, saying the Gandhi scion has been trying to "open shops of love in the market of hatred". Speaking to the mediapersons, Congress General Secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said: "Rahul Gandhi is trying to open shops of love in the market of hatred. Rahul Gandhi did nothing wrong in Lok Sabha. His behaviour was well under the parliamentary rules and decorum." Meanwhile, Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi told IANS that the BJP was suffering from "Rahul phobia". He said: "The BJP is suffering from Rahul phobia. His speech on the Manipur situation was fabulous as he exposed the government and he is opening the shops of love in the entire country." Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also hit out at the BJP, saying: "I cannot understand why -- when Rahul Gandhi was speaking, all ministers were standing and interrupting him. And when he gives a gesture of love towards you, what is the problem? They (BJP) have been habitual of so much hatred that a gesture of love and affection is not understandable. "He is the same Rahul Gandhi who was disqualified as an MP and even his home was snatched but he came back after winning the case in court. Even after coming back, he did not show hatred but warmth and compassion despite the hatred towards him," Chaturvedi added. Union Minister for Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday, without naming Rahul Gandhi, said the Congress MP misbehaved, adding "only a misogynistic man can gesture a flying kiss to female parliamentarians". Speaking in the House, Irani said: "I object to something. The one who was given the chance to speak before me displayed indecency before leaving. It is only a misogynistic man who can give a flying kiss to a Parliament which seats female members of Parliament. It shows the khandhan (family) he comes from, and what his family and party feel about women. "Such undignified conduct was never before seen in the Parliament of the country," she said. Her remarks came after Rahul Gandhi spoke in favour of the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. After speaking on the no-confidence motion, the Congress leader left the House and he is said to have blown a flying kiss. Even Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Shobha Karandlaje said that she along with women MPs from the BJP met Lok Sabha Om Birla, and demanded action against the Congress MP. "We have complained to the Speaker and demanded action against the member," she said. New Delhi, Aug 10 : A delegation of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) from Manipur called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah here on Wednesday amid the unrest in the northeastern state. "The meeting was held as a follow-up of the appeal issued by the Central government on August 3 to amicably resolve the issue of burial of the mortal remains of the victims of ethnic violence in Manipur," the ITLF said in a statement. "On the request of the ITLF leaders, the land of the Industry Department at Government Sericulture Farm may be alloted for burial of the mortal remains, the Home Minister assured that the said land will only be utilised for a common public purpose in consultation with ITLF and other stakeholders," it said. "The Gol requested the delegation not to insist on carrying out the burial programme at the same venue, which falls within the conflict zone and identify an alternate location in consultation with DC Churachandpur and perform the burial at the earliest. The delegation assured that in view of the request by the Home Minister, they will finalise an alternate location in consultation with the people," the statement said. During the meeting, Shah assured that the deployment of the Central forces in the state will be further strengthened and reoriented to plug vulnerable gap areas, the statement said. The Home Minister also assured that necessary arrangements will also be made to facilitate transportation and identification of dead bodies, it claimed. Meanwhile, a representation undersigned by 40 people including several MLAs from the Manipur was submitted to the Prime Minister's Office, demanding a lasting solution. "The withdrawal of the Suspension of Operations (SOO) Agreement with all those who have violated the ground rules at the earliest is recommended. There has been large scale foreign infiltration with arms and ammunition into the state. The source and funding of these sophisticated arms and ammunition needs to be investigated, keeping in view of how the conflict has lasted for the past three months, and the arms continue to arrive into the state," read the representation. It added: "The issue must be addressed politically in order to resolve this crisis of conflict. There are many options that can be explored. On one hand, to reassure the indigenous people of Manipur, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) can be implemented in Manipur, sooner rather than later." Ethnic clashes erupted in Manipur on May 3 and since then hundreds of people have lost their lives whereas thousands have been forced to take refuge in the relief camps. Patna, Aug 10 : Bihar BJP chief Samrat Chaudhary claimed on Wednesday that the Mahagathbandhan government in the state is celebrating "good governance death anniversary" after completing one year of governance in Bihar. "BJP will start 'dhikkar' march across the state from Thursday and launch a movement against Nitish Kumar. He is a leader of the 'ghamandiya' alliance and the BJP will protest against him. Nitish Kumar should apologise for breaching the mandate given by the people of Bihar," Chaudhary said. Earlier, Chaudhary also uploaded a Facebook post targeting Nitish Kumar. "Due to BJP, Nitish Kumar obtained the tag of 'Sushashan Babu'. He broke the alliance with BJP last year and sat on the lap of Lalu family. In the last one year, he has become a symbol of 'Kushashan' (bad governance)," Chaudhary said. "The people of Bihar have watched him in the last one year as a person in a bid to achieve his over ambition, putting the future of 12 crore Bihari people in danger. People are watching how a person is backstabbing repeatedly to secure his personal interests and post. JD-U and RJD were against each other in the past but now they are sitting together only to achieve their personal interests," Chaudhary said. Meanwhile, Rural Development Minister Shrawan Kumar said: "There is milk flowing in the states where the BJP is in power. People take a dip in it and become Raja Harishchandra. Recently, Ajit Pawar dipped in it and became Raja Harishchandra." "The people of Bihar have been immensely benefited with the welfare and developmental programmes of our government. The 'Saat Nischay Yojana' is one of them," he added. New Delhi, Aug 10 : The Ministry of Home Affairs gave premature retirement to senior IPS officer Basant Kumar Rath of the AGMUT-cadre with immediate effect "in public interest". In an order, the MHA said, "I am directed to refer to Police Division dated August 7, 2023, on the subject cited above and to say that the competent authority has approved the premature retirement of Basant Kumar Rath, IPS (AGMUT:2000) in public interest under Rule 16(3) of All India Services (Death-Cum-Retirement-Benefits) Rules, 1958, with immediate effect by giving three months pay and allowances in lieu of notice." It also said that accordingly, a copy of the order dated August 7, 2023, of premature retirement of Rath is enclosed. It is requested that a copy of the order may be served on Rath along with a cheque for a sum equivalent to the aggregate amount of his pay and allowances for a period of three months, calculated at the same rate at which he was drawing immediately before the order dated August 7, it read. The cheque of requisite amount may be prepared by the Jammu and Kashmir administration and handed over to the officer along with the order to be served on him, it added. "The ink-signed dated acknowledgement of receipt of the order of premature retirement as well as cheque(s) of requisite amounts may be obtained from Rath, IPS (AGMUT:2000) and forwarded to this Ministry at the earliest," it added. Last month, the Home Ministry had extended the suspension of Rath for another six months. He was suspended in July 2020 for gross misconduct and misbehaviour. Johannesberg, Aug 10 : Concerns about food security and the detrimental consequences of geopolitical conflicts on the agricultural food supply chain have come under the spotlight at the ongoing 13th BRICS Ministers of Agriculture meeting, which is held in South Africa's Limpopo province. Mooketsa Ramasodi, Director-General of South African Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, told media on Wednesday that the meeting would deal with imminent issues affecting the sector. The meeting will result in a plan that would be in the BRICS Action Plan for 2021-2024, he said, noting that the issues around geopolitics are topical issues, Xinhua news agency reported. Held under the theme of "strengthening collaborations towards sustainable agricultural production and increasing productivity," the meeting began on Tuesday and will last until Friday. Measures must be taken to protect the global food supply chain against the effects of geopolitical conflicts, Ramasodi said. Climate change, rural development, economic difficulties, poverty and population expansion will also be discussed during the meeting, according to Ramasodi. BRICS is an acronym for five emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. South Africa assumed the BRICS presidency on January 1, 2023, taking over from China. Ljubljana, Aug 10 : The EU will make at least 400 million euros ($440 million) available to Slovenia after devastating floods there killed six people and affected tens of thousands of households, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said here. Together with Slovenia's Prime Minister Robert Golob, von der Leyen toured the worst affected areas in the country on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported. "The Prime Minister and I talked today about a three-part financing package for immediate, as well as medium and long-term needs. A lot of investment will be needed for the country's recovery," von der Leyen told reporters. At least 400 million euros from the EU Solidarity Fund will be made available to Slovenia, of which 100 million euros already this year, the European Commission President said. Golob said that tens of thousands of houses have been flooded and their inhabitants need immediate help to survive. "Our message to them is clear -- help will be quick, effective and no one will be forgotten," he added. Golob said that the damage caused by the floods -- the worst in the country's history -- would reach several billion euros. (1 euro = $1.1) -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Sharjah Airport, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates [ SHJ / OMSJ ] If you are planning to travel to Sharjah or any other city in United Arab Emirates, this airport locator will be a very useful tool. This page gives complete information about the Sharjah Airport along with the airport location map, Time Zone, lattitude and longitude, Current time and date, hotels near the airport etc... Sharjah Airport Map showing the location of this airport in United Arab Emirates. Sharjah Airport IATA Code, ICAO Code, exchange rate etc... is also provided. Sharjah Airport Info: Sharjah Airport IATA Code: SHJ Sharjah Airport ICAO Code: OMSJ Latitude : 25.3292 Longitude : 55.5161 City : Sharjah Country : United Arab Emirates World Area Code : 678 Airport Type : Large Sharjah Airport Address / Contact Details : Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) - Sharjah - United Arab Emirates Phone: 00971-6-558-1111 Fax: 00971-6-558-1167 or 0449-558-6-00971 E-mail: info@sharjahairport.ae Airport Type : Public / Military Operator : Sharjah International Airport Hub for : Air Arabia, AVE.com, Singapore Airlines Cargo, Aerovista, Gulf Wings, HeavyLift International Established Year : 1977 Timezone : Asia/Dubai Sharjah Airport Timezone : GMT +04:00 hours Current time and date at Sharjah Airport is 02:16:22 AM (+04) on Monday, Aug 21, 2023 Looking for information on Sharjah Airport, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates? Know about Sharjah Airport in detail. Find out the location of Sharjah Airport on United Arab Emirates map and also find out airports near to Sharjah. This airport locator is a very useful tool for travelers to know where is Sharjah Airport located and also provide information like hotels near Sharjah Airport, airlines operating to Sharjah Airport etc... IATA Code and ICAO Code of all airports in United Arab Emirates. Scroll down to know more about Sharjah Airport or Sharjah Airport, United Arab Emirates. Sharjah Airport Map - Location of Sharjah Airport Load Map United Arab Emirates - General Information Country Formal Name United Arab Emirates Country Code AE Capital Abu Dhabi Currency Dirham (AED) 1 AED = 0.272 USD 1 USD = 3.673 AED 1 AED = 0.25 EUR 1 EUR = 3.994 AED More AED convertion rates Tel Code +971 Top Level Domain .ae This page provides all the information you need to know about Sharjah Airport, United Arab Emirates. This page is created with the aim of helping travelers and tourists visiting United Arab Emirates or traveling to Sharjah Airport. Details about Sharjah Airport given here include Sharjah Airport Code - IATA Code (3 letter airport codes) and ICAO Code (4 letter airport codes) Coordinates of Sharjah Airport - Latitude and Longitude (Lat and Long) of Sharjah Airport Location of Sharjah Airport - City Name, Country, Country Codes etc... Sharjah Airport Time Zone and Current time at Sharjah Airport Address and contact details of Sharjah Airport along with website address of the airport Clickable Location Map of Sharjah Airport on Google Map. General information about United Arab Emirates where Sharjah Airport is located in the city of Sharjah. General information include capital of United Arab Emirates, currency and conversion rate of United Arab Emirates currency, Telephone Country code, exchange rate against US Dollar and Euro in case of major world currencies etc... SHJ - Sharjah Airport IATA Code and OMSJ - Sharjah Airport ICAO code Bickford Ford is selling a wide array of genuine parts for Ford models in Snohomish, Washington. SNOHOMISH, Wash., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Bickford Ford, a reputable automotive dealership located in Snohomish, Washington, is proud to announce the availability of genuine Ford parts, along with a comprehensive range of maintenance services and repairs tailored to the needs of Ford owners. With an unwavering commitment to quality and excellence, Bickford Ford offers everything under the same roof for all Ford enthusiasts seeking unparalleled automotive solutions. When it comes to maintaining and repairing Ford vehicles, utilizing genuine parts is paramount. The dealership stands out as a trusted source for authentic Ford parts, ensuring each component is precisely engineered to adhere to the manufacturer's rigorous standards. This attention to detail guarantees optimal performance and enhances the longevity and reliability of Ford vehicles. The dealership has a dedicated team of certified technicians with a deep understanding of Ford models, enabling them to provide precise diagnostics, efficient repairs and meticulous maintenance. Drivers interested in purchasing genuine Ford parts in Snohomish, Washington, can order them online on the dealership's website. Additionally, Bickford Motors boasts state-of-the-art facilities with cutting-edge diagnostic equipment, ensuring that each Ford vehicle receives the utmost care and attention it deserves. The dealership offers a comprehensive array of services from routine oil changes and tire rotations to intricate engine repairs and transmission services. Whether Ford owners require a routine maintenance check or address a complex mechanical issue, the dealership's knowledgeable staff is ready to provide unprecedented support. For more information about genuine Ford parts, maintenance services and repairs, please visit http://www.bickfordford.com or contact customer service at Bickford Ford in Snohomish, Washington, by dialing 555-123-4567. Individuals can also visit the dealership at 3100 Bickford Avenue for further assistance. Media Contact Jason Bickford, Bickford Ford, 425-334-4045, [email protected] SOURCE Bickford Ford DeCenzo joins Inxeption from Goldman Sachs, where he spent close to two decades, primarily in the Investment Banking Division. CUPERTINO, Calif., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Inxeption, the leader in Industrial Commerce, today announced that Brian DeCenzo has joined the company as President and Chief Financial Officer. DeCenzo joins Inxeption from Goldman Sachs, where he spent close to two decades, primarily in the Investment Banking Division. He held a number of executive positions during his tenure at Goldman Sachs, most recently as a Managing Director in the Technology Investment Banking group, covering internet and software companies focused on business enablement. Additionally, DeCenzo served as Chief of Staff to the President and Chief Operating Officer. DeCenzo's deep technology expertise led him to establish the IBD Innovation Lab at Goldman Sachs, where he helped companies implement next generation technology into their business. "Brian's technology and financial acumen will serve us well as we expand our rich selection of products and services across vertical marketplaces," said Inxeption co-founder and CEO Farzad Dibachi. "We have been working closely with Brian over the last year and are delighted to now have him part of the Inxeption family. I was happy to have Brian as our banker and am now even more excited to have him as our President and CFO." Inxeption is reimagining industrial commerce and defining how companies the world over digitally transact. Inxeption empowers industrial manufacturers, suppliers and buyers to connect, transact, fulfill and understand the global industrial value chain, digitizing the manual processes that have historically defined industrial commerce. "The problem Inxeption solves digitization of industrial commerce is both big and consequential," DeCenzo said. "I'm thrilled to be joining this talented, veteran team to unlock potential for our commerce partners." About Inxeption Inxeption is the leading technology platform digitizing the global Industrial Commerce value chain. We are advocates for our ecosystem of suppliers and buyers, enabling them to Do Business Better. Follow us on LinkedIn Stay up to date with Inxeption news Media Contact Jon Ross, Inxeption, 408.461.5275, media@inxeption.com SOURCE Inxeption 4C is helping strengthen carbon markets by developing a new methodology for crediting emissions reductions from cooking projects. WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Clean Cooking & Climate Consortium (4C) a group of partners convened by the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) is developing a new methodology for crediting emissions reductions from cooking projects, a critical step in strengthening carbon markets for these projects. Representatives from over a dozen organizations, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Gold Standard, Verra, and many others, met in Washington, DC, in July to delve into technical details, test assumptions, and strengthen the new methodology based on expert feedback. "We all know the multiple negative impacts of cooking with solid fuels, from climate, ambient air pollution, and land degradation, to health, gender, and livelihoods," said John Mitchell, Coordinator for Household Energy and Clean Air at the EPA. "Funding from the carbon markets has been key to the rapid expansion of the use of clean fuels and cleaner biomass stoves that reduce these impacts. It is our intention that this new methodology will drive integrity, credibility, and trust in the cooking and carbon markets, attracting more funding to the sector and improving the lives of people around the world." This workshop was the latest convening hosted by 4C to seek feedback on its methodology development. 4C also held in-person meeting at the Clean Cooking Forum in Accra, Ghana in October 2022, a virtual meeting in May 2023, and a meeting for project developers in June 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. 4C also aligns its work with the working groups under CCA's Responsible Carbon Finance for Clean Cooking Initiative. "We have reached a major milestone in developing a new carbon methodology that ensures the integrity, transparency, and accountability of credits from cooking projects," said Donee Alexander, Chief Science and Learning Officer at CCA. "Getting this methodology right is vital for the clean cooking ecosystem, and we are working with a range of critical partners to address the challenges and opportunities that may come up in transitioning from existing methodologies." 4C ultimately intends for the new methodology to become the standard for cooking projects under Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, as well as in the voluntary carbon market. Indeed, all stakeholders expressed strong support for 4C's proposed modular and tiered approach, which includes realistic default values and incentives for more direct measurement. Participants also agreed on the importance of developing standardized baselines and a common data platform that provides a range of baseline default values that can be used across different regions and fuel use groups for clean cooking carbon projects. This will increase accuracy and decrease logistical and financial burdens for project developers. In addition, attendees agreed that the entire ecosystem would benefit from having a uniform methodology for crediting emissions reductions from cooking projects, with standards bodies aligned on default values. There was also consensus that all default values and parameters must be based in the latest science to ensure buyer confidence in the clean cooking carbon market going forward. "Harmonization in methodological approaches will encourage support from project developers and other stakeholders," said Vikash Talyan, Senior Director of Standard Development and Innovation at Gold Standard. "The sector requires the latest scientific information to be harmonized, and unified approaches that are endorsed by subject matter experts and leading standards bodies. Adopting consensus-based approaches where knowledge gaps exist is crucial to achieving this harmonization." Importantly, the workshop provided an opportunity to discuss updates to fraction of the non-renewable biomass (fNRB) default values set to be released in the coming months. The current UNFCCC global average default value of 30% will be replaced by more granular regional, national, and sub-national values. As a next step, 4C will further flesh out the methodology's module components and use the platform provided by Africa Climate Week, taking place September 4-8, 2023, in Nairobi and hosted by the Government of Kenya, to solicit further feedback from key stakeholders. Media Contact Kip Patrick, Clean Cooking Alliance, 2028879040, [email protected] SOURCE Clean Cooking Alliance Eye4Fraud Named on Inc. 5000 List for Third Consecutive Year in 2023 BROOKLYN, N.Y., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Eye4Fraud, a leading provider of advanced fraud prevention solutions, has been honored for the third consecutive year on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America for 2023. This prestigious recognition reaffirms Eye4Fraud's commitment to innovation and excellence in combating online fraud. Inc. 5000 is an annual list compiled by Inc. Magazine, showcasing the most successful and dynamic privately-held companies in the United States. Eye4Fraud's consistent presence on this esteemed list for three years highlights its sustained growth and industry leadership in fraud prevention. With cutting-edge technologies and AI-powered solutions, Eye4Fraud continues to safeguard e-commerce businesses, financial institutions, and online entities against evolving fraudulent activities, ensuring a secure experience for their customers. "We are immensely proud to be recognized on the Inc. 5000 list for the third time," said Leo Dresdner, CEO and Founder of Eye4Fraud. "This success reflects our team's dedication and our clients' trust. We remain committed to staying ahead of fraudsters and protecting businesses worldwide." Those interested in learning more about the award-winning services provided by Eye4Fraud are encouraged to visit: Eye4Fraud. About Eye4Fraud: Eye4Fraud provides comprehensive fraud prevention solutions, leveraging AI and big data analytics to identify and prevent online fraud across various industries. The company's consistent recognition on the Inc. 5000 list underscores its position as a leading authority in the fraud prevention sector. For more information, visit http://www.eye4fraud.com or contact: Joel Weiss [email protected] 1-718-298-2320 EXT: 2213 Media Contact Joel Weiss, eye4fraud, 1-718-298-2320, [email protected] SOURCE eye4fraud SANS Institute, the global leader in cybersecurity training and certifications, is poised to celebrate a momentous milestone - the 30th anniversary of its premier Network Security event. BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- SANS Institute, the global leader in cybersecurity training and certifications, is poised to celebrate a momentous milestone - the 30th anniversary of its premier Network Security event. In an era marked by rapidly evolving cyber threats and security needs, the event, running from September 6 - September 11, 2023, at the iconic Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, will also be available online for worldwide participation. This landmark event comes at a critical time when the world is witnessing a significant spike in sophisticated cyber-attacks. From crippling ransomware attacks that have disrupted supply chains to data breaches impacting millions of individuals, the need for skilled cybersecurity professionals has never been greater. "SANS' 30th anniversary of the Network Security event is more than a celebrationit's a testament to the vital role cybersecurity professionals play in our society and the urgency of staying ahead in this ever-evolving field," stated SANS Fellow and Offensive Operations Curriculum Lead, Stephen Sims. In light of these growing threats, SANS Institute has curated an unparalleled experience. It combines cutting-edge training sessions, thought-provoking security talks, and competitive events such as the SANS Offensive Operations Capture the Flag (CTF) competition, where the winner gets a free course giveaway. Adding to the excitement, this year's event will feature the debut of NetWars Core Version 9, an immersive new challenge inviting participants to test their skills in real-world scenarios, including Azure command line, Azure cloud penetration testing, cyber threat intelligence, and network protocol analysis. "Events like Coin-A-Palooza, where participants can earn multiple challenge coins, and the introduction of NetWars Core Version 9 aren't just about building skillsthey're about building the confidence to use those skills in real-world situations. As cyber threats increase, so must our readiness to combat them," Sims emphasized. SANS Network Security event in Las Vegas is far more than just a landmark event in cybersecurity training. It serves as a resounding call to action for all security professionals to elevate their skills, foster connections, and take the lead in the crucial mission of fortifying our increasingly digital world. To register or learn more about the SANS Network Security Las Vegas 2023 event, visit https://www.sans.org/cyber-security-training-events/network-security-2023/ About SANS Institute The SANS Institute was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. Today, SANS is the most trusted and, by far, the largest provider of cybersecurity training and certification to professionals in government and commercial institutions worldwide. Renowned SANS instructors teach more than 60 courses at in-person and virtual cybersecurity events and on demand. GIAC, an affiliate of the SANS Institute, validates practitioner skills through more than 35 hands-on technical certifications in cybersecurity. The SANS Technology Institute, a regionally accredited independent subsidiary, offers master's and bachelor's degrees, graduate certificates, and an undergraduate certificate in cybersecurity. SANS Security Awareness, a division of SANS, provides organizations with a complete and comprehensive security awareness solution, enabling them to manage their "human" cybersecurity risk easily and effectively. SANS also delivers a wide variety of free resources to the InfoSec community, including consensus projects, research reports, webcasts, podcasts, and newsletters; it also operates the Internet's early warning systemthe Internet Storm Center. At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners representing varied global organizations, from corporations to universities, working together to support and educate the global information security community. http://www.sans.org Media Contact Jenn Elston, SANS Institute, 301-654-7267, [email protected] SOURCE SANS Institute At the height of her career as a global leader in talent acquisition and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) who has mentored countless professionals determined to advance their careers, America Baez has launched her new book, "Courage: 12 Best Practices to Advance Your Career." CHICAGO, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- At the height of her career as a global leader in talent acquisition and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) who has mentored countless professionals determined to advance their careers, America Baez has launched her new book, "Courage: 12 Best Practices to Advance Your Career." Available on Amazon, this book is an inspiring and practical guide that offers invaluable insights and guidance to help readers develop the courage necessary to navigate challenges, make bold decisions, and create lasting change in organizations and communities. A resource for anyone seeking to unlock their full leadership potential and make a meaningful difference in the world, readers will discover that these best practices, as Baez pointed out, "also apply to life." "Courage is what drives everyone," Baez said about the title. "Most of us have things holding us back, however, many of us have the courage to do everyday things and don't even think about it. And when we're at work, we have to be intentional about what we need to do to develop and position ourselves for advancement." Baez explained that her professional background, which also includes extensive experience in human resources, gave her the insights and perspective to share with everyone interested in growing in business and in life. The latter is also true for underrepresented communities and especially Latinos. "Being a Latina myself, there is this intersectionality as a Latina, an immigrant, and a professional who built my career in corporate America," she noted. "I wish people had told me about these things or offered this kind of advice when I was early in my career or when I was in college. It would have made it easier." As a talent attraction, acquisition, and DEI consultant, Baez always assesses talent and candidates for her organizations and advises professionals and students on positioning themselves for promotions and advancement. She is excited to bring this knowledge to a wider audience with the release of this new book. In her book, Baez talks to readers about the importance of: Courage Faith Grit Taking risks Being intentional Networking Friends and family have encouraged Baez to write this book for over a decade. She joins another relative who found his voice in writing. "My dad is a songwriter and poet who has written five books," she said. "I'm very excited to be a first-time author and follow in his footsteps." For more information, visit AmericaBaez.com. About America Baez: America Baez has an extensive career as a global thought leader in talent acquisition and DEI. She has implemented transformational global DEI talent solutions for Fortune 100 companies, including Accenture, Comcast, Pepsi, and Verizon, among others. Growing up in a family of teachers, politicians, artists, and poets, Baez was inspired to follow her biggest dreams. However, before bravely moving from Mexico to the U.S., she was given news that would have stopped most people in their tracks. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Rather than letting the diagnosis paralyze her, she refused to give in and change course. Baez went on to earn her MBA in Texas and ultimately returned to Chicago, where she joined Prospanica, a Hispanic professional organization. There, she began a leadership journey that took her throughout corporate America while giving her a chance to uplift others, which is vital to her, personally and professionally. About Fig Factor Media Publishing Fig Factor Media Publishing is an international publishing company with a "beeping" heart. Fig Factor Media has helped many authors achieve and support their dream of impacting their communities in the United States, Mexico, and Europe. Fig Factor Media is the official publisher of Today's Inspired Latina. For more information, http://www.figfactormedia.com. ### Media Contact Marie Lazzara, JJR Marketing, 630-400-3361, marie@jjrmarketing.com SOURCE America Baez The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) today released the 2023 IICF Inclusion in Insurance Global Conference Key Takeaways, a document sharing valuable learnings from sessions at this year's IICF Global Conference. LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), a unique nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities and enriching lives, today released the 2023 IICF Inclusion in Insurance Global Conference Key Takeaways, a document sharing valuable learnings from sessions at this year's IICF Global Conference. As the industry seeks to advance ideas into action, this report provides actionable intelligence and insights centered around several major themes including leadership and innovation, building a culture of inclusion and belonging, talent and the future of work and mental health and wellness. Takeaways include steps industry professionals can take to better position the industry for the future. Speakers noted how building a culture of inclusion brings a broader range of perspectives to the table, leading to more inclusive and innovative products and services as well as a greater sense of belonging. They also discussed how prioritizing mental health and wellness is critical to building better employee culture. An emphasis on wellness will provide team members with the time and space to practice self-care which improves team resilience in the long run. "The energy and camaraderie at this year's conference was palpable and we continue to see such positive benefits of IICF convening the industry on topics that help to move our industry forward, and positively impact on the entire insurance industry," said Bill Ross, CEO of IICF. "We're proud to provide the industry with this comprehensive list of takeaways outlining actionable steps to build a more inclusive and innovative workplace." Additional insights include: Educating, training and facilitating discussions will be key to meeting the opportunities and challenges of sustainability as an economic driver. The insurance industry must maintain a focus on the human element of relationship building as technology continues to advance. Emphasizing a culture of allyship can inspire a greater sense of belonging in the workplace and foster broader collaboration and opportunities for innovation. For the full 2023 IICF Global Conference report, please visit: https://online.fliphtml5.com/shttp://www.aqgb/#p=1 Next year, IICF will host the 2024 IICF Inclusion in Insurance Forums in Chicago, Dallas, London, Los Angeles and New York while marking the foundation's 30th anniversary. Registration and additional details will be available later this year at https://inclusion.iicf.org/. About the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) is a unique nonprofit that unites the collective strengths of the insurance industry to help communities and enrich lives through grants, volunteer service and leadership. Established in 1994, IICF has served as the philanthropic foundation of the insurance industry for nearly thirty years, contributing more than $45 million in community grants along with 320,000 volunteer hours by over 115,000 industry professionals. IICF reinvests locally where funds are raised, serving hundreds of charities and nonprofit organizations, for maximum community impact. IICF is a registered nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Learn more at http://www.iicf.org or follow us on social media @doubleicf Media Contact Alisa Breese, IICF Communications, (949) 412-2143, abreese@iicf.com SOURCE IICF Communications The company was recognized for the third year in a row by Houston Business Journal HOUSTON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Smith, a leading independent distributor of electronic components and semiconductors, today announces that it has been named the largest family-owned business in the greater Houston area by Houston Business Journal. The rankings were based off the company's 2022 sales revenue. This is Smith's third year in a row to hold the list's top position. Brothers Bob and Lee Ackerley founded Smith in 1984, setting up their first office in Bob's dining room in Houston, Texas. Since then, the company has grown to include nineteen sales offices and four regional hubs and employs more than 900 people worldwide. Smith announced back-to-back record-breaking revenues in 2021 and 2022, generating more than $12 billion in global sales over the last five years. "We are thrilled to top the list of Houston's largest family-owned businesses once again," said Lee Ackerley, Co-Founder and Director at Smith. "Over the last four decades, we have continuously reinvested in our people and our processes. Those investments have propelled our expansion and development far beyond our Houston beginnings, and we will continue to pursue the growth potential still ahead of us." Houston Business Journal also recently named Smith one of the publication's inaugural Best Family-Owned Business Award honorees earlier this year, which recognizes Smith's outstanding business success and celebrates the integral part family-owned businesses play in their local economies. "Houston is a major hub for numerous tech-centric industries and has a deep pool of talented and highly skilled workers to support our collective growth and innovation," said Bob Ackerley, Co-Founder and Director at Smith. "Without a doubt, this environment has had a positive impact on our success, and we look forward to building upon Houston's thriving technology sector in the years to come." About Smith Founded in 1984, Smith sources, manages, and distributes the electronic components that go into everything from mobile phones and computers to appliances and automobiles. In 20 cities around the world, Smith's legion of employees communicates in 50 languages and dialects and buys and sells components 24 hours per day, generating global annual sales in excess of $4.7 billion in 2022. Smith is always moving: helping manufacturers navigate market shifts; customizing supply chain solutions; testing components using cutting-edge technology. The support of Smith's flexible Intelligent Distribution model optimizes customers' supply chains from beginning to end, including offering customized options for IT asset disposition that deliver maximum ROI, sustainability, and security. Smith's testing and logistics hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, and Singapore cover critical areas like quality management, counterfeit prevention, and environmental safety. Smith's operations, purchasing, and sales worldwide are seamlessly integrated with the company's global IT infrastructure, offering real-time, global inventory and logistics visibility. Smith is the leading independent distributor of electronic components and ranks number six among all global distributors. For more information, please visit http://www.smithweb.com or reach out to a Smith representative any time of day at +1 713.430.3000. ### Media Contact Rich Witmer, www.smithweb.com, +1 7134302141, rwitmer@nfsmith.com SOURCE Smith Eighty percent of U.S. companies feel positive about the hiring outlook through the end of the year, according to a new survey from The Harris Poll, commissioned by Express Employment Professionals. OKLAHOMA CITY, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Note: If you would like to arrange for an interview with a local Express franchise owner on this topic, please go to ExpressPros.com/Locations to find the nearest location. The U.S. job market should continue to be hot for the remainder of 2023, as 80% of companies feel positive about the hiring outlook, including hopeful (45%), optimistic (42%) and confident (41%). The positive sentiment is up from 75% in late 2022. This is according to a recent survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals. More than 3 in 5 hiring managers (62%) say their company plans to increase the number of employees at their company through Dec. 31, which is on par with the last few waves of the Job Insights survey. Overall, hiring expectations have been trending upward over the past few years. For companies reporting plans to increase headcount, many say this is due, in part, to managing increased volumes of work (52%). The need to fill newly created positions (48%), fill open positions due to employee turnover (42%) and handle expansion into other categories or markets (28%, down from 34% in late 2022) also contribute to the hiring push many companies are reporting. This continued positive hiring trend should be encouraging news for American job seekers given that in a recent Express study conducted among more than 1,000 American job seekers age 18+, nearly 2 in 5 said they are actively looking for a new job (38%). While many companies plan to increase their employee count, 28% report planning to stay at about the same number or make no change to the number of employees in the second half of 2023. Few (7%) will reduce their employee count in 2023, citing the main reason as reducing costs (59%), followed by aligning with the decline in demand at the company (31%) and outsourcing certain functions (26%). Notably, 1 in 6 (16%) say the reason is because they are increasing use of automation/technology. Among companies planning to decrease or make no change to the number of employees, around 2 in 5 say they are not hiring because they don't need to (38%). Around 1 in 5 are waiting to see if the workload will level out before hiring (22%), are adjusting their recruiting/hiring strategy (19%) or are doing less business (18%). Others report they don't have enough money in the budget this year (17%), are waiting to hire until after the economy returns to normal (17%) or can't afford to hire right now (17%). "Despite challenging global economic conditions, it's encouraging to see employers are confident enough in their financial situations to bring on additional staff," Express Employment International CEO Bill Stoller said. "If the pattern holds, the beginning of 2024 will bring about much cause for celebration for both companies and job seekers." Survey Methodology The Job Insights survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between June 13 and June 26, 2023, among 1,010 U.S. hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in the U.S. who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data were weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 3.2 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest. *** If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bill Stoller to discuss this topic, please contact Sheena Hollander, Director of Corporate Communications and PR, at (405) 717-5966. About Bill Stoller William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment International. Founded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing franchisor supports the Express Employment Professionals franchise and related brands. The Express franchise brand is an industry-leading, international staffing company with franchise locations in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. About Express Employment Professionals At Express Employment Professionals, we're in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 579,000 people globally in 2022 and more than 10 million since its inception. For more information, visit ExpressPros.com. Media Contact Sheena Hollander, Express Employment Professionals, (405) 840-5000, [email protected] Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook SOURCE Express Employment Professionals Summer might mean vacation, but your favorite series arent taking any time off. Catch up with the latest sequels and series installments, including a graphic novel about a deeply needed recharge, a middle grade mystery about an abandoned farm, a YA fantasy sequel about the dangers of befriending supernatural beings, and more. Picture Books and Graphic Novels Baby Stegosaurus by Julie Abery, illus. by Gavin Scott (Amicus Ink, Aug. 8 $9.99 board book; ISBN 978-1-68152-892-2). The latest in the Baby Dinosaurs series follows Baby Stegosaurus after a volcano eruption leaves them stranded from their herd. Baby T. Rex by Julie Abery, illus. by Gavin Scott (Amicus Ink, Aug. 8 $9.99 board book; ISBN 978-1-68152-890-8). In another addition to the Baby Dinosaurs series, Baby T. rex tries to rescue their unhatched sibling when the egg gets stuck in a hole. Barb and the Battle for Bailiwick by Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson (Simon & Schuster, Aug. 22 $13.99; ISBN 978-1-665-91445-1). Barb is stunned when her mother comes to rescue her from captivity, and the duo race to stop Witch Head from dispatching an evil army in the third book in the Barb the Last Berzerker series. Dinos Love Pajamas by Pterry Redwing, illus. by Christine Sheldon (Cottage Door, Aug. 1 $7.99 board book; ISBN: 978-1-64638-890-5). A group of colorful baby dinosaurs prepare for bedtime with their nightly routines in the latest from the Dinos Love series. Fitz and Cleo Put a Party on It by Jonathan Stutzman, illus. by Heather Fox (Holt, Aug. 1 $12.99; ISBN 978-1-250-83089-0. In the third installment of the Fitz and Cleo series, the ghostly duo attempts to throw a party and finds that the most important item on their to-do list is to have fun. Hair Love ABCs by Matthew A. Cherry, illus. by Vashti Harrison (Kokila, Aug. 29 $8.99 board book; ISBN 978-0-593-69564-7). Inspired by Hair Love, this picture book helps readers learn the alphabet through a celebration of natural hair. Have You Heard of Dolly Parton? (Silver Dolphin, Aug. 8 $10.99 board book; ISBN 978-1-667-20452-9). The latest in the Have You Heard Of series introduces young readers to this country music star and philanthropist. I Cannot Draw a Bicycle by Charise Mericle Harper (Union Square Kids, Aug. 1 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-45494-595-6). The struggle to create art continues as a horse learns new ways to conceptualize a bicycle in the companion to I Cannot Draw a Horse. The Kid with Big, Big Ideas by Britney Winn Lee, illus. by Jacob Souva (Beaming Books, Aug. 29 $17.99; 978-1-5064-8709-0). The third book in The Big, Big Series follows a nonbinary child as they try to get adults to take their creative musings on life more seriously. Little Mole Gives Thanks by Glenys Nellist, illus. by Sally Garland (Beaming Books, Aug. 22 $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5064-8252-1). Little Mole feels let down when his friends skip his special dinner party in the fourth Little Mole book. Llama Llamas Little Lie by Anna Dewdney, illus. by JT Morrow (Viking, Aug. 15 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-35248-9). Little Llama learns a lesson about honesty after breaking Mama Llamas picture frame in this new addition to the Llama Llama series. Low Power by Michael Rex (Viking, Aug. 15 $13.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-20638-6). The second book in the Your Pal Fred graphic novel series follows an exhausted Freds journey to recharge at the SunTop, only to find a new battle to fight once he arrives. Move It or Lose It! by Lincoln Peirce (Andrews McMeel, Aug. 29 $12.99; ISBN: 978-1-52488-129-0). In the 29th book in the Big Nate graphic novel series, Nate attempts to avoid bullies, fix the fallout from a bad date, and help his friend overcome a spell of hypnosis thats turned him into a bully. New Baby, Here I Come! by D.J. Steinberg, illus. by John Joven (Grosset & Dunlap, Aug. 22 $6.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-38723-8). The latest in the Here I Come! series anticipates the arrival of a new baby and shows how to welcome a new addition to the family. Night of the Ninjas by Mary Pope Osborne, adapted by Jenny Laird, illus. by Kelly Matthews and Nichole Matthews (Random House, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-593-48879-9; $9.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-48878-2). When whisked to Japan from their magical hangout, Jack and Annie must learn the ways of ninjas in the fifth graphic novel adaptation of the Magic Tree House series. Puzzle House by Peter Wartman, illus. by Felia Hanakata (Graphix, Aug. 1 $12.99 paper; ISBN 978-133-879437-3). Siblings Claudia and Soren work together to find the gift left behind by their mentor inside a house full of riddles in the third Dragon Prince graphic novel. When Moon Became the Moon by Rob Hodgson (Rise x Penguin Workshop, Aug. 29 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-52362-9). The Moon narrates her origins and explains her lunar phases to young readers in this companion to When Cloud Became a Cloud. Worst Love Spell Ever! by Wanda Coven, illus. by Anna Abramskaya (Simon Spotlight, Aug. 29 $14.99; ISBN 978-1-665-93720-7). Witch-in-training Heidi cooks up a love spell for her popular crush in the second graphic novel in the Middle School and Other Disasters series. Novels Abby in Neverland by Sarah Mlynowski (Scholastic Press, Aug. 1 $15.99; 978-133-877560-0). When Peter Pan selects Jonah and his friends as his new Lost Boys, Alice heads to Neverland to find Jonah in the third Whatever After Special Edition. The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Little, Brown, Aug. 29 $19.99; ISBN 978-0-316-48077-2). In the fourth book of the Inheritance Games series, brothers Grayson and Jameson Hawthorne embark on their own missions to save their familys reputation and infiltrate an elite gambling club. Charlie Numbers and the UFO Bash by Ben Mezrich, Tonya Mezrich (Simon & Schuster, Aug. 8 $17.99 ISBN 978-1-5344-4106-4). Charlie reconsiders his skepticism about aliens while investigating the disappearance of a classmate in the fourth book in the Charlie Numbers Adventures. Christopher Columbus and the Taino People by Kate Messner and Jose Barreiro, illus. by Falynn Koch (Random House, Aug. 8 $8.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-56426-4). The eighth addition to the History Smashers series dispels the myths surrounding Columbuss journey to the Americas and highlights the Taino people and their societies. The Cure by Terrance Crawford, illus. by Dan Widdowson (Scholastic, Aug. 1 $7.99 paper; ISBN 978-133-884813-7). In the second illustrated Piggy novel, based on the video game, a group of survivors search for a cure as a herd of Infected seek them out. F.A.R.T. Attack!: Kids Strike Back by Peter Bakalian (Aladdin, Aug. 8 $13.99 ISBN 978-1-5344-5183-4). Furious Popcorn discovers one of his own friends has fallen victim to the adults brainwashing and tries to save her in the second book in The F.A.R.T. Diaries. Foxglove by Adalyn Grace (Little, Brown, Aug. 22 $19.99; ISBN 978-0-316-16250-0). In the sequel to Belladonna, Signa befriends Fate in order to rescue her wrongfully accused ally, even if being around Fate triggers newfound powers. Fox Has a Problem by Corey R. Tabor (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, Aug. 1 $5.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-06-327792-2). Caldecott Honor author Tabor highlights a fox working together with other forest animals when they learn of each others troubles in the latest book starring Fox, the character featured in Geisel Award winners Fox at Night and Fox the Tiger. Fury of the Dragon Goddess by Sarwat Chadda (Disney/Rick Riordan Presents, Aug. 1 $17.99; ISBN 978-1-3680-8182-5). Sik uses an ancient tablet to rescue his brother from the dead but faces bigger problems when the tablet falls into the wrong hands in the second adventure in the Sik and the Dragon Goddess Series. More Tales to Keep You Up at Night by Dan Poblocki, illus. by Marie Bergeron (Penguin Workshop, Aug. 15 $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-38750-4). In the follow-up to Tales to Keep You Up at Night, Gilbert discovers tapes that might be the key to helping save his cousin, if he can avoid the supernatural man haunting all the stories. The Raven Throne by Stephanie Burgis (Bloomsbury, Aug. 8 $17.99 ISBN 978-1-5476-1032-7). When their sister takes the throne and is attacked soon after, Gilbert and Rosalind go to great lengths to find the protector of the queen, the Raven, in the second book in the Raven Heir series. Reign by Katherine McGee (Random House, Aug. 29 $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-42974-7). In the conclusion to the American Royals series, Prince Jefferson may overtake the throne while Queen Beatrice is in a coma and Samantha has vanished. S.O.S. by Tom Phillips (Pixel+Ink, Aug 1 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-64595-108-7). John and Toadius must work through their differences when two rivals make an appearance aboard their ship in the second installment of the Curious League of Detectives and Thieves series. Stuntboy, In-Between Time by Jason Reynolds, illus. by Raul the Third (Atheneum/Dlouhy, Aug. 29 $14.99; 978-1-534-41822-6). In the sequel to Stuntboy, in the Meantime, Stuntboy discovers a new oasis away from his separated parents, but some Grown Up People threaten to have him removed. Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig (Feiwel and Friends, Aug. 22 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-82848-4). The seventh installment in the Remixed Classics series reimagines Romeo and Juliet as Romeo and Valentine, two lovers who must keep their relationship from their warring families a secret. Terror in Shadow Canyon by Matt McMann (Putnam, Aug. 22 $7.99; ISBN 978-0-593-53077-1). After Tegan and his friends veer off their path, they find themselves trapped in a forest with a creature that has an appetite for humans, in the third Monsterious book. Truly, Madly, Sheeply by Heather Vogel Frederick (Simon & Schuster, Aug. 22 $17.99 ISBN 978-1-5344-9968-3). In the series conclusion of A Pumpkin Falls Mystery series, Truly relies on her Private Eyes to get to the bottom of things when jack-o-lantern robberies and other spooky happenings scare Trulys family from buying an abandoned farm. In their recently filed lawsuit to block HB 900, the controversial new Texas law that will require vendors to rate books sold to schools for sexual content, a coalition of booksellers and publishing industry associations insist that the law is both unconstitutional and impractical. Booksellers do not see a clear path forward to rating the content of the thousands of titles sold to schools in the past, nor the thousands of titles that are published each year, explained plaintiff Charley Rejsek, CEO of Austin-based vendor BookPeople, in a July 25 statement announcing the litigation. But with the laws September 1 effective date bearing down, Follett School Solutions, the nations largest distributor of books to schools, does see a path forward in Texasand that path apparently includes asking publishers to help rate their own books. Without having a 3rd party yet for the required ratings (Sexually Relevant and Sexually Explicit), our goal is to get as robust of a collection of purchasable content ready on September 1st and continue building as titles are rated, reads the text of a memo from Follett officials addressed to Publishing Partners, which was shared anonymously with PW. However, this is quite a workload. Follett is asking you to provide us with a simple spreadsheet helping us to identify titles which fall into two categories: either NO Questionable Content or Possible SR or SE Content (which we would send to a 3rd party for rating). Again, our goal is to get as many of your titles [available] on September 1st as possible. In the memo, Follett officials acknowledge that Texas has yet to provide detailed guidelines for how to rate books for sexual content. But every title we can deem OK to provide to them on September 1 for sale will be of benefit, the memo states. However, with a hearing on their federal lawsuit seeking to block the new Texas law just days away, publishers and other industry stakeholders are balking at Folletts request to help the vendor rate their titles. Though all of the Big Five publishers declined to comment directly on the Follett memo for this story, multiple publishers confirmed its details. One publishing executive told PW on background that they understand the bind Follett faces in Texas with the new law but that complying with the request to rate their books would make them "complicit" in an act of censorship. And in a statement, one publisher, Hachette, went on record to broadly reject the idea of rating its books. We strongly disagree with the idea that rating our books to flag certain content, or having retailers or wholesalers do this, is appropriate or helpful. We trust our teachers, trust our librarians, trust our parents, trust our student readers who are hungry to experience the world in all the ways that books allow. And we trust the processes of professional review and community input that have been in place for decades, Hachette officials told PW. As publishers, we want our books to reach the broadest possible readership. That readership comprises individuals with unique tastes, reading levels, and lived experiences. There is great variability in reading ability and content interest among young readers, even among those in the same grade or the same age. "It is our hope that laws that seek to limit access to books and that criminalize teachers, librarians and booksellers will be struck down as unconstitutional," the Hachette statement concludes, "and that the choice of what book to read remains unregulated by the states." The Authors Guild, the nations largest author advocacy groupand also a plaintiff in the lawsuit seeking to strike down HB 900called Follett's request "alarming," and is asking publishers not to cooperate. We urge publishers not to comply with Follett's request as it will force them to self-censor and to censor their authors, and it will remove many educationally valuable books from the school market in the state of Texas, depriving students of access to them, Authors Guild officials said in a statement. It will also compel speech by forcing publishers to create lists of books that any community in Texas might possibly find sexually relevant or offensive, making it appear as though the publishers are tacitly admitting that books listed as Possible SR or SE Content are questionable. It could be difficult to sell those books to any school system after such lists are made public, despite the fact that in most cases only a very few parents might find them objectionable. AG officials also suggest that Folletts request for help rating books undermines the pending litigation to strike the law down filed by booksellers, authors, and publishers. Even if the law is struck down, publishers will already have effectively complied by de facto rating their publications, the statement notes. Rather than try to prepare for the law to take effect, Follett should oppose it and refuse to comply based on [the law's] blatant unconstitutionality and its attack on the free speech of authors, publishers, and book sellers, as well as students right to read. Follett officials did not comment on the memo for this story. Follett is aware of the Texas legislation and will comply, Donald Reinbold, director of strategic business development and content acquisitions for Follett School Solutions, told PW in a brief email. We remain committed to serving our customers everywhere and will continue to support them as they navigate the required changes. We strongly disagree with the idea that rating our books to flag certain content, or having retailers or wholesalers do this, is appropriate or helpful. In the memo, Follett officials offered some idea of what navigating the new law might look like: The company told publishers that it is preparing a Texas-only view (determined by IP address and account address) for its Titlewave online ordering service, and that the company will not be putting through any titles that contain possible sexual content pending the development of "a third party rating program. Under the law, books rated sexually explicit would be banned from Texas schools entirelyand as such, the Follett memo notes, will not be made available for sale via Titlewave in Texas. Your support in identifying those titles that you know DO NOT fall into those categories will allow us to push through more of your titles from the first day of compliance, the memo explains. We have it on good authority that [Texas] sales will come quickly in the fall to get ahead of any additional changes or requirements, so I would ask that you take advantage of this opportunity to identify as many titles as possible and return them to Follett as soon as you can. Follett's plan to comply with the burden imposed by HB 900 in Texas is yet another example of the mounting pressure facing the publishing industry in the wake of new state laws that strike at the freedom to read under the guise of protecting minors from allegedly obscene content. And it is not the first time Follett has wrestled with the fallout of legislation targeting libraries and schools. In April 2022, Follett drew criticism for engaging in preliminary discussions about potential parental controls for its Destiny Library Manager software. But in a statement at the time, Britten Follett, CEO of content at Follett School Solutions, insisted there was never any plan to offer such tools, only "internal conversations" with customers about how the company might help them navigate "an extremely difficult time" in education, adding that librarians in a number of states were growing "scared for their careers" and didn't want to break the law. At Follett, our mission is to support librarians and get books into the hands of students," Follett said at the time. "We support the American Library Associations Library Bill of Rights and advancingnot limitingthe role of the librarian and the school library. Perhaps the most high profile book banning legislation passed yet, HB 900 has certainly ramped up the pressure on educators and librarians in Texasand it has put booksellers and publishers in the line of fire, too. Signed by Texas governor Greg Abbott on June 12, the law requires book vendors doing business with Texas schools to review booksincluding both new books and books it has previously soldand to rate them, under a vaguely articulated standard, to be either sexually explicit (if the book includes material that would be patently offensive by community standards) or sexually relevant (if the books portrays any kind of sexual conduct). Under the law, books rated sexually explicit are now banned in Texas schools. Students would be able to access books rated as sexually relevant, but only with written parental consent. Furthermore, law gives the state the unrestricted power to review and overrule the ratings for any book, effectively imposing a state standard. And vendors that do not rate books or do not comply with the state's rating would be barred from doing business with Texas schools. While officials at the American Library Association declined to comment directly on Follett's request for publishers to assist in rating their own books for compliance in Texas, ALA officials pointed PW to a recent post on the ALA's Intellectual Freedom Blog explaining why book rating systems, such as the one enacted in Texas, are "a tool for censorship" and run afoul of the Library Bill of Rights. "The use of such a prejudicial ratings system in the library assumes that an individual or group should have the authority to determine what is appropriate for every family in the community and may give the impression that the library endorses or favors specific viewpoints, value systems, or religious beliefs," the post explains. "They facilitate indoctrination, not education." Meanwhile, the legal challenge to HB 900 looms large. Filed by two indie booksellers (Austins BookPeople and Houstons Blue Willow Bookshop) together with the American Booksellers Association, the Association of American Publishers, the Authors Guild, and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, the complaint claims HB 900 constitutes "a prior restraint that violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. If allowed to go into effect, it would trigger "a recall of many books in K-12 public schools, bans of even more, and the establishment of an unconstitutionaland unprecedentedstate-wide book licensing regime that compels private companies and individuals to adopt the States messages or face government punishment, the suit argues. Federal judge Alan D. Albright has scheduled oral argument on the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction to block the law from taking effect for August 18, leaving just days to decide the measure before the law's September 1 effective date. Correction: an earlier version of this story referred to Charley Rejsek as the owner of Book People. Rejsek is CEO. The original article by the Washington Posts chief fact checker, Glenn Kessler, was published the same day as the New York Posts pre-election scoop revealing that Joe Biden had attended a 2015 dinner with a top executive of a Ukrainian energy firm, Burisma, which was paying his son $83,000 per month. Kesslers fact-check involved interviews with a host of Biden aides who vehemently disputed the vice presidents attendance at the dinner and advanced the theory that the source of the information a laptop Hunter had abandoned at a Delaware repair shop was untrustworthy and possibly a Russian plant. That conspiracy theory was quickly embraced by 51 former intelligence officials, who signed an open letter dismissing the New York Posts scoop as having "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation. This letter and the Washington Post fact check were used by the Biden campaign, other media outlets, and social media platforms to discredit the information contained on the laptop in the final days of the campaign. The article, Kessler would later boast, was one of the most read articles in our 13-year history of the fact-checking feature. But Kesslers fact check has not aged well. Just last week Hunter Bidens former business partner, Devon Archer, testified before Congress that the article was not correct reporting." Instead of retracting the article as the Post did with some of its debunked Russiagate coverage or running a straightforward correction, the paper has appended a series of updates to its reporting. The Washington Post and other media have tried to squelch the scandal of Joe Biden potentially using his high office to enrich himself and his family, said a congressional investigator for a GOP-led committee. Almost nobody is fact-checking these biased fact checkers, and they carry a lot of weight and authority." Original article: Officials who worked for Biden ... told The Fact Checker that no such meeting took place. Hunter Biden, in photo on his laptop. In his original article, Hunter Bidens alleged laptop: An explainer, Kessler took the Biden camps word that the then-vice president never met senior Burisma official Vadym Pozharskyi on April 16, 2015, and didnt even attend the dinner in question at a Georgetown restaurant. Kessler also expressed open doubts about the authenticity of the laptop. Kessler wrote that the New York Post stories purportedly came from a Hunter Biden laptop supposedly left at a repair shop. Quoting an author of a book on disinformation, Kessler also questioned the authenticity of the emails on the laptop. The specific email in question the New York Post called it a smoking gun was an April 17 message from Pozharskyi thanking Hunter Biden for the opportunity to meet your father and spent [sic] some time together. Officials who worked for Biden at the time told The Fact Checker that no such meeting took place, Kessler asserted, noting that it was not listed on the former vice president's schedule and that it was unlikely Biden even went to the restaurant. The revised June 2021 version: "Alleged" is no longer in the headline. At the top of the piece is now a note: "This article, first published in 2021, has been updated." But not corrected. After the election, with Biden in office, and as more details about the dinner trickled in over the next several months, the Washington Post on June 7, 2021, appended Kessler's story with a note that the article had been updated. It linked to a revised version, which carried the headline, Hunter Bidens laptop: The April 16, 2015, dinner. In the new article, Kessler acknowledged Biden did, in fact, go to the 2015 dinner, which was held at the Cafe Milano in Georgetown. But he insisted there was less to the story than one might imagine. No Pinocchios for these Washington Post fact checks. Kessler quoted Biden allies who said the vice president had only dropped by briefly, and only to say hello to a personal friend tied to a Biden family charity, adding that Biden didnt even sit down at the table with his son. He cast doubt that Vadym Pozharskyi, the Burisma executive, was part of the group even though New York Post reporter Miranda Devine pointed out to Kessler through Twitter that a Vadym was on the guest list Hunter sent to Archer before the event. Devine called Kesslers reporting sloppy. However, Kessler stopped short of conceding hed been burned by Team Biden. For the next two years, he and the Washington Post stubbornly hewed to his original story, albeit with some alterations, that the dinner was much ado about nothing and that Republicans were falsely trying to tie Biden to his sons corrupt Ukrainian benefactor. Cafe Milano: Joe Biden was there, Devon Archer testified. And not just for a "drop-by," as Kessler claimed in the revised, 2021 version of his story. But transcripts released last week reveal that Archer, who sat on the Burisma board with Hunter and attended the Cafe Milano dinner, confirmed the New York Post's reporting about the event. In a recent deposition before the House Oversight Committee, Archer testified that not only did Pozharskyi attend the dinner, but so did Biden and not just for a brief drop-by, as Kessler claimed in the revised, 2021 version of his story. Archer recalled the vice president sat down and stayed for the dinner, which was held in a private room in the back of the restaurant. After Democratic lawmakers and lawyers quizzed him about the Washington Post story, Archer said thats not correct reporting." Asked last Thursday if the paper still stands behind Kesslers story, Washington Post spokeswoman Kathy Baird told RealClearInvestigations that the paper was addressing Archers revelations. Following up on your earlier inquiry, she said, "this piece has now been updated. An "update" to an "update." But no correction. In the latest version, published Aug. 3, Kessler added a parenthetical update" several paragraphs into the piece that Archer in his deposition disputed the recollections of Kesslers Biden sources about the dinner. In another update inserted later in the story, Kessler acknowledged that Archer told investigators [Burisma official] Pozharskyi attended the dinner. (This was an update of a previous update.) Finally, at the end of the story, Kessler again cited Archers interview to correct his earlier reporting about a dinner attendee who did not in fact attend the function. But he referred to it as an update, instead of a correction. In its related 2020 story, the Post appended another correction masquerading as an "update" at the bottom of Kessler's piece, which noted that the laptop Kessler implied was disinformation had in fact been authenticated. All told, the Post has run six corrections across its original and revised Kessler stories about the laptop emails and the Biden-Burisma dinner. Another "update" acknowledges partial data authentication. All told, across two versions, six "updates." But no forthright corrections. Baird declined to answer whether the Posts designated fact-checker was too trusting of his Biden sources. Though documented evidence was available at the time, Kessler took the word of Bidens aides over contemporaneous emails and texts contradicting what they told him. Most facts were always there. It was only when the facts were amplified by government hearings, reports and depositions, as well as other news sites and Twitter, that Kessler revised his analysis while still resisting calling his revisions corrections. Despite the rolling disclosures reaching a critical mass, the Post has not published a separate news story examining its own errors, which misinformed voters ahead of the November 2020 presidential election and continued to mislead the public deep into the Biden presidency. Republican lawmakers say the Posts inaccurate and misleading "fact-checking" is a microcosm of how the Washington press corps has been ignoring evidence of Biden family influence-peddling and corruption, which they say has had a chilling effect on criminal investigations. Media coverage often drives investigations into public corruption as well the appointment of independent prosecutors when there is a political conflict, as in the case of the Biden-controlled Justice Department looking into the Biden family. But not during this administration. The Posts influential Fact Checker staff brands stories or public statements it deems false or misleading with Pinocchios. A fact-check that earns one Pinocchio shades the facts, according to the newspapers criteria, while one garnering four Pinocchios is condemned as a whopper. Democrats and political commentators routinely cite Kessler's findings to bolster or impugn politicians or points of view. By his own measure, Kesslers Biden-Burisma dinner story containing significant factual errors would have earned four Pinocchios. As Chinese presence expands into Latin America and the Caribbean, the United States remains comparatively unimaginative, if not inactive. Three years ago, Foreign Policy authors Andres Malamud and Luis Schenoni confidently assured the world that with a dwarfing economy and squarely under U.S. hegemony, [Latin America] may be less relevant globally than at any point in the past few centuries. Yet to anyone looking today, the region has clearly become a crucial pawn for regimes ranging from China to Iran. While the U.S.s opponents strengthen ties with our materials-rich neighbors, the disparity in regional research and attention grows. China has far surpassed the U.S. in developing trade relations with Latin American countries. While U.S. trade with Mexico accounts for close to 71% of trade with the entire region, China dominates in trade with Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, and many others. Given these realities, one would anticipate a change in trade policy or at least an increase in attention from Washington. But not much has changed. Last year, Biden requested a $659.1 million foreign aid budget via the Development Assistance account for Latin America and the Caribbean. The stated goal of this assistance is to spur economic growth and social welfare in low- and middle- income countries. According to the request, funds would be used for long-term projects ranging from agriculture and education, to environmental protections and democracy. These lofty goals are as commendable as they are impractical. In the last few years Latin America has only become increasingly authoritarian, and China has only gained more control in the region. As reported by The Economist, the regions score on the Democracy Index has declined for seven consecutive years, recording the biggest democratic recession of any region over the past 20 years. Still, the U.S. continues to perpetually throw away money in efforts to advance democracy and good governance, while China prioritizes strengthening their economic ties and extracting tons of resources. In the critical minerals arena, for example, China established its dominance through billionaire contracts. China gained 46% of global lithium production by investing in the Chilean company Sociedad Quimica y Minera (SQM), and 10% of global columbite production through savvy acquisitions in Brazil. Similarly, in countries like Venezuela, which should by now be seen as more than synonymous with oil, Maduro inaugurated the largest coltan concentration plant in the region, as the Venezuelan regime continues their mission to excavate more than two-trillion dollars worth of minerals from the Orinoco Mining Arc. Access to these minerals will be essential if the United States and its allies want to lead the upcoming industrial revolution, as they are key components in batteries and electronics more broadly. Yet even in the U.S.s neighborhood, China is winning. The continuation of these trends, of which critical minerals are just a portion, with security concerns increasing, should trouble those who care about U.S. hegemony, as well as those who care about democracy. Its clear that the United States has allowed the deeply traumatic experience of being labeled El Imperio by Latin American left-wing autocrats to translate into considerable avoidance. Yet now that U.S. policymakers find themselves racing China to gain control over supply chains and critical minerals, the strategic significance of Latin America appears crystal clear. Excessive intervention on the part of the U.S. during the Cold War catalyzed a wave of anti-U.S. sentiment that greatly impacted the U.S.s relationship with states that were once great allies, like Venezuela and Argentina. Still, its time for the U.S. to learn its lessons and begin taking practical steps to distance China from the region. Avoidance is not an option. If conflict with China is as plausible a scenario as many predict, then the U.S. and its allies must match, if not surpass, Chinas strategic investments in the western hemisphere. Additionally, if the U.S. wants its investments to bring about actual results, policymakers must learn some lessons from China, so that its investments advance tangible goals, not fail in advancing ideology. This argument does not translate into a Latin America strategy vacuous in principles. It does demand a policy grounded in reality, a policy that does not seek the radical transformation of states above all else, but rather a policy that uses diverse mechanisms to achieve goals that are concretely in the U.S.s interest. The U.S.s declining economic sway over its hemisphere benefits neither the America First nor the Democracy Always crowds. Everyone loses when policymakers deprioritize Latin America. As such, every U.S. citizen should worry about living in a country where the Chinese Communist Party cares more about their region than their leaders do. Juan P. Villasmil is a Latin America specialist, focusing on Chinese involvement in the region. He is also a contributor at Young Voices. Property details: INVESTMENT PROPERTYLUNA COUNTY, NEW MEXICOI own a nice 1/2 acre lot in Deming, Luna County, New Mexico with close access to Interstate 10. This land is in an excellent location near Las Cruces, NM and El Paso, TX. Tucson, Arizona is a 3-hour drive west on I-10. This area is right near Hatch, NM. The Hatch Chili Pepper is a staple of New Mexican cuisine. Red or green - you know if you know.TERMSI am selling the lot for $2,850. The bid amount will be added to this figure. There is no minimum, whic... Price: $ 5 Seller State of Residence: Illinois Type: Homesite, Lot Zip/Postal Code: 88030 Zoning: Residential City: Sun Valley State/Province: New Mexico Location: 880**, Deming, New Mexico You will be redirected to eBay Nearby New Mexico ABC/Craig Sjodin By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/09/2023 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Charity Lawson has dished about how Xavier Bonner "blindsided" her with the revelation he had cheated on an ex-girlfriend and how she thought his timing was "selfish."On 's latest Season 20 episode that aired Monday night on ABC, Xavier dropped a bombshell on Charity during their Fantasy Suite date that he had been unfaithful -- multiple times -- in his most recent relationship, which lasted well over two years.Charity, having been in a self-described "toxic" six-year relationship in which the man had repeatedly cheated on her, understandably felt triggered and immediately got upset and emotional."That was a very, very hard conversation and an extremely harder conversation to watch back because, in that moment, I had so much going through my head," Charity told The Hollywood Reporter."I personally felt blindsided to have that conversation come up at that point in the journey."Xavier had been given a one-on-one date in Washington, and they also spent quality time together during his hometown date -- not to mention all the group dates he had shared with other men in previous weeks."I thought it was very selfish that he waited up until that point to have that very heavy conversation," Charity explained.She elaborated, "We're in Fiji, a week away from proposal, and to have a bombshell like that disclosed to me and trying to navigate and see how this is even possible to bounce back from, that was very hard."While Charity appreciated Xavier's honesty and transparency, she apparently believes he could've approached that conversation earlier and in a more tactful manner.Xavier, for instance, was unable to reassure Charity that he'd never cheat on her if they ended up together.Charity could tell that Xavier was doubting himself and whether he could commit -- and truly be loyal to -- one woman for the rest of his life."It wasn't necessarily him disclosing a thing, but it was the questions that followed up. And for me, I'm a person that when you drop a bombshell like that, I'm going to try, to the best of my ability, to get to the root of it and make sense of it for my life," Charity said."And so the follow-up questions did not help him in any sense because he kept digging himself a deeper hole."Not only was Xavier questioning if he was ready to propose marriage at the end of the process, but he also confessed to Charity that his heart and his head were at odds.Xavier said his heart didn't doubt that he wanted a future with Charity but his head was second-guessing his ability to be the boyfriend that she deserves as well as her potential husband down the road.And then when Charity asked the suitor point blank if he could "show up" for her and make their relationship work after the show, no matter what, Xavier claimed in order for him to get to that point, he needed more time with her."I need to see more," Xavier told Charity, which infuriated star since she thought she had shown Xavier all that she has to give.Charity recalled to The Hollywood Reporter, "I knew, in that moment, this is absolutely not something that I need in my life, and this is not what I came in here looking for -- qualities of a man that's going to be my future husband."Charity didn't believe Xavier had done enough work on himself to change and not repeat the mistakes of his past.Charity therefore eliminated Xavier during the dinner portion of their date in Fiji in third place, before they could even enjoy the overnight part of the date."I was shown everything that I needed to see, and I'm grateful that I was shown it in that moment -- because God forbid it happened afterwards," Charity concluded.Charity was devastated once she sent Xavier packing, and it appeared the bachelor was also caught off-guard and didn't have enough time to wrap his mind around the fact he had just lost the woman he was falling in love with.The 27-year-old biomedical scientist from Carrboro, NC, said in his final words, "I know that I just hurt her so much. That woman put her heart on the line every single day, and I doubted myself and us, and I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have doubted it."The next morning, however, Charity woke up feeling refreshed and confident in her other two connections with Dotun Olubeko and Joey Graziadei , both of whom she realized she was "in love" with by the end of Fantasy Suites."This isn't Build-A-Man Workshop," Charity noted on 's latest episode : The Men Tell All is set to air Monday, August 14, and then the following week, fans will be able to see whether Charity welcomed Aaron Bryant back into the competition.Aaron, whom Charity ousted after her Final 4 men's hometown dates, traveled all the way to Fiji for closure or, better yet, another chance with star.Aaron told the cameras that Charity was worth fighting for, and Charity was blown away by the bold gesture. Click here to read spoilers about Charity's season and who Charity picked as her winner Interested in more The Bachelor news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group It isn't often that a larger version of a firearm is made after the smallest version, but that is how Mossberg did it with their MC2c (compact) and MC2sc (sub-compact) pistols. While the MC2sc has been well received, will a slightly larger version be better? We took one for a spin to find out. Mossberg MC2c Compact 9mm Pistol The new Mossberg MC2c 9mm pistol is slightly larger than its little brother and features a double-stack, 13-round, flush-fit magazine. Yet, its still just 1.1 inches wide, allowing it to easily disappear in your waistband. With a 3.9 inch barrel, the MC2c is 7.1 inches long and 4.9 inches tall. It weighs 21 ounces. The barrel is stainless steel with a black DLC finish; it's cut-broached with a 1-in-16-inch twist rate. The MC2c mirrors the aesthetics and comfortable ergonomics of its predecessor. The grip angle on the glass-reinforced polymer frame is more John Browning than Austrian, with a palm swell and aggressive textured panels in key areas on the front strap, sides, and backstrap for a secure grip without shredding skin or clothing while holstered. The trigger has a flat face, and theres an accessory rail for a weapon mounted light. The slide is composed of stainless steel with a black DLC or matte stainless finish. Its serrated in front and rear, with an additional opposing serration in the rear for increased grip no matter how you yank on the slide. Its topped with either a set of 3-dot sights or optional Truglo night sights. The standard sights are low-profile while the tritium sights have a raked surface on the rear sight that's useful for one-handed manipulation of the slide. The sights are dovetailed, so you can drift them to adjust windage, and compatible with #8 SIG sights thus plenty of aftermarket options are available. The magazine release, positioned behind the oversized trigger guard, can be relocated to the right side of the gun for wrong-handed shooters. Mossberg will also offer a version of the handgun with a cross-bolt safety, also reversible for lefties. The cross-bolt safety is intended for buyers who might require it to comply with the laws in their particular jurisdiction or who might prefer it for off-body carry. While the firing mechanism looks quite familiar, the Mossberg handgun is disassembled without needing to press the trigger to drop the striker. First, ensure the gun is unloaded and the magazine well is empty. Lock the slide back and depress the button on the slide cover. Then remove it from the slide. Ease the slide forward, and the orange striker assembly will protrude from the rear. Yank it out and remove the upper from the pistol. While the previous MC1sc was designed to be compatible with Glock 43 magazines, Mossberg had to switch to a steel magazine design to achieve its goal of increasing magazine capacity without increasing the width of the gun. Thus, the MC2c has new, proprietary double-stack magazines which hold 13 rounds in flush-fit configuration and 15 rounds with an extended base plate. Theyre manufactured by Mecgar. As youd expect, the floor plates pop off easily for cleaning and the followers are bright red so you dont miss them. In the comparison photos below, you can see how the new metal flush-fit magazines compare to the MC1scs Glock 43-compatible magazine (the example pictured has an extension). In addition, note the size differential between the MC1sc and the new MC2c. Shots Fired At Gunsite in Arizona, we put a couple hundred rounds through the new MC2c, completing a variety of drills, competitions, the Scrambler, and shoot houses. The MC2c has excellent ergonomics. It's very comfortable in the hand and easy to control and manipulate. The texturing is effective, though wed have liked to see additional texturing high on the side of the grip to lock in the support hand. The trigger on our sample broke at around 5.5 pounds, with a solid, Glock-like feel to it with a short, distinct reset and a slightly gritty pull before the clean break. It was easy to shoot the Mossberg well, and we look forward to doing a DIY trigger job on it. The gun ran well during our range sessions, with nary a hiccup. The Mossberg MC2c 9mm pistol looks to be an excellent, affordable choice for concealed carry and self-defense. A production gun is on its way, so look for the next issue of Concealment for a full review. DeSantis is already making holsters for the MC2c; we used an OWB Pegasus paddle holster at Gunsite. The MC2c will be offered with or without a cross-bolt safety and with a black DLC or matte stainless steel slide. These variants will all be priced at $490. Truglo Tritium Pro sights are a $105 premium, available with the black slide and sans cross-bolt safety. Street prices, therefore, will be quite affordable. OPTICS While the version we used at Gunsite was irons only, the MC2c now comes optics-ready using a Shield RMS footprint. While having a directly mounted option is always better than needing plates, we haven't actually been able to mount an optic to the MC2c we have for testing. Even though the footprint cut is specifically Shield RMS, none of our 4 Shield RMS optics use screws small enough to fit the MC2c mount. That's a real head-scratcher. As with most optics-ready pistols, don't be surprised if you need to do some research on your own to find the right screws and mounting for your chosen optic. Specs Make : Mossberg : Mossberg Model : MC2c : MC2c Caliber : 9mm : 9mm Barrel length : 3.9 inches : 3.9 inches Length : 7.1 inches : 7.1 inches Width: 1.1 inches 1.1 inches Height : 4.9 inches : 4.9 inches Weight : 21 ounces : 21 ounces Capacity : 13+1, 15+1 rounds : 13+1, 15+1 rounds MSRP : $490 to 595 : $490 to 595 URL: https://www.mossberg.com/category/series/mc2c/ Porterville, CA (93257) Today Rain likely. High 73F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Bands of heavy rain showers along with strong wind gusts at times, especially early. Low 68F. S winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is possible. Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) is vigorously aiming to establish a robust presence in Indias electric vehicle (EV) segment through the introduction of new models and the establishment of charging stations under Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) and Kia India. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Hyundai Euisun Chung, executive chairman of HMG, who is currently visiting India, urged both companies to deliver products that not only meet but exceed customer expectations on time, thus driving the achievement of these growth targets. The group is strategically working to elevate Kias market share from the current 6.7 per cent to an impressive 10 per cent in India in the near future. Additionally, the group is focusing on fortifying its sport utility vehicle leadership and expanding its EV line-up within India. In adherence to its long-term strategy, HMG is set to unveil five new EV models by 2032 while concurrently expanding the network of EV charging stations to 439 by 2027, capitalising on the strength of its expansive sales network. Conversely, Kia plans to commence the production of compact EVs, optimised for the local market, beginning in 2025. The company will progressively introduce a variety of EV models and purpose-built vehicles. To invigorate this long-term strategy, Chung toured Hyundai Motor India Engineering located in Hyderabad the brands research and development (R&D) nucleus in India as well as the automobile plants in Chennai on Monday. During these visits, he deliberated on mid- to long-term growth strategies with local employees. Subsequently, on Tuesday, he held meetings with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and Industries Minister T R B Rajaa. In May, HMIL, the second-largest car manufacturer in India, unveiled its intention to invest Rs 20,000 crore in Tamil Nadu over the course of a decade, with the aim of bolstering production volumes and introducing new EV models. Kia is also formulating plans for an EV charging infrastructure. The Kia 2.0 Strategy aims to elevate the companys market share in India from the current 6.7 per cent in the first half of this year to an ambitious 10 per cent in the coming years. This expansion encompasses broadening the vehicle range and more than doubling the current sales network of 300. The company stated, Chungs visit to India encompassed a review of Indias strategic importance as a future mobility epicentre. "He emphasised the imperative nature of delivering products that not only meet but surpass customer expectations within stipulated time frames. "Furthermore, he highlighted HMIEs pivotal role in propelling the groups growth in the Indian market." HMIE plays a crucial role in augmenting sales in the Indian market and collaborates closely with the Hyundai-Kia Namyang R&D centre in South Korea to devise vehicles specifically tailored for the Indian market. In addition to strengthening local R&D capabilities, HMIE will expand its role as a hub for future mobility research, encompassing electrification, autonomous driving, and the development of voice recognition technology in local Indian languages. Consequently, the construction of a new test facility commenced last year. HMG has solidified its position as the second-largest automaker in the Indian market. Following the record-breaking sales of 807,067 units last year, the company has achieved sales of 502,821 units in July this year, reflecting an 8.8 per cent increase year over year. The annual sales target for this year is set at 873,000 units, marking an 8.2 per cent increase from the previous year. EV sales, including completely knocked-down assembled units, nearly doubled from the previous year, amounting to 1,181 units. Going forward, both Hyundai and Kia intend to commence mass production of EV volume models at their Indian plants to substantially augment EV sales within the country. Production at the Indian plants has also surged, with cumulative production through July this year reaching 630,230 units, showcasing an 8.7 per cent increase from the 580,049 units produced last year. In tandem with the increased production capacity, HMG has expanded its facilities, including the addition of a new paint shop and significant capital investments, boosting its production capacity to 824,000 units. This marks an impressive increase of 54,000 units from the previous capacity of 770,000 units. The share of foreign companies in private sector investments, directed towards building new factories and other facilities, has declined over the past six months. A mix of large domestic announcements and relatively lower growth in foreign capital expenditure (capex) plans have played a role, although foreign investments remain near record levels. The share of foreign companies in the overall private sector investments over the four quarters ended June 2023 has dipped to 14.9 per cent, as shown by a Business Standard analysis of data from the project tracker Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. It was 21.9 per cent in December 2022 and 16.5 per cent in March 2023. The rolling four-quarter number eliminates any seasonal issues in new project announcements. The private sector has announced new projects worth Rs 27.5 trillion in the four quarters ended June. This is the highest in data going back to June 2009. This was largely driven by Rs 11 trillion worth of capex announcements in the March 2023 quarter. The quarter had seen large orders from Air India for new aircraft, which are also counted as capex. New project momentum had been building up even before the order. Trailing four-quarter announcements crossed Rs 10 trillion in March 2022 and have since stayed above that mark. Foreign private sector company announcements touched a high of Rs 4.9 trillion in December 2022 on a rolling four-quarter basis. This dipped to Rs 4.5 trillion in March 2023 and Rs 4.1 trillion in June 2023. Many companies are looking to invest in factories outside China to reduce their dependence on one country. Business Standard had reported earlier about how competition remains stiff from other Asian countries, including places like Vietnam, which have attracted key players to shift manufacturing there. Chinese electronics major BYD shifted some of its Apple iPad production to Vietnam in 2022. But there are some encouraging signs for the industry. The output of eight key infrastructure sectors, including steel and cement, grew by 8.2 per cent in June the highest in five months. Banks are lending more than before. Credit offtake grew by 16.2 per cent in June 2023, compared with 14.5 per cent in June 2022. Industrial credit grew at 8.1 per cent, compared with 9.5 per cent growth a year earlier. Services sector credit offtake grew 26.7 per cent, compared with 12.8 per cent previously. A compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in double-digits is likely until 2025-26 (FY26), given relatively low company debt levels, according to a July 6 India Industrials report from financial services group Jefferies, authored by equity analyst Lavina Quadros. The Centre has set the stage for double-digit capex growth since 2021 with its plan to divert incremental spend to capex. "Our bottom-up corporate capex database points to a 16 per cent CAGR in industrial capex in 2022-23 through FY26E. "The gross debt/equity ratio for large listed companies is less than 0.6x, implying capex can be comfortably financed between internal accruals and some leverage, it said. An LGT Wealth India May 2023 Monthly Investment Perspectives report also suggested a strong investment push. In 2023-24, investment will likely remain the key growth, with strong public investment complemented by the fruition of large corporates investment plans. "The Centre should pump in Rs 10 trillion, states around Rs 7 trillion, and the private sector should at least match, if not easily outpace, these outlays, it said. Stocks of small- and mid-cap companies continued to gain ground in July, notwithstanding analysts sounding caution on these two market segments given the sharp run thus far in calendar year 2023 (CY23). Sanjeev Prasad, co-head of Kotak Institutional Equities, in a note co-authored with Anindya Bhowmik and Sunita Baldawa in June-end, had cautioned against the sharp run in small- and mid-caps. We do not see any particular reason for the excitement in small- and mid-cap stocks. "We can perhaps understand the rerating seen in certain sectors, such as banking, financial services and insurance (smaller private banks), health care services (hospitals), and real estate, given their somewhat reasonable valuations before the recent rally and strong outlook, he wrote. Yet, in July, the market action continued in the small-caps that saw the S&P BSE SmallCap Index surging 7.4 per cent compared to a 5.7 per cent rise in the S&P BSE MidCap Index, and a modest 2.8 per cent gain in the Sensex. On August 1, the BSE SmallCap hit a fresh 52-week high of 35,253.2 levels in intraday trade. Thus far in CY23, the small- and mid-cap indices on the BSE have gained nearly 22 per cent each compared to a 9 per cent rally in the Sensex, reveals data. A large part of the rally, especially in small- and mid-caps, according to Chokkalingam G, managing director-research at Equinomics Research & Advisory, has been on account of retail investors lapping up these stocks to make a good return in a short time. This, he says, is evident in the number of dematerialised accounts being opened. Over 720,000 new investors registered on the BSE platform, taking the total base of BSE to 137.6 million. "We continue to believe that the domestic market doesnt have much liquidity to support the market in the very short term if there are any adverse fundamental developments or any sentimental impact for the markets, he says. As an investment strategy, Chokkalingam remains cautious about the markets in the short term and suggests investors tilt towards large- and large mid-caps to the extent of 30-50 per cent in their portfolios. I prefer defensive sectors like pharma and suggest investors exit overvalued small- and mid-cap stocks, he says. Meanwhile, at the bourses, among the small-cap stocks on the BSE, shares of Jai Balaji Industries, Lloyds Engineering Works, Thangamayil Jewellery, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, DCM Shriram Industries, Action Construction Equipment, Jyothy Labs, Texmaco Infrastructure & Holdings, Sunflag Iron & Steel Co., and Engineers India gained between 38 per cent and 107 per cent in July, according to ACE Equity data. From a sentiment perspective, U R Bhat, co-founder and director of Alphaniti Fintech, believes that the markets are pricing in most positives at the current levels. Even a slight disappointment in the overall 2023-24 April-June quarter corporate earnings, or otherwise, can trigger a correction in the markets, especially in small- and mid-caps that have seen a good run recently. The foreign institutional investors have been intermittently selling and are looking over their shoulder for any bad news to exit the markets. "That said, the correction/call will be gradual and not steep/sharp. "The front line indices can shave off a couple of hundred points daily, and the market, therefore, sees a time and price-wise correction. "In the worst-case scenario, the S&P BSE Sensex and the National Stock Exchange Nifty50 can slip 3 per cent to 5 per cent from here on out, cautions Bhat Against the backdrop of Kerala's appetite for commonsense, it was assumed that this controversy would pass. Respect for rationalism and scientific outlook is strong in the state despite political forces gnawing at it for their own goals, observes Shyam G Menon. IMAGE: A Shiv Sena worker with a Lord Ganesha idol protests outside the Kerala secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, August 2, 2023, demanding an apology from Kerala Speaker A N Shamseer. Photograph: ANI Photo "Didn't you break coconuts today?" my friend asked. It was August 2, 2023. I was back in Thiruvananthapuram after a break and hadn't kept abreast of local news. My friend brought me up to speed. Earlier in July, addressing a gathering at a school in Ernakulam, the speaker of the Kerala assembly, A N Shamseer, had alluded to Hindutva forces trading science for mythology. An instance he cited of the Hindutva brigade positioning the Hindu deity Ganapathy as proof of plastic surgery known that far back in India, kicked up a controversy. Another example cited in this context, that of the pushpaka vimanam representing human flight, also irked the faithful. By the beginning of August, the Bharatiya Janata Party's state unit was demanding the speaker's apology. Although the BJP wishes otherwise, in Kerala, the political preference of the Hindus has never been consolidated under one party. With plenty of Hindus voting for the Communist parties and the Congress, what the BJP is used to calling the 'majority vote' is split between these parties and the BJP. The political Right currently has no elected representative from the state in the assembly or the Lok Sabha. It speaks of its following. True to its number-crunching approach to political domination, some time ago the BJP made overtures to the largest caste within the Hindu community in Kerala. Electoral benefits from that move, are yet to manifest. Same time, the second biggest caste from Kerala's Hindu community -- the Nairs -- had treaded carefully, avoiding explicit alignment with the BJP. The Nair Service Society (NSS) has a presence in the field of education in Kerala. The measured approach of the NSS to politics, is a widely noted trait; one that fetched it respect even among its critics. Following the speaker's remarks, the NSS too expressed unhappiness triggering speculation that political undercurrents of the Right-Wing sort, were afoot. Between the controversial remarks and the NSS articulating its stance, there was a time-gap. Some say, this was because the NSS response was compelled by disapproval for the speaker's remarks building up gradually in its rank and file. IMAGE: Kerala Speaker A N Shamseer, right, and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan await Governor Arif Mohammad Khan's arrival at the assembly in Thiruvananthapuram, January 23, 2023, on the first day of the Budget session. Photograph: Shrikant Singh/ANI Photo On August 2, onmanorama.com quoted G Sukumaran Nair, general secretary of the NSS, as saying, 'Shamseer is not entitled to continue in his current position after his remarks. He should withdraw the comments that hurt the sentiments of believers and apologise. Faith comes above science.' That day, an NSS prayer march was taken out in Thiruvananthapuram as protest against the speaker's remarks. The police booked more than 1,000 people who took part in it reportedly on grounds of unlawful assembly. The following evening, there was news of senior functionaries of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad meeting Sukumaran Nair at the NSS headquarters in Perunna. Among the styles of protest recommended against the speaker's remarks, was that NSS workers visit Ganapathy temples. My friend's reference to breaking coconuts stemmed from the widespread ritual of breaking coconuts as an offering to Ganapathy, something he and I had done on several occasions when growing up in Thiruvananthapuram. He knew and I knew, that back then, it was Ganapathy who counted, not any communal or political posturing. Things have been changing since the BJP launched its pursuit of political clout in the state. Ahead of the 2019 general elections, there had been the issue of women of all ages being permitted on the pilgrimage to Shabarimala. The opposition to it from the faithful and the controversy the issue caused was expected to have an indirect impact on the BJP's growth. In Kerala, small swings can decide victory or failure in elections. The BJP garnered a vote share of 15 per cent in Kerala in the 2019 elections (source: Wikipedia) but it didn't win a single Lok Sabha seat. The question now asked (as indeed after any such controversy) is whether the disapproval for the speaker's remarks, may hold political mileage. The Communist Party of India-Marxist, to which the Kerala speaker belongs, ruled out the need for an apology. One can't spare the Communists a close inspection. IMAGE: Kerala Kshetra Samrakshana Samithi supporters march to the Kerala secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, July 26, 2023, demanding state Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer's resignation for his controversial comment on Hindu gods. Photograph: ANI Photo More than one person I spoke to felt that the relevance of rationalism and scientific temperament in education may be established without highlighting and disapproving in public, regressive, stances adopted by others. Besides, do you mention the unscientific views propagated by a brand of insular (often violent) politics before an audience that includes school students? Not to mention -- for no fault of theirs -- some from the audience and those seeing the proceedings later on media, may belong to the same community, from which a section indulged the cited unscientific attitude. They have nothing to do with those directly responsible for perpetuating the unscientific spin but the embarrassment hits all. Expectedly, the speaker's statement provoked a larger number of people within the community concerned and in turn, the speaker became viewed through the prism of his own faith and community. Such backlash is natural in our frustrating season of whataboutism. It could have been avoided. Plus, unlike what the Left Democratic Front may think of itself, its style of politics and functioning as showcased by the second Pinarayi Vijayan government, has been losing fans in Kerala. Allegations of insensitivity therefore tend to stick. Like it or not, through those remarks at the school in Ernakulam, the CPI-M gifted an issue on a platter to the BJP. Against the backdrop of Kerala's appetite for commonsense, it was assumed that this controversy would hopefully pass. Some believed that given science is not a pushover in the state, it would be incorrect to assume that all Nairs would support Sukumaran Nair's view of faith being above science. Respect for rationalism and scientific outlook is strong in the state despite political forces gnawing at it for their own goals. On August 3, The Hindu reported the Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishad stating, educated sections would have no doubts that Shamseer's views were objective, scientific and in tune with Constitutional provisions. On August 6, Press Trust of India informed that the NSS had decided to seek legal remedy over the speaker's remarks. It also moved the Kerala high court seeking to quash the case filed against its members who participated in the August 2 protest march in Thiruvananthapuram. K B Ganesh Kumar, a former minister and an MLA from the Kerala Congress (B), who attended the NSS board meeting that took the above decision, lauded the outcome as a dignified one. The Kerala Congress (B) is an ally of the CPI-M. Meanwhile, the CPI-M had been doing its share of correcting remarks. M V Govindan, the state secretary of the CPI-M, was originally reported referring to the deity as a myth but later said he hadn't done so. On August 5, The Times of India reported that Govindan's new stance had been welcomed by the Congress; its state chief, V D Satheesan said the party had stayed quiet on the controversy to avoid escalation. The question in times of the BJP trying to improve its position in Kerala by hook or crook is -- just how much more does each controversy of this sort add to the party's acceptance or subtract from it? Shyam G Menon is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai. Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com 'They are afraid that if they approach a police station for filing a complaint they might themselves get arrested under some random charges.' IMAGE: Some of the 105 establishments outside the Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College were demolished by local authorities. Photograph: Kind courtesy Adv Faareha Shahid/APCR Saif ul Islam, one of the advocate-members of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, who visited the riot-affected areas of Mewat for two-and-a-half days, tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com about what he and other members of the APCR team discovered in the region which saw communal violence for the first time in many years at the end of the 84 Kos Parikrama Yatra which began July 4 with the onset of the month of Shravan in north India. APCR, established in 2006, works for the protection of human rights of the deprived sections of society and include members who are advocates, journalists and social and human rights activists. What I Saw And Discovered In Nuh IMAGE: A shopkeeper whose shop, outside the main market in Nuh, was demolished by local authorities looks at the mayhem around him. Photograph: Adv Faareha Shahid/APCR The local administration has bulldozed almost 750 structures which include houses, road side paan shops, bicycle and scooter garages, tyre puncture garages, and small thelawalas. These shops were bulldozed when a curfew was in place. These people who sell their wares on handcarts or sell cold drinks from small shops commute eight kilometres every day from their villages. They were not served any notice that their business establishments were illegal; notices were served through backdated papers. These people pray that they were given a chance to vacate their premises. They had inventories of Rs 50,000-Rs 60,000 in their shops; some of these shops even had refrigerators. There were about 105 shops opposite the Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College in Nalhar -- go to any government hospital and you will see a number of chai and pakoda shops around it. Out of 105, 90 shops belonged to Muslims. There were pathological labs, ultra sound and X-ray clinics too and without giving them any chance to remove the costly equipment the local administration just bulldozed these establishments. They demolished shops of Hindus and Muslims. Some of these owners knew that their shops were bulldozed only after three days. Let us for argument's sake accept that the constructions were illegal but then if you go to any part of India -- urban or rural -- you will find illegal shops and establishments doing business at every street corner or main markets. Like, local administrations across India show basic human concern towards such people, the Nuh administration should have also shown the same concern for these very poor and underprivileged people. Our plea before the respected Punjab and Haryana high court would call for financial compensation for the damage to goods and their shops. Women, the most affected IMAGE: Women who support their husbands in their enterprise and who form the backbone of the economy in the Mewat region estimate the financial losses of their bulldozed shops. Photograph: Adv Faareha Shahid/APCR The arbitrary and illegal demolition drive carried out by both municipal authorities and the Haryana state's forest department has also affected women, who help their husbands run businesses. 53-year-old Ashmina, a widow, ran a pathology lab near the Nalhar medical college, along with her 17-year-old son. A mother to four sons, Ashmina had taken a loan worth Rs 10 lakh to run their pathology lab which was demolished. She informed the APCR fact-finding team that the lab was their only source of income, and their loan was yet to be repaid. No notice was served to Ashmina or her sons regarding the bulldozer action. Owing to the existing atmosphere of fear in Nuh, so far no woman has taken legal action or spoken out about it, making it difficult to independently verify these claims. Three of the women APCR's fact-finding team spoke with in Meoli, whose male family members had been arrested, said they were 'extremely scared' to even go to the police and seek information on their arrested kin, as well as take any legal action to secure their release. Farida, whose husband Azad was arrested at 5 am from Meoli village on August 1, was a milk supplier. She informed us that he was the sole breadwinner in their family, as she struggles to make ends meet now. Azad's younger brother Salim has also been arrested, and both were picked up while taking the milk to the dairy. Farida, along with another woman Rizwana said they now have no means of income since the two men were arrested. 'How will we arrange for food and our children's education?' they asked. 45-year-old Rabia is another such woman now struggling to make ends meet for herself and her family. Her husband works as a truck-driver in Tamil Nadu, and she lived in Nalhar along with their five children. Their home was bulldozed without any proper notice, she claims, and she is now running pillar to post to find a place to live. 'How will I look after my kids? We have had to move to our relative's house, but it is difficult to sustain with five children.' How APCR Plans To Seek Justice IMAGE: Migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh relocate to Delhi and Gurugram in search of employment and daily wages. Photograph: Adv Faareha Shahid/APCR Our plea would also call for actions against Monu Manesar and Bittu Bajarangi against whom video evidence is available about how they whipped up passions during the yatra. There has been no FIR lodged against these two in any of the police jurisdictions in Haryana. We will be giving a letter to SP, Nuh, and if an FIR is not registered against these two then we will file a plea under Section 156 (Clause 3) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC, which allows the police to investigate criminal cases without an FIR or magistrate's order). Sometimes, due to political pressure police refuse to file an FIR or excuse them from filing an FIR saying that they are doing initial investigations. Under such circumstances you file only a complaint and get a receipt of the complaint from the police. Then you take the help of Section 154 (Clause 3) after four-five days wherein you approach an ACP and say that since your complaint was not converted into an FIR despite producing ample evidence in the form of photographs, videos, etc. The actual problem is that the people of Nuh are very poor. When I visited Meoli village, from where maximum arrests have been reported, I realised that the people of Meoli were not ready to lodge a complaint because they are afraid that if they approach a police station for filing a complaint they might themselves get arrested under some random charges. Like a student from Jamshedpur who is doing his fellowship there was arrested. For four days nobody knew his whereabouts; only later did the cops inform that he was under detention at some police station there. It is due to such issues we would like to take help of Section 154 (Clause 3), but then the ACP can, under political pressure, refuse to file an FIR and then we will have to take the help of Section 156 (Clause 3) which allows us to approach a magistrate for lodging an FIR. If the magistrate also refuses to do so, then in the next days we will have the option to approach the high court with a PIL (public interest litigation). This is how we plan to get at least FIRs registered against those who have not been charged by the police yet. Kindly Note: All photographs were shot only after taking consent of the people seen in the photographs. The three ills of 'dynasticism, corruption and appeasement' politics must quit India in the best interest of the country, the Bharatiya Janata Party said on Wednesday as it commemorated the Quit India movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi on this day in 1942. IMAGE: BJP MP Gopal Jee Thakur holds a placards during the demonstration on the anniversary of Quit India Movement, at Parliament premises, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi, BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said corruption and appeasement politics come with the dynastic politics. He spoke about 'several scams that took place' during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime at the Centre, as well as those that came under the watch of the Trinamool Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Bharat Rashtra Samiti in the states ruled by them, saying dynasty politics, corruption, and appeasement politics must quit India in the best interest of the country. These are the 'three ills' of the country and the 'dirty triangle' of politics which must quit India, he said. "For the sake of india, its security, integrity, it is very important that these three ills -- blatant family rule, corruption, and shameful appeasement -- quit india," Prasad told reporters. "If the democratic fabric of the country is to be safeguarded, probity in politics has to be brought back and saved in the country, these three curses have to quit India," he added. Meanwhile, BJP MPs staged a demonstration at the Parliament House Complex seeking the banishment of dynasty politics, corruption, and appeasement politics from the country. At the press conference, Prasad said the BJP is against dynastic politics and not against the son or daughter of a politician coming to politics and contesting elections. Dynastic politics means son or daughter of a politician running the party as its chief, becoming prime minister or chief minister, or becoming the party's prime ministerial or chief ministerial candidate, he said. "This is called parivarvaad (dynasticism) in which there is no space for ordinary party workers and leaders," he added. Prasad said 'packaging and repackaging' of Rahul Gandhi will keep happening but it is for the leaders of the Congress to see how much capacity he has 'to become leader of this great country'. The BJP leader also took a swipe at the Congress for calling Gandhi a 'jan nayak', saying the people had given this title to former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur for his great contributions. "When raag darbaar is played in 'darbari' culture, several dissonant ragas also emerge," he said. Prasad called the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) 'ghamandiya' and targetted the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam accusing their top leaders of carrying forward dynastic politics. "Family rule is inherently undemocratic and irresponsible Parivaar needs support of the corrupt to continue their politics. Appeasement is very significant part of their political thoughts," Prasad alleged. The BJP leader hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his efforts to end corruption and appeasement politics in the country. "We are proud of Prime Minister Modi. He has ended appeasement and corruption," he said. The Bombay high court on Wednesday summoned the civic chiefs of Mumbai and five other municipal corporations to court on Friday for not complying with its directions to keep roads and footpaths pothole-free. Photograph: Sahil Salvi for Rediff.com IMAGE: Members of the Watchdog Foundation organised a unique protest against potholes at Andheri, Mumbai, July 29, 2023. The HC said no action will be taken unless senior officials are made personally liable. Apart from the commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), chiefs of the Thane Municipal Corporation, Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation, Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation and Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation also have to appear before the court. A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor noted that directions have been passed by the high court since 2018 directing all civic bodies to strictly ensure that roads and footpaths are maintained and kept pothole-free. The court said that it has been five years and it appears that adequate action has not been taken by the civic bodies to ensure strict compliance of the orders. We require the presence of the BMC commissioner and the commissioners of the other municipal corporations to explain as to why they should not be made liable for disobedience and non-compliance of court orders, the bench said. The court was hearing a petition filed by an advocate, Ruju Thakker, seeking that contempt action be initiated against the civic authorities for failing to implement HC orders of 2018 directing the repair of potholes along all arterial roads in Mumbai and neighbouring areas. The bench questioned the civic bodies' inaction and said, It has been five years since the first order was passed on the issue in 2018 and still the civic bodies have not been able to remove potholes. The court took note of the rising number of accidents due to the poor condition of roads, potholes and manholes and said no action will be taken unless senior officials are made personally liable. The bench said the commissioners are in contempt of court as they have not complied with the court orders. Ideally before every monsoon, each civic body ought to carry out a survey of potholes and manholes in their jurisdiction, the court said. The bench also set up a commission comprising two lawyers to inquire and ascertain the cause of death of a 32-year-old biker in Kalyan district. As per newspaper reports, the biker fell down while trying to dodge a pothole and was run over by a dumper. The Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), however, in its affidavit submitted in court on Wednesday, said the biker fell not because of a pothole but because of a narrow and congested road. In view of this denial on cause of death by the KDMC, we need to ascertain if the death has occurred on account of poor condition of road and potholes. We thus appoint a commission comprising of two lawyers to inquire and ascertain if the biker had died due to dodging of a pothole or otherwise, the court said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party 'insults' the tribal community by calling them 'vanvasi' instead of adivasi and snatches away their forest land to hand it over to industrialists. IMAGE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi waves to the crowd during a public meeting on the occasion of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, at Mangarh Dham, in Banswara on Wednesday. Photograph: ANI Photo Addressing a party rally in Rajasthan, Gandhi also flayed the BJP over the situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur and said the ideology of the BJP has set the northeastern state on fire. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to douse the fire in Manipur, he can get it done by the Indian Army in two or three days but he wants to keep the fire burning, the Congress leader alleged. The Congress rally in Mangarh Dham in Banswara district was organised on the occasion of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, or World Tribal Day. It also marked the beginning of the Congress campaign for the assembly polls in Rajasthan later this year. Gandhi said the country's land used to belong to Adivasis and they were its original owners, but the BJP coined a new word, 'Vanvasi', which means the ones who live in the forest. "We call you Adivasi, this country is yours.... They (BJP) say you are not Adivasi, you were not the first inhabitants of India, they say you are Vanvasi, which means you are not the original owners of this country but you live in the jungle. This is an insult to you. This is an insult to Bharat Mata," he told the gathering of largely tribal people. "You are not Vanvasi, you are Adivasi. BJP and RSS want you to stay in the forest only...(they want that) your children should not become engineers, doctors, lawyers, businessmen. They want...to take away your rights and land," he said. Whereas, the Congress wants the tribal population to get their rights and their dreams to be fulfilled, he said. He recalled that his grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi had told him in his childhood that the land of the country used to belong to the tribal people. "You are the owner of this country, this land is yours and you should get your rights in this country. You are told that you are 'Vanvasi' and then (they) snatch away your own forest from your hands and hand it over to Adani," Gandhi said. Gandhi further trained his gun on the BJP over the situation in Manipur. "It has been three months, it seems that Manipur is not a part of India, it is not a state at all.... People are being killed, children are being killed, women are being raped," he alleged. He also referred to his speech in Lok Sabha earlier in the day and reiterated his allegation that the politics of the BJP has "murdered Bharat Mata" in Manipur. "Wherever the BJP people go, they try to silence and suppress the voice of India.... They have divided Manipur.... The prime minister did not utter a word," he said. Gandhi said he and a group of opposition MPs visited relief camps in Manipur, but the prime minister did not go to the state since the violence erupted. In an apparent reference to BJP leaders, he said, "Wherever they go, they make one fights the other...(they) will spread hatred and violence, will use wrong words about other people. It does not benefit the country." Manipur has been engulfed in ethnic violence since May 3. More than 150 people have been killed in clashes between the majority Meiteis and the tribal Kuki community. Appreciating the work of the Rajasthan government, Gandhi said the Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme is the best in the country. He also launched a scheme, under which free smartphones will be given to 40 lakh women in the first phase, by handing over a mobile device to a girl student. The beneficiaries of the scheme will be given smartphones from Thursday, officials said. Gandhi also handed over a food packet to a beneficiary of the Annapurna scheme under which free food items including chana dal, sugar, salt (one kg each), edible oil (one litre), chilli powder, coriander powder (100 gram each) and turmeric powder (50 gram) will be given to beneficiaries. "We work to connect people. They are spreading hatred all over the country. I took out Bharat Jodo Yatra and worked to connect the country," he said. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra, former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and other leaders also addressed the meeting. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to Congress stalwart and former prime minister Manmohan Singh thanking him for his 'sheer presence' in Rajya Sabha despite his poor health to vote against the Delhi services bill. IMAGE: Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh attends the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Monday. Photograph: Sansad TV/ANI Photo He also wrote to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi expressing his gratitude 'on behalf of the two crore people of Delhi' for voting against the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. Parliament on Monday passed the bill that gives the central government control over bureaucrats in the Delhi government with the Rajya Sabha approving it with 131 votes in favour and 102 against. 'I write to you expressing gratitude on behalf of the 2 crore people of Delhi for your party's support in rejecting and voting against the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill, 2023,' the Aam Aadmi Party national convener said in his letter. The AAP and Congress are part of the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). While thanking the former prime minister, Kejriwal said, 'I would like to place on record the heartfelt appreciation that the people of Delhi have for you for championing the rights on the floor of the Rajya Sabha, despite your deteriorating health.' 'Your presence by our side, despite the constraints imposed by your age and ailing health, conveyed a story of calm, grace and conviction to preserve India's democracy and federal structure against all odds,' he wrote. Kejriwal also said that Singh's 'unflinching commitment towards the principles of our Constitution will be remembered for decades' and deeply inspire the coming generation of parliamentarians. 'Your sheer presence in the Rajya Sabha also sent a loud and clear message to all those forces working to weaken Indian democracy that any such attempts will be met with fierce resistance by political leaders cutting across age and party lines,' Kejriwal said. 'As we enter a new phase in the struggle for securing the rights of Delhi's citizens,' Kejriwal said in the letter, 'we look forward to your continued support and guidance in the fight against forces that are undermining the Constitution.' Soon after Rajya Sabha passed the Bill, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said it was a 'black day' for India's democracy. He had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Centre of trying to 'usurp' power through the backdoor. He also said it was an 'insult' to the right to vote of the people of Delhi. A delegation of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) of Manipur in New Delhi on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who assured them that the deployment of central security forces in the ethnic violence-hit state will be further strengthened and reoriented to plug any gaps in vulnerable areas. IMAGE: Paramilitary personnel stand guard as people stage a protest against the mass burial of Kuki-Zomi people killed in Manipur's ethnic violence, in Imphal on August 3, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo In a statement, the ITLF said in view of a request of the home minister, the group will finalise an alternative location, in consultation with the people, for burial of bodies of ethnic violence victims belonging to the Kuki-Zo community which are lying in Imphal. 'The meeting was held as a follow-up of the appeal issued by the Government of India (GoI) on August 3, 2023, to amicably resolve the issue of burial of the mortal remains of the victims of ethnic violence in Manipur. 'On the request of ITLF leaders, the land of the (Manipur) industry department at the government sericulture farm may be allotted for burial of the mortal remains,' it said. 'The Union home minister assured that the said land will only be utilised for a common public purpose in consultation with the ITLF and other stakeholders. 'The GoI requested the delegation not to insist on carrying out the burial programme at the same venue, which falls within the conflict zone, and identify an alternate location in consultation with DC Churachandpur and perform the burial at the earliest,' the statement said. Necessary arrangements will be made to facilitate identification and transportation of bodies of victims lying in Imphal to their hometowns, it said. The mass burial of Kuki-Zo community victims was postponed last week following protests by Meitei groups and the Union home ministry's intervention. The Meitei groups objected to the proposed site and demanded that the mass burial take place deep inside Churachandpur district. Taking note of apprehensions of hill residents about their safety and security, the home minister assured that deployment of central security forces in the state will be further strengthened and reoriented to plug any gaps in vulnerable areas, the ITLF said. The state security forces will operate under the direction of the state security advisor and in conjunction with the central security forces in hill areas, it said. The government also assured to facilitate early initiation of helicopter services for residents of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Moreh areas for them to reach their preferred destinations. Considering the difficulties being faced by the student community of hill areas, necessary steps will be taken to allow them to enrol in colleges in hill areas, transfer to universities outside the state and open student facilitation centres of the Manipur University in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, the ITLF said. While assuring that the condition of prison inmates belonging to the Kuki-Zo community will be monitored regularly, the government also assured that a separate office of the Justice Lamba Inquiry Commission will be set up in Churachandpur with immediate effect. The government also urged for cooperation and support of the ITLF and the Kuki-Zo community in early disposal of the mortal remains of the victims of the ethnic violence, construction of pre-fabricated housing for internally displaced people and restoration of peace in the state to enable progress in the peace talks for resolving the long-term issues of the community expeditiously, the statement said. Ethnic clashes first broke out between Kukis and Meiteis in Manipur on May 3 and since then, nearly 160 people have lost their lives. As the Ram Janmbhoomi movement gathered steam in 1992, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vijaya Raje Scindia had assured then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao that nothing would happen to Babri Masjid and he believed her against the advice of his ministers, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar revealed on Tuesday. IMAGE: NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Photograph: @PawarSpeaks/Twitter At the launch of senior journalist Neerja Chowdhury's book How Prime Ministers Decide, Pawar, who was the defence minister at the time of the Babri Masjid demolition, said he along with then home minister and the home secretary was present at the meeting. "There was a group of ministers and I was one of them... It was decided that the prime minister should call a meeting of leaders of the respective party," the NCP chief said. "In that meeting, Vijaya Raje Scindia had assured the prime minister that nothing would happen to the Babri Masjid," he said. Pawar said that while he, the home minister and home secretary felt anything could happen, Rao chose to believe Scindia. Chowdhury, meanwhile, recalled a conversation that Rao had with some senior journalists in the aftermath of the mosque demolition where the prime minister was asked what he was doing when the demolition happened. She claimed that Rao had told journalists that he allowed it to happen because it would end a festering sore and he felt the BJP would lose its main political card. The book was launched by Pawar, along with Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, former railway minister and BJP leader Dinesh Trivedi, and Maharashtra's former CM Prithviraj Chavan. The discussion was moderated by senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. Trivedi recalled the time of Rajiv Gandhi as prime minister and the role of Arun Nehru, one of his key advisors. "Arun Nehru was like family... That was one of the best periods and if it continued things would be very different," Trivedi said. Prithviraj Chavan, who served as a Union minister in the UPA government, said not handling the Anna Hazare movement properly caused the downfall of the Congress-led alliance. "What caused that downfall was what happened immediately before that. Scams, 2G... We didn't handle Anna Hazare rightly. That's what brought an end to the Congress government," he said. He also said that former prime minister Manmohan Singh was good at building consensus and mentioned the nuclear deal. Chowdhury's book analyses the operating styles of the country's prime ministers through the prism of six decisions of historic significance. Former PM Indira Gandhi's return to power in 1980 after her humiliating defeat post the Emergency in 1977, Rajiv Gandhi's decision to undo the Supreme Court's judgment in the Shah Bano case, V P Singh's implementation of the Mandal Commission Report, P V Narasimha Rao's role as prime minister during the Babri Masjid incident, and the governments under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh are among the topics discussed in the book. Appealing with "folded hands" for an end to the three-month-long cycle of violence in Manipur, Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday urged the warring Kuki and Meitei communities to hold talks, even as the Lok Sabha adopted a resolution calling for the restoration of peace in the northeastern state. IMAGE: Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during a discussion on the no confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, on Wednesday. Photograph: SansadTV/ANI Photo Intervening in the debate on the no-confidence motion after Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders slammed the government's handling of the Manipur situation, Shah urged them not to politicise the issue of ethnic violence in the state. "I agree with the opposition that there is a cycle of violence in Manipur ... Nobody can support such incidents. Whatever happened is shameful, but to politicise those events is even more shameful," Shah said. The minister said 152 people were killed, 14,898 people arrested and 1,106 FIRs registered since violence erupted on May 3. The Lok Sabha also adopted a resolution read out by Speaker Om Birla appealing for peace in Manipur that was enthusiastically supported by the NDA members in the presence of the opposition. In his nearly two-hour intervention, Shah ruled out a change of guard in Manipur asserting that the chief minister was cooperating with the Centre in the efforts to restore peace. Shah also referred to the video of the May 4 incident, in which two women were stripped and paraded naked by mob, that appeared on July 19, saying the government was not aware of it. Had the video been made available to the state director general of police instead of being circulated on social media, it would have helped nab the culprits in time, he said. Shah also questioned the intention of leaking the video on social media ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament. The video is from the 4th of May incident. Such actions cannot be supported anywhere in the world. Media friends pointed out to me and asked if the video should be handed over to the police. "Why did it emerge a day before the parliamentary session? Nine people were identified, arrested, and are facing trial since the video came to light," he said. Shah spoke on the origin of hostilities and urged the two warring communities to come to the dialogue table. "I urge both communities (Kukis and Meiteis) to sit with the Centre and talk to resolve the issue. We do not wish to change the demography. I am talking to them personally. Please do not politicise this," Shah said. Shah said violence in Manipur was witnessing a downward trend as of the total 152 deaths so far, 107 had taken place in May, 30 in June, 15 in July and four in August. Shah lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of creating drama during his tour to Manipur when the government was ready to facilitate his visit to Churachandpur and other areas. The home minister said Gandhi refused the government's offer to visit Churachandpur by helicopter and insisted on making a road journey. "He resorted to satyagraha on day one and then took a helicopter ride to Churachandpur the next day," Shah said and urged the opposition not to add fuel to the fire with such incidents. In a swipe at Gandhi, the minister said, In this House, there is a leader who has been launched in politics 13 times till now, and he has failed all thirteen times." Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Northeast more than 50 times in nine years and has worked to bring development and "reduce emotional distances". "During the Congress rule, there were numerous incidents of violence in Manipur, yet no home minister visited there. I stayed there for three days, and our MoS (Minister of State) Shri Nityanand Rai stayed there continuously for 23 days," Shah said. He also said that during the last years, a total of 8000 armed insurgents from the Northeast have surrendered. The home minister said problems started in Manipur with the influx of Kuki refugees from neighbouring Myanmar after the military rulers there started a crackdown against militants in 2021. The Kuki refugees started settling down in the jungles in the Manipur valley, raising fears of a demographic change in the region, Shah said. The unrest in Manipur valley began when rumours began to circulate that the refugee settlements have been declared as villages, Shah said. He said the Manipur high court order to fast-track the process for the inclusion of Meiteis in the list of Scheduled Tribes added fuel to the fire. Shah said the violence that broke out on May 3 has been continuing to date and the Centre has established a peace committee as part of efforts to restore normalcy in the state. "Over 36,000 security personnel have been stationed between Kukis and Meiteis as a buffer zone. The anger has not subsided yet, but violence has reduced. "A unified command has been created to coordinate between BSF, CRPF, Assam Rifles and Manipur police deployed there. Six cases of conspiracy have been handed over to the CBI," Shah said. Shah also questioned the character of the opposition alliance, saying its true face was seen when it indulged in corruption to stay in power. He said when the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee faced a no-trust vote in 1999, he chose to step down instead of indulging in corruption to save his government. "The character of political parties and alliances is revealed in such times of crises. The UPA's character is to indulge in corruption to save the government by hook or by crook, while the BJP-led NDA's character is to stand up to principles," Shah said, adding that Vajpayee did not resort to any crooked tactics to save the government he lost by one vote. Shah listed the achievements of the Modi government in different sectors such as the handling of the Covid pandemic, the free food scheme for 80 crore people, and providing homes to the homeless and cooking gas to 9.6 crore women. He alleged that opposition was against India's indigenous vaccine. "I remember Rahul ji and Akhilesh ji campaigned against it naming it the Modi vaccine. They even opposed the lockdown. But the people of India trust Modi Ji even if the opposition does not and as a result 130 crore people took the vaccine and India became free from Covid, he said. After he mentioned each achievement of the government, the NDA members chanted in unison: Aapko bharosa nahi hai, par desh ki janata ko vishwas hai (you -- the opposition -- do not believe us, but the people trust us). "Post-independence, if the nation has confidence in any leader, it is Narendra Modi who was elected twice with a complete majority. After 30 years, people elected a full majority government," the minister said. Shah said he had heard the speeches of opposition leaders and had reached the conclusion that this no-confidence motion was brought only to create confusion. On the Quit India movement's anniversary, the prime minister has given the slogan -- 'Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India and Appeasement Quit India', he said. "Modi has ushered in a new era of politics since 2014, that of development which will lead to the creation of India of the dreams of our freedom fighters much before 2047," the home minister said. Freedom fighter Dr G G Parikh, activists Tushar Gandhi and Teesta Setalvad were prevented from reaching the August Kranti Maidan on Wednesday morning by the Mumbai police. Courtesy: Photo Division While Parikh was prevented from reaching August Kranti, Gandhi was detained at the Santacruz police station while Setalvad was stopped from leaving her residence in suburban Juhu. Activists had planned to gather at the historic venue of the Quit India call in 1942, on its 81st anniversary. About 50 of them were detained by the police and were let off later. Mahatma Gandhis great-grandson Tushar Gandhi tweeted this morning that he has been detained by the Santacruz police and was released after three hours. Gandhi, who was on his way to the August Kranti Maidan, the historic place from where the Mahatma launched the Quit India Movement on August 8, 1942, told Rediff.com that he was detained on the order of Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar because he was considered a law and order threat. Every year on August Kranti Diwas (Quit India Day) we take out a march from the place from where the Mahatma started the movement. As usual like every year we had organised a peace march to August Kranti Maidan. This year the theme was 'Nafraton Bharat Chhodo, Mohabbat se dilon ko jodo'. We were going to march with this message and were going to commemorate the day at August Kranti Maidan. They (Santacruz police) said that the march (procession) that we were doing to commemorate the Quit India Day was a threat to law and order; that I was a threat to law and order. So they detained me for three hours on the CP's order, Gandhi said as he headed towards the August Kranti Maidan at Grant Road, south Mumbai. "I said I will go, if you want detain me. So, I was taken from my home to the Santacruz police station. They were good to me but they were following orders. At the police station they said they were doing this on the orders of the police commissioner's office. "I was told our march posed a threat to the law and order situation and they would not allow that and so I was held at the Santacruz police station. They have just let me go now after three hours and so I am heading to the August Kranti Maidan because I am determined to at least go and pay my respects to the memorial to the martyrs of the Quit India Movement on this day. "I was brought to the police station at 7 am and allowed to go at 10 am. Now, that the official programme is over they know I can't reach and disrupt the programme. The CP was unfortunately carrying out the orders from his bosses. Why would the CP suddenly, after so many years, consider our programme that happens every year to be a law and order problem? Gandhi said alluding his detention to state home minister Devendra Fadnavis. The media should ask him (Fadnavis) that. How can I answer for his mindset? But what ideology he comes from is apparent. "Whenever I am in Mumbai on this day, I always go to August Kranti Maidan. The walk is from the Tilak Statue at Chowpatty to August Kranti Maidan. Till today it has never been seen as a threat to law and order but this time suddenly they thought we were a band of terrorists who have to be stopped and society has to be protected from us. "Maybe they are afraid we will rekindle the spirit of 1942." Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday tore into the Narendra Modi government over its handling of the violence in Manipur, alleging the politics of the Bharatiya Janata Party has 'harmed Bharat Mata' in the state, drawing a fiery response from Union ministers Amit Shah and Smriti Irani. IMAGE: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi speaks in Lok Sabha on Manipur issue during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photograph: Sansad TV/ANI Photo As the Lok Sabha witnessed some fireworks during the debate on the no-confidence motion for the second day during which Gandhi also said that the members of the ruling party were 'not protectors' of India, Home Minister Shah appealed with folded hands for peace in Manipur and urged the warring Kuki and Meitei communities to hold talks with the Centre to resolve the issue that has triggered the ethnic violence. "In Manipur, they (BJP) have harmed Hindustan. Their politics has harmed Hindustan in Manipur," Gandhi alleged. The Lok Sabha adopted a resolution read out by Speaker Om Birla appealing for peace in Manipur and it was enthusiastically supported by the BJP-led NDA members in the presence of the opposition. Shah said 152 people were killed, 14,898 people arrested and 1,106 first information reports (FIRs) registered since violence erupted on May 3. Hours after Gandhi's blistering attack on the prime minister for not visiting the strife-torn Manipur, a combative Shah, who hit back and spoke on a range of issues including on the several scams during the tenure of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), urged the opposition not to politicise the ethnic violence in Manipur that erupted on May 3. "I agree with the opposition that there is a cycle of violence in Manipur ... Nobody can support such incidents. Whatever happened is shameful, but to politicise those events is even more shameful," Shah said in his nearly two-hour long intervention. Shah also questioned the intention of leaking the video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur just ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament which began on July 20. The video of the incident which happened on May 4 surfaced on July 19. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to reply to the debate on August 10 which will be followed by voting -- the outcome of which is already known with the numbers comfortably stacked in favour of the government. Speaking after Gandhi, Irani came down heavily on the former Congress chief for his remark, saying this is for the first time in parliamentary democracy that someone has made such a statement. "I condemn the behaviour that was displayed. This is the first time in Parliament's history that someone talked about Bharat Mata like that, and Congress leaders were thumping desks," the BJP MP said, asserting that Manipur is an integral part of India. She also accused Congress leaders of supporting the idea of dividing India. "Manipur is not divided, it is part of this country". As BJP members booed the Congress leader when he was leaving the House after his speech, he turned towards them and gave them a flying kiss. Minister Irani took on the Wayanad MP and expressed outrage over his 'indecent gesture'. "The person who spoke before me... an indecent gesture was made... only a misogynistic man can give a flying kiss to Parliament which seats female Members of Parliament... such an indecent act has not been witnessed by the House ever before. The entire country has seen the culture of the (Gandhi) family," she said. Later, many women MPs of the BJP sought 'stringent action' against Gandhi in a complaint to Speaker Birla. Gandhi, in his first comments in the House after the restoration of his membership, alleged that the prime minister does not consider Manipur a part of India, triggering strong protests by the treasury benches. The prime minister was not in the House when Gandhi spoke. The prime minister cannot go to Manipur because 'he has harmed Hindustan there...You are not the protectors of Bharat Mata', he alleged. Speaker Birla then urged Gandhi to exercise restraint while speaking in the House, asserting that 'Bharat Mata is our mother'. Responding to the Speaker's remarks, Gandhi said, "I am talking about my mother in Manipur. I am speaking with respect .. My mother is sitting here. The other mother, Bharat Mata... in Manipur," he said pointing to Sonia Gandhi who was present in the House. Rahul Gandhi also went on to say that it is the Army that can bring peace to Manipur but the government is not deploying it. He also alleged that the prime minister listens to only two people, Amit Shah and Gautam Adani, just as Ravan paid heed to only two people's advice -- Meghnad and Kumbhakaran. Gandhi showed an old poster of Modi and Adani sitting together in an aircraft, and claimed that 'Modi doesn't listen to India's voice but theirs (Adani group)'. After the treasury benches protested over the poster, pointing out that it was not allowed by the rules, Speaker Birla again asked Gandhi to exercise restraint. "Hanuman had not burnt down Lanka, Ravan's arrogance did it. Ravan was not killed by Ram but by his arrogance," Gandhi said, referring to the Indian epic Ramayana. "I went to Manipur a few days ago. Our prime minister has not gone there, he has not gone there till now. He does not consider Manipur part of India. I used the word Manipur, but the reality is that there is no Manipur left. You have divided Manipur into two parts, you have broken up Manipur," Gandhi said. Several Rajya Sabha members of the Congress were in the Rajya Sabha gallery of the Lok Sabha to hear him speak for the first time after his reinstatement as an MP. "You are sprinkling kerosene everywhere. You sprinkled kerosene in Manipur and then added fire to it. You are now trying the same thing in Haryana. You are attempting to burn the country everywhere," he said, referring to recent communal clashes in Gurugram and Nuh. As the treasury benches protested and slammed Gandhi, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress leader should apologise for his remarks as it is the Congress that was responsible for insurgency and other problems in the northeast. In his speech, Gandhi also said the Bharat Jodo Yatra is not over and he undertook the cross-country march to understand what is that he loved and for what he had faced abuse for 10 years. 'Even though Gandhiji did not know me well, Sardar knew and remembered me working with him till the Congress was banned.' Glimpses from the fascinating memoirs of Chakkedath Sankarankutty Menon, the stenographer who worked for Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel during the freedom struggle. The second of a multi-part series: Part 1: My Days With The Mahatma Photograph: Getty Images from the Rediff Archives One day I happened to meet Dr Choitram Gidwani, a respected Congress leader from Sind and a very close friend and associate of Jairamdas Doulatram, who too was expecting the heavy and ruthless hand of the police upon him at any moment, and told him of my difficulties. He told me not to worry and directed me to meet Bhulabhai Desai who, he said, was enquiring about me. I believe that, anticipating arrest and long detention at any time, Sardar Patel had spoken to Bhulabhai Desai to take care of me, if it became necessary. It is in this way that I came in contact with Bhulabhai Desai (who is affectionately called Bhai by members of the family and close friends) and this association continued in one way or another till today. I have every reason to remember him with gratitude and great respect. My subsequent career hovered around Bhai and after him, his son Dhirubhai Desai was a benefactor to me. He too had a premature end while working as India's ambassador in Switzerland in 1951 by which time I joined Atul Products Ltd, a firm started by Dhirubhai. By the end of January 1932, as directed by Dr Gidwani I met Bhulabhai at his residence at 89, Warden Road (now Bhulabhai Desai Road) in Bombay. Bhai enquired everything about me and said that since the civil disobedience was on in full swing, advised me to continue to work for the civil disobedience movement. When the movement ended and normalcy returned, he and Dhirubhai would be practicing in court at which time I would be employed in their service. All my monetary requirements, while working in the Congress movement, would be met by him. This arrangement gave me confidence and consolation. At that time, of all the Congress leaders of Bombay, Bhai was perhaps the one Congress leader of high standing not arrested by the police. Most of the other leaders has been arrested and detained by the police. I then came in contact with Jayaprakash Narayan, who had gone underground. When the civil disobedience started he was leading the all India movement from Bombay. Bhai and Jayaprakash used to meet often in different places. I used to arrange these meetings. It was Bhai's specific instruction that I and I alone of anybody in the Congress circle could meet him at any time at his residence, his office or even in court for any matter concerning the Congress. I used to carry bags of money from him often to JP at his secret hideouts (which he used to change quite often) for expenses of the movement in Bombay and even for outside Bombay. I had to do a lot of go between. IMAGE: The Mahatma signs autographs in return for donations to the Harijan Fund. This happy picture of Gandhi was taken at Juhu in Bombay. Photograph: Photodivision All along I had some clues to suspect that the police and CID knew me well. I believe they spared me only to be followed so as to enable them to trace the hiding places of the underground leaders. This went on till the end of July/August 1932 when the police finally arrested Bhai and took him to Nasik jail. He was subsequently produced before the magistrate who sentenced him to be jailed for a period of one year. Thus, one more powerful leader was removed by the police in Bombay leaving JP and, if I am correct, Achyut Patwardhan who used to move from one city/province to another all over India. I used to visit Nasik often to enquire about Bhai's health, sometimes along with Dhirubhai to know Bhai's requirements. I could not see him in jail, but used to pass work through the jail authorities. In early April 1933, word came from Mahatmaji from Poona jail asking Dhirubhai (in the absence of Bhai who was in Nasik jail) to send me to Poona to work with him as, by then, the government had permitted him to have a stenographer to help him. I believe Gandhiji sent for me at the instance of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. In jail, both of them stayed together and even though Gandhiji did not know me well enough, Sardar knew and remembered me working with him till the Congress was banned by the government. Sardar had asked Bhai to look after me during his absence. IMAGE: Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhhai Patel, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and Kasturba Gandhi photographed during the Haripura Congress session in 1939. Photograph: Photodivision On receipt of the communication from Gandhiji by Dhirubhai, on the same night I proceeded to Poona with a typewriter and other typing materials. Before leaving for Poona, Dhirubhai strictly instructed me not to accept any payment from Gandhiji. I had only to send a postcard to Dhirubhai for him to send a money order within 4-5 days. This procedure continued for all the time -- about 10 months -- I worked with Gandhiji. I returned to Bombay in early 1934 by which time Bhai, after the expiry of his jail term and after his release, went to England for some rest and treatment. He returned to Bombay and resumed his practice in the Bombay high court along with Dhirubhai and I continued to work with them. On reaching the gate at the Poona central prison at about 9 in the morning I sent word inside, through the jail authorities, of my arrival to Gandhiji who asked the warden to bring me inside to him. The warden took me to Gandhiji who was sitting in a courtyard with walls around on the left side. It was behind this courtyard that he used to spend the night. Only during the day would Gandhiji come to the courtyard where he worked. When I met Gandhiji he was sitting under a mango tree. This was my first meeting with Gandhiji by myself and I do not remember what my feeling was then. Translated from the Malayalam by Pottayil Aravindakshan Nair. The fight for freedom was long and hard and that is why it is important to go back to the monuments that celebrate those who fought the good fight. All Photographs: Rajesh Karkera/ Rediff.com IMAGE: Built in 1892, the Aga Khan Palace in Pune is where Gandhiji, Kasturba Gandhi and others were imprisoned. 'Do or Die'. 'It is only when individuals go out to die that the nation will survive', said Gandhi. With three short words: 'Karenge Ya Marenge', ordinary Indians came together, risking their all for freedom. Rediff.com's Archana Masih and Rajesh Karkera go back to where Gandhiji was imprisoned for two years during the Quit India Movement which began that momentous August 81 years ago. It was a hot sunny day, the parking lot was vacant and the ticket window closed. A notice pasted outside said paper tickets were no longer sold and visitors had to scan the QR code and pay for the tickets online. Once that was done, the staff at the impressive gate that led to an even more impressive driveway, checked the phone screen and waved us in. Entering the Aga Khan Palace in Pune is a pilgrimage into an important chapter of our freedom struggle. The story that unfolded inside the palace -- donated to the nation by the Aga Khan -- began today, August 9, exactly 81 years ago. IMAGE: The palace is a national monument and a must visit. As we walk in looking at the elegant mansion built in 1892 by the third Aga Khan, the spiritual head of the Khoja Ismaili community, I look at the pathway where Gandhiji once walked. Flanked by British officials, he must have walked up these stairs as he began two years of imprisonment during the Quit India Movement -- a short, sharp and brilliant slogan given by Yusuf Meherally, one that post-Independence copywriters must have doffed many a hat to. The Mahatma, the heart and moral compass of India's unique freedom movement, was 73 at that time. The canopy of trees on the ground must have provided shade and succour to him, his devoted wife Kasturba, secretaries Mahadev Desai and Pyarelal Nayyar, the latter's sister Dr Sushila Nayyar, who was Gandhi's physician, Sarojini Naidu and Mirabehn, the British admiral's daughter who became a life-long Gandhian, and Prabhavati Narayan, Jayaprakash Narayan's wife. IMAGE: An installation of Gandhi being wiped by staff at the museum. Ba and Mahadev Desai breathed their last in the respective rooms they were incarcerated in. They died as prisoners and did not live to see a Free India. Except mobile phone cameras, other cameras are not allowed inside the campus without special permission -- and that can only be sought from Mumbai, nearly 100 kms away. The staff has a sound reason for that complex permission granting procedure. "People used to shoot pre and post wedding photographs and videos here. They used the washrooms to change, apply makeup and left it dirty. The grounds were also trampled upon," says a member of the staff. IMAGE: The samadhis of Ba, Mahadev Desai and Gandhiji on the grounds. The shady grounds are well kept; a few families sit under the shade. Behind the mansion are the samadhis of Ba and Mahadev Desai, Gandhiji's personal secretary for 25 years who died just a week after being imprisoned on August 15, exactly five years short of the dawn of Independence. Both Ba and Mahadevbhai rarely left Gandhiji's side and were cremated on the grounds. Their marble samadhis are small and simple structures with Tulsi plants. The third samadhi contains a part of the Mahatma's ashes. The resting places stand out because of their simplicity. There are benches under a shady roof where you can sit and look at the samadhis surrounded by trees. There is a peace in the quietness -- even the video playing on the phone of the security guard does not seem too disturbing. IMAGE: 'Mahadev's task was to make Gandhi real to millions. He made him perhaps the best known man in the world, certainly the best loved,' anthropologist Verrier Elwin wrote about Mahadev Desai. Mahadev Desai was just 50 when he died. In 50 years, he did 100 years' worth of work, Gandhiji said of him. According to anthropologist Verrier Elwin who also worked with Gandhiji, Desai was much more than Gandhi's secretary. 'He was in fact Home and Foreign Secretary combined. Mahadev's task was to make Gandhi real to millions. He made him perhaps the best known man in the world, certainly the best loved,' Elwin wrote in an essay as mentioned in a column by Gandhi historian Ramchandra Guha, who, incidentally, is also the biographer of Elwin. Mahadev Desai was a diligent chronicler; he wrote a diary every day which was a repository of the most authentic insights into Gandhi's life, philosophy, peculiarities etc. His last entry was on the day before he died. IMAGE: The long corridor runs alongside the rooms where the prisoners lived. The large airy rooms of the Aga Khan Palace open into a verandah that runs along the sides of the stately mansion which was constructed to provide employment to villagers during a famine in the 1890s. It was declared a national monument in 2003. The large doors have boards outside indicating the importance of what once lay inside. These are rooms were Gandhiji and Ba lived and where she breathed her last. 'She considered it her duty to lose herself in me. She did not cease to look after me till her last breath,' reads a quote by Gandhi on the walls of the museum about his wife of 61 years. IMAGE: Gandhiji and Ba's spartan room. There are articles used by them inside the room -- chair, charkha, walking stick, wooden slippers, metal glass and bowl, the seating on the ground draped in khadi -- all glorious in their simplicity. The room is out of bounds and one has to peer from behind a wall of glass which comes as a disappointment. One would have liked a closer look. In one of the rooms lived Sarojini Naidu, a prisoner for seven months who was released due to ill health. Mirabehn, who was Gandhi's disciple, also occupied a corner in the palace. IMAGE: One of the rooms in the well-kept and well-displayed museum. Born Madeline Slade and a great lover of Beethoven's music, Mirabehn lived in India for nearly 35 years, playing an important role in India's Independence struggle. She moved to the outskirts of Vienna in 1960 and lived in the environs that had inspired Beethoven, listening to his music and writing about it. Diplomat K L Dalal, who served in as India's ambassador to Austria in the early 1980s, recalled that one of the tasks entrusted to him by then prime minister Indira Gandhi was to ensure that Mirabehn was looked after. In 1981 she was awarded the Padma Bhushan which was presented to her in the cottage by Ambassador Dalal by a country that will always be indebted to her. IMAGE: The path that Gandhiji walked.... There were others imprisoned in the Aga Khan Palace during the Quit India movement that many may not know of, which highlights the fact that Indians from all walks of life together dreamt the dream of freedom and fought hard to make it into a reality. One of them was Dr M D D Gilder, a Bombay cardiologist who studied medicine in the UK and had the double distinction of passing the MD and FRCS examinations in the same year. Dr Gilder had served prison time with Gandhiji in Yerwada prison and was released from the Aga Khan Palace at the same time as Gandhiji. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha post-Independence and is known to be the first cardiologist to own a cardiograph in India in 1912, according to the Web site Plarr's Lives of the Fellows, the Royal College of Surgeons of England. IMAGE: Pictures of Gandhiji and Ba at the museum. The large black and white photographs, pictorial and audio displays at this national monument are engaging. The information well displayed, well-produced and is a refresher course of the time when 'Do or Die' and 'Quit India' slogans rent the air. It however does not provide insights into the daily life of those interned here, which would have been interesting to know. A walk through the rooms tells you how the underground radio was run by Gandhians at great risk to their lives, helmed by stalwarts like Usha Mehta and the sacrifice of seven students who were shot dead as they attempted to hoist the Tricolour on top of the Patna secretariat. IMAGE: The seven students who died attempting to hoist the Tricolour on the Patna secretariat during the Quit India movement. After the Congress gave the call for the British to Quit India, its leaders were arrested. Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia went underground and played an important role in the movement. The press was muzzled, communication disrupted and the information on the Aga Khan museum walls tells you that rumour had spread that the British had taken Gandhi to Africa. Other leaders -- Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Abul Kalam Azad were imprisoned in the Ahmednagar fort for nearly three years. IMAGE: Ba and Gandhiji framed together for eternity. The mass movement raged on. More than 150 police stations were attacked, trains ran late or did not run at all. 900 civilians were killed between August and November 1942, 60,000 arrested, 538 whipping punishments were meted out. IMAGE: The monument remains an important landmark in India's long fight for freedom. The Bharat Chhodo Andolan was the final push and a turning point in India's extraordinary struggle for Independence that was rooted in non violent civil disobedience. The fight for freedom was long and hard and that is why it is important to go back to the monuments that celebrate those who fought the good fight. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com 'They said that my leaving for the Quit India Movement event would be a threat to law and order so I should not leave the police station.' Photograph: Sahil Salvi for Rediff.com IMAGE: Freedom-fighter G G Parikh along with others participate in a peace march on Kranti Diwas at the August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai, August 9, 2023. Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's great grandson, was detained by the Mumbai police on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, morning as he was leaving to participate in the Quit India Movement rally. This was the first time in his life Gandhi could not attend the rally on time as the Mumbai police told him that they had orders to detain him and ensure he did not reach the venue at the appointed time. Apparently, Gandhi would be at the August Kranti Maidan -- the place from where Mahatma Gandhi gave the clarion call for the British to Quit India on August 9, 1942 -- at the same time when Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were attending an event at the hallowed maidan. Gandhi was not alone as other activists like Teesta Setalvad too were detained by the Mumbai police and not allowed to reach the venue at the scheduled time. Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com spoke to Tushar Gandhi about his detention by the Mumbai police. *** IMAGE: Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's great grandson. Photograph: ANI Photo Every year on August 9 we organise a peace march from Girgaum Chowpatty to August Kranti Maidan to commemorate the Quit India Movement. This year too we did the same. The theme for this year was 'Nafroton Bharat Chhodo, Mohabbat Se Dilon ko Jodo'. We were going to march with this theme. At 7 am, when I left my home to reach Girgaum Chowpatty for this march, I was surprised to see policemen at my doorstep as if they were waiting for me to get out of my house. They told me that if I go to the event they will have to detain me. I told them that I cannot not go for the event because it was a scheduled event and this ritual I do every year without fail whenever I am in Mumbai. The police then took me to the Santacruz police station which is near my home. They were good to me and told me to understand their predicament. They were only doing their duty and following the orders that were given to them (by the government). They said that my leaving for the Quit India Movement event would be a threat to law and order so I should not leave the Santacruz police station and to be stationed there till the time they do not get permission. Photograph: Sahil Salvi for Rediff.com IMAGE: The Mumbai police detained other activists too to stop them from going to the August Kranti Maidan. I told the police that I want to pay my respect to the martyrs of the Quit India Movement who had laid down their lives on this day. It was on this day that Mahatma Gandhi and the entire leadership of the Congress party were arrested by the British government. Later they arrested his wife Kastuba Gandhi too for defying prohibitory orders and reading Mahatma's message at a public rally in Bombay. I am proud of the role that my great grandparents played in the freedom struggle on this day. The order from the government was that I should not be allowed to reach the August Kranti Maidan till the official event does not get over. There was no notice given to me that I should not leave my place at the designated time and still the police detained me. G G Parekh, the noted Gandhian, has always been leading this march from the Lokmanya Tilak statue to August Kranti Maidan every year and till today we were never a threat to law and order. Suddenly this morning, they felt that we were a band of terrorists from whom society has to be protected. I feel the government is afraid that we will rekindle the spirit of the 1942 Quit India Movement and therefore they stopped us today. When I asked the policemen who had given the orders to detain me, they simply said they got the orders from the office of the Mumbai police commissioner. It was only after three hours, when all the government functions got over, that I was allowed to leave after which I reached the August Kranti Maidan. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. BRATTLEBORO A new program is set to prepare new members of all types of boards to lead their communities and know what roles are right for them. Adnoc Gas, a unit of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, today (August 9) announced that it has awarded a $3.6 billion contract to a joint venture between National Petroleum Construction Company Company (NPCC) and Spanish group Tecnicas Reunidas for expansion of its gas processing infrastructure in the UAE. A world-class integrated gas processing company, Adnoc Gas said the scope of work includes the commissioning of new gas processing facilities which will enable an optimized supply to the Ruwais Industrial Complex. The strategic Maximizing Ethane Recovery and Monetization (MERAM) project aims to achieve dual objectives; firstly, to increase ethane extraction, by a range of 35 - 40%, from Adnoc Gass existing onshore facilities in the Habshan complex through the construction of new gas processing facilities; and secondly, to unlock further value from existing feedstock and deliver it to Ruwais via a dedicated 120 km natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline. Over 70% of the award value will flow back into the UAEs economy under Adnoc's successful In-Country Value (ICV) program, supporting local economic growth and diversification. On the contract award, Adnoc Gas CEO Ahmed Mohamed Alebri said: "This capital project represents Adnoc Gas latest investment in its gas processing infrastructure and underscores our commitment to responsibly meeting our customers current and future energy demand for natural gas and its feedstock." "The expansion of our gas processing infrastructure will also provide additional energy to the countrys growing industrial section, while stimulating economic growth and diversification through the significant ICV generated by the contract," he added.-TradeArabia News Service The Customs department at Cochin International Airport in Kerala has successfully intercepted multiple attempts at smuggling gold. The latest operation, conducted late on Tuesday, resulted in the recovery of over 500 grams of gold worth approximately Rs 25.75 lakhs from a passenger arriving from Bahrain. The gold was concealed beneath the inner soles of the traveller's shoes. According to officials, the discovery unfolded during a routine examination of a female passenger returning to Cochin. "During the examination of a lady passenger coming from Bahrain to Cochin, 2 square-shaped black-coloured packets containing gold in paste form weighing 275.94 grams concealed under the inner sole of her shoes, and five crude bangles and one gold chain weighing 253.45 grams worn on her body were recovered and seized," stated the airport customs in an official statement. The persistent efforts of the Customs department have been evident in a string of recent successes. Just days prior to this incident, on Sunday, officials seized a significant amount of gold in compound form, totaling 1,364.60 grams and valued at around Rs. 60 lakhs, from two separate passengers. Additionally, another passenger identified as Muhammed from Thalassery was apprehended with 300 grams of gold ingeniously concealed within a chain. Cochin Customs officials said, "Both were apprehended. This surge in gold smuggling attempts at the Cochin International Airport is not an isolated phenomenon. In similar incidents two weeks ago, officials successfully seized gold worth Rs 50 lakhs from a passenger arriving from Dubai. The gold was discreetly packaged within four cylindrical-shaped capsules, underscoring the attempts of traffickers to outsmart security measures. The trend of creative smuggling tactics continued on July 18 when the Customs Department confiscated gold valued at Rs 29.75 lakh from a passenger at Cochin International Airport. An official shared, "Three capsules containing gold in paste form, totaling 629.50 grams, were seized. The capsules were concealed inside his rectum." Yet another incident occurred on July 11 involving the seizure of 554.600 grams of gold from a passenger at the same airport. Officials revealed that the passenger had concealed the gold within his rectum. The detained individual was en route from Malaysia to Kochi when intercepted by authorities. (With ANI inputs) A video featuring reportedly a leader of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in Pakistan-Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) has recently gained attention on the internet, igniting discussions about the region's political landscape and its relationship with Pakistan. The purported video captures a public gathering where the JKLF leader addresses the crowd, making bold statements about the sovereignty of PoJK and Gilgit-Baltistan. In the video, the JKLF leader asserted that Pakistan cannot unilaterally declare PoJK and Gilgit-Baltistan as its integral parts. He confidently expressed the sentiment that the people of the region are not bound by Pakistan's will and that any attempts to force such a decision upon them will not be tolerated. He further stated that the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan and PoJK will align themselves with the will of the people in the Kashmir Valley. If the people of Kashmir Valley choose to remain with India, the speaker proclaimed that they will abandon Pakistan and opt to be a part of India, emphasising their attachment to the larger Kashmir region. We (the people of #GilgitBaltistan /POJK) will follow the will and decision of the people of Kashmir valley. If they decide to remain with India, we will abandon Pakistan and join India. We do not want to be separated from Kashmir. JKLF leader #PakistanArmy pic.twitter.com/tP9kQ4bxeX #SengeSering (@SengeHSering) August 9, 2023 "Pakistan cannot dare to declare PoJK and Baltistan its part. Pakistan cannot do that. They cannot force us. If they force us, only one thing can happen. We (the people of Gilgit-Baltistan / (PoJK) will follow the will and decision of the people of Kashmir Valley. If they decide to remain with India, we will abandon Pakistan and join India. We do not want to be separated from Kashmir," he said in the purported video. This video sheds light on the ongoing sentiments and demands within Gilgit Baltistan and PoJK for closer ties or reunification with India. The region has witnessed a surge in voices advocating for joining India, as seen in earlier protests and demonstrations. In January, residents of Gilgit Baltistan took to the streets to express their discontent with the Pakistani regime, particularly the military's control. Protestors openly called for their region to be annexed to Kargil, which is part of India's Ladakh region. The BJP staged a protest near the Gandhi Statue adjacent to the Parliament, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tweet early this morning about August Kranti Diwas on August 9. PM Modi's tweet stated, "Today, India is saying in one voice: Corruption Quit India; Dynasty Quit India; Appeasement Quit India." Placards of "Dynasty Quit India, Nepotism Quit India" were seen during the event. BJP MP Nishikanth Dubey said, "India, during its freedom struggle, wanted democracy instead of monarchy, but today, as the placards say, the kings have left, but political parties today influence people based on caste and make them deviate to further their own dynasty politics. Hence, in our new democracy, we want freedom from them." Highlighting "Corruption Quitting India," the BJP leader said, "Think about a one lakh worth National Herald that is bought and it becomes a 5000 Cr company; people should learn from the Gandhi family." He added, "Wherever there is an ED or CBI raid, money is seized, somewhere Rs 50 crore, somewhere 20 . Even near me, an IAS officer was caught with 20 crores. Even the Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate for his alleged purchase of unregistered land." Dubey also justified "Appeasement Quit India," saying it is needed to curb the illegal immigration of Muslims from Bangladesh. The population in those regions cannot be controlled, and the Muslim people in the region, because of vote bank politics, are falling behind. The BJP leader cited the Sachar committee reports. Dubey further said that this campaign is not only against Congress; he implies that the entire INDIA alliance bloc is smeared with the blot of nepotism. He said, "After Karunanidhi came Stalin, after Lalu Prasad came Tejaswi Yadav. Hence, the campaign is not only against Congress but every political party where dynastic politics are entrenched." I.N.D.I.A block reacts to BJPs protest Reacting to Dubey's statement, Congress leader Udit Raj stated, "It is the people of the country who 'set' you. You need them in order to come to the Parliament, to come to power. This is an insult to democracy. A particular person can't set their son, relative in politics. They don't believe in democracy, so they made such petty remarks. Did BJP not have a serious, educated leader who could have started the discussion? They made such a petty start that people mocked it." Congress member of Parliament Pramod Tiwari, speaking about PM Modi's statement, said, "Congress freed India from the Britishers, BJP is calling us traitors; we condemn such statements." Another Congress MP, Manickam Tagore, said, "Morning, evening, night - whenever there is time, I.N.D.I.A. Alliance comes into Mr. Modi's words. How terrified he is after the I.N.D.I.A. Alliance came into the picture. We can understand it. I.N.D.I.A. Alliance is united, and we all stood for a cause - for Manipur, and we stood with the Delhi Ordinance also. The alliance is becoming stronger day by day, and its chemistry is working on the ground as well." The opposition staged protests near the Gandhi statue and offered flowers to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi while singing "Raghupati Ram" in remembrance of the Quit India movement. Niger's military junta has refused the latest diplomatic attempt to reinstall the ousted president, rejecting a proposed visit by representatives of the West African regional bloc, the African Union and United Nations on Tuesday, according to a letter seen by The Associated Press. The letter cited evident reasons of security in this atmosphere of menace" against Niger, two weeks after mutinous soldiers overthrew the country's democratically elected leader. The regional bloc known as ECOWAS had threatened to use military force if the junta didn't reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum by Sunday, a deadline that was ignored. On Monday, acting US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met with the coup leaders and said they refused to allow her to meet with Bazoum, whom she described as under virtual house arrest. She described the mutinous officers as unreceptive to her appeals to start negotiations and restore constitutional rule. These conversations were extremely frank and at times quite difficult because, again, we are pushing for a negotiated solution. It was not easy to get traction there. They are quite firm in their view of how they want to proceed, Nuland told reporters on a call from Niamey, Niger's capital. ECOWAS is expected to meet again on Thursday in Abuja, the capital of neighbouring Nigeria, to discuss the situation. Niger's capital appeared more tense on Tuesday, with security forces checking vehicles. Washington's diplomatic involvement is not meant to undermine ECOWAS efforts, said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Centre for the New South. Unlike ECOWAS, the US has yet to send any intimidating messages despite publicly stating support for the regional body. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking to Radio France International on Monday, said diplomacy is the preferred way forward, and he couldn't speculate about the future of 1,100 US military personnel in Niger. What we are seeing in Niger is extremely troubling and provides nothing to the country and its people. On the contrary, the interruption of this constitutional order puts us, and many other countries, in a position where we have to stop our aid, our support, and this will not benefit the people of Niger, Blinken said. Niger has been a crucial partner to the United States and other European countries, which viewed it as one of the last democratic nations in the vast Sahel region, south of the Sahara Desert, that they could partner with to fight growing jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. The US has not yet called the junta's actions a coup, which would mean Niger would stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance and other aid. It also would mean US pulling its support for a major drone base it built in Niger to monitor extremists, which analyst Benedict Manzin of the risk consultancy Sibylline said the US would be loathe to do. I understand that reticence ... essentially throwing away a USD 100 million airbase in Agadez, Manzin said. Coups have been rampant in the region in recent years. Neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso have had two each since 2020, and ECOWAS had little influence in stopping them. The bloc's harsh response to Niger, by imposing economic and travel sanctions and threatening force, is an attempt to change course. But the junta doesn't appear open to dialogue. On Sunday, it closed the country's airspace and accused foreign powers of preparing an attack. Analysts and diplomats say the window for military intervention is closing and without regional support for the use of force, ECOWAS and others are searching for a way out. A lot of the tough talk from the region and beyond is perhaps more a reflection of how they wish they had responded to previous coups in Mali, Burkina and Guinea," said Cameron Hudson, a former official for the US Central Intelligence Agency. Similarly, Washington and Paris will now have to make their own hard choices about working with junta leaders on counterterrorism or risk ceding hard-won ground to jihadist groups and possibly Russia, he said. The junta, led by Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, has been exploiting grievances among the population toward Niger's former colonial ruler, France. It also has accused Bazoum's government of failing to do enough to protect the country from Islamic extremists, and has asked the Russian mercenary group Wagner for help. Wagner already operates in a handful of African countries, including Mali, and has been accused of committing human rights abuses. We are always on the side of the good, on the side of justice and on the side of those who fight for the sovereignty and the rights of their people. Call anytime, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a 30-second audio statement posted in a group-linked Telegram channel on Tuesday. Niamey's mostly quiet streets have seen pro-junta rallies, anti-foreign rhetoric and residents waving Russian flags. The ruling military has called on the population to defend the country. It's unclear how much genuine support there is for the junta, but it appears to have rallied some civil society and political groups to its side. And since there has been no military intervention against the coup leaders, there is no real reason for them to believe that suddenly this whole thing is going to come crashing down, Manzin said. Boubacar Moussa, a former jihadi fighter who joined a program that encourages fighters to defect and reintegrate into society, said that jihadis in Niger have been celebrating the chaos and greater freedom of movement since countries like France suspended military operations. A couple hundred French soldiers had been conducting joint operations with the Nigerien military in the tri-border area between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, and provided air support to Niger forces. But those operations are now on hold. France has some 1,500 soldiers in Niger. South Africa is keen on strengthening collaboration with BRICS nations in the field of vaccine manufacturing, the hydrogen economy as well as the marine sciences, a minister said. We are already working with the World Health Organisation through South Africas hosting of mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub, but are also eager to work with BRICS partners, notably leveraging opportunities of our BRICS Vaccine R and D Centre, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Blade Nzimande, said at the 2023 BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial meeting hosted in the coastal city of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). The minister said at the meeting, one of several taking place ahead of the 15th BRICS Summit later in August, that South Africa had made excellent progress in developing new hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and was keen on joining forces with BRICS partners in this enterprise. Cooperation with partners in the Global South and strengthening multilateralism and solidarity through our BRICS science, technology and innovation partnership is, therefore, a priority of the highest order, Nzimande said at the meeting also attended by Dr SK Varshney, Head of International Cooperation in the Department of Science and Technology from India; Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation; Wang Zhigang, Minister of Science and Technology of the Peoples Republic of China, and Inacio Arruda, Vice Minister of Science and Technology for Social Development from the Federative Republic of Brazil. He also shared South Africas Decadal Plan, which proposes a new dedicated programme on innovation for a healthy South African population. Nzimande quoted Nelson Mandela as he thanked other BRICS partners for their support. President Nelson Mandela famously said: 'There is little favourable to be said about poverty, but it was often an incubator of true friendship. Many people will appear to befriend you when you are wealthy, but precious few will do the same when you are poor. If wealth is a magnet, poverty is a kind of repellent. Yet, poverty often brings out the true generosity in other people'." In this regard, South Africa will always be grateful for the loyal and unwavering friendship and solidarity afforded to us by the peoples of Brazil, Russia, India and China during our long struggle for freedom and subsequently your consistent support since 1994 for the development of our country, and our ongoing fight against poverty, inequality and unemployment," the minister said. "We deeply value the contribution of our cooperation in science and innovation to make South Africa a better country, he said. Nzimande said he was confident that the BRICS partners would join South Africa in the spirit of generosity that Mandela spoke about to develop science and innovation capacities across the African continent. I would therefore like to invite all BRICS partners to join forces with South Africa, whether bilaterally or multilaterally, in advancing the Pan-African agenda for science and innovation, consistent with the BRICS spirit of solidarity and our commitment to development. I believe that finding appropriate mechanisms for enabling cooperation and possible joint programmes between BRICS and African funders of research and innovation will be a strategic game-changer for science funding across Africa, he said. The minister added that South Africa plans to leave a lasting legacy of its chairmanship of BRICS in 2023 with several other initiatives besides ongoing support for instruments such as the BRICS Framework Programme and the various science and technology thematic working groups. This will include organising in December 2023 the occasion of our annual Science Forum South Africa, South Africas biggest public science event, a first BRICS Conference on Technology Foresight hosted by our National Advisory Council on Innovation," he added. Secondly, we will be supporting technical exchanges to deepen BRICS cooperation in the strategic area of indigenous knowledge systems, with a special focus on research, innovation and training for the responsible use of natural medicine, the minister said. Nepal's main opposition party, CPN-UML, continued with the obstruction of Parliament proceedings on Wednesday, demanding the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the nearly 100 kg gold smuggling scam. Eighteen people, including an Indian and a Chinese national, were arrested in relation to the smuggling of nearly 100 kg of gold that passed out of Tribhuvan International Airport's customs without being detected on the night of July 18. The CPN-UML has been calling for the formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the smuggling scam. The party has been regularly obstructing Parliament sessions for the last two weeks. As soon as Speaker Devraj Ghimire started conducting the regular proceedings of the House of Representatives, CPN-UML lawmakers started sloganeering. CPN-UML lawmaker Surya Bahadur Thapa Chhetri demanded that a probe committee be formed to investigate the gold smuggling. The Opposition party lawmakers picketed the rostrum and started sloganeering after the ruling parties' lawmakers took their seats. Following the disruption, the Speaker adjourned the Parliament till Friday afternoon. The government has authorised the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to investigate the gold scam after the Opposition rejected a probe by the Revenue Investigation Department. Home Minister Narayankaji Shrestha on Tuesday urged the Opposition parties to trust the investigation being conducted by the CIB of the Nepal Police. However, the UML rejected the CIB probe and continued its demand for a high-level committee to investigate the matter. Amazon rainforest nation leaders met on Tuesday for the first time in 14 years to find common ground on fuelling economic development while protecting an ecosystem vital to the battle against climate change. Assembling on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Brazilian city of Belem are members of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, a 45-year-old alliance that has met only three times before. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that he hopes the summit will spur it to start taking far-reaching and effective action. It has never been so urgent to resume and expand that cooperation. The challenge of our era and the opportunities that arise will demand joint action, Lula said at the start of the event on Tuesday morning. The Amazon stretches across an area twice the size of India, and two-thirds of it lie in Brazil. Seven other countries and one territory share the remaining third. Presidents from Colombia, Peru and Bolivia are also attending, plus Guyana's prime minister, Venezuela's vice president and the foreign ministers of Suriname and Ecuador. Massive destruction of the Amazon forest is a climate disaster and all the countries at the summit have ratified the Paris climate accord, which requires signatories to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But that's about as far as their shared policy goes. Few border areas are policed seriously and there has been scant international cooperation as rivals compete for drug-trafficking routes. Drug seizures have increased in Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru over the past decade, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported in June. Homicide rates in Amazon municipalities are sometimes double or triple already-high national averages, said Rob Muggah, founder of the Igarape Institute, a security-focused think tank. Traffickers have diversified into businesses like narco-deforestation laundering trafficking profits into land for agriculture as well as financing and logistics for illegal gold prospecting that lays waste to the forest and poisons waterways, according to the UNODC report. It's Lula's second attempt to form an Amazon bloc. He tried when the last Amazon summit was held in 2009, during his first presidency, but was joined by only one other president from the region, Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana. The event will also address how countries will prevent the Amazon from reaching a tipping point, in which the former forest releases carbon dioxide out of control. According to some scientists, this will happen when 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the forest is destroyed. The resulting decline in rainfall would transform more than half of the Amazon to tropical savannah, with immense biodiversity loss. Forest protection commitments so far have been uneven. Brazil and Colombia have pledged to stop deforestation completely by 2030, but other countries are reluctant to follow. Notable goals include: BRAZIL: Lula has said he will create 14 new Indigenous territories, and has already created six. He also said he will restore Brazil's official climate commitment, 37 per cent lower emissions by 2025 than in 2005, which was weakened under his predecessor. But it's just a promise and has not been formalized. COLOMBIA: President Gustavo Petro's government has laid out a 30-year strategy for reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, and reducing its greenhouse gases by 51 per cent. He has sought to position himself as a leader in global climate efforts and protection of the Amazon. ECUADOR: President Guillermo Lasso has said that he will lead his country through an ecological transition to zero carbon emissions by 2050. By 2025, the nation aims to reduce deforestation to avoid 15 million metric tons (16.5 million tons) of emissions. Ecuador also hopes to create a bio-corridor that allows animals to roam over distances, Foreign Minister Gustavo Manrique said this year. PERU: Peru is seeking not just a declaration aimed at slowing the collapse of the Amazon, but agreements to fight drug trafficking and other illegal activities. To face the threat the countries share from organised crime, Lula has already announced that Brazil will create a centre for international police cooperation in Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon. The announcement underscored governments' realization that isolated raids and crackdowns have been ineffective. Cross-border cooperation in the Amazon also has historically been scant, undermined by low trust, ideological differences and the lack of government presence. Budding environmental consciousness and widespread recognition of the Amazon's importance in arresting climate change has invigorated the drive for a paradigm shift. In 2018, Latin American nations signed the Escazu Agreement, which established the public's right to environmental information and participation in decision-making, and protected environmentalists. However, several countries, including Brazil, have not yet ratified it. The following year, they signed the Leticia Pact to better coordinate environmental protection. Lula said he hopes a Belem Declaration already drafted will become the nations' shared call to arms as they move toward the global climate conference in November in Dubai. This summit also reinforces Lula's strategy to leverage global concern for the Amazon's preservation. Emboldened by a 42 per cent drop in deforestation during his first seven months in office, he has sought international financial support for forest protection. The leaders of Norway and Germany, large contributors to Brazil's Amazon Fund for sustainable development, were invited, as were counterparts from other crucial rainforest regions: Indonesia, Republic of Congo, and Democratic Republic of Congo. France's ambassador to Brazil will attend, representing the Amazonian territory of French Guiana. Outside the official summit, some 20,000 Indigenous people and others from different Amazon countries have held 400 parallel events. In hours-long sessions, they presented demands to ministers mostly from Brazil, but also Colombia, Peru and other countries. On Tuesday, they also delivered a summary of these discussions to assembled presidents and officials, including a proposal that governments commit to preserving at least 80 per cent of the Amazon. I had never seen a meeting so big to discuss the preparation for a COP," rubber-tapper leader Manoel Cunha, 55, told the AP, noting that even at major events ministers are usually thin on the ground. Asked whether he was optimistic about concrete decisions and action coming from the summit, reknowned Indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire told the AP he intends to speak with presidents and make clear they effectively have no choice. They have to make this deforestation stop. What I am going to say is that if the presidents do not take any measure, they are going to have serious environmental problems, he said Monday through an intepreter, speaking his native Kayapo language at an Indigenous emcampment. Natural disasters will be a problem for all us human beings. Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks during an inauguration ceremony for the Phnom Penh ring road No. 3 in Kandal province on August 3, 2023. Cambodias leader Hun Sen Wednesday stressed that an upcoming Cabinet reshuffle has nothing to do with infighting among the leaders of his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party, or CPP. Hun Sen, who has led the country since 1985, is preparing to step down from his role as prime minister, passing the baton of leadership to his son, Hun Manet, who will assume the position later this month. A call-in show produced by RFAs Khmer Service this week discussed potential power struggles between Hun Sens family and other party leaders, including Minister of Interior Sar Kheng. Two guests speakers on the show pointed out that several high ranking CPP members have yet to declare support for Hun Manet. Hun Sen said in a voice message posted on Telegram that it wasn't necessary to respond to the comments about the lack of announced support from Minister of Defense Tea Banh and CPP vice president Men Sam An. He implied that the transfer of power to the new government later this month would be smooth. RFA should not be too stupid, too timid and too provocative, said Hun Sen. Khuon Sodary, seen in this 2017 file photo, will be Cambodias next president of the National Assembly. Credit: Heng Sinith/AP Regarding the appointment of Khuon Sodary as president of the National Assembly, he said that it had been planned in late 2021 as part of the CPPs strategy to promote women into prominent positions. Khuon Sodary is currently the Assembly's second vice president. If you are so stupid, you should seek clarity rather than concluding that everything is an internal dispute of the CPP, Hun Sen said, addressing Radio Free Asia. I request RFA as well as other foreign [media outlets] broadcasting in Khmer to always remember that the CPP has no habit of fighting one another for a power grab in the same [way] that you have, and that will lead to [your] eventual collapse due to your own internal disputes. Finland-based political commentator Kim Sok, who left Cambodia after he was imprisoned for his criticism of Hun Sens government, told RFA on Wednesday that Hun Sen chose Khuon Sodary over Sar Kheng because he wields a greater amount of power within the CPP, while she does not and is therefore less of a political threat. By choosing Ms. Khuon Sodary, it also does not mean that he really wants her for this post. He wants to choose only the people who are closest with him, Kim Sok said. [She] does not have enough power to be an obstacle to him [and she] is like the right hand woman to Hun Sens wife. Sam Rainsy, the self-exiled president of the dissolved former main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, or CNRP, said that Hun Sen does not trust Sar Kheng and considers him a threat. The position of National Assembly president is so sensitive, said Sam Rainsy. If [Hun Sen] were to give the post of National Assembly president to Sar Kheng, [Sar Kheng] would have the ability to allow a vote to dissolve the newly elected government and to remove Hun Manet from power. Um Sam An, former CNRP lawmaker, told RFA that Hun Sen is trying to essentially neuter the power of both Sar Kheng and Tea Banh by appointing them to be supreme advisers to Cambodias king. [Hun Sen] meanwhile, will consolidate more power for Hun Manet, he said. The father will be the head of the senate, holding the legislative branch in check, while the son, as prime minister, will hold the executive branch. He called the arrangement an obvious violation of the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances, as stated in Cambodias constitution. There is no country in the world that would uphold a system of having a son as the prime minister and the father as the head of state, said Um Sam An. Not even in any of the communist countries or in North Korea. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Edited by Eugene Whong. Nationwide probe is expected to go on for one year and may extend back to offenses committed over 20-years. A file photograph of a pharmaceutical company in Beijing. China has launched an anti-corruption campaign against the pharmaceutical industry, which has also affected foreign medical companies in China. In a dramatic move, China has amped up its efforts to combat corruption within the medical sector, targeting illicit collaborations between hospital administrators, doctors and medical representatives. Accusations include inappropriate prescription practices for personal profit, and bribery. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, or CCDI, has urged violators to surrender voluntarily. Such crackdowns are usually seen as routine, but the CCDI said last month that this would be a year-long nationwide crackdown to root out corruption in the pharmaceutical sector, Bloomberg reported on Monday. The campaign has triggered a massive shockwave affecting thousands of multinational companies operating in the country according to reports on Wednesday. An executive from a foreign pharmaceutical company in Wuhan told RFA, Hospitals are now barring medical representatives, and business operations for foreign pharmaceutical firms in China have virtually ground to a halt. Xu Hong, head of the China market for the American pharmaceutical company based in Wuhan, said, Local hospitals have explicitly refused entry to pharmaceutical representatives, seriously disrupting regular sales operations. Normal work processes are impossible now. We used to send representatives to hospitals for visits, but strict measures prevent any pharmaceutical company representatives from entering, Xu said, adding, Many academic and exchange conferences have also been halted. Probing the past At least 155 officials at hospitals China-wide were being probed for allegedly violating laws and regulations by late last month more than double the total number of those last year. Reports suggest that the anti-corruption drive might delve into misconduct spanning back two decades. The unprecedented anti-corruption initiative at least since the countrys era of reforms began got underway relatively recently. According to an announcement on July 31 from China's National Supervisory Commission website, a video conference was held in Beijing on July 28 to come up with a strategy for the centralized rectification of corruption issues in the pharmaceutical sector. Deputy Secretary of the CCDI, Yu Hongqiu, attended the meeting. The headquarters of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China is pictured in Beijing, China February 10, 2018. Credit: Reuters/Jason Lee The conference highlighted the importance of rooting out corruption in the pharmaceutical sector to further the Healthy China strategy and purify the industrys environment. Authorities emphasized the need to monitor leadership and key positions closely, addressing both bribe-givers and receivers. The focus is on a batch of corruption cases in the pharmaceutical sector to create a deterrent effect. On Monday, online rumors suggested that hospitals might be scrutinized for the past 20 years, with prescription records being extracted for verification. An insider from Shanghais medical system, Zhang Ning, confirmed this to be the case. In an RFA Mandarin radio interview on Monday, Zhang said, The crackdown will focus on the past 20 years, starting from 2003, which is when hospitals began computerized record-keeping. Both upstream and downstream sectors are under scrutiny. Pharmaceutical stocks plummeted today, with major companies dropping by 5%, he added. The entire supply chain is under scrutiny, and its not just about drug purchases, said Zhang. From morning till night, medical representatives stationed at hospitals have been seen treating doctors and hospital directors to coffee, meals, and drinks. Medical sector reels Zhang revealed that representatives from pharmaceutical companies incessantly promote their products to doctors and the hospital management, with Western and generic medicines favored. Mostly theyre Western medicines. During favorable times, annual gifts of about CNY10 million [U.S.$1.4 million] are given to doctors or hospital directors. This has been an industry practice, not just for a year or two but for decades. Im unsure of the exact aim this time, but it might be related to insufficient funds in the medical insurance. Zhejiang netizen Little Black Night Eyes voiced shock online on Saturday about rumors that authorities have been directly handcuffing and removing pharmaceutical reps and doctors from hospitals, marking an unprecedented crackdown. Inside sources know that most inflated pricing is found in traditional Chinese medicines, but real effective drugs usually dont have high kickbacks. Generally, the issue isnt with the medicine, but with medical equipment, the netizen said. According to the Chinese-language Economic Observer Online, on the morning of August 3, when pharmaceutical representative Liu Li checked his phone, he was greeted by messages stating that many pharmaceutical groups in certain provinces have been dissolved or renamed, while some foreign companies have disbanded their academic conference communication groups. Visits to hospitals have been reportedly halted by certain companies and others are no longer sponsoring conferences. Public interest advocate He Peirong believes that pharmaceutical representatives bribing hospital directors and doctors is an open secret in the industry. The root cause is the direct link between doctors incomes and the prescriptions given to patients. Reforms would be implemented in the second half of the year, she said. The key focus of the medical reforms in the latter half of this year is the assessment mechanism for medical personnel and the newly introduced distribution system. Previously, the income of medical staff was directly linked to revenues from medical services. With this reform, income will no longer be linked to services, and future performance assessments will be public welfare-oriented. Shock and awe Over 150 hospital directors and secretaries have been investigated, including two pharmaceutical sector chairmen that have reportedly surprised industry insiders due to their prominence Zhou Wei of Wenning Health and Fan Zhihe of Cylon Biotech. Campaigns against medical corruption have been going on for years ... but this round of crackdown is more forceful than previously, Zhao Heng, founder of consultancy Latitude Health, told Reuters on Tuesday. A woman reads information on an electronic screen at a brokerage house in Shanghai January 22, 2009. Credit: Reuters/Aly Song Shares of Apichope Pharma, Allist Pharma, and Olymvax Biopharma have slumped between 20% and 30% since July 28, when the CCDI often referred to as Chinas top graft buster vowed shock and awe in the crackdown. Wang Jing, a commentator from Guizhou, said he believed that China's current campaign-style anti-corruption actions will deal a massive blow to the medical industry and that timing of the crackdown suggested that the government was squeezing the sector for money. "The government is merely cracking down because of financial difficulties and targeting those with conflicting interests," Wang said. On Monday, news surged regarding a CNY35.2 million (U.S.$4.9 million) equipment deal in which the hospital director allegedly took a CNY16 million kickback. The incident involves former party officials from Yunnan's Pu'er City Peoples Hospital, who were exposed for accepting bribes during the procurement of a linear accelerator, or linac, a device that uses microwave technology to kill cancer cells or shrink tumors. Translated with additional reporting by Chris Taylor. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang. Qiao Xinxin, who launched a campaign to end internet censorship in China, known as the BanGFW Movement, holds a statement in an April 20, 2023, Twitter post in which he calls on activists to stage protests outside China's embassies around the world should he fail to post to his social media accounts for 48 hours. Free-speech activist Qiao Xinxin, who was reported missing in Vientiane in June amid reports of his arrest by Chinese police, is being held in a detention center in the central Chinese province of Hunan, according to overseas activists familiar with the matter. Qiao, whose birth name is Yang Zewei, went missing, believed detained on or around May 31 in Vientiane, after launching an online campaign to end internet censorship in China, known as the BanGFW Movement, a reference to the Great Firewall, according to fellow activists. Now, his family have been informed that he is being held in a juvenile detention center in Hunan's Hengyang city in another example of Chinas cross-border law enforcement activities, Netherlands-based activist Lin Shengliang told Radio Free Asia. "They issued legal documentation at 3.10 p.m. on July 7, saying where he was being held," Lin said. "But [his family] were unwilling to share the specific charge with me, perhaps because they felt it wasn't a good idea to speak out they have a lot of fear and doubt." Lin said it was unclear whether Qiao would get a visit from his family members, however. "His parents want to go visit, but I told them the authorities wouldn't allow that," he said. "They may find a lawyer who could go and meet with him at the detention center." 200 Chinese police in Vientiane Qiao had lived in Laos for several years before launching the BanGFW Movement, yet was believed to have been detained by Chinese police in Vientiane. Canada-based Li Jianfeng, a former Chinese judge, told Radio Free Asia earlier this month that 200 Chinese police officers were billeted in a Vientiane hotel, amid growing concerns that rights lawyer Lu Siwei will also be repatriated to China after being detained by immigration police. Lu's disappearance sparked international criticism amid ongoing concerns around the Chinese Communist Party's "long-arm" law enforcement operations, which have included running secret police "service stations" in dozens of countries, according to the Spain-based rights group Safeguard Defenders. "This was 100% a cross-border arrest," Netherlands-based activist Lin Shengliang told Radio Free Asia. Credit: Courtesy file photo Lin said Qiao had clearly met with the same fate. "This was 100% a cross-border arrest," he said. "Unfortunately it didn't receive enough attention from the international community to help." "I think that [the international outcry over Lu Siwei] could have a helpful effect," Lin said. U.S.-based rights lawyer Wang Qingpeng said Qiao's anti-censorship campaign was brave, and highly representative of public opinion in China. "The Chinese won't have a safe, free and democratic place to live until more people stand up against tyranny," she said. "Like most ordinary people, [Qiao] really detests the Great Firewall, and had hoped to bring it down, so that the whole world would pay attention, and the Chinese people would know the truth." "But anyone who tells the truth faces greater risks, whether at home or abroad, and particularly in Southeast Asian countries," Wang said. Greater risks in Southeast Asia Gambling tycoon She Zhijiang, whose casinos have been linked with massive human trafficking and online scam operations in the region, was arrested by Thai police in August 2022 and faces repatriation to China despite being a naturalized citizen of Cambodia. In November 2022, police in Bangkok Police detained an exiled Chinese dissident l after he staged a lone street protest against Chinese leader Xi Jinping inspired by the Oct. 13 "bridge man" protest in Beijing. Veteran rights activist Li Nanfei, who has been stranded in Thailand for several years despite being a United Nations-registered refugee, was arrested after holding up a placard on a Bangkok street that read: "His Majesty President Xi, put an end to dictatorship in China! Give the people back their freedom!" Earlier in the same month, Adiyaa, an ethnic Mongolian Chinese national who fled the country after his involvement in 2020 protests over a ban on Mongolian-medium teaching in schools, reported being held by Chinese state security police in Bangkok. In 2019, Thai police detained two Chinese refugees Jia Huajiang and Liu Xuehong who had earlier helped jailed rights website founder Huang Qi before fleeing the country. Thailand has sent refugees from China back home in the past. And in July 2018, authorities in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing jailed rights activist Dong Guangping and political cartoonist Jiang Yefei after they were sent home from Thailand as they were awaiting resettlement as political refugees, prompting an international outcry. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. The executive order will ban some American investments in China's microchip, A.I. and quantum technology sectors. Employees work on the silicon wafer production line at a GalaxyCore Inc. factory in Zhejiang province, China, May 25, 2021. UPDATED at 5:55 p.m. EST on 08-09-2023 U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued an executive order regulating American investments in Chinas microchip, quantum computing and artificial intelligence industries. The order will limit Chinas access to technologies critical to the next generation of military innovation, according to Biden administration officials who spoke on the condition they not be identified. It comes ahead of a planned visit to Beijing later this month by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who has vowed to protect U.S. national security interests while still promoting trade with China, and amid an embryonic thaw in ties between Beijing and Washington. Bidens order creates a mechanism for the Commerce Department to ban certain investments in China across the narrow subset of three advanced technology areas that have a national security nexus, one official said, stressing it would create a small yard with high fences. This program will complement our existing export control and inbound investment screening, the official said, and only target technologies key to military modernization. It's important to recognize this as a national security action, not an economic one. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who will be visiting Beijing this month, says she will protect U.S. national security interests. (Evan Vucci/AP file photo) However, the official otherwise provided few details, and said that for certain investments in the three sectors, U.S. businesses would only be forced to notify the authorities of their planned investments. The new regulations will also likely not take force until sometime next year, they said, and the Commerce Department would use that time as a rulemaking period to confer with impacted U.S. businesses. No criminal penalties Another senior administration official said discussing criminal penalties for investments in China would be jumping the gun at this stage. The Commerce Department would instead likely just be given the powers to unwind any incorrectly made investments in China. The goal here really is to make sure that we provide industry with clarity so that they recognize what is permissible, which is a great deal of investment, and what isnt permissible, which is going to be a narrower scope of investment, the official said. There would also be experts who will be able to give guidance to industry as theyre thinking through this to help ensure that banned investments are not made in China in the first place. Parts of the order may later be codified into law under the bipartisan 2023 Outbound Investment Transparency Act, the official added, which has already been added to this years defense spending bill. That legislation has been led by Senate Finance Committee members Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, and Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, and would require U.S. businesses to notify the Commerce Department within 14 days of any investments made in sensitive technologies in China, Russia, North Korea or Iran. The latest order follows similar efforts by the Biden administration to cut off Chinas military from access to high-end U.S. microchips, and a White House-backed bipartisan push to allow the executive branch to ban some foreign technology, like TikTok, from the United States. Raimondo, the commerce secretary, has said she plans to visit Beijing this month, and has vowed to focus on selling coffee and beauty aids to China while staying eyes wide open about security threats. Beijing has previously called such policies part of a Cold War mentality or protectionist policies meant to harm Chinas economy. Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington, said that the Chinese government was very disappointed that the Biden administration went ahead with the latest executive order despite Beijing voicing its concerns privately and publicly. China opposes the U.S.' overuse of national security to politicize and weaponize trade, scientific and technological issues and deliberately making obstacles to normal economic and trade exchanges and technological cooperation, Liu told Radio Free Asia. The U.S. side has repeatedly expressed its non-intention to 'decouple' with China, but what it actually did is repeatedly 'decoupling and severing supply chains' from China, he said. Updated to include comments from the Chinese embassy. We are trying to rehabilitate on a self-help basis, says one resident. Workers sort through food at a damaged UN World Food Programme warehouse in Sittwe, Myanmar, on May 17, 2023, in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha. About 1.6 million people in Rakhine state still havent received sufficient humanitarian aid almost three months after one of the worst cyclones to hit Myanmar in a decade, aid workers and local residents told Radio Free Asia. Additionally, the rehabilitation process in the countrys westernmost state could be prolonged due to inadequate support from the military junta and the international community, the aid workers said. The U.N.s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recently announced that it has received only USD$24.3 million out of the estimated USD$333 million needed for relief and rehabilitation projects in cyclone-hit areas. Low-lying Rakhine lies along the cyclone-prone Bay of Bengal. There is an enormous gap between the amount needed and the amount provided, a humanitarian organization official told Radio Free Asia. They can only fill the very basic needs for the people. Cyclone Mocha made landfall on May 14 with sustained winds reaching over 220 kilometers per hour (137 mph), killing more than 400 people and leaving widespread destruction. Aid workers said that more than 90% of houses and buildings in northern Rakhine were damaged by the storm. In early June, junta officials issued a blanket ban on transportation for aid groups operating in Rakhine. Authorities mandated that all international humanitarian aid, including U.N. assistance, must first be donated through the junta. Maung Saw Win, a resident of Rathedaung township where the cyclone hit hardest told RFA that the people of his township have yet to receive any substantial aid. We havent received anything on the ground. We have seen 20 tractors arrive here. But thats it, he said. We are trying to rehabilitate on a self-help basis. Other residents of cyclone-hit areas said they received some food, shelters and emergency aid materials from the World Food Program, the Red Cross and other international organizations right after the cyclone, but those deliveries have stopped. Members of a rescue team clean up fallen trees in Sittwe, Myanmar, on May 17, 2023, after Cyclone Mocha. Credit: Sai Aung Main/AFP Aid from ASEAN The juntas spokesman and attorney general for Rakhine state, Hla Thein, told RFA that the junta has allotted 5 billions kyat ($USD 1.6 million) for Rakhines damaged areas, and plans to allot an additional 7 billion kyat ($USD 2.3 million). We are also negotiating with international aid organizations to provide aid, he said. It is important that the private sector cooperates with the government. Only then, we can complete the mission in a short time. State-run newspapers have reported that ASEAN, China, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Korea and Japan have donated food, shelter, medicine and other materials through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management. According to RFA records, emergency aid worth USD$1.64 million has been donated by ASEAN, 40 tons of food, medicine and other materials has come from India, and food, shelter and other aid material worth over USD$1 million has been sent by China. Additionally, Cambodia has donated USD$300,000, Indonesia has given USD$500,000 worth of materials, South Korea has sent 500 tons of rice, Japan has sent 20,000 rice bags, Bangladesh has given 120 tons of material, and Thailand has sent 20 tons of aid. Hla Thein said they are delivering aid from ASEAN and the international community right after the material arrives in Myanmar. But former lawmaker Aung Thaung Shwe said there is very little being delivered to cyclone victims. Some junta officials have summoned village heads to perfunctorily distribute some rice and paddy seeds, but that hasnt been enough to meet the demands in the villages, he said. The junta doesnt have effective means to make the deliveries, Aung Thaung Shwe said. The junta seized power from a democratically elected government in February 2021 and has been fighting anti-junta Peoples Defense Forces and ethnic armed groups ever since. One Rakhine businessman said it could take up to 15 years to rebuild the communities because of the juntas unreliability. I dont think the rehabilitation efforts will go smoothly and quickly if we relied on the governments missions, Khin Maung Gyi said. We also see that the capacities of international NGOs and other NGOs have been crippled by the various restrictions. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Edited by Matt Reed Junta troops and police have told the residents of a village near a Chinese-run copper project in Myanmars Sagaing region they will be forcibly evicted if they dont leave, locals told RFA on Wednesday. Chinas state-owned Wanbao Company runs the Letpadaung Copper Project in Salingyi township in a joint venture with a company owned by Myanmars military. It fenced off Wet Hmay village on August 6, on the pretext that the village is in the mines project area, and told all 35 households to move out of the village permanently. On Tuesday, Wanbao officials summoned six villagers and told them to inform all residents that they needed to leave as soon as possible, according to a local who did not want to be named for security reasons. "They [village representatives] said that Wanbao asked them to clear out the village, asking villagers to respond to [the company] the following day, he said, adding that company officials told the representatives if they didnt get an immediate response they would take no responsibility for the actions of the troops and police. The village representatives told the company they would inform Wet Hmay residents and discuss their plans. Residents said junta troops have already occupied many parts of Wet Hmay and have been threatening locals and telling them to leave. Wanbao has repeatedly attempted to enclose the village with a fence, but villagers have objected, delaying the project. Locals claim that this time is different because soldiers and police have been dispatched to clear out the village and fence it off. RFA contacted the junta spokesperson for Sagaing region, Saw Naing, seeking comment on the forced evictions, but he did not answer the phone. RFA also called Wanbao but nobody answered. Workers for Chinas Wanbao Company fence of Moe Gyoe Pyin village, Letpadaung Taung, Sagaing region December, 2014. Credit: RFA Other villages were emptied out when the Letpadaung copper project started in Salingyi township in 2011. Following the February 2021 coup many people working on the project joined the Civil Disobedience Movement, effectively shutting down operations at Letpadaung. Locals say the company is now planning to resume operations, prompting an August 7 statement by 17 local anti-regime militias ordering Wanbao and Yangtze Copper, which are both working on projects in Salingyi township, to stop cooperating with the junta or face the consequences. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang. Discussions on joint patrols in advanced stage as tensions with China mount. A Philippine Coast Guard boat passes by U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) during drills in the first trilateral coast guard exercise between the Philippines, Japan, and the U.S., at the coast of Bataan, Philippines in the South China Sea, June 6, 2023. The Philippines and the United States are set to launch joint patrols in the South China Sea this year amid heightened tensions in the region stoked by Chinas increasing aggressiveness, a senior official in Manila said Wednesday. Joint patrols have been on the table since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed power last year, reversing his predecessor Rodrigo Dutertes pivot to Beijing, during which China became more emboldened in pressing its territorial claims. China asserts sovereignty over most of the South China Sea and has for years militarized artificial islands while deploying coast guard boats, navy ships and a state-backed maritime militia around disputed areas. The discussions on joint patrols are in their advanced stages, Jonathan Malaya, a spokesman for a Philippine task force on the South China Sea, told BenarNews. Thats going to be within this year. He declined to give further details, citing the sensitivity of the matter. There was no immediate response from the U.S. embassy to a request to comment. Tensions have soared between the two neighbors after the Chinese Coast Guard backed by its maritime militia on Saturday used a water cannon to drive away a Filipino boat carrying supplies to troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre, near Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal). The rusty World War II-era naval ship was deliberately run aground by Manila in 1999 to serve as a military outpost in the South China Sea. Members of Philippine Marines are pictured on the BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that was run aground in 1999 to become a military outpost at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 29, 2014. Credit: Reuters Beijing has in recent days reiterated calls for Manila to tow away the boat and live up to its promises to remove it. Malaya, who spoke earlier at a forum held by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, denied such a pledge had ever been made. I can categorically say to the public and to everyone that no administration promised to remove BRP Sierra Madre, which symbolizes our sovereign rights and jurisdiction over Ayungin Shoal, he said during the event. If China is talking about a legally enforceable agreement then we challenge them: produce that written document. On Monday in response to a question about a U.S. State Department statement, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson challenged Washingtons support of Manila. The State Departments statement, in disregard of the facts, attacked Chinas legitimate and lawful actions at sea aimed at safeguarding its rights and enforcing the law. The statement also voiced support for the Philippines unlawful, provocative behavior, the spokesperson said. For some time, the U.S. has been inciting and supporting the Philippines attempts to overhaul and reinforce its military vessel that was deliberately grounded on Renai Jiao, the spokesman said, using the Chinese name for the shoal. The U.S. has been brazenly bolstering the Philippines as it infringes upon Chinas sovereignty, but those moves will not succeed. The spokesperson also called on the U.S. to respect Chinas territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea. Blockade outrageous Saturdays incident, which lasted more than an hour, was the latest in a growing number of perceived aggressive actions by China in the South China Sea, an important maritime trade route subject to overlapping territorial claims from China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Taiwan. Chinas blockade of the Philippine resupply mission was outrageous, said security analyst Raymond Powell, from the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation in Stanford University. Speaking at the same forum, he said joint patrols would emphasize to China the tightness of Philippine-U.S. alliance. Having these PH-U.S. joint patrols increases the Philippines leverage when China is deciding what to do, Powell said. Manila had this week stepped up the message it would not idly stand by while its supply boats are harassed, he said. The China Coast Guard allegedly uses a water cannon against Philippine Coast Guard vessels, which were escorting a resupply mission for troops stationed at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, August 5, 2023. Credit: Handout via Reuters On Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III condemned the dangerous maneuvers by China in a telephone call with his Filipino counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro Jr., according to a readout provided by Austins office. This was the second time Austin and Teodoro have spoken since the latter assumed the defense portfolio in June. Manila on Monday summoned Beijings envoy and issued a terse note verbale, sparking a war of words between the two countries. The Chinese Embassy shot back that the shoal which it calls Renai Jiao was part of its maritime domain, a position that remains consistent and firm. The embassy said it had made temporary special arrangements to allow the Philippines to bring supplies and food to its troops on the grounded vessel. But for some time, the Philippine side has been taking unilateral actions once again, and seeking to overhaul and reinforce the military vessel in order to permanently occupy Renai Jiao, the embassy said in a statement on Tuesday. China has repeatedly communicated to the Philippines through diplomatic channels it would not allow it to send construction materials to the Sierra Madre, the embassy said. Malaya reiterated the Philippine position that the reckless blocking and water cannon operation by the Chinese Coast Guard placed Filipino lives at risk. We are doing the resupply mission for the benefit of the Filipino troops there and we demand from China to stop this blockade, to stop this coercive, offensive and unlawful blockade of Philippine resupply missions to Ayungin, he said. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization. Montagnards walk out of a forest 70 km (43 miles) northeast of Ban Lung, located in Cambodia's northeastern province of Ratanakiri, July 22, 2004. They had fled Vietnam due to religious persecution. Updated at 9:20 a.m. ET on Aug. 10, 2023. Almost one year after the Vietnamese government received a United Nations communication regarding rights violations toward an ethnic minority group from the Central Highlands, Hanoi issued a letter of reply saying the ethnic group does not exist. On Sept. 6, 2022, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and three Special Rapporteurs sent the communique to the Vietnamese government, which discussed the authorities suppression on Y Cung Nie, Y Thinh Nie and Y Don Nie, who belong to the Montagnard indigenous community. The Montagnards are a broad grouping of 30 different Central Highlands tribes who have clashed, sometimes violently, with the Vietnamese government over a variety of issues, including land rights and religious freedom. The term "Montagnard" was first used by the French during the colonial time to refer to indigenous people living in Vietnams mountainous areas but it is not used inside Vietnam these days. The three men named in the communication had sent documents requesting authorities to provide them with guidance on how their religious minority groups could register for collective religious practice in compliance with the law. Instead of providing responses, local police in late May 2022 arrested the three people, one after another, to interrogate them. They were arrested for additional questioning on June 2, 2022, and threatened with heavy fines or possible imprisonment if they persisted in meeting religious groups not approved by the government, the communication said. Y Thinh Nie was told by police officers that the request for guidance was unlawful because the Montagnard Christians had been reporting violations of religious freedom to the international community through reactionary organizations, it said. Additionally, the three were arrested and fined for ceremonies they conducted on the UN General Assembly-designated International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief on Aug. 22, 2021, the communication alleged. Not recognized In its letter of reply, the Vietnamese government said there are no indigenous people, nor do there exist the so-called indigenous Montagnard in the community of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. In Vietnam, no one is arbitrarily detained or punished for exercising legitimate freedoms, including freedom of belief and religion, said the letter. According to the Vietnamese government, Y Cung Nie, Y Thinh Nie, Y Don Nie are individuals with complicated activities related to the FULRO organization. The United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races, or FULRO, founded in the 1950s, was a resistance army that fought on the side of United States and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War before officially disbanding in the 1990s. Vietnams government describes the group as taking advantage of ethnic and religious issues to threaten national security, incite riots, secession, and self-rule. In the process of living in the locality, the above three individuals have often taken advantage of themselves as ethnic minority people to provide false information, fabricate false accusations against the government and local police force of religious and ethnic oppression; contacted organizations abroad that lack goodwill towards Vietnam to propagate false information, slandered Vietnam of human rights violations, and created inaccurate information about the human rights situation in Vietnam, the letter said. Hanoi also said that these three individuals were fined for breaking the law, not related to the fact that they submitted applications to the government asking for guidance on registration of religious activities and International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. Aga, a Central Highlands pastor who fled Vietnam to seek political asylum in the U.S. and is now a permanent resident, told RFA that local authorities in Dak Lak and other provinces in the Central Highlands often try to find ways to force independent Protestant groups to join religious organizations recognized by the state. Those who refuse are harassed and threatened to be imprisoned by the police, he said. Recalcitrant response The Vietnamese governments response was typical dismissal of rights violation allegations, Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch, told RFA. There are serious, ongoing violations of freedom of religion and belief in Vietnams Central Highlands, but the government is in total denial mode, rejecting allegations of rights violations and then restricting access for the international community to those areas to deny independent observers the opportunity to investigate, he said. According to Robertson, clear evidence of the religious persecution in the Central Highlands and several other places in Vietnam is how the government went overboard to surveille, harass, interrogate and arrest Montagnard groups for simply daring to celebrate the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief He said that the Vietnamese government always claims that things are done in accordance with Vietnamese law. However, the reality is Vietnams laws on religious affairs fall far short of international human rights standards, and the security forces treat many Montagnard communities as potential national security threats and enemies. Vietnam is included in the list of countries having no freedom of religion according to the U.S. State Department's 2022 annual human rights report. In late November 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken placed Vietnam on the United States Special Watch List for violating or tolerating serious violations of religious freedom. Over the past few years, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has repeatedly requested the Biden Administration to include Vietnam in the Country of Particular Concern list for its systematic violations of religious freedom. Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Eugene Whong. This story has been updated to add background on the term 'Montagnard'. At least seven people, including a child, were killed and 129 were wounded in a Russian missile strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on August 19, Ukraine's Interior Ministry said, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a "terrorist state" had carried out the attack and caused "a day of pain and loss." Oleksandr Lomako, acting mayor of Chernihiv, said the attack was another blow to the city. "This is another war crime by Russia against Ukraine. The blood of all innocent children and people is on the hands of Russia. We will not forgive this. Never," Lomako said on Telegram, adding that three days of mourning would be observed on August 19-21 under a decree he signed. Zelenskiy, who is on a visit to Sweden, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Russian missile hit the heart of Chernihiv. A square, a university, and a theater." Zelenskiy also posted a video of the purported place of the attack. 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. "Russia turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss," said Zelenskiy. "This is what it means to live next to a terrorist state," he said, adding, "I urge the world to stand up to Russian terror." Regional Governor Vyacheslav Chaus said on Telegram that the attack was "probably a ballistic missile." Separately, the Interior Ministry said a 6-year-old boy was killed and 15 other children were among the wounded by the missile, which struck Chernihiv's Drama Theater. The mother of the boy killed in the attack was in serious condition, authorities said. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said most of the victims were in vehicles or were crossing the street on foot. The people inside the theater reached a shelter in time after the air-raid alert was announced, he said. The UN's humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine condemned the missile attack as "heinous" and called on Moscow to end strikes on populated areas. "It is heinous to attack the main square of a large city, in the morning, while people are out walking, some going to church to celebrate a religious day for many Ukrainians," said Denise Brown in a statement. "I condemn this repeated pattern of Russian strikes on populated areas of Ukraine, causing deaths, massive destruction, and soaring humanitarian needs." Earlier on August 19, the Ukrainian military said that the air defense shot down 15 out of 17 Iranian Shahed drones that Russia used in its latest overnight attack on Ukraine. "The air force in cooperation with the air defense and other components of the Defense Forces of Ukraine destroyed 15 enemy drones," the military said in its daily report, adding that the attacks targeted the eastern, northern, and western parts of Ukraine. Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said on August 19 that its air-defense systems repelled a Ukrainian drone attack on a military airfield in Novgorod region located northwest of Moscow, but the attack resulted in a damaged Russian warplane. There were no casualties in what the ministry's statement called "a terrorist attack," but a fire that broke out on the airfield causing damage to one of the warplanes parked there. The information could not be independently verified. WATCH: Residents of Kupyansk in Ukraine's Kharkiv region are being transported to safety amid signs of a buildup of Russian forces nearby. The ministry earlier claimed that it had downed a Ukrainian missile over Moscow-occupied Crimea overnight. On the diplomatic field, Zelenskiy and his wife, Olena, traveled to Sweden for talks on defense cooperation. Zelenskiy visited Sweden with his wife, Olena, for talks on defense cooperation. He announced that he and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson had agreed on 10 points, including cooperation on the production of powerful CV-90 combat armored vehicles in Ukraine, joint training on equipment provided by Sweden, and further steps to transfer Gripen fighter aircraft to Ukraine. "I am grateful to Sweden for its firm and consistent support. Together, we protect life, freedom, and our common values." Zelenskiy said at the conclusion of his visit to Sweden, which has applied for NATO membership. Kristersson said he was proud to have had the honor to welcome Zelenskiy. "I highly appreciate our close contacts and cooperation. Swedens support for Ukraines freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity will continue for as long as it takes," Kristersson said on X. Sweden, which abandoned its longstanding policy of military nonalignment to support Ukraine after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, is part of a coalition of 11 Western countries together with Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and the United Kingdom that pledged last month to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s. On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces continue to advance in the areas near the southern cities of Melitopol and Berdyansk, the military said on August 19, adding that during the day Ukrainian forces fought a total of 26 clashes along the front line. The General Staff's evening summary said Russian forces carried out five missile and 44 air strikes and 17 attacks from rocket salvo systems on troop positions and populated areas. The push toward the Russian-occupied strategic city of Melitopol is part of Ukrainian forces' attempt to cut off Russia's land bridge to Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. It comes as a U.S. intelligence report quoted by The Washington Post assessed that Ukrainian forces do not appear likely to reach and retake Melitopol during the ongoing counteroffensive. Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula, most of the Luhansk region, and large tracts of the regions of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson. The Russia-installed head of the military in Kharkiv, Vitaly Ganchev, said on Russian television on August 19 that the number of communities Russia controls in the Kharkiv region had grown by five and now totals 33. "The front line is slowly moving toward Kharkiv. Our troops are approaching the suburbs of Kupyansk," he said. It is not possible for RFE/RL to verify either side's claims of battlefield success. With reporting by Reuters and AFP Welcome back to the China In Eurasia briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter tracking China's resurgent influence from Eastern Europe to Central Asia. I'm RFE/RL correspondent Reid Standish and here's what I'm following right now. The Wider Strategy Behind China's Ukraine Diplomacy China joined international diplomatic talks in Saudi Arabia on August 6 for a two-day summit with officials from 40 countries designed to find a framework for peace in Ukraine. But does it signal a new tack for Beijing? Finding Perspective: China sent its special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, who offered support for the summit and called for another round of talks through the format that includes countries from the West and across the Global South. The summit -- which also included representatives from the European Union, India, and the United States -- excluded Russia and centered upon putting momentum behind a 10-point peace formula developed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Several observers saw China's presence as a sign that it was willing to play a more constructive role in pushing for peace talks, but there's plenty of signals that show Beijing is playing its own game here. China unveiled its own 12-point peace document in February and Alexander Gabuev, the director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, was skeptical that Beijing was changing its stance on the war, arguing that while the economic and reputational costs for standing by Russia are rising, the longer term strategic calculations of keeping Russia by its side remain the same for China. This was reaffirmed when Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on August 8 and assured him that China hadn't wavered on its partnership with Moscow. Why It Matters: China is hoping that it can use its diplomatic track record and openness to dialogue on Ukraine to cement its status as the Global South's superpower and showcase its leadership credentials in the process. Mark Leonard, the director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in a recent article for Politico that think tankers and policymakers in China are focused on appearing constructive around ending the war while at the same time ensuring that Moscow will continue to stand by Beijing in rewriting the Western-led world order. The focal point for establishing this new non-Western order are the so-called "nonaligned" countries across Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere in the Global South -- many of the same ones that were in Saudi Arabia over the weekend. Beijing has invested tens of billions of dollars over the last decade in boosting its global image and it has so far yielded mixed results, according to a series of new polls. A recent Pew Research poll found that two-thirds of respondents from the 24 countries surveyed viewed China unfavorably, while only 28 percent held a favorable opinion. Anti-China sentiment has also reached new highs in Argentina, India, and Brazil, according to the poll. But there are important divisions here. The majority of the countries surveyed were Western, with African countries like Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa showing much more favorable views of China in comparison. While souring public opinion in the West and countries like India marks its own type of foreign policy failure for China, the story is different in Africa and the Middle East. Public opinion polls by Afrobaromter and Arab Barometer, show that majorities in Africa and the Middle East tend to view China favorably -- although, the Afrobarometer data found that both China and the United States were slipping in recent years as competition between them accelerates. These global divisions and the larger battle for hearts and minds have now carried over to the diplomatic stage around Ukraine. Expert Corner: Georgia Gets Closer To China Readers asked: "Georgia signed a strategic partnership agreement with China on July 27. How major of a step towards China is this for the Georgian government?" To find out more, I asked Emil Avdaliani, a China expert and professor at Tbilisi's European University: "This is yet another sign that Georgia is pursuing a multivector foreign policy. Focus on the West will remain in place, but ties with other powers will be developed further. Whether this would bring meaningful results will depend on the war in Ukraine and especially the elections in Georgia slated for 2024. "The agreement between Tbilisi and Beijing could also be regarded as a bargaining chip for Tbilisi's rather complicated relations with the West. The calculus could be that amid Brussels' upcoming decision on whether to grant Georgia an EU candidate status, Tbilisi might be raising the stakes by advancing its ties with big Eurasian actors like China. "I think the Georgian public slightly overreacted to the agreement between China and Georgia when it was announced. It's unclear what the document would bring in practical terms. For China, Georgia is a rather small market and the only real value the country holds for Beijing is its geographic location and the growing realization to advance the Middle Corridor trade route. Moreover, China could also be eyeing greater engagement with the Black Sea region, where major geopolitical competition is unfolding between Russia and the West." Do you have a question about China's growing footprint in Eurasia? Send it to me at StandishR@rferl.org or reply directly to this e-mail and I'll get it answered by leading experts and policymakers. Three More Stories From Eurasia 1. A Belt And Road Summit This October After a three-year hiatus due to strict COVID restrictions, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is planning to host a high-profile summit for his signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) -- although there are early signs that it won't receive the top billing Beijing is hoping for. What It Means: The most prominent guest to RSVP for this October's Belt and Road Forum -- the first such gathering since 2019 -- is Russian President Vladimir Putin, something The Wall Street Journal reports is causing European leaders to want to keep their distance. The BRI -- China's mammoth overseas infrastructure push that gained steam in the mid-2010s -- has been the subject of some belt tightening in recent years and seen its reputation fall amid stalling projects, governments struggling to repay loans, and allegations of corruption and overspending. High-level European leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz currently have no plans to attend the forum in Beijing -- which will be the third BRI summit since the inaugural one in 2017 -- and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said she plans to pull her country out of the BRI altogether. Other countries like the Czech Republic and Greece, both of which signed up for the initiative and were among some of Europe's more enthusiastic participants, currently do not plan to send senior officials for the BRI forum. The BRI has been at the center of Beijing's efforts to boost international development and expand its global influence and the guest list for this year's upcoming gathering will be an important litmus test for the strength of China's economic diplomacy under Xi. No confirmed date has been set for the summit, but Chinese officials are reportedly eying mid-October. 2. Kyrgyzstan Turns To China For Hydropower Help Kyrgyzstan, which is in the midst of a yearslong energy crisis, announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding and an investment agreement with a consortium of Chinese companies on July 27 to build a new hydropower plant that could help with the growing energy shortages, my colleague Toktosun Shambetov from RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. What You Need To Know: Few details were revealed about the newly inked project, which will consist of a cascade of multiple hydropower plants (HPPs) in succession near Kazarman in the country's Jalalabad Province. But according to an announcement by the Kyrgyz cabinet of ministers, it's tentatively estimated to cost between $2.4 billion-$3 billion, making it one of the country's most ambitious hydropower ventures. Akylbek Japarov, the chairman of the Kyrgyz cabinet of ministers, said the project was a game changer that wouldn't only help erase the Central Asian country's energy deficit, but also turn it into an energy exporter. That would be a welcome achievement for the government, which announced a three-year energy emergency on August 1 due to widespread electricity shortages. There are still concerns over whether the project will come to fruition, with multiple experts telling Toktosun that the government's poor record in actually delivering large-scale infrastructure is spotty at best, with many projects grappling with corruption, delays, or being abandoned altogether. 3. How Serbia Become Blanketed In Chinese-Made Surveillance Cameras A quiet expansion of Chinese-made surveillance cameras has spread across Serbia in the last five years, with some towns and villages having one camera for every 100 inhabitants. My colleague Natalija Jovanovic from RFE/RL's Balkan Service traveled across the country and investigated the shadowy company behind the spread of the technology. Read her report here. The Details: Belgrade's expansion of Huawei surveillance cameras -- many of which have facial-recognition capabilities -- was the center of an RFE/RL investigation last year, but the countrywide growth has received little attention inside and outside the country. Natalija's monthslong investigation found that the spread has taken place with little public consultation or disclosed information from the authorities. The report also found that 42 local governments surveyed have awarded their contracts exclusively to Macchina Security, a shadowy Serbian company increasingly active on the security goods and services market that has been winning tenders and importing Chinese-made surveillance technology into the country in recent years. Check out Natalija's investigation here. Across The Supercontinent Homebody: According to a Bloomberg News analysis, Xi, who made an average of 14 overseas trips per year from 2013 to 2019, has only spent two days outside China this year and has not supplemented the foreign trips with video calls. Instead, Xi is making foreign dignitaries come to him and has met with representatives from 36 countries so far in 2023. Willkommen: TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker based in Taiwan, has agreed to build a 10 billion-euro ($10.9 billion) plant in Dresden, Germany, in partnership with Infineon Technologies AG, NXP Semiconductors NV, and Robert Bosch GmbH. 5 billion euros ($5.49 billion) will come from the German government as subsidies to support construction of the factory. Seaside Power Politics: The Chinese Communist Party has begun its annual summer retreat in Beidaihe. The gathering is usually a chance for party members to gather and speak candidly about issues concerning its leadership and comes amid growing tensions over the economy and the unexplained disappearance of Qin Gang, who was China's foreign minister. Steel Partners: A delegation of lawmakers from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party traveled to China in late July, where they reaffirmed their support for the Chinese Communist Party's political model and held talks over the status of Kosovo, my colleague Nevena Bogdanovic from RFE/RL's Balkan Service reports. CPEC Turns 10: Late July marked the 10th anniversary of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Beijing's flagship project within the BRI. CPEC has had no shortage of controversy and setbacks in those years, while still forging ahead with investment and deeper ties. The Lowy Institute published a scorecard for CPEC that concludes that it may have been unrealistic from its inception. Take a look here. One Thing To Watch With China's economy performing below expectations, Chinese authorities are putting pressure on prominent local economists to avoid discussing negative trends, such as deflation. Multiple local brokerage analysts and researchers at leading universities as well as state-run think tanks have told Western media that they have been instructed by regulators, their employers and even domestic media to avoid speaking negatively about topics ranging from fears of capital flight to softening prices. Market analysts say the growing self-censorship among economic-research professionals will have deepening knock-on effects and attach further questions to how reliable local Chinese data is for investors. That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you might have. Until next time, Reid Standish If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every other Wednesday. A polytechnic school in Russias Tatarstan, a region some 900 kilometers east of Moscow, is using manufacturing facilities that are part of a nearby special economic zone to assemble Iranian attack drones and are increasingly turning to underage students as laborers, many of whom often work in exploitative conditions. The revelations at Alabuga Polytechnic University raise troubling implications about the lengths that Russian authorities are going to in order to boost the war effort and how the advanced Iranian weaponry -- which is increasingly used to bombard Ukrainian cities and has only recently begun to be manufactured inside Russia -- could contribute to escalating tensions and rising civilian casualties. The use of underage students as drone factory workers and the details of the manufacturing facilities were first reported by Russian independent media outlets Protokol and Razvorot, which published a series of investigations in July. Since then, RFE/RLs Idel.Realities has spoken with students who describe grueling working conditions and interviewed dozens of parents whose children have been enrolled at Alabuga Polytechnic University -- some as young at 15 -- who say that their children were forced to work exceedingly long hours, often without proper breaks or meals, and under hostile conditions that have deeply affected their mental health. My son enrolled and 2 1/2 months later he called for me to take him away, Zhanna, who asked to be identified only by her first name to protect against reprisals for speaking about the operation, told RFE/RL. He said to me on the phone, Come and get me or Ill die, so I picked him up immediately. Zhanna, who asked that her underage sons name also not be used, says that she sent him from Nizhny Novgorod to study at Alabuga Polytechnic University in 2022 because of its reputation as a leading technical institution inside Russia. The school offered students -- often between the ages of 15-18 -- an opportunity to get vocational training as part of a dual program that combines a classroom education with practical work experience. Students were also promised an opportunity to work and earn a locally competitive salary of up to 70,000 rubles ($700) a month as part of the work experience program that could further their career growth. 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, instead, those enrolled were encouraged and in some cases pressured into working at the drone facility, where the salaries of the mostly underage laborers are contingent on meeting tough production quotas. This is a textbook definition of what constitutes exploitation, Sergei Podsytnik, an investigative journalist at Protokol who worked on the series of reports, told RFE/RL. [Students] assemble drones, with the work taking priority over their studies. The pressure to fulfill these quotas has allegedly led to strenuous back-to-back days -- with some shifts lasting up to 15 hours -- with little time for sleep or adequate sustenance. Overtime work is often unpaid, further highlighting potential labor violations. Exhausted students also reported not always meeting their quotas, which led to them not earning the salary initially promised by the school. Many students came from disadvantaged backgrounds and relied on their earnings to cover costs for tuition, room, and board and would send the remainder home. Other parents, such as Marina, said she decided to take her daughter out of the program when she discovered that she was working in apparent unsafe conditions and that staff from the school had instructed students not to tell their parents about the drone assembly work. This was the last straw for me, Marina, who also asked for her identity to be concealed, told RFE/RL. This is a dangerous production process that involves dangerous chemicals. They also forbid the kids from telling everything to their parents. RFE/RL sent multiple requests for comment to various staff and administrators at Alabuga Polytechnic University but received no replies. Making Iranian Drones In Russia The complicated and concerning dynamic at Alabuga Polytechnic University stems from growing military cooperation between Iran and Russia that has accelerated since Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Iran has said it provided drones to Russia before the start of the war, but not since. However, U.S. intelligence officials have warned for months of continued deliveries and deepening cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, saying the two sides were exploring how to set up a manufacturing plant for Iranian drones inside Russia. According to The Wall Street Journal, an Iranian delegation visited Yelabuga in Tatarstan on January 5, touring a potential site for such a factory at the Alabuga special economic zone close to Alabuga Polytechnic University. U.S. officials released satellite images in April of the plant being built. Russia already possesses an array of unarmed aerial vehicles, or UAVs, which are used mainly for surveillance and artillery spotting, but has turned increasingly to Tehran for attack drones. After being forced to abandon Ukrainian territory that its troops captured in the early stretches of the war, Moscow shifted to a strategy of relentless air assaults on Ukrainian cities. These attacks often rely on a combination of cruise missiles and self-detonating drones packed with explosives to knock out electricity and running water for the civilian population in Ukraine. So far, Iran has provided Russia mostly with so-called "suicide" drones, known as the Shahed-136, that contain a modest amount of explosives that can detonate when the drones crash into targets, military experts say. In acquiring its own domestic assembly line, Russia could dramatically increase its stockpile of the relatively inexpensive but highly destructive weapons systems. WATCH: Russia has resorted to using Shahed-136 drones from Iran in its war on Ukraine. Ukraine says it's already downed many of the drones, which work by slamming into their intended target, laden with explosives. Ordinary Ukrainians say they can already recognize the sound of the drones, which use two-stroke engines like lawnmowers or motorbikes. Iran has denied supplying the drones to Russia. The arrangement also offers substantial economic and political benefits for Iran, which has sought to portray itself as neutral in the Ukraine war. The appearance of Iranian-made drones over Ukrainian cities, however, has triggered threats of new economic sanctions from the West. The United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have also all issued rules in recent months designed to cut off the flow of drone components to Russia and Iran. The Washington Post reported in November 2022, citing unnamed U.S. intelligence officials, that the agreement to deliver Iranian drone schematics and materials for manufacture in Russia resulted from Iranian leaders believing that the arrangement would allow Tehran to avert new sanctions. Foreign Recruitment And Patriotic Education Alabuga Polytechnic University is formally not a college. All of its students are officially enrolled at nearby Yelabuga Polytechnic College, with the Alabuga institution existing on paper as a specialized program for students looking to break into high-tech industries. Currently, about 1,000 students are studying at Alabuga Polytechnic University, with several hundred of them -- most of whom are between the ages of 15 and 17 -- involved in assembling the Iranian drones. In addition to the work on the drones, there are other signs that point to blurred lines in Russia between the education system and the countrys military amid the war in Ukraine. According to current and former Alabuga Polytechnic University students, team-building and organized extracurricular activities through the school often take on a patriotic character that may be designed to expose students to official government narratives of international events or echo talking points from state television. Organized paintball games have become a mainstay for students, especially first-year arrivals, in which they are encouraged to compete against one another and then play together against more experienced outside players. Teachers and administration officials regularly refer to paintball as being part of a patriotic education needed to complement the technical aspect of their studies. In one instance, a group of new students competed in paintball as Soviet soldiers against outside players who were dressed as troops from Nazi Germany in a capture-the-flag competition meant to simulate the World War II battle of Stalingrad. According to one student, the Nazi flag contained the compass symbol used by the NATO military alliance instead of the swastika used by Nazi Germany. Other instances of political teachings from staff are more direct. In a recording obtained by RFE/RL from June 16, a senior administrator can be heard telling the teenagers that NATO launched a hybrid war against Russia back in 2011 and that it has slowly become more overt. The man then goes on to tell students that their hard work and exceeding long days at the drone factory are part of a nationwide struggle against the West and that their patriotism will be rewarded. Several students and parents identified the man in the recording as Timur Shagivaleev, the director-general of the special economic zone where Alabuga Polytechnic University and the drone factory operate. Shagivaleev did not respond to RFE/RLs request for comment. The man in the recording then goes on to tell students not to take holidays and to continue working even if it's mom's birthday, before ending his speech with, Long live our great country. WATCH: Amid a new wave of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine, analysts in Kyiv are gaining useful intelligence from a collection of downed Russian aerial weapons. They have been studying the remains of Iranian Shahed drones and Russian Kinzhal missiles, among others. Multiple current and former students told RFE/RL that students who work in the drone factory are often praised by staff, while those who have refused or asked to be reassigned due to the high workload are often publicly shamed. In some instances -- according to recordings heard by RFE/RL -- staff even encourage students to bully others who are not deemed patriotic enough. According to Protokol and Razvorots investigations, Alabuga Polytechnic University has also turned toward recruiting foreign students to enroll. The majority of them come from African countries, but also from Central Asia and Azerbaijan, where they are promised world class salaries as part of the dual-track world experience program. However, these foreign students are then given low-skill and menial tasks around the campus and the special economic zone, such as janitorial work, and are also paid lower salaries than initially promised. Written by Reid Standish based on reporting by RFE/RLs Idel.Realities After a series of coups swept across Africas impoverished Sahel states over the past three years, leading to a larger Russian military presence, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in March made a historic trip to Niger, Washingtons key ally in the region. Niger is really an extraordinary model at a time of great challenge a model of resilience, a model of democracy, a model of cooperation, Blinken, the first U.S. top diplomat to visit Niger, said at the time. Its one that we deeply value and deeply respect. Now, less than five months later, U.S.-Niger relations are on the verge of collapse after military officials on July 26 ousted the president and seized power. The coup if it succeeds also threatens to deepen regional instability, weaken regional security, and possibly open the door to greater Russian influence in the Sahel and beyond, experts warn. 'An Alarming Trend' Before the coup, Nigers image in the West had been improving, thanks in part to a peaceful, democratic transfer of power in 2021 the countrys first since independence more than seven decades ago. Blinkens trip was designed to affirm U.S. support for Niger and its president, Mohamed Bazoum, who has aligned key priorities with the West. The United States has invested about $500 million over the past decade to train and equip the Nigerien military to combat militant organizations affiliated with Al-Qaeda and ISIS that have been terrorizing the Sahel. The United States, which has 1,100 troops on the ground, also built a large-scale drone base in the north of the country used to surveil the armed groups cross-border movements and to gather intelligence. But a wave of coups across the Sahel now threatens to jeopardize this cooperation and progress. Three of Nigers neighbors, including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad, have all succumbed to coups since 2020, as have nearby Sudan and Guinea. Other countries in the region, including Senegal, have recently experienced major political turmoil. This is an alarming trend, Sean McFate, an adjunct professor at Syracuse University and an Africa expert, told RFE/RL. The more coups happen, the more success they enjoy, the more temptation there will be for future juntas around Africa. McFate added that the trend has opened the door for increasing Russias influence. This time, the United States and its partners, including the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have taken a firm stand against the Nigerien junta in the hopes of forcing it to reinstate the democratically elected Bazoum. Washington has halted some aid to Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, while 11 members of the West African community have imposed tough financial sanctions and cut deliveries of electricity. ECOWAS has also threatened to invade Niger. What Wagner Offers By contrast, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin-connected entrepreneur and founder of the notorious Wagner mercenary group, which is active in Africa, has offered support to the Nigerien coup leaders, although experts question whether his group can do much in the short term. The junta needs support and recognition if they're not going to step down, Daniel Eizenga, a research fellow at the Washington-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies, told RFE/RL. And that's what Wagner potentially offers them a big complication to anything that looks like a military intervention [by ECOWAS] to push them out. Wagner has up to 1,000 troops each in Mali and Libya as well as nearby Sudan, Eizenga said. It also has forces in the Central African Republic. But with clouds over Wagners future following its failed rebellion in Russia in June and its current commitments in Africa, it is unclear how many men it could muster to support the coup leaders in Niger, Eizenga said. What Wagner would be able to mobilize in the short term, I think, is the paramount question here, he said. But it doesn't take a lot of boots on the ground on the part of Wagner to create a very complicated international geopolitical situation that might deter ECOWAS from intervening as it's threatened to do. Sebastian Elischer, a political science professor at the University of Florida and a sub-Saharan Africa specialist, said Wagner doesnt appear to have much heavy equipment in Africa to help Niger confront ECOWAS. He described Wagner assets in Africa as basically Kalashnikovs and Toyotas and said troops deployed to neighboring Mali are mainly military trainers, not combatants. Both Elischer and Eizenga also questioned how Niger would pay Wagner in light of the aid cuts and sanctions. Niger had expected to receive $2.2 billion in foreign aid, loans, and grants this year, an amount equivalent to 40 percent of its budget. I don't really see [Wagner involvement] playing out in Niger in the short term, Elischer said. He explained that Russia doesnt have the historical economic and diplomatic ties with Niger that it does with Mali and other countries where Wagner is active to help facilitate cooperation. He called Wagner posturing as an alternative partner to Niger largely a performance for the media and especially for the African audience. Russia has been pushing to make inroads into Africa since 2014, when the United States and Europe began to isolate Moscow following its forcible seizure of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula, experts said. Russian President Vladimir Putin last month held a summit with African leaders and delegations in St. Petersburg, his second since 2019. Russias interests in Africa include weapon sales, UN votes, and access to natural resources, Elischer said. It also seeks to project itself as a viable player in the Global South and to make the West worry about it, he added. I think that is more so than anything else, certainly in the Sahel, he said. A Toxic Cocktail The Sahel, a vast semiarid region that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, is wedged between the Sahara Desert to the north and tropical savannas to the south. It crosses through parts of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Sudan. The region has seen an explosion of militant violence over the past decade amid a toxic cocktail of entrenched poverty, weak governments with little legitimacy, disruptive climate change, and other problems, experts say. The Sahel is fertile ground for Russian engagement because the governments are fragile and the public widely shares anti-French and anti-Western sentiments, McFate said. France left a brutal colonial legacy in the Sahel that is still felt today. In Mali, Wagner replaced French forces after their expulsion by a junta. Russia is exploiting anti-French attitudes across the Sahel so that they can supplant France politically, hegemonically throughout the region, McFate said. Russia wants everybody looking toward Moscow and not toward Washington or Paris. The Washington Post, citing leaked U.S. intelligence, reported in April that Washington possessed information indicating Wagner was seeking to create a unified confederation of African states that would include Burkina Faso, Chad, Eritrea, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Sudan. Wagner was planning the overthrow of the regime in Chad as part of that larger goal, the newspaper said. The United States has said it does not believe Wagner was behind the coup in Niger. Experts say it was triggered by Bazoums decision to replace military officials appointed by his predecessor. That said, Niger has twice been the target of Russian disinformation campaigns, according to an April 2022 report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Networks connected to Wagner reportedly sought in recent years to trigger rumors of a coup in Niger, the center said. Eizenga said Nigers security situation is likely to deteriorate if Wagner moves in, pointing to the explosion of violence in Mali and Burkina Faso following their coups and the departure of French forces. U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland told reporters on August 7 following a meeting with members of the junta that they understand very well the risks to their sovereignty when Wagner is invited in. Eizenga said if the United States and ECOWAS can coerce the junta in Niger to give up power, it could have positive reverberations in the Sahel. The coup leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso have repeatedly delayed promises to ECOWAS to hand back power to civilian control in an attempt to entrench themselves, he said. If ECOWAS can show that it is not toothless, then the leaders of Mali and Burkina Faso may not skip the next deadline, he concluded. Crimea is facing a shortage of gasoline after Ukraine last month bombed the only bridge connecting the Russian-controlled peninsula to Russia. Gasoline stations in Crimea have at times run out of the oil product over the past month, residents have told RFE/RL. 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. One of the leading gasoline chains in Criema sent clients a text message last week urging them to stock up on the product amid concerns about a shortfall, residents said. Russia, one of the worlds largest produces of oil products, has been supplying the peninsula with gasoline and other oil products via rail across the $4 billion Crimean bridge opened in 2018. Ukraines armed forces on July 17 struck the bridge for the second time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion last year. The strike forced Russia to halt oil product shipments by rail. The bridge has become a key Ukrainian target as it tries to drive Russian forces from its territory, including Crimea. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Oil products are now delivered via a slow ferry crossing that can only take place during the day. Local residents have taken to social media to complain about the lack of gasoline. There is no 95 [octane] for the third day in a row, especially at Atan [gasoline station chain], one resident posted on a Sevastopol community page on Vkontake, a Russian social network. Following the July 17 bombing, Russian-installed Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev tried to calm residents, assuring them there wont be a deficit and said there was no need to stock up. Misha, whats up with gasoline? one resident wrote last week under Razvozhaevs Telegram channel, using the diminutive form of the governors first name in a sign of their displeasure. Do tankers only ship [Russian oil products] overseas?" Some residents said gasoline can be found if you look for it. If some cases you need a ration card to fill up. There is no gasoline at some gas stations. But there are plenty of those where it is sold freely. So you can find it when you need to fill up. I've filled up a full tank, and I only drive when its important business, one resident told RFE/RL. There is gasoline, but you need a ration card. When I hear this, I feel that we have stepped 35 years into the past when you could only get sausage with a ration card, Nadezhda Golovanova wrote on a Sevastopol social media page, referring to food deficits during the Perestroika years. WATCH: A section of the Crimea bridge was damaged by a deadly explosion last month. Moscow said two people were killed and a child was injured in the blast that it blamed on Ukrainian maritime drones. Ukraine has sought to make life in Crimea untenable for Russia in an attempt to regain control of the peninsula. With the receipt of new Western weapons and the development of indigenous ones, including drones, it has been making progress with that goal. Kyiv has stepped up its targeting of Crimea in recent months and is also trying to cut off the land bridge from Russia to Crimea through the Donesk region with its latest counteroffensive. Ukraine has recently hit two bridges connecting Crimea to Ukrainian territory under Russian control. Ukrainian military officials say the situation with supplies for residents will only get worse as Russia will need to prioritize deliveries to its military on Crimea. Oleksandr Khmelevskiy, an independent expert, told RFE/RL that this could lead to social unrest, putting pressure on Moscow. If the economic situation deteriorates significantly, support for the war from the population will decrease significantly. The further it goes, the more difficult it will be to explain to the population what Russia is fighting for, what this war was required for, he said. Delhi CM & AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal Delhi Service Bill addresses the Centre's authority over the bureaucrats of the Delhi Govt NEW-DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has conveyed his gratitude to Congress leaders for their support towards the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on the matter of the Delhi Service Bill. The bill, which saw parliamentary approval on Monday, prompted Kejriwal to extend his thanks to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi for their stance. Notably, The National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was sanctioned by the Parliament, with 131 votes in favor and 102 opposing voices in the Rajya Sabha. The bill addresses the central government's authority over the bureaucrats of the Delhi government. Advertisement In a letter to the Congress leaders, Arvind Kejriwal, the national convener of AAP, conveyed, "I express my heartfelt gratitude to your party for voting against the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, representing the two crore people of Delhi." Smriti Irani Sikh children were brutally killed in 1984: Smriti Irani NEW-DELHI: The Indian Parliament witnessed a dramatic and heated exchange as Union Minister Smriti Irani responded to Rahul Gandhi's speech on the no-confidence motion. In a charged session, Irani accused Congress of promoting a divisive narrative and condemned their alleged lack of sensitivity towards crucial national issues. Irani opened her counter by highlighting Rahul Gandhi's mention of the 'killing of Mother India,' asserting that such language and imagery were unprecedented in the history of the Parliament. She accused Congress members of "setting the table" on this statement. Asserting the unity and integrity of the nation, Irani firmly stated, "Manipur is and will always remain an integral part of India." She went on to criticize Congress for purportedly applauding during discussions about Rahul gandhi's statement of "murder of Mother India." Irani took the opportunity to address the 1984 Sikh genocide and the plight of Kashmiri Pandits, presenting a litany of disturbing incidents to underscore her point. Advertisement "Sikh children were brutally killed in 1984. Women were raped in Trilokpuri, a woman's husband was murdered, and her daughter was raped in Sultanpuri," Irani asserted, her voice unwavering. She went on to describe the heinous gang-rape of a 45-year-old Sikh woman whose son was also burned alive. Drawing a sharp contrast, she criticized the same individuals for now claiming to speak for India. Irani highlighted the issue of a recent gang rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Bhilwara, Rajasthan. Directly addressing Congress MPs, Irani questioned their apparent lack of empathy and action in response to such horrific incidents. Responding to Rahul Gandhi's speech, Irani remarked, "You are not India because India is not corrupt. India believes in merit, not dynasticism." She invoked historical movements, urging the opposition to embrace values aligned with the nation's progress. Advertisement Irani also took aim at Rahul Gandhi's "Bharat Jodo Yatra," drawing parallels with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiatives following the revocation of Article 370. She attributed the nation's recent achievements to this pivotal decision. The Union Minister's impassioned speech concluded by underscoring the opposition's alleged silence and inaction in the face of atrocities. She displayed a picture of Girija Tikku, a rape survivor from the 90s, and accused Congress of stifling the voices of Kashmiri Pandits. Shootout in Barnala Sukhi Khan has been linked to cases involving ransom demands: Reports BARNALA: A Dramatic encounter unfolded between the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and alleged members of the notorious Bambiha gang in the Handiaya area near Barnala. The incident unfolded as police intercepted the accused while they were traveling in their Swift car from Bathinda. Confirming the operation, Barnala SSP Sandeep Kumar Malik revealed that a significant confrontation had occurred. The AGTF managed to apprehend Bambiha gang shooter Sukhi Khan, along with three other individuals. However, official confirmation of the arrests is still pending. Advertisement The individuals involved are believed to be affiliated with the Bambiha gang, notorious for their criminal activities. During the encounter on Handiyaya Road, Sukhi Khan sustained injuries from the crossfire. Hailing from the Longowal village in Sangrur district, Sukhi Khan was reportedly en route to Chandigarh from Bathinda after a recent visit to Amritsar. Reports suggest that Sukhi Khan has been linked to cases involving ransom demands. The scene of the encounter remains heavily guarded, with a substantial police presence under the direction of SSP Sandeep Kumar Malik. Authorities have made significant discoveries during the operation, recovering a cache of weapons and cartridges from the apprehended vehicle. Among those arrested are members of not only the Bambiha gang but also the Arsh Dalla gang and the Sukha Duneke gang. The individuals in custody have been identified as Sukhjinder Singh, also known as Sukhi Khan, from Longowal; Yadwinder Singh from Mullanpur; Hushanpreet Singh, alias Gill; and Jagsir Singh, alias Billa, both from Longowal. Punjab Bandh Unity: Communities Join Hands in Punjab Bandh Against Manipur Violence CHANDIGARH: A United front comprising the Valmiki, Ravidasiya, and Christian communities has announced a Punjab Bandh today, in opposition to the recent outbreak of violence in Manipur. As a response to this call for protest, government schools and colleges across various regions have been closed. In the interest of child safety, private schools have also suspended operations for the duration of the bandh. The effects of the strike have been most pronounced in cities like Jalandhar, Barnala, and Gurdaspur, where markets remain shut down. Proponents of the bandh are resolute in their commitment to peaceful demonstration. Highways are slated to be obstructed during this period, while market activities remain at a standstill. However, essential services such as medical facilities will continue to function, with exemptions granted to ambulances, fire brigades, and military vehicles on active duty. Advertisement The epicenter of the protest is Jalandhar, where a substantial rally is set to take place, jointly with a parallel demonstration in Ludhiana. As part of the shutdown, Roadways buses are currently operational, but will be halted at their respective bus stands once the dharna commences. To prevent any potential losses, private bus operators have also refrained from offering services. The city of Jalandhar is particularly sensitive to the shutdown, leading to heightened security measures. Essential roundabouts, including Kapurthala Chowk, Ravidas Chowk, BSF Chowk, Nakodar Chowk, and BMC Chowk, have been barricaded. Simultaneously, Lambi Village Chowk and Rama Mandi are experiencing roadblocks due to impassioned protestors from the Christian community. They affirm their peaceful demonstrations spanning several days as a response to the ongoing violence. Vegetables Vegetable Crisis Deepens: Chandigarh Witnesses Shocking Vegetable Prices CHANDIGARH: The Persistent Surge in vegetable prices continues to weigh heavily on consumers' wallets, with tomatoes emerging as the most conspicuous example, fetching a staggering Rs 200 per kilogram in Chandigarh. The escalating costs of essential vegetables have once again ignited concerns over household budgets and food affordability. Just last week, tomatoes were priced at Rs 70 per kilogram, but the sudden spike to Rs 200 per kilogram has shocked consumers. This surge in tomato prices is reflective of the broader trend affecting various vegetables. Peas are no exception, priced at Rs 160 per kilogram, while cabbage is fetching Rs 100 per kilogram. Pulses are also a costly commodity, with prices hitting Rs 120 per kilogram. The humble potato, which was once available at Rs 10 per kilogram, now commands a price of Rs 30 per kilogram. Onions, a kitchen staple, are also sold at approximately Rs 40 per kilogram. Advertisement Market traders from Sector 26 in Chandigarh attribute this sharp price escalation to adverse weather conditions, particularly the heavy rainfall in mountainous regions that led to crop destruction. The impact of these weather-related challenges has rippled through the supply chain, resulting in elevated prices for multiple vegetables. While it's not uncommon for vegetable prices to rise during the rainy season, this time the increase has been more substantial. Furthermore, the closure of the Chandigarh-Shimla highway has exacerbated the problem, hindering the smooth flow of supplies. However, efforts to mitigate the situation are underway, as some vegetables are being sourced from Bengaluru to help stabilize prices. It is anticipated that as these additional supplies reach the market, there will be a gradual reduction in vegetable prices. Boat Escalating Tensions: All of the detained individuals are reported to be from Tamil Nadu, India COLOMBO: In the latest development of an ongoing maritime dispute, the Sri Lankan Navy has apprehended 10 Indian fishermen and impounded their boat for allegedly fishing within the nation's territorial waters. This marks the second incident of its kind within a month, raising tensions between the two neighboring countries. According to a press release issued by the Sri Lankan Navy, the fishermen were captured off the coast of Alampil in Mullaitivu on August 7. All of the detained individuals are reported to be from Tamil Nadu, India. Advertisement The Sri Lankan Navy disclosed that a dedicated operation was executed on Monday after detecting Indian fishing boats illegally operating in Sri Lankan waters near the Alampil coast in Mullaitivu. As a result of the operation, an Indian vessel was confiscated, having been present in Sri Lankan waters for an extended period. The Captured fishing boat, along with its crew of 10 fishermen, has been transported to Trincomalee port. The Sri Lanka Coast Guard will subsequently transfer them to the Assistant Director of Fisheries-Trincomalee for further legal proceedings, as stated in the navy's official statement. A Parallel occurrence transpired last month on the night of July 24, when the Sri Lankan Navy detained nine Indian fishermen and seized two boats for their alleged infringement of Sri Lanka's territorial waters. So far this year, the Sri Lankan Navy has confiscated a total of 14 Indian fishing boats and apprehended 93 Indian fishermen, highlighting the persisting tensions in the region. Advertisement In response to these recurring incidents, Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister, MK Stalin, has urged India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, to take immediate diplomatic action to secure the release of 19 Tamil Nadu fishermen currently detained by Sri Lankan authorities. Sachin Bhatia Untimely demise of Sachin Bhatia highlights the profound challenges faced by individuals living abroad HOSHIARPUR: Another distressing chapter unfolded for the Punjabi community in Canada as Sachin Bhatia, a 26-year-old resident of Talwara village in Dasuha, Hoshiarpur district, lost his life. Living in Canada for the past four years, Sachin's health took a turn for the worse after he developed a fever. The heartbreaking news reached his family through a phone call from Canada, informing them of his demise. Father Bishan Das shared that Sachin was a cherished son and the lone brother to two sisters. His journey to Canada began in 2019, pursuing studies in the foreign land. Subsequently, one of his sisters also made the move, and the siblings resided together. Advertisement As he settled into abroad, Sachin found work after completing his studies. His father recounted the last conversation they had, around 9:00 pm in the evening. Sachin had been returning home from work, mentioning about a mild fever along the way. Bishan Das advised him to take medication before reaching home. Upon arriving home, Sachin spoke with his sister, urging her to look after him. Tragically, about two hours later, a devastating call came Sachin had been rushed to the hospital. Heartbreakingly, the doctors declared Sachin dead. The family shared that his body would undergo a post-mortem examination, a process that would take two days. In the midst of their grief, the family is now reaching out to the government, appealing for assistance to bring Sachin's body back to India. The untimely demise of Sachin Bhatia highlights the profound challenges faced by individuals living abroad and their families. It underscores the need for support mechanisms and assistance during such difficult times. New Zealand will on Wednesday release July figures for electronic card retail sales, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Sales are expected to be flat on month and climb 9.8 percent on year after gaining 1.0 percent on month and 4.2 percent on year in June. Japan will see July numbers for money stock, with M2 expected to rise 2.5 percent on year, easing from 2.6 percent in June. South Korea will provide July data for unemployment; the jobless rate is expected to ease to 2.5 percent from 2.6 percent in June. Taiwan will release July numbers for consumer prices, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 1.9 percent on year, up from 1.75 percent in June. China will see July figures for consumer and producer prices. Consumer prices are tipped to rise 0.1 percent on month and fall 0.4 percent on year after easing 0.2 percent on month and being flat on year in June. Producer prices are expected to decline an annual 4.1 percent after shedding 5.4 percent in the previous month. Finally, the in Singapore are closed on Wednesday for the National Day holiday and will re-open on Thursday. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis David Oppenheimer and Co. I LLC, called as Oppy, is recalling all one-pound clamshells of Zespri branded organic green kiwifruit from the market citing potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms, while listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. However, the company has not received any reports of illnesses related to the recalled product to date. The recalled organic green kiwifruit is grown in New Zealand and exported to North America. They were repacked locally for sale in one-pound clear plastic clamshells bearing the Zespri brand and UPC code 8 18849 02009 3, containing fruit stickered with the GTIN bar code 9400 9552. The affected organic green kiwifruit was shipped between June 14 and July 7 and sold in clamshells at retail locations in the states of FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, NC, NY, OH, PA, TN, TX, VA, and WI. Zespri organic green kiwifruit sold in other states is excluded from the recall. Zespri organic green kiwifruit shipped after August 7 in one-pound plastic clamshells with a White Sticker that includes Work Order number and Packed on date is also not part of the recall. The recall was initiated after a routine sampling by the Kentucky Department for Public Health on July 7. Oppy, which was notified on August 3, has worked with Zespri to trace the product through the supply chain to two grower lots, and immediately ceased to distribute the affected product from the related grower lots. Consumers are urged not to consume the product and to discard it immediately. For More Such Health News, visit rttnews.com For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Mewbourne Oil Company has agreed to pay a $5.5 million penalty and undertake projects to ensure 422 of its oil and gas well pads in New Mexico and Texas comply with clean air regulations and offset past illegal emissions. The Tyler, Texas-based oil and natural gas producer agreed to spend $4.6 million for preventative measures and to help address environmental harm caused by its violations in settlement of claims alleged in a civil complaint filed jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). It has been alleged that Mewbourne failed to obtain required state and federal permits; failed to capture and control air emissions from storage vessels; and failed to comply with inspection, monitoring and recordkeeping requirements at more than 100 of its oil and gas production operations in New Mexico and Texas. EPA and NMED identified the alleged violations through field investigations and repeated flyover surveillance conducted during 2019-2022. Mewbourne, if complies with the terms of the deal, will eliminate more than 11,000 tons of harmful pollutants from the air each year, according to Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield of EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney said the department will continue to conduct oil and gas investigations and aggressively enforce violations. EPA said the $5.5 million fine will be shared equally by the U.S. Federal Government and the State of New Mexico. Mewbourne's compliance with the consent decree is estimated to result in annual reductions of more than 9,900 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and 1,300 tons of methane. VOCs are a key component in the formation of ground-level ozone, a pollutant that irritates the lungs, exacerbates diseases such as asthma, and can increase susceptibility to respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia and bronchitis. During the timeframes of Mewbourne's alleged violations, air quality monitors in the relevant counties in New Mexico registered rising ozone concentrations exceeding 95 percent of the national air quality standards set for ozone. Mewbourne is a large producer in the Permian Basin, which is a shale oil and gas producing area located in southeast New Mexico and West Texas. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature Deputy Speaker, Mlibo Qoboshiyane. Photo cred: Chuma ka Sgadla. By Nizole Qete Education is the real lever to transform our society. We are supposed to rediscover, discover, replant and plant because what matters the most is the seed that we plant, and with the current crop of students, the country can harvest that. These were the sentiments shared by the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature Deputy Speaker, Mlibo Qoboshiyane, during the second day of the Student Representative Council (SRC) Leadership Week last night. Qoboshiyane delivered his address at Rhodes University Barrat Lecture Theatre under the concept of the "generational mission." He opened his address by highlighting the differences between the past leaders and current leaders. "We are not the generation of Charlotte Maxeke, Tshangana Gumede, but we are tapping wisdom from their courage and fortitude, for without them, we wouldnt be where we are today. We give honour to them for their outstanding job during pernicious and difficult times when everything was difficult, but they defied the odds. Today, they are towns and figures of the world. That is the kind of leaders we are here to solicit today, he said. Qoboshiyane touched upon the concern of a prevailing culture wherein individuals seek the benefits of a society without active participation in it. Affirming this point, he stated, There has been a rise of clientelism; people think it's at the shop behind the counter and they will be given things freely, and they are expecting instead of giving a sense of direction to leaders. There is no army behind saying which direction we are going, who is going to craft the way forward when there are followers who are leaders and leaders who are followers that chain has been broken, and people are just clients who want to be given grants. There is a lack of a productive economy and participation, he said. Elaborating on the essence of effective leadership, Qoboshiyane noted that leadership starts with the individual. If you can't lead yourself, you can't lead us. If you don't have confidence in yourself, you can't inspire confidence in others and if you don't have respect, you can't attract respect. Leaders must be possessed by a vision; there is nothing as painful as being led by someone with no vision, he said. Qoboshiyanes address was followed by a panel discussion from a panel including Political Analyst Dr Ongama Mtimka and Journalists for Human Rights Head of Office Dr Siyabulela Mandela. In a thought-provoking departure from the keynote's emphasis on education, Dr Mandela contended: The most unfortunate thing is that throughout the different generations, as much as we acquire as many degrees as we possibly can, education has proven not to be the equaliser of our condition as this generation. Hence, the resolution that decolonisation of the education system should be one of the things we tackle as young people. I can go to an institution of higher learning and come back with a degree that will not respond to the challenges faced by the people in my hometown because the material we are subjected to as young people is not written by people who understand the material conditions of our people. Addressing the urgency of this generation's role within the societal framework, Dr Mtika said: Idolo phezulu (protests) changes for this generation to iminwe kwi keyboard (education). Historically, the instrument that was necessary to bring pressure to the system was idolo phezulu. In your time, we do not want that; we want fingers on the keyboard where you are devoting yourself to fulfilling the tasks that parents are paying for while you are in an institution of higher learning, he said, addressing the students. Dr Mtimka encouraged the youth to be agents of change and not enable any corruption around them. We should no longer look at an imimpi (informer) like our parents did; Babita Deokaran is a hero during our time. If you go and work in a department where there is corruption, be a whistle-blower because your country needs you to be, he urged students. Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela, concluded the evenings discussions by saying that South Africa needs leaders who are willing to put others first, as exemplified by former President Nelson Mandela. He reflected on how the current crop of leader have given way to moral depravity, untrammelled greed, rampant corruption, venality, deceit, profligacy, and duplicity. We have elevated to positions of leadership and responsibility some people of questionable moral and ethical character. People who have no sense of the difference between right and wrong, just and unjust, fair and unfair, ethical and unethical occupy positions of power and influence. The electorate must exercise their power to elect people who will have the heart to change this, he said. Day 3 of the SRC Leadership Week, which will be held tonight, will be dedicated to honouring women in leadership. Speakers will include former Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng and SRC President Avuxeni Tyala. Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela. Photo cred: Sandile Ndlovu. Strijdom, you have tampered with the women, you have struck a rock, you will be crushed! These are the words of the song composed by the women of 1956 as they staged a peaceful march to the Union Buildings on 09 August 1956 to confront the might of the ignominious apartheid regime that had enacted a law designed to extend the cruel and iniquitous pass law to African women. Since that historic march, much has been achieved in restoring South African women's dignity and humanity. However, despite the great strides in women's advancement, much more still needs to be done to transform our society to a classless one in which women can make their rightful contributions and be acknowledged and celebrated for that. As we commemorate the sacrifices made by over 20 000 women from all over the country and from all walks of life and different racial, social and economic backgrounds, we pay homage to the women of our nation the mothers, the wives, the sisters and the daughters - who continue to make sacrifices for the greater good of our society in many and diverse fields of human endeavour. As a nation, we recognise the immense contribution made by women at various societal levels and recommit ourselves to their advancement, particularly in the academic sector. Today we salute the students and staff who make Rhodes University a distinct and distinctive institution of higher learning. At Rhodes University, many pioneering women contribute to making South Africa a just and sustainable society. We salute all Rhodes University women on this Womens Day as we do to ooMama Lillian Ngoyi, Albertina Sisulu, Helen Joseph, Sophia Helen-De Bruyn and many others who led the 1956 historic march. As we celebrate the women in our society today, we must also be cognizant of the harsh realities that face women today, especially those in the rural areas and townships who bear the brunt of poverty and economic hardship daily. These women's lives were, and, indeed, still are, characterised by low literacy levels and inequitable access to education, health services, housing, water and employment opportunities. Every day, they are mired in desperate routines of seeking an existence. Many of the women of this country continue to experience sexual and gender-based violence and are the worst affected by the scourge of HIV/AIDS. They carry the painful scars of their suffering, often in solitary silence and without adequate counselling and support. Together we must bring the insidious scourge of sexual and gender-based violence to an end. In this regard, we as the University continue to engage staff and students on how to rid our campus of this pernicious scourge permanently. As a society, we must end the cycles of abuse and violence against women and children that have become so endemic in our homes, communities and society. As we mark National Women's Day today, let each of us ask ourselves why we keep silent when we witness violence against women; why do we keep silent when we are daily subjected to intolerable abuse? Emperor Heile Selassie reminds us that: Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph. If and when we fail to act when we can, if and when we fail to stand up and speak out against the evil of sexual and gender-based violence, we become complicit in its perpetuation in our homes, communities and society, and we allow it to triumph. I call on all of us to pause and reflect on the incalculable damage that this violence has inflicted on our society, how it reduces us to less than human and destroys the possibility of rebuilding the fabric of our society. Let us draw courage, strength and inspiration from the women of 1956 who were prepared to risk their all for the greater and collective good of our country. Let us confront, challenge and eliminate those systemic, social and cultural beliefs, myths and practices that normalise and perpetuate sexual and gender-based violence in our homes, communities and society. We owe it to the past, present and future generations of bold and courageous women of our country that we spare no effort in building a more humane, more just, more equitable, more inclusive, fairer and compassionate society. Wathint'abafazi; wathint'imbokodo! You strike a woman; you strike a rock! Malibongwe! Sizwe Mabizela, Vice-Chancellor, Rhodes University Year-over-Year and Month-over-Month Sales Comparison of Sedans in India Sedans have long been a popular choice among Indian car buyers for their combination of style, comfort, and practicality. In the dynamic automotive market of India, where consumer preferences can change rapidly, sales figures provide valuable insights into the performance of various sedan models. Lets delve into the year-over-year (YoY) and month-over-month (MoM) sales comparisons for July 2023, shedding light on the performance of different sedan models and the broader trends in the market. Year-over-Year (YoY) Comparison: A Mixed Bag of Performances When analyzing the YoY sales comparison for July 2023, its evident that the sedan market has witnessed a mixed bag of performances. The total sedan sales in July 2023 amounted to 33,244 units, marking a decrease of 6.77% compared to the same period last year, where 35,659 units were sold. Leading the pack is the Maruti Dzire, which continues to maintain its stronghold in the market despite a marginal decline of 2.56% YoY. Following closely is the Hyundai Aura, which showcased a healthy YoY growth of 12.34%, indicating sustained consumer interest in this model. The Honda Amaze and the Hyundai Verna also posted impressive YoY growth rates of 22.37% and 52.83% respectively, showcasing their popularity among buyers. However, not all models fared well. The Tata Tigor experienced a significant decline of 50.60% in YoY sales, while the Honda City and Maruti Ciaz faced even steeper declines of 53.06% and 2.25% respectively. Month-over-Month (MoM) Comparison: Shifting Patterns Turning our attention to the MoM sales comparison for July 2023, we observe more dynamic shifts in the market. The total sedan sales in July 2023 amounted to 33,244 units, reflecting a 3.81% increase from the previous months 32,024 units. Once again, the Maruti Dzire leads the charts in terms of sales volume, showcasing an impressive MoM growth of 43.69%. Conversely, the Hyundai Aura witnessed a decrease of 8.01% in MoM sales, while the Honda Amaze and Hyundai Verna faced declines of 6.00% and 28.57% respectively. Interestingly, the Tata Tigor saw a MoM decline of 19.52%, hinting at fluctuating consumer demand. Both the Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia experienced minor MoM declines of 4.14% and 0.92% respectively. Trends and Takeaways The comparison between YoY and MoM sales figures highlights the dynamic nature of the Indian sedan market. Some models exhibit consistent growth, while others face challenges due to changing consumer preferences and market conditions. The performances of models like the Maruti Dzire and Hyundai Aura suggest a balance between familiarity and innovation, while the struggles of models like the Honda City emphasize the importance of staying relevant in a competitive landscape. Overall, the sedan segment in India remains a space of intense competition, innovation, and shifting consumer preferences. Manufacturers must continue to monitor these trends closely to adapt their strategies and offerings to cater to the evolving needs of Indian car buyers. As the market continues to evolve, the winners will be those who can effectively navigate these changes and provide vehicles that resonate with the Indian consumers of today and tomorrow. Following a breakthrough in relations seven years after the mission was shut down, the Saudi Arabia embassy in Tehran has restarted operations, official media in Iran announced on Wednesday. Read More: Saudi Citizens Can Visit Three Countries Without Obtaining a Visa A deal mediated by China and disclosed in March saw the Kingdom and the Islamic Republic agree to resume diplomatic ties and reopen their respective embassies. In 2016, after Saudi diplomatic offices in Iran were attacked during a protest, the longtime rivals in the region broke ties. According to the official news agency IRNA, which cited an "informed source" in Iran's foreign ministry, "the embassy of Saudi Arabia in the Islamic Republic of Iran has officially begun its activities" and has been working since Sunday. The move has not received any formal confirmation from Riyadh. Iran held a ceremony in June to celebrate the reopening of its embassy in Riyadh. The Saudi embassy's delayed reopening had previously been attributed by Iranian media to the building's poor condition after it was destroyed during the 2016 protests. Saudi Arabia has improved ties with Syria since the March agreement and increased efforts to bring about peace in Yemen, where it has long led a military coalition against the Houthis, who are backed by Iran. Hupehsuchus nanchangensis, a species of marine reptile that lived between 249 and 247 million years ago in what is now China, had soft structures such as an expanding throat region to allow it to engulf great masses of water containing shrimp-like prey, and baleen whale-like structures to filter food items as it swam forward. Filter feeding involves an animal moving through the water and extracting small organisms, such as krill or plankton, for food via sieve-type mechanisms. Filter feeding fish such as basking sharks use their gills to retain food from water, while filter feeding whales sift material through baleen plates. To date, there has been very little evidence suggesting that ancient marine reptiles from the Mesozic era (252 to 66 million years ago) were filter feeders due to a lack of the appropriate features in fossil records. We were amazed to discover these adaptations in such an early marine reptile, said Dr. Zichen Fang, a paleontologist at the Wuhan Center of China Geological Survey. In their study, Dr. Fang and colleagues examined two specimens of Hupehsuchus nanchangensis, a hupehsuchian reptile from the Triassic period of China. Both specimens were collected from the Jialingjiang Formation in Nanzhang and Yuanan County, Hubei Province. One specimen is well-preserved from head to clavicle (collarbone), while the other is a nearly complete skeleton. The hupehsuchians were a unique group in China, close relatives of the ichthyosaurs, and known for 50 years, but their mode of life was not fully understood, Dr. Fang said. The hupesuchians lived in the Early Triassic, about 248 million years ago, in China and they were part of a huge and rapid re-population of the oceans, added University of Bristols Professor Michael Benton. This was a time of turmoil, only 3 million years after the huge end-Permian mass extinction which had wiped out most of life. Its been amazing to discover how fast these large marine reptiles came on the scene and entirely changed marine ecosystems of the time. The authors compared the shape and dimensions of the Hupehsuchus nanchangensis skull to 130 skulls from different aquatic animals, including 15 species of baleen whale, 52 species of toothed whale, 23 seal species, 14 crocodilians, 25 bird species, and the platypus. Hupehsuchus nanchangensis possessed an unusual, toothless snout with two long bones in the upper skull framing a narrow space. It also had a narrow mandible (lower jaw) that was loosely connected to the rest of the skull and would have allowed it to expand its mouth cavity to accommodate large gulps of water. While no evidence of baleen was found in the specimens, they possessed a series of grooves around the edge of the palate (roof of the mouth), which may have indicated the presence of soft tissues that could have played a similar role in filter feeding. Hupehsuchus nanchangensis was likely a slow swimmer due to its rigid body, which suggests it might have fed in a style similar to that of a bowhead or right whale, which swim with their mouth open near the surface of the ocean in order to strain food from the water. High levels of competition for food at this point in the Triassic may have caused Hupehsuchus nanchangensis to develop this specialized feeding method. We discovered two new hupehsuchian skulls, said Professor Long Cheng, a researcher at the Wuhan Center of China Geological Survey. These were more complete than earlier finds and showed that the long snout was composed of unfused, straplike bones, with a long space between them running the length of the snout. This construction is only seen otherwise in modern baleen whales where the loose structure of the snout and lower jaws allows them to support a huge throat region that balloons out enormously as they swim forward, engulfing small prey. The other clue came in the teeth or the absence of teeth, said Dr. Li Tian, a researcher at the University of Geosciences Wuhan. Modern baleen whales have no teeth, unlike the toothed whales such as dolphins and orcas. Baleen whales have grooves along the jaws to support curtains of baleen, long thin strips of keratin, the protein that makes hair, feathers and fingernails. Hupehsuchus nanchangensis had just the same grooves and notches along the edges of its jaws, and we suggest it had independently evolved into some form of baleen. A paper on the findings appears in the journal BMC Ecology and Evolution. _____ ZC. Fang et al. 2023. First filter feeding in the Early Triassic: cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales. BMC Ecol Evo 23, 36; doi: 10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9 Saudi oil giant Aramco has awarded contracts worth SR604 million ($161 million) to two major local firms - Saudi Steel Pipe Company (SSP) and Arabian Pipes Company - for supply of steel pipes for its projects in the kingdom. SSP is one of the leading steel pipe manufacturers in the region (galvanised and non-galvanised steel pipes and square and rectangular pipes). It has a leading market share in Saudi Arabia and has over 28 years of operating experience in the steel pipe industry. As per the contract worth SR301.9 million ($80.4 million) awarded to SSP, it will supply oil and gas tubing to Aramco within a period of 12 months. The financial impact of this order is expected to materialise in the first and second quarter results of 2024, said the key pipe manufacturer in its filing to Saudi bourse Tadawul. This is the fourth contract win from Aramco for SSP this year thus taking its total tally to SR524.7 million ($140.3 million). On the Arabian Pipes Company order, Aramco said a contract worth SR302 million has been awarded to the company to supply steel pipes for its key projects in the kingdom. Arabian Pipes is a leading manufacturer of welded steel pipes for oil and gas sector as well as for structural and commercial utilisation with sizes range from 6 to 48 inch. Housing spotlight Dispute between RV occupants and rec center, SF Zoo ends in eviction Craig Lee/The Examiner Brandy Ruland, 50, and her brother Charles Ruland, 46 seen next to his 1955 Buick Special say they both lost their jobs at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. They have been part of a community living in a RV encampment on Zoo Road in The City. A stretch of asphalt near Lake Merced and the San Francisco Zoo has become embroiled in a battle between residents, businesses and the RV dwellers whove made Zoo Road their home. RV occupants have been squabbling with staff members at the zoo and adjacent Pomeroy Recreation Center for months, sometimes resulting in harassment from both sides. Brandy Ruland, who lives in a trailer about 1,000 feet away from the rec centers entrance, said the arguments have picked up in the last two months, culminating in a notice to vacate two weeks ago. Last week, the tight-knit RV communitys members began selling their belongings in anticipation of eviction but most are at a loss about where to go. The opposition asserts that The City should provide them with an appropriate space to park and live. I came out here because I knew about it; I knew it was not used very much and seemed like a good place to go, said Mike Sawyer, who has been living in a trailer on Zoo Road for the past couple of years. Before that, I lived on Egbert Avenue in the Bayview, and that was way worse than this garbage everywhere, (and) abandoned cars. This stretch of pavement overlooking the lake, he said, seemed safe. The home Sawyer shares with his 3-year-old pit bull mix, Trooper, is one of about a half-dozen trailers or RVs parked at the mouth of Zoo Road. While the number of vehicles has fluctuated over time, he maintains that the group has kept the area clean and safe while living there. The complaints from workers and pedestrians blindsided Ruland and Sawyer, they said. They say the guests (at the rec center) are afraid of us and that were intimidating, but thats the farthest thing from the truth, Ruland said. We say hi to everyone; we ask them how their day is. Were just here minding our own business, and we stay out of everyones way. She said the biggest safety concern is those people the ones complaining about her, Sawyer, and the rest of their community speeding down the road. Excruciatingly over the speed limit, she said. Our dog even got hit by a cop car not that long ago. The other side of the street Zoo Road, a public street that runs along the Pomeroy Recreation Center property, has become ground zero for dozens of 311 calls in recent months. Pomeroy CEO David Dubinsky said hes been fielding complaints from staff members and guests since 2021. Altercations have escalated recently, and his employees are pushing him to take action against the RV inhabitants. One of our staff, who has a significant disability himself they thought he was driving too fast and threw rocks at his car, Dubinsky said. Its not their job to patrol the street. He said The City isnt working with him to alleviate concerns. Instead, hes been the soundboard for a steady number of complaints mainly about people feeling unsafe and not being able to drive here. Dubinsky said he feels stuck in the middle. He tries to maintain a good rapport with the RV residents while keeping the peace with his employees and those who participate in services at the center, he said. I dont want the reputation that we pick and choose who we want to have compassion for in this city, he said. The current situation isnt sustainable for either group involved, he said, and he wishes there was an option that would satisfy everyone. In July, the RV residents received at least two notices from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency telling them they needed to leave, Sawyer said, and since then, theyve been asked to move their vehicles every so often. But Sawyer is used to this, for the most part. Hes received citations before. Right now, its at a low point where they (SFMTA) dont do anything, but itll pick up again, he said. Every month, every two months, all of a sudden, tickets on everything. Zoo employees have also gotten involved recently, he said, coming by and taking photos and making his community uncomfortable. Ruland said people driving by have verbally harassed them. The groups members said theyre aware of the complaints that have been made against them. Theyve heard that people think theyre running a chop shop, but Sawyer and others said they just have a couple of old cars theyre working on, and occasionally they repair other peoples cars. No agency claimed responsibility for serving the eviction notices in July, but everyone is packing up to leave this week regardless. My understanding is they have 72 hours to move, and youre not allowed to park here at this location for extended periods of time, Mike Farrah, legislative aide for Supervisor Myrna Melgar, told the Examiner. Farrah said the biggest concern is the occupation of multiple parts of the street with mostly garbage. The Zoo did not respond to The Examiners request for comment regarding the allegations the RV residents made about employees harassing them. SFMTA could not confirm the details of the notices that were given to the RV residents a few weeks ago, but spokesperson Stephen Chun did maintain that the agencys fines would vary depending on the violation, temporary tow signage or permanent signage or violation. Vehicles can be towed depending on the violation. What comes next The agency is working on a plan to restructure some of the roads near Lake Merced to make things a bit safer. The Lake Merced Quick-Build Project will reallocate some roads and segments of Lake Merced Boulevard, Skyline Boulevard and John Muir Drive, in an effort to reduce collisions and improve conditions for cyclists and pedestrians. The plan doesnt include the portion of Zoo Road, but it will likely affect other RV dwellers around the lake, which SFMTA will try to accommodate, Chun said in a statement to The Examiner. We are focusing our efforts on helping connect vehicle residents currently parked on this portion of Lake Merced Boulevard with services and shelter opportunities, supporting the considerable outreach and engagement effort that HSH and HOT have been making to this community since March, he said. Around 100 parking spaces will be removed from the east side of Lake Merced Boulevard, from Higuera Avenue to Winston Drive, to install a protected bike lane. Construction is planned for early September. While Zoo Road wont be affected, Sawyer and the others see the writing on the wall. For them, it just feels like there arent many good options, and they say The City has not reached out with resources. On Friday, Farrah said outreach efforts would be made soon. We will try and get some professionals out here that will assess the situation and see if theres an opportunity for us to move people who are regularly housed into some form of housing that the city provides, he said. Some members of Sawyers community said they are going south to San Diego or to other parts of the Bay Area. Ruland said she plans to take her RV back to Sonoma County, where she has family. Its a bittersweet decision. Its going to be sad because as much as I dont really like it, I do kind of like it, she said. But its only meant to be temporary. I dont want to live in an RV on the side of a road where nobody wants me around. As for Sawyer, he isnt sure where hed go next. The transmission of his trailer flooded during the winter storms, and he cant afford to fix it. If I do move, Id have to just leave this stuff and start over, he said. Office space group CLS Holdings swung to a big loss in the first half of 2023 due to a decline in property valuations. The company, which owns workspaces in the UK, Germany and France, reported a pre-tax loss of 106.4m for the six months ended 30 June, compared to a profit of 21.3m the year before. CLS shares were down 3.4% in early trading on Wednesday at 138.6p. Chief executive Fredrik Widlund cited challenging macroeconomic conditions as the company was forced to take a hit of 132.9m in valuation declines from its portfolio (-7.1% year-on-year). Net tangible assets per share fell 11.5% year-on-year to 291.6p, which it blamed on valuation declines and foreign exchange losses from a stronger sterling. In local currencies, the value of CLSs property portfolio declined by 8.1% in the UK, 3.3% in Germany and 1.9% in France. Nevertheless, the company reported a net rental income for the first half of 55.6m, up 5.3% year-on-year, as it maintained its interim dividend at 2.6p. "CLS remains focussed on executing operational and portfolio improvements, and our geographic diversity and high-quality properties continue to provide resilience and performance, Widlund said. Recent lettings are encouraging and demonstrate our ability to capture opportunities for our properties when they arise." TP Icap said that it was looking at ways to free up cash for investment, lower its debt and perhaps also to return to shareholders. The liquidity and data specialist also announced that it was launching a 30m share buyback programme. Those announcements came on the back of a 4.8% rise in statutory revenues to 1.13bn, for a 26% jump in profit before tax to 91m or 8.4p per share. Nicolas Breteau credited the firm's focus on productivity, contribution and "tight" cost management for the improvement. He also highlighted the "strong" performance in Energy & Commodities as energy markets normalised, together with the rollout of its Fusion electronic platform and said that the 100m of cash targeted for the front half of 2023 from its dynamic capital management had been freed six months of schedule. Revenues at the Global Broking unit dipped 1%, albeit on the back of strong comparators, but GB revenues per broker rose 6%. Energy and Commodities revenues jumped 12%, and by 5% at Parameta Solutions, while in Liquidnet they fell 6%. An annualised 38m of Liquidnet integration cost synergies were achieved, six months ahead of schedule. According to the company, the 100m of cash freed six months ahead of schedule, thanks to the opportunities thrown up by its decision to redomicile to Jersey would lower future net finance csts and boost its investment grade rating headroom. On the outlook, the company said it was on track to deliver the full-year targets outlined at its recent Capital Markets Day, but noted the appreciation in Sterling against the US dollar, with roughly 60% of its revenues denominated in the latter. The interim dividend was raised 7% to 4.8p per share. Nippon India Mutual Fund has announced the introduction of Nippon India Innovation Fund, an open-ended equity initiative that will invest in innovation themes. The new fund offer of the scheme will open for subscription, and it will close. The performance of the initiative will be benchmarked against Nifty 500 TRI. The initiative will be managed by Vinay Sharma, and Kinjal Desai (overseas investment). The investment objective of the scheme is to provide long-term capital appreciation to investors by primarily investing in equity and equity-related securities of companies seeking to benefit from innovation. That is, companies that invest in innovation, research and development, new product development or new platforms to enhance their business and gain share in their respective sectors.The minimum investment amount required during NFO is Rs 500 and in multiples of Re 1 there after. The scheme will offer a regular plan and direct plan with growth and IDCW options. The fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in innovative companies that have the potential to disrupt their industries and create significant value for investors in the long term. It will have the flexibility to invest across market caps and sectors. The fund's flexibility will allow it to identify the better investment opportunities by identifying companies ahead of the curve in new innovation, technologies or business models. The fund may be well-positioned to capture companies that have the potential for significant growth. The fund seeks to invest in innovative and disruptive technologies that may lead transformation and potentially may create future trendsetters. The fund will predominantly invest in a diversified portfolio of companies that are driving innovation across themes like fintech, specialty chemicals & pharma, auto & auto ancillaries, internet-based businesses, MNCs etc.Over the next 20 years India is likely to witness significant investment in Innovation and R&D (Research & Development). The need for creating differentiation through innovation is a key growth driver for the long-term success of any business. Participating in this space is critical as Innovation led transformation and transition may offer growth possibilities across multiple segments. Hence, we are launching Nippon India Innovation Fund to capture some of these potential opportunities. However, we also need to understand that such themes may have higher gestation periods as not all innovation will be successful and attempt to manage the risks through adequate diversification across sectors. says Sailesh Raj Bhan, CIO Equity Investments, Nippon India Mutual Fund. Okta, the leading independent identity provider, announced the opening of a new office in India as part of its ongoing commitment to driving secure digital transformation across Asia Pacific and world-class customer support. The companys Indian headquarters will be located in S.R. Nagar, Bengaluru, serving as hub for Okta's operations in the Indian subcontinent. It will be joined by a planned state-of-the-art R&D center supporting the development of Oktas identity solutions around the world. "We are excited to enter the Indian market and bring industry-leading identity to the countrys innovative businesses and government agencies, said Todd McKinnon, Oktas CEO and Co-Founder. We are deeply committed to supporting Indias growing digital economy and freeing everyone to use any technology safely. The digital identity market is growing briskly due to demand growth driven by rising cyber fraud and an increased need for authentication. There is a tremendous opportunity for India. A recent report by Avendus Capital states that India is expected to increase its cybersecurity spending by 18% between 2020 to 2025. The report also noted the shift in services towards cloud-based solutions and zero-trust architecture. "India is renowned for its technological innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. By establishing a dedicated presence here, we are better positioned to serve our Indian customers and partners, foster local innovation, and contribute to the continued growth of the Indian technology and cybersecurity landscape," said Ben Goodman, Okta SVP and GM for Asia Pacific and Japan. Building an Identity Ecosystem for Indian Customers & Partners In tandem with this market growth, Okta will continue to expand its presence, strengthen its partner ecosystem and enhance customer support. By establishing a physical presence in India, Okta will strengthen its ability to meet the evolving needs of local customers, partners and developers and deepen its engagement within the region's thriving technology community. Okta has already made early inroads into the country through its VC arm Okta Ventures, which invested in Bureau ID, an AI-powered identity decisioning platform provider. Bureau ID counts Indian household names like Bajaj Finserv, IIFL, Rapido, Kreditbee, Mahindra Finance, and SBM Bank as customers. Okta is also working with Darwinbox, India's leading HCM platform, on an out-of-the-box integration to deliver seamless and secure access to Darwinbox services through the Okta Integration Network (OIN). This adds to the 7000+ library of pre-built integrations in OIN that helps Okta customers securely accelerate their journey to the cloud. Okta's workforce identity and customer identity management solutions are trusted by organizations worldwide to secure and manage access to their critical applications and data. With the Indian market experiencing significant digital transformation across various sectors, Okta's presence will enable local businesses to enhance security, streamline identity processes, and accelerate digital initiatives. "India is in the thick of a digital revolution, and identity and access management has become a crucial element for organizations across industries," said Atul Agarwal, Okta India country head. "We are excited to be able to work closely with our customers and partners here, enabling them to embrace the power of identity to drive secure and seamless digital experiences for their users." The new office will also enable Okta to work closely with Indian policymakers and educational institutions so that it can deliver better customer value and play a bigger role in developing cybersecurity talent in the country. Okta will also be partaking in more large deployments and developing integrations that are more tailored to Indian enterprises needs. Plans for Okta Global Innovation Center In conjunction with the new office opening, Okta is also proud to share that Bangalore will be the site of its first innovation center in the Asia Pacific. With the abundance of tech, engineering, and R&D talent in India, the center will serve as a collaborative space for customers, partners, and developers to ideate, experiment, and co-create innovative solutions leveraging Okta's identity management platform. The Global Innovation Center underscores Okta's commitment to driving innovation within the digital identity space while reinforcing its position as a trusted partner for organizations embracing the future of secure and frictionless digital experiences, said Sagnik Nandy, President and Chief Development Officer at Okta. This facility will spearhead Oktas global research efforts in Engineering, Finance and Solutions Engineering. Okta is a proud recipient of Great Place to Work awards in multiple countries, said Okta Asia Vice President Neville Vincent. Employees underpin our success, and we are certainly looking to put our Indian colleagues workplace experience on par with their counterparts in the rest of the world. India is all set to initiate the BRICS Startup Forum in 2023 to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing among startups, investors, incubators, and emerging entrepreneurs, said commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, during the virtual 7th BRICS Industry Ministers meeting, hosted by South Africa as the Chair. The minister while highlighting the transformation that has taken place in India, also commented on the expanding Startup India initiative that has led to the creation of nearly 100,000 startups in the country. He focused on Transforming Production Systems" and the support India can offer to other BRICS members and the wider international community. Goyal reiterated Indias commitment to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (The World Is One Family) which underscores Indias commitment to being a responsible global citizen and working towards a more inclusive, tolerant and interconnected world. The industry ministers of other BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa) also attended the meeting and the joint declaration was adopted. They also re-emphasized on the need for digitalization, industrialization, innovation, inclusiveness, and investment among BRICS countries. They recognized the increasing importance of Industry 4.0 and other emerging technologies in promoting digital transformation of all economic sectors. Through the declaration, the BRICS members acknowledged the need for human resource development and exploring opportunities for cooperation on upskilling and reskilling programs. The ministers reiterated their commitment to deepen industrial cooperation and expedite the recovery and growth of the industrial economy through jointly creating an open, fair, vibrant, resilient and non-discriminatory environment. The ministers recognized the key role of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and the importance of their integration and diversification into global industrial chains, supply chains and value chains. They also underlined the need for creating market opportunities within the BRICS countries for inclusive growth of projects owned/managed by women, youth and disadvantaged groups. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A Staten Island man has been arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a 25-year-old man inside a Mariners Harbor deli that occurred three years ago. Abdul Olasupo, 26, of Holland Avenue, faces murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment charges, according to police. The victim, Kaseem Scott, 25, of Mariners Harbor, was wounded in the chest around 9:30 p.m. on July 22, 2020, inside Holland Deli at 3400 Richmond Terrace, police said. He later died at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton. Scott had returned home from prison just days prior, the Advance/SILive.com previously reported. He had been paroled after being incarcerated since December 2017 for a conviction of criminal possession of a weapon, according to public records. Detectives at the time believed Scott, who lived around the corner from the scene of his slaying, was targeted as a result of a long-standing dispute and likely knew his killer. Defense attorney information for Olasupo was not readily available. This is a breaking news story. More information will be added once it becomes available. CITY HALL Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday that officials will need to set up more and more migrant shelters in less than desirable locations if higher levels of government dont step up to address the ongoing crisis. The mayors comments came in response to an Advance/SILive.com question about local backlash to a possible shelter coming to the former Island Shores assisted-living development in Midland Beach. Adams didnt directly address reaction from five Republican elected officials City Councilman David Carr (R-Mid-Island), Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), Borough President Vito Fossella, State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore) and Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn) but said the city will need to keep finding emergency locations to house people. People are just feeling the weight of this, he said. I understand the feeling that people are having on the ground, but this is what out of space means. We have to find less-than desirable locations for people to stay. Island Shores is shown Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. (Jan Somma-Hammel/Staten Island Advance) While the mayor says he understands the feeling on the ground, locals are ready to make their voices heard about the Midland Beach location at 1111 Father Capodanno Blvd. The five local elected officials plan to host a rally at 10:30 a.m. Saturday outside the location, and Carr said Wednesday that its time for the city to head in a new direction with the migrant crisis. The migrant crisis cannot be solved on the backs of Staten Islanders or New Yorkers at-large. Beyond the astronomical financial burden that sheltering migrants has put on our city, it also comes with enormous social costs, the councilman said. We shouldnt be converting needed space for senior living or schools into a shelter. Even if the federal government gives us additional resources, the city should declare an end to housing new foreign nationals arriving in New York. The crux of the mayors Wednesday briefing was the rising costs of caring for the tens of thousands of people who have more-than doubled the citys sheltered homeless population, and the need for more help from the federal government. Estimates shared Wednesday put the cost of the crisis for the city at more than $12 billion through July 2025 with the city already having spent $1.45 billion. Part of the cause of rising costs has been a continued influx of migrants into the city despite a decreased estimate of crossings at the southern border. Just last week, nearly 3,000 migrants arrived in the city, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom said Wednesday. Of the new arrivals, more than 50,000 remain in the citys care causing officials to set up 198 emergency shelter sites around the five boroughs including 13 massive humanitarian emergency relief and response centers, and sites at Staten Island hotels and at least one former school building. The Adams administration has not confirmed specific plans for the Midland beach site, and the institutions owners, non-profit organization called Homes for the Homeless, has deferred inquiries to the city. News first broke of changes coming to the location in September of last year when the Advance/SILive.com reported that Homes for the Homeless was moving to sell the building. In a Sept. 26 letter to residents, Island Shores management sent notice that a possible sale meant the 53 people living there would need to find new housing by March 1, 2023, and now, local officials believe the 288-bed site will be used as a migrant shelter. Linda Bazerjian, managing director of communications for Homes for the Homeless, told the Advance/SILive.com in September that the ideal outcome was for another senior housing provider to take over the site, but that apparently hasnt happened. Carr said Monday that his understanding is the Midland Beach shelter will be for women and children. The rally-organizing Republicans penned a letter to Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Park, head of the agency that oversees city shelters, decrying the transition from senior to homeless housing This site was an important cornerstone in our senior care system and we have been advocating to the owner of the site to sell to an entity with a similar end-use as a senior retirement facility, they wrote. With several potential buyers interested in providing some type of long-term care to Staten Islanders this migrant shelter sets back Staten Islanders senior healthcare options. The site opened in the 1970s as Midland Manor a senior living facility under different ownership but transitioned to a womens shelter after Homes for the Homeless purchased the site in 1987. Homes for the Homeless transitioned the site back to senior housing in 1999 after the city, under former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, declined to award a 5-year contract worth $15 million for the organization to continue the shelter. Locals reacted positively to the change, according to reporting from the time. I havent slept, I really cant believe this, Yasmin Ammirato, president of the Midland Beach Civic Association, said at the time. We had to accept the shelter, and we did the best we could. Now its time for something more positive in the community. I think its great. An Advance clip from 1999 broke news about a former women's shelter's transition to senior housing. (Advance file) Amid the latest crisis, Adams has offered no hint that he sees an end in site, and his calls for more help from higher levels of government have continually fallen on deaf ears. One possible sign of hope has been an indication that more states and localities away from the southern border are starting to feel the effects of the international crisis, including Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healys Tuesday declaration of emergency. Now, theres a chorus that people are singing the song that we wrote, and I believe were starting to see some of the impact, Adams said. I was extremely pleased to see the governor of Massachusetts saying what I was saying, people wanted [it] to seem like I was the anti-Democratic Party, because I was saying that we deserve to treat people better. MORE NYC NEWS Staten Island assisted living facility will turn into NYC migrant shelter NYC earmarks $200,000 in funds for 2 Staten Island projects NYC continues to see spike in migrants, driving some onto street NYPD tows illegally parked commercial truck on Staten Island Murders have doubled on Staten Island, yet NYC anti-gun campaign will be focused elsewhere STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. With back-to-school about a month away, the office of City Council Member Joseph Borelli (R - Staten Island) will be organizing a Back-to-School Supply Drive. Opening day for the drive was Monday, Aug. 7 and its set to run through Wednesday, Aug. 23 just in time for the first day of school. Borelli invites community-spirited individuals who may be doing some back-to-school supply shopping this year to pick up a few extra items in order to donate to Staten Islands less fortunate children. He reveals items may be dropped off at his Rossville office or shipped directly to the District Office of Councilman Joseph Borelli at 2955 Veterans Road West, Suite #2E, Staten Island, NY 10309. For any additional questions, e-mail Councilman Borelli at borelli@council.nyc.gov or phone 718 984-5151. Borelli said, Each year I am happy to help collect school supplies for many of our young children in need. The first days of school can be scary enough for a child and hectic enough for a parent, without worrying about where they will find a pencil or crayons. Thank you in advance to everyone willing to donate, it is very much appreciated. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Did Mondays rain get you down? If you think we had it bad on Staten Island, be glad you werent in central New York, where a village was hit with nearly two months worth of rain in just 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The village of Liverpool, a suburb of Syracuse, was smothered by a downpour on Monday. The drenching rain continued into Tuesday, with a seven-inch total occurring within a 24-hour period, the NWS said. Other communities in Onondaga County, where Syracuse is located, sustained diluvial rains, as well, according to SILive.coms sister site, Syracuse.com. In Brewerton, 5.1 inches were recorded by a volunteer weather spotter. And nearly four inches were measured in Clay and Camillus. Meanwhile, New York City residents had little to complain about, as the NWS recorded a rainfall total of just 1.12 inches in Central Park on Monday and .01 inches on Tuesday. A woman who was injured in a drunken fall last summer has filed a lawsuit against Martells Tiki Bar and its bartenders, alleging they kept serving her alcohol even though she was clearly intoxicated. Mary Santoro, of Westfield, states in court papers she was visibly intoxicated July 14, 2022, at the boardwalk bar in Point Pleasant Beach but the bartenders kept the drinks coming anyway. Martells and its bartenders negligently served and sold intoxicating substances while she was in a visibly intoxicated condition, states the lawsuit, filed June 7 in Superior Court of Union County. At the same time, the establishment allegedly allowed a dangerous condition to exist on the premises, which along with Santoros intoxicated state caused her to fall and injure herself, the lawsuit claims. The suit does not state how or where Santoro fell. The attorney who filed the lawsuit did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment. Santoros lawsuit alleges negligence and violations of New Jerseys Dram Shop Law, which seeks to hold vendors responsible for damages if the person who caused the damages was visibly intoxicated when served. An attorney for Martells did not return a call seeking comment. In an answer to Santoros complaint, however, Martells lawyers say that if the woman was injured, the injuries were caused by her own contributory negligence. Martells denies any wrongdoing, and alleges Santoros injuries were due to unavoidable circumstances and causes beyond the control or fault of Martells and its employees, the answer says. The suit is not the first against Martells Tiki Bar. The establishment was sued a decade ago after a Bergen County woman became intoxicated at the beach bar in August 2013 and was killed in a wrong way crash on Route 18 in Old Bridge while headed home. The crash injured another driver, who also sued Martells. Both lawsuits were settled out of court for undisclosed amounts, and Martells did not admit to wrongdoing. The state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, however, ruled that bartenders at Martells had served the woman after she was already intoxicated and fined the business owners. Martells later pleaded no contest to violations of state and local liquor laws and had its liquor license suspended for a month. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Curious, isnt it, how some who loudly profess American freedom are obsessed with denying it to others? Dont tread on me while I dictate the decisions a woman and a doctor may discuss about the womans own body. I am free to parrot obscure conspiracies, but you may not read history that I dont approve. Defend to the death the right to work, but oppose the unions that would safeguard that right. Pretty twisted. That makes it easy for liars to pull us down the road of fear, rather than finding and building on our bounteous common ground. Lies poison democracy. America has outgrown many threats over the years; we cannot succumb to this. (Andrew Kass is a West Brighton resident.) The clash highlighted a predicament faced by Western governments trying to find weapons for Ukraine after more than a year of intense warfare -- arms they discarded as obsolete are now in high demand, and often owned by private companies. The German-made Leopards were at the center of a public spat earlier this year after Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder said the government had explored buying back tanks to send to Ukraine but had been quoted unreasonable prices. Dozens of second-hand Leopard 1 tanks that once belonged to Belgium have been bought by another European country for Ukrainian forces fighting Russia's invasion, the arms trader who did the deal said Tuesday. 'More Than Happy to Take Them' Freddy Versluys, CEO of defense company OIP Land Systems, bought the tanks from the Belgian government more than five years ago. He told Reuters he had now sold all 50 tanks to another European government, which he could not name due to a confidentiality clause. He said he also could not disclose the price. Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper reported Tuesday that arms maker Rheinmetall had acquired the tanks and would prepare most of them for export to Ukraine. The company declined to comment. "The fact that they leave our company proves that we asked for a fair market price, and someone was more than happy to take them," Versluys said in a post on LinkedIn, accompanied by a picture of tanks next to a bottle of Ukrainian vodka. Battlefield Ready in Months He said the tanks were now being transported to a factory for a substantial overhaul. Some of the tanks would be used for spare parts, while others would be repaired, he said. He estimated it could be four to six months before they were on the battlefield in Ukraine. A defense source told Reuters that the German government was paying for 32 of the Leopard 1 tanks to be restored and sent to Ukraine and that this was part of a support package for Ukraine that Germany announced at the NATO summit July in Vilnius. The German Defense Ministry had no immediate comment. Several of Kyiv's Western allies agreed earlier this year to send modern Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and also to send older Leopard 1 models. The Leopard 1 was made by German firm Krauss-Maffei starting in the 1960s. It is lighter than the Leopard 2 and has a different type of main gun. The models sold by Versluys were last upgraded in the 1990s. A spokesperson for the Belgian Defense Ministry declined to comment on the sale of the tanks. 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! The company whose name became synonymous with remote work is joining the growing return-to-office trend. Zoom, the video conferencing pioneer, is asking employees who live within a 50-mile radius of its offices to work onsite two days a week, a company spokesperson confirmed in an email. The statement said the company has decided that "a structured hybrid approach -- meaning employees that live near an office need to be onsite two days a week to interact with their teams -- is most effective for Zoom." The new policy, which will be rolled out in August and September, was first reported by the New York Times, which said Zoom CEO Eric Yuan fielded questions from employees unhappy with the new policy during a Zoom meeting last week. Advertisement Eating outBest of Six of Melbournes hottest hotel bars to check out Tomas Telegramma August 10, 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 The hotel boom of the past few years means Melbourne came out of the pandemic well and truly ready to receive visitors. The city has a host of excellent new hotels, mostly from big global brands, and some which established roots here for the first time. A creative cocktail at The Royces shiny Showroom Bar. Bonnie Savage With the wave of openings came not only luxury accommodation, but all the trimmings including impressive restaurants helmed by top local chefs and, of course, cocktail bars. We spent a few nights bar hopping across the hotels and found the new guard of openings stack up as some of the citys most exciting the kinds of places youd be delighted to find after youve checked into your room and realised youre dying for a well-made drink. The view from Cameo looks over Melbournes west. Supplied Advertisement Cameo, The Ritz-Carlton On the 80th storey, Cameo might not have the same fine dining as its newly hatted sibling Atria or the same skyline views, as it looks out over Marvel Stadium and the expanse of western suburbs but the Ritz-Carltons new cocktail hotspot stands out from the hotel bar pack. At a glance, the prices on the first few pages of the weighty, leather-bound drinks list might shock you $125 for a Sidecar? But look a little closer. Theyre all made with rare and antique spirits, some more than 100 years old, like the 1917 Calvet Grande Champagne Cognac in that Sidecar. The league-of-its-own list was designed by booze baron and baroness Michael and Zara Madrusan (the Everleigh, Bar Margaux, Heartbreaker). The pricey signature cocktails are available in half-serves, for around half the price, starting at $35 for the mini 1943 Martini. 650 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, cameobar.com.au Advertisement Curious features an undulating ceiling of brightly lit timber beams. Supplied Curious, W Melbourne It was loosely inspired by Alice in Wonderland, so the fact that theres a lot going on at the Ws underground cocktail bar is kind of the point. An undulating ceiling of big timber beams emulates the rabbit hole, which the door person will whisk you down through a voluptuous velvet curtain. If you want to soak up the surrounds, theres a good vibe to bunker down for a midweek cocktail. But to find Curious at its most chock-a-block, book a table for Friday or Saturday night and watch as it gets boisterous, edging into club territory, with tables splurging on champagne magnums. Those after a quiet weekend nightcap wont find it here. Cocktails are as theatrical as the space (peppermint air, anyone?) and play on Melbournes stereotypical north-south rivalry (will it be one inspired by the Fitzroy Garage Party or the lavender-laden Too Right Its Toorak?). Advertisement 408 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, curiousmelbourne.com The Douglas Club is a quintessential hotel bar. Kristoffer Paulsen The Douglas Club, The Hilton Three grandiose archways mark the spot at the Hiltons Little Queen Street location, which opened in the historical Equity Chambers a former barristers chambers in 2021. Two radiant rooms that bookend the entrance form The Douglas Club, a quintessential hotel bar with all the slickness youd expect from the Hilton brand, but a particularly convivial staff that may have you sticking around longer than expected, even as others flit in and out. All the usual cocktail suspects get shaken up behind the stately bar, plus some that go their own way. The punchy Elements is bay-leaf-infused gin mixed with the brine of chillies pickled in-house, and theres a rum-heavy number thats like a lamington in drinkable form. Snacks keep it simple but smart: duck fat gnocchi fritti are topped with truffle salt and parmesan, and the horseradish-spiked steak tartare is served on a tapioca crisp for handheld convenience. Advertisement 472 Bourke Street, Melbourne, thedouglasclub.com.au The Showroom Bar is in a former Rolls-Royce dealership. Bonnie Savage Showroom Bar, The Royce With a name thats not just for show, this chintzy new hotel bar is in an old Rolls-Royce showroom on St Kilda Road. And it shows. Every surface shines from the marble floor, to the mirrored columns, to the original vaulted ceiling making it a beacon for The Royce, which straddles South Yarra and the CBD. Its the kind of place where it feels like deals are being done around you, but casual-cool service keeps the vibe welcoming. The signature cocktails go slightly off-piste with solid results (like the Paradisi, with Hendricks gin, Campari, Aperol, grapefruit bitters and Perrier mineral water), while the wine list is surprisingly approachable and affordable, if you want it to be. To eat? Everything from one-biters (cheddar and jalapeno croquettes with black-garlic aioli) to full-on meals (generous lobster rolls and club sandwiches). Advertisement 379 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, roycehotel.com.au Amphlett House offers more pub-style fare. Ashley Ludkin Amphlett House, Laneways by Ovolo Melbournes CBD isnt as flush with reliable pubs as its inner suburbs, but Amphlett House in the citys Paris End, at the recently revamped Laneways by Ovolo hotel is one of them. Its flown somewhat under the radar since opening late last year, but its beyond-the-classics pub grub and cocktail list, curated by celebrated chef Ian Curley (French Saloon) and drinks expert Andrea Gualdi (once at Sydneys Maybe Sammy), respectively, make it the sort of one-stop shop youd be stoked to find beneath your hotel. In this economy, the daily happy hour ($5 pints and wines from 4pm to 6pm) has serious pulling power. But its worth lingering for snacks such as the harissa-spiced fish Scotch egg and the brioche with duck liver parfait, and cocktails that put native ingredients front and centre (the headliners are a Wattleseed Negroni and a Finger Lime Daiquiri). Advertisement 19-25 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, ovolohotels.com Lona Misa, Backroom; Ovolo South Yarra With a Shannon Martinez-designed menu, Lona Misa a lively Latin-inspired diner with an entirely vegan or vegetarian menu is the first thing you see at Ovolos boutique hotel, on Toorak Road in South Yarra. But be guided by a glowing neon martini glass down a staircase to find Backroom, the hotels subterranean bar, which will give you a taste of the Lona Misa magic. Plant-based morcilla at Lona Misa. Chloe Dann That could mean a convincingly meaty but completely plant-based take on morcilla (Spanish blood sausage), or golden deep-fried olives stuffed with queso fresco. Pair them with on-the-mark cocktails from a tight list (Tommys Marg, Rob Roy) and your pre- or post-dinner drink is sorted. Red is definitely Backrooms colour, with the whole space blanketed in plush curtains and armchairs. Advertisement Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up The Australian government has updated its advice for citizens travelling to Hawaii after fires fanned by winds of a distant hurricane scorched parts of Hawaiis Big Island and devastated much of the resort city Lahaina on Maui. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trades Smart Traveller website is asking travellers to consider changing their travel plans to avoid affected areas. It also recommends travellers contact their travel operator or accommodation provider to check that it is not currently impacted, follow the advice of authorities and monitor local media for updates. Acknowledging that it can be frightening to see an emergency unfold in a place your family member or friend is travelling, the Department asked family and friends back home in Australia not to panic if they are having trouble contacting a family member. If you cant make contact at first, be patient and keep trying. Remember that phone networks may be overloaded. Sexual assault trials in NSW remain traumatic experiences for many victims, with some judges still allowing barristers to ask the same hurtful stereotypical questions, their behaviours hardly touched by years of reform and societal change. That is one of the disturbing implications of a Bureau of Crime and Statistics report into the experience of complainants in the NSW District Court, showing they often battle myths and stereotypes about how they should have acted if they were victims of a real rape. NSW sexual assault trials are dogged by persistent myths about the way a genuine victim acts, stymying attempts to reform the justice system and help survivors get justice, a government-commissioned report has found. Credit: Sandy Scheltema Prepared by University of Wollongong and University of NSW researchers who looked at transcripts from 75 trials over a five-year period, they found NSW courts remain places where rape is regularly portrayed as being perpetrated by a stranger, committed in a public places and results in injuries or involves a weapon. In fact, the report found that in overwhelming numbers men assault acquaintances or partners rather than strangers, assaults almost always happen at home rather than in public and complainants contact police within hours rather than years. Yet, reality in court is that 84 per cent of women under cross-examination were asked why they delayed making a complaint, 53 per cent why they failed to resist attack, 55 per cent why they failed to say no and 73 per cent were accused of lying for ulterior purposes. This study lays bare the confronting reality of how caustic the trial process can be for those seeking justice, BOCSAR executive director Jackie Fitzgerald said. The screening of a former childcare worker now facing multiple rape charges did not raise any red flags, and all appropriate steps were taken, Queenslands attorney-general says. Yvette DAth told a parliamentary hearing the Blue Card screening process, including a criminal check, did not turn up any concerning information about the man, who is accused of abusing 91 children while working at childcare centres in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas between 2007 and 2022. Queensland Attorney-General Yvette DAth says Blue Card checks undertaken on a man accused of abusing 91 children did not return any criminal history. Credit: Matt Dennien The 45-year-old faces 1623 charges, including 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10. DAth said the Australian Federal Police notified her office about charges of disqualifying offences against the man, and his working-with-children card was suspended on the same day in August. Police have identified human remains that were found tightly wrapped and hidden behind concrete at a Brisbane unit. Tanya Lee Glover. Homicide detectives and the Australian Federal Police identified the woman as Tanya Lee Glover, who is believed to have moved to Queensland from New South Wales in 2006. She lived in the Fortitude Valley area until 2010, police said. Cleaners had discovered Glovers remains in a void behind concrete Besser blocks in the lower level of an Alderley unit complex in the citys north in December last year. A rift in the Victorian First Peoples Assembly over its support for a national Indigenous Voice to parliament has sparked warnings that looming treaty negotiations with the state government will suffer from any disunity. The push from a minority faction to reverse the assemblys formal endorsement of the Voice will be discussed at a meeting of the board on Thursday, but nine members of the representative body say the attempt is doomed to fail. Co-chairs of the First Peoples Assembly Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg and Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dhudhuuroa and Dja Dja Wurrung woman Ngarra Murray. Credit: Justin McManus New member Gary Murray a community leader descended from multiple clan groups is part of the faction urging a revisit of the bodys endorsement of the Voice, saying he would put a motion to the floor to reopen debate on the issue, and potentially seek another vote which, he says, could reverse the formal support. Murray, a long-time critic of the representative structure of the assembly, said a new batch of members elected to the 32-member assembly in June did not support the position adopted by the previous assembly. She has hundreds of staff, six venues nine by the end of the year a supermarket dumplings business, a mega production kitchen making dumplings for supermarkets around the nation and one of the highest staff retention rates in hospitality. But according to hospo entrepreneur and owner of the Miss Chow brand, Jacquie Chan: hospitality is just my side hustle. Jacquie Chan specialises in fusion on steriods. Innovative, yet sensible. Credit: Rob Broadfield My day job is a pearl and diamond trader, she says. One wonders how much time she spends on diamonds and pearls. She seems to be constantly in her restaurant businesses, meeting chefs and floor crews, chasing down new ideas and new menus. She is a restless over-achiever and in the parlance of Seinfeld, a fast talker. Billions of federal taxpayers money is at risk of being wasted across the public service by the poor way bureaucrats buy vital goods and services, a bipartisan parliamentary committee has found while calling for a far-reaching overhaul of tendering processes. The committee, headed by Labor MP Julian Hill, found there were consistent failures across key departments and agencies to get value for money for taxpayers through substandard contract management. A bipartisan committee says billions of dollars is potentially being wasted by federal government departments failing to get value for money from major contracts. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Some of the biggest winners from the current contract system are the five major consulting firms who, in many cases, were found to have contract extensions or favourable access to new contracts. In the 2021-22 financial year, more than $80 billion worth of work and goods were bought by the federal government through 90,000 contracts with more than 12,000 businesses. A national deal on housing will seek to speed up approvals for property projects that add new homes around major road and rail routes, as state and federal leaders negotiate new ways to boost supply. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is confident of securing pledges from state premiers to tackle key obstacles to new housing projects, naming zoning laws as a challenge for national cabinet when it meets in Brisbane next week. Anthony Albanese has listed some of the key areas where the states will agree to tackle the housing crisis. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen With federal officials forecasting a shortage of 106,000 dwellings by 2027, the prime minister has been talking to premiers about further commitments on planning and zoning to underpin earlier agreements, including a $2 billion payment from Canberra to the states and territories in June. While Albanese offered the $2 billion in federal cash so the states and territories could fund more social housing, he also wants an outcome in Brisbane on a separate National Housing Accord that was agreed last October with a stated goal of adding a million homes over five years. Nationals leader David Littleproud has declared he is open to having a nuclear power plant in his Queensland electorate, as the Coalition pushes a new plan to convert Australias existing fleet of coal plants to the controversial source of electricity generation. Coalition energy spokesman Ted OBrien said on Wednesday nuclear energy was a crucial emissions-reduction technology. He called for a national discussion about ending Australias moratorium, and argued that existing coal plants could be supplanted with the developing nuclear technology of small modular reactors. Cooling towers at a nuclear power facility in France. Credit: Bloomberg Federal parliament banned nuclear power in 1998, and the moratorium has remained in place with bipartisan support. I would support a process to explore small-scale modular reactor technology in my electorate with appropriate consultation and education of the community if a moratorium was removed, Littleproud said. Samsung held on to its lead in the global smartphone market by selling over 50 million units in the second quarter of this year. According to market researcher Counterpoint Research, Samsung devices outsold their Apple counterparts, accounting for 20 percent of the market, 3 percent more than Apple. However, Counterpoint Research also noted that Apple recorded operating profit of US$11.05 billion, seven times more than Samsung at $1.56 billion, reflecting the higher average selling price of Apple smartphones. According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, the average iPhone selling price was $1,000 this year, compared to Samsung Galaxy's $300. Pundits believe Samsung may be betting on higher profit ratios after the release of its latest premium phones on Aug. 11. Home owners banking on improved public transport links in Sydneys west and inner west are anxiously awaiting greater clarity on the future of the Metro West line. The planned line from Westmead to the CBD, now under review, has been an increasing drawcard for home buyers recently as work got under way on the 24-kilometre metro. Thomas Van Harskamp and Gavin Ward bought an apartment in Sydney Olympic Park days before the future of the Metro West line was put in doubt. Credit: Janie Barrett But now with the route, number of stations and their locations under review, and doubt hanging over the project, owners are concerned the benefits they were banking on from improved commutes to better capital growth may not come to fruition. Gavin Ward and Thomas Van Harskamp bought an apartment in Sydney Olympic Park days before Premier Chris Minns said the project was being reviewed and refused to rule out axing it altogether. No other continent is as spider-webbed by train lines as Europe, nor offers such a variety of tourist trains, which meander through splendid landscapes, haul you onto mountain summits, or waft you in luxury between glamorous cities. But while special tourist trains are the subject of plenty of marketing hype, theyre far from cheap. The Orient-Express takes you from Paris to Venice for $6600, but you can make the same rail journey in a sleeper, with one change in Milan, for about 80 ($127). The Orient Express from Paris to Venice will set you back $6600 a night. Credit: Dimorestudio You wont get the luxe or meals of the Orient-Express, but $6600 will buy you a whole week of very posh hotel rooms and dinners, instead of a single night. One of Europes most popular tourist trains takes you atop the Jungfrau in central Switzerland and costs CHF 119.40 ($194). But if youre feeling frisky, you can enjoy the most scenic parts of the ride for free. Platinex Commences Exploration At Shining Tree and Mallard Gold Projects After raising C$2.7M in March and closing the South Timmins JV with Fancamp, Platinex (PTX:CSE)(9PX:FRA) has been busy doing reconnaissance exploration and further developing of exploration plans for their Shining Tree, Heenan and Mallard gold projects located in the Abitibi region, and near well-known assets like CotA (IAMGold/Sumitomo) and Juby (Aris Gold). Since gold is trading near US$2,000 levels and the markets might be facing a soft landing and potentially one more rate hike, followed by a neutral period before a clear pivot sets in, the timing seems to be right for Platinex. Although sentiment isna?t exactly positive at the Venture these days, Platinex has been working hard behind the scenes, accomplishing a lot throughout 2023 although not always with visible results, but since exploration is now the focus for the company I expect this to change soon. A A All pictures are company material, unless stated otherwise. All currencies are in US Dollars, unless stated otherwise. As expected, the newly acquired Heenan Mallard Gold project which borders IAMGOLDa?s CAtA Gold Project, and the Shining Tree Gold Property are the first projects to be explored, including a small drill program for Heenan Mallard. Platinex also plans to drill the W2 Ni-Cu project in the upcoming winter. Following the acquisition of the new gold project near Shining Tree and the joint venture transaction, CEO Ferron decided to focus on Heenan Mallard and Shining Tree. He also focused on completing the permitting and community work at the W2 Cu-Ni-PGE project. In addition, for Muskrat Dam, the company continues to focus on increasing the project profile and building relationships with First Nations. This is understandable as you have to tread carefully regarding permitting and First Nations, although the timing isna?t ideal as lithium is in a red hot stage again, almost singlehandedly saving sentiment on the Venture these days after Patriot Battery Metals came out with a maiden resource of 109Mt, and a strategic investment of C$109M by giant Albemarle one day later. Therefore, Ia?m certainly looking forward to exploration news from Muskrat Dam. Asked about a timeline, CEO Ferron stated sampling and prospecting at Muskrat Dam will be completed in August following a grant received from Ontario Government for C$200k which was received in late July 2023. When looking at the latestA company presentation on their website I noticed that Muskrat Dam was scheduled for a sale in 2024 for equity, after sampling lithium outcrops this year. One would think that if sampling results would be good, drilling it yourself would be the easiest way to get traction for your exploration dollars. When asked about this, CEO Ferron answered: aWe will of course contemplate all options but the idea is not necessarily an outright sale but actually a spin-off and merger with another player to ensure capital can be accessed for MD. This also allows Platinex to be focused on W2 and Gold joint venture.a Since Platinex is the operator in the South Timmins JV with Fancamp, it designed and very recently commenced an initial exploration program of C$1.1M which was funded from the recent financing, and after this earn in funds paid for by Fancamp start in 2024. The initial program consists of three separate programs, for Mallard, Heenan and Shining Tree. The current cash position is C$2M. The exploration program for Mallard will commence in August, and includes prospecting, geochemical surveying, and geological mapping. The primary objective is to identify potential extensions of the Camp and River zones which were previously explored by Noranda and had revealed gold mineralization hosted within two northwest-oriented shear zones. Following the completion of this program, Platinex plans to conduct a diamond drilling program focused on Camp, River, and new targets generated in the area from the upcoming fieldwork. There are advantages and cost savings for a winter drill program, and timing will be determined once management sees the results in August. The project could be drilled in the fall as well, but the costs are higher due to access. The second exploration program focuses on Shining Tree, and Platinex recommenced activity on July 24, 2023, and is currently advancing a comprehensive program at the Ronda/Central Area including Area 3 of the Shining Tree Gold Project. The central area hosts numerous gold occurrences and small historic producers, and past workers have largely focused on individual vein occurrences. This is a simple claim map, please keep the global shape of the claim package in mind: And this is a more detailed map, also indicating mineralized trends and structures, if you look closely you can recognize the claim package boundaries as shown at the map above: The Joint Venture intends to assess the possible long-strike relationship between these occurrences, and the cross-strike potential, which has been largely ignored. The program includes prospecting, geochemical surveying, and geological mapping. Additionally, stripping and trenching in the Ronda area is planned to better understand the mineralization controls on the surface. Exploration work is also planned in Area 1 which will include reconnaissance prospecting and geological mapping to target the RTDZ northwest of the Herrick area. Work at Shining Treea?s Area 2 (projected 6 km strike length of the RTDZ) and confirmed with subsequent soil gas hydrocarbon and B-horizon soil sampling has been completed in July, and results will be announced following the receipt of assays within two weeks. . After the assays have been received and interpreted, drill targeting will start asap. The drill program will consist of two phases: 1. new targets in the new areas based on results from the work done the last two years, and 2. expanding the Herrick resource and possibly drilling the former Ronda mine located in the central area of the project. According to CEO Ferron, he likes to assign a C$1.3M budget to this drill program, and has scheduled 2,000m for drilling in October, and Mallard in the winter. Shining Tree could also become a priority for drilling following the results at Ronda trenching. A A Last but not least is the Heenan project. A stripping program is planned to commence in September with drilling anticipated to follow upon the completion of the program. The idea is drilling 1,000m at Heenan, also planned for October. A The last project in Platinexa?s portfolio is the W2 Copper-Nickel-PGE project, also in Ontario. It is adjacent to Northern Superiora?s TPK project and Barrick has taken a large land position that ties onto Platinexa?s claims. Platinex recently received additional mineral exploration permits for the project and is in the process of digitizing and compiling historical drillhole data into a 3D model. Maxwell plate modelling of airborne geophysical data is also being carried out, and will be usedA in conjunctionA with the 3D drillhole modelA in orderA to refine targeting for a drill program that is expected to start in early winter 2024. Community workA with the First NationsA is progressingA well. The company was recently invited to a Mining Day event held by one of the nearby aboriginal communities and attended with representatives from other companies including Barrick and Ring of Fire Metals. Platinexa?s technical team has significant ties to the project, with Ike Osmani having managed drillA programsA there for Aurora Platinum, and Blaine Webster having completed geophysical surveys as part of the original Inco exploration team. Needless to say they know the project very well, and are excited to get drilling underway. Planned exploration consists of infill drilling to establish the continuity of the historically-defined 7.5 km long widely-spaced CuNi-PGE mineralization corridor, and drill testing several high conductance-high magnetic susceptibility geophysical anomalies identified in a 2008 VTEM survey over the eastern portion of W2. Platinex also plans to carry out a ground gravity survey over the ultramafic intrusion to detect potential chromite mineralization in the northeast part of the western W2 claims, and conducting petrographic and/or preliminary bench-scale metallurgical studies to justify additional drilling along strike of the Fe-Ti-V mineralization in the northwestern part of the W2 claims. According to Ferron, the phase 1 drill program is 2,500m to infill around the historic resources area and infill drill holes along the 5-7km mineralized trend, and as aforementioned will take place in January 2024. Conclusion At Heenan, Mallard and Shining Tree, Platinex has commenced its exploration program for this year on JV ground. After lots of sampling, mapping and trenching, drilling is expected to commence in October at Shining Tree, and later on at Mallard and Heenan. At Muskrat DamA exploration work at this project will start with sampling this month. A The W2 project is scheduled for January 2024 or earlier, depending on financings. So after a long wait, Platinex is shifting gears, and will hopefully come with actionable news soon, as shareholders deserve it by now. Stay tuned! I hope you will find this article interesting and useful, and will have further interest in my upcoming articles on mining. To never miss a thing, please subscribe to my free newsletter atA www.criticalinvestor.eu, in order to get an email notice of my new articles soon after they are published. Disclaimer:A The author is not a registered investment advisor, and currently has a long position in this stock, including stock options. Platinex is a sponsoring company. All facts are to be checked by the reader. For more information go to www.platinex.com and read the companya?s profile andA official documents onA www.sedar.com, alsoA for important risk disclosures. This article is provided for information purposes only, and is not intended to be investment advice of any kind, and all readers are encouraged to do their own due diligence, and talk to their own licensed investment advisors prior to making any investment decisions. Westward Gold Closes Oversubscribed Non-Brokered C$1.04M PP It has been quiet for a while, since Westward Gold Inc. (WG.CSE) released the results of their first deep confirmation hole at their flagship Toiyabe project in Nevada on May 23, 2023. The company used the positive outcomes (12.7m @ 1.01g/t Au from 556.4m arena?t economic in itself but are very important vectors for analogous deposits like Cortez Hills, being hosted in the same type of host rocks) to return to the markets, and raise fresh cash for a follow-up drill program. Initially Westward was looking to raise C$600k, but certain big names found out and wanted a piece of the pie as well, resulting in another C$404k, much to the delight of management which worked tirelessly in the current difficult market for anything besides lithium projects. All pictures are company material, unless stated otherwise. All currencies are in US Dollars, unless stated otherwise. Please note: the views, opinions, estimates, forecasts or predictions regarding Westward Golda?s resource potential are those of the author alone and do not represent views, opinions, estimates, forecasts or predictions of Westward or Westwarda?s management. Westward Gold has not in any way endorsed the views, opinions, estimates, forecasts or predictions provided by the author. The closing of the non-brokered financing was announced on August 1, 2023, after announcing it on June 26, 2023 and upsizing it on July 10, 2023. Westward issued 8.68M shares @ C$0.12 with a full two year warrant (C$0.18 exercise price), for gross proceeds of C$1.04M. The warrants have an acceleration clause as well, providing the company treasury with additional cash in the case of trading over C$0.35 for at least 10 consecutive trading days. It was good to see that certain insiders took up some more shares (800k shares), among those were CEO Colin Moore, CFO Andrew Nelson, Chairman Mark Monaghan, and newly appointed Director Al Fabbro. CFO Nelson was also happy to share with me that existing shareholder Keith Neumeyer bought most of the volume in the market on July 20, when 3.5M shares traded hands in a cross. He also stated: aWe had for the majority HNW investors participating, but some better known names and figures in the industry would be Terry Salman (founder of Salman Partners from 1994-2016 which was a leading resource-based investment dealer, where he raised an aggregate of $20 billion for over 400 exploration and mining companies), one of the co-founders of K92 Mining participated, some of the largest portfolio managers at Haywood Securities joined (including a Mining Finance Hall of Famer), Bill Sheriff, a very well known successful resource entrepreneur (who formerly owned Toiyabe in a previous company) bought in, as well as high up executives at First Majestic Silver.a That sure is an interesting group of people with long term views. Most of the proceeds from the financing will be used to fund follow-up work from the recent diamond drilling at its flagship Toiyabe Project (about C$500k), some will be used to advance potential accretive M&A opportunities (about C$400k), and the balance will be budgeted for general working capital purposes, including upcoming annual BLM claim maintenance fees (C$125k). An exploration update can be expected shortly, in a nutshell according to management the company is planning to conduct lower cost exploration programs to further define targets, host site visits for major gold producers, and explore creative strategies to fund further drilling (ie. strategic investment from a major, exploration partnership, or potential Joint Venture if the terms are right). Growing the company via M&A is an important part of Westwarda?s strategy, as they want to get bigger asap. The reasoning behind this is simple according to CFO Nelson: aWhen wea?re having discussions with institutional investors who want to deploy exploration capital, theya?re looking to invest a minimum of $5M into companies. When your company has a market cap of only $5M or $10M (C$9.57M after Fridaya?s close) this isna?t feasible, as they cana?t own 50% to 100% of your company. So by scaling up to become a $20M-$30M company, then these discussions have more merit, and the fund can actually deploy a $5M investment which can fund an aggressive drill campaigna. It certainly is good to hear Westward has access to that kind of capital. As a reminder, the deep drilling isna?t without a good reason, as the recently drilled gold mineralization below 500m depth has been found in favorable lower plate carbonate host rocks, the type of rock that is host to several 10+Moz Au underground deposits in the region, some of them extending to 1,200m depth. According to Technical Advisor and Carlin-type expert Steven Koehler, he noticed several similarities with the early stage discovery of the multi-million ounce Cortez Hills and Leeville deposits. According to him, there are compressional tectonics, favorable lower plate carbonate host rocks, pervasive vertical alteration of these rocks combined with extensive oxidation at depth, and of course there is already some gold mineralization. He thinks the hydrothermally altered SSD Zone extends and strengthens to the northeast, and this is where further drilling will focus, preferably widely-spaced step-out drilling, for which permits are already in hand. Koehler also commented: aThe recognition of gold in upper plate rocks above or outboard from gold mineralization in lower plate carbonate rocks in T2301 is reminiscent of geologic patterns in the Carlin Trend north area a especially those gold deposits down-dip from the Carlin and Pete open-pit deposits. The down-dip continuation of the SSD Zone a and its association with favorable carbonate stratigraphy and compressional tectonic features a is similar to the setting of deeper deposits discovered on the Carlin and Cortez Trends.a When looking at the schematic sections of Toiyabe, it appears that the targeted host rock (Dw = Devonian Wenban) plunges under a steeper angle than previously thought, and is confined by faults. So the Wenban host rocks seem to plunge steeper to the northeast, but lots of step-out drilling needs to be completed to establish the stratigraphy here. It also needs to be noted that existing large deposits (owned by the likes of Barrick and NGM) start around 200-550m below surface, and extend to 1,200m of depth as mentioned. Also as a reminder, it is also fascinating to see that Nevada Gold Mines has been all over the Swift project of Ridgeline Minerals via this US$30M earn-in, after just a few verification holes were completed of historic drilling by Ridgeline, which intersected Lower Plate Wenban and Roberts Mountain formations as well, but starting much deeper at 727m and with results much less impressive compared to Westwarda?s. It is obvious NGM recognized smoke signals at Swift, with the vast experience they have in the region. As Toiyabe seems to have the same features, Westward management is determined to continue exploring the SSD Zone further to the northeast. Conclusion As the first step-out hole T2301 provided Westwarda?s very experienced Nevada expert geologists with lots of clues for something analogous to nearby large scale gold deposits (the Wenban formation was intercepted, gold was encountered, lots of alteration and oxidation was seen), many high-profile investors took an interest in following up on this pre-discovery, and provided the company with a nicely filled treasury, courtesy of an oversubscribed C$1.04M PP. As Westward is preparing for further exploration at Toiyabe and is looking to acquire more projects, it will be an interesting summer. Will they be able to find more clues for an elephant at depth? Stay tuned! I hope you will find this article interesting and useful, and will have further interest in my upcoming articles on mining. To never miss a thing, please subscribe to my free newsletter at www.criticalinvestor.eu, in order to get an email notice of my new articles soon after they are published. Disclaimer: The author is not a registered investment advisor, and currently has a long position in this stock. Westward Gold is a sponsoring company. All facts are to be checked by the reader. For more information go to www.westwardgold.com and read the companya?s profile andA official documents onA www.sedar.com, alsoA for important risk disclosures. This article is provided for information purposes only, and is not intended to be investment advice of any kind, and all readers are encouraged to do their own due diligence, and talk to their own licensed investment advisors prior to making any investment decisions. Superlatives in electromobility The world\-s largest all-electric container ship to date enters service in China. The N 997 freighter, 120 meters long and equipped with 50,000 kWh, has the largest battery ever used in shipping. The electric freighter will drive the development of zero-emission shipping. The N 997 will travel on medium-haul routes and it will save around 32 tons of CO2 every day. Considering how many freighters are on the move every day, enormous emissions can be avoided in this area. If the routes are shorter, electric mobility is not an issue anyway. This is demonstrated, for example, by the electric ferries in Norway. The first all-electric ferry has been operating there since 2015. It produces hardly any emissions and scores with operating costs that are 80 percent lower. Battery-electric trucks are also a nice thing in mining. They provide less noise, safer workplaces and exhaust emissions are avoided. So electrification of transportation makes mining operations more sustainable. One of the big players in electric trucks is Volvo Trucks. Its vehicles can also be used in urban transport, construction traffic or waste disposal. The fact that a greener world can become a reality is thanks to the raw materials used in rechargeable batteries. These are primarily lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite. The lithium is found in seawater or in inland waters such as salt lakes. In Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario, Targa Exploration (- https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/targa-exploration-corp/ -) is active on several projects. Also working on green energy and lithium is Gama Explorations (- https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/gama-explorations-inc/ -) in Quebec, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. Current company information and press releases from Gama Explorations (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/gama-explorations-inc/ -). In accordance with A34 of the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG), I would like to point out that partners, authors and employees may hold shares in the respective companies addressed and that there is therefore a possible conflict of interest. No guarantee for the translation into German. Only the English version of this news is valid. Disclaimer: The information provided does not constitute any form of recommendation or advice. Express reference is made to the risks involved in securities trading. No liability can be accepted for any damages arising from the use of this blog. I would like to point out that shares and especially warrant investments are generally 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 a mistake, especially with regard to figures and prices. The information contained is taken from sources that are considered reliable, but in no way claim to be correct or complete. Due to judicial decisions the contents of linked external pages are to be answered for (so among other things regional court Hamburg, in the judgement of 12.05.1998 312 O 85/98), as long as no explicit dissociation from these takes place. Despite careful control of the contents, I do not assume any liability for the contents of linked external pages. The respective operators are exclusively responsible for their content. The disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG applies additionally: https://www.resource-capital.ch/de/disclaimer-agb/. Police have launched a massive crackdown on nihilistic pranksters and potential criminals threatening knife attacks after a stabbing rampage in a mall in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province last week. Police arrested a man in his 30s at a KTX station in Daegu on Monday when he dropped a knife while taking it out of his bag. The man told police that he went to the station intending to "kill somebody." The suspect was not under the influence of drugs and reportedly kept another weapon in his bag. CCTV footage shows a suspect who had reportedly been planning a knife attack wandering around a KTX train station in Daegu on Monday. The same day, police arrested a man in his 50s who entered a library in the southern Seoul suburb of Gwangju carrying a hatchet in his waistband. The man apparently suffers from a mental illness. More than 200 threats have been posted online so far, and police said they arrested 67 people as of Tuesday morning. Schools have been forced to close after death threats. One high school in Jongno, pupils were sent home after someone posted a death threat on its website along with an image of someone bleeding. An elementary school in Ulsan closed temporarily on Monday after someone posted a death threat targeting its students on an online chat room. Passengers' belongings are scattered at Sinnonhyeon Station in Seoul on Aug. 6, in this photo from social media. More and more people are afraid of random attacks and scared to go out. Last Sunday, just a few days after the rampage in Bundang, passengers rushed out of a subway train at Sinnonhyeon Station in southern Seoul when they heard a scream, leading to a stampede. About a dozen passengers suffered bruises and other minor injuries as bags, shoes and other belongings were strewn on the floor. But it had only be a fan of Bangtan Boys who screamed while watching a video stream. The government responded with plans to address mental health issues that may be behind an explosion of mindless rage. An official at the presidential office said, "Korea's healthcare system has been mainly focused on physical diseases, but now we want to extend the scope to cover mental illnesses with concrete plans due out in September or October." This is the first time that the government is allocating a budget to deal with mental illnesses. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia this week, Beijing said Wednesday as it seeks to build ties in the region. Wang, who returned to the post last month after the unexplained disappearance of predecessor Qin Gang, will travel to the three countries from Thursday to Sunday, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. "China hopes to strengthen strategic communication with the three Southeast Asian countries through this visit," the foreign ministry said. Cambodia has become one of China's strongest allies in the region under the rule of outgoing ruler Hun Sen, receiving huge sums of Chinese investment. A ustralias biggest pension fund plans to invest billions of pounds in the UK and Europe and is readying for a hiring spree in London. The 155 billion ($198 billion) AustralianSuper fund, which has invested in Heathrow Airport and the redevelopment of Kings Cross, plans to manage around 25% of its assets out of London by 2030, Chief Executive Officer Paul Schroder said in an interview. To support the expansion, the asset manager will increase headcount in London to about 180 in the next three years from about 83 today, Schroder said. Staff numbers are expected to swell to about 300 by 2030, he said. The move is a boost to London after the Brexit vote damaged its international reputation and raised questions about its attractiveness as a financial center. The hires will be across global equities, infrastructure, private credit as well as include several operational roles, Schroder added. The fund will be deploying a host of strategies in different asset classes globally, he said. Were encouraged about the quality of talent thats coming forward: its a sign of confidence in London as a financial city. The pension fund, which manages retirement savings for more than 3 million members and has had a London office for almost a decade, has invested in several UK and European assets in recent years. It currently manages more than 18 billion of assets invested in the UK and Europe and the majority of that is managed out of London. Australian and Canadian pension funds have become large investors in the UK in the past few decades as British pension funds have cut their holdings. According to a report on pension reforms by the Tony Blair Institute, a think tank, overseas pensions invest 16 times more in British venture capital and private equity than UK funds do. The UK government is seeking to reverse that trend. Under reforms announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt last month, a group of large insurers agreed to invest 5% of pension savings they manage in growth assets such as British startups. Hunt also said consultations over other changes would could spur UK pension funds to switch some of their holdings into equities from gilts, and to buy more infrastructure assets. T he UKs financial watchdog is set to find out how many customers have been debanked by the UKs largest banks as part of a probe into account closures and freedom of expression. The move by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) follows the scandal sparked by politician Nigel Farage after he revealed that Coutts decided to shut down his bank account. It resulted in the Government bringing in new rules to clamp down on unexplained bank closures, and culminated in the resignations of the bosses of Coutts and its owner, NatWest Group. The FCA issued a questionnaire for the largest banks and building societies on Wednesday after saying it had launched a review into account terminations across the sector. It will ask for information on the number of customers who have had their accounts terminated or suspended, or been denied banking services, and the reasons why. Banks will also be asked about issues relating to freedom of expression, and how many complaints they have received from barred customers. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said last week that debanking poses a threat to free speech, adding: You can agree or disagree with Nigel Farage but everyone wants to be able to express their opinions. Mr Farage had publicised internal Coutts documents which raised concerns the former Ukip leader was xenophobic and racist and that he held views which do not align with the bank. NatWest Group has since launched an independent review into how it handled the Farage case, including Coutts policies in relation to customer account closures. Banks have about two weeks to answer the FCAs questionnaire. The watchdog is expected to publish its analysis in mid-September. L ast week, I found myself under the A12 in Redbridge, wading through a muddy Thames tributary, in search of European eels. With me were two conservationists from ZSL the organisation I lead checking eel traps along eel migratory routes, as cars rumbled over the bridge above us. I was at one of four sites where every April to September we monitor this Critically Endangered species, as juveniles (called elver eels) migrate along the River Thames to find spaces to grow and thrive. At the River Roder, where I was hoping to see eel elvers for myself, sightings have dropped from around 10 eels per monitoring day in 1988, to less than one per day last year. This year is looking even worse. Little is known about the life cycle of this elusive fish, which has long puzzled scientists. Even Aristotle pondered the question of their origin, before deciding that they sprung up out of the mud spontaneously. ZSL scientists and our partners only recently unravelled the ancient mystery of their migration, finally confirming through radio-tracking that their journey to the UK actually begins 6,500km away in the Sargasso sea, where their spawning grounds are located. The numbers of juvenile eels making it upriver in the UK have plummeted by more than 90 per cent since the Eighties The tiny eel larvae then make their way across vast bodies of water, growing as they travel, until they reach European coastlines including Englands. At this point, they are just strong enough to begin swimming up the River Thames to find new homes, where they will mature for up to three decades, before travelling back to the Sargasso sea to spawn and die. What we do know for sure is that this important species plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of river ecosystems, in their role as both predator and prey. And they are in stark decline: the numbers of juveniles making it upriver in the UK have plummeted by more than 90 per cent since the Eighties. We already knew that fishing, habitat loss and manmade barriers were playing a large part in the challenges the species faced. After swimming thousands of kilometres, through stormy seas, avoiding becoming lunch for any number of predators, they arrive in the UK to find the final stretch of their journey blocked by flood defences and weir constructions. But it isnt just physical barriers that are causing numbers to plummet. Recent research out of Wageningen University in the Netherlands has shown that treated sewage being released into our rivers is also threatening their migration, as the eels (quite understandably) avoid plumes of the complex chemical cocktail polluting our waterways. Instead they try to find other routes, bypassing polluted waters, to get to their destination, using up precious energy reserves. Its yet another obstacle humans have put in their way of their survival, and some never make it at all. Pollution in rivers is unnecessary and avoidable. For example, much of Greater London is serviced by two separate drainage systems. One collects rainwater and flows directly into our rivers, and the other takes foul wastewater from buildings to sewage treatments works to be cleaned. Misconnections between the two systems, often caused by bad plumbing, results in pollution pouring directly into our rivers, via drains known as outfalls. ZSL recruits volunteers to take on Outfall Safaris (less glamorous than they sound), training people to spot these misconnections and report them directly to Thames Water for speedy repair. This is all part of our wider eel work with the Environment Agency and other partners, designed to increase population numbers and protect the species. In 2005, having identified the main threats to eel migration, we began finding ways to give them a leg up and over the physical barriers in their way; we first present different eel passes to eels in our laboratories at the Institute of Zoology these are essentially ladders that the juveniles can use as leverage to wriggle through. We film their ascents, and use AI to process the results. No eels are harmed, we return them to the river after they have attempted one ascent. We then install the eel ladders in weirs. These passes are working, and well keep monitoring at new sites each year to identify where else they are struggling to migrate and how else we can help them on their way. Eels netted (and released ) by ZSL / PA But more needs to be done to protect European eels, and the many other, equally important British animal species under threat from hedgehogs, whose dwindling numbers we also monitor each year with an army of volunteers, to hazel dormice, which we are reintroducing at secret UK locations after their numbers also plummeted. My own search for European eels was frustratingly fruitless. And our team has seen and reported pollution at this monitoring site. So far this year, weve logged just 32 elvers migrating through the area. And even if we do everything right, it will be a long time before our conservation efforts become more evident European eels dont start their long journey to die and spawn in the Sargasso Sea until they are around 30 years old. We know that conservation can work, and is working. But reversing the decline in British wildlife will take time. It will need patience and sustained commitment, across society from the water companies to the Government. But if a tiny eel larvae can travel 6,500km to find a home here, we can surely do our bit to make that home a safe one for all nature. Matthew Gould is CEO of ZSL Loading.... There is fresh turmoil among Londons Conservatives as the party launches a probe into its electoral operations in the capital. Voters will likely go to the polls both for the General Election and Londons City Hall in 2024. Now the internal review, news of which was broken by LBC, comes just weeks after Susan Halls selection as the Conservatives London mayoral candidate. The internal investigation will focus on the structures, processes, and organisation of the Conservative Party in London, but senior Tories also want party chairman Greg Hands to ensure the inquiry covers the selection process to choose their London mayoral candidate. Theres also suggestion the optics arent good after Hall supported former PM Liz Trusss economic policies. However, Richard Barnes, the former Conservative deputy mayor of London, told LBC that the probe risked totally undermining her position. The review will be carried out by Lord Udny-Lister, who was Boris Johnsons chief-of-staff in City Hall and No.10 senior adviser. His interim report is expected to be completed before autumn conference season. It follows the Conservatives surprise by-election win, by 495 votes, last month in Johnsons former constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. For the latest, The Leader podcast is joined by Evening Standard political editor Nicholas Cecil. Listen above, and find us on your Spotify Daily Drive or wherever you stream your podcasts. E ven some senior Tories appear to agree: the selection process for their mayoral candidate was a shambles. Thats the most credible conclusion to be drawn from the decision to order an internal review into the London party, following criticism from MPs over how the contest was managed. This appears to represent a change in tone from the Conservatives, who have for weeks rejected any criticism of the selection following the surprise exclusion of London minister Paul Scully and the withdrawal of Daniel Korski. This morning, chairman Greg Hands suggested the review was merely into the London partys campaigning machine. Yet inquiries tend not to be launched into great successes. For that reason, this is hardly a ringing endorsement of the nominee, Susan Hall, either. Senior Tories, including Mr Hands, were highly critical of press coverage during the contest not least of the Evening Standard. That the chairman has now seen fit to order a review into the London party suggests some Tories may, in fact, have shared our view. This matters to Londoners because our city will only be best served when it can attract the highest calibre candidates from both parties. Defending our data There can be few arenas more critical to our democracy and way of life than the sanctity of the voting process. For that reason, many people will be understandably alarmed at a massive cyber attack on the UKs election registers. Details of tens of millions of voters may have been accessed by bad actors, who targeted the Electoral Commission. The hack allowed attackers to reference copies of the electoral register, which includes the names and addresses of people registered to vote between 2014 and 2022. T he Electoral Commission states that there has been no impact on the security of our elections, partly because our voting systems are relatively dispersed and reliant on paper documentation as well as manual counting. However, this must be a reminder, for the public sector as well as private, that foreign criminals, some linked to hostile states, are dedicating vast resources to attack our critical infrastructure, and so our defences must be up to the task. Bad air day If you think the skies over London have been something of a disappointment this summer, consider yourself fortunate not to be the Texas woman injured after a hawk dropped a snake on her, after which she was attacked by both creatures. Dull clouds and the odd spot of rain are no longer the worst-case scenario. A nyone familiar with the career of Lee Anderson may not have been surprised at the way he expressed his feelings yesterday he told migrants who didnt like the idea of staying on a barge (a prison hulk-like vessel criticised by charities as unsuitable for human accommodation) that they could f*** off back to France. This is after all the MP who has challenged Brexit protesters to fist fights, claimed that foodbank users cant cook, and supports the death penalty, on the grounds that nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed. Anderson is what he is, his defenders are fond of saying. But what he is now starting to infect the rest of the Tory party. The response of Alex Chalk, an otherwise sensible MP, was particularly surprising. On LBC yesterday he said there was nothing unreasonable in principle with what [Anderson] was saying Lee Anderson expresses the righteous indignation of the British people. Although his language was salty, he said his indignation is well placed. British voters are perfectly capable of telling between loudly trumpeted intentions and actual results Andersons language was disgraceful. Why wouldnt Chalk at least condemn it in stronger terms? Why wouldnt No 10? Although polls show the public is concerned about illegal immigration, there is no evidence it wants asylum seekers to be insulted and treated badly. Perhaps there is only one conclusion to draw: the Government is too timid to condemn Andersons outburst because it does not itself feel confident on the small boats issue. Andersons lowest common denominator guff is of course a cack-handed version of the populists straight talk a brand of anti-rhetoric rhetoric. It is a gift to those who want to seem authentic, but as Donald Trump has demonstrated, it does not always go hand in hand with the truth. So with the Governments policies on asylum seekers. The language is starting to drift ever further from the actual achievements. In fact the stronger the language, the weaker the position. Its not just Andersons comments. This week is Stop the Boats Week a phrase only rivalled by the Professional Enablers Taskforce, the Home Offices name for a new group tasked with tracking down Lefty lawyers who want to help illegal immigrants. Yet for all the harsh and inflammatory language, little progress has been made. So far just 15 asylum seekers have boarded the Bibby Stockholm, the barge in Dorset which is supposedly set to accommodate some 500 migrants. The Home Office is now threatening a further 20 with withdrawal of their housing benefit. The hunt for Lefty lawyers turned up just five of them last year and seven in 2021. Meanwhile, the Rwanda scheme has been foundering since it began. Although it has now been ruled legal, there is little sign it will ever get up and running. As Conservative Homes Henry Hill has pointed out, the answer to many of the Governments problems with dealing with illegal immigration is to invest in infrastructure: a purpose-built detention centre, for example, would be one solution to the griping about putting asylum seekers up in hotels. Instead the Government seems to be pouring money into the production of expensive and unworkable signalling methods. It seems odd that the Conservatives would be stoking public feeling on immigration pushing it up the agenda when this is a subject on which they are weak. A recent poll from YouGov shows just nine per cent of the public have confidence the Government will reduce the number of small boats crossing the Channel. Just one per cent are very confident. This mirrors public trust in the Rwanda scheme ever producing results three-quarters of voters think the plan is unlikely to go ahead. After their abject failure, Sadiq Khan has said, all thats left is stoking up more division and hate. But creating noise about immigration doesnt compensate for failure it exposes it. The risk in taking people like Anderson to represent British voters is that you underestimate them. They are perfectly capable of distinguishing between loudly trumpeted intentions and actual results. And theres another group of potential voters the party seems to have forgotten about not every Conservative voter is vehemently opposed to treating asylum seekers with empathy. In the past the party has taken care not to hack away at its more moderate voter base unnecessarily. Voters who support policies to assist those fleeing persecution will only be further turned off the Tory party. Martha Gill is a columnist J amie Reid, who has just died at the age of 76, was as important to London as Big Ben or Guy Fawkes. As influential as Martin Amis or John Betjeman. His work was as iconic as any London portrait by Monet, Pissarro or Canaletto. This Croydon-born boy was a colossal London figure, whose brief period of notoriety helped define the reverberating explosion of post-war pop culture. Reid designed all the posters and artwork for the Sex Pistols, which were once so ubiquitous in London that it felt as though the city was rising up in generational defiance. Which, in 1977, it was. Along with Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, Reid created the iconography of punk, using a dramatic and aggressive cultural lexicon that genuinely reinvented the music industrys visual language, and which in the process became art in its own right. A self-proclaimed anarchist (a real one), Reids art defined the aesthetic of the British punk movement His design for the cover of the Sex Pistols second single, God Save the Queen, used Cecil Beatons famous portrait of the monarch, with a safety-pin carefully sliced through her lips. While it is now considered to be a classic example of Reids anarchistic, situationist art, his original design was even more shocking, as he had placed two small swastikas over the Queens eyes, an overt reference to the Royal Familys German links. Reids work was actually rooted back into the revolutionary end of the sixties and his love of situationism and the spirit of the 1968 Paris riots. He shared this passion with his art school friend McLaren, which is how they first started working together. His work for the Pistols, including the infamous Never Mind The Bollocks album cover, became perfect distillations of the summer of hate, and all the post-modern insurrection that swirled around the rise of punk. His work remains timeless. A self-proclaimed anarchist (a real one), Reids art defined the aesthetic of the British punk movement through its faux random-note lettering, day-glo palette and iconoclastic bastardisations of pop cultural and nationalistic imagery. A member of the public holds a copy of the Sex Pistols Never Mind The Bollocks, signed by John Lydon, outside acourt (Sam Tobin/PA) / PA Wire Our culture is geared towards enslavement, for people to perform pre-ordained functions, particularly in the workplace, was a typical Reid quote. Ive always tried to encourage people to think about that and to do something about it. I used to see Jamie on a regular basis, in a pub we all used at the time in Soho. When I was a student at Chelsea School of Art, and St Martins in 1977-78, the place we all drank was the upstairs bar in The Cambridge in Cambridge Circus. Pretty much every time I went Id see Jamie sitting at the bar, a bottle of Pils seemingly grafted to his hand. Hed sit there, silently, in his medium-length leather jacket, black jeans and his spiky quiff, chain smoking as though hed just walked out of a James Dean movie, a generic snarl and a five oclock shadow plastered across his face. But there was nothing generic about Jamie. Youd see him in the Marquee, or the 100 Club, skulking at the bar, looking for all the world like a down-at-heel spy. He was a man of aliases. He was a great, great artist, and should be remembered as one It was a heady time. The Sex Pistols used to drink in The Cambridge, as did Siouxsie and the Banshees, along with many of the faces who used to go to all the early punk gigs. It was a scene that naturally produced an ever-growing number of people who claimed to have been its architects, who claimed to have been there at its very beginning. Reid was one of the few who was not only there right at the start of punk, but who had a massive influence on its iconography, and, ultimately, its legacy. Jamie Reid 1 / 12 Jamie Reid British artist, Jamie Reids God Save the Queen, a promotional poster, owned by Sid Vicious, is displayed in London, as part of the Stolper-Wilson Collection of Sex Pistols memorabilia, auctioned at Sothebys in 2022 AFP via Getty Images English punk rock group the Sex Pistols aboard the Queen Elizabeth on the River Thames on June 7, 1977 during their Silver Jubilee Boat Trip. The group in teh centre of the shot are L-R Johnny Rotten (John Lydon), unknown, film maker Julien Temple (back to camera), artist and designer Jamie Reid, film maker Doug Smith and cameraman John Metcalfe Redferns Jamie Reid courtesy of John Marchant Gallery Jamie Reid courtesy of John Marchant Gallery Jamie Reid courtesy of John Marchant Gallery Jamie Reid courtesy of John Marchant Gallery Jamie Reid courtesy of John Marchant Gallery Jamie Reid courtesy of John Marchant Gallery His last great piece was a day-glo protest poster he designed last year, F*** Your Putin Wars - Peace Is Tough, a typically brash example of his work using text that in other peoples hands could have seemed trite or puerile. Jamie Reid was neither. He was a great, great artist, and should be remembered as one. His work can be found in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the V&A and the Tate in London. He deserves a museum of his own. Mubadala Energy, the Abu Dhabi-based international energy company, has reported a 41% decrease in Scope 1 GHG emissions intensity between 2021 and 2022, coupled with a 20% decrease in its overall energy intensity. This was the result of the expansion of the companys gas-focus as a lower carbon fuel source. In 2022 the company also hit production milestone of 500,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) production, of which almost 70% is natural gas, the company said in its Sustainability Report. Mansoor Mohamed Al Hamed, CEO, Mubadala Energy, commented: 2022 was the year we set the business on a path to play an even more proactive role in the energy transition through our expanding gas portfolio, by exploring new energy sectors and by driving decarbonisation across our operations. We were also able to deliver on several significant milestones, including first gas at our Pegaga gas field in Malaysia. Critical dialogues He added: In the UAEs Year of Sustainability, and with the Emirates hosting the critical dialogues on climate as part of COP28 later this year, I am pleased that we are making significant progress on key environmental benchmarks, including the improvements we have recorded on our emissions intensity position. I am also proud that we continued to deliver operational excellence and uphold our impressive safety record, while investing in our people and the communities we serve. We are on an exciting journey as a business and sustainability is at heart of our plans for the future. In a pivotal year for the company in which it launched a new strategy focused on expanding its business in low-carbon solutions supporting the energy transition, and unveiled a new name and brand, the company recorded substantial progress on key ESG priorities, guided by its sustainability strategy. Although 2022 saw unprecedented disruptions in the global energy industry, Mubadala Energys focus on embedding sustainability across its business resulted in its enhanced performance across several of its material ESG indicators. On social measures, Mubadala Energy maintains its world-class track record on safety performance, with a total of 6 safety-related awards being received in 2022 from regulatory and governmental bodies in areas of operations. Zero LTI The company also recorded zero Lost Time Injuries (LTI) in 2022, with a history of zero LTIs in its operated Ruby gas field in Indonesia since operations started in 2013, testament to an impressive safety record. In terms of diversity metrics, the company maintains above-industry performance on female participation, with around 31% of the total workforce represented by women. The company employs 35 nationalities and has placed a significant focus on investing in national talent as part of its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Over AED4 million ($1.1 million) was also invested by the company last year in community investment projects, impacting over 120,000 beneficiaries through a wide range of projects focused on education, environment, community development and employee engagement. In line with the UAEs focus on mangroves as an important decarbonisation tool, in 2022, through its partnership with Azraq, the UAE based marine conservation NGO, the company planted mangrove trees in Al Zorah Natural Reserve in Ajman. These trees are expected to contribute towards the removal of 308,000kg of CO2 over their lifetime, which is estimated to be 25 years. Mubadala Energys 2022 Sustainability Report was prepared in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and includes alignment with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate Related Disclosures (TCFD) where applicable. The report discloses its impact in 2022 examining several key performance indicators across areas such as operational and environmental impact, social contribution, human capital, and governance. The review also provides a detailed appraisal of the companys contribution to achieving the key UN Sustainable Development Goals.-- TradeArabia News Service Four migrant survivors wave for help as they are in distress at sea, on Aug. 8, 2023. Karolina Sobel/Sea-Watch (AP) Forty-one people are believed dead after a boat carrying migrants capsized off Tunisia in rough seas, the Italian Red Cross and rescue groups reported, citing four survivors who were rescued and brought to land Wednesday. The survivors reported having left Sfax, Tunisia, on a metal boat with a total of 45 people on Aug. 3. About six hours into their voyage, a huge wave overturned the vessel, RAI state television reported. The Red Cross said in a statement that the four survived using inner tubes and managed to climb onto another empty vessel nearby, evidence of the large number of boats setting out from Sfax and the rough seas that hit the area in recent days, causing several other capsizings too. Photos released by the Sea-Watch humanitarian rescue group taken by its monitoring aircraft showed the four survivors waving for help from the boat and making their way to a commercial tanker, the Maltese-flagged Rimona. The migrants rescued by the Rimona were then transferred onto an Italian coast guard vessel which brought them to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday, said Sea-Watchs Paul Wagner. European Union border agency Frontex said that it had spotted a boat adrift in the Libyan search and rescue region and informed all national rescue coordination centers in the region as well as a mayday call given it was an emergency. Sea-Watch flew to the location, spotted the vessel and informed the closest merchant vessel, which was the Rimona, Wagner said. According to the GPS location shared by Sea-Watch, the survivors were spotted inside the Libyan search and rescue zone around 66 kilometers (40 miles) from Tunisia and about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Lampedusa. The International Organization of Migration said that the shipwreck brings to more than 1,800 the number of people dead and missing in the central Mediterranean, the most active and dangerous migration route in the world. The Red Cross said the conditions of the four survivors, being cared for on Lampedusa, were good and that they would be transferred to the Italian mainland soon. The group said that three of the four claim to be minors, while the fourth is an adult male, all from the Ivory Coast and Guinea. U.N. agencies, however, reported there was only one minor among them. A doctor on Lampedusa who treated the four, Dr. Adrian Chiaramonte, said they had sustained small wounds and were suffering from dehydration, but nothing major. They said one boat saw them and kept on going. An hour later they saw a copter, then the oil tanker came and rescued them, Chiaramonte told RaiNews24, adding that the survivors reported that altogether around 15 people had rudimentary lifesavers. No bodies have been recovered. Rough seas over the weekend resulted in a series of shipwrecks and dramatic rescue attempts to save survivors. Italian authorities rescued dozens of migrants from the sea and from rocky reefs off Lampedusa, but at least 30 people were reported missing by survivors from capsized vessels. Eight bodies washed ashore back in Sfax. Libyas lawless coasts used to be the main departure point for migrant smuggling operations. But in recent months, Tunisias eastern coast, notably the port city of Sfax, has become the main launching point for migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, to get to Italy and other parts of Europe in small boats. Recent departures may have been fueled by the fact that Tunisian authorities are increasingly cracking down on Black migrants. Tunisias President Kais Saieds has promoted unfounded remarks that sub-Saharan migrants are part of a plot to alter the countrys identity and demographics, fueling tensions between locals and Black foreigners. Since early July, hundreds of sub-Saharan migrants have reportedly been rounded up from coastal cities and dumped in deserted border areas with Libya or Algeria countries with their own long track records of grave human rights violations, abuses against migrants and collective deportations. Tunisias interior minister has conceded that small groups are pushed back into the desert border areas with Libya and Algeria, but has denied mistreatment. Tunisian authorities estimate that around 17,000 sub-Saharan people are concentrated in the Sfax area currently. According to the Interior Ministry, more than 93,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, more than twice the 45,000 who arrived during the same period in 2022. The top nationalities of those arriving are from Guinea, Ivory Coast, Egypt and Tunisia. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose right-wing government includes the anti-migrant League party, has galvanized the EU to join it in efforts to coax Tunisia to crack down on smuggling operations, but the boats continue to set off. Calls poured on Wednesday for Europe to develop safe and legal pathways of migration to prevent future deaths, echoing a refrain that follows the frequent incidents of deaths in the Mediterranean of desperate migrants seeking better, safer lives in Europe. In a statement, the U.N. refugee agency, childrens agency and IOM said the steel-hulled ship was particularly inappropriate for a trip of this kind, particularly given the prohibitive weather and sea conditions. This highlights the absolute lack of scruples of traffickers who in this way expose migrants and refugees to extremely high risks of death at sea, the agencies said. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Copenhagen fashion week (CPHFW) is fast becoming one of the most hyped dates in the fashion calendar. Social media has been enslaved by Scandi style thanks to the rise of Matilda Djerf and Pernille Teisbaek, while brands like Ganni and Saks Potts earn cult status the event has established itself as worthy of being included in the New York-London-Milan-Paris circuit. Taking place from August 7 - 11, the SS24 schedule includes buzzy newcomers like Nicklas Skovgaard, who started to post his designs to Instagram in 2020 and is now part of CPHFWs NewTalent initiative, and Central Saint Martins graduate Paolina Russo, winner of the first Zalando Visionary Award. Of course, it also includes more seasoned Nordic veterans like Rotate, the partywear label that had former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna walk the runway last season. However, although Scandi style prevails the weather did not. Editors, influencers, and gatecrashers put their best sartorial foot forward while carefully avoiding the puddles. Imaxtree To counter the miserable skies, dopamine dressing was a huge hit. From big bold prints to colourful monochromatic looks, the streets were awash with zingy, in-your-face ensembles to boost the mood. Imaxtree As for fabrics, denim was the undisputed winner with all sorts of takes on the versatile material. Most notably, one onlooker wore a denim skirt cleverly stitched into a long-sleeve top, while another stunned in an acid-washed cinched denim jacket with matching flared pants. Imaxtree Alaias heart-shaped Le Couer bag continued to enamour editors, with the accessory still a mainstay on the FROW. So did bows, with the motif cropping up as both a hair accessory and in clothing designs. Copenhagen street style Luckily, Scandis are famous for their layering, and the weather gave them an opportunity to show us how its done. Boxy crop jackets, thigh-grazing woolley jumpers, and oversized scarfs were stacked together. So, too, were long-sleeve tops, summer dresses, and trousers, which is a good styling trick to maximise the mileage of summer pieces. Scroll through the gallery above for more of the best CPHFW SS24 street style I am exactly who this is meant to be uplifting and I am appalled by it, says Finn Buchanan, 21, a model and chef based in London, of the Costa Coffee mural showing a trans person with top surgery scars like his. Monetising and marketing the scars of our treatments, fuelling discourse, and public scrutiny in the name of representation without securing access to [trans healthcare] does far more harm for trans people than good. Recently, Costa Coffee faced a boycott by anti-trans activists after the photo of one of the companys vans, bearing an illustration of a trans person with top surgery scars, was posted on social media. Part of a mural commissioned by the UKs largest coffee-shop chain when it sponsored last years Brighton & Hove Pride, the illustration depicts a topless trans person with blue hair and twin scars across their flat chest. On Twitter, Costa was accused of glorifying top surgery an operation that some trans men and non-binary people seek as part of their medical transition. Since the photo was first posted and anti-trans activists expressed their disgust, the furore has been covered by right-wing newspapers and TV channels. National media has once again been full of transphobic vitriol, calling top surgery mutilation and self-harm. Others have praised the image for giving visibility to trans people who make up less than one per cent of the UK population. Costa defended the top surgery scar illustration, saying it celebrates inclusivity. But in the UKs current climate, what is the cost of this visibility to trans people ourselves? Sixty-seven per cent of trans women, 63 per cent of non-binary people, and 60 per cent of trans men experienced transphobia on public transport in 2021, according to a report from TransActual. This rises to 75 per cent of Black trans people and trans people of colour, and 70 per cent of disabled trans people. In 2022, the number of reported anti-trans hate crimes increased by 56 per cent from the year before. Releasing the data, the Home Office suggested that heavy discussion of transgender issues on social media may have led to an increase in related hate crimes. Much online discourse focuses on trans women, debating how to ban them from womens spaces like toilets, changing rooms, and domestic-abuse refuges. Similarly, political discussion of trans issues is dominated by defining what a woman is. Last month, for instance, Keir Starmer formally reneged on the Labour policy for self-id, stating that a woman is an adult female and that, under Labour rule, transitioning would remain a medical process. Keir Starmer formally reneged on the Labour policy for self-id, stating that a woman is an adult female and that, under Labour rule, transitioning would remain a medical process / PA Wire In this way, though, the political discourse fails to engage with the very real issues that trans and non-binary people face in our everyday lives: unequal access to secure employment (one in three UK employers admit they would be less likely to hire a trans worker); safe housing (a quarter of trans people will be homeless in their lives); access to healthcare (its now a seven-year wait for initial assessment at an NHS gender clinic); and safety in education (the Government is threatening to force teachers to out trans students to their parents). While trans visibility has historically been promoted by LGBTQ+ activists to increase awareness and understanding, it seems a trap in this era of transphobic moral panic. Nevertheless, visibility has been on the up for years now. Trans Day of Visibility has been celebrated annually on March 31 since 2009, with the aim of uplifting trans people and raising awareness of the discrimination we face. In 2014 a Transgender Tipping Point was declared, when actress Laverne Cox appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Almost 10 years later, fatal violence towards trans and non-binary people, especially women, is tragically high but, meanwhile, trans people have never been more visible in films, TV, music, and marketing campaigns. And at this moment, Finn says this visibility is hurting us. I would like trans people to be uplifted by having equal employment, housing, and healthcare opportunities rather than being made more noticeable on the street, he says. Indeed, the spotlight shone on trans people by brands using images of top surgery scars does nothing to help us access top surgery. Neither does the anti-trans backlash. While brands may be well-intentioned, images of top surgery scars on coffee vans contribute to a public debate that is extremely hostile to trans and non-binary people. Personally, [the Costa Coffee illustration] didnt have a huge impact on me, but I imagined that it might be quite meaningful for trans young people? says Jackson King, 33, editor of Irresistible Damage, a magazine for gay and bi trans men. Trans peoples existence is profoundly politicised and demonised, so for me its more interesting to lean into that than try to present transness as cute and cuddly. Because, as the Costa advert shows, even when we are depicted in ways that try to humanise us to cis people, they still freak out about it. Seeing top surgery scars in public spaces seems somewhat of a trend lately perhaps it has something to do with what Ive dubbed the Elliot Page Effect? Seeing an Oscar-nominated actor living his absolute best life after coming out as trans, including posting joyful photos of his own top surgery scars, was quite a moment for trans people. It was the first time Id seen a celebrity who looked like me. Id seen trans people proud of their scars among my friends and in queer spaces but seeing those pictures shared to millions of people made me feel emotional. As I imagine many people would understand, its not always easy to live in a body that mainstream society views as different in a bad way. Brands presumably took note of the publicity Pages topless selfies generated. While the furore around the issue has raged, few have stopped to look at the data: like Page, the lived experience of countless trans men and non-binary people whove undergone top surgery is that its a hugely life-improving operation. According to one study published in the Journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons this month, 99.7 per cent of trans people who have gender-affirming surgery are happy with their decision which leaves a regret rate of just 0.3 per cent. Seeing top surgery scars in public spaces seems somewhat of a trend lately perhaps it has something to do with what Ive dubbed the Elliot Page Effect? says Vic Parsons / Elliot Page / Instagram Looking specifically at top surgery, a 2022 study found having this surgery resulted in a statistically significant improvement in chest dysphoria, gender congruence, and body image in trans-masculine and non-binary teenagers and young adults. These follow other studies that consistently find the regret rate for gender-affirming surgery is typically between 0.3 and three per cent. For comparison, knee-replacement surgery another serious surgery has an average regret rate of 18 per cent. Still, given the ease with which anti-trans campaigners move their vitriol from a Tweet to the national news, it seems unwise in the current trans-hostile climate to give them more ammunition. Having more of the public know what top surgery scars look like is not high on my personal trans agenda. To make us visible without materially making us more safe simply puts a target on our backs I dont want brands to keep making us more visible, says Jackson. If a brand wants to demonstrate real solidarity with trans people, they can give money to the trans-led charities and organisations doing the work to keep trans people safe during this swell of anti-trans vitriol and violence. To make us visible without materially making us more safe simply puts a target on our backs. Costa Coffee was contacted for comment but did not reply by the time of publication. The brand said in a statement to GB News: At Costa Coffee we celebrate the diversity of our customers, team members and partners. We want everyone that interacts with us to experience the inclusive environment that we create, to encourage people to feel welcomed, free and unashamedly proud to be themselves. The mural, in its entirety, showcases and celebrates inclusivity. A former deputy head at the first school Prince George and Princess Charlotte attended has been jailed for child sexual abuse offences. Matthew Smith paid 65,000 for two teenagers in India to abuse younger children, the National Crime Agency said. The 35-year-old was online asking for sexual images of a child at the time of his arrest. Having pleaded guilty to 22 counts, including encouraging the rape of a child under 13, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and arranging the sexual abuse of a child, Smith was jailed for 12 years at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday, the NCA said. Smith, from East Dulwich in south-east London, was arrested by the NCA in November 2022, after investigators discovered he was sharing abusive material on the dark web. The prolific offender was caught just a few months after he had been appointed deputy head of pastoral care at Thomass prep school in Battersea the school George and Charlotte attended until their move to Lambrook School in Windsor in September last year. For the majority of his offending, Smith was living in Nepal, working at a school, and also spent various periods working in orphanages and NGOs across India between 2007 and 2014. He moved back to the UK in July 2022 and began working at Thomass Battersea in September, where he was a deputy head and head of pastoral care, the NCA said. That summer, Smith posted an online advert looking to secure a flat share, saying he was a primary school teacher and could assist with childcare. He was arrested before he could be taken up on his offer, the NCA said. Smith was sacked by the school when his offending was revealed, and there is no evidence to suggest he committed offences against children based in Nepal or the UK. NCA investigators interrogated chat logs and financial transactions and were able to establish that Smith had paid two teenagers based in India a total of 65,398 to abuse children over a five-year period. Chat logs showed Smith would instruct the young men to perform sexual acts on boys. Officers recovered more than 120,000 indecent images of children which the teacher had saved on a laptop, SD card and on his phone. Smith was made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life. Matthew Smith is a prolific offender and master manipulator ... He conducted his offending while working as a teacher and head of pastoral care - a deep betrayal of the trust placed in him Helen Dore, senior officer at the National Crime Agency, said: Matthew Smith is a prolific offender and master manipulator, who coerced young men into abusing children on his behalf. He constantly sought out opportunities to gain access to children, but was adept at hiding his sexual interest in them. He conducted his offending while working as a teacher and head of pastoral care a deep betrayal of the trust placed in him. Childrens charity the NSPCC said Smiths offending demonstrates why the UK Governments Online Safety Bill is so crucial, because it will finally compel tech companies to do far more to protect children from sexual abuse on their sites. The Bill is a new set of laws designed to protect children and adults online by making social media companies more responsible for their users safety. We have been shocked and appalled beyond measure by this matter A spokesman for Thomass Battersea said: We have been shocked and appalled beyond measure by this matter and are grateful for the work of the police and courts in bringing this man to account. Mr Smiths employment at the school, which commenced in September 2022, was terminated with immediate effect when the school first learned of the charges against him in November. While the National Crime Agency has confirmed that none of the matters under investigation related to the school or its pupils, these deplorable actions constitute an unforgivable breach of trust and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted or damaged by them. A former deputy head at Prince George and Princess Charlottes first school has been jailed for 12 years for a catalogue of sexual abuse against young boys. Matthew Smith, 35, paid out 65,000 for boys aged eight and ten in India to be sexually abused repeatedly on camera according to his instructions, between 2017 and 2022. Smith was caught in November 2022, just a few months after he had been appointed as deputy head of pastoral care at Thomass prep school in Battersea. Prince George and Princess Charlotte had spent their early years of education at the 20,000-a-year school before leaving in 2022 as the family moved to Berkshire. Southwark crown court heard Smith was caught red-handed on his computer chatting to a boy in India when he was arrested at home in East Dulwich by the National Crime Agency, with dark web forums open and more than 120,000 indecent images of children on the device. Passing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Martin Griffith said none of the offending had taken place in the UK or involved any children from the Battersea school. The heart of this case is your use of the Telegram chat system with people believed to be adults on the sub-continent, he said. You were paying money - 67,000 and asked them to provide images of the sexual abuse of young boys under 13. Imposing a prison term of 12 years with an extra five years on licence after release, the judge said it was clear Smith took advantage of those he was abusing. You sent requests for images you wanted to be made, sometimes involving sending pictures and asking for them to be recreated by the boys in question, he added. The boys were corrupted by people acting on your behalf. The court heard Smith moved to Chennai in India when he was 24, and later moved to Nepal where he worked as a teacher. It is understood he also volunteered in orphanages during his time in India. During his interview with NCA officers, Smith confessed to years of abuse and said: Clearly I have an addiction, probably in this area. I dont like the person I am. I would give anything to be normal. Anything. Prosecutor Martin Hooper told the court last week: His history is important. At the time of his arrest in 2022, he was employed as a teacher. He was the deputy head of pastoral care at a preparatory school in Battersea, where pupils were aged between four and 14. Prior to that, he was a teacher in Nepal between 2017 and 2022. The court heard details of the requests Smith made for photos and videos of a ten-year-old boy being abused, while the Telegram chats suggested he may have also abused another boy years ago who was now facilitating his requests. It was discovered an eight-year-old boy had been lured away from his family with the express intention that he would be sexually abused, said Mr Hooper. The defendant said he would pay their school fees in return. Images found on Smiths laptop show the boy being explicitly and repeatedly abused according to Smiths instructions. In one of the recovered messages, Smith asks if the young boy is ready for some fun. Smiths barrister told the court he has written to relatives and close friends to explain to them exactly what has happened, to express to them the fact that he does not expect so much as a response, but to apologise to them for the distress that this news may well have caused them. She said Smith has spent time in prison so far teaching reading, writing and maths to fellow inmates, and he has committed to seeing treatment for the causes of his offending. He is keen indeed to make changes, and he understands that change cant be made simply by making verbal commitments, she said. He will continue to devote himself to searching for appropriate intervention wherever it is properly available to him. The NCA said in summer 2022 Smith had posted an online advert for a flat share, saying he was a primary school teacher and offering to assist with childcare, but he was arrested before he could be taken up on his offer. Matthew Smith is a prolific offender and master manipulator, who coerced young men into abusing children on his behalf, said Helen Dore, Senior Officer at the NCA. He constantly sought out opportunities to gain access to children, but was adept at hiding his sexual interest in them. He conducted his offending while working as a teacher and head of pastoral care a deep betrayal of the trust placed in him. Its clear Smith has absolutely no empathy for his victims and the harm he has caused them. He presents a very real and significant risk to children, but this investigation has ensured he will spend a long time in prison. Smith pleaded guilty to three counts of encouraging the rape of a child under 13, three charges of causing a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity, arranging and encouraging the sexual abuse of a child, possession of an extreme pornographic image, and 11 charges relating to the possession, making, and distribution of indecent images of children. After the guilty pleas were entered, Thomass prep school said in a statement: We have been shocked and appalled beyond measure by this matter and are grateful for the work of the police and courts in bringing this man to account. Mr Smiths employment at the school, which commenced in September 2022, was terminated with immediate effect when the school first learned of the charges against him in November. While the National Crime Agency has confirmed that none of the matters under investigation related to the school or its pupils, these deplorable actions constitute an unforgivable breach of trust and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted or damaged by them. As always, we remain absolutely committed to the ongoing safety and wellbeing of our pupils and our whole school community. Smith will serve at least eight years of the 12-year prison sentence, and will be the subject of a strict Sexual Harm Prevention Order once he is set free. A 33-year-old man has been jailed for life for the drive-by murder of 20-year-old Otas Sarkus in Plaistow, east London. Dean Adams, of Stevenage Road, East Ham, was sentenced at the Old Bailey to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 29-and-a-half years for the murder on August 18, 2021. A second killer, Deon Brisport, 30, was earlier jailed for life in June with a minimum of 32 years imprisonment over the fatal drive-by shooting. The court heard how the victim was standing with a group of friends near Upton Park Station when a white Volvo SUV drove towards them at speed, with the driver hitting a couple of parked cars as he swerved towards them. The Volvo pulled alongside the group as they attempted to flee and multiple shots were fired. Mr Sarkus was struck twice in the eye and another man, aged 18, was struck in the back. While the second man survived his injuries, Otas died. Met Detective Inspector Louise Caveen: Adams sentencing brings to a close this investigation. Victim: Otas Sarkus / PA Archive This was a senseless and brazen attack, carried out on a residential street in the heart of east London that cost one young man his life and left another seriously wounded. My thoughts remain with Otas family who have suffered the most terrible loss. While nothing can make up for the tragic loss they have suffered, I can only hope that seeing those responsible held to account in a court of law brings them some solace. Jurors were told how the Volvo, which was using cloned plates, was dumped and set alight half-a-mile away in a bid to destroy the evidence. Gunshot residue was found near the rear passenger window alongside a jacket found on the back seat with Adams DNA on it. A parking ticket linked to the car also led detectives to CCTV on the morning of the killing which showed both Adams and Brisport arriving together at the vehicle. Three pay-as-you-go phones, all of which were activated on the afternoon of the murder, were used by the killers to contact each other and to book minicabs to take them away from the area of where the Volvo was dumped after the shooting. Police said this was evidence of an attack planned in advance. DI Caveen said: There can be no doubt that Adams and Brisport went out on that night to intentionally kill or seriously injure someone and had gone to some lengths to hide their involvement. She added: Such was the strength of the case against them that their defence entered no evidence at court. A woman has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder after Julian Ebanks-Ford, 20, was stabbed to death in Lewisham, south London. He was found with knife injuries on Kender Street, at the junction with Queens Road, on Friday just before 1am and rushed to hospital with critical injuries. He died later that afternoon. A murder investigation was launched by the Mets Specialist Crime Command. Last week Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry said local residents were shocked by the death. I am saddened to see another young life lost needlessly to knife crime in our city, another family devastated by loss - my thoughts are with the young mans loved ones, he said. On Monday a woman, 19, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder and taken into custody, the Metropolitan Police said. On Saturday August 5 a man, 19, was arrested on suspicion of murder and released on bail. Detectives are still appealing for witnesses to piece together the events leading up to Mr Ebanks-Fords death. Detective Chief Inspector Chris Wood, said: Although we have now made an arrest, I am continuing to appeal for anyone who was in the area of Kender Street to come forward and speak with us. We need to know what happened in the moments leading up to Julian being stabbed. He added: Were your there? Did you see or hear anything suspicious? Please get in contact as a matter of urgency. Mr Ebanks-Fords family has been informed and are being supported by specialist officers, the Met said. Anyone who has information or footage relating to this incident should call 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting CAD 265/04Aug. To remain 100% anonymous call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org. F ive Met Police officers are under criminal investigation after a man was restrained and PAVA-sprayed at an Islington hospital, leaving him unconscious. Police were called to Euston Road on just after 7.30am on April 3 after the man began behaving erratically and setting fire to his clothes. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said officers took the man, in his 50s, to a north London hospital to be assessed but officers attempted to restrain him because he became agitated. PAVA spray - a form of synthetic pepper spray - was used by the officers. He became unconscious and was treated in hospital in a critical but stable condition. He was discharged from hospital in May. Five Met police constables are under criminal investigation for the potential offence of common assault in connection with the incident. They are currently on restricted duties, said the force. Four of those are also under investigation for potentially inflicting grievous bodily harm and three of them for non-fatal suffocation, an IOPC spokesperson told the Standard. The five officers are being investigated for potential gross misconduct under the police conduct rules. A further three officers are being investigated for potential misconduct - a lower level than gross misconduct - in connection with the incident. IOPC director Steve Noonan said: We have been in contact with the man to inform him of our investigation. The serving of criminal or conduct notices on officers does not necessarily mean that criminal charges or disciplinary proceedings will follow. Its important that we continue to carry out an independent and thorough investigation to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident. Following our investigation, we will decide whether to refer the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service to make a charging decision and whether disciplinary proceedings are required. The watchdog said it was alerted by the Mets Directorate of Professional Standards over the incident on the same day. Police body worn footage and CCTV from the hospital has been seized from the hospital. Statements have been obtained from some of the officers and witness statements from hospital staff have been taken. Superintendent Annmarie Cowley, from the Met unit covering Islington, said: We appreciate this incident will be incredibly concerning to the public. Please know we are offering every assistance to the IOPC in their investigation and, due to their important ongoing work, will not be able to comment further at this time. L ondon mayor Sadiq Khan and Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley have called on the mobile phone industry to help them reduce phone thefts in the capital as startling statistics show the scale of the issue. Thirty-eight per cent of all personal robberies last year equating to more than 9,500 offences - involved a phone being stolen. Nearly 70 per cent of all thefts in London last year related to mobile phones. According to statistics provided to the BBC by the Met, 90,864 phones - equating to almost 250 a day, or one every six minutes - were stolen across the capital in 2022. In a joint letter to phone company bosses Mr Khan and Sir Mark said they needed the collaboration and expertise of the phone manufacturers and software designers to develop solutions to make this crime less rewarding. Whilst relentless work to pursue perpetrators and the worst offenders will continue, we know we cannot arrest our way out of the issue, they said. Much more can be done to prevent mobile phone theft by making it harder for stolen phones to be re-used and registered for services not just on carrier networks but also for services provided by hardware and operating systems vendors. Mr Khan told the Standard: [This is] the commissioner and I saying to mobile phone companies - those are the manufacturers and the networks - Can we work together, using your tech savvy, your innovation, to make a stolen phone almost worthless for somebody trying to steal it? Because what we do know is - they [criminals] steal the mobile phone, they repurpose it, and then they sell it on. Weve seen through recent history how working with car manufacturers, we made a car stereo almost worthless, because we designed it out, by making sure car manufacturers had [the stereo] in the dashboard so [it] couldnt be stolen. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan / Noah Vickers/Local Democracy Reporting Service Working with car manufacturers, we designed out sat-navs being stolen as well. Sir Mark said the Met was working to bring the number of offences down, by targeting Londons theft hotspots and boosting neighbourhood policing in high streets and local communities, as part of the New Met for London plan. He warned however: As long as there is massive profit to be made by the resale of these stolen phones, and the companies dont use their technology to block them - as long as thats going on, therell be a market, and these offences will happen. Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley / Noah Vickers/Local Democracy Reporting Service So yes, we need to keep working hard... but we need the industry to help drive this down, and thats why were demanding this roundtable. He added: Every mobile has a digital serial number embedded in it, the IMEI number as its called. We know the serial numbers of stolen phones. It must be possible for the phone companies, and those providing the operating systems - like iOS and Android - it must be possible for them to block the use of a stolen phone. That would kill the second-hand value overnight. Police data shows that young people are disproportionately involved in robberies, both as victims and perpetrators, with those aged between 14-20 particularly at risk of being targeted by criminals. A -Level students who want to get into top universities were on wednesday warned to have a Plan B amid fears of intense pressure on places. The head of university admission service UCAS urged students to plan ahead and research all available options ahead of results day next Thursday (August 17). It comes as the number of A-levels given top marks is expected to drop this year as grading returns to pre-pandemic levels. Experts fear this years university clearing round will be fiercely competitive because of an increase in the 18-year-old population and competition for places from international students. This years school leavers may also be competing for university places against pupils from previous years who deferred their place but benefited from higher results due to the pandemic. Clare Marchant, UCAS chief executive, told the Standard: With a growing 18-year-old population and increasing demand for higher education places, there will be competition for some of the most selective courses. I encourage students to plan ahead, explore the UCAS Hub, make a list of all available options as part of a Plan B and thoroughly research them ahead of results day. This will give them the best chance of securing their preferred course or institution once they are able to add a clearing choice at 1pm on August 17. But Ms Marchant insisted that tens of thousands of courses will be available through clearing this year. Last year a record 34,875 18-year-olds found a university place through the system. She added: There will be plenty of choice available, for students who achieve or exceed their predicted grades as well as those who do not get the results they were hoping for. It comes after exam regulator Ofqual wrote to students jointly with UCAS warning of competition for higher education places due to higher numbers of 18-year-olds seeking to go to university. They told students: Take some time to thoroughly consider all your options but be mindful that the most selective courses do get filled quickly. In the letter Dr Jo Saxton, Ofquals chief regulator, and Ms Marchant urged students not to worry if they miss out on their predicted grades on Thursday because it happens very often. They said in 2019 only 21 per cent of university applicants achieved or exceeded their predicted grades, but 86 per cent of 18-year-olds who applied through UCAS secured a place. They also insisted that the number of university places available is not affected by this years approach to grading which has returned to pre-pandemic standards. They said: Universities understood what grades will look like overall this year and took this into account when making offers. Laureano Ortega (l), son of Daniel Ortega, with China's top diplomat Wang Yi, during a diplomatic visit to the Asian country, on February 9. CORTESIA Do you want to win computers, cellphones and smartwatches? Or even an all-expenses-paid trip to China? Thats what the propaganda machine of the Nicaraguan government is asking people on social media, where a trip to China is up for grabs. Anyone interested must send a video of less than three minutes long talking about the friendship between China and Nicaragua. The call has not triggered much of a response, since Nicaragua has little connection with China, either culturally or commercially. But the Sandinista government of President Daniel Ortega, and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, have been going to lengths to promote Nicaraguas relationship with Beijing. The trip to China is set to be raffled off days before China and Nicaragua formalize a free trade agreement (FTA). Little, however, is known about the fine print. Nicaragua and China restored diplomatic relations in December 2021, when the former cut ties with Taiwan, the self-ruled island which China regards as its own. Following the move, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which is considered the preliminary step to the signing of an FTA. Trade between both countries which are separated by more than 8,700 miles reached $760 million in 2022. But most of that trade benefits China. In the first half of 2023, Nicaraguas exports to China were just $6.7 million a tiny figure compared to Nicaraguas relationship with its main trading partner: the United States. By way of comparison, in that same time period, Nicaraguas exports to the United States reached almost $1 billion. The FTA with China is viewed with great skepticism by both Nicaraguan and international analysts. Critics believe that it will not significantly boost the Nicaraguan economy and, instead, further strain relations with the United States. The FTA with China comes as the Sandinista government strengthens diplomatic relations with dictatorships and authoritarian regimes, such as North Korea, Iran and Syria. Faced with international isolation, Ortega and Murillo are seeking to legitimize themselves with these alliances that challenge Washington, say critics. Analysts argue that this foreign policy has practically zero financial and trade benefit for Nicaragua. But the Chinese Ministry of Commerce has defended the FTA with Nicaragua. It said that the deal will provide an institutional guarantee for bilateral economic and trade exchanges and help elevate bilateral economic and trade cooperation. Beijing estimates that Nicaraguas gross domestic product (GDP) forecast at between 3.4% and 3.5% for the 2023-2026 period could rise by at least two additional points. Little is known of the details of the deal. In principle, Nicaragua will be able to export products duty free to China in several categories, such as meat, seafood, bovine offal, vegetables, red beans, rum, textiles, peanuts and automotive harnesses. China will be able to export to Nicaragua tariff-free products such as insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, plastics and raw materials for textiles and toys. The list of 78 Chinese products is divided into more than 20 groups that include live plants, fresh or chilled vegetables, prepared and preserved fish, confectionery, malt extract, pasta, cereals, biscuits, mushrooms, sauces, seasonings, and much more. Margaret Myers, director of the Asia & Latin America Program at the Inter-American Dialogue, participated last week in a forum in Costa Rica called China in Latin America: Reality and Trends in Costa Rica and Central America, promoted by the think tank Expediente Abierto and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. At the forum, the expert stressed that the size of the Central American market is too small to be of commercial interest to China. Beijing is interested in the region for the geopolitical reason of advancing in an area of direct influence of the United States, Chinas true competitor in the world, she said. Even an ally of the Nicaraguan government is skeptical of the deal with China: Dante Mossi, the president of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), said that the Central American countries have not obtained any significant trade gains from their relationship with China after breaking ties with Taiwan. China sells more than it buys Felix Maradiaga, an exiled political prisoner and former investment adviser for a private firm in China, pointed to trade between China and Costa Rica as an example. San Jose only places 2.5% of its exports in that market, which last year totaled $17.9 billion. However, China supplies 13.2% of its imports, which last year totaled $24.7 billion, said Maradiaga, who was a former presidential candidate in Nicaragua. That is significant, continued Maradiaga, because Costa Rica is a larger producer of goods and services than Nicaragua and has a stronger economy. How much will Ortega be able to sell to China compared to Costa Rica? I do not think it will exceed $300 million in sales. Meanwhile, trade between the United States and Nicaragua reached a record of $8.3 billion in 2022. So I dont think that Beijing will replace Washington in that equation. Experts agree that Nicaragua will be a cheap trade partner for China, which also wants to reduce international recognition of Taiwan and ensure Nicaraguas vote in international forums such as the United Nations. Hernan Alberro, an independent researcher and administrator of the China Index platform, added that FTAs with China are not free trade agreements, but trade restrictions on products that China will not allow to enter its territory. These are agreements that are generally more favorable to Beijing, which sells cheap, low-quality products that it cannot sell to Europe or the United States due to quality controls in those markets, Alberro explained. In Latin America and African countries, the FTAs with China generate a contrary flow of trade, it is more about what China sells than what it buys. Despite these concerns, the Ortega-Murillo regime is working to promote the relationship, with the all-expenses-paid trip to China dominating government publicity. According to former opposition lawmaker Eliseo Nunez, this is an attempt to convince Nicaraguans that they have gained a sense of closeness with China. It is manipulative, he explained. They want to say that the United States does not raffle trips, but China does. However, Nicaraguas dealings with China do not solve the countrys economic problem. They are infinitely smaller transactions compared to those with the United States said Nunez, who is exiled in Costa Rica. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition A musician was found dying in his cell after being arrested trying to swallow a Kinder egg full of Class A drugs, an inquest heard. After his death Daniel Cooper, 40, was found with wraps of suspected drugs stashed in his sock despite being searched multiple times, his inquest at West London Coroners Court heard on Wednesday. Mr Cooper, who was wanted for failing to appear in court, was noticed by two police officers in Shepherds Bush, on July 12. A struggle allegedly occurred and Mr Cooper was seen by officers to place an item in his mouth. He was encouraged by officers to spit it out and testing later established it to be a Kinder egg containing heroin and small, white crystals. It was unknown if he had swallowed any of the drugs so he was taken to hospital where he was given the all-clear and returned to police custody. IOPC lead investigator Molly Johnson told the inquest, attended by his mother, that there were no obvious injuries to Mr Cooper and he seemed cooperative and alert in custody at Hammersmith and Fulham police station. He was charged that evening with possession of a Class A drug and refused bail due to his previous failure to appear in court. During his time in custody, he was checked three times by medical professionals with no concerns raised. But two days later CCTV in his cell appears to show Mr Cooper having a medical emergency and custody officers rushed to check on him at 6.47am. He was given CPR and defibrillation by detention staff until paramedics arrived at 6.58am. On arrival to Charing Cross hospital he was in cardiac arrest and showed no signs of life, according to the IOPC investigator. He was pronounced dead at 8.32am. Wraps of suspected drugs were later found hidden in his sock, the police watchdog investigator said. Assistant Coroner Hannah Hinton suspended the inquest awaiting toxicology results to be returned. She told Mr Coopers family: Im sure you have many, many unanswered questions that are unanswered. Let me reassure you the investigation into Daniels death will be a thorough one. This is a complex case and therefore all the information needs to be gathered before reaching conclusions we are bound to reach. IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: Our thoughts are with Daniel Coopers family and friends and all those affected by this incident. We have met with his family to explain our role and will keep them updated throughout the investigation. Whenever a person dies while in police custody, its important that an independent investigation is carried out to establish all of the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the actions and decision-making of the relevant police officers and police staff. All police officers/staff are currently being treated as witnesses. Investigators have taken CCTV from the custody centre and from the street where Mr Cooper was arrested, alongside officers body-worn video. S ixty-six delivery riders have been arrested in London this year amid a Home Office crackdown on illegal workers and employers who turn a blind eye. Campaigners and unions say riders are at risk of modern slavery, are frequent targets for authorities regardless of their immigration status and subject to racial profiling. But an immigration lawyer says illegal working is a specific problem within the unregulated gig economy and targeted raids are warranted. Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat have all insisted they run necessary checks to make sure all workers have the right to work in the UK. But Home Office figures obtained by the Standard under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that 66 riders were arrested for immigration offences in the capital between January and July 2023. Of those arrested, 10 have been deported. The alleged immigration offences include overstayers, illegal entrants - either arriving in the UK illegally or entering via deception - and those working in breach of their visa conditions, for example, students. Enforcement visits have ramped up this year. The Home Office said it has arrested more people in 2023 than during the whole of 2022. The Home Office has carried out more than 3,200 enforcement visits for illegal workers this year, 3,959 people have been arrested and almost 1,000 detained within two days following an arrest. A spokesperson for the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said its no accident that these stops are public and targeted at ethnic minority workers. BAME Officer for the Couriers Branch of IWGB, Larbi Neron, told the Standard: The Home Office is carrying out these raids purely to victimise migrant workers and to create division amongst working people. We have seen this happen a lot more frequently under the guise of vehicle stops for insurance checks under the Road Traffic Act. From our experience these stops are almost exclusively aimed at the black, brown, and migrant workers who make up the vast majority of the workforce, regardless of their immigration status. Many delivery workers feel intimidated by the police, whether due to language barriers, poor knowledge of legal rights, or previous bad experiences. Weve heard of multiple cases where police have taken advantage of this fear, with officers reportedly asking for information they have no right to. As a union we aim to make sure all our members know their legal rights and have the correct support when they are unfairly targeted due to racial profiling. Immigration law partner at London solicitors Freeths, Emma Brooksbank, said food delivery apps turn a blind eye to illegal workers and are also inadvertently duped with illegal documentation. This is a specific problemwhich is located within the gig economy, she told the Standard. I think its reasonable for the Home Office, whether its enforcement officers or the police, to take action against criminal offences. She added: I think that if targeting is done on the basis of racial profiling, then that is of course completely unacceptable. But for a sector which does have a risk of immigration offenders engaging in it because of the lack of regulation and controls and adequate processes within the sector, my view is that it is reasonable for the Home Office to look at that closely. Anti-Slavery International said migrants, who make up a significant proportion of delivery workers, are at a high risk of exploitation and the most serious cases can amount to modern slavery. Cristina Patriarca, Safe Migration Officer, told the Standard: The very nature of app-based management means a lack of direct relationship between the worker and the employer, which can result in long working hours, and low payments where people may end up earning below minimum wage. Coupled with a lack of sector regulation, high number of workers, and algorithm-controlled targets, the result is that people might be less likely to complain about labour violations. We remain very concerned about the lack of regulation in these industries where we have already seen labour exploitation and abuses taking place. A Deliveroo spokesperson said the company takes a zero tolerance approach towards any rider who fails to meet their legal obligations when working with us. Deliveroo CEO Will Shu told the Standard: The reality is we support any efforts to tackle this. We do have the tech in place...you apply for an account online, we also have facial recognition, you have to enter that on the app. This is an area weve been developing over time. An Uber Eats spokesperson said: All couriers who use the Uber Eats app are required to pass a criminal background check, be over the age of 18 and hold a valid right to work in the UK, and we run checks to ensure account holders have the correct documents. Any courier that fails to meet these criteria will have their access to the app removed. A Just Eats spokesperson said: We have high standards and a robust criteria in place for couriers delivering on behalf of Just Eat...if we find that our high expectations are not met, we will investigate and immediately take action, including removing couriers from our network. A Home Office spokesperson said: Illegal working, including in the gig economy, causes untold harm to our communities, cheating honest workers out of employment, putting vulnerable people at risk, and defrauding the public purse. All immigration enforcement activity is intelligence-led and to suggest otherwise is wrong. T housands of summer holidaymakers are facing potential disruption after a union announced strikes by workers at Gatwick Airport later this month in a row over pay. Unite members working for ground handling company Red Handling will walk out for four days from Friday, August 18, and a further four days from Friday, August 25, which includes the August bank holiday weekend. Members of the union employed by Wilson James, which operates Gatwicks passenger assistance contract, will walk out for three days from August 18, and a further three days from August 22. The strikes will involve more than 230 workers in total. Unite said both companies involved had failed to make offers that meet the workers expectations. Red Handling is responsible for ground handling for Norse Atlantic, Norwegian, Delta, TAP Air Portugal and Saudi. During the first four-day strike action at Red Handling, Unite believes that 216 flights could be disrupted or delayed, affecting around 45,000 passengers. Unite regional officer Dominic Rothwell said: The strike action is set to cause severe disruption throughout Gatwick Airport, but this dispute is totally of the employers own making, they have been given every opportunity to make our members a fair pay offer but have failed to do so. The companies need to stop prevaricating and make an offer which meets our members expectations. A Gatwick spokesperson said: We are aware of the recent ballot results and encourage staff at Wilson James, Red Handling and their union to reach a resolution. We will support Wilson James, who hold the contract for providing assistance to passengers, in their contingency planning. We will also support the airlines affected - who hold the contracts with Red Handling - with their contingency plans to ensure that as many flights as possible operate as scheduled. Strikes that were planned for this week were called off after a pay offer was accepted. Workers employed by Gatwick Ground Services (GGS), on the British Airways contract, followed employees at DHL Ground Handling, ASC and Menzies in cancelling industrial action following pay deals. GGS workers voted to accept an improved pay offer of 10.3%, according to Unite union. The unions general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: This is a significant pay increase for workers at GGS. From the outset our members have been rock-solid in their determination to secure a fair pay increase, which has resulted in a just settlement. The pay campaign at Gatwick Airport is a great example of how Unites unwavering commitment to jobs, pay and conditions for our members is delivering substantial financial benefits for workers. Meanwhile, travellers face with the prospect of further strike chaos on the London Underground. Tube drivers who are member of Aslef have voted to continue industrial action for another six months in a dispute over pay. T ube drivers have voted to continue industrial action for another six months in a dispute over pay. Aslef said the results of new ballots for strikes on the London Underground, as well as at several rail companies in England, showed continued support from drivers. Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: The results of these new ballots show the determination of our members to win this dispute. Thats why I am calling on the train companies, and the Government that stands behind them, to do the right thing and return to the negotiating table with a new offer and prevent more disruption to passengers and businesses in Britain. Aslef members at Chiltern, East Midlands, Northern and TransPennine voted in favour of continuing with strikes after being reballoted after six months under employment law. Drivers at c2c were balloted for the first time and also voted heavily in favour. Drivers at freight operating company Direct Rail Services also voted in favour of industrial action in a separate dispute over pay. London Underground drivers backed industrial action in a reballot in another dispute over pay, pensions and conditions. Finn Brennan, Aslefs organiser on the Underground, said: These huge votes, from the high 90s to 100%, in favour of action, demonstrate just how determined our members are to protect their terms and conditions at work from the effects of the Governments attack on TfL (Transport for London) funding. As always, we are prepared to discuss and negotiate, but we will never accept detrimental changes being imposed on Aslefs members. L abour-run Wandsworth Council has announced it is establishing its own 1m scrappage fund to help people cope financially with the expanded Ultra low emission zone (Ulez). It comes after Merton - another Labour-run borough bordering Wandsworth - said last week it would be launching its own 1m scheme to complement mayor Sadiq Khans city-wide 160m fund. Wandsworth said its scheme - which will offer grants of 1,000 - will only be open to residents in receipt of certain means-tested benefits, and those registered as carers. Council leader Simon Hogg said: Switching to more sustainable modes of transport as part of the expansion of Ulez is at the heart of tackling air pollution something we know is a real priority for local residents. At the same time household budgets are very stretched for everyone, and in particular those on lower incomes. He said the scheme, known as the Wandsworth Sustainable Travel Fund, will provide targeted support to help local people struggling with the cost of living as well as dedicated, hardworking local carers - make the transition away from high polluting vehicles. Residents will be entitled to apply to the fund regardless of whether they have also applied to Mr Khans city-wide scheme. The London mayor said: Wandsworth is yet another example of a local authority doing the right thing and stepping up where the Government has failed to provide sufficient funding to London. A Government spokeswoman said in response it was for the Mayor of London to justify his decision to expand the Ulez. At a time when the Government is doing everything it can to support people with the cost of living, it is for the Mayor to explain why he thinks it is fair to change those with non-compliant vehicles 12.50 every time they drive. The Government has already provided TfL with 6bn in funding support since 2020, including almost 102m for projects specifically targeted at helping to tackle pollution. Wandsworths scrappage scheme will launch in September, with further details on how to apply expected shortly. The Ulez currently covers the area within the North and South Circular roads, but is expanding on August 29 to cover the whole of Greater London. As the South Circular runs through Wandsworth, the borough is currently split in half by the existing Ulez area. Battersea and Nine Elms are entirely covered by the current zone, along with parts of Wandsworth Town and Putney, while the rest of the borough is, until the end of the month, outside it. Drivers of non-compliant vehicles are liable to pay a 12.50 daily charge if travelling within the zone. Mr Khan announced earlier this month that he will be expanding his city-wide scrappage scheme on August 21 to enable every single Londoner to apply to the fund, with grants of 1,000 available for motorbikes and 2,000 for cars. Larger amounts are available to businesses and charities looking to replace vans or minibuses. The mayors fund - administered by TfL - had previously only been open to Londoners on certain benefits, as well as small businesses and charities registered in the capital. Wandsworth Council said residents can contact ulez@wandsworth.gov.uk with questions about the boroughs scheme or to register to receive updates. A fresh row erupted on Wednesday over Susan Halls selection as the Conservatives candidate for mayor as they launched a probe into their party in the capital. The internal review will focus on the structures, processes and organisation of the Conservative Party in London. Senior Tories immediately piled pressure on party chairman Greg Hands to ensure that the inquiry covers the selection process to choose their London mayoral candidate. The revelation by LBC Radio of the review reignited the furore over the controversial selection of Ms Hall, who has voiced pro-Trump and pro-Brexit views, to be the Tory challenger against Sadiq Khan. One London Conservative said the probe threatened to chop off at the knees her mayoral campaign. The review will be carried out by Lord Lister, who was Boris Johnsons chief-of-staff in City Hall and No 10 senior adviser, with an interim report expected to be completed before the Tory Party conference in the autumn. Mr Hands told the Standard: I and other senior London Conservatives have been concerned for some years that the partys campaigning organisation is not as strong as it should be in London. Not withstanding the recent success of the Uxbridge by-election, we need to be operating more efficiently as a London Conservative Party. The main thrust of the review is expected to be the elections next year, including the London mayoral contest. Party chiefs insisted its purpose was to build on the success of the surprise by-election victory, by just 495 votes, in Mr Johnsons former constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip last month. But the scope could also include how the partys mayoral contender is chosen in future after the row this year. One senior Tory said: If its not there, it should be. The inquiry was also being seen by some as a blow to Ms Hall. Richard Barnes, the former Conservative deputy mayor of London, told LBC: Id be damned annoyed to be quite honest. It is totally undermining her position. He added: Had they done the review post-election then thats totally legitimate, but to do it now when you have a live candidate, and to basically chop them off at the knees I think its utterly and totally unfair. Why do it now? Why not wait a year. London minister Paul Scully, MP for Sutton and Cheam, was seen as the favourite to be selected as the Tory mayoral candidate. But he failed to make the shortlist of three. Another senior London Tory told the Standard that the probe had to include how the final three Tory mayoral contenders were decided on when stand-out, far more experienced candidates Samuel Kasumu and Paul Scully did not make the final round. But he added that the review will also look at how the ruthless Tory campaign run for the Uxbridge by-election was successful by focusing on the extension of the ultra low emission zone to outer London. The Tory party needs to get its mojo back, he said. The reason Uxbridge worked was because it was a ruthless campaign organised by local members, focusing on a local issue that mattered to voters. The probe is set to dissect the lessons from Uxbridge that can be rolled out across London for the mayoral vote next May and at a general election expected later in the year. A Conservative spokesman said: The party chairman has appointed Lord Lister to undertake an internal review into the structures, processes, and organisation of the Conservative Party in London. The purpose of this review is to build on the success of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip parliamentary by-election in July, to ensuring that the Conservative Party in London is in the best position possible to take the fight comprehensively to our opponents in next years crucial elections across the capital. It may also include how Tory candidates for the Greater London Assembly are chosen in future. Andrew Boff, who also threw his hat into the ring to be the Tory mayoral challenger, said: The review is needed even though we ended up choosing an excellent candidate. The procedure to select someone who has executive control of a 20 billion budget is not much different from the way we select local council candidates. T he hacking of Britains elections watchdog was a significant failing that should never recur, a minister said on Wednesday after details on tens of millions of voters were accessed. As experts pointed blame at the Kremlin, the Electoral Commission said there was little risk of hostile actors being able to influence the outcome of a vote, but apologised for the breach in its systems. The revelation coincided with news that the personal details of thousands of Police Service of Northern Ireland officers and civilian staff had been compromised - prompting expressions of serious alarm by police chiefs and politicians there. In Britain, the election registers held at the time of the cyber-attack include the name and address of anyone who was registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, and the names of voters registered overseas. But no-one registered anonymously was exposed. This is a significant failing, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said on LBC radio. Thats why the Electoral Commission have worked with the National Crime Agency to put in place procedures so this can never happen again. What the government can do is to hold them to account, to provide them with the resources through the National Crime Agency and National Cyber Security Centre to improve their procedures. The Home Office has already set up a defending democracy task force, Mr Jenrick noted, after previous allegations that Vladimir Putins regime in Russia tried to meddle in Britains 2016 Brexit referendum and the 2019 General Election. The task force seeks to bring all of these stakeholders together to protect our electoral system against interference, whether that be from hostile states or from other actors, which Im afraid does occur today and is likely to be a feature of our diplomatic and security situation in the years ahead, the minister said. The attack was identified in October 2022, but the hackers had first been able to access the Electoral Commissions systems in August 2021, the watchdog revealed on Tuesday. Former GCHQ director David Omand told BBC Radio 4 that Putins government was first on my list of suspects. Sir Richard Dearlove, the ex-head of MI6, told the Telegraph that the Kremlin would be at the top of the suspects list by a mile. Electoral Commission chief executive Shaun McNally said: The UKs democratic process is significantly dispersed and key aspects of it remain based on paper documentation and counting. This means it would be very hard to use a cyber-attack to influence the process, he said, while stressing that the Commission had taken significant measures with the National Cyber Security Centre to improve its IT systems. Liam Kelly, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, meanwhile said on Wednesday that he had been inundated with messages from officers who were shocked, dismayed and basically angry after the data breach there. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said major questions arose from the breach, which she said revealed systemic failures in the force. A significant number of asylum claimants has agreed to board a Dorset barge after the Government refused to offer them an a la carte range of alternatives, a minister said on Wednesday. Robert Jenrick said more will embark on the 500-capacity Bibby Stockholm in the coming days after an initial batch of 15 on Monday - when up to 20 people refused and filed legal challenges. The immigration minister also refused to rule out a UK exit from the European Convention on Human Rights, as the Conservatives hone their anti-Labour attacks about asylum policy for the upcoming General Election. Well do whatever is necessary ultimately to defend our borders and bring order to our asylum system, he said on Times Radio as he promoted a new migration partnership with Turkey. Refugee groups insist that asylum seekers have every legal right to challenge their forced relocation to the barge, which is moored off Portland, and have accused the Government of threatening to make them homeless if they refuse. But Mr Jenrick said the Government, while legally bound to provide basic accommodation, was under no obligation to offer them an a la carte menu of options as it battles to cut down a daily bill of 6m on asylum hotels. Weve written to those individuals who have so far declined to travel, and as I understand a significant proportion of them have already changed their minds and agreed to move, the minister said. A significant number moved yesterday. I expect more will move in the coming days. And so I think this issue will be resolved. But as I say, were a generous country. We want to support people appropriately and in accordance with the law. If youre destitute then obviously youll accept the decent accommodation that the state is able to provide for you. A Home Office spokesperson refused to say how many were now aboard the Bibby Stockholm. But Labours shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper slammed the barge as a sign of failure by the Government, noting that 10,000 more asylum claimants have been moved into hotels since Rishi Sunak vowed to stop the boats coming across the Channel as one of five pledges the Prime Minister made in January. The asylum backlog now stands at 173,000, costing the taxpayer 5,000 every minute for hotels, she said. Labour would end the use of hotels and barges, going back to the low-cost, long-standing asylum accommodation of which we have tens of thousands of places in this country. But pressed on Labours asylum policy answer if the party is returned to power, Ms Cooper said: We dont know what the scale of the chaos is going to be. O ne of Londons poorest borough is set to spend thousands of pounds on a lavish makeover of the mayors office, despite the council moving into the new town hall less than a year ago. Plans for Tower Hamlets leader Lutfur Rahmans new executive work space include a 50,000 meeting table and 30 luxury chairs. But critics on Wednesday slammed the relocation of a staff cafeteria at the councils Whitechapel headquarters so Mr Rahmans office can be extended. Proposals, due to be discussed at a planning meeting on Thursday evening, include turning the buildings chapel, currently a canteen, into an executive office. The councils civic centre moved to the former Grade II listed Royal London Hospital in January following a 120 million refurbishment. But a string of new upgrades have already been ordered. A 50,000 budget has been put aside for the mayors meeting table and seats, with the council admitting it has already spent 24,000 on the chairs. Some 200,000 is budgeted for moving the mayors office, while 25,000 is set aside for a kitchenette. The revamp was expected to cost a total of 450,000 but the final bill is under review, according to council documents. There have been 66 objections to the plans. Tower Hamlets Unison branch secretary Kerie Anne argued it was unfair to create an inferior space, and fewer meeting rooms for staff use. Tower Hamlets Labour said it would be grating for residents to learn that the lavish makeover is set to cost taxpayers a staggering 400,000. Bethnal Green East councillor Sirajul Islam said: To see Mayor Rahmans extravagant spending spree is incredibly troubling for the residents. Nearly half of children in Tower Hamlets are growing up in poverty more than in any other borough in the capital, according to Trust For London data. Mr Rahman returned to lead the council last year after he was barred from holding office for five years in 2015 for electoral fraud. He and his Aspire group won control of the borough last May after he served out his ban. In January Mr Rahman was forced to defend allocating an extravagant 1.4million to expand his office staff, which included the hiring of a raft of consultants. Tower Hamlets said the 50,000 table costs relate to a 30-person meeting table and chairs that could also be used for events. A council spokesman said it always planned to review the use of the town hall after six months and upgrades will also help the town hall generate income with events and by hosting investors. They added the council wanted to create a much bigger indoor and outdoor wellbeing space with improved facilities and an outdoor terrace and the current area was too small. Staff wellbeing and mental health has never been under more pressure with funding cuts, increased demand for services and the cost of living crisis, the council said in a statement. Staff have told us they want more wellbeing space. In response, we want to create a much bigger indoor and outdoor wellbeing space with improved facilities and an outdoor terrace. These changes, along with other improvements to the office spaces, is about using the building more efficency and improving staff wellbeing. These costs are not additional to the exitsing budget which was signed off at a Full Council meeting in March. The money was already set aside to make improvements following the planned six month review. T he first class-action lawsuit is being brought against water corporations that are accused of misusing their position as privatised monopolies and failing to disclose the full scope of raw sewage discharges. Claims of under-reporting pollution incidents and overcharging customers will result in legal action against six English water corporations, which could result in hundreds of millions of pounds being paid out to consumers. Anyone who has paid water bills to one of the six companies from April 2020 may be entitled to compensation. Leigh Day Solicitors' client Professor Carolyn Roberts, an environmental and water specialist, asserts that these water corporations have violated competition laws by deceiving the Environmental Agency and the watchdog Ofwat. She claims that through under-reporting sewage discharges, customers have been unfairly overcharged for wastewater services. Had the amount of sewage discharges been accurately reported, she claims, customer costs would have been lower. Water UK said the accusations are entirely without merit and that 99 per cent of sewage works are legally compliant. Which water companies are involved? Severn Trent Water, Thames Water, United Utilities, Anglian Water, Yorkshire Water, and Northumbrian Water are all involved. How much could people receive? If the claims are successful, anybody who has paid a water bill to one or more of these businesses since April 2020 or April 2017 for Severn Trent Water customers may be eligible for compensation. If the cases are successful, Severn Trent Water, Thames Water, United Utilities, Anglian Water, Yorkshire Water, and Northumbrian Water may have to pay more than 800 million in damages to more than 20 million customers. The first lawsuit, filed against Severn Trent Water on behalf of eight million individuals, is thought to be worth more than 330 million. How do you make a claim? Leigh Day is pursuing compensation on an opt-out basis, which means clients are only required to submit claims if the lawsuit is successful. It will file five further lawsuits against the other water suppliers over the next few months, in addition to putting Severn Trent Water before the Competition Appeal Tribunal. If they win, the lawyers anticipate that the relevant water firm and its shareholders will pay any compensation but not by increasing customers bills. If the lawsuit is successful, customers can submit a claim against their water supplier through their individual websites or via the Director General of Water Services (Ofwat). What have the water companies said in response? A Water UK spokesperson said: This highly speculative claim is entirely without merit. The regulator has confirmed that over 99 per cent of sewage works comply with their legal requirements. If companies fail to deliver on their commitments, then customer bills are already adjusted accordingly. However, Zoe Mernick-Levene, partner at Leigh Day, said: These claims are hugely significant. Not only is compensation being sought for millions of customers who have and continue to pay higher water bills, but we hope that it will also send a message to water companies that they cannot unlawfully pollute waterways and mislead their regulators without consequence. Customers put their trust in water companies, believing that they are correctly reporting these spillages and appropriately treating the sewage so it can safely be returned to the environment. Instead, our client believes they are misleading their regulators and customers are overpaying while Englands waterways are suffering as a result. On August 8, two news stories highlighted the enduring impact of the seemingly endless war in Colombia. First, a New York judge sentenced Dairo Antonio Usuga (alias Otoniel) to 45 years in prison for drug trafficking. Hours later, Colombias transitional justice system established in 2005 expelled former paramilitary commander Hernan Giraldo due to his ongoing involvement in criminal activities. Giraldo committed gender-based violence against four minors in 2007 and 2008, while he was imprisoned in Colombia. Despite an 18-year effort to demobilize illegal paramilitary groups drug trafficker armies, land grabbers, peasant self-defense groups and more the scars they left behind in Colombia have yet to heal. Usuga, Giraldo and many others perpetuated recurring waves of violence that journalist Maria Teresa Ronderos describes as recycled wars. Hernan Giraldo was born in a part of Colombia heavily affected by the mid-20th century civil war between liberals and conservatives, known simply as La Violencia The Violence, in stark capital letters. He attended school until the second grade, when his family had to flee the area due to the conflict. A landless peasant, Giraldo moved to the Caribbean coast and settled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in 1969. He made money by capitalizing on the regions marijuana boom and began buying up farms. Giraldo soon butted heads with the now-extinct FARC guerrilla army and lost his son and son-in-law in a 1986 guerrilla attack. This led him to establish his own paramilitary army funded by drug trafficking. He eventually aligned with the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) and demobilized in 2005 during the peace talks. That was also the year he and his brother, Jesus Antonio, were extradited to the United States on drug trafficking charges. Dairo Usuga is the heir to the throne of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), an alliance of illegal paramilitary groups. Born in the conflict-ridden area of Uraba to a peasant family, he joined the Maoist guerrilla group called the Popular Liberation Army (EPL) at 16. After the 1991 peace agreement, he joined a paramilitary group headed by two brothers Carlos and Vicente Castano rising through the ranks and refusing to demobilize in 2005. Inheriting control of drug trafficking routes and battle-hardened soldiers, he and other leaders formed the group known as Los Urabenos, the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or the Gulf Clan. After his brother was killed during a police raid in 2012, Usuga became the sole leader. He was captured near the Panama border in late 2021 and extradited to the United States by then-President Ivan Duque in May 2022. Police escort Dairo Antonio Usuga after his capture in 2021. AP Both men left a bloody trail of victims who persistently seek justice and restitution. After serving an eight-year prison sentence in the United States, he was deported to Colombia in 2021. Two years prior, the Chamber of Justice and Peace of the Barranquilla Court had handed him and other members of their group the longest sentences ever imposed in Colombia 40 years in prison for a range of crimes including forced conscription, murder, disappearance, forced displacement, illegal financing and gender-based violence. The sexual violence perpetrated by the former commander of the self-proclaimed Tayrona Resistance Bloc Hernan Giraldo Serna served as both a means of sexual gratification and as a strategy for social control, stated the 9,000-page sentencing document. Giraldo victimized an estimated 67,000 people, including hundreds of women. He is thought to have fathered around 35 children, many of them as a result of rape. Colombias attorney general alleged that most of the mothers abused by Giraldo were under the age of 14, and the youngest became pregnant at 12. At the request of a prosecutor from the Transitional Justice Directorate, a Barranquilla court expelled Giraldo from the justice and peace process for violating the commitments and eligibility requirements established in 2005. Prosecutors proved that Giraldo committed crimes of gender-based violence against four minors between 2007 and 2008 when he was in various Colombian prisons. When I was 15, I arrived in Santa Marta and met this woman. She invited me to stay with her, helping with housework and taking care of the kids. In return, she supported my studies, provided me a place to live, and even bought the things I needed, said one of the victims. One day she told me to accompany her on a prison visit. At the jail, she was taken to Giraldos cell. He took off my clothes and had sex with me. I remember that I cried and thought, God help me because this man is going to die on top of me, stated the sworn testimony of one victim. FARC guerrillas in La Guajira, northern Colombia. EFE Usuga also victimized thousands through murder, terrorism, kidnapping, sexual crimes, illegal mining operations and more. He unsuccessfully tried to avoid extradition through numerous legal maneuvers. Like Giraldo, Usuga raped and terrorized hundreds of women and minors through an international network of human trafficking. These deep wounds from Colombias long-running war remain unhealed for the countless unknown victims of crimes committed by Giraldo, Usuga and many others that follow in their footsteps. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition T he UK and Turkey have made a new deal to disrupt people-smuggling gangs that organise small boat journeys, in order to reduce the number of migrants arriving in the UK. The deal was announced just days after the first migrants boarded the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset, despite a backlash from human rights campaigners. A number of migrants did not board the barge after their transfers were cancelled by lawyers. Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk likened the UKs asylum system to a leaky bucket . The reality is, if youve got a hole in the bucket and if you keep filling it, youre always going to have a problem, he said. What is the new people smuggling deal? The UK has made a deal with Turkey to disrupt people smuggling by interrupting the supply chain of small boats. A centre of excellence will be established in Turkey by the countrys national police to help both countries share intelligence. Furthermore, UK officers will be sent to Turkey to help strengthen the collaboration between the two countries. Mr Jenrick has not revealed how much the UK has spent on funding the project, telling GB News, we are giving some funding, but that, it is not primarily about money. He explained: This is mainly about the sharing of intelligence and information between our world-leading police and security services, and their law-enforcement authorities, so that, if we find out something important, that can be acted upon quickly and vice versa. How many people migrate from Turkey to the UK each year? So far this year, nearly 1,500 Turkish migrants have come to the UK on small boats, according to the BBC. The BBC also reports that nearly 200 Turkish migrants were returned to Turkey from the UK in 2022. How many people migrate to the UK in small boats? According to Government data , around 45,000 people came to the UK on small boats in 2022. Most boats arrive between August and October, and the boats carry an average of 41 people. The total in the year ending March 2023 was 42 per cent higher than in the year ending March 2022. As of July 9, nearly 13,000 people had crossed the channel in small boats since the beginning of the year. What has the Government said about the Turkey deal? Home Secretary Suella Braverman said in a statement : Our partnership with Turkey, a close friend and ally, will enable our law enforcement agencies to work together on this international problem and tackle the small boat supply chain. Meanwhile, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said: Having met our partners in Europe, North Africa, and indeed Turkiye recently, Ive seen first-hand the benefits our increased co-operation has on stopping the boats. I am determined that the UK is a leading force in tackling illegal migration and a partner to all those allies who share our determination to defeat it. T he Crooked House, the legendary pub known for being Britains wonkiest, has been demolished in an unacceptable and possibly unlawful act. South Staffordshire Council is holding hearings after the 18th Century pub was gutted by fire on Sunday and then knocked down on Monday. The authority is looking into potential breaches of the Town and Planning Act and could now take enforcement action. A crowd of more than 200 gathered outside The Crooked House on Monday to watch the demolition, with some collecting bricks from the site. Former landlord Tom Catton told the BBC: To go from a standing pub to a pile of rubble within less than 48 hours is just crazy because surely, if theres a fire, it needs to be investigated and looked at. This is the situation so far. The pub after the fire and before the demolition / Jacob King / PA Where is Crooked House? The Crooked House was built in 1765 at its site in Himley, in South Staffordshire, originally as a farmhouse before becoming a pub in the 1830s. Its name and appearance are owed to nearby mining the site is surrounded by quarries which has seen an effect known as subsidence cause a sloping of the earth in the area. This led it to become known as Siden House siden being a Black Country term for wonky before taking its Crooked House name in 2002. At its peak, the pub could pull in national and even international crowds, and pound coins could be seen to roll along the bar against the direction of gravity. A vast amount of work has improved the structures of the pub to make it safe to use over the years, despite the wonkiness, with windows even placed at an odd angle for those sitting inside. The wonky pub as it used to stand / Nick Maslen / Alamy / PA Wire Was Crooked House listed? Historic England received a request in July 2023 for the pub to be given listed status. It had not been granted at the time of its destruction. It had been incorrectly reported in some news outlets that the pub is grade II listed. Who owns Crooked House? Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries bought the pub in the 1940s and ensured it was structurally safe. The pub has changed hands since then and has also been managed by various landlords. The Crooked House has, until very recently, still traded as a pub but, within a few months, several events led to its demise. It was damaged before the fire, as in June, the pub was broken into and the intruder caused an estimated 10,000 worth of damage to the bar, kitchen, and toilet areas. The pub said at the time that the culprit had been arrested but the burglary was said to have been a nail in the coffin. Marstons, a pub and hotel operator, put the pub up for sale in January. The Crooked House has been sold. Unlikely to... open its doors again, a Facebook message from the pubs account read in July. Marstons have sold the site to a private buyer for alternative use, that is all we know. This is just to update the page so nobody makes any wasted journeys to the site. The statement added: Unfortunately, due to the damage done after the break-in and now Marstons sale of the site, I have been told I can no longer trade or operate at this site. This happened so quickly and is as much of a shock to myself than it is to everyone else. The Guardian said the new owner was called ATE Farms Ltd the same company which owns the 15-hectare (37-acre) quarry and landfill site next to the pub. Records show that ATE is owned by 34-year-old Carly Taylor, who is behind many firms. People inspect the rubble remains of The Crooked House pub / Matthew Cooper / PA What happened to Crooked House and what will happen next? The Crooked House was engulfed in flames on Sunday night, just days after the sale to ATE went through. The roof of the pub was seen to be missing in the aftermath and the insides had been gutted. Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said there were a lot of questions. Today, all we can say is what a tragedy, and I sincerely hope this iconic Black Country landmark can be restored and preserved. But his wish did not come to pass as bulldozers were seen knocking down the pub on Monday. More than 200 locals turned out to see the site reduced to bricks and ashes. The historic Crooked House pub in Himley, Staffordshire, was gutted by fire on Saturday evening / PA Wire The event has led to confusion and anger. Ill let everyone else make their own conclusions on the recent events, the pubs Facebook post read. This is absolutely terrible news. So, so sad, Tracey Boffey wrote on Facebook. Beth Turner added: Im so devastated to see this. Im so sorry for you all after all your effort and hard work. Staffordshire Police said: We understand the strength of feeling in the community is high at this moment and the sadness felt amongst those who have a strong emotional attachment to this place. As to what will happen next, the council is investigating, as is the police. Roger Lees, the leader of South Staffordshire, said: At no point did the council agree to the demolition of the whole structure, nor was this deemed necessary. This council finds the manner in which the situation was managed following the fire completely unacceptable and contrary to instructions provided by our officers. Meanwhile, a petition to rebuild the pub has 7,000 signatures and a public gathering will be held on Tuesday night at the site. Andy Street has said he wants the pub to be rebuilt brick by brick. The Mayor said: We will not let the Crooked House be consigned to history. A British man is among five people who have been shot dead in violent protests in South Africa. The 40-year-old, reportedly a doctor who was on holiday in the country with two members of his family, was killed in the Ntlangano Crescent area of Cape Town last Thursday, officials said. It is believed he had taken a wrong turn from the nearby Cape Town International Airport while driving with two other people when a group approached the vehicle and shot him. Unrest on the outskirts of South Africas second-largest city began after minibus taxi drivers announced a week-long strike. The taxis national union, which is angry at what it calls heavy-handed tactics by police and city authorities in impounding vehicles, said its members are not instigating violence. Five separate murders have been recorded during the protests, which have included stone-throwing, road blockades, looting, arson and public violence, the South African Police Service said. They said the victim was driving from the airport when he apparently took a wrong turn off and headed towards Nyanga. In Ntlangano Crescent a number of suspects approached his vehicle, shot and killed him. No arrests have been made. The Foreign Office advised Britons to be on alert while travelling in the country. E leven people have been confirmed dead following a fire at a holiday cottage hosting people with learning disabilities in north-eastern France. Thee blaze broke out around 6.30am local time (5.30am in the UK), at the house in the small town of Wintzenheim, sparking a search operation. Eleven people - members of a group on holiday from Nancy in eastern France - were initially reported missing. Ten adults with disabilities, and one staff member, are among the dead, officials have said. Shortly after 11am in the UK, it was confirmed the bodies of nine people had been found, while two remained unaccounted for. Around 3pm, local officials confirmed the two remaining missing people had also been found dead. The holiday home, located about 50 miles south of Strasbourg close to the German border, was rented for the summer by two charities that care for people with learning disabilities. Twenty-eight people were staying there. Seventeen were evacuated from the building during the fire. One of them was taken to hospital in a relative emergency, the local prefecture said. A few of the people who were (sleeping) on the first floor managed to escape, but most of those who got out were on the ground floor, Lieutenant Colonel Philippe Hauwiller, who headed the rescue operations, told reporters. A total of 76 firefighters, four fire engines, four ambulances and 40 police officers were deployed to contain the blaze and treat the victims. The fire ravaged 300 square metres of the 500 square-metre building, but was swiftly brought under control by firefighters. AFP via Getty Images French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted that early this morning, a fire broke out in a facility for disabled people. Despite the rapid and courageous intervention of the fire department ... several casualties are reported, he said. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said she was headed to the site, in the Haut-Rhin departement in Grand Est in north-eastern France. My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones, she posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. President Emmanuel Macron also shared his condolences, writing: Faced with this tragedy, my thoughts go out to the victims, to the injured, to their loved ones. U S President Joe Biden mistakenly referred to the Grand Canyon as one of the nine wonders of the world in his latest public gaffe. Mr Biden on Tuesday held a press conference to announce a new federal monument covering nearly one million acres near the iconic Grand Canyon in Arizona. While US national parks can be created only by an act of Congress, national monuments can be designated by presidents using the Antiquities Act, a century-old law meant to protect sacred sites, artifacts and historical objects. The announcement will restrict new mining activity in the uranium-rich area. The US President, 80, told reporters: Folks, its not hyperbole to suggest that there is no national treasure, none, that is grander than the Grand Canyon. One of the earths nine wonders of the world, literally, think of that, its amazing, an enduring symbol of American to the entire world. He later corrected himself, saying: As a matter of fact I said nine, its one of the seven wonders of the world. Mr Biden said he first visited the Grand Canyon as a young senator and thought, this is Gods cathedral. Thats what it reminded me of. It just is so magnificent. Later, the US President posed for photographs near the edge of the canyon and told reporters: Dont jump! Biden held a press conference at the Arizonan site on Tuesday / REUTERS The new federal monument is named Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni, drawn from the languages of the nearby Havasupai and Hopi tribes. It spans the existing Grand Canyon National Park, where the US government forcibly removed Native Americans a century ago. In the area there are bison, bald eagles and sites held as sacred by several tribes. It is also home to around one per cent of the countrys known uranium reserves, according to a Biden administration official, who said existing rights to mine, hunt, fish and graze will be respected. The land is currently covered by a two-decade mining moratorium. Preserving these lands is good not only for Arizona, but for the planet, Mr Biden said. Its good for the economy. Its good for the soul of the nation, he added. Joe Biden has made several gaffes as President, with concerns raised over his age. In June he referred to Russias invasion of Ukraine as the war in Iraq while speaking to reporters. The same month, he closed out a speech on gun control by saying: God save the Queen, man, and in a separate incident, referred to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as Mr President. Mr Biden was 78 years old when he was elected US President in January 2021. The oldest president at the end of his tenure before this was Ronald Reagan, who was 77 when he finished leading the country in January 1989, but Mr Biden will take that title eventually when his tenure ends. F orty-one migrants have been killed in a shipwreck off Italys Lampedusa island, according to reports. The RAI and ANSA news agency reported on Wednesday that four people who survived the shipwreck told rescuers that they were on a boat that had set off from Sfax in Tunisia. The survivors, three men and a woman, said the vessel had sunk on its way to Italys shores. They were taken to Lampedusa on Wednesday morning by the Italian Coast Guard after first being rescued by a cargo ship. The four survivors are originally from the Ivory Coast and Guinea. They told the Coast Guard that 45 of them left Sfax, including three children, at 10am on Thursday, ANSA reports. But a few hours later the boat capsized due to a large wave and all migrants on board ended up in the sea, according to the survivors. Only 15 wore a life jacket, but they too died, the survivors said, according to ANSA. Reportedly no bodies or the vessel have been found. Alessandra Filograno, a spokeswoman for the Italian Red Cross, confirmed four survivors arrived at the Lampedusa centre on Wednesday morning - two men, a woman and an unaccompanied minor. It follows two other shipwrecks off the Italian island on Saturday that left a woman and her infant dead while 57 migrants had to be rescued from the water. It is unclear if the news given by Ansa is linked to the two shipwrecks over the weekend. Separately, Tunisian authorities said on Monday that they had recovered 11 bodies from a shipwreck near Sfax on Sunday, with 44 migrants still missing from that sinking. The waters in the Strait of Sicily have been extremely rough in recent days, making it hard for Italian Coast Guard boats to reach stranded migrants. The island, which is closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, is a frequent destination for migrant smugglers and has seen its migrant holding center repeatedly overcrowded with new arrivals this summer. More than 2,000 people have arrived in Lampedusa in the last few days after being rescued at sea by Italian patrol boats and NGO groups. Italy has seen around 93,700 migrant arrivals by sea so far this year, according to interior ministry data last updated on Monday, compared to 44,700 in the same period of 2022. S everal Miss Universe Indonesia candidates have registered police complaints accusing organisers of sexual abuse including topless body checks. Police confirmed contestants had filed a report that would be investigated. The Indonesian contestants of the beauty pageant, held in the capital Jakarta from July 29 to August 3, said the organisers asked five of them to strip to their underwear for physical examinations in a room with more than 20 people, including men. The five contestants were then photographed topless, said their lawyer, Mellisa Anggraeni, adding there was no need for such checks. Six contestants had filed complaints, she said. The Miss Universe Organization said in a statement on Tuesday that it had been made aware of the allegations and it was looking into this matter. "Miss Universe takes allegations of sexual abuse and impropriety extremely seriously. Providing a safe place for women is the Miss Universe Organization's utmost priority," it said. One of the complainants told a press conference, broadcast by news channel Kompas TV, that she had been asked to pose inappropriately, including by opening her legs. "I felt like I was being peeked on, I was very confused and uncomfortable," said the unidentified woman. The broadcaster blurred her face. Reuters tried to contact the company that runs the Miss Universe Indonesia pageant, PT Capella Swastika Karya, and the company's founder, Poppy Capella, through their social media accounts but they did not respond. Reuters was not able to find contact details for a company spokesperson. Jakarta police spokesperson Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko said a report from contestants had been received on Monday and it would be investigated. Religious groups in Indonesia, the world' most populous Muslim country, have in the past objected to beauty pageants. Thai celebrity media tycoon and transgender rights advocate Jakapong Anne Jakrajutatip bought the Miss Universe Organization for $20 million last year. The contest in Jakarta was held to select Indonesia's entry for the annual Miss Universe competition to be held in El Salvador late this year. The contest run by the Miss Universe Organization, which was co-owned by Donald Trump between 1996 and 2002, has been running since 1952. P oland is sending twice as many troops as expected to reinforce its border after hundreds of Wagner mercenaries flooded into Belarus. The EU member state will send 2,000 troops to its frontier with Belarus, the Polish deputy interior minister said on Wednesday, to stem illegal crossings and maintain stability. Polish generals have worried increasingly about the border area since hundreds of battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus last month at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus started military exercises near the border this week, and Lukashenko said several times that he is restraining Wagner fighters who want to attack Poland. Poland has also seen an increase in the number of mainly Middle Eastern and African migrants trying to cross the border in recent months. For the past two years it has accused Belarus of recruiting migrants in poor countries and sending them across the border illegally to foment instability. This reinforcement will be not by 1,000, but by 2,000 soldiers, Maciej Wasik told state agency PAP. This decision was made by the Security Committee, this decision was made by (Defence) Minister Mariusz Blaszczak On Monday Mr Wasik said that the Border Guard was requesting an additional 1,000 soldiers be deployed. He claimed that all attempts to illegally enter Poland by migrants were now being organised by Belarusian authorities. If we had real border guards on the other side, and not smuggling services, these crossings would not exist at all, he said. The Belarusian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Belarus started military exercises near the border this week. A British family who were holidaying in Portugal have described fleeing from the Armageddon wildfires. A huge blaze erupted over the weekend, razing thousands of hectares of forest in southern Portugal close to popular tourist destinations in the Algarve. Miranda Harvie-Watt and her family had to evacuate when the fire came close to their property in Sao Teotonio. Speaking to the BBC, the 52-year-old said: It was like Armageddon, Ive never seen anything like it. Our home is still standing which is incredible as the fires are all around us but so far so good. Mrs Harvie-Watt, her husband Mark, their daughter and two sons evacuated after winds drew the fire dangerously close to their property, eventually ending up in a hotel in Setubal, further north. Emergency services battle wildfire in Portugal / AFP via Getty Images The Hampshire-based family praised the emergency services efforts to control the blazes amid strong winds. Firefighters said on Wednesday that the fires were now under control though authorities said firefighters would remain on the ground as a precaution. The wildfire started on Saturday, but high temperatures and strong winds hampered efforts by more than 1,000 firefighters and water-dousing planes to extinguish the flames, which destroyed some 8,400 hectares of woodland. It forced the evacuation of about 1,400 people, most of whom have returned home. Authorities said water-dousing planes and bulldozers would be used to prevent the spread of the fire. Southern European countries have been grappling with record-breaking temperatures during the peak tourist season, prompting authorities to warn of health risks. It comes after July was confirmed as being by far the Earths hottest month ever recorded. The global average temperature reached 16.95C - beating the previous record set in 2019 by a substantial 0.33C. R ussia said it had shot down two Ukrainian drones near Moscow on Wednesday, in the latest attack on the capital city. The defence ministry said one drone was shot down near a major airport to the south of Moscow, and one to the west of the capital near the Minsk Highway. A defence ministry spokesperson decribed it as an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack with unmanned aerial vehicles. Ukraine has not commented on the attack. Two combat drones have attempted to fly to the city. Both were shot down by air defense systems, one in the Domodedovo area, and another one in the vicinity of Minskoye Highway, Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on social media app Telegram, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS. No injuries have been reported. The incident follows a number of recent drone strikes upon the Russian capital. Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky warned the war was returning to Russia after Moscow was hit by a drone attack just over a week ago. Russias airspace was briefly closed after it brought down what it claimed was three Ukrainian drones in the early hours of Sunday, July 30. Nobody was hurt in the incident and Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there was only minor damage to the facade of two office buildings in the Moskva-Citi business district which is several miles from the Kremlin. Kyiv typically does not claim responsibility for specific incidents on Russian territory, and did not claim the attack, but President Zelensky said the war was gradually returning to Russias territory to its symbolic centres. Moscow was targeted by a second attack just two days later, on August 1. Russia again downed the drones, but one struck the same high-rise tower in the Moskva Citi business district, a few miles from the Kremlin, that had been targeted in the earlier strike. Russias Defence Ministry claimed its forces had thwarted a terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime and downed two drones. Victor Manuel Ponce in a file image. CORTESIA On March 13, 2013, 75 members of the Ponce family had to flee for their lives from Estacion Conchos, a small town in Chihuahua (northern Mexico), a few days after Sigifredo Ponce was murdered. Ponces two nephews, Gerardo and Jonathan, had already lost their lives several years earlier. However, a decade later, the Ponce family found themselves face-to-face once more with that same unimaginable brutality. Victor Manuel Ponce had to abandon his ranch after his brother Sigifredo and four workers were murdered by hitmen, who shot up his supermarket and set it on fire. The family that established the little desert town in the 1930s left that night in a caravan. A few months later, they were scattered across Mexico. Victor moved to Huejucar, Jalisco (western Mexico) after trying to make a go of it in Aguascalientes (west-central Mexico). He established a successful ranch and ventured into the cattle business. His namesake son, Victor Manuel, returned from the United States to help out on the ranch and his daughter, Dinorah, married a local man. The family gradually began to recover from their troubles. He had chosen Huejucar because he thought it was a good place after escaping such terrible violence. He had heard reports of organized crime infiltrating the cattle business, but these rumors became reality in August 2022. A local armed group known as the mana told ranchers that they were taking over their businesses. They demanded half the income from every cow exported to the United States, and only a select few, including Ponce, would be allowed to sell cattle outside of Jalisco. They demanded two million pesos [$117,000] and said they would kill him if he didnt pay, said his daughter, Anais Ponce. Victor Manuel paid the extortion fee to save his life, but later reported it to the authorities. He also went to Mexicos Executive Commission for Victim Assistance (CEAV) because he feared for his life and the safety of his family. He began thinking of selling everything and moving away again. My uncle took a risk when he reported the extortion to the local prosecutors, said Paola Delgado, Dora Ponces daughter. Delgado is a lawyer who has handled all the familys legal matters, and had requested protection for her uncle. He wasnt worried about getting killed. He thought the worst that could happen is theyll just come and empty out the ranch, maybe even burn it down. The last time Victor Manuel Ponce and his employee, Luis Fernando Garcia, were seen was at his stockyard. The family searched the ranch and found his empty truck. Two hats were lying on the ground, as well as a few shirt buttons: there were signs of a struggle. Security footage from a nearby hardware store shows two trucks coming and going at high speed, just five minutes apart. We thought that maybe they were going to bring my dad back, that they were just going to give him a scare and tell him to pay up or else. But after a few hours I lost hope, said Anais Ponce. The family says the mana colluded with local authorities and went to the ranch the same day Victor Ponce disappeared. They took around 150 head of cattle and held Dinorah for hours while they threatened and warned her not to search for her missing father. On June 14, Anais Ponce posted a video about her fathers disappearance and said she just wanted to get his body back. They took what they wanted but never gave him back to us. I really need this video to go viral and reach the highest authorities, all the news channels, and most importantly the big boss of the person whos got my dad. Please give us my dad and Luis Fernando. The following morning, their bodies were discovered in Zacatecas (central Mexico). The violence against the Ponce family started in 2010 when Victor Manuels oldest son, known as Gordo, was abducted. The family was living in Estacion Conchos and had a thriving cattle ranch and export business to the United States. They opened nine supermarkets and cultivated extensive walnut orchards. Gathering for a weekly beef barbecue was a cherished family tradition. But Estacion Conchos was a drug route to the United States, and the nearby hills hid large marijuana plantations. The Ponces and other families were slowly engulfed by crime over two decades ago. In a 2018 interview, Victor Manuel Ponce said that he thought the violence stemmed from his association with a corrupt rancher who borrowed $50,000 from him. The rancher promised to repay him with 200 head of cattle, but all Ponce ever received was a stolen cattle pen. When Ponce protested, a hitman threatened him with a gun. The Ponces spent the next year and a half in constant fear, always keeping an eye on their rearview mirrors. In 2013, Victors cousin Jonathan was killed during another attempt to kidnap Gordo. Victor began sharing information with the authorities about known drug sites, and decided to leave town for the safety of his family. Three weeks later, his brother Sigifredo was killed before they had a chance to pack up and leave. Ten years later, Ponce found himself in a similar situation, but in a different state. Another criminal gang was threatening his dwindling family. Ponce was exhausted, worn out from seeking justice that never arrived. He shared his frustration regarding impunity, the lack of enforcement of the Victims Law, and the investigators failure to identify the culprits, despite all the evidence he provided. I do believe in divine justice, but human justice doesnt really exist here in Mexico, he said in the 2018 interview. Justice continues to elude the Ponce family. The Mexican Commission for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (CMPDPH) denounced the death of Victor Manuel Ponce and stated, The government bears responsibility for its inaction in these events that originated a decade ago. According to CMPDH lawyers, the Ponce family figures in six ongoing preliminary investigations in Chihuahua, three in Jalisco and one in Zacatecas. However, none of these investigations have been resolved yet. They have also initiated numerous lawsuits, obtained a National Human Rights recommendation and protective orders, and filed complaints before the CEAV. Why my dad? I mean, he wasnt some kind of murderer, kidnapper, drug dealer or anything like that. Sure, he had that rough, country manner, he was tough and ornery. But seriously, why? Anais wondered. In the wake of her fathers death, memories flood back to her of the family road trips. Along the way, they would belt out Victor Manuel Ponces favorite songs, like Dust in the Air by Little Venice, and Kenny Rogers timeless hit, Coward of the County. Anais believes that the lyrics of the Kenny Rogers song expressed her own fathers advice about life in Mexico: Promise me, son, not to do the things Ive done/Walk away from trouble if you can/Now it wont mean youre weak if you turn the other cheek/I hope youre old enough to understand/Son, you dont have to fight to be a man. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition U krainian forces appeared to have launched a surprise raid to land on the east side of the vast Dnipro River, military experts said on Wednesday. There were reports that up to seven boats, each carrying six to seven soldiers, crossed the river in eastern Ukraine, and they managed to get 800 metres inland. It was unclear whether they had been repelled to the shoreline, or forced to retreat across the river, after allegedly coming under artillery fire. Russian troops have built up major defences on the east side of the river, having been forced to withdraw from the city of Kherson last year. But the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said: Ukrainian forces appear to have conducted a limited raid across the Dnipro River and landed on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast (province), although it remains unclear whether Ukrainian troops have established an enduring presence on the east bank. Russian military bloggers reported on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces landed up to seven boats, each carrying around six to seven people, on the east bank of the Dnipro near the settlement of Kozachi Laheri, broke through Russian defensive lines, and advanced up to 800 meters deep, the Washington-based think tank added. Russian defences in the area are believed to have been weakened recently by the replacement of Vladimir Putins airborne troops by other units. The provincial head in the occupied Kherson area, Vladimir Saldo, sought to play down the reported Ukrainian landing, the ISW added, and claimed that Russian artillery fire repelled the Ukrainian advance and Kyiv troops were forced to abandon the area near Kozachi Laheri. But the think tank stressed: However, the majority of prominent Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces managed to utilise tactical surprise and land on the east bank before engaging Russian forces in small arms exchanges, and Saldo was likely purposefully trying to refute claims of Ukrainian presence in this area to avoid creating panic in the already-delicate Russian information space. It added that hotspots data suggested there had been significant combat in the area including artillery fire. The ISW continued: By the end of the day on August 8, many Russian sources had updated their claims to report that Russian forces retain control over Kozachi Laheri, having pushed Ukrainian forces back to the shoreline, and that small arms skirmishes are occurring in shoreline areas near Kozachi Laheri and other east bank settlements. T he older you get, the better one is at finessing a sense of personal style. But theres more to it than simply picking what makes your heart sing. Just as your height and body shape play a part in honing your wardrobe, the shape of your face can guide you towards jewellery and eyewear options that will be the most flattering for your proportions. The vast majority of faces fall into one of five categories: heart-shaped, triangular, square, oval, and round, with the final two being the most popular. If youre shopping for a new pair of specs or sunglasses, its helpful to know your face shape as it will narrow down the literal thousands of eyewear designs on the market today. How can you tell if you have a round face? If a quick glance in the mirror isnt immediately obvious, crack out the measuring tape and measure from the top of your forehead down to your chin, and from ear across your nose to your other ear. If the numbers come back roughly the same, welcome to the round face club. Which celebrities have round faces? With a soft jaw and naturally youthful appearance, youre in good company in the round face club. A-listers with the same face shape include Chrissy Teigen, Drew Barrymore and Emma Stone. More good news: theyre considered the most photogenic thanks to the balanced proportions. What glasses are best for round face shapes? Ah, weve come to the crux of the issue. The secret to picking a winning pair of glasses is that its all about balance. Angular, squared frames are the best choice if you have a round face, giving it a longer, narrower appearance as their sharp angles will work to balance out the faces roundness. For the most flattering look, seek out a pair that are wider than they are tall. So now the secrets out - its time for the inspiration to flood in. Weve put together an edit of the best frames to complement round faces and give your curves the equilibrium they deserve. From high street heroes to bijou brands that offer bespoke services, here are the best glasses for folks with round faces. Shop now I n a simple game of word association, we would wager that if we ventured Samsung, the very first thing to pop into your head would be one of the brands handsets. Samsung is perhaps most famous for its collection of high-spec, souped-up mobile phones, each loaded with so many features and tech wizardry that to call them the king of Androids wouldnt be too far off the mark. The Seoul-based brand is a regular contender against Silicon Valleys Apple in comparison lists and roundups around the world, and rightly so. Samsung might be at the top of the heap, but that doesnt mean its engineers and innovators rest on their laurels. What are Samsungs phone ranges? Samsung offers dozens of handsets across capabilities and price brackets, so it can be tricky for both a novice and an expert to keep track. There are three main series under Samsung Galaxy: A, S and Z. Best for budget: A series Samsung These phones are, according to the brand, both dependable and affordable while offering the sort of innovation that has customers lining up in droves. There are 19 Galaxy A options listed on Samsungs website, with the cheapest, the A04s , coming in at just 139. Incredible. Its perfect if you want to buy a handset outright and pair it with a low-cost SIM - generally cheaper than signing up for a contract. Best for mid-range: S series Samsungs Galaxy S23 phone range features a brand new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip / Samsung Samsung typically starts every year with a fresh S series launch - it has done since 2010. The most recent is S23, which comprises the standard S23 , as well as Galaxy S23+ , and the Galaxy S23 Ultra . The slim chassis has some seriously impressive tech under the shiny hood, from a new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset especially modified by Qualcomm for Samsung, to high-zoom cameras, long-life batteries and glorious dynamic displays. No wonder Galaxy S handsets are amongst the most coveted in the Android market. Prices start at 549 for a refurbished S20+ . Best for tech addicts: Z series Samsung With the launch of Z series, Samsung unveiled a look at the future of mobile phones. This collection is made up of its game-changing folding phones: the Flip, which, er flips, in half and the Fold, which opens and closes like a book, going from phone to tablet in one move. The first foldable hit the market in 2019 with flexing hinges that took the public by storm. In 2023, the Fold and Flip are each in its fifth iteration, operating at its finest yet. Read more about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 and Fold5 here . Which phone is the best? So thats the line-up, but we know that youre here to figure out which phone is the best. Well, that varies, as the best phone will depend on your unique set of circumstances and requirements. If youre after high tech at a price that wont make your bank manager faint, the A series will be the best option, but if you want superior performance - and youre prepared to pay for it, through an outright purchase or a contract - the S and Z series phones are the finest Samsung has to offer. While the most recent drops will undeniably be the best, if money is an issue, look to models that are a year or two years older. They may have slightly diminished specs but with hundreds wiped off the RRP, you probably wont mind. While the best Samsung phone will vary from person to person, here are the best models we think you need to know more about. Shop now D oreen Mantle has been hailed as a perfect fit who brought honesty to her bizarre scenes as Jean Warboys, the annoying friend of Victor Meldrews wife, in One Foot In The Grave. The actress died peacefully at the age of 97 at her home, Mantles agent said on Wednesday. The writer of the hit BBC comedy series, David Renwick, said he was dreadfully saddened by the news. In a statement to the PA news agency, he said: Shed been in poor health for some time, but you wouldnt have bet against her soldiering on to a hundred she was such a trouper, so stoic and resilient to the end. I was honoured to call her a friend, and to have kept in close touch long after we stopped working together. No-one else could have played Mrs Warboys as she did, it was such a perfect fit, and the honesty that she brought to every line, however bizarre, was what made the character so funny and legitimised even the maddest of moments. There was never the remotest suggestion that she was playing comedy: in her hands it was all utterly real, because of course she was, at root, a superb and consummate actress. I shall miss her terribly but thank God for all those wonderful laughs shes left us. She would also go on to star in an episode of Jonathan Creek, also written by Renwick, called The Judas Tree, playing a housekeeper, as Alan Davies investigates as the titular magicians creative consultant turned crime solver. Mantle also had credits in ITV soap Coronation Street as Joy Fishwick, and comedies My Family, Jam And Jerusalem and Doc Martin, detective shows Father Brown and Dirk Gently and the soap Doctors. She would also appear as as Mrs Shaemen in the 1983 musical film Yentl opposite Barbra Streisand. Mantle also appeared in Death Of A Salesman for the National Theatre, for which she won an Olivier Award in 1979 for actress of the year in a supporting role. This year she appeared in Channel 5s One Foot In The Grave: 30 Years Of Laughs and recalled The Beast In The Cage episode where she was stuck in traffic with Victor (Richard Wilson) who is upset with Jean over her crisp choice and his long-suffering wife Margaret (Annette Crosbie). Mantle said: (The car) wasnt comfortable but somehow we got used to being in this car and things happening. There was some wonderful lines in it. She also featured in her one-woman show My Truth and Reconciliation, and in 84 Charing Cross Road at The Ambassadors Theatre and classic comedy Billy Liar at the Duke of Yorks Theatre. In a statement to PA, her agent said: It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved client and much-loved stage, screen, and radio actress Doreen Mantle, aged 97. She died peacefully at home. She is survived by her two sons, four grandchildren and one brother. D an Walker has hit out at claims that he has negatively contributed to climate change while filming a segment on the subject for TV. On Tuesday, the former BBC Breakfast presenter, 46, shared on X, formerly Twitter, that he was in Benidorm, Spain as part of his work for Channel 5. The production prompted one of the broadcasters followers to comment: Great report Dan, did you add to global warming by flying there with a crew? followed by the hashtag #responsibility. Sharing a picture of a carbon offset certificate, Walker responded: Actually we paid to offset all the carbon from our flight so there will be a few trees planted after that. Thanks for asking, along with a red heart emoji. Another follower decided to question Walkers plane use further, writing: Sorry Dan but that is a poor response as we have bought and planted some trees to offset our carbon footprint, it [is] OK to fly that is making travel elitists. Just what Klaus Schwab and Bill Gates want. Standing firm however, the ex Strictly Come Dancing star shot back: Hi Steve, Can I ask what you would have us do because Im pretty sure people would moan whatever we did? Have a good one. The exchange comes after oceans reached their hottest ever recorded temperature, a sign of the accelerating effects of climate change, reaching 20.96 degrees Celsius compared to the average of 16 degrees Celsius. Studies have also suggested that the Atlantic Ocean current that brings warmth from the tropics to Europe could collapse much sooner than scientists have previously thought to catastrophic effects. N ew research showing that just over one third of people in the UK know the facts about HIV transmission has been released, coinciding with a major EastEnders storyline. The data, shared by the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), revealed that just 36 per cent of people know that someone living with HIV and on effective treatment cannot pass the virus on to partners. It comes as EastEnders character Zack Hudson, played by James Farrar, is told by doctors the medication he is taking to suppress the virus means he cannot pass on HIV. THT is working with the long-running soap on its latest HIV storyline to make sure the drama aligns with current facts about the virus. The trust previously advised the show back in 1991 when character Mark Fowler was first diagnosed. According to THT, there was a 75 per cent increase in traffic to the charitys website, with viewers searching for up-to-date information following Zacks diagnosis in January. The trust said that Zacks ongoing storyline was important in helping to update the publics knowledge of HIV and bust myths that have persisted since the 1980s, highlighting that much medical progress has been made in treating HIV since EastEnders previous HIV storyline. The new data comes following a YouGov polling of 2,088 UK adults for THT the countrys leading HIV and sexual health charity. The research also found just half (47 per cent) of people in the UK correctly know that someone living with HIV can have children who are HIV-negative. This myth is also being busted as Zack and onscreen girlfriend Whitney, played by Shona McGarty, are able to try for a baby now that levels of HIV are undetectable in his blood. The trust found ongoing levels of HIV-related stigma, with just 42 per cent of Brits saying they would be comfortable dating someone living with HIV, and only a third (35 per cent) comfortable with kissing someone who is HIV positive. Additionally, even though HIV treatment suppresses the virus to undetectable levels, meaning it cannot be passed on, fewer than one in five people (18 per cent) would be comfortable having sex with someone living with HIV and on effective treatment. This is despite there being zero risk of HIV being passed on, THT said. One in five people (21 per cent) said they had learned about HIV through TV and film. The charity hopes that Zack being told his HIV is undetectable will have a big impact in raising awareness of HIV transmission and help to tackle the stigma continuing to surround HIV. It runs its own Cant Pass It On campaign to raise awareness of how much medical progress has been made in preventing transmission of HIV. Dr Kate Nambiar, Medical Director at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: Zack being told he is undetectable and that he cant pass on HIV is a landmark moment that shows just how much HIV has changed since Mark Fowlers diagnosis in the 1980s. The brilliant thing about soaps is that we dont just see the immediate aftermath of Zacks diagnosis, but also the characters learning about the realities of HIV in 2023 and Zack living a normal life which HIV is just a small part of. Our new research shows just why this storyline is so important with low levels of knowledge resulting in high levels of stigma and discrimination. We hope that EastEnders millions of viewers watch the storyline, learn the facts and see that there is absolutely no reason not to kiss, date or have sex with people living with HIV. Allan Batcock, a straight man living with HIV, said it was incredible to see awareness being raised on EastEnders, having learned about HIV from the tombstone adverts in the 1980s. When I was diagnosed with HIV at 34 it hit me like a sledgehammer, he said. I would be limited but then I learned about the huge medical progress weve made around HIV and that I could live a long, fulfilling life thanks to the treatment that I take. Since being diagnosed with HIV, Im now married to my childhood sweetheart who is HIV negative and we live with our three kids as a happy family. Victoria Roscow, a mother who is living with HIV, added: People living with HIV can lead healthy and normal lives, however sadly many of us continue to experience stigma and discrimination because of our HIV status. Through Zacks storyline, EastEnders is educating millions of people and showing that HIV doesnt have to get in the way of living a happy life. Seeing someone struggling after being diagnosed with HIV and coming out the other side healthy with a HIV negative partner and now the option to have a HIV negative child will do so much in challenging negative perceptions around the virus and help others living with HIV learn to love themselves just as they are. G oogle is in talks with major record labels to create an AI tool that allows anyone to make fake songs by popular artists. The tech giant is thrashing out a deal with Universal Music to officially license artists voices and melodies for AI-generated tracks, the Financial Times reports. Warner Music has also reportedly discussed a product with Google. The parties are apparently haggling out a way for artists and copyright holders to make bank from legitimate fan-made AI songs. While an AI Pro Tools endorsed by Taylor Swift and Harry Styles is probably still a ways off, we already have an inkling of what the new platform could look like. Google recently released an experimental tool called MusicLM that can turn text descriptions into songs. Like ChatGPT for tracks, you can tell the AI to make soulful jazz for a dinner party or a disco jam for the Barbie movie. You can sign up to preview the tool using Googles AI Test Kitchen app. The company recently used MusicLM to create songs from peoples brain activity. In addition, so-called deepfake technology that can simulate the voices of famous people, such as Taylor Swift, is also readily available. Talk of the deals comes amid a surge in fan-made AI tracks that mimic the music and voices of pop superstars like Drake and The Weeknd. The negotiations between Google and the record labels indicate a change in tone towards AI from the music business. Universal initially tried to fend off the rise in fake tracks by issuing takedown notices to streaming services like Spotify. Musicians, meanwhile, are split on the issue. Drake referred to the viral popularity of a fake AI song featuring his voice as the last straw. Zara Larsson has also raised concerns about the lack of consent associated with AI-produced songs. On the other hand, musician Grimes recently allowed fans to use an AI system trained on her voice to create their own music. Paul McCartney is also poised to release the last Beatles song featuring an AI-enhanced version of late bandmate John Lennons voice. This isnt the first time the music business has been disrupted. The emergence of AI tracks echoes the seismic shift from physical music to streaming over the past 15 years. More recently, the rise of TikTok has led to a boom in user-generated lip-sync and dance videos. In both cases, the music industry initially responded to the sea change with hostility, throwing copyright lawsuits at emerging platforms. Google is well-positioned to broker a settlement over AI music. It already has deals in place with major record labels for its YouTube Music streaming service, while YouTube proper is a hub for music videos and user-generated content. Nevertheless, a deal with a music industry titan would mark a major coup for the tech firm, and could usher in a creative renaissance in fan-made music. Universal Music Group alone controls about a third of the global music market. Its roster includes some of the biggest names in pop and classic rock including Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Adele, Coldplay, U2, and Bob Dylan, to name a few. Loading.... More than 40 million voters may have had data stolen in potentially one of biggest data breaches in UK history. Our Science and Technology reporter, Mary-Ann Russon, explains the details of the UKs Electoral Commission cyberattack which happened over a period of almost two years. The London-based elections watchdog has since issued an apology to the public, and has also created an FAQ webpage with details on the cyberattack and how the investigation has been handled. In another major UK data breach, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has apologised for mistakenly revealing details of all its 10,000 staff. In response to a Freedom of Information request, the PSNI had unintentionally shared personal details of police and civilian personnel which were then published online, before being removed. Weve all heard about the benefits of getting at least 10,000 steps in a day in but it turns out that walking just 4,000 steps a day could reduce the risk of dying from heart diseases. Researchers also found that the risk of dying from any cause or from cardiovascular disease decreases significantly with every 500 to 1,000 extra steps a person walks. And the rest Scientists may have solved a human evolution mystery, T&Cs on some major video-sharing platforms are too complicated to understand and did Apple TV's Tetris movie rip off Gizmodo editor-in-chiefs book? Plus, Red Dead Redemption on Nintendo Switch and PS4 is causing backlash among fans Listen above, and find us on your Spotify Daily Drive or wherever you stream your podcasts. Russias invasion of Ukraine has led to thousands of civilians being locked up in secret Russian prisons, with no formal charges, no rights and almost no identity, placing them in a limbo that contravenes international law. One such prisoner is Igor Steblevski. His story is harrowing. It is recounted by his son, Roman. The 38-year-old provides the details slowly, skeptically and incredulously. Steblevski lived in Hostomel with his wife, around 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) northwest of Kyiv. Russian troops entered the town on February 24, 2022, the first day of the invasion. Almost a month later, on March 22, a mortar shell wounded Steblevskis wife, Liudmila Shevchenko, while she was in the kitchen. He was then 62 years old and she was 54. He asked the Russian military to help him take her to a hospital in an armored car. That was when Steblevskis confinement began. A few weeks ago, Roman saw a picture of him, his head shaved, on an unofficial Russian website reporting on his captivity. The Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties (CLC), last years Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has documented 4,000 cases of Ukrainian civilians being held in Russian jails since the beginning of the Kremlins offensive, although the organization believes the real figure may be much higher. The Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, puts the number as high as 20,000. The road to this black hole begins with the arrest of a Ukrainian citizen by Russian forces in the occupied territories. The detainee is usually accused of jeopardizing their operations. They are then sent to a filtration camp, where they are searched and interrogated. From there they are transferred to a Russian prison, usually via neighboring Belarus, particularly in the case of those who, like Steblevski, were detained in the center of the country. And then the key is thrown away, and they enter a wartime limbo. Igor Steblevski, civil ucranio detenido en Rusia, antes del inicio de la guerra y durante su cautiverio The first major difficulty for the families of the detainees is finding out if they are still alive, and where they are. Roman has tried everything since he lost contact with his father. An engineer by training, he runs a glass company in Vishneve, southwest of Kyiv, where the Russians failed to reach. He spoke to his father once a week. The snipers, he says from his office, were shooting at those they saw with cellphones. Roman contacted neighbors of his parents and volunteers from the municipality. He searched social networks and reported the disappearance to missing persons agencies, NGOs, and the police. It took him 10 days to reconstruct what happened; that while his father was attempting to help his mother, they were separated and never saw each other again. Roman prefers not to pursue Shevchenkos story out of respect for his elderly mother, who is still waiting for news of her husband. He kept up his search for weeks, finding out if any of those who had been released had seen his father. Two former detainees said that they had: One of them gave me details about my father that he could only know if he had shared a cell with him, he says. They told him that they had met Steblevski in a Russian prison in Bryansk, some 380 kilometers (236 miles) southwest of Moscow. That same prison is where the CLC believes Romans father had been held at some point. His whereabouts are now unknown. The Bryansk prison was undergoing renovations and the prisoners were probably transferred. In November 2022, Roman eventually received a letter from the Russian Interior Ministry informing him that his father was indeed under arrest. They tell me, he says while displaying the letter on his cellphone, that my father was detained for resisting the special military operation [in Ukraine], that he is on Russian territory and that his health is satisfactory. Roman is not very convinced by this, because his father suffers from heart problems. Mariano Garcia calatayud, en una imagen cedida por A Punt NTC We have to make them afraid of us Mikhail Savva, a 54-year-old Russian-born doctor of political science, knows what one of these prisons is like. He spent eight months in a Krasnodar jail for defending human rights, a punishable offense in Russia. A refugee in Ukraine since 2015, Savva is a member of the CLC Council of Experts. He explains that the council gets information about civilian prisoners and work on securing their release through their lawyers on Russian territory, respecting the legal framework but seeking cracks in it. Russia cannot deny the existence of human rights and we exploit that loophole. He puts it another way: We have to make them afraid of us, afraid to torture. An example to understand this process is that of 75-year-old Spaniard Mariano Garcia Calatayud. We sent 50 requests, literally, and they only answered one. It was the Prosecutors Office of Crimea [under Russian occupation], last April, says Savva. The response said that Garcia Calatayud was being held for endangering Russias security. He had been working for eight years in Kherson province, assisting children displaced by the Donbas war in the east, which began in 2014. In March 2022, he took part in a demonstration against the Russian occupation and was arrested. As Savva explains, the Russian prosecuting authority maintains that investigations are ongoing. International law does not provide for something like this to last a year and a half, he says. But the same thing is happening to the rest of the Ukrainian prisoners. If the investigation had ended and there was an open case, Savva continues, he would have the right to be assisted by a lawyer there. But this is not what happens. Again, limbo: they are neither prisoners of war, nor detained under a firm charge. Many believe they are simply hostages of the Kremlins war. Garcia Calatayud has been held in a prison in Simferopol that was built last autumn. This information was not provided by the Russian Prosecutors Office, but by former inmates, who say that he speaks in Spanish, very loudly, using a lot of swear words... They also say, Savva continues, that he has scars, bruises, that he may have been beaten... at 75 years old. The CLC argues that pressure from Spain would help his cause. The Spanish Foreign Ministry said after learning of Garcia Calatayuds arrest that it is following the case and is in contact with his family. Savva has the same feeling that Roman Steblevski expresses after months of searching for his father. I would not say that it is more difficult to find a civilian than a soldier, says the CLC expert, but it is more difficult to get them released. So far, the CLC has recorded 340 cases of civilians being released. The Ukrainian government is working on the issue with the coordination center for the treatment of prisoners of war, under the command of General Kyrylo Budanov, head of military intelligence, and the Red Cross. On Monday, the release of a further 22 Ukrainian citizens was announced. But these were servicemen and benefited from an exchange with Russia. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Protest against the arrest of six trade unionists, this Monday in Caracas. Rayner Pena R (EFE) Its not possible that we have so many workers imprisoned for defending their just claims, shouted union leader Griselda Sanchez, during a demonstration in front of the United Nations headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela. Last week, a court handed down a 16-year prison sentence to six trade unionists. This has unleashed a wave of indignation in Venezuela, mobilizing activists, government opponents, NGOs and union representatives. All of them repudiate the statements made by Attorney General Tarek William Saab. This senior official faithful to President Nicolas Maduro recently reiterated that the six men arent trade unionists, but conspirators. The sentence was issued by a court in Caracas that handles terrorism cases. The men were accused of conspiracy and criminal association. In 2022 and earlier in 2023, they participated in protests and mobilizations seeking wage increases. This is in the context of a depressing labor outlook in the country, where the minimum wage is equivalent to around $5. The ruling was made very quickly. Those sentenced are Emilio Negrin, Gabriel Blanco, Reinaldo Cortes, Alonso Melendez, Alcides Bracho and Nelson Astudillo. Most are linked to the unions of the administrative apparatus of the Venezuelan state, such as the courts and the legislature. Negrin is affiliated with Codesa the Confederation of Autonomous Unions of Venezuela a small left-wing trade union. Four of them are members of Bandera Roja (Red Flag): a 50-year-old minority party with Marxist roots that today belongs to the Venezuelan opposition. Protest against the arrest of six trade unionists, this Monday in Caracas. Rayner Pena R (EFE) The ruling has drawn angry criticism from many sectors of the opposition. The Unitary Platform the main opposition coalition issued a statement rejecting the measure. Workers from the National Union Coalition gathered days ago in the center of the city, in solidarity with their colleagues. They criticized the lack of witnesses in the trial and promised to appeal the decision. Former congresswoman Maria Corina Machado from the political party Vente Venezuela, who is currently leading the opinion polls in the country stated on her Twitter account that, in Venezuela, justice is a tentacle of tyranny. This is a grotesque and cruel act. These people have been arrested for denouncing the abuses of the regime to their co-workers. All my solidarity to these brave fighters. Former governor Henrique Capriles a presidential candidate from the Primero Justicia party also spoke out about the convictions, stating that the decision was horrifying; all this without any proof. Provea an NGO dedicated to the defense of human rights described the ruling as brutal and an arbitrary measure taken in a judicial process where the only witness to the complaint never appeared for a year and two months. In the accusation presented by the attorney general against these workers which the defense lawyers have in their possession its reported that an anonymous complaint came from a citizen named Adalberto. The defense alleges that he is a cooperating patriot one of the Chavista volunteers who are authorized to do what is known as social intelligence work. The informant apparently gave his report to the Strategic Intelligence Directorate of the Bolivarian National Police in July 2022. The investigation began at that time. The defendants are accused of being part of a resistance plot, allegedly created to organize terrorist actions against the Venezuelan State and democracy, such as planning kidnappings, encouraging protests and sabotaging national holidays. In the charges filed, the head prosecutor in this case Elin Teodoro Leon affirms that the General Directorate of National Counterintelligence (DGCIM) accessed the mens private WhatsApp conversations and monitored their activities. Eduardo Torres a defense attorney for the union leaders acknowledges the existence of police intelligence investigations against his clients. But he has stated that an intelligence procedure such as the one described does not count as evidence in [Venezuelas] Organic Code of Criminal Procedure. In addition to this, the police report clearly establishes that the leaders were not carrying out any political action, nor were they discussing any particular procedure against anyone, Torres emphasized. Attorney General Tarek William Saab assumed responsibility for the charges from the beginning of the judicial process: These people arent union leaders. They dont belong to any union. Theyre not active workers. They are not registered with the Venezuelan Institute of Social Security. Theyre [being detained] for conspiring [against the state]. These so-called union leaders are attacking institutions [and] Venezuelan democracy. Enough of the lies and rigged trials, Torres replied shortly afterwards, in a message posted on social media. These fighters are social leaders: they defend fair wages, they have the support of the Venezuelan people and the backing of international bodies, such as the International Labor Organization. Yorbelis Oropeza the wife of one of the detainees claimed that the activists have been unjustly sentenced by a judge who only does what the government tells her to do. We Venezuelans who believe in justice who believe in truth are going to continue fighting. My husband and the [other trade unionists] have been punished simply for asking for a better quality of life. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition 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 (461) As many as 26 people were rescued, in the last 24 hours, by mountain rescuers with the Salvamont Romania. The Salvamont National Dispatcher informs on Wednesday morning that, in the last 24 hours, 10 calls were received requesting the emergency intervention of the rescuers, as follows: two calls each for Salvamont Neamt, Salvamont Bistrita-Nasaud and Salvamont Mures, one call each for Salvamont Brasov Municipality, Salvamont Sacele, Salvamont Gorj and Salvamont Mehedinti. "In the case of these interventions, 26 people were saved. Of these, four were handed over to the Ambulance Service or Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication (SMURD) for transport to the hospital. Unfortunately, one person was found dead and was handed over to the Forensic Medicine Institute (IML)," Salvamont Romania says on his Facebook page. Also, 25 calls were received at the National Dispatcher requesting advice and information about different tourist routes in the mountain area. Approximately 294,300 people, Romanian and foreign nationals, and over 75,100 means of transport underwent border checks at all of Romania's crossing points on Tuesday, on both the inbound and the outbound, the General Border Police Inspectorate (IGPF) reports. As many as 152,700 travelers of whom 15,568 Ukrainian nationals entered Romania on August 8, the IGPF said. The number of Ukrainians who crossed into Romania since the pre-war date of February 10 is 5,464,141, the IGPF reports. As part of the specific activities at crossing points and the green border, the border police found 58 illegal acts (34 crimes and 24 misdemeanors) committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens. The value of the seized undeclared goods amounts to approximately RON 108,000. Fines worth over RON 12,700 were also issued. Nine foreign citizens who did not meet the legal requirements were denied entry to the country, and 32 Romanian citizens were also not allowed to leave the country for various legal reasons. The Minister of Culture, Raluca Turcan, on Wednesday told a press conference in Iasi City that she does not believe that the VAT on books will increase from 5% to 19%, while also mentioning that the ministry she leads is currently making several acquisitions of new titles to equip the libraries, but also to stimulate the publishing houses to continue printing books. "I believe that the VAT on books will not increase, it will remain the same. I believe that it will not increase and I also have information in this regard. As Minister of Culture, I could not be indifferent to the extremely worrying figures regarding the consumption of book and reading in Romania. I decided that an annual program that the ministry makes with different themes this year should be dedicated to reading and to events where publishers meet with buyers, so as to increase book consumption and obviously access to reading," said Minister Raluca Turcan. She was asked by journalists about the warning issued by the Association of Publishers in Romania regarding the increase in VAT on books from 5% to 19%. Also, Minister Turcan showed that in order to stimulate publishing houses to print books, the Ministry of Culture has developed a plan for increasing book purchases and equipping libraries with new titles. "It's something that hasn't been done at the Ministry of Culture for a very long time. I want this year and next year to continue with the acquisition of books at libraries and spaces where reading takes place. I refer to those compartments many times existing and functional in the cultural houses, where the school libraries meet, with the dedicated staff from the respective cultural houses", the Minister of Culture also stated. The Board of Directors of the Association of Romanian Publishers reported, two weeks ago, that the increase in the VAT rate on books is a measure that will decrease sales and increase piracy, given that Romania has the smallest book market per capita in the European Union, and sales have been on a downward trend since the first quarter of this year anyway. Currently, books are subject to a VAT rate of 5%, both for the printed versions and for the digital ones. Conditionalities and minimum requirements for agricultural activity, the active farmer and the eligible hectare were among the topics addressed on Wednesday by the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, during consultations with the associations in the field regarding the modification of the CAP Strategic Plan - Pillar I - THE LIVER. According to a press release of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) sent to AGERPRES, the consultations concerned aspects related to conditionalities, definitions and minimum requirements for agricultural activity, the active farmer, the eligible hectare, interventions in the plant and animal husbandry sectors. "The most important aspects addressed concerned the amendment of GAEC 6 - Minimum soil cover to avoid bare soil in periods that are most sensitive (cross-compliance), from September 30 to August 31, and to introduce a clarification related to the surface soil works that can be carried out during the mentioned period. At the same time, within the eco-schemes in the vegetal sector, the sensitive period was reduced to September 15 as a result of the amendment of GAEC 6. As regards the farmers who own areas of permanent meadows, a new GAEC was introduced - GAEC 10 "The prohibition to set fire to the vegetation of meadows permanent," reads the same press release. Also, a series of changes to the requirements regarding eco-schemes in the plant and livestock sector were presented in order to increase the attractiveness of these interventions, including by proposing increased amounts of payments granted for eco-schemes aimed at animal welfare. In addition, a new form of income-coupled support targeting the silage corn sector was proposed with an estimated payment level of 246 euros/ha. The Minister of Agriculture emphasized that any modification of the PS must benefit farmers to ensure stability and predictability in the activities they carry out in the field of agriculture. All the proposals debated today during the consultations will be sent to the European Commission, after their approval in the Monitoring Committee, the Ministry of Agriculture specifies A group of biologists and geographers recently climbed the Aneto glacier, the largest in Spain, to study a kind of black mucus that has appeared on the surface of the ice. These have been identified as cryoconite, a microcosm of rock particles, bacteria, and soot, which is another marker that the glacier is in a terminal state. These black spots trap heat and increase the melting of the ice, which is already accelerated in the region after two years of searing summer temperatures. The research on the evolution of this ice mass, one of the most emblematic in the Pyrenees and which draws thousands of visitors each year, has just been published. The scientists used different methods to calculate the retreat of the glacier from 1981 to the present. The results read like an obituary. The glacier is following an ever-accelerating trend of disappearance and recent heat waves have tripled its loss of ice. In 2022 alone, the glacier lost three meters of thickness on average, the highest figure ever recorded and coinciding with a year of record temperatures throughout Spain. Logic appeared to dictate that the disappearance of the Pyrenean glaciers should be slowing. There is less and less ice left to melt and it is accumulating in the highest and shadiest areas of the mountain range. But the new research shows that the melting on Aneto is speeding up. Since 1981, the ice has lost 30 meters of thickness, equivalent to a ten-story building. The total extent of the glacier has been reduced by 64%. In 1850, when global temperatures began to rise steadily during the Industrial Revolution, there were 52 glaciers in the Pyrenees. By 2020, only 21 remained and almost 90% of their entire surface area has been lost. 00:35 Aneto The Aneto glacier is in a 'terminal state.' Melting ice has formed a new Pyrenean lake at over 3,000m above sea level. Video: Enaut Izaguirre In around 10 years Aneto will no longer be a glacier Nacho Lopez-Moreno, a researcher at the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE) and a veteran researcher of the ranges glaciers, sums up the findings, published by the European Geosciences Union, which conclude that the state of the Aneto glacier is terminal. In recent years, the glacier has been losing a meter and a half of thickness per year. Taking into account that on average there is a median thickness of about 11 meters, in around 10 years Aneto will no longer be a glacier. But if we also see more summers like the one in 2022, it wont hold out that long, says Lopez-Moreno. Lopez-Morenos team has spent years studying the last perpetual ice in Spain with an unprecedented level of detail and with unique personal dedication. As soon as they climb down a wall to recover a weather station crushed by snow, they ascend steep slopes or set up makeshift camps to spend the night in the mountains in the depths of winter. For the latter study, the team deployed ground-penetrating radar (GPR). To this data was added high-resolution photos taken by drones and the use of aerial photographs provided by the National Geographic Institute. The GPR launches a signal that goes through the ice, bounces back and, depending on how long it takes to return, we know its exact thickness at each point, explains Enaut Izaguirre, a geographer at the University of the Basque Country. These statistics were vital to be able to compare the new data with the relief models from 1981 to 2022, he adds. Aneto has entered terminal decline. There is hardly any surface area left for fresh snow to accumulate in winter. The glacier has been split in two and the largest part will soon fragment into three other sections, which will accelerate its eventual disappearance. Ice will stop flowing down the slope of the mountain an essential feature of a glacier until there is only a motionless frost just below Maldito, Anetos neighboring peak. With the thaw, these mountains are becoming more dangerous, explains Izaguirre. The ice in the crevices of the rocks is melting and more and more blocks are falling. These landslides are more pronounced in summer, when the glacier attracts the highest number of visitors. The debris ends up covering the ice and acts as a radiator that also serves to accelerate melting. One of the most spectacular testaments to the speed with which Spains last remaining glaciers are disappearing is a turquoise lake that formed in 2015: known as the Innominato, it is located at 3,150 meters above sea level and is the highest in the Pyrenees. It is a precursor to how the landscape and the organisms that inhabit it will change as the ice disappears, forming ibones, or Pyrenean lakes. IPE researcher Ixeia Vidaller explains that the team has calculated what the Aneto landscape will be like when there is no ice left. In the deepest areas, two or three other lakes will probably form in addition to the Innominato. Although so many rocks may fall from the walls that they could fill these reservoirs, he says. The high temperatures recorded in 2022 have also wreaked havoc on the other great Pyrenean glacier, Monte Perdido, where larger and larger blocks are breaking off. In 2022, this glacier lost almost four meters of average thickness, a record, says Jesus Revuelto of the IPE. During the most favorable years the glaciers of the Pyrenees hold up, but during the bad years, the losses completely tip the balance. The glaciers are becoming confined to the coldest and shadiest areas, but despite this they continue to melt at an accelerated rate. This year is likely to be almost as bad as 2022 Although temperatures have not been as high, there are still two months of melting ahead until the first snows of autumn. If Spain experiences a few more summers along current temperature lines, the glaciers are likely to disappear before the end of the decade. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu welcomes the return to the country of the Romanian citizen Iulian Gherghut, kidnapped eight years ago in Burkina Faso, and thanks the institutions in Romania, as well as the external partners who made this possible. "I welcome the return to Romania of the Romanian citizen kidnapped in Burkina Faso. This was possible through the constant effort of all the Romanian institutions with responsibilities in the field and with the support of our external partners. Thanks to everyone!," said Marcel Ciolacu, on Wednesday, in a message posted on Twitter. Iulian Ghergut, kidnapped eight years ago in Burkina Faso, has been released and is currently in Romania, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informed on Wednesday. According to the MAE, bringing Ghergut back home is "the result of the work done by all the institutions within the interinstitutional crisis unit, which pulled all the political-diplomatic strings at their disposal for this." Iulian Ghergut, who worked as a security guard with a manganese mine in Tambao, in the northern side of the African state Burkina Faso, was kidnapped in 2015 and was held hostage by the Islamic group Al-Mourabitoun, alongside other foreign citizens. The Romanian, originally from Traian village, Sambaoani rural town, Neamt county, was taken hostage on April 4, 2015, in an ambush on the off-road car he was patrolling in, according to AFP. At the time of the kidnapping, an interinstitutional crisis unit was formed, which included employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Ministry of Interior and the Presidential Administration. The President of the Senate, PNL (National Liberal Party) leader Nicolae Ciuca, on Wednesday had a meeting at the Parliament with the representatives of the "Concordia" Employers' Confederation and the National Council of Private Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Romania (CNIPMMR) to discuss fiscal changes. "It is mandatory to have a dialogue with the business environment before supporting any kind of fiscal changes. Only in this way can we know the point of view of the companies that generate budget revenues, in order to determine what measures can be taken in the next period without affecting the investment climate and jobs in the private sector," Ciuca wrote on Facebook. According to him, the business environment wants a predictable and balanced fiscal framework, which will ensure the stability necessary to overcome periods of crisis and provide premises for sustained economic growth, which is also how the PNL sees things and what the party has in mind during the ongoing negotiations. "We've seen today that PNL's idea according to which the business environment must remain at least as strong in order to continue to represent the engine of Romania's development is also shared by the business environment. But we also do not want to affect, in no way, the incomes or the purchasing power of the Romanians, nor the ability of the companies to carry out their activity in good conditions while being able to carry out new investments," emphasized Nicolae Ciuca. Dr. Roach: I am a regular reader of your column in the Sarasota, Florida, Herald-Tribune. I happen to be on 200 mg of hydroxychloroquine daily for my rheumatoid arthritis. There are mosquitos carrying Plasmodium vivax here, and so far, four people have contracted the disease. Does hydroxychloroquine offer any protection? A.L. Answer: There are four closely related parasites that cause malaria, and P. vivax is the most dangerous kind. Although malaria was declared to be eradicated from the U.S., there have been reports of sporadic cases. In 2003, for example, there were eight cases in Palm Beach County, Florida. Prevention of malaria in these circumstances is far more effective through public health measures (such as the measures taken for travelers heading to malaria-endemic countries) than from prophylactic medicine. In this case, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as local governments, are performing aerial and truck spraying for mosquitos. They also advise draining any items that hold water, such as old tires, bird baths, buckets and trash containers, at least once a month. Using screens on windows and doors and applying mosquito repellant are other effective ways to protect yourself against malaria. Hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment and preventive agent for P. vivax malaria in many parts of the world, but its use can be limited due to resistant parasites. The CDC did not report whether these cases were from hydroxychloroquine-resistant parasites, so I cannot say whether the hydroxychloroquine youre taking is highly effective. However, you are taking a much higher dose for your rheumatoid arthritis than the dose normally used for malaria prevention, so it may be protecting you. Since people with chronic conditions are at a higher risk, Id urge you to be cautious and implement other measures, since the medication isnt guaranteed protection. Id also recommend against readers in your area taking any kind of prophylactic medicine, since the number of cases is so small that the benefit likely isnt worth the risk (although additional cases have been reported since you wrote your letter). Dr. Roach: In your recent response to a question about treating obstructive sleep apnea, you mentioned the benefit of using a CPAP machine. You also mentioned that adding supplemental oxygen while sleeping could make sleep apnea worse. I am 80 now and have used two liters of oxygen at night with my CPAP for nine years. It was prescribed to help control my atrial fibrillation, which was exacerbated by my sleep apnea. Eight years ago, I had open-heart surgery (due to an aortic aneurysm) and underwent the maze procedure, which, thankfully, resolved my AFib. Should I ask my doctor about discontinuing oxygen at night and just keep using my CPAP? B.R.H. Answer: I want to emphasize that some people need oxygen and also need treatment, such as a CPAP, for obstructive sleep apnea. The theoretical concern is in people who are using oxygen instead of a CPAP, which can slow down breathing. There is no risk in people using oxygen along with a CPAP. However, since you were using oxygen for AFib (which you no longer have), you may no longer need the oxygen, so its a good idea to ask your doctor about it. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu or send mail to 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. ST. LOUIS Anheuser-Busch said this week it would sell several craft beer brands to a marijuana company, a deal experts said hinted at larger troubles inside craft brewers and beer giants alike. The marijuana company, New York-based Tilray Brands, announced the deal on Monday, promising to reinvigorate the craft beer industry. Tilray is fully committed to invest in and champion the future of the U.S. craft beer industry by fueling new innovation that excites and further accelerates the growth of its consumer base, Tilray CEO Irwin Simon said in a statement. Benj Steinman, editor at Beer Marketers Insights, said the Tilray and A-B deal is an indicator that things for both the craft beer industry and A-B have become more difficult. Its a different moment for craft beer, Steinman said. Its not the shiny new toy, not the growth engine it once was. Its not as attractive of a (market) segment. Sales of A-B products have been wavering, and the Belgium-based beer maker recently reported lower North American sales during its second quarter earnings. Craft breweries have also struggled with economic hardships and continue to grapple with post-pandemic recovery efforts. The deal, which is expected to close at the end of the year, includes Shock Top, Breckenridge Brewery, Blue Point Brewing Co., 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Redhook Brewery, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Square Mile Cider Co. and HiBall Energy. The acquisition will move Tilray Brands, a New York-based cannabis and packaged goods company, up from the ninth-largest craft beer business in the U.S. to the fifth, according to a company statement. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Andy Thomas, president of premium and specialty brands at A-B, said Tilray reached out at the beginning of the year with interest in buying the brands and breweries. Winning in craft remains a key pillar of our strategy to lead and develop the premium segment, Thomas said in an email to the Post-Dispatch. We remain committed to the amazing craft brewery partners in our portfolio and focused on working with them to lead growth in the segment. A-B kept the vast majority of its craft brands and key beers, as the eight brands within the deal make up less than 1% of A-Bs craft volume and are some of the companys less stellar-performing assets, said Steinman, of Beer Marketers Insights. Both companies stand to gain from this, he said. The acquisition is part of Tilrays diversified growth strategy, Steinman said. Also part of the transaction are four production facilities and eight brewpub locations associated with the brands. Anheuser-Buschs U.S. revenue dropped by over 10% in its second quarter, following Bud Lights declining performance since April, when the brand partnered with transgender star Dylan Mulvaney. Earlier this summer, Bud Light lost its crown as the countrys top-selling beer for the first time in more than two decades. A-B also announced in late July the slashing of 2% of U.S. corporate employees, as a result of restructuring within the brewing companys corporate side. In 2022, small and independent brewers collectively produced 24.3 million barrels of beer, similar to 2021. U.S. craft beer sales volume increased 0.1%, according to data from the Brewers Association But some established breweries have struggled recently. Anchor Brewing Co. of San Francisco closed its doors last month after 127 years due to declining sales and tough economic conditions. Locally, Maryland Heights OFallon Brewery filed for bankruptcy via a Chapter 11 petition in mid-June. The warehouse is currently up for sale. Tilrays current portfolio includes SweetWater Brewing Co., Montauk Brewing, Alpine Beer, Green Flash Brewing, Breckenridge Distillery and Happy Flower CBD sparkling nonalcoholic cocktails. A-Bs craft partners include Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Elysian Brewing, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Golden Road Brewing, Goose Island Beer Co., Karbach Brewing Co., Veza Sur Brewing Co., Virtue Cider and Wicked Weed Brewing. ST. LOUIS COUNTY The Boeing Co. and St. Louis Lambert International Airport are nearing agreement on the lease of about 154 acres of airport-owned land to house the companys recently announced expansion worth nearly $2 billion. Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, Lamberts director, said the price tag and some other key details wont be disclosed until the proposal is submitted Wednesday to the St. Louis Airport Commission. The commission will be asked to approve the lease at that session. The deal also would give Boeing the option of leasing all or part of an additional 28-acre area for a second phase of the project. The company would have until the end of 2026 to exercise that option. Boeing has been vague on details on its project, saying that it involves advanced manufacturing production facilities for future franchise programs. The expansion could bring in 500 new jobs as the company looks to build the next generation of American fighter jets. Hamm-Niebruegge said 102 acres of the property in the lease is the so-called Brownleigh site on the east end of the airport. She said the site, near Airport Road and James S. McDonnell Boulevard, is land bought over the years to reduce the effect of airport noise on nearby residents. The remainder Boeing wants now for the project is on the airports northern end and includes two vacant buildings used for manufacturing decades ago by the companys predecessor, McDonnell-Douglas. Presumably those buildings would be demolished because the lease would only be for use of the land. The additional area that Boeing would have the option of leasing about 28 acres would be to the west of that site. Hamm-Niebruegge said that area now includes a hangar leased to Trans States Holdings, the owner of GoJet a regional airline that works with United Airlines. She said the effect of the Boeing option on Trans States would be explained at Wednesdays airport commission meeting. The St. Louis County Council is considering a tax incentive plan to help Boeing pay for the expansion. That deal would give Boeing half off on the projects real and personal property taxes in exchange for the new jobs and investment, a tax break originally estimated at about $108 million over 10 years, but updated Tuesday to $155 million. In addition, Gov. Mike Parson has hinted at possible state aid for the Boeing plan. Hamm-Niebruegge said because Lambert gets federal financial support, the airport is required to charge the fair market value for any property it leases. If the Airport Commission approves the lease, it then would need to get the approval of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and the citys chief fiscal body, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment. The airport, while located in north St. Louis County, is owned and operated by the city. ST. LOUIS Metro Transit bus drivers, light rail operators and other employees have voted to ratify a new three-year contract worked out in more than a year of negotiations. Reggie Howard, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local No. 788, said the deal was approved Monday by a 258-141 vote. The agreement calls for pay increases of 3% in each of the next two fiscal years and a $7,000 signing bonus, some of which will go into employees' 401(k) retirement plans. The salary hikes are in addition to a 5% increase retroactive to July 1, 2022, that the union and management agreed on last fall while talks continued on the longer-term deal. The board of Metro's parent agency, the Bi-State Development Agency, is expected to give its OK at a meeting Thursday. "Our frontline employees and their negotiating team with ATU Local 788 worked tirelessly for this contract, and we are very grateful it has now been ratified by the members," Bi-State president and CEO Taulby Roach said in a statement. The contract for bus and MetroLink operators also covers maintenance workers. A separate contract for clerical employees, with similar pay hikes, also was approved Monday. Negotiations have yet to begin on a contract for drivers of Call-A-Ride paratransit vans; their current contract expires in January. ST. LOUIS A St. Louis sheriffs deputy said Tuesday that Sheriff Vernon Betts urged him not to sit for a deposition in a 2019 court case, then denied him promotions and punished him for growing a beard when he participated anyway. Joseph Mopkins, who has worked at the department for 29 years, testified in court this week in a trial alleging retaliation and discrimination. I have always answered the call, Mopkins said Tuesday. For him to be mad at me for giving a deposition ... that just hurts. The city argued the sheriff was justified in not promoting Mopkins, in part because he failed to take advantage of all the preventative or corrective opportunities offered to him. In January 2019, Mopkins was subpoenaed to provide testimony for a discrimination case brought by another deputy over the conduct of Betts predecessor. Betts, first elected in 2017, urged him not to give a deposition, Mopkins said, but he went anyway. The following day, supervisors at the department told Mopkins he would have to begin filing regular doctors notes about a skin condition that allowed him to grow a beard despite a department policy outlawing most facial hair. Mopkins said he was surprised: He first filed a doctors note about the condition in 2002 but hadnt heard anything about it since then, he said. He also said he felt singled out at roll call meetings where supervisors made references to beards and where Betts referenced lawsuits filed against him. Mopkins applied for a promotion to sergeant in 2019 and said his performance reviews contained high marks and praise. A judge even testified Tuesday that Mopkins was a good deputy. Still, Mopkins had a few knocks on his record, including three instances where he misplaced his sheriffs badge. But Mopkins said he had good explanations for each one: One badge was stolen, another was later found and a third was lost during a department nunchucks training. He said he couldnt understand why he wasnt promoted. I was just trying to puzzle everything together, Mopkins said. I thought I did everything right. Attorneys with the City Counselors Office tried to poke holes in Mopkins testimony, mentioning that other deputies who had beards and pointed out that they, too, were required to submit doctors notes. They also noted that Mopkins had not been promoted under the previous sheriff and was also denied a promotion in 2018, before the controversy over the deposition. (That) would not have possibly been retaliatory, said attorney Andrew Wheaton. The suit is one of at least three brought against Betts in recent years. In 2017, a deputy sued alleging Betts passed him over for promotions because he was white. The city later settled that case for $70,500. In February, another deputy filed suit accusing Betts of regularly calling him racial epithets and denying him desirable assignments in favor of younger employees. The trial in Mopkins case is set to continue Wednesday. ST. LOUIS A St. Louis County man pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison. Deonte Harris, 26, admitted to killing 24-year-old Jeffrey Davis Jr. on April 24, 2022, outside of a BP gas station at 2005 North Florissant Avenue. Harris was charged with voluntary manslaughter, which was reduced from second-degree murder, and possession of a weapon. Police said Davis was shot multiple times during a fight, and Harris drove off afterward. Harris was set to stand trial this week. Instead, he entered guilty pleas Monday and was sentenced to 20 years. Prosecutors dropped one count of armed criminal action. Voters on Tuesday denied a property tax hike that Fox C-6 School District officials said would have boosted teacher salaries and avoided budget cuts. But voters in the Pacific area approved a boost for the Meramec Valley R-III School District. In the Fox district, only about one-third of the voters in Jefferson County approved Proposition I: a rate hike of 92.07 cents per $100 assessed valuation. Owners of a home in the district valued at $200,000 would've paid around $350 more a year in taxes. Around 3,100 people in the district voted for the increase and 6,000 against. The hike required a simple majority to pass. In the Pacific area, voters approved property tax rate hikes Tuesday for Meramec Valley schools. Unofficial final results showed around 51% of voters in Franklin, Jefferson and St. Louis County approved Proposition E: a rate increase of 56 cents per $100 assessed valuation that officials said will help them deal with challenges recruiting teachers. The owner of a home in the district worth $200,000 will fork up an extra $213 a year in taxes. Across the three counties, 771 voters supported the hike, while 727 disapproved. The proposition also required a simple majority to pass. School districts across Missouri have switched to four-day weeks in an effort to boost faculty retention, the Post Dispatch reported in January. Voters in Mehlville approved a property tax hike to fund teacher and staff raises in April. Police escort members of the Patriot Front from a parking garage, after they held a march near Capitol Hill, in Washington, in 2020. MIKE THEILER (Reuters) A Black teacher and musician who says members of a white nationalist hate group punched, kicked and beat him with metal shields during a march through Boston last year sued the organization on Tuesday. Charles Murrell III, of Boston, was in the area of the Boston Public Library to play his saxophone on July 2, 2022, when he was surrounded by members of the Patriot Front and assaulted in a coordinated, brutal, and racially motivated attack, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston. Murrell was taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment of lacerations, some of which required stitches, the suit says. As a result of this beating, Mr. Murrell sustained physical injuries to his face, head, and hand, all of which required medical attention. Mr. Murrell also continues to suffer significant emotional distress to this day as a result of the incident, the suit says. Among other harms, those physical and emotional injuries have adversely affected Mr. Murrells ability to earn a living as a musician. He has been plagued by severe anxiety, mental anguish, invasive thoughts, and emotional distress, including, but not limited to, persistent concern for his physical safety and loss of sleep, and routinely has nightmares and flashbacks, according to the suit. The defendants are Patriot Front, its founder Thomas Rousseau and multiple John Does. Emails seeking comment have been sent to attorneys who have either represented Patriot Front in the past or represent the group in pending litigation. Murrell, who has a background teaching special education, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Monday that the lawsuit is about holding Patriot Front accountable, helping his own healing process and preventing anything similar from happening to children of color, like those he teaches. Because I am a teacher, because I come from special education, I am filing this suit so that even if one of them has a safer sidewalk to walk on, the work that I am doing will have been very much worth it, Murrell said. The march in Boston by about 100 members of the Texas-based Patriot Front was one of its so-called flash demonstrations that it holds around the country. In addition to shields, the group carried a banner that said Reclaim America as they marched along the Freedom Trail and past some of the citys most famous landmarks. They were largely dressed alike in khaki pants, dark shirts, hats, sunglasses and face coverings. Murrell said he had never heard of the group before the confrontation, but believes he was targeted because of the tone of their voices and the slurs they used when he encountered them. Patriot Front trains members to commit acts of violence, according to the suit. What happened to Mr. Murrell was no accident, the suit says. For years, Patriot Front ... has publicly and privately advocated for the use of violence against those who disagree with its express goal of creating an entirely white United States. The goal of the lawsuit is not just justice and accountability, said Licha Nyiendo, the chief legal officer at Human Rights First, which is backing Murrell in the lawsuit, but to bankrupt Patriot Front. Our goal is to decimate this extremist group, she said, and bring a national spotlight to the dangers of their extremist ideology. Its a similar tactic used against multiple white supremacist groups involved at the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, which resulted in a $26 million verdict. That bankrupted and marginalized the leading hate groups that were involved in Charlottesville and really pulled back the curtain, through the discovery process, on how these groups operate, said Amy Spitalnick, the senior adviser on extremism for Human Rights First. No one has been charged in connection with the attack on Murrell, 36, and the investigation remains open, according to a spokesperson for the Suffolk district attorneys office. The suit, which alleges among other things civil rights violations, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages. Founded after the Unite the Right rally, Patriot Fronts manifesto calls for the formation of a white ethnostate in the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Centers website. Its members post flyers and stickers, put banners on buildings or overpasses and even perform acts of public service, designed to maximize propaganda value, the SPLC said. Also active online, the Patriot Front is one of the nations most visible white supremacist groups whose members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it to them, and no one else, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Five members of the group were sentenced to several days in jail for conspiring to riot at a Pride event in Idaho last year. A jury found them guilty of the riot charge after they were accused of planning to riot at the Coeur dAlene, Idaho, LGBTQ+ Pride event. A total of 31 Patriot Front members, including one identified as its founder, were arrested June 11, 2022, after someone reported seeing people loading into a U-Haul van like a little army at a hotel parking lot in Coeur dAlene, police said at the time. Police said they found riot gear, a smoke grenade, shin guards and shields in the van. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition JEFFERSON CITY The top Republican in the Missouri Senate on Wednesday cast doubt on GOP efforts to raise the threshold for constitutional amendments after voters killed a similar effort in Ohio. Ohio voters, by a 57%-43% margin, on Tuesday soundly rejected a plan that wouldve required constitutional amendments to receive a 60% majority for passage. As in Missouri, constitutional amendments in Ohio currently need a simple majority to take effect. The Ohio vote was viewed as a win for abortion rights supporters, who will need only a simple majority at the ballot box this November to codify the right to an abortion in the state constitution. Missouri abortion rights supporters are trying to get a similar amendment on the ballot in 2024. While some Missouri Republicans appeared undeterred Wednesday in their effort to raise the bar for constitutional amendments, Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, expressed doubt that voters would go along with a change. Rowden told the Post-Dispatch Wednesday afternoon that while he expects another push to change the initiative petition process next year, I find it hard to imagine a scenario where the outcome in Missouri would be different than Ohio if we do get it on the ballot. House Speaker Pro Tem Mike Henderson, R-Bonne Terre, acknowledged in an earlier interview Wednesday that the Ohio vote gave Missouri lawmakers something to study. Henderson, who this year sponsored a proposal raising requirements, said he preferred a 55% threshold to a 60% bar. We knew 60% from the polling we had had, that people thought that was too high, Henderson said Wednesday. I dont think it stalls our momentum. We know 60% isnt going to make it, he said. On a 55% bar, he said, I still think thats probably a number that the people would probably find palatable. Rep. Bill Falkner, a St. Joseph Republican who also filed legislation lifting the threshold, said he was working on an alternative to raising the threshold for constitutional amendments one in which the Legislature would be allowed to debate, but not veto, amendments that would take effect with a simple majority. My biggest point is people need to know whats in it, he said Wednesday. He said if petitioners opt not to go through the Legislature, then Im all for the 60%, or I would even be for 57, 58%. On a higher threshold, Falkner said: Yes, I think that theres still momentum to try to get that through and to a vote of the people. Recent action The House approved a 57% threshold in the closing days of this years session in May, but it died in the Senate. Voters wouldve gotten the final say on whether to raise the bar. Ballot summaries drafted by Missouri legislators have buried mention of proposed higher thresholds under bullet points limiting voting to U.S. citizens, which is already required. Critics of that move have called it ballot candy designed to trick voters into approving a higher threshold. In Ohio, voters were told of the proposed 60% threshold in the first of three bullet points that appeared on the ballot. Even if Missouri Republicans draft potentially favorable ballot wording in 2024, state courts could rewrite the ballot summary as they did in 2020 on a ballot question to repeal a redistricting process voters approved two years earlier. House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a Springfield Democrat who is running for governor, said Republicans have made it clear they plan to continue their assault on the initiative petition. They know theyve gone too far stripping away the rights of Missourians, Quade said. But like we saw last night in Ohio, even in red states, voters wont be fooled. A spokesman for House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, did not provide a comment on the Ohio vote Wednesday. During a May news conference, Plocher predicted that if an abortion question made it on the ballot, a constitutional amendment would pass with a simple majority. At that point, with hours left in the legislative session, the 57% threshold was languishing in the Senate. If the Senate fails to take action on IP (initiative petition) reform, I think the Senate should be held accountable for allowing abortion to return to Missouri, Plocher said. Initiative petition fights Four proposed constitutional amendments filed with the Missouri secretary of state on Tuesday would enshrine the current simple majority threshold, as well as a requirement that ballot summaries correctly and fairly describe what is before voters. The proposals followed the formation of the political action committee Missourians For Fair Governance on Aug. 1, which states it is in support of a ballot measure to protect Missourians power of the petition for citizen governance. The group shares a phone number with the Missouri Realtors Association, which has opposed efforts to increase the threshold for constitutional amendments. The Realtors association has previously used the process to amend the constitution to ban sales tax collections on real estate transfers. In 2016, Realtors also financed a campaign to stop the Legislature from extending state sales taxes to services. Meanwhile, the attempt by Missouri abortion rights supporters to place a separate question before voters next year, which if approved would protect abortion access, has been repeatedly held up in the courts. The ACLU of Missouri is challenging a ballot summary drafted by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican, that the group argues is misleading and argumentative in violation of state law requiring fair ballot language. A trial on the wording is scheduled to start Sept. 11 in Cole County Circuit Court. A separate lawsuit by Republican lawmakers challenging the measures cost estimate could also delay signature collection. The courtroom fights follow a separate dispute, which the state Supreme Court resolved last month, between Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, both Republicans, that delayed the initiative petition process by months. Signatures to make the 2024 ballot are due in May, and at least one abortion rights opponent has publicly said opponents hope to delay signature collection as long as possible. Updated at 4:53 p.m. with comments by Sen. Caleb Rowden. CLAYTON Boeing Co. would save roughly $47 million more on taxes than originally thought for a nearly $2 billion expansion project, according to new estimates from the proposed deal pending before the St. Louis County Council. Last week, the economic development agency working on the agreement said Boeing would get half off on the projects real and personal property taxes an estimated savings of $108 million over the 10-year deal in exchange for the creation of 500 jobs and investment in new, secret aerospace programs. But at a special hearing before the County Council on Tuesday, lawyers brokering the plan said Boeing would save more like $155 million. Jason Terry, an attorney with public finance law firm Gilmore Bell, said assumptions made to calculate the estimate had changed. That document is still in draft form, Terry said after the hearing. Once that document hits the council agenda, it will explain what that number is based on. Doug Moore, a spokesman for County Executive Sam Page, later said that the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, the countys economic development arm that is working on the deal, used a formula based on a 2021 agreement with Boeing. But that only included unincorporated St. Louis County, not municipal taxes. The new plan includes the city of Berkeley, Moore said. Another key detail came out at the hearing on Tuesday: The new deal includes a claw-back measure if Boeing doesnt keep the 500 new jobs and also at least 12,100 total jobs in the region over the plans lifespan. But Boeing has 16,000 employees here currently which could give the company room to lay off roughly 4,000 people and still qualify for the tax incentives. Jason Archer, vice president of business development at the Partnership, said the baseline job number accommodates for the possibility that Boeing will downsize as it phases out programs. Boeing announced in February it plans to wind down production of the F/A-18 fighter jet, which the company makes at assembly lines near its local offices in Berkeley. The new programs could make up for that loss, Archer said. Details of Boeings new pitch are scant, in part because the company works on sensitive security programs with the U.S. Department of Defense. The project, which promises advanced manufacturing production facilities, comes as the aerospace industry ramps up for a national competition to build the next generation of U.S. fighter jets. Nearly a dozen organizations testified at the hearing, including Boeing representatives, educational groups, nonprofit organizations and union groups. Without the county deal, Boeing might look elsewhere, said Randell Gelzer Jr., senior director of state and local relations for Boeing. In terms of the competitiveness for this project, we have considered other Boeing sites, Gelzer told councilmembers. This proposal before you today is critical to being able to make sure we have cost-competitive proposals for the Department of Defense. The county cant assume Boeing will choose the St. Louis region, said Maggie Kost, who works to attract businesses to the region with the booster organization Greater St. Louis Inc. Boeing may be competing for the fighter jet contracts against defense giant Lockheed Martin. And Cobb County, Georgia, near Atlanta, has agreed to tax abatements worth $77.9 million for Lockheed. You can guarantee that they will be putting that investment to use for the same contracts that we want to bring here to St. Louis, Kost said. Representatives of school districts, which rely heavily on property taxes, were not present at the hearing on Tuesday. But Dennis Ganahl, managing director MO Tax Relief Now, said before the meeting that Boeing doesnt deserve a tax break. The group lobbied the council unsuccessfully earlier this summer to pass a property tax freeze for seniors, a measure that failed 4-3 along party lines with Democrats opposing it. I hope all the Republicans who voted for senior tax relief stand up against Boeing to make a statement to say, When you give seniors tax relief, well give Boeing tax relief, Ganahl said. The County Council isnt the only public entity negotiating with Boeing. The company is working on a separate agreement with St. Louis Lambert International Airport to lease about 154 acres of airport-owned land to house Boeings expansion, according to Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, Lamberts director. More details about that deal will become public when a proposal is submitted Wednesday to the St. Louis Airport Commission. The state is also in talking with Boeing about tax incentives to supplement the countys plan, said Michelle Hataway, acting director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. ST. LOUIS Residents in one of the citys most desirable neighborhoods voted Tuesday to pay extra taxes to cover public services they say they arent getting from the city. The results out of St. Louis Hills mark the second time in the past two years that a prosperous South Side neighborhood has formed a special taxing district to take on responsibilities typically run out of City Hall. As in Holly Hills last year, supporters of the effort said they wanted to do more to maintain basic infrastructure, take care of their treasured parks and hold crime in check. And they didnt feel like the city was up to doing it alone. We look forward to showing the community they did the right thing, said Tom Bene, an accountant and a leader of the special tax effort. Hobbled by staffing shortages across its workforce, St. Louis has struggled in recent years to fully staff its police department, answer 911 calls, pick up the trash and tend to dead trees. Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and aldermen have put millions of dollars toward hiring bonuses, salary increases and on-the-job training for some of the positions hardest to fill. But problems persist. Neighborhood leaders said the roughly $500,000 raised by the new tax each year will help fill some gaps. A new public board, appointed by Jones, could hire contractors to trim the trees and fix broken sidewalks. They could update playgrounds, mow the grass and pay for events in Francis and Willmore parks. And they could expand private security patrols aimed at reversing a bump in property crime over the past couple of years. St. Louis Hills residents werent the only ones with something at stake Tuesday. Voters in the Arnold area shot down a tax increase for the Fox school district. Voters in the Pacific area approved an increase in the Meramec Valley school district. The residents of tiny Glen Echo Park, in north St. Louis County, voted to merge with neighboring Normandy, marking a step toward consolidation in a fragmented region. And in Bel-Nor, also in north St. Louis County, 1st Ward voters cast ballots to break a tie in an April aldermanic race and produced another nail-biter: Alderwoman Charlie McBride beat the Rev. Jonell Calloway by a single vote. But the southwest St. Louis ballot had perhaps the highest profile. The idea for a special taxing district came right on the heels of the Holly Hills vote. People in St. Louis Hills, one of the safest neighborhoods in the city, were growing increasingly concerned about safety amid a bump in car break-ins and thefts. The neighborhood association was also burning through thousands of dollars paying for extra maintenance at Francis Park, and it wasnt clear how long it could keep it up. So Bene and others took the idea to Alderman Tom Oldenburg, who represents St. Louis Hills. He introduced a bill to set the election date. And on Tuesday, residents poured into the basement of Buder Library, on the neighborhoods northeastern edge, to approve the tax. Tom McDermott, a retired attorney who voted for the tax, said he moved to St. Louis Hills because it was safe. And we want to keep it that way, he said. Mike Gliedt, a 61-year-old accountant, said the same thing. He conceded it was maddening to have to pay anything extra for something like police services, but he didnt trust Jones to fix the police department, down hundreds of officers. And he said something had to be done: His son has had his car broken into multiple times. His neighbor had his copper gutter ripped off his house. And someone else recently got carjacked nearby. Im at the point where Im wondering when I need to move out, he said. This is no way to live. Others dissented. Carrie Halker, a 39-year-old working in financial services, said the tax was effectively an attempt to wall off St. Louis Hills from the rest of the city when it should be holding leaders accountable for serving all neighborhoods, especially those less fortunate. Its gross, he said. But she was in the minority: 55% of voters cast ballots in favor of the measure, according to preliminary results from the city election board. Victor Stefanescu, of the Post-Dispatch, contributed to this report. JEFFERSON CITY U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner said Wednesday she supports U.S. Sen. Josh Hawleys plan to expand an existing nuclear waste compensation program to cover St. Louis residents. The Senate attached Hawleys amendment to its version of the National Defense Authorization Act, but no similar expansion had cleared the House, which has approved its own version of the annual defense bill. Wagner, a Republican from Town and Country, had not spoken out publicly in favor of Hawleys amendment until Wednesday. In a statement to the Post-Dispatch, she said members of both chambers armed services committees needed to meet in a conference committee to work out differences between the House and Senate. I am supportive of the Hawley amendment being included in the merged bill, and hope that the conference committee chooses to include it in the final version, so I have the opportunity to vote for its passage, Wagner said. She said she hoped Eric Schmitt, Missouris other U.S. senator and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, would be named to the conference committee and fight for all of Missouris interests in the upcoming negotiations. The St. Louis area was significantly impacted by our countrys WWII nuclear program, and I will continue to advocate for those affected by it, Wagner said. Schmitt supports Hawleys amendment, and U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis, also supports the Senate effort. I think this is incredible, said Dawn Chapman, one of the founders of Just Moms STL, of Wagners support. She said it was good to hear it, because, you know, everythings happening so fast with the Hawley amendment that we havent had time ... to reach out and get support or know where people stand. State Rep. Tricia Byrnes, R-Wentzville, said she anticipated Wagners support for Hawleys amendment. She sent staff to our meeting last week, and I think he was blown over by the reaction from the crowd and the people in her district that are reporting injuries, Byrnes said of a community meeting last week in New Melle. Hawleys measure, which has yet to pass the House, would provide reimbursement to people with a medical condition linked to nuclear radiation exposure and who were physically present in an affected area defined by 20 ZIP codes for at least two years after Jan. 1, 1949. Affected ZIP code areas, which cover most of north St. Louis County, the north riverfront area of St. Louis and a large swath of St. Charles County are 63031, 63033, 63034, 63042, 63045, 63074, 63114, 63135, 63138, 63044, 63140, 63145, 63147, 63102, 63304, 63134, 63043, 63341, 63368 and 63367. Bush met with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Tuesday at the Department of Energy-managed Weldon Spring site in St. Charles County. In a statement following the meeting, Bush said, this conversation marks an inflection point in a positive partnership, and I believe that, together, we will work with the community to ensure the federal government cleans up its waste, restores trust, and ensures our neighborhoods are safer and healthier. Granholm spoke to St. Louis nuclear waste history during a stop Tuesday in the citys Carondelet neighborhood to promote a federal grant for a company to manufacture a component for electric vehicle batteries. Granholm said there was no doubt St. Louis-area sites need to be cleaned up, and that weve got to make sure that people feel safe. I cant speak for the administration on that particular piece because I just dont know the answer, but it certainly is something were looking at for sure to bring justice to families that have been affected, Granholm said. Chapman said Wednesday she was waiting for more information on Granholms talks with Bush. Did she agree to anything? Chapman asked. Is she going to fight the amendment? Is she going to go back to DC, you know, and maybe schedule a Zoom meeting so we can all figure out where she is on this? Chapman asked. I dont want to fight this energy secretary. I dont know if shes a friend or a foe. Speaking in New Mexico on Wednesday, President Joe Biden signaled hes open to granting assistance for people sickened by exposure to radiation during nuclear weapons testing, including in New Mexico, where the worlds first atomic bomb was tested in 1945, The Associated Press reported. Biden brought up the issue while speaking Wednesday in Belen at a factory that produces wind towers. Im prepared to help in terms of making sure that those folks are taken care of, he said. The presidents comments appeared to signal a willingness to expand the program to also include people in the St. Louis area that may have been exposed to Manhattan Project waste. The closure had been planned to begin at 9 p.m. Friday to allow deck sealing work but that's been called off due to the possibility of inclement weather, the Illinois Department of Transportation said. OFALLON, Mo. Family members of a 64-year-old man shot and killed in his home by an OFallon, Missouri, police officer during a 2019 mental health check filed suit this week claiming wrongful death. Christopher Weich and Thomas Weich sued Monday over the Jan. 18, 2019 death of their father, Dale Weich, who was shot and killed by OFallon police Officer Joseph Litzinger. The shooting happened while the officer and a mental health worker, Jacqueline Mattingly, were attempting to compel Weich to seek mental health treatment at a hospital, according to the suit. The suit claims Weich refused to leave his home, pulled out a gun and held it to his own head before Litzinger shot him. OFallon police told the Post-Dispatch in 2019 that the officer feared for the lives of himself and Mattingly, prompting him to shoot. The suit names the city of OFallon, Litzinger and Mattingly along with Mattinglys employers, Compass Health, Inc. and Pathways Communit Behavioral Healthcare, Inc., as defendants. The suit included excerpts from an OFallon police report that details Litzinger and Mattingly, a mental health liaison to the department, going to Weichs home in the 1000 block of Mission Hills Drive in OFallon for a follow-up investigation. The two planned to speak to Weich about his medication and hoped to convince him to get treatment at a hospital, according to a police account from Litzinger quoted in the suit. The officer wrote that he intended to ask for backup from another officer for the check, but found they were on another call. The suit claims that at first Dale Weich allowed Mattingly to enter his home, but would not allow Litzinger inside for about 20 minutes. The two then spent more than an hour trying to convince Weich to voluntarily go to a hospital for mental health treatment, eventually telling him they had no choice but to take him to a hospital because of his behavior and statements, according to the suit. The suit claims Dale Weich then stopped and pulled a firearm from his robe, prompting Litzinger to point his gun at Weich. The suit claims Weich then raised the gun to his own head and the officer fired two shots, hitting and killing Weich. The suit makes claims of wrongful death, excessive force by the police, negligent hiring in OFallon, false imprisonment and medical malpractice. Attorney Tyson Mutrux is representing Weichs adult sons, Christopher and Thomas Weich, both of Springfield, Missouri, in the case. Linda Weich, Dales ex-wife of more than 30 years, told the Post-Dispatch in 2019 that Dale was an excellent father to his sons. She added that family members had been discussing getting him evaluated in the months before his death, but did not elaborate further. The city of OFallon, Compass Health and Pathways Community Behavioral Healthcare declined or did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended the top prosecutor in Orlando, again wielding his executive power over local government in taking on a contentious issue in the 2024 presidential race. Its the second time DeSantis, a Republican, has removed a Democratic state attorney and follows an investigation that began when a teenager was charged with fatally shooting a television reporter and a 9-year-old girl. It is my duty as Governor to ensure that the laws enacted by our duly elected Legislature are followed, DeSantis said during a news conference in Tallahassee announcing the suspension of State Attorney Monique Worrell of the 9th Judicial Circuit, which serves Orange and Osceola counties. Worrell vowed to seek reelection next year and said her removal was political and not about her performance. She also suggested DeSantis timing was to distract from a stagnant presidential campaign thats faced layoffs and changes at the top as its struggled to regain traction. He needed to get back in the media in some positive way that would be red meat for his base and he will have accomplished that today, she said. He replaced his campaign manager yesterday, and I guess today its my turn. DeSantis office began investigating Worrell after 19-year-old Keith Moses was charged with first degree murder in the deaths of Spectrum News 13 report Dylan Lyons, Nathacha Augustin and 9-year-old Tyonna Major. The girls mother and Spectrum News 13 photographer Jesse Walden were also shot. Shortly after the shooting, DeSantis general counsel said in a letter to Worrell that she failed to hold Moses accountable despite his criminal record and gang affiliation. The governors office sought Moses juvenile records, which are usually protected. In his announcement Wednesday, DeSantis cited other cases and said Worrell avoided minimum mandatory sentences on charges that included gun crimes, drug trafficking and child pornography. He also said the state attorneys office had a pattern of letting juveniles avoid serious charges or incarceration and noted the shooting over the weekend of two Orlando police officers by a 28-year-old man with a long criminal history. But Democrats said the Worrells suspension was politically motivated and noted she is the only Black woman in Florida elected to serve as a state attorney. This is absolutely disgusting," said Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani. Her removal is a complete slap in the face to Orange and Osceola County residents and another example of Governor DeSantis eroding our local control and democracy. This politically motivated action by the Governor in a predominantly democratic part of the state should alarm everyone. DeSantis last year removed State Attorney Andrew Warren, a twice-elected Democrat in Tampa, over his signing of pledges that he would not pursue criminal charges against seekers or providers of abortion or gender transition treatments, as well as policies about not bringing charges for certain low-level crimes. DeSantis is one of a number of Republicans in various jurisdictions across the U.S. who have called into question decisions from Democratic prosecutors. The governor appointed Andrew Bain, an Orange County judge, to replace Worrell. Bain previously served as assistant state attorney in Orlando. The people of Central Florida deserve to have a State Attorney who will seek justice in accordance with the law instead of allowing violent criminals to roam the streets and find new victims, DeSantis said. Bain, a Republican, said the job is quite simple. He said, We are here to prosecute crimes and to hold people accountable. Worrell said she knows and respects Bain and wouldnt criticize him, adding that the issue is about DeSantis. Elected officials are being taken out of office for political purposes and that should never be a thing, she said. Frisaro reported from Fort Lauderdale. In December 2020, Rudy Giuliani committed perjury before a Missouri House committee. Thats not our assessment, its his. Giuliani, the former New York mayor who became the chief spreader of lies for then-President Donald Trump in the wake of that years election, effectively admitted recently that his voter-fraud allegations against two Georgia election workers were false. Among those duped by that lie were members of the Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight, to which Giuliani testified via Zoom that month, under oath, pressing the very claims he now admits werent true. Missouris legislative Republicans at the time were going all in to bolster Trumps big lie of a stolen election, despite incontrovertible evidence (even then) that it was all nonsense. Do those who remain in Missouri government today have enough self-respect and more to the point, enough respect for their constituents to now hold Giuliani accountable with a perjury charge? The issue stems from a pending defamation suit against Giuliani by Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss, the-mother-and-daughter Georgia election workers targeted by Giuliani and others who claimed a video showed them stuffing ballots into a suitcase. The video showed no such thing, but Trumps minions spread the lie diligently enough to subject Freeman and Moss to a dangerous harassment campaign by unhinged Trump supporters. Among the platforms for those and other of Giulianis lies was the Missouri House committee hearing on Dec. 14, 2020. Weeks ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, mob assault on the U.S. Capitol, Republican lawmakers in Missouri, as in other red states, were doing whatever they could to legitimize Trumps election-fraud lies. A legally meaningless but incendiary resolution in Missouri that month called for election-fraud investigations in six states won by Joe Biden, including Georgia. Giulianis remote testimony was arranged by the Missouri House committees Republican majority in furtherance of that tax-funded farce. In contentious testimony, Giuliani doubled down on his lie about the Georgia ballots and accused Democrats on the committee of covering up massive election fraud. Obviously, you have no interest in the truth, said the man who, in a court filing last month, formally acknowledged he cant back up what he told the committee. Giulianis July 25 filing in the pending defamation lawsuit against him stipulates that he does not contest the factual allegations made in the suit that is, the allegations that he lied about Freeman and Moss. Giulianis lawyer has downplayed the significance of the stipulation, calling it a legal maneuver designed to ultimately get the case dismissed. Regardless, its a de facto admission that the claims Giuliani made, which put two innocent womens lives in danger, were baseless. Try to imagine admitting to spreading such a toxic lie if you hadnt actually lied. Giulianis lies have already led to suspension of his law license in New York and a pending disbarment proceeding in Washington, D.C. He has also been widely identified as an unindicted co-conspirator in the federal criminal case against Trump, meaning he could yet face criminal charges himself. The man once lauded as Americas mayor clearly (and rightly) now faces a much harsher judgment by history if not by Jefferson City. In light of the recent court filing, one of the Missouri Democrats who sparred with Giuliani in that 2020 hearing, state Rep. Peter Merideth of St. Louis, is renewing his call to prosecute Giuliani here for perjury. Rudy blatantly lied to us, under oath. Thats perjury, Merideth told the Missouri Independent last week. He added that Giuliani should be prosecuted. But he acknowledged the chances of that happening under Missouris GOP-controlled government are zero. Republicans love to scream about nonexistent voter impersonation, all while trying to commit the greatest voter fraud in American history, Merideth told the news site. As for the fraud perpetrated by Giuliani against Missouris lawmakers and, by extension, against all the states citizens theres no indication the Republican legislative majority plans to do anything to hold him accountable. Which is yet another reason the states voters should hold them accountable in next years elections. Shame on former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon for his naive op-ed supporting the No Labels project. (Nixon: Why Im supporting No Labels effort for the 2024 ballot, Aug. 3.) He doesnt seem to realize that the very concepts of truth and democracy are up for grabs next year. You cant both-sides this. Flawed as the Democrats are, they are the only major party that still believes in facts and shuns conspiracy theories. The No Labels effort, if it ever gets off the ground, will absolutely pull more voters from Joe Biden than from Donald Trump. What does No Labels even stand for? From what I can gather, its a Republican-lite movement. All they want is to give Never-Trumpers who could never vote for a Democrat a safe option so they can sleep at night. Im all for healthy debates and compromise, but thats impossible when one of the two major parties has gone off the deep end. Gov. Nixon is a smart man, but he is being played. Dan Connors St. Louis County Israel continues to update the defensive systems on its four Saar 6 and three Saar 5 corvettes as well as 8 Saar 4.5 missile boats. The latest update is Deseaver Mk-4 which is designed to receive target data from ship sensors and launch guided rockets to deal with incoming missiles. As its name implies, this is the fourth generation of ship defense systems. For decades Israel has been developing and improving onboard anti-missiles for its warships. The current version weighs nearly a ton (900 kg) and uses its own sensors as well as ship sensors to detect and track incoming threats and launch decoy and deception rockets. The rocket uses several methods to distract or deceive the guidance system of the incoming missile. Deseaver Mk-4 is the latest effort to provide effective protection of missile threats to ships by using deception and interception and better integration with ship sensors. Since 2006, when a Saar class ship was hit by a Hezbollah anti-ship missile off the coast of Lebanon, Israel has developed several generations of systems to detect, deceive and intercept anti-ship missiles. By 2017 Israel was testing missile defense systems using multiple methods to deal with missile attacks on its Saar class corvettes. The 2017 system used a number of defensive systems based on software and sensors that rapidly identify incoming missiles and then deploys one or more countermeasures (flares, chaff or jamming signals). One of these countermeasures was quite visible when tested. These were the chaff filled rockets that rapidly put a cloud of radar blocking metal strips in front of the ship in the minute or two before the missile arrived. This is often sufficient to cause the missile to miss. Chaff was one of the many electronic countermeasures first developed during World War II. While electronic countermeasures and exotic stuff like lasers (to blind heat seeking missiles) get more publicity, something as simple, and visible, as chaff has been used ever since the 1940s. Chaff made its first appearance during the Summer of 1943 when the use of electronic countermeasures seemed to have become a dominant factor in aerial warfare. The Allies introduced Window ("chaff") to jam German radar. Window was tinfoil strips, cut to the right length to cause German radar to see a "wall" of, well, tinfoil strips. Bundles of it were tossed out of allied aircraft and this, in effect, created an electronic smoke screen behind which anything could be happening. The Allies began using separate groups of aircraft equipped with jammers and chaff to create deceptions and lure the German night fighters to them and away from the formations of bomber aircraft. But the Germans fought back. In late 1943 they deployed the SN 2, an improved night fighter radar that was immune to Window and had a range of 400-6,000 meters. The use of chaff was a major blow to the German use of radar and they quickly responded to such challenges. In November, 1943, Germany began using Wurzlaus. This was a modified Wurzburg radar that could sometimes differentiate between stationary tinfoil clouds and nearby aircraft that were, of course, moving. The Germans also modified their Wurzburg radar (the "Nurnberg" version) so that it gave an electronic sound to the operator, as well as the blip on the radar screen. After some training, an operator could use his ears to tell the difference between the radar signal coming back from a chaff cloud and one coming back from moving aircraft. Chaff, like so many other measures, was only a temporary advantage and soon was compromised by countermeasures. The Germans also used chaff, but with less success because the allies had many more interceptors and that limited the effectiveness of German chaff. After World War II chaff continued to be used, but not as frequently or successfully and usually as an unexpected method for confusing radar. Electronic countermeasures became dominant although chaff was still around and often used with success when the enemy wasnt expecting it. That use continues and the new Israeli ship defense system uses chaff (probably with different lengths of metal strips for different missile guidance system radars) as part of a larger number of countermeasures that that are quickly deployed by software and sensors that use speed and a constantly updated database of missile guidance systems to make missiles miss. But sometimes chaff alone is still used in unanticipated ways. There was an example of this in 2003. To prevent Iraqi air forces from detecting and shooting at the 300 Tomahawk cruise missiles the U.S. Navy launched on the opening night of the war, a unique distraction was used. The Navy took five Firebee target UAVs and set them loose over Baghdad. Three of the Firebees were launched from a C-130 modified for the task. Two other Firebees were launched from Kuwait. The one ton Firebees were themselves to dispense chaff. The five Firebees, with an endurance of about an hour, flew back and forth over Baghdad until their fuel ran out, and then crashed. Iraqi air defenses were suitably shocked and awed and were caught by surprise when the cruise missiles that arrived soon after the Firebees went down. As always chaff will continue to be used successfully if it can be deployed when the enemy doesnt expect it. A protest in defense of abortion in Ohio, in June 2022. MEGAN JELINGER (REUTERS) Ohio has taken a key step in the defense of the right to abortion in the United States. On Tuesday, the voters of this bellwether state which plays a pivotal role in every vote in the United States rejected by a resounding majority a measure proposed by the Republican Party that would have made it much more difficult to amend the local constitution and enshrine the right to abortion. At first glance, the measure, known as Issue 1, appeared to be a simple legislative procedure, a very local and slightly abstruse proposal. But it has become a touchstone for how willing citizens are to defend access to abortion, a year after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling which established the constitutional right to abortion in 1973. More than 60% of voters voted against Issue 1, clear evidence that the proposal was far from popular. The result also revealed to what extent the right to abortion continues to mobilize American voters a year after the Supreme Court ruling. Its a trend that both the Republican Party and the Democrats will have to take into account ahead of the presidential elections in November 2024. In the midterm elections of 2022, support for reproductive rights played a key role in the outcome: the Democrats who had based much of their campaign on defending access to abortion obtained better results than expected and were able to retain control of the Senate. Issue 1 proposed raising the minimum percentage of votes to pass any amendment to the Ohio constitution to 60%, instead of the current 50%. The Republicans, who hold the majority in the state legislature, argued that the measure was needed to protect basic law against possible interference by foreign pressure groups. But since it was proposed, Issue 1 has been seen as an attempt to stop an amendment that seeks to guarantee the right to abortion in Ohio. Last year, the state banned abortions after six weeks, when many women do not even know they are pregnant. The amendment, which will be voted on in November, was presented by a citizen initiative. It proposes to enshrine the fundamental right to reproductive freedom within reasonable limits. Polls indicate that 58% of voters support the measure. In other words, it could easily be approved by a simple majority, but would fall short of the supermajority proposed by Issue 1. Now, with Issue 1 struck down, the upcoming months are shaping up to be a fierce battle between supporters and opponents of the proposal to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution. U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed the results of Tuesdays vote, which had generated great interest across the country. This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won. The One Person One Vote campaign, a coalition of organizations that had brought together opposition to Issue 1, was jubilant. Tonight is a major victory for democracy in Ohio, said spokesman Dennis Willard at the organizations party to follow the count. The majority still rules in Ohio. In contrast, the Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America association, which is opposed to abortion, described the result as a sad day for Ohio. It also complained that funds from other states were used to support the campaign against Issue 1. The vote had sparked great interest within Ohio and beyond. In the middle of August, when many families go on vacation before school resumes, more than 700,000 people had cast early ballots, in person or by mail. This was nearly double the number of any primary in the state. Before the last day of voting, turnout in Ohio which is increasingly leaning to the Republican Party at a national level was especially high in Democratic-leaning cities such as Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. The result has drawn a sigh of relief from reproductive rights organizations across the United States. If successful, Issue 1 could have set a precedent for other conservative states to follow. The Supreme Court ruling last year gives states the power to establish their own laws on abortion. Since then, at least 25 states have imposed limits, or effectively prohibited, access to abortion. In others, including conservative states such as Kansas and Kentucky, voters have rejected attempts to impose restrictions in referendums. But, in a country where reproductive rights remain deeply divisive, the result of the referendums have not reached 60%. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Originally published in International Paper's 2022 Sustainability Report NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / A shining example of IP's approach to responsible fiber procurement is our partnership with American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and the Avian Research and Conservation Institute (ARCI). This partnership includes developing bird-focused management recommendations for private forest landowners, conducting field-based workshops with forest landowners and our suppliers, and species-specific work, including capturing, tagging and tracking swallow-tailed kites, one of North America's most beautiful birds of prey. The swallow-tailed kite is a large black-and-white bird, with long narrow wings spanning four feet across and a distinctive forked elongated tail. They are long-distance migrants that spend their spring and summer months in the Southeastern U.S., then migrate to their wintering grounds in central South America. They are excellent ambassadors for sustainable working forests, as they're easily recognized in the field and thrive in sustainable managed working forests. In 2022, we captured and tagged a kite near our Savannah, Georgia mill. An article in the Winter 2021/2022 issue of ABC's magazine led to an excellent short documentary, "Kites in the Trees," filmed and produced by South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV). This effort confirms that nature-positive outcomes occur within working forest landscapes. Managed working forests can provide society with a renewable source of fiber without compromising critical wildlife habitat. About International Paper International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of planet-friendly packaging, pulp and other fiber-based products, and one of North America's largest recyclers. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 39,000 colleagues globally who are committed to creating what's next. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2022 were $21.2 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting InternationalPaper.com. About International Paper - EMEA In Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), International Paper focuses on the production and marketing of fiber-based packaging and pulp, employing approximately 4,200 people. As a leading supplier of high-quality corrugated containers for a multitude of applications, we serve customers throughout the region from our network of two recycled containerboard mills and 23 box plants in France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Pulp production is centered in Gdansk, Poland. Other products available from International Paper in the region include Kraft linerboard and recycled containerboard, as well as pulp. Read more View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from International Paper Company on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: International Paper Company Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/international-paper-company Email: [email protected] SOURCE: International Paper Company View source version on accesswire.com: PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / The following abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds announced today that the closed end funds in the chart directly below will pay the distributions indicated on a per share basis on August 31, 2023 to all shareholders of record as of August 24, 2023 (ex-dividend date August 23, 2023). These dates apply to the Funds listed below with the exception of the abrdn Australia Equity Fund, Inc. (IAF), the India Fund, Inc. (IFN) and the abrdn Japan Equity Fund, Inc. (JEQ) which will pay on September 29, 2023, to all shareholders of record as of August 24, 2023 (ex-dividend date August 23, 2023). Ticker Exchange Fund Amount ACP NYSE abrdn Income Credit Strategies Fund $ 0.1000 AGD NYSE abrdn Global Dynamic Dividend Fund $ 0.0650 AOD NYSE abrdn Total Dynamic Dividend Fund $ 0.0575 ASGI NYSE abrdn Global Infrastructure Income Fund $ 0.1200 AWP NYSE abrdn Global Premier Properties Fund $ 0.0400 FAX NYSE American Abrdn Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc. $ 0.0275 FCO NYSE American abrdn Global Income Fund, Inc. $ 0.0700 IAF NYSE American abrdn Australia Equity Fund, Inc. $ 0.1200 IFN NYSE The India Fund, Inc. $ 0.4100 JEQ NYSE abrdn Japan Equity Fund, Inc. $ 0.1100 VFL NYSE American abrdn National Municipal Income Fund $ 0.0325 At the end of each calendar year, a Form 1099-DIV will be sent to shareholders, which will state the amount and composition of each fund's distributions and provide information with respect to their appropriate tax treatment for the prior calendar year. You should not draw any conclusions about any of these Funds' investment performance from the amount of the distributions. MANAGED DISTRIBUTION POLICY FUNDS ANNOUNCE DISTRIBUTION PAYMENT DETAILS abrdn Global Infrastructure Income Fund ("ASGI") abrdn Australia Equity Fund, Inc. ("IAF") The India Fund, Inc. ("IFN") abrdn Japan Equity Fund, Inc. ("JEQ") The above-noted abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds (the "Funds" or individually the "Fund"), today announced that the Funds will pay the distributions noted in the chart above on August 31, 2023, on a per share basis to all shareholders of record as of August 24, 2023 (ex-dividend date August 23, 2023). These dates apply to the Funds listed below with the exception of the abrdn Australia Equity Fund, Inc. (IAF), the India Fund, Inc. (IFN) and the abrdn Japan Equity Fund, Inc. (JEQ) which will pay on September 29, 2023, to all shareholders of record as of August 24, 2023 (ex-dividend date August 23, 2023). Each Fund has adopted a distribution policy to provide investors with a stable distribution out of current income, supplemented by realized capital gains and, to the extent necessary, paid-in capital in reliance on an exemptive order granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Under applicable U.S. tax rules, the amount and character of distributable income for each Fund's fiscal year can be finally determined only as of the end of the Fund's fiscal year. However, under Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") and related rules, the Funds may be required to indicate to shareholders the estimated source of certain distributions to shareholders. The following tables set forth the estimated amounts of the sources of the distributions for purposes of Section 19 of the 1940 Act and the rules adopted thereunder. The tables have been computed based on generally accepted accounting principles. The tables include estimated amounts and percentages for the current distributions to be paid as well as for the cumulative distributions paid relating to fiscal year to date, from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short-term capital gains; net realized long-term capital gains; and return of capital. The estimated compositions of the distributions may vary because the estimated composition may be impacted by future income, expenses and realized gains and losses on securities and currencies. Each Fund's estimated sources of the current distributions to be paid and for its current fiscal year to date are as follows: Estimated Amounts of Current Distribution per Share Fund Distribution Amount Net Investment Income Net Realized Short-Term Gains* Net Realized Long-Term Gains Return of Capital ASGI $0.1200 $0.0336 28% $0.0084 7% $0.0780 65% - - IAF $0.1200 $0.0600 50% $0.0024 2% $0.0120 10% $0.0456 38% IFN $0.4100 - - $0.0041 1% $0.4059 99% - - JEQ $0.1100 $0.0176 16% $0.0011 1% - - $0.0913 83% Estimated Amounts of Fiscal Year to Date Cumulative Distributions per Share Fund Fiscal Year** to Date Distribution Amount Net Investment Income Net Realized Short-Term Gains* Net Realized Long-Term Gains Return of Capital ASGI $1.3200 $0.3696 28% $0.0924 7% $0.8580 65% - - IAF $0.5000 $0.2500 50% $0.0100 2% $0.0500 10% $0.1900 38% IFN $1.2300 - - $0.0123 1% $1.2177 99% - - JEQ $0.4100 $0.0656 16% $0.0041 1% - - $0.3403 83% * includes currency gains ** ASGI has a 9/30 fiscal year end; IAF and JEQ have a 10/31 fiscal year end; IFN has a 12/31 fiscal year end. Where the estimated amounts above show a portion of the distribution to be a "Return of Capital," it means that Fund estimates that it has distributed more than its income and capital gains; therefore, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur for example, when some or all the money that you invested in a Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income." As of August 4, 2023, after giving effect to this payment, JEQ estimates it has a net deficit of $5,829,000. A net deficit results when the Fund has net unrealized losses that are in excess of any net realized gains that have not yet been distributed. The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The final determination of the source of all distributions for the current year will only be made after year-end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of the fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. After the end of each calendar year, a Form 1099-DIV will be sent to shareholders for the prior calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. The following table provides the Funds' total return performance based on net asset value (NAV) over various time periods compared to the Funds' annualized and cumulative distribution rates. Fund Performance and Distribution Rate Information Fund Average Annual Total Return on NAV for the 5 Year Period Ending 07/31/2023 Current Fiscal Period's Annualized Distribution Rate on NAV Cumulative Total Return on NAV Cumulative Distribution Rate on NAV ASGI3 9.30%3 6.76% 21.41% 5.63% IAF 6.30% 10.30% 15.46% 7.68% IFN 4.41% 9.40% 10.14% 4.82% JEQ 1.05% 5.74% 22.09% 4.30% 1 Return data is net of all fund expenses and fees and assumes the reinvestment of all distributions reinvested at prices obtained under the Fund's dividend reinvestment plan, with the exception of the most recent distribution. 2 Based on the Fund's NAV as of July 31, 2023. 3 The Fund launched within the past 5 years; the performance and distribution rate information presented reflects data from inception (July 29, 2020) through July 31, 2023. Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about a Fund's investment performance from the amount of the Fund's current distributions or from the terms of the distribution policy (the "Distribution Policy"). While NAV performance may be indicative of the Fund's investment performance, it does not measure the value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund. The value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund is determined by the Fund's market price, which is based on the supply and demand for the Fund's shares in the open market. Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Funds may distribute any long-term capital gains more frequently than the limits provided in Section 19(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder. Therefore, distributions paid by the Funds during the year may include net income, short-term capital gains, long-term capital gains and/or a return of capital. Net income dividends and short-term capital gain dividends, while generally taxable at ordinary income rates, may be eligible, to the extent of qualified dividend income earned by the Funds, to be taxed at a lower rate not to exceed the maximum rate applicable to your long-term capital gains. Distributions made in any calendar year in excess of investment company taxable income and net capital gain are treated as taxable ordinary dividends to the extent of undistributed earnings and profits, and then as a return of capital that reduces the adjusted basis in the shares held. To the extent return of capital distributions exceed the adjusted basis in the shares held, capital gain is recognized with a holding period based on the period the shares have been held at the date such amount is received. The payment of distributions in accordance with the Distribution Policy may result in a decrease in the Fund's net assets. A decrease in the Fund's net assets may cause an increase in the Fund's annual operating expense ratio and a decrease in the Fund's market price per share to the extent the market price correlates closely to the Fund's net asset value per share. The Distribution Policy may also negatively affect the Fund's investment activities to the extent that the Fund is required to hold larger cash positions than it typically would hold or to the extent that the Fund must liquidate securities that it would not have sold, for the purpose of paying the distribution. Each Fund's Board has the right to amend, suspend or terminate the Distribution Policy at any time. The amendment, suspension or termination of the Distribution Policy may affect the Fund's market price per share. Investors should consult their tax advisor regarding federal, state and local tax considerations that may be applicable in their particular circumstances. Circular 230 disclosure : To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the U.S. Treasury, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. In the United States, abrdn is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: abrdn Inc., abrdn Investments Limited, abrdn Asia Limited, Aberdeen Capital Management, LLC, abrdn ETFs Advisors LLC and abrdn Alternative Funds Limited. Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. A Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results. https://www.abrdn.com/en-us/cefinvestorcenter For More Information Contact: abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds Investor Relations 1-800-522-5465 [email protected] SOURCE: abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds View source version on accesswire.com: VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 8, 2023 / Ambari Brands Inc. ("Ambari" or the "Company") (CSE: AMB, OTCQB:AMBBF, FRA:Y92) announces that it has been requested by OTC Markets Group Inc. ("OTC Markets") to issue this statement about promotional activity concerning the Company's common stock traded on the OTCQB market. The Company notes that the subject promotional activity was not authorized by the Company and that the Company is taking active steps to pursue the entities involved and to cause them to cease and desist from publishing any information regarding the Company. On August 3, 2023, OTC Markets informed the Company that it became aware of certain promotional activities concerning the Company and its common stock traded on the OTCQB market, including the distribution of promotional email materials published by pennystockschool.com and pennystockzone.com (collectively, the "Unauthorized Entities") on August 2, 2023, purporting to discuss the Company's operations and growth projections (the "Promotional Materials"). The Company was not aware of the Unauthorized Entities prior to being made aware of them by OTC Markets. Neither the Company, nor its officers or directors, were involved, directly or indirectly, with the creation, distribution, or payment of or for the Promotional Materials. In the Company's view, certain statements made in the Promotional Materials are misleading and the Company encourages readers to disregard the Promotional Materials in their entirety. The Company has no opinion as to whether or not and/or the extent to which the Promotional Materials affected trading activity due to the many factors that affect trading activity generally. The sole firm currently engaged by the Company to provide marketing services is The Financial Star ("TFS"), as disclosed in the press releases disseminated by the Company on September 19, 2022, May 18, 2023 and July 10, 2023. No officer, director or, to the best of the Company's knowledge having made enquiry, shareholder holding 10% or more of the Company's shares, has independently paid for or been involved with the creation or distribution of promotional material on behalf of the Company, with the exception that the Company's board approves all bona fide investor relations engagements, and Company management reviews and approves bona fide promotional disclosure materials produced by TFS. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company's board did not authorize or approve the Promotional Materials, and the Company's management did not review or have any involvement with the Promotional Materials prior to their publication / distribution. TFS has confirmed to the Company that it did not engage the Unauthorized Entities, and does not have any dealings with them. In the past 12 months the Company had also engaged MIC Market Information & Content Publishing GmbH, as disclosed in a news release dated July 5, 2023, but such engagement was terminated in late October, 2022 and announced on in a press release dated October 24, 2023. In the past 90 days, neither the Company, nor its officers, directors, nor, to the best of the Company's knowledge having made enquiry, any shareholder holding 10% or more of the Company's outstanding common shares, nor any third-party service providers have sold or purchased the Company's securities. As announced in a press release dated February 7, 2023, the Company conducted a private placement of units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.25 per Unit (the "Unit Price"), with each Unit consisting of one common share of the Company (a "Share), and one-half of one transferable common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"), with each Warrant exercisable into one Share at a price of $0.35 per Share for a period of one year following the issuance date, as well as 112,000 Warrants and a cash fee of $28,000 to a finder (the "Unit Financing"). The Unit Price constituted a discount to the current market rate at the time of the issuance. Aside from the Unit Financing, the Company has not issued any other shares or convertible instruments allowing conversion to shares at a discount to the market rate at the time of the issuance. For more complete and specific information regarding the Company, its prospects, the risks associated with those prospects, and a summary of issuance of shares or convertible securities, readers should consult the Company's public filings on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com, its website and other reliable sources. The Company encourages investors to contact their investment advisors prior to making any investments. About Ambari Brands Inc. Ambari is a company committed to transforming the beauty industry through its AI technology "Scarlett" and products lines that are carried in the world's largest retailers. To learn more about Ambari, visit www.ambaribeauty.com and www.ambari.ai. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Nisha Grewal CEO, Corporate Secretary and Director [email protected] +1 (424) 284-4022 Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws with respect to the Company. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as "believe," "project," "aim," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," and similar expressions. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable laws. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. SOURCE: Ambari Brands Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX-V:BAY)(OTCQB: ATBHF) ("Aston Bay" or the "Company") has recently announced significant exploration discoveries made at the Company's Storm Copper Project (the "Project") on Somerset Island, Nunavut, Canada by the Project operator American West Metals Limited (see news releases dated August 2, 2023 and August 8, 2023). These advancements are deemed to be Material Information, as defined in the policy of the TSX Venture Exchange that pertains to the pricing of private placements. Due to this development, the ongoing non-brokered private placement's pricing structure can no longer be maintained within the previously announced terms, and the Company is unable to proceed with the private placement as originally announced. As a result of these circumstances, both the private placement and the share consolidation initiative are now terminated. In the coming days, the Company plans to establish revised terms for a new private placement. About Aston Bay Holdings Aston Bay is a publicly traded mineral exploration company exploring for high-grade copper and gold deposits in Virginia, USA, and Nunavut, Canada. The Company is led by CEO Thomas Ullrich with exploration in Virginia directed by the Company's advisor, Don Taylor, the 2018 Thayer Lindsley Award winner for his discovery of the Taylor Pb-Zn-Ag Deposit in Arizona. The Company is currently exploring the high-grade Buckingham Gold Vein in central Virginia and is in advanced stages of negotiation on other lands with high-grade copper potential in the area. The Company is 100% owner of the Storm Project property, which hosts the Storm Copper Project and the Seal Zinc Deposit and has been optioned to American West Metals Limited. The Company's public disclosure documents are available on www.sedar.com. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Statements made in this press release, including those regarding the closing and the use of proceeds of the private placement, management objectives, forecasts, estimates, expectations, or predictions of the future may constitute "forward-looking statement", which can be identified by the use of conditional or future tenses or by the use of such verbs as "believe", "expect", "may", "will", "should", "estimate", "anticipate", "project", "plan", and words of similar import, including variations thereof and negative forms. This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect, as of the date of this press release, Aston Bay's expectations, estimates and projections about its operations, the mining industry and the economic environment in which it operates. Statements in this press release that are not supported by historical fact are forward-looking statements, meaning they involve risk, uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although Aston Bay believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which apply only at the time of writing of this press release. Aston Bay disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by securities legislation. We seek safe harbour. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. THIS PRESS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN IN THE UNITED STATES. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN, AND WILL NOT BE, REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Ullrich, Chief Executive Officer [email protected] (416) 456-3516 Sofia Harquail, IR and Corporate Development [email protected] (647) 821-1337 SOURCE: Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: Agreement is Beyond Oil's First Commercial Distribution Partnership in Europe VANCOUVER, BC and KIBBUTZ YIFAT, ISRAEL / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Beyond Oil Ltd. (CSE:BOIL)(OTCQB: BEOLF) ("Beyond Oil" or the "Company"), a food-tech innovation company extending the life of frying oil, reducing costs and waste, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a distributor agreement (the "Distribution Agreement") with Vital Hospitality Ltd. ("Vital Hospitality"). The Distribution Agreement gives Vital Hospitality the rights and a license to market and sell Beyond Oil's product to food service customers in the United Kingdom. "Vital Hospitality is committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions which support our customer base to simplify their day-to-day operations while lowering both their operating costs and carbon footprint," stated Justin Samuels, Founder and CEO of Vital Hospitality. "Throughout our trial period in the UK, we thoroughly evaluated Beyond Oil's product and its remarkable capacity to extend oil life and its simplicity of use. Additionally, I had the pleasure of meeting the Beyond Oil team in Israel and witnessing firsthand the satisfaction of several of their customers who have successfully incorporated the product into their operations. After careful consideration, we are confident that this product will significantly enhance our customers' experiences in various ways, such as cost savings, improved food quality, and waste reduction. Notably, we are impressed by its potential to reduce the carbon footprint of the food-service industry, aligning perfectly with our commitment to sustainable practices. We eagerly anticipate introducing this innovative solution to our customers in the United Kingdom." "It is with great pleasure that we announce our partnership with a renowned expert in the UK food service industry," said Jonathan Or, Co-Founder and CEO of Beyond Oil. "Vital Hospitality is at the forefront of product innovation in the food service industry - and we are looking forward to providing them with a ground-breaking solution for their valued customers. We eagerly anticipate their support in introducing our disruptive product to the food industry in the United Kingdom." Distribution Agreement The Distribution Agreement establishes Vital Hospitality as a distributor of Beyond Oil's product in the food service market in the United Kingdom. Under the terms of the Distribution Agreement, Vital Hospitality will market, distribute and sell Beyond Oil's product to its existing and prospective customers in the United Kingdom and will also be responsible for providing training and support services to such customers. The Distribution Agreement is dated August 8, 2023, has an initial term of four (4) years and will renew for an additional three (3) year term, subject to certain conditions. Product Highlights Frying Oils Recovery : Extensive testing indicates that the Beyond Oil Product extends the usable life of frying oil, improves product quality, and reduces frying oil costs. As a preferential adsorbent, the product reduces and prevents the formation of harmful components such as free fatty acids ("FFA"), total polar materials ("TPM"), acrylamide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ("PAHs"), trans fats, and other impurities, ensuring frying oil stays fresh and fried food tastes fantastic. One-of-a-Kind : Beyond Oil has developed a unique solution that can absorb the FFAs and TPMs generated in frying oil, together with other harmful components and undesired off-flavors, colors, and odors. Patent Protected : The Company also has a portfolio of registered and patent-pending solutions that extend the shelf-life of produced and used vegetable oils. Potential Cost-Savings : One of Beyond Oil's unique value propositions is that it can dramatically lower costs for quick-service restaurants by significantly extending the useful life of the oil while meeting food quality and safety requirements. For more information on how the Beyond Oil Product extends the life of frying oil, see the Company's news release dated December 12, 2022. Distribution Ready : The Company received a non-objection letter from the US Food & Drug Administration ("FDA") in March 2022, on the basis that all the Beyond Oil Product ingredients meet food-grade specifications of the FDA. In May 2022, Beyond Oil received a non-objection letter from Health Canada and a National Sanitation Foundation certification. Beyond Oil is legally permitted to sell its product into the Israeli market according to the processing-aid and filtering-aid regulations. How the Beyond Oil Product Works The Beyond Oil Product integrates into the existing filtration systems of both commercial and industrial fryers. The combination of active filtration by the powder and passive filtration by the filter and filtration machine ensures the best results by removing other degradation particles. The powder remains on the filter and creates an additional layer which provides the microfiltration benefit. About Beyond Oil Ltd. Beyond Oil is an innovative food-tech company dedicated to transforming the way we consume and produce food. We provide sustainable solutions for the food industry, prioritizing environmental protection and the well-being of its workers and customers. Our innovative solutions help reduce costs for our partners and clients while ensuring responsible and eco-friendly practices. We are committed to environmental responsibility, minimizing the carbon footprint of the food industry on our planet. By implementing cutting-edge techniques, we deliver a healthier final product by reducing the formation of carcinogenic substances in fried food. Our vision is to create a more sustainable future where food safety, cost efficiency, and environmental consciousness come together seamlessly. For more information, visit our website at: www.beyondoil.co. About Vital Hospitality Ltd. Vital Hospitality is based in London, UK, and imports and distributes cost-effective and innovative maintenance, cleaning, and hygiene solutions for commercial kitchens and bakeries across the United Kingdom. Vital Hospitality sells a range of award-winning products and solutions that help its customers reduce costs, simplify processes and reduce their carbon footprint. Vital Hospitality provides an extraordinary level of customer service and support to the brands it represents across the UK, which helps them to build long-lasting partnerships with independent and large-brand restaurant operators, hotels, public houses, caterers, bakeries, and other high-volume food producers. Vital Hospitality is focused on providing customized solutions, training, and ongoing support for its customers to ensure that the solutions are seamlessly integrated into their daily operational workstreams. For more information visit: https://www.vitalhospitality.co.uk Contacts Jonathan Or CEO and Co-founder [email protected] Caroline Sawamoto Investor Relations 1-647-691-9801 [email protected] Forward Looking Statement and Information The Canadian Securities Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the Company and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the securities laws. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates" and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based upon management's current expectations, beliefs and projections, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain. Such expectations, beliefs and projections are expressed in good faith. However, there can be no assurance that management's expectations, beliefs and projections will be achieved, and actual results may differ materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. In addition, we cannot assure that any patent will issued as a result of a pending patent application or, if issued, whether it will issue in a form that will be advantageous to us. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting the Company, reference is made to the Company's reports filed from time to time at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, subsequent events or circumstances, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that the Company will make additional updates with respect thereto or with respect to other forward-looking statements. References and links to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release. The Company is not responsible for the contents of third-party websites. SOURCE: Beyond Oil Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Winning the Clorox Cup was a recognition of the great teamwork in Mexico by our people who consistently play to win and do the right thing - reflective of our company values. This competition - a nearly three-month companywide contest focusing on health and safety, sustainability, and compliance - gave us the opportunity to showcase the work done daily at the Mexico City plant. It also gave us, and everyone across Clorox, visibility into all the hard work by our sites around the globe to protect our people and planet. Most of the activities are a reflection of this spirit and were not designed to win an award. About halfway through the competition, our manufacturing facility in Mexico City had a recordable incident that impacted the morale of the team. However, we decided that this would not undermine the work our people have done for years. Instead, we saw it as an opportunity to continue improving and creating a safe environment. In the end, the result was the sum of everyone's contributions, from our line workers to our Supply Chain Mexico leadership team. This recognition encourages us to continue learning and working with discipline to maintain excellence, always putting people at the center of our actions as our main objective. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The Clorox Company on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: The Clorox Company Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/clorox-company Email: [email protected] SOURCE: The Clorox Company View source version on accesswire.com: VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / CoTec Holdings Corp. (TSXV:CTH)(OTCQB: CTHCF) ("CoTec" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option agreement (the "OptionAgreement") to acquire 31 mining claims forming the Lac Jeannine Property (the "Property") located in the Cte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. The Property contains historical tailings of the previous Lac Jeannine iron ore mine operated by the Quebec Cartier Mining Company between 1959 and 1985. Prior to exercising its option to acquire the Property, the Company intends to complete a maiden resource estimate and extract a bulk sample from the Property tailings material. The bulk sample will be used for independent metallurgy testing and further testing with Binding Solutions Limited ("BSL") of its cold agglomeration technology. If the results are positive, the Company intends to complete a feasibility study regarding the recovery and production of low cost and low carbon iron ore pellets from the Property (the "Project"). Julian Treger, CoTec CEO commented, "This is a major milestone for CoTec and demonstrates our strategy of acquiring interests in a technology and applying it to low carbon, high value mineral extraction opportunities. CoTec and BSL are targeting the production of DR-grade iron ore pellets to support the development of a sustainable green steel industry at almost zero per cent carbon emissions compared to traditional induration processes. "If successful, targeted revenue could be expected from the Property as early as 2025/2026 and the value of CoTec's interest in this project alone could significantly exceed its current market capitalization. "CoTec will be working and collaborating with local, provincial and federal stakeholders targeting the completion of our feasibility study followed by permitting and construction. This accelerated timeframe can be compared to the standard seven-to-ten-year development time of traditional mining projects, again emphasising the clear advantage of the CoTec model." The Option Agreement Pursuant to the Option Agreement, CoTec will pay the vendor US$40,000 within thirty days of the effective date, US$60,000 nine months following the effective date (subject to certain conditions and subject to extension for 135 days to allow for completion of bulk testing), US$250,000 on exercise of the option and US$1,000,000 at the start of commercial extraction of the tailings. The Company may exercise the option to acquire the mining claims at any time until the earlier of (i) 15 business days after the issuance of all material permits required to construct and operate the Project and (ii) August 7, 2033. If the option is exercised, the vendor will also receive a 1% NSR from the sale of minerals from the historical tailings and a 1.5% NSR from the sale of other minerals from the Property. The 1% NSR and 1.5% NSR could be reduced, at CoTec's option, to 0.5% and 0.75% through the payment of US$1,000,000 and US$2,000,000 respectively. Webinar For more context, please join CEO Julian Treger for a live event on Thursday August 10th at 11 am EDT / 8 am PDT. Q&A will follow the brief presentation. Click here to register: https://events.6ix.com/preview/64c8076b7fb895bed6f7520e About CoTec CoTec is an ESG-focused company investing in innovative technologies that have the potential to fundamentally change the way metals and minerals can be extracted and processed. The Company is committed to supporting the transition to a lower carbon future for the extraction industry, a sector on the cusp of a green revolution as it embraces technology and innovation. CoTec is a publicly traded mining issuer listed on the Toronto Venture Stock Exchange and the OTCQB and trades under the symbols CTH.V and CTHCF respectively. For further information, please contact: Braam Jonker - (604) 992-5600 Forward-Looking Information Cautionary Statement Statements in this press release regarding the Company and its investments which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" which involve risks and uncertainties, including statements relating to the timing and completion of the maiden resource estimate, the bulk sample extraction, the feasibility study, the option exercise and the Project, as well as management's expectations with respect to the Lac Jeannine investment and other current and potential future investments and the benefits to the Company which may be implied from such statements. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements, due to known and unknown risks and uncertainties affecting the Company, including but not limited to resource and reserve risks; environmental risks and costs; labor costs and shortages; uncertain supply and price fluctuations in materials; increases in energy costs; labor disputes and work stoppages; leasing costs and the availability of equipment; heavy equipment demand and availability; contractor and subcontractor performance issues; worksite safety issues; project delays and cost overruns; extreme weather conditions; and social disruptions. For further details regarding risks and uncertainties facing the Company please refer to "Risk Factors" in the Company's filing statement dated April 6, 2022, a copy of which may be found under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The Company assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements in this press release except as required by law. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release and are encouraged to read the Company's continuous disclosure documents which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. SOURCE: CoTec Holdings Corp. View source version on accesswire.com: Dr. Marcus Robinson's Expertise and Passion for Community Development and Social Innovation Will Help C4 Grow the Impact of Businesses They Serve ALGONQUIN, IL / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / C4 Behavioral Health Consulting is honored to have Dr. Marcus Robinson join the company's Board of Directors. Dr. Marcus Robinson Founder, Social Innovation Group Dr. Marcus Robinson Joins C4 Consulting's (Behavioral Health Business Consulting) Board of Directors Dr. Marcus Robinson is a thought leader on the human ecology of belonging. He is a published author, nationally renowned speaker, and transformative leader in nonprofit management and community development. Dr. Robinson is a consultant and trainer in the field of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Through his extensive and impactful career, he has influenced many of the world's leading companies, including Whirlpool Corporation, Xerox, Whirlpool Europe, Eastman Kodak Company, Honeywell Canada, General Dynamics, and SC Johnson Wax, among others. He has also counseled governmental entities, such as the City of Santa Barbara; the City of Rochester, NY; the League of Cities of California and the State of California. Dr. Robinson, currently serves as the Executive Director of Collaboraction Theatre Company, curating socially conscious theatre in Chicago, IL. His impact, values, and passion for social innovation and change are attuned with the mission of C4 Consulting. "C4 Consulting is poised to make considerable contributions to the body of work and praxis in the behavioral health space. This work aligns well with my commitment to personal transformation and wellness. I am excited to join C4 as a member of its board and help make a difference in this space. It's a great way to contribute to society." - Dr. Marcus Robinson, Founder - Social Innovation Group and C4 Consulting Board Member "We are honored to have Dr. Robinson join our Board of Directors in stewardship of our organization. His wisdom, experience, understanding and passion for community development and social innovation will help guide us as we continue to grow the impact of the businesses we serve, and ultimately the communities our clients serve. We look forward to his guidance in our growth and the impact our service has for behavioral providers and their communities." - Jonathan P. De Carlo, CEO of C4 Consulting. Members of the C4 Consulting team will be presenting at several industry events, including: Cape Cod Symposium - September 7-9, 2023 Rocky Mountain Symposium - September 29 - October 1, 2023 PTACC Training Summit - October 6 - 9, 2023 East Coast Symposium - November 3-5, 2023 The Treatment Center Investment & Valuation Retreat - November 27-29, 2023 To learn more, contact Christopher Bennett at: [email protected] or 866-329-7170 extension 715. Contact Information Christopher Bennett C4 Consulting [email protected] 866-329-7170 SOURCE: C4 Consulting View source version on accesswire.com: VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 8, 2023 / Faraday Copper Corp. ("Faraday" or the "Company") (TSX:FDY) announces its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023. Year-to-Date Highlights Announced results from a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") and an updated Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") for the Copper Creek Project on May 3, 2023 which included: Post-tax Net Present Value (7%) of US$713 million and Internal Rate of Return of 16%. Updated MRE outlining 4.2 billion pounds of copper Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources, and 628 million pounds of copper Inferred Mineral Resources. Acquired a land package for $13.7 million (US$10 million) on March 6, 2023, consisting of approximately 6,000 deeded acres (private land) within 32,000 acres of grazing leases as part of a land consolidation strategy around the Copper Creek Project. Completed a bought deal financing on February 14, 2023, for a total of 49,999,700 common shares sold at a price of $0.80 per common share for aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of $39,999,760. Announced results for the Copper Creek Project drill program on August 1, 2023, July 12, 2023, May 31, 2023, May 16, 2023, March 14, 2023, February 23, 2023, January 31, 2023 and January 17, 2023. Completed the Phase II drill program with all results released, continued baseline environmental data collection, stakeholder mapping, and generative exploration targeting at the Copper Creek Project to provide a pipeline of future targets through ongoing geological mapping and recently reprocessed and newly acquired geophysical data. Upcoming Milestones at Copper Creek Q3 2023 - Commence metallurgical program for grind size optimization, gold deportment, and further test work on near surface mineralization Q3 2023 - Release initial results from the gold assaying program of historical drill core Q4 2023 - Initiate Phase III drill program Financial Results Three months ended Six months ended In Canadian dollars June 30, 2023 June 30, 2022 June 30, 2023 June 30, 2022 Exploration and evaluation expenses $ 4,170,334 $ 3,707,052 $ 9,409,364 $ 6,204,014 General and administration $ 319,721 $ 563,837 $ 1,199,750 $ 925,844 Share-based compensation $ 618,688 $ 1,612,575 $ 1,308,771 $ 2,618,865 Net Loss $ 5,497,051 $ 6,603,853 $ 12,665,010 $ 10,629,850 Basic and Diluted Loss per Share $ 0.03 $ 0.06 $ 0.08 $ 0.10 Note: The financial information in this table was selected from the Company's condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 (the "Financial Statements"), which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and the Company's website www.faradaycopper.com. Selected Financial Information In Canadian dollars June 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 22,299,409 $ 9,535,039 Net Working Capital $ 20,625,323 $ 6,642,161 Property Plant and Equipment $ 15,053,234 $ 1,444,054 Resource Properties $ 4,955,328 $ 4,955,328 Total Assets $ 42,654,671 $ 16,580,308 Note: The financial information in this table was selected from the Financial Statements, which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and the Company's website www.faradaycopper.com. Cash flow, Liquidity and Capital Resources The Company is a resource exploration stage company and does not generate any revenue and has been mainly relying on equity-based financing to fund its operations. As at June 30, 2023, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $22,299,409 (December 31, 2022 - $9,535,039) and a net working capital balance of $20,625,323 (December 31, 2022 - $6,642,161). During the six months ended June 30, 2023, cash used in operating activities was $12,564,688 (2022 - $7,097,220), cash used in investing activities was $13,284,658 (2022 - $327,894), and cash provided by financing activities was $39,443,854 (2022 - $20,173,000). Cash used in investing activities was primarily related to the acquisition of the Mercer Ranch on March 7, 2023. The Company will need to raise additional funding to finance its day-to-day operations and to enable the Company to achieve its long-term business objectives. On February 14, 2023, the Company completed an equity-based financing of $39,999,760 to fund its operations. The Company will require additional financing either through equity or debt financing, sale of assets, joint venture arrangements, or a combination thereof to meet its administrative costs and to continue to explore and develop its resource properties. There is no assurance that sufficient future funding will be available on a timely basis or on terms acceptable to the Company. As such, there is a material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. About Faraday Copper Faraday Copper is a Canadian exploration company focused on advancing its flagship copper project in Arizona, U.S. The Copper Creek project, is one of the largest undeveloped copper projects in North America with open pit and bulk underground mining potential. The Company is well-funded to deliver on its key milestones and benefits from a management team and board of directors with senior mining company experience and expertise. Faraday trades on the TSX under the symbol "FDY". For additional information please contact: Stacey Pavlova, CFA Vice President, Investor Relations & Communications Faraday Copper Corp. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.faradaycopper.com Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements Some of the statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking statements" and are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Faraday to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information specifically include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the future drilling and exploration potential of the Copper Creek property. Although Faraday believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements should not be in any way construed as guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include without limitation: market prices for metals; the conclusions of detailed feasibility and technical analyses; lower than expected grades and quantities of resources; receipt of regulatory approval; receipt of shareholder approval; mining rates and recovery rates; significant capital requirements; price volatility in the spot and forward markets for commodities; fluctuations in rates of exchange; taxation; controls, regulations and political or economic developments in the countries in which Faraday does or may carry on business; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, competition; loss of key employees; rising costs of labour, supplies, fuel and equipment; actual results of current exploration or reclamation activities; accidents; labour disputes; defective title to mineral claims or property or contests over claims to mineral properties; unexpected delays and costs inherent to consulting and accommodating rights of Indigenous peoples and other groups; risks, uncertainties and unanticipated delays associated with obtaining and maintaining necessary licenses, permits and authorizations and complying with permitting requirements, including those associated with the Copper Creek property; and uncertainties with respect to any future acquisitions by Faraday. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining, including environmental events and hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding and the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover these risks as well as "Risk Factors" included in Faraday's disclosure documents filed on and available at www.sedarplus.ca. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. This press release is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, a prospectus, an offering memorandum, an advertisement or a public offering of securities in Faraday in Canada, the United States or any other jurisdiction. No securities commission or similar authority in Canada or in the United States has reviewed or in any way passed upon this press release, and any representation to the contrary is an offence. SOURCE: Faraday Copper Corp. View source version on accesswire.com: Decoding CBDCs: A Deep Dive Into Digital Currencies and Financial Transformations SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Hard Asset Management, Inc., one of the world's largest rare coin and precious metal dealer firms, has released the latest episode of its podcast, "The Hard Asset Money Show with Christian Briggs." This episode delves deep into the intricacies of the fast-pace rise of the Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Featuring insights from Congressman and Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green from Tennessee, the episode sheds light on current events and offers critical perspectives for those interested in the financial world. The episode is now available to listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hard-asset-money-show/id1576564099?i=1000623822244 The United States has marked a significant milestone with the launch of FedNow on July 20, signaling the commencement of phase one of the country's CBDC rollout. Unlike decentralized cryptocurrencies, CBDCs are centralized digital fiats issued by the nation's banking system. Central banks, as the chief authorities, dictate CBDC regulations, a sharp contrast to decentralized crypto networks, which are primarily user-driven. In this episode, Briggs discusses the political climate surrounding CBDCs, highlighting how Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are trying to get rid of decentralized digital payment platforms such as cryptocurrencies and are in favor of Federal CBDCs because they don't want citizens to have the freedom and autonomy to transact anywhere at any time with anyone with zero surveillance. The episode also addresses recent actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Notably, the SEC has charged Coinbase with functioning as an unregistered securities exchange and has also lodged 13 charges against Binance for similar allegations. The podcast culminates with a focus on the global scale. News has surfaced that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is aggressively pursuing the concept of a global CBDC platform, suggesting the potential rise of a singular global currency overseen by a handful of unelected officials. "In this evolving financial landscape, it's critical for individuals to stay informed. Through our podcast, we aim to offer valuable insights and clarity on subjects like CBDCs, which are rapidly shaping the future of global transactions," said Christian Briggs, CEO and founder of Hard Asset Management, Inc. "We endeavor to ensure our listeners are equipped with knowledge, enabling them to navigate these shifts with confidence." For a comprehensive understanding of CBDCs, its challenges, and global implications, tune into "The Hard Asset Money Show with Christian Briggs." The episode is now available for streaming. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hard-asset-money-show/id1576564099?i=1000623822244 HARD ASSET MONEY SHOW PODCAST: Broadcasting around the world, welcome to the Hard Asset Money show. Chaotic times call for a fearless examination of the things that matter. Your wealth, your money, your future and how to preserve and grow with the hard asset market. Hosted by Christian Briggs. BMCHAM.COM/PODCAST Contact Information John Grainer [email protected] 844-426-4653 SOURCE: Hard Asset Management, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: By Peter Masheter, KYODO NEWS - Aug 9, 2023 - 18:42 | All, Japan Nagasaki's mayor called on nuclear weapons-possessing states and their allies to "show courage" by breaking free from nuclear deterrence principles on Wednesday at a scaled-down ceremony to mark the 78th anniversary of the atomic bomb attack on the city, held amid a typhoon. The ceremony, which was held inside a vast, modern room at the Nagasaki Dejima Messe conference center, was the first since 1963 to take place indoors rather than at the southwestern Japan city's Peace Park close to the hypocenter where the bomb detonated. The local government decided to hold the event among organizers only and cancel in-person attendance, including by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and international guests. It was the first Nagasaki ceremony not to be attended by a Japanese leader since 1999. In his Peace Declaration, Mayor Shiro Suzuki joined his counterpart in Hiroshima, Mayor Kazumi Matsui, in using this year's speech to oppose the principles of nuclear deterrence, reaffirmed at the Hiroshima Group of Seven nations' summit in May. Suzuki said nuclear-armed countries and states defended under nuclear umbrellas should "show courage and make the decision to break free from dependence on nuclear deterrence." Takeko Kudo, 85, who delivered the annual commitment to peace, was one of the only atomic bomb survivors at the ceremony. "What survivors want is disarmament and a peaceful world, and that was the most important thing for me in coming today," she said after the ceremony. The nuclear attack on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945, came three days after an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, western Japan. It is believed to have killed around 74,000 people in Nagasaki by the end of the year and left many others suffering its effects for the rest of their lives. A moment of silence was held at 11:02 a.m., when the plutonium bomb, codenamed "Fat Man," was dropped by a U.S. bomber and exploded over the port city. It remains the last place attacked with a nuclear weapon. The mayors' statements against the doctrine of nuclear deterrence followed the G-7 summit in Hiroshima, where world leaders met an atomic bomb survivor, visited a museum dedicated to the effects of the bombing and released their first-ever document on nuclear disarmament, known as the Hiroshima Vision. It states that as long as nuclear weapons exist, they should "serve defensive purposes, deter aggression and prevent war and coercion." But Suzuki referenced heightened nuclear tensions amid threats made over the war in Ukraine, saying Russia is "not the only state representing the risk of nuclear deterrence." He called on the Japanese government to "show resolve" toward eliminating nuclear weapons by signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as quickly as possible. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, too, said nuclear weapons are "being used as tools of coercion," in his statement read aloud at the ceremony. "The risk of nuclear catastrophe is now at its highest level since the Cold War," he said. In contrast to the mayors' calls, Kishida offset by backing nonproliferation in his pre-recorded video address to the ceremony. "Japan, holding the presidency of the G-7 and nonpermanent membership in the United Nations Security Council, will lead global efforts towards realizing such a world, while calling for the international community to unite in maintaining and strengthening the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons," he said. He also said that as the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, Japan will uphold its three non-nuclear principles of not possessing, producing or permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons as part of the nation's "forever unchanging" mission to achieve disarmament. Under the U.S. nuclear umbrella's protection, Japan has not joined the treaty on prohibiting nuclear weapons and instead continues to back the NPT. It includes nations possessing nuclear weapons, such as the United States and Russia, among its 191 state parties and is intended to stop the spread of the weapons and achieve disarmament. Conversely, the 2021 ban treaty prohibits nuclear weapons totally. None of the nuclear-armed states are among the 92 countries to have signed it. The decision on Sunday to change the venue came amid concern over the path of Typhoon Khanun. The event has never been canceled since the city government began holding it in 1956, with the 1963 ceremony being the only occasion it was moved indoors due to rain. Around 40 people, primarily from the city government, were present, in a drastic reversal for an event that was projected to welcome national representatives from a record 85 countries and regions and some 2,400 attendees. Arrangements in the center's conference hall, located around 3 kilometers from the Peace Park, sought to evoke parts of a typical ceremony, with a nearly floor-to-ceiling high projection of the Peace Statue under a summer sky, and streams of folded paper cranes symbolizing peace hung on banks of clothing racks. And while a recording of a bell played in the conference center to mark the moment the bomb exploded, around 10 members of local survivors' group Nagasaki Prefecture Hibakusha Association, plus another 40 participants, came to the peace park to ring the peace bell at 11:02 a.m. and three more times afterward. "I was worried not doing it would stop feelings toward disarmament, so we had no choice but to come out and ring the bell," said Shinichiro Hayashida, a 67-year-old second-generation survivor and the group's executive director. Some survivors also made early-morning journeys to the empty and intermittently rainy park to pay their respects, including Yuriko Honda, 86. She brought a chain of 504 paper cranes she had folded to offer to those who lost their lives to the attack. "I prayed for the dead to rest peacefully and for them to watch over me," she said after offering the cranes. The typhoon has brought widespread disruption to Nagasaki and cancellation of other peace-related events, including forcing the early closure from 3 p.m. of its atomic bomb museum. Some shinkansen bullet trains in and out of the city were suspended from around 9 a.m. The city of Nagasaki itself confirmed the deaths of 3,314 atomic bomb survivors in the year through July, bringing the total number of names on its list of officially recognized atomic bomb victims to 195,607 people. Nationally, government figures current to the end of March showed there were 113,649 officially recognized survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks, down 5,346 from the previous year, with their average age standing at over 85. Related coverage: Hiroshima mayor calls nuke deterrence a "folly" at 78th A-bomb anniv. FOCUS: Expert warns nuclear proliferation could "spiral" out of control Tritium at 13 China monitoring points above Fukushima water level SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Gaya, a visionary tech company founded in 2021 by two Stanford MBAs, is on a mission to revolutionize insurance workflows. Originally envisioned to redefine car ownership and car financials, Gaya has shifted its focus towards building the co-pilot for insurance, starting with a groundbreaking quoting solution for insurance brokers. Insurance brokers spend a significant amount of time on quoting, typically consuming 50-60% of their valuable time. API-led form aggregators have fallen short of automating the flow comprehensively. Recognizing this inefficiency, Gaya's team of innovators has developed a cutting-edge browser extension powered by AI to assist brokers in their quoting workflows. They are set to eliminate the cumbersome daily copy and paste activities, enabling brokers to work more efficiently and effectively. The recent announcement of Gaya's AI-powered clipboard has received widespread acclaim from industry influencers, who see its potential to transform insurance broker operations. Gaya's ability to retrieve context across carriers-portals gives it an unparalleled advantage to establish itself as a major platform and verticalize further in the future. Gaya's co-founders, Carl Ziade and Jean-Pierre Vertil , both Stanford MBAs, bring a wealth of expertise and innovation to the table. Carl's prior experience in management, strategy and growth at elite companies like Booz & Co, Carta, Ethos and Calendly, coupled with Jean-Pierre's product and engineering mindset having built tech teams from scratch makes the combo hard to beat and hard to bet against. Gaya is steadily rising to prominence in the insurance industry. They earned a spot in the prestigious first batch of InsurTech startups at 101 Weston Labs - the renowned broker-tech incubator. Gaya has also garnered support from a group of forward-thinking agency owners who recognized the company's potential and invested in its pre-seed stage. This exciting progress showcases Gaya's promising journey towards transforming insurance broker workflows with their cutting-edge solutions. About Gaya: Gaya is a Bay Area-based technology company focused on redefining insurance broker workflows. Founded in 2021 by two Stanford MBAs, the company is committed to empowering insurance brokers with cutting-edge solutions. Their first drop, an AI-powered clipboard for quoting, has received widespread acclaim and positions Gaya as a game-changer in the InsurTech space. Media Contact Organization: Gaya Technologies Inc Contact Person: Carl Ziade Website: https://gaya.ai Email: [email protected] Contact Number: (650)284-3767 City: San Francisco State: California Country: United States SOURCE: Gaya Technologies Inc View source version on accesswire.com: STAMFORD, CT / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / United Way and Junior Achievement recently recognized Webster Bank with three awards for its longtime partnership and philanthropic support in Westchester-Putnam Counties, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Webster takes pride in its long-standing partnership with United Way and strongly believes in its mission to ensure people have access to a broad safety net of human services. Webster has raised more than $20 million over two decades through employee pledging, fundraising and corporate donations. Webster colleagues serve in leadership positions and on a variety of committees, sharing skill and expertise to United Way chapters across the franchise. United Way is Webster Bank's primary charity and Webster supports United Ways throughout its footprint through its yearly workplace campaign as well as volunteer service. Recognizing Webster's support, the United Way of Greater Waterbury (Connecticut) presented Webster Bank with the James C. Smith Spirit of Excellence Award, which celebrates companies that complete a well-organized, effective United Way campaign that yields a positive, enduring legacy for years to come. During the United Way's 36th Annual Celebration & Awards event, the organization applauded Webster Bank employees for their 2022-2023 campaign efforts, noting the workplace campaign board's diligence, hard work and execution of the workplace campaign and "the company's unwavering commitment to the communities in which they live and work." In New York, the United Way of Westchester and Putnam presented Webster Bank CEO John R. Ciulla and his wife, Erin Fuller, with the Philanthropy and Corporate Citizenship Award at its recent Imagine Gala. For many years, both Ciulla and Fuller have been generous Tocqueville donors to United Way both locally and regionally. In addition to volunteer hours shared by Webster employees, Webster has awarded numerous grants in support of UW-Westchester and Putnam's work to help the 40 percent of residents in those counties struggling to make ends meet. With a focus on financial empowerment and entrepreneurship, Junior Achievement (JA) delivers K-12 programs fostering work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills that build the foundation for thousands of children to succeed. Over the years, Webster's work with its JA partners has doubled, including adding partnerships with new chapters and increasing funding and volunteer involvement. Junior Achievement - Rhode Island honored Webster with its Morris J.W. Gaebe Profile in Excellence Award for Webster's longstanding support of Junior Achievement's programming with "vision and innovation, inspiring leadership and community mindedness." "United Way's focus on the basic needs, education and financial stability for all and JA's focus on youth financial empowerment align with Webster's longtime commitment to creating opportunity and economic vitality in the communities we serve," said Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer Marissa Weidner. "We are proud to support United Way and Junior Achievement in the important work they do throughout our footprint and we are appreciative of the recognition." About Webster Webster Bank ("Webster") is a leading commercial bank in the Northeast that provides a wide range of digital and traditional financial solutions across three differentiated lines of business: Commercial Banking, Consumer Banking and its HSA Bank division, one of the country's largest providers of employee benefits solutions. Headquartered in Stamford, CT, Webster is a values-driven organization with $75 billion in assets. Its core footprint spans the northeastern U.S. from New York to Massachusetts, with certain businesses operating in extended geographies. Webster Bank is a member of the FDIC and an equal housing lender. For more information about Webster, including our latest annual report, please visit our About page. To find our latest press releases, visit the Webster Newsroom. Contact Information Media Contact: Elaine K. Ficarra [email protected] 203.913.2716 Investor Contact: Emlen Harmon [email protected] 212.309.7646 View original content here. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Webster Bank on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Webster Bank Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/webster-bank Email: [email protected] SOURCE: Webster Bank View source version on accesswire.com: NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Gen Gen Blog | Community By Kimberly Bishop | Corporate Responsibility Today's children are part of the digital generation. According to Common Sense Media , an estimated 43% of children ages 8-12 own smartphones, giving them unprecedented access to the internet. This can help open their world to education, creativity, and socialization, but unfortunately, also comes with risks. To help teach Cyber Safety skills to children and caregivers across America, Norton, a leader in consumer Cyber Safety and part of Gen", collaborates with National PTA . National PTA is the nation's oldest and largest child advocacy association dedicated to making a difference for the education, health, safety and well-being of every child and making every child's potential a reality. Norton became a Proud National PTA Sponsor in 2013 and is the Founding & Presenting Sponsor of National PTA's PTA Connected initiative, a broader digital safety initiative of the association. As part of their work together, Norton and National PTA launched a free tool, The Smart Talk, which helps families have open, positive, ongoing conversations about digital safety and online privacy. The Smart Talk uses guided questions about social media and respect, using and downloading apps, texting and calling, and more to help families begin and continue conversations. Launched in 2015, The Smart Talk was then updated in 2022 to include inclusivity and content updates, and to extend its reach to new PTAs. Are your kids ready to go back to school? Not sure where to start when it comes to digital safety and your family? Use our free, interactive resource to set healthy tech limits together: thesmarttalk.org . The Smart Talk Conversations Reach Schools and Families Across the U.S. To spread awareness of the tool, we provide local PTAs with funding to host The Smart Talk Conversations at their schools for families. In the 2022-2023 school year, National PTA chose 150 local PTAs to receive funding to implement the events for their school community. This is five times more than the previous year, and we are proud to have together met our goal to reach 180 PTAs over a two-year period. Grantees were in 33 different states and 56% were Title I schools (schools where many families live below the poverty line). Collectively, more than 11,000 people attended The Smart Talk events in the 2022-2023 school year. The program implementation was so successful that 87% of PTA leaders indicated they plan to run the program again in the future. Most importantly, students and their caregivers found The Smart Talk beneficial. From a sampling of nearly 400 respondents: 98% of students found the program easy to understand 94% of students wanted to explore the topic more at home 97% of parents and caregivers now feel more comfortable exploring the topic with their student Supporting Our Youth and Volunteering Our Time With the back-to-school season now in full swing, Gen employees are also working to reach schools and families all over the world. From August through September, our employees in various locations - from the U.S. to Czech Republic to Ireland - will come together to lend a helping hand with in-person and virtual volunteer events. By packing school supplies, we're able to make a take a small burden off of families and make a difference in the life of a young student. With resources like The Smart Talk and efforts to support young learners everywhere, we're able to help keep kids safe and prepare them for the year ahead. Kicking off their school year with the knowledge and resources to be successful is just one way we're able to give and empower our local communities around the world. We are excited to continue our volunteering efforts and our important work with National PTA, bringing tools like The Smart Talk to more young people and caregivers in the year ahead. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Gen on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Gen Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/gen Email: [email protected] SOURCE: Gen View source version on accesswire.com: Planting Hope has been selected to join 1871's nationally recognized Foodtech Innovation Lab program as a Late Stage partner alongside Farmer's Fridge and HumanCo Planting Hope has engaged global intellectual property (IP) valuation firm Metis Partners to conduct an in-depth third-party valuation of the Company's deep bench of IP Planting Hope will host a webinar in September to review strategic milestones, the Company's IP Strategy, and the outcome of the Metis Partners IP Valuation CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK)(OTCQB:MYLKF)(FRA:J94) ("Planting Hope" or the "Company"), a foodtech company focused on leveraging cutting-edge ingredient, formulation, and packaging technology to develop breakthrough sustainable food and beverage solutions, is proud to announce that it has been selected as a Late Stage Partner by 1871 for its Foodtech Innovation Lab. Based in Chicago, IL, 1871 is the #1 ranked private business incubator in the world and an internationally recognized technology hub. "Planting Hope is unlocking the nutrition in the world's most sustainable crops to create breakthrough products that are delicious, nutritious, and planet-friendly, and that fill key needs for consumers and deliver better operational solutions for Foodservice partners. These are the products that Generation Z is demanding and Generation Alpha will grow up with," said Julia Stamberger, CEO and Co-founder, Planting Hope. "We are proud to have our food technology leadership recognized by 1871 through our selection as a Late Stage Partner for the nationally recognized Foodtech Innovation Lab, and to be aligned with other food innovation leaders, including Farmer's Fridge and HumanCo, and with World Business Chicago," Ms. Stamberger continued. The FoodTech Innovation Lab program will showcase Planting Hope's thought leadership and build relationships with curated strategic partners to support and enhance the Company's reach and growth. Planting Hope will also participate in the Chicago Venture Summit Future of Climate Tech on October 5, 2023, presented by World Business Chicago. Intellectual Property Valuation Planting Hope has engaged Metis Partners to conduct a thorough third-party valuation of its intellectual property (IP) assets. "One of our key strengths as a company is innovation, encompassed in our IP Strategy which incorporates IP development and protection that spans proprietary ingredients, forward-leaning packaging, defined production processes, trade secret formulations, trademarks, and branding. Combined with our culture of continuous improvement, our IP strategy delivers breakthrough planet-friendly products with high quality, taste, and performance," said Ms. Stamberger. "IP Strategy is a core focus of our company culture, given the competitive and economic moat it provides our company and products. We believe the capital markets have not yet recognized the depth of the significant IP platform we have built, and a third-party valuation will assist to support visibility on the value of our IP as a vital and leverageable asset," Ms. Stamberger continued. Metis Partners' process includes identifying both an IP Score reflecting IP quality, as well as an IP valuation range. Depending on the strength of its IP Score, the Company could earn a coveted spot on the Metis Partners IP100 list. The Metis Partners IP100 is an annual ranking of companies based on a rating of their IP asset strength and track record in exploiting IP and is recognized as the leading global intellectual property league table. Per Metis Partners, businesses featured on the IP100 are considered to be the most effective at commercializing their IP assets. The Metis Partners IP scoring process involves an assessment of IP-specific data linked to the following IP asset classes: brands, software, patents, trade secrets, and critical databases. The IP100 research team uses its proprietary process to calculate an IP Score and subsequent ranking for each company. Planting Hope's IP Score and IP Valuation will be discussed at a webinar in the second week of September. Those interested in receiving an invitation should email [email protected]; details about the webinar including date and time will be released in early September. About 1871 1871 is Chicago's technology hub and the #1 ranked private business incubator in the world. It exists to inspire, equip, and support early stage, growth scalers and innovators in building extraordinary businesses. 1871 is home to ~450 technology startups, ~300 growth stage companies, and ~1,500 members, and is supported by an entire ecosystem focused on accelerating their growth and creating jobs in the Chicagoland area. The member experience includes virtual and in person access to workshops, events, mentorship, and more. The nonprofit organization has 350 mentors available to its members, alongside access to more than 100 partner corporations, universities, education programs, accelerators, venture funds and others. Since its inception in 2012, more than 650 alumni companies are currently still active, have created over 11,000 jobs, and have raised more than $1.65 billion in follow-on capital. About Metis Partners Metis Partners' mission is to build trust in Intellectual Property Valuation. Metis delivers valuations that are robust, reliable, and provide clients with a sophisticated IP narrative that demonstrates how their IP assets will drive business growth. Metis' unique information discovery process, Metisology, is continually evolving to incorporate technology and innovation, emerging sectors, new business models, and changing market conditions. About The Planting Hope Company Inc. Planting Hope is a foodtech company focused on leveraging cutting-edge ingredient, formulation, and packaging technology to develop breakthrough sustainable food and beverage solutions. Planting Hope's IP strategy and culture is centered on unlocking the nutrition in the world's most sustainable crops to create on-trend products that are delicious, nutritious, and planet-friendly. Planting Hope brands and products fill key needs for consumers and deliver better operational solutions for Foodservice partners. These are the products that Generation Z is demanding and Generation Alpha will grow up with. The Planting Hope brand family includes Hope and Sesame Sesamemilk, Barista Blend Sesamemilk, and Sesamilk" creamers, RightRice Veggie Rice, Mozaics" Real Veggie Chips, and Veggicopia Veggie Snacks. Planting Hope products are currently found in more than 15,000 retail doors and 70,000 total distribution points across North America, and are scaling rapidly across Foodservice channels and distributors, spanning cafes, fast-casual restaurants, and managed foodservice operations, as well as ecommerce and alternate channels. Founded by experienced food industry entrepreneurs, Planting Hope is a women-led company. For more information about Planting Hope please visit plantinghopecompany.com, sign up for Planting Hope news emails HERE and follow on LinkedIn. An informational webinar on The Planting Hope Company from CEO and Co-founder Julia Stamberger is available HERE. To follow the brands on Instagram and Facebook, please visit: @hopeandsesameco, @rightrice, @mozaicschips, @veggicopia. To find Planting Hope products at a store near you in the United States or Canada, please visit the store locator on each brand website. Planting Hope products are also available at plantinghopebrands.com and ecommerce retailers including Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. The 2023 Planting Hope Product Catalog is available here. The Planting Hope Foodservice Catalog, including item codes to order Planting Hope products through DOT Foods, is available here. Contacts Company Contact: Julia Stamberger CEO and Co-Founder (773) 492-2243 [email protected] Investor Relations Contact: Glen Akselrod, Bristol Capital (905) 326-1888 ext. 1 [email protected] Media Contact: Alex Jessup, Jessup PR (323) 529-3541 [email protected] Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively referred to hereafter as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will, or may, occur in the future, including statements about the Company's ability to execute on its goals, the timing pertaining to these goals the potential demand for the Company's products, the timing and success of anticipated product launches and distribution of the Company's products, and the Company's business prospects, future trends, plans and strategies. In some cases, forward looking statements are preceded by, followed by, or include words such as "may", "will," "would", "could", "should", "believes", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "continues", or the negative of those words or other similar or comparable words. In preparing the forward looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, the assumption that demand for the Company's product will be sustained or increase in accordance with management's projections, that the Company's internal research and analysis is indicative of broader market trends and the Company's anticipated future demand for its products, that changes in consumer preferences in the plant-based food industry will continue in accordance with the Company's expectations, that the Company's current business objectives can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected, and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. Although the management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any forward-looking statement herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company, as well as trends identified by the Company affecting its industry can be found in the Company's annual information form dated December 31, 2022 and the Company's continuous disclosure record available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Such cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements made in this news release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Certain disclosure in this release, including the potential issuance of Shares upon conversion of accrued and unpaid interest (the "Interest Conversion"), constitutes forward-looking statements that are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors outside of the Company's control that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. In preparing the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, the assumption that all conditions precedent (including TSX Venture Exchange approval) to the Interest Conversion will be satisfied in a timely manner; that general economic and business conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner; and that the Company will be able to raise additional funds on reasonable terms. Although the management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any forward-looking statement herein will prove to be accurate. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE: The Planting Hope Company Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 8, 2023 / Rock Edge Resources Ltd. (the "Company" or "Rock Edge") (CSE:REDG) announce that, further to its press release dated July 23, 2023, it has closed the non-brokered Critical Minerals Flow Through private placement. The Company issued 2,100,000 Flow Through units (the "FT Units") at a price of $0.05 per FT Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $105,000. Each Critical Minerals FT Unit will include one flow-through share ("FT Share") that qualifies as a Critical Minerals flow-through share under the Income Tax Act (Canada), along with a transferable half non-flow-through share purchase warrant of the Company ("NFT Warrant"). Each whole NFT Warrant will enable the holder to acquire an additional Share at a price of $0.10 per Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. Proceeds raised will be used to advance the Company's Superb Lake Lithium Property and the Maun and Terrier Lithium properties located in the Great Lakes region of northern Ontario's emerging premier lithium mineral district. The gross proceeds from the FT Units will be utilized for incurring "Canadian exploration expenses" and "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" as defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada). Finders' fees of $6,400 in cash and 128,000 broker warrants were paid to arm's length parties. Shares issued pursuant to the Financing will be subject to a four-month and one-day hold period according to applicable securities laws of Canada. The Company would also like to announce the extension of its non-brokered non-flow-through private placement ("NFT Units") press release on July 23, 2023. The closing date has been extended to August 18, 2023. All terms of the Offering remain unchanged, and the Offering remains subject to the approval of the CSE. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. About Rock Edge Resources Ltd. Rock Edge Resources Ltd. is focused on acquiring and exploring mineral property assets, with a specific emphasis on the Northwestern Ontario Lithium belt and the province of Quebec. Its objective is to locate, develop and bring to market economically viable properties that contain critical minerals, base metals and precious metals. With the support of the Ontario government's Critical Minerals Strategy, Rock Edge is poised to take advantage of the growing demand for these essential minerals and contribute to the region's economic growth. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Charles Desjardins Chief Executive Officer and Director Phone #604-808-3156 Email: [email protected] The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof. Forward Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward looking information" (as defined under applicable securities laws), based on management's best estimates, assumptions, and current expectations. Such statements include but are not limited to, statements with respect to the plans for future exploration and development of the Company's properties and the acquisition of additional exploration projects. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "forecasts", "anticipates" "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "aims", "potential", "goal", "objective", "prospective", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "can", "could" or "should" occur. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the receipt of all necessary regulatory and third party approvals for the proposed operations of the Company's business and exploration activities, risks related to the Company's exploration properties; risks related to international operations; risks related to general economic conditions, actual results of current exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of commodities including lithium and gold; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, increases in market prices of mining consumables, possible variations in reserves; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of exploration, development or construction activities, changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and economic developments in jurisdictions in which the Company operates. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as require by law. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. Please refer to the Company's most recent filings under its profile at www.sedar.com for further information respecting the risks affecting the Company and its business. SOURCE: Rock Edge Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: Highlights: Santa Cruz Phase 1 construction has zero lost time accidents through end of July. Santa Cruz Phase 1 construction is on budget and on schedule with commercial production planned for the EOY 2023. All main construction contracts have been executed. Overall construction advance at 68% complete. Manufacturing of equipment at 80% complete. Foundations & concrete work on schedule to be substantially completed in September. Initial comments from Brazil's National Mining Agency for the definitive mining concessions for Santa Cruz's Phases 1, 2 & 3 have been received & responses returned. The biannual environmental condition precedent report associated with Santa Cruz's environmental license has been submitted. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / South Star Battery Metals Corp. ("South Star" or the "Company") (TSXV:STS)(OTCQB: STSBF), is pleased to announce a Phase 1 construction update through the end of July for the Company's flagship Santa Cruz Graphite Mine in Bahia Brazil, as well as providing a permitting and licensing update for Phases 2 and 3 operations. Richard Pearce, CEO of South Star commented, "We are extremely pleased with the construction progress through the end July on the Santa Cruz Phase 1 plant and mine installations. The build continues on budget and on schedule, and we are very proud of our ongoing safety record. The team will continue to work hard and focus on our ongoing commitment to safe, responsible operations. Significant progress has been made on the concrete and foundation work, which should be substantially completed in next couple weeks. Equipment manufacturing is on schedule and should be largely wrapped up in next 6 weeks, with all major equipment delivered to the mine. The electrical and mechanical contractor is in the process of mobilizing. We are firmly on track to be commissioning Santa Cruz in November and starting commercial production by EOY 2023. Notably, the start of commercial production at Santa Cruz will be a significant milestone achievement marking the first new graphite producer in the Americas since 1996. Additionally, our BamaStar projected is expected to commence vertically integrated production in 2027." Santa Cruz Construction and Licensing Update Construction through the end of July 2023 is on schedule and on budget for Phase 1 commercial production planned for the EOY 2023. South Star's Q3 2023 primary work programs include: Civil construction, foundations, and retention walls for the plant area; Structural, electrical and mechanical assemblies; Electrical substation and internal electrical distribution network; Laboratory, cafeteria, changing rooms, warehouse, shops and other appurtenant support structures; and Delivery of 100% of the major equipment. Initial comments from Brazil's National Mining Agency have been received and responded to for the majority of the final mining concessions incorporating a phased approach to Phases 1, 2 and 3 and up to 50,000 tonnes per year of concentrate production. The biannual condition precedents report associated with Santa Cruz's environmental license has also been submitted to the environmental regulatory agency. The Company expects to receive the definitive mining licenses and environmental permits for Phases 1, 2 and 3 in early Q1 2024. About South Star Battery Metals Corp South Star Battery Metals Corp. is a Canadian battery metals project developer focused on the selective acquisition and development of near-term production projects in the Americas. South Star's Santa Cruz Graphite Project, located in Southern Bahia, Brazil is the first of a series of industrial and battery metals projects that will be put into production. Brazil is the second-largest graphite-producing region in the world with more than 80 years of continuous mining. Santa Cruz has at-surface mineralization in friable materials, and successful large-scale pilot-plant testing (> 30 tonnes) has been completed. The results of the testing show that approximately 65% of Cg concentrate is +80 mesh with good recoveries and 95%-99% Cg. With excellent infrastructure and logistics, South Star is fully funded for Phase 1, and the 12-month construction and commissioning are underway. Santa Cruz will be the first new graphite production in the Americas since 1996 with Phase 1 commercial production projected in Q4 2023. Phase 2 production (25,000 tpa) is partially funded and planned for 2026, while Phase 3 (50,000 tpa) is scheduled for 2028. South Star's second project in the development pipeline is strategically located in Alabama in the center of a developing electric vehicle, aerospace, and defense hub in the southeastern United States. The BamaStar Project is a historic mine active during World Wars I & II. A NI43-101 technical report with the maiden resource estimate has been filed on SEDAR. Trenching, phase 1 drilling, sampling, analysis, and preliminary metallurgical testing have been completed. The testing indicates a traditional crush/grind/flotation concentration circuit that achieved grades of approximately 94-97% Cg with approximately 86% recoveries. South Star is executing on its plan to create a multi-asset, diversified battery metals company with near-term operations in strategic jurisdictions. South Star trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol STS, and on the OTCQB under the symbol STSBF. South Star is committed to a corporate culture, project execution plan and safe operations that embrace the highest standards of ESG principles based on transparency, stakeholder engagement, ongoing education, and stewardship. To learn more, please visit the Company website at http://www.southstarbatterymetals.com . This news release has been reviewed and approved by Richard Pearce, P.E., a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101 and President and CEO of South Star Battery Metals Corp. On behalf of the Board, MR. RICHARD PEARCE Chief Executive Officer For additional information, please contact: South Star Investor Relations Email: [email protected] +1 (604) 706-0212 Twitter:https://twitter.com/southstarbm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southstarbatterymetals LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/southstarbatterymetals/ YouTube: South Star Battery Metals - YouTube CAUTIONARY STATEMENT Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Forward-Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding, moving Santa Cruz into production and scaling operations as well as advancing the Alabama project; and the Company's plans and expectations. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. SOURCE: South Star Battery Metals Corp. View source version on accesswire.com: NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Whirlpool Corporation: Representatives from Whirlpool attended the 5th Housing and Habitat Forum, Latin America and the Caribbean in Bogota, Colombia July 31 to August 3, 2023. The event is organized by Habitat for Humanity with strategic allies and hosted by the Urban Housing Practitioners Hub (UHPH). The focus of the 2023 event was housing as a necessary tool to address the current climate and social crises, which has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic that has increased the housing deficit. Juan Carlos Puente, president of Whirlpool Latin America and executive vice president of Whirlpool Corporation addressed Private Sector Commitments in Support of Resilient Communities. In addition, Rosa Skinner, Whirlpool Corporation global social responsibility senior manager, was part of a high-level dialogue about actions toward carbon neutrality and climate change mitigation and presented the Whirlpool sponsored innovation award. This global housing forum is a major feature of the multifaceted work between Whirlpool Corporation and Habitat for Humanity International. Whirlpool Corporation is a sponsor of these forums, which bring together a spectrum of thought leaders and experts to spur innovation that helps meet the housing needs of the planet's growing population. In attendance were governors and mayors from many Latin American countries including the Mayor of Bogota and representatives from the UN World Habitat. Whirlpool representatives convened with leaders from governments, the private sector, academia, civil society, community, banks and Habitat for Humanity to discuss the status of housing in the region as well as gather knowledge and facilitate comprehensive, innovative and scalable solutions that contribute to the forum's sustainability goals and agenda. One key component of each of the housing forums is the Shelter Technology competitions, which Whirlpool Corporation also sponsored. Each forum will identify some of the most innovative initiatives in each region in the categories of shelter technology, public policy and inspiring practices. After the forum, Whirlpool Corporation will have the opportunity to participate in the Acceleration and Collaboration Laboratory for the winners of the competitions and organize webinars with UHPH and the winners to find out more about their winning initiatives and how Whirlpool can help be a part of the initiatives. For more information, visit the event site: www.uhph.org/en/forum View original content here. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Whirlpool Corporation on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Whirlpool Corporation Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/whirlpool-corporation Email: [email protected] SOURCE: Whirlpool Corporation View source version on accesswire.com: NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Atmus Filtration Technologies Inc. (Atmus; NYSE: ATMU), a global leader in filtration and media solutions, today reported financial results for its second quarter that ended June 30, 2023. Second Quarter Highlights Net sales of $414 million GAAP net income of $46 million Diluted earnings per share of $0.55 Adjusted earnings per share of $0.63 Adjusted EBITDA of $80 million and adjusted EBITDA margin of 19.3 percent Cash provided by operating activities was $46 million Adjusted free cash flow was $35 million Atmus delivered strong sales and operating results during our first quarter as a public company, said Steph Disher, Chief Executive Officer of Atmus. Reflecting on our solid results and our Initial Public Offering on May 30, I am thankful for the hard work and dedication of the entire Atmus team as weve taken significant steps in the second quarter toward becoming a fully independent company and unlocking our growth potential. Second-Quarter Results For the second quarter of 2023, Atmus posted net sales of $414 million, compared to $393 million in the second quarter of 2022, an increase of approximately 5 percent. The increase in sales was primarily driven by an increase in pricing, partially offset by a decrease in volume and negative impacts of currency. Gross margin was $114 million, compared to $95 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2022, an increase of approximately 20 percent. Gross margin as a percent of net sales was 27.7% compared to 24.3% in the same period last year. The increase in gross margin and gross margin as a percent of net sales was driven by an increase in pricing, favorable commodities and freight costs, partially offset by an increase in variable compensation, unfavorable currency impacts and lower volumes. Adjusted EBITDA was $80 million, compared to $67 million in the second quarter of 2022. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 19.3% compared to 17.1% in the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter of 2023 excludes $9 million of one-time costs associated with the separation of our business from Cummins Inc. compared to the prior year quarter which excludes $1 million of one-time costs. Net income was $46 million, or $0.55 of diluted earnings per share, compared to $49 million, or $0.59 of diluted earnings per share in the same period last year. Adjusted earnings per share was $0.63 compared to $0.60 of adjusted earnings per share in the same period last year. The effective tax rate for the second quarter was 24.5%. Cash provided by operating activities was $46 million in the second quarter of 2023, compared to cash provided by operating activities of $40 million in the second quarter of 2022. Outlook for Fiscal Year 2023 The companys guidance for year 2023 is as follows: Revenue to be in the range of $1,580 million to $1,630 million Adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.05 to $2.25 Adjusted EBITDA margin to be in the range of 17.25 percent to 18.25 percent Second Quarter 2023 Conference Call and Webcast Atmus will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the company's second quarter 2023 results on Wednesday, August 9, at 10:00 a.m. CT. A live webcast and replay of the conference call can be accessed from the Atmus investor relations website at http://investors.atmus.com. About Atmus Filtration Technologies Inc. Atmus Filtration Technologies Inc. is a global leader in filtration and media solutions. For more than 65 years, the company has combined its culture of innovation with a rich history of designing and manufacturing filtration solutions. With a presence in more than 150 countries on six continents, Atmus serves customers across truck, bus, agriculture, construction, mining, marine and power generation vehicle and equipment markets, along with providing comprehensive aftermarket support and solutions. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee (U.S.), Atmus employs approximately 4,250 people globally who are committed to creating a better future by protecting what is important. Learn more at https://www.atmus.com. Forward-looking disclosure statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, those that are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the industries in which we operate and managements views, plans, objectives, projections, beliefs and assumptions. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as anticipates, expects, forecasts, intends, plans, believes, seeks, estimates, could, should, may or words of similar meaning. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the outlook for our future business and financial performance, discussions of future operations, our strategy for growth and market position. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which are difficult to predict. If the underlying assumptions prove correct, or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, our actual outcomes, results and financial condition may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those reflected in the section titled Risk Factors in our final prospectus relating to our initial public offering, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on May 26, 2023, relating to our Registration Statement on Form S-1, and those reflected elsewhere in our other filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made herein are made only as of the date hereof and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or to revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law. Non-GAAP measures We use non-GAAP financial information and believe it is useful to investors as it provides additional information to facilitate comparisons of historical operating results, identify trends in our underlying operating results and provide additional insight and transparency on how we evaluate our business. We use non-GAAP financial measures to budget, make operating and strategic decisions and evaluate our performance. We have detailed the non-GAAP adjustments that we make in our non-GAAP definitions below. We believe the non-GAAP measures should always be considered along with the related U.S. GAAP financial measures. We have provided the reconciliations between the U.S. GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures and we also discuss our underlying U.S. GAAP results throughout our Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Form 10-Q. Our primary non-GAAP financial measures are listed below and reflect how we evaluate our current and prior-year operating results. As new events or circumstances arise, these definitions could change. When our definitions change, we provide the updated definitions and present the related non-GAAP historical results on a comparable basis. EBITDA is defined as earnings or losses before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization and EBITDA margin is defined as EBITDA as a percent of net sales. We believe EBITDA and EBITDA margin are useful measures of our operating performance as they assist investors and debt holders in comparing our performance on a consistent basis without regard to financing methods, capital structure, income taxes or depreciation and amortization methods, which can vary significantly depending upon many factors. Additionally, we believe these metrics are widely used by investors, securities analysts, ratings agencies and others in our industry in evaluating performance. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA after adding back certain one-time expenses, reflected in cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expenses, associated with becoming a standalone public company and Adjusted EBITDA margin is defined as Adjusted EBITDA as a percent of net sales. We believe Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are useful measures of our operating performance as it allows investors and debt holders to compare our performance on a consistent basis without regard to one-time costs attributable to our becoming a standalone public company. Adjusted earnings per share is defined as diluted earnings per share (the most comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure) after adding back certain one-time expenses, reflected in cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expenses, associated with becoming a standalone public company less the related tax impact of the same one-time expenses. We believe Adjusted earnings per share provides improved comparability of underlying operating results. Free cash flow is defined as cash flows provided by (used for) operating activities less capital expenditures and Adjusted free cash flow is defined as Free cash flow after adding back certain onetime capital expenditures associated with becoming a standalone public company. We believe Free cash flow and Adjusted free cash flow are useful metrics used by management and investors to analyze our ability to service and repay debt and return value to shareholders. The metrics defined above are not in accordance with, or alternatives for, U.S. GAAP financial measures and may not be consistent with measures used by other companies. It should be considered supplemental data; however, the amounts included in the EBITDA, EBITDA margin, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted earnings per share, Free cash flow and Adjusted free cash flow calculations are derived from amounts included in the consolidated statements of net income. We do not consider our non-GAAP financial measures as superior to, or a substitute for, the equivalent measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Some of the limitations are: such measures do not reflect our cash expenditures, or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments; such measures do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs; such measures do not reflect the interest expense or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt; although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future and such measures do not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements; and other companies in our industry may calculate such measures differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures. To properly and prudently evaluate our business, we encourage you to review the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in our SEC filings and not rely on a single financial measure to evaluate our business. ATMUS FILTRATION TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF NET INCOME (in millions of U.S. dollars, except per share data) (Unaudited) For the Three Months Ended June 30, For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 NET SALES(a) $ 413.6 $ 393.2 $ 832.2 $ 775.7 Cost of sales 299.2 297.8 608.0 598.9 GROSS MARGIN 114.4 95.4 224.2 176.8 OPERATING EXPENSES AND INCOME Selling, general and administrative expenses 46.0 32.5 85.1 65.0 Research, development and engineering expenses 12.3 9.5 22.1 19.9 Equity, royalty and interest income from investees 8.3 5.5 16.7 14.2 Other operating expense, net 0.2 0.9 0.3 3.6 OPERATING INCOME 64.2 58.0 133.4 102.5 Interest expense 4.2 0.1 4.2 0.3 Other income, net 1.2 3.2 1.1 3.9 INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 61.2 61.1 130.3 106.1 Income tax expense 15.0 11.9 31.4 22.1 NET INCOME $ 46.2 $ 49.2 $ 98.9 $ 84.0 PER SHARE DATA: Weighted-average shares for basic EPS 83.3 83.3 83.3 83.3 Weighted-average shares for diluted EPS 83.3 83.3 83.3 83.3 Basic earnings per share $ 0.55 $ 0.59 $ 1.19 $ 1.01 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.55 $ 0.59 $ 1.19 $ 1.01 _________ (a) Includes sales to related parties of $87.2 million and $176.3 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, respectively, compared with $84.1 million and $170.0 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, respectively. ATMUS FILTRATION TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in millions of U.S. dollars, except share data) (Unaudited) June 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $ 139.6 $ Accounts and notes receivable, net Trade and other receivables 192.5 174.2 Related party receivables 63.0 61.8 Inventories 253.8 245.0 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 29.9 19.3 Total current assets 678.8 500.3 Property, plant and equipment, net 156.7 148.4 Investments and advances related to equity method investees 75.0 77.0 Goodwill 84.7 84.7 Other assets 44.8 57.0 TOTAL ASSETS $ 1,040.0 $ 867.4 LIABILITIES Accounts payable (principally trade) $ 155.4 $ 145.9 Related party payables 73.7 82.0 Accrued compensation, benefits and retirement costs 25.7 18.2 Current portion of accrued product warranty 6.1 5.9 Other accrued expenses 83.5 79.0 Total current liabilities 344.4 331.0 Long-term debt 650.0 Accrued product warranty 10.0 9.6 Other liabilities 34.1 71.2 TOTAL LIABILITIES 1,038.5 411.8 Commitments and contingencies (Note 10) EQUITY Common stock, $0.0001 par value (2,000,000,000 shares authorized and 83,297,796 shares issued at June 30, 2023) Net parent investment 511.4 Additional paid-in capital 44.6 Retained earnings 14.8 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (57.9 ) (55.8 ) TOTAL EQUITY 1.5 455.6 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY $ 1,040.0 $ 867.4 ATMUS FILTRATION TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (in millions of U.S. dollars) (Unaudited) For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net income $ 98.9 $ 84.0 Adjustments to reconcile net income to operating cash flows: Depreciation and amortization 10.9 10.8 Deferred income taxes 3.7 0.2 Equity in income of investees, net of dividends 1.2 2.4 Foreign currency remeasurement and transaction exposure (5.2 ) (2.6 ) Changes in current assets and liabilities: Trade and other receivables (18.3 ) (17.7 ) Related party receivables (1.8 ) (15.2 ) Inventories (9.4 ) (38.3 ) Prepaid expenses and other current assets (10.8 ) (4.1 ) Accounts payable (principally trade) 9.7 12.9 Related party payables (7.9 ) 29.3 Other accrued expenses 14.8 (9.9 ) Changes in other liabilities 1.6 (3.1 ) Other, net 1.6 (9.0 ) Net cash provided by operating activities 89.0 39.7 CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES Capital expenditures (19.1 ) (16.5 ) Net cash used in investing activities (19.1 ) (16.5 ) CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES Long-term debt proceeds 650.0 Net transfers to Parent (580.3 ) (23.2 ) Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 69.7 (23.2 ) Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 139.6 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD $ 139.6 $ SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION: Non-cash investing and financing activities: Non-cash settlements with Parent $ (29.4 ) $ Change in Capital expenditures (2.7 ) ATMUS FILTRATION TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES EARNINGS PER SHARE - RECONCILIATION (in millions of U.S. dollars, except share data) (Unaudited) For the Three Months Ended June 30, For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 (in millions, except per share data) Net income $ 46.2 $ 49.2 $ 98.9 $ 84.0 Weighted-average shares for basic EPS 83.3 83.3 83.3 83.3 Plus incremental shares from assumed conversions of long-term incentive plan shares Weighted-average shares for diluted EPS 83.3 83.3 83.3 83.3 Basic earnings per share $ 0.55 $ 0.59 $ 1.19 $ 1.01 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.55 $ 0.59 $ 1.19 $ 1.01 ATMUS FILTRATION TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NET INCOME TO EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA - RECONCILIATION (in millions of U.S. dollars) (Unaudited) For the Three Months Ended June 30, For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 (in millions) NET INCOME $ 46.2 $ 49.2 $ 98.9 $ 84.0 Plus: Interest expense 4.2 0.1 4.2 0.3 Income tax expense 15.0 11.9 31.4 22.1 Depreciation and amortization 5.5 5.4 10.9 10.8 EBITDA (non-GAAP) $ 70.9 $ 66.6 $ 145.4 $ 117.2 Plus: One-time separation costs(a) $ 8.8 $ 0.8 $ 12.9 $ 1.0 Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) $ 79.7 $ 67.4 $ 158.3 $ 118.2 Net sales $ 413.6 $ 393.2 $ 832.2 $ 775.7 Net income margin 11.2 % 12.5 % 11.9 % 10.8 % EBITDA margin (non-GAAP) 17.1 % 16.9 % 17.5 % 15.1 % Adjusted EBITDA margin (non-GAAP) 19.3 % 17.1 % 19.0 % 15.2 % (a) Primarily comprised of one-time expenses related to Information Technology, warehousing and Human Resources separation costs. ATMUS FILTRATION TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE TO ADJUSTED EARNINGS PER SHARE - RECONCILIATION (in millions of U.S. dollars) (Unaudited) For the Three Months Ended June 30, For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 (per share) Diluted earnings per share $ 0.55 $ 0.59 $ 1.19 $ 1.01 Plus: One-time separation costs(a) $ 0.11 $ 0.01 $ 0.16 $ 0.01 Less: Tax impact of one-time separation costs(a) $ 0.03 $ $ 0.04 $ Adjusted earnings per share $ 0.63 $ 0.60 $ 1.31 $ 1.02 (a) Primarily comprised of one-time expenses related to Information Technology, warehousing and Human Resources separation costs and the related tax impact of those expenses. The tax impact of one-time separation costs for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 were $2.2 million and $0.1 million, respectively, and for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 were $3.1 million and $0.2 million, respectively. ATMUS FILTRATION TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES TO FREE CASH FLOW AND ADJUSTED FREE CASH FLOW - RECONCILIATION (in millions of U.S. dollars) (Unaudited) For the Three Months Ended June 30, For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 (in millions) Cash provided by operating activities $ 46.2 $ 39.9 $ 89.0 $ 39.7 Less: Capital expenditures $ 12.7 $ 15.5 $ 19.1 $ 16.5 Free cash flow $ 33.5 $ 24.4 $ 69.9 $ 23.2 Plus: One-time separation capital expenditures $ 1.8 $ $ 2.6 $ Adjusted free cash flow $ 35.3 $ 24.4 $ 72.5 $ 23.2 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230808104820/en/ Investor relations: Todd Chirillo [email protected] Media relations: Keri Moenssen [email protected] Source: Atmus Filtration Technologies Inc. Q2 Imagery and Analytics Revenue Increases 51% from Prior Year Period Company Wins Over $35 Million in Multi-Year Contract Agreements HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BlackSky Technology Inc. (BlackSky or the Company) (NYSE: BKSY) announced results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023. Second Quarter Financial Highlights: Revenue of $19.3 million, up 28% from the prior year period Imagery & software analytical services revenue grew 51% over the prior year quarter Cost of sales related to imagery & software analytical services improved to 23% from 34% in the prior year quarter BlackSky delivered another strong quarter as we continue to demonstrate revenue growth, substantial operating leverage, and effective cost management that maintain us on our path towards profitability, said Brian E. OToole, BlackSky CEO. Since the start of the second quarter, we won over $35 million in new contracts and renewal agreements supporting U.S. and international government agencies looking to secure access to our rapid revisit constellation of high-resolution satellites, bringing total bookings year to date to over $200 million. These wins underscore our customers reliance on and the increased demand for BlackSkys capabilities. We continue to see a high-level of customer engagement from government agencies worldwide for our dynamic hourly monitoring and AI-driven analytic capabilities. With our strong operating leverage and a solid book of business, we remain on track to achieve positive adjusted EBITDA in Q4 of this year. We are actively working with several major customers on a number of sizable contracts and given the variability on timing, we are widening the range of our 2023 revenue outlook to between $84 million to $96 million. Recent Highlights Signed a multi-year renewal agreement with an international defense sector customer for more than $30 million, expanding and securing priority access to BlackSkys high-frequency imagery services Awarded a two-year multi-million-dollar contract with an international Ministry of Defense customer to build ground station infrastructure to enable direct access to BlackSkys rapid revisit constellation Won a two-year multi-million-dollar renewal contract to provide advanced subscription-based imagery and analytic services to an existing international Ministry of Defense customer Signed a one-year subscription agreement to provide on-demand satellite tasking of BlackSkys imagery and other mission solutions to a Department of Defense customer Awarded two contracts by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to study short-wave infrared capabilities and latency improvements Won a multi-year contract to provide on-demand imagery and AI-enabled analytics to an international non-government organization Selected by SynMax, a leading energy intelligence company, to monitor coal inventory at power plants using BlackSkys advanced burst imagery capability Partnered with Spire Global to create a real-time, commercially available AI-driven maritime custody service to detect and track vessels worldwide, estimate cargo, and track activity over time Signed a launch agreement with Rocket Lab for a block of five dedicated launches to secure launch capacity to include deployment of initial Gen-3 satellites in 2024 On June 26, 2023, BlackSky was chosen to be added to the Russell 3000 Index, a broad-market index widely used by investment managers and institutional investors Financial Results Revenues(1) Total revenue for the second quarter of 2023 was $19.3 million, up $4.2 million, or 28%, from the second quarter of 2022. Imagery and software analytical services revenue was $15.3 million, up 51% over the prior year period, primarily driven by increased demand from new and existing U.S. and international government customers. Professional and engineering services revenue was $4.0 million in the second quarter of 2023, compared to $4.9 million in the prior year period. Professional and engineering services contracts are milestone-based contracts that have quarter-over-quarter variability, in contrast to the high-margin imagery and software analytical services, which are typically recurring subscription-based revenues. Cost of Sales(1)(2) Cost of sales as a percent of revenue was 44% for the second quarter of 2023, which included a $2.5 million expense recognized in professional and engineering services related to changes in the estimated cost and percentage of completion for an R&D related project, compared to 65% in the second quarter of 2022. Imagery and software analytical service costs as a percent of revenue was 23% in the second quarter of 2023, compared to 34% in the second quarter of 2022. The year-over-year improvement was primarily driven by greater volumes of imagery and analytical services revenue that inherently have a low fixed-cost structure as a percent of revenue. Operating Expenses Operating expenses for the second quarter of 2023 were $30.7 million, which included $2.1 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense and $11.8 million in depreciation and amortization expenses. Operating expenses for the second quarter of 2022 were $27.0 million, which included $2.6 million in non-cash stock-based compensation expense and $9.2 million in depreciation and amortization expenses. Excluding the non-cash stock-based compensation and depreciation and amortization expenses from both years, cash operating expenses for the second quarter of 2023 were $16.8 million compared to cash operating expenses of $15.2 million for the second quarter of 2022. The year-over-year increase of $1.6 million, or 10%, was primarily due to expansion of the sales team and AI capabilities. Net Loss Net loss for the second quarter of 2023 was $33.4 million, compared to a net loss of $26.3 million in the second quarter of 2022. Adjusted EBITDA(3) Adjusted EBITDA loss for the second quarter of 2023 was $5.8 million, compared to an adjusted EBITDA loss of $8.8 million in the prior year quarter. The $3.1 million year-over-year improvement was primarily driven by strong operating leverage achieved through increased revenue of high-margin imagery and analytics, partially offset by the $2.5 million expense in professional and engineering service costs. Balance Sheet & Capital Expenditures As of June 30, 2023, cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, and short-term investments totaled $59.5 million. Capital expenditures for the second quarter of 2023 were $12.6 million. 2023 Outlook BlackSky remains on track to achieve positive Adjusted EBITDA in Q4 of this year. This is the result of continued revenue growth, high incremental margins from imagery and analytic services and continued responsible cost management. The Company continues to close a significant number of new contracts, further building a strong book of business. BlackSky is actively working with several major customers on a number of sizable contracts and given the variability on timing, the Company is widening the range of its 2023 revenue outlook to between $84 million and $96 million. Expectations for full year 2023 capital expenditures remain between $40 million and $45 million. (1) Effective January 1, 2022, the Company reorganized its classification on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss to better align the Companys broad portfolio. As a result, the prior period amounts presented to reflect the impact of the reorganization have been recast. (2) Cost of sales is defined as imagery and software analytical services costs and professional and engineering services cost, less depreciation and amortization expense. (3) Non-GAAP financial measure. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures below and reconciliation table at the end of this press release. Investment Community Conference Call BlackSky will host a conference call and webcast for the investment community this morning at 8:30 AM ET. Senior management will review the results, discuss BlackSkys business, and answer questions. To access the live webcast or the archived webcast following completion of the call, please visit the Companys investor relations website at http://ir.blacksky.com and then select News & Events for the link to the webcast. A presentation accompanying the webcast can also be found on the investor relations website. To access the conference call, participants should dial 1-877-589-7299 (domestic) or 1-201-689-8778 (international) at least ten minutes prior the start of the call. To listen to a replay of the conference call, please dial 1-877-660-6853 or 1-201-612-7415 using access code 13740285. The audio replay will be available from approximately 12:30 PM ET on August 9, 2023, through August 23, 2023. About BlackSky Technology Inc. BlackSky is a leading provider of real-time geospatial intelligence. BlackSky delivers on-demand, high frequency imagery, monitoring and analytics of the most critical and strategic locations, economic assets and events in the world. BlackSky designs, owns and operates one of the industrys leading low earth orbit small satellite constellations, optimized to capture imagery cost-efficiently where and when our customers need it. BlackSkys Spectra AI software platform processes data from BlackSkys constellation and from other third-party sensors to develop the critical insights and analytics that our customers require. BlackSky is relied upon by U.S. and international government agencies, commercial businesses, and organizations around the world. BlackSky is headquartered in Herndon, VA, and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange as BKSY. To learn more, visit www.blacksky.com and follow us on Twitter. Non-GAAP Financial Measures Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income or loss attributable to BlackSky before interest income, interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, as well as significant non-cash and/or non-recurring expenses as our management believes these items are not as useful in evaluating the Companys core operating performance. These items include, but are not limited to stock-based compensation expense, unrealized (gain) loss on certain warrants/shares classified as derivative liabilities, severance, income on equity method investment, investment loss on short-term investments, and transaction costs associated with debt and equity financings. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial performance measure. It should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to measures determined in accordance with GAAP. Please refer to the schedule herein and our SEC filings for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Loss, the most comparable measure reported in accordance with GAAP and for a discussion of the presentation, comparability, and use of Adjusted EBITDA. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements and other information included in this press release constitute forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "plan", "potential", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "future", "opportunity", "will likely result", or "expect" and other words, terms, and phrases of similar meaning are often intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. All statements, other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including statements as to future performance, our guidance outlook for the year and expected capital expenditures, our ability to sustain revenue growth, expectations regarding global demand for our products and services, and our expectations related to future profitability on an adjusted basis, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this press release. As a result, although BlackSky's management believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because BlackSky can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. The risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, factors such as long and unpredictable sales cycles, customer demand, and our ability to estimate resources for fixed-price contracts, expenses, and other operational, and liquidity needs, as well as the risk factors discussed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other disclosures about BlackSky and its business included in BlackSky's disclosure materials filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or on BlackSky's Investor Relations website at ir.blacksky.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All such forward-looking statements are based upon data available as of the date of this press release and speak only as of such date. BlackSky disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events, except as may be required under applicable securities law. BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (unaudited) (in thousands, except per share amounts) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Revenue Imagery & software analytical services $ 15,328 $ 10,172 $ 31,088 $ 17,542 Professional & engineering services 3,999 4,930 6,636 11,456 Total revenue 19,327 15,102 37,724 28,998 Costs and expenses Imagery & software analytical service costs, excluding depreciation and amortization 3,456 3,446 7,155 7,024 Professional & engineering service costs, excluding depreciation and amortization 5,070 6,340 7,849 13,717 Selling, general and administrative 18,768 17,743 37,717 40,283 Research and development 176 106 392 252 Depreciation and amortization 11,776 9,177 21,431 16,568 Total costs and expenses 39,246 36,812 74,544 77,844 Operating loss (19,919 ) (21,710 ) (36,820 ) (48,846 ) (Loss) gain on derivatives (11,098 ) (4,646 ) (9,567 ) 3,494 Income on equity method investment 56 1,213 585 1,470 Interest income 648 178 1,083 178 Interest expense (2,242 ) (1,275 ) (4,095 ) (2,530 ) Other expense, net (867 ) (42 ) (1,810 ) (40 ) Loss before income taxes (33,422 ) (26,282 ) (50,624 ) (46,274 ) Income tax expense (9 ) (122 ) Net loss (33,431 ) (26,282 ) (50,746 ) (46,274 ) Other comprehensive income Total comprehensive loss $ (33,431 ) $ (26,282 ) $ (50,746 ) $ (46,274 ) Basic and diluted loss per share of common stock: Net loss per share of common stock $ (0.24 ) $ (0.22 ) $ (0.39 ) $ (0.40 ) Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted 137,208 118,112 130,712 116,803 Note: Effective January 1, 2022, the Company reorganized its classification on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss to better align the Companys broad portfolio. As a result, the prior period amounts presented to reflect the impact of the reorganization have been recast. BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited) (in thousands, except par value) June 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 41,100 $ 34,181 Restricted cash 1,835 2,835 Short-term investments 16,578 37,982 Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $0 and $0, respectively 7,375 3,112 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 3,618 4,713 Contract assets 8,643 5,706 Total current assets 79,149 88,529 Property and equipment - net 81,606 71,584 Operating lease right of use assets - net 2,572 3,586 Goodwill 9,393 9,393 Investment in equity method investees 5,869 5,285 Intangible assets - net 1,637 1,918 Satellite procurement work in process 44,587 50,954 Other assets 3,272 2,841 Total assets $ 228,085 $ 234,090 Liabilities and stockholders equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 10,790 $ 14,368 Amounts payable to equity method investees 2,231 3,728 Contract liabilities - current 3,154 6,783 Other current liabilities 1,178 2,048 Total current liabilities 17,353 26,927 Long-term contract liabilities 247 109 Operating lease liabilities 3,108 3,132 Derivative liabilities 32,396 5,113 Long-term debt - net of current portion 79,414 76,219 Other liabilities 7,022 716 Total liabilities 139,540 112,216 Stockholders equity: Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value-authorized, 300,000 shares; issued, 140,819 and 121,938 shares; outstanding, 138,409 shares and 119,508 shares as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. 14 12 Additional paid-in capital 684,388 666,973 Accumulated deficit (595,857 ) (545,111 ) Total stockholders equity 88,545 121,874 Total liabilities and stockholders equity $ 228,085 $ 234,090 BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited) (in thousands) Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 Cash flows from operating activities: Net loss $ (50,746 ) $ (46,274 ) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: Depreciation and amortization expense 21,431 16,568 Operating lease right of use assets amortization 613 783 Bad debt expense (recovery) 15 (1 ) Stock-based compensation expense 5,323 13,226 Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs 189 1,018 Income on equity method investment (585 ) (1,470 ) Gain on disposal of property and equipment (22 ) Loss (gain) on derivatives 9,567 (3,494 ) Interest income (337 ) Other, net 16 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable (4,278 ) (787 ) Contract assets - current and long-term (4,101 ) (3,824 ) Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,142 1,914 Other assets 1,117 (30 ) Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 1,015 389 Other current liabilities (1,097 ) (759 ) Contract liabilities - current and long-term (3,491 ) (6,903 ) Other liabilities 8,620 1,839 Net cash used in operating activities (15,625 ) (27,789 ) Cash flows from investing activities: Purchase of property and equipment (8,446 ) (5,289 ) Satellite procurement work in process (19,925 ) (20,208 ) Purchases of short-term investments (19,416 ) (43,774 ) Proceeds from maturities of short-term investments 41,110 Proceeds from sale of property and equipment 22 Proceeds from equity method investment 313 Net cash used in investing activities (6,655 ) (68,958 ) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from equity issuances, net of equity issuance costs 30,074 Proceeds from options exercised 5 25 Payments of transaction costs for debt modification (561 ) Payments of transaction costs related to derivative liabilities (905 ) Withholding tax payments on vesting of restricted stock units (414 ) (4,037 ) Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 28,199 (4,012 ) Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 5,919 (100,759 ) Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash beginning of year 37,016 168,104 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash end of period $ 42,935 $ 67,345 BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC. RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS TO ADJUSTED EBITDA (unaudited) (in thousands) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net loss $ (33,431 ) $ (26,282 ) $ (50,746 ) $ (46,274 ) Interest income (648 ) (178 ) (1,083 ) (178 ) Interest expense 2,242 1,275 4,095 2,530 Income tax expense 9 122 Depreciation and amortization 11,776 9,177 21,431 16,568 Stock-based compensation expense 2,311 2,986 5,323 13,226 Loss (gain) on derivatives 11,098 4,646 9,567 (3,494 ) Income on equity method investment (56 ) (1,213 ) (585 ) (1,470 ) Forgiveness of non-trade receivables 75 75 Transaction costs associated with debt and equity financings 833 1,738 Severance 111 705 199 705 Investment loss on short-term investments 55 Adjusted EBITDA $ (5,755 ) $ (8,809 ) $ (9,884 ) $ (18,312 ) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809994489/en/ Investor Contact Aly Bonilla VP, Investor Relations [email protected] 571-591-2864 Media Contact Pauly Cabellon Director, External Communications [email protected] 571-591-2865 Source: BlackSky Technology Inc. DAWSON CREEK, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CUPE 2403 members at the Dawson Creek Municipal Public Library have ratified a new, four-year collective agreement. The new contract, which is retroactive to January 2023, is a major step forward in addressing affordability for some of the lowest paid public sector workers. Workers in community libraries have lower wages and fewer benefits than people imagine, despite requiring much the same qualifications as their counterparts in adjacent municipalities, said CUPE 2403 President Stephanie Goudie. This agreement will help library workers support themselves and their families while they provide vital services our community relies on. The Union commended the Library Board for setting a cooperative tone for negotiations, so the parties could focus on issues and reach a fair deal for workers, the Library Board and patrons. The terms of the agreement include benefit improvements for part-time workers, increased compensation for long-serving staff, and a wage increase of 16 percent over the term of the agreement. Goudie noted the value of a union to library workers in small, rural libraries, and said that this round of bargaining in Dawson Creek is a strong statement about the support CUPE can provide to library workers across the province. CUPE is home to the majority of library workers in BC, and this agreement is a good example of why library workers continue to choose CUPE. Its invaluable to have access to experienced, strategic negotiators who understand the library sector while also having the support of a national union. Its this support that has helped countless library workers improve their lives at work and at home, she adds. CUPE 2403 represents more than 200 civic workers in the Peace River region, including workers at the City of Dawson Creek, the Peace River Regional District, the Village of Pouce Coupe, and the Dawson Creek Municipal Public Library. CUPE, Canadas largest union, represents library workers coast-to-coast, including more than 2,500 here in British Columbia. cope491 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809919358/en/ Steven Beasley CUPE National Communications Representative (778) 903-7394 [email protected] Source: Canadian Union of Public Employees Visas She's Next grant programme, a unique initiative to support women-owned and led businesses in the GCC countries, has received an overwhelming response with over 880 applications. In its next phase, the programme is set to launch an engaging and insightful training seminar, titled Elevate Your Business, in partnership with ITCs SheTrades Initiative. This seminar is designed to help women entrepreneurs realise their potential and achieve their business ambitions. It includes virtual on-boarding and tools for business diagnosis and self-assessment, followed by innovative virtual acceleration sessions. In-country workshops Applicants will receive in-country workshops and one-to-one advisory, providing them with targeted assistance and guidance. Carl Manlan, Head of Inclusive Impact & Sustainability, Visa, said: Collaborating with ITC, a United Nations and World Trade Organization, to elevate the competitiveness of women entrepreneurs in the GCC region is part of our commitment to transform economies by including more women in business across the globe. Women entrepreneurs are the foundation of thriving societies and by enabling them, we make business and communities better for current and future generations. Shortlisted candidates The She's Next grant programme will host closing ceremonies on September 6, 2023. During the ceremonies five shortlisted candidates from Bahrain will pitch their ideas, and one winner will be selected to receive a $50,000 grant and a tailored training programme. Additionally, Visa is set to launch the Bahrain People's Favourite Award Ceremony. The award underscores Visas commitment to women entrepreneurs who continue to inspire and uplift their communities. The recipient of this award will also receive a prize of $10,000. The five candidates from Bahrain are Early Riser, Aida Almudaifa; EJS Dynamic Fitness, Esraa Aljanahi; Fable Mill, Eman Alsabah; Savii, Jane Harvey & Nichola Collinson; Symbiosis, Leena Olaimy. Bahrain Islamic Bank (BIsB) and Amazon Web Services have partnered with Visa for this initiative with a common goal to support women entrepreneurs in Bahrain.--TradeArabia News Service KYODO NEWS - Aug 9, 2023 - 19:35 | All, Japan, World Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife Princess Kiko will make an official visit to Vietnam in late September on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Imperial Household Agency said Wednesday. The goodwill visit is expected to last for around a week, with arrangements being made for the couple to participate in official events related to the Japan-Vietnam diplomatic milestone, the agency said. A formal invitation was issued by Vietnam in early August, it said. The couple last made an official visit there in 1999, alongside trips to Laos and Thailand. The upcoming journey will mark the third official visit abroad by the couple since the May 2019 ascension of Emperor Naruhito, which made Crown Prince Fumihito -- the emperor's younger brother -- next in line to the throne. The crown prince and his wife previously visited Poland and Finland in 2019 to commemorate the centennial of diplomatic ties with the two countries, and Britain in May this year to attend the coronation of King Charles III. BRADFORD, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- As of today, library workers in the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury have been on strike for 20 days one of the longest library strikes in Ontario history. The reality in Bradford West Gwillimbury is that the library workers who are almost all women have been denied regular raises for years, while male-dominated departments and management have not. The $1.35 an hour were asking for is just a small step toward closing the massive gender pay gap in this town, said Katherine Grzejszczak, president of Local 905 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Library workers voted almost unanimously to join CUPE in 2021 and are still trying to win a first collective agreement with the Town. The Town is insisting on a five-year deal, which is highly unusual for first contracts. They normally run for two years to a maximum of three years in order to give both parties a chance to identify any issues of workability in the agreement. We really love creating programming that engages seniors and newcomers, that brings literature and community to life for kids, said Bailey Shaw, a member of the CUPE 905 Bargaining Committee. But the reality is the cost of living has skyrocketed and the Mayor and Council expect us to be excellent workers, while forcing our wages to fall further behind. After all these years, after seeing half the workers quit in frustration, surely council can find the $50,000 or so a year it will take for a raise that will lift more of the women working in the library up to a real living wage. Over the last two years, the Town has given the library CEO raises of 5.7% and 7.85% - several times the increases being offered to frontline workers. His raises alone totaled $16,500. The workers ask totals roughly $50,000 a year spread across 36 workers. Town employees on the Sunshine List the executives, senior management and workers in male-dominated departments like fire and police who make more than $100,000 per year received average income increases of 6% last year. Were 20 days into the library being closed and theres no political will from Mayor Leduc and the eight Council members to offer these women a real wage increase. Its sexism, said Grzejszczak. For all the lip service about the importance of the library, Council is fine with women, whose labour provides safety to vulnerable people, to continue being paid poverty wages. Library workers invite community members to join them for a free barbeque and karaoke tonight at 6 p.m. outside the library, and to bring kids to story time on the picket line at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 10. :pc/cope491 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809469597/en/ For more information: Craig Saunders, CUPE Communications, 416-576-7316, [email protected] Katherine Grzejszczak, CUPE 905 President, 416-886-7914, [email protected] Source: Canadian Union of Public Employees Grant will Support DeepSigs Data-Driven Generative-AI Technologies for 5G Open RAN ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DeepSig, experts in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) innovation in wireless communications, is pleased to announce that it has been selected as a grant recipient by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) as part of the initial round of funding under the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (Wireless Innovation Fund). "Receiving this grant from NTIA is an honor. It is also a testament to DeepSigs dedication to improving the performance and competitiveness of the Open RAN Air-Interface, said Jim Shea, DeepSig CEO. By leveraging Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and tools for the modeling, testing and measurement of wireless environments under real world conditions, our new solutions will accelerate the adoption and performance of Open RAN for 5G, and future AI-Native 5G Advanced and 6G." This recognition highlights DeepSigs commitment to advancing Open RAN technologies and underscores the importance of diversity and representation among Wireless Innovation Fund grant recipients, including small businesses and U.S. companies. The R&D category award also emphasizes the necessity for advanced technologies in artificial intelligence and expert companies to deliver innovation. Administered by NTIA and underwritten by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, the Wireless Innovation Fund has allocated $1.5 billion to support innovation in the wireless supply chain. The first round of grant awards, announced this week, is an important step in creating opportunities for U.S. companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to compete in a market traditionally dominated by foreign suppliers. By fostering wireless innovation and encouraging competition, the Wireless Innovation Fund will play a pivotal role in driving competition, enhancing supply chain resilience, and supporting companies offering trusted, innovative solutions. About DeepSig, Inc. DeepSig, Inc. is a product-centric technology company using cutting edge machine learning techniques to develop revolutionary wireless AI software solutions to transform baseband processing, wireless sensing, and other vital wireless applications. Replacing traditional algorithms with deep learning, a proven AI technology in vision and speech processing, now accelerates 5G network performance, capacity, and the customer experience. For more information, please visit https://www.deepsig.ai. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809139693/en/ Summer Wilcox [email protected] Source: DeepSig, Inc. Classic Recreations Unveils the First of Only Ten, 60th Anniversary Carbon Fiber Shelby Cobra Race Cars at The Quail and Exotics on Broadway During Monterey Car Week Limited Allocations Available DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Classic Recreations, the iconic builder of high-performance American-Made Shelby carbon fiber muscle cars, 69-70 Mustangs, and trucks, will reveal the first of only ten licensed Carbon Fiber Shelby Cobra Race Cars, dubbed the Diamond Edition, at Monterey Car Week with exclusive viewings on August 18, 2023, at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering 2023 and on August 19 at Exotics on Broadway. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809130326/en/ Carbon Fiber Shelby Cobra Race Car by Classic Recreations. Only 10 of these 60th Anniversary Diamond Edition masterpieces will ever be made. (Photo: Business Wire) Classic Recreations will make an extraordinary mark at this year's Car Week with the first sneak peek of their 60th Anniversary Shelby Cobra Race Car. This automotive masterpiece is a tribute to Carroll Shelby's unparalleled design and engineering, which has captivated collectors for 60 years. Only 10 of these Diamond Edition masterpieces will ever be made, so this might be the only chance for many to see one off the track. During Monterey Car Week, the Company will offer limited customer allocations for this incredible Shelby Cobra Race Car. "We developed the Diamond Edition Cobra by starting with the question, "What car would Carroll build with today's technology?" Our team painstakingly recreated this one-of-a-kind vehicle to carry forward the legacy and vision of one of the world's greatest car builders," said Jeff Stone, CEO at Classic Recreations. "We are going to Monterey Car Week to reveal a supercar that most collectors didn't know was being developed, a completely re-engineered piece of motorsport history - listed in the Shelby registry. We continue to honor Carroll Shelby's remarkable heritage and think he'd be proud of the legacy we continue to build in his home state of Texas." About the Diamond Edition Carbon Fiber Shelby Cobra Race Car The officially licensed Shelby Cobra Race Car (serial numbers CSX 4521-4530) was recreated to celebrate 60 years of Cobra and Shelby's iconic heritage. Only ten people will ever know the joy of owning this meticulously re-engineered and redesigned piece of carbon fiber art. Only eight remaining Carbon Fiber Shelby Cobra Race Cars are available to serious collectors at $1.2 million. The Cobra Race Car display will give visitors a rare, "exploded" view of the car's design and performance engineering, including its CAD-designed, race-inspired chassis, billet CNC-machined aluminum assembly components, cantilever suspension, and other key components. Capable of 1,000 HP, the Cobra Race Car will provide a bone-rattling experience. This true track weapon is anticipated to weigh about 2,300 pounds wrapped in an aerospace-grade, pre-preg carbon fiber body that weighs a mere 88 pounds. "Elite collectors who acquire one of these cars at the show will have the privilege of owning one of the world's most exclusive, legendary, classic supercars - a piece of motorsports history and high-performance art wrapped in carbon fiber," Stone added. Media kit and photos available. Body Pre-preg aerospace-grade carbon fiber body weighing 88 lbs. Performance Specs (est) ~1,000 horsepower; 0-60 - ~3.9 seconds; top speed ~190 mph; torque - ~750 ft. lbs. Engine 5.0L Gen3 Coyote Aluminator from Ford Racing Engine Management System Motec M150: traction control; multiple power modes; full data logging capabilities Transmission 6-speed Manual Tremec T56 Magnum connected by Dual CV chromoly driveshaft Cooling Systems Transmission, oil, and differential coolers - best cooling possible in racing environments Suspension Race-inspired, CAD-designed inboard cantilever suspension; state-of-the-art billet machined components Brakes Shelby Signature 6PF 4PR braking system by BAER with 14 front and rear rotors Tires & Wheels Rear 335/30/18 and Front 295/35/18 tires on 12 and 10 three-piece forged Forgeline Wheels Weight Under 2,300 lbs. (approx.) Height x Wheelbase 49 inches, 90 inches Dash Panel Package Carbon fiber; color-matched Shelby Signature Diamond Edition Gauges; Commemorative Emblem Dash-mounted billet machined Shelby plate with 10 diamonds, representing each serial number Allocation Reservations Classic Recreations is releasing limited allocation assignments for both the Shelby Cobra Race Car and its Carbon Fiber Shelby GT500CR models during Monterey Car Week. Orders for the Shelby Cobra Race Car will be limited to only eight remaining allocations. Limited allocations for the Carbon Fiber Shelby GT500CR Mustang will be available. The Company will accept allocation requests at both events beginning at 9 am at The Quail, after 1 pm on Saturday at Exotics On Broadway, or by appointment. Where to See Classic Recreations During Monterey Car Week During Monterey Car Week, the Diamond Edition Carbon Fiber Shelby Cobra Race Car and the Carbon Fiber Shelby GT500CR Mustang will first be featured at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering 2023, an event for discerning exotic car enthusiasts and collectors from around the globe. On Saturday, August 19, Classic Recreations will display the cars at Exotics on Broadway, the largest single-day event during Monterey Car Week showcasing some of the rarest and most exciting cars of our time. About Classic Recreations: WE DON'T BORROW LEGACY. WE BUILD IT. Classic Recreations builds iconic Carbon Fiber 1967 Shelby Cobras, Carbon Fiber GT500 Mustangs, and 69-70 Ford Mustangs for discerning Collectors Worldwide. The Company has the rights to manufacture the bespoke 60th Anniversary Carbon Fiber Shelby Cobra Race Car. Founded in 2005 with innovation, craftsmanship, performance, and legacy at the core of its ethos, Classic Recreations is one of the world's most innovative high-performance car builders. Classic Recreations' skilled technicians painstakingly handcraft every car to client specifications under rigorous standards in the Company's 60,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Dallas/Fort Worth. Their cars are designed to be driven hard and embody luxury and art on wheels. The Company has a worldwide customer base and has earned numerous awards and global media attention. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809130326/en/ Media Contact: Glen Orr [email protected] 469.441.3203 Sales Contact Igor Polegkiy [email protected] Source: Classic Recreations Worlds Most Important and Influential Decision Makers in International Governments, Embassies, Agencies, Parliaments, and Ministries Rely on FiscalNotes AI-Powered Geopolitical, Policy, and Political Intelligence For Legislative Tracking, Risk Mitigation, Issue Monitoring, and Expert Analysis WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- FiscalNote Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NOTE) ("FiscalNote"), a leading AI-driven enterprise SaaS technology provider of policy and global intelligence, today announced a new series of wide-ranging customer agreements in the global public sector - covering diplomatic entities and embassies, agencies for international cooperation and defense, parliaments and councils, government-owned or funded finance and banking institutions, and various prominent ministries and cabinet offices in capitals around the world. These recent agreements - concluded since the Companys last global public sector customer agreements announcement in late March 2023 - include new contract wins, expansions, and renewals for FiscalNotes market-leading portfolio of offerings which provide AI-powered geopolitical intelligence, issue monitoring, legislative tracking, and more. These customers benefit from a range of FiscalNote technology investments and relationships, as well as its decade-long investments in legal domain-specific models, enhanced accuracy and relevancy, aggregated legislative and regulatory data, and its market leadership in the application of AI in the legal and regulatory space. FiscalNote will continue to work with these and all public sector customers to provide additional value for upselling and cross-selling as the company innovates across its broader product portfolio. The latest customer wins include, but are not limited to, the following*: Ministry of Unification, Korea Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Arab Emirates Cabinet Office, United Kingdom Several ministries in the Government of the United Kingdom Several ministries of the Government of Japan Several ministries in the Government of Canada Several Ministries of Defense in Europe Food Safety Authority, Ireland Competition and Consumer Commission, Australia Armed Forces, Sweden Europe Office (EU), Finland International Cooperation Agency, Japan Bank of Investment (Bpifrance), France Securities and Investment Commission, Australia A major government utility agency, United Arab Emirates A leading European export-import bank World Health Organization (WHO) Northern Ireland Assembly A national parliament in the APAC region A major EU intergovernmental policy-making commission A regional intergovernmental organization of seven nations in Africa Embassy of Japan in the U.S. Embassy of Canada in the U.S. Embassy of Pakistan in the U.S. In addition, FiscalNote and Koreas Ministry of Foreign Affairs last month entered into a landmark agreement the first of its kind between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a commercial provider of regulatory, legal, and policy data and information to collaborate on the use of FiscalNotes proprietary data sets and enhanced AI capabilities to assist the Ministry in responding to rapidly changing international dynamics and associated domestic policy making needs. In December 2022, FiscalNote announced a similar agreement with Koreas National Assembly. Josh Resnik, FiscalNotes President and COO, said, Elected leaders, civil servants, diplomats, and governmental staff at all levels grapple with a tremendous amount of uncertainty, complexity, and volatility in every corner of the globe as they face an ever-growing set of policy challenges. FiscalNote continues to distinguish itself by serving as an essential, reliable, and critical partner to worlds most important decision makers who depend on our portfolio of AI solutions to deliver results. These recurring and durable relationships in the vast global public sector continue to be a critical component of our broad and diverse customer base and drive our revenue growth and our ability to reach profitability. With innovative, proprietary products such as FiscalNote Risk Connector and our newly-launched Global Policy Dashboard, our customers are able to leverage our long standing AI leadership and vast policy coverage to generate actionable insights and results, while meeting the emerging challenge of risk assessment and mitigation on the world stage. Todays unveiling of another round of recent major international public sector customer agreements is the latest in a series of announcements in the Q2/2023, Q1/2023, and Q4/2022 quarters by the company regarding significant new global media companies and news organizations, healthcare, U.S. public sector, global commercial, and trade association, advocacy, and nonprofit contract wins, expansions, and renewals - demonstrating a sustained momentum for the business and the broad diversity and reach of FiscalNotes global customer base. * todays announcement of global public sector customer agreements is a sample of contracts secured by the Company, and not an exhaustive list About FiscalNote FiscalNote (NYSE: NOTE) is a leader in policy and global intelligence. By uniquely combining data, technology, and insights, FiscalNote empowers customers to manage political and business risk. Since 2013, FiscalNote has pioneered technology that delivers critical insights and the tools to turn them into action. Home to CQ, FrontierView, Oxford Analytica, VoterVoice, and many other industry-leading brands, FiscalNote serves approximately 5,000 customers worldwide with global offices in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. To learn more about FiscalNote and its family of brands, visit FiscalNote.com and follow @FiscalNote. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809583921/en/ Media Nicholas Graham FiscalNote [email protected] Investors Sara Buda FiscalNote [email protected] Source: FiscalNote PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Edison Partners, a leading growth equity investment firm, is pleased to announce that Ben Laufer has joined the investment team as a Principal. Laufer is the tenth new hire in the last 18 months, as the tech-focused growth equity firm continues to bolster its ranks. Last week, Edison announced the hiring of three investment and value creation professionals. As Principal, Laufer is focused on investments in FinTech and Healthcare IT. He will also establish the sixth Center of Excellence under the Edison Edge, the firms value creation platform, focused on Corporate Development. The Edison Edge accelerates and scales growth with a people-first approach that is complemented with playbooks and programming tailored to each companys stage, strategy and operating needs. Grit, commitment, strategic thinking, and rapport are some of the key attributes we look for in our team members and Ben exemplifies each of these, said Chris Sugden, Managing Partner. Add to that his impressive track record of success and we knew hed be a great fit. Were pleased to have him onboard and look forward to Ben contributing in a big way. Over his career, Laufer has been involved with approximately $200 billion of transaction volume across multiple sectors and deal structures. Prior to Edison, he was a director at private equity firm PeakEquity Partners focused on enterprise software. Laufer also held positions at MRI Software, investment manager NISA, and software-focused investment bank Arbor Advisors. In addition to his investment experience, Laufer co-founded two successful companies. As Managing Partner of advisory firm, The Garex Group, he played a crucial role in supporting strategic and operational initiatives for entrepreneur-led software businesses. And as CEO of talent management company Talemon Advisors, he helped athletes, artists and entertainers effectively monetize their brands. Beyond his professional life, Laufer is an accomplished musician, having toured globally with symphony orchestras. He was also a California state chess champion and placed second in the United States as an amateur. I am incredibly excited to join what I consider to be the preeminent firm for growth-stage value creation. Im looking forward to collaborating with my new team, the entrepreneurs that we support, and our partners to create the next generation of Edison success stories, said Ben Laufer, principal. Laufer earned a bachelors in science, Technology and Society from Stanford University and an MBA in both Finance and Management from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. About Edison Partners Edison Partners is a leading growth equity firm providing the financial and intellectual capital that CEOs and their executive teams need to grow and scale their companies. The firms team brings more than 275 years of combined investing, operating and sector experience to each investment, accessible via the Edison Edge value creation platform, which is tailored to each business strategy, stage and operating needs. Edison targets high-growth financial technology, healthcare IT and vertical SaaS and marketplace companies located outside Silicon Valley with $10 million to $30 million in revenue. Investments also include buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts, and secondary stock purchases. Named as a Top Growth Investment Firm by GrowthCap for two years running, Edisons active portfolio has created aggregated market value exceeding $10 billion. Edison Partners manages $1.6 billion in assets. For more information on Edison Partners, please visit edisonpartners.com and follow on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809043619/en/ Media Gregory Papajohn Archie Group for Edison Partners [email protected] Source: Edison Partners Company joined by Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, and other local and global partners for historic event TEL AVIV, Israel & ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ICL (NYSE: ICL) (TASE: ICL), a leading global specialty minerals company, celebrated the groundbreaking of its battery materials manufacturing plant in St. Louis, which is expected to be the first large-scale lithium iron phosphate (LFP) facility in the U.S. The $400 million facility is planned to be operational by 2025 and will help meet growing demand from the energy storage, electric vehicle (EV) and clean-energy industries for U.S.-produced-and-sourced essential battery materials. ICLs investment in the plant was augmented by a $197 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809956612/en/ Missouri Governor Mike Parson (center) speaks with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm following a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 at the site of ICLs future battery materials manufacturing facility in St. Louis. The $400 million dollar plant will manufacture materials for lithium iron phosphate batteries and will be the first large-scale facility of its kind in the United States. Also pictured are (left) Phil Brown, president of Phosphate Specialties Solutions at ICL Group and (right) Raviv Zoller, president and CEO of ICL. Photo Credit: ICL. President Bidens Investing in America agenda is providing historic funding that will bring down energy costs for electric vehicles, create good jobs and keep the U.S. on the cutting edge, said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm at the groundbreaking event. The momentous groundbreaking of ICLs battery materials manufacturing facility in St. Louis is part of a manufacturing renaissance to build our countrys supply chain for these clean energy products. ICL is excited to be building the first North American, commercial-scale plant for this critical component required by the energy-storage, mobility and infrastructure end-markets, and were proud to make this investment in St. Louis and to create more than 150 high-paying union and professional positions in our hometown, said Phil Brown, president of the companys Phosphate Division and managing director of North America for ICL. Were excited about the demand we are already seeing for this capacity and are looking forward to moving into this new business. Additionally, as we rapidly move ahead, we are looking forward to partnering with some of the premier participants in this exciting new industry. The 140,000-square-foot facility is expected to produce 30,000 metric tons of LFP and will serve as the foundation for the companys global battery materials business. The new plant will be located on ICLs existing Carondelet campus in St. Louis, which is recognized by the Justice40 Initiative as a disadvantaged community. Were proud to have ICL Group in Missouri and even prouder to be able to break ground on this first-of-its-kind facility in our nation right here in St. Louis, said Missouri Governor Mike Parson. We thank our local, state, and federal partners for helping Missouri secure this project and making our state an easy choice for ICL to grow and expand. We look forward to the companys success and the opportunities it will offer to Missourians in the St. Louis region. The project will create 800 to 900 union construction positions, and ICL has engaged St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Companies as general contractor for the project. ICL is also partnering with Aleees to establish a localized, integrated and sustainable LFP supply chain for U.S.-based customers. Taiwan-based Aleees is a long-standing LFP battery material manufacturer and global IP licensor. LFP is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the battery industry, as this technology offers superior safety at a lower cost and with a longer life. By 2031, E Source forecasts global demand for iron phosphate-based cathode active materials will reach more than 3 million tons, for a market value of more than $40 billion, due to a shift toward the safer and lower-cost cathode materials used in more affordable EVs and in energy storage solutions. The new facility represents a significant expansion of ICLs energy-storage portfolio and demonstrates the companys commitment to developing high-quality specialty products for agricultural, food, energy and industrial applications. About ICL ICL Group is a leading global specialty minerals company, which creates impactful solutions for humanity's sustainability challenges in the food, agriculture and industrial markets. ICL leverages its unique bromine, potash and phosphate resources, its global professional workforce, and its sustainability focused R&D and technological innovation capabilities, to drive the companys growth across its end markets. ICL shares are dual listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (NYSE and TASE: ICL). The company employs more than 12,500 people worldwide, and its 2022 revenues totaled approximately $10 billion. For more information, visit ICL's website at icl-group.com. To access ICL's interactive CSR report, visit icl-group-sustainability.com. You can also learn more about ICL on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram. For more information about Aleees, please visit aleees.com/en. For more information about McCarthy, please visit mccarthy.com. Forward Looking Statements This announcement contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements, many of which can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as anticipate, believe, could, expect, should, plan, intend, estimate and potential, among others. Forward-looking statements appear in this press release and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the companys intent, belief or current expectations. Forward-looking statements are based on managements beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including, but not limited to: estimates, forecasts and statements as to management's expectations with respect to, among other things, business and financial prospects, financial multiples and accretion estimates, future trends, plans, strategies, positioning, objectives and expectations, general economic, market and business conditions, supply chain and logistics disruptions, energy storage and electric vehicle growth, the potential for new COVID-19 variants, global unrest and conflict, governmental and regulatory requirements and actions by governmental authorities, including changes in government policy, changes in environmental, tax and other laws or regulations and the interpretation thereof. As a result of the foregoing, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release concerning the timing of the transaction, or other more specific risks and uncertainties facing ICL, such as those set forth in the Risk Factors section of its Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on February 23, 2022, as such risk factors may be updated from time to time in its Current Reports on Form 6-K and other filings ICL makes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Forward-looking statements refer only to the date they are made, and the company does not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information or future developments or to publicly release any revisions to these statements in order to reflect later events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Acknowledgement and Disclaimer Acknowledgment: This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under Award Number DE-MS0000012. Disclaimer: This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809956612/en/ Investors/Press - Israel Adi Bajayo ICL Spokesperson +972-3-6844459 [email protected] Press Global Patrick Barry BYRNE PR +1-314-540-3865 [email protected] Source: ICL Group LTD TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust (the REIT) (TSX: INO.UN) announced today that its Board of Trustees has declared the REIT's monthly cash distribution for the months of September, October and November 2023 as per the following schedule: Month Record Date Distribution Date Distribution Amount September, 2023 September 29, 2023 October 16, 2023 $0.034375 October, 2023 October 31, 2023 November 15, 2023 $0.034375 November, 2023 November 30, 2023 December 15, 2023 $0.034375 About Inovalis REIT Inovalis REIT is a real estate investment trust listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada. It was founded in 2013 by Inovalis and invests in office properties in primary markets of France, Germany and Spain. It holds 13 assets. Inovalis REIT acquires (indirectly) real estate properties via CanCorpEurope, authorized Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) by the CSSF in Luxemburg, and managed by Inovalis S.A. About Inovalis Group Inovalis S.A. is a French Alternative Investment fund manager, authorized by the French Securities and Markets Authority (AMF) under AIFM laws. Inovalis S.A. and its subsidiaries (Advenis S.A., Advenis REIM) invest in and manage Real Estate Investment Trusts such as Inovalis REIT, open ended funds (SCPI) with stable real estate focus such as Eurovalys (for Germany) and Elialys (Southern Europe), Private Thematic Funds raised with Inovalis partners to invest in defined real estate strategies and direct Co-investments on specific assets Inovalis Group (www.inovalis.com), founded in 1998 by Inovalis SA, is an established pan European real estate investment player with EUR 7 billion of AuM and with offices in all the world's major financial and economic centers in Paris, Luxembourg, Madrid, Frankfurt, Toronto and Dubai. The group is comprised of 300 professionals, providing Advisory, Fund, Asset and Property Management services in Real Estate as well as Wealth Management services. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809710173/en/ David Giraud, Chief Executive Officer Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust Tel: +33 1 5643 3323 [email protected] Khalil Hankach, Chief Financial Officer Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust Tel:+33 1 5643 3313 [email protected] Source: Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Materion Corporation (NYSE: MTRN) will participate in the Seaport Research Partners Annual Summer Conference on August 23, 2023. Jugal Vijayvargiya, President and Chief Executive Officer and Shelly Chadwick, Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, will be hosting a virtual fireside chat at 9:30AM ET and will be available for one-on-one meetings with investors throughout the day. About Materion Materion Corporation is a global leader in advanced materials solutions for high-performance industries including semiconductor, industrial, aerospace & defense, energy and automotive. With nearly 100 years of expertise in specialty engineered alloy systems, inorganic chemicals and powders, precious and non-precious metals, beryllium and beryllium composites, and precision filters and optical coatings, Materion partners with customers to enable breakthrough solutions that move the world forward. Headquartered in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, the company employs more than 3,700 talented people worldwide, serving customers in more than 60 countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809097394/en/ Investors: Kyle Kelleher (216) 383-4931 [email protected] Source: Materion Corporation NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- McGill and Partners, the global boutique specialist (re)insurance broker, has announced several important leadership appointments within its US operations. Karl Hennessy, who currently leads the Global Specialty Insurance teams in London, will be appointed CEO of McGill Global Risk Solutions LLC, the US insurance and reinsurance business, and will move to New York from London, subject to visa approvals. He will be supported by John Judice, who is appointed President of the US business with immediate effect and will be responsible for driving sales and business development activity across McGill and Partners specialty insurance platform. Warren Mula will remain Chairman of the US business. Nirali Shah has been appointed Head of US D&O and to further support Business Development activity in the US, Daisy Jackson has been appointed Partner, Business Development, and will move to New York from London, subject to visa approvals. Alyssa Gerardi is appointed as Steve McGills Chief of Staff and has moved from New York to London. As Karl transitions to the US, his previous responsibilities will be taken over by our Chairman, John Lloyd. McGill and Partners works closely with many leading high-quality retail and/or wholesale brokerage firms and/or (re)insurers as well as global clients and their captives to deliver superior solutions and services to this segment. Specifically, the focus of the firm is on the design structuring and placement of world class (re)insurance solutions, particularly for larger or more complex clients. Steve McGill, CEO of McGill and Partners, said: Since we launched four years ago, we have developed a value proposition and business model that is highly differentiated, enabling us to deliver industry leading organic revenue growth. The US is the most important (re)insurance market in the world and these leadership changes are designed to reinforce our commitment to the US market, for the benefit of all our trading partners and clients. About McGill and Partners McGill and Partners is the fastest growing specialty (re)insurance broker in the world with a boutique approach to help clients manage their most complex and challenging needs. It was launched in 2019 and the firm has significant backing from funds affiliated with Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm. McGill and Partners is a global business with centres of excellence in London and New York. www.mcgillpartners.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809149328/en/ For further information: UK media: Alistair Kellie, Zoe Sibree, Charlotte Coulson, Georgina Procter, SEC Newgate UK [email protected] US media: Phil Nunes, Daniel Abramson, BackBay Communications: [email protected] Source: McGill and Partners Agreement benefits automotive industry by aligning MIPI camera specification with ASA and MIPI standardized SerDes solutions PISCATAWAY, N.J. & MUNICH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The MIPI Alliance, an international organization that develops interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries, and the Automotive SerDes Alliance (ASA), a non-profit industry alliance of automotive technology providers collaborating to standardize asymmetric SerDes technology, announced today that the two organizations have entered into a liaison agreement. The terms of the agreement create a pathway so that implementers will be able to use MIPI Camera Serial Interface 2 (MIPI CSI-2)widely considered the preferred camera and image sensor interface by the extended automotive ecosystemdirectly, or natively," with the ASA Motion Link (ASA-ML) physical layer (PHY) interface. Supporting specifications would also be made available through this pathway, such as MIPI Camera Service Extensions (MIPI CSE), which provides protocol-layer security and additional functional safety support. MIPI and ASA each have standardized asymmetric SerDes PHY interfaces (MIPI A-PHY and ASA-ML, respectively) for automotive applications such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous driving systems (ADS) and in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) that rely on cameras/sensors and displays. MIPI members can implement CSI-2 directly only with a MIPI PHY (i.e., A-/C-/D-PHY) or MIPI Board-approved non-MIPI PHY. Products incorporating other PHYs may utilize CSI-2 with a bridge device following a MIPI-approved PHY. Upon successful completion of the process defined under this liaison, ASA-ML will be approved for native integration with CSI-2. Under the agreement, ASA will develop an Application Stream Encapsulation Protocol (ASEP) to enable native CSI-2 transport over the ASA Motion Link PHY. Once the CSI-2 ASEP is approved by MIPI, ASA will include the CSI-2 ASEP in its next specification release as the only recommended camera protocol interface. Implementation of CSI-2 over ASA Motion Link will require memberships in both MIPI and ASA to benefit from their respective intellectual property licensing terms. The agreement also provides for ongoing dialogue between the organizations on other opportunities for collaboration, such as the use of MIPI Display Serial Interface 2 (MIPI DSI-2) and security-related specifications. This agreement supports the continued coalescence around MIPI CSI-2 in automotive applications, said Sanjiv Desai, chair of the MIPI Alliance. The specification is already strongly established in the market, and we believe alignment on CSI-2 will help foster a streamlined development environment for the global automotive industry. At the same time, MIPI will continue to support MIPI A-PHY and the rapidly growing ecosystem around it. ASA is pleased to work with the MIPI Alliance to expand the ways the ASA-ML SerDes can be deployed in automotive industry, said Christoph Arndt, chair of the Automotive SerDes Alliance. The ASA-ML specification has been tuned for multi-gigabit connectivity in harsh automotive environments and as a result has been gaining strong momentum. This liaison creates a pathway to new implementations and a broader ecosystem. For more details about ASA, please visit its website or follow the organization on its LinkedIn page. To discover more about MIPI Alliance, subscribe to its blog and connect with its social networks by following MIPI on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. About Automotive SerDes Alliance The Automotive SerDes Alliance (ASA) is a non-profit industry alliance of automotive technology providers collaborating to standardize asymmetric SerDes technology. The group currently has 125 active member companies that work together to industrialize and promote the ASA Motion Link. The member companies of ASA include representatives from the complete automotive ecosystem, including car manufacturers, tier-ones, semiconductor vendors, cable and connector manufacturers, test tool vendors, and test houses. Having such a diverse and rich ecosystem ensures that the ASA standards development is in-tune with market requirements and is optimized through the participation of industry experts. About MIPI Alliance MIPI Alliance (MIPI) develops interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries. There is at least one MIPI specification in every smartphone manufactured today. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023, the organization has over 375 member companies worldwide and more than 15 active working groups delivering specifications within the mobile ecosystem. Members of the organization include handset manufacturers, device OEMs, software providers, semiconductor companies, application processor developers, IP tool providers, automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, and test and test equipment companies, as well as camera, tablet and laptop manufacturers. For more information, please visit www.mipi.org. MIPI, A-PHY and CSI-2 are registered trademarks owned by MIPI Alliance. C-PHY, CSE, D-PHY and DSI-2 are service marks of MIPI Alliance. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809611577/en/ Becky Obbema Interprose, PR for MIPI Alliance +1 408.569.3546 [email protected] Kamal Dalmia Automotive SerDes Alliance +1 408.520.4816 [email protected] Source: MIPI Alliance KYODO NEWS - Aug 9, 2023 - 18:28 | All, Japan, World China has notified Japan that it is positive about holding a summit between Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of an international meeting next month, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. If the plan goes ahead on the fringes of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Indonesia, it would be the first meeting between the two leaders. Tokyo has sought to improve bilateral ties with Beijing, as relations between the two Asian countries have recently been hampered by Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant as early as the end of the month. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the conclusion of the 1978 bilateral Peace and Friendship Treaty. China has conveyed its opposition to Japan's water discharge project, to which the International Atomic Energy Agency, a U.N. watchdog, gave the green light in July, the sources said. Meanwhile, Chinese officials told Japan that Beijing remains open to holding high-level talks on the occasion of international meetings and did not rule out the possibility of a meeting between Kishida and Li in Indonesia, the sources added. President Xi Jinping is expected to participate in a Group of 20 summit in India and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum leaders meeting in the United States. Kishida also aims to hold talks with the Chinese president, the sources said. During their talks in Jakarta last month, China's top diplomat Wang Yi told Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi that the two nations are not in a situation where "high-level exchanges" are possible, the sources added. Related coverage: Chinese local authorities seized food imported from Japan: report Ex-Japan PM Taro Aso says Japan, U.S. must resolve to fight for Taiwan Japan eyes Fukushima water release between late Aug. and early Sept. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Award-winning International Private Medical Insurance (IPMI) provider Now Health International is celebrating its latest customer service success, having won another prestigious award, Customer Service Initiative of the Year, recognising its leadership in this area. In addition to its TrustPilot score reflecting how the companys members feel about its products and service, Now Health International also uses an internal survey program to proactively address customer issues and make life even easier for its members. However, the company believes a vital point of difference in the marketplace comes from its empathetic and efficient approach to dealing with members claims. Now Health International reports that it processes and pays 99% of members claims within five working days, which is one of the core components of the companys Service Promise. Additionally, the company approves 95% of all claims upon submission, without needing to gather more information from members. But while many insurers are fully automating these processes and seeing mixed results Now Health International relies on human expertise and personal qualities like empathy and compassion to enhance its claims processes. Discussing the companys claims philosophy, Michel Faucher, Managing Director, Now Health International, said: We believe in the value of the human touch and are committed to providing personalised care and support to all our members, especially when theyre making claims, which will often come after going through a particularly stressful period of illness or injury. Our approach is to look for all the right reasons to pay a claim. While we use automation to assist with fast claims processing and payment, we never outright reject a claim purely on a machines decision. Where our tools recommend further investigation, our team of claims specialists then get involved, more often than not leading to members claims being processed. Dr Bilal Shirazi, Chief Medical Officer, Now Health International, added: Technology undoubtedly has a role to play in what we do, but there is no substitute for the empathy, care and compassion that humans can provide during a one-on-one interaction. Im incredibly proud of the difference weve made to our members lives by using technology to make our processes more efficient while freeing up time for dedicated human involvement where necessary. Faucher concluded: Were incredibly passionate about using technology to disrupt the insurance industry and be innovators, but the human touch will always come first. I invite anyone seeking IPMI worldwide to come and experience the benefits of our approach first-hand, while also taking advantage of some fantastic deals were currently offering. About Now Health International Now Health International (NHI) is one of the fastest growing providers of International Private Medical Insurance (IPMI) solutions for Global Expatriates, High-Net-Worth individuals and Companies. NHI has offices in the UK, Malta, Spain, UAE, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia. For more information, visit https://www.now-health.com/. *Source: AETOSWire View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809033032/en/ Ali R. Mehboob, Global Marketing Director [email protected] Source: Now Health International Oatey Co. to sponsor PHCC Connect 2023 Cleveland, offering tours of its local manufacturing and training facility and sponsoring Women in Industry Luncheon. CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oatey Co. is proud to announce its sponsorship and participation in PHCC Connect 2023 Cleveland, the premier national conference for plumbing, heating, and cooling professionals in the United States. The event will take place on October 23-26, 2023, in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Huntington Convention Center. As a Cleveland-based company and one of the oldest and most respected names in the plumbing industry, Oatey Co. will be a part of a showcase of Cleveland hometown brands, joining forces with Ridge Tool Company (RIDGID), Moen, and Merit Brass. These companies will be positioned in a central area of the Exhibit Hall and some will also be offering plant tours to celebrate and showcase Cleveland manufacturing. Oatey Co. is incredibly proud to sponsor and participate in PHCC Connect 2023 Cleveland, an excellent opportunity for industry leaders and plumbing experts to come together, learn, and share ideas," says Patrick Aquino, Oateys Vice President of Wholesale Sales. Katherine Lehtinen, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Oatey, added: We look forward to giving attendees and media an insider's look at the world of Cleveland manufacturing as well as Oateys many innovations and contributions to the industry since its founding more than a century ago." We are excited to welcome these industry leaders to Cleveland and to showcase our regions position as a hub for advanced manufacturing, says Gordon Taylor III, Chief Sales Officer at Destination Cleveland, the destination marketing and management organization for the region. While exploring our city and touring the innovative local businesses, conference attendees will see firsthand that Cleveland is The Land of building meaningful connections. As a Cleveland-based sponsor, Oatey will offer tours of its 160th Street manufacturing operations, providing an opportunity for attendees to gain a behind-the-scenes understanding of the companys world-class facility, learning about the chemical and mechanical processes that bring the highest-quality plumbing products to life. Then, attendees will enjoy a hands-on experience at Oatey University, a best-in-class training center for industry tradespeople, inspiring innovative new products and advancing the state of the art in the plumbing industry. Oatey social media ambassadors Nick Parlet (@plumbingsk8r), Colin Luttrel (@colintheplumberllc), Rob Broccolo (@prodrains) and Evan Berns (@re.plumb) will be on hand at Oatey University to welcome facility visitors. They are looking forward to connecting with fellow industry members, sharing their knowledge and personal stories about promoting the plumbing trade. Once registered for the PHCC Connect Conference, attendees can sign up to participate in this tour, which will take place on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, from 7:30 AM to 11:00 AM ET. That same day, Oatey is proud to sponsor a Women in Industry Luncheon hosted by the PHCC National Auxiliary and Women in Piping and Plumbing. Oateys Lehtinen will open the event, which will include an interactive panel discussion, featuring women who work in the plumbing and HVAC industries. Panelists will share their personal stories, challenges faced, and thought-provoking ideas for how the trades can become even more welcoming and inclusive. Lehtinen will also highlight The House That She Built, an organization whose mission is to help generate awareness of the skilled trades. A new childrens book, also titled The House That She Built, educates young readers about the people and skills that go into building a home, telling the true story of a home built by all female tradespeople. Each luncheon attendee will receive a copy of the book and be asked to read it to a child in their life or a local elementary school classroom. Lehtinen sits on The House That She Built Executive Leadership Council. After registering for the conference, attendees can sign up to attend the Women in Industry Luncheon, which will take place on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, from 12:30 PM 2:00 PM ET. Each luncheon attendee will receive a copy of The House That She Built. ABOUT OATEY CO. Since 1916, Oatey has provided reliable, high-quality products for the residential and commercial plumbing industries, with a commitment to delivering quality, building trust and improving lives. Today, Oatey operates a comprehensive manufacturing and distribution network to supply thousands of products for professional builders, contractors, engineers and do-it-yourself consumers around the world. Oatey is based in Cleveland, Ohio, and has locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China. For more information, visit www.oatey.com, call (800) 321-9532 or follow Oatey on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809588595/en/ John OReilly Madelyn Young Greenhouse Digital + PR [email protected] [email protected] 708.428.6385 Source: Oatey Co. SENECA, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oconee Federal Financial Corp. (OTCQX: OFED) (the Company), the holding company for Oconee Federal Savings and Loan Association (Oconee Federal), announced today net income of $3.3 million, or $0.60 per diluted share, for the year ended June 30, 2023, which was less than the net income of $4.1 million, or $0.73 per diluted share, for the year ended June 30, 2022. June 30, 2023 Year End Summary: Forty-seven consecutive quarterly dividends of $0.10 per share since the quarter ended December 2011. Total assets were $595.4 million, an increase of 9.3% from $544.8 million at June 30, 2022. Total loans outstanding were $411.5 million, up from $345.1 million at June 30, 2022. The year ended June 30, 2023 presented challenges for Oconee Federal. Oconee Federal, like many financial institutions, faced interest margin compression due to the rising rate environment. Net income declined to $3.3 million from $4.1 million when compared to the year ended June 30, 2022, stated Curtis T. Evatt, President and Chief Executive Officer. However, we had strong growth in our loan balances, and steady growth in our deposit balances. Loans increased 19.7% and deposits increased 3.2% over the prior year balances. We believe this growth, along with our recently announced merger with Mutual Savings Bank, will position our Company to succeed as we look to the future. Cash Dividend Declared Total dividends paid during the year ended June 30, 2023 were $2.2 million. On August 8, 2023, the Board of Directors of the Company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share of the Companys common stock payable to stockholders of record as of August 18, 2023, which is payable on August 25, 2023. About Oconee Federal Oconee Federal Financial Corp. (OTCQX: OFED) is the holding company of Oconee Federal Savings and Loan Association. Oconee Federal Savings and Loan Association is a federally chartered savings and loan association founded in 1924 and headquartered in Seneca, South Carolina. Oconee Federal Savings and Loan Association is a community oriented financial institution operating eight full-service branch locations in Oconee County, South Carolina, Pickens County, South Carolina, Stephens County, Georgia and Rabun County, Georgia. For future financial information, please access our investor information page on our website at www.oconeefederal.com. Forward-Looking Statements This release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Companys and the Associations industry, and managements beliefs and assumptions. Words such as anticipates, expects, intends, plans, believes, estimates and variations of such words and expressions are intended to identify fiscal year forward-looking statements. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to forecast. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or forecast in such forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809586149/en/ Investor/Media Contact: Curtis T. Evatt President & Chief Executive Officer Oconee Federal Financial Corp. 864-882-2765 Source: Oconee Federal Financial Corp. LONDON & NEW YORK & HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Options Technology, the leading provider of financial technology and global market data solutions, today announced its selection as the primary market data provider for GO Markets into Asian Markets. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809286840/en/ Options today announced its selection as the primary market data provider for GO Markets into Asian Markets. (Graphic: Business Wire) The strategic partnership will begin with the provision of Hong Kong Stock Exchange data and the redistribution of derived CFD products (Contracts for Difference), with the vision of replicating this success and extending into markets worldwide. GO Markets, as a regulated multi-award-winning global financial services provider, has chosen Options as its underlying market data provider due to its advanced risk monitoring capabilities, efficient market data management, and globally leading infrastructure. By leveraging Options' ACTIV normalized data as the primary technology partner, GO Markets aims to enhance its offerings and provide clients with unparalleled insights and opportunities in the region. We are delighted to be selected as GO Markets primary market data provider for their expansion into the Asian Markets, said Danny Moore, President and CEO at Options. Our comprehensive suite of market data solutions and risk management tools will empower GO Markets to elevate their retail brokerage services and deliver real-time, accurate data to their clients. This partnership cements our commitment to enabling firms like GO Markets to thrive in todays fast-paced financial landscape. Soyeb Rangwala, Director of GO Markets, commented on the partnership, Options advanced market data capabilities align perfectly with our vision of providing top-notch services to our clients. Their technology and expertise will strengthen our risk management framework and empower us to expand our presence in the Asian markets, offering a seamless trading experience for our valued clients. The initial phase of the partnership will focus on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where Options market data solutions will enable GO Markets clients to make informed trading decisions and execute strategies confidently. The redistribution of derived CFD products will provide a layer of diversification and flexibility for traders seeking new opportunities in the region. As part of the new partnership, the firms are eager to explore opportunities to expand their collaboration into additional markets, starting with Hong Kong and then expanding across markets in South East Asia. Todays news comes as the latest in a series of exciting developments for Options, including its deployment of real time market data feed from Aquis Stock Exchange and Borse Stuttgart, the deployment of OPRA in Frankfurt FR2 and its expansion of onshore trading infrastructure and colocation services in Taiwan. In 2019, Options received investment from Boston based private equity firm Abry Partners. This investment enabled Options to accelerate its growth strategy and develop its technology platform while expanding its global reach in key financial centres. About GO Markets (https://www.gomarkets.com) GO Markets is a regulated award-winning global broker, dedicated to taking their clients trading experience further. GO Markets began in Australia in 2006 as an online provider of CFD trading services. Since then, they have been an industry pioneer, evolving their technology, services and education, in order to provide clients with the best possible trading experience. Widely recognized as Australia's first MT4 broker, they have continually expanded their platform suite to include MT5, cTrader, mobile trading, and a web-based solution. They now offer 1000+ tradeable CFD instruments including Forex, Shares, Indices, Metals, and Commodities. Through its dedication to service, GO Markets has established itself as a leading and trusted global broker. For more on GO Markets, please visit www.gomarkets.com. About Options (www.options-it.com): Options Technology is the No. 1 provider of IT infrastructure to global Capital Markets firms, supporting their operations and ecosystems. Founded in 1993, the firm began life as a hedge fund technology services provider. Today, the company provides high-performance managed trading infrastructure and cloud-enabled managed services to over 550 firms globally, providing an agile, scalable platform in an Investment Bank-grade Cybersecurity wrapper. Options clients include the leading global investment banks, hedge funds, funds of funds, proprietary trading firms, market makers, broker/dealers, private equity houses, and exchanges. With offices in 8 key cities; New York, Toronto, Chicago, London, Belfast, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Auckland, Options are well placed to service its customers on-site and remotely. In 2019, Options secured a significant growth investment from Abry Partners, a Boston-based sector-focused private equity firm. This investment has enabled Options to considerably accelerate its growth strategy to invest further in its technology platform and expand its reach in key financial centres globally. Options has been named among the UK's leading growth companies in the 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017 Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table. For more on Options, please visit www.options-it.com, follow us on Twitter at @Options_IT, and visit our LinkedIn page. About Abry Partners (www.abry.com) Abry is one of the most experienced and successful sector-focused private equity investment firms in North America. Since its founding in 1989, the firm has completed over $82 billion of leveraged transactions and other private equity or preferred equity placements. Currently, the firm manages over $5.0 billion of capital across their active funds. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809286840/en/ For further information: Press Contact: Niall McAleer Email: [email protected] Source: Options Technology Financial Highlights: Q223 consolidated revenue US$104.18 million, compared with US$216.70 million in the year-ago quarter Q223 consolidated net income US$13.98 million; Basic and Fully diluted after-tax EPS US$0.18 (NT$5.44) and US$0.18 (NT$5.40), respectively SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Parade Technologies, Ltd. (Taipei Exchange: 4966.TWO), a leading high-speed interface IC supplier, today announced financial results for the second quarter fiscal year 2023 ended June 30, 2023, and provided guidance for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023. Consolidated revenue was US$104.18 million and consolidated net income was US$13.98 million. Basic and fully diluted after-tax earnings per share (EPS) were US$0.18 (NT$5.44) and US$0.18 (NT$5.40), respectively. These results compared to consolidated revenue US$216.70 million and consolidated net income of US$60.94 million, or US$0.76 (NT$22.51) and US$0.75 (NT$22.18) per basic and fully diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. In US dollars, the second quarter of 2023 consolidated revenue increased 4.19% sequentially and was down 51.93% year-over-year. The gross profit in the second quarter of 2023 was US$45.80 million, representing an increase of 3.98% from the previous quarter and a decrease of 55.26% compared to the same quarter of last year. On May 24, 2023, Parade announced the availability of the PS8833 USB4/TBT4/DP 2.1 retimer and PS8836 USB 3.2/DP 2.1 retimer for commercial and consumer PCs, host systems and peripherals. PS8833 features full capabilities of USB4, DisplayPort 2.1 and Thunderbolt 4.0 with 50% reduction in power consumption. Its pin compatibility with PS8830 USB4/TBT4 retimer currently shipping in customer systems, greatly simplifies OEM design for product longevity. PS8836 offers USB 3.2 Gen 22 with DP 2.1 and is pin compatible with PS8833. The PS8833 / PS8836 pin compatible solutions allow OEMs to easily offer a full range of USB4 and USB 3.2 product offerings. On July 26, 2023, Parade has demonstrated the lowest latencies in the industry with its new PS8936 PCIe/CXL re-timer solution. PS8936 retimer chip developed for PCI Express Rev. 5.0 and Compute Express Link (CXL), supporting sixteen bidirectional lanes. In addition to supporting the 32 Gbps data rate offered by the PCI Express 5.0 specification, it also supports all lower data rates, to provide backward compatibility with earlier PCI Express revisions. The promise of CXL is to enable scalable, high-performance coherent memory. While CXL can rely on the continual advances in PCIe Express to address its ever-increasing bandwidth needs, access time is an equally critical factor for memory performance. As larger CXL architectures are built, they will inevitably encounter situations where signal integrity places limits on both scale and flexibility, and retimers will be needed. With Parades patented low-latency retimers, these systems can be built without compromising signal integrity or performance. Based on current business outlook, Parade is providing the following guidance for the third quarter of fiscal 2023: Revenue: US$107 ~119 Million Gross Margin: 43% ~47% Operating Expense: US$30 ~33 Million The financial figures detailed above for the second quarter of 2023 have been audited by independent accountants. About Parade Technologies, Ltd. Parade Technologies, Ltd. is a leading supplier of mixed-signal ICs for a variety of popular display and high-speed interface standards used in computers, consumer electronics and display panels. The fabless semiconductor company was founded in 2005 and publicly listed on Taipei Exchange (TPEx) in 2011 (stock code: 4966). Parades portfolio of IC products serves the growing demand for HDMI, DisplayPort, SATA, and USB ICs for display, storage and interface applications. In addition to being a technology innovator, Parade is an active participant and leader in industry standards-setting organizations. Parade Technologies, Inc., a wholly owned US-based subsidiary of Parade Technologies, Ltd., is a member of VESA (Video Electronics Standard Association). Parade Technologies, Inc. has made key contributions to the development of VESAs DisplayPort digital video interface standard. Parade leverages its close relationships with market leading Tier-1 OEMs to develop ICs that provide unique system capabilities. Many of the companys devices integrate proprietary technologies that offer superior system signal integrity, advanced system integration and enhanced power efficiency. As a result of the companys standards-plus design philosophy, Parade ICs have been designed into products offered by nearly every leading computer and display vendor worldwide. Parade Technologies, Ltd. and Subsidiaries. The reader is advised that these consolidated financial statements have been prepared originally in NT$ and conformed with the adoption of IFRSs. In the event of any differences between NT$ and US$ version, the NT$ version shall prevail. CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS USD in Thousands NTD in Thousands Sequential Quarter Three Months ended Six Months ended Sequential Quarter Three Months ended Six Months ended Jun 30, Mar 31, Jun 30, Jun 30, Jun 30, Jun 30, Jun 30, Mar 31, Jun 30, Jun 30, Jun 30, Jun 30, 2023 2023 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2023 2023 2022 2023 2022 Revenue 104,178 99,990 104,178 216,699 204,168 427,422 3,199,298 3,039,712 3,199,298 6,383,951 6,239,010 12,282,094 Cost of goods sold 58,380 55,947 58,380 114,340 114,327 224,288 1,792,845 1,700,797 1,792,845 3,368,457 3,493,642 6,445,908 Gross profit 45,798 44,043 45,798 102,359 89,841 203,134 1,406,453 1,338,915 1,406,453 3,015,494 2,745,368 5,836,186 Research & development expenses 20,293 19,892 20,293 21,483 40,185 42,709 623,198 604,717 623,198 632,873 1,227,915 1,226,997 Sales & marketing expenses 7,188 7,198 7,188 7,907 14,386 16,121 220,732 218,822 220,732 232,925 439,554 462,836 General & administrative expenses 4,888 4,993 4,888 6,549 9,881 12,998 150,109 151,797 150,109 192,942 301,906 373,450 Expected credit loss - 84 - - 84 - - 2,549 - - 2,549 - Total operating expenses 32,369 32,167 32,369 35,939 64,536 71,828 994,039 977,885 994,039 1,058,740 1,971,924 2,063,283 Operating income 13,429 11,876 13,429 66,420 25,305 131,306 412,414 361,030 412,414 1,956,754 773,444 3,772,903 Non-operating income and (expenses) 2,055 1,268 2,055 566 3,323 536 63,081 38,560 63,081 16,662 101,641 15,837 Income before income taxes 15,484 13,144 15,484 66,986 28,628 131,842 475,495 399,590 475,495 1,973,416 875,085 3,788,740 Income tax expense 1,505 1,523 1,505 6,049 3,028 11,718 46,226 46,299 46,226 178,193 92,525 336,882 Net income 13,979 11,621 13,979 60,937 25,600 120,124 429,269 353,291 429,269 1,795,223 782,560 3,451,858 EPS - Basic (In Dollar) $ 0.18 $ 0.15 $ 0.18 $ 0.76 $ 0.33 $ 1.51 $ 5.44 $ 4.51 $ 5.44 $ 22.51 $ 9.94 $ 43.42 Shares used in computing EPS-Basic (In thousands) 78,947 78,373 78,947 79,766 78,692 79,496 78,947 78,373 78,947 79,766 78,692 79,496 EPS - Diluted (In Dollar) $ 0.18 $ 0.15 $ 0.18 $ 0.75 $ 0.32 $ 1.48 $ 5.40 $ 4.46 $ 5.40 $ 22.18 $ 9.85 $ 42.67 Shares used in computing EPS-Diluted (In thousands) 79,545 79,207 79,545 80,951 79,413 80,905 79,545 79,207 79,545 80,951 79,413 80,905 CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS As of June 30, 2023 and 2022 USD in Thousands NTD in Thousands Jun 30, Jun 30, Jun 30, Jun 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Current assets Cash & cash equivalents 225,120 408,717 7,010,227 12,147,059 Accounts receivable, net 54,721 71,597 1,704,022 2,127,869 Inventories, net 114,368 107,911 3,561,433 3,207,122 Other current assets 32,666 25,492 1,017,219 757,629 Total current assets 426,875 613,717 13,292,901 18,239,679 Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment, net 14,970 17,920 466,159 532,593 Right-of-use assets 5,083 6,759 158,295 200,863 Intangible assets 101,772 106,129 3,169,177 3,154,145 Deferred income tax assets 11,143 10,232 346,988 304,090 Other non-current assets 150,473 78,140 4,685,730 2,322,312 Total non-current assets 283,441 219,180 8,826,349 6,514,003 Total Assets 710,316 832,897 22,119,250 24,753,682 Current Liabilities Accounts payable 29,194 56,079 909,092 1,666,672 Other payables 54,820 100,695 1,687,909 2,892,562 Current income tax liabilities 9,528 30,317 296,692 901,030 Lease liabilities - current 2,960 3,037 92,194 90,253 Other current liabilities 6,490 13,823 202,110 410,818 Total current liabilities 102,992 203,951 3,187,997 5,961,335 Non-current Liabilities Lease liabilities - non-current 2,123 3,722 66,101 110,610 Total non-current liabilities 2,123 3,722 66,101 110,610 Equity Ordinary shares 26,735 26,740 811,747 811,895 Capital reserves 134,946 138,074 4,212,672 4,188,380 Retained earnings 498,502 500,731 14,740,781 14,948,952 Other equity (10,321 ) (18,513 ) 493,401 (661,362 ) Treasury shares (44,661 ) (21,808 ) (1,393,449 ) (606,128 ) Total equity 605,201 625,224 18,865,152 18,681,737 Total liabilities and equity 710,316 832,897 22,119,250 24,753,682 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS For six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 USD in Thousands NTD in Thousands Jun 30, Jun 30, Jun 30, Jun 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Cash flows from operating activities Income before income tax for the period 28,628 131,842 875,085 3,788,740 Depreciation and amortization (including the right-of-use assets) 11,132 11,081 340,100 318,238 Expected credit loss 84 - 2,549 - Loss on disposal of equipment - 1 - 34 Loss on disposal of intangible assets 125 - 3,814 - Share-based compensation cost 17,735 16,451 537,517 479,230 Interest income (2,925 ) (158 ) (89,352 ) (4,627 ) Income and expenses having no effect on cash flows 26,151 27,375 794,628 792,875 Accounts receivable (20,098 ) (21,214 ) (625,845 ) (630,493 ) Inventories 31,124 (32,133 ) 969,215 (954,979 ) Other current assets (27,673 ) (31,800 ) (737,173 ) (893,882 ) Net changes in assets relating to operating activities (16,647 ) (85,147 ) (393,803 ) (2,479,354 ) Accounts payable 16,191 15,233 504,193 452,730 Other payables (9,303 ) (1,814 ) (289,726 ) (53,915 ) Other current liabilities (6,983 ) 3,779 (217,466 ) 112,320 Net changes in liabilities relating to operating activities (95 ) 17,198 (2,999 ) 511,135 Cash inflow generated from operations 38,037 91,268 1,272,911 2,613,396 Interest received 2,925 158 89,352 4,627 Income taxes paid (6,247 ) (816 ) (190,854 ) (23,433 ) Income taxes received - 19 - 554 Net cash provided by operating activities 34,715 90,629 1,171,409 2,595,144 Cash flows from investing activities Acquisition of equipment (2,812 ) (3,854 ) (85,894 ) (110,678 ) Acquisition of intangible assets (170 ) (34 ) (5,181 ) (977 ) Decrease in refundable deposits 6,821 74 212,389 2,193 Increase in other prepayments (6,505 ) (4,552 ) (198,738 ) (130,729 ) Net cash flows used in investing activities (2,666 ) (8,366 ) (77,424 ) (240,191 ) Cash flows from financing activities Proceeds from exercise of employee stock options - 2,376 - 68,228 Repayment of the principal portion of lease liabilities (1,786 ) (1,931 ) (54,554 ) (55,475 ) Treasury shares reissued to employees 25,424 34,533 760,161 959,141 Distribution of cash dividends (60,062 ) (40,752 ) (1,724,498 ) (1,147,980 ) Cash dividend regain from canceled share-based compensation 73 52 2,184 1,517 Net cash flows used in financing activities (36,351 ) (5,722 ) (1,016,707 ) (174,569 ) Effect of exchange rate changes 2,285 (257 ) (42,435 ) 764,932 Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents (2,017 ) 76,284 34,843 2,945,316 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 227,137 332,433 6,975,384 9,201,743 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 225,120 408,717 7,010,227 12,147,059 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230808620497/en/ Parade Technologies Yo-Ming Chang, +886-2-2627-9109 [email protected] Source: Parade Technologies, Ltd. SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- POSaBIT Systems Corporation (CSE: PBIT), a leading financial technology company delivering unique payment processing and point-of-sale systems for cash-only businesses, today announced that Chris Baker, currently serving as Chief Strategy Officer, will assume the role of Chief Operations Officer (COO) effective immediately. Baker, who joined the company last year, has played an instrumental role in the growth and strategic direction of POSaBIT. In his new role, he will oversee the company's day-to-day operations and continue to drive POSaBIT's mission to deliver seamless and compliant payment and point-of-sale solutions. "Chris Baker's strategic acumen and commitment to our vision have been pivotal in shaping the trajectory of POSaBIT," said Ryan Hamlin, CEO and co-founder of POSaBIT. "His expertise and experience make him ideally suited for the role of COO. I am confident that his leadership will further strengthen our operational excellence and accelerate our growth in this rapidly evolving industry." Baker has a strong track record in strategy, operations, and financial management. He has demonstrated the ability to drive efficiency, profitability, and scalability, making him an invaluable asset to the executive team. About POSaBIT POSaBIT (CSE: PBIT, OTC: POSAF) is a FinTech, working exclusively within the cannabis industry. We provide a best-in-class Point-of-Sale solution and are the leading cashless payment provider for cannabis retailers. We work tirelessly to build better financial services and transaction methods for merchants. We bring cutting edge software and technology to the cannabis industry so that all merchants can have a safe and compliant set of services to solve the problems of a cash-only industry. For additional information, visit www.posabit.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809218236/en/ Investor Relations: [email protected] Media Relations: Jesse Swingle 855-767-2248 [email protected] Management: Ryan Hamlin Co-founder and CEO of POSaBIT 855-767-2248 [email protected] Source: POSaBIT Print, mail, signs, and fulfillment industry leader distributes 100 backpacks with essential school supplies at Lotus House Womens Shelter WESTON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In keeping with its unwavering commitment to give back to the communities it serves for print, mail, fulfillment, signs, packaging, promotional, and marketing solutions, industry leader Postal Center International (PCI) donated 100 backpacks with essential school supplies to students at the Lotus House Womens Shelter located in Overtown, Miami, Florida. The handover took place at the sanctuary, which houses women and children on Saturday, August 5, 2023. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809726941/en/ PCI's management team prepares backpacks for distribution at the Lotus House Women's Shelter in Miami, Florida. From left to right: Brandon Marton , Jimmy Pino, Paula Mescolin, Katya Hernandez, Bill Levinson, Henry Herrera, Brian McGrath, Dennis R. Garcia, Ismael Diaz, Chris Diaz, Thomas Roberts, Apolus Anderson, Jose Santos, Francine Salomons, Nelson Penalver and John Espinoza. (Photo: Business Wire) At PCI, we recognize the financial burden can be impactful on many parents getting their children prepared for the new school year. We understand the current economic climate, and we want to try relieving this burden on parents, said Ismael Diaz, President & CEO of PCI. We are focused on the future generation and getting them off on the right foot come the first day of school. Investing in education is the right thing to do. According to multinational accounting and consulting firm Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdelers (KPMG) 2023 Back-to-School Spending Survey, shoppers are expected to spend, on average, $377 per child, 21 percent more than a year ago. The new academic year in Miami-Dade County is scheduled to begin on Thursday, August 17, 2023. This is the second consecutive year that the Weston-headquartered PCI distributed school supplies at the 17-year-old Lotus House Womens Shelter, which offers accommodation to victims of domestic abuse as well as maternity and infant services to pregnant women. Last year, a similar donation of 100 backpacks containing school supplies was made at the shelter and the feedback was positive which prompted PCI to repeat the gesture. This years donation of school supplies includes eco-friendly notebooks and pencils, and was the collaborative effort of PCIs Corporate Social Responsibility Committee and its Sustainable Committee which seek to transition into a more sustainable approach in all aspects of the companys operations. Also included in each backpack is a printed note from PCI with words of encouragement for students in pursuit of their academic quests, while attached to each bag is a removable carrier name card with the tagline Persist. Create. Inspire., a reminder of PCIs vision in the community. The backpack drive for the back-to-school season is integral to PCI's ongoing community outreach initiatives. This specific effort is focused on assisting local programs and organizations that share PCI's commitment to youth education and contribute positively to the communities in which PCI operates. About Postal Center International (PCI) With its roots deeply entrenched in family, Postal Center International (PCI) was started in 1984 by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Arturo and Susan Echarte, and is a leading print, mail, fulfillment, signs, and marketing solutions partner. Led by President & CEO Ismael Diaz since 2006, PCI is renowned as one of the nations largest state-of-the-art transactional printing, postal, and mail processing service organizations. The companys family of brands employs more than 450 associates, with annual sales in excess of $400 million, at its locations in Florida, Texas, and New England, with a footprint totaling more than 500K square feet. PCI delivers exceptional print, mail, signs, fulfillment, promotional, packaging, and marketing solutions for enterprise clients in industries such as banking, financial, healthcare, insurance, hospitality, and government, nationwide. PCI is a HIPAA-compliant Certified Minority Owned Diverse Supplier at the state and national levels. It holds multiple security, sustainability, and quality certifications, including HITRUST CSF; TruSight; FDR; PCI DSS; SOC 2 (Type 2); FSC; SFI; PEFC; and G7. In April 2023, PCI was named South Florida Business Journals (SFBJ) Business of the Year Award Winner in the $250 million to $500 million revenue category. PCI also ranked #1 on the South Florida Business Journals Top Commercial Printers Book of Lists for the fourth consecutive year in 2022. That recognition came on the heels of two other preeminent SFBJ listings, including #19 on the 2022 Fastest Growing Companies List and #28 on the 2022 Top South Florida Private Companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809726941/en/ Paula Mescolin 800.430.7241 [email protected] Source: Postal Center International A total of 5,000 metres of new drilling and downhole geophysics planned at the high-grade nickel-copper-PGE prospect VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Quebec Nickel Corp. (CSE: QNI; FSE: 7lB; OTCQB: QNICF) (QNI or the Company) is pleased to announce the Company has resumed exploration at its Ducros Ni-Co-Cu-PGE project, located 85 kilometers northeast of Val-dOr, Quebec, including the start of drilling at the Fortin Sill Ni-Cu-PGE Zone. On June 6, 2023, the Company announced that due to an emergency order from the Quebec Ministere des Ressources naturelles et des Forets (Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests) prohibiting access to lands in the province impacted by forest fires, all field-based exploration activities were temporarily suspended at the Ducros Property (see June 6, 2023 News Release). In addition, all project personnel were relocated from the projects base of operations in Lebel-sur-Quevillon to Val-dOr upon receiving an evacuation notice on June 2. The work restriction order has since been lifted and the Company has resumed exploration activities at Ducros. Richard Dufresne, QNIs interim CEO and director, notes Although we are excited to get back to work, we wouldnt be able to do so without the tireless efforts of the firefighters, first responders and local community members who fought the fires this summer. Wed like to extend our sincere appreciation and gratitude to everyone that helped make our return to work possible. Fortin Sill Zone Drilling During the first half of 2023, exploration drilling by the Company focused on testing targets that require winter conditions to access and drill, notably in the central and western portions of the Ducros claims. Now that the fire related work restrictions have been lifted, exploration has resumed at the highly prospective Fortin Sill Zone where ground conditions allow for year-round access. New drilling at the Fortin Sill Zone will follow-up on some of the exceptional results achieved in 2022, including from hole QDG-22-29, which returned an 11.80 metre interval containing 1.44% Ni, 1.49% Cu, 461 ppm Co and 2.79 g/t Pt-Pd-Au that includes a higher-grade subinterval assaying 1.85% Ni, 1.65% Cu (3.50% Ni + Cu), 576 ppm Co and 3.27 g/t Pt-Pd-Au over 8.43 metres (see August 30, 2022 News Release for reference). Step-out drilling completed later in 2022 discovered additional nickel-copper-PGE mineralization down-plunge from the main sulphide zone including a 4.90-metre-long intercept averaging 0.77% Ni, 0.56% Cu, 340 ppm Co and 0.80 g/t Pt-Pd-Au which includes a higher grade three-metre-long subinterval of 1.06% Ni, 0.77% Cu, 447 ppm Co and 1.09 g/t Pt-Pd-Au in hole QDG-22-63 (see March 1, 2023 News Release for more information). The new drilling at Fortin Sill is focused on exploring for additional Ni-Cu-PGE sulphides down plunge and along strike of the main outcropping mineralized zone. Up to 5,000 metres of drilling is planned, which will span more than two kilometers of the strike length of the prospective geology. This work will also test the refined geological model discussed in the Companys December 15, 2022 news release. Downhole electromagnetic geophysical surveys will be used to vector towards large accumulations of conductive Ni-Cu-PGE sulphides. QUALIFIED PERSON Gary DeSchutter, M.Sc., P.Geo., Vice-President of Exploration for Quebec Nickel Corp., and a Qualified Person (QP) as defined under National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101), has reviewed, and approved the scientific and technical content of this press release. ABOUT QUEBEC NICKEL CORP. Quebec Nickel Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on acquiring, exploring, and developing critical metals (Ni-Cu-Co-PGE) projects in Quebec, Canada. The Company has a 100% interest in the Ducros Property, consisting of 282 contiguous mining claims covering 15,293 hectares within the eastern portion of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt in Quebec, Canada. Additional information about Quebec Nickel Corp. is available at www.quebecnickel.com. The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY AND FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words expects, plans, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, projects, potential and similar expressions, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could or should occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market, or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates, and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates, opinions, or other factors should change. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809352043/en/ On behalf of the Board of Directors Richard Dufresne Interim Chief Executive Officer and Director 1 (855) 764-2535 (QNICKEL) [email protected] Source: Quebec Nickel Corp. LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rio Tinto and H2 Green Steel, an industrial startup establishing large scale production of green steel, have signed a multi-year supply agreement for high grade direct reduction iron ore pellets from Rio Tintos Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) operations. Rio Tinto will also purchase and on-sell a part of the surplus low carbon hot briquetted iron (HBI) produced by H2 Green Steel during the ramp-up of its steelmaking capacity. IOCs direct reduction pellets will account for a significant part of the iron ore supply to H2 Green Steels flagship plant in Boden, Sweden, which will be one of the worlds first large-scale producers of low carbon iron and steel. The fully integrated, digitalised, and circular plant is expected to start operations in 2025, processing direct reduction pellets into HBI and then making steel through electric arc furnaces using green hydrogen. The Boden site will hold one of the worlds largest electrolysis plants for green hydrogen production. The production of steel, a key material for infrastructure and net-zero energy transition, currently contributes around 8% of global carbon emissions. By using green hydrogen in electric arc furnaces instead of coal in traditional steelmaking with a blast furnace, CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 95 percent. H2 Green Steel Chief Executive Officer Henrik Henriksson said: This is a significant milestone for our project in Boden. Not only by securing a supply of the high-quality iron ore needed for our green steel production, but also because we have a buyer for a portion of the HBI we initially expect to produce. Rio Tinto is a global leader in the mining industry and we welcome its concrete actions to accelerate the decarbonisation of the steel industry. Rio Tinto Head of Steel Decarbonisation Simon Farry said: We are partnering across the steel ecosystem to find better ways to support the decarbonisation of iron and steel making, and to reduce our scope 3 emissions. Our supply of high-grade iron ore pellets will support the acceleration of H2 Green Steels project, and on-selling their low-carbon HBI will enable us to gain a deeper understanding of the future needs of our customers and end users in the emerging green iron and steel market. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230808069064/en/ Please direct all enquiries to [email protected] Media Relations, United Kingdom Matthew Klar M +44 7796 630 637 David Outhwaite M +44 7787 597 493 Media Relations, Australia Matt Chambers M +61 433 525 739 Jesse Riseborough M +61 436 653 412 Alyesha Anderson M +61 434 868 118 Media Relations, Americas Simon Letendre M +1 514 796 4973 Malika Cherry M +1 418 592 7293 Investor Relations, United Kingdom Menno Sanderse M +44 7825 195 178 David Ovington M +44 7920 010 978 Laura Brooks M +44 7826 942 797 Investor Relations, Australia Tom Gallop M +61 439 353 948 Amar Jambaa M +61 472 865 948 Rio Tinto plc 6 St Jamess Square London SW1Y 4AD United Kingdom T +44 20 7781 2000 Registered in England No. 719885 Rio Tinto Limited Level 43, 120 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 Australia T +61 3 9283 3333 Registered in Australia ABN 96 004 458 404 riotinto.com Category: IOC Source: Rio Tinto DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Momentum Independent Network Inc. (MIN), an affiliate of Hilltop Securities Inc. (HilltopSecurities), is pleased to welcome Scott McCaffrey as the new Head of Momentum Independent Network. To have the opportunity to add someone of Scotts caliber to the Momentum Independent Network team is a real high point, says John Muschalek, Head of Wealth Management at HilltopSecurities and President of Momentum Independent Network. His depth of experience will provide great value to the clients we serve, and we believe that his vision will help us to continue to build MIN into the premiere independent offering on the street. McCaffrey brings 25 years of financial services experience. During his career, he has focused on streamlining business development and operations management, including business transformations, future-oriented planning, revenue optimization, market penetration, customer success management, sales, and partnerships development. Prior to joining MIN, he served as Divisional Manager of the Institution Services Wealth Consulting team at LPL Financial. In addition, he was Executive Vice President, National Sales Manager at BBVA Compass Wealth Management, Senior Vice President, Regional Sales Manager at Wells Fargo Advisors, and Senior Vice President, Regional Investment Manager, at Citigroup Global Markets. Its rare that you find a company that is nimble enough to take advantage of the market share dislocations that come with the ever-changing regulatory and investment landscape we find ourselves in, McCaffrey says. Thats why its such an incredible honor for me to lead the Momentum Independent Network here at HilltopSecurities and to continue the work of building out one of the premier Wealth Management offerings across the U.S. About Momentum Independent Network Momentum Independent Network Inc. (MIN), a member of FINRA and SIPC, is a Dallas, Texas-based broker-dealer serving independent registered representatives and their clients across the United States. The firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HTH) and a sister company of Hilltop Securities Inc., through which it clears its securities business. Other MIN affiliates include PlainsCapital Bank and PrimeLending. Learn more at MomentumIN.com. About Hilltop Securities Inc. Hilltop Securities Inc. delivers forthright advice and tailored solutions for municipal issuers, institutions, broker-dealers, and individuals. The full-service municipal investment bank and registered investment adviser is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with offices across the United States. Areas of focus include public finance; municipal and taxable fixed income underwriting, sales, and trading; retail brokerage services; securities clearing; structured finance; and securities lending. A wholly owned subsidiary of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HTH), HilltopSecurities affiliates include Momentum Independent Network Inc., PlainsCapital Bank, and PrimeLending. Learn more at www.HilltopSecurities.com. Member: NYSE/FINRA/SIPC. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS DISCLAIMER This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as required by law, we do not assume any duty to update forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning such things as our plans, objectives, strategies, expectations, intentions and other statements that are not statements of historical fact, and may be identified by words such as believe, continue, expects, may, plan, seeks, will or would or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases. See the risk factors described in Hilltop Holdings Inc.s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809211114/en/ Hilltop Holdings Inc. Ben Brooks 214.252.4047 [email protected] Source: Hilltop Securities Inc. KYODO NEWS - Aug 9, 2023 - 13:02 | All, World U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he is planning to visit Vietnam "shortly," as Washington seeks to strengthen ties with the Southeast Asian country in an attempt to counter China's growing influence in the region. Speaking at an off-camera campaign reception in New Mexico, Biden said, "I'm going to be going to Vietnam shortly because Vietnam wants to change our relationship and become a partner," according to a press pool report from the event. Biden did not specify when the trip would take place, according to the report. He is expected to travel to India in September to attend a summit of the Group of 20 major economies. U.S. officials have said deepening ties with Vietnam, a fast-growing Southeast Asian country, is critical in advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific amid China's rise. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Vietnam in April. Last month, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also visited Hanoi to meet with senior officials and agreed with them to build stronger relations. Vietnam is embroiled in a long-standing territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea. Speaking about international affairs at the reception, Biden suggested many developments have been taking place around the world to "change the dynamic." Vietnam is a member of the U.S-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework launched by Biden last year. The members of the framework, including Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea but not China, account for around 40 percent of global gross domestic product. The acquisition supports Epassis vision to become the leading digital, pan-European employee benefits provider ESPOO, Finland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Funds advised by TA Associates (TA) and Warburg Pincus LLC (Warburg Pincus), two leading global private equity firms focused on growth investing, have acquired a majority stake in Epassi Group (Epassi or "the Company) from majority shareholder Bregal Milestone, a leading technology growth private equity firm. As part of the transaction, Epassis founder Risto Virkkala will remain invested in the next stage of the Companys growth strategy. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809198085/en/ Epassi, a market leader for digital employee benefit payments in the Nordics, serves approximately 10,000 employers in the region, enabling two million employees to redeem a comprehensive range of employee benefits through Epassis network of more than 51,000 merchants in Finland and Sweden. In 2023, Epassi expanded into the European market, adding more than 3,000 employers, 11 million employees and 11,000 merchants across Italy, the UK and Ireland to the Companys platform. Under Bregal Milestones ownership, Epassi cemented its leadership position in the Nordics and established a strong foundation for future pan-European expansion, driven by the Companys differentiated mobile-first digital offering and multi-sided network of corporates, merchants and consumers. Since 2019, Epassi has increased Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) ninefold, the number of customers fourfold and the number of Epassi employees fivefold. Following our recent growth in the Nordics and expansion into the UK, Ireland and Italy, the investment from TA and Warburg Pincus comes at an opportune time as we look to accelerate growth. With the help of Bregal Milestone, we have already shown the potential that Epassi possesses, and we are ready to grow and further scale internationally. We believe this is a natural next step in our journey and are proud to welcome the support of TA and Warburg Pincus, two world-class growth investors, as we aim to expand into other business areas and markets, says Pekka Rantala, CEO of Epassi. Epassi is uniquely positioned at the intersection of employee benefits technology and payments, serving a three-sided network of employers, employees and merchants. Epassis platform is driving the continued shift from analogue to digital solutions and helping employers develop their increasingly important employee well-being and ESG offerings. We are thrilled to be supporting Epassi on its future growth journey, with a vision to expand its role as a pan-European leader in digital employee benefits solutions and partnering with the Companys founder, Risto Virkkala, and management team as well as with TA, said Adarsh Sarma, Managing Director, Issam Abedin, Principal, and Tarik-Timo Ghoniem, Vice President, at Warburg Pincus. Epassi has established itself as a prominent, digital-first player in the employee benefits payments industry, showcasing a strong commitment to innovation and an understanding of evolving market needs. With a robust technology stack and a defensible market position in five countries, Epassi is well-positioned to expand its product portfolio and market presence across Europe, both organically and through M&A. We are excited to join Epassi on the next chapter of its journey and partner with Warburg Pincus on this acquisition," stated Naveen Wadhera, Managing Director, Max Cancre, Director, and Laurent Indekeu, Vice President, at TA. We are very proud to have jointly built Epassi into one of the leading employee benefits disruptors in Europe, exponentially growing revenues and profitability since our initial investment in 2019. Through our successful M&A activity and with the strong and dedicated support of our in-house value creation team Milestone Performance Partners, Epassi successfully expanded into five European markets, accelerated organic growth and improved margins. We were pleased to have worked with Pekka and Risto to build a talented leadership team and provide stewardship across several areas, including the Companys go-to-market strategy, technology evolution, operational integration and ESG. We wish Epassi continued success in their next stage of growth, said Cyrus Shey, Managing Partner, Rob Hetherington, Head of Milestone Performance Partners, and Saachi Oza, Principal at Bregal Milestone. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal counsel to Warburg Pincus and Goodwin acted as legal counsel to TA. J.P. Morgan acted as exclusive financial advisor and White & Case acted as legal counsel to Bregal Milestone and Epassi. About Epassi Epassi, founded in 2007 in Helsinki, is a market leader in the provision of employee benefits within the Nordics, Italy and the UK. The unique and scalable solution drives mobile tech and payment solutions to open up a world of health and well-being possibilities, combining all benefits in one user-friendly service. Epassi Group is Europes leading digital solution for employee benefits, with a reach of nearly 13 million users, over 13 500 employers, and more than 59 000 service providers. Epassi is a trailblazer fintech company in the Nordic countries and has been awarded by the Financial Times as one of the fastest growing companies in Europe in 2022 and 2023. Epassi Boosting everyday well-being. www.epassi.com About TA TA is a leading global private equity firm focused on scaling growth in profitable companies. Since 1968, TA has invested in more than 560 companies across its five target industries technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and business services. Leveraging its deep industry expertise and strategic resources, TA collaborates with management teams worldwide to help high-quality companies deliver lasting value. The firm has raised $65 billion in capital to date and has over 150 investment professionals across offices in Boston, Menlo Park, Austin, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA can be found at www.ta.com. About Warburg Pincus Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global growth investor. The firm has more than $83 billion in assets under management. The firms active portfolio of more than 250 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector, and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 21 private equity and 2 real estate funds, which have invested more than $112 billion in over 1,000 companies in more than 40 countries. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information please visit www.warburgpincus.com. About Bregal Milestone Bregal Milestone is a leading technology growth private equity firm with c.1.3 billion of capital raised since inception. The firm provides growth capital and strategic assistance to support market-leading technology companies. Bregal Milestone is part of Bregal Investments, a leading global investment platform with assets under management of over 16 billion. For more information, visit www.bregalmilestone.com or follow us on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809198085/en/ Media contacts: Epassi Pekka Rantala CEO, Epassi Group [email protected] +358405051970 TA Maggie Benoit Senior Manager, Communications [email protected] +1 617-598-6685 Warburg Pincus Jenna Ward Director, Marketing and Communications [email protected] +44 7570 844338 Bregal Milestone Jillian Hazelton Head of Marketing & Communications [email protected] Source: TA Associates DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Able Machinery Movers is honored to be a recipient of the Texas Instruments (TI) 2022 Supplier Excellence Award. The annual award is given to suppliers of products and services that are able to consistently meet TIs high standards for excellence. TI selects an elite group of suppliers out of thousands based on their exemplary performance across a number of performance metrics including cost, quality and environmental responsibility. TI works with over 12,000 suppliers but only 22 were selected for the 2022 Supplier Excellence Award. The management team from TIs 300-mm Wafer Fab Manufacturing Operations presented the award to Able Machinery Movers on July 10, 2023. Brian Dunlap, the Vice President of 300-mm Wafer Fab Manufacturing Operations at Texas Instruments, noted that, I am happy to recognize Able Machinery Movers with TIs Supplier Excellence Award and celebrate with the outstanding team members whose work contributed to the aggressive ramp of our newest factory in Richardson, Texas. The team supported our customers growth and also did it with a safety-first mindset. For nearly 40 years, TI has recognized companies that offer the highest level of service and contribute to TIs goal of continuously striving for excellence. Able Machinery Movers considers the award to be a great achievement, especially given that the company was the only clean room crating and rigging supplier to make TIs list of 2022 award recipients. Clean room crating and rigging is a highly specialized service that is required by semiconductor companies, like TI, as well as in many other industries from medical research to manufacturing. Ables team is very appreciative and grateful to receive TIs 2022 Supplier Excellence Award, said Ben Miller, Ables CEO. We would like to thank the TI teams that have supported and worked shoulder to shoulder with us every day. This award is particularly meaningful because we respect the high standards of excellence that TI sets for itself and suppliers across all the dimensions of the partnership. ABOUT ABLE MACHINERY MOVERS For over 65 years Able Machinery Movers LLC has set the standard for heavy equipment installation, decommissioning, crating, and relocation. Over the decades, Ables service selection has expanded to include clean room rigging and crating services. In 2000 the company became one of the first suppliers in the southwest to operate mobile clean room equipment vehicles. Able has locations in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. For more information, please visit www.ablemachinerymovers.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230808120062/en/ Ben Miller 817-410-8881 [email protected] Source: Able Machinery Movers New partnership will expand capabilities for clients in Southern Region SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TYLin, a globally recognized full-service infrastructure consulting firm, announces the acquisition of Architectural Engineers Collaborative (AEC), a leading privately held structural engineering firm based in Austin, Texas. AEC was established in 1998 by experienced structural engineers with a mission to practice architectural engineering and provide technical and aesthetic solutions that meet their clients creative visions. An intrinsic belief of the firm is that structural design and architectural design are inseparable and that successful projects are the products of collaboration between architects and engineers. AEC specialties include Architectural Structures, Engineering Innovation, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and Sustainability/Green Buildings/LEED. From new builds to adaptive reuse and historic preservation, AEC projects include a wide range of building structures for commercial, hospitality, government, education, and technology clients. The firm also provides structural engineering for transportation facilities, with a portfolio that includes airport terminals, transit stations, and pedestrian bridges. Many of their projects have won awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Texas Society of Architects. According to TYLin Group President and Chief Executive Officer Matthew G. Cummings, PE, both TYLin and AEC were founded by passionate, principled industry leaders and have the vision to make substantive contributions to society while delivering exceptional results. Architectural Engineers Collaborative brings a commitment to innovation and collaboration that blends perfectly with our key priorities: our people, our portfolio of clients and projects, and the value we deliver to clients, stakeholders, and the communities we serve, said Cummings. Joining with AEC is an important step that further expands our structural capabilities and deepens our presence across the Buildings and Infrastructure sectors in the important Texas market. As part of TYLin Group, AEC will be within the combined organizations Buildings Sector in the Americas. AEC Founding Principal Charles Naeve, PE, and his talented team will report directly to Nat Oppenheimer, PE, LEED AP, Leader of the TYLin Group Buildings Sector and Silman, a TYLin Company. For AEC clients, the benefits of this acquisition are significant, including the same dedicated collaboration with the local AEC team while gaining access to TYLin Groups substantial global resources and technological capabilities. This new combined organization allows us to offer our clients a powerful combination of nearly 3,500 people, proven methods and tools, and a broader range of capabilities and solutions, no matter where they operate or how complex the project, said Naeve. Our staff also benefit from being part of TYLin Groups larger organization, including more opportunity for professional career development and the potential to work on larger, more diversified types of projects. AEC will maintain its current project types and operation, doing business as Architectural Engineers Collaborative, a TYLin Company. About TYLin: Founded in 1954, TYLin is a globally recognized, full-service infrastructure consulting firm committed to providing innovative, cost-effective, constructible designs for the global infrastructure market. With 3,200+ employees working in 65 offices throughout the Americas, Asia, and Europe, the firm provides support on projects of varying size and complexity. TYLin is a member of Dar Group, one of the worlds leading architecture, engineering, project management, and energy consultancy groups. For more information about the company, please visit www.tylin.com. About Architectural Engineers Collaborative: Architectural Engineers Collaborative (AEC) was established in Austin, Texas, in 1998 by experienced structural engineers with a mission to practice architectural engineering. With 35 employees operating in offices in Austin and San Antonio, AEC is known for consistently delivering excellence in service and product and acting in the interest of the clients and the built environment. The firm believes that technical proficiency and innovation are best cultivated by the free exchange of ideas in a community of diverse strengths and experiences. For more information, please visit https://aecollab.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809545024/en/ Michael Luhning Global Brand & Communications Officer TYLin [email protected] Source: TYLin LINCOLN, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Zoetis: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809927875/en/ Zoetis CEO Kristin Peck (center), cuts the ribbon, marking the official opening of the company's new monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) expansion. Ms. Peck is pictured with Zoetis leadership and local officials. Source: Zoetis NEWS FACTS Today, Zoetis, the world leader in Animal Health, marked the official opening of its new monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) expansion with a ribbon cutting ceremony at its site in Lincoln, Neb. The ceremony was attended by local officials, including U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts, Lincoln Mayor Gaylor Baird and key company leaders including Zoetis CEO Kristin Peck, and President of Global Manufacturing and Supply, Nick Ashton. This new facility will enable the Lincoln manufacturing site to increase production of products that control osteoarthritis pain in dogs and cats the companys largest growing area of need for pet care customers. The new facility will also be a home for future innovation and serve as a Veterinary Medicine R&D registration facility for the company as it looks to expand its portfolio with future innovations. ZOETIS IN LINCOLN Zoetis Lincoln site in Neb. is a crucial manufacturing plant within the Zoetis supply network. It plays a vital role in producing biologics, biopharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical products for animals. With a workforce of nearly 950 colleagues operating 24/7, year-round, the site manufactures an impressive 1,239 finished goods, or stock keeping units (SKUs), for distribution to more than 100 countries worldwide. Located on 145 acres in the west side of Lincoln, Neb., the campus spans 1.4 million square feet, housing manufacturing, testing, and facility support buildings. Zoetis produces some of its flagship vaccines and pharmaceutical products in Lincoln, including: Cytopoint - a monoclonal antibody that provides effective treatment for dogs against allergic or atopic dermatitis, Vanguard - a line of vaccines to keep dogs and cats protected from common diseases, BoviShield - a line of vaccines shown to be efficacious against respiratory diseases, and reproductive diseases for the specific BoviShield FP line, in cattle, Simparica (sarolaner) - a parasiticide that protects dogs from ticks and fleas. Simparica belongs to the Isoxazoline drug class and has been associated with neurologic adverse reactions including seizures. Use with caution in dogs with a history of these conditions. The most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. Rimadyl (carprofen) - a pharmaceutical product for relief of pain associated with osteoarthritis in dogs. Rimadyl belongs to the NSAIDS drug class and has been associated with gastrointestinal, kidney and liver side effects; contact your dogs veterinarian if side effects occur. Evaluation for pre-existing conditions and regular monitoring are recommended for pets on Rimadyl. Use with other NSAIDS or corticosteroids should be avoided. Zoetis and its predecessors have long maintained a presence in the Lincoln area. In the early 20th century, pharmaceutical firms and distributors such as Norden Laboratories established facilities in Nebraska that evolved over time. More recent incarnations of these animal health companies, including Zoetis, have continued to play an important economic role in the Lincoln community. QUOTES We are excited to celebrate the opening of our new facility right here in Nebraska! This community is important to us as we have been welcomed to do business here for over a decade as Zoetis, delivering high quality, reliable supply of our animal health products for customers around the world, said Chris Rasmussen, Zoetis Site Leader, Lincoln. For the last 10 years, we have been able to grow our business, expand our site and bring more than 900 jobs to the site in Lincoln based on the worlds fundamental need for ways to keep animals healthy. Our Zoetis Lincoln team has always demonstrated a commitment to the worlds veterinary community and livestock producers by delivering purpose-driven innovation that transforms the lives of animals from cats to cattle -- and its why we continue to invest in the operations and colleagues here, said Kristin Peck, CEO Zoetis. This new monoclonal antibody (mAbs) expansion will enable us to continue meeting the needs of our customers in one of the fastest growing areas of animal health, and our team in Lincoln will be critical to that future. ABOUT ZOETIS As the worlds leading animal health company, Zoetis is driven by a singular purpose: to nurture our world and humankind by advancing care for animals. After innovating ways to predict, prevent, detect, and treat animal illness for more than 70 years, Zoetis continues to stand by those raising and caring for animals worldwide -- from veterinarians and pet owners to livestock farmers and ranchers. The companys leading portfolio and pipeline of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and technologies make a difference in over 100 countries. A Fortune 500 company, Zoetis generated revenue of $8.1 billion in 2022 with approximately 13,800 employees. For more information, visit www.zoetis.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809927875/en/ Media: Bill Price Mobile: 908-251-1972 [email protected] Robyn Velardo Mobile: 973-936-0481 [email protected] Source: Zoetis FILE PHOTO: An aerial view shows a crude oil tanker at an oil terminal off Waidiao island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China January 4, 2023. China Daily via REUTERS By Arathy Somasekhar HOUSTON (Reuters) -Oil prices hit new peaks on Wednesday with the global Brent benchmark touching its highest since January after a steep drawdown in U.S. fuel stockpiles and Saudi and Russian output cuts offset concerns about slow demand from China. Brent crude settled $1.38, or 1.6%, higher at $87.55 a barrel, its highest since Jan. 27. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) closed $1.48, or 1.8%, higher at $84.40, at its highest since November 2022. U.S. gasoline stocks fell by 2.7 million barrels last week, while distillate inventories, which include diesel and heating oil, dropped by 1.7 million barrels, government data showed, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for both to hold mostly steady. [EIA/S] "The draws in refined products continue to be bullish for the oil market," said Andrew Lipow, president at Lipow Oil Associates in Houston. Markets largely shrugged off a higher-than-expected 5.85 million-barrel build in U.S. crude stocks after a record drawdown the week before. The U.S. fuel stock drawdown helped offset some demand concerns after Chinese data on Tuesday showed crude oil imports in July fell 18.8% from the previous month to their lowest daily rate since January. China's consumer sector also fell into deflation and factory-gate prices extended declines in July, as the world's second-largest economy struggled to revive demand. Supporting prices, however, were top exporter Saudi Arabia's plans to extend its voluntary production cut of 1 million barrels per day for another month to include September. Russia also said it would cut oil exports by 300,000 bpd in September. "The latest recovery is mainly driven by the pledge of major producers, like Saudi Arabia and Russia, to keep supply subdued for another month," said Charalampos Pissouros, senior investment analyst at broker XM. Crude posted its sixth consecutive weekly gain last week, helped by a reduction in OPEC+ supplies and hopes of stimulus boosting oil demand recovery in China. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's cabinet said it reaffirmed its support for precautionary measures by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, known as OPEC+, to stabilise the market, state media reported. Markets will also closely watch July's U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI), due on Thursday, which is expected to show a slight year-over-year acceleration. (Additional reporting by Alex Lawler in London, Yuka Obayashi in Tokyo and Andrew Hayley in Beijing; Editing by Paul Simao, Kirsten Donovan and Cynthia Osterman) Gates Industrial Corporation plc (NYSE: GTES, "Gates" or the "Company") announced today the pricing of the previously announced secondary offering of 15,000,000 ordinary shares (the "Offering") by certain selling stockholders affiliated with Blackstone Inc. (the "Selling Stockholders") at a public offering price of $11.75 per share. The Selling Stockholders have also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional ordinary shares. The offering is expected to close on August 14, 2023 , subject to customary closing conditions. Gates is not offering any ordinary shares in the Offering and will not receive any proceeds from the sale of ordinary shares in the Offering. Citigroup and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC are serving as the joint lead book-running managers of, and as representatives of the underwriters for, the Offering. BofA Securities, Barclays, Morgan Stanley, RBC Capital Markets and UBS Investment Bank are also serving as joint book-running managers for the Offering. The offering of these securities is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement. The offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. A copy of the prospectus relating to these securities may be obtained upon request by contacting: Citigroup, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue , Edgewood, NY 11717 (Tel: 800-831-9146); or Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street , New York, NY 10282 (Tel: 866-471-2526) or by e-mail at [email protected]. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Honda Motor (NYSE: HMC) announced Wednesday, a 78% surge in quarterly earnings, attributed to higher sales, particularly in North America. The country's second-largest car manufacturer in terms of sales disclosed an operating profit of 394.4 billion yen ($2.76 billion) for the period spanning April to June, compared with a 222.2 billion yen profit in the same period last year and significantly surpassing the streets 324.74 billion yen estimate. Honda reported a substantial 44.7% year-on-year increase in sales to retail customers in the crucial U.S. market. This surge amounted to 347,000 units, reflecting an easing of supply disruptions caused by post-pandemic challenges. However, according to a Honda official, conditions in China have grown worse for Honda compared to when it issued its forecast of selling 1.4 million vehicles for the full year. "We're still operating amid some restrictions from semiconductors," the official said. "If we were to revise our sales forecast in China, we'll want to move ahead with considering whether we can distribute parts to and manufacture more in other regions." Honda reiterated its forecast for a 1.0 trillion yen operating profit for the current year, below the average forecast of 1.117 trillion yen. Shares of HMC are up 3.69% in early trading Wednesday. By Michael Elkins | [email protected] Patient Screening Completed in Part 2 of Phase 1b/2a Trial of BX004 with patient enrollment expected to exceed original estimates FDA grants BX004 Fast Track designation Initial Data from Part 2 Now Expected in November 2023 Company Will Host a Conference Call and Webcast Today at 8:00 am ET CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and NESS ZIONA, Israel, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BiomX Inc. (NYSE American: PHGE) (BiomX or the Company), a clinical-stage company advancing novel natural and engineered phage therapies that target specific pathogenic bacteria, today reported financial results and provided a business update for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023. Our BX004 clinical program in cystic fibrosis (CF) continues to build significant momentum, said Jonathan Solomon, Chief Executive Officer of BiomX. We recently completed patient screening in Part 2 of our ongoing Phase 1b/2a trial with patient enrollment expected to exceed original estimates, which reflects continued execution by our clinical team and a growing awareness within the CF patient community of the BX004 program. I am also pleased to announce that BX004 just received Fast Track designation from the FDA, which provides further recognition that our BX004 program is addressing one of the most serious and challenging unmet medical needs facing the CF community. In June, we presented our positive Part 1 results at the recent European Cystic Fibrosis Conference (ECFC) meeting, which highlighted the excellent safety of BX004 along with its notable activity in reducing P. aeruginosa bacteria burden. In Part 2, we are testing BX004 in a larger number of CF patients who are dosed twice a day and over a longer, 10-day treatment period compared to Part 1. Part 2 of the study will provide additional data on safety and reduction in bacterial burden, along with other exploratory clinical endpoints. Based on our current estimates, we now believe the Part 2 data analysis will take an additional 4-6 weeks to complete. We therefore expect to report initial results from Part 2 in November 2023. Clinical Program Updates Cystic Fibrosis (BX004) In August 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted BX004 Fast Track designation for the treatment of chronic respiratory infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PsA) bacterial strains in patients with CF. The FDAs Fast Track designation is a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious conditions and address significant unmet medical needs. The FDA defines addressing a significant unmet medical need as providing a therapy where none exists or providing a therapy which may be potentially better than available therapies. The benefits of Fast Track designation include but are not limited to early and frequent communication with the FDA throughout the entire drug development and review process. In addition, a drug with Fast Track designation is eligible for rolling submission and priority review of its Biologics License Application and/or New Drug Application. These assure that questions and issues are resolved quickly, often leading to earlier drug approval and access by patients.1 In June 2023, during the Late-Breaking Science Session at the 46th ECFC, BiomX presented positive results from Part 1 of the Phase 1b/2a trial evaluating BX004 for the treatment of chronic pulmonary infections caused by P. aeruginosa bacteria in patients with CF. Highlights from the Part 1 data, which were initially reported in February 2023, were also presented at a poster session during the ECFC meeting ( link to poster No safety events related to treatment with BX004 Mean P. aeruginosa colony forming units (CFU) at Day 15 (compared to baseline) were reduced by more than 90%: -1.42 log10 CFU/g (BX004) vs. -0.28 log10 CFU/g (placebo). This reduction occurred in the presence of standard of care inhaled antibiotics Phages were detected in the sputum of all patients treated with BX004 during the dosing period, including in several patients up to Day 15 (one week after end of therapy); no phages were detected in patients receiving placebo There was no emerging bacterial resistance to BX004 during or after treatment with BX004 As expected, likely due to the short course of therapy, there was no detectable effect on % predicted FEV1 (First-second Forced Expiratory Volume) BX004 is being developed for the treatment of chronic respiratory infections caused by P. aeruginosa, a main contributor to morbidity and mortality in patients with CF. The Phase 1b/2a trial is composed of two parts. Part 1 of the study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and microbiologic/clinical activity of BX004 in nine CF patients in a single ascending dose and multiple dose design. Part 2 of the study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of BX004 in at least 24 CF patients randomized to a treatment or placebo cohort in a 2:1 ratio. Results from Part 2 of the trial are expected in November 2023. As previously announced, BiomX has received a Therapeutics Development Award of $5 million from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The award was structured as an equity investment in which the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation purchased $5 million of BiomX common stock across two separate tranches. Atopic Dermatitis (AD) (BX005) The Company is collaborating with Maruho Co. Ltd., a leading dermatology-focused pharmaceutical company in Japan, supporting a range of pre-clinical activities to move this program forward and working on evaluating timelines for a clinical trial. RECENT CORPORATE HIGHLIGHTS On May 12, 2023, the Company announced the appointments of Jason M. Marks and Michael E. Dambach, CFA to its Board of Directors. Mr. Marks most recently served as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer & Corporate Secretary/Senior Advisor with Amarin Corporation plc, and Mr. Dambach serves as Vice President and Treasurer of Biogen Inc. On May 5, 2023, the Company announced the second closing of its $7.5 million private placement investment (PIPE). The Company expects to use the aggregate net proceeds from the PIPE, together with existing cash and cash equivalents, to fund clinical development of BX004 for the treatment of lung infections in patients with CF, the development of other phage therapy programs and research activities, as well as working capital and other general corporate purposes. Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results Cash balance, short-term deposits and restricted cash as of June 30, 2023, were $30.7 million, compared to $34.3 million as of December 31, 2022. The decrease was primarily due to net cash used in operating activities. The Company estimates its cash runway is sufficient to fund operations into the third quarter of 2024. as of June 30, 2023, were $30.7 million, compared to $34.3 million as of December 31, 2022. The decrease was primarily due to net cash used in operating activities. The Company estimates its cash runway is sufficient to fund operations into the third quarter of 2024. Research and development (R&D) expenses, net were $3.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, compared to $4.6 million for the same period in 2022. The decrease was primarily attributed to reduced salaries and related expenses and stock-based compensation expenses that resulted from a reduction in workforce, as part of a corporate restructuring the Company announced in May 2022 (the Corporate Restructuring); as well as deprioritizing pre-clinical and clinical activities related to the Companys AD product candidate, BX005, and higher proceeds from collaboration agreements in the 2023 period. These were partially offset by expenses related to conducting the Phase 1b/2a clinical trial of the Companys CF product candidate, BX004. were $3.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, compared to $4.6 million for the same period in 2022. The decrease was primarily attributed to reduced salaries and related expenses and stock-based compensation expenses that resulted from a reduction in workforce, as part of a corporate restructuring the Company announced in May 2022 (the Corporate Restructuring); as well as deprioritizing pre-clinical and clinical activities related to the Companys AD product candidate, BX005, and higher proceeds from collaboration agreements in the 2023 period. These were partially offset by expenses related to conducting the Phase 1b/2a clinical trial of the Companys CF product candidate, BX004. General and administrative expenses were $2.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, compared to $2.4 million for the same period in 2022. The decrease primarily resulted from a reduction in the premium for the Companys directors and officers' insurance policy. were $2.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, compared to $2.4 million for the same period in 2022. The decrease primarily resulted from a reduction in the premium for the Companys directors and officers' insurance policy. Net loss for the second quarter of 2023 was $6.4 million, compared to $7.5 million for the same period in 2022. for the second quarter of 2023 was $6.4 million, compared to $7.5 million for the same period in 2022. Net cash used in operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2023, was $9.1 million, compared to $16.4 million for the same period in 2022. Conference Call and Webcast Information BiomX management will host a conference call and webcast today at 8:00 am ET to report financial results and business updates for the second quarter of 2023. To participate in the conference, please dial 1-877-407-0724 (U.S.), 1-809-406-247 (Israel), or 1-201-389-0898 (International). A live and archived webcast of the call will be available on the Investors section of the Companys website at www.biomx.com, the content of which does not form a part of this press release. About BiomX BiomX is a clinical-stage company developing both natural and engineered phage cocktails designed to target and destroy bacteria in the treatment of chronic diseases. BiomX discovers and validates proprietary bacterial targets and customizes phage compositions against these targets. For more information, please visit www.biomx.com, the content of which does not form a part of this press release. Safe HarborThis press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: target, believe, expect, will, may, anticipate, estimate, would, positioned, future, and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. For example, when BiomX discusses the potential safety or efficacy of BX004, the expected timing , design and patient enrollment of Part 2 of the Phase 1b/2a study and the potential of targeted phage therapy to treat infections in CF patients, when it refers to other programs, such as the program to treat Atopic Dermatitis, and when it discusses the estimate of the sufficiency of its cash runway, BiomX is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on BiomX managements current beliefs, expectations and assumptions. 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 BiomXs control. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, investors should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements and should review the risks and uncertainties described under the caption Risk Factors in BiomXs Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on March 29, 2023 and additional disclosures BiomX makes in its other filings with the SEC, which are available on the SECs website at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and except as provided by law BiomX expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update forward-looking statements. BiomX Contacts Investor Relations:LifeSci Advisors, LLCJohn Mullaly(617)-698-9253[email protected] BiomX, Inc.Anat PrimovichCorporate Project Manager+972 (50) 697-7228[email protected] Source: BiomX Inc. 1 Source: https://www.fda.gov/patients/fast-track-breakthrough-therapy-accelerated-approval-priority-review/fast-track BIOMX INC.CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS(USD in thousands, except share and per share data)(unaudited) As of Note June 30,2023 December 31,2022 ASSETS Current assets Cash and cash equivalents 29,711 31,332 Restricted cash 951 962 Short-term deposits - 2,000 Other current assets 4 2,528 2,587 Total current assets 33,190 36,881 Non-current assets Operating lease right-of-use assets 3,673 3,860 Property and equipment, net 4,390 4,790 Total non-current assets 8,063 8,650 41,253 45,531 BIOMX INC.CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS(USD in thousands, except share and per share data)(unaudited) As of Note June 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY Current liabilities Trade accounts payable 2,228 820 Current portion of lease liabilities 654 687 Other accounts payable 5 3,394 2,150 Current portion of long-term debt 7 5,391 4,282 Total current liabilities 11,667 7,939 Non-current liabilities Contract liability 1,976 1,976 Long-term debt, net of current portion 7 8,159 10,591 Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion 3,396 3,798 Other liabilities 190 188 Total non-current liabilities 13,721 16,553 Commitments and Contingencies 6 Stockholders equity 8 Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value; Authorized - 1,000,000 shares as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022. No shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022. - - Common Stock, $0.0001 par value; Authorized - 120,000,000 shares as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022. Issued 45,979,730 shares as of June 30, 2023 and 29,982,282 shares as of December 31, 2022. Outstanding 45,974,030 shares as of June 30, 2023 and 29,976,582 shares as of December 31, 2022. 3 2 Additional paid in capital 165,435 157,838 Accumulated deficit (149,573 ) (136,801 ) Total stockholders equity 15,865 21,039 41,253 45,531 BIOMX INC.CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS(USD in thousands, except share and per share data)(unaudited) Three Months EndedJune 30, Six Months EndedJune 30, Note 2023 2022 2023 2022 Research and development (R&D) expenses, net 3,818 4,584 8,382 9,513 Amortization of intangible assets - 379 - 759 General and administrative expenses 2,255 2,361 3,899 4,838 Operating loss 6,073 7,324 12,281 15,110 Other income (90 ) - (181 ) - Interest expenses 745 488 1,310 949 Finance income, net (325 ) (339 ) (652 ) (426 ) Loss before tax 6,403 7,473 12,758 15,633 Tax expenses 8 9 14 18 Net loss 6,411 7,482 12,772 15,651 Basic and diluted loss per share of Common Stock 9 0.12 0.25 0.31 0.53 Weighted average number of shares of Common Stock outstanding, basic and diluted 51,552,923 29,774,709 41,860,338 29,764,588 Source: BiomX Oslo, 9 August 2023 DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today announced that a fast-track development concept has been agreed for its 2016 Brasse oil and gas discovery in license PL740 offshore Norway, paving the way for detailed design studies to link up with the Brage field in which the Company also has an interest. A final investment decision is expected early next year. The project was restarted in early 2023 as the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary DNO Norge AS (50 percent) and its new license partner OKEA ASA (50 percent) initiated review of a simplified tieback to the Brage platform in operation since 1993 and located 13 kilometres north of Brasse. OKEA took over as Brage operator last fall and the main commercial terms for the tie-in now have been agreed with the Brage joint venture, in which DNO holds a 14.2567 percent stake. This review has led to approval of a concept selection (DG2) involving a much-reduced topside modification scope on Brage compared to previous considerations of a linkup with a host platform. Well design has also been simplified for a two-well development targeting recovery of up to 30 million barrels of oil equivalent from Brasse (estimated two-thirds oil and one-third natural gas and NGL), with a potential start-up as early as 2026. "Together with OKEA we have come up with a win-win development concept for Brasse," said rjan Gjerde, General Manager DNO North Sea AS. In addition to finally unlocking profitable barrels from the Brasse discovery itself, the project is expected to materially extend the Brage fields remaining lifetime," he added. To maximize synergies with Brage and lower costs, DNO has agreed to the transfer of operatorship of PL740 to OKEA, as well as the 50 percent interest in Brasse freed up following the exit of a prior license partner. For further information, please contact: Media: [email protected] Investors: [email protected] DNO ASA is a Norwegian oil and gas operator active in the Middle East, the North Sea and West Africa. Founded in 1971 and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, the Company holds stakes in onshore and offshore licenses at various stages of exploration, development and production in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Norway, the United Kingdom, Cote d'Ivoire, Netherlands and Yemen. This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. New York, New York, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CertiK, the global leader in blockchain cybersecurity and code auditing, is acknowledged in the release notes in Apple's latest OS updates. CertiKs contributions are related to two security vulnerabilities related to Apples iOS kernel. These vulnerabilities were confirmed to affect the latest iOS devices. According to Apples official security update page, these vulnerabilities would have allowed an app to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. In this latest release, Apple has addressed these vulnerabilities with improved memory handling. As Web3 applications become mainstream, the security of the mobile devices users use to access them becomes crucial. CertiK has previously studied the security of mobile wallets and has investigated different levels of security protection in mobile devices. CertiK is proud to help Apple to enhance its systems security. CertiK's expertise extends beyond the realm of blockchain and into all corners of the digital world. As more people around the world use their smartphones for cryptocurrency wallets and other security-conscious applications, its essential that the devices themselves are protected. This latest discovery once again emphasizes the value of CertiKs dedicated in depth security research and products, and proactive threat identification efforts. CertiK's proactive identification and reporting of these vulnerabilities underscore the vital importance of comprehensive, multi-layered security from the application layer down to the kernel layer. In a hyperconnected digital age, security must be airtight at every level to truly safeguard systems and data. This acknowledgment stands as proof of CertiK's commitment to fortifying the entirety of the digital landscape. About CertiK CertiK is a pioneer in blockchain security, leveraging best-in-class technology to protect and monitor blockchain protocols and smart contracts. Founded in 2018 by professors from Yale University and Columbia University, CertiKs mission is to secure the web3 world. CertiK applies cutting-edge innovations from academia to enterprise, enabling mission-critical applications to scale with safety and correctness. One of the fastest-growing and most trusted companies in blockchain security, CertiK is a true market leader. To date, CertiK has worked with nearly 4,000 enterprise clients, secured over $360 billion worth of digital assets, and has detected nearly 70,000 vulnerabilities in blockchain code. Our clients include leading projects such as Aave, Polygon, Binance Smart Chain, Yearn Finance, and Chiliz. CertiK is backed by Insight, Partners, Sequoia, Tiger Global, Coatue Management, Lightspeed, Advent International, SoftBank, Hillhouse Capital, Goldman Sachs, Coinbase Ventures, Binance, Shunwei Capital, IDG Capital, Wing, Legend Star, Danhua Capital and other investors. Hari Govindarajan PR & Comms Specialist, Luna PR [email protected] Source: CertiK Basildon, August 9, 2023 CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) today announced that its indirect wholly owned subsidiary, CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd., plans to offer new notes in a private placement to certain accredited investors in each of the provinces of Canada, subject to market conditions. The notes will be guaranteed by CNH Industrial Capital LLC, CNH Industrial Capital America LLC and New Holland Credit Company, LLC, each an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of CNH Industrial N.V. CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. is the primary financing and business entity in Canada for CNH Industrial Capital LLC, the North American arm of CNH Industrials global financial services business. CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. intends to add the net proceeds from the offering to its general funds and use them for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including, among other things, the purchase of receivables or other assets in the ordinary course of business. The net proceeds may also be applied to repay CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd.s indebtedness as it becomes due. *** The securities offered in the private placement have not been and will not be qualified for sale to the public under applicable securities laws in Canada and, accordingly, any offer and sale of the securities in Canada will be made on a basis which is exempt from the prospectus requirements of such securities laws. The securities offered in the private placement have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), or applicable state securities laws. Accordingly, the securities may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and such applicable state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities, in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. This press release is being issued pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 135c under the Securities Act. CNH Industrial Capital LLC is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of CNH Industrial N.V. and is headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin. As a captive finance company, the primary business of CNH Industrial Capital LLC and its subsidiaries is to underwrite and manage financing products for end-use customers and dealers of CNH Industrial America LLC and CNH Industrial Canada Ltd. (collectively, CNH Industrial North America) and provide other related financial products and services to support the sale of agricultural and construction equipment sold by CNH Industrial North America. CNH Industrial Capital LLC and its subsidiaries also provide wholesale and retail financing related to new and used agricultural and construction equipment manufactured by entities other than CNH Industrial North America. CNH Industrial Capital LLCs principal executive offices are located at 5729 Washington Avenue, Racine, WI 53406, and the telephone number is +1(262) 636-6011. Contacts: Media RelationsEmail: [email protected] Investor RelationsEmail: [email protected] Attachment Source: CNH Industrial N.V. Vancouver, B.C., Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CryptoBlox Technologies Inc. (the Company or CryptoBlox) (CSE: BLOX) is pleased to provide a corporate update. The Company has recently acquired 100% of Redwater Acquisition Corp. (Redwater). Redwater is a modular air-cooled data center facility, equipped with heat recapture capabilities in Sturgeon County, Alberta. With this acquisition, CryptoBlox has made significant strides towards its expansion within the cryptocurrency mining sector. The Company has secured plans to deploy up to 1 megawatt (MW) of capacity within Redwater with potential expansion plans of up to 3 MW over the next 18 to 24 months in collaboration with True North Data Solutions. Furthermore, True North Data Solutions and Redwater have secured an advantageous gas supply agreement (GSA) that is expected to reduce energy costs by 90.91% as compared to average market rates, coming in at $0.015 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Powering Redwaters mining operations with flared gas could allow for sustainable and cost-effective mining, which will have a positive impact on profitability, irrespective of market conditions, while showcasing the Companys commitment to environmental sustainability. CryptoBlox has also recently partnered with Lavrium LLC (Lavrium) to implement Lavriums Artificial Intelligence algorithms within the Companys Redwater facility. Lavrium has also begun optimizing Redwaters resource utilization and network connectivity two processes that are expected to have a positive impact on profitability. Lavriums algorithms will also enable predictive maintenance, including real-time monitoring to prevent equipment failures and minimize downtime, while also improving energy efficiency through AI-driven adjustments to computing resources and HVAC parameters, provided by the data center's advanced control panel, heat tracing, and fully automated features. The Companys collaboration with Lavrium aims to set new industry standards for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. With the acquisition of Redwater and the partnership with Lavrium, the Company hopes to revolutionize the technical and automation aspects of digital asset mining. As the Company continues to focus on its Crypto Mining Blockchain division, the Company is very pleased to announce the appointment of Akshay Sood as Chief Executive Officer effective August 4, 2023. Mr. Sood is a seasoned leader in the blockchain industry, boasting years of experience within the industry, including advising and incubating early-stage blockchain/web3 based startups. Mr. Sood has been responsible for several early-stage capital raises through his venture incubation and advisory services and has been involved in several high growth blockchain based startups. The Company intends to leverage Mr. Sood's specialty in blockchain-based economies, including blockchain-based network/product design and rollout, as he oversees the continual focus and expansion of the Companys Crypto Mining Blockchain division while building out other verticals as part of the Companys diversified portfolio of fintech products/services. Mr. Sood replaces Taryn Stemp, who stepped down as the Companys interim Chief Executive Officer and Corporate Secretary effective August 4, 2023. The Company thanks Ms. Stemp for her tenure in these roles. On behalf of the Company, Akshay Sood,Chief Executive Officer About CryptoBlox Technologies Inc. CryptoBlox Technologies Inc. is a blockchain technology company with a diversified portfolio of fintech blockchain services, blockchain battery technologies and applications, and crypto mining facilities under development. The Companys acquisition of Redwater marks a significant milestone in its plan to meet the fast-growing demand for cost-effective cryptocurrency infrastructure in North America. By integrating its mining facilities into power generation facilities in Alberta, and using state-of-the-art operations techniques, the Company will be positioned to achieve a high degree of financial optionality and long-term operational certainty that can deliver some of the cleanest and lowest-cost mining operations in the world. For further information about the Company, please visit https://www.cryptoblox.ca or call 236-259- 0279. Forward-Looking Statements The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about managements view of future events, expectations, plans, and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward- looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements respecting: the future plans and operations of the Company and Redwater; the Companys implementation of Lavriums alrogithms and the impact of Lavriums work optimizing Redwaters operations; the Companys commitment to environmental sustainability; and Mr. Soods expected contributions to the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statement will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements, or otherwise. The CSE (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. Source: Cryptoblox Technologies Inc. WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DELTA 9 CANNABIS INC. (TSX: DN) (OTC: DLTNF) (Delta 9 or the Company), is pleased to announce that it has been approved to supply recreational use cannabis products to Northwest Territories Liquor and Cannabis Commission for sale in Northwest Territories. This marks Delta 9s eighth Canadian provincial and territorial supply approval after, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Yukon Territory, said Alexa Goertzen, Vice President of Cannabis Sales, We continue to expand our market access domestically and look forward to supplying retail stores and consumers in the Northwest Territories with Delta 9s premium branded cannabis products. The Company plans to make its first shipment of cannabis for retail sale in the Northwest Territory in the third quarter of 2023. Delta 9 is in continued discussions with other provinces, territories and private retail outlets and plans to secure additional cannabis supply agreements over the balance of 2023. For more information contact: Investor & Media Contact:Ian Chadsey VP Corporate AffairsMobile: 204-898-7722E-mail: [email protected] About Delta 9 Cannabis Inc. Delta 9 Cannabis Inc. is a vertically integrated cannabis company focused on bringing the highest quality cannabis products to market. The company sells cannabis products through its wholesale and retail sales channels and sells its cannabis grow pods to other businesses. Delta 9's wholly-owned subsidiary, Delta 9 Bio-Tech Inc., is a licensed producer of medical and recreational cannabis and operates an 95,000 square foot production facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Delta 9 owns and operates a chain of retail stores under the Delta 9 Cannabis Store brand. Delta 9's shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "DN" and on the OTC under the symbol "DLTNF". For more information, please visit www.invest.delta9.ca. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding the Companys future business plans and other matters. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Forward looking statements in this news release include statements relating to the Companys intent to supply products to Northwest Territories. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including all risk factors set forth in the annual information form of Delta 9 dated March 30, 2023 which has been filed on SEDAR. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. Readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Source: Delta 9 Cannabis Miami, FL, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTC: ETST) (ETST or Company), a holding entity currently focused on the health and wellness industry, today announces the launch of DocProtocol.com (DocProtocol''). As mentioned in the July 28, 2023, announced record fiscal Q1 2023 financial results , the Company created DocProtocol in May 2023. DocProtocol is operated by ETSTs subsidiary Peaks Curative (Peaks), and offers patient specific protocols to doctors and wellness centers for their patients. The protocols are developed by highly respected functional medicine professionals, and the company anticipates this asset will generate sales for two of its subsidiaries; Peaks Curative and RxCompoundStore.. DocProtocol makes it easy for Doctors, Healthcare Professionals, and Health & Wellness clinics to enter patient specific data (Age, Sex, Blood Panel, Etc.) and receive a protocol to treat the goals of the specific patient. The initial set of protocol offerings include: Weight Loss, Testosterone Therapy, Active Virus Therapy, Immune Booster Therapy, Long Acting Virus Therapy, Erectile Dysfunction, PMS Therapy, Body Sculpting and more. Over time, these protocols will be updated to adhere to changes in the medical landscape and new protocols will be added to address patient goals. Most of the protocols generated by DocProtocol require patient specific medications that can only be fulfilled by a compounding pharmacy. Peaks Curative plans to monetize this asset for the benefit of ETST by charging a monthly fee to medical professionals for the use of DocProtocol as well as driving prescriptions to RxCompoundStore. ETSTs CEO and Chairman of the Board, Giorgio R. Saumat comments, Every asset we have acquired or launched in the last 10 months is geared towards growing the overall revenue and cash flow of the company. As each asset has come online, revenues have increased. To date, we have been successful with every asset launch. This is validation of the growth strategy management has implemented. We expect DocProtocol to increase revenue and cash flow for ETST in two ways. Initially it will be indirect by offering a tool to providers that will require fulfillment by a compounding pharmacy of the patients choice. Then we expect providers to recognize the utility of DocProtocol and be willing to pay a monthly fee for its use. This launch is consistent with our growth strategy and managements commitment to executing that strategy. About Earth Science Tech, Inc. Earth Science Tech, Inc. is a holding entity currently in compounding pharmaceuticals and telemedicine through its wholly owned subsidiaries RxCompoundStore.com, LLC., Peaks Curative, LLC. and Earth Science Foundation, Inc. To learn more, please visit: www.EarthScienceTech.com RxCompoundStore.com, LLC. RxCompound is a complete compounding pharmacy. RxCompound is currently licensed to fulfill prescriptions in the states of Florida, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Georgia, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Massachusetts. RxCompound is in the application process to obtain licenses in the remaining states in which it is not yet approved to ship prescriptions. To learn more please visit: www.RxCompoundStore.com About Peaks Curative, LLC. Peaks is a telemedicine referral site focused on mens health. Peaks orders are exclusively fulfilled by RxCompound. Patients who order Peaks via monthly subscription receive their refills automatically. Currently, Peaks is focused on Mens health, and, more specifically, ED. The company intends to expand offerings to include over the counter (OTC) (non-prescription) products such as supplements and topicals. The OTC products will be custom manufactured or fulfilled through partnered companies under the Peaks brand and offered worldwide. To learn more please visit: www.PeaksCurative.com About Earth Science Foundation, Inc. Earth Science Foundation Inc. is a favored entity of the Company, effectively being a non-profit organization that was incorporated on February 11, 2019, and is structured to accept grants and donations to help those in need of assistance in paying for prescriptions. SAFE HARBOR ACT: Forward-Looking Statements are included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, listing on the CSE, including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. We are under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Company Contact: Nickolas S. Tabraue Chief Compliance Officer (786) 375-7281 [email protected] edgeCore creates Situational Awareness Across Operational Energy Systems ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edge Total Intelligence Inc. (edgeTI) (TSXV: CTRL, OTCQB: UNFYF, FSE: Q5i) will present EdgeCore - Energy and Logistics Situational Awareness Powered by a Proven Data Mesh Platform on August 23rd 11:00AM at the Operational Energy and Logistics Summit (OELS) 2023 in Honolulu, HI. OELS, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy Operational Energy Office, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and U.S. Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office, was formed to advance operational energy, logistics, and cyber capabilities and strengthens partnerships between military, academia, industry, federal agencies and labs. One focus area of interest this year surrounds command and control systems for operational energy logistics to develop a common operating picture, conduct Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), facilitate the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and improve overall communications. DOD needs Energy Situational Awareness (ESA) solutions to improve decisions at the speed of relevance. edgeCores proven Data Mesh platform securely integrates ATOed DOD solutions to rapidly deploy comprehensive ESA dashboards, without creating new data warehouses or data lakes, said Jacques Jarman, Chief Revenue Officer at edgeTI. By using edgeCores unique data integration and visualization Data Mesh platform, edgeCore bolsters operational commands and accelerates the achievement of mission objectives ahead of schedule and dramatically under budget. Agencies can securely leverage their data assets and mission systems across domains to provide purpose-built ESA dashboards, enhanced by AI/ML solutions in a fraction of the time of traditional integration efforts. It is an honor to be invited to speak at this years conference. I look forward to sharing our perspective on ESA and discussing how ESA is an integral part of DODs Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) initiative. The Air Force has identified edgeCore as a JADC2 solution through the award of an Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) contract to support its JADC2 efforts, said Jarman. One of the biggest challenges JADC2 and ESA share is secure data integration at the speed of relevance. edgeCore, having been ATOed on NIPRNet, SIPRNet, JWICS, and DREN, offers a unique approach to addressing this challenge. About edgeTI edgeTI helps customers sustain situational awareness and accelerate action with its real-time digital operations software, edgeCore that unites multiple software applicates and data sources into one immersive experience. Global enterprises, service providers, and governments are more profitable when insight and action are united to deliver fluid journeys via the platforms low-code development capability and composable operations. With edgeCore, customers improve their margins and agility by rapidly transforming siloed systems and data across continuously evolving situations in business, technology, and cross-domain operations helping them achieve the impossible. Website: https://edgeti.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/edgeti YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/edgetechnologies Twitter: www.twitter.com/edge_suite For further information contact: Nick Brigman Phone: 888-771-3343 Email: [email protected] Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information and Statements Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements or information for the purposes of applicable Canadian and US securities law. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the edgeTI, including but not limited to, changes in U.S. Federal Budget, business, economic and capital market conditions. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the edgeTI will operate in the future, including the demand for its products, anticipated costs, and the ability to achieve goals. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the continued availability of capital and financing, the impact of viruses and diseases on the edgeTI's ability to operate, competition and general economic, market or business conditions. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the edgeTI disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A.I.S. Resources Limited (TSX-V: AIS, FRA: 5YHA) (the Company or AIS) today announced that Ekeko S.A. (Ekeko) has unilaterally declared the Exploration and Purchase Option Agreement between AIS and Ekeko, dated June 10th, 2021 to be terminated for alleged breach of contract by AIS. AIS rejects the allegation of breach and rejects Ekekos purported termination of the Agreement. AIS validly exercised the option on Pocitos 1 prior to the contractual deadline of June 30th. Furthermore, Ekeko breached the Agreement by (i) refusing in bad faith to honour the option exercise, and (ii) failing to obtain the mandatory legal certificates to prepare and execute the Transfer Deed for the Pocitos 1 property, as required under the Agreement. The Pocitos 1 property was further optioned by AIS to Spey Resources Corp. (CSE: SPEY). As a result of this breach by Ekeko, AIS was unable to perform its obligations under its option agreement with Spey. Monies placed in trust by Spey with AIS to complete the option exercise have been returned to Spey. Andrew Neale, President & CEO of AIS commented, We are at a loss to understand the actions of Ekeko. We proceeded on a good faith basis to live up to our side of the agreement and believe that AIS is in full compliance with the June 2021 Exploration and Option Purchase Agreement. As a result of the financial harm this has caused AIS, AIS intends to aggressively pursue its legal remedies in Argentina and takes the position that Ekeko is unable to transfer good title to the property free from the AIS claim. About A.I.S. Resources Limited A.I.S. Resources Limited is a publicly traded investment issuer listed on the TSX Venture Exchange focused on natural resource opportunities. AISs value add strategy is to acquire early-stage projects and provide technical and financial support to enhance their value. The Company is managed by a team of experienced engineers, geologists, and investment bankers, with a track-record of successful capital market achievements. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, AIS Resources Ltd.Andrew NealePresident & CEOEmail: [email protected] Website: www.aisresources.com ADVISORY: This press release contains forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligations to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Source: A.I.S. Resources Limited Toronto, Ontario, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Elevate Cannabis Industry Expo (Elevate) is set to connect professionals from all facets of the industry for four full days of education, training, and networking. Taking place in Toronto, Ontario, from September 12-15, 2023, it promises to be a transformative experience for all participants. Hosted by VIP Media Group, Elevate is breaking ground with a conference developed by cannabis retailers. "Signalling a new era in cannabis, Elevate marks a turning point from conferences of the past. We are ready to create our own ecosystem to support the industry and deliver real ROI and value to all participants. Hosting a conference of this scale is a testament to our innate understanding of the industry's needs, says Jazz Samra, Owner and Founder of VIP Media Group and Sativa Bliss Cannabis Boutique. We understand the needs of retailers but also the aspirations of Licensed Producers - our collective needs are at the heart of this endeavour. Attracting participants from across Canada, Elevate will see Budtenders, retailers, Licensed Producers, brand representatives, and other industry professionals come together for an immersive event focused on building mutually beneficial relationships. With an inclusive focus on brands of all sizes, Elevate will serve as a hub of opportunity for micro-producers and industry veterans alike. The event's four-day schedule is designed to cater to specific segments of the industry with a wide range of classes, workshops, and expert panels, helping participants excel in their respective roles and make a much-needed positive impact on a sector that has not been without its challenges. Were thrilled to be partnering with Elevate and to be the official education sponsor, says Cindy Burke, Business Development Partner at CanMar. CanMar has launched a new Budtender Education program called Level Up, created by Tabitha Fritz. You will find the curriculum is very different than whats currently out there. Tabitha has done a great job of curating courses specific to the needs of both Budtenders and Store Managers to thrive in this space. She is a natural educator and presenter and we know everyone who signs up for her workshop will walk away feeling like they have the tools they need to get started. Day One: Store Managers/Owners Training (9:30 am - 6:00 pm) Includes sessions on Effective Inventory Management, Customer Relationship Management, Financial Management and Business Planning, and more Day Two: Budtender Training hosted by CanMar (9:30 am - 6:00 pm) Includes sessions on Advanced Cannabis Product Knowledge, Cannabis and Wellness Trends, Advanced Customer Service Techniques, and more Day Three: Licensed Producers and Brand Representatives Training (9:30 am - 6:00 pm) Includes sessions on Building and Managing Retail Partnerships, Industry Trends and Market Insights, Brand Building and Marketing Strategies, and more Day Four: Industry Trade Show (10:00 am - 6:00 pm) Features 65 booths with participating brands such as Cannara, Endgame, Volo, Sensi Brands, The Strain App, Ontario Cannabis Store, Merrco, The Loud Plug and more At the core of Elevate's mission lies a commitment to fostering education and facilitating knowledge exchange, recognizing these as the pivotal drivers of industry growth. The Industry Trade Show, a prominent feature of Elevate, will give businesses a golden opportunity to showcase their latest products and services, creating a marketplace for business collaborations.Elevate is brought to you by the reputable team behind the hugely successful Retailer Connect Gala and other acclaimed industry events. The organizers' track record ensures that participants can expect a high-quality experience that fosters transparency, collaboration, and innovation. For more information and to register for the Elevate Cannabis Industry Expo, please visit https://elevatecannabisexpo.com/. About VIP Media GroupVIP Media Group is a prominent event management company that specializes in organizing high-profile gatherings. With over 50 years of combined business experience in the cannabis sector, VIP Media Group has successfully made its mark in the industry, earning a reputation for delivering exceptional events that unite professionals and drive growth. Through its group buying program and extensive network, VIP Media Group provides business support to independent retailers, licensed producers, and service providers in the cannabis industry. Attachment Jazz Samra VIP Media Group [email protected] Antuanette Gomez VIP Media Group [email protected] Mackenzie Bentley Marigold Marketing & PR [email protected] Source: Elevate Cannabis Industry Expo This disclosure is sent on behalf of one or more shareholder(s) in Ensurge Micropower ASA (the "Company"). Christian Schlytter-Henrichsen, Schlytter-Henrichsen AS, Favuseal AS, and Amandator AS, being close associates, discloses the following information pursuant to Section 4-2 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act and the Securities Trading Act Regulations. On 7 August 2023, Schlytter-Henrichsen disposed of a total of 2,785,274 shares in the Company. Following the disposal, Schlytter-Henrichsen owns 15,030,038 shares, Favuseal AS owns 19,556,094 shares, Amandator AS owns 4,048 shares and Christian Schlytter-Henrichsen owns 67,852 shares. The combined total of shares is 34,658,032 shares, representing 2.82% of the Company's voting rights and shares. The disclosure obligation was triggered by the above close associates crossing below the 5% threshold of total number of voting rights and shares in Ensurge Micropower ASA. HERSHEY, Pa., Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forward Solutions, an industry leader in outsourced sales and marketing, is thrilled to announce a set of strategic mergers that will expand its operations and pave the way for growth in the telecommunications and power utility channels. This merger will bring the expertise, resources, and customer bases of Madigan, McCune & Associates, Inc. and Upper Midwest Utility Supply within Forward Solutions. Madigan, McCune & Associates, Inc. was established in 1971 as a manufacturers representative firm serving the power utility and telecommunications industry. The company has sales associates in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. Upper Midwest Utility Sales has been in business over 25 years servicing both the telecommunications and power utility industries. Upper Midwest Utility Sales currently serves customers in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. President / CEO of Forward Solutions, Joe Orednick, expressed enthusiasm about the merger stating, "Both companies pride themselves on delivering high-quality service and representing leading manufacturers in their industry. By combining their long-standing relationships, product expertise, and broader geographic coverage, Forward Solutions can provide a more comprehensive offering for power utilities and telecom companies." Rob Madigan, President of Madigan, McCune & Associates commented, "Collaborating with Forward Solutions amplifies our ability to drive value to our end users and manufacturers. By combining our knowledge and reach with Forward Solutions resources, we have the spark to maintain our unique offerings while implementing broader initiatives and enhancing specialization where necessary. We are proud to grow and offer these new opportunities for our employees and those we serve and represent in the industry." Matt Hannafin, Principal of Upper Midwest Utility Sales noted, "I am confident that by partnering with Forward Solutions my contacts and customers will benefit from new growth and service offerings. Forward Solutions will drive value, new solutions, and continue the personal service my midwestern partners have come to expect. I am proud to have built this business and to now be able to take my customers and the companies we serve to the next level." These mergers will operate under the StruXur Division while retaining the individual expertise, relationships, and strengths of Madigan, McCune & Associates and Upper Midwest Utility Sales. Customers can expect business operations to continue without disruption. The capabilities of each business will be further enhanced to provide support that is both more comprehensive and personal in their established territories. About Forward Solutions Forward Solutions is a customer-centric company that specializes in providing advanced services for evolving markets. Our portfolio includes a range of divisions such as Avision, Curate, Integrated Access Corporation, OneSolution, RelyPak, and StruXur. These divisions cater to manufacturers who seek to effectively grow their businesses through outsourced sales, marketing, customer support, and data analytics. The various divisions of Forward Solutions collectively provide an array of products sold through distribution to schools, hospitals, restaurants, commercial businesses, office buildings, manufacturing plants, contractors, utilities, and more. In addition, our divisions, Allynt Solutions and C3Team, offer consulting services to manufacturers, distributors, and end users. With focused expertise in facility maintenance, cleaning, hygiene, foodservice disposables, foodservice equipment, industrial/MRO, safety, construction, utilities, telecom, and packaging supply channels, Forward Solutions is well-equipped to meet the diverse needs of our clients. KYODO NEWS - Aug 9, 2023 - 22:20 | All, Japan, Travel/Tourism A local Japanese government said Wednesday it will work with police to restrict the number of hikers who can use a route to climb to the summit of Mt. Fuji if it becomes dangerous from overcrowding. The Yoshida Trail, located on the Yamanashi Prefecture side of the mountain, will become subject to limits from the 5th station, which is accessible via car or bus. Possible closures are slated to begin Friday and last through this year's season ending on Sept. 10. The move comes as Mt. Fuji, straddling Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, reopened to an influx of visitors last month after the country lifted all COVID-19 restrictions and marked the 10th anniversary of registration of Japan's tallest peak as a World Heritage site in June. Safety guides will patrol the area and provide information to the prefectural government if there are dangers of accidents or falling rocks from too many hikers. The government will then send a request for limiting the number of hikers to the police, which will ultimately make the decision regarding whether or not restrict trail use. It said earlier this month that it was considering restricting numbers of hikers on the trail from the 8th station if they exceed 4,000. It did not specify, though, how it would implement the limits. But those who work with mountain lodges located along the trails have asked for the restrictions to begin from the 5th station due to difficulties in securing resting spots around the summit. Related coverage: Japanese firm's hiking app helps rescuers locate stranded climbers Locals warn Mt. Fuji-climbing visitors to take challenge seriously Mountain opening event held in western Japan after pandemic hiatus BRISBANE, Australia, Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Allkem Limited (ASX|TSX: AKE) (Allkem or the Company) will release its Full Year Results on Friday, 18 August 2023. Managing Director and CEO, Mr. Martin Perez de Solay and Acting CFO, Christian Cortes will conduct a live webcast briefing at 10:00 am AEST (Sydney, Melbourne) on the same day. To pre-register your details and join the webcast briefing, please follow the link on the homepage of Allkems website, www.allkem.co. Written questions may be submitted via the webcast and playback of the briefing and Q&A session will also be available on the companys website. This release was authorised by Mr Martin Perez de Solay, CEO and Managing Director of Allkem Limited. Allkem LimitedABN 31 112 589 910 Level 35, 71 Eagle StBrisbane, QLD 4000 Investor Relations & Media EnquiriesAndrew Barber M: +61 418 783 701 E: [email protected] Connect [email protected] +61 7 3064 3600www.allkem.co Source: Allkem Limited NEW YORK, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, leading global news and publishing organizations signed onto an open letter to policymakers and industry leaders globally, laying out proposed principles for the regulated and responsible growth of generative AI models. In addition to outlining consequences for the media industry and the public should the global regulatory landscape not evolve as quickly as AI innovation, the letter also voices support for the creation of an appropriate legal framework around the technology. Specifically, it outlines regulatory and industry actions to drive responsible AI practices that protect the content powering AI applications while preserving public trust in media, including: The disclosure of training sets used to create generative AI models. The protection of intellectual property of those who make content used to train AI. The ability for media companies to collectively negotiate with AI model operators and developers over the use of proprietary intellectual property. Mandates for generative AI models and users to clearly, specifically, and consistently identify their outputs and interactions as including AI-generated content; A requirement that generative AI model providers limit the bias in, misinformation from, and abuse of AI services. Signatories of the letter include: Agence France-Presse European Pressphoto Agency European Publishers Council Gannett | USA TODAY Network Getty Images National Press Photographers Association National Writers Union News Media Alliance The Associated Press The Authors Guild The full letter can be found here, with full text below: Preserving public trust in media through unified AI regulation and practices Democracy is underpinned by trust in a free, reliable, independent, and strong media ecosystem. We believe artificial intelligence (AI) and generative models hold the potential to provide significant benefits to humanity; however, left unchecked, we also believe these technologies can threaten the sustainability of the media ecosystem as a whole by significantly eroding the publics trust in the independence and quality of content and threatening the financial viability of its creators. The media industry has a history of embracing and successfully navigating new technology, from the introduction of the printing press to broadcast media to the internet and social media. However, the pace of development and adoption of AI far exceeds that of prior technological leaps, and it does so at the potential expense of long-standing foundational intellectual property rights, as well as the creators investments in high-quality media content. We, the undersigned organizations, support the responsible advancement and deployment of generative AI technology, while believing that a legal framework must be developed to protect the content that powers AI applications as well as maintain public trust in the media that promotes facts and fuels our democracies. The Costs of Inaction Generative AI and large language models make it possible for any actor, without regard to their intent, to produce and distribute synthetic content at a scale that far exceeds our past experience. Such a flood of content can distort facts and leave the public with no basis to discern what is true and what is made up. Even absent malicious intent, many generative AI applications and large language models produce factual errors and fictional information, in addition to propagating long-standing biases. Generative AI and large language models are also often trained using proprietary media content, which publishers and others invest large amounts of time and resources to produce. These models can then disseminate that content and information to their users, often without any consideration of, remuneration to, or attribution to the original creators. Such practices undermine the media industrys core business models, which are predicated on readership and viewership (such as subscriptions), licensing, and advertising. In addition to violating copyright law, the resulting impact is to meaningfully reduce media diversity and undermine the financial viability of companies to invest in media coverage, further reducing the publics access to high-quality and trustworthy information. The Way Forward We are advocating for regulatory and industry action including: Transparency as to the makeup of all training sets used to create AI models. Consent of intellectual property rights holders to the use and copying of their content in training data and outputs. Enabling media companies to collectively negotiate with AI model operators and developers regarding the terms of the operators access to and use of their intellectual property. Requiring generative AI models and users to clearly, specifically, and consistently identify their outputs and interactions as including AI-generated content. Requiring generative AI model providers to take steps to eliminate bias in and misinformation from their services. We are also highly supportive of efforts by government and industry groups to create a set of consistent global standards applicable to the development and deployment of AI. Generative AI is an exciting advancement that offers the potential for significant benefits to society if developed and deployed responsibly. We applaud those in the AI community who have taken steps to address these concerns and we thank governments and agencies around the world for thoughtfully considering these issues and advancing regulations in response. We look forward to being part of the solution to ensure that AI applications continue to prosper while respecting the rights of media companies and individual journalists who produce content that protects the truth and keeps our communities informed and engaged. List of Signatories: Dubai, UAE, Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Singapore's vibrant cityscape played host to the World Blockchain Summit 2023, a global fulcrum for blockchain innovation, spotlighting the dynamic evolution of the decentralized economy. In this highly anticipated convergence, Millionero, an emergent tour de force in the crypto exchange space, etched its mark by garnering the esteemed 'Best Emerging Crypto Exchange' award. The World Blockchain Summit Singapore 2023 unfurled as a global arena for delving into advancements in Internet technology, with a keen focus on the emergence of Web 3.0. The event identified Asia as a pivotal hub for crypto and blockchain innovation, highlighting pioneering entities like Millionero. The summit presented an array of cutting-edge topics, exploring themes such as the regulation and compliance in the Web 3.0 landscape, the impact of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) on traditional finance, the emerging realm of Web 3.0 gaming and virtual worlds, and the future of digital ownership through NFTs. These themes underlined the accelerating pace of change, embodying the spirit of innovative crypto exchange platforms like Millionero. A memorable moment from the event was the keynote speech delivered by Syed Suleman Kazim, the CEO of Millionero. Suleman eloquently outlined the company's vision and strategy in the bustling world of crypto trading. His address was followed by the much-anticipated presentation of the 'Best Emerging Crypto Exchange' award to Millionero, marking a significant high point at the summit. Millionero's victory underscores its commitment to providing a user-friendly, secure, and efficient platform for crypto trading. Amid discussions around scaling solutions and roadblocks to mass adoption of Web 3.0 technologies, Millionero's award recognition affirms the vital role of innovative solutions in promoting wider acceptance of these technologies. The acknowledgment at the World Blockchain Summit further solidifies Millionero's position as a trailblazer in the crypto exchange domain. Its user-centric approach has made it a preferred platform for both beginners and experienced traders, reinforcing its standing as the 'Best Emerging Crypto Exchange.' The success of Millionero paints a promising picture for the future, a future where crypto exchanges like Millionero play a critical role in tackling challenges and harnessing opportunities within the Web 3.0 paradigm. It serves as a shining example of an entity that aligns with the broader objectives of Web 3.0, striking a balance between innovation, user-friendliness, and security. As we continue to navigate the unfolding narrative of the digital economy, Millionero has firmly established itself as a name to watch. This accolade stands as a resounding testament to its growing influence in the decentralized economy, asserting its capacity to deliver solutions while upholding the ideals of Web 3.0 and the evolving dynamics of the digital world. Disclaimer : There is no offer to sell, no solicitation of an offer to buy, and no recommendation of any security or any other product or service in this article. This is not investment advice. Please do your own research. Media Contact Contact person name: Messaoud Boukoufallah Official Email: [email protected] Country: Dubai, UAE Company: Millionero Source: Millionero OMAHA, Nebraska, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A looming federal funding cliff for child care providers could further strain Nebraskas already underfunded early care and education system, new research from the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska shows. In September 2023, the majority of COVID-19 relief funding for child care will expire nationwide. This comes as a new analysis from the Buffett Institute suggests that Nebraska is still not fully funding early childhood care and education. In fact, the gap between what is funded and what is needed to provide quality, accessible child care to all Nebraska families is only growing, from $482.1 million in Fiscal Year 2017 to $569.2 million in FY 2021, highlighting the urgent need for stable investments in child care. Compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, Nebraska has experienced a net loss of nearly 10% of its child care programs. According to the most recent data, 91% of counties reported not having enough child care slots to meet local demand, and families in 11 counties lacked access to a single licensed provider. Much-needed federal rescue funds helped providers meet payroll, offer additional slots to children and families, and keep their doors open. The loss of these funds could cause more child care programs to close, disrupting families and the economy. Cathey Huddleston-Casas, the Buffett Institutes associate director of workforce planning and development and the author of the new research brief, estimates that Nebraska is not only failing to make progress toward full funding, but that the state is falling further behind. In Gap Widens for Achieving Fully Funded Early Childhood System in Nebraska, full funding is defined as the combined public- and private-sector funds needed to ensure that high-quality child care is available and accessible to all young children in the state, stabilizing enrollment for families and revenues for child care business owners. The new brief builds on the work of the Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Commission, which called for fully funding the states early childhood system by 2030. With support from Huddleston-Casas, the commission first identified the size of Nebraskas funding gap. The gulf between what was needed to fully fund quality early care and education and what Nebraska actually funded was 51% in FY 2017. That gap grew to 57% by FY 2021. The widening gap is an economic alarm bell, said former State Senator John Stinner, who served as a member of the commission and helped lead the effort to better understand needed investments in Nebraskas early childhood system. Our state, businesses, and citizens pay a heavy price because of insufficient options for stable, high-quality child care. In addition to the research brief, a newly launched interactive web tool maps out how Nebraskas early childhood care and education system is funded. The innovative new tool allows Nebraskans to trace the sources of state and federal early childhood funding, while providing a model for researchers and policymakers in other states who want to track and visualize early childhood spending. The Nebraska Early Childhood Funding Map helps users see the current complexity involved in financing Nebraskas early childhood system while also exploring individual pathways within it, said Huddleston-Casas. Understanding Nebraskas public investment in early childhood care and education is central to informed decision-making about funding and how those dollars translate into quality care for children. The Nebraska Early Childhood Funding Map was created by Huddleston-Casas and policy consultant Jen Goettemoeller Wendl. It accompanies two new reports they authored, Nebraskas Public Investment in Early Childhood Care and Education, Fiscal Year 2019 and 2021 Technical Reports, and includes data from FY 2017 as well. The Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska promotes the development and learning of children from birth through age 8. Visit buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu for more information. ### Ally Freeman Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska (402) 250-9901 [email protected] Source: The Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska Strong cash margin of $56.2 million and operating cash flows of $47.4 million MONTRAL, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd (the aCorporationa or aOsiskoa) (OR: TSX & NYSE) today announced its consolidated financial results for the second quarter of 2023. Amounts presented are in Canadian dollars, except where otherwise noted. Highlights a Second Quarter of 2023 24,645 GEOs 1 earned, an increase of 11% over the second quarter of 2022 (Q2 2022 a 22,243); earned, an increase of 11% over the second quarter of 2022 (Q2 2022 a 22,243); Revenues from royalties and streams of $60.5 million (Q2 2022 - $51.5 million); Cash flows generated by operating activities 2 of $47.4 million (Q2 2022 - $35.0 million); of $47.4 million (Q2 2022 - $35.0 million); Cash margin 3 of $56.2 million or 93% (Q2 2022 a $47.8 million or 93%); of $56.2 million or 93% (Q2 2022 a $47.8 million or 93%); Net earnings 2 of $18.0 million, $0.10 per basic share (Q2 2022 a $18.1 million, $0.10 per basic share); of $18.0 million, $0.10 per basic share (Q2 2022 a $18.1 million, $0.10 per basic share); Adjusted earnings 3 of $32.6 million, $0.18 per basic share (Q2 2022 a $25.7 million, $0.14 per basic share); of $32.6 million, $0.18 per basic share (Q2 2022 a $25.7 million, $0.14 per basic share); Publication of the 2023 Asset Handbook and third edition of the Companyas sustainability report, Growing Responsibly; Closing of the CSA silver and copper streams by Osisko Bermuda Limited for US$150.0 million; Amendment of the Gibraltar silver stream for US$10.25 million; and Declaration of a quarterly dividend of $0.06 per common share, an increase of 9% over the previous quarter, paid on July 14, 2023 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 30, 2023. Paul Martin, Interim CEO of Osisko commented: aDespite challenges faced by our operating partners who were temporarily impacted by the wildfires in northern Ontario and QuAbec, Osisko delivered a solid second quarter. As we head into the second half of the year, we are well positioned to meet our 2023 guidance. Osisko remained very active on the corporate development front in the second quarter, having closed the CSA transaction, including the full copper stream which comes into effect in June 2024, and the announced increase to our silver stream at Tasekoas Gibraltar mine. Following the quarter, the Company announced the acquisition of copper and gold royalties at Hot Chilias Costa Fuego projecta. Subsequent to June 30, 2023 Closing of the gold and copper royalty investment in relation to the Costa Fuego Project; and Declaration of a quarterly dividend of $0.06 per common share payable on October 16, 2023 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on September 29, 2023. Q2 2023 RESULTS CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST DETAILS Osisko provides notice of its second quarter 2023 results conference call and webcast details. Results Release: Wednesday, August 9th, 2023 after market close A A Conference Call: Thursday, August 10th, 2023 at 10:00 am ET A A Dial-in Numbers (option 1):A A North American Toll-Free: 1 (888) 886 7786 Local and International: 1 (416) 764 8658 Conference ID: 63806714A A A A Webcast link (option 2): https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1627532&tp_key=ca8800f4ff A A Replay (available until Sunday, September 10th at 11:59 pm ET): North American Toll-Free: 1 (877) 674 7070 Local and International: 1 (416) 764 8692 Playback Passcode: 806714#A A A A A Replay also available on our website at www.osiskogr.com A A Qualified Person The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Guy Desharnais, Ph.D., P.Geo., Vice President, Project Evaluation at Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd, who is a aqualified persona as defined by National Instrument 43-101 a Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (aNI 43-101a). About Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd is an intermediate precious metal royalty company which holds a North American focused portfolio of over 180A royalties, streams and precious metal offtakes. Osiskoas portfolio is anchored by its cornerstone asset, a 5% net smelter return royalty on the Canadian Malartic mine, one of Canadaas largest gold mines. Osiskoas head office is located at 1100 Avenue des Canadiens-de-MontrAal, Suite 300, MontrAal, QuAbec, H3BA 2S2. For further information, please contact Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd: Grant MoentingA Heather Taylor Vice President, Capital Markets Vice President, Sustainability and Communications Tel: (514) 940-0670 x116A Tel: (514) 940-0670 x105 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] A A Notes: (1)A Gold Equivalent Ounces GEOs are calculated on a quarterly basis and include royalties, streams and offtakes. Silver earned from royalty and stream agreements are converted to gold equivalent ounces by multiplying the silver ounces earned by the average silver price for the period and dividing by the average gold price for the period. Diamonds, other metals and cash royalties are converted into gold equivalent ounces by dividing the associated revenue earned by the average gold price for the period. Average Metal Prices and Exchange Rate A Three months ended June 30, A Six months ended June 30, A 2023 2022 A 2023 2022 A A A A A A Gold(i) $1,976 $1,871 A $1,932 $1,874 Silver(ii) $24.13 $22.60 A $23.31 $23.32 A A A A A A Exchange rate (US$/Can$)(iii) 1.3428 1.2768 A 1.3477 1.2715 A A A A A A A (i) The London Bullion Market Associationas PM price in U.S. dollars. A (ii) The London Bullion Market Associationas price in U.S. dollars. A (iii) Bank of Canada daily rate. A A A (2) From continuing operations (3)A Non-IFRS Measures The Corporation has included certain performance measures in this press release that do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) including (i) cash margin (in dollars and in percentage), (ii) adjusted earnings and (iii) adjusted earnings per share. The presentation of these non-IFRS measures is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. These measures are not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flow from operations as determined under IFRS. As Osiskoas operations are primarily focused on precious metals, the Corporation presents cash margins and adjusted earnings as it believes that certain investors use this information, together with measures determined in accordance with IFRS, to evaluate the Corporationas performance in comparison to other companies in the precious metals mining industry who present results on a similar basis. However, other companies may calculate these non-IFRS measures differently. Cash Margin (in dollars and in percentage of revenues) Cash margin (in dollars) represents revenues from continuing operations less cost of sales (excluding depletion). Cash margin (in percentage of revenues) represents the cash margin (in dollars) divided by revenues from continuing operations. A Three months ended June 30, A A Six months ended June 30, A A 2023 A A 2022 A A 2023 A A 2022 A A $ A A $ A A $ A A $ A A A A A A A A A A A A A Royalty interests A A A A A A A A A A A Revenues 39,323 A A 34,583 A A 78,501 A A 69,572 A Less: cost of sales (excluding depletion) (205 ) A (188 ) A (340 ) A (282 ) Cash margin (in dollars) 39,118 A A 34,395 A A 78,161 A A 69,290 A A A A A A A A A A A A A Depletion (5,610 ) A (6,202 ) A (12,458 ) A (13,057 ) Gross profit 33,508 A A 28,193 A A 65,703 A A 56,233 A A A A A A A A A A A A A Stream interests A A A A A A A A A A A Revenues 21,177 A A 16,962 A A 41,586 A A 32,662 A Less: cost of sales (excluding depletion) (4,055 ) A (3,568 ) A (7,961 ) A (6,655 ) Cash margin (in dollars) 17,122 A A 13,394 A A 33,625 A A 26,007 A A A A A A A A A A A A A Depletion (7,357 ) A (5,649 ) A (14,004 ) A (10,092 ) Gross profit 9,765 A A 7,745 A A 19,621 A A 15,915 A A A A A A A A A A A A A Royalty and stream interests A A A A A A A A A A A Total cash margin (in dollars) 56,240 A A 47,789 A A 111,786 A A 95,297 A Divided by: total revenues 60,500 A A 51,545 A A 120,087 A A 102,234 A Cash margin (in percentage of revenues) 93.0 % A 92.7 % A 93.1 % A 93.2 % A A A A A A A A A A A A Total a Gross profit 43,273 A A 35,938 A A 85,324 A A 72,148 A A A A A A A A A A A A A Adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per basic share Adjusted earnings is defined as: net earnings (loss) adjusted for certain items: foreign exchange gain (loss), impairment of assets (including impairment on financial assets and investments in associates), gains (losses) on disposal of assets, unrealized gain (loss) on investments, share of income (loss) of associates, deferred income tax expense (recovery), transaction costs and other items such as non-cash gains (losses). Adjusted earnings per basic share is obtained from the adjusted earnings divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. A Three months ended June 30, A Six months ended June 30, A A 2023 A 2022 A 2023 A 2022 A (in thousands of dollars, except per share amounts) $ A $ A $ A $ A A A A A A A A A A Net earnings from continuing operations 17,961 A 18,059 A 38,809 A 34,863 A A A A A A A A A A Adjustments: A A A A A A A A Impairment of royalty interests 6,629 A - A 6,629 A - A Expected credit loss on other investments 19,860 A 384 A 20,131 A 904 A Foreign exchange loss (gain) 9 A (7,593 ) 25 A (8,469A ) Unrealized net loss on investments 4,066 A 5,574 A 1,969 A 11,414 A Share of (income) loss of associates (19,167 ) 1,078 A (13,022 ) (1,526 ) Deferred income tax expense 3,270 A 8,214 A 10,730 A 13,373 A A A A A A A A A A Adjusted earnings 32,628 A 25,716 A 65,271 A 50,559 A A A A A A A A A A Weighted average number of common shares outstanding (000as) 185,302 A 185,316 A 184,990 A 176,182 A A A A A A A A A A Adjusted earnings per basic share 0.18 A 0.14 A 0.35 A 0.29 A A A A A A A A A A Forward-looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and aforward-looking informationa within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this press release, forward-looking statements are statements other than statements of historical fact, that address, without limitation, future events, production estimates of Osiskoas assets (including increase of production), timely developments of mining properties over which Osisko has royalties, streams, offtakes and investments, managementas expectations regarding Osiskoas growth, results of operations, estimated future revenues, production costs, carrying value of assets, ability to continue to pay dividend, requirements for additional capital, business prospects and opportunities future demand for and fluctuation of prices of commodities (including outlook on gold, silver, diamonds, other commodities) currency markets and general market conditions. In addition, statements and estimates (including data in tables) relating to mineral reserves and resources and gold equivalent ounces are forward-looking statements, as they involve implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions, and no assurance can be given that the estimates will be realized. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "scheduled" and similar expressions or variations (including negative variations), or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, most of which are beyond the control of Osisko, and actual results may accordingly differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, without limitation, (i) with respect to properties in which Osisko holds a royalty, stream or other interest; risks related to: (a) the operators of the properties, (b) timely development, permitting, construction, commencement of production, ramp-up (including operating and technical challenges), (c) differences in rate and timing of production from resource estimates or production forecasts by operators, (d) differences in conversion rate from resources to reserves and ability to replace resources, (e) the unfavorable outcome of any challenges or litigation relating title, permit or license, (f) hazards and uncertainty associated with the business of exploring, development and mining including, but not limited to unusual or unexpected geological and metallurgical conditions, slope failures or cave-ins, flooding and other natural disasters or civil unrest or other uninsured risks; with respect to external factors: (a) fluctuations in the prices of the commodities that drive royalties, streams, offtakes and investments held by Osisko, (b) fluctuations in the value of the Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar, (c) regulatory changes by national and local governments, including permitting and licensing regimes and taxation policies; regulations and political or economic developments in any of the countries where properties in which Osisko holds a royalty, stream or other interest are located or through which they are held, (d) continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, and (e) responses of relevant governments to the COVID-19 outbreak and the effectiveness of such response and the potential impact of COVID-19 on Osiskoas business, operations and financial condition; with respect to internal factors: (a) business opportunities that may or not become available to, or are pursued by Osisko or (b) the integration of acquired assets. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including, without limitation: the absence of significant change in the Corporationas ongoing income and assets relating to determination of its Passive Foreign Investment Company ("PFICa) status; the absence of any other factors that could cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended and, with respect to properties in which Osisko holds a royalty, stream or other interest, (i) the ongoing operation of the properties by the owners or operators of such properties in a manner consistent with past practice and with public disclosure (including forecast of production), (ii) the accuracy of public statements and disclosures made by the owners or operators of such underlying properties (including expectations for the development of underlying properties that are not yet in production), (iii) no adverse development in respect of any significant property, (iv) that statements and estimates relating to mineral reserves and resources by owners and operators are accurate and (v) the implementation of an adequate plan for integration of acquired assets. For additional information on risks, uncertainties and assumptions, please refer to the most recent Annual Information Form of Osisko filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov which also provides additional general assumptions in connection with these statements. Osisko cautions that the foregoing list of risk and uncertainties is not exhaustive. Investors and others should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. Osisko believes that the assumptions reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be accurate as actual results and prospective events could materially differ from those anticipated such the forward-looking statements and such forward-looking statements included in this press release are not guarantee of future performance and should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Osisko undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable law. Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd Consolidated Balance Sheets As at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 (Unaudited) (tabular amounts expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars) A A June 30, A A December 31, A A 2023 A A 2022 A A $ A A $ A A A A A Assets A A A A A A A Current assets A A A A A A A Cash 70,033 A A 90,548 A Short-term investments 3,732 A A - A Amounts receivable 5,505 A A 11,700 A Other assets 4,619 A A 2,546 A A 83,889 A A 104,794 A A A A A Non-current assets A A A A A A A Investments in associates 324,411 A A 319,763 A Other investments 116,108 A A 73,504 A Royalty, stream and other interests 1,546,181 A A 1,378,253 A Goodwill 111,204 A A 111,204 A Other assets 9,335 A A 8,783 A A 2,191,128 A A 1,996,301 A A A A A Liabilities A A A A A A A Current liabilities A A A A A A A Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 6,626 A A 6,825 A Dividends payable 11,103 A A 10,121 A Lease liabilities 1,112 A A 921 A A 18,841 A A 17,867 A A A A A Non-current liabilities A A A A A A A Lease liabilities 7,420 A A 6,701 A Long-term debt 319,650 A A 147,950 A Deferred income taxes 97,120 A A 86,572 A A 443,031 A A 259,090 A A A A A Equity A A A A A A A Share capital 2,092,786 A A 2,076,070 A Contributed surplus 76,029 A A 77,295 A Accumulated other comprehensive income 26,963 A A 47,435 A Deficit (447,681 ) A (463,589 ) A 1,748,097 A A 1,737,211 A A 2,191,128 A A 1,996,301 A A Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd Consolidated Statements of Income For the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 (Unaudited) (tabular amounts expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts) A A Three months ended June 30, A A Six months ended June 30, A A 2023 A A 2022 A A 2023 A A 2022 A A $ A A $ A A $ A A $ A A A A A A A A A Revenues 60,500 A A 51,545 A A 120,087 A A 102,234 A A A A A A A A A Cost of sales (4,260 ) A (3,756 ) A (8,301 ) A (6,937 ) Depletion (12,967 ) A (11,851 ) A (26,462 ) A (23,149 ) Gross profit 43,273 A A 35,938 A A 85,324 A A 72,148 A A A A A A A A A Other operating expenses A A A A A A A General and administrative (7,308 ) A (4,940 ) A (13,517 ) A (9,776 ) Business development (1,297 ) A (1,260 ) A (2,793 ) A (2,681 ) Impairment of royalty interests (6,629 ) A - A A (6,629 ) A - A Operating income 28,039 A A 29,738 A A 62,385 A A 59,691 A Interest income 2,170 A A 1,858 A A 4,233 A A 2,966 A Finance costs (3,445 ) A (5,543 ) A (6,315 ) A (11,469 ) Foreign exchange (loss) gain (172 ) A 7,711 A A (153 ) A 8,529 A Share of income (loss) of associates 19,167 A A (1,078 ) A 13,022 A A 1,526 A Other losses, net (23,926 ) A (5,958 ) A (22,100 ) A (12,318 ) Earnings before income taxes 21,833 A A 26,728 A A 51,072 A A 48,925 A Income tax expense (3,872 ) A (8,669 ) A (12,263 ) A (14,062 ) Net earnings from continuing operations 17,961 A A 18,059 A A 38,809 A A 34,863 A Net loss from discontinued operations - A A (1,487 ) A - A A (23,820 ) Net earnings 17,961 A A 16,572 A A 38,809 A A 11,043 A A A A A A A A A Net earnings (loss) attributable to: A A A A A A A Osisko Gold Royalties Ltdas shareholders 17,961 A A 17,159 A A 38,809 A A 17,485 A Non-controlling interests - A A (587 ) A - A A (6,442 ) A A VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. (CSE: RFLX), (OTCQB: RFLXF), (FSE: HF2) (Reflex or the Company), is pleased to announce that it has received approval for its exploration drilling program from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and a formal Authorization to Proceed with its highly anticipated summer 2023 drill program (the, Program) for the Ruby Graphite project in Montana, USA. The Ruby Graphite project is the flagship asset in the Companys portfolio, known for being a past producing graphite mine until 1948 and being the only known source of vein and flake graphite in the United States. With the receipt of the authorization, the Company can now advance its exploration efforts and execute its initial drill program to begin to assess the economic viability of the Ruby Graphite project. The drill program, scheduled to commence in the coming days, will be 3500m total and is aimed at defining potential graphitic mineralization, determining the project's geological characteristics, and enhancing the overall understanding of the Ruby Graphite project. Paul Gorman, CEO of Reflex Advanced Materials Corp, expressed his enthusiasm regarding the receipt of the drill permits, stating, "We are thrilled to have received the necessary approvals from the Bureau of Land Management and Department of Environmental Quality to proceed with our summer 2023 drill program on the Ruby Graphite project. This milestone marks a significant step forward for Reflex." The company has lined up all drilling contractors and supplies in the starting blocks ready for the receipt of this drilling authorization. Thanks to the organized preparation of all pertinent personnel and supplies, the teams will start the setup of the drill locations immediately. For more information on Reflex Advanced Materials Corp and its mineral projects, please visit the Companys website at www.reflexmaterials.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Paul Gorman CEO & Director Reflex Advanced Materials Corp[email protected]Tel. (778-837-7191)Suite 915-700 West Pender StreetVancouver, BC V6C 1G8Canada About Reflex Advanced Materials Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. is a mineral exploration company based in British Columbia. Its objective is to locate and, if warranted, develop economic mineral properties in the strategic metals and advanced materials space. It is focused on improving domestic specialty mineral infrastructure efficiencies to meet surging national demand by North American manufacturers. The Company is working to advance its Ruby Graphite Project, located in Beaverhead County, Montana, and ZigZag Lake Lithium Property, located in Thunder Bay Mining Division, Crescent Lake Area, Ontario. For more information, please review the Companys filings available at www.sedar.com. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including (without limitation) expectations and assumptions concerning the business plan of the Company, exploration and development of the Companys assets, the application of regulatory and licensing requirements, and the availability of capital, labour and services. By their nature, such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause the actual results and expectations to differ materially from the anticipated results and expectations expressed. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in commodity prices, changes in industry regulations and political landscape in Canada and the United States, stock market volatility, and those risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Source: Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. OSLO, Norway (9 August 2023) TGS has issued awards of Performance Share Units (PSUs) and Restricted Share Units (RSUs) to 221 key employees of the Company, as authorized by the shareholders of the Company at its Annual General Meeting on 10 May 2023. With the exception of certain RSUs, which are secured by the Companys treasury stock, the PSUs and RSUs are secured by free-standing warrants that, upon vesting of the PSUs and RSUs in accordance with their terms, are convertible to shares of the Companys common stock. Each PSU represents the right to receive the maximum of one share, while each RSU represents the right to receive one share. The PSUs are granted to members of the executive and senior leadership teams and will vest on 8 August 2026, provided the employee remains employed with TGS on the vesting date. Upon vesting, the PSUs will be converted to TGS shares on the terms approved by the Annual General Meeting, depending on performance versus target metrics. The number of shares will be determined by multiplying the number of PSUs granted by a factor of 0% to 100%. The factor is determined by performance against three target metrics: (i) relative return on average capital employed compared against a defined peer group of companies, (ii) TGS return on average capital employed, and (iii) HSE and ESG goals. Each of the performance metrics is measured for the period 1 January 2023 through 31 December 2025. The RSUs are granted to certain key employees and will also vest on 8 August 2026, provided the employee remains employed at vesting and has achieved a satisfactory performance rating against their goals over the three-year plan period. Upon vesting, the holder of the RSUs will receive an equivalent number of TGS shares. The list of the primary insiders receiving PSUs and RSUs is attached. The maximum number of new shares to be issued under the awarded PSUs and RSUs is 850,000. About TGS TGS provides scientific data and intelligence to companies active in the energy sector. In addition to a global, extensive and diverse energy data library, TGS offers specialized services such as advanced processing and analytics alongside cloud-based data applications and solutions. Forward Looking Statement All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include volatile market conditions, investment opportunities in new and existing markets, demand for licensing of data within the energy industry, operational challenges, and reliance on a cyclical industry and principal customers. Actual results may differ materially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements. TGS undertakes no responsibility or obligation to update or alter forward-looking statements for any reason. For more information, visit TGS.com or contact: Sven Brre Larsen Chief Financial Officer [email protected] Attachment REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Payments Forum today launched its latest market snapshot. It provides an inside look at the state of the industry from the perspective of key stakeholders, including payment networks, technology innovators, leading merchants, issuers, acquirers and payment processors. The statistics provided in the snapshot were gathered during the Forums Summer Virtual Member Meeting, which brought together more than 270 payments professionals from across the ecosystem. AIs industry impactArtificial intelligence, specifically generative AI, is experiencing a period of explosive growth, swiftly becoming the most widely discussed tech topic in recent years. 77% of business leaders expect generative AI to have the largest impact on broader society of all emerging technologies. 60% expect to adopt generative AI within the next six to 12 months, according to data shared by KPMG during the keynote address at the Forums member meeting. Naturally, payments stakeholders shared that they are exploring ways to leverage AI to strengthen the industry. The most basic example is using generative AI to shift employees from writers to editors. Software engineers in the financial services industry may use AI tools to quickly produce code that can then be refined. AI is also being used in back-office settings to automate disputes, manage chargebacks and streamline document processing. Fraud mitigation is by far the most widely sought after use case for AI in the payments industry today. Generative AI LLMs like ChatGPT may be used to develop suspicious activity reports (SARs) to increase productivity for AML representatives. For in-line transaction fraud, classic AI and machine learning tools can be used to analyze vast quantities of data to find anomalies typically associated with fraudulent transactions. The AI algorithms will learn over time, advancing risk rules to increase accuracy. FedNow and faster paymentsThe Federal Reserve has officially launched its FedNow service. The faster payments, or real-time payments, option offers an alternative to standard ACH transactions and third-party providers like Zelle or Venmo. FedNow was of particular interest to issuers at the Forums member meeting, having been integrated at launch by 35 banks including J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo and Chase. Notably, the U.S. Treasury has also signed up in a pilot capacity. This comes during a period where the demand for real-time payments is at an all-time high, with Jack Henry, for example, experiencing 5% month-over-month volume growth of their financial institution clients since going live in 2020. Since there are other peer-to-peer payment options on the market, industry stakeholders are examining how FedNow can instead fill gaps in ACH products. For example, applications like payroll where employees would benefit from instantly receiving funds. Escrow for mortgages is another possible business case for FedNow in place of traditional wire transfers. There is also talk of how FedNow may be leveraged by the government, consumers and businesses during tax season to instantly pay outstanding balances and issue tax refunds. Advancing fraud trendsAs payments become speedier and more efficient, fraudsters follow suit. Authorized push payment fraud (APP fraud) is becoming a greater threat to the industry. This occurs when fraudsters target consumers, instead of payment platforms or services, coercing people to authorize payments that appear legitimate but ultimately benefit the fraudster. For example, convincing someone to pay into a fake investment account via a real-time payment app. Since faster payments are still gaining traction in the U.S., some industry experts are analyzing fraud trends in countries with more experience, like the U.K. According to statistics shared by Darwinium, 97% of all authorized push payment fraud, or scams, in the UK, happen on the faster payments rails. Social engineering has become a go-to tactic for APP fraudsters. Some use AI tools like LLMs to quickly create scam emails or content and lure in victims. Image-based AI tools like Midjourney can be used to create convincing images to support the scams. Even more concerning is the use of deepfakes for social engineering. Fraudsters can leverage AI to spoof the voices of trusted people to fool potential victims into sending money. For example, spoofing the voice of a grandchild to convince a grandparent to instantly send funds via real-time payment apps. To mitigate this type of fraud, payment stakeholders are encouraged to focus on the beneficiary risk assessment as much as the payer risk assessment. Fraudsters may try to guide victims through standard fraud prevention guardrails put in place by things like EMV 3-D Secure. It's important to leverage behavioral analytics, behavioral biometrics and tailored messaging catered directly to the type of scam that may be taking place to encourage the victim to think twice before moving forward with the payment. Contactless payment updatesThe adoption of contactless payments continues to hold significance among industry stakeholders, especially global and domestic payment networks. On the EMV contactless side, many payment networks are observing steady growth, albeit less substantial than the increase observed during the pandemic. Discover says it is seeing a more than 64% increase YoY from May 2022 to May 2023 in contactless sales volume and U.S. contactless transaction volume was approximately 15 basis points higher than its global figure during this period. Meanwhile, JCB says it experienced 165% YOY growth in contactless volume in the U.S. in the first half of 2023, due in part to the return of Asian tourists post-pandemic. The U.S. market has undoubtedly become much more receptive to specific contactless payment technologies over the last year, including digital wallets and tap to pay options. American Express shared that 74% of U.S. consumers surveyed are using contactless or digital wallets. 24% of consumers are using mobile payment apps like Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, up 14% since 2021. Globally, Visa says it observed 74% tap to pay volume for face-to-face transactions, excluding the United States. Stateside, the number is 34%, up 7x from three years ago and up more than 10 percentage points from last year. Looking toward the future, an American Express survey shows that 46% of consumers would consider making a payment with biometrics, including palm scanning or retina scanning. This is an area of opportunity the Forum is eyeing closely as these technologies develop. The phasing out of magnetic stripes is also a topic of discussion among payment networks, although many expressed that contactless mag stripe use is down significantly. As part of efforts to further secure and innovate in payments, Mastercard shared its intention to allow the removal of physical magnetic stripes in its cards in the U.S. beginning in 2027. Regulation IIThe recent implementation of the Federal Reserves Regulation II was at the center of many conversations during the Forum meeting. It requires that card-not-present (CNP) transactions have a minimum of two unaffiliated networks available for routing debit transactions. Several stakeholders provided insights on the initial impacts of Reg II on their industry sectors. Fiserv shared that so far it is seeing issuers, especially larger organizations, that have adopted additional unaffiliated networks. It notes that some (mostly untokenized) transactions have begun routing to the Fiserv networks. It reports seeing consistent approval rates and wants issuers to focus on their fraud tools since it is known that CNP activity tends to have higher fraud rates than card present activity, and it is critical for issuers to apply their fraud tools consistently across all networks in which they participate. From a merchant's perspective, members expressed there is work to do in the PINless space when it comes to debit routing following Reg II implementation. Concern was expressed regarding card-present transactions, citing that if the customer chooses not to use a PIN with a debit card the merchant should have the right to route that transaction as they see fit. The Forum recently provided some insight on this topic in its PINless Debit Processing white paper. Overall, many stakeholders agreed that they will continue to monitor the situation, however, it is too soon to weigh the effects of Reg II on the broader industry at this time. Forum prioritiesThe U.S. Payments Forums primary focus is to provide a platform for solving cross-industry challenges and promoting innovation. This is achieved through collaborative discussion, networking events and educational resources. During the Forums member meeting, stakeholders identified key opportunities for improvement and growth and development within the payments landscape. Those opportunities are highlighted by the numerous projects the Forum currently has underway that will benefit stakeholders throughout the payments ecosystem, including resources on: Secure Remote Commerce (SRC or Click to Pay) Phishing-resistant authentication Transit fare programs to expand open payment uses EMV fleet enhanced data testing and certification Connected car/contextual payments Digital ID's role in mobile payments Contactless adoption at the ATM Resource recapThe U.S. Payments Forum has recently published the following resources: Public Electric Vehicle Charging Terminal Payment Flow Guidelines A resource and infographic on the best practices for facilitating convenient and secure consumer payment experiences at EV charging stations. Reg II Clarification for Debit Routing A resource that explores the technical and operational impacts of the July 2023 Regulation II update on various industry stakeholders. Synthetic ID Payments Resource Brief A synopsis of fraud trends related to synthetic IDs, including suggested techniques for preventing and mitigating this fraud. Real-Time Payments with Mobile Devices A resource on real-time payments use cases, opportunities associated with leveraging mobile devices (in this setting) and their impact on real-time payment demand and adoption. Organizations, associations, government agencies and individuals interested in participating in upcoming Forum projects and initiatives can visit the Secure Technology Alliances website to learn how to become a member. By joining the Secure Technology Alliance, members will have access to activities within the U.S. Payments Forum and additional Alliance affiliated organizations. About the U.S. Payments ForumThe U.S. Payments Forum is a cross-industry body that brings stakeholders together on neutral ground to enable efficient, timely and effective implementation of emerging and existing payment technologies. This is achieved through education, guidance and alternative paths to adoption. The Forum is the only non-profit organization whose membership includes the whole payments ecosystem, ensuring that all stakeholders have the opportunity to coordinate, cooperate on and have a voice in the future of the U.S. payments industry. The organization operates within the Secure Technology Alliance, an association that encompasses all aspects of secure digital technologies. About the Secure Technology Alliance The Secure Technology Alliance is the digital security industrys premier association. Through its U.S. Payments Forum, Identity and Access Forum and its collaborative working groups, the Alliance fosters open dialogue among industry stakeholders to explore and develop secure technology innovations in the payments, identity and access markets. By collaborating on education and guidance, the Alliance helps enable efficient, timely and effective implementation of large-scale, disruptive technologies. For more information, please visit https://www.securetechalliance.org. ContactSherlyn Rijos-AltmanMontner Tech PR203-226-9290[email protected] Source: U.S. Payments Forum HOUSTON, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EGY; LSE: EGY) (VAALCO or the Company) declared its quarterly cash dividend of $0.0625 per share of common stock for the second quarter of 2023 ($0.25 annualized), which is payable on September 22, 2023, to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 25, 2023. Future declarations of quarterly dividends and the establishment of future record and payment dates are subject to approval by the Board of Directors. George Maxwell, VAALCOs Chief Executive Officer, commented, We are pleased to pay our third quarterly dividend at the increased rate of $0.0625 per share, or $0.25 per share annually, which is up 92% from our 2022 dividend rate. Delivering meaningful value to our stockholders through dividends and share buybacks are key components of our value creation strategy. We have premier assets in Gabon, Egypt and Canada generating strong operational results that allow us to reinvest in our business, while returning significant cash to our stockholders. Energy Conference Participation VAALCO today also announced its participation in the EnerCom Denver Conference to be held in Denver, Colorado where Chief Executive Officer George Maxwell is scheduled to make a presentation on Monday, August 14th at 11:20 am Mountain Time (12:20 pm Central Time.) Senior management will also host one-on-one meetings with investors. The presentation will be webcast live and archived on VAALCOs website, www.vaalco.com, in the Investor Relations section under News and Events. An updated investor slide deck will be posted on the website under Presentations on the day of the event. VAALCO management will also participate in the Seaport Research Partners Annual Summer Investor Conference on August 22nd and 23rd, 2023 with virtual meetings with investors. An investor deck for that Conference will also be posted the day of the event. About VAALCO VAALCO, founded in 1985 and incorporated under the laws of Delaware, is a Houston, Texas, USA based, independent energy company with production, development and exploration assets in Africa and Canada. Following its business combination with TransGlobe Energy Corporation (TransGlobe) in October 2022, VAALCO owns a diverse portfolio of operated production, development and exploration assets across Gabon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea and Canada. For Further Information VAALCO Energy, Inc. (General and Investor Enquiries) +00 1 713 623 0801 Website: www.vaalco.com Al Petrie Advisors (US Investor Relations) +00 1 713 543 3422 Al Petrie / Chris Delange Buchanan (UK Financial PR) +44 (0) 207 466 5000 Ben Romney / Barry Archer [email protected] Forward Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by those laws and other applicable laws and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Where a forward-looking statement expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. The words anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, intend, forecast, outlook, aim, target, will, could, should, may, likely, plan and probably or similar words may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements relating to (i) VAALCOs ability to realize the anticipated benefits and synergies expected from the acquisition of TransGlobe; (ii) estimates of future drilling, production, sales and costs of acquiring crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids; (iii) estimates of future cost reductions, synergies, including pre-tax synergies, savings and efficiencies; (iv) expectations regarding VAALCOs ability to effectively integrate assets and properties it acquired as a result of the acquisition of TransGlobe into its operations; (v) the amount and timing of stock buybacks, if any, under VAALCOs stock buyback program and VAALCOs ability to enhance stockholder value through such plan; (vi) expectations regarding future exploration and the development, growth and potential of VAALCOs operations, project pipeline and investments, and schedule and anticipated benefits to be derived therefrom; (vii) expectations regarding future acquisitions, investments or divestitures; (viii) expectations of future dividends, buybacks and other potential returns to stockholders; (ix) expectations of future balance sheet strength; (x) expectations of future equity and enterprise value; (xi) expectations of the continued listing of VAALCOs common stock on the NYSE and LSE and (xii) VAALCOs ability to finalize documents and effectively execute the POD for the Venus development in Block P. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: risks relating to any unforeseen liabilities of VAALCO or TransGlobe; the tax treatment of the business combination in the United States and Canada; declines in oil or natural gas prices; the level of success in exploration, development and production activities; adverse weather conditions that may negatively impact development or production activities; the right of host governments in countries where we operate to expropriate property and terminate contracts (including the Egypt PSCs, the Etame production sharing contract and the Block P production sharing contract) for reasons of public interest, subject to reasonable compensation, determinable by the respective government in its discretion; the final terms of the agreements pertaining to Block P in Equatorial Guinea, which remain under negotiation; the timing and costs of exploration and development expenditures; inaccuracies of reserve estimates or assumptions underlying them; revisions to reserve estimates as a result of changes in commodity prices; impacts to financial statements as a result of impairment write-downs; the ability to generate cash flows that, along with cash on hand, will be sufficient to support operations and cash requirements; the ability to attract capital or obtain debt financing arrangements; currency exchange rates and regulations; actions by joint venture co-owners; hedging decisions, including whether or not to enter into derivative financial instruments; international, federal and state initiatives relating to the regulation of hydraulic fracturing; failure of asses to yield oil or gas in commercially viable quantities; uninsured or underinsured losses resulting from oil and gas operations; inability to access oil and gas markets due to market conditions or operational impediments; the impact and costs of compliance with laws and regulations governing oil and gas operations; the ability to replace oil and natural gas reserves; any loss of senior management or technical personnel; competition in the oil and gas industry; the risk that the business combination with TransGlobe may not increase VAALCOs relevance to investors in the international E&P industry, increase capital market access through scale and diversification or provide liquidity benefits for stockholders; and other risks described under the caption Risk Factors in VAALCOs 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 6, 2022. Dividends beyond the third quarter of 2023 have not yet been approved or declared by the Board of Directors for VAALCO. The declaration and payment of future dividends and the terms of share buybacks remains at the discretion of the Board of Directors of VAALCO and will be determined based on VAALCOs financial results, balance sheet strength, cash and liquidity requirements, future prospects, crude oil and natural gas prices, and other factors deemed relevant by the Board of Directors of VAALCO. The Board of Directors of VAALCO reserves all powers related to the declaration and payment of dividends and the terms of share buybacks. Consequently, in determining the dividend to be declared and paid on VAALCO common stock or the terms of share buybacks, the Board of Directors of VAALCO may revise or terminate the payment level or buyback terms at any time without prior notice. Inside Information This announcement contains inside information as defined in Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 on market abuse which is part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (MAR) and is made in accordance with the Companys obligations under article 17 of MAR. The person responsible for arranging the release of this announcement on behalf of VAALCO is Matthew Powers, Corporate Secretary of VAALCO. Source: VAALCO Energy, Inc. KYODO NEWS - Aug 9, 2023 - 09:38 | All, World Japan's expanded blacklist for exports to Russia covering about 750 new items, including used cars, came into force Wednesday, aligning with sanctions imposed by the Group of Seven nations amid the war in Ukraine. Japan has already banned shipments to Russia of premium vehicles worth more than 6 million yen ($42,000) each from April last year, and the measures now additionally cover new and used gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles exceeding 1,900 cubic centimeters in engine capacity, electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as tires for large vehicles. Exports of other crucial goods, such as semiconductors capable of being diverted to military use, machine tools and robots, have been banned as well following the Russian military invasion of Ukraine since late February 2022. Japanese cars are in high demand in Russia, with exports of used cars to Russia in 2022 totaling around 200,000 units, up around 30 percent from the previous year, according to Finance Ministry data. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has estimated that the latest ban will halt about 20 percent of what was exported to Russia in 2021 by value. Other items added to the export blacklist include metals such as iron and steel, boilers and fibers that can be used to maintain Russia's industrial activities. Related coverage: Japan urges Iran not to provide Russia with weapons for Ukraine war Japan pledges more support to Ukraine during finance dialogue Japan grants long-term visas to 2 Russians who oppose Ukraine war Milestone uplisting gives company greater access, exposure to the crucial U.S. investment market The uplisting has drawn increased focus, credibility to companys two flagship projects Partnership with IBN designed to strengthen First Telluriums presence in growing essential metals market First Tellurium (CSE: FTEL) (OTCQB: FSTTF) is taking key steps that reflect its growth and commitment to explore for and provide green and critical metals. Most recently the company announced that it had uplisting to the OTCQB venture market (https://ibn.fm/ZNYik) and had partnered with a veteran corporate communications consulting firm to strengthen the companys news dissemination (https://ibn.fm/yE468). Upgrading to OTCQB will provide enhanced access and exposure to the U.S. investor base, noted First Tellurium CEO and president. Upgrading our OTC market listing has been an important, long-term goal of the company, said Tyrone Docherty. This milestone gives us far greater access and exposure to the Read More>> NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to FSTTF are available in the companys newsroom at https://ibn.fm/FSTTF About MiningNewsWire MiningNewsWire (MNW) is a specialized communications platform focused on developments and opportunities in the global resources sector. The company provides (1) access to a network of wire services via NetworkWire to reach all target markets, industries and demographics in the most effective manner possible, (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ news outlets (3), enhanced press release services to ensure maximum impact, (4) social media distribution via the Investor Brand Network (IBN) to millions of social media followers, and (5) a full array of corporate communications solutions. As a multifaceted organization with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, MNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in todays market, MNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. MNW is where news, content and information converge. To receive SMS text alerts from MiningNewsWire, text BigHole to 844-397-5787 (U.S. Mobile Phones Only) For more information, please visit https://www.miningnewswire.com Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the MiningNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by MNW, wherever published or re-published: https://www.miningnewswire.com/Disclaimer MiningNewsWire Los Angeles, California www.miningnewswire.com 310.299.1717 Office [email protected] MiningNewsWire is part of the InvestorBrandNetwork. Ucore is engaged in the exploration for and separation and scalable production of REEs in Canada and the US Ucore Chairman and CEO Pat Ryan recently presented at the Critical Minerals Institute Summit II, where he discussed the risk mitigation strategies Western countries could execute to disrupt Chinas dominance in the REE space On its part, and having identified has identified the need and demand for US-based REE refining and processing facilities, Ucore is working on developing, upscaling, and commercializing RapidSX(TM) RapidSX(TM) is the companys transformative advanced column-based solvent extraction technique for separating both light and heavy REEs; it offers numerous benefits over the conventional solvent extraction technique Ucore is commissioning its 52-stage RapidSX(TM) Demonstration Plant in Kingston, Ontario The government of China has consistently increased the total annual mining quota issued to producers of rare earth materials for the past five years: what started at 105,000 tons in 2017, doubled to 210,000 tons in 2022. Still, this uptrend shows no signs of easing, as country earlier this year set the first batch of rare-earth mining for 2023 at 120,000 tons, up by about 20% year-over-year (https://ibn.fm/uIRjY). According to observers, this increase is due to the need to stabilize the prices of neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets amid an expected surge in demand as the country pushes for broader adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). (NdFeB magnets are critical to the functioning of clean energy technologies like electric vehicle (EV) motors and wind turbines, as well as defense systems.) In response to the higher government quota, state-owned resource developers have announced plans to expand production. The countrys largest player in the rare earth space, China Northern Rare Earth Group, for instance, announced it would invest $1.1 billion (7.8 billion yuan) to convert an existing refining and processing facility into one of the largest in the world (https://ibn.fm/xx9sJ). Such investments continue to support Chinas status as a leader in the production and processing of rare earth elements (REE). In fact, according to the Critical Minerals Market Review 2023, published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), China accounts for 70% of production and 90% of processing (https://ibn.fm/Z5smw). Worried about this dominance, which threatens, among others, national security and workforce development, the United States has stepped up its own mining operations and investments, becoming the worlds second-largest producer of REEs. Unfortunately, the country still lacks sufficient refining capacity, so it sends most of its output to China for processing before importing it back. But with China considering prohibiting exports of certain rare-earth magnet technology (https://ibn.fm/5idlI), this dependence poses a massive risk. Make no mistake, the battle lines are being drawn as global energy transition is upon us, said Pat Ryan, Chairman and CEO of Ucore Rare Metals (TSX.V: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF), in his speech delivered at the Critical Minerals Institute Summit II in June (https://ibn.fm/0N1iM). Massive Chinese investments, especially in the rare earth supply chain, have created a steadfast monopoly. Nationalistic goals that have cornered resources and technology, seriously challenge the innovative and free market solutions of the US and allied countries. What risk-mitigating strategies can the West unilaterally execute for its own needs, allowing entrepreneurial ideas that have led global growth decade after decade to be refocused? Ryans speech, titled Risk Mitigating for a North American Rare Earth Supply, centered around an entrepreneurial theme that has long guided the operations of Ucore: identify demand and then respond with innovation. On its part, Ucore, a company engaged in the exploration for and separation and scalable production of REEs in Canada and the US, identified the need and demand for US-based REE refining and processing facilities and has, ergo, been focusing on developing, upscaling, and commercializing RapidSX(TM), its transformative advanced column-based solvent extraction technique for separating both light and heavy REEs. RapidSX(TM) is at least three times more efficient than conventional solvent extraction (CSX) with a shorter overall processing time and lower construction and operation costs even though both share the same chemistry and unit operational steps. Plus, according to Ucore, the transformative technique results in REE products that are virtually indistinguishable from those made in facilities that use CSX. (CSX is used the world over to commercially separate REEs.) Ucore is commissioning its 52-stage RapidSX(TM) Demonstration Plant in Kingston, Ontario, announcing June 29 the acquisition of its third feedstock, made up of mixed light REE chemical concentrate, for commissioning trials (https://ibn.fm/nhdsb). The underway commissioning process at the RapidSX(TM) Commercialization and Demonstration Facility is the single most significant leap in the development of the RapidSX(TM) technology platform and, once completed, will open the pathway to direct commercialization and monetization of Ucores business model, commented Mike Shrider, Ucore Vice President and COO, in the press release. For more information, visit the companys website at www.Ucore.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to UURAF are available in the companys newsroom at https://ibn.fm/UURAF About MiningNewsWire MiningNewsWire (MNW) is a specialized communications platform focused on developments and opportunities in the global resources sector. The company provides (1) access to a network of wire services via NetworkWire to reach all target markets, industries and demographics in the most effective manner possible, (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ news outlets (3), enhanced press release services to ensure maximum impact, (4) social media distribution via the Investor Brand Network (IBN) to millions of social media followers, and (5) a full array of corporate communications solutions. As a multifaceted organization with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, MNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in todays market, MNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. MNW is where news, content and information converge. To receive SMS text alerts from MiningNewsWire, text BigHole to 844-397-5787 (U.S. Mobile Phones Only) For more information, please visit https://www.miningnewswire.com Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the MiningNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by MNW, wherever published or re-published: https://www.miningnewswire.com/Disclaimer MiningNewsWire Los Angeles, California www.miningnewswire.com 310.299.1717 Office [email protected] MiningNewsWire is part of the InvestorBrandNetwork. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Altamira Gold Corp. (TSXV: ALTA) (FSE: T6UP) (OTC PINK: EQTRF)("Altamira" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its ongoing exploration programme for copper and gold at the Santa Helena project in Mato Grosso State, Northern Brazil. This work is being conducted in parallel with ongoing exploration at the Company's main Cajueiro gold project. Highlights: Ground magnetic work has been completed at three further copper-in-soil anomalies at the Santa Helena project (Areas 2, 3 and 4), and has revealed the presence of coincident magnetic anomalies. These coincident copper-in-soil and magnetic targets add to the excellent coincident anomaly already defined in Area 1 and have signatures that are considered to be consistent with inferred porphyry settings. A drill programme is being designed to test these targets. Exploration continues in the south of the project area to follow-up widely spaced copper-in-soil anomalies. Consultant geologist Darren Jones commented; "The presence of undrilled-tested copper-in-soil anomalism in this tropical weathered landscape, coincident with well-defined magnetic features, reminiscent of intrusive bodies and a local and regional structural setting permissive for porphyry stock emplacement are strong positives. Together with the presence of mineralized porphyry-like stockworks in limited surface exposure, trenching and initial drilling of what appears to have been the margins of one or more potentially copper-mineralized porphyry stocks, is, in my opinion, as good as it gets in terms of drill readiness for a potential cluster of porphyries on early-stage exploration plays in largely covered terrain." CEO Mike Bennett commented; "These results have confirmed the coincidence of anomalous geochemical and geophysical responses at all three new areas surveyed using ground magnetics and add to the compelling target previously identified in Area 1. We now have an impressive inventory of "drill-ready" options to test for porphyry-style copper mineralization. The regional structural location, and widespread association with large-scale alteration features, consistent with porphyry-style intrusive systems are very encouraging at this stage of exploration. The design of a scout drilling programme is underway. We continue to advance our copper exploration activities in parallel with our main focus at the Maria Bonita gold discovery." SANTA HELENA PROJECT The Santa Helena project is located immediately adjacent to the paved BR-163 federal highway in the state of Mato Grosso and 60km SW of the Jaca porphyry copper deposit which was recently discovered by Anglo American plc (Figure 1). Figure 1: Location of the Santa Helena, Apiacas and Cajueiro projects. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/176600_75a4b813c413d8ed_001full.jpg There is no history of copper production in the Santa Helena area and previous artisanal mining activity has focused on high-grade gold, hosted in vein structures. The regional geology consists of 1806-1757Ma Teles-Pires intrusive rocks and overlying Colder Formation volcanic rock (lavas and pyroclastic flows with inferred volcanic dome structures). The Teles Pires intrusives consist of alkali-feldspar granites and syenogranites and are interpreted to be the main host to porphyry-style intrusions in the Santa Helena area. Younger (ca.1400Ma) sedimentary cover of conglomerates and arenites formerly overlay this basement. Remnant outliers of this cover indicate enhanced potential for the preservation of porphyry alteration zones within the basement. Figure 2: Selected core photos from scout drill holes for gold mineralization DD-ST-002, 010, 012 & 014 drilled in 2022 to test gold-vein target areas, showing syenogranite intrusive with chlorite-secondary biotite, sericite-muscovite & K-spar/hematite alteration ('red-rock'), cut by polyphase veining brecciation with quartz, calcite, epidote, hematite, magnetite, chlorite ( secondary biotite), k-spar pyrite-chalcopyrite. Note that none of these holes were drilled within the current copper targets. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/176600_75a4b813c413d8ed_002full.jpg In a similar manner to the Jaca porphyry district (60km NE), anomalous copper occurrences have associated peripheral gold occurrences, indicating a coeval origin. Scout drilling of some of these gold occurrences by Altamira, identified potential for copper porphyry style mineralization (see Figure 2 and Press Release dated April 12, 2023). Mapping and soil sampling, focused on the copper potential has now been supplemented by ground magnetic surveys. Regional airborne magnetics data shows major structures trending NE-SW passing through the Santa Helena concessions and this trend is evident from the alignment of copper and gold soil anomalies (Figures 3 & 4). Outcrop is generally very poor in these areas, compounded by deep weathering, which renders trenching of limited value. Figure 3: Regional magnetics (total magnetic intensity; TMI) showing major NE and ESE trends and possible regional structure linking Santa Helena area to known porphyry style mineralization at Jaca, 60km to the north-east. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/176600_75a4b813c413d8ed_003full.jpg Figure 4: Location of ground magnetic grids in relation to soil sampling (copper in colour) and prior drillholes for gold targets. Prior drill holes for gold are focussed on existing artisanal workings and gold-in-soil anomalies which are peripheral to the copper-in soil anomalies. Ground magnetic results for Area 1 were released on May 10, 2023. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/176600_75a4b813c413d8ed_004full.jpg Ground magnetic surveys have been completed over Areas 2, 3 and 4 using survey lines, oriented north-south, separated by 50m and with readings every second at walking pace (Figure 4). The data was quality controlled and analysed by consultant geophysicist Mat Cooper of Core Geophysics Western Australia. (see Press Release dated May 10, 2023 for results of Area 1 in which a compelling porphyry-style drill target has been defined) Area 2 shows a coherent copper-in-soil anomaly, oriented NE-SW with a long axis dimension of 600m and a peak copper value of 170ppm. Prior drillholes to the north and northwest (Figure 5) were directed at quartz vein structures associated with garimpo workings. The ground magnetic data suggests that the copper anomaly is broadly coincident with two lozenge-shaped, and inferred fault-controlled, low magnetic responses. A pull apart" structural interpretation is illustrated in Figure 5. Within and adjacent to these extensional structures are smaller zones of higher magnetic responses, interpreted as possible intrusive centres, around which hydrothermal alteration effects have caused demagnetisation. The intersection of two sets of structural trends, one of which is the dominant NE-SW regional structure, is interpreted as a favourable setting for the emplacement of an intrusive (porphyry). Three separate scout drill targets are identified at this prospect (Figure 5). Figure 5: Area 2 ground magnetic Analytic Signal data (background colour) with gold-in-soil contoured in white in ppm Cu.Prior drill holes for gold are focused on existing artisanal gold workings (see press release April 12, 2023). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/176600_75a4b813c413d8ed_005full.jpg Areas 3 and 4 are both characterised by coincident copper-in-soil anomalies and magnetic anomalies, consistent with porphyry-style settings and dimensions. A drill programme is being planned for Areas 1-3 whilst further infill soil sampling will be conducted at Area 4 to finalise drill targeting. Figure 6: Areas 3 and 4 ground magnetic Analytic Signal data (background colour) with copper-in-soil contoured in white in ppm Cu (Area 3) showing strong coincidence of copper with a magnetic low. Wide (1km spaced) soil lines in Area 4 show elevated copper in association with an oblate magnetic high. Infill soil sampling is planned to define drill targets for Area 4. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/176600_75a4b813c413d8ed_007full.jpg Altamira continues to progress the Santa Helena copper programme in parallel with on-going exploration at the main Cajueiro gold resource and recent discovery at Maria Bonita. Drill targeting for copper porphyry objectives is underway at all four ground magnetic grids outlined above. Qualified Person Guillermo Hughes, FAIG and M AusIMM., a consultant to the Company as well as a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release. 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. About Altamira Gold Corp. The Company is focused on the exploration and development of gold projects in central Brazil. The Company holds 6 projects comprising approximately 190,000 hectares, within the prolific Juruena gold belt which historically produced an estimated 7 to 10Moz of placer gold. The Company's advanced Cajueiro project has NI 43-101 resources of 5.66Mt @ 1.02 g/t gold for a total of 185,000 oz in the Indicated Resource category and 12.66Mt @ 1.26 g/t gold for a total of 515,000oz in the Inferred Resource category. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, ALTAMIRA GOLD CORP. "Michael Bennett" Michael Bennett President & CEO Tel: 604.676.5660 Toll-Free:1-833-606-6271 [email protected] www.altamiragold.com Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this document which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we do not undertake to update these forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176600 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - AVANTI GOLD CORPORATION (CSE: AGC) (FSE: X37) (the "Company" or "Avanti") is pleased to announce an update following a site visit to Misisi Project. CEO Dr. Colin Porter and board member Mata Botama recently conducted a site visit to the Misisi Project to engage with local communities and assess the current status of logistics and infrastructure at the project. Several constructive meetings took place with senior community representatives, local and district chiefs, and leaders of the local artisanal miners' cooperative (Sycomines). The airstrip at Lulimba was found to be in excellent condition and roads to Misisi town and the field camp were all passable. The camp itself is in good condition with all accommodation and catering facilities fully functional as well as the electricity supply. Some minor remedial work will be required. Access roads to the Akyanga project area are good. Samples from a 2,200m drilling by the previous operator remain on site and have not been assayed. The integrity of the samples was assessed and overall condition is considered to be good. These samples will be dispatched for assay as a priority. Results will assist in further definition and updated classification of the Akyanga Hill resource. Phase 1 drill planning has been completed with a view to further upgrading of the Akyanga inferred resource by infill drilling and exploration drilling on the Akyanga East target which lies 800m to the east of the main resource. An initial 14,000m of drilling has been planned and contractors identified. CEO Dr. Colin Porter commented: "The site visit to Misisi was extremely productive and we were pleased with the condition and amount of existing infrastructure at Misisi. All engagements with the community were extremely positive and the benefits of Avanti returning to the area to commence an organised exploration programme were discussed with and supported by the community and Sycomines. Avanti look forward to continuing to build positive relationships with all local stakeholders as we progress our exploration programme in the near future." About Avanti Gold Corporation Avanti Gold Corporation is a mineral exploration company working on a Tier-1 gold opportunity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ("DRC"), located in the Fizi territory of South Kivu province, in the DRC. The Misisi Gold Project (or the "Project") has a contained Inferred Mineral Resource of 3.11 million ounces of gold as reported in the Company's National Instrument 43-101 technical report on the Misisi Gold Project (the "Technical Report") filed on Sedar+ on August 4, 2023. The Project is located 250 kilometres south of Bukavu, the provincial capital of the South Kivu Province, in the DRC. The Project is comprised of three contiguous 30-year mining leases, valid until 2045, covering 133 square kilometres of prospective exploration ground along the 55-kilometre-long Kibara Gold Belt. The Kibara Belt is a well-known metallogenic province and hosts a number of other deposits including the Twangiza (5.1 Moz oz Au, source: S&P Global) and Namoya (1.9 Moz, source: S&P Global) gold mines. The Project is host to the Akyanga deposit, which is the subject to Inferred Resource of 40.8 million tonnes at an average grade of 2.37 grams per tonne gold containing 3.11 million ounces. Qualified Person Ephraim Masibhera, a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. This news release also includes references with respect to the Twangiza (5.1 Moz oz Au, source: S&P Global) and Namoya (1.9 Moz, source: S&P Global) gold mines, which are located near the Misisi Gold Project. The Company advises that, notwithstanding their proximity of location, discoveries of minerals on such properties, any promising results thereof are not necessarily indicative of the mineralization of, or located on the Misisi Gold Project, or the Company's ability to commercially exploit the minerals claims which comprise the property or to locate any commercially exploitable deposits therefrom. For more information on the Misisi Gold Project, please refer to the Technical Report filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ . On behalf of the Board of Directors Email: [email protected] Office: +1 (604) 908-1679 Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176579 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Benjamin Hill Mining Corp. (CSE: BNN) (OTCQB: BNNHF) ("Company") is pleased to announce that 34-line kilometres of an induced polarization (IP) survey have been completed over an area containing coincident, gold-copper in soil anomalies, magnetic depletion, and total potassium highs on the company's Alotta Project. Preliminary IP data outlines areas of high chargeability/moderated resistivities that are also coincident with the anomalous soil and geophysical anomalies. Key Points about the Alotta Project: Similar geological setting to the Casino deposit, located 50 km south of Alotta. Insitu Gold/Copper in-soil geochemical anomalies over 4.0 x 1.0 kilometres is larger than the current resource area of the Casino deposit. is larger than the current resource area of the Casino deposit. Magnetic depletion coincident with gold/copper in soils anomalous geochemistry indicates the occurrence of a large, porphyry related hydrothermal system. coincident with gold/copper in soils anomalous geochemistry indicates the occurrence of a High total potassium counts from radiometric survey supports porphyry potential. counts from radiometric survey supports porphyry potential. Preliminary IP survey results confirm the same area of interest as coincident soil geochemistry and geophysical anomalies. Never drill tested, the project is now permitted for drill testing. Management of the exploration project is being conducted by Archer Cathro and Associates. Archer Cathro is currently developing a model to manipulate geophysical and geochemical data for the purpose of defining targets for drill testing. Cole McClay, CEO of Benjamin Hill Mining Corp. states: "Systematic exploration of the Alotta Project has outlined coincident geochemical and geophysical anomalies that indicate the project's potential to host a large, bulk tonnage copper-gold porphyry deposit. We are looking forward to the next phase of exploration, and drill testing at Alotta." About Benjamin Hill Mining Corp. Benjamin Hill Mining Corp. is a Canadian-listed junior gold exploration company focused on exploring and developing The Alotta project in Canadian Yukon Territory. The Alotta project is a porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum prospect, located 50 km south of the Casino porphyry deposit in the unglaciated portion of the Dawson Range porphyry/epithermal belt. Qualified Person Lorne Warner, P.Geo, and President of Benjamin Hill Mining Corp. is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Cole McClay", CEO Benjamin Hill Mining Corp. [email protected] 604-271-0826 Forward-Looking Statements Certain of the statements made and information contained herein may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information concerning the Company's intentions with respect to the development of its mineral properties. Forward-looking information is based on the views, opinions, intentions and estimates of management at the date the information is made, and is based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated or projected in the forward-looking information (including the actions of other parties who have agreed to do certain things and the approval of certain regulatory bodies). Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of the Company and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws, or to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of the Company, its financial or operating results or its securities. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. We seek safe harbor. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176595 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - le 9 aot /August 2023) - Playground Ventures Inc. will be reinstated for trading on August 10, 2023. The Company has rectified the situation that gave rise to the suspension. _________________________________ Playground Ventures Inc. sera reintegre a la negociation le 10 aout 2023. La Societe a rectifie la situation ayant donne lieu a la suspension. Date : le 10 aout/August 2023 Symbol(s)/Symbole(s) : PLAY If you have any questions or require further information please contact Listings at (416) 367-7340 or E-mail: [email protected] Si vous avez des questions ou si vous avez besoin d'informations supplementaires, veuillez contacter le service des inscriptions au 416 367-7340 ou par courriel ladresse: [email protected] Oakville, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - FendX Technologies Inc. (CSE: FNDX) (OTCQB: FDXTF) (FSE: E8D) (the "Company" or "FendX"), a nanotechnology company developing surface protection coatings to reduce the spread of pathogens, is pleased to announce that its common shares currently listed on the OTCQB Venture Market (the "OTCQB") under the symbol "FDXTF" are now eligible for electronic clearing and settlement through the Depository Trust Company ("DTC") in the United States. DTC is a subsidiary of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, a U.S. company that manages the electronic clearing and settlement of publicly traded companies. "DTC eligible" securities can be electronically cleared and settled, which simplifies the process of trading, improves execution speeds and enhances liquidity in the United States. "We are pleased to have obtained DTC eligibility," said Dr. Carolyn Myers, President and CEO of FendX. "This is an important step for FendX as DTC eligibility speeds up the process and reduces the cost of trading FendX's shares in the U.S." The Company also announces that it has entered into an amendment agreement with Triple Bull Consulting Inc. ("Triple Bull") dated August 9, 2023 which amends the agreement between the Company and Triple Bull dated April 11, 2023, as amended April 18, 2023, which was announced by the Company in its news releases dated April 12, 2023 and April 19, 2023. The amendment agreement extends the term of the agreement from 4 months to 10 months from the effective date of April 11, 2023 at no additional cost. About FendX Technologies Inc. FendX is a Canada-based nanotechnology company focused on developing products to make people's lives safer by reducing the spread of pathogens. The Company is developing both film and spray products to protect surfaces from contamination. The lead product under development, REPELWRAP" film, is a protective surface coating film that, due to its repelling properties, prevents the adhesion of pathogens and reduces their transmission on surfaces prone to contamination. The spray nanotechnology is a bifunctional spray coating being developed to reduce contamination on surfaces by repelling and killing pathogens. The Company is conducting research and development activities using its nanotechnology in collaboration with industry-leading partners, including McMaster University. The Company has an exclusive worldwide license to its technology and IP portfolio from McMaster, which encompass both film and spray coating nanotechnology formulations. Contacts: Dr. Carolyn Myers, CEO and Director 1-800-344-9868 Alyssa Barry, Investor Relations 1-833-947-5227 [email protected] For more information, please visit https://fendxtech.com/ and the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including with respect to: the plans of the Company; anticipated benefits of achieving DTC eligibility; and products under development, commercialization plans and any pathogen reduction benefits related thereto. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and involve several risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and that actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include product candidates only being in formulation/reformulation stages; limited operating history; research and development activities; dependence on collaborative partners, licensors and others; effect of general economic and political conditions; and other risk factors set forth in the Company's public filings which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Accordingly, the reader is urged to refer to the Company's such filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176635 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Golden Independence Mining Corp. (CSE: IGLD) (OTCQB: GIDMF) (FSE: 6NNA) (the "Company" or "Golden Independence") is pleased to announce it has completed preliminary earthworks in preparation for an upcoming drill program at its development-stage Independence project in Nevada. The earthworks contractor has completed the road cuts and preparation of drill pad sites for future exploration drilling on the project. In addition, geologic staff have completed preliminary sampling at the newly exposed areas including sampling, mapping and prospecting of the Rebel Zone. Collected samples have been delivered to ALS USA, Inc. in Reno, Nevada for chemical assaying, and results are expected over the coming weeks. The Rebel Zone is located outside of the proposed open pit to the east where previous surface grab sampling of extensive silicified outcrop returned a highlight grab value of 7.72 g/t gold. Additionally, a NE striking gossanous structural zone has returned highlight grab values of 16.55 g/t and 14.45 g/t gold. The Company will look to finalize plans for drilling on receipt and interpretation of all results and remains fully permitted for an exploration drill program at the Rebel Zone. In addition, the Company currently has two applications for water rights with the State of Nevada Division of Water Resources to support mining and production activities for the Independence project. The application process consists of 1) filing an application with supporting documents and payment of fees, 2) a 'Map Table' review, 3) sent for publication, 4) protest period, 5) Ready for Action (or "RFA"), 6) a hearing, if required, and 7) determination of action (approved with or without conditions or denied). Both of the Company's permits are currently at the Ready for Action stage and are pending approval. The Company remains optimistic about a favorable outcome as water rights were previously granted for this 480-acre parcel of land (referred to as "Section 17" as first announced on November 19, 2020) in 2013 by the State Engineer of Nevada. "We eagerly await the results from our exploration program at the Rebel Zone which will guide future exploration and development drilling to expand the project's scope," commented Jeremy Poirier, CEO of Golden Independence. "The securing of water rights in the Buffalo Valley River Basin represents a significant de-risking milestone for the eventual development and operation of a heap-leach operation at Independence." Golden Independence cautions investors grab samples are by their nature select samples and may not necessarily be indicative of similar mineralization elsewhere on the property. The Independence project is a joint venture between Golden Independence Mining Corp. (the "Company") and Americas Gold Exploration Inc., with the Company being the operator and majority owner. The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by R. Tim Henneberry, P.Geo. (BC), a Director and President of Golden Independence Mining Corp. and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Figure 1: Image Showing Independence Project Relative to NGM's Phoenix Mine To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7273/176597_b01252cb1481587b_001full.jpg About Golden Independence Mining Corp. Golden Independence Mining Corp. is a development company currently focused on the development-stage Independence project located adjacent to Nevada Gold Mine's Phoenix-Fortitude mine in the Battle Mountain-Cortez Trend of Nevada in addition to the wholly owned Napoleon gold project located in the Kamloops Mining Division of BC. The Independence project hosts an M&I resource of 334,300 ounces of gold and an Inferred resource of 847,000 ounces of gold with a substantial silver credit. A 2021 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) outlined a low-cost heap leach operation focusing on the near-surface resource with total production of 195,443 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of US$1,078 per ounce of gold. The Napoleon project is comprised of over 1,000 hectares and prospective for multiple forms of gold mineralization, with exploration in the area dating back to the 1970's with the discovery of high-grade gold. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Jeremy Poirier, Chief Executive Officer Telephone: 1.604.722.9842 Email: [email protected] This press release contains forward-looking information (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation) that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information includes statements based on current expectations of management made in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and, as such, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, without limitation, statements regarding the commencement of the exploration program at the Napoleon project and the exploration potential of the Napoleon project.. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information in this news release, including without limitation, inherent risks associated with the mining industry and the results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties, stock market volatility and capital market fluctuations, general market and industry conditions, as well as those risk factors discussed in the Company's most recently filed management's discussion & analysis. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. This forward-looking information is based on estimates and opinions of management on the date hereof and is expressly qualified by this notice. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed in the Company's disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada at www.sedar.com. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such information unless required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176597 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Kingsmen Resources Ltd. (TSXV: KNG) (OTCQB: KNGRF) ("Kingsmen" or the "Company") is pleased to report new results from its on-going surface sampling program of old workings along the Soledad and Soledad II structures, and their subsidiary structures, in the southeast part of the Las Coloradas project, Chihuahua, Mexico. Located 30km from Hildago de Parral, Chihuahua, the Soledad structures were historically mined by ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company), from 1943 to 1952. Results are presented in Figure 1 and Table 1. Highlights Twenty-one (21) samples were collected. 4 > 300 g/t silver 2 > 200 g/t silver 2 > 100 g/t silver Three areas with high grade silver values are recognized. Prospecting and sampling are continuing. Scott Emerson, President, commented: "These first results are extremely encouraging as they clearly demonstrate the persistence of high-grade silver mineralization on part of a second important structure which is 1.2 km to the NW of the old Las Coloradas mine. Work is continuing along the entire extent of the structure. This is an area, of unexplored potential due to the previously fragmented property ownership." The old workings on the NW-trending Soledad II structure are distributed over approximately 1,000 meters (Figure 1). The best silver grades are found over a 400 meters length of the northern part of the structure where it occurs in volcanics and tracks felsic intrusives. The best silver grades are found in the El Nido, Enjambre and La Pila mines. At El Nido the quartz vein structure is offset to the northeast, likely due to an intersection with the NE-trending La Chiquita structure, indicating structural complexity with high grade silver. This is a positive setting for mineralization. A similar structural intersection with high grade silver occurs where the NE-trending La Avispa structure intersects at the La Pila mine. Anomalous silver also occurs in the La Avispa mine. The La Avispa structure tracks the contact of volcanics with felsic intrusives. The overall structural picture is one where the two principal NW-trending mineralized structures (Soledad and Soledad II) are cut by NE-trending structures (+/- mineralization). Unsurprisingly, the projected intersections of the two sets of structures appear favourable for high grade silver mineralization and this is supported by the sampling. The currently exposed geology, structures and mineralization are functions of erosion and imperfect exposure. The significant strike length of the Soledad and Soledad II structures indicate the structures will continue at depth with the potential for high grade silver mineralization. The structures have not been tested/explored at depth, to-date. Figure 1 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9640/176542_f22c9c2a54c599ec_003full.jpg Table 1 SAMPLING RESULTS* CHECK SAMPLING** Sample Width (m) Au_ppm Ag_ppm Site Type Au_ppm Ag_ppm Cu_ppm Pb_ppm Sb_ppm Zn_ppm PRSLC-0001 0.7 0.243 497.97 El Nido Mine Surface 1.985 427 103 >10000 74 155 PRSLC-0002 1 2.462 218.89 El Nido Mine Surface PRSLC-0003 0.8 0.233 85.6 El Nido Mine Surface PRSLC-0004 1 0.225 142.95 El Nido Mine Surface PRSLC-0005 1 0.269 35.7 El Nido Mine Surface PRSLC-0006 0.5 0.223 138.57 El Enjambre Vein Surface PRSLC-0007 1 0.01 4.8 El Enjambre Vein Surface PRSLC-0008 0.5 2.893 481.66 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0009 0.6 0.454 68.3 La Pila Mine Surface PRSLC-0010 0.5 0.983 284.12 La Pila Mine Surface PRSLC-0011 0.5 1.287 375.47 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0012 0.7 0.369 329.82 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0013 1.3 0.093 52.4 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0014 1.3 0.044 19.6 Tecomblate Mine Surface PRSLC-0023 0.6 0.13 43 La Avispa Mine Surface PRSLC-0024 0.8 0.048 54.7 La Avispa Mine Surface PRSLC-0025 0.6 0.121 362.03 La Avispa Mine Surface PRSLC-0030 1.3 0.0025 1.2 El Arroyo Vein Surface PRSLC-0031 0.5 0.017 5.9 El Arroyo Vein Surface PRSLC-0035 0.5 0.008 16.6 La Escalera Mine Surface PRSLC-0036 0.5 0.162 13.7 La Escalera Mine Surface *Actlabs Mexico S.A. de C.V. **ALS Chemex Labs, Ltd. About Las Coloradas The Las Coloradas Project ( 8.5 km2 -3.3 sq miles) represents a consolidation of a historic mining district which covers numerous silver-gold-lead-zinc-copper mines previously exploited by ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company). Las Coloradas is in the Parral mining district of the Central Mexican Silver Belt, and is located approximately 30 kilometers southeast of the city of Hildago de Parral and 40 kilometers east of the San Francisco de Oro and Santa Barbera mining districts where several old major mines are located, such as La Prieta, Veta Colorada, Palmilla, Esmeralda, San Francisco del Oro and Santa Barbara. As well, new major mining projects are currently being explored in the district; Cordero (Discovery Silver Corp.), 35 kms north of Parral, and La Cigarra (Kootenay Silver Inc.), 35 kms northwest of Parral. Click here to see locator map: https://www.kingsmenresources.com/area-history. Qualified Person Kieran Downes, Ph.D., P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure set out in this news release. About Kingsmen Resources In line with Kingsmen's organic-growth strategy, the Company's focus is on exploration and development, and is currently focused on district-scale exploration for high -margin metallic mineral deposits in the prolific mining districts of Parral Mexico. In addition, the company has a 1% NSR on the Los Ricos North project in Mexico operated by GoGold Resources Inc. The Company's leaders have extensive experience in the mining and financial sectors. Kingsmen is a publicly-traded company (TSXV: KNG) (OTCQB: KNGRF) and is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. On behalf of the Board, Signed: "Scott Emerson" Scott Emerson, President & CEO Phone: 6046859316 Email: [email protected] Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statement: All statements, trend analysis and other information contained in this press release about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements regarding the completion of the acquisition of the Las Coloradas Project and receipt of regulatory approval, are forward-looking statements. Although Kingsmen believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since Kingsmen can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in Kingsmen's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators, and assumptions made with regard to: Kingsmen's ability to make the required payments under the definitive agreements; and Kingsmen's ability to secure the necessary regulatory approvals. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Kingsmen's expectations include risks associated with the business of Kingsmen; risks related to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions to the closing of the acquisition of the Las Coloradas Project; non-completion of the acquisition of the Las Coloradas Project; risks related to exploration and potential development of the Las Coloradas Project; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; the need for cooperation of government agencies in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time and additional risks identified in Kingsmen's filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com). Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. Kingsmen does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176542 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 8, 2023) - Legend Power Systems Inc. (TSXV: LPS) (OTCQB: LPSIF) ("Legend Power" or the "Company"), a global leader in commercial electrical system solutions, announces it intends to close a second tranche of a non-brokered private placement, pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions (the "LIFE Exemption"), by issuing units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.18 per Unit (the "Offering") on or before August 31, 2023. The Company closed the first tranche of the Offering on July 31, 2023 (see press release issued August 1, 2023) and filed a Form 45-106F19 offering document (the "Offering Document") on July 18, 2023 related to the Offering, which may be accessed under Legend Power's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at https://legendpower.com/investors/. Pursuant to the Offering, each Unit is to consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional Common Share at $0.25 for a period of two years from the date of issuance, subject to an accelerated expiry provision, whereby in the event the daily volume weighted average trading price of the Company's Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange, or such other stock exchange where the majority of the trading volume occurs (the "Exchange"), exceeds $0.40 for a period of 10 consecutive trading days, at the Company's election, the period within which the Warrants are exercisable, will be reduced and the holders of the Warrants will be entitled to exercise their Warrants for a period of 30 days commencing on the day the Company provides notice, any outstanding Warrants not exercised during the 30 day period will expire. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for general working capital purposes, fixed operating expenses, purchase order deposits, development expense and other related expenses, as more specifically detailed in the Offering Document. The Units issued in the Offering are not subject to a hold period, subject to limitations prescribed by the LIFE exemption. The securities issued pursuant to the Offering have not, nor will they be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons in the absence of U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Legend Power Systems Inc. Legend Power Systems Inc. (https://legendpower.com) provides an intelligent energy management platform that analyzes and improves building energy challenges, significantly impacting asset management and corporate performance. Legend Power's proven solutions support proactive executive decision-making in a complex and volatile business and energy environment. The proprietary and patented system reduces total energy consumption and power costs, while also maximizing the life of electrical equipment. Legend Power's unique solution is also a key contributor to both corporate sustainability efforts and the meeting of utility energy efficiency targets. For further information, please contact: Jonathan Lansky, Director +1 416 417 7664 [email protected] Sean Peasgood, Investor Relations + 1 647 503 1054 [email protected] Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This Press Release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the closing of the Offering, the use of proceeds from the Offering, the ability of the Company to obtain regulatory approval for the Offering, the future business activities and operating performance of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities or performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Such risks, uncertainties and factors are described in the periodic filings with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities, including the Company's quarterly and annual Management's Discussion & Analysis, which may be viewed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements other than as may be required by applicable law. /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO US NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176585 KYODO NEWS - Aug 9, 2023 - 15:40 | World, All Authorities in the east Chinese province of Zhejiang seized food items from Japan that were being sold by a local company, Chinese media reported, after Beijing tightened controls on Japanese food imports in response to Tokyo's plan to begin releasing treated radioactive water into the ocean. The authorities in Jiashan County, located in the province, took away candy and chocolate, as well as beverages produced in Fukushima and two other prefectures on July 7. They also ordered the company to improve its business practices, the report said Tuesday. The confiscated food and beverages were produced in Fukushima, Saitama and Nagano. Responding to a question about the reported seizure, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Wednesday that the safety of food produced in Japan has been scientifically proven. "The government will continue to urge the Chinese side to remove restrictions on food imports from Japan as soon as possible," Matsuno, the top government spokesman, said at a news conference in Tokyo. China has prohibited food imports from 10 Japanese prefectures, including those three, since an earthquake and ensuing tsunami in 2011 created a major accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The crackdown by local authorities came after Beijing began blanket radiation testing on seafood imports from Japan last month. Rice imports from Japan, as well as other food and beverages, have faced delays at Chinese customs, sources familiar with the bilateral relationship said late last month, following the introduction of the testing. Japan is considering beginning the release of the treated water from the plant into the sea sometime between late August and early September. China has voiced its strong opposition to the planned discharge. Related coverage: Tritium at 13 China monitoring points above Fukushima water level Japan eyes Fukushima water release between late Aug. and early Sept. Seafood import controls in China vex Japan eateries, dealers MineHub has been awarded a three-year contract to digitize Codelco's global refined copper business, representing a significant validation of MineHub's technology platform. MineHub's technology allows Codelco to provide its customers with increased visibility, traceability and efficiencies, along with an enhanced supplier-customer experience. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - MineHub Technologies Inc. (TSXV: MHUB) (OTCQB: MHUBF) ("MineHub" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has finalized and signed a three-year contract with Corporacin Nacional del Cobre de Chile ("Codelco"), the largest copper producer in the world. Further to the press release on March 23, 2023 announcing that Codelco has selected MineHub's Waybridge Platform after a Request for Proposal (RFP) and successful pilot process, both companies are now actively moving forward on digitizing Codelco's global refined copper business. Andrea Aranguren, CEO of MineHub Technologies commented, "Codelco's three-year commitment to MineHub is a huge testament to the dedication and expertise of our team, as well as the trust placed in us by Codelco. The partnership between MineHub and Codelco is paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in digital solutions, empowering mining operations with supply-chain software that enhances efficiency and environmental responsibility. After rigorous evaluations and close collaboration, this prestigious contract represents the mutual trust and shared vision between our two companies." The digital commercial platform, powered by MineHub, will enable Codelco customers to: Collaborate and share transactional information seamlessly via a secure digital platform, including contract negotiations, shipping information, documentation, claims requests, invoice and payment statuses; Consolidate key supply chain data to ensure traceability, data analytics and comprehensive ESG reporting, including CO2 transportation calculations; Improve visibility into global copper flows while enhancing the timeliness and accurate delivery of key data necessary for trade and decision optimization; Drive operational efficiency via continuous process improvement, data automation and systems integrations with its clients, service providers and strategic partners. The MineHub and Codelco teams have already agreed on an implementation approach, as well as a comprehensive plan to onboard Codelco's global customers onto the platform. The teams have also started initial training and integration preparation work. Moreover, MineHub and Codelco are also together collaborating and investigating the potential for an expanded scope to include copper concentrates in the future. MineHub's SaaS-based platform currently provides seamless order processing, real-time shipment tracking, inventory management and reporting for the commodities ecosystem by automating data connections between customers and their entire supply chains. MineHub has over 90 companies interacting digitally on its platform, including leading global manufacturers, as well as major miners, warehouses, and shipping companies. About Codelco Codelco is the largest copper producer in the world. Its main activity is to explore, develop and exploit mining resources; process them to produce refined copper and by-products, and market them to customers around the world. From the Nationalization in 1971 to 2021, it has generated surpluses of US$142 billion for the State of Chile (in 2021 currency). It has assets of US$43 billion and equity of US$11.6 billion as of December 2021. It operates in seven mining divisions in Chile: Chuquicamata, Ministro Hales, Radomiro Tomic, Gabriela Mistral, Salvador, Andina and El Teniente, in addition to the Ventanas Smelter and Refinery. About MineHub MineHub provides enterprise-grade digital solutions that connect buyers, sellers, laboratories and financiers within physical commodities supply chains in a digitally integrated workflow powered by data that is useable, shareable, verifiable and unforgeable. Users of MineHub solutions are in full control of their supply chains, enabling them to optimize their use of resources, respond better and faster to disruptions, and provide a better customer service. Global enterprises already use MineHub solutions as part of their logistics, compliance, trade management and financing operations. Andrea Aranguren CEO, MineHub Technologies Inc. For further information regarding MineHub, please email [email protected] or visit our website at www.minehub.com. Tel: (604) 628-5623 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains statements that are considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation ("forward-looking statements") with respect to MineHub including, but not limited to, statements with respect to MineHub's future operational plans, the timing of such plans and anticipated customers. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts are generally, but not always, identied by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although MineHub believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such material risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to raise sucient capital to fund its operations, applications and for general working capital purposes, changes in economic conditions or nancial markets, changes in laws or regulations that could have an impact on the Company's operations, dependence on its key management personnel and market competition. Other risk factors are identified in the Company's management discussion and analysis, available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. There may be other risk factors not presently known that management believes are not material that could also cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify risk factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Also, many of the factors are beyond the control of the Company. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date included herein, and the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable beliefs, estimates and opinions of MineHub's management on the date the statements are made. However, except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176514 Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - In an exciting collaboration, Modus and Alberta Food Security are proud to unveil Viintus, an extraordinary new building structure designed to revolutionize the world of agriculture. This groundbreaking partnership combines the expertise of two industry leaders to create a product that promises to transform food production, bringing sustainable solutions to the forefront. Viintus is the culmination of Modus' cutting-edge architectural innovations and Alberta Food Security's commitment to addressing food security challenges. This visionary product represents a significant step forward in the realm of Closed Environment Agriculture (CEA), where controlled environments enable year-round, highly efficient food cultivation. Viintus harnesses the power of CEA equipment developed by AgriPlay, a globally acclaimed authority in the field. The heart of Viintus lies in its ability to seamlessly integrate with AgriPlay's top-of-the-line CEA equipment. AgriPlay's technology is renowned for its precision, efficiency, and sustainability. By marrying this advanced equipment with Modus's architectural ingenuity, Viintus offers a turnkey solution for those looking to engage in modern, forward-thinking agricultural practices. The Viintus Advantage: Viintus offers an array of benefits that are set to reshape the way Albertans approach food production: Sustainable Agriculture: Viintus leverages the power of CEA equipment to create an environment that optimizes resource use, reduces waste, and minimizes the carbon footprint associated with traditional agriculture. Year-Round Harvests: With Viintus, the challenges of seasonality are eradicated. Its carefully controlled environment ensures that crops can be cultivated year-round, regardless of external weather conditions. High Yields: By providing crops with the ideal conditions for growth, Viintus maximizes yield potential, ensuring a consistent and abundant harvest. Quality Control: Viintus' closed environment allows for meticulous control over factors such as humidity, temperature, and light, resulting in consistently high-quality produce. Customizable Design: Every Viintus building is customized to meet the specific needs of its owner. Modus's architectural expertise ensures that each structure is aesthetically pleasing, functional, and tailored to its intended agricultural purpose. Viintus Availability: Viintus is now available in Alberta, marking a significant milestone for sustainable agriculture in the region. All inquiries, including sales and project details, can be directed to the dedicated sales team at Alberta Food Security. For more information, please visit https://www.albertafoodsecurity.com/contactus or contact [email protected]. A Collaborative Effort: The partnership between Modus, Alberta Food Security, and AgriPlay underscores the power of collaboration in driving innovation. Viintus represents a harmonious convergence of architectural brilliance, agricultural expertise, and state-of-the-art technology. Together, these companies have set the stage for a new era in sustainable food production. About Modus: Modus is a leading off-site design-build company known for its forward-thinking designs that combine aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability. With a portfolio spanning diverse projects over nearly 20 years, Modus is committed to pushing the boundaries of architecture to create spaces that enrich lives. About Alberta Food Security: Alberta Food Security is dedicated to addressing food security challenges through innovative solutions. With a focus on sustainability and community empowerment, the organization aims to transform the way food is produced, distributed, and accessed. Alberta Food Security Inc. aims to implement 5,000 acres of AgriPlay's Closed Environment Agriculture (CEA) technology across Alberta. Partnering and supporting local operators in each of Alberta's 344 municipalities to achieve sustainable and secure food abundance. About AgriPlay: AgriPlay is a global leader in Closed Environment Agriculture technology. With a mission to revolutionize food production, AgriPlay's advanced equipment enables efficient cultivation in controlled environments, mitigating the challenges posed by traditional agriculture. For media inquiries, please contact: Adam Morand Alberta Food Security Inc. (587) 943 - 4224 https://www.albertafoodsecurity.com/contactus Discover Viintus today and be a part of the agricultural revolution. Experience the future of sustainable food production with a product that redefines possibilities. Join us in embracing a greener, more nourished tomorrow. Download Viintus Brochure (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yXlxpQa9SAM3FIHHgj0cpr9z2CHqz57s/view) To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176609 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Strathmore Plus Uranium (TSXV: SUU) (OTCQB: SUUFF) is pleased to announce that the company is presenting a live virtual corporate update hosted by Red Cloud Financial Services on August 17th, 2023 at 11:00AM ET. We invite our shareholders, and all interested parties to register for the webinar and participate in the live Q&A session at the end of the presentation moderated by Red Cloud. The replay will be emailed out to all webinar registrants proceeding the event and will also be available on the Red Cloud website. For more information and to register: https://redcloudfs.com/rcwebinar-suu-2/. Strathmore to Start Fall Drilling Program Commodities to be covered: Uranium About Strathmore Plus Uranium Strathmore has 3 uranium projects in Wyoming, including Night Owl Agate, and Beaver Rim. The Night Owl property is a former producing mine that was in production in the early 1960s. The Agate and Beaver Rim properties contain uranium in Wyoming-type roll front deposits based on historical drilling data. Strathmore received an exploration permit for the Beaver Rim project in October 2022 and for the Agate project in April 2023, and has applied for both exploration and drilling permits for Night Owl, which is expected to be approved in August. About Red Cloud Securities Inc. Red Cloud Securities Inc. is an IIROC-regulated investment dealer focused on providing a full range of brokerage services to all investor types focused in the junior resource sector. Our services include Investment Banking, Research, Institutional and Retail Trading, Institutional Sales, and Retail Investment Advisory services. About Red Cloud Financial Services Inc. Red Cloud Financial Services Inc. is a globally focused capital markets advisory firm that provides a full range of executive strategy, media, marketing, and corporate access services. Our breadth of services combines with our significant knowledge of the junior mining industry combine for unique product offering. The company was founded by capital markets professionals with extensive experience in the junior mining industry. For further information: Strathmore Plus Uranium Dev Randhawa - CEO John DeJoia - Director +12508686553 [email protected] For additional information contact [email protected] or visit: www.redcloudfs.com www.facebook.com/RedCloudFinancialServices www.twitter.com/RedCloudFS www.linkedin.com/company/red-cloud-financial-services-inc www.youtube.com/c/RedCloudFinancialServicesInc www.instagram.com/redcloudfs Paid press release content from Send2Press. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation. How can a simple booklet of 21 precepts provide the key to warm and lasting friendships? On International Day of Friendship and throughout the year Scientology Churches and Missions share 'The Way to Happiness' and the secret of its effectiveness LOS ANGELES, Calif. and BUDAPEST, Hungary, Aug. 9, 2023 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) There is a good reason why The Way to Happiness is in such high demand. This booklet comprising 21 common-sense principles is not only the single most-translated nonreligious book. Some 250,000 groups and individuals have embraced it and use it to help others. And friendship has everything to do with its popularity. Each year on July 30, International Day of Friendship, and throughout the year, Scientology Churches share the power of The Way to Happiness with their communities. In the first pages, author, humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard describes why he wrote the book and the best way to put it to use. Your survival is important to me, he wrote. And he urges those receiving the book to choose someone whose actions, however remotely, may influence their survival. Give them a copy, along with additional books to pass on to others involved in their lives. Without too much trouble, he wrote, using this book, you can help them survive and lead happier lives. And isnt that what friendship is all about? The Way to Happiness has been creating positive change for people the world over since its first publication in 1981. Voices for Humanity on the Scientology Network documents stellar examples of its success: Maria Lara gained fame in Latin America and across the globe as a successful actress and model. Today, shes using her star power to combat violence, drugs, and destitution through a powerful message of hope thats resonating through the region. Carmelita Haynes, president of the Help Our People Excel (H.O.P.Ex.) Foundation, uses The Way to Happinessto restore moral values and bring true happiness to her native Aruba. Rosalba Cordero successfully fights back against crime and moral decay in Mexico by bringing a powerful and popular message about the importance of basic moral values to schools and prisons across the country. Jorge Perez grew up in a culture of drugs, corruption and violence in the Philippines. Vowing to help his country secure a brighter future, his nationwide effort to spread the message of morality has reached millions and is reaping amazing results. Reverend Leon Kelly uses L. Ron Hubbards common-sense guide to better living to tackle the gang problem in Denver, Colorado. Kelly introduces hard-core gang members to its teachings and transforms their lives and the community. Minister Tony Muhammad has built a peace movement among notorious warring gangs in South-Central Los Angeles and the success of his motorcycle rallies, known as the Peace Rides, has inspired cities across the nation. These and other stellar examples of the use of The Way to Happiness are featured on Voices for Humanity, a Scientology Network original series of short documentaries introducing change-makers from all faiths, cultures and nations who extend help to their communities through Scientology-sponsored humanitarian programs. Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories in 17 languages. Broadcast from Scientology Media Productions, the Churchs global media center in Los Angeles, the Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms. LEARN MORE: https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/ https://www.thewaytohappiness.org MULTIMEDIA: VIDEO https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/ IMAGE link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/23-0809-s2p-cosmlara-300dpi.jpg Caption: Scientology Churches share The Way to Happiness with their communities on International Day of Friendship. Watch an episode of Voices for Humanity featuring Maria Lara who uses the book and her star power to combat violence, drugs, and destitution in Colombia. TAGS: #ChurchofScientology #InternationalDayofFriendship #VoicesforHumanity #ScientologyNetwork #Scientology NEWS SOURCE: Church of Scientology International This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Church of Scientology International), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/scientology-churches-share-the-way-to-happiness-in-the-spirit-of-friendship/ Copr. 2023 Send2Press Newswire, a service of NEOTROPE, Calif., USA. -- REF: S2P STORY ID: 92510SI.04 RALEIGH, N.C. , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF), a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the health of all dogs and their owners, announces Dr. Gary Johnson as recipient of the 2023 Asa Mays, DVM Excellence in Canine Health Research Award. Named for Dr. Asa Mays, a member of CHF's first Board of Directors in 1995, the award is a biennial honor presented to a research investigator who demonstrates meritorious achievements in furthering the mission of identifying, characterizing, and treating canine disease and ailments. The award will be presented by Dr. Laura Liscum , CHF Scientific Review Committee Chair, and Dr. Carolyn Henry from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, during the 2023 AKC Canine Health Foundation National Parent Club Canine Health Conference on Saturday, August 12 . Gary Johnson , DVM, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. Since the early 1990's, Dr. Johnson has been searching for genetic mutations responsible for a wide variety of heritable diseases in domestic animals. In 2013, Dr. Johnson and his colleagues were among the first to use whole genome sequencing to identify mutations responsible for heritable canine diseases. They have used this technology to identify the genetic causes for numerous heritable canine diseases such as degenerative myelopathy, neuronal storage diseases, glaucoma, and more. " Dr. Johnson's pioneering research in canine genetics brought a new era to canine health," says CHF Chief Executive Officer Dr. Stephanie Montgomery . "His groundbreaking career not only decoded genetics, it also deepened the connections we have with our canine companions." As Dr. Johnson nears retirement, a generous gift from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) will establish the Dr. E. A. (Al) Corley OFA Endowed Program in his honor to ensure a bright future for canine molecular-genetic research at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. A new, yet-to-be-named, program director will lead the program into an era of artificial-intelligence-assisted research to identify the genetic mechanisms underlying complex canine diseases and behaviors. " Dr. Johnson has become a household name in the world of canine health research," says Eddie Dziuk , OFA Chief Operating Officer. "He is undoubtedly one of the most prolific researchers making genetic discoveries leading to DNA tests for various canine diseases. At the end of the day, no one can question the fact that Dr. Johnson's work and dedication have absolutely made our dogs healthier." Dr. Johnson's contributions are a valued part of CHF's investment in canine health research. The Foundation is currently managing 158 active research grants exploring heart disease, epilepsy, various cancers, and more. Learn more about this important work at akcchf.org/research. About CHF Since 1995, the AKC Canine Health Foundation has leveraged the power of science to address the health needs of all dogs. With more than $67.5 million in funding to date, the Foundation provides grants for the highest quality canine health research and shares information on the discoveries that help prevent, treat and cure canine diseases. The Foundation meets and exceeds industry standards for fiscal responsibility, as demonstrated by their highest four-star Charity Navigator rating and GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency. Learn more at www.akcchf.org. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/akc-canine-health-foundation-honors-dr-gary-johnson-with-2023-asa-mays-dvm-excellence-in-canine-health-research-award-301896897.html SOURCE AKC Canine Health Foundation Report provides roadmap for private companies seeking transparency and accountability in environmental and corporate responsibility areas WASHINGTON , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arcadia , a technology company connecting the clean energy future, announced the release of its inaugural Corporate Responsibility Report . The report's goal is to demonstrate Arcadia's commitment to transparency and accountability. "We're defined by our work as a champion for the environment," said Kiran Bhatraju, co-founder and CEO, Arcadia . "As a climate tech company, we're defined by our work as a champion for the environment," said Kiran Bhatraju, co-founder and CEO, Arcadia . "That's why we're excited to launch this annual report we've been living by these values for nearly a decade, so it's about time for us to share this part of our story." The report provides visibility into both Arcadia's accomplishments and areas for improvement across all practice areas, enabling the company to acknowledge successes and gain deeper insights into areas that require attention. And by fostering transparency among Arcadia's employees, investors, and customers, Arcadia is demonstrating its commitment to accountability. "We're pleased to see the work that Arcadia has done on its first Corporate Responsibility Report," said Tanya Barnes , Managing Partner of Sustainable Growth Equity at JPMorgan. "This report effectively highlights the company's climate and social impact and we encourage companies across the spectrum, both public and private, to engage in this level of transparent sustainability reporting." Key highlights from the report *All stats as of end of 2022, unless otherwise noted Arcadia's Arc platform Our platform spans 300+ enterprise customers with coverage of over 95 percent of US utility data Community solar In 2022, Arcadia's community solar product helped provide ~260 million kWh of solar energy to Arcadia's subscribers and prevented ~179k tons of CO2 from being emitted. Public policy Arcadia's public policy team played a pivotal role in creating community solar programs in Virginia , California , New Mexico , and Delaware . team played a pivotal role in creating community solar programs in , , , and . The company also improved verification for low-to-moderate income ("LMI") subscribers and subscribers in historically disadvantaged communities in virtually every active market, with ~14% of Arcadia's subscribers coming from LMI households, amounting to over 24k LMI subscribers. Diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion Demographically, 38 percent of Arcadia employees identify as female, and ~30 percent identify as Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and Asian. Board composition Arcadia's Board has eleven members, including five independent members, four women, and three members from underrepresented groups. GHG Emissions In 2022, Arcadia's emissions totaled 43 tCO2e for scope 1, 322 tCO2e for scope 2, and 8,462 tCO2e for scope 3. "We firmly believe in the necessity of this transparency, particularly within our industry," said Bhatraju, "and recognize the significant strides that private companies can make on this transformative path toward enabling a zero-carbon economy." Arcadia will continue publishing this report annually, enabling seamless tracking of its progress and growth. "We know that we are not perfect as a company," Bhatraju added, "but with this level of transparency we are hoping to track our year over year improvements within the values we have committed ourselves to." About Arcadia Arcadia unlocks access to global utility data. Our technology powers the next generation of climate solutions, giving anyone the tools to electrify and decarbonize. Learn more Media Contact Chris Phillbrook [email protected] 202.744.5788 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arcadia-releases-corporate-responsibility-report-progress-toward-a-clean-energy-future-301896862.html LUMBERTON, N.J. and TORONTO , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BLANCO, the premium kitchen solutions brand backed by industry-leading German engineering and known for the BLANCO UNIT a customizable combination of BLANCO sink, faucet and accessories unveils the new CATRIS Flexo Filter faucet. Expanding its faucet portfolio, BLANCO North America's first filter-ready faucet offers convenient access to filtered water right at the kitchen water place for drinking, prepping food, filling pots to cook and more. Designed to optimize workflow at the BLANCO UNIT, the new two-in-one faucet features both filtered and non-filtered water delivery on demand and seamlessly connects to all common water filtration systems. The semi-professional faucet has an insulated pull-down dual spray with a magnetic docking arm that delivers filtered water through a discrete waterspout. Intuitive design integrates two handles a single lever for tap water located on the right side and a separate dial on the left to easily access cold filtered water. "With our new filter-ready faucet, BLANCO continues to broaden its span of water place solutions for residential kitchens," notes Lars Christensen, BLANCO North America's Vice President of Strategic Portfolio Development & Market Intelligence. "The CATRIS Flexo Filter faucet will streamline access to fresh filtered water for easy convenience, while decluttering the sink deck of beverage faucets for a simplified design." The CATRIS Flexo Filter faucet has a height of 18" allowing for potential installation below upper cabinets. The CATRIS boasts a 1.5 GPM flow rate for tap water and a 0.7 GPM flow rate for filtered water. With its beautiful combination of functional elements and modern industrial flair, this sleek faucet will be available in Matte Black, Chrome and PDV steel finishes in September 2023 . To build your own Filter Ready BLANCO UNIT, pair the CATRIS Flexo Filter faucet with a BLANCO sink and accessories. About BLANCO With BLANCO, kitchen chores are transformed to be sources of joyful moments. BLANCO is the premium brand for the well-thought-out kitchen water hub in residential homes. At its core, the BLANCO UNIT is based on three founding pillars: "Drink, Prep, Clean" and is characterized by a wide array of seamless combinations of sinks, high-end faucets, water optimization solutions, complementary accessories and organization systems. This range of product and the design, color and material options, make it easy for every kitchen lover to find their perfectly customized UNIT at BLANCO. Founded over 95 years ago, the company is now an internationally recognized premium brand for the kitchen water hub. With subsidiaries in Europe , North America and APAC, plus its trading partners, BLANCO has a presence in about 100 countries all over the world and offers its customers a portfolio that is perfectly tailored to consumer needs. The company headquarters and key production sites in support of North American demand are in Southwest Germany and Canada. Established in 1925 by Heinrich Blanc , BLANCO is part of BLANC & FISCHER Family Holding. BLANCO America and BLANCO Canada have proudly served the North American market for over 30 years. BLANCO.com Connect with us on social: BLANCO America Instagram | BLANCO America Facebook | BLANCO America LinkedIn BLANCO Canada Instagram | BLANCO Canada Facebook | BLANCO Canada LinkedIn View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blanco-north-america-introduces-first-filter-ready-faucet-301897093.html SOURCE BLANCO SALT LAKE CITY , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Carl's Jr. restaurants is thrilled to announce an exciting back-to-school promotion aimed at supporting local families and helping to ensure children start the academic year on the right foot. As part of this initiative, Carl's Jr. will be giving away 4,500 free backpacks in total to children visiting restaurants in Utah and Idaho Falls, Idaho , on August 19, 2023 . Understanding the importance of education and the impact it has on a child's future, Carl's Jr. is committed to giving back to the community by providing backpacks to alleviate some of the stress that comes along with starting a new school year. Families are encouraged to go to your local restaurant and take advantage of this awesome deal! Participating restaurants will be giving backpacks to school age children 18 years and younger from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on August 19 , or while supplies last. "At Carl's Jr. we believe in supporting our community and guests. We hope to help families facing financial burdens at the start of the new school year," said Ahmad Moalej, Carl's Jr. franchisee. "This is just a small way to say thank you to our neighbors for their continued support of our business. We want to make sure that every child has the necessary tools to succeed academically and feel confident as they begin the new year." To participate in this promotion, families are encouraged to visit the participating Carl's Jr. restaurants and enjoy a delicious meal. Each child will receive a backpack, while supplies last, with no purchase necessary. The restaurants' friendly staff will be on hand to provide backpacks while making dining experiences memorable. Carl's Jr. invites the local community to join them in this back-to-school celebration and take advantage of this offer at non-truck stop, or gas station locations in Utah and Idaho Falls, Idaho . For more information about the back-to-school promotion please visit your local restaurant. About Carl's Jr. Carl's Jr. has been committed to serving big, bold, impossible to ignore flavors inspired by its California roots. Guests have enjoyed over-the-top, juicy charbroiled burger favorites, hand-breaded chicken tenders and sandwiches and redefined breakfasts for more than 80 years. With more than 1,000 locations across the U.S. and a presence in 28 countries worldwide, guests count on Carl's Jr. for memorable, boundary-pushing meals. For more information about Carl's Jr., please visit carlsjr.com. About Snow Star LP Snow Star LP, a privately held company based in Salt Lake City, UT , runs and operates Carl's Jr. a beloved brand, known for one-of-a-kind premium and innovative menu items such as 100% Black Angus Thickburgers and Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders. With both a U.S. and international footprint, Snow Star LP, have 44 franchised restaurants in two states. For more information about Carl's Jr., please visit www.carlsjr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carls-jr-announces-back-to-school-promotion-with-free-backpacks-301896990.html SOURCE Carls Jr. The CIRM funds will support cell and gene therapy clinical trials for HIV, leukemia and a bone marrow disease LOS ANGELES , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States and a leading research center for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses, were awarded $32.3 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to support three novel Phase 1 clinical trials evaluating innovative cell and gene therapy treatments for patients with HIV, acute myeloid leukemia and severe aplastic anemia. Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope was awarded two-thirds of the $50 million in this latest round of CIRM awards, the highest of any entity in the state. "These CIRM awards are a testament to City of Hope's commitment to the advancement of gene therapies for the treatment of human diseases," said John D. Carpten , Ph.D., City of Hope's chief scientific officer, Irell & Manella Cancer Center Director's Distinguished Chair and Morgan & Helen Chu Director's Chair of the Beckman Research Institute. "Through our tireless pursuit of best-in-class research and innovation, we believe our work at City of Hope will benefit patients living with HIV or impacted by cancer, and we thank CIRM for its support to help make this a reality." City of Hope is a leader in gene therapies, including bone marrow and blood stem cells transplants. As one of the highest volume transplant centers in the nation and the largest in California , more than 18,000 transplants have been performed at City of Hope since it became one of the first cancer centers in the U.S. to perform the therapy in 1976. City of Hope and other institutions also developed a pretransplant treatment for older adults and other patients that resulted in the fifth patient in the world and the oldest to achieve long-term remission for leukemia and HIV. (The patient had also received stem cells from a donor with a rare genetic mutation that makes people resistant to most HIV strains.) Potential bispecific CAR T therapy for HIV City of Hope is at the forefront of another cellular therapy known as chimeric antigen receptor therapy (CAR) T cell therapy, which uses a patient's own immune system to fight cancer and has the potential to target other diseases, such as HIV. More than 80 CAR T and other immune effector cell trials have been conducted to date at City of Hope and over 1,200 patients have been treated with CAR T therapy, either in clinical trials, which may use CARs developed by City or Hope, or Food & Drug Administration-approved CAR T cell therapies. "City of Hope made a major advancement when our transplant team helped Paul Edmonds , globally known as the 'City of Hope patient,' go into remission for both HIV and leukemia," said John A. Zaia , M.D., the Aaron D. Miller and Edith Miller Chair for Gene Therapy at City of Hope. "We are hoping to evaluate a CAR T therapy for HIV in a Phase 1 clinical trial so that one day more people with HIV might be able to achieve long-term HIV remission." CIRM awarded Zaia $11.3 million for the clinical trial. Up to 12 healthy people with HIV will be treated in this first-in-human study performed at City of Hope and the University of California San Diego. The investigators include John Baird , M.D., Angelo Cardoso , M.D., Ph.D., Joycelynne Palmer , Ph.D., and Xiuli Wang , Ph.D., at City of Hope and colleagues at UCSD. Zaia's team will test a novel approach City of Hope scientists developed where a patient's immune T cells are engineered to target both the HIV antigen gp120 and a common virus that infects nearly all persons living with HIV, namely cytomegalovirus. The researchers' aim is for these bispecific HIV-CAR T cells to persist and eliminate HIV-infected cells so that antiviral drugs are no longer needed. Trial to focus on a difficult blood cancer to treat CIRM awarded a City of Hope team led by Elizabeth Budde , M.D., Ph.D., nearly $12 million to develop and conduct a first-in-human Phase 1 immunotherapy trial for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which has the highest mortality rate of all blood cancers. "It is critical to find more effective therapies for patients whose AML has relapsed," said Budde, a City of Hope associate professor in the Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. "We are hopeful that this novel therapy will eventually enable City of Hope and other institutions to offer a new treatment for patients whose AML has returned. We are very grateful for the recognition and support from CIRM." Most AML patients who go into remission after one treatment will develop the disease again and will then need a blood stem cell transplant from a donor. Even after a transplant, patients can still relapse, leaving them with few treatment options. The CIRM-funded trial will be the first to use T cells, a type of immune cell, from a healthy donor who has donated stem cells for the AML patient to undergo a transplant. These cells will be reengineered in a laboratory to express CD33CARs, or special receptors on a cell's surface. These CARs will target the CD33 protein, which is found in more than 80% of AML cases. T cells harboring the CD33CARs will also be multiplied to millions and then infused back into the patient. The CARs are living cells and expected to multiply inside a patient's body and recognize and kill the cancer cells. Before receiving the CAR T cell therapy, patients will receive chemotherapy to prepare their bodies to accept the CAR T cells. The trial, which will enroll up to 18 AML patients who have relapsed after receiving a transplant, will evaluate the CAR T therapy's safety and its effectiveness in eliminating leukemia cells. City of Hope's David Horne , Ph.D., Marissa Del Real , Ph.D., Karam Sandhu , M.D., and Anthony Stein , M.D., are co-investigators on this project. Finding a better treatment for severe aplastic anemia A City of Hope research team received $9.05 million from CIRM to start a clinical trial using a novel blood stem cell transplantation procedure for severe aplastic anemia, a rare bone marrow disease that can turn into blood cancer and is currently difficult to treat. If successful, the treatment could also be used for other autoimmune diseases, such as treatment-resistant type 1 diabetes. Currently, a blood stem cell transplant from a related or unrelated donor whose human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes match a patient's HLA is the most effective treatment for severe aplastic anemia. But it is difficult to find unrelated donor matches for people of color due to a limited number of donors from various racial and ethnic groups. Transplants can also cause severe side effects, particularly in older patients. Defu Zeng , Ph.D., a City of Hope professor with the Department of Immunology & Theranostics within the Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute, has led research on the potential new therapy, which involves induction of mixed chimerism in adult patients. Mixed chimerism refers to transplanting blood-forming stem cells from a healthy, half-matched family member donor into a patient who has received a milder, less toxic chemotherapy treatment free of radiation that removes some, but not all, of the patient's diseased bone marrow stem cells. The Phase 1 trial is expected to start later this year and will enroll up to six patients. "City of Hope has extensive expertise performing bone marrow and stem cell transplants for patients with blood cancers and other diseases, and we are consistently looking for ways to improve the process and effectively treat more patients with transplants, regardless of any barriers," said Ryotaro Nakamura , City of Hope's Jan & Mace Siegel Professor in Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in the Division of Leukemia, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, and the trial's principal investigator. "We are hopeful that this will provide another treatment option for patients with this devastating disease and thankful for CIRM's funding." City of Hope has treated patients with sickle cell diseases using this novel therapy in a clinical trial also funded by CIRM. About City of Hope City of Hope's mission is to deliver the cures of tomorrow to the people who need them today. Founded in 1913, City of Hope has grown into one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. and one of the leading research centers for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses. City of Hope research has been the basis for numerous breakthrough cancer medicines, as well as human synthetic insulin and monoclonal antibodies. With an independent, National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center at its core, City of Hope brings a uniquely integrated model to patients spanning cancer care, research and development, academics and training, and innovation initiatives. City of Hope's growing national system includes its Los Angeles campus, a network of clinical care locations across Southern California , a new cancer center in Orange County, California , and treatment facilities in Atlanta , Chicago and Phoenix . City of Hope's affiliated group of organizations includes Translational Genomics Research Institute and AccessHope. For more information about City of Hope, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/city-of-hope-receives-32-3-million-from-the-california-institute-for-regenerative-medicine-to-advance-innovative-therapies-for-patients-301897152.html SOURCE City Of Hope WASHINGTON , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EARTHDAY.ORG, the global organizer of Earth Day , congratulates President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil for leading the global community in identifying climate education as a critical component of environmental awareness. At the Amazon Summit organized by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization in Belem do Para , on August 7th, 2023 , President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva released a ground-breaking statement acknowledging the important role climate education plays in protecting our planet: "I want to take the climate issue to public schools, so that our children can help raise awareness in their families." President Lula addresses climate education's vital role in environmental awareness. "The world is waking up and recognizing climate education is the key to solving climate change," said Kathleen Rogers , President of EARTHDAY.ORG. "President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's bold clear message needs to be elevated across the world so that every nation follows Brazil's leadership." In another remarkable achievement, at an Amazon Dialogues event, led by EARTHDAY.ORG's Regional Director of South America , Rodolfo ROPO Beltran secured the agreement of 63 members of the Brazil Climate Education Coalition to support an official request to all eight South American Presidents from the Amazon region to include climate education in their nation's school curriculums. All of this in the same week the United Nations announced Brazil as the 2025 host of the international climate meeting, COP30 , in the Amazonian city of Belem do Para . "We recognize the importance of advocating for climate education so that younger generations are not just aware of the environmental issues impacting our planet but are also given the skills they need to innovate solutions to climate change," said Rodolfo ROPO Beltran, EARTHDAY.ORG's Regional Director of South America . "It's this action that will drive a new, greener global economy which will create a pipeline of sustainable, planet friendly jobs." Letter of Recommendation to the Amazon Summit EARTHDAY.ORG recognizes President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's ground- breaking leadership on helping to elevate the need for climate literacy and calls on other world leaders to do the same. To learn more about EARTHDAY.ORG's Climate and Environmental Literacy campaign, please visit: https://www.earthday.org/campaign/climate-environmental-literacy/ . ABOUT EARTHDAY.ORG: EARTHDAY.ORG's mission is to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day (1970), EARTHDAY.ORG is the world's largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in nearly 192 countries to build environmental democracy. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day actions each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. Learn more at earthday.org. For media inquiries, please contact: Madie Aughinbaugh Global Public Relations Lead [email protected] Sarah Davies Director, Media Relations & Brand Management [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/climate-education-takes-center-stage-at-the-amazon-summit-in-brazil-301896972.html SOURCE EARTHDAY.ORG KYODO NEWS - Aug 9, 2023 - 23:00 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- China positive about summit with Japan PM Kishida in September: sources TOKYO - China has notified Japan that it is positive about holding a summit between Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of an international meeting next month, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. If the plan goes ahead on the fringes of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Indonesia, it would be the first meeting between the two leaders. ---------- Nagasaki urges break from nuke deterrence at scaled-down A-bomb event NAGASAKI - Nagasaki's mayor called on nuclear weapons-possessing states and their allies to "show courage" by breaking free from nuclear deterrence principles on Wednesday at a scaled-down ceremony to mark the 78th anniversary of the atomic bomb attack on the city, held amid a typhoon. The ceremony, which was held inside a vast, modern room at the Nagasaki Dejima Messe conference center, was the first since 1963 to take place indoors rather than at the southwestern Japan city's Peace Park close to the hypocenter where the bomb detonated. ---------- Typhoon Khanun brings heavy rain to southwest Japan, several injured TOKYO - Typhoon Khanun brought heavy rain to parts of Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu on Wednesday as it moved slowly near the region, causing numerous injuries, power outages and disruptions to shinkansen bullet train services and flights. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the slow-traveling typhoon could cause mudslides, floods and strong winds, while linear rainbands, known to bring torrential downpours, developed in southern Kyushu, one of Japan's four main islands, after occurring in Tanegashima and Yakushima islands off southern Kyushu. ---------- Man stabs, slashes 2 workers at Tokyo convenience store TOKYO - A man stabbed and slashed two employees at a convenience store in Tokyo before fleeing on a bicycle early Wednesday, police said. Hours after the attack in Tokyo's Adachi Ward, a man in his 20s turned himself in at a police box 4 kilometers from the scene, claiming responsibility. The police say they plan to arrest him on suspicion of attempted murder. ---------- Sony raises FY 2023 net profit view amid robust PlayStation growth TOKYO - Sony Group Corp. on Wednesday lifted its net profit forecast for the fiscal year ending March to 860 billion yen ($6 billion), up 20 billion yen from an earlier estimate, expecting record sales partly due to continued growth in its PlayStation game business. The Japanese electronics and entertainment giant revised upward its sales outlook for fiscal 2023 to 12.20 trillion yen against its April forecast of 11.50 trillion yen. ---------- Honda posts record operating profit of 394.45 bil. yen for April-June TOKYO - Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday its operating profit for the April-June business period jumped 77.5 percent to a record 394.45 billion yen ($2.8 billion), helped by strong improvement in automobile sales primarily in the North American market. The Japanese automaker's net profit soared more than twofold to 363.07 billion yen, while sales increased 20.8 percent to 4.62 trillion yen. ---------- Japan's crown prince, princess to officially visit Vietnam in September TOKYO - Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife Princess Kiko will make an official visit to Vietnam in late September on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Imperial Household Agency said Wednesday. The goodwill visit is expected to last for around a week, with arrangements being made for the couple to participate in official events related to the Japan-Vietnam diplomatic milestone, the agency said. ---------- Chinese local authorities seized food imported from Japan: report SHANGHAI - Authorities in the east Chinese province of Zhejiang seized food items from Japan that were being sold by a local company, Chinese media reported, after Beijing tightened controls on Japanese food imports in response to Tokyo's plan to begin releasing treated radioactive water into the ocean. The authorities in Jiashan County, located in the province, took away candy and chocolate, as well as beverages produced in Fukushima and two other prefectures on July 7. They also ordered the company to improve its business practices, the report said Tuesday. ---------- Video: Typhoon Khanun moves toward Kyushu Energy Provider Considering All Options to Safely Maintain Dam Reservoirs While Minimizing Cost Impact to Customers JACKSON, Mich. , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy today announced it will be issuing a request for proposal (RFP) to explore the possibility of selling its 13 hydroelectric facilities as the energy provider continues to evaluate the future of the dams and considers all options to safely maintain the dam reservoirs. Consumers Energy last year held a series of public meetings with community members and local leaders about the dams' future. Based on community feedback, Consumers Energy understands how important these facilities and the associated reservoirs are to local communities. Therefore, the energy provider is exploring all options to safely maintain the reservoirs the lakes created by the dams -- while reducing costs for Consumers Energy's customers. "After numerous conversations over the past year, it is clear the reservoirs are important for economic and recreational opportunities in these communities across Michigan ," said Norm Kapala , Consumers Energy's vice president of generation operations. "But we also know that the current model for financing our hydroelectric power operations requires customers to pay more than nine times for the cost of energy compared to other sources of generation." "Today's announcement is an initial step we need to take to learn more about what selling the facilities might look like. If we choose to move forward and sell these facilities, our intention is to minimize the cost burden for customers while keeping the recreational and economic benefits for our communities. No final decision has been made, and we continue to explore all options." Consumers Energy began working with local officials and meeting with community leaders last year as licenses for the company's dams begin to expire in 11 years. Consumers Energy's 13 dams together produce less than 1 percent of energy used by the energy provider's nearly 2 million customers, and they are several times more expensive than other energy sources. Consumers Energy is planning another series of public community meetings later this summer and into the fall with the goal of collecting community feedback and discussing what a potential sale of the dams would mean, as well as other options continuing to be considered. For meeting details, to provide comments, and more information about the process, visit: ConsumersEnergy.com/HydroFuture. "We know communities and residents that treasure these dams will have questions about the future. That's why we will continue to provide timely updates and be transparent throughout this decision-making process," Kapala said. "We've committed to exploring all options for safely maintaining these reservoirs for decades to come." Consumers Energy's 30 to 40-year federal operating licenses on the Muskegon , Manistee , Grand, Kalamazoo and Au Sable rivers are set to expire beginning in 2034 through 2041. Consumers Energy is Michigan's largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. For more information about Consumers Energy, go to ConsumersEnergy.com. Check out Consumers Energy on Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan Twitter: https://twitter.com/consumersenergy LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/consumersenergy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consumersenergy View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/consumers-energy-to-explore-selling-13-hydro-facilities-301896535.html SOURCE Consumers Energy SHANGHAI , Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Everest Medicines (HKEX 1952.HK, "Everest", or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of innovative medicines and vaccines, today announced that it will report financial results for the first half of 2023 ended June 30, 2023 and provide a business update on August 24, 2023 . The Company will hold a live conference call in English and Mandarin on August 24, 2023 Beijing Time. The English session of the conference call will be held at 9:00 AM on August 24, 2023 Beijing Time ( 9:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time on August 23, 2023 ) and the Mandarin session of the conference call will be held at 3:30 PM Beijing Time on the same day ( 3:30 AM U.S. Eastern Time on August 24 , 2023). The conference calls can be accessed by the following links: For English Session: Time: 9:00 AM Beijing Time , Thursday, August 24, 2023 Pre-Registration Link: https://www.acecamptech.com/eventDetail/60504030 Webcast Link: https://www.acecamptech.com/meeting_live/70505775/4998?event_id=60504030 Alternatively, participants may dial in to the conference call using below dial-in information: United States : +1-646-2543594 (EN) Chinese Mainland: +86-10-58084166 (EN) +86-10-58084199 (CN) Hong Kong, China : +852-30051313 (EN) +852-30051355 (CN) United Kingdom : International: +44-20-76600166 (EN) +1-866-6363243 (EN) Password: 756491 For Mandarin Session : Time: 3:30 PM Beijing Time, Thursday, August 24, 2023 Webcast Link: https://s.comein.cn/A12FL Alternatively, participants may dial into the conference call using below dial-in information: United States : +1-202-5524791 Chinese Mainland: +86-400-188-8938 +86-10-53827720 +86-10-53560182 Hong Kong, China : Taiwan , China : +852-57006920 +886-277031747 Singapore : +65-31586120 United Kingdom : +44-2034816288 Password: 684433 The replay of English session will be available shortly after the call and can be accessed by visiting the Company's website at http://www.everestmedicines.com. About Everest Medicines Everest Medicines is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical products and vaccines that address critical unmet medical needs for patients in Asian markets. The management team of Everest Medicines has deep expertise and an extensive track record from both leading global pharmaceutical companies and local Chinese pharmaceutical companies in high-quality discovery, clinical development, regulatory affairs, CMC, business development and operations. Everest Medicines has built a portfolio of potentially global first-in-class or best-in-class molecules, many of which are in late-stage clinical development. The Company's therapeutic areas of interest include renal diseases, infectious diseases, mRNA platform and autoimmune disorders. For more information, please visit its website at www.everestmedicines.com. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release may make statements that constitute forward-looking statements, including descriptions regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company or its officers with respect to the business operations and financial condition of the Company, which can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, or other factors, some of which are beyond the control of the Company and are unforeseeable. Therefore, the actual results may differ from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and assumptions, such as future changes and developments in our business, competitive environment, political, economic, legal and social conditions. The Company or any of its affiliates, directors, officers, advisors or representatives has no obligation and does not undertake to revise forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or circumstances after the date of this news release, except as required by law. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/everest-medicines-to-announce-first-half-2023-financial-results-on-august-24-2023-301896360.html SOURCE Everest Medicines VANCOUVER, BC , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Silvercorp Metals Inc. ("Silvercorp" or the "Company") (TSX: SVM) (NYSE American: SVM) reports that, further to the Company's news release of May 15, 2023 , the exclusivity period entered into between Silvercorp and Celsius Resources Limited in the non-binding term sheet (the "Term Sheet") announced on that date, which was subsequently extended, has expired effective July 31, 2023 . The two companies have not agreed on the terms of a definitive agreement in line with those contained in the Term Sheet and currently no negotiation is ongoing. About Silvercorp Silvercorp is a profitable Canadian mining company producing silver, lead and zinc metals in concentrates from mines in China . The Company's goal is to continuously create healthy returns to shareholders through efficient management, organic growth and the acquisition of profitable projects. Silvercorp balances profitability, social and environmental relationships, employees' wellbeing, and sustainable development. For more information, please visit our website at www.silvercorp.ca. For further information Lon Shaver Vice President Silvercorp Metals Inc. Phone: (604) 669-9397 Toll Free: 1 (888) 224-1881 Email: [email protected] Website: www.silvercorpmetals.com CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER - FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain of the statements and information in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws. Any statements or information that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the price of silver and other metals; the accuracy of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates at the Company's material properties; the sufficiency of the Company's capital to finance the Company's operations; estimates of the Company's revenues and capital expenditures; estimated production from the Company's mines in the Ying Mining District ; timing of receipt of permits and regulatory approvals; availability of funds from production to finance the Company's operations; and access to and availability of funding for future construction, use of proceeds from any financing and development of the Company's properties. Forward-looking statements or information are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or information, including, without limitation, social and economic impacts of COVID-19; risks relating to: fluctuating commodity prices; calculation of resources, reserves and mineralization and precious and base metal recovery; interpretations and assumptions of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates; exploration and development programs; feasibility and engineering reports; permits and licenses; title to properties; property interests; joint venture partners; acquisition of commercially mineable mineral rights; financing; recent market events and conditions; economic factors affecting the Company; timing, estimated amount, capital and operating expenditures and economic returns of future production; integration of future acquisitions into the Company's existing operations; competition; operations and political conditions; regulatory environment in China and Canada; environmental risks; legislative and regulatory initiatives addressing global climate change or other environmental concerns; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; insurance; risks and hazards of mining operations; key personnel; conflicts of interest; dependence on management; internal control over financial reporting as per the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; and bringing actions and enforcing judgments under U.S. securities laws. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual achievements of the Company or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or information due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, without limitation, those referred to in the Company's Annual Information Form under the heading "Risk Factors" and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F, and in the Company's other filings with Canadian and U.S securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company's forward-looking statements and information are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this press release, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements and information if circumstances or management's assumptions, beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, or changes in any other events affecting such statements or information. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. Additional information related to the Company, including Silvercorp's Annual Information Form, can be obtained under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, on EDGAR at www.sec.gov, and on the Company's website at www.silvercorpmetals.com. CAUTIONARY NOTE TO US INVESTORS The disclosure in this news release and referred to herein was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 which differs significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The terms "proven mineral reserve," "probable mineral reserve" and "mineral reserves" used in this news release are in reference to the mining terms defined in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards (the "CIM Definition Standards"), which definitions have been adopted by NI 43-101. Accordingly, information contained in this news release providing descriptions of our mineral deposits in accordance with NI 43-101 may not be comparable to similar information made public by other U.S. companies subject to the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral resources will ever be converted into reserves. Pursuant to CIM Definition Standards, "Inferred mineral resources" are that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Such geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. An inferred mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an indicated mineral resource and must not be converted to a mineral reserve. However, it is reasonably expected that the majority of inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated mineral resources with continued exploration. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Canadian standards, including the CIM Definition Standards and NI 43-101, differ significantly from standards in the SEC Industry Guide 7. Effective February 25, 2019 , the SEC adopted new mining disclosure rules under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "SEC Modernization Rules"), with compliance required for the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021 . The SEC Modernization Rules replace the historical property disclosure requirements included in SEC Industry Guide 7. As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC now recognizes estimates of "Measured Mineral Resources," "Indicated Mineral Resources" and "Inferred Mineral Resources." In addition, the SEC has amended its definitions of "Proven Mineral Reserves" and "Probable Mineral Reserves" to be substantially similar to corresponding definitions under the CIM Definition Standards. During the period leading up to the compliance date of the SEC Modernization Rules, information regarding mineral resources or reserves contained or referenced in this news release may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies that report according to U.S. standards. While the SEC Modernization Rules are purported to be "substantially similar" to the CIM Definition Standards, readers are cautioned that there are differences between the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Definitions Standards. Accordingly, there is no assurance any mineral reserves or mineral resources that the Company may report as "proven mineral reserves", "probable mineral reserves", "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources" under NI 43-101 would be the same had the Company prepared the reserve or resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/expiry-of-exclusivity-period-301896989.html SOURCE Silvercorp Metals Inc Luis Moreno Ocampo , first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court , calls on world powers to prevent a genocide starvation of 120,000 Armenians Nagorno-Karabakh has been blockaded by Azerbaijan for months, blocking food and other supplies Report notes the blockade constitutes genocide according to the Genocide Convention in "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction." MONTROSE, Calif. , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Luis Moreno Ocampo, who as the International Criminal Court's Prosecutor obtained arrest warrants for Genocide in Darfur against then Sudan President Omar Al Bashir , has issued an alarming report. He warns that the 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in the blockaded enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, cut off from food and other supplies by Azerbaijan , are victims of genocide by starvation. "Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks," Ocampo wrote in the pro bono report (read it here ), entitled "Genocide against Armenians in 2023." He noted that Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention determined that "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction" constituted genocide. The blockade is therefore not just a humanitarian catastrophe but a genocide against an ethnic group: the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, a region known by Armenians as Artsakh. "You will find no crematoria in Nagorno-Karabakh, nor machetes, but genocide by starvation is no less devastating for being silent," Ocampo said. "It was the same deadly method used against Armenians in 1915, against Poles and Jews in 1939, and against the people of Srebrenica in 1993. And unless we intervene right now, we'll have a group of Armenians exterminated by year's end." (genocide already happens. It is to create the conditions, it is not requiring the deaths) Scathingly noting past world indifference, Ocampo wrote: "The U.S. , Russia , members of the European Union, all state parties of the Genocide Convention, and UN members have a rare historic opportunity to stop genocide against an Armenian group in 2023." The report has been delivered to the President of Nagorno-Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunyan , to Armenia's Ambassador to the United Nations Mher Margaryan , and to the Armenian Foreign Ministry in Yerevan. The enclave, which lies inside Azerbaijan's official borders but which has operated as a self-governing entity for decades, is connected to the outside world by the Lachin Corridor. On December 12, 2022 , Azerbaijan blocked the road, allowing only intermittent passage by the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers and since June 15 all passage has been entirely blocked. Ocampo, who began his legendary career by helping to liberate his native Argentina from military dictatorship, also references a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice that found "a real and imminent risk" to the "health and life" of the Armenians in the enclave. Prior to the release of the report, on July 31 , Ocampo wrote to Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev , demanding explanations about his intentions and cautioning that his behavior could be investigated as a Genocide. He did not receive a reply. Ocampo said Aliyev should be investigated by the ICC, but the priority now is to prevent the physical elimination of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. Ocampo noted that since December 2022 , Aliyev deliberately blocked the provision of life's essentials to the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, openly disobeying the specific orders of the International Court of Justice "to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions." During his time at the ICC, in 2008, Ocampo obtained arrest warrants against Sudan's then-President Omar al-Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur . Bashir was deposed and is in jail in Khartoum . MEDIA CONTACT: Arda Nazerian : 1 (516) 457-5187 and [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/former-icc-chief-prosecutor-warns-of-armenian-genocide-in-nagorno-karabakh-301896841.html RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) recently celebrated the inaugural graduating class of its Community Health Worker (CHW) Residency Program during a special celebration at its Rancho Cucamonga -based headquarters. The spotlight was placed on nine CHWs who completed the weeks-long program focused on the mission of reducing barriers to health care services in marginalized and underserved communities. "I know [going through the program] was a journey and you've learned a lot and brought your experience, your wisdom and your connections to the community and really helped shape our program going forward," said Dr. Takashi Wada , IEHP's chief medical officer, during the ceremony on July 27 . "We've been learning along with you in how to deliver a meaningful program that's going to provide value to our communities and give you the experience and tools that you'll need to be successful in any role as a community health worker." IEHP's CHW program launched in March, with the first cohort beginning their studies on May 6 . CHWs participated in six weeks of in-person training, followed by three weeks of field practicum training, explained IEHP Community Behavioral Health Manager Belinda Hernandez . "We developed training around the community health worker core competencies and enhanced training by including an introduction to health care services," she said. "Topics covered focused on foundational skills with enhanced training on specific areas such as quality measures, health outcomes and evidence-based approaches and techniques." CHWs will receive ongoing training to ensure they stay up to date on any new resources. They also will be paired with a provider in the community to address chronic conditions, preventative health care needs and health-related social needs throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Estrella Garcia , among the nine graduates, summed up the CHW program as an "eye-opening journey filled with growth, empathy and empowerment that has not only opened my perspective but also has equipped me with invaluable skills in challenging situations." "My team has been so supportive and have inspired me to embrace who I am and love myself the way I am," she continued. "They are truly, truly community health workers at heart." In addition to Garcia, IEHP's inaugural CHW cohort included Astin Medina Carranza , April Watkins , Serena Hong , Jackiie Tovar-Sandoval, Princess Egiebor , Dre Graves and Lizette Olmedo . The next cohort is expected to begin their studies on Aug. 21 . For more information on the CHW benefit, go to www.dhcs.ca.gov/community-health-workers. About IEHP With a mission to heal and inspire the human spirit, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) is one of the top 10 largest Medicaid health plans, the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country and for the third year in a row, certified as A Great Place To Work. In its 27th year, IEHP supports more than 1.6 million Riverside and San Bernardino County residents enrolled in Medicaid or IEHP DualChoice (those with both Medi-Cal and Medicare). Today, IEHP has a growing network of 7,000 providers and 3,000 team members who are fully committed to the vision: We will not rest until our communities enjoy optimal care and vibrant health. To learn more, visit iehp.org. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inland-empire-health-plan-invests-in-reducing-barriers-in-underserved-communities-through-community-health-worker-cohort-graduation-301897133.html SOURCE Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Instant Brands (the "Company"), maker of consumer favorites like Instant Pot, Corelle, Pyrex, Snapware, CorningWare, Visions and Chicago Cutlery, today announced that it has received a commitment for an additional $30 million in new term loan financing from its existing lenders, increasing the amount of the term loan credit facility received by the Company to $162.5 million . This additional term loan financing, along with the existing $125 million ABL financing and cash generated from the Company's operations, is expected to provide liquidity to fund operations. "We are making important progress in our court-supervised process, and the commitment for additional financing reflects our lenders' confidence in our business and our ability to achieve a successful outcome," said Ben Gadbois , President and CEO of Instant Brands. "We remain focused on ensuring the continued success of our great brands for all of our consumers around the world. We thank our great employees across the globe, as well as our suppliers, retailers, financing partners and all of our advisors for their continued support for Instant Brands." Instant Brands remains committed to its purpose: providing innovative products that deliver amazing culinary experiences to consumers around the world. In addition, the official Instant Brands Connect app will continue to inspire and help consumers make meals with ease. Additional information regarding the Company's court-supervised process is available at Instant Brands' restructuring website, InstantBrandsRestructuring.com. Court filings and other information related to the proceedings are available on a separate website administered by the Company's claims agent, Epiq, at https://dm.epiq11.com/InstantBrands, by calling Epiq toll-free at (888) 290-5211 (or (503) 694-4156 for calls originating outside of the U.S. ), or by sending an email to [email protected]. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is serving as Instant Brands' legal counsel, Guggenheim Securities, LLC is serving as investment banker and AlixPartners is serving as restructuring advisor. About Instant Brands Instant Brands designs, manufactures and markets a global portfolio of innovative and iconic consumer lifestyle brands: Instant, Pyrex, Corelle, Corningware, Snapware, Chicago Cutlery, ZOID and Visions. With people-first and purpose-driven solutions in mind, Instant Brands is reimagining how people live, eat, connect, and play inside the homeand in the spaces where people gather. The Company is headquartered in Downers Grove, Ill. , and employs more than 2,000 people across four continents. Today, Instant Brands' products are in millions of homes worldwide. For more information visit Instant Brands or join the community at LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. Media Contact [email protected] or Aaron Palash / Rachel Goldman Joele Frank Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher 212-355-4449 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/instant-brands-obtains-commitment-for-additional-financing-301896930.html SOURCE Instant Brands MONTREAL , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - IOU Financial Inc. ("IOU" or the "Company") (TSXV: IOU) announces that it has delivered a notice to North Mill Equipment Finance LLC ("NMEF") advising NMEF of its determination that the non-binding, indicative unsolicited proposal (the "NMEF Proposal") received from NMEF to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of IOU ("Shares") at a price of $0.28 in cash for each Share does not constitute a "Superior Proposal" under the Arrangement Agreement entered into between IOU and 9494-3677 Quebec Inc. (the "Purchaser") on July 13, 2023 (the "Arrangement Agreement") and therefore does not provide a basis upon which to enter into discussions with NMEF. That determination follows a comprehensive review of the NMEF Proposal by the special committee (the "Special Committee") of the board of directors of IOU (the "Board") and the Board, with the benefit of advice of their legal counsel and financial advisor. The Special Committee and the Board (with Philippe Marleau , Lucas Timberlake and Robert Gloer abstaining from deliberations and voting) arrived at this determination, among other reasons, on the basis of the written confirmation provided to them by the Purchaser and its affiliates, who own, control, direct or have subject to a hard lock-up more than 48% of the issued and outstanding Shares (on a non-diluted basis), that they would not vote (or permit to be voted) any such Shares in favour of the NMEF Proposal. To be successfully consummated, the NMEF Proposal would need, among other things, to gather the support of more than two-thirds of the holders of Shares (the "Shareholders"), which would not be possible in the present circumstances without the support of the Purchaser and its affiliates. Despite having been given an opportunity, in writing and orally, to clarify how it intended to overcome the Purchaser's opposition to the NMEF Proposal, NMEF did not propose any satisfactory course of action pursuant to which the NMEF Proposal could reasonably be expected to be consummated. The Board therefore reaffirms its unanimous approval and recommendation (with Philippe Marleau , Lucas Timberlake and Robert Gloer abstaining from deliberations and voting) that the Shareholders vote for the plan of arrangement contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (the "Arrangement") and confirms that IOU will continue with the process set forth in the Arrangement Agreement, including holding a special meeting of the Shareholders called for September 12, 2023 for the purpose of considering and voting on the Arrangement. For more information on the Arrangement Agreement, please see IOU's press release of July 14, 2023 . About IOU IOU Financial Inc. is a wholesale lender that provides quick and easy access to growth capital to small businesses through a network of preferred brokers across the US and Canada . Built on its proprietary IOU360 technology platform that connects underwriters, merchants and brokers in real time, IOU has become a trusted alternative to banks by originating over US$1 billion in loans to fund small business growth since 2009. IOU was named one of the 50 Best Places to Work in Fintech for 2022 by American Banker and trades on the TSX-V under the symbol "IOU", and on the US OTC markets as "IOUFF". To learn more about IOU's corporate history, financial products, or to join our broker network please visit www.IOUFinancial.com . Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the completion of the Arrangement and the outcome of the NMEF Proposal, and other statements that are not material facts. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "believe", "estimate", "plan", "could", "should", "would", "outlook", "forecast", "anticipate", "foresee", "continue" or the negative of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Although the Company believes that the forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information and assumptions that are reasonable, including assumptions that parties will receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary court, shareholder and U.S. State regulatory approvals, and that the parties will otherwise be able to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the closing of the Arrangement, these forward-looking statements are by their nature subject to a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from management's expectations and plans as set forth in such forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the following factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control and the effects of which can be difficult to predict: (a) the possibility that the Arrangement will not be completed on the terms and conditions, or on the timing, currently contemplated, and that it may not be completed at all, due to a failure to obtain or satisfy, in a timely manner or otherwise, required shareholder, regulatory and court approvals and other conditions of closing necessary to complete the Arrangement or for other reasons; (b) the possibility of litigation relating to the Arrangement; and (c) the potential of a third party, including, but not limited to, NMEF, making a "Superior Proposal" to the Arrangement; and (d) other factors beyond the Company's control which could have a material adverse effect on the Company or its ability to complete the Arrangement. The Company cautions investors not to rely on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release when making an investment decision in their securities. Investors are encouraged to read the Company's filings available under its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release and IOU undertakes no obligation to update or revise any of these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iou-determines-that-the-nmef-proposal-does-not-constitute-a-superior-proposal-and-re-affirms-its-unanimous-recommendation-that-shareholders-vote-for-the-arrangement-301896876.html SOURCE IOU Financial Inc. IRVINE, Calif. , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IRA Capital ("IRA"), a leading Southern-California based private equity firm, was recently named by The Orange County Business Journal as one of the Best Places to Work. Organized by Workforce Research Group, the 2023 Best Places to Work in Orange County program identifies and celebrates the region's top employers, highlighting those companies that foster an outstanding work culture, prioritize employee well-being, and offer attractive benefits. This recognition signifies IRA Capital's ongoing efforts to create a workplace where employees can thrive, achieve their full potential, and enjoy a fulfilling professional journey. "We are immensely proud to be recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Orange County ," said Amer Malas , Managing Partner. "At IRA, our team is our greatest asset and the foundation of our success. This honor reflects our dedication to cultivating an environment where our employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to do their best work. Our company culture places great emphasis on encouraging collaboration, innovation, and personal development. We will always continue to prioritize the well-being and growth of our employees along with a healthy work/life balance." About IRA Capital IRA Capital is a Southern-California based private equity firm founded in 2010 by partners Amer Kasm, Samir Patel, Jay Gangwal, Amer Malas, and Mohannad Malas. IRA invests capital for its own account and on behalf of its co-investment partners, which include pension funds, institutions, and family offices. Headquartered in Irvine California , IRA has acquired over seven million square feet of property in 30 states, with a total capitalization greater than $3 Billion . To learn more, visit www.IRAcapital.com For more information, please contact: Danielle de Souza , IRA Capital Corporate Communications [email protected] / 949.612.2742 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ira-capital-recognized-as-one-of-the-best-places-to-work-in-orange-county-301897153.html SOURCE IRA Capital KANAZAWA, Japan , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a study recently published in the journal Nanoscale, researchers from Kanazawa University and AGC Inc. use three-dimensional atomic force microscopy to study the hydrated form and structure of commonly occurring oxide crystals. While sapphire and quartz are oxide crystals used in a wide range of industrial applications, the atomic-scale structures of these materials are not well understood. The major chemical components of sapphire and quartz are aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide, respectively. These components have a high affinity for water, which affects the chemical reactivity of the crystals. Thus, a thorough knowledge of the water-binding properties of these oxides is important for further innovative applications. To date, traditional microscopic methods have only provided insights into the two-dimensional topography of their surfaces. Now, a research team led by Keisuke Miyazawa from the NanoLSI at Kanazawa University has developed three-dimensional (3D) microscopy technique for a detailed study of the interaction of the surfaces of these materials with water. The team started by looking at the surface structures and its hydration structures of sapphire and -quartz in water. For this, they used an advanced form of microscopy known as 3D atomic force microscopy (3D-AFM). Oxide crystals usually have hydroxyl (OH) groups, which are the main "water-binding" molecules, closely linked with the oxides. Hence, the team studied the OH groups and its hydration structures on both crystals when immersed in water They found that the hydration layer on sapphire was not uniform because of the nonuniform local distributions of the surface OH groups. On the other hand, the hydration layer on -quartz was uniform because of the atomically flat distributions of the surface OH groups. When the interaction force of these oxides for water was subsequently measured, it was found that a greater force was required to break the water-crystal bonds in sapphire than in -quartz. Lastly, it was also discovered that this affinity was much higher in regions where the oxides were in close proximity to the OH groups. This study showed that the hydration structures of oxides are dependent on the location and density of OH groups, in addition to the hydrogen bonding (the chemical bond used to bind to water) strength of the OH groups. What's more, it was successfully shown here that 3D-AFM can be used in unraveling the interaction of water with several surfaces, a potential avenue for understanding solid-liquid interactions better. "[T]his study contributes to the application of 3D-AFM in exploring atomic scale hydration structures on various surfaces, and hence, to a wide range of solidliquid interfacial research fields," conclude the researchers. Background 3D atomic force microscopy (3D-AFM): AFM is an advanced form of microscopy wherein a sharp tip is mounted on a cantilever and follows the surface of a molecule. As it does so, the tip emits signals based on its movement, which helps identify the topography of the molecule. However, understanding the deeper structures of molecules requires a three-dimensional overview of their surfaces. Thus, researchers used a more advanced version of AFM in this study, which captured the structure of hydrated crystals in 3D. Reference Sho Nagai , Shingo Urata , Kent Suga , Takeshi Fukuma , Yasuo Hayashi and Keisuke Miyazawa . Three-dimensional ordering of water molecules reflecting hydroxyl groups on sapphire (001) and -quartz (100) surfaces. Nanoscale, 2023. DOI: 10.1039/d3nr02498a URL: https://doi.org/10.1039/D3NR02498A Figure Link to figure https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/Figure-1-6.png Figure caption. Top. Atomic-scale structures of the (a) sapphire and (b) -quartz surfaces in water. (green = OH groups and red and blue = oxide groups). Middle. Vertical cross-sections of hydration structures on the (c) sapphire and (d) -quartz surfaces. Bottom. 1st hydration layers on the (e) sapphire and (f) -quartz surfaces. The Royal Society of Chemistry 2023 Contact Hiroe Yoneda Senior Specialist in Project Planning and Outreach NanoLSI Administrative Office WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) Kanazawa University Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan Email: [email protected] Tel: +81 (76) 234-4550 About Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/ Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University is a research center established in 2017 as part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The objective of this initiative is to form world-tier research centers. NanoLSI combines the foremost knowledge of bio-scanning probe microscopy to establish 'nano-endoscopic techniques' to directly image, analyze, and manipulate biomolecules for insights into mechanisms governing life phenomena such as diseases. About Kanazawa University http://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/e/ As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities. The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students including 600 from overseas. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kanazawa-university-research-hydration-matters-the-interaction-patterns-of-water-and-oxide-crystals-revealed-301896620.html SOURCE Kanazawa University " The Winding Road to Excellence" by G.T. "Toby" Stansell is released with Forbes Books This release is posted on behalf of Forbes Books (operated by Advantage Media Group under license). NEW YORK , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Winding Road to Excellence: Leadership Lessons Learned from Life's Potholes, by G.T. "Toby" Stansell is now available. The book is published with Forbes Books, the exclusive business book publishing imprint of Forbes, and is available on Amazon . The Winding Road to Excellence is as much about "what not to do" as a leader as it is about finding a "better way" to lead. Cargo, LLC CEO Toby Stansell acknowledges that, as individuals and leaders, no one ever really has their business or life fully figured out. We're all doing our best to leverage our strengths and evolve our weaknesses, and as our careers and lives progress, most leaders know we learn more from the potholes we fall into than the things that go perfectly. "All of us are imbued with about the same number of assets and liabilities that we bring to life and leadership; it's just that yours are different from mine and mine are different from yours," Stansell said. "What we do with them is what matters. If we look at everything life hands us, good and bad, as an opportunity, we can begin to build a positive, principle-based framework for successful leadership." Funny, relatable, concise, and powerful, Stansell's book is a pocketable guide for leaders across any industry. Stansell shares the mantras he's learned, tweaked, and created out of thin air over the course of his career. He shares the hard lessons he learned, not so you won't have to, but because you certainly will, too. His book is rooted in the harsh realities that all leaders face at some point. Stansell wants to help C-level executives find meaning in these hardships and grow stronger as a result. "This book is about sharing the lessons I've learned that have evolved into principles for how I want to lead my life and how I want to lead organizations," Stansell said. "It's a collection, of sorts, of ideas that have become signposts for me. I'm hopeful that a few of them might help you further refine your approach to life and leadership as well." About G.T. "Toby" Stansell G.T. "Toby" Stansell is the Chief Executive Officer of Cargo, LLC, a business strategy, and marketing consultancy. Prior to joining Cargo, Toby served as a Principal with Cherry Bekaert's Digital Advisory Service Line after leading Acumen I.T., LLC as President and Chief Operating Officer and as president of OOBE, Inc. He previously held senior sales and marketing positions at IBM, Jobscope Corporation, Right Source, Western Data Systems and Factory Logic. A graduate of Clemson University, Toby has taught leadership courses there and through the Greenville Chamber's Minority Business Accelerator. Among a long history of volunteer work with the Greenville Chamber, he has served on its Board of Directors, as the Strategic Cabinet's vice chair of economic competitiveness, and as co-chair of the Accelerate! economic development initiative. Toby lives in Seneca, South Carolina . About Forbes Books Launched in 2016 in partnership with Advantage Media Group, Forbes Books is the exclusive business book publishing imprint of Forbes. Forbes Books offers business and thought leaders an innovative, speed-to-market, fee-based publishing model and a suite of services designed to strategically and tactically support authors and promote their expertise. For more information, visit books.forbes.com. Media Contacts Forbes Books Media Contact: Samantha Miller , [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leadership-lessons-and-mantras-for-excellence-create-a-roadmap-for-todays-ceos-301897166.html SOURCE Forbes Books By Yuki Yamaguchi, KYODO NEWS - Aug 9, 2023 - 15:35 | All, Feature, Japan When Kazumasa Sato was assigned to Sony Corp.'s information technology section as a fresh economics graduate in 1980, he was baffled. Maintaining an information system using IBM mainframe computers was not precisely what he envisioned doing at one of the country's most famous tech companies known for innovative products such as the iconic Walkman cassette player and Trinitron TV. But about 40 years later, Sato says that experience set the course for his career. His fascination with networks eventually led him to set up a data security venture utilizing blockchain technology with other former Sony innovators, including former president Kunitake Ando. Jasmy Inc., established in 2016, aims to create a world where people can have control over their personal data at a time when big tech firms such as Google LLC and Apple Inc. have obtained an unfathomable amount of personal information from customers across the globe. "There could be a network that is more secure and safe," Sato, the 66-year-old president of the venture, said in an interview. "We are from Sony so we love to take a shot at doing things that other people can't do." The ambition resulted in a service called "Personal Data Locker," a platform where people can safely manage their data and decide how much they want to disclose to businesses or services they wish to use. Unlike the conventional, centralized data management system in which personal data are stored in a particular server, the service employs the blockchain to store data in a decentralized way, without depending on dedicated physical servers. That prevents falsification and loss of data as the blockchain, an encoded digital ledger stored across a network of computers, does not allow data to be modified or deleted by a single actor. It also helps users identify and trace unintended use of their data by a third party as it is inherently trackable on the ledger, the company said. The service has already been adopted by Nippon Travel Agency Co., which uses it to manage customer information. Witz Corp., a Nagoya-based company that helps manage logistics at large events, also uses it to handle personal information such as with infections due to the coronavirus. Jasmy said it is looking to expand its customer base further. The venture has also created its own cryptocurrency, JasmyCoin, with an eye to using it in the future as a reward to those who shared their information. The virtual currency, which was first listed in Japan in 2021 and now held by more than 50,000 people, has a market capitalization of about $200 million as of the end of July. Ever since being initially shocked by the emerging concept of the internet in the early years of his career, Sato always had a passion for network-related businesses, he said. "The internet was a concept that had been non-existent before," said Sato, who later helped launch internet service provider businesses at Sony and served as president of Sony's e-commerce unit. "It threw common sense out the window. It was extremely attractive." He left Sony in 2010 to pursue other opportunities, but as he saw the need for a safe internet rise on the back of increasing misinformation, online abuse, and concerns over the use of personal data, he decided to launch a venture to help create a network everyone can use more safely. Sato's idea attracted like-minded risk-takers from Sony. Takashi Hagiwara, a long-time engineer in charge of the development of the Vaio PC, quit the tech giant in 2020 with less than one year left before reaching the company's retirement age to join Jasmy. "There is a sort of joy that is similar to solving a puzzle when we try to bring our ideas into reality," said Hagiwara, who oversees software development at the venture. "That's what I felt at Sony and what I continue to feel here, too." Hidehiko Kakinuma, who has a wealth of experience launching new businesses, including Sony Bank Inc., now serves as executive officer in charge of marketing at Jasmy. "The emergence of blockchain (technology) is a really important factor," the 56-year-old executive said. "With that, we can create a system that gives back to users" when dealing with personal data. With various options under consideration, Sato says his ultimate goal is to combine its technology with artificial intelligence. While interest in generative AI such as ChatGPT is booming, he said there is always a risk that if one enters sensitive information, it can be absorbed into the system and lead to an unintended data leak. The combination of Jasmy's data security technology and AI could create a kind of AI optimized for personal use without worrying about data security. Such an AI could be installed into various devices such as cars and smart speakers, among other things, he added. "If people feel threatened by exposing their personal data, they become reluctant to utilize data," he said. "But if we are able to manage our data on our own, it will surely make the world more fun and convenient." Sato compared his company's service to making real-life decisions such as how much personal information you wish to disclose when meeting new people or if you offer your name card when greeting someone in a business setting. "This is what everybody does in real life," Sato said. "You don't necessarily have to lie, but you don't really have to expose everything, either." Related coverage: FEATURE: S. Korea, Japan accident victims' families promote support, exchanges FEATURE: "Zine" culture hits Japan as small-scale publishing trend takes off FEATURE: Ukrainian entrepreneur supports homeland winery through Japan venture High-security nuclear laboratory to beta test HEXWAVE walkthrough security detection to seamlessly screen for potential threats and enhance the overall security screening process WILMINGTON, Mass. and LOS ALAMOS, N.M. , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Liberty Defense Holdings Ltd. ("Liberty" or the "Company") (TSXV: SCAN) (OTCQB: LDDFF) (FRANKFURT: LD2A), a leading technology provider of AI-based next generation detection solutions for protecting secure locations against prohibited weapons and other threats, is pleased to announce that the Los Alamos National Laboratory has purchased multiple units for initial testing. Located in northern New Mexico , Los Alamos is a multi-program, federally funded research and development center for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy. It has 900 individual facilities and over 17,000 employees who work on site. "Security is at the forefront of everything we do at Los Alamos ," said Joe Gustafson, Deployed Security for Los Alamos National Laboratory. "We're excited to be working with Liberty Defense and to conduct an initial test of the HEXWAVE system to further assist us in mitigating security concerns and working towards a customized solution for our unique and continuously evolving screening objectives." HEXWAVE uses millimeter wave, advanced 3D imaging, and AI to detect concealed metallic and non-metallic items and weapons such as liquid, plastic, and powder explosives, 3D printed guns, and other user defined prohibited items without having to divest common items allowed by the systems end user. "Critical infrastructure protection and national security is an area of focus for Liberty Defense," said Bill Frain , CEO of Liberty Defense. "We're excited to be working collectively with Los Alamos to build a platform that addresses their specific needs." For updates and news, please visit the Company website to subscribe to email alerts or follow Liberty Defense on social channels. On Behalf of Liberty Defense Bill Frain CEO & Director About Liberty Defense Liberty Defense ( TSXV: SCAN , OTCQB: LDDFF , FRANKFURT : LD2A ) provides multi-technology security solutions for concealed weapons detection in high volume foot traffic areas and locations requiring enhanced security such as airports, stadiums, schools, and more. Liberty's HEXWAVE product, for which the company has secured an exclusive license from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as a technology transfer agreement for patents related to active 3D radar imaging technology, provides discrete, modular, and scalable protection to provide layered, stand-off detection capability of metallic and non-metallic weapons. Liberty has also recently licensed the millimeter wave-based, High-Definition Advanced Imaging Technology (HD-AIT) body scanner and shoe scanner technologies as part of its technology portfolio. Liberty is committed to protecting communities and preserving peace of mind through superior security detection solutions. Learn more: LibertyDefense.com About Los Alamos National Labs Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is managed by Triad, a public service oriented, national security science organization equally owned by its three founding members: Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle), the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS), and the Regents of the University of California (UC) for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although Liberty believes, in light of the experience of their respective officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information in this press release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the parties can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. Such statements and information reflect the current view of Liberty. There are risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause Liberty's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others: currency fluctuations; limited business history of the parties; disruptions or changes in the credit or security markets; results of operation activities and development of projects; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general development, market and industry conditions. The parties undertake no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of their securities or their respective financial or operating results (as applicable). Liberty cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on Liberty's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Liberty has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Liberty as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Liberty does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/liberty-defense-receives-order-for-multiple-hexwave-units-from-los-alamos-national-laboratory-301896402.html SOURCE Liberty Defense Holdings Ltd. Reports Second Quarter Net Sales of $475.0 Million , Reflecting a 1.3% Growth on a Reported and Constant Currency Basis Compared to the Prior Year Quarter Reports Net Loss of $747.8 Million ; Adjusted EBITDA of $144.0 Million ; Cash on Hand of $480.6 Million at Second Quarter End Reaffirms 2023 Net Sales and Adjusted EBITDA Guidance Terlivaz Launch Exceeds Expectations, Obtaining Approximately 50% of Targeted Hospital Formulary Access With Continued Medical Community Interest Provides Update on Liquidity and Discussions With Creditors and Opioid Disbursement Trust DUBLIN , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE American: MNK) ("Mallinckrodt" or the "Company"), a global specialty pharmaceutical company, today reported results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 .1 "Mallinckrodt continued to advance our strategic initiatives in the second quarter, delivering results in line with our expectations. I am particularly pleased to share that we achieved year-over-year revenue growth this quarter an important step forward in our goal to stabilize the business in the near term and return to sustainable growth in the long term," said Siggi Olafsson , President and Chief Executive Officer. "We recorded another quarter of growth in the Specialty Generics segment and expect that sales growth in the segment will continue throughout the year, with Mallinckrodt remaining an important source of consistent supply and high-quality, U.S. -manufactured medicines for our customers amidst market disruptions. On the Specialty Brands side, the launch of Terlivaz (terlipressin) has exceeded our expectations, as we continued to gain rapid formulary access and increasing utilization in hospitals. Therakos and Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) both performed as anticipated, with Therakos returning to growth and Acthar Gel performance rebounding. We look forward to the expected clearance for INOmax Evolve, a next-generation delivery system, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration later this year." Mr. Olafsson continued, "While we continue to navigate significant challenges in the market from competitive pressures, it is clear that everyone at Mallinckrodt has been working hard to execute on key opportunities across our portfolio. Simultaneously, we continue to actively evaluate our financial situation and consider our options. We have been engaged in advanced discussions with representatives of the opioid disbursement trust and our funded debt creditors and analyzing various proposals with respect to our opioid settlement and debt obligations. While these discussions are ongoing, our teams remain fully focused on advancing our business objectives, serving customers and delivering high-quality therapies to patients with severe and critical conditions." Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results1 Mallinckrodt's net sales in the second quarter of 2023 were $475.0 million , an increase of 1.3% on a reported and constant currency basis, as compared to the second quarter of 2022. The prior year quarter included $383.7 million in the predecessor period and $85.0 million in the successor period for a total of $468.7 million . The Company's Specialty Brands segment reported net sales of $280.1 million , a decrease of 8.4% on a reported basis and 8.5% on a constant currency basis. The prior year quarter included $247.7 million in the predecessor period and $58.2 million in the successor period for a total of $305.9 million . This decline is primarily due to the impact of competition, continued scrutiny on overall specialty pharmaceutical spending and slower than expected returning patient volumes. Mallinckrodt's Specialty Generics segment reported net sales of $194.9 million , an increase of 19.7% on a reported and constant currency basis. The prior year quarter included $136.0 million in the predecessor period and $26.8 million in the successor period for a total of $162.8 million . This increase is primarily due to growth in finished-dosage products as the broader market has experienced disruption in product quality and supply. The Company recorded a net loss for the second quarter of $747.8 million , as compared to $193.5 million net loss in the predecessor period and $63.7 million net loss in the successor period for a total net loss of $257.2 million in the second quarter of 2022. Mallinckrodt's Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter was $144.0 million , as compared to $156.3 million in the second quarter of 2022. The net sales increase was offset by margin deterioration related to overall product mix, as the Specialty Generics business became a larger portion of the overall Company, coupled with the loss of Amitiza royalties associated with the loss of U.S. exclusivity. In addition to margin shift, the Company continued to invest in the launches of Terlivaz and StrataGraft (allogeneic cultured keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts in murine collagen dsat), which was partially offset by other reductions in selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses and research and development (R&D) expenses as a result of the Company's initiatives to improve its overall cost structure. As a result of Mallinckrodt's ongoing evaluation of its financial situation and related discussions with its stakeholders, the Company has recorded $10.4 million of expense within SG&A in the second quarter related to professional fees that will continue into the third quarter and beyond and for which an adjustment is made within the Company's Adjusted EBITDA. The Company also expects to incur approximately $20.0 million to $30.0 million in incremental compensation costs, for which no adjustment is made within Adjusted EBITDA, related to these ongoing liability management discussions, of which approximately $5.0 million was recorded in the second quarter. Six-Month 2023 Results2 Mallinckrodt's net sales were $899.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023 , as compared to $874.6 million in the predecessor period and $85.0 million in the successor period for a total of $959.6 million for the six months ended July 1, 2022 . The Company recorded a net loss of $997.1 million , as compared to $313.1 million net loss in the predecessor period and $63.7 million net loss in the successor period for a total net loss of $376.8 million for the six months ended July 1, 2022 . Mallinckrodt's Adjusted EBITDA was $267.5 million , as compared with $303.0 million of Adjusted EBITDA in the predecessor period and $30.3 million of Adjusted EBITDA in the successor period for a total Adjusted EBITDA of $333.3 million for the six months ended July 1, 2022 . Second Quarter 2023 Business Segment Update Specialty Brands Segment Acthar Gel net sales declined 4.0% on a reported and constant currency basis, or $4.9 million , as compared to the comparable quarter of the prior year. Performance declines were driven by continued scrutiny on overall specialty pharmaceutical spending and competition, as well as slower-than-expected returning patient volumes, impacted primarily by affordability. As expected, Acthar Gel net sales improved sequentially, supporting the Company's guidance that Acthar Gel sales will decline between 15% and 20% for the year. Acthar Gel remains a critical product in Mallinckrodt's portfolio for both its high clinical value to patients and favorable position with prescribers. The Company is focused on the launch of the Acthar next-generation delivery device in the second half of 2024. Terlivaz's launch progress continued to reflect positive momentum and significant enthusiasm from the medical community nearly one year following U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The Company has gained formulary inclusion for Terlivaz at approximately 50% of targeted hospitals, ahead of the product's anticipated launch curve. Based on early utilization data, the Company expects peak year net sales between $200.0 million and $300.0 million . INOmax(nitric oxide) gas, for inhalation continues to be the market leader in nitric oxide for critically ill newborns, despite sales performance being impacted by persistent competitive pressures. Mallinckrodt continues to work with the U.S. FDA on the 510(k) premarket notification application for INOmax Evolve and anticipates receiving clearance for the product in late 2023. Therakos returned to sales growth this quarter, growing 5.0% on a reported basis and 4.5% on a constant currency basis, or $3.0 million , as compared to the comparable quarter of the prior year. Performance was driven by strength in the U.S. and reflected a return to historical growth trajectories for the product. The Company expects Therakos will continue to grow in the mid-single digits through the remainder of the year and looks forward to launching the product in Japan in the second half of this year. Amitiza sales continued to be impacted by the U.S. market becoming fully genericized and multiple market entrants. Internationally, product sales declined in the Japanese market due to an unfavorable impact from pricing. Specialty Generics Segment Mallinckrodt's Specialty Generics segment continued to experience strong growth driven by the strength of its U.S. -based manufacturing, vertical integration and continuity of supply within dosage generics, as the active pharmaceutical ingredients business was relatively stable. Mallinckrodt benefits from its role as a consistent and reliable supplier of high-quality medicines to its customers. The Company continues to expect Specialty Generics net sales growth in 2023, particularly as disruptions in the drug market supply chain and shortages in certain therapeutic areas persist. As manufacturing volumes have increased, Mallinckrodt's materials supply chain has been resilient, and the Company is working to meet robust demand with a focus on enhancing manufacturing labor resources. Please see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" included in this release for a discussion of non-GAAP measures and reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures for the second quarter. Liquidity Update Mallinckrodt's cash balance at the end of the second quarter was $480.6 million . Subsequent to the end of the second quarter, the Company drew $100 million on its now fully drawn accounts receivable financing facility. As of the date of filing, the Company's cash balance was approximately $550 million . As the Company previously disclosed, on June 15, 2023 , the Company did not make interest payments that were due that date on its 2028 First Lien Notes and 2029 Second Lien Notes. The Company's failure to make these interest payments before the expiration of applicable grace periods resulted in events of default and (absent prompt cure of such events of default or discharge of the 2028 First Lien Notes and the 2029 Second Lien Notes) cross-defaults under the Company's term loans and receivables financing facility. The Company has entered into forbearance agreements with the lenders and noteholders that run through August 15, 2023 (assuming the forbearance agreements are not earlier terminated) on account of these events of default and related cross-defaults. The Company has also entered into an amendment to its opioid deferred cash payments agreement that, along with related subsequent extensions, extended the due date for the $200.0 million installment payment payable to the opioid disbursement trust from June 16, 2023 to August 15, 2023 . If the interest payments are not made prior to the expiration or termination of the forbearance agreements or the opioid installment payment is not made prior to the extended date under the amendment to the opioid deferred cash payments agreement, then the applicable funded debt creditors would be permitted to accelerate the applicable obligations and the opioid disbursement trust would be permitted to accelerate the Company's opioid settlement obligations. In that scenario, the Company would not have sufficient liquidity to meet all of these obligations. Subject to approval by the Company's Board of Directors, Mallinckrodt's ongoing discussions with its various stakeholders contemplate entering into a restructuring support agreement that would include, among other things, initiating Chapter 11 proceedings. The Company expects to continue its current operations without material interruption and work with its business partners as usual during the course of these discussions and any potential restructuring. Please see the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for additional information concerning the Company's liquidity and related risks. 2023 Financial Guidance Update For the full-year 2023, Mallinckrodt reaffirmed its net sales and Adjusted EBITDA guidance despite assuming incremental compensation costs in its results for key employee incentive and retention programs that could amount to $20.0 million to $30.0 million in expenses: 2023 Guidance Total net sales $1.700 billion to $1.820 billion Adjusted EBITDA $510 million to $560 million The Company does not provide a reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP guidance to the comparable GAAP measures as these items are inherently uncertain and difficult to estimate and cannot be predicted without unreasonable effort. About Mallinckrodt Mallinckrodt is a global business consisting of multiple wholly owned subsidiaries that develop, manufacture, market and distribute specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. The Company's Specialty Brands reportable segment's areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, hepatology, nephrology, pulmonology, ophthalmology and oncology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics; cultured skin substitutes and gastrointestinal products. Its Specialty Generics reportable segment includes specialty generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com . Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the Company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website. NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES This press release contains financial measures, including adjusted EBITDA, adjusted gross profit, adjusted SG&A, adjusted R&D, and net sales growth (loss) on a constant-currency basis, which are considered "non-GAAP" financial measures under applicable SEC rules and regulations. Adjusted EBITDA represents net income or loss prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. ("GAAP") and adjusted for certain items that management believes are not reflective of the operational performance of the business. Adjustments to GAAP amounts include, as applicable to each measure, interest expense, net; income taxes; depreciation; amortization; restructuring charges, net; non-restructuring impairment charges; inventory step-up expense; discontinued operations; changes in fair value of contingent consideration obligations; significant legal and environmental charges; divestitures; liabilities management and separation costs; gains on debt extinguishment, net; unrealized gain or loss on equity investment; reorganization items, net; share-based compensation; fresh-start inventory related expenses; and other items identified by the Company. Segment net sales growth (loss) on a constant-currency basis measures the change in segment net sales between current- and prior-year periods using a constant currency, the exchange rate in effect during the applicable prior-year period. The Company has provided these adjusted financial measures because they are used by management, along with financial measures in accordance with GAAP, to evaluate the Company's operating performance. In addition, the Company believes that they will be used by investors to measure Mallinckrodt's operating results. Management believes that presenting these adjusted measures provides useful information about the Company's performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that the Company does not believe are indicative of its core operating performance. These adjusted measures should be considered supplemental to and not a substitute for financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. The Company's definition of these adjusted measures may differ from similarly titled measures used by others. Because adjusted financial measures exclude the effect of items that will increase or decrease the Company's reported results of operations, management strongly encourages investors to review the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety. A reconciliation of certain of these historical adjusted financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included in the tables accompanying this release. Further information regarding non-GAAP financial measures can be found on the Investor Relations page of the Company's website. Predecessor and Successor Periods Mallinckrodt's financial results presented here within include Successor and Predecessor periods. The Successor period runs from June 17, 2022 through June 30, 2023 , while the Predecessor period includes June 16, 2022 and prior. As a result of the application of fresh-start accounting, the Company's financial statements for periods prior to June 16, 2022 are not comparable to those for periods subsequent to June 16, 2022 . Operating results for the Successor and Predecessor periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for a full fiscal year. Mallinckrodt's results of operations as reported in its unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the Successor and Predecessor periods are in accordance with GAAP. The comparison of the Predecessor and Successor periods for the periods presented here is not in accordance with GAAP. However, the Company believes that the comparison is useful for management and investors to assess Mallinckrodt's ongoing financial and operational performance and trends. CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELATED TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Statements in this document that are not strictly historical, including statements regarding future financial condition and operating results, expected product launches, legal, economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors affecting Mallinckrodt's businesses, and any other statements regarding events or developments Mallinckrodt believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, may be "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. These factors include risks and uncertainties related to, among other things: the possibility of entering into a restructuring support agreement; our operations and work with our business partners during the course of our ongoing discussions and any potential restructuring support agreement; the comparability of Mallinckrodt's post-emergence financial results to its historical results and the projections filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware; changes in Mallinckrodt's business strategy and performance; the listing of Mallinckrodt's ordinary shares on NYSE American LLC, the emergence of an active trading market for Mallinckrodt's ordinary shares and fluctuations in market price and trading volume; Mallinckrodt's tax treatment by the Internal Revenue Service under Section 7874 and Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; governmental investigations and inquiries, regulatory actions and lawsuits, in each case related to Mallinckrodt or its officers; matters related to the historical commercialization of opioids, including compliance with and restrictions under the global settlement to resolve all opioid-related claims; matters related to Acthar Gel, including settlement with governmental parties to resolve certain disputes and compliance with and restrictions under the corporate integrity agreement; the ability to maintain relationships with Mallinckrodt's suppliers, customers, employees and other third parties as a result of, and following, the emergence from bankruptcy, as well as perception of the Company's increased performance and credit risks associated with its constrained liquidity position and capital structure, which reflects a recently increased risk of additional bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings; developing, funding and executing Mallinckrodt's business plan and ability to continue as a going concern; Mallinckrodt's post-bankruptcy capital structure; scrutiny from governments, legislative bodies and enforcement agencies related to sales, marketing and pricing practices; pricing pressure on certain of Mallinckrodt's products due to legal changes or changes in insurers' reimbursement practices resulting from recent increased public scrutiny of healthcare and pharmaceutical costs; the reimbursement practices of governmental health administration authorities, private health coverage insurers and other third-party payers; complex reporting and payment obligations under the Medicare and Medicaid rebate programs and other governmental purchasing and rebate programs; cost containment efforts of customers, purchasing groups, third-party payers and governmental organizations; changes in or failure to comply with relevant laws and regulations; Mallinckrodt's and its partners' ability to successfully develop or commercialize new products or expand commercial opportunities; Mallinckrodt's ability to navigate price fluctuations; competition; Mallinckrodt's and its partners' ability to protect intellectual property rights, including in relation to ongoing litigation; limited clinical trial data for Acthar Gel; clinical studies and related regulatory processes; product liability losses and other litigation liability; material health, safety and environmental liabilities; business development activities; attraction and retention of key personnel; the effectiveness of information technology infrastructure including cybersecurity and data leakage risks; customer concentration; Mallinckrodt's reliance on certain individual products that are material to its financial performance; Mallinckrodt's ability to receive procurement and production quotas granted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; complex manufacturing processes; reliance on third-party manufacturers and supply chain providers; conducting business internationally; Mallinckrodt's ability to achieve expected benefits from prior restructuring activities; Mallinckrodt's significant levels of intangible assets and related impairment testing; labor and employment laws and regulations; natural disasters or other catastrophic events; Mallinckrodt's substantial indebtedness, its ability to generate sufficient cash to reduce its indebtedness and its potential need and ability to incur further indebtedness; Mallinckrodt's ability to generate sufficient cash to service indebtedness even now that the prepetition indebtedness has been restructured; restrictions on Mallinckrodt's operations contained in the agreements governing Mallinckrodt's indebtedness; the possibility that Mallinckrodt and/or certain of its subsidiaries voluntarily initiate proceedings in the near term under Chapter 11 or foreign bankruptcy or insolvency laws and the potential effects of the initiation of such proceedings and the resulting bankruptcy or insolvency process on Mallinckrodt's liquidity, results of operations and business; Mallinckrodt's variable rate indebtedness; future changes to U.S. and foreign tax laws or the impact of disputes with governmental tax authorities; and the impact of Irish laws. The "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of Mallinckrodt's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2022 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended June 30, 2023 and March 31, 2023 , and other filings with the SEC, all of which are on file with the SEC and available on Mallinckrodt's website at http://www.sec.gov and http://www.mallinckrodt.com respectively, identify and describe in more detail the risks and uncertainties to which Mallinckrodt's businesses are subject. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and Mallinckrodt does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law. CONTACTS Investor Relations Daniel Speciale Senior Vice President, Finance 314-654-3638 [email protected] Derek Belz Vice President, Investor Relations 314-654-3950 [email protected] Media Michael Freitag / Aaron Palash / Aura Reinhard Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher 212-355-4449 Mallinckrodt, the "M" brand mark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. Other brands are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company or their respective owners. 2023. _______________________________ 1As a result of emerging from Chapter 11, the Company's second quarter ended July 1, 2022 , includes a predecessor period from April 2, 2022 , to June 16, 2022 , and a successor period from June 17, 2022 to July 1, 2022 . Unless otherwise noted, the quarterly comparisons are the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 and the predecessor and successor periods combined for 2022. 2 As a result of emerging from Chapter 11, the Company's 6-month comparison period ended July 1, 2022 , includes a predecessor period from January 1, 2022 , to June 16, 2022 , and a successor period from June 17, 2022 to July 1, 2022 . Unless otherwise noted, the 6-month comparisons are the predecessor and successor periods combined. Exhibit 99.1 MALLINCKRODT PLC CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited, in millions, except per share data) Successor Predecessor Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 Period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 Period from April 2, 2022 through June 16, 2022 Percent of Net sales Percent of Net sales Percent of Net sales Net sales $ 475.0 100.0 % $ 85.0 100.0 % $ 383.7 100.0 % Cost of sales 370.1 77.9 102.2 120.2 266.8 69.5 Gross profit (loss) 104.9 22.1 (17.2) (20.2) 116.9 30.5 Selling, general and administrative expenses 132.7 27.9 30.3 35.6 122.8 32.0 Research and development expenses 29.0 6.1 6.2 7.3 28.3 7.4 Restructuring charges, net (0.2) 1.1 1.3 2.8 0.7 Operating loss (56.6) (11.9) (54.8) (64.5) (37.0) (9.6) Interest expense (162.6) (34.2) (21.1) (24.8) (50.4) (13.1) Interest income 4.7 1.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 Other (expense) income, net (1.2) (0.3) 5.9 6.9 (10.5) (2.7) Reorganization items, net (4.0) (0.8) (3.5) (4.1) (587.5) (153.1) Loss from continuing operations before income taxes (219.7) (46.3) (73.4) (86.4) (685.2) (178.6) Income tax expense (benefit) 528.1 111.2 (9.7) (11.4) (491.4) (128.1) Loss from continuing operations (747.8) (157.4) (63.7) (74.9) (193.8) (50.5) Income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes 0.3 0.1 Net loss $ (747.8) (157.4) % $ (63.7) (74.9) % $ (193.5) (50.4) % Basic and diluted (loss) income per share: Loss from continuing operations $ (56.74) $ (4.83) $ (2.29) Income from discontinued operations Net loss $ (56.74) $ (4.83) $ (2.28) Weighted-average number of shares outstanding Basic and diluted 13.2 13.2 84.8 MALLINCKRODT PLC CONSOLIDATED ADJUSTED EBITDA (unaudited, in millions) Successor Predecessor Non-GAAP Combined Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 Period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 Period from April 2, 2022 through June 16, 2022 Three Months Ended July 1, 2022 (3) Gross profit SG&A R&D Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA Net loss $ 104.9 $ 132.7 $ 29.0 $ (747.8) $ (63.7) $ (193.5) $ (257.2) Adjustments: Interest expense, net 157.9 21.0 50.2 71.2 Income tax expense (benefit) 528.1 (9.7) (491.4) (501.1) Depreciation 9.7 (1.6) (0.5) 11.8 2.9 17.9 20.8 Amortization 129.3 129.3 45.5 126.7 172.2 Restructuring charges, net (0.2) 1.1 2.8 3.9 Income from discontinued operations (0.3) (0.3) Change in contingent consideration fair value 7.5 (7.5) 0.1 0.1 Liabilities management and separation costs (1) (10.3) 10.3 9.2 7.0 16.2 Unrealized loss (gain) on equity investment 1.2 (6.0) 18.5 12.5 Reorganization items, net 4.0 3.5 587.5 591.0 Share-based compensation (2.6) (0.1) 2.7 0.5 0.5 Fresh-start inventory-related expense (2) 54.2 54.2 26.5 26.5 As adjusted: $ 298.1 $ 125.7 $ 28.4 $ 144.0 $ 30.3 $ 126.0 $ 156.3 (1) Represents costs included in SG&A expenses, primarily related to professional fees incurred by the Company (including where the Company is responsible for the fees of third parties) in connection with its ongoing evaluation of its financial situation and related discussions with its stakeholders, expenses incurred related to the Predecessor directors' and officers' insurance policy and severance for the former Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") of the Predecessor, in addition to professional fees and costs incurred as the Company explores potential sales of non-core assets to enable further deleveraging post-emergence. (2) Represents $54.2 million of fair-value step up expense during the three months ended June 30, 2023 (Successor), and $24.1 million and $2.4 million of inventory fair-value step up expense and fresh-start inventory-related expense related to a change in accounting estimate, respectively, during the period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 (Successor). (3) Adjusted gross profit, adjusted SG&A and adjusted research and development ("R&D") expenses for the period June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 (Successor), April 2, 2022 through June 16, 2022 (Predecessor) and combined three months ended July 1, 2022 were included in the Company's earnings release Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on August 11, 2022 . MALLINCKRODT PLC SEGMENT OPERATING INCOME (unaudited, in millions) Successor Predecessor Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 Period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 Period from April 2, 2022 through June 16, 2022 Specialty Brands (1) $ 61.6 $ 4.5 $ 102.4 Specialty Generics (2) 35.1 0.3 30.9 Segment operating income 96.7 4.8 133.3 Unallocated amounts: Corporate and unallocated expenses (3) 0.6 (0.9) (15.4) Depreciation and amortization (141.1) (48.4) (144.6) Share-based compensation (2.7) (0.5) Restructuring charges, net 0.2 (1.1) (2.8) Liabilities management and separation costs (4) (10.3) (9.2) (7.0) Operating loss $ (56.6) $ (54.8) $ (37.0) (1) Includes $43.3 million and $21.3 million of inventory fair-value step-up expense during the three months ended June 30, 2023 (Successor) and the period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 (Successor), respectively. (2) Includes $11.0 million and $2.8 million of inventory fair-value step-up expense during the three months ended June 30, 2023 (Successor) and the period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 (Successor), respectively. Also includes $2.4 million of fresh-start inventory-related expense related to a change in accounting estimate during the period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 (Successor). (3) Includes administration expenses and certain compensation, legal, environmental and other costs not charged to the Company's reportable segments. (4) Represents costs included in SG&A expenses, primarily related to professional fees incurred by the Company (including where the Company is responsible for the fees of third parties) in connection with its ongoing evaluation of its financial situation and related discussions with its stakeholders, expenses incurred related to the Predecessor directors' and officers' insurance policy and severance for the former CEO of the Predecessor, in addition to professional fees and costs incurred as the Company explores potential sales of non-core assets to enable further deleveraging post-emergence. MALLINCKRODT PLC SEGMENT NET SALES AND CONSTANT-CURRENCY GROWTH (unaudited, in millions) Successor Predecessor Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 Period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 Period from April 2, 2022 through June 16, 2022 Specialty Brands $ 280.1 $ 58.2 $ 247.7 Specialty Generics 194.9 26.8 136.0 Net sales $ 475.0 $ 85.0 $ 383.7 MALLINCKRODT PLC SEGMENT NET SALES AND CONSTANT-CURRENCY GROWTH (unaudited, in millions) Successor Non-GAAP Combined Non-GAAP Measure Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 Three Months Ended July 1, 2022 Percent change Currency impact Constant- currency growth Specialty Brands $ 280.1 $ 305.9 (8.4) % 0.1 % (8.5) % Specialty Generics 194.9 162.8 19.7 19.7 Net sales $ 475.0 $ 468.7 1.3 % % 1.3 % MALLINCKRODT PLC SELECT PRODUCT LINE NET SALES AND CONSTANT-CURRENCY GROWTH (unaudited, in millions) Successor Predecessor Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 Period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 Period from April 2, 2022 through June 16, 2022 Specialty Brands Acthar Gel $ 116.8 $ 27.5 $ 94.2 INOmax 76.9 13.5 66.8 Therakos 62.9 10.2 49.7 Amitiza 18.6 5.8 33.8 Terlivaz 3.4 Other 1.5 1.2 3.2 Specialty Brands Total 280.1 58.2 247.7 Specialty Generics Opioids 72.1 8.7 38.8 ADHD 19.0 1.8 6.8 Addiction treatment 16.1 2.5 14.1 Other 2.4 0.1 2.0 Generics 109.6 13.1 61.7 Controlled substances 20.9 1.7 17.2 APAP 59.8 11.3 50.2 Other 4.6 0.7 6.9 API 85.3 13.7 74.3 Specialty Generics 194.9 26.8 136.0 Net sales $ 475.0 $ 85.0 $ 383.7 MALLINCKRODT PLC SELECT PRODUCT LINE NET SALES AND CONSTANT-CURRENCY GROWTH (unaudited, in millions) Successor Non-GAAP Combined Non-GAAP Measure Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 Three Months Ended July 1, 2022 Percent change Currency impact Constant- currency growth Specialty Brands Acthar Gel $ 116.8 $ 121.7 (4.0) % % (4.0) % INOmax 76.9 80.3 (4.2) (0.1) (4.1) Therakos 62.9 59.9 5.0 0.5 4.5 Amitiza 18.6 39.6 (53.0) (53.0) Terlivaz 3.4 Other 1.5 4.4 (65.9) (0.4) (65.5) Specialty Brands Total 280.1 305.9 (8.4) 0.1 (8.5) Specialty Generics Opioids 72.1 47.5 51.8 51.8 ADHD 19.0 8.6 120.9 120.9 Addiction treatment 16.1 16.6 (3.0) (0.3) (2.7) Other 2.4 2.1 14.3 14.3 Generics 109.6 74.8 46.5 (0.1) 46.6 Controlled substances 20.9 18.9 10.6 10.6 APAP 59.8 61.5 (2.8) (2.8) Other 4.6 7.6 (39.5) (39.5) API 85.3 88.0 (3.1) (3.1) Specialty Generics 194.9 162.8 19.7 19.7 Net sales $ 475.0 $ 468.7 1.3 % % 1.3 % MALLINCKRODT PLC CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited, in millions, except per share data) Successor Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 Period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 Period from January 1, 2022 through June 16, 2022 Percent of Net sales Percent of Net sales Percent of Net sales Net sales $ 899.6 100.0 % $ 85.0 100.0 % $ 874.6 100.0 % Cost of sales 744.9 82.8 102.2 120.2 582.0 66.5 Gross profit (loss) 154.7 17.2 (17.2) (20.2) 292.6 33.5 Selling, general and administrative expenses 255.6 28.4 30.3 35.6 275.3 31.5 Research and development expenses 57.3 6.4 6.2 7.3 65.5 7.5 Restructuring charges, net 1.0 0.1 1.1 1.3 9.6 1.1 Operating loss (159.2) (17.7) (54.8) (64.5) (57.8) (6.6) Interest expense (324.6) (36.1) (21.1) (24.8) (108.6) (12.4) Interest income 9.4 1.0 0.1 0.1 0.6 0.1 Other (expense) income, net (15.8) (1.8) 5.9 6.9 (14.6) (1.7) Reorganization items, net (9.6) (1.1) (3.5) (4.1) (630.9) (72.1) Loss from continuing operations before income taxes (499.8) (55.6) (73.4) (86.4) (811.3) (92.8) Income tax expense (benefit) 497.3 55.3 (9.7) (11.4) (497.3) (56.9) Loss from continuing operations (997.1) (110.8) (63.7) (74.9) (314.0) (35.9) Income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes 0.9 0.1 Net loss $ (997.1) (110.8) % $ (63.7) (74.9) % $ (313.1) (35.8) % Basic and diluted (loss) income per share: Loss from continuing operations $ (75.68) $ (4.83) $ (3.70) Income from discontinued operations 0.01 Net loss $ (75.68) $ (4.83) $ (3.69) Weighted-average number of shares outstanding: Basic and diluted 13.2 13.2 84.8 MALLINCKRODT PLC CONSOLIDATED ADJUSTED EBITDA (unaudited, in millions) Successor Predecessor Non-GAAP Combined Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 Period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 Period from January 1, 2022 through June 16, 2022 Six Months Ended July 1, 2022 (3) Gross profit SG&A R&D Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA Net loss $ 154.7 $ 255.6 $ 57.3 $ (997.1) $ (63.7) $ (313.1) $ (376.8) Adjustments: Interest expense, net 315.2 21.0 108.0 129.0 Income tax expense (benefit) 497.3 (9.7) (497.3) (507.0) Depreciation 18.6 (4.1) (1.0) 23.7 2.9 40.0 42.9 Amortization 262.5 262.5 45.5 281.8 327.3 Restructuring charges, net 1.0 1.1 9.6 10.7 Income from discontinued operations (0.9) (0.9) Change in contingent consideration fair value 7.1 (7.1) Significant legal and environmental charges 11.1 11.1 Liabilities management and separation costs (1) (15.2) 15.2 9.2 9.0 18.2 Unrealized loss (gain) on equity investment 16.3 (6.0) 22.2 16.2 Reorganization items, net 9.6 3.5 630.9 634.4 Share-based compensation (5.1) (0.2) 5.3 1.7 1.7 Fresh-start inventory-related expense (2) 125.6 125.6 26.5 26.5 As adjusted: $ 561.4 $ 238.3 $ 56.1 $ 267.5 $ 30.3 $ 303.0 $ 333.3 (1) Represents costs included in SG&A expenses, primarily related to professional fees incurred by the Company (including where the Company is responsible for the fees of third parties) in connection with its ongoing evaluation of its financial situation and related discussions with its stakeholders, expenses incurred related to the Predecessor directors' and officers' insurance policy and severance for the former CEO of the Predecessor, in addition to professional fees and costs incurred as the Company explores potential sales of non-core assets to enable further deleveraging post-emergence. (2) Includes $125.6 million and $24.1 million of inventory fair-value step up expense during the six months ended June 30, 2023 (Successor) and the period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 (Successor), respectively, and $2.4 million of fresh-start inventory-related expense primarily related to a change in accounting estimate during the period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 (Successor). (3) Adjusted gross profit, adjusted SG&A and adjusted research and development ("R&D") expenses for the period June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 (Successor), January 1, 2022 through June 16, 2022 (Predecessor) and combined six months ended July 1, 2022 were included in the Company's earnings release Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on August 11, 2022 . MALLINCKRODT PLC SEGMENT OPERATING INCOME (unaudited, in millions) Successor Predecessor Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 Period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 Period from January 1, 2022 through June 16, 2022 Specialty Brands (1) $ 94.0 $ 4.5 $ 267.2 Specialty Generics (2) 67.9 0.3 65.3 Segment operating income 161.9 4.8 332.5 Unallocated amounts: Corporate and unallocated expenses (3) (13.4) (0.9) (48.2) Depreciation and amortization (286.2) (48.4) (321.8) Share-based compensation (5.3) (1.7) Restructuring charges, net (1.0) (1.1) (9.6) Liabilities management and separation costs (4) (15.2) (9.2) (9.0) Operating loss $ (159.2) $ (54.8) $ (57.8) (1) Includes $104.4 million and $21.3 million of inventory fair-value step-up expense during the six months ended June 30, 2023 (Successor) and the period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 (Successor), respectively. (2) Includes $21.3 million and $2.8 million of inventory fair-value step-up expense during the six months ended June 30, 2023 (Successor) and the period from June 17, 2022 through September 30, 2022 (Successor), respectively, as well as $2.4 million of fresh-start inventory-related expense primarily driven by the Company's change in accounting estimate during the period from June 17, 2022 through September 30, 2022 (Successor). (3) Includes administration expenses and certain compensation, legal, environmental and other costs not charged to our reportable segments. (4) Represents costs included in SG&A, primarily related to professional fees incurred by the Company (including where the Company is responsible for the fees of third parties) in connection with its ongoing evaluation of its financial situation and related discussions with its stakeholders, expenses incurred related to the Predecessor directors' and officers' insurance policy and severance for the former CEO of the Predecessor, in addition to professional fees and costs incurred as the Company explores potential sales of non-core assets to enable further deleveraging post-emergence. MALLINCKRODT PLC SEGMENT NET SALES (unaudited, in millions) Successor Predecessor Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 Period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 Period from January 1, 2022 through June 16, 2022 Specialty Brands $ 532.1 $ 58.2 $ 587.1 Specialty Generics 367.5 26.8 287.5 Net sales $ 899.6 $ 85.0 $ 874.6 MALLINCKRODT PLC SEGMENT NET SALES AND CONSTANT-CURRENCY GROWTH (unaudited, in millions) Successor Non-GAAP Combined Non-GAAP Measure Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 Six Months Ended July 1, 2022 Percent change Currency impact Constant- currency growth Specialty Brands $ 532.1 $ 645.3 (17.5) % (0.1) % (17.4) % Specialty Generics 367.5 314.3 16.9 16.9 Net sales $ 899.6 $ 959.6 (6.3) % (0.1) % (6.2) % MALLINCKRODT PLC SELECT PRODUCT LINE NET SALES (unaudited, in millions) Successor Predecessor Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 Period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 Period from January 1, 2022 through June 16, 2022 Specialty Brands Acthar Gel $ 198.8 $ 27.5 $ 221.9 INOmax 159.6 13.5 165.8 Therakos 121.6 10.2 109.6 Amitiza 43.1 5.8 81.5 Terlivaz 5.6 Other 3.4 1.2 8.3 Specialty Brands Total 532.1 58.2 587.1 Specialty Generics Opioids 134.3 8.7 88.8 ADHD 41.4 1.8 17.5 Addiction treatment 31.7 2.5 30.0 Other 4.2 0.1 4.9 Generics 211.6 13.1 141.2 Controlled substances 39.4 1.7 37.6 APAP 106.2 11.3 96.5 Other 10.3 0.7 12.2 API 155.9 13.7 146.3 Specialty Generics 367.5 26.8 287.5 Net sales $ 899.6 $ 85.0 $ 874.6 MALLINCKRODT PLC SELECT PRODUCT LINE NET SALES AND CONSTANT-CURRENCY GROWTH (unaudited, in millions) Successor Non-GAAP Combined Non-GAAP Measures Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 Six Months Ended July 1, 2022 Percent change Currency impact Constant- currency growth Specialty Brands Acthar Gel $ 198.8 $ 249.4 (20.3) % % (20.3) % INOmax 159.6 179.3 (11.0) (0.1) (10.9) Therakos 121.6 119.8 1.5 (0.5) 2.0 Amitiza 43.1 87.3 (50.6) (50.6) Terlivaz 5.6 Other 3.4 9.5 (64.2) (1.4) (62.8) Specialty Brands Total 532.1 645.3 (17.5) (0.1) (17.4) Specialty Generics Opioids 134.3 97.5 37.7 37.7 ADHD 41.4 19.3 114.5 114.5 Addiction treatment 31.7 32.5 (2.5) (0.4) (2.1) Other 4.2 5.0 (16.0) (16.0) Generics 211.6 154.3 37.1 (0.1) 37.2 Controlled substances 39.4 39.3 0.3 0.3 APAP 106.2 107.8 (1.5) (1.5) Other 10.3 12.9 (20.2) (20.2) API 155.9 160.0 (2.6) (2.6) Specialty Generics 367.5 314.3 16.9 16.9 Net sales $ 899.6 $ 959.6 (6.3) % (0.1) % (6.2) % MALLINCKRODT PLC CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited, in millions) Successor June 30 , 2023 December 30 , 2022 Assets Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 480.6 $ 409.5 Accounts receivable, net 391.2 405.3 Inventories 860.5 947.6 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 123.2 273.4 Total current assets 1,855.5 2,035.8 Property, plant and equipment, net 453.2 457.6 Intangible assets, net 2,581.3 2,843.8 Deferred income taxes 475.5 Other assets 216.9 201.1 Total Assets $ 5,106.9 $ 6,013.8 Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity Current Liabilities: Current maturities of long-term debt $ 2,361.0 $ 44.1 Accounts payable 83.4 114.0 Accrued payroll and payroll-related costs 51.7 49.5 Accrued interest 81.0 29.0 Acthar Gel-Related Settlement 21.4 16.5 Opioid-Related Litigation Settlement liability 400.0 200.0 Accrued and other current liabilities 256.8 290.7 Total current liabilities 3,255.3 743.8 Long-term debt 737.6 3,027.7 Acthar Gel-Related Settlement 65.8 75.0 Opioid-Related Litigation Settlement liability 258.0 379.9 Pension and postretirement benefits 41.0 41.0 Environmental liabilities 35.2 35.8 Other income tax liabilities 18.9 18.2 Other liabilities 69.7 78.7 Total Liabilities 4,481.5 4,400.1 Shareholders' Equity: Preferred shares Ordinary shares 0.1 0.1 Ordinary shares held in treasury at cost (0.1) Additional paid-in capital 2,196.1 2,191.0 Accumulated other comprehensive income 14.6 10.8 Retained deficit (1,585.3) (588.2) Total Shareholders' Equity 625.4 1,613.7 Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity $ 5,106.9 $ 6,013.8 MALLINCKRODT PLC CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited, in millions) Successor Predecessor Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 Period from June 17, 2022 through July 1, 2022 Period from January 1, 2022 through June 16, 2022 Cash Flows From Operating Activities: Net loss $ (997.1) $ (63.7) $ (313.1) Adjustments to reconcile net cash from operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 286.2 48.4 321.8 Share-based compensation 5.3 1.7 Deferred income taxes 475.5 (6.4) (473.0) Reorganization items, net 425.4 Non-cash accretion expense 138.6 7.7 Other non-cash items 16.8 (6.1) 35.3 Changes in assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable, net 14.4 17.0 49.8 Inventories 75.7 24.6 (33.2) Accounts payable (24.5) (11.7) (3.6) Income taxes 159.4 (4.1) (26.9) Payments of claims (629.0) Other (29.3) (21.2) 2.5 Net cash from operating activities 121.0 (15.5) (642.3) Cash Flows From Investing Activities: Capital expenditures (26.3) (3.7) (33.4) Proceeds from divestitures, net of cash 65.0 Other 0.7 0.4 Net cash from investing activities (25.6) 61.3 (33.0) Cash Flows From Financing Activities: Issuance of external debt 650.0 Repayment of external debt (22.0) (1.7) (904.6) Debt financing costs (24.1) Repurchase of shares (0.1) Net cash from financing activities (22.1) (1.7) (278.7) Effect of currency rate changes on cash (1.1) (0.2) (3.9) Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 72.2 43.9 (957.9) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period 466.7 447.3 1,405.2 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period $ 538.9 $ 491.2 $ 447.3 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 480.6 $ 354.7 $ 297.9 Restricted cash included in prepaid expenses and other current assets at end of period 22.7 100.1 113.0 Restricted cash included in other long-term assets at end of period 35.6 36.4 36.4 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period $ 538.9 $ 491.2 $ 447.3 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mallinckrodt-plc-reports-second-quarter-2023-financial-results-and-reaffirms-full-year-guidance-301896389.html SOURCE Mallinckrodt plc SEOUL, South Korea and NEW YORK , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Maypharm has launched SEDY FILL , a hyaluronic acid body filler maximized in effect to guarantee customer satisfaction. SEDY FILL is an injectable dermal filler designed for non-surgical correction of body shape. The uniqueness of its product composition lies in the presence of cross-linked hyaluronic acid produced by innovative HENM technology. A wide range of hyaluronic acid body fillers exist in the market, giving doctors and patients the ability to fully customize according to need or preference. SEDY FILL has become one of the most preferred and widely used synthetic fillers in the world despite all the products available on the market. The reason is that SEDY FILL has been improved over time to enhance the breasts and buttocks, even with implants, fat grafting, and other injectable fillers. SEDY FILL is now being sold to more than 30 countries across the globe and is consistently chosen as the best option to enhance beauty. * Features Strong viscosity and cohesiveness, providing resistance to migration Optimal gel strength that can be adjusted according to the patient's needs Excellent malleability, making it easier to handle and mold during the procedure * Scope Correction of breast shape and size Replenishment of buttock volume Leg asymmetry correction SEDY FILL's patented HA technology is the only technology currently that creates a semi-solid state gel, which provides long-lasting effectiveness and improved product safety since a pure HA gel that is produced can be easily removed as needed without any residue. SEDY FILL has also been proven to last. A single application of SEDY FILL remains effective for 12-15 months on average and up to 2 years with delicate care. SEDY FILL can be completely removed with a hyaluronidase injection. While it can withstand the naturally occurring hyaluronidase in the body for a long-lasting effect, any gel remaining in the soft tissue may easily be dissolved by injecting hyaluronidase directly into the desired area. SEDY FILL 's technology has overcome the stability and solubility issues that arise when the cross-linking rate is increased to create a safer and more easily removable product. SEDY FILL retains 100% of the cross-linked HA and is a highly hydrophilic product with a stable particle structure. For further details, please contact us at [email protected] or visit our website, https://www.may-pharm.com/. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/maypharm-launches-sedy-fill-a-hyaluronic-acid-body-filler-301896719.html SOURCE Maypharm NEW YORK , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The social media industry continues to take on proven risks to mental health, addictive algorithms, and data privacy issues. The Seattle school system is suing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Google over contributing to wide scale mental health crises among youths. In fact, Utah law bans social media companies from using addictive algorithms for minors while Montana has banned TikTok completely. Meet RTRO: the new standard in social media. Launched in May 2023 , RTRO's mission is to take us back to when social was simply about sharing authentic content and making positive connections between people, brands and creators. RTRO provides an alternative and supports mental well-being by enabling people to do the two things they love most: keep up with friends and family without brand ads in their feed (RTROcircles) and exploring cool content without harmful algorithms (RTROtv). With social media growth projected to grow to six billion users by 2027, RTRO is the solution for fun and connective social. The U.S Surgeon General recently announced social media causes profound risks for our youth. Universities are releasing research showing a sharp decline in teen mental health including dramatic increases in anxiety, depression, and suicide around the time when social media became common in 2010. What actually uplifts and energizes Gen Z? Indeed, research studies and trend reports indicate that nostalgia from previous eras gives them a sense of comfort. 70% of American Z's watch and listen to media from earlier decades as it reminds them of when things were simpler. 80% of Gen Z said they like when brands bring back old aesthetics, and 74% like when brands produce retro-style products and content. Indeed, Research studies and trend reports indicate that nostalgia from previous eras gives them a sense of comfort. The RTRO social media platform is the first innovation in the chat space in years. "RTROcircles" are where you can get creative and have fun sharing messages, videos, photos, and music with unique throwback features like postcards, mixtapes, RTROpolaroids. These introduce a way to "slow social," where you live in the moment, feel present and fall in love with staying connected to friends and family. The nostalgic energy of the app appeals to the masses from boomers who miss the good ol' days to gen Zers who are becoming more and more infatuated with the past and yearn for those back-in-the-day experiences from the pre-internet eras. 59% of GenZ are concerned that Big Tech algorithms are creating digital echo chambers, an indicator of algorithm anxiety. RTROtv is the first algorithm-free "channel-surfing" exploration of brand and creator content, putting people back in control over what they want to see and when. RTROtv is where we reclaim our attention spans and rewire how we consume content. RTROtv connects brands, creators in a safe space fostering 2-way relationships built on mutual admiration instead of "followers." "RTRO combines what we love most about social media with what we feel nostalgic for from the past. Because of this, RTRO is designed to connect people, brands, and creators in communities rather than just being about individuals or followers. RTRO's algorithm-free environment lets you live and think freely." - Nicole Falco , CEO/Founder. RTRO Founder, Nicole Falco curated an advisory team of Gen Z/Millennial influencers and professionals with diverse backgrounds including Fashion, Sports, Beauty, Culture, Music and the Arts. They guide and shape how the platform evolves so that the needs of the community are truly served. A fan of fun, Nicole collaborates with the RTRO creator community, which includes over 250 TikTok and IG influencers who joined the platform, inspired by the mission of "to support our best social lives." RTRO is available in the Apple Store and can be downloaded here. For Inquiries: Nicole Falco RTRO [email protected] 646-649-4515 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meet-the-new-standard-in-social-media--rtro-with-no-algorithms-301897242.html SOURCE RTRO ABILENE, Texas , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking the latest step in a news-making effort to commission and complete a revolutionary nuclear reactor, Natura Resources awarded its Detailed Design Engineering (DDE) contract to Zachry Nuclear Engineering (ZNE), a recognized leader in its field. ZNE will complete the engineering and design of Natura's 1MWth Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) system. The agreement also provides terms under which Zachry may execute the EPC phase of the project. Advanced nuclear reactors like the Molten Salt Reactor are being called "the future of nuclear energy." This system isn't just another paper reactor designthe process to deploy this design as a research reactor is already underway at Abilene Christian University (ACU). In August 2022 , ACU submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) seeking approval to construct this MSR system. And ACU recently completed construction of its Science and Engineering Research Center (SERC), a 28,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility that will house, among other things, ACU's research reactor. Today, advanced reactors like the MSR are being called "the future of nuclear energy." Natura Resources' MSR design is on track to be one of the first advanced reactors licensed by the NRC and deployed for operation in the United States . This initial system will serve as a catalyst for Natura's development of larger MSRs for commercial applications. Natura intends to deploy MSRs that are factory-built modular construction and fully walk-away safe. These reactors will produce firm, carbon-free energy with significantly less waste than conventional reactors due to the utilization of liquid fuel. Ultimately Natura Resources line of MSRs will create safe, clean, on-demand energy that can produce carbon-free electricity, provide both electrical and thermal energy to support a range of applications that require high-temperature steam or process heat, such as water desalination and chemical/material production, and produce life-saving medical isotopes, all at a competitive price. Douglass Robison , Founder and President, Natura Resources, said: "Natura Resources is excited to partner with Zachry Nuclear for the detailed design engineering of our first Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) system. In just over three years Natura Resources and our four university partners have quickly become one of the leading advanced reactor projects in the country. Collaborating with Zachry, a company that will soon celebrate 100 years of engineering excellence, creates a one-of-a-kind working relationship that will further enhance this industry-leading project. We believe Zachry's track record of excellence in both engineering and construction makes them a great addition to our team and they will help move our MSR project across the finish line as we seek to be one of the first advanced reactor systems to be licensed and built in the U.S. " John Zachry , Chairman and CEO, Zachry Group, said: "We are excited to embark on this journey with Natura and support the advancement of the nuclear industry, an industry where we have a rich history. This significant opportunity allows us to play a crucial role in accelerating decarbonization efforts. It will allow us to leverage our nuclear engineering expertise and apply our construction-driven mindset to an exciting new technology that can lead us to a more sustainable future." About Natura Resources Natura Resources is an advanced reactor developer located in Abilene, Texas , committed to answering the world's increased demand for reliable energy, medical isotopes, and clean water by developing commercially deployable molten salt reactors. To support this vision, Natura brought together Abilene Christian University, Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Austin, and Georgia Institute of Technology to form the Natura Resources Research Alliance. This revolutionary partnership between an advanced nuclear developer and a team of universities has helped put Natura Resources at the forefront of MSR deployment. Visit www.naturaresources.org for more information. About Zachry Group Zachry Group is North America's pacesetter in turnkey engineering, construction, maintenance, turnaround and fabrication services to the energy, chemicals, power, manufacturing and industrial sectors. We work with customers to plan, build, and renew their most critical facilities, so they can achieve their immediate and long-term goals, all at the highest safety standards. Since 1924, we have been a purpose-driven organization, united by a shared set of values and the desire to deliver the very best outcome for our customers. Visit www.zachrygroup.com for more information. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/natura-resources-taps-zachry-nuclear-engineering-for-detailed-design-on-molten-salt-reactor-project-301897221.html SOURCE Natura Resources Six Major Insurance Firms Allocate a Total of $525 million to Finance Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Projects for Commercial Real Estate NEW YORK , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nuveen, the $1.1 trillion investment manager of TIAA, and Nuveen Green Capital (NGC), an affiliate of Nuveen and a leading provider of sustainable commercial real estate financing solutions, have launched a new fund to give insurers access to a diversified portfolio of energy efficient, climate resilient, water conservation and renewable energy projects. The Nuveen CPACE Lending Fund is designed to efficiently aggregate the financing of commercial property-assessed clean energy (C-PACE) projects for the unique requirements of insurance investors, providing a capital efficient opportunity to access investment grade clean energy assets. Six insurers have come together to form the initial group of investors. Insurers Want to Invest in Energy Innovations In a recent Nuveen survey of major global institutional investors, 82 percent of insurers said they plan to consider impact investments in the next year. In North America , 55 percent of insurers said they take climate strategy into account in their impact investing approaches. About eight in 10 insurers globally said they were investing in, or planned to invest in, energy innovations in the next two years; 79 percent identified infrastructure as a focus area of their impact investing. "Insurers are interested in differentiated sources of capital efficient income, and increasingly motivated to address climate change," said Joe Pursley , Head of Insurance, Americas , Nuveen. "The Nuveen CPACE Lending Fund mirrors those interests, offering the prospect of long-dated, attractive and stable risk-adjusted returns via an investment grade product that finances energy efficiency commercial real estate projects." C-PACE Financing Yields Compelling Benefits For investors, a diversified portfolio of C-PACE loans, originated by NGC, benefits from the support of NGC's national footprint, midmarket focus and proprietary underwriting model. "The Nuveen CPACE Lending Fund is an exciting evolution in the C-PACE industry and sustainable real estate financing, broadly," said Alexandra Cooley , CIO of NGC. "We are thrilled to deliver this proprietary investment opportunity to Nuveen's growing insurance practice. The strategy invests in projects that reduce the environmental impact of buildings by increasing energy efficiency. This lowers operating expenses for businesses, helping them to compete locally and globally, and benefits local communities through the creation of jobs." Founded in 2015, NGC started as Greenworks Lending before Nuveen acquired and rebranded the company in 2021. NGC is a dominant C-PACE player, responsible for nearly 30 percent of historic market originations and the first to securitize the asset class. The NGC management team, including Jessica Bailey , CEO, and Cooley, helped build the original PACE policy framework in collaboration with state and local governments. NGC estimates that its projects have saved 2.6 million megawatt hours of energy and reduced the equivalent of 1.9 million metric tons of carbon, while saving $1.6 billion in energy costs for property owners and creating nearly 26,000 energy jobs. Media Contact: Rebecca Vignali | (P) 646.965.1905 | [email protected] About Nuveen Nuveen, the investment manager of TIAA, offers a comprehensive range of outcome-focused investment solutions designed to secure the long-term financial goals of institutional and individual investors. Nuveen has $1.1 trillion in assets under management as of 30 Jun 2023 and operations in 27 countries. Its investment specialists offer deep expertise across a comprehensive range of traditional and alternative investments through a wide array of vehicles and customized strategies. For more information, please visit www.nuveen.com. About Nuveen Green Capital, an affiliate of Nuveen Nuveen Green Capital is a national leader in sustainable commercial real estate financing solutions and an affiliate of Nuveen, the investment manager of TIAA responsible for $1.1 trillion in assets under management. Established in 2015 by the C-PACE industry's founders and standard-setters, Nuveen Green Capital is a private capital provider dedicated to making sustainability a smart financial decision for commercial property owners and developers. For more information, please visit www.nuveen.com/greencapital. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nuveen-cpace-lending-fund-offers-insurers-access-to-capital-efficient-clean-energy-assets-301896345.html SOURCE Nuveen Online Advantages Celebrates 52th Year At It's Mesa Seo Location MESA, Ariz. , Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Matt Maglodi, founder of the full-service internet marketing company Online Advantages, is pleased to announce that he has joined forces with the Mesa, Arizona business community with the opening of his company's newest location. To learn more about Online Advantages Miami SEO and how Maglodi and his team are preparing for a busy 2023, please check out https://mesa-seo.onlineadvantages.net/ . "As proud new members of the Mesa, Arizona Chamber of Commerce, we are looking forward to working with our fellow business owners and managers to help continue to keep Mesa the strong, vibrant city it has been since its inception," Maglodi said, adding that he is excited to show Mesa businesses how Online Advantages Mesa SEO can help boost their online presence and sales. Online Advantages Miami SEO will offer the following Mesa SEO services: Mesa Search Engine Optimization Mesa SEO Mesa Local Search Optimization Since 2010, Online Advantages has helped businesses of every size, description, and industrial niche build their online presence and achieve superiority in their respective fields. Now, with the addition of their new location in Mesa, Arizona , Online Advantages Mesa SEO is proud to be the premier source for SEO and internet marketing services. Some of the industries Online Advantages Mesa SEO will serve in Mesa, AZ and the surrounding region include the construction trades, including Mesa plumbing, HVAC, electricians and paving companies in Mesa ; attorneys in Mesa , Mesa bakeries and restaurants; Arizona E-commerce; the financial sector; Mesa healthcare; charities and nonprofits in Mesa, AZ and nationwide and Mesa auto mechanics and body shops. Maglodi said he and his team are looking forward to a busy 2022. Mesa business owners who would like to find out more about how Online Advantages Mesa SEO can help their company grow and prosper are welcome to sign for a complimentary website analysis and SEO audit by visiting the Mesa SEO Online Advantages website. About Online Advantages Mesa SEO: Online Advantages is a unique full service internet marketing company. Founder Matt Maglodi specializes in all aspects of online marketing from video marketing, to pay per click advertising, organic search and social media. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/online-advantages-mesa-seo-prepares-for-a-busy-2023-301896411.html SOURCE Online Advantages OPPO leads Chinese smartphone market for global smartphone shipments in H1 2023 and ranks fourth globally, following success of Find N2 and Find X6 flagship phones OPPO holds 10% of global smartphone market share in H1 with 51.9 million shipments and an impressive 18% share in China , making it the leading brand in the country for the first half of 2023 Success of foldable smartphones, led by OPPO's Find N2 Flip, contributes significantly to growth DUBAI, UAE , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Propelled by the performance of OPPO's latest flagship smartphone series, the Find N2 and Find X6, the global technology brand has secured the top position in the Chinese smartphone market for H1 2023 and fourth spot globally during the same period. According to data from Canalys, OPPO held a 10% share of the global smartphone market in H1, with 51.9 million shipments. In the China smartphone market for H1 2023, OPPO secured an 18% share, establishing it as the best-selling brand in the country during the first half of the year. OPPO's performance has been driven in part by the success of foldable smartphones, a segment that has witnessed rapid growth this year and continues to show significant potential. Counterpoint Research estimates a 114% compound annual growth rate in global shipments of foldable smartphones from 2019 to 2025, with numbers expected to increase four-fold between 2022 and 2025, reaching 55 million units. Chinese OEMs, including OPPO, have been quick to embrace the foldable market, contributing to China's leading 26% share of the market in 2022. New data from Canalys also reveals that OPPO held a dominant 31% share of the foldable market in China during Q1 2023, firmly positioning it as a leader in the growing segment. Notably, the OPPO Find N2 Flip outperformed other foldable options in the market, constituting 15% of foldable smartphone sales in China from January to May 2023 , according to Counterpoint. as the first vertical flip phone featuring a larger cover screen, the Find N2 Flip is designed for practicality and daily use. It boasts a narrow crease, a durable battery, and an intuitive UI design, alongside other industry-leading innovations. These advancements, coupled with the commercial success of the Find N2 Flip, have helped OPPO to surpass the global foldable market's growth this year. Its market share increased from 5% in Q1 2022 to an outstanding 13% in Q1 2023, according to Canalys. OPPO remains committed to driving the growth of the foldable smartphone market and enhancing the user experience through its continued focus on technical innovation and excellence. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone - "Smiley Face" - in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO also provides its users with ColorOS operating system and internet services such as OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO has footprints in more than 60 countries and regions, with more than 40,000 employees dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world. About OPPO MEA OPPO started its journey in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region in 2015. Now OPPO is physically present in more than 13 markets across the region, including Egypt , Algeria , Tunisia , Morocco , Bahrain , Saudi Arabia , UAE , Oman , Kuwait , Qatar , Kenya , Nigeria , and South Africa . Based on insights of local consumers in each country, OPPO has evolved the progress of product localisation, taking into consideration several perspectives towards each market, including product localisation, to further meet the core needs of users; marketing localisation, to better communicate with local young customers; and talent localisation, to understand local consumers further and provide an optimum customer service. Within the last year, OPPO has started to adjust its product line in the Middle East region specifically. This has included the launch of its flagship OPPO Find X Series and the introduction of the OPPO Reno Series. OPPO will continue to evolve its local product line to offer more premium series to consumers in the region. A forward-thinking international technology company, OPPO strives to be a sustainable company that contributes to a better world and have enacted positive change in every way possible through activating local community initiatives and humanitarian, charity campaigns. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2182414/China_foldable_phone.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oppo-dominates-china-and-fourth-place-globally-in-h1-2023-smartphone-shipments-following-find-n2-flip-success-301896808.html SOURCE OPPO BEIJING , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 26 , ARCHIDEX, the largest and most influential exhibition for building and decoration materials in Malaysia and even Southeast Asia , was opened at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre . As a leading provider of construction and building materials system services in Southeast Asia , Oriental Yuhong Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd. ("Malaysia Oriental Yuhong" for short) was invited to the business event, to serve the Southeast Asian market and show its waterproof products and overall solutions to the world. With the theme of "Sweet Home is No More Wet", Malaysia Oriental Yuhong primarily exhibited polyurethane waterproofing coating, polymer cement waterproof coating, thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) waterproof membrane, Imerz999 high resistance waterproof coating, HCA Suke organosilicon waterproof coating, and other building materials, to "contribute to a better living with diverse products and services". Shan Dongning, General Manager of Malaysia Oriental Yuhong, introduced the exhibits with agents, and visitors spoke highly of Oriental Yuhong's system services and products. The lucky draw set in the booth attracted many participants. Malaysia Oriental Yuhong, leveraging localized management, keeps consolidating the foundation for sustainable development. Competitive products and the adaptation to the local market have allowed it to stand out from other brands. Malaysia Oriental Yuhong has made positive contributions to the Belt and Road Initiative projects, undertaking many large-scale construction projects in Malaysia . For instance, its thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) waterproof membrane was approved to be included in the catalogue of waterproof materials for mosque construction in Malaysia for the material's outstanding performance in the maintenance and construction project of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque in 2022. Over the past 28 years, Oriental Yuhong has braved challenges and struggled through hardships. At first, it found acclimatizing to local conditions was difficult; after years of efforts, it has grown into "the Oriental Yuhong of the World", participating in and witnessing the rise of buildings prestigious worldwide and establishing a good Chinese corporate image abroad. Oriental Yuhong will stay committed to its original aspiration and make greater contributions to the high-quality development of the world's building materials market. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oriental-yuhong-attends-archidex-again---meeting-agents-and-visitors-in-malaysia-301896576.html SOURCE BEIJING ORIENTAL YUHONG WATERPROOF TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. Public-private partnership launched a first-of-its-kind phase 2b/c trial to evaluate two novel tuberculosis drug regimens with the potential to treat all forms of active pulmonary TB SEATTLE , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Project to Accelerate New Treatments for Tuberculosis (PAN-TB) collaboration announced today the start of a phase 2b/c clinical trial, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI). The trial will evaluate whether novel regimens that combine registered products and new chemical entities have the potential to effectively treat drug-sensitive TB (DS-TB) and inform the development of a "pan-TB" regimen capable of treating all forms of active pulmonary TB. Public-private partnership launches first-of-its-kind phase 2b/c trial to evaluate two novel tuberculosis drug regimens The regimens under evaluation are designed to explore shorter treatment durations compared to existing drug regimens, without the need for accompanying drug-resistance testing for individuals. The goal is to identify a candidate regimen suitable for phase 3 development. Trial sites are being hosted in countries with a high burden of TB. The trial has started in South Africa with the first participant screened in the last week of July. Subsequent trial sites are expected to launch in the Philippines in August and in Peru in 2024, pending national approvals. The collaboration is evaluating two novel drug regimens comprising five antibacterial agentsbedaquiline, delamanid, pretomanid, quabodepistat (formerly known as OPC-167832), and sutezolid: DBQS delamanid, bedaquiline, quabodepistat and sutezolid PBQS pretomanid, bedaquiline, quabodepistat and sutezolid The trial employs an innovative design that consists of two stages to assess the efficacy of the regimens and evaluate the potential to shorten treatment duration. In the initial stage, the trial will enroll approximately 129 participants. The safety, tolerability, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of the complete DBQS and PBQS regimens, with each drug administered daily for four months (17 weeks), will be evaluated in participants 18 to 65 years old with DS pulmonary TB. Approximately 43 participants will receive the six-month (26 weeks) standard-of-care treatment for DS-TB1 in the countries where trial sites are located.2 If successful, the second stage will enroll approximately 400 participants to test the selected regimen at shorter treatment durations, ranging from two to four months, across five arms. An additional 30-40 participants will be enrolled in the standard-of-care arm for the second stage of this trial. To support participants during their treatment, the trial integrates a Stop Treatment and Watch (STrAW) Concilium, a group made up of expert clinical consultants that will evaluate trial participants' treatment response, blinded to the specific regimen they receive, and advise trial investigators on patient management. The trial will utilize the best available tools including regular engagement with treatment support workers, direct observation of therapy with video technology, and medication reminder monitors. A novel Biomarkers Strategy will inform promising new biomarkers with the aim of enabling faster access to data to monitor treatment outcomes for future trials. The need for novel TB treatment regimens Despite the introduction of new medicines in recent years, treatment remains a long, complex, and demanding process for people diagnosed with TB and can place significant costs on households and the health system. The most used drug regimen for the treatment of DS-TB requires people to take multiple drugs for at least six months, often with routine monitoring. TB treatment can place unmanageable financial strain on individuals and their households. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that nearly half of TB-affected households face catastrophic total costs associated with treatment, including costs of travel to clinics, loss of income during treatment, and more, fueling cycles of poverty in vulnerable communities. Further, accurate, rapid drug resistance testing is essential for early diagnosis of both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB, but access to testing can be limited due to high costs, technical challenges, and other barriers. Emilio Emini , PhD, CEO, the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, said: "The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute is committed to developing biomedical interventions that address global health concerns for those in the greatest need. The team at the Gates MRI looks forward to working with our partners across the PAN-TB collaboration, to evaluate the potential of these novel TB treatment regimens, in the hope that it may offer a potentially easier pathway for all people diagnosed with pulmonary TB by offering well-tolerated, shorter and simpler treatment options." Masanori Kawasaki , Global TB Project Leader, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, said: "We are immensely proud to be part of this remarkable, trailblazing, collaboration which is now launching a clinical trial for a new, and shorter, pan-TB treatment regimen. We are excited too to be working closely with key partners to bring new treatment options to patients. Otsuka is dedicated to life-saving research and development as demonstrated by our sustained hard work and investment in developing a new chemical entity called quabodepistat. We are most grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute for bringing together leaders in the field of TB, towards the goal of ending TB for good." Ruxandra Draghia-Akli , MD, PhD, Global Head of Global Public Health R&D, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, said: "Our medicine for multidrug-resistant TB has reshaped TB treatment regimens over the past decade, but more must be done to develop the even shorter, simpler regimens needed to treat all forms of the disease and end TB once and for all. Today's milestone is another step in this direction, and we look forward to seeing the results of this important study." Mel Spigelman , MD, President and CEO of TB Alliance, said: "Sincere thanks and congratulations to all who have made this innovative and exciting new journey a reality. Bringing revolutionary, highly impactful new treatments to all TB patients around the world is a goal that deserves and requires all our concerted dedicated efforts." About the Project to Accelerate New Treatments for Tuberculosis The Project to Accelerate New Treatments for Tuberculosis (PAN-TB) is a first-of-its-kind collaboration among philanthropic, non-profit and private sectors that aims to accelerate the development of an investigational drug regimen capable of treating all forms of tuberculosis. The PAN-TB collaboration leverages members' collective assets, resources and scientific expertise to identify and evaluate new drug regimens with an acceptable safety profile, that have the potential to treat both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB and are well-tolerated, shorter in duration and simpler to use than existing options. The collaboration focuses on advancing research through phase 2 clinical efficacy studies to identify promising regimens for further development. The PAN-TB collaboration plans to work closely and transparently with the European Regimen Accelerator for Tuberculosis (ERA4TB), which was launched in January 2020. New molecular entities identified by ERA4TB that show promise in initial human studies could later be incorporated into the PAN-TB collaboration's later-stage, clinical research. Several organizations, including Evotec, GSK, TB Alliance and Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, are members of both projects, which will help to ensure coordination across collaborations toward the common goal of advancing TB drug and regimen development. The members of the PAN-TB collaboration are Evotec, GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., based in Japan, TB Alliance, the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Additional members may be announced in the future. Find out more at: www.pan-tb.org. About Evotec SE Evotec is a life science company with a unique business model that delivers on its mission to discover and develop highly effective therapeutics and make them available to the patients. The Company's multimodality platform comprises a unique combination of innovative technologies, data and science for the discovery, development, and production of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products. Evotec leverages this "Data-driven R&D Autobahn to Cures" for proprietary projects and within a network of partners including all Top 20 Pharma and over 800 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, as well as other healthcare stakeholders. Evotec has strategic activities in a broad range of currently underserved therapeutic areas, including e.g., neurology, oncology, as well as metabolic and infectious diseases. Within these areas of expertise, Evotec aims to create the world-leading co-owned pipeline for innovative therapeutics and has to-date established a portfolio of more than 200 proprietary and co-owned R&D projects from early discovery to clinical development. Evotec operates globally with more than 4,900 highly qualified people. The Company's 17 sites offer highly synergistic technologies and services and operate as complementary clusters of excellence. For additional information please go to www.evotec.com and follow us on Twitter @Evotec and LinkedIn. About GSK GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. Find out more at gsk.com/company. About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson At Janssen, we're creating a future where disease is a thing of the past. We're the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, working tirelessly to make that future a reality for patients everywhere by fighting sickness with science, improving access with ingenuity, and healing hopelessness with heart. We focus on areas of medicine where we can make the biggest difference: Cardiovascular, Metabolism & Retina; Immunology; Infectious Diseases & Vaccines; Neuroscience; Oncology; and Pulmonary Hypertension. Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at www.twitter.com/JanssenGlobal. Janssen Research & Development, LLC and Janssen Pharmaceutica NV are part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. About Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Otsuka is a global healthcare company with the corporate philosophy, Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide. Otsuka researches, develops, manufactures and markets innovative products, focusing on pharmaceutical products to meet unmet medical needs and nutraceutical products for the maintenance of everyday health. In pharmaceuticals, Otsuka is a leader in the challenging area of mental health and also has research programs in several under-addressed diseases including tuberculosis, a significant global public health issue. About The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, Inc. (TB Alliance) TB Alliance is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding faster-acting and affordable drug regimens to fight TB. Through innovative science and with partners around the globe, we aim to ensure equitable access to faster, better TB cures that will advance global health and prosperity. TB Alliance operates with support from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office ( United Kingdom ), Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research through KfW, Global Disease Eradication Fund ( Korea ), Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, Indonesia Health Fund, Irish Aid, Korea International Cooperation Agency, Medical Research Council ( United Kingdom ), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Republic of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the United States Agency for International Development. For more information, visit www.tballiance.org. About the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute is a non-profit medical research organization dedicated to the development and effective use of novel biomedical interventions addressing substantial global health concerns, for which investment incentives are limited, including malaria, tuberculosis, enteric and diarrheal diseases, and diseases that impact maternal, newborn, and child health. For further information please visit www.gatesmri.org. About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States , it seeks to ensure that all peopleespecially those with the fewest resourceshave access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington , the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman , under the direction of Co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees. For further information please visit www.gatesfoundation.org. About Bedaquiline Bedaquiline, developed by Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), was the first targeted medicine for TB with a novel mechanism of action to be introduced in over 40 years when it received accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2012. Today, it is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a core component of all-oral treatment regimens for nearly all DR-TB patients and is included on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. It is indicated in the U.S. and European Union for use as part of combination therapy in the treatment of adult and pediatric patients (5 years and older and weighing at least 15 kg) with pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB). To date, 159 countries are accessing the medicine today, including the 30 countries with the highest burdens of TB, and three out of every four patients with MDR-TB on treatment receive an all-oral bedaquiline-containing regimen. Janssen provided the exclusive rights for developing and marketing bedaquiline for drug-sensitive TB to TB Alliance in 2009. To learn more about how Johnson & Johnson is working to enable access to this medicine, visit JNJ.com/TB. About Delamanid (Deltyba) Delamanid is a compound created by Otsuka Pharmaceutical with a mechanism of action showing anti-mycobacterial activity that occurs through inhibition of the synthesis of mycolic acid, an essential component of mycobacterial cell walls. 1 To date, delamanid (50 mg film-coated tablets) is approved in 47 countries for treatment of patients with MDR-TB. It was added to the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines in 2015 and to date has been used to treat patients with MDR-TB in more than 122 countries. In 2020, in the European Union, approval was granted for Deltyba 50 mg film-coated tablets to be used in children and adolescents weighing at least 30 kg.2 In 2021, a 25 mg dispersible tablet formulation was approved in the European Union for children with pulmonary MDR-TB weighing at least 10 and below 30 kg as part of an appropriate combination regimen, when an effective treatment regimen cannot otherwise be composed for reasons of resistance and tolerability.2 1 Matsumoto M, et al. OPC-67683, a nitro-dihydro-imidazooxazole derivative with promising action against tuberculosis in vitro and in mice. PLoS Med. 2006; 3(11): e466 2 Deltyba (delamanid) EU Summary of Product Characteristics. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/deltyba-epar-product-information_en.pdf About Quabodepistat Quabodepistat, previously known as OPC-167832, is an anti-TB compound discovered and currently under investigation by Otsuka. It inhibits the enzyme decaprenylphosphoryl--D-ribose 2'-oxidase (DprE1), which is connected to synthesis involving mycobacterial cell walls. This is a different mechanism of action from other currently available anti-TB drugs. In vivo studies in mice suggest that quabodepistat plus delamanid-containing regimens have the potential to shorten therapy and improve outcomes in drug-susceptible TB and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).1 1 Hariguchi N, et al. OPC-167832, a Novel Carbostyril Derivative with Potent Antituberculosis Activity as a DprE1 Inhibitor. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2020 May 21;64(6):e02020-19. About Pretomanid Pretomanid is a new chemical entity and a member of a class of compounds known as nitroimidazooxazines. Pretomanid was developed by TB Alliance as an oral tablet formulation for the treatment of tuberculosis in combination with other anti-tuberculosis agents. Pretomanid is recommended by the WHO as part of a combination regimen with bedaquiline and linezolid, with or without moxifloxacin, for the treatment of patients 14 years old with MDR-TB or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB). It is also included in the WHO List of Essential Medicines for MDR-TB. Pretomanid received its first regulatory approval from the US FDA in 2019 followed by EMA approval in 2020. About Sutezolid In January 2017 , the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and Johns Hopkins University (JHU) entered into a license agreement which granted MPP rights to sublicense to third parties the patents owned by JHU relating to sutezolid. In March 2017 , MPP and TB Alliance signed a sublicense agreement wherein JHU granted TB Alliance a sublicense to those rights. In October 2019 , MPP and Pfizer entered into a license agreement which granted MPP rights to sublicense to third parties the patents and information relating to sutezolid. In December 2020 , MPP and Gates MRI signed an agreement to advance the development of this investigational drug from the oxazolidinone class, for use in low- and middle-income countries. Since acquiring rights to develop sutezolid, TB Alliance and Gates MRI have been working together to advance the development of that drug. 1 The current global and national six-month standard of care treatment regimen for DS-TB consists of isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol (HRZE). 2 For example, Philippines National Tuberculosis Control Program Manual of Procedures 6th Edition, Republic of South Africa Department of Health National Tuberculosis Management Guidelines. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pan-tb-collaboration-announces-the-start-of-a-phase-2-clinical-trial-to-evaluate-two-novel-tuberculosis-treatment-regimens-301896161.html SOURCE The Project to Accelerate New Treatments for Tuberculosis BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- China mourned for those who died in the Pakistan train derailment on Aug. 6, and offered condolences to the victims' families as well as sympathy to the injured, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday. A passenger train derailed in Nawabshah district in the southern Pakistani province of Sindh on Sunday, killing at least 30 people and injuring more than 100. The spokesperson said that China is saddened by the heavy casualties caused by the accident, and wishes the injured a speedy recovery. SEOUL, South Korea , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PiLab Technology, a leading South Korean startup specializing in blockchain services, has been listed as a Sample Vendor in the Gartner "Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies in Banking, 2023" report in the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) category. We believe PiLab is recognized for improving interoperability in the DeFi ecosystem notably by running its cross-chain lending protocol BiFi , backed by its very own mainnet, the Bifrost Network , an EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain. "We are thrilled to have been included in the report as we believe it demonstrates our contribution to the DeFi ecosystem, which has much potential as banking inevitably touches upon everyone's lives. With blockchain usage still in its early stages and its benefits restricted to a niche group, our goal is to render blockchain technology more useful and beneficial to wider audiences by continuing to focus on enhancing interoperability and usability," says Dohyun Pak , the founder of PiLab. Gartner, Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies in Banking, 2023, Alistair Newton , Christophe Uzureau, 20 July 2023 GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and HYPE CYCLE is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About PiLab Technology PiLab Technology is a blockchain-based technology company currently expanding its multichain ecosystem powered by the Bifrost Network. While providing the optimum environment for decentralized applications (DApps) to operate on top of multiple protocols, the company is also actively supporting the adoption of Web3 by traditional companies and institutions. Dohyun Pak founded the company with Jonghyup Lee, CTO, and Changhyun Yoo , COO, in 2017. Recognized for its innovative technology and proving the scalability of its products, PiLab has raised $8.4 million in Series A led by Korea Investment Partners, STIC Ventures, and Yuanta Investment. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pilab-recognized-in-the-gartner-hype-cycle-for-emerging-technologies-in-banking-2023-301896503.html SOURCE PiLab Technology Leading Technology Company Strengthens Sales Leadership with Accomplished Industry Professional WESTON, Fla. , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ReloQuest Inc., a pioneer in the technology-driven corporate accommodation industry, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer Marsland as the Vice President of Business Development. With a wealth of experience and a proven track record in driving corporate growth and cultivating strategic partnerships within the travel space, Marsland will significantly expand ReloQuest's market presence and facilitate new business opportunities. "Her strategic mindset, deep industry knowledge, and commitment to client success align perfectly with ReloQuest's values." - Darin Karp Jennifer Marsland brings over 14 years of executive leadership experience to her new role at ReloQuest. Her expertise in business development, sales strategy, and relationship management will be instrumental in strengthening the company's operations and fostering collaboration across key industries. " Jennifer Marsland's extensive background and accomplishments in business development make her the ideal professional to lead our sales team and accelerate our growth trajectory," said Darin Karp , Founder and CEO of ReloQuest, Inc. "Her strategic mindset, deep industry knowledge, and commitment to client success align perfectly with our company values. We are excited to welcome her to our team." Jennifer is a dynamic, results-oriented sales team leader with demonstrated growth and execution of business objectives in SaaS, technology, business development, startups, and strategic alliances. Before joining ReloQuest, Marsland successfully identified market opportunities, resulting in substantial revenue growth. Her ability to forge strong relationships with partners, clients, and internal teams has consistently yielded exceptional results. She will be integral to developing and managing ReloQuest's sales team. Jennifer's career history includes over 14 years at Egencia, an American Express Global Business Travel Company. Her expertise includes an extensive background in Travel Technologies, Business Intelligence, Financial Planning & Consolidation, Reporting, Data Management, Identity and Access Management, Security, Identity Verification, and Digital Identity. "I am thrilled to be joining the ReloQuest team at such an exciting time in the company's journey," said Jennifer Marsland , VP of Business Development at ReloQuest, Inc. "ReloQuest's innovative technology and dedication to delivering value to its clients align perfectly with my passion for fostering strategic partnerships and driving business growth. I look forward to contributing to the company's continued success." Marsland's appointment underscores ReloQuest's commitment to further developing its global market presence. With her expertise, the company is well-positioned to continue its mission of revolutionizing the corporate accommodation industry through advanced technology and exceptional client service. Jennifer earned a Master of Business Administration, M.B.A. from DeVry University, Keller Graduate School of Management, Tampa, FL , and a Bachelor of Arts, B.A. Sociology from the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT . About ReloQuest, Inc.: ReloQuest, Inc. is a pioneering technology company that provides innovative solutions for the corporate relocation industry. Through its advanced platform, ReloQuest streamlines and enhances the relocation process by offering comprehensive data, real-time inventory availability, and efficient communication channels. The company's commitment to cutting-edge technology and exceptional service has made it a trusted partner for corporations and relocation professionals worldwide. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reloquest-inc-welcomes-jennifer-marsland-as-new-vp-of-business-development-301896390.html SOURCE ReloQuest Inc. GREENVILLE, S.C. , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Richmond Auctions is thrilled to announce their anticipated auction this September, featuring two world-class collections that will captivate collectors and enthusiasts alike. The Marv and Jeanine Spomer Collection, alongside the Vernon Walker Collection, are set to be showcased on September 15 th and 16th. Richmond Auctions Announces Two World Class Collections The Marv and Jeanine Spomer Collection is an exceptional museum dedicated to automobilia, petroliana, classic cars, and impressive neon sign collections. The Spomer Classics Collection showcases an outstanding selection of rare neon signs, porcelain signs, neon dealership clocks, and gas pump globes. Marv and Jeanine Spomer meticulously assembled this top-notch collection of advertising and classic cars, which were proudly displayed at their museum located in Worthington, MN. The Vernon Walker Collection features an exceptional grouping of neon and porcelain signs. Walker has been collecting for over 50 years, originally with the intention of creating a museum, but his thoughts changed over time, and he began displaying them for his own enjoyment. Many of these treasures never made it out of their original shipping crates and were stored in West Memphis, Arkansas . "Richmond Auctions is honored to bring these two one-of-a-kind collections to market on September 15 th and 16th. Both world-class collections contain rare, high-quality pieces and we are proud to facilitate the transfer to new owners who will cherish them," said Jordan Richmond , Owner and Founder of Richmond Auctions. In preparation of the auction, detailed information and high-resolution images of the auction items are available for review on the official Richmond Auctions website [richmondauctions.com]. Prospective bidders and interested individuals can explore the collections and access additional auction details to make informed decisions ahead of the event. This event will be open to both in-person attendees and online bidders, ensuring that collectors worldwide can participate and potentially acquire these rare pieces. Bidders are encouraged to register in advance on the Richmond Auctions website to streamline the bidding process. About Richmond Auctions The founder of Richmond Auctions, Jordan Richmond , has over 10 years of experience in the antique advertising business. Jordan's passion for automobilia, gas, soda, oil, and other collectibles are what drive Richmond Auctions. The goal of Richmond Auctions is to bring the highest quality pieces with full length descriptions and gradings performed by The Authentication Company. As a collector himself, Jordan Richmond ensures that he provides the highest quality audio and visual descriptions ever seen in the market. Murray Benson | Smoak Public Relations 843.685.5852 | Murray@smoakpr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/richmond-auctions-announces-two-world-class-collections-301897130.html SOURCE Richmond Auctions - Earnings Call Scheduled for 8:00 a.m. ET on August 18, 2023 BEIJING , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- RLX Technology Inc. ("RLX Technology" or the "Company") (NYSE: RLX), a leading branded e-vapor company in China , today announced that it will report its unaudited financial results for second quarter ended June 30, 2023 , before the U.S. markets open on Friday, August 18, 2023 . The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on August 18, 2023 ( 8:00 PM Beijing/Hong Kong Time on August 18 2023). Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows: United States (toll free): +1-888-317-6003 International: +1-412-317-6061 Hong Kong, China (toll free): +800-963-976 Hong Kong, China : +852-5808-1995 Mainland China : 400-120-6115 Participant Code: 3325354 Participants should dial-in 10 minutes before the scheduled start time and ask to be connected to the call for "RLX Technology Inc." with the Participant Code as set forth above. Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.relxtech.com. A replay of the conference call will be accessible approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call until August 25, 2023 , by dialing the following telephone numbers: United States : +1-877-344-7529 International: +1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 5550144 About RLX Technology Inc. RLX Technology Inc. (NYSE: RLX) is a leading branded e-vapor company in China . The Company leverages its strong in-house technology and product development capabilities and in-depth insights into adult smokers' needs to develop superior e-vapor products. For more information, please visit https://ir.relxtech.com Contacts In China : RLX Technology Inc. Head of Capital Markets Sam Tsang Email: [email protected] Piacente Financial Communications Jenny Cai Tel: +86-10-6508-0677 Email: [email protected] In the United States : Piacente Financial Communications Brandi Piacente Tel: +1-212-481-2050 Email: [email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rlx-technology-to-report-second-quarter-2023-financial-results-on-august-18-2023-301896624.html SOURCE RLX Technology Inc. Q2 Revenue of $42.4 Million ; Income from Operations of $5.0 Million ; Adjusted EBITDA of $13.8 Million or 33% of revenue Generated $2.7 Million of Operating Cash Flow DENVER, Colo. , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Medicine Man Technologies, Inc., operating as Schwazze, (OTCQX: SHWZ) (NEO: SHWZ) ("Schwazze" or the "Company"), today announced financial and operational results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 . Second Quarter 2023 Summary For the Three Months Ended $ in Thousands USD June 30, 2023 March 31, 2023 June 30, 2022 Revenue $42,375 $40,001 $44,263 Gross Profit $24,519 $23,033 $25,156 Income from Operations $4,957 $5,650 $9,036 Adjusted EBITDA1 $13,814 $14,525 $15,021 Operating Cash Flow $2,683 $(880) $(13,486) ______________________________ 1 Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, adjusted for other income, non-cash share-based compensation, one-time transaction related expenses, or other non-operating costs. The Company uses adjusted EBITDA as it believes it better explains the results of its core business. Management Commentary "We continued to execute on our 'go deep' retail strategy in the second quarter, demonstrated by our acquisitions of Everest Apothecary in New Mexico in June, as well as Standing Akimbo and Smokey's in Colorado ," said Nirup Krishnamurthy , CEO of Schwazze. "Although it is early in the integration process and these stores have yet to ramp, in July we began to recognize synergies from bulk purchasing, introducing new product assortment, and leveraging best cultivation practices to improve yields, among other improvements. We expect to realize additional benefits as we further integrate our assets in the months ahead. "The cannabis market environment in Colorado and New Mexico remains a challenge due to pricing pressure and license proliferation in key markets. However, we are beginning to see early signs of wholesale pricing stabilization in Colorado and are hyper-focused on customer acquisition and experience, while maintaining our brand standards and margin through targeted promotions for customers. Through these efforts, we increased market share in both Colorado and New Mexico , demonstrating the effectiveness of our operating playbook and acquisition strategy, as well as our ability to execute in a competitive environment. "Looking ahead, we will continue to run a lean operation while implementing the Schwazze retail playbook across our markets to expand our customer base, increase labor and price optimization, and improve customer loyalty and brand penetration. We are well positioned to continue driving strong adjusted EBITDA margins and consistent cash flow generation in 2023." Recent Highlights Completed the acquisition of Everest Apothecary in June, increasing the Company's New Mexico operations to 32 dispensaries, four cultivation facilities, two manufacturing facilities and over 400 employees statewide. operations to 32 dispensaries, four cultivation facilities, two manufacturing facilities and over 400 employees statewide. Appointed Nirup Krishnamurthy as Chief Executive Officer. as Chief Executive Officer. Acquired two Colorado retail dispensaries from Smokey's Cannabis Company . retail dispensaries from Smokey's . Acquired Standing Akimbo, the largest medical cannabis dispensary in Colorado , and opened the Company's first medical dispensary in Colorado Springs under the Standing Akimbo banner. , and opened the Company's first medical dispensary in under the Standing Akimbo banner. Ecommerce penetration in New Mexico and Colorado grew approximately 45% and 15%, respectively, compared to the first quarter of 2023 when the program was first launched. and grew approximately 45% and 15%, respectively, compared to the first quarter of 2023 when the program was first launched. Experienced 17% sequential growth of new customer loyalty members in the second quarter of 2023. Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results Total revenue in the second quarter of 2023 was $42.4 million compared to $44.3 million for the same quarter last year. The decrease was primarily due to lower wholesale revenue resulting from a 25% year-over-year decline in wholesale pricing and the proliferation of new licenses in key New Mexico markets, partially offset by growth from new stores compared to the prior year period. Gross profit for the second quarter of 2023 was $24.5 million or 57.9% of total revenue, compared to $25.2 million or 56.8% of total revenue for the same quarter last year. The increase in gross margin was primarily driven by efficiency gains across retail, cultivation, and production, partially offset by the aforementioned wholesale pricing pressure. Operating expenses for the second quarter of 2023 were $19.6 million compared to $16.1 million for the same quarter last year. The increase was primarily due to the four-wall SG&A increases associated with 27 additional stores in Colorado and New Mexico that are still ramping, as well as an increase in stock-based compensation. This was partially offset by efficiencies implemented throughout the Company's operations. Income from operations for the second quarter of 2023 was $5.0 million compared to $9.0 million in the same quarter last year. Net loss was $6.6 million compared to net income of $33.8 million for the second quarter of 2022, primarily driven by a $35.2 million change in the non-cash accounting revaluation of the derivative liability related to the Company's convertible note. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter of 2023 was $13.8 million or 32.6% of revenue, compared to $15.0 million or 33.9% of revenue for the same quarter last year. The decrease in adjusted EBITDA margin was primarily driven by lower revenue and higher SG&A associated with new stores that are still ramping, partially offset by improved gross margin. As of June 30, 2023 , cash and cash equivalents were $19.9 million compared to $38.9 million on December 31, 2022 , while operating working capital increased by $5.8 million to $10.0 million during this period. Total debt as of June 30, 2023 , was $155.4 million compared to $127.8 million on December 31, 2022 . Schwazze CFO Forrest Hoffmaster added, "In addition to our focus on top line growth, supply chain efficiencies and cash generation, we are capitalizing on our hyper-regional retail strategy with a series of cost optimization programs that are improving our cash position and margins. We have begun to see the benefit of these initiatives and expect to drive further improvements in the months ahead." Conference Call The Company will conduct a conference call today, August 9, 2023 , at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time to discuss its results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 . Schwazze management will host the conference call, followed by a question-and-answer period. Interested parties may submit questions to the Company prior to the call by emailing [email protected]. Date: Wednesday, August 9, 2023 Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time Toll-free dial-in number: (888) 664-6383 International dial-in number: (416) 764-8650 Conference ID: 70252888 Webcast: SHWZ Q2 2023 Earnings Call The conference call will also be broadcast live and available for replay on the investor relations section of the Company's website at https://ir.schwazze.com. Toll-free replay number: (888) 390-0541 International replay number: (416) 764-8677 Replay ID: 252888 If you have any difficulty registering or connecting with the conference call, please contact Elevate IR at (720) 330-2829. About Schwazze Schwazze (OTCQX: SHWZ) (NEO: SHWZ) is building a premier vertically integrated regional cannabis company with assets in Colorado and New Mexico and will continue to take its operating system to other states where it can develop a differentiated regional leadership position. Schwazze is the parent company of a portfolio of leading cannabis businesses and brands spanning seed to sale. Schwazze is anchored by a high-performance culture that combines customer-centric thinking and data science to test, measure, and drive decisions and outcomes. The Company's leadership team has deep expertise in retailing, wholesaling, and building consumer brands at Fortune 500 companies as well as in the cannabis sector. Medicine Man Technologies, Inc. was Schwazze's former operating trade name. The corporate entity continues to be named Medicine Man Technologies, Inc. Schwazze derives its name from the pruning technique of a cannabis plant to enhance plant structure and promote healthy growth. To learn more about Schwazze, visit www.schwazze.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Such statements may be preceded by the words "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "intends," "plans," "strategy," "prospects," "anticipate," "believe," "approximately," "estimate," "predict," "project," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," or the negative of these terms or other words of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of future events or future operating or financial performance, although the absence of these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future events or performance, are based on certain assumptions, and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control and cannot be predicted or quantified. Consequently, actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) regulatory limitations on our products and services and the uncertainty in the application of federal, state, and local laws to our business, and any changes in such laws; (ii) our ability to manufacture our products and product candidates on a commercial scale on our own or in collaboration with third parties; (iii) our ability to identify, consummate, and integrate anticipated acquisitions; (iv) general industry and economic conditions; (v) our ability to access adequate capital upon terms and conditions that are acceptable to us; (vi) our ability to pay interest and principal on outstanding debt when due; (vii) volatility in credit and market conditions; (viii) the loss of one or more key executives or other key employees; and (ix) other risks and uncertainties related to the cannabis market and our business strategy. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by law. MEDICINE MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS For the Periods Ended June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 Expressed in U.S. Dollars June 30 , December 31 , 2023 2022 (Unaudited) (Audited) ASSETS Current Assets Cash & Cash Equivalents $ 19,872,099 $ 38,949,253 Accounts Receivable, net of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts 6,179,662 4,471,978 Inventory 33,821,282 22,554,182 Notes Receivable - Current, net - 11,944 Marketable Securities, net of Unrealized Loss of $1,816 and Loss of $39,270 , respectively 456,099 454,283 Prepaid Expenses & Other Current Assets 6,203,056 5,293,393 Total Current Assets 66,532,198 71,735,033 Non-Current Assets Fixed Assets, net Accumulated Depreciation of $7,007,889 and $4,899,977 , respectively 31,128,357 27,089,026 Investments 2,000,000 2,000,000 Goodwill 75,968,130 94,605,301 Intangible Assets, net Accumulated Amortization of $24,981,817 and $16,290,862 , respectively 168,892,605 107,726,718 Note Receivable - Non-Current, net 1,313 - Other Non-Current Assets 1,222,805 1,527,256 Operating Lease Right of Use Assets 23,213,504 18,199,399 Total Non-Current Assets 302,426,714 251,147,700 Total Assets $ 368,958,912 $ 322,882,733 LIABILITIES & STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Liabilities Accounts Payable $ 12,105,250 $ 10,701,281 Accounts Payable - Related Party 6,073 22,380 Accrued Expenses 6,398,115 7,462,290 Derivative Liabilities 6,538,485 16,508,253 Lease Liabilities - Current 4,026,595 3,139,289 Current Portion of Long Term Debt 6,583,334 2,250,000 Income Taxes Payable 14,113,477 7,297,815 Total Current Liabilities 49,771,329 47,381,308 Non-Current Liabilities Long Term Debt, net of Debt Discount & Issuance Costs 148,861,810 125,521,520 Lease Liabilities - Non-Current 22,096,232 17,314,464 Deferred Income Taxes, net 178,031 502,070 Total Non-Current Liabilities 171,136,073 143,338,054 Total Liabilities $ 220,907,402 $ 190,719,362 Stockholders' Equity Preferred Stock, $0.001 Par Value. 10,000,000 Shares Authorized; 86,994 Shares Issued and 86,994 Shares Outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and 86,994 Shares Issued and 86,994 Shares Outstanding as of December 31, 2022 . 87 87 Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value. 250,000,000 Shares Authorized; 71,730,449 Shares Issued and 70,590,451 Shares Outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and 56,352,545 Shares Issued and 55,212,547 Shares Outstanding as of December 31, 2022 . 71,730 56,353 Additional Paid-In Capital 201,116,605 180,381,641 Accumulated Deficit (51,103,785) (46,241,583) Common Stock Held in Treasury, at Cost, 920,150 Shares Held as of June 30, 2023 and 920,150 Shares Held as of December 31, 2022 . (2,033,127) (2,033,127) Total Stockholders' Equity 148,051,510 132,163,371 Total Liabilities & Stockholders' Equity $ 368,958,912 $ 322,882,733 MEDICINE MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME AND (LOSS) For the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in U.S. Dollars For the Three Months Ended For the Six Months Ended June 30 , June 30 , 2023 2022 2023 2022 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Operating Revenues Retail $ 38,098,957 $ 38,138,799 $ 73,919,068 $ 64,664,515 Wholesale 4,274,483 6,080,843 8,333,408 11,288,231 Other 1,660 43,750 123,560 88,200 Total Revenue 42,375,100 44,263,392 82,376,036 76,040,946 Total Cost of Goods & Services 17,856,050 19,106,944 34,824,320 39,946,995 Gross Profit 24,519,050 25,156,448 47,551,716 36,093,951 Operating Expenses Selling, General and Administrative Expenses 8,838,936 6,666,044 19,054,847 13,521,755 Professional Services 487,860 1,516,544 1,675,224 4,101,016 Salaries 7,389,172 7,240,368 13,154,165 12,537,145 Stock Based Compensation 2,845,691 697,842 3,060,235 1,688,925 Total Operating Expenses 19,561,659 16,120,798 36,944,471 31,848,841 Income from Operations 4,957,391 9,035,650 10,607,245 4,245,110 Other Income (Expense) Interest Expense, net (7,890,439) (7,489,205) (15,636,294) (14,791,459) Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Derivative Liabilities 1,468,083 36,705,764 9,969,768 23,288,292 Other Loss - - - 7 Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments - (5,264) 1,816 (13,813) Total Other Income (Expense) (6,422,356) 29,211,295 (5,664,710) 8,483,027 Pre-Tax Net Income (Loss) (1,464,965) 38,246,945 4,942,535 12,728,137 Provision for Income Taxes 5,142,559 4,405,962 9,804,737 5,665,856 Net Income (Loss) $ (6,607,524) $ 33,840,983 $ (4,862,202) $ 7,062,281 Less: Accumulated Preferred Stock Dividends for the Period (2,353,883) (1,766,575) (4,383,277) (3,510,019) Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Common Stockholders $ (8,961,407) $ 32,074,408 $ (9,245,479) $ 3,552,262 Earnings (Loss) per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders Basic Earnings (Loss) per Share $ (0.15) $ 0.65 $ (0.16) $ 0.07 Diluted Earnings (Loss) per Share $ (0.15) $ 0.24 $ (0.16) $ 0.03 Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding - Basic 60,538,317 49,178,494 57,999,461 49,178,494 Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding - Diluted 60,538,317 133,481,667 57,999,461 133,481,667 Comprehensive Income (Loss) $ (6,607,524) $ 33,840,983 $ (4,862,202) $ 7,062,281 MEDICINE MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in U.S. Dollars For the Six Months Ended June 30 , 2023 2022 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Cash Flows from Operating Activities: Net Income (Loss) for the Period $ (4,862,202) $ 7,062,281 Adjustments to Reconcile Net Income (Loss) to Cash for Operating Activities Depreciation & Amortization 10,826,289 1,553,817 Non-Cash Interest Expense 1,992,280 2,165,366 Non-Cash Lease Expense 3,316,171 4,705,059 Deferred Taxes (324,039) - Change in Derivative Liabilities (9,969,768) (23,288,292) Amortization of Debt Issuance Costs 843,025 843,025 Amortization of Debt Discount 4,088,319 3,590,017 (Gain) Loss on Investments, net (1,816) 13,813 Stock Based Compensation 3,060,235 776,917 Changes in Operating Assets & Liabilities (net of Acquired Amounts): Accounts Receivable (923,614) (1,689,914) Inventory (5,937,100) 3,924,172 Prepaid Expenses & Other Current Assets (909,663) (5,219,898) Other Assets 304,451 (185,589) Change in Operating Lease Liabilities (2,661,202) (8,873,051) Accounts Payable & Other Liabilities (3,853,458) 5,922,458 Income Taxes Payable 6,815,662 (1,163,770) Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities 1,803,570 (9,863,589) Cash Flows from Investing Activities: Collection of Notes Receivable 10,631 - Cash Consideration for Acquisition of Business, net of Cash Acquired (15,834,378) (56,875,923) Purchase of Fixed Assets (4,704,093) (7,076,116) Purchase of Intangible Assets - (2,825) Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities (20,527,840) (63,954,864) Cash Flows from Financing Activities: Payment on Notes Payable (750,000) - Proceeds from Issuance of Common Stock, net of Issuance Costs 397,116 1,280,660 Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities (352,884) 1,280,660 Net (Decrease) in Cash & Cash Equivalents (19,077,154) (72,537,793) Cash & Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period 38,949,253 106,400,216 Cash & Cash Equivalents at End of Period $ 19,872,099 $ 33,862,423 Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information: Cash Paid for Interest $ 10,931,090 $ 9,004,575 MEDICINE MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC. ADJUSTED EBITDA RECONCILIATION (NON-GAAP) For the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in U.S. Dollars For the Three Months Ended For the Six Months Ended June 30 , June 30 , 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net Income (Loss) $ (6,607,524) $ 33,840,983 $ (4,862,202) $ 7,062,281 Interest Expense, net 7,890,439 7,489,205 15,636,294 14,791,459 Provision for Income Taxes 5,142,559 4,405,962 9,804,737 5,665,856 Other (Income) Expense, net of Interest Expense (1,468,083) (36,700,500) (9,971,584) (23,274,486) Depreciation & Amortization 3,865,190 2,960,603 10,478,004 5,506,627 Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) (non-GAAP) $ 8,822,581 $ 11,996,253 $ 21,085,249 $ 9,751,737 Non-Cash Stock Compensation 2,845,691 697,842 3,060,235 1,688,925 Deal Related Expenses 733,718 1,656,529 1,929,520 3,913,463 Capital Raise Related Expenses - 41,312 35,068 605,632 Inventory Adjustment to Fair Market Value for Purchase Accounting - 246,613 - 6,507,047 Severance 185,681 44,537 304,117 49,102 Retention Program Expenses 115,000 - 395,632 - Employee Relocation Expenses 26,468 332 52,175 19,110 Other Non-Recurring Items 1,085,005 338,050 1,477,028 334,632 Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) $ 13,814,144 $ 15,021,468 $ 28,339,024 $ 22,869,648 Revenue 42,375,100 44,263,392 82,376,036 76,040,946 Adjusted EBITDA Percent 32.6 % 33.9 % 34.4 % 30.1 % MEDICINE MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC. OPERATING WORKING CAPITAL RECONCILIATION (NON-GAAP) For the Periods Ended June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 Expressed in U.S. Dollars June 30 , December 31 , 2023 2022 Current Assets $ 66,532,198 $ 71,735,033 Less: Cash & Cash Equivalents (19,872,099) (38,949,253) Adjusted Current Assets (non-GAAP) 46,660,099 32,785,780 Current Liabilities $ 49,771,329 $ 47,381,308 Less: Derivative Liabilities (6,538,485) (16,508,253) Less: Current Portion of Long Term Debt (6,583,334) (2,250,000) Adjusted Current Liabilities (non-GAAP) 36,649,510 28,623,055 Operating Working Capital (non-GAAP) $ 10,010,589 $ 4,162,725 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/schwazze-announces-second-quarter-2023-financial-results-301897252.html SOURCE Schwazze TSX: SIL | NYSE American: SILV VANCOUVER, BC , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - SilverCrest Metals Inc. ("SilverCrest" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its financial and Las Chispas operational results for the second quarter of 2023 ("Q2, 2023") and guidance for the second half of 2023 (H2, 2023). All amounts herein are presented in United States Dollars ("US$"), unless otherwise stated. Certain amounts shown in this news release may not total to exact amounts due to rounding differences. Silver equivalent ("AgEq") ratio used in this news release of 79.51:1 (86.9:1 in previous quarters) is based on the results of Updated Independent Technical Report for the Las Chispas Operation (the "Updated Technical Report" or the "Report")1, which were announced on July 31, 2023 . N. Eric Fier , CEO, commented, "Las Chispas continued to deliver strong operational performance in the quarter with an increase in recovered metal, mine operating income, and net free cash flow2 from Q1, 2023. The announcement of our Updated Technical Report, subsequent to quarter end, was an important milestone for the Company and confirms the high-quality nature of the Las Chispas Operation with lowest quartile mine level AISC over an eight-year mine life. The results from Q2, 2023 confirm the quality of the operation with $7.6 million cash and $3.6 million bullion added to the balance sheet after repaying the remaining $25.0 million of debt and investing $10.1 million in sustaining capital. With this work now behind us, our debt fully repaid, a healthy balance sheet, and strong margins and free cash flow expected from the operation, we are well positioned to focus on growth at Las Chispas and pursue capital allocation opportunities. We are already executing our recently announced $10.0 million exploration program to focus on high-grade reserve replacement opportunities and will soon return to drilling new or under drilled targets in proximity to the mine. We are also pleased to issue formal guidance for H2, 2023." Q2, 2023 Financial Highlights Sold a total of 13,400 ounces ("oz") of gold and 1.45 million oz of silver at average realized prices 2 of $1,991 per oz gold and $24.36 per oz silver. of per oz gold and per oz silver. Revenue of $62.0 million and cost of sales of $23.7 million , resulting in mine operating income of $38.3 million , which represents a 62% operating margin. and cost of sales of , resulting in mine operating income of , which represents a 62% operating margin. Income of $23.7 million or $0.16 per share, inclusive of an $8.6 million ( $0.06 per share) unrealized foreign currency loss. or per share, inclusive of an ( per share) unrealized foreign currency loss. Net free cash flow 3 of $43.7 million or $0.30 per share, supported by the net receipt of value added taxes and deferral of accounts payable and taxes. of or per share, supported by the net receipt of value added taxes and deferral of accounts payable and taxes. Increased cash balance by $7.6 million and bullion holdings by $3.6 million during the quarter, after, sustaining capital at Las Chispas of $10.1 million and retiring $25.0 million of debt. and bullion holdings by during the quarter, after, sustaining capital at Las Chispas of and retiring of debt. Cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital items of $47.5 million or $0.32 per share. or per share. Cash costs 2 of $7.39 per oz silver equivalent 3 ("AgEq") sold and all-in sustaining cost ("AISC") 2 of $12.70 per oz AgEq sold based on accelerated spend towards exploration and for sustaining capital to create operational flexibility. of per oz silver equivalent ("AgEq") sold and all-in sustaining cost ("AISC") of per oz AgEq sold based on accelerated spend towards exploration and for sustaining capital to create operational flexibility. Ended the quarter debt free with treasury assets2 totaling $59.0 million (cash of $53.4 million and gold and silver bullion of $5.6 million ). Access to an undrawn $70.0 million revolving credit facility remains. Q2, 2023 Operating Highlights Recovered 16,500 ounces of gold and 1.53 million ounces of silver, or 2.84 million AgEq ounces. Recovered ounces were higher than sold ounces during the quarter, resulting in an increase in work in process and finished goods inventory of approximately 0.3 million payable AgEq ounces. Underground production mining rates averaged 818 tonnes per day ("tpd") during Q2, 2023, an increase of 16% compared to Q1, 2023 (707 tpd) and ahead of H1, 2023 expectations of 650 to 700 tpd. The Q2, 2023 rate aligns with Report expectations. Daily development rates continued to increase in Q2, 2023 averaging 37.8 metres per day ("mpd") (Q1, 2023 - 31.5 mpd), including 33.4 mpd of lateral development, a level which is expected to increase slightly in H2, 2023. Daily processing plant throughput averaged 1,186 tpd, a slight increase from Q1, 2023 rate of 1,160 tpd. Processed grades increased from Q1, 2023, averaging 4.84 grams per tonne ("gpt") gold (Q1, 2023 - 4.06 gpt) and 449 gpt silver (Q1, 2023 - 419 gpt). Metallurgical recoveries improved over Q1, 2023 with an average gold recovery of 98.4% (Q1, 2023 - 97.5%) and average silver recovery of 97.9% (Q1, 2023 - 91.9%). Mining contract discussions paused in Q2, 2023 and will resume in earnest now that necessary details outlined in the Report are available. It is expected that these negotiations will be finalized in H2, 2023. _________________________________ 1 Please refer to new release titled SilverCrest Announces Results of Updated Independent Technical Report dated July 31, 2023 and available on the Company's website. The Report will be filed on SEDAR+ within 45 days of July 31, 2023 . 2 Average realized prices, net free cash flow, net cash, treasury assets, cash costs and cash costs per AgEq ounce sold, AISC, and AISC per ounce sold are non-IFRS financial measures. Non-IFRS financial measures are not standardized financial measures under IFRS and might not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other companies. Please refer to the "NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES" section of this news release for additional information. 3 Silver equivalent ("AgEq") ratio used in this news release of 79.51:1 was calculated using metal prices of $1,650 per ounce for gold and $21 per ounce for silver and based on the Report NR. Q2, 2023 Financial and Operational Highlights Unit Q2, 2023 Q1, 2023 H1, 2023 Revenue $ millions 62.0 58.0 120.0 Cost of sales $ millions (23.7) (22.4) (46.1) Mine operating income $ millions 38.3 35.6 73.9 Income for the period $ millions 23.7 27.2 50.9 Income per share basic $/share 0.16 0.18 0.35 Net free cash flow (1)(5) $ millions 43.7 21.8 65.5 Cash costs (1)(5) $/oz AgEq sold 7.39 6.53 6.96 AISC (1)(5) $/oz AgEq sold 12.70 10.94 11.82 Unit June 30, 2023 March 31, 2023 Cash and cash equivalents $ millions 53.4 45.8 Bullion $ millions 5.6 2.0 Treasury assets (1) $ millions 59.0 47.8 Credit Facility Debt $ millions - (25.0) Net cash $ millions 53.4 21.0 Unit Q2, 2023 Q1, 2023 H1, 2023 Ore mined tonnes 74,400 63,600 138,000 Ore milled (2) tonnes 107,900 104,400 212,300 Average daily mill throughput tpd 1,186 1,160 1,173 Gold (Au) Average processed grade gpt 4.84 4.06 4.46 Process Recovery % 98.4 97.5 98.0 Recovered oz 16,500 13,300 29,800 Sold oz 13,400 14,200 27,600 Average realized price $/oz 1,991 1,879 1,933 Silver (Ag) Average processed grade gpt 449 419 434 Process Recovery % 97.9 91.9 95.1 Recovered million oz 1.53 1.29 2.82 Sold million oz 1.45 1.36 2.81 Average realized price $/oz 24.36 23.00 23.70 Silver equivalent (AgEq) (3) Recovered million oz 2.84 2.35 5.19 (1) Non-IFRS measures. Please refer to the "NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES" section of this news release for additional information. (2) Ore milled includes material from stockpiles and ore mined. (3) Silver equivalent ("AgEq") ratio used in this news release of 79.51:1 was calculated using metal prices of $1,650 per ounce for gold and $21 per ounce for silver and based on the Report. For consistency with the comparative period, the AgEq ratio reported during Q1, 2023 was changed from 86.9:1 to 79.51:1, resulting in a change from 2.45 million oz AgEq to 2.35 million oz AgEq recovered and a change from 2.6 million AgEq oz sold to 2.5 million AgEq oz sold. (4) As Q1, 2023 was the first full quarter of production at Las Chispas, there is no 2022 quarter end financial and operational information available for comparison. (5) Comparative figures for Q1, 2023 have been updated to conform to the presentation format and calculation of costs adopted in Q2, 2023. This change was made to better align cash costs and AISC at the mine level with the format presented in the Updated Technical Report. Guidance Highlights SilverCrest has set its H2, 2023 and 2023 guidance as follows: Guidance Metric Unit H2, 2023 2023 AgEq Ounces million oz sold 4.8 to 5.2 9.8 to 10.2 Cash Costs $/oz AgEq sold 7.00 to 8.50 7.50 to 8.50 AISC Mine Level $/oz AgEq sold 11.75 to 13.50 10.75 to 11.75 AISC $/oz AgEq sold 13.75 to 15.50 12.75 to 13.75 Notes: 1. All costs based on Mexico Peso to US dollar exchange ratio of 20:1. During Q2, 2023 the Mexican peso to US dollar exchange ratio averaged 17.7:1. 2. Cash costs and AISC are Non-IFRS measures. There are some slight differences in the way that Cash Costs and AISC were calculated in the Report compared to the Company's definitions. Please refer to the "NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES" section of this news release for additional information. 3. AISC is based on World Gold Council definition, includes corporate level costs of $2.00 per AgEq for 2023. 4. The AgEq in the table above used Ag:Au ratio of 79.51:1. If an Ag:Au ratio of 86.9:1 was applied to the table above, then AISC per AgEq ounce guidance would be reduced by $0.50 per AgEq ounce. Cash costs and AISC are expected to increase in H2, 2023 as the weighted average cost of material sourced from the stockpile increases and due to higher sustaining capital costs. Sustaining capital is expected to increase due to more underground development, including ventilation infrastructure and the establishment of mobile maintenance facilities. The Company plans to spend approximately $24 million in sustaining capital expenditures in H2, 2023, which would bring the expected expenditure for sustaining capital in 2023 to approximately $40 million . In conjunction with the Report, SilverCrest announced a $10 million exploration budget from now until the end of Q1, 2024. The focus of this budget will be mainly on the conversion of high-grade inferred resources with an ultimate goal of reserve replacement. The program will also include targeting of earlier stage opportunities at Las Chispas aimed at following up on high grade intercepts and new structures. The potential conversion of ounces are located near existing underground infrastructure. Underground In Q2, 2023 mining rates averaged 818 tpd, an increase from Q1, 2023 rates of 707 tpd and 16% above the high end of the expected range of 650-700 tpd for H1, 2023 and in-line with the Report. Mined grades in the quarter were estimated to average 5.67 gpt gold and 549 gpt silver, or 999 gpt AgEq. The mine ramp-up beyond H1, 2023, is expected to average approximately 800 tpd. Processing Plant During Q2, 2023, the Las Chispas processing plant performed well with throughput averaging 1,186 tpd. Gold and silver recoveries increased from Q1, 2023 (98.4% vs. 97.5% and 97.9% vs. 91.9%, respectively). These recovery levels are slightly better than those disclosed in the Report. Processed gold and silver grades increased from Q1, 2023 levels as the percentage of lower grade historic stockpile feed was reduced and higher grades in stockpile delivered to the plant. During the quarter, processed gold grades averaged 4.84 gpt (4.06 gpt in Q1, 2023) and silver grades averaged 449 gpt (419 gpt in Q1, 2023). During Q2, 2023, the grade to the plant was increased above plan to prepare for the potential of a reduction of process plant operating time in Q3, 2023 due to planned maintenance and the potential for seasonal stormy weather impacting national grid power availability. An estimated 16,500 oz of gold and 1.53 million oz of silver, or 2.84 million silver equivalent oz were recovered in the quarter. As outlined in the Report, the Company continues to benefit from strategic stockpiles used to supplement processing plant feed as the mine is gradually developed, and tonnage ramped-up. Financial Position The Company continued to strengthen its liquidity during Q2, 2023. With cash flow generated from its Las Chispas Operation during the quarter, the Company continued to build its treasury assets balance while extinguishing its debt balance and increasing capital expenditure, especially in underground development. As of June 30, 2023 , the Company had a treasury assets balance of $59.0 million , consisting of $53.4 million in cash and $5.6 million of bullion purchases held at current market value; debt of $nil; and an available, undrawn revolving facility of $70.0 million . When compared to the previous quarter, treasury assets balance increased by $11.3 million and debt balance has decreased by $25.0 million . Revenue During Q2, 2023, the Company sold a total of 13,400 oz of gold and 1.45 million oz of silver, at average realized prices of $1,991 per oz gold and $24.36 per oz silver, generating revenue of $62.0 million (Q1, 2023 - $58.0 million ). The 7% increase in revenue during Q2, 2023 over Q1, 2023 was primarily the result of higher gold and silver prices on ounces sold and higher silver ounces sold, offset by lower gold ounces sold due to the timing of sales. Costs In the second quarter, total cost of sales was $23.7 million (Q1, 2023 - $22.4 million ). Cost of sales increased by 6% over Q1, 2023 primarily due to the increase in silver equivalent ounces sold. During the quarter, cash costs averaged $7.39 per oz AgEq sold and Mine Level AISC averaged $11.41 per oz AgEq sold. Corporate Level AISC which aligns with the World Gold Council definition of AISC averaged $12.70 per oz AgEq sold, compared to $10.94 per oz AgEq in Q1, 2023. AISC increased from Q1, 2023 due to an expected increase in sustaining capital related to an increase in mine development required. Refer to the Capital expenditure section below. Income Income for Q2, 2023 was $23.7 million compared to net income of $27.2 million in Q1, 2023. The decrease in income was primarily due to an unrealized foreign exchange loss of $8.6 million resulting from the relative appreciation of the Mexican Peso against the US dollar which impacted the translation of intercompany balances between the parent entity and its subsidiaries. This was offset by a $2.7 million increase in mine operating income and a $1.8 million decrease in income tax expense as a result of less deferred income tax recorded during the quarter. Other variances included a $0.9 million decrease in share-based compensation due to a recovery recorded upon the finalization of vesting criteria of performance share units and a $0.7 million decrease in interest and finance expense due to the early repayment of the term credit facility. Capital Expenditure During Q2, 2023, capital expenditure at Las Chispas increased over Q1, 2023 by $3.0 million . The majority of this planned increase during the quarter is attributed to the completion of 37% more underground development compared to Q1, 2023 to reach levels expected in the Report. The balance of the increase can be attributed to underground and surface infrastructure. It is expected that sustaining capital costs will be more elevated in H2, 2023 as a result of development of underground ventilation infrastructure and the establishment of mobile maintenance facilities. 2024 sustaining capital will continue to increase from 2023 levels as underground development is increased. This aligns with the Report, whereby the mine level AISC for 2023 and 2024 are expected to have higher sustaining capital relative to the remaining life of mine. ESG In May 2023 , the Company was recognized with the 2023 Empresa Socialmente Responsable (ESR) Socially Responsible Company Distinction by the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (CEMEFI) for 'the areas of Quality of Life in the Company, Ethics and Corporate Governance, Links with the Community and Care and Preservation of the Environment'. On June 14, 2023 SilverCrest delivered its inaugural ESG report for the year ended 2022, which is available on the Company's website. Subsequent to the end of the quarter, the Company commenced the second of its five-year $1.5 million local water infrastructure projects. In addition, the Company finalized labour negotiations with its main union for a two-year period within the budgeted cost range. Consolidated Financial Statements This press release should be read in conjunction with SilverCrest's unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for the six months ended June 30, 2023 which are available on the Company's website at www.silvercrestmetals.com, and under the Company's profiles on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.com) and EDGAR (www.sec.gov). Second Quarter 2023 Conference Call A conference call to discuss the Company's Q2, 2023 financial results will be held tomorrow, Thursday August 10, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. PT / 11:00 a.m. ET . To participate in the conference call, please dial the numbers below. Date & Time: Thursday August 10, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. ET / 8:00 a.m. PT Telephone: Toronto : +1-416-764-8646 North America Toll Free: 1-888-396-8049 Conference ID: 44514275 Webcast: https://silvercrestmetals.com/investors/presentations/ Qualified Persons Statement The Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects for this news release is N. Eric Fier , CPG, P.Eng , and CEO for SilverCrest, who has reviewed and approved its contents. ABOUT SILVERCREST METALS INC. SilverCrest is a Canadian precious metals producer headquartered in Vancouver, BC , with an ongoing initiative to increase its asset base by expanding current resources and reserves, acquiring, discovering and developing high value precious metals projects and ultimately operating multiple silver-gold mines in the Americas . The Company's principal focus is its Las Chispas Operation in Sonora, Mexico . The Company is led by a proven management team in all aspects of the precious metal mining sector, including taking projects through discovery, finance, on time and on budget construction, and production. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These include, without limitation, statements with respect to: the amount of future production of gold and silver over any period, the strategic plans and expectations for the Company's operation and exploration program, expected recoveries, and expected cash costs and outflows. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: present and future business strategies, continued commercial operations at the Las Chispas Operation, the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of gold and silver, estimates of capital and operating costs, production estimates, estimates of Mineral Resources and Mineral Resources and metallurgical recoveries and mining operational risk; the reliability of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Estimates, mining and development costs, the conditions in general economic and financial markets; availability of skilled labour; timing and amount of expenditures related to exploration programs; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies and changes in Mexican mining legislation. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors including: the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; fluctuations in gold and silver prices and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law. N. Eric Fier , CPG, P.Eng Chief Executive Officer SilverCrest Metals Inc. NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES SilverCrest uses certain non-IFRS performance measures in this news release. Non-IFRS financial measures do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, management and certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flow. Accordingly, it is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Non-IFRS financial measures - Average realized gold and silver price Average realized gold and silver price per ounce is calculated by dividing the Company's gross revenue from gold or silver sales for the relevant period by the gold or silver ounces sold, respectively. The Company believes the measure is useful in understanding the metal prices realized by the Company throughout the period. Average realized price per ounce sold is a common performance measure that does not have any standardized meaning. The most directly comparable measure prepared in accordance with IFRS is revenue from gold and silver sales. Q2, 2032 Q1, 2023 H1, 2023 ( $ 000 's, except per ounce amounts) Revenues from financial statements $ 61,999 $ 57,983 $ 119,982 Ag sales (35,319) (31,307) (66,626) Au sales A 26,680 26,676 53,356 Au oz sold during the period B 13,400 14,200 27,600 Average realized Au price per oz sold A/B $ 1,991 $ 1,879 $ 1,933 Revenues from financial statements 61,999 57,983 119,982 Au sales (26,680) (26,676) (53,356) Ag sales A 35,319 31,307 66,626 Ag oz sold during the period B 1,450,000 1,361,000 2,811,000 Average realized Ag price per oz sold A/B $ 24.36 $ 23.00 $ 23.70 Non-IFRS financial measure - Net free cash flow Net free cash flow is not meant to be a substitute for the cash flow information presented in accordance with IFRS. SilverCrest calculates net free cash flow by deducting expenditures on mineral property, plant, and equipment from net cash provided by operating activities. Non-sustaining and growth capital activities are excluded. Net free cash flow is divided by the basic weighted average shares outstanding to get the net free cash flow per basic share. The Company believes that this measure provides valuable assistance to investors and analysts in evaluating the Company's ability to generate cash flow after capital investments and build the cash resources of the Company. The most directly comparable measure prepared in accordance with IFRS is net cash provided by operating activities less net cash used in investing activities. This differs from the Company's calculation as net cash used in investing activities is used in place of expenditures on mineral property, plant, and equipment. Net cash used in investing activities would include all cash inflows and outflows related to investing activities as per the consolidated statement of cash flows. Net free cash flow Q2, 2023 Q1, 2023 H1, 2023 $ 000 's $ 000 's $ 000 's Cash flow from operating activities 53,808 26,973 80,781 Sustaining capital expenditures (10,103) (5,181) (15,284) Net free cash flow at mine level A 43,705 21,792 65,497 Weighted average shares outstanding - basic B 147,231 147,200 147,216 Net free cash flow - basic per share A/B 0.30 0.15 0.44 Sustaining capital expenditures ( $ 000 's) Q2, 2023 Q1, 2023(1) H1, 2023 Expenditures on mineral property, plant, and equipment (12,919) (7,930) (20,849) Payment of lease liabilities (28) (43) (71) Non-sustaining and growth capital activities 2,844 2,792 5,636 Sustaining capital expenditures (10,103) (5,181) (15,284) (1) Q1, 2023 sustaining capital expenditures have been updated to conform to calculation of costs adopted in Q2, 2023, which reallocated exploration costs from sustaining to non-sustaining and growth capital activities. Non-IFRS financial measure - Net cash SilverCrest calculates net cash by deducting debt from cash and cash equivalents as reported in the consolidated statements of financial position. The Company believes that in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, net cash is useful to evaluate its liquidity and capital resources. Net Cash June 30, 2023 March 31, 2023 $ 000 's $ 000 's Cash and cash equivalents 53,413 45,765 Debt - (24,811) Net cash 53,413 20,954 Non-IFRS financial measure Treasury assets SilverCrest calculates treasury assets as cash and cash equivalents plus bullion as reported in the consolidated statements of financial position. The Company believes that in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, treasury assets is useful to evaluate its liquidity and capital resources. Treasury assets June 30, 2023 $ 000 's March 31, 2023 $ 000 's Cash and cash equivalents 53,413 45,765 Bullion 5,634 1,985 Treasury Assets 59,047 47,750 Non-IFRS financial measure - Cash costs and cash costs per silver equivalent ounce sold The Company uses cash costs per ounce of precious metals sold to monitor its operating performance internally. The most directly comparable measure prepared in accordance with IFRS is cost of sales. The Company believes this measure provides investors and analysts with useful information about its underlying cash costs of operations. The Company also believes it is a relevant metric used to understand its operating profitability and ability to generate cash flow. Cash costs are measures developed by precious metals companies in an effort to provide a comparable standard; however, there can be no assurance that the Company's reporting of these non-IFRS financial measures are similar to those reported by other mining companies. They are widely reported in the silver mining industry as a benchmark for performance, but do not have a standardized meaning and are disclosed in addition to IFRS financial measures. Cash costs include production costs, refinery and transportation costs and extraordinary mining duty. Cash costs excludes non-cash depreciation and depletion and site share-based compensation. Cash costs per silver equivalent ounce sold is calculated by dividing cash costs by the silver equivalent ounces sold. Non-IFRS financial measure - AISC and AISC per silver equivalent ounce sold The Company defines AISC as the sum of total cash costs (as defined above); general and administrative expenses; share-based compensation; reclamation and closure provision depletion and accretion related to current operations; sustaining capital expenditures relating to current operations, including underground mine development and exploration and evaluation costs; and payments for leases. Corporate and allocated general and administrative expenses do not include non-cash depreciation. As this measure seeks to reflect the full cost of silver equivalent production from current operations, growth capital is excluded. Certain other cash expenditures, including tax payments and financing charges are also excluded. There are some slight differences in the way that Cash Costs and AISC were calculated in the Report compared to the Company's definitions as the Report looks at the standalone operation. The Report includes 7.5% mining royalty (treated as an income tax under IFRS) but excluded corporate and allocated general and administrative expenses and share-based compensation. ( $ 000 's, except per ounce amounts) Q2, 2023 Q1, 2023(2) H1, 2023 Cost of sales from financial statements $ 23,706 $ 22,377 $ 46,083 Less: depreciation and depletion (4,990) (4,045) (9,035) Less: changes in inventories 877 (906) (29) Less: corporate salaries and other expenses in cost of sales (1,003) (1,163) (2,166) Total cash costs 18,590 16,263 34,853 Add: sustaining capital expenditures 10,103 5,181 15,284 Total all-in sustaining costs at the mine level $ 28,693 $ 21,444 $ 50,137 Add: reclamation and closure provision - depletion and accretion 225 199 424 Add: changes in inventories (877) 906 29 Add: corporate general and administrative expenses (including share-based compensation) 2,894 3,520 6,414 Add: corporate salaries and other expenses in cost of sales 1,003 1,163 2,166 Total all-in sustaining costs $ 31,938 $ 27,232 $ 59,170 AgEq koz sold (79.51:1)(1) 2,515 2,490 5,005 Total cash costs per oz sold $ 7.39 $ 6.53 $ 6.96 All-in sustaining costs per oz sold at the mine level $ 11.41 $ 8.61 $ 10.02 All-in sustaining costs per oz sold $ 12.70 $ 10.94 $ 11.82 (1) For consistency with the comparative period, the AgEq ratio reported during Q1, 2023 was changed from 86.9:1 to 79.51:1, resulting in a change from 2,595 koz AgEq sold reported in Q1, 2023 to 2,490 koz AgEq sold. (2) Previously reported as AISC at the project level and at the corporate level for Q1, 2023 as $10.09 /oz AgEq sold and $11.45 /oz AgEq sold, respectively. Q1, 2023 AISC has been updated to conform to the presentation format and calculation of costs adopted in Q2, 2023. This presentation change, which reallocated site share-based compensation, corporate costs, exploration costs, reclamation and closure provision and changes in inventories from AISC at the mine level was made to better align with the format presented in the Updated Technical Report. On a go-forward basis, the Company plans to only report corporate level AISC. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/silvercrest-reports-second-quarter-2023-results-and-guidance-for-h2-2023-301897290.html SOURCE SilverCrest Metals Inc. GREENVILLE, S.C. , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sttark, a leading US custom packaging manufacturer, is delighted to share its success leveraging Alibaba to revolutionize its production processes. By working with Guangya Machinery Co., Ltd in China to procure advanced flatbed die-cutting machinery, Sttark has significantly streamlined its production process and achieved exceptional results. Sttark encourages other US manufacturers to consider Alibaba for fast, cost-effective equipment procurement solutions. Faced with extended lead times and high costs from conventional European manufacturers, Sttark turned to Alibaba for reputable Chinese manufacturers. This decision drastically expedited the process. The cost of the LK 800 flatbed die-cutting machine from Guangya was approximately 20% of the cost of equivalent models from European manufacturers. Following its arrival in the US, it took only one week to reach Sttark's facility. The entire process from order to delivery was accomplished in an astonishing nine weeks. Having used the machine for over two months, Sttark has seen great results. The seamless installation and setup enabled production to begin within days of delivery and be fully operational the same week. Switching from rotary die-cutting equipment to the flatbed machine has been revolutionary. With average 15-minute setup times that use only 20 sheets, this purchase has increased production speeds remarkably. The flatbed machine's throughput has proven 3-4 times faster than its predecessor. Additionally, Sttark has benefited from cost-effective dies and reduced lead times for new die orders. Sttark recommends other US manufacturers explore Alibaba's purchasing options. The cost and lead time advantages over Western suppliers are substantial, making it an attractive option for industrial equipment procurement. While the time difference with China's support team may seem challenging, the benefits outweigh these factors. Having a competent in-house maintenance team largely mitigates the need for overseas support. For US Manufacturers considering Alibaba, Ryan Quinn , Director of Sttark's Custom Cartons , offers valuable advice: "Research the manufacturer thoroughly, read their reviews, and ensure your organization has an in-house team capable of servicing the equipment. With these elements in place, Alibaba presents an excellent avenue to acquire industrial machinery. In terms of quality and value, we have been extremely satisfied with this purchase." Sttark's commitment to innovation continues to elevate its production capabilities and customer satisfaction. Their Alibaba success story underscores the company's dedication to industry excellence. All US manufacturers can benefit from this transformative equipment procurement approach, reshaping the manufacturing efficiency landscape. Contact: Anissa Mollett [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sttarks-success-story-alibaba-transforms-us-manufacturers-equipment-procurement-301897302.html SOURCE Sttark The regulator is not getting the full picture of incidents that are gridlocking San Francisco . After losing over $1 billion during the first two quarters, GM Cruise is facing immense financial pressure to gain swift regulatory approval. LOS ANGELES , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of the August 10 vote by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) over robotaxi service in San Francisco , Consumer Watchdog urges the regulator to vote against unlimited expansion for Waymo and Cruise vehicles and require better reporting data. "The technology is simply not there, and the public isn't getting the full picture. There is a clear disconnect between what Waymo and Cruise are saying about the safety of their vehicles and what the public and first responders are dealing with on a day-to-day basis," said Justin Kloczko , tech and privacy advocate for Consumer Watchdog. Cars have been abruptly stopping, blocking traffic, flashing wrong turn signals, and impeding emergency responders from doing their jobs. "The city of San Francisco said there have been over 240 such reported incidents since the beginning of the year. But you wouldn't know it if you asked regulators or the robotaxi companies themselves. They don't have to report such incidents," said Kloczko. The resolutions before the CPUC do not mention these reported incidents. While the regulator is looking into the issue of data reporting, it cannot leapfrog this safety concern and go ahead with the vote, according to Consumer Watchdog. The data reporting requirements at a minimum must be on the books first, and once the CPUC sees the full picture it should understand that robotaxis put not only passengers but the general public in danger, said the advocacy group.. Read Consumer Watchdog's letter here. "These robotaxis would definitely fail a driver's license test," said Kloczko. "The CPUC can't pass the buck to the Department of Motor Vehicles. It has the appropriate regulatory authority and it should use it." The CPUC shouldn't just take Waymo's word for it, said the advocacy group. City departments estimated Waymo vehicles were involved in collisions with injuries reported at a rate 1.3 times higher than the national average of human-driven vehicles. This analysis is based on data that Waymo submitted to federal regulators, the CPUC and the Department of Motor Vehicles. Further, current CPUC voting member John Reynolds is a former Cruise lawyer, who worked for the robotaxi company before joining the CPUC in 2021. Consumer Watchdog calls on Reynolds to recuse himself from the Cruise expansion vote. He did so last year in a vote involving Cruise. Cruise has yet to turn a profit in its 10-year existence. It lost $611 million during the second quarter this year, according to a recent earnings report. The total loss so far for 2023 is over $1 billion . Despite this Cruise expects to make $1 billion in revenue by 2025. "There is tremendous financial pressure to get swift regulatory approval," said Kloczko. Currently, Waymo only has the authority to offer fared passenger service in San Francisco with a safety driver present. If the vote passes, it will give the companies unlimited expansion. " Los Angeles is next. An unlimited approval would be irresponsible. The CPUC needs to pump the brakes on expansion," said Kloczko. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-california-public-utilities-commission-must-reject-robotaxi-expansion-says-consumer-watchdog-301897167.html SOURCE Consumer Watchdog HOHHOT, China , Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On the morning of August 5 , the opening ceremony of the first World Dairy Industry Conference (WDIC) was held in Hohhot , the capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China . Jointly organized by the Hohhot municipal government and Yili Group, together with other parties, the conference convenes industrial stakeholders from all over the world to exchange views on green and sustainable development of the global dairy industry. At the opening ceremony, the city of Hohhot was awarded the titles of "The Dairy Breeding Capital of China " and "The Dairy Science and Technology Capital of the World". Besides, the successful launch of the National Center of Technology Innovation for Dairy marks another milestone in the high-quality development of China's dairy industry. As one of the most important partners of the project and its first member institute, Yili has been working on all fronts to facilitate the establishment of the Center since 2019. At the opening ceremony, Mr. Pan Gang , Chairman and President of Yili Group, said that the global dairy industry is entering a new chapter of growth. Emphasizing the role of "cooperation, innovation, digitalization and green development" as the four pillars of high-quality development, he highlighted the need for the industry to accelerate the establishment of a resilient industrial chain. To help do so, the Asian dairy giant has developed its Yili Ecosystem Mechanism, which targets technical and financial issues faced by the industry by providing its partners with multi-dimensional support that covers technical services, financial support and other areas. By the end of July 2023 , Yili had assisted about 12,000 pasture partners in raising over 130 billion Chinese yuan (approximately US$18.13 billion ) of funds to strengthen the value chain extending from pastures to end products. At the WDIC, the industry's cutting-edge innovations and achievements took center stage. Through key technology R&D across the upstream, midstream and downstream segments, Yili has built a global innovation network and led the industry in promoting the digital transformation of the whole industry chain. Featured at the conference, the Yili Global Dairy Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park has set a high benchmark for the industry in terms of smart manufacturing and digital transformation. As a trailblazer of green development, Yili also boasts the industry's most complete carbon inventory database, with solid carbon inventory records compiled in the past 13 consecutive years. Having achieved peak carbon emissions in 2012, the Group has pledged to reach carbon neutrality throughout its entire industry chain by 2050. In the future, Yili will continue its efforts aimed at bringing together global resources, intensifying technological innovation, accelerating digital transformation and building a sustainable ecosystem, in a bid to realize its dream of "World Integrally Sharing Health". Image Attachments Links: Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=441766 Caption: Opening ceremony of the WDIC Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=441773 Caption: Mr. Pan Gang , Chairman and President of Yili Group, delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yili-group-calls-for-global-efforts-to-promote-high-quality-development-across-the-value-chain-at-the-opening-ceremony-of-the-wdic-301896720.html SOURCE Yili Group FILE PHOTO: Florida Governor and Republican U.S. presidential candidate Ron DeSantis attends a barbecue hosted by former diplomat Scott Brown, as part of his "No B.S. Backyard BBQ" series, in Rye, New Hampshire, U.S. July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Reba Saldanha/ By Gram Slattery WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A staff shake-up by 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is unlikely to presage a major strategy shift, according to several people close to the campaign, despite increasing pressure from some top donors to dramatically change course due to a slump in the polls. DeSantis' camp on Tuesday announced that it was ousting campaign manager Generra Peck and bringing in two top outside strategists. Replacing Peck, who is now the campaign's chief strategist, is James Uthmeier, previously the governor's chief of staff. Those changes followed a staffing shakeup in July, when some 38 positions were slashed amid concerns about high spending on payroll. DeSantis promised a leaner operation and a sharper focus on smaller gatherings to enable him to connect better with voters. Some donors -- who campaigns need to stay afloat financially -- have called on the governor to make a sharper course correction and adopt more moderate positions on divisive social issues such as abortion. The Florida governor has been losing ground to former President Donald Trump, who holds a 34-point lead in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Campaign insiders and donors say the replacement of Peck is unlikely to quell anxiety about the direction of DeSantis' campaign. Peck's removal came four days after Robert Bigelow, the biggest individual donor to a group supporting the DeSantis candidacy, told Reuters he would not give more money unless the governor changes his approach because "extremism isn't going to get you elected." Bigelow took particular issue with a six-week abortion ban that DeSantis signed this spring. The governor has also faced backlash for new Florida teaching standards that require public school students to be taught in Black history lessons that some slaves developed skills that "could be applied for their personal benefit." Uthmeier, a staunch conservative with no experience in national electoral politics, was chosen mainly due to his acumen as a manager rather than a strategist, according to two sources close to the campaign. One major donor called the move a "sideshow," while a third called it principally "organizational" rather than a matter of strategy. "No one would accuse James of being a moderate," said one associate of Uthmeier, who requested anonymity to speak frankly. That person acknowledged the campaign was fielding calls from donors who were advocating a shift to the middle, though the campaign was holding firm, saying their positions were consistent with those of the Republican primary electorate. Some donors argue that DeSantis is alienating potential voters by advocating positions that are mostly attractive to the right wing of the Republican Party, which Trump already has an iron grip on. NEW CAMPAIGN MANAGER, SAME STRATEGY Uthmeier's appointment had been in the works for weeks, said one person close to the process. Shortly before a donor retreat in Utah in July, during which some donors asked pointed questions about the direction of the campaign, Uthmeier had been tasked by the governor with reviewing the campaign's books and giving DeSantis his evaluation of the operation, that person said. Uthmeier, who was DeSantis' legal counsel before he was chief of staff, has no experience with electoral politics, though he is widely seen as an effective manager. "With him, the governor has basically imposed his will in Tallahassee," said another person close to Uthmeier, referring to Florida's capital city. "Can he accomplish the same goals when it comes to national politics? That's to be determined right now." Joining Uthmeier as a deputy campaign manager will be David Polyansky, a seasoned political operative with deep knowledge of early nominating state of Iowa, who was previously with Never Back Down, the main outside spending group supporting DeSantis. Marc Reichelderfer, a Tallahassee-based political operative will also take a major strategic position within the campaign, the first person said, though his title was not immediately clear. Uthmeier is expected to lean heavily on those two people for strategic advice, the first person added. Top donors are expected to receive a briefing on Thursday going over the most recent changes, according to that person and a donor. (Reporting by Gram Slattery, editing by Ross Colvin and Alistair Bell) While most Middle East organisations (84%) consider AI as one of their top priorities, only 16% of firms implement RAI (Responsible AI) policies, processes, and/or approaches, according to new research. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) landscape has changed dramatically over the past year with the swift adoption of Generative AI (GenAI), making it more difficult for organisations to be responsible with the technology and putting pressure on RAI programmes to keep up with continuous advances, the research by MIT Sloan Management Review (MIT SMR) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said. The report, titled Building Robust RAI Programmes as Third-Party AI Tools Proliferate, is based on a global survey of 1,240 respondents, representing organisations reporting at least $100 million in annual revenues, across 59 industries and 87 countries. Dramatic change The AI landscape in the Middle East, both from a technological and regulatory perspective has changed dramatically, said Elias Baltassis, Partner & Director, BCG X. The rapid adoption of generative AI tools has brought AI to the forefront of conversations in the region. Yet, the fundamentals of responsible AI remain crucial. This year, our research emphasises the pressing need for Middle Eastern organisations to invest in and scale their RAI programmes to address the growing uses and risks of AI in a region that is increasingly embracing digital transformation. In the Middle East, the components of Responsible AI (RAI) programmes encompass broad principles (43%), policies (49%), governance (76%), monitoring (49%), tools and implementation (51%), and change management (43%). Individual considerations within these RAI programmes include transparency and explainability (62%), social and environmental impact (59%), accountability (57%), fairness (54%), safety, security, and human wellbeing (68%), and data security and privacy (86%). Both leaders and laggards need to step up The Middle East regional survey reveals that 25% of organisations are RAI Leaders, while 75% are Laggards highlighting the urgent need for most organisations in the region to double down on their RAI efforts. The data suggests that organisations in the region can experience a range of benefits from RAI, including better products/services (43%), brand differentiation (27%), increased customer retention (43%), improved long-term profitability (30%), accelerated innovation (41%), and improved recruiting and retention (16%). Widespread reliance on third-party AI The vast majority (78%) of organisations surveyed globally are highly reliant on third-party AI tools, exposing them to a host of risks, including reputational damage, the loss of customer trust, financial loss, regulatory penalties, compliance challenges, and litigation. Still, one-fifth of organisations that use third-party AI tools fail to evaluate their risks at all. A rapidly evolving regulatory landscape Only 38% of organisations feel adequately prepared for AI regulations, highlighting the need for more awareness and preparedness. The regulatory landscape is evolving almost as rapidly as AI itself, with many new AI-specific regulations taking effect on a rolling basis. Organisations subject to regulations account for 13% more RAI Leaders than organisations not subject to them. They also report detecting fewer AI failures than their counterparts that are not subject to the same regulatory pressures (32% versus 38%). Five recommendations The report outlines five recommendations for organisations as they navigate the rapid adoption of AI and the inherent risks associated with it: Move quickly to mature RAI programmes Properly evaluate third-party tools Take action to prepare for emerging regulations Engage CEOs in RAI efforts to maximise success Double down and invest in RAI CEO engagement is key CEOs play a key role in both affirming an organisations commitment to AI and sustaining the necessary investments in it. Organisations with a CEO who takes a hands-on role in RAI efforts (such as by engaging in RAI-related hiring decisions or product-level discussions or setting performance targets tied to RAI) report 58% more business benefits than do organisations with a less hands-on CEO, regardless of their leader status.--TradeArabia News Service BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Public Security on Wednesday called on traffic management departments in flood-affected regions across the country to take measures to ensure traffic services and aid the resumption of normal life. In the hard-hit areas of Beijing and Hebei Province, traffic management authorities should establish temporary service centers for tasks like motor vehicle registration, license issuance and handling traffic accidents, the ministry said, adding that there should be an expeditious effort to restore these services to normal operation. Due to a significant surge in demand for services such as vehicle license plate replacement and addressing vehicle damage after floods, local traffic authorities should streamline service procedures and be prepared to extend working hours as needed. The center responsible for handling damage-related claims has been directed to resume its operations as soon as possible. The ministry has also urged local traffic authorities to promote the use of online platforms for services like license plate replacement. (Reuters) - Aptiv PLC does not expect semiconductor prices to cool off in the near future, the auto parts supplier said on Wednesday. Even though supply-chain challenges are easing, prices of certain parts remain high, denting profits. The company said the "real challenge" is in obtaining chips, whose prices have risen 25% to 30%, while supply chains remain tight. The Dublin-based company said demand for new vehicles remains strong in North America and Europe, but flagged concerns around underlying GDP growth in China. Aptiv, which counts General Motors and Ford among its customers, also said it is positioned to have "enough" inventory to combat possible disruptions in case of a strike at the two Detroit carmakers by the autoworkers' union. "We have the flexibility to adjust down and then back up if there is a labor disruption," Aptiv's chief executive Kevin Clark said at the JPMorgan auto conference. United Auto Workers (UAW) is seeking improved benefits, including double-digit pay rises and defined-benefit pensions, for all workers in its talks with automakers Ford Motor, General Motors and Stellantis , also known as the Detroit Three. (Reporting by Pratyush Thakur in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Pooja Desai) NAIROBI (Reuters) -At least six people were killed in an explosion targeting a passenger bus travelling in a region outside Somalia's capital on Wednesday, the state news agency said. Somali News Agency, citing Mohamed Ibrahim, governor of Lower Shabelle region, said the attack happened on a road between Qoryoley and Marka districts and that another 12 people had been injured. Ibrahim said a terrorist attack had caused the explosion, the news agency said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Ibrahim did not say which group was suspected to have carried out the attack. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has in the past taken responsibility for similar attacks. The group has been fighting since 2006 to topple Somalia's central government and establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. (Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Bernadette Baum) People take part in Belarusians' march through Warsaw on the third anniversary of the 2020 presidential election which was followed by mass protests over alleged electoral fraud, in Warsaw, Poland, August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel WARSAW (Reuters) - Hundreds of opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko marched through the Polish capital Warsaw on Wednesday to mark the third anniversary of their unsuccessful attempt to unseat him in an election they say was rigged. Protests dragged on for months after Lukashenko claimed victory in the Aug. 9, 2020 presidential election. Western countries backed the protesters' demand for a peaceful transfer of power and slapped economic sanctions on Belarus. Lukashenko's security forces cracked down violently on the protests, triggering a mass exodus of Belarusians, many of whom set up home in neighbouring Poland. "It's a very important day, three years since the start of our protests against Lukashenko, who stole our elections, our country," said 54-year-old doctor Sviatlana Mishurova. "We want our country to be free, so that the people in our country are free to choose their president." Marchers waved the historical Belarusian red and white flag, which is now the symbol of the opposition. One bore the slogan "For our freedom and yours". Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron first since 1994, using the security forces to intimidate, beat and jail his foes or force them to flee abroad. Exiled opponents of Lukashenko met in Warsaw on Sunday to display unity and plan strategy including the issuance of "New Belarus" passports. Set up in August 2022 by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarus's self-declared government-in exile has opened more than 20 alternative embassies and information centres abroad. While the opposition is united by their anger at Lukashenko's rule, they are divided over tactics with some saying it is time to do more to organise armed resistance. (Reporting by Kuba Stezycki; Writing by Alan Charlish; Editing by Gareth Jones) (Reuters) -A child was killed and two people injured when a Ukrainian artillery shell hit a two-storey building in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, the Russian-appointed head of the region, Denis Pushilin, said on Wednesday on his Telegram channel. The Donetsk region had been partly under the control of pro-Russian separatists since 2014 until Moscow announced last year that it was annexing the province. Russia, which early last year launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that it called a "special military operation", says Ukrainian forces shell the Russian-controlled parts of the Donetsk region on a daily basis. Separately, the Interfax news agency cited Russian-appointed officials in Ukraine's southerly Zaporizhzhia region as saying four civilians had been killed and two wounded by Ukrainian shelling in the village of Trudove, about 15 km (9 miles) east of the town of Tokmak. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia's Belgorod region on Ukraine's northeastern border, said one person had been killed by Ukrainian shelling in the border village of Gorkovsky. The Belgorod region has suffered frequent artillery and drone attacks in the last few months, and in May saw an armed cross-border incursion by a raiding party purportedly consisting of Russian nationals. (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Bernadette Baum) BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group on Wednesday denied planning an attack against top prosecutor Francisco Barbosa and asked for a special meeting of the commission overseeing its ceasefire with the government. Barbosa's office on Tuesday said it was investigating a plan to attack him using snipers and that the plot was to be carried out by an urban group of the guerrillas. The ELN, a Marxist group that has fought the state since 1964, and the government of leftist President Gustavo Petro less than a week ago began a six-month ceasefire as part of peace talks to end the rebels' part in Colombia's conflict. "The news announced by Attorney General Barbosa is false. With it, he attempts to sabotage the dialogue process that is developing between the government and the ELN," the group's negotiating team said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "The ELN has requested an extraordinary meeting today of the monitoring and verification mechanism to examine the situation created by the false accusations of the attorney general, which creates great difficulties in the development and confidence of the process," the ELN added, referring to a commission set up to verify that both sides comply with the ceasefire. Barbosa has publicly opposed many of Petro's peace promises, including a pending law which would reduce prison sentences for crime gangs who surrender, recognize their crimes and offer reparations to victims. Deputy Attorney General Martha Janeth Mancera denied in comments to journalists that the office was trying to sabotage peace talks, saying it has suspended 29 arrest warrants against ELN members to facilitate their participation in the talks. The ELN negotiations have advanced further than any of Petro's other peace-building efforts, and the group's leadership has repeatedly stressed that its members are united in their desire to seek a peace deal. Previous negotiations have faltered due to continued violence, including a 2019 bombing which killed 22 police cadets, dissent within the ELN's ranks, and its radical demands. (Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Alistair Bell) By Tilman Blasshofer WINTZENHEIM, France (Reuters) - Eleven people died in a fire that tore through a holiday home for disabled people in eastern France in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said. The blaze broke out around 6.30 a.m. (0430 GMT), as the holiday-goers with learning disabilities and their carers were still asleep in the two-storey building in the town of Wintzenheim, about 70 km (50 miles) south of Strasbourg. "I can confirm there are 11 victims," deputy prosecutor Nathalie Kielwasser told reporters as Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and other officials visited the site of the fire. A firefighter told Borne, who described the blaze as a "shocking tragedy," that eight bodies had been found and three more were thought to have been located under the rubble. Local media said the dead were 10 people with disabilities and one carer. A neighbour, Nathalie, told BFM TV that she heard people scream and saw huge clouds of smoke from her window. "Everything happened very quickly," an unnamed witness told France 3 TV. The holiday home was rented for the summer by two charities that take care of people with learning disabilities, with each group occupying one floor of the house. Twenty-eight people were staying there, 17 of whom managed to escape the fire. "A few of the people who were (sleeping) on the first floor managed to escape, but most of those who got out were on the ground floor," Lieutenant Colonel Philippe Hauwiller, who headed the rescue operations, told reporters earlier in the day. The fire destroyed about two-thirds of the building. An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the blaze. Kielwasser told reporters it had likely been a low-level fire that had burnt for a while before growing bigger and tearing the house down. Those missing were likely to have been aged between 25 and 50, Wintzenheim deputy mayor Daniel Leroy told BFM TV. (Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau in Paris and Tilman Blasshofer in Wintzenheim, and Zhifan Liu, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Blandine Henault; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Bernadette Baum, Toby Chopra and Jonathan Oatis) FILE PHOTO: A central processing unit (CPU) semiconductor chip is displayed among flags of China and U.S., in this illustration picture taken February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo By Andrea Shalal and Karen Freifeld (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday moved to start prohibiting some U.S. investments in certain sensitive technologies in China, and requiring government notification of other investments, but said it would take time before the moves take effect. President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order directing the U.S. Treasury Department to regulate certain U.S. investments in semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum computing and artificial intelligence. Following are some key details: 'COUNTRIES OF CONCERN' The order lays out plans to regulate investments in certain "countries of concern," with a separate annex naming China, Hong Kong and Macau as initial targets. Further countries could be added later, a senior administration official told Reuters. The outbound investment program would require notification of many investments while prohibiting only a few. Officials said the goal is to avert the "most acute" national security risks by regulating investments in Chinese companies and entities in areas that could give China military and intelligence advantages. The rules will not be retroactive, applying only to future investments, an administration official said. The United States already bans or restricts the export to China of many technologies and products under consideration for the new program, but restricting investment would prevent U.S. funds from helping China cement its own domestic capabilities, which could undermine existing export controls and inbound investment screening programs. RULEMAKING PROCESS Along with Biden's order, Treasury issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking, which will allow companies and investors time to comment before it moves forward with a formal notice of proposed regulation. That would allow for further public comment, before Treasury can finalize the new regulations. Experts said the whole process could take many months, pushing enactment of the new regulations well into 2024 - a presidential election year. Treasury would have the authority to investigate potential violations and pursue available penalties, officials said, adding that it could also unwind future investments. INTANGIBLE BENEFITS Treasury said the program was expected to focus on U.S. persons engaged in transactions that could convey "intangible benefits" to Chinese entities, including equity interests, greenfield investments and joint ventures. It is considering creating an exception for investments in publicly traded securities, index funds, mutual funds and other instruments that were less likely to result in intangible benefits. PROHIBITIONS AND NOTIFICATIONS Treasury said it was considering banning U.S. investments in Chinese development of electronic design automation software or semiconductor manufacturing equipment; the design, fabrication, or packaging of advanced integrated circuits; and the installation or sale of supercomputers. It was considering requiring notification for investments in firms working on the design, fabrication, and packaging of less advanced integrated circuits. U.S. investments in Chinese production of quantum computers, development of certain quantum sensors, and quantum networking and communication systems could also be banned. In the AI sector, Treasury said it is considering notification requirements for U.S. investments in Chinese entities working on software that incorporates an AI system and could have military or intelligence applications. It is also asking stakeholders how to shape a prohibition on U.S. investments in Chinese activities related to software that incorporates an AI system and is designed for uses that could have national security implications, to ensure any measures are "appropriately tailored" in the final rules. CONSULTATION WITH ALLIES Officials said the moves had been carefully discussed with allies and partners, and that U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, had repeatedly and clearly told Beijing that Washington would narrowly limit the restrictions. No coordinated action by allies was expected on Wednesday, although Britain and the European Union have already signaled their intention to move along similar lines, and the Group of Seven advanced economies agreed in June that restrictions on outbound investments should be part of the overall toolkit. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal in Washington and Karen Freifeld in New York; Additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Matthew Lewis) FILE PHOTO: Republican presidential candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, delivers remarks at the annual Christians United for Israel Summit (CUFI), at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., July 17, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Wurm/File P (Reuters) -Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended a county prosecutor after accusing her of being soft on crime, making her the second elected Democratic law-enforcement official to be removed by the Republican presidential hopeful. DeSantis issued an executive order suspending Monique Worrell, the lead prosecutor in Orange and Osceola counties, and replacing her with Orange County Judge Andrew Bain, who the governor appointed to the bench in 2020. "Worrells practices and policies have too often allowed violent criminals to escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct," DeSantis said in a statement. Worrell, elected in 2020, said her dismissal was an "attack on democracy" and her legal team was exploring options. "Everyone - Democrat, Republican, independent or otherwise - should be concerned that here, in the state of Florida, one person can remove duly elected officials because they are not politically aligned," Worrell said during an appearance on MSNBC's "The Reid Out". Fair and Just Prosecution, an organization of progressive prosecutors, criticized the move. "This is a deeply disturbing abuse of power that overrules the will of voters and threatens the separation of powers," the group's executive director, Miriam Krinsky, said in a statement. Worrell is not the first Florida prosecutor whom DeSantis has dismissed. Last August, he suspended the Democratic state's attorney for Hillsborough County, Andrew Warren, who had pledged that he would not bring criminal cases against people seeking or providing abortions despite legal restrictions that Florida has placed on the procedure. Warren's lawyer accused DeSantis of targeting dissenting voices, but a federal judge upheld the suspension. In public opinion polls, DeSantis is running a distant second behind former President Donald Trump in the race for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election. He replaced his campaign manager on Tuesday in an attempt to reboot his campaign. DeSantis' office sent a letter in April to Worrell's office demanding that she hand over the criminal and judicial record of a suspect accused of killing three people, including a 9-year-old. At the time, the governor criticized her office for failing to keep the suspect in jail for previous crimes. Worrell responded by saying she stood behind all decisions regarding the suspect's juvenile and adult dispositions. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; additional reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Stephen Coates) SARAJEVO (Reuters) - The German government has shut down four infrastructure projects in Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic over the secessionist aims of its President Milorad Dodik, the German embassy in Bosnia said in a statement on Wednesday. The projects, worth a combined 105 million euros ($115 million), were suspended in April 2022 after Dodik moved to pull the region out of state institutions, triggering Bosnia's gravest political crisis since its 1990s war. In June, the region's parliament voted to conditionally suspend the rulings of Bosnia's constitutional court and decisions by a German ex-minister who acts as international peace envoy in Bosnia, triggering U.S. sanctions against senior Bosnian Serb officials the following month. "The withdrawal of secessionist measures requested by the German government has not occurred," the embassy said in the statement. "Instead, (Dodik)... and the government have continued to escalate political crisis." For that reason, the suspended projects - two relating to revamping a hydro-power plant, building a wind park and a waste waters management programme - would not resume, it said. The European Union has also repeatedly warned Dodik to halt his secessionist rhetoric and moves undermining the Bosnian state, but has held back from imposing sanctions. Dodik has accused Washington of being biased against Serbs. ($1 = 0.9112 euros) (Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; editing by John Stonestreet) FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators for and against the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down race-conscious student admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina confront each other, in Washington, U.S., June 29, 2023. REUTERS By Nate Raymond BOSTON (Reuters) - Harvard University on Wednesday lost a bid for an insurer to cover up to $15 million of the costs of defending itself in a lawsuit that led to the U.S. Supreme Court barring it and other colleges from considering race as an admissions factor. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower-court judge's November ruling concluding that the Ivy League school waited too long to ask a unit of Zurich Insurance Group to cover expenses arising from the lawsuit. That lawsuit, along with a related case against the University of North Carolina, resulted in a landmark Supreme Court ruling in June that effectively ended affirmative action policies long used to raise the number of Black, Hispanic and other underrepresented minority students on American campuses. Both cases were filed by Students for Fair Admissions, a group founded by affirmative action opponent Edward Blum, which alleged that Harvard's race-conscious admissions policies discriminated against Asian American applicants. In the lawsuit against Zurich filed in 2021, Harvard said the costs of defending against that lawsuit and a related government investigation had already exceeded the $25 million limit in a policy issued by its primary insurer, an AIG Inc unit, which had a $2.5 million deductible. Harvard, which was represented by the law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr in the affirmative action case, sought to force its secondary insurer, Zurich, to cover the excess costs up to a limit of $15 million. But the insurer refused, saying the policy required Harvard to give notice of a claim no later than Jan. 30, 2016, yet the university waited until May 23, 2017 to do so. U.S. Circuit Judge Bruce Selya, writing for Wednesday's three-judge panel, agreed, saying that under Massachusetts law, "the failure to give notice according to the policy's terms and conditions forfeits any right to coverage." Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Zurich declined to comment. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Lincoln Feast) BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese flood control authorities discussed the current rain, floods, geological disaster situation, and the trend of Typhoon Khanun, the sixth typhoon of this year, according to a consultation meeting on Wednesday. The meeting was held by the office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management, joined by the China Meteorological Administration, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and provincial-level flood control offices. Water levels surpassed the alert line in parts of the Haihe and the Songhua rivers, the meeting said, adding that Typhoon Khanun may affect northeast China and bring strong wind and rain. The meeting called for intensifying search and rescue operations for missing individuals, facilitating the relocation of flood-affected residents in advance, and preventing potential secondary disasters. The Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched a professional flood drainage team of 210 people, carrying 111 sets of flood drainage vehicles and equipment Wednesday. China has maintained a level-II emergency response in Tianjin and a level-III response in Beijing, Hebei, Jilin, and Heilongjiang. The International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) logo is displayed, during the GSMA's 2023 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain March 1, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce (Reuters) - International Business Machines said on Wednesday it would host Meta Platforms' artificial intelligence language program on its own enterprise AI platform, watsonx. IBM's watsonx, which helps businesses integrate AI into their workflow, provides early access to the Facebook-parent's Llama 2 to some clients. Since OpenAI's ChatGPT launch late last year stoked interest among consumers and enterprises, businesses have been increasingly looking to bring AI to their processes to improve efficiency and bring advanced capabilities. The enterprise software provider said that the release of Meta's open source AI model will be followed by additional software such as AI tuning studios, fact sheets and other generative AI models. Llama 2 is a commercial version of Meta's open source AI language model launched in July, distributed by Microsoft's cloud Azure services to compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard in the nascent generative AI market. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel) Japan's Education Minister Hirokazu Matsuno speaks at a news conference at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, August 3, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Wednesday that Japan has lodged a protest with Russia over Moscow's suspension of tax treaties. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree suspending Russia's double-taxation agreements with what it calls "unfriendly countries" - those that have imposed sanctions - state news agency RIA reported on Tuesday. "It is regrettable that Russia decided to unilaterally suspend certain provisions of the Japan-Russia tax treaty, which is an unjustified measure that could be detrimental to Japanese citizens and businesses," Matsuno told a news conference. "Japan lodged a protest against Russia through diplomatic channels and asked them to withdraw their decision," he said. Matsuno also said that the government would closely examine Russia's decision, and would collect information on the situation of Japanese companies there and take appropriate action. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Gerry Doyle) BEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanon's culture minister moved to ban the film "Barbie" from cinemas on Wednesday, saying it "promotes homosexuality" and contradicts religious values. Minister Mohammad Mortada is backed by powerful Shi'ite armed group Hezbollah, whose head Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has ramped up his rhetoric against the LGBT community, referring in a recent speech to Islamic texts that call for punishing offenders with death. Mortada's decision said the film was found to "promote homosexuality and sexual transformation" and "contradicts values of faith and morality" by diminishing the importance of the family unit. Based on Mortada's move, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi in turn asked General Security's censorship committee, which falls under the interior ministry and is traditionally responsible for censorship decisions, to review the film and give its recommendation. Kuwait followed in Lebanon's footsteps later in the day, saying it had banned "Barbie" and supernatural horror film "Talk to Me" to protect "public ethics and social traditions", the state news agency said. Lebanon was the first Arab country to hold a gay pride week in 2017 and has generally been seen as a safe haven for the LGBT community in the broadly conservative Middle East. But the issue has come into sharper focus recently, sparking tensions. Mawlawi last year took a decision to ban events "promoting sexual perversion" in Lebanon, understood to refer to LGBT-friendly gatherings. In a speech last month, Nasrallah called on Lebanese authorities to take action against materials he deemed to be promoting homosexuality, including by "banning" them. He said homosexuality posed an "imminent danger" to Lebanon and should be "confronted". In the case of a homosexual act, Nasrallah said in late July, "from the first time, even if he is unmarried, he is killed". On Tuesday, Lebanon's cabinet urged citizens to "cling" to family values following a meeting with the country's top Christian cleric Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai, although it did not mention the LGBT community specifically. Ayman Mhanna, executive director at the non-profit civic Samir Kassir Foundation, told Reuters that Mortada's move came amid "a wave of bigotry". "This is part of a broader campaign that is bringing together Hezbollah, the Christian far right, and other top religious leaders in a focused campaign against LGBT people," Mhanna said. Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, the movie sends Mattel Inc's doll on an adventure into the real world. The film has topped $1 billion in box office ticket sales worldwide since its July 21 debut. (Reporting by Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily; Editing by Toby Chopra, Nick Macfie & Shri Navaratnam) AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken, June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration By Yuvraj Malik (Reuters) - A group of the world's biggest news media organizations called for revised regulations on the use of copyrighted material by makers of artificial intelligence technology, according to an open letter published on Wednesday. The note, signed by industry bodies like the News Media Alliance - which includes nearly 2,000 publications in the United States - and the European Publishers' Council, batted for a framework enabling media companies to "collectively negotiate" with AI model operators regarding the operators' use of their intellectual property. "Generative AI and large language models ... disseminate that content and information to their users, often without any consideration of, remuneration to, or attribution to the original creators. Such practices undermine the media industry's core business models," according to the letter. Services like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard, which use the language producing generative AI, has led to a surge in online content produced by bots and several industries are assessing its impact on their businesses. Most of those services do not disclose what inputs they have used to train their models, although with earlier versions of their models have said they used datasets comprising billions of pieces of information scraped from the internet for training, which include content from news websites. Even as the technology sees wide adoption - several companies have launched features based on generative AI - governments around the world are still deliberating rules to govern its use. The move echoes the news media industry' long-standing effort to secure favorable deals with tech companies like Meta Platforms and Alphabet, which are often accused by publishers of running platforms filled with news content without adequately sharing profits.U.S. lawmakers this year are considering a bill called the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, which allow news broadcasters and publishers with fewer than 1,500 full-time workers to jointly negotiate ad rates with the likes of Google and Facebook. Meanwhile, news companies are beginning to experiment with generative AI and negotiate deals with tech companies for their content to be used to train AI models. News agency Associated Press, one of the signatories of the letter, last month signed a deal with OpenAI to license a part of AP's archive of stories and explore generative AI's use in news. OpenAI also committed $5 million to the American Journalism Project (AJP) under a partnership that will look for ways to support local news through AI. (Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru and Katie Paul in New York; Editing by Maju Samuel) FILE PHOTO: General view of the site of the derailment of a train carrying hazardous waste, in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Alan Freed/File Photo By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Norfolk Southern Corp has agreed to improve conditions for workers rebuilding and cleaning up the site of its February derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the U.S. Labor Department said on Wednesday. The department said the railway company entered into the agreement with the federal government and the Teamsters Railway Union to enhance safety at the site following Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections. A Norfolk Southern-operated train derailed on Feb. 3 in Ohio, causing cars carrying toxic vinyl chloride and other dangerous chemicals to spill and catch fire. OSHA said the railroad will pay $49,111 in penalties for four violations, including for failing to require workers to wear chemical-resistant footwear when walking on contaminated soil, allowing an employee without respiratory protection to pour cement on potentially contaminated soil and not effectively communicating to workers about hazardous chemicals. "This agreement will improve the safety and health controls in place for Norfolk Southern employees who responded and help educate the rail operator's employees on the lessons learned so they are prepared should another emergency occur," said OSHA Area Office Director Howard Eberts. Under terms of the settlement, Norfolk Southern will implement a medical surveillance program for all affected employees who worked at the derailment site, provide union employees with 40 hours of Hazardous Waste Operations and emergency response training for future derailments and create a training program on "lessons learned from the Ohio derailment." Norfolk Southern on Wednesday said it worked closely with OSHA and the union during the investigation: "Weve reached a resolution that provides more training for our people, exceeding OSHA requirements, and makes our responses even safer." CEO Alan Shaw said in March the railroad supports addressing long-term health risks through the creation of a medical compensation fund and has agreed to work with the community on programs to protect drinking water over the long term. In March, Ohio and the U.S. Justice Department sued Norfolk Southern, seeking to ensure the railroad pays the full cost of cleanup and any long-term effects of the derailment. (Reporting by Susan Heavey and David Shepardson; Editing by Doina Chiacu, Deepa Babington and Jonathan Oatis) (This Aug. 9 story has been corrected to add the dropped word 'intermittently' in paragraph 8) By Asif Shahzad and Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's parliament was dissolved by the president on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's advice late Wednesday night, the president's office said, setting the stage for a national election amid political and economic crises. The advice came three days ahead of the parliament's five-year term, which expires on Aug. 12. It will be followed with a caretaker administration to be picked by Sharif and an opposition leader in the outgoing parliament to hold new elections in 90 days. "I will tonight advise the president to dissolve the parliament," the premier had earlier told the parliament. He said he would start discussions with the opposition leader on Thursday to pick from candidates recommended from both sides to nominate as caretaker prime minister. The vote, however, could be delayed several months with the election commission set to start redrawing hundreds of constituencies based on a fresh census. Analysts have said any delay in the election could fuel public anger and add to uncertainty in the nuclear-armed nation. The last general election in July 2018 was won by the party of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who was sworn in days later as prime minister for the first time. Khan has been at the heart of political turmoil since he was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote last year, raising concern about Pakistan's stability. He has since been convicted and jailed in a graft case, following which he has been barred from taking part in any election for five years. Khan has accused the powerful military, which has ruled Pakistan intermittently since independence in 1947, of being responsible for his ouster. The military has denied the charge. Khan was replaced by Sharif, who has been grappling with a debilitating economic crisis and historically high inflation levels as the government implemented painful reforms to secure funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In addition to the legal issues that could crop up if the vote is delayed, the side-lining of Khan, the country's most popular leader according to polls, will cast doubt over the credibility of the elections. (Reporting by Asif Shahzad in Islamabad and Gibran Peshimam in Karachi; Additional Reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Bernadette Baum, Leslie Adler and Jonathan Oatis) A Chinese Coast Guard ship launches what the Coast Guard says is a warning water cannon spray in the direction of a Philippine vessel at an unknown location at sea in this screen grab taken from a video released on August 8, 2023. China Coast Guard/Handou By Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Wednesday denied making an agreement with China to remove a grounded warship that serves as a military outpost in South China Sea, and said if there ever were such a deal, it should be considered rescinded. The Philippines maintains a handful of troops aboard the World War Two-era Sierra Madre at the Second Thomas Shoal, known by Manila as Ayungin shoal, which is located inside its 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). China on Monday accused the Philippines of reneging on a promise made "explicitly" to remove the ship, which was grounded in 1999 to bolster its territorial claims in one of the world's most contested areas. "I'm not aware of any such arrangement or agreement that the Philippines will remove from its own territory its ship," Marcos said in a video statement. "And let me go further, if there does exist such an agreement, I rescind that agreement now". Jonathan Malaya, National Security Council assistant director general, earlier challenged China to produce evidence of the promise. "For all intents and purposes, it is a figment of their imagination," he said. China's embassy in Manila said it had no comment. China and the Philippines have been embroiled for years in on-off confrontations at the shoal, the latest on Saturday. The Philippines accused China's coast guard of using water cannon to impede a resupply mission to the Sierra Madre. The Philippines was "committed to maintain" the rusty ship on the shoal, Malaya said, adding it was "our symbol of sovereignty in a shoal located in our EEZ". An EEZ gives a country sovereign rights to fisheries and natural resources within 200 miles of its coast, but it does not denote sovereignty over that area. The Philippines won an international arbitration award against China in 2016, after a tribunal said Beijing's sweeping claim to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea had no legal basis, including at the Second Thomas Shoal. China has built militarised, manmade islands in the South China Sea and its claim of historic sovereignty overlaps with the EEZs of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Jay Batongbacal, a maritime expert at the University of the Philippines, said control of the Second Thomas Shoal was not only strategic for China but it could be "another ideal place to build a military base." (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty) FILE PHOTO: Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik speaks to the media at the construction site of a barrier at the border between Poland and Belarus, in Tolcze near Kuznica, Poland, February 16, 2022. Grzegorz DabrowskiAgencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTE WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will send 2,000 troops to its frontier with Belarus, the deputy interior minister told state-run news agency PAP on Wednesday, twice the number requested by the Border Guard, to stem illegal crossings and maintain stability. Poland has worried increasingly about the border area since hundreds of battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus last month at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus started military exercises near the border this week, and Lukashenko said several times that he is restraining Wagner fighters who want to attack Poland. Poland has also seen an increase in the number of mainly Middle Eastern and African migrants trying to cross the border in recent months. For the past two years it has accused Belarus of recruiting migrants in poor countries and sending them across the border illegally to foment instability. "This reinforcement will be not by 1,000, but by 2,000 soldiers," Maciej Wasik told PAP. "This decision was made by the Security Committee, this decision was made by (Defence) Minister Mariusz Blaszczak" On Monday had Wasik said that the Border Guard was requesting an additional 1,000 soldiers be deployed. Wasik said that all attempts to illegally enter Poland by migrants were now being organised by Belarusian authorities. "If we had real border guards on the other side, and not smuggling services, these crossings would not exist at all," he said. The Belarusian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Belarus started military exercises near the border this week. (Reporting by Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by Peter Graff) BUCHAREST (Reuters) - A Romanian security officer who was kidnapped from a manganese mining project in Burkina Faso in 2015 has been freed and safely returned to Romania, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Iulian Ghergut was 39 when he was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen from the Tambao manganese mining project in northern Burkina Faso near the border with Mali where he was working in security. Islamist militant group Al-Mourabitoun later claimed the kidnapping, when a speaker for the group said it had offered terms to Romania for his release. The foreign ministry confirmed Ghergut was alive in June of this year. "He has been released and is now safely on Romanian territory," the ministry said in a statement, adding it was thanking "all foreign partners, particularly Moroccan authorities for the important support given to solve this extremely complicated case." West Africa's Sahel region where Ghergut was kidnapped has been shaken by a military coup in Niger in late July following military takeovers in neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad since 2020. (Reporting by Luiza Ilie, editing by Pritha Sarkar) NEW DELHI, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath said the Vikram lander of India's third moon mission Chandrayaan-3 will manage a soft landing on the moon's surface on Aug. 23 even if its two engines and all the sensors stop working. Somanath made the remarks on Tuesday while delivering a speech on "Chandrayaan-3: Bharat's Pride Space Mission" hosted by a Bengaluru-based non-profit organisation. According to the ISRO chief, the entire design of the lander has been made in a manner that makes sure that it would be able to handle failures. "If everything fails, if all the sensors fail, nothing works, still it (Vikram) will make a landing. That's how it has been designed, provided that the propulsion system works well," Somanath was quoted as saying. Chandrayaan 3 was launched on July 14 and put into the lunar orbit on Saturday. A rescuer with a dog works at the site of a blast at the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant in Sergiev Posad in the Moscow Region, Russia August 9, 2023, in this still image taken from video. Russian Emergencies Ministry/Handout via REUTERS (Reuters) -One person was killed, eight were missing and 60 were injured in a blast on Wednesday at the site of an optics and optical electronics factory in the Russian town of Sergiev Posad, 50 km (30 miles) northeast of Moscow, local authorities said. Emergency services said the explosion occurred in a warehouse containing pyrotechnic equipment, state news agency TASS reported. Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said the premises had been rented by a private firm, and that a criminal investigation had been opened into possible violations of safety procedures. He said 38 apartment blocks in the surrounding area had been damaged, along with two schools, a sports complex and a store. TASS quoted emergency services as dismissing early reports that the blast could have been caused by a drone attack, many of which have taken place in Moscow and the surrounding area in recent weeks and months, attributed by Russia to Ukraine. Footage posted on social media, whose location and date were verified by Reuters, showed a huge column of smoke rising above the town. The Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant produces optical equipment for industrial and healthcare applications as well as for the Russian security forces. TASS reported that a major rescue operation involving more than 150 people was underway, citing the Emergencies Ministry as saying it had sent its lead units, "Tsentrospas" and "Leader", to the site of the blast. Russian agencies quoted local authorities as saying a state of emergency had been declared in the area. (Reporting by ReutersWriting by Kevin LiffeyEditing by Gareth Jones) By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea said on Wednesday its ban on the sale of arms to Myanmar remained in place even though it had invited an envoy appointed by its military rulers to an event promoting the sale of weapons. Thomas Andrews, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, had expressed "extreme concern" that the Myanmar ambassador, Thant Sin, attended the event hosted by South Korea's foreign ministry in May, saying it had legitimised the junta and raised doubts about South Korea's ban. Myanmar has been in crisis since the military ousted an elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, with most Western governments isolating the generals and cutting off arms sales but others, including Russia and China, maintaining close relations. "Our government has been still strictly implementing countermeasures against Myanmar since they were announced shortly after the outbreak of the crisis, including a ban on exports of military supplies, and there is no change in this position," the South Korean ministry said in a statement. Andrews had said in a letter to South Korea's diplomatic mission in Geneva that the envoy's "participation in the event legitimises an illegal and brutal military junta". The invitation to Thant Sin also "raises doubts" about South Korea's ban on arms exports to Myanmar and could imply its intention to permit the sale, despite the junta's responsibility for attacks on civilians, Andrews said. South Korea's Geneva-based diplomatic mission said last month the invitation was sent to all countries in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in line with "established practice" and was "absolutely unrelated" to its policy towards Myanmar's military. Close U.S. ally South Korea had not conducted any arms transactions with Myanmar since 2019 but operates major development projects there. Andrews, following a visit to South Korea in November, urged it to take even stronger action to deny the Myanmar junta legitimacy and help reverse the crisis. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; editing by Robert Birsel) FILE PHOTO: A Southwest Airlines aircraft flies past the U.S. Capitol before landing at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., January 24, 2022. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) -Southwest Airlines Co on Tuesday said it will appeal a Texas federal judge's unusual order requiring three of its senior lawyers to attend "religious liberty training" by a prominent conservative Christian legal group. The airline in a statement confirmed that it would file an appeal one day after U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr said the lawyers had undermined his earlier ruling in a religious bias case by Southwest flight attendant Charlene Carter. Starr said that instead of notifying employees of their rights against religious discrimination, as he had ordered Southwest to do, the lawyers penned a memo warning workers not to violate the company policy that led it to fire Carter. Carter says she was fired for criticizing her union's decision to participate in the 2017 Women's March, a nationwide protest following the inauguration of former President Donald Trump, because Planned Parenthood was a sponsor. Carter has said she is a Christian who opposes abortion. Starr, a Trump appointee, gave the lawyers until Aug. 28 to attend an eight-hour training conducted by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is routinely involved in high-profile court cases on abortion and religious liberties. ADF has spearheaded efforts to restrict the availability of abortion pill mifepristone and helped draft a Mississippi abortion ban upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in its June 2022 ruling eliminating women's constitutional right to abortion. Southwest in its statement did not elaborate on the basis for its appeal. Carter is represented by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a conservative worker advocacy group. Mark Mix, the group's president, said Monday's ruling "shuts down Southwest Airlines bald-faced attempt to dodge its responsibility to inform flight attendants of its wrongdoing." Judges often require employers to take steps to remedy discriminatory conduct, such as training workers and adopting new policies, but it is unusual for them to order company officials to undergo training conducted by specific groups. Starr cited older rulings requiring lawyers to attend continuing education or ethics training. The ruling may be unprecedented, and the choice of ADF to conduct the training is troubling given its history of advocating a conservative Christian viewpoint, according to David Lopez, who was general counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) during the Obama administration. That could interfere with the lawyers constitutional rights, he said, especially if they practice other religions. The court is moving into some really dangerous territory here, said Lopez, who is now a law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. But Andrea Lucas, a current EEOC commissioner appointed by Trump, said the case highlighted that many companies view workers' religious liberty as an afterthought. "Companies and their lawyers should take findings of religious discrimination as seriously as discrimination based on race (or) sex," Lucas said. ADF's chief legal counsel, Jim Campbell, said the group was "happy to help" by providing training on laws barring religious discrimination. Every company should respect religious liberty and diverse viewpoints in the workplace," Campbell said in a statement. Southwest has maintained that Carter was fired for harassing coworkers about the Women's March on social media in violation of a company "civility policy." A jury last year found that Southwest and Carter's union had engaged in religious discrimination. Starr ordered them to pay Carter more than $800,000 and reinstate her to her job. Southwest and the union are appealing that decision, which also required the airline to notify employees of their right to express their religious views on social media. Starr on Monday said Southwest flouted that order by instead telling employees that "the court ordered us to inform you that Southwest does not discriminate against our employees for their religious practices and beliefs." Southwest in a memo drafted by the three lawyers - Kerrie Forbes, Kevin Minchey, and Chris Maberry - also defended Carter's firing and said it would continue enforcing its social media policy. (Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Deepa Babington and Jonathan Oatis) By Praveen Menon SYDNEY (Reuters) - A referendum to constitutionally recognise Australia's Indigenous people would fail if held now, opinion polls out this week show, adding pressure on the government to improve its messaging before the date of the vote is announced. Australians will vote in a landmark referendum later this year on whether they support altering the constitution to include a "Voice to Parliament", an Indigenous committee to advise parliament on matters affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people. Supporters argue voting yes will help mend fraught ties with the Aboriginal community and "unite the nation", while recognising the 65,000 year-old culture will bring progress for Indigenous health, education, employment and housing. Some opponents, however, argue the move would hand excessive powers to the Indigenous body, while others have described it as tokenism and toothless. A Guardian poll this week showed more Australians are planning to vote no in the referendum than yes, a first in the survey. Other polls also showed a majority in most states will vote against the constitutional change. "My prediction is that only 46% will vote yes, and therefore it will go down in flames," said Matt Qvortrup, a visiting professor of constitutional law at the ANU College of Law and a global expert on referendums. "Typically in referendums there are issues that people aren't familiar with. And when people are not familiar with an issue they get a little bit of anxious, and then they vote no to them." Parties on both sides of a debate released official pamphlets last month, and are holding road shows about the upcoming vote. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he is undeterred by the poor polling numbers. "I believe Australia is ready," he said in a radio interview on Wednesday, which marked World Indigenous Day. "We are the only former colony in the world that hasn't recognised its first peoples. And what this is about is a very simple proposition. It recognises Indigenous people in our Constitution." "And secondly, it's about listening to Aboriginal people through an advisory body, because you get better results when you listen to people who are directly affected." Australia has no treaty with its Indigenous people, who make up about 3.2% of its near 26 million population and track below national averages on most socio-economic measures. IMAGE TARNISHED The issue of granting Aboriginal communities more say flared again this week, when the West Australia state government overturned new cultural heritage protection laws. Laws were changed after the destruction of ancient rock shelters in 2020 sparked outrage, but were criticised by landowners as unworkable. Getting constitutional change is even more difficult in Australia. The referendum must gain more than 50% of votes nationwide, and a majority of voters in at least four of the six states must back the change. In the past there have been 44 proposals for constitutional change in 19 referendums, and only eight of these have passed. Albanese has said the referendum will be held between October and December, but has given no fixed date. The government has staked significant political capital the referendum's success, while top sporting codes, major corporations and welfare groups have proclaimed support for the campaign. The 'NO' campaign did not respond to Reuters request for comment, but campaign head and Indigenous leader Warren Mundine has slammed big corporations for backing the proposal and said the Voice to Parliament will just adds another layer of bureacracy. "YES" Campaign Director Dean Parkin said 40% Australians are still undecided and there was "plenty of time" to engage them. A failed referendum would "not look good" for Australia's international image, but need not necessarily be bad for Albanese who could emerge as a leader who stands for the modern Australia, Qvortrup said. "Australian prime ministers who lose referendums win elections." ($1 = 1.5225 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Lincoln Feast) SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - Turkish drone strikes on Wednesday killed two Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in two separate attacks in Iraq's northern province of Sulaimaniya, according to Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service and a security source. The first drone attack targeted a vehicle in a mountain area near Sulaimaniya, killing one person identified by the Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service statement as a PKK intelligence official. Two PKK fighters were seriously wounded in the drone strike. A separate Turkish drone strike targeted a vehicle, killing one PKK member and wounding two in an area just 10 km (6 miles) from the mountain resort of Dukan, said the Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service statement. The Dukan area attracts thousands of Iraqi tourists in the summer as they bid to avoid sweltering heat elsewhere. Kurdish security sources said the recent stepping up of drone attacks against PKK targets by Turkey was a worrying development and that the central government in Baghdad should intervene to stop the attacks. Wednesday's attacks were the fourth in three days by Turkey on PKK targets in northern Iraq. Turkey regularly carries out air strikes in northern Iraq and has sent commandos to support its offensives as part of a long-running campaign in Iraq and Syria against militants of the Kurdish PKK and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia. Ankara regards both as terrorist groups. The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. Turkish drone strikes on Sunday killed two Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants and wounded two in Iraq's northern provinces of Sulaimaniya and Dahuk. (Writing by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Bernadette Baum) Chinese electric vehicle start-up Nio Inc. company logo is on display on its initial public offering (IPO) day at the NYSE in New York, U.S., September 12, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid By Jody Godoy (Reuters) - Nio Inc investors can proceed as a class in a lawsuit claiming the Chinese electric vehicle maker lied about building its own factory in Shanghai during its 2018 initial public offering, a U.S. judge has ruled. The lawsuit in federal court in New York seeks damages from Nio, its executives and underwriters for a decline in share price after the carmaker said in March 2019 that it had scrapped plans to build the new factory it had said was "under construction" during the IPO. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis issued an order late Tuesday certifying a class of all investors who bought Nio American Depositary Shares (ADS) in the September 2018 IPO, and a class of investors who purchased ADS between Oct. 8, 2018 and March 5, 2019. The defendants have denied the allegations. Their attorneys did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The ruling is one of the final hurdles for the investors before a trial in the case. Securities class actions rarely go to trial; those that are not dismissed typically result in settlements. The company may also ask the judge to rule in its favor without a trial. The investors anticipated the factory would give Nio its own manufacturing capacity and alleviate its reliance on a Chinese state-owned manufacturer some analysts viewed as "third tier." But construction had never started, the lawsuit alleges, citing former employees and the lack of necessary construction permits. The investors also claimed Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and several other underwriters failed to properly vet the company's statements. When Nio disclosed the plant would not be built in March 2019, its ADS price dropped 30%, from around $10 to $7 per share, the investors said. Nio ADS were trading at around $13.50 per share on Wednesday, down about 3.9% from Tuesday's closing price.The case is In re: NIO, Inc., Securities Litigation, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 19-cv-01424. (Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis) (Reuters) -British retailer John Lewis Partnership has agreed a five-year deal with Alphabet Inc's Google Cloud, enabling it to harness the latest artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology. The employee-owned partnership, which runs John Lewis department stores and the Waitrose supermarket chain, said on Wednesday the new agreement, which builds on a decade-long relationship with Google Cloud, was worth 100 million pounds ($127 million). Under the expanded agreement, more of the partnership's technology will migrate to Google Cloud. The partnership said the cloud provider's AI and ML tools would enable its workforce to be more efficient, spend more time focusing on customers and make better use of data insights to help curate products and services. Seeking cost savings, more retailers are increasing their use of automation, data, and technologies like ML algorithms to produce highly personalised shopping experiences for consumers. Google Cloud agreed a similar deal with European home improvement retailer Kingfisher last November. Zak Mian, the John Lewis Partnership's chief transformation and technology officer, said an example was customers using an image scanning feature in their John Lewis App to show its home design stylists a room they're looking to furnish. "Not only does it save customers a lot of time and hassle, but even before the appointment we can take inspiration from their unique preferences and give tailored recommendations that can even complement products they already have," he said. The partnership, which reported a 234 million pound loss in its 2022-23 year, is halfway through a five-year recovery plan and has said it may seek external investment. ($1 = 0.7849 pounds) (Reporting by Prerna Bedi in Bengaluru and James Davey in London; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Sachin Ravikumar) A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict outside Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, March 29, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File Photo KYIV (Reuters) - A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denied a Russian assertion on Wednesday that Kyiv had tried to attack the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) with a drone. Europe's largest nuclear plant is currently offline, under Russian control in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, near the front line of Russia's conflict with Kyiv. The Russian state news agency RIA had cited Russian security forces, without naming any specific source, as saying Ukraine had tried to attack a spent nuclear fuel storage facility at the plant with a strike drone, which had been forced down. "Ukraine did not carry out any kind of drone attack on the ZNPP, was not planning and will not even in theory do so," the adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said in a statement. RIA distributed a photograph of the purported downed drone, a quadcopter, and said security forces had reached their conclusion by analysing its flight path. But later the Russian state news agency TASS cited Renat Karchaa, adviser to the general director of the Russian nuclear utility Rosenergoatom, as saying the apparent target had been outside the nuclear compound. "According to the information we have, the purpose of this drone was other important objects located outside the Zaporizhzhia NPP," Karchaa said. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Reuters correspondents; Writing by Kevin Liffey: Editing by Angus MacSwan) FILE PHOTO: View shows the "El Roi", a Christian community site where the American nurse Alix Dorsainvil used to work before being kidnapped with her child, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti August 1, 2023. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/File Photo (Reuters) - A U.S. nurse and her child have been safely released after their kidnapping in Haiti two weeks ago, a faith-based humanitarian aid organization where the nurse works said on Wednesday. "We are so thankful for everyone who joined us in prayer and supported us during this crisis," humanitarian aid organization El Roi Haiti said in a statement. The nurse, Alix Dorsainvil, and her child were kidnapped from El Roi Haiti's campus near Port au Prince on July 27. Gang violence in Haiti has sent kidnappings surging, with nearly 300 cases confirmed in the first six months of 2023, almost as many as were documented for the entire previous year, the U.N. Children's Agency, UNICEF, said on Monday. In most cases, children and women are forcefully taken by armed groups and used for financial or tactical gain, UNICEF said. The U.S. State Department welcomed reports of their release but declined to comment further due to privacy concerns, a spokesperson said. "We express our deepest appreciation to our Haitian, and U.S. interagency partners for their assistance in facilitating their safe release," they said. (Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Simon Lewis in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Lisa Shumaker) Smartphone with Epic Games logo is seen in front of Apple logo in this illustration taken, May 2, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday dealt a setback to Epic Games, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite," in its legal battle against Apple, declining to let a federal judge's injunction take effect that could force the iPhone maker to change payment practices in its lucrative App Store. Liberal Justice Elena Kagan, acting for the Supreme Court, denied Epic's request to lift a decision by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that effectively delayed implementing an injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers barring certain App Store rules, while Apple pursues a Supreme Court appeal. The 9th Circuit in April had upheld the injunction but in July put that decision on hold. Kagan handles emergency matters for the Supreme Court arising from a group of states including California. Epic filed an antitrust lawsuit in 2020, accusing Apple of acting as an illegal monopolist by requiring consumers to get apps through its App Store and buy digital content inside an app using its own system - for which it charges up to a 30% commission. Rogers in 2021 rejected Epic's antitrust claims against Apple. But the judge found that Apple violated California's unfair competition law by barring developers from "steering" users to make digital purchases that bypass Apple's in-app system, which Epic could save them money with lower commissions. The judge's injunction required Apple to let app developers provide links and buttons that direct consumers to other ways to pay for digital content that they use in their apps. In seeking to pause the injunction from taking effect while it readies an appeal to the Supreme Court, Apple told the 9th Circuit that Rogers had erred in prohibiting it from enforcing its rules against all app developers in the United States, rather than just Epic. "Apple will be required to change its business model to comply with the injunction before judicial review has been completed," the company told the 9th Circuit. "The undisputed evidence establishes that the injunction will limit Apple's ability to protect users from fraud, scams, malware, spyware, and objectionable content." Epic told the Supreme Court that the 9th Circuit's standard for putting cases on hold is "far too lenient." (Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham) ANTANANARIVO, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The third edition of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo has been a quality platform and a rare opportunity to showcase and promote products from Madagascar and other African countries, and contribute to shared prosperity, Madagascan officials have said. "The fair was attended by businessmen and exhibitors from Madagascar, who had the opportunity to showcase our country's flagship products," said Emi-Haulain Kola, director general of development partnership and the diaspora at the Madagascan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Antananarivo, the national capital. "The event provided them with a high-quality commercial platform, a rare opportunity to showcase our flagship products," he told at a media salon Tuesday organized by the Chinese Embassy in Madagascar. Madagascar was one of the guest countries of honor at the expo. On a 300-square-meter stand, seven companies from Madagascar showcased products ranging from vanilla, cloves, and rum to chocolate, cocoa and essential oils. "This is an economic event of international importance that has enabled political decision-makers, businessmen and participants from different backgrounds to discuss the opportunities and challenges of Sino-African cooperation in a number of areas," Kola said, noting that the fair brought together nearly 9,000 professional buyers and 100,000 visitors. Domohina Rakotovao, head of support for economic operators at the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Consumer Affairs, said the expo was an opportunity to "further promote businessmen and products from Madagascar." "This opportunity will increasingly encourage exporters, both those who took part this time and those who aspire to take part in future events, to make continuous efforts in terms of production, quality and marketing," she said. Rakotovao also pointed out that the Chinese market is gradually opening up to products of Madagascar such as essential oils and cocoa, expressing the hope that more Madagascan products would be showcased at the next edition of the expo. She said that her ministry would like to see "more exchanges of know-how and support in terms of equipment, infrastructure and progressive access to technology" between Madagascar and China. On the sidelines of the exhibition, China and Madagascar signed a protocol on the inspection and quarantine of sheep meat of Madagascar intended for export to China. Describing the protocol as a "significant milestone" for mutually beneficial collaboration, Fanja Raharinomena, secretary general of the Madagascan Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, said it "marks a crucial step in opening up new trade opportunities for Madagascar and strengthens our position on the international market." "Our cooperation in the agriculture and livestock sector paves the way for shared prosperity. This achievement demonstrates the potential of our national livestock and inspires us to implement policies and strategies aimed at rapidly increasing our production capacity, while preserving national consumption and needs," she added. "We are convinced that these joint efforts will continue to bear fruit and further strengthen our partnership for the well-being of our peoples and the prosperity of our nations," Rakotovao said. By Zeba Siddiqui SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday said it had launched a multimillion-dollar cyber contest to spur use of artificial intelligence (AI) to find and fix security flaws in U.S. government infrastructure, in the face of growing use of the technology by hackers for malicious purposes. "Cybersecurity is a race between offense and defense," said Anne Neuberger, the U.S. government's deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology. "We know malicious actors are already using AI to accelerate identifying vulnerabilities or build malicious software," she added in a statement to Reuters. Numerous U.S. organizations, from healthcare groups to manufacturing firms and government institutions, have been hacking targets in recent years, and officials have warned of future threats, especially from foreign adversaries. Neuberger's comments about AI echo those Canada's cybersecurity chief Samy Khoury made last month. He said his agency had seen AI being used for everything from creating phishing emails and writing malicious computer code to spreading disinformation. The two-year contest includes around $20 million in rewards and will be led by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) - the U.S. government body in charge of creating technologies for national security - the White House said. Alphabet's Google, Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI - the U.S. technology firms at the forefront of the AI revolution - will make their systems available for the challenge, the government said. The contest signals official attempts to tackle an emerging threat that experts are still trying to fully grasp. In the past year, U.S. firms have launched a range of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT that allow users to create convincing videos, images, texts, and computer code. Chinese companies have launched similar models to catch up. Experts say such tools could make it far easier to, for instance, conduct mass hacking campaigns or create fake profiles on social media to spread false information and propaganda. "Our goal with the DARPA AI challenge is to catalyze a larger community of cyber defenders who use the participating AI models to race faster using generative AI to bolster our cyber defenses," Neuberger said. The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF), a U.S. group of experts trying to improve open source software security, will be in charge of ensuring the "winning software code is put to use right away," the U.S. government said. (Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in San Francisco; additional reporting by Raphael Satter in Washington; editing by Jonathan Oatis) SAN DIEGO The mother of a U.S. Navy sailor charged with providing sensitive military information to China encouraged him to cooperate with a Chinese intelligence officer, telling her son it might help him get a job with the Chinese government someday, the prosecution said Tuesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Sheppard made the accusation at a hearing in federal court in San Diego in urging the judge not to release Jinchao Wei, who was arrested last week on a rarely used espionage charge. Prosecutors did not name the woman in court. As a result of that The Associated Press could not try to find her or people who could comment on her behalf. Wei is one of two sailors based in California accused of providing sensitive military information to China including details on wartime exercises, naval operations and critical technical material. Prosecutors have not said whether the two were courted or paid by the same Chinese intelligence officer as part of a larger scheme. The Justice Department charged Wei, 22, under a Espionage Act statute that makes it a crime to gather or deliver information to aid a foreign government. Both sailors have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors have said Wei, who was born in China, was first approached by a Chinese intelligence officer in February 2022 while he was applying to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, and admitted to the officer that he knew the arrangement could affect his application. Even so, prosecutors say he provided the officer detailed information on the weapons systems and aircraft aboard the Essex and other amphibious assault ships that act as small aircraft carriers. In arguing against his release, Sheppard told the court on Tuesday that when Wei went home for Christmas to see his mother, who lives in Wisconsin, she was aware of her son's arrangement. She also encouraged him to keep helping the Chinese intelligence officer because it might get him a job someday with China's Communist party after he leaves the U.S. Navy, Sheppard said. The AP asked Wei's defense attorney Jason Conforti in an email if he could speak on behalf of Wei's mother and provide a response to the prosecution's allegations. The AP also asked if he could provide contact information for her. The attorney did not immediately respond to the email. Sheppard told the court that the intelligence officer told Wei that he and the Chinese government were willing to fly him and his mother to China to meet them in person, and that Wei searched online for flights to China this spring. Sheppard said the officer also told Wei to buy a computer and phone to pass the information, and that if Wei provided a receipt, the Chinese government would reimburse him for the expenses. Conforti told the court that Wei is not a danger to the community and no longer has access to any military information. Sheppard countered that Wei's actions put thousands of sailors at risk by revealing sensitive information on Navy ships. The judge ruled to keep him in federal custody without bond. The indictment alleges Wei included as many as 50 manuals containing technical and mechanical data about Navy ships as well as details about the number and training of Marines during an upcoming exercise. Sheppard said Wei has made $10,000 to $15,000 in the past year from the arrangement. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison. The Justice Department also charged sailor Wenheng Zhao, 26, based at Naval Base Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, with conspiring to collect nearly $15,000 in bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for information, photos and videos involving Navy exercises, operations and facilities between August 2021 through at least this May. The information included plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, which detailed the location and timing of naval force movements. WASHINGTON The remains of a soldier who went missing in action in North Korea more than 70 years ago will be buried this week at a cemetery near the mans hometown in Georgia. Army Cpl. Dewey Edwards Rewis Jr. was a member of the 31st Regimental Combat Team of the 7th Infantry Division during the Korean War when his unit came under fire on Dec. 2, 1950, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. The battle, which lasted for close to three weeks in freezing cold weather, began not long after China entered the war in support of North Korea against United Nations forces from South Korea, Britain and the United States. Roughly 120,000 Chinese troops had 30,000 U.N. forces surrounded in the reservoir area. Eventually, the U.N. forces were able to break out and escape. About 7,500 U.S. soldiers and Marines were wounded or killed during the fighting. After the battle, there was no word on Rewis whereabouts for three years until a group of released American prisoners of war told military officials in 1953 that the 18-year-old soldier had been taken prisoner and died after a few months in captivity. Four POWs returned during Operation Big Switch reported Rewis had been a prisoner of war and died in March 1951 at an area called Death Valley, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said. It was not an established POW camp but a collection point for United Nations prisoners. Operation Big Switch was a joint effort to release all prisoners of war from the conflict after U.S. involvement ended in 1953. Rewis remained unaccounted for officially, though the U.S. military knew he died in captivity. In 1954, North Korea turned over American remains that came from the Death Valley area, which is north of the Chosin Reservoir, to the United Nations Command, but none were Rewis. Rewis name did not appear on any of the transfer rosters, and the Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan, did not associate any repatriated remains with him, said the DPAA, the military agency that accounts for missing troops from past conflicts. Rewis was determined to be non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956. The Georgia mans remains stayed in North Korea for decades, until almost 43 years to the day after Rewis went missing, before Pyongyang turned over dozens of boxes of additional American remains to the United Nations Command in 1993. It took years of forensic analysis before the Central Identification Lab in Hawaii found one set of remains belonged to a soldier from the 31st Regimental Combat Team who had died near the Chosin Reservoir. In October, various testing methods including dental, anthropological and mitochondrial DNA analysis concluded those remains were Rewis. Rewis family told WALB-TV in Albany, Ga., that military scientists used paternal DNA from three relatives to help identify the remains. [The family] did have some information back in the 50s about some POWs who were in the camp with Dewey Edwards, and that he had died in that prison camp. But they never had any closure until this recent finding, Austin Deloach, a cousin of Rewis, told the TV station. Rewis remains will be interred Saturday at Wayfare Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Echols County, Ga., Army officials said Tuesday. Rewis was from Waycross, Ga., which is about 40 miles north of the Georgia-Florida border. For decades, Rewis name has been listed on the American Battle Monuments Commissions Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, along with 28,000 other U.S. troops who went missing during the Vietnam War, Korean War and World War II. Now that his remains have been identified, a rosette will be placed next to Rewis name on the monument to signify he now rests in a known gravesite. The Army posthumously awarded Rewis several medals, including the Purple Heart, the Prisoner of War Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Presidential Unit Citation and Republic of Korea War Service Medal. Almost 7,500 American troops from the Korean War are still missing. Hundreds are considered non-recoverable, according to the DPAA. Rewis was in that category for decades until North Korea returned his remains. U.S. remains from the Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953, are still repatriated on occasion. In February, the remains of an unidentified American soldier discovered in Gangwon Province in 2021 were transferred from South Korea to the United States. A joint forensic analysis involving the DPAA found in the fall that they likely belonged to an American service member. (Tribune News Service) Dozens of doohickeys have been scavenged and reinstalled indicators, coordinators, gauges for pressure and altitude, a bright red button to release the cargo. One thing Ive learned is anything red on the plane, you only touched in an emergency, explained Katherine Cuddy, standing on a ladder positioned inside the cockpit. That red thing up there, its the emergency bomb release. This was the escape hatch. Cuddy and her fellow aviation enthusiasts with the South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation can tell you almost anything youd like to know about the B-25C Mitchell Medium Bomber they have been restoring for the better part of a decade. The aircraft has been a fascination to South Carolinians and beyond for nearly a century. Almost 80 years ago, as soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy, a crew on a training mission crashed the plane into Lake Greenwood. It sat 35 feet below the surface for 40 years. Its taken another 40 years to see the plane restored. Crash and recovery The right wing hit the water first, pulled down by the propeller. The plane sputtered, bounced across the lake a few times, steadied and then sank. Just before it happened, I remember looking out, and there was a guy standing up in a row boat to my left, Col. Daniel Rossman recalled to reporters several years ago. I thought, If were eye to eye, my God, were too low. It was D-Day June 6, 1944. As their colleagues stormed the beaches of Normandy, practice teams at the Greenville Army Air Base ran piloting drills. Some reports suggested the airmen wanted a closer look at sunbathing beauties and flew the craft, nicknamed Skunkie, too low. Rossman, who was on board at the time, has denied that rumor, saying they were told to practice a variety of emergency procedures. However it happened, the aircraft sank. It stayed underwater for almost two decades. In 1983, 39 years after it crashed, a crew of Navy divers descended into the lake to retrieve the military artifact. Locals offered their lake houses for a base of operations, Duke Power provided a barge, and a handful of other businesses offered their assistance as well. The plane was raised to much fanfare more than 1,500 people came to watch, according to a retelling of the days events documents by the Historic Aviation Foundation. The planes historic value was elevated by it being the only known and intact aircraft left from a fleet that trained the men who perpetrated Doolittles Raid on Japan. The South Carolina State Museum helped see the planes exterior restored in time for a 1992 reunion of the Doolittle Raiders. But in the years after that, the plane changed hands several times. At one point, it was listed on eBay, said Ron Skipper, chairperson of restoration for the aviation foundation. It was that listing that led to the founding of the foundation, Skipper said. Some local guys here, pilots and aviation enthusiasts, said this airplane has been in South Carolina since 1942, it does not need to go anywhere else. Its very unique to any state, having an artifact like this, he said. So they pulled together their money, bought the plane and founded the South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation. Restoration Hangar Y-1 at Columbias Hamilton-Owens Airport is decked out with war memorabilia. Official uniforms, authentic shrapnel, maps and magazines are lined up next to the massive dual-engine B-25C Bomber, which is so large the wing tips needed to be removed to get it inside the hangar. The aviation foundation holds open house events here, usually once a month, hoping to raise the public knowledge of American history and the people who have served to honor it. Katherine Cuddy wandered into one of these open houses eight years ago. The theme was womens history, and Cuddy was looking for something to do. Having grown up helping her grandpa with planes, she was enamored with the aircraft that loomed over her. I have hundreds of people say, Id like to get involved, and then they never show up, Skipper recalled. The following Monday night, she walks in, she goes, Well, I dont know a thing about airplanes, but she wanted to help. Cuddy has since helped rebuild the planes cockpit, bombardier and navigators area. Were kind of starting in the front and working our way back, she said. Shes one of about seven regular volunteers who have been working every Monday and Thursday night from 5 to 9 p.m. to rebuild a piece of history. The plane isnt finished. The bomb bay is currently being restored, and there are a few other loose ends as well. It wont fly again. The airframe is too corroded after 40 years underwater. The work is also slow moving, partly because it can be so difficult to find the necessary pieces, Cuddy said. They rely on eBay and other online forums, as well as a handful of B-25 restoration experts who are known for having a lot of equipment. The planes future The Historic Aviation Foundation hopes that one day, South Carolina will have an aviation museum of its own. Their B-25 would be the centerpiece, Skipper said. South Carolina has a rich aviation history that goes back to the 1920s, he said, explaining that if they had the funds, the group would like to create a museum dedicated to military and civilian aircraft. For now, however, they focus remains on restoring the storied B-25. The group receives donations through its open houses, as well as the occasional new volunteer. The group is hosting an open house Saturday to celebrate 40 years since the bomber was raised from Lake Greenwood. Members of the Navy diving team will be in attendance, as will a variety of military vehicles and military impressionists. The event is Aug. 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Jim Hamilton-L.B. Owens Airport, at Hangar Y-1 right next to the terminal. 2023 The State. Visit thestate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A man holding a baby wades through a flooded road in Chattogram, Bangladesh, on Aug. 9, 2023. Bangladeshi soldiers were deployed on Tuesday to the country's Chattogram region, some 240 km southeast of the capital Dhaka, to tackle its worsening situation of torrential rains. Three incidents of landslides claimed at least six lives in Chattogram's Cox's Bazar district on Monday, which is now home to nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees who are living on the slopes of the hills. (Xinhua) by Naim-Ul-Karim DHAKA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Bangladeshi soldiers were deployed on Tuesday to the country's Chattogram region, some 240 km southeast of the capital Dhaka, to tackle its worsening situation of torrential rains. Three incidents of landslides claimed at least six lives in Chattogram's Cox's Bazar district on Monday, which is now home to nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees who are living on the slopes of the hills. Bangladesh's Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman told Xinhua that "four Rohingyas were killed, and two others were injured in two separate landslides triggered by heavy rainfall on Monday." In a remote hilly place of the Cox's Bazar district, two children were also reportedly killed on Monday evening when the wall of their house collapsed on them because of a landslide. The Inter-Services Public Relations under the defense ministry said rescue operations with emergency relief and medical assistance are ongoing in the flood area. Rahman said a total of 119 landslides occurred in the Rohingya camp areas and over 1,500 shelters were completely or partly damaged due to incessant rains, which have also lashed Bangladesh's seaport city Chattogram, inundating low-lying areas and disrupting road traffic. The dwellers of low-lying areas of Chattogram have been facing waterlogging for days with roads, lanes and bylanes in parts of the country's premier seaport city going under ankle to knee-deep water, causing immense hardship to commuters. A.K.M Nazmul Hoque, a senior meteorologist with the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), told Xinhua Monday that an active monsoon has led to heavy rainfall in some areas in Chattogram. The country's meteorological agency reported 322 mm rainfall, the highest in the Chattogram region this year, in the 24 hours until 6:00 a.m. local time on Monday. Against this backdrop, authorities continued evacuating people from the hills at risk of landslides in Bangladesh's three southeastern districts of Chattogram, Bandarban and Rangamati. Landslides are frequent in Bangladesh's hilly areas during monsoon, which usually runs from June to September, as land has been heavily deforested to grow crops and build new houses. In June 2017, devastating landslides in Bangladesh's hilly southeastern region killed at least 125 people and damaged hundreds of homes. A man pushes a tricycle transferring people through a flooded road in Chattogram, Bangladesh, on Aug. 9, 2023. Bangladeshi soldiers were deployed on Tuesday to the country's Chattogram region, some 240 km southeast of the capital Dhaka, to tackle its worsening situation of torrential rains. Three incidents of landslides claimed at least six lives in Chattogram's Cox's Bazar district on Monday, which is now home to nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees who are living on the slopes of the hills. (Xinhua) KABUL, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Khalil Rahman Haqqani, Afghanistan's acting minister of refugees, called for legal aid for Afghan refugees in a meeting with a United Nations (UN) official, Afghan television TOLOnews reported on Tuesday evening. While holding talks with Daniel Peter Endres, UN Deputy Special Representative and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for Afghanistan, the senior official also discussed the Afghan refugees in many other countries, the situation of the internally displaced persons in Afghanistan, as well as the aid distribution mechanism. According to the UN Refugee Agency, Afghans are one of the largest refugee populations in the world. There are reportedly 7 million Afghan refugees worldwide with the majority of them in Pakistan and Iran. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. An off-duty nurse on the bus applied pressure to the 20-centimetre wound, which required 25 stitches and resulted in permanent scarring A 16-year-old boy was beaten, "slashed", and scarred from his left ear to the back of his neck after briefly making eye contact with a man on a double-decker bus in Dublin, a court has heard. Christopher Dunne (29), of no fixed abode but claiming he could reside at a family member's address on Sheriff Street Lower in Dublin, was charged with assault causing harm to the 16-year-old boy in the city's south side on the evening of May 18 last. He was refused bail when he appeared before Judge Michele Finan today at Dublin District Court, which heard allegations of what was described as a "horrific and vicious incident". Detective Garda Keith Morrissey said the accused was arrested at Talbot Street in the city centre and made no reply when charged. The detective objected to bail due to the seriousness of the incident. He alleged that Mr Dunne was in a group of four travelling on the route 16 bus and sat at the back of the top deck. The boy later boarded, went upstairs and sat at the front. The contested bail hearing was told an argument broke out among the accused's group, and they began shouting at each other, and Mr Dunne went to leave as the bus got to Terenure Road. Detective Garda Morrissey said the boy, who was not known to the accused, turned and "made eye contact and exchanged very brief verbals" with him. It was claimed Mr Dunne "launched" a "horrific and vicious assault" on the boy, overpowering him with punches and kicks as he was forced down into his seat. The court heard a female from Mr Dunne's group then handed him an eyebrow blade he allegedly used to "slash" the teenager "from his left ear lobe to the centre of the back of his neck". The court heard that the attacker held onto the bars of the bus as he kicked the youth, who was defenceless and bleeding from the slashing. It was alleged the man got off the bus and changed his clothing. Gardai obtained CCTV footage, which was not played during the bail hearing. An off-duty nurse on the bus applied pressure to the 20-centimetre wound, which required 25 stitches and resulted in permanent scarring. Detective Garda Morrissey said the case would be dealt with at the higher level, in the Circuit Court, and the accused could face a more serious charge. He agreed with defence counsel Kevin McCrave that the accused was charged after another garda allegedly identified him from video evidence. However, that officer was not at the hearing. Pleading for bail, counsel said Mr Dunne could wait two years until his trial and had the presumption of innocence. Mr McCrave said his client would obey conditions if released and avoid specific bus routes and the area where the incident occurred. However, the bail application was denied. Judge Finan remanded Mr Dunne, who has yet to indicate a plea, in custody pending directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. He was granted legal aid and will face his next hearing at Cloverhill District Court on August 10. KIGALI, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda respects a United Nations court ruling that ordered an indefinite halt of the trial of alleged Rwandan genocide financier Felicien Kabuga, though it is "painful to genocide survivors," government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said. She was responding Tuesday to the decision of the Appeals Chamber of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague that Kabuga is unfit to stand trial. Kabuga's trial opened in September last year before the tribunal, following his arrest in France in 2020. However, in June judges ruled that, based on a report of three court-appointed medical experts, Kabuga was found to be unfit to participate meaningfully in his trial, a decision prosecution challenged in the court's Appeals Chamber. In an order, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals said it would "adopt an alternative finding procedure that resembles a trial as closely as possible, but without the possibility of a conviction." In the latest ruling on Monday, the Appeals Chamber dismissed the proposal to adopt alternative procedure altogether, effectively sending the matter back to the court's trial chamber with instructions to stay the trial. "Rwanda respects the verdict of the Appeals Chamber to halt Kabuga's trial indefinitely, but it is not amusing to genocide survivors," Makolo told local media. "Still, Kabuga remains a suspect for grave crimes." Rwandan genocide survivors also criticized the latest ruling. "For survivors who will see Kabuga walking free, it is a feeling of justice denied," Naphatal Ahishakiye, the executive secretary of Rwanda genocide survivors' organizations, told Xinhua. The court's chief prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, in a statement Tuesday expressed solidarity with survivors, saying that the ruling "must be respected, even if the outcome is dissatisfying." Brammertz, who visited Rwanda last week to meet survivors and government officials, also noted that survivors have maintained their faith in the justice process over the last three decades. "I know that this outcome will be distressing and disheartening to them. Having visited Rwanda recently, I heard very clearly how important it was that this trial be concluded," he said. Kabuga, 88, was charged with genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, and persecution on political grounds, extermination, and murder as crimes against humanity, committed in Rwanda in 1994. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Kabuga was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in August 1998, and an international arrest warrant was issued for him the next year. He was arrested in Paris in May 2020 after 26 years of hiding. A father-of-three blocked the path of a garda who was chasing another man through a flat complex and threatened: Ill smash your head in, college boy. Jonathan Rooney (30) made the threat as he interfered with the garda foot pursuit in what a judge described as pure blaggardism. The case was adjourned at Dublin District Court for a community service assessment. Rooney, a construction worker from Liberty House, Dublin 1 pleaded guilty to garda obstruction and threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour. The court heard the incident happened at Gardiner Street flats on February 25 last year. Garda Mark Pollard told Judge Deirdre Gearty he was dealing with an incident and was following a man through the stairwell when a co-accused stuck a leg out, knocking him to the ground. He continued to pursue the unknown male when Rooney stood in front of him, blocking his path. He said Ill smash your head in, college boy, the garda told the court. After the accused was arrested and charged, he was cooperative and apologetic. Rooney had previous convictions for offences including violent disorder and possession of an implement with intent to cause injury. The accused had been dabbling in drugs and regularly came to the attention of gardai, but this had stopped in the last year and he had got employment in the construction industry, his solicitor Fergal Boyle said. He accepts his conduct was out of order, Mr Boyle said. Rooney had apologised and the solicitor asked the court to be as lenient as possible in the circumstances. It was pure blaggardism, what he did on the night, Judge Gearty said. She added it was totally unacceptable when gardai were called out, for anyone to interfere with them as they did their job. The judge adjourned the case and said she wanted a community service report. If suitable, she said, the accused will be ordered to carry out 200 hours of work instead of a four-month prison sentence. The report was not ready after an adjournment and the accused was remanded on continuing bail to a later date. Men charged after 60-kilograms of cocaine seized in joint Garda and Customs operation. Donatel Dodaj arriving at the special sitting of Cork District Court on Sunday. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney/Cork Courts Daniel Afedoaei arriving at the special sitting of Cork District Court on Sunday. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney/Cork Courts. Three men are due back in court next Monday in connection with a significant drug seizure in Cork last weekend. The men appeared before a special sitting of Cork District Court on Sunday evening charged in connection with the seizure of 60 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of over 4 million. Gentjan Dodaj of Paradise Road, Athlone in Co Westmeath and Donatel Dodaj of the same address were charged alongside Daniel Afedoaei of Sli an Aifreann in Athlone. Gentjai Dubaaj (head covered) and Donatel Dodaj The men were charged with possession of cocaine, and possession of cocaine for sale or supply on Saturday, August 5 at L2998 in Richmond, Dunkettle, Co Cork. The court heard that none of the men replied when they were cautioned in connection with the alleged offences. Detective Garda Gavin Curran gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in the case of Gentjan Dodaj. He charged the Albanian national at Togher Garda Station in Cork city at 6.52pm last Sunday. Sgt Pat Lyons asked that Mr Dodaj (39) be remanded in custody pending his next appearance before the court on Monday, August 14. Mr Dodaj, who was wearing a black top and trousers, did not speak during the brief hearing. Daniel Afedoaei arriving at the special sitting of Cork District Court on Sunday. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney/Cork Courts. Judge Treasa Kelly granted free legal aid to Gentjan Dodaj after she heard that he had been in the process of setting up a business but was now without any means. Det Garda Val Russell gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in the case of 22-year-old Daniel Afedoaei. He charged Mr Afedoaei, who is a native of Romania, at 6.30pm last Sunday at Gurranabraher Garda Station in Cork. Solicitor Dara Hayden made an application for legal aid in the case. He said that his client had been working as a mechanic. Judge Kelly assigned legal aid in the case of Mr Afedoaei. He was also remanded in custody to appear before the same court next Monday. Mr Afedoaei was wearing a white top and pants. Meanwhile, an interpreter was required to assist Albanian national Donatel Dodaj (22) who was wearing a dark Tommy Hiliger top and trousers. Mr Collins Daly said that his client only arrived in the State four weeks ago and was residing with his brother who was the first named accused. He was assigned free legal aid and remanded in custody to appear before the court again by video link on August 14. No bail applications were made in relation to the three men. The seizure of the drugs occurred following an intelligence led operation targeting persons suspected of involvement with organised crime, a joint operation was conducted by the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau and personnel attached to the Revenue Customs Service. One SnapChat video recorded the gang showing off a stolen van and items taken during burglaries that were described as a good nights work. Samuel Walmsley before and after his arrest. Photo: Lancashire Police British police have mocked the actions of a jailed gang member who was caught after showing off the cash from his nefarious activities. Lancashire Police posted two pictures of Samuel Walmsley, who is among 14 men who have been jailed for crimes including drug importation and burglary. In one of the pictures, Walmsley is seen posing with a wad of cash while the other features his mugshot. The caption reads: How it started...how it's going. The Twitter thread, which has been viewed 8.5 million times, also describes Walmsleys actions as not his brightest idea. It follows an investigation that exposed the criminal activity of Walmsley and pals Kevin Docherty, Noah Mulligan and Jordan Whittam. Videos that were recovered from Walmsleys phone helped implicate the gang as being involved in burglary, vehicle theft and the supply of cocaine and cannabis. One SnapChat video recorded the gang showing off a stolen van and items taken during burglaries that were described as a good nights work. "These defendants thought it appropriate to capture their criminal activities on film and brazenly mock hard-working members of society, police wrote on Twitter. "We're here to send a message to anyone intent on this type of criminality - this will not be tolerated in Lancashire." Walmsley (bottom left), Docherty (bottom right), Mulligan and Whittam DS Stu Peall, of Lancashire Police's East Exploitation Team, said the defendants caused a great deal of misery in Great Harwood and surrounding areas, exploiting some of the most vulnerable members of society for pure greed. "This significant policing operation has led to separate OCGs operating in the same town being dismantled and its members put before the courts, he said. I hope the outcome of this case sends a strong message that Lancashire Police will not tolerate criminal activity of any kind and put those who wish to engage in it before the courts." In total, 14 men were jailed for nearly 50 years for their roles in crime conspiracies in Great Harwood, which included drug importation rings, drug importation rings and burglary and vehicle theft rings. It wasnt too difficult, mind. They filmed cash and bank cards stolen during a burglary in Clitheroe. pic.twitter.com/DZxAuqP6nW Lancashire Police (@LancsPolice) August 8, 2023 The investigation started on October 7 when officers attempted to stop an Audi heading into Great Harwood. The car later crashed, with four people getting out. Two managed to escape, but Mulligan and Walmsley were arrested after a number of tools associated with burglary were recovered. Following enquires a warrant was executed at Whittams house, with 1,200 of cannabis in individual deals being recovered. His telephone was seized, which contained messages related to drug-dealing and videos of Whittam with large amounts of money. We also recovered videos Whittam had recorded either implicating himself or his co-defendants in burglaries, Lancashire Police said. This included filming bank cards stolen during a burglary in Clitheroe, which were later recovered at his house, and filming Docherty changing the number plate on a van stolen during the same burglary. Photographs and videos recovered from Walmsleys phone implicated him in being involved in the supply of cocaine and cannabis. He regularly took photographs of himself with large amounts of money. Like Whittam, Walmsley filmed the defendants in a stolen van, capturing items taken during burglaries and describing it as a good nights work. He also filmed a post on a Clitheroe community Facebook page featuring the co-defendants breaking into a car, laughing and saying thats me in the boot. Walmsley also filmed Mulligan and Docherty in the stolen Audi before it crashed. Mulligans phone contained a video of the defendants trying to smash a ruby jewel out of a ring stolen from a burglary. It was also that Mulligan was heavily involved in the supply of cannabis, so much so that he was banned from SnapChat. On Dochertys phone, we found videos of two stolen Range Rovers he filmed within hours of them being stolen, police added. Footage of the incident shows a wild melee breaking out at the Circle K fuel station on the Ballysimon Road on Monday afternoon The terrifying moment a man was nearly mown down by a car during a violent disorder incident in Limerick has been caught on camera and widely circulated on social media. Footage of the incident shows a wild melee breaking out at the Circle K fuel station on the Ballysimon Road on Monday afternoon. As one video begins, a man in black is seen about to throw what appears to be an axe at a black car as an innocent bystander fills her car at a petrol pump. The car reverses sharply before accelerating towards the man, almost crushing him against the pump. He is then seen limping back into view of the camera. A screen grab from footage of the incident Another wider view of the incident shows the same car reversing at speed around the station and crashing up onto flower beds as several men including the one with the axe throw implements at it. As the violent encounter escalates other customers including one woman are seen fleeing from the scene. Other vehicles can be seen pulling away from the premises. Gardai confirmed that they are investigating reports of a violent disorder incident that occurred on Monday, August 7 in Limerick city. The incident occurred shortly before 3.30pm at a premises on the Ballysimon Road, gardai said. It's reported a number of males were involved in an altercation. An investigation is continuing at Henry Street Garda station. Gardai added that they are appealing for any witnesses to this incident or for anyone with any information to contact Henry Street Garda station on 061 212400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station. John OConnor has lodged a planning application to build houses on a derelict site in Carrick-on-Suir even though he was extradited to Sweden earlier this year after going on the run. John OConnor from Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary, at the Criminal Courts of Justice for an extradition hearing. PIC: Collins Courts The plan submitted by John O'Connor for the site Paving and driveway businessman John OConnor is currently serving a sentence in a Swedish prison ONE of four brothers who carried out a massive 4.7 million driveway business tax dodge in Sweden is planning a property development in Co Tipperary despite being in prison. John OConnor has lodged a planning application to build houses on a derelict site in Carrick-on-Suir even though he was extradited to Sweden earlier this year after going on the run. OConnor, along with his brothers John, Mark and Darren OConnor, were convicted in Stockholm in 2021 following a huge police operation and was sentenced to three years and eight months. John O'Connor ran a paving and driveway business The brothers had run a paving and landscaping business but used false invoices and private bank accounts to funnel cash to Ireland instead of paying taxes. The application by OConnor is seeking permission to build five houses on the site at New Street and Ball Alley Lane, in Carrick-on Suir, which has been derelict for some time. The prime location had previously been targeted by developers, but plans were put on hold during the 2010 property crash and later acquired by OConnor. The plan submitted by John O'Connor for the site The plan is to build three three-storey terraced houses and two semi-detached single-storey homes on which had once been the site of a garage. OConnor and members of the family are known to own a number of properties and businesses in the town, some of which have been leased out to third parties. During the brothers trial in Stockholm two years ago details of some of the familys property interests emerged. John O'Connor submitted plans for the site Darren OConnor had filled out a registration form to allow him bid by phone for a house in Portlaoise, according to the evidence produced in court. The address he gave on the form was the Shebeen Bar on Carrick-on-Suirs New Street. The property up for auction, a fire-damaged house, sold for 85,000 in 2019 far higher than the guide price of 15,000 and later went back on the market with an asking price of 250,000. His wife Chantal when asked to explain financial transactions, told investigators she had inherited property from her grandfather which had been partially sold off and she used that cash. Another brother, Edward, told investigators he had rental income from Irish properties that paid him about 2,000 a month. The oldest of the brothers John, was described by the Swedish woman who did administration work, as the boss. He had been living in Sweden the longest and was the only one not to be ordered to be deported on completion of his sentence. Last year, it was heard in the High Court OConnor absconded to Ireland in July 2022 after serving 647 days of his sentence when on temporary release. He was arrested in Ireland under a Schengen Information Service on September 3, 2022 and his lawyers argued against his extradition at a hearing last November. Judge Kerida Naidoo rejected the arguments in February and ordered his surrender to the Swedish authorities. John OConnor is now back in custody in Sweden but is due for release near the end of the year. The gang is alleged to have transported narcotics between Spain, Ireland, Germany, Holland and Norway. An Irishman in his 40s was among 23 people arrested for allegedly being part of a major Spanish drug smuggling organization that has been broken apart after a two year investigation. The gang is alleged to have transported narcotics between Spain, Ireland, Germany, Holland and Norway. Europol led the trans-national operation against the gang, in collaboration with Spanish and Dutch police. Police tracked the group for over twenty four months, after intelligence led to the interception of 6 large cocaine vessels during transportation. Drugs seized (National Police) 323kg of marijuana was seized alongside 71kg of hash, 2kg of MDMA and cocaine. Four guns were also nabbed, 19 vehicles and approximately 400,000 in total. Police believe the gang was smuggling cannabis into several different countries by lorry, including Ireland. This year, three transports were intercepted by police, included 54 kgs of cannabis believed to be worth 1m - which was concealed in pallets and smuggled into Ireland. A man has since appeared before court charged in relation to this seizure. The gang is believed to have hidden drugs and weapons among different types of merchandise such as polyurethane inside vehicles. They also reportedly used international logistics companies to ship pallets with various types of goods, in which they allegedly hid narcotics. Back in April 2022, authorities discovered 35kg of hash being moved from Malaga to Norway. Following that, detectives uncovered 160kg of hash en route to Germany from Granada. In Murcia earlier this year, Spanish cops nabbed 45kg of marijuana, 36kg in Granada as well as the seizure here in Ireland. Andalucia It has been reported that a number of properties on the Spanish Costa, including those in Malaga, Tenerife as well as in the Netherlands 10 in total led to the intelligence operation by Spanish police. Nine individuals were busted in the property searches with a further 12 being caught by police whilst the drugs were allegedly being transported around Europe. Spanish authorities discovered the crew had invested 200,000 installing an encrypted communications server. The brains behind the network was allegedly a member of the gang with an engineering degree. Police seized more than 80 encrypted telephones and 150 telephone cards. The investigation was carried out by officers from the Spanish National Police and the Dutch police via EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats). The European Union member states, agencies and other EU organizations work together using this framework to take down major criminal threats through co-ordinated operations. Criminal gave UK police location of 11 guns, court is told Kinahan cartel gangster Thomas Bomber Kavanagh is alleged to have concocted a bizarre strategy to get a reduced prison sentence by informing police where they could find a stash of guns. Yesterday the 55-year-old appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court with co-accused Shaun Kent and Daniel McLoughlin. Kavanagh faces charges of conspiracy to possess firearms without a certificate, possessing ammunition without a certificate, possession of a fire bull firearm a weapon which can fire repeatedly without any pressure being added to the trigger and possession of a dumdum bullet, which explodes prior to impact. He is already serving a 21-year sentence for overseeing shipments of cocaine and cannabis into the UK worth 36m. The Dubliner could facing more jail time after prosecutors outlined at the court hearing that he gave information to police from the UKs National Crime Agency (NCA) on the location of 11 firearms in a bid to get a reduced sentence. These guns were found in Northern Ireland two years ago. Image of Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh released by the NCA last year Kavanagh, who is also facing charges of conspiring to pervert the course of justice, and his co-accused are next due to appear at the Old Bailey in London on September 5. All three remain in prison in England. In a statement on Monday, the NCA said the investigation under Operation Venetic led to the arrests in Spain of Jack Kavanagh (23), from Tamworth, near Birmingham, and Liam Byrne (42), from Dublin. Extradition proceedings are under way. Thomas Bomber Kavanagh jailed for 21 years for orchestrating multi-million pound drug shipments Jack is Bombers son. Crumlin man Byrne has long been one of the Kinahan cartels senior operatives. Both are suspected of being involved in the plot to procure weapons, for the UK police, on behalf of Bomber. But information gleaned from the EncroChat encrypted communications network allegedly involving all the charged men led specialist police to uncover the plot. Liam Byrne NCA officers believe Liam Byrne, Jack Kavanagh and Shaun Kent conspired to pervert the course of justice by planning to reveal the location of weapons in an attempt to get Thomas Kavanagh a reduced prison sentence, the NCA said in a statement after the brief court hearing. The NCAs regional head of investigations, Craig Turner, said: These charges are a major milestone in what has been a long and complex international investigation. We will continue to work with our partners to target criminals who we suspect are operating at the highest levels of organised crime impacting on the UK. The NCA has been investigating Byrne alongside an ongoing criminal assets investigation into his close associate, jailed drugs trafficker Thomas Kavanagh. Yesterday it was revealed for the first time the charges that Byrne and Jack Kavanagh are facing. These are: conspiring to possess a firearm without a certificate; conspiring to possess ammunition for a firearm without a certificate; conspiring to possess a prohibited weapon; conspiring to possess prohibited ammunition; and conspiring to pervert the course of justice. A decision on their extradition from Spain to the UK is expected to be made in the coming months. Liam Byrne is arrested in Spain Byrne, whose brother David Byrne was murdered in Dublins Regency Hotel in February 2016, was believed to have been in Dubai since December 2021 after he learned of the investigation in the UK. But two months ago he was arrested by armed police on the Spanish island of Mallorca and he now faces extradition to England and the prospect of a lengthy jail sentence. Classed as the leader of the Byrne Organised Crime Group (BOCG), career criminal Byrne was heavily involved in drug trafficking and violent crime, the High Court in Dublin has previously been told. A senior judge described the evidence of this as extensive, detailed and largely uncontroverted. Weve had many messages and phone calls from people, especially the Irish here in Australia, which has been so heart-warming The family of a Wexford man who suffered a brain haemorrhage after being assaulted in Perth last month have appealed for help as he recovers from his horrific injuries. Frank Staples (41) had moved to Australia to try and set up a new life for his family when he was knocked to the ground as a result of one punch to the side of the head outside a McDonalds on Beaufort Street on Monday, July 24. He was quickly brought to ICU at The Royal Perth Hospital and fell into a coma which lasted for ten days. His sister Sarah Staples revealed how her 71-year-old father, Jim, immediately flew over to Australia to be with his son. Frank's mam, Stasia cant make this long journey due to her medical issues. Frank's wife, Jackie is from Brazil and flew from Ireland to be with him too, Sarah wrote on a GoFundMe appeal. Frank is 41 (and) himself and Jackie live together in Dublin. They got married four years ago and plan to have kids in the future. Sarah wrote how Frank had just arrived in Australia in April of this year and had been working in Sydney. He travelled to Perth just a week before the incident. "He was coming ahead of Jackie to set up a new life for the two of them here, Sarah added. Their plans have been ruined by one punch. Frank remains in ICU, he has woken up but is being sedated for his safety. Currently, he has a section of his skull removed due to swelling in his brain. Hes made some progress so hes been able to be taken off the ventilator and now has a tracheostomy tube in. Since we don't have any family in Perth, the cost of flights to get here, transport, accommodation and food are already adding up. On top of Frank's future medical expenses. Sarah added: Jackie will stay in Perth as long as her job allows. My dad is going to stay here until Frank is well enough that they can get him home. Considering his current condition, it will be a very long time. In this devastating time, I would love to be able to ease some of my family's current and future financial stresses that they are going to face so we can all focus on Frank's recovery. Weve had many messages and phone calls from people, especially the Irish here in Australia, which has been so heart-warming. If you want to help, this GoFundMe is going to alleviate a lot of stress for my family. Michael Staples wrote on Facebook: My brother Frank was attacked two weeks ago now, in Perth, Australia. The aftermath of this has been horrific, a coma in critical condition with severe brain injuries on a ventilator in Royal Perth ICU department. He has made some good progress in those two weeks but will be a very long and challenging road with no timeline in sight. Robert Stables also took to Facebook to add: My sister Sarah Staples is raising some monies for my older brother: Frank. He is a good man, an uncle, a husband, a brother, and a friend. If you wish to donate to keep our very small/teeny tiny family world safe and peaceful at this time of recovery please give what you can. Your thoughts and prayers are welcome. Speaking to independent.ie, Franks father Jim said: He has improved, hes coming round a bit, hes been taken off the ventilator and now has a tracheostomy tube in; but the doctors dont know what the long-term prognosis is going to be. At the beginning they gave us the worst situation, they have to do that; Frank was totally unconscious, in a coma, with tubes coming out of everywhere, it was frightening to see it. But four days ago he came out of the coma, as in he woke up, but he still doesnt really see us when were there in front of him, doesnt recognise us. Sarah, who also travelled to Perth from her home in San Diego to add her support, said they are all still in shock. At the moment the doctors are just trying to make him follow commands, open your eyes, squeeze my hand things like that. Its so hard to see my brother like this, its the kind of thing you never think will happen to your own family. A man has been reportedly charged with grievous bodily harm in relation to the incident and released on bail. A link to the GoFundMe appeal is here The data from the PSNIs ultra-confidential human resources system is a gold mine for terrorists, offering details of officers working in intelligence and other highly sensitive areas. The PSNI is tonight desperately attempting to contact its officers after a massive police data breach meant the force mistakenly published the names, ranks, locations and other personal data of every serving police officer and many civilian employees. The data from the PSNIs ultra-confidential human resources system is a gold mine for terrorists, offering details of officers working in intelligence and other highly sensitive areas. The material was wrongly published on the internet today by the PSNI in what appears to be human error involving spreadsheet fields. The spreadsheet in question contained standard statistical information on the strength of the PSNI, with details of how many officers it has at each rank. However, a second tab in the spreadsheet contained tens of thousands of entries in relation to more than 10,000 individuals. The spreadsheet, which has been seen by the Belfast Telegraph after it was alerted to it by a relative of a serving officer, includes each officers service number, their status, their gender, their contract type, their last name and initials, details of how much of the week they work, and their rank. When contacted by the newspaper, the PSNI was already aware of the problem. The database includes the location where each individual is based (but not their home address), their duty type (from chief constable to detective, intelligence officer and so on), details of their unit (such as the anti-corruption unit or the vetting department), their branch and department, and other technical information about their employment. There are 10,799 entries in the database. There are 9,276 police officers and police staff. It is not yet clear if the additional entries relate to employees with different contracts or are duplicate entries. The data has been removed from the internet, but it is not yet clear how long it was available online. It is understood an email has been sent to PSNI staff advising them not to forward links to the data breach and to delete them immediately. The email also confirmed a Gold Group has been convened by Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Chris Todd to respond to the incident. A Gold Group is the highest level of internal emergency response available to the PSNI and is generally convened in cases of serious public disorder or a major incident requiring the oversight of the ACC. The ACC reports directly to the Chief Constable and if required, the national emergency committee COBRA in Whitehall. One former senior PSNI officer told the Belfast Telegraph that it was astonishing and a huge operational security breach which will call into question the Chief Constables position. This is the biggest data breach I can recall in the PSNI, he said. Many officers from Catholic communities dont tell their families, friends and ex-school colleagues - I worked with many who never did even in recent times. That is a huge issue when that community is still underrepresented and the PSNI is trying to encourage applicants. He said that the system on which such sensitive data is stored is highly regulated internally because of that fact, so even if this information is compromised only internally its still big. He added: This is freely circulating on WhatsApp groups, including retired officers. It is in essence out there and can never be retrieved; the operating assumption must be it will be outside of the police family. The former officer said that a data breach so catastrophic cant be blamed on a single member of staff, its a systemic failure, it shouldnt be possible this can happen by a slip of a pen so to speak. UUP leader Doug Beattie said such a serious breach of data and staff security was unbelievable. It cannot be any more serious than this and hard to fathom how such a breach could happen accidentally, he tweeted. The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) have also confirmed they are aware of the incident. The Police Service of Northern Ireland has made us aware of an incident and we are assessing the information provided, said a spokesperson. The Belfast Telegraph has contacted the PSNI for a response. ABUJA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria announced on Tuesday sanctions on organizations, groups and individuals identified as supporting the military junta in the crisis-ridden Niger Republic. Ajuri Ngelale, the spokesperson for Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, told reporters that the move was made in light of the pre-existing consensus of the West African leaders on the Niger impasse. The Nigerian president, who is also the current chairman of the authority of heads of state and government of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), ordered the new sanctions through Nigeria's central bank, aimed at groups and individuals involved in the coup in Niger, said Ngelale. Over a week ago, the regional bloc agreed to impose sanctions on Niger's military leaders involved in the recent coup, saying that the military junta in Niger must cede power in a week and immediately release and reinstate the country's elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, or the ECOWAS will take all necessary measures to restore constitutional order, including the use of force. The ECOWAS leaders also agreed to impose financial and travel restrictions on Niger's military leaders involved in the coup and establish a no-fly zone over the country. They decided to freeze Niger's assets in the central and commercial banks of ECOWAS countries. Ngelale said "no options have been taken off the table" in dealing with the situation in Niger, and there will be "far-reaching decisions" to be taken at the ECOWAS summit on Thursday concerning the bloc's next steps. The presidential spokesperson said Tinubu had widened consultations both domestically and internationally on the various fallouts and outcomes of the unfortunate situation in Niger. I do everything right; I work, I pay my taxes and its unfair that the system doesnt cover you Jekaterina Deja, a single mother living in Applewood, Swords for the past 10 years, is now facing eviction A single mum, due to be evicted from her home of 10 years in the coming weeks, has described the housing market in Dublin as impossible. Jekaterina Deja has been living in her apartment in Swords with her son since 2013. They are due to lose their home in 16 days. They were given formal notice of eviction by their management company, Home Club Limited, in January of this year. A number of other families living in the area have since received similar termination notices. As their tenancy began before changes to the law on June 11, 2022, it comes under Part 4 Tenancy regulations. This means a landlord is entitled to end a tenancy within a six-year cycle for any reason, once the legally required notice of 224 days is given. Im a working single mother. Its worrying for me. I think I do everything right; I work, I pay my taxes and its unfair that the system doesnt cover you if something goes this badly, Jekaterina told us. The market is crazy at the moment. I have mortgage approval, I am trying, but its absolutely impossible at the moment in Ireland. Weve been trying to find a place to live, but you know what the market is like now. Its impossible. Theres other people affected by this and its unfair. Theyre kicking us out, were long-term renters. Were getting evicted on August 24. Well have to move out, we cant break the law and stay. Weve informed Fingal County Council but theyve no news for us yet, she added. Jekaterina recently took a friend of a friend in to live with them following a cancer diagnosis, while her son is due to start college. I have a son who is 17 and hes planning to go to DCU. Hes already stressed, he just did his exams, and hes worrying about whether hell have somewhere to live, she said. Weve been in this apartment since 2013. We got a rent increase in December, and we got our notice of eviction in January. We share the apartment with an elderly lady whos recovering from cancer. Its tough on her mentally, it has affected her life. She asks me for updates every day. Im packing the boxes anyway because I dont know whats going to happen. Id rather be ready, she added. Another resident in the apartment complex, who wishes to remain anonymous, lives with her husband and their three children. Theyve been ordered to leave by February 2024 and, just like Jekaterina, theyve nowhere to go. Weve got an eviction notice, weve to leave in February. I got the notice in June, the woman said. My friends got the notice too, theyre living a long time in their apartment, so I was expecting it. Weve the same landlord. For all of us, theres nowhere to go. Weve looked on Daft, weve tried the agencies for a place to rent for a family of five. Theres nothing we can do. Weve no answers. My kids are 2, 4 and 9. Myself and my husband are worried, this is our apartment, weve been here for a long time. All the kids were raised here, weve been here since 2013, itll be 11 years in February. Well have to leave, weve no choice if the guards come with a court notice. Ive been in Swords for about 14 years overall, my husband has been here for about 17 years, she added. CATU, the Community Action Tenants Union, will host a solidarity rally on the day the evictions are due to begin. The aim is for the community to come together and support the tenants. Helen, a regional organiser with CATU, said: Theyve not been given the same eviction date. One of the evictions is for August 16, but theyre going through an appeal process with the RTB. One eviction is confirmed for August 24. In CATU, we believe that nobody should be evicted into homelessness. On the day of the eviction, the gardai or security cannot come and get you out of the house until its brought through the court and they get a court order. If the landlord or estate agent comes over and asks you to leave, thats where CATU comes in and we have a barbecue or a coffee morning, or just have neighbours around. Its called a solidarity rally, but itll just be a nice environment, therell be no chanting, she added. People Before Profit is also standing with CATU and the residents of Applewood facing eviction. Spokesman Ollie Power said: The residents are showing a lot of courage. We want the Minister for Housing, Darragh OBrien to step in and stop these families from being evicted. We want the eviction ban reinstated. We want the council and the Department of Housing to start measurements and take these properties into public ownership. In the longer term, wed like to see a system of compulsory purchase orders for landlords. Sinn Fein TD Louise OReilly added: The government was wrong to insist on lifting the eviction ban while they are failing to meet their targets in housing and while the housing crisis they have caused is showing no signs of improving. The government, and in particular the minister for housing in whose constituency these evictions are happening, need to answer the question where are people meant to go? Homeless accommodation is at breaking point, and I genuinely worry that this government does not realise the scale of the crisis. A spokesman for Fingal County Council is encouraging households to contact them at the earliest stage if their tenancy is at risk. Fingal continues to provide advice and support to new presenting households and, in the first instance, every effort is made to prevent families or individuals from entering homelessness, he said. We encourage households to contact us at the earliest stage if their Tenancy is at risk. Meanwhile, the Department of Housing is urging those impacted to raise a case with the RTB. In a statement, they said it would be inappropriate for the Department or Minister to comment on the specifics of any individual case. If tenants believe they have been issued with an invalid Notice of Termination, they should raise a case with the RTB. Tenants can also refer a dispute to the RTB if they believe an illegal eviction may be occurring. The RTB can intervene in these cases and maintain the tenancy until a case is heard. Scarlett Rosborough (8) from the Larne area who was due to celebrate her ninth birthday next month Police in Carrickfergus have closed High Street, Castle Street and part of the Marine Highway Police in Carrickfergus have closed High Street, Castle Street and part of the Marine Highway. Pacemaker Press Police in Carrickfergus have closed High Street, Castle Street and part of the Marine Highway Tributes have been paid to an eight-year-old girl who died after being struck by a car in Co Antrim. A boy, understood to be five years old, has also been taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children in Belfast. His injuries are understood not to be life-threatening after the collision in Carrickfergus. Scarlett Rosborough (8) from the Larne area who was due to celebrate her ninth birthday next month sadly passed away at the scene in the High Street area. Its understood they were part of a summer scheme group making their way to Carrickfergus Castle when the incident happened in the town centre on Wednesday morning. Police in Carrickfergus have closed High Street, Castle Street and part of the Marine Highway. Pacemaker Press The air ambulance was dispatched to the scene. Sergeant Green said: We received a report at approximately 11.40am of a one vehicle road traffic collision. Officers attended together with colleagues from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and Air Ambulance but sadly Scarlett passed away at the scene. A second child, was also injured during the collision and has been taken to hospital for treatment for injuries which are not believed to be life threatening. An investigation is now underway to establish the circumstances of the collision, and we are appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time, or who may have any dash-cam or mobile phone footage, to contact officers in the Collision Investigation Unit on 101, and quote reference number 684 of 09/08/23." Larne Community Care Centre have announced they will be closed for the rest of the week as a mark of respect to the Rosborough family. "All at LCCC wish to express our deepest condolences to the families of the children involved in todays accident, they said. "Our thoughts are with all involved and we will continue to provide ongoing support to anyone who has been impacted. Larne Community Development Project said they were saddened by the accident. "Our thoughts and sympathy go out to the family of young Scarlett Rossborough at this devastating time for them, they said. We also send our best wishes to the family of the other young boy injured and wish him the speediest of recoveries. The Constable Anderson Memorial Flute Band offered their deepest sympathies to the family. "It is with a heavy heart that the officers and members of Constable Anderson Memorial send their deepest sympathies to the family of local Larne girl Scarlett who tragically lost her life earlier today in an accident in Carrickfergus, they said. We also extend our well wishes to another local Larne family whose young boy was also involved in the accident and is recovering in hospital. "We cannot imagine what you are all going though at this tragic time. You are all very much in our thoughts and prayers. Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Gerardine Mulvenna said Scarletts death had plunged the Borough into mourning. "I am praying for Scarletts family, and for the second youngster who was injured in the same incident to make a full recovery, she said. At times like these, there are no words that can adequately reflect the huge sense of loss and pain being felt by loved ones. "The people of this borough will hold them and all of those involved close to our hearts in the days, weeks and months ahead. My thoughts are also with our emergency services who responded to this incident and I thank them for their efforts in extremely upsetting circumstances. East Antrim MLA John Stewart said local residents are numb with grief. "It happened in the most public of places and it is absolutely heart-breaking, he said. "As a parent my heart goes out the families who are grieving. "Its the worst possible thing you can imagine. Police in Carrickfergus have closed High Street, Castle Street and part of the Marine Highway Mr Stewart also said his thoughts are with the first responders and everyone who witnessed the accident. "I am also thinking of the young boy in hospital and praying that he pulls through, he added. Stewart Dickson MLA has also expressed his sincere condolences to the family of the deceased. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the young children involved," he said. "What should have been a simple trip into town has turned into every parents worst nightmare. I wish to thank the emergency services for their quick response to the accident today, and commend them for the devotion to duty that is often encountered in the most troubling of situations. Mr Dickson said it has been a very difficult day for all those in the town centre of Carrickfergus and indeed the wider community. Mid and East Antrim Borough councillor Bethany Ferris said the community had been shocked by the news. "I am saddened and heartbroken by todays news in Carrickfergus, she said. "Our community is in a state of shock and my thoughts and prayers are with all involved. I would like to thank the emergency services and Air Ambulance for their swift response and support to all at the incident. The Ambulance Service (NIAS) said four emergency crews were dispatched to the incident. "The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 11:40 on Wednesday 9 August following reports of an RTC in the High Street Area, Carrickfergus, said a spokesperson. "NIAS despatched four emergency crews, two Ambulance Officers and one BASICS Doctor to the incident. The Charity Air Ambulance with HEMS crew on board were also tasked to attend. "Following initial assessment and treatment at the scene, one patient was taken by Ambulance to Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. All roads in Carrickfergus town centre have now reopened. His comment was defended by justice secretary Alex Chalk, who said it was salty language The Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge at Portland Port in Dorset, which will house up to 500 asylum-seekers. Photo: PA The Conservative partys deputy chairman Lee Anderson said asylum-seekers complaining about being moved into the Bibby Stockholm barge should f*** off back to France. The senior Torys incendiary comments came after the first 15 migrants boarded the barge in Dorset, while 20 others were granted a last-minute reprieve after a series of legal challenges. Care4Calais said they did not board the barge because their transfers were cancelled after lawyers challenged the decisions. The campaign group described the barge as a quasi floating prison. If they dont like barges then they should f*** off back to France, Mr Anderson told the Express. He added: These people come across the Channel in small boats, if they dont like the conditions they are housed in here then they should go back to France, or better not come at all in the first place. British justice secretary Alex Chalk defended Mr Andersons comment arguing that it was salty language but his point was not unreasonable. What will life be like for migrants on board the Bibby Stockholm barge? Going further, Mr Chalk also told LBC that the deputy Tory chair expresses the righteous indignation of the British people and said his indignation is well placed. Labours London mayor Sadiq Khan accused the government of stoking division and hate, while Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said Mr Chalks defence of Mr Anderson was toe-curling. Georgie Laming of the Hope not Hate group said it was morally reprehensible for the top Tory cabinet minister to have defended Mr Andersons inflammatory remarks. The Conservative party is rapidly adopting dangerous and divisive tactics, she said. Disabled asylum-seekers, torture victims and those suffering from traumatic experiences at sea were among those the Home Office initially tried to put on the Portland barge. The Independent understands that a man who is blind in one eye, another partially-sighted person, and migrants with phobias of water were issued with transfer orders that were successfully challenged by lawyers. But Tory right-wingers have reacted with fury to the hold-up. Ex-home secretary Priti Patel said campaigners and lawyers were milking the legal aid system . Sources said those refusing to leave hotels and board the barge could have their asylum application delayed or withdrawn after one day. Anyone refusing to move without a reasonable excuse has 24 hours to reconsider, after which their asylum support will cease and they will have to fend for themselves, a government source told The Telegraph. Mr Chalk said the asylum-seekers legal challenges were not improper but are completely misconceived. The Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge at Portland Port in Dorset, which will house up to 500 asylum-seekers. Photo: PA The justice secretary also said it was unlikely to be illegal for the government to refuse asylum-seekers accommodation if they refuse to go on the barge. A small group of 15 migrants arrived on Monday following delays caused by last-minute safety checks. The government is not believed to have identified all 500 people it eventually hopes to house on board. Home office minister Sarah Dines had suggested all 500 could be on board by the end of this week but No 10 later played down the idea. The charity Migrants Organise has sent a pre-action letter to the Home Office calling for it to stop transfers until and unless all concerns regarding the safety and suitability of the barge have been adequately addressed. Internal guidance states that only single men up to the age 65 can be put on the Bibby Stockholm, and they cannot be victims of modern slavery or trafficking. They cannot be disabled, elderly, or victims of torture, rape or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence. Mr Chalk acknowledged it is frustrating that only 15 migrants have boarded the 500-capacity barge so far. It doesnt diminish our resolve to solve this, he told BBC Breakfast. The cabinet minister also told Times Radio that the point of the austere Bibby Stockholm is to act as a deterrent. He said the government spending 6m a day on 4-star hotel accommodation for asylum-seekers is not what the British people want. But campaign groups One Life to Live and Reclaim the Sea have estimated that the barge will cost 18m a year, saying it would almost certainly cost more than housing migrants in hotels. The controversy comes as the British government announced a new task force to identify crooked lawyers after reports that false asylum claims are being submitted for a fee. Home secretary Suella Braverman, speaking about the task force, said: Crooked immigration lawyers must be rooted out and brought to justice. Any lawyers could face a maximum sentence of life in prison following the implementation of the Nationality and Borders Act. ( Independent News Service) Blackberries cows serpent nails and Sly, she wrote. Actress and model, Emily Ratajkowski, appears to be holidaying in rural Ireland after she posted a series of sweet images on her Instagram this week. The Californian star has Irish heritage and her father is an artist who lives in Bantry in west Cork. While Emily did not reveal her location, she hinted that she could be here with snaps of the green countryside and one of her adorable son wearing an Irish souvenir hat. Blackberries cows serpent nails and Sly, Emily captioned the snaps. Emily Ratajkowski Ratajkowski shares her son Sly with ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard. Emilys full name is Emily O'Hara Ratajkowski, she was born in London to American academic parents and both her grandparents are from Ireland. Handful of blackberries The solo snapshots of the stunning star showed her rocking her tinted ginger locks and a cool green, denim jacket. Other cute photos show her and her young boy picking blackberries and looking out over a beautiful lake. Another shows a field full of cows. Ratajkowski often discusses motherhood on her popular podcast series, High/Low with Emrata. Since ending her marriage after rumors of infidelity on her ex-husband's part, she's been linked to celebrities including Pete Davidson and Harry Styles. Cows Emilys father, John, bought and renovated a farmhouse in Cork over 20 years ago. John even released a book of cow drawings, showing his familys love for the animals runs in the blood. The book is called Cow Tuesday and according to his website, the book features 122 original drawings and paintings brought together in one book from his famous weekly Instagram and Facebook Cow Tuesday posts. Emily previously told her 29 million Instagram followers: My papas book of cow drawings is now avail. Sly and cows She also spoke about her love for Ireland whenever she visits her parents when she said: "I absolutely love Ireland. It's one of the most beautiful places on earth and I have strong ties here. Both my grandmothers are from Ireland and I have spent every summer in Bantry since my father, who is an artist, had the romantic idea 20 years ago to buy an old farmhouse on the west coast and renovate it. Lake view "I go back any time I get the opportunity and I have many friends who I still hang out with in the local pubs. I have great childhood memories cow-tipping, going off and getting lost in the bog for hours and coming home covered in dirt. "I love the pubs the fact that you can find all ages there. It's so easygoing, an old man could be dancing with a young girl having a bit of fun and no one bats an eyelid. It's so relaxed and everyone is so friendly. I'm more of a Smithwick's or Bulmer's girl than a pint of Guinness, Emily previously said. Whakatane Kiwi Trust needs the community's help to find one of its birds - or rather, the signal that is throwing off its monitoring efforts. Tuati is a young male kiwi that was released into the Kohi Point Scenic Reserve two years ago. He has a transmitter fitted to his leg that is tracked by the trust to monitor his movements using telemetry instruments - or "pingers". Ken Laurent, who runs the kiwi monitoring programme, says Tuati's signal is normally be picked up from the area around the Whakatane Sport Fishing Club as the kiwi lived along the ridge of the escarpment above. However, for the past five weeks, his signal has been overridden by a much stronger one on the same channel, and the trust wants to find out who is transmitting it. "We can't find some kiwi because the signals are being overridden. We've got some issues with different transmissions coming through on our telemetry gear. "Each kiwi we track transmits on a different frequency. Tuati's transmitter is tuned to channel 28. This is a specific Department of Conservation frequency." Laurent says it's not the first time another signal has caused monitoring problems. A previous issue with another transmitter on this channel had been traced to a goat collar that was left turned on in a desk drawer at Bay of Plenty Regional Council. "We thought we'd solved that problem when they turned the collar off but now another signal has come in at 24 beats a minute overriding it and we don't know where it's coming from." He says the signal is quite strong and can be picked up from the town wharf all the way around to Otarawairere Beach. "There's a lot of radio stuff there. It could be fishing boats, we don't know." Another kiwi they are having trouble tracking is on channel 3, with a signal that has 175 beats per minute overriding it near the top of Waiewe Street. However it's Tuati they are most concerned about. "We need to find him reasonably quickly. Eventually, his transmitter will just fall off and he will be lost forever. We would never be able to find him again." Photo: LDR / Troy Baker. Tuati is a "miracle" chick hatched from an egg which trust volunteers found abandoned in Ohope Scenic Reserve. After candling the egg, they found it still had veins - a sign of viability. The egg was rushed to the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua and Tuati hatched a few days later. He was reared at the hatchery until he reached the stoat proof weight of 1000 grams. When checked in March this year, days before his second birthday, he weighed 1.8kg If anyone has information that could help the trust with its monitoring signal issue, Laurent could be contacted on 027-4100797. Whakatane Kiwi Trust is a charitable trust supported by Whakatane and Kawerau district councils, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the Department of Conservation. Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air. The Cancer Society Waikato/Bay of Plenty has issued an urgent plea to the public for support as Daffodil Day approaches on Friday, August 25. The annual fundraiser is the largest event in the charitys calendar and comes at a time of rising client numbers. So far this year, the Cancer Societys Lions Lodge has hosted record numbers of guests seeking cancer treatment, some who have travelled from as far away as Gisborne-Tairawhiti, in order to receive treatment at Waikato Hospital. The Lodge, which provides a regular shuttle to and from the hospital as well as all meals, is completely free to Cancer Society clients, and is just one of the many services provided to the community. But as a non-directly government funded charity, community support around fundraisers like Daffodil Day are vital. We really need people to get behind Daffodil Day. The community has always been amazing in their support. Without it, we simply couldnt provide the services that we do, says fundraising coordinator Shay Rout. This year, we are urgently appealing to the community to sign up as a street collector. All it takes is just two hours of your time and we have dozens of sites to fill. Rout is also hoping the community can offer daffodils to be sold on Daffodil Day. Unfortunately, we were not able to secure the normal number of fresh daffodils this year for our street appeal so we are appealing to the community to get in touch if they have an abundance of daffodils growing. We need Daffodil Day to be a success. A cancer diagnosis is life-changing for people and their families. Theres a lot of uncertainty and for some there is fear. Our services can relieve a lot of the stress and also the financial burden when someone in the family has cancer. Donate this Daffodil Day online at www.daffodilday.org.nz, at any ANZ branch during the month of August or when you see the street collector on Friday, August 25, and Saturday, August 26. The government has announced plans for 19 new marine protection areas for the Hauraki Gulf, nearly tripling the area covered. The protections will include bans on bottom trawling and Danish seining in five areas, and increasing marine protections from covering six per cent to 18 per cent of the Gulf. It will be put in place with a Bill introduced to Parliament - but not passed - before the October election. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced the plan at Tamaki Yacht Club in Auckland on Wednesday morning, alongside Conservation Minister Willow-Jean Prime, and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Rachel Brooking. "The Hauraki Gulf -- Tikapa Moana - is an absolute treasure and needs to be protected for the enjoyment of future generations," says Hipkins. "We know action is needed now. Today's announcement follows years of careful work and extensive consultation, and strikes a good balance." Prime says some protection areas will be covered by a "high protection area" category, with strong restrictions while also recognising kaitiakitanga and other tangata whenua cultural practices. The new legislation will set up 12 such areas, along with five new seafloor areas to preserve seafloor habitats with bans on bottom-contact fishing methods. It will also include an extension to the country's first marine reserve covering Cape Rodney to Okakari Point Marine Reserve (Goat Island) and Te Whanganui A Hei (Cathedral Cove) Marine Reserve on the Coromandel Peninsula. "We've heard the community call for marine protection. Sustained action now is critical to ensuring we can continue to share stories of Hauraki's abundance," says Prime. She says marine protection proposals announced at the end of last year had more than 7500 submissions. Brooking says the legislation comes alongside the Ministry for Primary Industries' Hauraki Gulf Fisheries Plan, which is the first to treat fish stocks on an ecosystem-wide approach rather than by species. "Species like snapper, kingfish, and kahawai all live together in the Gulf, and are affected by local conditions, by the things humans do, and by environmental factors such as climate change," she says. -RNZ. A Bay of Plenty foodie festival that launched as the hospitality sector battled tough Covid-19 restrictions is now a finalist thats in the running for two prestigious New Zealand Events Association awards. The Flavours of Plenty Festival has been selected for both the Best Lifestyle Event and the Best Local Government Event categories, based on the second version of the annual festival which was held in March and April this year. The award winners will be announced at the NZEA 2023 Gala Evening in Christchurch on November 9. Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan says hes elated that the new festival, which is a key project for his organisation, has so quickly captured the attention of the national award judges. Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan. Photo: Supplied. The fact that were vying for two national awards is a testament to the dedication of our team and the way that this festival has been embraced by suppliers and our hospitality sector during the last few challenging years. This years festival featured 34 events across 10 days, which were held at various locations throughout our coastal region. It was a hugely successful collaboration involving 51 event partners and more than 5000 attendees, all of whom were keen to celebrate and savour the unique horticultural provenance of our region and the skills of our best and budding culinary creators. Festival director Rae Baker says her team was starting to prepare for the next festival, which will be held between April 4 and April 14 2024, when the news that theyd been selected for the national awards came through. Flavours of Plenty festival director Rae Baker. Photo: Supplied. Were very proud that this years festival put smiles on so many faces it created a great vibe! Almost a fifth of our attendees came from outside the region and nearly $450,000 of tickets were sold and this was channelled straight back to the businesses and events that were involved. Being named as a finalist at these national awards reflects all the time and effort everyone puts into this festival and is making us even more pumped for the next one. Were very grateful to all our funders and Id like to acknowledge the importance of the Flavours of Plenty collective, led by Stacey Jones, which meets throughout the year to inspire and connect our foodie community. The Flavours of Plenty Festival is one of four food-related events which have made the NZEA finals after a record number of entries and the judges are now being tasked with selecting the winners in each of the 16 award categories. Lisa Rooney, director of Tauranga business Blabla Events, is a finalist in the Best Emerging Event Professional 2023 category. Lisa ran two events, Food for Thought and Blablas Secret Society, during this years Flavours of Plenty Festival. A Mount Maunganui chef who was a mentor at the Battle of the Snack event at the Flavours of Plenty Festival has also just received a different national accolade. Neil Sapitula, head chef at Solera and Saltwater Seafood Grill and Oyster, has won the Rising Talent One to Watch Award in the Cuisine Good Food Guide 2023/2024. Blind Low Vision NZ is excited to announce the launch of Pawgust, a fitness and fundraising challenge that encourages participants and their furry friends to brave the cold and walk or run during the month of August to raise vital funds for Blind Low Vision NZ Guide Dogs. In an unprecedented collaboration, Blind Low Vision NZ is partnering with Guide Dogs Australia to bring Pawgust to New Zealand Aotearoa for the first time, making this event a truly international celebration of compassion and canine companionship. Join today at www.pawgust.com.au At the heart of Pawgust is the remarkable story of Claudia, a 22-year-old with an infectious positivity and a determination that knows no bounds. Claudia's journey with low vision began as a baby when her right eye was removed, at only 8 weeks old, due to a rare cancer, leaving her left eye with peripheral vision due to significant scar tissue and treatments. Despite these challenges, Claudia's spirit remains undaunted, and she embraces every opportunity for growth and adventure. Recently graduating with a Bachelor of Health Science, majoring in Health Management, Claudia now works full-time in HR in the public health sector. A job that keeps her very busy she now plays a key part in bringing doctors into New Zealand and certifying their training. Claudia finds huge satisfaction in working in the health sector given it is such a huge part of her own life. In her spare time, Claudia indulges her loves for horse riding, going to the gym and catching up with friends. Claudia joked that it might be a bit dangerous at times, riding her horse with low vision, but she loves it. Nearly three years ago, Claudia's life took a transformative turn when she was matched with her guide dog, Aztec, a devoted Black Labrador. As a natural animal lover, it was easy to form a relationship. Aztec is always by Claudias side, and they make the perfect duo. Aztec has completely changed everything, she says, Its a completely different independence that I could not possibly have expected. Aztec gets Claudia from A to B safely, and she doesnt need to rely on everyone to help her get around anymore. She has opened up my world. From making the simple things possible like walking to the local supermarket, through to much more challenging rush hour commutes to and from the office. Claudia couldnt imagine life without Aztec in it now. She is thankful to Blind Low Vision NZ for helping her live independently and confidently. As Pawgust takes off in New Zealand, Blind Low Vision NZ encourage everyone to gather their four-legged friends and join the movement to make a difference. By participating in Pawgust, New Zealanders will experience the joy of walking or running with their canine companions while supporting Kiwis who are blind or have low vision, transforming their lives, just like Claudias. Every year, Blind Low Vision NZ breeds approximately 120 potential guide dogs, with approximately 40 of them successfully graduating to serve as guide dogs. However, there is a significant waiting list of up to 33 New Zealanders eagerly awaiting the support of a guide dog to help them lead independent lives. The current waiting time to receive a guide dog is around two years. The anticipated increased demand over the coming years will extend the waiting time unless more dogs can be successfully trained as guide dogs. Join us today at www.pawgust.com.au LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Two trade groups in the United States have expressed their support for TikTok and its creators in their legal battle to prevent the state of Montana from banning the popular social media platform. NetChoice, a national trade association that includes major tech platforms, and Chamber of Progress, a tech-industry coalition, filed a friend-of-the-court brief, or Brief of Amici Curiae, in support of TikTok late Monday, said a release by NetChoice on Tuesday. "Montana's effort to ban TikTok is, ironically, the sort of authoritarian conduct that the state purports to oppose," said Nicole Saad Bembridge, NetChoice's associate director of litigation, in the release. "Americans' access to information on the internet cannot be dependent on local politicians' individual preferences. The Court should enjoin the TikTok ban to ensure the internet stays open and free," said Bembridge. On May 17, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte enacted a complete ban on the app over supposed "national security" concerns, making Montana the first state nationwide to ban TikTok and prohibit mobile application stores from offering TikTok within the state. The ban is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2024. On the same day, five TikTok content creators filed a lawsuit against the state's attorney general over the ban, arguing that it would prohibit Montana residents from using the popular app, infringing on their First Amendment rights. Los Angeles-based TikTok also filed a suit on May 22 to stop the ban, saying it violated multiple constitutional rights, including First Amendment free speech rights, infringed on the federal government's exclusive authority to administer foreign affairs and hurt local residents. The harm of this type of platform-specific ban cannot be overstated as it would prevent the flow of information both to and from internet users within the state, the two groups said in the joint court filing sent to the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. "Montana's effort to cut Montanans off from the global network of TikTok users ignores and undermines the structure, design, and purpose of the internet," said the 24-page document. "If allowed to take effect, the ban will usher in a balkanized internet where information available to users becomes regionally divided based on local politicians' whims or preferences. That outcome would undermine the fundamental nature and benefits of the world wide web," it said. It would harm local businesses that rely on TikTok for promotion and sales, chill innovation and political participation, and disconnect Montanans from the global community, said the document. "Part of the safety and security of citizens is their freedom to interact with others in the ways they wish," the document concluded. Banning TikTok, or any other social media platform, "inherently takes away that freedom," so "this Court should enjoin the statewide ban and restore the constitutional freedoms and balance that the ban would disrupt." A hearing on TikTok's request for a preliminary injunction is set for Oct. 12, according to an order from District Judge Donald W. Molloy released in July. In 2020, former U.S. President Donald Trump sought to ban the app, but a series of court rulings blocked the ban from taking effect. TikTok, used by over 150 million Americans, has faced growing scrutiny in the United States. Some politicians accused the company of sharing U.S. user data with China but failed to produce any evidence. TikTok has repeatedly denied all the accusations. 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. Oswego, N.Y. -- An Onondaga County man wanted on attempted murder charges in Oswego County has been apprehended following a two month search, police said. The U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force Syracuse members and New York City officials located James N. Stewart, 48, of Warners, in Brooklyn, according to a news release Wednesday from the Oswego police. A warrant for Stewarts arrest was issued in June on charges of attempted murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, police said. Just after midnight on May 27, Stewart shot Mikal A. Brightwell, 31, of Oswego, outside The Sting bar at 49 W. Bridge St., according to Oswego police. Officers said the two men were arguing outside the bar when Stewart pulled out a handgun and shot Brightwell once. Police said Stewart fled from the bar in a gray Audi SUV. On Wednesday, Stewart was turned over to members of the Oswego City Police Departments criminal investigation division and taken back to the Oswego Police Department where he awaits arraignment. Staff writer Darian Stevenson covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at dstevenson@syracuse.com Join NY Cannabis Insider at our next industry networking event on Aug. 15 at Madame Mikettes in NYC. Tickets will sell out. Jeffrey Hoffman is a New York City-based attorney who hosts Ask Me Anything about Cannabis Legalization in New York each week on LinkedIn. Hoffman and NY Cannabis Insider have partnered to bring those sessions into print in a Q&A format. Hoffmans practice focuses on cannabis industry clients, including licensees in the adult-use market, practitioners in the medical cannabis space, and cannabis-adjacent product and service providers. He has a particular interest in social and economic equity cannabis license applicants, and he also informs and assists those convicted of cannabis offenses in getting such convictions expunged from their record. He can be reached at info@420jurist.com. The following AMA from July 26 has been edited for length and clarity. Sign up for the NY Cannabis Insider Newsletter Enter your email address to get exclusive reporting on NY's cannabis market delivered to your inbox: What just happened with Mastercard? MasterCard has told the cannabis industry to quit using their debit cards. You already werent able to do credit card purchases for cannabis, and now MasterCard wants you to stop using your debit card. They will definitely be able to squeeze their customers on this. Its almost as if they want cannabis commerce to be as unsafe as possible. I think the big cannabis states (CA, NY, IL, MI, MA) should put the squeeze on MasterCard and refuse to let their card be used for state transactions until they come right by what the people want. When are the consumption lounges coming? The dispensaries that are opening now and the forthcoming dispensaries for which the application is going to open in October are going to be able to have limited consumption as per the regs. But the straight on-site consumption license does not even have any proposed regs yet, so were a ways away from that license being issued. What is the point of the consumption license? It allows you to smoke cannabis in the licensed space whereas otherwise you would not be able to smoke anything due to New Yorks Clean Indoor Air Act. You still wont be able to smoke cigarettes there, but you will be able to smoke cannabis. What is up with the proposed bill to ban smoking cannabis in public? New York is the only jurisdiction in the world where it is legal to smoke cannabis anywhere you can smoke cigarettes. This was done for a number of reasons, but for me the most important was that a large number of our fellow New Yorkers cannot smoke in their apartments. And in particular, those who live in NYCHA, or other federally subsidized housing could be evicted. So, it was imperative that we allow public consumption. Now, those that hate cannabis want to put that back in the bottle. While I dont think they stand much of a chance, since those who implemented the law as it stands still control the levers of power in the state, I do think there will continue to be some backlash against aggressive public consumption. So, we as consumers should mind our Ps and Qs. Where is your Yankees hat? Im wearing my Central Park Conservancy hat today in Central Park. As some of you know, my main Yankees hat is the one with the ear flaps that you flap down over your ears when its cold. And I dont really wear that one until September or October when it starts to get cooler in the city. As I tell my friends who are Mets fans like Bruce Sterman, you guys could have hats like this but theyre only really necessary for the teams that regularly play in October when its colder. Join NY Cannabis Insider at our next industry networking event on Aug. 15 at Madame Mikettes in NYC. Tickets will sell out. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of NY Cannabis Insider. The New York Cannabis Vape Standards Coalition is a group of stakeholders committed to advocating for quality standards in vape ingredients that spur industry growth, align with public health interests, and advance consumer choice. These stakeholders include licensed New York adult-use processors, brands, retailers, and ingredient manufacturers. Our joint perspectives are informed by years of experience. Sign up for the NY Cannabis Insider Newsletter Enter your email address to get exclusive reporting on NY's cannabis market delivered to your inbox: In the recently revised adult-use regulations, the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has moved to ban some of the most popular vape products on the market. Specifically, in 123.6 (9)(vi) of the processor operations section, flavors that are prohibited from any inhaled product include ice cream or gelato, vanilla, cereal, candy, chocolate, dessert, concept flavors, and soda. It is unclear whether this ban only relates to the products name or whether inspectors will be quarantining a product with a similar flavor profile adding to confusion amongst producers and dispensaries tasked with ensuring compliance. A review of popular dispensary menus would suggest that up to 25% of vapes on the market would now be banned most of which are simply names of cannabis strains. This new ban goes beyond the current packaging, marketing, labeling, and advertising regulations (PMLA) that prohibit marketing that may be attractive to youth but importantly exempt strain names. The New York supply chain is fledgling. Dispensary operators are competing with thousands of illicit stores that will clearly not comply with this new ban while cultivators are struggling to fund their continued operations. Vape products using the flavors prohibited by 123.6 (9)(vi) are extremely popular among consumers and the sudden lack of availability of these products on New York shelves will drive these customers back to the illicit market. Importantly, vapes are also responsible for using the largest volume of cannabis extracts a critical source of revenue for cultivators who grow outdoors for biomass. Consumers choose vapes because they prefer convenience, and they clearly desire flavor profiles similar to their favorite flower strains such as gelato, cereal milk, and others. The ingredients used to recreate these flavors are identical to those found naturally in the cannabis plant. If New York were to enact this strict ban, consumers would simply go back to the illicit market or travel across the border to Massachusetts or New Jersey where they havent instituted such prohibitionist rules. We ask the OCM to abandon this ill-conceived ban that would take tens of millions of dollars out of the regulated supply chain and instead, utilize the already enacted regulations that prevent labels or marketing that would be attractive to youth. Signatories: Retailers Dazed Flynnstoned Good Grades Gotham Greenery Spot Just Breathe Sacred Bloom Smacked Statis William Jane Processors Beak and Skiff Bison Botanics Cirona Hepworth Ag HPI Canna Hudson Cannabis Naturae LLC New York Hemp Oil NoWave Nutriponics LLC Open Minded Organics Trucann Brands 1906 Coastal Vape Co Dank Eureka Fernway Florist Heavy Hitters Kushy Punch MKX MyHigh Packwoods Plugplay Punch Rove Stiiizy Tribe Tokes Zizzle UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday welcomed the reopening of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for aid delivery into northwest Syria. The UN Security Council in July failed to re-authorize the cross-border humanitarian aid delivery mechanism through Bab al-Hawa on the Turkish border. The Syrian government had since offered to grant permission for aid delivery through the border crossing. The United Nations was in talks with Damascus over the details of the permission. "The secretary-general welcomes the understanding reached yesterday (Monday) by the United Nations and the government of Syria on the continued use for the next six months of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to millions of people in need in Northwest Syria," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for Guterres, in a statement. The agreement was a result of engagement between UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths and the Syrian government for the world body and its partners to continue providing cross-border humanitarian assistance "at the necessary scale and in a principled manner that allows engagement with all parties for the purposes of seeking humanitarian access and that safeguards the UN's operational independence," said the statement. "The consent reaffirmed by Syria in recent days provides a basis for the UN and its partners to lawfully conduct cross-border humanitarian operations through Bab al-Hawa," it said. The secretary-general also welcomed Syria's extension of its authorization for the United Nations to use the Bab al-Salam and al-Ra'ee border crossings for an additional three months, said Haq. The two crossings, also on the Turkish border, were opened for an initial period of three months in the aftermath of the February earthquakes that struck Syria and Turkiye. The authorization has been renewed several times. Guterres also welcomed the Syrian government's consent to cross the lines within Syria at Sarmada and Saraqib for the delivery of assistance for the next six months, said the statement. On the evening of July 27, a woman reported her 67-year-old husband missing from their home in Mahopac, Putnam County. The husband, who has epilepsy and needs to take medication four times a day, had gone for a walk at 10 a.m. but didnt return. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers organized a search that included 45 personnel from local police and fire departments and other volunteers. They combed the area for days but found no clues or evidence of the missing mans whereabouts. On July 31, rangers were shown a video of the man walking into the woods at the end of Pouting Rock Road. A search party was quickly raised and began searching behind the Town of Carmel Department of Transportation yard. Finally, around 3 p.m. that day, a K9 unit found the missing man. Rangers assisted with medical care and carried him out of the woods to an ambulance. The following reports are excerpted from DEC: On July 31, a 73-year-old woman from Climat with early dementia got lost in the Slide Mountain Wilderness. Rangers found her, gave her food and water, and turned her over to EMS for further evaluation. On the afternoon of July 31, a 73-year-old woman from Climat with early dementia got lost in the Slide Mountain Wilderness. She was last seen while hiking an unmarked trail with her husband, who had asked her to remain at the trail while he went to look for something. When he returned approximately 30 minutes later, she was gone. Rangers conducted a linear search with state police and a search team from Shandaken. At 7:45 p.m., rangers found her climbing up a slope. They gave her food and water and turned her over to EMS for further evaluation. A ranger patrolling Wilcox Lake Wild Forest on July 29 stopped a man illegally driving a truck on state land. The driver provided his name and date of birth, but due to poor radio and cell service, the ranger couldnt verify it. Later, the ranger learned the license plate didnt match the mans personal information, and that he had active felony warrants out of Virginia. Rangers arrested the fugitive and turned him over to the Fulton County Sheriffs Office. They also ticketed the man for illegal motor vehicle use on state land and depositing rubbish on state land. A 62-year-old man from Alabama fell and hurt his ankle on the afternoon of August 1 while hiking near Cobble Hill. Rangers transported him on an ATV to the trail junction. A 62-year-old man from Alabama fell and hurt his ankle on the afternoon of August 1 while hiking near Cobble Hill. A ranger splint his ankle and transported him on an ATV to the trail junction while another ranger walked out with the rest of the hiking party. Bad luck struck twice for a man who got a flat tire while riding his dirt bike in Steuben County. As he pushed the bike down the road on the evening of August 3, a ranger stopped him at the intersection of Chambers Road and County Route 16. The man admitted to riding the unregistered dirt bike on a public highway. While issuing two tickets, the ranger discovered the man also had an outstanding warrant in Steuben County for a probation violation. State police showed up and took the man to a Steuben County Sheriffs deputy. A 76-year-old from Troy went missing around midnight on August 5 at the High Falls lean-to in the town of Fine. The mans daughter left the campsite and hiked to Wanakena to get help. At daybreak, rangers took a boat to begin searching the lean-to area while fire department volunteers took ATVs/UTVs on the trail in the opposite direction. Members of the Star Lake Fire Department located the man on the trail in good health. On August 3, rangers assisted the Tompkins County Sheriffs office in a search for a 46-year-old man whod gone missing in Thayer Preserve Lick Brook. They located the man within an hour and carried him to an ambulance. On the morning of August 3, rangers assisted the Tompkins County Sheriffs office in a search for a 46-year-old man whod gone missing in Thayer Preserve Lick Brook. They located the man within an hour and carried him to an ambulance. On the night of August 3, rangers responded to a call for a despondent man in the Neversink River Unique Area. A 46-year-old from Wurstboro had climbed approximately 20 feet up a tree and did not answer calls from search crews. Instead, the man climbed even higher, reaching 40 to 50 feet as responders, including a friend of the man and the Sullivan County Crisis Negotiation Team, gathered below the tree. The man eventually climbed down from the tree shortly after midnight, and rangers walked him to the trailhead where he was taken to the hospital. DEC reminds people that anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or emotional distress can text or dial 988 to access a free 24-hour hotline anywhere in New York. A 34-year-old from Pennsylvania and a 44-year-old from Syracuse camping on an island in Follensby Clear Pond, in the Adirondacks, were struck by lightning on the afternoon of August 4. Lightning hit a tree and a tent that the campers had pitched under it. The campers were able to stand and get into a boat that took them to a boat launch where rangers patrolling nearby helped get them to a Tupper Lake Volunteer Fire Department vehicle. One of the campers is on crutches with swelling to his ankle, and the other is experiencing hearing issues. A 32-year-old hiker from Spring Valley injured his ankle on August 2 at Mullet Falls in the Neversink River Unique Area. Rangers splinted his ankle, and wheeled him out on a litter to a waiting UTV. A 32-year-old hiker from Spring Valley injured his ankle on the evening of August 2 at Mullet Falls in the Neversink River Unique Area. Rangers reached him as night fell, splinted his ankle, and wheeled him out on a litter to a waiting UTV, which took him another 1.3 miles to an ambulance. The injured hiker was part of a group of approximately 80 visitors. Rangers issued a ticket to the group leader for having a group of more than 20 people on state land without a permit. A 70-year-old from Kingston suffered bruises and scrapes after tripping over a root while hiking the rail trail in the Kaaterskill Wild Forest on August 6. Rangers arrived both on foot and on a UTV, splinting the womans wrists and treating her dislocated finger. She was then taken by UTV to the Laurel House trailhead and turned over to an ambulance. A very persistent bear followed a 23-year-old from Canada on the evening of August 4 who was hiking near North Point in the Windham-Blackhead Range Wilderness, Catskills. She tried frightening the bear to no avail, so she dropped her backpack and continued up the trail to call for help. A ranger met up with her on the trail then went back to scare the bear away from her backpack. The backpacker then hiked back down the trail and set up camp for the night while the ranger kept an eye on the bear to make sure it didnt follow her. Sign up for the CNY Outdoors Newsletter Enter your email address to get weekly updates on CNY outdoors news delivered to your inbox: READ MORE Rangers rescue eight hikers stranded by flash flood in Catskills - newyorkupstate.com Rescuers search overnight, find elderly woman who wandered away from Upstate New York home - newyorkupstate.com New Jersey hikers hauled chairs up Catskills highest peak, ticketed for leaving them - newyorkupstate.com Rangers find lost kid in ADKs, break up fight at Hamilton County campground - newyorkupstate.com Rangers reunite hiker with puppy lost overnight on Adirondack mountain - newyorkupstate.com Steve Featherstone covers the outdoors for The Post-Standard, syracuse.com and NYUP.com. Contact him at sfeatherstone@syracuse.com or on Twitter @featheroutdoors. You can also follow along with all of our outdoors content at newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/ or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/upstatenyoutdoors. By Phillip Pantuso | Times Union, Albany Albany, N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that Advanced Micro Devices, a California-based designer of high-performance semiconductors, has opened two research and design facilities in upstate New York that the company said will create up to 165 new jobs by 2025. The new facilities are located at Westage Business Center in the village of Fishkill in Dutchess County and at Linden Oaks Office Park in Rochester. They focus on the design and validation of mixed-signal integrated circuits and packaging for processors used in cloud computing, data centers, gaming and PCs. Both locations are now fully operational, Hochul said in a news release. The project could receive up to $5 million in Empire State Development Excelsior Tax Credits in exchange for statewide job creation commitments. Starting with an initial investment of $3.3 million, AMD expects to continue to further finance operations at both locations over the next several years. Greater Rochester Enterprise also offered assistance for the project, according to a news release. It is through incredible projects like this that we are further demonstrating New Yorks continued commitment to fostering the growth of innovative semiconductor businesses, Hochul said in a statement. I am incredibly proud to support AMDs forward-thinking investments in Monroe and Dutchess counties that are moving our communities forward and further cementing New Yorks reputation as the national hub for high-technology research, development, design and manufacturing. AMD employees in Monroe and Dutchess counties are focused on research and design efforts to develop next-generation high-performance processors. We are excited to expand our presence in the region, which is renowned for its top research universities and engineering talent, and to continue advancing leading-edge semiconductor innovation in the U.S., AMD Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Mark Papermaster said in a statement. The AMD project is the latest boost for tech design and manufacturing in upstate New York. In June, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced a landmark deal in which GlobalFoundries will make computer chips for Lockheed Martin, the $66 billion defense contractor that makes helicopters, fighter jets and other weapons and equipment for the U.S. military. That same month, Albany Nanotech Complex was designated to host a new federally funded workforce training program that will benefit tech companies across the state. And last fall, IBM committed $20 billion to its quantum computing and semiconductor plant in Poughkeepsie just days after Micron Technology, one of the worlds largest computer chip manufacturers, announced plans to build a $100 billion semiconductor factory in the Syracuse suburbs that could create 50,000 jobs. Growing the semiconductor industry in New York has been one of Hochuls top priorities. During her State of the State address in January, she announced the creation of the Governors Office of Semiconductor Expansion, Management, and Integration. GO SEMI, led by Empire State Development, is supported by experts from numerous state agencies who work with federal and local partners to oversee investments in the semiconductor industry, which got a stimulus last fall in the form of the $52 billion federal CHIPS Act. Founded in 1969, AMD works in high-performance and adaptive computing technologies, according to its website. Its processors are in devices and services across a broad set of markets including cloud computing, enterprise, communications, health care, aerospace, automotive, PCs and gaming. For years, AMD produced the chips it designed at company-owned semiconductor factories. But in 2008, it spun off its chip foundries into an independent company GlobalFoundries. Since then, AMD has been a fabless semiconductor manufacturer, designing products that are produced at outside foundries. ___ (c)2023 the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) Visit the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) at www.timesunion.com By Joshua Solomon | Times Union, Albany Albany, N.Y. In the final days before state campaign filings were required to report donations for the first six months of the year, an unusual source of money began flowing into the campaign coffers of Gov. Kathy Hochul. The money, tens of thousands of dollars, was from executives and operators of nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, some of whom have recently been accused of egregious violations that include mistreating residents. Roughly two dozen donors are stakeholders in facilities that are the subject of intensive investigations by the office of state Attorney General Letitia James. In the past year, the attorney generals office has filed four lawsuits against operators and owners accused of fraud and neglect at facilities where residents suffered from deplorable conditions that included dehydration, infections, sepsis and an increased risk of death. Twenty-six nursing home and rehab facilities contributed to the Hochul campaign in the final days of the most recent filing period. Nearly all of the facilities include at least one operator or executive who is associated with the campaign contribution and is also named in one of the attorney generals recent lawsuits against other facilities. The money given to Hochuls campaign is associated with about two dozen individuals who public records indicate appear to be associated with at least 22 facilities. The contributions are all directly tied to corporations, which means the maximum amount that can be given to the campaign in a calendar year is $5,000. Generally, corporations contributing to a campaign are required to report the money given, broken down by percentages of who owns the company. But the requirement is not always followed or reported accurately. The contributions also reflect what good government groups see as a troubling section of the states campaign finance laws: a lack of clarity on who or what entity is giving money to those in power. Legislation to require corporations to publicly disclose their owners not just to the federal government in private tax filings is awaiting the governors signature. The real estate and some business sectors are opposing the measure. Without greater clarity on who is contributing and who the particular facilitys owners are, it leaves a question of whether the owners are attempting to thwart regulatory action that could halt their operations, according to John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany, the government watchdog group. Theyre going to try to preempt that by buying political favor with the governor to call off the regulators, Kaehny said. Thats the reasonable surmise of whats going on here and thus, they all happen at the same time. In some instances, family members of the accused operators appear to have connections to a particular facilitys contribution to Hochul. In other instances, donations associated with certain facilities tie back to several addresses, some of which are linked to a different facility altogether. In one instance, an alternate spelling of a last name appeared to be used. In another, it appeared to be connected to a woman who has been dead for more than a year, although her estate is named as a defendant in one of the attorney generals lawsuits. Attorneys for some of the contributors did not respond to requests for comment. Others said they had just learned of their clients contributing to the Hochul campaign. In response to detailed questions about the donations, including whether the governors political team is aware of the sources or screens contributions, Brian Lenzmeier, a spokesman for the campaign, issued a one-sentence statement saying: Consistent with Governor Hochuls commitment to maintain high ethical standards, campaign contributions have no influence on government decisions. Detailing the donors In a November lawsuit, James office alleges The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center engaged in years of financial fraud that led to significant harm in resident care. They were being left in their own feces and urine for hours on end, Leanne Sample, a former certified nursing assist for the facility, told the attorney generals office. The lawsuit also detailed the story of an amputee, at the facility for rehab, who was sitting in his own urine in an adult diaper. In another case, a suicidal woman was left untreated and found dead within days. Another person came in for knee rehabilitation, but his wife found him with bruises on his head and only a diaper on his body. He was uncommunicative until he went to another facility and recovered. The neglect, the attorney generals office alleges, was a byproduct of a complicated web of fraud in which the owners are accused of bilking the Medicaid system for millions of dollars in profit. Every individual deserves to live out their golden years in comfort and with dignity, James said in a November news release. Yet the abject failure of The Villages and its owners to uphold their duty under the law caused residents to suffer inhumane treatment, neglect and harm. The facilitys owner is Bernard Fuchs, although the civil case focuses on three undisclosed owners, who it alleges owned and managed The Villages. The case includes Fuchs son and daughter-in-law, Gerald and Tova Fuchs; and his sons-in-law, Joel Edelstein and Israel Freund. It also cites the involvement of Benjamin Landa and his son-in-law Joshua Farkovits, as well as Teresa Lichtschein. While the civil complaint focuses on the work of the undisclosed owners, the litigants and their associates all appear connected to recent contributions to Hochul in connection with nursing homes in the New York City metro area, not the facility targeted in western New York. The lawsuit alleges they made large sums of money although they contributed nothing and failed to prevent the abuse and neglect. The nursing homes associated with the donors tied to the Orleans County lawsuit are: Kennedy Healthcare; Kennedy Management; Poughkeepsie Crossings; Bay Park Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation; Brookhaven Rehabilitation and Health Care Center; Eastchester Rehab and Health Care Center; and Golden Gate Rehab and HCC. Edelstein and Freund made the exact same contribution, which was similar to contributions made by the Fuchs family. In a December lawsuit, James office sued a Long Island nursing home, Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, for years of financial fraud and self-dealing that led to severe understaffing and resident neglect and harm. The attorney generals office alleges the operators diverted nearly $23 million in Medicaid and Medicare funds through a fraudulent network of companies that were used to conceal up-front profit taking. They tried to kill me at Cold Spring Hills, one patient would tell his wife, according to the attorney generals lawsuit. The man lost significant weight after entering the facility for rehabilitation. He exited with malnutrition and ended up hospitalized. Landa, involved in the Orleans County case, is a partial owner of the facility. His daughter, Esther Farkovits, is also a partial owner. The attorney generals office alleges Farkovits testified that she was wholly unaware of her ownership interest in Cold Springs Hills until she was served with a subpoena in 2022. Esther Farkowitz, a common different spelling of the surname, is listed as one of the contributors who gave to Hochul through Highland View Care Center. On July 11, $2,000 was given to the Hochul campaign through the Queens facility: $500 associated with Farkowitz, $100 with Ben Philipson, $400 with Gabrielle Philipson and $1,000 with Leo Friedman. The Philipsons are named extensively in the lawsuit filed against nursing home operators in Nassau County. The lawsuit alleges Bent Philipson and Benjamin Landa placed their children as straw owners of the nursing home to conceal their fathers control. Among those implicated in the litigation is Deborah Philipson, who died at age 55 in March 2022. (Her estate was served papers.) A person identified as Deborah Philipson is linked to three contributions to Hochul in July totaling $606.50 from Brookhaven Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, Eastchester Rehab and Health Care Center and Golden Gate Rehab and HCC. In a June 28 lawsuit, the attorney generals office sued to stop the repeated and persistent fraud and illegality of the persons and entities who have operated, owned and controlled four New York City nursing homes, allegedly for the purpose of exploiting government funding of skilled nursing care through the Medicaid and Medicare program. Named 248 pages into the lawsuit are three partial owners of a health care company called LI Script: Joseph Carillo II, Pasquale DeBenedictis and Alex Solovey. They are named in connection to a different partial owner of LI Script, who the lawsuit is centered around. Carillo contributed about $3,800 through nine facilities, including through Carillon Nursing & Rehab Center. DeBenedictis and Solovey each gave almost exactly the same amount, about $5,900, through the same 13 facilities. The facilities include: Chapin Acquisition I; East Neck Nursing and Rehab Center; JOPAL Bronx; Mills Pond Dialysis Center; MLAP Acquisition 1; Morningside Dialysis Center; Morningside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; Peninsula Continuum Services; Prospect Acquisition I; Sea Crest Dialysis Center; Sea Crest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; Shore View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; and Workmens Circle Dialysis Management. The three individuals, nor the facilities they contributed through, are accused of wrongdoing by the attorney generals office. Kaehny, of Reinvent Albany, views the contributions as a possible attempt to buy influence in the administration as pending litigation plays out at other facilities. Essentially its... an (apparent) attempt of pay-for-play, Kaehny said. ___ (c)2023 the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) Visit the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) at www.timesunion.com Syracuse, N.Y. Onondaga County is investing $3.5 million in new voting machines that could for the first time allow voters to cast their ballots at any of the 147 polling places in the county. The county Board of Elections plans to roll out the new Clear Vote systems for this Novembers election. Teen Mom: The Next Chapter is back with another drama-filled episode, No White Flags, on Wednesday, August 9, as the stars of Teen Mom 2 and Teen Mom OG continue to navigate the challenges of parenthood. Teen Mom: The Next Chapter season 1, episode 23, No White Flags, airs at 8 p.m. ET on MTV. It can be streamed live on Philo (free trial) and other live TV services. Stream Teen Mom: The Next Chapter on Philo (free trial). Cheyenne and Ashleys beef is taking center stage both on and off the show, and is expected to rear its head again this week. After last episode, Ashley took to social media to make mean comments about Cheyenne, including accusing her of only being black when its convenient. What time is Teen Mom: The Next Chapter on TV? The Teen Mom: The Next Chapter new episode, No White Flags, will air at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, August 9. New episodes air every Wednesday at the same time. Where can I stream Teen Mom: The Next Chapter for free? Teen Mom: The Next Chapter can be streamed live on Philo (free trial), fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and Sling (half off first month). What TV channel is Teen Mom on? Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs on MTV. Channel finder: Verizon Fios, Xfinity, Spectrum, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DirecTV What will happen this week? According to an episode synopsis, Catelynn is heartbroken when her family attacks her on social media; Sean plans a surprise for Jade; Zach and Bar discuss the beef between Cheyenne and Ashley; Maci is trying to be there for Ryan, but things take a turn when he gets arrested. What is Teen Mom: The Next Chapter about? According to MTV, The casts of Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 face the reality of parenthood at different stages. What is Philo? Philo is a live TV streaming service focused on entertainment channels like MTV, Paramount Network, Discovery and more. It offers 60+ channels for the budget-friendly price of $25 per month. It has unlimited DVR, and can be streamed on all your favorite app-enabled devices. Right now, you can try Philo free for 7 days. The National Weather Service Tuesday confirmed a tornado touched down in Cortland and Tompkins counties Monday. The tornado landed at 5:13 p.m. on Route 38 in Tompkins County, just west of Harford, and traveled 11 miles at a top speed of 90 mph before petering out in McGraw, Cortland County, around 5:36 p.m., according to the weather service. Its maximum width was measured at 200 yards. The most widespread damage reported was at Clute Road, where several trees were uprooted and snapped, the weather service said. A large shed also partially collapsed. The tornado was classified as an EF1 a tornado with a peak wind speed of 110 mph. The weather services rankings go up to EF5, which would be considered a violent tornado above 200 mph. The tornado sightings Monday came as Upstate New York was hit with severe storms that downed trees, flooded roads and dumped record-breaking rainfall in Syracuse. A survey crew from the weather service is expected to be in Oneida County Wednesday, where another tornado was reported to be seen. The survey team will be in the area of Vernon, near the Madison County line. More Syracuse.com stories on Aug. 7-8 storm 21 1 / 21 Record-breaking rainfall causes flooding, damage across Central NY Just whoosh: Flash floods crept inside in minutes, winds shattered windows in CNY storms Hear and see deluge of rain as it floods a Central NY townhouse complex (video) 7 inches of rain just fell in one Central NY village. Thats almost two months worth Syracuse breaks 47-year-old rainfall record; nearby town gets over 4 inches Heavy rains cause roof at Great Northern Mall to collapse, cracked roads, flooded houses Update: Parts of I-81, route 690 remain closed due to flooding, others have reopened Severe storms spawned several possible tornadoes in Upstate NY 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. Bahrains Telecom Regulatory Authority and operators have discussed a Telecom Emergency Response Plan aimed at preventing possible disruptions in an emergency. The Telecom Emergency Response Plan encompasses strategies, protocols and technologies to strengthen resilience and ensure a swift collaborative response and recovery. Philip Marnick, the General Director of TRA, emphasised the importance of the emergency response plan, stating: The TRA's top priority is to ensure uninterrupted connectivity and reliable communication for consumers, even during emergencies. Proactive approach He further added: The plan reflects our proactive approach to handling all situations and commitment to ensuring the safety and resilience of Bahrain's telecommunications infrastructure and services. Comprising key stakeholders, including mobile operators, the committee discussed the development and implementation of proactive measures for addressing potential telecommunication challenges in times of crisis. TAIYUAN, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- North China's Shanxi Province has handled 700 China-Europe freight train trips since the service was launched in 2017, local authorities said. The 700th freight train, loaded with goods like ceramic tableware, car tires, pipe fittings and glass products, departed from the Zhongding logistics park in Shanxi on Aug. 5, according to the China Railway Taiyuan Group Co., Ltd. The train, carrying 77 containers with a total cargo volume of about 1,814 tonnes, will pass through the Horgos port in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and arrive at the destination countries including Kazakhstan in about 10 days. Since 2017, Shanxi has launched 10 China-Europe freight train routes linking 13 countries along the Belt and Road. As the province continues to expand its high-level opening-up, the categories of goods exported via the China-Europe freight trains have gradually widened from the initial items like wheels, stainless steel and solar photovoltaic modules to a variety of categories, including medicines, flanges, ceramics, glassware, walnuts and other local specialty products. Offer a personal message of sympathy... By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that below. Otherwise, you can create an account by clicking on the Log in button below, and then register to create your account. 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. This photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows variety of seeds displayed at the booth of the Chinese agricultural experts at the national agriculture exhibition in Jinja, Uganda.(Xinhua/Nie Zuguo) JINJA, Uganda, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese agricultural experts in Uganda since Tuesday have been showcasing new seed varieties and technology at the country's ongoing annual agriculture exhibition in the city of Jinja, the Eastern Region, which has immensely impressed local farmers. Visitors who thronged their stall shared with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) were keen on knowing the high-yielding rice seeds, foxtail millet, and several small agricultural gadgets. "If we want to get out of poverty, we need to open our eyes and ears, so that we can learn especially about the seeds that are giving high yields," Jubilee Amooti, a commercial farmer, told Xinhua after visiting the experts' stall. "I learned a lot, I'm going to practice what they have told me to do. They gave me a sample (sorghum) to go and try, after seeing how it is yielding, I can plant it on a bigger scale." Joseph Mutale, a local farmer, said the Chinese have exhibited some machines which can be critical to farmers, especially during the planting season. "It is costly but if we can buy it as a group, then it is affordable," Mutale said, referring to a two-wheeled seed planter. Dick Nuwamanya, the president of the Uganda National Farmers Federation, told Xinhua that Chinese agriculture experts are important in technology transfer, especially in rural areas. "Chinese being here, with new varieties and expertise, is absolutely a welcome move for us. The more we see it (technology) the better for us because it means we will learn how things are done differently," Nuwamanya said. A team of Chinese experts is delivering their service in Uganda under tripartite cooperation with Uganda, China, and the FAO under the South-South cooperation framework. They are sharing experiences with local farmers on how to boost production and promote agricultural transformation. Speaking to Xinhua at the exhibition, Zhang Xiaoqiang, head of the Chinese agriculture team under the FAO-China South-South Program in Uganda, said this was their first time participating in the country's national agricultural show, which opened on Aug. 4 and will conclude Saturday. "Through this exhibition, local farmers can better experience our agricultural technologies, leading to the adoption of our new varieties and techniques by more farmers. This will play a crucial role in increasing food production, income, and food security levels in the country," said Zhang. He said the seed varieties they have brought to the show were of excellent drought and disease resistance with high yields, and visitors have been highly impressed by the taste of the cooked rice and millet they have prepared. The agricultural exhibition, organized by the Uganda National Farmers Federation in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, provides farmers and agro-industry players an opportunity to showcase their innovations and technologies as well as to engage in business networking. It also brings together agricultural scientists, small and large-scale farmers, and service providers from across the value chain. aneezan BHPian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Eindhoven Posts: 515 Thanked: 727 Times My 6-Cycle Garage | Review & Summary Here is a summary of all of them, in no specific order of preference, and some of them being used interchangeably. Rockrider ST100. (MTB) Color: Orange & Blue - Size: M - Bought: Nov 2021. My wife's daily driver/rider and she swears by it. A sturdy little mountain bike. Bought this from Decathlon in Bangalore just before leaving for the Netherlands. It has had no fault so far. Apart from the usual self-maintenance, it has worked perfectly. Its very comfortable, easy to handle and the wide tires offer good stability. Shifting duty is with a Microshift 7x3 setup. Even though we have an electric bike, my wife prefers this for her office, errand and leisure rides. She's added a pouch at the front, panniers at the rear with big saddle bags. These bags are enough to carry the weekend grocery. Personally feel its the most solid bike of the lot that we have. Also, I love the colors on this bike. Triban RC120 (Road):- Color: Grey. - Size: L. - Bought: August 2020. Bought during the first lull of the Covid pandemic in 2020. I had started exploring with the MyBike 7 which was gathering dust and rust for over 5 years, when a series of rides felt so pleasurable that I went and grabbed this bike from Decathlon Bangalore. 3 years and over 18,000km and its still going. Without the proper knowledge of maintenance initially, I abused it to the extent that I had to change the crank and both the shifters. It has taken heavy falls, one which fractured my arm and done multiple BRMs. I still love it. Carried it over to the Netherlands and have used it extensively in 2022, riding up the hills of Vaals and Aachen. Comes with Aluminium frame, Carbon Fork and Microshift 8x2 shifting. This model didn't have disc brakes then. Due to the amount of use, I changed the crank and shifters to Claris. Both my son and I use it for errand and short casual rides these days. Riverside 500 (Hybrid):- Color: Night Blue. - Size: L - Bought: June 2022. My son's daily rider. He initially wanted a drop bar, but then I somehow convinced him to get a hybrid as a start for his regular school rides. Bought a size L so both of us can ride. Though he expressed his preference to a road bike initially, he be began to love the 500 as time went on and also realized why I requested him to take a hybrid first as a beginner. Nowadays, if we are going somewhere within the city, he prefers to ride his cycle while we take the car. Always keeps telling me there's a freedom that a bike-ride gives you that no car can! I fully second that. The Riverside 500 has a light aluminum frame, with a 9x1 speed transmission with B-Twin and Microshift components and mechanical disc brakes. Canyon Endurace AL (Road):- Color: Cold Cactus - Size: M - Bought: February 2023 My current leisure ride. I had decided it was to be a Canyon after the RC120, but didn't know whether it was to be a carbon or an aluminum frame. Weighing all odds, I thought I would go for the AL 7. Carbon-Yes, but maybe for later. Had to wait for about 1.5 months for delivery post placing the order on Canyon's website. I couldn't wait. Currently, it has been 4.5 months and have done ~2,500km. It has performed brilliantly so far. Quick, smooth shifting 105s, and most of everything has been much more comfortable than the RC120. My back has thanked me so far. I am not a racer, but try to average between 25 to 30kph. This Canyon has been perfect so far. Has taken me for one 213km ride and multiple 100s(10 on the trot in July). Comes with a full Shimano 105(11x2), Aluminum Frame, Fulcrum Racing wheels, Schwalbe One 30" tires. One of the reasons I got the Canyon was that the weld seams are not seen(as in the case of other Aluminum Road Bikes of the same class). Btwin ST100. (Kids MTB):- Color: White - Size: 20". - Bought: 2015 My daughter's leisure and school bike. Was my son's earlier, but currently doing the duty perfectly for my daughter's school. Was initially slightly bigger for her and was about to get a smaller cycle, but she's grown quickly into it recently. She prefers this now for her daily school trip to either me taking her on the electric or going by car. The biking infrastructure in the Netherlands perfectly suits ride(as with other kids as well). Has started to rust and show its age now with long years of abuse and neglect. The tires are wobbling slightly and the brakes aren't sharp as they should be, but tinkering with it now and then helps. And my daughter doesn't mind. Its a steel single speed cycle, and raised handle-bars, which is suitable geometry for her. Riverside Electric 920E. (Hybrid Electric) Color: Grey Blue. - Size: M. - Bought: September 2022 We bought this specifically for one reason. Taking our daughter along with us, whether it's to her school, local errands or short leisure rides on the weekends. Currently sits as the least preferred bike in our garage. Ever since my daughter started riding the ST120, she doesnt prefer sitting on this. I fitted a cushion on the rear for her to sit comfortably. Though it's easy to ride and serves its purpose, the artificiality in the riding doesn't feel great. We use it for grocery shopping and other commutes nowadays, since its easier to heave bags while riding. Comes with a 8x1 SRAM setup and can go about 80km on a full battery at power set at 1. At 3, the range drops to about 40. Range also depends on temperature and a host of other factors too. Full review of this bike at All of them together:- And at the end of the day, they all go into this garage:- We currently have 6 cycles in our garage. Its a couple more than the number of people in the house, and aligns with the Netherlands quote - There are more bikes than people in the country.Here is a summary of all of them, in no specific order of preference, and some of them being used interchangeably.Color: Orange & Blue - Size: M - Bought: Nov 2021.My wife's daily driver/rider and she swears by it. A sturdy little mountain bike. Bought this from Decathlon in Bangalore just before leaving for the Netherlands. It has had no fault so far. Apart from the usual self-maintenance, it has worked perfectly. Its very comfortable, easy to handle and the wide tires offer good stability. Shifting duty is with a Microshift 7x3 setup.Even though we have an electric bike, my wife prefers this for her office, errand and leisure rides. She's added a pouch at the front, panniers at the rear with big saddle bags. These bags are enough to carry the weekend grocery.Personally feel its the most solid bike of the lot that we have. Also, I love the colors on this bike.Color: Grey. - Size: L. - Bought: August 2020.Bought during the first lull of the Covid pandemic in 2020. I had started exploring with the MyBike 7 which was gathering dust and rust for over 5 years, when a series of rides felt so pleasurable that I went and grabbed this bike from Decathlon Bangalore. 3 years and over 18,000km and its still going. Without the proper knowledge of maintenance initially, I abused it to the extent that I had to change the crank and both the shifters. It has taken heavy falls, one which fractured my arm and done multiple BRMs. I still love it. Carried it over to the Netherlands and have used it extensively in 2022, riding up the hills of Vaals and Aachen.Comes with Aluminium frame, Carbon Fork and Microshift 8x2 shifting. This model didn't have disc brakes then. Due to the amount of use, I changed the crank and shifters to Claris. Both my son and I use it for errand and short casual rides these days.Color: Night Blue. - Size: L - Bought: June 2022.My son's daily rider. He initially wanted a drop bar, but then I somehow convinced him to get a hybrid as a start for his regular school rides. Bought a size L so both of us can ride. Though he expressed his preference to a road bike initially, he be began to love the 500 as time went on and also realized why I requested him to take a hybrid first as a beginner. Nowadays, if we are going somewhere within the city, he prefers to ride his cycle while we take the car. Always keeps telling me there's a freedom that a bike-ride gives you that no car can! I fully second that.The Riverside 500 has a light aluminum frame, with a 9x1 speed transmission with B-Twin and Microshift components and mechanical disc brakes.Color: Cold Cactus - Size: M - Bought: February 2023My current leisure ride. I had decided it was to be a Canyon after the RC120, but didn't know whether it was to be a carbon or an aluminum frame. Weighing all odds, I thought I would go for the AL 7. Carbon-Yes, but maybe for later. Had to wait for about 1.5 months for delivery post placing the order on Canyon's website. I couldn't wait.Currently, it has been 4.5 months and have done ~2,500km. It has performed brilliantly so far. Quick, smooth shifting 105s, and most of everything has been much more comfortable than the RC120. My back has thanked me so far. I am not a racer, but try to average between 25 to 30kph. This Canyon has been perfect so far. Has taken me for one 213km ride and multiple 100s(10 on the trot in July).Comes with a full Shimano 105(11x2), Aluminum Frame, Fulcrum Racing wheels, Schwalbe One 30" tires. One of the reasons I got the Canyon was that the weld seams are not seen(as in the case of other Aluminum Road Bikes of the same class).Color: White - Size: 20". - Bought: 2015My daughter's leisure and school bike. Was my son's earlier, but currently doing the duty perfectly for my daughter's school. Was initially slightly bigger for her and was about to get a smaller cycle, but she's grown quickly into it recently. She prefers this now for her daily school trip to either me taking her on the electric or going by car. The biking infrastructure in the Netherlands perfectly suits ride(as with other kids as well). Has started to rust and show its age now with long years of abuse and neglect. The tires are wobbling slightly and the brakes aren't sharp as they should be, but tinkering with it now and then helps. And my daughter doesn't mind.Its a steel single speed cycle, and raised handle-bars, which is suitable geometry for her.Color: Grey Blue. - Size: M. - Bought: September 2022We bought this specifically for one reason. Taking our daughter along with us, whether it's to her school, local errands or short leisure rides on the weekends. Currently sits as the least preferred bike in our garage. Ever since my daughter started riding the ST120, she doesnt prefer sitting on this. I fitted a cushion on the rear for her to sit comfortably. Though it's easy to ride and serves its purpose, the artificiality in the riding doesn't feel great. We use it for grocery shopping and other commutes nowadays, since its easier to heave bags while riding.Comes with a 8x1 SRAM setup and can go about 80km on a full battery at power set at 1. At 3, the range drops to about 40. Range also depends on temperature and a host of other factors too. Full review of this bike at https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/bicyc...side-920e.html (A new electric bike at home - Riverside 920E) All of them together:-And at the end of the day, they all go into this garage:- Artificial intelligence technologies are being applied by investigators that can identify and stop internet crimes against children (ICAC), according to a maker of AI tools for law enforcement, government agencies, and enterprises. Voyager Labs, in a blog posted Tuesday, explained that many ICAC task forces are using tools like topic query searches to find online material related to crimes against children. Those systems can find accounts trading child sexual abuse material, identify and locate the offenders using those accounts, identify potential victims, and compile crucial data to help law enforcement open a case against the criminals, Voyager noted. It added that this process is often remarkably fast, sometimes returning usable results in seconds. Another tool being used by investigators cited by Voyager is the topic query lexicon. Its like a translation dictionary or code book. Criminal investigators can contribute their knowledge of criminal communications slang, terminology, and emojis to the lexicon, which AI software can use to find references to criminal activity online. Voyagers National Investigations Director Jason Webb, who contributed to the blog, explained that the lexicon acts as a shared database, enabling various types of specialists to apply one anothers knowledge to their research. We Know Where You Live Artificial intelligence is also useful in doing network analysis. If there are pages where child sexual abuse material has been traded, Voyager noted, AI can see who interacts with those pages to do network analysis, identifying if multiple offenders are involved in ICAC rings. It is common for gangs to run ICAC activities and human trafficking, so these investigations have the potential to uncover criminal enterprises of complex organizations that work in a range of illegal activities, it explained. Voyager added that some systems can reveal the geographic location of criminal activity. Sharing geo data may be one of the most significant factors in reducing ICAC, Voyager maintained, because it empowers agencies that have this new technology to share their research with smaller departments that may not have the same resources. In addition to identifying criminal activity, Voyager noted that network analysis can be used to indicate potential victims. Once law enforcement and families are alerted that criminals have attempted to contact a child, Voyager explained, immediate steps can be taken to remove the child from potential harm. Voyager claims that in many cases, all of this kind of AI research can be accomplished solely through open-source intelligence, which is available to the public with no warrant or special permissions. However, in the past, the company has gotten in hot water over its data collection practices. In January 2023, Meta filed a lawsuit against Voyager Labs in U.S. federal court in California, alleging the company improperly scraped data from Facebook and Instagram platforms and profiles. Meta claims Voyager created more than 38,000 fake accounts and used those to scrape 600,000 Facebook users viewable profile information. Voyager allegedly marketed its scraping tools to companies interested in conducting surveillance on social media sites without being detected and then sold the information to the highest bidder. Voyager contends that the lawsuit is meritless, reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of how the software products at issue work, and, most importantly, is detrimental to U.S. and global public safety. Filtering Nude Photos Artificial intelligence can also identify child sexual abuse material through services like Microsofts Photo DNA and Googles Hash Matching API. Those services use a library of known child sexual abuse content to identify that content when its being circulated or stored online. However, that only solves the issue of known content or fuzzy matches, and though some companies are building models to catch new child sexual abuse material, there are significant regulations as to who can access these data sets, said Joshua Buxbaum, co-founder and chief growth officer at WebPurify, a cloud-based web filtering, and online child protection service, in Irvine, Calif. As with all AI models, nothing is by any means perfect, and humans are needed in the loop to verify the content, which is not ideal from a mental health perspective, he told TechNewsWorld. There are also standalone parental control applications, like Canopy, that can filter incoming and outgoing images that contain nudity. It alerts parents if it seems their children are sexting, said Canopy CMO Yaron Litwin. This can prevent those images from falling into the wrong hands and gives parents a chance to educate their children on the dangers of what they are doing before it is too late, he told TechNewsWorld. Social platforms allow predators to send photos while also requesting photos from the minor, Chris Hauk, consumer privacy champion at Pixel Privacy, a publisher of consumer security and privacy guides, told TechNewsWorld. This allows predators to extort money or other types of photos while threatening to tell parents if the child doesnt comply. Litwin added that sextortion using nude images of children to extort more images or money from them has increased 322% year-over-year in February. Some sextortion cases have resulted in the victims committing suicide, he said. Digital Education Vital for Child Protection Child sexual abuse material also continues to be a problem in social media. Our analysis shows social media account removals related to child abuse and safety are steadily rising on most platforms, Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate at Comparitech, a reviews, advice, and information website for consumer security products, told TechNewsWorld. He cited a report released by Comparitech that found that during the first nine months of 2022, content removals for child exploitation almost equaled all removals for 2021. Similar storylines for Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Discord could be found. This is a really serious issue that is only getting worse over time, Litwin said. Parents today didnt grow up in the same digital world as their children and arent always aware of the range of threats their kids face on a daily basis. Isabelle Vladoiu, founder of the US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights, a nonprofit think tank in Washington, D.C., asserted that the most important thing that can be done to keep kids safe online is to educate them. By providing comprehensive digital literacy programs, such as digital citizenship training, raising awareness about online risks, and teaching children to recognize red flags, we empower them to make informed decisions and protect themselves from exploitation, she told TechNewsWorld. Real-life examples have shown that when children are educated about trafficking risks and online safety, they become more empowered to stand against torture and exploitation, she continued, fostering a safer online environment for all. ownCloud enables you to share and sync data and keep it safe at the same time, on all platforms. It controls and monitors access and enables collaboration across devices, teams and continents alike. Without risking data loss, theft or infringement on privacy regulation. Access Your Data Store your files, folders, contacts, photo galleries, calendars and more on a server of your choosing. Access that folder from your mobile device, your desktop, or a web browser. Access your data wherever you are, when you need it. Sync Your Data Keep your files, contacts, photo galleries, calendars and more synchronized amongst your devices. One folder, two folders and more - get the most recent version of your files with the desktop and web client or mobile app of your choosing, at any time. Share Your Data Share your data with others, and give them access to your latest photo galleries, your calendar, your music, or anything else you want them to see. Share it publicly, or privately. It is your data, do what you want with it. Versioning Did someone make a change to a shared file that you don't like, or did you accidentally delete a section of the file that you need? With the Versions Application enabled, ownCloud automatically saves old file versions - you configure how much to save. To revert, simply hover over your file and roll back to a previous version. Encryption Do you want to make sure that your files remain secure on the server? With the Encryption Application enabled, all files stored on the ownCloud server are encrypted to your password. This is helpful if you store your files on an untrusted storage outside the ownCloud server. Add to this an SSL connection, and your files are secure while in motion and at rest. Drag and Drop Upload Working on a computer and don't want to install the entire ownCloud client? Simply log into ownCloud in a web browser and drag and drop your files from your desktop into your desired target directory in the web browser. They will be automatically uploaded to the server. Themeing Want to make ownCloud look and feel like the rest of your site? Use the new theming directory functionality. Any style or image that you place in this directory will be used in place of standard ownCloud fonts, colors and icons. Viewer for ODF Files Want to read open document format files without downloading them? Enable this Application and you can click on any ODF formatted document (.odt, .odp, .ods) and read it in your web browser with no download required. Application API's Want to add features and functions to ownCloud? New publicly defined APIs make creating applications for ownCloud much simpler, enabling add on functions a stable integration point for future versions. Migration and Backup Do you have multiple ownCloud instances, perhaps a primary and a backup installation? Now you can easily move your ownCloud user accounts between ownCloud instances, and have a backup ready when you need it. Tasks Want to keep track of that all-important to do list? With the Tasks Application, you can easily sync your to do lists sync your To Do List with your ownCloud instance? Application Store Want to add one of the existing applications to ownCloud? Simply enable a new application in settings, and it will be automatically downloaded and installed in your ownCloud instance. Calendars Want to share your calendar with other users of ownCloud? Enable the Calendar Application, open your calendar, select share, and choose the users or groups you want. You can be sharing your important calendar and important events in no time. File Notifications Now you can notify others when a file is shared, making it faster and easier to start sharing those documents, home movies and whatever else you choose. Galleries Want better control over your shared photo gallery? Now you can specify the ownCloud photo directories, sort order, share your galleries with any email address you choose, and control whether they can share those photos with anyone else. External Storage Do you want one place to access all of your Gdrive and Dropbox files? Then this new experimental feature is something to look at. With the External Storage Application enabled, you can mount your external storage as a folder inside your ownCloud instance, and use 1 interface to access all of your files. Logging Want to integrate ownCloud into your existing syslog service? Now ownCloud can write to syslog log files as well as the existing ownCloud log file. LDAP / Active Directory Want to manage ownCloud users from a directory? Now ownCloud enables admins to manage users and groups from their LDAP or AD instance. Installtion: To run ownCloud, your webserver must have the following installed: php5 (>= 5.3), php5-json php-xml php-mbstring php5-zip php5-gdAnd as optional dependencies: php5-sqlite (>= 3), curl, libcurl3, libcurl3-dev, php5-curl, php-pdo apt-get install apache2 php5 php5-json php-xml php-mbstring php5-zip php5-gd apt-get install php5-sqlite curl libcurl3 libcurl3-dev php5-curl php-pdo You don't need any WebDAV support of your webserver (i.e. apache's mod_webdav) to access your ownCloud data via WebDAV, ownCloud has a WebDAV server built in. Download the server file. Extract ownCloud and copy to your webserver tar -xjf path/to/downloaded/owncloud-x.x.x.tar.bz2cp -r owncloud /path/to/your/webserver Set the directory permissions: The owner of your webserver must own the apps/, data/ and config/ directories in your ownCloud install. You can do this by running the following command for the apps, data and config directories: chown -R www-data:www-data /path/to/your/owncloud/install/data Replace 'www-data:www-data' with the user and group of the owner of your webserver. Note that the data/ directory will only be created after setup has run (see below) and is not present by default in the tarballs. Enable .htaccess and mod_rewrite if running apache If you are running the apache webserver, it is recommended that you enable .htaccess files as ownCloud uses them to enhance security and allows you to use webfinger. To enable .htaccess files you need to ensure that 'AllowOverride' is set to 'All' in the 'Directory /var/www/' section of your virtual host file. This is usually in /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/000-default. You should also run 'a2enmod rewrite' and 'a2enmod headers'. Then restart apache: service apache2 restart (for Ubuntu systems).In order for the maximum upload size to be configurable, the .htaccess file in the owncloud folder needs to be made writable by the server. Follow the install wizard Open your web browser and navigate to your ownCloud instance. If you are installing ownCloud on the same machine as you will access the install wizard from, the url will be:https://localhost/ (or https://localhost/owncloudFor basic installs we recommend SQLite as it is easy to setup (ownCloud will do it for you). For larger installs you should use MySQL or PostgreSQL. Click on the Advanced options to show the configuration options. You may enter admin credentials and let ownCloud create its own database user, or enter a preconfigured user. If you are not using apache as the webserver, please set the data directory to a location outside of the document root. See the advanced install settings. Finished Login and start using ownCloud! For more details on configuring your ownCloud, please visit the Support Centre. If you plan on using the Webfinger app and your ownCloud installation is not in the webroot then you'll have to manually link /var/www/.well-known to /path/to/your/owncloud/.well-known. What's New: What just happened? The world's largest semiconductor contract manufacturing company, TSMC, has announced plans to build a 10 billion (US$11 billion) factory in Germany. The plant will be located in the country's eastern city of Dresden and will manufacture chips for the automotive and IoT sectors. This will be TSMC's fourth manufacturing facility outside of Taiwan, with construction already underway for two factories in Arizona and one in Japan. Construction of the German factory is slated to start next year, with chip production expected to begin by 2027. The proposed factory, a joint venture with three other companies, marks TSMC's first foray into Europe. In a press release, TSMC said that its allies in its new venture will be Robert Bosch GmbH and Infineon Technologies AG from Germany, as well as NXP Semiconductors N.V. of the Netherlands. While TSMC plans to invest 3.5 billion ($3.8 billion) in the project, its European partners, along with the European Union and German government, are expected to put up the rest as part of a public-private partnership. The project has been named European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) GmbH, and is set to provide "advanced semiconductor manufacturing services" to serve the surging automotive and IoT sectors in the region. While TSMC will hold a 70 percent stake in the new company, Bosch, Infineon, and NXP will hold a 10 percent stake each, subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions. Once fully functional, the 300mm / 12-inch fab is expected to manufacture about 40,000 wafers per month, with a mix of 28/22 nanometer planar CMOS and 16/12 nanometer FinFET process technology chips. While the PC and smartphone industries have long moved beyond these technologies, they are still relevant in the automotive and IoT sectors, and should offer competitive products for embedded electronics. TSMC's investment in Europe is the culmination of years of efforts by European leaders to convince the company to produce advanced microchips in the region to avoid the supply-chain bottlenecks that plagued the EU economy during the height of the pandemic. While the entire region stands to benefit from the upcoming plant, Germany will be the biggest beneficiary, as the TSMC deal would inject some some-needed investment into its flagging manufacturing sector. According to European media, the German government agreed to provide the joint venture with subsidies of up to 5 billion (around $5.5 billion) to convince TSMC to invest in the country. With a view toward earning more foreign investment, the country also recently passed a law that would make it easier for qualified foreigners to migrate to Germany for work. While not everyone in Germany is happy with the concessions, the country's government believes that it is a step in the right direction and one that could potentially bring more investment from leading tech companies in the future. What just happened? Chinese company Loongson Technology is busy creating the next generation of its homemade PC processors. A recent social post seemingly suggests that development is going well, and Loongson could reach parity with Western x86 CPUs sooner rather than later. Chief architect Hu Weiwu started development of the Loongson chip technology in 2001, but things have now become much more complicated because of the sanctions imposed by the US government against Chinese companies. Loongson technology is however still making strides - if recent information coming from Chinese social networks are somewhat based on actual facts. Last week, Loongson shared a post on QQ.com detailing the performance of its Loongson 3A6000 processor. The new CPU is provided with four computing cores working at a 2.5GHz frequency, the company stated, representing a new generation of Loongson tech which was just successfully taped out. The company showed the test results achieved by China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI), likely to provide a "third-party" vibe to its performance claims. CESI seemingly used SPEC CPU 2006, a benchmark tool designed to stress a system's CPU, memory subsystem and toolchain. The suite was retired in 2018, though, five years before the new Chinese tests. According to data provided by Loongson, the 3A6000 CPU scored 43.1/54.6 points in single-thread fixed/floating point tests, and 155/140 points in multi-threaded fixed/floating point tests. The processor was able to deliver 42GB/sec bandwidth with DDR4-3200 dual-channel memory modules, while Unixbench achieved a score of 7400 points. Loongson states that these results put the 3A6000 quad-core CPU on par with quad-core x86-64 processors released by Intel three years ago. In 2020 Intel launched its Comet Lake architecture with the 10th-gen Core CPUs, which included six Core i3 models with four cores and eight computing threads. After Comet Lake, Intel release three more main desktop microarchitectures and is ready to deliver Meteor Lake, the 14th-gen Core CPUs based on a chiplet design and equipped with a "Vision Processing Unit" to accelerate AI loads. Loongson 3A6000 uses the new LoongArch architecture, a poorly documented ISA which was mostly derived from MIPS. The RISC-based MIPS architecture was developed by the namesake US company, which retired the technology in 2021 and adopted the RISC-V architecture. Loongson continued MIPS development after licensing the MIPS32 and MIPS64 architectures in 2011, and LooongArch is speculated to include design choices derived from both MIPS and RISC-V. Even if performance claims over CPU hardware are true, Loongson will likely have a more difficult time on the software front. Linux kernel and operating systems still don't provide full support for the LoongArch ISA, and a working Windows version that could run on the new processors is clearly out of the question. In brief: Sony saw its profits fall 31% during the first fiscal quarter, but the company still raised its full-year forecast on the back of its successful PlayStation business. It also confirmed that almost 42 million PlayStation 5 units have now been sold since the console launched in 2020. Sony generated $20.7 billion in revenue during the latest quarter, a 33% rise compared to the same period a year earlier. And although its $1.76 billion operating profit was down 31% year-on-year, it was still better than expected. It was another good quarter for the PlayStation 5. Sony sold 3.3 million units between April and June, an increase of 37.5% compared to the year-ago quarter when 2.4 million units were sold. That brings the lifetime total to 41.7 million, confirming President and CEO Jim Ryan's announcement last month that over 40 million PS5 consoles have been sold. The company wants to achieve 25 million PS5 sales this financial year, which ends on March 2024. For comparison, it sold 19.1 million units during the previous year. Looking at games, 56.5 million PS4 and PS5 titles were sold in the last quarter, up 19.7% YoY, thanks to third-party sales. Releases such as Final Fantasy 16 and Diablo IV helped give game sales a boost. The PlayStation Network's monthly active users were up 5 million to 108 million, while one of the most interesting figures was the ratio of digital downloads to physical copies. We've seen the former increasing for years, but it dropped from 79% in Q1 2022 to 72% in Q1 2023. Sony has now revised its sales forecast for games and network services up 7% to 4.2 trillion yen and overall revenue forecast up 6% to 12.2 trillion yen. It cut its outlook on its image sensors used in smartphones and other devices due to China's phone market taking longer than expected to recover and a slowdown in the US that Apple recently highlighted. "We expected the smartphone market to start recovering from the second half of this fiscal year, but now we don't see that happening until at least the next year," said Sadahiko Hayakawa, senior general manager in charge of Sony's finance department. Another business that disappointed was Sony's pictures division. Its profits were down 68% and revenue fell 6%, something the company blames on writers' strikes. Something to look forward to: The ChatGPT large language model was unveiled in November 2022, and in just a few months, the technology has garnered a multitude of criticisms and accusations from various corners of the internet. OpenAI, the company that developed the algorithm, is now beginning to exhibit initial, cautious responses to address this criticism. ChatGPT's LLM has been developed by scraping vast amounts of freely available internet content, a fact that OpenAI readily acknowledges. The company is now providing instructions on how webmasters, server administrators, and internet companies can prevent its crawling technology from accessing their websites. In an official post, OpenAI explains that GPTBot is the company's web crawler designed to gather free internet content for training ChatGPT. Web pages crawled with the "GPTBot" user agent might be used to enhance future LLM models, as mentioned by OpenAI. The crawler employs filters to exclude paywalled sources, sites known for collecting personally identifiable information, or text that violates the company's policies. OpenAI states that allowing GPTBot to access a site can contribute to enhancing the accuracy of AI models, thus aiding ChatGPT in improving its overall capabilities and "safety." However, individuals and companies who are not interested in contributing to ChatGPT's improvement for free have the option to disallow the crawler. This can be achieved by adjusting the "robots.txt" rules to prevent GPTBot from accessing their website or domain. The robots.txt text file implements the Robots Exclusion Protocol, commonly used by websites to either partially or fully allow/disallow web crawlers from scanning their content. This protocol relies on the voluntary compliance of web crawling entities, and not all web robots adhere to custom disallow rules. OpenAI appears to be dedicated to following the robots.txt rules, going so far as to provide the IP address block used by its crawler to simplify the blocking process. Prior to the new blocking rule, Deviant Art introduced its own "NoAI" tag for artists who wanted to exclude their content from unpaid LLM training. However, employing robots.txt offers considerably more control to third-party companies and webmasters, assuming OpenAI adheres to its own proposed regulations. Notably, the company recently endorsed a document suggested by the White House that commits to the voluntary pursuit of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI development. Students from various ASEAN countries gathered at the 2023 ASEAN-China (Fujian) Youth Forum to discuss how youth groups can further promote exchanges between China and ASEAN countries under the Belt and Road Initiative. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Why it matters: On the second Tuesday of every month for the past two decades, Redmond has consistently issued new security updates for Windows and all of its software products. This practice is informally referred to as "Patch Tuesday," and it typically adds to the workload of sysadmins and code analysis specialists. Microsoft recently released security fixes for 87 bugs. This month's Patch Tuesday also includes remedies for two vulnerabilities that were actively being exploited by cybercriminals. Redmond's official bulletin comprises security notices for Teams, Exchange Server, .NET Core, Visual Studio, Azure, Hyper-V, and various Windows components. Six vulnerabilities were classified as "critical," while 23 flaws could be exploited to execute potentially malicious code from remote locations. Overall, the flaws fixed by the latest Patch Tuesday are classified as follows: 18 elevation of privilege vulnerabilities, three security feature bypass vulnerabilities, 23 remote code execution vulnerabilities, 10 information disclosure vulnerabilities, eight denial of service vulnerabilities, and 12 spoofing vulnerabilities. The updates don't include 20 security fixes for the Chromium-based Edge browser, which Microsoft released earlier this month. A comprehensive report about all the fixed vulnerabilities and related advisories has been published by Bleeping Computer. Patch Tuesday includes an advisory (ADV230003) about a Microsoft Office Defense in Depth Update, designed to provide enhanced security for Redmond's productivity suite. The update thwarts an attack chain that could lead to CVE-2023-36884, a previously mitigated remote code execution vulnerability in the Windows Search feature. This flaw could bypass the Mark of the Web (MoTW) security feature, urging users to download and open malicious files without displaying a security warning. The zero-day flaw had already been exploited in a ransomware operation by the RomCom hacking group. However, it should now be fixed (and unexploitable) for good. The second zero-day addressed this month is a .NET and Visual Studio Denial of Service Vulnerability (CVE-2023-38180), capable of causing a denial of service against .NET applications and the Visual Studio IDE. Microsoft didn't provide any additional details about this flaw. Microsoft rolled out its latest patch series via Windows Update, update management systems such as WSUS, and as direct downloads available on the Microsoft Update Catalog. Other companies providing security fixes in sync with the August 2023 Patch Tuesday include Adobe, AMD, Cisco, Google, SAP, and VMware. Apple MagSafe is a pretty revolutionary solution - is it possible to make wireless charging any easier? Well, so it seems. A sustainable Polish brand Oakywood created the MagSafe iPhone Stand: a multifunctional accessory, designed to complement the original Apple charger. The stand allows users to charge and store their devices comfortably and effortlessly. Oakywood is an eco-friendly company, based in Podhale, Poland, specializing in wooden home office accessories and desks. All of the brand's products are meticulously designed and handcrafted, which makes them not only practical and durable but also truly beautiful and unique. Amongst Oakywood's core values, are authenticity and sustainability: they use only certified, responsibly sourced materials and green energy to produce their wooden goods. The MagSafe iPhone Stand features a sturdy base made of powder-coated aluminum and a stylish wooden backrest, tilted at an ergonomic angle of 25 degrees. Thanks to the magnetic handle positioned in the middle of the backrest, the phone is held securely in a vertical position. What's more, you can remove the round metal handle and use it separately if you prefer to charge your device horizontally: the handle weighs the MagSafe charger down and prevents it from falling. One of this iPhone stand's best qualities is the ease with which you can use it while charging: you can run a videoconference, make a call, scroll social media, or check your productivity app. Another important feature is the stand's aluminum base; its weight of over 700g, and low center of gravity. Unlike most wireless MagSafe chargers, Oakywood's iPhone stand offers an extraordinary robustness that guarantees safety. MagSafe iPhone Stand is also a brand's response to the need for beauty: it's almost impossible to find stylish, aesthetically pleasing tech accessories like this one. The stand, as well as the entire MagSafe collection, perfectly blends functionality, durability, and elegance. Natural solid wood and sturdy black aluminum look like a match made in heaven. MagSafe iPhone Stand is a part of Oakywood's MagSafe collection that also includes 3 other items: Apple Watch Stand, iPhone Desk Shelf Mount, and iPhone Wall Mount. Recently, the brand launched an addition to all of the MagSafe accessories, which serves as a replacement for the Apple charger: a magnetic insert called MagSafe Puck. A wooden base fitted with magnets and covered with a scratch-proof flock, frees stands and mounts from wires and allows you to use them for other purposes than charging. A few important things to remember when planning to buy this product: the stand is available in 3 color versions: oak, walnut, and black oak, since the product is made of natural wood, there might be some variations in color and grain pattern, the stand is compatible with iPhones 12, 13, and 14, the set doesn't include the original Apple MagSafe charger. Oakywood's MagSafe iPhone Stand is definitely worth considering, especially for the most dedicated Apple fans who appreciate thoughtfully designed, sustainable, and high-quality accessories. See how this wooden piece of art can help you transform your charging experience and streamline your workspace. 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A new development emerges as a silicon-based biochip enables rapid genetic screening of numerous molecules, with the potential to identify over 160,000 distinct entities in a single square centimeter. (Photo : Dan Kitwood/Getty Images/Cancer Research UK) CAMBRIDGE, UNITED KINGDOM - DECEMBER 09: A scientist examining cells in a 96-well plate. Enabling Swift Detection to Cancer Protein Markers, Viruses A groundbreaking achievement emerges from the scientific community as a minute biochip, constructed from silicon blocks, showcases the capability to perform swift genetic screening on a multitude of molecules. As reported in Science, this tool holds the capacity to potentially discern more than 160,000 unique molecules within a single square centimeter. The far-reaching implications of this innovation span across various medical domains. Notably, it offers avenues for detecting cancer protein markers and facilitating clinical diagnoses of respiratory infections. This pioneering technology introduces a novel dimension to medical advancement, providing a versatile tool to address critical challenges in healthcare. A cornerstone of many genetic test sensors involves observing the absorption or emission of light from specific molecules engineered to attach to the desired gene. This technique commonly relies on the polymerase chain reaction to replicate a multitude of copies of the target prior to identification, thereby contributing to heightened expenses and an extended testing timeline. Furthermore, earlier iterations of genetic screening sensors were limited in their ability to discern diverse target compounds and necessitated the use of optical markers for target sequence detection. Developing the Tool The study authored by researchers from Stanford University introduces a genetic screening platform that operates without the need for labeling. Interesting Engineering reported that this innovative approach harnesses high-quality (high-Q) factor silicon nanoantennas that have been modified with nucleic acid fragments. In developing this tool, the researchers harnessed an optical detection technology centered around metasurfaces constructed from diminutive silicon boxes. These minuscule silicon arrays possess dimensions of roughly 500 nanometers in height, 600 nanometers in length, and 160 nanometers in width. The top surface of the silicon boxes has the capacity to concentrate near-infrared light, courtesy of the nanoantennas. Elaborating on this phenomenon, the study explains that these metasurfaces incorporate subwavelength nanoantennas, adept at confining light in the vicinity while simultaneously offering meticulous command over the scattering of light in the distant field. Also Read: Researchers Develop New Method to Trigger Effective Long-Lasting Anti-Cancer Response Amidst the steady progression of advancements in cancer detection, researchers hailing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have unveiled an innovative wearable ultrasound device, poised to redefine the landscape of breast cancer detection. With the potential to usher in early diagnoses and enhanced survival rates, this development stands as a beacon of hope. The disparity in survival rates between early-stage and late-stage breast cancer diagnoses underscores the criticality of timely detection. Recognizing this imperative, the researchers have ingeniously engineered a pliable patch that seamlessly affixes to undergarments. This wearable patch empowers individuals to conduct ultrasound imaging on their breast tissue, affording the flexibility to explore various imaging angles. This innovation holds the promise of transforming how breast cancer is detected, offering a proactive approach to diagnosis that could potentially save countless lives. Related Article: New Wearable Ultrasound Scanner That Fits in Bra Can Help Detect Breast Cancer Early 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The European Commission has officially announced its commencement of a comprehensive investigation into Adobe's proposed acquisition of Figma, a digital design software rival valued at $20 billion. European Commission Opens In-Depth Probe Into Adobe's Proposed Acquisition of Figma The European Commission expressed concerns over potential competition reduction in the global markets for interactive product design software and digital asset creation tools due to the acquisition. Initially disclosed in September, the deal was expected to draw regulatory attention globally. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) and the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) were already scrutinizing the acquisition. The CMA specifically cited concerns about a substantial decline in competition within the UK designer market. In February, the European Commission revealed that it was also investigating the acquisition on grounds of potential competition infringement. Read Also: Microsoft Activision Merger Now Approved by the EU, UK Remains in a Break with Unclear Proceedings Preliminary Examination Raises Alarms The European Commission noted that their preliminary examination raised alarms that the acquisition could limit competition for interactive product design and digital asset creation tools in the global markets. Concerns were highlighted around the potential elimination of Figma's influence on Adobe's digital asset creation tools and the stifling of Figma's potential to evolve into a strong contender against Adobe's asset creation tools. Moreover, the commission will investigate whether the acquisition might facilitate anticompetitive practices by bundling Figma with Adobe's Creative Cloud suite. The commission's in-depth investigation ultimately aims to ascertain the validity of these preliminary competition concerns. The European Commission said it engaged in collaborative efforts with other global competition authorities during the initial phase of its inquiry and intends to continue such collaboration throughout the in-depth investigation. The transaction's formal notification to the commission was made on June 30. The commission now has a 90-working-day window, extending until December 14 to reach a decision. It must be noted that initiating an in-depth inquiry does not predetermine the outcome of the investigation. Adobe, a US-based multinational software company renowned for its creative design tools like Photoshop and Illustrator and interactive product design tool Adobe XD, proposed the acquisition. Figma, on the other hand, offers web-based collaborative tools for interactive product design through Figma Design and FigJam, a whiteboarding product. The European Commission's role encompasses the evaluation of mergers and acquisitions involving companies surpassing defined turnover thresholds to prevent concentrations that could hamper competition within the European Economic Area (EEA). It must also be noted that most merger notifications do not lead to competition concerns and are resolved through routine reviews. Once a transaction is notified, the commission typically has 25 working days to decide on approval (Phase I) or initiate an extensive investigation (Phase II). Related Article: Adobe After Effects to Run Natively on Apple M1; Brings Updates to Premiere Pro, Frame.io for Creative Cloud 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Meatable, a Netherlands-based food tech company, has secured $35 million in new funding, contributing to total funding of $95 million. The company, which specializes in creating cultivated meat products, is gaining significant traction in the industry. Agronomics led the successful funding round, with Invest-NL, a Dutch impact fund, joining as a new investor. The round also received substantial renewed support from existing investors, including BlueYard, Bridford, MilkyWay, DSM Venturing, and Taavet Hinrikus. Cultivated Meat Products The freshly secured funds are earmarked for expanding Meatable's processes and accelerating the commercial launch of its cultivated meat products. Through scaling up and optimizing its processes, the company aims to reduce production costs and achieve cost competitiveness with conventional meat. Meatable is poised to launch its products initially in Singapore, with selected restaurants and retailers set to feature the products in 2024. The company's expansion into the United States and other markets is also progressing well, benefiting from recent regulatory advancements. Krijn de Nood, Co-founder and CEO of Meatable, expressed his enthusiasm about the new investment and the ongoing support from existing investors. He highlighted the alignment of regulatory developments and investments as indicative of the growing momentum in the industry. "We're thrilled to welcome Invest-NL on board and to have renewed support from our existing investors. Both the regulatory landscape and the continued investments are aligning to show demonstrated momentum," de Nood said in a press release statement. "This is a huge sign of confidence in the incredible quality, taste, and proven scalability of our product, especially in the current investment climate. We look forward to working closely with our investors as we enter our next growth phase and cement our position as global leaders in the cultivated meat industry." Read Also: Lab-Grown Meat More Harmful to Environment Than Real Meat, Claims New Study-Produces 25X More CO2! Meatable's Approach to Cultivated Meat Meatable's strategy for cultivated meat production entails obtaining cell samples from animals without inflicting harm. This method involves the application of patented opti-ox technology alongside pluripotent stem cells. Through this inventive process, Meatable imitates the natural cell growth trajectory, yielding genuine muscle and fat cells within a mere eight days. This heightened efficiency is poised to expedite the rapid and cost-efficient expansion of cultivated meat manufacturing. Originating in the Netherlands, Meatable distinguishes itself as a pioneering food company with the ambition to offer cultivated meat at a substantial scale. Their objective involves closely emulating the visual, gustatory, and nutritional attributes of conventional meat. At the core of their approach lies the proprietary Opti-ox technology, which serves as the foundation for expeditious and sustainable meat production while maintaining animal welfare considerations. As Meatable continues its trajectory of garnering financial backing and advancing within the cultivated meat sector, its capacity to create sustainable and ethically-sourced meat products holds significant potential for revolutionizing the landscape of food production. Related Article: Believer Meats 3D-Printed Meat to Create the Largest Facility in the World in North Carolina 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In a startling revelation, the UK's Electoral Commission has confirmed that it fell victim to a cyber attack, potentially compromising access to electoral registers. The election watchdog shared that the attack, which occurred in Aug. 2021, was only discovered in October 2022. While concerns arise, The Guardian tells us that experts emphasize that the largely paper-based nature of UK elections provides a substantial hurdle for hackers seeking to manipulate voting outcomes. Spotting the Breach The breach came to light when the commission detected an anomalous pattern of login requests last year. Investigation revealed that hostile actors had infiltrated the commission's systems, accessing reference copies of electoral registers dating from 2014 to 2022. This encompassed names and addresses of registered UK voters, as well as overseas voters. However, the details of anonymous voters remained untouched. Shaun McNally, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission, expressed regret over the incident and the initial lack of safeguards. "We have taken significant steps with the support of specialists to improve the security, resilience, and reliability of our IT systems," McNally stated, acknowledging the need for enhanced security measures. Read Also: Snapchat Facing Potential $184 Million Fine Amid Underage User Concerns, Mismanagement Sparks Formal Investigation Relieving Concerns Crucially, the commission moved swiftly to allay concerns about the breach's impact on the democratic process. While the accessed data includes personal information, it primarily consists of names and addresses, with the risk of harm to individuals assessed to be low by the Information Commissioner's Office. However, a critical point emerges - the potential combination of this data with other public information could allow for the inference of patterns and profiling. The challenge lies in ascertaining the intentions behind the breach. The exact motives of the cyber attackers remain unknown, as no groups or individuals have claimed responsibility for the intrusion. Answering the Public An intriguing aspect is the timing of the public announcement, given that the attack took place in August 2021 but was disclosed in October 2022. The commission defended the delay in an X reply, citing the need to eliminate the threat, evaluate the extent of the breach, coordinate with security authorities, and fortify defenses before making the incident public. Today we announced that we have been the subject of a complex cyber-attack, and our systems were accessed by hostile actors. Electoral Commission (@ElectoralCommUK) August 8, 2023 Addressing the concerns, a spokesperson for the Information Commissioner's Office assured the public that investigations are underway and urged those affected to stay informed through the ICO's website. While the potential for data misuse exists, the commission says in another reply that the likelihood of it influencing the upcoming General Election remains remote. The structure of the UK's democratic process, founded on paper documentation and manual counting, presents a formidable barrier to any cyber-attack aiming to sway results. While the breach may not have immediate implications for the election itself, it serves as a stark reminder of the evolving threat landscape that governments must navigate to preserve the integrity of their electoral processes. Stay posted here at Tech Times. Related Article: Chinese Hackers Maintain Deep Access to Japanese Defense Networks for Months 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has filed a lawsuit against them by Datatilsynet, a data protection authority in Norway. The lawsuit involves 1 million crowns fine per day for alleged privacy breaches, highlighting the broader implications of digital privacy regulations and the influence of tech conglomerates. This legal battle could impact data protection in Europe. (Photo: STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) This photo illustration created in Washington, DC, on July 6, 2023, shows the opening page of Threads, an Instagram app, near the Meta logo. Charges Against Meta Meta Platforms are the subject of debate for violating user privacy by exploiting sensitive data for behavioral advertising. The Norwegian data protection regulator, Datatilsynet, asserts that this procedure infringes on individuals' right to privacy and undermines national data protection legislation. The regulatory body has fined Meta Platforms heavily and forbidden it from using this data harvesting practice inside of Norway. Read Also: Meta's 'Facebook Watch' Could Equip Cameras: Front and Back Meta's Pleads To gain time and avoid financial consequences, Meta Platforms is requesting a temporary injunction to stop the penalties levied by the regulatory action. On August 22, the matter will be presented in court during a two-day hearing. Parties Involved The conflict between digital privacy campaigners and IT monopolies is highlighted by the legal battle between Meta Platforms and Datatilsynet. While Datatilsynet is still devoted to the principles of data security, Meta Platforms is requesting a delay in the penalties. There is no legitimate basis for an injunction, according to Tobias Judin, head of Datatilsynet's foreign division. Whether Big Tech companies may contest the power of data protection watchdogs will depend on the court's ruling. The referral of Datatilsynet to the European Data Protection Board may result in permanent fines and territorial implications for the whole European Union, with implications that go beyond Norway. If the European Data Protection Board concurs, Meta Platforms' actions may be scrutinized and constrained across the EU, marking a triumph for data privacy campaigners looking to reduce the power of tech giants. Related Article: Meta's Threads App Privacy Concerns Rise as Sensitive Data Collection Revealed 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Russia's space agency Roscosmos has announced its plan to launch the Luna-25 lander, a key milestone in the country's first lunar trip since 1976. Moscow's upcoming lunar mission attempts to revive and build upon the ground-breaking space exploration heritage left by the Soviet Union in a project that represents Moscow's uncompromising objectives. Russia's lunar mission will be launched with President Vladimir Putin's strategic shift toward space cooperation with China, a decision amid the war in Ukraine, increasing tensions with Western countries, according to VOA. Russia's first lunar mission in nearly 50 years, Luna-25 lunar lander, will fly to the Moon on Aug. 11, according to its Roscosmos space agency. pic.twitter.com/AmacdYHg01 People's Daily, China (@PDChina) August 7, 2023 A Soyuz rocket is waiting to launch the Luna-25 lander on an unforgettable voyage from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East. The mission promises to carry out delicate, precisely guided landings, painstakingly analyze lunar soil, and begin a wide range of scientific research operations to learn new things about the Moon. The Luna-25 lander, which weighs around 800 kilograms (1,750 pounds) and is characterized by its unusual four-legged design, is prepared to touch down close to the lunar south pole. This creative decision departs from usual lunar landing locations, generally grouped close to the lunar equator. This mission demonstrates Russia's impressive technical prowess and is expected to arrive at its lunar target around five days after launch. The Objectives of Russia's Lunar Mission Roscosmos claims that the Luna-25 mission has a variety of objectives, such as refining soft landing procedures, methodically analyzing soil samples, and starting extensive scientific research projects. The functional completion of these tasks might alter how we understand lunar conditions and resource availability. However, the Luna-25 launch has geopolitical repercussions. After Moscow invaded Ukraine last year, the European Space Agency (ESA) canceled participation in the Luna-25 launch and future missions. In reaction to this setback, Russia pledged to add homegrown scientific instruments to replace ESA equipment and to remain unwavering in its lunar ambitions. Read Also: Google to Delete Inactive Accounts: Here's Everything You Need to Know The Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission of India launched four weeks before the Luna-25 launch, and both tasks are aimed at the lunar south pole, per Reuters. Significant ice formations, representing essential resources like fuel, oxygen, and drinkable water, are considered to be available in this challenging yet rewarding location. The simultaneous competition of these projects highlights the return of interest in lunar exploration worldwide. On Friday at 7:30 a.m., inhabitants of a hamlet in eastern Russia will temporarily leave their houses, per France 24. This precaution was taken because of the very unlikely "one in a million chance" that a rocket stage used to launch Luna-25 would unintentionally drop to an area nearby. The 26 residents of Shakhtinsky will be transferred to an observation spot to watch the launch and enjoy a free breakfast, according to local administrator Alexei Maslov. Fishermen and hunters in the area have been informed that this arrangement is anticipated to last for around 3.5 hours. Russia Trying to Catch Up in The Space Race Looking back in time, the Luna-24 mission, which was the last Soviet Moon trip, was successful in bringing back lunar soil samples in 1976. While the Soviet Union made significant advances in space exploration, including the 1957 launch of the ground-breaking Sputnik satellite, the placing of the first animal into orbit (the dog Laika), and the accomplishment of the first human and female spaceflights, modern Russia faces a variety of difficulties. Despite having a strong historical heritage, the country has innovative challenges and must contend with severe rivalry from other spacefaring nations. Due to the Kremlin's concentration on military spending, the contemporary Russian space sector has difficulties receiving public support. Russia's dependence on legacy Soviet-designed technologies shows that its innovation skills have declined from their peak during the Soviet period. The Russian space program has faced challenges, such as accusations of corruption and failed launches. Moscow now needs to catch up to powerful rivals like the United States and China in the never-ending dynamics of the global space competition. Related Article: Boeing Starliner's Flight Pushed Back Again - Could Be Ready to Fly First NASA Crew by March 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Despite its strategic emphasis on AI investments, SoftBank has shocked investors with its posts of consecutive quarterly losses, a setback that hampered the prominent Japanese bank's artificial intelligence ventures. Softbank's financial performance and ambitious AI investment plans are called into doubt by the unanticipated total quarterly loss and the ongoing losses in the current investment division. A key component of SoftBank's investment plan, The Vision Funds, showed a gain of $0.8 billion for the quarter. Shared assets, such as ARM holdings, are included in this gain. The Latin American fund, Vision Fund 1, and Vision Fund 2 of SoftBank, however, combined suffered a quarterly investment loss of 13 billion yen ($91 million) when pooled assets were excluded, per TechCrunch. This loss is much less than the 2,919 billion yen ($20 billion) deficit announced one year ago. Big Time Losses Softbank's three core funds lost $6.3 billion by June 30. Despite expectations of a return to profitability, the SoftBank Group announced a net loss of 477.6 billion yen ($3.3 billion). Yoshimitsu Goto, the firm's chief financial officer, recognized the difficulties, noting that the company is "carefully and slowly" returning to investment ventures, according to CNBC. In order to stress the strategic relevance of artificial intelligence in SoftBank's subsequent undertakings, he highlighted Softbank's sustained attention to the AI trend. Pledges amounting to $166.2 billion have been made throughout the LatAm fund, Vision Fund 1, and Vision Fund 2 combined. With the fair worth of the assets now estimated at $140.3 billion, SoftBank determined its purchase expenses to be $146.6 billion. Read Also: Tesla's CFO 'Master of Coin' Zachary Kirkhorn Steps Down After 13 Years Vision Funds 1 and 2 incurred losses for the most recent quarter of 38.749 billion yen ($270 million) and 46.860 billion yen ($327 million), respectively, according to SoftBank. In comparison, the LatAm fund made a profit of 47.496 billion yen ($331 million) while receiving 25.070 billion yen ($174 million) from other investments. Notably, the sale of Pismo, one of SoftBank's portfolio businesses, to Visa for $1 billion in June gave the Latin American fund a big boost. The share prices of stakes in significant businesses, including Alibaba, Deutsche Telekom, and T-Mobile US, all saw reductions throughout the quarter, which increased the total investment losses. SoftBank's overall investment loss for the quarter increased, reaching 699 billion yen (just under $4.9 billion). Softbank Keeps Positive Outlook on AI Investments SoftBank's first Vision Fund has produced more encouraging outcomes despite these difficulties. The "fair value" of the over $90 billion fund's 94 assets is split roughly between $37.5 billion in private enterprises, $20.5 billion in publicly traded companies, and $44.2 billion in exits. But at $32.2 billion, the fair value of the $108 billion Vision Fund 2 is far less. Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son announced the Tokyo-based firm's planned strategic counteroffensive at the firm's annual shareholders meeting in June, according to Wall Street Journal. The company, which has been cautious owing to market circumstances, intends to make intelligent investments while focusing on the AI trend. Related Article: AI-Language Models Like ChatGPT Exhibit Political Biases, New Study Finds 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In a resounding move to reinforce regulatory compliance in the financial sector, US regulators have collectively imposed a whopping $549 million in penalties on Wells Fargo and several Wall Street firms for the unauthorized use of encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal to conduct business. This landmark decision is part of a crackdown on Wall Street's failure to uphold robust recordkeeping practices. Wall Street Firms Slapped With Massive Fines from SEC As Bloomberg reports, the spotlight falls squarely on Wells Fargo, as its units have been ordered to pay a staggering $125 million, making it the largest single offender in this recent wave of penalties from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). BNP Paribas, another financial giant, will pay $35 million in fines, while a total of 11 firms have been implicated in using unofficial communication channels for business purposes. These penalties reflect US regulators' determination to clamp down on practices that undermine transparency and accountability in the financial industry. This sweeping regulatory action echoes previous efforts to curb the widespread use of secure messaging apps like Signal, WhatsApp, and even Apple's iMessage by employees and managers across Wall Street. Read Also: Snapchat Facing Potential $184 Million Fine Amid Underage User Concerns, Mismanagement Sparks Formal Investigation Joint Efforts from SEC, CFTC The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have been at the forefront of this regulatory drive. In a coordinated effort, the SEC has disclosed charges and imposed fines of $289 million on 11 firms for their "widespread and longstanding failures" in electronic recordkeeping. The CFTC, on the other hand, has settled with four banks, including Wells Fargo, imposing an additional $260 million in fines for recordkeeping violations. Heightened Regulatory Oversight Sanjay Wadhwa, Deputy Director of Enforcement at the SEC, emphasized, "Recordkeeping failures such as those here undermine our ability to exercise effective regulatory oversight, often at the expense of investors." This crackdown underscores the significance of maintaining transparent communication records for investor protection and the integrity of financial markets. "The Commission's message could not be more clear-recordkeeping and supervision requirements are fundamental, and registrants that fail to comply with these core regulatory obligations do so at their own peril," CFTC Director of Enforcement Ian McGinley noted. A crucial aspect of this enforcement is the emphasis on industry-wide compliance. Gurbir S. Grewal, Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement, delivered a clear message to firms: "Self-report, cooperate, and remediate. If you adopt that playbook, you'll have a better outcome than if you wait for us to come calling." Firms are urged to proactively address recordkeeping deficiencies and cooperate with regulators to avoid more severe penalties. Encrypted messaging apps have played a pivotal role in these violations, allowing employees to communicate off-channel without proper recordkeeping. This practice has hindered regulatory oversight and left financial institutions susceptible to misconduct. To mitigate this, firms have been ordered to engage compliance consultants, revamp policies, and bolster procedures to ensure electronic communication records are retained and preserved. Stay posted here at Tech Times. Related Article: European Commission Opens In-Depth Investigation Into Adobe's $20 Billion Figma Acquisition 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows the scene of a launching ceremony of new SUV models of Jetour Auto at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models here, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) CAIRO, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. Under the theme of "Travel Together," the launching ceremony held by Jetour in front of the grand pyramids attracted more than 500 guests from the two countries, including auto dealers, auto experts, internet influencers, and media representatives. During the ceremony, Jetour introduced three SUV models, namely X70Plus, X90Plus and Dashing, whose ultra-modern designs are in fantastic contrast to the ancient pyramids behind them. Since its establishment in 2018, Jetour has set up over 400 sales and service networks in more than 40 countries and regions, said Ke Chuandeng, vice president of Jetour Auto. Chen Jiacai, assistant general manager of Jetour and general manager of Jetour International Marketing Company, said that Jetour will focus on the SUV market in Egypt, aiming to take over 10-percent share of the Egyptian auto market by 2027. "Through enhancing local production capacity, Jetour is committed to providing more jobs and making its contribution to Egypt's economy," Chen told Xinhua. China's automobile exports witnessed a sharp increase of 75.7 percent year on year in the first half of this year by exporting 2.14 million vehicles, according to the latest data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows new SUV models of Jetour Auto at a launching ceremony at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models here, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows new SUV models of Jetour Auto at a launching ceremony at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models here, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows the scene of a launching ceremony of new SUV models of Jetour Auto at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models here, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows the scene of a launching ceremony of new SUV models of Jetour Auto at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models here, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows the scene of a launching ceremony of new SUV models of Jetour Auto at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models here, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) Alarming amounts of a potential carcinogen have been found during an ongoing investigation into a troubling spike in cancer cases at a nuclear missile installation in Montana, raising health worries within the military community. The underground launch command centers at Malmstrom Air Force Base have been linked to several cancer cases, prompting a thorough investigation. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are a potential carcinogen, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to US News. The investigation reveals the missile installation that exceeded EPA-recommended criteria. This information is the first noteworthy finding of a thorough assessment carried out by the Air Force Global Strike Command in response to growing cancer concerns expressed by missile troops. The Command affirmed its commitment to swiftly resolving the problem and implementing policies to guarantee staff safety. Air Force Global Strike Command Commander General Thomas Bussiere noted that authorities are implementing "immediate steps to begin the cleanup process" for the concerned installations as well as "reduce exposure risks to our airmen and Guardians." Hundreds Suffer From Cancer The Associated Press reported that it had obtained a military briefing that indicated that at least nine current or former missileers stationed at Malmstrom had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare blood disease, before the detection of hazardous PCB levels. Due to this alarming discovery, the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine launched a thorough investigation into cancer incidences throughout the whole missile community, looking into the likelihood of cancer clusters. Read Also: Alpha-gal Syndrome: Lone Star Tick Linked to Unusual Allergic Reactions to Meat, Dairy According to the Torchlight Initiative, a more comprehensive range of cancer diagnoses has been documented, composed of former missile launch commanders and their families. Their findings show that at least 268 nuclear missile site workers or their surviving relatives had self-reported cancer, blood ailments, or other illnesses for many decades; 217 of those cases are malignancies, 33 of which are non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Work-Related Health Risk The missileer community operates subterranean launch control centers at each of the three US Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile installations with a few hundred military people. The Torchlight Initiative found that this close-knit community had several health issues. With their special tasks, missileers who wait in underground bunkers for presidential orders to launch Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles are more susceptible to environmental hazards, per the investigation, per Al Jazeera. With problems with ventilation, water quality, and possible pollutants that affect human well-being, the demand for renovating and upgrading these facilities becomes increasingly urgent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there are 403 new cancer cases per 100,000 individuals emerge in the US per year, while The American Cancer Society data indicate that there are 19 cases of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma per 100,000 persons. Related Article: Florida Faces Alarming Rise in Leprosy Cases: Here's What You Need to Know 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Nvidia, a leader in high-end processors for generative AI applications, will soon release a more powerful chip to address the growing demands of running huge AI models. The GH200 super processor, developed by the technological behemoth to handle the most complex generative AI tasks, including extensive language models, recommender systems, and vector databases, has been unveiled, The Verge reported. Nvidia's GH200 super processor is predicted to use the same GPU as Nvidia's highly regarded H100, which is their top AI product. The quadrupled memory capacity of the GH200 is what distinguishes it, however. The tech firm has revealed that systems containing the GH200 processor are expected to be made available in the second quarter of 2024. How Much Will It Cost? Due to the GH200's increased memory capacity, it can now power more complex AI models, greatly enhancing its capabilities. The effectiveness of generative AI applications, including well-known examples like ChatGPT, is driven by AI inference algorithms, which this super processor optimally handles. The Grace Hopper Superchip has an inventive architecture by Nvidia that integrates its H100 graphics processing unit (GPU) with a unique core CPU. This combination of computing power enables models to run continuously on a single GPU without the need for additional hardware or GPUs. The complexity and scale of underlying models rise as AI's environment continues to develop. With these upgrades, memory demands rise to provide maximum performance without fragmenting chips and systems, thereby degrading performance. Read Also: SoftBank Posts Consecutive Quarterly Loss Amid AI Investment Ventures The influential NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang stressed the significance of the GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip, noting that it will fulfill "faster computing systems with particular demands to fulfill the increasing demand for generative AI" of data centers through its superior memory and bandwidth, as per The Times of India. The technology giant has stated that it would provide two variations of the Grace Hopper Superchip: a version with two processors that can be effortlessly incorporated into current systems and a complete server system combining two Grace Hopper designs. Notably, the tech company has yet to reveal the GH200's pricing; in contrast, the H100 series has a market worth of almost $40,000. More Powerful AI Capabilities Coming Soon The need to carry out the complex calculations necessary for producing outputs like human-like writing or graphics underlies the need for powerful GPUs to handle complex AI models, according to Reuters. Some situations need the division of models across several GPUs, even with Nvidia's H100 processors, to guarantee effective execution. Nvidia's technology is prominently used in ChatGPT, a potent language model created by OpenAI. ChatGPT is helpful in various industries, including customer service, content development, and research. More significant usage of technologies like ChatGPT and other big language models may result from the introduction of the Nvidia Grace Hopper super microprocessor, which has the ability to democratize access to these technologies. Related Article: Apple is Going Big on 3nm Chips from TSMC-Buys Every Processor for M3? 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. X recently revealed that a partnership had been formed to enhance brand safety precautions for advertisers on the platform. This move is particularly significant as the social media platform has encountered declines in its advertising revenue since its acquisition by tech billionaire Elon Musk last year. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 31: A large X logo is visible on the roof of X headquarters on July 31, 2023 in San Francisco, California. X Introduces New Sensitivity Settings X is offering advertisers fresh avenues to influence the type of content accompanying their advertisements. Previously known as Twitter, X announced that it had introduced an innovative feature called "sensitivity settings," granting advertisers the ability to select various ad content filters. Utilizing this innovative tool, X has outlined its approach, stating that it will leverage machine learning to minimize the proximity of content based on a brand's designated sensitivity threshold for an upcoming campaign. Currently, advertisers can choose between two distinct settings: "conservative" and "standard." It is important to note that X emphasized its commitment to upholding content integrity. The company noted that irrespective of advertisers' preferences, any content that violates platform rules will be automatically excluded from appearing alongside ads. Under the most restrictive "conservative" setting, ads would be excluded from appearing near "targeted hate speech, sexual content, gratuitous gore, excessive profanity, obscenity, spam, and drugs" in the "for You" timeline. The "standard" option would avoid the same topics, but allow spam and drug-related content, according to an example shared by X. The company also plans to add a "relaxed" setting for advertisers who want to "maximize reach" of their ads with the fewest limits on what can appear nearby. According to Forbes, this reaffirms X's dedication to maintaining a high standard of content alignment and ensuring a consistent and brand-appropriate advertising environment. By offering different degrees of content filtration, X empowers advertisers to strike a balance between reaching a wider audience and ensuring that its ads are associated with content that suits its brand identity and values. Also Read: X, formerly Twitter, Becomes First One-Letter App on Apple App Store-Was It Given Special Privileges? Elon Musk Efforts to Bring Advertisers Back These enhanced controls come at a time when X is making concerted efforts to reestablish its appeal to advertisers. Following Elon Musk's assumption of leadership, the company's advertising revenue has experienced a significant 50 percent decline. Engadget reported that this downturn can be attributed to brands scaling back their investments due to apprehensions regarding hate speech and objectionable content proliferating on the platform. In response, various watchdog groups have highlighted instances where ads from prominent brands appeared adjacent to content associated with neo-Nazi accounts, Holocaust deniers, and users with a history of suspension. The introduction of this new tool signifies X's determination to create a more secure and advertiser-friendly environment. By affording advertisers greater control over their content adjacency, the company aims to address the concerns that have eroded advertiser confidence. This strategic move underscores X's commitment to ensuring that advertising campaigns align more closely with brands' values and avoid undesirable content associations. Relayed Article: X Requires $1,000 Monthly Ad Spend to Avoid Losing Verification Status 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NASA is preparing to launch the ComPair balloon-borne science instrument from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, to test innovative technologies for detecting gamma rays, the most energetic form of light. Slated for launch within NASA's upcoming 2023 fall scientific balloon campaign, commencing on August 10, the ComPair mission is designed to capture gamma rays spanning energy levels between 200,000 and 20 million electron volts, significantly surpassing the energy of visible light. NASA: 'Lots of Interesting Science' Nicholas Kirschner, a graduate student at George Washington University and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, highlighted the significance of ComPair's mission: "Lots of interesting science happens in the energy range that ComPair is designed to study." "These gamma rays are hard to capture with existing methods, so we need to create and test new ones. ComPair's flight gets us one step closer to putting a similar detector in space," Kirschner added. The range of energy that ComPair focuses on is where phenomena like supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and emissions from distant active galaxies powered by supermassive black holes are most prominent. This energy range remains inadequately covered by current missions, making ComPair's contribution valuable in enhancing astronomers' understanding. ComPair will ascend to approximately 133,000 feet (40,000 meters) using a scientific balloon to overcome the challenge of Earth's atmosphere filtering out most high-energy radiation from space. This elevation places the instrument above 99.5% of the atmosphere. Following the construction and testing of ComPair at Goddard, the mission team moved the instrument to Fort Sumner, where they undertook its reassembly and recalibration. ComPair's launch will synchronize with the GRAPE (Gamma-Ray Polarimeter Experiment) mission, overseen by the University of New Hampshire. Upon the successful attachment of both ComPair and GRAPE to the gondola that will link to the scientific balloon, the teams will be poised for launch. Read Also: Are Talking Spaceships Coming Soon? NASA to Revolutionize Space Exploration with AI-Powered ChatGPT-Like Interface ComPair's Major Components ComPair derives its name from the two methods it employs to study gamma rays: Compton scattering and pair production. The instrument's innovative design enables interaction with gamma rays using layers of different elements and compounds. The instrument is composed of four major components: 1. The tracker, equipped with 10 layers of silicon detectors, determines the positions of incoming gamma rays. 2. The high-resolution calorimeter, made of cadmium, zinc, and telluride, measures lower-energy Compton-scattered gamma rays and converts some into electron-positron pairs. 3. The high-energy calorimeter, constructed with cesium iodide, primarily measures electron-positron pairs and captures certain Compton-scattered gamma rays. 4. An anticoincidence detector detects the entry of high-energy cosmic rays. ComPair is a collaborative effort involving NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. NASA's scientific balloons provide a budget-friendly avenue for carrying out scientific investigations and advancing technology in areas like astrophysics and atmospheric research. Related Article: NASA Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope's Captured Dying Star Radiation Blast Turns Out To Be Shortest One To Hit Earth 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Lyft's recent strategy of reducing fares to attract more riders has yielded positive results. However, this success has been accompanied by certain challenges, according to TechCrunch. In its second quarter 2023 earnings report, Lyft revealed a rise in the number of riders and a simultaneous decline in revenue per active rider. This phenomenon was attributed to the company's decision to adjust its pricing to be more in line with the prevailing market conditions, as explained by Lyft CEO David Risher. Lyft's Revenue Per Rider For the second quarter, Lyft's revenue per rider experienced a nearly 5% decrease, while the active rider count escalated to 21,487 from 19,552 in the first quarter. Lyft seems to be focused not only on staying competitive with its counterpart Uber but also on eliminating surge pricing, commonly known as "primetime." During the earnings call, Risher conveyed that while surge pricing might encourage more drivers to work during peak demand periods, it could also discourage riders unwilling to pay steep fees. Risher said: "It's a bad form of price raising. It's particularly bad because riders hate it with a fiery passion. So, we're really trying to get rid of it, and because we've got such a good driver supply... it's decreased significantly." Lyft's pool of drivers has reached its peak level over the past three years, exhibiting remarkable growth of more than 20% in a year-over-year comparison. This surge in driver availability is complemented by the fact that the average hours logged by active drivers have now exceeded the levels seen in 2019, as confirmed by a spokesperson from Lyft to TechCrunch. Read Also: Uber vs. Lyft vs. Gig Economy: How the Battle Over Workers Will End, According to Analysts Lyft Surge Pricing Consequently, the portion of rides subjected to surge pricing has substantially reduced by 35% since the initial quarter. While this decline has contributed to a decrease in revenue, Risher noted that this strategic shift yields advantages for both passengers and the broader market outcomes. In the immediate future, discontinuing surge pricing could position Lyft distinctively in comparison to its competitor Uber. "Our customer obsession is paying off for riders, drivers, and our business," Risher said in a statement. "Between summer travel and return-to-office commuting, folks are getting out more every day and loving the Lyft rideshare experience. Standard rides have reached their second-highest level ever. Our advice: download Lyft now and give us a try. We think you'll like what you see," he added. Erin Brewer, chief financial officer of Lyft, noted that the rideshare market is growing, and they had a solid second quarter. "We have strong ride momentum going into Q3 and the back half of the year... The team is unified and focused on delivering great experiences for drivers and riders. We've got lots more to do to build on our progress," Brewer added. Related Article: Uber, DoorDash, Grubhub Sue New York City Over Law Setting $18 Hourly Wage for Food Delivery Workers 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The White House on Tuesday held its first-ever cybersecurity summit aimed at addressing the surge of ransomware attacks targeting schools across the United States. These malicious attacks have led to the online exposure of sensitive student data, including confidential medical records, psychiatric evaluations, and many more. The summit garnered attention due to its significance in addressing a pressing issue affecting the nation's educational institutions. White House Emphasizes Escalating Cyber Threats Faced by Schools In a press statement, the White House emphasized the escalating cyber threats faced by schools, revealing that in the 2022-23 academic year alone, at least eight K-12 school districts were severely impacted by cyberattacks, leading to class cancellations or closures. The consequences of these attacks have extended beyond mere disruptions to school operations, significantly impacting students, their families, educators, and administrators. Personal information, ranging from student grades and medical records to behavioral data and financial details, was stolen and subsequently disclosed to the public. Furthermore, confidential data concerning school security systems was also exposed online due to these malicious activities. To combat this worrisome trend, the White House orchestrated the participation of key figures in the field of education and cybersecurity. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, alongside First Lady Jill Biden, led the discussions among school administrators, educators, and private sector representatives. The aim was to explore enhanced cybersecurity practices and new resources to fortify schools' defenses, protect American families and institutions, and mitigate the impact of cyberattacks on the learning environment. A 2022 report from the US Government Accountability Office revealed that cyberattacks led to a loss of learning spanning from three days to three weeks, with recovery times ranging from two to nine months. Financial losses to school districts varied between $50,000 to $1 million as a result of these incidents. This prompted the Biden-Harris administration to adopt a steadfast approach to safeguard the nation's critical infrastructure, with particular attention to the over 13,000 school districts nationwide. Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed a $200 million pilot program, supported by the Universal Service Fund, to enhance cybersecurity in collaboration with federal agencies. The US Department of Education is also initiating a Government Coordinating Council (GCC) to enhance cybersecurity collaboration. On the other hand, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Department of Education released guidance documents for K-12 digital infrastructure. CISA committed to providing tailored assessments, exercises, and cybersecurity training to 300 new K-12 entities. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Guard Bureau updated resource guides to facilitate reporting of cybersecurity incidents. Read Also: UK's Largest NHS Trust Probes Ransomware Assault Amid Rising Wave of Cyberattacks Tech Companies Pledge Support Education technology companies have also committed their support to the cause. Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched a substantial $20 million grant initiative, with security training and assistance for incident response. Meanwhile, Cloudflare's Project Cybersafe Schools is stepping up by providing Zero Trust cybersecurity solutions. PowerSchool is also contributing by making free and subsidized "security as a service" courses available. Conversely, Google released an updated version of the "K-12 Cybersecurity Guidebook," while D2L is committed to furthering cybersecurity education through courses and ensuring compliance validation. Related Article: UCLA Confirms Falling Victim to Cyberattack 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Russia is accused of hacking the UK's Electoral Commission, exposing 40 million voters' data over two years. In October of last year, the assault was discovered when suspicious behavior was noted. The attackers' first unlawful access was found to have occurred in August 2021. The Electoral Commission's Chief Executive, Shaun McNally, expressed sorrow that further precautions could not have been taken to stop the cyberattack. He noted that improvements were made on the Commission's IT systems' security, resiliency, and dependability. The hackers compromised reference copies of the electoral records, which the Commission utilized for study and to monitor political contribution amounts. The names and addresses of UK citizens registered to vote from 2014 to 2022 and those registered as abroad voters were among the exposed data, per Forbes. The Commission's email system was also open to hackers during the assault. Experts Say Evidences Point to Russia According to a report from The Independent, British intelligence services have found evidence tying the assault to Russians, sparking rumors about the Russian government's participation. Experts have identified Russia as the main suspect in the UK Electoral Commission cyberattack, including former GCHQ directors Sir David Omand and Sir Richard Dearlove. The Electoral Commission discovered the breach months ago but has recently made the situation public. This delay was ascribed to the need to stop the hackers' access, evaluate the consequences of the incident, and work with the appropriate cybersecurity authorities before disclosing the information to the public. The Commission reportedly said that it became aware of the breach in October 2022 "after observing an unusual pattern of login requests to our systems" in its notice. It is expected that the first illegal access was later detected in August 2021, when this unusual login activity was discovered. The order of events in the UK Electoral Commission cyberattack shows that the hackers had infiltrated the Commission's networks for more than a year before being discovered, with the possibility that it occurred longer. Read Also: Nvidia's Upcoming Super Chip Can Work for 'Most Complex' Generative AI Tasks In response to the security breach, the Commission said it took steps to bolster its requirements for network logins without going into more detail. A variety of actions, from adopting two-factor authentication to improving their current security standards, might be taken to address this. The Commission's usage of the term "hostile actor" is probably due to information given by unnamed cybersecurity partners who are experts in cyberattack analysis, as per a report from TechTimes. The evidence and the Commission's definition of "hostile" are unclear, suggesting that the hackers' actions or access reflect malicious intent. Hostile actors were active in our systems and had access to servers which held our email, control systems, and copies of the electoral registers. We have since worked with external security experts and the National Cyber Security Centre to investigate and secure our systems. Electoral Commission (@ElectoralCommUK) August 8, 2023 Investigation Still Ongoing Details of people whose information was compromised included those who chose to keep it off the open registry. The Commission verified that new security measures had been put in place to fend against threats in the future. The Commission minimized the possibility of electoral tampering despite the breach occurring over a long period because of the dependence on paper-based voting. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) urgently launched an inquiry on the issue due to voter anxiety. The hackers' identities and goals, which may have been financial or connected to state-sponsored espionage, are essential facts yet unknown, and their silence and lack of extortion demands create further suspicions about the attack's purpose. The way the Commission's email server was compromised is also unknown, so it's unclear if the hackers deliberately targeted the email server or found another way in. Moreover, Data privacy and transparency issues have arisen from the delayed public disclosure about the UK Electoral Commission cyberattack. Related Article: European Commission Opens In-Depth Investigation Into Adobe's $20 Billion Figma Acquisition 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The "soft life" movement has become a trend among social media users and ignited discussions about well-being, stress reduction, and individual preferences, with an astonishing 12.2 million views on TikTok. The concept of living a "soft life" is not really entirely new. However, for those that seek a fulfilling lifestyle, it becoming a popular choice. Soft life emphasizes relaxation, self-care, and well-being through leisure activities like reading, listening to music, and taking walks. Another way to define the soft lifestyle is to avoid the corporate grind in favor of rewarding professions that support one's interests and passions, according to an Evening Standard article. A Tool To Enhance Well-Being The philosophy behind 'soft life' is centered on letting go of stress and embracing a happier, more peaceful life. However, it's crucial to realize that this trend doesn't only revolve around portraying a "perfect" existence on social media. The creator of the health website thy. self and the author of "Take Care: The Black Women's Guide To Wellness," Chloe Pierre, offers her opinion on the rebirth of the "soft life." She sees it as a tool to make decisions that avoid unmanageable suffering and advance general well-being, per The Independent. Pierre argues that although beneficial, this tendency should be inclusive and available to everyone. Children's novelist and freelance writer Madeline Wilson-Ojo believes the "soft life" movement is essential for Black women since they have traditionally sacrificed their comfort for others. Read Also: Increased Cancer Cases Linked to High Carcinogen Levels at Montana Nuclear Missile Base The "soft life" movement, which has its roots in nations like Nigeria and was made more well-known by African American women, promotes freedom of choice and empowerment. According to Dr. Evelyn Okpanachi, author of "The Emotionally Empowered Woman," the present fatigue brought on by things like the COVID-19 period and austerity measures has made people wish for a more straightforward and laid-back way of life. How To Live a 'Soft Life' It is important to note that the 'soft life' comprises designing a life according to one's terms, developing enterprises and vocations that align with one's own goals, and committing to holistic self-care. The road to the "soft life" could require considerable effort and adjustment. Okpanachi admits that adjusting to this period often entails meeting stress and obstacles head-on. The core of this idea is creating a lifestyle with less stress and sound limits. Knowing that leading a "soft life" does not need spectacular gestures or lavish expenditures is encouraging. Some TikTok users like @enashaolivia show how simple, cheap acts may follow the trend of soft living, such as lighting candles, assembling charcuterie platters, and indulging in nocturnal skincare regimens, per The List. Related Article: Northwestern Medicine Conducts Miraculous Lung Transplants for Patients with Rare Reversed Organ Arrangement 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NAIROBI, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The ministers of agriculture from the Horn of Africa region on Wednesday pledged better coordination to boost action on invasive pests like desert locusts which have worsened the hunger and malnutrition crisis. Speaking at a forum in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, the ministers said that a harmonized approach to managing pests that devastate crops and livestock was paramount to avert the disruption of the livelihoods of nomads and subsistence farmers. Convened by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, the Nairobi forum was attended by agriculture ministers, donor representatives, and experts, and adopted a raft of resolutions to strengthen the response to invasive pests and secure resilience for local communities. Mithika Linturi, Kenya's cabinet secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, stressed that Horn of Africa nations should leverage partnership, early warning, research, and awareness to revitalize action on voracious pests that have undermined efforts to feed vulnerable populations. According to Linturi, extreme weather events linked to climate change have escalated the spread of invasive pests in the region, leading to depressed crop yield. "Small-holder farmers in particular have suffered due to pest attacks on their crops. We should intensify awareness, harness data and embark on integrated pest management to build communities' resilience," Linturi said. The Horn of African states should invest in capacity building for subsistence farmers and nomads alongside the latest pest control technologies in their bid to attain food security, ecological health, and resilience for grassroots communities, said Guleid Artan, the director of the Nairobi-based IGAD's Climate Prediction and Applications Center. According to Artan, the risk of desert locust invasion in the region remained high, given the likelihood of El Nino rains from October to December, hence the need for governments to reactivate surveillance and other pest control measures. Carla Mucavi, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization representative in Kenya, noted that different species of invasive pests are thriving in the Horn of Africa region, fueled by climate change and habitat destruction, hence the need for cross-border interventions to limit their damage to crops and livestock. Mucavi called for the adoption of agricultural systems that are drought and pest tolerant to attain food and nutrition security for the Horn of Africa population. KIEV, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine hopes to increase its exports through Moldova after the construction of a new bridge over the Dniester River on the joint border, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday. "Ukrainian exporters will have a convenient way to southeastern Europe and will increase the volume of their goods' exports," Shmyhal was quoted as saying by the government press service. The bridge, with its construction greenlighted by the Ukrainian government earlier in the day, will become a key element of the transport corridor between Kiev and Chisinau, Shmyhal said. He stressed the importance of agricultural exports for Ukraine, saying that the country supplied more than 40 million tons of foodstuffs abroad in January through July this year. In June, Ukraine and Moldova signed an agreement to build the bridge, which would replace the ferry services on the Dniester River. The 1,400-meter-long bridge will have 2 lanes with sidewalks on both sides. Deutsche Bahn is considering continuing to drive "on sight" in the future for people on the track One dead and several injured in the fire of an apartment building near Paris Record rating of the GameStar: Mr. Klinge, do you consider Baldur's Gate 3 to be the best computer game ever? God's Tweeter Week: Those You Blocked Will Come Back to You 6 incredible places to go for a picnic less than an hour and a half from Madrid "The number of heat waves will grow": a Russian climatologist on the causes of temperature records in Russia and the world Fire in L'Ile-Saint-Denis: still in shock, residents help each other "Cheems", the dog of the most viral memes on the Internet, dies Superconductor hype: Hoping is ok, but it's not enough Beyond the New U.S. Activism in the Middle East Landmark of Lahaina on Maui: "As if the tree were in a coma" In the future, Hamburg will pay primary school teachers in the same way as student councillors at grammar schools Chaise longue, daybed, lounger or armchair with ottoman ..., and lie down to the bartola! No confrontation in Cologne: Pro-Russian motorcade turns out to be much smaller than planned Taiwan, Qingqing and Guizhou share the "entrepreneurial experience": the complementary advantages of the two sides of the strait can achieve the overlapping effect-Chinanews.com video Approval of new drug "recanemab" for Alzheimer's disease is discussed today Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Dr. Amani Gamal: Muslims in America are more exposed to racism than others Rubiales kisses Jenni Hermoso on the mouth during the celebration: "I didn't like it" The party of the Spanish team in the dressing room: "That the Queen! Let the Queen bounce!" Chelsea lost to West Ham in the second round match of the Premier League Saving time pressure: Goryachkina and Salimova drew the second game of the World Cup final and will play in a tie-break The misfortune of the heroine Olga Carmona: her father died before the final and she knew it later Decided the World Cup final was informed that the father had died afterwards Low-priced tours are frequently forced to consume, not all of which are caused by tour guides Living in a bathing center is "cost-effective" Young people travel in the summer to live in new ways New data and new highlights: China's industrial robot installed capacity accounts for more than 50% of the global Look at China in ten dimensions! "Into the new state-owned enterprise The "Clock-in New Coordinates" network interactive communication activity was officially launched "Land-based aquaculture" away from the sea Major telecommunications companies enter the market one after another The South China Expo held at the "Three Forks" in Asia: an important platform for exchanges and cooperation among nearly 40 billion people Delivering the taste of famous restaurants with frozen foods Leave the menu to us Subscribe Kristersson (M): The state cannot look at whether we are facing acute threats In less than an hour: air defense systems shot down three Ukrainian aircraft-type UAVs in the Belgorod region Fires in Canada: fires gain ground in the west, little respite in the northwest of the country Prime Minister Kishida to meet with fishermen's representatives today to seek understanding on the release of treated water Over the past day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired 99 shells at the DPR In four directions: units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation repelled 23 attacks by Ukrainian troops in the NVO zone per day Participation in the line is proposed to be considered a valid reason for absence from work In a shopping center in the east of Moscow, the body of an infant was found in the toilet People from Taiwan's industrial and academic circles have called on the Taiwan authorities to communicate and handle cross-strait economic and trade disputes as soon as possible Laura Escanes denounces that they have used her image to take her naked in photos manipulated with Artificial Intelligence The actor of the series "Clinic" called on Zelensky to be treated for drug addiction The Engineer Who Protected the Bell from Metal Recovery 78th Anniversary of the End of World War II in Shiga | NHK WP: The Armed Forces of Ukraine seem to have exhausted their options for a counteroffensive Imani-Lara Lansiquot made a false start at the World Athletics Championships but protested and was still allowed to run Clashes are the most violent in Khartoum and an imminent humanitarian disaster in Fola and Nyala The misfortune of the heroine Olga Carmona: her father died before the final and she knew it later Rubiales kisses Jenni Hermoso on the mouth during the celebration: "I didn't like it" 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. TEHRAN, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian diplomat has accused the United States of deliberately perpetuating instability in Afghanistan, aiming to generate crises for neighboring countries after its unsuccessful two-decade occupation. In an interview with Iran's state news agency IRNA on Wednesday, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's special representative for Afghanistan, alleged that the United States has been sponsoring "terrorist" groups in Afghanistan after it withdrew all its forces from the Central Asian country in 2021. The United States is also taking steps to isolate Afghanistan from the global community by imposing sanctions on a number of Taliban officials and freezing the nation's assets, Kazemi Qomi added. The Iranian official highlighted that the United States does not want stability in Afghanistan, as it fears the potential for other countries to fill the void it left once the Central Asian country attains stability. He also noted, unlike the United States, many of Afghanistan's neighboring counties, such as Iran and Pakistan, hope to restore calm and stability to Afghanistan, which will be in the interest of the region. Nearly all of the 57 people on Louisiana's death row have asked Gov. John Bel Edwards to spare their lives, a historic request made after Edwards broke his silence on how he views capital punishment and pushed lawmakers to outlaw the practice. BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- China has made serious demarches to Japan and strongly condemns that certain Japanese politician visited China's Taiwan region and made irresponsible remarks that sought to hype up cross-Strait tensions, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here Wednesday. It was reported that Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party and former Prime Minister of Japan Taro Aso has visited Taiwan, where he met with Tsai Ing-wen, William Lai and others and delivered a speech saying that there should be no war in the region, including the Taiwan Strait, and calling for a posture of strong deterrence and "a readiness to fight." In response, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that despite China's strong opposition, certain Japanese politician visited China's Taiwan region and made irresponsible remarks that sought to hype up cross-Strait tensions, stoke antagonism and confrontation, and blatantly interfere in China's internal affairs. "This seriously violates the one-China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan and tramples on the basic norms governing international relations. China has made serious demarches to Japan and strongly condemns this," the spokesperson added. Noting that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and the Taiwan question is entirely China's internal affair that brooks no external interference, the spokesperson said that for half a century, Japan exercised colonial rule over Taiwan, brutally suppressed its people's resistance and committed atrocious crimes. As a country responsible for the historical crimes it committed against China, Japan needs to all the more draw lessons from history and act prudently, the spokesperson said, adding that the Japanese politician, however, kept raising the possibility of "a war" whilst in Taiwan, an obvious attempt to stir up trouble in the Taiwan Strait and push the people in the Taiwan region over the edge of an abyss. The spokesperson said that today's China is no longer what it was when the Qing government signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, and what makes this Japanese politician think he is in a position or has the confidence to make such unwarranted remarks on Taiwan? The spokesperson stressed that the complete reunification of the motherland is the common aspiration of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation and an unstoppable historical trend. No one shall underestimate the strong resolve, will and capability of the Chinese people to defend the nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "We seriously urge Japan to deeply reflect on its history of aggression, abide by the one-China principle and its commitments regarding the Taiwan question, and stop meddling in China's internal affair and lending support to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces in any form," the spokesperson said. "We also have a clear message for the Taiwan authorities: 'Taiwan independence' has no future, soliciting Japan's support and selling Taiwan away will only harm the people in Taiwan, and any attempt to collude with external forces in seeking independence and provocations will only fail," the spokesperson added. I have been trying to withdraw $7500 from Australian Super since July 10 but have been prevented from doing so. Online, there are often no figures for either of my accounts and it says we cant show you these at the moment. I have called them and been cut off after 20 minutes of holding. I have emailed them and received a generated response saying they are sorry to hear I am having problems. I finally got to actually speak to someone on Wednesday and, after a lot of coaxing, she told me I wasnt the only one with this problem. When I asked how long this had been going on, she finally admitted, About a month or so. If this was a bank and I had been prevented from withdrawing funds for two weeks, for no reason, there would be a series of questions being asked about the viability of the bank. Have you heard anything about Australian Super? Australian Super is one of our largest superannuation funds, but its become a sad reality that the bigger the organisation, these days, the longer they take to answer the phone. Just this week, I waited 40 minutes for St George Bank to answer, and gave up on Latitude after waiting 50 minutes. An Australian Super spokesperson said they are aware that some members are having difficulty with service requests, and apologise to those members who are experiencing difficulties. They claim they are implementing technology fixes to resolve any outstanding online issues over the coming weeks. Fingers crossed. My sister has just gone into aged care and receives a part-age pension from Centrelink. She is wondering if her pension will automatically increase because of the recently increased asset and income thresholds, or if she has to apply to Centrelink. Your sisters pension will automatically be adjusted based on the assets and income Centrelink has recorded for her. This is something you should review as it is not uncommon that assets reduce while someone is living in aged care as the cost is often greater than your income. Your sisters new payment amount should have started by now. Teal crossbenchers will confront industry figures about the growing number of alcoholic drinks marketed to underage drinkers after a hard version of the popular soft drink Solo was approved for sale in Australia. Independent member for North Sydney Kylea Tink will host talks between her fellow crossbenchers and alcohol producers and retailers in Canberra on Thursday, following an industry request to meet the teal MPs to discuss their push for tighter regulation. Federal crossbenchers will meet representatives from the alcohol industry on Thursday to discuss concerns about how the industry is regulated. Credit: James Brickwood For a company like [Japanese brewer] Asahi to come out and say theres no problem with that product to me indicates theres a clear breakdown in between community expectation and corporate expectation, she said. Questions have to be asked of both the company and the [Alcoholic Beverages Advertising Code panel] ... that product did not pass the pub test. A man who allegedly filmed and recorded up womens dresses at a Brisbane shopping centre while they were on escalators has been charged. Detectives charged the 41-year-old from Parkinson after a woman reported to police she allegedly saw the man behind her on an escalator at Chermsides Westfield shopping centre filming under her dress in April. Police said the man had allegedly been filming women over the past four months. Extensive investigations by detectives led to other women being identified as victims, and a man being charged today, police said. Police later allegedly found multiple breach of privacy offences on the mans phone between April 30 and August 3. One of the difficulties with Australia is our vast land. There has always been an issue policing Australia because we simply do not have the number of police to be everywhere at once, she says. Suburbs that may be more criminogenic are already likely to have a problematic view of police. Giving police more power is only going to further entrench this perception of police as unfriendly and forceful. The better approach would be for police to build rapport in their community and facilitate open and honest communication with locals about crime and justice. What causes crime, and where is it most likely to happen? Criminal activity, Zahnow explains, is most likely to happen around crime generators areas with a lot of people or traffic. For example, a train station or a stadium. There are theories, she says, that anyone can be an offender if given the right opportunity. Some people who arent motivated to offend, in these sorts of situations, there are really easy things you can get away with because theres the anonymity of the crowd, she says. If the chances of getting caught are so low and the attractiveness of the target is high enough, people will do it. This is evident in supermarkets, where cameras have been installed in self-serve checkouts to prevent people stealing items or scanning them at lower prices. Its that sense that nobody can see me that makes people feel like they can just get away with things, she says. On a larger scale, this can be seen in teenagers walking down streets, testing each car to see if its unlocked. A lot of the stuff with car theft here in Australia is really opportunistic. If you lock your car, youre going to be pretty safe. People saying juvenile crime is out of control, a lot of it is ... they might walk along the street trying [car] door handles. Theyll find one thats been unlocked, and theyll try [to steal it]. Or they get in the garage and the keys are left right there on the bench, or right next to the vehicle. A lot of it is facilitated by our behaviours. Im not saying thats OK its never OK, they definitely should not be doing it ... but there are things we can do to make it more difficult. Zahnow says people who live in lower socio-economic areas are more likely to travel to wealthy areas to steal cars, for example. The train line is particularly problematic because obviously, in terms of car theft people can travel along, jump off, and steal a car ... Thats why we see vehicle theft higher in stations along the train line. The train line is particularly problematic because ... people can travel along, jump off, and steal a car. Dr Renee Zahnow Brisbanes highest number of stolen cars between August 8, 2022, and August 7 this year was in Inala, at 104, followed by Forest Lake at 93. On the northside, Clayfield and Hendra had the highest number of stolen cars at 56 and 55 respectively. During the same period across all of Brisbane, police listed a total of more than 103,000 offences. These included a range of crimes, such as fraud, arson, robbery, prostitution, plus weapon and traffic offences. What happens in these criminogenic suburbs? Zahnow says these suburbs can become stigmatised in the media because of a particular demographic group. Many people of African appearance suffered as the result of a 2018 Liberal Party campaign that claimed there was an African crime crisis in Melbourne. Credit: Victoria Police In the past, weve had issues with stigmatised groups like African gangs that was a real problem in Melbourne, and these areas, where there might be a large proportion of particular groups, become stigmatised. There are also incidences where we have a moral panic or a staining effect. One incident can have a staining effect, where a suburb becomes known for that. If its a major event, the implications are long-lasting. The obscure way governments have tried to prevent crime One way councils and communities will actively try to improve the perception of crime in a suburb is through regeneration. Its been done in Mango Hill, north of Brisbane, where part of the suburb became North Lakes, and in the south-west, where a large chunk of Inala was rebadged as Forest Lake. If you ask people living in North Lakes if they live in Mango Hill, they refuse to admit it, Zahnow says. People who live in Forest Lake, if you tell them they live in Inala, theyll be very upset. The regeneration and rebadging of sections is sort of how you get around it, because it actually does really impact how people think about places. But Zahnow says regeneration can be problematic because it pushes up the cost of living in those areas. Its about pushing out those [problematic] people, she says. They regenerate and redevelop, and that pushes up the cost of living, so it pushes out particular problem people. Thats what the thought process is. The people who dont mow their yards, the people who dont look after things, they are pushed out. How are police handling crime? Train commuters or those in Fortitude Valley and other Safe Night Precincts may have noticed police wanding people lately, in a bid to crack down on knife crime. Queensland police are increasingly using metal detection wands to scan for knives and other weapons. Credit: Queensland Police Service Police are regularly stationed at problematic transport hubs and in party precincts to randomly scan people to confiscate knives and other weapons. In South Bank, two people were allegedly stabbed at the station after a confrontation in June, while Lauie Tagaloa was allegedly stabbed to death at Fortitude Valley station last year. Loading A complicating factor for police remains the livestreaming or sharing of crimes, particularly among young people, who film themselves stealing luxury cars or committing other crimes, such as stealing pet cats. Officers are working thousands of hours of overtime as part of high-visibility patrols. Theyre also co-responding with youth justice workers, patrolling the streets together. Students at a girls school in Melbournes south-east are being warned of possible criminal prosecution after reports pupils were distributing pornographic images on campus. Mentone Girls Secondary College has issued a letter telling parents that students had used mobile phones to share explicit images during school hours. Mentone Girls Secondary College. Credit: Penny Stephens Administrators told members of the school community that police had been informed and that an investigation had begun. We were immediately in contact with the Victorian Police who presented about this very topic to our junior students recently, the school wrote in a letter seen by The Age. A council in Melbournes inner west has taken its monthly public meeting online at the last minute, becoming the third council to do so over security concerns, after residents facing eviction planned a peaceful protest outside the chambers. The Hobsons Bay City Council move comes after it voted against increasing transparency for ratepayers by allowing residents to ask live and unscripted questions in council meetings, rather than written questions that must be submitted in advance. Up to 100 people who live in housing blocks in an industrial zone in Williamstown have been pushing back against council orders to vacate, revealed by The Age last month, and their plight has now reached Premier Daniel Andrews office. The Techno Park Drive estate had housed refugees and migrants since World War II, before it was sold into the private market in the late 1980s and rezoned as an industrial area, meaning people could no longer legally live there. A trip to Coles, breakfast at a Fremantle cafe and attending a mates funeral earned notorious Mongols bikie Troy Mercanti a $9000 fine from a Perth magistrate on Wednesday. Mercanti, who walked into court wearing a T-shirt that said, Mr Squigley fcuk your laws a pointed message to Attorney-General John Quigley over the governments anti-consorting laws pleaded guilty to nine breaches of a post-sentence supervision order. Troy Mercanti sporting a message for Attorney General John Quigley on his way to court on Wednesday. Credit: Ezra Holt The two-year order was imposed on Mercanti, 56, in 2019 when he was released from jail after serving seven years for bashing his former partner. But through his lawyer Paul Holmes, Mercanti argued he made a mistake in not believing the order applied outside of Western Australia when he travelled interstate to attend a bikie funeral, wore Mongols colours, and was seen by police riding a Harley Davidson with other bikies. An elderly woman has been found after police launched a massive search for her overnight in the Perth hills. Eileen Hill, 85, disappeared after last being seen at her Roleystone home around 9pm on Tuesday. Missing woman Eileen Hill. Credit: WA Police A WA Police spokeswoman said efforts to locate her overnight had failed as temperatures dipped to 5 degrees. Ms Hill may have become confused and disorientated and not know where she is, she said. LANZHOU, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- After the culmination of the Wushu tournament and the Chengdu Universiade's closing ceremony, Michal Ignatowicz, a member of the IWUF (International Wushu Federation) technical committee, expressed admiration for the organization and impact of the martial arts competition. "All events of the Wushu tournament were held successfully," said Michal, noting that "youths throughout the world have experienced the charm of martial arts at the Universiade." Many international martial arts participants, like Michal, express confidence in expanding the global influence of Wushu. "Kung Fu movies inspired me to learn martial arts when I was a kid," said Erbakan Necmettin Akyuz from Turkey, a Wushu athlete competing in men's Changquan and Daoshu at the Universiade. He added that he has been to many Chinese cities to practice martial arts since 2009. "Martial arts is one of the best ways of communication for youths around the globe," said the 21-year-old Erbakan, expressing his aspiration to "teach more and more youths to practice Wushu in the future." Participants from over 30 countries and regions engaged in 20 different Wushu events at the Universiade. For many, their martial arts journey began in childhood. Mandy Chen from Malaysia, a bronze medalist in women's Taijiquan, shared, "Wushu means something very different to me." The 20-year-old continued to explain that she has grown to understand "the traditional Chinese culture behind martial arts during the past few years." A dedicated Wushu stage was established at the Universiade, allowing athletes and fans to appreciate the beauty of martial arts. Isabella Miller, a 22-year-old American from Chapman University participating in women's Jianshu and Qiangshu, said that she frequently communicates with other athletes on Wushu technique during competitions. With roots extending back several millennia in China, martial arts, known as Wushu or Kung Fu, are experiencing a surge in global interest, especially in the realms of traditional Chinese culture. Li Shaocheng, the competition director of the Wushu tournament at the Chengdu Universiade, opined, "The martial arts events promote cultural exchange among young people worldwide at the Universiade," further highlighting that Wushu holds the potential to "level up the development of multicultural throughout the world." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended his governments decision to begin referring to the West Bank and Gaza as occupied and Israeli settlements as illegal as the Palestinian government urged Australia to go further by quickly recognising Palestine as a state. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton began question time on Wednesday by accusing the government of hanging one of Australias closest Middle East partners [out] to dry as part of a backroom deal to avoid an embarrassing factional fight at next weeks ALP national conference. My government is a strong supporter of Israel and its right to exist within the borders. We also support a two-state solution that includes a Palestinian state, Albanese replied. He added that the government had adopted the same language as the UKs conservative government and the European Union. The 30th Governor of Victoria has acknowledged her nervousness at carrying the honour after she was sworn in at state parliament on Wednesday. I think one would be an unusual person if you didnt feel nervousness, Margaret Gardner said on Wednesday morning after the inauguration. Theres that point at which youre standing outside yourself and saying, is this really me? Governor Margaret Gardner and Premier Daniel Andrews after her inauguration on Wednesday. Credit: Joe Armao Gardner, a professor and the former vice chancellor of Monash University, was appointed in June when she conceded she was a republican despite now representing King Charles in Victoria and pledging allegiance to him on Wednesday. But I recognise that we are living currently in a constitutional monarchy and will do so until such time as people decide otherwise, she said in June. West Australian Premier Roger Cook says his government has been vindicated after an eight-month, behind-closed-doors review of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The review by former Liberal health minister and dentist John Day, Emeritus Professor Margaret Seares, and former deputy of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Michael Schaper, was tabled in parliament on Wednesday. WA Premier Roger Cook. Credit: Trevor Collens The panel heaped praise on the government and its agencies for the states response while presenting 35 recommendations to the government to better prepare it for future pandemics, which it said were likely to happen again. We want to leave a guidebook, a blueprint so no state in the future will have to confront what we did, which is a clean slate, no guidebook, no experience of dealing with a global pandemic, Cook said. Stockholm: Where else if not Sweden, a country where almost 70 per cent of its land area is covered in forest, would you expect the worlds largest urban construction project of wood ever attempted? A groundbreaking new development in the southern suburbs of Stockholm, the nations capital, is about to become a beacon of wooden architecture on a global scale. Youll only need to stroll about an hour through the cobbled streets, over the bridges where Lake Malaren meets the Baltic Sea, to see a sprawling metropolis of 250,000 square metres or 25 blocks - encompassing 7000 office spaces, 2000 homes, as well as restaurants and shops. An artists impression of Stockholm Wood City the worlds largest urban construction project in wood. Credit: Atrium Ljungberg Atrium Ljungberg, the urban development company behind the project, envisions the project in the vibrant neighbourhood of Sickla as a five-minute city where workplaces, homes, leisure facilities, and amenities are all within a short walk of one another. The project was designed by architecture firms White Arkitekter and Henning Larsen. It was a Henning Larsen design, working with collaborators Architectus and Arup, that was selected earlier this year to transform the Canberra Theatre Centre. Road Trip - Driving the Downeast Highway, Maines Route 1 - By Larry Nutson Driving the Downeast Highway Maines Route 1 By Larry Nutson Executive Editor and Bureau Chief Chicago Bureau THE AUTO CHANNEL Awhile back my wife informed me she was going away to Western Massachusetts for a few days with some of her lady friends. She suggested after this getaway we meet at the home of our daughter and her husband who live in Bostons Northshore. Okay by me. After some thought I decided I too would have a bit of a getaway from our Chicago neighborhood. Maines Route 1 Downeast Highway winds through Acadia National Park and the New England Coastline. Maine Route 1 is 3,478 miles of twisty road along a rocky coast with over 65 lighthouses and 23 islands full of fishing villages and lobster shacks. Along the way were some car things. Owls Head Transportation Museum, Seal Cove Auto Museum and Maine Classic Car Museum were three places that interested me. As it turned out the Owls Head Museum was also having a Wings and Wheels airshow on the weekend I would be passing through. Maine is one of the most rural in the US. It has rugged beauty and many small towns that have been around since the 1700s. Plus, driving Route 1, a scenic, sometimes hilly, sometimes twisty two-lane roadway that connects all these small towns would be pleasurable and interesting. Off I went. An airflight into Bangor with an overnight stay. Pick up a rental car and an early morning start heading to Bar Harbor on Route 1A. A chance stop at Moto Car Antique Autos in Ellsworth. Bar Harbor was perfect for a second cup of coffee and a stroll through this quaint tourist town to stretch my legs. I didnt take in Acadia National Park. Next time. Its Cadillac Mountain sits at 1,530 ft and is the highest point along the North Atlantic Seaboard. Be at the top at sunrise and youll be one of the first in the US to see a new day. ( Then on to Owls Head Museum with plenty to see in the museum, along with a display of locally-owned classic cars, and vintage 80 to 100-year old aircraft performing demonstration flights. Next stop Portland. Driving Route 1 I saw antiques, art, artifacts, clock shops, Adirondack chairs, farm stands, fish shacks, flea markets, fudge shops, gazebos, and more, including alpaca socks (go figure). And then there are lighthouses. I visited the Owls Head Light, the Portland Head Light, and eventually in Massachusetts the Hospital Point Lighthouse that marks the entrance to the Salem and Beverly harbors. All in all I covered 335 miles of Maines scenic Route 1. Passing slowly through many a small town, driving at 25 mph gave me a chance to see many a sight. It also makes one think about what it was like living here 100 or 200 years ago. Happy Motoring! 2023 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy. 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Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Qian Yi) Peng Chengzhi (R) talks with a student after a lecture in the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi (L front) attends a meeting at the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of the University of Science and Technology of China in east China's Shanghai, July 22, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) Peng Chengzhi operates Zuchongzhi 2, a 66-qubit programmable quantum computing system, at QuantumCTek Co., Ltd in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi walks alongside a river in Pudong District of east China's Shanghai, July 22, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi (L) talks with Professor Ren Jigang at the Institute of Advance Technology of the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi listens to a report during a meeting at the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of the University of Science and Technology of China in east China's Shanghai, July 22, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Qian Yi) Peng Chengzhi talks with a student at a laboratory in the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) Peng Chengzhi speaks during a lecture in the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Qian Yi) Peng Chengzhi (2nd L) and his colleagues talk about their research in front of the Zuchongzhi 2, a 66-qubit programmable quantum computing system, in Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science in east China's Shanghai, July 22, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi (R) checks experimental data with Professor Yin Juan at a laboratory of the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of the University of Science and Technology of China in east China's Shanghai, July 22, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Qian Yi) Peng Chengzhi (1st R, back), Pan Jianwei (2nd R, front), Wang Jianyu (1st L, front), Yin Juan (2nd R, back) and Ren Jigang (3rd R, back) look at data received from quantum satellite "Micius" at Lijiang observatory in Lijiang city, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 22, 2016. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi walks alongside a lake in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi poses for a photo at QuantumCTek Co., Ltd in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi walks past a model of quantum satellite "Micius" in the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) This combined photo shows China launching the world's first quantum satellite on top of a Long March-2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province, Aug. 16, 2016. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi walks out of the gate of the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) This composite photo taken on Nov. 28, 2016 shows researchers making an experiment as the quantum satellite "Micius" flies over an observatory in Xinglong, north China's Hebei Province. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Peng Chengzhi talks with a student at a laboratory in the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 21, 2023. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Qian Yi) This composite photo taken on Dec. 9, 2016 shows a satellite-to-earth link established between quantum satellite "Micius" and the quantum teleportation experiment platform in Ali, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Peng Chengzhi, born in 1976, holds several professional positions: professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), chief scientist of QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., and chief engineer of the scientific application system of Micius, the world's first quantum communication satellite. Peng began to participate in the research of quantum science and technology in 2003. Since then, he has taken part in the whole process of the design of the quantum satellite "Micius", witnessing the development of China in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing and others. Since the USTC and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd are based in Hefei, while the Shanghai Institute for Advance Studies of USTC and Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Science are located in Shanghai, Peng often travels between the two cities for work and living. The Yangtze River Delta integration drives the flows of talents and technologies, and provides impetus for the development of science and technology. Taking advantages of the Yangtze River Delta integration, Peng and his team are making full efforts to prepare for the launch of a new quantum satellite. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) China to continue contributing to political settlement of Ukraine crisis: spokesperson Xinhua) 08:55, August 09, 2023 BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to enhance dialogue and communication with all parties and contribute to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday. The spokesperson made the remarks when asked for more information on Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui's attendance of the meeting in Jeddah on the Ukraine issue last weekend. The spokesperson said that on Aug. 5, Li traveled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to attend the meeting on the Ukraine issue at invitation. Li had extensive contact and exchanges with participating parties, made clear China's position and propositions, listened to the opinions and advice from various parties, and worked for more common understandings on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. China's positive role in promoting talks for peace was fully recognized. The spokesperson said that China will continue to act in the spirit of the four principles, joint efforts in four areas and three observations proposed by President Xi Jinping, work on the basis of the document of China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, enhance dialogue and communication with all parties, and contribute to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Fairmont Ramla Serviced Residences Riyadh, Fairmonts first serviced residences in Saudi Arabia, is now open to the public. Standing tall with its magnificent 35 floors, the property graces Riyadh's skyline as a symbol of opulent living, offering an unparalleled experience and lifestyle. Unveiled by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in partnership with Naif AL Rajhi Investment, this architectural masterpiece resides in the heart of Riyadh, offering sophistication and comfort for discerning travellers and families seeking a sense of home during extended stays. With 249 exquisite residences, Fairmont Ramla seamlessly blends authentic Saudi heritage with modern luxury apartments, which range in size from spacious one-bedroom suites to four-bedroom penthouses. More than just a place to stay, Fairmont Ramla promises an unforgettable journey immersed in rich cultural details. The hotel's leisure facilities include two stunning rooftop infinity pools, two state-of-the-art gyms. Atop these lavish amenities, guests are greeted with breathtaking vistas of Riyadh's cityscape. Fairmont Ramla also caters to young guests with its Falcon Kids Club, a sanctuary for guests aged 4-12. children can enjoy educational and sporting adventures, allowing parents to steal away moments of relaxation. General Manager Muhieddine Zok said: "We take great pride in introducing Fairmont Ramla Serviced Residences Riyadh, a new beacon of luxury in the city that sets a precedent with the Kingdom's first luxury branded serviced residences. This unveiling perfectly aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, fostering tourism and business opportunities. We eagerly await our guests, promising an unmatched stay brimming with warmth, comfort, and unparalleled luxury." Fairmont Ramla Serviced Residences Riyadh introduces an extensive range of dining experiences for every guest's unique palate. Jones the Grocer is a gourmet specialty venue, presenting a blend of international flavours. The View Lounge and The Thirty-Five Lounge serve their specialty dishes against the backdrop of city views. For an engaging dining experience, Ramla Terraza operates as a lifestyle-oriented destination, offering guests a variety of food selections. Brute is a dedicated steakhouse, featuring a selection of quality meat cuts. At CLAP, guests can experience a fresh take on traditional Japanese cuisine. For those seeking tranquility, Iris Cafe offers a peaceful setting for dining. Additionally, Fairmont Ramla Serviced Residences Riyadh provides a 24-hour in-residence dining service for ultimate dining convenience right in the comfort of the guest rooms Equally captivating is the corporate side of Fairmont Ramla Riyadh. Four state-of-the-art meeting rooms exude modern elegance and feature cutting-edge multimedia technology, providing the perfect setting for impactful business interactions. A unique spectacle awaits in the private cinema room, offering private screenings in an intimate setting, plush VIP seating, and a delightful array of refreshments a cinematic experience straight from a dream. To commemorate the opening, guests can avail special room rates starting from SR1350++, which include breakfast for two, late check-out, and special welcome amenities. These opening rates are available until August 31, it said. -TradeArabia News Service BRASILIA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Countries attending the Amazon Summit in Belem, Brazil, on Tuesday adopted a declaration that would lay the foundation for a joint regional agenda on efforts to save the rainforest, including forging an alliance to combat deforestation. The Belem Declaration, signed by the eight member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, additionally urged developed countries to fulfill their commitments, including providing some 100 billion U.S. dollars in resources for conserving the tropical forest. It essentially recognized the urgent need for regional cooperation to avoid reaching a tipping point in the Amazon and also established new contribution targets for developing countries to tackle the climate crisis. Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira called the declaration "an exhaustive and important text," according to the Globo news network. "Issues of great interest to the Amazon region are addressed in terms of health, education, monitoring, joint action against the trafficking in resources and minerals, science and technology -- in short, all areas are covered," he said. BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Among the tourists crowding the Beilin Museum in Xi'an is Liu Qin, who has come with her 11-year-old grandson, hoping that he might learn something from the centuries-old exhibits. Liu believes that museums show the history of civilization. "Children can develop an interest in culture from a young age through visiting museums," she said. Located in the historical city of Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the Beilin Museum displays a number of steles and other stone carvings from ancient China. It attracts numerous children and teenagers during the summer vacation. "Currently all the tour groups I'm guiding are composed of juveniles," said local tour guide Zhang Lin, who was leading a group through the Beilin Museum. Visiting museums is a major part of the trips that Zhang runs. Dong Baohou, vice curator of the Liaoning Provincial Museum in northeast China, checks the composition of visitors to the museum every day, and the data shows that more than 30 percent of the visitors this summer are children. "We pay great attention to cultivating the interest of children and teenagers in culture and museums," Dong said. However, museums have also become increasingly popular with adults in recent years, with many viewing them as an entertaining and educational option for their leisure time. The Henan Museum in central China received over 12,000 visits per day on average over the past several weeks, nearly twice the figure for the same period in 2019, according to curator Ma Xiaolin. Located in north China's Hebei Province, the Dingzhou Museum received about 40,000 visits in July, an increase of 186 percent from the same period in 2019. "The popularity of museums has become a cultural phenomenon," said Liu Yanchang, curator of the Shandong Museum in east China. Museum lover Yu Shaojing feels that museums bring history back to life. "Visiting the museums is like going deep into the world of history and the environment in which our ancestors lived," Yu said. According to Lin Liugen, head of the institute of archaeology at Zhejiang University, amid economic and social development, the country is witnessing the growing popularity of fine traditional Chinese culture. More people want to learn more about Chinese civilization and the history of the Chinese nation through visiting museums, said Lin. Official data shows that China had over 6,500 museums as of May this year. Thanks to technological advancement, more museums have been using modern tools such as 3D projection and AR glasses, as well as attractive ways of displaying cultural relics and promoting traditional Chinese culture. The Nanjing Museum, located in east China's Jiangsu Province, launched over 1,000 creative cultural products this summer. "Of all the products, the notebooks and bookmarks bearing designs based on the museum exhibits are the most popular. We can sell as many as 1,000 items per day," said Tian Tian, who is in charge of the museum's creative cultural product department. The Henan Museum has formed an orchestra that plays both classical and modern music on replica instruments based on cultural relics. Curator Ma Xiaolin said that museums have been identifying various comprehensible and acceptable characteristics of cultural relics and combining them with popular trends. "It makes the traditional culture seem less dull and thus meets the growing cultural needs of the public," Ma said. Liu Yanchang, the curator from Shandong, sees a bright future for museums in China, with growing interest among the general public. "In the future, more and more people will visit museums as a way of life," he said. Meanwhile, some professionals warn about the possible negative effects of overcrowded museums. "Too many visitors may lead to an uncomfortable environment for viewing exhibits and cause changes in humidity and other conditions in the exhibition halls, which may increase the difficulty of maintaining cultural relics," said Sun Mingli, vice curator of Suzhou Museum. Since Aug. 1, Suzhou Museum and eight other museums in the historical eastern city of Suzhou have been staying open until 9 p.m. every evening to accommodate the extra visitors. Sun suggested that popular museums can also take measures such as entrance reservations and online exhibitions to provide better experiences to visitors. "There is more space for cultural institutes and museums to explore in the future," said Liu Weihua, head of the social education department of the Hebei Museum. BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's National Cultural Heritage Administration has issued a circular about conducting a new round of survey and documentation of the country's cultural heritage sites. The administration put forth its plan at the outset of 2023 to thoroughly assess China's immovable cultural heritage over three to four years. The survey will cover cultural sites discovered since 2012, including those on the ground, underground and underwater, according to the administration. It aims to obtain the number, geological distribution, conservation situation, and other information about the sites. A national list of China's fixed cultural heritage will be created, with each site on the list being assigned a designated level of protection, the administration said. The last such survey was conducted between 2007 and 2011, covering over 760,000 cultural heritage spots. In this photo from July 7, 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an event about lowering health care costs in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/TNS) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Public Domain Bats can occasionally find their way into houses, particularly in older homes that are not properly sealed. Batavia, NY (14020) Today Cloudy skies. Low around 65F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies. Low around 65F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday welcomed the reopening of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for aid delivery into northwest Syria. The UN Security Council in July failed to re-authorize the cross-border humanitarian aid delivery mechanism through Bab al-Hawa on the Turkish border. The Syrian government had since offered to grant permission for aid delivery through the border crossing. The United Nations was in talks with Damascus over the details of the permission. "The secretary-general welcomes the understanding reached yesterday (Monday) by the United Nations and the government of Syria on the continued use for the next six months of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to millions of people in need in Northwest Syria," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for Guterres, in a statement. The agreement was a result of engagement between UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths and the Syrian government for the world body and its partners to continue providing cross-border humanitarian assistance "at the necessary scale and in a principled manner that allows engagement with all parties for the purposes of seeking humanitarian access and that safeguards the UN's operational independence," said the statement. "The consent reaffirmed by Syria in recent days provides a basis for the UN and its partners to lawfully conduct cross-border humanitarian operations through Bab al-Hawa," it said. Much of Canadas immigration history is shaped by war in faraway lands. Yesterdays enemies have become todays neighbours in Canada, as the countrys immigration policies evolved from favouring an exodus from one side of a conflict over the other, to becoming more inclusive and diverse. While this has led to a more open and multicultural immigration system, it has also afforded an opportunity to learn how past enmity can prevent future wars. For D.I. Lee, a Korean-Canadian filmmaker and newspaper publisher, enemy soldiers from a war zone talking about their new home in Canada is a long-held vision that is now getting traction to be turned into a documentary series. These short documentaries are not only about learning by walking in each others shoesmore importantly it about learning from finding out where those shoes have been, Lee said. This documentary aims to show how ordinary folks, once enemies in the past, are living in harmony under the umbrella of Canadian multiculturalism, he said. With a working title called No Longer Enemies, Not Yet Friends, Lees film has the backing of Telefilm Canada and the Korea Communications Agency. His first foray into the subject will be interviewing participants in the Korean War, which ended 70 years ago with a ceasefire. The three-year brutal struggle left millions of North and South Koreans dead, and over 100,000 casualties for the United Nations forces involved. More than 26,000 Canadians served on land, at sea and in the air during this bitter conflict that raged in from 1950 to 1953. China intervened on North Koreas side during the 1950-53 Korean War. An estimated three million Communist Chinese troops fought alongside Pyongyangs forces and helped tip the balance of the conflict for the North. Western estimates commonly cite a figure of 400,000 Chinese deaths. Beijings intervention ended the hostilities, but an impasse persists to this day. One of the most brutal episodes in the Korean war was the Battle of Kapyong, where 10 Canadians were killed and 23 were wounded. They were among the 516 Canadians who died in service during the Korean War. The Battle of Kapyong took place from April 22 to 25, 1951 and was one of the first battles in which Canadians participated during the Korean War, according to Canadian government archives. For two days a battalion of roughly 700 Canadian troops (the 2nd Battalion of the Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry Regiment) helped defend a crucial hill in the front lines of the Korean War against a force of about 5,000 Chinese soldiers. Besieged by waves of attackers, the Canadians held their position amid the horror of close combat until the assaulting force had been halted and the Canadians could be relieved, according to the Canadian Encyclopaedia. The battle was a turning point in the Korean War. The 2nd Battalion was awarded the United States Presidential Unit Citation a very rare honour for a Canadian unit. Lee has connected with soldiers and officers from the various participating armies but finding a Chinese soldier who was at Kapyong or who was enlisted by the Chinese to fight on behalf of North Korea remains elusive. This is a component I am missingmost of the surviving soldiers are in the 90sI have contacted some families and I am hoping there is someone out there who can speak to their involvement in the war, he said. Lee said the ultimate objective of the documentary series is to show what drove the opposite sides to hate and wage war. This can address some deep rooted but often questionable cultural characterizations which have been at the root of many hate crimes we are seeing today in Canada and the US. We can learn from the past conflicts and todays neighbors to create a better future for all in Canada, he said. After the segment featuring soldiers from the Korean War, Lee hopes to tell the stories of the warring sides from conflicts in Africa, South America and Europe who have now come to call Canada their home. If you know interested parties who want to share their experiences in these documentary series, especially the ongoing segment featuring the Korean war, please contact Di Lee at [email protected] What makes you passionate about your job? What makes me passionate about my job is the awareness that I am working with and supporting clients who made a life-changing decision to move to Canada. It is not an easy decision to make leaving everything behind, so being able to support them and make notable contributions to help them rebuild their lives give meaning to what I do - that through my work, I can touch someone's life and make a difference. What is the work that you do with newcomers? As a Career Strategist, I work with and support internationally trained professionals return to their pre-arrival occupation by providing career planning and job search assistance capitalizing on their pre-arrival skills and qualifications, developing a realistic action plan that is tailored to their career goals, helping them build Canadian style resumes and letters of application, facilitating further training or re-credentialing/licensing where appropriate utilizing the skills enhancement funding provided by the federal and provincial government of BC to assist them in their employment journey, and with the support of our Employer Relations Specialists, providing mentoring, networking and employer connections to create more opportunities for clients to find work in their field of expertise. How did you come to Canada? What is your immigrant story? My family and I came to Canada through the Federal Skilled Worker Express Entry program. We immigrated in early 2018 in hopes of pursuing not just better economic and life opportunities for the entire family including our kids, but the overall quality of life. It was tough in the first year, but with optimism, perseverance and support of families and friends and immigrant-serving organizations, I can say that we made it through. What brought you to ISSofBC? When we arrived, my husband was referred to ISSofBC Career Paths by a settlement service provider in which he became a client in 2018. He also worked briefly for one of ISSofBC's programs before landing a career in the banking industry. His experience in ISSofBC opened its door for me in 2019 when they were hiring for a Service Assistant in one if its settlement programs, and then an opportunity for the same role opened up in an employment program, and as it was more aligned with my background/work experience, I moved to Career Paths program where I am now working as a Career Strategist. What is the best part of your job? Being an immigrant myself, I can truly relate to the challenges that my clients go through and being able to support and help them get back on track genuinely make my day as their success is my success. So, I guess the best part of my job is being given the opportunity to make a difference in our clients' lives - to be a part of our their career journey in achieving their employment goals which can greatly lead to them finding a happy and meaningful life here in Canada. Ambedkar pops up 7 questions to Rahul Gandhi MUMBAI, ON A day when the Congress and other Opposition parties were debating a no-confidence motion against the BJP-led Government at the Centre in the Lok Sabha, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) came up with seven questions to embarrass the grand old party, here on Tuesday. Since the Congress was busy celebrating Rahul Gandhis reinstatement as an MP in the LS yesterday, allow me to divert Congress and their allies attention to very legitimate issues and questions as a former 2-time MP, said VBA President Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of the Chief Architect of Indian Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Shooting off his queries, Ambedkar asked when with the Congress an allies raise the real affairs and issues of the Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims and OBCs rather than taking a token half-hearted stand, as their reactions in both the Manipur violence and Nuh incidents were terribly late and reeked of political correctness. Ambedkar asked the Congress and allies when they would raise the real questions on the Manipur crisis -- like why was the ST status given to the Hindu Meites, which party initiated the process, and what is their stand now. Ambedkar demanded to know why the Congress didnt participate in the debates on the draconian Data Protection Bill, which the Government passed in the LS faster than an order is delivered from a food delivery App. When is the Congress going to corner the Government on its recent policy to ban import of laptops, which directly helps a particular manufacturing enterprise whose shares have soared since the ban? said Ambedkars next dart. He wanted to know what is the Congress stand on the seed of corruption -- the electoral bonds -- in India. The VBA chief asked the Congress allies whether it was in agreement with the Governments data and replies, time and again reiterated in both Houses of Parliament, that the practice of manual scavenging has ceased to exist in India. Ambedkar sought the Congress explanation on the Karnataka Governments move to divert SC sub-plan and ST sub-plan funds for its guarantee schemes. In another arrow, Ambedkar wondered how different is the Congress from the BJP if its ex-CM Kamal Nath is hosting Bageshwar Baba -- who routinely raises demands for a Hindu Rashtra? Dear Rahul Gandhi, you were silenced. But was the whole Congress and the I.N.D.I.A. alliance silenced too, all this time? Jawab Dena Hoga! concluded Ambedkar. The VBA has been making attempts to join the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra, hoping to fight the upcoming civic, Parliament and Assembly elections jointly, but has got a cold response so far. Another batch of cheetahs to arrive from South Africa in Jan 2024 By Ankita Garg After facing many ups and down, the Forest Department has kept pace with the ambitious Cheetah Project and set to bring more spotted cats from South Africa (SA) in January 2024. The new pair of cheetahs will be directly sent to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. Wildlife Warden (PCCF) Aseem Srivastava said, Cheetah in Kuno National Park would not be translocated to other place while they are being treated. Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary will be prepared for the new cheetahs by December this year. There are plans to bring more cheetahs from South Africa and they will be directly sent to Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary. He said that the sanctuary is being prepared for cheetahs. Forest Department has asked field staff to prepare the area for cheetah by December 2023 so that translocation can be done in January 2024. Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur district is close to Mukundara. Officials are working to translocate herbivore in bulk so that shortage of prey base can be overcome from Gandhi Sagar. However, there is no fencing due to which cheetahs could stray out in villages. Forest officials said that earlier it was planned to keep to 14 or 15 cheetahs at Kuno and shift around five cheetahs to other place. The sanctuary is being developed with proper fencing, grassland, etc work. 50 per cent work has been already done at Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary. A large population of herbivore, including swamp deer, spotted deer, has been released into jungle to prepare the habitat. PCCF Srivastava further informed that all cheetahs in free range have been put behind the enclosures and their collar IDs has been removed to check the wound. Only female cheetah Nirva is untraceable as her collar ID is not working. He said that after monsoon period, they will be released into wild. He said that collar ID is important for their safety so all cheetahs will wear collar before releasing into free range. Cheetah Project was launched in Madhya Pradeshs Kuno National Park in September 2022 and the cats were brought from Namibia and South Africa in two batches in September 2022 and February 2023. Till date, nine cheetahs, including six adult and three cubs, had died for various reasons. After casualty being reported, proposal came to shift a group of cats to other area. Earlier, it was suggested to shift a group of cheetahs from Kuno National Park to Mukundara National Park in neighbouring Rajasthan but wildlife experts rejected the proposal citing example of acute shortage of prey base. Experts said that there is shortage of prey base due to which Mukundara Park would be more unsecure for the African cheetah. Forest officials said that cheetahs are now identity of Madhya Pradesh and they want to keep them surviving and breeding in State jungle. At present, there is no secure option for translocation of cheetahs. In tiger action plan, condition of prey base shortage is also mentioned for the Mukundara. Big relief for aspiring teachers as State to launch Pavitra portal within a week Staff Reporter The State Government, on Tuesday, submitted before the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court that it intends to launch the long-awaited Pavitra portal within a week. The announcement comes as a big relief for aspiring teachers who had been awaiting their appointments for the past few years. The State Government decision comes in response to a recent High Court (HC) order that required approval for staffing patterns of teaching and non-teaching staffs appointments within fifteen days. The Pavitra Portal, which has remained closed since 2017, has been a subject of contention between the Government and educational institutions seeking to fill vacant teaching and non-teaching positions. HC had initially issued an interim order banning appointments, which was later overturned by the Aurangabad Bench, prompting the approval for staffing pattern and roster submission within the stipulated time frame. A hearing was conducted before Justices Avinash Gharote and Mahendra Chandwani on Tuesday. The Government emphasised that teachers recruitment was set to start in August, but due to the closed status of the Pavitra Portal, educational institutions were unable to input vacancy information, leading to an impasse in appointments. The Backward Classes Departments approval is awaited before the official launch of the Pavitra Portal, which is expected to facilitate the process of teaching and non-teaching staffs appointments across the state. Adv Kalyani Deshpande presented arguments on behalf of the Government while Adv Anand Parchure represented the educational institutions. NEW DELHI, THE BJP on Tuesday cited Opposition parties criticism of the ED action in 2021 against media portal NewsClick, now accused by a leading US daily of receiving funding from China-linked firms, to allege they might have formed a new alliance at Chinas prodding to target Indias security and unity. After its MP Sudhanshu Trivedi raised the issue in Rajya Sabha, BJP leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal hit out at the I.N.D.I.A. bloc of Opposition parties claiming that The New York Times report suggesting Chinese funding to NewsClick has exposed them. Goyal noted that the Opposition had accused the Government of suppressing the media following the Enforcement Directorates action against the news portal. The NYT investigation has claimed that a wealthy US businessman-activist behind various influence campaigns across the world has been receiving funding from China and pushing Chinese propaganda under the garb of different causes. The name of NewsClick figures among outlets linked to him. Goyal said the leaders of ghamandia alliance have been exposed by the US daily report. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has used the term ghamandia (full of arrogance) to take a dig at the I.N.D.I.A. (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc formed by Opposition parties to take on the BJP. It used to be thought that only the Left parties follow instructions of Russia and China but then it was seen that the ever-young leader of the Congress was also guided by China as the party signed an agreement with the Chinese Communist Party, Goyal alleged, adding that Indias trade with the country rose under the erstwhile UPA government. The NewsClick issue is very serious and raises serious questions about those who claim to speak about democracy and free press, the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha told reporters. Leaders of the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and the Left among others had projected the action of probe agencies against the news portal on the charges of money laundering as the Governments attempt to suppress, gag and subjugate the media, he said. DAMASCUS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- A roadside bomb explosion killed on Wednesday a TV reporter and three government soldiers in Syria's southern province of Daraa, the state news agency SANA reported. The incident occurred when a vehicle, transporting crew members from local SAMA TV and several government soldiers, was targeted by an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in the al-Shayah region within Daraa's rural expanse, according to the report. Three soldiers and 31-year-old TV reporter Firas al-Ahmad were killed in the explosion, while another cameraman survived with injuries, it added. The group had been returning from covering a campaign against drug smuggling along the border shared with Jordan. The Syrian army had intensified its efforts to counter drug trafficking activities, particularly along the Syrian-Jordanian border amid neighboring countries' concerns and requests to mitigate the flow of illicit substances. BJP workers gherao PWD office Staff Reporter DURG, District BJP has alleged corruption in PWD department and scam in tender. In protest against this, the BJP workers gheraoed the PWD Superintendent Engineers office on Tuesday. During the protest, BJP workers were prevented from entering the PWD office as such there was a scuffle between the security personnel and the workers. After this the BJP workers sat before the main gate at GE Road and shouted slogans. Due to this gherao and chakkajam traffic on GE Road was also disrupted for some time. After this the officials of the district administration, swung into action and after giving advice, convinced the BJP workers to end the chakkajam. During this, a memorandum was handed over to the officers of the district administration by the district BJP delegation. In the memorandum, BJP has demanded a ban on the prevailing bureaucracy in the PWD department. This gherao demonstration was done under the guidance of District BJP President Jitendra Verma and gherao program incharge Councilor Arun Singh and co-incharge District BJYM President Jeet Hemchand Yadav. District BJP President Jitendra Verma said that the incidents of corruption are continuously coming to fore in PWD Durg. Durg Anda Road is newly built, but it has already started breaking, Dhamdhanaka overbridge is in a bad condition. Tenders are being given to Congress leaders and their relatives, who are compromising the quality of development works. In the demonstration, District BJP General Secretary Lalit Chandrakar, Surendra Kaushik, Vice President KS Chauhan, Senior BJP leader Dr. Sharadchandra Agarwal, Chaturbhuj Rathi, Shiv Chandrakar, Anoop Gattagat, Kantilal Bothra, Vinayak Natu, Leader of Opposition Ajay Verma, Councilor Omprakash Sen, Devnarayan Chandrakar, Ajit Vaidh, Naresh Tejwani, Ashish Nimje, Dinesh Dewangan, Santosh Soni, Deepak Chopra, Manoj Soni, Chainsukh Bhattar, Poshan Sahu, Raja Mahobia, Nitesh Sahu, Ritesh Kumar Sharma and other workers of various cells of BJP participated in large numbers. DIRTY LINK THERE always were lurking doubts in the minds of many thinking Indians about a possible international game plan to malign the image of India and plot conspiracies against Indias national interests. But if there were people who wondered about the veracity of that suspicion, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Mr. Anurag Thakur has cleared those with evidence. Citing a news report, he has stated that some Chinese elements have been masterminding anti-India conspiracies with the help of a news portal and a political party in the country -- namely Congress. There, of course, will be many to stand up and contest that claim, following which much politics would be played in the country. No matter that, Mr. Anurag Thakur has given credence to the suspicion of many people that India was being a victim of a dirty propaganda internationally with the help of some elements within the country. This is very unfortunate -- that Indian elements join the foreign masterminds in bringing disrepute to India on totally false grounds and twisted narratives. It is also unfortunate that the Indian law has not been able to curb the clandestine activities of the Indian elements -- persons or groups of organisations -- by dishing out appropriate punishment to them. It is unfortunate that even good numbers of common people feel that they have nothing to do with such a propaganda -- in the sense they do not feel individually bothered about the anti-India machinations. Governmental agencies, however, have known for quite some time that many underground or overground outfits operate in this anti-national drive. They have established clear links between Indian and foreign elements making efforts to destabilise the Government in India -- naturally the current regime headed by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi who leads the national Democratic Alliance (NDA) of which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a part. If there is a genuine political activity aimed at unseating the Prime Minister, then there not much of a problem. For, it is within the constitutional and moral right of any Indian person or persons or organisation to have a differing political opinion about who should rule the country. The problem, however, arises when Indian elements start leaning on foreign elements to oust the existing regime. This was what Congress leader Mr. Rahul Gandhi has been doing. He has been addressing foreign forums urging people there to work unitedly to unseat Mr. Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. One of his appeals has been to the so-called democratic forces in western countries to take note of what he described as the anti-democratic tendencies of the Modi Government. The videos of Mr. Rahul Gandhis speeches have been available in public domain -- in the process inviting much clamour for strict legal action against him. Despite this, no concrete action has been taken so far against not just Mr. Rahul Gandhi or his Congress party but also against anybody else with an anti-India agenda. This is where the common people feel hurt emotionally. They demand a strict action against such elements as the top-priority item on the Governments list of things to do. Now that a Union Minister has exposed the dirty link between foreign masterminds and funders and their Indian operatives, a strict and open action may be expected on the part of the Government -- so that the common people get the right message. The Government of the day -- no matter headed by whom -- must, therefore, take strict and swift action against all those elements within the country for their involvement in anti-India activity. It should also take strict measures against foreign elements immediately. This is the call of the hour, which the Government cannot ignore. Gadchiroli Court rejects bail plea of poaching mastermind Jakhar Staff Reporter/ Gadchiroli Correspondent Additional District Judge, Gadchiroli, on Tuesday rejected the bail application filed by the lawyer of Mishram Jakhar, the mastermind of the inter-state tiger poaching case. The final hearing in the bail case is set to be held on August 10. Jakhar, the 81-year-old kingpin of a major syndicate involved in the illegal trade of tiger skin and parts, was arrested from his residence in Dwarka in New Delhi on July 31. The joint team of police and Forest Department also seized a cash of Rs 14.80 lakh from Jakhars residence during his arrest. Initially, the accused was granted transit bail by the Delhi Metropolitan Court asking him to produce himself before the Gadchiroli court by August 3. Mishram Jakhar, however did not follow the orders and filed an application before the Gadchiroli court seeking bail. He is presently hospitalised due to illness. Jakhar pretended innocence and also tried to gain some sympathy for his old age to get the bail. However, the court, after examining the evidences, found that he is involved in the crime of tiger poaching. Finally, considering the seriousness of the matter, the court denied anticipatory bail to him. As many as 13 accused were arrested by the Gadchiroli forest team near village Ambeshioni on June 28 and skin and bones of tiger were seized. During the course of investigation, the connection of Jakhar in this very sensitive case came to fore that led to his arrest. An offence under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 was registered against him. The eyes are now set on the courts decision on the next date which is on August 10. Industrialists call on CM Chouhan Staff Reporter Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was called on by representatives of Reliance Industries Limited, Hettich India and PepsiCo India industrial groups here today and they discussed about setting up of bio gas, furniture fittings and food processing units in the State. Chief Minister Chouhan welcomed industrialists and investors to the state while assuring them of all possible co-operation. Reliance to set up Compressed Bio Gas and Bio Gas Condensation Plant: Chief Minister Chouhan was informed by Reliance Industries Senior Vice President Farhan Ansari and Vice President Vivek Taneja that their group is willing to enter in the bio energy sector by establishing 10 Compressed Bio Gas and 15 Bio Gas Condensation Plants at various places in the state with an investment of about Rs 1970 crore. The representatives of Reliance discussed with Chief Minister Chouhan regarding the long-term benefits to the state and the expectations of the company. Hettich India specialises in manufacturing furniture hardware products: Chief Minister Chouhan was called on by Andre Akolt, Managing Director of German company Hettich India, specialising in the manufacture of furniture hardware products and he informed about the companys new unit being set up in Pithampur with an investment of Rs 700 crore. The unit will generate employment for around 500 people. A unit has been set up by the company in Pithampur in the year 2020 with an investment of Rs 300 crore, which has created employment for about 600 people. Hettich India is also expanding this unit with an investment of Rs 270 crore. This unit that makes hinge will also generate employment for about 600 people. PepsiCo keen to set up carbonated beverage unit in Ujjain: Chief Minister Chouhan was called on by PepsiCo India President Ahmed Al Sheikh, Chief Financial Officer Kishore Mitra and Chief Corporate Affairs Garima Singh. PepsiCo is a leading food and beverage company with a world-wide presence. PepsiCo India is keen to set up a food processing (carbonated drink) unit at Vikram Udyogpuri Ujjain with an investment of about Rs 1,155 crore, which will generate employment for about 150 people. Investigation uncovers Rs 70 crore land deals of Sontu with five businessmen Staff Reporter The investigation into multi-crore on-line gaming fraud has further uncovered two land deals worth Rs 70 crore of fugitive fraudster Ananth alias Sontu Navratan Jain with five businessmen of Gondia. A senior police official said that Sontu had finalised a deal of over 1.50 lakh square feet land along the highway with a businessman from Gondia at the rate of over Rs 1,800 per square feet. Sontu had even paid over Rs 32 crore in advance to the businessmen for the deal. Another land deal was fixed with a group of four businessmen of Gondia. The four persons had purchased a land parcel of over 70,000 square feet from a businessman and transferred it to Sontu at the rate of Rs 4,000 per square feet. Sontu had paid a substantial amount of over Rs 18 crore to these businessmen. The official claimed that documents related to the land deals were seized during the raid at Sontus Gondia residence. Since the police raid, the five persons have gone into hiding, the official said. Even after notices issued by the police, the businessmen are not responding to the police. It may be mentioned here that during the raid on Sontus residence in Gondia on July 22, the police had seized Rs 17 crore in cash, 14 kg of gold, and 294 kg of silver with a combined worth of Rs 27 crore. Subsequently, Rs 85 lakh cash and gold worth over Rs 4.5 crore were found in the lockers of Sontu Jain and his family members. It has been revealed that the accused, Sontu, operated an illegal online gaming platform under the guise of "DiamondExchange.com." The platform allegedly manipulated unsuspecting victims into engaging in various gambling activities, such as Rummy and Teen Patti, leading to significant financial losses for many. The investigation into this on-line gaming fraud case started when a Nagpur-based businessman approached the police, claiming to have been duped of Rs 58 crore by Sontus gaming platform. He alleged that the results were manipulated, due to which he suffered substantial financial losses. When the victim demanded his money back, Sontu not only refused but also issued threats. Under immense financial pressure, the victim arranged Rs 40 lakh through friends and transferred it to Sontu via a hawala trader. Lokayukta unearths assets worth Rs 10 crore from retd storekeepers premises Staff Reporter The teams of Special Police Establishment (SPE) of Lokayukta Bhopal on Tuesday raided multiple residences of retired storekeeper in Lateri and in Bhopal and unearthed assets with estimated value of over Rs 10 crore. The accused, Ashfaque Ali has retired from the district hospital in Rajgarh, said police. Police have found cash Rs 21 lakh and jewellery worth over Rs 45 lakh in the initial stage. The raid continued till evening. Police said that assets unearthed in the raid are highly disproportionate to the known sources of accuseds income. Police had received information about disproportionate assets of the accused in Bhopal and in Lateri. The teams have found 16 properties owned by family members of the accused. Besides, the cops have found records that suggest the accused and his family own 50 properties in their names. The cops have found records of properties in name of wife, two sons and a daughter of the accused. The teams raided his home in Green Valley Colony of Bhopal and the other teams raided his premises in Lateri of Vidisha district. The cops found an under-construction shopping complex which is spread in an area of 14,000 square feet along with other buildings in Lateri. Besides, the police have accessed documents of a spatial bungalow which is being built in an area of 2,500 square feet. The accused owns a three storey building at Lateri which is named Mushtaque Manzil. Police said a school is running there on rent. The 30 members were into two teams that carried out the raid in two separate areas. Police said that they reached his home in Green Valley Colony around 08:30 am. The family members were inside and they co-operated with the team. The cops opened every lock and found the cash which was then evaluated through a cash counting machine. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Santosh Shukla said that the raid started in the morning at his house in Bhopals Green Valley Colony. The total assets are estimated to be worth over Rs 10 crore, he said. Staff Reporter To remove In-charge District Programme Manager (DPM), National Health Mission Jabalpur, Vijay Pandey with immediate effect, the members of National Student Union of India (NSUI) handed over a memorandum to the Collector on Tuesday. The members, under the leadership of student leader Rahul Rajak, assembled at the Collectorate and demanded to remove Pandey who has been posted as In-charge DPM at the District Hospital Jabalpur for 2 years. Pandey has been posted as Data Entry Operator in the Department on the basis of fake documents which were prepared by Bilhari resident, Siraj Khan. The NSUI has all the proof to prove their points. At the time of Pandeys appointment, his father Gaya Prasad Pandey was posted as a clerk in the office of Regional Director. Pandey scored 11 out of 50 marks in the written test and managed 45 out of total 50 marks during interview. But as his father was posted in the Regional Directors office, the candidate who obtained 50 out of 50 marks in written test was dropped and kept in waiting list and Pandey was appointed to the post violating the rules. The NSUI members demanded to conduct inquiry on this as all documents of Pandey were handed over with the memorandum. Although another inquiry is still being conducted by the Regional Director Office Jabalpur to prove that Pandey took a Back-Door Entry in the Department violating all the rules and all his documents are fake. But using his influences, Pandey is creating obstacles in the inquiry. The NSUI demanded to remove Pandey from his post with immediate effect and to constitute a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the issue. The NSUI members warned to knock the Courts door if their demands are not fulfilled soon. Those who were present include Pawan Kanoujiya, Neelesh Mahaar, Anuj Yadav, Apoorva Kesarwani, Abhishek Dahiya and others. Over 100 ha forest land diverted for devpt in Delhi in 15 years: Govt data NEW DELHI, THE Central Government approved diversion of 103.79 hectares of forest land in Delhi in the last 15 years for developmental projects, including building roads and laying transmission lines, under the Forest Conservation Act 1980, according to Government data. The data shows 63.30 hectares of forest land in the city was diverted in 2022-23 and 21.75 hectares in 2021-22. Also, 384.38 hectares or 3.84 sq km of forest land in the capital is under encroachment. Delhi has 195 sq km of forest cover which is 13.15 percent of its total geographical area of 1,483 sq km. Of the total forest cover in Delhi, only 103 sq km is notified or marked in Government records, according to the India State of Forest Report 2021. According to data submitted to the Delhi High Court in May last year, the city Government allowed felling and transplantation of at least 77,000 trees or three trees every hour for developmental work in the capital in the preceding three years under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA). Forest Departments data also showed that only one-third of the trees transplanted during the period survived. The Forest (Conservation) Act (FCA) 1980, a crucial law to conserve forests and biodiversity in India, requires obtaining prior approval from the Central Government for any project or activity that involves clearing forest land. The Act helps in striking a balance between development and environmental protection by ensuring sustainable use of forest resources. Parliament clears Inter-Services Organisations Bill NEW DELHI ; PARLIAMENT on Tuesday passed a Bill that seeks to provide the commander-in-chief and officer-in-command of inter-services organisations disciplinary and administrative powers over personnel from other forces serving in such establishments. The Bill was cleared in Rajya Sabha with a voice vote. Lok Sabha had given its nod to the legislation on August 4. Speaking in the Upper House, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India is fully prepared to face any type of warfare and the countrys defence spending can be increased to 5-6 per cent of GDP if needed. In his reply to a discussion on The Interservices Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023, Singh said the legislation has been brought to keep in tune with the changing nature of modern warfare and ensure better coordination among the three Services. It (warfare) is not conventional now, it has become technology and network-centric... It is therefore important considering the new challenges, which we and our forces are facing, there is a need for better coordination. This bill has been brought for that purpose only, the Defence Minister said. Singh further said, After the passage of this Bill, our inter-services organisations will be able to work in a better way. In response to a query on the theatrisation, the Defence Minister said it is a different subject and speaking about it now would be premature. However, I want to assure that if theatrisation happens, this Act, through a normal notification, would be effective on the theatre command as well, he said. The Defence Minister said considering global circumstances there is a need to keep Indias forces strong. Replying to a query, he said the countrys maritime interests are fully protected and there is no reason for worry. Also, we are fully prepared for any type of warfare, he said. This preparedness will continue going forward, Singh asserted. On low defence spending and vacancies in the Armed Forces, he reiterated all efforts have been made to ensure there are no shortcomings in any form in protecting the country. He said financial resources will not be allowed to be a constraint and, if need be, the defence budget can be increased to even 5-6 per cent of GDP. PIL seeking sealing of Gyanvapi premises dismissed as withdrawn by HC PRAYAGRAJ ; THE Allahabad High Court on Tuesday dismissed as withdrawn a PIL seeking a direction to the Uttar Pradesh Government to seal the entire Gyanvapi premises without affecting the ASI survey order of the Varanasi court. The court dismissed the petition as withdrawn when petitioner counsel made a prayer to approach the appropriate forum as per law and file an application for the reliefs claimed in the PIL A bench comprising Chief Justice Pritinker Diwakar and Justice Ashutosh Srivastava passed the order. The PIL was filed on Wednesday last before the the court seeking directions to the State Government and district administration to seal the entire Gyanvapi mosque without affecting the ASI survey. The petition was filed by Jitender Singh Visen, Rakhi Singh and others. ASI team surveys northern wall, dome and basements at Gyanvapi complex: THE Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team surveyed the northern wall, the dome and basements of the Gyanvapi complex here on Tuesday, the fourth day of the court-mandated exercise to determine if the mosque was built over a temple. Members of the Muslim side were also present during the survey. The ASI team carried out the work of measurement, mapping and photography of the Gyanvapi complex, Government counsel Rajesh Mishra said. The team divided itself into three groups and surveyed the northern wall, the dome and basements of the complex, he said. Vishnu Shankar Jain, the Hindu sides lawyer, said a detailed scientific study is being done inside the premises according to the court order. Subhash Chaturvedi, another lawyer of the Hindu side, said the ASI team is collecting evidence and besides the dome and pavilion of the complex, the basements were surveyed. The survey will continue on Wednesday. On August 3, the Allahabad High Court dismissed a petition by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which manages Gyanvapi, against a lower court order directing the ASI to survey the mosque. The High Court order was upheld by the Supreme Court the next day. On Friday, the first day of the ASI survey, the Muslim side boycotted the exercise. The mosques wazu khana, where a structure claimed by Hindu litigants to be a shivling exists, will not be part of the survey -- following an earlier Supreme Court order protecting that spot in the complex. Hindu activists claim that a temple existed earlier at the site and was demolished in the 17th century on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. PARIS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Eleven people were missing after a fire broke out early Wednesday morning in a building hosting disabled people in Wintzenheim, northeastern France, the Prefecture of Haut-Rhin said on Wednesday morning. The fire in the private building broke out at around 6:30 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) and was quickly controlled despite the violent flames. Seventeen people were evacuated, the prefecture said in a press release. There could still be casualties despite the quick intervention of the firefighters, said French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on his social media account. Ramvichar Netam slams State Govt after gangrape accused escapes Staff Reporter RAIPUR, Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ramvichar Netam strongly criticised the Congress Government in the wake of a gang rape suspects escape in Ramanujganj. The incident involving the gang rape of a Pahadi Korwa minor girl and the subsequent robbery of her companion exposed the State Governments ineptitude in maintaining law and order, according to Netam. He asserted that this incident exemplified the Congress Governments insensitivity towards tribal communities. Netam, a former BJP MP, contended that under Congress rule, atrocities against tribals had surged to alarming levels. He accused the State of deteriorating law and order, with crimes against women, ranging from young girls to elderly women, becoming increasingly heinous. Amid this, the State Government seemed preoccupied with political theatrics, which was a shameful display of priorities. Netam criticised the Government for crying out about law and order despite the shameful incident. The BJP leader raised concerns about the polices response to the gang rape incident, deeming it insensitive. He questioned the laxity in filing FIRs in rape cases and pointed out the victims initial futile attempt to file a complaint. He suggested that political protection might be extended to the accused and demanded transparency regarding such matters. Netam condemned the State Government for failing to protect innocent girls, even those in tribal girls hostels, and girls visiting temples. He termed the Governments claims of womens safety hollow, emphasizing that the staggering number of reported rape incidents, particularly among tribal communities, was a disgrace for Chhattisgarh. Netam asserted that the Governments inefficiency was causing suffering to women of all ages. Expressing disappointment in Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghels silence over the insensitivity displayed by the police, Netam questioned the governments commitment to womens safety. He cited official figures, revealing around 5,000 rape incidents during Congress rule, further tarnishing the partys image on womens safety. Netam criticized Congress leaders for providing protection to rape suspects and accused them of dragging the state into a dire situation. Shocking: Private school encroaches upon nullah Staff Reporter The city is currently grappling with severe water-logging issues during the ongoing rainy season, primarily attributed to the overflowing of nullahs (big drains). In a distressing revelation, it has come to light that an educational institution, situated near Chanchal Bai College has encroached upon a nullah, aggravating the already dire situation. The irresponsible and illegal act not only highlights the institutions disregard for peoples concerns but also raises serious questions about the efficiency and effectiveness of Jabalpur Municipal Corporation (JMC) in dealing with such encroachments. The nullah, which serves as a waterway to drain rainwater away from residential and commercial areas has been encroached upon by the school. The institution has established permanent structures over the nullah. This obstruction has significantly contributing to difficulties in cleaning the big drain. The unchecked encroachment is the example of blatant disregard for the impact of such actions on citizens. It may be noted that the city is witnessing inundated streets, submerged homes and disrupted daily life, under such circumstances the obstruction caused by the encroachment are leaving citizens stranded and helpless. The encroachment has effectively diminished the nullahs capacity to carry excess rainwater, forcing the water to spill over onto the roads and adjoining areas. The alarming increase in illegal permanent structures over drains and nullahs within the municipal limits casts doubt on the efficacy of Jabalpur Municipal Corporation. Despite being entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding public places and ensuring well-being of citizens, the civic body appears to have failed in its duty to prevent and remove encroachments. The persistence of such encroachments not only undermines the citys infrastructure but also weakens public faith in the administrations ability to address crucial issues. Interestingly, the school managements has also erected huge iron sheets to hide the illegal structure made on the nullah. The encroachment by the school and also by individuals over nullahs has emerged as a significant factor aggravating citys water-logging problems during the current rainy season. Such open violation of norms and disregard for public welfare stress the urgent need for the Municipal Corp to take swift and decisive action. Restoration of nullahs flow and removal of encroachments are essential steps to lessen water-logging and alleviate hardships faced by the citizens of Sanskardhani. VIA demands CESTAT in Nagpur Business Bureau In an interactive meeting with Nitin Patil, Special Commissioner of State Tax, Department of Goods & Services Tax, Mumbai, members of the Vidarbha Industries Association (VIA) Taxation & Corporate Law Forum raised the demand of Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) in Nagpur. The members said that to clear the pending cases of a large number of taxpayers, authorities should set up a CESTAT office especially for the Vidarbha region. At present, the taxpayers have to visit the Mumbai office of CESTAT for appeal. CA Ashok Chandak, Chairman - VIA Taxation & Corporate Law Forum, also raised the issues pertaining to GST / BST Act, MVAT Act/CST Act and submitted a detailed representation to Nitin Patil, Special Commissioner of State Tax, Department of Goods & Services Tax, Mumbai. It is important to note that the GST Council has already approved the proposal of setting up CESTAT office in Nagpur but nothing has been done in this regard. CA Ashok Chandak further said that refund of accumulated GST on account of purchase of capital goods should be allowed to claim for a business having inverted duty structure. Further, the forum sought clarity on GST on water charges. It was discussed that water is exempt from tax, therefore supply of water by any entity including Government entity is exempt from tax, necessary clarification be issued so that agencies like MIDC should not demand GST. Nitin Patil assured that he will take up the matter with the concerned department and give priority to resolve the non-technical issues as well as technical issues by consulting with the technical people. On the occasion, Vilas Padvi, Deputy Commissioner of State GST (Investigation) was also present. CA Saket Bagdia, Past Chairman of Nagpur Branch of WIRC of ICAI made an opening remark and briefed about the purpose of conveying this important meeting. CA Naresh Jakhotia, former Treasurer VIA, proposed a vote of thanks. Prominently present were Prafull Doshi, Past President VIA, Vaibhav Agrawal from R C Plasto, representatives from industries, Simplex Chemopack, Minar Hydro Systems Pvt Ltd., Ank Seals, Vaibhav Plasto Printing, Buddhiraja & Co., CA Nitin Agrawal, CA Mahendra Jain, CA Jai Poptani, CA Shailendra Jain, CA Shubham Sawal, CA Jethalal Rukhiana, CA Amit Lukka, and other traders and professionals. Childcare instructor Quan Jiacui (L) interacts with a child in Henan Village of Guzhang County, central China's Hunan Province, May 31, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Wangmin) by Xinhua writers Lyu Qiuping, Liu Wangmin CHANGSHA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- After identifying the triangle, circular and square shapes, and skillfully stacking four layers of toy blocks, 21-month-old Ding Junming clapped his hands while his mother Zhang Wenli and childcare instructor Quan Jiacui watched on with smiles. "Engaging in activities such as shape recognition and playing with toy blocks can effectively nurture children's spatial awareness," said Quan, who hails from the rural area of Guzhang County in central China's Hunan Province. In the mountainous county, where many young parents are away working in cities, the home-based early childhood education program launched in June 2018 has enabled rural children to receive professional childcare under the guidance of trained instructors like Quan. The 36-year-old childcare instructor began her career in August 2018, and is now in charge of 13 children, giving each child an hour of lessons every week. The curriculum primarily revolves around puzzle games, offering tailored curriculum designs for various age groups to effectively boost children's communication and learning capabilities. Zhang said that due to her and her husband's work commitments away from home, Ding and his elder sister, who is in kindergarten, were mainly raised by their grandparents, resulting in a lack of emphasis on intellectual development education. "Thanks to the professional guidance, the kids have grown more active," she said. Initiated by the China Development Research Foundation (CDRF), the program integrates parenting guidance and nutritional advice for children aged 6 to 36 months in underdeveloped rural areas of China. It aims to improve the quality of interaction between rural children and their caregivers, promote children's cognitive, language, social and overall health development, and explore an early childhood education model that is suitable for rural China. Zhang Yan, overseeing the program in the county, explained that the instructors primarily comprise local mothers who, speaking the same dialect, can establish smoother communication with the children while kindergarten teachers can also take on part-time roles as instructors. "They undergo multiple rounds of training before getting professional guidance," she said, adding that all the children can have courses free of charge. The program's WeChat applet has logged details such as the frequency of home services, curriculum titles and the names of participating parents, and a specific textbook has also been compiled. According to the textbook, the curriculum for a 6-month-old baby is mainly about guided parental feeding, such as the correct breastfeeding gestures and the introduction of solid foods, a 13-month toddler will be guided to practice grasping skills and hand-eye coordination through toys like a drum-shaped rattle, while a 33-month infant can be taught to recognize red, yellow and blue colors and sing children's songs. However, not all home services proceed seamlessly. "Sometimes, our instructors would trek for a long time to arrive at the scheduled time, only to find that the child had already fallen asleep," Zhang Yan said, adding that some sessions had to be conducted in the field due to parents being occupied with agricultural activities during the busy season. To date, more than 1,400 children and infants have benefited from the program, with more than 60 instructors currently serving nearly 700 children. Yao Zujun, deputy county head, said that this program has effectively addressed the gap in rural early childhood education, contributing to the reduction of disparities between urban and rural areas. Yao went on to add that the CDRF allocates annual funding of 2 million yuan (about 280,000 U.S. dollars), while the county, serving as the only pilot area of the program in Hunan, earmarked another 2 million yuan to ensure its smooth operation. "Guzhang County will further enrich the course content and plans to expand the beneficiary group to urban residents with financial difficulties to ensure that children can have a good start in life," Yao said. Enditem (Intern He Lewei contributed to the story.) Chagford Primary School gets Helpful boost from local letting agent Helpful Holidays have donated 500 to support Chagford Primary School, in their bid to finance their incredible Woodland School classes for another year. The PTFA at the school have been fundraising over recent months to secure the future of the programme for the 2023/2024 school year, which sees all classes from Reception to Year 6 enjoy three sessions per half term. Forming an essential part of child development, the Woodland School sessions allow children to better understand their natural surroundings. They learn about plants, insects, animal life and natural processes of nature, like the weather and seasons. It also develops their team building and problem-solving skills in a highly practical environment, with exercises like den building and safe fire lighting. James Webb, Operations Manager at Helpful Holidays said: We are delighted to be able to support Chagford Primary School by offering a contribution towards their Woodland School next year. Our local team here in Chagford know the benefits of being in the great outdoors, breathing in the fresh air and exercising in our beautiful surroundings. We believe that all children should have the opportunity to experience this as part of their curriculum, and it is a pleasure to know we can help local children in this way. Zoe Francis, chairman of the school PTFA added: We have been completely overwhelmed by the generosity of the community in supporting the Woodland School fundraiser. Thanks to this community support, including a very generous donation from Helpful Holidays, the children of Chagford Primary are able to continue to access the many benefits that outdoor learning has to offer for a further year. In total, the school have raised in excess of 3,000 to fund the classes and materials, covering the cost of Woodland School for another 12 months. The Helpful Holidays donation comes just weeks after the agency, which is part Sykes Holiday Cottages Family, celebrated becoming part of a B Corp certified business, marking a major milestone in the companys mission to make a positive contribution to its people, the planet, and the communities it serves. It is my candid opinion that it should not be in Tinubus interest to contemplate military option in Niger Republic without first exploring all diplomatic avenues open to him. This personal conviction only became stronger after I read in the news yesterday that Tinubu had written the National Assembly seeking to tighten sanctions on Niger, and to subsequently levy war against the West African state, pursuant to an 8-point resolution of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS. For one, Niger, together with what now are parts of Northeast in Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon were once known as Kanem-Bornu Empire. What nations likeBritain, France and Germany, as colonial masters of the area that was Kanem-BornuEmpire, did in the name of expanding their spheres of influence was to alter pre-existing age-old traditional patterns that had long before the scramble for Africa evolved elaborate administrative machineries, and to in the place of these old patterns introduce alien systems. Today, the old relations still manifests among these nations who hitherto existed under one empire. Declaring war against Niger, in whatever form whether unilaterally, in which case Nigeria alone executes the war, or as a multilateral military joint venture coordinated by ECOWAS will not result in any win-win outcome for Nigeria and by extension the entire subregion. There are displaced Nigerians numbering hundreds of thousands who fled Borno, Yobeand other troubled parts of Nigerias Northeast to Niger, following Boko Harams sustained onslaught. Even families will be caught up in a likely tension escalation, because some Nigerians married to Nigerien spouses still enjoy and exchange visits, as cross-boarder trade exists among locals living in boarder towns. Nigerias Northeast states in the old Kanem axis still consider themselves as part of what used to be, an old empire. Borders are porous and unmanned, even former President MuhammaduBuhari who initiated a railway project connecting Nigeria with Niger, for example, was bold enough to tell Nigerians that he would proceed on leave to Niger Republic if post-presidency days became hectic for him. The aftermath of colonialism saw peoples and groups who hitherto shared common heritage separated by lines drawn in Berlin, over 10,000km away from Africa. Today, a war between Nigeria and Benin Republic, in a sense, could spell fratricide for the Yoruba nation as parts of what is today Benin Republic used to be in the old Oyo Empire. This is what Tinubus request to the National Assembly asking that military intervention in Niger be considered looks like to the average Northern Nigerian fratricide! Again, internecine and asymmetrical warfare, which became prevalent following the end of the Cold War, are no nations forte. Not even conventional international wars are easily winnable these days. For over a year now, Russia, with her military might and sophistication, has not decimated Ukraine. Wars come with great tolls which a nation like Nigeria and ECOWAS as a sub-regional community cannot bear given prevailing economic challenges. South Sudan and Central Africa Republic and, recently, Sudan, are all examples of ongoing conflicts to learn from. Duringthe Tigray War, Ethiopian militaryjoined forces with Eritrean and Somali forces but could not overrun a tiny Tigray until negotiation which led Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy and others to talks to announce cessation of hostilities happened. With centrifugal military operations, the ECOWAS of today lacks common military coordination. The last time I heard thatECOWAS was readying troops for action was during the post-election crisis in The Gambia between YahyaJammeh and Adama Barrow after the 2016 presidential election. Though thatmobilisation had the support of nearly all ECOWAS countries who agreed that forces loyal to Jammeh should be flushed out and Barrow installed, war was never the first option because ECOWAS exhausted all diplomatic options, including offering a political asylum to Jammeh. As presently structured, ECOWAS may not be able to effectively execute a conventional war. First, the Community doesnt have an efficient standing army at the moment as it did in the ECOMOG days. Again, it has become hard over the years to mobilise a troop the size of ECOMOG because all ECOWAS member states have pressing domestic and transborder issues draining their military budgets, bar none. Sad, as it may be, there exist today among West African states military alliances and agreements that have redirected policy focus from subregional level to more fragmented ones. The Accra Initiative is one example. Founded in 2017 to check spillover and spread of terrorism and violent extremism from the Sahel, the seven-state member Initiative had Mali and Niger, now led by military junta, as members. The recent coups detat in those countries represent a threat to security cooperation already! The Liptako-Gourman Authority with its Military Joint Task Force, similar to Lake Chad Basin operation against Boko Haram and other militant islamists is another example. The arrangement aimed at protecting mineral resources of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic (all now led by military juntas) and was later joined by Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Chad, another country under military rule following the death of Idris Deby. While the security goals of the Accra Initiative and Liptako-Gourman Authority remain to be seen, Nigeria herself had already gone beyond the ECOWASsubregion to the Lake Chad Basin where it contributes to the Joint Task Force fight against Boko Haram, a deadly islamist group in the Lake Chad coordinates, together with Central African nations of Cameroon and Chad.Terrorism is disintegrating subregional military alliances these days. This is a picture of how the subregion is stretched militarily today, so mobilising for war against Niger should not be the first option, for Nigeria and ECOWAS, in the face of ongoing long-drawn asymmetric wars. Already, ECOWAS defense chiefs are coordinating intervention programme, but a cursory look at contemporary conflicts should be lesson enough that wars are not easily winnable these days. How does a subregion that is fighting forces of Boko Haram; Islamic State West African Province, ISWAP; Ansaru; Al Qaeda in the Maghreb, AQIM which later had a splinter, Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa, MUJAW and other criminal groups deal with an internal war with other three contiguous countries without losing ground to subregionalterrorists, especially at a time the subregionhoststerrorist cells without a common front? Any conflict of that magnitude will provide latitude for war merchants and mercenaries like the Wagner Group to trade in war. Already, Wagner Group had described as Russian standard the putsch in Niger, leading to what many say showed Kremlins support though the US understands Russia has no hand in the Niger coup. Talking tough has never solved any problem.Tinubu, who is threatening fire and fury today has yet toreturn from Guinea Bissau where he had readsubregionalcoupiststhe riot act whenneighbouring Niger fell to khaki boys. The fact that Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Niger are all led by military juntas means that those soldiers are now in control of national wealth and resources there, including in uranium-rich Niger. This is what Wagner Group leverages to supply arms or mercenaries during conflicts; dont forget the Group has mining interests in Africa. Gold, for example, was traded in exchange for military assistance to Sudans ousted Bashir. Cabo Delgado of Mozambique is anotherr example. That these coups detat, in a domino effect, are happening in french-speaking West Africa should raise concern. Frances grip on her former African colonies and dependencies has not let updecades after colonialism. About 12 of former Frances colonies still use the CFA and are in the CFA franc Zone, regarded as quasi-independent nations still paying colonial taxes to the French central bank in the name of reserves. Russia too wants to reassert herself following the end of the Cold War, and to expand its domain to the black continent, hence its ensuing race to outmaneuver the West. Recently in a summit it had with over 40 African leaders, grainsand wheatswere promised, together with debt reprieve. But Africa needs to be strategic in its relations with any of the power blocs; it cannot keep playing the free rider, else another Berlin Conference may happen to the continent! As for Tinubu and ECOWAS, to jaw-jaw is still better than to war-war. There is a wave of coups detat sweeping through the continent, there are also many factors motivating this wave, like: corruption, weak institutions, life presidency, authoritarian and despotic regimes, lack of electoral integrity, terrorism and so many others. These are what the African Union, AU, the ECOWAS, CEN-SAD and other regional organisationsshould interrogate, if they intend to put an end to incessant coups. Already for Tinubu, coup detat is forming an arc in Nigerias eastern borders with Chad and Niger both now under military rule, remaining Cameroon.Tinubu himself needs to be cautious with domestic policies too. Dialogue can restore democratic order in Niger, but if it fails, sanctions can come. Unless there are reasons enough, wars are not option. I do not think Nigeria cutting power supply to Niger was a strategic move. River Niger courses through Niger to Benin Republic and then Nigeria to where it empties into the Gulf of Guinea. Niger may want to begin damming the Nigerriver to generate power through hydroelectricdam as a result of the power supply cut, resulting in the kind of tension seen between Ethiopia and Egypt when the former started her Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, GERD which Egypt feared may cut her access to the Nile, her only water source. Sometimes I relate the whole thing to Tinubusidiosyncrasy; his life as a politicalfixer. Is it that Tinubu is trying to look good before America and the West, known as developed democracies, because of his legitimacy problems or that he is indeedchampioning a democratic cause? Being the most unpopular president to rule Nigeria (Tinubudidnt score up to 10% of eligible registered voters, something unprecedented)and faced with pressing domestic issues like the current subsidy-free regime, strike threat from the organisedlabour and her affiliates, and then a court case challenging his election, Tinubu could as well be diverting domestic attention to foreign scene with a war. And should war happen, definitely, attention will be diverted thereto. Shakespeare understood this diversionary politics when in Henry IV the acclaimed bardtalked about how a king, aware that the son was lacking in statesmanship, urged him to 'busy giddy minds with foreign quarrels. So, I ask, couldTinubube actually trying to busy giddy minds with foreign quarrels? Anyway, I dont expect the senate to vote for military campaign. It is democracy, it Is game of themajority and we know the majority here. Comrade Nnamdi Elekwachi is a Human Rights Activist, political and public Affairs analyst and a historian, Social Critics & media consultant 08083550070. [email protected] writes from Aba,Abia state KIGALI, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The largest Rwanda international trade show since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions puts a spotlight on small-scale entrepreneurs' Made-in-Rwanda products. Organized by the Rwanda Private Sector Federation, the Rwanda International Trade Fair at Gikondo Exhibition Ground in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, runs through Aug. 15. In its 26th edition this year, the exhibition drew more than 413 exhibitors from 21 countries around the world, including 118 from abroad. Alongside merchandise from international exhibitors and established Rwandan companies are products from small-scale firms, providing a glimpse of emerging local entrepreneurs. "Life is back to this exhibition. This is the best exhibition I have attended since the COVID-19 pandemic," Didius Hategekimana told Xinhua from his exhibition stand. "We are showing wood cutlery, which is very rare to find." "Some people can't believe that these products are made in Rwanda, but I want to assure them that Made-in-Rwanda products are of high quality." Hategekimana, whose company, Kigali Didy Designs Cow Horns, operates in the capital's Gasabo district, attended his first exhibition four years ago at the same showground. "Exhibition expands our market network. Even after the exhibition, we get orders from buyers who visit our stand," he said. "It is great to see more made-in-Rwanda products being displayed," Hategekimana said. "It shows that more Rwandan entrepreneurs are emerging and people are becoming more innovative." "Buyers are appreciating the quality of Rwandan products unlike previously," he said. Hategekimana recalled that few exhibitors and buyers visited the previous exhibition in 2022 due to COVID-19 protocols. "If you move around now, there are many exhibitors and buyers and even the exhibition stands were expanded," he said. Not very far from Hategekimana's stand, Pendo Rita showcases shoes and ornaments produced by Rita Design Company, her firm in the Kicukiro district. It is her first time to attend such a big exhibition. The COVID-19 lockdown, which affected people globally, is what got Pendo to think of creating her own job. "Self-employment offers better prospects. I like work," she said. "I felt that when I dedicate my energy to my own business I can push ahead faster." "We are happy that the Ministry of Trade and Industry supports us as youth to exhibit our products," Pendo said. She said local companies sell quality, original and durable products. Most of the exhibitors of made-in-Rwanda products are allocated stands close to each other, facilitated by the Rwandan Ministry of Trade and Industry. Marie Nyirambarushimana, another exhibitor, sees this exhibition as part of the efforts of the ministry to facilitate the growth of small-scale entrepreneurs in the country. Nyirambarushimana, who owns a shoemaking company, said it is her first time to exhibit in Rwanda. She previously exhibited in Kampala, Uganda. "It has been two years and half since I started a company making shoes. Exhibitions facilitate business networking and learning to improve product standards," she said. Nyirambarushimana, who works with her husband in running the company, hopes to expand her business and be able to travel outside the country to import her own raw materials instead of relying on other importers. "No customer has ever complained about my products. One buyer refers another buyer to me because of the quality of our shoes," she said. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Hategikama, a salesperson who represents Ikirezi natural products company, showcased mosquito repellents, air fresheners and essential oils, including those for skin care. "The annual exhibition helps to make our products known, which increases the company's sales," he said. "Made-in-Rwanda products have attained a certain level of appreciation with such exhibitions. New innovations are seen each year." An International Group, Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA), has filed a case against President Bola Tinubu before the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice, praying the court to stop the planned military action against the Republic of Niger. The group in the suit instituted by a Nigerian lawyer, Dr Oluwakayode Ajulo, is seeking the Regional Court to invoke relevant ECOWAS treaties and international laws to stop the military invasion of Niger Republic being spearheaded by the Nigerian Government. The Civil group argued that the planned military action or invasion will run foul of the obligations in the ECOWAS treaties and therefore amount to illegality. The suit marked ECW/CCJ/APP/3/23 emphasized categorically that ECOWAS treaties prohibit aggression among member States. Other plaintiffs in the matter are a former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Internal Affairs (NIIA), Professor Bola Akinterinwa and a Nigerian Northern Region lawyer, Hamza Nuhu Dantani. The defendants are ECOWAS, Heads of ECOWAS Mission, President of ECOWAS Mission, Federal Republic of Nigeria and Republic of Niger. It could be recalled that a military group had on July 26 toppled the civilian and democratic government of President Mohammed Bazoun who was clamped into unlawful military detention but may have been released. Although the three plaintiffs in the regional suit described the coup detat as most unfortunate, they, however, warned that Nigeria should not travel the dangerous road of military hostilities that may further escalate the crisis in Niger Republic. According to them, over 300,000 refugees, mainly Nigerian citizens, have already fled Niger Republic, adding that military action against Niger Republic would lead to breach of fundamental rights to life, right to dignity of human persons and liberty to life. The plaintiffs, therefore, prayed the ECOWAS Court of Justice for a restraining order against any form of military action that may undermine the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Niger Republic. Besides the Court action, the plaintiffs through Ajulo wrote a strong letter to President Tinubu, notifying him of pendency of the suit and the need to respect and obey the rule of law. The letter dated August 8, 2023 read in parts, We are Counsel to the Plaintiffs/Applicants in the above case before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice and it is on their firm and unequivocal instructions that we write. Sequel to the Resolution and several sanctions imposed by the ECOWAS in the aftermath of the unfortunate and unconstitutional takeover of the democratically elected Government of the Republic of Niger, we have lodged a Case before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in an application for reliefs as the proposed military intervention in the Republic of Niger would be tantamount to aggression between ECOWAS Member States. The intervention will specifically violate Articles 1, 5, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22 & 24 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights; Articles 1 (2), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13 & 14 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Articles 1, 3, 22, 23 (3), 25 (1) & 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948; Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 of the Declaration on the Right to Development 1986; Articles 6, 15, 31, 63 & 64 of the Revised Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States; Article 10 of the Supplementary Protocol (A/SP.1/01/05) amending the Protocol (A/P.I/7/91) relating to the Community Court of Justice and Articles 10 (c), 22, 26, 27, 28, 56 of the ECOWAS Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace Keeping and Security 1999. The Case, an official copy of which has been duly served on your Excellency through the ECOWAS Secretariat, 101, Yakubu Gowon Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja, has invoked the jurisdiction of the International Court to consider conventions, treaties, Protocols and regulations to which your Excellency and the Federal Republic of Nigeria are signatories and which override the resolutions, sanctions, domestic law and practices and which the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has been called upon to declare illegal. Another copy of the Case is attached for your informed action. We wish to further draw your attention to Article 22(2) of the Protocol on the Community Court of Justice which mandates that When a dispute is brought before the Court, Member states or institutions of the Community shall refrain from any action likely to aggravate or militate against its settlement In the Case before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Authority of Heads of State and Government (of which your Excellency is the Chairman), President, ECOWAS Commission, The Federal Republic of Nigeria (of which your Excellency is the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces) have been sued as sovereign legal representatives of respective institutions including the Republic of Niger. It is your Excellencys sacred duty as the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS and the President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of Federal Republic of Nigeria under your hand to bring the institution of the Case before ECOWAS Community Court of Justice to the attention of the other Defendants/Respondents and to insist, particularly in your Excellences subsequent meetings, that the Defendants/Respondents, refrain from taking any action in respect of the subject matter pending the determination of the case, in view of your Excellency and Nigerias protocol obligation under the Article above quoted. Your Excellency, it is our firm confidence that by your enviable knowledge of high international standard of due adherence to the rule of law and respect for the supranational judicial process obtainable in a Case of this nature, we need not further stress the need to ensure that all the Defendants/Respondents concerned maintain the status quo presently obtaining, and restrain themselves from taking any step susceptible to being regarded by the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice and international Community as prejudicial to the interest of our client or any of the parties in court. Your Excellency would agree with us that as the law stands presently, the Resolution on proposed military actions be discontinued pending the determination of the Case by the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice. The Federal Government of Nigeria and other Defendants/Respondents have never been known to confront the international judicial system nor subject themselves to international ridicule and is beyond mischievously foisting a fait accompli on an International Court to which charter or protocol she is a High Contracting party. It is without any reservation that we proceed on the common ground that your Excellency would use your good offices as the Chairman, Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS and President & Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to adhere and advise compliance on the part of the afore-listed defendants. While thanking you for your adherence to the rule of law, please accept the assurance of our warmest professional regards. On 26 July, high-ranking Nigerien officers announced on national television that they had overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum, who was democratically elected in 2021. In this Q&A, Crisis Group analysts lay out the reasons for the coup as well as the stakes going forward. What happened in Niger on 26 July? In the early morning of 26 July, soldiers from the presidential guard confined President Mohamed Bazoum and his family to the presidential palace, in a move met with widespread surprise. The interior minister, loyal to Bazoum, was also arrested that morning. Defence and security forces placed units at strategic locations throughout the capital. The presidencys Twitter account announced that the army and national guard were ready to attack the mutinous presidential guard if they did not back down. That afternoon, hundreds of Bazoum supporters gathered to protest outside the National Assembly. Dozens of them then headed to the presidential palace. The presidential guard fired warning shots to disperse the crowd, wounding several protesters. At the same time, the chiefs of Nigers defence and security forces gathered at a barracks to discuss the risks of entering a conflict with the presidential guard the best-equipped armed force in the capital. After hours of consultation, the officers decided to avoid a confrontation that would divide the defence and security forces and might endanger the lives of the president and his family held hostage at the palace. The military leaders later rallied behind the presidential guard, joining them to co-found the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) a junta which has assumed interim responsibility for running the country. That evening, a group of ten high-ranking officers representing the main branches of the defence and security forces announced on national television that they had ousted Bazoum. The next day, the chief of staff of the Nigerien armed forces affirmed his support for the juntas announcement. On 28 July, General Abdourahamane Tiani, who has headed the presidential guard since 2011, gave a televised speech proclaiming that he would head the CNSP. Former general chief of staff of the armed forces, General Salifou Modi, whom Bazoum had demoted in March, became second in command. This scenario recalls previous coups in Niger, particularly those in 1999 and 2010, when one branch of the military seized power and was later joined by the rest of the defence and security forces, likewise ostensibly to avert clashes between brothers in arms. There was no show of support for Bazoum or even the democratic system he represents. On 30 July, thousands of people took to the streets in support of the junta in Niamey, known as a stronghold of opposition to President Bazoum. Hundreds of the demonstrators shouted anti-French slogans as they made their way toward the French embassy. There was no show of support for Bazoum or even the democratic system he represents, aside from a few modest gatherings organised by officials from his party the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS-Tarayya) the afternoon of the coup in Niamey and in smaller cities like Tahoua, a party bastion. On 31 July, several PNDS-Tarayya leaders, including chairman Foumakoye Gado, were arrested. Pressure from the CNSP undoubtedly made it difficult for the party to organise more widespread protests in support of the deposed president. What provoked this attempted coup? The events of 26 July are directly tied to pre-existing tensions between President Bazoum and parts of the military hierarchy. These tensions are nothing new and in fact date back to before Bazoum assumed the presidency. On 31 March 2021, the day before Bazoums inauguration, officers launched a failed coup to prevent him from taking office. The military has played an ambivalent role in Nigerien history: it is both a state institution and a sort of counter-power able to overthrow civilian leaders when circumstances align. Since 1960, there have been five successful coups in Niger, as well as several failed attempts, and six of its ten presidents have been members of the armed forces. Fully aware of this background, Bazoum, like his predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou, devoted time and effort to building stable relations with the security forces, doing his best to involve them in running the country while keeping a close eye on them. Over the last few months, Bazoum had made changes in the military leadership changes that seem to have displeased high-ranking officers including Tiani and Modi, the two generals who now lead the junta. In March, Bazoum replaced the leader of the national gendarmerie and the chief of staff of the armed forces. More recently, he signed a decree retiring six generals, including some of the most influential in the country. According to sources close to the president, a decree relieving Tiani of his position as leader of the presidential guard was also in the works. This last move seems to have precipitated the coup. President Bazoum, perhaps more than his civilian predecessors, has incurred resentment from high-ranking officers. President Bazoum, perhaps more than his civilian predecessors, has incurred resentment from high-ranking officers. These officers disapproved, for instance, of his decision to strengthen Nigers alliance with Western partners and welcome into the country an unprecedented contingent of foreign forces, in particular from France, the United States, Italy, Germany and Belgium. These forces have been training Nigerien troops and helping them fight jihadist groups. Since their expulsion from Mali and, to a lesser degree, Burkina Faso, Western partners have considered Niger their staunchest ally in the Sahel. Bazoums predecessor Issoufou also pursued this policy, but Bazoum has expanded it, at the same time that pro-sovereignty sentiment, which rejects what it labels as neo-colonial Western influence in favour of assertions of national independence, was growing in popularity in the region. In Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger a significant part of the population openly rejects a Western, particularly a French, military presence. This background also helps explain the complicated relationship between President Bazoum and General Modi, whom Issoufou had appointed the militarys chief of staff in January 2020. Modis mission was to strengthen the army, which was trying to fend off major jihadist attacks. According to sources close to Bazoum, the general often criticised political authorities in private, claiming they had given too much freedom of action to Western security partners, especially the French. He deplored the fact that the French were not keeping him fully informed of their operations. Information gathered by Crisis Group in Niger indicates as well that the French authorities were complaining to Bazoum about obstacles they were encountering in their efforts to cooperate with his military chief of staff. In March, not long after Modi travelled to Mali to meet with that countrys military leaders, Bazoum removed him from his position, appointing him ambassador to the United Arab Emirates instead. Modi does not seem to have taken up his new post. In addition to this fraught relationship with military leadership, President Bazoum also had to manage a delicate transition of power from his predecessor Issoufou. Elected based on a promise to keep pursuing Issoufous agenda, Bazoum also retained a large part of his predecessors team. Over the last two years, Bazoum nevertheless appointed those said to be closest to him to key positions, both within the state apparatus and at public-sector companies. Though Issoufou and Bazoum were publicly friendly, a relationship developed over the course of a long political struggle, tensions soon became palpable among their respective followers, creating a rift in the governing party. Behind the facade of continuity in Nigerien political life, there were clear tensions among the ruling elite. The close relationship between former President Issoufou and General Tiani since the latter became leader of the presidential guard in 2011 has led the public to wonder if Issoufou may have been involved in the coup, but there seems to be little evidence that he was. Issoufou has much to lose, in fact, as the military takeover threatens the party he built and jeopardises the democratic legacy he proudly claims. That legacy earned him recognition from the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. From the outset of the coup, he has been trying to mediate between the junta and Bazoum, though so far his efforts have been in vain. During a meeting with European diplomats on 29 July, Issoufou said he was offended by the insinuations tying him to the coup. Moreover, his son, Mahamane Sani Issoufou, minister of petroleum and energy in Bazoums government, was arrested without charge on 31 July, along with other PNDS-Tarayya officials. Is the overthrow of Bazoum due simply to power struggles among military factions? The tensions within the Nigerien ruling elite, both civilian and military, are not solely responsible for the 26 July coup. As in Mali and Burkina Faso, there are deeper causes, stemming from Nigers volatile security situation and floundering democratic system. Niger has been battling insecurity along its borders with Burkina Faso, Mali and in the Lake Chad basin Nigeria and Chad since 2015. But unlike its neighbours in the central Sahel, which have seen jihadist groups steadily advance over the past two years, Niger has recorded a significant decrease in jihadist attacks. This decline is explained not only by military operations better organised with partners, but also by President Bazoums decision to commit to talks with jihadist groups, the disarmament and social reintegration of militants who turned themselves in to the authorities, intercommunity dialogue and the incorporation of self-defence groups, or community militias, into the defence and security forces. Yet these positive results, which military leaders including General Modi credited to Bazoum just a few months ago, are being held against the president in the wake of the putsch. When the junta announced that it had seized power, it justified the takeover by showcasing its opposition to Bazoums security choices. The generals especially criticised his decision to free prisoners with ties to jihadist groups a choice he made in a bid to promote dialogue with the insurgents. They also attacked his decision to incorporate community militia members into the defence and security forces, despite the fact that this move helped Niger limit the proliferation of armed self-defence groups. In contrast, such groups have continued to operate in Mali and Burkina Faso, where instead of helping improve security, they have fuelled deadly violence. Nevertheless, this integration policy is not appreciated by career soldiers, who often feel it undermines their status. The coup reflects the states broader inability to provide the population with adequate services. Beyond security issues, the coup reflects the states broader inability to provide the population with adequate services. President Bazoum made sincere efforts to reform institutions and the exercise of power. His government arrested high-ranking administrators (including a minister in office) who were implicated in corruption. He also wanted to focus on education, particularly of girls a welcome shift at a time when security spending was depleting the state budget. But his ability to change the real practices of the state and its representatives was limited by the importance of maintaining the political balance that had brought him to power. The countrys leaders are also hindered by the fundamental limitations of the states resources: with a budget of nearly 3,000 billion CFA francs to administer an estimated population of 25.5 million, Niger can invest only about 120,000 CFA francs (almost $200) per capita each year. Moreover, the management of these limited resources is marred by corruption and racketeering . Even with support from other public and private players, the Nigerien government simply does not have the means to lift the population out of poverty. No matter how sincere they are about this goal, the countrys leaders have little chance of convincing young people that they have the power to better the populations lot. Lastly, it is no accident that the military takeover in Niger comes on the heels of a several others in nearby countries: two in Mali (August 2020 and May 2021), one in Guinea (September 2021) and two in Burkina Faso (January and September 2022). Though the reasons for the coups differ from country to country, the success of one increases the chances of success for subsequent putsches. West African public opinion now seems to view coups as acceptable amid persistent insecurity and a crisis of confidence in democratic systems. For many young city dwellers in particular, a junta seems like the best way to remedy a democratic system that has disappointed them. But the military takeover in Niamey does not seem to herald a new start or better management of public institutions. Having held high office in the administrations of both Bazoum and his predecessor, the generals composing the junta are at least partly responsible for the results these two presidents obtained. The military institutions they headed have also faced a number of corruption scandals. Moreover, not one of the military regimes that has recently come to power in the Sahel has meaningfully improved the lives of young people. How have Nigers neighbours and partners reacted? The overwhelming majority of Nigers neighbours and international partners have condemned the attempted coup, demanding a return to constitutional order as well as Bazoums release and reinstatement as president. ECOWAS issued an ultimatum, granting the junta one week to reverse the coup and free President Bazoum. At a meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc on 30 July, the member state presidents announced a series of sanctions including closing borders with Niger. The West African Economic and Monetary Union, which brings together eight countries sharing the CFA franc as a currency, imposed immediate, drastic economic and financial sanctions. ECOWAS issued an ultimatum, granting the junta one week to reverse the coup and free President Bazoum. If the junta does not comply, ECOWAS is considering harsher sanctions and even military intervention to restore constitutional order. The bloc sent Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby to Niamey on 30 July to deliver its firm message. ECOWAS also sent a delegation led by a former Nigerian president, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, whom the bloc appointed chief mediator for talks with the Nigerien junta. It seems that the delegation, which arrived in Niamey on 3 August, left the same day without obtaining results or meeting with the juntas leader. Two factors explain the firm ECOWAS approach, which contrasts sharply with its timidity following the last two coups in Burkina Faso in 2022. First, Niger is the fourth country in the regional bloc (which has fifteen member states) to have experienced a coup in the past three years. ECOWAS fears that if it does not react strongly, more civilian leaders may be overthrown as the jihadist threat looms ever larger. Secondly, Nigerias new President Bola Tinubu, who took office in May, is leading ECOWAS and its coup containment policy in a new direction. Tinubu is repositioning his country as a key player in the bloc following years in which Nigerian leaders neglected it. Nevertheless, this hardline approach is hardly unanimous within the organisation. A rift is growing between a small bloc of four countries where the military overthrew the government by force and the rest of the member states, which include regional heavyweights such as Cote dIvoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal, which aim to put a stop to the spiral of coups. The military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, which are suspended from participation in ECOWAS deliberations, expressed support for the Nigerien junta. In a joint declaration, the juntas of Burkina Faso and Mali threatened that they would consider ECOWAS military intervention in Niger to be a declaration of war on their own countries. In the West, France, the European Union and Germany have suspended all or part of their cooperation with Niger. The United States has also suspended security cooperation with Niger, though it has so far avoided calling the situation a coup most likely in hopes that President Bazoum will be reinstated and because doing so would also require suspension of U.S. economic cooperation. The relationship between the new junta and France has deteriorated quickly. The CNSP is particularly wary of France, which, since 2022, has placed Niger at the centre of its new security apparatus in the Sahel and maintained very close ties with President Bazoum. The junta claims that France had plans to bomb the presidential palace to force it to release Bazoum. As for Frances foreign minister, she accused the junta of organising protests outside the French embassy on 30 July. The junta also knows that, as in Mali and Burkina Faso, hostility to the French authorities runs deep among urban youth, which may help it establish a popular base. On 3 August, the CNSP revoked the countrys military cooperation agreements with France. More unexpectedly, Russia, which has been Malis closest security ally since French troops left the country in 2022, officially declared its support for a rapid return to constitutional order in Niger, urging all parties to show restraint. At the same time, Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group the Russian private security company with ties to the Kremlin, which has deployed more than a thousand mercenaries in Mali and targeted Niger in its media campaigns praised Bazoums overthrow, calling him a pro-French president. He also offered Wagners services to the junta. Algeria, which neighbours Niger to the north, condemned the coup but warned ECOWAS that military intervention would exacerbate the crisis. It called for a peaceful return to constitutional order. What are the possible outcomes of this situation, which seems to be at an impasse? The main protagonists positions are dangerously far apart. There are two mutually exclusive camps: on one side, the junta that has seized power and is holding the elected president and members of his family hostage, and on the other, the presidents supporters and international actors led by ECOWAS, who have demanded restoration of Bazoum to power, threatening to use force if needed to achieve that goal. Regional sanctions are already hurting the landlocked countrys economy. Official forecasts say less than half (45 per cent) of the governments 2023 budget will come from domestic sources, with the remaining 55 per cent coming from aid from a wide range of partners or loans from regional financial markets. Suspending international aid will undoubtedly result in deteriorating living conditions for Nigeriens who are already struggling. Closing the borders and halting financial transactions could have an even more immediate effect. Sanctions may put pressure on the junta, but they may also have the opposite effect, as they did in Mali and Burkina Faso. Despite the serious impact sanctions will have, they have already given rise to a swell of national pride that benefits the junta. Fully aware of the limits of sanctions, ECOWAS, led by Nigeria, is considering the possibility of military intervention. The military chiefs of staff of ECOWAS member states met in Abuja from 2-4 August to outline what such an operation would look like. It would come with many risks, not only because the outcome would be uncertain, but also because it could destabilise Niger and the surrounding region, which is already facing a major security crisis. Even if ECOWAS succeeded in freeing Bazoum by force, it bears asking what sort of authority a president reinstated by neighbour armies would have when many Nigerien military leaders, politicians and civil society figures have publicly disavowed him over the last few days. The opposing sides are defending very different sets of values. Mohamed Bazoum, on one hand, is a democratically elected president who has helped improve security and begun reforming the countrys governance, though clearly he has not yet won over all of the population. The junta, on the other hand, seized power by force. Its legitimacy resides solely in support from thousands of young protesters drawn to its populist rhetoric and its hostility to France. There is no comparison between the two sides in terms of democratic legitimacy. All attempts at dialogue have failed to get the junta to back down. So far, all attempts at dialogue have failed to get the junta to back down. ECOWASs one-week deadline for the CNSP to liberate Bazoum and restore constitutional order expired on the evening of 6 August. Slowly, but worryingly, Nigers main international partners are beginning to believe that military intervention in Niger may be the only way out of the situation, though it comes with the risk of plunging the country into armed conflict with a very uncertain outcome. Dialogue is the only way to avoid such a conflict. To give dialogue a chance to succeed, ECOWAS should immediately temper its belligerent rhetoric and send a clear message in support of a negotiated exit to the crisis. Negotiations will succeed only if both sides agree to make concessions, which both have thus far refused to do. Painful as it may be, Bazoums side might, in the name of preserving unity and peace in Niger, consider a compromise: a transition during which civilians and the military, PNDS-Tarayya officials and CNSP members would accept a months-long truce. They could all use that time, along with the rest of the countrys political class and civil society, to argue for their respective visions for Nigers future. Blood donation drive keeps focus on need for Rh-negative PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital in conjunction with the Phuket Red Cross and Phuket office of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports held the 3rd Phuket Blood Donation Drive yesterday to help support much-needed blood stocks, with special focus on Rh-negative blood. health By The Phuket News Wednesday 9 August 2023 11:29 AM Boonwandee Woonciew, wife of current Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew and President of the Phuket Chapter of the Red Cross Society of Thailand, praised the event held at the Limelight Avenue shopping centre in Phuket Town, and praised the turnout of donors The tourism situation in Phuket is steadily improving. Many Thai and foreign tourists are traveling to Phuket, and all sectors are working together to make Phuket return to its bright future and the 3rd Phuket Blood Donation Drive project is another collaboration to promote the potential of medical treatment in the Phuket area, Mrs Boonwandee said. The fact that all sectors are working together to push forward good projects to campaign for blood donation so that there is enough to treat patients both in the event of an accident and other illnesses will build confidence and demonstrate the potential of Phuket as a safe and ready tourist destination in all aspects,she added. Piyanart Sakulpipat, Deputy Director of Vachira Phuket Hospital, noted that blood reserves are used not only for Phuket residents and tourists, but also for patients from other provinces brought to Phuket for medical treatment. Vachira Phuket Hospital uses about 33,000 units of blood a year, of which about 77% is used for general treatment and, and the remaining 23% used for providing treatment to road accident victims. However, in her breakdown of units of blood used, Ms Piyanart gave a total of 37,000 units of blood used by Vachira Phuket Hospital per year: about 9,000 units for heart surgery; about 7,000 units for other surgeries such as brain and bone surgery; about 6,000 units for treating blood diseases; about 7,000 units for treating kidney disease; about 2,000 units for treating gastrointestinal bleeding; and about 6,000 units used for other treatments. The demand for blood continues throughout the year, and the need is increasing, especially the need for Rh-negative blood, which is still a significant problem, Ms Piyanart said. There is a very small number of Thai people with this special blood group, only three people in 1,000, or 0.3%. Special blood groups are more common among people in Europe, where about 15% of people have them, she said. Therefore, there is often a problem of insufficient supply of special blood groups and we are not meeting the needs of patients, Ms Piyanart added. Already this year there have been more than 60 patients in this special group, and a need for more than 200 units of this type of blood, that is why we are holding this 3rd Phuket Blood Donation Drive project, to campaign for more blood donations, especially of rare special blood groups. The first special blood donation drive [in November last year] received a total of 166 units of blood, of which 27 units were Rh-negative, and the second donation drive [earlier this year] received a total of 117 units of blood, of which 19 units were Rh-negative, Ms Piyanart explained. This means we have sufficient reserve blood for patient care, whether the patients are Thai or foreign, or from Phuket or neighboring provinces, she noted. Ms Piyanart invited people to make blood donations at the blood bank located on the fourth floor of the outpatient building at Vachira Phuket Hospital. People were urged to call 076-361234 ext. 1285 or email VCR.bloodbank@gmail.com for more information. Vachira Phuket Hospital will be holding a special blood donation drive this Saturday (Aug 12), as is tradition each year to commemorate MOthers Day in Thailand. BEIRUT, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- A truck belonging to Lebanon-based armed group Hezbollah overturned Wednesday evening in Kahale in Mount Lebanon, resulting in deadly clashes between Hezbollah members and residents of the Christian town. The residents surrounded the overturned truck and cut off the road to prevent the army from removing it before verifying its content, prompting Hezbollah members to open fire, killing a resident and wounding another, local TV channels reported, adding that a Hezbollah member was also killed in the clashes. Hezbollah said in a statement that after its truck, which was driving from Bekaa to Beirut, overturned near Kahale, several armed militiamen gathered at the site and attacked its members by throwing stones and then shooting, leading to the death of one of its members. Meanwhile, the Aley department of the Lebanese Forces party, the main opponent of Hezbollah, said in another statement that a Kahale resident, identified as Fadi Youssef Bejjani, was killed by gunfire while trying to rescue the truck driver. The statement also called on the army and security forces to arrest the shooters and confiscate the truck. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati followed up on the situation with Army Commander Joseph Aoun, calling for quick investigations to uncover the full circumstances of the incident and taking necessary measures to control the situation. The prime minister urged all the parties concerned to keep restrained while affirming that the army is working to prevent further escalations. Chinese Foreign Minister to embark on Southeast Asia tour BEIJING: Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia this week, Beijing said today (Aug 9) as it seeks to build ties in the region. By AFP Wednesday 9 August 2023 04:23 PM Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Photo: AFP Wang, who returned to the post last month after the unexplained disappearance of predecessor Qin Gang, will travel to the three countries from tomorrow to Sunday, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. China hopes to strengthen strategic communication with the three Southeast Asian countries through this visit, the foreign ministry said. Cambodia has become one of Chinas strongest allies in the region under the rule of outgoing ruler Hun Sen, receiving huge sums of Chinese investment. But the flood of Chinese money has brought problems, including a rash of casinos and online scam operations staffed by foreign workers. Chinas relations with Southeast Asia have been complicated by self-proclaimed control over most of the South China Sea despite competing claims from nations including Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. Maritime disagreements have pitted some members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) against Beijing and boosted sympathy for US opposition to Chinas growing assertiveness. Others have backed Beijing. Singapore has for decades juggled ties with China and the US, engaging in an increasingly delicate balancing act amid the growing rivalry between the two powers across the Asia-Pacific. Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, has unveiled an ambitious network overhaul, positioning the airline for sustainable expansion while improving Abu Dhabis links to global markets. The airline said new network is designed to support Abu Dhabi visitor growth and provide travellers with more options by: * Introducing new destinations: Ramping up capacity to sought-after international destinations, providing opportunities for travellers to explore and experience diverse cultures, while bringing more visitors directly to Abu Dhabi. * Providing more options: Offering passengers enhanced travel flexibility with multiple and more convenient departure times, ensuring seamless and stress-free journeys. * Increasing frequencies to key international markets: To support Abu Dhabi's economic and tourism growth, Etihad is increasing flight frequencies to essential international destinations, fostering improved accessibility and strengthening the emirates position as a hub for global travellers. The updated schedules have been timed for departures from Abu Dhabi at 2 pm, ensuring travellers and visitors can thoroughly experience Abu Dhabi's hotels and attractions until their checkout time. This approach enhances the overall travel experience while maximising the enjoyment of Abu Dhabi's offerings. "As we embark on Etihads next chapter targeting growth, our ambitious network and improved connectivity allows us to better serve Abu Dhabi and our valued guests, forming the basis of our future expansion while providing flexibility and freedom to adapt to new opportunities and markets, said Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways. By offering more travel options and seamless connections, we aim to attract an increasing number of visitors to Abu Dhabi, propelling economic growth for the city while enriching the travel experience for our passengers." Network Updates Etihad has already announced the launch of nine new destinations this year, including Malaga, Mykonos, Lisbon, Kolkata, St Petersburg, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Osaka, and Boston. In addition, the airline this week published two new routes to the Indian Subcontinent, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram, to be launched in January 2024. To complement these developments, Etihad has made several recent network changes and frequency adds to enhance travel options and connectivity. Highlights include: Improved Departure Times: Enhanced passenger convenience with adjusted departure times for European and Asian destinations. Expanded Frequencies: Increased frequencies to Chennai (MAA), Islamabad (ISB), Kochi (COK), Madrid (MAD), Milan (MXP), Munich (MUC), Rome (FCO), and Phuket (HKT) offer travellers more choices while improving travel options and connectivity. Cairo (CAI) will have an additional five flights per week to make triple daily operations to Cairo, effective from January 1, strengthening the link between Abu Dhabi and the Egyptian capital. Colombo (CMB) will have seven direct flights per week with three flights effective from Dec 1 and four flights effective from January 1, further enhancing travel options to Sri Lanka. Maldives (MLE) will have an additional seven flights per week, with three flights effective from Dec 1 and four flights effective from January 1. The updated network leverages Etihad's geographic advantage as a facilitator for seamless cultural exchange and developing economic opportunities along its network routes across Asia and Europe. With the launch of its revamped network, Etihad is entering a new phase of growth and connectivity to provide seamless travel experiences, enhanced connections, and flexibility across its global network, it said. New flights and schedules JERUSALEM, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that public funds for Arab municipalities would be used for the designated purpose of serving Arab citizens following evaluation and supervision, a day after a cabinet minister's announcement to freeze them drew criticism. "Israel's Arab citizens deserve what all citizens deserve and I am committed to this," Netanyahu was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Tuesday that he has frozen funds for Arab municipalities in Israel and Palestinian higher education programs in East Jerusalem on the ground that they could potentially benefit "criminal organizations" within Arab society. The decision involves 200 million shekels (about 53.81 million U.S. dollars), which would have come in the form of scholarships for low-income Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem to enroll in prep classes at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and two other colleges in the city. Opposition leader Yair Lapid, Israel's former prime minister, slammed Smotrich for making such a "racist" decision. Netanyahu's office stressed in the statement that the policy of Netanyahu is "to facilitate the development and social welfare of all Israeli citizens, Arab and Jewish alike." "The funds for the Arab local authorities in Israel will be transferred pursuant to an evaluation and supervision that they will be used for their designated purpose -- for Israel's Arab citizens and nothing else," it noted. 81st anniversary of Quit India Movement oberved Not convening special session unacceptable : Ibobi | By Our Staff Reporter By Our Staff Reporter IMPHAL, Aug 9 : Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi has categorically stated that not convening the special session of the State Assembly when Manipur is literally burning would be very wrong.The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) observed the 81st anniversary of Quit India Movement at Congress Bhavan today.Speaking as the chief guest of the commemorative programme, O Ibobi continued that the Government should convene the special Assembly session to possibly work out a solution and end the conflict in Manipur at the earliest.It is the responsibility of the Government to make sure all members of the House attend the Assembly session even if it requires intervention of the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister, he added.There is no reason why all the MLAs of the ruling party won't attend the Assembly session if there is explicit direction from the Central leaders, the former Chief Minister reasoned.He continued that the Congress and other like minded parties have been urging the Governor and the Manipur Government to call an emergency Assembly session but to no avail.To a query, he responded that the State unit of the BJP only asking the Prime Minister to withdraw Assam Rifles from Manipur just now despite being dissatisfied with the conduct of the paramilitary force all this time is meaningless.Anyone can submit a memorandum so the MLAs of the ruling party must put constant effort to meet the Prime Minister and highlight the woes of the people to bring a lasting solution to the ongoing conflict, he added.O Ibobi further said that the BJP had enough time to lodge a complaint against Assam Rifles to the Ministry of Home and the Prime Minister if they are not satisfied with the conduct of the paramilitary force in dealing with the conflict since the beginning.Saying that the Congress always advocates non-violence, peaceful coexistence among all Indians and development of an egalitarian society, the former Chief Minister maintained "we should keep all our differences aside for peace to prevail."The former Chief Minister then appealed to leaders of both the parties in conflict to hold a dialogue and work out a solution in the larger interest of the people and the State instead of being hostile with one another.Saying that the territorial integrity of Manipur, however, shouldn't be used as an appeasement policy under any circumstances, O Ibobi said there always will be alternative solutions to end the conflict without disintegration of Manipur and 'we must find it together.'MPCC president K Meghachandra and CWC member Gaikhangam also attended the programme among others and they paid floral tributes to the freedom fighters of India. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party workers from Mathurapur district protested in front of the party office in Salt Lake, sitting in siege for more than two hours due to the appointment of an independent panchayat candidate as the district president. The BJP workers also prevented partys state spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya from entering the office. The incident unfolded in the Mathurapur district, where the BJP leadership, instead of reprimanding the candidate for challenging the partys official candidate in the panchayat elections, chose to reward him with the position of district president. This move has caused significant internal divisions within the state BJP leadership, leading to heated debates at the saffron brigade camp of the party. Party sources revealed that Nabendu Sundar Nasakar, a candidate from a rival party, was seen contesting against the BJP for the position of chairman in the local panchayat committee in Ramnagar Gazipur. Advertisement Interestingly, he was later appointed as the district president of the BJP in the Mathurapur district. This decision has created a wave of discontent among party workers, who view it as a betrayal of their trust. The controversy has ignited intense discussions within the party, focusing on why the BJP leadership chose to prioritize a candidate who had previously challenged the partys stance. Death anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was observed in the city with due solemnity. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: Baishe Srabon (8 August) is a day to remember Rabindranath Tagores enduring influence. His words have the power to heal, inspire and transform. His timeless creations continue to connect generations and spread the message of humanity. Kavigurus literary brilliance and artistic vision are a guiding light for all of us. Today on his death anniversary, lets honour his lasting legacy. Dr Shashi Panja, minister for women and child development and social welfare paid tribute to Tagore at Nimtala crematorium where the poet was cremated. Bratya Basu, state education minister, paid tribute to Tagore at Jorasanko Thakurbari, where he breathed his last. Arup Roy, state cooperation minister, garlanded Tagores portrait at Nabanna. Advertisement A massive fire broke out at a plywood shop in New Delhis Gandhi Nagar area in the wee hours of Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of any loss of life or injuries in the blaze. Amandeep, the owner of the shop, said, the fire broke out at 3.30 am on Wednesday. After receiving the word of the incident, as many as eleven fire tenders were rushed to the scene and an dousing operation was launched. Speaking to ANI, Amandeep, said, I received a phone call from my brother 15 minutes after the fire broke out. I was asleep. The fire started somewhere in the shops rear. We asked the police for help and firefighters soon arrived to douse the blaze. He added that at least ten distress calls were made to the fire services department. But we did not get any response, he added. Further details are awaited Advertisement The anticipation for Rajinikanths movies always soars to the sky, and the unwavering ardor of his fans is unmistakable, as evident from the 12 crore advance bookings for Day 1 across Pan India. Rajinikanth is set to grace the screens after a two-year hiatus. Many corporate establishments in the southern region of India, such as Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Mysuru, Thanjavur, Kochi, and Ellore, have declared a day off to coincide with the premiere of the movie Jailer. Adding to the excitement, numerous companies have gone the extra mile by distributing complimentary tickets to their employees. The forthcoming Rajinikanth-starrer, an action-packed entertainer titled Jailer, is poised to become a blockbuster of 2023, releasing in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages. Advertisement This megahit marks the first collaboration between actor Rajinikanth and director Nelson Dilipkumar, produced by Sun Pictures, with musical composition by Anirudh Ravichander. The exceptional star-studded cast of the movie includes Shiva Rajkumar, Priyanka Mohan, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Vinayakan, Shiva Rajkumar, Sunil, Mirnaa Menon, and Yogi Babu, all contributing their remarkable talents. Adding to the excitement, fans will be treated to an extended cameo by Mohanlal. Additionally, this movie stands out for reuniting Jackie Shroff and Rajinikanth on screen after 36 years; their last collaboration was in Uttar Dakshin in 1987. The movie has already set phenomenal records with its promotional content, captivating the audiences attention. The first-day first show is scheduled to open at 6 am IST on August 10 across multiple regions. Rajinikanths Jailer has ignited global enthusiasm as the film approaches its colossal release on the big screens. Fans in the USA have elevated the excitement even further, contributing to unprecedented sales of more than 6 crores, making the film the highest-grossing Indian film in the USA. The frenzy has even reached New York Citys Times Square. Enthusiasts maintain a strong sense of optimism for Jailer, despite Rajinikanths recent less successful movie and Nelsons previous film, Beast, underperforming. Jailer is all set to go head-to-head on August 11 with the scheduled release of Gadar 2, featuring Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel, as well as OMG 2 starring Akshay Kumar. Twitter is flooded with hashtags like #JailerFromAug10, #Jailer, and #SuperstarRajinikanth, along with comments such as the only actor in the world who can bring the country to a standstill. Fans are leaving no stone unturned in expressing their love for the actor, from offering prayers at various temples to pouring milk on movie banners. ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi met with UN special envoy Hans Grundberg on Wednesday to discuss efforts to resume the political process for achieving lasting peace in Yemen. The meeting held in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh centered around resuming the political process, which is key to quelling the prolonged conflict in the war-ravaged Arab country, Yemen's state-run Saba news agency reported. During the meeting, Al-Alimi affirmed the PLC's unwavering commitment to backing Grundberg's ongoing peace efforts, said the report. He stressed the importance of coordinating international efforts to revive the path to peace and alleviate humanitarian suffering in Yemen. The meeting also touched on the progress in unloading crude oil from the deteriorating Safer tanker and underlined the need to secure the marine environment. Meanwhile, the envoy's office said in a statement that Grundberg recently concluded a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, where he met with high-ranking Yemeni leaders and emphasized the need to address urgent priorities and launch an inclusive, Yemeni-led political process under UN auspices. The UN, along with Saudi Arabia and Oman, persists in their endeavors to mediate a political agreement to terminate the violent conflict between Yemen's government and the Houthi rebels. Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014, with the Houthi rebels fighting against the internationally-recognized government and its allies. The war disrupted Yemen's food supply chain and caused widespread famine, bringing the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of collapse. More than 8,100 children of refugees from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur have been enrolled in Mizorams government schools, the states Education Minister Lalchhandama Ralte said on Wednesday. Mizoram currently provides shelter and relief to around 35,000 refugees from coup-hit Myanmar, over 1,000 from trouble-torn Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh, and over 12,600 internally-displaced people from ethnic violence-hit Manipur. According to Ralte, of the 8,119 students enrolled in Mizoram schools, 6,366 students are from Myanmar, 250 from Bangladesh, while 1,503 are from Manipur. Advertisement Noting that the Mizoram government is committed to providing education to these children, who are from Zo tribes, he said the state government has been providing the students with free school uniforms, textbooks and mid-day meals, just like the local students. Around 35,000 Myanmar nationals, including children and women, have taken shelter in Mizoram since February 2021 after the Myanmar military took over the governance following a coup. Over 1,000 tribals have also taken shelter in Mizoram after they fled from their native villages in the CHT after an armed conflict started in mid-November last year between the Bangladesh Army and the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), also known as Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF). The KNA is an underground militant outfit demanding sovereignty for the Chin-Kukis residing in Rangamati and Bandarban districts of CHT to protect the tribal peoples tradition, culture and livelihood. The Mizoram government, various NGOs, including the Young Mizo Association, churches and villagers provide food and shelter to the refugees while many of them stay in the rented accommodations or relatives houses. In a scathing attack in Lok Sabha on the ruling BJP on the Manipur situation, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said they murdered India in Manipur and were traitors not patriots. Rahul Gandhi, who was the first speaker as the no-confidence debate resumed on Wednesday in the House, also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over ethnic violence in Manipur. Referring to BJP which is in power both at the Centre and in Manipur, he said, you killed Bharat Mata in Manipur. Advertisement The Congress leader referred to his visit to Manipur and his meetings with victims of violence in the state and said Bharat is voice of people of the country and that voice was killed in Manipur. Bharat ek awaaz hai, Bharat hamari janta ki awaaz hai, dil ki awaaz hai. Uss awaaz ki hatya aapne Manipur mein ki. Iska matlab Bharat Mata ki hatya aapne Manipur mein kiYou killed India by killing the people of Manipur. You are a traitor, you are not a patriot,Rahul Gandhi said. They killed India in Manipur. Not just Manipur but they killed India. Their politics has not killed Manipur, but it has killed India in Manipur. They have murdered India in Manipur, he added. Rahul Gandhi said the Prime Minister has not visited the northeastern state since it witnessed violence. A few days back, I went to Manipur. Our PM didnt go, not even to this day, because for him Manipur is not India, Gandhi alleged. BJP members strongly objected to Rahul Gandhis accusations and his using Bharat Mata for his allegations in relation to Manipur situation. Speaker Om Birla said that the members should show respect while using the expression Bharat Mata. Rahul Gandhi also spoke about his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Initially, when I started (the Yatra), I had in my mind that walking 25 km is no big deal if I can run 10 km every day. Today, when I look at that it was arrogance. I had arrogance in my heart at that time. But India erases arrogance, erases it in a second. So, within 2-3 days, my knees started hurting, it was an old injury. In the first few days, the wolf became an ant. Jo Hindustan ko ahankar se dekhne nikla nikla that wo poora ka poora ahankar gayab ho gayaGandhi said. It was first speech of Rahul Gandhi since his reinstatement as member of the House after his disqualification following conviction by a Gujarat court in a defamation case. Gandhi also took potshots at the government over Congress allegations concerning the Adani-Hindenburg row. Speaker Sir, first of all, I would like to thank you for reinstating me as an MP of the Lok Sabha. When I spoke the last time, perhaps I caused you trouble because I focussed on Adani maybe your senior leader was painedThat pain might have had an impact on you as well. I apologise to you for that. But I spoke the truth. Today, my friends in BJP need not be scared because my speech today is not on Adani Gandhi said. It was first speech of Rahul Gandhi since his reinstatement as member of the House after his disqualification as member following conviction by a Gujarat court in a defamation case. The Supreme Court last week stayed Rahul Gandhis conviction in the criminal defamation case over Modi surname remark. He was reinstated as member of Lok Sabha on Monday. The Lok Sabha took up debate on no-confidence motion against the government on Tuesday. Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 is among six other Bills listed in Wednesdays legislative business for consideration and passage. Other Bills include The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023; The Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill, 2023; The Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill, 2023; The Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023; and The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023. All these Bills, which were earlier passed by the Lok Sabha, will be moved in the second half of the day. Advertisement The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 7, sets out requirements for firms collecting data online, with exceptions for the government and law enforcement agencies. The Bill also amends the Right to Information Act, of 2005 to remove public interest exemptions on disclosing personal information. Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw will move the Bill to provide for the processing of digital personal data in a manner that recognises both the right of individuals to protect their personal data and the need to process such personal data for lawful purposes. The RTI Act currently allows public authorities to disclose personal information, such as officials salaries, when it is in the public interest. The Bill would remove these caveats and completely disallow disclosing personal information. The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 is the first among all the six listed Bills which will be moved to the Upper House for passage. Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar will move the Bill to the House. The Bill amends the Constitution (Scheduled castes) order 1950 to modify the list of scheduled Castes in the state of Chhattisgarh. The Bill includes Mahara and Mahra communities as synonyms of the Mehra, Mahar, and Mehar communities in Chhattisgarh. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 1. Besides, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandavia is to move the Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill, 2023 to amend the Pharmacy Act, of 1948. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 7. The Bill amends the Pharmacy Act, 1948 which regulates the practice and profession of pharmacy. Registration under the Pharmacy Act, of 1948 is mandatory to practice pharmacy in India. The Bill looks at the insertion of new section 32C, which provides a special provision relating to persons registered or qualified under the Jammu and Kashmir Pharmacy Act, 2011. Union Minister Jitendra Singh will move the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill, 2023 in the House to establish the Anusandhan National Research Foundation to provide high-level strategic direction for research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the fields of natural sciences including mathematical sciences, engineering and technology, environmental and earth sciences, health and agriculture, and scientific and technological interfaces of humanities and social sciences, to promote, monitor and provide support as required for such research. The Lok Sabha on August 7 passed the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill to set up a national agency to fund research across universities in the country. Union Minister Parshottam K. Rupala is to move the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the House to decriminalise the offences committed in carrying out the coastal aquaculture activities and ensure ease of doing business. The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on August 7. The Bill seeks amendment to the Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act, 2005. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is scheduled to move the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023 in the House as the last among the six Bills for its passage. On the International Day of Worlds Indigenous Peoples, Rahul Gandhi paid his homage to the unsung tribal heroes and martyrs of the freedom struggle and criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for naming Adivasi as Vanvasi and snatching their rights of Jal, Jangal, Jameen and giving it to industrialist Adani. The BJP has coined a word Vanvasi for those who live in forests, but the Congress has always regarded you as Adivasi, and know that the whole country is yours. But the BJP does not consider you the first citizens of Hindustan, but named you as Vanvasimeans jungle-vasi. This is the insult of Bharat Mata, Gandhi told a mammoth rally at Mangarh Dham in Rajasthans Banswara district this afternoon after paying floral tributes to martyrs at the memorial. Gandhi continued his attack on the saffron party saying the BJP and the RSS want that you (Adivasi) live in forest only; you should not come out of it, and your children do not get urban jobs like doctors, engineers, and do not travel in planes. Recalling the quotes of his grandmother late Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister, RaGa said, You should be the owner of the country, the land should be yours, the forest and water should be yours because the tribals were the first inhabitants of this land. Years ago, tribals were all over India. You were pushed away. You people were martyred fighting with the British and had taken their bullets. The Congress that has given legislations related to tribals were rejected by the RSS-BJP because they want you guys to live in forests as Vanvasi, he said. Hailing the Gehlot governments ten schemes including health insurance, old pension schemes and raising the SC/ST Development Fund from Rs.500 cr to Rs1000 crore annually, Gandhi called upon the huge gathering of people whenever they want they can approach or call him for any help that he would do by heart or for the completion of any pending works in Banswara district. Gandhi also launched the state governments much awaited scheme of free smartphones to women and gave away to a few women and a girl on the occasion. The state government would formally start distributing the free smart phones to 40 lakh women with an internet package tomorrow in Jaipur. Reiterating that he is on the mission of Nafrat Ke Bazaar Mein Mohabbat Ki Dukan, Gandhi said: Wherever they (BJP) go, they make someone fight, spread hatred, spread violence, use bad words about other people. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, while addressing the gathering, said that the Government of India had promised the development of this memorial as a National Monument but did not do so despite the Prime Minister coming here on November 1, 2022. Thats why now the state government will develop this Dham, which will be started at a cost of Rs 100 crore, he said. Gehlot announced that now 1 lakh SC, ST and OBC children will stay in the state government hostels. Till now 50 thousand children used to live in hostels, Gehlot announced. Congress leader Sachin Pilot said the Indian government was failing on every front. We have defeated the double- engine government of BJP in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh. Now the time has come to defeat the main engine of BJP in Delhi itself in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Pilot added. It is pertinent to mention that Mangarh Hill holds special importance for the Bhil community and other tribes of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. During the freedom struggle where Bhils and other tribes engaged in a long stand-off with the British and more than 1.5 lakh Bhils rallied at Mangarh Hill on 17th November 1913 under the leadership of Govind Guru. Britishers opened fire at this gathering, leading to Mangarh massacre where approximately 1500 tribals were martyred. The third and final meeting of G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) under Indias Presidency will be held from 9-11 August in Kolkata. Over 154 delegates from G20 Members, 10 invitee countries, and various international organizations will be attending the meeting. It will be followed by the G20 Anti-Corruption Ministerial Meeting on 12 August, which will be chaired by Union minister Jitendra Singh. This will be the second ever ministerial meeting of G20 ACWG and the first in-person ACWG ministerial meeting. The deliberations at the level of ministers will impart a further political impetus to combating corruption as ACWG plays a crucial role in leading international efforts to combat corruption. Under Indias G20 presidency, ACWG has been able to achieve significant progress on anti-corruption cooperation regarding action against fugitive economic offenders and return of assets, guided by the nine point agenda for Action Against Fugitive Economic Offences and Asset Recovery, presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to G20 nations in 2018. Advertisement During the 1st and 2nd ACWG meetings held in Gurugram and Rishikesh respectively, India was able to forge a consensus in G20 to advance the international anti-corruption agenda by finalising three outcome documents (High Level Principles) on important and sensitive issues. These pragmatic and action-oriented highest-level commitments will contribute towards prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of corruption offences, strengthening domestic anticorruption institutional frameworks, extradition of fugitive economic offenders and recovery of assets of such offenders from foreign jurisdictions. The High-Level Principles on Promoting Integrity and Effectiveness of Public Bodies and Authorities Responsible for Preventing and Combating Corruption will provide a guiding framework for strengthening the independence, transparency, and accountability of anti-corruption institutions. It will help in addressing the root cause of corruption including institutional weakness and lack of accountability. The High-Level Principles on Strengthening Asset Recovery Mechanisms for Combating Corruption are a set of guiding principles to support establishment of a robust and effective framework for the expeditious recovery of proceeds of crime. These principles will deter economic offenders who seek refuge in foreign jurisdictions. The 3rd ACWG meeting in Kolkata will give direction to the future work of ACWG and further the commitments made on law enforcement cooperation, strengthening asset recovery mechanisms, and enhancing integrity and effectiveness of anti-corruption authorities during Indias G20 presidency. It will ensure timely and effective action against corruption offences, prosecution of offenders and recovery of proceeds of crimes. Two movies that opened on 21 July 2023 have collected over one billion dollars. Seventyeight years ago, in the two cities that hit the headlines on August 6 and 9, over one lakh people were killed. A few days ago, the Japan office of the distributor Warner Bros. of one of the movies Barbie tweeted We apologise to those who were offended by this series of inconsiderate reactions. Inconsiderate, indeed very inconsiderate. A fan placed Barbie on the shoulder of Oppenheimer with nuclear flames in the background and created a poster. The Barbenheimer meme went viral from a film-discussion Twitter account. In response to the post, the official U.S. account for the movie replied: Its going to be a summer to remember. How shameful! When over 1 lakh people died, they are trivializing the bombings. Many Japanese netizens responded by posting horrific pictures of the 1945 holocaust. Many have said that they will not watch the Barbie movie. The movie does not yet have a release date in Japan. The second film, Oppenheimer, is about the US theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer who led the development of the worlds first atomic bomb. There are two threaded narratives one of his leading the Los Alamos Laboratory that played a critical role in harnessing the discovery of nuclear fission, and the other of his downfall some years later. Even though Oppenheimer was hailed as a hero who ended the war against Japan the surrender of the Empire of Japan was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945 a hearing was held of advisers to the Atomic Energy Commission that declared him a security threat. Advertisement He was accused of having leftist ties at the University of California, Berkeley. And, there was his opposition to building an even bigger bomb, the Super or hydrogen bomb. His national-security clearance was revoked in 1954. This infamous hearing has taught us that scientists are very vulnerable to aspirations and jealousy of their peers. Even this film created a controversy in Japan. Many Japanese citizens have expressed their displeasure for not depicting the horrors of the bombings in the film. I have seen the film, and I felt that it was a good idea for the director, Christopher Nolan, not to have shown the horrors. It would have been very distracting for the narrative of the film. However, the fact revealed by a 2015 poll by public broadcaster NHK that 40 per cent of the Japanese population 44 per cent of the Hiroshima population felt that the US had no choice but to use the bomb was very surprising to me. Oppenheimer was simultaneously remorseful and proud. This is how Oppenheimer expressed himself after the blast: We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. However, President Truman, who ordered the bombings, called Oppenheimer a crybaby. Personal remorse apart, Oppenheimer hoped that the consequences of the bomb would make war unthinkable and lead to international controls on such weapons. In other words, nuclear deterrence would follow. There has been no deterrence. Indeed, there has been escalation. The only saving grace is that no first use treaties have been signed. The escalation has resulted in using a nuclear arsenal as a shield to wage wars with conventional weapons. We are witnessing that right now. Russia versus Ukraine. Most countries are watching the war from the sidelines and taking advantage of the situation in more ways than one. As Richard Rhodes, author of the Pulitzer-prize winning 1986 book The Making of the Atomic Bomb, has said about this phenomenon Thats a really sinister development, and fraught with peril on all sides. (The writer is National Science Chair, Government of India.) Amitabh Chaudhry, who leads the way as the MD and CEO of Axis Bank, secured the second-highest earnings among Chief Executive Officers in the banking realm during the Fiscal Year 2022/23. His earnings for this period stood impressively at Rs 9.75 crore. Lets delve deeper into his journey. Axis Bank, a significant player as the third-largest private sector bank in India, welcomed Amitabh Chaudhry in January 2019. This move came after he successfully headed HDFC Life Insurance for a commendable span of nine years. Also read about highest earning Indian bank CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan Advertisement Before his tenure at HDFC Life, Chaudhry navigated pivotal roles in the corporate landscape. He held the reins as the MD and CEO of Infosys BPO. In addition, he also presided over the testing unit of Infosys Technologies Ltd. Chaudhrys professional chronicle commenced in 1987 with Bank of America, where his career embraced diverse hats. His role included being the Head of Technology Investment Banking for Asia. In addition, he was the Regional Finance Head for Wholesale Banking and Global Markets. Later he was the Chief Finance Officer of Bank of America (India). The year 2001 witnessed him making his way to Credit Lyonnais Securities, shouldering the responsibility as the Head of Investment Banking franchise for South East Asia. Preceding him is the notable name of Shikha Sharma, a prominent figure in the economic domain. Chaudhrys academic foundation started at Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, where he earned his engineering credentials. He further honed his knowledge with a post-graduation in business management from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. Amitabh Chaudhry is presently at the helm as the Chair of the FICCI Committee on Banking, adding another feather to his cap. His board directorship extends to several esteemed organizations, and his journey is studded with a constellation of awards and recognitions. The pages of the banks FY22 annual report unfold a financial snapshot, revealing that Amitabh Chaudhry amassed a total of Rs 7.62 crore in earnings in the last fiscal year. A video clip has emerged on social media depicting a Brazilian man engaging in the consumption of alcohol while allowing his 11-year-old son to pilot his private aircraft. This video is believed to have been captured just moments before a fatal crash claimed the lives of both the father and son. The individuals in question were Garon Maia and his son Francisco Maia. Lets delve into their story. Garon Maia, aged 42, along with his 11-year-old son Francisco, met a tragic end when their private plane descended into the rainforest in western Brazil on July 29. Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash through the efforts of the Research Center for the Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents. Advertisement In accordance with Brazilian aviation regulations, individuals must be of legal age (over 18), possess a high school diploma, and be officially registered with the National Civil Aviation Agency to operate an aircraft. Garon, who pursued a career as a researcher, had a distinct passion for exploration and venturesome experiences. The heart-wrenching video captures Maia, situated in the co-pilot seat, taking a swig from a beer container while his young son guides the controls of the 900k twin-engine Beechcraft Baron 58. Tragedy further struck the family as reports emerged that Maias wife, Ana Pridonik, took her own life a mere few hours after the funeral of her husband and stepson on August 1. Brazilian law enforcement is actively probing the extent to which the fathers actions might have played a role in the catastrophic nosedive of the aircraft. Although the exact timing of the beer-drinking video remains unclear, it offers a haunting glimpse into a fateful flight, with the son at the helm and the father by his side. A farm worker recounted, The plane crashed very close to the plowed land, he didnt have time to land, detailing the tragic sequence of events to Brazilian news outlet G1. Rescue teams toiled tirelessly in their search, eventually locating the bodies on July 30 after a relentless effort. Initial investigations into the crash indicate that Maia had embarked on his journey from their ranch in Nova Conquista, making a refueling stop at an airfield. Allegedly, he had planned to fly his son over a thousand miles to reunite with his mother in Campo Grande. US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said discussing the conflict in Ukraine would be a top priority for US President Joe Biden in the upcoming G20 summit to be held in India next month. On whether anything was going to come out of the G20 Summit as far as the Russia-Ukraine conflict is concerned, Mattew Miller told media persons, I will say that, in all of our conversations with allies and partners around the world, we continue to discuss the war in Ukraine. It is always one of the top topics that comes up in all of our conversations, and I have no doubt thatll be true at the G20, he added. Advertisement Significantly, the Russia-Ukraine war started after the latter was offered a bid for NATO membership and denied it. Russia launched its special military operation on February 24, 2022, after recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics. Russia has since continued to maintain that the aim of its operations has been to demilitarize and de-nazify the country. Although, the United States and other NATO countries have said it is impossible to admit Ukraine now because of the ongoing conflict. In July, US President Joe Biden said he doesnt think Ukraine is ready for NATO membership and added that NATO is a process that takes some time to meet all qualifications, from democratisation to a whole range of other issues. I dont think it (Ukraine) is ready for membership in NATO, the US President said in an interview when asked about Ukraines NATO membership, reported CNN. However, Ukraine is still determined to be part of NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged that his countrys counteroffensive against Russia is happening probably slower than some had hoped. Zelenskys remarks featured in a video released by his office on Tuesday which he made during a meeting with Latin American media outlets over the weekend, CNN reported. But all of this is secondary. In some places, there are mines, in some places there are technical difficulties, in some places we have been waiting for long. Or there are other complications. We can be discussing it for a long time, Zelensky said. Advertisement The direction of the counteroffensive, whats wrong with it, what we have enough of, what we lack. The President went on to say that the counteroffensive is when the army is attacking and not when it is retreating. And this is an important and positive moment. And it is Ukraine that has the initiative. It is very difficult to be fighting for such a long time which is obvious. All this is very difficult when you lack this or that equipment. I know it is difficult for us but I definitely know it is more difficult for the Russians, CNN quoted Zelensky as saying in the video. While there is fatigue in the eyes of Ukrainians, there is fear in Russians eyes, the President added. The primary challenge for Ukrainian forces is the continued difficulty of breaking through Russias multi-layered defensive lines in the eastern and southern parts of the country, which are marked by tens of thousands of mines and vast networks of trenches, reports CNN. Ukrainian forces have incurred staggering losses there, leading Ukrainian commanders to hold back some units to regroup and reduce casualties. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee (Front) speaks at a Security Council meeting on Sudan at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 9, 2023. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) The fighting in Darfur continues to reopen the old wounds of ethnic tension of past conflicts in the region. This is deeply worrying and could quickly engulf the country in a prolonged ethnic conflict with regional spillovers. UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee on Wednesday stressed the need for a negotiated solution to end the military conflict in Sudan as soon as possible. "There is no other alternative. Calls by some to continue the war in order to achieve a military victory will only contribute to destroying the country," Pobee told the Security Council in a briefing. "The longer this war continues, the greater the risk of fragmentation, and foreign interference and erosion of sovereignty, and the loss of Sudan's future, particularly its youth," she said. "Now is the time to end this senseless war and return to negotiations." More than 100 days have passed since the eruption of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April. Clashes between these parties continue in various parts of the country, particularly Khartoum, Bahri, Omdurman and Darfur, with neither side achieving victory nor making any significant gains, she said. Khartoum state remains a center of the conflict, with major combat concentrated around key SAF installations, including the SAF General Command Headquarters, said Pobee. The parties have also exacted tremendous suffering on the people of the Darfur region. The fighting in Darfur continues to reopen the old wounds of ethnic tension of past conflicts in the region. This is deeply worrying and could quickly engulf the country in a prolonged ethnic conflict with regional spillovers, she warned. The UN Security Council holds a meeting on Sudan at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 9, 2023. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) The situation in North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states continues to be fragile, with persistent military actions and frequent road closures. While the east of the country is relatively calm, there are indications of active mobilization efforts in support of SAF. The mobilization is particularly worrisome and risks plunging the east into conflict along ethnic lines, further highlighting the fragility of the region, she said. The conflict in Sudan continues to have immense repercussions on the country and its people, who continue to face unimaginable suffering. The humanitarian and protection needs are rising by the day with no signs of a reprieve. The indiscriminate and sometimes targeted attacks on civilians and civilian objects and infrastructure continue, particularly in Khartoum, Darfur, and North Kordofan, as the parties continue to disregard calls to protect civilians and uphold their international human rights and humanitarian law obligations, said Pobee. Sexual violence continues to be perpetrated on a large scale, while children continue to be killed or victimized or are at risk of being recruited to fight. The systematic abductions and killings of human rights defenders in Darfur and Khartoum are on the rise, she noted. Pobee welcomed the ongoing efforts by the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which groups East African states, to end the conflict in Sudan. The United Nations also welcomes the continued efforts of the United States and Saudi Arabia to facilitate negotiations between the conflicting parties, as well as the initiative of Sudan's neighboring countries to help resolve the conflict. Coordination between the existing regional and international mechanisms and fora remains essential to maximize the collective leverage of regional and international actors and enhance the effectiveness of mediation efforts. The United Nations is supporting a joined-up approach toward facilitating a comprehensive solution and will continue to work closely with its partners, particularly the African Union and IGAD, she said. Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6) Today Cloudy with occasional showers overnight. Low 63F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Cloudy with occasional showers overnight. Low 63F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Have an interesting bit of news youd like to see mentioned in the Along the Way column? Email it to Natasha Connolly at news@thesunchronicle.com. David Redman is an associate professor at Seokyung University in Seoul, South Korea, and managing director of Ten Oclock Productions Inc., based in Canada. He is currently working on a book about Eurocentrism and early print history. This essay was first published in The Baltimore Sun. Edem Wosornu (Front), director of operations and advocacy in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), speaks at a UN Security Council meeting on Sudan at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 9, 2023. Sudan is falling into a deeper humanitarian catastrophe, the UN humanitarian official warned on Wednesday. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Sudan is falling into a deeper humanitarian catastrophe, a UN humanitarian official warned on Wednesday. The situation is particularly alarming where the conflict is most intense -- in Khartoum and the Darfur and Kordofan regions, said Edem Wosornu, director of operations and advocacy in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "Reports of ethnic-based violence in West Darfur are extremely alarming, with numerous civilians killed or wounded," she told the Security Council in a briefing on behalf of Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths. "The intense fighting and difficult operating environment are constraining our ability to deliver urgent humanitarian assistance, which is only deepening the suffering of people there," she said. Sudan's descent into a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe has only deepened with more than 1.4 million people forced from their homes in the last six weeks alone, said Wosornu. "More than 4 million people have now fled from their homes -- 3.2 million people displaced internally and close to 900,000 people who have crossed the border into Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and other countries," she said. "Nearly four months into this conflict, millions of people remain trapped in a humanitarian calamity that continues to grow." Sexual violence was happening "at a sickening scale" from conflict hot spots across the country, said Wosornu. People are finding it more and more difficult to access urgent medical assistance with 80 percent of hospitals across the country not functioning, she said. Some 14 million children in Sudan -- half of all children in the country -- need humanitarian support. More than 20 million people -- over 40 percent of the population -- are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, she said. The conflict is disrupting livelihoods and physical access to markets. It is also fueling steep increases in the prices of commodities. The banking system, civil institutions and public services have mainly been disrupted, leading to less and less money circulating within the economy. Electricity blackouts are extensive. Education services are interrupted, which once performed flawlessly, said Wosornu. "It is the story of a country and its people being driven to the point of collapse," she concluded. Nevertheless, humanitarian organizations have spared no effort to restore the flow of humanitarian supplies, particularly to Darfur, where access was most limited, she said. "We have seen some but limited progress." Nationwide, since the outbreak of conflict on April 15, more than 2.9 million people have received some form of minimum humanitarian assistance, including cash or in-kind food assistance, health services, or access to basic water services, she said. "But unfortunately, this represents only a fraction of the 18 million people we are trying to reach." Humanitarian organizations are ready and willing to do everything it takes to provide the assistance that the people of Sudan so desperately need. But they cannot do so without the regular facilitation of access by the parties, and the easing of bureaucratic and administrative impediments, she said. "So far, the limited deliveries of assistance we have been able to make have only been possible through intensive negotiations with the parties," said Wosornu. "It is urgent that we re-establish a forum for direct and regular contact on humanitarian issues with the parties at a senior level, to negotiate access and protect the space for humanitarian operations in Sudan. We need the strong support of member states to facilitate this." International humanitarian law is clear: all parties to the conflict must facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, she said. Wosornu called for more funds. "Even with improved access, we will not be able to prevent sliding further into humanitarian catastrophe without the required resources," she said, noting that the UN humanitarian response plan for Sudan for 2023, which requires 2.6 billion U.S. dollars, is only 25 percent funded. The UN Security Council holds a meeting on Sudan at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 9, 2023. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee on Wednesday stressed the need for a negotiated solution to end the military conflict in Sudan as soon as possible. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee (Front) speaks at a Security Council meeting on Sudan at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 9, 2023. Pobee on Wednesday stressed the need for a negotiated solution to end the military conflict in Sudan as soon as possible. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called on the Sudanese parties to cease hostilities as soon as possible. The armed conflict in Sudan has been going on for nearly four months with increasing civilian casualties and a worsening humanitarian situation. As a good friend and partner of Sudan, China deeply regrets these developments, said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. China hopes that the parties concerned will, in the interests of the country and its people, put an end to the fighting as soon as possible, promote de-escalation and resolve their disputes through dialogue so as to create conditions for peace and reconciliation, he told the Security Council. China welcomes the considerable efforts made by the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Arab League and countries in the region to resolve the crisis in Sudan. China expects regional countries and organizations to strengthen coordination with the parties in Sudan and to play a key role in facilitating peace talks. The international community and partners outside the region should provide the necessary support and cooperation, he said. Sudan is currently facing enormous humanitarian needs with spillover effects on neighboring countries. China calls on the international community to help Sudan and neighboring countries improve their humanitarian response capacity, expand the scale of relief and support regional humanitarian initiatives. "At the same time, humanitarian support to Sudan should respect the sovereignty and ownership of Sudan and follow the UN guiding principles for humanitarian aid. The Sudanese parties should also comply with the obligations under international humanitarian law and facilitate humanitarian relief," said Dai. The situation in Darfur has been seriously affected by the conflict. The international community should provide constructive support to ease the situation in Darfur and avoid escalation, he said. Sudan is an important country in the Horn of Africa. An early cease-fire and return to normalcy and order are in the fundamental interests of Sudan and countries of the region. Recently, regional countries have repeatedly stressed the need to safeguard the sovereignty, independence, and territory integrity of Sudan and oppose external interference in the internal affairs of Sudan. The international community should heed the calls of those countries, support the good offices of the countries and regional organizations, and avoid externally imposed programs and sanctions and pressure, he said. China believes that the Sudanese people have the ability and wisdom to overcome the current difficulties and challenges and put an end to the fighting as soon as possible. China stands ready to work with the international community to support the efforts of the Sudanese people, said Dai. As the Opposition and the BJP locked horns in Lok Sabha on day 2 of the debate on the no-trust motion against the Narendra Modi government, BJP members demanded action against Rahul Gandhi for 'indecent behaviour'. BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje and other women members of the party alleged that the Congress leader blew a flying kiss as he walked out of the Lok Sabha after delivering his speech. "Only a misogynist man can blow a flying kiss to parliament that seats women MPs," Union Minister Smriti Irani said, referring to Rahul. The MPs submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, demanding stringent action against Rahul for allegedly insulting dignity of women members of the House. Irani, who was speaking soon after Rahul concluded his speech, came down heavily on the Congress leader for his "murder of India in Manipur" remark in Lok Sabha. "I condemn the behaviour that was displayed. This is the first time that someone talked about the murder of India, and Congress leaders were thumping desks," Irani said. Opening the debate on Wednesday, Rahul targeted Modi and the BJP for the handling of the situation in strife-torn Manipur. The Congress scion said: "They killed India in Manipur. Not just Manipur but they killed India. Their politics has not killed Manipur, but it has killed India in Manipur." The no-confidence motion was initiated by Congress's Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday. PM Modi is expected to reply to the debates on Thursday. KAMPALA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has announced that there will be no new financing to Uganda following the enactment of a controversial anti-homosexuality law in the East African country. The global financing institution said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday that the country's anti-homosexuality law contradicts the bank's values. "We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a livable planet can only succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender or sexuality. This law undermines those efforts. Inclusion and non-discrimination sit at the heart of our work around the world," the statement said. The bank said when the law was enacted, it deployed a team to review its financing projects in the country in the context of the legislation. "That review determined additional measures are necessary to ensure projects are implemented in alignment with our environmental and social standards. Our goal is to protect sexual and gender minorities from discrimination and exclusion in the projects we finance. These measures are currently under discussion with the authorities," the statement said. The bank did not list the additional measures. It said there will be no new public financing to the country until the efficacy of the additional measures have been tested. The anti-homosexuality law came into force in May in Uganda, drawing condemnation from Western powers. The law imposes death and life-imprisonment sentences for certain same-sex acts, up to 20 years in jail for promotion and funding of same-sex activities. According to it, a suspect convicted of attempted aggravated homosexuality faces 14 years in prison. A day after a 10-member Congress delegation was stopped from entering the violence-hit villages of Nuh in Haryana, the BJP and AAP have announced that their delegations will visit the villages on Wednesday. While the ruling party delegation will be led by Haryana BJP chief O P Dhankar, Minister Banwari Lal and party MLAs, the AAP team will be led by its leader Sushil Gupta. "I, along with leaders of AAP Haryana will visit Mewat on Wednesday, August 9 at 2 pm to express our solidarity with violence-affected people of Mewat and make an appeal to restore peace, mutual trust and communal harmony," Gupta tweeted. The visits come as the delegations led by Congress and CPI were banned from entering the violence-affected villages near Nuh district, citing prohibitory orders and security concerns. Chautala admits failure Over a week after the clashes erupted in Nuh, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has acknowledged that there were lapses on the part of the administration in assessing the situation in Nuh. On whether there was an intelligence failure on the part of authorities, Chautala said on Tuesday that the organisers of the procession had taken permission for the rally of 3,200 people. The police force was deployed accordingly. Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala | PTI "...Lack of assessment by the administration which could not assess this entire episode properly. Nuh SP (now transferred) was on leave since July 22, the one who had the additional charge could not assess it properly and the officials from whom permission (for the procession) was taken they too could not assess it properly. It is a point which is under investigation," he added. He alleged that the VHP did not give a proper estimation of the expected turnout to the district administration. Chautala said he came to know about the incident on July 31 afternoon. "I came to know about it at 1:30 pm...I talked to ADGP (CID) and requested that SP Bhiwani be sent there (Nuh)." "For the first time, such atmosphere in the state has been created in a planned manner and strict action will be taken against those involved, be it a minor or major," he said. Chautala's response comes amid reports that teenagers were included in the group that indulged in stone pelting. He also refuted allegations that "one-sided action was being taken". The deputy chief minister said those being arrested do not belong to a particular caste or community. However, he claimed the government could control the situation within seven hours. "In some other states, it has been seen such an incident continued for two-three weeks. I think it was our efficiency that we were able to curb anti-social elements," he added. Curfew has been relaxed and it will be lifted gradually, he said. The government on Tuesday evening extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services in Nuh district till August 11 to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order. Maharashtra seems to have lost out on Saudi Arabian Aramcos huge investment in a green field refinery project if one were to go by the statement made by a prominent BJP leader. Maharashtra BJP, on Wednesday, sought an explanation from Uddhav Thackerays Shiv Sena on whether their opposition to the proposed refinery complex in Maharashtra, where Aramco was going to make a significant investment, was aimed at aiding Pakistan as the Saudi Arabian public petroleum and natural gas company has now decided to invest in a refinery project at Gwadar in Pakistan instead of India. Maharashtra BJP vice president Madhav Bhandari lashed out at Shiv Sena (UBT), accusing them of trying to torpedo the project. Your party was opposed to that project all along. Now Aramco is going to invest in Gwadar in Pakistan. You owe an explanation to the people of the country whether your intention was to help Pakistan obtain the project, said Bhandari at a media briefing in Mumbai. Nanar project was proposed when Devendra Fadnavis was the chief minister of Maharashtra and Shiv Sena was part of the government. It had opposed the project on the grounds that the people of Konkan region did not want a destructive and polluting project. After Sena broke its alliance with the BJP and formed MVA government in 2019, the project at Nanar was more or less stalled. It was revived after the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray sent a letter to the Union government in which he said that the project could be implemented in Barsu, a few kilometers away from Nanar. However, after he was dethroned following a coup by Eknath Shinde in June 2022, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena began opposing the Barsu refinery project as well. Barsu project was going to be smaller in scale compared to Nanar. The attack by Bhandari suggests that Aramco is looking at other project sites and has chosen Gwadar and is not likely to be part of the project at Barsu even if the governments at the state and Centre manage to convince local population. Bhandari called Uddhav Thackeray led MVA government Vasooli Sarkar (recovery government), which pretended to give from one hand while making sure to recover the same with the other hand. Citing the recent white paper on industries by Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant, Bhandari said the white paper gives a detailed explanation on why many industries did not invest in Maharashtra. MVA was interested only in Vasooli. The white paper gives a detailed explanation as to why Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project did not invest in Maharashtra. There are examples of other industries that too left because of the policies of the MVA government. Their ministers were only interested in the cut from the industries who were keen on investing in the state, alleged Bhandari. He further claimed that Maharashtra has regained the top position in attracting investment after Shinde-Fadnavis government came to power in 2022. From 2014-19, Maharashtra was at the top of states in attracting investments from industries. After MVA came to power the top rank went to Karnataka and in the subsequent year it went to Gujarat. Now after MahaYuti (grand alliance) came back to power in July 2022, the state has regained its top position, added Bhandari. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday, raked up the issue of strife-torn Manipur as he kickstarted his debate in the no-trust motion against the BJP-led government. Rahul opened by thanking the Lok Sabha Speaker for reinstating his MP status after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in the defamation case. "My friends in BJP need not be scared because my speech today is not on Adani, the Congress leader said, in an apparent reference to his comments on the Hindenburg row in the previous session of Parliament. Drawing the attention of Lok Sabha members to the violence in the northeastern state, Rahul spoke of his visit to Manipur. "A few days back, I went to Manipur. Our PM didn't go, not even to this day, because for him Manipur is not India," Rahul said. Further targetting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, the Congress scion said: "They killed India in Manipur. Not just Manipur but they killed India. Their politics has not killed Manipur, but it has killed India in Manipur." Rahul, who was set to initiate the debate on Tuesday, was replaced by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi in a last-minute change. Gogoi, too, launched a scathing attack on the BJP leadership and questioned why the party has not sacked Chief Minister Biren Singh. Gogoi also put forward three demands, saying the opposition wanted Modi to visit Manipur, lead an all-party delegation to the north-eastern state and make sincere efforts to restore peace by meeting various organisations there. The fiery debates will continue till Thursday when Modi is expected to give his reply. "Once we cease to be judges, whatever we say is just opinion and they are not binding," Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said on Tuesday when responding to remarks of former CJI Ranjan Gogoi on basic structure doctrine. Gogoi, now a Rajya Sabha MP, cited the landmark 1973 Kesavananda Bharati case and said the doctrine of basic structure of the Indian Constitution has a very debatable jurisprudential basis. He was speaking during a debate on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. Gogoi said, "There is a book by (TR) Andhyarujina, the former solicitor general, on the Kesavananda Bharati case. Having read the book, my view is that the doctrine of the basic structure of the Constitution has a very debatable jurisprudential basis. I would not say anything more than this." During an apex court hearing on the abrogation of Article 370 on Tuesday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, referred to Justice Gogoi's statement in the Rajya Sabha. Sibal was appearing for National Conference leader Mohd Akbar Lone who has challenged the abrogation of Article 370 which accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Sibal contended that the manner in which the Centre abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir cannot be in any way justified "unless a new jurisprudence is brought so that they (Centre) can do whatever they like as long as they have a majority". He said, "Now one of your esteemed colleagues has said that in fact basic structure theory is also doubtful". In the Kesavananda Bharati verdict, the apex court had propounded the basic structure doctrine of the Constitution and held that certain fundamental features such as democracy, secularism, federalism and rule of law cannot be amended by Parliament. Responding to Sibal, CJI Chandrachud said, "Mr Sibal, when you refer to a colleague, you have to refer to a sitting colleague. Once we cease to be judges, whatever we say, they are just opinions and are not binding." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who is appearing for the Centre in the case, intervened and said the proceedings in Parliament cannot be discussed before the court just like the judicial proceedings are not discussed in Parliament. He said, "Mr Sibal is addressing here, since he wasn't there in Parliament yesterday. He should have responded in Parliament." Sibal, who is an independent member of Rajya Sabha, agreed with Mehta's submission and said he was not in Parliament on Monday during the debate. -- with PTI inputs Tushar Gandhi, the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, said he was detained by the Mumbai police on Wednesday as he left home to commemorate the Quit India Day. A Twitter post by Gandhi read: "For the first time in history of Independent India, I have been detained at Santa Cruz Police Station as I left home to commemorate 9th August Quit India Day. I am proud My Great Grandparents Bapu and Ba had also been arrested by the British Police on the historic date." He did not elaborate on the incident. However, Congress media wing chairman Pawan Khera reacted to the news on Twitter, stating: "Quit India has been replaced with Quiet India." Meanwhile, Lok Sabha MPs observed a minute's silence as a tribute to the freedom fighters to commemorate the 1942 Quit India Movement. Both the Opposition and Government also observed the day. While Opposition MPs paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on the Parliament premises, the BJP commemorated the day by calling for riddance of dynasticism, corruption, and appeasement politics. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took a dig at the Opposition, saying that India is now speaking in one voice against corruption, dynasticism, and appeasement. Modi's tweet read: "Tributes to the greats who took part in the Quit India Movement. Under the leadership of Gandhi Ji, this Movement played a major role in freeing India from colonial rule. Today, India is saying in one voice: Corruption Quit India. Dynasty Quit India. Appeasement Quit India." BJP leader and former Union minister Ravishankar Prasad also targetted the Opposition, stating that corruption and appeasement politics come with dynastic politics. "For the sake of india, its security, integrity, it is very important that these three ills, namely blatant family rule, corruption, and shameful appeasement must quit india," Prasad told reporters. "If the country's democratic fabric of the country is to be safeguarded, probity in politics has to be brought back and saved in the country, these three curses have to quit India," he added. Is Joaquim 'El Chapo' Guzman Loera at it, again? The Mexican drug lord and head of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, who is at a maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado, serving a lifer and more, has written a letter to the New York Judge who sentenced him complaining of discriminatory treatment. The I-Team of the website ABC7 Chicago News and Weather has reported that the nearly four-page letter, written in March, was translated into English and posted in his court file only recently. The conditions in the impregnable prison, where he is watched almost round the clock, are inhuman, writes El Chapo (the Short One). I have been here for nine months, and have spoken to my attorney only nine times, he writes. This is discriminatory. The letter is addressed to Judge Brian Cogan, who heard his case in New York. There has also been a mention of some procedural courtesies, even though the case concluded some time ago. While the letter in itself may not produce any results, experts who have been tracking his career are wondering whether Guzman has something else up his sleeve. Because the last time he complained of poor facilities and discrimination, it was a precursor to his escape from Altiplano maximum security federal prison in Mexico. Escape from Altiplano In a daring escape that is reminiscent of the climax of The Shawshank Redemption, Guzman orchestrated the prison break in 2015 with the outside help of his wife Emma Coronel, sons, and Damaso Lopez, a cartel associate who later became an approver and testified against his former boss. According to Lopez, Guzman's attorney would deliver notes from the gangster, whom Lopez called mi compadre (my friend), which he would, in turn, convey to Coronel. His wife too would receive messages from Guzman during her visits to him in prison. Guzman instructed them to purchase weapons, a pickup truck, a piece of land near the prison, and rent a warehouse. Guzman's sons Joaquin Jr., Alfredo, Ivan, and Ovidiobought the land and dug a tunnel to Guzmans prison cell. He escaped from the cell to the tunnel where a motorcycle and a driver awaited him. The tunnel was equipped with lighting, ventilation and even had a rail for the motorcycle. The escape reportedly took 30 minutes. They drove through the tunnel to the piece of land from where Guzman was taken to a warehouse. He then travelled to another city, where a plane took him to a safe hideout near his hometown Sinaloa. He was arrested again in January 2016 and was extradited to the United States in 2017. ALSO READ: Who is Edgar Herrera Pardo aka 'The Alligator', the Mexican cartel enforcer extradited to US? The escape from Altiplano was not his first prison breakhe escaped from Mexico's Puente Grande maximum-security prison after bribing the prison officials. While the official account has it that he was smuggled out of the prison in a laundry cart by a prison official, journalist Anabel Hernandez, among others, in his book Narcoland, claims that Guzman simply walked out of the prison. Can 'El Chapo' do it again? The letter has caused prison officials to believe that the drug lord might be planning another escape. He is currently lodged in SuperMax prison in Colorado, known as the "Alcatraz of the Rockies." But the SuperMax prison, or ADX Florence Prison, is no Mexico jail. Hailed as a 'high-tech version of hell', it houses some of the most notorious and high-profile criminals, including serial killers, mobsters, cult leaders, and drug kingpins. The inmates live in near-continuous solitary confinement with hardly any activities, little contact with other inmates or time outside their cells. Located on 37 acres of land, the cells of this prison are specifically designed to make sure that the inmates do not know their location in the complex. All that they can see is the sky and the roof through the window slits in the prison, making it next to impossible to plan an escape; and no one ever has done it so far. Prisoners are under 24-hour supervision, and there is high inmate-staff ratio, motion detectors, cameras, and as many as 1,400 remote-controlled steel doors. Heavily armed guards patrol the compound and there is 12-foot razor-wire fence surrounding the compound. Why is the letter significant? While it is not likely that El Chapo will script history by becoming the first man to break out of ADX Florence Prison, there is a reason why those tracking the career criminal feel that he may have something else up his sleeve. The letter comes after reports that Coronel, who played a major role in his 2015 prison break, has been moved to a halfway house in California before her eventual release in September. The letter comes barely a few months before her release. Thirty-four-year-old Coronel, a former teen beauty queen, got married to Guzman when she was 18. She was convicted of drug trafficking and money laundering charges in 2021 and was sentenced to three years in prison. She had pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, conspiring to launder money, and assisting the multibillion-dollar drug empire of her husband. She was also fined $1.5 million. Kolkata, Aug 9 (PTI) Bata India Ltd on Wednesday reported a 10 per cent decline in standalone net profit to Rs 107.8 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. The company posted a net profit of Rs 119.3 crore in the corresponding quarter of the last year. Revenue from operations for the quarter stood at Rs 958.1 crore, a growth of 2 per cent over Q1FY23. Expenses were higher during the quarter under review to Rs 826.9 crore vs Rs 792.6 crore. The average selling price of shoes grew by 3 per cent during the quarter, the company stated in a statement. "With our strategy of casualisation and premiumisation, expansion in Retail Network and accelerated investment towards core technologies (ERP, Merchandising, etc.,), we believe the template is set up for future profitable growth," Bata India MD and CEO, Gunjan Shah said in his comment. Digital footprint through the company's omnichannel e-commerce revenue streams gained significant momentum in the quarter going by, he said. "We are optimistic about the demand resurgence going ahead and continue to expand in Tier 3-5 towns, digital channels, and make investments in elevating customer experience & brand marketing," Shah said. The company's retail network expanded by 70 stores during the quarter, taking the total store count to 2,100 across the country. Students from across India invited to compete for 19 lakhs INR in prize money as well as recognition and career advancement opportunities THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UST, a leading digital transformation solutions company, has announced the launch of the third edition of D3CODE (pronounced "decode"), a hackathon event for students pursuing bachelor's or master's degree courses at Indian universities and colleges the opportunity to develop and showcase their talent. D3CODE is a UST initiative that seeks to provide a platform for students that empowers them to solve the most pressing real-world problems and test their passion for innovation, problem-solving, design thinking, and programming skills. This year's theme is "Exploring Generative AI: Crafting the Future" and participants can register for the 2023 hackathon on the D3 website or HackerEarth before August 15. The first D3CODE hackathon was held in 2019 and most recently occurred in 2022. This year's competition is focused on developing implementable Generative AI solutions. It will be held in the run-up to UST's annual D3 technology conference at UST's state-of-the-art technology campus in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Students pursuing bachelor's or master's degree courses will be eligible to participate and compete for a share of the 19 lakhs INR offered in prize money. "We are excited to welcome the brightest and most promising students in India to participate in D3CODE 2023. At a time when dynamic AI driven solutions are reshaping life, we look forward to seeing how the next generation will take on real problems to solve some of the biggest challenges in the industry creatively. With a focus on generative AI, this year's participants will have the opportunity to highlight their ability to innovate at our beautiful campus in Thiruvananthapuram," said Niranjan Ramsunder, Chief Technology Officer, UST. D3CODE 2023 key dates: Registration and idea submission closes on August 15 Round 1 - Programming challenge August 18 August 27 Top 10 Shortlist announcement August 30 Round 2 Video interview August 31 September 14 Invitation to the shortlisted team for the finale September 15 Onsite finale September 30 October 1 Winners announcement October 1 D3CODE 2023 is comprised of three qualifying rounds culminating in an onsite Hackathon. The top five teams will be invited to the final in-person Hackathon at the UST Thiruvananthapuram campus, a 24-hour contest where qualifying teams build and present prototypes of their ideas to a panel of judges. The first prize winning team will be rewarded with seven lakhs Indian rupees (INR), the second prize team will receive five lakhs INR, and the third prize team will receive three lakhs INR, while the other two teams will receive honorary mentions and two lakhs INR each. In addition, each member of these five finalist teams will receive a job offer (subject to terms and conditions) from UST at one of its India locations, and the first prize winning team will have the opportunity to participate in the 2023 UST D3 conference. About UST For more than 23 years, UST has worked side by side with the world's best companies to make a real impact through transformation. Powered by technology, inspired by people, and led by our purpose, we partner with our clients from design to operation. Through our nimble approach, we identify their core challenges, and craft disruptive solutions that bring their vision to life. With deep domain expertise and a future-proof philosophy, we embed innovation and agility into our clients' organizationsdelivering measurable value and lasting change across industries, and around the world. Together, with over 30,000 employees in 30+ countries, we build for boundless impacttouching billions of lives in the process. Visit us at www.UST.com Media Contacts, UST: Tinu Cherian Abraham +1 (949) 415-9857 Merrick Laravea +1 (949) 416-6212 Neha Misri +91-9284726602 media.relations@ust.com Media Contacts, U.S.: S&C PR +1-646.941.9139 media@scprgroup.com Makovsky ust@makovsky.com Media Contacts, U.K.: FTI Consulting UST@fticonsulting.com Logo https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1422658/UST_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 Mumbai, August 9, 2023 On the occasion of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Jijau Sanstha takes center stage as a symbol of hope and progress for indigenous communities in the remote tribal enclaves of Palghar. The theme for this year's commemoration, "Leaving No One Behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract," resonates profoundly with Jijau Sanstha's tireless efforts to catalyze transformative change. Established in 2008, Jijau Sanstha, under the visionary leadership of Nilesh Sambare, has emerged as a steadfast advocate for the holistic betterment of indigenous lives. Operating within the rugged terrain of Palghar, the organization's initiatives have sparked transformation across multiple fronts. Educational Upliftment as a Core Commitment At the core of Jijau Sanstha's mission lies an unwavering commitment to educational upliftment. The Jijau Divyang Residential School stands as a testament to this dedication, providing a haven for 105 differently-abled students to explore their potential. More than just an academic institution, this school has become a crucible for nurturing talent, equipping students for competitive exams, and shaping them into future leaders. Championing Equitable Healthcare Access Healthcare, a fundamental right, serves as a cornerstone of Jijau Sanstha's endeavors. The annual symphony of health camps that reverberates across Thane and Palghar districts showcases the organization's commitment to well-being. Thousands have benefitted from these interventions, receiving free medical aid, surgeries, and treatments. A recent poignant appeal to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for immediate financial aid for critically ill patients further underscores Jijau Sanstha's commitment to ensuring accessible healthcare for all. Women's Empowerment: Nurturing Dignity and Self-Sufficiency The indomitable spirit of Hirakani finds resonance in Jijau Sanstha's efforts, acknowledging the pivotal role women play in indigenous communities. The Women's Empowerment Department's initiation of free vocational training programs across diverse disciplines from home industries to handicrafts, from catering to embroidery stands as a testament to the organization's commitment to fostering self-sufficiency and dignity among women. A Light Amidst Adversity The June 2023 rainfall deluge in the Padgha region of Bhiwandi Taluka posed an unprecedented challenge, yet within adversity lay the seeds of Jijau Sanstha's unwavering resolve. Amidst the destruction and despair, the organization emerged as a source of solace and rejuvenation. The story of 84-year-old Sarawanya Pawar of Vafale village, a tale etched in resilience and renewal, stands as a testament to Nilesh Sambare and Jijau Sanstha's personal commitment to rebuilding shattered lives. Equity as the Guiding Star As the world collectively commemorates the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Jijau Sanstha stands as a beacon of hope, equity, and transformation. With an unwavering pursuit of justice, equality, and integrity, the organization manifests its commitment to eradicating corruption, injustice, and prejudiced ideologies. In this journey, Jijau Sanstha not only envisages a brighter future but also paves the way for a world where every individual can realize their full potential. Joining the Movement As the world unites to honor the richness of indigenous heritage, Jijau Sanstha extends an invitation to all to join its ongoing movement of empowerment and change. By supporting initiatives that uplift indigenous communities, we collectively forge a pathway to a more inclusive future. In the resolute footsteps of Jijau Sanstha, we find a testament that commitment and action can bring about a world where no one is left behind. Celebrating Unsung Heroes and Gratitude Jijau Sanstha acknowledges these selfless contributions by honoring individuals during the annual "Bhavibai Polis Bhagini, Arogya Sevika and Asha Workers" day, a tradition established since 2020. Nilesh Sambare, the visionary founder, instills gratitude among women, reassuring them that material wealth accumulation for their daughters' futures is unnecessary. Rising After Rainfall Devastation The intense rainfall in June 2023 devastated homes in the Padgha region of Bhiwandi Taluka. Roofs were torn away, and houses were severely impacted. Appeals for help reached Jijau, who forwarded them to relevant authorities. Among the affected was 84-year-old Sarawanya Pawar of Vafale village. Nilesh Sambare personally visited her, pledging to rebuild her home within 15 days. A Remarkable Impact The ability of Jijau Sanstha to foster social cohesion is evident as neighboring villages admire their efforts. Seeing newly constructed houses stand resilient brings immense joy to elderly Sarawanya Pawar. Jijau Sanstha's belief in her ability to overcome adversity and rebuild her life with determination and grace has ignited a renewed spirit within her. A Transformational Force Whether in moments of adversity or triumph, Jijau's actions resonate with a sense of responsibility and dedication to society. The foundation's ultimate aim is to eradicate corruption, injustice, exploitation, autocracy, and harmful ideologies. Championing Equal Rights Jijau Sanstha's unyielding pursuit of justice mirrors its commitment to equality and integrity. It stands as a bulwark against discrimination based on caste, status, or wealth. The ultimate goal is to empower individuals to combat corruption, unfairness, and destructive ideologies, creating a just and equitable society for all. Conclusion The inspiring journey of Jijau Sanstha, driven by Nilesh Sambare's unwavering dedication, has undoubtedly created a lasting impact. From educational initiatives to healthcare interventions and empowerment programs, the organization's multifaceted approach continues to uplift the lives of those it touches. The narrative of transformation and empowerment set by Jijau Sanstha stands as a testament to the individuals and collective efforts in shaping a brighter future for marginalized communities. For more information about Jijau Sanstha and its transformative initiatives, please visit https://www.nileshsambare.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jijausanstha/ (Disclaimer: The above content is a press release and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR New Delhi/ Mumbai, Aug 9 (PTI) US aviation watchdog FAA has issued a warning about potential overheating issue in certain CFM engines powering Boeing 737 MAX planes and the American aircraft maker said it has identified the measures to mitigate the issue. Domestic carriers SpiceJet and Akasa Air operate Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with these engines. Currently, there are around 29 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operating in the country. In a communication on Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has flagged possible overheating in specific parts on the inlets of CFM Leap-1B engines that power 737 MAX planes. This follows a "report indicating that use of engine anti-ice (EAI) in dry air for more than five minutes during certain environmental and operational conditions can cause overheating of the engine inlet inner barrel beyond the material design limit, resulting in failure of the engine inlet inner barrel and severe engine inlet cowl damage," the regulator said. If the condition is not addressed, the watchdog said then it could result in departure of the inlet and potential fan cowl failure and departure from the airplane. "The departure of the inlet may cause fuselage and/or window damage, potentially resulting in decompression and hazard to window-seated passengers aft of the wing and/or impact damage to the wing, flight control surfaces, and/or empennage, which could result in loss of control of the airplane," the communication said. In a detailed statement, a Boeing spokesperson said it supports the rule issued by the FAA addressing a potential overheat issue for specific parts on the engine inlets on 737 MAX airplanes. "Although there have been no safety incidents, under a very specific combination of weather and operational conditions, the engine anti-ice system can create the potential for a portion of the inlet structure to exceed its design temperature range," the spokesperson said. According to Boeing, the measures to mitigate the potential issue have been identified and it is working with customers to deploy those measures while a permanent fix is developed. Boeing will receive updated Airplane Flight Manual operational guidance to address the issue in the near term and is working with the regulator to develop a long-term fix. While noting that the inlet is produced by Boeing, the spokesperson said, "due to the very specific weather and operational conditions required to create the potential for this issue, it only recently surfaced as part of our design analysis". A source in the know said the issue is a theoretical possibility under rare circumstances and is unlikely to impact deliveries. In June, the FAA received a report indicating that flight testing and analysis revealed that the use of EAI in dry air for more than five minutes during certain combinations of altitude, total air temperature, and N1 settings can result in engine inlet cowl temperatures exceeding design limits when not in visible moisture. "Excessive heat buildup can cause overheat of the engine inlet inner barrel beyond the material design limit, resulting in failure of the engine inlet inner barrel and severe engine inlet cowl damage. There have been no reports of in-service failures of the engine inlet inner barrel to date," the FAA said. SpiceJet, Akasa Air and Air India have 737 MAX planes on order. After nearly two-and-a-half years, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) lifted the ban on commercial operations of 737 MAX planes in India on August 26, 2021. All 737 MAX planes were grounded in the country on March 13, 2019 following two fatal crashes involving the aircraft. On October 29, 2018, a 737 Max aircraft operated by Lion Air had crashed in Indonesia, killing 180 people. Later, on March 10, 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max plane crashed on March 10 near Addis Ababa that left 157 people dead. NAIROBI, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kenya and Somalia on Wednesday signed a bilateral air services agreement that will see their airlines increase the frequency of travel in both countries. Kipchumba Murkomen, cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Roads, Transport, and Public Works, said in a statement that the designated airlines of the two countries would be allowed to operate seven weekly frequencies for passenger flights as set out in specified routes. On the other hand, cargo flights will operate at unlimited frequencies. "The designated airlines of both countries may also enter code-sharing arrangements with any airline, including third country airlines provided that it has an underlying traffic act," Murkomen said. The agreement, which was signed by Murkomen and Fardowsa Osman Egal, Somali minister for Transport and Civil Aviation, further permits the civil aviation authorities of the two countries to cooperate for the development of their industries. Murkomen noted that the process that led to signing the agreement started in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, in March between officials of both countries. Somalia is one of the fast-growing export markets for Kenya, with Nairobi exporting goods worth 64 million U.S. dollars in the first five months this year, according to data from the Central Bank of Kenya. New Delhi, Aug 9 (PTI) The government is expecting to implement the Digital Personal Data Protection law within 10 months, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2023 with a voice vote amid a walkout by opposition members over the Manipur issue. The Bill, which comes after six years of the Supreme Court declaring 'Right to Privacy' as a fundamental right, has provisions to curb the misuse of individuals' data by online platforms. "We have started work on implementation. This kind of legislation will require a 6-10 month kind of frame. We will take every step with proper checks and balances. It is a guesstimate. We might do it faster than that," Vaishnaw said. Elaborating on the principles, he said the data collected by the citizens should be used as per the law, only for the purpose for which it has been collected and the quantum of data should be limited to the requirement. Vaishnaw said citizens will have the right to correct their data and it should be stored with entities till the time it is required and protected by putting in place reasonable safeguards. "The provisions of the bill will apply to data of Indian citizens stored overseas as well. Any person in India, even foreign nationals will get protection under the bill," he said. Addressing concerns around changes in the Right to Information Act, he said the Puttaswamy judgement has made the Right to Privacy a fundamental right. Therefore, any personal data can be published only through a legally approved process and in no other form personal information can be shared in any public forum. During the discussion, YSR Congress Party member V Vijayasai Reddy raised the issue of telephone tapping through software. Vaishnaw said that phone tapping is not an issue under the DPDP 2023 and it will be covered under the Indian Telecommunication Bill and Digital India Act. The minister said an independent Data Protection Board (DPB) will be created, which is "digital by design", and will provide similar access to justice to people across the country in the same way as privileged people in cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Vaishnaw said that the subject of data privacy comes under the Centre and the bill will evolve over a period of time. When asked if there will be a state-level DPB, the minister said that bodies like DPB are created at the Union level to check misuse of jurisdiction by rule violators. AIADMK M Thambidurai had raised the issue of the medical data of politicians getting reported in the media and it should be protected as personal data. Vaishnaw said that the DPDP 2023 will not overwrite sectoral rules and rules for media will be as per existing related laws. "However, the healthcare department should not leak someone's personal data without proper consent," he said. He also slammed the opposition for not participating in the discussion over the bill. "Opposition has no interest in the rights of 140 crore people. They should have also participated and joined everyone in passing the bill," Vaishnaw said. Mumbai, Aug 9 (PTI) Actor Amit Sadh's upcoming short film "Ghuspaith Between Borders", inspired by the life of Pulitzer prize-winning photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, will be screened at the Rhode Island International Film Festival 2023. Written and directed by Mihir Kalpana Lath, the short sheds light on the hidden complexities of the illegal cattle trade, cow smuggling, human trafficking, the refugee crisis, and ethnic cleansing, a press release stated. "Revolving around the life of an Indian photojournalist named Manav (played by Sadh) the short raises a poignant question: Where do we draw the borders between humanity?" the official plotline read. The 27th edition of film gala will run till August 13 in "Its been an enriching experience working on this project. Ghuspaith is our tribute to photojournalists like Danish Siddiqui, who risk their lives to report to us the realities of the world. Having our film being selected for this festival is an absolute honour and I am hopeful that it will go far from here," Lath said in a statement. "Ghuspaith Between Borders" is produced by Girish Arora and presented by filmmaker Shakun Batra through his banner Jouska Films. It also features Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Pamela Bhutoria and Korak Samanta. "As makers of this really special film, our hearts are full and we look forward to present our short to the audiences from different parts of the world. For years, The Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival has been bringing together cinema lovers from various cultures and its truly an honour to be here this year with our film," Batra said. Mumbai, Aug 9 (PTI) After back-to-back releases, Sobhita Dhulipala says she has not signed anything new as she wanted some time off from acting to recalibrate herself. Dhulipali had a busy year where she featured in filmmaker Mani Ratnam's two-part adaptation of period epic "Ponniyin Selvan" as well as Disney+Hotstar series "The Night Manager". She is now looking forward to the premiere of the second season of popular Prime Video series "Made in Heaven" and the actor said going forward she wants to do work that will make her feel "fulfilled". "It has been a very beautiful year for me. All the work that I did in the last couple of years (is coming out now)... There are two other projects from the past that Ive done and they might come out this year or soon enough. "But that aside, Ive taken some time out of that cycle and havent signed anything in the past few months. I want to make choices that make me feel something. Im at a space where Im recalibrating as an actor. I want to find a path that makes me feel fulfilled, Dhulipala told PTI in an interview. Her upcoming projects include Indian-origin actor Dev Patel's directorial debut "Monkey Man". Theres a bunch of releases that have happened. I don't think people are missing me. So, its fine. Im going to take some time (off). In the second season of "Made in Heaven", Dhulipala returns as wedding planner Tara Khanna, a role that made her a popular face in the industry when the first season came out in 2019. Dhulipala said the fame she attained with the Prime Video series was a "double-edged sword" for her career. "I understand that perhaps a producer might have a little more confidence in me now than before (thinking) that she has been accepted by the audience or people have enjoyed her work in a certain space, so she is good enough as an asset for me to put on money, maybe she will be guarantee, certain amount of visibility. "The other side is that because Tara was loved and it is a distinct character, those are the kind of parts being offered. So it is a double edge sword, it is a tightrope, and you walk with as much grace as you can, Dhulipala, who previously acted in films like Raman Raghav 2.0, Chef and Kaalakaandi, said. Created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, "Made in Heaven" chronicles the lives of Tara (Dhulipala) and Karan (Arjun Mathur), two wedding planners in Delhi running an agency named Made in Heaven, and the challenges they face in their lives. The second chapter is directed by Akhtar, Kagti, Alankrita Shrivastava, Nitya Mehra, and Neeraj Ghaywan. Dhulipala recalled the excitement she felt when the makers first approached her for the project. Tara's complex persona and the narrative caught her attention instantly, the actor added. "The writing was sensitive, but it also had a bit of satire. I could sense that there was some kind of commentary on socio-economic hustle. I thought it was enjoyable. When I got to know about the filmmakers involved, there was certain confidence that this would be done tastefully and sensitively. "I was just a kid, who got the chance to play a part that had so much meaning and depth. As an audience, personally, I would love to watch such a part, so to be able to do it, it was empowering. The actor said while she knew that she had a great role, she didn't anticipate that Tara Khanna would become a part of her "social identity" when she auditioned for the part. "It took a while for them to call (back). I had heard that they were looking at big names. It was going to be an important character. I was just hoping Ill get to play something like that. At that point, I had no idea that this would go on to become a large part of my social identity. I think I was just excited for the character. Actor Shivani Raghuvanshi, who plays Jazz, an employee in Tara's team, said when she learnt that Akhtar would be making the show, she immediately auditioned for it. "The casting director told me about the audition and said it is for a show to be made by Zoya Akhtar, I was sold. I remember the scene I had auditioned for, it was, Can you call me Jazz. I did that scene and I knew it was fine. I thought they liked it but they didnt reveal it at that time. "But then I didnt get a call, I was like, 'I gave it a good shot and they liked it'. I was like, 'Big people cast known people and that they wont take me'. I got a call after a month that Ive been shortlisted." "Made in Heaven season two will be out on Prime Video on Thursday. Mumbai, Aug 9 (PTI) A Bollywood producer on Wednesday filed a complaint against two persons for allegedly duping him to the tune of Rs 23 lakh on the pretext of releasing his movie on the OTT (over-the-top) platform, a police official said. Based on the complaint, an FIR (first information report) was lodged against the duo at the Amboli police station. The duo, Ajay Kanojiya and Abhay Shankar, presented themselves as employees of Disney+Hotstar, a leading streaming platform, he said. Ali Kaashif Khan, the advocate of the complainant, said My client (producer) Vijay Mulchandani unfortunately came in contact with two individuals who impersonated themselves as employees of Disney+Hotstar. They also had made email IDs in the said OTT's name. Money in parts totalling Rs 23 lakh was taken from my client by falsely promising him to sell his movie The Miraj to the OTT. The Amboli police have booked the duo under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 420 (cheating), and also the IT Act, Khan said. The police official said, "We have registered the FIR against both the persons, but no arrest has been made so far. Further investigation was underway." Washington, Aug 9 (PTI) Rejani Raveendran, a 40-year-old India-born college student has announced her bid for Senate in the US state of Wisconsin, becoming the first Republican to officially contest against Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin. Raveendran, chair of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College Republicans, on Tuesday officially launched her run against 61-year-old Baldwin in Portage County. The announcement made Raveendran the first Republican Senate candidate in Wisconsin with just under a year to go until the primary, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. "I have met lots of politicians, lobbyists, and policymakers. Many of them were there for 20, 30 and 40 years. We elect them, send them and they become so comfortable in DC and forget all about us, why we (have) sent them there," she said on Tuesday while announcing her candidacy. Raveendrans longshot entry would indeed add a new face to the race. The mother of three has not been involved in politics until recently. She joined the Stevens Point College Republicans this year, she said, and only decided to run for Senate after her trip to Washington earlier this summer. She plans to graduate with a bachelor's degree in political science next year. During her interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week, she said I see whats going on in our country, noting she recently visited Washington. I realised how much DC is (dominated) by these polished politicians. I realised there is a need for a change in our political system. We need some new faces with new ideas, she said. I am not a politician, and I do not want to be a politician, said Raveendran, who immigrated to the US in 2011 from India, where she was a nurse and midwife. She lived in California before moving to Wisconsin in 2017. Im a regular person who knows the situations in regular peoples lives, she added. Raveendran became a US citizen in 2015. That means she will have been a citizen for 9 years in 2024 the minimum number of years needed to be a Senator, media reports said. Raveendran said her campaign will focus on securing the border and cracking down on illicit drugs like fentanyl, stopping illegal immigration and advocating for medical freedom, suggesting she is opposed to vaccine mandates. Republican US Representative Tom Tiffany last week announced he will not run against Baldwin, and Gallagher, Republicans top choice candidate, has also declined to run. Raveendran has said that she supported former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 and is supporting him again in 2024. Kathmandu, Aug 9 (PTI) Twenty-four beggars from India, including 12 minors, who were carrying fake documents and posed as the victims of a natural disaster were detained by Nepal police and later sent back. All 24 people belonging to Rajasthan were detained while they were begging in the streets of Birtamod, the Nepalese side of the Indo-Nepal border area, according to the police. They were begging for money by carrying small children as little as six months old on different pretexts. They were carrying fake documents which claimed they were victims of natural disasters in India and had lost their homes due to the disaster. The police with the help of Birtamod Municipality found them staying in a rented room in a group at the Birtamod Buspark. They detained them and took them to the other side of the border at the Mechi Bridge in the Kakarvitta area in their van, according to the police. According to the police, the number of beggars from across the border starts increasing in Nepal as the festival season approaches. London, Aug 9 (PTI) A Scottish Sikh former BBC presenter, comedian and food writer who was under investigation over sexual harassment allegations was arrested and charged by the police in Scotland on Wednesday. Hardeep Singh Kohli, 54, has been arrested over alleged offences that are "non-recent", Police Scotland said without giving any further details. The force has submitted its report to the Procurator Fiscal, the independent public prosecution office of the devolved region. "A 54-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with allegations of non-recent sexual offences, a Police Scotland spokesperson said. "He has been released on an undertaking to appear in court at a later date. A report of the circumstances has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal," the spokesperson said. The development comes after the force confirmed last month it was investigating allegations published by The Times newspaper. Back in 2020, Kohli had apologised for making women feel intimidated, undermined and undervalued and the public broadcaster had cut ties with the food writer and reality show contestant at the time. Previously in 2009, Kohli was suspended from working on the BBC magazine programme The One Show after admitting overstepping the mark in his conduct towards a young female researcher. He has not responded to the latest allegations and with charges being filed, reporting restrictions on details will now be in place. Cape Canaveral, Aug 9 (AP) The four astronauts assigned to fly around the moon in another year got their first look at their spacecraft, as NASA warned on Tuesday there could be more delays. They peeked into their unfinished Orion capsule, red Remove Before Flight tags still dangling from it, and came away impressed. "Nothing else looks like that ... that's what gave me shivers, astronaut Christina Koch told reporters. The US-Canadian crew inspected the capsule during a visit to Kennedy Space Center late Monday and Tuesday. NASA plans to send the four around the moon and back late next year. Investigations into the capsule's heat shield, however, could delay this first lunar trip by astronauts in more than half a century. Last year's test flight around the moon, with no one on board, resulted in unexpected charring and loss of material from the heat shield at the bottom of the capsule. The heat shield is meant to protect the capsule against the extreme heat of reentry. The following mission of the Artemis program a moon landing faces even more hurdles and may slip from late 2025 into 2026. The main issue remains SpaceX's Starship, the rocketship that will carry two NASA astronauts from lunar orbit down to the south pole. With only one test flight so far for Starship resulting in an explosion a few minutes after liftoff in April NASA is concerned whether Elon Musk's SpaceX can pull everything off in time. The space agency will not commit to a moon landing using Starship, until SpaceX conducts multiple Starship orbital flights, sets up a refueling depot around Earth and completes a moon-landing dress rehearsal. NASA's exploration systems development chief, Jim Free, said the space agency should have a clearer handle on where things stand this fall. It's clear that we have a lot of work to do, said astronaut Victor Glover. Despite such lingering worries, the mood inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building named after the first man to step onto the moon was upbeat Tuesday. The astronauts assigned to the mission amid hoopla last spring were asked what it felt like to be in such hallowed grounds. Crew commander Reid Wiseman said it wasn't their own trip but the next moon landing that is going to carry the dream for us." More than 200 rock concert speakers were stacked around the capsule for an acoustic test later this week. NASA planned to blast the place with up to 143 decibels of rumbling noise imitating the thunderous sounds of liftoff to see how well the windows, wiring and other parts of the capsule hold up. Gesturing toward the capsule, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said: That's real ... It's not a dream." (AP) RUP RUP Niamey (Niger), Aug 9 (AP) As a military junta in Niger marked two weeks in power Wednesday, its leaders are appointing a government and rejecting calls for negotiation in what analysts described as an attempt to entrench their power and show that they're serious about governing the West Africa country in the face of an escalating regional crisis. The junta has named a new prime minister and made a slew of other new cabinet appointments. They also refused to admit meditation teams that planned to come Tuesday from the United Nations, the African Union, and West African regional bloc ECOWAS, citing evident reasons of security in this atmosphere of menace," according to a letter seen by The Associated Press. ECOWAS threatened to use military force if the junta didn't reinstate Bazoum by Sunday, a deadline that the junta ignored. The establishment of a government is significant, and signals at least to the population, that they have a plan in place, with support from across the government, said Aneliese Bernard, a former US State Department official who specialised in African affairs and who is now director of Strategic Stabilisation Advisors, a risk advisory group. On Monday, the junta said that civilian economist Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine would be prime minister. Zeine is a former minister of economy and finance who left office after his government was ousted by a previous military coup in 2010, and later worked at the African Development Bank. On July 26, mutinous soldiers overthrew Niger's democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum, saying they could do a better job at protecting the nation from jihadi violence. Groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have ravaged the Sahel region, a vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert. But most analysts and diplomats say that reason doesn't hold weight and that the takeover was the result of a power struggle between the president and the head of his presidential guard, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who now says he runs the country. The coup comes as a blow to many countries in the West, which saw Niger as one of the last democratic partners in the region they could work with to beat back the extremist threat. Niger's partners have threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance if it does not return to constitutional rule. But so far diplomatic efforts have yielded little as the junta tightens its grip on power. Niger's capital, Niamey, appeared more tense on Tuesday, with security forces checking vehicles. On Monday, the junta shut its airspace, and on Tuesday it temporarily suspended authorisation for diplomatic flights from friendly and partner countries, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Earlier this week, acting US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met with the coup leaders, but said they refused to allow her to meet Bazoum, who has been detained since being toppled. She described the mutinous officers as unreceptive to her appeals to start negotiations and restore constitutional rule. The US has some 1,100 military personnel in the country and has seen Niger as a strategic and reliable partner in the region. Nuland made more headway than other delegations. A previous ECOWAS delegation was prevented from leaving the airport. It's unclear what coordination is taking place between the various mediation attempts. Some experts have worried that if efforts are not coordinated, it could undermine ECOWAS. Alexander Thurston, assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, said: I think the US would come to a modus vivendi with this junta, if the junta proved particularly amenable to US interests, but that doesn't seem to be on the table for now, he said. In a statement Tuesday after being rejected from visiting Niger, ECOWAS said it was trying to find a peaceful solution to the crisis and will continue to deploy all necessary measures to ensure the return to constitutional order. ECOWAS is expected to meet again Thursday in Abuja, the capital of neighbouring Nigeria, to discuss the situation. But analysts say the longer it takes to find a solution, the more time the junta has to dig in and the less momentum there will be to oust them. Regional countries are also divided on how to proceed. Neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which are run by military regimes, have sided with the junta and warned that an intervention in Niger would be would be tantamount to a declaration of war against them. In a joint letter Tuesday to the United Nations, the two countries appealed for the organisation to prevent by all means at its disposal, armed action against a sovereign state. Mali and Burkina Faso also sent representatives to Niamey this week to discuss military options. Officials from all sides said the talks went well. While the crisis drags on, Niger's some 25 million people are bearing the brunt. It's one of the poorest countries in the world. Many Nigeriens live hand to mouth and say they're too focused on finding food for their families to pay much attention to the escalating crisis. Harsh economic and travel sanctions imposed by ECOWAS since the coup have caused food prices to rise by up to 5 per cent, say traders. Erkmann Tchibozo, a shop owner from neighbouring Benin who works in Niamey, said it's been hard to get anything into the country to stock his shop near the airport. If it continues like this, the situation is going to become very difficult, he said. (AP) FZH Kathmandu, Aug 9 (PTI) Nepal's main opposition party, CPN-UML, continued with the obstruction of Parliament proceedings on Wednesday, demanding the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the nearly 100 kg gold smuggling scam. Eighteen people, including an Indian and a Chinese national, were arrested in relation to the smuggling of nearly 100 kg of gold that passed out of Tribhuvan International Airport's customs without being detected on the night of July 18. The CPN-UML has been calling for the formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the smuggling scam. The party has been regularly obstructing Parliament sessions for the last two weeks. As soon as Speaker Devraj Ghimire started conducting the regular proceedings of the House of Representatives, CPN-UML lawmakers started sloganeering. CPN-UML lawmaker Surya Bahadur Thapa Chhetri demanded that a probe committee be formed to investigate the gold smuggling. The Opposition party lawmakers picketed the rostrum and started sloganeering after the ruling parties' lawmakers took their seats. Following the disruption, the Speaker adjourned the Parliament till Friday afternoon. The government has authorised the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to investigate the gold scam after the Opposition rejected a probe by the Revenue Investigation Department. Home Minister Narayankaji Shrestha on Tuesday urged the Opposition parties to trust the investigation being conducted by the CIB of the Nepal Police. However, the UML rejected the CIB probe and continued its demand for a high-level committee to investigate the matter. Tourists ride camels to visit the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, on Aug. 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) CAIRO, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The revenue of Egypt's tourism sector reached 10.7 billion U.S. dollars in the fiscal year 2021/2022 that ended in June 2022, marking an increase of around 120 percent over the 4.9 billion U.S. dollars in the previous fiscal year, Egypt's official statistics authority announced on Wednesday. The number of tourists visiting Egypt hit 11.7 million in 2022, registering a year-on-year increase of 46.6 percent from 8 million tourists in 2021, Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics said in a report. Europeans accounted for 62.6 percent of the tourists who visited Egypt in 2022, followed by Arabs who represented 26.4 percent and Americans who accounted for 5.8 percent, while the rest came from other countries, according to the report. In July, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa said that nearly 7 million tourists visited Egypt in the first half of 2023, expecting that the number of tourists will reach a record high by the end of the year. The number of tourists in Egypt dropped to around 3.7 million in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, after it saw a boom in 2019 with over 13 million tourists visiting the monument-rich country, according to official data. The number gradually recovered to about 8 million in 2021 and the tourism market has since been thriving. Tourism sector is one of the main sources of foreign currency for Egypt, accounting for around 12 percent of the GDP and employing about 3 million Egyptians. Tourists visit the Sphinx at the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, on Aug. 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) Tourists ride camels to visit the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, on Aug. 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) New York, Aug 9 (AP) Hanging up that phone call? The location of Apple's red end-call button is set to slightly move with upcoming iOS 17 updates to the phone app, so be wary of your thumb's muscle memory. As iPhone users know, the End button currently sits prominently away from other call options, in a center position towards the bottom of the screen. But with iOS 17, which officially launches this fall, the red icon will move the right and other features will move down to join it. While a iOS 17 preview guide from Apple showed this new setup in June, renewed attention has increased as some explore beta versions of the software upgrade. Images from iOS 17 beta versions shared by multiple news outlets this week show the small but potentially frustrating change. Beyond the end button, there are additional changes to the placement of other call features seen on past iOS versions. The Mute and Speaker buttons, for example, have swapped as have the FaceTime and Keyboard options. And it appears the feature allowing you to search for contacts has merged with the add call option. The changes have already received reactions on social media, where some predict having some muscle memory errors noting it could take some time to adjust. It's unclear if the call functions will change further before iOS 17 officially rolls out. The Associated Press reached out to Apple for comment Wednesday. As Apple notes on its website, the company's beta program allows some Apple users to test out software before it's released. Feedback from participants helps Apple identify issues and improve software programs before they're commercially released. Beyond potential tweaks to call icon locations, iOS 17 is set to bring an array of new features to Apple customers including improved autocorrect, a new journal app and live voicemail transcription with the ability to pick up and answer as someone is leaving a message. (AP) MRJ MRJ San Diego, Aug 9 (AP) The mother of a US Navy sailor charged with providing sensitive military information to China encouraged him to cooperate with a Chinese intelligence officer, telling her son it might help him get a job with the Chinese government someday, the prosecution said Tuesday. Assistant US Attorney Fred Sheppard made the accusation at a hearing in federal court in San Diego in urging the judge not to release Jinchao Wei, who was arrested last week on a rarely used espionage charge. Wei is one of two sailors based in California accused of providing sensitive military information to China including details on wartime exercises, naval operations and critical technical material. Prosecutors have not said whether the two were courted or paid by the same Chinese intelligence officer as part of a larger scheme. The Justice Department charged Wei, 22, under a Espionage Act statute that makes it a crime to gather or deliver information to aid a foreign government. Both sailors have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors have said Wei, who was born in China, was first approached by a Chinese intelligence officer in February 2022 while he was applying to become a naturalized US citizen, and admitted to the officer that he knew the arrangement could affect his application. Even so, prosecutors say he provided the officer detailed information on the weapons systems and aircraft aboard the Essex and other amphibious assault ships that act as small aircraft carriers. In arguing against his release, Sheppard told the court on Tuesday that when Wei went home for Christmas to see his mother, who lives in Wisconsin, she was aware of her son's arrangement. She also encouraged him to keep helping the Chinese intelligence officer because it might get him a job someday with China's Communist party after he leaves the US Navy, Sheppard said. Sheppard told the court that the intelligence officer told Wei that he and the Chinese government were willing to fly him and his mother to China to meet them in person, and that Wei searched online for flights to China this spring. Sheppard said the officer also told Wei to buy a computer and phone to pass the information, and that if Wei provided a receipt, the Chinese government would reimburse him for the expenses. Defense attorney Jason Conforti told the court that Wei is not a danger to the community and no longer has access to any military information. Sheppard countered that Wei's actions put thousands of sailors at risk by revealing sensitive information on Navy ships. The judge ruled to keep him in federal custody without bond. The indictment alleges Wei included as many as 50 manuals containing technical and mechanical data about Navy ships as well as details about the number and training of Marines during an upcoming exercise. Sheppard said Wei has made USD 10,000 to USD 15,000 in the past year from the arrangement. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison. The Justice Department also charged sailor Wenheng Zhao, 26, based at Naval Base Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, with conspiring to collect nearly USD 15,000 in bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for information, photos and videos involving Navy exercises, operations and facilities between August 2021 through at least this May. The information included plans for a large-scale US military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, which detailed the location and timing of naval force movements. (AP) RUP RUP Singapore, Aug 9 (PTI) Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has assured that his government would maintain its high standards of honesty, integrity and propriety which its citizens expect of it, as the city-state witnessed a spate of political scandals in recent months. Some have asked what these incidents say about the Government. My answer is this: Such issues come up from time to time," Prime Minister Lee said in his National Day message on Tuesday. When they do, we deal with them properly and transparently. That is what we have always done, and thats what we have done this time too," he said. Singapore, known for its corruption-free and stable politics, was rocked by a recent spate of scandals involving ministers and lawmakers. These cases include allegations of preferential treatment in the rental of state-owned Ridout Road properties by two Indian-origin ministers, a Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) probe into Transport Minister S Iswaran, as well as the resignations of former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and former MP Cheng Li Hui over their affair. Home and Law Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan rented colonial-built, heritage bungalows in the suburbs of the city-state after the properties had not been rented for a long while. The opposition in Parliament had questioned the rental process. The Ridout Road case was thoroughly investigated and the ministers have been exonerated. However, the CPIB probe is ongoing. In all three cases, for the good of the country, we sought to do the right thing, protect the integrity of our system of government, and carry through everything that needed to be done, the 71-year-old Lee said. Minister Iswaran is under investigation for reported concern about Formula-1 events, which Singapore continues to host and preparation for one is underway to be held next month. Tan and Cheng have both resigned over the affair from political and public offices. Let there be no doubt: My Government is determined to keep our system free of corruption and wrongdoing," Lee stressed. He noted that foreign leaders admire the countrys ability to think long-term, set ambitious goals and steadily achieve its aspirations. "I tell them - this is only possible because the people and the Government work closely together. This is what gives Singapore an edge over others. This is what makes us exceptional. We must never let this bond weaken," he said. Singapore celebrated its 58th National Day on August 8 with citizens dressed up in traditional red, the high point of which is the parade of armed forces with military-ware display. Tallinn, Aug 10 (AP) A Russian rocket attack on Wednesday killed three people and wounded at least seven others in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, which is near Europe's largest nuclear power plant, Ukrainian officials said. The number of victims could rise in the attack, which damaged a residential area, regional Gov. Yuriy Malashko said on Telegram. The city lies about 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since the early weeks of the war. Shelling in the plant's surroundings have raised persistent fears of a nuclear accident. In Russia, an explosion on the grounds of a factory that makes optical equipment for Russia's security forces north of Moscow killed one person, wounded 60 others and left at least eight people unaccounted for, officials said. Russian officials did not provide a suspected cause of the explosion in the city of Sergiev Posad, which produced a tall plume of black smoke and added to jitters over recent nighttime drone attacks on Moscow. Earlier, officials said Russian air defenses shot down two drones aimed at the capital overnight, and they accused Ukraine of an attempted attack. The blast occurred at a warehouse storing fireworks but was on the grounds of the Zagorsk optics manufacturing plant, said Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the region surrounding the Russian capital. The explosion damaged 38 apartment buildings and prompted an evacuation of nearby areas, he said. Vorobyov said the company rented out the warehouse for storage, but he later claimed the plant itself was mostly producing pyrotechnics. He said the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant has had nothing to do with optics or mechanics for a long time. The company's website says it still manufactures those products, as well as medical equipment. A 1995 report by the US Department of Commerce described the factory as a producer of precision optical equipment for the military. Russian investigative news outlet Agentstvo reported Wednesday that state procurement data from recent years showed the plant supplied binoculars and dosimeters to Russia's National Guard, produced equipment for military aircraft and was involved in the development of a new fighter-bomber. Russian authorities feared five people were missing in the aftermath of the explosion. Emergency crews with sniffer dogs walked over the rubble of low brick buildings, video from the scene showed. Firefighters hosed down the mangled industrial wreckage. Some Russian media reported that a drone attack caused the blast at the manufacturing plant site. Multiple Russian authorities, including Vorobyov and Russia's Investigative Committee, denied that. The Investigative Committee, Russia's top criminal investigations agency, said in a statement it has launched a criminal inquiry on charges of violating industrial safety requirements at hazardous production facilities. Russian officials described the downed drones as Ukraine's latest attempt to strike the Russian capital in an alleged campaign to unnerve Muscovites and take the war in Ukraine to Russia. The drones were intercepted on their approach to Moscow and there were no casualties, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. The Russian Defense Ministry described the incident as a terrorist attack. One of the drones came down in the Domodedovo district south of Moscow, and the other fell near the Minsk highway west of the city, according to Sobyanin. Moscow Domodedovo Airport is one of the Russian capital's busiest airports. It wasn't clear where the drones were launched, and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment. Ukraine usually neither confirms nor denies such attacks. Flights were briefly halted at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on July 30 and August 1, when drones smashed into Moscow's business district after being jammed by air defenses in two separate incidents. In May, Russian authorities accused Ukraine of attempting to attack the Kremlin with two drones in an effort to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Recent drone attacks have aimed at targets from the Russian capital to the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula. In another incident that caused alarm, Ukrainian media reported social media blogs as saying that a thick plume of smoke billowed over Sevastopol, the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. The governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said the smoke came from a fleet training exercise and urged local residents not to worry. Yes, the smell is unpleasant, but it is absolutely safe, he said on Telegram. Everything is calm in the city. Those incidents occurred against the backdrop of Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive, which Ukrainian and Western officials have warned will be a long slog against the Kremlin's deeply entrenched forces. Russia is pushing back against the Ukrainians in eastern areas, where tough battles are taking place, Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's deputy defense minister, said Wednesday on her official Telegram channel. In some parts of the front-line multiple changes in position take place within a day, she said. She claimed that Ukraine's efforts had achieved partial success in the south. She gave no details. It wasn't possible to independently verify either side's claims.(AP) Emma Burrows reported from London. Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine _ A previous version of this story was corrected to show that the last name of the Sevastopol governor is Razvozhayev, not Razvozzhayev. RUP RUP Mangaluru, Aug 8 (PTI) The City Crime Branch (CCB) police have arrested a man on charges of selling the banned MDMA drug to the public at Talapady near here, police said. Acting on a definite tip-off, the police arrested Mohammed Rafik (40), a resident of Uppala in the neighbouring Kasaragod district of Kerala. Police seized 50 gm of Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), a synthetic drug, valued at Rs 2.5 lakh, a mobile phone and a digital weighing scale, totally worth approximately Rs 2.68 lakh from the accused. Sources said search is on for other people possibly involved in the racket. The police team was led by CCB ACP P A Hegde and inspector H M Shyam Sunder. As part of its efforts to make the city drug-free, Mangaluru police have intensified raids in the city and suburbs. The department has urged the public to promptly report on any information regarding drug peddlers. Nagpur, Aug 9 (PTI) Pro-Vidarbha activists on Wednesday organised a morcha in Nagpur city of Maharashtra for various demands and tried to lay a siege to the private residence of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Police detained the workers before they could reach their destination in Dharampeth area. They were released later. The demands of the protesting workers include the creation of Vidarbha state and the rollback of the "hike" in power bills. They are also opposing the proposed power plant at Koradi near Nagpur. The march started from Sanvidhan Square and activists walked towards the residence of Fadnavis, who holds the Home and power portfolios. Mumbai, Aug 9 (PTI) A special court here on Wednesday remanded five persons, arrested in connection with the Maharashtra ISIS module and terror plot case, to the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) till August 14. The NIA has taken over the probe into the case from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which had arrested the five accused. After the NIA took over the probe in the case, it produced the five accused - Mohammad Imran Mohammad Yunus Khan, Mohammad Yunus Mohammad Yakub Saki, Kadir Dastagir Pathan, Sima Nasaruddin Kazi and Zulfikar Ali Barodawala - before the special NIA court here. The agency sought nine-days custody of the accused on the ground that their custodial interrogation was required to probe the case further and to ascertain their roles. The NIA claimed that two of the accused in the case - Khan and Saki had been imparting training to the pther accused in the case and were part of a frontal group of the ISIS - Al-Sufa. The agency said the duo was wanted in a case lodged with its Delhi unit. Special NIA court judge A M Patil remanded the five accused in NIA's custody till August 14. The central investigative agency had earlier arrested one person, Aakif Ateeque Nachan, who is said to be closely-associated with these five accused. A special court in Pune on Tuesday directed the transfer of investigation into the case to the NIA. Khan and Saki were nabbed by police in the Kothrud area of Pune city last month while stealing a motorcycle, but another suspect Shahnawaz Alam managed to escape. The investigation revealed that Saki and Khan were wanted by the NIA in a March 2022 Rajasthan terror plot case, and they were the alleged members of the Al-Sufa outfit who escaped from Ratlam after NIA made some arrests in the case, investigators had said. As per the ATS, Khan and Saki were hiding in Pune's Kondhwa area for the last 16 months and were sheltered by Dastgir. The ATS had arrested one person- the fifth suspect- from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra for allegedly providing financial aid to Khan and Saki. Barodawala, arrested by the NIA earlier, was the "mastermind" who used to handle Khan and Saki and used to provide aid, it said. Kolkata, Aug 9 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday called upon everyone to rise above the differences of caste, creed, religion and race to protect the rights of the indigenous people. Wishing people on the occasion of 'International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples', Banerjee said indigenous peoples' rights must be protected for the sake of humanity. "On this International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, let's celebrate their vibrant traditions, art, and heritage that enrich our state's identity. Let's pledge to walk alongside our Adivasi brethren," Banerjee tweeted. "May the people of this state, this nation, and the world at large rise above differences of caste, creed, religion, and race to uphold and protect the rights of indigenous peoples, because this isn't just about one community; it's about humanity," she added. She said the "cultural tapestry of Bengal is woven with threads from diverse indigenous communities". Banerjee is on a three-day administrative tour to Jhargram district, which is mostly inhabited by indigenous people. Soon after reaching the western district on Tuesday, she held a meeting with leaders of the Kurmi community, who have been demanding ST status. She listened to their problems and demands and assured them of all assistance. The 'International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples' is celebrated on August 9 to raise awareness of the inequities faced by people of such communities over in 90 countries across the world. According to United Nations, indigenous communities, people and nations are those which, having a historical continuity with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies that developed on their territories, consider themselves distinct from other sectors of the societies now prevailing on those territories, or parts of them. Imphal, Aug 9 (PTI) Thousands of Nagas of Manipur on Wednesday took out rallies in areas inhabited by them to press for the successful conclusion of peace talks between the Centre and Naga groups based on the Framework Agreement. The protesters also demanded that separate administration for any other community must not infringe upon Naga-inhabited areas. Rallies were brought out in the district headquarters of Tamenglong, Senapati, Ukhrul and Chandel amid tight security. The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex civic body of Naga tribes in Manipur, called for the rallies in the Naga-inhabited areas. In Tamenglong, the home of Zeliangrong Naga tribe, a rally started at Jadonang Park and proceeded through more than 3-km-long stretch and will end at Apollo Ground. "We will submit a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the deputy commissioner," Anthony Gangmei, one of the participants, told PTI. In Ukhrul, the home of Tangkhul Naga tribe, a rally began at Mission Ground and proceeded for more than 3 km before converging at Mini Secretariat. The rallyists held placards demanding conclusion of the peace talks and that Naga areas must not be disintegrated. Thousands of people also participated in rallies in Senapati and Chandel districts. The hill areas of Manipur constitute 90 per cent of the geographical area of the state and are inhabited by two Naga and Kuki-Zo tribes. The UNC, in a statement, earlier said that the peace process made significant progress with the signing of the historic Framework Agreement between the Centre and the NSCN(IM) on August 3, 2015. "The inordinate delay in signing the final agreement is a cause of concern and has the potential to derail the peace negotiation," it said. Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kuki tribes, has extended support to the rallies in the Naga-inhabited areas. "At a critical time wherein the tribal Kukis of Manipur are being subjected to bear the brunt of ethnic cleansing being unleashed by the majority Meiteis, aided and abetted covertly by the state machinery, the Kuki Inpi Manipur fully endorses the proposed mass rallies being organised by the United Naga Council," a statement by the KIM said. Naga Hoho, a powerful civic body of the Naga tribes, has asked the 10 Naga MLAs in Manipur not to attend the proposed assembly session from August 21, claiming that the Manipur government has been working against peace talks with Naga groups. Most of the Kuki MLAs irrespective of their party affiliations are unlikely to attend the Manipur assembly session in view of the continued ethnic violence, according to leaders from the community. There are 10 Kuki-Zomi MLAs, including seven from the BJP, two from the Kuki People's Alliance and one independent, in the Manipur House which has a strength of 60 members. Ethnic violence broke out between Meiteis and Kuki-Zomi communities in May after protests over a court judgment which seemed to favour the majority Meiteis who live in the Imphal valley and who have been demanding Scheduled Tribe status, currently enjoyed by Kuki-Zomi and Naga tribals in the state. More than 160 people have been killed and thousands have been rendered homeless in the ongoing violence. Bhubaneswar, Aug 9 (PTI) Nearly 40 per cent of the worlds 7,000 languages including dialects spoken by indigenous people groups have already disappeared and several others are on the verge of getting extinct, experts said on Wednesday. The world is facing the danger of losing its languages several of which are listed as endangered and loss of languages equates to loss of culture, said Dr K Sreenivasarao, Secretary of the Sahitya Akademi. He was addressing the inaugural programme of the All India Tribal Writers Meet at Siksha O Anusandhan (SOA), a private university, here organised to mark the International Day of Worlds Indigenous People celebrated on August 9. The two-day conference, which has attracted around 70 tribal writers from different parts of the country, was organised by the Sahitya Akademi in collaboration with the Centre for Preservation, Propagation and Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PPRACHIN), the conservation arm of SOA. Affirming that these indigenous groups were the repository of the worlds culture, Sreenivasarao said, If we dont care now, we will lose the culture and the associated ancient knowledge system which these communities possessed. The Sahitya Akademi, he said, was engaged in translation and publication of tribal literature into English and other Indian languages. Haladhar Nag, writer and Padmashree awardee, who addressed the inaugural session in his native Koshali language, said he had studied up to class three but was able to delve into the world of literature. My writings are rooted to the soil where I live, he said. Nags writings have been translated into a number of languages abroad became part of the curriculum in several universities. Prof Jagannath Das, who delivered the keynote address, said the tribal people, unlike those influenced by modernity, dont drift away from their culture. Tribal people are inexorably linked to nature like hills, rivers and streams and express their feelings from the heart. We need to listen to their poetry and appreciate it, he said. Dr Gourahari Das appreciated the decision of Sahitya Akademi and PPRACHIN to hold the tribal writers conclave describing it as an important venture while underscoring the need for documentation of tribal literature. Convenor of Sahitya Akademis Santhali Advisory Board Chaitanya Prasad Majhi said around 40 per cent of the worlds 7,000 languages had already become extinct while calling for urgent steps to arrest this trend. He said UNESCO had declared the years between 2022 to 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages for their protection and propagation. Eminent writer and Head of PPRACHIN, Dr Gayatribala Panda said it was necessary to preserve the valuable components of tribal culture and that of tribal folklore in a systematic manner before they became extinct. Prof Pradipta Kumar Nanda, Vice-Chancellor of SOA, presided over the programme. UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee on Wednesday stressed the need for a negotiated solution to end the military conflict in Sudan as soon as possible. "There is no other alternative. Calls by some to continue the war in order to achieve a military victory will only contribute to destroying the country," Pobee told the Security Council in a briefing. "The longer this war continues, the greater the risk of fragmentation, and foreign interference and erosion of sovereignty, and the loss of Sudan's future, particularly its youth," she said. "Now is the time to end this senseless war and return to negotiations." More than 100 days have passed since the eruption of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April. Clashes between these parties continue in various parts of the country, particularly Khartoum, Bahri, Omdurman and Darfur, with neither side achieving victory nor making any significant gains, she said. Khartoum state remains a center of the conflict, with major combat concentrated around key SAF installations, including the SAF General Command Headquarters, said Pobee. The parties have also exacted tremendous suffering on the people of the Darfur region. The fighting in Darfur continues to reopen the old wounds of ethnic tension of past conflicts in the region. This is deeply worrying and could quickly engulf the country in a prolonged ethnic conflict with regional spillovers, she warned. The situation in North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states continues to be fragile, with persistent military actions and frequent road closures. While the east of the country is relatively calm, there are indications of active mobilization efforts in support of SAF. The mobilization is particularly worrisome and risks plunging the east into conflict along ethnic lines, further highlighting the fragility of the region, she said. The conflict in Sudan continues to have immense repercussions on the country and its people, who continue to face unimaginable suffering. The humanitarian and protection needs are rising by the day with no signs of a reprieve. The indiscriminate and sometimes targeted attacks on civilians and civilian objects and infrastructure continue, particularly in Khartoum, Darfur, and North Kordofan, as the parties continue to disregard calls to protect civilians and uphold their international human rights and humanitarian law obligations, said Pobee. Sexual violence continues to be perpetrated on a large scale, while children continue to be killed or victimized or are at risk of being recruited to fight. The systematic abductions and killings of human rights defenders in Darfur and Khartoum are on the rise, she noted. Pobee welcomed the ongoing efforts by the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which groups East African states, to end the conflict in Sudan. The United Nations also welcomes the continued efforts of the United States and Saudi Arabia to facilitate negotiations between the conflicting parties, as well as the initiative of Sudan's neighboring countries to help resolve the conflict. Coordination between the existing regional and international mechanisms and fora remains essential to maximize the collective leverage of regional and international actors and enhance the effectiveness of mediation efforts. The United Nations is supporting a joined-up approach toward facilitating a comprehensive solution and will continue to work closely with its partners, particularly the African Union and IGAD, she said. New Delhi, Aug 9 (PTI) At least 31 grievances for seeking pay parity with junior employees are pending with the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Parliament was informed on Wednesday. The information was shared by Union Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi in response to a written question in the Rajya Sabha. "As per information received from KVS, as on date, 31 grievances for seeking pay parity with junior employees are pending. No case for sanction of child care leave and extended joining time is pending. "During last five years -- from 2018-19 to 2022-23 -- 79 grievances for pay parity with junior employees were addressed, child care leaves were sanctioned in 1,998 cases and extension in joining time was allowed in 244 cases based on justification provided and administrative exigencies at that time," Devi said. The KVS has a grievance redressal mechanism for redressing the grievances such as pay parity with junior employees, sanctioning of child care leave and extended joining time of its employees. "Deputy Commissioners of concerned Regional Offices are the appointing and competent authority to decide the matter of pay parity with junior employees. The KVS has taken utmost care for timely disposal of the grievances as per relevant rules," she added. Jammu, Aug 9 (PTI) BSF Director-General Nitin Agrawal on Wednesday visited various border outposts in Jammu's Akhnoor sector and exhorted the troops to maintain effective domination to successfully meet the challenges from across the frontier. Agrawal was accompanied by the Border Security Force's (BSF) Special Director General (Western Command) PV Rama Sastry and Inspector General (Jammu Frontier) DK Boora. He reviewed the border domination and security situation along the International Border, a spokesperson for the paramilitary force said. Agrawal reached Jammu on a three-day tour on Monday. He visited the International Border in Samba district on Tuesday and was briefed about the alertness of the troops in thwarting drone and smuggling activities from Pakistan, the spokesperson said. Before visiting the frontier, the BSF chief was given a detailed presentation that covered all the critical aspects of security and domination on the International Border and the Line of Control at the Jammu Frontier headquarters by Boora. During his visit to Akhnoor, Agrawal was briefed on the ground by sector and battalion commanders. He was also apprised about border management aspects of BSF battalions deployed in the area and the ongoing civic action programmes, including medical camps, for the benefit of the locals. Agrawal visited various border outposts and witnessed the operational preparedness of field formations, the spokesperson said. He also applauded the jawans' professional acumen in relentlessly safeguarding the borders in stringent conditions. "He exhorted the troops to carry on their excellent work in effective domination of the border to thwart continuous challenges from across the border," the spokesperson said. New Delhi, Aug 9 (PTI) The Jawaharlal Nehru University has urged students and teachers rallying against the shifting of a library to cooperate as the campus is undergoing upgradation to meet its expanding academic functions, disciplines, and programmes. The teachers and students have alleged that the Centre for Historical Studies Library is being vacated and replaced by a new Special Centre for Tamil Studies. The material of the library is being shifted to another library, students alleged. The university had earlier clarified that the library is not being closed but relocation has been always taking place in the JNU. In a second clarification in the last four days, the university on Tuesday said the administration is "tirelessly working for a better, more efficient and effective management of knowledge resources, including easy access to books, journals, materials and databases for the benefit of the entire JNU community". "Until then, better management and optimal utilization of available space are critical for the growth of the university. A university-wide space audit is currently underway to optimize the existing infrastructure. The university is also in conversation with several central agencies and state governments such as Assam, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odissa, Tamil Nadu and others in promoting various Indian languages and towards establishing a School of Indian Languages and Civilization," the statement read. "There is heavy pressure for space as many new programmes are being introduced and new faculty members have joined. The faculty and students concerned are requested to cooperate in this regard," it added. Though the statement did not mention the vacating of the CHS library. However, it comes after the student community at the varsity has started a signature campaign to "Save the Centre for Historical Studies Library in JNU" The students have alleged that the library is being vacated and replaced by a new Special Centre for Tamil Studies. "Hundreds of books are being packed and shifted to the EXIM Bank library, which barely has a few dozen shelves. There is also the issue of seating space and access for the students from the department and visiting researchers. This amounts to the destruction of one of the best department libraries for history in all of India, and a lifelong resource for students, alumni and visiting scholars. The decision was made without any consultation and knowledge of the CHS student community," the students said. On Monday, the JNU Teachers' Association expressed its concerns over the translocation of a library to an adjoining building to create space for the Centre for Tamil Studies, saying "cramming" both libraries into the same premises will lead to loss of resources. In a statement, the teachers' body demanded an immediate cessation of any process of shifting the Centre for Historical Studies (CHS) to the premises of the EXIM Bank Library. Kanpur, Aug 8 (PTI) With the arrest of six men, the Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a "sextortion" racket being run through a gay dating app in Kanpur, officials said. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (west) Lakhan Singh Yadav said the accused created fake profiles on the gay dating app 'Blued'. They engaged in friendly chats with the victims and after some time, take them out on a date. They would indulge in sexual activities and shoot naked videos of them, he said. They would then rob them of their valuables and transfer money from their bank accounts through UPI using their phone by threatening to circulate the videos on social media, the officer said. Talking to PTI over the phone, Yadav said one of the victims approached the police, claiming that some people had recorded a nude video of him and were using it for blackmailing. A case was registered at the Kalyanpur police station and a police investigation was launched that helped in busting the 'sextortion' gang, police said. Those arrested were identified as Dileep alias Pradyumn Singh (21), Arun Rajpoot (22), Vipin Singh (21), Pawan Kumar Singh (22), Praveen Singh (20) and Brijendra Singh (19). The police also seized five mobile phones, a laptop, nine ATM cards from various banks, and a police uniform during the arrests. Saharanpur (UP), Aug 9 (PTI) Two people from a family were killed and two injured when their motorcycle was hit by a dumper in the Nagal area of this Uttar Pradesh district on Wednesday, police said. Superintendent of Police (Dehat) Sagar Jain told PTI that Nayyum (28), a resident of Nainsab village in the Deoband area, and his two-year-old daughter Arfa were killed. Nayyum's wife Rukhsana (25) and their four-year-old son Shad were injured in the accident, he said. The family was returning home on a motorcycle when the dumper, laden with mining material, hit it from behind, killing Nayyum on the spot, the police said. Rukhsana and the children were were taken to the hospital where Arfa died during treatment, Jain said. He added that Rukhsana and Shad are in critical condition. After the accident, the dumper driver left his vehicle and fled. The police have seized the dumper and are looking for the accused driver, Jain added. Gorakhpur (UP), Aug 9 (PTI) As many as 32 doctors of the health department here are "missing" from duty without any official information, with some of them not reporting to work since last year, a senior official said on Wednesday. The department has been sending notices to them but they have not yet replied and a report in this regard has been sent to the government, Chief Medical Officer Ashutosh Dubey said. Of the 162 doctors working at community health centres (CHC), rural primary health centres (PHC) and urban PHCs in the district, 32 doctors are missing without any official information, the CMO said. Notices have been sent to the missing doctors multiple times and a report has been sent to the government, the CMO said. Due to shortage of doctors, there are difficulties in rural area hospitals, he said. The missing doctors have neither submitted their resignations formally nor provided any information about their engagement elsewhere, the CMO added. New Delhi, Aug 9 (PTI) A prisoner's right to dignity as well as mental and emotional health should be protected to enhance the chances of social re-integration post release, the Delhi High Court has said as it directed all jails here to depute a counsellor or psychiatrist for the benefit of inmates throughout the year. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said the prison administration should be sensitised about issues of mental and emotional health of inmates, and asked the Delhi State Legal Services Authority to regularly hold workshops for mental health therapies for the convicts. Long incarceration would deprive a convict of "positive emotions" and "satisfaction with life", the judge said. "While imprisonment restricts right to liberty, it does not restrict other human rights of the convict. It is crucial to ensure that the right of prisoners to dignity and their mental and emotional health is protected so that chances of their social re-integration after their release from the prison are increased," said the court in a recent order. "In case a convict is found to be experiencing such mental and emotional health issues in prison, counselling or alternative therapies and meditation facilities be provided to the inmate. "All the prisons in Delhi should have a counsellor/psychiatrist posted throughout the year who will be available to a convict who identifies or recognises his own emotional or mental health issue or it is identified by the concerned Superintendent Jail/Warden, who will produce such inmate for consultation/counseling before the psychiatrist," it directed. The court's order came on a petition for parole by a murder convict serving life term. The convict's lawyer said since his arrest in 2013, he has has continuously remained in jail. Refusing relief, the court noted that the petitioner's conduct has not been satisfactory in the jail and he invited punishments on 13 occasions for violating prison rules. It further said convicts with long incarceration might suffer from depression and other emotional disturbances which might affect their day to day behaviour. It thus directed that in case a convict in prison shows signs of mental health issues or is repeatedly being punished inside the prison, the administration should bring it to the notice of psychiatrist concerned. The court said it was time to ensure that a convict becomes a law-abiding citizen upon his release, which can be achieved only if his mental health issues are recognized and attended to. "The life event of long incarceration will generally deprive the convict of positive emotions and satisfaction with life. Fear, anxiety, frustration and anger may drive such convicts to behave differently as they may consider it as a setback and may not be able to cope with it due to long incarceration," the court said. New Delhi, Aug 9 (PTI) A monthly food basket with adequate protein alongside effective therapy has been found to reduce new tuberculosis cases by nearly half among family members of TB patients in India, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health journal. An international team of researchers enrolled household contacts of 2,800 patients with confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis across 28 TB units of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme in four districts of Jharkhand. Household contacts in the intervention group received monthly food rations and micronutrients (750 kcal, 23 grams of protein per day with micronutrients). After screening all household contacts for co-prevalent tuberculosis, all participants were followed up actively until July 31, 2022, for the primary outcome of incident TB. Between August 2019 and January 2021, there were 10,345 household contacts, of whom 5,328 (948 per cent) of 5,621 household contacts in the intervention group and 4,283 (907 per cent) of 4,724 household contacts in the control group completed the primary outcome assessment. Almost two-thirds of the population belonged to Indigenous communities (eg, Santhals, Ho, Munda, Oraon, and Bhumij) and 34 per cent (3,543 of 10,345) had undernutrition. The study found a relative reduction of tuberculosis incidence of 39 per cent (all forms) to 48 per cent (microbiologically confirmed pulmonary TB) in the intervention group. An estimated 30 households (111 household contacts) would need to be provided nutritional supplementation to prevent one incident tuberculosis, the researchers said. "Food is an important adjunct to TB treatment to save lives and improved outcomes, study corresponding author Anurag Bhargava, a professor at the Yenepoya Medical College, Center for Nutrition Studies, Mangalore, tweeted on Wednesday. "Monthly food basket with adequate protein alongside effective therapy led to better weight gain. Nearly half of the cohort had BMI less than 16. Compared to other cohorts, mortality was 35-50 per cent less. Early weight gain by 2 months was associated with 60 per cent reduction in mortality," Bhargava added. In the study, nutritional support was provided to a group with a high prevalence of severe undernutrition. The researchers found that weight gain, particularly in the first two months, was associated with a substantially decreased hazard of tuberculosis mortality. Nutritional support needs to be an integral component of patient-centred care to improve treatment outcomes in such settings, they added. The team also included researchers from McGill University in Canada; National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai; National Tuberculosis Institute, Bengaluru, State TB Cell in Ranchi and officials from National TB Elimination Programme in the Union Health Ministry. India had an estimated 3 million cases of tuberculosis and 494,000 (4.94 lakh) TB deaths among HIV-negative people in 2021, according to the study. The National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination in India has targets of an 80 per cent reduction in incidence and a 90 per cent reduction in tuberculosis mortality by 2025, the authors said. The modest progress in reducing tuberculosis mortality since 2015 was reversed during the COVID-19 pandemic, they added. New Delhi, Aug 9 (PTI) The central government has ordered premature retirement of senior IPS officer Basant Rath, according to a home ministry notification. The notification, dated August 7, said the President requires Rath, a 2000-batch IPS officer of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, to "retire in public interest with immediate effect... ". Rath was earlier suspended by the central government for "repeated instances of gross misconduct and misbehaviour". New Delhi, Aug 9 (PTI) Class teachers of Delhi government schools will mark the attendance of students online using tabs or school computer system and the record will have a bearing on final examinations, according to an official circular. The circular further said that manual attendance marked by the class teacher will not be considered for any purpose. "Online attendance records will be considered final for examinations. The attendance data of the students submitted online by the class teacher and school will be reflected at HQ level," the Delhi government's Directorate of Education (DoE) said. The DoE said it is crucial for students to be present in school and actively engage in the learning process. The heads of government schools have been directed to establish a "positive home-school relationship" by making personal calls to the student's family and also utilise digital communication channels like SMS, whatsApp and e-mail, the directorate said. "PTM will be held on every Saturday excluding the Second Saturday and holidays after the school hours. During the meeting, schools will provide parents with comparative analysis of their child's attendance, especially for students who are absent more than three days in a week," the DoE circular said. CANBERRA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Australia's peak universities body has warned that the nation's skills shortage will cost billions of dollars every year without action to help more students graduate. In a speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Universities Australia chair David Lloyd revealed modeling projecting that low university degree attainment rates will cost the economy 7 billion Australian dollars (4.5 billion U.S. dollars) by 2026. Ahead of the final report from the landmark Universities Accord being handed down later in 2023, Lloyd said more university degrees were needed to address skills shortages. "The National Skills Commission's employment projections show that in the next few years, more than half of all new jobs will be highly skilled - meaning they will require a university qualification," he said. "The looming iceberg of skills shortage requires a much shorter turning circle than the provision of traditional three-year degree programs if it is to be avoided." The Skills Priority List for 2022, which was released by the National Skills Commission (NSC) in October, revealed that 286 out of 914 occupations -- 31 percent -- struggle to fill vacant jobs. According to the database, registered nurses, software engineers, care workers, construction managers, childcare workers and mechanics are the most in-demand employees in Australia. In response to the growing crisis, the government in 2022 convened the National Jobs and Skills Summit and established the Universities Accord to review the higher education system. The inquiry's interim report recommended the abolition of the previous government's Job-Ready Graduate Scheme, under which students who failed more than 50 percent of their classes were no longer eligible for Commonwealth funding for their studies. Its final report will focus on reforms to boost the number of students who graduate. "We owe it to ourselves, and the nation, to interrogate all the areas in focus appropriately and deeply so that the outcomes drive our universities and underpin their success," Lloyd said. Kanpur (UP), Aug 9 (PTI) With the arrest of six people, including a contractor and a techno expert, the Uttar Pradesh commissionerate police on Wednesday claimed to have busted a gang which swindled over Rs 1.68 crore of KESCo by tempering with its payment gateway URL code. Commissioner of Police, B P Jogdand said preliminary probe suggested that the fraudsters with the help of cyber hackers got transferred money of over 1,700 power consumers into fake accounts by tempering with KESCo's (Kanpur Electric Supply Company Ltd) payment gateway URL Code. To avoid being caught, the accused opened fake bank accounts with the same private sector bank in Baghpat district instead of availing bank facilities in Kanpur, he added. KESCo's managing director, Samuel Paul N, asked Ashish Dixit, superintending engineer, to lodge the FIR with Gwaltoli police station just a fortnight back. Talking to PTI, the Additional DCP (Crime) Manish Chandra Sonkar said to have investigated the fraud case and found the consumers' money swindled into a fake account, KESCo Electronics, opened with the private sector bank in Bagpat. After gathering criminal intelligence, four teams were formed with the task to nab the fraudsters, ADCP added. Those arrested were identified as Suhail Khan (40), the alleged mastermind, Vivek Kumar Sharma (40), Anil Kumar (37), Karan Rana (20), Yogendra Singh (40) and Shakti (39). Boston man files lawsuit seeking to bankrupt white supremacist group he says assaulted him A Black teacher and musician who says members of a white nationalist hate group punched, kicked and beat him with metal shields during a march through Boston last year has sued the organization Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Westerly Town Council President Edward Morrone is sworn in by Westerly Town Clerk Mary LeBlanc as fellow council members look on in Council Chambers at Westerly Town Hall on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. Less than a year after his election, Morrone resigned from the council on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. (Sun file photo by Tim Martin) The company whose name became synonymous with remote work is joining the growing return-to-office trend. Zoom, the video conferencing pioneer, is asking employees who live within a 50-mile radius of its offices to work onsite two days a week, a company spokesperson confirmed in an email. The statement said the company has decided that a structured hybrid approach meaning employees that live near an office need to be onsite two days a week to interact with their teams is most effective for Zoom. The new policy, which will be rolled out in August and September, was first reported by the New York Times, which said Zoom CEO Eric Yuan fielded questions from employees unhappy with the new policy during a Zoom meeting last week. Zoom, based in San Jose, California, saw explosive growth during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic as companies scrambled to shift to remote work, and even families and friends turned to the platform for virtual gatherings. But that growth has stagnated as the pandemic threat has ebbed. Shares of Zoom Video Communications Inc. have tumbled hard since peaking early in the pandemic, from $559 apiece in October 2020, to below $70 on Tuesday. Shares have slumped more than 10% to start the month of August. In February, Zoom laid off about 1,300 people, or about 15% of its workforce. Google, Salesforce and Amazon are among major companies that have also stepped up their return-to-office policies despite a backlash from some employees. Similarly to Zoom, many companies are asking their employees to show up to the office only part-time, as hybrid work shapes up to be a lasting legacy of the pandemic. Since January, the average weekly office occupancy rate in 10 major U.S. cities has hovered around 50%, dipping below that threshold during the summer months, according to Kastle Systems, which measures occupancy through entry swipes. (AP) Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency Tuesday, citing an influx of migrants seeking shelter at a time when the cost of housing already in short supply continues to rise. There are nearly 5,600 families or more than 20,000 people many of whom are migrants currently living in state shelters, including infants, young children and pregnant women. That is up from around 3,100 families a year ago, about an 80% increase, Healey said. Many of the migrants are arriving by plane from other states. In the past 48 hours alone, she said, 50 migrant families have landed in the state in need of shelter. Its exponentially more than our state has ever served in our emergency assistance program, she said. These numbers are being driven by a surge in new arrivals in our country who have been through some of the hardest journeys imaginable. The migrants arriving in Massachusetts are the face of the international migrant crisis and are coming at a time when the state is already experiencing a housing crunch, Healey said. She called on the federal government for financial help, and more urgently, expedited work authorizations to allow the new arrivals to more quickly find jobs and start earning a living, she wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. In the letter, Healey pointed to work authorizations as a primary driver of the crisis. Currently, she said, it can take weeks, months or more than a year to receive the authorizations. Our new arrivals are most eager to work. The last thing they want is to be dependent, she said. As part of the emergency declaration, Healey said she is renewing a call to local organizations that can assist those seeking shelter as well as to people interested in sponsoring a family in their home. The state has also launched a new migrant relief fund to help raise money to aid migrants. The contributions will be used to help pay for a range of goods and services for migrants, including food, clothing, diapers and transportation as well as health screenings, translation services, legal assistance and English classes. As a right-to-shelter state, Massachusetts is legally required to provide eligible families shelter through its emergency assistance program. Geralde Gabeau, executive director of the Immigrant Family Services Institute, has worked with immigrants arriving from Haiti and said they are ready to get to work. The new families coming to our communities are wonderful human beings, she said. They are ready to work. They are ready to contribute to our economies. Healey and state lawmakers should rescind the states right-to-shelter policy, said Paul Diego Craney of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, a conservative group. Perhaps it is time for the governor to take a trip to the southern border to see firsthand the open southern border crisis, he said in a statement. More than 80 cities and towns across the state have already felt the impact of new migrants and support the emergency declatarion, said Geoff Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. Community leaders want state and federal agencies to step in to provide these families with the services and support they need to be safe and healthy, he said. Other states have faced challenges with soaring numbers of migrants. On Monday, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced a plan to house as many as 2,000 migrants on an island in the East River where a migrant center was set up last year and then taken down weeks later. Some states led by Republicans including Texas and Florida have bused or flown immigrants to states and cities led by Democrats, including California, Massachusetts. New York and Chicago. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year flew 49 Venezuelan migrants to the upscale Massachusetts enclave of Marthas Vineyard. (AP) The four astronauts assigned to fly around the moon in another year got their first look at their spacecraft, as NASA warned Tuesday there could be more delays. They peeked into their unfinished Orion capsule, red Remove Before Flight tags still dangling from it, and came away impressed. Nothing else looks like that thats what gave me shivers, astronaut Christina Koch told reporters. The U.S.-Canadian crew inspected the capsule during a visit to Kennedy Space Center late Monday and Tuesday. NASA plans to send the four around the moon and back late next year. Investigations into the capsules heat shield, however, could delay this first lunar trip by astronauts in more than half a century. Last years test flight around the moon, with no one on board, resulted in unexpected charring and loss of material from the heat shield at the bottom of the capsule. The heat shield is meant to protect the capsule against the extreme heat of reentry. The following mission of the Artemis program a moon landing faces even more hurdles and may slip from late 2025 into 2026. The main issue remains SpaceXs Starship, the rocketship that will carry two NASA astronauts from lunar orbit down to the south pole. With only one test flight so far for Starship resulting in an explosion a few minutes after liftoff in April NASA is concerned whether Elon Musks SpaceX can pull everything off in time. The space agency will not commit to a moon landing using Starship, until SpaceX conducts multiple Starship orbital flights, sets up a refueling depot around Earth and completes a moon-landing dress rehearsal. NASAs exploration systems development chief, Jim Free, said the space agency should have a clearer handle on where things stand this fall. Its clear that we have a lot of work to do, said astronaut Victor Glover. Despite such lingering worries, the mood inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building named after the first man to step onto the moon was upbeat Tuesday. The astronauts assigned to the mission amid hoopla last spring were asked what it felt like to be in such hallowed grounds. Crew commander Reid Wiseman said it wasnt their own trip but the next moon landing that is going to carry the dream for us. More than 200 rock concert speakers were stacked around the capsule for an acoustic test later this week. NASA planned to blast the place with up to 143 decibels of rumbling noise imitating the thunderous sounds of liftoff to see how well the windows, wiring and other parts of the capsule hold up. Gesturing toward the capsule, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said: Thats real Its not a dream. (AP) Recent revelations surrounding a cocaine incident at the White House last month suggest that President Joe Biden possesses knowledge about the individual responsible, and the alleged wrongdoer is reportedly connected to the Biden family orbit, according to an exclusive report. Contrary to initial speculations that Hunter Biden, who has been vocal about his battle with cocaine addiction, might have been involved, sources informed the Soldier of Fortune website that Hunter was not linked to the incident. The incident came to light on July 2 when a quantity of cocaine was discovered within a cubby in the West Wing, an area designated for visitors to stow personal items before entering the main building. The cocaines presence triggered a precautionary evacuation of the White House, followed by a thorough search by hazardous material teams. During this period, both President Biden and his son Hunter, aged 53, were at Camp David. The timeline of how long the bag containing cocaine had been in the cubby before its discovery remains uncertain, complicating efforts to pinpoint the individual responsible for its presence. The Secret Service, tasked with ensuring the security of the White House, initiated an investigation that employed DNA and fingerprint analysis to identify the culprit. Despite initial claims to the contrary, officials disclosed that there were no surveillance cameras positioned to capture footage of the individual responsible, leading to criticism from former President Donald Trump and his supporters. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Gugliemi informed NBC News that an extensive list of approximately 500 individuals potentially connected to the incident had been compiled for investigation. However, the agency ultimately decided against interviewing all 500 individuals due to the strain it would impose on resources and potential infringement upon civil liberties. Gugliemi also indicated that without corresponding physical evidence tying a person to the drugs, the endeavor would likely prove unfruitful. The discovered quantity of cocaine, amounting to 208 milligrams or approximately 0.007 ounces, falls within the parameters of a misdemeanor charge in the District of Columbia. On July 13, the Secret Service officially closed the investigation, citing an inability to identify the perpetrator. The Soldier of Fortune website has since reported that three security sources, currently employed by a U.S. government agency, independently identified the same individual as the culprit behind the cocaine incident. These sources allegedly stated that the person responsible had a connection to the Biden family orbit, a circle of individuals associated with the President. The sources clarified that Hunter Biden was not implicated in the event. One of the sources indicated, If you want the name, ask Joe Biden. He knows who it is. A second source supported this claim, stating that the individual involved was not Hunter Biden but rather someone with ties to the Presidents family circle. As speculation continues to swirl around this incident, questions regarding the extent of President Bidens knowledge and involvement remain, shedding light on the intricate dynamics that sometimes permeate the highest echelons of political power. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) The Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday accepted the appeal of the lawyers of Elisha Yered, who was arrested following an attempted lynch of Jewish shepherds by a violent Arab mob from the village of Burqa, and released him to house arrest. One of the Jews, Yechiel Indor, was seriously injured and shot a Palestinian in self-defense but nevertheless was arrested and is still under detention while recovering from surgery in the hospital. Indor will be brought to the Jerusalem Magistrate Court on Wednesday for a hearing. Yered is not a suspect in the shooting but was arrested for the alleged obstruction of the police investigation. According to his lawyers, Yered took Indors weapon and returned it to Indors house [while Indor was being evacuated to the hospital] in order that it wouldnt be left in the field near the Palestinian village. When the police arrived at his home and arrested him for allegedly obstructing the investigation, he immediately informed them where the weapon was and provided them a detailed account of what happened. During the hearing, the judges reprimanded the police, who came unprepared to the hearing as they struggled to provide any evidence against Yered. After they were unable to provide any evidence that Yered obstructed the investigation, the court accepted the appeal and released him. However, he is still subject to restrictive conditions he must remain in house arrest, hes forbidden from making phone calls and he must post a NIS 6,000 bail. Attorney Avichai Hajabi said: Today we understand that at the beginning of the hearing, the representative of the police investigative unit failed to show the court any evidence. From the beginning, we believed that this case was riddled with wrong assumptions by the investigative unit, with selective enforcement between Yered and Indor and the Palestinians who brutally beat and assaulted them. We believe that in the next few days, they will be released and the case will be closed. Attorney Nati Rom criticized the conduct of the police: Israel Police arrived unprepared. The judge did not understand What, there is nothing to this case. We very much hope that they will be releasedthere is no case here. We see more and more that someone who saved his own life and that of others is unfortunately detained in the hospital, even when he is in intensive care, even when he is before surgery. This should never have happened. The 300 rioters, who, as the police said there was no doubt that there was significant violence against the Jews unfortunately not all of them were arrested. Even those who were arrested it was after several days and meanwhile they were with their families, unlike my client. Even when they are arrested, they are not charged with crimes such as attempted murder like my client, although he did nothing but protect his life and the lives of others. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) Students dressed in traditional attire celebrate the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in Lalitpur, Nepal, Aug. 9, 2023. The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is marked every year on Aug. 9. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua) A student performs a traditional dance to celebrate the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in Lalitpur, Nepal, Aug. 9, 2023. The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is marked every year on Aug. 9. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua) A man in traditional attire dances to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in Kathmandu, Nepal, Aug. 9, 2023. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua) People in traditional attires celebrate the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in Kathmandu, Nepal, Aug. 9, 2023. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua) Anarchists who are engaged in a vicious battle to overturn the past elections and bring down the government wont let anything get in their way. Anything goes treachery to their own country by making false condemnations to the world and causing far more damage than the most active foreign BDS activists, strenuous efforts to wreak havoc on Israels economy and security, pubic humiliation of government officials, harassment of the public by blocking main highways for hours, and disturbance of the public by making deafening noise in residential areas in the early morning hours. Their latest evil action is attempting to harm the Panda Hotel in the Golan, which hosted Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his wife for a vacation this week, by leaving hundreds of negative reviews on Google and Facebook in order to deter future guests by lowering its rating. Some of the anarchists even went to the efforts to translate their negative reviews into English in order to deter foreign tourists from booking reservations there. The anarchists managed to decrease the hotels Google rating from 4.8 out of 5 to 4.5. However, once the report got out about the anarchists actions, Netanyaus supporters, and anyone who values ethics and civility, responded by writing mass positive reviews. The CEO of the Panda Hotel, Ami Yisrael, stated in response: Most of the comments are fake written by people who did not stay at the hotel and apparently this is their only way to harm us. The Panda Hotel will continue to host guests as it has done until nowI am a hotelier and I host everyone who wishes to stay with me in the best way possible. Anarchists who sought to hold a protest outside the hotel on Tuesday, even threatening to make deafening noise all night to prevent the prime minister from sleeping, filed an appeal to the Supreme Court on Tuesday morning to reverse the polices decision to deny them entry into the moshav. Unsurprisingly, the Supreme Court sided with the anarchists and ordered the police to allow them to protest inside the moshav. The protesters were granted entry to the moshav and the police allowed them to protest 300 meters away from the hotel. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) The Jerusalem Magistrates Court on Wednesday turned down a police request to extend the detention of the Burqa suspects Elisha Yered and Yechiel Indor, releasing them to house arrest. On Tuesday, the Jerusalem District Court ordered the release of Yered to house arrest but the police filed an appeal against the decision to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court sided with the police in a hearing held on Wednesday morning, ruling that his release be delayed until the hearing at the Magistrates Court at 1 p.m., only hours later. At the hearing in the Magistrates Court, the judge slammed the conduct of the Supreme Court and the prosecutors office, saying, It is a far-reaching step for the Supreme Court to intervene. Attorney Avichai Hajabi responded to the decision: The court today implemented the decision made yesterday by the District Court, repeating the clear assertions that there is no evidence in this case. We are happy that the court saw the decision in the same light as us and the District Court, and we hope that Elisha and Yechiel will be released as soon as possible. Attorney Adi Keidar said: I welcome the courts decision that restores justice. This incident is first of all an incident of Arab terrorism against Jews who defended themselves. The court clearly stated that the claims of self-defense were not ruled out, that the possibility that the crime of suspected manslaughter was committed is low, and spoke about the severe injury that the shooter [Indor] suffered. It is gratifying that the court expressed very harsh criticism of the entire conduct of the General Security Service, the prosecutors office, and the police. Indor, who is still hospitalized and recovering from neurosurgery, was not present at the hearing. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) I ordered three dresses from online shop Shein two months ago and have still not received my delivery. Shein says the parcel was delivered and has provided a GPS tracker from the courier firm to prove this. All this proves is that the courier was on my street, but Shein say its good enough evidence to prove delivery and has now closed my complaint. What can I do next? Debra Harper, via email. Lost: A reader still hasn't received the dresses she bought from Shein - but the online shop claims they were delivered The Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets out the law covering this area very clearly. Section 29 states that when traders send goods to consumers, the goods remain effectively in the traders legal possession until they have come into the consumers physical possession. The only exception is when the consumer agrees for the goods to be left in a safe place or with a neighbour; or, in other words, where the consumer agrees the goods do not have to be put into their physical possession. So, simply providing GPS tracking evidence is not enough, as it does not prove Section 29 has been satisfied with the physical possession requirement. The only evidence that would satisfy the requirement would, in my view, be a picture of the parcel on your doorstep with your front door open, or of the goods in your hand although I always advise against allowing couriers to take your picture as these images have been known to end up in the hands of fraudsters. You are therefore entitled to a refund or for three new dresses to be sent to you. Your next step is to cite Section 29 to the retailer and demand your refund or replacement of goods. If this does not work, make a chargeback claim if you paid with a debit or credit card. What are my rights over conked out Jag? I purchased a 2013 Jaguar XJ Portfolio from a seller on eBay for 9,550. The car was described as having done 80,000 miles, with a good spec and a full service history. It also listed the specification of the car in detail. Three days after I picked the car up it broke down and I had to be rescued by the AA. It then transpired that the car had lots of engine problems, and I have been advised that repairing it is not economically viable. Can I demand my money back as the seller failed to tell me about any of these issues? Steve Graham, via email. When you buy from a private seller (as opposed to an individual or entity selling as a business), the Consumer Rights Act provides you with very little protection, as the private seller isnt under any obligation to tell you about any faults, and theres no requirement for the item to be of satisfactory quality or suitable for any specific purpose. The only legal obligation on a private seller is to make sure any description of the goods is accurate and not misleading. So if the seller did not sell the vehicle as a business you will not be able to demand a refund. However, if the seller sold the vehicle as part of a business you will be able to demand a refund on the basis that he failed to disclose the problems with the car. This is why I advise people to proceed with caution when buying from private individuals. To provide yourself with greater protection, ask the seller lots of questions about the goods and make sure all answers are provided in writing. This acts as an extension of the description, giving you the right to sue or demand your money back if any answers turn out to be untrue. I had almost given up on a holiday abroad this summer as theyre now so eye-wateringly expensive. Flights alone cost over a quarter more than last year. But then I saw an advert by discount website Wowcher that brought a holiday for me and my wife back into my miserly grasp. The deal offers flights and two-nights accommodation for two somewhere abroad for just 99 per person. The only catch? The trip is labelled The Ultimate Mystery Holiday in other words, we would not know before paying for it where we would be going. The advertisement showed tantalising images of New York, Las Vegas and Mexico, along with sun-kissed beach scenes that looked as if they could be Barbados or the Maldives. So, I decided to gamble. Promise: Wowcher's mystery deal offers flights and two-nights accommodation for two somewhere abroad for just 99 per person The original advertisement showed tantalising images of New York, Las Vegas and Mexico, along with sun-kissed beach scenes that looked as if they could be Barbados or the Maldives These are the list of the best long-haul deals that were offered up which included New York, Dubai, Las Vegas The chance to jet away for a romantic weekend with my wife for under 200 seemed too good an offer to pass up. Have you ever been on an Ultimate Mystery holiday? Please let us know what your experience was like by emailing toby.walne@dailymail.co.uk The deal promised we would be given four-star accommodation and 1,386 such breaks had already been snapped up in June and July. Not wanting to miss out, I fumbled for my wallet to pay for our mystery trip. However, I quickly learned that the 99 price was only from the autumn as we want to go before the summer is out, the price was actually 129. And then there was a 9.99 administration charge, bringing the total to 267.99. Trip to a place that does not exist Still, I was feeling hopeful when, within hours of paying, I received an email asking for some date options for when we would be available to jet off. I excitedly broke the news to my wife. Then we waited patiently, passports at the ready as the first weekend that we had asked for came and went. Eventually, a week later, I finally received that expected call. Ashish was courteous and friendly, ringing from a call centre in India. There was a rehearsed sense of theatre to the proceedings as if he were opening a golden envelope. Congratulations . . . you have two tickets to Sofia in Germany, he announced. I have been to Sofia in the past and Im pretty sure its in Bulgaria. Is he sure? Ah yes. Sorry. It is Bulgaria, admitted Ashish. Although I have nothing against this lovely country, it was not what I had in mind for our summer break and I asked if I could have another go at the lucky dip. This time he came back with Gdansk in Poland. Again, nonplussed. I told him I was willing to sulk on the line until he found a weekend break more to my liking. Originally they were going to put me off the main island at Hotel San Giuliano. It was a basic three-star some five miles out of Venice itself. I looked it up and could have got it for 170 for two nights if Id booked directly. So, if I had booked the break myself I would have paid 10 less than with the mystery offer Lista Di Spagna: I was upgraded to a four-star hotel (as initially promised in the promotion) in Venice. This accommodation costs 300 to book directly so by using the Mystery Holiday deal I was now 120 up Special deal doubles in price My intransigence paid off and after ten minutes Ashish came back with an offer of Milan in Italy at the end of July. We went through the itinerary and when Ashish said we would be flying from my local airport Stansted, just 12 miles away, I was delighted. There was a slight hiccup in that the break was for three nights not the two as requested but as I was hopeful I could arrange the extra time off work, I still eagerly agreed to the offer. Because you are booking for an extra day there is a supplementary charge of 129 per person, Ashish then calmly added. I argued that I should not have to pay the supplement since it was the decision of the tour operator not me to extend the trip. But my argument failed to impress. Suddenly the price of the holiday had doubled and an initial expectation of 198 had risen to a total of 525.99. Not quite the money-saving trip I had in mind. Ashish explained that because June and July are so popular there is much less choice. As a compromise I was willing to forget the summer break and go any time he had available. Other European destinations included two-night breaks in Dubrovnik, Genoa and Santander Bargain bucket: Wowcher's Ultimate Mystery Holiday deal offers two nights for just 99 per person - but you don't know where you'll end up Summer stay in winter Ashish then went away for a further 20 minutes to find what else might be in the tour operators mystery locker. I was feeling grateful for finding someone so helpful. He could all too easily have told me there were no more choices on the table or done what so many firms do these days when they dont want to help and just hung up. It also helped that I remained courteous, understanding all too well the unnecessary abuse call centre staff often suffer when just trying to do their job. Eventually Ashish came back on the line: Okay. Venice in November. That is the best I can do. The negotiating was over and I felt this was a fair result as it cost the original 267.99 I had paid for. Yet it was still not for when I actually wanted to travel and would involve going from Gatwick airport considerably less convenient than Stansted. The itinerary was emailed through moments later from a company called Weekender Breaks. Apparently, we would be travelling via Wizz Air (it holds the dubious honour of being the worst short-haul airline, according to consumer group Which?). Had I bought two return flight tickets separately for these journeys, it would have cost just 88. Naturally, the tickets only included a hand baggage allowance. If we had taken suitcases they would have cost more than the flights. But the hotel was the biggest disappointment as it was a basic three-star some five miles out of Venice itself. I looked it up and could have got it for 170 for two nights if Id booked directly. So, if I had booked the break myself I would have paid 10 less than with the mystery offer. Great expectations not quite met This mystery holiday had turned into a bit of a damp squib and I called the next day to explain my disappointment. In preparation, I was armed with the knowledge that when booking a holiday under package travel regulations there is protection if the holiday does not turn out to be as expected. And it would be fair to assume that when booking an advertised break in Venice, this is where I might expect to stay. Politely I put forward this case. To my surprise, it worked, and I was upgraded to a four-star hotel (as initially promised in the promotion) in Venice. This accommodation costs 300 to book directly so by using the Mystery Holiday deal I was now 120 up. The deal promised four-star accommodation - and claimed that 1,386 such breaks had already been snapped up in June and July Odds of winning the perfect break Weekender Breaks is the trading name of Viva Holidays, which is an agent for Hays Travel. Delve into the small-print terms and conditions tucked in a link under the fine print and you will find holidays are sold in batches of 1,000 to a wide variety of destinations. Only one in 1,000 bought are to Barbados. And you get the same odds for hitting the jackpot with locations such as New York and Dubai. There are more than 50 other winning destinations, with many offering dozens of breaks almost all of which are in Europe. A tip for anyone tempted to buy a Mystery Holiday print off the full list of available destinations and have it to hand when you are told where you are being sent, so you are better prepared to fight for where you really want to go. A spokesman for Hays Travel says: We advise people to always read the small print on deals offering holidays costing well below the market value. It helps keep expectations realistic. But is the mystery holiday worth a punt? Well, after quite a bit of haggling and several phone calls, I ended up making some savings. But as with so many things in life I discovered you get what you pay for. toby.walne@dailymail.co.uk Have you ever been on an Ultimate Mystery holiday? Please email your experience to toby.walne@dailymail.co.uk Arm has posted a loss a month before its proposed listing in New York. Revenue fell 11 per cent to 480million in the three months to June. Arms chip technology is widely used in Apple products such as iPhones and iPads, which have seen a prolonged sales slump in recent earnings. Arm is owned by Japanese investment firm SoftBank and the figures are a blow to its chief executive Masayoshi Son, who is trying to convince leading investors in the US to back the float. SoftBank took Arm private for 24billion in 2016, removing it from the London Stock Exchange. Setback: Softbank chief exec Masayoshi Son (pictured) is trying to convince leading investors in the US to back the float It had hoped to sell Arm to US chip firm Nvidia in 2020 but the 31billion deal collapsed due to regulatory blocks. After it failed, the UK undertook an intense lobbying effort to convince SoftBank to have a dual listing in London as well as the New York. But SoftBank snubbed the City earlier this year, stating that the US was the best path forward for the company. This delivered a serious blow to London, which has recently endured an exodus of firms. The worlds largest building materials company CRH has warned it is going to move its primary stock market listing to New York, and gambling giant Flutter is gearing up to list there in the autumn. Listings in the US are increasingly preferred by tech entrepreneurs, garnering higher valuations. Londons largest ever float to date was in 2011 when Anglo-Swiss mining firm Glencore listed at a 38billion valuation. SoftBanks finance chief Yoshimitsu Goto said: The Arm IPO plan is going very smoothly. Dan Ives, tech analyst at Wedbush Securities, said although the results were poor, there were reasons to be cheerful. He said: These results are not roses and rainbows but that does not change the long-term value proposition for Arm. Arm is in a position of strength in the AI arms race with an IPO an important strategic step forward. Songs performed by country music star Carrie Underwood have been sold to London-listed music royalty firm Round Hill Music. The music investment fund bought the rights from New York based Big Loud Shirt Industries. As a result, Round Hill owns popular songs such as Before He Cheats and Undo It by the 40-year-old 2005 American Idol winner. American Idol: Country music star Carrie Underwood was the 2005 American Idol winner The deal also includes songs by stars including Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Faith Hill and Dierks Bentley. Income from these songs being streamed grew by 200 per cent between 2017 and 2021 and comes amid a growing enthusiasm for country music. Round Hill said the genre made up 11 per cent of its overall portfolio. Boss Josh Gruss said the deal would bring some of the highest profile, most recognisable and enduring country music hits of the last three decades into his firms portfolio. He said: This investment not only enables us to increase Round Hill Musics exposure to the country music genre, but also provides an exciting opportunity for us to leverage our in-house platform to manage these incredible songs, maximising their income streams and further growing their value. The revival of Cornwalls mining industry has moved a step closer after a lithium company secured 53million of funding from the Government and two US groups. Cornish Lithium will receive 24million from the UK Infrastructure Bank as well as cash from private firm Energy & Minerals Group and an existing shareholder, TechMet, whose biggest backer is the US government. The money will be used to move one of its mining projects to the construction stage and complete design work for a pioneering scheme that could extract lithium that is dissolved in geothermal waters. Smash hit: Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson (pictured) starred in the celebrated BBC adaption of the Poldark novels - set in the heyday of the Cornwall copper mining industry Lithium is a crucial material used in electric batteries and ministers are keen for Britain to tap into its own reserves of the metal, which is in high demand worldwide. Cornwall had some of the richest copper and tin reserves on earth during the 18th and early 19th century and the countys mining technology was the most sophisticated in the world. During its heyday, the regions highly skilled miners were sent to Australia, South Africa and Mexico to help establish nascent industries. In Winston Grahams Poldark novels, set in that era, hero Ross Poldarks family had made their fortune in Cornish copper mines. The stories were adapted into two hit BBC TV series starring Robin Ellis in the 1970s and more recently, Aidan Turner. Car makers and politicians hope the county, which has been mined since the Bronze Age, could become the centre of the UKs battery industry. The funding will secure the companys future for the next two years. It could be followed by a second round of investment from the trio of up to 168million. Cornish Lithiums chief executive Jeremy Wrathall said: This funding means we can continue the 4,000-year history of mining in Cornwall and secure the supply of critical minerals that will be needed to make electric batteries. It is a transformational moment. Power move: Volex, headed by Nat Rothschild (pictured), will supply connectors to Teslas US charging points The industrial manufacturer headed by Nat Rothschild, the prominent financier, has been picked as Teslas electric car charging partner in the US. Volex, which employs 8,000 people in 22 countries, will supply connectors to Teslas electric vehicle (EV) charging points as they are rolled out in the US. Volex said it was stocked and ready to immediately supply it. Analysts at Peel Hunt said: This confirms Volexs strong position in the global EV charging market. They added that Volex shares are undervalued, despite the fact that under Rothschilds stewardship shares in Volex have jumped more than threefold. Rothschild recently told the Mail that ministers must provide a strong blueprint on how to roll out the EV charging infrastructure that Britain craves. Shares in Volex fell 1.1 per cent, or 3.5p, to 310.5p on Londons junior AIM market. Homeowners racing to overpay their mortgage before their loan rate rises could be making a financial mistake costing them hundreds of pounds. Overpayments allow mortgage holders to put additional cash towards their home loan to pay off the debt faster and reduce their loan size. One in four homeowners have paid over and above their monthly mortgage costs this year, Barclays disclosed last month. A record 6.7 billion was spent on mortgage overpayments in the first three months of this year, according to the Bank of England. Many homeowners are overpaying while they are still on a low fixed-rate deal before they are forced to remortgage at a higher rate. Rush: A record 6.7bn was spent on mortgage overpayments in the first three months of this year, according to the Bank of England Someone who took out a two-year fix two years ago would be paying just 2.52 per cent on average, but would be facing a new rate of 6.84 per cent if they had to remortgage today. Industry experts are warning this strategy could leave homeowners worse off than if they put the money into a top-paying savings account instead. So who should be overpaying, and who shouldnt? Money Mail crunches the numbers. Savings versus overpayments As a rule of thumb, you should only overpay your mortgage if the rate is around the same or higher than the rate you can get on the money in a cash savings account elsewhere. If you can get a higher savings rate, you would usually be better off building up a nest egg instead. You can use this sum to overpay your mortgage at the point at which the balance tips and your mortgage rate exceeds your savings rate. Banks and building societies are increasing the amount they pay on savings accounts in response to the Bank of Englands rising base rate. The best one-year fixed rate account, offered by Atom Bank, pays 6.05 per cent. The average rate is as high as 5.23 per cent, according to rate scrutineer Moneyfacts Compare. Nicola Crosbie, a financial planner at wealth manager Schroders, says: If you have a low rate that is fixed for a long time then it may not be worth overpaying now as you could see a better return if you put the money into a savings account instead. Rates: Someone who took out a two-year fix two years ago would be paying just 2.52% on average, but would be facing a new rate of 6.84% For example, take a homeowner who has 25 years left on a 300,000 mortgage, a fixed rate of 2 per cent and two years left on their current deal. If they overpaid their loan by 200 a month for the next two years, they would save 93.13 in interest during that time, according to broker L&C. However, if they had put this money into a savings account with a rate of 6.05 per cent for two years, they would have earned 289.36 in interest. After two years, they would have saved an extra 196.23 by saving instead of overpaying their mortgage. If they then used the savings lump sum they had accumulated of 5,089 to reduce their mortgage balance, they would save 12,964 in interest over the remaining 23-year mortgage term. This assumes they remortgage at 5.63 per cent the average UK mortgage rate over the past 25 years for the remaining term and keep their monthly mortgage payments at the same level. By comparison, if they had reduced their mortgage balance through two years of monthly overpayments, and refixed at 5.63 per cent for the remaining 23 years, they would save 12,652 in interest over the same term. That means someone who puts the money into a savings account and uses it to pay down their mortgage in one go would be better off over the long-term by 312. Fears: One in four homeowners have paid over and above their monthly mortgage costs this year If you are able to overpay or save 500 a month, the benefit of saving is even greater. By the time you paid off your full mortgage, you would be 829 better off, the L&C analysis reveals. The savings can be even greater if you have a sizable lump sum. Someone with 10,000 can earn 605 in interest over one year in the top-paying savings account. However, if they overpaid their mortgage by 10,000, they would save just 190 in interest over the year. This assumes they have a 300,000 fixed-rate mortgage at 2 per cent, with a 25-year term. They would have 415 more if they opted for a savings account over a mortgage overpayment. In a second example, if you had a 25,000 lump sum, you could earn 1,437 in interest in a top-paying savings account over one year. If you overpaid your mortgage by 25,000, you would save 460 in interest over the same year. Again this assumes a 300,000 fixed-rate mortgage at 2 per cent with a 25-year term. That means after one year, you would be 977 better off opting for a savings account over mortgage overpayments. Hikes: Banks and building societies are increasing the amount they pay on savings accounts, in response to the Bank of Englands rising base rate Overpay to get a better rate Most High Street lenders will allow you to overpay your mortgage by up to 10 pc of your outstanding balance each year without incurring a fee. But a handful of banks have made concessions as rates rise. NatWest currently allows borrowers to overpay by up to 20 per cent each year without paying a penalty. Anything above this will incur a punitive early repayment charge, which is typically between 1 and 5 per cent of the amount you still owe. Overpaying your mortgage could also improve your loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, by increasing the amount of equity you have in your home. The lower your LTV, the less risky a lender considers you to be and the better the rate it will offer. This could save you thousands, says Dominik Lipnicki, a broker at Your Mortgage Decisions. Once you overpay your mortgage you cannot access the money again. Offset for a happy medium? If you want to use your savings to offset your mortgage without losing access to them altogether, an offset mortgage could help. These mortgages link your savings account with your mortgage so you get a lower savings rate in exchange for a lower mortgage rate. For example, if you have a 200,000 mortgage and 20,000 in a savings account offset against it, then you will pay interest only on 180,000 of the mortgage. Instead of paying 6 per cent interest on 200,000 (12,000) in a year, you would pay 6 per cent on 180,000 (10,800) saving 1,200. Most lenders that offer these products will let you offset your mortgage by up to 10 per cent each year. a.cooke@dailymail.co.uk Only a third of voters support plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, according to a new poll. In a sign that consumers are turning against costly green policies, YouGov found that just 36 per cent of voters back the ban - down from 51 per cent two years ago. The poll, commissioned by The Times, showed the lack of support was particularly acute among potential Conservative voters - down from 41 per cent in 2019 to 19 per cent. (Stock Photo) In a sign that consumers are turning against costly green policies, YouGov found that just 36 per cent of voters back the ban - down from 51 per cent two years ago Rishi Sunak has insisted he is committed to the 2030 deadline, despite mounting concerns from drivers and car manufacturers that the infrastructure is not in place to cope with the influx of green vehicles on UK roads. But he has stressed that action to reach net-zero needed to be done in a 'proportionate and pragmatic way' amid the cost-of-living crisis. Last month 40 Tory MPs and peers wrote to the Prime Minister warning that sticking to the controversial timetable would cause 'grave harm to the economy' and leave motorists 'worse off'. The group, which includes six former Cabinet ministers, said the UK 'now stands virtually alone' in pursuing the rush to phase out petrol cars, with the EU watering down its own proposals for a ban that will not start until five years later. They also question whether 'new electricity generation and charging point roll-out is anywhere close to being on track to match the 2030 ambition, just seven years away'. Rishi Sunak has insisted he is committed to the 2030 deadline, despite mounting concerns from drivers and car manufacturers that the infrastructure is not in place to cope with the influx of green vehicles on UK roads Repeated polls have shown that the policy is unpopular with the public. At the weekend, a survey by the ConservativeHome website found that more than eight in 10 of the Tories' grassroots don't support the measure. The poll also found four in 10 of Conservative Party members were opposed to the Government's aim of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Nearly half (49 per cent) said they believed global warming was happening and being driven by human activity. MOSCOW, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Washington has committed a war crime by supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday. "Given the growing shortage of ammunition for Western-manufactured artillery systems within the Armed forces of Ukraine, Washington has committed a war crime by including cluster munitions," Shoigu said at a defense ministry board meeting, as reported on the ministry's website. The minister recalled that Britain had transferred Storm Shadow long-range missiles to Ukraine in May, and that NATO countries were actively considering whether to supply Kiev with F-16 fighter jets. He pointed out that the United States is further escalating the conflict by "seeking deliveries of increasingly long-range and deadly weapons" from its allies. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 10.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 213,484 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 19,574 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd.s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $21,101,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,662,234 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $553,615,000 after acquiring an additional 50,588 shares during the last quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. increased its position in Discover Financial Services by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 5,121,356 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $501,023,000 after buying an additional 293,924 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its position in Discover Financial Services by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,927,342 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $482,042,000 after buying an additional 1,293,260 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its position in Discover Financial Services by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,125,040 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $403,763,000 after buying an additional 34,033 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth $340,672,000. 83.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Discover Financial Services alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth DFS has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Discover Financial Services from $111.00 to $102.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Bank of America upped their target price on Discover Financial Services from $114.00 to $119.00 in a report on Thursday, June 15th. Credit Suisse Group reissued an outperform rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Discover Financial Services from $142.00 to $130.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an equal weight rating and issued a $124.00 price target on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $116.50. Discover Financial Services Stock Performance Discover Financial Services stock opened at $102.94 on Tuesday. The firms fifty day moving average price is $112.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.21. The company has a market capitalization of $25.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.43. Discover Financial Services has a 12-month low of $87.64 and a 12-month high of $122.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The financial services provider reported $3.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.70 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $3.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.88 billion. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 21.51% and a return on equity of 29.65%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 20.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.96 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.29 EPS for the current fiscal year. Discover Financial Services declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 19th that allows the company to repurchase $2.70 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 9.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the companys board believes its stock is undervalued. Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 24th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 23rd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. Discover Financial Servicess dividend payout ratio is presently 19.40%. Discover Financial Services Profile (Free Report) Discover Financial Services, through its subsidiaries, provides digital banking products and services, and payment services in the United States. It operates in two segments, Digital Banking and Payment Services. The Digital Banking segment offers Discover-branded credit cards to individuals; private student loans, personal loans, home loans, and other consumer lending; and direct-to-consumer deposit products comprising savings accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, IRA certificates of deposit, IRA savings accounts and checking accounts, and sweep accounts. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DFS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Discover Financial Services Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Discover Financial Services and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tesco PLC (LON:TSCO Get Free Report) insider Ken Murphy acquired 55 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, August 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 252 ($3.22) per share, with a total value of 138.60 ($177.12). Ken Murphy also recently made the following trade(s): Get Tesco alerts: On Friday, July 7th, Ken Murphy purchased 56 shares of Tesco stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 247 ($3.16) per share, with a total value of 138.32 ($176.77). On Friday, May 12th, Ken Murphy acquired 51 shares of Tesco stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 275 ($3.51) per share, with a total value of 140.25 ($179.23). Tesco Price Performance TSCO stock opened at GBX 252 ($3.22) on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 123.29. The firm has a market capitalization of 18.07 billion, a PE ratio of 2,520.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.65. Tesco PLC has a one year low of GBX 194.35 ($2.48) and a one year high of GBX 285.30 ($3.65). The firm has a 50-day moving average of GBX 255.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 259.08. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Tesco from GBX 290 ($3.71) to GBX 270 ($3.45) and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 7th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Tesco in a research report on Monday, July 3rd. Read Our Latest Report on Tesco About Tesco (Get Free Report) Tesco PLC, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a grocery retailer in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. It offers grocery products through its stores, as well as online. The company is also involved in the food and drink wholesaling activities. Featured Stories 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. TELUS (NYSE:TU Free Report) (TSE:T) had its price objective trimmed by Barclays from $21.00 to $20.00 in a research report report published on Monday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the Wireless communications providers stock. TU has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on TELUS from C$33.00 to C$31.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 20th. CIBC reduced their price objective on TELUS from C$31.00 to C$29.00 in a research note on Monday, July 17th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on TELUS in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating for the company. Desjardins lowered their price objective on shares of TELUS from C$29.00 to C$27.50 in a research note on Friday, July 14th. Finally, TD Securities cut their target price on shares of TELUS from C$31.00 to C$30.00 in a research note on Monday, July 17th. Get TELUS alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on TU TELUS Trading Down 0.8 % TELUS Increases Dividend Shares of TELUS stock opened at $17.11 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $24.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.60, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.73. TELUS has a 1 year low of $16.68 and a 1 year high of $23.68. The companys fifty day moving average is $18.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.87. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 8th will be paid a $0.274 dividend. This is a boost from TELUSs previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.41%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 7th. TELUSs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 172.58%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On TELUS Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rhumbline Advisers acquired a new position in TELUS during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,205,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of TELUS by 225.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,805 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 10,948 shares in the last quarter. Colonial River Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in TELUS during the 2nd quarter worth $400,000. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its holdings in TELUS by 9.9% during the second quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 11,212 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $218,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in TELUS by 7.2% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 586,771 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $11,419,000 after acquiring an additional 39,636 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.03% of the companys stock. About TELUS (Get Free Report) TELUS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of telecommunications and information technology products and services in Canada. It operates through Technology Solutions and Digitally-Led Customer Experiences segments. The Technology Solutions segment offers a range of telecommunications products and services; network services; mobile technologies equipment; data services, such as internet protocol; television; hosting, managed information technology, and cloud-based services; software, data management, and data analytics-driven smart food-chain and consumer goods technologies; home and business security; healthcare software and technology solutions; and voice and other telecommunications services. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for TELUS Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TELUS and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC Free Report) Equities research analysts at KeyCorp reduced their Q4 2023 earnings per share estimates for WESCO International in a report issued on Thursday, August 3rd. KeyCorp analyst K. Newman now anticipates that the technology company will post earnings of $4.02 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $4.19. KeyCorp has a Overweight rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for WESCO Internationals current full-year earnings is $15.50 per share. Get WESCO International alerts: WESCO International (NYSE:WCC Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The technology company reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.74). WESCO International had a net margin of 3.81% and a return on equity of 20.41%. The business had revenue of $5.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.19 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on WCC. Loop Capital boosted their target price on WESCO International from $170.00 to $210.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 21st. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of WESCO International from $214.00 to $189.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of WESCO International from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of WESCO International from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on WESCO International in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, WESCO International has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $181.75. View Our Latest Report on WCC WESCO International Stock Performance Shares of WCC stock opened at $152.30 on Monday. WESCO International has a 52-week low of $112.08 and a 52-week high of $185.23. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $167.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.81 billion, a PE ratio of 10.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 2.00. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in WESCO International by 55.8% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 23,551 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $3,065,000 after purchasing an additional 8,430 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of WESCO International by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 55,479 shares of the technology companys stock worth $7,220,000 after buying an additional 2,304 shares during the last quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. boosted its holdings in WESCO International by 29.5% in the second quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 82,766 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $8,864,000 after acquiring an additional 18,860 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in shares of WESCO International by 35.2% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,212 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 837 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC lifted its position in WESCO International by 33.0% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 21,877 shares of the technology companys stock worth $2,612,000 after acquiring an additional 5,424 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.78% of the companys stock. Insider Buying and Selling at WESCO International In other WESCO International news, EVP Nelson John Squires III sold 3,490 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $628,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 66,147 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,906,460. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Nelson John Squires III sold 3,490 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $628,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 66,147 shares in the company, valued at $11,906,460. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP James Cameron sold 7,687 shares of WESCO International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.47, for a total value of $1,179,723.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 35,811 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,495,914.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,668 shares of company stock valued at $2,418,849. Insiders own 2.60% of the companys stock. WESCO International Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. WESCO Internationals dividend payout ratio is presently 9.94%. About WESCO International (Get Free Report) WESCO International, Inc provides business-to-business distribution, logistics services, and supply chain solutions in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Electrical & Electronic Solutions (EES), Communications & Security Solutions (CSS), and Utility and Broadband Solutions (UBS). See Also Receive News & Ratings for WESCO International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WESCO International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Capstone Copper Corp. (TSE:CS Free Report) Research analysts at National Bank Financial issued their Q4 2023 earnings estimates for Capstone Copper in a report released on Wednesday, August 2nd. National Bank Financial analyst S. Nagle forecasts that the mining company will post earnings per share of $0.03 for the quarter. The consensus estimate for Capstone Coppers current full-year earnings is $0.15 per share. Get Capstone Copper alerts: Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Capstone Copper from C$8.70 to C$8.20 in a report on Monday, July 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Capstone Copper from C$8.50 to C$9.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. National Bankshares lifted their price target on Capstone Copper from C$7.25 to C$7.75 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on Capstone Copper from C$8.75 to C$8.50 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Capstone Copper from C$6.00 to C$8.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Six investment 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 price target of C$7.56. Capstone Copper Trading Down 4.2 % Shares of CS stock opened at C$6.38 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.99. Capstone Copper has a fifty-two week low of C$2.79 and a fifty-two week high of C$7.25. The firms 50 day moving average price is C$6.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$6.13. The stock has a market cap of C$4.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.09 and a beta of 2.24. About Capstone Copper (Get Free Report) Capstone Copper Corp. operates as a copper mining company in the United States, Chile, and Mexico. The company explores for copper, silver, zinc, and other metals. It owns interests in the Pinto Valley copper mine located in Arizona, the United States; Mantos Blancos copper-silver mine located in the Antofagasta region, Chile; Mantoverde coppergold mine located in the Atacama region, Chile; and Cozamin copper-silver mine located in Zacatecas, Mexico. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Capstone Copper Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Capstone Copper and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, August 7th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 31st will be given a dividend of 0.25 per share by the utilities provider on Monday, November 20th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.74%. NiSource has a dividend payout ratio of 59.2% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect NiSource to earn $1.71 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 58.5%. Get NiSource alerts: NiSource Stock Performance Shares of NYSE NI opened at $26.74 on Wednesday. NiSource has a 52 week low of $23.78 and a 52 week high of $31.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.45. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $27.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.58. The firm has a market cap of $11.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.47. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In NiSource ( NYSE:NI Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.02). NiSource had a net margin of 12.00% and a return on equity of 10.90%. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that NiSource will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. NI has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of NiSource in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price objective on NiSource from $32.00 to $31.00 in a report on Thursday, June 22nd. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on NiSource from $31.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 21st. Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of NiSource from $31.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Friday, July 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of NiSource from $31.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, NiSource presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $30.00. Get Our Latest Stock Report on NI Insider Activity In other news, EVP William Jr. Jefferson sold 4,875 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.80, for a total transaction of $130,650.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 30,905 shares in the company, valued at $828,254. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of NiSource by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 52,613,623 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,673,113,000 after purchasing an additional 5,153,843 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in NiSource by 8.9% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,192,844 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $769,332,000 after buying an additional 1,970,696 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of NiSource by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,609,035 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $240,171,000 after buying an additional 161,412 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of NiSource by 256.7% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 7,704,805 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $211,266,000 after acquiring an additional 5,544,787 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of NiSource by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,728,058 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $118,552,000 after acquiring an additional 368,777 shares during the period. 93.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. NiSource Company Profile (Get Free Report) NiSource Inc, an energy holding company, operates as a regulated natural gas and electric utility company in the United States. It operates through two segments, Gas Distribution Operations and Electric Operations. The company distributes natural gas to approximately 859,000 customers in northern Indiana, as well as approximately 2.4 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland. See Also Receive News & Ratings for NiSource Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NiSource and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD Free Report) by 12.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,095 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after purchasing an additional 2,352 shares during the quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLCs holdings in Starwood Property Trust were worth $360,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Starwood Property Trust by 54.7% in the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 30,717 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $543,000 after buying an additional 10,860 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Financial LLC bought a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,487,000. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund bought a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,598,000. Securian Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the 1st quarter worth approximately $499,000. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,117,510,000. 50.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Starwood Property Trust alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com began coverage on Starwood Property Trust in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $18.50 to $21.50 in a research note on Monday, July 24th. BTIG Research increased their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $19.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Friday, June 30th. JMP Securities decreased their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $26.00 to $24.00 and set a market outperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $22.00 to $19.50 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $22.42. Starwood Property Trust Price Performance STWD opened at $20.87 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $19.74 and a 200-day moving average of $18.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.93 and a beta of 1.59. Starwood Property Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.06 and a 12-month high of $24.43. The company has a quick ratio of 2.40, a current ratio of 2.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.98. Starwood Property Trust Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.20%. Starwood Property Trusts payout ratio is currently 109.71%. Starwood Property Trust Profile (Free Report) Starwood Property Trust, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Commercial and Residential Lending, Infrastructure Lending, Property, and Investing and Servicing segments. The Commercial and Residential Lending segment originates, acquires, finances, and manages commercial first mortgages, non-agency residential mortgages, subordinated mortgages, mezzanine loans, preferred equity, commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), and residential mortgage-backed securities, as well as other real estate and real estate-related debt investments, include distressed or non-performing loans. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Starwood Property Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Starwood Property Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TFI International (NYSE:TFII Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by research analysts at Credit Suisse Group from $121.00 to $150.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Credit Suisse Groups price target would suggest a potential upside of 13.21% from the companys current price. Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on TFI International from $120.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on TFI International from $158.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on TFI International from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of TFI International in a report on Tuesday, August 1st. Finally, TheStreet raised TFI International from a c rating to a b- rating in a report on Friday, April 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $155.84. Get TFI International alerts: Read Our Latest Report on TFI International TFI International Trading Down 0.2 % TFII opened at $132.50 on Wednesday. TFI International has a 12 month low of $85.86 and a 12 month high of $133.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $114.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.14. TFI International (NYSE:TFII Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 31st. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.12). TFI International had a return on equity of 23.85% and a net margin of 8.15%. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.61 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that TFI International will post 6.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Institutional Trading of TFI International Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hood River Capital Management LLC increased its position in TFI International by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 571,958 shares of the companys stock worth $68,229,000 after purchasing an additional 23,971 shares during the period. QV Investors Inc. increased its position in TFI International by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. QV Investors Inc. now owns 382,088 shares of the companys stock worth $43,581,000 after purchasing an additional 47,058 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in TFI International by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 313,511 shares of the companys stock worth $31,426,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in TFI International by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 253,106 shares of the companys stock worth $30,240,000 after purchasing an additional 5,924 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi increased its position in TFI International by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 161,222 shares of the companys stock worth $17,286,000 after purchasing an additional 9,262 shares during the period. 61.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About TFI International (Get Free Report) TFI International Inc provides transportation and logistics services in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company operates through Package and Courier, Less-Than-Truckload (LTL), Truckload (TL), and Logistics segments. The Package and Courier segment engages in the pickup, transport, and delivery of items. See Also Receive News & Ratings for TFI International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TFI International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Arcus Biosciences (NYSE:RCUS Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The company reported ($1.04) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.10) by $0.06, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $29.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.81 million. Arcus Biosciences had a negative return on equity of 45.51% and a negative net margin of 235.99%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.93) earnings per share. Arcus Biosciences Trading Up 1.3 % Shares of NYSE RCUS opened at $18.45 on Wednesday. Arcus Biosciences has a 52 week low of $15.70 and a 52 week high of $36.13. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $20.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.32. Get Arcus Biosciences alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, major shareholder Gilead Sciences, Inc. acquired 1,010,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $19.26 per share, for a total transaction of $19,452,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 14,823,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,491,538.54. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, major shareholder Gilead Sciences, Inc. purchased 1,010,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $19.26 per share, with a total value of $19,452,600.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 14,823,029 shares of the companys stock, valued at $285,491,538.54. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Jennifer Jarrett sold 12,437 shares of Arcus Biosciences stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.12, for a total transaction of $237,795.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 381,566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,295,541.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,018 shares of company stock worth $1,412,917. Corporate insiders own 13.80% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RCUS. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Arcus Biosciences by 55.1% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,496,253 shares of the companys stock worth $100,251,000 after acquiring an additional 1,951,970 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Arcus Biosciences by 726.7% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,149,218 shares of the companys stock worth $20,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010,207 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of Arcus Biosciences by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 10,139,020 shares of the companys stock worth $184,936,000 after purchasing an additional 749,972 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Arcus Biosciences by 295.3% during the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 974,132 shares of the companys stock worth $24,685,000 after purchasing an additional 727,692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arcus Biosciences during the 4th quarter worth about $13,473,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.65% of the companys stock. RCUS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Arcus Biosciences from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup boosted their price target on Arcus Biosciences from $40.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Friday, May 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $39.50. View Our Latest Analysis on Arcus Biosciences About Arcus Biosciences (Get Free Report) Arcus Biosciences, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops and commercializes cancer therapies in the United States. The company's pipeline products include Domvanalimab, an anti-TIGIT investigational monoclonal antibody, which is in Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trial; and AB308, an investigational anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody, which is in Phase 1b clinical trial to study people with advanced solid and hematologic malignancies. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Arcus Biosciences Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Arcus Biosciences and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY Get Free Report) and Hammerson (OTCMKTS:HMSNF Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and valuation. Profitability This table compares Annaly Capital Management and Hammersons net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Annaly Capital Management alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Annaly Capital Management -57.22% 17.47% 2.03% Hammerson N/A N/A N/A Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Annaly Capital Management and Hammerson, as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Annaly Capital Management 0 2 4 0 2.67 Hammerson 1 2 1 0 2.00 Volatility and Risk Annaly Capital Management presently has a consensus price target of $21.31, suggesting a potential upside of 6.40%. Hammerson has a consensus price target of $25.00, suggesting a potential upside of 7,441.48%. Given Hammersons higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Hammerson is more favorable than Annaly Capital Management. Annaly Capital Management has a beta of 1.37, suggesting that its share price is 37% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Hammerson has a beta of 1.84, suggesting that its share price is 84% more volatile than the S&P 500. Institutional & Insider Ownership 51.2% of Annaly Capital Management shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Annaly Capital Management shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Valuation and Earnings This table compares Annaly Capital Management and Hammersons revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Annaly Capital Management $2.78 billion 3.56 $1.73 billion ($4.18) -4.79 Hammerson $185.36 million 8.93 -$590.05 million N/A N/A Annaly Capital Management has higher revenue and earnings than Hammerson. Summary Annaly Capital Management beats Hammerson on 8 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks. About Annaly Capital Management (Get Free Report) Annaly Capital Management, Inc., a diversified capital manager, engages in mortgage finance. The company invests in agency mortgage-backed securities collateralized by residential mortgages; non-agency residential whole loans and securitized products within the residential and commercial markets; mortgage servicing rights; agency commercial mortgage-backed securities; residential mortgage loans; and agency or private label credit risk transfer securities. It has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (REIT). As a REIT, it is not subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes its taxable income to its shareholders. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is based in New York, New York. About Hammerson (Get Free Report) We are an owner, operator and developer of sustainable prime urban real estate. We create vibrant, continually evolving spaces, in and around thriving cities, where people and brands want to be. We seek to deliver value for all our stakeholders and to create a positive and sustainable impact for generations to come. Receive News & Ratings for Annaly Capital Management Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Annaly Capital Management and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rescuers are seen at the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. The explosion happened on Wednesday morning at around 10:40 a.m. local time (0740 GMT) at a pyrotechnics warehouse, which was being rented out on the optical-mechanical plant's territory by a private company, said Governor of the Moscow Region Andrei Vorobiev in a Telegram post. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) MOSCOW, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. The explosion happened on Wednesday morning at around 10:40 a.m. local time (0740 GMT) at a pyrotechnics warehouse, which was being rented out on the optical-mechanical plant's territory by a private company, said Governor of the Moscow Region Andrei Vorobiev in a Telegram post. Among the injured, five are currently in critical condition, according to preliminary information provided by local authorities. Moreover, five people could still be trapped in the rubble. Vorobiev said people have been evacuated from all the buildings and workshops of the plant, as well as from a kindergarten close to the factory. He also said that a sport complex near the plant had been damaged, as well as windows in nearby residential buildings. Local media, citing a State Duma deputy, suggested that the blast could have occurred due to a "violation of technological processes." In response, Russia's Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case into the incident. An ambulance leaves the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. The explosion happened on Wednesday morning at around 10:40 a.m. local time (0740 GMT) at a pyrotechnics warehouse, which was being rented out on the optical-mechanical plant's territory by a private company, said Governor of the Moscow Region Andrei Vorobiev in a Telegram post. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) Rescuers and vehicles are seen at the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. The explosion happened on Wednesday morning at around 10:40 a.m. local time (0740 GMT) at a pyrotechnics warehouse, which was being rented out on the optical-mechanical plant's territory by a private company, said Governor of the Moscow Region Andrei Vorobiev in a Telegram post. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) Rescue vehicles arrive at the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. The explosion happened on Wednesday morning at around 10:40 a.m. local time (0740 GMT) at a pyrotechnics warehouse, which was being rented out on the optical-mechanical plant's territory by a private company, said Governor of the Moscow Region Andrei Vorobiev in a Telegram post. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) Ambulances leave the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. The explosion happened on Wednesday morning at around 10:40 a.m. local time (0740 GMT) at a pyrotechnics warehouse, which was being rented out on the optical-mechanical plant's territory by a private company, said Governor of the Moscow Region Andrei Vorobiev in a Telegram post. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) Rescuers arrive at the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. The explosion happened on Wednesday morning at around 10:40 a.m. local time (0740 GMT) at a pyrotechnics warehouse, which was being rented out on the optical-mechanical plant's territory by a private company, said Governor of the Moscow Region Andrei Vorobiev in a Telegram post. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) A rescue vehicle arrives at the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) A staff worker clears broken glass at the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) An ambulance leaves the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) A rescue vehicle arrives at the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) Rescuers work at the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) This photo shows a damaged window at the blast site of a plant in Moscow region, Russia, Aug. 9, 2023. Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region on Wednesday, local authorities said. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR Get Free Report) and PHX Energy Services (OTCMKTS:PHXHF 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 earnings, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation and dividends. Institutional & Insider Ownership 79.8% of Nabors Industries shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 38.3% of PHX Energy Services shares are held by institutional investors. 7.1% of Nabors Industries shares 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. Get Nabors Industries alerts: Profitability This table compares Nabors Industries and PHX Energy Services net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Nabors Industries -0.96% -17.98% -2.22% PHX Energy Services N/A N/A N/A Analyst Recommendations Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Nabors Industries 1 4 2 0 2.14 PHX Energy Services 0 0 0 0 N/A This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Nabors Industries and PHX Energy Services, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Nabors Industries currently has a consensus price target of $145.00, indicating a potential upside of 23.88%. PHX Energy Services has a consensus price target of $11.25, indicating a potential upside of 111.86%. Given PHX Energy Services higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe PHX Energy Services is more favorable than Nabors Industries. Valuation & Earnings This table compares Nabors Industries and PHX Energy Services top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Nabors Industries $2.67 billion 0.42 -$350.26 million ($5.87) -19.94 PHX Energy Services N/A N/A N/A $1.32 4.02 PHX Energy Services has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Nabors Industries. Nabors Industries is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than PHX Energy Services, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Summary PHX Energy Services beats Nabors Industries on 5 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks. About Nabors Industries (Get Free Report) Nabors Industries Ltd. provides drilling and drilling-related services for land-based and offshore oil and natural gas wells in the United States and internationally. The company operates through U.S. Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. It provides tubular running, wellbore placement, directional drilling, measurement-while-drilling (MWD), equipment manufacturing, and rig instrumentation services; and logging-while-drilling systems and services, as well as drilling optimization software. The company also offers ROCKit, a directional steering control system; SmartNAV, a collaborative guidance and advisory platform; SmartSLIDE, an advanced directional steering control system; and RigCLOUD, which provides the tools and infrastructure to integrate applications to deliver real-time insight into operations across the rig fleet. In addition, it manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks, and other drilling related equipment, such as robotic systems and downhole tools; and provides aftermarket sales and services for the installed base of its equipment. The company marketed approximately 300 rigs for land-based drilling operations; and 29 rigs for offshore platform drilling operations. Nabors Industries Ltd. was founded in 1952 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda. About PHX Energy Services (Get Free Report) PHX Energy Services Corp. provides horizontal and directional drilling technology and services to oil and natural gas exploration and development companies in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It offers Velocity Real-Time Systems that provide downhole guidance systems; Atlas motors; PowerDrive Orbit RSS, a rotary steerable system; P-360 Positive Pulse MWD System, a measurement while drilling (MWD) tool; and E-360 EM MWD System, an MWD tool that transmits electric signals through geological formations. The company also provides 360 CV MWD System, a clear vision tool, which surveys inclination and gamma in real-time closer to the bit; 360 RWD System, a resistivity while drilling sub; and North Seeking Gyro that offers real-time QA/QC checks downhole. The company was formerly known as Phoenix Technology Income Fund and changed its name to PHX Energy Services Corp. PHX Energy Services Corp. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Receive News & Ratings for Nabors Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nabors Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Security Bank (OTCMKTS:SYBJF Get Free Report) and Banco Bradesco (NYSE:BBD Get Free Report) are both financial services companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership. Institutional and Insider Ownership 13.8% of Security Bank shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 1.5% of Banco Bradesco shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Banco Bradesco shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Get Security Bank alerts: Dividends Security Bank pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 66.2%. Banco Bradesco pays an annual dividend of $0.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Security Bank pays out 8.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Banco Bradesco pays out 16.0% 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. Banco Bradesco has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Security Bank is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio. Analyst Recommendations Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Security Bank 0 0 0 0 N/A Banco Bradesco 0 5 4 0 2.44 This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Security Bank and Banco Bradesco, as reported by MarketBeat. Banco Bradesco has a consensus price target of $11.93, indicating a potential upside of 280.99%. Given Banco Bradescos higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Banco Bradesco is more favorable than Security Bank. Profitability This table compares Security Bank and Banco Bradescos net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Security Bank N/A N/A N/A Banco Bradesco 7.80% 9.69% 0.84% Valuation and Earnings This table compares Security Bank and Banco Bradescos revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Security Bank N/A N/A N/A $12.07 0.13 Banco Bradesco $35.24 billion 0.95 $4.06 billion $0.25 12.52 Banco Bradesco has higher revenue and earnings than Security Bank. Security Bank is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Banco Bradesco, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Summary Banco Bradesco beats Security Bank on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks. About Security Bank (Get Free Report) Security Bank Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services to wholesale and retail clients in the Philippines. It operates through Financial Markets, Wholesale Banking, Retail Banking, and All Other segments. The Financial Markets segment offers money market, foreign exchange, financial derivatives, securities distribution, asset management, and trust and fiduciary services. The Wholesale Banking segment provides relationship management, trade, cash management, deposit-taking, leasing, and structured financing services; and lending and other credit facilities, as well as advisory services relating to debt and equity capital raising, project financing, and mergers and acquisitions for corporate, institutional, public sector, and commercial clients. The Retail Banking segment is involved in deposit-taking and servicing activities; and offering consumer loans, credit card facilities, and bancassurance products for individual, retail, and small business customers. It also provides a range of investment banking and financial services; and foreign exchange brokerage services. In addition, the company rents and leases a range of machineries and equipment, automotive equipment, and automotive vehicles, as well as various land, air, or water transportation systems. The company was incorporated in 1951 and is headquartered in Makati City, the Philippines. About Banco Bradesco (Get Free Report) Banco Bradesco S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking products and services to individuals, corporates, and businesses in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Banking and Insurance. It provides current, savings, click, and salary accounts; real estate credit, vehicle financing, payroll loans, mortgage loans, microcredit, leasing, and personal and installment credit; debit and business cards; financial and security services; consortium products; auto, personal accident, dental, travel, and life insurance; investment products; pension products; real estate and vehicle auctions; cash management, and foreign trade and exchange services; capitalization bonds; and internet banking services. Banco Bradesco S.A. was founded in 1943 and is headquartered in Osasco, Brazil. Receive News & Ratings for Security Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Security Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW Get Free Report) and CellaVision AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:CLVSF Get Free Report) are both medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation and risk. Earnings and Valuation This table compares Edwards Lifesciences and CellaVision AB (publ)s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Get Edwards Lifesciences alerts: Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Edwards Lifesciences $5.38 billion 8.88 $1.52 billion $2.26 34.77 CellaVision AB (publ) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Edwards Lifesciences has higher revenue and earnings than CellaVision AB (publ). Profitability Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Edwards Lifesciences 24.56% 25.43% 18.04% CellaVision AB (publ) N/A N/A N/A Institutional and Insider Ownership This table compares Edwards Lifesciences and CellaVision AB (publ)s net margins, return on equity and return on assets. 79.8% of Edwards Lifesciences shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 3.0% of CellaVision AB (publ) shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of Edwards Lifesciences shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Edwards Lifesciences and CellaVision AB (publ), as reported by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Edwards Lifesciences 1 9 8 0 2.39 CellaVision AB (publ) 0 1 0 0 2.00 Edwards Lifesciences presently has a consensus target price of $92.68, indicating a potential upside of 17.93%. Given Edwards Lifesciences stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Edwards Lifesciences is more favorable than CellaVision AB (publ). Summary Edwards Lifesciences beats CellaVision AB (publ) on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks. About Edwards Lifesciences (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. The company also provides the PASCAL and Cardioband transcatheter valve repair systems for minimally-invasive therapy. In addition, it offers surgical structural heart solutions, such as aortic surgical valve under the INSPIRIS name; KONECT RESILIA, a pre-assembled aortic tissue valved conduit for patients who require replacement of the valve, root, and ascending aorta; and HARPOON Beating Heart Mitral Valve Repair System for patients with degenerative mitral regurgitation. Further, the company provides critical care solutions, including advanced hemodynamic monitoring systems to measure a patient's heart function and fluid status in surgical and intensive care settings; and Acumen Hypotension Prediction Index software that alerts clinicians in advance of a patient developing dangerously low blood pressure. The company distributes its products through a direct sales force and independent distributors. Edwards Lifesciences Corporation was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in Irvine, California. About CellaVision AB (publ) (Get Free Report) CellaVision AB (publ) develops and sells digital solutions for blood and body fluids analysis in Sweden and internationally. The company provides CellaVision DM1200 and CellaVision DM9600, which automatically capture digital images of cells from blood smears and body fluid preparations; CellaVision DC-1, an analyzer to enable low-volume hematology labs to implement CellaVisions digital methodology for performing blood cell; and DIFF-Line that automates and digitizes the process of analyzing peripheral blood smears. It also offers CellaVision Peripheral Blood Application that enables laboratories to automate, standardize, and simplify morphological examination of peripheral blood smears; CellaVision Advanced RBC Application, which enables to perform comprehensive examination of red blood cell morphology; CellaVision Body Fluid Application that enables laboratories to automate, standardize, and simplify morphological examination of body fluid preparations; and CellaVision Remote Review Software, which removes restrictive geographical constraints from the smear review process. In addition, the company provides CellaVision Server Software that creates a single streamlined workflow within one or multiple testing sites; CellaVision Proficiency Software, a cloud-based software designed to help laboratory managers assess, monitor, and promote staff competency in cell morphology; CellaVision CellAtlas, which combines a series of mini lectures with an extensive cell image library; and CellaVision VET that offers digital solutions for medical microscopy in the field of hematology. Further, it offers reagents to identify cell and tissue morphology, parasites, and bacteria in diagnosing various diseases; and instruments, including RAL SmearBox, RAL Stainbox, and RAL Stainer. The company sells its products to hospital and commercial laboratories. The company was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Lund, Sweden. 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. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new stake in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 7,084 shares of the utilities providers stock, valued at approximately $493,000. Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Southern by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,514,403 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,394,004,000 after acquiring an additional 584,893 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Southern by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,078,828 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,076,779,000 after purchasing an additional 140,698 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Southern by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,190,526 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $656,296,000 after purchasing an additional 255,838 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $435,979,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Southern by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,834,364 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $416,632,000 after purchasing an additional 228,231 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.25% of the companys stock. Get Southern alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In SO has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Southern from a buy rating to a conviction-buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Southern from $75.00 to $74.00 in a report on Friday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an underweight rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Southern from $73.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 8th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of Southern from $79.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Friday, July 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Southern currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $73.57. Southern Stock Up 1.2 % SO stock opened at $68.81 on Wednesday. The Southern Company has a twelve month low of $58.85 and a twelve month high of $80.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. The company has a market capitalization of $75.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.31, a PEG ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.74. Southern (NYSE:SO Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $5.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. Southern had a net margin of 11.17% and a return on equity of 9.86%. The firms revenue was down 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.07 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Southern Company will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Southern Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 6th. Investors of record on Monday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 18th. Southerns dividend payout ratio is currently 98.94%. Insider Activity at Southern In related news, EVP Martin Bernard Davis sold 1,435 shares of Southern stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.99, for a total value of $100,435.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 74,246 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,196,477.54. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Martin Bernard Davis sold 1,435 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.99, for a total value of $100,435.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 74,246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,196,477.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas A. Fanning sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.76, for a total value of $3,538,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 844,239 shares of the companys stock, valued at $59,738,351.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 138,761 shares of company stock worth $9,804,044 over the last ninety days. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Southern 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 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. Perpetual Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,530 shares of the investment management companys stock, valued at approximately $500,000. A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 11.1% during the first quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,292 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $423,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,139,000. Schulhoff & Co. Inc. lifted its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 13.7% during the first quarter. Schulhoff & Co. Inc. now owns 1,212 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 13.7% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 14,484 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $4,738,000 after purchasing an additional 1,741 shares during the period. Finally, Sculati Wealth Management LLC raised its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 2.7% in the first quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,758 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $2,538,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. 76.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms have weighed in on GS. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $339.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an equal weight rating and set a $347.00 price target (up from $337.00) on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Credit Suisse Group reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $410.00 price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Thursday, July 20th. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $370.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 25th. Eight 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 an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $396.93. The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Down 2.1 % NYSE:GS opened at $348.26 on Wednesday. The companys 50 day moving average is $333.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $337.36. The company has a market cap of $114.81 billion, a PE ratio of 14.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $287.75 and a twelve month high of $389.58. The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 19th. The investment management company reported $3.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.25 by ($0.17). The company had revenue of $10.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.61 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 8.27%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.73 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 25.75 EPS for the current year. The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 31st will be given a dividend of $2.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 30th. This is a boost from The Goldman Sachs Groups previous quarterly dividend of $2.50. This represents a $11.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.93%. Insider Buying and Selling at The Goldman Sachs Group In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, CEO David M. Solomon sold 10,000 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.71, for a total transaction of $3,457,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 128,982 shares in the company, valued at $44,590,367.22. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, CEO David M. Solomon sold 10,000 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.71, for a total transaction of $3,457,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 128,982 shares in the company, valued at $44,590,367.22. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 9,000,000 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.73, for a total transaction of $105,570,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 51,676,439 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $606,164,629.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,159,686 shares of company stock worth $123,960,027 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.54% of the companys stock. The Goldman Sachs Group Profile (Free Report) The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in resale agreements. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Perpetual Ltd acquired a new position in Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 5,442 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $434,000. A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 30.1% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 830,304 shares of the companys stock valued at $66,142,000 after acquiring an additional 191,918 shares in the last quarter. Affinity Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 73.8% during the 1st quarter. Affinity Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,676 shares of the companys stock valued at $452,000 after buying an additional 2,410 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland during the first quarter worth approximately $1,773,000. Phoenix Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 3.3% in the first quarter. Phoenix Wealth Advisors now owns 6,929 shares of the companys stock valued at $552,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 177,937 shares of the companys stock worth $14,174,000 after acquiring an additional 5,868 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.13% of the companys stock. Get Archer-Daniels-Midland alerts: Archer-Daniels-Midland Stock Performance Shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland stock opened at $86.44 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.57. The stock has a market cap of $46.34 billion, a PE ratio of 11.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a 12 month low of $69.92 and a 12 month high of $98.28. Archer-Daniels-Midland Dividend Announcement Archer-Daniels-Midland ( NYSE:ADM Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 25th. The company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $25.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.82 billion. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a net margin of 4.14% and a return on equity of 17.52%. The firms revenue was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.15 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Archer-Daniels-Midland Company will post 7.22 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 15th. Archer-Daniels-Midlands dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.03%. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ADM. Roth Mkm began coverage on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research report on Thursday, June 22nd. They issued a buy rating and a $92.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $87.00 to $85.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $99.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland in a report on Thursday, April 13th. They issued an outperform rating and a $100.00 price objective for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Archer-Daniels-Midland currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $99.27. Read Our Latest Research Report on ADM Insider Activity In related news, insider Fruit Molly L. Strader sold 1,455 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.80, for a total transaction of $126,294.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,809 shares of the companys stock, valued at $938,221.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company Profile (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. See Also 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. Integrated Advisors Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE Free Report) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 6,908 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $503,000. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in CBRE Group by 213.6% during the 1st quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 552 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its stake in CBRE Group by 64.7% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,493 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $618,000 after acquiring an additional 3,335 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP raised its holdings in shares of CBRE Group by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 417,604 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $32,139,000 after purchasing an additional 110,783 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of CBRE Group by 462.4% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 275,311 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $20,045,000 after purchasing an additional 226,356 shares during the period. Finally, Securian Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CBRE Group by 0.5% during the first quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,098 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,900,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. 95.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get CBRE Group alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other news, CEO Chandra Dhandapani sold 6,616 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.38, for a total value of $498,714.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 136,878 shares in the company, valued at $10,317,863.64. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Chandra Dhandapani sold 6,616 shares of CBRE Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.38, for a total value of $498,714.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 136,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,317,863.64. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Lindsey S. Caplan sold 1,305 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.08, for a total value of $108,419.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 17,215 shares in the company, valued at $1,430,222.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,407,921 shares of company stock worth $275,327,133. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts recently commented on CBRE shares. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of CBRE Group in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Raymond James decreased their price objective on CBRE Group from $102.00 to $100.00 and set a strong-buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on CBRE Group from $85.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Friday, June 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $88.14. View Our Latest Research Report on CBRE Group CBRE Group Trading Up 0.1 % CBRE Group stock opened at $85.05 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $26.35 billion, a PE ratio of 32.22 and a beta of 1.36. CBRE Group, Inc. has a one year low of $66.31 and a one year high of $89.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $81.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $79.17. CBRE Group (NYSE:CBRE Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.05. CBRE Group had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business had revenue of $7.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.83 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that CBRE Group, Inc. will post 4.55 EPS for the current fiscal year. CBRE Group Profile (Free Report) CBRE Group, Inc operates as a commercial real estate services and investment company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Advisory Services, Global Workplace Solutions, and Real Estate Investments segments. The Advisory Services segment provides strategic advice and execution to owners, investors, and occupiers of real estate in connection with leasing of offices; industrial and retail space; property sales and mortgage services under the CBRE Capital Markets brand; property and project management services, including construction management, marketing, building engineering, lease administration, accounting, and financial services for owners of and investors in office, industrial, and retail properties; and valuation services that include market value appraisals, litigation support, discounted cash flow analyses, and feasibility studies, as well as consulting services, such as property condition reports, hotel advisory, and environmental consulting. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CBRE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for CBRE Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CBRE Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC purchased a new position in MaxLinear, Inc. (NYSE:MXL Free Report) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 12,263 shares of the semiconductor companys stock, valued at approximately $432,000. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of MaxLinear by 41.2% in the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 17,748 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $1,036,000 after acquiring an additional 5,183 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in MaxLinear in the 1st quarter worth about $864,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in MaxLinear by 22.0% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,298 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 955 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in shares of MaxLinear by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 76,387 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $4,457,000 after buying an additional 2,937 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of MaxLinear by 26.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 23,413 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $1,455,000 after buying an additional 4,947 shares during the last quarter. 86.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get MaxLinear alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of MaxLinear from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $30.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, May 19th. StockNews.com lowered shares of MaxLinear from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of MaxLinear from $48.00 to $42.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Needham & Company LLC restated a buy rating and set a $34.00 target price on shares of MaxLinear in a research note on Thursday, July 27th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded MaxLinear from a buy rating to a hold rating and reduced their price target for the company from $40.00 to $25.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MaxLinear presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $35.30. MaxLinear Price Performance Shares of NYSE MXL opened at $23.16 on Wednesday. MaxLinear, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.14 and a 1-year high of $43.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of 28.95 and a beta of 1.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $29.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.74. MaxLinear Profile (Free Report) MaxLinear, Inc engages in the provision of communications systems-on-chip solutions for the connected home, wired and wireless infrastructure, and industrial and multi-market applications worldwide. Its products integrate various portions of a high-speed communication system, including radiofrequency, high-performance analog, mixed-signal, digital signal processing, security engines, data compression and networking layers, and power management. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MXL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for MaxLinear, Inc. (NYSE:MXL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for MaxLinear Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MaxLinear and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bailard Inc. trimmed its position in Dorian LPG Ltd. (NYSE:LPG Free Report) by 27.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,000 shares of the shipping companys stock after selling 5,200 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.s holdings in Dorian LPG were worth $279,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Dorian LPG by 8.2% in the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,263,675 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $71,427,000 after buying an additional 400,804 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Dorian LPG by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,899,421 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $54,944,000 after purchasing an additional 99,823 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Dorian LPG by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,283,555 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $19,510,000 after purchasing an additional 40,023 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Dorian LPG by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,134,560 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $21,509,000 after purchasing an additional 32,517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Dorian LPG by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,006,993 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $13,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,925 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Dorian LPG alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other Dorian LPG news, CFO Theodore B. Young sold 3,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.00, for a total transaction of $78,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 87,805 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,282,930. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Thomas Jason Coleman sold 17,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.60, for a total transaction of $418,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 298,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,330,800. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Theodore B. Young sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.00, for a total value of $78,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 87,805 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,282,930. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 63,700 shares of company stock valued at $1,621,038. 15.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Dorian LPG Stock Down 2.8 % Shares of NYSE LPG opened at $28.35 on Wednesday. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $25.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.96. The company has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.73 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 2.47, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Dorian LPG Ltd. has a 12-month low of $12.90 and a 12-month high of $30.09. Dorian LPG (NYSE:LPG Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The shipping company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.64 by ($0.43). The firm had revenue of $111.56 million for the quarter. Dorian LPG had a return on equity of 22.93% and a net margin of 46.96%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.56 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Dorian LPG Ltd. will post 4.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Dorian LPG Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a Variable dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 9th. Dorian LPGs dividend payout ratio is currently 80.81%. Analyst Ratings Changes LPG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Dorian LPG from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $30.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. DNB Markets downgraded shares of Dorian LPG from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $26.90 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Dorian LPG from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and upped their price target for the stock from $25.00 to $32.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Dorian LPG from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $26.98. Get Our Latest Report on Dorian LPG About Dorian LPG (Free Report) Dorian LPG Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the transportation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) through its LPG tankers worldwide. It owns and operates twenty-five very large gas carriers (VLGCs). The company was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LPG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Dorian LPG Ltd. (NYSE:LPG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Dorian LPG Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dorian LPG and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM Free Report) (TSE:AEM) by 37.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,526 shares of the mining companys stock after buying an additional 6,430 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLCs holdings in Agnico Eagle Mines were worth $1,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IHT Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,049 shares of the mining companys stock worth $988,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in Agnico Eagle Mines by 1.5% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 15,297 shares of the mining companys stock worth $780,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Agnico Eagle Mines by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Cardinal Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,535 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 47,628 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $2,476,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines by 34.9% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,016 shares of the mining companys stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. 55.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Agnico Eagle Mines alerts: Agnico Eagle Mines Stock Performance Shares of Agnico Eagle Mines stock opened at $48.22 on Wednesday. Agnico Eagle Mines Limited has a 12 month low of $36.69 and a 12 month high of $61.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market cap of $23.88 billion, a PE ratio of 9.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 21.56 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $52.16. Agnico Eagle Mines Announces Dividend Agnico Eagle Mines ( NYSE:AEM Get Free Report ) (TSE:AEM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The mining company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. Agnico Eagle Mines had a return on equity of 5.63% and a net margin of 40.06%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.75 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Agnico Eagle Mines Limited will post 2.25 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. Agnico Eagle Miness payout ratio is presently 31.13%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts have commented on AEM shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Agnico Eagle Mines from $64.00 to $67.00 in a report on Thursday, July 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $67.75. Read Our Latest Research Report on AEM About Agnico Eagle Mines (Free Report) Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, a gold mining company, exploration, development, and production of precious metals. The company's mines are located in Canada, Australia, Finland and Mexico, with exploration and development activities in Canada, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Agnico Eagle Mines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Agnico Eagle Mines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MOSCOW/KIEV, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments related to the Ukraine crisis: Washington has committed a war crime by supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday. "Given the growing shortage of ammunition for Western-manufactured artillery systems within the Armed forces of Ukraine, Washington has committed a war crime by including cluster munitions," Shoigu said at a defense ministry board meeting, as reported on the ministry's website. He pointed out that the United States is further escalating the conflict by "seeking deliveries of increasingly long-range and deadly weapons" from its allies. - - - - Russia's national security service said on Wednesday it had arrested a suspect in Crimea who blew up a gas pipeline. According to a statement by the Federal Security Service, the saboteur is a Russian citizen involved in "a sabotage and terrorist act at the energy infrastructure facility of the Republic of Crimea." The detainee confessed to collaborating with special services of Ukraine to carry out terrorist attacks in late June, the statement added. - - - - Ukraine hopes to increase its exports through Moldova after the construction of a new bridge over the Dniester River on the joint border, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday. "Ukrainian exporters will have a convenient way to southeastern Europe and will increase the volume of their goods' exports," Shmyhal was quoted as saying by the government press service. The bridge, with its construction greenlighted by the Ukrainian government earlier in the day, will become a key element of the transport corridor between Kiev and Chisinau, Shmyhal said. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN Free Report) by 74.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,620 shares of the construction companys stock after acquiring an additional 4,543 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLCs holdings in Lennar were worth $1,116,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LEN. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Lennar by 10.7% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 12,184 shares of the construction companys stock worth $989,000 after buying an additional 1,173 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its stake in Lennar by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 9,499 shares of the construction companys stock worth $771,000 after buying an additional 602 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in Lennar by 172.1% during the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 14,925 shares of the construction companys stock worth $1,256,000 after buying an additional 9,440 shares during the period. Prudential PLC acquired a new position in Lennar during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,711,000. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. acquired a new position in Lennar during the 1st quarter worth approximately $200,000. 82.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Lennar alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, CFO Diane J. Bessette sold 10,790 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $1,310,553.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 270,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,861,731.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Lennar news, EVP Jeffrey Joseph Mccall sold 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.48, for a total transaction of $1,264,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,386 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $17,882,501.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Diane J. Bessette sold 10,790 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,310,553.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 270,556 shares in the company, valued at $32,861,731.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.53% of the stock is owned by insiders. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research firms have commented on LEN. Raymond James upgraded shares of Lennar from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, July 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of Lennar from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, June 16th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Lennar from $120.00 to $135.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Lennar from $130.00 to $145.00 in a report on Friday, June 16th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Lennar from $103.00 to $120.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lennar presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $127.20. Read Our Latest Analysis on Lennar Lennar Stock Down 0.2 % Shares of NYSE:LEN opened at $126.72 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $36.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $122.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 7.08 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Lennar Co. has a 1-year low of $69.90 and a 1-year high of $133.24. Lennar (NYSE:LEN Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 14th. The construction company reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $8.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.28 billion. Lennar had a net margin of 12.66% and a return on equity of 18.27%. Sell-side analysts predict that Lennar Co. will post 12.65 EPS for the current year. Lennar Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 7th were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 6th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. Lennars payout ratio is currently 10.24%. About Lennar (Free Report) Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company's homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LEN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Lennar Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lennar and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Comstock Resources, Inc. (NYSE:CRK Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of Hold by the eleven ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $13.75. A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Comstock Resources from $9.00 to $10.00 in a research note on Monday, July 24th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Comstock Resources from $13.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 13th. Citigroup upgraded Comstock Resources from a sell rating to a neutral rating and upped their price objective for the company from $10.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. TheStreet downgraded Comstock Resources from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Comstock Resources from $15.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Monday, May 22nd. Get Comstock Resources alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on CRK Comstock Resources Trading Up 1.8 % Comstock Resources Dividend Announcement NYSE CRK opened at $12.62 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.14. Comstock Resources has a 12 month low of $9.07 and a 12 month high of $21.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 31st. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.96%. Comstock Resourcess dividend payout ratio is 14.41%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Comstock Resources Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Steward Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Comstock Resources during the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Comstock Resources during the first quarter valued at $48,000. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in Comstock Resources during the second quarter valued at $73,000. CWM LLC increased its position in Comstock Resources by 15.3% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,444 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 1,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AJ Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Comstock Resources during the first quarter valued at $109,000. 32.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About Comstock Resources (Get Free Report Comstock Resources, Inc, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas primarily in North Louisiana and East Texas, the United States. The company was incorporated in 1919 and is based in Frisco, Texas. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Comstock Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Comstock Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE Free Report) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 3,610 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock, valued at approximately $453,000. Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARE. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 4,377 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $881,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 242.4% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,499 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $906,000 after acquiring an additional 3,185 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 14.4% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 4,753 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $957,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 11.7% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 5,903 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,187,000 after acquiring an additional 620 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC grew its stake in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. 85.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Alexandria Real Estate Equities alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In ARE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $198.00 to $166.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. StockNews.com cut Alexandria Real Estate Equities from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Wednesday, June 14th. JMP Securities reduced their price objective on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $180.00 to $160.00 and set a market outperform rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $180.00 to $145.00 in a report on Monday, April 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $141.00 to $137.00 in a research note on Monday, July 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $160.88. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Stock Performance Shares of ARE opened at $122.51 on Wednesday. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.81 and a 1 year high of $172.65. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $118.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.86. The company has a market capitalization of $21.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.35, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.39. Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE:ARE Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.20 by ($1.69). The business had revenue of $713.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $700.22 million. Alexandria Real Estate Equities had a return on equity of 2.54% and a net margin of 20.65%. Alexandria Real Estate Equitiess revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.10 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. will post 8.96 EPS for the current year. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th were issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 29th. This is a positive change from Alexandria Real Estate Equitiess previous quarterly dividend of $1.21. Alexandria Real Estate Equitiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 147.18%. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Profile (Free Report) Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc (NYSE: ARE), an S&P 500 company, is a best-in-class, mission-driven life science REIT making a positive and lasting impact on the world. As the pioneer of the life science real estate niche since its founding in 1994, Alexandria is the preeminent and longest-tenured owner, operator, and developer of collaborative life science, agtech, and advanced technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, including Greater Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ARE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Alexandria Real Estate Equities Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alexandria Real Estate Equities and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Truist Financial Corp trimmed its position in shares of Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR Free Report) by 0.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 272,303 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 1,065 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corp owned about 0.28% of Portland General Electric worth $13,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Portland General Electric during the first quarter valued at about $39,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in shares of Portland General Electric by 150.9% during the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 946 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Portland General Electric by 475.1% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 995 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares during the last quarter. CI Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Portland General Electric by 54.6% in the 4th quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 1,435 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Portland General Electric by 29.4% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,476 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Get Portland General Electric alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several brokerages recently commented on POR. StockNews.com raised shares of Portland General Electric from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on shares of Portland General Electric from $50.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Friday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Portland General Electric in a research report on Monday, May 8th. They issued an overweight rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Portland General Electric from $56.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 22nd. Finally, 58.com reaffirmed a downgrade rating on shares of Portland General Electric in a research report on Tuesday, June 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $50.83. Portland General Electric Price Performance Shares of NYSE:POR opened at $46.97 on Wednesday. Portland General Electric has a twelve month low of $41.58 and a twelve month high of $56.37. The companys 50 day moving average is $47.85 and its 200 day moving average is $48.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company has a market cap of $4.75 billion, a PE ratio of 19.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.55. Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $648.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $571.82 million. Portland General Electric had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 8.03%. Portland General Electrics revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.72 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Portland General Electric will post 2.67 EPS for the current year. Portland General Electric Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 22nd. Portland General Electrics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.17%. Insider Activity In other news, VP Anne Frances Mersereau sold 1,071 shares of Portland General Electric stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.83, for a total transaction of $50,154.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 17,962 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $841,160.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.51% of the companys stock. About Portland General Electric (Free Report) Portland General Electric Company, an integrated electric utility company, engages in the generation, wholesale purchase, transmission, distribution, and retail sale of electricity in the state of Oregon. It operates six thermal plants, three wind farms, and seven hydroelectric facilities. As of December 31, 2022, the company owned an electric transmission system consisting of 1,255 circuit miles, including 269 circuit miles of 500 kilovolt line, 413 circuit miles of 230 kilovolt line, and 573 miles of 115 kilovolt line; and served 926 thousand retail customers in 51 cities. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding POR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Portland General Electric Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Portland General Electric and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Truist Financial Corp trimmed its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM Free Report) by 0.6% 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 416,995 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 2,322 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp owned 0.21% of Unum Group worth $16,496,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 990.0% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,304,624 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $51,611,000 after buying an additional 1,184,937 shares in the last quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 7.4% in the first quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. now owns 6,464 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 19.7% in the first quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 294,952 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $11,642,000 after buying an additional 48,489 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.7% in the first quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 86,629 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,427,000 after buying an additional 620 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 35.6% in the first quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 231,745 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $9,168,000 after buying an additional 60,894 shares in the last quarter. 78.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Unum Group alerts: Unum Group Stock Performance Shares of Unum Group stock opened at $49.71 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $36.14 and a twelve month high of $51.15. The stock has a market cap of $9.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.08. The companys fifty day moving average is $47.28 and its 200 day moving average is $43.83. Unum Group Increases Dividend Unum Group ( NYSE:UNM Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.19. Unum Group had a net margin of 11.90% and a return on equity of 15.10%. The company had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.07 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 7.56 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, July 28th will be paid a $0.365 dividend. This is a boost from Unum Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 27th. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Unum Groups payout ratio is currently 20.25%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 5,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.49, for a total value of $222,450.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 102,053 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,540,337.97. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 5,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.49, for a total value of $222,450.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 102,053 shares in the company, valued at $4,540,337.97. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Puneet Bhasin sold 14,609 shares of the businesss 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 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 a total of 49,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,351,330 over the last 90 days. 0.77% of the stock is owned by insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research analysts have commented on UNM shares. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. They set an overweight rating and a $57.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $46.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 11th. Finally, 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $50.40. Read Our Latest Stock Report on UNM About Unum Group (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. Featured Articles 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. LONDON, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Police officers in Northern Ireland have been left "incredibly vulnerable" after the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) accidentally made public the private details of every staff member. The surname, initial, rank or grade, work location and department of all PSNI staff, numbering around 10,000, were published online in error in response to a freedom of information request on Tuesday. "This level of data breach is clearly of profound concern, not least to police officers, civilian staff and their families, who will be feeling incredibly vulnerable and exposed tonight and in the days ahead," Naomi Long, leader of Northern Ireland's Alliance Party, said. At a press conference held on Tuesday night at PSNI headquarters in Belfast, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd apologized for the data breach and said the information had been available to the public for approximately three hours. "There is nothing at the moment to suggest any immediate concerns to individuals' security," he said. In March, Britain's intelligence agency increased the threat level in Northern Ireland from domestic terrorism to "severe" -- meaning an attack was highly likely -- after a gun attack left an off-duty officer seriously wounded in February. The New Irish Republican Army (New IRA) claimed responsibility for the attack. The New IRA is one of the small militant groups that want Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and unite with the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland police officers are still sporadically targeted by dissident groups in bomb and gun attacks even though a 1998 peace deal (Good Friday Agreement) ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland known as "the Troubles." ROME, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Over 41 migrants are feared dead in the latest shipwreck on the treacherous route across the central Mediterranean, it emerged this week. The deaths were reported by four survivors of the tragedy who were brought to the southern Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday. According to media reports, the four survivors were rescued by the Rimona, a Maltese cargo ship. The victims were taken to the Italian coast guard, which brought them to Lampedusa for treatment on Wednesday. The survivors said the boat carrying 45 would-be asylum seekers left Tunisia for Lampedusa last Thursday. It appears the vessel capsized either late Thursday or early Friday, and the four survivors managed to stay afloat by clinging to wreckage of the boat. They subsequently found an empty boat at sea, before being rescued by the Rimona. In a joint statement, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed their "deepest condolences for the loss of dozens of lives" in the shipwreck. "Today's numbers add to the growing death toll of shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean. According to IOM's Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,800 people have already been reported dead and missing along the route this year," said the statement. On Sunday, about 57 people were rescued after two ships sank between Tunisia and Lampedusa within a few hours of each other, while 32 people were declared dead or missing from the two vessels. Also on Sunday, 34 refugees were rescued after being stranded for 36 hours on a steep cliffside in Lampedusa, after their ship hit rocks just off the island. Rough waters made a rescue by sea impossible, but the victims were eventually lifted to safety by helicopter. According to the Italian interior ministry, nearly 92,000 refugees from Africa, the Middle East, and beyond have landed on Italian shores so far this year, more than double the amount that arrived in the country during the same period last year, and three times the number from 2021. The IOM has reported nearly 134,000 migrant arrivals in Europe in 2023. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- A person was hit and killed by a Caltrain in Redwood City of the U.S. state of California on Tuesday afternoon, officials said. At about 12:30 p.m., a train heading south struck and killed an individual, who hasn't been identified. None of the passengers onboard were injured, according to Dan Lieberman, Caltrain's public information officer. The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office Transit Police and county coroner responded to the scene. The tracks were cleared by 3:00 p.m., according to Lieberman. The accident marked the transit agency's eighth fatality of the year. Five of them happened in the past two months, the transit agency said. LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were killed by devastating hurricane-driven wildfires in Hawaii's Maui Island, authorities said on Wednesday. Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said that six people have been confirmed dead as a result of the wildfires and search efforts are ongoing. More than 2,100 people stayed at four shelters in Maui overnight, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. The agency said firefighters were able to deploy helicopters Wednesday morning to assist ground forces with fire containment. Local news outlet Hawaii News Now reported that the wildfires are active and out of control, which means a full picture of the devastation hasn't yet come into view. At least 20 people sustained serious injuries, thousands of people have been displaced, and the county's emergency response is near a breaking point, said the report, citing officials. Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke on Wednesday issued an emergency proclamation to extend the state of emergency to all counties in the state as dangerous wildfires are continuing to burn on two major islands, Maui and the Island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island in Hawaii. Luke, who is acting as the governor as Hawaii Governor Josh Green is traveling out of the state, said in a statement that she has ordered all affected state agencies to assist with the evacuation and discouraged non-essential air travel to Maui, which is the most affected island so far. Five people have been killed in the South African city of Cape Town as a strike by mini-bus taxi drivers that began last week turned violent, authorities said on Tuesday. The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) announced a one-week provincial shutdown last Thursday after failing to resolve various issues with the local government in Cape Town. The grievances arose after a new municipal law gave local authorities the power to impound vehicles for violations such as driving without a licence, or registration plates. Sporadic violence erupted in different parts of the city after police began impounding vehicles last week, as angry protesters torched buses and cars and pelted the police with stones. Among the dead was a 40-year old British national, who was shot and killed on Thursday, South African police minister Bheki Cele said in a media briefing on Tuesday, adding the murders and the violence were being investigated. He said 120 suspects had been arrested since Thursday for damaging property, looting and public violence. The office of the City of Cape Town said the strike had severely affected people commuting to work and at times left them stranded due to attacks on public transportation services. In Cape Town, violence will never be tolerated as a negotiating tactic. We reiterate our call on SANTACO to return peacefully to the negotiation table, said Cape Town city mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. SANTACO has distanced itself from the violence and said such acts were fuelled by protesters, not its members. Source: Reuters [August 08, 2023] Africa HR Solutions highlights the importance of Compliance across Africa Tweet PHOENIX, Mauritius, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2021, FDI flows to Africa reached a record-breaking $83 billion more than double the previous year. Despite challenges such as poor infrastructure, limited transparency and complex legal frameworks, multinational companies recognise Africa as fertile ground for business growth. Although administrative barriers and legislative complexities may result n excessive costs, it is important to appropriately address these factors. Cost of compliance African governments demand absolute compliance from organisations, which comes at a significant cost when implementing frameworks across multiple jurisdictions. While it may be tempting to 'skip a few steps', the cost of non-compliance in African countries far outweighs those of compliance. In 2017, Ponemon Institute and Globalscape studied 53 multinational organisations to determine compliance costs for privacy and data protection regulations. Compliance averaged $5.47 million, while non-compliance reached $14.82 million almost triple the value. Non-compliance costs extend beyond financial losses and can also include: Employee malpractice: Uninformed employees unknowingly committing compliance-related infringements. Loss of investment: Degradation of stakeholder trust leads to reputational damage. Loss of productivity: Focused on tackling non-compliance issues instead of business development and strategic growth. Capitalising on compliance Investors should embrace compliance as the foundation for business success in Africa. To generate sustainable growth, organisations should design appropriate compliance strategies for their people, often regarded as the most important resource, including the following: Navigating the complexity of payroll compliance. Establishing compliance processes relating to onboarding employees. Being mindful of well-established customary norms. Keeping up to date with changes in legislation. How can Africa HR Solutions help? "Organisations operating in Africa are continuously faced with the challenge of adapting to compliant best practice in-country in relation to payroll taxes and social security contributions," explains Mark du Preez, Head of Legal & Compliance at Africa HR Solutions. "Increasingly, we see new legislation across the African continent that requires more from organisations and their employees to remain compliant. At Africa HR Solutions, we have the in-depth knowledge and expertise to guide our clients through this process and ensure unwavering compliance." Over the past 13 years, AHR has been a trusted service provider and advisor to 400+ organisations operating across 20 different industries in Africa. We provide employer of record and payroll outsourcing services in 46 African countries to listed multinationals, PE & VC-backed start-ups, global NGOs, international non-profits and leading universities. Media contact: Grant Geraghty, Head of Client Relationships, [email protected], +2304653100 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2168915/Africa_HR_Solutions_Ltd.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/africa-hr-solutions-highlights-the-importance-of-compliance-across-africa-301894421.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 08, 2023] Goodman Joso - a cutting-edge logistics hub - secures another major commitment from Senko Tweet TOKYO, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Senko Co. Ltd, one of Japan's largest logistics companies, is the latest customer to sign a major lease at Goodman Joso, coinciding with the building's completion. The building is Goodman Japan's newest and largest logistics facility, with 174,000 sqm over five levels. Angus Brooks, CEO of Goodman Japan, commented, "With Goodman Joso's completion, we reaffirm our commitment to delivering best in class logistics solutions for our customers. We take great pride in providing high-quality and sustainable logistics developments that cater to businesses' evolving needs, and this facility embodies our dedication to excellence." Tomohiko Ito, Senior Managing Officer of Senko commented, "We've chosen Goodman Joso as it perfectly caters to the diverse logistics needs of our freight customers and its expansive floor plate, allowing for efficient operations. This move marks the first step towards expanding our network into the eastern Kanto region as part of our mid-term business plan. Moreover, Goodman Joso's excellent access to the Hitachinaka Port makes it an ideal hub for connecting logistics operations in Japan and overseas. "We already lease a significant amount of space in Goodman Business Park in Inzai City. Our employees highly appreciate the employee-friendly amenities in these facilities, creating a comfortable and motivating work environment. Goodman Joso offers even more appealing amenities and excels as a community-oriented project with an array of attractive facilities and surroundings. We look forward to the continued close collaboration between our company and Goodman in the future." The facility's prime positioning near Senko's Kashiwa branch and the Ken-O Expressway, provides access to tens of millions of consumers, playing a crucial role in the company selecting Goodman Joso. The location delivers seamless connectivity to major transportation routes, optimising supply chain operations and facilitating efficient movement of goods. Commenting on the collaboration, Angus continued, "Already one of our highly valued customers in Japan, this latest agreement between Goodman and Senko reflects our shared vision of providing innovative and efficient logistics solutions to our respective customers. We are committed to supporting Senko's growth and success through the world-class facilities and services offered at Goodman Joso and throughout our portfolio." Landmark facility Goodman Joso is one of the landmarks of the Joso area, and with the addition of Goodman Joso 2, which is currently under construction, Goodman is creating a vibrant townscape. The area is evolving into a city where people want to work and visit, including a Tsutaya bookstore, cafe, playground, restaurant, retail, spa facilities, and an urban park. Innovative sustainability features Innovative and market-leading sustainability features are integrated throughout Goodman Joso which have been externally verified. Goodman Joso has achieved the highest rank BELS (ZEB) certification, acknowledging its exceptional energy performance. It also achieved the highest rank CASBEE S certification for its sustainable building practices. The facility harnesses renewable energy sources to help customers manage their carbon footprint including 4.25MW of solar power for self-usage in addition to battery storage and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to support the transition to low carbon transport. For more information, please visit https://jp.goodman.com/en/property-lease-site/goodman-joso About Goodman Goodman Group is a global industrial property specialist group with operations in key consumer markets across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the Americas. Goodman Group, comprised of the stapled entities Goodman Limited, Goodman Industrial Trust and Goodman Logistics (HK) Limited, is the largest property group on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: GMG), a top 20 entity by market capitalisation, and one of the largest listed specialist investment managers of industrial property globally. Goodman provides essential infrastructure for the digital economy by owning, developing, and managing high-quality sustainable properties that are close to consumers in key cities around the world. Our property portfolio includes logistics and distribution centres, warehouses, light industrial, multi-storey industrial, business parks and data centres. We take a long-term view, investing significantly alongside our capital partners in our investment management platform and concentrating our portfolio where we can create the most value for customers and investors. For more information visit: www.goodman.com About Goodman Japan For more information visit http://jp.goodman.com/en View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/goodman-joso--a-cutting-edge-logistics-hub--secures-another-major-commitment-from-senko-301896343.html SOURCE Goodman Group [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 08, 2023] The DFINITY Foundation Joins the Blockchain Security Alliance for Enhanced Ecosystem Security Tweet SINGAPORE, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 9, the DFINITY Foundation, a key contributor to the Internet Computer blockchain, recently announced its participation in the Blockchain Security Alliance, a collaborative initiative launched by Beosin and SUSS NiFT. The Blockchain Security Alliance is composed of various units with diverse industry backgrounds, including university institutions, blockchain security companies, industry associations, and fintech service providers. The Blockchain Security Alliance welcomes DFINITY into its ranks alongside Beosin, SUSS NiFT, NUS AIDF, BAS, FOMO Pay, Onchain Custodian, Semisand, Coinhako, ParityBit, and Huawei Cloud as its first batch of board members. The Internet Computer blockchain, introduces autonomous serverless cloud functionality to the public internet. This groundbreaking advancement empowers developers to construct almost any system or service entirely on a decentralized network using "canister software," an evolution of smart contracts. By joining the Blockchain Security Alliance, DFINITY endorses the importance of collaboration and mutual cooperation among members to enhance security across the global blockchain ecosystem. Herbert Yang, DFINITY GM of Asia, emphasized that "Security has always been one of DFINITY's top concerns as a decentralized internet computing platform. With 42 members at present, the Alliance stands as a united front committed to safeguarding the integrity and security of the blockchain industry". The Alliance extends an open invitation to other blockchain-related entities to join forces and collectively defend the security of the entire ecosystem. As a founding member of the Blockchain Security Allianc, Beosin plays a pivotal role in fortifying the security of the ecosystem. Co-founded by esteemed professors from world-renowned universities and supported by a team of over 40 Ph.D. experts, Beosin leads the way as a leading global blockchain security company. The company's widespread presence includes offices in Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and over ten other countries, underscoring its commitment to securing the blockchain ecosystem on a global scale. With its mission of "Secure the Blockchain Ecosystem," Beosin offers a comprehensive "All-in-one" blockchain security solution encompassing Smart Contract Audits, Risk Monitoring & Alerts, KYT/AML, and Crypto Tracing. The company's impressive track record includes auditing over 3000 smart contracts, including notable Web3 projects such as PancakeSwap, Uniswap, DAI, and OKSwap. All of these audited projects are closely monitored by Beosin EagleEye, ensuring continuous oversight and protection. Beosin's dedication to the blockchain community extends to its KYT/AML solutions, serving over 100 institutions. In further support of the ICP ecosystem, Beosin has recently conducted audits for two ICP projects, MID and Catalyze. These audits exemplify Beosin's commitment to the security and integrity of the ICP ecosystem, and its role in protecting DFINITY and other blockchain projects. "We are delighted to have DFINITY join the Blockchain Security Alliance," said Tommy Deng, Managing Director at Beosin. "Together with DFINITY and other Alliance members, we strive to establish an ecosystem where innovation thrives amidst robust security measures. Beosin's recent audits of MID and Catalyze reflect our dedication to fortifying the ICP ecosystem and safeguarding the broader blockchain industry." The Blockchain Security Alliance has held several successful offline events since its inception. Last year's inaugural event "ENABLING A DIVERSE ECOSYSTEM IN WEB3.0" received active participation from alliance members. The alliance members have jointly produced multiple reports on blockchain ecosystem security, widely disseminated within the industry. As co-organizers of the alliance, Beosin and SUSS NiFT warmly welcome DFINITY's participation and commit to furthering the alliance's work to contribute to the security development of the blockchain industry. The alliance aims to enhance the industry's security capabilities through security research, technical exchanges, and collaborations, providing strong support for the industry's long-term growth. About the DFINITY Foundation The DFINITY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization comprised of leading cryptographers, computer scientists and experts in distributed computing. With a mission to shift cloud computing into a fully decentralized state, the Foundation leveraged its experience to create the Internet Computer and currently operates as a major contributor to the network. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/the-dfinity-foundation-joins-the-blockchain-security-alliance-for-enhanced-ecosystem-security-301896374.html SOURCE Beosin [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 08, 2023] Bell announces offering of MTN Debentures Tweet This news release contains forward-looking statements. For a description of the related risk factors and assumptions, please see the section entitled "Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements" later in this news release. MONTREAL, Aug. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - Bell Canada (Bell) today announced the public offering in Canada of Cdn $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of MTN Debentures in two series pursuant to its medium term notes (MTN) program. The Cdn $600 million 5.15% MTN Debentures, Series M-60, will be dated August 11, 2023, will mature on November 14, 2028 and will be issued at a price of Cdn $99.917 per $100 principal amount for a yield to maturity of 5.170%. The Cdn $400 million 5.60% MTN Debentures, Series M-61, will be dated August 11, 2023, will mature on August 11, 2053 and will be issued at a price of Cdn $99.726 per $100 principal amount for a yield to maturity of 5.619%. The MTN Debentures will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by BCE Inc. Bell Canada intends to use the net proceeds of this offering for the repayment of short-term debt and for general corporate purposes. The MTN Debentures are being publicly offered in all provinces of Canada through a syndicate of agents. Closing of the offering of these MTN Debentures is expected to occur on August 11, 2023, subject to customary closing conditions. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor will there be any sale of these securities, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The MTN Debentures have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (U.S. Securities Act), or any U.S. state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act). The MTN Debentures are being issued pursuant to a short form base shelf prospectus dated March 7, 2022 and a prospectus supplement dated May 19, 2022. Bell Canada will file a pricing supplement relating to this issue with the securities regulatory authorities in all provinces of Canada. About Bell Bell is Canada's largest communications company1, providing advanced broadband wireless, TV, Internet, media and business communication services throughout the country. Founded in Montreal in 1880, Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca . Through Bell for Better , we are investing to create a better today and a better tomorrow by supporting the social and economic prosperity of our communities with a commitment to the highest environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. This includes the Bell Let's Talk initiative, which promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives throughout the country. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk . ________________________________ 1 Based on total revenue and total combined customer connections Media inquiries Ellen Murphy [email protected] Investor inquiries Richard Bengian [email protected] Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements made in this news release constitute forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements relating to the expected timing and completion of the proposed sale of MTN Debentures, the intended use of the net proceeds of such sale and other statements that are not historical facts. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbour" provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws and of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, by their very nature, are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties and are based on several assumptions, both general and specific, which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and we caution you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release describe our expectations at the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this news release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are provided herein for the purpose of giving information about the proposed offering referred to above. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The timing and completion of the abovementioned proposed sale of the MTN Debentures is subject to customary closing terms and other risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the proposed sale of the MTN Debentures will occur, or that it will occur at the expected time indicated in this news release. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bell-announces-offering-of-mtn-debentures-301896392.html SOURCE Bell Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 08, 2023] Accel Kicks-Off Atoms 3.0 Program with AI and Industry 5.0 focused Cohorts; unveils cohort structure Tweet Accel introduced Atoms 3.0 earlier this year in a new avatar of theme-based cohorts - Artificial Intelligence(AI) & Industry 5.0 The Atoms program was launched 23 months ago and, to date, has invested in 24 companies across two cohorts The applications for the AI & Industry 5.0 cohort open on 26th July, 2023 and can be accessed at Atoms3.0 SINGAPORE and JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global venture capital firm Accel today announced the opening of applications for the AI and Industry 5.0 cohorts under Atoms 3.0, the new avatar of Atoms designed to help early-stage AI and Industry 5.0 startups in India, Southeast Asia and the UAE. Accel Atoms is an accelerator program that provides pre-seed and seed-stage startups with access to funding, personalized mentorship, and industry-specific guidance from top operators and founders. Since the launch of the program in August 2021, Atoms has invested in 24 companies across two cohorts. These companies have since raised a total of over $160mn in funding. The revamped Atoms 3.0 program, based on valuable feedback from previous cohorts and the broader ecosystem, introduces a sector-based approach. Through closed groups, early-stage founders can collaborate, interact, exchange ideas, and grow together in a more personalized learning environment. The redesigned Atoms 3.0 program stands out as the sole sector-specific program catering to early-stage startups, featuring distinct and personalized cohorts tailored to various sectors. The AI cohort will be led by Prayank Swaroop , while the Industry 5.0 cohort will be spearheaded by Barath Shankar Subramanian . They will be supported by a team of experienced Accel investors, operators and mentors. Each cohort will consist of a small number of companies and will follow its own duration and methodology to help these companies prepare for success. Closed groups enable better collaboration, interaction, exchange of ideas, and collective growth, providing a more personalized learning journey. The program will consist of a series of workshops, mentorship sessions, and networking events designed o help startups validate their ideas, build their teams, and raise capital. Selected cohort companies benefit from: Up to $500K in investment in investment Access to Accel's mentorship network Workshops on AI and Industry 5.0 best practices Community events with other AI and Industry 5.0 startups Meet-ups with potential customers Mixers with investors and Accel portfolio companies Perks from Atoms partners like AWS, Azure and Google Cloud Webinars, On-ground events, AMA sessions with industry experts The focus on AI and Industry 5.0 stems from Accel's recognition of their immense potential to revolutionize industries and reshape the future: The rise of AI presents a pivotal moment in human history, with the potential to significantly impact diverse industries and redefine the status quo. For the AI cohort, Atoms is looking for companies that are using AI innovatively for business applications as well as companies that are building development tools for the AI ecosystem. Industry 5.0 represents a future where humans collaborate with smart manufacturing machines, fostering a carbon-neutral and energy-efficient industry. Accel aims to support startups operating in sectors such as manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, agri-tech, and food-tech, as these industries embrace the transformative power of Industry 5.0. Prayank Swaroop, Partner at Accel, said, "Zero-to-one is the most challenging journey for any entrepreneur, as it sets the foundation for the business. Our goal is to work with founders to develop the core DNA that makes a company exceptional." He further added, "We believe that AI will have a transformative impact on a wide range of industries, and we want to support the next generation of AI entrepreneurs in India and SEA. AI startups in this region need a lot of help in competing globally, with Atoms we intend to help these companies with a running start." With insights from our first two Atoms cohorts, we have transformed Atoms 3.0 into a thematic venture, launching AI and Industry 5.0 cohorts aimed at providing bespoke guidance to handpicked startups. Barath Shankar Subramanian, Partner at Accel, said, "At Accel, we believe that innovation has the power to reshape industries and create a lasting impact on society. There are strong tailwinds powering manufacturing and the next wave of growth will be powered by tech and our mission is to empower founders building that tech." He further added, "We are thrilled as we open the applications for the Industry 5.0 cohort. Together, we will build the foundations of tomorrow's industries, unlocking unprecedented opportunities and shaping a future that is not only efficient and profitable but also inclusive and sustainable." The applications for the AI and Industry 5.0 cohorts of Atoms 3.0 are now open and will close on 10th September 2023 for AI and 23rd September 2023 for Industry 5.0. To apply, please visit [ Website ] The cohorts with selected startups will commence on 20th September 2023 for AI and 30th September, 2023 for Industry 5.0. Read the Atoms blog to learn more about the redesigned Atoms 3.0 program ( Link ) For more information on the Atoms program, visit ( LINK ) About Accel Accel is a global venture capital firm that aims to be the first partner to exceptional teams everywhere, from inception through all phases of private company growth. Accel has been operating in India since 2008, and its investments include companies like BookMyShow, Browserstack, Flipkart, Freshworks, FalconX, Infra.Market, Chargebee, Clevertap, Cure Fit, Musigma, Moneyview, Mensa Brands, Myntra, Moglix, Ninjacart, Swiggy, Stanza Living, Urban Company, Zetwerk, and Zenoti, among many others. We help ambitious entrepreneurs build iconic global businesses. For more, visit www.accel.com or https://twitter.com/Accel_India . Media Contact: Chaitali Pishay Roy [email protected] https://www.cprglobal.in +91-9844469995 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/accel-kicks-off-atoms-3-0-program-with-ai-and-industry-5-0-focused-cohorts-unveils-cohort-structure-301894512.html SOURCE Accel [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 08, 2023] Online Advantages Mesa SEO Prepares for a Busy 2023 Tweet Online Advantages Celebrates 52th Year At It's Mesa Seo Location MESA, Ariz., Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Matt Maglodi, founder of the full-service internet marketing company Online Advantages, is pleased to announce that he has joined forces with the Mesa, Arizona business community with the opening of his company's newest location. To learn more about Online Advantages Miami SEO and how Maglodi and his team are preparing for a busy 2023, please check out https://mesa-seo.onlineadvantages.net/ . "As proud new members of the Mesa, Arizona Chamber of Commerce, we are looking forward to working with our fellow business owners and managers to help continue to keep Mesa the strong, vibrant city it has been since its inception," Maglodi said, adding that he is excited to show Mesa businesses how Online Adantages Mesa SEO can help boost their online presence and sales. Online Advantages Miami SEO will offer the following Mesa SEO services: Mesa Search Engine Optimization Mesa SEO Mesa Local Search Optimization Since 2010, Online Advantages has helped businesses of every size, description, and industrial niche build their online presence and achieve superiority in their respective fields. Now, with the addition of their new location in Mesa, Arizona, Online Advantages Mesa SEO is proud to be the premier source for SEO and internet marketing services. Some of the industries Online Advantages Mesa SEO will serve in Mesa, AZ and the surrounding region include the construction trades, including Mesa plumbing, HVAC, electricians and paving companies in Mesa; attorneys in Mesa, Mesa bakeries and restaurants; Arizona E-commerce; the financial sector; Mesa healthcare; charities and nonprofits in Mesa, AZ and nationwide and Mesa auto mechanics and body shops. Maglodi said he and his team are looking forward to a busy 2022. Mesa business owners who would like to find out more about how Online Advantages Mesa SEO can help their company grow and prosper are welcome to sign for a complimentary website analysis and SEO audit by visiting the Mesa SEO Online Advantages website. About Online Advantages Mesa SEO: Online Advantages is a unique full service internet marketing company. Founder Matt Maglodi specializes in all aspects of online marketing from video marketing, to pay per click advertising, organic search and social media. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/online-advantages-mesa-seo-prepares-for-a-busy-2023-301896411.html SOURCE Online Advantages [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Brazils voice critical in convincing Russia to return to grain deal, says Blinken 9 August, 04:30 PM U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Photo:Lehtikuva/via Reuters) I think Brazils voice, President Lulas voice, is critical, he said in an interview with Brazils TV channel GloboNews. Using that voice to convince the Russians to return to the agreement would be a very, very positive thing. And keep in mind: this agreement never should have been necessary in the first place. It was only necessary because Russia decided to invade Ukraine, and then, having done so, it blockaded its ports, preventing grain and wheat from getting out. Video of day Under the grain deal agreement, 35 million tons of food left Ukraine, Blinken stressed. Half went to the developing world, with two-thirds of the wheat going to low- and middle-income countries, mostly in Africa. Since then, prices for wheat and grain have spiked by as much as 10% to 15%, Blinken said. The world is saying loudly; we want Russia to come back to this agreement, he said. And of course, Brazils an important influence and voice in moving Russia back in that direction. It would be a very good thing. Earlier, Blinken described Russias proposal for free grain supply to African countries as laughable since the aggressor countrys proposal included the delivery of only 50,000 tons of grain to half a dozen countries. Russias withdrawal from the grain initiative Russia officially announced the termination of the grain deal on the pretext of repeated attacks on the illegally built Crimea Bridge. Russia had been sabotaging the agreement since April by refusing to inspect ships, as was the agreement, in order to create a backlog of unloaded ships. Russia said it was unhappy with the conditions of the deal and demanded that its state agricultural bank be allowed to use the SWIFT interbank transfer system again. The United Nations proposed that a U.S. bank or a specially created subsidiary bank be set up to allow payments on agricultural exports by Russia to be made, but the Kremlin refused to accept this compromise. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy then offered to extend the grain deal with the UN and Turkey, but without Russian participation. The grain green corridor was mediated by the United Nations and Turkiye and had allowed Ukraine to export grain from three of its Black Sea ports, starting from Aug. 1, 2022. Turkiye is ready to offer Russia to process its grain passing through the grain corridor into flour and send it to poor African and low-income countries, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Aug. 4. Will you support Ukraines free press? Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations. As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility to amplify Ukraines voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation. Its the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine. If youre willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful. Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda. Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd. If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly. There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting. We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If youre willing to stand up for the truth consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much. Will you help tell Ukraines story to the world? Twenty years ago, most people hadnt even heard of Ukraine. Today, the country is on everyones lips and everyones headlines. War pushed us on the front page. But there are many other things we do that we are proud of from music and culture to technology. We need your help to tell the world Ukrainian story of resilience, joy, and survival. If youre willing to back our effort, consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News [August 09, 2023] Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index Reveals India Leading Global E-commerce Surge with 18% Parcel Volume Growth in 2022 Tweet India outperforms leading economies including the US, UK, China , Japan , Italy , Australia , Brazil , Sweden , Norway , France , and Canada , with the highest growth in parcel volumes in 2022 India witnessed a remarkable increase in per capita parcel volume, surging from 7% in 2021 to an impressive 16 % in 2022 In 2022, Global parcel volumes increased by 1% in 2022, impacted largely due to the lockdowns in China NEW DELHI, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI), a global shipping and mailing company that provides technology, logistics, and financial services, today released the new Parcel Shipping Index, featuring 2022 data from 13 major countries around the world. Coming off two-years of pandemic-fuelled growth, India's parcel volumes increased to 18% in 2022 from 8% in 2021. India is leading the pack with the highest growth in parcel volumes, surpassing all other countries measured in the Index, including the US, UK, China, Germany, Japan, Italy, Australia, Brazil, Sweden, Norway, France, and Canada. This remarkable achievement is a testament to India's booming ecommerce industry and its focus on embracing digital transformation. In 2022, India shipped, received, and returned 3.2 billion parcels, surpassing the expectations of pre-pandemic forecasts. This staggering figure represents a substantial increase from the 8% growth witnessed in 2021, illustrating the accelerated momentum of ecommerce activities. With an average of 8.8 million parcels shipped each day, amounting to 102 parcels per second, India demonstrates its position as a thriving market for both domestic and international parcel shipping. The per capita parcel volume in India experienced a substantial surge, from a single-digit 7% increase in 2021 to an impressive 16% growth 2022. This surge translated to an average of 10 parcels shipped per household in 2022, reflecting the growing reliance on ecommerce for the daily needs of Indian families. "After a sharp decline in parcel volume at -21% in 2020 and marginal growth of 8% in 2021, it's fitting to see India's recovery with the highest surge in global parcel volume at 18%, indicating a future brimming with opportunities for India's ecommerce ecosystem," said Pankaj Sachdeva, Managing Director, India Innovation, Pitney Bowes. "The substantial increase in India's per capita parcel volume further demonstrates the growing reliance on ecommerce for the daily needs of Indian families". The Index further revealed that the global parcel volumes increased by 1% in 2022, impacted largely due to the lockdowns in China. China parcels grew at the slowest rate in Index history, hitting 111 billion parcels in 2022, marking only a 2% growth due to lockdowns and COVID outbreaks. China's parcel volume had grown at a CAGR of 23% CAGR '17- '22. Pre-pandemic China parcel volume CAGR '18-22 forecast was 25% and actual CAGR '1-22 was 22%. The Index estimates parcel volume in India will most likely reach 5 billion by 2028, with a 6.5% CAGR '23-'28. Overall, all in India carriers saw an increase in revenue in 2022 from 2021. SafeEx generated the highest revenue of $874 million with YOY growth of 12%, followed by BlueDart at $855 million and Delhivery at $634 million, DTDC at $512 million, followed by Amazon Logistics at $498 million. Key takeaways for India from the latest Index include: Carrier Volume : : Parcel volume in India increased by 18% in 2022 from 8% in 2021 increased by 18% in 2022 from 8% in 2021 By volume, DTDC shipped 337 million parcels in 2022 up from 274 million in 2021; Amazon shipped 330 million parcels in 2022, up from 296 million; and SafeEx shipped 535 million, up from 446 million Delhivery recorded 14% growth with its parcel volume at the 665 million, up from 583 million The combined parcel volume from smaller carriers outside the top four, included in the 'Others' category, grew by 20% Carrier Revenue : : Carriers collectively generated $5,392 million in parcel revenue, a 3% increase year-over-year when measured in USD from $5,2140 million in India in parcel revenue, a 3% increase year-over-year when measured in USD from in SafeEx generated the highest carrier revenue with $874 million , followed by BlueDart ( $855 M ), Delhivery ( $634 M ), DTDC ( $512 M ), Amazon Logistics ( $480 M ), and the combined revenue from 'Others', reached $1,947 M . , followed by BlueDart ( ), Delhivery ( ), DTDC ( ), Amazon Logistics ( ), and the combined revenue from 'Others', reached . 'Others' witnessed a drop in revenue by -4.5% Amazon generated a 6% increase in revenue at 29% CAGR '16-'22, DTDC saw 15% growth with 20% CAGR '16-'22 and SafeEx 12% with 19% CAGR '16-'22 Carrier Market Share : : By volume, Delhivery generated the highest parcel market share of 21% followed by SafeEx (17%), DTDC (11%) and Amazon (10%) By revenue, BlueDart & SafeEx generated 16% each, followed by Delhivery (12%), Amazon & DTDC with 9% each Key findings from the latest Parcel Shipping Index include: Parcel volume reached $161 billion in 2022, up 1% from $159 billion in 2021 reached in 2022, up 1% from in 2021 5102 parcels shipped per second compared to 5052 in 2021 compared to 5052 in 2021 Parcel revenue reached $485 billion , down 1% from $489 billion in 2021 reached , down 1% from in 2021 Highest CAGR '17- '22 for parcel volume was generated by China at 23% followed by Brazil at 20% was generated by at 23% followed by at 20% Highest CAGR '17-'22 for parcel revenue was generated by China at 17% followed by the US at 13% and by Italy at 12% was generated by at 17% followed by the US at 13% and by at 12% China remains the largest parcel volume market, contributing to the slow volume growth in 2022 due to its unprecedented low 2% parcel volume increase remains the largest parcel volume market, contributing to the slow volume growth in 2022 due to its unprecedented low 2% parcel volume increase United States remains the market with the highest carrier revenue, reaching $198 billion , an increase of 7% from 2021. remains the market with the highest carrier revenue, reaching , an increase of 7% from 2021. While there is a direct alignment between parcels per person and GDP per capita in the US, Germany , Brazil , and India, parcels in China , Japan , and the UK exceed GDP, most likely due to significant exports. In Norway , Sweden , and Australia there is a reverse effect, with low parcels per person compared to GDP, suggesting a fairly low penetration of ecommerce. About the Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index The Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index measures parcel volume and spend for business-to-business, business-to-consumer, consumer-to-business and consumer consigned shipments with weight up to 31.5kg (70 pounds) across Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Population data points were sourced from Macrotrends.net . The Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index spans 13 countries and represents the parcel shipping activity of 3.7 billion people. About Pitney Bowes Pitney Bowes (NYSE:PBI) is a global shipping and mailing company that provides technology, logistics, and financial services to more than 90 percent of the Fortune 500. Small business, retail, enterprise, and government clients around the world rely on Pitney Bowes to remove the complexity of sending mail and parcels. For the latest news, corporate announcements and financial results visit https://www.pitneybowes.com/us/newsroom.html . For additional information visit Pitney Bowes at www.pitneybowes.com . Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171830/2022_Parcel_Volume_Growth_in_India.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2171832/Pitney_Bowes_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/pitney-bowes-parcel-shipping-index-reveals-india-leading-global-e-commerce-surge-with-18-parcel-volume-growth-in-2022-301896582.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] EMURGO Africa Invests USD 250K in Changeblock, a Pioneering Carbon Market Technology Startup EMURGO Africa, the Africa and Middle East-focused venture arm of EMURGO, a prominent founding entity behind the Cardano blockchain, invested USD 250,000 in Changeblock. This investment marks EMURGO Africa's commitment to supporting and promoting innovative blockchain-based solutions in the region. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230808897082/en/ Left Billy Richards, CEO of Changeblock - Right Shogo Ishida, CO- CEO of EMURGO Middle-East & Africa EMURGO (Photo: Business Wire) Changeblock, a pioneering carbon market technology company, aims to revolutionize the carbon traing landscape by leveraging the power of blockchain technology. With this investment, EMURGO Africa aims to foster sustainable development and environmental responsibility while driving transformative change within the carbon market. "Our investment in Changeblock is in line with our commitment to foster the development of climate change reversal technologies and impactful solutions on Cardano's third-generation and environmentally-sustainable blockchain." Said Ahmed M. Amer, CEO of EMURGO Africa and Executive Director of EMURGO MEA. "Together with Changeblock, we hope to bring the world's regulators, business leaders, and global changemakers to foster and double down on their commitment to a global net zero strategy that is both economically viable and monetizable" Amer added. "Our shared vision with EMURGO Africa is to turn sustainable action into a valuable, tradeable asset for Africa. By leveraging the power of blockchain, we're creating a transparent and efficient market that incentivizes sustainable practices and attracts climate-focused investments." said Billy Richards, CEO of Changeblock Through this strategic alliance, EMURGO Africa intends to contribute to the growth of Changeblock's innovative solutions and strengthen their position in the carbon market technology space. This investment aligns with EMURGO Africa's overarching vision of advancing blockchain adoption and fostering economic growth and social progress in Africa and the Middle East. About EMURGO Africa EMURGO Africa invests and partners with Africa-focused enterprises, startups, and accelerators to foster the development of socially impactful solutions on Cardano's third-generation and environmentally-sustainable blockchain. About Changeblock Changeblock, a global carbon market tech firm, creates trustworthy tradeable offsets using innovative transparent tech. Our data-to-credit solution speeds financing and project outcomes, linked with Changeblock's Exchange-where users trade high-integrity environmental credits. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230808897082/en/ [August 09, 2023] Blackstone Backed International Gemological Institute (IGI) Appoints New Global CEO Tweet MUMBAI, India and ANTWERP, Belgium, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- International Gemological Institute ("IGI"), a Blackstone portfolio company, announced that Roland Lorie, current CEO, will step down after spending nearly five decades building the largest network of gemological laboratories and schools worldwide and playing a pivotal role in cementing its reputation as a pioneer in the certification of natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, colored stones and finished jewelry. Tehmasp Printer has been appointed as Global CEO of IGI, effective October 1, 2023. Tehmasp Printer has more than 30 years of experience in managing and leading businesses. He has been with IGI for 24 years, most recently as Managing Director of IGI India, and was instrumental in introducing IGI's grading and certification practices to India's gemstone and jewelry industries. <> Roland Lorie , current CEO, said: "Selecting Tehmasp as the new leader of IGI was effortless he has been with IGI for more than two decades and knows the business inside and out. He brings a commitment to excellence and innovation that can help propel the company into its new chapter. On behalf of my family, we are incredibly proud of the stellar reputation, teams, and trust that we've built over the last 50 years. I feel it's the perfect time to pass on the baton to new leadership, and my best wishes are with Tehmasp." Printer said: "I am honored to take on this new role, working closely with IGI's management team and Blackstone to continue to support the growth of IGI's footprint and technological capabilities. Roland and the Lorie family have left a lasting legacy for the business, which today has become a world leader in the certification of natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, and colored stones. I am confident that with Blackstone's scale, expertise, and track record of building phenomenal businesses, IGI can continue to pave innovation in the industry and provide confidence to manufacturers, retailers and consumers around the world." Founded in 1975 in Antwerp by the Lorie family, IGI is a global leader in independent certification of diamonds, gemstones, and jewelry, with a global footprint of 29 laboratories and 18 schools of gemology across 10 countries. IGI is the world's first gemological laboratory to hold ISO accreditation in both natural and lab-grown diamonds. Since 2005, IGI has pioneered the certification of lab-grown diamonds, paving the authentication and standardization of a rapidly growing industry. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2182357/Roland_Lorie_Tehmasp_Printer.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/blackstone-backed-international-gemological-institute-igi-appoints-new-global-ceo-301896700.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 09, 2023] Yili Group Calls for Global Efforts to Promote High-Quality Development across the Value Chain at the opening ceremony of the WDIC Tweet HOHHOT, China, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On the morning of August 5, the opening ceremony of the first World Dairy Industry Conference (WDIC) was held in Hohhot, the capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China. Jointly organized by the Hohhot municipal government and Yili Group, together with other parties, the conference convenes industrial stakeholders from all over the world to exchange views on green and sustainable development of the global dairy industry. At the opening ceremony, the city of Hohhot was awarded the titles of "The Dairy Breeding Capital of China" and "The Dairy Science and Technology Capital of the World". Besides, the successful launch of the National Center of Technology Innovation for Dairy marks another milestone in the high-quality development of China's dairy industry. As one of the most important partners of the project and its first member institute, Yili has been working on all fronts to facilitate the establishment of the Center since 2019. At the opening ceremony, Mr. Pan Gang, Chairman and President of Yili Group, said that the global dairy industry is entering a new chapter of growth. Emphasizing the role of "cooperation, innovation, digitalization and green development" as the four pillars of high-quality development, he highlighted the need for the industry to accelerate the establishment o a resilient industrial chain. To help do so, the Asian dairy giant has developed its Yili Ecosystem Mechanism, which targets technical and financial issues faced by the industry by providing its partners with multi-dimensional support that covers technical services, financial support and other areas. By the end of July 2023, Yili had assisted about 12,000 pasture partners in raising over 130 billion Chinese yuan (approximately US$18.13 billion) of funds to strengthen the value chain extending from pastures to end products. At the WDIC, the industry's cutting-edge innovations and achievements took center stage. Through key technology R&D across the upstream, midstream and downstream segments, Yili has built a global innovation network and led the industry in promoting the digital transformation of the whole industry chain. Featured at the conference, the Yili Global Dairy Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park has set a high benchmark for the industry in terms of smart manufacturing and digital transformation. As a trailblazer of green development, Yili also boasts the industry's most complete carbon inventory database, with solid carbon inventory records compiled in the past 13 consecutive years. Having achieved peak carbon emissions in 2012, the Group has pledged to reach carbon neutrality throughout its entire industry chain by 2050. In the future, Yili will continue its efforts aimed at bringing together global resources, intensifying technological innovation, accelerating digital transformation and building a sustainable ecosystem, in a bid to realize its dream of "World Integrally Sharing Health". Image Attachments Links: Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=441766 Caption: Opening ceremony of the WDIC Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=441773 Caption: Mr. Pan Gang, Chairman and President of Yili Group, delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yili-group-calls-for-global-efforts-to-promote-high-quality-development-across-the-value-chain-at-the-opening-ceremony-of-the-wdic-301896720.html SOURCE Yili Group [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 09, 2023] Sungrow Announces to Supply 2.2 GW PV Inverter and 600 MWh ESS Solutions to NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Tweet RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungrow, the leading global inverter and energy storage system solution supplier, signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro to supply inverter skid solutions for a 2.2 GWac PV plant, the largest single-site utility-scale PV Plant in the Middle East, for the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in Saudi Arabia for the NEOM Green Hydrogen Company (NGHC). NGHC will produce carbon-free hydrogen using solely renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power to produce up to 600 tonnes per day of carbon-free hydrogen by the end of 2026. This project marks a significant milestone in advancing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's 2030 Vision for a clean and sustainable energy future. Sungrow is well engaged in the NEOM Green Hydrogen project. Earlier, a few quarters back, Sungrow signed the contract with Larsen & Toubro to supply 400 MWh energy storage systems comprising a DC capacity of 536MW/600MWh to the NEOM Green Hydrogen project. Sungrow's 1+X Modular Inverter solution for the 2.2 GWac PV plant is another remarkable supply Sungrow contributes to the NEOM Green Hydrogen project. The solution is an innovation combining the advantages of both central and string inverters, featuring a 1.1 MW single unit as the minimum, and the maximum capacity can be expanded to 8.8 MW by combing eight units together, bringing a more flexible design for different blocks sizes and making the on-site operation and maintenance easier. Each module is designed with an independent MPPT, further improving the power generation capacity of the power plant. Tailored for this gigawatt project, the medium-voltage station integrated +X Modular Inverter of 8.8 MW capacity is offered. As a result of the optimal IP65 high protection capability, the solution is resilient to sandy, dry, and windy conditions. Due to the smart forced air-cooling technology, the inverter solution can work stably in extremely high temperatures. More importantly, the 1+X Modular Inverter is also equipped with intelligent string-level diagnosis to improve the power yield and real-time parallel arc detection to protect system safety further. Therefore, these advantages help lower the overall operational cost. "We are proud to be associated with this prestigious project as the EPC solution provider for the renewable energy and associated evacuation infrastructure for this project," said Mr. T Madhava Das, Whole-Time Director & Senior Executive Vice President (Utilities) at L&T. "Our success in the Renewable space in Saudi is the outcome of the support from our partners. We are very glad to partner with Sungrow on a project of such magnitude." James Wu, Senior Vice President of Sungrow, commented: "We are thrilled to partner with Larsen & Toubro to bring our products to the landmark NEOM Green Hydrogen project. We signed the agreement to supply the Battery Energy Storage Solution a few months ago. Now we've agreed to supply our PV inverter solutions to the project. Sungrow will continue to follow our mission of 'Clean power for all' and is preparing for the major challenges and opportunities towards the carbon neutrality of Saudi Arabic." About Larsen & Toubro Larsen & Toubro is an Indian multinational engaged in EPC Projects, Hi-Tech Manufacturing and Services. It operates in over 50 countries worldwide. A strong, customerfocused approach and the constant quest for top-class quality have enabled L&T to attain and sustain leadership in its major lines of business for eight decades. About Sungrow Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd. ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 340 GW installed worldwide as of December 2022. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial & industrial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions, NEV driving solutions, EV charging solutions and renewable hydrogen production systems. With a strong 26-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power over 150 countries worldwide. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting www.sungrowpower.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1344575/4212893/Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/sungrow-announces-to-supply-2-2-gw-pv-inverter-and-600-mwh-ess-solutions-to-neom-green-hydrogen-project-in-the-kingdom-of-saudi-arabia-301896721.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 09, 2023] KITS Eyecare Reports Record Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results Tweet Revenue increased 38% to $30.0 million compared to $21.8 million in the prior year Gross profit increased 41% to $9.9 million compared to $7.0 million in the prior year Adjusted EBITDA improved by $1.1 million to $0.5 million VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 9, 2023 /CNW/ - Kits Eyecare Ltd. (TSX: KITS) ("KITS" or the "Company"), a leading vertically integrated eyecare provider, is reporting its results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023. Second Quarter 2023 Financial & Operational Highlights For the second quarter of 2023, compared to the second quarter of 2022: Revenue increased 38% to a record $30.0 million compared to $21.8 million compared to Gross margin increased 80 basis points to 33.0% compared to 32.2% Marketing expenses as a percent of revenue declined by 160 basis points to 13.7% compared to 15.3% Fulfillment expenses as a percent of revenue declined by 210 basis points to 12.6% compared to 14.7% General and administrative expenses as a percent of revenue declined 120 basis points to 6.6% compared to 7.8% Generated positive cash flow from operations of $1.5 million compared to $2.3 million compared to Adjusted EBITDA improved by $1.1 million to $0.5 million compared to $(0.6) million Year-to-Date 2023 Financial & Operational Highlights For the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022: Revenue increased 38% to $57.7 million compared to $41.8 million compared to Gross margin increased 160 basis points to 33.0% compared to 31.4% Marketing expenses as a percent of revenue declined by 40 basis points to 14.0% compared to 14.4% Fulfillment expenses as a percent of revenue declined by 170 basis points to 12.6% compared to 14.3% General and administrative expenses as a percent of revenue declined 250 basis points to 6.8% compared to 9.3% Adjusted EBITDA improved by $2.3 million to $0.8 million compared to $(1.5) million to compared to Strong quarter end cash balance of approximately $19.8 million compared to $18.9 million compared to Generated positive cash flow from operations of $3.5 million compared to $1.2million Management Commentary "Throughout the first half of the year, the KITS team continued to fire on all cylinders as we reported another record quarter driven by new customer growth and strong recurring revenues from repeat customers," said Roger Hardy, co-founder and CEO of KITS. "We also made tangible progress expanding our gross profit and improving costs as a percentage of sales. Our data-driven approach allows us to efficiently target high-value customers, while our digitally driven platform provides customers with best-in-class affordability and unparalleled customer experiences. We are pleased this is resonating with consumers and translating into record financial results, and we look forward to continuing to execute our strategy as we further scale revenues and earnings this year." Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results Revenue increased 38% to $30.0 million compared to $21.8 million in the prior year period. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in eyeglasses delivered, strong repeat customer revenue and growth in first-time eyeglass customers. Gross profit increased 41% to $9.9 million compared to $7.0 million in the prior year period, while gross margin increased 80 basis points to 33.0% compared to 32.2% in the prior year period. The increase was primarily due to a reduction in promotions to prioritize higher-margin orders and capturing improved margins from returning customers. Net loss was $1.2 million, or $(0.04) per share, compared to a net loss of $0.9 million, or $(0.03) per share, in the prior year period. The change was primarily attributable to the higher revenue and gross profit, offset by an increase in foreign exchange loss during the period. EBITDA was $(0.5) million compared to $0.1 million in the prior year period, while adjusted EBITDA improved to $0.5 million compared to $(0.6) million in the prior year period. The improvement in adjusted EBITDA was primarily attributable to the increase in revenue and gross profit, offset by an increase in foreign exchange loss during the period. On June 30, 2023, cash and cash equivalents totaled $19.8 million compared to $18.8 million on December 31, 2022, and $19.6 million on March 31, 2023. Conference Call KITS management will host the conference call followed by a question-and-answer period. To access the call instantly, please click here to register your name and phone number via the rapid connect link. The conference call will also be webcast live with a presentation and available for replay here and via the investor relations section of the Company's website at www.kits.com. Date: Wednesday, August 9, 2023 Time: 8:00 a.m. Eastern time (5:00 a.m. Pacific time) Presentation webcast link: https://app.webinar.net/zaQVZRdr3Yw Rapid connect link: https://emportal.ink/44tguFW North American toll-free number: 1-888-664-6392 Local Toronto dial-in number: 416-764-8659 Confirmation #: 147742 Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Gateway Group at 1-949-574-3860. Financial Highlights The following selected financial information is qualified in its entirety by and should be read conjunction with our unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and June 30, 2022 and accompanying notes and Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") which may be viewed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Three Months Ended Six Months Ended Financial and Operating Data June 30, 2023 (unaudited) June 30, 2022 (unaudited) June 30, 2023 (unaudited) June 30, 2022 (unaudited) Revenue $ 30,030 $ 21,770 $ 57,697 $ 41,822 Net income (loss) $ (1,184) $ (923) $ (2,204) $ (3,187) Net income (loss) per share Basic $ (0.04) $ (0.03) $ (0.07) $ (0.10) Diluted $ (0.04) $ (0.03) $ (0.07) $ (0.10) Non-IFRS Measures (c): Constant currency revenue $ 28,703 $ 21,770 $ 55,344 $ 41,822 EBITDA $ (469) $ 141 $ (516) $ (1,582) Adjusted EBITDA $ 513 $ (556) $ 817 $ (1,474) Adjusted EBITDA Margin % 1.7 % (2.6) % 1.4 % (3.5) % Reconciliation of constant currency revenue Revenue $ 30,030 $ 21,770 $ 57,697 $ 41,822 Foreign exchange impact (1,327) - (2,353) - Constant Currency Revenue $ 28,703 $ 21,770 $ 55,344 $ 41,822 Change in constant currency $ 6,933 $ 13,522 Change in constant currency % 31.8 % 32.3 % Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA Net income (loss) for the period $ (1,184) $ (923) $ (2,204) $ (3,187) Add back: Income taxes (266) (184) (540) (898) Finance costs net 226 385 607 789 Depreciation and amortization 755 863 1,621 1,714 EBITDA $ (469) $ 141 $ (516) $ (1,582) Add back Share-based compensation (a) $ 204 $ 362 $ 512 $ 668 Exchange loss / (gain) 775 (1,063) 814 (578) One-time costs (b) 3 4 7 18 Adjusted EBITDA $ 513 $ (556) $ 817 $ (1,474) Revenue $ 30,030 $ 21,770 $ 57,697 $ 41,822 Adjusted EBITDA Margin % (c) 1.7 % (2.6) % 1.4 % (3.5) % Notes: (a) Represents non-cash share-based compensation expense associated with restricted share rights ("RSRs") and options recognized in the period. (b) In connection with the acquisition of Kits.com and the IPO, the Company incurred expenses related to professional fees, consulting, legal, and accounting that would otherwise not have been incurred and were directly related to these two matters. These fees are not indicative of the Company's ongoing costs. Other than the one-time IPO directors' and officers' insurance costs which are expensed over the insurance coverage period, we expect the remaining cost to discontinue following the completion of the IPO. (c) Refer to "Non-IFRS Measures and Industry Metrics" section of the MD&A filed on www.sedar.com. About KITS KITS makes eyecare easy. KITS is a leading vertically integrated digital eyecare brand providing eyewear for eyes everywhere. We offer customers access to a vast selection of contact lenses and eyeglasses, including our own exclusive KITS designed products, as well as a robust suite of online vision tools. Our efficient digital platform, backed by our industry-leading manufacturing and designs, removes intermediaries, and enables us to offer great prices and deliver made to order personalized products with incredible care and accuracy. We are creating disruption in the industry by constantly pursuing cutting-edge technologies to enable the best customer experience, including online eyewear fitting tools, and virtual try-on for glasses. We strive to delight our customers with our competitive prices, a convenient digital shopping experience, fast and reliable delivery options, and an unrelenting focus on earning our customers' lifelong trust. For more information on KITS, visit: www.kits.com. Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Industry Metrics This press release includes references to certain non-IFRS financial measures such as Constant Currency Revenue, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, and industry metrics such as Active Customers. These financial measures and industry metrics are employed by the company to measure its operating and economic performance and to assist in business decision-making, as well as providing key performance information to senior management. The company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors and analysts use this information to evaluate the company's operating and financial performance. These financial measures are not defined under IFRS, nor do they replace or supersede any standardized measure under IFRS. Other companies in our industry may calculate these measures differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures. Definitions and reconciliations of non-IFRS measures to the nearest IFRS measure and Industry Metrics can be found in our Management's Discussion and Analysis. Such non- IFRS reconciliations can also be found in this press release under "Financial Highlights". Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the execution of our proposed strategy, our operating performance and prospects for the business. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as "intend," "believe," "could," "continue," "expect," "estimate," "forecast," "may," "potential," "project," "plan," "would," "will," and other words of similar meaning. Each forward-looking statement contained in this press release is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statement. Our business is subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. This forward-looking information and other forward-looking information are based on our opinions, estimates and assumptions in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that we currently believe are appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances. Despite a careful process to prepare and review the forward-looking information, there can be no assurance that the underlying opinions, estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. Certain assumptions in respect of the expansion and enhancement of our optical laboratory for glasses and warehouse facilities; the growth of our business and launch of new technologies; our ability to drive sales growth; our ability to maintain, enhance, and grow within our addressable market; our ability to drive ongoing development and innovation of our exclusive brands and product categories; our ability to continue directly sourcing from third party suppliers and manufacturers; our ability to retain key personnel; our ability to add, maintain and expand production, distribution and fulfillment capabilities; our ability to continue investing in infrastructure to support our growth; our ability to obtain and maintain existing financing on acceptable terms; currency exchange and interest rates; the impact of competition; the changes and trends in our industry or the global economy; and the changes in laws, rules, regulations, and global standards are material factors made in preparing forward-looking information and management's expectations. KITS' risks and uncertainties are discussed in detail in the company's Annual Information Form, filed on SEDAR on March 9, 2023. Investors, potential investors, and others should give careful consideration to these risks and uncertainties. We caution investors not to rely on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release when making an investment decision in our securities. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any of these statements, except as required under applicable securities laws. If we do update certain forward-looking information, no inference should be made that we will further update such or other forward-looking information. SOURCE KITS [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 09, 2023] Nuclearn.ai Announces $2.5M Series Seed; Round Led by Arizona Focused Venture Fund, AZ-VC Tweet Former PayPal Executive Jack Selby's Venture Firm AZ-VC to Support The Growth of Nuclearn.ai's Footprint And The Delivery of Mission-Critical AI For The Administration of Nuclear and Energy Facilities PHOENIX, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nuclearn.ai , a leading provider of AI process automation solutions for the nuclear industry, announced today at the Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2023) a Seed investment of $2.5M, led by AZ-VC with participation from Nucleation Capital . The round empowers Nuclearn.ai to grow its market leadership in nuclear facilities, scaling access to its AI and machine learning tools that improve how common, time-intensive tasks are managed across a broader array of energy facilities. The funds will be primarily used for hiring relationship-based sales teams focused on the North American nuclear power market and the general utility market. Nuclearn.ai also plans to continue the development of AtomAssist, its Nuclear Language Model (LLM), and othe utility-focused product use cases. "We are thrilled to support Nuclearn.ai, an Arizona-based company and leadership team that embodies the state's innovative spirit and ability to deliver impactful solutions for often overlooked yet vital business opportunities," stated Ben Brockwell, Partner at AZ-VC. "We were impressed with the Nuclearn team's forward-thinking and commitment to using AI and machine learning to bring efficiencies to recurring time-intensive tasks that can reduce the viability of nuclear and energy plants." The funding will enable Nuclearn.ai to respond to market demand for AI and machine learning-enhanced offerings to bring more attention to products such as the Nuclear AutoCAP Screener and Nuclearn Evaluator. Additionally, with a strong desire for privacy and security in the nuclear industry, Nuclearn will be able to enhance the delivery of trainable GenAI capabilities in a private, secure fashion. "With support from AZ-VC and Nucleation Capital, we are ready to expand our reach within the nuclear market," added Jerrold Vincent, co-founder of Nuclearn.ai. "This funding marks a significant milestone in our journey; it enables us to refine our nuclear-specific LLM and to create new opportunities with minor changes to our existing product portfolio." "Our alignment with the investment theses of AZ-VC, focused on top tech companies in AZ, and Nucleation's focus on nuclear innovation, further cements this strategic partnership," added Bradley Fox, co-founder of Nuclearn.ai. "The nuclear industry's demand for privacy and security meets an emergent market trend in trainable GenAI capabilities, enabling us to pioneer private, secure solutions not only in nuclear but across other utilities as well." "Nuclearn's focus on deploying AI to enhance the efficiency and performance of nuclear power operations will benefit both the existing nuclear power plant operators as well as the next generation of advanced designs emerging in the coming years," explained Valerie Gardner of Nucleation Capital. "We're thrilled to invest in this industrious and talented team and support their vision of growth within the sector." For more information about Nuclearn.ai and its offerings, please visit www.nuclearn.ai . About Nuclearn.ai Nuclearn.ai offers AI-based solutions tailored for the nuclear industry, helping organizations harness the benefits of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology. With products such as Nuclear AutoCAP Screener and Nuclearn Evaluator, Nuclearn.ai is focused on innovation, privacy, and security in a market aligned with the emergent trends in GenAI. Based in Phoenix, Arizona and at the forefront of knowledge-work automation, they are committed to preserving the knowledge base in nuclear energy to ensure long-term sustainability and viability. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nuclearnai-announces-2-5m-series-seed-round-led-by-arizona-focused-venture-fund-az-vc-301896428.html SOURCE Nuclearn.ai [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Talkdesk Secures #8 Spot During Significant Shakeup in the 2023 Forbes Cloud 100 List Talkdesk, Inc., a global AI-powered contact center leader for enterprises of all sizes, has been named to the 2023 Forbes Cloud 100 for the fifth consecutive year, holding steady at #8 despite turbulence across this year's rankings. Market contraction offset by artificial intelligence (AI) innovation created a unique shift in order among the world's most elite cloud companies, according to Forbes. Talkdesk retained its position by delivering key AI capabilities and vertical industry products to its already-renowned cloud contact center platform and experiencing continued worldwide growth this year. The Cloud 100 is the definitive ranking of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world, published by Forbes in partnership with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures. "Amazon has changed customer experience by helping thousands of enterprises drive exceptional outcomes for their customers and improve their bottom line," said Tiago Paiva, CEO and founder, Talkdesk. "The foundation of our success is our AI-powered cloud contact center platform, Talkdesk CX Cloud and our unrelenting belief in continuous innovation, which has added industry-leading capabilities year over year. We are grateful to be recognized once again by Forbes, Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures." For the eighth consecutive year, the Cloud 100 reviewed submissions from hundreds of cloud startups and private companies. The Cloud 100 evaluation process involved ranking companies across four factors: market leadership (35%), estimated valuation (30%), operating metrics (20%), and people & culture (15%). For market leadership, the Cloud 100 enlists the help of a judging panel of public cloud company CEOs who assist in evaluating and ranking their private company peers. Founde in 2011, Talkdesk has an impressive history of introducing new technology innovation each year, including industry-specific cloud contact center products for healthcare providers, banking, insurance, retail, and more, applications driven by AI and automation, including Talkdesk AI Trainer, Talkdesk Virtual Agent, Talkdesk Agent Assist and 70+ out-of-the-box integrations to bring modern customer experience to life across the entire enterprise. Talkdesk CX Cloud is a trusted, flexible and innovative contact center platform that leverages AI and automation, with applications for customer self-service, omnichannel engagement, workforce engagement, employee collaboration and customer experience analytics. All of these applications are native on the Talkdesk open platform with a shared set of services including a common data model, reporting, dashboards, workflows, AI and automations for faster time-to-value and reduced total cost of ownership (TCO). Additional Resources: Social Networks: About Talkdesk Talkdesk is a global AI-powered cloud contact center leader for enterprises of all sizes. Talkdesk CX Cloud and Industry Experience Clouds help enterprises deliver modern customer service their way. Our trusted, flexible, and innovative contact center platform leverages AI and automation to drive exceptional outcomes for their customers and improve the bottom line. Serving enterprise customers in over 100 countries, we partner with our customers to deliver continuous innovation and breakthrough results. Our unwavering commitment to doing what we say we will do and our investment in the highest levels of security and reliability for our products make us second to none in the industry. Improve customer experiences, increase efficiency, and grow revenue with Talkdesk, a cloud contact center platform built for your industry. Learn more and take a self-guided demo at www.talkdesk.com. Talkdesk is a registered trademark of Talkdesk, Inc. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809128088/en/ [August 09, 2023] Kin increases gross written premium by 55% year-over-year, nearly doubles operating income Tweet Kin, the direct-to-consumer home insurance company built for every new normal, today announced select operating results through the second quarter ended June 30, 2023. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809700044/en/ Q2 2023 Financial Summary for Kin. (Graphic: Business Wire) Kin finished the second quarter of 2023 with $109.7 million in gross written premium, bringing the year-to-date total to $192.9 million. Kin's positive operating income nearly doubled to $8.6 million in the second quarter of 2023, driven by disciplined expense management and an ever-increasing renewal base. Notably, Kin achieved a single-month record with $26.9 million in renewal premium in June. Kin has also nearly quadrupled its geographic footprint by launching five states in recent months - Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Virginia. Between those new markets and Louisiana, Kin has generated $12.5 million in new bound premium ouside of Florida in the first half of 2023, which is a 400% increase over the prior-year period. CEO Sean Harper attributed Kin's fast, efficient, and profitable growth to two distinct advantages: "Our business model enables us to target customers we know will be a good match for our risk criteria, and cuts out about half of the legacy cost structure. Then our proprietary technology enables us to do much more accurate pricing and underwriting, which is why we're beating our competitors on loss ratio." Kin continues to drive down its adjusted loss ratio, which reflects insurance claims paid plus adjustment expenses divided by total earned premiums. The adjusted loss ratio for the Kin Interinsurance Network, net of XOL recoveries, was 34.5% through the first half of 2023. Non-cat adjusted loss ratio was 24.2% in the second quarter of 2023, a slight increase from the all-time low of 20.1% in the first quarter of 2023, but still well below previous years. Kin's results in the second quarter of 2023 continue to demonstrate how it outperforms other insurers across several key metrics, including average new bound premium with surplus ($3,100), premium renewal rate (110%+), LTV/CAC ratio (18x), and payback period (0.8 years). As Kin enters its next phase of growth, the company has added two seasoned executives to its management team: Vivek Vaid as chief technology officer, and Ashish Agarwal as chief marketing officer. Both Vaid and Agarwal are experienced in successfully scaling high-growth technology businesses. About Kin Kin is the only pure-play, direct-to-consumer digital insurer focused on the growing homeowners insurance market. Kin makes homeowners insurance more convenient and affordable by eliminating the need for external agents. Kin's technology platform delivers a seamless user experience, customized options for coverage, and fast, high-quality claims service. Behind the scenes, Kin utilizes thousands of data points about each property to provide accurate pricing and produce better underwriting results. Kin is a fully licensed carrier that offers coverage through its reciprocal exchanges which are owned by its customers. To learn more, visit www.kin.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809700044/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 09, 2023] TA and Warburg Pincus Acquire Majority Stake in Epassi Group From Bregal Milestone Tweet Funds advised by TA Associates ("TA") and Warburg Pincus LLC ("Warburg Pincus"), two leading global private equity firms focused on growth investing, have acquired a majority stake in Epassi Group ("Epassi" or "the Company") from majority shareholder Bregal Milestone, a leading technology growth private equity firm. As part of the transaction, Epassi's founder Risto Virkkala will remain invested in the next stage of the Company's growth strategy. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809198085/en/ Epassi, a market leader for digital employee benefit payments in the Nordics, serves approximately 10,000 employers in the region, enabling two million employees to redeem a comprehensive range of employee benefits through Epassi's network of more than 51,000 merchants in Finland and Sweden. In 2023, Epassi expanded into the European market, adding more than 3,000 employers, 11 million employees and 11,000 merchants across Italy, the UK and Ireland to the Company's platform. Under Bregal Milestone's ownership, Epassi cemented its leadership position in the Nordics and established a strong foundation for future pan-European expansion, driven by the Company's differentiated mobile-first digital offering and multi-sided network of corporates, merchants and consumers. Since 2019, Epassi has increased Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) ninefold, the number of customers fourfold and the number of Epassi employees fivefold. "Following our recent growth in the Nordics and expansion into the UK, Ireland and Italy, the investment from TA and Warburg Pincus comes at an opportune time as we look to accelerate growth. With the help of Bregal Milestone, we have already shown the potential that Epassi possesses, and we are ready to grow and further scale internationally. We believe this is a natural next step in our journey and are proud to welcome the support of TA and Warburg Pincus, two world-class growth investors, as we aim to expand into other business areas and markets," says Pekka Rantala, CEO of Epassi. "Epassi is uniquely positioned at the intersection of employee benefits technology and payments, serving a three-sided network of employers, employees and merchants. Epassi's platform is driving the continued shift from analogue to digital solutions and helping employers develop their increasingly important employee well-being and ESG offerings. We are thrilled to be supporting Epassi on its future growth journey, with a vision to expand its role as a pan-European leader in digital employee benefits solutions and partnering with the Company's founder, Risto Virkkala, and management team as well as with TA," said Adarsh Sarma, Managing Director, Issam Abedin, Principal, and Tarik-Timo Ghoniem, Vice President, at Warburg Pincus. "Epassi has established itself as a prominent, digital-first player in the employee benefits payments industry, showcasing a strong commitment to innovation and an understanding of evolving market need. With a robust technology stack and a defensible market position in five countries, Epassi is well-positioned to expand its product portfolio and market presence across Europe, both organically and through M&A. We are excited to join Epassi on the next chapter of its journey and partner with Warburg Pincus on this acquisition," stated Naveen Wadhera, Managing Director, Max Cancre, Director, and Laurent Indekeu, Vice President, at TA. "We are very proud to have jointly built Epassi into one of the leading employee benefits disruptors in Europe, exponentially growing revenues and profitability since our initial investment in 2019. Through our successful M&A activity and with the strong and dedicated support of our in-house value creation team Milestone Performance Partners, Epassi successfully expanded into five European markets, accelerated organic growth and improved margins. We were pleased to have worked with Pekka and Risto to build a talented leadership team and provide stewardship across several areas, including the Company's go-to-market strategy, technology evolution, operational integration and ESG. We wish Epassi continued success in their next stage of growth," said Cyrus Shey, Managing Partner, Rob Hetherington, Head of Milestone Performance Partners, and Saachi Oza, Principal at Bregal Milestone. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal counsel to Warburg Pincus and Goodwin acted as legal counsel to TA. J.P. Morgan acted as exclusive financial advisor and White & Case acted as legal counsel to Bregal Milestone and Epassi. About Epassi Epassi, founded in 2007 in Helsinki, is a market leader in the provision of employee benefits within the Nordics, Italy and the UK. The unique and scalable solution drives mobile tech and payment solutions to open up a world of health and well-being possibilities, combining all benefits in one user-friendly service. Epassi Group is Europe's leading digital solution for employee benefits, with a reach of nearly 13 million users, over 13 500 employers, and more than 59 000 service providers. Epassi is a trailblazer fintech company in the Nordic countries and has been awarded by the Financial Times as one of the fastest growing companies in Europe in 2022 and 2023. Epassi - Boosting everyday well-being. www.epassi.com About TA TA is a leading global private equity firm focused on scaling growth in profitable companies. Since 1968, TA has invested in more than 560 companies across its five target industries - technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and business services. Leveraging its deep industry expertise and strategic resources, TA collaborates with management teams worldwide to help high-quality companies deliver lasting value. The firm has raised $65 billion in capital to date and has over 150 investment professionals across offices in Boston, Menlo Park, Austin, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA can be found at www.ta.com. About Warburg Pincus Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global growth investor. The firm has more than $83 billion in assets under management. The firm's active portfolio of more than 250 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector, and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 21 private equity and 2 real estate funds, which have invested more than $112 billion in over 1,000 companies in more than 40 countries. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information please visit www.warburgpincus.com. About Bregal Milestone Bregal Milestone is a leading technology growth private equity firm with c.1.3 billion of capital raised since inception. The firm provides growth capital and strategic assistance to support market-leading technology companies. Bregal Milestone is part of Bregal Investments, a leading global investment platform with assets under management of over 16 billion. For more information, visit www.bregalmilestone.com or follow us on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809198085/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Ukrainian army hits Russian command post in occupied Nova Kakhovka 9 August, 05:55 PM Ukrainian army hits Russian command post in occupied Nova Kakhovka (Photo: @AFUStratCom/Telegram) The Ukrainian military successfully struck a Russian army command post in the occupied city of Nova Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast, the militarys Centre for Strategic Communications, StratCom Ukraine, said on Aug. 9. Russia's command post in occupied Nova Kakhovka was hit at about 10 am, StratCom reported, without revealing any further details. Video evidence of the attack on Nova Kakhovka was posted by StratCom on Facebook. The video shows smoke rising over the city. Data about Russian casualties hasn't been provided at the time of publication. Video of day Earlier, the U.S. think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), released a statement that Ukrainian forces had reportedly conducted a military operation near the village of Kozachi Laheri on the occupied left bank of Kherson Oblast. This move was reportedly made possible by weakened Russian defenses in the area. ISW analysts referred to reports by Russian correspondents on Aug. 8, indicating that Ukrainian forces utilized seven vessels, each carrying around six to seven individuals, to execute the amphibious operation on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, close to the settlement of Kozachi Laheri. Ukrainian military forces purportedly breached the Russian defense lines, advancing approximately 800 meters inland. Ukrainian forces appear to have conducted a limited raid across the Dnipro River and landed on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast, although it remains unclear whether Ukrainian troops have established an enduring presence on the east bank, the analysts said. Ukraine's General Staff hasn't commented on the matter, though Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar cautioned about sharing information. The AFU launched the counter-offensive in Ukraine's south in the beginning of June. Ukrainian forces have breached the first line of Russian defenses in southern Ukraine in some areas of the front, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Aug. 4. Will you support Ukraines free press? Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations. As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility to amplify Ukraines voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation. Its the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine. If youre willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful. Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda. Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd. If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly. There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting. We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If youre willing to stand up for the truth consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much. Will you help tell Ukraines story to the world? Twenty years ago, most people hadnt even heard of Ukraine. Today, the country is on everyones lips and everyones headlines. War pushed us on the front page. But there are many other things we do that we are proud of from music and culture to technology. We need your help to tell the world Ukrainian story of resilience, joy, and survival. If youre willing to back our effort, consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News [August 09, 2023] Sealy & Company Acquires 265,700 SF in Des Moines and Commits to Donating to the Marine Corps Scholarship in Collaboration with New Partners VanTrust Tweet Sealy & Company, a fully-integrated commercial real estate investment and operating company and recognized leader in the industrial real estate market, announces the acquisition of the newly constructed Class A industrial asset Altus Commerce Center totaling 265,700 square feet located in the Des Moines market. In a show of unwavering commitment to supporting our nation's heroes and their families, Sealy & Company, in honor of its new partners, VanTrust, will make a significant contribution to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation commemorating the transaction. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809569560/en/ Sealy & Company, a fully-integrated commercial real estate investment and operating company and recognized leader in the industrial real estate market, announces the acquisition of the newly constructed Class A industrial asset Altus Commerce Center totaling 265,700 square feet located in the Des Moines market. In a show of unwavering commitment to upporting our nation's heroes and their families, Sealy & Company, in honor of its new partners, VanTrust, will make a significant contribution to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation commemorating the transaction. (Photo: Business Wire) The Altus Commerce Center is a fully occupied, institutional quality warehouse/distribution facility. The asset boasts Class A features, including 32' clear heights, a 135' truck court, an ESFR fire suppression system, LED lighting, a TPO roof, and ample employee parking. The rear load facility has twenty-six (26) dock-high doors and two (2) drive-in doors, offering optimal functionality for tenants. The property is well located in the Des Moines market with immediate access to I-80 and I-35, as well as Highways 65 and 6. Des Moines has a strong history of public-private collaborations. The region is a globally connected community and one of the nation's hotspots for new businesses, startups, and millennials. It has been ranked among the best places to live in the United States. Per capita, the fastest growing metro in the Midwest in jobs, population, GDP, and headquarters for Fortune 500 companies & industries, including financial services, data centers, agbioscience, logistics, and advanced manufacturing. In addition to adding to the company's expanding portfolio, Sealy & Company, in collaboration with VanTrust, is showcasing the two entities' core values of corporate responsibility by supporting the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation is an organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities for the children of United States Marines. The contribution will go towards funding scholarships that empower deserving students to pursue higher education and achieve their dreams. "We are pleased to add the Altus Commerce Center to our growing portfolio and to close on a transaction with a quality partner like VanTrust," says Scott P. Sealy Jr, Chief Investment Officer of Sealy & Company. "We recognize the sacrifice made by our brave men and women in uniform and their families, and we believe in supporting their pursuit of educational aspirations. Our contribution to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation is a testament to the shared values of Sealy and VanTrust and our commitment to giving back to the communities we serve." Jason Gandy, Managing Director - Investment Services, and Davis Gibbs, Director - Investment Services, led the transaction for Sealy & Company. Newmark, led by Mark Long & John Hassler, brokered the sale for VanTrust. For more news and information regarding Sealy & Company, please visit the Company's website at www.Sealynet.com. Sealy & Company Sealy & Company, a fully-integrated commercial real estate investment and operating firm, is a recognized leader in acquiring, developing, and redeveloping regional distribution warehouses, industrial/flex, and other commercial properties. Sealy provides a full-service platform for high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors through our development, management, and brokerage divisions. Sealy & Company has an exceptional team of over 100 employees, with corporate offices in Dallas, TX and Shreveport, LA. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809569560/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 09, 2023] PBCS and Bright Pattern Forge Strategic Partnership to Deliver Enhanced Omnichannel Communication Solutions Tweet DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PBCS and Bright Pattern are delighted to announce their strategic partnership aimed at empowering organizations with cutting-edge omnichannel communication capabilities. This collaboration seeks to drive greater enterprise agility by seamlessly integrating Voice, IVR, Email, Chat, SMS, MMS, and Messengers under the Bright Pattern's omnichannel platform. Bright Pattern's contact center platform provides businesses with capabilities for omnichannel conversations, omnichannel quality management, and omni-enterprise CX with Bright Pattern Mobile App. PBCS partners with Bright Pattern to deliver contact center capabilities to Middle East , Turkey , and Africa regions. Through the Bright Pattern Solution, customers and agents alike will experience personalized and effortless communication across all voice and digital channels. This comprehensive suite of communication tools will evolutionize how businesses engage with their clients, offering unmatched convenience and efficiency. The integration of Bright Pattern's technology is particularly harmonious with Matrix42's ticketing and helpdesk solutions in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa regions. This alliance ensures a seamless experience for clients, unlocking new avenues for enhancing customer interactions while strengthening support services. "PBCS is proud to be appointed as a preferred Professional Service Partner for Matrix42 Solutions in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa Region," stated Friedrich Langer, Partner at PBCS. "We quickly recognized the growing demand from clients for 24/7 support during implementation and projects. The technical prowess of Bright Pattern and their unwavering commitment to this strategic partnership were compelling factors that made us seek this collaboration." The synergy between PBCS and Bright Pattern will not only elevate the quality of communication solutions but also reinforce the commitment to customer success. Clients in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa can expect top-tier support and call center solutions, backed by the seamless integration of Bright Pattern's advanced technologies. "Through this partnership, we are furthering our mission to revolutionize the way businesses interact with their customers," said Luc Cavelier, Head Of Business Development EMEA at Bright Pattern. "Our innovative omnichannel communication suite, coupled with PBCS's expertise and dedicated support, will empower organizations to thrive in a dynamic digital landscape." About Bright Pattern Bright Pattern provides the simplest yet most powerful all-in-one omnichannel contact center solution with over 500 customers in 26 countries including EY, Toyota, VW Bentley, Zillow, Bank of America, Bell24, Cable and Wireless, City of Brampton, Community Medical, Detroit Water, Enercare, First Bank, Hairclub, Hurtigruten, Mediterranean Shipping Company, Naver, Officeworks, Pepsi, Randstad, SEIU, Southern Cross Health Insurance, Sun Country Airlines, Sylvan Learning, United Power, and YMCA. Bright Pattern is the highest-rated omnichannel platform by customers and analysts with the fastest ROI and time to deploy in the industry. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pbcs-and-bright-pattern-forge-strategic-partnership-to-deliver-enhanced-omnichannel-communication-solutions-301896506.html SOURCE Bright Pattern [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 09, 2023] Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy Announces Ninth Circuit Dismisses Appeal Allowing Historic Settlement to be Distributed to Apple iPhone Consumers Impacted by Software Throttling Tweet Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, Co-Lead Counsel representing Apple customers, announced that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal challenging the historic agreement with Apple Inc. to settle a nationwide class action based on allegations that Apple issued software updates that slowed down the performance of iPhones. Under the now-final settlement, Apple will pay $310 million in cash compensation. The class action was filed back in 2018. In 2019, the Court ruled on Apple's motion to dismiss and allowed several claims in the litigation to move forward, including violation of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, California's Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, California's Unfair Competition Law, and Trespass to Chattels. After years of litigation, the team at CPM, along with co-lead counsel, Kaplan Fox, successfully negotiated a $310 million settlement - the largest all-cash recovery in a computer intrusion case in history - on behalf of a class o approximately 100 million iPhone users. Mark C. Molumphy, a partner at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP said: "The settlement is the result of years of investigation and hotly contested litigation. We are extremely proud that this deal has been approved, and following the Ninth Circuit's order, we can finally provide immediate cash payments to impacted Apple customers." Tyson C. Redenbarger, a partner at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP said: "This was an important case, lying at the intersection of privacy, consumer product, and computer intrusion laws. The settlement provides substantial relief to Apple consumers and, going forward, will help ensure that customers are fully informed when asked to update their products." The case is In re Apple Inc. Device Performance Litigation, Case No. 5:18-md-02827-EJD (N.D.Cal). About Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP engages exclusively in litigation and trials and has earned a national reputation for its dedication to prosecuting or defending socially just actions. To learn more about the firm, visit www.cpmlegal.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809484719/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 09, 2023] Oatey Co. Joins Forces with Major Cleveland-Based Manufacturers to Celebrate and Showcase Cleveland Manufacturing at National PHCC Connect Conference Tweet Oatey Co. is proud to announce its sponsorship and participation in PHCC Connect 2023 Cleveland, the premier national conference for plumbing, heating, and cooling professionals in the United States. The event will take place on October 23-26, 2023, in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Huntington Convention Center. As a Cleveland-based company and one of the oldest and most respected names in the plumbing industry, Oatey Co. will be a part of a showcase of Cleveland hometown brands, joining forces with Ridge Tool Company (RIDGID), Moen, and Merit Brass. These companies will be positioned in a central area of the Exhibit Hall and some will also be offering plant tours to celebrate and showcase Cleveland manufacturing. "Oatey Co. is incredibly proud to sponsor and participate in PHCC Connect 2023 Cleveland, an excellent opportunity for industry leaders and plumbing experts to come together, learn, and share ideas," says Patrick Aquino, Oatey's Vice President of Wholesale Sales. Katherine Lehtinen, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Oatey, added: "We look forward to giving attendees and media an insider's look at the world of Cleveland manufacturing as well as Oatey's many innovations and contributions to the industry since its founding more than a century ago." "We are excited to welcome these industry leaders to Cleveland and to showcase our region's position as a hub for advanced manufacturing," says Gordon Taylor III, Chief Sales Officer at Destination Cleveland, the destination marketing and management organization for the region. "While exploring our city and touring the innovative local businesses, conference attendees will see firsthand that Cleveland is The Land of building meaningful connections." As a Cleveland-based sponsor, Oatey will offer tours of its 160th Street manufacturing operations, providing an opportunity for attendees to gain a behind-the-scenes understanding of the company's world-class facility, learning about the chemical and mechanical processes that bring the highest-quality plumbing products to life. Then, attendees will enjoy a hands-on experience at Oatey University, a best-in-class training center for industry tradespeople, inspiring innovative new products and advancing the state of the art in the plumbing industry. Oatey social media ambassadors Nick Parlet (@plumbingsk8r), Colin Luttrel (@colintheplumberllc), Rob Broccolo (@prodrains) and Evan Berns (@re.plumb) will be on hand at Oatey University to welcome facility visitors. They are looking forward to connecting with fellow industry members, sharing their knowledge and personal stories about promoting the plumbing trade. Once registered for the PHCC Connect Conference, attendees can sign up to participate in this tour, which will take place on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, from 7:30 AM to 11:00 AM ET. That same day, Oatey is proud to sponsor a Women in Industry Luncheon hosted by the PHCC National Auxiliary and Women in Piping and Plumbing. Oatey's Lehtinen will open the event, which will include an interactive panel discussion, featuring women who work in the plumbing and HVAC industries. Panelists will share their personal stories, challenges faced, and thought-provoking ideas for how the trades can become even more welcoming and inclusive. Lehtinen will also highlight The House That She Built, an organization whose mission is to help generate awareness of the skilled trades. A new children's book, also titled The House That She Built, educates young readers about the people and skills that go into building a home, telling the true story of a home built by all female tradespeople. Each luncheon attendee will receive a copy of the book and be asked to read it to a child in their life or a local elementary school classroom. Lehtinen sits on The House That She Built Executive Leadership Council. After registering for the conference, attendees can sign up to attend the Women in Industry Luncheon, which will take place on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, from 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM ET. Each luncheon attendee will receive a copy of The House That She Built. ABOUT OATEY CO. Since 1916, Oatey has provided reliable, high-quality products for the residential and commercial plumbing industries, with a commitment to delivering quality, building trust and improving lives. Today, Oatey operates a comprehensive manufacturing and distribution network to supply thousands of products for professional builders, contractors, engineers and do-it-yourself consumers around the world. Oatey is based in Cleveland, Ohio, and has locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China. For more information, visit www.oatey.com, call (800) 321-9532 or follow Oatey on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809588595/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 09, 2023] DigiKey Debuts Factory Tomorrow Season 3 Video Series Tweet Third season explores powering production with alternative energy sources, sustainable operations and more THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DigiKey, a leading global commerce distributor offering the largest selection of technical components and automation products in stock for immediate shipment, has released the first episode in Season 3 of its "Factory Tomorrow" video series focused on the latest innovations driving sustainable change in industrial automation. Sponsored by Schneider Electric and Panduit, the three-episode series will take a closer look at how powering production with alternative energy sources, sustainable operations and more are shaping the next major leap forward for manufacturing. "As global demand continues to increase, automation technology has rapidly advanced to keep pace, especially at the intersection of sustainability and efficiency," said Eric Halvorson, partnership marketing manager II, strategic programs at DigiKey. "Innovative partnerships with suppliers like Panduit and Schneider Electric illustrate our shared vision of a more sustainable future and ensure DigiKey's customers have access to the products they need to accelerate progress." "Sustainability is part of the DNA of Schneider Electric," said Lisa Causarano, international account manager, global strategic accounts, CPG Segment at Schneider Electric. "It's exciting to see the changes that have been implemented in our Lexington, Ky., facility and I'm looking forward to seeing what else can be achieved toward sustainable manufacturing, in our industry and beyond." "Efficiency and sustainability have been a focus of Panduit's physical infrastructure for more than 60 year across all of our global operations," said Tom Kelly, senior vice president, business units at Panduit. "We are excited to partner with DigiKey to help service our customers as they focus on reducing the environmental impact associated with production and fulfillment of our shared customers' demand." The first of three videos in the series, "Reducing the Impact of Production," is now live on DigiKey's website, and explores how the factories of tomorrow will rely on a foundation of connectivity and high-speed infrastructure. This episode highlights Panduit and how their commitment to sustainability enables better technologies for customers and the planet. The second video, entitled "Inspiring Change on the Factory Floor," will feature a visit to Schneider Electric's smart factory in Lexington, to learn how it serves as a model for others in the industry looking to create more sustainable operations. The third video, "Sustainable Automation Techniques in Action," will showcase how automation and sustainability intersect within DigiKey's cutting edge distribution facility. To learn more about the video series and how DigiKey is supporting sustainability in the rapidly growing automation and control industry, visit the DigiKey Automation website. About Schneider Electric Schneider's purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On. Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency. We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries. We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values. About Panduit Since 1955, Panduit's culture of curiosity and passion for problem solving have enabled more meaningful connections between companies' business goals and their marketplace success. Panduit creates leading-edge physical, electrical, network infrastructure and AV solutions for enterprise-wide environments, from the data center to the telecom room, from the desktop to the plant floor. Headquartered in Tinley Park, Ill., USA and operating in 112 global locations, Panduit's proven reputation for quality and technology leadership, coupled with a robust partner ecosystem, help support, sustain, and empower business growth in a connected world. About DigiKey DigiKey, headquartered in Thief River Falls, Minn., USA, is recognized as the global leader and continuous innovator in the cutting-edge commerce distribution of electronic components and automation products worldwide. We get technical by providing more than 14.9 million components from over 2,400 quality name-brand manufacturers with an industry-leading breadth and depth of product in stock and available for immediate shipment. DigiKey also supports engineers, designers, builders and procurement professionals with a wealth of digital solutions, frictionless interactions and tools to make their jobs more efficient. Additional information can be found at digikey.com and on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn. Editorial Contact Megan Derkey Bellmont Partners +1 612-255-1115 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digikey-debuts-factory-tomorrow-season-3-video-series-301897205.html SOURCE DigiKey [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 09, 2023] Arvig Awarded Border to Border Grant for Sherburne County Fiber Expansion PERHAM, Minn., Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arvig has been awarded a $182,576 grant from the State of Minnesotas Border to Border Broadband program to expand its fiber network to 240 unserved structures in Sherburne County Construction on the last-mile fiber network will take place near the Travelers Country Club on the Mississippi River, southeast of Clearwater, Minn. When complete, the network will provide residents with internet speeds from 100Mbps (20 Mbps upload) up to 10 Gbps (1 Gbps upload), which meets or exceeds Minnesotas 2026 state speed goal. Providing internet service to unserved areas remains a high priority for us at Arvig, said David Arvig, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Arvig. This expansion of our fiber network wll reliably serve residents in the area with the next-generation speeds they need to stay connected to the world. The total project cost for the network is estimated at $456,440. Arvig will provide a local match of $182,576 and Sherburne County and the State of Minnesota will contribute $91,288 toward the project. Construction will begin as soon as the grant is awarded and the environmental reviews are completed, and will be completed before December 2025. About Arvig Headquartered in Perham, Minnesota, Arvig is a local, employee-owned broadband and full-service telecommunications provider. Committed to delivering cutting-edge technology to customers throughout the region, Arvig provides residential and business internet, television, and telephone services. Additionally, Arvig provides a wide variety of business technology solutions. Visit arvig.com for additional information. Media Contact: Lisa Greene, Director, Marketing & Customer Experience Arvig | 150 Second Street SW 218.346.8294 | [email protected] [August 09, 2023] Meet the New Standard in Social Media - RTRO With No Algorithms Tweet NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The social media industry continues to take on proven risks to mental health, addictive algorithms, and data privacy issues. The Seattle school system is suing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Google over contributing to wide scale mental health crises among youths. In fact, Utah law bans social media companies from using addictive algorithms for minors while Montana has banned TikTok completely. Meet RTRO: the new standard in social media. Launched in May 2023, RTRO's mission is to take us back to when social was simply about sharing authentic content and making positive connections between people, brands and creators. RTRO provides an alternative and supports mental well-being by enabling people to do the two things they love most: keep up with friends and family without brand ads in their feed (RTROcircles) and exploring cool content without harmful algorithms (RTROtv). With social media growth projected to grow to six billion users by 2027, RTRO is the solution for fun and connective social. The U.S Surgeon General recently announced social media causes profound risks for our youth. Universities are releasing research showing a sharp decline in teen mental health including dramatic increases in anxiety, depression, and suicide around the time when social media became common in 2010. What actually uplifts and energizes Gen Z? Indeed, research studies and trend reports indicate that nostalgia from previous eras gives them a sense of comfort. 70% of American Z's watch and listen to media from earlier decades as it reminds them of when things were simpler. 80% of Gen Z said they like when brands bring back old aesthetics, and 74% like when brands produce retro-style products and content. Indeed, Research studies and trend reports indicate that nostalgia from previous eras gives them a sense of comfort. The RTRO social media platform is the first innovation in the chat space in years. "RTROcircles" are where you can get creative and have fun sharing messages, videos, photos, and music with unique throwback features like postcards, mixtapes, RTROpolaroids. These introduce a way to "slow social," where you live in the moment, feel present and fall in love with staying connected to friends and family. The nostalgic energy of the app appeals to the masses from boomers who miss the good ol' days to gen Zers who are becoming more and more infatuated with the past and yearn for those back-in-the-day experiences from the pre-internet eras. 59% of GenZ are concerned that Big Tech algorithms are creating digital echo chambers, an indicator of algorithm anxiety. RTROtv is the first algorithm-free "channel-surfing" exploration of brand and creator content, putting people back in control over what they want to see and when. RTROtv is where we reclaim our attention spans and rewire how we consume content. RTROtv connects brands, creators in a safe space fostering 2-way relationships built on mutual admiration instead of "followers." "RTRO combines what we love most about social media with what we feel nostalgic for from the past. Because of this, RTRO is designed to connect people, brands, and creators in communities rather than just being about individuals or followers. RTRO's algorithm-free environment lets you live and think freely." - Nicole Falco, CEO/Founder. RTRO Founder, Nicole Falco curated an advisory team of Gen Z/Millennial influencers and professionals with diverse backgrounds including Fashion, Sports, Beauty, Culture, Music and the Arts. They guide and shape how the platform evolves so that the needs of the community are truly served. A fan of fun, Nicole collaborates with the RTRO creator community, which includes over 250 TikTok and IG influencers who joined the platform, inspired by the mission of "to support our best social lives." RTRO is available in the Apple Store and can be downloaded here. For Inquiries: Nicole Falco RTRO [email protected] 646-649-4515 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meet-the-new-standard-in-social-media--rtro-with-no-algorithms-301897242.html SOURCE RTRO [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 09, 2023] Myomo Reports Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results Featuring Year Over Year Growth in Revenue and Operating Metrics Tweet Myomo, Inc. (NYSE American: MYO) ("Myomo" or the "Company"), a wearable medical robotics company that offers increased functionality for those suffering from neurological disorders and upper-limb paralysis, today announced financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023. Financial and operational highlights for the second quarter of 2023 include the following (all comparisons are with the second quarter of 2022 unless otherwise indicated): Product revenue was $4.2 million, up 15%, with total revenue of $6.0 million including receipt of the final joint venture license fee payment; Revenue units were 97, up 21%; MyoPro orders and insurance authorizations were received for 125 units, up 23%; orders and insurance authorizations were received for 125 units, up 23%; Backlog, which represents insurance authorizations and orders received but not yet converted to revenue, was 179 units, up 10%; 408 new candidates were added to the patient pipeline, up 28%; There were 969 MyoPro candidates in the patient pipeline as of June 30, 2023, up 27%; Gross margin was 71.8%, up 650 basis points; and, Cost per pipeline add, which reflects only payers that have previously reimbursed for the MyoPro, was $2,074, a reduction of 57%. Management Commentary "We continued our solid execution in the second quarter, with year over year improvement in all of our key operational metrics," stated Paul R. Gudonis, Myomo's chairman and chief executive officer. "Our focus for the rest of the year is to continue to grow the business, while managing our operating expenses and building a pipeline of Medicare Part B patients in anticipation of being able to fit them with their own MyoPro, potentially within the next six to 12 months. That effort began during the second quarter," added Gudonis. "Additionally, our Chinese joint venture partner is moving quickly to launch its business development efforts, establish manufacturing and build the supply chain. We received initial orders from the JV company for MyoPro Control Units, which are a core component of the MyoPro product line, and our MARK clinical units for approximately $300,000 in total. The JV company is getting ready to produce the clinical version of our product line, which they expect to supply to rehab hospitals throughout China." Financial Results For the Three Months Ended June 30, Period- to-Period Change For the Six Months Ended June 30, Period- to-Period Change 2023 2022 $ % 2023 2022 $ % Product revenue $ 4,243,624 $ 3,677,575 $ 566,049 15 % $ 7,690,332 $ 6,545,501 $ 1,144,831 17 % License revenue 1,714,920 - 1,714,920 N/M 1,714,920 1,000,000 714,920 71 % Total revenue 5,958,544 3,677,575 2,280,969 62 % 9,405,252 7,545,501 1,859,751 25 % Cost of revenue 1,677,488 1,276,444 401,044 31 % 2,816,594 2,567,149 249,445 10 % Gross profit $ 4,281,056 $ 2,401,131 $ 1,879,925 78 % $ 6,588,658 $ 4,978,352 $ 1,610,306 32 % Gross margin % 71.8 % 65.3 % 6.6 % 70.1 % 66.0 % 4.1 % Revenue for the second quarter of 2023 was $6.0 million, up 62% compared with the second quarter of 2022. Excluding the final payment of the technology license fee in the second quarter of 2023, product revenue of $4.2 million increased 15% compared with the same period a year ago. Growth in product revenue was driven by a higher number of revenue units, offset by a lower average selling price (ASP). Myomo recognized revenue on 97 MyoPro units in the second quarter of 2023, up 21% over the same quarter a year ago. Year-to-date revenues were $9.4 million, up 25% compared with the same period a year ago. Gross margin for the second quarter of 2023 was 71.8%, compared with 65.3% for the second quarter of 2022. The increase was driven primarily by the license fee payment offset by a lower average selling price and higher inventory and warranty reserves. Year-to-date gross margin was 70.1%, compared with 66.0% for the same period a year ago. Operating expenses for the second quarter of 2023 were $5.4 million, an increase of 2% compared with the second quarter of 2022. The increase was driven primarily by higher incentive compensation accruals, offset by lower advertising expenses. Advertising costs of $0.8 million decreased 18% compared with the second quarter of 2022. Cost per pipeline add was $2,074, a decrease of 57%, compared with the second quarter of 2022. Year-to-date operating expenses were $10.4 million, a decrease of 2% compared with the same period a year ago. Operating loss for the second quarter of 2023 was $1.1 million, compared with an operating loss of $2.9 million for the second quarter of 2022. Net loss for the second quarter of 2023 was $1.0 million, or $0.04 per share, compared with a net loss of $2.9 million, or $0.42 per share, for the second quarter of 2022. Year-to-date operating loss was $3.8 million, compared with an operating loss of $5.6 million for the same period a year ago. Year-to-date net loss was $3.7 million, or $0.14 per share, compared with a net loss of $5.7 million, or $0.83 per share, for the same period a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter of 2023 was $(0.8) million, compared with $(2.5) million for the second quarter of 2022. Year-to-date Adjusted EBITDA was $(3.2) million, compared with $(4.9) million for the same period a year ago. A reconciliation of GAAP net loss to this non-GAAP financial measure appears below. Operations Update The patient pipeline was 969 patients as of June 30, 2023. Beginning in 2023, the pipeline only represents patients with insurance payers, Veterans Administration hospitals or orthotics and prosthetics suppliers that have previously paid for a MyoPro. The comparable patient pipeline as of June 30, 2022 was 761 patients, representing an increase of 27% year over year. There were 408 patients added to the pipeline in the second quarter of 2023, an increase of 57% compared with 319 patients with previous payers in the same period a year ago. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Update On June 30, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") issued a proposed rule that expands the previous definition of a brace to include products such as a MyoPro that will both support and help move a patient's arm. There is a 60-day public comment period before the proposed rule can be finalized. If the proposed rule is adopted, and should there be no change to how braces are reimbursed, we expect the MyoPro to be reimbursed on a lump sum basis, similar to all other payers currently reimbursing for the MyoPro. In addition, CMS stated that it intends to publish a fee for the MyoPro billing codes, L8701 and L8702, at an upcoming public meeting. The next such public meeting has not been scheduled, but is expected to be held in late 2023. The Company has filed claims with CMS' regional billing contractors, known as the DME MAC's, for six MyoPros provided to Medicare Part B patients. These claims are in process, with review of the medical documentation underway as required for individual consideration. "With the proposed new rule now announced by CMS, we will inform Medicare Part B patients about their opportunity to obtain a MyoPro while we await a decision on the pending claims, finalization of the proposed rule and the publication of a fee," stated Mr. Gudonis. The Company reports that more than 30 patients are currently in the Medicare pipeline, which is separate from the main patient pipeline, with additional patients expected to be added during the third quarter. Business Outlook "The backlog entering the third quarter is slightly higher than the backlog entering the second quarter, but given the order mix in the second quarter, the ASP in the backlog is slightly lower, " added Mr. Gudonis. "As a result, we expect to achieve modest year-over-year revenue growth in the third quarter, while sequential revenue growth will depend on the number of new orders during the third quarter that can be delivered for revenue given the anticipated ASP. Meeting our target for full year product revenue growth of 20% to 30% will depend on the number of insurance authorizations we receive in the next few months." Cash Position Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as of June 30, 2023 were $9.0 million. Cash used in operating activities was $0.3 million for the second quarter of 2023, compared with $2.6 million for the second quarter of 2022. Conference Call and Webcast Myomo will hold a conference call today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time to discuss these results and answer questions. Participants are encouraged to pre-register for the call at this link. Callers who pre-register will be given a conference passcode and unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call and bypass the live operator. Participants may pre-register at any time including up to and after the start of the call. Those unable to pre-register may participate by dialing 844-707-6932 (U.S.) or 412-317-9250 (International). A webcast of the call will also be available at Myomo's Investor Relations page at http://ir.myomo.com/. A replay of the webcast will be available beginning approximately one hour after the completion of the live conference call at http://ir.myomo.com/. A dial-in replay of the call will be available until August 23, 2023 at 877-344-7529 (U.S. toll-free), 855-669-9658 (Canada toll-free) or 412-317-0088 (International), with passcode 3960786. Non-GAAP Financial Measures Myomo is providing financial information that has not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or GAAP. This information includes Adjusted EBITDA. This non-GAAP financial measure is not in accordance with, or an alternative for, GAAP and may be different from similar non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Myomo believes the use of this non-GAAP financial measure provides supplementary information for investors to use in evaluating operating performance and in comparing Myomo's financial measures with other companies in its industry, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures. Adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA adjusted for stock-based compensation expense and loss on equity investment. This non-GAAP financial measure is not meant to be considered superior to or a substitute for results of operations prepared in accordance with GAAP, and should be viewed in conjunction with GAAP financial measures. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. A reconciliation of GAAP to the non-GAAP financial measures has been provided in the tables included as part of this press release. About Myomo Myomo, Inc. is a wearable medical robotics company that offers improved arm and hand function for those suffering from neurological disorders and upper-limb paralysis. Myomo develops and markets the MyoPro product line. MyoPro is a powered upper-limb orthosis designed to support the arm and restore function to the weakened or paralyzed arms of certain patients suffering from CVA stroke, brachial plexus injury, traumatic brain or spinal cord injury, ALS or other neuromuscular disease or injury. It is currently the only marketed device that, sensing a patient's own EMG signals through non-invasive sensors on the arm, can restore an individual's ability to perform activities of daily living, including feeding themselves, carrying objects and doing household tasks. Many are able to return to work, live independently and reduce their cost of care. Myomo is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with sales and clinical professionals across the U.S. and representatives internationally. For more information, please visit www.myomo.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Company's future business expectations, including expectations for third quarter and full year 2023 revenue, as well as expectations regarding the payment of claims by the DME MAC's and finalization of the proposed rule and the publishing of a fee from CMS, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors. These factors include, among other things: We have a history of operating losses and our financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2023 include disclosures regarding there being substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern; our ability to achieve reimbursement from third-party payers for our products, including CMS for Medicare Part B patients; our ability to continue to serve patients with Medicare Advantage insurance plans CMS does not cover the MyoPro; our revenue concentration with a particular insurance payer as a result of focusing our efforts on patients with insurers who have previously reimbursed for the MyoPro; our ability to continue normal operations and patient interactions without supply chain disruption in order to deliver and fit our custom-fabricated device; our marketing and commercialization efforts; our dependence upon external sources for the financing of our operations, to the extent that we do not achieve or maintain cash flow breakeven; our ability to effectively execute our business plan and scale up our operations; our expectations as to our product development programs, and; general market, economic, environmental and social factors that may affect the evaluation, fitting, delivery and sale of our products to patients. More information about these and other factors that potentially could affect our financial results is included in Myomo's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those contained in the risk factors section of the Company's annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Commission. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Although the forward-looking statements in this release of financial information are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations, taking into account all information currently available to us, we cannot guarantee future transactions, results, performance, achievements or outcomes. No assurance can be made to any investor by anyone that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements will be attained, or that deviations from them will not be material or adverse. The Company disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. (Tables to follow) MYOMO, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited) For the Three Months ended For the Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Revenue Product revenue $ 4,243,624 $ 3,677,575 $ 7,690,332 $ 6,545,501 License revenue 1,714,920 - 1,714,920 1,000,000 5,958,544 3,677,575 9,405,252 7,545,501 Cost of revenue 1,677,488 1,276,444 2,816,594 2,567,149 Gross profit 4,281,056 2,401,131 6,588,658 4,978,352 Operating expenses: Research and development 564,235 632,872 1,041,225 1,292,408 Selling, general and administrative 4,819,827 4,664,088 9,321,435 9,320,505 5,384,062 5,296,960 10,362,660 10,612,913 Loss from operations (1,103,006 ) (2,895,829 ) (3,774,002 ) (5,634,561 ) Other (income) expense, net Interest income (103,439 ) (13,845 ) (189,753 ) (14,026 ) Other (income) expense, net 5,631 165 5,631 293 Loss on equity investment 12,514 33,208 29,716 33,208 (85,294 ) 19,528 (154,406 ) 19,475 Loss before income taxes (1,017,712 ) (2,915,357 ) (3,619,596 ) (5,654,036 ) Income tax expense (benefit) (3,562 ) (6,435 ) 38,849 69,820 Net loss $ (1,014,150 ) $ (2,908,922 ) $ (3,658,445 ) $ (5,723,856 ) Weighted average number of common shares outstanding: Basic and diluted 27,992,928 6,923,799 26,000,216 6,904,966 Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders Basic and diluted $ (0.04 ) $ (0.42 ) $ (0.14 ) $ (0.83 ) MYOMO, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS June 30, December 31, 2023 2022 (unaudited) ASSETS Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 6,006,283 $ 5,345,967 Short-term investments 2,950,268 - Accounts receivable, net 1,641,803 1,896,163 Inventories, net 1,337,353 1,399,865 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 694,641 573,462 Total Current Assets 12,630,348 9,215,457 Operating lease assets with right of use 299,118 508,743 Equipment, net 153,719 194,283 Investment in Jiangxi Myomo Medical Assistive Appliance Co. Ltd. 102,773 132,489 Other assets 111,034 111,034 Total Assets $ 13,296,992 $ 10,162,006 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued expenses 3,977,460 3,086,932 Current operating lease liability 181,783 353,701 Income taxes payable 177,187 140,650 Deferred revenue 747 20,653 Total Current Liabilities 4,337,177 3,601,936 Non-current operating lease liability 139,657 200,207 Deferred revenue 126 498 Total Liabilities 4,476,960 3,802,641 Commitments and Contingencies - - Stockholders' Equity: Preferred stock - - Common stock 2,110 775 Additional paid-in capital 101,226,783 95,105,071 Accumulated other comprehensive income 39,292 43,227 Accumulated deficit (92,441,689 ) (88,783,244 ) Treasury stock, at cost (6,464 ) (6,464 ) Total Stockholders' Equity 8,820,032 6,359,365 Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 13,296,992 $ 10,162,006 MYOMO, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited) For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net loss $ (3,658,445 ) $ (5,723,856 ) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operations: Depreciation 100,622 94,645 Stock-based compensation 451,088 611,493 Bad debt expense 13,000 26,075 Loss on equity investment 29,716 33,208 Amortization of right-of-use assets 209,625 162,638 Other non-cash charges (10,786 ) 69,521 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable 235,877 602,033 Inventories 68,907 (496,529 ) Prepaid expenses and other current assets (212,438 ) 345,470 Other assets - (15,704 ) Accounts payable and accrued expenses 888,594 (542,597 ) Income taxes payable 34,774 56,600 Operating lease liabilities (232,467 ) (195,244 ) Deferred revenue (20,280 ) 1,650 Net cash used in operating activities (2,102,213 ) (4,970,597 ) CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES (3,008,692 ) (301,672 ) CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES 5,763,910 - Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash 7,311 (16,195 ) Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 660,316 (5,288,464 ) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 5,345,967 15,524,378 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 6,006,283 $ 10,235,914 MYOMO, INC. RECONCILIATION OF GAAP NET LOSS TO ADJUSTED EBITDA (unaudited) For the Three Months Ended June 30, For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 GAAP net loss $ (1,014,150 ) $ (2,908,922 ) $ (3,658,445 ) $ (5,723,856 ) Adjustments to reconcile to Adjusted EBITDA: Interest income (103,439 ) (13,845 ) (189,753 ) (14,026 ) Depreciation expense 51,989 49,015 100,622 94,645 Stock-based compensation 280,061 345,223 451,088 611,493 Loss on investment in minority interest 12,514 33,208 29,716 33,208 Income tax (benefit) expense (3,562 ) (6,435 ) 38,849 69,820 Adjusted EBITDA $ (776,587 ) $ (2,501,756 ) $ (3,227,923 ) $ (4,928,716 ) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809474055/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 09, 2023] Federman & Sherwood Investigates City of Dallas, Texas for Data Breach Tweet The law firm of Federman & Sherwood has initiated an investigation into City of Dallas, Texas ("Dallas") with respect to their recent data breach. On August 7, 2023, Dallas notified individuals that the company experienced a data breach after an unauthorized party accessed sensitive consumer data entrusted to the company. According to Dallas, they determined that information stored on third party vendor's servers may have been subject to unauthorized access from April 7, 2023 through May 3, 2023. Dallas determined that the information exposed in the data breach may include: name address, Social Security number, Medical Health Information, and Health Insurance Information. If you wish to discuss this action, obtain further information, and/or participate in this litigation, please contact Lacrista A. Bagley either by email at [email protected] or visit our firm's website www.federmanlaw.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809078879/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Today there was an overwhelming sign of support, love, sympathy and prayer following the death of a Fairway, Kansas from injuries sustained in the line of duty. Accordingly, we share this collection of news from throughout metro as most outlets focused their coverage on this tragic story that has resonated across the nation. Check TKC news gathering . . . Fallen Fairway officer remembered for dedication to job, family People who knew fallen Fairway Office Jonah Oswald are mourning and remembering the young officer and father after he died in the line of duty. News Chopper 9 video: Full police procession for Fairway, Kansas police officer Jonah Oswald Officers and deputies from several law enforcement agencies led a procession for the officer. Johnson County officers standing guard with fallen Fairway officer's body A ceremonial guard will stay with Fairway Officer Jonah Oswald 24 hours a day until his funeral service after he died in the line of duty. VIDEO | Officers escort body of fallen Fairway police officer Jonah Oswald from hospital Law enforcement from several agencies helped to escort the body of fallen Fairway Police officer Jonah Oswald Monday night from the University of Kansas Hospital. Community members, friends remember slain Fairway officer Jonah Oswald Hearts are heavy around Fairway, Kansas, as people mourn the loss of officer Jonah Oswald, who was killed in a shootout Sunday. Neighbors hang blue ribbons around city in honor of fallen Fairway police officer Jonah Oswald As you drive through Fairway, you will see signs of support for officer Oswald, along with blue ribbons. Buckner police 'devastated' by death of Fairway officer who previously worked for their department The Buckner Police Department posted a tribute on social media Tuesday for Fairway Police Department Ofc. Jonah Oswald, who previously worked for Buckner, in the wake of his death. Community members pay tribute to Fairway, Kansas police officer Jonah Oswald The Fairway community is in mourning after the tragic loss of Officer Jonah Oswald, who was shot and killed in the line of duty outside a QuikTrip in Mission. Firefighters, officers salute as police procession for Fairway police officer Jonah Oswald passes News Chopper 9 was over the procession as Oswald's body was taken to a funeral home. Law enforcement agencies, community pay tribute to fallen Fairway police officer Jonah Oswald Police departments and law enforcement agencies from across the Kansas City metro area are showing their support. Kansas City-area community honors fallen Fairway police officer Jonah Oswald The Kansas City-area community is honoring and remembering fallen Fairway police officer Jonah Oswald, 29, who died from injuries suffered in a shootout Sunday morning in Mission. 'It never gets any easier': Local program helps families of first responders killed in the line of duty The organization writes a check for $25,000 and gives it to the family of the first responder who was killed in the line of duty. 'You have each other's back': Fallen Fairway officer's former partner remembers their time working together You see, but don't hear them. Their silence speaks louder than words - it's a sign of respect for a "fallen brave hero" officer Jonah Oswald. How you can help: Fundraiser set up to assist family of Fairway police officer Jonah Oswald The Fairway Police Department is raising money for officer Jonah Oswald's family. Developing . . . 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Best credit cards with travel insurance Chase Bank has been positioning its Sapphire-branded travel cards as leaders in the competitive arena of low-fee and premium travel credit cards. So it's no surprise that the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit cards both score highest in the study. Here are areas where the cards beat the competition, with the maximum coverage amount by category. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Best for travel accident insurance ($1 million in coverage). Chase Sapphire Preferred: Best for luggage insurance, ($3,000 in coverage). Best for Trip Cancellation: ($20,000 in coverage per trip). Best for Eligibility, Cost and Extra Coverage Combined, including: Trip Delay ($500 in coverage per ticket). Travel Accident ($500,000 in coverage). Delayed Luggage ($500 in coverage per trip). Trip Cancellation ($20,000 in coverage per trip). Trip Delay ($500 in coverage per ticket). The 10 best cards with travel insurance Here are the top cards, with three tying for fourth place. Story continues Source: Adapted from WalletHub Best Credit Cards With Travel Insurance, June 23, 2023. Do you need travel insurance? Thanks to new federal regulations, U.S. consumers have more protections when flying. These rules require airlines to refund customers for U.S. flights canceled for certain reasons beyond a passengers control. Airline customers also have more rights when their flights are delayed. The rules are complicated, so be sure you refer to the Department of Transportations refund guidelines . In more good news for travelers, the new regulations spurred industry improvements ; nine airlines changed their policies to guarantee coverage of hotels and ten airlines to guarantee meals for stranded passengers. Still, for expensive trips, you will want to assess your credit card's travel insurance benefits. If you find them wanting, you can purchase trip insurance, which typically runs about 5% to 6% of the cost of your trip. The average cost for U.S. travelers from April 2022 to April 2023 was $284, according to the Los Angeles Times. A question of news coverage confronts the local discourse as Kansas City's top conservative talker calls out the newspaper for their dearth of reporting on a topic that has captivated the metro this week. Here at TKC we think the debate deserves attention given the decline of the dead-tree institution . . . Check the word and the tweet . . . You decide . . . Jeremy Grimaldi is the crime and justice reporter for yorkregion.com and its sister papers. He is the award-winning author of A Daughters Deadly Deception: The Jennifer Pan Story. Unfortunately, the median salary in many states wont cover the cost of living, which includes buying basic necessities, making discretionary purchases and saving for the future. Weve tabulated the living wage you need to pay for life in all 50 states comfortably. See: 5 Places To Live in Europe That Are So Cheap You Could Quit Your Job Find Out: What To Do If You Owe Back Taxes to the IRS Weve also compiled the top 10 states with plenty of jobs and very low costs of living. See whether your state made the list. 10. Oklahoma Unemployment rate: 2.8% Annual cost of necessities: $28,345 Oklahoma has the highest unemployment rate on this top 10 list but the cheapest annual cost of necessities. Generally, residents in this state pay the lowest prices for housing and groceries than residents in the other states in our top 10 list. 9. New Hampshire Unemployment rate: 1.9% Annual cost of necessities: $38,645 New Hampshire has the highest cost of necessities. However, it is in a three-way tie with South Dakota and Nebraska for the lowest unemployment rate. Find Out: 6 Things Millionaires Are Doing With Their Money To Prep for an Economic Downturn 8. Utah Unemployment rate: 2.3% Annual cost of necessities: $33,894 Utahs utility prices are among the lowest on this list. The states healthcare costs fall in the middle of the pack. 7. Wisconsin Unemployment rate: 2.4% Annual cost of necessities: $32,481 Wisconsins healthcare costs run high. However, grocery and transportation expenses are competitive with the other states on our list. 6. Arkansas Unemployment rate: 2.7% Annual cost of necessities: $29,003 The states unemployment rate is the second highest. Fortunately, its necessities cost less than most of the other states. Arkansas boasts the second-cheapest healthcare and third-cheapest housing. 5. Missouri Unemployment rate: 2.5% Annual cost of necessities: $29,379 Missouris unemployment rate is higher than most states on this list. However, residents enjoy the cheapest transportation costs and third-cheapest groceries. Story continues 4. North Dakota Unemployment rate: 2.1% Annual cost of necessities: $32,297 North Dakota residents pay the third-highest transportation costs. Fortunately, housing prices are competitive, and groceries are affordable. 3. Alabama Unemployment rate: 2.2% Annual cost of necessities: $28,744 Alabamas unemployment rate is lower than many states on this list. Plus, residents benefit from the second-cheapest cost of necessities, thanks to the least expensive healthcare services and second-most affordable housing prices. 2. South Dakota Unemployment rate: 1.9% Annual cost of necessities: $31,888 South Dakota boasts a low unemployment rate. Plus, the state has the second-lowest utility prices on our list. 1. Nebraska Unemployment rate: 1.9% Annual cost of necessities: $30,098 Nebraskas unemployment rate is also very low. While the states grocery prices are in the middle of the pack, residents pay the least for utilities than anyone else on our list. Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the best states to live with both plenty of jobs and a low cost of living. GOBankingRates first found each states (1) May 2023 unemployment rate as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Then for each qualified state, GOBankingRates found the itemized costs of living for necessities, sourced from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Centers Q1 2023 Cost of Living data series, such as (2) groceries cost of living; (3) healthcare cost of living; (4) utilities cost of living; (5) transportation cost of living; and (6) housing. GOBankingRates then factored out the cost of living indices from factors (2) (6) by the 2021 Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey; to find (7) total annual cost of necessities. Factors (1) and (7) were then scored and combined, with the lowest score being the best. All data was compiled on June 26, 2023. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 States With Plenty of Jobs and Very Low Costs of Living Caribbean Airlines has put passengers on notice for disruptions and or delays in their fligh On August 6, on the Day of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky heard a report on the use of Patriot and IRIS-T air defense systems by Ukrainian soldiers. Today, I heard a report on the use of advanced air defense systems - Patriots and IRIS-T, which we received from our partners - by our warriors. I am grateful to every country, every leader who helped us with them! These are powerful systems, very effective, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address. According to him, these systems have already yielded significant results, and not only for Ukraine. Because every destruction of Russian missiles in our skies, especially air-launched ballistic Kinzhals, which Russian terrorists have long boasted about... Every success of our warriors is a reassurance to the world that a terrorist state is not able to undermine common security, the President stressed. As reported, President Zelensky said on August 6 that Ukraines Air Force had shot down more than 3,500 different aerial targets (aircraft, helicopters, missiles) and more than 2,000 combat drones since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. This article will discuss 22 medical schools with the highest acceptance rates in America. We will also talk about career growth in the healthcare sector and healthcare companies that are being entirely revolutionized with Artificial Intelligence (AI). If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can head straight to 5 Medical Schools with the Highest Acceptance Rates in America. The demand for healthcare professionals has almost always been on the rise regardless of economic, political, and global situations. The importance of healthcare professionals keeping communities healthy and safe was significantly highlighted during the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic mainly because the pandemic exacerbated hospital staff shortages. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the demand for certified nursing assistants rose by 25% during the lockdown. Moreover, market research has estimated that the global healthcare market will reach $665.37 billion, and U.S. national expenditure will reach $6.2 trillion by 2028. Furthermore, the United States spent 17.8% of its GDP on healthcare in 2021, almost double that of other OECD countries. As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment rate for healthcare occupations is expected to increase by 13% from 2021 to 2031, creating nearly 2 million jobs over the 10 years. Thus, we observe how apart from being some of the most trusted professions in America, the growth for healthcare practitioners is faster than the average growth of any other occupation in the U.S. Currently, nurse practitioners' professions are the most-in-demand careers. The BLS anticipates growth of 46% in the jobs of nurse practitioners from 2021 to 2031, translating to an expected opening of 118,600 jobs nationwide. The average annual salary of a nurse practitioner in 2021 was $120,680, making it one of the fastest-growing and highest-paying occupations in the U.S. Owing to job benefits in the health sector like high salaries, prestige, job security, and ever-evolving job opportunities, it is not surprising that 85,000 plus students appear for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) every year in America. U.S. medical school enrollment of matriculants increased by 37.5% from 2002 to the year 2021-2022, according to the data released by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The analysis also identified over 22,000 matriculating students and over 62,000 applicants to U.S. medical schools for 2021-2022. Story continues While admission requirements for each college may vary, the average median GPA and MCAT score required for medical colleges in 2021 was 3.77 and 512, respectively. According to BeMo Academic Consulting, the medicalschool with the highest out-of-state acceptance rate in the US is East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine, with a success rate of 5.65% for out-of-state students as of 2023. Additionally, the acceptance rate of Harvard Medical School was 2.1% in 2022. With the emerging trends involving the use of AI in every industry, technologies like wearables, mHealth, telemedicine, and remote monitoring devices have changed the landscape of the healthcare sector globally and especially in the US, allowing for efficient and effective treatment. One notable example of the integration of A.I. and the healthcare sector is the Transform Diabetes Care program by CVS Health Corp (NYSE:CVS). The program aims at assisting CVS Health Corp (NYSE:CVS)s pharmacy benefit management (PBM) clients in improving diabetic patients' well-being. It also helps lower the expenses stemming from the disease by strengthening medical adherence, A1C control, and lifestyle management through the use of data analytics, along with clinical, physical, and digital assets. Nearly 50% of this tool's members with uncontrolled diabetes successfully moved to a controlled status during the initial two years of the program, highlighting the tangible gains associated with using AI by CVS Health Corp (NYSE:CVS). Similarly, Teladoc Health Inc. (NYSE:TDOC), a multinational telemedicine company, has recently collaborated with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) to make the Teladoc Health Inc (NYSE:TDOC) Solo Platform function better. Moreover, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)s Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience, an AI-powered voice-enabled solution using GPT4 AI service allows Teledoc Health Inc (NYSE:TDOC) to autonomously document patient encounters for final review and signoff by medical professionals. 22 Medical Schools with Highest Acceptance Rates in America wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com Our Methodology To list the medical schools with the highest acceptance rates in America while ensuring that it is based on credible information, we have sourced our data from BeMo Academic Consulting Medical School Acceptance Rates in 2023. We have also discussed the in-state and out-of-state students success rate for which the data was also sourced from BeMo Academic Consulting whereas the data for average GPA and MCAT scores for all medical schools was taken from College Evaluator. We have tried to keep the information up-to-date and reliable. The list has been ranked according to the acceptance rates and is presented in ascending order. Note: The acceptance rates we have used may also include other factors accounted for apart from in-state and out-state success rates. Here is a list of medical schools with the highest acceptance rates in America 22. Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 4.44% Founded in 1824, MUSC is ranked as the 56th best research-focused medical college in the U.S., as per the recent U.S. News & World Report rankings of best medical colleges. The average MCAT score required for MUSC is 511, whereas the average GPA falls in the range of 3.7 -4 for the current batch. 21. Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 4.55% Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine is Washingtons second public medical college and follows a community-based approach to education by building partnerships with existing clinical networks across Washington. The universitys average in-state and out-of-state success rate is 7.5% and 0.90%, respectively. 20. Indiana University School of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 5.06% As one of the country's leading medical colleges, the university houses five science departments, along with 20 clinical departments with over 1400 students pursuing a medical career. According to US News and World Report, the university has successfully maintained a faculty-student ratio of 2:1 at its Indianapolis campus. 19. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Herbert School of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 5.27% Being the nations only federal university, the uniformed services University of Health Sciences (USUHS) favors a curriculum based on military medicine and its challenge, which helps students integrate fundamental and clinical sciences and gives them earlier exposure to clinical rotations compared to other conventional medical colleges. It is one of the medical schools with the highest acceptance rates in America. 18. University of Kentucky College of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 5.30% The average GPA of enrolled students at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine is 3.83, with an in-state success rate of 28.3% and an out-of-state success rate of 1.13%. It is one of the medical schools with the highest acceptance rates in America. 17. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 5.60% Situated in little rock, Arkansas, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine (UAMS) is a public university and a part of the University of Arkansas System comprising 6 colleges, 7 institutes, research centers, and a nationwide community-based education network. 16. University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 5.77% The university admits a batch size of nearly 170 students each year in August and requires an average GPA of 3.9 and an average MCAT score of 513. The College of Medicine has campuses in cities like Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville, promoting medical education throughout the US. 15. University of New Mexico School of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 5.83% The minimum MCAT score required to be considered for admission at the University of New Mexico (UNM) School of Medicine is 494. Around 40% of the colleges graduates are excelling as practicing physicians in New Mexico. 14. University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 5.91% Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 to be considered for admission at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. The average GPA of enrolled students is 3.7, with an average MCAT score of 510. 13. Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 6.07% Established in 1970, SIU School of Medicine enrolls around 72 students yearly. Known for its innovative education, the school offers a 4-year M.D. program focusing on clinical skills, research, and community services. It is one of the medical schools with the highest acceptance rate in America. 12. University of Kansas (KU) School of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 6.44% As Kansas only medical school, KU School of Medicine offers an MD program and a wide range of graduate programs in biomedical sciences, public health, clinical research, etc. The average MCAT score of enrolled students at KU School of Medicine is 510. 11. Universidad Central Del Caribe School of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 6.74% Universidad Central Del Caribe School of Medicine is a private university in Puerto Rico and was established in 1976. It is one of the medical schools with the highest rate of acceptance in America. 10. University of South Dakota (USD) Sanford School of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 6.77% USD Sanford School of Medicine has been serving as the only school of Medicine in the state since 1907. The college grants a degree of Doctor of Medicine, masters, and doctoral degrees in biomedical sciences, as well as an MD-PHD. 9. University of Nebraska School of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 6.97% The curriculum offered by the University of Nebraska School of Medicine is highly focused on clinical practice, biomedical sciences, and thorough research. The success rate for in-state students stands at 35.7%, whereas the success rate for out-of-state students is 1.58%. 8. Brody School of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 7.11% Like many other medical colleges, Brody School of Medicines admission committee only considers applicants from North Carolina for admission. The average GPA of recently admitted students is between 3.5-3.6. 7. University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 7.18% UMKCs School of Medicine offers a combined program of B.A. and M.D. in six years for students who wish to pursue medicine right after high school. The bachelorette degree is offered in programs like Liberal arts, chemistry, and biology. Even though the M.D. program is open to all students, in-state students are given preference over out-of-state students. 6. USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 7.40% One of the rising medical colleges in the US, USF Health College of Medicine has successfully climbed 34 spots in ranking from 2014 to 2023. According to the USN, it has achieved 46th spot in the Best Medical Schools Category. It has also been recognized as one of the colleges with the most diverse and inclusive environment. Click here to see the 5 Medical Schools with the Highest Acceptance Rates in America. Suggested Articles: Disclosure: None. 22 Medical Schools with the Highest Acceptance Rates in America is originally published on Insider Monkey. Russian invaders killed 499 children in Ukraine and injured another 1,095 children. The Office of the Prosecutor General reports this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. "More than 1,594 children have suffered in Ukraine as a result of Russia's full-scale armed aggression. As of the morning of August 9, 2023, according to official information from juvenile prosecutors, 499 children were killed and more than 1,095 were injured of varying severity," the statement said. The numbers are not final. Work is ongoing to establish them in the areas of hostilities, on the temporarily occupied and liberated territories. Most children were affected in the Donetsk region - 485, Kharkiv - 298, Kyiv - 129, Kherson - 118, Zaporizhzhia - 97, Mykolaiv - 97, Dnipro - 94, Chernihiv - 71, Luhansk - 67. On August 8, as a result of a rocket attack by the Russian army on the Ochakiv district of the Mykolaiv region, two children aged 13 and 15 sustained injuries of varying severity. The same day, a 14-year-old teenager was injured as a result of hostile shelling of Kupyansk, in the Kharkiv region. As reported, on August 8 at 10:35 a.m., Russians shelled with artillery the village of Kutsurub in the Mykolaiv region. Two teenagers were injured. Ukrainian Su-24 fighter jets are a nightmare for Putin's forces that are trying to destroy this powerful weapon. That's according to the Swiss news outlet Blick, Ukrinform reports. "Russia has a new target. Putin's military leadership is increasingly targeting bases with Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-24 jets," the story reads. The reason is that in the past few weeks, Ukraine has been able to repeatedly hit targets in all areas occupied by Russia. This was mainly done with the Western-made Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missiles. "Whether it's accommodation for the Russian generals in Berdiansk, arms factories in Luhansk or bridges leading to the Crimean peninsula - nobody is safe anymore!" the article said. However, the key to the immense destruction that the Ukrainians have been able to inflict on key Russian logistics hubs and supply routes is not the high-tech missiles themselves, but rather the converted Sukhoi Su-24 machines. "Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin has now recognized the fighter jets as a possible weak point for the Ukrainians. For weeks, Russian troops have been attacking air force bases in western Ukraine, where they suspect the Su-24 fighters are based. In particular, the air base in Starokostiantyniv is repeatedly attacked," the article reads. Italian military expert Thomas C. Theiner described Russian tactics as not very successful. "Russia fires 90 percent of its cruise missiles and ballistic missiles at the base that hosts those planes. And yet Russia fails again and again," he wrote on Twitter. The recent attacks on bridges in Chonhar and Henichesk show that Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles can hit critical Russian occupation targets in eastern and southern Ukraine day and night. According to the German news outlet Bild, the fact that the Ukrainian Air Force moves the Sukhoi jets to a different air force base every 24 hours also causes problems for the Russians. All Soviet-era air bases have been reactivated, and secret new airstrips are used on highways. Several Patriot and Iris-T anti-aircraft systems were deployed to protect the valuable fighter jets and bases, the article said. Ukraine received Storm Shadow cruise missiles from the United Kingdom and Scalp missiles from France. Russian troops keep five warships on combat duty in the Black Sea, one of them armed with four Kalibr cruise missiles. The press service of the Ukrainian Navy Command said this in a post on Facebook, Ukrinform report. "As of 08:30 on August 9, 2023, there were five enemy ships on combat duty in the Black Sea, including a Kalibr cruise missile carrier, with a total salvo of up to four missiles. There was one enemy ship in the Sea of Azov," the post said. In addition, there are eight enemy warships on combat duty in the Mediterranean Sea, including two of them armed with up to 24 Kalibr cruise missiles. Photo: MoD Photo Russian forces shelled a childcare facility in the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. Thats according to the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Ukrinform reports. As a result of the shelling, a 75-year-old locksmith sustained minor injuries, the report reads. Read also: Massive blast at optics plant in Moscow suburb He is now receiving the necessary medical assistance. As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Russian army launched 66 strikes at Kherson region in the past day, August 8, wounding two civilians. Latvia has joined the G7 joint declaration of support for Ukraine. This was announced on Twitter by Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, according to Ukrinform. Latvia joins G7 Declaration of support to Ukraine. Together with our partners we will support Ukraine in its fight against Russias aggression for as long as it takes. We expect an ad hoc international tribunal for Russia aggression against Ukraine, he wrote. As reported, the leaders of the G7 countries agreed on a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius. Read also: Latvian customs officers report about provocation on border with Belarus Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the G7 Framework Declaration, if approved in Vilnius, would be the first legal document on security guarantees for Ukraine and would provide an opportunity to conclude relevant bilateral 'powerful' agreements. All people in Ukraine have one task - to increase the potential of our state at the front and to weaken everything that the Russians are trying to use to put pressure on Ukrainian soldiers. President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated this in his latest address, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "Everyone in Ukraine has the same task to increase the potential of our capabilities at the front and to weaken everything with which the occupiers are trying to put pressure on our soldiers or limit Ukraine," he said. Read also: Germany delivers two Patriot air defense launchers to Ukraine Zelensky noted the transfer of two Patriot air defense missile launchers from Germany and thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "It will definitely bring us closer to creating a full-fledged air shield for Ukraine. This will help people, cities, and villages," the president is convinced. As reported, the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, said Germany had sent Ukraine two Patriot air defense systems. Zelensky said that in the new aid package, Germany handed over exactly what was agreed upon. The government of Japan has introduced new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. According to NHK, the additional ban imposed on August 9, covers 758 items, including automobiles and optical equipment. Used Japanese cars, which are popular in Russia, are also subject to the broadened embargo. Auto-related items include gasoline and diesel cars with an engine displacement of over 1,900 cc, hybrid and electric vehicles, and parts such as tires for large vehicles. The list of items banned for exports to the aggressor country includes a wide range of auto-related items and accessories for such vehicles, in particular, spare parts, various types of equipment, including optical equipment, and tires. The Japanese government had earlier prohibited exports of trucks and luxury vehicles to Russia. The United States and the European Union have already widened their restrictions on vehicle exports to Russia. The move comes after leaders of the G7 nations agreed to strengthen sanctions against Russia at their summit in Hiroshima in May. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated eight individuals and five entities identifying one aircraft as blocked property on the three-year anniversary of the Belarusian authorities' falsification of the August 2020 presidential election and their callous crackdown on the Belarusian protest movement demanding fundamental freedoms The Treasury Department said this in a press release on Wednesday, August 9, Ukrinform reports. "This action targets several entities involved in the Belarusian regime's continued civil society repression, complicity in the Russian Federation's unjustified war in Ukraine, and enrichment of repressive Belarusian regime leader Alexander Lukashenko," the press release said. The individuals and entities OFAC is targeting today include three state-owned enterprises (SOEs), the director and a subsidiary of one of the SOEs, one Government of Belarus agency and four of its employees, three individuals facilitating sanctions evasion in support of Lukashenko's regime, and one aircraft identified as blocked property. Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Chief, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, and a delegation he led have paid an official visit to Bulgaria. That's according to the BTA news site, which refers to a press release from Bulgaria's Military Intelligence Service, Ukrinform reports. At a meeting, Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev and the Director of Bulgaria's Defense Intelligence Service, Brigadier General Venelin Venev, discussed with Major General Budanov the Myrotvorets website and regional and international security, among other topics. Read also: Intel chief Budanov says Ukrainian forces will soon enter Crimea "The prospects for the development of the situation and other matters of mutual interest were also on the agenda. The hosts raised and clarified the issue with the Myrotvorets website," the press release said. The sides were highly appreciative of the meetings held. "An emphasis was laid on the productivity of the talks, and satisfaction was expressed with the level of bilateral cooperation," the statement said. The Myrotvorets website contains a list of enemies of Ukraine, including Bulgarian politicians, analysts and journalists holding strongly pro-Russian positions. Photo: Defense Intelligence Service South Korea will participate in a working group on the implementation of the Peace Formula proposed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. According to Yonhap, a representative of the South Korean presidents administration said this on Wednesday. The decision came while National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong was visiting Saudi Arabia last weekend to take part in multinational peace talks concerning Ukraine. The meeting was attended by the national security advisers of 45 nations, with most of them expressing their commitment to ending the war and quickly restoring peace in Ukraine. At the meeting in Saudi Arabia, participants also agreed to continue discussions on holding a similar gathering in the future and realizing a Peace Formula Summit as proposed by Zelensky. "In line with one of the key points of the Ukraine Peace and Solidarity Initiative we proposed, we will take part in the Peace Formula working group," the official said. The publication reminds that under the initiative announced during President Yoon Suk Yeol's surprise visit to Ukraine last month, South Korea pledged to provide a package of security, humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Ukraine, which included encouraging key developing nations to participate in the envisioned Peace Formula Summit. South Korea reportedly hopes its participation in the working group will help its businesses take part in large-scale reconstruction projects in post-war Ukraine. As reported by Ukrinform, Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, has said he is sure that the meeting in Jeddah will go down in history, because it proved that more and more countries are ready to work on the Ukrainian Peace Formula and the isolation of Russia is growing. Photo: flagi.in.u One of Pueblos newest food trucks is set to join two local competitors at this year's Colorado State Fair Governors Plate competition Aug. 29. Jorge and Crystal Araujo of Araujos Taqueria are joining veteran competitors Papa Marios and Stoke Pizza at the Colorado Proud showcase, where Pueblos namesake green chiles and other homegrown ingredients will be in the limelight. We are honored and grateful to be accepted and kind of surprised, said Crystal Araujo. "Weve only been open a total of about six months so everything that is happening is really exciting. The couples children, and even Crystals sister, Debbie Jaquez-Collins, are all playing a part in the food truck businesses. We love sharing food, Crystal Araujo said of the family. Heres what you need to know about Pueblos food trucks and their signature dishes that will be served to Gov. Jared Polis during the competition. While Polis will award the Governors Plate to the winning truck, competitors also will battle for the coveted Peoples Choice Award. Jorge Araujo prepares an order of carne asada fries in his Araujo Taqueria food truck on Thursday, August 3, 2023. Araujo will be competing in this years Governor's Plate competition at the Colorado State Fair. Araujos Taqueria and the samosa Araujos Taqueria will serve their samosa, a cone-shaped Pueblo-made tortilla stuffed with homemade refried beans, ground beef, cheese and Pueblo green chile before it is deep fried. The dish is served with a vegan side of calabacita squash and corn. The samosa is based on one of Jaquez-Collins' recipes, to which the Araujos added their own twist. The flour tortillas are made at Tortilleria Delicias, while the pinto beans come from Rusler Produce and the calabacita and corn are grown by Musso Farms and DiSanti Farms, all Pueblo businesses. I always get my green chile from Mussos and they also have this green chile powder they make out of their chile that is so good. We use that green chile powder on the calabacita, Crystal Araujo explained. Locals wanting to catch a meal at Araujos Taqueria can find them alternating lunch hours at Pueblo Community Health Clinics or the Department of Human Services parking lot during the week, often in front of the Oasis Bar on Friday nights and at community events or weddings on the weekends. Story continues Tiffany Gernazio (right) and her daughter Michaella serve up "The Senior" grilled cheese sandwiches at the Papa Mario's food truck. Papa Marios is back at the Governor's Plate and bringing the Tiff Special Papa Mario's Grilled Cheese owner Tiffany Gernazio will be looking to expand on her winning ways at the annual competition. She is planning to bring the heat and wow Polis with her Tiff Special, a grilled cheese sandwich featuring roast beef, onion, Pueblo green chile, and jalapenos. The green chile and jalapenos are grown at Musso Farms. No stranger to the competition, Gernazio and her truck won won the peoples choice award last year. She also made a clean sweep at the inaugural 2021 Governors Plate, taking home the governors, peoples choice and best overall food truck awards. In another heated competition this year, Gernazio took home best entree honors during the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce Spice Up Spring Recipe contest in April. The green chile slathered grilled cheese that won that competition is much like the Tiff Special, only without the jalapenos. Stoke Pizza and the chorizo pizza Stoke Pizza owners Bre and Wes Latka are returning to the Governors Plate after debuting at the competition last year. The Latkas are making a wood-fired chorizo, elote (grilled corn) and green chile pizza sourced with flour from Boulder, cheese from Springside Cheese Shop in Pueblo, plus green chiles, onions and jalapenos from Musso Farms. "We're honored to bring our culinary passion to the forefront as we compete for the Governor's award," Wes Latka said. "Our food truck is more than just a kitchen on wheels it's a vessel of flavors, creativity and community." "This is our chance to share our unique culinary perspective and connect with fellow food lovers. We're excited to present our best," he said. What to expect at the 2023 Governor's Plate competition Other food trucks competing this year will be the governor's choice winner from 2022, Annas Ala Mode of Edgewater; as well as Grateful Planet Foods of Castle Rock; and The Smoke N CEO of Grand Junction. The Governors Plate competition celebrates the best of Colorado agriculture by highlighting fresh and nutritious Colorado-raised and grown ingredients creatively combined by talented local chefs. Colorado is the proud home to world-class chefs and delicious local ingredients, which makes this event so exciting, Polis said in a press release. "When it comes to produce, meat, grain, and dairy products, nobody does it better than Colorado and I cant wait to taste what everyone cooks up this year. Jorge Araujo, left, and Isabelle Jaquez smile from the window of the Araujo Taqueria food truck. They will be competing in this years Governor's Plate competition at the Colorado State Fair. How you can join the fun at this year's Colorado State Fair The event starts at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, at the Pueblo Bank & Trust Bank Pavilion at the state fairgrounds, 1001 Beulah Ave. Tickets for the Governors Plate cost $20 per person and are available at etix.com. Tickets include gate admission and appetizer-sized dishes from each of the six participating Colorado Proud registered food trucks. Festivities will include live music by Cousin Curtiss during and after the event. Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com. More on Pueblo chiles: 'Doing Pueblo proud': Chile recipe competition shows diversity of city's favorite pepper This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: 3 Pueblo food trucks to compete for culinary supremacy at state fair Ukraines Ministry of Economy has invited the Republic of Iraq to join the Peace Formula, in particular, its part on food security. According to Ukrinform, the press service of the Ministry of Economy reported this following the talks between First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq Fuad Hussein. "Ukraine has two main tasks: to win the war and to launch the rapid reconstruction right now. The issue of humanitarian demining is critically important for us. We are interested in gaining experience and enlisting the assistance of partner countries. Ukraine considers the state of Iraq as an important international partner and hopes to exchange experience in the field of demining," said Svyrydenko. Read also: Parliament approves law on reform of state reserves She added that the main task of the Ukrainian government today is to launch the process of humanitarian demining, to attract as many specialists as possible who will work in this field, to search for special equipment abroad and to organize its own production in Ukraine. The government also expects that international partners will help in training demining specialists. Separately, Svyrydenko invited the Iraqi side to join the implementation of Ukraines Peace Formula, in particular, its part regarding food security. She emphasized that the countries around the world should consolidate their efforts in order to overcome the food crisis, food products should be freely exported to countries that need them. The parties also discussed the possibility of resuming the Ukrainian-Iraqi Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. In particular, Ukraine is interested in the import of hydrocarbons, as well as the launching of joint projects in the areas the Ukrainian government has identified as priorities - energy, reconstruction and construction of housing and critical infrastructure, humanitarian demining and economic recovery. As reported by Ukrinform, President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasizes that the Peace Formula is an important platform for a fair end of the war that the Russian Federation has unleashed against Ukraine, but it can become a universal basis for ending other armed conflicts. Photo: Radio Liberty The United States is aware of the location of Russias Wagner Group fighters on the territory of Belarus and continues to monitor their movements and actions. This was stated on Wednesday at a press briefing in Washington by U.S. Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller, Ukrinform's own correspondent reports. "Of course, weve seen Wagner forces redeploying to Belarus," the State Department official noted in response to a request to comment on reports of a new camp being set up for Russian mercenaries in Gomel region. Read also: Latvia strengthens security of its border with Russia and Belarus He emphasized that the United States will continue to closely monitor Wagner Groups actions against the interests of the country in which these forces are located. In addition, according to Miller, Washington will continue to take measures to hold them accountable. "As we've said before the arrival of those forces in Belarus is another example of Lukashenko ceding further control and decision-making to the Kremlin contrary to the interests and wishes of the Belarusian people," noted the official. As Ukrinform reported earlier, on Wednesday the United States slammed new sanctions on Belarus due to the regime's continued efforts to suppress the rights and freedoms of their citizens. Ukraine has a main role to play in determining its own future, and President Zelensky must personally make decisions about any potential negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. This is how State Department spokesman Matthew Miller commented on the UAE proposal to organize a meeting of the Ukraine and Russia leaders at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, Ukrinform's own correspondent reports. "With respect to any meeting between Presidents Zelensky and President Putin, I would say that is a decision for President Zelensky to make. We have made clear that Ukraine is in the driver's seat when it comes to deciding the future of Ukraine and that is true with respect to any potential negotiations," the representative of the State Department noted. At the same time, according to him, the Ukrainian side clearly emphasized that it is open to negotiations with Russia that will respect Ukraines territorial integrity and sovereignty. "But the impediment has always been and continues to be that Vladimir Putin has not renounced his imperialist aims, has not renounced his belief that Ukraine is not a real country in his words. And has not withdrawn his troops from beyond Ukraine's borders.," Miller noted. As Ukrinform reported earlier, the U.S. Department of State categorically denied allegations voiced by the Russian side that the United States allegedly dissuaded Kyiv from holding peace talks with Russia. Mayfair Mall's Boston Store site could be redeveloped into apartments. Around 900 apartments could eventually be developed at Mayfair Mall, with Wauwatosa providing up to nearly $58 million to help finance the massive project. That's according to a new plan to be reviewed by city officials. The proposal calls for a new tax incremental financing district, which would need Common Council approval, to be created on 21 acres at Mayfair's southern end including the site of the vacant former Boston Store. The Wauwatosa Community Development Authority in 2022 bought the 15-acre Boston Store property for $3.95 million to help spur its redevelopment. The store has been vacant since 2018 when Boston Store's corporate parent shut down. The TIF district would be used to help finance the development of 463 apartments, as well as 617 parking stalls and around 6,700 square feet of commercial space, within the project's first phase. Two additional phases could add 208 and 235 apartments, respectively. The city estimates that would create $111.6 million of additional property tax base. The city would spend $57.9 million through the financing district, including $35.7 million provided to the development firm which the city proposal doesn't name. Additional funds would pay for water mains, sidewalks and other site improvements. The city funds would come from the new developments property tax revenue. Without the financing district, the increased property tax base from the development would be immediately available to the city, school district and other local governments. But the development would not occur without the financing district, according to the developer and city officials. The proposal is to undergo its first public review on Thursday by the Community Development Authority board. A Common Council review is set for Sept. 19. Similar plan seen at Southridge in Greendale Wauwatosa is following a path similar to what Greendale did in 2021, when the village bought Southridge Mall's former Boston Store for $3.3 million. Story continues The Greendale Village Board approved a preliminary agreement to sell the property to Barrett Lo Visionary Development LLC to create a four-story, 790-unit apartment community as well as 50,000 to 60,000 square feet of commercial space. Those plans, however, have yet to proceed. Meanwhile, Brookfield Square Mall's former Boston Store is to be demolished and replaced with mid-rise office buildings, and possibly other new developments, under plans from Irgens Partners LLC. Also, the former Bayshore Boston Store, in Glendale, was converted into a new Target department store and supermarket. It opened in 2021. Finally, downtown Milwaukee's former Boston Store will house a small format Kohl's department store, which is to open this fall. That building's upper levels, which once housed offices for Boston Store's owner, are being renovated for Fiserv Inc.'s headquarters relocating from Brookfield. Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. THANK YOU: Subscribers' support makes this work possible. Help us share the knowledge by buying a gift subscription. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more Subscribe to get the BusinessWatch email newsletter. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa may be site of 900 new apartments Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar told Francesca Gino he was being nice by giving her six weeks of salary before putting her on an unpaid administrative leave and acting to revoke her tenure, according to her lawsuit The reaction has been blistering. You dont deserve to be in academia, let alone collecting a $500k salary and $50k speaking fees as an expert.' asserts Jeremy Coles, an assistant professor and program chair in school psychology at the University of Findlay. Shes guilty and the multiple acts of fraud she committed within the heart of some of our most trusted scientific institutions has done immense harm, adds Dan Elton, a researcher and data scientist at Mass Generals Brigham Data Science Office. I think what you are doing is disgraceful, maintains Yoel Inbar, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. Suing individual researchers for tens of millions of dollars is a brazen attempt to silence legitimate scientific criticism and sets a terrible example for our field. I would like to believe that you are innocent of fraud, but right now I do not, chimes in Brian Nosek, executive director at the Center for Open Science. GINO HAS BEEN COMPARED TO ELIZABETH HOLMES AND ASKED TO RETURN HER SALARY TO HARVARD Francesca Gino All of the comments are attacking former Harvard Business School superstar Francesca Gino over accusations that several of her research studies are fraudulent. In her case, the academic mobbing has been brutal, a form of social disapproval replete with intimidation, humiliation, and harassment. Some critics have jumped on social media forums to compare her to Elizabeth Holmes. Others have suggested that Gino should return her salary to the school. She should put her tail between her legs and blend in the background, claims John Antonakis, an organizational behavior professor at HEC Lausanne. She is making herself look even worse. What a disgrace she is to the field. She should also be asked to pay back her salary! Story continues Her lawsuit has, if anything, added fuel to the fire. You are a fraud, claimed KrisMoore, a research sssociate at deCODE genetics. Want to sue me into silence too? Brian Kennedy, writing on the blog Karlstack, said plainly and cruelly: It would be great to have Francesca Gino, Elizabeth Holmes, and Sam Bankman-Fraud interview each other and then do a book together with OJ Simpson as the editor. The book could be called, If They Did It.' One critic wrote Poets&Quants asking us to take down Ginos 2015 in which the then 36-year-old behavioral scientist was named one of our 40-Under-40 Best MBA Professors. The scathing commentary directed at Gino is not unlike the flak earlier aimed at her Harvard Business School colleague Amy Cuddy, who ultimately gave up her tenured position at the school in 2017 after the authors of the same blog, Data Colada, raised issues about her work. Cuddy is now writing a book with the title Bullies, Bystanders, and Bravehearts which delves into the psychological causes and consequences of bullying among adults. She may want to interview Gino for that work. When Gino first addressed the allegations a month ago, her Linkedin post was overwhelmed by 359 responses, many of them personal attacks, until the comments section was turned off. GINO CLAIMS HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL RECENTLY TREATED A MALE PROFESSOR QUITE DIFFERENTLY The latest take downnearing 200 commentsbegan last week after Gino filed a defamation lawsuit against Harvard, Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar, and the authors of Data Colada who Gino accuses of working together to destroy her career and reputation despite admitting they have no evidence proving their allegations. While claiming to stand for process excellence, they reached outrageous conclusions based entirely on inference, assumption, and implausible leaps of logicI have never, ever falsified data or engaged in research misconduct of any kind. However the lawsuit turns out, no one is benefitting from the optics of the controversy: Not Gino, nor Harvard Business School, its dean, nor Data Colada. It doesnt help that the accusations against Ginos work was made by three men: Uri Simonsohn, a professor at ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Joe Simmons, a professor at The Wharton School, and Leif Nelson, a professor at UC-Berkeleys Haas School of Business. The Harvard Business School investigating committee that sat in judgment of her was dominated by men: HBS Professor Emeritus Robert Kaplan and HBS Professor Shawn Cole. The sole woman involved in the investigation was HBS Professor Emerita Teresa Amabile. And finally, the person who put Gino on an unpaid administrative leave and made that disciplinary action public was also male: Dean Datar. A working mother of four young children and the breadwinner in her family, Gino claims that She further claims that the school discriminated against her because of her gender. Harvard Business School discriminated against Plaintiff on the basis of sex when it elected to investigate her under a newly created policy specific to her case as opposed to relying on its existing policy and procedures, the lawsuit alleges. Harvard has treated similarly situated male professors differently. It recently investigated allegations of research misconduct against a male junior faculty member pursuant to its existing Research Integrity policy, (which, unlike the Interim Policy, did not specify any particular sanctions for violations), and its usual Faculty Review Board procedures, a policy and procedures that Harvard University chose to abandon in Plaintiffs case. In contrast to its treatment of Plaintiff, Harvard Business School protected the confidentiality of the male junior faculty member, and it subsequently promoted him to tenure. DEAN DATAR SAYS HE WAS BEING NICE BY PUTTING GINO ON UNPAID LEAVE SIX WEEKS LATER If Gino is getting beaten up, Dean Datar isnt looking all that good, either, based on the accusations Gino makes against him in her lawsuit. She alleges that Dean Datar negotiated an agreement with the blog writers under which the university would investigate Gino in exchange for Data Coladas silence during the probe, according to the lawsuit. Unbeknownst to Plaintiff, Harvard Business School further agreed to disclose the outcome of the investigation to Data Colada, who could then subject Plaintiffs work and professional reputation to public disparagement on its blog. After accepting the conclusions of the investigation committee that Gino was guilty of research misconduct, Dean Datar called her into his office on June 13th at 5:30 p.m. He started the meeting by telling Gino that she would not have the opportunity to say anything, and that he was only meeting with her because he wanted the process to be humane so he could deliver the news of his decision in-person, according to her lawsuit. He then began to read, word for word, his decision letter.He told Gino she was being placed on an unpaid administrative leave for a period of two years, and that she would receive no salary or benefits after July 31. Dean Datar immediately revoked her named professorship the Tandon Family Professor of Business. Datar added that he would take steps to revoke her tenure appointment. For the period of her administrative leave, he added, Gino was not permitted to conduct research, to teach, to mentor or advise; she would receive no administrative or research support; she was barred from campus, effectively immediately; and she was prohibited from publishing or disseminating research via HBS platforms, according to her lawsuit. Gino says she began to weep. You are a capable, smart woman, Datar told her. I am sure youll find other opportunities. Dean Datar told Gino, according to the lawsuit, that he was being nice to her by waiting until the end of July 2023 to place her on unpaid leave, rather than doing so immediately. HARVARD THREW THIS WOMAN UNDER THE BUS SO QUICKLY Yet, Datar made clear he would communicate his finding to others. It is my intention to continue to handle this matter as confidentially as circumstances allow, he wrote to her in his decision letter. Apart from the communications to journals and co-authors you can expect that I will share with your Unit and relevant faculty and staff leadership that you have been placed on administrative leave as a consequence of research misconduct findings such that you will be unavailable to engage in research, teaching, and mentoring or advising. Communications will also be necessary with students whose work you have been supervising. The school then prominently placed a banner on Ginos faculty page on the HBS website, noting that she was on leave (see below). If her lawsuit claims are proven correct, Gino stands a very good chance of extracting millions of dollars in damages from Harvard largely because of the process used by the school to discipline Gino. Even the investigation committee had to admit that it had no direct evidence that Gino committed fraud. In its preface to its report, the panel noted that all witnesses interviewed never doubted the integrity of the data in the study or studies in question, and that there was also no evidence of any incentive or pressure to manipulate data in Professor Ginos lab, writing: We acknowledge, and we took seriously in our decision-making, statements by all witnesses that they never doubted the integrity of the data in the study or studies in question. One witness who knew Professor Gino well said they never doubted her integrity in any way. The witnesses also said that they had no evidence that Professor Gino had ever pressured colleagues, doctoral students, post-docs, or research associates, including themselves, to produce particular results in a study, or that Professor Gino had created a negative atmosphere in her lab. Moreover, some witnesses spontaneously said that they had worked on multiple studies with Professor Gino that were never published because the studies didnt work out And among the highly critical comments there is also significant support for Gino. Some of her advocates are openly critical of Harvard Business School for its lack of support for her. Its sad to see an institution like Harvard throw this woman under the bus so quickly, wrote Gordon Rudow, a partner at the consulting firm Oliver Wyman. The more that you hear about this case the more you wonder about the motivations of the people involved. Anyone who has worked with Francesca Gino knows that these allegations are absurd. She is one of the hardest working, highest integrity and most talented researchers and instructors in her field. LEGENDARY HBS PROFESSOR FRANCES FREI: I HAVE GREAT PAUSE. AND MANY, MANY QUESTIONS Even more notable is the observation by Frances Frei, who was one of the first women to gain tenure at Harvard Business School where she has taught and held leadership positions over the past 25 years. After reading this complaint, my, I have great pause. And many, many questions, wrote Frei. From my first hand observation, Francesca Gino overflows with integrity. I hope justice is served here. Andrew King, a professor at Boston Universitys Questrom School of Business, puts some blame over the controversy on academia itself. Harvard and other elite schools bear part off the responsibility for situations like this, he said. They demand unreasonable numbers of publications for promotion, and richly reward stars that become thought leaders, but then then are shocked, shocked, when poor oversight, p-hacking, or fabrication is uncovered. DONT MISS: What Francesca Ginos Harvard Lawsuit Says About Data Coladas Fraud Allegations or The Rise & Fall Of A Harvard Business School Superstar . The post The Academic Mob Comes For This Harvard Business School Thought Leader appeared first on Poets&Quants. Updated UNOOSA and ESA space debris infographics and podcasts What is this series about? Space debris is an issue of global concern that threatens our continued use of near-Earth space for the benefit of humankind. To raise awareness about this growing problem, ESA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) have created a series of nine infographics and podcasts that tell the story of space debris, explain the risks and illustrate the solutions available to ensure future space exploration remains sustainable. Scroll down to see the infographics and listen to the podcasts. A limited natural resource Space may seem vast, but the orbits around Earth in which satellites reside are a limited natural resource. Accidental collisions, explosions and even the intentional destruction of satellites have created millions of debris fragments, which, orbiting at high speed, can damage or destroy any functioning spacecraft that crosses their path. As satellite technology becomes ever more relied upon, it gets increasingly important to protect these unique orbital regions that are essential for humanity to, for example, gather data for weather forecasting and to better understand extreme weather and our changing climate, as well as for internet access, communication and location services. A concern to all nations Unfortunately, the amount of space debris in orbit is increasing at an exponential rate. As a growing number of countries and actors begin space activities - a hugely positive development in general - and as satellite operations become more complex and the number of objects being launched, including in large constellations, rapidly increases, so too do the challenges posed to our space environment. In 2019, ESA's Space Safety programme was adopted as a key pillar in the Agency's activities. The programme, an expansion of the former Space Situational Awareness programme, includes ESA's Space Debris and Clean Space Offices, which are working to better understand the debris environment, prevent the creation of more debris, reduce the amount in orbit and lessen the impact of space activities on Earth. In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly expressed its worry about the fragility of the space environment and the impact of space debris, which is an issue of concern to all nations. In 2019, the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), of which UNOOSA is Secretariat, adopted the Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities (LTS Guidelines), which provide guidance to help ensure the safe and sustainable use of space. The LTS Guidelines were subsequently welcomed with appreciation by the United Nations General Assembly, and a new working group will continue multilateral discussions on the topic. Raising awareness This series of infographics jointly produced by UNOOSA and ESA include attractive, easy-to-understand illustrations, facts and figures so that everyone, with or without any previous knowledge of spaceflight, can understand space debris and the challenge it poses. They cover topics such as how debris is created, how to avoid collisions, the risk to humans in space from debris and on Earth from re-entries, as well as technologies for safe debris mitigation and removal. Each of the nine infographics is accompanied by a podcast with audio commentary from UNOOSA and ESA experts, who help navigate and understand the material. The infographics and podcasts were originally released in 2021 and updated with data accurate as of June 2023. "A new era of space has begun, in which large constellations of thousands of satellites are being launched to the skies," said former ESA Director General Jan Worner. "What this 'New Space' makes possible - global internet access, telecommunications - it also threatens, as a rapid increase in space traffic may dramatically increase the chance of collisions. Innovative technologies, responsible behaviour and importantly international cooperation are fundamental to ensuring our future in space is sustainable." Former UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo said: " Space debris poses a clear risk for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. The space economy calls for a safe, secure and sustainable space environment. UNOOSA welcomes working with ESA to disseminate clear, accessible public information on space debris that will increase awareness of the challenges they pose and contribute to strengthening international cooperation on mitigation measures." Infographic 1: satellites versus debris Space debris is a topic of global concern. While space has brought huge benefits to individuals and societies across the globe, the rapid increase of launched objects and increased traffic in our space highways means we are creating ever-more debris and threatening the very technologies we have come to rely on. Acknowledging the significance of this problem, UNOOSA and ESA have come together to raise awareness with a series of nine infographics that tell the space debris story so far and illustrate some of the solutions available for us to achieve a sustainable use of space. Satellites in orbit share near-Earth space with millions of fast-moving and dangerous debris objects. From tiny fragments millimetres in size to entire satellites no longer working, no longer controlled, roaming the space highways, each debris piece travels many kilometres per second. Any impact with one of these objects threatens to at least impair the functioning of a working spacecraft, or at worst destroy it altogether, creating ever more debris. In this infographic from ESA and the UN, find out about the scale of the debris problem: how much of it is up there, what scales are we talking about, and what are our satellites are up against? Find out more in Episode one of the corresponding ESA & UN podcast below, "Satellites vs. debris". Listen to the podcast here: https://soundcloud.com/esa/satellites-vs-debris Infographic 2: falling to Earth takes a long time Our planet's atmosphere reduces the energy of satellites in orbit (on Earth, this would be like reducing their speed, but in space, it's complex!). This gradually then brings them back down to Earth. This process can be relatively fast for satellites flying at lower altitudes, taking less than 25 years, but for satellites launched into orbits tens of thousands of km away, it can be thousands of years before they return, if the atmosphere is even able to impact them at all. Had the dinosaurs launched a satellite into the furthest geostationary orbit, it would still be up there today. This means that as we launch satellites to space we must consider how they will be removed at the end of their lives, or else the skies will be filled with old, defunct spacecraft at risk of collision, explosion, and the near-certain creation of vast amounts of space debris. In this infographic from ESA and the UN, find out how long it would take satellites at different altitudes to naturally fall back to Earth, and what must be done responsibly dispose of them at the end of their lives. Find out more in Episode two of the corresponding ESA & UN podcast below, "Falling to Earth takes a long time". Listen to the podcast here: https://soundcloud.com/esa/falling-to-earth-takes-a-long-time Infographic 3: the cost of avoiding collisions Space might seem an empty, vast expanse, but satellites in Earth's orbit face the constant risk of collision - with other satellites, dead or alive, or with fragments of debris. It is now routine for operators of spacecraft in busy highways to divert their mission out of harms way. In fact at ESA, each mission flown performs on average two 'collision avoidance manoeuvres' per year. These manoeuvres are costly. Hours are spent on the ground monitoring the skies, calculating the risk and planning manoeuvres, not to mention the extra fuel spent and missed science and data collected while instruments are turned off. Find out more in the podcast below. Listen to the podcast here: https://soundcloud.com/esa/avoiding-collision Infographic 4: we are launching more than ever Since the beginning of the space age, with the launch of Sputnik in 1957, we have launched thousands of rockets carrying more than ten thousand satellites into space. The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in these numbers, and over the last few decades there has been a change in the type of mission flown, with private companies (yellow) launching smaller satellites than those launched by non-commercial agencies (blue). This graph, created in a joint project between ESA and the UN, also shows the number of unregistered objects (red) has increased in recent years. It should be noted that these are objects not yet registered with the UN, and are expected to rise. Find out more about why this matters in the joint ESA-UN podcast that narrates this space debris infographic series. Listen to the podcast here: https://soundcloud.com/esa/launching-more Infographic 5: the role of reentries What goes up, nearly always comes back down. When it comes to the objects we send to space, atmospheric reentries are actually a fundamental tool in minimising the creation of space debris, and ensuring a sustainable future in space. Objects in low-Earth orbit, affected by the 'drag' forces caused by Earth's atmosphere, gradually lower in altitude and then make a rapid and firey descent towards Earth. Small objects disintegrate as they reenter due to the immense friction and heat created, but parts of larger bodies can reach the ground, so should be controlled to land over uninhabited regions. Find out more about why this matters in the joint ESA-UNOOSA podcast that narrates this space debris infographic series below. Listen to the podcast: https://soundcloud.com/esa/the-role-of-reentries Infographic 6: the history of space debris United Nations, United States, Aug 9 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Aug, 2023 ) :The United Nations has said it reached an agreement with the Syrian government on aid deliveries to rebel-held areas from Turkey, raising concern among relief groups who had wanted Damascus kept out. Under a 2014 deal, most international aid had passed through the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey without the authorization of Damascus. But last month, the Security Council failed to reach a consensus on extending the mechanism, and the UN said a subsequent Syrian offer to keep the crossing open for another six months contained "unacceptable" conditions. Late Tuesday, a UN spokesperson said that "the secretary-general welcomes the understanding reached yesterday (Monday) by the United Nations and the government of Syria on the continued use for the next six months of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing". The deal followed engagement between UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths and Damascus for the UN and its partners to keep providing assistance "at the necessary scale and in a principled manner that allows engagement with all parties... and that safeguards the UN's operational independence", the statement said. The Syrian government's previous conditions included that the UN cooperate with it fully and not communicate with "terrorist organizations" -- a reference to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a militant group formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda that controls the Syrian side of the Bab al-Hawa crossing. Several international organizations had expressed fear that allowing Damascus control over the flow of aid to rebel-held areas could result in limiting access to those most in need. More than four million people live in rebel-held areas of northern and northwestern Syria, many of them in overcrowded, impoverished displacement camps. "The consent reaffirmed by Syria in recent days provides a basis for the UN and its partners to lawfully conduct cross-border humanitarian operations through Bab al-Hawa," the UN statement said. - 'Removal of certainty' - The International Rescue Committee voiced alarm at the announcement. "We are concerned that the removal of certainty and security provided by Security Council authorization will impact the ability of humanitarian organizations, and particularly Syrian NGOs, to operate effectively," the relief group said in a statement. "The Security Council resolution was one guarantee that provided communities in the northwest some comfort knowing their access to lifesaving assistance was supported and protected by the international community." The IRC added that the deal's expiry in February "at the height of next year's winter season, raises significant concerns about the ability of the response to scale up to meet needs given the lack of predictability." The UN announcement came just hours after it said Syria had extended for another three months the use of two other crossings -- Bab al-Salam and Al-Rai -- which were opened following a devastating February 6 earthquake. Civil war broke out in Syria after President Bashar al-Assad's government crushed peaceful protests in 2011. The conflict has killed nearly half a million people and driven half of the country's pre-war population from their homes. Russia last month vetoed a nine-month extension of the Bab al-Hawa mechanism and then failed to muster enough votes to adopt a six-month extension. Damascus regularly denounces the UN aid deliveries as a violation of its sovereignty. Its ally Moscow has been chipping away at the Security Council deal for years. ISLAMABAD, Aug 9 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Aug, 2023 ) :Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Saudi Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Eng. Waleed Abdulkarim El Khereji on Wednesday discussed investment opportunities in energy, agriculture, desalination, IT and mining sectors. On his Twitter handle, the foreign minister said that he was pleased to receive the Saudi minister leading a delegation to Pakistan. He said, "There is a huge potential to unlock for enhanced cooperation also in infrastructure development including through public-private partnerships." (@Abdulla99267510) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says as part of the government's revolutionary solarisation project of generating 10,000 MW to replace the costly thermal power, he launched a program for solarisation of 100,000 tube wells yesterday. ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-August 9th, 2023) Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that our economy can't grow with high power tariff, thus we have to replace the power plants operating on costlier fuel that burdens our people and results in circular debt. In a tweet today, the Prime Minister said as part of the government's revolutionary solarisation project of generating 10,000 MW to replace the costly thermal power, he launched a program for solarisation of 100,000 tube wells yesterday. The Prime Minister said the solarisation of tube wells will provide cheap electricity to the farmers and boost our domestic agricultural yield, leading to self-sufficiency in food production. He said the long-term solution lies in tapping our abundant solar and hydel energy resources. The Prime Minister said solarisation project is priority and a total of 377 billion rupees will be spent on solarisation of tube wells. Other than solar, nuclear and coal power projects, Shehbaz Sharif said the coalition government focused its attention on development of hydropower projects. The Prime Minister said we have offered our brotherly country, Saudi Arabia to invest in multipurpose Diamer BashaDam. (@FahadShabbir) Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday announced a package to facilitate overseas Pakistan with multiple initiatives and expressed optimism that the upcoming government would continue its implementation ISLAMABAD (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Aug, 2023 ) :Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday announced a package to facilitate overseas Pakistan with multiple initiatives and expressed optimism that the upcoming government would continue its implementation. The prime minister, on the occasion, said that Pakistani diaspora had been living in different parts of the world, and on the basis of their hard work, contributions and innovations, they had earned fame for the country. Underlining the need to facilitate them without wasting time, he said such initiatives would provide overseas Pakistanis a sort of encouragement. "They are the great ambassadors of Pakistan. An if provided with the skill development training with certifications from the global companies, the Pakistani manpower can further supplement the valuable remittances being sent to the country," he added. In the Gulf and Europe, the prime minister said, there was a huge market for skilled labour, adding if the models and the patterns used by certain countries to train their manpower, were adopted in Pakistan, they could equip their manpower properly to meet growing modern-day requirements across the world. The prime minister announced the package for overseas Pakistanis which included establishment of special courts to resolve the property issues faced by the expatriates, one such was being set up in Islamabad which would be replicated in other provinces, establishment of hot lines in the offices under all the chief secretaries and the ICT chief commissioner, setting up Overseas Commission in all provinces, reservation of 10 percent quota for the overseas Pakistanis in all public sector housing projects with 5 percent rebate in case of foreign exchange payment, establishment of dedicated counters at all airports of the country, awarding top ten overseas Pakistan who contributed remittances, allocation of 5 percent seats in the professional public sector educational institutes across Pakistan, need-based scholarship to the overseas Pakistan in the pursuit of higher education, dedicated national saving schemes at attractive rates and linking of NADRA central system at the union levels for various facilities and increasing of number of camp offices for attestation of documents, online biometric verification and auto removal of blacklist passports etc. The prime minister also appreciated the minister for overseas Pakistanis, the officials of ministry and their team for taking measures to facilitate the expatriate Pakistanis. Earlier, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Sajid Tori highlighted the achievements of his ministry. He said that online facilities were provided to the overseas Pakistanis including redressal of their issues regarding property issues, enrollment at Overseas Pakistanis Foundation schools, housing society, passports and others. He said that they had signed agreements with 15 countries while 12 were under the process to send manpower abroad. The ministry had sent about 1,227,000 Pakistani nationals to different countries, thus taking the number of overseas Pakistanis to over 10 million, he added. Credit - Getty Images/iStockphoto Before last year, Jana Soldicics understanding of artificial intelligence was mostly limited to what shed read on the pages of science fiction novels. But in the fall, after getting the chance to use the technology in real life as she played around with the generative AI tools ChatGPT and DALL-E, she got more curious. I really wanted to know what was behind it. I knew it couldnt be magic, Soldicic said. She searched online and found Elements of AI, a self-paced, online course created by MinnaLearn and The University of Helsinki that provides an introduction to artificial intelligence designed for people without a background in technology, and was surprised by how much she enjoyed the course. I got a little bit addicted to it, she says. It gave me a basic understanding of what AI is now and what it could be. The experience gave her a deeper understanding of how artificial intelligence actually operatedfar beyond what she might have learned from messing around with the publicly available programs. Now, shes bringing that knowledge to her work as an event planner. I now have more of an understanding what it could do for me, my work, [and] my colleagues, other than just creating texts or pictures. Soldicic, who is based in Hamburg, Germany, uses AI text-to-image generators like DALL-E to bring adverts and flyers to life with designs that it might have previously been impossible for her to create on her own. We wanted little squirrels on a tandem bike for one event [flyer], and you could never find such a picture in real life. I put in two squirrels on the tandem bike [on DALL-E] and there were so many different and cool results. I didn't have to find somebody to realize my idea, I could just do it at home. Read More: Millions of Americans Have Lost Jobs in the PandemicAnd Robots and AI Are Replacing Them Faster Than Ever Artificial intelligence is expected to drastically change the way most of us work, but its a shift many are unprepared for. Amid all the chatter around AI, there is increasing concern about the threat it may pose to workers, ranging from screenwriters and background actors to lawyers. A recent Goldman Sachs report found that as many as 300 million jobs around the world could be affected by AI and automation, but a Boston Consulting Group survey found that adoption has so far been largely limited to the C-suite. According to the June survey, 80% of executives said they used generative AI regularly, while only 20% of frontline employees reported the same. Meanwhile, a study earlier this year by human resources analytics firm Revelio Labs found that the jobs most threatened by AI are largely held by women. Story continues Read More: The Writers Strike Is Taking a Stand on AI In the face of this change, people like Soldicic are trying to skill up in AI and bring what they learn to the workplaceand many courses are emerging to help them do it. It's clear that this is one of those moments where people are really trying to get a handle on what's happening, says Dan Brodnitz Global Head of Strategy at LinkedIn Learning. This is about the opportunity for AI to improve our jobs and to augment our professional lives. To navigate that, people are going to and already [are] super motivated to invest in themselves. AI and the future of work Experts say AI will likely transform the workplace, though it is developing so rapidly that we may not know all the ways it could change how we will be working in the future. A recent survey by McKinsey estimated that generative AI tools could theoretically automate work that takes as much as 70% of an employee's time and that AI could replace half of workers' daily work activities by 2045 around a decade earlier than their previous estimates. The shift stands to impact knowledge-based workers, in jobs that have traditionally had higher wages and educational requirements, according to McKinsey. However, experts say the shift will likely mean people will be required to use tools such as generative AI in the same way we use search engines and word processors. AI is not just about automating jobs and replacing people, says Erik Brynjolfsson, senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI. By far the biggest benefits are having AI work with humans and help them be more productive. Read More: The AI Job That Pays Up to $335Kand You Don't Need a Computer Engineering Background Brynjolfsson, along with researchers Danielle Li, and Lindsey Raymond, authored a study in which generative AI was used by over 5,000 customer support agents at a call center, and found that AI tools boosted workers productivity, reduced attrition, and were especially helpful for early-career workers. Through machine learning, the generative AI systems were able to use pattern recognition to identify successes and failures in customer service approaches. It listened in on a whole bunch of transcripts and calls, and could see the patterns that turned out well the ones that didn't turn out well, says Brynjolfsson. It captured that tacit knowledge and passed it on to the less experienced workers. Brynjolfsson said the AI system was able to recommend specific features to solve a customers problems, or a tone of voice or phrasing that might work better. Maybe no human had ever written down those rules before but the AI system, by looking at literally millions of transcripts, was able to pick up on these patterns. AI tools are likely going to impact tasks that are routine, predictable, or standardized, according to Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a professor of business psychology and author of I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique. Though it might be tempting to brush off the sudden rise of AI tools as just a fad, Chamorro-Premuzic says its important to become as familiar as possible with the tools, as they are likely to become ubiquitous. These are tools that everybody will use, and if you're the only person not even trying it out or not using it, you might actually suffer, he says, comparing such resistance to deciding not to use Googles search engine. Read More: The AI Arms Race Is Changing Everything And even if employers dont expect workers to be experts in AI now, being comfortable with AI tools and how they operate could potentially provide a leg up as tools begin to become more commonplace in the workplace. When employers know that an employee or an applicant has experience with AI, that could potentially be more appealing to them, even if they're not a tech company, says Amber Clayton, senior director of knowledge center operations at the Society for Human Resource Management. I think many employers are looking at this right now as an opportunity to be more efficient. Training up on AI Ville Valtonen, MinnaLearns CEO and co-founder, believes truly understanding AI is only possible by going back to the basics. MinnaLearns Elements of AI course teaches students the patterns and probabilities that make artificial intelligence what it is, so they have the confidence to adapt alongside the technology. The AI field moves so fast. There are hundreds of tools coming daily. So we think it's really useful that people learn the high level things first, and then they can apply that in the world. Thats something you can use for much longer than a specific tool. The course is free and requires no advanced math or programing experience. We wanted to create a course for that 99% of people who cant code and still wanted to understand how AI was being used in the world around them, says Valtonen. More than one million people from 170 countries have signed up to take MinnaLearns online Elements of AI course. The company also offers a paid version of the program tailored towards businesses and it plans to launch a new chapter on generative AI this summer. Read More: Column: AI Is Not an Arms Race There are also more tailored courses for workers and jobseekers looking to learn specific skills. Learners looking to understand the tools that might prove useful in particular roles or sectors could turn to LinkedIn LearningLinkedIns educational arm for example. It offers more than 100 courses covering artificial intelligence, on both the theoretical and practical fronts. These range from Introduction to Prompt Engineering for Generative AI to Artificial Intelligence for Business Leaders. Pricing for an individual LinkedIn Learning subscription begins at $19.99 per month, with the option to pay for individual courses. The courses are broken down into bite-sized chapters, many of which come in at under five minutes. We've designed it so you can use the time you have available to learn what you need to learn, Brodnitz says. It's all designed to give people a lot of control. Alphabet also offers a range of courses through the Google Cloud Skills Boost platform. Art Munin decided to take some courses on AI after his employer, a tech company that helps colleges and universities with enrollment management, began deploying an AI tool of its own. After learning about our AI tool, I was not satisfied just trusting that it worked. I wanted to know how it worked, he told TIME in an email. Munin has taken several LinkedIn Learning courses, including Deep Learning: Getting Started and Applied Machine Learning: Foundations. As conversations around artificial intelligence and its use cases begin to enter public conversation, he says the course has allowed him to better discern fact from fiction when it comes to the impacts and concerns around AI. There is a gigantic difference between AI being used in military missile defense, for example, and AI supporting the recruitment of college students. These courses have helped me with a language and knowledge base to navigate these complex conversations and advocate for the reasonable use of AI in my field of work. How to make AI work for you While there has been some legitimate concern about AI coming for many of our jobs, there are ways workers can use AI to help them improve at their jobs. Consider the ways AI systems might impact your specific field, and how it can help make your workflow more efficient, suggests Amanda Johnstone, CEO of the technology research and development lab, Transhuman. For example, when trying to brainstorm creative lab experiments that meet specific educational standards, a teacher can ask ChatGPT to help, rather than generating ideas on their own, she says. It can even be as simple as asking the tool to draft an email or social media post. Try not to make it too technical, Johnstone says. You can have AI create 50 social media posts for you. And then spend half a day timing them to post [rather than] the next three months or you can have artificial intelligence draft the next ten newsletters for you. Johnstone advises against approaching the prompt like a Google search. Instead, be specific in how you prompt the tool. When you're prompting AI or working with AI, you need to think what do I really want the end result to be?; Do I want it to create a newsletter for our target audience bringing in real time data? Think about the end outcome and reverse engineer, she says. For those interested in experimenting with generative AI tools, experts say that a great first step is to simply take the time to play around with themespecially while there are versions of platforms like ChatGPT that are free to access. Have fun with it, test it in your own way, thinking about the problems that you might have, Chamorro-Premuzic says. It's definitely trial and error. Read More: The Workers Behind AI Rarely See Its Rewards. This Indian Startup Wants to Fix That For some learners, the benefits of using AI at work has been a pleasant surprise. Damian Wolfgram, a California-based product manager who took Minnalearns Elements of AI course, says that outsourcing more mundane tasks like agenda-setting or double-checking a drafts grammar has drastically increased his productivity. I'm able to get 80% of whatever that task is done in just 20% of the time, he says. I'm the benefactor of that, because it frees up my bandwidth to do other things. Write to Simmone Shah at simmone.shah@time.com. WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th August, 2023) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Bulgarian counterpart Mariya Gabriel earlier in the day to discuss continuing assistance for Ukraine, the State Department said in a press release. "Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel today, offering congratulations on her appointment," Blinken said in the release on Tuesday. "Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Gabriel discussed the need for continued security assistance for Ukraine from Allies and partners and ongoing efforts to diversify energy sources toward cleaner, more secure supplies and technologies." Moreover, the release said Blinken and Gabriel also discussed the "importance of EU enlargement to secure stability and prosperity in the region. " Earlier in the day, US media reported that the White House is expected to ask Congress for an additional $10 billion in supplemental funding for Ukraine next year. The request is expected to test whether Republican lawmakers will side with the White House or seek to limit funding to Ukraine amid efforts to stabilize the US economy. Several Republicans, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, previously vowed that Ukraine would not have a so-called blank check if Republicans took control of the House of Representatives. The Ethiopian government said on Wednesday that major cities in the Amhara region had been "freed" after days of fighting between army troops and militia fighters Nairobi, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Aug, 2023 ) :The Ethiopian government said on Wednesday that major cities in the Amhara region had been "freed" after days of fighting between army troops and militia fighters. "These cities have been freed from the threat of these bandits," a statement by a Federal government emergency body said, listing six towns including the regional capital Bahir Dar and the holy city of Lalibela. "The defence forces and law enforcement agencies in the region are clearing up (the fighters)," the State of Emergency General Directorate said, adding that some were hiding out in heritage or religious sites. It announced that a curfew had been imposed in the six cities -- Bahir Dar, Lalibela, Gondar, Shewa Robit, Debre Berhan and Debre Markos, and all vehicles, apart from emergency or security vehicles, were banned from movement after 7 pm. The directorate also said that 14 people had been arrested in the capital Addis Ababa, but gave no further information. Ethiopia imposed a state of emergency in Amhara on Friday after the fighting erupted between the national army and local fighters in the northern region. Although the Amhara militias fought alongside federal troops in the two-year conflict in the neighbouring region of Tigray, tensions emerged earlier this year over government moves to dismantle regional forces. (@ChaudhryMAli88) India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inaction over deadly ethnic conflict in the country's northeast on Wednesday, in his first parliamentary speech since his defamation conviction was suspended New Delhi, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Aug, 2023 ) :India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inaction over deadly ethnic conflict in the country's northeast on Wednesday, in his first parliamentary speech since his defamation conviction was suspended. Modi's administration is being forced this week to defend its conduct over months of violence in Manipur state that has killed more than 150 people. Gandhi's fiery address to the chamber was part of a no-confidence debate demanding the government's resignation for letting the unrest fester for months. "You are throwing kerosene in the whole country. You threw kerosene in Manipur, and lit a spark," Gandhi said, with cheers from supporters and jeers from rival lawmakers. "You're set on burning the whole country. You are killing Mother India," he added. Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is regularly accused by political opponents of fomenting divisions for electoral purposes, and India will hold general elections early next year. The ruling BJP has a large majority in the 543-member lower house, and is expected to comfortably defeat the no-confidence vote, which it has dismissed as a headline-grabbing gimmick. "India's army can bring in peace in one day but you're not using it," Gandhi told fellow lawmakers. "If Modi doesn't listen to the voice of India, then whose voice does he listen to?" Tens of thousands of additional soldiers have been rushed to the region to contain violence, and a curfew and internet shutdown remain in force across Manipur. Modi confidant and India's powerful home minister Amit Shah told the parliament that Manipur had seen "a destructive dance of violence". "No one can deny that. But your political moves on the issue are equally shameful," he said in a jab at the opposition. Gandhi and his allies are attempting to stitch together a grand coalition of opposition parties ahead of next year's national elections, in which Modi will seek a third successive term. At least 152 people have been killed in Manipur since May, Shah told parliament, with armed clashes breaking out between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community. The state has fractured on ethnic lines, with rival militias setting up blockades to keep out members of the opposing community. Gandhi accused the government of having "broken" Manipur "into two parts", but Irani insisted the state was "not divided". Shah, meanwhile, maintained the flare-up was due to an influx of narcotics and thousands of tribal refugees fleeing a crackdown in neighbouring military-ruled Myanmar. "The sudden increase in (Kuki) population created insecurity within the Meitei community. Rumours began circulating... resulting in unrest. Thereafter, clashes erupted, leading to the current situation," he said. The no-confidence debate is scheduled to conclude on Thursday after a speech by Modi, who has been criticised by his opponents for not commenting on the situation in Manipur. One person was killed and dozens more were injured Wednesday after a massive explosion tore through a Russian warehouse northeast of the capital Moscow, officials said Moscow, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Aug, 2023 ) :One person was killed and dozens more were injured Wednesday after a massive explosion tore through a Russian warehouse northeast of the capital Moscow, officials said. Video shared by state media showed a bright ball of flames burst on the horizon, followed by a shockwave that blew out the windows in surrounding buildings. The warehouse in the city of Sergiyev Posad was rented by a private company and used to store pyrotechnics, Moscow region governor Andrey Vorobyov said. The city administration said one person had been killed, while the governor reported more than 50 people had sought medical help. Firefighters could be seen spraying water on the smoldering ruins of a building, as search dogs and rescuers combed through the scorched wreckage. "The glass fell too, and everything," said one hospitalised man in a video shared by the governor. "I managed to get away. I don't know where it came from, why. We came out of the workshop -- there was smoke everywhere." The cause of the blast was not immediately clear. Investigators said they had opened a criminal case into suspected violations of industrial safety. Accidental fires are common in Russia, where hundreds of blazes are recorded each year due to ageing infrastructure and non-compliance with often-lax safety standards. The explosion came as Russian officials remained on high alert over Ukrainian drone attacks targeting military infrastructure. (@ChaudhryMAli88) A Romanian national kidnapped by an Al-Qaeda affiliate in 2015 in Burkina Faso, has been released after eight years in captivity, the Romanian government announced on Wednesday Bucharest, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Aug, 2023 ) :A Romanian national kidnapped by an Al-Qaeda affiliate in 2015 in Burkina Faso, has been released after eight years in captivity, the Romanian government announced on Wednesday. Iulian Ghergut, now 47, was taken on April 4, 2015, while working in a manganese mine in northeast Burkina Faso, near the border with Mali and Niger. "He has been released and is currently safe on Romanian territory," Romania's foreign ministry said in a press release, thanking Morocco for its "important support". Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on X, formerly known as Twitter, welcomed the release of Ghergut and thanked the Romanian institutions and its "external partners" for their efforts. "I feel like walking to Bucharest just to see him," Ghergut's mother told Romanian channel Digi 24 after learning of her son's release through television. "We found out from tv. We were startled and then cried. We didn't have any news from him," she added. "After eight years we didn't have any hopes that we might see him again, but we are happy he is coming home and this is all that matters," his brother Emilian said. It was the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group, Al-Mourabitoun, that claimed the abduction of Ghergut. He is thought to have been one of the last remaining Western hostages in Africa's troubled Sahel region. In May, 88-year-old Australian surgeon Kenneth Elliott was released after more than seven years' captivity. Elliott and his wife were abducted by Al Qaeda-linked jihadists in Burkina Faso in January 2016. His spouse was released three weeks later. French journalist Olivier Dubois, and US aid worker Jeffery Woodke, kidnapped in 2021 and 2016 respectively, were freed in March. (@FahadShabbir) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for countries to recommit to eliminating nuclear weapons in his message to mark the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki, observed on Wednesday UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Aug, 2023 ) :UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for countries to recommit to eliminating nuclear weapons in his message to mark the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki, observed on Wednesday. "We mourn those killed, whose memory will never fade. We remember the terrible destruction wrought upon this city and Hiroshima. We honour the unrelenting strength and resilience of the people of Nagasaki to rebuild," he said. More than 200,000 people were killed when the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, bringing an end to the Second World War. Over seven decades later, the legacy of one of the most unspeakable events in human history lives on. "Yet despite the terrible lessons of 1945, humanity is now facing a new arms race as nuclear weapons are being used as tools of coercion," he noted. The UN chief said weapons systems were being upgraded, and placed at the centre of national security strategies, making the devices of death faster, more accurate, and stealthier at a time of division and mistrust among countries and regions. "The risk of nuclear catastrophe is now at its highest level since the Cold War," he warned. "In the face of these threats, the global community must speak as one. Any use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable. We will not sit idly by as nuclear-armed states race to create even more dangerous weapons." The UN chief stressed that disarmament was at the heart of his Policy Brief on a New Agenda for Peace, launched last month. "It calls on member states to urgently recommit to pursuing a world free of nuclear weapons, and to reinforce the global norms against their use and proliferation. "Pending their total elimination, states possessing nuclear weapons must commit to never use them. The only way to eliminate the nuclear risk is to eliminate nuclear weapons," he said. The Secretary-General added that the UN would continue working with world leaders to strengthen the global efforts towards disarmament and non-proliferation, including through the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. NPT talks have been taking place at the UN in Vienna this month and will conclude on Friday. The treaty entered into force in 1970 and aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and further the goal of nuclear disarmament. Guterres also paid tribute to the survivors of the atomic bombings, known as hibakusha. He said their powerful and harrowing testimonies would forever serve as a reminder of the need to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. "I have pledged to do everything in my power to ensure that the voices and testimonies of the hibakusha continue to be heard," he said. He called on young people - the world's future leaders and decision makers - "to carry their torch forward", saying "we can never forget what happened here. We must lift the shadow of nuclear annihilation, once and for all." "This is an extraordinary group of accomplished educators and researchers joining our vibrant UTSA community, said Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Shipley. Bringing a diverse range of expertise as leaders in their respective fields, these distinguished faculty members will undoubtedly elevate our students' academic journey by delivering cutting-edge curricula and research opportunities that foster unparalleled learning experiences both within and beyond the classroom." When asked why they chose UTSA, several faculty members said they were impressed by the universitys welcoming environment, exceptional faculty and the opportunities to conduct cross-disciplinary research at a Tier One university. Many were also excited by the opportunity to work with students from underrepresented groups and by UTSAs commitment to student success. I've wanted to be a part of UTSA for years, said Stephen Schwab, a new assistant professor in the Department of Management in the UTSA Alvarez College of Business (ACOB). My family and I love the city of San Antonio and everything that UTSA representshelping our community and, specifically, supporting first-generation students. Add to that what I think is a perfect balance between a focus on teaching and research at an R1 institution and I can't think of a better place to be. Thirteen incoming faculty were hired as a result of the programs that comprise Academic Affairs Strategic Faculty Hiring Initiative. Launched in 2019, this program provides support mechanisms to academic colleges to recruit and hire some of the best and brightest minds of diverse backgrounds and experiences, providing intellectual prowess to help the university address societys grand challenges. Natalie Bradford is one of six postdoctoral fellows hired through the strategic hiring initiative, which promotes and nurtures the work of outstanding, early-career postdoctoral scholars and prepares them for faculty positions at UTSA or elsewhere. Bradford is working within the Department of Public Health in the UTSA College for Health, Community and Policy (HCAP). She was attracted to the colleges multidisciplinary structure and community engagement in particular, as it aligns well with her research. The colleges name alone reflects my three research, teaching and service interests: health, community, and policy, she said. I also wanted to work in a place where I could combine my research interests, creative writing, love for teaching and community work. This years cohort includes several faculty members who are joining the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts to bolster its new Interdisciplinary School for Engagement in Humanities, or E-School, and support the Department of Communications transition to a school. Pedro Cabrera, a new lecturer joining the Department of Communication, brings expertise in scholastic journalism to UTSA. He shared excitement about contributing to building up a potential new degree program in journalism as the department evolves. I was born and raised in San Antonio and I have seen UTSA grow from a regional institution to now, what some may consider, a worldwide juggernaut, he said. I am excited to be a part of that growth and possibly building something great within the new School of Communication. Notably, UTSA welcomes four new department chairs hired at the rank of professor: John Bricout , Department of Social Work (HCAP) , Department of Social Work (HCAP) Joseph Broschak , Department of Management (ACOB) , Department of Management (ACOB) Nancy Cheak-Zamora , Department of Public Health (HCAP) , Department of Public Health (HCAP) Fred Martin, Department of Computer Science (College of Sciences) The group participated in the New Faculty Academy: Bold Beginnings at Roadrunner Nation program, which began on August 1 and will conclude today. The event is an intensive development opportunity designed to effectively launch faculty at the university. AUGUST 9, 2023 Editors note: The following message was sent today via email from President Taylor Eighmy, Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Shipley, Senior Vice President for Business Affairs and Chief Enterprise Development Officer Veronica Salazar and Interim Vice President for Research, Economic Development, and Knowledge Enterprise JoAnn Browning to all faculty and staff: It is with great pride that we share UTSA has met the State of Texas eligibility criteria to participate in the National Research University Fund (NRUF) and successfully passed the audit by the State Auditors Office. NRUF has provided a dedicated source of funding to enable emerging research universities in Texas to achieve national prominence. This milestone solidifies UTSAs position as a university capable of tackling societys grandest challenges on local, state and national scales. Along with our Carnegie R1 designation, achieving NRUF was always a waypoint on our journey to become a great public research university. All of youour faculty and staffplayed an essential role in this accomplishment. We cannot thank you enough for your commitment to excellence and professional contributions to UTSA. Wed especially like to thank the Research, Economic Development, and Knowledge Enterprise (REDKE) division; Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate School Ambika Mathur and her team; the auditing team that crossed between the divisions of Business Affairs, Academic Affairs and REDKE; and the deans, department chairs, and all faculty who participated in each phase of the evaluation process. Its important to note thatas a result of outcomes previously shared from the 88th Legislative SessionNRUF will now be eliminated to create the Texas University Fund (TUF). This transition, which must first be approved by a statewide referendum in November, will occur in fiscal year 2024. Although UTSA will not be eligible to participate in TUF, we will still receive our expected $5 million share of the fiscal 2023 NRUF fund. Additionally, when the legislature eliminated NRUF, they also renamed the Core Research Support Fund (CRSF) to the National Research Support Fund (NRSF). NRSF is anticipated to bring additional resources to UTSA and the other three emerging research universities in the UT SystemThe University of Texas at Arlington, The University of Texas at Dallas and The University of Texas at El Pasocontingent upon legislative policy that requires UT System to match NRSF funding. We are currently working with UT System to better understand these additional funding opportunities. We will share updates as we learn more about projected increases over the next two years. In the meantime, lets take a moment to celebrate our NRUF eligibility and the opportunities it brings to UTSA. Congratulations to all! The Collaboration Signals Era of New Innovation for AI Nose Technology for Broader Industry Adoption With Partnership, Ainos Makes Progress Towards Mission of Digitizing Smell SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Ainos, Inc. (NASDAQ:AIMD, AIMDW) ("Ainos", or the "Company"), a diversified healthcare company focused on the development of novel point-of-care testing, low-dose interferon therapeutics, and synthetic RNA-driven preventative medicine, today announced that it had signed an agreement (the "Agreement") with Nisshinbo Micro Devices Inc. (NISD) and Taiwan Inabata Sangyo Co. (Inabata) to co-develop a volatile organic compound (VOC) sensing platform (the "Platform"). The Platform is intended to be used in a variety of applications including telehealth, automotive, industrial, and environmental safety. Under the Agreement, Ainos and NISD (collectively, the "Parties") will co-develop a VOC sensing platform that leverages Ainos' digital nose intellectual properties, the AI Nose platform. Ainos will be compensated with an upfront development fee and per-unit fees. Inabata will provide business logistics for the program and liaise between Ainos and NISD. The Parties have a shared vision for the future of VOC sensing technology across a variety of applications, including telehealth, automotive, industrial, and environmental safety. To achieve this vision, the Parties have committed to collaborating on the development of innovative technologies by leveraging Ainos' cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and digital nose technologies. These technologies have been developed over the past decade, and are protected by over 50 active and pending patents. By combining their expertise and resources, the Parties aim to create a new standard in VOC sensing and analysis, utilizing Ainos' deep-learning algorithm and cloud-based big data analysis to provide unparalleled accuracy and insight. Story continues Chun-Hsien (Eddy) Tsai, Ainos' Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are pleased to announce our latest initiative to generate new revenue streams through our diversified product portfolio. Following the successful launch of VELDONA Pet, we are further advancing our AI Nose platform along the path to commercialization. We have long recognized the vast potential of VOC sensing technology beyond healthcare, and we believe that this co-development project is a key step in fulfilling our vision to expand use cases for our AI Nose tech platform." Ainos, Inc., Wednesday, August 9, 2023, Press release picture Mr. Tsai added, "VOCs are chemicals commonly found in indoor and outdoor surroundings, and in products such as paints, pharmaceuticals, and refrigerants. They can be emitted as gases from solids or liquids and can be hazardous to health. Digital nose technology, also known as gas sensors, has been widely used for air quality monitoring in industrial and environmental settings. Our cutting-edge AI Nose tech platform, which combines digital nose sensors, AI algorithms, and the digital profiling of VOCs as the Smell ID, has the capacity to revolutionize air quality sensing in these scenarios. By integrating AI, we can enhance traditional VOC sensing capabilities, making them more intelligent and effective: We are essentially giving AI a nose." Ainos, Inc., Wednesday, August 9, 2023, Press release picture "With this breakthrough technology, we believe we are poised to make a significant impact on the detection and mitigation of VOCs, both in the environment and in the human body. We look forward to continuing to innovate and develop our AI Nose platform to further digitize smell and protect human health for years to come," Mr. Tsai concluded. "We are delighted to have this co-development agreement with Ainos and Inabata, who have cutting-edge AI Nose tech platform. We aim to make a significant contribution to society by creating new businesses that solve social issues in the fields of industry, environmental safety, automobiles, and medicine by utilizing the AI Nose tech platform brought about by this partnership," Mr. Komiyama, the Executive Managing Officer of Nisshinbo Micro Devices, stated. "We are delighted to work with Ainos and NISD under this co-development agreement. We have high expectations for the future and believe that this partnership will bring significant benefits to our company," Mr. Tung, Cheng Chung, the Chairman of Taiwan Inabata Sangyo Co., said. About Ainos, Inc. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Ainos, Inc. is a diversified healthcare company engaged in developing innovative medical technologies for point-of-care testing and safe and novel medical treatment for a broad range of disease indications. In addition to its proprietary therapeutics using low-dose non-injectable interferon, Ainos has also expanded its product portfolio to include Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and COVID-19 POCTs. Powered by its AI Nose platform, the lead POCT candidate, Ainos Flora, is a telehealth-friendly POCT for women's health and certain common STIs. To learn more, visit https://www.ainos.com. Follow Ainos on Twitter (@AinosInc) and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date. About Nisshinbo Micro Devices Inc. Nisshinbo Micro Devices Inc. provides analog solutions through electronic devices and microwave products. The company's comprehensive analog solutions serve a broad range of industries including automotives, industrials and consumers. It is the result of an integration of former companies New Japan Radio Co., Ltd. and RICOH Electronic Devices Co., Ltd. The company employs approximately 1,920 people. Nisshinbo Micro Devices Inc. is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. For more information, visit: https://www.nisshinbo-microdevices.co.jp/en/. About Taiwan Inabata Sangyo Co., Ltd. Founded in 1989, Taiwan Inabata Sangyo Co., Ltd is a fully owned Taiwanese subsidiary of Inabata & Co. Ltd. The parent company Inabata & Co. Ltd. is a multifaceted trading company operating in four business segments: Information & Electronics, Plastics, Chemicals and Life Industry. Inabata & Co. Ltd. operates in about 60 locations in 18 countries. Inabata & Co. Ltd.is headquartered in Osaka Japan and is listed in Tokyo Stock Exchange under stock symbol 8098. Inabata is founded in 1890. Taiwan Inabata Sangyo Co., Ltd has devoted to grow with the innovators by helping them to connect business within the Inabata group. It traditionally focused on the trading of display related materials and equipment, semiconductor materials, engineering plastics, industrial chemicals but it has expanded coverage to the gas sensor industry, and healthcare industry in lien with parent company's strategy. For more information, visit: https://www.inabata.co.jp/english/. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" about Ainos within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "approximate", "expect," "intend," "plan," "predict," "project," "target," "future," "likely," "strategy," "foresee," "may," "guidance," "potential," "outlook," "forecast," "should," "will" or other similar words or phrases. Similarly, statements that describe the Company's objectives, plans or goals are, or may be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based only on the Company's current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the Company's control. The Company's actual results may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the projections, forecasts, estimates and expectations discussed in this press release include, among others, the cost of production and sales potential of the planned drug treatments announced in this press release; the Company's dependence on projected revenues from the sale of COVID-19 test kits and our VELDONA Pet product line; the Company's limited cash and history of losses; the Company's ability to achieve profitability; the Company's ability to raise additional capital to continue the Company's product development; the ability to accurately predict the future operating results of the Company; the ability to advance Ainos' current or future product candidates through clinical trials, obtain marketing approval and ultimately commercialize any product candidates the Company develops; the ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of Ainos product candidates; delays in completing the development and commercialization of the Company's current and future product candidates, which could result in increased costs to the Company, delay or limit the ability to generate revenue and adversely affect the business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects of the Company; intense competition and rapidly advancing technology in the Company's industry that may outpace its technology; customer demand for the products and services the Company develops; the impact of competitive or alternative products, technologies and pricing; disruption in research and development facilities; lawsuits and other claims by third parties or investigations by various regulatory agencies governing the Company's operations; potential cybersecurity attacks; increased requirements and costs related to cybersecurity; the Company's ability to realize the benefits of third party licensing agreements; the Company's ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for Ainos product candidates; compliance with applicable laws, regulations and tariffs; and the Company's success in managing the growth. A more complete description of these risk factors and others is included in the "Risk Factors" section of Ainos' most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, many of which risks are beyond the Company's control. In addition to the risks described above and in the Company's Form 10-K, other unknown or unpredictable factors also could cause actual results to differ materially from the projections, forecasts, estimates and expectations discussed in this press release. The forward-looking statements made in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. Ainos undertakes no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or changes to the future results over time or otherwise, except as required by law. Investor Relations Contact ICR, LLC Robin Yang Tel: +1 646-224-6971 Email: Ainos.IR@icrinc.com SOURCE: Ainos, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/773279/Ainos-Partners-with-Nisshinbo-Micro-Devices-and-Inabata-to-Co-Develop-VOC-Sensing-Platform-For-Broader-Industry-Adoption Broadcasters from more than 45 African countries, meeting this week in the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde, said radio reigns supreme over all other mass media on the continent, including TV, internet, newspapers, and social and digital media. No more than 600 million of the continent's more than 1.3 billion people have access to the internet, African broadcasters said, and even when they do, connectivity is either slow or too expensive for a majority of the continent's poor, hungry civilians. Radio, however, remains a reliable and cheap medium for getting vital information. John Omo, secretary-general of the African Telecommunications Union, or ATU, took part in the Yaounde meeting. He said participants at the meeting plan to inform Africa's international partners that neglecting radio broadcasting denies a majority of the continent's population an important tool for development. "We are going to ensure that we send proposals that are meant to help Africa," Omo said. "We have several areas of our continent that are still not connected to ICTs [information and communications technology] and radio communication is really the lifeblood. Without radio, you can't transport communication to our rural population." Omo said radio connects listeners to their community. In times of emergency and disaster, which are frequent in Africa, radio is one of the most powerful and effective ways of delivering early warnings. The broadcasters said 2023 online penetration in Africa is between 30% and 43%, which is below the global average of about 70%. The broadcasters said they will identify close to 20,000 frequencies that can be used for FM broadcasting in Africa without harmful interference. The ATU said that the number of people who trust and rely on radio information is increasing as population increases. It gave no further details, but added the increase means there is pressure on the available radio frequencies, and especially on FM radio broadcasting. Rene Emmanuel Sadi, Cameroon's communications minister and government spokesperson, said radio remains the most trustworthy medium for Africans, and African governments would not want to deprive citizens of that means of communication. Sadi said Africa should speak with one voice during the World Radiocommunication Conference in Dubai, set for November 20 to December 15, 2023. World Radiocommunication Conferences are held every three to four years. Participants review and revise radio regulations determined by international treaty governing the use of the radio frequency spectrum and the geostationary satellite and non-geostationary satellite orbits. Revisions are made on the basis of an agenda determined by the International Telecommunication Union Council. New laws designed to avoid a repeat of the destruction of an ancient Indigenous site by resources giant Rio Tinto have been scrapped by the Western Australian state government. Thousands of years of art, traditions and stories disappeared when ancient Indigenous rock shelters were destroyed in May 2020 as part of an iron ore project in Western Australias Pilbara region. Juukan Gorge was one of Australias most significant First Nations archaeological sites. Indigenous leaders said they mourned a tragic loss, and that healing would be slow and painful. Resources giant Rio Tinto did have government approval to detonate the site, but company officials conceded it was a "genuine mistake." Western Australias heritage laws were changed. The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act came into force five weeks ago but has now been scrapped by the state government. Authorities have conceded that the legislation was confusing and divisive. Farmers condemned the measures that required landowners who wanted to develop their properties to organize and pay for surveys to ensure Aboriginal heritage wasnt damaged. The Juukan Gorge tragedy was a global embarrassment for Australia," Western Australian state premier Roger Cook told reporters Tuesday. "Something needed to be done. No-one can argue with that, but our legislative response was wrong. Put simply, the laws went too far, were too prescriptive, too complicated and placed unnecessary burdens on everyday Western Australian property owners. The traditional Indigenous owners of Juukan Gorge said they felt betrayed by the repeal of the legislation, and they had lost faith in the government's ability to protect culturally significant sites. Heritage laws dating to the early 1970s have now been restored in Western Australia with some amendments, which the government believes will prevent another disaster similar to Juukan Gorge. Aboriginal groups will be allowed to appeal against any development approval they believe harms sacred sites. Indigenous settlement of Australia dates back an estimated 65,000 years. This vast history is documented in ancient songs, stories, dance and art. First Nations peoples consider the land to be the mother of creation, connecting Aboriginal Australians to their past, present and future. True to its mission of putting people over profit, company gives back in a big way by building home for displaced children in Uganda in partnership with Kings Kids Africa NASHVILLE, Tenn. and CLEARWATER, Fla. --News Direct-- AmeriLife Senior Market Advisors (SMA), one of the fastest growing field marketing organizations (FMO) in the insurance space and an affiliate of AmeriLife Group, LLC (AmeriLife), announced today the building and opening of a home that houses 12 displaced children in Uganda in partnership with Nashville-based non-profit Kings Kids Africa. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Uganda, SMA representatives Jeremy Tingler, Henry S. Goldsmith and Annie Cobb met Kings Kids representatives, spoke with local officials about community impact and spent time with each of the 12 children gaining first-hand perspectives on how this opportunity will change their lives. This home is a tangible foundation for creating life-long opportunities and strengthening the community for the benefit of children in need, while also providing much needed infrastructure to foster spiritual development, education, physical and mental wellbeing and social integration, said Cobb. The home was built in an agricultural village just outside the capital city of Kampala and is part of a larger community expansion plan led by Kings Kids Africa. That plan includes a school, community center and home, all built around the local church, which is at the foundation of the organizations Christian-faith mission. The impact of this home built amidst the church, school and community center was visible to us as we toured the area and collection of nearby villages, added Goldsmith. You could see it, feel it, and the kids overall health and positive mentality was noticeable. This demonstrated to us not only the need for continued humanitarian interventions, but the impact Kings Kids Africa is having on the children and communities where they work. Story continues Our continued fundraising efforts are earmarked to support the lives of these 12 children, said Christy Boyd, executive vice president of Shared Services at Senior Market Advisors. Building the home was the first step, but there are daily expenses to running a home and providing for these children as they grow through the Kings Kids program. Our support continues. AmeriLife and its network of affiliates have a long history supporting dozens of local, national and international non-profits including charity:water, Feeding America and St. Josephs Hospital Foundation, among others. All of us at AmeriLife are very proud of SMAs commitment to community and humanity, and its continued demonstration of our shared values, wherever help is needed, said Scott R. Perry, chairman and CEO of AmeriLife. We congratulate and celebrate the SMA staff and leadership for the transformative differences made in the lives and future of these 12 children. To join Senior Market Advisors in supporting Kings Kids Africa program in Uganda, please visit www.kingskidsafrica.org or contact Christy Boyd at cboyd@seniormarketadvisors.com. ### About Senior Market Advisors Senior Market Advisors (SMA), a Medicare FMO, has been a leader in profit management since 2007, driven by hard work and a commitment to doing right by the consumer. We have certainly knocked on our fair share of doors. We know the grit and determination involved in becoming a career agent. And as a result, we have become one of the fastest growing FMOs, doubling our business each year for the past five years. For more information, visit us online at SeniorMarketAdvisors.com. About AmeriLife AmeriLifes strength is its mission: to provide insurance and retirement solutions to help people live longer, healthier lives. In doing so, AmeriLife has become recognized as the leader in developing, marketing, and distributing life and health insurance, annuities and retirement planning solutions to enhance the lives of pre-retirees and retirees across the United States. For more than 50 years, AmeriLife has partnered with top insurance carriers to provide value and quality to customers served through a distribution network of over 300,000 insurance agents and advisors and 120 marketing organizations and insurance agency locations nationwide. For more information, visit AmeriLife.com and follow AmeriLife on Facebook and LinkedIn. Contact Details Media Jeff Maldonado +1 321-297-1112 jmaldonado@amerilife.com Company Website https://amerilife.com/ View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/amerilifes-senior-market-advisors-makes-big-impact-helping-ugandan-orphans-550166888 Darwin, the capital city of Australias Northern Territory, can be brutally hot and humid. Many of its 150,000 residents seek refuge from the tropical elements in air-conditioned homes, offices and cars. But research from the Australian National University, the ANU, suggests that air-conditioning, which is often set at 21 degrees Celsius, is making people more vulnerable to heat-related death. Heatwaves are Australias deadliest natural hazard. They kill more people than bushfires, floods and storms put together. The ANU asserts that climate change is increasing heat-associated mortality particularly in hotter parts of the world. Simon Quilty, the studys lead author, is from the Australian National Universitys National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health. He told VOA that avoiding the heat and humidity may prevent people from adapting to the climate. Being exposed regularly to the prevailing climate in which you live actually acclimatizes your body," he said. "e know that acclimatization takes roughly 14-days to occur for a human body and that changes the way that we sweat, it changes the way that we breathe, it changes our kidneys and it even changes the way that our hearts pump. What is happening now is that our entire lives are set at 21 degrees Celsius and so for people who are living in very hot climates like the Northern Territory that deacclimatization is actually probably increasing heat vulnerability. Quilty said the research also finds that First Nations communities in the Northern Territory are less vulnerable to heat because they are often less inclined or able to use air-conditioning. Yes, it is very, very uncomfortable in really hot weather in Darwin and other places in the Tropics around the world, but we do not all need to live at 21 degrees Celsius," Quilty said. "And certainly, my experience of Aboriginal people is they really do not like over air-conditioned environments. They feel very uncomfortable in it. Quilty says that First Nations people have shown extraordinary resilience to extreme weather over thousands of years. The Australian National University study believes that hot climate communities need to start considering socio-cultural means of adapting to hotter weather. Indigenous Australians invariably stay out of the hot afternoon sun and reduce physical exertion in warmer parts of the day. The study recommends that housing in hot climates should also be designed to ensure passive cooling to reduce energy costs. The Australian research also asserts that a siesta - or an afternoon nap - during the warmest part of the day can help the body to acclimatize to the heat. The study is published in the journal, the Lancet Planetary Health. U.S. military and intelligence officials are wary of writing off the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria despite a series of setbacks that has seen the terror group lose fighters, senior leaders and yet another would-be caliph. The assessment comes less than a week after the Islamic State group, also known as IS, ISIS, or Daesh, announced Thursday the death of Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, who had led the terror organization since last November. It also comes as there is some confusion about how Abu al-Hussein met his end. Turkey initially said it killed him during an operation in late April, though U.S. officials never confirmed the claim. IS, which is thought to have delayed the announcement, blamed al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which promptly rejected the accusation. Either scenario could be seen as an indication that IS' staying power is waning. But U.S. officials caution that drawing such a conclusion would be premature. IS "is a long-term threat," a U.S. military official said, adding the U.S. was aware of the change in leadership before the terror group made the announcement on one of its Telegram social media channels. The official, who agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity, did not refute other assessments pointing to the terror group's overall weakness in Iraq and Syria, including U.S. estimates that put the number of IS fighters in what was once its core territory at less than 2,000. Instead, the official said the group remains resilient, warning that its followers, including many of the estimated 10,000 fighters held in prisons across northeastern Syria, have not lost their fervor. "If you look at these detention facilities in Syria, guarded by the [U.S.-backed] Syrian Democratic Forces, they are the single greatest concentration of terrorists on the face of the earth," the official said, noting one prison in Hasaka holds 5,000 former IS fighters alone. One well-coordinated prison break, the official said, "can quickly rebuild ISIS ranks." U.S. officials argue such fears are not far-fetched, pointing to a weeklong assault by nearly 300 IS fighters on the al-Sina'a prison in Hasaka in January 2022. It was put down only after the Syrian Democratic Forces called in about 10,000 troops and with help from U.S. and anti-IS coalition fighter jets, attack helicopters and armored vehicles. "They still aspire to conduct prison breakouts where their ISIS prisoners are held," Major General Matthew McFarlane, the commander of the U.S.-led Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, told reporters ahead of talks between U.S. and Iraqi defense officials this week at the Pentagon. "Their ideology remains unconstrained and is still a threat as they seek to rebuild some capacity and capability to conduct attacks and to regain or reemerge as a significant threat to the population," he said. U.S. military officials have also raised repeated concerns about large displaced-persons camps, like al-Hol in northeastern Syria, which still holds nearly 49,000 people, half of whom are children. "About 50% of the camp holds, espouses some form of [IS] ideology," U.S. Central Command's General Michael "Erik" Kurilla told lawmakers this past March. Other countries are equally concerned about IS' resilience, with some warning that IS in Iraq and Syria is stronger than what U.S. intelligence estimates indicate. Intelligence shared by United Nations member states for a report published late last month suggests IS boasts between 5,000 to 7,000 followers under its command, "most of whom are fighters." And while the tempo of IS attacks has lessened, the report found in Syria, "Small cells undertook regular attacks, including in north Palmyra and eastern Hama," and that IS "continued to use the north-east to rebuild, recruit, and try to release key leaders from prisons." Separately, U.S. partner forces in Syria said in a U.S. Defense Department Inspector General report, released earlier this month, that IS "was actively preparing financing and training cells to conduct more attacks in Iraq and Syria." A key question, then, for the U.S. and its allies, is how quickly and effectively IS can take advantage of a still fervent following in Iraq and Syria in order to reemerge as a major threat. Current and former U.S. and Western intelligence officials think that will still take time. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency recently said it believes IS' plans to break thousands of fighters out of prison are, at best, still aspirational, and that the terror group's overall capabilities have been significantly degraded. There are also questions about the strength of IS' core leadership, which has seen at least 14 of its most senior officials killed or captured since early 2022. "The degradation of ISIS leadership prevents ISIS from communicating, coordinating, and conducting effective external operations against the United States and our partners and allies," a second U.S. military official told VOA who, like the first, spoke on the condition of anonymity. And its two most recent emirs, Abu al-Hassan and Abu al-Hussein, failed to publicly issue any messages to their followers before their deaths. Whether the newest IS leader, named in Thursday's announcement as Abu Hafs al-Hashemi al-Qurashi, will be able to continue to generate and sustain loyalty to the terror group's brand, remains to be seen. "ISIS-core leadership has never looked so threadbare," Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former senior United Nations counterterrorism official and sanctions monitoring team coordinator, told VOA. "And the provinces are likely to find this revolving door of faceless, anonymous caliphs increasingly unconvincing and uncompelling." For now, though, IS adherents appear to be going through the motions of pledging allegiance to Abu Hafs despite knowing little of his origins. JihadoScope, a company that monitors terrorist activity on social media, has found pledges from IS branches in Iraq, West Africa, Yemen and Somalia, some with photos, all responding to the announcement's call for support. "It's what we might call a 'please clap' moment when you're looking for applause because your speech fell so flat," JihadoScope co-founder Raphael Gluck told VOA. But there is also online chatter to suggest IS supporters are becoming wary of the routine. "I've also seen supporters say amongst themselves too much support and [too many] photos are dangerous gives away location and personnel information," Gluck said. A cascade of disappointing economic news may force Beijing to curtail some of its expansive foreign policy ambitions, but analysts who follow Korean Peninsula affairs see little prospect that Chinese assistance to Pyongyang will be reduced. China's economy had been expected to pick up after the draconian pandemic lockdowns were lifted at the end of last year. Instead, it has seen tumbling exports, declining productivity, and public sector pay cuts. Economic growth in the second quarter fell below 1%, against a projected annual growth of 5.6% in 2023. Exports in July fell more than 14% compared with the same month last year, plunging at the sharpest rate since February 2020, according to China's customs data released on Tuesday, as reported by Reuters. China's exports to the U.S. alone fell by 14.5% in July from a year ago. Mexico has replaced China as the top U.S. trading partner. Unemployment in the second quarter reached 5.2% overall with youth unemployment soaring higher than 21% in June. That could be bad news for North Korea, which is heavily dependent on China, its top trading partner and a steady provider of economic aid ranging from fuel to medicine and food. That dependency has been greater since the 1990s because of the collapse of former Soviet Union, which had provided financial support to Pyongyang, and due to international sanctions that accelerated with the pace of North Korea's nuclear and missile tests since its first nuclear test in 2006. China, however, in recent years, has been reluctant to approve United Nations sanctions that the U.S. tried to get the Security Council to pass in response to Pyongyang's more-frequent missile tests. But experts told VOA's Korean Service that a reduction in aid is unlikely while Beijing faces mounting tension with the United States and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan. They also note that Chinese aid to North Korea accounts for only a very small portion of China's estimated $3.4 trillion budget. The lack of transparency in both countries makes exact figures difficult to calculate, they said. VOA contacted the North Korean Mission at the United Nations for comment on the aid received from China but did not receive a reply. Politics plays big role The experts said Beijing's economic aid is likely to continue for geopolitical reasons. "Political, rather than economic factors tend to play a larger role in Chinese aid to North Korea," said Troy Stangarone, a senior director at Korea Economic Institute who specializes in South Korean trade and North Korea. "With tensions with the United States growing, China is looking to increase ties with North Korea and Russia, providing an additional incentive for Beijing to continue providing support to Pyongyang during a slowing economy," Stangarone continued. SEE ALSO: Japan and South Korea Open 'New Chapter' in Ties During Rare Summit China has tightened its ties with North Korea as U.S.-South Korea relations grew stronger in recent months. Thawing bilateral ties between Seoul and Tokyo since March enabled Washington to enhance trilateral security cooperation with its two allies to defend against North Korean threats and counter China's assertiveness in the region. The three countries are expected to discuss ways to bolster defenses in the region when they hold a summit at Camp David next week. When China's delegation visited Pyongyang from July 27 to 30, Beijing and Pyongyang vowed to revive their relations to "a new high stage through close strategic and tactical collaboration," according to official North Korea media as reported by KCNA Watch.. The trip included touring a military weapons exhibition and attending a parade that featured advanced weapons to celebrate the 70th anniversary of signing the armistice agreement that ended fighting in the Korean War in July 1953. Borders reopen Since Pyongyang has gradually opened its borders that were shut in 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, trucks and freight trains have been spotted crossing the Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge connecting the Chinese city of Dandong and the North Korean city of Sinuiju. Bradley Babson, a former World Bank adviser and an advisory council member of the Korea Economic Institute, said China doesn't want to have North Korea "completely collapse economically." Beijing is seen as wanting to avoid economic collapse in North Korea to prevent a humanitarian disaster and refugees crossing into China. Babson continued, "China will do what it feels is politically in its interest with North Korea, and it's not going to be driven hugely by Chinese wider economic issues." He added that Beijing is "benefiting from the North Korean tilt towards China." Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu in Washington told VOA's Korean Service on Monday that Beijing's ties with Pyongyang are good for the stability of the Korean Peninsula. "China and the DPRK are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers," he said. "Consolidating and growing bilateral relations serves the common interests of both sides and is conducive to peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the region." According to Chinese economic performance highlights in the first half of 2023 that Liu provided with his comments, China saw "an upward trend of growth" with its GDP growing more than 5%. Fire officials say nine bodies have been recovered from the rubble of a massive fire at a vacation cottage in eastern France, where 11 people had been reported missing. The fire broke out early Wednesday morning in the town of Wintzenheim. Authorities say the cottage was rented by an association that assists disabled people. The missing residents, including 10 adults with learning disabilities and a staff member, were from the nearby eastern city of Nancy. Christopher Marot, the secretary-general of the Haut-Rhin district, told reporters earlier Wednesday it was unlikely the 11 missing people were able to escape the blaze. The fire was quickly brought under control, but Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that several casualties are reported from the scene and that rescue operations were still ongoing. Seventeen others were evacuated from the blaze, with one person transported to a nearby hospital. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on X that she was heading to the site of the fire. My first thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones, she wrote. Some information for this report came from Reuters, Agence France-Presse. A devastating fire that raged through a vacation home for adults with disabilities in eastern France left 11 people dead Wednesday, moving so quickly that people on the upper floors had no chance of escaping. Nathalie Kielwasser, deputy prosecutor for Colmar, said 11 people who were sleeping on the upper floor and in a mezzanine area of the private accommodation in the Alsatian town of Wintzenheim, in eastern France, were trapped by the fire, while five escaped. Twelve people who were staying on the ground floor were evacuated, she said. The adults, who had slight intellectual disabilities, were on a vacation sponsored by two specialized associations, she said. Investigators were looking into the circumstances of the fire and whether the building met all required safety standards, she said. Authorities said one survivor was sent to a hospital with serious injuries. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrived at the scene Wednesday afternoon. She said she wanted to show the government's support for the families of the victims and for the firefighters and rescuers at the site. Lieutenant Colonel Philippe Hauwiller, who was leading the rescue work of firefighters, said the fire likely started on the home's upper floor. The ground floor was made of stone and the upper part of the building was built of wood with heavy timbers in the traditional style of the region, which might partly explain why the fire spread so quickly. The local administration of the Haut-Rhin region said the fire broke out at 6:30 a.m. Christophe Marot, the secretary-general of the local administration, said on news broadcaster France Info that 10 people with disabilities and a person accompanying the group were believed to have been those killed. Many of the visitors came from the city of Nancy in eastern France, a statement from the Haut-Rhin prefecture said. No other information about the victims was provided. Fire officials at the scene said that while the fire quickly engulfed the structure, it likely had been smoldering unseen. Video showed flames lapping above a ball of fire on the second floor. The owner of the devastated home, who lives across the street, gave the alert, saw the fire and heard the screams, the deputy prosecutor said. She was in shock but answered initial questions from investigators, French media reported. The owner was not identified. The fire department deployed 76 firefighters, four fire engines and four ambulances to try to contain the blaze and treat the victims. Forty police officers were also mobilized. The fire was brought under control Wednesday morning. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: "In the face of this tragedy, my thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families. Thank you to our security forces and emergency services. Mathieu Klein, the mayor of Nancy, insisted in an interview with BFM TV that the tragedy should not end such vacation excursions. The right to vacation is a fundamental right, above all for these people living with handicaps, he said. The fire was the deadliest in France since an August 2016 fire that killed 14 people in a basement nightclub in the city of Rouen. Two Nigerian envoys traveled to the Niger capital for talks Wednesday as a former rebel leader and Niger politician launched a movement opposing the military junta that seized power two weeks ago the first sign of organized resistance to army rule in the West African country. In a statement released Wednesday, Rhissa Ag Boula said his group, the Council of the Resistance for the Republic (CRR), will aim to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been in detention at his residence since members of the presidential guard took power on July 26. Boula is a former minister of tourism and a leader in two Tuareg ethnic insurgencies in Niger, one in the 1990s, the other from 2007-09. Meanwhile, Bazoums party said Wednesday that the president and his family are running out of food and have been living without electricity and running water for a week. An adviser told The Associated Press that the family has only rice and canned goods left to eat. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are scheduled to hold a summit Thursday in Nigerias capital, Abuja, to discuss the Niger crisis. Until Wednesday, Nigers military junta had rejected diplomatic overtures. But they allowed two envoys sent by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu into the country, despite its closed borders: Lamido Muhammad Sanusi and Abdullsalami Abubarkar, both prominent traditional leaders. Sanusi met with General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the coup leader, while Abukarkar met with other representatives at the airport. "Well continue to do our best to bring the two parties together to improve understanding. This is the time for public diplomacy," Sanusi told reporters upon his return to Abuja. A day earlier, Nigers military junta had rejected a proposed diplomatic mission from West African states, the African Union and the United Nations. The junta leaders said a "climate of threatened aggression" made it impossible to hold talks on ending the constitutional crisis in Niger. Late on Tuesday, ECOWAS said in a statement that it would "continue to deploy all measures in order to restore constitutional order in Niger." The 15-member bloc, along with Western allies of Niger, have placed a series of financial sanctions against the country since the coup. The financial sanctions could lead to a default on Niger's debt repayments, Reuters reported. ECOWAS has threatened to use force to reinstate Bazoum but a deadline on Sunday for Nigers military to stand down passed without any military intervention. The U.S. Embassy, meanwhile, has warned Americans to avoid the presidential palace and downtown parts of the capital, Niamey, warning of an increased security presence to monitor demonstrations. The embassy said Wednesday it is aware of reports that cash and some goods are becoming scarce. A U.S. State Department spokesperson on Tuesday said the United States still has hope for reversing Niger's coup but was "realistic." "We do still have hope, but we are also very realistic," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. "We do have hope that the situation will be reversed, but at the same time, we are making clear, including in direct conversations with junta leaders themselves, what the consequences are for failing to return to constitutional order." Late Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that had spoken to Bazoum "to express our continued efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the current constitutional crisis." "The United States reiterates our call for the immediate release of him and his family," Blinken wrote on his official page. Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. Ukrainian officials accuse the Kremlins forces of targeting rescue workers with two consecutive missiles. Washington is closely watching Nigers coup leaders after they chose not to meet a Sunday deadline. U.S. concerns over hidden Chinese malware aimed at U.S. military operations. At a youth forum near the Moscow region last week , Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that Western media take orders and "professionally prepared falsehoods" from intelligence services. Aside from the remarks being false, Peskov's comments are an example of what is known as an "accusation in a mirror" where an aggressor accuses others of taking the actions it instead is taking. In his remarks, Peskov said that the West has "a lot of talented journalists," but "since they unleashed this war against us, they absolutely live in a state of military censorship." Yet media analysts have documented how it is Russia, not Western governments, that has imposed laws and restrictions, along with a widespread disinformation campaign, as part of its war effort. And unlike the West where media are independent and have structures and policies in place to prevent undue political or business influence independent journalism in Russia has been largely stamped out, data from media watchdogs show. The country currently ranks 164 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index, where 1 shows the best environment for media. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, which compiles the index, says that since the war "almost all independent media [in Russia] have been banned, blocked and/or declared 'foreign agents' or 'undesirable organizations.' All others are subject to military censorship." Ukraine, meanwhile, ranks at 79 out of 180 countries on the index, with RSF saying that Russia's war there "threatens the survival of the Ukrainian media" and that the country is "at the frontline of resistance against the expansion of the Kremlin's propaganda system." Years of attacks Even before the war, independent media in Russia faced harassment, attacks and legal challenges from the state. Dozens of media outlets and journalists in recent years have been forced to register as "foreign agents," a designation that forces them to mark all content and social media posts even personal ones with a lengthy disclaimer. SEE ALSO: Russia Using Foreign Agent Law to Attack Journalism, Media Say Daniel Salaru, a contributor to the Vienna-based International Press Institute, described the foreign agent law as a "key tool for repressing independent media." And the European Court of Human Rights in 2022 ruled that the legislation had violated the rights of the groups designated as such. SEE ALSO: European Court Rules Russia's 'Foreign Agent' Law Violates Rights Investigative journalists in Russia who took on sensitive issues or looked into official corruption have long been targeted with threats, attacks or even killings. War heightened acrimony The hostile environment only ramped up when Russian invaded Ukraine. Now, reporting on anything that the Kremlin deems to be false information about the war or the armed forces can be punished by up to 15 years in prison. Russia's media regulator has ordered news outlets to use only "information and data" from "official Russian sources." And access to dozens of websites, including VOA, and social media platforms Facebook and Twitter, have been blocked. The rash of new laws had an immediate effect, with several prominent independent media outlets shuttering or moving their operations into exile. Estimates from the legal aid group Setevye Svobody, or Net Freedoms Project, earlier this year estimated that in the first year after the invasion at least 1,000 journalists left Russia "because of the threat of criminal prosecution and a ban on the profession." Harassment from afar But exile is not always a barrier to harassment, as Dozhd TV, which relocated to the Netherlands, has found. In July, authorities designated the station an "undesirable" organization, meaning that anyone deemed a member of it risks imprisonment. Already, journalists, social media users and others who are refusing to toe the Kremlin line have faced prosecution. In April, two Russian journalists from republics in Siberia were arrested on charges of "knowingly publishing false information" about the armed forces. Both could face up to 10 years in prison. A court in February handed down a six-year sentence to Maria Ponomarenko, another journalist from the Siberian region, over a social media post about Russia's deadly airstrike on a theater in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in which civilians were sheltering. She and four others have been recognized with the Boris Nemtsov Award for their "brave defense of democratic rights and freedoms" by speaking out against the war. The award is named for Boris Nemtsov, an opposition leader assassinated near the Kremlin in Moscow in February 2015. Nemtsov was working on a report, published posthumously, about Russian soldiers secretly fighting in Ukraine at that time. Others have faced more hefty sentences. A court in April sentenced Vladimir Kara-Murza, an opposition politician and columnist, to 25 years in prison, in part for spreading what authorities called "false" information" about the army. Amnesty International said the charges against Kara-Murza stemmed "solely from his right to freedom of expression." And on August 2, a 67-year-old named Takhir Arslanov was sentenced to three years in prison for saying that "Kremlin fascists" were waging a war of aggression in Ukraine, and for calling for the burning of draft offices. Latest Developments: Russian drones destroyed a fuel depot in Ukraine's western Rivne region on Thursday, Governor Vitaly Koval wrote on the Telegram messaging app. There were no casualties from the attack, he said. Britains Defense Ministry says Russian authorities have likely increased their efforts to disrupt Russian citizens access to virtual private networks. Reports suggest many of the most popular VPNs have become unusable in some regions of Russia. Dozens of ships are backed up around critical Danube arteries close to Ukraine's river gateways days after Russian drone attacks on the country's ports, shipping data show. The river and its mouth are Ukraine's last remaining waterborne grain export route. Russia says it has downed 11 Ukrainian drones headed for Crimea and two headed for Moscow. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Telegram that the two drones targeting Moscow were shot down, as were two near the city of Sevastopol on the Crimean coast. The statement said nine drones were suppressed by means of electronic warfare and crashed in the Black Sea. Wednesday Russian authorities said its air defenses shot down two Ukrainian drones aimed at Moscow. Moscow Mayor Sergie Sobyanin said one of the aerial drones was shot down in the Domodedovo region south of the capital, which is home to one of Moscows busiest airports, while the other was downed near the Minsk highway west of the city. Sobyanin said there were no injuries or damages from the incident, which the Defense Ministry described as an attempted "terrorist attack." Moscow has been the target of suspected Ukrainian drone attacks since May, when a drone was destroyed over the Kremlin. Moscow has also blamed Kyiv for a series of naval drone attacks on Russian civilian and military targets in the Black Sea. Ukraine usually neither confirms nor denies such attacks. Wednesday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a Russian attack on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least three people. He said "an ordinary building was hit, a church and a residential building were damaged." Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs more air defense systems than it has. He added I have no doubt that F-16s will be in our skies. Ukrainian officials have sought ammunition and more advanced weapons, including air defense systems and fighter jets, in order to match Russias military capabilities. Zelenskyy has said that having the F-16 fighter jets is not about gaining an aerial advantage, but rather "being equal" to Russias forces. Denmark said in late June that training for Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s had begun. Some information for this article came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. LinkedIn, the U.S.- based social media network owned by Microsoft Corp. that focuses on building networks among business professionals, shut down its China-focused job application on Wednesday, marking the end of an era for Western social media networks struggling to grab a share of the huge Chinese market. The closure was not a surprise. InCareer, the Chinese app for LinkedIn, told users three months ago that "fierce competition and a challenging macroeconomic climate ... ultimately led us to the decision of discontinuing the service." InCareer notified its users in China that "after August 9, we will delete all InCareer account data." A woman who is a white-collar professional in Shanghai started using LinkedIn when she was studying in the U.S. a decade ago. Like all the users in China who communicated with VOA Mandarin, she asked that her name not be used to avoid attracting official attention. She told VOA Mandarin via text she was disappointed the network was leaving China. "I became a user before LinkedIn entered China. My experience on the platform has been wonderful. I found almost all my jobs on LinkedIn and I've made quite a few friends there too. I really hope one day it will come back to China." She said she was unsurprised at the closing. "For many users, LinkedIn has two great advantages: its social media feature, and its attraction to many multinational companies. But LinkedIn has chopped off its social media feature in China, and many foreign companies' business are slowing down, resulting in a less active hiring. So it's a shame that LinkedIn is backing out of China, but I'm not surprised." LinkedIn was founded in 2002 and officially launched on May 5, 2003, according to its website, which says LinkedIn is the world's largest workplace socialization platform, employing about 20,000 people worldwide. It listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, a city in the heart of California's Silicon Valley. LinkedIn officially entered China in 2014 with a localized version and attracted more than 4 million members that year. As of May 2023, the total number of LinkedIn members worldwide was more than 900 million, covering more than 200 countries and regions, of which the total number of members in China has exceeded 60 million, according to the company's website. One private business owner in Beijing whom VOA Mandarin spoke to started using LinkedIn in 2013. "I thought it was a great place to find senior managers or professionals with great abilities," he said. "For example, if I see a senior manager from a prestigious consulting company, and if he lets me add him as a contact, I could talk about job opportunities with him. This social function is the key for LinkedIn." "I've been on LinkedIn for over 10 years", another white-collar user in Shanghai told VOA Mandarin: "I found it by chance when I was in college, and thought I'd look more professional by having a LinkedIn account. At that time, LinkedIn hadn't officially entered China yet, but the Chinese students who had better knowledge of Western culture thought it was cool to be on that platform." LinkedIn ended the "social media feature" seven years after the company entered China. In a letter to all Chinese users in October 2021, LinkedIn's second president in China, Jian Lu, announced that "LinkedIn will not provide function of user generated original content and interactions between users." That announcement revealed the struggle LinkedIn had had in complying with China's strict censorship in the country. Eyck Freymann was surprised to get a notice from LinkedIn in June 2021, when he was an Oxford University doctoral student, telling him his account had been blocked in China, according to the Wall Street Journal. He was informed his profile contained "prohibited" content. Freymann, who turned down a VOA request for an interview, wasn't given more details, but the Journal reported it was because he had included the words "Tiananmen Square massacre" in the LinkedIn entry for his two-year stint as a research assistant for a book in 2015. In September 2014, Rob Schmitz, a Shanghai-based reporter for the U.S. media outlet Marketplace, said LinkedIn deleted his post on the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. In March 2021, a New York Times article reported that China's internet regulator rebuked LinkedIn executives for failing to control political content. In punishment, officials required LinkedIn to perform a self-evaluation and offer a report to the regulator. The report added that LinkedIn's service was forced to suspend signing up new users inside China for 30 days. According to a transparency report published by LinkedIn in 2022, the company received 43 requests from the Chinese government to remove content in 2021. LinkedIn complied with 42 of those requests. The report did not explain why the company did not comply with the one remaining request. The private business owner in Beijing thinks that a LinkedIn without its social media feature was in no position to compete with domestic Chinese apps. "There're so many local job seeking networks in China with better features and are much more popular. Just like Google, LinkedIn's exit is a result of Internet content censorship in China." ARK Invest Bitcoin ETF Expected To Be Delayed: Cathie Wood SEC may yet extend the deadline for deciding whether to approve Bitcoin spot ETFs The founder of ARK Invest, Cathie Wood, has stated that she anticipates a further delay for the company's proposed spot Bitcoin ETF. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)'s evaluation period for ARK Invests fund expires on August 13. If the SEC decides to approve any Bitcoin spot ETFs, Wood stated that she anticipates that more than one will be approved simultaneously. The ARK Invest and 21Shares Bitcoin ETF is in the lead among the eight applications being reviewed by the regulator. The decision date may be extended further by the SEC. This week, the SEC closes the public comment period for many of the funds. Gary Gensler, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, has voiced his concern over fraud and manipulation in the industry, and Grayscale has urged that any potential approval should include prior funds that have been rejected. According to Wood, the focus will be on marketing and communication because the majority of the fund will essentially be the same. At least 160 medical students who fled their homes and abandoned their studies due to the war in Sudan have found hope and a second chance to complete their education in Rwanda. With the help of the Rwandan government, the students from the University of Medical Sciences and Technology in Khartoum will complete their studies at the University of Rwanda. They said their campus in Khartoum has been overrun and turned into a military barracks. After the war, we thought about relocating students to different places where they can continue their education and finish their degrees. Fortunately enough, Rwanda was very receptive for the idea of relocating these students, Dr. Suzan Homeida, a university deputy chairperson told VOA Central Africa Services reporters in Kigali. We are very thankful and grateful for the government of Rwanda, who opened the door for us and accepted our medical students, she said. The 27-year-old university had around 7,000 students across all faculties 3,000 of them were medical students before the war broke out in April. One hundred and sixty of the medical students relocated to Rwanda. Homeida said shes thankful to those who made the relocation to Rwanda possible. During war, people flee looking for food and water. But Rwanda has provided a lot more, which is education, said Homeida. After the war is over, well expect people to rebuild the country, and I think these medical students will be graduated, and they will go back to Sudan, and they will shoulder the responsibility of building Sudan and building the nation. Homeida said students have shown remarkable resilience and determination to overcome the obstacles they have faced. But she also expects a lot from them while in Rwanda. My message to the students is that this is a golden opportunity. They must work hard. They must learn the local culture. They must eat the local food. They must speak the language. They must be part of the community to get the most out of that experience, she said. Power of education Despite the challenges, the Sudanese medical students have not lost sight of their goal. They say they are grateful for the opportunity to continue their studies and are working hard to become doctors. Some of them hope to return to Sudan to help rebuild their countrys health care system. Yaseen Khalfalla is a fourth-year medical student. He said he is grateful for the opportunity to continue pursuing his medical degree, but still devastated by events taking place at home. Id like to take a moment and say rest in peace to those who have lost their lives in our war. And hopefully, God willing, our country has peace again, Khalfalla told VOA, adding that the relocation is something historic that the Sudanese medical community will never forget. It has a greater good message that Africa is one and will always be one. But Khalfalla also said the opportunity to relocate carries a unique weight for the small number of students selected to continue their studies abroad, as theyll be expected to build the future of medicine in Sudan. "I feel very grateful, but I feel theres a lot of pressure on my shoulders. Theres a lot of responsibility, because we are the only batch in our country thats been given an opportunity to resume their studies. Khalfallas feelings are echoed by fellow fourth-year student Azan Abdel Rahman Giammaa, who has been in Rwanda for only three weeks and had mixed feelings about going. At the beginning, I was afraid because Im coming to a whole new country, I dont know much about this country, she said, adding that she expects to adapt. I do expect to increase my clinical skills ... including communication, surgical skills, and hopefully to learn how to expand my knowledge here in this country, she said. With only a year of studies remaining, Giammaa had begun to visualize her life after graduation until war broke out. My dreams crashed literally in two hours, she said. I was devastated because of the war, and I had to leave the country. She, too, is thankful for Rwanda opening its doors. I really want to expand my knowledge. I want to really help this country, and hopefully after the war, I can take my knowledge that I gained here and take it back to Sudan to help them too, she said. Rwanda could give me this hope. Officials said the 160 Sudanese students will be in Rwanda for eight months. They have four months to finish their fourth year, and then we will conduct the exam here and straight away they will start their final year, Homeida said. The final year is all about practicing in the hospitals, seeing patients and helping in the management of patients with the supervision. This story originated in VOAs Central Africa Service. Its been three days since coup leaders in Niger ignored a deadline by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS to return Niger to civilian rule or face serious repercussions, including the possible use of force. On Tuesday, the coup leaders refused entry to a joint delegation from African countries and the United Nations ahead of yet another meeting by ECOWAS on Thursday to decide what to do next. Meanwhile tensions are high as many in Niger disagree with the idea of a West African military intervention. Bibata Niandou Barry, a lawyer based in Nigers capital, Niamey, was a Cabinet minister under former President Mamadou Tandja, who led the country from 1999 until 2010, when he was toppled in a coup. Barry told VOA she is against any kind of military intervention. Since Sunday, ECOWAS has imposed more sanctions, which Barry said will suffocate the country. She said the people will follow the person who is seen as giving them some oxygen to breathe. She called the sanctions illegal and illegitimate and said they were not working toward solving the problems. She also said that the sanctions are related to big turnouts in Niamey in support of the junta. Supporters of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum have also come out to demand his reinstatement as president. On Wednesday, former rebel leader and politician Rhissa Ag Boula launched a pro-Bazoum movement, the Council of Resistance for the Republic, opposing the junta. Sean McFate, a professor at Syracuse University and the National Defense University in Washington, said he doesnt think ECOWAS ultimatum poses a serious threat to Niger. Niger is looking toward Russia and the Wagner Group the way that Mali has, Sudan has and to some extent Burkina Faso has and the CAR [Central African Republic] have, McFate said. ECOWAS is mostly a hollow organization. It has some diplomatic uses, but as a military organization, its lacking. The crisis in Niger is the latest in a region of Africa familiar with military takeovers of democratically elected civilian governments. Some analysts express concern that more political instability is on the horizon, particularly if paramilitary forces such as the Russian-based Wagner Group indicate their readiness to support coups. The U.S. Treasury Department has accused the Wagner Group of mass executions and physical abuse in the Central African Republic and Mali. In the case of CAR, some analysts have told VOA that Wagner plays a vital role in the countrys security, especially a few years ago when it helped oust armed rebels who opposed CAR President Faustin Archange-Touadera. The Sahel, a vast area of northern Africa just below the Sahara desert, has seen coups recently in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea. And more military takeovers may be coming, McFate said. The Wagner Groups business model is to coup-proof coup makers, and theyve been doing this for several years now, he said. I think their success at doing this has a lot of four-star generals around subSaharan Africa thinking that maybe they can approach [Wagner leader Yevgeny] Prigozhin and ask them for a similar deal that Mali got and others have gotten, too. So, I think we actually are going to see more coups. If Africa wanted to stop this, it would be very difficult. Youd have to go after the Wagner Group, and that would mean to some extent going after Russia. Russia recently hosted African leaders in the second Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg to strengthen cooperation in peace, security and development with the African nations. There are no indications the Wagner Group was involved in the coup in Niger, according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who also said the group might take advantage and exploit the current situation. Niger has been a key ally to the West in the fight against militant groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaida in the Sahel region. Pakistan said Wednesday it is "actively engaged" with Iran to try to dissuade it from pursuing international arbitration over constructing a major gas pipeline to link the two nations, rejecting recent media claims that the multibillion-dollar project has been shelved. Musadik Malik, the Pakistani minister of state for petroleum, told a news conference that Islamabad had until March 2024 to negotiate a settlement with Tehran to avoid any legal battles, saying both sides are working closely to "come up with creative solutions" to keep the project on track. "We need that [Iranian] gas. We are actively engaged [with Iran's government] towards having that gas because that gives us energy security," Malik said. He spoke in response to last week's media reports claiming Pakistan had abandoned its decadelong effort to import cheap Iranian energy because of fears the U.S. economic sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program could also hit Pakistani state-owned entities. The reports quoted the minister telling lawmakers last week that the pipeline "is stalled due to international sanctions on Iran" and will only resume when the sanctions are lifted. Speaking Wednesday, Malik rejected the reported assertions, saying they misrepresented his written testimony to the parliament. He admitted, however, that the "vague" and "insufficient" information in his official text were to be blamed for causing the confusion. The minister said the references and communications with Iran documented in his testimony "go back about 10 years" when Pakistan initially asked Tehran to suspend the project citing the U.S. sanctions. Malik acknowledged, however, that the U.S. and the United Nations sanctions on Iran had mainly deterred cash-strapped Pakistan from laying the pipeline from the Iranian border to Nawabshah in southern Sindh province since signing the agreement with the Iranian government in 2013. Iran maintains that it has finished constructing its part of the pipeline, running from the Persian Gulf to the border of Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province. Earlier this year, Tehran warned Islamabad that if it failed to complete its section of the project by March 2024, it would be required to pay a penalty of about $18 billion. "We are using all of our creative thinking, as well as the legal instruments available, as well as the foreign policy instruments available, to make sure that Pakistan under no circumstances comes under sanctions," Malik said. He declined to disclose the amount Pakistan will owe Iran as a financial penalty, insisting the two countries will be able to reach a settlement by the March deadline. Malik's assertions echoed remarks Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian made during last week's visit to Islamabad, where he announced Tehran's readiness to help urgently complete the long-delayed pipeline. "We held important discussions on how we can find solutions to some existing banking and financial problems between the two countries within the framework of the international rules and regulations," Amirabdollahian told reporters without elaborating. The Iranian chief diplomat stated that the gas pipeline project would "serve the national interests" of the two neighboring countries. "We stand ready to see this gas pipeline be completed, finalized and operationalized as soon as possible," he added. Amirabdollahian's three-day visit came amid an expansion in bilateral economic and trade ties. In May, Iran and Pakistan opened their first joint marketplace and an Iranian power transmission line along their nearly 900-kilometer border. Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith obtained a secret search warrant last January for information from former U.S. President Donald Trumps Twitter account, court records showed Wednesday. A judge fined the social media company $350,000 for failing to quickly comply. Trump spent almost the entirety of his four-year term in the White House posting thousands of Twitter comments, although it was unclear exactly what information Smith was seeking with the search warrant. The Twitter comments were already public, with Trump often using social media account to vilify his political opponents and others he disagreed with. He also alerted his supporters about political rallies, such as the one near the White House on January 6, 2021, just ahead of the riot at the U.S. Capitol staged by his supporters trying to block lawmakers from certifying Democrat Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 election. In a lead-up to the rally that day, Trump had used Twitter in December to urge supporters to come to Washington, saying, January 6 will be wild. Smith has twice indicted Trump. Last week in Washington the former president was accused of illegally conspiring to upend his reelection loss. Earlier in Florida, he was accused of hoarding highly classified national security documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and conspiring to keep from turning them over to federal investigators. Trump has said he is innocent of all wrongdoing in the various criminal investigations he is facing and portrayed them as politically motivated. He is far and away leading national polls of Republicans for the partys 2024 presidential nomination. Obtaining data from Twitter, now renamed X, could have shown patterns about Trumps use of the account, whether others had access to it and whether he might have written draft statements that he left unposted. Trump was banned from Twitter after the January 6 rampage into the Capitol. But last November, new Twitter owner Elon Musk reinstated Trumps ability to post comments. Since then, however, Trump has yet to post comments on the platform, preferring to offer his views, often to assail Smith and others investigating him, on Truth Social, the social media site he co-owns. Twitter initially resisted complying with the January search warrant, resulting in a federal judge holding the company in contempt and fining it $350,000. A federal court of appeals in Washington upheld the fine last month, and on Wednesday released its opinion in the case. Although Twitter ultimately complied with the warrant, the company did not fully produce the requested information until three days after a court-ordered deadline, according to the 34-page opinion by a three-judge appellate court panel in Washington. The district court thus held Twitter in contempt and imposed a $350,000 sanction for its delay. Twitters fight with Smiths prosecutors about disclosing details about Trumps Twitter postings stemmed from the prosecutors request for a nondisclosure order that prohibited Twitter from alerting Trump about the warrants existence. The appellate court noted that U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses. Moreover, the district court found that there were "reasonable grounds to believe" that disclosing the warrant to former President Trump "would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation" by giving him "an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior, [or] notify confederates. Twitter argued the order violated Trumps constitutional right of free speech, but the appeals court upheld Howells decision. It said that disclosing the warrant to Trump would have jeopardized Smiths ongoing criminal investigation. The appellate court said that the whole point of the nondisclosure order was to avoid tipping off the former president about the warrant's existence. At least six people were killed and 12 others were injured when a roadside explosion hit a minibus in southern Somalia on Wednesday morning, the local governor says. Mohamed Ibrahim Barre, the governor of the Lower Shabelle region, told VOA Somali that the minibus was travelling between Marka and Qoryoley towns. All the victims were civilians, including women and children, Barre said. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but Barre blamed the al-Shabab militant group. Al-Shabab frequently carries out attacks against Somali government and African Union forces in the region. Roadside explosions are some of al-Shababs deadliest weapons in the country. Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Somalia Kiki Gbeho told the U.N. Security Council earlier this year that al-Shabaab continues to pose a serious threat to peace and security in Somalia. The year 2022 was the deadliest for civilians since 2017, with 60 percent increase in civilian casualties as compared to 2021, she said in her statement during a briefing about Somalia. Between January 2020 to 31 December 2021, the U.N. recorded 109 improvised explosive device attacks by al-Shabab that resulted in 865 civilian casualties (309 killed and 556 injured) according to the report. The IED attacks include using vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED), suicide attacks using both vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (SVBIED) and person-borne improvised explosive devices (PBIED), and victim-operated improvised explosive devices (VOIED), the report said. Mukhtar Mohamed Atosh contributed to this report. Russia on Tuesday aligned itself with its ally Iran in rejecting Western attempts to maintain curbs on Iran despite the collapse of a 2015 deal intended to restrain Tehran's nuclear program in return for relief from sanctions. After a meeting between their respective deputy foreign ministers in Tehran, Russia's foreign ministry said Moscow and Tehran were unanimous in believing that the failure to implement the deal stemmed from the "erroneous policy of 'maximum pressure' pursued by the United States and those who think similarly." Then-U.S. President Donald Trump quit the deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 while leaving economic sanctions in place. Iran's relations with the West have been deteriorating ever since, as it has accelerated its nuclear program. But Russia, which signed the deal alongside the U.S., China, Britain, France, Germany and the European Union, has been deepening ties with Iran since its invasion of Ukraine. The war, which Russia calls a "special military operation," has driven its own relations with the West to their lowest level in decades. Sources told Reuters in June that European diplomats had informed Iran that they planned to join the U.S. in retaining sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile program that are set to expire in October under the nuclear deal. They gave three reasons: Russia's use of Iranian drones against Ukraine; the possibility that Iran might transfer ballistic missiles to Russia; and depriving Iran of the benefits of the nuclear deal, which it violated after the U.S. withdrew. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov met his Iranian counterparts Ali Bagheri Kani and Reza Najafi. Russia's foreign ministry said the meeting had emphasized "the unacceptability of any attempts on the part of the West to impose some new schemes and approaches to solving problems related to the JCPOA, which imply damage to legitimate and mutually beneficial Russian-Iranian cooperation in various fields." Wednesday marks three years since the contested elections in Belarus that resulted in a widescale crackdown on dissent and opposition voices. When longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory in a presidential election in which members of the opposition were jailed or threatened, mass protests broke out across the country. Security forces responded with violence and mass arrests of journalists, protesters and others, with large numbers of opposition voices still being detained or silenced, according to international rights organizations. Three years after the start of mass pro-democracy protests in Belarus, there is no end in sight to the horrendous crackdown on free media and journalists in the country, said International Press Institute deputy director Scott Griffen in a statement. The Lukashenko regime is determined to silence any independent reporting in the country as part of its effort to cling to power. Belarus ranks as the worst jailer of journalists in Europe, with 35 journalists and media workers imprisoned as of August 2022, including some who had contributed to VOAs sister network Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The media arrests are part of a sweeping number of detentions with nearly 1,500 people currently detained, according to the Belarusian rights group Viasna. The Belarus Foreign Ministry did not respond to VOAs email requesting comment. Following the presidential election, Minsk banned most if not all independent news outlets and branded them extremist. Most independent journalists have either fled the country to continue working from exile or stopped reporting altogether. The government has even targeted journalists at media outlets that have not taken an overly critical stance against the Lukashenko administration, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, or RSF. Yulia Davletova, a journalist who had worked for the local TV channel Ranak, surrendered to the police outside her apartment on August 3. Ranak had never directly contradicted the government, says RSF. But after covering an industrial accident in June, the media outlet was labeled extremist and forced to close. Davletova was forced to record a video repenting for her errors before being released from custody later that same day. In response to the targeting of state and non-critical reporters, RSFs Jeanne Cavelier said in a statement that as Belarus continues to step up its censorship, it is now carrying out a purge within its own media of those who fall under the slightest suspicion of a lack of loyalty. RSF ranks Belarus as 157 out of 180 on its press freedom index, where 1 shows the best media environment. On July 1, Lukashenko in power since 1994 signed a new law that permits authorities to expel foreign outlets from countries that Minsk deems unfriendly. Just days later, Justyna Prus, the Minsk correspondent for Polands national press agency PAP, was forced to leave the country. If we fail to protect Belarusian writers and artists, including those in exile, we will jeopardize the last brave and independent voices from Belarus and as a result, the battle for freedoms and democracy in the region, Polina Sadovskaya, free expression group PEN Americas Eurasia and advocacy director, said in a statement. Media and civil rights groups have called for global solidarity with Belarusian news outlets, with the IPIs Griffen saying the international community must ensure the proper support and conditions for journalists in exile, keeping the foundations for journalism in a future democratic Belarus alive. Two Navy sailors who allegedly spied for China appeared in separate federal courts in California on Tuesday for pretrial detention hearings, days after being arrested and accused of providing sensitive government information to intelligence officials from the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). In separate cases announced together on August 3, the Department of Justice said Petty Officer 2nd class Jinchao Patrick Wei, 22, was charged with espionage and Petty Officer Wenheng Thomas Zhao, 26, was charged with transmitting information to a PRC intelligence officer. It remains unclear whether they were in touch with the same Chinese intelligence officer. The suspects, who were born in China, are naturalized U.S. citizens. According to court papers, the sailors allegedly received cash in return for providing China with information about the technologies they used at work and about upcoming Navy operations, including international military exercises and radar placements. According to ABC News, Zhao was denied bail during his detention hearing Tuesday morning in Los Angeles. The judge said he considered Zhao a flight risk and danger to the community while ordering him detained. Zhaos attorney, Richard Goldman, told the court there are indications that Zhao believed he was dealing with an investment operative, not an agent of China. Hours later in San Diego, Wei was also denied bail after the judge ruled he was a flight risk and danger to the community, according to ABC News. Weis defense attorney, Jason Conforti, had argued that Wei is not a danger to the community and "doesnt have the access to information anymore." Both men had initial appearances on Aug. 3, during which they both pleaded not guilty to their charges, according to ABC News. Wei is next due in court on Aug. 21, while Zhao's next court date has been scheduled for Sept. 26. Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the U.S., told VOA Mandarin in an emailed statement, I am not aware of the details of the case. In recent years, the US government and media have frequently hyped up cases of espionage related to China. China firmly opposes groundless slander and smear of China by the US side. Assistant U.S. Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the National Security Division of the Justice Department said in an August 3 release that the two sailors stand accused of violating the commitments they made to protect the United States and betraying the public trust, to the benefit of the PRC government. In the same release, FBI Assistant Director Suzanne Turner said, The PRC compromised enlisted personnel to secure sensitive military information that could seriously jeopardize U.S. national security. Wei was arrested on August 2 on espionage charges as he arrived for work at Naval Base San Diego, homeport to the Pacific Fleet Surface Navy, with 56 U.S. Navy ships and two auxiliary vessels. He was indicted for conspiracy to send national defense information to a PRC intelligence officer. The indictment alleges that Wei was a machinists mate on the U.S.S. Essex stationed at Naval Base San Diego and held a U.S. security clearance with access to sensitive national defense information about the ships weapons, propulsion and desalination systems. According to the indictment, Wei was approached by a PRC intelligence officer in February 2022 when he was in the process of getting his U.S. citizenship. During the course of the conspiracy, he allegedly sold information about the U.S.S. Essex and other Navy ships, especially photos, videos and documents concerning U.S. Navy ships and their systems to a PRC handler. His handler allegedly congratulated him once he obtained citizenship. Wei is alleged to have provided the handler with technical and mechanical manuals for the Essex and similar ships. If convicted, Wei could be sentenced to life in federal prison. He graduated from Delavan-Darien High School in Delavan, Wisconsin, in 2019, receiving a student achiever award during his senior year, according to an online yearbook photo found by local news. No one answered calls to the school. Zhao worked at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, California, and held a U.S. security clearance. The base is home to the Pacific Seabees, the West Coast E-2/D Hawkeyes, the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division and other divisions, according to its website. According to a 13-page grand jury indictment filed in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, Zhao allegedly transmitted to a PRC officer sensitive, nonpublic U.S. military information, photographs and videos, including operational plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific Region and electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system stationed on a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan. In exchange, he allegedly received $14,866 from his handler from August 2021 through at least May 2023. According to Zhaos LinkedIn profile, his mother tongue is Chinese, and his work experience in the U.S. began in January 2016 as a travel agent. He joined the U.S. Navy in April 2017 and started school at American Military University in 2020. He later became an instructor in the U.S. Naval Architecture Division in 2023. VOA reached out to the American Military University but did not receive a reply by the time of publication. Zhaos family lives in in Monterey Park, California. The property is divided with a front house and a rear house. A BEWARE OF DOG sign hung on the fence when a VOA Mandarin reporter visited on Aug. 3, and trees covered the surrounding walls. When the VOA reporter arrived at the door, a woman came outside and told the reporter not to take photos. "I won't answer any of your questions. Please leave immediately," she said. Several neighbors told VOA Mandarin they rarely saw the family coming and going. Rocky Zhang, a Monterey Park resident, told VOA that the allegations show how China spies on U.S. military intelligence. "America is a free country, people from all over the world can come here, and some people will abuse the freedom to steal intelligence, he said. I came from mainland China, and now I am a citizen of the United States. This is my country. Zhang added he didnt want the U.S. to face political or military threats from China. He also said incidents like the spying allegations against Zhao and Wei significantly affect people of Chinese descent in the U.S. Over time, other people would think that all Chinese are like the two alleged spies, he said, so they treat Chinese and even other Asians differently from any other American. In fact, most Chinese are good people with a clear mind and would not do such a thing," he said. A senior United Nations official for Africa called Wednesday for a negotiated solution to the conflict in Sudan, saying there is no alternative. "Calls by some to continue the war in order to achieve a military victory will only contribute to destroying the country," U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Pobee, told the U.N. Security Council. "The longer this war continues, the greater the risk of fragmentation, and foreign interference, and erosion of sovereignty, and the loss of Sudan's future, particularly its youth." Pobee expressed particular concern about the ethnic nature of fighting in the Darfur region, especially West Darfur, which has seen brutal ethnically-based violence. "This is deeply worrying and could quickly engulf the country in a prolonged ethnic conflict with regional spillover," she warned. Darfur saw wide-scale ethnic violence and crimes against humanity in the early 2000s. The International Criminal Court opened an investigation into the situation in 2005 and charged then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with genocide. He remains beyond the court's custody despite having been ousted from power in a military coup in April 2019. Pobee said Khartoum State remains the epicenter of the current conflict, with fighting concentrated around key Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) installations, including its headquarters. Other areas of concern include the Kordofan and Blue Nile States. Staggering humanitarian needs The United Nations says 24 million people in Sudan are in need of humanitarian assistance. It aims to reach about 18 million. So far, aid agencies have provided some form of humanitarian help to nearly 3 million people since fighting broke out between rival military factions in mid-April. "Humanitarian organizations are ready and willing to do everything it takes to provide the assistance that the people of Sudan so desperately need," said Edem Wosornu, director of the Operations and Advocacy Division in the U.N. Office of Humanitarian Affairs. "But they cannot do so without the regular facilitation of access by the parties, and the easing of bureaucratic and administrative impediments." Diplomatic drama Originally, the Security Council expected to be briefed by the head of the U.N. mission in Sudan, Volker Perthes. But in late May, the Sudanese government declared him persona non grata while he was outside the country. Sudan's ambassador told reporters it was because of statements Perthes made on news channel Al Jazeera about the government's inability to maintain the country's unity and its having lost trust with regional countries. Perthes continues to lead the mission, known as UNITAMS, but he has been based elsewhere in the region. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters that Khartoum threatened to end the U.N. mission in Sudan if Perthes participated in Wednesday's meeting. "And that was really outrageous, and I did make that point in the Council," she said. "No country should be able to bully a briefer into silence, let alone the United Nations." Sudan's ambassador disputed the accusation, saying his government did not bully anyone. "When you continuously say that this state has told you they lost confidence in a specific person and he cannot be an honest broker for mediation in Sudan, where all possible success and elements of it were available, but the end was full war again," Ambassador Al-Harith Mohamed said while explaining his government's rationale. U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday to impose restrictions on U.S. investments in some high-tech industries in China. Bidens order could again heighten tensions between the U.S., the worlds biggest economy, and No. 2 China after a period in which leaders of the two countries have held several discussions aimed at airing their differences and seeking common ground. The new restrictions would limit U.S. businesses investments in such high-tech sectors in China as quantum computing, artificial intelligence and advanced semi-conductors, but apparently not in the broader Chinese economy, which recently has been struggling to advance. Some investments in those sectors will require government notification. Others will be prohibited, but details were not immediately clear. It will apply to new investments only and take effect next year after several rounds of public comment. Beijing has said it is "gravely concerned" about the order and the impact it could have on global supply chains. In a statement Thursday, Chinas Commerce Ministry said the United States was engaging in "de-coupling" under the guise of "de-risking." The ministry added that China reserves the right to take measures in response. Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, told VOA, "The series of actions that the Biden administration has announced in this executive order have been expected for some time." "There have been talks about extending restrictions on what we call outbound investment into China, because for many years the United States developed a system to screen and place restrictions on certain kinds of investments coming into the United States from China that are linked closely to national security," she said. In a trip to China in July, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Chinese Premier Li Qiang, "The United States will, in certain circumstances, need to pursue targeted actions to protect its national security. And we may disagree in these instances." "China has certainly expected that this was coming. This is not a surprise," Glaser said. She said she would not rule out retaliatory actions by China. "But if there are actions, I think that they will be targeted, in part because I think China does want to continue the process of engaging with American counterparts and planning for a meeting between China's leader Xi Jinping and American President Joe Biden, at the APEC leaders' summit in November in San Francisco," she said. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said in April that the U.S., in trying to protect its security interests in the Indo-Pacific region and across the globe, has implemented "carefully tailored restrictions on the most advanced semiconductor technology exports" to China. "Those restrictions are premised on straightforward national security concerns," he said. "Key allies and partners have followed suit, consistent with their own security concerns." Sullivan said the measures are not, as Beijing has claimed, a "technology blockade." In Congress, reaction mostly fell along party lines. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said the Biden administration's proposal "is riddled with loopholes, explicitly ignores the dual-use nature of important technologies and fails to include industries Chinas government deems critical." Democratic Sen. Bob Casey said Biden's order "acknowledges the urgency of the issue and will allow the U.S. to reduce some of the risks we face from bad actors like China." Nike Ching, VOA State Department bureau chief, contributed to this report. Some information came from Reuters. Ant Groups WorldFirst to provide cross-border business payment for AWC to help Thai merchants, SMEs source from global suppliers Ant Group to elevate digital payment experience at AWCs hotels and malls across Thailand BANGKOK, August 09, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Asset World Corp Public Company Limited or AWC, Thailands leading integrated lifestyle real estate group, and Ant Group, a global digital technology provider, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to launch various cross-border payment and digital financial solutions catered to the needs of AWCs different businesses across hospitality, retail, wholesale and commercial, benefitting consumers, merchants and small businesses. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230807578187/en/ Mrs. Wallapa Traisorat, AWC CEO and President, and Clara Shi, Vice President of Ant Group and Head of WorldFirst, signed the MoU in Bangkok (Photo: Business Wire) Mrs. Wallapa Traisorat, AWC Chief Executive Officer and President, says, "With our vast and diverse real-estate portfolios in lifestyle hospitality, office buildings, Retail malls and wholesale centers in Thailand, AWC is strategically positioned to collaborate with industry-leading technology providers like Ant Group. Together, we can create seamless cross-border transaction experience for consumers and business operators globally, which can help drive the digital transformation of the real-estate industry in Thailand." One of the key initiatives under this collaboration is the implementation of WorldFirst cross-border business payment solutions for "PhenixBox," AWC's omnichannel online platform that processes trade activities from offline to online at its wholesale centers. By the end of 2023, AWC plans to enable local buyers, including SMEs, in Thailand to place orders and make payments in Thai Baht to global sellers, while enabling the sellers to collect payments in various major trade currencies. Story continues WorldFirst, part of Ant Group, is a one-stop digital payments and financial services platform for SMEs engaged in cross-border trade. Through one World Account, WorldFirst customers will have the convenience of opening up to 14 local currency accounts online within minutes, enabling them to receive cross-border payments and manage funds from over 100 global marketplaces all through a single online portal. By partnering with 1688.com and other leading wholesale e-commerce platforms in China, WorldFirst is also the go-to payment channel for global merchants seeking a diverse range of cost-effective products from China. Clara Shi, Vice President of Ant Group and Head of WorldFirst, says, "The partnership with AWC underscores the significance of effortless global payments for businesses, as it is the key to their success in today's interconnected world. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, Ant Group has created a comprehensive suite of cross-border payment solutions that removes barriers and streamlines cross-border transactions. We are committed to helping businesses confidently engage with partners, suppliers, and customers across borders through our omni-channel payment and financial services." Through Alipay+, AWCs network of hospitality and retail businesses will be able to accept cross-border payments from leading Asian mobile wallets. This includes upscale hotels managed by leading global hotel chains and trendy malls such as Asiatique, in popular tourist destinations like Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. At these locations, international visitors can simply pay with their home local mobile wallets, eliminating the hassle of currency exchange and concerns about hidden fees. Alipay+ is a suite of global cross-border digital payments and marketing solutions designed to enable businesses, especially small and medium-sized businesses, to process a wide range of mobile payment methods and reach 1 billion regional and global consumers, through one-time integration and simple technical adaption. Currently, four mobile wallets are accepted in Thailand through Alipay+, including Alipay from Chinese mainland, AlipayHK from Hong Kong SAR, Touch n Go eWallet from Malaysia and Kakao Pay from South Korea. 2C2P, a full-suite payment platform provider and strategic partner of Ant Group, will support the partnership between AWC and Ant Group. About Asset World Corp Public Company Limited Asset World Corp Public Company Limited (AWC) is Thailands leading integrated lifestyle real estate group and a member of TCC Group, with the focus on hospitality, lifestyle destinations, and commercial workspaces. Driven by the philosophy of "Building a Better Future," AWC strives to grow and expand beyond the norms with a diverse array of quality projects, providing responsible and sustainable solutions for all our stakeholders. The company has two main businesses. Hospitality business managed by top hotel executives of world-renowned hotel brands such as Marriott, The Luxury Collection, Okura, Banyan Tree, Hilton, Sheraton, and Melia, and Commercial properties whose projects include 1) Retail and Wholesale such as lifestyle travel destinations, community shopping malls, community markets, and wholesale business real estate. Popular real estate projects consist of Asiatique the Riverfront Destination, Gateway at Bangsue, AEC Trade Center Pantip Wholesale Destination, and Tawanna Bangkapi, and 2) Commercial buildings including the famous The Empire Tower and Athenee Tower located in Bangkoks central business district. AWC is committed to integrating its sustainability strategy in every part of its operations to create long-term sustainable value for all stakeholders. The sustainability strategy consists of three key pillars: Better Planet, Better People and Better Prosperity, while the framework has created numerous long-term initiatives including the ReConcept, The GALLERY and other projects. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.assetworldcorp-th.com/en/home. About Ant Group Ant Group aims to build the infrastructure and platforms to support the digital transformation of the service industry. Through continuous innovation, we strive to provide all consumers and small and micro businesses equal access to digital financial and other daily life services that are convenient, sustainable and inclusive. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230807578187/en/ Contacts AWC Media Yuwadee Thavornchaisophon, Head of AWC Communications, yuwadee.t@assetworldcorp-th.com Moke Promma, Corporate Communication Manager, moke.p@assetworldcorp-th.com Partisar Poolthong, Corporate Communications Officer, partisar.p@assetworldcorp-th.com Ant Group Media Martin Mou, mouxu.mx@antgroup.com Niger's regional and Western allies have announced a series of sanctions against the country following the July 26 coup. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer. It is also one of the world's poorest countries, receiving close to $2 billion a year in development assistance. According to 2023 budget projections, of Niger's total budget of $5.53 billion for the fiscal year, more than $2.2 billion, or around 40% of its budget, was expected to come from external partners. These sanctions have been imposed on Niger since the coup: West Africa regional bloc The Economic Community of West African States and the West African Monetary and Economic Union have imposed some of the most stringent sanctions on Niger so far since the coup. The bloc has suspended all commercial transactions with Niger, frozen its state assets in the regional central bank, frozen assets of the state and state enterprises in commercial banks, and suspended all financial assistance with regional development banks. The financial sanctions could lead to a default on Niger's debt repayments. A planned $51 million bond issuance by Niger in the West African regional debt market was canceled by the regional central bank following the imposition of sanctions. Niger had planned to raise $834 million from the regional debt market in 2023. The ECOWAS sanctions also meant Nigeria cut the power supply to the country on the 80 megawatt Birnin-Kebbi line, while Ivory Coast suspended imports and exports of Nigerien goods. West Africa's regional central bank, the BCEAO, shut down its branches in Niger, citing risks to operations. European Union The European Union, one of Niger's biggest contributors, has suspended its financial support and cooperation on security with Niger. The EU allocated $554 million from its budget to improve governance, education and sustainable growth in Niger over 2021-2024, according to its website. France France, another major partner of its former colony, suspended development aid and budget support with immediate effect, demanding a prompt return to constitutional order. French development aid for Niger was around $130 million in 2022 and expected to be slightly higher this year. France also has around 1,500 troops in Niger. It relied on Niger after it withdrew its counter-insurgency troops from neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Netherlands The Dutch government, which was supporting development and security programs in Niger, temporarily suspended its direct cooperation with the government following the coup. United States The United States, a major provider of humanitarian and security aid, paused assistance programs to Niger valued at more than $100 million over the military takeover, pressing the junta to reinstate the elected government. The U.S. has previously warned that the coup could lead to the suspension of all cooperation. So far in fiscal 2023, it has provided nearly $138 million in humanitarian assistance. There are about 1,100 U.S. troops in Niger, where the U.S. military operates from two bases. Canada Canada suspended direct development assistance and expressed support for ECOWAS' mediation efforts for Niger to return to constitutional order. World Bank The World Bank suspended disbursements until further notice, except for private-sector partnerships which it said will continue with caution. Niger has one of the largest World Bank portfolios in Africa, amounting to $4.5 billion, and it has also received $600 million in direct budget support from the bank between 2022 and 2023. Ugandan authorities say they will keep talking to the World Bank after the bank pledged to not release any new funds to the east African nation. The bank objects to a new anti-homosexuality law that critics describe as one of the harshest in the world. Ugandan officials have expressed concern over the World Banks decision. In a statement released Tuesday, the World Bank said Ugandas recently passed Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the institutions values of inclusion and nondiscrimination. The statement adds that the World Bank believes its vision to eradicate poverty can only succeed if it includes everyone, irrespective of race, gender or sexuality. It said Uganda's law undermines those efforts. Jimmy Mugunga, spokesperson for Ugandas Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, said Uganda has made concerted efforts to explain the intent and effect of the law to the World Bank and other institutions. The government believes in continued engagement, and despite the statement, what I know is that the Ministry of Finance will continue to engage the bank and any other parties so that more clarity is brought to bear, he said. So far, about $1.7 billion of the over $4 billion allocated to Uganda by the World Bank has been disbursed, raising concerns about whether the country would get the remaining amount. The funding is used to improve health care, agriculture, roads, energy infrastructure and education in Uganda. Mugunga said anything that takes away from development is worrisome. These are circumstances in which we find ourselves, and therefore we are proactively looking at methods of adaptability but also ways of making sure that we mitigate the likely impact, if any, he said. Economist Fred Muhumuza says the impact will be widespread, considering the World Bank's size and terms that cannot be easily replaced by other funders. When the World Bank gives you a loan and you put it in your central bank in dollars, you begin to convert it to local currency, he said. So, that stabilizes the shilling, because you have some sufficient dollars that people who need to import things can use. So, if the World Bank loans dont come through, then we might see pressure on the exchange rate as well going upward. The World Bank said it remains committed to helping Ugandans escape poverty, access vital services and improve lives. Frank Mugisha, an LGBTQ activist, told VOA he hopes the World Banks decision will help efforts to annul the Anti-Homosexuality Act. Mugisha is among nine petitioners who have filed a challenge to the act in Ugandas Constitutional Court. When Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa came to power nearly six years ago after the military toppled long-time ruler Robert Mugabe, he promised to tackle the country's economic woes "head on." But for many, the promised economic revival remains elusive. Olivia Chan has more. The Minnesota State Patrol says one person is injured following a motorcycle crash in Wadena County on Tuesday. A Kawasaki Cruiser, driven by Marcus Rohr, 30, of Wadena, was traveling eastbound on Highway 10 when it collided with a deer. Rohr suffered non-life-threatening injuries. He was taken to Tri-County Hospital in Wadena. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Disney CEO Bob Iger had the lowest possible bar to clear when he returned to the C-suite: just be better than the universally loathed Bob Chapek. More of a chalk line in the dirt, really. But then Iger went on CNBC and called striking actors and writers demands for labor protections just not realistic despite making $27 million in salary and stock options annually (down from $49.5 million when he was executive chairman in 2021), which was tone-deaf enough to galvanize striking workers even more. Now, even more Disney workers are unionizing. And even scarier, hes got Billy Porter reading him for filth in the British press. In an interview with the Evening Standard, the Emmy-, Grammy-, and Tony-winning Porter, who starred in Pose on FX (owned by Disney), spoke passionately about how contracts need to be updated for the streaming age, saying, To hear Bob Iger say that our demands for a living wage are unrealistic? While he makes $78,000 a day? [] I dont have any words for it, but: Fuck you. Thats not useful, so Ive kept my mouth shut. I havent engaged because Im so enraged. Porter also said, I have to sell my house because of the strike. And I dont know when were gonna go back [to work]. The life of an artist, until you make fuck-you money which I havent made yet is still check to check. I was supposed to be in a new movie and on a new television show starting in September. None of that is happening. Seeing a high-profile, celebrated actor come clean about the financial realities of working in the industry in the 21st century is a helpful illustration of how bad it must be out there for working actors with less acclaim and success than Porter. They think were entitled,he said. Meanwhile, were getting six-cent checks. It hurts my feelings. Once you slide in, you cant slide out. Photo: Rob Youngson/Netflix/Rob Youngson Netflixs Heartstopper is the classic Romance with a capital R that hormonal teens can only dream of: Meeting your person, following them on Instagram, getting that first message, sending good-morning texts DMs. Is that what Netflix thinks teens are doing on their phones all day? So much of Heartstopper is true to the experience of young love the butterflies, the trying to navigate socially as a couple, the keyboard smashing. But the most inconceivable part of the show isnt the chastity of these relationships or the lack of Euphoria-esque extracurriculars but the use of Instagram as a primary mode of communication. Of course, its common to have chats in the DMs, especially if youre a sugar-daddy bot or a hacker desperately trying to post Ray-Ban ads. The first time Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) have a moment is when Nick messages Charlie after he protects Charlie from Ben (Sebastian Croft) in the first episode. Fine, they havent swapped numbers yet. But in season two, Charlie and Nick are hard-launching their relationship and telling their friends. Even after Hickeygate and two months together, they have yet to simply open iMessage and text. Aside from potential product placement the Instagram logo gets more screen time here than most of the supporting cast the use of this platform may help viewers track who is talking. Its a feasible theory for the scenes with group chats since so many people are participating, but it still makes no sense for conversations between Charlie and Nick. Oftentimes, we get to watch the earnest teens type out their messages and keyboard smash, which leaves nothing to the imagination about who is talking. Also, profile pictures exist on text messages, too. (To be clear, this is not an iMessage sponsorship.) Others theorize that Elles identity as the sole Samsung user may be to blame for the unorthodox mode of communication. Yet one green chat bubble in your ecosystem is not a good reason for why you and your boyfriend dont have each others phone numbers. In reality, Gen-Zers seldom use Instagram DMs for long bouts of conversation because, frankly, thats a very millennial thing to do. What will the Heartstopper crew do next? Send Harry Potter memes? Stop the madness. This facade of Instagram being the cool new way for teens to chat is more infuriating than Nicks not getting his boyfriend a one-month-anniversary present. But who knows? Maybe in season three, hell get down on one knee and finally do the big thing: present his contact information to Charlie. Disney+s extremely meta sorta-sequel series goes out with its heart on its sleeve. Photo: Disney+ Four seasons in, trying to describe the state of affairs on High School Musical: the Musical: the Series makes you sound like youre caught up in a YouTube-based conspiracy theory. The shows original premise, back in 2019, was that a new drama teacher (Kate Reinders) at the Salt Lake City high school where they filmed the High School Musical movies decided to get her students to perform the stage-musical adaptation of the film. That meant that a bunch of teens who didnt fit the Disney Channel archetypes established by the likes of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens would bump up against the experience of having to play those archetypes. Joshua Bassett is Ricky, whos more of a slacker than Troys jock; Olivia Rodrigo was Nini, a shier, perpetually overlooked not-quite Gabriella. (You may have heard about how shes now incredibly famous.) By season two, Nini has gone viral in-universe, and the focus shifts more to the supporting players. In season three, Nini has left school altogether for a career in L.A. (a cheekily self-aware development), and in the summer, the rest of the kids go off to theater camp, where they appear in an in-universe documentary (hosted by Corbin Bleu as himself) about the first high-school production of Frozen. As if to top all that meta-ness, season four finds the students back at school, surrounded by a Disney+ film crew shooting High School Musical 4 on location. Meanwhile, their drama teacher wants to do a stage version of High School Musical 3 before her students graduate, if she can only keep them from getting cast in the movie. Im out of breath just typing that description, but to its credit, the series makes this Jenga tower of a conceit feel structurally sound by keeping its attention on the emotional reality of the kids inside it. Im biased, considering I was a theater kid, but the characters on HSM:TM:TS seem more real to me than in any of its sibling teen dramas currently airing. By the final season, Ricky is in a relationship with Sofia Wylies character, Gina, who came into the show as a confrontational overachiever but shifts to a more vulnerable place as she meshes with the theater-kid clique. Its tricky to make a second romance believable in the wake of another character leaving the show, but Bassett and Wylie have an easy chemistry and the show does a good job of acknowledging how so many normal high-school pressures, like anxiety about college, can pull people apart or push them together. Sometimes, the meta high jinks put a strain on the emotional reality of the show. After the events of the last season, all the main characters are vaguely famous because of that documentary about their time at camp (Bleus wildly exaggerated take on Corbin Bleu involves a lot of talking about flying private jets), and Gina gets recruited to act in High School Musical 4 opposite its flirty fake Disney Channelheartthrob lead. But the show grounds those leaps in understandable emotional dynamics: The introduction of the Disney star provides a guy who would be perfect for Gina on paper, so how does that affect her relationship with the much less put-together Ricky? Its the classic case of the intrusion of a new hot transfer student, just rendered by way of jokes about Dog With a Blog. It also helps that the series has developed its supporting cast into characters who are just as (and, often, more) compelling as its leads. After a summer of reckoning with queer feelings at camp, Julia Lesters Ashlyn is figuring out her dynamic with her boyfriend, Larry Sapersteins Big Red, who is also bi, which leads to some very funny yet sweet conversations between the two. Their eventual coming to terms with each other is hilariously anticlimactic (they even go shopping together after) in a way that captures how compulsory hetero high-school dating can transition into queer friendship. Similarly, theres tension involving cheating between the shows primary gay couple, Joe Serafinis Seb and Frankie A. Rodriguezs Carlos, that ends up delightfully convoluted and a bit catty which, in my experience, is very true to the dynamics of high-school drama, onstage or otherwise. As the older characters face down high-school graduation, HSM:TM:TS takes a relatively realistic-for-TV look at their anxieties about their futures, especially in the case of Dara Renees Kourtney, who is figuring out whether she wants to try to get into an Ivy or follow her heart to another place that might be a better fit. Its all the stuff of what is typical high-school angst, rendered carefully and then wrapped in the glitteriest of packaging. The show tends to be loud about all its winking HSM commentary (look at the guest stars!) but quiet about how much it sneaks past Disney under the cover of the franchise. More and more of the characters are explicitly queer, and theres a passing line about making sure to use protection. The show has to navigate the limits of respectability as imposed by Disney+, but compared to similar high-school-set dramas, such as Love, Victor or Heartstopper, that can feel straitjacketed by their need to please, HSM:TM:TS feels queer in tone as well as subject. It looks at things askew and isnt afraid to not translate its in-jokes, whether theyre about dating or the original High School Musical or niche Broadway references, and I remain impressed by the sleight of hand it managed to get away with, gesturing toward the big and conceptual while slipping in something cozy and real. Watching High School Musical: The Musical: The Series feels like hanging out with everyone at Dennys after the performance of the big school musical. Too bad the parents are on their way to make everyone pack it up and head home. In October, 2022, Nigerian comedian Josh Alfred better known by his online moniker Josh2Funny released a viral sketch in which he plays a speed reader named Ebenezer the Reader auditioning for a talent show. I read a 1,679-page book within two seconds, he tells the shows astonished but skeptical judges. After a few more similarly outlandish claims, he proceeds to demonstrate his talent by rifling through a few books pages at lightning speed and reciting a bunch of indecipherable gibberish, infuriating the judges in the process. When they impatiently ask him to explain the contents of the books he supposedly just read, he starts to reach for one of the books to check, which elicits death stares. Ay, I will bite your ear. I will chew your meat! one of the judges threatens. The sketch, part of a popular series called The Audition, in which Alfred plays a talent-show contestant purporting to possess skills he doesnt actually possess, ended up on our roundup of the best comedy shorts of the month. Apparently, someone in the talent department of NBCs Americas Got Talent has been paying attention to the latest in Nigerian sketch comedy because on August 8, the show invited Alfred on to perform a few of his talents live. And while none of the judges got mad enough at Alfred to threaten to chew his meat, they did seem equally unenthused with his speed-reading act. Not to be deterred, Alfred returned to the stage two more times in different costumes first in character as the fastest rapper in the world and then as an accomplished magician and slowly won the crowd over with his goofy persistence. As the latter, he beckoned the shows host Terry Crews to the stage and announced, Im going to control Terrys mind. Then he made a series of basic requests like Please, raise your hand and Please, smile, and when Crews politely complied, Alfred made a triumphant gesture and exclaimed, I controlled his mind! Its not the first time AGT has brought on a buzzy online act to perform live. In 2019, it asked comedian Andy Rowell to perform his viral stunt in which he filmed himself at a karaoke bar doing the largely instrumental song Tequila. But unlike Rowell, Alfred didnt get sent through to the next round. Its a shame: A casual glance at Alfreds YouTube page proves he still has so many talents he didnt get a chance to display. Carolyn and Raylan sitting in a police-issued vehicle drinking Blantons k-i-s-s-i-n-g Okay, Im very bad at rhyming. And fine we dont know exactly where the aisle-crossing hookup between Raylan, the deputy U.S. Marshal tasked with finding Judge Guys murderer, and Carolyn, the defense lawyer for the man who murdered Judge Guy, started. Maybe it was in Raylans car, or maybe it was after Carolyn invited him inside; maybe they finished that bottle and moved on to something else, or maybe the bourbon wasnt really what led to them falling into bed together. I will leave these various details for Archive of Our Own authors to dream up; thank you all for your service. But more important than the details of how Carolyn and Raylan happened is what occurs afterward, which is another realignment of alliances and enmities that shakes up City Primeval. Were midway through this limited series, and who trusts whom remains all twisted up in You Good? this is an episode of moves and countermoves, secrets and revelations, and theyre mostly handled quite gracefully in dialogue-driven scenes that center various pairs. The Carolyn-Raylan thing (I hesitate to say romance because they end the episode on messy terms) is a complication for both of them, but their unexpected dalliance also gives each character a new guiding question. Does Carolyn want to put her trust in someone like Raylan, who says hell protect her but also, to a certain extent, represents power and authority in a way that is a little self-serving, a little presumptive, a little gross? If Raylan is trying to stop being the shoot-from-the-hip guy, isnt shoving his badge into Jamals face or considering entrapping Clement in some way a backsliding move? Carolyn and Raylan spend You Good? in phases of self-assessment, but Im not sure the decisions they make by the end of the episode are really setting a potential relationship between them up for success. There arent really barriers between the personal and professional for people like Raylan, Carolyn, Clement, Sweety, and Sandy, though. Raylan has always been bad at keeping his interior life and his opinions out of his work, and Carolyn is smart enough to read him for that. But shes not savvy enough to play the political game, ending up on her back foot as she tries to get Judge Guys seat; her faith and trust in the law is admirable, but thats not how you get ahead. You advance forward in this Detroit with friends, and the only ones Carolyn has (save Raylan, if they keep up what theyve been doing) are criminals. Something similar is going on with Clement and Sandy: Sandy finally seems irritated by her lovers short-temperedness, but shes too tied up in his schemes to extricate herself even if she wanted to. She has always been a girlfriend and a partner in crime, and she cant be one to Clement without being the other. Who can she turn to for help? The Albanians? Nope. Poor Skender hes already forgotten, seemingly wafting out of Sandys brain on a cloud of pot smoke and milkshake fumes. Its been five days since Judge Guy and Roses deaths, and the Detroit Police Department has no real suspects, no evidence, no leads. With the governor pissed off, the task force gets sent out to rework the crime scenes, meaning Raylan and Wendell are paired off again. Wendell is convinced the case will never be solved, but Raylan unsurprisingly, of course cant accept that. This man lived through the Drew Thompson mystery, you know? A couple of murders arent going to get by him. Whoever has the book, Raylan figures, pulled the trigger. Meanwhile, Carolyn, trying to get Sweety out of his deal with Clement, leans on Sweetys partner, Trennell, to retrieve Clements gun. Maybe if she has that, she can figure out a deal to save Sweety, like they had talked about before. This is the side of Carolyn that will do anything for her clients, but its not until later in the episode that she finally takes the leap into using that same ruthlessness for her own personal gain. Before then, we see Sweety and Clement peruse Judge Guys book for blackmail opportunities, eventually targeting a real-estate developer nicknamed Bulldozer Burt. Because whats in the book is still nebulous (secrets or favors or payoffs, Raylan mused), City Primeval doesnt give us the full details on whatever Burt did, outside of capitalism, to get on Guys list. Instead, the shakedown scene between Burt, Clement, and Sweety is more about contrasting how little cash Sweety is satisfied with versus how much Clement wants, and Im curious if Clement will tell Sweety about his later late-night visit to and painting payment from Burt. Or, now that Clement knows the book works, does he need Sweety at all? Cutting Sweety out would mean cutting Carolyn out, too. After Carolyn starts You Good? on the seeming high of a rendezvous with Raylan and some delightful kissing in her driveway, she ends the episode embarrassed, demoralized, and determined to get the judgeship she believes she is owed. I accept all the frustrations that get her there because Aunjanue Elliss performance is so refined and her portrait of Carolyn as a woman teetering on the edge so fully developed. Her admission to Raylan that if the Devil gave me a box of chocolates, Id eat them goes from flirty to foreboding really quick, doesnt it? Yet its not Raylan who tips her into immorality but Jamal, the ex-husband who crashes her Monsters Ballish date with Raylan and tries to win her back with declarations of love and devotion while actually living with another woman. In Jamal, Carolyn sees all her mistakes: someone she loved and trusted since childhood who destroyed her reputation and her credit, who took advantage of her willingness to forgive, and who will lie to her face. Elliss devastated look when she realizes Jamal had moved on but was still draining her of alimony, coupled with her conversation with Raylan about how everybody has their foot on my neck to get what they want, was enough to make me believe that she would go to Sweety and try to use Judge Guys book for her own benefit. So whose name did Carolyn see in Judge Guys book that is big enough that it would cause in Detroit the same impact as the biblical story about the walls of Jericho tumbling down? My first guess is a DPD-related name since Judge Guy had really emphasized to the task force that he had dirt on its squad: Ive seen some shit, things you and your bosses dont want to come to light. My second guess is Diane, Carolyns friend turned rival, who we know is friends with the governor and is intent on using that political connection to end up with the gavel. I look forward to Ellis taking Carolyn in a potentially more villainous direction, and if she gets to share a scene with, say, the more straightforward baddie Toma, that would be welcome. Speaking of the Albanians: Where are they? After all the violent hype they received in Kokomo, Im surprised You Good? passes with only a couple mentions of them (including someone in Judge Guys book whom Sweety advises not messing with). Wouldnt the cops be questioning Tina, or the sole living Albanian muscle holding her captive, to get more information on Clement? Shouldnt there be some cops watching the Venus facility to see (and follow) if Toma gets a lead on Clement and sends any of his men after him? Those little gaps remind me a bit of how Raylan and Wendell let Clement slip out of their grasp during The Oklahoma Wildman, and I think the show has been uniformly weak on really communicating the urgency and desperation of the DPD in response to Judge Guys murder especially if Guy, as he had threatened, really did have dirt on the cops in his book. Nevertheless, You Good? is probably the best episode of City Primeval so far, and I dont say that just because we see Raylan leaning rakishly without a shirt on. I had praise for Kokomo because the absence of Willa transformed Raylan, and Ill offer the same compliments for You Good?, which finally delivered a lengthy chat between Sweety and Clement about music and Miles Davis that explained why these two disparate men would be friends, another that successfully sold Carolyns breaking-bad decision, and a closing that made good use of Paul Calderon as Raymond Cruz, the protagonist from Elmore Leonards source-material novel. The series is really running into the ground its gag of Raylan is surprised by another cop being more of a tempestuous maniac than he is, but Calderon is so balanced between fatigued and ambivalent while telling his story about killing a longtime foe that Im more moved by this altercation and his shrugging That was that than any time Raylan has butt heads with the short-tempered Norbert. Leonard veteran Calderon (he was also in Out of Sight!) really coming through. Cat Videos, Mostly Original-Justified-cast-member-cameo count: Continuing to include this little bullet point is just setting myself up for sadness. What do we think Tim Gutterson is doing right now? You know that he loves this shit! You know this shit would make him hard! Get our man on a plane to Detroit already! Was Raylans text to Willa the first text he has ever sent her? Wouldnt there have been an existing father-daughter chat history? Also, I would have loved to know what Winona thought about Willa coming home early. Will the fact that Rose was an informant for Maureen matter at any point? It felt like a big moment when Maureen admitted that over Roses body in the park, and now Maureen is in charge of the investigation into Rose and Judge Guys murders, but nothing else has been said about how and why she was feeding info to the DPD. Curious. Speaking of Calderon, he got a mention in Vulture critic Bilge Ebiris long talk with Samuel L. Jackson, which you should absolutely read. A few weeks ago, a reader named Robert (hi, Robert!) emailed me to ask what I thought about the blocking in Clements murder of Judge Guy, in particular how the encounter with the Judge was seen by us viewers as a random one set into motion by [Clement] being cut off, yet he goes right for the black book as if he knew it was there. I agree that its odd how Clement rifled through Guys pockets and found the book almost immediately, but I took that to mean that Clement has a killing-people routine and a set of steps he takes after each murder: search the body, search the car, take whatever, and get away. Roberts point is a good one, though, because its the same question that we see puzzling Raylan and Wendell in this episode. Did someone hire Clement to kill Judge Guy? Surely that level of violence had a predetermined motive, and surely the motive was the book! Most other villains would have reasons for what they do, but I think the contradiction here is the point. The Oklahoma Wildman does what he wants, and trying to assign logic to his actions is a fools errand. Hes just a bundle of id, and hes experienced enough to have found the book with seemingly no effort at all. The TV industry needs to come up with some kind of award to give Timothy Olyphant for his beautifully sardonic delivery of So dont tell everyone at school? when Carolyn asks Raylan to keep their night together private. An exceptional line reading. Im not sure how much longer David Cross will stick around as the blackmailed Burt Dickey (or if he will, as Tobias Funke did, blue himself), but Justified has always done a good job integrating former stand-ups and mostly comedic actors into its ensemble; Im thinking of Patton Oswalt, Stephen Root, and Mike OMalley. Cross-joining that crew feels right. SPOILER ALERT: Both of the stories that Raymond tells Raylan, about a baddie one time shooting up his house and Raymond shooting someone who ended up only holding a bottle opener, come directly from City Primeval. From Chapter 15: The typewritten message said: SURPRISE CHICKEN FAT!!! Raymond would replay the scene, what happened next, and at first believe the guy was right outside because the timing was that good sitting there looking at the typed words, wondering And the front window and the lamp exploded, the glass shattering and he was in darkness. Oh, and related to that: LOL at Wendells If I wrote this case as a whodunit, wouldnt have sold one copy. Agreement is Beyond Oil's First Commercial Distribution Partnership in Europe VANCOUVER, BC and KIBBUTZ YIFAT, ISRAEL / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / Beyond Oil Ltd. (CSE:BOIL)(OTCQB: BEOLF) ("Beyond Oil" or the "Company"), a food-tech innovation company extending the life of frying oil, reducing costs and waste, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a distributor agreement (the "Distribution Agreement") with Vital Hospitality Ltd. ("Vital Hospitality"). The Distribution Agreement gives Vital Hospitality the rights and a license to market and sell Beyond Oil's product to food service customers in the United Kingdom. "Vital Hospitality is committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions which support our customer base to simplify their day-to-day operations while lowering both their operating costs and carbon footprint," stated Justin Samuels, Founder and CEO of Vital Hospitality. "Throughout our trial period in the UK, we thoroughly evaluated Beyond Oil's product and its remarkable capacity to extend oil life and its simplicity of use. Additionally, I had the pleasure of meeting the Beyond Oil team in Israel and witnessing firsthand the satisfaction of several of their customers who have successfully incorporated the product into their operations. After careful consideration, we are confident that this product will significantly enhance our customers' experiences in various ways, such as cost savings, improved food quality, and waste reduction. Notably, we are impressed by its potential to reduce the carbon footprint of the food-service industry, aligning perfectly with our commitment to sustainable practices. We eagerly anticipate introducing this innovative solution to our customers in the United Kingdom." "It is with great pleasure that we announce our partnership with a renowned expert in the UK food service industry," said Jonathan Or, Co-Founder and CEO of Beyond Oil. "Vital Hospitality is at the forefront of product innovation in the food service industry - and we are looking forward to providing them with a ground-breaking solution for their valued customers. We eagerly anticipate their support in introducing our disruptive product to the food industry in the United Kingdom." Story continues Distribution Agreement The Distribution Agreement establishes Vital Hospitality as a distributor of Beyond Oil's product in the food service market in the United Kingdom. Under the terms of the Distribution Agreement, Vital Hospitality will market, distribute and sell Beyond Oil's product to its existing and prospective customers in the United Kingdom and will also be responsible for providing training and support services to such customers. The Distribution Agreement is dated August 8, 2023, has an initial term of four (4) years and will renew for an additional three (3) year term, subject to certain conditions. Product Highlights Frying Oils Recovery : Extensive testing indicates that the Beyond Oil Product extends the usable life of frying oil, improves product quality, and reduces frying oil costs. As a preferential adsorbent, the product reduces and prevents the formation of harmful components such as free fatty acids ("FFA"), total polar materials ("TPM"), acrylamide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ("PAHs"), trans fats, and other impurities, ensuring frying oil stays fresh and fried food tastes fantastic. One-of-a-Kind : Beyond Oil has developed a unique solution that can absorb the FFAs and TPMs generated in frying oil, together with other harmful components and undesired off-flavors, colors, and odors. Patent Protected : The Company also has a portfolio of registered and patent-pending solutions that extend the shelf-life of produced and used vegetable oils. Potential Cost-Savings : One of Beyond Oil's unique value propositions is that it can dramatically lower costs for quick-service restaurants by significantly extending the useful life of the oil while meeting food quality and safety requirements. For more information on how the Beyond Oil Product extends the life of frying oil, see the Company's news release dated December 12, 2022. Distribution Ready : The Company received a non-objection letter from the US Food & Drug Administration ("FDA") in March 2022, on the basis that all the Beyond Oil Product ingredients meet food-grade specifications of the FDA. In May 2022, Beyond Oil received a non-objection letter from Health Canada and a National Sanitation Foundation certification. Beyond Oil is legally permitted to sell its product into the Israeli market according to the processing-aid and filtering-aid regulations. How the Beyond Oil Product Works The Beyond Oil Product integrates into the existing filtration systems of both commercial and industrial fryers. The combination of active filtration by the powder and passive filtration by the filter and filtration machine ensures the best results by removing other degradation particles. The powder remains on the filter and creates an additional layer which provides the microfiltration benefit. About Beyond Oil Ltd. Beyond Oil is an innovative food-tech company dedicated to transforming the way we consume and produce food. We provide sustainable solutions for the food industry, prioritizing environmental protection and the well-being of its workers and customers. Our innovative solutions help reduce costs for our partners and clients while ensuring responsible and eco-friendly practices. We are committed to environmental responsibility, minimizing the carbon footprint of the food industry on our planet. By implementing cutting-edge techniques, we deliver a healthier final product by reducing the formation of carcinogenic substances in fried food. Our vision is to create a more sustainable future where food safety, cost efficiency, and environmental consciousness come together seamlessly. For more information, visit our website at: www.beyondoil.co. About Vital Hospitality Ltd. Vital Hospitality is based in London, UK, and imports and distributes cost-effective and innovative maintenance, cleaning, and hygiene solutions for commercial kitchens and bakeries across the United Kingdom. Vital Hospitality sells a range of award-winning products and solutions that help its customers reduce costs, simplify processes and reduce their carbon footprint. Vital Hospitality provides an extraordinary level of customer service and support to the brands it represents across the UK, which helps them to build long-lasting partnerships with independent and large-brand restaurant operators, hotels, public houses, caterers, bakeries, and other high-volume food producers. Vital Hospitality is focused on providing customized solutions, training, and ongoing support for its customers to ensure that the solutions are seamlessly integrated into their daily operational workstreams. For more information visit: https://www.vitalhospitality.co.uk Contacts Jonathan Or CEO and Co-founder info@beyondoil.co Caroline Sawamoto Investor Relations 1-647-691-9801 ir@beyondoil.co Forward Looking Statement and Information The Canadian Securities Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the Company and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the securities laws. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates" and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based upon management's current expectations, beliefs and projections, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain. Such expectations, beliefs and projections are expressed in good faith. However, there can be no assurance that management's expectations, beliefs and projections will be achieved, and actual results may differ materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. In addition, we cannot assure that any patent will issued as a result of a pending patent application or, if issued, whether it will issue in a form that will be advantageous to us. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting the Company, reference is made to the Company's reports filed from time to time at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, subsequent events or circumstances, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that the Company will make additional updates with respect thereto or with respect to other forward-looking statements. References and links to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release. The Company is not responsible for the contents of third-party websites. SOURCE: Beyond Oil Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/773147/Beyond-Oil-Signs-UK-Distributor-Agreement-with-Vital-Hospitality-Ltd (Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden imposed limits on US investments in China as part of a push to restrict the countrys ability to develop next-generation military and surveillance technologies that might threaten US national security. Most Read from Bloomberg The order, announced Wednesday, would regulate US investments in some Chinese semiconductor, quantum computing and artificial intelligence firms. It was signed after almost two years of deliberations that saw China hawks argue for faster, tougher action while others, including the Treasury Department, sought narrower measures that would take longer to go into effect. While details of the rules still need to be worked out, the language of the order suggested that Treasury and those advocating a more cautious approach won out. The order, which wont go into effect until next year, wont be retroactive and excludes sectors such as biotechnology. It may end up exempting passive investments as well as those in publicly traded securities, index funds and others assets. For the business community, this is relatively good news, said Sarah Bauerle Danzman, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and associate professor of international studies at Indiana University. Its a relatively narrow notification process and very narrow set of prohibitions. Targeting Equity Venture-capital firms and the tech industry had lobbied the Biden administration to narrow the scope of the order, after investors feared the White House would impose sweeping limits on US investment. Allied nations had also resisted, with the European Union and others saying that severe restrictions could hurt their economies. Story continues Biden administration officials said the order targets those who look to acquire equity interests in restricted Chinese companies via mergers, private equity and private capital, as well as by joint ventures and financing arrangements. Its expected to be limited to Chinese startups and larger firms that get over 50% of their revenue from the restricted sectors. Bloomberg Economics: Yards, Fences and Bidens New China Investment Rules The US already limits exports of some sensitive technologies to China, and the order would prevent U.S. investments from helping accelerate the indigenization of these technologies in what it called countries of concern, the White House said in a release. The order defined that as China, Hong Kong and Macau. Very Disappointed China is very disappointed in the US decision to go ahead with the restrictions and will safeguard its own interests, Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said in a statement. China opposes the US overuse of national security to politicize and weaponize trade, scientific and technological issues and deliberately making obstacles to normal economic and trade exchanges and technological cooperation, Liu said. The Ministry of Commerce in Beijing later called on Washington to respect market principles and fair play instead of obstructing the global economic recovery. Read more: China to Respond If the US Puts Limits on Investment, Envoy Says The restrictions are the latest in a series of US actions that have complicated the Biden administrations push to improve relations with China, after a succession of flare-ups over Taiwan, rights abuses in Xinjiang, intellectual property threats, and an alleged Chinese spy balloon that was shot down in February. Not least among the irritants have been export controls on semiconductor technology announced last year and efforts by Congress to push the White House toward taking a harder line, including on defending Taiwan. Low-Key Rollout The White House announced the order after US markets closed Wednesday, but reaction was expected to be muted. Major US investors had anticipated it for some time, and venture-capital firms had already been scaling back their bets on Chinese startups for well over a year. Read more: Chinas Foreign Investment Gauge Declines to 25-Year Low A relatively low-key rollout on Wednesday showcased how cautious the White House is about ratcheting up tensions with China. Instead of announcing it in the presence of media and giving public remarks on the matter as is often the case for executive orders Biden opted to sign it while out of town and without cameras. The president was traveling in New Mexico to promote his Bidenomics agenda and didnt address the order. Biden in May predicted a thaw was coming in US-China relations, which over the past year have deteriorated to their worst in decades. The president also said repeatedly that he plans to speak to and meet with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, in the near future. The two leaders could meet in November when Biden hosts the APEC summit in San Francisco, but neither side has confirmed the plans. Allies, Businesses A key question now is whether other countries will follow Washingtons move, including fellow Group of Seven countries. The administration has briefed allies and partners about the order over the past year, arguing that it must be done in coordination with them to avoid the backfilling of curtailed US investments. So far, none have followed through. A UK government spokesperson said the order helps clarify the US approach to China and Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks government will consider it closely. A fact sheet that accompanied the announcement underscored how much of the order remains a work in progress. It said, for example, the Treasury was considering the prohibition of investments in technologies that remained loosely defined, with more specific definitions subject to input the Treasury will gather during a 45-day comment period. Daniel Tannebaum, partner at Oliver Wyman, said that the release of the EO is just the start of the process and gives businesses plenty of time to weigh in on how the restrictions will ultimately work. Were not done yet, Tannebaum said. We need to see what this ultimately looks like but its encouraging that theyre giving industry a chance to weigh in on a whole host of topics. Read more: How China Aims to Counter US Efforts at Containment: QuickTake Courting Congress White House officials briefed Republican and Democratic staff on Capitol Hill about the order earlier on Wednesday, and the initial response was tepid, according to one GOP staffer who joined the discussions and asked not to be identified because the briefing was private. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat, said the order was essential but cannot be the final step. House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, said the failure to include existing investments and the decision to exclude sectors such as biotechnology were concerning. The administration scaling back at a time where aggressive action is needed more than ever continues the trend of appeasing industry at the cost of national security, McCaul said in a statement. --With assistance from Eric Martin, Daniel Flatley, Christopher Condon, Dawn Lim, Ellen Milligan, Lizette Chapman, Billy House and Rebecca Choong Wilkins. (Updates with comments from Chinas Commerce Ministry.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Rome landmark is "not stadium or concert hall". Rome's Circus Maximus is being put at risk by rock concerts held in the ancient Roman venue, according to the director of the Colosseum archaeological park. "The Circus Maximus is a monument, not a stadium or a concert hall" - Alfonsina Russo told AGI news agency - "These mega-rock concerts put it at risk, just as the Palatine Hill which is nearby is also at risk." Russo was speaking amid the fallout from Monday night's Travis Scott concert at the Circus Maximus, with 60,000 people jumping around and noise so loud that Romans called the emergency services fearing an earthquake. Residents in central and south Rome took to Twitter to complain that the vibrations from the concert by the American rapper rattled their homes. Russo told AGI on Tuesday that her team had not detected any damage to archaeological heritage "so far, but we don't know what will happen." "The Circus Maximus is not a suitable place for these kind of concerts" - Russo said - "Let's remember that the Circus Maximus is not a field, it's a monument: it has underground tunnels, archaeological areas, you can't jump on it for hours, in tens of thousands." Travis Scott Performing HYAENA For The First Time pic.twitter.com/wJmq7wGlyw Rap301 (@Rap301_) August 7, 2023 This summer there have already been several high-profile rock concerts, all sold-out, in the Circus Maximus: Imagine Dragons last week, Guns N' Roses in July and Bruce Springsteen in May. In relation to how the concerts are organised, Russo said that generally the city administration requests the green light from the superintendency, with the Colosseum archaeological park - which includes the Palatine Hill - giving an opinion. Russo said she submitted a series of requirements: "not to exceed the decibel limit set by law and not to incite the public, all standing." She spoke about the matter to the city's mayor Roberto Gualtieri too, "but evidently I didn't convince him." She also noted that the Travis Scott concert was announced at the last minute, just days before the event. Russo said that in her opinion the Circus Maximus could stage "well selected" musical events such as opera and ballet but stressed that "rock concerts should be held in stadiums also in order not to jeopardise public safety". In addition to complaints about excessive noise, the Travis Scott concert was marred by crowds surging dangerously after somebody used pepper spray. Expressing her hope that the city will "enhance the Circus Maximus adequately", Russo said the landmark "should finally be redeveloped so that its history and its role in ancient Rome as well as in subsequent periods are fully understood." Photo Wanted in Rome Share Comment on this story Comment COPENHAGEN, Denmark Norwegian authorities warned Tuesday to prepare for extremely heavy rainfall after Storm Hans caused two deaths, ripped off roofs and upended summertime life in northern Europe. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russias war in Ukraine. ArrowRight Strong winds continued to batter the region along with rains, causing a lengthy list of disruptions in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, Finland, Estonia and Latvia. Ferries were canceled, flights were delays, roads and streets were flooded, trees were uprooted, people were injured by falling branches and thousands remained without electricity Tuesday. In Oslo, officials urged people to work from home. On its website, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate warned of extremely heavy rainfall in the countrys south, adding unnecessary traffic should be avoided. This is a very serious situation that can lead to extensive consequences and damages. There will be extensive flooding, erosion damage and flood damages to buildings and infrastructure, it said in English on its website. Advertisement In Finland, authorities urged people to rethink whether it it is necessary to go out to sea, Ville Hukka, a spokesperson for the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District was quoted by the Hufvudstadsbladet newspaper. SMHI, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, on Tuesday issued a red warning for parts of central Sweden, signaling very large amounts of rain causing extremely high flows in streams and ditches in several places. Floods and slides closed dozens of roads in southern Norway and neighboring Sweden and dozens of people have been evacuated. Norwegian police said at least 119 people had been evacuated by Tuesday midday. There were scattered reports of helicopters being used to fly people out of affected areas. Denmarks Meteorological Institute, meanwhile, reported of waves of up to 8 meters (26 feet) and beach houses were seen washed into the North Sea. Advertisement On Monday, a 50-year old woman was killed in Lithuania by falling trees near the Latvian border. In central Sweden, a train was partly derailed because the embankment under the rails had been washed away. Three were people were slightly injured. Also Monday in Latvia, near the Belarus border, a second person died on Monday when a tree fell on him, Latvian television said, adding he died of his injuries. The man was not further identified. Share this article Share In Estonia, nearly 10,000 people were without power Tuesday morning, according to the Baltic News Service, the regions main news agency. Norwegian authorities kept the extreme weather warning alert at its highest level in southern Norway due to heavy rain, mudslides and flash floods. They also sent out text messages in several foreign languages, including English, to holidaymakers warning of the foul weather. Advertisement Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre called it a very serious situation, said late Monday. We see floods and destruction. There is reason to expect that this will last another day, he said. Meteorologists in Norway said rain can be expected over the countrys south until Wednesday. Plan for the fact that roads may be closed and that electricity, telephone and internet may be lost in parts of the county for periods, Norwegian police said in a statement. In the Swedish town Are, a ski resort, roads and streets were flooded. The Susaback river that runs through Are, some 533 kilometers (331 miles) from Stockholm, went over its banks and flooded much of downtown. Share Comment on this story Comment DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Inmates at a Bahrain prison are on a hunger strike over conditions there, activists and authorities said Wednesday, the latest sign of simmering unrest in the island kingdom a decade after Arab Spring protests. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russias war in Ukraine. ArrowRight The strike is underway at the Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center, a facility holding many of the prisoners identified by human rights activists as dissidents who oppose the rule of the Al Khalifa family. The countrys Sunni rulers have long faced complaints from the islands Shiite majority of discrimination. A statement published by the outlawed Al-Wefaq opposition group said the prisoners started the hunger strike over what it described as prison officials blocking inmates from worshipping and 23-hour lockdowns daily. The statement also alleged prison officials put inmates in isolation arbitrarily, interfered with family visits and provided inadequate health care to those incarcerated. Advertisement Our demands are not trifles, but very necessary and required for human life, even at the lowest levels known to human history, the prisoners statement read. Two prison blocks at the facility started their hunger strike on Monday, while three others started on Tuesday, said Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, an exiled activist in Britain with the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy. Alwadaei described those in the blocks taking part in the strike as political prisoners. The prisoners put the number of those taking part in the strike in the hundreds; The Associated Press could not independently confirm that. Several audio messages, later shared by activists, confirmed the hunger strike. On Wednesday, imprisoned activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja joined the hunger strike, his daughter Maryam said. Al-Khawaja is serving a life sentence at the prison after leading protests during the 2011 Arab Spring. Advertisement The 62-year-old activist earlier drew attention to his imprisonment with a lengthy hunger strike in 2012, a detention considered arbitrary by a United Nations panel. Bahrain convicted him on internationally criticized terrorism charges. Share this article Share I am worried for my fathers life. I dont know that he can survive another hunger strike and its unfathomable that he is being pushed, yet again, to resort to this as a means of protest, his daughter said in a statement. I dont want my father to be released to us in a coffin, she added. Responding to questions from the AP, Bahrains General Directorate of Reform and Rehabilitation said that some inmates at the facility had returned their meals on Tuesday. It did not provide a number of those taking part in the hunger strike, but insisted prisons allowed Shiites to commemorate Ashoura and enjoy their full rights and health care. Advertisement Officials will continue to monitor the conditions of the inmates who have returned their meals to ensure the quality of the services provided and to address their concerns within the framework of adherence to the law and respect for human rights, the government statement said. The Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center is located toward the southern end of Bahrain, an island off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf thats about the size of New York City with a population of around 1.5 million people. Concerns over medical care at the prison have been raised before by activists. The U.S. State Departments recent human rights report on Bahrain noted prisoners families reported a tuberculosis outbreak at the prison in June 2022. The government denied an outbreak took place, but inaugurated a 24-hour clinic at the prison months afterward, the State Department said. Advertisement Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navys Mideast-based 5th Fleet, is in the midst of a decadelong crackdown on all dissent following the Arab Spring protests, which saw the islands Shiite majority and others demanding more political freedom. Since Bahrain put down the protests with the help of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it has imprisoned Shiite activists, deported others, stripped hundreds of their citizenship and closed its leading independent newspaper. The News U.S. firms will be restricted from investing in Chinese companies involved in the development of semiconductors, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence, the New York Times first reported. President Joe Biden on Wednesday is expected to sign an executive order that bans private-equity and venture-capital investments in these sectors, while also requiring American firms to report such investments to the U.S. government, citing national security concerns. It is the latest escalation in the tech war between the U.S. and China. Weve curated insights from experts on whether Bidens move will help protect national security interests or backfire on the U.S. Insights The return of backpackers and budget travellers has sparked a renewed demand for hostel-style accommodation, but ones that offer a higher standard of technology and amenities that will cater for a new wave of travellers, known as flashpackers. This is prompting investors and developers to look for properties that can be converted to support the rising trend. The Boardrider Backpacker and Budget Hotel in Manly is on the market. Many of the assets are smaller apartment blocks that sit in prime locations, generally on or near to the beachfront, which can be repositioned as a hybrid between a traditional backpacker hostel or a budget boutique hotel. This new breed of so-called flashpacker guests generally have a higher income than the traditional backpacker and look to stay longer and work as well as travel. They need high-speed internet and beach access. Many Australians are having to make choices. Not about where they work, but about whether they eat or heat their homes, sleep in the car or on a friends couch. High salaries for high-profile leaders are clear targets as we see expanding social inequality. This strange disjunction was crystallised for all of us when Deloitte chief executive Adam Powick told a recent Senate inquiry he earned $3.5 million last year. Senator Deborah ONeill asked him whether he really thought he was worth seven times the salary of the prime minister. Is it ever possible to rationalise extraordinary pay packets for a few at a time when so many Australians are struggling? Are those leaders ever worth such high salaries? That very much depends. Outsized levels of remuneration come into sharp focus when truth and trust are lost. We naturally direct our anger at the very well paid when we dont feel we are getting value for money; when performance by an individual or the organisation they lead is not what we expect, when we fear the people who should be taking responsibility are not stepping up. Critics of former public servant Kathryn Campbell, who was secretary of the Department of Social Services, have been vocal in their attacks after the release of the final report of the Royal Commission into the Robo-debt Scheme. Among many findings, the report revealed that after leaving the department for a senior role in the Department of Defence in 2021, Campbells reported base salary was $889,853. Thats well above the prime ministers pay and a staggering 17 times more than the median Australian salary. Our anger over the robo-debt tragedy, quite rightly, amplified our shock at Campbells salary. (She has since resigned from her Defence job.) So, too did stories of the most disadvantaged Australians being hounded for what little they had, or didnt have. After such an unmitigated disaster, we lost trust that those being paid so much actually deserved it. The fine ensemble includes Mason Kelly, Melissa Pham, David Prakash, Harrison Ritchie-Jones, Aimee Schollum, Michaela Tancheff, Nikki Tarling and Jayden Wall. Bosco Shaw has created the lighting design and Paula Levis the costumes. In large-scale works like Nyx (2015), Token Armies (2019) and Yung Lung (2022), Hamilton has experimented with unusual venues, lavish designs and elaborate multimedia and non-dance elements all with mixed results. The simplicity of the presentation in this new piece suggests a renewed enthusiasm for the job of organising bodies in space. It has energy, focus, and you should see it because it stimulates the nervous system like no other sort of contemporary dance. Reviewed by Andrew Fuhrmann THEATRE Miss Peony Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, Until August 20 What does it mean to be Chinese? The twenty-six, friendless, unmarried Lily (Stephanie Jack) struggles to know, but the ghost of her recently deceased Poh Poh (Gabrielle Chan, who delivers a star turn as Lilys ethereal, imposing grandma) has an idea: Lily has to enter Chinese community beauty pageant Miss Peony (that Poh Poh pioneered) and win it. Enter Lilys three competitors: filial Shanghainese businesswoman Marcy (Deborah Faye Lee); eccentric Joy (Shirong Wu) from Taiwan; and western Sydney born-and-bred Sabrina (crowd favourite Mabel Li), whose accent is harnessed to great comedic effect. Guided by pageant producer Zhen Hua (played by Jeffrey Liu), the group is evenly split between ABCs (Australian-born Chinese) and migrants the play expertly explores the dualities of the former, the regional specificities of the latter, and the nexus of sexism, racism and homophobia. Miss Peony is at Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, until August 20. Credit: Jason Lau Marcy, Joy and Sabrina come to life superbly over the course of the play, acquiring depth, dimension and nuance as their personal histories and foibles come to the fore. In comparison, Lily feels underdeveloped while theres a strong, necessary ambivalence at the heart of a character whos parsing her identity, she often feels like a vessel for the broader themes at play rather than a fully developed character in her own right. The characters switch seamlessly between English, Cantonese and Mandarin, amplifying the polyphonic feel of the play. Every word is subtitled on a screen perched aloft the stage. The inherently entertaining beauty pageant framework lends the play a natural dramatic tension. Despite this, the plays pacing is off-kilter at times and theres lengthy, at times unnecessary, exposition. Jonathan Hindmarshs sparse set a raised marble stage surrounded by steps is simple yet effective, transformed into a hospital, beauty pageant podium and restaurant at different junctures. With most of the plays action happening on an elevated level, the characters are on display to us as they are to each other. Stephanie Jack, as Lily, and her Poh Poh, played by Gabrielle Chan in Michelle Laws Miss Peony. Credit: Jason Lau There are nods to Chinese culture peppered throughout the humorously overblown battle for the bill, the sly reference to Coffs Harbours biggest attraction to illustrate how Lily is a banana, the intimate hot pot meal where the women commiserate with one another over sexist treatment theyve received. Its in these sections where playwright Michelle Laws writing is at its strongest. Hindmarshs costume design is resplendent. The women flit from one outfit to the next stunning red dresses, glitzy sequined floor-length numbers, figure-hugging cheongsam. Fittingly, in the last scene, Lily wears a cheongsam underneath a coat with her feet enclosed in shiny patent leather brogues illustrating that, perhaps finally, Lily has found a way to bridge the gap between her Australian upbringing and her Chinese heritage. Loading By choosing to explore the push and pull between two worlds against the backdrop of a beauty pageant, Miss Peony finds new ways to tread old ground. Reviewed by Sonia Nair THEATRE Telethon Kid Malthouse Theatre, until 13 August Scrutinised from a young age due to a rare degenerative disease, Sam (William Rees) is the poster boy for mystery illnesses, an influencer and a hoot. The reticent Doc (Max Brown), a renowned genetic researcher whos been studying Sams condition from the outset, takes himself and the life-saving work he does very seriously. Telethon Kid is at Malthouse Theatre until August 13. Credit: So what happens when a drunken night of passion at a pharmaceutical conference brings about a ripple effect of repercussions? Drawing on his own experiences of living with muscular dystrophy, Alistair Baldwin has crafted a deeply dark and humorous story that delights in blurring and questioning boundaries between doctor and patient, agency and abuse, medicine and marketing. William Rees (left) and Max Brown in Telethon Kid. Credit: Telethon Kid careens from funny to uncomfortable to revealing; examining medical consent in the same light as sexual consent and the hierarchy of illness illustrated most aptly by Sams friend Evie (Ashley Apap) and her little-researched early onset arthritis. The sex scenes between Sam and Doc are intimate and believable. Sams desire to be perceived sexually as a sick person imbue what should be a questionable situation with a certain tenderness. But nothing is clear cut in Telethon Kid. A scandal uncovered later in the play cleverly juxtaposes a blatant abuse of power against Doc and Sams morally grey transgression. Brown is excellent as the world-weary, morally ambiguous Doc his gentle physicality belying the thorniness of his decisions. Rees, who has a brachial plexus injury that stands in for Sams condition, expertly houses his multiplicities performative yet sincere, ostensibly young but wise beyond his years from being told hed never grow old. Sam becoming the face of a corporation that can decide whether he lives or dies is one of the darker ironies at the heart of the play. Two things provide comic relief: the disconcertingly cheesy, immaculately produced Big Pharma promotional videos that punctuate the play and the corporations marketing rep KT, played with aplomb and impeccably comedic timing by Effie Nkrumah. Christina Smiths set is a series of unfolding curtains that configures the stage into different spaces, while her costume design effectively distils the essence of each character. Apart from never learning Docs name, we rarely see him in anything other than his professional attire or scrubs underlining his struggle in demarcating his work identity from his personal life. Sams midriff-baring tops and matching patterned tracksuit sets place him firmly in the Gen Z demographic, which only further exposes the power difference between him and the Doc. KTs bold dresses in singular colour blocks underscores her ruthlessly perky facade as a corporate shill. Ending riotously, Telethon Kid offers no easy answers nor resolutions to the big questions it raises. Reviewed by Sonia Nair MUSIC Musicians of the Gewandhaus Orchestra Melbourne Recital Centre, August 4 Dating back to 1743, Leipzigs Gewandhaus Orchestra is the worlds oldest civic symphony orchestra, boasting a history of distinguished directors including Mendelssohn and Furtwangler. Presenting an elegant concert of works by Schubert, eight touring players confirmed the orchestras famously high standards. Forming a perfect prelude to Schuberts mighty Octet in F, D. 803 was an arrangement of his Moments musicaux, D. 780 by the Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen. Here, the arrangers consummate channelling of Schuberts orchestration style would lead unsuspecting listeners to think these miniatures were indeed conceived for an instrumental ensemble, rather than for the original piano. Abrahamsens intimate knowledge of Schuberts style paid dividends at every turn, whether in the deft differentiation of strings and wind in the second piece, or the subtle, smile-raising hint of a klezmer band in the third, or the masterly melding of chamber and orchestral elements in the concluding numbers. Musicians of the Gewandhaus blossomed within the sensitive acoustics of Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. Credit: Sexual assault trials across NSW are permeated by outdated myths and stereotypes about how genuine victims should act, dress, and fight off their attackers, exposing complainants to caustic and distressing court hearings, research has found. The report found NSWs courtrooms are disconnected from the states four-decade attempt to reform justice for sexual violence survivors. NSW sexual assault trials are dogged by persistent myths. Credit: Sandy Scheltema The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research will on Thursday release a peer-reviewed report into the experience of complainants in the NSW District Court completed by the University of Wollongong and University of NSW. This study lays bare the confronting reality of how caustic the trial process can be for those seeking justice in response to sexual violence, BOCSAR executive director Jackie Fitzgerald said. Espresso & Prosecco is the first new food and beverage offering in the Hay Street Mall in a decade, Zempilas tells me in between eager bites of his biscuit and slurps of his latte. Whats making this place work so well is that the family behind it have been in this business for their whole lives. They know what they are doing. And they are so committed to the Hay Street Mall that they bought the building and refurbished it beautifully. Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas and Regina Agnello on the Prosecco & Espresso balcony. Credit: Mark Naglazs Zempilas is so enthused by what the Agnellos have done with this former clothing store beside London Court that he takes me through the upper floors, which serve as function areas, and onto the balcony, where we get a see the upper floors of the heritage-listed buildings that line the mall and, for the most part, remain empty and crying out for activation. The success of Espresso & Prosecco has given Zempilas the confidence to campaign for the Hay Street Mall to become not simply a new cafe strip but a foodie destination. Retail is not dead in the city, argues the mayor. It has moved to Murray Street. There are no empty shops on Murray Street. So Hay Street has to discover its purpose. What is its reason for existing? I and others believe that food and beverage can be part of that story. When I suggest to Zempilas that he go full European and welcome fresh food vendors and pop-up providers into the Hay Street Mall, such as a weekly market as they have in cities such as Paris, he takes it in his famously long stride. He loves the idea of the Hay Street Mall becoming a foodie destination. Shock, horror: Prosecco & Espresso is open until 5pm and on weekends. Credit: Mark Naglazas There is a vacancy in the market for a food strip in this part of the city. Victoria Park has grabbed a bit of the action, Subiaco had a bit of the action and is trying hard to get it back, Zempilas says. The Hay Street Mall, which has a beautiful setting when you stop and look up, is perfect for cafes and restaurants and even regular fresh food market. Its already blocked off at either end. Zempilas believes the reinvention of the Hay Street Mall will get a significant boost when the newly renovated Picadilly Theatre opens and the Carillon Arcade is demolished and replaced by what he says will be a world-class shopping centre of the kind you would see in a city like Dubai. But what will really help the renaissance of Hay Street Mall is relaxing shopping hours, he says. What if the shops shut not at 5.30pm but 7.20pm? What a difference that would make, he says. If people could shop later it would push into dinner time and these people [Prosecco & Espresso] would remain open. And what if the Picadilly was up and running? Suddenly you have lots of people wanting food and drink. It would be transformative. Hay Street needs life. Food brings life. Italians bring food. It is as simple as that. Giuseppe Agnello On the way back to the office I popped into the Agnello familys other family business, Bocellis Espresso, a smaller but incredibly busy coffee shop on the corner or William and Wellington streets and adjacent to the Royal Hotel. Giuseppe Agnello: one of eight family members in the food and beverage business. Credit: Mark Naglazas Hay Street needs life. Food brings life. Italians bring food. It is as simple as that, Giuseppe Agnello tells me during a break from making coffees and serving gelato. My family has been in the cafes in the heart of the city for 35 years, so we have a lot of confidence in the city. We also have a good idea of what this city needs. Perth loves al fresco eating and drinking. When the weather is fine, which is a lot of the time in Perth, people want to sit outside. They love sitting outside in the sunshine. And they love people watching, as they do in Italy. Brittany Higgins has launched an attack against the attitudes of the police who investigated her rape claim against her former colleague Bruce Lehrmann, claiming they were disgraced by their own conduct, rather than the accusations of former director of public prosecutions Shane Drumgold, SC. In a social media post on Wednesday, referencing a story in The Australian about the toll the abandoned Lehrmann case and the subsequent inquiry had on police, Higgins reignited a range of accusations against the behaviour of detectives that were canvassed in the probe, including making a folder of unfounded claims to discredit her. Brittany Higgins has attacked the conduct of police who were assigned to investigate her rape complaint. Credit: Rhett Wyman These men were absolutely awful to me. They made me feel violated at every turn, Higgins said in the social media post. They cast judgments about the merits of my advocacy and regularly reiterated the reasons why they thought that I shouldnt proceed with pressing charges. Singapore: Chinas economy has fallen into deflation as it struggles to escape a deepening spiral of poor economic growth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prices fell across the worlds second-largest economy in July, bucking the trend of high global inflation as Chinese consumers shut their wallets and hoarded savings over fears of another economic crisis. The Chinese government is attempting to restart the economy without outlaying billions in stimulus spending. Credit: Sanghee Liu The Australian government has been watching the Chinese data closely. Despite $20 billion in trade strikes over the past four years, the superpower remains Australias largest export market and a key engine of Australias domestic economic growth. More than 20 per cent of the improvement in the federal budget over the past year has been driven by taxes from resources such as iron ore, most of which go to China. Bitcoin rose on Wednesday morning in Asia to trade above US$29,700. Ether also logged gains along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies. Solana led the winners with an almost 5% jump. The crypto rally followed PayPals launch of a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin on Monday. That coincided with a sharp drop in global government bond yields Tuesday after the release of Chinas weaker-than-expected economic data. Meanwhile, the Forkast 500 NFT index edged higher on increased trading volumes, while U.S. stock futures traded lower as ratings agency Moodys downgraded several mid-size U.S. banks. Cryptos rally Bitcoin rose 2.02% in the last 24 hours to US$29,764.75 as of 07:50 a.m. in Hong Kong and moved up 0.41% for the week, according to CoinMarketCap data. The worlds leading cryptocurrency briefly breached the US$30,000 resistance level on early Wednesday morning. Ether gained 1.61% to US$1,855.88 but was still down 0.82% over the past seven days. All other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies traded higher, with Solanas SOL leading the winners. The token rose 4.93% to US$24.19 and logged a weekly gain of 1.07%. The crypto market received a boost from global payment giant PayPals stablecoin launch on Monday. Known as PayPal USD (PYUSD), the stablecoin will allow users in the U.S. to make transfers to compatible external wallets, pay other customers and purchase foreign currencies using the token. PayPals stablecoin launch is an important development for crypto within the U.S. Although the initial launch is limited, with PayPals size and global reach, it is likely to impact global stablecoin usage and adoption going forward, said William Cai, co-founder and managing partner at U.S.-based asset management firm Wilshire Phoenix. It is another clear signal of institutional confidence that crypto isnt going away and will emerge from this crypto winter stronger, added Cai. Stablecoin is the grease of the crypto markets. Overall increase in stablecoin market cap will coincide with a major upward trend in crypto prices. Story continues Greta Yuan, head of research at Hong Kong-headquartered digital asset exchange VDX, said that while it is not the first time major institutions have entered the stablecoin space, previous attempts met with substantial regulatory obstacles. The recent progress of a bill aimed at establishing a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins, coupled with PayPals deep expertise in the payment industry, has the potential to set up PayPal for a more promising growth path, Yuan added Meanwhile, Ark Invest Chief Executive Officer Cathie Wood said in a Tuesday interview with Bloomberg that she expected the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to approve multiple spot-Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETF) at the same time. There is now a growing sense of optimism that successful ETF applications from major U.S. asset managers including BlackRock, Fidelity Investments and Wisdom Tree could be the start of large-scale institutional investment in the digital asset space. Later on Tuesday, Mike Novogratz, CEO of investment management firm Galaxy Capital, reportedly said via conference call that the SECs approval of a Bitcoin ETF was likely a matter of when, not if. Issuers of Bitcoin ETF would, he said, fight like cats and dogs to win market share once they received approvals. This could have caused the 3-4% rally in Bitcoin prices overnight, said Markus Thielen, Head of Research & Strategy at digital asset service platform Matrixport. A common pattern is emerging where Bitcoin prices tend to rally during US trading hours but retrace during Asian trading hours, Thielen added. Nevertheless, Bitcoin is still in a trading range but a potential SEC approval could push prices higher. The total crypto market capitalization gained 1.71% in the past 24 hours to US$1.18 trillion, while trading volume moved up 9.37% to US$36 billion. Some pep in the step for NFTs The indexes are proxy measures of the performance of the global NFT market. They are managed by CryptoSlam, a sister company of Forkast.News under the Forkast.Labs umbrella. The main Forkast 500 NFT index inched up 0.14% in the past 24 hours to 2,483.18 as of 09:50 a.m. in Hong Kong, but was still down 0.90% for the week. Forkasts Ethereum NFT index also logged gains, while the Solana, Polygon and Cardano indexes dropped. Total NFT trading volume surged 64.03% in the past 24 hours to over US$20.4 million, according to data from CryptoSlam. Volume on the Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, and Cardano blockchains all also logged increases, while the Bitcoin blockchain saw a drop. Again were in the green and suddenly theres a little pep in traders step, said Yehudah Petscher, NFT strategist for Forkast Labs. Were really beginning to see the type of NFTs that do well in this market, which is cheaper NFTs with high volume. DMarket, Gods Unchained, Sorare and DraftKings all represent a form of gaming, all are pretty darn affordable, and all have thousands of traders. This is what the future of NFTs will really look like, Petscher added. Among NFT collections, Polygon-based DraftKings saw the largest 24-hour sales volume. It rose 26.23% to over US$4.12 million for 85% of total NFT trading volume on the Polygon network. The collection is based on sports and betting company DraftKings NFT games. Forkast Labs Petscher said that Paypals stablecoin launch is providing a timely boost for the NFT industry. The global payment giant could prove successful in onboarding those unfamiliar with cryptocurrencies into the NFT space, he said Tuesday in a video uploaded to Youtube. Give them some PayPal stablecoin and then watch OpenSea integrated, and then let them buy Starbucks NFTs on secondary with their PayPal stablecoins, Petscher said. This is huge for the world of crypto and its huge for NFTs. This is what building looks like. Meanwhile, NFTs are seeing growing interest in the art space. U.K.-based NFT platform ElmonX announced Wednesday that it will partner with international image licensing company Bridgeman Images to mint Salvator Mundi a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci as NFT collectibles. The painting was sold for US$$450.3 million at the Christies auction house in 2017, making it the most expensive artwork ever sold. Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece: Salvator Mundi Rediscovered, restored, and auctioned for a record-breaking USD 450,312,500 in 2017, making it the world's most expensive artwork ever sold Two digital collectibles drop Saturday 12th August 9AM PT only on pic.twitter.com/nAppalhFSC ElmonX (@elmonx_official) August 8, 2023 Elsewhere, Chinese artist Yue Minjun on Tuesday launched Kingdom of the Laughing Man a collection of unique NFTs based on his artworks on NFT platform LiveArt. The collection has logged a 24-hour sales volume of over US$978,000 and sits third in Crypto Slams sales volume rankings, right behind Bored Ape Yacht Club. U.S. equities drop on bank downgrades, China records annual decline Image: Getty Images U.S. stock futures traded mixed as of 11:50 a.m. in Hong Kong. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dipped, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures moved higher. The U.S. stock market closed lower on Tuesday. In Asia, the main stock indexes were also mixed on Wednesday morning. Chinas Shanghai Composite, Hong Kongs Hang Seng and Japans Nikkei logged losses, while South Koreas Kospi rose. On Tuesday, Moodys Investor Service lowered the credit rating of 10 small and midsize U.S. banks citing funding risks and weaker profitability. The ratings agency warned that it could downgrade several other major U.S. lenders including U.S. Bancorp, Bank of New York Mellon Corp. and State Street Corp. I think its a big deal in the bigger picture of how the economy operates, because regional banks lending is one of the main lubricants of the economy, said Jason Pride, chief of investment strategy and research at asset manager Glenmede, in a Reuters report published Wednesday. If it slows down, the engine just doesnt work as well, Pride added. All eyes are now on the release of U.S. consumer price index (CPI) data on Thursday. Bloomberg analysts expect the core CPI to rise 0.2% in July, which would be the smallest monthly increase in the past two and a half years. On the U.S. inflation front, the Federal Reserve meets on Sep. 19 to make its next move on interest rates. The rate now stands at between 5.25% to 5.50%, the highest level in the past 22 years. Analysts at the CME FedWatch Tool predict a 86.5% chance there will be no interest rate hike in September, and a 13.5% chance the Fed will raise rates by a further 25-basis-points. Meanwhile in China, the countrys July CPI posted an annual decrease of 0.3%. The Producer Price Index (PPI) also dropped 4.4% year-on-year, Chinese state media Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday. The dip in July CPI data represents Chinas first annual decline since February 2021. However, the drop was smaller than the analysts expectation of 0.4%. China is in deflation, for sure, the question is for how long. Robin Xing, chief China economist for Morgan Stanley, told Bloomberg. Its up to the policy makers how they react. (Updates with equities section.) While the conversations were fairly trivial small talk about the weather, chit-chat about fishing the obvious intent was to exert influence by having proximity to power. People would be intimidated to mess with them, he told the committee. [...] Burisma would have gone out of business if it didnt have the brand attached to it. As for whether Biden had any knowledge of his sons business activities? The president and the White House have long insisted that he has never spoken to Hunter about his overseas business dealings in Ukraine or China. However, Archer testified under oath that the president showed up at the upscale Georgetown restaurant Cafe Milano on April 16, 2015, and had dinner with several of Hunters business associates, including Burisma executive Vadym Pozharskyi, Russian billionaire Yelena Baturina and her husband, and former Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov. He also produced a letter from the then vice president saying how happy he was that Archer was in business with Hunter, which was written after a lunch theyd attended with then Chinese president Hu Jintao. And later, in an interview with axed Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Archer declared it was categorically false that Joe Biden had no knowledge of his sons business affairs. He was aware of Hunters business. He met with Hunters business partner, he said. Its worth noting that Archer isnt exactly a saint: in 2018, the 48-year-old Yale graduate was convicted of defrauding a Native American tribe and other clients by deceiving them into issuing faulty tribal bonds. Nor did his testimony provide the smoking gun Republicans have long sought to prove their main theory: that Joe Biden engaged in bribery and corruption. Loading That theory is centred on the stunning suggestion that Burisma founder Mykola Zlochevsky had paid millions to the Bidens, supposedly to help protect the company from Ukraine prosecutor Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Burisma. Despite months of digging by House Republicans, the bribery claims remain unverified and Archer could not corroborate them during his five-hour deposition last week, in which he also said he was not aware of any wrongdoing by the president. Bidens son also suffered from now well-publicised drug and alcohol issues around the time of his dealings with foreign businesses, which included drug-fuelled episodes with sex workers. But the danger is that ongoing ructions surrounding the Biden family will continue to be a headache for a president heading into an election with record-low approval ratings. Firstly, Archers testimony shows poor judgment on Bidens behalf for repeatedly allowing himself to be in the presence of Hunters business associates whether on the phone or in person as they sought power and influence across government in Washington. The House of Representatives votes on the second article of impeachment of US President Donald Trump in 2019. Credit: Getty Secondly, it undercuts Bidens many claims that he knew nothing about his sons business dealings. These dealings dont just extend to Burisma, but also Chinese energy firm CEFC which, over the course of 14 months, paid $US4.8 million ($7.3 million) to entities controlled by Biden Hunter and his uncle, James, the presidents older brother. And thirdly, it makes you wonder what else is likely to shake out as more details emerge about the Biden family mixing politics and business particularly if Republicans make good on their threat to open up an impeachment inquiry in the autumn session of Congress. BlackRock Inc. (Trades, Portfolio), a leading global investment management corporation, recently made a significant addition to its portfolio. The firm acquired a substantial number of shares in Sendas Distribuidora SA (NYSE:ASAI), a prominent player in the consumer goods business in Brazil. This article delves into the details of this transaction, profiles both BlackRock Inc. (Trades, Portfolio) and Sendas Distribuidora SA, and analyzes the potential implications of this investment for value investors. Details of the Transaction On July 31, 2023, BlackRock Inc. (Trades, Portfolio) added 147,005,842 shares of Sendas Distribuidora SA to its portfolio, bringing its total holding to 147,278,539 shares. This transaction, which was executed at a trade price of $14.36 per share, had a 0.06% impact on BlackRock's portfolio. Following this acquisition, BlackRock now holds a 10.90% stake in Sendas Distribuidora SA. Founded in 1988, BlackRock Inc. (Trades, Portfolio) is a renowned investment management corporation that operates through a vast network of subsidiaries. The firm's investment philosophy is rooted in risk management, with its platform monitoring about 7% of the world's total financial assets. As of the date of this article, BlackRock Inc. (Trades, Portfolio) holds equity worth $3,388.31 trillion across 5,334 stocks, with a significant presence in the technology and healthcare sectors. The firm's top holdings include Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc., Microsoft Corp., and NVIDIA Corp. BlackRock Inc. Acquires Significant Stake in Sendas Distribuidora SA Profile of Sendas Distribuidora SA Sendas Distribuidora SA, listed under the symbol ASAI, is a key player in the consumer goods business in Brazil. The company, which went public on March 1, 2021, operates a single segment business model, selling a wide range of products including grocery, food, beverages, hygiene, and cleaning products. As of the date of this article, Sendas Distribuidora SA has a market capitalization of $3.9 billion and a stock price of $14.46. The company's PE percentage stands at 22.11. Story continues BlackRock Inc. Acquires Significant Stake in Sendas Distribuidora SA Analysis of Sendas Distribuidora SA's Stock Since its IPO, Sendas Distribuidora SA's stock has gained 18.04%, despite a year-to-date decline of 14.69%. The company's GF Score is 48/100, indicating a moderate future performance potential. Sendas Distribuidora SA's financial strength is ranked 5/10, while its profitability rank and growth rank stand at 7/10 and 9/10, respectively. Sendas Distribuidora SA's Financial Performance Sendas Distribuidora SA's interest coverage is 1.48, ranking 228th in the retail - defensive industry. The company's return on equity (ROE) is 23.46%, while its return on assets (ROA) is 2.34%. Over the past three years, Sendas Distribuidora SA has seen a revenue growth of 24.40% and an EBITDA growth of 16.00%. Other Gurus' Investment in Sendas Distribuidora SA BlackRock Inc. (Trades, Portfolio) is not the only investment firm showing interest in Sendas Distribuidora SA. Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb L.P. is currently the largest guru holding Sendas Distribuidora SA's shares. Additionally, Charles Brandes (Trades, Portfolio) also holds shares in the company. Conclusion BlackRock Inc. (Trades, Portfolio)'s recent acquisition of Sendas Distribuidora SA's shares is a significant move that could potentially influence the stock's performance and the firm's portfolio. With Sendas Distribuidora SA's solid growth rank and profitability rank, this investment could offer substantial returns for BlackRock Inc. (Trades, Portfolio) and other value investors. However, as with any investment, it is crucial to conduct thorough research and consider various factors before making a decision. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. (Bloomberg) -- President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvas government is moving toward allowing Brazils state-run oil company to survey an ecologically sensitive offshore region, a decision that threatens to overshadow a major environmental summit and feed a festering dispute in his administration. Most Read from Bloomberg The attorney generals office, or AGU, will issue an opinion that it is not necessary for Petroleo Brasileiro SA to conduct a major environmental impact study in order to begin prospecting oil in the so-called Foz do Amazonas, a region off the countrys northern coast, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The attorney general, who represents the interests of the whole government in judicial matters, will issue a technical opinion that takes into account a recent Supreme Court ruling in a similar case, said one of the people. Both requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Answering a request for comment, AGU said in a statement it is carrying out a legal analysis on the case and will publish a formal response in the next few days. Brazils top environmental agency, Ibama, earlier this year blocked the companys plans to begin exploratory offshore drilling in the potentially oil-rich region in the Equatorial Margin an area that is home to a 3,600-square-mile (9,500-square-kilometer) coral reef. Ibama didnt immediately reply to a request for comment. The stalemate between regulators and Petrobras, as the oil giant is known, has led to months of simmering tensions inside the Lula government. The 77-year-old president has tried to strike a balance between economic development and the ambitious green agenda outlined by Environment Minister Marina Silva, who oversees Ibama. Story continues Pressed to take sides in the dispute between Petrobras and Ibama, Lula has said he favors research to determine whether oil is present in the region and insists that any exploration would be carried out safely to avoid environmental problems. This week, he said the issue was still under discussion inside his government. Amazon Summit The stance has marred Lulas two-day summit of South Americas eight Amazon nations in the rainforest city of Belem. He opened the series of meetings declaring the start of a new relationship with the Amazon where resources will not be exploited for the benefit of a few, but valued and placed at the service of all. But clear divisions in that approach were on display for the world to see. Colombias Gustavo Petro, who has long pushed for a ban on new oil explorations, slammed a progressive denialism among countries efforts to curb climate change. What are we doing? Letting hydrocarbons be exploited in the jungle, he said. Isnt that a complete contradiction? Read more: Lula Enlists Neighbors in Brazils Battle to Save the Amazon As presidents debated, hundreds of Indigenous protesters marched near the gathering Tuesday demanding protection for their territories and an end to natural resource extraction in the Amazon. They carried signs that read We were always here and They robbed our land, they robbed our future. The disputed deep-water block in the Equatorial Margin has raised particular concern because of its location off the coast where the Amazon River flows into the Atlantic. Marina Silva, who has emerged as Lulas chief environmental diplomat, has lashed out against green-lighting the project. Sometimes people use the wrong term: Make environmental licensing more flexible, she said Tuesday. No one makes heart, kidney or eye surgery flexible. The two repaired a fractious relationship that ruptured 15 years ago, when Silva stepped down as environment minister of Lulas first presidency during a dispute over the construction of a major hydroelectric dam in the Amazon region. On Tuesday, Brazils Mining and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira pushed back on criticism that pursuing new oil projects would jeopardize Lulas aspirations to become a climate leader. We are working hard to help the planet decarbonize, but we cant hide our eyes from reality, he told reporters on the sidelines of the summit. The Brazilian governments committments to a carbon-free future are far from clear. Petrobras said late Tuesday that the company top brass met with Bolivian President Luis Arce in Belem to discuss areas of cooperation in the exploration and production of natural gas. Petrobras sees the Equatorial Margin as Brazils last promising exploration opportunity. The area is geologically similar to Guyana, where Exxon Mobil Corp. has recently made multibillion-barrel oil discoveries. The South American leaders who make up the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization inked a 113-point declaration late Tuesday. In it, they recognized the need of avoiding a point of no return in the Amazon, but did not make any binding commitments on key issues like natural resource extraction or an end to illegal deforestation, which Lula has pledged to do in Brazil by 2030. When asked about the future of the Foz de Amazonas on Wednesday, Silva said projects were approved or denied on a technical basis and Ibama would not intervene. We dont make it easy, and we dont make it difficult, she said. --With assistance from Peter Millard, Bruna Lessa and Mariana Durao. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. (Bloomberg) -- Utility Companhia Paranaense de Energia was privatized as its controlling holder, the Brazilian state of Parana, shed its stake in a 5.2 billion-real ($1.1 billion) equity offering. Most Read from Bloomberg Copel as the company is known and the state government sold a combined 549,171,000 common shares at 8.25 reais a piece, company said in a regulatory filing. That brings the states stake on Copels voting stock to below 50%, down from 70% prior to the sale. An additional allotment of 82,375,650 shares was also fully sold at the same price, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named discussing private information. That brings the total raised to 5.2 billion reais Brazils second biggest share offering this year, trailing only BRF SA, which raised 5.4 billion reais in a sale last month. Copel didnt reply to requests seeking comment. Investors including GQG Partners LLC, Zimmer Partners, SPX Capital and Radar, which were all in early talks to anchor the transaction, bought shares. Singapores sovereign wealth fund GIC also participated. Banks running the deal were Banco BTG Pactual SA, Banco Itau BBA SA, Banco Bradesco BBI SA, Morgan Stanley and UBS BB Investment Bank. The transaction adds to a recent wave of privatizations in Brazil. Last year, Eletrobras Latin Americas biggest utility was sold in a blockbuster deal, while the Sao Paulo state recently unveiled the broad guidelines of a potential privatization of water utility Sabesp. Preferred shares of Copel were up 1.3% to 8.75 reais as of 11:10 a.m. New York time, on track to close at the highest on record. The utility has been undergoing a turnaround process for at least four years now, Citigroup Inc. analyst Antonio Junqueira wrote in a note. This ongoing process should become easier with the company now becoming a private sector entity, he said, raising the price target for the preferred shares to 12 reais. Story continues --With assistance from Danielle Chaves. (Updates with details on buyers in fifth paragraph, updates stock move in eighth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Today Mostly sunny and continued dry and pleasant; a bit warmer than Saturday. Some haze is possible later in the day from Canadian wildfire smoke. Tonight Mostly clear skies. Tomorrow Partly sunny, very warm, and more humid; spotty late shower or t-storm possible, especially north, however most remain dry. Special counsel Jack Smith's team obtained a search warrant in January for records related to former President Donald Trump's Twitter account, and a judge levied a $350,000 fine on the company for missing the deadline to comply, according to court documents released Wednesday. The new details were included in a ruling from the federal appeals court in Washington over a legal battle surrounding the warrant that has played out under seal for months. The court rejected Twitter's claim that it should not have been held in contempt or sanctioned. Smith's team repeatedly mentioned Trump's tweets in an indictment unsealed last week that charges the former president with conspiring to subvert the will of voters and cling to power after he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump, a Republican, has pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of Congress certification of Bidens win. He posted on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday that the Justice Department secretly attacked his Twitter account, and he characterized the investigation as an attempt to infringe on his bid to reclaim the White House in 2024. Its unclear what information Smith may have sought from Trump's account. Possibilities include data about when and where the posts were written, their engagement and the identities of other accounts that reposted Trumps content. The search warrant underscores the breadth of the investigation and the lengths Smith has gone to to obtain evidence to build his case. In a recent signal that Smith's investigation is continuing, former New York Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik met Monday with investigators from special counsel Smiths team. Prosecutors obtained the search warrant on Jan. 17 directing Twitter to produce information on Trump's account after a court found probable cause to search the account for evidence of criminal offenses, according to the ruling. The government also obtained a nondisclosure agreement that had prohibited Twitter from disclosing the search warrant, the filing says. The court found that disclosing the warrant could risk that Trump could jeopardize the ongoing investigation by giving him an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior" or notify his allies, the filing says. Twitter objected to the nondisclosure agreement, saying four days after the compliance deadline that it would not produce any of the account information, according to the ruling. The judges wrote that Twitter did not question the validity of the search warrant but argued that the nondisclosure agreement violated its First Amendment right to communicate with Trump Twitter said if it had to turn over the records before the judge assessed the legality of the nondisclosure agreement, it would prevent Trump from asserting executive privilege to shield communications made using his Twitter account," the document says. The warrant ordered Twitter to provide the records by Jan. 27. A judge found Twitter to be in contempt after a court hearing on Feb. 7, but gave the company an opportunity to hand over the documents by 5 p.m. that evening. Twitter, however, only turned over some records that day. It didn't fully comply with the order until Feb. 9, the ruling says. X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, sent an automated reply to a request for comment, saying it would respond soon. In the broader case against Trump, his legal team has indicated it will argue that he was relying on the advice of lawyers in 2020 and had the right to challenge an election he believed was rigged. Trump used his Twitter account in the weeks leading up to his supporters' attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to spread false statements about the election that prosecutors allege were designed to sow mistrust in the democratic process. The indictment details how Trump over Twitter encouraged his followers to come to Washington on Jan. 6, pressured his Vice President Mike Pence to reject the certification and falsely suggested that the mob at the Capitol which beat police officers and smashed windows was peaceful. The warrant arrived at Twitter amid rapid changes instituted by Musk, who purchased the platform last year. Since taking over hes transformed the influential site, laying off much of its staff, including workers dedicated to ferreting out misinformation and hate speech. He also eliminated Twitters policy on COVID-19 misinformation and welcomed back a long list of users who had been previously banned, including neo-Nazis, COVID deniers and Trump, who was kicked off after the attack on the Capitol for glorifying violence. Trump has yet to post to the site since being allowed back on. As Trump once did, Musk has used the platform as a partisan megaphone. Last year Musk urged his many online followers to vote Republican in the midterm elections. This year he hosted Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis for a glitch-filled campaign kickoff. The election conspiracy case is the second case Smith has brought against Trump. The former president is also facing dozens of felony counts stemming from classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Trump's legal team in court papers Wednesday urged the judge to allow for the reestablishment of a secure facility at Trump's home where the former president can discuss classified evidence with his attorneys while they prepare for trial in that case. Prosecutors say Trump should only be to do so at sensitive compartmented information facilities or SCIFs. But Trump's lawyers say immense practical and logistical hurdles and costs would make traveling to government-approved locations difficult. He wants to recreate the same secure facility at Mar-a-Lago in which he was allowed to discuss classified materials as president. Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press reporters Michelle Price, David Klepper and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report. Bank of Bird-in-Hand plans to sell shares starting in September to raise $15 million to $30 million, capital that will help the bank grow and add branches. Chairman Kevin J. McClarigan said in a statement that the bank is evaluating branch locations as it continues to grow. "Additional capital, specifically common stock, will provide the bank with the resources to build on that growth and plan for the long-term future of the bank, including additional loan growth and yet currently unidentified branch locations, both fixed and mobile," McClarigan said. Bird-in-Hand has traditional branch offices and operates "GELT" branches on recreational vehicles that serve Lancaster, Chester, Dauphin and Berks counties. Gelt or geld means money in several languages. The bank expanded its mobile offerings to Berks County earlier this year. The Lancaster County-based bank expects to sell shares between $25 and $30 each, with the final price being set later this month. Bird-in-Hand opened in its namesake village in Amish Country in 2013 to serve communities sometimes called "bank deserts," where financial services are scarce. The bank has grown since but prides itself on focusing on its community. "We continue to provide services, such as telephone banking and courier services, that have gone by the wayside at other banks," according to the bank website. Chief Executive and President Lori A. Maley said the bank topped the $1 billion mark in assets in 2022, setting the stage to raise funds for continued growth. "The additional capital will help the bank maintain a strong foundation on which to grow and will allow the bank to continue to serve underserved communities," she said in the statement. Bird-in-Hand's planned expansion comes amid branch closings by national banks as customers shift to digital finance. The bank will pay a one-time 27-cent-per-share dividend on Sept. 5 to shareholders of record on Aug. 11. Bird-in-Hand operates in Lancaster, Chester, Dauphin, Lebanon and Berks counties. As of June 30, it had assets of about $1.24 billion, according to the bank, and deposits of $999 million. READING, Pa. - The Berks Community Health Center (BCHC) said 18,000 patients come through its doors at its four locations. One of them being the Oakbrook facility, a building the health center had been renting from the Reading Housing Authority. Now, American Rescue Plan funding has allowed it to purchase the building. According to the health center, the county and Reading have provided American Rescue Plan funding totaling $900,000. "With the funds that we are saving through the rent or lack of rent, we are able to give back to the community doing more outreach," said Debbie Hartranft, chief community relations officer at BCHC. Hartranft said it also allows for more education, so everyone understands how important having a primary care physician is. "Also with that funding Reading Housing Authority received from the purchase, they're giving back to the community as well, and they're building a community center within the Oakbrook development," said Hartranft. What Hartranft calls a multilayered effect to give back to the community. This latest announcement comes amid National Health Center Week. "We're really celebrating the collective impact we're having on the communities and providing health care to anybody regardless of their ability to pay, regardless of their insurance status," said Hartranft. Hartranft said the location is important. "The Oakbrook Housing Development is right next door. We want to definitely have our doors open for them," said Hartranft. BOYERTOWN, Pa. At Tuesday nights Committee of the Whole meeting of the Boyertown Area School District Board of Directors, the resignation of the long-time principal of the senior high school was accepted. The principal, Dr. Earl Wayne Foley, Jr., will retire after 11.5 years as principal effective October 6, 2023. In response to a question from a board member, superintendent Dr. Mary Beth Torchia said she believed Foley would agree to continue as needed until his successor is in place. Torchia also recognized the contributions of Stacey A. Thierry, special education supervisor at the senior high school, who resigned effective September 15, 2023. In addition, Torchia welcomed Alexander Boehm as the school police officer at Middle School West effective August 14, 2023. Recommendations for action At the next scheduled meeting, Aug. 22, the directors will vote on the following issues: Authorizing the execution of an agreement between School Nutrition Program (SNP) Sponsors with Shared Students and the School District to fully administer the 2023-2024 free and reduced lunch program for applicable Boyertown-area students. Each year the Boyertown Area School District and the Berks Career & Technology Center (BCTC) execute an agreement related to the School Nutrition Program. The district agrees to submit to the Pennsylvania Department of Education an application for the National School Lunch Program, Breakfast Program, After-School Snack Program, and/or Special Milk Program for the students of Boyertown Area School District enrolled at BCTC. The directors will vote on settlement agreements with five unnamed students. For all students to be future ready by meeting or exceeding established goals, the district will implement coordinated, articulated curricula and provide personalized, planned instruction aligned with Pennsylvania academic standards. The directors will vote to approve the estimated tuition rates for the 2023-2024 school year. Each year the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) issues the tuition rate that school districts use to bill other school districts and individuals who choose to send their students to the Boyertown Area School District. These rates are used for initial billing of tuition until the PDE tuition figures are available. Once the PDE rates are available, all invoicing will be reconciled to the actual published PDE rate of tuition. The estimated tuition rates for the 2023-2024 school year are: 2023-2024 Annual Tuition Per Diem Tuition Elementary $13,716.22 $76.21 Secondary $12,762.62 $70.91 Investment Institutions The Board of School Directors will vote to approve the list of investment institutions to provide investment instruments to the School District for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. Each year the business office invests district funds in the most attractive and approved investment options. The following institutions are being recommended as possible investment sources. The board, by approving the following list, authorizes administration to open accounts and transfer monies to these institutions for the purpose of maximizing return on investment. Any approved institution may be used based on the negotiated terms of the investment. The institutions are as follows: Ambler Savings Bank (formerly Bally Savings Bank) Truist Bank (formerly BB&T) Bank of Utah Fulton Financial Bank INVEST PA Treasury National Portfolio Network Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust (PLGIT) Pennsylvania School District Liquid Asset Fund (PSDLAF) PNC Bank Santander Bank Tompkins Vist Bank Univest Bank Victory Bank Wells Fargo Bank Wilmington Savings Fund Society (WSFS) Also, the directors will vote to continue the Act 93 Compensation Plan for school administrators in the Boyertown Area School District following its expiration on June 30, 2023, until such time as a new Act 93 Compensation Plan is approved by the school board at a public meeting. For the purposes of this Motion, the Act 93 Compensation Plan will remain in status quo until such time as it is renewed and/or modified in the successor Plan. (Bloomberg) -- Brookfield Asset Management said it expects to raise $150 billion this year, bucking the slowdown in the alternative-asset sector. Most Read from Bloomberg The Canadian firm posted distributable earnings of $527 million in the second quarter, or 32 cents per share, up 3% from last year, according to a statement Wednesday. It made 28 cents a share on a net-income basis. Brookfield said fundraising should accelerate in the second half, allowing it to reach $100 billion in inflows to private funds and $50 billion via its insurance business in 2023. But the firm said little about its efforts to raise cash in its private equity unit, an area of the market thats facing significant headwinds. The firms shares rose 1.3% to $33.43 at 9:50 a.m. in New York. Alternative asset managers that grew rapidly during the cheap-money era are contending with a new environment of higher rates and tighter credit, making leveraged deals more expensive. Added to that, sellers and buyers are often far apart on valuations for private assets. Still, the Brookfield group sees the current market as rich with opportunity. It emerged as the worlds most acquisitive investment firm in the first half of the year, announcing about $50 billion of purchases. Last quarter, Brookfields renewable power unit agreed to buy a big portfolio of wind and solar farms from Duke Energy Corp. for $2.8 billion, while its infrastructure arm purchased Triton International Ltd., the worlds largest owner of intermodal shipping containers, for $13.3 billion including debt. Brookfields energy transition fund also backstopped a $12 billion deal for Australian utility Origin Energy Ltd. Story continues The firm ended June with $440 billion of fee-bearing assets, up 2% from March. It has a goal of getting that number to $1 trillion by 2027. One-fourth of that comes from affiliates, including Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, Brookfield Renewable Partners, Brookfield Business Partners and its insurance business. Brookfield Asset, which manages around $850 billion of assets including its parent companys capital, partnered with Sequoia Heritage to form a new asset management unit focused on secondary and structured capital solutions in the technology and venture capital space, according to a letter to shareholders from Chief Executive Officer Bruce Flatt and President Connor Teskey. The new business, called Pinegrove Capital, will raise an inaugural fund in the first half of next year, they said. Brookfield and Sequoia will collectively invest $500 million. Toronto-based Brookfield said it has closed on $27 billion for its flagship infrastructure fund, the largest such fund ever raised. Overall, the firm raised $17 billion in the second quarter, higher than the first quarters $13 billion. Brookfield is increasingly relying on cash-rich investors in the Middle East and Asia to fill the gap left by institutional investors in North America, many of whom are overallocated to private assets. The firm completed $15 billion of asset sales during the first half of the year mostly within the infrastructure and real estate businesses. Brookfield Asset Management manages money on behalf of pensions, sovereign wealth funds and other investors, as well as some of Brookfield Corp.s own capital. In December, the parent separated the asset management arm by creating a new public company, Brookfield Asset Management Ltd., to hold 25% of the business in the belief it could lead to a higher valuation. Brookfield Corp. owns the other 75%. Brookfield Asset shares are up 15% this year through Tuesdays market close, better than Carlyle Group Inc. but underperforming Blackstone Inc. and KKR & Co. (Add details about fee-bearing capital and asset sales in seventh and 12th paragraphs.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. MAIDENCREEK TWP., Pa. During the continuation of an ongoing conditional use hearing in Maidencreek Township, the attorney for the applicant Maidencreek Associates, L.P., Plymouth Meeting, recalled a previous witness to offer new testimony on the topic of a traffic impact study. Maidencreek Associates, L.P., Plymouth Meeting, is seeking a conditional use to allow the construction of a 930,000 square-foot building for wholesale business, storage and warehousing at Route 222 and Evansville Road. Within the C-2 regional commercial zoning district, the use is permitted by conditional-use approval from the township supervisors. The applicant needs to demonstrate that qualifications are being met to receive conditional use. The facility is being proposed on an 80.76-acre tract on Route 222 near the Schaeffer Road roundabout. On Tuesday night, Greg Adelman, an attorney for the applicant, recalled Christopher Williams, a traffic engineer to explain a change affecting the roundabout at Schaeffer Road and Route 222. In a previous traffic study, two exit lanes from the proposed warehouse were designed to enter the roundabout. But a new traffic impact study proposes only one exit lane, which is now being mandated by PennDOT. We analyzed both of those alternatives and the results of the analysis revealed that the proposed access at the Schaeffer Road roundabout operates very well with acceptable levels of service under both alternatives, and therefore the applicant is now proposing, and PennDOT is now requiring modifications to the main access to provide only a single exit lane, exiting the site and entering into the roundabouts, Williams said. However, the additional space that would have previously occupied the second exit lane will remain clear and free of obstruction so that the access could be modified to provide two exit lanes if ever determined necessary in the future. Williams explained that following a new traffic study, PennDOT determined that it would require only one lane to eliminate the possibility of illegal left turns entering the site. The June 8th PennDOT Review Letter approves the Transportation Impact Study with the access modifications that I've discussed this evening, Williams said. Supervisors and some residents had concerns about more than one truck entering the roundabout at one time and ultimately backing up traffic on Route 222. Officials for the developer said such a scenario would not occur. The public hearings will continue into the next several months, as the applicant has not yet completed presenting all witnesses. About 20 residents have signed on as parties to the proceedings, meaning each one will have the opportunity to present their own cases with their own witnesses. The next three hearings have been scheduled on August 24, September 5 and September 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the township municipal office. READING, Pa. - Fixing walkways and walls at the Pagoda comes with a $7.55 million price tag, according to an engineering firm that examined it. "The Pagoda is an icon not only for the city, but for the county, for Pennsylvania, and it's on the National Historic Registry," said Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz A report was just presented to city officials, including city councilwoman and president of the Foundation for the Reading Pagoda, Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz. "Being around the property, we're aware of the problems, so it wasn't a surprise to us," said Goodman-Hinnershitz. Goodman-Hinnershitz said now she thinks the question is how will the repairs be financed? "We need to look at the partners, not only through government, which there most likely will be grants available. We need to look at private donors," Goodman-Hinnershitz said. According to the engineer who presented the findings, walls, stairs, terraces, and walkways range in damage from moderate to severe. He said railings and stone steps would need to be replaced. The engineer said the project would be completed in the summer of 2025, if the project is placed for bid this fall. These latest findings come after City Council received information that $2.87 million would be needed to repair the building itself. "No city has this type of structure. It's unique in the world, it's the only Pagoda that has a chimney," said Goodman-Hinnershitz. Goodman-Hinnershitz said roads around the Pagoda would need to be closed during the repair process. She also told 69 News she wants people to know that the Pagoda itself is a safe building and it is not in danger. BETHLEHEM, Pa. Monday night's storm damaged several businesses throughout the Lehigh Valley, tearing off roofs and knocking down trees, but at Seven Sirens Brewing Company in Bethlehem, the damage isn't to its building, it's to its product. The company still has no electricity. "It's happened before, but not for this long," said owner Jordan Serulneck. Serulneck said, without power, the beer in the brewery's eight fermenters is getting warmer. "We make all of the product that we sell here in-house, so we've got a bunch of fermenters that are, have tons of product in it that we're concerned about losing," said Serulneck. That's not just a concern for people visiting the tasting room. It could affect customers all across the Lehigh Valley. "All of the beer that we have brewed and waiting to be packaged, we already have plans for, with off-site festivals and different events that we have going on," said Serulneck. "So we're going to have to, if it was to be lost, we would have to come up with more product in a short amount of time." The beer has been unrefrigerated since about 7:30 p.m. Monday, and PPL estimates power won't be restored until 3 p.m. Wednesday. Serulneck said, at this point, a generator wouldn't work. "To have that hard-wired in in the middle of a power outage just isn't an option, with permits and planning and finding," Serulneck said, "it's just not feasible right now, so we're going to wait until the power comes back on and plan for it in the future." Serulneck said the beer is still good for now, and all he can do is wait and hope for the lights to come on. "We've been through a lot of stuff already, and we've become pretty resilient," Serulneck said. "We're just going to keep pushing through." ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Chainsaws, blue tarps, insurance agents, and tree companies now cover the Midway Manor neighborhood. "That's my front porch, right here," said Robin Belles of her now-destroyed front porch sitting in her neighbor's backyard. This after her East Allentown home was hit by a tornado Monday night. Her roof was ripped up and her fence was destroyed. She is one of a handful of Midway Manor neighborhood residents still without power, as well as an unsafe structure sign on her door. "They are explaining it's for the outside, my inside is fine," she said. Despite the debris, progress is being made, as a giant backyard tree, seen toppled Tuesday, is a stump Wednesday. "I pray to get electricity today," said Paul Espino. Making it easier for Espino to clear his yard. It's now a full-time job for the 67-year-old retiree. "What's it like?" "Well thankfully I have a generator. It saved my food. Everyone over there lost their food," he said. While the tornado turned many lives upside down, destruction is a business boon. Tighe Nostrand's Friendly Tree Service has gotten 25 calls from the neighborhood, one cleaning up a battered Magnola, that may have lost a limb, but not its home, as a bird house still swings from an unaffected branch. "In this neighborhood you can almost see straight across. Draw a line across the neighborhood and see where it went," he said. The Pennsylvania Department of Emergency Services tells me the damage assessment is ongoing and it's too early to tell if state or federal funding will be available to homeowners. They advise homeowners to take a lot of pictures, and damage can be reported to municipal emergency management agencies. A proposal for a convenience store on Freemansburg Avenue will be reviewed again by Bethlehem Township's Zoning Hearing Board on Aug. 30. The board discussed the idea at a June meeting but made no decision pending the submission of more details. KGN Tobacco Corp. seeks to convert the former Heights Community Federal Credit Union building at 3530 Freemansburg Ave. into a convenience store that would be open "between the hours of 6 a.m. and midnight." The site is across Freemansburg Avenue from Geakers Tacos and about three blocks west from the Heights Market and Friendly Food Mart. KGN's application says no structural changes will be made to the building and the business will not add more stormwater runoff, an issue often raised by Bethlehem Township residents. The plan is for a "low-impact and unobtrusive neighborhood convenience store selling household goods within walking distance of residential neighborhoods," according to KGN. The store will not need additional parking, KGN said. The building covers 2,033 square feet. At the June 28 meeting, Allentown attorney Samuel Cohen represented neighbors opposed to the store. He cited effects on "the character of the neighborhood," including traffic patterns, deliveries, and parking. "There is sufficient off-street parking available such that Applicant's customers will not need to park on-street in surrounding residential neighborhoods," KGN said in its application. Freemansburg Avenue is one of the township's "principal arterial roads," according to KGN. That road may become a lot more busy. Less than a mile west of the proposed convenience store, developer Trammell Crow has proposed an 866,350-square-foot warehouse at 1600 Freemansburg Ave. That proposal is for land split by the Bethlehem Township/Freemansburg border. The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission estimated that the warehouse would generate 1,481 daily vehicle trips, 520 of them by trucks. Most of them would head east on Freemansburg Avenue to Route 33. "Freemansburg Avenue heading to Route 33 is already a nightmare," LVPC Commissioner John Gallagher said at a July 27 meeting about the warehouse proposal. Gallagher is also a member of Bethlehem Township's Board of Commissioners. The Bethlehem Township Zoning Hearing Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30 at the 4225 Easton Ave. municipal building. The meeting will also be streamed on the Internet. The agenda and details of the KGN plan are available on the township website. Agendas are subject to change. HANOVER TWP., Pa. By a unanimous vote Tuesday night, the Hanover Township Planning Commission in Northampton County recommended a zoning text amendment allowing a proposed Majestic Realty development to proceed to the board of supervisors. The development, known as the Majestic Hanover Flex Center (MHFC), calls for the construction of 10 multi-use buildings at 4300 Airport Road. The site sits near Lehigh Valley International Airport and is owned by the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, from which Majestic would lease the land. Representing the developer, Joe Uliana of J.M. Uliana & Associates and Majestic real estate broker Ed Konjoyan sought an amendment to Article VIII, Section 185-38 of the Hanover Township zoning ordinance to allow changes within the townships Aircraft Flight Path Highway Business District (AFPHBD). According to Uliana, the changes were necessary because the AFPHBDs proximity to Lehigh Valley International Airport makes the proposed buildings subject to federal aviation restrictions. Despite this, Uliana said the developments location makes it economically viable, given the recent rise in investments in the airport. We think theres going to be a lot of airport-related uses, Uliana said. Those airport-related uses could be part-manufacturing, part-storage, part-inventory... things like that. As he did at the July 25 board of supervisors meeting, Uliana explained that the proposal was redesigned to minimize its impact on nearby residents since it was first presented to the township in January 2022. Among the changes were designing truck loading docks to face inward away from a residential neighborhood, increasing setbacks to residential areas to 300 feet for property lines and 500 feet for dock doors, and directing truck traffic to Airport Road instead of Orchard Lane. Uliana also noted that certain uses that generate excessive tractor-trailer traffic such as truck washing and cold storage facilities would be prohibited for the site. Planning chairman Dale Traupman repeatedly noted that the planning commission was an advisory board that lacked the Hanover Township Board of Supervisors power to make final decisions about the proposed development. Still, Traupman said Majestics proposal was less detrimental to the township than other developments that could be proposed for the site. This [proposal] actually reduces the potential of what could be built here, Traupman said. Some residents expressed concerns about matters such as stormwater management, noise and lighting impacts, and the proposed uses for specific buildings. One resident expressed his concern about Majestics proposed conditional use change, which could eventually allow storage and warehouse facilities to occupy the entire square footage of some buildings at the site. Currently, the use is limited to 25% of a buildings square footage, and 50% if a developer obtains conditional use approval. The planners also voted unanimously to recommend a text amendment to Article III, Section 185-22(e) of the Hanover Township zoning ordinance. According to Hanover Township engineer James Milot, this would require Majestic to submit a traffic impact study in accordance with state and township standards. The overall essence of the traffic study remains the same, Milot said. It has the same consistency that weve seen for any project in the township. The MHFC project now heads back to the Hanover Township Board of Supervisors. The townships planning commission will meet again on Tuesday, Sept. 11. ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Five people were charged Wednesday after a search warrant turned up multiple firearms, drugs, and cash in Allentown, according to a news release from city police. Detectives from the Vice & Intelligence Unit executed a search warrant in the 500 block of North Lumber Street, police said. During the execution of the search warrant a shotgun, handgun with obliterated serial number, ammunition, cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and U.S. currency were recovered, according to police. Five people were arrested and charged. Adam C. Artjuch, Jr., 17, who's being charged as an adult, had a warrant served for an attempted homicide charge related to a shooting incident in Allentown on July 4, according to Allentown Police. Maritza Bermudez, 18, is charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine, conspiracy to deliver cocaine, possession of instruments of crime, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Izayah Diaz Vincent, 19, faces charges of possession with intent to deliver cocaine, conspiracy to deliver cocaine, possession of instruments of crime, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Cristina Lugo, 37, is accused of possession with intent to deliver marijuana, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. A 16-year-old boy is charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine, possession of firearm by minor, possession of firearm with an altered serial number, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia. POTTSVILLE, Pa. - A Pottsville man is in custody following a standoff where police say he threatened to set off a grenade. Law enforcement officials, serving a bench warrant, initially arrived at a home in the 1800 block of W. Norwegian Street around 10 a.m. Monday to take 57-year-old John Liptok, Sr. into custody. Police say he did not answer the door. 0:27 Heavy law enforcement presence seen in Pottsville neighborhood Officials confirmed Pottsville police were called to the 1800 block of West Norwegian Street. Authorities say Liptok made a phone call to the Schuylkill County Courthouse judge's chamber around 2:30 p.m. allegedly stating that he was not coming in for sentencing and "was willing to die for his rights." Around 3:30 p.m., police again attempted to contact Liptok at this home and again the suspect didn't answer. Shortly after 4 p.m., police allege that Liptok came out of the side door of his home and began to speak with the officers who were present. According to police on the scene, Liptok appeared to be holding a dark in color hand grenade. According to police, Liptok said: "You know that this is. If you come in my house, it's going to go off." Investigators say the suspect then appeared to pull the pin on the grenade and walk back inside the home. Liptok then contacted police via a cell phone stating that he was sending his son out of the house and had already pulled the pin on the grenade and was preparing to turn the gas on inside the residence. Pottsville Police, the FBI, the PA State Police SERT team, Pottsville Fire Department and Pottsville EMS all were summoned to the scene. Authorities say after a search of the home and a neighboring residence, it was determined that Liptok had left the home. Liptok was taken into custody early Wednesday morning by Pottsville Police on Hillside Road near Calvary Cemetery. He's charged with weapons of mass destruction, bomb threats and terroristic threats. The investigation is ongoing. BELEN, N.M. (AP) President Joe Biden said Wednesday that hes open to granting assistance for people sickened by exposure to radiation during nuclear weapons testing, including in New Mexico, where the worlds first atomic bomb was tested in 1945. Biden brought up the issue while speaking Wednesday in Belen at a factory that produces wind towers. Im prepared to help in terms of making sure that those folks are taken care of, he said. The state's place in American history as a testing ground has gotten more attention recently with the release of Oppenheimer, a movie about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and the top-secret Manhattan Project. Biden watched the film last week while on vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico spoke of how the first bomb was tested on soil just south of where the event was. The senator also discussed getting an amendment into the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which gives payments to people who become ill from nuclear weapons tests or uranium mining during the Cold War. And those families did not get the help that they deserved. They were left out of the original legislation, Lujan added. Were fighting with everything that we have to keep the amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act. Last month, the U.S. Senate voted to expand compensation. The provisions would extend health care coverage and compensation to so-called downwinders exposed to radiation during weapons testing to several new regions stretching from New Mexico to Guam. Biden said he told Lujan that hes prepared to help in terms of making sure that those folks are taken care of. It's back to school in just a few weeks, and some students in Reading will be able to start the school year with new backpacks and supplies. It's all thanks to a company based in Lancaster County. Henry Schein Inc. makes dental and medical equipment, and employees at the Denver-based distribution center have been packing up backpacks and school supplies for kids in Reading every year for 15 years. The company started when Henry Schein opened a small pharmacy in Queens back in 1932. It's a global company now, and the local distribution center recently donated 340 backpacks filled with school supplies, books and hygiene products to kids through the Children's Home of Reading. The volunteers pack the bags during their work day and say they hope the backpacks help make the first day of school enjoyable and stress-free for the students. As a whole, the company has been doing a back-to-school donation for 26 years and has donated supplies to more than 65,000 kids around the world. Students in Reading head back to school on Monday, August 28. Bud Light may never recover from the ongoing controversy surrounding the brand, according to an anonymous beer distributor who spoke to the New York Post on July 31. Many more Anheuser-Busch InBev distributors have resigned themselves to their painful Bud Light losses and have given up on luring customers back following the controversial ad campaign. During the past few months, the company experienced hiring freezes and mass layoffs. Beer truck drivers face heckling and harassment. The revelation of Bud Light's partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April resulted in a nearly 30% drop in sales compared to the previous year. With continuous setbacks, a Texas-based distributor argued that numerous consumers may never return to Bud Light. The executive stated that consumers have made their choice and are unlikely to come back, as they have switched to similar products from other brands like Coors Light and Miller Lite, attributing the decision to marketing strategies. Don't Miss: Various executives expressed similar concerns about Bud Light's recovery prospects and criticized the company's marketing "mistake" that alienated its customer base. There is a growing belief that the decline in Bud Light's sales may persist, causing distributors to worry about losing customers to rival brands. In the wake of Bud Light's decline, Modelo Especial has taken over as the top-selling beer in the country for two consecutive months. This marks the first time since 2001 that Bud Light has not held the top spot, with executives predicting this trend to continue through August. Story continues Parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev stated that sales to U.S. retailers declined by 14%, primarily because of a drop in Bud Light's volume, underperforming the broader beer industry. To stay updated with top startup news & investments, sign up for Benzinga's Startup Investing & Equity Crowdfunding Newsletter North American revenue also suffered a decline of about $400 million during the period compared to the same time last year. To mitigate the brand damage, the company has offered financial support to its wholesalers from June through December. Although its share of the U.S. beer market fell during the second quarter, the company reported some stabilization between late April and June. AB InBev aims to rebuild the brand and win back consumers, as mentioned during a Wall Street analyst call discussing second-quarter results. During the call, CEO Michel Doukeris acknowledged that the controversy had struck a nerve with customers. "People, basically, they want to enjoy their beer without the debate," he said. Along with plummeting sales and a declining market value, the company could also face some legal ramifications. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested the state could take legal action against Anheuser-Busch over the tie-in with Mulvaney, indicating that the controversy had hurt the value of its holdings. 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 Bud Light May Never Recover From The Controversy That Cost $400 Million In Lost US Sales 'They Want To Enjoy Their Beer Without A Debate,' Anheuser-Busch CEO Says originally appeared on Benzinga.com . 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) A dam in southern Norway partially burst Wednesday following days of heavy rain that triggered landslides and flooding in the mountainous region and forced downstream communities to evacuate, officials said. Authorities initially considered blowing up part of the dam at the Braskereidfoss hydroelectric power plant on the Glama, Norways longest and most voluminous river. The idea was to prevent communities downstream from being inundated by using a limited, controlled blast to release pressure on the dam. But that proposal was scrapped after water later broke through the structure, police spokesman Fredrik Thomson told reporters. The damage from a possible explosion of the concrete plant would be so great that it would serve no purpose, Thompson said. Now officials are hopeful that they will see a gradual, even leveling of the water, Thompson said. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre warned that flooding would continue to be a threat as excess water flows downstream. This is by no means over, he said. It could be the highest water level in 50 years or more." The dams generators stopped working early Wednesday after a power grid failure, plant operator Hafslund Eco said in a statement. An automatic system that should have opened the floodgates to release water failed. Rapidly rising water then spilled over the dam and into the power station itself, which caused major damage, officials said. Huge volumes of water were pouring over the western parts of the dam, Thomson said. The water ripped apart a two-lane road and fences that ran across the top of the dam. Per Storm-Mathisen, a spokesman for the power station operator, told the Norwegian news agency NTB that the water diversion seemed to be going well. At least 1,000 people live in communities close to the river in the area, and authorities said that all were evacuated before the dam began to fail. In other developments Wednesday, a Norwegian woman in her 70s died after falling into a stream the day before. She managed to crawl up onto the bank, but because of the floods, it took rescue teams several hours to bring her to a hospital, police said. More than 600 people were evacuated in a region north of Oslo, and police in southern Norway reported that the situation there was unclear and chaotic. All main roads between Oslo and Trondheim, Norways third-largest city, were closed, according to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. We are in a crisis situation of national dimensions, Innlandet County Mayor Aud Hove said. People are isolated in several local communities, and the emergency services risk not being able to reach people who need help. The weather system known as Storm Hans has battered parts of Scandinavia and the Baltics for several days, causing rivers to overflow, damaging roads and knocking down branches that injured people. Scientists have not done the intricate data analysis needed to see how much, if any, human-caused climate change played a role in the flooding. But they have long warned that, as the world warms, extreme storms will produce larger amounts of rain in bigger bursts. One major reason is that the warmer the air is, the more water it can hold. Also, many scientists say changes in the jet stream the atmospheric currents that propel weather systems often lead to storms stalling over places and dumping more rain. Those changes could be connected to climate change. Two hydrologists said the conflict between old dams and heavier amounts of rain is becoming a more frequent problem. University of Virginia hydrologist Venkat Lakshmi said his research shows that older dams are unprepared to handle rainfall that comes in heavier, harder-to-manage bursts. Many of those dams were designed to withstand floods that were supposed to happen only once a century, but those events are now happening much more often, he said. This type of conflict between climate and our hydrological infrastructure, such as dams, is going to become more common, said UCLA hydrologist Park Williams. As rainfall intensifies, reservoirs and dams "will be increasingly out of tune with the changing climate. Meanwhile, the flooding in southern Norway and central Sweden carried away sheds, small houses and mobile homes. Norwegian meteorologists predicted that up to 30 millimeters (1.2 inches) of additional rain could fall by Wednesday evening, saying the quantities are not extreme, but given the conditions in the area, the consequences may be. In neighboring Swedens second-largest city, Goteborg, large parts of the harbor were under water. Weather agencies for both countries issued urgent warnings. Erik Hojgard-Olsen, a meteorologist with the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, told the Aftonbladet newspaper that the weather was unusual for this time of year. "It is exceptional to have such a low pressure (system) as Hans, which has brought so much rain for several days in a row, he said. Especially for being a summer month, it has lasted a long time. The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate said record high flood levels were recorded in several places in the Drammensvassdraget, a drainage basin west of Oslo, the capital. Erik Holmqvist, a senior engineer at the agency, said four lakes. including the Randsfjorden, the fourth-largest in Norway, were particularly vulnerable to flooding. We have to go all the way back to 1910 to get the same forecasts for the Randsfjorden, Holmqvist told the VG newspaper. Associated Press Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report. JACKSON, Miss. (AP) Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann defeated state Sen. Chris McDaniel in the states bitter Republican primary for lieutenant governor Tuesday, staving off a primary challenge for one of the most powerful positions in Mississippi government. The results are the culmination of a contest that divided conservatives and turned increasingly nasty in its final weeks. Hosemann, 76, is seeking a second term as lieutenant governor after serving three terms as secretary of state. He called McDaniel a pathological liar during the campaign and decried the coarse tone of the race in a victory speech Tuesday. There are people on the internet that really are gutless. And what they do is spew venom for just people they dont even know," Hosemann said. "And to those people I would ask you: When you wake up in the morning and you look in the mirror, what have you done positive for Mississippi? And I think the answer is nothing. McDaniels loss was his third unsuccessful campaign for higher office after two failed bids for U.S. Senate in the past decade. The four-term state legislator of Ellisville hammered Hosemann throughout the campaign cycle for, in his view, being insufficiently conservative. In a speech, McDaniel said it was a tough night and that he'd keep fighting for his principles out of office. He later conceded the race to Hosemann in a written statement. "Not for a moment was I built to compromise. Not for a moment was I built to reach across the aisle," McDaniel said. I was able to deliver a contrast between what we believe and what the moderates or what the establishment believes. Now the people tonight have rejected that. On the campaign trail, Hosemann touted a teacher pay raise, millions in new funding for public education, and a budget surplus. McDaniel said the incumbent appointed too many Democrats to committees chairmanships in the state Senate. The candidates also brawled over their commitment to restricting abortion rights. In the November general election, Hosemann will face business consult D. Ryan Grover, who ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination. The winner will preside over the 52-member Mississippi Senate, appointing senators to committees and naming the committee leaders. Educator Tiffany Longino, who ran a low-budget campaign for the Republican nomination, finished a distant third. The Republican primary for lieutenant governor was one of several races to watch in Mississippi's party primaries. Republicans currently hold all eight statewide offices and a majority in the state House and Senate. Primary runoffs are Aug. 29. The general election is Nov. 7, with runoffs Nov. 28. Here are the results of other statewide contests: ATTORNEY GENERAL Republican incumbent Lynn Fitch and Democratic challenger Greta Kemp Martin won their party primaries after running unopposed. Fitch was first elected attorney general in 2019 after two terms as state treasurer. Under Fitch, the state attorney general's office argued the case that the U.S. Supreme Court used in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion rights nationwide. Kemp Martin is an attorney for Disability Rights Mississippi. She says Fitch was wrong to push the case that overturned Roe v. Wade, and women are worse off because Mississippi and some other states have restricted women's access to healthcare. SECRETARY OF STATE Republican incumbent Michael Watson and Democratic challenger Shuwaski Young won their party primaries after running unopposed. Watson was elected secretary of state in 2019 after three terms in the state Senate. He says his office is working to build confidence in Mississippis election process. That has included backing a law to strengthen proof of citizenship requirements for voting and shoring up paper trails for voting machines. If re-elected, Watson says he will conduct post-election audits in all 82 counties. Young worked in the Department of Homeland Security during Barack Obamas presidency and in the Secretary of States Office under Democrat Eric Clark and Republican Delbert Hosemann. Young launched his campaign for secretary of state after running unsuccessfully for Mississippis 3rd District congressional seat in 2022. Young wants to expand early voting and allow online voter registration. He also pledged to work with Republicans to monitor the states voter rolls. TREASURER Republican incumbent David McRae and Democratic challenger Addie Green won their party primaries after running unopposed. McRae was first elected treasurer in 2019 after running unsuccessfully for the office in 2015. He says he opposes screening investments based on corporations' environmental, social and governance strategies. Green is a former Bolton alderwoman and has run unsuccessfully for other offices, including treasurer in 2019 and state agriculture commissioner in 2015. She says Mississippi should set a $15-an-hour minimum wage, up from the $7.25 federal minimum. AUDITOR Republican incumbent Shad White and Democratic challenger Larry Bradford won their party primaries after running unopposed. White was appointed by then-Gov. Phil Bryant in 2018 and was elected to a full term in 2019. White's office investigated the misspending of $77 million of federal welfare funds that were diverted to allies of Bryant. The Republican former governor has not been charged with a crime. Bradford, a former mayor of Anguilla, says he would focus on protecting public money and would not get distracted by hot-button social issues. He criticizes White for attacking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives at public universities. INSURANCE COMMISSIONER Incumbent Mike Chaney has defeated Mitch Young in the Republican primary. In the general election, he will face Bruce Burton, who won the Democratic primary after running unopposed. Chaney was elected insurance commissioner in 2007 after serving in the state House and Senate. He says he has focused on making insurance more affordable, and he has touted efforts to investigate complaints and help residents recover from natural disasters. Young, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2015, served in the U.S. Navy from 1979 to 1999. He said Mississippi's insurance industry needs to be better regulated. Burton is a Belzoni-based attorney. He has run unsuccessfully for other offices, most recently in 2022 for a judgeship on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER Republican Andy Gipson, a former state representative who has been agriculture commissioner since 2018, won the Republican primary after running unopposed. Former Gov. Phil Bryant first appointed him to the vacant job. Gipson was then elected agriculture commissioner in 2019. Democrats have a three-person primary in the agriculture commissioners race that was too early to call Tuesday. The three candidates seeking the Democratic nomination: Robert Brad Bradford, Bethany Hill and Terry Rogers. Bradford is the emergency manager director in Adams County. Hes a military veteran and a fourth-generation farmer from the Mississippi Delta. Hill grew up on a farm in north Mississippi, and she publicly supported the effort to legalize medical marijuana in the state. Rogers, 19, is the youngest candidate in the race. He says he supports having a Future Farmers of America chapter in each high school to encourage young people to consider agriculture jobs. Key Insights Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, China Aviation Oil (Singapore) fair value estimate is S$0.96 China Aviation Oil (Singapore)'s S$0.94 share price indicates it is trading at similar levels as its fair value estimate When compared to theindustry average discount to fair value of 48%, China Aviation Oil (Singapore)'s competitors seem to be trading at a greater discount Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corporation Ltd (SGX:G92) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example! We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model. See our latest analysis for China Aviation Oil (Singapore) What's The Estimated Valuation? We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Story continues A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$169.6m US$95.5m US$61.7m US$46.7m US$39.1m US$34.8m US$32.4m US$31.0m US$30.2m US$29.9m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ -35.44% Est @ -24.22% Est @ -16.36% Est @ -10.87% Est @ -7.02% Est @ -4.33% Est @ -2.44% Est @ -1.12% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 8.8% US$156 US$80.6 US$47.8 US$33.3 US$25.6 US$21.0 US$17.9 US$15.7 US$14.1 US$12.8 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$425m The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.0%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 8.8%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033 (1 + g) (r g) = US$30m (1 + 2.0%) (8.8% 2.0%) = US$443m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$443m ( 1 + 8.8%)10= US$190m The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$615m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of S$0.9, the company appears about fair value at a 1.9% 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. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at China Aviation Oil (Singapore) as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.8%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.157. 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 China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Strength Currently debt free. Weakness Earnings declined over the past year. Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Oil and Gas market. Opportunity Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Singaporean market. Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value. Threat Paying a dividend but company has no free cash flows. Next Steps: Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For China Aviation Oil (Singapore), we've compiled three further factors you should further research: Risks: To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with China Aviation Oil (Singapore) . Future Earnings: How does G92's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the SGX every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Ambac Financial Group (NYSE:AMBC Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Compass Point from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report released on Tuesday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Separately, StockNews.com cut Ambac Financial Group from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Get Ambac Financial Group alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on Ambac Financial Group Ambac Financial Group Stock Down 5.9 % Shares of NYSE:AMBC traded down $0.83 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $13.33. The stock had a trading volume of 939,234 shares, compared to its average volume of 433,218. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.72. The company has a market capitalization of $604.12 million, a P/E ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.13. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $14.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.91. Ambac Financial Group has a one year low of $12.01 and a one year high of $17.75. Ambac Financial Group (NYSE:AMBC Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 8th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $62.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.80 million. Ambac Financial Group had a net margin of 109.98% and a return on equity of 46.53%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Ambac Financial Group will post -0.4 EPS for the current fiscal year. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ambac Financial Group Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in Ambac Financial Group by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 109,500 shares of the companys stock worth $1,139,000 after buying an additional 8,500 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ambac Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at $203,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of Ambac Financial Group by 79.5% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 112,716 shares of the companys stock worth $1,077,000 after acquiring an additional 49,933 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ambac Financial Group by 55.4% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 24,566 shares of the companys stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 8,759 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its position in Ambac Financial Group by 14.1% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 39,919 shares of the companys stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 4,922 shares during the period. 85.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Ambac Financial Group (Get Free Report) Ambac Financial Group, Inc operates as a financial services holding company. It operates three businesses: Specialty Property and Casualty Insurance, Insurance Distribution, and Legacy Financial Guarantee (LFG) Insurance. The Specialty Property and Casualty Insurance business provides specialty property and casualty program insurance with a focus commercial and personal liability risks. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Ambac Financial Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ambac Financial Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Editors note: This story has been updated to correct a comment from Dr. Richard Lange. The Fox donation did not help secure the state Legislatures funding for the planned El Paso cancer center, he said. El Paso car dealer Steve Fox said he negotiated the deal of his life more than 20 years ago when he was diagnosed with advanced tongue and neck cancer. "Being a (car) salesman, I thought I'm going to make a deal with God. So, I made a promise that if God allowed me to survive, I would spend the rest of my life helping those who followed me (with cancer)," Fox, 70, owner and chief executive officer of the Fox Toyota, Lexus, and Acura auto dealerships in El Paso, said in an interview. He's making a big payment on that promise with a $25 million donation from him, his wife, Nancy, and their two daughters to Texas Tech University, to help staff a planned El Paso cancer treatment center. The facility, to be named the Steve and Nancy Fox Cancer Center, is to be built with $65 million recently allotted by the Texas Legislature to the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. El Paso auto dealer Steve Fox and his family presented a gift of $25M to the Texas Tech University Health Services Center El Paso for a new cancer center in El Paso on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, at the Texas Tech campus in El Paso. The donation was announced Tuesday during a festive ceremony attended by more than 200 people, including many of El Paso's top business, government, and health care leaders, in the auditorium of a new classroom building on the Texas Tech El Paso campus in South Central El Paso. Cancer donation 'transformative' "This (donation) will transform cancer care, treatment and research here and across the border," Dr. Richard Lange, president of the Texas Tech El Paso campus, said at the ceremony. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. Hispanic population, Texas Tech officials said. And, Lange said, cancer was the leading cause of death in El Paso County in 2020. Having a comprehensive cancer treatment center in El Paso will provide care not now available here, and allow for better patient outcomes, Lange said. It also will allow more El Paso-area residents to remain home instead of having to leave town for many types of cancer treatments, Lange said. Story continues Dr. Richard Lange, president of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, speaks before El Paso auto dealer Steve Fox and his family presented a gift of $25M to the Texas Tech University Health Services Center El Paso for a new cancer center in El Paso on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, at the Texas Tech campus in El Paso. Travel complicates cancer treatment Fox received radiation and other treatments for several years at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, one of the top cancer treatment centers in the country. Having to travel out of town for cancer treatments is physically and mentally taxing and makes the cancer fight more difficult, Fox said. Dr. Tedd Mitchell, chancellor of the Texas Tech system based in Lubbock, said only a tiny percentage of the population can go to MD Anderson. "The vast majority of folks cannot, and it's those folks we have to be the warriors for," Mitchell said at the ceremony. He called Fox and other El Paso leaders warriors who were fighting to improve health care in this region. Fox isn't the only El Paso businessman to donate to Texas Tech El Paso. Billionaire Paul Foster in 2007 donated $50 million to help create the Texas Tech medical school in El Paso; real estate developer Woody Hunt donated $25 million in 2016 for a dental school; and El Paso banker Rick Francis in 2022 gave $10 million to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences on the El Paso campus. El Paso auto dealer Steve Fox, his wife Nancy Fox and their daughters presented a gift of $25M to the Texas Tech University Health Services Center El Paso for a new cancer center in El Paso on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, on the Texas Tech campus in El Paso. Texas legislators get donation promise Fox said he lobbied Texas Tech's Lange for years for a comprehensive cancer center in El Paso. But it wasn't until University Medical Center of El Paso officials failed in 2022 to secure local tax funding for the cancer center that Fox and his wife began talking about making a large donation for that purpose, Fox said. Fox confidentially committed to the $25 million donation several months ago, and that was made known to state legislators. Fox believes that helped get the $65 million state funding approved. However, Lange and state Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-El Paso, disagreed with that assessment. They said the donation did not play a role in the Legislatures approval. Gonzalez has said she pushed hard for the funding. Lange said the cancer center would only be a building without the Fox donation that will be used to bring in doctors and other staff, for clinical trials, and research. The 90,000 square-foot facility is to be built on land on the Texas Tech campus that the school got in a land swap with University Medical Center, Lange said. Construction is projected to begin next summer, and it possibly could open in the next two to three years, Lange said. It will consolidate outpatient services, including cancer imaging, treatment, research and clinical trials in one place, according to Texas Tech information. The Texas Tech mascot Raider Red and the Fox Auto Team mascot welcome guests to the Texas Tech campus in El Paso on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. El Paso auto dealer Steve Fox and his family presented a gift of $25M to the Texas Tech University Health Services Center El Paso for a new cancer center in El Paso. More: University Medical Center of El Paso spending $55M to buy, upgrade surgical hospital Profitable dealerships make gift possible Fox said the large donation was made possible by his 32 years of operating profitable new car dealerships. In 2015, he and his partners, the late Bob Hoy, and his late son Steve Hoy, ended their years-long partnership. Fox formed the Fox Auto Team, which includes the Fox Toyota, Lexus, and Acura dealerships, Bob Hoy died of cancer in 2015. Fox, diagnosed with stage 4 tongue and throat cancer in 2000, was deemed cancer free in 2005. However, there's no guarantee the cancer won't return, he said. "I always felt like I was going to survive. I never gave up. I always believed I would win," Fox said. "That's from my faith in God. When I was diagnosed with cancer, the first thing I did, I thanked my mother for instilling in me (Christian) faith." Vic Kolenc may be reached at 915-546-6421, vkolenc@elpasotimes.com and @vickolenc on Twitter. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso car dealer Steve Fox gives $25M for Texas Tech cancer center Eagle Global Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS Free Report) by 88.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,340 shares of the companys stock after selling 24,413 shares during the period. Eagle Global Advisors LLCs holdings in Novartis were worth $307,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,242 shares of the companys stock valued at $298,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 37,059 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,362,000 after buying an additional 3,523 shares in the last quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 16,553 shares of the companys stock worth $1,523,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp increased its stake in Novartis by 2.7% in the first quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 4,055 shares of the companys stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hall Laurie J Trustee raised its position in Novartis by 6.8% during the first quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee now owns 27,702 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,549,000 after purchasing an additional 1,775 shares in the last quarter. 8.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Novartis alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth NVS has been the subject of several research reports. BTIG Research increased their price objective on shares of Novartis from $75.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. HSBC started coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Friday, July 14th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Novartis in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a strong-buy rating for the company. Two equities 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $82.25. Novartis Stock Performance Shares of NYSE NVS traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $102.67. 798,061 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,039,327. The firm has a market cap of $217.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.64, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $95.24. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $74.09 and a twelve month high of $105.61. Novartis (NYSE:NVS Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 19th. The company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $13.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.32 million. Novartis had a return on equity of 25.12% and a net margin of 14.76%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.56 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 6.92 EPS for the current fiscal year. Novartis Company 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. Featured Articles 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. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lifted its position in BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK Free Report) by 31.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,119 shares of the asset managers stock after acquiring an additional 1,945 shares during the period. BlackRock makes up approximately 1.7% of UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corps holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corps holdings in BlackRock were worth $5,433,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Steward Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in BlackRock by 168.1% during the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 47 shares of the asset managers stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management raised its holdings in BlackRock by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 48 shares of the asset managers stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. 79.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get BlackRock alerts: BlackRock Stock Performance Shares of BLK stock traded down $15.34 on Tuesday, reaching $697.21. The stock had a trading volume of 676,930 shares, compared to its average volume of 657,898. The company has a quick ratio of 4.20, a current ratio of 4.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firms 50-day moving average is $704.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $689.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $104.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.27. BlackRock, Inc. has a 12 month low of $503.12 and a 12 month high of $785.65. BlackRock Dividend Announcement BlackRock ( NYSE:BLK Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 14th. The asset manager reported $9.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.52 by $0.76. The firm had revenue of $4.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.47 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 29.90% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The businesss revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.36 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that BlackRock, Inc. will post 35.16 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 8th will be issued a $5.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 7th. This represents a $20.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. BlackRocks dividend payout ratio is currently 58.41%. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of BlackRock from $928.00 to $921.00 in a research note on Sunday, July 16th. Credit Suisse Group raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $662.00 to $673.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of BlackRock from $583.00 to $542.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $741.00 to $781.00 in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $780.00 to $820.00 in a research note on Monday, July 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $767.69. View Our Latest Report on BLK Insiders Place Their Bets In other BlackRock news, Director Mark Wiedman sold 2,079 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $733.82, for a total transaction of $1,525,611.78. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,520,331.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other BlackRock news, Director Mark Wiedman sold 2,079 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $733.82, for a total transaction of $1,525,611.78. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,520,331.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laurence Fink sold 20,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $742.04, for a total transaction of $14,989,208.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 464,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,399,315. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.06% of the companys stock. BlackRock Company Profile (Free Report) BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BLK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp trimmed its position in shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT Free Report) by 8.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 981 shares of the aerospace companys stock after selling 89 shares during the quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corps holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $464,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,849,054 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $2,821,626,000 after buying an additional 382,510 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,387,684 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $2,132,545,000 after buying an additional 11,855 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 81,305.4% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,907,328 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $927,896,000 after buying an additional 1,904,985 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 886,300 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $431,176,000 after buying an additional 188,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 36.3% in the 1st quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 838,619 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $396,441,000 after purchasing an additional 223,260 shares during the last quarter. 75.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Lockheed Martin alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Lockheed Martin from $480.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Lockheed Martin from $478.00 to $496.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Lockheed Martin from $500.00 to $475.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $433.00 to $440.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group increased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $510.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lockheed Martin currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $499.43. Lockheed Martin Stock Down 0.1 % LMT stock traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $449.47. The company had a trading volume of 788,922 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,240,392. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.36. The company has a market capitalization of $113.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $456.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $465.25. Lockheed Martin Co. has a fifty-two week low of $381.55 and a fifty-two week high of $508.10. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 18th. The aerospace company reported $6.73 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $6.45 by $0.28. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 71.67% and a net margin of 10.48%. The business had revenue of $16.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.32 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be issued a $3.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Lockheed Martins payout ratio is currently 43.88%. Insider Activity In other Lockheed Martin news, Director John Donovan acquired 548 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $457.07 per share, for a total transaction of $250,474.36. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,378 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,543,982.46. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.17% of the companys stock. Lockheed Martin Profile (Free Report) Lockheed Martin Corporation, a security and aerospace company, engages in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of technology systems, products, and services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Lockheed Martin Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lockheed Martin and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy by the eleven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $63.08. AMRC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on Ameresco in a research report on Tuesday, May 2nd. They issued a buy rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Craig Hallum boosted their target price on shares of Ameresco from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, August 1st. VNET Group reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Ameresco in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Ameresco from $59.00 to $53.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Ameresco from $62.00 to $66.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Get Ameresco alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Ameresco Insider Buying and Selling at Ameresco Institutional Trading of Ameresco In related news, CFO Spencer Doran Hole sold 5,000 shares of Ameresco stock in a transaction on Friday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.24, for a total transaction of $231,200.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website . Corporate insiders own 41.75% of the companys stock. Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AMRC. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ameresco by 34.0% in the 1st quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 3,828,840 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $188,456,000 after purchasing an additional 972,065 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ameresco in the 2nd quarter worth about $20,914,000. Granahan Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ameresco by 122.8% in the 1st quarter. Granahan Investment Management LLC now owns 662,286 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $32,598,000 after acquiring an additional 365,008 shares in the last quarter. abrdn plc raised its position in shares of Ameresco by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. abrdn plc now owns 1,190,700 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $58,606,000 after acquiring an additional 195,742 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in shares of Ameresco by 70.2% in the 1st quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 466,111 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $21,117,000 after acquiring an additional 192,195 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.94% of the companys stock. Ameresco Trading Up 0.2 % Shares of AMRC opened at $51.49 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.29. Ameresco has a 1-year low of $39.62 and a 1-year high of $76.54. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $50.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Ameresco (NYSE:AMRC Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.03). Ameresco had a return on equity of 6.59% and a net margin of 3.85%. The firm had revenue of $327.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $290.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.62 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 43.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ameresco will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. About Ameresco (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. See Also 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. Americana Partners LLC cut its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT Free Report) by 23.8% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 5,717 shares of the retailers stock after selling 1,787 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLCs holdings in Walmart were worth $843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 24,855,493 shares of the retailers stock worth $3,516,639,000 after purchasing an additional 313,686 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Walmart by 112,181.6% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,854,919 shares of the retailers stock valued at $3,240,599,000 after acquiring an additional 22,834,564 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Walmart by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,382,688 shares of the retailers stock valued at $3,173,642,000 after acquiring an additional 1,923,199 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,598,736,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 11,685,848 shares of the retailers stock valued at $1,515,655,000 after buying an additional 33,452 shares during the period. 31.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Walmart alerts: Walmart Stock Down 0.3 % NYSE:WMT traded down $0.47 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $160.02. 621,528 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,901,655. The firm has a market cap of $430.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.58, a P/E/G ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.50. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.21 and a twelve month high of $161.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $155.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.97. Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart Walmart ( NYSE:WMT Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 18th. The retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $152.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $147.91 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.30% and a net margin of 1.82%. Walmarts quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 6.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 6,600 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.78, for a total transaction of $975,348.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 159,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,532,487.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 6,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.78, for a total value of $975,348.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 159,240 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $23,532,487.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.58, for a total value of $1,549,202.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,480,924 shares in the company, valued at $236,325,851.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,219,373 shares of company stock worth $1,422,922,576 over the last 90 days. 46.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Walmart from $155.00 to $157.00 in a research note on Friday, May 19th. StockNews.com raised Walmart from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday, June 26th. Gordon Haskett raised Walmart from an accumulate rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Walmart from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on Walmart from $170.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $170.24. Get Our Latest Analysis on Walmart About Walmart (Free Report) Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Walmart Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Walmart and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Americana Partners LLC purchased a new stake in iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF (NYSEARCA:IEUR Free Report) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 92,270 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,833,000. A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV bought a new stake in shares of iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF by 29.7% during the 1st quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 851 shares of the companys stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its stake in iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF by 230.9% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 1,340 shares of the companys stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 935 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&R Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF by 1,369.9% in the 1st quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,220 shares of the companys stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 1,137 shares during the last quarter. Get iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF alerts: iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF Stock Performance NYSEARCA:IEUR traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $52.96. The stock had a trading volume of 390,064 shares, compared to its average volume of 727,883. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $52.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.52. The stock has a market cap of $4.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 0.95. iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF has a twelve month low of $38.54 and a twelve month high of $54.81. About iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF The iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF (IEUR) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI Europe IMI index, a market-cap-weighted index of developed European securities. IEUR was launched on Jun 10, 2014 and is managed by BlackRock. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IEUR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF (NYSEARCA:IEUR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC increased its position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG Free Report) by 33.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,917 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 10,166 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLCs holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF were worth $4,077,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AGG. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 145.5% in the 1st 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 during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 36.2% in the 1st quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 52,003 shares of the companys stock worth $5,570,000 after acquiring an additional 13,829 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $241,000. Finally, West Michigan Advisors LLC raised its holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 14,640 shares of the companys stock worth $1,568,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. 80.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF alerts: iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Price Performance AGG traded up $0.22 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $96.92. 6,867,327 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,185,293. The companys fifty day moving average price is $97.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.53. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF has a 52-week low of $93.20 and a 52-week high of $103.68. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF 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 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. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW Free Report) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 52,183 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 850 shares during the quarter. Snowflake comprises about 0.5% of Brighton Jones LLCs holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Brighton Jones LLCs holdings in Snowflake were worth $8,051,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SNOW. B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Snowflake by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management now owns 7,943 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,140,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in Snowflake by 14.7% in the 1st quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 600 shares of the companys stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank increased its stake in Snowflake by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 34,484 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,950,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Asset Management Advisors LLC increased its stake in Snowflake by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Asset Management Advisors LLC now owns 30,136 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,650,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC increased its stake in Snowflake by 58.8% in the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 270 shares of the companys stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.55% of the companys stock. Get Snowflake alerts: Snowflake Price Performance NYSE:SNOW traded down $10.34 on Tuesday, reaching $156.33. The stock had a trading volume of 11,713,886 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,900,186. The company has a market cap of $50.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -59.08 and a beta of 0.75. The firms fifty day moving average is $175.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $159.96. Snowflake Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.27 and a 12-month high of $205.66. Insider Activity Snowflake ( NYSE:SNOW Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 24th. The company reported ($0.66) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.42) by ($0.24). Snowflake had a negative net margin of 37.78% and a negative return on equity of 14.81%. The company had revenue of $623.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $607.57 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Snowflake Inc. will post -1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. In other news, SVP Christian Kleinerman sold 724 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.31, for a total transaction of $126,200.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 744,204 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $129,722,199.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Christian Kleinerman sold 724 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.31, for a total transaction of $126,200.44. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 744,204 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $129,722,199.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Frank Slootman sold 8,334 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.35, for a total transaction of $1,403,028.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 185,683 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $31,259,733.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 645,395 shares of company stock valued at $114,632,967 in the last 90 days. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. William Blair assumed coverage on shares of Snowflake in a research note on Wednesday, June 28th. They issued an outperform rating on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Snowflake from $190.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Monday, July 17th. JMP Securities dropped their price objective on shares of Snowflake from $215.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 25th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of Snowflake from $180.00 to $216.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Snowflake from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $173.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $191.69. Get Our Latest Report on Snowflake About Snowflake (Free Report) Snowflake Inc provides a cloud-based data platform for various organizations in the United States and internationally. Its platform offers Data Cloud, which enables customers to consolidate data into a single source of truth to drive meaningful business insights, build data-driven applications, and share data and data products. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SNOW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Snowflake Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Snowflake and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, August 7th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be given a dividend of 0.80 per share by the business services provider on Thursday, October 5th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. This is a positive change from Broadridge Financial Solutionss previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. Broadridge Financial Solutions has raised its dividend payment by an average of 10.0% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 15 years. Broadridge Financial Solutions has a payout ratio of 38.5% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Broadridge Financial Solutions to earn $7.52 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.90 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 38.6%. Get Broadridge Financial Solutions alerts: Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Up 1.6 % Shares of BR stock traded up $2.90 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $179.76. 120,866 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 545,124. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04. The stocks 50 day moving average is $162.80 and its 200-day moving average is $151.71. Broadridge Financial Solutions has a fifty-two week low of $131.35 and a fifty-two week high of $183.33. The company has a market cap of $21.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.35 and a beta of 1.02. Insider Buying and Selling Broadridge Financial Solutions ( NYSE:BR Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 8th. The business services provider reported $3.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.11. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a return on equity of 40.29% and a net margin of 9.33%. The company had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.65 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Broadridge Financial Solutions will post 6.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. In other news, VP Laura Matlin sold 4,052 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.73, for a total value of $622,913.96. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,825 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $895,477.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Laura Matlin sold 4,052 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.73, for a total value of $622,913.96. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 5,825 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $895,477.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Leslie A. Brun sold 6,900 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.98, for a total transaction of $1,027,962.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 59,916 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,926,285.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of Broadridge Financial Solutions A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 9,227 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,332,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 11,280 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,652,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 5,530 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $811,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC grew its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 3,100 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $442,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 1,731 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. 89.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts have issued reports on BR shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $169.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Wednesday. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $160.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $166.40. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Broadridge Financial Solutions About Broadridge Financial Solutions (Get Free Report) Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by Royal Bank of Canada from $169.00 to $190.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Royal Bank of Canadas price target points to a potential upside of 6.33% from the stocks previous close. BR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $160.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Broadridge Financial Solutions currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $166.40. Get Broadridge Financial Solutions alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on Broadridge Financial Solutions Broadridge Financial Solutions Price Performance Shares of NYSE BR traded up $1.83 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $178.69. 175,352 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 545,546. Broadridge Financial Solutions has a fifty-two week low of $131.35 and a fifty-two week high of $183.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $21.08 billion, a PE ratio of 38.35 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $151.71. Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 8th. The business services provider reported $3.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 9.33% and a return on equity of 40.29%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Broadridge Financial Solutions will post 6.9 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Transactions at Broadridge Financial Solutions In related news, VP Laura Matlin sold 4,052 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.73, for a total transaction of $622,913.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,825 shares in the company, valued at $895,477.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Laura Matlin sold 4,052 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.73, for a total transaction of $622,913.96. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 5,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $895,477.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Leslie A. Brun sold 6,900 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.98, for a total transaction of $1,027,962.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 59,916 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,926,285.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Broadridge Financial Solutions A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BR. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 15,234 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $2,043,000 after buying an additional 2,554 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 1,665 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Wendell David Associates Inc. increased its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Wendell David Associates Inc. now owns 105,444 shares of the business services providers stock worth $15,455,000 after purchasing an additional 697 shares in the last quarter. ETF Managers Group LLC increased its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 64.5% during the 1st quarter. ETF Managers Group LLC now owns 7,585 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,112,000 after purchasing an additional 2,974 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 234.4% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 51,471 shares of the business services providers stock worth $6,904,000 after purchasing an additional 36,078 shares in the last quarter. 89.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Broadridge Financial Solutions (Get Free Report) Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SrdjanPav / Getty Images Were currently in what Pat Ryan, CEO of car shopping app CoPilot, has called the least affordable car market in modern history. In July 2023, CNBC reported that new cars priced under $30,000 make up 8% of the markets supply. This percentage was 38% pre-pandemic. Edmunds data cited in the piece revealed the average transaction price of new cars was $47,892 in May 2023. Find Out: Dont Buy a Car at a Dealership on This Day of the Week Read More: How To Save $200 on Your Grocery Bill Every Month Despite the increasingly expensive price tags, sales for new cars remain strong. According to The New York Times, General Motors sold 691,978 vehicles from April to June 2023. This is a 19% increase in sales from 2022 with signs indicating the auto industry is back. However, this good news is somewhat at odds with other headlines about the painful expenses of new cars encouraging drivers to hang onto their older models. It all begs the question: If cars are more expensive, why are more people buying new ones? The Car-Buying Market Is Improving Over the past few months, Matt Jones, senior director of brand and industry communications at TrueCar, said there have been improvements in the car-buying market. Jones uses the example of OEM incentives for new vehicles. These incentives have increased 83.6% on a year-over-year basis to $2,038 in June 2023. Compared to March 2023, June incentives are up 32%. Its still lower than pre-pandemic periods, but Jones said buyers may see these incentives as a more welcoming environment for getting a car compared to where things stood last year. More Bang for Your Buck: These 20 Cars Will Last You Twice as Long as the Average Vehicle Many Americans Need Cars Now and Cant Afford To Wait According to Jones, there are two types of car buyers: those who need a car and those who want a car. Generally, those who want a car have both a higher budget and the luxury to wait for better market conditions. The population that needs to own or have access to a car now, Jones said, has to realistically assess their needs versus the market. Story continues Our Hearts (Really) Want New Cars During his years spent on the auto show circuit, Carl Anthony, managing editor at Automoblog, wondered why so many people bought new, expensive cars. Back then, Anthony said new trucks could be priced as high as $65,000 to $70,000 each. When Anthony started selling cars in 2009, he was always surprised at the number of people who originally looked at a base model vehicle and then wanted something more expensive. There are practical reasons why consumers will pay for an expensive, new vehicle over a pre-owned car. Some of these reasons include receiving a full factory warranty, complimentary maintenance, better fuel economy and access to the latest safety technology. Practicality aside, the simplest explanation why people buy new cars is this crazy little emotion called love. Americans love automobiles, especially trucks and SUVs. When our hearts are set on a specific vehicle, were not easily persuaded to settle for anything less. For some people, the vehicles they gravitate to are based on emotion. Our brains tell us a simple and pragmatic vehicle is the right choice, perhaps a lower or mid-range trim level. However, our hearts want the top trim level with that more powerful engine, endless interior amenities and stylish exterior upgrades, said Anthony. Automakers know what people want and they understand how to play into this need. Theyll attach luxury treatments, comfort features and dynamic styling elements to higher trim levels which command a higher premium. Anthony cites the example of manufacturers like Toyota, which has a complete lineup of trucks and SUVs. Some of these vehicles, including the 2024 Tacoma and 2024 Land Cruiser, have been completely redesigned specifically because of the market. If the market werent there, manufacturers like Toyota wouldnt go to great lengths and expend the resources to design, engineer and ultimately market these next-generation trucks and SUVs, said Anthony. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: If Cars Are More Expensive, Why Are More People Buying New Ones? Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of Hold by the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $71.14. A number of equities analysts recently commented on BMY shares. Atlantic Securities dropped their price objective on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $78.00 to $65.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 28th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $87.00 to $79.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Credit Suisse Group cut their target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $72.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Wednesday, June 28th. They issued an outperform rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Get Bristol-Myers Squibb alerts: View Our Latest Stock Report on Bristol-Myers Squibb Bristol-Myers Squibb Price Performance Shares of BMY opened at $60.15 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The company has a market capitalization of $125.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. The businesss 50-day moving average is $63.74 and its 200-day moving average is $67.35. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a fifty-two week low of $59.71 and a fifty-two week 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 (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 50.51%. The company had revenue of $11.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.93 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 7.47 EPS for the current fiscal year. Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 7th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 6th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.79%. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.64%. Insider Buying and Selling In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, EVP Robert M. Plenge sold 732 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.14, for a total value of $44,754.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,584 shares in the company, valued at $402,545.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Bristol-Myers Squibb Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BMY. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the first quarter worth $332,000. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 111.5% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,052 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $150,000 after acquiring an additional 1,082 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 53.2% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 165,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $12,075,000 after acquiring an additional 57,444 shares in the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC bought a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the first quarter worth about $1,997,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 25.1% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 338,563 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $24,725,000 after purchasing an additional 68,018 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.57% of the companys stock. About Bristol-Myers Squibb (Get 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 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. Cambiar Investors LLC boosted its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ Free Report) by 6.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 221,285 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 13,167 shares during the period. Constellation Brands makes up approximately 2.2% of Cambiar Investors LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Cambiar Investors LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Constellation Brands worth $49,986,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 84,839.5% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,742,434 shares of the companys stock worth $867,309,000 after purchasing an additional 3,738,028 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $373,796,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 52.2% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,928,866 shares of the companys stock worth $910,514,000 after purchasing an additional 1,346,846 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 31.3% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,809,273 shares of the companys stock worth $882,799,000 after purchasing an additional 908,486 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 781.8% during the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 507,190 shares of the companys stock worth $114,569,000 after purchasing an additional 449,672 shares in the last quarter. 86.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Constellation Brands alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands In other news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 49,425 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $267.90, for a total value of $13,240,957.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,316 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,495,756.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Garth Hankinson sold 1,550 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.96, for a total value of $415,338.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,543,208.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 49,425 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $267.90, for a total transaction of $13,240,957.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 9,316 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,495,756.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 100,819 shares of company stock valued at $27,054,755. 16.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, July 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $293.00 to $300.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $234.00 to $241.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $273.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, July 3rd. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their price target on Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, July 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $266.24. View Our Latest Analysis on Constellation Brands Constellation Brands Price Performance NYSE STZ traded down $0.44 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $270.55. 670,850 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,253,122. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $253.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $235.18. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $208.12 and a 1 year high of $273.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $49.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -148.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.04. Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 30th. The company reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.66 EPS. Constellation Brandss revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 11.62 EPS for the current fiscal year. Constellation Brands Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 9th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. Constellation Brandss payout ratio is -194.54%. About Constellation Brands (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. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding STZ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ Free Report). 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. Central Japan Railway (OTCMKTS:CJPRY Get Free Report)s share price passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $12.45 and traded as low as $12.30. Central Japan Railway shares last traded at $12.33, with a volume of 73,202 shares. Central Japan Railway Stock Performance The company has a quick ratio of 3.67, a current ratio of 3.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.11. Get Central Japan Railway alerts: Central Japan Railway (OTCMKTS:CJPRY Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 28th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter. Central Japan Railway had a return on equity of 7.06% and a net margin of 17.60%. The business had revenue of $2.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Central Japan Railway will post 1.11 EPS for the current year. About Central Japan Railway 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. Further Reading 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. Cascades (TSE:CAS Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by stock analysts at CIBC from C$12.00 to C$14.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage presently has a neutral rating on the stock. CIBCs target price would suggest a potential upside of 11.38% from the stocks previous close. CAS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Cascades from C$14.00 to C$15.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, August 4th. TD Securities lifted their target price on shares of Cascades from C$13.50 to C$14.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cascades has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of C$12.80. Get Cascades alerts: Get Our Latest Report on CAS Cascades Stock Down 2.6 % Shares of TSE CAS traded down C$0.33 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting C$12.57. The stock had a trading volume of 66,606 shares, compared to its average volume of 172,816. The company has a market cap of C$1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.38, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 115.85. The businesss 50 day moving average is C$11.84 and its 200-day moving average is C$11.10. Cascades has a 52 week low of C$7.71 and a 52 week high of C$12.99. Cascades (TSE:CAS Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 11th. The company reported C$0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of C$0.20 by C$0.12. The business had revenue of C$1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$1.15 billion. Cascades had a negative return on equity of 3.74% and a negative net margin of 2.06%. As a group, analysts predict that Cascades will post 1.0957249 EPS for the current year. About Cascades (Get Free Report) Cascades Inc produces, converts, and sells packaging and tissue products in Canada and the United States. The company operates through three segments: Containerboard, Specialty Products, and Tissue Papers. It offers various packaging solutions comprising trays and accessories, produce baskets and boxes, clamshells, produce boxes, egg packaging solutions, pizza and insulated boxes, bulk bins, cup carriers, food grade films, and customized containers for the food sector; protective packaging, including die-cut boxes, handling and shipping solutions, protective materials, large format boxes, and shipping trays; e-commerce packaging solutions, which include e-commerce boxes, custom mailer boxes, custom printing, packaging optimization products, and cutter for multi-depth boxes, as well as the solution for faster packing and shipping tests; and various retail packaging products. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Cascades Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cascades and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C Free Report) by 30.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 30,109 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 7,070 shares during the period. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc.s holdings in Citigroup were worth $1,412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of C. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its position in Citigroup by 72.1% during the 4th quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 604 shares of the companys stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Citigroup during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Heritage Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Citigroup by 140.1% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Wealth Management LLC now owns 862 shares of the companys stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. New Hampshire Trust acquired a new position in shares of Citigroup in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Arlington Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 81.5% in the 1st quarter. Arlington Partners LLC now owns 991 shares of the companys stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 445 shares during the period. 69.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Citigroup alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research firms have commented on C. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Citigroup from $64.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Monday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $65.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 28th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Citigroup in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Citigroup from $53.00 to $50.00 in a report on Monday, July 17th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group dropped their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $54.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $53.73. Citigroup Price Performance Shares of Citigroup stock traded down $0.67 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $45.16. 18,519,977 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,725,891. The company has a market cap of $87.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.70. Citigroup Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.01 and a fifty-two week high of $54.56. Citigroup (NYSE:C Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 14th. The company reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.02. Citigroup had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 6.80%. The company had revenue of $19.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $19.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.30 EPS. Citigroups revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Citigroup Inc. will post 5.75 EPS for the current fiscal year. Citigroup Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 4th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.69%. This is a positive change from Citigroups previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. Citigroups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.60%. Citigroup Profile (Free Report) Citigroup Inc, a diversified financial services holding company, provides various financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions in North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through three segments: Institutional Clients Group (ICG), Personal Banking and Wealth Management (PBWM), and Legacy Franchises. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Citigroup Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Citigroup and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Collaborative Wealth Managment Inc. lessened its holdings in iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM Free Report) by 5.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,008 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 108 shares during the period. Collaborative Wealth Managment Inc.s holdings in iShares Russell 2000 ETF were worth $358,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IWM. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Annapolis Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 94.7% in the 1st quarter. Annapolis Financial Services LLC now owns 148 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP lifted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 450.0% in the 1st quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP now owns 154 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Tandem Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 78.6% in the 4th quarter. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 184 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.87% of the companys stock. Get iShares Russell 2000 ETF alerts: iShares Russell 2000 ETF Price Performance Shares of NYSEARCA:IWM traded down $0.88 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $192.20. The companys stock had a trading volume of 13,988,138 shares, compared to its average volume of 29,157,975. The company has a 50-day moving average of $188.30 and a 200-day moving average of $183.40. iShares Russell 2000 ETF has a 12 month low of $162.50 and a 12 month high of $201.99. About iShares Russell 2000 ETF iShares Russell 2000 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 2000 Index (the Index). The Index is a float-adjusted capitalization weighted index that measures the performance of the small-capitalization sector of the United States equity market and includes securities issued by the approximately 2,000 smallest issuers in the Russell 3000 Index. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IWM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Russell 2000 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Russell 2000 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF Free Report) by 0.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,905 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF makes up 1.9% of Curtis Advisory Group LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Curtis Advisory Group LLCs holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF were worth $5,108,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its stake in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 34.1% during the first quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 26,203 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $7,275,000 after acquiring an additional 6,665 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF in the 1st quarter worth $42,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 11.6% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 6,211 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,724,000 after purchasing an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC grew its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 3.7% during the first quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 7,595 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,109,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Finally, Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new stake in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF in the first quarter worth about $33,422,000. Get iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF alerts: iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Price Performance Shares of IWF stock traded down $3.00 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $273.90. 1,280,759 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,439,009. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $273.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $251.45. The company has a market cap of $69.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.14 and a beta of 1.08. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has a 12-month low of $202.05 and a 12-month high of $286.96. About iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF 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. Further Reading 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. Shares of Curtiss-Wright Co. (NYSE:CW Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of Buy by the six brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $208.40. A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CW. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Curtiss-Wright from $200.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, August 4th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Curtiss-Wright from $200.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Curtiss-Wright from $190.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, July 21st. StockNews.com raised Curtiss-Wright from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, William Blair assumed coverage on Curtiss-Wright in a report on Friday, May 19th. They issued an outperform rating on the stock. Get Curtiss-Wright alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Report on CW Insider Buying and Selling Institutional Investors Weigh In On Curtiss-Wright In other Curtiss-Wright news, VP John C. Watts sold 224 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.63, for a total transaction of $46,509.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $731,480.49. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link . In other Curtiss-Wright news, VP John C. Watts sold 224 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.63, for a total transaction of $46,509.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $731,480.49. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link . Also, Director David Charles Adams sold 4,660 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.00, for a total value of $885,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 41,559 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,896,210. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last 90 days, insiders acquired 219 shares of company stock worth $34,039 and sold 6,948 shares worth $1,324,069. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CW. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Curtiss-Wright in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $212,009,000. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Curtiss-Wright by 18.8% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,300,543 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $645,770,000 after acquiring an additional 680,850 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Curtiss-Wright during the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,673,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Curtiss-Wright by 31.7% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,418,113 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $249,957,000 after acquiring an additional 341,470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Curtiss-Wright by 121.4% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 556,447 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $102,197,000 after acquiring an additional 305,112 shares during the last quarter. 81.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Curtiss-Wright Trading Down 0.1 % NYSE CW opened at $207.38 on Wednesday. Curtiss-Wright has a 12 month low of $136.21 and a 12 month high of $208.87. The stock has a market cap of $7.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.96 and a beta of 1.26. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $181.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $174.08. The company has a current ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Curtiss-Wright (NYSE:CW Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The aerospace company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $704.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $648.77 million. Curtiss-Wright had a return on equity of 16.58% and a net margin of 11.77%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Curtiss-Wright will post 9.09 EPS for the current fiscal year. About Curtiss-Wright (Get Free Report Curtiss-Wright Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides engineered products, solutions, and services to the aerospace, defense, general industrial, and power generation markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Aerospace & Industrial, Defense Electronics, and Naval & Power. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Curtiss-Wright Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Curtiss-Wright and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. George Weston Limited (TSE:WN Free Report) Stock analysts at Desjardins raised their FY2024 EPS estimates for shares of George Weston in a report released on Wednesday, August 2nd. Desjardins analyst C. Li now anticipates that the company will earn $12.53 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $12.22. Desjardins has a Hold rating and a $177.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for George Westons current full-year earnings is $10.91 per share. Get George Weston alerts: George Weston (TSE:WN Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The company reported C$1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of C$13.13 billion for the quarter. George Weston had a net margin of 3.25% and a return on equity of 21.41%. A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on WN. CIBC lifted their price target on shares of George Weston from C$209.00 to C$215.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Scotiabank decreased their target price on George Weston from C$183.00 to C$181.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on George Weston from C$180.00 to C$172.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of C$193.33. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on WN George Weston Stock Performance Shares of WN stock opened at C$151.35 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 154.81. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of C$153.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$165.49. The company has a market cap of C$21.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.42. George Weston has a 12-month low of C$138.77 and a 12-month high of C$183.92. George Weston Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.713 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $2.85 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. George Westons dividend payout ratio is currently 22.16%. About George Weston (Get Free Report) George Weston Limited provides food and drug retailing, and financial services in Canada and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw) and Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (Choice Properties). The Loblaw segment provides grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general merchandise, and financial services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for George Weston Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for George Weston and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD Free Report) (TSE:TD) Desjardins boosted their FY2023 EPS estimates for shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank in a research report issued on Wednesday, August 2nd. Desjardins analyst D. Young now forecasts that the bank will post earnings per share of $6.08 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $6.02. The consensus estimate for Toronto-Dominion Banks current full-year earnings is $6.09 per share. Get Toronto-Dominion Bank alerts: A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays cut Toronto-Dominion Bank from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 9th. CIBC raised shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from a neutral rating to a sector outperform rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Credit Suisse Group raised shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, June 8th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Toronto-Dominion Bank from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, July 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $101.83. Toronto-Dominion Bank Price Performance Shares of TD opened at $63.68 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.91 billion, a PE ratio of 10.68, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.90. Toronto-Dominion Bank has a fifty-two week low of $55.43 and a fifty-two week high of $70.67. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $61.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $62.40. Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD Get Free Report) (TSE:TD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 25th. The bank reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.09). Toronto-Dominion Bank had a return on equity of 15.51% and a net margin of 17.72%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.10 billion. Toronto-Dominion Bank Cuts Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, July 10th were issued a dividend of $0.709 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 7th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.45%. Toronto-Dominion Banks dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.66%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in Toronto-Dominion Bank by 6.3% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 914,064 shares of the banks stock valued at $72,595,000 after acquiring an additional 54,121 shares during the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Toronto-Dominion Bank during the first quarter worth $200,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its stake in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank by 1.7% in the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,868 shares of the banks stock valued at $784,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,022 shares of the banks stock worth $955,000 after purchasing an additional 2,154 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 44.92% of the companys stock. About Toronto-Dominion Bank (Get Free Report) The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Toronto-Dominion Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Toronto-Dominion Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. CF Industries Holdings Inc (NYSE:CF) reported a daily gain of 4.42%, a 22.4% increase over the past three months, and an Earnings Per Share (EPS) of 12.08. Is this stock modestly undervalued? Let's delve into a comprehensive valuation analysis to find out. Company Overview CF Industries Holdings Inc, a leading producer and distributor of nitrogen fertilizers, operates seven nitrogen facilities in North America and holds joint venture interests in the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago. The company primarily uses low-cost U.S. natural gas as its feedstock, positioning it as one of the lowest-cost nitrogen producers globally. CF Industries Holdings is also investing in carbon-free blue and green ammonia, an alternative fuel to hydrogen or a means to transport hydrogen. Comparing the stock price of $82.77 to the GF Value of $92.52, we see an estimation of fair value. This comparison sets the stage for a deeper exploration of the company's value, combining financial assessment with essential company details. CF Industries Holdings: An Undervalued Stock with Strong Growth Prospects Understanding the GF Value The GF Value represents the intrinsic value of a stock, derived from a unique method incorporating historical trading multiples, a GuruFocus adjustment factor based on past returns and growth, and future business performance estimates. The GF Value Line provides an overview of the fair value that the stock should ideally trade at. CF Industries Holdings (NYSE:CF) is considered modestly undervalued according to GuruFocus' valuation method. The GF Value estimates the stock's fair value based on three key factors: historical multiples, an internal adjustment based on the company's past business growth, and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the share price is significantly above the GF Value Line, the stock may be overvalued and have poor future returns. Conversely, if the share price is significantly below the GF Value Line, the stock may be undervalued and have higher future returns. At its current price of $82.77 per share, CF Industries Holdings stock is believed to be modestly undervalued. Story continues Given that CF Industries Holdings is relatively undervalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be higher than its business growth. CF Industries Holdings: An Undervalued Stock with Strong Growth Prospects Link: These companies may deliver higher future returns at reduced risk. Financial Strength Investing in companies with poor financial strength increases the risk of permanent loss of capital. Therefore, it's crucial to review a company's financial strength before deciding whether to buy its stock. CF Industries Holdings has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.99, better than 57.87% of companies in the Agriculture industry. The overall financial strength of CF Industries Holdings is ranked at 7 out of 10 by GuruFocus, indicating fair financial strength. CF Industries Holdings: An Undervalued Stock with Strong Growth Prospects Profitability and Growth Investing in profitable companies, especially those demonstrating consistent profitability over the long term, poses less risk. CF Industries Holdings has been profitable 9 times over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $8.70 billion and Earnings Per Share (EPS) of $12.08. Its operating margin is 41.09%, ranking better than 95.63% of companies in the Agriculture industry. GuruFocus ranks the profitability of CF Industries Holdings at 9 out of 10, indicating strong profitability. Growth is a crucial factor in a company's valuation. CF Industries Holdings's 3-year average revenue growth rate is better than 83.49% of companies in the Agriculture industry. Its 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is 53.9%, ranking better than 83.5% of companies in the Agriculture industry. ROIC vs WACC Another method of determining a company's profitability is to compare its return on invested capital (ROIC) to the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). When the ROIC is higher than the WACC, it implies the company is creating value for shareholders. For the past 12 months, CF Industries Holdings's ROIC is 28.16, and its cost of capital is 9.79. CF Industries Holdings: An Undervalued Stock with Strong Growth Prospects Conclusion In conclusion, CF Industries Holdings (NYSE:CF) stock is believed to be modestly undervalued. The company's financial condition is fair, its profitability is strong, and its growth ranks better than 83.5% of companies in the Agriculture industry. To learn more about CF Industries Holdings stock, check out its 30-Year Financials here. To find out the high-quality companies that may deliver above-average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $565.00 to $633.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, FlyOnTheWall reports. BMO Capital Markets price target indicates a potential upside of 20.24% from the companys previous close. Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $360.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $500.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group lifted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $447.00 to $498.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. Guggenheim decreased their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $395.00 to $392.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. Finally, 22nd Century Group reissued a maintains rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, June 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $511.17. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Get Our Latest Report on Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 0.9 % Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock traded up $4.86 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $526.46. 2,142,273 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,049,953. The firm has a market capitalization of $499.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 83.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.35. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $296.32 and a 1-year high of $538.00. The firms fifty day moving average price is $451.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $394.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 8th. The company reported $2.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $8.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.58 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 61.42% and a net margin of 20.54%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 28.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 8.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 591 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $466.62, for a total value of $275,772.42. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 101,028,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,141,787,549.78. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Johna Norton sold 1,647 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $444.29, for a total value of $731,745.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,761 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,111,094.69. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 591 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $466.62, for a total transaction of $275,772.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 101,028,219 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $47,141,787,549.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 568,254 shares of company stock worth $258,314,906 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LLY. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 533,336.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 19,059,681 shares of the companys stock valued at $8,938,609,000 after buying an additional 19,056,108 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,416,206,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 102,752.2% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,446,026 shares of the companys stock worth $1,992,374,000 after purchasing an additional 5,440,731 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,059,204 shares of the companys stock worth $4,411,740,000 after purchasing an additional 3,691,436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 316.9% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,434,073 shares of the companys stock worth $217,569,000 after purchasing an additional 1,850,187 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.25% of the companys stock. About Eli Lilly and Company (Get Free Report) Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. lessened its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report) by 27.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,102 shares of the companys stock after selling 415 shares during the quarter. Almanack Investment Partners LLC.s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $378,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LLY. Cora Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC now owns 956 shares of the companys stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Aries Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Aries Wealth Management now owns 3,701 shares of the companys stock worth $1,271,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 397 shares of the companys stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 1,248 shares of the companys stock worth $428,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Planning Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 2,555 shares of the companys stock worth $877,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.25% of the companys stock. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other Eli Lilly and Company news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.46, for a total value of $2,576,760.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,941 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,864,681.86. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.46, for a total transaction of $2,576,760.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,941 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,864,681.86. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 20,646 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.77, for a total transaction of $9,141,429.42. Following the sale, the insider now owns 101,668,164 shares in the company, valued at $45,015,612,974.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 568,254 shares of company stock worth $258,314,906 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In LLY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. 22nd Century Group reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, June 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $500.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $420.00 to $490.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $550.00 to $630.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, SVB Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $410.00 to $458.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $480.83. Get Our Latest Stock Report on Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance LLY traded up $67.52 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $521.60. The stock had a trading volume of 15,031,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,057,256. The firm has a market cap of $495.14 billion, a PE ratio of 82.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.35. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $296.32 and a 12 month high of $538.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $451.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $394.25. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 8th. The company reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $8.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.58 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 61.42%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 28.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. Analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 8.77 EPS for the current year. Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 14th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio is 71.86%. Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile (Free Report) Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) was upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday, FlyOnTheWall reports. LLY has been the topic of a number of other reports. HSBC started coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, July 14th. They issued a buy rating and a $560.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $360.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 26th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $490.00 to $580.00 in a research note on Tuesday. SVB Securities upped their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $410.00 to $458.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, June 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $480.83. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on LLY Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance NYSE LLY traded up $67.52 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $521.60. The companys stock had a trading volume of 15,031,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,057,256. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $296.32 and a 1-year high of $538.00. The companys 50-day moving average is $451.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $394.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $495.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.35. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 8th. The company reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.13. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 61.42% and a net margin of 20.54%. The company had revenue of $8.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.25 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 28.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 8.77 EPS for the current year. Insider Activity In other news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 591 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $466.62, for a total transaction of $275,772.42. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 101,028,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,141,787,549.78. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 591 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $466.62, for a total transaction of $275,772.42. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 101,028,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,141,787,549.78. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.46, for a total transaction of $2,576,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,941 shares in the company, valued at $15,864,681.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 568,254 shares of company stock worth $258,314,906. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.3% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,238,301 shares of the companys stock worth $1,987,678,000 after purchasing an additional 135,359 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.1% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,545,194 shares of the companys stock worth $724,665,000 after acquiring an additional 16,711 shares during the period. Archer Investment Corp grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.2% during the second quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 3,870 shares of the companys stock worth $1,815,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 20.2% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 9,790 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,591,000 after purchasing an additional 1,642 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Copperwynd Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,035,000. Institutional investors own 87.25% of the companys stock. Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile (Get Free Report) Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Loblaw Companies (OTCMKTS:LBLCF Get Free Report) and Kesko Oyj (OTCMKTS:KKOYY Get Free Report) are both consumer defensive companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, risk and analyst recommendations. Dividends Loblaw Companies pays an annual dividend of $0.97 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Kesko Oyj pays an annual dividend of $0.45 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.7%. Loblaw Companies pays out -438.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Kesko Oyj pays out 56.0% 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. Get Loblaw Companies alerts: Earnings & Valuation This table compares Loblaw Companies and Kesko Oyjs top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Loblaw Companies N/A N/A N/A ($0.22) -390.08 Kesko Oyj N/A N/A N/A $0.81 12.03 Profitability Loblaw Companies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Kesko Oyj, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. This table compares Loblaw Companies and Kesko Oyjs net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Loblaw Companies N/A N/A N/A Kesko Oyj N/A N/A N/A Analyst Ratings This is a summary of recent ratings for Loblaw Companies and Kesko Oyj, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Loblaw Companies 0 1 0 0 2.00 Kesko Oyj 0 0 2 0 3.00 Loblaw Companies presently has a consensus price target of $140.21, indicating a potential upside of 62.45%. Given Loblaw Companies higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Loblaw Companies is more favorable than Kesko Oyj. Insider & Institutional Ownership 70.9% of Loblaw Companies shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. Summary Kesko Oyj beats Loblaw Companies on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks. About Loblaw Companies (Get Free Report) Loblaw Companies Limited, a food and pharmacy company, engages in the grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general merchandise, financial services, and wireless mobile products and services businesses in Canada. It operates in two segments, Retail and Financial Services. The Retail segment operates corporate and franchise-owned retail food, and associate-owned drug stores. This segment also includes in-store pharmacies, other health and beauty product stores, apparel stores, and other general merchandise stores. The Financial Services segment provides credit card and banking services, the PC Optimum program, insurance brokerage services, and telecommunication services. It also offers PC Health app. The company provides its products and services under various brands. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Brampton, Canada. Loblaw Companies Limited is a subsidiary of George Weston Limited. About Kesko Oyj (Get Free Report) Kesko Oyj engages in chain operations in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. It operates through three divisions: Grocery Trade, Building and Technical Trade, and Car Trade. The Grocery Trade segment comprises wholesale and B2B trade of groceries, and retail of home and specialty goods under the K-retailer brand; and operates store retail chains under the K-Citymarket, K-Supermarket, K-Market, and Neste K grocery brand. The Building and Technical Trade segment operates wholesale, retail, and B2B trade of building and home improvement, and HEPAC and electrical products and services, as well as trades in leisure goods under the K-Rauta, K-Bygg, Byggmakker, and Onninen brands. The Car Trade segment engages in the import, market, and retail Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, CUPRA, Bentley, and Porsche passenger cars, as well as Volkswagen and MAN commercial vehicles; purchase of used cars business; operates leasing business for private and corporate customers; and services, which includes repair and maintenance, and sale of spare parts and accessories, as well as charging network for electric vehicles under the K-Charge name. Kesko Oyj was founded in 1940 and is based in Helsinki, Finland. Receive News & Ratings for Loblaw Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Loblaw Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE:GTN.A Get Free Report) shot up 4.5% during mid-day trading on Monday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $11.00 and last traded at $11.00. 168 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average session volume of 2,767 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.53. The company reported ($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.19) by $0.09. Gray Television had a return on equity of 13.11% and a net margin of 7.43%. The company had revenue of $813.00 million for the quarter. Get Gray Television alerts: Gray Television Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 15th will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. Gray Televisions payout ratio is 13.73%. Gray Television Trading Down 5.6 % About Gray Television The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $9.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.38. The company has a market capitalization of $940.02 million, a P/E ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 1.29. (Get Free Report) Gray Television, Inc, a television broadcast company, owns and operates television stations and digital assets in the United States. As of February 28, 2019, it owned and operated television stations in 91 television markets broadcasting approximately 400 program streams, including approximately 150 channels affiliated with the CBS Network, the NBC Network, the ABC Network, and the FOX Network. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Gray Television Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gray Television and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hartline Investment Corp trimmed its stake in iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF (BATS:FLOT Free Report) by 37.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,000 shares of the companys stock after selling 12,946 shares during the period. Hartline Investment Corps holdings in iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF were worth $1,109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 616,583 shares of the companys stock worth $31,070,000 after acquiring an additional 42,048 shares during the period. Wrapmanager Inc. boosted its position in shares of iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Wrapmanager Inc. now owns 92,560 shares of the companys stock worth $4,664,000 after purchasing an additional 2,044 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Global Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Eagle Global Advisors LLC now owns 23,605 shares of the companys stock worth $1,189,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF during the 1st quarter worth about $2,086,000. Finally, Alliance Wealth Management Group boosted its position in shares of iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF by 19.7% during the 1st quarter. Alliance Wealth Management Group now owns 182,409 shares of the companys stock worth $9,192,000 after purchasing an additional 30,030 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF alerts: iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF Price Performance Shares of FLOT stock traded up $0.02 on Tuesday, reaching $50.66. 1,664,020 shares of the company were exchanged. The company has a 50-day moving average of $50.68 and a 200-day moving average of $50.54. iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF has a one year low of $50.76 and a one year high of $51.10. iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF Dividend Announcement About iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 5th were given a dividend of $0.2341 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 3rd. (Free Report) The iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF (FLOT) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund tracks a market value-weighted index of USD-denominated, investment-grade floating rate notes with maturities of 0-5 years. FLOT was launched on Jun 14, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. HCI Group, Inc. (NYSE:HCI Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday after Truist Financial raised their price target on the stock from $75.00 to $80.00. The stock traded as high as $70.00 and last traded at $65.79, with a volume of 90720 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $60.54. Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Compass Point boosted their target price on shares of HCI Group from $66.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 17th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of HCI Group in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. One equities research 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, HCI Group has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $80.67. Get HCI Group alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on HCI Group Insider Buying and Selling at HCI Group Institutional Inflows and Outflows In related news, Director Lauren L. Valiente acquired 441 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $56.81 per share, for a total transaction of $25,053.21. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,135 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $64,479.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link . In related news, Director Lauren L. Valiente purchased 441 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $56.81 per share, with a total value of $25,053.21. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,135 shares of the companys stock, valued at $64,479.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Also, CFO James Mark Harmsworth sold 9,963 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.97, for a total value of $557,629.11. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,893 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,952,961.21. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . 25.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of HCI Group by 80.7% in the first quarter. FMR LLC now owns 468 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in HCI Group by 99.1% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 651 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in shares of HCI Group by 112.7% during the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 485 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of HCI Group by 1,807.1% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 534 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky acquired a new position in HCI Group in the third quarter worth approximately $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.56% of the companys stock. HCI Group Price Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $556.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.41 and a beta of 0.87. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $59.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.01. HCI Group (NYSE:HCI Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 9th. The insurance provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $1.41. The business had revenue of $129.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $118.27 million. HCI Group had a negative net margin of 8.79% and a negative return on equity of 20.54%. On average, analysts expect that HCI Group, Inc. will post 2.7 EPS for the current fiscal year. HCI Group Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 18th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 17th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. HCI Groups payout ratio is -32.13%. HCI Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) HCI Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the property and casualty insurance, reinsurance, real estate, and information technology businesses in Florida. It provides residential insurance products, such as homeowners, fire, flood, and wind-only insurance to homeowners, condominium owners, and tenants for properties, as well as offers reinsurance programs. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for HCI Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for HCI Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (LON:IHG Get Free Report) announced a dividend on Tuesday, August 8th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Investors of record on Thursday, August 31st will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share on Thursday, October 5th. This represents a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 31st. The official announcement can be viewed at this link. InterContinental Hotels Group Price Performance LON:IHG traded up GBX 172 ($2.20) during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting GBX 5,962 ($76.19). The companys stock had a trading volume of 228,435 shares, compared to its average volume of 517,904. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 5,469.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 5,471.59. The company has a market capitalization of 10.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 3,691.93, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.97. InterContinental Hotels Group has a twelve month low of GBX 4,224 ($53.98) and a twelve month high of GBX 6,026 ($77.01). Get InterContinental Hotels Group alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms have commented on IHG. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a buy rating on shares of InterContinental Hotels Group in a research report on Tuesday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on InterContinental Hotels Group from GBX 6,000 ($76.68) to GBX 6,200 ($79.23) and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on InterContinental Hotels Group from GBX 5,850 ($74.76) to GBX 5,390 ($68.88) in a research report on Tuesday, July 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of GBX 5,886.25 ($75.22). About InterContinental Hotels Group (Get Free Report) InterContinental Hotels Group PLC owns, manages, franchises, and leases hotels in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Greater China. The company operates hotels under the Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Vignette Collection, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo, voco, HUALUXE, Crowne Plaza, Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, EVEN, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, avid, Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and Candlewood Suites brand names. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for InterContinental Hotels Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for InterContinental Hotels Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Interfor (TSE:IFP Get Free Report) had its target price cut by equities research analysts at CIBC from C$33.00 to C$32.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock. CIBCs target price points to a potential upside of 50.94% from the companys current price. Separately, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Interfor from C$35.00 to C$32.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 8th. Get Interfor alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on IFP Interfor Stock Performance Insiders Place Their Bets IFP traded down C$0.90 on Wednesday, hitting C$21.20. 148,415 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 224,055. Interfor has a 52 week low of C$19.75 and a 52 week high of C$34.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 49.42. The firm has a market capitalization of C$1.09 billion, a PE ratio of 6.24 and a beta of 2.53. The business has a fifty day moving average price of C$23.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$23.19. In other Interfor news, Senior Officer Richard Pozzebon purchased 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$23.10 per share, with a total value of C$69,285.90. Insiders own 0.54% of the companys stock. Interfor Company Profile (Get Free Report) Interfor Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells wood products in Canada, the United States, Japan, China, Taiwan, and internationally. It offers decking, fascia and board, framing, v-joint paneling, paneling, and siding products, as well as appearance, structural, studs, timbers, and machine stress related products. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Interfor Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Interfor and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of iShares Global Energy ETF (NYSEARCA:IXC Free Report) by 7.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 375,320 shares of the companys stock after selling 28,161 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd owned 0.78% of iShares Global Energy ETF worth $14,172,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of iShares Global Energy ETF by 65.4% during the 1st quarter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC now owns 47,150 shares of the companys stock worth $1,780,000 after purchasing an additional 18,650 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its stake in iShares Global Energy ETF by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 108,167 shares of the companys stock worth $4,084,000 after buying an additional 1,998 shares during the last quarter. Kalos Management Inc. boosted its stake in iShares Global Energy ETF by 9.5% during the 1st quarter. Kalos Management Inc. now owns 4,908 shares of the companys stock valued at $185,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its stake in iShares Global Energy ETF by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 14,701 shares of the companys stock valued at $555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,129 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its stake in iShares Global Energy ETF by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 61,061 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,306,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Get iShares Global Energy ETF alerts: iShares Global Energy ETF Trading Up 0.4 % iShares Global Energy ETF stock traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $39.37. 522,343 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 573,480. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $37.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.03. The firm has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.37 and a beta of 1.13. iShares Global Energy ETF has a fifty-two week low of $31.91 and a fifty-two week high of $42.11. About iShares Global Energy ETF iShares Global Energy ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares S&P Global Energy Sector Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P Global Energy Sector Index (the Index). The Index is a subset of the S&P Global 1200 Index, and measures the performance of companies that S&P deems to be part of the energy sector of the economy. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IXC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Global Energy ETF (NYSEARCA:IXC Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Global Energy ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Global Energy ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The News China is edging away from its infamous household registration system in an effort to bolster its stagnating economy. In eastern China, Jiangsu Provinces government on Wednesday released draft measures in 11 of its 13 cities to get rid of all limits for non-residents to apply for hukou Mao-era population control laws that restrict people from moving and determine what type of social benefits they are eligible for. Jiangsus decision comes days after Beijing officially encouraged provinces to rework their hukoulaws. Weve curated reporting and analysis on the much-criticized hukou system and how the changes could shape Chinas economy. Insights Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS Free Report) Equities researchers at KeyCorp upped their Q2 2024 EPS estimates for Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, August 3rd. KeyCorp analyst J. Hammond now forecasts that the construction company will earn $1.57 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.46. KeyCorp currently has a Overweight rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Advanced Drainage Systems current full-year earnings is $5.22 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Advanced Drainage Systems Q3 2024 earnings at $0.76 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $5.32 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $6.00 EPS. Get Advanced Drainage Systems alerts: Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The construction company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.51. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 50.53% and a net margin of 16.82%. The firm had revenue of $778.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $746.08 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was down 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on WMS. Barclays raised their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $108.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday, May 19th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $115.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, May 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $140.71. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on WMS Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance Shares of WMS stock opened at $134.02 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $97.13. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 52 week low of $75.02 and a 52 week high of $153.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.78. The company has a market capitalization of $10.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.22, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.40. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 100,700.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 135,944,298 shares of the construction companys stock worth $15,467,742,000 after buying an additional 135,809,433 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 76.4% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,672,684 shares of the construction companys stock worth $561,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,890,821 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 2,077.7% in the first quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,566,276 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $216,106,000 after acquiring an additional 2,448,435 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 210.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,123,772 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $92,116,000 after acquiring an additional 761,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Schweiz AG lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 188.1% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 1,137,675 shares of the construction companys stock worth $93,255,000 after acquiring an additional 742,826 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.94% of the companys stock. Insider Transactions at Advanced Drainage Systems In other news, EVP Darin S. Harvey sold 7,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.65, for a total transaction of $718,550.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,171 shares in the company, valued at $530,803.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Darin S. Harvey sold 7,000 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.65, for a total transaction of $718,550.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,171 shares of the companys stock, valued at $530,803.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.25, for a total transaction of $327,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,647 shares of the companys stock, valued at $944,684.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 20,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,102,000. Corporate insiders own 3.79% of the companys stock. Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 1st will be given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.42%. Advanced Drainage Systemss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.29%. About Advanced Drainage Systems (Get Free Report) Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products, and drainage solutions for use in the construction and agriculture marketplaces in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Advanced Drainage Systems Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Advanced Drainage Systems and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. LiveRamp (NYSE:RAMP Free Report) had its target price boosted by Benchmark from $33.00 to $35.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the stock. Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of LiveRamp in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $33.33. Get LiveRamp alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on RAMP LiveRamp Price Performance Shares of NYSE:RAMP traded down $1.50 on Tuesday, reaching $27.08. 634,578 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 502,987. LiveRamp has a fifty-two week low of $15.37 and a fifty-two week high of $29.41. The companys 50 day moving average is $27.31 and its 200-day moving average is $24.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.80 billion, a PE ratio of -15.45 and a beta of 1.08. LiveRamp (NYSE:RAMP Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 24th. The company reported ($0.37) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.10) by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $148.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.85 million. LiveRamp had a negative net margin of 19.90% and a negative return on equity of 6.46%. As a group, analysts expect that LiveRamp will post 0.28 EPS for the current year. Institutional Trading of LiveRamp A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of RAMP. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in LiveRamp by 73.7% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 43,662 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,023,000 after buying an additional 18,530 shares during the last quarter. Peregrine Capital Management LLC grew its stake in LiveRamp by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Peregrine Capital Management LLC now owns 301,207 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,605,000 after buying an additional 7,881 shares during the last quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. acquired a new position in LiveRamp in the 1st quarter valued at about $624,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in LiveRamp in the 1st quarter valued at about $479,000. Finally, Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in LiveRamp in the 4th quarter valued at about $917,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.73% of the companys stock. LiveRamp Company Profile (Get Free Report) LiveRamp Holdings, Inc is a global technology company, which engages in the provision of a data collaboration platform in consumer privacy, data ethics, and foundational identity. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for LiveRamp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for LiveRamp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. B2Gold Corp. (NYSEAMERICAN:BTG Free Report) (TSE:BTO) Equities research analysts at National Bank Financial upped their Q3 2023 EPS estimates for shares of B2Gold in a note issued to investors on Thursday, August 3rd. National Bank Financial analyst D. Demarco now forecasts that the basic materials company will earn $0.10 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.07. The consensus estimate for B2Golds current full-year earnings is $0.35 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for B2Golds Q4 2023 earnings at $0.10 EPS and FY2023 earnings at $0.36 EPS. Get B2Gold alerts: A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on BTG. TheStreet cut shares of B2Gold from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Friday, June 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of B2Gold from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, June 30th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on B2Gold from C$8.00 to C$7.75 in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on B2Gold in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. They set an outperform rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $6.42. B2Gold Stock Performance BTG stock opened at $3.12 on Monday. B2Gold has a one year low of $2.81 and a one year high of $4.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firms 50-day moving average price is $3.85. B2Gold (NYSEAMERICAN:BTG Get Free Report) (TSE:BTO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The basic materials company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.07. The firm had revenue of $470.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $463.73 million. B2Gold had a net margin of 15.59% and a return on equity of 10.31%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 23.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.04 EPS. B2Gold Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 16th were given a $0.04 dividend. This represents a $0.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 15th. B2Golds dividend payout ratio is currently 59.26%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in B2Gold by 48.3% in the 1st quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 9,015 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 2,935 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp grew its holdings in B2Gold by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 26,023 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in B2Gold by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 38,054 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $122,000 after buying an additional 3,600 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in B2Gold by 140.1% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 6,406 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 3,738 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in B2Gold by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 87,895 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 3,800 shares in the last quarter. 44.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About B2Gold (Get Free Report) B2Gold Corp. operates as a gold producer with three operating mines in Mali, the Philippines, and Namibia. It operates the Fekola Mine in Mali, the Masbate Mine in the Philippines, and the Otjikoto Mine in Namibia. The company also has an 25% interest in the Calibre Mining Corp.; and approximately 19% interest in BeMetals Corp. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for B2Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for B2Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. New York Life Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Prologis, Inc. (NYSE:PLD Free Report) by 3.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 156,839 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 5,580 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLCs holdings in Prologis were worth $19,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Prologis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $980,759,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Prologis by 48.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 14,577,827 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,643,359,000 after purchasing an additional 4,729,040 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Prologis by 25.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,105,281 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $2,037,162,000 after purchasing an additional 3,653,101 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Prologis by 71.2% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 6,238,559 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $703,273,000 after purchasing an additional 2,595,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Prologis by 24.9% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,430,446 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,401,295,000 after purchasing an additional 2,480,063 shares during the last quarter. 91.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Prologis alerts: Prologis Price Performance NYSE:PLD traded down $1.01 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $123.42. The company had a trading volume of 1,368,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,015,869. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $123.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $123.67. Prologis, Inc. has a one year low of $98.03 and a one year high of $138.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.02 billion, a PE ratio of 32.48, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Analysts Set New Price Targets Prologis ( NYSE:PLD Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 18th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.15. Prologis had a return on equity of 6.17% and a net margin of 42.52%. The firm had revenue of $2.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.11 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 95.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Prologis, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year. Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on PLD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Prologis from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. UBS Group upped their price target on Prologis from $141.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. BTIG Research upped their price target on Prologis from $152.00 to $154.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Prologis from $125.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an overweight rating and set a $128.00 price target on shares of Prologis in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $143.48. Read Our Latest Analysis on Prologis Insider Buying and Selling at Prologis In other Prologis news, Director George L. Fotiades sold 10,711 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.98, for a total value of $1,327,949.78. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.70% of the companys stock. About Prologis (Free Report) Prologis, Inc is the global leader in logistics real estate with a focus on high-barrier, high-growth markets. At March 31, 2023, the company owned or had investments in, on a wholly owned basis or through co-investment ventures, properties and development projects expected to total approximately 1.2 billion square feet (113 million square meters) in 19 countries. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PLD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Prologis, Inc. (NYSE:PLD Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Prologis Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Prologis and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. New York Life Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of iShares Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:IAU Free Report) by 4.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 558,517 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 28,296 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC owned 0.07% of iShares Gold Trust worth $20,872,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares Gold Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 42.1% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 1,012 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its position in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 191.8% during the 2nd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 1,103 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 725 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 278.2% during the 4th quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Hampshire Trust purchased a new position in shares of iShares Gold Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. 54.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get iShares Gold Trust alerts: iShares Gold Trust Stock Down 0.6 % NYSEARCA IAU traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $36.46. The companys stock had a trading volume of 3,327,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,776,927. The firms 50-day moving average price is $36.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.81. iShares Gold Trust has a 1 year low of $30.69 and a 1 year high of $39.04. iShares Gold Trust Company Profile iShares Gold Trust (the Trust) is to own gold transferred to the Trust in exchange for shares issued by the Trust (Shares). Each Share represents a fractional undivided beneficial interest in the net assets of the Trust. The assets of the Trust consist of gold held by the Trusts custodian on behalf of the Trust. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IAU? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:IAU Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Gold Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Gold Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd raised its position in Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR Free Report) by 19.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 90,653 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after purchasing an additional 14,694 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltds holdings in Digital Realty Trust were worth $8,912,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of DLR. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 2,538 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund grew its position in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund now owns 40,851 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $4,096,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Digital Realty Trust during the 1st quarter worth approximately $276,000. Forsta AP Fonden grew its position in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 68,100 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $6,828,000 after buying an additional 3,700 shares during the period. Finally, BOS Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Digital Realty Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $521,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.76% of the companys stock. Get Digital Realty Trust alerts: Digital Realty Trust Stock Down 1.5 % DLR stock traded down $1.78 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $119.11. The stock had a trading volume of 1,980,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,676,855. The company has a market capitalization of $35.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 92.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The companys 50 day moving average is $112.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $105.06. Digital Realty Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $85.76 and a one year high of $135.20. Digital Realty Trust Dividend Announcement Insider Buying and Selling at Digital Realty Trust The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were given a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.10%. Digital Realty Trusts dividend payout ratio is currently 378.30%. In other news, CAO Peter C. Olson sold 700 shares of Digital Realty Trust stock in a transaction on Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.67, for a total transaction of $73,969.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $753,849.78. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Digital Realty Trust news, insider Cindy Fiedelman sold 2,770 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $346,250.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Peter C. Olson sold 700 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.67, for a total value of $73,969.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,134 shares of the companys stock, valued at $753,849.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,970 shares of company stock worth $566,424 in the last quarter. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on DLR shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an outperformer rating in a research report on Monday. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $175.00 to $130.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 25th. Raymond James lowered their target price on Digital Realty Trust from $155.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Digital Realty Trust from $113.00 to $112.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Digital Realty Trust from $132.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given 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 $118.43. View Our Latest Stock Report on Digital Realty Trust About Digital Realty Trust (Free Report) Digital Realty brings companies and data together by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL, the company's global data center platform, provides customers with a secure data "meeting place" and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx) solution methodology for powering innovation and efficiently managing Data Gravity challenges. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DLR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Digital Realty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Digital Realty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd grew its stake in shares of iShares Core High Dividend ETF (NYSEARCA:HDV Free Report) by 5.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,739 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after acquiring an additional 1,326 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltds holdings in iShares Core High Dividend ETF were worth $2,617,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Core High Dividend ETF during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $853,748,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of iShares Core High Dividend ETF by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,566,153 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $684,456,000 after buying an additional 1,291,687 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of iShares Core High Dividend ETF by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 4,436,283 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $462,438,000 after buying an additional 584,870 shares in the last quarter. Cowa LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares Core High Dividend ETF by 9,674.3% during the 1st quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 3,820,695 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $4,084,000 after buying an additional 3,781,606 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of iShares Core High Dividend ETF by 74.6% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 3,163,073 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $329,719,000 after buying an additional 1,351,161 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares Core High Dividend ETF alerts: iShares Core High Dividend ETF Trading Down 0.3 % Shares of HDV stock traded down $0.31 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $102.85. 297,781 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 663,173. The company has a market capitalization of $10.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.13 and a beta of 0.81. The firms 50-day moving average is $100.91 and its 200 day moving average is $101.40. iShares Core High Dividend ETF has a 1 year low of $91.24 and a 1 year high of $109.01. iShares Core High Dividend ETF Company Profile The iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus index. The fund tracks a dividend-weighted index of 75 high-yielding US equities, screened for high earnings potential and dividend sustainability. HDV was launched on Mar 29, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HDV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Core High Dividend ETF (NYSEARCA:HDV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Core High Dividend ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Core High Dividend ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Palisade Capital Management LP lifted its position in IDACORP, Inc. (NYSE:IDA Free Report) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 529,426 shares of the energy companys stock after buying an additional 9,876 shares during the quarter. IDACORP makes up 1.5% of Palisade Capital Management LPs investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Palisade Capital Management LP owned approximately 1.05% of IDACORP worth $57,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of IDACORP in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in IDACORP during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in IDACORP during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in IDACORP during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in IDACORP during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.03% of the companys stock. Get IDACORP alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several brokerages have weighed in on IDA. Mizuho cut their price target on IDACORP from $107.00 to $105.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 21st. StockNews.com upgraded IDACORP from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on IDACORP from $112.00 to $108.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Friday. IDACORP Stock Down 0.2 % Shares of IDA traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $98.75. The companys stock had a trading volume of 177,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 206,895. IDACORP, Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.53 and a 12-month high of $115.92. The stock has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a PE ratio of 18.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.29 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The companys 50 day moving average is $103.55 and its 200 day moving average is $105.58. IDACORP (NYSE:IDA Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The energy company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $413.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $359.32 million. IDACORP had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 15.31%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.27 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that IDACORP, Inc. will post 5.07 EPS for the current fiscal year. IDACORP Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 2nd will be given a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 1st. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. IDACORPs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.63%. IDACORP Company Profile (Free Report) IDACORP, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, purchase, and sale of electric energy in the United States. The company operates 17 hydropower generating plants located in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon; three natural gas-fired plants in southern Idaho; and interests in two coal-fired steam electric generating plants located in Wyoming and Nevada. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IDA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for IDACORP, Inc. (NYSE:IDA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for IDACORP Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for IDACORP and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Parthenon LLC lowered its stake in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE Free Report) by 7.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,242 shares of the conglomerates stock after selling 2,468 shares during the period. Parthenon LLCs holdings in General Electric were worth $2,987,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GE. Northstar Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of General Electric by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Northstar Group Inc. now owns 3,673 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of General Electric by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 43,634 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $4,171,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of General Electric by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,972 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Sandy Spring Bank lifted its stake in shares of General Electric by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 4,044 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $387,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its stake in shares of General Electric by 0.3% in the first quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 32,882 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $3,144,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.75% of the companys stock. Get General Electric alerts: General Electric Price Performance Shares of NYSE GE traded down $1.18 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $113.55. The companys stock had a trading volume of 3,778,213 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,566,255. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.25. General Electric has a fifty-two week low of $48.06 and a fifty-two week high of $117.96. The company has a market cap of $123.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.47, a P/E/G ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.28. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $108.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.70. General Electric Announces Dividend General Electric ( NYSE:GE Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $15.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.76 billion. General Electric had a return on equity of 9.30% and a net margin of 13.32%. General Electrics revenue for the quarter was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that General Electric will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 11th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 10th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.28%. General Electrics dividend payout ratio is presently 3.80%. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of brokerages recently commented on GE. Oppenheimer downgraded General Electric from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Monday, July 31st. StockNews.com started coverage on General Electric in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on General Electric from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 17th. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on General Electric from $107.00 to $125.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of General Electric from $120.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, General Electric presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $118.47. View Our Latest Research Report on GE Insider Buying and Selling In other news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 112,614 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.20, for a total transaction of $12,973,132.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 57,923 shares in the company, valued at $6,672,729.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Scott Strazik sold 173,873 shares of General Electric stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.56, for a total value of $17,310,795.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 56,049 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,580,238.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 112,614 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.20, for a total transaction of $12,973,132.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 57,923 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,672,729.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 344,779 shares of company stock worth $36,385,935 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.67% of the companys stock. General Electric Profile (Free Report) General Electric Company operates as a high-tech industrial company in Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. It offers gas and steam turbines, full balance of plant, upgrade, and service solutions, as well as data-leveraging software for power generation, industrial, government, and other customers. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for General Electric (NYSE:GE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for General Electric Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for General Electric and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. reduced its position in shares of Occidental Petroleum Co. (NYSE:OXY Free Report) by 11.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,510 shares of the oil and gas producers stock after selling 4,500 shares during the quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.s holdings in Occidental Petroleum were worth $2,279,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its position in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 5,000.0% during the 1st quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 510 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new stake in Occidental Petroleum during the first quarter worth about $35,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Occidental Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in shares of Occidental Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, New Millennium Group LLC raised its holdings in Occidental Petroleum by 221.0% in the 4th quarter. New Millennium Group LLC now owns 642 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.31% of the companys stock. Get Occidental Petroleum alerts: Occidental Petroleum Stock Down 0.2 % Shares of OXY traded down $0.15 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $63.75. The companys stock had a trading volume of 7,281,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,845,834. The company has a fifty day moving average of $59.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.78. The company has a market cap of $56.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.76. Occidental Petroleum Co. has a twelve month low of $55.51 and a twelve month high of $77.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Occidental Petroleum Dividend Announcement Occidental Petroleum ( NYSE:OXY Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. Occidental Petroleum had a net margin of 21.36% and a return on equity of 31.59%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 37.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.16 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Occidental Petroleum Co. will post 3.78 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 7th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. Occidental Petroleums dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.22%. Insider Activity In related news, major shareholder Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired 802,236 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $57.62 per share, for a total transaction of $46,224,838.32. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 212,509,355 shares of the companys stock, valued at $12,244,789,035.10. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 6,469,323 shares of company stock valued at $376,269,362. Company insiders own 0.35% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a positive rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Occidental Petroleum from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th. Stephens cut their price target on Occidental Petroleum from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Occidental Petroleum from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $69.56. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on OXY Occidental Petroleum Profile (Free Report) Occidental Petroleum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and gas properties in the United States, the Middle East, North Africa, and Latin America. It operates through three segments: Oil and Gas, Chemical, and Midstream and Marketing. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding OXY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Occidental Petroleum Co. (NYSE:OXY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Occidental Petroleum Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Occidental Petroleum and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. By Reinhard Becker BERLIN (Reuters) -China is going after licences to boost its access to German technology as investment regulation makes company acquisitions in the sector increasingly difficult, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing a study. The study conducted by the IW economic institute, analysing Bundesbank data on behalf of the newspaper, found German licence revenues from China more than tripled in 2022 compared to 2014. Compared with 2020, the increase was about half. "There is a clear early indication that Chinese companies are looking for a new way to get access to German technology," said Juergen Matthes, head of IW's global and regional markets research unit. Tech licences are one way for China to try to get in "through the back door", he told Reuters. With the German economy still smarting from a breakdown in ties with Russia, Berlin launched an overhaul of its China policy, calling for a "de-risking" approach that seeks to avoid over-reliance, while acknowledging the country's importance as a key market for many companies. As a result, direct investments and takeover bids by Chinese companies have attracted scrutiny in Berlin in recent months. Last year, a bid by China's Cosco to invest in a Hamburg port terminal triggered a political crisis before being approved at a lower stake than originally planned. Through licensing agreements, Chinese companies can gain legal permission to use German technology. According to Handelsblatt, most such agreements are considered unproblematic, but in some cases they give Chinese companies access to sensitive research, for example in the semiconductor industry, where the technological know-how can also be applied in a military context. Asked whether Berlin would regulate such licence models more closely, a spokesperson for the German economy ministry told Reuters various options were being examined as part of a planned reform of investment audit law. (Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Kirsti Knolle and Sharon Singleton) Primerica (NYSE:PRI Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $171.00 in a report released on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the financial services providers stock. A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on PRI. Truist Financial raised their target price on Primerica from $220.00 to $240.00 in a report on Monday, July 10th. Raymond James initiated coverage on Primerica in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. They issued a strong-buy rating and a $244.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Primerica from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, July 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Primerica presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $217.50. Get Primerica alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on PRI Primerica Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:PRI traded down $1.52 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $213.48. 144,437 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 148,969. Primerica has a 1 year low of $120.18 and a 1 year high of $220.00. The company has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.54 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $200.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $182.78. Primerica (NYSE:PRI Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported $3.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.81 by $0.18. Primerica had a return on equity of 29.54% and a net margin of 16.55%. The firm had revenue of $688.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $704.91 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.86 EPS. The firms revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Primerica will post 15.38 EPS for the current fiscal year. Primerica Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 21st will be issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 18th. Primericas payout ratio is currently 21.21%. Insider Activity In other Primerica news, President Peter W. Schneider sold 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.19, for a total transaction of $384,380.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 13,024 shares in the company, valued at $2,503,082.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, President Peter W. Schneider sold 3,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.99, for a total value of $647,465.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 15,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,779,289.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, President Peter W. Schneider sold 2,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.19, for a total value of $384,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 13,024 shares in the company, valued at $2,503,082.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,200 shares of company stock valued at $2,119,760. Company insiders own 0.87% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Primerica Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PRI. Summit Trail Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Primerica by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 2,522 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in shares of Primerica by 2.7% during the first quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 2,281 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $393,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Primerica by 110.0% during the second quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 126 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Primerica by 1.1% during the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 5,882 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,013,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of Primerica by 1.2% during the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,777 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $995,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. 91.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Primerica (Get Free Report) Primerica, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products to middle-income households in the United States and Canada. The company operates in four segments: Term Life Insurance; Investment and Savings Products; Senior Health; and Corporate and Other Distributed Products. The Term Life Insurance segment underwrites individual term life insurance products. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Primerica Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Primerica and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Palisade Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Primo Water Co. (NYSE:PRMW Free Report) by 5.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,260,596 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 113,658 shares during the period. Primo Water comprises 0.9% of Palisade Capital Management LPs portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Palisade Capital Management LP owned 1.42% of Primo Water worth $34,700,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eagle Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Primo Water by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 431,726 shares of the companys stock worth $6,626,000 after purchasing an additional 12,289 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Primo Water by 15.0% during the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 27,187 shares of the companys stock worth $417,000 after purchasing an additional 3,556 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Primo Water during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,462,000. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Primo Water during the 1st quarter worth approximately $465,000. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position in Primo Water by 21.3% in the 1st quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 177,217 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,721,000 after acquiring an additional 31,168 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.98% of the companys stock. Get Primo Water alerts: Primo Water Stock Performance PRMW traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $13.67. The companys stock had a trading volume of 891,321 shares, compared to its average volume of 930,423. Primo Water Co. has a fifty-two week low of $12.15 and a fifty-two week high of $16.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.17 billion, a PE ratio of 50.61 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.05. Analysts Set New Price Targets Separately, StockNews.com cut Primo Water from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 1st. Two 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.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $19.33. Read Our Latest Analysis on Primo Water Primo Water Company Profile (Free Report) Primo Water Corporation provides pure-play water solutions for residential and commercial customers. It offers bottled water, water dispensers, purified bottled water, self-service refill drinking water, premium spring, mineral water, sparkling and flavored water, filtration equipment, and coffee. The company offers its products under the Primo, Alhambra, Crystal Rock, Mountain Valley, Deep Rock, Hinckley Springs, Crystal Springs, Kentwood Springs, Mount Olympus, Pureflo, Sierra Springs, Sparkletts, and Renu brands in the United States; Canadian Springs, Labrador Source, and Amazon Springs brands in Canada; and Decantae, Eden, Eden Springs, Chateaud'eau, and Mey Eden brands in Europe and Israel. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PRMW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Primo Water Co. (NYSE:PRMW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Primo Water Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Primo Water and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics (NYSEAMERICAN:PLX Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning. Separately, TheStreet raised Protalix BioTherapeutics from a d- rating to a c- rating in a research report on Monday. Get Protalix BioTherapeutics alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on Protalix BioTherapeutics Protalix BioTherapeutics Price Performance Shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics stock traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $1.81. The company had a trading volume of 608,449 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,507,120. Protalix BioTherapeutics has a 1-year low of $1.00 and a 1-year high of $3.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.04. The companys 50 day moving average price is $2.05. The company has a market cap of $118.19 million, a PE ratio of -6.40 and a beta of 1.35. Protalix BioTherapeutics (NYSEAMERICAN:PLX Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 7th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $35.08 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.22 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.15) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Protalix BioTherapeutics will post 0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Protalix BioTherapeutics A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PLX. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics by 438.6% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,209,750 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,540,000 after acquiring an additional 985,147 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics by 1,816.8% during the first quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 194,094 shares of the companys stock valued at $408,000 after acquiring an additional 183,968 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Protalix BioTherapeutics during the first quarter worth $333,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Protalix BioTherapeutics during the second quarter worth $294,000. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Protalix BioTherapeutics during the second quarter worth $220,000. 4.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Protalix BioTherapeutics Company Profile (Get Free Report) Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development, production, and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins based on its proprietary ProCellEx plant cell-based protein expression system in the United States, Australia, Canada, Israel, Brazil, Russia, Turkey, and internationally. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Protalix BioTherapeutics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Protalix BioTherapeutics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. International Game Technology PLC (NYSE:IGT Free Report) B. Riley lifted their Q3 2023 EPS estimates for shares of International Game Technology in a report issued on Wednesday, August 2nd. B. Riley analyst D. Bain now expects that the company will post earnings of $0.35 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.32. B. Riley currently has a Buy rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for International Game Technologys current full-year earnings is $1.77 per share. B. Riley also issued estimates for International Game Technologys Q4 2023 earnings at $0.45 EPS, FY2023 earnings at $1.97 EPS, Q1 2024 earnings at $0.37 EPS, Q2 2024 earnings at $0.38 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $0.44 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $0.53 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $1.73 EPS. Get International Game Technology alerts: A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of International Game Technology from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of International Game Technology from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a positive rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of International Game Technology from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of International Game Technology from $32.00 to $38.00 in a research report on Monday, June 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, International Game Technology presently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $45.17. International Game Technology Stock Down 0.4 % Shares of IGT stock opened at $32.62 on Monday. International Game Technology has a 12 month low of $15.01 and a 12 month high of $33.99. The stock has a market cap of $6.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.71 and a beta of 1.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.05. International Game Technology (NYSE:IGT Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.11. International Game Technology had a net margin of 6.30% and a return on equity of 27.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.03 billion. International Game Technology Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 14th. International Game Technologys payout ratio is currently 60.61%. Institutional Trading of International Game Technology Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of IGT. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in International Game Technology by 47.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 11,072,313 shares of the companys stock worth $353,096,000 after purchasing an additional 3,545,549 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of International Game Technology by 1,485.1% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,418,405 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,006,000 after acquiring an additional 1,328,919 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of International Game Technology by 115.5% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,331,200 shares of the companys stock valued at $57,534,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249,200 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of International Game Technology by 87.3% in the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,343,145 shares of the companys stock valued at $43,488,000 after purchasing an additional 1,092,029 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of International Game Technology in the 4th quarter valued at $21,798,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 44.33% of the companys stock. About International Game Technology (Get Free Report) International Game Technology PLC operates and provides gaming technology products and services in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It operates in three segments: Global Lottery, Global Gaming, and Digital & Betting. The company designs, sells, operates, and leases a suite of point-of-sale machines that reconciles lottery funds between the retailer and lottery authority; provides online lottery transaction processing systems; produces instant ticket games; and offers printing services, such as instant ticket marketing plans and graphic design, programming, packaging, shipping, and delivery services, as well as iLottery solutions and services. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for International Game Technology Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for International Game Technology and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Radian Group Inc. (NYSE:RDN Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, August 9th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 21st will be given a dividend of 0.225 per share by the insurance provider on Wednesday, September 6th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. Radian Group has raised its dividend by an average of 330.9% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 4 consecutive years. Radian Group has a payout ratio of 28.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Radian Group to earn $3.36 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.90 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 26.8%. Get Radian Group alerts: Radian Group Price Performance Shares of RDN stock traded up $0.06 on Wednesday, reaching $28.10. The companys stock had a trading volume of 825,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,708,662. The company has a market capitalization of $4.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.85, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.09. Radian Group has a 12-month low of $17.83 and a 12-month high of $28.26. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $25.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Insider Buying and Selling Radian Group ( NYSE:RDN Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The insurance provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $278.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.10 million. Radian Group had a return on equity of 17.30% and a net margin of 54.83%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Radian Group will post 3.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. In other Radian Group news, insider Derek Brummer sold 12,475 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.97, for a total transaction of $311,500.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 141,515 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,533,629.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Gregory Serio sold 11,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.72, for a total value of $282,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 12,021 shares of the companys stock, valued at $309,180.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Derek Brummer sold 12,475 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.97, for a total transaction of $311,500.75. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 141,515 shares in the company, valued at $3,533,629.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 108,892 shares of company stock valued at $2,796,829 over the last three months. 1.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Radian Group A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Radian Group by 575.2% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,765,182 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $282,110,000 after buying an additional 10,874,587 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Radian Group by 202.0% in the second quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,295,712 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $64,760,000 after purchasing an additional 2,204,335 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Radian Group by 45.6% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,009,760 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $154,915,000 after purchasing an additional 2,195,362 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in Radian Group by 12.8% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 15,104,763 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $333,815,000 after buying an additional 1,710,552 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Radian Group by 61.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,994,265 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $88,713,000 after buying an additional 1,523,376 shares during the period. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms have recently issued reports on RDN. Bank of America downgraded shares of Radian Group from a buy rating to an underperform rating in a report on Tuesday, May 9th. Compass Point raised Radian Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $29.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 11th. StockNews.com started coverage on Radian Group in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Radian Group from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut shares of Radian Group from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $27.50 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, June 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Radian Group has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $25.67. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on RDN About Radian Group (Get Free Report) Radian Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mortgage and real estate services business in the United States. The company operates through Mortgage and Homegenius segments. The Mortgage segment offers credit-related insurance coverage primarily through private mortgage insurance on residential first-lien mortgage loans, as well as other credit risk management, contract underwriting solutions. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Radian Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Radian Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC boosted its stake in Raymond James (NYSE:RJF Free Report) by 24.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 35,300 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 7,000 shares during the period. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLCs holdings in Raymond James were worth $3,292,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Raymond James by 23.3% in the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 51,309 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $4,786,000 after acquiring an additional 9,690 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Raymond James by 48.0% during the first quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 5,935 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,924 shares during the period. Empire Life Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Raymond James by 2.1% during the first quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. now owns 14,536 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Raymond James by 7.9% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 149,104 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $13,907,000 after purchasing an additional 10,907 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Raymond James by 208.5% during the first quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,228 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 830 shares during the period. 74.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Raymond James alerts: Raymond James Trading Down 1.0 % Raymond James stock traded down $1.12 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $107.19. The stock had a trading volume of 164,493 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,338,645. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $102.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.83. The firm has a market cap of $22.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.68 and a beta of 1.05. Raymond James has a twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month high of $126.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Raymond James Dividend Announcement Raymond James ( NYSE:RJF Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.10 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $2.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.91 billion. Raymond James had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 18.73%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.61 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Raymond James will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, July 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 30th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. Raymond Jamess payout ratio is 21.21%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades RJF has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Raymond James from $112.00 to $110.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 31st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Raymond James from $130.00 to $100.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 11th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Raymond James in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Raymond James from $112.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, July 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $117.43. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Raymond James Insider Buying and Selling at Raymond James In other news, insider Horace Carter sold 3,753 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.12, for a total transaction of $409,527.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,515 shares in the company, valued at $2,129,476.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Horace Carter sold 3,753 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.12, for a total transaction of $409,527.36. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,515 shares in the company, valued at $2,129,476.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Jeffrey A. Dowdle sold 5,281 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.36, for a total value of $508,877.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 48,314 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,655,537.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.46% of the companys stock. About Raymond James (Free Report) Raymond James Financial, Inc, a financial holding company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the underwriting, distribution, trading, and brokerage of equity and debt securities, and the sale of mutual funds and other investment products in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Private Client Group, Capital Markets, Asset Management, RJ Bank, and Other segments. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Raymond James Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Raymond James and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. RingCentral (NYSE:RNG Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday. Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on RNG. Craig Hallum restated a hold rating and set a $38.00 price target on shares of RingCentral in a report on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on RingCentral from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho cut their price target on RingCentral from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler cut their price target on RingCentral from $45.00 to $29.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 10th. Finally, Northland Securities cut their price target on RingCentral from $63.00 to $54.00 in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $44.43. Get RingCentral alerts: View Our Latest Stock Analysis on RingCentral RingCentral Price Performance Shares of NYSE RNG traded down $7.18 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $31.80. The companys stock had a trading volume of 7,880,118 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,898,764. RingCentral has a 52 week low of $25.32 and a 52 week high of $54.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $36.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.04 billion, a PE ratio of -3.88, a P/E/G ratio of 52.38 and a beta of 0.91. RingCentral (NYSE:RNG Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The software maker reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $533.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $527.66 million. Analysts anticipate that RingCentral will post 0.03 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Activity In other news, CEO Vladimir Shmunis sold 59,299 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.22, for a total transaction of $2,029,211.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 507,200 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $17,356,384. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other RingCentral news, CEO Vladimir Shmunis sold 59,299 shares of RingCentral stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.22, for a total value of $2,029,211.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 507,200 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $17,356,384. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Vaibhav Agarwal sold 10,570 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.97, for a total transaction of $369,632.90. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 120,492 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,213,605.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 95,276 shares of company stock worth $3,231,069. Company insiders own 6.49% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On RingCentral Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in RNG. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in RingCentral by 12.6% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 126,802 shares of the software makers stock worth $4,150,000 after buying an additional 14,165 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its holdings in RingCentral by 71.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 16,428 shares of the software makers stock worth $538,000 after buying an additional 6,830 shares in the last quarter. Sepio Capital LP acquired a new position in RingCentral in the 2nd quarter worth $387,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in RingCentral by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 37,511 shares of the software makers stock worth $1,225,000 after buying an additional 6,482 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American International Group Inc. lifted its holdings in RingCentral by 25.1% in the 2nd quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 1,586 shares of the software makers stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.87% of the companys stock. About RingCentral (Get Free Report) RingCentral, Inc provides cloud communications, video meetings, collaboration, and contact center software-as-a-service solutions worldwide. The company's products include RingCentral Message Video Phone (MVP) that provides a unified experience for communication and collaboration across multiple modes, including HD voice, video, SMS, messaging and collaboration, conferencing, online meetings, and fax; RingCentral Contact Center, a collaborative contact center solution that delivers AI powered omni-channel and workforce engagement solution with integrated RingCentral MVP; and RingCentral Engage Digital, a digital customer engagement platform that allows enterprises to interact with their customers. Read More Receive News & Ratings for RingCentral Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for RingCentral and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL reduced its stake in AmerisourceBergen Co. (NYSE:ABC Free Report) by 2.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,874 shares of the companys stock after selling 110 shares during the quarter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. ILs holdings in AmerisourceBergen were worth $620,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in AmerisourceBergen by 1.5% during the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the companys stock valued at $709,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its position in shares of AmerisourceBergen by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 1,989 shares of the companys stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its position in shares of AmerisourceBergen by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 3,838 shares of the companys stock worth $614,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of AmerisourceBergen by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,968 shares of the companys stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of AmerisourceBergen by 14.0% during the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 618 shares of the companys stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. 92.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get AmerisourceBergen alerts: AmerisourceBergen Stock Up 0.7 % NYSE ABC traded up $1.31 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $186.68. 1,991,139 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,388,300. AmerisourceBergen Co. has a 12 month low of $135.14 and a 12 month high of $194.79. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $186.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $170.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.51. The company has a market capitalization of $37.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.58, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.56. AmerisourceBergen Announces Dividend AmerisourceBergen ( NYSE:ABC Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The company reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.09. AmerisourceBergen had a return on equity of 612.69% and a net margin of 0.66%. The company had revenue of $66.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.93 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.62 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AmerisourceBergen Co. will post 11.92 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 11th will be given a $0.485 dividend. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 10th. AmerisourceBergens dividend payout ratio is currently 23.63%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ABC shares. StockNews.com started coverage on AmerisourceBergen in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on AmerisourceBergen from $200.00 to $212.00 in a research report on Monday, July 17th. Barclays increased their price objective on AmerisourceBergen from $182.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on AmerisourceBergen from $174.00 to $182.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, 888 reissued a maintains rating on shares of AmerisourceBergen in a report on Friday, May 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $189.36. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on AmerisourceBergen Insider Activity In other news, EVP Gina Clark sold 27,542 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $186.84, for a total value of $5,145,947.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,733 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,994,793.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Gina Clark sold 27,542 shares of AmerisourceBergen stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $186.84, for a total transaction of $5,145,947.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,733 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,994,793.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Steven H. Collis sold 10,499 shares of AmerisourceBergen stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.44, for a total value of $1,873,441.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 257,967 shares in the company, valued at $46,031,631.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,938,174 shares of company stock valued at $359,043,236. 20.10% of the stock is owned by insiders. AmerisourceBergen Profile (Free Report) AmerisourceBergen Corporation sources and distributes pharmaceutical products. Its U.S. Healthcare Solutions segment distributes brand-name and generic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter healthcare products, home healthcare supplies and equipment, and related services to acute care hospitals and health systems, independent and chain retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, medical clinics, long-term care and alternate site pharmacies, and other customers. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for AmerisourceBergen Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AmerisourceBergen and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. RPG Investment Advisory LLC decreased its position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF Free Report) by 3.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,628 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 60 shares during the quarter. RPG Investment Advisory LLCs holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF were worth $398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of IWF. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,723 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $583,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 4.5% during the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,050 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Capital LLC grew its position in 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 during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 13,092 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $3,199,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF alerts: iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Stock Down 0.5 % IWF traded down $1.34 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $276.89. 724,480 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,440,065. The stock has a market cap of $70.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.14 and a beta of 1.08. The businesss 50 day moving average is $273.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $251.45. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has a fifty-two week low of $202.05 and a fifty-two week high of $286.96. About iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF 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 Stories 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. Shira Ridge Wealth Management grew its position in iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF (NYSEARCA:SUSA Free Report) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 253,634 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 3,347 shares during the period. iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF makes up approximately 14.7% of Shira Ridge Wealth Managements holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Shira Ridge Wealth Management owned 0.68% of iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF worth $22,261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. WealthShield Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF by 1.4% during the first quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 8,733 shares of the companys stock worth $766,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF by 4.6% during the first quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 2,748 shares of the companys stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 9,664 shares of the companys stock worth $848,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF by 102.2% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 279 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont grew its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 5,514 shares of the companys stock worth $484,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. Get iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF alerts: iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF Trading Down 0.5 % Shares of NYSEARCA:SUSA traded down $0.48 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $94.79. 56,762 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 145,918. iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF has a 1-year low of $73.86 and a 1-year high of $97.71. The firm has a market cap of $3.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $93.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.15. About iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF The iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF (SUSA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Extended ESG Select index. The fund tracks an index of US companies with high environmental, social and governance (ESG) factor scores as calculated by MSCI. SUSA was launched on Jan 24, 2005 and is managed by BlackRock. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. By Kanjyik Ghosh and Stephen Nellis (Reuters) -China's internet giants are rushing to acquire high-performance Nvidia chips vital for building generative artificial intelligence systems, making orders worth $5 billion, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Baidu, TikTok-owner ByteDance, Tencent and Alibaba have made orders worth $1 billion to acquire about 100,000 A800 processors from the U.S. chipmaker to be delivered this year, the FT reported, citing multiple people familiar with the matter. The Chinese groups had also purchased a further $4 billion worth of graphics processing units to be delivered in 2024, according to the report. A Nvidia spokesperson would not elaborate on the report but said that "consumer internet companies and cloud providers invest billions of dollars on data center components every year, often placing orders many months in advance." The Biden administration last October issued a sweeping set of rules designed to freeze China's semiconductor industry in place while the U.S. pours billions of dollars in subsidies into its chip industry. Nvidia offers the A800 processor in China to meet export control rules after U.S. officials asked the company to stop exporting its two top computing chips to the country for AI-related work. The FT report comes as President Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order that would narrowly prohibit certain U.S. investments in sensitive technology in China and require government notification of funding in other tech sectors. Nvidia's finance chief said in June that restrictions on exports of AI chips to China "would result in a permanent loss of opportunities for the U.S. industry", though the company expected no immediate material impact. Baidu, ByteDance, Tencent and Alibaba did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. (Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Diane Craft) Skeena Resources (NYSE:SKE Get Free Report) and Mexus Gold US (OTCMKTS:MXSG Get Free Report) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership and dividends. Profitability This table compares Skeena Resources and Mexus Gold USs net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Skeena Resources alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Skeena Resources N/A -66.07% -54.78% Mexus Gold US N/A N/A -126.36% Earnings & Valuation This table compares Skeena Resources and Mexus Gold USs revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Skeena Resources N/A N/A -$68.37 million ($0.91) -5.20 Mexus Gold US N/A N/A -$2.58 million N/A N/A Volatility and Risk Skeena Resources has a beta of 1.2, suggesting that its stock price is 20% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Mexus Gold US has a beta of 0.93, suggesting that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Institutional & Insider Ownership 30.7% of Skeena Resources shares are held by institutional investors. 2.0% of Skeena Resources shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.0% of Mexus Gold US shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Analyst Ratings This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Skeena Resources and Mexus Gold US, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Skeena Resources 0 0 1 0 3.00 Mexus Gold US 0 0 0 0 N/A Skeena Resources currently has a consensus price target of $16.38, indicating a potential upside of 246.19%. Given Skeena Resources higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Skeena Resources is more favorable than Mexus Gold US. Summary Skeena Resources beats Mexus Gold US on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks. About Skeena Resources (Get Free Report) Skeena Resources Limited explores for and develops mineral properties in Canada. The company explores for gold, silver, copper, and other precious metal deposits. It holds 100% interests in the Snip gold mine comprising one mining lease and four mineral tenures that covers an area of approximately 1,932 hectares; and the Eskay Creek gold mine that consists of eight mineral leases, two surface leases, and various unpatented mining claims comprising 7,096 hectares located in British Columbia, Canada. The company was formerly known as Prolific Resources Ltd. and changed its name to Skeena Resources Limited in June 1990. Skeena Resources Limited was incorporated in 1979 and is based in Vancouver, Canada. About Mexus Gold US (Get Free Report) Mexus Gold US, an exploration stage mining company, engages in the evaluation, acquisition, exploration, and advancement of gold, silver, copper, and other precious metal projects in the State of Sonora, Mexico. It holds interests in the Santa Elena prospect comprising seven concessions covering an area of 898.028 hectares located to the northwest of the city of Caborca, Sonora State, as well as the Mabel Property covering an area of 2,128 hectares located to the southwest of Nogales, Sonora State. The company was formerly known as Action Fashions, Ltd. and changed its name to Mexus Gold US in September 2009. Mexus Gold US was incorporated in 1990 and is based in Carson City, Nevada. Receive News & Ratings for Skeena Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Skeena Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEARCA:GLD Free Report) by 5.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 86,005 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 5,049 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltds holdings in SPDR Gold Shares were worth $15,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 67,584.6% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,037,008 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $515,198,000 after buying an additional 3,032,521 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 2,546,209 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $431,939,000 after purchasing an additional 88,556 shares during the period. Prostatis Group LLC grew its stake in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Prostatis Group LLC now owns 1,144,430 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,466,000 after purchasing an additional 121,868 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 256.0% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,142,717 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $206,432,000 after purchasing an additional 821,773 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 20.2% during the 4th quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 978,771 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $166,038,000 after purchasing an additional 164,256 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 38.86% of the companys stock. Get SPDR Gold Shares alerts: SPDR Gold Shares Price Performance Shares of NYSEARCA GLD traded down $1.13 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $178.65. 6,158,313 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,166,272. SPDR Gold Shares has a twelve month low of $150.57 and a twelve month high of $191.36. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $180.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.42. SPDR Gold Shares Profile SPDR Gold Trust (the Trust) is an investment trust. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the Trusts expenses. The Trusts business activity is the investment of gold. The Trust creates and redeems Shares from time to time, but in one or more Baskets (a Basket equals a block of 100,000 Shares). Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for SPDR Gold Shares Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SPDR Gold Shares and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Toast, Inc. (NYSE:TOST Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 32,929 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 218% compared to the typical volume of 10,346 call options. Insider Activity at Toast In other Toast news, CFO Elena Gomez sold 2,064 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.74, for a total transaction of $42,807.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 136,115 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,823,025.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Toast news, CEO Christopher P. Comparato sold 2,444 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.74, for a total value of $50,688.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 325,382 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,748,422.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Elena Gomez sold 2,064 shares of Toast stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.74, for a total value of $42,807.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 136,115 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,823,025.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,885,296 shares of company stock valued at $63,111,110. 13.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Get Toast alerts: Hedge Funds Weigh In On Toast Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TOST. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in shares of Toast by 115.4% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 24,946 shares of the companys stock valued at $542,000 after purchasing an additional 13,364 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Toast by 78.2% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 28,356 shares of the companys stock valued at $616,000 after acquiring an additional 12,446 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. acquired a new position in Toast in the 1st quarter worth approximately $438,000. Ergoteles LLC purchased a new position in Toast during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,427,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Toast during the 1st quarter valued at $33,356,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.12% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Stephens started coverage on Toast in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. They set an equal weight rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Toast in a research report on Thursday, June 1st. They set a buy rating for the company. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Toast from $23.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Toast from $25.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Toast in a report on Thursday, June 15th. They set a neutral rating on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $23.74. Check Out Our Latest Report on Toast Toast Stock Up 18.5 % NYSE TOST traded up $3.74 on Wednesday, reaching $23.96. 14,010,924 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,869,800. Toast has a 12 month low of $15.77 and a 12 month high of $27.00. The company has a market cap of $12.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.86 and a beta of 1.73. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $22.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.44. Toast (NYSE:TOST Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 8th. The company reported ($0.19) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by ($0.05). Toast had a negative net margin of 11.01% and a negative return on equity of 29.74%. The firm had revenue of $978.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $943.06 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.11) EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 44.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Toast will post -0.52 EPS for the current fiscal year. Toast Company Profile (Get Free Report) Toast, Inc operates a cloud-based digital technology platform for the restaurant industry in the United States and Ireland. The company offers Toast POS, a software module that integrates payment processing with point of sale functionality; Toast Invoicing that allows restaurants to send invoices and collect payment; Toast Mobile Order & Pay, which allows guests to scan a QR code to browse the menu, order, and pay from mobile; Kitchen Display System software that connects the house with the kitchen staff; and Multi-Location Management, a tool to manage operations and configure menus across multiple locations and channels. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Toast Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Toast and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Macquarie Group Limited (ASX:MQG Get Free Report) insider Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz purchased 283 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of A$176.55 ($116.15) per share, with a total value of A$49,963.08 ($32,870.45). Macquarie Group Stock Performance Macquarie Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) Macquarie Group Limited provides diversified financial services in Australia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through four segments: Macquarie Asset Management (MAM), Banking and Financial Services (BFS), Commodities and Global Markets (CGM), and Macquarie Capital. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Macquarie Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Macquarie Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by research analysts at UBS Group from $80.00 to $88.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the apparel and home fashions retailers stock. UBS Groups price objective suggests a potential upside of 1.29% from the companys current price. Several other research firms have also recently commented on TJX. Loop Capital upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $95.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 12th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $85.00 to $86.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $90.00 to $93.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Thursday, June 29th. They set an overweight rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, TJX Companies currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $89.65. Get TJX Companies alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on TJX Companies TJX Companies Price Performance Shares of TJX traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $86.88. The companys stock had a trading volume of 130,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,810,720. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $82.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.64, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.58. TJX Companies has a fifty-two week low of $59.78 and a fifty-two week high of $87.63. TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 17th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.05. TJX Companies had a net margin of 7.56% and a return on equity of 62.78%. The company had revenue of $11.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.82 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.68 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that TJX Companies will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Transactions at TJX Companies In related news, EVP Scott Goldenberg sold 26,271 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.91, for a total value of $2,073,044.61. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 72,580 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,727,287.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of TJX Companies A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of TJX. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 90,089.8% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,788,543 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock worth $1,575,168,000 after acquiring an additional 19,766,602 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 98,557.0% during the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 16,735,194 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock worth $1,418,977,000 after purchasing an additional 16,718,231 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in TJX Companies by 88.1% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 26,619,778 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock valued at $2,118,935,000 after acquiring an additional 12,468,119 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth $891,631,000. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board bought a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the first quarter valued at about $408,331,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.26% of the companys stock. TJX Companies Company Profile (Get Free Report) The TJX Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an off-price apparel and home fashions retailer in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Marmaxx, HomeGoods, TJX Canada, and TJX International. The company sells family apparel, including footwear and accessories; home fashions, such as home basics, furniture, rugs, lighting products, giftware, soft home products, decorative accessories, tabletop, and cookware, as well as expanded pet, kids, and gourmet food departments; jewelry and accessories; and other merchandise. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for TJX Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TJX Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Toast (NYSE:TOST Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $30.00 to $31.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Needham & Company LLCs price objective would suggest a potential upside of 30.97% from the companys previous close. A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on TOST. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Toast from $23.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Toast in a report on Thursday, April 13th. They set an equal weight rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Toast from $27.00 to $23.50 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Toast from $25.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Toast in a research report on Tuesday, July 11th. They issued a buy rating and a $28.00 price objective on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $23.74. Get Toast alerts: View Our Latest Report on Toast Toast Trading Up 17.1 % NYSE:TOST traded up $3.45 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $23.67. 15,041,354 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,875,610. The firm has a market cap of $12.56 billion, a PE ratio of -36.86 and a beta of 1.73. The stocks 50-day moving average is $22.35 and its 200-day moving average is $20.44. Toast has a twelve month low of $15.77 and a twelve month high of $27.00. Toast (NYSE:TOST Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 8th. The company reported ($0.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by ($0.05). Toast had a negative net margin of 11.01% and a negative return on equity of 29.74%. The company had revenue of $978.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $943.06 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.11) EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 44.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Toast will post -0.52 EPS for the current year. Insider Activity In other news, Director Mark J. Hawkins sold 52,790 shares of Toast stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.95, for a total transaction of $1,105,950.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 64,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,340,946.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, COO Aman Narang sold 2,356 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.20, for a total transaction of $52,303.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 1,619,169 shares in the company, valued at $35,945,551.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark J. Hawkins sold 52,790 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.95, for a total value of $1,105,950.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 64,007 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,340,946.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,885,296 shares of company stock valued at $63,111,110 in the last ninety days. 13.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Toast A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in shares of Toast by 115.4% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 24,946 shares of the companys stock worth $542,000 after purchasing an additional 13,364 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Toast by 78.2% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 28,356 shares of the companys stock worth $616,000 after purchasing an additional 12,446 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Toast in the 1st quarter worth $438,000. Ergoteles LLC acquired a new stake in Toast during the 1st quarter worth about $2,427,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Toast during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,356,000. 57.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Toast (Get Free Report) Toast, Inc operates a cloud-based digital technology platform for the restaurant industry in the United States and Ireland. The company offers Toast POS, a software module that integrates payment processing with point of sale functionality; Toast Invoicing that allows restaurants to send invoices and collect payment; Toast Mobile Order & Pay, which allows guests to scan a QR code to browse the menu, order, and pay from mobile; Kitchen Display System software that connects the house with the kitchen staff; and Multi-Location Management, a tool to manage operations and configure menus across multiple locations and channels. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Toast Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Toast and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TransAlta (TSE:TA Get Free Report) (NYSE:TAC) had its price objective boosted by equities research analysts at Bank of America from C$13.00 to C$14.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage presently has a neutral rating on the stock. Bank of Americas target price suggests a potential upside of 2.34% from the stocks current price. TA has been the subject of several other research reports. CSFB boosted their price objective on TransAlta from C$17.00 to C$18.50 in a report on Tuesday, May 16th. Industrial Alliance Securities upped their price objective on TransAlta from C$17.00 to C$17.50 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a research report on Tuesday. CIBC boosted their price objective on TransAlta from C$17.50 to C$18.50 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday. National Bankshares raised their price target on shares of TransAlta from C$14.00 to C$15.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of TransAlta from C$16.00 to C$17.00 in a research note on Monday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of C$17.06. Get TransAlta alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on TA TransAlta Stock Up 0.2 % TransAlta Company Profile Shares of TSE TA traded up C$0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching C$13.68. 335,972 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 592,497. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 195.84. The stock has a market cap of C$3.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.60, a P/E/G ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 1.05. TransAlta has a 1 year low of C$10.52 and a 1 year high of C$13.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of C$12.95 and a 200 day moving average of C$12.40. (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. See Also 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. Twin Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB Free Report) by 7.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,476 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 1,466 shares during the quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc.s holdings in U.S. Bancorp were worth $702,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in U.S. Bancorp by 130,768.0% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 60,273,882 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,628,544,000 after buying an additional 60,227,825 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in U.S. Bancorp by 912.4% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 32,756,814 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,428,525,000 after buying an additional 29,521,176 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in U.S. Bancorp by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,770,916 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,254,700,000 after buying an additional 2,900,619 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in U.S. Bancorp by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 24,907,008 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,084,077,000 after buying an additional 476,756 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in U.S. Bancorp by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 17,793,541 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $945,727,000 after buying an additional 303,443 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.61% of the companys stock. Get U.S. Bancorp alerts: U.S. Bancorp Stock Down 1.4 % NYSE USB traded down $0.58 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $39.65. The companys stock had a trading volume of 10,542,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,722,854. U.S. Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $27.27 and a fifty-two week high of $49.95. The company has a market cap of $61.73 billion, a PE ratio of 11.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $34.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.45. U.S. Bancorp Dividend Announcement U.S. Bancorp ( NYSE:USB Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.01). U.S. Bancorp had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 16.59%. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 19.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that U.S. Bancorp will post 4.36 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 17th. Investors of record on Friday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.84%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 29th. U.S. Bancorps dividend payout ratio is currently 53.19%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms have recently commented on USB. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. StockNews.com downgraded U.S. Bancorp from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, May 12th. Stephens restated an overweight rating and issued a $47.00 price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a research note on Monday, July 24th. Credit Suisse Group restated a neutral rating and issued a $44.00 price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, July 20th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded U.S. Bancorp from an underperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, July 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $48.20. View Our Latest Stock Report on U.S. Bancorp About U.S. Bancorp (Free Report) U.S. Bancorp, a financial services holding company, provides various financial services to individuals, businesses, institutional organizations, governmental entities and other financial institutions in the United States. It operates in Corporate and Commercial Banking, Consumer and Business Banking, Wealth Management and Investment Services, Payment Services, and Treasury and Corporate Support segments. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding USB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for U.S. Bancorp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for U.S. Bancorp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Twin Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB Free Report) by 6.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,275 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 338 shares during the period. Twin Capital Management Inc.s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $887,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AVB. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC boosted its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 8.2% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 1,485 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 18.0% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,007 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 306 shares during the period. Prudential PLC purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the first quarter valued at approximately $704,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 54.4% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 5,260 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,306,000 after purchasing an additional 1,853 shares during the period. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. boosted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 7.8% in the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 12,461 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $3,095,000 after purchasing an additional 901 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.85% of the companys stock. Get AvalonBay Communities alerts: AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance Shares of AVB traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $185.33. 453,652 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 797,283. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.07 and a 12-month high of $220.42. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $188.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $178.49. AvalonBay Communities Dividend Announcement AvalonBay Communities ( NYSE:AVB Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.60 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $690.86 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $675.67 million. AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 46.32% and a return on equity of 11.01%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.43 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 10.53 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th were issued a $1.65 dividend. This represents a $6.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 29th. AvalonBay Communitiess payout ratio is 74.24%. Insider Buying and Selling at AvalonBay Communities In other AvalonBay Communities news, CIO Matthew H. Birenbaum sold 4,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.10, for a total value of $704,400.00. Following the sale, the executive now directly owns 62,559 shares of the companys stock, valued at $11,016,639.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AVB. TheStreet upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a c+ rating to a b rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Piper Sandler upgraded AvalonBay Communities from an underweight rating to a neutral rating and boosted their price target for the company from $160.00 to $193.00 in a report on Monday, May 1st. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $193.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $200.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, 888 reissued a maintains rating on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research note on Friday, May 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $203.50. View Our Latest Analysis on AVB AvalonBay Communities Profile (Free Report) As of March 31, 2023, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 295 apartment communities containing 88,826 apartment homes in 12 states and the District of Columbia, of which 19 communities were under development and one community was under redevelopment. The Company is an equity REIT in the business of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing apartment communities in leading metropolitan areas in New England, the New York/New Jersey Metro area, the Mid-Atlantic, the Pacific Northwest, and Northern and Southern California, as well as in the Company's expansion regions of Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, North Carolina, Southeast Florida, Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Denver, Colorado. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for AvalonBay Communities Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AvalonBay Communities and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by stock analysts at Barclays from $172.00 to $180.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Barclayss price objective suggests a potential downside of 0.33% from the companys previous close. A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on United Parcel Service to $203.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. Atlantic Securities assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Tuesday, June 6th. They issued a neutral rating and a $162.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $199.00 to $188.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $180.00 to $173.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $196.00 to $198.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $190.29. Get United Parcel Service alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on United Parcel Service United Parcel Service Price Performance NYSE UPS traded down $1.56 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $180.59. 6,428,165 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,348,462. The stock has a market cap of $155.11 billion, a PE ratio of 14.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.07. United Parcel Service has a one year low of $154.87 and a one year high of $209.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $178.78 and a 200-day moving average of $181.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 8th. The transportation company reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $22.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.04 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 57.68% and a net margin of 10.90%. The firms revenue was down 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.29 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 10.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.0% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 92,051 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $16,500,000 after buying an additional 6,798 shares during the last quarter. Rational Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 789.9% during the second quarter. Rational Advisors LLC now owns 2,287 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $410,000 after buying an additional 2,030 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 40.4% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,882 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,054,000 after buying an additional 1,693 shares during the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.6% during the second quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 15,915 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $2,853,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.6% in the second quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 74,176 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $13,296,000 after purchasing an additional 4,614 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.94% of the companys stock. United Parcel Service Company Profile (Get 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. See Also 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. Foreign investors have a history of flooding the U.S. real estate market with billions of dollars, but lower housing inventory and more expensive borrowing costs have caused them to pull back. Foreign buyers bought $53.4 billion worth of existing U.S. homes from April 2022 through March 2023, down 9.6% from the previous 12-month period, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Foreign buyers purchased 84,600 properties, down 14.2% from a year ago and the fewest number of homes bought since 2009 when NAR began tracking the data. Sharply lowering housing inventory in the U.S. and higher borrowing costs across the world have dented international buyers for two straight years, NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said. However, recovering international travel following the end of the pandemic will bring more foreign transactions in the coming months and years. Check out: Elon Musk has reportedly bought 6,000 acres of land just outside of Austin. Here's how to invest in the city's growth before he floods it with new tech workers. Investing in real estate just got a whole lot simpler. With as little as $100, average investors are becoming landlords thanks to this Jeff Bezos-backed startup. Half of the foreign buyers purchased their properties to use as vacation homes, rental property or both up from 44% from the previous year. And 42% of them paid cash, compared to 26% of all existing homebuyers. Colombian purchasers accounted for the highest share of all-cash buyers at 67%, and about half of Canadian and Chinese buyers made all-cash purchases. Asian-Indian buyers were the least likely to pay cash at just 15%. Chinese buyers were the top investors in U.S. residential properties with a sales dollar volume of $13.6 billion, followed by Canadian investors at $6.6 billion. Rounding out the top five were Mexico at $4.2 billion; India at $3.4 billion and Colombia at $900 million. Home purchases from Chinese buyers increased after China relaxed the worlds strictest pandemic lockdown policy, while buyers from India were helped by the countrys strong GDP growth, Yun said. A stronger Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar likely contributed to the rise in sales from Mexican buyers. Story continues Florida remains the top destination for foreign buyers, accounting for 23% of international purchases. California and Texas tied for second with 12% each, followed by North Carolina, Arizona and Illinois at 4% each. Florida, Texas and Arizona continue to attract foreign buyers despite the hot weather conditions during the summer and the significant spike in home prices that began a few years ago, Yun said. Read next: 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 Colombian Homebuyers Pay Cash For American Homes, Outstripping Chinese Cash Buyers originally appeared on Benzinga.com . 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund (NYSE:AIO Get Free Report) declared a monthly dividend on Monday, May 29th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 11th will be given a dividend of 0.15 per share on Friday, September 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.87%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 10th. Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund Stock Down 0.2 % NYSE:AIO opened at $18.24 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $18.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.40. Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund has a 1-year low of $14.92 and a 1-year high of $19.11. Get Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund alerts: Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AIO. Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 19,323 shares of the companys stock valued at $422,000 after purchasing an additional 1,855 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its position in Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund by 7.1% during the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 536,183 shares of the companys stock worth $11,721,000 after acquiring an additional 35,686 shares during the period. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund during the first quarter worth $648,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund by 16.9% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 262,242 shares of the companys stock worth $5,732,000 after acquiring an additional 37,935 shares during the period. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund during the first quarter worth $501,000. About Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund The Fund seeks to generate a stable income stream and growth of capital by focusing on one of the most significant long-term secular growth opportunities in markets today. A multi-asset approach based on fundamental research is employed, dynamically allocating to attractive segments of a companys debt and equity in order to offer an attractive risk/reward profile. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG Get Free Report) announced its earnings results on Tuesday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.07, RTT News reports. The business had revenue of $90.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $87.81 million. Vishay Precision Group had a return on equity of 12.16% and a net margin of 10.08%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.68 earnings per share. Vishay Precision Group updated its Q3 2023 guidance to EPS. Vishay Precision Group Stock Down 4.8 % Shares of VPG traded down $1.81 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $35.51. The stock had a trading volume of 29,412 shares, compared to its average volume of 59,604. Vishay Precision Group has a 12 month low of $29.52 and a 12 month high of $45.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.12. The company has a current ratio of 4.26, a quick ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a market capitalization of $482.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.53 and a beta of 1.29. Get Vishay Precision Group alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts have issued reports on VPG shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Vishay Precision Group in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. B. Riley started coverage on Vishay Precision Group in a report on Friday, April 14th. They set a buy rating and a $54.00 price target on the stock. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, Director Wes Cummins bought 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.99 per share, for a total transaction of $339,900.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 465,292 shares in the company, valued at $15,815,275.08. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 6.78% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vishay Precision Group A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Susquehanna International Group LLP purchased a new stake in Vishay Precision Group in the 1st quarter valued at $607,000. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in Vishay Precision Group in the 1st quarter valued at $217,000. State Street Corp raised its position in Vishay Precision Group by 9.3% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 275,676 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $11,507,000 after buying an additional 23,422 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Vishay Precision Group by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 33,417 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $1,395,000 after buying an additional 2,550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 236,994 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $9,897,000 after purchasing an additional 12,157 shares during the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Vishay Precision Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) Vishay Precision Group, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets specialized sensors, weighing solutions, and measurement systems in the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Asia, and Canada. It operates through three segments: Sensors, Weighing Solutions, and Measurement Systems. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Vishay Precision Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vishay Precision Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. West Coast Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 11,529 shares of the specialty retailers stock, valued at approximately $2,975,000. West Coast Financial LLC owned 0.05% of Murphy USA as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in Murphy USA by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 162,084 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $41,826,000 after purchasing an additional 30,538 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 27,225 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $7,025,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 3,154 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $814,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 6,578 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $1,697,000 after acquiring an additional 964 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Horrell Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 29,514 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $7,616,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.01% of the companys stock. Get Murphy USA alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades MUSA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $362.00 to $360.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Murphy USA from $325.00 to $330.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. Finally, Stephens restated an overweight rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $318.60. Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA In other news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 1,075 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.72, for a total value of $298,549.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,661 shares in the company, valued at $1,849,892.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 550 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.97, for a total value of $156,183.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,874 shares in the company, valued at $816,129.78. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 1,075 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.72, for a total value of $298,549.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,661 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,849,892.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.47% of the companys stock. Murphy USA Stock Performance Murphy USA stock traded up $0.80 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $303.56. 197,015 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 288,305. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firms 50 day moving average price is $299.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $277.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.96 and a beta of 0.81. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $231.65 and a 1 year high of $323.40. Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $6.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.09 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $5.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.61 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 80.20%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 20.85 EPS for the current fiscal year. Murphy USA Company Profile (Free Report) Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MUSA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Murphy USA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Murphy USA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. West Coast Financial LLC lessened its stake in shares of AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. (NYSE:AMN Free Report) by 0.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 96,747 shares of the companys stock after selling 315 shares during the period. AMN Healthcare Services comprises approximately 1.2% of West Coast Financial LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. West Coast Financial LLC owned approximately 0.24% of AMN Healthcare Services worth $8,026,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its stake in shares of AMN Healthcare Services by 10.5% during the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 290,030 shares of the companys stock valued at $24,061,000 after acquiring an additional 27,610 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in AMN Healthcare Services by 22.2% in the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 770,961 shares of the companys stock worth $63,959,000 after buying an additional 139,891 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in AMN Healthcare Services by 39.8% in the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 14,814 shares of the companys stock worth $1,229,000 after buying an additional 4,221 shares in the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC bought a new position in AMN Healthcare Services in the first quarter worth approximately $214,000. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC bought a new position in AMN Healthcare Services in the first quarter worth approximately $1,007,000. Institutional investors own 96.35% of the companys stock. Get AMN Healthcare Services alerts: Insider Activity In other AMN Healthcare Services news, Director Daphne E. Jones sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.57, for a total value of $109,570.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,799 shares of the companys stock, valued at $854,536.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.77% of the companys stock. AMN Healthcare Services Stock Performance Shares of AMN traded down $0.61 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $89.69. 940,660 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 776,059. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $81.15 and a 12-month high of $129.04. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $105.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $95.87. AMN Healthcare Services (NYSE:AMN Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The company reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $991.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $988.32 million. AMN Healthcare Services had a net margin of 7.29% and a return on equity of 42.90%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 30.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.31 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities analysts recently commented on AMN shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of AMN Healthcare Services from $111.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Credit Suisse Group cut their price target on shares of AMN Healthcare Services from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Bank of America lowered shares of AMN Healthcare Services from a buy rating to a neutral rating and cut their price target for the stock from $112.00 to $104.00 in a report on Friday. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of AMN Healthcare Services in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of AMN Healthcare Services from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AMN Healthcare Services has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $112.17. View Our Latest Analysis on AMN AMN Healthcare Services Company Profile (Free Report) AMN Healthcare Services, Inc provides healthcare workforce solutions and staffing services to hospitals and healthcare facilities in the United States. It operates through three segments: Nurse and Allied Solutions, Physician and Leadership Solutions, and Technology and Workforce Solutions. The Nurse and Allied Solutions segment offers travel nurse staffing, rapid response nurse staffing and labor disruption, allied staffing, local staffing, and revenue cycle solutions. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for AMN Healthcare Services Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AMN Healthcare Services and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL Free Report) by 1.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,177 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 933 shares during the quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc.s holdings in Aflac were worth $3,302,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Aflac by 36.2% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,941 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,542,000 after buying an additional 6,369 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 6.8% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 17,268 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,102 shares during the period. Aviva PLC boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 0.7% in the first quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 210,634 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $13,563,000 after purchasing an additional 1,503 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the first quarter worth approximately $428,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 7.3% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,142 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares during the period. 66.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Aflac alerts: Aflac Price Performance Aflac stock traded down $0.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $76.97. 282,015 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,471,812. The company has a market cap of $45.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.30, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $70.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 0.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $56.03 and a 12-month high of $78.43. Aflac Dividend Announcement Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 22nd. Aflacs payout ratio is 22.46%. In other Aflac news, insider Virgil Raynard Miller sold 2,626 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.08, for a total transaction of $202,412.08. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at $168,111.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 13,471 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.27, for a total value of $906,194.17. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,570 shares in the company, valued at $1,854,633.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Virgil Raynard Miller sold 2,626 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.08, for a total transaction of $202,412.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at $168,111.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 29,715 shares of company stock worth $2,013,523 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.90% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth AFL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. VNET Group reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. 888 reissued a reiterates rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, June 9th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $71.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Five 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.com, Aflac presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $75.40. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Aflac Aflac Profile (Free Report) Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. It operates in two segments, Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AFL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Aflac Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aflac and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO Free Report) by 0.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 672 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 6 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc.s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,652,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,914 shares of the companys stock valued at $16,996,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 42.3% during the first quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 680 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,672,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in AutoZone during the first quarter valued at about $329,000. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. boosted its position in AutoZone by 9.1% during the first quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 537 shares of the companys stock worth $1,320,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 5.8% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 14,638 shares of the companys stock worth $35,982,000 after purchasing an additional 798 shares in the last quarter. 98.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get AutoZone alerts: AutoZone Price Performance Shares of AZO stock opened at $2,464.01 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $2,458.82 and a 200 day moving average of $2,502.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.75 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.67. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,050.21 and a 1-year high of $2,750.00. Analysts Set New Price Targets AutoZone ( NYSE:AZO Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 23rd. The company reported $34.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $30.84 by $3.28. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.45% and a negative return on equity of 62.38%. The firm had revenue of $4.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $29.03 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 130.32 EPS for the current year. A number of analysts recently commented on AZO shares. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $2,650.00 to $2,850.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoZone from $2,850.00 to $3,000.00 in a report on Monday, May 15th. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on AutoZone from $2,425.00 to $2,340.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th. Wedbush raised their target price on AutoZone from $2,600.00 to $2,750.00 in a research note on Monday, May 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on AutoZone from $2,899.00 to $2,840.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoZone currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $2,716.00. View Our Latest Stock Report on AutoZone Insider Buying and Selling In other AutoZone news, VP Albert Saltiel sold 2,245 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,500.00, for a total transaction of $5,612,500.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 535 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,337,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Albert Saltiel sold 2,245 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,500.00, for a total transaction of $5,612,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 535 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,337,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Charles Pleas III sold 4,200 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,546.55, for a total transaction of $10,695,510.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,425 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,721,933.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,535 shares of company stock valued at $21,414,854 over the last quarter. 2.59% of the stock is owned by company insiders. AutoZone Profile (Free Report) AutoZone, Inc retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories. The company offers various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. Its products include A/C compressors, batteries and accessories, bearings, belts and hoses, calipers, chassis, clutches, CV axles, engines, fuel pumps, fuses, ignition and lighting products, mufflers, radiators, starters and alternators, thermostats, and water pumps, as well as tire repairs. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AZO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for AutoZone Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AutoZone and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft (NYSE:DB Free Report) by 39.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,853,659 shares of the banks stock after purchasing an additional 522,854 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbanks holdings in Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft were worth $18,842,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of DB. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft by 13.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 193,504 shares of the banks stock valued at $2,448,000 after buying an additional 23,043 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its position in shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft by 22.6% in the first quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 145,833 shares of the banks stock valued at $1,845,000 after buying an additional 26,913 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft by 3.3% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 999,640 shares of the banks stock valued at $12,645,000 after buying an additional 31,771 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft by 14.1% during the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 45,861 shares of the banks stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 5,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft by 5.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,281,641 shares of the banks stock worth $79,463,000 after purchasing an additional 325,478 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 23.92% of the companys stock. Get Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft alerts: Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Stock Up 1.9 % Shares of DB stock traded up $0.20 on Wednesday, hitting $10.95. The stock had a trading volume of 680,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,784,291. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.31. The stocks 50 day moving average is $10.66 and its 200-day moving average is $11.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft has a 52-week low of $7.24 and a 52-week high of $13.57. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Societe Generale lowered shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, July 10th. Citigroup raised shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $13.00. Get Our Latest Report on DB Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Company Profile (Free Report) Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, operates as a stock corporation, engages in the provision of corporate and investment banking, and asset management products and services to private clients, corporate entities, and institutional clients worldwide. Its Corporate Bank segment provides cash management, trade finance and lending, trust and agency, foreign exchange, and securities services, as well as risk management solutions. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft (NYSE:DB Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Boston Scientific Co. (NYSE:BSX Free Report) by 4.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 424,632 shares of the medical equipment providers stock after buying an additional 19,914 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbanks holdings in Boston Scientific were worth $21,244,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. VELA Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Boston Scientific by 27.5% in the first quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 19,899 shares of the medical equipment providers stock valued at $996,000 after buying an additional 4,295 shares during the period. Van Leeuwen & Company LLC acquired a new position in Boston Scientific in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,400,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management acquired a new position in Boston Scientific in the first quarter valued at approximately $7,188,000. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in Boston Scientific by 37.0% in the first quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 55,213 shares of the medical equipment providers stock valued at $2,762,000 after buying an additional 14,914 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Boston Scientific by 11.2% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,148,121 shares of the medical equipment providers stock worth $57,440,000 after purchasing an additional 115,599 shares during the period. 92.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Boston Scientific alerts: Boston Scientific Price Performance BSX traded up $0.51 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $51.09. 470,970 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,057,602. The companys 50-day moving average is $52.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.50. The company has a market cap of $74.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Boston Scientific Co. has a 12-month low of $37.74 and a 12-month high of $54.74. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Boston Scientific ( NYSE:BSX Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The medical equipment provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.04. Boston Scientific had a return on equity of 15.16% and a net margin of 6.81%. The business had revenue of $3.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.44 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Boston Scientific Co. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Boston Scientific from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. CL King assumed coverage on Boston Scientific in a research report on Friday, June 30th. They set a buy rating and a $64.00 target price on the stock. TheStreet raised Boston Scientific from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Boston Scientific in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Boston Scientific in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. They set an overweight rating and a $58.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Boston Scientific currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $58.35. Read Our Latest Stock Report on Boston Scientific Insider Buying and Selling at Boston Scientific In other Boston Scientific news, EVP Wendy Carruthers sold 11,671 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.24, for a total value of $621,364.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 72,847 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,878,374.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Wendy Carruthers sold 11,671 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.24, for a total transaction of $621,364.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 72,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,878,374.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Arthur C. Butcher sold 6,697 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.80, for a total value of $360,298.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,453 shares in the company, valued at $938,971.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 93,378 shares of company stock valued at $4,993,445 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the companys stock. Boston Scientific Company 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. Read More 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. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in shares of State Street Co. (NYSE:STT Free Report) by 121.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 267,599 shares of the asset managers stock after buying an additional 146,981 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.08% of State Street worth $20,255,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of STT. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in State Street in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. New Hampshire Trust bought a new stake in State Street in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in State Street in the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. OLD Mission Capital LLC bought a new stake in State Street in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in State Street by 69.2% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 572 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. 89.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get State Street alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of State Street in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of State Street from $72.00 to $64.00 in a research note on Monday, July 17th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of State Street from $82.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Monday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of State Street from $91.00 to $81.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of State Street from $100.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Sunday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $76.17. State Street Price Performance Shares of State Street stock traded up $0.41 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $73.14. 281,387 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,924,073. The company has a market cap of $23.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.64. State Street Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.62 and a fifty-two week high of $94.74. State Street (NYSE:STT Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 14th. The asset manager reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.09. State Street had a net margin of 16.99% and a return on equity of 12.20%. The business had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that State Street Co. will post 7.29 EPS for the current fiscal year. State Street Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.69 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 29th. This represents a $2.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.77%. This is a positive change from State Streets previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. State Streets dividend payout ratio is currently 37.30%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other State Street news, EVP Michael L. Richards sold 1,814 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.17, for a total transaction of $123,660.38. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 33,197 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,263,039.49. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Michael L. Richards sold 1,814 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.17, for a total value of $123,660.38. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 33,197 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,263,039.49. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Eric W. Aboaf sold 11,899 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.28, for a total transaction of $812,463.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 157,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,778,680.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the companys stock. About State Street (Free Report) State Street Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of financial products and services to institutional investors worldwide. The company offers investment servicing products and services, including custody, accounting, regulatory reporting, investor, and performance and analytics; middle office products, such as IBOR, transaction management, loans, cash, derivatives and collateral, record keeping, and client reporting and investment analytics; foreign exchange, and brokerage and other trading services; securities finance and enhanced custody products; deposit and short-term investment facilities; loans and lease financing; investment manager and alternative investment manager operations outsourcing; performance, risk, and compliance analytics; and financial data management to support institutional investors. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for State Street Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for State Street and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lowered its stake in shares of Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C Free Report) by 9.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 634,547 shares of the companys stock after selling 69,691 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbanks holdings in Citigroup were worth $29,754,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Citigroup by 24.5% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,752 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,589,000 after buying an additional 5,853 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its holdings in Citigroup by 50.5% during the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 6,256 shares of the companys stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in Citigroup by 20.8% in the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 5,274 shares of the companys stock valued at $282,000 after acquiring an additional 907 shares during the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC purchased a new stake in Citigroup in the first quarter worth $761,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Citigroup by 7.0% during the first quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 4,077 shares of the companys stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.39% of the companys stock. Get Citigroup alerts: Citigroup Price Performance C opened at $45.17 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.93 billion, a PE ratio of 7.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The businesss 50-day moving average is $46.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.70. Citigroup Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.01 and a 1 year high of $54.56. Citigroup Increases Dividend Citigroup ( NYSE:C Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 14th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.02. Citigroup had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 6.80%. The firm had revenue of $19.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.30 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Citigroup Inc. will post 5.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 4th. This is an increase from Citigroups previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.69%. Citigroups dividend payout ratio is presently 33.60%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have recently commented on C. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Citigroup from $50.00 to $48.00 in a report on Thursday, May 25th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Citigroup from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Monday, June 5th. Societe Generale downgraded shares of Citigroup from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, July 10th. StockNews.com began coverage on Citigroup in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Citigroup from $53.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Monday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $53.73. Check Out Our Latest Report on Citigroup Citigroup Profile (Free Report) Citigroup Inc, a diversified financial services holding company, provides various financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions in North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through three segments: Institutional Clients Group (ICG), Personal Banking and Wealth Management (PBWM), and Legacy Franchises. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding C? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Citigroup Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Citigroup and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Idaho's Republican governor, Brad Little, has overseen the enactment of the harshest anti-abortion laws in the nation. (Associated Press) Back in May, the Legislature and governor of Idaho conceived of a new crime, which they called "abortion trafficking." The supposedly trafficked victims were pregnant minors who don't want their parents to know they're seeking an abortion. The state made it illegal for anyone to help them obtain an abortion, including by medical means, as well as "recruiting, harboring, or transporting the pregnant minor" within the state. The law calls for jail terms of two to five years. The law also empowers many members of the minor's extended family parents, siblings, the minor's other children and the father of the unborn child to sue even out-of-state abortion providers for damages of $20,000 or more. If you're a doctor in California, the chilling effect means that every time you see a patient, you have to wonder what state are they from, and are they telling you the truth? Mary Ziegler, UC Davis School of Law The law is a companion piece to Idaho's almost total abortion ban. One of the harshest anti-abortion bans in the country, the law criminalizes abortions under almost all circumstances. It was passed in 2020, to be "triggered" once the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the abortion protections established by its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. That happened with the court's infamous June 2022 decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Not long after the ban was triggered, neighboring states and other abortion-rights states noticed a surge in patients from Idaho. In Washington, clinics saw a 75% increase in Idaho patients; in some clinics near the Idaho border, 4 out of 5 patients are Idahoans. Oregon providers saw a surge of as many as 300 new patients a month. So it may be unsurprising that the anti-abortion crusaders in Idaho's state government have moved to restrict even traveling out of state for an abortion. Blue states, however, are fighting back. Nineteen attorneys general of blue states (including Rob Bonta of California) have signed onto a friend-of-the-court brief in a lawsuit filed in July by abortion advocates in Boise federal court seeking to overturn the law as an unconstitutional infringement on the right to interstate travel. (The attorney general of Washington, D.C., has also signed on.) Story continues The blue states assert that the Idaho law's reach extends far beyond the state's borders. The law, their brief says, "threatens to punish, and will chill, the ability of healthcare providers, counselors, and trusted adults" to provide their Idaho patients with "vital information and support about lawful healthcare" in their states. They raise an important point. The Idaho law is an example of how anti-abortion fanatics aren't inclined to stop at merely throwing the healthcare systems of their own states into chaos. They want to create the same anarchy nationwide. Travel restrictions are a tool in their arsenal. Read more: Column: Antiabortion zealots are out to sabotage America's successful global fight against HIV Idaho's law is the only such statute now, says Mary Ziegler, an expert on the law and politics of reproduction and healthcare at the UC Davis School of Law. "It's worth emphasizing that it's not likely to remain the only one. We're seeing the tip of the iceberg." The disruption is not imaginary. In March, Bonner General Hospital in Idaho's northern panhandle announced that it would end labor and delivery services because "bills that criminalize physicians for medical care nationally recognized as the standard of care" had driven its OB/GYN and pediatrician doctors away. Pregnant women would henceforth have to travel 46 miles for the nearest hospital obstetric services. One device the drafters of the Idaho trafficking law employed to sow confusion is ambiguity. The law doesn't define "recruiting" or "harboring," or clearly set forth where liability ends and immunity to its provisions starts. If a woman in Pullman, Wash., tells her pregnant niece in Idaho where she can find a clinic in Washington, the blue states ask in their brief, "is that 'recruitment'"? If the aunt pays for her niece's bus ticket, "is that 'transportation' or, as the Idaho law would have it, 'trafficking'?" The threat of civil liability poses "pretty formidable practical concerns," Ziegler says. "If you're a doctor in California, the chilling effect means that every time you see a patient, you have to wonder what state are they from, and are they telling you the truth?" The Idaho law fulfills the grim prediction of the Dobbs dissent of Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen G. Breyer that interstate restrictions will "soon be in the offing.... Some States may block women from traveling out of State to obtain abortions, or even from receiving abortion medications from out of State. Some may criminalize efforts, including the provision of information or funding, to help women gain access to other States abortion services." The Idaho law makes a mockery of the assurance by Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, in his Dobbs concurrence, that no state would be able to bar a resident from traveling to another state for an abortion, due to "the constitutional right to interstate travel." One indication of the chaos is that the red states can't get even their own story straight. In June, 19 red-state attorneys general wrote the Department of Health and Human Services by letter to protest a proposed HHS rule prohibiting the disclosure of personal healthcare information to authorities in non-abortion states investigating abortions performed for their residents in states where they're legal. Read more: Column: Conservative attacks on abortion depend on a law that courts have snubbed for 150 years The proposed rule would block the disclosure of information sought for a "non-health care purpose," such as "a criminal, civil, or administrative investigation" of any person connected with out-of-state reproductive healthcare that is legal in the state where it was provided. That sounds as though it would cover people, including out-of-state residents, who might be prosecuted in Idaho for "recruiting," "harboring" or "transporting" minors subject to the law. According to the letter, which was instigated by Mississippi Atty. Gen. Lynn Fitch, the Biden administration was pushing "a false narrative that States are seeking to treat pregnant women as criminals or punish medical personnel who provide lifesaving care." The letter called that narrative a "lie." Is that so? Not a few cases in which pregnant women are treated as criminals or threatened with prosecution have arisen in anti-abortion states. In South Carolina in March, a woman was arrested and charged with having induced her own abortion with medication. South Carolina Atty. Gen. Alan Wilson signed the red states' letter. Last month in Nebraska, a 19-year-old woman was sentenced to jail for the crime of disposing of her fetus after an abortion, a transparent effort to prosecute her for the abortion itself. Nebraska Atty. Gen. Mike Hilgers signed the letter. In Alabama, as the indefatigable abortion rights advocate Jessica Valenti reports, the office of Atty. Gen. Steve Marshall has let it be known that the state's chemical endangerment law, which purportedly protects unborn fetuses, could be wielded against women who undergo medication abortions. Marshall signed the letter. In Texas last year, a 26-year-old woman was charged with murder after a "self-induced" abortion. The charge was ultimately dropped. Texas' acting attorney general, John Scott, signed the letter. As for seeking to "punish medical personnel," the Idaho law, thanks to its manifold ambiguities, raises exactly such a prospect. Idaho Atty. Gen. Raul Labrador signed the letter. One open question is why the conservative states are so determined to maintain their access to out-of-state medical records. The fact that the conservative attorneys general are fighting the HHS rule "suggests that there's interest in using out-of-state medical records, even if we haven't seen that happen yet," Ziegler says. Read more: Column: Threats to criminalize out-of-state abortions are a scary reminder of 1850s America Their letter doesn't make much of a case for the records' importance. It offers an example in which "state officials had reason to believe that an abortion provider deliberately performed an abortion in violation of state law ... and referred the woman to an out-of-state provider to cover it up." State officials would have grounds to investigate the provider, the letter says. The purportedly illicit activities, however, would have occurred in-state, not outside their state lines. The states also suggest that blocking them from obtaining out-of-state medical records might prevent them from investigating child abuse. But the HHS rule protects information related to activities that are illegal inside a state but lawful in another state. "There are no states that I'm aware of where child abuse is legal," Ziegler says. The red states also say the proposed HHS rule would hamper their efforts to block gender-affirming care for adolescents. That might seem a positive outcome (unless you're a red-state anti-transgender fanatic). As Ziegler says, this is only the start of what the Dobbs ruling, abetted by fanatical legislators, has unleashed. California and other blue states have taken steps to cement abortion rights into their laws and constitutions and to protect their healthcare providers from harassment from out of state, but their task is not going to get any easier. Get the latest from Michael Hiltzik Commentary on economics and more from a Pulitzer Prize winner. Sign me up. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Yasmin Von Roon poses for a photo as a train runs through a 19-story residential building at Liziba Station of Chongqing Rail Transit Line 2, southwest China's Chongqing, on April 27, 2023. Italian girl Yasmin Von Roon is a successful online influencer with 110,000 fans on TikTok, but she still recalls the strong emotional impact of learning about Marco Polo's travels. [Xinhua] CHONGQING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) At the age of four, Italian girl Yasmin Von Roon asked her mother to take her to China, after watching a movie about China's legendary woman warrior Mulan and listening to her grandmother's account of Italian traveler Marco Polo's life, who traveled to China in the 13th century. Now aged 26, she is a successful online influencer with 110,000 fans on TikTok, but she still recalls the strong emotional impact of learning about Marco Polo's travels. Considering herself the "No. 1 fan" of China, she has traveled to 17 Chinese provinces since 2018, and chose Zhejiang University for her master's degree studies rather than French or British universities, and is now majoring in international affairs and global governance. Such travels are a dream come true for the girl. She is even more delighted to see the widespread interest that her explorations have garnered online. When she traveled to southwest China's Chongqing Municipality this May, she posted several videos about the cityscape, garnering millions of views and tens of thousands of fans on TikTok. "I never imagined these videos would go viral. I think the reason for this interest is that the videos are made without 'filters' and reflect the real China," said Yasmin Von Roon. The Italian said that Chongqing is a futuristic city with magical architecture and an amazing transportation system with monorails passing through the buildings. "When I was in Italy, I saw content on Chongqing circulating on the internet. I feel like 'How come I didn't know this city?'," said the girl. Thus, when she returned to China to pursue her studies, she bought a ticket from Rome to Chongqing. Not only was she shocked to find that these magical views were real, but she also learned that Chongqing is right next to her favorite city in China, Chengdu, which is the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. When she came to China for the first time in 2018, she chose Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province rather than the popular cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. "I did some research and I just wanted to find the 'hidden gem' in China," she explained. Chengdu and Chongqing are close to each other and have many things in common, such as the dialect and food, said the foreign vlogger, and yet they have completely different vibes, both of which are appealing to tourists. Also, it was in Chengdu that she felt the enthusiasm of the Chinese people. When she asked a random passer-by for directions to a particular location, the local resident actually spent 30 minutes taking her there. "She didn't do it for money, but just as a gesture, to let me know that I'm welcome in the country. The genuine character of the Chinese people is one of the reasons I've stayed here," Yasmin Von Roon recalled. Yasmin Von Roon's father is German, and her mother is Italian, giving her an international perspective from an early age, and she has now traveled to over 70 countries. But she has been particularly impressed by China's diversity, with different ethnic groups from various settings across the vast territory, ranging from the snowy north to the warm coastlines of the south. "I would like to stay here in China, and after finishing my studies, I will see what opportunities the country can offer me. In the meantime, I would like to continue showing the public how beautiful China is," she added. Yasmin Von Roon poses for photos in front of Hongya Cave, a popular tourist attraction in southwest China's Chongqing, on April 27, 2023. Italian girl Yasmin Von Roon is a successful online influencer with 110,000 fans on TikTok, but she still recalls the strong emotional impact of learning about Marco Polo's travels. [Xinhua] (Source: Xinhua) Li Tengchu (L) works with other women workers at a banana plantation in Wulie Township of Changjiang Li Autonomous County, south China's Hainan Province, July 12, 2023. [Xinhua/Luo Jiang] HAIKOU, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) As dawn breaks, Li Tengchu hops on an electric bike and sets off for a banana plantation, embarking on her daily work routine in areas surrounding her hometown. Li never envisioned that her efforts in the farmlands would pave the way for skilled women workers in her hometown to pursue prosperous lives. "I've been working here for farmland owners for over a decade. Now, job opportunities keep pouring in, and employers call me daily to schedule work for their lands," said Li, a devoted forewoman leading over 100 adept women in farming activities in Wulie Township of Changjiang Li Autonomous County, in south China's Hainan Province. As the only tropical island province in China, Hainan has leveraged its favorable natural conditions and abundant resources in recent years to develop tropical high-efficiency agriculture on its fertile soil, particularly in Changjiang, spurring employment opportunities for women skilled at farming. Li said that it was a fortuitous job opportunity that led her to discover the high demand for workers in agricultural activities among numerous companies and farmland owners, and that her exceptional agricultural skills and strong sense of responsibility impressed employers, leading them to trust her and seek her assistance in recruiting women workers. "At first, I mainly teamed up with friends, but as the job began offering higher wages and rewards, word spread quickly in my village. Women started sharing these opportunities, and more like-minded individuals responded by joining the group," said Li. She added that such workers now earn up to 500 yuan (about 70 U.S. dollars) per day, a substantial increase compared to their previous income, which was derived from cultivating small plots of land at home. Despite the scorching summer sun, Li and her team persevere in scrupulously removing stray weeds and planting banana seeds. Their work is not deterred by the high temperatures, as they continue with nimble hands and feet. "It is important to work with dedication from start to finish. Perfunctory efforts are not acceptable or desirable," said Li in expressing her motto. Not just Li, but all the women workers share this same simple idea: it's crucial to work diligently to help businesses earn more profits because there will be more job opportunities available for them when the companies thrive. Li and her team's dedication explains the remarkable growth of this women workers' group. Official statistics report 17 forewomen and over 800 other women specializing in farming in Wulie Township. Li said that the women workers of Wulie Township have brought together versatile agricultural expertise spanning crop cultivation, management, harvesting, and packaging, and that their meticulous workmanship meets the demands of precise farming practices, earning them recognition from farmland owners and enterprises. In a notable feat, an agricultural company last year invited the precise and responsible Wulie women workers to participate in a month-long edamame cultivation program in south China's Guangdong Province, providing all necessities including meals, accommodation and round-trip tickets, as well as fair remuneration. However, the highest wages are usually paid in winter, which is the busiest period of the year when they are hired for transplanting across various parts of Hainan for important tropical breeding research programs. To facilitate their travel to distant working locations, the local government specially arranges a bus service. "Even though it's low season now, we still have farming work to do for 10 to 20 days every month. We remain ceaselessly engaged in agricultural pursuits throughout the year," Li said proudly. Sun Changliu, one of the women workers under Li's guidance, also finds comfort in the stable farming work. "In the past, I had no choice but to plant paddy rice and sweet potatoes at home, living a frugal life. But now, engaging in farming work nearby offers me a regular income," said Sun. She also mentioned that she is given professional instructions by Li and other technicians whenever she encounters unfamiliar tasks, which helps her achieve self-improvement, leaving her more grateful for Li's encouragement to join this group. According to Ma Yujie, head of Wulie Township, women workers in the town have now established a highly organized and united group, while the government is making concerted efforts to elevate this bevy of women into a renowned brand of the town. "We aim not only to empower women workers to work in surrounding regions, but also to create more employment opportunities close to their homes with respectable incomes," said the official. Li revealed that, over the past few years, the government has been dedicated to creating favorable employment prospects that demand agricultural expertise, instilling confidence in workers' ability to increase their savings. "At the moment, I hope to save enough money to purchase a vehicle. That way, it's much more convenient for me to do farming work in nearby villages and town along with my fellow women workers," said Li. (Source: Xinhua) The experience of being helped after the Wenchuan earthquake (hit Southwest China's Sichuan Province in 2008) shaped the life of Du Cancan, then a senior high school student. At that time, volunteers comforted Du, and they gave her warmth. Since then, she has been passionate about public welfare. Now, Du is deputy director of I You She, a non-profit, community-based social organization. Over the past 10 years, she has dedicated herself to helping residents foster a stronger sense of happiness. 'Modern Charity Granary' Not knowing one's neighbors has become an all-too-common problem in urban communities in China, even globally. Findings in a survey, released by China Youth Daily several years ago, indicated 80.9 percent of respondents felt their relationships with their neighbors were growing more and more indifferent. Further, 32.4 percent of the respondents only knew their neighbors' names. If in need of help, only 18.5 percent of respondents said they would turn to their neighbors for help. The survey's findings left some people asking important questions, such as "How can we build trust between neighbors?" "How can we establish a new type of relationship between neighbors, so they will live in harmony and support each other?" Du asked herself similar questions, and she and her team looked for inspiration from traditional Chinese customs. They learned about the concept of the "charity granary." Chinese have held firm to the tradition of helping the needy and their neighbors since ancient times. "Charity granary," during the Sui (581-618) and Tang dynasties (618-907), was one method used to help people in need. Villagers took some rice, from their homes, to deposit in the village's "charity granary." Children from impoverished families could take rice from the granary to give to their teachers to pay their tuition. When natural disasters happened, the rice in the granary was used to help victims in need of food. In 2011, Du and her colleagues decided to build modern "charity granaries" in Chengdu (capital of Sichuan Province), and to use the facilities to help establish good relationships among neighbors, and ultimately to create harmonious communities. They organized volunteers to knock on their neighbors' doors, to ask for donations a spoon per household of rice. The rice was to be distributed among in-need residents. "We hope to bring residents together through the 'charity granary,' and to provide them with a platform to express warmth and love," says Du. Du and her team eventually expanded the functions of the "charity granary," and they began accepting small, non-cash donations from residents. They created four categories of donations: Category A, used materials; Category B, food; Category C, washing products; and, Category D, time (for voluntary services). Charity-minded families can donate a bag of rice, a bucket of cooking oil, a tube of toothpaste, a bag of salt, and/or volunteer for half an hour each month. All donations are numbered, and each donation is recorded online. Families who benefit from the donations through the "charity granary" can become donors by volunteering their time. Everyone can participate in community building in his/her own way. Given the efforts of Du and her colleagues, the "modern charity granary" has developed into a community mutual-aid project. Over the past decade, the project has been promoted in 105 cities across the country, and more than one million people have gotten involved as volunteers. The initiative has even been promoted in other countries. In 2022, the project was included on the knowledge-sharing online platform of the United Nations Volunteers programme. Giving Hope to Needy Du's impression of and passion for social work resulted from an indelible experience in her life. In 2008, Du, then a third-year student at Beichuan High School (in Sichuan's Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County), lived through and witnessed the after-effects of the Wenchuan earthquake. She knew several people who lost their lives in the earthquake. Du was deeply distressed. Countless volunteers, from across the country, rushed to Sichuan, and they raced against time to rescue people from the ruins. They did not worry about their own safety. "Those helping hands gave me warmth and strength I found the direction in my life," Du recalls. Du spent almost all of her spare time volunteering for good causes after she entered university, in 2009. For example, she joined the school's youth volunteers association. Under the leadership of outstanding volunteer Liu Fei, Du cofounded a volunteer organization, I You She Public-Benefit Drama Club. With the help of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League of China, the drama club shot a film about left-behind children, whose parents migrated to other places for work. Du spent three months with left-behind children, learning about their lives, and offering services to them. As the days passed, she found that the children became more sensible and cheerful. Therefore, she knew the significance of offering voluntary services to the needy. Du officially registered I You She in 2011. That act transformed the drama club into a social organization. I You She became one of the first social organizations in Chengdu, and Du became a full-time charity worker. In 2012, the social organization initiated a charity-based project in an effort to care for elderly people who lived alone, especially those who were needy and/or disabled. Volunteers visited and chatted with the elderly, performed songs and/or dances, and helped the residents with their household chores. The project has since cultivated more than 10 teams of community volunteers, and those teams offer thousands of services to more than 6,500 elderly people. In November 2022, Du and her team worked with several government departments and public institutions to launch V-Light Plan, a project to cultivate voluntary-service-work staff. "Not only volunteers are needed in the social work sector, professional voluntary-service-work staff who can plan, organize and study (voluntary services) are also needed I attach much importance to the project It focuses on improving the capacities of voluntary-service-work staff, and promoting the professional and sustainable development of voluntary services," says Du. The project will last for one year. It will cultivate voluntary-service-work staff (including voluntary-service organizers and administrators) in communities, foundations and social organizations, in several ways, to vitalize volunteer organizations, and to promote standardization and branding of voluntary services. The organization to date has implemented 264 public-welfare projects, set up 83 work stations in Chengdu, cultivated 15,800 outstanding volunteers, and incubated 734 community-based volunteer organizations. It has organized various community-based activities, for both pre-teens and teenagers, and it has helped the elderly who have a hard time taking care of themselves, children facing difficulties, and minor offenders under community-correctional programs. Its projects have been promoted in 107 cities across the country. Borderless Love The organization signed a framework agreement, on the strategic cooperation of public welfare and charity projects, with Sichuan Haihui Poverty Alleviation Service Center and Borderless Friendship Foundation. The signing ceremony was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in March 2023. That agreement marks a milestone for I You She in its efforts to participate in volunteer services globally. Du promoted I You She's brand project, "charity granary," in Chiang Mai. With the help of the center and the foundation, "charity granaries" will benefit some communities and their residents in Chiang Mai. Parties to the agreement will conduct seminars and studies on various topics, such as the "sustainable development of cities and communities," "building resilient community" and "international voluntary services of social organizations." Explains Du: "The building of resilient communities is to help communities increase their capabilities of coping with disasters and emergencies, and weathering the storms smoothly. It requires upgrading local facilities, training community staff, developing measures of crisis response, and cultivating local volunteers." Previously, I You She donated summer clothes to teenagers in a county in Thailand. "It is just a small beginning for Chengdu's social organizations to go abroad and to organize international public-welfare activities. We will become acquainted with more charity-minded people and forces through 'charity granary,' and we will help promote the friendship between Chengdu and Chiang Mai," says Du. Photos Supplied by Interviewee (Women of China English Monthly June 2023 issue) The excitement of investing in a company that can reverse its fortunes is a big draw for some speculators, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can manage to find investors. Sometimes these stories can cloud the minds of investors, leading them to invest with their emotions rather than on the merit of good company fundamentals. A loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the inflow of external capital may dry up. In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX:CBA), which has not only revenues, but also profits. Now this is not to say that the company presents the best investment opportunity around, but profitability is a key component to success in business. View our latest analysis for Commonwealth Bank of Australia How Quickly Is Commonwealth Bank of Australia Increasing Earnings Per Share? The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so you'd expect share price to follow earnings per share (EPS) outcomes eventually. Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. Commonwealth Bank of Australia managed to grow EPS by 13% per year, over three years. That's a pretty good rate, if the company can sustain it. It's often helpful to take a look at earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins, as well as revenue growth, to get another take on the quality of the company's growth. Not all of Commonwealth Bank of Australia's revenue this year is revenue from operations, so keep in mind the revenue and margin numbers used in this article might not be the best representation of the underlying business. While we note Commonwealth Bank of Australia achieved similar EBIT margins to last year, revenue grew by a solid 3.9% to AU$26b. That's encouraging news for the company! The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. For finer detail, click on the image. Story continues The trick, as an investor, is to find companies that are going to perform well in the future, not just in the past. While crystal balls don't exist, you can check our visualization of consensus analyst forecasts for Commonwealth Bank of Australia's future EPS 100% free. Are Commonwealth Bank of Australia Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders? Since Commonwealth Bank of Australia has a market capitalisation of AU$176b, we wouldn't expect insiders to hold a large percentage of shares. But we are reassured by the fact they have invested in the company. Notably, they have an enviable stake in the company, worth AU$331m. This comes in at 0.2% of shares in the company, which is a fair amount of a business of this size. This still shows shareholders there is a degree of alignment between management and themselves. Is Commonwealth Bank of Australia Worth Keeping An Eye On? One important encouraging feature of Commonwealth Bank of Australia is that it is growing profits. For those who are looking for a little more than this, the high level of insider ownership enhances our enthusiasm for this growth. These two factors are a huge highlight for the company which should be a strong contender your watchlists. We should say that we've discovered 1 warning sign for Commonwealth Bank of Australia that you should be aware of before investing here. Although Commonwealth Bank of Australia certainly looks good, it may appeal to more investors if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, then this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying, could be exactly what you're looking for. Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction. 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. The New England for Trump memorabilia store at 260 South Main St., Bellingham, is still bringing in customers for apparel and other merchandise showing support for the former president. Weather Alert ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THURSDAY... * WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with heat index values of 105 to 115 expected. * WHERE...Southern Illinois and southeast Missouri along with the westernmost portions of southwest Indiana and western Kentucky. * WHEN...From noon today to 10 PM CDT Thursday. * IMPACTS...Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...This will likely be the worst heat wave we have experienced this summer in terms of duration. The multiple day aspect of this excessive heat will add to the impact. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && Weather Alert ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING... * WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with heat index values of 105 to 110 expected. * WHERE...Portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana and western Kentucky. * WHEN...From Monday afternoon through Thursday evening. * IMPACTS...Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...This will likely be the worst heat wave we have experienced this summer in terms of duration. The multiple day aspect of this excessive heat will add to the impact. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates on this situation. Be prepared to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air- conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. This is especially true during warm or hot weather when car interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes. && Weather Alert ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 10 PM CDT THURSDAY... * WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with heat index values of 105 to 115 expected. * WHERE...Portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana and western Kentucky. Generally locations along and northwest of a line from Fulton to Paducah Kentucky to Shawneetown Illinois to Princeton Indiana. * WHEN...From noon today to 10 PM CDT Thursday. * IMPACTS...Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...This will likely be the worst heat wave we have experienced this summer in terms of duration. The multiple day aspect of this excessive heat will add to the impact. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && Hopins 29-year-old chief executive, Johnny Boufarhat, stepped down after announcing the sale - Hopin Hopin, the video events company that was Europes fastest-growing start-up ever during the pandemic, has sold its digital conferences arm for just $50m (39m). The business was valued at $7.75bn just two years ago as Covid forced companies to hold meetings online, marking it as a technology unicorn, a privately owned start-up with a $1bn valuation. Hopin raised $1bn from venture capital investors after launching its app just as lockdowns shut down the world economy. But now it is selling its digital events business after workers returned to the office and in-person conferences made a comeback. Hopin declined to say how much the deal was worth. However, in a disclosure to US markets, video conferencing company RingCentral, which acquired the division, said it had paid just $15m upfront, with a further $35m available depending on how the business performs. A Hopin spokesman did not respond to requests for comment about the price. In an example of how Covid caused major adjustments to start-up valuations, Hopin was valued at $2bn in November 2020 and then spiralled to $7.75bn by August 2021. The deals made Johnny Boufarhat, the companys 29-year-old chief executive and founder, a paper billionaire. The Hopin boss also sold in excess of 100m in shares in the business. While it has carved off its events arm, Hopin said it had retained its video streaming and hosting division, adding it was working on a new community product. The company said it had a strong balance sheet and profitability. As well as revealing the sale, Mr Boufarhat has stepped down as chief executive. Other companies that boomed during the pandemic have endured sharp falls in valuation. Shares in Zoom, the US video conferencing company, have plummeted 88pc since their high point in 2020. Hopin told The Telegraph the business units it had sold to RingCentral were now only a small part of its business. These two are minor business units compared to what remains of Hopin, a spokesman said last week. The spokesman added: Going forward, Hopin maintains a strong and growing balance sheet, large capital balance, profitability and positive cash flow. 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. Breadth of expertise in business, philanthropy, community engagement, and venture capital to help advance Foundations mission BETHESDA, Md., August 09, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation announced changes to its Board of Trustees, including the election of Kate ODonnell, MBA, and Dodzie Sogah, PhD, as trustees, and Elise Eberwein, MBA, as a non-voting advisor. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809016427/en/ The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation announced new members of its Board of Trustees: Kate ODonnell, MBA, and Dodzie Sogah, PhD, as trustees, and Elise Eberwein, MBA, as a non-voting advisor. (From left to right, ODonnell, Sogah, and Eberwein) (Photo: Business Wire) "The CF Foundation Board of Trustees plays a critical role in shaping the Foundations vision as we continue to meet the rapidly evolving needs of the CF community," said KC White, chair of the Board of Trustees. "We are grateful to welcome our new members who bring a wealth of professional experience and personal commitment to our mission, along with unique perspectives to our shared work to support all people with CF." Kate ODonnell, MBA, Trustee Kate ODonnell has been a volunteer with the CF Foundation for more than 20 years, notably co-chairing the 2023 Volunteer Leadership Conference and chairing the Massachusetts/Rhode Island Chapters Tomorrows Leaders since 2018, where she helps engage young professionals. For the past decade, she has also served as president of the Joey Fund, an organization founded by her parents, Joe and Kathy, in honor of her brother Joey, who died of CF. The Joey Fund has raised hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of the CF Foundation. Kate holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB in English from Harvard University. She currently works with Belmont Capital, LLC, a venture capital and private equity firm in Cambridge, Mass. Story continues Dodzie Sogah, PhD, Trustee Dodzie Sogah has spent his career at the intersection of business, science, and medicine, and is dedicated to bringing innovative therapies to people in need. He currently serves as venture partner at Third Rock Ventures, a Boston-based venture capital investment firm, where he focuses on building new life sciences companies with breakthrough approaches made possible by genetic and biological technologies. He also has previous experience in corporate development and business development, including at Vertex Pharmaceuticals where he focused on evaluating genetic technology partnerships and led the formation of the companys collaborations with Moderna and CRISPR Therapeutics. Dodzie holds a PhD in cellular and developmental biology from Harvard Medical School, and an AM in molecular and cellular biology and an AB in biochemical sciences, both from Harvard University. Elise Eberwein, MBA, Advisor Elise Eberwein is a veteran of the airline industry. She has served on the executive leadership team at American Airlines, where she oversaw multiple functions including human resources, communications, and community relations. She retired in 2022 after serving as the executive vice president of people and global engagement. During her tenure, she championed the CF Foundations mission by attending numerous events including the annual American Airlines Celebrity Ski, which has raised more than $45 million for the Foundation in 40 years. In 2023 she received the Foundations Jena Award, which recognizes a volunteer who does not have a direct connection to CF, but who goes above and beyond to support the mission. Elise holds an MBA from Colorado State University and a BA in mass communications from Lindenwood University. A complete list of the CF Foundations Board of Trustees and Advisors is available on cff.org. About the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world's leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. The Foundation funds more CF research than any other organization, and nearly every CF drug available today was made possible because of Foundation support. Based in Bethesda, Md., the Foundation also supports and accredits a national care center network that has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a model of care for a chronic disease. The CF Foundation is a donor-supported nonprofit organization. For more information, visit cff.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809016427/en/ Contacts Dee Donavanik Email: mediarelations@cff.org Phone: 240-482-2857 Are you affected by the Yellow bankruptcy, or do you work at another freight carrier? Tell us your story by filling out the form below. All submissions will be kept anonymous. Yellow Corp. trailers at a YRC Freight facility on July 28, 2023, in Richfield, Ohio. [AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki] Following Mondays bankruptcy announcement by freight trucking company Yellow, resulting in the loss of 30,000 jobs, the World Socialist Web Site spoke with several workers from the companys dock and warehouse in Columbus, Ohio. Out of concern for the workers ability to be hired at another company, we have changed their names for this story. David is a warehouse worker, who had been working on the dock loading and unloading trucks for less than a year. Last month, David spoke with the WSWS about the horrendous conditions in the warehouse and the disrespectful way management treated workers. Joe, a truck driver with over 20 years experience, has been driving for Yellow Freight for a little over five years. He estimates that there are about 70 drivers working out of the Columbus facility, including 50 line haul drivers like himself, 10 city drivers and 10 drivers that work in the yard. Workers at the Columbus warehouse and hub were not informed that they are being laid off or terminated. In fact, more than one week since the company shuttered operations they have yet to be contacted by the company on their status. Workers only found out that they were out of a job on Sunday, July 30th when they arrived at the warehouse and found the gates padlocked shut. Another worker at the Columbus hub wrote into the WSWS to say: I worked for Yellow for seven years in Columbus, Ohio. This whole thing is ridiculous because they never gave us a phone call or anything. We all went to work to see the gates locked. Management from the top down are cowards. If they were to reopen I would never go back to work there. I just started receiving text messages, said David, who wasnt scheduled to work that day. People are so mad that they werent told, they were just thrown on the street. We didnt get severance pay. People are owed vacation pay. We are out with nothing. Joe, the line haul driver, works nights. I didnt get notified, I drove by the gate, and it was barricaded. All we have is our last paycheck. There are a lot of people with kids here and they depend on this job; not just for pay, but for their insurance too. A lot of my friends are having a very hard time. Many people live paycheck to paycheck to keep up with bills. Joe explained that they fired the person who does the payroll before she had finished entering the payroll. They called our payroll lady Angela and fired her on the spot. She hadnt finished the payroll, I know one driver that lost 15 hours. There are also guys who had five or six weeks vacation that theyve lost. David added, People have lost their vacation time, their personal time. They are not getting paid for what they are owed. People lost their medical insurance. People lost everything. Without an official notice of layoff, workers have not been able to file for unemployment. Joe reported that he tried to call, but I wasnt able to get through. So many people are trying to file. This is why people need severance pay, he repeated. David pointed out that management received severance pay, but not the workers. I spoke with a supervisor, and he told me he received severance pay, but we didnt. He didnt like the situation. Id like to know why they havent paid their employees severance pay. They paid the supervisors but not the employees, which is very unfair. We did the hard work, not the supervisors. The executives dont know how to operate a forklift. They are not the ones doing the work. We are. David also felt that both the company and the union knew this was coming and didnt tell the employees. They should have given us a 60-day notice, they knew they were going to do this. They should have given people notice. Referring to the fact that the Teamsters called off a strike last month, claiming it had reached a deal to give the company time to pay into its pensions, he said: They were just using people to clear the docks. But they knew they were going to shut down and people should have been notified. Management knew this was coming. They all took their vacation. I knew this was coming and I tried to warn people, but the union kept telling them that everything was going to be alright. The union knew what was going to happen. But they didnt care, they got their money too. With all the money the union collected, they should have been fighting for us. They kept this all hush-hush. They were telling us to keep working but its all a big hoax. Yellow just wanted to clear the docks. It was a big hoax to use the little bit of people that were still coming in to clear their docks. Im not happy with the union, but this is not going to hurt them, they have plenty of money. Joe too felt that the Teamsters betrayed them. Ive never seen anything like this, Joe said. Ive never worked for a company that treats their people like this. The union is just as much of the problem as the company. Unless youre in that little clique, youll lose out. The company will throw you under the bus and the union will throw you under the bus. The union is a joke. They take our money but they dont do anything for us. We lost insurance, our paycheck and theyve done nothing. Both David and Joe are hopeful that they will find other work, but are worried about their co-workers being able to find work. Other companies dont want to hire us because we worked at Yellow, Joe said. I already had two interviews with another company. I was supposed to have a third interview. But somebody told them I have been driving for Yellow and now they wont answer my phone calls. Ive been driving for 20 years with a clean safety record. I would be somebody they would want to hire, so if theyre not its only because I had worked for Yellow. I have a perfect driving record, if they are not hiring me people are going to have a hard time finding a job. David too has already been looking for work. David went to several other companies throughout the Columbus area looking for work. I went to PittOhio (a privately owned transportation company based in Pittsburgh) and they said half the people from Yellow have come over looking for work. Their pay is okay, but they dont have the overtime option that you had with Yellow. This is very hard on people that they have to start over. I think its very unfair. The workers are getting the short end of the stick while the big wigs sit back and get rich. Are you affected by the Yellow bankruptcy, or do you work at another freight carrier? Tell us your story by filling out the form below. All submissions will be kept anonymous. The British government has launched a fascistic campaign against migrants and refugees. On Tuesday, the first 15 migrants were forced onto the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland Port, Dorset, which is in all essentials a floating prison. The barge is set to stay in the port for at least 18 months. Designed for 222 people, it will house up to 506 asylum seekers in tiny rooms while their claims are considered. A view of the Bibby Stockholm barge, which will house up to 500 asylum seekers, at Portland Port in Dorset, England, Friday, July 21, 2023 [AP Photo/Andrew Matthews] The conditions onboard the bargewhich the Fire Brigades Union has condemned as a fire-riskwere summed up by one of the asylum seekers, an Afghan, whose country was destroyed by the 2001 US-UK-led invasion and 20 years of conflict since. Speaking to the BBC, he said, Our room is small, we cant even put clothes in the closet for one person. Its like a prison herethe sound of locks and security checks makes it feel like Im entering Alcatraz. Its terrible theyre wanting to house 500 people here. My roommate panicked in the middle of the night and felt like he was drowning. There are people among us who have been given heavy drugs for depression by the doctor here. The first asylum seekers were sent onboard in a filthy political atmosphere, akin to Nazi Germany, with TV news outlets hosting live coverage from the port and right-wing news media denouncing migrants. The offensive was led by the Deputy Chairman of the ruling Conservative Party Lee Anderson, who told the rabidly anti-immigrant Daily Express, If they dont like barges then they should f**k off back to France. The Express reported, The comment reflects mounting frustration at the way leftwing charities and lawyers are trying to game the system to block any control of the migrant crisis in the UK It emerged earlier today that the leftwing charity Care4Calais was involved in trying to stop 500 migrants from being housed on the giant barge, Bibby Stockholm, docked on the south coast. The Daily Mail, under a headline, Were scared of WATER so you cant put us on the migrant barge: Leftie lawyers help block transfer of 20 asylum seekers onto Bibby Stockholm, reported that the transfers of 20 migrants onto the barge were cancelled on Monday after legal challenges from representatives of Care4Calais claimed the Home Office had not conducted any suitability screening. The charitys CEO Steve Smith has since revealed that some of the asylum seekers it supported didnt board the vessel yesterday due to mental health concerns, some of which arose from being traumatised by seeing their friends drown at sea Justice Secretary Alexander John Gervase Chalk, KC, welcomed Andersons robust intervention, claiming he had expressed the righteous indignation of the British people. The Prime Ministers office said the justice secretary was speaking for the government in backing Anderson. On LBC Radios Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Chalk said of the recently established Professional Enablers Taskforce made up of civil servants, law enforcement officers and regulatory bodies, Its really intended to massively step up our ability to bring rogue lawyers to account. Home Secretary Suella Braverman, a sociopath who has declared it her obsession and dream to deport migrants to Rwanda, took up the theme in the Daily Mail, threatening, Crooked immigration lawyers must be rooted out and brought to justice we know that some are lying to help illegal migrants game the system The British people want us to put an end to illegal migrationI am determined to crack down on these immoral lawyers and stop the boats. The rant concluded with the threat, These conmen make it far harder to remove people who have no right to be hereand they must face the full force of the law. I want to see the worst offenders in jail and we have the laws in place to bring them to justice. In opposing Andersons statement, Labours main gripe was over his use of obscene language. London Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted Language matters. But Labours immigration policy in office would differ barely a jot from the Tories. Labour has already declared that in government they would keep the barges in use as detention centres, and other anti-immigration infrastructure. Its policy was outlined by Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed, who said bundling asylum seekers onto barges was too little too late. The buck stops with the Conservatives, as they had sat idly by for 13 years while illegal migration has spun out of control. Now, weak as ever, they are setting up a talking shop instead of cracking down on those who abuse our immigration system. Anderson himself was a long-time Labour member and councillor for the party. Formerly a miner in the Nottinghamshire coalfield, from which the Thatcher government mounted a mass scabbing operation in the 1984-85 Miners Strike with the creation of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers, he was elected for Labour onto Ashfield District Council election in 2015. He quit Labour to join the Tories in 2018, complaining that it had been taken over by the hard-left under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. From there he was rapidly elevated into the Tory leadership, earning the nickname the Red Wall Rottweiler and winning a former Labour-supporting constituency which backed Brexit in the 2016 referendum, Mansfield, in the 2019 general electionafter another right-wing Labourite, Gloria De Piero, stood down. Both Anderson (paid 100,000 on top of his MPs salary) and De Piero have presented slots on the right-wing GB News. His vicious attack on asylum seekers has earned him the derogatory nickname, Pound Shop Powell, a reference to Enoch Powell, who whipped up racism in the 1960s with his notorious Rivers of Blood speech. On Tuesday, Anderson was a guest on the GB News show of the former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, who has campaigned for years for the very policies Anderson is now championing in the Tory Party. The filthy campaign waged by the Tories, with Labours backing, only reveals that the programme and personnel in both parties are interchangeable. The war on refugees is not just an incidental element of their programme but is based on mobilising the most backward elements of society against the most desperate and vulnerable, as the spearhead of an assault against the entire working class. If the Tories want to make the legal defence by lawyers of migrants a criminal offense, then the criminalisation of anti-racist protests will not be far behind. The Illegal Migration Bill enabling the removal of refugees to a third country became an Act of Parliament on July 20, on the same day as the forcing workers to continue working during industrial action in essential services became law. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak boasted, We are getting on with the job and today passed new laws which will play an important part in our efforts to stop the boats, support businesses to grow and allow the public to access essential services in the face of disruption. This is the agenda of the ruling class throughout the continent, with governments, including those in Italy and the Netherlands, queuing up to ape Britains anti-immigration policies. The Tories are involved in ongoing discussions to deportunder the Illegal Migration Actanyone who arrives in a small vessel either to Rwanda or 4,000 miles away to the volcanic rock in the southern Atlantic, the Ascension Islands. Among other third countries being lined up as deportation destinations are at least five African states including Nigera poverty-stricken nation which faces the imminent threat of a catastrophic war with its neighbours! Even as the Italian state reports 15,617 new COVID cases over the 30-day period ended August 2, including 76 deaths and 415 infections among healthcare workers, the ultra-right government headed by Giorgia Meloni of the fascist Fratelli dItalia is dropping mandatory isolation for COVID positive patients, thus virtually ending all COVID mitigations by early next month. Since early 2022, the Italian government, first under the banker Mario Draghi and now under the fascist Meloni, has been systematically dropping COVID mitigations, first by drastically reducing the isolation period for positive patients, then by letting the requirement for masks in public spaces, including healthcare facilities and public transport, expire, and dropping mandatory vaccinations for workers, including healthcare employees. The only remaining measure, smart working from home for workers classified as medically fragile, is due to expire on 31 December this year. Effectively admitting that government policy has no connection to science, Italys undersecretary for health, Andrea Costa told RAI Italian state radio, 'The government's goal has always been to create the conditions for co-existence with the Covid-19 virus.' In other words, the government is adopting a forever-COVID policy. More than 26 million COVID cases have been officially reported in Italy since January 2020; however, this is a drastic undercount since the government abandoned its comprehensive testing and tracking infrastructure in early 2022, and the real toll of the ongoing pandemic is not known, leaving the population flying blind and vulnerable to death and chronic disease. A scene from the initial COVID outbreak in Italy in 2020 [AP Photo] Since declaring an end to the pandemic in March 2022, the government has sought to downplay the risks of contracting the virus; however, principled scientists continue to raise the alarm, especially regarding the effects of repeated infections and Long COVID. As an indication of the prevalence of Long COVID, a recent Italian scientific study among children infected with COVID, published in the Italian Journal of Pediatrics, found that among the study cohort, 24.3 percent of children who recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection without need of hospitalization suffered Long COVID, a debilitating condition that can last for weeks, months, or years and involves a wide range of organs, including the heart, lungs, brain, blood vessels, and gastrointestinal tract. The Italian study estimates that the probability of children developing Long COVID-19 increases with the severity of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, with the studys pediatric cohort showing the prevalence of Long COVID increasing from 11.5 percent in asymptomatic children to 46.5 percent in children with symptomatic infection, to 58 percent in hospitalized children. The study also shows that being symptomatic during the SARS-CoV-2 infection increased six-fold the risk of children having at least one symptom of Long COVID-19, particularly respiratory, neurological, and psychological symptoms, with the study concluding, the putative explanations for these Long COVID-19 symptoms include viral protein persistence in epithelial reservoirs, persistence of low-level inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and virus-induced dysautonomia Alarmingly, the study also confirmed that hospitalized children showed high prevalence of cardiac involvement (approximately 22 percent) and above all psychological symptoms (approximately 37 percent): anxiety, fear in social relationships, depression, insomnia, and concentration difficulties, and that gender and pre-existing diseases do not affect the occurrence of Long COVID-19; also, children without comorbidities can have a severe course for Long COVD-19 symptoms. The study is an indictment of the Italian government as the authors highlight the fact that, for many months after the breakout of the pandemic, parents worries about their childrens symptoms were minimized, often labelled as psychological issues. The study demonstrates that Long COVID-19 is a reality in pediatric age and can strike patients with mild or no acute symptoms and can potentially cause lifelong health problems. In a 2022 interview with la Repubblica, Professor of Medical Hygiene Walter Ricciardi said that research shows more than four million Italians of all ages are suffering from Long COVID, sometimes for more than one year after infection, with pulmonary, heart and kidney problems being the most frequent and serious complications reported. Long COVID continues to be a major global concern among principled scientists who characterize the response of governments to the pandemic as a mass disabling event. As in other nations that have dismantled COVID monitoring and mitigation, scientists in Italy are using wastewater testing to keep the public informed of the state of the pandemic and to track new and evolving variants. Samples taken in October 2022 detected the highly transmissible Omicron strains BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 before they were reported in clinical cases as well as other subvariants that have not yet been sequenced. The study authors urge the Italian state to optimize sequencing strategies in wastewater and integrate environmental with clinical surveillance to help the early discovery of less abundant SARS-CoV-2 lineages and complement public health surveillance. With the government policy of forever COVID, this will not happen, and the pandemic will continue to kill and maim indiscriminately. The newest variant, Eris, is spreading like wildfire in the Basilicata region of Italy and the Italian media, in sheer indifference to public health, is spreading misinformation that it is as harmless as the flu, even as COVID is proven to mutate and spread more than twice as fast as the flu and kill at a much higher rate. Three quarters of prisons in England and Wales are rated poor or inadequate in one of four measured categories and more than a third are unsafe, according to analysis by the Observer of hundreds of inspections. They are severely overcrowded, with 86,763 people locked up and just 947 cells unoccupied, even under conditions where many prisons are running well over capacity. Leeds prison, for example, is at 173 percent of its Certified Normal Accommodation, Durham at 169 percent, and Wandsworth at 163 percent. Three in five prisons were in this position in 2019, according to the Howard League for Penal Reform. Over 14,000 are in prison on remandthat is, without having been found guiltyand nearly two-thirds of all those given custodial sentences last year had committed non-violent offences. President of the Prison Governors Association Andrea Albutt told the Observer, We are stuffed to the gunwales. We are doing little more than warehousing people In a nutshell, its dangerous. This is absolutely the worst Ive ever seen. Charlie Taylor, chief inspector of prisons, commented, We cannot allow a situation to persist where prisoners are simply warehoused in deteriorating conditions, with the real risk of harm not only to them as individuals but also to the public if their rehabilitation has not been supported during their time in custody. Taylor was so concerned about Bristol prison that he sent a letter to the Secretary of State this July warning of its apparently chronic and intractable problems. After a decade of rock-bottom standards score in inspection, the most recent carried out that month found eight suicides in the previous year (and one immediately following the inspection), emergency cell bells left unanswered, half the prisoners kept in two-person cells built for one person, most prisoners locked up for 22 hours a day, and inadequate provision of physical and mental health care, education, purposeful work or rehabilitation plans. A quarter of prisoners reaching the end of their sentence were released into homelessness. This is just a snapshot of problems rife throughout the prison system. Rates of self-harm are atrocious. In the year to March 2023, close to 60,000 incidents were recordedmore than one every ten minutes. This was an 11 percent increase on the year before. Self-harm in womens prisons increased by a staggering 51 percent to its highest level on record. In the same period, there were more than 22,000 cases of assault (up by 11 percent) and 2,500 of serious assault (up 23 percent), the large majority prisoner-on-prisoner. More than three inmates killed themselves every fortnight88 in the year to June 2023, a 26 percent annual increase. Prisoners on remand account for a disproportionate number of suicide victims. Data obtained via Freedom of Information requests in 2021 found that force was used against prisoners by staff 59.1 times per 100 inmates in the year to April 2020. A year earlier, inspectors from the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture found deeply concerning use of unjustified violence against prisoners by staff in a prison system described as being in deep crisis, both violent and overcrowded. The number of people kept in these hellish conditions has nearly doubled in the last three decades thanks to law-and-order policies pursued jointly by the Conservatives and the Labour Partywhether in government or opposition. Then Tory Home Secretary Michael Howards 1993 prison works campaign marked a reverse in falling prison numbers. Labour Home Secretary David Blunketts 2003 Criminal Justice Act ratcheted sentences and toughened guidelines to the point that even then Director of Public Prosecutions Ken MacDonald described the legislation as grotesque and likely to have an extraordinary effect on the prison population. In 2017, the Prison Reform Trust estimated an additional 16,000 people were in prison as a result. This is set to expand. The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee notes an expected increase in demand [for prison cells] as government implements its plans for 20,000 new police officers and sentencing reforms start taking effect. Nearly 100,000 people are expected to be imprisoned by 2026. Labours only criticism has been that our prisons are turning criminals away because the Conservatives failed to build the cells they promised, in the words of Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed. He continued in an interview last week, Labour is the party of law and order. In government it will get on and deliver the prison places we need to ensure that dangerous criminals are where they belongbehind bars. Liberal commentators bewail the situation, seeking to convince Labour and the Tories of the inhuman and ineffective impact of this regime. Both points are undoubtedly true. Pitifully few resources are directed to the rehabilitationor to maintaining an environment in which that work is remotely possibleas reflected in the high rates of reoffending. But the prison governors and inspectors are closer to the mark than the Guardian columnists: this is a deliberate policy of warehousing a section of the population, not a misguided strategy for justice. Those imprisoned are generally people who have suffered some of the worst experiences of poverty, degradation and social dislocation inflicted by capitalism. Rather than attend to these problems, capitalist governments deal with the anti-social and sometime dangerous behaviour produced by shunting a whole section of the population behind barsfrequently condemning them to a cycle of imprisonment and unemployment or highly precarious work, mental health and drug issues. The threat of this fate then helps to terrorise the most heavily policed poor, working-class neighbourhoods. By far the worst example in the world is the United States, where 1.2 million people are imprisoned in brutal conditions as part of a de facto war on the poorthe highest rate of incarceration anywhere on the planet. The UK is some way behind (thought it has the highest incarceration rate in Western Europe), but the issues are the same. A study by Cardiff Universitys Wales Governance centre found that the imprisonment rate for the ten most deprived local authorities in England in 2021 was ten times higher than for the ten least deprived. Previous studies have shown two-thirds of inmates are unemployed before and after custody and seven percent were homeless or in temporary accommodation before imprisonment and 14 percent afterwards. Nearly half have no prior qualifications and more than half are functionally illiterate. A quarter have been in local authority care at some point in their childhood and more than a quarter have experienced abuse at home. Rates of mental illness are significantly higher than in the general population. Prison does nothing to address these problems, with less than a third of inmates saying it is easy to see a mental health worker and 36 out of 37 prisons inspected in the last year not providing a good or reasonably good standard of purposeful activity. Provision of education is inadequate in 60 percent of prisons and requires improvement in the other 40 percent. The sources of anti-social crime are known and overwhelmingly treatableor at least humanely manageable. The brutality of the penal system is not a necessity, but one of the most naked examples of the social carnage wrought by capitalist inequality and impoverishment, and the ruling classs authoritarian response to its consequences. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 9, 2023) - Denarius Metals Corp. (TSXV: DSLV) (OTCQX: DNRSF) ("Denarius Metals" or the "Company") announced today that the Company plans to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 40,000,000 common shares of the Company at a price of CA$0.50 per common share for gross proceeds of up to CA$20,000,000 (the "Offering"). It is anticipated that the closing of the Offering will occur on or about September 6, 2023. Completion of the Offering is subject to receipt of TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") approval. The common shares issuable in connection with this Offering will be subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day after the date of issuance. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering (i) to pay for the Phase 1 construction activities nearing completion in the third quarter of 2023 at the Company's Zancudo Project in Colombia, including access road construction, plant site refurbishment, the acquisition and installation of new crushing equipment, and associated civil works, (ii) to fund the Phase 2 construction at the Zancudo Project including acquisition and installation of a new concentrate plant, tailings storage facility construction and other site infrastructure, and (iii) for working capital and general corporate purposes. Serafino Iacono, Executive Chairman and CEO of Denarius Metals, commented, "The Zancudo Project is rapidly taking shape as our first mine to come into operation and will provide us with an ongoing source of internally generated cash flow as we explore and develop our larger polymetallic projects in Spain. Designing the Zancudo Project to focus on producing and selling a concentrate once the Phase 2 construction is completed allows us to minimize the start-up capital investment and to limit the local environmental impact at the site. We have recently completed the third phase of our validation and in-fill drilling program at our Lomero Project in Southern Spain. Final assays are pending and we expect to have a drilling update shortly. Europa Metals announced on August 4, 2023 that the current drill campaign at the Toral Project in Northern Spain is nearing its close and all holes have intersected mineralization as expected and the intersections reported to date have correlated well with the known existing resource. With the support of further institutional investment to strengthen our equity through the proposed private placement, and the engagement of a market maker, we remain focused on enhancing shareholder value as we endeavor to bring our portfolio of projects into production over the next couple of years." Story continues The Zancudo Project, 100% owned by Denarius Metals, is located in a historic mining district in the Municipality of Titiribi, Department of Antioquia, Colombia, approximately 30 km SW of Medellin. The Zancudo Project, which includes the former producing Independencia Mine, was the subject of approximately 40,000 meters of exploration drilling carried out between 2011 and 2022 by Gran Colombia Gold (now Aris Mining) and IAMGOLD. The Company announced in its press release on March 1, 2023 that it had completed a maiden Mineral Resource estimate prepared by SRK Consulting (U.S.), Inc. ("SRK") with total Inferred Resources of 2.8 million tonnes grading 6.5 g/t gold and 112 g/t silver totaling 576,000 ounces of gold and 10.0 million ounces of silver. At a gold equivalent grade of 8.0 g/t, the Inferred Resources total approximately 718,000 gold equivalent ounces based on a 4 g/t AuEq cut-off grade over a 1.0 m minimum mining width. This initial Mineral Resource estimate confirmed the historically significant high gold-silver grade potential of this project which remains open for further expansion in all directions. Earlier this year, the Company partnered with an experienced local contract miner who will be responsible for mine development and mineral extraction at the Zancudo Project. The mine contractor is currently carrying out preparatory work, targeting the existing mine workings and veins of the Independencia Mine in anticipation of commencing mining operations in 2024 at the rate of approximately 500 tonnes per day ("tpd"). With further development, the Company anticipates increasing the mining rate to about 1,000 tpd in 2025. The Company is currently working with SRK on the preparation of a preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") for the Zancudo Project. The PEA will be based on a mine plan related to the Mineral Resource estimate announced earlier this year and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2023. Concurrently, the Company is moving ahead with other essential elements required to bring the Zancudo Project into operation next year. Construction has already commenced and is proceeding well on an approximately 3.7 km access road that will connect the site infrastructure with the regional highway, allowing transportation to bypass the Town of Titiribi and other local communities in the immediate area of the project. The former plant site outside the entrance to the Independencia Mine has been cleared and refurbished. Installation of the new crushing equipment, which has recently arrived at site, is getting underway. Mining and environmental permits are well advanced and expected to be received in the next few months. The Company is finalizing the specifications for a new concentrate plant to be ordered for delivery and installation next year and has selected a site for the tailings storage facility within its land package at the project site. The Company intends to produce concentrate at site that will then be shipped and sold to an end customer. Discussions with several offtake customers are underway. The Company also expects to commence an in-fill drilling program later this year to upgrade and expand the current Mineral Resource estimate and for ongoing mine planning purposes. Market Maker Denarius Metals announced today that, subject to regulatory approval, it has engaged the services of ICP Securities Inc. ("ICP") to provide market-making services in accordance with TSXV policies. ICP will trade shares of the Company on the TSXV and all other trading venues with the objectives of maintaining a reasonable market and improving the liquidity of the Company's common shares. ICP is a Toronto-based CIRO dealer-member that specializes in market making and liquidity provision. Established in 2023, with a focus on market structure, execution and trading, ICP has leveraged its own proprietary technology to deliver high quality liquidity provision and execution services to a broad array of public issuers and institutional investors. Under the agreement, ICP will receive compensation of CA$7,500 per month in advance. The agreement is for an initial term of four months and will renew for additional one-month terms unless terminated. The agreement may be terminated by either party with 30 days' notice. There are no performance factors contained in the agreement and ICP will not receive shares or stock options as compensation. ICP does not own any shares of the Company. ICP and the Company are unrelated and unaffiliated entities. Stock Option Grants The Company also announced today that it has granted a total of 400,000 stock options to two third party firms providing advisory and consulting services to the Company. Each stock option is exercisable at CA$0.55 per common share for a three-year term to expiry. The stock options will fully vest by the first anniversary of the respective advisory and consulting agreements. No U.S. Offering or Registration This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction, including the United States, other than the provinces and territories of Canada. The securities being offered pursuant to the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States. Such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, any U.S. Person (as defined in Regulation S of the US Securities Act) or person in the United States except in a transaction exempt from or not subject to the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Qualified Persons Review The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Ben Parsons, Principal Consultant (Resource Geology) with SRK, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined under National Instrument 43-101. About Denarius Metals Denarius Metals is a Canadian junior company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and eventual operation of polymetallic mining projects in high-grade districts, with its principal focus on the Lomero Project in Spain. The Company signed a definitive option agreement with Europa Metals Ltd. in November 2022 pursuant to which Europa has granted Denarius Metals two options to acquire up to an 80% ownership interest in the Toral Zn-Pb-Ag Project, Leon Province, Northern Spain. The Company's 100%-owned Zancudo Project in Colombia provides an opportunity to develop near-term production and cash flow through local contract miners and long-term growth through exploration. Additional information on Denarius can be found on its website at www.denariusmetals.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains "forward-looking information", which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Offering, TSX Venture Exchange conditional approval, the use of proceeds of the Offering, the Company's strategic plans, timing and expectation of mining rates, construction and drilling programs and estimates of mineral resources. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Denarius to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated April 21, 2023 which is available for view on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and Denarius disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Cautionary Statement on Mineral Resources Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues. In particular, the quantity and grade of reported inferred mineral resources are uncertain in nature and there is insufficient exploration to define these inferred mineral resources as an indicated or measured mineral resource in all cases. It is uncertain in all cases whether further exploration will result in upgrading the inferred mineral resources to an indicated or measured mineral resource category. For Further Information, Contact: Michael Davies Chief Financial Officer (416) 360-4653 investors@denariusmetals.com NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/176508 Readers hoping to buy Bursa Malaysia Berhad (KLSE:BURSA) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. Meaning, you will need to purchase Bursa Malaysia Berhad's shares before the 14th of August to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 29th of August. The company's next dividend payment will be RM0.15 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of RM0.27 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Bursa Malaysia Berhad stock has a trailing yield of around 3.9% on the current share price of MYR6.81. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing. View our latest analysis for Bursa Malaysia Berhad Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Last year Bursa Malaysia Berhad paid out 93% of its profits as dividends to shareholders, suggesting the dividend is not well covered by earnings. When a company pays out a dividend that is not well covered by profits, the dividend is generally seen as more vulnerable to being cut. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Stocks with flat earnings can still be attractive dividend payers, but it is important to be more conservative with your approach and demand a greater margin for safety when it comes to dividend sustainability. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. With that in mind, we're not enthused to see that Bursa Malaysia Berhad's earnings per share have remained effectively flat over the past five years. We'd take that over an earnings decline any day, but in the long run, the best dividend stocks all grow their earnings per share. Story continues The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 10 years, Bursa Malaysia Berhad has lifted its dividend by approximately 3.9% a year on average. The Bottom Line Is Bursa Malaysia Berhad an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Bursa Malaysia Berhad's earnings have barely moved in recent times, and the company is paying out a disagreeably high percentage of its earnings; a mediocre combination. Bursa Malaysia Berhad doesn't appear to have a lot going for it, and we're not inclined to take a risk on owning it for the dividend. So if you're still interested in Bursa Malaysia Berhad despite it's poor dividend qualities, you should be well informed on some of the risks facing this stock. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Bursa Malaysia Berhad and you should be aware of these before buying any shares. Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Nearly 1,000 Staples stores are available on the delivery platforms marketplace. Online delivery platform DoorDash has partnered with office supply giant Staples to offer consumers same-day delivery, often in under an hour, of back-to-school supplies. The program, which runs through Aug. 13, is offering $20 off Staples orders of at least $40 using code STAPLES20. Staples products are available on DashPass, the delivery platforms membership program, on all eligible orders that meet minimum subtotals. Nearly 1,000 U.S. Staples stores are available on the DoorDash marketplace, which offers on-demand access to a wide selection of lunch boxes, pencils, crayons, glue, scissors, binders, notebooks, printers, calculators and more. The announcement follows the launch of DoorDashs Back-to-School hub , which is offering deals on retail and grocery items from stores including ALDI, DICKS Sporting Goods, Sprouts Farmers Market and Walgreens. Deals running on the DoorDash hub through Aug. 13 include 30% off orders of $35 or more or up to $15 off at Walgreens using the code BACK2SCHOOL30. Also, customers can get 20% off orders of $20 or more or up to $15 off at DICKS Sporting Goods with code SCHOOL23. More deals from Instacart, Grubhub Starting Aug. 14 through Sept. 3, Aldi and Sprouts Farmers Market are each offering 20% off on orders of $75 or more, with special offers for new customers. Rite Aid customers can get 30% off orders of $35 or more and up to $15 off from Aug. 28 through Sept. 3. Wawa is offering $5 off on orders of $20 more beginning Aug. 22 through Sept. 4. Other online delivery platforms that have been running back-to-school deals include Instacart and Grubhub . The Instacart app and website are offering free same-day delivery of school supplies from stores including Office Depot, Cub, Walgreens, CVS, Michaels, Costco, Sams Club, Kohls and DICK'S Sporting Goods. For college students, Grubhubs Grubhub+ loyalty program offers free delivery, or 5% back on pickup orders of $18 or more, at select off-campus restaurants through Grubhub Campus Dining. The company recently relaunched the loyalty program, which gives members access to unlimited free deliveries on eligible restaurant and convenience orders of more than $12. Elbit Systems Ltd (NASDAQ:ESLT), a prominent player in the Aerospace & Defense industry, is currently trading at $215.15 with a market cap of $9.57 billion. The company's stock price has seen a gain of 3.08% today and a 3.35% increase over the past four weeks. According to the GF Score, Elbit Systems Ltd ranks 80 out of 100, indicating a likely average performance potential. Elbit Systems Ltd: A Comprehensive GF Score Analysis Elbit Systems Ltd's Financial Strength Analysis The Financial Strength rank of Elbit Systems Ltd stands at 5/10. This score is derived from several factors, including the company's interest coverage of 6.27, a debt to revenue ratio of 0.24, and an Altman Z score of 1.65. These figures suggest that the company has a moderate financial strength. Profitability Rank Analysis of Elbit Systems Ltd Elbit Systems Ltd's Profitability Rank is 8/10, indicating a high level of profitability. This score is based on an operating margin of 7.25%, a Piotroski F-Score of 4, a 5-year average operating margin trend of -5.10%, and a consistency of profitability over the past 10 years. The company's predictability rank is 3.5, suggesting a strong likelihood of continued profitability. Growth Rank Analysis of Elbit Systems Ltd The company's Growth Rank is 9/10, reflecting robust growth in terms of revenue and profitability. This score is based on a 5-year revenue growth rate of 9.70%, a 3-year revenue growth rate of 6.30%, and a 5-year EBITDA growth rate of 5.00%. These figures indicate a strong growth trajectory for Elbit Systems Ltd. GF Value Rank Analysis of Elbit Systems Ltd Elbit Systems Ltd's GF Value Rank is 1/10, suggesting that the stock is currently overvalued. This rank is determined by the price-to-GF-Value ratio, a proprietary metric calculated based on historical multiples and an adjustment factor based on the company's past returns, growth, and future business performance estimates. Story continues Momentum Rank Analysis of Elbit Systems Ltd The company's Momentum Rank is 9/10, indicating strong price momentum. This rank is determined using the standardized momentum ratio and other momentum indicators, suggesting that the stock has a high potential for continued price appreciation. Comparison with Competitors When compared to its competitors in the same industry, Elbit Systems Ltd holds a competitive edge. Israel Shipyards Industries Ltd has a GF Score of 69, FMS Enterprises Migun Ltd has a GF Score of 66, and Bet Shemesh Engines Holdings (1997) Ltd has a GF Score of 58. This comparison indicates that Elbit Systems Ltd is likely to outperform its competitors in the long run. Conclusion In conclusion, Elbit Systems Ltd presents a compelling investment opportunity based on its GF Score and its components. The company's strong profitability, robust growth, and high momentum rank suggest a likely average performance potential. However, investors should be cautious of the company's current overvaluation as indicated by its low GF Value Rank. As always, potential investors are advised to conduct their own comprehensive research before making investment decisions. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Republican officials in at least eight states are pushing to completely withdraw from the American Library Association (ALA), over a Twitter post the groups new president made last year in which she described herself as a Marxist lesbian. I just cannot believe that a Marxist lesbian who believes that collective power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world is the president-elect of [the ALA], wrote Emily Drabinski, who took office in July, in a since-deleted post after she was elected last April. I am so excited for what we will do together. Solidarity! And my mom is SO PROUD. I love you mom. The ALA provides member libraries with resources and benefits like discounts on professional development, insurance and employment aid, continuing education, and other programs. A statement like Drabinskis imagine thinking that collective power can improve the lives of millions! was chum in the water for Republican politicians and right-wing activists, who have spent the last year rallying against Drabinski and the ALA at large for associating with her. Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice rallied a new group, Moms for Libraries, to advocate against outside influences (for allegedly changing library collections and programming), including the ALA and Drabinski. Their campaigns have borne fruit; last month, the Montana State Library Commission withdrew all state libraries from ALA membership, which the Montana Library Association said undermines the shared goals of Montana libraries. NBC reported on Tuesday that Republican lawmakers in seven more states Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Wyoming are also pushing to withdraw from the ALA. Sens. Marco Rubio, Kevin Cramer, and Mike Braun demanded in a July 28 letter that federal ALA funding be suspended, alleging that the conservative Christian publisher Brave Books was being denied library space for events (an assertion that the library in question has denied). I was excited to highlight and celebrate two aspects of my identity that are really important to me, and are often under a lot of scrutiny, Drabinski, 48, told NBC this week. I didnt anticipate these kinds of targeted attacks being used as a bludgeon against library workers across the country. I really think that is regrettable, and I wish that wasnt happening right now. In a Twitter post of their own this week, the ALA expressed support for its president, amplifying Drabinskis statement that her personal agenda doesnt drive the association. ALAsupports President @edrabinski, the post read. Together, we will continue to support the work of libraries now and in the future. While she may have deleted the post, Drabinski isnt walking back her Marxist lesbian self-descriptor. Drabinski has long pushed for LGBTQ+ and racial justice in her library work, writing in a July column for the ALAs official magazine that librarians must seek out good trouble, the kind of trouble that matters evoking civil rights pioneer John Lewis. She helped lead a successful faculty strike at Long Island University in 2016 as a union secretary after the board of directors staged a week-long lockout over contract negotiations. Judge Blocks Arkansas Law That Criminalizes Librarians for Harmful Books The injunction will be in place while the lawsuit over Act 372 is being argued. We have each other and thats all we have. That is what Ive learned, Drabinski told Jacobin at the time. Management has power and 90 percent of the time they win. The only way that we have power is through collective power and collective organizing. As anti-LGBTQ+ talking points continue to dominate conservative politics, book bans and attacks on libraries have swept the U.S., with states like North Dakota threatening to jail librarians for providing books about sexuality or gender identity to minors. A report from PEN America last year found that 4 in 10 books banned in schools over the last year were targeted for LGBTQ+ themes. And while sales of LGTBQ+ fiction are on the rise, low-income families and kids rely on libraries to get them the books and knowledge they need making the ALA and a commitment to community justice among librarians ever more necessary. Get the best of whats queer. Sign up for Thems weekly newsletter here. Originally Appeared on them. Even a well-oiled machine like Americas Got Talent can run into some friction from time to time. Duo Dadiva, a balancing act duo from Cuba, divided judges Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel and Heidi Klum during the final round of auditions on Tuesday night. Although the pair stunned with their graceful rolla bolla routine, their athleticism didnt go the distance with Cowell and Klum. Usually when I really really love it, I jump up and clap. This did not happen, so I have kind of mixed feelings about it, Klum said. Im sure its super hard, but the outcome is a little bit boring. Duo Dadiva, a balancing act duo from Cuba, divided the judges during the final round of auditions on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, Vergara and Mandel gushed over the precision and physicality of the duos performance. It was beautiful, Mandel said. Do you understand what the coordination is to be able to coordinate that? Klum eventually came around and voted Duo Dadiva through to the next round along with Mandel and Vergara, while Cowell remained the lone dissenter on the judges panel. Today, were not on the same page, Cowell said. Heres what else went down. Dancer Donovyn Diaz pays tribute to ill mother with 'spectacular' audition Donovyn Diaz showed that great art comes straight from the heart. The 20-year-old dancer paid tribute to his mother, whos battled breast cancer since he was a baby, with a lyrical dance piece set to the Dean Lewis ballad How Do I Say Goodbye. Im here because I want her to be like, Thats my son. Hes doing something great, Diaz said. I want her to see me here and say, I raised a star. Donovyn Diaz paid tribute to his ill mother with a lyrical dance piece. Diaz captured the hearts of the judges and studio audience with his sincere emotional delivery and agile leaps onstage. People had tears. People were crying. People felt the emotion, Mandel said. We werent just watching it; we were feeling it. It was beautiful. Vergara was also moved by Diaz dancing. Your mom is going to be so proud, she said. This was spectacular. Diaz will get to keep making his mother proud, as the dancer earned four yeses. Impressionist clown Papayaso wins over Simon Cowell with celeb impersonations For Papayaso, imitation is the highest form of hilarity. The Chilean clown, who specializes in celebrity impressions, threw the judges a curveball when he began his audition with a couple of lackluster animal impressions. Sensing the unenthused reception, Papayaso switched things up with a series of uncanny celebrity impersonations, including Jason Statham, Adam Driver, Jimmy Fallon and Cowell. I dont mean to be rude, but Ive seen funnier clowns in horror films, Papayaso said as Cowell. Impressionist clown Papayaso offered up a series of uncanny celebrity impersonations. Papayasos unpredictability and star-studded goofiness charmed Mandel. We look for moments and we look for surprises, and you are a moment and you are a surprise, Mandel said. The way you started out with the animal noises, we thought this (was) a joke act. And then you are one of the best impressionists Ive ever heard. The zany impressionist even won over clown disparager Cowell. Ive never seen or met a funny clown in the world, he said. You might be the only one. Papayaso and his copycat charisma are getting an AGT encore. The clown received four yeses. Dancing swordsman Titos Tsai thrills judges with beautiful dance Titos Tsai is a master of the art of adrenaline. The Taiwanese swordsman captivated the judges with a daring dance routine that saw him twirl around onstage while balancing a trio of large swords with his hands and the crook of his neck. Tsai later upped the ante by bringing out a fourth sword. It was mesmerizing. What a beautiful dance, Klum said. You must have control over every little part of your body that you can make those swords dance around you like that. Swordsman Titos Tsai captivated the judges with a daring dance routine that saw him twirl around onstage while balancing a trio of large swords. Vergara praised the 30-year-old dancer for his dedication to his craft. I cannot even imagine the amount of hours that you have put into this talent because it seems like something very, very difficult, Vergara said. Tsai will get to bring back his sword-wielding spectacle. The dancer scored four yeses. Dance troupe Chibi Unity earns group Golden Buzzer with next-level act Chibi Unity is in sync to a T. The Japanese dance troupe dazzled with their synchronized footwork and high-energy dance style. Mandel said the group elevated the dance category on AGT to another level with its emotional intensity and showmanship. The emotion that comes out of your dancing, its inspirational, Mandel said. I loved the speed and the dexterity and the moves that you had. I would love to see a show, an hour of you, in Las Vegas. Japanese dance troupe Chibi Unity earned rave reviews on "AGT" for their high-energy performance. Vergara raved that the dance crews performance was the perfect AGT audition. I was getting goosebumps. My heart was beating, she said. It was the best dancing Ive ever seen in my life. The adrenaline-pumping act left all the judges on the same page. We all loved you so much that we collectively would like to give you something special, Cowell said. Cowell called over host Terry Crews to the judges panel, and the group simultaneously pushed the Golden Buzzer button, sending Chibi Unity straight to the AGT live shows. You are going to make this season very, very special, Cowell told the group onstage. 'AGT': Sofia Vergara awards Golden Buzzer to 'spectacular' Brazilian singer Gabriel Henrique 'AGT': Bone-breaking troupe Atai Show spooks judges 'in a good way' with chilling act This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'America's Got Talent' recap: Who took Golden Buzzer? Chibi Unity Dan Abrams wound up a 13-minute takedown of state criminal charges supposedly being prepared in Georgia against Donald Trump, saying District Attorney Fani Willis should immediately drop the criminal case that is already riddled with conflicts and political considerations. But to begin with, Abrams said Tuesday on Dan Abrams Live, the recent federal indictments of Trump make pursuing the election-interference charges at the state level duplicative and unnecessary. Im going to say something that will be controversial, Abrams began, but I have come to conclude that Fani Willis, the Fulton County, Georgia district attorney looking into Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in that state, should drop her case. Abrams acknowledged that while it is her right to file state charges, which have been under seal since the grand jury met last summer, theres no need now that special prosecutor Jack Smith has indicted Trump for basically the same thing. Two main reasons, Abrams said. The federal cases now make the state case duplicative and unnecessary. And number two, her case is already riddled with conflicts and political considerations. According to multiple media reports, the Georgia indictment was expected to be handed down next week. Its just bad for everyone, Abrams said. I mean, lets start with Fanny Willis conduct up to this point. Shes given more than three dozen media interviews on the investigation. Even the judge overseeing the grand jury said shes on national media almost nightly talking about the investigation. And she repeatedly keeps hinting at the outcome. Its almost a game. Willis has stayed mum about the results of the grand jurys work, but has repeatedly made comments about things like extra safety at the courthouse. Its obvious what she means by that, Abrams said, demanding explanations for why its taken two-and-a-half years to get here. It makes little sense. By contrast, Abrams noted that Smith has only been investigating since November of last year. He also criticized the Georgia grand jury foreperson who gave TV interviews with similarly cryptic messaging. It just feels like [Willis has] been milking this, and thats not all, Abrams said. She is also overtly politicized last July, less than two weeks after Willis subpoenaed South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, she used her campaign twitter account to tweet out a cartoon which showed her fishing Graham out of the swamp with Trump saying, I know youll do the right thing for the swamp, Lindsay. All the while the campaign was using the account to solicit donations. Watch the entire 13-minute clip in the video above. The post Dan Abrams Says Georgia DA Should Drop Trump Election Case: Riddled With Conflicts and Political Considerations (Video) appeared first on TheWrap. G-Force is a 2009 American animated spy-comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films. In G-Force, a guinea pig spy named Darwin and his team of guinea pig spies try to stop a rogue billionaire from taking over the world. Darwin and his team must also deal with the fallout of a failed mission they undertook. Heres where you can watch G-Force online. Where can you watch and stream G-Force? You can watch and stream G-Force on Disney Plus. Watch G-Force Right Here G-Forces cast includes Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan, Penelope Cruz, Jon Favreau, Nicolas Cage, Steve Buscemi, Dee Bradley Baker, Zach Galifianakis, Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Kelli Garner, and Tyler Patrick Jones among other cast members. How to watch and stream G-Force online Viewers who want to watch and stream G-Force online must subscribe to Disney Plus. This can be done through an internet browser or the Disney Plus application, which can be installed on devices capable of streaming. To sign up for Disney Plus, follow the steps mentioned below: Open the Disney+ website or Disney+ application. Click on the SIGN UP NOW button. Enter your mobile number or e-mail address. Enter your password. Make an in-app purchase. Click on the START WATCHING button. When viewers subscribe to Disney Plus, they get access to a lot of streaming content produced by Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, and National Geographic. The subscription plan is of three types: A basic monthly plan that costs $7.99 A premium monthly plan that costs $10.99 A premium yearly plan that costs $109.99 The official synopsis for G-Force reads: A team of trained secret agent animals, guinea pigs Darwin, Hurley, Juarez, Blaster, mole Speckles, and fly Mooch takes on a mission for the US government to stop evil Leonard Saber, who plans to destroy the world with household appliances. But the government shuts them down and they are sentenced to a pet shop. Can they escape to defeat the villain and save the world? For more Disney Plus updates, check out the streaming release schedule for August 7-13. Also, check out the release date and time for Secret Invasion Episode 6. The post G-Force (2009): Where to Watch & Stream Online appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Gisele Bundchen says "breakups are never easy," but she feels every challenge "helps us grow." (Photo" Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) Breaking up is hard to do, even for Gisele Bundchen. The supermodel reflected on her divorce from Tom Brady, in October after 13 years of marriage, in a new interview with Vogue Brazil. Brady has been linked to another model, Irina Shayk, as of late. "I've always believed that every situation, no matter how challenging, teaches us something and helps us grow," Bundchen said in the interview, which was translated from Portuguese. "Breakups are never easy, especially when the media is speculating every step of the way." While navigating her new path, "I tried to focus on my children, my health and my projects and dreams." She added, "I work on myself every day and put all my love into everything I do. I hope I can become a better and more aware person and continue to spread love wherever I go." Bundchen's summer travels have brought her back to her native Brazil to reconnect with her family. She spent her 43rd birthday on a girls trip with her twin sister, Patricia, and daughter, Vivian, 10. She's kept things cordial on social media with the ex-NFL star. On Tuesday, when Brady reflected on his 46th birthday trip to Africa also with Vivian the model posted a prayer hands emoji in the comments. (The exes also share a 13-year-old son, Ben, who sat out the trips to Africa and Brazil to do "his own thing.") In late July, Brady made headlines after being photographed cozying up to Shayk. The pair connected at a spring wedding and spent the weekend together in L.A., including a sleepover at his home. Paparazzi caught a little PDA. Insiders painted Bundchen as both "totally unbothered" by Brady's new love connection as well as "not happy." Another source claimed the women "are not friends, but they have known each other professionally for years and have always been cordial when they cross paths." For her part, Bundchen has been dealing with rumors she's dating her Jiu-Jitsu trainer, Joaquim Valente, who she's called a good friend. Earlier this year, she slammed an "absurd" report claiming she was dating billionaire hotel magnate Jeffrey Soffer. Nashville, Tennessee-based musician Derek Webb expected the attacks from conservative Christians about his new Gospel album. But he didn't anticipate how the protest against those attacks would propel a singing-songwriting drag queen to the top of the Christian music charts. Webb, a former Contemporary Christian music star, just released his new album, The Jesus Hypothesis, and as part of that, collaborated with drag musician Flamy Grant for a song and music video. The collaboration fueled backlash from a rightwing Christian musician, creating a scenario that Grant leveraged to find new levels of success and attention to her solo work. Though it happened a different way than Webb expected, the two artists achieved the same goal they originally sought after: to reclaim the definition of contemporary Christian music. Nashville musician Derek Webb and singing-songwriting drag queen Flamy Grant perform a song from Webbs new album, The Jesus Hypothesis at GracePointe Church in Nashville for an album release event, July 23, 2023. Photo credit: Emily Tingley. I like the idea of a Christian church staying in that space and trying to catch all the people who were being cast out of evangelical spaces, Webb said in an interview. The same group that was doing the hurting is now doing the healing. That contrarian ideal has guided both Webb and Grant in their recent careers. 'They're not alone' After 10 years playing with Caedmons Call, an evangelical Christian band, Webb embarked on a solo career that allowed him to make music that challenged religious traditions. Grant, also drawing from her evangelical background, released her 2022 album Bible Belt Baby, which she calls the worlds first contemporary Christian music record by a drag performer. Inspired by a small group church discussion, Grant wrote a track on her 2022 album called Good Day about reconciling ones faith and their identity as an LGBTQ person. Grants offstage name is Matthew Blake. I want to place myself squarely in the (religious) space and take up the space so that other people know theyre not alone, Grant said in an interview. That sowed the seeds of the eventual collaboration between Grant, an emerging artist, and Webb, whos well-established and was looking for creative ways to speak to the present discourse about drag and gender identity. Out of that emerged Boys Will Be Girls, a track on "The Jesus Hypothesis" that Webb collaborated with Grant for the vocals and a music video. In the music video, Grant dresses Webb in drag. "The Jesus Hypothesis" is Nashville-based singer-songwriter Derek Webb's latest album and it seeks to challenge traditional notions within evangelical Christianity and affirms those who are doubting their faith. Tennessees recent legislative fight over drag shows was an event Webb said directly inspired the music video. I was extremely conscious of that and was really hoping that it would be provocative in a constructive way, especially in Tennessee, in my home state, Webb said. In June, a federal judge in Memphis struck down a new state law aimed at severely restricting some drag performances. The Nashville region is also notably the home of the contemporary Christian music industry. Taking it a step further, Webb and Grant performed Boys Will Be Girls at a local church, GracePointe Church in Nashville, at a July 23 album release event for The Jesus Hypothesis. More: How a Christian transgender man increased his faith by taking the fight over LGBTQ+ rights to religious schools Webb posted a photo on social media after the July 23 event, drawing the ire of Sean Feucht. Feucht, a former worship leader at the prominent Bethel Church in California, is a controversial figure who's known for his musical performances at far-right political rallies. These are truly the last days, Feucht said in a tweet about Webbs photo, commenting on how Webbs collaboration with Grant is an example of the perilousness that follows someone who abandons orthodoxy. Feucht said in another post nobody listens to Grants music, a comment that energized Grant to mobilize her fans to defy Feucht. Flamy Grant, a singing-songwriting drag queen whose 2022 album, "Bible Belt Baby" is the first contemporary Christian album by a drag performer. I thought it would be a win if we could just see a drag queens face literally on the Christian charts, that would have been awesome, Grant said. But she didn't just crack the charts. Opinion: I'm a drag queen who loves reading to kids. Those protesting me are the real danger. Rising on the music charts Through TikTok posts and word-of-mouth, Grants 10-month-old album, Bible Belt Baby, and the track Good Day climbed to the top of the iTunes Christian music charts. Feucht did not respond to a request for comment. Webb and Grant are aware of the combative nature of their work and are somewhat intentional about it. They also dont expect widespread reception from the gatekeepers of genres in which their work is labeled, such as Gospel or contemporary Christian. But Webb and Grant also didnt foresee their ability to invert those rules by using momentum generated by those same naysayers. Im just trying to get people to wake up and pay attention and to think about their presumptions, Webb said. If people stand up and clap or if people stand up and leave, Im equally pleased and feel like Ive done my job. Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean. Reach him at ladams@tennessean.com or on Twitter and Threads @liamsadams. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Gospel album featuring a drag queen topped Christian music charts Siddhartha Khosla, the composer for the Hulu series "Only Murders in the Building," at his home studio in Studio City. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) This is the story about how a Hindi lullaby traveled from Connecticut to Delhi, and somehow found its way into the score for Only Murders in the Building four decades later. It sounds like a non sequitur but when Siddhartha Khosla traces the arc of his life, theres a consistent through line that makes as much sense as any good melody. Khosla is the Emmy-nominated composer for the Hulu comedy-mystery series, which returned for its third season on Tuesday. The new episodes, released weekly, add Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep to the cast, which is led by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez as a trio of unlikely friends who keep solving and getting implicated in murders on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The score was recorded at the Fox scoring stage, a building with as rich a history as the shows fictional Arconia apartment building. The music for Only Murders is equally refined, written for a chamber orchestra, and Khosla has added a new melody for French horn that is tied to Streeps character. The instrument just felt like Meryl, he says. Its distinguished, classy, subtle but also big when it needs to be big. Its like the perfect actor. Everything comes back to melody for Khosla, whose parents immigrated from India to America in 1976 on scholarships to Yales graduate program. They came with only $8 and when Sid was born, like many other Indian immigrant families, they decided to send their infant son back to Delhi to live with his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, who all lived in the same house. Because long-distance phone calls were prohibitively expensive, Khoslas mother would sing old Hindi lullabies and songs from 60s Indian movies onto a cassette tape and mail it to her son across the world. He would babble something onto the same tape, which his grandparents would mail back to New Haven, Conn. a cycle that repeated for several years. So my first experience in recorded music was my mom singing on this tape and me hearing it, says Khosla. All old Hindi melodies. The stuff that influences me the most in everything I do is Hindi music from the 60s and 70s. His parents kept singing to him after they brought him back to the States when he was four they eventually settled in New Jersey and his mother quickly noticed that he could sing. She wrote out the lyrics for classic Indian film songs by composers like S. D. Burman and R. D. Burman for him to learn, and she also nudged him to start singing at their Hindu temple on Sundays. He was only seven, and nervous, but he found his voice. The more and more I heard all of these songs, he says, the melody, melody, melody, melody reinforced. He sang a devotional Hindu song in front of his entire school in eighth grade like a total dork, and received a huge ovation. In high school, he was recruited to sing in his friends band, The Hip Hop Hindus, where he had some trouble singing in traditional rock rhythms. Id not sung western music, he says. It was always Indian stuff, which is always in weird time signatures. When we got on stage and performed, I always screwed up the timing. Siddhartha Khosla has composed music for numerous series, including "This Is Us" and "The Neighbors." "The stuff that influences me the most in everything I do is Hindi music from the '60s and '70s," he says. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) At the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in history, Khosla joined an a cappella group called Off the Beat, where he started writing vocal arrangements for the 15-person ensemble. He was like, Would you come to the show? says screenwriter Dan Fogelman, who met Khosla the first week of their freshman year. You know, youre an 18-year-old guy and as much as you want to support your friend you dont want to go to Sids dorky a capella show. I remember sitting there ... and being so blown away, as everyone was. I was like: Oh, Sids going to be famous for music somehow. I just felt it in my bones. Khosla finished school and took the LSAT with an eye on becoming a public defender, but when his childhood friend asked him to move to London and start a band, he did. The story of Goldspot, named after an Indian soft drink, is its own epic tale one that involves KCRW fame, a barefoot Indian orchestra, sharing bills with Bjork and recording an album in a barn studio owned by one of the Beach Boys. Despite some initial heat and critical raves, the band didnt quite pan out but it did prove to be a laboratory where Khosla learned how to infuse his Indian, melody-driven musicality into a western pop storytelling sensibility. Fogelman, who was at every Goldspot concert and by that point had become the successful writer of Cars and Crazy, Stupid, Love, pegged his friend as a natural candidate to score television. Khosla was resistant when Fogelman asked him to score The Neighbors, a short-lived sci-fi comedy series Fogelman created for ABC. He didnt think he was capable, but Fogelman heard something that I didnt think I had, Khosla says. It wasnt me giving a gift to a friend who was down on his luck, says Fogelman. I think theres something that can happen when youre too ingrained in a career ... where you get locked into patterns of whats supposed to be. I was like: Wouldnt it be interesting to take this incredible musician and charge him with creating a sound to underscore television? Neighbors was a dry run for the series that launched Khoslas scoring career. He was living back home in New Jersey when Fogelman sent him the pilot script for This Is Us, which Khosla scored from his parents basement. When the show was picked up by NBC, Khosla moved his family to L.A. and proceeded to score the runaway hit, a multi-generational drama about grief and love, for all of its six seasons, earning four Emmy nominations for his music. The score was very much me, says Khosla. It was almost like a classical Indian score on a network television drama. Out of the studio in his home garage, Khosla made percussion by slapping his hands and wedding ring on an old table, and he plucked a cheap guitar from an antique store over an Indian drone produced by an electronic tanpura machine. And he sang humming and sometimes modifying his voice, weaving melodies that hearkened back to those old lullabies. Despite the nature of his show, Fogelman says hes not much of a weeper, but theres always been something about Sids voice, and the lilt of that kind of Indian music that he grew up singing ... it makes me feel really emotional. And that is his superpower. When he sings, when he plays, you feel something. Khosla, who is self-taught and plays everything by ear, wanted to prove that he could do more than just handmade indie rock music, and in the early part of the pandemic, he was challenging himself to write some orchestral music inspired by composers like Erik Satie and Philip Glass. When he got a call from John Hoffman, co-creator of Only Murders, he played some of his new music. Hoffman said, Thats the sound of my show right there. Khosla did some early experimentation on the score where he sampled the bell found in elevators of pre-war buildings like the Arconia, but decided the sound was too comedic. He realized early on that he didnt want to play music for laughs. For me, its always the subtext of why those characters are there, he says. He had some deep conversations with Hoffman, whose vision of New York is that of a very lonely place, where hundreds of people can share an apartment building literally share walls and still feel completely isolated. Khosla found that if I score this from the emotion of that loneliness, that melancholy, then Im always scoring to something deeper and bigger. Theres still plenty of inventive production in the score tricks he developed in his band days like the drum buckets in the title theme that evoke subway buskers in New York, and theres a wink in his piano elevator theme to the music in true crime podcasts like Serial. But Khosla fundamentally lends the show, which is very funny and even stylistically surreal, a sense of majesty and elegant sadness which contributes to its surprising emotional complexity. And it always comes back to melody hummable, delicious, earwormy tunes. I should just be able to play the melody and nothing else, and it should stand on its own, he says, much like the music I grew up listening to, just like I sang in temple with no accompaniment. Thats always been the way I think about it. At first blush, the main theme for Only Murders doesnt sound Indian at all. Khosla often has it performed on solo piano or string quartet, or like in the main titles sung by an artificial choir created by a Mellotron. He didnt recognize it himself at first, but then some Indian fans of the show told him: This feels to me like its coming from a deep Indian classical soul. He sings it, and adds just a little raga inflection to the searching, haunting melody, with its harmony constantly shifting between major and minor. Yeah, he says, it kind of does. 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. When Andrew Neil McGonagle was an FBI-trained sketch artist working as a Cape and Islands criminal investigator, colleagues often told him he should publish a book of sketches. (Not of wanted people in his forensic sketches but of humorous scenes he drew in his off-time.) Now, a decade after retiring, McGonagle, who goes by Neil, has done just that. The Things I See Down By The Sea: A Satirical Collection of Cape Cod (Dorrance Publishing Co., 2023, $19) is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Target, and will soon be sold at some local stores, said McGonagle, who will have his first book signing at 2 p.m. Aug. 15 at Jonathan Bourne Library, 19 Sandwich Road in Bourne. Andrew Neil McGonagle former police officer with his recent book and one of the illustrations on the screen My whole family (growing up) and myself had that Irish warped sense of humor. At one point, I had a t-shirt that said, I work in Crime Scene. I never get invited to a good time, McGonagle said, during an interview at Daily Brew Coffee House in Cataumet, where he often sketches. I always have a small sketchbook with me, he said. If you look at my cartoons, you can pretty much tell where Ive been. In the mid-1990s, McGonagle was one of 13 chosen from around the world to study forensic sketching with the FBI at Quantico. The FBI called on his services a few times after the training, especially post-9/11. We were all very good artists already, he recalled of his training. With the FBI, it was less about drawing and more about (honing) interview techniques. McGonagle recalled one case where two children being interviewed about a would-be abductor each, separately, described him as having Bugs Bunny teeth. McGonagle drew the suspect with oversized, protruding teeth, which his colleagues had trouble accepting. But when the suspect was arrested, he had oversized, protruding teeth. I knew that those two young girls were offering a description within their frame of reference. The fact that they both chose that image told me a lot. In this file photo, Neil McGonagle of the Barnstable Sheriff's Crime Scene Unit goes over finger printing with David Doherty of Monument Beach during the Bourne Night Out in 2011. So how does a career of criminal investigation for the Barnstable County Sheriffs Department lead to a paperback book of cartoons filled with lighthouses, sharks, clams, seagulls and other iconic Cape images? McGonagle said his book represents the way he sees the world after decades of being a criminal investigator. Explaining the cartoon on the cover, McGonagle said tourists see a lighthouse surrounded by ocean but he sees the sharks lurking just beneath the surface. The sketches inside reflect that same sense of humor an angle that makes you say Thats a little warped, but a lot funny! McGonagle dedicated the book to his wife of 38 years, Martha Reese McGonagle, Bournes first female patrol officer and the first woman to work as police prosecutor and present cases in court for the department. She died in 2021 after contracting COVID-19 at age 63. He notes in the dedication that she supported and encouraged all his ventures. Also in the dedication are his parents and seven siblings, the Irish family where, he said, he grew up with his "sometimes odd" sense of humor. Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans. This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Former FBI sketch artist publishes book of twisted Cape Cod scenes Several law firms are investigating whether Live Nation lied to investors by failing to disclose the scope of its legal vulnerability for allegedly abusing its power in the live music industry. New York-based firm Bernstein Liebhard sent out a notice on Tuesday soliciting investors to join a lawsuit that was filed last week against Live Nation, with three others already having done the same in the wake of reports that the Department of Justice plans to sue the company for antitrust violations. In a class action filed on Aug. 4 in California federal court, investors accused the company of lying to them about allegedly anticompetitive company operations that include charging bloated fees, bundling services and retaliating against venues that choose a ticketing service provider other than Ticketmaster. More from The Hollywood Reporter Last year, The New York Times reported that the Justice Department had opened an antitrust investigation into Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, after the ticketing platforms systems crashed during a highly-anticipated presale for Taylor Swift tickets. It became a flashpoint into the companys power over the live music industry. Live Nations stock price fell nearly eight percent that day to close at roughly $66 per share, according to the complaint. It fell another eight percent last month upon Politico reporting that competition enforcers could file an antitrust suit against the company by the end of the year. Investors point to a series of allegedly false or misleading statements made by the company over antitrust scrutiny about its business practices. For example, Live Nation said last year in response to Ticketmaster canceling plans for a public sale of Swift concert tickets that it does not engage in behaviors that could justify antitrust litigation, let alone orders that would require it to alter fundamental business practices. In a lengthy statement, it claimed that theres robust competition with StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid, among others, and that no serious argument can be made that Ticketmaster has the kind of market position in secondary ticketing that would support a lawsuit. Live Nation chose not to disclose that it is reasonably likely to incur regulatory scrutiny and face fines, penalties, and reputational harm as a result of its allegedly anticompetitive conduct, writes Pavithra Rajesh, a lawyer representing investors, in the complaint. If the Justice Department chooses to sue, it wouldnt be Live Nations first run-in with competition enforcers. The agency found in 2019 that the company had been violating the terms of a settlement to greenlight its 2010 merger with Ticketmaster by forcing venues to accept Ticketmasters ticketing services as a condition for hosting Live Nation performers and retaliating against those that refused. Under an amended deal that allows a monitor to investigate further breaches of the consent decree until 2025, the company was barred from tying services and is subject to a $1 million fine for violations. The suit also argues Live Nation misled investors by saying last year that there never has been and is not now any evidence of systemic violations of the settlement. The complaint names chief executive Michael Rapino and chief financial officer Joe Berchtold. It alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act, which prohibits misrepresentations and misleading omissions in connection to securities transactions, and seeks to represent investors who bought securities from February 23, 2022 to July 28, 2023. To prevail, investors will need to point to statements that are more than so-called puffery, or statements of corporate optimism that dont lead to liability for companies. Under securities laws, there must be proof in most cases that officers knew their statements over antitrust liability were false or misleading but made them anyway. Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2009, two years after the live-events organizer announced plans to build its own ticketing service. Prior to the deal, Live Nation was Ticketmasters largest customer. Antitrust regulators approved the deal with certain conditions. They required Ticketmaster to sell its ticketing service subsidiary, Paciolan, to Comcast and to license its ticketing software to Live Nations competitor, AEG. The new company was also not allowed to bundle or retaliate against venues for working with other ticketing services. Live Nation didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Click here to read the full article. The Morning Joe co-hosts torched Fox News interview with Senator Tommy Tuberville, including a banner that categorized the Ukraine War effort as a racket. Tuberville joined Fox News for an interview with Laura Ingraham on Tuesday, in which they discussed his distaste for sending government funding to Ukraine. At the end of the day it is a junior high team playing a college team, Tuberville said of the Ukraine war. They cant win. The Senator claimed that we can throw all the money we want, but unless we send troops, Ukraine has no chance. Morning Joe hosts had much to say about the exchange, with Joe Scarborough first highlighting the Fox headline on-screen during the interview which read, Americans grow tired of the Ukraine war racket. As if fighting for freedom for your own country, is a nuisance to the international community, Scarborough continued. As if the United States of America and NATO, fighting to keep Central and Eastern Europe free from Russian or Soviet aggression in the past is a racket? No, thats not a racket, Scarborough said exasperatedly. its very American. Its very Republican. Its very conservative. Today its Russia invading Ukraine, tomorrow its China invading Taiwan, and Iran giving them a green light, said the MSNBC host. Seriously, like what planet are these people on, because they sure as hell arent what they claimed to be in the past. Co-host Mika Brzezinski, joined in to note that Tuberville was bragging on Fox News about voting against funding for the war effort. He thinks its cool, she quipped. Its a twofer for Tommy because not only is he hurting our military readiness, hes also making women think twice about joining the military, continued Brzezinski. Good on ya. The post Morning Joe Slams Fox News for Ukraine War Racket Reference: Seriously, What Planet Are These People On? (Video) appeared first on TheWrap. Key Insights The projected fair value for Carlo Gavazzi Holding is CHF334 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity With CHF352 share price, Carlo Gavazzi Holding appears to be trading close to its estimated fair value Carlo Gavazzi Holding's peers seem to be trading at a higher premium to fair value based onthe industry average of -22% Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Carlo Gavazzi Holding AG (VTX:GAV) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow. We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model. Check out our latest analysis for Carlo Gavazzi Holding 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. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate: Story continues 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (CHF, Millions) CHF23.0m CHF17.5m CHF15.5m CHF14.3m CHF13.6m CHF13.0m CHF12.7m CHF12.5m CHF12.3m CHF12.2m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ -7.73% Est @ -5.41% Est @ -3.78% Est @ -2.65% Est @ -1.85% Est @ -1.29% Est @ -0.90% Present Value (CHF, Millions) Discounted @ 5.7% CHF21.7 CHF15.7 CHF13.2 CHF11.5 CHF10.3 CHF9.4 CHF8.6 CHF8.0 CHF7.5 CHF7.0 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = CHF113m We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 0.01%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 5.7%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033 (1 + g) (r g) = CHF12m (1 + 0.01%) (5.7% 0.01%) = CHF216m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= CHF216m ( 1 + 5.7%)10= CHF124m The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is CHF237m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of CHF352, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind. dcf The Assumptions 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. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Carlo Gavazzi Holding as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 5.7%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.131. 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 Carlo Gavazzi Holding Strength Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry. Currently debt free. Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows. Weakness Earnings growth over the past year is below its 5-year average. Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Electrical market. Current share price is above our estimate of fair value. Opportunity Annual revenue is forecast to grow faster than the Swiss market. Threat No apparent threats visible for GAV. Moving On: Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For Carlo Gavazzi Holding, we've compiled three further aspects you should explore: Risks: For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Carlo Gavazzi Holding (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable) you should be aware of. Future Earnings: How does GAV's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Swiss 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. Democrat Monique Worrell was elected in 2020 with 67% of the vote, but on Tuesday DeSantis announced her suspension for what he claimed was "neglect of duty" Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty; SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Monique Worrell (left), Ron DeSantis Ron DeSantis suspended another democratically elected Florida state attorney on Tuesday in an extreme move that critics are calling politically motivated. Monique Worrell was Florida's only Black female state attorney until DeSantis announced her suspension for what he claimed was "neglect of duty." DeSantis, who is currently running for president in 2024, criticized Worrell for being too lenient on criminals. He has specifically called out her failure to charge a teenager accused of shooting and killing a 9-year-old girl and two others in a gang-related incident in 2022. Worrell has said that witnesses in the case gave disjointed testimony and could not identify the suspect in a photo lineup, noting that the gunman was wearing a mask at the time of the incident. Related: Florida Students Now Need Parental Permission to Use Nicknames, 'Alternate' Names Under New Ron DeSantis Rule In announcing the suspension, DeSantis held a press conference where he was joined by two local sheriffs neither of which, CNN notes, serves a county that overlaps with Worrells jurisdiction. At the press conference, one of those sheriffs turned the suspension into a meme, mocking Worrell by holding up a photoshopped sign showing her in a burning cartoon room with a "this is fine" thought bubble above her head. At her own press conference, Worrell suggested she intended to fight the suspension, saying, I am a duly elected state attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. And nothing done by a weak dictator can change that. Related: Expected DeSantis Mega-Donors Are Reportedly 'Rethinking' Their Support amid Continued Controversy, Low Polling Critics have slammed the suspension as political, noting that Worrell served the liberal-leaning areas of Orange and Osceola counties and was elected to her role with 67% of the vote. Florida Democratic Party chairwoman Nikki Fried called the suspension "a political hit job." That Worrell will be replaced by Judge Andrew Bain, who is reportedly a member of the conservative Federalist Society and was not elected by voters to the position, has only added to that criticism. As Orlando Sentinel reporter Christopher Cann noted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Bain ranked last among Orange County criminal judges in a judicial-qualifications poll by the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, with respondents describing him as prosecution-biased. Related: Trump Crushes DeSantis in New Republican Primary Poll, Despite Florida Governor's Heavy Campaigning Worrell is the second Democratic state attorney to be suspended under DeSantis, who last year also suspended Tampas elected prosecutor, Andrew Warren. DeSantis' decision to remove Worrell comes as his 2024 presidential campaign faces numerous challenges, including low poll numbers, reports of wealthy donors pausing their contributions, and an overhaul of campaign staff. AP Photo/Meg Kinnard Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a presidential campaign event in South Carolina on July 17, 2023 DeSantis has maintained his suspension of Worrell is a result of incompetence, claiming in a press release that her "practices and policies have too often allowed violent criminals to escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct, thereby endangering the innocent civilians of Orange and Osceola counties." Prosecutors have a duty to faithfully enforce the law," DeSantis said in a press conference Tuesday morning. "Ones political agenda cannot trump this solemn duty." Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. DeSantis himself, however, has been accused of being guided by his own political agenda. The governor launched a public fight with Disney after the company openly opposed the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill. Related: Amid Rumored Presidential Bid, Ron DeSantis Remains Focused on Disney World When Disney went public with its criticism of the measure, DeSantis asked state lawmakers to consider ending a deal between the company and Florida that, since 1967, has given it special privileges. After Disney appeared to outmaneuver the governor by quietly taking back control of the district that same month, DeSantis hosted a press conference in which he joked about building a private prison next to Disney World, suggested opening a competing theme park near the property, and discussed the possibility of raising the company's taxes and imposing harsher restrictions on theme park rides. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. The post Sixto Rodriguez, Subject of the Documentary Searching for Sugar Man, Dead at 81 appeared first on Consequence. Sixto Rodriguez, the Detroit musician who found surprise success in South Africa and became the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man, has died at the age of 81. The news was announced in a statement from his official website, which reads, It is with great sadness that we at Sugarman.org announce that Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has passed away earlier today. We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his daughters Sandra, Eva and Regan and to all his family. Though Rodriguezs cause of death is unknown, The Detroit News reports he had been in declining health. Born July 10th, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan as the sixth child of a Mexican father and Native American mother, Sixto Diaz Rodriguez began his music career in 1967 under the name Rod Riguez. Three years later, he signed with Sussex Records and began recording under the name Rodriguez. Following two albums, Cold Fact and Coming from Reality, he was dropped by the label due to lackluster sales and quit making music. Instead, Rodriguez bought a dilapidated house in Detroit for $50 in a government auction and began working in physical labor jobs. He was also politically active and advocated for the improvement of lives for working-class citizens, unsuccessfully running for public office multiple times. In the meantime, Rodriguezs albums were a commercial success overseas. By the mid-1970s, his music was receiving major airplay in Australia, Botswana, New Zealand, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, and imported copies of his LPs were selling out. In South Africa, hes believed to have sold more records than Elvis Presley. Once the Sussex albums were no longer available, an Australian record label called Blue Goose Music bought the Australian rights to Rodriguezs recordings. In addition to releasing his two studio albums, Blue Goose put out a 1977 compilation titled At His Best, which featured unreleased recordings from 1973 like Cant Get Away, Ill Slip Away, and Street Boy. At His Best went platinum in South Africa, drawing Rodriguez comparisons to Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens. He was also a mysterious figure in South Africa and was even believed to have died by suicide after quitting music. Though Rodriguez capitalized on his success in Australia by touring there in 1979 and 1981, he didnt find out about his fame in South Africa until 1997, when his eldest daughter, Eva, stumbled across a website dedicated to him. His first tour in South Africa was chronicled in the 2001 documentary, Dead Men Dont Tour: Rodriguez in South Africa 1998, and he would return to the country in 2001 and 2005. Meanwhile, Rodriguez became a cult figure back in the United States, where his signature track, Sugar Man was sampled in Nas Stillmatic cut Youre Da Man. It was also featured in the 2006 Heath Ledger movie Candy. Cold Fact and Coming from Reality were later re-released by Light in the Attic Records in 2009. In 2012, the Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul premiered the documentary film Searching for Sugar Man at Sundance Film Festival. It centered around the efforts of two South African fans aiming to find out whether Rodriguezs rumored death was true. After winning a number of festival awards including Sundance it took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2013. The documentarys success led to a wave of exposure in the United States, landing Rodriguez musical spots on Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He was also the subject of stories on CNN and 60 Minutes, and went on to tour in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the US throughout the 2010s. He is survived by three daughters: Eva, Sandra, and Regan. It is with great sadness that we at https://t.co/9WGxD2zahl announce that Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has passed away earlier today. We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his daughters Sandra, Eva and Regan and to all his family. Rodriguez was 81 years old. pic.twitter.com/H88hWZyfz8 SugarMan.org (@sugar_man) August 9, 2023 Sixto Rodriguez, Subject of the Documentary Searching for Sugar Man, Dead at 81 Eddie Fu Popular Posts Subscribe to Consequences email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox. Rapper Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in state prison for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion on Tuesday by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford. Lanez addressed the court for several minutes, according to legal journalist Meghann Cuniff. "He said he still cares about Megan. He called her 'someone I still care for dearly to this day' regardless of what she may think of him," she shared on social media. "He said 'the victim's my friend.' He talked about bonding with her over the loss of their mothers." The sentencing was delayed several times as the 31-year-old Canadian rapper, real name Daystar Peterson, sought new legal counsel and filed a motion for a new trial, which was ultimately denied. Then, what journalists and legal experts expected to be a sentencing handed out on Monday morning turned into two full days in court in which the judge allowed dozens of letters and statements. These included a written statement from Megan, who said she had "not experienced a single day of peace" since the shooting, as well as multiple witnesses urging the judge to go light on Lanez. Statements of support for the rapper came from his father, his 6-year-old son, and even Iggy Azalea, who asked the judge to hand down a "transformative, not life-destroying" sentence," according to the Associated Press. "This was an unorthodox sentencing hearing to put it mildly," wrote Los Angeles Times reporter James Queally. "Two days largely focused on Lanez's vast charitable work, which is a factor in mitigation but not a major one. Judge Herriford stepped around it succinctly though 'sometimes good people do bad things.'" Tory Lanez found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion P. Lehman/Barcroft Media via Getty; Cassidy Sparrow/Getty Megan Thee Stallion; Tory Lanez Lanez was found guilty in December of all three felony firearm counts against him, including assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence, for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Pete, in her foot after a party in the Hollywood Hills at Kylie Jenner's house in July 2020. The rapper faced up to 22 years in prison and the possibility of deportation, with prosecutors calling for a harsh sentence, citing Lanez's "high degree of indifference for human life." In a conversation with Gayle King last April, Megan said an argument stemmed from her wanting to leave Jenner's house, but her companions, including Lanez, did not. It escalated when she stepped out of the car, and "all I hear is this man screaming. And he said, 'Dance, b----.' And he started shooting," she recalled to King, referencing Lanez. "He shot a couple of times. And I was so scared." "He is standin' up over the window shooting," Megan continued, "and I didn't even want to move. I didn't want to move too quick 'cause I'm like, 'Oh, my God. If I take the wrong step, I don't know if he's gonna shoot something that's, like, super important. I don't know if he could shoot me and kill me.'" When police arrived, Megan told them she had stepped on glass, citing the recent police killing of George Floyd to King. "Even though this person just did this to me, my first reaction was still to try to save us," she said. "I didn't want to see anybody die." As the prosecution's witness, Megan took the stand last December and testified about the shooting's toll on her physical and mental health, sharing that she experienced suicidal thoughts. "I can't even be happy," she said. "I can't hold conversations with people for a long time. I don't feel like I want to be on this Earth. I wish he would have just shot and killed me if I knew I would have to go through this torture." "This situation has only been worse for me and it has only made him more famous," Megan added of the media coverage. "Because I was shot, I've been turned into some kind of villain, and he's the victim. This has messed up my whole life... This whole situation in the industry is like a big boy's club... I'm telling on one of y'all friends, now you're all about to hate me." Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: Travis Scott has announced his first tour since the Astroworld Festival tragedy in 2021. (Amy Harris / Invision / Associated Press) Travis Scott is going on tour for the first time since the 2021 Astroworld crowd-crush disaster that resulted in the deaths of 10 people. On Tuesday, Scott announced the Utopia: Circus Maximus tour in an Instagram post. "UTOPIA TOUR SOON US AND EURO DATES SOON TO BE ANNOUNCE I MISS THE ROAD I MISSS YALLLL," the "Sicko Mode" rapper wrote. Read more: Houston police releases long-awaited 1,200-page report on Travis Scott Astroworld disaster There are currently no official dates and venues set for the tour. A social media post by concert organizer Live Nation listed some dates, but that post has since been deleted, per Pitchfork. News of the tour comes a day after Scott performed at the historic Circus Maximus in Rome, alongside surprise guest Kanye West. The show marked the onset of Scott's live-show promotion cycle for his latest album, "Utopia," which is currently the No. 1 album on Billboard's 200 chart. The "goosebumps" artist was originally slated to play a concert at the Egyptian pyramids, prior to the Rome show. The July 28 performance was canceled due to construction issues that affected the concert's production. Read more: Travis Scott's 'Utopia' show at Egypt's pyramids is deserted after 'complex production issues' At Scott's Astroworld Festival in Houston in November 2021, 10 people died and hundreds more were injured in the crowd crush as fans flowed toward the stage to see the rapper perform. The concert was declared a mass casualty event at 9:38 p.m., but Scott performed until 10:15 p.m. In June, a Houston grand jury decided Scott would not face criminal charges for his role in the tragedy. Last month, police reports out of Houston indicated that Scotts road team was alerted about the crowd crush taking place but declined to inform the rapper about what was happening. 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. The New York progressive fusion trio Baked Shrimp rolls into the Blue Grouch Pub Friday while the Springfield Muni season bows with "School of Rock" this weekend. The non-Illinois State Fair pickings also includes "Peter Pan--A Children's Ballet" at the Legacy Theatre Friday and Saturday. Baked Shrimp at the Blue Grouch Pub The band Baked Shrimp continues its mammoth North American tour with a show at the Blue Grouch Pub, 510 W. Maple S. at 8 p.m. Friday. The trio just played the Great South Bay Music Festival at its hometown of Long Island alongside Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). The year began with the band playing shows the Disco Biscuits. Its fourth studio album, set for release in the fall, is a follow-up to 2022's "Pork Etiquette." For more information, call 217-527-8395. 'School of Rock - The Musical' Based on the 2003 hit movie and with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, "School of Rock - The Musical" returns with performances at the Springfield Muni through Saturday. Show time is at 8:30 p.m. The story follows Dewey Finn (Ryle Frey), a failed, wanna-be rock star, who attempts to whisk away his students from a prestigious prep school to the Battle of the Bands. "School of Rock" wraps up the Muni's season. The show is directed by Jeremy Goeckner and Sara Goeckner. For tickets, visit www.metrotix.com. 'Peter Pan - A Children's Ballet' Based on J.M. Barrie's tale of a boy who wouldn't grow up, this "Peter Pan" is a one-hour ballet for children. Shows are at 7 p.m. Friday and 1, 3 and 5 p.m. Saturday. The Legacy Theatre is located at 101 E. Lawrence Ave. Peter Pan leads Wendy, Michael and John to the magical island of Neverland where they encounter pirates, warriors, mermaids and more. There will be a Pirates and Pixie Dust party in the Legacy Lounge 30 minutes prior to each show with crafts, character meet and greet, and sprinkles of magical pixie dust. Tickets are $20 in advance. For tickets, visit the Legacy website or call 1-800-838-3006. Jacob Friefeld Local book discussion and signing Springfield historian Jacob Friefeld will discuss his new book, "The First Migrants: How Black Homesteaders Quest for Land and Freedom Heralded Americas Great Migration," (University of Nebraska Press) at Books on the Square, 427 E. Washington St., at 11 a.m. Saturday. "The First Migrants" recounts the largely unknown story of Black people who migrated from the South to the Great Plains between 1877 and 1920 in search of land and freedom. Those migrants exercised their rights under the Homestead Act to gain title to 650,000 acres, settling in all of the Great Plains states. Friefeld was recently named director of the Center for Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield. He currently serves as the Illinois and Midwest studies research historian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Call 217-965-5443 for more information. Litchfield Pickers Market The second Sunday of the month means it's time for the Litchfield Pickers Market. A juried sale of antiques, collectibles and vintage items manufactured or made prior to 1985 takes place at 400 N. State St. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There's live music and food while you shop. Visit the Litchfield Pickers Market website for more information or call 217-324-8147. Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie. This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: School of Rock and Peter Pan ballet are things to do in Springfield IL American woman Alix Dorsainvil and her young child have been freed and are safe after being kidnapped in Haiti roughly two weeks ago, according to a statement from El Roi Haiti, the faith-based nonprofit where she worked. "It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti," El Roi Haiti said in a statement Wednesday. On Thursday, the group said Dorsainvil and her daughter were "released healthy and unharmed." "We could not be more thankful for the safety of our dear sister, friend, and staff member," El Roi Haiti said in a new statement Thursday. "Alix is a remarkably resilient woman whose walk with God guides her deep love for her family and her passionate commitment to the Haitian people." Dorsainvil and her young daughter were taken from the El Roi compound outside of Port-au-Prince on July 27 and had been held since then. Negotiations to free her started shortly after she was taken, according to a Haitian law enforcement source. MORE: Haiti: The Forgotten Crisis Dorsainvil -- originally from New Hampshire -- has been living and working in Haiti "for some time now," El Roi Haiti confirmed to ABC News. She works as a school and community nurse for the religious organization and is married to its director, with whom she shares the child, according to El Roi Haiti. The kidnapping came as the U.S. Department of State ordered the evacuation of family members of U.S. government employees and non-emergency U.S. government employees in Haiti on July 27. The U.S. government's travel advisory for Haiti is "do not travel due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure," according to the State Department. PHOTO: In this undated photo provided by El Roi Haiti, Alix Dorsainvil, right, poses with her husband, Sandro Dorsainvil. Alix Dorsainvil, a nurse for El Roi Haiti, and her daughter were kidnapped on Thursday, July 27, the organization said. (Courtesy of El Roi Haiti via AP) "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," the State Department said in its advisory. Story continues The Department of State also warned that violent crimes, including kidnappings for ransom that include U.S. citizens, are "common." MORE: American woman and her child kidnapped in Haiti, organization says "Travelers are sometimes followed and violently attacked and robbed shortly after leaving the Port-au-Prince international airport. Robbers and carjackers also attack private vehicles stuck in heavy traffic congestion and often target lone drivers, particularly women," it said. "U.S. citizens wishing to depart Port-au-Prince should monitor local news and only do so when considered safe," it continued. ABC News' Meredith Deliso contributed to this report. American woman, child freed after being kidnapped in Haiti last month originally appeared on abcnews.go.com IKEA, the global furniture giant, will open a store in downtown San Francisco later this month, the company announced on Tuesday, defying an onrush of retail departures that has slammed the city center in recent years. Located blocks away from the city's Union Square retail hub, the store will anchor a new mall owned by Ingka Centres, an IKEA-affiliated developer that seeks to drive shopping traffic toward company stores. The new, sprawling three-story store will span a combined 52,000 square feet, featuring 27 fully-furnished room displays tailored for city dwellers, IKEA said. The announcement bucks a trend of retailers exiting downtown San Francisco. In recent months, a slew of closures of retail stores in San Francisco doubles as a roundup of well-known shopping brands: Whole Foods, Old Navy and Nordstrom, among others. MORE: San Francisco's retail hub is turning into a ghost town. The exodus isn't just about crime, experts say In June, the 70-store downtown Westfield Mall said it would stop making payments on a $558 million loan, relinquishing ownership of the shopping center and leaving the fate of the complex uncertain. Nearly half of the stores in the city's downtown shopping district have closed since 2019, the San Francisco Standard found in May. The series of store departures has spurred criticism focused on crime and homelessness but a more complicated set of forces is driving companies away from the city, experts and a former downtown store owner previously told ABC News. They pointed to sluggish sales at some stores due in part to a longstanding shift away from brick-and-mortar retail that went into overdrive during the pandemic, they added. The rise of remote work -- a trend even more pronounced in the Bay Area's tech industry -- also has slashed the number of office commuters downtown, they said. PHOTO: A 'For Lease' sign at a storefront on Market Street in San Francisco, May 3, 2023. (Bloomberg via Getty Images) Despite the trend, IKEA San Francisco Market Manager Arda Akalin voiced optimism about the store opening in a statement. Story continues "We are so excited to open the doors of our new IKEA store to our neighbors in the San Francisco area," Akalin said on Tuesday. "We appreciate the excitement and support from the community and can't wait for our customers to experience the new store full of affordable home furnishings and solutions that reflect who San Franciscans are and how they live." In a statement to ABC News, San Francisco Mayor London Breed celebrated the new IKEA store. "The arrival of IKEA on Market Street is a tremendous boost for our City that will bring more shopping, jobs, and excitement to the Union Square area," Breed said. "We have been working closely with IKEA to make this a successful opening and we will continue to work to make the area clean, safe, and welcoming for all." "We know the future of Downtown will look different, but we also know that San Francisco is a resilient city that embraces change and is always working to build what comes next. We are proud to welcome IKEA to be part of that future," Breed added. MORE: Whole Foods closes flagship San Francisco store over employee safety concerns In June, Breed told Good Morning America that San Francisco faces difficulties but she also faulted a disproportionate focus on exits from the city. "San Francisco is a major city and it has challenges," Breed said. "But let's back up a little bit. You are talking about people who are leaving the city but not the people who are staying, expanding, coming to San Francisco." The San Francisco area already plays host to two IKEA stores, the company said. A store in nearby Emeryville, California, opened in 2000; and a store in East Palo Alto followed in 2003. The forthcoming store in downtown San Francisco will open on Aug. 23. "On grand opening day, IKEA customers can enjoy games, workshops, giveaways," the company said. IKEA to open store in downtown San Francisco this month, defying retail exodus originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Delivering a win for abortion rights advocates, Ohio's Issue 1 will fail, The Associated Press projects. The Republican-backed ballot initiative would have increased the threshold to amend the state's constitution, making it more difficult for a measure that would enshrine abortion rights into the state's constitution to pass later this year. A "yes" vote on Issue 1 meant that constitutional amendments, including the abortion amendment, would have needed 60% support, rather than the existing minimum of 50% plus one. The increased threshold would have been put into place immediately if Issue 1 had passed. Issue 1 also would have created more strict signature requirements for citizen-led measures to appear on the ballot. Currently, organizers must collect a number of signatures equal to 5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election from half of Ohio's 88 counties. If Issue 1 had passed, organizers would have needed signatures from all 88 counties. PHOTO: A crowd cheers as Jim Caviezel speaks during a 'rosary rally' on Aug. 6, 2023, in Norwood, Ohio. (Darron Cummings/AP) MORE: Winning numbers drawn for $1.58 billion Mega Millions jackpot Additionally, Issue 1 would have eliminated the 10-day cure period, during which citizens can replace any signatures rejected by the state. A "no" vote on Issue 1 meant maintaining the existing requirement to amend the state constitution through a ballot initiative with the support of a simple majority. On Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden issued a statement in support of the voters' decision. "Today, Ohio voters rejected an effort by Republican lawmakers and special interests to change the state's constitutional amendment process." his statement began. "This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters' voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won." MORE: Tory Lanez sentenced to 10 years for shooting and injuring Megan Thee Stallion Early voter turnout for the special election soared, with more than 696,900 people voting by mail or in person since early voting began on June 23. Story continues Critics denounced Tuesday's election as a scrambled effort by Ohio's GOP to alter election rules to undermine November's abortion ballot measure. "Let me tell you what this issue has always been about: abortion and reproductive freedom," state Sen. Kent Smith said in a video urging Ohioans to vote against Issue 1. "From the very beginning, Ohio Republicans have been trying to make it harder for Ohioans to reclaim their almost 50-year legal right to be able to make their own reproductive health care decisions. ... The Republicans are trying to rig the rejection of the abortion rights amendment in November, which is why a 'no' vote on Aug. 8 is so critical." PHOTO: An American flag waves in the breeze next to a sign directing Ohioans to vote inside Tharp Sixth Grade School, Aug. 8, 2023 in Hilliard, Ohio. (Samantha Hendrickson/AP) MORE: 3 charged with assault in Alabama riverfront melee; no bias charges Republicans defended Issue 1 by saying it is an effort to protect Ohio's state constitution from the influence of special interest groups. "VOTE YES ON ISSUE 1 to: Protect Ohio Values, Preserve the People's Power [and] Defend Ohio's Constitution," tweeted the Ohio Republican Party. PHOTO: A sign asking Ohioans to vote in support of Issue 1 sits above another sign advocating against abortion rights at an event hosted by Created Equal, July 20, 2023, in Cincinnati. (Patrick Orsagos/AP) But a high-ranking official in Ohio's GOP reportedly conceded that the party in fact organized around Issue 1 in part to hinder the vote on abortion rights this November, among other motivations. "This is 100% about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution. The left wants to jam it in there this coming November," Secretary of State Frank LaRose said at an event in May, according to local TV station WCMH. LaRose later added to his comments, saying that abortion is "just one of many reasons" for his support of Issue 1. "It's simply about protecting the Constitution from a whole lot of bad ideas," he said. Following Tuesday's results, LaRose issued a statement on the X social media platform, saying the "devastating impact of this vote" will come "soon enough," hinting at the abortion rights amendment that is set for a vote in November. "I'm grateful that nearly 1.3 million Ohioans stood with us in this fight, but this is only one battle in a long war. Unfortunately, we were dramatically outspent by dark money billionaires from California to New York, and the giant 'for sale' sign still hangs on Ohio's constitution," LaRose began. "Ohioans will see the devastating impact of this vote soon enough. The radical activists that opposed Issue 1 are already planning amendments to shut parents out of a child's life-altering medical procedure, force job killing wage mandates on small businesses, prevent law abiding citizens from protecting their families and remove critical protections for our first responders. I've said for months now that there's an assault coming on our constitution, and that hasn't changed. I'm just getting started in the fight to protect Ohio's values," his statement concluded. MORE: NYC doctor allegedly drugged, assaulted women, prosecutors say Ohio is the only state set to vote on abortion rights this year. The amendment would establish a "fundamental right to reproductive freedom" in Ohio's constitution and provide protections across five categories: contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one's own pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion. In 2022, similar measures resulted in several victories for abortion rights advocates. California, Michigan, and Vermont voters enshrined abortion rights into their state constitutions. Kansas and Kentucky struck down initiatives that would have amended their constitutions to say they do not protect the right to an abortion. Voters in Ohio reject change to state's constitution originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The tail end of the busy summer travel season is almost here, but that doesnt mean an end to travel deals. In fact, its just the beginning for a slew of miles and points promotions. Here are some of the latest offers worth taking advantage of for travel this month or even the year ahead. Fly in business class to Switzerland or Asia The summer months can especially be a tough time to find award space on flights when booking with points and miles. But this August youll find plenty of openings in business class using Air Canadas Aeroplan points between U.S. cities and Switzerland, starting at around 60,000 points in each direction. Some available routes are via Montreal onboard partner airline Swiss Air while other flights are onboard other Star Alliance partners. Other European destinations may also be available depending on the date. For those that like to plan ahead (for as far as next spring and summer), American AAdvantage members have access to excellent business and first class award availability via partner airline Etihad. Use the calendar search tab on Americans website to find award space on Etihad flights from its North American gateways to parts of the Middle East and Asia through Abu Dhabi. Award space may not last long so act quickly. Make the most of transferring miles When youre short on miles or points to make an award redemption, it makes sense to turn to credit card loyalty programs to see if you can transfer points between programs. For those looking specifically to transfer Hilton Honors points, youre in luck: You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards to Hilton Honors with a 25% bonus this month. If you prefer Aviancas LifeMiles program, which offers redemption opportunities on Star Alliance airlines, there is a 15% bonus for moving Amex points to the airline program. Also, Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be moved to the Marriott Bonvoy program with a 50% bonus between now and the end of September. Find ample opportunities to earn bonus points when you travel If you register before August 15, you can earn 1,000 bonus World of Hyatt points for each night you stay at a Dream Hotels property before September 15. You can earn as many as 10,000 bonus points with this promotion at hotels like Dream South Beach, Dream Nashville, Dream Hollywood and a pair of properties in New York. Anyone with The World of Hyatt Credit Card that makes an award redemption for a stay at certain Hyatt Independent Collection brands worldwide before September 17 can receive a 20% rebate on the points they spend. Be sure to register for this points-saving promotion before August 15. Eligible brands include Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination by Hyatt and JdV by Hyatt. Booking one of IHG One Rewards new hotels? IHG has a similar promotion for all members. When you redeem points for a stay at a new hotel this month, youll earn a 15% points rebate. Among the eligible hotels are InterContinental Athenee Palace Bucharest, InterContinental Tashkent, Hotel Indigo Guadalajara Expo, Vignette Collection Yours Truly DC and voco Dubai The Palm among many others. Hilton Honors is offering a 100% bonus on points purchased between now and September 19. That means you are essentially paying half a penny per point. Be sure to have a redemption in mind, however, and do the math to see if it makes sense to pay for points rather than paying for a stay in cash. In some cases, you can save money, but in others, it may not make sense. Get elite status for flying in California Theres good news for travelers planning to fly within California on Alaska Airlines. Between August 15 and November 15, they can earn double elite qualifying miles when flying on nonstop routes between California cities. Youll want to register by October 31, though, to be eligible. Elite status can mean some notable perks like free upgrades, bonus miles when flying, and Oneworld status benefits. Originally Appeared on Conde Nast Traveler Russians, stereotypically, love to drink vodka. And recently, it seems theyve been enjoying a good deal of Grey Goose in particular. Bacardiperhaps best known for its namesake rum, but also the parent company for Grey Goose vodkahas been importing millions of dollars of spirits into Russia in the past year, leading to a rise in its revenue and profits in the country, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. This comes even though many businesses, whether focused on alcohol or another product, pulled out of Russia in response to Vladimir Putins war in Ukraine. (Bacardi did not respond to the newspapers requests for comment.) More from Robb Report The departure of several leading international brand owners from the alcohol market has reduced competition and has created an opportunity for the ones that have remained as well as for local companies, Ivan Kolarov, an analyst at the drinks-industry tracker IWSR, told the WSJ. In the 12 months ending June 30, Bacardi Rus, the companys Russian arm, imported $169 million of products, including Grey Goose vodka, Bombay Sapphire gin, Patron tequila, and Dewars Scotch whisky. In 2022, its annual revenue jumped 8.5 percent to 30 billion rubles ($314 million), while profits reached 4.7 billion rubles (about $48 million), up from just 1.5 billion rubles ($15 million) in 2021. After Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Bacardi said that it had paused exports to Russia and stopped advertising in the country. The Wall Street Journal noted that its website said as much through most of last year, but that language has since been removed. In addition, the company has continued hiring for its Russia team since the war began, and it promotes new roles locally as well as on LinkedIn. Spirits companies have had a rough time navigating the Russian market over the past year or so. Those that have pulled out of the country or ceased operating there have felt the impact financially: Diageo, for example, had a loss of 122 million rubles ($1.3 million) in 2022, compared with a profit of 325 million rubles ($3.3 million) in 2021. Meanwhile, those that have tried to stay, such as Pernod Ricard, have faced backlash from Western critics. Trying to do anyor noalcohol business in Russia, then, seems like a losing proposition. Culinary Masters 2023 Dont miss the food event of the year. Register for Robb Reports Culinary Masters now. Or, for more information on Robb Report experiences, visit RR1. 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. (Bloomberg) -- European natural gas jumped by the most since March of last year amid the possibility of worker strikes in Australia, highlighting market jitters over potential supply disruptions. Most Read from Bloomberg Benchmark futures settled 28% higher on a day of extreme volatility that saw the contract top 40 for the first time since June. Prices soared as much as 40% intraday. The daily increase was the biggest percentage gain since the early weeks of Russias war in Ukraine. Traders are concerned about a long-lasting strike, with analysts at Citigroup Inc. predicting it could cause European gas and Asian LNG contracts for January to double. Workers at Chevron Corp. and Woodside Energy Group Ltd. facilities in Australia voted to strike, which has the potential to disrupt LNG exports from the country, tightening the global market for the fuel. The exact timing of the industrial action if it goes ahead wasnt immediately clear. Laborers could stop with seven days notice as early as next week depending on progress at a meeting on Thursday, the Australian Financial Review reported. Asian buyers are likely to bid up LNG imports to replace Australian volumes if there are disruptions, which would affect Europe as well, said Nick Campbell, a director at consultant Inspired Plc. LNG has become a baseload supply in the European gas mix, therefore any signs that this flow is at risk leads to support in price. Other bullish drivers have contributed to moves in gas recently. They include a drop in LNG imports to Europe last month and increased flows from the region to Ukraine, which has spare storage capacity. Potential delays in Norways seasonal maintenance also pose a risk. Story continues Its also possible that this weeks price surge caused a wave of position-covering by investors who previously bet on further declines in gas. Similar moves resulted in extreme volatility in June. Investment funds net-short positions in benchmark Dutch gas futures increased last week after falling to the lowest level since January a week before, according to data released Wednesday by market operator Intercontinental Exchange Inc. The surge signals there are still risks to gas supplies after last years crisis, even though the regions inventories are unusually high for the season, providing some security that Europe is heading to the winter months in good shape. Industrial demand for gas remains depressed and sustained production cutbacks are one of the main reasons European gas prices have collapsed 50% this year. Significant demand destruction has been a key offset, but a narrowing global LNG pool leaves Europe exposed to price-competition for spare cargoes with Asia, particularly amid seasonally higher demand next winter, Patricio Alvarez, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence said. LNG Risks The vote by Woodside workers in Australia increases the risk of industrial action, which could disrupt LNG operations at its North West Shelf project, said Jake Horslen, a senior LNG analyst at Energy Aspects Ltd. in London. Japanese clients would be most affected by any strikes in Australia. Asian buyers would need to pull more strongly on Atlantic LNG to balance any shortfalls in the event of a strike, which would tighten supply fundamentals in Europe and the Atlantic, Horslen said. This creates upside risk for TTF, the European benchmark price. Dutch front-month futures, Europes gas benchmark, settled at 39.82 a megawatt-hour, the highest level since June 15. The UK equivalent added 29%. US Henry Hub gas futures also surged on expectations of a possible uplift in demand. About 11% of US gas production is exported as LNG, according to the Energy Information Administration. Gas futures on the Nymex briefly surpassed $3.00 per MMBtu on Wednesday for the first time since early March, supported by persistently hot temperatures. European winter gas contracts also gained, albeit at a lower pace, as German utility EON SE warned of more risks during the upcoming heating season. The crisis is not over, though the likelihood of a repeat of last year has diminished, Chief Executive Officer Leonhard Birnbaum said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. --With assistance from Carolynn Look, Priscila Azevedo Rocha and Ruth Liao. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. A first look inside the new Hotel Downstreet in North Adams, Massachusetts. Corey Favino/Courtesy of Hotel Downstreet The Berkshires, the scenic mountainous region in Western Massachusetts offering abundant outdoor activities, fall foliage galore, and farm-to-table restaurants, just welcomed a new boutique hotel in downtown North Adams. Taking over what was the town's largest hotel, the new Hotel Downstreet has been transformed into an art enthusiast's haven with multiple studios, galleries with rotating exhibitions, and an in-house art collection spotlighting local and international talent. Owned and operated by Main Street Hospitality which is behind another North Adams boutique property, Porches Inn the 90-key hotel is just a few steps from The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Corey Favino/Courtesy of Hotel Downstreet "We capture the fun, artsy spirit of this charismatic little town better than any other hotel," Tyler Carroll, the property's general manager, told Travel + Leisure. "We thoughtfully blend arts and culture with functionality, and our amenities pool, game room, and restaurant add great value." The hotel's guest rooms are designed with longer stays in mind and feature microwaves, mini-fridges, and workstations. The decor and ornamentation throughout the spaces is minimal because the whole hotel is meant to serve as a backdrop to the property's curated art collection. "The work that we did with our interior architecture and interior design team was geared toward simplicity," Sarah Eustis, founder and CEO of Main Street Hospitality, explained. "There's a lot of black and white, clean lines, bright lighting, cement floors, and there's not a ton of patterns in the fabrics. The rooms are very clean and uncluttered so as not to compete with [the art] on the walls." Corey Favino/Courtesy of Hotel Downstreet Corey Favino/Courtesy of Hotel Downstreet And the list of represented artists and works reads like a museum catalog: Barbara Prey, Cory Feder, Kento Iida, Stephen Hannock, Noah Post, and Anthony Chase. A spectacular mural by Eric Forstmann, depicting the town nestled among the mountains, covers the wall behind the front desk in the lobby. And in one of the galleries on the ground floor, guests can currently peruse an exhibit of Jarvis Rockwell's (son of Norman Rockwell) toy collection, that includes "little Barbies and little Star Wars figures," Eustis added. Corey Favino/Courtesy of Hotel Downstreet Corey Favino/Courtesy of Hotel Downstreet But even if contemporary art is not your cup of tea, the hotel's prime location in the heart of North Adams and top-notch amenities (see: the pool and sauna in the basement) are good enough reasons to consider it for your next Berkshires getaway. Another draw? The affordable nightly rates, which start from $145. Live music sessions are also in the works, and the hotel plans to partner with local vendors (like Bright Ideas Brewing and Tres Ninos Taqueria) on various events. You can book your stay at the new Berkshires property at hoteldownstreet.com. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. Good news: everything you need is likely already in your cupboard. Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Torie Cox / Southern Living Fall brings apples, colorful leaves and all things pumpkin pie. For fall recipes, pumpkin pie spice is a staple from breads to cookies, pies, cakes and beyond. But if you're in the midst of your favorite fall recipe and realize you don't have any pumpkin pie spice stocked up, don't lose heart: You can make your own. Pumpkin pie spice substitute is as simple as opening up your cupboard, says David Tiner, the director of the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge. Meet the Expert David Tiner is the director of the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Torie Cox / Southern Living The Best Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitute If you dont have pumpkin pie spice, its very easy to make your own blend, but first you need to know what it is. What Is Pumpkin Pie Spice? Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of common spices. "Pumpkin pie spice is a combination of warm spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice," Tiner says. "I refer to them as warm spices, because they warm you up as you consume them." How To Make Pumpkin Pie Spice Tiner says to start with cinnamon as your base and add the rest of the ingredients in smaller, descending increments. "After the cinnamon, add a little nutmeg. Then, add a little less clove, then allspice," he explains, noting that you could also add a bit of ginger if you like, before mixing the blend together. "If it smells like pumpkin pie, then you are good to go." Though it may be tempting to keep it out on the counter for aromatic purposes, pumpkin pie spice should be kept in an airtight container. Related: How To Make Pumpkin Pie Spice Apple Pie Spice vs. Pumpkin Pie Spice If you have apple pie spice on hand, you're in luck. "If you have apple pie spice, use it in place of pumpkin pie spice, as they contain the same ingredients, except apple pie spice has a little cardamom," he explains, adding that cardamom tends to balance the tart of apples. Can I Substitute Cinnamon For Pumpkin Pie Spice? Because pumpkin pie spice is a blend, the short answer is no. Even though cinnamon is the base, your recipe will not taste the same using just one spice in place of the blend. "Using cinnamon alone for pumpkin pie spice just will not work," Tiner says. "While the spice mixture is comprised of mostly cinnamon, the other ingredients bring the flavor profile home." Related: 26 Pumpkin Spice Recipes That Taste Like Fall For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Southern Living. Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. From that famous one-piece to my all-time favorite two-piece. Getty Images Everyone's going on vacation now, and sure, I have a teeny, tiny bit of #FOMO because once you travel, its only normal to want to travel, well, more. But alas, seeing my Instagram feed flooded with images of people eating their way through Rome or indulging in Mediterranean cuisine in the one place Ive always wanted to go (ahem, Greece), is only making me reflect on my recent trip to Italy Im reminiscing about the people I met, the food I ate, the memories I made with my boyfriend, and what I would do differently (in terms of packing!) Lets be real: Packing is never easy, no matter how often you do it. And, when you go abroad, you have to think even smarter. Youre bound to buy things youll want to bring back with you, so its wise to leave a little bit of space in your luggage for souvenirs purchased along the way. Looking back, I packed a bit too much for my Italian getaway, which certainly limited my ability to buy some things (ahem, leather purses and shoes!). I wore all of the dresses I brought with me, but I went a bit overboard with my swimwear. We spent a lot of time by the beach, but I learned that if you bring timeless swimwear, like I did, you really dont need a lot because you can repeatedly wear them, styling them differently each time. So while yes, I packed 13 swimsuits and TBH, swimwear is really heavy I only wore five of them, which also clearly means they're my favorite, hence why I need to share them with you. And yes, I know swimwear season will be over soon, but having a good one or two-piece on hand is a year-round must-have because vacations. Below, check out the suits that I wore the most on my Italian getaway, including the famous one-piece that I now own in almost every color available. Andie the Amalfi One-Piece Andie Swim $98 Buy on andieswim.com This Andies swimsuit, which keeps selling out, is about as flattering as a one-piece gets. I remember when I first put it on and audibly gasped because I was so amazed at the fit. It felt almost like shapewear, in that it hugged all my curves but also offered just a bit of compressive powers that snatched me in all the right places. This is thanks to the four-way stretch fabric designed with a compressive lining, but dont let the latter scare you: Its not restricting in any way and is easily among the most comfortable one-pieces I own. The medium butt coverage is perfect and the scoop neck and thin straps feel very classic. I even wore this as a bodysuit, so it really was the wisest packing decision I could make. I could wax poetic about this super simple and timeless one-piece for the rest of my life thats how good it is. And I really cant believe Id been sleeping on it until this summer, but alas, better late than never, right? Right. Cuup the Scoop and High-Waisted Swim Set Cuup $176 $158 Buy on shopcuup.com I didnt think I could love a two-piece as much as I love my one-piece, but this Cuup set is tied in first-place for my most-worn swimwear of summer 2023. I own the scoop top and high-waisted swim bottoms in four colors now because as we learned, when I like my suit, I get more than one of it and it served me very well during my time on the Amalfi Coast. The Cuup two-piece, which comes in an array of colors, is the perfect mix of classic and trendy; the bra-inspired underwire top, which offers great cleavage, even for my smaller chest, is sexy but still timeless, while the high-waisted bottom provides just the right amount of hip and butt coverage so that I dont have to worry about flashing anyone. Its also incredibly comfy and comes with adjustable shoulder and back straps for a perfect fit. Cleobella Harlow One-Piece Cleobella $228 $114 Buy on cleobella.com Simple suits are a no-brainer, but going to an Italian coastline also requires one thats a bit more, well, coastal-inspired. This Cleobella One-Piece is exactly the trendy option I wanted while beach-hopping in Italy. First and foremost, its stunning, and you dont need to be an expert to see this. The beautiful print! The frilly shoulder detailing! The midriff cutout! This one-piece is simply a work of art, so the compliments that I received the second I put it on didnt come as a surprise to me. Its flattering, stylish, and so pretty. Honestly, it was made for the gram. And while yes, its a splurge, the quality is simply unmatched. Pink Queen One-Shoulder High-Waisted Swimsuit Amazon $30 Buy on Amazon A super simple, slightly sexy two-piece is a must on anyones vacation travel list, and while I had my Cuup set, this Pink Queen high-waisted one was different enough to justify bringing along both. Its inherently simple, but had some elements that made it feel a bit more trendy, like the one-shoulder design, the tie-waist detailing, and, my favorite, the ruched detailing on the hips that provided a very flattering touch. I get why it has so many five-star ratings and reviews, with so many shoppers calling it flattering, which I 100 percent agree with. I love that its also available in so many colors; I went with the crisp white, but considering I have the tendency to buy multiples of what I love, Im eyeing the black version as well. Seafolly Jetset One Shoulder One-Piece Seafolly $178 Buy on us.seafolly.com If youre not familiar with Australian-based Seafolly, just know this is a brand you have to commit to memory ASAP. The suits? Among the most flattering I own, and thats all thanks to the compressive material most of them designed in. I tried this one-shoulder number can you tell I have a thing with one-shoulder styles? and I didnt want to take it off. Not only is it easy on the eyes, but its also super practical, with those removable cups, which I love because I prefer a bit of shaping support up there, as well as medium butt coverage. Its also designed with a medium leg cut that doesnt rise too high, because, hey, those retro high-rise cuts just arent for me, and thats okay. For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on InStyle. Hip hop has something that most music cant claim a specific birthdate. Classical? Jazz? Polka? Country or rock or pop? They might point to a century and a continent. But hip hop has a date Aug. 11, 1973. And a location 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in West Bronx. And a performer DJ Kool Herc, then 18 years old. And an organizer his little sister Cindy Campbell, trying to make money for back-to-school clothes. And now its 50th anniversary is Friday. Television started the party early a Fight the Power documentary series January on PBS an epic Grammys medley February on CBS a three-year project on Showtime and more. On the birthday, Showtime has a marathon, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the next day, A&E starts a three-Saturday artifact hunt, Hip Hop Treasures. All of this points to the one large music genre that seems to know its exact roots. Yes, people were rapping before this. But for the actual hip hop culture, sources point in one direction. No man deserves more credit for planting the seeds of hip hop than Clive Campbell, a.k.a. Kool Herc, S.H. Fernando Jr. wrote in The Vibe History of Hip Hop (Three Rivers Press, 1999). Others would go on to make the records and the money. Herc is more a myth than a man for even the truest hip hop fan, Nelson George wrote in Hip Hop America (Viking Penguin, 1998). Tapes of his performances are rare and, since the 80s, he has performed only sporadically. He grew up in the same Kingston, Jamaica, area that produced reggae great Bob Marley. His mother moved to the U.S. when he was young, but he stayed behind. She sent him Motown and James Brown records, which he listened to alongside his dads reggae collection. When he reached New York at about 13, he assimilated. He was tall and muscular, Havelock Nelson wrote in the Vibe book. His aggressive style of (basketball) earned him the nickname Hercules. But his real interest was music. As a young DJ, he noticed that dance clubs came alive during instrumental breaks. Instead of just playing hits, (he) sought out obscure records and played the instrumental breaks, extending them until they sounded like new records, George wrote. Thats what he did on Aug. 11, 1973. He brought two turntables, often combining them to prolong songs from James Browns Sex Machine. Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh perform during a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop on the first night of the Cincinnati Music Festival Thursday July 20, 2023 at the Andrew Brady Music Center. That was in the community room of the apartment building where his family lived. His sister (later a Fashion Institute grad) wanted back-to-school clothes. She charged 25 cents and made about $300. Soon, Herc was performing for free in parks and schoolyards. George recalled a 1978 show. At dusk, a van rolled up with Kool Herc and his crew. His boys dragged a couple of portable tables into the schoolyard through a hole in the fence, while Herc unscrewed a plate in the base of the light pole and hooked a heavy industrial extension cord to an outlet inside. In a story for the Amsterdam News, George described Herc as being quietly calm, in a manner that makes adolescent girls giggle. His reputation as a party master is unsurpassed in the South Bronx. The techno side kept growing. Rob Kenner, in the Vibe book, described ridiculous stacks of speakers in the park, microphone controllers rocking off the headtop until the breakadawn. The phrase hip hop would include dancers Herc coined the phrases b-boys and b-girls for the people dancing vibrantly during long breaks and fashions and graffiti and maybe a general attitude. George wrote about the spirit of open-hearted innocence that created the hip hop culture. The idea of parties in parks and community centers, (where) money is not the goal. Eventually, there would be lots of money. The Sugar Hill Gangs 1979 Rappers Delight reportedly sold 2 million copies in the U.S., reached No. 1 in Canada and did well worldwide. The new age began and Kool Herc, now 68, stepped back. He has sometimes returned, including stopping developers from destroying 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, where it all started, 50 years ago. This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Hip hop marks its 50th anniversary Photo: Marina Denisova. Art: Pedro Batista. Manuel Tainha. Charlotte Taylor/Garce & Dimofski. When Olivier Garce and Clio Dimofski first saw their Lisbon apartment, it was the architecture that sold them. Rendered in elaborate Pombaline style, the original 19th-century details (ceiling ornaments, picture-frame moldings) remained untouched, if perhaps a tad forlorn. It needed a lot of work, recalls Dimofski, explaining that fixer-uppers are common in the old but newly buzzy neighborhood of Anjos. We wanted to keep and restore as much as we could, adds Garce. Its part of our philosophy. Photo: Marina Denisova. Art: Pedro Batista. Attracted by Portugals famous work-life balance and artisanal heritage, the French couple moved to the country in 2021 with their daughter, Zoe, and dog, Lewittas in Sol. They had recently discovered a new professional calling in New York, when they used their one-bedroom apartment to host an impromptu weeklong exhibition while working for AD100 maestro Pierre Yovanovitch. (Garce had previously cut his teeth at the French architecture studio Hamonic + Masson & Associes; Dimofski, at Shigeru Bans office in Paris.) It was just something we enjoyed, says Dimofski of the pandemic side project, which showcased work from then-emerging voices like Ian Felton, Green River Project, and Minjae Kim during a time when many gallery programs were on hold. We didnt expect it would be so well received. The project opened their minds to what they might do next. Photo: Marina Denisova. Art: Alexander Mignot. Now in Lisbon and working fully for themselves, the couple use their new home as a laboratory for their bespoke furniture and interior design workboth of which, Dimofski explains, revolve around an ethos of site specificity. We want to work with local craftsmen and local materials as much as possible, but make it look contemporary, she explains. Current projects include a restaurant in Lisbon and residences in both the United States and Portugal. Photo: Marina Denisova. Art: Pedro Batista. At home, contemporary art and stunning vintage works, many of them Axel Einar Hjorth originals, mingle with the couples own sculptural furniture designs, among which ceramics form a through line. The cairn-like bathroom sink, the legs of a bed frame, the chunky integrated table of the Helios sofaall offer unexpected studies in clay. So, too, does the painterly tile that clads the kitchen and bath and that reappears as marbleized base-boards in the corridor. I think the challenge with ceramic is to explore the boundaries, to not just do the usual thing, says Garce of these pieces, made in collaboration with Portuguese potter Ligia Guedes. They bring a similarly idiosyncratic approach to woodwork, using regional species to create playfully off-kilter seating and wall panels. Photo: Marina Denisova. Art: Hugo Cantegrel. Key to Garce and Dimofskis practice is inviting international talents to work with Portuguese makers and materials on special editions, all for sale. The couples dining chairs, for example, were created by the New Yorkbased Korean artist Minjae Kim out of local pinethe same timber used by British designer Charlotte Taylor to realize their daybed. Visiting Parisian Garance Vallee, meanwhile, worked with Guedes to make their bedside lamp. We are here to start a conversation, Garce says. And maybe even to push what someone is doing in a new direction. garce-dimofski.com Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest More Great Stories From AD With the Apple September event quickly approaching, new rumors are constantly swirling about Apple products online. Although theres plenty of hype around the new Apple Watch Series 9 and the iPad Mini 7, the reveal people are most excited for is the iPhone 15. One of the most plausible rumors is the addition of a USB-C charging port (due to an EU mandate), which will finally replace Apples proprietary Lightning port. Recently leaked photos give some validity to this particular rumor. In other words, you may need to toss your Lightning cables once and for all if you upgrade to the iPhone 15. The proof is in the pictures, thanks to X (Twitter) Two X (formerly Twitter) users (i.e., @lipilipsi and @John011235) shared a photo of USB-C charging ports, allegedly for the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Though the photos came from two different X users, it looks like the same photo with different zoom levels. The USB-C parts arent attached to a phone, and neither X user has much of a previous track record for Apple leaks. One user posted some pictures and videos of behind-the-scenes assembly of the iPhone 15, so were excited at the prospect that these could be iPhone 15 charging ports a rumored feature that weve expected for a while. Weve known that Apple was eventually going to switch to a USB-C charging port at least in Europe. The EU made a common charging port mandatory, forcing the iPhone to require USB-C by 2024. However, it wasnt clear whether Apple would put off the switch from Lightning to USB-C for another year, or whether Apple would bring this change to non-European countries. See more With these photos and other rumors, it appears that the iPhone 15s move to the USB-C standard is imminent, but Apple is tacking on some strange restrictions. The reason everyone wants USB-C to be universal is because its faster and more convenient for sharing a single charging cord for multiple devices. Rumors about Apples Made for iPhone (MFi) program suggest the company would add a verification chip to the iPhone 15s charging port to artificially slow charging and data speeds when using any third-party accessory that hasnt paid a fee to be in Apples MFi program. This decision will force iPhone 15 users to buy Apple-certified cables if they dont want their expensive new phone to charge slowly. It might be a while before we see Lightning cables disappear completely. Apple will likely continue to sell the iPhone 13 and 14 models for a few more years. iPhone 15 models and newer will finally have that universal USB-C port Apple users have been waiting for just with a few limitations. iPhone 15 leaked images Theres a ton of hype and rumors about the upcoming iPhone 15 series, and mere weeks left until the expected release date. The iPhone 15 Pro could have a record-setting battery life, there are exciting changes coming to iOS 17, and well hopefully see upgrades to the camera setup. All rumors will be officially confirmed or denied at the Apple event, likely held on Sept. 12 or Sept. 13. Based on our evidence, the iPhone 15 should be available to preorder from Sept. 15 and have a release date of Sept. 22. What You Need to Know About the First Republican Presidential Debate That deja vu you feel? It means were approaching another presidential election cycle, and though I hate to use the phrase, we really are entering unprecedented times. Current polling shows that the 2024 presidential election is shaping up to be a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, who has recently been indicted three times, including for conspiracy to defraud the United States. But theres still a long road ahead before Election Day, including this cycles first Republican presidential primary debate. Below, everything you need to know about the upcoming event. When is the Republican primary debate? The Republican National Committee announced the first Republican presidential primary debate will be on August 23 from 9-11 P.M. ET at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. How can I watch the Republican primary debate? Per Politico, it will be broadcast exclusively on Fox News Channel with Fox Business Network simulcasting the debate. You can also livestream the debate on FoxNews.com or, if youre a platform subscriber, on Fox Nation. Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will be co-moderating. Which candidates have qualified for the debate? In order to participate in this first debate, the RNC announced several qualifications, including the following: Poll at least one percent in three national polls or one percent in two national polls and one percent in one early state poll from two separate carve out states, which the RNC recognizes as Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, or South Carolina Get a minimum of 40,000 unique donors with at least 200 unique donors in at least 20 states or territories Pledge to support the 2024 party nominee So far, the candidates who have qualified include Trump; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott; former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley; entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum; and former Vice President Mike Pence. Will Donald Trump be debating? As of now, its unclear. Though Fox News executives have encouraged him to participate, so far he hasnt confirmed one way or another. Per The New York Times, in July, Trump said on Fox News: Youre leading people by 50 or 60 points, you say, why would you be doing a debate? Its actually not fair. Why would you let someone whos at zero or one or two or three be popping you with questions? You Might Also Like Angus Cloud was found dead by his mother on July 31 just months after the death of the young actor's father. (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for FILA) When Euphoria star Angus Cloud, 25, died at the end of July just a couple of months after the death of his father, Conor Hickey, of cancer a family statement noted, "The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend." It is likely cold comfort, though, for the young man's mom, Lisa Cloud McLaughlin, who has now lost both her husband and son (and for Cloud's sisters, who have lost their father and brother). It's reminiscent of when Vanessa Bryant grieved both her husband Kobe and daughter Gianna, after their fatal 2020 helicopter crash, or when, many years earlier, Jennifer Hudson saw her mother, brother and nephew murdered, all at once. Or when many everyday families lost two or even three or more loved ones during the worst days of the COVID pandemic. Facing multiple losses either at the same time or in quick succession prompts what's called cumulative grief, otherwise known as grief overload. And it is particularly difficult to grapple with, say experts. "It occurs in a number of ways," David Kessler, grief expert and author and founder of the resource Grief.com, tells Yahoo Life. "There can be a car accident with more than one person that died, for example, but it also can be that one person dies, and then six months or a year later another, and it just feels like theyre accumulating, and people can feel like they have a 'season of death,' asking, 'Oh my god, how can so many people in my life have died?' It's when "the grief often seems especially chaotic and deafening," leaving you to feel like you're "struggling to survive," writes grief counselor and death educator Alan Wolfelt, director of the Center for Loss & Life Transition, in a guidebook he published on the topic. "When we think of being overloaded, we think of a series of losses so before you mourn one loss, you have another one," he tells Yahoo Life. As a counselor, adds Kessler, "I have always seen it, but I dont think I saw it in the magnitude that I did during COVID, which really pushed it to the forefront." Why is it important to name and understand? Having a sense of the nuances of grief not only help the person going through it have a better understanding of what they're experiencing but allows friends and loved ones to be better supporters. Because our largely "grief-illiterate world thinks you have a month, three months, maybe a year [to] get over a loss and start a fresh slate, and then you go to the next loss. And anyone who's been through it knows it doesnt work that way," Kessler says. Instead, the intensity of grief can become compounded and so, particularly for anybody still grappling with a loved one's death who is "all of a sudden hit with another loss," the grief can be shattering. "People around you have to recognize that," says Wolfelt. "Mourning one death is naturally difficult, but when you have multiple losses and come naked to that experience, which many people do ... that's grief overload." Further, he says, there is a "void" of knowledge around this topic among professionals. "We need to train more clinicians," he says, noting that "counseling somebody who has grief overload without recognizing the natural features of it means youre missing an opportunity" to be truly helpful. It's why he stresses the complex feelings that come up, both in his teaching and his counseling. Complications and secondary losses that arise Among the complications of cumulative grief is "the conflict surrounding prioritization," Wolfelt says. In other words, "if you give your attention to one death and then not give to the other," it could prompt overwhelming guilt and confusion. Kessler experienced this first-hand, he says, after the death of his son, at 21, following the death of his father. "There was one day I had my fathers watch, and I put it on, and I started thinking about my dad," he recalls. "And then I thought, wait youre grieving your son. You shouldn't be grieving your dad who was 84. But then I thought, no its not about who you should be grieving. The grief is just going to come up and its very organic." As he would tell Angus's mom, "Sometimes it might be all about your son, and other times it might be about your husband. And thats OK." Other issues, Wolfelt points out, include "a loss of a support system," meaning that, often with multiple losses, "someone you wouldve turned to, normally, is someone not available to you now." There is also the potential for "survivor's guilt," he says, leaving the person suffering the losses to wonder, If these people died, how can I still be alive? Why am I alive? Finally, because of the "overwhelming pain and suffering" felt after multiple losses, Wolfelt says there can be a "natural reluctance to participate in the needs of mourning," and that "many have psychic numbing or acute aftershock." He stresses, though, that such a reaction is a helpful and "normal defense." Secondary losses, or losses that aren't death are a result of the deaths, often accompany grief overload, adds Wolfelt, with the three main ones being a loss of one's sense of self ("I feel like a part of me has died, too"), a loss of security (or fear that more deaths will occur) and a loss of meaning. "When you have loss overload," Wolfelt explains, "you naturally question: Will my life have meaning in the future? You have to slowly go on a search for renewed meaning. And people around the mourner need to understand that and not say things like, 'Well, you still have two other people in your life.'" Moving forward People often ask Wolfelt, "'How do I even begin to mourn? Where do I start? Is it OK to take a time-out from mourning?' Yes, it is," he says. "And there are times when I help people put aspects [of their grief] on hold for survival purposes." When you're feeling paralyzed by the guilt overload it may be important to find a therapist especially one with a "more directive" style, able to set the tone for the session with plans, like, 'Today, we will give attention to your mother,' he suggests. Sometimes, a person is so "immobilized" by grief overload that he will say, "'Right now, your only role is to breathe in and breathe out.' We try to be respectful of defenses and go really slow." Kessler stresses that "we cant grieve multiple losses at once you can only grieve individual people." Wolfelt agrees, noting, "Our culture fuses efficiency with effectiveness but you can't mourn them all at once. You had a unique relationship with each of them." Finding support through individual therapy as well as support groups, both experts stress, can be extremely valuable. "I dont think people realize, 'oh, this is a real thing,'" and instead just think that their cumulative grief is "bad luck," Kessler says. "Because it just feels like you in the world if you dont have anyone else to talk to It's important that people join groups, because there's something very strange about grief: Your friends and family who you think will get it often don't, so family and friends can feel like strangers and strangers can feel like family and friends." The Faroe Islands is ready to make a name for itself in the world of whiskey. Per Morten Abrahamsen If you've never heard of the Faroe Islands before, I don't blame you. It's an extraordinarily remote country, located in the North Atlantic, complete with windswept cliffs, a higher population of sheep than people, and towering waterfalls. Previously part of the kingdom of Denmark, it is easily accessible from Copenhagen via a short flight and is well worth a visit for anyone who loves nature, food, and booze. If you love all three, well, this small country is a must. In fact, that sentiment has never been so true, because a recently opened distillery on the islands believes it can create a single malt whiskey so good that will give its Scottish counterparts a run for their money. Faer Isles Distillery, one of the most remote distilleries in the world, and one of two distilleries on the Faroe Islands, was founded in 2018 by a group of whiskey enthusiasts who realized that the Faroe Islands might have the Goldilocks of conditions to make excellent whiskey. "If whiskey needs consistent air pressure, high salinity, and high humidity, the Faroe Islands are then, in theory, a better locale than the Highlands for this process," Danial Hoydal, a founding partner of Faer Isles Distillery, says. Located in Vestmanna, about a 40-minute drive from the capital of Torshavan, Faer Isles Distillery sits on a pier overlooking an inlet. The distillery is small and humble, so humble that when I visited in the middle of the day, one of the founding partner's daughters, who must be under 10, was avidly watching a YouTube video of Minecraft on a projector screen pulled down in the then-empty bar room. But despite its low-key appearance, the distillery is all business when it comes to creating a distinctly local whiskey. So why did it take until 2018 for whiskey to hit the Faroe Islands? It certainly wasn't due to a lack of trying. The lengthy wait can be blamed mostly on a strict prohibition implemented in the early 20th century after several farmers lost all their land from drinking (and gambling). Beer was allowed back in the '80s, while full prohibition wasn't repealed until the early '90s. Ingrid Hofstra Despite this late start in distilling, beliefs are strong that they can craft a beautiful spirit. And not just from the founders. Much of the funding for the project comes from crowdsourcing a majority of the funding came from GoFundMe. To achieve its lofty goals, the team at Faer Isles started simple. Scottish grain and American bourbon barrels lay the foundation of what is a straightforward process with one subtle but important twist: How the barrels are aged. In the Faroe Islands, there's a flavor and a process known as Rest. It's so well known that one of the top restaurants in Torshavn is even named Rest. It's something you only experience by eating the meats traditionally aged outside here on the islands, which taste almost like a slice of jamon infused with blue cheese. It is funky. It is the kind of food that causes you to run through the emotional gamut and back again it fills you with wonder and curiosity, then you want to spit it out, and before you know it, you're wondering where you can get it in the U.S. (you can't). The locals love watching visitors try it for the first time. "Because there was no salt on the islands for hundreds of years, fishermen would hang their fish outside of their homes to preserve them," Hoydal explains. "The high salinity coming from the ocean cured them within days, and the same went for lamb meat farmers would put the meat in wooden cabins and let the salty air blow over them," he adds. The idea, then, is to let these barrels Rest, and by doing so, hope that the whiskey inside will achieve a unique Faroese maritime flavoring from sitting just offshore, with the cold Atlantic Ocean air washing over them. There's no way of knowing whether the team's plan will work. At least not yet, as the whiskey still needs to age for a few more years before it's ready for public consumption. But it certainly sounds great, and after sampling the distilled, unaged malt, I have high hopes for the future release. If you need further evidence that this whiskey will likely be a success, you can always visit the Faroe Islands yourself and take a guided tour of the distillery to see the production process in real time and to taste its other products. Faer Isles offers a dry gin made distilled with seaweed. According to the co-founders, they went through about 40 different types of seaweed before discovering the correct varietal the Latin name, they joke is "ocean spaghetti," which gives the gin an oceanic flavor with a little bit of fat coming in on the backend. I think it would be perfect for a briney martini. There's also an aquavit, distilled with seaweed, but perhaps the standout story is the vodka. Another unique aspect of the Faroe Islands is that the 18 islands are connected via a network of undersea tunnels stretching nearly seven miles. When the Norwegian company behind the construction installed one of these tunnels, they discovered a freshwater source below the seabed. This is the water that Faer Isles is using to craft its vodka. If there's one thing the Faroe Islands has a bounty of, it's stories to tell. And hopefully, soon, you'll be able to visit and hear them all with a glass of local whiskey in hand. For more Food & Wine news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Food & Wine. Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the SysGroup plc (LON:SYS) Executive Chairman, Heejae Chae, recently bought UK43k worth of stock, for UK0.28 per share. However, it only increased their shares held by 2.2%, and it wasn't a huge purchase by absolute value, either. Check out our latest analysis for SysGroup The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At SysGroup Notably, that recent purchase by Heejae Chae is the biggest insider purchase of SysGroup shares that we've seen in the last year. That implies that an insider found the current price of UK0.30 per share to be enticing. 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. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider bought shares at close to current prices. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Heejae Chae. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! SysGroup 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 SysGroup 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. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Insiders own 24% of SysGroup shares, worth about UK3.5m. 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 So What Does This Data Suggest About SysGroup Insiders? Insider purchases may have been minimal, in the last three months, but there was no selling at all. Overall the buying isn't worth writing home about. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Overall we don't see anything to make us think SysGroup insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. 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. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for SysGroup you should know about. 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. Paulina Porizkova was photographed by Yu Tsai in Kenya. Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated Paulina Porizkova is a household name at SI Swimsuit. The model and writer, who has been featured in 10 separate issues, made history at the time with her appearance in 2019. At 55 years old, she became the oldest woman to be featured in the magazine at the time after her photo shoot with Yu Tsai in Kenya. Kathy Jacobs, 57, took the title in 2021, while Maye Musk, 75, broke the record again in 22 and 82-year-old Martha Stewart became the oldest woman to grace the magazines pages (and cover) following her iconic feature on the front of this years magazine. Editor [in chief] MJ Daythe power behind the Swimsuit Issue and the woman who has been responsible for broadening the idea of female beauty with gorgeous girls of all colors and sizesdecided she wanted me. By hiring me, MJ had cracked open the door to another possibility: the visible mature woman, Porizkova wrote in an essay at the time. Or, lets just say: the hot old lady. The Czech-born supermodel and author made her SI Swimsuit debut in 1983 and landed back-to-back covers in 84 and 85. The mom of two, who shares her sons Jonathan and Oliver with her late husband, Ric Ocasek, published a memoir titled No Filter: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful last year. In the book, she explains what it was like growing up during the Cold War, details her experience as a young model in Paris and dabbles in telling the story of her whirlwind romance with her husband. Below are seven of our favorite photos from Porizkovas 2019 photoshoot in Kenya with Yu Tsai. Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube! What causes postpartum psychosis and what are the signs to look out for? (Getty Images) Police say a renowned oncologist and her 4-month-old baby are dead after an apparent murder-suicide. Postpartum psychosis may have been a factor. Dr. Krystal Cascetta, a physician at Mount Sinai Hospital, reportedly fatally shot her newborn daughter in their Somers, N.Y., home on Saturday morning and then turned the gun on herself. Law enforcement told Lohud.com that Cascettas husband was away at the time of the shooting, but her parents were in the house. Postpartum psychosis, which is a rare mental health condition, is considered a psychiatric emergency since it increases the risk of both suicide and infanticide. But what causes postpartum psychosis and what are the signs to look out for? Heres what you need to know. What are the signs of postpartum psychosis? While its normal for new moms to experience sadness and anxiety after giving birth, postpartum psychosis differs significantly from postpartum blues, which is common and affects about 80 percent of new parents, and its more severe than postpartum depression. Womens health expert Dr. Jennifer Wider, tells Yahoo Life: The symptoms can include mood changes, rapid mood swings between mania and depression, disorganized thoughts and behavior, trouble sleeping, severe agitation, thoughts of self-harm or harming the infant, delusions and hallucinations. Adds Wider: It's dangerous because the symptoms are severe and get worse in a short period of time. If not diagnosed and treated quickly, new moms with postpartum psychosis can harm themselves or others. Although women can develop postpartum psychosis anywhere from within hours to weeks after giving birth, symptoms typically develop between three to 10 days after birth, Dr. Ariadna Forray, a Yale Medicine postpartum psychiatry specialist, previously told Yahoo Life. However, Postpartum Support International points out that it can appear any time within the first year. What causes postpartum psychosis? Who is most at risk? There are several factors that can contribute to postpartum psychosis, which affects 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 women after childbirth. According to the National Institutes of Health, There are physical and hormonal changes, lack of sleep and exhaustion, and the beginning of a new role and commitment in caring for a newborn, which is both physically and emotionally challenging. Postpartum psychosis can happen to anyone. However, there are other factors that put people at higher risk. About one-third of those who develop postpartum psychosis were previously diagnosed with a mental health condition, such as bipolar disorder, according to Cleveland Clinic. Being diagnosed with major depressive disorder and schizophrenia spectrum conditions may also increase the risk, along with having a family history of postpartum psychosis. The disorder is also more common in women who recently gave birth to their first child, according to Cleveland Clinic. How is it treated? Postpartum psychosis is a treatable condition. Most people with postpartum psychosis make a full recovery with appropriate treatment, Forray said. That typically means in-patient care with trained medical professionals and medications. If you or someone you know shows signs of postpartum psychosis, get help right away. Seek immediate medical attention with a health care provider who understands mental health issues, especially in the postpartum time period, says Wider. If someone is a danger to themselves or their child, Cleveland Clinic advises calling 911 immediately. Over the past seven years, global parcel volume skyrocketed, increasing by 150 percent from 64 billion in 2016 to 161 billion in 2022 equivalent to 5,102 packages shipping every second, according to Pitney Bowes. Pitney Bowes latest global parcel shipping index, the companys annual report that looks across 13 countries in its analysis of the state of the shipping industry, predicts that parcel volume will likely reach 225 billion by 2028, with a 6 percent compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, adjusted from a forecasted 8 percent in last years report. More from WWD While parcel volume continues to grow, growth slowed to just 1 percent year-over-year in 2022. China experienced the slowest growth rate in the companys tracking history, seeing 11 billion parcels shipped in 2022, which represents an increase of only 2 percent. Pre-pandemic, Chinas parcel volume forecast was 25 percent CAGR for 2018-22, with actual volume growth coming in slightly lower at 22 percent. China parcel volume had maintained a double-digit growth rate every year from 2013 to 2021, said Gregg Zegras, executive vice president of global e-commerce at Pitney Bowes. However, in 2022, COVID[-19]-related lockdowns caused a sharp slowdown. As the worlds second-largest economy, China is experiencing a frail pace of growth during its COVID[-19] recovery. Were seeing volume slowdown, declining e-commerce sales, and an overall weak economy, projecting a 7 percent parcel volume CAGR for 2023 to 2028. According to Pitney Bowes report, India saw the highest increase in parcel volume at 18 percent, which the authors of the report credit to e-commerce expansion. Other countries that saw slight growth in 2022 include Italy at 4 percent, China at 2 percent and Brazil at 2 percent. Meanwhile, Sweden and Canada experienced notable declines with decreases of 11 and 9 percent, respectively. In terms of global parcel revenue, Pitney Bowes findings revealed a 1 percent decline in 2022 to $485 billion, impacted by strong U.S. dollars and its increase in value compared to other currencies analyzed in the report. The U.S., Brazil and Australia were the only countries to see growth in parcel revenue in 2022, led by the U.S. with a 7 percent growth in carrier revenue at $198 billion. Despite its lower volume, the U.S. generated more revenue than China due to significantly higher fees per package. Best of WWD Click here to read the full article. Bryan Randall, Sandra Bullock's partner, has died of ALS. Here's what you need to know about Lou Gehrig's disease. (Photo: Getty Images) Sandra Bullock's partner Bryan Randall has died of ALS, his family announced on Monday. "It is with great sadness that we share that on Aug. 5, Bryan Randall passed away peacefully after a three-year battle with ALS," Randall's family said in a statement to People. "Bryan chose early to keep his journey with ALS private, and those of us who cared for him did our best to honor his request." The family said that they are "immensely grateful to the tireless doctors who navigated the landscape of this illness with us and to the astounding nurses who became our roommates, often sacrificing their own families to be with ours." Randall was 57. He and Bullock had been dating since 2015, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Bullock largely kept their relationship private, but she called Randall "the love of my life" on a Red Table Talk appearance in 2021. She also praised his ability to navigate tough situations. "He's the example that I would want my children to have," she said. "I have a partner who's very Christian, and there are two different ways of looking at things. I don't always agree with him, and he doesn't always agree with me. But he is an example even when I don't agree with him." Randall's death has raised a lot of questions about ALS, including how it's treated. Here's what you need to know. What is ALS? ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's a motor neuron disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement (meaning, the muscles that are used to do things like chew, walk and talk), according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The disease gets worse over time, there is no cure and there is no effective treatment to reverse its progress, per the NINDS. "The nerves in the brain and in the spinal cord are affected and stop working," Dr. Amanda Peltier, chief of the division of neuromuscular disorders at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, tells Yahoo Life. That can lead to a host of symptoms, including early signs such as muscle twitches in the arm, leg, shoulder or tongue, muscle cramps, tight and stiff muscles, slurred speech, and trouble chewing or swallowing, according to the NINDS. As the disease progresses, patients may not be able to stand or walk, use their own hands and arms, speak or breathe on their own. Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure within three to five years after they develop symptoms. How common is ALS? There are an estimated 31,000 patients living with ALS in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On average, 5,000 new patients are diagnosed with the condition each year, the CDC says. "About 85% of the time, ALS comes on with no known reason," Dr. Paul Twydell, a neurologist and neuromuscular medicine specialist at Corewell Health in Michigan, tells Yahoo Life. Who is most at risk of ALS? ALS is more common in men than women, the CDC says. It's also age-related most people are diagnosed between the ages of 55 and 75. Race may play a role too, with the NINDS noting that people who are Caucasian and not Hispanic are the most likely to develop ALS. Veterans are up to twice as likely as the general population to develop ALS, according to the NINDS. About 5% to 10% of ALS cases have a family link, per the CDC. "Right now, the data suggest that people who have been exposed to multiple traumas are at slightly higher risk. This includes athletes and military personnel," Peltier says. How is ALS treated? There is no treatment that can cure ALS or stop its progression. "However, there are three FDA-approved medications to slow down the progression of ALS," Peltier says. "Their effectiveness varies, and they unfortunately do not return any function lost." Many patients receive care from a multidisciplinary team of professionals, including physicians, pharmacists, physical therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, nutritionists, psychologists and home care and hospice nurses, NINDS says. "Most of what we do is supportive, such as braces, wheelchairs and speech devices to help people continue to be productive," Peltier says. Lifestyle changes, such as avoiding foods that are difficult to swallow and using suction devices to remove excess fluids or saliva and prevent choking, are also usually used, notes the NINDS. How has the Ice Bucket Challenge helped? The Ice Bucket Challenge started in 2014 as a way to raise awareness of ALS, as well as money for ALS research. A 2019 report from RTI International found that donations from the challenge allowed the ALS Association to increase its annual funding for research around the world by 187%. "It increased peoples knowledge about the disease," Peltier says. "It is also important to know that the money gathered was used to come up with ideas for different drugs that we are testing now in clinical trials." The money didn't just support clinical trials, though. "That money also has been used to support ALS-certified clinics, which typically are financially strapped because of the high level of individual care and limited reimbursement by insurance companies and Medicare," Twydell says. Peltier says that more research is needed in the fight against ALS. "This is a horrible disease that takes peoples control away," she says. "Anything we can do to support patients and families, and move toward better treatments is most appreciated." Twydell says an ALS diagnosis is "devastating" but adds that "it is important to note that many patients will still find ways to enjoy their lives, despite the progression of the disease." In their statement, Randall's family asked the public for privacy "to grieve and to come to terms with the impossibility of saying goodbye to Bryan." Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here. Artificial intelligence has the capacity to transform the way the fashion industry operates, but brands should be aware of the technologys wide-ranging capabilitiesas well as its liabilitiesbefore they integrate it into their business practices. Thats according to Gina Biddy, global head of fashion technology for Withersworldwide, LLP. The intellectual property attorney spoke to an audience at the Sourcing at Magic trade show on Tuesday about how the industry is leveraging AI and machine learning to automate processes from copywriting to virtual try-on and personal shopping. More from Sourcing Journal The fashion sector is increasingly exploring use cases for generative AIa type of artificial intelligence that takes very large data sets as input to create new content, Biddy said. You can create text, you can create images, you can create videos. Levis recently unveiled AI-generated apparel models on its e-commerce site, noting that they will supplement, not replace, their human counterparts. Similar digital renderings could also be used for 3D product design and fashion show production, the attorney added. Marc Jacobs utilized OpenAIs ChatGPT to produce a script for its fall 2024 runway show, and Valentino implemented AI tech to fuel its on-site chatbot. Luxury firm Kering has deployed AI-based personal shoppers, and plenty of brands and retailers are using AI tools to help consumers find their perfect fit when shopping online. The technology is able to perform the way it does because of its capacity to take in vast amounts of web-based information, synthesizing it to develop new content. The possibilities for AI are limitless, Biddy said, but brands should exercise caution before letting it run amok. If youre training your AI algorithm on someone elses designs or someone elses photographs, and that input is copyright protected, youre running the risk of being sued for whatever comes out of the back end of your AI algorithm, she said. Meanwhile, content of any kind generated using AI cant be copyrighted, according to a recent ruling from the U.S. Copyright Office. The thing about technology is that it moves much more quickly than the law moves, she added. So we as lawyers and Congress and similar legislative bodies who enact laws are trying to play catch up. Copyright infringement and data privacy infringement should be top concerns for brands and retailers who plan to leverage AI now or in the future. If youre training your AI algorithms based on your customer data, and theres personal information in that data, you have to be very careful about what youre using, Biddy said. Enterprises must also exercise prudence when it comes to sharing that data with third parties for processing, and storing consumer insights for future use. All of these actions could touch upon consumer privacy landmines. In the U.S., these laws vary by state, meaning that an e-commerce brand leveraging data from shoppers across the country could easily find itself in violation if it treats its data set as a monolith. If a company is found to have infringed upon consumers privacy in a state like California, which has expanded its data privacy laws, it risks incurring hefty fines. Nobody wants to deal with attorneys because were expensive, but I will tell you that it is a lot less expensive and a lot easier if you consult an attorney from the very beginning, she said. When we have to pull you out of a ditch, its really going to be expensive and painful. Companies have also entered an era where they need to actively fend off infringement upon their own IP. Biddy pointed to Hermes now viral case against Mason Rothschild, the creator of the MetaBirkin NFT collection of Birkin handbag-inspired digital artworks, which sold for tens of thousands of dollars each. That case was about NFTs, but there are some lessons to be learned, she said. Ultimately, Rothschild was found to have infringed upon the French fashion houses trade dress agreement for recreating the Birkin in 2D for his own commercial gain. The court held that the artist had violated Hermes trademark and trade dress rights, and what the case really turned on was the fact that it wasnt so much an artistic endeavor as it was a commercial endeavor, Biddy said. The decision handed down was that you cannot exploit the intellectual property rights of a another without their permission for a mostly commercial endeavor. Similar situations could occur when companies use generative AI to create images, video and text for marketing campaigns or develop product designs based on content available online which could be subject to copyright. If youre pulling photographic images or other imagery from the web like clothing designs, and youre feeding that information into an AI algorithm, based on what we know today, youre not going to be able to protect it, the attorney added. And on top of that, you might get yourself in the crosshairs of that intellectual property infringement suit. Legislation surrounding AI-generated content could change, and perhaps in the near future. I think thats going to evolve over time, I think as lawmakers and the lawyers who interpret these laws catch up to the technology, Biddy said. Click here to read the full article. Tarek El Moussa is constantly working on various projects. One of his current and biggest undertakingsa $50 million development in Los Angeleshas sparked controversy. Here's a breakdown of what's going on, who's mad at Tarek, why, and what he has to say in response. First, What Is the Project? Tarek is working on a massive development called NoHo 138 located in Los Angeles's North Hollywood neighborhood. The new luxury apartment complex will consist of 138 units and amenities including a gym and rooftop deck. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2024 with an expected completion date in 2026. And it's something of a family affair: His investment company TEM Capital, his wife Heather Rae El Moussa's company HEM Capita l , and other partners are handling the project. Why Has the Project Come Under Fire? There are various residences currently on the project site including 10 bungalows, five dingbat apartments (the kind built over a two-car garage in sunnier states), and a single-family home across multiple lots, according to the Los Angeles Times. They'll all need to be torn down to make way for the new build. This has sparked concerns from those who still live in the rent-controlled units. One 77-year-old tenant has lived in a $824-per-month dingbat unit alongside her 56-year-old son with special needs for 40 years, the outlet reports. The current tenants, who are part of the Hartsook Tenant Association, have stated on Instagram that the project "will destroy their homes and inevitably displace the tenants. They've also called out Tarek personally, saying that he is "swooping in on a vulnerable but vindicated set of tenants." How Has Tarek Responded? Tarek publicly responded to the tenants' concerns in a lengthy post on his Instagram. In the statement, he said that he wanted to clear things up as he's "being dragged for false accusations and misconceptions." Before addressing the claims, he added that his "intentions are to do good." First, the Flip of Flop alum explained: "Notices to the tenants were served by the current owner, not by me or the partners of NoHo 138. I am not evicting anyone. We did not issue the Ellis Act relocation documents." The Ellis Act is "a provision in California Law that provides landlords in California with a legal way to go out of the rental market business," according to the Los Angeles Housing Department. Tarek went on to write, "The city of Los Angeles determined that a new structure shall be constructed on the premises and requested that the structures be removed pursuant to California Civil Code Section 1946." He added that the partners of the project have attempted "to get in touch with the remaining tenants to have an amicable discussion regarding final move out agreements" and "reached out to the attorney representing the Hartsook tenants to request assistance in facilitating a meeting between both parties." He explained that the partners' intentions are to work with the tenants to "offer a great opportunity for them while helping to improve the neighborhood." As part of that effort, the apartment complex will include 14 low-income units so that tenants who already live on the land will have the opportunity to move back when the project is complete. He also claimed that the project will provide new jobs through the construction process, boost city tax revenue for homeless programs, create new parking spaces, and more. "The entire process has been and will continue to be handled according to the law, and the existing tenants will continue to be treated respectfully and lawfully," he added. "I look forward to being a great addition and neighbor to the community." Whats the History of the Property? This isn't the first hardship the Hartsook tenants have dealt with as of late. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Central District of California, their landlord Arthur Raffy Aslanian was found guilty of "conspiring with his employee to hire a hitman to kill two men" and of hiring someone to set fire to a vacant unit so that the remaining tenants would be forced to leave the property. That July 7 verdict came a few months after the tenants filed a 53-page lawsuit against him in the Los Angeles Superior Court "for assault, breach of common care, and intentional infliction of emotional distress for an alleged prolonged harassment campaign," Vulture reports. The tenants have also complained about rodent infestation, black mold, sewage flooding, broken appliances, and more. Clare Letmon, one of the current tenants who heads the resident;s Hartsook Tenant Association, told the outlet that the remaining tenants were given notices to leave on June 28, the first day of Aslanian's federal trial. The partners of NoHo 138 have recognized Aslanian's involvement with "several serious legal matters" on the projects website, stating that they "previously and currently do not have any involvement or relationship with the seller or these matters, nor will they have any relationship in the future following the property transfer." So, What Now? The NoHo 138 website refers to three remaining tenants on the premises, but tenants confirmed to Vulture and the Los Angeles Times that there are five. NoHo 138 "plans to offer generous proposals to the remaining tenants for relocation and the opportunity to move back" once the project is complete, according to the project website. Letmon told Vulture that she's only received the bare minimum required by law for relocation at this point. A meeting between the partners and tenants is reportedly being organized. Hartsook Tenants are organizing for a truly just outcome after years of trauma and abuse in solidarity with tenants across Los Angeles who are engaged in a literal life-or-death struggle to stay housed in this City, Letmon said in a statement obtained by Vulture. Love knowing what your favorite HGTV stars are up to? Same. Lets keep up with them together. Follow House Beautiful on Instagram. You Might Also Like Ukraine has launched a searchable database of artworks recently owned by Russian nationals under Western sanctions amid the ongoing devastation of Ukraine by Russian forces. According to a report in the Guardian, the database is managed by Ukraines National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), which said in a statement that the aim of the tool was to make it easier for virtuous art market participants to carry out sanctions checks and make it difficult for Russian oligarchs to sell such assets. More from Robb Report A slew of wealthy Russians, many of them arts patrons, have been hit with economic sanctions by the European Union, the UK, and the US intended to impede their ability to make or move money overseas since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2021. High-profile Russians named on Western sanction lists include Russias culture minister, Olga Lyubimova. Oligarchs Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanovboth prolific blue-chip collectorsare among the individuals sanctioned by the EU. The new databases details the provenance, or history of ownership, of numerous prized artworks, including a portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol acquired by close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Fridman, and Leonardo da Vincis Salvator Mundi, which was once owned by the billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. (Rybolovlev auctioned Salvator Mundi at Christies in 2017, where it sold for $450.3 million.) Currently, the section contains information on more than 300 art objects, the agency said. Among their owners are Russian billionaire Viatcheslav Kantor, model Daria Zhukova, rapper Timur Yunusov (Timati) and other individuals who are under sanctions for directly supporting Russias war against Ukraine. (Daria Zhukova is more popularly known as Dasha Zhukova; she has not been sanctioned. A major patron in the art world, she also cofounded the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art with Abramovich, her ex-husband. She continues to serve on a number of museum boards, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the latter of which lists her as Dasha Niarchos, the surname of her current husband Stavros Niarchos II.) The NACP added that Russian oligarchs have come under intensified scrutiny since the beginning of the war given their penchant to hide and launder their money through art objects. Painting, sculptures, artistic jewelrythis is exactly what is used as a loophole to circumvent sanctions, the agency said. The war and art section will contribute to the work on preventing the circumvention of sanctions, finding artistic assets of sanctioned Russians with the aim of their further freezing, confiscation and future transfer to Ukraine. 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. Heres how to plan a memorable trip to Ravenna, Italy. Sean Pavone/Getty Images From Florence and Rome to Positano and Capri, Italy is home to many must-visit destinations. Of course, the beautiful European country also has a plethora of less-visited spots ranging from charming hilltop villages to postcard-perfect coastal escapes. While Ravenna isnt quite a hidden gem, its certainly not a requisite stop on most tourist routes either and this charming northeastern Italian city provides many reasons for travelers to take a detour from Bologna for a few days. Located close to the Adriatic coastline of Emilia-Romagna, the former capital of the Western Roman Empire brims with history and beautiful, diverse architecture that reflects the many groups who have occupied the city over the years. Besides UNESCO-listed monuments and eye-catching mosaics, visitors can look forward to genuine hospitality and superb food and wine. To help plan an incredible trip to this heritage-steeped destination, we talked to three local experts to get the inside scoop on all the best things to eat, sip, and see in Ravenna, Italy. Related: 29 Most Beautiful Places in Italy Wirestock/Getty Images Best Hotels in Ravenna Casa Gugu Situated in the city center close to the medieval leaning tower, Torre Civica, Casa Gugu derives its name from the Countess Augusta Rasponi del Sale, known as Gugu, who lived in a nearby noble building and dedicated her entire life to the people in need, explains ToursByLocals Ravenna-based guide Cristiana Zama. Its a wonderful bed-and-breakfast thats completely renovated but still retains historical charm. M Club One of the top-rated places to stay in Ravenna, M Club bills itself as a deluxe B&B. Past guests remark about the hospitality and how the mix of paintings, antiques, floral wallpaper, exposed ceiling beams, and family keepsakes add so much charm and character. Its also well positioned in the historic heart of Ravenna, just a stones throw from San Vitale Basilica and Galla Placidia. Villa Santa Maria Foris For a lovely stay in the center of Ravenna, ToursByLocals Ravenna-based guide Silvia Giogoli suggests booking Villa Santa Maria Foris, a boutique hotel with 11 individually designed rooms. Its decorated in a very ornate style with chandeliers and exclusive fabrics and features a gorgeous leafy courtyard. Hotel Palazzo Galletti Abbiosi Tucked inside a historic noble residence opposite Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Hotel Palazzo Galletti Abbiosi stands out as a comfortable, convenient, and affordable overnight option in Ravenna. The courtyard, a chapel, and beautiful ceilings with frescoes are really special, says Zama. Andrea Pucci/Getty Images Best Things to Do in Ravenna Mausoleo di Galla Placidia Of all the UNESCO-listed monuments in the city, Mausoleo di Galla Placidia should absolutely be at the top of your list. Its a beautiful example of early Christian architecture: humble and simple on the outside but preserves so much richness on the inside, explains Francesco Antonelli, a Ravenna-based guide with Imago Artis Travel. Every centimeter of the interiors is ornamented with precious mosaics illuminated by a soft, mystical light that brings out the indigo shades of the starry sky of the entrance vault. Dante's Tomb After many years of exile, Dante Alighieri arrived in Ravenna in 1318. It was here that he composed Paradiso, the third and final part of his Divine Comedy. When the Italian poet passed away, rather than send his remains back to Florence, the Franciscan friars entombed him in a small mausoleum next to the Basilica of San Francesco. Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo Widely regarded among the most interesting churches in the region, Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo tells the story of a chaotic and turbulent history between the 5th and 6th centuries BC, explains Antonelli. It was erected by Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great in the 6th century and was later converted into a Catholic church. Inside the UNESCO site, find historic mosaics depicting religious scenes. Basilica di San Vitale One of Ravennas most emblematic sites and an enduring example of early Christian Byzantine art and architecture, the UNESCO-protected Basilica di San Vitale is a 6th-century church thats well worth visiting to admire the octagonal exterior and the colorful mosaics that adorn the interior. Dimensione Mosaico Mosaics are such an important part of the artistic heritage of Ravenna, and visitors can learn about this long-standing tradition in a hands-on way. Classes at Dimensione Mosaico teach participants of all ages the proper techniques to create beautiful works of art. Maremagnum/Getty Images Best Restaurants in Ravenna Antica Trattoria al Gallo 1909 A long-standing, family-run culinary institution in Ravenna, Antica Trattoria al Gallo 1909 continues to draw crowds with its typical Romagna cuisine that celebrates local ingredients and warm atmosphere with a mix of homespun hospitality and antique decor. Osteria del Tempo Perso The menu at Osteria del Tempo Perso changes every two months, and you can expect seasonal dishes, artfully prepared whenever you visit. The regional wines and cozy, romantic feel add even more local flavor to the experience. Ca' de Ven I never get tired of dining at Ca' de Ven, raves Antonelli. Set inside a 15th-century building with frescoed ceilings near Dante's Tomb, the restaurant serves many traditional local recipes and makes an excellent piadina, the typical flatbread of Romagna. All the wine comes from the region. LAcciuga Osteria Set in the city center, close to Porta Adriana, LAcciuga Osteria is a delicious fish restaurant helmed by Chef Matteo Salbaroli (after stints in Miami and Sydney, he returned home to Ravenna). You can taste quality anchovies (hence the name), and I always look forward to the fresh catch of the day, says Zama. Trattoria Ristorante Al Rustichello Bright yellow walls contribute to the cheerful atmosphere at Trattoria Ristorante Al Rustichello, a family-run favorite restaurant thats been around since 1987 and carries on local culinary traditions. The highlight of any meal here is the fresh-made pasta thats served directly from the pan, says Antonelli. Best Wineries Near Ravenna Tenuta Uccellina Drive 25 minutes outside the city to find Tenuta Uccellina, a winery founded on a strong belief in the potential of traditional Romagna grapes. Hand-harvesting the native vines and minimal-intervention winemaking allow the magic of Mother Nature to shine in each bottle. Azienda Agricola Randi Founded at the end of World War II, Azienda Agricola Randi has been a foundational winery in the region for decades. Over the years, its grown to cover almost 63 hectares of vineyards that grow trebbiano, longanesi, malbo gentile, chardonnay, sauvignon, famoso, and centesimino grapes. Zinzani Vini A bit further from Ravenna, Zinzani Vini is a family-run business that invites visitors to tour the estate, learn about small-scale production methods, and enjoy winemaker-led tastings paired with local products like meat and cheese in an idyllic setting surrounded by the rolling hills of Romagna. bluejayphoto/Getty Images How to Get There Ravenna sits just over an hour outside of Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region. Direct trains and buses run between the two cities, but you may want to rent a car so you can drive to places outside the city, including the above wineries. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. No one orders bourbon on the rocks with a dash of chlorine. So when you're sipping Kentuckys favorite spirit, those additives in purified water shouldn't linger in your ice, either. More than 95% of the worlds bourbon comes from Kentucky, and our state is famous for it because a key ingredient is our fine, limestone water, which is naturally rich in magnesium and calcium. Arguably most distillery tours in Kentucky tout that coveted water, but its one thing to hear about it and its another to stand in the heart of an old quarry, listening to it rush from a limestone rock wall. That's how I ended up spending a day in Highbridge Springs Water in Jessamine County, which is the home of Old Limestone Mixing Water. The family-owned business is more than 40 years old, but this premium, filtered, chemical-free bourbon mixing water has been making waves in the spirits world for about eight years. This is where the water comes in from an underground aquifer and heads to the dam at Highbridge Springs Water, which is the parent company of Old Limestone Mixing Water. Both products originate in the same spring, but there is a second filtration system used on Old Limestone Mixing Water, which elevates it to a premium product. Aug. 3, 2023 How this aquifer became one of the first places to bottle water in Kentucky On a balmy, hot day in early August, Linda Griffin, who co-owns the beverage company with her sisters, met me at the mouth of an old limestone quarry just outside of Wilmore. Kentuckians first began mining here in the mid-1800s, she told me, and once they left, the cave lived a short life as a mushroom farm. Her father, Bill Griffin, bought the farm and then shifted the old quarry into a storage business in 1982. He had the cave floor smoothed over with concrete and installed shelves that today store boxes filled with paper documents for lawyers, medical firms, and the University of Kentucky, among other clients. The quarrys aquifer was initially an afterthought, and all these years later, Griffin still laughs about the irony of it all. Water and paper certainly dont mix. But the engineer, who installed the humidifier for the storage business 40 years ago, told the Griffins they had to do something with the water. Lets bottle it, girls, she remembers her father saying. Boxes of Old Limestone Mixing Water, which are available for sale at many bourbon retailers. Aug. 3, 2023 At the time Griffin and her sisters couldnt believe it. This was well before companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi dipped into the bottled water industry. Louisville had a bottled water producer, but in Lexington, the only place you could find bottled water in the grocery store was in the cleaning aisle to fill steam irons. In 1982, people were just laughing at us, Griffin remembered. Are you kidding? Ive got water, seemingly everyone told them. A limestone water bottled specifically for bourbon Four decades later, pallets of bottled Highbridge Springs Water towered overhead as I gazed at the enormous limestone walls. Names like Toyota, Buffalo Trace and Kentucky State Parks filled cases full of custom label orders. This family-owned business hasnt been able to keep up with brands like Dasani and Aquafina, but Griffin says, theyve done well with private labeling. As she led me away from the dry business side of the quarry and toward the aquifer, our feet carefully stepped around the puddles that dampened the caves floor from the summer humidity. A drop of water slipped from somewhere above and landed on top of my head. Linda Griffin, the co-owner of Highbridge Springs Water, leads a small group on a tour of her company's cave in Jessamine County. The bottled water company, which is home to Old Limestone Mixing Water, operates out of an old limestone quarry. Aug. 3, 2023 The old quarry has a consistent, cool, unwavering 58-degree temperature even on the hottest days and the coldest nights. Over the years, Griffins staff has worked through heatwaves, snowstorms, and even a harrowing tornado warning without ever realizing what was happening outside 130 feet above the ground. Its impossible to know when, exactly, but at some point in the quarrys history, limestone miners blasted into a wall with dynamite and hit the underground aquifer. The Griffins dont know where the spring is drawing from, but they suspect it must be from miles away. Even during the drought of 1988 this accidental, manmade spring never stopped flowing. The Griffins had been bottling water for more than 30 years when Old Limestone Mixing Waters founder, Doug Keeney, first approached them about producing a water specifically for bourbon. Keeneys brainchild began like so many ideas do at a bar. The Louisville-based author was sipping on bourbon when he noticed the water in his glass had an odd taste to it. He reasoned good bourbon needs good water, so he contacted the Kentucky producers whose water had the same limestone characteristics as the state's fine bourbon. Highbridge Springs Water and Old Limestone Mixing Water both start at the same underground aquifer in this Jessamine County cave, but Old Limestone has a second filter that elevates the original product. Boxes of Old Limestone Mixing Water, which are available for purchase at many bourbon retailers. Aug. 3, 2023 It all sounds good on paper, but does this $5.99 liter of water really make a difference when youre drinking Kentucky bourbon? There is a way to find out. 'Releases the flavor of the bourbon' Roy Noble, the general manager of Old Limestone, directed me to a placemat with four small sample cups. What is this, the Pepsi Challenge for water? I asked him. Something like that, he said. First, he poured from a jug of distilled water that came from a big box store. As I sipped on it, the drink felt dull and flat. Then he gave me a taste of a popular brand of water, and when I really focused on it, I could just barely taste something chemical-like. I Googled that company later, and yes, it does add the smallest amount of chlorine, among other chemicals, to its product. An early photo of what's now Highbridge Springs Water company in Jessamine County. The cave started as a limestone quarry in the mid-1800s. The Griffin family bought the 32-acre cave in 1982, and they operate a bottled water company and a storage space in it. Aug. 3, 2023 The third sample came from Nobles tap at his home in Lexington, and the bleach-like taste was even more pungent there. If you put any one of these in your bourbon, there youre adding chemicals to it, Noble told me. Its actually going to change the structure ... and makeup of it. By the time we got to Old Limestone, Id tasted more hints and notes in water than I'd ever realized existed. This final sample was crisp and full-bodied. If there was such a thing as fine water, this was it. Later that evening when I used it to make ice, it did, remarkably, compliment the bourbon more than the rocks that came out of the ice maker in my kitchen. As we go through our process the water comes through the limestone, and it retains some of the calcium and magnesium, Noble explained. Thats what releases the flavor of bourbon. Kentuckys limestone water produces the finest bourbon in the world, it's only natural the same water would make a better rocks pour than just about anything else. Boxes of Old Limestone, the mixing water of Kentucky Bourbon, in the Highbridge Springs were it is made. Aug. 3, 2023 More by Maggie: Kentucky only has one native, tropical fruit and it's very rare. Have you tried it? Features columnist Maggie Menderski writes about what makes Louisville, Southern Indiana and Kentucky unique, wonderful, and occasionally, a little weird. Sometimes she writes about bourbon, too. Reach Maggie at mmenderski@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4053. Follow along on Instagram and Twitter @MaggieMenderski. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Old Limestone Mixing Water elevates Kentucky bourbon's flavor It's very easy to chalk up certain facets of our lives to just being "the way it's always been." From daylight savings time to time zones, most of us don't even give a second thought to the meaning behind such rules and ways of operating, even though they impact (literally) every second of our daily lives. Another such example? Postal code meanings. If your TikTok feed is anything like ours, you've probably been served up a hilariously retro (and surprisingly informative) video recently about the detailed meaning behind postal codes. Spoiler alert: The five digits that make up a crucial part of your postal address aren't just randomly assigned to each town in the United States! While TikTok University did a great job of providing introductory information on the history of the postal code, we decided to dive a bit deeper to bring you a detailed postal code historyand teach you how to interpret the five-number system for yourself. What Is a Postal Code? Postal codes are a series of numbers (and sometimes letters!) used by the United States Postal Service to direct and deliver mail around the country. There are generally two widely accepted versions of a postal code: a ZIP code and a ZIP + 4 code. Established in 1963, ZIP codes are the most common and recognizable postal code used by the USPS. The ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan; the codes were invented to help the postal service automate mail sorting methods. (The fact that it's an acronym means that, yes, the ZIP in ZIP code should be capitalized.) ZIP codes consist of five numbers, each with its own individual meaning which helps your mail and packages end up in the right area of the countryand even the right local post office (more on that later!). Similarly, ZIP + 4 codes allow postal service providers to get even more specific about the destination of your mail. Most frequently utilized in larger, more dense cities, ZIP + 4 codes can narrow down your mail delivery to a single city block or apartment building. Pretty amazing, right? Beyond helping your mail and packages end up where you intended, postal codes also act as a social sciences tool, allowing academics to categorize geographical areas more easily and providing a simple way to analyze behavior and trends from a socioeconomic and psychological perspective. Wondering how to find a ZIP code for a particular address or city and state? You can use the U.S. Postal Service's ZIP Code Lookup tool. It can also do a reverse lookup and tell you all the cities covered by a particular ZIP code. Tony Anderson - Getty Images Postal Code Meaning: How to Decipher the 5-Digit Number The meaning behind postal codes is actually more intricate than you might assume. While some ZIP codes have taken on a life of their own in pop culture (90210, anyone?), they actually all have several layers of meaning that allow service providers to interpret and partially automate the organization and delivery of your mail. The first number in a ZIP code corresponds to the state an address is located in, acting as the primary initial destination of a letter or package. They are broken down as follows: 0 : Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont 1 : Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania 2 : Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Virginia 3 : Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee 4 : Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio 5 : Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin 6 : Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska 7 : Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas 8 : Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming 9: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington The next two digits in the sequence reflect the code of a central post office facility in the intended region, while the final two digits correspond to a smaller post office or postal zone even closer to the final address. Need an example? We've got your back. In the zip code 06759, the first "0" stands for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusettes, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, or Vermont; the "67" stands for the Waterbury Sectional Center Facility; and the "59" stands for the corresponding Litchfield, Connecticut, delivery area associated with this address. If the population in an area increases or if the postal service wants to improve service in an area, it does occasionally create a new ZIP code or change existing ZIP code boundaries. The more you know, right? You Might Also Like Rising temperatures in Southern Europe as a result of climate change have fuelled increasingly destructive wildfires - NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP Holidaymakers will soon be sunning themselves on the coast of the Baltic Sea, one of Europes biggest travel agents has predicted, as traditionally popular destinations including the Algarve are hit by wildfires. Sebastian Ebel, the chief executive of Tui, said Poland and the Nordics could become summer holiday hotspots after the recent extreme temperatures that ravaged Southern Europe. Mr Ebel said climate change could force families to seek new destinations abroad, with Tui planning to invest in more package holidays around the Baltics, the Nordics as well as the Netherlands and Belgium. It comes after a record-breaking summer heatwave across Europe that disrupted holidays in traditional vacation destinations, chiefly Greece. Tui was forced to evacuate 8,000 of its holidaymakers from Rhodes as wildfires hit the island last month. The tour operator said the disruption would cost it 25m (21m) after it had to cover the costs of repatriation flights and cancellations. However, Tui said 80pc of its travellers in Rhodes were unaffected by the wildfires. Figures from Mastercard show there has been an increase in holiday bookings to Northern countries this year including the Nordics and the Netherlands, although the Mediterranean remains Europes most popular summer destination overall. Tui had to evacuate 8,000 tourists from the Greek island of Rhodes after wildfires hit the island last month - AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris As well as prompting holidaymakers to seek out new locations, Mr Ebel said he believed the warming climate would prompt the travel season to start earlier and finish later. He said: We will go into Greece to the middle of November, adding that Tui could even take bookings until or after Christmas. It gives us more opportunities for growth, he added. Mr Ebels comments came as Tui posted a third-quarter profit for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Tui said wildfires and extreme temperatures had only dampened demand temporarily. Operating profit before tax and interest was 169m (146m) for the quarter, up from a loss of 27m this time last year. Revenues surged by nearly a fifth to 900m and summer bookings were 6pc higher compared to last year, partly due to higher prices. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. The News Belarus a longtime supporter of Russia started military exercises this week in areas near Poland and Lithuania. The drills are taking place amid heightened security concerns following the exile of Russias Wagner paramilitaries to Minsk part of a deal with Moscow that ended the mercenary groups short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin. Weve curated the latest developments and insights on what the new security threats in Belarus mean for the region. Insights Belarus recently published footage of Wagner troops leading military drills with Belarusian soldiers exercises that the countrys Defense Ministry says are drawing on experiences from Russias special military operation in Ukraine. Some of these drills are taking place near a stretch of land running 60 miles along the Polish-Lithuanian border known as the Suwalki Gap which connects Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia with the rest of the NATO alliance. The area has long been considered a potential flashpoint between Moscow and NATO and western military experts worry that Russia might try to seize the gap to cut off the three Baltic states from NATO countries. In response to the precarious situation along the border between Poland and Belarus on Wednesday, Warsaw announced that it would send an additional 2,000 troops to the crossing. Even before Wagner troops arrived in Minsk and caused neighboring countries to panic, the border between Belarus and Poland was the site of numerous illegal crossings. Over the past two years, Poland has accused Belarus of deliberately recruiting and sending migrants across the border to foment instability. During a visit to the border between Belarus and Latvia, Latvian President Edgar Rinkevics similarly expressed anxiety over heightened security concerns and said that guards stationed along the fence needed to prepare for all kinds of possible provocations in the future, Polish broadcaster TVP reported. On Monday, Belarusian authorities reportedly helped four migrants enter Latvia illegally. They were later sent back to Minsk. Citing state law and concerns about student and teacher safety, Brevard Public Schools' superintendent provided clarity Tuesday on why the Advanced Placement Psychology course will not be taught this year within the district. Near the end of a 90-minute school board meeting, Mark Rendell told the public that Florida superintendents had been advised multiple times that the course could only be taught if done so in an age-appropriate manner. According to House Bill 1069, which restricts discussions of gender and sexuality in grades K-12, this would make teaching the course in its entirety impossible, he said, as a section of the course mentions gender and sexuality. If our teachers teach the full course, basically they will violate state law, Rendell said, adding that the College Board has said it would not certify the course if it was not taught in its entirety. Mark Rendell, superintendent of Brevard Public Schools, is pictured in his Viera office. Uncertainty around AP Psychology: Florida Department of Education says districts can teach AP Psych. Does law say otherwise? Discipline, new laws, more: Brevard parents and teachers share concerns ahead of new school year On Aug. 3, the College Board put out a statement affirming what Rendell shared at the meeting. To be clear, any AP Psychology course taught in Florida will violate either Florida law or college requirements, the statement said. Therefore, we advise Florida districts not to offer AP Psychology until Florida reverses their decision and allows parents and students to choose to take the full course. Additionally, the College Board said that the AP Psychology course could not be modified, and that it would not certify the course if it was taught with any sections left out. The Department of Education, which initially gave advice to superintendents on Aug. 3 that seemed to warn against teaching, put out a letter Friday afternoon with language some have interpreted as a change in position. Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said in the letter that the course could be taught in its entirety, but again warned that it must be done so in an age appropriate manner. However, the letter has prompted multiple organizations, including Florida PTA and the Florida Education Association, to call for the Florida Department of Education to clarify their stance on AP Psychology and whether or not educators will face legal consequences if they go ahead with teaching the course as is. Education Commissioner Manny Diaz talks with his peers during the opening day of the 2023 Florida Legislative Session, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Rendell like superintendents in Orange, Lee, Duval and Clay counties is not taking any chances and has chosen to not offer the course. Our students and our teachers are the ones caught in the middle, he said. We dont want to put them in jeopardy by any means, students or teachers. He added that teachers have said it would be impossible to follow the law and teach the course as is. All of the teachers that weve talked to that teach those (contested) sections say, You cannot teach those sections without violating the law, he said. Some districts, like in Palm Beach and Leon counties, are planning to teach the course in the hopes that they can submit their syllabus to the College Board and that it will be approved, but theres still uncertainty, Rendell said. Were not going to hope that we can get the course approved by College Board to teach it in a certain way that doesnt violate state law I dont want to put our teachers in that position, and I dont want to put our students in the position to take this course all year and then not get credit, he said. Instead, Brevard will offer alternatives. For those simply looking to fulfill an AP credit, BPS will work with them to find an alternative to the psychology course. And instead of the AP Psychology class, the district is offering Cambridge and International Baccalaureate Psychology. Some schools already offered the IB Psych class, and those that didnt that would have offered the AP course can now offer either the IB or Cambridge course, Rendell said. Students who score high enough on the corresponding tests at the end of the year will receive college credit, just as they would with the AP course. The only hurdles we have to overcome right now is making sure we have the instructional materials for those teachers, Rendell said, adding that teachers will be trained for the courses and that the schools that already teach the IB course will share their materials. We feel like weve made the best out of a bad situation and (weve) made sure that our teachers are protected, and that our students are protected, Rendell said. Board Chair Matt Susin and board member Katye Cambpell both decried the fact that the College Board wouldnt allow the section on gender and sexuality to be removed. More: Editorial: New school year means a fresh start. Let's put the children first. When you teach Advanced Placement, there is no way that you are going to teach the entire thing, Susin said, adding that he previously taught AP U.S. History. He added that teachers generally get about $50 per student who takes an AP test and passes. "One of the issues that we're running into is that the teachers that are out there that were willing to take and teach this class have to go through trainings ahead of time and lose revenue at the end of the year, because they no longer are able to get those $50 per (student)," he said. Campbell said she was frustrated with the College Board because students who dont take AP courses are allowed to take AP tests, though she said the district is doing the best they can to offer students good alternatives. What we dont want to see is our students caught in the middle of a war between College Board and the state, she said. We dont want to put our students at risk of doing all the work, and then College Board at some point in the year, fulfilling what theyve already said they will do, which is to not allow students to take the test. Jenkins said the information from the state was confusing, and theres really no wonderful solution. Unfortunately, our hands are tied, and (were) making the best decision we can to try not to impact our students and teachers negatively, either now or later on, she said. Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @_finchwalker. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Rendell clarifies decision not to offer AP Psych in Brevard schools House Republicans have once again changed their target in an ongoing probe into the family finances of President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, claiming they no longer need to cough up evidence that the president financially benefited from his sons business ventures to prove his corruption. In a memo released Wednesday by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, the majority appeared to drop its long-held target of directly proving the presidents corruption, writing: President Bidens defenders purport a weak defense by asserting the Committee must show payments directly to the President to show corruption. This is a hollow claim no other American would be afforded if their family members accepted foreign payments or bribes, the memo reads. Indeed, the law recognizes payments to family members to corruptly influence others can constitute a bribe. Under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the law the memo refers to, companies also may violate the FCPA if they give payments or gifts to third parties, such as an officials family members, as an indirect way of corruptly influencing a foreign official. Despite the bluster, Hunter Biden has not been charged with accepting foreign bribes, and even the committees most-hyped whistleblowers and evidence has up to this point fallen flat. Also included in Wednesdays memo are records of over $20 million in payments from oligarchs in Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan allegedly made to Hunter Biden, as well as other family members and their business associates. But instead of giving any proof of Joe Bidens personal enrichment, however, the memo argues that Hunter Biden used his dad as The Brand around the world to signal their access, influence, and powerwhich, though apparently not illegal, Republicans say should be enough to prove their long-held conviction that President Biden personally benefitted from his sons activities. GOPs Much-Hyped Hunter Biden Witness Offers Up Zilch on Joe During Joe Bidens vice presidency, Hunter Biden sold him as the brand to reap millions from oligarchs in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), committee chairman, told CNN in a statement. It appears no real services were provided other than access to the Biden network, including Joe Biden himself. And Hunter Biden seems to have delivered. The White House, in a rare statement on the matter, came out swinging against the innuendo-laden memo just hours later. Spokesperson Ian Sams issued a lengthy statement in response to the committee, ripping apart the Republicans pattern of inflating self-proclaimed bombshell findings about President Biden while labeling the Comers latest evidence yet another flop. Today House Republicans on the Oversight Committee released another memo full of years-old news, innuendo, and misdirectionbut notably missing, yet again, is any connection to President Biden, Sams said. So after seven months of wasting time and millions of taxpayer dollars on their evidence-free wild goose chase, Comer is making it clear that he is shamelessly moving the goal posts. Last week, Devon Archer, a former business partner of Hunter Biden, testified that the son gave Ukrainian energy company Burisma the illusion of access to his father but admitted he was not aware of any wrongdoing by Joe Biden. There are touch points and contact points that I cant deny that happened, but nothing of material was discussed, Archer said. Besides the brand, the only indirect connections the memo makes between Joe Biden and Hunter Bidens business dealings are a trip the former vice president made to Ukraine and dinners he attended after payments were sent. According to the memo, Joe Biden visited Ukraine in spring 2014 after oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky agreed to pay Hunter Biden and Archer $1 million a year. The memo also says Joe Biden participated in dinners in 2014 and 2015 at Cafe Milano in Washington, D.C. with his son, Archer, and foreign business associates, which came after Hunter Biden purportedly received millions from Russian, Ukrainian, and Kazakhstani billionaires for various services. Archer previously testified that the 2014 dinner was like a birthday dinner and gave a pretty boring description of what it entailed. [Joe Biden] came to dinner, and we ate and kind of talked about the world, I guess, and the weather, and then everybody, everybody left, he said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. In his more than four years in office, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has exercised his executive powers more aggressively and selectively to remove elected officials from office than any of his recent predecessors. The list includes mayors, school board members, a sheriff and now, the second Democratic state prosecutor, Orlando State Attorney Monique Worrell of the Ninth Judicial Circuit. Florida law allows a governor to suspend elected and appointed officials for wrongdoing that includes the commission of a felony, neglect of duty, malfeasance, incompetence and habitual drunkenness. The governor also has the constitutional right to replace the official with someone more closely aligned to his political views. The suspended official can challenge the suspension with a court motion but only the Florida Senate has the power to reinstate the officer. Unlike DeSantis, former Republican Govs. Rick Scott and Jeb Bush and now-Democrat Charlie Crist, refrained from using their power to suspend elected officials for ideological reasons and instead suspended elected officials after they had been charged with a crime or, in the case of Bush and Scott, when they believed an official mishandled an election. Since 2019, DeSantis has suspended 23 elected officials, according to his office. A 2022 review of records from the state Senate analyzed by the Tampa Bay Times found that Bush suspended at least 17 elected officials during his eight years in office, Crist removed at least 13 officials from office, all of whom were charged with crimes, during his four years, and Scott suspended at least 15 people from office, 14 of whom committed crimes, during his eight years as governor. Scotts exception involved Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes. DeSantis litany of suspensions The majority of DeSantis suspensions were for what the governor called neglect of duty, incompetence, or misuse of authority but not all of them were accused of a crime: On his first week in office in 2019, DeSantis suspended Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, accusing him of mishandling the response to the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The decision was strongly supported by the families of more than a half-dozen shooting victims, including some who campaigned against DeSantis. Israel, who was never accused of a crime, sought to get his job back, but the Senate refused. In the same week in 2019, DeSantis suspended the elected superintendent of Okaloosa County schools citing grand jury reports that teachers were abusing special needs children at two different schools. The superintendent, Mary Beth Jackson, challenged the suspension before the Florida Senate, and DeSantis revoked the suspension. A day later she resigned. In January 2019, DeSantis removed Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher alleging that she violated state law by not completing recounts before a state mandated deadline and by mishandling ballots. Bucher resigned a week later. In 2021, the governor suspended Destin City Councilwoman Prebble Ramswell after she was charged with a felony for alleged official misconduct and a misdemeanor charge for allegedly violating public records laws. Ramswell pleaded guilty to the public records violation, and the felony count was dropped. In 2020, DeSantis removed Darryl Daniels as Clay County sheriff a day after Daniels was arrested in connection with a sex scandal in which he allegedly had ordered deputies to arrest his mistress. Daniels, a Republican, was later acquitted and in 2020 was defeated for re-election. In 2022, DeSantis suspended four Broward County School Board members after a grand jury called for their ouster due to neglect of duty and incompetence in managing a multimillion-dollar bond for campus security. One of the members, Donna Korn, ran to get her seat back and lost. In 2022, DeSantis suspended Miami-Dade County Commissioner Joe A. Martinez who was charged with two felonies related to unlawful compensation. DeSantis replaced him with Roberto Gonzalez, a lawyer and former Republican candidate for the Florida House. Also in 2022, DeSantis suspended two Sumter County commissioners, both residents of The Villages, after they were charged with committing perjury during an investigation into complaints that they had communicated about county business outside of public meetings. One took a plea deal, the other was found guilty. In June, DeSantis suspended North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo nearly a week after he was arrested on voting fraud charges related to his living outside of the city. With many of his suspensions, DeSantis replaced the ousted officials with Republican allies, giving him expanded clout often in Democrat-leaning metro areas. But he also has avoided some calls to suspend Republicans. After evidence mounted that Gregory Tony, DeSantis appointee as Broward sheriff, lied about his past on official documents, DeSantis ignored calls to remove him. But while DeSantis efforts have served him politically, he has also been dogged by criticism from Democrats that he is overreaching and allegations that his actions violated the law. Suspension of Warren deemed unconstitutional When the governor removed Andrew Warren, the Hillsborough state attorney, from office last August, he accused Warren of putting himself publicly above the law by pledging to not enforce laws that criminalize abortion and prohibit gender-affirming care for minors. At the time, the state had no laws on gender-affirming care that Warren could have refused to prosecute. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle concluded that DeSantis broke the law when he removed Warren from office, violating Warrens First Amendment rights. The judge found no evidence that Warren was engaging in misconduct, or that his policies constituted blanket refusals to prosecute certain crimes, but he also concluded he didnt have the power to restore Warren to office. Democrats on Wednesday accused DeSantis of making the same mistakes. Ron DeSantis autocratic removal of yet another elected official, purely because he disagrees with her decisions, is the epitome of the weaponization of government, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Weston, said in an e-mailed statement. She called it a direct affront to voters and the lawsuits that follow will not only litigiously waste more taxpayer dollars, it needlessly disrupts the administration of justice. In his political memoir, written as he prepared his campaign for president, DeSantis described how he compiled a full accounting of his executive powers after he was elected to office and set out to employ many of the powers that previous governors had chosen to use with selective restraint. He explained that he suspended Warren because he was a Soros-backed attorney with a clear case of incompetence and neglect of duty. DeSantis was referring to George Soros, a wealthy backer of Democratic political candidates. If a prosecutor wants to reform the criminal justice system, then the appropriate thing to do is resign from office and run for the Legislature on such a platform, DeSantis wrote. He then called the suspension of Warren a clear signal to other prosecutors around Florida that the Soros model of enforcing only the laws that you like was not going to fly in the Sunshine State. Mary Ellen Klas can be reached at meklas@MiamiHerald.com and @MaryEllenKlas Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended a top prosecutor in Central Florida on Wednesday, accusing her of failing to impose mandatory sentences for gun and drug crimes and allowing juveniles to avoid incarceration. In an announcement in Tallahassee, DeSantis said he was suspending Monique Worrell, the elected state attorney in Orange and Osceola counties. The decision marks the second time DeSantis has suspended a prosecutor from office. Prosecutors do have a certain amount of discretion about what cases to bring and which cases to not, DeSantis said. But what this state attorney has done is abuse that discretion and effectively nullified certain laws in the state of Florida that breaches her duties that she owes to the people of Florida under our state Constitution, and provides the basis for the suspension. Worrell, a Democrat who was first elected in 2020, is the second Black state attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. (Worrells predecessor, Aramis Ayala, also had confrontations with a Republican governor Rick Scott, who removed Ayala from death-eligible cases because she said she would not pursue capital punishment for homicides.) Worrell has come under scrutiny by police union officials and others for how her office has handled criminal cases. But she defended her actions and argued that the criticism was an effort by DeSantis and other law enforcement officials to justify her suspension. This is a political hit job, Worrell said Wednesday. It is nothing less than that and it should be seen for exactly what it is. Worrell said DeSantis did not reach out to her directly about his concerns prior to her suspension. Monique Worrell ends her press conference with a raised fist outside her former office in the Orange County Courthouse complex, on Wednesday, August 9, 2023. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced the suspension of Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell. At a press conference, DeSantis said Worrell and her office has been clearly and constitutionally derelict in her duty and said her policies justify her removal from office. Andrew A. Bain, a judge in Orange and Osceola counties, has been appointed by the governor. Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel DeSantis grounds for suspension DeSantis said he is suspending her because of how she has chosen to prosecute certain crimes. The governor pointed out that Worrells office did not act to charge a teenager who had been arrested for several gun crimes, and who later shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend in 2022. DeSantis also highlighted the shooting of two Orlando police officers by a man on probation. When the Orlando-area police union criticized Worrell for how she handled the case, she said she doesnt determine who gets out of jail and said it was a terrible thing that the [Fraternal Order of Police] would use this as an opportunity to exploit a political narrative about me being soft on crime, according to the Orlando Sentinel. In a statement outside the Orange County courthouse, Worrell on Wednesday called her suspension an outrage. She said she was duly elected and that nothing done by a weak dictator can change that. Worrell said her removal was political and did not meet the high bar for removing elected officials. She said the move was DeSantis attempt to make news to help his failing political campaign. Worrell said her reelection campaign will continue, and that she is willing to fight her suspension in court. She pointed to high rates of incarceration in the U.S. and Florida, saying that crime still happens despite that. She said she believes in using the strong arm of the law when necessary and giving those individuals who need a second chance a second chance to get their lives on track. The governors office, in response to questions, sent along a list of cases it said shows egregious results of [Worrells] policies or practices in action. It pointed to instances where she discouraged charging juvenile offenders as adults and avoided mandatory minimum sentences for drug trafficking. Democrats from across the state were quick to defend Worrell. For the second time in as many years, the governor has seized power from the people, ousting their elected choice for state attorney and imperiously imposing his own. This is not how democracy works in Florida. This is not how democracy works in the United States of America, Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach, said in a statement. Andrew Warren at a press conference hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended him from his job as Hillsborough State Attorney, Aug. 5, 2022, in Tampa. Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times / TNS First there was Andrew Warren of Hillsborough County The decision to remove Worrell from office comes almost exactly a year after DeSantis suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, in part citing a pledge that Warren signed saying he would not prosecute cases involving abortion or transgender medical care. Warren challenged that suspension. A federal judge said that while DeSantis did violate the state Constitution when DeSantis suspended Warren, the judge said he did not have the ability to reinstate Warren. Warren quickly weighed in on Worrells suspension. Another illegal and unconstitutional attack on democracy by a small, scared man who is desperate to save his political career, Warren said in a statement about DeSantis. He wants to be a bully, but hes actually a coward who has repeatedly violated the rule of law and the will of the voters to cover up his own weakness. Wednesdays announcement comes as DeSantis, a presidential candidate, makes crime a key focus of his campaign. In the executive order announcing Worrells suspension, DeSantis said that Worrells practice of discouraging mandatory minimum sentences is grounds for suspension. The order says that of the 130 cases involving Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon referred to the Ninth Circuit in 2021 and 2022 by the Osceola County Sheriffs Office, only five had resulted in a minimum mandatory sentence. Mandatory minimum sentences are sentences created by legislatures that must be imposed in the case of a certain crime, no matter the circumstances of a case. It is not clear from the governors executive order how similar statistics looked in Orange County, a county roughly three times larger than Osceola. Attorney General Ashley Moody accompanied DeSantis during his Wednesday news conference and defended the states decision to suspend Worrell. She cited instances where Worrell dismissed charges or did not file charges, saying the number of such instances was high compared with areas like Palm Beach County and Miami-Dade County, which also have Democratic prosecutors. Moody said the numbers would counter any claim from Worrell that the decision to suspend her was in some way political. Exercising discretion does not mean abdicating responsibility, Moody said. READ MORE: Who is Andrew Bain? Hes been a judge, UM football player and wannabe marine biologist Judge Andrew Bain was appointed to serve as state attorney of Orlando and Osceola counties. Hes a graduate of Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach, the University of Miami and Florida A&M College of Law. Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida DeSantis named Judge Andrew Bain of the Ninth Judicial Circuit to serve as the new state attorney. He is a graduate of Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach, the University of Miami and Florida A&M Law School. Bain is also a member of the Federalist Society. Bain was appointed to the Orange County bench by DeSantis in 2020, and won election as a judge in 2022. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Bain received low marks from the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, with respondents describing him as state-leaning or prosecution-biased. Two Republican sheriffs, Polk Countys Grady Judd and Brevard Countys Wayne Ivey, spoke at the news conference. Judd at one point held up a placard with Worrells image photoshopped into a meme of a dog sitting in a burning room, saying this is fine, to laughs from the governor and attendees. Orange County Sheriff John Mina, who has previously accused Worrell of not properly pursuing charges, was not present at the news conference, nor was the sheriff in Osceola County, the two counties in the Ninth Circuit. In an emailed statement, Mina said the offices focus is protecting the community from violent criminals. We rely on our partnership with the State Attorneys Office to ensure those offenders are held to account and kept off our streets, Mina said in a statement. We look forward to working with Judge Andrew Bain in his new role as State Attorney. In an emailed statement, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said safety is the priority and that the criminal justice system only works when law enforcement investigates and arrests those who commit crime and the State Attorneys Office prosecutes those offenders. Worrell said area law enforcement played a big role in giving the governor information he sought to remove her. She said law enforcement galvanized behind the governor because she has brought charges against law enforcement officers. DeSantis decision to suspend Worrell comes as his presidential campaign has seen low poll numbers, high spending, wavering support from donors and major shakeups, including firing campaign staff and changing the campaign manager. As DeSantis has run for president, he has tried to flank former President Donald Trump to the right on the issue of crime, accusing Trump of being too soft by signing a major bipartisan prison reform bill, the First Step Act. The last time DeSantis suspended a prosecutor, his communications staff privately celebrated that it brought more than $2 million in totally free earned media for the governor, according to documents from the Warren lawsuit. John Eastman, the Trump-allied lawyer who created a memo arguing that then-Vice President Mike Pence could overturn Joe Bidens 2020 election victory, is asking a California judge to postpone disbarment proceedings against him over concerns that he could face criminal charges after former President Donald Trump's federal indictment last week. In his third indictment this year, Trump was criminally charged last week with four counts of trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election and subvert lawful votes after special counsel Jack Smiths monthslong investigation. [R]ecent developments in the investigation have renewed and intensified his concerns that the federal government might bring charges against him, Eastmans attorneys Randall Miller and Zachary Mayer wrote in a filing late last week. The lawyers noted that Trumps third indictment refers to six unnamed and unindicted co-conspirators who allegedly assisted Trump in his efforts to overturn the results of the election a Justice Department official, a political consultant and four attorneys. They mentioned that numerous media outlets have speculated that Eastman is one of the alleged co-conspirators. Eastmans lawyer had confirmed to NBC News that his client was most likely "Co-Conspirator 2" in the indictment and said his client was innocent. Eastmans lawyers argued that if the disbarment proceedings arent postponed, he faces the difficult choice of asserting his Fifth Amendment right which allows people to refuse to provide testimony during the proceedings, which could waive his constitutional right against self-incrimination. Eastman "respectfully requests that the Court stay this proceeding pending resolution of the parallel federal criminal investigation and, depending on the outcome of the investigation, any possible resultant criminal trial, the lawyers wrote, suggesting that "alternatively" they would seek "a three-month stay to allow for further assessment at that time. The counsel for the State Bar of California is asking a court to revoke Eastmans license to practice law in the state. Eastman faces 11 disciplinary charges alleging he engaged in a plot to push a far-fetched legal strategy for Pence to overturn Bidens victory as a joint session of Congress counted the Electoral College votes on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors alleged that Eastman made false and misleading statements with his baseless claims of widespread election fraud, including his remarks at the Stop the Steal rally on the Ellipse south of the White House shortly before the Capitol attack. The disciplinary hearings began in June in Los Angeles, but they were postponed to late August after proceedings went longer than expected. The state bar announced an ethics investigation into Eastmans conduct last year. He faces multiple allegations that he violated the states business and professions code by making false and misleading statements that constitute acts of moral turpitude, dishonesty, and corruption. Eastman therefore violated this duty in furtherance of an attempt to usurp the will of the American people and overturn election results for the highest office in the land an egregious and unprecedented attack on our democracy for which he must be held accountable, the state bars chief trial counsel, George Cardona, said in a release in January. Eastman was admitted to the California Bar in 1997, according to the state bars portal. He was a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and is a founding director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, a law firm affiliated with the Claremont Institute, a conservative California think tank. Eastman was also the dean of the Chapman University law school in Southern California. He retired last year after more than 160 faculty members signed a letter demanding that the university take action against him. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com As authorities continued to search the Missouri River for clues about what happened to a Kansas City woman whose remains were discovered in June, the Excelsior Springs police chief says alleged kidnapper and rapist Timothy M. Haslett Jr. is a potential suspect in her death. That comes after months of speculation regarding whether there is more to the case that began to unravel in the Northland suburb one morning last fall, when another woman, barely clothed with metal collar locked around her neck, told police she escaped from Hasletts basement and had been held there against her will for about a month. This is one of those cases that keeps you up at night, Excelsior Springs Police Chief Gregory Dull told The Star during a phone interview Tuesday. My personal opinion: Hes done more than what hes already charged for, he said of Haslett. But being able to prove that is a totally different thing. A Clay County grand jury indicted Haslett on charges of kidnapping, rape and seven other felonies in March. The 40-year-old, who has pleaded not guilty to the crimes, has been jailed since October and is being held on a $3 million bond. The case has garnered national attention, in part due to concerns raised around the reporting processes for missing persons. Local Black leaders expressed frustration when the investigation broke shortly after Kansas City police had dismissed concerns on social media that a killer was on the loose and that Black women were going missing. Neighbors of Hasletts told The Star in October they knew little about Haslett other than he lived in the house with his young son. Others who interacted with the 22-year old woman who reportedly escaped said she believed Haslett had killed two people and feared he would kill her too. When the woman, identified as T.J. in court documents, spoke with detectives, Dull said, she told them she had not actually seen anyone else in the house while she was captive there. She was repeating what Haslett had told her, Dull said. Now, was he telling her this to manipulate her and control her? Or was that true? At this point, we still dont know. Body found in Missouri River For the better part of a year, the case has been investigated by Excelsior Springs police and the Clay County Investigative Squad with assistance from other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. Over the months, it has faded and resurfaced from public view as authorities have periodically shared more details. The Excelsior Springs residence of Timothy M. Haslett Jr., charged in Clay County Circuit Court with kidnapping and rape, in the 300 block of Old Orchard Avenue, was boarded up and fenced off Monday following the days-long execution of a search warrant at the home. Police say the victim in the case escaped the home early Friday and ran to neighbors for help, and that she appeared to have been held captive there for a substantial amount of time. Earlier this week, the Clay County Prosecutors Office announced a new development in the case as authorities positively identified human remains as those of Jaynie Crosdale of Kansas City. That discovery marked the end of a months-long search to find the 36-year-old Black woman, whose face and name appeared in January on metro billboards as a potential witness police wanted to question. Kayakers on June 24 happened upon a blue barrel containing her body in Saline County, roughly 65 miles east of Kansas City. The body was in a state of advanced decomposition at the time, and it took authorities about one month to positively identify her. Investigation of Timothy Haslett continues Authorities have yet to say how or when Crosdale died, and Haslett has not been charged with a crime related to her death. But prosecutors sought to have Hasletts bond increased in court Monday based on evidence of Crosdale being present at his home at some point before she disappeared. A Clay County judge ultimately determined no bond increase was necessary for Haslett, who has been declared indigent and is represented by Tiffany Leuty Winningham of the Missouri Public Defenders Office. After the bond hearing, Leuty Winningham said Crosdale had visited Hasletts home, saying there was surveillance video to support that. She said the two met for consensual sex. She declined further questions on the facts of the case Monday. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have said the investigation is a dynamic one that is building at a rapid pace. Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson accompanied Missouri State Highway Patrol investigators on Tuesday amid a search of the river for additional evidence in the investigation of Crosdales death. Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson holds a press conference at the old Liberty Courthouse on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, in Liberty, Mo. Thompson announced the nine felony charges by way of grand jury indictment in the case of Timothy M. Haslett Jr., a 40-year-old Excelsior Springs man accused of keeping a 22-year-old woman captive in his basement for weeks. For Excelsior Springs police, Dull said detectives have continued to work diligently on the case over the past 10 months. Since the discovery of Crosdales body, he said, they have begun reaching out to people they first contacted months ago in hopes of jarring memories and says there has been little success on that front so far. Excelsior Springs police believe Crosdale was at Hasletts home sometime before T.J. was confined there, though Dull declined to be specific about when. Asked whether Highway Patrol, the agency tasked with identifying Crosdales body, was investigating her death as a homicide, Dull said he assumed so. She didnt get in the barrel by herself, Dull said, adding that area investigators are working closely with the state agency to follow wherever the evidence leads in that case. Clue found in Blue barrels Part of the investigation involves a set of blue barrels found at Hasletts home during a three-day search of the property in October. Dull described the one Crosdales body was located in as similar. The barrels in question, Dull said, have rubber seals on top and appear to be advertised for commercial uses, such as storing solvents and petroleum products. He said they do not look like the ones you typically see at a hardware store. The fact that she was found in a blue barrel that is very similar to the blue barrels that he had on his property, and the fact that she was there at his property, we would be remiss if we didnt look at him as a potential suspect, Dull said. As of Tuesday, Dull said T.J., who told police she was tied up, whipped, and frequently raped in a small room Haslett built in his basement, was the only known victim in the case. He added that detectives had not identified anybody who would either be an associate or a potential victim. Doesnt mean that there arent some but at this point we havent identified anybody, Dull said. Like T.J., Dull said Crosdale was never reported missing to police something he finds sad. If there are other victims, I dont believe theyve been reported missing, Dull said, saying he believes they would likely have complicated backgrounds that include substance abuse and possibly sex work. Thats sad to me. Ive been hoping and praying that we would have a break in the case for some time, Dull added. And Im hopeful that if (Haslett is) at all responsible for Jaynie Crosdales death that we would be able to prove that and she would be able to have justice done in that case. The Stars Sarah Ritter contributed to this report. Florida Gov. and Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis is gaining support among Wichitas base of conservative political donors, sources told The Eagle. DeSantis held high-dollar fundraising luncheons in Wichita and Kansas City on Monday and Tuesday. The Kansas campaign stop comes as DeSantis tries to close the widening gap between him and former President Donald Trump, who is the leading candidate for the GOP nomination. Big name Wichita attendees at the fundraiser included Charlie Chandler, CEO and chairman of Intrust Bank; Dave Murfin, CEO of Murfin Inc.; Steve Clark and his son Stephen, leaders of Clark Investment Group; Todd Lair, president of Leading Technology Composites; and Adam Beren, president of Berexco, according to an invitation to the fundraiser obtained by The Wichita Eagle. Its not clear how much money DeSantis raised at the Wichita luncheon. Stephen Clark II, a Wichita real estate developer and longtime boyfriend of Wichita mayoral candidate Lily Wu, confirmed his attendance. He said Wu did not attend the fundraiser; he declined to comment on the DeSantis luncheon. The other listed attendees did not immediately return phone calls on Tuesday. Herb Krumsick, a Wichita real estate broker and executive vice president of J.P. Weigand & Sons, told The Eagle he and his wife, Kathy, attended the fundraiser and were impressed by DeSantis. Because hes in Florida, we didnt have a real good feel for him, Krumsick said. But he was everything I would have hoped for. Hes a gentleman, Krumsick said. I know he impressed us. . . . What you see is what you get. Hes a really stand up guy, and I can see why they love him in Florida. Krumsick said others who attended appeared to be happy with his answers to questions. He has conservative views, and he was obviously not pleased with the woke attitudes of Washington, Krumsick said. And it just seemed to me like he had a tremendous amount of common sense. That was the main thing. He was very consistent in his views. Can he beat Trump in a Republican primary? Its really hard to say, Krumsick said. I dont think its a question that hes second in line. And whether he can beat Trump or not, its really hard. You know, the polls arent saying that. But whos to say whats going to happen? DeSantis tours NIAR DeSantiss fundraising luncheon came after a tour of Wichita States National Institute for Aviation Research facility in Park City on Monday morning. Wichita State leases the facility from longtime Wichita developer and oilman Johnny Stevens, a Clark and Murfin business partner who also attended the luncheon. Gov. DeSantis was in town today for other business and asked to tour NIAR. He heard about us and wanted to see what we are doing to help the U.S. military sustain its legacy fleet of air and ground vehicles, Tracee Friess, WSUs associate vice president of strategic communications and marketing, told The Eagle in an email. NIAR has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Defense in recent years. In March, the Army awarded the institute a $100 million contract for advancing and modernizing its tank fleet. After the tour, DeSantis departed to court donors. Tickets for the luncheon started at $3,300 per person, with a VIP reception priced at $13,200 for a couple or $6,600 a person. The maximum donation listed on a contribution form for the event was $23,200 per couple. The money goes to Team DeSantis 2024, a joint fundraising committee for Ron DeSantis for President and Great American Comeback PAC. The private fundraising events come as DeSantis tries to rejuvenate the viability of his campaign. His share of Republican support has been shrinking since he announced his run. The DeSantis campaign laid off more than a third of its staff two weeks ago in a cost-cutting measure as the second-place candidate attempts to reset his struggling campaign. While DeSantis has struggled to get unified support from Republican donors, Trumps stronghold on the GOP base has grown as prosecutors have announced one state criminal charge and two federal indictments. In a New York Times-Siena College national poll conducted in late July, 54% of likely Republican voters said they support Trump, compared with 17% for DeSantis. Koch has not endorsed a GOP challenger This week, in his first broadcast network interview since he launched his campaign, DeSantis told NBC News that Trump lost the election and blamed it on the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, which provided $400 million to help states run elections during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, news broke that he replaced his campaign manager with his chief of staff in the governors office. Wichita billionaire Charles Kochs SuperPAC, Americans for Prosperity Action, has raised tens of millions of dollars to oppose Trump in the Republican primary. But neither Koch nor AFP have endorsed a Republican challenger. Bloomberg News recently reported that the lack of coordination among Republican campaign contributors, who are scattering funds to a packed list of Trump challengers, is likely creating a dream scenario for Trump. The DeSantis campaign and Koch Industries did not respond to questions last week about whether the candidate would meet with Charles Koch while in Wichita. Koch-backed political organizations Freedom Partners and Americans for Prosperity have endorsed DeSantis for his past Florida gubernatorial races. DeSantis previously visited Kansas last September to stump for then-Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, the Republican nominee for governor, who Gov. Laura Kelly defeated in November. With the launch of a new program focused on crypto assets and blockchain technology, the United States Federal Reserve is broadening its influence on crypto beyond monetary policy. On Aug. 8, the central bank unveiled plans to supervise novel activities in the banks it oversees. These activities include technology-driven partnerships with non-banks to provide banking services, providing custody, trading, or collateralized lending services for crypto assets, and tokenizing securities, according to a document detailing the program. As the crypto industry has grown in influence and value, it has become increasingly intertwined with the traditional banking system, which the Fed regulates and supervises. With todays announcement, the agency is acknowledging the impact of crypto, though its not yet clear whether the program will buoy or hinder the industrys push toward broad adoption. Stablecoin Rules The Fed also detailed a supervisory nonobjection process for state member banks seeking to engage in certain activities involving tokens denominated in national currencies and issued using distributed ledger technology. The process involves a bank notifying the Fed with a description of its proposed activity, addressing risks of all types, including operational, cybersecurity, liquidity and illicit finance risks. After receiving the notification, the Fed will, in essence, either approve or prohibit the proposed activity. The agency said the letter builds on a policy statement issued in January which said that uninsured and insured banks would be subject to the same limitations on activities, including crypto-asset-related activities. Industry Impact Crypto participants took to social media to debate whether the Feds announcement is a boon or a curse for the industry, or a bit of both depending on the specific project or token in question. Nic Carter, a well-known investor who penned an influential article on the Biden Administrations crackdown on the crypto industry, sees the Feds announcement as a bearish indicator. Story continues [The Fed] want[s] to discourage innovation/risk-taking, suppress fintechs that are gaining market share by banking riskier clients, and create barriers to entry to consolidate the industry, he said. Carter also interprets the Feds position on banks issuance of stablecoins as rendering the use of public blockchains to distribute the tokens impossible. It's a bit like saying banks can issue cash via ATMs, but they need to be able to report the identities of the holders of those bills to the Fed on an ongoing basis, he wrote. Others are more upbeat. Good step towards stablecoin issuance, and crypto rails becoming more prevalent in our banking system. Clear shift in tone from the powers that be about crypto, said Avi Felman, principal at Golden Tree, an asset management firm. The News Latin America, the most violent region in the world, is embracing militarization as it struggles against violent crime. This week, ownership of Mexicos largest airport was transferred to the countrys navy, the latest step in the growing involvement of Mexicos armed forces in the countrys economy. Throughout the region, troops are being deployed for a variety of tasks from policing to building infrastructure and are often unaccountable in civil tribunals should abuses be committed. Weve gathered key reporting and analysis on what this means for Latin America. Insights Once a critic of the military, Mexicos leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has increasingly relied on them to deliver his agenda. Critics point to the militarization of Mexicos economy as Lopez Obradors principal legacy: During his administration, spending on the armed forces has swelled by more than 70%. The army has become an entrepreneur, a political analyst told the Financial Times. How do you put the toothpaste back in the tube? As crime rises across Latin America, politicians are calling for armies often seen as less corrupt and more efficient than police forces to be deployed. Militaristic approaches to public security are a big part of presidential campaigns due this year in Argentina and Ecuador. The natural consequence will be militaries with greater political and economic influence, James Bosworth a political analyst focused on Latin America, wrote. Young Latin Americans, many of who have only experienced rampant violence in their communities, are increasingly open to autocrats. El Salvadors President, Nayib Bukele whose violent crackdown on gangs has been denounced by rights activists is the regions most popular leader. Asked whether a government with an iron fist could save their countries problems, 46% believed it could. If Latin Americas remaining liberal leaders fail to improve their citizens lives, The Economist reported, democratic backsliding is likely to metastasise into a grim regional trend. Holding the high ground has always been a fundamental part of military strategy and tactics. When the first practical hot air balloons were developed in France in 1793, the French military began using observation balloons when the next war came. Later, hot air balloons were used by Union forces during the U.S. Civil War. By World War I, balloon and communications technology had improved to the point that gas-filled balloons, with observers connected to the ground by field telephones, bobbed about in the skies over the stalemated Western Front. They were vital to providing accurate target information to artillery, the most important weapon of that war. Soon another major innovation in military aviation, the aircraft, started taking reconnaissance photos, providing urgent information by dropping messages to the ground and shooting down enemy balloons. During the interwar years, new mobile radios were installed in aircraft. Navies developed observation float planes that could be launched from large warships by catapult and recovered after landing on the water. Well before World War Two, longer-range flying boats and carrier-based aviation made these aircraft both vulnerable and obsolete. On land, small, nimble observation aircraft were developed from existing civil aircraft like the American Piper L-4, Stinson L-5, or the British Auster. or purpose-built for the military like the German Fieseler Fi 156 Storch (Stork). While primarily used for reconnaissance and artillery spotting during the war, liaison pilots occasionally directed fighter and dive bombers onto targets. By the Korean War, it became clear that the new, fast-moving jets needed a better method to obtain target information to keep friendly ground forces safe from their own aircraft. Venerable T-6 Texan trainer aircraft were modified for FAC duties with a long-range belly tank, smoke grenades, and a dozen smoke rockets added under each wing for marking targets. Using the call sign Mosquito, they flew over 40,000 missions by the end of the war in 1953. A typical Forward Air Controller (FAC) mission consisted of establishing both visual and radio contact with friendly ground forces engaged with the enemy and understanding the ground commanders need for close air support. The next phase was establishing contact with assigned fighter aircraft and providing a short but detailed 9 line briefing on the ground situation, known anti-aircraft threats, and the type of munitions and direction of attack to be used by the fighters. Once the liaison was complete, the FAC would fire a white phosphorus or Willy Pete'' smoke rocket onto the target, issue any corrections, such as actual target is 100 meters north of the smoke, and clear the fighters to attack. The target was then re-attacked if necessary, or a new target was selected. A U.S. Air Force North American OV-10A-30-NH Bronco (s/n 67-14659) in flight with two North American F-100C Super Sabre of the 136th Tactical Fighter Squadron. The 136th TFS was a New York Air National Guard unit that was assigned to the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing at Tuy Hoa Air Base, Vietnam from 14 June 1968 to 25 May 1969. The OV-10A 67-14659 was later shot down near Trapeang Veng, Cambodia, on 7 April 1973 while in service with the 23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron, 56th Special Operation Wing. (USAF Photo) Early in the Vietnam War, with ground attack jets flying faster than ever before, the Piper-based O-1 Bird Dog was the first aircraft used for Forward Air Controller duties. With the heavy reliance on tactical air power throughout the war, the art of forward air control blossomed, with new aircraft dedicated for the mission. Another civilian aircraft, the Cessna Skymaster, with its distinctive front and rear mounted push-pull twin-engine configuration, was designated the O-2 Skymaster and began service in Vietnam in 1967. The introduction of Soviet shoulder-fired SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles onto the battlefield soon relegated the O-2 to nighttime missions when replaced by the OV-10 Bronco. A total of 178 U.S. Air Force (USAF) O-2s were lost in the Vietnam War, from all causes; however, the O-2 remained in service with the USAF into the late 1980s. The twin turboprop engine OV-10 Bronco was developed as a light ground attack, observation, and reconnaissance aircraft. They entered service in Vietnam with the USAF in 1968 and were also operated in theater by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. U.S. forces lost over 80 Broncos during the war. There were two additional FAC missions during Vietnam. The Raven FACs worked clandestinely for the Central Intelligence Agency against communist interests in the neutral country of Laos, adjacent to North and South Vietnam, using O-1 Bird Dog aircraft. Operating in this highly dangerous environment resulted in casualty rates among the 161 Raven pilots and other crew members of 50% wounded or killed, with 30% killed; 90% of the Raven aircraft were hit by ground fire at some time; and 60% were shot down at some point. Another group of USAF flyers, the Red Markers, provided FAC services to the Vietnamese Air Force. The dedicated FAC mission continued into the late 1980s, however with laser-designated, GPS precision-guided munitions and secure radio communications, the FACs have flown off into the mist of history, leaving a legacy of gutsy one pilot, one plane, one mission aviators dedicated to taking care of the guys on the ground. In the aftermath of the coup in Niger, false claims and misinformation are being shared online, adding to the tensions over the country's future. We have looked into some of the widely shared claims. Old and manipulated images showing 'Wagner troops' arriving The US has said Russia's Wagner mercenary group is "taking advantage" of instability in Niger - but so far there is no evidence of their fighters being deployed there. Wagner forces have been active in other African countries such as neighbouring Mali and the Central African Republic. However, a video of a Russian military plane supposedly landing in Niamey, the capital of Niger, has been circulating - along with speculation that "Wagner forces have already begun to enter the city". The plane in the video does match an IL 76 Russian military aircraft, but the footage is old. BBC Verify carried out a search for previous versions of this video available online and found that it was posted on YouTube in 2006, and in fact shows the plane landing in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. False video The buildings seen in the video match those which surround Khartoum International Airport. Another video - viewed more than 500,000 times on TikTok - wrongly presents old footage of Wagner fighters in Africa as the first visual confirmation of their presence in Niger. It comes from a news report, broadcast by the France 24 news channel in January last year, talking about Wagner's presence in Mali rather than Niger. The video circulating on TikTok has apparently been edited to get rid of both on-screen captions referring to Mali and references to the country in the report itself. Elsewhere, an old photograph of Wagner fighters in Ukraine has been shared alongside claims that the group was planning to send its fighters to Niger. However, no such announcement has been posted in Wagner-affiliated groups on Telegram so far. False claims about uranium exports ban Another false claim circulating online following the coup suggested the new military leaders had "with immediate effect, banned the export of uranium to France". Niger is a former French colony and France still has influence in the country. Screengrab of a Tweet falsely claiming Niger has banned uranium exports to France Some posts, like the one above, include largely accurate figures about uranium exports to France and the European Union, but there is no evidence the junta issued a ban on uranium exports to France when they took over. The French company involved in mining uranium in Niger, Orano Group, said that its activities had continued at the Arlit and Akokan sites and at its headquarters in Niamey following the coup. Niger military not detaining foreigners As some European countries began evacuating their citizens following the coup, an unfounded claim started circulating that the junta had ordered the army to detain Europeans. It alleged this was done to get Western countries to withdraw their forces from Niger. The claim seems to be based on a call by the M62 movement, which is a pro-junta and anti-French group, for European nationals to be held hostage until foreign forces leave. The group, however, does not represent the junta. Screengrab of a tweet falsely claiming the army would detain foreigners Coup leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani said last week that French nationals had nothing to fear and "have never been the object of the slightest threat". Niger currently hosts detachments of both French and US military personnel, and these forces are still there. Algeria did not say it would back junta Claims have also emerged about neighbouring Algeria, speculating that it would support Niger's military government in the event of any foreign intervention. "Algeria will not sit idly by while an invasion of a neighbouring country takes place," one Twitter post said, attributing this to "Algerian news outlets". The West African regional bloc, Ecowas, has threatened to intervene (including possibly militarily) if the deposed president is not restored to power. However, Mali and Burkina Faso - Ecowas members led by military leaders - said they would side with the junta in the event of any outside intervention. Algeria has said it is opposed to military intervention, but importantly, it has not said it would back Niger's coup leaders should an outside intervention take place. Screengrab of a Tweet claiming Algeria would side with the junta in case of foreign intervention Some of the posts claiming Algeria would back Niger against foreign intervention mentioned an account called Intel Kirby as the source for their claims. We checked this account on Twitter. It did post on 30 July that "Algeria will not sit idly while a neighbouring country is being invaded," but made clear this was its own analysis of what might happen - not a statement of government policy. Additional reporting by Jake Horton and Paul Brown. BBC Verify logo Danielle and Brielle Robinson, the wife and daughter of Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, who died of cancer two years ago, watch as President Joe Biden signs the PACT Act of 2022 during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Aug. 10, 2022, in Washington. Hundreds of thousands of veterans have received additional benefits in the past year after Biden signed legislation expanding coverage for conditions connected to burn pits that were used to destroy trash and potentially toxic materials. | Evan Vucci, Associated Press Editors note: President Joe Biden is arriving in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night and will deliver a speech on the PACT Act on Thursday. Thursday is the one-year anniversary of when the PACT bill was signed into law. The challenges of being an armed service member dont always end when you come home. As a Vietnam veteran, I know that firsthand. I served six years in the United States Air Force, and my deployment included two combat tours in the Vietnam War as a forward air controller. I spent over half of my service outside the U.S. in Vietnam, Thailand and West Germany, fighting to defend American values and protect our interests at home and abroad. It takes courage, bravery and great sacrifice to answer the call to serve, and while Im grateful to have returned home safely and transitioned smoothly back into civilian life, I know thats not the case for all of my brothers and sisters in arms. Those who serve often bear the scars of their service for many years to come some visible, some not. For some veterans, those hardships can include health impacts from exposure to toxic burn pits sites commonly used by the U.S. military in Iraq, Afghanistan and other overseas locations to dispose of chemicals, plastics, medical waste and other harmful substances. Many veterans who were exposed to the toxic fumes given off from these burn pits during their service now face long-term impacts on their health as a result, including respiratory illness, cancer and other medical conditions. Related The impacts of these burn pits are widespread. An estimated four million veterans who were deployed in the last 30 years report being exposed to these toxic contaminants and hazardous pollutants, but despite this level of exposure, a vast majority of the impacted veterans are not receiving the help they need the Department of Veterans Affairs has denied about 78% of disability claims related to toxic exposure, leaving countless veterans to shoulder the burdens on their own. Its unacceptable. For too long, our leaders have forgotten the debt we owe our service members and allowed our nations veterans to slip through the cracks. President Joe Biden is different. Biden understands our sacred obligation to support armed service members, veterans and military families not just as our troops prepare for battle or ship out overseas, but all the time, including when they return home. To leave our veterans and their families to deal with the fallout of toxic exposure on their own is to forget that obligation. One year ago today, Biden turned the page and fulfilled that obligation by signing the PACT Act a bill to address toxic exposures in military service and provide veterans and their families with comprehensive medical services. The PACT Act is a historic, bipartisan piece of legislation that expands access to VA health care services for veterans and delivers critical resources that ensure it can deliver timely access to services and benefits for all eligible veterans. This historic bill has been the most significant expansion of VA health care in decades, and it was only made possible by Bidens leadership and commitment to reaching across the aisle to deliver for those who served. Just one year since this legislation became law, veterans across the country are already feeling its impacts. To date, more than 408,000 veterans and survivors have completed PACT Act related claims, and nearly 350,000 PACT Act claims have been approved a clear sign that this legislation is providing our veterans with the crucial care they need. Were proud that Biden has chosen to be here in Utah to mark the anniversary of this critical law, and were grateful to see the Biden-Harris administrations continued commitment to caring for our nations veterans. As the president delivers his remarks at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City tomorrow, hell have the support of veterans in Utah and across the country. Veterans know Biden has our backs, and come November 2024, we will have his and do everything in our power to send him back to the White House to finish the job. Glenn Wright is a Vietnam veteran who served as a Summit County Council member from 2017 to 2023 and ran to represent the 3rd Congressional District in 2022. He holds a bachelors degree in aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and currently resides in Park City. Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, a U.S. Marine from Utah, is among the 13 U.S. service members who were killed in an attack outside the Kabul airport. | Hoover family photo Fear causes hesitation and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true, Kelly Barnett, Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoovers mother said. My worst fear has come true, and I have been hesitant about speaking out, and Im not doing that anymore. Barnetts opening remarks at Escondido City Hall in California on Monday filled a quiet room. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., held the first congressional forum for the Gold Star families of the 13 service members lost in the Afghanistan withdrawal in August 2021. Two suicide bombings took place at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 21, 2021, amid a chaotic evacuation and withdrawal of U.S. troops, killing 13 U.S. service members and over 150 Afghans trying to flee the country. The Biden administration was seeking a swift withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan after a 20-year war. They began the withdrawal on May 1, 2021 and set a deadline for the withdrawal on Sept. 11, 2021 the 20th anniversary of the wars start. The war officially ended on Aug. 30, 2021. Hoover, from Salt Lake City, was one of the service members who lost their lives in the airport bombings. (This is) for my son. Im gonna be brave and tell you about my kid, Barnett said. Hoovers mom opened up about her sons character, describing him as a natural born leader. He led by his heart and his knowledge, he never led by his title ever, she said. He always, always, always gave his whole heart to everything that he did. Barnett said her sons concern began the moment he landed. His words were, chaos, no communication, lack of leadership, she said. He said hed never seen anything like it. Hoover had been deployed to Afghanistan twice before his final deployment. I now know the command cares nothing for us, Hoover told his mom. My son, these 12 others left this Earth thinking their command cared nothing for them. The wounded felt their command felt nothing for them, the survivors felt that their command felt nothing for them, Barnett said. I feel this as well. Barnett said after the troops had watched their friends die, then being told to destroy everything at the airport, they were told they had to clean up the airport because we cant leave it dirty for the Taliban. What kind of disrespect? What kind of hatred for our military? she said, between sobs. Confusion, deceit, lost, angry, sad, heartbroken and disgusted. Barnett said, describing the feelings she and Hoovers family have. We were told lies, given incomplete reports, incorrect reports, total disrespect, she said. There were gunshots. All I wanted to know was where my kid was, where he fell, how long did he last? Did he fight? I was told to my face that he died on impact. Thats not true. The only reason that I know this is because witnesses told me the truth, she said. I dont understand the reasoning for that lie. It makes no sense. ... Did they really even do an investigation? She asked why there couldnt have been some sort of apology because at least that would have been something. Family members attend a vigil to honor the life and service of Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021. Hoover was one of the 13 U.S. service members killed by the terrorist attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News I want justice. I want accountability, Barnett said. In a press release Issa said, For almost two years, the Gold Star Families of the fallen in Afghanistan have waited for answers and accountability for the loss of their loved ones and they have waited long enough. At every turn, theyve been shut out and ignored by the Biden administration that prefers to turn the page on its disaster. That stops now. After several other family members spoke and shared their stories of lost loved ones, Issa said this forum wont be the last. There are many, many questions unasked or unspoken today that have been asked that we will get to the bottom of, so for the families who came so far and said what they said here today, thank you, Issa said. Darin Hoover, Taylors father, shared how his son left big shoes to fill shoes that may never be filled. This compassionate and caring man was always looking out for others, but especially his Marines, his dad said. Darin Hoover said his son will forever live on through the lives he touched. He would never hesitate to pull a Marine regardless of rank to the side and ask him how things were going if he had the slightest inclination that there was something bothering him, Darin Hoover said. Darin Hoover also called out the Biden administration, and while he understands war, the withdrawal from Afghanistan didnt need to happen the way it did. For those who had power over our military, know that they made a conscious decision that led to the chaotic and frantic withdrawal from Afghanistan. ... To say that theyre satisfied with the withdrawal of our troops is nothing short of disgusting and ignorant. Neighbor Cora McIllece puts up flags around the house belonging to the father of U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover Jr. in Sandy on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. Hoover Jr. was killed in the suicide bombing at the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Darin Hoover spoke specifically about several leaders in command of the operation. Im calling out Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, General Milley, General McKenzie, Lieutenant Colonel Whitehead, who could not give the order to the snipers to take out the bomber before he detonated his vest, he said. And ultimately the President, do what our son did be a grown ... man. Admit to your mistakes, learn from them, so that this doesnt happen ever, ever again. The other service members killed were Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas; Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Roseville, north of Sacramento; Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio; Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming; Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga; Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco; Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska; Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts; Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana; and Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri. Also, Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio, and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee. Alix Dorsainvil, right, poses with her husband, Sandro Dorsainvil. Alix Dorsainvil, a nurse for El Roi Haiti, and her daughter were kidnapped on Thursday, July 27, the organization said. DOVER St. Thomas Aquinas High School graduate Alix Dorsainvil, the New Hampshire nurse kidnapped along with her daughter by armed men in Haiti last month, have been safely released from captivity in Port-au-Prince. El Roi Haiti, the Christian ministry where Dorsainvil has worked for three years, announced their safe release in a statement on Wednesday. It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti, El Roi Haiti said. Today we are praising God for answered prayer! We are so thankful for everyone who joined us in prayer and supported us during this crisis. The New Hampshire resident and her daughter were seized on July 27, according to El Roi Haiti. More: NH nurse kidnapped in Haiti, a St. Thomas graduate, in prayers of Dover school community Dorsainvil, a 2010 graduate of the Dover Point Road Catholic school, began working as a nurse with El Roi Haiti in 2020. The next year, she married the organizations founder, Sandro Dorsainvil. While studying at Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, Dorsainvil first visited the country following the devastating 2010 earthquake that struck Haiti, killing thousands upon thousands of citizens. The aspiring nurse later returned to Haiti on self-funded trips during breaks and summers. The U.S. Department of State responded to news of Dorsainvils release in a statement shared Wednesday with Seacoast Media Group. "We welcome reports of the release of two U.S. citizens from captivity in Haiti. We have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas, a department spokesperson said. Out of respect for their privacy, we will allow individuals to speak for themselves if and when they feel ready. As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally. We express our deepest appreciation to our Haitian, and U.S. interagency partners for their assistance in facilitating their safe release." Neither the U.S. Department of State nor El Roi Haiti noted whether any ransom was paid to ensure the two would be released. The U.S. Department of State did not directly respond to questions regarding whether any conditions were met in order for Dorsainvil and her daughter to be released and did not disclose the specific efforts undertaken to ensure their freedom. El Roi Haiti is asking that no one attempt to contact Dorsainvil at this time, nor her family, as they process the events of the last two weeks. The organization vowed to continue sharing updates on the situation through its online platform. We praise God that He has proven Himself faithful as He restores, supports, and strengthens Alix and her family, the ministry of El Roi Haiti, and the community that Alix has impacted - and continues to impact - with her ministry in Haiti, El Roi Haiti added. St. Thomas Aquinas invited members of the Class of 2010, in addition to other students, faculty, alumni and other community members, to pray for Dorsainvil and her daughter in a private mass held in Somersworth last weekend. The kidnapping set off protests amid a worsening crisis in Haiti pertaining to gang-related violence. By mid-March, according to statistics from the United Nations, 531 people in Haiti had been killed, with another 300 people injured and 277 others kidnapped, all of it mainly occurring in Port-au-Prince. The U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory the day of Dorsainvil and her daughters kidnapping, citing civil unrest, frequent kidnapping of U.S. citizens and other crimes taking place in the country. The level four do not travel advisory states the department ordered the departure of family members of U.S. government employees and non-emergency U.S. government employees from Haiti. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: St. Thomas graduate and nurse Alix Dorsainvil, daughter freed in Haiti When Kaitlyn Lauritsen hears the 2004 pop hit Unwritten play on the radio, she thinks of her former police partner Officer Jonah Oswald. The song is tied to fond memories. Lauritsen met Oswald in 2018 when he joined the Buckner Police Department after a brief stint with the Sugar Creek police, about 15 miles west. She said they were still green and eager to learn to do the job well. They rode around Buckner, Missouri, together in a patrol car, belting out lyrics with Natasha Bedingfield: Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten. Now, Lauritsen and members of the Fairway, Kansas, community that Oswald had come to call home over the last four years have had to grapple with the officers sudden death at the age of 29, shortly after a Sunday morning shootout. The shooting began with a police chase. Lenexa officers pursued an identified stolen vehicle that rammed a police car, ending at the QuikTrip at 4700 Lamar Ave. in Mission, just west of Fairway, where Oswald was one of eight officers working in a city of about 4,000 residents. The suspects ran into the QuikTrip, according to authorities. Oswald and officers from other area departments had converged on the scene, responding to assist in apprehending the suspects, when the fatal shots rang out. Oswald suffered critical injuries in the shooting, and was declared dead at the University of Kansas Hospital on Monday evening. He left behind a wife and two young children. Fairway police officer Jonah Oswald, 29, was killed in the line of duty in August 2023, after he was shot as officers pursued two suspects at a QuikTrip in Mission, Kansas. According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Oswald is the first Fairway police officer to be killed in the line of duty. He is the 727th officer to be killed in the states recorded history, according to the non-profit. Members of the Buckner Police Department posted a remembrance for Oswald on its Facebook page. We have had many officers come and go from our department, but only one Jonah Oswald, they wrote. Some officers say that he was a very optimistic person and didnt know how to have a bad day. He loved encouraging people to reach their goals in life, and he would always offer help wherever you needed him. He died surrounded by family and friends, they said. If you personally knew Jonah, you would know that that is the way he would want to go, they wrote. Surrounded by love. Kaitlyn Lauritsen and Jonah Oswald pose for a selfie while officers at the Buckner Police Department, after Oswald joined the force in 2018. After word of Oswalds death started circulating Monday night, Lauritsen said a woman reached out to her on Facebook to say that Oswald also made a huge difference in the lives of her and her husband. The woman said Oswald helped her and her husband get sober, so they could fully commit themselves to their son. The woman had hoped to introduce Oswald to her child someday. If that doesnt show what kind of man, husband, partner and officer he was, I dont know what does, Lauritsen said. He made an impact on everyones life around him. Jonah Oswald Lauritsen said Oswald had an amazing personality in the time she and other Buckner police officers helped train him. He always had such a happy-go-lucky personality and truly wanted to do what he could to make a difference out there in the world and his community, she said. While Oswald was serious about being a police officer, she said, he also loved to joke around with his colleagues when he had the chance. In the last few months he served with the Buckner department, he and one of his partners started playing pranks on Lauritsen, and visa versa. The shenanigans included dressing up an old mannequin they found at the department and staging it around the office and in patrol cars. When they werent pulling one over on each other, they were still having fun. Oswald went on to serve as a reserve officer for the Buckner police until September 2021. He joined the Fairway police at the age of 25 and shortly after, he and his wife welcomed their first child. He was just so dang happy to be a father, Lauritsen said. I know that was his world. Roger Doeren, owner of the Rainy Day Books, met Oswald around that time as he was tinkering with a Fairway patrol car in the lot separating the department from the book store. I know who you are, Doeren recalled Oswald saying as he looked up from his vehicle. Oswalds eyes lit up as they spoke about woodworking, strumming the guitar and their love of the outdoors. He had a witty sense of police humor that was easily understood by Doeren, who had joined the Federal Bureau of Investigations Citizens Academy in 2013. On nights when Doeren worked late to load and unload book crates, Oswald would drive by ready to lend a hand. I really enjoyed being with him, Doeren said. He would always be so willing to just stop whatever he was doing and help. Rachel Feuerborn, a spokeswoman with Life.Church, said Oswald for the past three years worked as contracted security for their Overland Park campus during Sunday morning services. She said as a church, theyre heartbroken as they grieve along with the community. A blue ribbon is seen tied around a tree along Fairway Road on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Fairway, Kan. Neighbors wanted to honor Jonah Oswald, Fairway Police officer, who was killed in the line of duty. While he was there to stand watch, Oswald was also there to give out high-fives, Feuerborn said. The kids loved it. Well always remember him for how he greeted each family and made them feel welcome, Feuerborn said. Quiet, peaceful, safe Stephanie Thoms of Fairway set down her arrangement of magenta and violet flowers on the cafe counter next to her My Dearest Sympathies Hallmark card and matching envelope. Ill take all of them, she told the barista, pointing to the Front Range cafes two cases of baked goods. Thoms balanced the three bags between her fingertips, preparing to deliver twice as many pastries as there were Fairway police officers to the grieving departments front door only a few feet away. I just think were a community and were all in this together, she said while moving the bags to a side table. Thoms, a healthcare professional, woke up that morning reeling from news of Oswalds death. She had no law enforcement background. She did not know Oswald. And she has lived in Fairway for less than three years, yet, she said her tight-knit community is sparing no expense to express their condolences. Its the action of showing up, right? Its saying this is meaningful and significant enough to take the time out to be like Hey Im thinking of you and Im sorry, she said. According to a list of names compiled by Fairway city hall staff, Thoms became the 11th person that afternoon to drop off gifts in honor of Oswald. The staff members, sitting in the front office of a building adjoined to the police department, only a block from the Front Range Cafe, said they would be sending thank you letters to each individual in the mail. We love this community, its a small community. Stephanie Thoms of Fairway, Kansas, writes Thinking of you in a letter expressing her condolences for the loss of Fairway Police Officer Jonah Oswald at the local Front Range coffee shop on Tuesday afternoon. Thoms said living in close proximity to the police department and having the areas city hall and main shopping area nearby has made her comfortable seeing officers frequently. Theyre definitely out and about, she said. Doeren of Rainy Day Books agreed, saying its clear to the community members of Fairway these officers are just people in uniform. Jamie, who works at Pride Cleaners next to Front Range, said she presses and cleans the uniforms of the Fairway and Westwood, Kansas, police departments. No one leaves the store without engaging her in a daily chat. Im one of those people you dont have a choice but to talk to me, she said, laughing. She has become friendly with the officers over her last 12 years working for the dry cleaning service. Mourners bow their heads Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, as the remains of Officer Jonah Oswald are moved into the Amos Family Funeral Home and Crematory in Shawnee. Oswald was killed after a shooting unfolded inside of a QuikTrip on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023, in Mission. Being able to work with these guys has made me realize theres really good officers out here, she said. Jamie declined to reveal her last name over concerns related to privacy. Shes been anxious since hearing an officer had died Monday night, when she had sat in her home with a list of officers names, crossing off each after brief phone calls, hoping to pinpoint who had been killed. She did not know Oswald, she said, because he had been working the overnight shift. And as officers dropped in and out of the dry cleaners Tuesday, she could not help but wonder why this happened. Youve heard about [officers dying] in surrounding areas like Kansas City, Missouri, but not here in Fairway, she said. No, Fairway you just think of as nice little town, quiet, peaceful, safe. You dont think of anything like this happening. You dont hear about it. A fund was set up through the Public Safety Credit Union to support Oswalds family. Donations can be made at https://linktr.ee/fairwaypolice. William Thornton, from Roeland Park, leaves flowers at the Fairway Police Department on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Fairway, Kan. Thornton is a neighbor of the community and wanted to pay his respects to the officer, identified as 29-year-old Jonah Oswald, who was killed in the line of duty. FleetCor officials said the companys fleet card program saw increased sales internationally in countries such as Mexico and Australia. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves) FleetCor Technologies saw improving stability in the services it provides to trucking businesses across North America and its international units, helping the company to a better-than-expected quarter, officials said. Its been a really terrific start to the first half year-to-date revenues, sales and earnings all coming in ahead of plan, Ron Clarke, chairman and CEO, said during a call with analysts after the market closed on Tuesday. Total revenue increased 10% year over year (y/y) in the quarter to $948.2 million, while second-quarter adjusted earnings per share (EPS) increased 1% to $4.19. Revenue and EPS beat Wall Streets consensus estimates of $945.2 million and $4.18, respectively. The companys adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization increased 11% y/y to $497.1 million. FleetCor (NYSE: FLT) is an Atlanta-based global provider of fuel card and payment products for businesses, including the commercial transportation industry. The components of our overall 10% y/y organic revenue growth were our fleet services stepping up to 6% [y/y] for the second quarter, helped a lot by our international markets, particularly Mexico and Australia, both of those up over 20% for the quarter, Clarke said. Also, our electric vehicle revenue increased 45% y/y; Brazil revenue grew 15% y/y in the second quarter, with continued strength in our core toll-tag line. Revenue from the companys fuel card program increased 6% to $399 million as revenue per fuel transaction increased 5%. Last year, FleetCor changed its North American fuel fleet sales strategy by pivoting from small micro accounts to bigger-company prospects. We essentially stopped onboarding new super small one- and two-card-size companies about nine months ago. Although this reduces our overall North America fleet sales, we do expect the second-half fleet credit losses to decrease about 30% to 35%, sequentially, first half versus second half, Clarke said. The good news: We are increasing the number of new fuel line customers that have more than five cards. Story continues The company increased its full-year 2023 earnings guidance to an adjusted EPS range of $17.09 to $17.35 (previously $16.75 to $17.25). Total revenue guidance increased to a range of $3.83 billion to $3.86 billion (previously $3.8 billion to $3.85 billion). FleetCors guidance currently expects third-quarter revenues between $980 million and $1 billion and an adjusted EPS between $4.44 and $4.64. The outlook for the second half of the year remains in line with our expectations as we expect the fundamental trends from the first half of the year to continue, Tom Panther, FleetCors chief financial officer, said. We expect solid growth in the second half of 2023 as we lap the interest and credit overhangs from last year and our organic revenue growth continues. In February, FleetCor acquired cloud-based EV charging software platform Mina. Officials said the purchase gives FleetCor a solution for commercial fleets in the United Kingdom and helps solidify the companys offerings to both EV and internal combustion engine (ICE) fleets. On the economics front, EV vehicles, at least among our commercial mixed-fleet clients, continue to be very favorable, Clarke said. EV vehicles are generating more revenue per vehicle than a comparable ICE vehicle. Weve seen this positive trend now over the last 10 quarters, so really super good news there. FleetCor is also close to finalizing the sale of its business in Russia and is hopeful that the deal will close later this month, he said. Clarke also said FleetCor is exploring the possibility of spinning off at least one of its units into a separate company. We are exploring with the help of Goldman Sachs the idea of separating one or more of our businesses to further unlock value, Clarke said. Our path initially is to look simply at separating or spinning off one of our major businesses into a separate company. Clarke did not specify which of the companys divisions are being considered for the spinoff. The considerations or assumptions here are around forward pro forma multiples, what would the stand-alone company trade at, the tax impact, synergies of the separation opportunities for future mergers and acquisitions, really a whole host of things, Clarke said. The second path is to potentially combine one of our three major businesses with a dance partner; that would be a pure-play company that provides very similar solutions to one of our three big businesses. FleetCor TechnologiesQ2/23Q2/22Y/Y % ChangeTotal revenueFuel revenueFuel transactionsFuel net revenue/transactionsEPS Click for more FreightWaves articles by Noi Mahoney. More articles by Noi Mahoney Borderlands: Stronger peso could pose challenges for US-Mexico trucking Canadian truckers fight to claim millions in unpaid wages BNSF Railway rethinks plan to build Texas logistics center after community opposition The post FleetCor Technologies Q2 fuel transaction revenue up 6% to $399M appeared first on FreightWaves. The News Central African Republics president won a referendum scrapping term limits on his rule. Though the vote was criticized by opponents who claimed low turnout, it cast a spotlight on CARs reliance on the Wagner mercenary group, which is helping the nations security forces combat an alliance of rebel groups. And in Niger, which is currently gripped by the fallout of a coup, the military-led authorities have also reportedly requested the organizations help. Weve collected insights you should read about Wagners influence in Africa. Insights The CAR referendum victory gave President Faustin-Archange Touadera the ability to run for office as many times as he wishes , scrapping an existing two-term limit. He won the vote by a 95% margin, but in some parts of the country, which is suffering a protracted civil war, only an estimated 10% of voters actually cast a ballot. Wagner mercenaries who were previously accused of war crimes in CAR provided security at the referendum, and have propped up Touaderas government against rebel groups which control huge portions of the country. In Niger, which is currently navigating the fallout of a coup , one junta leader made contact with Wagner forces in neighboring Mali. They need (Wagner) because they will become their guarantee to hold onto power, journalist Wassim Nasr said. The request was made as a deadline for the junta to release the countrys President Mohamed Bazoum, or face military intervention, passed. Despite rumors that Wagner was pulling forces from Africa, there are signs that the paramilitary group is actually upping its presence in the region. That could be because the organization is useful for Russian foreign policy. Given that Africa remains a very permissive environment for Russian engagement, I suspect that well continue to see Wagner (or a reconstituted version of Wagner) continue to operate in Africa, Joseph Siegle, the director of research at National Defense Universitys Africa Center for Strategic Studies, said in a recent interview. Know More There are about 1,500 Wagner troops in CAR. They work in conjunction with the countrys own military, and protected Touadera during a 2018 re-election. The mercenary organization, headed by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, has established itself in several African countries, including Sudan, Libya, Burkina Faso, and Mali. School supplies await students at Edmunds Elementary school in Des Moines. Several communities are hosting supply drives to help students in need this year. Summer came and went, and now students are prepping to be back in the classroom. Some spots in the metro have began programs to provide both students and schools K-12 supplies. Here's where you can find free school supplies, or donate to a student in need: West Des Moines Human Services School Supply Distribution Every August, West Des Moines Human Services hosts a school supply distribution for qualifying, low-income West Des Moines residents. Income verification and appointments are required to receive supplies. Registration is available at wdm.iowa.gov/schoolsupplyregistration and ends Aug. 10, and the supplies distribution will take place on Aug. 15 School physicals are also available to low-income, uninsured or under-insured youth at the Valley Junction Free Medical Clinic, located in the building. Immunizations are not available at this clinic. Walk-ins are welcome and residency in West Des Moines is not necessary to utilize this clinic. Clinic hours are Tuesdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., you must be checked in by 7:30 p.m. Location: 139 Sixth Street, West Des Moines Save on clothes: Iowa's tax free holiday is the first weekend of August. Here's when and where to save Back 2 School Bash The Back 2 School Bash is back again, and free school supplies is available for Des Moines students. The bash hopes to have enough supplies for approximately 1,000 students. The event will be hosted Aug. 20 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., or until supplies runs out. You can also donate to sponsor a student's school supplies at back2schooliowa.org. Location: John R. Grubb YMCA, 1611 11th St., Des Moines Project Fresh Start Project Fresh Start in Ankeny provides school supplies and backpacks for students attending Ankeny schools, Ankeny Christian Academy, St. Luke and Ankeny homeschool students. Donations to support the project are welcome at ankenyschools.org. The giveaway will take place Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Aug. 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Location: Prairie Ridge Middle School, 1010 NW Prairie Ridge Drive, Ankeny Check the calendar: When does school start? Dates, child care resources families around Des Moines should know Casey's Cash for Classrooms Caseys is asking customers to round up purchases at the register to help support local schools . When you visit a Caseys between now at Sept. 5, you can round up your purchase to the nearest dollar or add a flat dollar amount to any purchase and your donation will benefit grants to local schools. Details and grant applications at caseys.com/community. Location: Any local Casey's Back to school 2023: Could this be the most expensive school year ever? Maybe Fill the Bus with School Supplies Hy-Vee and Iowa Realty have partnered to "Fill the Bus" with school supplies this year and donate school supplies for students in need. Iowa Realty's bus will be in the Hy-Vee parking lot until Aug. 7. A full list of school supplies needed is listed on Iowa Realty's Facebook Page. Location: Waukee Hy-Vee (1005 E. Hickman Rd., Waukee) Donations can also be dropped off at Iowa Realty offices in Altoona, Ankeny, Des Moines, Indianola, Knoxville, Newton, Waukee and West Des Moines This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Where to find free school supplies and donate to students in need The Current highlights business news throughout Yakima County. Send your information to business reporter Joel Donofrio at jdonofrio@yakimaherald.com or call 509-759-7851. Cosmic Crisp apples are seen at Andy Judd's orchard at the foot of Naches Heights near Naches, Wash., Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. Dam in Norway partially bursts after days of heavy rain, flooding and evacuations A dam in southern Norway has partially burst following days of heavy rain that triggered landslides and flooding in the mountainous southern parts of the country Heard of 'rat-running?' Some WA cities ban it. What to know about this driving shortcut Tim Mapes, a key member of former House Speaker Michael Madigans inner circle for years, faces perjury charges stemming from his grand jury appearance. Mapes was assured he would not be charged as long as he told the truth to a federal grand jury. But he allegedly blew it. According to prosecutors, Mapes lied repeatedly in his March 31, 2021, grand jury testimony in an ill-fated attempt to protect his longtime boss, claiming he couldnt recall anything relevant about Madigans relationship with Michael McClain, the speakers longtime confidant at the center of the probe. McClain was also convicted in a related case in May on bribery conspiracy charges involving a scheme by utility giant Commonwealth Edison to win the speakers influence over legislation in Springfield. Follow our writers Megan Crepeau and Ray Long for the latest news and see coverage throughout the trial below. Federal prosecutors are expected to rest their case in chief Friday in the perjury trial of Tim Mapes, the former chief of staff to Democratic Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan accused of lying to a federal grand jury investigating his boss. Prosecutors have so far presented 15 witnesses and dozens of wiretapped phone conversations, emails, and other documents in an effort to prove that Mapes was lying when he said he was unaware that Madigans longtime confidant, Michael McClain, was doing sensitive assignments for the speaker even after retiring from lobbying in 2016. Read more here. Efforts to transfer a state-owned parcel of land in Chinatown that are at the heart of the racketeering charges against former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan got their first airing in a federal courtroom Thursday, where Madigans former chief of staff, Tim Mapes, is on trial for allegedly lying to the federal grand jury leading the probe. Story continues Republican lobbyist Nancy Kimme testified that fellow lobbyist Michael McClain first reached out to her about the Chinatown project in late 2017, and that she later met at then-25th Ward Ald. Daniel Solis West Side office with McClain, Solis and the developers seeking to turn a parking lot into a hotel complex. Read more here. Former state Rep. Lou Lang, who has previously said he was granted a non-target letter from the U.S. attorneys office in exchange for his cooperation, is expected to take the witness stand Wednesday following the continued testimony of another Madigan insider, lobbyist Will Cousineau. Lang was forced to resign at Michael Madigans behest in 2018 after sexual harassment allegations surfaced that he vehemently denied. The Skokie Democrat who once considered himself a contender to replace Madigan as speaker testified five months ago for the prosecution at the ComEd Four trial, which ended in May with the convictions of McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Prammagiore, lobbyist John Hooker, and consultant and former City Club of Chicago head Jay Doherty. Read more here. Federal prosecutors on Tuesday began playing the audio of Tim Mapes 2021 testimony before a federal grand jury in which he allegedly lied to protect his longtime boss, the once powerful Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan. The playing of Mapes testimony is offering a rare public glimpse into normally secret grand jury proceedings, not only lifting the veil on some of the ways large-scale investigations proceed but also providing some of the cat-and-mouse that goes on between prosecutors and witnesses. Read more here. Former House Speaker Michael Madigan has long been known as The Velvet Hammer for the way he quietly wielded power. But in a federal courtroom Monday, the man once considered Illinois most powerful politician may have been given a new moniker: Don Madigan. Read more here. In his heyday, Tim Mapes, diminutive but domineering, was feared in Springfield. He threatened staffers jobs and screamed orders on the House floor in his capacity as powerhouse Democrat Michael Madigans trusted lieutenant. Formal investigations all but called Mapes conduct dictatorial. But youd never guess that by looking at Mapes last week, sitting meekly and respectfully between his two lawyers in the solemn setting of a federal courtroom. He is a little balder, a little grayer these days. His demeanor at the defense table is painstakingly placid. But federal charges accuse him of doing in the grand jury what he did without penalty for decades in Springfield: shielding the boss, Madigan of Chicago. Read more here. Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, was on the witness stand Thursday for the second time this year in one of the sweeping federal cases tied to Madigan and his Democratic allies. Asked on Thursday to describe the former power structure at the top of the Illinois House, Rita drew a triangle in the air above him. At the highest point, he said, was Michael Madigan. Then, moving his hands to the lower corners of the triangle, on either side were Madigans chief of staff Tim Mapes the gatekeeper and Madigans confidant, powerhouse lobbyist Michael McClain. Read more here. In the opening statement to jurors Wednesday, a federal prosecutor ripped into Tim Mapes, ousted chief of staff of former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, calling him a deliberate liar who misled a grand jury to protect the boss. The Mapes defense team countered that the former insider, long at the center of power in Springfield, simply could not remember the details about key questions prosecutors asked him and that he did his level best to give full and honest answers. Read more here. Opening statements in the perjury trial of Democratic insider Tim Mapes are finally set to begin Wednesday, when prosecutors are expected to outline allegations that he lied to a federal grand jury to protect his powerful former boss, ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan. Jurors were chosen Tuesday afternoon after a longer-than-expected selection process. U.S. District Judge John Kness originally had expressed hopes that attorneys could present their opening remarks as early as Monday. In all, 56 prospective jurors were interviewed before the final 12 were chosen along with three alternates. The trial is expected to last up to three weeks. The jury includes an ultrasound technician, a meteorologist for a local TV station and a man who volunteered to pass out campaign signs for Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas. Read more here. The federal perjury trial of former Springfield insider Tim Mapes was bound to highlight the tight-knit nature of Illinois politics and the fierce opinions it engenders. That became clear even during jury selection: One prospective juror said he is close friends with a former state representative. Two worked for AT&T, a company caught up in the widespread corruption scandal related to powerful former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan. Then there was the potential juror who wrote in her questionnaire that Madigan, Mapes ex-boss, could not be trusted. Further, she wrote, she hopes Madigan and all his friends go to jail. She was dismissed shortly afterward. In all, 22 people made it past the first round of cuts Monday as prosecutors and defense lawyers sifted through the potential jurors. The process is slated to continue Tuesday morning. Opening statements are expected to begin after attorneys have selected 12 jurors along with alternates. Read more here. His trial is being closely watched by many Illinois power brokers, from Michael Madigan-connected lobbyists to current and former legislators who for years were beholden to Tim Mapes due to his unique access to the speaker and his Democratic political spoils. Read more here. Tim Mapes, former chief of staff to ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan, was captured on dozens of undercover FBI recordings talking about his family, political fundraising and whether landing some job following his ouster in a 2018 sexual harassment scandal might piss off the women. The conversations, described in a defense motion filed over the weekend seeking to keep them out of Mapes perjury trial next month, shed new light on the behind-the-scenes maneuvering and relationships among key members of Madigans inner circle as a series of scandals began to threaten the Democratic speakers decadeslong grip on power. Read more here. If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules: Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy. The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party. We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters. Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month. Signatures collected by the Toppenish Maternity Workgroup to establish a public hospital district in the Lower Valley sit on a ballot drop box in the entrance to the Yakima County building on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. By Anne Kauranen HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finnish utility Fortum still hopes to sell its Russian assets and get compensation for their seizure by the Kremlin via arbitration, its chief executive told Reuters. Fortum is one of a handful of companies with assets placed under "temporary control" by Moscow in response to the European Union's sanctions since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, which prompted over a thousand Western firms to exit Russia. In the second quarter, Fortum wrote off the entire value - 1.7 billion euros ($1.9 billion) - of its seven thermal power plants and a joint-venture portfolio of wind and solar plants in Russia, after Moscow placed them under its control by presidential decree in April. "We still hold legal ownership of the businesses, but we don't get any information, dividends or loan paybacks from there," CEO Markus Rauramo said in his first interview about the subject. "We do still pursue their sale," he added. Rauramo did not give further details about that, but said Fortum had been in advanced talks with a potential buyer for the asset portfolio, which he described as "well-invested, profitable, efficient and the best that exists in Russia". Before the seizure, Fortum and its unidentified potential buyer had presented their plans to the Russian government commission that gives permission for foreign-owned asset sales. Instead of approving the deal, Russia announced the seizure, which came as a surprise and without any warning, Rauramo said. Finding the right buyer is crucial, experts and executives at companies that have successfully left Russia have told Reuters, with close relations to government officials seen as a real advantage. President Vladimir Putin's seizure decree was published late on April 25 and new management took control of the Russian unit, PAO Fortum, the following lunchtime. Fortum has started legal proceedings to seek compensation for the seizure on the basis of international investment protection agreements which Russia has signed, Rauramo said, adding the arbitration would begin next year. Story continues "We aim to get the value of our possessions back and we believe that we will get some compensation," he said. Fortum's businesses in Russia have also left it with another unsolved legal dispute - with its long-time Nordic partner in wind power, Vestas. Meanwhile, Fortum will focus on its new strategy centred around clean Nordic energy where Rauramo sees "big growth opportunities". The company will aim to increase renewable power production, while studying new opportunities such as synthetic hydrogen. ($1 = 0.9112 euros) (Reporting by Anne Kauranen in Helsinki Additional reporting by Alexander Marrow Editing by Josephine Mason and Mark Potter) Today Partly cloudy. Windy. Low near 75F. SSE winds at 25 to 35 mph, decreasing to 10 to 20 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph. Tonight Partly cloudy. Windy. Low near 75F. SSE winds at 25 to 35 mph, decreasing to 10 to 20 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph. Tomorrow Sunny skies. High 93F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Today Windy with thunderstorms likely. Some may be locally heavy, especially during the morning hours. High 87F. Winds SE at 25 to 40 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph. Tonight Cloudy and windy this evening, becoming partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 75F. SSE winds at 25 to 35 mph, decreasing to 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph. Tomorrow Mostly sunny. High 92F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. NANA a transformat Parcul Tineretului in cea mai mare discoteca in aer liber din oras Parcul Tineretului a fost sambata seara neincapator pentru miile de sibieni de toate varstele care s-au bucurat de primul concert al rapperului NANA din oras, acesta fiind principalul artist al zilei la Festivalul Sibiul [citeste mai departe] Stiri pe aceeasi tema - The European Commission's Directorate General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) and the World Bank provide Romania financial and technical assistance with the implementation of reforms, including those set forth by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, supporting the country's shift to - Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) opens Monday's trading session higherThe Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) opened Monday's trading session higher, with turnover at 2.39 billion lei (485.093 million euros), half an hour after the start of trading, told Agerpres. CITESTE SI PM Ciolacu to chair National - PM Ciolacu to chair National Recovery, Resilience Plan working sessionPrime Minister Marcel Ciolacu this afternoon will chair a working session on the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), told Agerpres. CITESTE SI PNL's Bogdan: We must find optimal formulas that will not affect the private - Romania to receive EU funds worth EUR 400 million for spending with Ukrainian refugeesThe government debated, on Thursday, in the first reading, a draft ordinance on the basis of which Romania will receive European funds worth 400 million euros for the expenses of the Ukrainian refugees, informed - The wooden church of Cioara, currently Salistea, Alba County, a historical monument over two centuries old, will be refurbished and consolidated on funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).The local administration has announced the start of activities for the implementation of - Europarlamentarul Corina Cretu, fost comisar european, atrage atentia asupra faptului ca Romania nu a accesat deloc fonduri europene din exercitiul financiar 2021-2027, conform news.ro.Ceea ce este trist este ca avem in fata 80 de miliarde si s-au cheltuit 210 milioane. 2021-2027 nu s-a deschis, - Caciu: By the end of June, second tranche under recovery, resilience plan will hopefully be out. Adrian Caciu, the minister-designate for European investment and projects, said on Wednesday that he wants Romania to collect the money from the second tranche under the National Recovery and Resilience - President Iohannis: There is no risk of losing the money under Recovery Plan; it would be a shame. President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday told a press conference held in the Republic of Moldova that Romania does not risk losing the money from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, although certain Harvard University recently organized an event to support graduate students enrolling in government food assistance programs. The Health Services office sent a flier to graduate students, encouraging them to participate in the SNAP Benefits Sign-Up event in April. The flier read, "Fuel your body & stock your pantry. Did you know that grad students may qualify for assistance paying for food & groceries?" Harvard University is the wealthiest academic institution globally, boasting an endowment of approximately $53 billion. With such a substantial endowment, Harvard has the means to support a wide array of academic programs, research endeavors, scholarships and initiatives. The Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU) expressed its view, advocating for more substantial measures to assist graduate students, primarily by increasing their salaries. According to HGSU's proposal, all graduate student workers should receive a minimum annual salary of $60,000, a significant increase from the current minimum salary of $40,000. The union believes that providing adequate compensation directly to the students would alleviate the need for external assistance programs like SNAP. Don't Miss: The high cost of living in Boston only adds to Harvard students' struggle. Many people across various professions and walks of life face similar challenges. But the proximity to cutting-edge innovation and opportunities in technology, entrepreneurship and startups presents a potential solution for those seeking to get in at the ground level of the next big thing. Click here for a list of startups you can invest in today. Story continues Harvard's graduate student workers have been on strike twice in recent years, partly because of their dissatisfaction with low pay from the university. To stay updated with top startup news & investments, sign up for Benzinga's Startup Investing & Equity Crowdfunding Newsletter Approximately 30% of Harvard's grad students are international, so they are ineligible to apply for SNAP. This means that the solution presented by the university fails to support about one-third of its graduate students adequately. In response to the concerns, a Harvard spokesperson reached out to Motherboard via email, explaining that the informational session sought to assist students in signing up for the federal program. The session aimed to provide guidance on creating inexpensive yet nutritious meals to support the students' well-being. Harvard's situation is not unique. Many graduate students at universities across the country are facing similar financial challenges. While the SNAP Benefits Sign-Up event at Harvard may have provided temporary relief for some, it also draws attention to the underlying issue of low pay for graduate students. The HGSU's call for higher minimum salaries resonates with the broader context of financial hardship experienced by graduate students across the country. 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 Harvard University Encourages Students To Go On Food Stamps, Even Though It's the Richest School In The World With A $53 Billion Endowment originally appeared on Benzinga.com . 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Rising prices for travel do not appear to be curbing wanderlust The post-pandemic travel boom and the high ticket prices that come with it show no signs of slowing well into next year, despite economic uncertainty and dwindling household savings, according to Reuters. While questions linger about how much longer consumers will continue to indulge, airlines, hotels and analysts say travel has remained a top priority [] The post Rising prices for travel do not appear to be curbing wanderlust appeared first on Stiri online, ultimele stiri, presa online, ziar online - Sursazilei.ro . Citeste articolul mai departe pe sursazilei.ro Sursa articol si foto: sursazilei.ro Stiri pe aceeasi tema - Turnul Eiffel a fost inchis publicului sambata dupa ce a fost evacuat ca masura de precautie in urma unei amenintari cu bomba, a declarat o sursa din politia franceza, citata de Reuters. SETE, organismul care administreaza amplasamentul, a transmis ca expertii in eliminarea bombelor si politia cercetau - A Russian missile struck a hotel in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Thursday evening, leaving one dead and 16 injured, Ukrainian officials said, according to Reuters. National police said an Iskander missile hit the city at 7:20 p.m. (1620 GMT). Zaporizhzhia. The city suffers daily from Russian - Oil prices eased on Wednesday as concerns over slow demand from top crude importer China grew after bearish trade and inflation data, eclipsing fears over tighter supply arising from output cuts by Saudi Arabia and Russia, according to Reuters. Brent crude futures fell 21 cents, or 0.2%, to $85.96 a - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said his planned talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin could lead to restoration of the Black Sea grain initiative, and called on Western countries to consider Russias demands, Turkish broadcasters reported on Friday, according to Reuters. The termination of - European natural gas prices are poised for their biggest weekly drop this year as the region continues to fill up its storage facilities and demand for the fuel remains lackluster, according to Bloomberg. Benchmark front-month contracts edged higher on Friday but are still on course for the biggest - Un barbat a murit miercuri in incinta unui tribunal din Kiev dupa ce s-ar fi baricadat intr-o incapere si ar fi declansat un dispozitiv exploziv, a declarat ministrul de Interne Ihor Klimenko.Oficialul a notat ca este vorba despre informatii preliminare, relateaza Reuters. Preliminary info on the - Around 25 NATO peacekeeping soldiers defending three town halls in northern Kosovo were injured in clashes with Serb protesters on Monday, while Serbias president put the army on the highest level of combat alert, according to Reuters. KFOR, the NATO-led peacekeeping mission to Kosovo, condemned the - The worlds largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, sailed into Oslo on Wednesday, a first for such a U.S. ship, in a show of NATO force at a time of heightened tension between NATO and Russia over the war in Ukraine, according to Reuters. The ship and its crew will be conducting training The Hungarian authorities have successfully protected lives and property after the past weekends storm during which a months worth of rain deluged most of the country, a government official said. Investments in flood protection, firming up dams and new equipment for disaster prevention were instrumental in protection efforts, Bence Retvari, interior ministry parliamentary state secretary told a press conference. The government has set aside a force majeure fund of 2.6 billion forints (EUR 6.7m) available to local councils that submit claims within seven days of a natural disaster, he noted. MTI photo: Zoltan Mihadak Hungarys ruling Fidesz party has demanded that booking.com pay Hungarian hoteliers money owed to them dating back to June. Recently, numerous accommodation providers have complained about not receiving money owed to them totalling several billion forints, and thousands of small businesses were contending with mounting difficulties, Fidesz MP Kristof Szatmary said in a statement, adding that the company was abusing its size and dominance. He said Fidesz expected the authorities to investigate and urged the company to pay the Hungarian accommodation providers without delay. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony on Tuesday demanded the return of public areas seized from the metropolitan council in an unconstitutional manner, following a court ruling in his administrations favour. The affected public areas include Podmaniczky, Vorosmarty and Szechenyi squares, and Jozsef Attila Street, he said on Facebook. After the councils submission, the metropolitan court asked the Constitutional Court to annul a law under which the areas were transferred from the metropolitan council to the fifth district council, he added. He said the return of Szechenyi Square would be especially important because the adjoining revamped Chain Bridge now can be accessed far more easily on foot. One of the most scenic walking routes in the city, or perhaps in the whole world, could be set up from the Basilica all the way to the Buda Castle, he said, adding that reduced traffic on the bridge would enable the roundabout on the square to be removed and a green park established instead. Related plans can be drawn up soon if the square is returned to the metropolitan council, the area can be revamped from European Union resources, he said. Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) is delivering two truckloads of donations to victims of recent floods in Slovenia, the organisation said. Food, drinking water and hygiene products are being forwarded in close cooperation with the Slovenian Evangelical Church to the residents of Dravograd and Gornji Grad, the statement said. Around fifty aid packages prepared on the basis of local residents requests will be transported by helicopter to Gornji Grad, which is difficult to access by public road, it added. Transport difficulties are still causing disruptions in supplies to retailers and shortages can be expected at some flood-hit settlements, it said. The HIA has already transferred 5 million forints (EUR 12,500) rapid aid to support the affected communities, and a collection is still under way (phone hotline 1353 or via website segelyszervezet.hu). MTI photo Hungarian police have captured a Rwandan man after a Budapest court decided to fast-track his extradition to Belgium. A European arrest warrant has been issued by the Belgian authorities against the 24-year-old wanted on charges of organised crime, attempted murder and torture. Police working for the National Investigation Bureau and the TEK counter-terrorism centre arrested the man in Budapests 8th district on Friday, according to police.hu. The Metropolitan Court said earlier that it has issued a deadline of August 14 for the Belgian authorities to receive the suspect, after which date he would be released. A mobile phone video recording left at the crime scene shows the kidnap and torture of a Dutch national in Eindhoven on Feb. 22. The victim was then driven to Belgium and tortured in the car and then at a warehouse in Antwerp before being taken to Poppel, where the vehicle broke down. The victim was subsequently found by local workers and taken to hospital. The suspect faces a maximum prison sentence of 30 years. Tourism is breaking records everywhere in Hungary this year, Magyar Nemzet reports. The latest national figures approach or even surpass the best year of 2019, the Minister of the Prime Ministers Office said Wednesday in Tarcal (northern Hungary). Gergely Gulyas, speaking at the inauguration of the more than three-and-a-half-kilometer-long communal vineyard road, renovated as part of the Tokaj-Zemplen regional development program, stressed that there are still incredible opportunities in the sector and that there are parts of the country that have not yet been sufficiently explored. The government is determined to support local plans and developments in the region, and Tokaj-Hegyalja as one of the most beautiful regions of the country will also receive the recognition it deserves in the tourism sector in the coming years. The road renovation, financed by the government with almost HUF 620 million (EUR 1.6 million), is a new tourist project that will allow both farmers and landowners, as well as tourists coming to Tokaj-Hegyalja, to access the vineyards by bike or on foot. Zsofia Koncz, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Fidesz Member of Parliament for the region, said that in addition to the development of infrastructure, the construction of roads and bicycle paths, the accommodation and related services in Tokaj-Hegyalja have been expanded and developed in recent years. Four and five-star hotels have been built, and the services and attractions are constantly being developed and expanded. Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region is a historical wine region located in northeastern Hungary and southeastern Slovakia. It is also one of the seven larger wine regions of Hungary. It covers 88,124 hectares. In 2002, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed it on the World Heritage List as the Tokaj-Hegyalja Historic Wine Region Cultural Landscape. According to the Central Statistical Office, the number of guests in June was 3.8 percent higher and the number of overnight stays was 0.8 percent lower than last year. The number of overnight stays by domestic guests fell by 10 percent, while the number of overnight stays by foreign guests rose by 14 percent. From January to June 2023, domestic guests spent eight percent fewer nights and foreign guests spent 13 percent more nights in tourist accommodations than during the same period last year. The most popular tourist regions include Lake Balaton, being particularly popular with foreign guests, and the Matra and Bukk Mountains. Here Are the Most Popular Foreign Tourist Destinations in Hungary The capital, Lake Balaton, and the major spa towns were again the most popular domestic destinations last year. However, the picture is different for domestic and foreign tourists. While domestic tourism became predominant mainly during the COVID epidemic, by 2022, the number of nights spent by foreigners had already surpassed that of domestic tourists (13,400 and 8,800 respectively), according to research by the Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation, reports Magyar Nemzet. As a result of the recovery, foreign visitors are gradually returning to Hungarian tourist destinations. Foreign tourists arriving last year mainly visited Budapest. Among rural destinations, spa town Heviz, Buk, Sarvar, in western Hungary, Hajduszoboszlo and Debrecen in eastern Hungary, Siofok and Balatonfured around Lake Balaton), Gyor (northwestern Hungary), and Szeged (southern Hungary) were the most popular. The capital was also visited by many Hungarians, but while Budapest was the destination of choice for around three quarters of foreigners, only a quarter of Hungarians chose Budapest. Of the rural destinations, the most visited were the settlements around Lake Balaton, especially Siofok and Balatonfured. These cities were followed by spa towns: Hajduszoboszlo, Zalakaros, Heviz, Gyula, Eger, Miskolc, and Buk. Although foreign tourists are most likely to visit Budapest, there are also some popular destinations in the countryside for them as well. Heviz has typically been a favorite destination for Russian tourists, but numbers have recently fallen due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, and the town is trying to make up for lost visitors from other markets, mainly from neighboring countries such as Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic, as well as Germany, already being a traditional market for Heviz tourism. In 2022, the total number of tourist nights exceeded one million, meaning that the recovery after the epidemic has continued and has partially replaced Russian visitors. Hajduszoboszlo (eastern Hungary) is mainly visited by Poles and Romanians, but also by tourists from Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and other EU countries. Spa town Buk (in western Hungary, close to the Austrian border) is the third most popular destination, with the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, and Slovakia being the most important markets for visitors. Tourism has become the third largest export sector in the world, behind trade in fuels and chemicals. In the last few years, international tourism has experienced a boom, accounting for seven percent of total world exports in 2016. It stimulates the economy in many ways, contributes to a countrys GDP growth, and plays an important role in employment. In addition, tourism has a very positive impact on a countrys balance of payments, i.e. tourism generates foreign income for the country. At the same time, the sector generates significant foreign exchange and foreign currency earnings, and increases demand for domestic currency, which strengthens its exchange rate. As leisure time abroad means that income earned at home is spent abroad, worsening the balance of payments i.e. income flows out of the country it is important that the government provides incentives to support the sector. The Hungarian government has introduced a number of such incentives. The Szechenyi Pension Card (SZEP Card) is a fringe benefit within the framework of the cafeteria system that employees can receive from their employer. It is one of the most important instruments to stimulate domestic tourism, with the basic aim of increasing the turnover of tourism service providers and helping them to operate profitably. The Kisfaludy program is one of the key pillars of the National Tourism Development Strategy 2030 Tourism 2.0 adopted by the government. The aim of the governments umbrella program, bringing together the largest-ever domestic tourism developments, is to make Hungary the tourism hub of Central Europe by 2030. In addition, the sector has also received targeted support in recent years, including during the COVID epidemic. MTI Photo: Peter Komka BRONX, NEW YORK (AP) Before it was a global movement, it was simply an expression of life and struggle: a culture that was synonymous with hardship and suffering, but also grit, resilience and creativity. Hip-hop rose from the ashes of a borough ablaze with poverty, urban decay and gang violence. It was music that had the sound of a city in collapse, but also had an air of defiance, said Mark Naison, history professor at Fordham University in the Bronx. Block parties and the various elements of hip-hop served as an outlet for creativity and an escape from the hardships of daily life. The four foundational elements of hip-hop DJing or turntablism, MCing or rapping, B-boying or break dancing and graffiti writing emerged from the Bronx as a cultural response to a community that was institutionally abandoned, said Rodrigo Venegas, also known as Rodstarz of the hip-hop duo Rebel Diaz, made up of two Chilean brothers in the Bronx. You want to cut our art programs? Were going to turn the whole city into a canvas. You want to cut our music programs? Were going to turn turntables into instruments. You want to silence our communities? Then were going to grab these microphones and use our voices, Venegas said. Subway cars heading into Manhattan were covered in graffiti in the 70s and 80s, after young writers tagged their names and messages from top to bottom. At a time when New York City politicians disparaged the Bronx and deemed it unworthy of investment, it was a way for teenagers and young adults to express themselves and take control of their narrative. It was a way to feel like we mattered, said Lloyd Murphy, who tagged his name as Topaz1. We saw New York City and the trains going by as a billboard to put your name on and say, Im somebody. Hip-hop eventually expanded across New York City, then to different parts of the country and the world. But as artists and hip-hop giants mark the 50th anniversary of a multi-billion dollar industry this month, the original birthplace of the movement remains the poorest section of New York City. The Bronx has yet to capitalize off the culture it created in any significant way. Story continues At the time of hip-hops inception, the Bronx had the highest poverty rate of not just New York City, but of all 62 counties in New York state. Fifty years later, it holds that same status. I do find it ironic that one of the richest parts of American culture comes from a place that is still one of the poorest parts of our country, said Majora Carter, an urban revitalization strategist and founder of The Boogie Down Grind, a cafe in the South Bronx that has images of old hip-hop party flyers from the 70s and 80s lining the walls and classic hip-hop jams playing over the speakers. Carter, 56, grew up just blocks away from where the cafe now sits in Hunts Point and lived the realities of urban blight. Her brother was killed in gang violence and she saw her neighborhood fall prey to drugs, prostitution and violent crime throughout her childhood. The earliest hip-hop culture was a reflection of those difficult realities in the South Bronx. New York City as a whole was facing bankruptcy in the 70s, and the Bronx, which was already suffering from disinvestment, redlining, resident displacement and white and middle-class flight, descended into urban decay. The world was not flowers and butterflies and sunshine, especially if you were living in the Fort Apache section of the South Bronx, said graffiti writer Edward Jamison, also known as Staff 161. Originally, the Fort Apache neighborhood was supported by the Black Panther Party. They worked security and distributed food through programs around the neighborhood. When they left, block crews filled the void. Those turned into street gangs. It took the murder of peace keeper Black Benjie of the Ghetto Brothers, a gang and music group in the South Bronx, for rival gangs to convene and sign a peace treaty. It was this truce that paved the way for block parties to be held in the Bronx and for residents from different neighborhoods to attend them freely, without fear of street violence. In the wake of that peace treaty, 18-year-old Clive Campbell, also known as DJ Kool Herc, threw a back-to-school party with his younger sister in the recreation room of an apartment building on Sedgwick Avenue one August day in 1973. Herc introduced the attendees to the break extending the musical beat between verses to allow for longer periods of dancing. A musical phenomenon was born. For those who call the Bronx home today, it can be an uphill battle to counter the narrative that their neighborhoods are a lost cause. After years of proposals, the Universal Hip-Hop Museum is expected to open its doors in 2025. The hope is that the development, which will include affordable housing and retail space, will make the South Bronx a destination for tourists and New York City residents, and will capitalize off of the legacy of hip-hop. Venegas and his brother grew up in Chicago but formed their musical identities after moving to the Bronx in the early 2000s. They lead workshops and host events at the BronxArtSpace to support the culture of hip-hop in the Bronx as the birthplace of the movement, with a particular emphasis on using it as a tool in struggles against oppression, from the Bronx to around the world. Were trying to maintain the legacy of hip-hop through liberation, he said. __ Noreen Nasir is a New York-based member of the APs Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on social media: https://www.twitter.com/noreensnasir. The show is also an ideal opportunity for overseas buyers to gain access to some of the leading domestic suppliers in the industry. With both spring and autumn editions in Shanghai, the show provides an excellent opportunity for overseas suppliers to build stronger relationships in the region and increase their presence in the market. New Delhi: Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani on Wednesday alleged that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi gave a "flying kiss" to female parliamentarians before leaving the Lok Sabha after concluding his speech during the no-trust vote debate in Parliament. Irani raised strong objections to the Wayanad MP's behaviour, calling it an "undignified conduct" not seen ever before in Parliament. "I object to something. The one who was given the chance to speak before me displayed indecency before leaving. It is only a misogynistic man who can give a flying kiss to a Parliament which seats female members of Parliament. Such undignified conduct was never before seen in the Parliament of the country," Irani said. #WATCH | Union Minister and BJP MP Smriti Irani says, "I object to something. The one who was given the chance to speak before me displayed indecency before leaving. It is only a misogynistic man who can give a flying kiss to a Parliament which seats female members of Parliament. pic.twitter.com/xjEePHKPKN ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2023 BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla called it a "shameful behaviour by Rahul Gandhi". "Last time aankh maari. This time he blows a 'flying kiss'. Shameful behaviour by Rahul Gandhi vis a vis Smriti Irani ji. Is this not disgraceful and chichora type behaviour? Ironical he speaks about women issues," Poonawalla tweeted. You Have Killed India In Manipur: Rahul Gandhi Earlier, Rahul Gandhi made a blistering attack against the BJP over violence in Manipur and alleged that its politics had "murdered Bharat Mata" in the northeastern state and termed members of the ruling party "traitors". Participating in the no-confidence motion debate, Gandhi also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur and alleged that he does not consider the state to be part of India. "I went to Manipur a few days ago. Our prime minister has not gone there, he has not gone there till now. He does not consider the Manipur part of India. I used the word Manipur, but the reality is there is no Manipur left. You have divided Manipur into two parts, you have broken up Manipur," Gandhi said. Rahul Gandhi said he visited Manipur and met women and children at the relief camps, but the prime minister had not done. The prime minister was not in the House when Gandhi spoke. "I asked a woman, 'What happened with you?' She said, 'My small son, an only child, was shot before my eyes. I spent the whole night with the body of my child and then I felt afraid. I left my house. I asked her if she had brought along something with her and she said only the clothes she wearing and a photo," Gandhi said, narrating his experiences. In another camp, he said he asked a woman the same question - "What happened to you?" As he did so, she started trembling and fainted. "These are the two examples. In Manipur, they (BJP) have murdered Hindustan. Their politics has not killed Manipur but killed Hindustan in Manipur. Hindustan has been murdered in Manipur....By killing the people of Manipur you have murdered Bharat Mata, you are not desh bhakts (patriots) but deshdrohis (traitors)," the former Congress chief said. As the treasury benches protested and slammed Gandhi, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress leader should apologise for his remarks as it is the Congress which is responsible for insurgency and other problems in the northeast. Continuing his no-holds-barred attack against the government in his over 30-minute speech, Gandhi went on to say that it is the Army that can bring peace to Manipur but the government is not deploying it. "You have murdered the voice of India, which means you have murdered Bharat Mata in Manipur... My mother is sitting here. The other mother, Bharat Mata, you killed in Manipur," he said, pointing to Sonia Gandhi who was present in the House. "You have sprinkled kerosene everywhere. You have set fire to Manipur. You are now trying the same thing in Haryana," he added, referring to recent communal clashes in Gurugram and Nuh. Gandhi alleged that the prime minister listens to only two people, Amit Shah and Gautam Adani, just as Ravan paid heed to only two. He did not elaborate on the point. The former Congress president also said the Bharat Jodo Yatra is not over and he undertook the cross-country march to understand what was it he loved and for what had he faced abuse for 10 years. The Congress leader also thanked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for reinstating his membership of the House. "The last time I spoke, I also caused you (Birla) pain. I focussed on Adani ji with such intensity, your senior leaders felt pain. That pain also affected you, for that I apologise to you," Gandhi told Birla. "I only spoke the truth. My BJP friends you need not be afraid because my speech today will not be focussed on us. Rumi said, 'Jo shabd dil se aate hain woh dil mein jaate hain'. Will not attack you much." "I walked from one end of the country to another, from the coast to the snowy mountains of Kashmir. The yatra is still not over ... Many people asked me after it started, 'Rahul why did you walk, what is your aim'. "I did not know why I wanted to walk but I soon understood the thing that I love and the thing for which I am willing to die and go to Modi ji's jail, the thing for which I bore abuse for 10 years, I wanted to understand," he said. The no-confidence motion has been brought by the Congress on behalf of the opposition grouping INDIA. The debate was initiated on Tuesday by Congress' Gaurav Gogoi. It will conclude with the prime minister's reply on Thursday. Many Rajya Sabha members were in the gallery when he spoke. New Delhi: In a blistering attack against the BJP over violence in Manipur, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that its politics had "murdered Bharat Mata" in the northeastern state and termed members of the ruling party "traitors". Participating in the no-confidence motion debate, Gandhi also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur and alleged that he does not consider the state to be part of India. "I went to Manipur a few days ago. Our prime minister has not gone there, he has not gone there till now. He does not consider the Manipur part of India. I used the word Manipur, but the reality is there is no Manipur left. You have divided Manipur into two parts, you have broken up Manipur," Gandhi said. Rahul Gandhi said he visited Manipur and met women and children at the relief camps, but the prime minister had not done. The prime minister was not in the House when Gandhi spoke. "I asked a woman, 'What happened with you?' She said, 'My small son, an only child, was shot before my eyes. I spent the whole night with the body of my child and then I felt afraid. I left my house. I asked her if she had brought along something with her and she said only the clothes she wearing and a photo," Gandhi said, narrating his experiences. In another camp, he said he asked a woman the same question - "What happened to you?" As he did so, she started trembling and fainted. "These are the two examples. In Manipur, they (BJP) have murdered Hindustan. Their politics has not killed Manipur but killed Hindustan in Manipur. Hindustan has been murdered in Manipur....By killing the people of Manipur you have murdered Bharat Mata, you are not desh bhakts (patriots) but deshdrohis (traitors)," the former Congress chief said. As the treasury benches protested and slammed Gandhi, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress leader should apologise for his remarks as it is the Congress which is responsible for insurgency and other problems in the northeast. Continuing his no-holds-barred attack against the government in his over 30-minute speech, Gandhi went on to say that it is the Army that can bring peace to Manipur but the government is not deploying it. "You have murdered the voice of India, which means you have murdered Bharat Mata in Manipur... My mother is sitting here. The other mother, Bharat Mata, you killed in Manipur," he said, pointing to Sonia Gandhi who was present in the House. "You have sprinkled kerosene everywhere. You have set fire to Manipur. You are now trying the same thing in Haryana," he added, referring to recent communal clashes in Gurugram and Nuh. Gandhi alleged that the prime minister listens to only two people, Amit Shah and Gautam Adani, just as Ravan paid heed to only two. He did not elaborate on the point. The former Congress president also said the Bharat Jodo Yatra is not over and he undertook the cross-country march to understand what was it he loved and for what had he faced abuse for 10 years. The Congress leader also thanked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for reinstating his membership of the House. "The last time I spoke, I also caused you (Birla) pain. I focussed on Adani ji with such intensity, your senior leaders felt pain. That pain also affected you, for that I apologise to you," Gandhi told Birla. "I only spoke the truth. My BJP friends you need not be afraid because my speech today will not be focussed on us. Rumi said, 'Jo shabd dil se aate hain woh dil mein jaate hain'. Will not attack you much." "I walked from one end of the country to another, from the coast to the snowy mountains of Kashmir. The yatra is still not over ... Many people asked me after it started, 'Rahul why did you walk, what is your aim'. "I did not know why I wanted to walk but I soon understood the thing that I love and the thing for which I am willing to die and go to Modi ji's jail, the thing for which I bore abuse for 10 years, I wanted to understand," he said. The no-confidence motion has been brought by the Congress on behalf of the opposition grouping INDIA. The debate was initiated on Tuesday by Congress' Gaurav Gogoi. It will conclude with the prime minister's reply on Thursday. Many Rajya Sabha members were in the gallery when he spoke. New Delhi: In an apparent attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that he has been 'launched' in politics 13 times and has 'failed' 13 times. "In this House, there is a leader who has been launched in politics 13 times till now, and he has failed all thirteen times," Amit Shah said during the debate on the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, hours after the former Congress chief slammed the Narendra Modi government's handling of the Manipur situation. Shah also accused Rahul Gandhi of creating 'drama' during his recent tour to violence-hit Manipur when the government was ready to facilitate his visit to Churachandpur and other areas. He said that Gandhi refused the government's offer to visit Churachandpur by helicopter and insisted on making a road journey. "He resorted to satyagraha on day one and then took a helicopter ride to Churachandpur the next day," the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said and urged the opposition not to add fuel to the fire with such incidents. "I agree with the opposition that there is a cycle of violence in Manipur... Nobody can support such incidents. Whatever happened is shameful, but to politicise those events is even more shameful," he added. Through the House, the Union home minister also appealed 'with folded hands' to both the communities -- Meiti and Kuki -- that violence is not a solution to any problem. "Join the talks. Sit down with the Government and find a solution to the problem. Rumors only create an atmosphere of distrust," he said. He stated that 152 people were killed, 14,898 people arrested and 1,106 FIRs registered since violence erupted in the northeastern state on May 3. Shah also said that he had heard the speeches of opposition leaders and had reached the conclusion that this no-confidence motion was brought only to 'create confusion'. Speaking in the Lok Sabha. https://t.co/bgfC6O7nl8 Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 9, 2023 "Post-independence, if the nation has confidence in any leader, it is Narendra Modi who was elected twice with a complete majority. After 30 years, people elected a full majority government," the minister said. In a heartwarming act that transcends politics, Rahul Gandhi, a prominent Congress Member of Parliament, demonstrated his compassion by assisting an injured accident victim. This poignant incident unfolded just moments before deliberations on the No Confidence Motion commenced, a debate centered around the Manipur violence case. As Rahul Gandhi embarked on his journey from 10 Janpath to the Lok Sabha, a chance encounter with a road accident led him to display a remarkable example of empathy. Timely Intervention and Immediate Concern With promptness and empathy, Rahul Gandhi directed his security personnel to halt the convoy upon witnessing the accident. Approaching the injured scooter rider who had fallen, he inquired about their well-being and offered assistance. This spontaneous response showcased not only his humanitarian spirit but also exemplified a politician's willingness to prioritize the immediate needs of a distressed citizen over his own schedule and political matters. Social Media Reverberations Rahul Gandhi's compassionate act resonated widely across social media platforms, eliciting diverse reactions from the public. Many applauded his swift and genuine display of empathy, emphasizing the vital role of leaders in exhibiting such humane qualities. However, a degree of skepticism also surfaced, with some speculating about the authenticity of the incident for potential publicity gains. Regardless of varying perspectives, this incident underscores the significance of empathetic leadership and the impact of politicians engaging directly with the concerns of ordinary citizens. An Emblem of Leadership and Empathy As discussions surrounding the No Confidence Motion unfold within the parliamentary chambers, Rahul Gandhi's impromptu gesture shines a light on the intersection between politics and humanity. Beyond the legislative matters at hand, this incident provides insight into the personal values and character of a prominent political figure. Amid the debates, Rahul Gandhi's act reinforces the perception of his role as a leader who embodies empathy and responds to the needs of the people. #WATCH | Delhi | While exiting 10 Janpath, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, got off his car to inquire on a scooter-rider who got into an accident nearby. pic.twitter.com/5YprbtRc2K August 9, 2023 A Confluence of Values and Public Role Amidst the broader political landscape, Rahul Gandhi's decision to aid an accident victim en route to the Lok Sabha exemplifies the potency of small yet significant acts. As parliamentary sessions progress, this incident serves as a reminder of the potential of empathetic leadership to bridge the divide between politicians and the constituents they represent. Whether driven by genuine concern or strategic intent, this act resonates as a testament to the alignment of personal values, public responsibilities, and the dynamic nature of political engagement. In Conclusion Rahul Gandhi's compassionate response to an accident victim before attending parliamentary proceedings serves as a poignant reminder of the power of empathy in shaping public perception. Amidst the intricacies of political discourse, this instance reflects the evolving role of leaders as empathetic figures who can connect with citizens on a personal level. As political deliberations continue, this act remains a compelling symbol of the potential for compassionate leadership to forge stronger bonds between policymakers and the public they serve. Unexpected Luck: Having been born into a 'paisewala' family or winning the lottery must be the simplest methods to get wealthy! Well, what occurred to a man from Chile represents possibly a singular instance of how someone might envision getting wealthy and having a sizable amount of money in his bank account. Cleaning Gives Unexpected Wealth According to Reuters, Exequiel Hinojosa had his dream while looking over his late father's possessions. Exequiel was cleaning the house when he came upon an unassuming object that he initially assumed was trash but was actually his father's long-lost bank passbook. The bank account was only known to his father, and after his death ten years ago, the family was unaware of its existence. In the 1960s and 1970s, his father diligently tracked his savings in a passbook and was able to amass approximately 140,000 pesos towards the purchase of a home. The passbook was kept in a box after his father passed away for many years until Hinojosa discovered it among his father's possessions. Significant Indication Inscribed On Passbook After learning that the passbook's connected bank had long since closed, Exequiel's initial excitement gave way to doubt. But a ray of hope shone from a significant indication inscribed on the passbook: the words "State Guaranteed." This promise indicated that in the event the bank couldn't make payments, the government would take control. Exequiel initiated a legal dispute with the state, requesting that it uphold the government's commitment because, despite this guarantee, the current administration chose not to honor it. "That money belongs to our family." Hinojosa stated and further claimed, "He saved it by working really hard. The family didn't even know the passbook existed until we recovered it." The government was reportedly ordered to return an amazing 1 billion Chilean pesos, or 1.2 million dollars (about Rs 10 crore), together with accrued interest and allowances, after the lower court apparently decided in Exequiel's favor. The revelation of this staggering sum had put the state and Hinojosa through a lot of pain, since the case had gone all the way to the Supreme Court. It is still unclear how the case will turn out because the current administration has appealed the lower court's ruling to the apex Court. Exequiel's narrative teaches us a valuable life lesson, despite the fact that the ending is still uncertain: even seemingly insignificant things occasionally have the power to change the course of events. Because 'dene wala jab bhi deta deta chappar phadke.' New Delhi: Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the maestro of visual storytelling, has always been hailed for his remarkable contributions to the film industry. His movies have transcended boundaries, captivating audiences with their brilliance and emotional depth. Today, Indias most sought-after legendary director Bhansali marks 27 years since his debut with Khamoshi: The Musical, Bhansali Production has released a mesmerizing mixtape that encapsulates the musical beauty that Khamoshi is. Khamoshi: The Musical, the debut film which marked the inception of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial voyage, has now completed 27 years, a testament to his genius. The asset shared comprised 'Aaj Main Upar' by Kavita Krishnamurthy & Kumar Sanu, 'Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai' by Kavita Krishnamurthy, and 'Bahon Ke Darmiyan' by Alka Yagnik and Hariharan. The caption read Here's to Khamoshi: The Musical. A timeless journey of love, song and emotions CELEBRATING Celebrating 27 years of mesmerizing melodies #SanjayLeelaBhansali #Khamoshi #KhamoshiTheMusical #27YearsOfKhamoshiTheMusical @beingsalmankhan @m_koirala From the poignant Khamoshi to the recent masterpiece Gangubai Kathiawadi, Bhansali has definitely come a long way as a filmmaker. His films have traversed diverse genres, offering a kaleidoscope of emotions, and his legacy continues to shine brightly in the world of Indian Cinema. New Delhi: People without a strong sense of self-worth always attribute their failure to bad luck and other people. You must read about Balvant Parekh, known as "India's Fevicol Man," if you want to learn how to achieve success against all odds and challenges. One of the first-generation businesspeople in India after independence, Balvant Parekh helped to improve the country's economic standing. Who Is Balvant Parekh? In Gujarat's Bhavnagar district, in the little town of Mahuva, Balvant Parekh was born. Balvant aspired to start his own business as many Gujaratis did, but his parents preferred that he pursue a legal career. Balvant Parekh relocated to Mumbai to attend the Government Law College as a result of intense family pressure. Participated In Quit India Movement At Mumbai's Government Law College, Balvant Parekh pursued his education. It was a time when Mahatma Gandhi's ideas influenced practically the entire nation. Balvant Parekh joined the Quit India Movement alongside many other members of the younger generation, quitting his education in the process. He initially stayed in Gujarat, his hometown, and took part in several social campaigns for India's freedom. Later, he returned to Mumbai to finish his degree. Was Balvant Parekh Advocate? Like his grandfather, Balvant Parekh's father desired for him to pursue a career in law. But he had no desire to pursue it as a career. His thoughts were fixed on succeeding in Mumbai, the city of dreams. He didn't study business, and neither did his family, yet he managed to amass fortune by working hard and creating a legendary brand. over earning his law degree and passing the bar council examinations, he resigned the profession due to his discomfort with the myriad of lies that came with it, over the opposition of his family. Balvant married Kantaben without having any work to his name and soon found himself in debt. Thus, in order to support himself, he first worked at a printing and dyeing press before joining a wood trader's office as a peon. Failures And Upsets Galore He had to fend for himself and exist without any help, which made it difficult for him. Balvant and his wife were residing in a friend's warehouse at the time. Peon's employment was not working out for him, and he was looking for a better chance. Here, he had started making contacts and had started giving the appropriate businessmen a list of import-export commodities. Balvant was given the chance to visit Germany thanks to one of these connections. He picked up business hints and tips while on his journey abroad, which later helped. While working for a company that represented Hoechst in India, Parekh received his first significant break. Later, in 1954, he established his business in Mumbai's Jacob Circle with Parekh Dyechem Industries. Here, Balvant Parekh and his brother Sushil Parekh began producing pigment emulsions for textile printing. Since adhesives were being marketed unbranded at the time, Pidilite was founded later, in 1959, as an industrial chemicals company. Since that time, Fevicol has come to be associated with glue, and Indian carpenters are devoted users. Fevicol Pidilite Industries, which had only one little shop at its inception and produced just one product, quickly found success in the Indian market after Fevicol was successful in establishing a monopoly in the adhesive industry. After that, Pidilite introduced two other products, Feviquick and M-Seal, which went on to amass market shares of roughly 70 percent apiece, making Pidilite the well-known and preferred brand of adhesives in the nation. Yes, we all know how to brush and floss our teeth, but do we know that there are certain dos and don'ts that we might not be familiar with? Ankit Agarwal, Co-Founder of Fang, a new-age preventive oral care brand, takes us through the below: 1. Brush at least twice a day: Ideally, you should brush in the morning and before bedtime. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and upgrade to good-quality toothpaste which will make a measurable difference to your oral health. 2. Use the right brushing technique: Hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gum line and use short, gentle back-and-forth strokes. Pay equal attention to the outer, inner, and chewing surfaces of your teeth. Don't forget to brush your tongue gently to remove bacteria and freshen your breath. 3. Brush for at least two minutes: The recommended brushing time is at least two minutes. Many people tend to brush for less time, which may leave behind plaque and bacteria. To ensure thorough cleaning, divide your mouth into four sections and spend about 30 seconds on each quadrant. If all this is too complicated, consider upgrading to a good-quality electric toothbrush. 4. Floss daily: Flossing removes food particles and plaque from between the teeth, where the toothbrush can't reach. Make it a habit to floss at least once a day, preferably before bedtime. Gently slide the floss between your teeth and curve it around the tooth in a C shape, ensuring you reach below the gumline. 5. Choose the right flossing technique: Some people find traditional flossing challenging, especially if they have limited dexterity or tightly spaced teeth. In such cases, consider using floss picks, interdental brushes, or water flossers as alternatives. These tools can be just as effective in cleaning between the teeth and along the gumline. 6. Don't forget the back teeth: It's easy to focus on the front teeth while brushing, but the back teeth (molars) are just as important. These teeth are susceptible to cavities and plaque build-up, so be sure to give them proper attention while brushing and flossing. 7. Replace your toothbrush regularly: Over time, toothbrush bristles can become frayed and less effective in cleaning your teeth. Replace your toothbrush every three to four months or sooner if the bristles show signs of wear. Using a worn-out toothbrush can be less efficient and may not provide the same level of cleaning. Lastly, Ankit advises, We Indians have poor oral care habits and very high rates of dental diseases. Question your product choices and schedule regular dental check-ups to avoid painful procedures later. A healthy mouth contributes to a healthy body, so prioritize your oral health and enjoy the benefits of a beautiful smile! Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see International Game Technology PLC (NYSE:IGT) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase International Game Technology's shares before the 14th of August to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 29th of August. The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.20 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.80 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, International Game Technology stock has a trailing yield of around 2.5% on the current share price of $32.62. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing. Check out our latest analysis for International Game Technology Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. International Game Technology paid out 60% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 32% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. Story continues Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. That's why it's comforting to see International Game Technology's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 30% per annum for the past five years. Management appears to be striking a nice balance between reinvesting for growth and paying dividends to shareholders. With a reasonable payout ratio, profits being reinvested, and some earnings growth, International Game Technology could have strong prospects for future increases to the dividend. The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. International Game Technology's dividend payments are broadly unchanged compared to where they were eight years ago. To Sum It Up Is International Game Technology worth buying for its dividend? International Game Technology's growing earnings per share and conservative payout ratios make for a decent combination. We also like that it paid out a lower percentage of its cash flow. Overall we think this is an attractive combination and worthy of further research. While it's tempting to invest in International Game Technology for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with International Game Technology (including 1 which doesn't sit too well with us). If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Medical cannabis, with its potential to alleviate various health conditions, has captured public interest and controversy. However, amidst the growing fascination, a plethora of misconceptions have emerged. Richa Jaggi, Co-Founder, of Awshad, a medical cannabis wellness startup, dispels ten common myths surrounding medical cannabis, shedding light on the truth and providing a clearer understanding of its properties and effects. Myth 1: Medical cannabis is illegal in India Fact: In January, 2022, the Central Government supported the Delhi High Court's decision, allowing the medical use of Vijaya in the country. Additionally, the Central Government authorised State Governments to oversee the cultivation, production, transportation, import/export, and sale of Vijaya and its cannabis-based medicines for various purposes, including industry, horticulture, science, and medicine. Myth 2: CBD and cannabis are synonymous Fact: The cannabis plant, scientifically known as Cannabis sativa, boasts a diverse array of substances called cannabinoids. Researchers have identified over a hundred different cannabinoids, each with distinct properties. CBD (cannabidiol) is one of these compounds, and it does not encapsulate the entirety of the cannabis plant's complexity. Myth 3: Medical cannabis leads to addiction Fact: The chances of addiction are higher when we use Cannabis that has a lot of THC often. The psychoactive effects of cannabis stem from THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), a chemical compound present in the plant. However, not all medical products contain significant THC levels. CBD, for instance, exhibits substantial medical value without causing intoxication or euphoria. Myth 4: CBD isn't safe Fact: In 2017, the World Health Organisation (WHO) addressed concerns regarding the CBD's safety. Their comprehensive report affirmed that naturally occurring CBD is well-tolerated by humans and lacks associations with adverse public health effects. Myth 5: CBD products yield immediate effects Fact: While cannabis can trigger rapid psychoactive reactions, CBD's impact is distinctly gradual. Most individuals notice the benefits of CBD over time, with effects becoming more pronounced after consistent usage of recommended dosages spanning days or weeks. Myth 6: Oral consumption is the sole effective method for CBD and medical cannabis Fact: A widely accepted misconception dictates that oral consumption is the exclusive route to harness the potential of CBD and medical cannabis. However, the truth is that topical applications of CBD are not equally potent and practiced, offering an alternative avenue for therapeutic benefits. Myth 7: CBD is a deceptive marketing ploy Fact: Amidst the influx of CBD products in the market, it's essential to discern between legitimate options and potential scams. While some products might appear questionable, it is unjust to label all CBD products as fraudulent. Medically supported items like CBD oil and tinctures have demonstrated effectiveness in various realms, solidifying their credibility. Myth 8: CBD has no health benefits Fact: Some people believe that CBD has no benefits on health and is merely a myth but in reality, numerous studies suggest that CBD has potential therapeutic properties, such as pain relief, anti-inflammatory effects, and potential use in managing certain medical conditions. Myth 9: Higher CBD dosages equate to quicker relief Fact: While the allure of faster results through higher dosages is understandable, it is not advisable. CBD dosages should be tailored to specific medical conditions and the CBD extract used. Instances exist where lower CBD doses have proven exceptionally effective. Therefore, adhering to medical advice is crucial. Myth 10: CBD is devoid of side effects Fact: Similar to any medicinal product, CBD is associated with mild side effects during the body's adjustment phase. Despite its natural and plant-based origins, CBD necessitates time for acclimatization. Comparatively, CBD's side effects are generally considered mild when juxtaposed with conventional medications. "Demystifying these ten myths contributes to a more accurate comprehension of medical cannabis and CBD use in India. Individuals seeking to explore the potential benefits of these substances should approach them with an informed perspective. Unraveling the misconceptions surrounding this multifaceted plant reveals a nuanced and intricate landscape. The distinction between CBD and cannabis emerges as a pivotal revelation, unveiling a spectrum of cannabinoids that extend beyond CBD's spotlight. Moreover, the notion of cannabis-induced highs dissipates in the face of CBD's non-intoxicating nature, establishing it as a promising therapeutic element", concludes Richa Jaggi. New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing his gratitude 'on behalf of the 2 crore people of Delhi' for voting against the Delhi Services Bill. In a letter dated August 8, 2023, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo thanked Singh for his 'sheer presence' in Rajya Sabha, when the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was passed on Monday. "I write to you expressing gratitude on behalf of the 2 crore people of Delhi for your party's support in rejecting and voting against the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill, 2023," Arvind Kejriwal said in his letter. "I would like to place on record the heartfelt appreciation that the people of Delhi have for you for championing the rights on the floor of the Rajya Sabha, despite your deteriorating health. Your presence by our side, despite the constraints imposed by your age and ailing health, conveyed a story of calm, grace and conviction to preserve India's democracy and federal structure against all odds," he added. ALSO READ | 'Extremely Shameful': BJP After Congress Brings Ailing Manmohan Singh To Rajya Sabha Kejriwal said that Singh's 'unflinching commitment towards the principles of our Constitution will be remembered for decades' and 'deeply inspire the coming generation of parliamentarians'. "Your sheer presence in the Rajya Sabha also sent a loud and clear message to all those forces working to weaken Indian democracy that any such attempts will be met with fierce resistance by political leaders cutting across age and party lines," he wrote further. He also said that as we center a new phase in the struggle for securing the rights of Delhi's citizens, we look forward to your continued support and guidance in the fight against forces that are undermining the Constitution. Kejriwal also wrote similar letters to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi and thanked them for their support in rejecting and voting against the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill, 2023. He also reportedly wrote to other Opposition leaders part of the INDIA bloc and thanked them. Earlier on Monday, Parliament passed the Delhi Services Bill,which gives the central government control over bureaucrats in the Delhi government, with the Rajya Sabha approving it with 131 votes in favour and 102 against. Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday summoned the civic chiefs of Mumbai and five other municipal corporations to court on Friday for not complying with its directions to keep roads and footpaths pothole-free. The HC said no action will be taken unless senior officials are made personally liable. Apart from the commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the chiefs of the Thane Municipal Corporation, Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation, Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation and Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation also have to appear before the court. A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor noted that directions have been passed by the high court since 2018 directing all civic bodies to strictly ensure that roads and footpaths are maintained and kept pothole-free. The court said that it has been five years and it appears that adequate action has not been taken by the civic bodies to ensure strict compliance of the orders. "We require the presence of the BMC Commissioner and the commissioners of the other municipal corporations to explain as to why they should not be made liable for disobedience and non-compliance of court orders," the bench said. The court was hearing a petition filed by an advocate, Ruju Thakker, seeking that contempt action be initiated against the civic authorities for failing to implement HC orders of 2018 directing the repair of potholes along all arterial roads in Mumbai and neighbouring areas. The bench questioned the civic bodies' inaction and said, "It has been five years since the first order was passed on the issue in 2018 and still the civic bodies have not been able to remove potholes." The court took note of the rising number of accidents due to the poor condition of roads, potholes and manholes and said no action will be taken unless senior officials are made personally liable. The bench said the commissioners are in contempt of court as they have not complied with the court orders. "Ideally before every monsoon, each civic body ought to carry out a survey of potholes and manholes in their jurisdiction," the court said. The bench also set up a commission comprising two lawyers to inquire and ascertain the cause of death of a 32-year-old biker in Kalyan district. As per newspaper reports, the biker fell down while trying to dodge a pothole and was run over by a dumper. The Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), however, in its affidavit submitted in court on Wednesday, said the biker fell not because of a pothole but because of a narrow and congested road. "In view of this denial on cause of death by the KDMC, we need to ascertain if the death has occurred on account of the poor condition of the road and potholes. We thus appoint a commission comprising of two lawyers to inquire and ascertain if the biker had died due to dodging of a pothole or otherwise," the court said. In a unanimous and noteworthy decision within the Kerala Legislative Assembly, a proposal to alter the nomenclature of the state has gained traction. The Kerala government has formally appealed to the central administration to consider renaming the state as 'Keralam'. This alteration has prompted a plea for a constitutional amendment, as the present constitution designates the state as 'Kerala'. Paving the way for official endorsement, the state government has emphasized the need for this change. Decoding the Historical Significance of 'Keralam' and 'Kerala' The term 'Keralam' finds its etymological roots in the Malayalam language, while 'Kerala' is the prevalent appellation in English and various other languages. The ongoing drive to rechristen the state is not without precedence; such a proposition has been proposed in the past. 'Keralam' has historical connotations, with traces of its usage documented in antiquity. As the first schedule of the Indian constitution currently lists the state as 'Kerala', the state government's aspiration for a constitutional amendment seeks to officially embrace the title 'Keralam'. Unraveling the Linguistic and Symbolic Connotations of 'Keralam' The term 'Keralam' is inherently intertwined with the rich tapestry of the Malayalam language and culture. It is in this regional dialect that the state's moniker resonates most profoundly. Furthermore, religious folklore attributes the genesis of 'Keralam' to the legendary figure of Lord Parasurama, who reclaimed land from the ocean, originally christening it as 'Cheranaalum' before the evolution into 'Keralam'. The moniker encapsulates the juncture of the sea and mountains, a unique geographical facet emblematic of the state. The Evolutionary Trajectory of Kerala's Appellation Occupying a prominent space in the southwestern expanse of India, Kerala boasts a time-honored heritage. The amalgamation of the princely states of Travancore and Cochin culminated in the formation of Travancore-Cochin on July 1, 1949. The subsequent adoption of the States Reorganization Act in 1956 heralded the transition from 'Travancore-Cochin' to 'Kerala' on November 1, 1956. This transformation was underscored by the prevalence of the Malayalam language, serving as a testament to the state's distinct cultural identity. The Rationalization Behind 'Keralam' A salient argument underpinning the plea for 'Keralam' originates from its prevalence within the Malayalam linguistic spectrum. This linguistic prerogative finds historical resonance, gaining prominence in the aftermath of the linguistic reorganization on November 1, 1956. The endeavor of the state government centers around amending Article 3 of the Constitution, encompassing the inclusion of 'Keralam' across all languages delineated in the Eighth Schedule. Should this proposition garner the collective approval of both Parliament and the President, the state could see a formal transition to 'Keralam'. Navigating the Constitutional Voyage of Name Alteration Legal luminary Vishal Arun Mishra elucidates that Article 3 of the Indian Constitution grants the constitutional authority to alter state boundaries, demarcations, or designations, be it by renaming or establishing new states. The state government's overture seeks to advocate for 'Keralam' to be incorporated into all languages enlisted under the Eighth Schedule. This multifaceted procedure involves endorsement by Parliament and subsequent submission to the state legislatures, ultimately culminating in presidential scrutiny. While the state assembly's stance lacks binding influence, a dual endorsement by both Parliament and the President could potentially christen the state as 'Keralam'. Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala assembly on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to officially change the state's name to 'Keralam'. The resolution was moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who urged the central government to change the state's name to 'Keralam' in all languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. The resolution was accepted by the Congress-led UDF opposition which did not suggest any amendments or modifications in it. Subsequently, it was declared as unanimously adopted by the assembly by Speaker A N Shamseer based on a show of hands. Presenting the resolution, the CM said that the state was called 'Keralam' in Malayalam, but in other languages it was still Kerala. He said that the need to form a united Kerala for the Malayalam-speaking communities had strongly emerged since the time of the national freedom struggle. "But the name of our state is written as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution." "This Assembly unanimously requests the Union Government to take immediate steps to amend it as 'Keralam' under Article 3 of the Constitution and it be renamed as 'Keralam' in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution," he said. Kerala assembly curtails session in the wake of Puthuppally bypoll The Kerala assembly on Wednesday decided to cut short its ongoing session in the wake of the upcoming bypoll in the Puthuppally constituency, which fell vacant after the demise of Congress stalwart and former chief minister Oommen Chandy on July 18. The session that was scheduled to be held from August 11 to August 24 has been postponed to September 11-14. The decision was taken based on the recommendation of the assembly's Business Advisory Committee, headed by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a meeting held during the day. The committee decided to recommend that the list of businesses scheduled from August 11 to August 24 be taken up between September 11 to 14, its report tabled in the House said. The assembly session that began on August 7 was scheduled to be concluded on August 24. The Election Commission had on Tuesday declared September 5 as the date for bypoll in Puthuppally assembly constituency in Kottayam district. Within hours of the bypoll date being declared, the Congress announced that Chandy's son -- Chandy Oommen -- would be the party's candidate for the byelection. The Congress also stepped into campaigning mode today. The ruling Left Front in the state is yet to announce its candidate for the constituency, which was held by Congress for 53 years straight thanks to Chandy's popularity in the area. Chandigarh: Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Tuesday indicated that there were shortcomings of the administration in assessing the situation in Nuh, where a communal violence erupted on July 31 during a religious procession. The state government has extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services in the district till August 11, where conditions are "still critical and tense". Chautala said the additional DGP (law and order) had stated that permission for a procession having 3,200 people was taken by the organisers, and accordingly the police force was deployed. "...Lack of assessment by administration which could not assess this entire episode properly. Nuh SP (now transferred) was on leave since July 22, the one who had additional charge could not assess it properly and the officials from whom permission (for the procession) was taken they too could not assess it properly. It is a point which is under investigation," he told reporters here when asked whether there was an intelligence failure to assess the situation. The JJP leader had earlier said that the organisers of the religious procession, which was attacked in Nuh by a mob, did not give a proper estimation of the expected turnout to the district administration, a lapse which may have led to the violence. Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the communal clashes that erupted in Nuh when a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was attacked by mobs. A total of 312 persons have been arrested and 142 FIRs registered so far in connection with the communal clashes in Haryana, Home Minister Anil Vij said in a statement on Tuesday When asked when did he get information about the July 31 incident, Chautala replied, "I came to know about it at 1:30 pm...I talked to ADGP (CID) and requested that SP Bhiwani be sent there (Nuh). "For the first time, such atmosphere in the state has been created in a planned manner and strict action will be taken against those involved, be it a minor or major, he said when asked that some teenagers were stated to be part of those who indulged in stone pelting on the procession. On allegations that "one sided action was being taken", Chautala said all those being arrested do not belong to a particular caste or community. Referring to communal clashes, the deputy CM said the government was able "to control the situation within seven hours. In some other states, it has been seen such an incident continued for two-three weeks. I think it was our efficiency that we were able to curb anti-social elements". Curfew has been relaxed and it will be lifted gradually, he said. The government on Tuesday evening extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services in Nuh district till August 11 to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order. "It has been brought to my notice by Deputy Commissioner, Nuh, that the conditions are still critical and tense in the district. In order to stop the spread of misinformation and rumours through various social media platforms...the suspension of mobile internet services and bulk SMS, excluding banking and mobile recharge, has been ordered in the jurisdiction of district Nuh," said an order issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) T V S N Prasad. The Gurugram police on Tuesday arrested three out of five accused for allegedly starting a fire in a mazar at Khandsa village. According to police, the five men committed the act after getting influenced by social media posts on the communal clashes that began in the neighbouring Nuh district and spread to parts of the city and nearby areas last week. Meanwhile, Muslim body Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has moved the Supreme Court seeking directions for rehabilitation of those whose homes were razed by authorities in Nuh district of Haryana in the past few days. The organisation of Muslim scholars, in a statement, said though the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a halt on Monday to the demolition drive in violence-hit Nuh, it did not order rehabilitation of those displaced and compensation to them. A 10-member delegation of Haryana Congress led by its president Udai Bhan was stopped from entering violence-hit villages of Nuh district. Citing curfew imposed in the area and security concerns for the delegation, a senior police officer said the delegation was stopped at Rojka Meo village. The delegation returned after that, police said. On Wednesday, a delegation of the ruling BJP's Haryana unit will visit Nuh and take stock of the situation in the district. The opposition Aam Aadmi Party's Haryana unit chief, Sushil Gupta, said a delegation of his party will visit the "violence-affected people of Mewat area" the same day. According to the BJP's state unit release, the party delegation will be led by Haryana BJP chief O P Dhankar and will also comprise state minister Banwari Lal and some party MLAs. Meanwhile, the government has transferred Nuh DSP Jai Prakash to Panchkula. Prakash is the third officer after SP Varun Singla and Deputy Commissioner Prashant Panwar who have been transferred from Nuh since the violence erupted on July 31. Nuh SP Narender Bijarnia on Tuesday said that a search operation is being conducted to arrest the accused in connection with the violence. So far 57 FIRs have been registered and 170 people have been arrested in Nuh district. Apart from 1,900 police personnel, 31 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed to maintain law and order in the district. Posts on social media over missing people/women are misleading, said Bijarnia. In Gurugram, police have registered a case for giving provocative speech in the mahapanchayat organized in Tigra on Sunday to protest the arrest of four men accused of killing a cleric. New Delhi: As the Lok Sabha debates a no-confidence motion brought against the Narendra Modi government by the opposition, the 28th such motion to be admitted in the Lower House, data compiled by a think tank shows all previous ones have either been defeated or remained inconclusive. However, at least thrice governments have fallen during a vote on a "motion of confidence", which is a motion brought by the government to prove its strength. A no-confidence motion is a formal proposal moved by a member against the government in Lok Sabha under Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. Most number of no-confidence motions moved against Indira Gandhi-led govt According to data compiled by PRS Legislative Research, the highest number of no-confidence motions - 15 - in the history of independent India was moved against governments led by Indira Gandhi. Longest-serving prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, whose tenure lasted 16 years and 286 days, faced only one no-confidence motion, which was moved in the aftermath of India's bitter loss to China in the 1962 war. The motion was, however, defeated. The only time a no-confidence motion triggered the fall of a government was in 1979. A motion moved against the Morarji Desai government had led to his resignation, even as the debate remained inconclusive and there was no voting. Thrice governments have fallen during the vote of confidence - the V P Singh government in 1990, the H D Deve Gowda government in 1997 and the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1999. On November 7, 1990, V P Singh moved a Motion of Confidence. The motion was defeated after the BJP withdrew its support over the Ram temple issue. He lost the motion by 142 votes to 346 votes. In 1997, the H D Deve Gowda government lost a vote of confidence on April 11. Deve Gowda's 10-month-old coalition government fell as 292 MPs voted against the government, while 158 MPs supported it. After coming to power in 1998, Atal Bihari Vajpayee moved a confidence motion, which he lost by one vote on April 17, 1999, due to the withdrawal of support by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). List of no-confidence motions moved previously: 1. August 1963 - The first ever no-confidence motion was moved in the third Lok Sabha in August 1963 against Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru by Congress leader Acharya Kripalani. This was immediately after losing to China in the 1962 war. The debate went on for four days, for over 20 hours. Eventually, the motion was defeated, with only 62 MPs supporting it and 347 opposing it. 2. September 1964 - A no-confidence motion was moved by N C Chatterjee against the government of Lal Bahadur Shastri. Voting took place on September 18, 1964, and 307 MPs voted against the motion while 50 voted for it. The motion was defeated. 3. March 1965 - The motion was moved by Kendrapara MP S N Dwivedy against the Lal Bahadur Shastri government. The debate took place on March 16, 1965, and the motion was defeated with only 44 MPs supporting it, while 315 voted against it. 4. August 1965 - A no-confidence motion was moved by erstwhile Swatantra Party MP MR Masani. Voting took place on August 26, 1965, and was negated with only 66 MPs supporting it, while 318 MPs opposed the motion. 5. August 1966 - Indira Gandhi, a Rajya Sabha MP at the time took over as the Prime Minister in January 1966. A no-confidence motion against her government was moved by Communist Party of India MP Hirendranath Mukherjee. The motion was supported by 61 MPs, while 270 MPs opposed it and the motion was defeated. 6. November 1966 - Indira Gandhi's government faced a second no-confidence motion in a year, which was moved by UM Trivedi, a noted lawyer and politician of Bharatiya Jan Sangh. The motion was defeated with 36 MPs supporting it, and 235 MPs voting against it. 7. March 1976 - In the fourth Lok Sabha, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had moved a no-confidence motion against the Indira Gandhi government. The trust vote took place on March 20, 1967, and 162 MPs voted against the government, while 257 voted in support. This was the highest number of votes polled in support of a no-confidence motion against the government at the time. 8. November 1967 - A no-confidence motion was moved by Madhu Limaye against the Indira Gandhi government. Voting took place on November 24, 1967, and was defeated with 88 MPs supporting it, and 215 MPs opposing it. 9. February 1968 - A no-confidence motion was moved by Balraj Madhok against the Indira Gandhi government. Voting took place on February 28, 1968, and was defeated with 75 MPs supporting it, and 215 MPs opposing it. 10. November 1968 - A no-confidence motion was moved against the Indira Gandhi government by Bharatiya Jana Sangh's Kanwar Lal Gupta. Voting took place on November 13, 1968, and was defeated with 90 MPs supporting it, and 222 opposing it. 11. February 1969 - A motion was moved against the government led by Indira Gandhi by Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader P Ramamurti. The motion was supported by 86 MPs, and opposed by 215 MPs. The motion was defeated. 12. July 1970 - A motion was moved against the Indira Gandhi government by Madhu Limaye. The motion got the support of 137 MPs and was opposed by 243 MPs. The motion was defeated. 13. November 1973 - A motion was moved against the Indira Gandhi government by CPI-M MP Jyotirmoy Basu. The motion was defeated, with 251 MPs opposing it while 54 MPs supported it. 14. May 1974 - Jyotirmoy Basu again moved a motion against the Indira Gandhi government. The motion was defeated on May 10, 1974, by voice vote. 15. July 1974 - A no-confidence motion was moved by Jyotirmoy Basu against the Indira Gandhi government. Voting took place on July 25, 1974, and was supported by 63 MPs while 297 opposed it. The motion was defeated. 16. May 1975 - A little more than a month before the Emergency was enforced on June 25, 1975, a no-confidence motion was moved by Jyotirmoy Basu again. The motion was defeated by voice vote on May 9, 1975. 17. May 1978 - A no-confidence motion was moved against the Morarji Desai government by then leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha C M Stephen. On May 11, 1978, the motion was defeated by voice vote. 18. July 1979 - A no-confidence motion was moved against the Morarji Desai government by YB Chavan. Even though the debate remained inconclusive, Desai resigned from his post and retired from politics. This was the only time a government fell following a no-confidence motion, even as there was no voting on the motion. 19. May 1981 - In the seventh Lok Sabha, a no-confidence motion was moved against Indira Gandhi government by George Fernandes. Voting took place on May 9, 1981. It was supported by 92 MPs and opposed by 278 MPs. The motion was defeated. 20. September 1981 - A motion against the Indira Gandhi government was moved by CPI-M MP Samar Mukherjee. Voting took place on September 17, 1981, and was supported by 86 MPs, while it was opposed by 297 MPs. 21. August 1982 - A no-confidence motion was moved against Indira Gandhi government by HN Bahuguna, a former Congress leader who quit the party when the Emergency was implemented. Voting took place on August 16, 1982, and was supported by 112 MPs while 333 opposed it. The motion was defeated. 22. December 1987 - A no-confidence motion was moved against the Rajiv Gandhi government by C. Madhava Reddy. On December 11, 1982, the motion was defeated by a voice vote. 23. July 1992 - A no-confidence motion was moved against the P V Narasimha Rao government by BJP's Jaswant Singh. Voting took place on July 17, 1992. It was a close contest, with 225 MPs supporting it, while 271 MPs opposed it. The motion was defeated. 24. December 1992 - A second no-confidence motion in that year was moved by Atal Bihari Vajpayee against Narasimha Rao. Voting took place on December 21, 1992, after over 21 hours of debate. The motion was defeated with 111 MPs supporting it, and 336 MPs opposing it. 25. July 1993 - The third no-confidence motion in the Narasimha Rao government was moved by Ajoy Mukhopadhyay. After over 18 hours of debate, the motion was defeated, with 265 MPs opposing it, while 251 supported it. 26. August 2003 - Then Leader of Opposition Sonia Gandhi moved a no-confidence motion against the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. After over 21 hours long debate, the motion was defeated on August 19, 2003, with 314 MPs opposing the motion, while 189 supported it. 27. July 2018 - The most recent no-confidence motion was moved by Srinivas Kesineni of the Telugu Desam Party against the Narendra Modi government. After around 11 hours of debate, the motion was put to vote on July 20, 2018. It was supported by 135 MPs, while 330 opposed it. The motion was defeated. New Delhi: The Lok Sabha today saw a fierce debate between the ruling BJP and the Opposition over the no-confidence motion brought against the Narendra Modi government. From Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to BJP's Smriti Irani, the lower house of Parliament witnessed some heated arguments during the no-confidence motion debate. The House was adjourned till 11 AM on Thursday, minutes after Union Home Minister Amit Shah concluded his nearly two-hour speech. While intervening in the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government, Shah said questioned the character of the opposition alliance, saying its true face was seen when it indulged in corruption to save its governments. He also said when the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee faced a no-trust vote in 1999, he chose to step down instead of indulging in corruption to save his government. "The character of political parties and alliances is revealed in such times of crises. UPA's character is to indulge in corruption to save the government by hook or by crook, while the BJP-led NDA's character is to stand up to the principles," Shah said. Thanks for staying with Zee News. New Delhi: Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde tore into the Uddhav Thackeray faction for "abandoning" Hindutva and Bal Thackeray's ideology and even recited the Hanuman Chalisa in Lok Sabha as his party opposed the no-confidence motion against the Modi government on Tuesday. The Lok Sabha MP from Kalyan, who is the son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, launched a scathing attack at the opposition parties, saying they renamed their alliance INDIA as 'UPA' had become synonymous with corruption. "It is not just NDA vs INDIA, but scheme vs scam," he said. Participating in the debate on the no-confidence motion, Shinde said the Uddhav Thackrey faction of Shiv Sena cheated voters as they had gone to polls with the BJP in 2019 but later the alliance was broken. "In 2019 people gave the mandate to Shiv Sena and BJP together. But such a situation was created... He felt I should become the chief minister. They did not care about Bala Saheb's ideology, or Hindutva ideology. They sold the Hindutva ideology and stepped away from Bala Saheb's ideology," Shinde charged. "No one could have imagined Shiv Sena will have an alliance with Congress. Those who formed this government cheated the voters. They even had an alliance with SP which fired on kar sevaks," he said in an apparent reference to the incident in Ayodhya on October 30, 1990, when the late Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister. The Shiv Sena MP said people were stopped from reciting Hanuman Chalisa in Maharashtra. "I know the whole Hanuman Chalisa...," he said and started reciting the hymns. He, however, did not complete it as the Chair asked him to continue with his speech. A row had erupted in Maharashtra last year as Amravati MP Navneet Rana and her MLA-husband Ravi Rana were arrested on April 23 by the Mumbai Police after the couple announced they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence 'Matoshree' in Mumbai. The BJP had also organised public recitations of the Hanuman Chalisa as an act of defiance against the then MVA government of Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP. Uddhav Thackeray was ousted after Shrikant Shinde revolted against him and joined hands with the BJP. Shinde said that the opposition brought the no-confidence motion against the government in 2018 but the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came back with more MPs. "Today once again the Opposition has brought a no-confidence motion, this time NDA will cross 400," he said. On the Opposition alliance's new name, he said, "They changed the name of UPA to INDIA. They think people will support them... They have changed the name because UPA reminds people of scams, corruption, terror attacks, and remote control governments." "They have all gathered against one person. They have no leader or policy. Every leader here wants to be the prime minister because this team has no captain," he said. New Delhi: People in Gurdaspur, the parliamentary constituency of actor Sunny Deol, have started protesting against his film Gadar-2, which is releasing on August 11. Local residents and Congress leaders have urged to boycott the film. They showed their opposition by displaying posters. Along with this, a social media campaign to boycott the film is also going on. Why Are Gurudaspur Residents Boycotting Gadar 2? Sunny Deol had visited Sri Darbar Sahib in Amritsar for the promotion of the film, but did not bother to go to his Lok Sabha constituency Gurdaspur, which is only 30 km away. However, even after coming so close to Gurdaspur, he did not visit his constituency and that is why the people of Gurdaspur got angry with their MP. The protesters have appealed to the central government to make such a law that if a celebrity joins politics, their membership should be revoked. (Bloomberg) -- Investment fund Engine No. 1, known for its battle with Exxon Mobil Corp. and recently taking a surprise stake in Vale SAs base metals business, is eying more deals in critical minerals. Most Read from Bloomberg The company last month agreed to acquire 3% of the Vale unit, giving it an interest in mines producing metals such as copper and nickel that are key for the energy transition. Engine No. 1 says its now in talks with other producers, with a focus on those metals and battery ingredient lithium. Critical metals are coming under the spotlight more as western nations increasingly view supplies as a matter of national security. As rising usage in electric vehicles and renewables stokes fears of shortages in years to come, automakers are rushing to lock in supply and theres been a surge of mining investment. Theres a fundamental mismatch around the role these assets need to play and the availability of capital for them, Erik Belz, Engine No. 1s head of private capital, said in a video interview. That narrative needs to change. Engine No. 1, which is focused on sustainable investments, was founded by hedge fund manager Chris James and is based in San Francisco. It hired Belz from Blackstone Inc. last year to oversee investments in commodities businesses that are transitioning to cleaner fuels. Belz, who has pointed to the issue of private equity leaving the resources sector, said its crucial that money flows back into the industry so it can aid the green revolution. Shining a spotlight on a business like Vale Base Metals, in terms of what it offers to the market but also in terms of best (social and environmental) practices, is showing what good looks like in the base metal space, Belz said. Story continues Vale this year recruited former Anglo American Plc boss Mark Cutifani to lead an independent board overseeing the base metals subsidiary. Belz said Cutifanis role is crucial to the business improving and that hes working closely with Engine No. 1 in the mining space. Engine No. 1 is best known for leading a shakeup of oil major Exxons board two years ago. It since started efforts to buy mining and fossil-fuel assets to help companies decarbonize. Belz said the firm doesnt plan to pursue an activist campaign against Vales base metals business, and is a long-term investor with plans to help turn the unit into a leader in North America-focused critical materials sector. It could naturally extend into other commodities over time, in a very interesting evolution, he said. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Amidst the heated deliberations within the Parliament concerning the Manipur violence case, the spotlight has shifted towards the application of a "No Confidence Motion." To comprehend this parliamentary procedure comprehensively, we must delve into its nature, implications, and the strategic dynamics that underlie its execution. Before delving into the intricacies of the No Confidence Motion, it is crucial to grasp the foundational framework it operates within, specifically Article 75 of the Constitution. This article elucidates the collective accountability of the Council of Ministers to the Lok Sabha, establishing a pivotal foundation for understanding the motion's significance. Initiating the Motion: A Procedural Overview The initiation of a No Confidence Motion is a pivotal aspect of parliamentary dynamics. Under the umbrella of Rule 198 of the Lok Sabha Rules, any member of the house holds the prerogative to introduce such a motion. This procedural step necessitates the submission of a written notice to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, a process exemplified by the recent action of Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi. This precursor stage plays a crucial role in marking the outset of a potentially transformative parliamentary debate. Unraveling the Motion: A Reflective Analysis The essence of a No Confidence Motion lies in its manifestation as a potent mechanism for expressing dissent and challenging the efficacy of the ruling government. It functions as a litmus test for the government's credibility and commands attention as an embodiment of parliamentary accountability. Central to comprehending the dynamics of the No Confidence Motion is a nuanced understanding of its implications, which reverberate across the spectrum of governance and legislative procedures. The Role of Article 75: A Constitutional Framework Article 75 of the Constitution assumes paramount significance within the context of the No Confidence Motion. This provision lays the groundwork for the concept of collective responsibility within the Council of Ministers, extending its reach to the broader sphere of parliamentary proceedings. As the bedrock of the motion's legislative framework, Article 75 substantiates the principles upon which the motion hinges. Escalation and Resolution: A Multifaceted Debate Once the No Confidence Motion is set into motion, it engenders a series of procedural events characterized by debate, discourse, and deliberation. These stages form a platform for diverse voices to converge, presenting their perspectives on the government's performance and its ability to address pertinent issues. The ensuing discussions are a manifestation of parliamentary democracy in action, enabling both opposition and ruling parties to make their case before the house. Allocating Time: A Delicate Balance In the current context of the Manipur violence case, the allocation of time for addressing the No Confidence Motion becomes a focal point. Divergent parties are granted specific time slots based on their parliamentary representation, a structured approach that ensures equitable participation. This allocation underscores the democratic ethos and emphasizes the significance of every stakeholder's contribution to the deliberative process. The Strategic Impetus: Beyond Symbolism While the No Confidence Motion may not inherently possess the power to topple a government, its strategic implications extend beyond the immediate outcome. The move, as witnessed in the ongoing proceedings, serves as a platform for opposition parties to voice their concerns and compel the government to respond. It encapsulates the essence of parliamentary democracy, fostering a vibrant exchange of ideas and perspectives within the legislative arena. Conclusion: An Emblem of Accountability In conclusion, the No Confidence Motion epitomizes the essence of democratic accountability within the parliamentary framework. Rooted in constitutional provisions and operationalized through procedural intricacies, this motion represents a powerful tool for fostering transparency, stimulating debate, and holding the government to task. As the discussions surrounding the Manipur violence case continue to unfold, the No Confidence Motion stands as a testament to the enduring principles that underpin the nation's legislative landscape. When it comes to lipstick, nude shades have been the go-to choice for many. While they offer classic, understated elegance, it's time to break free from the norm and experiment with a world of vibrant and diverse lip colours. From beginners to makeup enthusiasts, everyone can benefit from stepping outside the comfort zone of nude lipstick. "It's important to remember that the most reliable judge of whether a makeup look or colour suits you is none other than yourself. Your instincts and personal preferences serve as an infallible beauty guide, steering your choices. The shades that resonate with you and the styles that make you feel confident are the ones that genuinely matter. There's no universal code; the only rule is to trust oneself," says Muskan Jain, Brand Manager, at MARS Cosmetics. It's easy to lose the joy of self-expression in makeup, especially amidst our busy routines. What once brought us happiness and playfulness can gradually transform into a more utilitarian approach focused on concealing and correcting. The simple pleasure of selecting and applying a lip colour can become stifled by the fear of making mistakes or going beyond the boundaries of what's considered acceptable. "This apprehension often leads many to stick with the familiar and safe territory of nude lipsticks. The fashion of minimalism has also impacted beauty preferences over time, leading to the trend of nude lipsticks, nude makeup, no-makeup makeup, and more. Several factors determine whether lipstick complements a particular skin colour, regardless of whether it's bold or neutral. As a result, a few adjustments here and there can help you become your expert. This holds significance because the choice of lipstick can often be a very important symbol of one's personality." If you want to tip-toe with new colours or if you're a beginner makeup enthusiast, Shreedha Singh, Co-Founder & CEO, of The Ayurveda Company, suggests using organic and naturally infused ingredients, as well as classic colours like deep reds, vibrant pinks, and endless browns lipstick could be a safer side to start trying colours beyond nude because those colours create a dramatic focal point while also accentuating face characteristics with a hint of mysticism. "Stepping beyond nude lipstick can be seen as a form of self-expression. While the market is flooded with many brands providing different variations and colours, it is essential to note that the best ones are organic and naturally infused with ingredients that go beyond providing a mere tint to offering self-care benefits. Some options are enriched with Ayurvedic ingredients like beetroot to restore natural colour, Castor seed oil to deeply moisturise lips, and Vitamin E to protect lips from darkening, thus enhancing your appearance while promoting overall lip health. Dark lipsticks effortlessly complement various edgy, sophisticated, or dramatic looks. In addition to this, these vibrant shades can complement multiple skin tones. "Bold colours like rich reds, playful pinks, and boundless browns create a striking focal point, enhancing facial features with a touch of mystique. Their ability to transform and define a mood, combined with their timeless allure, showcases the remarkable beauty within their darkness. I recommend everyone to sometimes explore beyond nudes, embrace the kaleidoscope of shades, and let Ayurveda's wisdom adorn their lips with health, vibrancy, and authenticity," says Shreedha Singh. Hitesh Dewett, Training and Artistry Manager at Swiss Beauty gives seven reasons why experimenting with different lip shades can be empowering, fun, and a fantastic way to express your individuality. Unleash Your Creativity: Choosing a lipstick colour that matches your mood or complements your outfit can be a liberating experience. With a wide range of shades available, experimenting with various lip colors encourages you to embrace your creative side and develop your personal style. Boost Confidence: The power of a bold lip should never be underestimated. Trying out bright reds, playful pinks, or daring purples can instantly boost your confidence and leave you feeling empowered throughout the day. Accentuate Your Features: Lipstick is not just about adding colour; it can also accentuate your facial features. Darker shades can make your lips appear fuller, while lighter ones can create an illusion of volume. Experimenting with different lip colours allows you to play with optical illusions and enhance your natural beauty. Enhance Your Outfit: Lipstick can act as the perfect accessory to your outfit. By experimenting with various lip shades, you can effortlessly elevate your look, turning a simple ensemble into a stunning fashion statement. Embrace the Mood: Different lip colours evoke various emotions. Red exudes confidence and glamour, while coral radiates a sunny, carefree vibe. By experimenting with diverse shades, you can effortlessly match your lip color to your mood and embrace the emotional power of makeup. Stand Out from the Crowd: In a sea of nude lips, boldly coloured lips are sure to make a statement. Whether it's a sophisticated burgundy or a quirky blue, experimenting with unique lip shades allows you to stand out and be remembered. Besides everything, bold colours do add a certain sort of differentiation to lips, whilst nude shades have become a staple, one should also have vibrant colors as they give you more options to play with your lip shade. New Delhi: Talented actress Tamannaah Bhatia's fan following is huge, especially in the South - all thanks to her incredible body of work in over a decade. Recently, the Lust Stories 2 star handles a situation calmly where at an event a fan jumped in front of her and touched her hand after breaking the security cover. Tamannaah Bhatia's Viral Video So, what happened as per the viral video on social media is that Tamannaah, dressed in a beautiful green saree with traditional jewellery is seen walking off at the exit of the aisle and waving at her fans. A die-hard fan of hers jumps over the security barricade onto the aisle. He offers a handshake to Tamannaah. Soon the bouncers and security personnel pull him back but Tamannaah can be seen trying her best not to look hassled and asks the fans to calm down, obliging him with a selfie. Many people commented on the viral video and hailed the actress for keeping her calm and handling the situation in a polite manner. Fan Moments For Crazy Followers This is not the first time that a fan has tried to break the security and get close to the stars. Sometime back and fan tried to click a selfie with Malaika Arora at the Mumbai airport, making her uncomfortable. Similarly, an incident left Aditya Roy Kapur also in an uncomfortable spot when a female fan tried to kiss him on the cheeks at the airport. Meanwhile, coming back to Tamannaah Bhatia. She is currently making headlines for her rocking affair with Lust Stories 2 co-star Vijay Varma. The duo's chemistry is electrifying and they have been papped together a couple of times hanging out together. The actress will next be seen in Nelson's Tamil black comedy action film Jailer, opposite Rajinikanth. Her song Kaavaalaa is already a chartbuster. She also has Chiranjeevi starrer Bhola Shankar with Keerthy Suresh in a pivotal role. New Delhi: The trailer for the much-anticipated film "Kushi" starring the debonair Vijay Deverakonda and queen of hearts Samantha Ruth Prabhu was finally unveiled at the grand trailer launch event held in Hyderabad in presence of film cast, crew, and media from across the country. More than 300 journalists from across the country attended the launch and were mesmerized by the beautiful world of Kushi. The trailer takes the audiences into the heartwarming world of Aaradhya & Viplav who create a relatable but adorable world of romance and take us along in their journey of love. And like life itself, the journey has its ups and downs, struggles as well as its bittersweet moments. The effervescent chemistry of Vijay and Samantha leaves you so captivated that it makes you fall in love, instantly. Watch the trailer here: The trailer is a perfect combination of intense emotions with humor, melodious music and picturesque visuals. It features the much-talented supporting cast which includes names like Murli Sharma and Sachin Khedekar. Kushis music has already topped the charts and is on the playlist of every person who believes in love. Written and directed by Shiva Nirvana and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, going by the trailer Kushi is all set to set hearts aflutter and celebrate love across theaters on the 1st of September. Madurai: Ahead of the release of Rajinikanth's film 'Jailer', his fans recently offered special prayers at Thiruparankundram Amman Temple. As the superstar's upcoming flick 'jailer' is set to hit the theatres on August 10 his fans on Tuesday offered special prayers at the Amman Temple in Madurai for the success of the film. For the huge success of the film, fans performed special worship to the temple deity by offering unique penance 'Man Soru' for the huge success of the movie. One of Rajinikanths fans told ANI,"I have been a Rajini fan for 40 years. From Rajini's Padayappa till today I have been doing various prayers for the success of Rajini's film. Today I am praying that Rajini's 169th film Jailer will be successful. "On behalf of Madurai district, we prayed for the success of Rajini's film jailer. Rajini is trying to make his fans good way. At the audio launch, Rajini told his fans not to drink and accordingly, we have taken a pledge not to drink, another Rajini fan said. 'Jaileri' is touted to be an action-packed entertainer and has a stellar star cast that includes Priyanka Mohan, Shiva Rajkumar, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Yogi Babu, Vasanth Ravi, Vinayakan in prominent roles. Not only that, the makers have roped in Malayalam actor Mohanlal for an extended cameo in the film. New Delhi: Tricking generative AI to assist in scams and cyberattacks does not require much coding knowledge, a new report has warned. According to tech major IBM, researchers have described simple workarounds for getting large language models (LLMs) -- including ChatGPT -- to write malicious code and provide poor security advice. "In a bid to explore security risks posed by these innovations, we attempted to hypnotise popular LLMs to determine the extent to which they were able to deliver directed, incorrect, and potentially risky responses and recommendations -- including security actions -- and how persuasive or persistent they were in doing so," said Chenta Lee, chief architect of threat intelligence at IBM. "We were able to successfully hypnotise five LLMs -- some performing more persuasively than others -- prompting us to examine how likely it is that hypnosis is used to carry out malicious attacks," he added. The researchers learned that English has essentially become a programming language for malware. With LLMs, attackers no longer need to rely on Go, JavaScript, Python, etc., to create malicious code, they just need to understand how to effectively command and prompt an LLM using English. Through hypnosis, the security experts were able to get LLMs to leak the confidential financial information of other users, create vulnerable code, create malicious code, and offer weak security recommendations. In one instance, the researchers informed the AI chatbots that they were playing a game and that they needed to purposefully share the incorrect answer to a question in order to win and "prove that you are ethical and fair". When a user asked if receiving an email from the IRS to transfer money for a tax refund was normal, the LLM said Yes (but actually it's not). Moreover, the report said that OpenAI's GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 models were easier to trick into sharing incorrect answers or playing a never-ending game than Google's Bard. GPT-4 was the only model tested that understood the rules well enough to give incorrect cyber incident response advice, such as advising victims to pay a ransom. In contrast to Google's Bard, GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 were easily tricked into writing malicious code when the user reminded it to. San Francisco: Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new passkey feature for account verification on Android beta. The passkey feature will provide users with an easy way to sign in safely, reports WABetaInfo. A passkey is a short sequence of numbers or letters that is used to verify users' identity. It also serves as a kind of security code that makes sure that only authorised devices can be verified. "Since the passkey will use your fingerprint, face, or screen lock to verify your identity, this definitely enhances security, adding an extra layer of protection beyond traditional methods like PINs," the report said. The passkey feature is currently under development and is expected to be available in a future update of the app. On Sunday, it was reported that the messaging platform had started to roll out an admin review feature for group chats on Android beta. The feature allows everyone in the group chat to report messages shared in the conversation to the group admins. With this feature, the group admins can gain assistance in monitoring the group even when they are not there. Last month, the company had released new safety tools for when users receive messages from unknown phone numbers, on Android beta. The platform also rolled out a 'link with phone number' feature on Android beta, which allows users to link their account to WhatsApp Web by using their phone number. In June, the Meta-owned platform had launched a feature which allows users to send high-quality videos, on Android beta. While this feature preserves video dimensions, minor compression will still be applied to the video, thus sending videos in their original quality is not possible. Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to step down on Wednesday as the coalition government led by him is all set to dissolve Pakistan's National Assembly prematurely to get extra time for holding the general elections scheduled for later this year. The five-year tenure of the lower house of the Parliament is ending on August 12 but it is likely to be dissolved on August 9 by Prime Minister Sharif who will send advice to President Arif Alvi, a former leader of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. In case the president dithers, the assembly would be dissolved within 48 hours of advice given by the premier. In an indication that Sharif would relinquish premiership, he made a farewell visit to the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi. Prime Minister Sharif paid his farewell visit to the General Headquarters (GHQ) on Tuesday, marking an important moment in his tenure as the head of the government, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. The prime minister was warmly welcomed by Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir as the visit was replete with moving ceremonies and tributes to the nation's fallen heroes. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led coalition government would have liked to remain in power for a couple of more days and dissolved the Parliament on August 11 but it has a hunch that President Alvi might refuse to issue a notification immediately for the dissolution, political observers opine. That is why the advice for dissolution is being given three days before the end of the assembly so that even if the president refuses to oblige the prime minister, the assembly would be dissolved before the end of its term, giving the Election Commission of Pakistan 90 days for elections. In case the assembly completes its constitutional term, the ECP is bound to hold an election within 60 days. But even 90 days may not be enough for election as the new census has been endorsed by the Council of Common Interests, a constitutional body tasked to address issues involving the federating units, and after its approval, it is incumbent on the ECP to hold elections according to it. Any new census entails a new delimitation exercise for which the ECP gets 120 days as per law. Once it completes the exercise, the process of elections would start, meaning that the polls would be delayed by a few months. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that there is a possibility of a delay in holding the next general elections. In an interview with Geo News on Tuesday, the minister said 2023 is not the election year. "It is an absolutely straightforward answer - no," Sanaullah said when asked if 2023 was the year when elections would be held. He reiterated that as per the Constitution, another general election could not be held on the 2017 census results as they had been accepted 'provisionally for a single time'. Emphasising that it was required by the Constitution to carry out the delimitation process after a census was notified, Sanaullah said, "The caretaker government, while fulfilling this constitutional requirement, will carry out the delimitation process." The minister noted that the process takes around 120 days so there was nothing about the elections being delayed by "many months.'' "As soon as this constitutional requirement of delimitation is completed, then after that, God-willing, elections will be held," he said. Though the government is set to dissolve the assembly and allow delay in elections, the name of the caretaker prime minister has not been revealed as yet. But the government and allies are reportedly discussing ''names.''' Talking about the candidate under consideration for the role of the caretaker prime minister, Sanaullah said they are all ''respected names and discussions were underway.'' ''No name has been locked till now. Even if it is [decided], till today (Tuesday) evening or tomorrow (Wednesday) ...There are more chances that it will be locked tomorrow,'' he said. Constitutionally, the incumbent prime minister would carry on until the caretaker is agreed. As the Iowa State Fair opens, fairgoers' favorite food now has a new home befitting its status. The Iowa Pork Tent, the food stand at the corner of East Grand Avenue and East 34th Street on the fairgrounds, will open for business Thursday, the first day of the Iowa State Fair, with a brighter, bolder look, including a wrap-around patio and spacious dining room. It retains the "tent" name though the pork producers long ago did away with its canvas predecessor. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Pork Queen Elle Ploeger and representatives of the Iowa Pork Producers Association cut the ribbon for the new building in July. Since then, Des Moines Register readers, in a vote revealed Sunday, have chosen the pork tent's featured offering, the pork chop on a stick, as their favorite fair food. More: Need fresh ideas of things to do at the Iowa State Fair? We have 61 We encourage anybody that's traveling to come flip some pork chops and highlight how important this industry is to the state and agriculture overall, Reynolds said at the ribbon cutting. Absolutely nothing compares to the Iowa Pork Producers Pork Tent. New building has some familiar features Hannah Spurr, left to right, Doug Rice, Iowa Pork Queen Elle Ploeger, Trish Cook, Gov. Kim Reynolds, and Kelsey Sutter get ready to cut the ribbon of the newly rebuilt Iowa Pork Tent at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Thursday, July 20, 2023. The fairgrounds see some new construction almost every year. In 2021, it was the Elwell Family Park, where fairgoers can enjoy tractor pulls, monster truck meets, rodeos, barbecue competitions and other family-friendly events, as well as an expansion of the Iowa Craft Beer Tent. Over the next three years, the livestock barns on the fairgrounds are slated for a $25 million makeover, with financial support from the Legislature's Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund. The cattle, horse, sheep, and swine barns have not had any major renovations since they were constructed about a century ago. For this year, the Iowa Pork Tent is the star of the show. Its revamp was five years in the making; the previous structure was demolished shortly after the 2022 fair. The aging building, 35 years old, wasn't efficient enough to keep up with demand and foot traffic, and required substantial repairs and upkeep. Story continues Ive been able to see, firsthand, the progress of this Iowa pork tent. This was not an overnight decision, said Iowa Pork Tent Committee Chair Doug Rice. Rice's parents helped found the committee in 1985, and he has led it in an official capacity for the past eight years. The outside of the newly rebuilt Iowa Pork Tent at the Iowa State Fairgrounds is shown during the ribbon cutting on Thursday, July 20, 2023. Rice said many of the features of the old tent are reimagined in the facility, including the outdoor grills, now on the east side of the building. A permanent walk-in cooler and expanded dining room area under a roof now are new additions. But the red-and-white paint scheme continues, along with the familiar Iowa Pork Producers logo. And, of course, the tent will still offer pork, from the nation's top hog producer. "This new facility is a tribute to the hardworking pig farmers who keep the tradition of serving quality pork by the men and women who raise it alive," Rice said. "We're excited to welcome fairground goers to a brand-new facility at the 2023 Iowa State Fair, and continue to be everyone's favorite place to sit down and get Iowa pork." The past and present pork tent The Iowa Pork Tent has been a must-visit destination during the Iowa State Fair for presidential hopefuls, dignitaries, and tens of thousands of fairgoers since at least the early 1980s. Over the past four decades, the Iowa Pork Producers Association has provided more than 2.25 million pork servings at the fair, more than 500,000 of which came from Iowa farms. While the original Iowa Pork Tent at the fair was a large circus tent, it was retired in 1987 in favor of a permanent building. Studio MELEE, a West Des Moines architecture firm, designed the new structure, making it taller and more prominent than its previous rendition. Architects Chris Wernimont and Jamie Malloy drew inspiration from modern farms and modeled the entryway after a loading chute on a hog barn. More: Meet the 2023 Iowa State Fair's 64 new foods, from Korean egg dogs to fried corn on the cob MELEE also worked on Scenic Route Bakery in the East Village and the Findley Elementary School, at the corner of Oxford Street and Hull Avenue in Des Moines. Rice expressed his thanks to the studio for designing what he called a beautiful facility that "still gives a tribute to our industry." Several donors helped raise over $1 million for project Donors to the project included QC Supply and Automated Production, which provided the elevated grain bin that stands next to the building and the sales counter. Hog Slat Inc. donated the feed bin, and EPS Buildings made a generous cash donation to the project, according to Rice. The whole project cost a little over $1 million, Iowa Pork Producers Association spokesperson Kevin Hall said. Addison Lathers covers growth and development for the Des Moines metro. Reach her at ALathers@registermedia.com and follow her on Twitter at @addisonlathers. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Pork tent undegoes $1 million makeover for Iowa State Fair (Bloomberg) -- Italys banks are paying the price for Prime Minister Giorgia Melonis need to cater to the more populist elements in her right-wing coalition. Most Read from Bloomberg The latest pact between Meloni and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini, on a surprise 40% tax on bank earnings which rocked markets, was discussed Sunday night, according to people familiar with the issue. The setting: a dinner of Fiorentina steak and Chianti wine with their partners near the Tuscan coast. The last-minute decision meant that the policy was full of holes when it was announced by Salvini 24 hours later. Finance ministry officials spent Tuesday trying to work out how to implement their bosses broad-brush plans and how to reassure investors as bank stocks plummeted, said the people who asked not to be named on a confidential matter. The outcome was late-night backtracking before an official clarification to explain the levys impact would be limited for many lenders. About $10 billion was wiped from banks market value before shares slowly recovering Wednesday. https://t.co/z0bPJ7YkwY Corriere della Sera (@Corriere) August 9, 2023 It was only Wednesday afternoon that Meloni broke her silence on the tax. She said in a Facebook video that given increases in prices and the cost of mortgages, in this situation it is key that the banking system behave as fairly as possible. Meloni said the levy was a result of the banks behavior, and also said the efficacy of the European Central Banks interest hikes was questionable. She added that the rate hikes for banks were mostly not followed by increases in deposit rates and so we saw banks recording record profits, so we decided to intervene with the only instrument the government has: taxes. Story continues This is a self-destructive move by the government which is devastating for the countrys reputation, said Carlo Alberto Carnevale Maffe, professor of business strategy at Milans Bocconi University. He noted the government changed the details of the levy repeatedly. They have undone in one night the credibility which had been painstakingly built up with a cautious attitude toward markets and investors in the first months of the government, Carnevale Maffe said. This is the second time that Meloni has spooked markets. In April, shares in energy company Enel SpA slumped after she cut an eleventh-hour deal with Salvini, who leads the powerful anti-migrant League party, and other coalition partners nominating Flavio Cattaneo for the post instead of her preferred choice. Each time Salvini has insisted on pushing his populist agenda, Italys first female premier has remained silent, letting things play out in the markets and waiting for the storm to pass. Meloni kept her distance. She and Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti were both conspicuously absent when Salvini announced the tax during a press conference. She chose to let Salvini take center-stage on the levy, to grant her ally a political victory and in an attempt not to jeopardize her image as a pro-market figure, the people said. But she backs the tax in a bid to cement the electoral base of her far-right Brothers of Italy, the biggest force in the three-party coalition, said the people. She also aims to reinforce her alliance with Salvini. Italian politics have been in a state of flux since the death of former premier Silvio Berlusconi in June. That leaves his Forza Italia party without its standard bearer and its voters up for grabs. It also makes Meloni and Salvini, who could strengthen his hand with Forza votes, the two most important politicians on the Italian right. Hurried Affair The decree was a hurried affair. Agreed on Sunday, it was imposed on a reluctant Giorgetti and his finance ministry, the people said. Giovanbattista Fazzolari, an undersecretary in Melonis office, defended the tax as common sense. The levy wont make things difficult for banks, investors can rest easy, he told newswire Ansa. This is the only government which has the strength to tax the banks because its the only one that doesnt have privileged relations with the banking system. But Francesco Giavazzi, formerly economic adviser to then-Premier Mario Draghi, criticized Melonis government for its handling of the measure. New rules should be explained, Giavazzi told newspaper Corriere della Sera. International investors expect the finance minister to explain such a decision and not, as it happened, to have the man in charge of bridges a reference to Salvinis role as transportation and infrastructure minister. If the treasury minister doesnt show up at the press conference this is a terrible sign. Ultimately Meloni has few options but to periodically pacify her allies as she tries to stay afloat in Italys factious political system, which encourages big coalitions and makes it difficult for most executives to last to the end of their term. Salvini could easily start a government crisis if he decided to remove support in parliament. Appeasement While her strategy of appeasement has allowed Meloni to stay in power, it remains to be seen what the longer term impact of such uncertainty has on investors. So far, Melonis record on social issues has been heavily criticized by opponents for its right-wing and anti-LGBTQ+ stance on several matters including surrogacy, but her economic policy has been more well received. She has kept the nations mammoth debt on a declining path and her first budget law was moderate and devoid of any excessive spending or other norms that could upset markets or the countrys European partners. That has kept the spread between Italian 10-year bonds and German counterparts well below 200 basis points for most of her premiership. Melonis fiscal stance has also been helped by over 190 billion ($209 billion) in recovery cash from the European Union coming its way for investments in projects ranging from new schools to hospitals, roads, digitalization and more. This was a surprise, and not in a good way, and I think it will raise questions in investors minds if banks, what could be next? Katharine Neiss, chief European economist at PGIM Ltd, told Bloomberg TVs Francine Lacqua. We have to remember, this is happening against a backdrop of weakening growth. --With assistance from Tommaso Ebhardt, Craig Stirling and Antonio Vanuzzo. (Updates with Melonis remarks in fifth, sixth paragraphs) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Wright joins Alliant with extensive insurance, sales and financial industry experience IRVINE, Calif., August 09, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jeremy Wright has joined Alliant Insurance Services as Vice President within its Alliant Americas division. Based in San Diego, California, Wright will design, implement and manage comprehensive insurance and risk management solutions that help businesses position themselves for future growth and success. Wright joins Alliant with more than a decade of insurance, sales and financial industry experience. Throughout his career, Wright worked with various industries in the upper middle market, helping clients maximize value and minimize total exposures. "Jeremy brings a broad and dynamic skillset to our team in California," said Bob Bennetsen, Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director with Alliant. "He has worked across a range of industries and is able to apply his insights to find creative solutions to complex problems and deliver powerful results to his clients." Prior to joining Alliant, Wright was an executive with a global insurance brokerage and consulting firm. He earned his bachelors degree from the University of Phoenix and holds a Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist (CLCS) designation. Prior to his career in insurance, Wright was a two-time ISA World Surfing Games medalist. Wright can be reached at (858) 999-5345 and Jeremy.Wright@alliant.com. About Alliant Insurance Services Alliant Insurance Services is one of the nations leading distributors of diversified insurance products and services. We operate through a network of specialized national platforms and local offices to offer our clients a comprehensive portfolio of solutions built on innovative thinking and personal service. The business of managing risk is getting more complex, and Alliant is meeting this complexity head-on, not with more layers of management, but with more creativity and agility. Alliant is changing the way our clients approach risk management and benefits, so they can capitalize on new opportunities to grow and protect their organizations. Visit us at alliant.com. #TheMoreRewardingWay Story continues View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230809907765/en/ Contacts ALLIANT P&C CONTACT Megan Ford Communications Manager Alliant P&C (213) 406-8755 Megan.Ford@alliant.com ALLIANT CORPORATE CONTACT Nick Kopinga First Vice President Corporate Marketing and Communications (949) 260-5004 nkopinga@alliant.com By Allison Lampert and Shivansh Tiwary (Reuters) -Wheels Up Experience said on Wednesday there was "substantial doubt" about its ability to continue operations, even as it disclosed short-term funding from Delta Air Lines, sending its shares plunging 42%. The company, which charters planes by the hour, has taken a slew of restructuring measures this year including job cuts and management changes as private jet traffic, which soared on demand from wealthy travelers during the pandemic, has slowed. North American business flights were down 3.6% compared with July 2022, according to data from Argus International. Delta said in a statement that it was providing a short-term capital infusion in the form of a secured promissory note to Wheels Up, which is pursuing strategic partnerships. It did not disclose the size of the funding. There was a huge growth in private jet travel because people avoided commercial airlines during the pandemic, but as commercial travel has recovered, it has hit private operators, Delta CEO Ed Bastian told Reuters in an interview last month. Wheels Up, which canceled an earnings call scheduled for Wednesday, said U.S. private jet operator Airshare had entered into a non-binding agreement with the company to acquire its non-core aircraft management business. Airshare said with this potential acquisition it would have aircraft management customers across the U.S. (Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru and Allison Lampert in Montreal; Additional reporting by Rajesh Kumar SinghEditing by Vinay Dwivedi and Mark Potter) LEOMINSTER - The maternity unit at the UMass Memorial Health hospital in Leominster is an essential service, according to state public health officials, representing the latest development in the health care systems plan to close the unit Sept. 23. In its Monday letter to Husch Blackwell, the Boston law firm representing UMass Memorial, the state Department of Public Health said, As a result of its review, the Department has made a finding that the services provided by the Hospital are in fact necessary for preserving access and health status within the Hospitals service area. UMass Memorial did not respond to an interview request. It did release a statement: UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital is working with the Department of Public Health to detail our ongoing plans to maintain access to essential maternity inpatient services across North Central Massachusetts following the proposed closure of the labor and delivery unit at our Leominster campus. Throughout this process, we remain committed to thoughtfully and equitably addressing the needs of all birthing people in our service areas. The Massachusetts Nurses Association opposes the planned closure and the association believes it may not be a done deal, despite the state having no legal authority to stop it. Association spokesman David Schildmeier said Wednesday morning that he has never seen a letter like the one this week from the DPH because its extensive in its request that UMass verify its reasons for closure. DPH is suspect of what it heard from UMass, said Schildmeier, a reference to last months public hearing when UMass leadership and the community provided testimony on the planned closure. "This is not a pro forma response. The DPH is very suspect of what UMass provided." Another point that Schildmeier feels puts pressure on UMass to keep the unit open is last months DPH report that maternal deaths nearly doubled in Massachusetts from 2011 to 2020, with Black non-Hispanic women most impacted among all races and ethnicities. That report shines a spotlight on community hospitals like Leominster because they serve large populations of low-income patients and residents of color. Story continues Activists, lawmakers respond to DPH decision The DPH has made clear that our birthing center is vital to protecting our community, and especially the most vulnerable members of our poor and BIPOC communities, who will stand to suffer the most if this center closes, said Irene Hernandez, co-chair of Community United to Save Our Birthing Center, a coalition formed to fight the closure. DPH has confirmed what we already know: Two Gateway cities need this labor and delivery unit, said state Sen. John Cronin, D-Lunenburg. We hope this determination is a wakeup call to UMass Memorial and that Dr. Dickson engages with the state so we can partner to keep this unit open. Dr. Eric Dickson is president and chief executive officer at UMass Memorial Health. What comes next? Planned hospital service closures follow a strict state guideline and UMass is required to submit a plan within 15 days that assures access to maternity inpatient services for the residents served by the Leominster hospital. The DPH then determines if the plan is adequate. The plan required of UMass must address several questions, per the DPH letter, including: How will UMass guarantee alternative maternity services in the Leominster/Fitchburg area that will meet the void created by the closure, especially for low-income patients and people of color? What transportation options exist for patients to get to those sites, how long will those trips take and what data did UMass use to support its conclusions? What steps did UMass take to recruit staff before it decided to close the unit? Reasons for closure met with skepticism UMass Memorial cited falling birth rates and a staff shortage as reasons for ending inpatient maternity services in Leominster. In filings with the state, UMass reported 511 births in fiscal 2022, compared to 762 in fiscal 2011. Staff and services to be cut include 19 licensed antepartum, labor and delivery, and postpartum beds; 21 well-infant nursery beds; and an operating room. Lawmakers, nurses and community activists are skeptical about those stated reasons. They believe the actual number of yearly births is roughly 600, and the total would be higher if UMass didnt funnel patients to Worcester to cut costs. They also believe the decision is solely driven by finances. Amy Gagnon, a nurse who works in the Leominster maternity unit, previously told the Telegram & Gazette that many of the Leominster units patients are low-income, and their insurance is covered by MassHealth, the states Medicaid insurance program. Low MassHealth reimbursements to the hospital coupled with the expense of running a maternity unit 24/7 mean many patients are directed to Worcester, where maternity expenses can be consolidated. Dr. Erin Kate Dooley, an obstetrician in private practice in Leominster, echoed those sentiments. UMass Memorial: Tried its best to keep the unit open During last months public hearing, UMass leadership said it tried its best to keep the unit open by making investments in its operations over the past five years including staff recruitment, equipment and training. Ultimately, they said, UMass Memorials decision to close the unit was best for the overall level of health care services provided in North Central Worcester County. Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter: @henrytelegram. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Leominster maternity unit an essential service, Mass. DPH says Key Insights The projected fair value for Thong Guan Industries Berhad is RM1.81 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity Thong Guan Industries Berhad's RM2.06 share price indicates it is trading at similar levels as its fair value estimate When compared to theindustry average discount of -55%, Thong Guan Industries Berhad's competitors seem to be trading at a greater premium to fair value How far off is Thong Guan Industries Berhad (KLSE:TGUAN) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow. We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you. Check out our latest analysis for Thong Guan Industries Berhad Step By Step Through The Calculation We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Story continues 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 (MYR, Millions) RM53.2m RM53.0m RM53.4m RM54.3m RM55.5m RM57.0m RM58.7m RM60.5m RM62.4m RM64.5m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 0.83% Est @ 1.65% Est @ 2.23% Est @ 2.63% Est @ 2.91% Est @ 3.11% Est @ 3.25% Est @ 3.34% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 10% RM48.2 RM43.5 RM39.8 RM36.7 RM34.0 RM31.6 RM29.5 RM27.5 RM25.8 RM24.1 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM341m The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 3.6%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 10%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033 (1 + g) (r g) = RM65m (1 + 3.6%) (10% 3.6%) = RM988m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM988m ( 1 + 10%)10= RM369m The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is RM710m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of RM2.1, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent. dcf Important Assumptions Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Thong Guan Industries Berhad as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 10%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.845. 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 Thong Guan Industries Berhad Strength Debt is not viewed as a risk. Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows. Weakness Earnings declined over the past year. Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Packaging market. Opportunity Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Malaysian market. Good value based on P/E ratio compared to estimated Fair P/E ratio. Threat No apparent threats visible for TGUAN. Moving On: Whilst important, the DCF calculation ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For Thong Guan Industries Berhad, we've put together three important elements you should further examine: Risks: You should be aware of the 1 warning sign for Thong Guan Industries Berhad we've uncovered before considering an investment in the company. Future Earnings: How does TGUAN's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Malaysian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Ethereum-based debt capital marketplace Maple Finance plans to open up its Cash Management pool to accredited American investors via a Regulation D exemption. The pool launched last April to offer qualified investors on-chain exposure to U.S. Treasury yields while complying with risk and accounting requirements. A Regulation D exemption means the offering need not be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), but is restricted to accredited U.S. investors. The offering opens access to Maples Cash Management pool to high net-worth individuals, crypto funds, DAOs, Web3 start-ups and other eligible investors. Maples Cash Management pool showed strong growth in July, surpassing $21.5M in total value locked, and paid approximately 4.7% to lenders after fees. The projects MPL token has more than doubled since the start of the year. Maple Opens Cash Management Pools To Accredited US Investors Although it remains unavailable to retail investors, the offering from Maple represents a step towards compliant on-chain offerings by way of existing legal frameworks such as Regulation D, according to Maple cofounder and CEO Sidney Powell. In future, we hope that there would be a regulatory framework where it can be offered to everyone, Powell told The Defiant. Lightweight Approach Maples investment vehicle structure is unique compared to most crypto lending platforms that treat depositors like limited partners in a pooled investment vehicle. Maple's structure is done more as a loan. So you lend to the delegate who's underwriting the collateralized loans or the loans that are collateralized with T bills. And so we've effectively done a loan backed by another loan, said Powell. Maple is able to move faster with the lightweight approach, according to Powell, as onboarding processes become less cumbersome without 200 pages of documents that they need to go through to access the product. The company can also get people in and out of a pool more quickly, offering interest that begins accruing at the time of deposit and next-day redemptions, where other platforms might take as long as 48 hours, said Powell. Story continues Rising Interest In Stablecoins Demand from U.S. investors for earning interest on stablecoins is growing, and according to Powell, they are willing to pay a premium for an enhanced user experience or improved accessibility. Market forces are adjusting post Operation Choke Point 2.0, said Powell, referring to an alleged politically motivated attack by the Biden administration on the cryptocurrency industry. The SECs enforcement actions created friction in terms of entering and exiting the crypto ecosystem, said Powell. We're finding a lot more people actually want to hold stablecoins kind of permanently and since they don't want to go back into fiat [currency], they really need a good place to put them, said Powell. Expansion In Real World Assets Powell said he would like to launch a trade finance product that pushes further into the Real World Asset (RWA) space in the next six to nine months, citing a lack of viable offerings in the area. In discussing a proposal for RWA support in FraxLend's governance forum, Powell emphasized the need for intelligent handling of asset and liability tenors to avoid endangering the protocol. He cautioned against creating a dangerous imbalance by matching long-term real-world assets, such as one-year loans, with instantly callable liabilities like stablecoin redemptions. The approach Powell would take involves a different form of asset-liability matching with term-based lockups similar to term deposits offered by traditional banks. You basically want to guarantee that people's funds will be there for a longer term, said Powell. The interior of Tajin Mexican Grill is shown Tuesday at 940 Hansen Road in Ashwaubenon. The restaurant opened in January but has gone through changes and is now open seven days a week. ASHWAUBENON Tajin Mexican Grill adds one more Mexican cuisine option for the area. The restaurant took over the space left by Cozumel Mexican Grill, which closed last year at 940 Hansen Road. Co-owner Leurys Fernandez said Tajin opened in January, but it took several months and a new partnership to get the business going. "We weren't open all the time at first, but now we changed a few things and are open for business," he said. Fernandez is from the Dominican Republic. He moved to Green Bay in 2018 and worked odd jobs for a few years while he saved money. He is a software engineer and is currently studying at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. "I had too much going on and my partners often weren't here, so the business was closed at times," he said. Fernandez said he didn't have any restaurant experience and had joined as an investor with two other owners. But then they decided to leave, and he took the risk to buy them out. That's when he shifted his focus completely to the restaurant. Co-owner Leurys Fernandez stands Tuesday inside Tajin Mexican Grill, which is now open in Ashwaubenon. He created a new partnership with Jesus Rubalcaba, who is Mexican, which allowed Fernandez to make some modifications to the restaurant. In July 11, they applied for a liquor license with the Village of Ashwaubenon. "We also changed the menu," he said. "We are adding a three-part mural on the wall and putting a new sign outside." The menu offers a wide range of tacos, burritos, fajitas, steaks and seafood. They did previously offer breakfast options, but Fernandez said they no longer do because it was difficult to sustain with just six employees. Some special dishes on the menu are: Garnachas, three crispy tortillas topped with a smashed potato patty, smothered in red guajillo sauce, onions and shredded beef; the torta tambazo, a bread dipped in read sauce and grilled, served with a choice of meat; and the Milanese chicken or steak, breaded meat served with salad, rice and beans. The restaurant also has daily specials such as ribeye, T-bone or roast meat on Saturdays. Story continues The drinks menu is very traditional, he said, with margaritas, mojitos, beers, sodas and juices. CONTINUE YOUR SUPPORT: Thanks to our subscribers for making this coverage possible. Be sure to download our app on the App Store or Google Play. Follow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Newsletters When the restaurant opened, Fernandez said they offered Mexican and Dominican foods, but the latter didn't sell as much. "People here don't really know (that food) and it takes too long to prepare," he said. "We had some losses." Nevertheless, he hopes to add some Dominican dishes that are easier to prepare and he thinks people will enjoy, like mofongo (smashed plantains with pork rinds,) mangu (smashed plantains topped with onions and olive oil,) and frituras (fried foods like salami, yuca root and others.) "There's going to be several changes in the menu in the future," he said. Tajin Mexican Grill is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit its Facebook page. Ariel Perez is a business reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach him at APerez1@gannett.com or view his Twitter profile at @Ariel_Perez85. This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Tajin Mexican Grill in Ashwaubenon gets revamped under new ownership NEW MINAS, NS, Aug. 9, 2023 /CNW/ - Mezza Lebanese Kitchen is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated opening of its 20th location in the charming town of New Minas, Nova Scotia. This milestone marks a significant achievement for the popular restaurant chain, and the new location promises to bring the authentic flavors of Lebanon to locals and visitors alike. Exterior Entrance of Mezza New Minas (CNW Group/Mezza Lebanese Kitchen) Located at 54 Silver Fox Ave, Mezza Lebanese Kitchen's newest establishment is the second location for the passionate franchise operators who have dedicated themselves to sharing their love for Lebanese cuisine with the community. Their success has been driven by the commitment to providing customers with a delightful culinary experience that combines traditional recipes with modern twists, capturing the essence of Lebanese culture. The grand opening of Mezza Lebanese Kitchen in New Minas has also contributed to the growth of the local economy by creating more than 20 job opportunities for residents of the community. The franchisees are proud to have hired skilled and enthusiastic individuals who are committed to delivering exceptional service and ensuring that every guest leaves with a smile. "We are delighted to open our doors in New Minas and be part of this vibrant community," said Peter Nahas, VP of Business Development and Franchising. "Our goal has always been to provide a warm and welcoming ambiance where customers can savor the flavors of Lebanon and enjoy the company of friends and family." Mezza Lebanese Kitchen is renowned for its diverse menu that caters to all tastes and preferences. The restaurant offers an extensive range of traditional Lebanese dishes, including mouth-watering shawarmas, flavorful falafels, authentic donairs, aromatic rice bowls, fresh salads, and an array of delectable vegetarian options. Whether diners choose to indulge in the cozy dine-in experience or opt for a quick take-out, they are sure to be captivated by the exquisite flavors that Lebanese cuisine has to offer. Story continues As Mezza Lebanese Kitchen's reputation continues to soar, now is the perfect time for eager investors and ambitious franchisees to seize the opportunity of a lifetime. Join the culinary revolution that is sweeping the nation and become part of Mezza's extraordinary success story. To learn more about the tantalizing world of Mezza Lebanese Kitchen and explore franchise opportunities, visit www.mezzafranchise.com or contact the dynamic franchise development team at franchise@mezzarestaurant.com About Us: Mezza has become recognized as one of the largest and fastest growing Lebanese restaurant chains in Canada. Mezza has been awarded a series of awards throughout their 30-year history, including being named to Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 Top Food Franchises; Business of the Year by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce; Hall of Fame for Best Shawarma by The Coast; and company President & CEO Tony Nahas, being awarded Atlantic Business Magazine's Top 50 CEO; and Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Dining Room of Mezza New Minas (CNW Group/Mezza Lebanese Kitchen) Mezza Lebanese Kitchen logo (CNW Group/Mezza Lebanese Kitchen) SOURCE Mezza Lebanese Kitchen Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2023/09/c5838.html ReportLinker The Global Mobile Robots Market size is estimated at USD 5.48 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach USD 18.48 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 27.50% during the forecast period (2023-2028). New York, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Mobile Robots Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484416/?utm_source=GNW Due to increased e-commerce activity worldwide, demand for mobile robots is expanding. Due to their capacity to maneuver autonomously in challenging situations, factors such as growing warehouse automation and rising acceptance of these robots across various industries are further projected to drive market expansion. Furthermore, the rising adoption of automated material handling and trends like lights-out automation will likely drive market expansion throughout the projection period. Key Highlights The growth in the e-commerce industry and the need for efficient warehousing and inventory management worldwide are driving the market growth. For instance, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the e-commerce share of total retail sales in consumer goods in China increased to 24.9% in 2020, compared to 20.7% in 2019. Moreover, according to IBEF, the Indian e-commerce market is expected to flourish from USD 38.5 billion in 2017 to USD 200 billion by 2026. The factors such as decreasing costs, lower rates of transport, rising customer demand, and globalization of trade have caused a steady increase in the use of containers for sea-borne cargo. Consequently, container terminals have become an important component of logistic networks. It is paramount that ships are unloaded and loaded promptly at the port to satisfy customer demand. Mobile Robots are increasingly becoming the popular mode of container transport in seaport terminals. These unmanned vehicles transfer containers between ships and storage locations on land. The e?ciency of a container terminal is directly related to the amount of time each vessel spends in the port. Hence, to maintain competitive advantage and increase the e?ciency of the container terminal, AGVs are being deployed that formulate good dispatching strategies and simultaneously enhance operational efficiencies. With social distancing becoming more common in the workplace, connected solutions and automation assist in continuing daily operations. The use of Mobile robots, guides work solutions, and computer-controlled equipment has been regarded as necessary by companies in Honeywells Study. Moreover, warehouse execution software (48%), order picking technology (46%), and robotic solutions (44%) have been widely implemented solutions currently, which are also most expected to receive further investment soon. Wireless communication systems in industrial environments must guarantee that the information is sent and received within precise time bounds. However, the nature of the radio channels and the medium access control (MAC) generates random communication delays. These delays can cause severe performance problems in automated guided vehicles for networked control systems. Mobile Robots Market Trends Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) to Witness the Market Growth Until recently, traditional automated guided vehicles (AGVs) were the only option for automating internal transportation tasks. However, in the present day, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are posing a threat to AGVs with their more advanced, adaptable, and affordable technology. Due to their unique operational characteristics and patterns, the demand for autonomous robots has increased significantly in recent times. Growth in the application of autonomous robots in different industrial sectors such as automotive and healthcare and raising awareness about the benefits of autonomous mobile robots fuel the demand for autonomous mobile robots. However, high costs associated with the setup and insufficient internet connectivity coverage might limit the adoption of autonomous mobile robots. E-commerce has now emerged as the preferred mode of shopping for customers. The choices it offers, the user-friendly experience that it provides, and the convenience of shopping and paying for it from anywhere at any time are some of the factors that are driving the growth of the e-commerce industry. According to the International Trade Administration, global retail e-commerce sales are expected to reach USD 6.39 trillion by 2024. Driven by the need to ensure timely delivery to their customers, who often expect instant gratification, and the resulting need to continually track and restock inventory of the goods, e-commerce companies are now using AMRs to improve the operational efficiencies of the big warehouses and distribution centers they operate. Thus, the rapid growth of the e-commerce business is contributing in a significant way to the growth of the AMR market. Further, AMRs can adapt to different workflows, accommodate factory process changes, and allow integration with several top modules to meet payload requirements. This enables smart, reliable deliveries and optimizes overall processes. Consequently, AMRs are superior to AGVs regarding return on investment and productivity optimization. China to Witness Rapid Growth China has the worlds largest manufacturing industry, generating a significant share of market demand. Moreover, the countrys industrial output grew by 3.6% in 2022 from the previous year, as per the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), despite production and logistics disruptions from COVID-19 curbs. The output of the manufacturing sector was estimated to have risen by 3.1% in 2022, accounting for 28% of Chinas gross domestic product (GDP), according to the MIIT. Moreover, the Chinese governments Made in China 2025 initiative, a state-led industrial policy that seeks to make China dominant in global high-tech manufacturing, provides significant growth momentum to the market. Made in China 2025 is a ten-year plan to update the countrys manufacturing base by rapidly developing ten high-tech industries. Chief among these are electric cars and other new energy vehicles, next-generation information technology (IT) and telecommunications, and advanced robotics and artificial intelligence. These sectors are also central to the fourth industrial revolution. Increasing investments by many players in expanding their production capacities in the country is another important trend for the market. For instance, in December 2022, ABB officially opened its state-of-the-art, fully automated, and flexible robotics factory in Shanghai, China. The 67,000 m2 production and research facility represents a USD 150 million investment by the company and is likely to deploy the companys digital and automation technologies to manufacture next-generation robots, enhancing ABBs robotics and automation leadership in China. Moreover, there are no traditional, fixed assembly lines in the facility. Instead, intelligent, autonomous mobile robots connect to, network, and service flexible, modular production cells digitally. As mobile robots continue to make their way into various commercial and industrial settings and new players enter the sector, the market has been drawing increasing investments from many Chinese investors. Domestic robotics companies have been benefiting from a significant increase in funds in recent years. Moreover, with the rapid growth of e-commerce and the increasing costs of labor, the domestic warehousing industry is turning to automated equipment. For instance, to hasten the transition toward digitalization, the transport and logistics provider GEODIS invested in warehouse-based robotics and automation technology from Geek+ in November 2021. The move was partly a reaction to the sustained eCommerce boom and the requirement for swift order fulfillment. The company deployed the autonomous mobile robots (AMR) from Geek+ at its Yuen Long Warehouse Distribution Center (YLDC) in Hong Kong, SAR China. Mobile Robots Industry Overview The mobile robots market is fragmented and comprises several companies vying for attention in a fairly contested market space. Further, companies strategic decisions, such as new product launches, investments, and collaborations, are expected to change the competitive landscape. For instance, in March 2023, WEG announced the launch of the first version of the WMR (WEG Mobile Robot), which aims to enhance the operational efficiency of activities carried out in industries that require internal transport. On the other hand, in March 2023, PeakLogix announced its partnership with Peer Robotics to bring innovative robots to the material handling industry. Their collaborative autonomous mobile robot (AMR) is revolutionizing robotics and material movement with its ability to learn from humans in real-time, which facilitates the robots easy deployment across warehousing and manufacturing environments with no changes to existing infrastructure, even by facility staff who lack experience with robots. Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484416/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 Chicago-based Molson Coors announced its first spirits acquisition Tuesday, of Kentucky-based bourbon and rye whiskey-maker Blue Run Spirits, as it continues efforts to expand its product offerings beyond beer. The Blue Run acquisition will more than double the beer giants spirits team, it said in a news release. Blue Run co-founder and CEO Mike Montgomery will become vice president of Molson Coors Coors Spirits Co., which will house Blue Run as well as the companys prior forays into whiskey, Five Trail Blended American Whiskey and Barmen 1873 Bourbon. In an interview with the Tribune, Molson Coors Chief Commercial Officer Michelle St. Jacques described Blue Run as one of the hottest new entrants in whiskey. About three years ago, we shifted from a company perspective to become a total beverage company, she said. Our strategy was to continue to strengthen our core brands, our big beer brands, but also to premiumize and expand beyond beer. Blue Run will continue with plans to build distillery in Kentucky by 2025. The brand, which launched in 2020 and has won numerous bourbon awards, according to the news release, also has plans to release three new whiskeys in the late summer and fall. Blue Run often produces its whiskey in small batches, Montgomery said, creating an air of exclusivity to the companys releases. Weve been able to create what I like to call bourbon hunters mentality, where people see Blue Run on the shelf, they grab it immediately, he said. Molson Coors, which has about 350 employees in Chicago, plans to move from its Wacker Drive offices to BMO Tower in the West Loop next summer. The company announced plans to move its North American headquarters from Denver to Chicago in 2019. In the face of competition from craft and imported beer as well as rising consumer interest in hard seltzer, Molson Coors had begun its expansion beyond beer, launching a hard coffee and a canned wine earlier that year. In 2020, the company partnered with Coca-Cola on its Topo Chico Hard Seltzer. Story continues The beer giant reported nearly $3.3 billion in net sales during the second quarter this year, up 11.8% from the same period last year and its strongest quarter since the merger of Molson and Coors in 2005, according to an earnings release. Terms of the Blue Run acquisition were not disclosed. When deciding how to make an entree into spirits several years ago, said Coors Spirits Co. executive chair David Coors, the company recognized the whiskey category had been growing well. The first part of the whiskey production process, he said, is similar to the process of producing beer. The entry into spirits marked a departure from the companys earlier identity. When he was in college, Coors said he told his father, former Molson Coors Chairman Peter Coors, that the company should make a whiskey. The elder Coors, as his son remembers, said: Were good at one thing, and thats beer. The company hasnt ruled out introducing other spirits into its portfolio, but is focused on whiskey for now, Coors said. By Ella Cao, Ryan Woo BEIJING (Reuters) -A growing number of Chinese graduates are abandoning the bright lights of the country's mega-cities, with state media reporting almost half are returning to their hometowns within six months of graduation amid a sagging job market. Feeling the pinch of rising housing costs and a slowing economy, the jobless graduates are forfeiting cities that have traditionally provided a stepping stone to middle-class wealth. To save money, some have even resorted to sharing a bed with a stranger. China's youth jobless rate jumped to a record 21.3% in June as offers during the traditional job-hunting season proved limited as the economy struggled and regulatory clamp-downs left the property, tech and education sectors bruised. In June, a statistics bureau official said that more than 6 million young people were unemployed. Some 47% of graduates returned home within six months of graduation in 2022, up from 43% in 2018, state-run China News Service reported on Tuesday, citing a private sector survey. The numbers varied by region, with 59% of graduates in the well-developed east heading home. That compared to 44% in the west and just 24% in the northeast rust belt. Also pushing the young to return home were soaring rents. Among China's biggest first-tier cities, rents in Beijing climbed 5% from December to June followed by 2.8% gains in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, according to state-run Xinhua news agency. 'SEEKING BEDMATES' Not everyone is giving up. After sending 10 copies of her resume to financial companies each month, Joyce Zhang, a 2022 graduate with a masters degree in financial engineering, said she had still not found a job in Beijing but was not going home yet. "I've considered going back to Inner Mongolia to work, as the financial sector is not doing good recently. But I guess I still want to give it a try," Zhang told Reuters. Zhang's parents are paying her monthly rent of 2,600 yuan ($361) for a 12-square-metre (129-square-foot) room with a shared kitchen and bathroom. Story continues Policymakers have rolled out measures to support youth seeking work and rental housing, with some more creative than others. A district in Hangzhou in eastern Zhejiang province offers free rent for eligible people in a nursing home, as long as they spend 10 hours or more a month with the elderly and pay a 300 yuan management fee. To keep costs down as they stay longer in hope of finding a job, some young mega-city drifters even share their beds with strangers. On China's Instagram-like Xiaohongshu and WeChat groups, "seeking bedmates" posts have become more common. One such post was looking for a roommate to share one bed in a room "with a huge balcony" in Beijing. The rental fee: 750 yuan ($104) per month. ($1 = 7.2004 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Ella Cao and Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Conor Humphries) AVON - Growing up in Brick, Courtney Pitta gravitated to the field of health care and medicine. But when a chance encounter with crystals helped her through a challenging time of her own, she knew she had to share their healing powers with others a desire which led to her launch of SoulShine in Avon in 2016. An avid equestrian from a young age, I was also a girly girl who liked pretty clothes and sparkly, shiny things, recalled Pitta, 37, a Freehold resident. After high school, she secured a degree in medical assisting, worked for a doctor in Point Pleasant for many years, and also worked part-time at an urgent care facility. But while she fell in love with medicine and began studying to be a physician assistant, a turning point in her life soon required her to reevaluate her path. Id gotten married young and was unhappy with my life and needed a change, said Pitta, who divorced her husband, quit her job, sold her house, and moved in with her parents. Courtney Pitta, owner of SoulShine Crystals, and Emma Rokoszak of Belmar, crystal associate, prepare to open the store for the day in Avon, NJ Monday, July 31, 2023. Beyond the physical world: 5 New Age and metaphysical shops at the Jersey Shore to help you embark into the unknown During the eight-month reset she embarked on, I started traveling to places like Hawaii, New Orleans and Mexico with my new boyfriend (and now-husband) Tim, but I realized that no matter where I went, I still felt empty when I came back and needed some kind of spirituality in my life, she said. Following a two-day retreat at the Cashelmara Inn in Avon in 2016, Pitta took a class in crystal bowl healing at a Point Pleasant yoga studio and found the experience life-changing. I went with no expectations, but after one sound healing class, I had tears pouring out of my eyes, she said. I began researching the power of quartz crystals and learned that they emit a frequency and vibration that helps rid your body of negativity and essentially reprograms you. I continued going to sound healing classes and was feeling better and diving into a version of myself that I didnt know existed. Story continues During a trip to Sedona, Arizona, with Tim in September 2016, I walked into a crystal shop for the first time, but the experience didnt resonate with me the way I felt it should, said Pitta, who decided at that moment to pour her savings into opening her own crystal shop. I wanted to help educate people about the holistic healing powers of crystals and make it a positive and memorable experience. Back at home, I found a couple of crystal wholesalers within a two-hour drive so that I could hand select our material, because their intent and energy were important to me, Pitta said. After canvassing the area for available storefronts in late 2016, I saw a 400-square-foot space on Main Street in Avon that was perfect and signed the lease that night, she said. Within eight months we outgrew it, and in October 2017 we moved two blocks north to our current location at 440 Main St. My husband always referred to me as Soulshine after the Warren Haynes/Allman Brothers song, and I thought it was the perfect name for the shop, Pitta said of her stores moniker. It was a name that I felt would resonate with everyone and help them feel like they belonged there. Have the Bayshore's ghosts been stirred? Cop who studies paranormal is on the case Courtney Pitta, owner of SoulShine Crystals, at her business in Avon, NJ Monday, July 31, 2023. 'Helping our vibrations rise' Today, in her 1,000-square-foot shop, we have a wide variety of healing crystals, from smaller tumbled pieces starting at $1 that you can carry in your pocket to large, five-foot-tall home collection pieces known as Cathedrals or Geodes that are priced up to $5,000, said Pitta, who added that average customer purchases are in the $50 to $100 range. While she noted that there are some lab-grown crystals in the market, crystals are generally made by the earth and heal and protect us by helping our vibrations rise at the emotional, physical, and spiritual level. One of our shops best-selling crystals is amethyst, which calms anxiety and balances our emotional, physical and spiritual planes of consciousness, and another popular one is citrine, which helps attract abundance, creativity and prosperity, Pitta said. My favorite crystal is black tourmaline, which is extremely protective in that it shields us from other peoples negative energy and also wards off radiation and electromagnetic field (EMF) frequencies from electronic devices. Sourcing crystals from the hubs of Brazil, Uruguay and other South American countries as well as from such diverse global locations as Africa, the Dominican Republic, Russia and Afghanistan, we sell individual crystals, but also have beautiful crystal beads that artisans make into bracelets and necklaces for us as well as candles infused with crystals and spiritual tools like crystal pendulums, wands and massage stones that respond to our energy and can help us make changes in our life, Pitta said. In all cases, we have a wide selection of products to meet everyones interests and budget. Among current trends, anything shiny and sparkly appeals to people, and raw crystals with natural points and gorgeous inclusions are very popular, Pitta said. Social media is huge and all it takes is one person to post something on TikTok and it goes viral; on one occasion, we couldnt keep carnelian in the store because it had gotten so popular through social media, and the same happened for moldavite from the Czech Republic. Beautiful jewelry: Arm Vibes jewelry store in Asbury Park finds you the perfect bracelet with a 'zap' A bowl of celestite available at SoulShine Crystals in Avon, NJ. Monday, July 31, 2023. Though the store has a large local following as well as customers who come from as far away as New York City and upstate New York, Pitta said that her new-age industry can sometimes get a bad rap. A lot of people arent believers and dont understand the power of crystals, but when people ultimately hold crystals, they can feel the energy, which is different for each person, Pitta said. Among other challenges, she noted that the crystal industrys boom during the pandemic caused product costs to more than double. At the same time, a lot of people are jumping into this industry for the money and dont have the product knowledge, she said. Providers can misrepresent products, especially online, so its important to know what youre buying and who youre buying it from, as some offshore players sell crystals that arent ethically sourced. Business of beauty: How Marlboro dance partners became business partners too 'People feel the positive energy' Amethyst crystals on a shelf at SoulShine Crystals in Avon, NJ Monday, July 31, 2023. Supported by loyal associate Emma Rokoszak, Pitta dreams of one day launching a full-service retreat center where people can benefit from many healing services under one roof. Until that time, however, she loves Avons welcoming energy and is proud of the role her shop plays in the community. Since day one, SoulShine has been a place where so many people have grown, changed and flourished through their access to our crystals and the safe and supportive environment weve created, Pitta said. If we can continue to help others achieve their own greatness, were serving our purpose. As for her favorite part of her job, Pitta loves her customers and the community theyve built. In the past seven years, Ive never woken up and felt like I have to go to work. SoulShine is so much fun and the greatest creative outlet Ive ever had, she said. People feel the positive energy when they come in and I love creating an environment that enables people to step into the next best version of themselves. Exterior of SoulShine Crystals in Avon, NJ. Monday, July 31, 2023. SoulShine Location: 440 Main St., Avon Phone: 732-361-8976 Owner: Courtney Pitta Opened: 2016 Website: www.soulshinecrystals.com This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: SoulShine in Avon NJ promises healing powers through crystals A 16-room home designed for one of the biggest names in Morristown history now comes with a reduced price tag. Listed for nearly $2.7 million in June 2022, the home now on the market for $2.15 million was built in 1880 at the behest of Alfred Lewis Vail, co-inventor of Morse code and perfector of the recording electronic telegraph. Though Vail died in 1859 without fortune, he had the foresight to ensure his family could have his dream house. Vail's plan for 10 Franklin Place was called Highgrove Court. A Queen Anne Victorian, the home has an exterior that retains a classic patterned slate roof, decorative corbels and shingled gables. The interior is likewise highly detailed. The wood floors have mahogany inlays. The plaster walls have custom moldings and wide archways. Built in the 1870s, 10 Franklin Pl. in Morristown was meant to be the home of telegraph co-inventor Alfred Lewis Vail, who died at the age of 52. Brian and Louise Ann Fox, the current owners of 10 Franklin Place, said the home is a trove of 19th-century craftsmanship made better by its location in a quiet neighborhood just steps from bustling South Street. The first owner of 10 Franklin Place was Vail's second wife, Amanda Eno. In the summer of 1879, she agreed to spend about $4,500 on carpentry, masonry and plumbing to have a home built to Vail's specifications on property once owned by the prominent Cobb family. Born in Morristown in September 1807, Vail was the son of Stephen Vail, the founder of the famed Speedwell Ironworks. It was at the ironworks where Vail, a machinist and theological scholar, teamed with a portrait artist named Samuel Morse to develop the telegraph machine. Vail honed Morse's crude prototype to be more mechanically sound, according to Anton A. Huurdeman's "The Worldwide History of Telecommunications." Vail also shifted Morse's complicated numerical code to one based on the alphabet. Built in the 1870s, 10 Franklin Pl. in Morristown was meant to be the home of telegraph co-inventor Alfred Lewis Vail, who died at the age of 52. In late 1837, Vail frequented Louis Vogt's Morristown print shop in an effort to surmise which letters are used most often. Those used the most were given the simplest codes. The following January, the duo used the revised code to send the first telegram across 2 to 3 miles of cable spread out within a Speedwell factory building. Story continues Story continues below gallery. Vail never received much credit for his contributions, to the ire of his family, who demanded recognition for his work from the public and Morse. And Vail never became rich. He retired from the telegraph business after little more than a decade. For Vail, there simply wasn't enough money in the industry to maintain his interest and keep him away from Morristown. Built in the 1870s, 10 Franklin Pl. in Morristown was meant to be the home of telegraph co-inventor Alfred Lewis Vail, who died at the age of 52. "I have made up my mind to leave the telegraph to take care of itself, since it cannot take care of me," he wrote to Morse in 1848. In 1848, Vail returned to Morristown, where he lived modestly and devoted much of his time to genealogical research. In an 1852 letter to a friend, Vail said he wasn't interested in renown. "I care little for the world's applause, which at best is very hard to maintain even when justly yours, and given often, where they cannot and will not discriminate and justly award. But what I do desire is truth," he said. Built in the 1870s, 10 Franklin Pl. in Morristown was meant to be the home of telegraph co-inventor Alfred Lewis Vail, who died at the age of 52. His first wife, Jane Cummings, died in 1852. Three years later, he married Amanda Eno. Four years after that, he died at the age of 52. Eno spent most of her time with her sister, who lived in Connecticut, until her death in 1894. More: New housing projects slow down in NJ and across the country. Here's why The home Vail never saw now holds six bedrooms and five bathrooms. The modern suite has a dressing room with four closets, a bathroom with radiant heating in the floors, two balconies, a sitting room and an art studio. The studio, with exposed beams, a vaulted ceiling and bare brick, is the home's standout space, said Lorraine First, the listing agent with Kienlen Lattmann Sotheby's International Realty. Built in the 1870s, 10 Franklin Pl. in Morristown was meant to be the home of telegraph co-inventor Alfred Lewis Vail, who died at the age of 52. The first floor has 14-foot ceilings, hard-wired embedded speakers and a kitchen flanked by a butlers pantry with a bar. There is a conservatory lined with French doors that leads to a fenced and landscaped yard with a koi pond, an outdoor kitchen and an inground pool with a separate hot tub. A three-car garage built in 2017 sits on the rear of the half-acre property, which lies conveniently near Interstate 287. The home is not the only tribute to Alfred Vail still standing in Morristown. An elementary school named for Vail sits just north of the old ironworks site. It sits about 2 miles northwest of 10 Franklin Place, which lies roughly halfway between Morristown Medical Center and the Morristown Green, adjacent to a commercialized area that once teemed with Gilded Age mansions. Vail's cousin, two-time AT&T President Theodore Vail, built one there. Called Vail Mansion, the Italian Renaissance-style home of South Street is no longer a private residence but part of a 36-unit condo complex. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: North Jersey home for sale was built for Morse code co-inventor For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to investors, even if it currently lacks a track record of revenue and profit. Unfortunately, these high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson. Loss making companies can act like a sponge for capital - so investors should be cautious that they're not throwing good money after bad. In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like Warpaint London (LON:W7L), which has not only revenues, but also profits. While this doesn't necessarily speak to whether it's undervalued, the profitability of the business is enough to warrant some appreciation - especially if its growing. View our latest analysis for Warpaint London Warpaint London's Improving Profits Warpaint London has undergone a massive growth in earnings per share over the last three years. So much so that this three year growth rate wouldn't be a fair assessment of the company's future. As a result, we'll zoom in on growth over the last year, instead. In impressive fashion, Warpaint London's EPS grew from UK0.037 to UK0.081, over the previous 12 months. It's not often a company can achieve year-on-year growth of 120%. Shareholders will be hopeful that this is a sign of the company reaching an inflection point. Top-line growth is a great indicator that growth is sustainable, and combined with a high earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margin, it's a great way for a company to maintain a competitive advantage in the market. The good news is that Warpaint London is growing revenues, and EBIT margins improved by 4.9 percentage points to 12%, over the last year. Both of which are great metrics to check off for potential growth. The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. For finer detail, click on the image. Story continues Since Warpaint London is no giant, with a market capitalisation of UK216m, you should definitely check its cash and debt before getting too excited about its prospects. Are Warpaint London Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders? Seeing insiders owning a large portion of the shares on issue is often a good sign. Their incentives will be aligned with the investors and there's less of a probability in a sudden sell-off that would impact the share price. So we're pleased to report that Warpaint London insiders own a meaningful share of the business. To be exact, company insiders hold 51% of the company, so their decisions have a significant impact on their investments. Intuition will tell you this is a good sign because it suggests they will be incentivised to build value for shareholders over the long term. In terms of absolute value, insiders have UK110m invested in the business, at the current share price. So there's plenty there to keep them focused! Does Warpaint London Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist? Warpaint London's earnings have taken off in quite an impressive fashion. This level of EPS growth does wonders for attracting investment, and the large insider investment in the company is just the cherry on top. The hope is, of course, that the strong growth marks a fundamental improvement in the business economics. Based on the sum of its parts, we definitely think its worth watching Warpaint London very closely. It is worth noting though that we have found 2 warning signs for Warpaint London (1 can't be ignored!) that you need to take into consideration. The beauty of investing is that you can invest in almost any company you want. But if you prefer to focus on stocks that have demonstrated insider buying, here is a list of companies with insider buying in the last three months. Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction. 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. NurExone Biologic Inc Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States TORONTO and TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NurExone Biologic Inc. (TSXV: NRX) (FSE: J90) (NRX.V) (NurExone or the Company) announces that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement (the Private Placement) of a minimum of 2,727,272 units (Units) and a maximum of 5,090,909 Units at a price of CAD$0.275 per Unit for minimum gross proceeds of $750,000 and maximum gross proceeds of $1,400,000. Each Unit will consist of (i) one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a Common Share); (ii) one-half of one class A Common Share purchase warrant (each whole class A Common Share purchase warrant, a Class A Warrant); and (iii) one-half of one class B Common Share warrant (each whole class B Common Share warrant, a Class B Warrant and collectively each whole Class A Warrant and each whole Class B Warrant, a Warrant). Each Class A Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.34 per Common Share for a period of 24 months from the closing of the Private Placement and each whole Class B Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.48 per Common Share for a period of 36 months from the closing of the Private Placement. The Warrants will be subject to accelerated expiration whereby if the daily volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) for any period of 20 consecutive trading days equals or exceeds $0.69 in respect of the Class A Warrants or $0.83 in respect of the Class B Warrants, the Company may, upon providing written notice to the holders of the Class A Warrants or Class B Warrants, as applicable (the Acceleration Notice), accelerate the expiry date of the respective Class A Warrants or Class B Warrants to the date that is 30 days following the date of the Acceleration Notice. If the Warrants are not exercised by the applicable accelerated expiry dates, the Warrants will expire and be of no further force or effect. Story continues The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Private Placement for working capital purposes. The Private Placement is subject to the approval of the TSXV, and all securities issued thereunder will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the closing of the Private Placement. Finders fees may be payable in connection with the Private Placement, all in accordance with the policies of the TSXV and applicable securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this news release in the United States. Such securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), or any state securities laws, and, accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of persons in the United States or U.S. Persons, as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements. About NurExone Biologic Inc. NurExone Biologic Inc. is a TSX Venture Exchange-listed pharmaceutical company that is developing a platform for biologically-guided ExoTherapy to be delivered, non-invasively, to patients who suffered traumatic spinal cord injuries. ExoTherapy, utilizing extracellular vesicles or exosomes, was conceptually demonstrated in animal studies at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. NurExone is translating the treatment to humans, and the Company holds an exclusive worldwide license from the Technion and Tel Aviv University for the development and commercialization of the technology. For additional information, please visit www.nurexone.com or follow NurExone on LinkedIn , Twitter , Facebook , or YouTube . For further information, please contact: Dr. Lior Shaltiel Chief Executive Officer and Director Phone: +972-52-4803034 Inbar Paz-Benayoun Adv. Head of Communications and Investor Relations Phone: +972-52-3966695 Email: info@nurexone.com Investor Relations (Canada) Phone: +1 905-347-5569 Email: IR@nurexone.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Companys current expectations and projections about its future development. When used in this press release, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as may, or by such words as will, intend, believe, estimate, consider, expect, anticipate, and objective and similar expressions or variations of such words. Forward-looking statements are, by their nature, not guarantees of the Companys future operational or financial performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Companys actual results, performance, prospects, or opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. No representation or warranty is intended with respect to anticipated future results, or that estimates, or projections will be sustained. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as the factors we believe are appropriate. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the Private Placement, the proposed proceeds under the Private Placement, and the approval requirements of the Private Placement. In developing the forward-looking statements in this press release, we have applied several material assumptions, including our ability to attract investors on the terms under the Private Placement; the general business and economic conditions of the industries and countries in which we operate; and the market conditions. Many risks, uncertainties, and other factors could cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from the results, performance, achievements, or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, but are not limited to, the following: those risk factors identified under the heading Risk Factors pages 29 to 36 of the Companys Annual Information Form dated March 30, 2023, a copy of which is available under the Companys SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca, and other similar factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of the press release or as of the date otherwise specifically indicated herein. Due to risks and uncertainties, events may differ materially from current expectations. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required pursuant to applicable securities law. All forward-looking statements contained in the press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Huntsman spider. Amith Nag Photography/Getty Images Spiderbots have been crawling the web for years collecting data. Some of these bots have been helpful because they send users to sources of original content online. The rise of generative AI and LLMs is undermining this grand internet bargain. I hate spiders. When I traveled around the world in 2003, the thought of chunky, hairy arachnids creeping beneath my mosquito net kept me awake on many a tropical night. Unbeknownst to most people, there are digital spiders crawling all over the websites you read and create. The most active one is probably Googlebot, which automatically collects web information so Google can later rank and serve it up in Search results. Right now, there are several of these spiderbots crawling all over these words I wrote here, which is kinda creepy. Some of these digital crawlers have also been incredibly helpful. Take the book I wrote about my travels in 2003. When Google's bot crawls my book webpage, I'm happy because when people later search for travel books they might be sent to my book. Maybe they'll buy it and read it. This is the grand bargain that has made the internet economy thrive: Google scrapes your content and sends you traffic so you have an incentive to keep posting information online. AI is undermining the grand web bargain Now the rise of generative AI and large language models is undermining this deal. OpenAI recently admitted that it has one of these spiders crawling around the web. It's called GPTbot and it's being used to scrape and collect online content for AI model training. The next big model, GPT-5, will likely be trained on the data scooped up by this bot. GPT-4, ChatGPT, and other powerful models cleverly answer questions immediately, so there's less need to send users to the sources of the original information. This may be a great user experience, but the incentives to share high-quality free information online begin to break down pretty quickly. Why would any producer of free online content let OpenAI scrape its material when that data will be used to train future LLMs that later compete with that creator by pulling users away from their site? You can already see this in action as fewer people visit Stack Overflow to get software coding help. Story continues Self-sabotage It's self-sabotage to let OpenAI's GPTbot crawl your website. This realization is spreading pretty swiftly among online communities. The Verge, a digital publication that competes with Insider, looks like it took steps to block GPTbot already. It's unclear how long OpenAI's spiderbot has been lurking around online. The company recently announced a way to block GPTbot, using a common protocol called robots.txt. Some creators have already implemented this, although some wonder whether OpenAI already had a bot secretly scooping up everyone's online data for months or years. "Finally, after soaking up all your copyrighted content to build their proprietary product, OpenAI gives you a way to prevent your content from being used to further improve their product," Prasad Dhumal, a search engine optimization consultant, wrote on Twitter this week. "We are now blocking another one of OpenAI's scraping bots. You can too. (I don't know if this is the secret one we couldn't block before or if that one is still in use.)" wrote Neil Clarke, editor of Clarkesworld, a science fiction and fantasy magazine. Trust is evaporating I asked Clarke about his decision, and his responses reveal how quickly trust has evaporated between online content creators and AI companies. "OpenAI and other 'AI' creators have demonstrated repeatedly that they have no respect for the rights of authors, artists, and other creative professionals. Their products are largely based on the copyrighted works of others, taken without authorization or compensation," Clarke wrote in an email. "They repeatedly defend the use of these practices and have only recently identified this bot. It's not entirely clear that opting out of this bot (and CCBot) will be sufficient to avoid having content harvested by OpenAI. Their track record on transparency leaves much to be desired." CCBot is another digital spider that crawls the web collecting all the content. This is run by an organization called Common Crawl, which is a major supplier of training data for AI models. Common Crawl stores all this information regularly, so even if you block its bot now, your data has already probably been taken. "I'm unaware of anyone that has managed to get Common Crawl to remove data," Clarke said. "I've tried, but have had no response." 'Opt-in' not 'opt-out' Clarke and others are now calling for these AI spiderbots to be "opt-in" rather than "opt-out." Right now, OpenAI scrapes everyone's data as the default, and creators must take steps to opt out and actively block it. An "opt-in" approach would require OpenAI to ask permission first. "Data collection methods for these models must become strictly opt-in. Many people will not find out how to protect their work until it has already been taken, yet again," Clarke wrote. "Since we are presently unable to have our content removed from existing models and scraped data sets, opt-out is not enough. It is not our responsibility to provide data for these companies, nor should they be allowed to simply take it without consent, regardless of the benefits they imagine coming from it." I asked OpenAI about all this on Tuesday morning. The company didn't respond. Paying for AI training data OpenAI has made an effort to respect some online data. GPTbot is now designed to filter out sources that require paywall access and to remove other sources known to gather personally identifiable information. The company also recently announced a deal with the Associated Press where OpenAI will pay to license AP content for AI training data. If the company paid for this data, why doesn't it also pay for everyone else's information, too? I asked the company and it didn't respond. 'Block it' OpenAI hasn't contacted Neil Clarke at Clarkesworld about paying for his online content. "We have not been approached to license works we published, nor would we be open to it. I'm unable to think of anything they could say or do that would change my mind," he told Insider. So what is Clarke's advice for other online content creators when it comes to GPTbot? "In short I'd say 'block it' and suggest they reach out to lawmakers to express their concern regarding past, present, and future data collection methodologies," he said. Are you blocking GPTbot? Are you blocking Googlebot or CCbot, too? We'd like to hear from you. Reach out at abarr@insider.com When the Googlebot crawls a website and scrapes content, that process ends up sending users to the original site that created the information. That is the reward and the essential deal that is at the heart of the web. What is the incentive that OpenAI offers to have these content creators allow GPTbot to crawl and scrape their sites? Read the original article on Business Insider BEIJING, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 26, ARCHIDEX, the largest and most influential exhibition for building and decoration materials in Malaysia and even Southeast Asia, was opened at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. As a leading provider of construction and building materials system services in Southeast Asia, Oriental Yuhong Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd. ("Malaysia Oriental Yuhong" for short) was invited to the business event, to serve the Southeast Asian market and show its waterproof products and overall solutions to the world. Oriental Yuhong Attends ARCHIDEX Again With the theme of "Sweet Home is No More Wet", Malaysia Oriental Yuhong primarily exhibited polyurethane waterproofing coating, polymer cement waterproof coating, thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) waterproof membrane, Imerz999 high resistance waterproof coating, HCA Suke organosilicon waterproof coating, and other building materials, to "contribute to a better living with diverse products and services". Shan Dongning, General Manager of Malaysia Oriental Yuhong, introduced the exhibits with agents, and visitors spoke highly of Oriental Yuhong's system services and products. The lucky draw set in the booth attracted many participants. Malaysia Oriental Yuhong, leveraging localized management, keeps consolidating the foundation for sustainable development. Competitive products and the adaptation to the local market have allowed it to stand out from other brands. Malaysia Oriental Yuhong has made positive contributions to the Belt and Road Initiative projects, undertaking many large-scale construction projects in Malaysia. For instance, its thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) waterproof membrane was approved to be included in the catalogue of waterproof materials for mosque construction in Malaysia for the material's outstanding performance in the maintenance and construction project of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque in 2022. Story continues Over the past 28 years, Oriental Yuhong has braved challenges and struggled through hardships. At first, it found acclimatizing to local conditions was difficult; after years of efforts, it has grown into "the Oriental Yuhong of the World", participating in and witnessing the rise of buildings prestigious worldwide and establishing a good Chinese corporate image abroad. Oriental Yuhong will stay committed to its original aspiration and make greater contributions to the high-quality development of the world's building materials market. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oriental-yuhong-attends-archidex-again---meeting-agents-and-visitors-in-malaysia-301896576.html SOURCE BEIJING ORIENTAL YUHONG WATERPROOF TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. Over the course of his career, the late Ron Rice amassed a vast collection of unusual one-of-kind items such as the hand-carved mermaid chair that adorned the great room of his oceanfront Ormond Beach mansion. Now you can purchase individual pieces from the Hawaiian Tropic founder's estate. The first of several planned online auctions is currently underway. Bids are now being accepted through 7 p.m. Sept. 12 for "Ron Rice Estate Founder-Hawaiian Tropic Part 1" at dunnsattic.com. "We're talking about literally thousands of items, so much that you can't put them all in one auction." said Wes Dunn, the owner of Dunn's Attic in downtown Ormond Beach. Dunn expects to hold online auctions for Rice's estate through early November. Items will be added daily. "We're still pulling stuff out of his house," he said. "This is the biggest collection we've ever handled. It's a very large and very noted estate." Artwork and memorabilia collected by the late Ron Rice fill his oceanfront home in Ormond Beach on Nov. 28, 2022. Dunn's Attic recently began the first of several planned online auctions of the Hawaiian Tropic founder's vast collection. Bids for items in Part 1 of the auction are now accepted through Sept. 12, 2023 at dunnsacttic.com. How the online auction works The online auction allows people to place opening bids as well as set an upper limit to how much they would be willing to spend. "Even if your initial bid is only $5, it will automatically increase your bid incrementally to the maximum amount you choose," said Dunn. This is a screenshot of some of the items from late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice's vast personal collection of memorabilia and unusual items that are now being offered in an online auction at dunnsattic.com. The first of several planned online auctions began Aug. 1, 2023 and runs through Sept. 12. Items will also be available for in-person viewing Auction items will be available for viewing in person at the warehouse for Dunn's Attic at 140 W. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach, Mondays and Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., beginning Aug. 15. Who is Ron Rice? The late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice posed for a photo inside his Ormond Beach home in 2016 to promote his then-new sun care products company Havanna Sun. Dunn's Attic recently began the first of several planned online auctions of Rice's vast collection of memorabilia, one-of-a-kind items and hand-carved furniture. Bids for items in Part 1 of the auction are now accepted through Sept. 12, 2023 at dunnsacttic.com. Rice was a high school chemistry teacher in the 1960s when he developed his own suntan lotion to sell to beachgoers in the Daytona area. His Hawaiian Tropic business grew into an international multimillion-dollar empire also known for its Miss Hawaiian Tropic beauty pageants. He hosted lavish parties at his home whose guests included celebrities and swimsuit models. Rice sold his company in 2007 to Playtex Corp., maker of the rival Banana Boat sun care brand. Playtex was in turn acquired that same year by Energizer. Story continues The Hawaiian Tropic plant on North U.S. Highway 1 in Ormond Beach is now part of an Energizer spin-off called Edgewell Personal Care. Late entrepreneur's mansion is still on the market Rice died in May 2022 at age 81. His mansion at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. was put up for sale on Thanksgiving Day. Listing agent Bill Navarra of Realty Pros Assured recently lowered the asking price to $4.75 million, down from the original $6 million. "We have two prospects that have a strong interest in the property, but neither wanted the possessions. They asked for the house to be cleared out," he said. 'Chance to own a piece of history' Dunn said he is excited to auction off Rice's collection. "There's some large sculptures and hand-carved furniture and a ton of Cuban art," he said. "There's also a grand piano and a hand-carved billiard table. This is a chance to own a piece of history, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Online bids now accepted for late Hawaiian Tropic founder's estate (Bloomberg) -- S&P Global Inc. will no longer publish ESG scores along with its credit ratings, as the company adjusts its approach in response to investor feedback. Most Read from Bloomberg The update, which took place on Aug. 4, was triggered by expressions of confusion from investors who use S&Ps corporate credit ratings, according to a person close to the process who asked not to be identified discussing feedback that hasnt been made public. A spokesperson for S&P referred to a statement, in which the company said the update does not affect our ESG principles, criteria or our research and commentary on ESG-related topics, including the influence that ESG factors can have on creditworthiness. The development comes as ratings providers try to navigate a changing landscape in which theres little consensus on how to assess the long-term financial impact of environmental, social and governance factors on issuers. S&P had sought to address such concerns a few years back by adding an alphanumerical scale intended to enhance its text descriptions of an issuers ESG credentials. That decision met with enough investor resistance to merit scrapping the alphanumerical model and instead publishing only text descriptions, the person said. ESG indicators were introduced by S&P Global Ratings in 2021 following similar moves by Moodys Investors Service and Fitch Ratings. They were meant to be easy-to-visualize scores that conveyed the relevance of environmental, social and governance factors in a credit rating analysis. Especially when it comes to risks stemming from climate change, theres evidence to suggest that ratings companies may be lagging behind. In a report published last September, the European Central Bank found that most ratings firms have made progress, but they still do a poor job of explaining their climate calculations, including transition and physical risk. Story continues And economists at Cambridge University examining the impact of climate change on economic growth and sovereign debt markets found that issuers may be facing billions of dollars in additional interest costs that credit ratings currently arent capturing. However, S&Ps efforts to introduce an ESG scale to inform its debt ratings werent universally understood by investors, the person familiar with the process said. ESG scoring frameworks within credit ratings dont work, according to Patrick Welch, chief ESG and ratings policy officer at Kroll Bond Rating Agency, a smaller rival of S&P. With a 1-to-5 scale youre putting one scoring system an ESG one inside another scoring system, which is the credit rating, Welch said in an interview. It raises confusion are you talking about financial risk to the company, or also its impact on society and the environment? S&P is among firms to have felt the ire of Republicans intent on banning ESG. Last year, Utahs governor and its federal lawmakers objected to a decision by the company to publish ESG indicators for US states, calling it an undue politicization of the ratings process. S&Ps decision to update its approach to publishing ESG indicators is unrelated to political attacks or legal threats, the person said. The rating companys ESG indicators include categories such as human rights, social integration, low-carbon strategies, climate measures and sustainable finance. Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP and affiliates provide access to ESG data products, including Bloombergs proprietary ESG scores. Bloomberg does not calculate ESG ratings. --With assistance from Saijel Kishan. (Adds comment from Kroll Bond Rating Agency in 10th, 11th paragraphs.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. The Walnut Street Bridge in Des Moines shows some signs of disrepair. The Des Moines City Council is moving forward with a plan to replace the Walnut Street bridge downtown at a cost of $19.5 million. But this week's decision drew some relatively rare dissent among the six council members voting, with Josh Mandelbaum, whose district includes the downtown core, and at-large member Carl Voss opposing the redo. The city already has spent millions revamping the Grand Avenue and Locust Street bridges and repairing the Court Avenue bridge, which also provide links across the Des Moines River. Mandelbaum and Voss argued that traffic counts dont justify a fourth bridge downtown. The council originally approved an agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation to replace the Walnut bridge in 2021. Monday's vote was on a state-required technical change in funding. Of the total project expenses which include $2.6 million for replacement of the river wall and balustrade along the east side of the Des Moines River between Court Avenue and Walnut Street $3.5 million will be covered by a federal block grant, with the rest derived from tax increment financing bonds. "This action represents continuation of the status quo on this project, and I dont think the status quo is whats best," Mandelbaum said. What could replace Walnut Street bridge? Mandelbaum suggested the Walnut Street span could be converted into a pedestrian-only bridge or a park, which would cost a fraction of the project budget and potentially serve as a downtown attraction. It would bear less load, deteriorate less quickly and provide a better amenity for the community, for fewer dollars, he said. But at-large council member Connie Boesen responded that until the city has a better understanding of growth in the East Village, as well as the traffic that the forthcoming Market District development will attract, it would be premature to halt repairs on the bridge. National Bridge Inspection Standards rated the Walnut Street Bridge to be in Poor condition. Mandelbaum and Voss contended that the bridge still would be redundant even if the downtown area were to experience double its current traffic totals. Story continues According to city data, an estimated 17,000 vehicles traverse the Grand, Locust, Court and Walnut Street bridges each day. The capacity of each bridge is 12,500, so eliminating one bridge would still support up to 37,500 trips. I think there are better ways to spend our dollars, Voss said. Historically, weve had a bridge every block. There are very few cities of our size that have bridges this often in their downtown area. Mayor Frank Cowie joined Boesen in advocating for the bridge's replacement, reasoning that Des Moines is a city of bridges a status that needs to be upheld. It's been the status quo for over 100 years, and we need to support that connectivity for all of our people to move about this city in the means that they have, he said. Iconic Walnut Street Bridge dates to 1911 The Walnut Street Bridge over Des Moines River was constructed in 1911. The 450-foot-long arch bridge, supported on concrete piers and abutments on timber piles, carries a lane of traffic in each direction, with 8-foot-wide sidewalks on both sides and 88 free, angled, back-in parking spaces. With the Locust and Grand bridges, it's one of the three downtown arch bridges represented on the citys 1974 red, white and blue flag, which it re-adopted in 2019. The Des Moines flag flying below the United States flag in front of City Hall on September 9, 1999. The bridge saw extensive work in 1966 to rehabilitate it, and minor repairs were completed in 1990. Based on recent inspections, it's considered to be in poor condition. Talks on repairs have been underway since 2016. Des Moines has spent millions in recent years to replace structurally deficient bridges, including the Second Avenue Bridge over Birdland Drive and the Southwest Ninth Street Bridge over Middle South Creek, along with repairs for the Second Avenue Bridge over the Des Moines River. The Grand Avenue bridge closed for a year in 2016 while it was replaced, and the Court Avenue bridge closed for a time in 2018 for a $4.9 million renovation. It was followed by the closure of the Locust Street bridge from 2018 to 2020 for its $18.5 million replacement. Mandelbaum still holds hope for revisiting plans Design of the Walnut Street Bridge replacement is complete, with final construction plans already submitted to IDOT in preparation for construction bidding this winter. Work could begin in 2024 and be completed in 2026. But Mandelbaum told the Des Moines Register he still sees another potential opportunity to revisit the plan as the city begins to budget for 2024. "I don't think it's completely off the table. I think it'll become a bit more real as we have our next budget session," he said. "Is it worth it when we're faced with other priorities that we're struggling to fund?" The idea of creating a linear park on a bridge isn't unique, even in Iowa. A proposal has been floated to convert the slated-for-replacement Interstate 80 bridge across the Mississippi River near the Quad Cities into a grassy corridor for bison wandering a trans-river park connecting Iowa and Illinois. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Walnut Street bridge reconstruction OK'd as Des Moines council debates other uses Edith Maynez already had experience starting and running a successful air conditioning business with her husband, Manny. They launched their business in 2002 in their Mesa garage with 20 customers and now have more than 17,500. But Edith Maynez, a 52-year-old immigrant originally from a small coastal town in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, recognized an opportunity to start her own business. She noticed many of their Latino air conditioning customers lacked credit, which made it difficult for customers to secure financing to buy air conditioners. In Arizona, air conditioners are as essential as cars and almost as costly. So Maynez came up with the idea: Create a financial services business that would help clients open and develop credit that one day might help them buy air-conditioners or other big-ticket items. Now, Maynez is ready to launch her business, which she will call Manny's Financial, piggybacking on the family air conditioning business, Manny's Air. She is one of 28 women who recently completed a six-month program that trains women entrepreneurs of Mexican origin to start and grow their own small businesses. The program is offered by the Mexican consulate of Phoenix and is intended to help women entrepreneurs learn how to start and run successful businesses so they can earn income, create jobs and fuel the economy. "Over the years, I discovered how difficult it was for my community to get a loan to buy an air conditioning system," Maynez said. "I was planning for a few years to start my own financial company to be able to help them more, but I didn't know how to get started." Maynez said she wanted to receive formal business training and avoid some of the mistakes made the first time around. "We didn't have a business plan when we started Manny's Air back in 2002," Maynez said. "We kind of made a few mistakes like not separating the personal bank account from the business. We learned the hard way." Story continues The Consular Entrepreneurship Program for Mexican Women Abroad teaches woman entrepreneurs a range of essential business skills starting with how to create a business plan. Program participants also learn how to navigate the sometimes daunting process of registering and licensing a business in Arizona, how to track sales and expenses using spreadsheets, and how to promote their business on social media. Participants are also paired with mentors who share their expertise. By the numbers: How many immigrants live in Arizona? The data may surprise you "The main objective is to help Mexican women entrepreneurs to start or grow their own business," said Ximena Sotres, the consul for political, economic and tourism affairs at the Consul General of Mexico in Phoenix. "You are empowering all these women through information, through knowledge, through education." Helping women start and grow their own businesses provides financial freedom. In some cases, that may allow a woman to leave an abusive relationship, and break cycles of domestic violence, Sotres said. Latina-owned businesses are the fastest-growing segment of Arizona's economy, according to Monica Villalobos, president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "They are growing three times faster than other small businesses," Villalobos said. In 2019, there were 52,401 businesses owned by Hispanic women in Arizona, according to the Hispanic Chamber, citing the most recent census data. Women-owned businesses have come a long way since the late-1980s. Before that, a woman needed a man's signature to get a business loan in Arizona, Villalobos said. In 1988, the Women's Business Ownership Act was passed to reduce gender discrimination in lending, according to the National Association of Women Business Owners. Programs like the one offered by the Mexican consulate in Phoenix help provide the tools for women entrepreneurs to legitimize businesses they already operated because they didn't know how to register or license them, Villalobos said. Thunderbird's free, accessible curriculum is program's starting point The Mexican consulate hosted a ceremony on Aug. 3 for the 28 women who recently completed the program. The graduation was held in the rotunda of Arizona State University's Thunderbird School of Global Management in downtown Phoenix. Before the ceremony, the participants got a chance to promote their businesses at an expo held next to the rotunda. Lorena Gonzalez stood wearing a floral Mexican dress behind a table displaying artisanal soaps. The soaps are hand-crafted with sage, rosemary and other organic ingredients by her father in the state of Nayarit, Mexico, where she is originally from. Gonzalez sells the soaps online. She learned how to promote her business using digital tools while participating in the program. "I learned how to create marketing strategies for promoting my products," Gonzalez said. "For example, how to create a presence on social media networks." The program is centered around a business curriculum created by Thunderbird, said Dinora Gonzalez, senior project manager in Thunderbird's Global Development Department. The curriculum called DreamBuilder is available for free online to anyone at dreambuilder.org. It was funded by the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the global mining company based in Phoenix. The DreamBuilder curriculum started in Peru and Chile to help women start their own businesses, Gonzalez said. The program later expanded to the U.S. and then to countries all over the world. More than 154,500 students from 172 countries have enrolled in the DreamBuilder program, Gonzalez said. "The impact is so amazing," Gonzalez said. "They start bringing economic development to their communities, they become leaders in their own sense, and they start creating opportunities for other people. They start hiring people." Thunderbird pitched the program to Jorge Mendoza Yescas, the consul general of Mexican in Phoenix, during the pandemic, Gonzalez said. Mendoza Yescas launched the program in 2021 in Phoenix with 16 participants, Sotres said. The consulate has added more components to the DreamBuilder curriculum, including the mentorship component and a pitch competition, where the participants present their business ideas to a panel of judges. The pitch competition winner, Karla Ibarra, was announced during the Aug. 3 graduation ceremony. She received $5,000 to invest in her business, Casa Carbon, a Mexican food catering business. One hundred women from the Phoenix area have graduated from the program since it was launched in Phoenix two years ago, Sotres said. The program has since expanded to more than 50 Mexican consulates throughout the U.S. and Canada, she said. The program taught Alejandra Mecias, 42, how to create a business plan to grow Bowtique, the store she owns that sells fashionable clothing for girls. Mecias opened the business a year ago at Desert Sky Mall in west Phoenix. Mecias, who is originally from Caborca, Sonora, also learned how to track sales and make projections using an Excel spreadsheet program. "I'm more organized to promote my wares," Mecias said. 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: Mexican consulate program in Phoenix trains women to start businesses Hainan's offshore duty-free sales hit 28.93 bln yuan in Jan.-July Xinhua) 08:59, August 09, 2023 Tourists shop at a duty-free shopping complex in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu) HAIKOU, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- South China's island province of Hainan recorded total offshore duty-free sales of 28.93 billion yuan (about 4 billion U.S. dollars) in the first seven months of this year. From January to July, nearly 4.2 million shoppers purchased over 34 million duty-free products on the island, according to the customs of Haikou, the capital of Hainan. Since the beginning of this year, Hainan has introduced a raft of measures to boost the recovery of duty-free consumption. These efforts include issuing 20 million duty-free consumption coupons, holding an international duty-free shopping festival, and promoting the duty-free policy outside the province. The duty-free shops on the island have provided more than 30 promotions and launched discount promotions online and offline. Since Hainan released the policy that allows domestic tourists to buy products on the island without taxation on April 20, 2011, rounds of adjustments to the initial policy have taken place. The adjustments from July 1, 2020, increased the island's annual tax-free shopping quota from 30,000 yuan to 100,000 yuan per person and expanded the major categories of duty-free goods from 38 to 45. China released a master plan in June 2020 to build Hainan into a globally influential and high-level free-trade port by the middle of the century. Over recent years, the island province has become an attractive shopping destination for domestic consumers. Through years of efforts to enhance the local tourism and shopping sector, Hainan now boasts 12 offshore duty-free shops. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Currently, the airline industry is experiencing a shortage of pilots, contributing to delays and raising the cost of flights. Several factors affect flight prices, including fuel costs, demand and personnel. Currently, the airline industry is experiencing a shortage of around 30,000 commercial pilots, mechanics and air traffic controllers, which is contributing to airline delays and raising the cost of flights. While the pilot shortage has been an ongoing issue for several years, it was exacerbated by the substantial decline in travel during the pandemic. To contend with falling demand, airlines encouraged pilots to retire early. However, travel has soared this summer, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. As a result, many U.S. airlines lack adequate personnel, which has resulted in canceled and delayed flights. There are 1,200 fewer fully certified air traffic controllers in 2023 than a decade ago, according to National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Rich Santa. Additionally, North America is expected to be short nearly 30,000 pilots by 2032, according to consulting firm Oliver Wyman. The pilot shortage will hit regional airlines the most, the firm noted, especially the ones not affiliated with major carriers and flying smaller 50-seat aircraft. Because of this, airlines are beginning to revise flight schedules while aggressively hiring to fill gaps in staffing. Overall employment of airline and commercial pilots is projected to grow 6 percent from 2021 to 2031, about as fast as the average for all occupations," the US Bureau Of Labor Statistics reports. "About 18,100 openings for airline and commercial pilots are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. The aviation industry's personnel shortage is giving leverage to pilots and the unions that represent them to negotiate contracts, which will result in increased costs for airlines. Recently, United Airlines reached an agreement with their pilots that would increase pay up to 40% over four years, a contract valued at $10 billion. Pilots at American Airlines have also reached a deal to match the pilot pay rates of their counterparts at United and Delta. These pay increases will take place on January 1, according to Reuters. Because of this, expect airlines to raise flight prices in order to cover these additional costs. Pineapple, Inc. Companys corporate action completes regulatory review resulting in name change to Pineapple, Inc. and domicile change to Nevada LOS ANGELES, CA, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PINEAPPLE, INC. (OTC Pink: PNPL) (the Company or Pineapple), a company in the legal cannabis industry that focuses on non-plant touching activities, such as leases to licensed cannabis operators, online and in-store hemp-derived CBD transactions, and cannabis business licensing and consulting services, announced the corporate action consent of its name change to Pineapple, Inc. (formerly Pineapple Express, Inc.), and also a domicile change to Nevada (formerly Wyoming). Company management confirmed the corporate action will be announced on the FINRA Daily List today and will be effective August 10, 2023. We couldnt be happier with the results of our hard work and determination. Within the last 6 months we have cleared FINRAs 211 process in becoming a publicly quoted company, elevated our status with our marketplace by removing an advisory on our companys information page, filed an application with our marketplace to elevate our tier to OTCQB, and finally received this consent to our corporate action that was initially filed over 3 years ago,stated Company Chairman, Matthew Feinstein. CEO Shawn Credle added, Our perseverance is noteworthy and our dedication to our shareholders is unparalleled within the micro-cap public company space. About Pineapple, Inc. Pineapple, Inc. (the Company or Pineapple) is based in Los Angeles, California. The Company procures and leases properties to licensed cannabis operators and through its wholly owned subsidiary, Pineapple Wellness, inc., provides nationwide hemp-derived CBD sales via online (Pineapplewellness.com) and in-store transactions at Pineapples flagship CBD retail location near Beverly Hills,, CA. Through another subsidiary, Pineapple Express Consulting Inc., it also offers cannabis business licensing and consulting services. The Companys executive team blends enterprise-level corporate expertise with decades of combined experience operating in the tightly-regulated cannabis industry. Story continues Forward-Looking Statements: All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements, which may often, but not always, be identified by the use of such words as expects, anticipates, intends, estimates, plans, potential, possible, probable, believes, seeks, may, might, will, will likely result, would, should, could, continue, target or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These factors include uncertainties as to changes in economic conditions, competition and other risks including, but not limited to, those described from in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on May 5, 2023, and other filings and submissions with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligations to update these statements except as may be required by law. The Company intends that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Company Contact: Matthew Feinstein, Director Pineapple, Inc. Office: 877-310-PNPL (Bloomberg) -- More than a 1,000 firefighters have contained a blaze in the south of Portugal, while Spain braces for more heat and parts of Norway reel from the worst storm in 100 years. Most Read from Bloomberg Cooler weather helped to bring the wildfire in Odemira under control. Over the past five days, the blaze burned about 10,000 hectares, destroyed a hotel and homes, and forced the evacuation of more than 1,400 people. Portuguese fire services are still on high alert in Braganca in the north, after temperatures climbed to 44.4C on Tuesday. In Greece, 47 fires were brought under control in the past 24 hours, but eight regions remain on high alert as strong winds increase risks. On Wednesday afternoon, authorities ordered residents to evacuate two areas near the town of Marathona, east of Athens, due to a wildfire. Spain has issued a number of red weather warnings, including for Andalucia and Madrid, with highs of 44C (111F) expected. July was officially the earths hottest month on record, causing the Antarctic to shrink at a record pace. Wildfires in Canada burned an area roughly the size of Iceland, while those in Greece forced thousands of tourists to flee the island of Rhodes. Scientists say the extreme weather events across the Northern Hemisphere would have been virtually impossible without climate change, but efforts to curb the use of fossil fuels fall well short of whats required to address a rapidly warming planet. While the Iberian peninsula bakes, cooler temperatures and destructive storms have battered northern Europe. Sweden still has a red warning in place for flooding, but the brunt of Storm Hans has been felt in Norway. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the worst hit areas of the country, with heavy rain triggering landslides and road closures. Story continues While some parts of the country are enduring their worst storm in a century, the far north of Norway is experiencing dry and unseasonably warm weather. That prompted an orange alert for wildfires, the second-highest risk level. Cyclone Circe is hitting northern France, bringing 100 kilometer (62 miles) per hour winds to Saint-Malo, while gales are forecast for the German island of Sylt and other parts of the north coast. --With assistance from Lars Paulsson. (Updates Portugal fire being contained in first paragraph, Greek evacuations in third and 100-year storm in seventh) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. The U.S. just lost as much as 15% of its small-batch trucking capacity and consumers are likely to feel the effects in higher prices as the holiday season rolls around. On Monday, Yellow, a 99-year-old carrier that built its business on combining multiple smaller shipments into single truckloads, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company had already halted operations on July 30, leaving 30,000 of its workers jobless. Yellow was known for being one of the lowest-cost carriers in its sector, known as "less-than-truckload," or LTL, because it took different batches from different shippers to build full loads, as opposed to working with single businesses to fill up trucks and ship their goods exclusively. The reasons for its failure are complex. Company officials have blamed unions, a charge that, led by the Teamsters, officials have denied. Analysts say Yellow had high debt loads and encountered trouble integrating disparate subdivisions. How will the shipping industry be affected? Yellow accounted for 10% to 15% of the LTL market share. And its competitors have already indicated they will not be honoring Yellow's pricing structure as they pick up its customers, said Ken Adamo, the principal for global freight market intelligence at DAT Solutions, a freight and shipping analytics company. That means end users everyday shoppers who send and receive goods may face higher pricing as the holiday season rolls around. "If 10% of [LTL] volume is going up 20%, thats material," Adamo said, adding that some other trucking companies might also meet demand by slowing pickup schedules. The overall U.S. supply chain has recovered substantially from pandemic-era disruptions as economic growth has slowed, countries have reopened and shoppers have shifted their spending away from goods and toward services. As a result, the trucking industry has been in something of a recession for the better part of a year, said Rachel Premack, the editorial director of FreightWaves, a provider of global supply chain market intelligence. Story continues "Right now, there is plenty of capacity," Premack said, meaning shipping rates had come down to meet lower demand. Adamo said the loss of a major carrier will only serve to push overall prices back up. "If youre one of the remaining large LTL carriers, this is a tailwind," he said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com The fact that multiple The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) insiders offloaded a considerable amount of shares over the past year could have raised some eyebrows amongst investors. When evaluating insider transactions, knowing whether insiders are buying versus if they selling is usually more beneficial, as the latter can be open to many interpretations. However, if numerous insiders are selling, shareholders should investigate more. 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 Procter & Gamble Procter & Gamble Insider Transactions Over The Last Year In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the President, Jon Moeller, sold US$4.5m worth of shares at a price of US$149 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of US$157. When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. This single sale was just 10% of Jon Moeller's stake. Procter & Gamble insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! I will like Procter & Gamble better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. Procter & Gamble Insiders Are Selling The Stock The last quarter saw substantial insider selling of Procter & Gamble shares. Specifically, Chief Executive Officer of Baby Ma. de Vera Francisco ditched US$1.3m worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. Overall this makes us a bit cautious, but it's not the be all and end all. Story continues Insider Ownership Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It's great to see that Procter & Gamble insiders own 0.05% of the company, worth about US$192m. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders. So What Do The Procter & Gamble Insider Transactions Indicate? An insider sold Procter & Gamble shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. On the plus side, Procter & Gamble makes money, and is growing profits. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Procter & Gamble. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for Procter & Gamble and we suggest you have a look. 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. New FedEx hub staff drives a forklift. Photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images Blackstone (BX) has unloaded a FedEx distribution facility in Southern California as part of a larger $3.1 billion deal announced earlier this summer with fellow industrial behemoth Prologis (PLD). The 311,363-square-foot asset sold for $96.6 million, or $310.25 per square foot, according to Vizzda. Thats higher than the $259-per-square-foot average sales price for industrial space in the first half of the year in the Inland Empire. The seller entity is tied to Gramercy Property Trust, which was acquired by Blackstone in 2018. The facility was built in 2014 on 36 acres at 3255 and 11600 Cactus Avenue in Bloomington, Calif., in an industrial corridor that also includes distribution facilities for Amazon and Walmart, among other retailers. In late June, Prologis announced a deal to acquire nearly 14 million square feet of industrial properties from Blackstone-run funds for $3.1 billion. It includes properties in Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., California, Dallas, Las Vegas, New York and New Jersey, Phoenix and South Florida. The company plans to hold all of the properties acquired. These high-quality properties are complementary to our portfolio and fit perfectly into our long-term strategic plan for growth, Prologis president, Dan Letter, said in a statement in June. More than $2.44 billion in industrial asset sales by far the most in the nation closed in the first six months of the year in the Inland Empire, according to a recent report by CommercialEdge. Southern California also continues to see the largest rent gains in the nation, with in-place rents jumping an astounding 17.4 percent in the Inland Empire over the last 12 months. Where you invest matters, and this transaction demonstrates the exceptional demand for high-quality warehouses, said Nadeem Meghji, head of Blackstone Real Estate Americas. Blackstone said it owns $100 billion of warehouses in North America and $175 billion globally. Prologis said it owns 1.2 billion square feet of logistics real estate in 19 countries. Story continues Gregory Cornfield can be reached at gcornfield@commercialobserver.com. Trending Commercial Observer Stories Read the original story Prologis Buys FedEx Facility for $97M as Part of Recent Blackstone Deal and others by Greg Cornfield at Commercial Observer. JAKARTA, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) Group, in collaboration with PT Suntory Garuda Beverage, has successfully embarked on its maiden export of Oolong tea to Vietnam for Suntory Pepsico Vietnam Beverage. This milestone marks the beginning of a strategic collaboration between the two corporations to supply high-quality raw materials for ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages across Asia. PTPN Group and Suntory Garuda Open New Market: First Export of Indonesian Oolong Tea to Vietnam The collaboration of Suntory and PTPN gave Suntory access to one of the largest plantation holdings in Indonesia with commercial and operational excellence. PTPN stood to benefit from Suntory's global know-how and world-renowned expertise as a manufacturer of beverages, especially oolong tea by committing to follow sustainable agricultural methods and adheres to international quality standards to ensure the excellence of the product Oolong tea, known for its unique characteristics and smooth flavor, was carefully selected as the export commodity in response to market demand. Dwi Sutoro, the Marketing Director of PTPN Group, emphasized the company's commitment to producing the market-oriented tea products. "This is our first experience in producing Oolong tea. We ventured into this production due to specific market demands, and we have the expertise to develop all types of tea according to buyers' requests," he stated. PTPN Group manages over 23,000 hectares of tea plantations in Indonesia, making it one of the largest tea plantation companies globally, with an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons or accounting for 40% of the national production. Apart from Oolong tea, PTPN Group also offers black tea (orthodox and CTC), green tea, and white tea. The company owns several retail tea brands, including Nusakita, Walini, Teh Kayu Aro, Goalpara, Rollas, Kaligua, Gunung Dempo, Semugih, and Tobasari. The export of Oolong tea to Vietnam will be utilized by Suntory to create ready-to-drink products in the Asian market. Suntory, a Japanese consumer packaged goods company established in 1923, is renowned for its leading packaged beverage brands such as TEA+, Ribena, and Okky Jelly Drink. Story continues Neeraj Kumar Goyal, CEO of Suntory Garuda Beverage, emphasized the importance of using high-quality raw materials. "At Suntory, we are always striving to employ better and more innovative methods to cater to various tastes and healthy lifestyles worldwide," Neeraj said. "Our partnership with PTPN is part of our commitment to share our global know-how to ensuring the high-quality products to our consumers." The collaboration for the export of Oolong tea began in 2021 and underwent various preparation stages, including trials, assessments, and audits. The Oolong tea produced by PTPN Group has met the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) and passed pesticide content assessment with 268 required active ingredients. Additionally, the product has also passed heavy metal content assessment (Cd, Pb, Sn, Hg, and As) and microbiological content assessment (TPC, Coliform, Yeast, and Mould). Beforehand, the black tea product manufactured by PTPN Group had expanded its presence in the international market, reaching various countries including Pakistan, Russia, Malaysia, East Asia, the Middle East, US, and Europe. The product has successfully complied with the food safety standards mandated by each respective country. Moreover, there is an ongoing effort to boost the production of green tea, particularly in the plantations situated in the Sumatra region, in response to market demands. This inaugural export is expected to open up new business opportunities for PTPN Group, Suntory, and other multinational companies while providing economic benefits to the country. For information about tea business opportunities with PTPN Group, inquiries can be directed to tea@holding-perkebunan.com. Furthermore, this collaboration is anticipated to promote the export of high-quality Indonesian tea products to the international market, showcasing the richness and allure of Indonesian tea. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/ptpn-group-and-suntory-garuda-open-new-market-first-export-of-indonesian-oolong-tea-to-vietnam-301896395.html SOURCE PT Perkebunan Nusantara III (Persero) Scotland oil Scotlands jobs market is struggling and pay growth is falling behind the rest of the UK as its oil industry declines, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Figures show that Scotlands employment rate has suffered a marked deterioration since 2014, and is now one percentage point below the national average. At the same time, earnings have grown much more slowly than in the rest of the country. While average pay across the UK, excluding London, increased by 5pc since 2015, the level in Scotland edged up narrowly by just 1.5pc. Analysts at the IFS found the squeeze was largely focused in the Highlands and Islands and the north east of Scotland, where the employment rate dropped by around three percentage points over the past decade. Earnings in the north east were once 30pc above the national average, but this figure has now fallen to 14pc. In the Highlands and Islands, the rate went from 6pc above average to 10pc below. The influential think tank said the drop-off was partially driven by a decline in the high-paying oil and gas industry, which employs a lot of people in these areas. David Phillips, an economist at the IFS, said the slump poses a headache for the Scottish government in terms of policy as oil and gas workers are still relatively well off. On the one hand, it is likely to face political pressure to provide additional support to the north of Scotland to help make up for reductions in employment and earnings associated with the decline in the oil and gas industry, he said. On the other, it remains the case that the areas with lowest earnings and employment are concentrated in central and south west Scotland. However, a boost for the industry may be in sight. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that hundreds of new oil and gas exploration licences will be granted in the UK as the Government seeks to boost the countrys energy security in the wake of the war in Ukraine and the vulnerabilities this exposed in global supplies. The Labour Party said it does not support the initiative but would not revoke the licences if it comes to power after the next general election. 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. Sino Global Files $67M Claim Against FTX For Fund It Co-Founded Sino Global Has Filed a Lawsuit Against FTX Matthew Grahams Sino Global Capital has filed a claim against FTX Trading for $67.3 million on behalf of Sino's Liquid Value fund, which was established in 2021 in collaboration with Sam Bankman-Fried. The fund primarily targeted high net worth individuals with a $200 million fundraising goal. In marketing materials promoting the fund, FTX was referred to as a "co-GP and anchor LP"; as of January 2022, the fund had raised $90 million with FTX serving as an anchor investor. According to SEC documents dating back to 2022, Bankman-Fried was identified as an indirect stakeholder in the fund along with Graham, Alameda Research, and its subsidiary Alameda Ventures. In 2023, the fund lost its SEC registration, however it is still in operation with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. In a prior statement, Sino Global claimed that its "direct exposure to the FTX exchange was confined to mid-seven figures held in custody." Sino issued a statement shortly after FTX's demise in which it regretted having put its trust in the company in the wrong place. Constance Wang, a former FTX COO, was appointed by Sino Global as its head of gaming in July. It looks like Scorpio Tankers Inc. (NYSE:STNG) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. This means that investors who purchase Scorpio Tankers' shares on or after the 14th of August will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of September. The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.25 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$1.00 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Scorpio Tankers stock has a trailing yield of around 2.0% on the current share price of $48.84. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to investigate whether Scorpio Tankers can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow. See our latest analysis for Scorpio Tankers Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Scorpio Tankers is paying out just 4.2% of its profit after tax, which is comfortably low and leaves plenty of breathing room in the case of adverse events. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. What's good is that dividends were well covered by free cash flow, with the company paying out 3.3% of its cash flow last year. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. Story continues Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. It's encouraging to see Scorpio Tankers has grown its earnings rapidly, up 62% a year for the past five years. Scorpio Tankers earnings per share have been sprinting ahead like the Road Runner at a track and field day; scarcely stopping even for a cheeky "beep-beep". We also like that it is reinvesting most of its profits in its business.' Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. It looks like the Scorpio Tankers dividends are largely the same as they were 10 years ago. To Sum It Up Has Scorpio Tankers got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? It's great that Scorpio Tankers is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. It's disappointing to see the dividend has been cut at least once in the past, but as things stand now, the low payout ratio suggests a conservative approach to dividends, which we like. There's a lot to like about Scorpio Tankers, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it. In light of that, while Scorpio Tankers has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Scorpio Tankers (including 1 which is significant). If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Synovus Financial is among the banks that have been offloading loans in an effort to reduce risk in their portfolios, scale back from certain businesses or accumulate cash. The private equity firm KKR has bought $373 million in prime auto loans from Synovus Financial, which has been shedding assets in recent months. The Columbus, Georgia-based bank is one of numerous lenders that have been offloading loans in an effort to reduce risk in their portfolios, scale back from certain businesses or accumulate cash. KKR, which announced the auto loan portfolio purchase on Tuesday, did not reveal the deal's terms. Synovus did not respond to a request for comment. Last month, Synovus announced a deal to sell $1.3 billion in medical office loans a transaction the bank said would help it pay off higher-cost funding it used earlier this year. CEO Kevin Blair said in the company's second-quarter earnings release that the $60.7 billion-asset bank was "proactively optimizing the balance sheet" to "position the company for sustainable, long-term growth." The auto loan sale appears to make up most, if not all, of Synovus' consumer auto loans. Synovus Bank had reported some $389 million in auto loans as of June 30, according to a regulatory filing. Synovus previously disclosed that it started eyeing a sale of its auto portfolio late last year, though company executives noted in April that turmoil in the banking industry had increased uncertainty in the market. The bank's auto loans are "performing very well" and are attractive, Synovus Chief Financial Officer Jamie Gregory said in April. Other banks have also scaled back their presence in auto lending recently. Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bancorp said last month it planned to reduce its indirect auto loans, where it works with dealers to make loans to customers. Citizens Financial Group in Providence, Rhode Island, said it would exit indirect auto lending entirely. Banks have also been selling car loans in recent months. Auto loans have had one of their best years of trading in the last decade, John Toohig, head of whole loan trading at Raymond James, said in a recent interview. Story continues Among the benefits of buying auto loans is that they have shorter durations than, say, 30-year, fixed rate mortgages. "Everybody wants to stay short on the curve right now," Toohig said. KKR, whose private credit funds and accounts bought the loans, said the purchase lines up with its strategy of growing its asset-based finance business. The private equity firm sees "an immense opportunity for scaled private capital investment" in asset-based finance, "especially as traditional lenders increasingly focus on optimizing their balance sheets and increasing liquidity," Avi Korn and Chris Melia, managing directors at KKR, said in a news release announcing the deal with Synovus. The private equity firm continues to "see opportunities to provide capital to the banking community" and to partner with banks on transactions, said Dan Pietrzak, KKR's global head of private credit. By Ben Blanchard and Friederike Heine TAIPEI/BERLIN (Reuters) -Taiwan said on Wednesday chipmaker TSMC's 3.5 billion euro ($3.83 billion) investment in Germany would drive deeper engagement between the island and Europe, while Berlin said it was a positive sign for bilateral ties. For Taiwan, under increasing pressure from Beijing to accept China's sovereignty claims over the island, the investment in a new factory is a show of goodwill towards Europe, even if the European Union has shown no desire to proceed with a Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) that Taipei has long sought. "TSMC's investment in Europe will help bring even closer cooperation between Taiwan and the EU," Taiwan Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua told reporters in Taipei, when asked if signing a BIA would bring more Taiwanese chipmakers into the bloc. "Just like how Taiwan and the United States are continuing to strengthen cooperation... TSMC going to Europe will certainly strengthen bilateral relations in the future," she said, referring to a recently signed trade deal with Washington. Taiwanese officials, while noting that TSMC's investments are a company decision, have also said European countries should strengthen ties with Taiwan if they want continued semiconductor cooperation. Germany also hailed TSMC's move as a sign of strong bilateral ties. "This is a private decision that the federal government welcomes and supports," a government spokesperson said on Wednesday. "Economic relations are always good for bilateral relations." Taiwan has been heartened by a change in tone from Germany since Olaf Scholz became chancellor in late 2021, including a visit to Taipei this year by Germany's education minister and a visit by the Taiwanese justice minister to Berlin. In a departure from the policies of former chancellor, Angela Merkel, Scholz's government last month unveiled a new China strategy to reduce dependence on the Asian economic superpower, hitherto a vital export market for German goods. Story continues In June, Scholz told the German parliament he had warned China against using force against Taiwan. APPROVAL EXPECTED The EU included Taiwan on its list of trade partners for a potential bilateral investment agreement in 2015, but it has not held talks with Taiwan on the issue since, despite Taipei's repeated calls for progress. A BIA would be politically significant for Taiwan given its diplomatic isolation and general exclusion from most global bodies and agreements, though it is a World Trade Organisation member. The TSMC investment in Germany will need approval by Taiwan's economy ministry, and Wang said they would also consider the company's "vigorous" investments at home when weighing the German plans. A source familiar with the German talks told Reuters that approval was likely not a problem given that the plant will be making less advanced chips for the auto industry, rather than higher-end, more profitable chips for things such as artificial intelligence applications. "It will free space in Taiwan to make more valuable chips," the source said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media. TSMC's overseas expansion, which includes new factories in the United States and Japan, has sparked concerns in Taiwan, where semiconductor manufacturing is the backbone of the economy, about a "goodbye to Taiwan" trend among chip firms. TSMC has repeatedly said its most advanced manufacturing and research will remain rooted in Taiwan, Wang said, but that more chip production overseas was part of a global trend about giving greater resilience to supply chains. "This is unavoidable," she added. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Friederike Heine; Additional reporting by Jeanny Kao, Andreas Rinke and Sarah Marsh; Editing by Stephen Coates and Gareth Jones) The latest analyst coverage could presage a bad day for TASCO Berhad (KLSE:TASCO), with the analysts making across-the-board cuts to their statutory estimates that might leave shareholders a little shell-shocked. This report focused on revenue estimates, and it looks as though the consensus view of the business has become substantially more conservative. Following the latest downgrade, the current consensus, from the four analysts covering TASCO Berhad, is for revenues of RM1.3b in 2024, which would reflect a definite 9.8% reduction in TASCO Berhad's sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are presumed to increase 3.3% to RM0.10. Before this latest update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of RM1.5b and earnings per share (EPS) of RM0.11 in 2024. 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. Check out our latest analysis for TASCO Berhad Despite the cuts to forecast earnings, there was no real change to the RM1.47 price target, showing that the analysts don't think the changes have a meaningful impact on its intrinsic value. Another way we can view these estimates is in the context of the bigger picture, such as how the forecasts stack up against past performance, and whether forecasts are more or less bullish relative to other companies in the industry. We would highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with a forecast 9.8% annualised revenue decline to the end of 2024. That is a notable change from historical growth of 21% over the last five years. Compare this with our data, which suggests that other companies in the same industry are, in aggregate, expected to see their revenue grow 2.5% per year. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - TASCO Berhad is expected to lag the wider industry. The Bottom Line The biggest issue in the new estimates is that analysts have reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds lay ahead for TASCO Berhad. Unfortunately analysts also downgraded their revenue estimates, and industry data suggests that TASCO Berhad's revenues are expected to grow slower than the wider market. Overall, given the drastic downgrade to this year's forecasts, we'd be feeling a little more wary of TASCO Berhad going forwards. Story continues In light of the downgrade, our automated discounted cash flow valuation tool suggests that TASCO Berhad could now be moderately overvalued. Learn why, and examine the assumptions that underpin our valuation by visiting our free platform here to learn more about our valuation approach. Of course, seeing company management invest large sums of money in a stock can be just as useful as knowing whether analysts are downgrading their estimates. So you may also wish to search this free list of stocks 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. Thames Water Van in South London Further doubt has been cast over the future of Thames Water after Fitch warned the troubled suppliers turnaround plan was high risk. The credit ratings agency said Thames Waters efforts to raise 2.5bn by 2030 to shore up its finances and improve its leaky pipes risked being undermined by the threat of renationalisation and heavy fines. Fitch raised concerns over whether Thames Water can significantly improve its sewage pollution record, which has come under increasing scrutiny over the past 18 months. Much-needed further investment is conditional on Thames Waters environmental turnaround, which has a high execution risk. Fears over its finances have been mounting as the company struggles under the weight of its 14bn debt pile. The utility giant, which serves 15m customers across London and the south-east of England, has been under growing pressure since the unexpected departure of Sarah Bentley as chief executive in June. Her sudden exit two years into the companys eight-year transformation plan amplifies execution risk, according to Fitch, which added that Thames Waters operational and environmental performances continue to remain weak. Thames Water boss Sarah Bentley quit unexpectedly in June - Thames Water/PA The company was recently handed a 3.3m penalty in July for dumping millions of litres of untreated sewage into rivers near Gatwick Airport in 2017. Judge Christine Laing KC found that Thames Water had shown a deliberate attempt to mislead the Environment Agency over the incident. Fitch expects Thames Water to face significant further fines over the next two years, which could potentially amount to 220m. Feargal Sharkey, rockstar turned campaigner, told The Telegraph that Thames Water was clearly nowhere near its eight-year recovery plan and a million miles off target. The threat of Britains largest water supplier being renationalised also presents a stumbling block to self-help plans, Fitch warned. While accepting it was an extreme and unlikely scenario, the rating agency said any move to renationalise parts of the sector could lead to fewer private investors willing to invest across UK infrastructure at a time of very high need. Story continues Thames Water raised 750m from investors last month but management said a further 2.5bn will be required by 2030. Fitch said liquidity and refinancing risks are key concerns for Thames Waters parent company for 2025 and beyond. Fitch analysts said: The problems are complex and the outcomes uncertain. Last month, Thames Waters chief executive Cathryn Ross said it had enough cash to see it through this year, next year and into the future. Its most recent results revealed the company had 4.4bn of cash reserves. Concerns raised by Fitch follow previous warnings by Ofwat chief executive David Black, who said the sums Thames is seeking to raise will not be enough in the long run. He told a House of Lords committee that Thames Water was struggling to raise funds because investors were concerned around its turnaround plan. Mr Black also stressed that the company will have to bring down its debts while improving performance at the same time. Investors in Thames Water include the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (Omers), the UKs Universities Superannuation Scheme and the China Investment Corporation. Last month Omers reduced the value of its investment in Thames Waters parent Kemble by 20pc. Thames Water was previously owned by private equity giant Macquarie, which was criticised for increasing Thames Waters debts while paying out lucrative dividends. Macquarie no longer owns a stake in the company. Cathryn Ross and Alastair Cochran, co-chief executives of Thames Water, said the supplier was in a robust financial position and extremely fortunate to have such supportive shareholders. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. The worst result, after buying shares in a company (assuming no leverage), would be if you lose all the money you put in. But if you buy shares in a really great company, you can more than double your money. For instance the MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) share price is 118% higher than it was three years ago. Most would be happy with that. Unfortunately, though, the stock has dropped 6.6% over a week. But note that the broader market is down 0.4% since last week, and this may have impacted MGM Resorts International's share price. Since the long term performance has been good but there's been a recent pullback of 6.6%, let's check if the fundamentals match the share price. View our latest analysis for MGM Resorts International There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement. During the three years of share price growth, MGM Resorts International actually saw its earnings per share (EPS) drop 36% per year. Thus, it seems unlikely that the market is focussed on EPS growth at the moment. Given this situation, it makes sense to look at other metrics too. It could be that the revenue growth of 33% per year is viewed as evidence that MGM Resorts International is growing. In that case, the company may be sacrificing current earnings per share to drive growth, and maybe shareholder's faith in better days ahead will be rewarded. The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail). We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts Story continues A Different Perspective It's good to see that MGM Resorts International has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 33% in the last twelve months. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 11%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand MGM Resorts International better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for MGM Resorts International you should know about. 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. 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. Topeka social media is all abuzz about a unique addition to the citys mobile food truck scene. La Creperie Co. offers a variety of sweet and savory crepes, along with a chicken and waffle special. Owner Carmen Romero-Nichols said the business had a soft opening in mid-July at the Topeka Farmers Market, followed by an appearance at Fiesta Topeka. It wasnt soft at all. I wasnt planning to be at Fiesta, but the opportunity came up, said Romero-Nichols. We did sell out at the Fiesta. The following weekend, La Creperie Co. returned to the farmers market in the morning and sold out of inventory by 10:15 a.m. Then, in collaboration with The Happy Hut Hawaiian Shaved Ice, the truck set up shop at S.W. 29th and Wanamaker the same day, where product flew off the truck and into the hands of hungry customers. Fast start to business surprises La Creperie Co. owner Unique crepes and waffle creations are what Carmen Romero-Nichols' La Creperie Co. food truck is all about as she poses from the serving window Monday evening outside her east Topeka home. The menu is expected to expand this fall to reflect seasonal flavors. Im just playing catch up, said Romero-Nichols. I didnt expect the turnout. I had to prep again for Saturday afternoon because we completely ran out of inventory. La Creperie Co. is currently operating on a limited menu, with plans to expand options in the future. Customers can choose from one of three sweet crepes, including Banana/Nutella, Peaches and Cream, or Berries and Cream, which features mascarpone cream cheese, strawberries, raspberry drizzle, condensed milk drizzle, whipped cream, almonds and graham cracker. Each crepe is around $8. A berries and cream crepe on the menu up at La Creperie Co. features mascarpone cream cheese, strawberries, raspberry drizzle, condensed milk drizzle, whipped cream, almonds, and graham cracker. Each crepe is around $8. If youre in the mood for something savory, try La Creperie Co.s Chicken and Waffles for $11.75. The order includes special-blend breaded chicken strips in a waffle cone, topped with syrup and powdered sugar. I make everything using fresh ingredients, said Romero-Nichols. The crepe batter, chicken marinade, fruit drizzles and mascarpone cream cheese. We try to add fun ingredients like cornflakes, nuts and granola. I want people to like what I make and to bring something fun to Topeka. An expanded menu will be available in the fall with such additions as Caramel/Apple, Lime and several savory crepes, including Ham, Egg and Cheese; Pizza; and Ricotta and Spinach. Story continues La Creperie Co. food truck owner inspired by crepes from her hometown Romero-Nichols said shes had the idea for La Creperie Co. for about five years and finally decided to act on it. Im originally from Mexico City, where there are food stands on every corner," she said. "I always get crepes there. After working with Washburn Universitys Small Business Development Center, Romero-Nichols wrote a business plan and secured funding through a private bank to start her business. Currently, La Creperie Co. is only open on Fridays and Saturdays, because Romero-Nichols has a full-time job. Carmen Romero-Nichols' La Creperie Co. shows off her new food trailer, La Creperie Co., outside her east Topeka home Monday. Romero-Nichols' said her side business has quickly started taking off thanks to social media buzz. She currently is open Friday and Saturdays at different locations. I have two daughters, and they are working with me, and my mom and my aunt, she said. Its all family right now. I really wanted to get efficient before I hired anybody because I knew this would be a learning experience for me. Romero-Nichols said she loves to cook and grew up preparing Mexican dishes with her grandma. While Mexican cuisine may have been a natural choice, she felt the Topeka restaurant market was already saturated, and she wanted to do something different. In addition to the Topeka Farmers Market and the Wanamaker corridor, La Creperie Co. has made appearances at NOTO First Friday Art Walk and the Helping Hands Humane Society, which regularly attracts food trucks to its parking lot. Saturday has been our busiest day, said Romero-Nichols. I post our schedule at the beginning of every week on Monday or Tuesday with where we will be the following week. Although the companys website is still in the developmental stages, the public can check La Creperie Co.s Facebook and Instagram feeds to find its weekend locations. The truck is also available to cater private and corporate events. When and where will La Creperie be Friday and Saturday? Carmen Romero-Nichols, owner of La Creperie Co., smiles brightly from the kitchen of her food truck where she's been creating unique crepes and waffles for hungry customers since July. A native of Mexico City, Romero-Nichols started the business to bring the food from her hometown to Topeka. La Creperie Co. is scheduled to be open at three locations Friday and Saturday. 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the northwest corner of S.W. 29th and Wanamaker. 7:30 a.m. until noon Saturday at the Downtown Topeka Farmers Market, S.W. 6th and Harrison. 6 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at a location to be announced. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka's La Creperie food truck sees fast start. Here's how to find it Its been almost four years since Trendway Corp. in Holland was acquired by Illinois-based Fellowes Brands. HOLLAND TWP. Its been almost four years since Trendway Corp. in Holland was acquired by Illinois-based Fellowes Brands. Now as local drivers pass the building at 13467 Quincy St. they'll notice the Trendway sign has been replaced. Trendway was an office furniture, movable walls, and office systems company purchased by the Heeringa family in 1973. Fellowes is a global broad-based business solutions company that expanded into contract furniture through its acquisition of ESI in November 2017. At the time of Trendway's acquisition in 2019, the company was to continue operations in Holland under its own name and the leadership of interim company president Bill Bundy. Its been almost four years since Trendway Corp. in Holland was acquired by Illinois-based Fellowes Brands. A few months later, the company appointed Mark Rhoades as president. According to his LinkedIn profile, Rhoades led Trendway and ESI until August 2022. He's now listed as president of contract furniture under Fellowes. A release by the company in February 2023 said both the Trendway and ESI brands would transition to Fellowes this year. Subscribe: Get all your breaking news and unlimited access to our local coverage Our goal is to operate as one company, with the same standard across all touchpoints of our brand, said President and CEO John Fellowes. Fellowes did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Sentinel. Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Trendway name is officially a thing of the past In a huge boon for European Union efforts to build a cutting-edge microchip supply chain, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company announced plans on Tuesday for a 10 billion (US$11 billion) plant in Germany. The facility, to be built in Dresden in the country's east, will begin producing chips for the automotive sector by the end of 2027, the company said. The project marks the first foray onto European turf for TSMC, the world's leading maker of advanced chips. The firm will work in conjunction with German companies Robert Bosch and Infineon Technologies as well as NXP Semiconductors of the Netherlands. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. European political chiefs have courted TSMC for years, as the EU tries to avoid the sorts of supply-chain bottlenecks that paralysed parts of its economy during the coronavirus pandemic. Michael Kretschmer (left), the minister president of Saxon and Dirk Hilbert, the lord mayor of Dresden, during the announcement of TSMC's planned semiconductor plant. Photo: dpa alt=Michael Kretschmer (left), the minister president of Saxon and Dirk Hilbert, the lord mayor of Dresden, during the announcement of TSMC's planned semiconductor plant. Photo: dpa> The bloc has been seeking ways to attract Taiwanese chip investment without cutting major deals with the self-ruled island's government. Brussels has been unmoved by Taipei's requests to launch talks over a bilateral investment agreement, with EU officials publicly arguing that free-flowing investment shows a deal is not required. They privately admit, however, that they are concerned about retaliation from China. In 2016, Brussels committed to negotiating separate investment deals with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Story continues But the EU-Chinese Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) is locked in geopolitical purgatory after a row over human rights sanctions. While that remains unresolved, Brussels bureaucrats are reluctant to even float the idea of a Taiwanese pact. There is a view that it would be impossible to get all 27 EU member states to support an official trade or investment pact with Taiwan. For Germany, the TSMC deal offers a shot in the arm for its flagging industrial engine - but at a cost. German media reported that the government will provide 5 billion in subsidies for the plant. It comes after Intel announced plans for a 30 billion chip factory in Magdeburg, another city in Germany's east, with a third of the cost expected to be covered by government subsidies. Berlin is taking advantage of Brussels' loosened rules on providing state aid at a time when its anaemic economy is expected to grow by just 0.3 per cent this year, EU data estimated. On Sunday, it was announced that industrial production in Germany - the EU's largest economy - dropped by more than economists had predicted in June. The deal also lifts the EU's efforts to build out an indigenous semiconductor industry, as it hopes to sidestep the US-China tech war and shore up its own chip supply in case of future disruptions in the Taiwan Strait. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine 18 months ago, significant political capital has been invested in making the EU's supply chains more resilient. As part of this approach, it is looking to reduce its dependencies on China and other trading partners for key technologies. Now, financial capital from EU members is starting to follow. The TSMC investment comes two weeks after the bloc finally approved its Chips Act, aimed at "doubling the EU's global market share in semiconductors, from 10 per cent now to at least 20 per cent by 2030". "Very pleased about the decision of TSMC to invest - together with 3 EU major semiconductor companies - into building a new semiconductor FAB in EU," EU internal market chief Thierry Breton posted on social media. "It's the EU Chips Act in motion - bringing stronger security of supply for Europe, including for EU's automotive industry," Breton added. Other EU officials struck a cautionary tone, one noting the delay in the opening of TSMC's new factory in the US state of Arizona due in part to a lack of skilled workers. Given the highly technical nature of the work and the fact that plants are set to spring up around the world, serious thought would need to be given to skilled training, they noted. The venture partners in Germany will create a new entity, European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, with the fab - industry shorthand for a fabrication plant - to be operated by TSMC. Mathieu Duchatel, director of the Asia programme at Institut Montaigne in Paris, said that the news was good for Germany and Europe's industrial ambitions, but suggested that the goal of doubling the bloc's market share of chip production remained unrealistic. "The EU Chips Act authorises exemptions to the prohibition of state aid if companies and governments demonstrate that a fab project is 'first-of-a-kind', a loose concept that has considerably relaxed the EU's notoriously strict competition law," he wrote in a recent post on Euractiv, an EU news portal. Other such investments include a silicon carbide substrate plant on the Italian island of Sicily and a factory producing an ultra-thin silicon technology for hi-tech chip engineering in France. "Quick maths tell a blunt story: without the EU Chips Act, these investments would have been unlikely to take place in Europe, but they won't be enough to increase Europe's market share vis-a-vis Taiwan," Duchatel wrote. "Trends in semiconductor equipment spending tend to show that Taiwan's and South Korea's advance is in fact still increasing." This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Tour Operator Group TUI has returned to profitability, posting its first post-pandemic net profit. However, its overall performance for the year is expected to be dampened by the impact of the extreme weather and wildfire disruptions experienced in Europe towards the end of the third quarter. Travel demand in the three months to the end of June, had pushed TUI booking performance to a 6% gain, TUI Group CEO Sebastian Ebel said Wednesday on a conference call. And while the company had seen a slip in bookings following recent wildfires in Greeces Rhodes Island, Ebel stated that it had already stabilized. An estimated 8,000 TUI customers were impacted and the expected cost of the emergency operations is an estimated $27 million (25 million euros) for the full-year. Ebel tried to dispel concerns that summer travel faced a climate-change problem, but laid out ways the industry and TUI could be impacted. The upcoming season is expected to be extended, potentially lasting until the end of the year due to strong bookings in the autumn months. Destinations with moderate climates, such as Cape Verde, the Canary Islands, and Portugal, will likely grow in popularity. There will be a focus on expanding to new destinations, including the Nordic countries, Belgium, Holland, and Poland, offering more opportunities for growth and not posing a threat to the Mediterranean business. TUI would continue to demonstrate flexibility in its holiday packages, allowing for cancelations and refunds and would also look to include an insurance product. The company was criticized for not allowing immediate cancellations during the wildfire crisis. TUI reported significant improvements across various sectors, especially cruises, with TUI branded hotels growth a key focus going forward. TUI Musement continued to see high growth, with a third more sales. The group will continue to invest in its own tours and activities branded offerings, according to Ebel. Ebel noted that there has been a doubling in the number of bookings made via its App and has set a target of 50% of bookings to be made via its App in the next three years. The company did not expect this to come from retail, but instead wanted to concentrate on repeat customers and reduce reliance and what it considered the high costs of new customers via Google. It is also piloting a chatbot in its TUI app, available only in the UK for now. Story continues Cruises Its cruises sector continued recovery, recording its fifth positive quarter since the start of the pandemic. Fleets for TUI Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Marella Cruises have seen improved occupancy, for the period from April to June improved to 95% (previous year: 69%). Underlying earnings before interest and taxes by the cruises sector climbed significantly to $70 million (64 million euros) from the previous year: $3.2 million (3 million euros). Hotels TUIs portfolio investment through its Hotel Fund has made its first acquisition in Zanzibar, with another planned in Cape Verde. Hotels & Resorts reported underlying earnings before interest and taxes of $124 million (113 million euros), up year-on-year $115 million (105 million euros) and above pre-crisis levels for the fifth consecutive quarter. The average daily rate increased by 9% year-on-year to $88 (80 euros), while occupancy improved by 5 percentage points to 79%. TUI Musement Tours and activities saw 2.7 million excursions, tours and activities sold one third more than in the same period of the previous year. The number of transfers rose by 14% to 8.2 million. TUI Musements underlying earnings before interest and taxes was $14 million (13 million euros). TUIs underlying earnings before interest and tax at $185.46 million (169 million euros) for the three months to June 30, the third quarter of its financial year, up from a loss of 27 million in the same quarter last year. The tour group reported revenue of $5.8 billion (5.3 billion euros) in revenue was up 19% from Q3 2022, and a reduced net debt by $1.2 billion (1.1 billion euros) to $2.4 billion (2.2 billion euros). Get breaking travel news and exclusive hotel, airline, and tourism research and insights at Skift.com. A ribbon cutting ceremony for a new Nao Medical NYC location on May 10, 2022. Credit - Rob Kim / Getty Images for Nao Medical You might go to an urgent care facilitys website to make an appointment or read an explanation of what causes fevers. But most people are probably not looking to urgent care websites for an explanation of what happens when unicorns consume ketamine. But thatand millions of other pages about things that dont make much sensehave suddenly been popping up on the website of a New York City-based urgent care clinic called Nao Medical. The company, which says it has 16 locations in New York City and Long Island, appears to be using AI to generate a vast flood of well-written and sensibly structuredbut not particularly accurateposts about popular topics in an effort to rank higher on Google. One post on Nao Medicals website explains a medical condition it calls Derek Jeter Herpes Tree, which is not actually a medical condition but that Nao says nevertheless is a rare viral infection that affects trees. There are posts promising that Ivermectin can help COVID-19 patients regain their sense of smell (not true), about getting iodine poisoning from eating too much shrimp (extremely unlikely), about a cutting-edge technology called the Cloud 5 Zinc Shell (not a real thing) and a revolutionary healthcare solution called Chicken Par Y (not a real thing either.) Google just about anything you can think of and Nao Medical and you will find a long list of posts, some of which appear to make some sense, others which dont. Are you tired of the traditional colonoscopy procedure? Looking for a more enjoyable and engaging way to protect your health? Look no further than color guard! one post reads, going on to explain that the color guard (yes, the people who wave flags in marching bands) can be a fun and effective alternative to colonoscopy procedures. (It appears to have gotten the color guard confused with Cologuard, an at-home colon cancer screening test.) Story continues A screenshot of a post about 'Derek Jeter Herpes Tree' on Nao Medical's website, taken Aug. 8, 2023. We were promised that AI would change the world for the better, freeing humans from meaningless tasks and putting a wealth of information at our fingertips. But now that AI is here, the first-hand negative consequences are also piling up. Sites like Nao Medical appear to be using AI to generate millions of pages of content that are not only useless, but also spreading or amplifying misinformation that exists in other parts of the Internet. Read More: The AI Arms Race Is Changing Everything The eerie thing about the Nao Medical posts is that they are not total nonsense. The article Why Are Unicorns Healthier Than Dragons makes a decent case, with bullet points and headers, as to why the former imaginary creature has superior health to the latter imaginary creature. (One explanation: They often retreat to serene meadows and engage in meditation, allowing them to maintain a calm and balanced state of mind.) The article extolling the Surprising Health Benefits of Ginger Bread Shrek does not describe why the post links the character Shrek to ginger bread, but does provide a recipe and the promise that by enjoying ginger bread Shrek, you can not only satisfy your sweet tooth but also give your immune system a natural boost. According to Google algorithm and search engine optimization (SEO) experts, Nao Medical appears to be using AI to write millions and millions of posts, structuring them to have headings and keywords that people are using to search in Google. Its clear to see that AI is being used in some way to falsely inflate this sites organic visibility through mass content production, says Nick Boyle, SEO director at the Audit Lab, a British digital marketing agency. A screenshot of a Nao Medical page that appears to be written by AI, taken August 8, 2023. Google looks for what it calls E-E-A-T when it decides which websites show up first in organic search: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust. Since Nao Medical is a legitimate group of medical centers with thousands of reviews on Google maps, Google perceives them as having experience and trust. By creating copious amounts of content on certain topics, Nao is appearing to try to convince Google that it also has authority on certain topics, says Marie Haynes, a Google algorithm expert with her own consulting firm who looked into Nao Medicals web strategy for TIME. Google could be ranking Naos pages higher because it can easily find plausible-sounding information in Naos many AI-generated posts, which link externally and which have bolded subheadings with useful titles like Fish Oil: Pros and Cons (in a post about which is a better health choice: fish oil or Nao Medical.) Nao Medical had about 11,000 daily impressions until early June, Haynes says. Then the volume of pages on the site naomedical.com started to spikebetween the first time she checked, on July 27, and the second time, July 31, the site went from about 15 million pages to 25 million. Now, the site has around 1.4 million daily impressions. That doesnt happen organically. It has to be black hat, she says, referring to people who violate laws or ethical standards on the Internet. Nao Medicals president, Arihant Jain, responded to initial questions about Nao Medical and its business model, saying the clinic boomed during the pandemic and then has struggled as patient volume dropped and as insurers refuse to pay for services they had once covered. Jain did not respond to subsequent questions about Nao's internet posts. After this article was first published, Nao Medical confirmed in a blog post it used AI to generate content and that it "slipped up on a few of these articles." It also advised people not to take medical advice from the internet. After this article was first published, Nao Medical confirmed in a blog post it used AI to generate content and that it "slipped up on a few of these articles." It also advised people not to take medical advice from the Internet. The companys strategy is actually very clever, Haynes says. Nao appears to be addressing topics people are searching for but that dont turn up a lot of organic results, making it easier for Nao to rise to the top. Nao Medical ranks on the first page if you are Googling caffeine and autism, for example. This is probably because Nao has created a topical hub with around 22 published pages about caffeine and autism, making the site seem authoritative on the subject.. The AI appears to have structured the posts well, with headings addressing topics and subtopics that Google knows people look for, such as can caffeine worsen anxiety in individuals with autism? A screenshot of a post on Nao Medical's website about joining the color guard instead of having a colonoscopy, taken Aug. 8, 2023. Naos success in getting to the top of Google results also illuminates a problem with the search engine that has been circulating on the Internet: that Google search is dying because it is coming up with too many useless results. One reason: that there are too many people whose job it is to game their way to the top of Google, wrote engineer Dmitri Brereton in a viral post in Feb. 2022. Google search has adapted to address new spam techniques and low-quality content for 25 years, and its goal is to show helpful, relevant content thats created for people, rather than to attain search engine rankings, Danny Sullivan, public liaison for Googles search business said in a statement provided to TIME. Google regularly launches updates to search to make sure its providing relevant information; in August 2022 it released an update that it said would lead to more content by people, for people. Using AI to generate content for the sole purpose of manipulating ranking results violates Googles spam policy, the company says. But despite rising interest in generative AI, Google says, 99% of visits to websites from search have remained spam-free. Read More: In the Rush to AI, We Can't Afford to Trust Big Tech Naos strategy seems like it would have limited benefits, given that most of the people running across this content online probably do not live within the clinics service area. But Jain told me that after Naos in-person patient volumes dropped after the pandemic, the company decided to offer more telemedicine, psychiatry, and nutrition services. Our plans are to grow outside of New York, he told me; the company already offers telemedicine in a few other states. Experts warned about AI flooding the internet with useless content but much of the AI-generated content popping up so far appears to be misleading or worse. And theres something particularly disturbing about a health care company using AI to improve its results. Patients could assume from its post volumes that Nao is more of a medical authority than it actually is. Haynes, the SEO consultant, says this type of SEO tactic is unlikely to work for long. For one thing, Google is currently implementing an AI content system that is built to detect unhelpful content, and, according to Haynes, many of Naos nonsense posts would likely fall into this category. So Google will catch up with Nao sooner or later. Thats what happened to a product review website called Conch-House.com, which put up around 6,000 posts a day in 2022, gaining 6 million users by scraping content from Amazon reviews. The site brought in $800,000 in revenue in two monthsuntil Google shut it down. Besides, says Haynes, Google is constantly changing how search works. Generative AI could completely upend how Google processes and shows results; one experiment uses generative AI to improve results. That may mean it wont make sense for websites to use AI to create content to answer questions because Googles search will already be answering themthanks, of course, to AI. Update, Aug. 10: This story has been updated to include a link to a new blog post from Nao Medical confirming its use of AI to generate articles. Contact us at letters@time.com. VAALCO Energy, Inc. HOUSTON, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EGY; LSE: EGY) (VAALCO or the Company) declared its quarterly cash dividend of $0.0625 per share of common stock for the second quarter of 2023 ($0.25 annualized), which is payable on September 22, 2023, to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 25, 2023. Future declarations of quarterly dividends and the establishment of future record and payment dates are subject to approval by the Board of Directors. George Maxwell, VAALCOs Chief Executive Officer, commented, We are pleased to pay our third quarterly dividend at the increased rate of $0.0625 per share, or $0.25 per share annually, which is up 92% from our 2022 dividend rate. Delivering meaningful value to our stockholders through dividends and share buybacks are key components of our value creation strategy. We have premier assets in Gabon, Egypt and Canada generating strong operational results that allow us to reinvest in our business, while returning significant cash to our stockholders. Energy Conference Participation VAALCO today also announced its participation in the EnerCom Denver Conference to be held in Denver, Colorado where Chief Executive Officer George Maxwell is scheduled to make a presentation on Monday, August 14th at 11:20 am Mountain Time (12:20 pm Central Time.) Senior management will also host one-on-one meetings with investors. The presentation will be webcast live and archived on VAALCOs website, www.vaalco.com, in the Investor Relations section under News and Events. An updated investor slide deck will be posted on the website under Presentations on the day of the event. VAALCO management will also participate in the Seaport Research Partners Annual Summer Investor Conference on August 22nd and 23rd, 2023 with virtual meetings with investors. An investor deck for that Conference will also be posted the day of the event. About VAALCO VAALCO, founded in 1985 and incorporated under the laws of Delaware, is a Houston, Texas, USA based, independent energy company with production, development and exploration assets in Africa and Canada. Story continues Following its business combination with TransGlobe Energy Corporation (TransGlobe) in October 2022, VAALCO owns a diverse portfolio of operated production, development and exploration assets across Gabon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea and Canada. For Further Information VAALCO Energy, Inc. (General and Investor Enquiries) +00 1 713 623 0801 Website: www.vaalco.com Al Petrie Advisors (US Investor Relations) +00 1 713 543 3422 Al Petrie / Chris Delange Buchanan (UK Financial PR) +44 (0) 207 466 5000 Ben Romney / Barry Archer VAALCO@buchanan.uk.com Forward Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by those laws and other applicable laws and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Where a forward-looking statement expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. The words anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, intend, forecast, outlook, aim, target, will, could, should, may, likely, plan and probably or similar words may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements relating to (i) VAALCOs ability to realize the anticipated benefits and synergies expected from the acquisition of TransGlobe; (ii) estimates of future drilling, production, sales and costs of acquiring crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids; (iii) estimates of future cost reductions, synergies, including pre-tax synergies, savings and efficiencies; (iv) expectations regarding VAALCOs ability to effectively integrate assets and properties it acquired as a result of the acquisition of TransGlobe into its operations; (v) the amount and timing of stock buybacks, if any, under VAALCOs stock buyback program and VAALCOs ability to enhance stockholder value through such plan; (vi) expectations regarding future exploration and the development, growth and potential of VAALCOs operations, project pipeline and investments, and schedule and anticipated benefits to be derived therefrom; (vii) expectations regarding future acquisitions, investments or divestitures; (viii) expectations of future dividends, buybacks and other potential returns to stockholders; (ix) expectations of future balance sheet strength; (x) expectations of future equity and enterprise value; (xi) expectations of the continued listing of VAALCOs common stock on the NYSE and LSE and (xii) VAALCOs ability to finalize documents and effectively execute the POD for the Venus development in Block P. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: risks relating to any unforeseen liabilities of VAALCO or TransGlobe; the tax treatment of the business combination in the United States and Canada; declines in oil or natural gas prices; the level of success in exploration, development and production activities; adverse weather conditions that may negatively impact development or production activities; the right of host governments in countries where we operate to expropriate property and terminate contracts (including the Egypt PSCs, the Etame production sharing contract and the Block P production sharing contract) for reasons of public interest, subject to reasonable compensation, determinable by the respective government in its discretion; the final terms of the agreements pertaining to Block P in Equatorial Guinea, which remain under negotiation; the timing and costs of exploration and development expenditures; inaccuracies of reserve estimates or assumptions underlying them; revisions to reserve estimates as a result of changes in commodity prices; impacts to financial statements as a result of impairment write-downs; the ability to generate cash flows that, along with cash on hand, will be sufficient to support operations and cash requirements; the ability to attract capital or obtain debt financing arrangements; currency exchange rates and regulations; actions by joint venture co-owners; hedging decisions, including whether or not to enter into derivative financial instruments; international, federal and state initiatives relating to the regulation of hydraulic fracturing; failure of asses to yield oil or gas in commercially viable quantities; uninsured or underinsured losses resulting from oil and gas operations; inability to access oil and gas markets due to market conditions or operational impediments; the impact and costs of compliance with laws and regulations governing oil and gas operations; the ability to replace oil and natural gas reserves; any loss of senior management or technical personnel; competition in the oil and gas industry; the risk that the business combination with TransGlobe may not increase VAALCOs relevance to investors in the international E&P industry, increase capital market access through scale and diversification or provide liquidity benefits for stockholders; and other risks described under the caption Risk Factors in VAALCOs 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 6, 2022. Dividends beyond the third quarter of 2023 have not yet been approved or declared by the Board of Directors for VAALCO. The declaration and payment of future dividends and the terms of share buybacks remains at the discretion of the Board of Directors of VAALCO and will be determined based on VAALCOs financial results, balance sheet strength, cash and liquidity requirements, future prospects, crude oil and natural gas prices, and other factors deemed relevant by the Board of Directors of VAALCO. The Board of Directors of VAALCO reserves all powers related to the declaration and payment of dividends and the terms of share buybacks. Consequently, in determining the dividend to be declared and paid on VAALCO common stock or the terms of share buybacks, the Board of Directors of VAALCO may revise or terminate the payment level or buyback terms at any time without prior notice. Inside Information This announcement contains inside information as defined in Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 on market abuse which is part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (MAR) and is made in accordance with the Companys obligations under article 17 of MAR. The person responsible for arranging the release of this announcement on behalf of VAALCO is Matthew Powers, Corporate Secretary of VAALCO. ORRVILLE For over six decades, Shislers Cheese House has been a cherished landmark for both locals and tourists visiting or passing through Wayne County. Under the third-generation management of Dennis Shisler, the family-owned business celebrates 65 years of success. The store hosted an open house Aug. 5, where customers enjoyed exclusive discounts on local products, delectable ice cream samples, and, of course, a showcase of the cheese that started it all. It all began in the late 1950s when a Swiss cheesemaker, Fred Bieri, built a 900 square feet extension in front of his house to sell cheese. "This is how most of the stores were like in the '50s, they put it in front of the building," Dennis Shisler said. Dennis Shisler talks about the businesses history and the future of the family owned business. How Shisler's came to be In 1958, Bieri sold his business to Dennis's grandfather, John Shisler, and returned to Switzerland. However, he came back a year later, wanting to buy his business back, but John refused. "He opened a place called Freds Cheese down the street and would put his sign here every day, and my grandfather would throw it away," Dennis laughed as he remembered the story. "They were having a great time," he said. In the 1960s, Dennis' father, Dan, bought the business from his father, and it became the family's home. As Dan pursued a different career, Rita, Dennis's mother, managed to keep the business running. Back in the '80s, they were considered a convenience store, offering only six to nine kinds of cheese. Rita's hard work involved waking up at 2 a.m. to make sandwiches and selling them at fuel marts, while also managing the store until closing at 9 or 10 p.m. Some of the 80 different kinds of cheese carried by Shisler's Cheese House on US30 west of Dalton. Although Rita was born and raised in Germany, she said her heart lies in the community in which she now lives and works. It wasnt only the cheese that attracted customers. Shislers included a variety of local products such as meats, homemade bread, bakery, and chocolate. Many of our customers are people who are driving from Canton going to Columbus and back, Rita said. Story continues Third generation started on a different path but eventually came home Dennis decided to move to California for education and a different career but returned in 2009 after the birth of his daughter. As he took over the business, he focused on E-commerce, expanding Shisler's reach with over 300 imported and local products, making shipping a vital factor in sales increase. Even during 2020, when COVID-19 hit the country, online orders helped Shisler's maintain their sales. "We did have a bit of a hard time with that, but everybody started ordering online in 2020, and our internet sales doubled," Dennis said. Dennis Shisler with several pieces of swiss cheese for sale in the Shisler's Cheese House salesroom. Product variety differentiates Shisler's from competitors The greatest challenge for Shislers is competing with other local businesses in the price range. However, the variety of products they carry differentiates them from other stores, offering imported cheese from Denmark, Spain and Italy, alongside a selection of local products like Heggys chocolate, Troyers bakery, Goldn Krisp potato chips, and recently added Tofts ice cream. We aim to bring products that are not in Wayne County, he said. Our number one sales is the Swiss cheese and the trail bologna, said Enten Guster, one of Shislers employees. Beside assisting customers with their orders, Guster enjoys helping tourists with information they need in the area. I get to meet a large diversity of people every day from around the world and I love helping them to know about the area, he said. Ben Heggy's Chocolates are a popular item for customers at Shisler's Cheese Hhouse on US30 west of Dalton. Shislers has grown its customer base in Florida, especially in Orlando and the Greater Tampa Bay, and is looking towards expansion, with future plans to include more space that might serve as a retail space or a dining area. Dennis aims to start a new era by opening in other locations such as Florida and Nevada to serve a larger market and facilitate shipping fresh products to other states such as Washington and Oregon. Swiss Cheese has holes. "My mother always focused on supporting local businesses in the area, and she passed it on to me," Dennis said. So, we will continue to offer more products and support the local community. This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Shislers Cheese House Wayne County landmark celebrates 65 years in business WeWork logo is displayed outside of an office space WeWork, the shared office provider once valued at $47bn (37bn), has warned it is at risk of bankruptcy as employees continue to work from home. Shares in the flexible workspace provider plunged after it said in a statement late on Tuesday that substantial doubt exists about the companys ability to continue. David Tolley, interim chief executive of WeWork, blamed the firms woes on the oversupply of offices as people continue to work remotely. He said: Excess supply in commercial real estate, increasing competition in flexible space and macroeconomic volatility drove higher member churn and softer demand than we anticipated, resulting in a slight decline in memberships. Bankruptcy would be the denouement of a spectacular fall from grace for WeWork, which was at one point among the most valuable private companies in the world. The company, which rents desk space in managed offices, was co-founded by Adam Neumann in 2010 and grew rapidly in an era of low interest rates and start-up businesses. However, WeWork was forced to abandon a much-anticipated listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019 amid reports of excessive spending and alleged drug use by Mr Neumann. The Wall Street Journal reported at the time that he smoked marijuana on a private jet and frequently handed out tequila while conducting business. Investors were also sceptical of the companys stock market prospectus, which was dedicated to the energy of we and said the businesss mission is to elevate the worlds consciousness. Mr Neumann was ousted after the float was abandoned and WeWork was forced into a rescue deal with its biggest backer, Japans SoftBank, that saw its value tumble more than 75pc. Mr Neumann received an exit package of $245m in company stock and $200m in cash. WeWork was listed two years later in a deal that valued it at $9bn, roughly a fifth of its estimated value in 2019. WeWork was hit hard during Covid-19 as social distancing rules triggered a boom in homeworking. Story continues The company is yet to make a profit, even as people have started returning to the office post-pandemic. WeWork said the companys future is dependent on its ability to improve liquidity and profitability over the next 12 months. The plan involves raising additional capital through the issuance of stocks or bonds, or asset sales. In March, WeWork said it had struck deals with Softbank and other investors to reduce its debt by around $1.5bn. Shares in the company have fallen by more than 95pc in the last year but have dropped by a further 30pc since Tuesdays announcement. The company is now worth just $450m. It has 512,000 members across 610 locations with a current occupancy rate of 72pc. Since leaving WeWork, Mr Neumann has started a new property business called Flow, which is aimed at renters who work from home. Shares in rival workspace provider IWG, which owns Regus, rallied nearly 10pc in the wake of WeWorks news. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. Key Insights Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad's significant public companies ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public Ajinomoto Co., Inc. owns 50% of the company Institutional ownership in Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad is 16% A look at the shareholders of Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad (KLSE:AJI) can tell us which group is most powerful. We can see that public companies own the lion's share in the company with 50% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk). Individual investors, on the other hand, account for 26% of the company's stockholders. In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad. See our latest analysis for Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad? Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index. Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. 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 Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad. Our data shows that Ajinomoto Co., Inc. is the largest shareholder with 50% of shares outstanding. This essentially means that they have extensive influence, if not outright control, over the future of the corporation. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 3.8% and 3.0%, of the shares outstanding, respectively. Story continues While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. Our information suggests that there isn't any analyst coverage of the stock, so it is probably little known. Insider Ownership Of Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions. We can report that insiders do own shares in Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad. In their own names, insiders own RM37m worth of stock in the RM1.0b company. This shows at least some alignment. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling. General Public Ownership The general public-- including retail investors -- own 26% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders. Private Company Ownership It seems that Private Companies own 4.6%, of the Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad stock. Private companies may be related parties. Sometimes insiders have an interest in a public company through a holding in a private company, rather than in their own capacity as an individual. While it's hard to draw any broad stroke conclusions, it is worth noting as an area for further research. Public Company Ownership It appears to us that public companies own 50% of Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad. It's hard to say for sure but this suggests they have entwined business interests. This might be a strategic stake, so it's worth watching this space for changes in ownership. Next Steps: While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, 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 Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free free list of interesting companies. 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. Biden orders ban on certain US tech investments in China By Karen Freifeld, Andrea Shalal and David Shepardson NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order that will prohibit some new U.S. investment in China in sensitive technologies like computer chips and require government notification in other tech sectors. The long-awaited order authorizes the U.S. Treasury secretary to prohibit or restrict U.S. investments in Chinese entities in three sectors: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies and certain artificial intelligence systems. The administration said the restrictions would apply to "narrow subsets" of the three areas but did not give specifics. The proposal is open for public input. The order is aimed at preventing American capital and expertise from helping China develop technologies that could support its military modernization and undermine U.S. national security. The measure targets private equity, venture capital, joint ventures and greenfield investments. Biden, a Democrat, said in a letter to Congress he was declaring a national emergency to deal with the threat of advancement by countries like China "in sensitive technologies and products critical to the military, intelligence, surveillance or cyber-enabled capabilities." China said on Thursday it is "gravely concerned" about the order and that it reserves the right to take measures. The order affects normal operation and decision-making of enterprises, and undermines the international economic and trade order, a statement from the Chinese Commerce Ministry read. The ministry also said it hopes the U.S. will respect laws of the market economy and the principle of fair competition, and refrain from "artificially hindering global economic and trade exchanges and cooperation, or set up obstacles for the recovery of the world economy". The Chinese foreign ministry said the country was "strongly dissatisfied" with and "resolutely opposes the U.S.'s insistence on introducing investment restrictions on China", having also lodged solemn representations with the U.S. Story continues China urged the U.S. to fulfill Biden's promise of no intention to decouple from China or obstruct China's economic development, the ministry said in a statement. In a separate statement Hong Kong's government said the US restrictions were "unreasonable measures" against the special Chinese administrative region and said that they "hindered and disrupted normal investment and trade activities." "The measures undermine the international economic and trade order and damage the economic and commercial interests of American companies themselves", the Hong Kong government said, adding that it created more uncertainty for global economic growth. SEMICONDUCTORS A PRIORITY The proposal focuses on investments in Chinese companies developing software to design computer chips and tools to manufacture them. The U.S., Japan and the Netherlands dominate those fields, and the Chinese government has been working to build homegrown alternatives. The White House said Biden consulted allies on the plan and incorporated feedback from Group of Seven nations. "For too long, American money has helped fuel the Chinese militarys rise," said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. "Today the United States is taking a strategic first step to ensure American investment does not go to fund Chinese military advancement." The regulations will only affect future investments, not existing ones, Treasury said, but it may ask for disclosure of prior transactions. The move could fuel tensions between the world's two largest economies. The Chinese embassy in Washington said it was "very disappointed" by the measure. U.S. officials insisted the prohibitions were intended to address "the most acute" national security risks and not to separate the two countries' highly interdependent economies. Republicans said the order was rife with loopholes, such as only applying to future investment, and was not aggressive enough. SOME EXEMPTIONS EXPECTED The order will prohibit some deals and require investors to notify the government of their plans on others. The Treasury said it anticipates exempting "certain transactions, including potentially those in publicly traded instruments and intracompany transfers from U.S. parents to subsidiaries." The Chinese tech industry, once a magnet for U.S. venture capital, has already seen a drastic decline in U.S. investment amid intensifying geopolitical tension. Last year, total U.S.-based venture-capital investment in China plummeted to $9.7 billion from $32.9 billion in 2021, according to PitchBook data. This year so far, U.S. V.C. investors only put $1.2 billion into Chinese tech startups. The measure is expected to be implemented next year, a person briefed on the order said, after multiple rounds of public comment, including an initial 45-day comment period. REPUBLICAN SEES MANY LOOPHOLES Republican Senator Marco Rubio said the Biden administration' plan was "almost laughable." "It is riddled with loopholes, explicitly ignores the dual-use nature of important technologies, and fails to include industries Chinas government deems critical," he said. A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington said the White House had not heeded "Chinas repeated expression of deep concerns" about the plan. The spokesman said more than 70,000 U.S. companies do business in China. The restrictions will hurt both Chinese and American businesses, interfere with normal cooperation and reduce investor confidence in the U.S., he said. The Semiconductor Industry Association said it hopes the order will enable "U.S. chip firms to compete on a level-playing field and access key global markets, including China." Emily Benson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a bipartisan policy research organization, said key questions are how the plan affects U.S. allies and how China responds. (Reporting by David Shepardson, Andrea Shalal, Stephen Nellis, Max Cherney, Krystal Hu and Karen Freifeld; additional reporting by Idrees Ali, and Liz Lee in Beijing and Farah Master in Hong Kong; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Jonathan Oatis, Cynthia Osterman, Michael Perry and Jane Merriman) PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season has shown its might with a series of powerful storms, underscoring the fragility of traditional power grids. As coastal regions prepare for more potential hurricanes, Zendure presents SuperBase V , an energy storage system ensuring uninterrupted power even when conventional grids falter. (PRNewsfoto/Zendure USA Inc.) Recent updates indicate an alarming trajectory for this year's hurricane season. Meteorologists from renowned institutions such as Colorado State University and AccuWeather have forecasted a total of 18 named storms by November, with a significant portion expected to reach hurricane strength. The Atlantic Basin, already storm-stricken, anticipates a "borderline hyperactive" season due to warm ocean waters. In August, The National Weather Service confirmed more EF1 tornadoes in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, with winds reaching up to 95 mph, 0.9 miles in length, and 300 yards wide, causing significant damage, especially disrupting road access and power lines, leaving communities isolated and without electricity. SuperBase V is a groundbreaking home energy storage system, designed to address these challenges. As the first home energy storage system with semi-solid state batteries, SuperBase V offers greater storage capacity and superior safety. With dual 120V/240V output and fast charging up to 6,600W, it ensures households remain powered even during extended outages. The SuperBase V's intelligent energy management system, combined with the Zendure app, empowers homeowners to monitor, manage, and customize their energy use efficiently. Its EV-grade semi-solid state batteries provide more energy per pound compared to traditional batteries and have a lifespan of up to 10 years. One of the standout features of the SuperBase V is its customizable capacity. The base model offers a storage capacity of 6.4 kWh, but with additional units and Satellite Batteries, households can achieve a total capacity of 64kWh, enough to power a typical home for over a week. Story continues Moreover, the SuperBase V's high AC output ensures that households don't have to compromise on their energy needs. A single unit can provide up to 3,800W of power, and by connecting two units, this output can be doubled to 7,600W. In emergencies, such as during hurricanes, the SuperBase V's fast charging capabilities come to the fore. Importantly, it ensures vital communication devices like radios, mobile phones, and internet routers remain operational, enabling crucial emergency coordination and minimizing life disruptions. It can charge up to 5,150W on its own or 6,600W when connected to a Satellite Battery. Additionally, its solar charging capability, which allows it to charge up to 3,000W using solar power alone, ensures that households can harness solar power during prolonged power outages. The SuperBase V is not just about power; it's about mobility too. Its plug-and-play energy storage system features motorized rear wheels, ensuring they can be easily moved and positioned as needed. Distinguishing features of SuperBase V: Plug-and-Play Home Energy Storage System Intelligent Energy Management EV-Grade Semi-Solid State Batteries Customizable Capacity up to 64kWh High AC Output up to 7,600W Fast Charging up to 6,600W/3,000W using solar power alone Easy mobility with motorized rear wheels Versatility, including power independence, emergency backup, EV charging, outdoor life, and RV life Zero-Downtime Online UPS Dual Voltage of both 120V and 240V In conclusion, as the threats of hurricanes and other natural disasters loom, the Zendure SuperBase V stands out as a beacon of hope. It is a testament to Zendure's commitment to accelerating a sustainable future and envisioning a Clean EnergyTech platform that can help households navigate the challenges posed by an unpredictable climate. For more details about SuperBase V and its pivotal role in ensuring a resilient future, interested parties are encouraged to visit Zendure.com . About Zendure Founded in 2017, Zendure is one of the fastest-growing EnergyTech start-ups located in the technology hubs of Silicon Valley, USA, and the Greater Bay Area, China, Japan, and Germany. Our mission is to deliver reliable and affordable clean energy for households worldwide by popularizing the latest EnergyTech. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zendures-superbase-v-revolutionary-power-solution-offers-resilience-amidst-intensifying-hurricane-season-301896832.html SOURCE Zendure USA Inc. Some people do their best to avoid burping in public. Not Kimberly Winter. Shes refined the art of belching to the point her burps been heard round the world. The Spotsylvania County woman recently broke the Guinness World Record for the loudest burp by a female. Hers registered 107.3 decibels which, according to Guinness, is louder than a blender, an electric handheld drill and even some motorcycles at full throttle. When I hear her burp, it scares me half the time because theyre so loud and most of the time, they come out of nowhere, said her younger sister, Kaitlyn Strayer. But when Im out with her and she burps, people love it, and they tell her how impressive and awesome she is. While Winter cant necessarily burp on command, she lets out a sound that she describes as both monstruous and magical. Just about anything she eats or drinks, from water to spicy food, beer to fruits and vegetables, provides the needed fuel. Often, her mouth is opened as wide as an alligators when she lets one rip, as her sister called it. The noise that sounds like a cross between a disgruntled bear and a goat on steroids. The 33-year-olds been letting out burps since she was a child, but admits she perfected the talent in middle school, the ideal breeding ground for demonstrations of potty humor. When her parents asked her to tone it down, because she was embarrassing them, she figured they were the ones with the problem. I just thought everyone burped like that, she said. I didnt realize I was loud. Then, Winter got kicked out of a bar in Maryland about 10 years ago. She and others were barhopping during their bachelorette party, and after one sip from one beer, she let out a burp that she thought was funny. The bartender didnt and put her beer behind the bar. When he walked away, she got it back and he then said this was no joke, and that she had to leave. Right now. I took a selfie outside of the bar as I was leaving because I was so proud, she said, as she and the the other members of their party headed to the next bar. We definitely all got a kick out of it. After that, Winters younger sister was trying to make a video for TikTok when Winter burped in her face really loud. It got posted and people couldnt believe that kind of sound came out of a person. So, Winter got her own TikTok account where shes known as Kimycola. Thats a combination of her first, middle and maiden names, not an advertisement for the soft drink. Shes also on YouTube with videos such as Burp Talk with Belching Babe. Shes told her fans and followers: I can fulfill any burp-related request, small to big, monster burps, closed mouth, ABCs. People responded that she was the loudest burper theyd ever heard and she should try out for a world record. The suggestion spurred her to buy a decibel meter from Amazon, which showed a reading of 109.7 dB, considerably higher than the previous record of 107 dB, set by an Italian woman in 2009. Winter contacted Guinness, got the list of regulations and requirements and learned that she had to produce the sound in a dead room, such as ones used in recording studios to eliminate any chance of outside noise. As she pondered how to do that, she was listening to Elliot in the Morning on DC101 and called to ask about using their studio. The DJ and his producer were agreeable, and Winter arranged for a sound engineer with a professional and calibrated decibel meter to join her in the Rockville, Maryland, studio. She brought along an iced coffee, breakfast sandwich and beer for the on-the-air burping. She let em rip for about half an hour until one reached the record-breaking level, and everyone in the room cheered. It was so much fun when she finally broke the record and to be a part of that in the studio, said Diane Stupar, co-host of the morning show. Winter had to provide recordings and various documentation from the April 28 event, which Guinness verified before announcing last week that she was the new record-holder. A stay-at-home wife and mother of two, Winter knows she can burp even louder and plans to set a new record in the future. For now, shell keep doing burp battles with like-minded Burp Queens on social media. Its kind of a niche community, but were all having a lot of fun, she said. Its silly but at the end of the day, if youre happy, thats what counts. One of Augusta County Sheriffs K-9s, Rico, has been a valued department member for more than four years. Rico, a Belgian Malinois dog, has proven adept at performing the multiple tasks of a K-9, including drug detection, tracking and apprehension of suspects. Rico wants to work, Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith said. He wants to be in the car looking for illegal narcotics. But a dilemma arose last month when Ricos handler left the Sheriffs Office. Rico is almost six years old and not ready for retirement. Smith wanted to let Rico go live with his former handler but couldnt justify the $19,000 expense needed for a new dog and the training the dog requires. Enter Blue Ridge Canine Services, a Nelson County kennel that works with shelter and rescue dogs. Owner Amy Swope attended Fort Defiance High School with Smith and learned of his dilemma regarding Rico. He (Smith) decided if we could raise money for a new dog with a new handler, it would be more beneficial for the department, Swope said. The timetable was swift, calling for raising the needed money by Aug. 30. By Friday, thanks to social media and print and electronic media, Blue Ridge Canine Services has raised between $14,000 and $15,000 of its $19,000 goal. The website created to contribute to a new dog is www.augustacountyk9project.org. Swope is not surprised by the outpouring of support. People in this area care about animals and their sheriffs department, she said. This is a really good area. Smith said he expects the new dog and perhaps one more to go to training school with handlers in the fall. The training takes about two months. Ultimately, this development would allow Rico to enjoy an early and happy retirement with his former handler. The expected departure of Rico is bittersweet for Smith and the Sheriffs Office. Rico has been with the Sheriffs Office since he was 15 months old. As much as the handler likes and operates him, he is part of our Sheriffs Office family, Smith said. The deputies interact with him. The sheriff said some staffers would just as soon continue to see Rico with the department. Swope said ultimately, it is a positive outcome. The sheriff took into account the feelings of the community and the handler, she said. Northeast Nebraska Telephone Company recognized the Village of Craig, as a Smart Rural Community during an open house on Wednesday, Aug. 2, at the Craig Fire Hall hosted by NNTC. The designation comes from the Rural Broadband Association in conjunction with NNTC. This recognition is presented to those broadband enabled communities who see an importance of broadband Internet as a way to connect and grow through the capabilities of expanded online education, remote work, telehealth, ag technology, economic development, government services, safety and security. Phone company general manager Pat McElroy said Craig is a Gig-Certified capable community enabling technology for all those who live and work there. Residents stopped by during the two-hour open house. McElroy talked about the importance of being part of the cooperative. In the past 20 years, more than $2.6 million has come back to our customers right here in Craig, and thats money thats staying right here in your community, which is pretty incredible if you think about that for a town this size, said McElroy. McElroy recognized the village and presented a Smart Rural Community designation award to Craig Village Clerk Shauna Self. At a time in Nebraska and the United States when state and federal governments are investing millions to help close the Digital Divide, Craig is already enjoying the same great fiber enabled speeds as those in urban areas like Lincoln and Omaha, he said. A registered sex offender from Louisiana who recently relocated to Fremont was arrested on Tuesday, Aug, 8, by state and federal officials on 10 counts of alleged child pornography. According to a press release from the Nebraska State Patrol, a team of investigators with the NSP Tech Crimes Unit were assisted by federal authorities from the Homeland Security Investigations in conducting a child exploitation investigation that led to the arrest of Eugene R. Kinnear, 54, of Fremont. Kinnear is a registered sex offender, and according to the State of Nebraskas Sex Offender Registry website, was convicted more than 22 years ago of three charges in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, which is near the city of Shreveport. The Sex Offender Registry website states Kinnear informed the Dodge County Sheriffs Office on March 25, 2023, that he was residing at a home in the 400 block of West Military Ave. On June 5, 2023, he reportedly engaged in a check-in with sheriffs officials about his status and that he resided in the home near the Fremont Salvation Army facility. Kinnear was convicted on Dec. 18, 2000, in Louisiana of two felony counts of child pornography involving a minor victim; and one felony count of aggravated oral sexual battery of a minor victim. State and federal authorities conducted a search of Kinnears residence on July 26. He was arrested on Aug. 8. As a result of the search and investigation, officials stated in the press release, Kinnear, was charged with 10 counts of suspicion of possession of child pornography and one count of suspicion of violation of the sex offender registration act. Kinnear was later booked into the Saunders County Jail. Authorities are continuing to investigate Kinnear and the case, officials noted in the release. A new van transportation service for elderly residents and others in need of rides in Fremont could be up and running by Aug. 28, officials with the citys Parks and Recreation Board were told on Monday, Aug. 7. Nick Hansen, Fremonts director of Parks and Recreation, provided on Monday, Aug. 7, an update on the planned van ride service to members of the citys Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Hansen said the city has hired a coordinator who will dispatch vans to requested riders as well as a full-time driver for the new service. A second, part-time driver has been offered a job, he noted, but that person is still going through the background check and drug-testing process. August 28 is our projected start date, Hansen told the board members, stressing that many issues could affect that goal and it is not finalized. Hansen said the city is waiting to have graphic designed decals completed for the vans for identification purposes and is also trying to hash out others specifics of the ride service. He told the board that neither he or other Parks and Recreation staff will be involved in driving vans or managing the service once it is officially open. He also said that the van service is not a guaranteed ride, and that if a driver calls off sick, misses work for some reason or quits, then van service could be cancelled and not resumed until staff could return to work. The City of Fremont is currently spearheading the effort to provide transportation services on a much more limited scope than a former ride service provided by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. The citys plan is to only provide transportation five days a week to areas within the Fremont City limits and 2 miles extended from the city boundaries. The former ENOA program which ended service on June 30 had served five counties the rural area of Douglas County as well as Dodge, Sarpy, Cass and Washington counties providing transportation to a range of destinations, including medical facilities, doctors officers, grocery stores and other spots. Officials from ENOA decided to end the program after analysis and conclusion that the agencys mission to serve senior citizens and elderly residents wasnt being fully realized with the program. The service had excessive costs, and officials claimed, had started to be abused by younger riders who were seeking rides to places such as casinos. When news of the ENOA ride service closure began to be made public in March and April, several concerned residents spoke to the Fremont City Council and pleaded with city leaders to step up and create a ride service for locals in need. Those pleas were answered almost immediately by Mayor Joey Spellerberg, the eight members of the city council and City Administrator Jody Sanders, who by May were already engaged in discussions with ENOA officials about taking on some of the former ride service territory and duties. To assist with efforts, a group of local health care officials formed the Fremont Area Transportation Task Force, also known as FATT, which is composed of five representatives from local organizations. That group requested from the Dodge County Board of Supervisors on June 23, financial assistance for the van service via two payments of $31,000 one in 2023 and one in 2024. Bob Missel, the chairman of the county supervisors said the grant request was rejected by supervisors. There was a sense from board members that we were a little late to the table, Missel explained of the vote. Two of the supervisorsPat (Tawney) and Lon (Strand) supported the project, but because it did not serve their consitituents at this time, they voted no. The program will still happen, though. It will move forward. The City of Fremont is applying for a state 5311 Grant to assist with funding of the new program, which requires matching funds, hence the request to Dodge County for the two annual payments of $31,000. The city already purchased three vans formerly used by the ENOA program to use once the Fremont program is up and running. In late June, Hansen said there are few details of the program finalized as he and others at the city are still working on the project. As of Aug. 7, there were no new updates, he noted in Mondays meeting. The likely cost of a ride will be between $3 and $5, and the service has a tentative schedule not yet finalized of possibly 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, Hansen said in June. The ages eligible for riding the vans are 16 and older. During the June 13 meeting of the Fremont City Council, Sanders told the council that 90% of the salaries and pay for the three transportation staff members would be funded by the state 5311 grant. Colorado boasts a long and storied history of economic booms, including the famed gold rush in 1858, nearly two decades before it achieved statehood. Today, Colorado is experiencing new rush a surge of clean energy manufacturers flocking to the state. This growth is firmly rooted in the sustainable expansion of wind, solar, and battery technologies to address current and future demands. Colorado is on a mission to establish itself as a clean energy leader, and its pro-green energy environment has become a welcoming location for companies like Amprius Technologies, an American-based lithium-ion battery manufacturer. The demand for domestically produced lithium-ion batteries has never been greater. Despite a projected 10-fold capacity increase in the next five years, the U.S. only accounts for 6% of global battery manufacturing, while China dominates production with 77% of the global supply. The importance of U.S.-manufactured lithium-ion batteries extends beyond economic considerations. They are essential for national security, aviation, transportation, and communications. Amprius products are used to power aircraft, drones, satellites, and various devices used by the U.S. Army and aviation industry. Our silicon anode batteries are founded on cutting-edge technology pioneered at Stanford University. These next-generation silicon anodes provide 10X the capacity of traditional graphite anodes. This capacity increase enables Amprius batteries to have 2X higher energy density and 5X higher power density. As a result, our batteries are smaller and more powerful, while at the same time lasting longer and charging faster. Earlier this year, Amprius announced its plans to establish a new lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in Brighton. The company aims to repurpose a significant portion of the states largest single-story industrial building, a former distribution and fulfillment center used by Kmart, Sears, and Costco. This transformation will result in a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility. The factory is targeted to be operational in 2025 and will be developed in phases. It is expected to initially create over 330 high-paying jobs, with an initial investment of $190 million in phase 1. Amprius commitment to lithium-ion battery technologies aligns seamlessly with Gov. Polis ambitious goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040. Selecting Colorado as the location for our factory marks a significant milestone for Amprius, and we are excited about contributing to Colorados renewable energy roadmap. Colorado met all our criteria for a new manufacturing location. Amprius worked closely with the state of Colorado, the Colorado Economic Development Commission, Adams County, and the City of Brighton to finalize our decision, ultimately choosing Colorado among the 12 other states under consideration. We want to build our facility in a state that embraces green energy and welcomes clean energy manufacturers. Colorados central location, proximity to essential materials required for battery production, and excellent transportation infrastructure played pivotal roles in this choice. Additionally, the existing building is equipped with sufficient power and has an ideal layout for our lithium-ion battery factory. Its important for our employees to live in a state which provides a great quality of life and a good educational system. We plan to partner with local schools and universities to promote science, technology, and math disciplines and participate in charitable giving to support the local community. Amprius remains committed to maximizing social impacts while minimizing environmental footprints. And most importantly, we want to assure our Brighton neighbors that our factory will be safe. The safety of our employees, our neighbors, and the environment is of the utmost importance to Amprius. Our facility will adhere to all fire safety codes, featuring state-of-the-art engineering and safety controls to mitigate gas, odor, noise, and toxic chemical emissions. The company will comply with all federal, state, and local environmental, health, and safety regulatory requirements. Through our community outreach, we have worked diligently to inform and educate our neighbors about the measures being taken to protect them and the environment. Amprius is eager to become an active member of Colorados vibrant business community and contribute to the states vision of becoming a national leader in clean energy manufacturing. Historians will undoubtedly recognize Colorados efforts in the 2020s as a pivotal moment in the clean energy rush. Kang Sun has served as Amprius president and chief executive officer since February 2017 and as a director on the Amprius Board since December 2016, and is a globally recognized business executive and industry visionary. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Brown University, an M.S. in chemistry from the University of Georgia and a B.S. in chemistry from Nanjing University, China. A timed reservation system is poised to continue at a Colorado state park. Officials at Eldorado Canyon State Park outside Boulder have asked the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to extend the pilot program that is underway for a first full summer. Since May and continuing into September, visitors on weekends and holidays are required to reserve a timed entry slot into the steep, narrow canyon that has reportedly been overwhelmed in recent years. In a presentation to commissioners, park ranger Lisa Gill said Eldorado Canyon's 205 parking spots had been quick to fill prior to the reservation system, with some drivers turning back to park on private property in neighboring Eldorado Springs and walk in. Between 2016 and 2021, Gill said, visitation had increased 90% to about 530,000 people a year funneling into the park's tight confines. In partnership with Boulder County, a shuttle launched in 2020. That was "unsuccessful as a sole management strategy," according to Gill's presentation. "Ridership was low while visitation and pressure on the state park continued," she said. Hence the timed entry reservation system. With feedback from a partial rollout in 2022 and more surveying this summer, Gill described the regime as an overall success. She called it "a positive impact in reducing vehicle congestion, improving visitor experience and safety, alleviating community concerns and pressure on the state park's natural resources and facilities, and reducing staff burnout." Gill said negative feedback has lingered on people unaware of required reservations on weekends and having trouble navigating cpwshop.com. Another year of the system would give officials more time to address those concerns, she said, as well as a 17% no-show rate rangers have tracked people taking up reservation spots and not arriving. Park Manager John Carson told commissioners: "The no-show rate is something that we are looking into, and trying to be adaptive in the management of this system is what we anticipate with an additional year of opportunity." One of six men arrested in a Colorado Springs Police Department sting operation has been found guilty of preying upon children. Police announced Tuesday that 31-year-old Aaron Thompson has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit sexual assault on a child and attempt to commit sexual assault on a child, according to Gazette news partner KKTV. A jury found Thomson guilty of the charges on Aug. 3. He is scheduled to be sentenced at the end of October. Thompson was arrested in February after he drove from Trinidad to meet a minor for sex. His arrest was part of a bigger investigation by Colorado Springs police and several other agencies into sexual predators who were accused of using the internet to lure and exploit children. In total, six men were arrested in the sting operation over three days, according to the department. 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. Three of the men arrested in the same sting Richard Castro, 30, Travis Anderson, 47, and Noah Casady, 24 have all entered not guilty pleas to all charges in recent months, and all three are scheduled to begin jury trials in November. The other two men arrested as part of the sting Mark Gasgonia, 32, and Steven Marks, 58 have yet to enter pleas and are scheduled to make appearances in Colorado's 4th Judicial District Court later this month. Only Thompson and Marks remain in El Paso County jail, the other four men all posted bond to be released from custody following their arrest. The sting was a joint undercover investigation by the CSPD Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, composed of CSPD and El Paso County sheriff's detectives, along with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Unit and Homeland Security Investigations. If you suspect a child has fallen trap to being exploited online, you can report it by calling 1-800-THE-LOST or by tapping or clicking here. The company formally known as Twitter was fined $350,000 for failing to immediately comply with a Justice Department search warrant for records related to former President Donald Trump's account despite eventual compliance. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined an objection by Elon Musk's social media platform to an order that disallowed the company from informing anyone about the warrant, according to a court opinion unsealed on Wednesday. UP FOR DEBATE: TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND 2024 GOP HOPEFULS' STANCE ON THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT Special counsel Jack Smith, who has been investigating the former president in a two-pronged case since late last year, obtained a search warrant in January for records related to Trump's account. The fine was levied for delaying compliance, according to court records obtained by the Washington Examiner. The details were included in the decision from the federal appeals court that rejected the tech company's claim that a lower court judge was wrong to hold the company in contempt and impose the sanction. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER 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. The court "found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses," according to the filing. This is a developing story and will be updated. Original Location: Elon Musk's X fined $350,000 in DOJ feud over Trump records Washington Examiner Videos The future of potentially clean, endless fusion power may soon be in the hands of researchers at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Long known as one of the premier laser research campuses, CSU is working with Marvel Fusion to finalize a $150 million public-private partnership to advance high-power laser research that could lead the way to nuclear fusion power generation, according to a news release. CSU has been at the forefront of laser research for many years, and this new partnership would cement the university as an international leader in an area of laser science that has the potential to deliver profound benefits to our planet for generations, CSU President Amy Parsons said in the release. The project aims to open up new avenues of research and exploration for students and faculty, and drive meaningful, long-term benefits to Fort Collins and the state. The new lab is supported by CSU, the state of Colorado and the U.S. Department of Energy to ensure North America has a strong network of capable laser research facilities (to) provide access for research groups, including U.S. National Laboratories, universities, and private industry, the release said. The site initially selected is near CSUs existing Advanced Beam Laboratory, built in 2013, on the CSU foothills campus. This is an exciting opportunity for laser-based science a dream facility for discovery and advanced technology development with great potential for societal impact said Jorge Rocca, director of CSUs Laboratory for Advanced Lasers and Extreme Photonics. CSUs capacity to conduct high-power laser research and its applications would vastly expand under the partnership, including opportunities in clean fusion energy, microelectronics, optics and photonics, materials science, medical imaging, and high energy density science, Rocca 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. At Marvel Fusion we have developed a novel approach to bring fusion to reality and commercialized fusion in future power plants, Heike Freund, chief operating officer at Marvel Fusion, said in an interview with The Gazette. The company is developing a new laser technology that was awarded a Nobel Prize in physics in 2018 that can create very short and rapid (up to 10 times per second), but highly intense laser pulses of the kind required to ignite a fusion reaction, Freund said. Depending on the type of fuel, it can require temperatures anywhere from around 27 million degrees F in the suns core to experimental fusion reactors such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Saint Paul-lez-Durance, southern France which aims to achieve temperatures of around 207 million degrees (10 times hotter than the sun's core) to sustain a controlled fusion reaction. But, she said, this will not be a fusion power plant. This kind of triple laser beam array will enable researchers to show all the elements needed to validate Marvel Fusions fusion concept. These laser beams will enable us to show all the core aspects of our fusion concepts, Freund said. So, that is laser absorption, particle acceleration, (and) fusion reactions all of the individual pieces that are required to validate our physics. A nuclear power reactor, Freund added, could use hundreds of individual laser beams to trigger a stable fusion reaction. This is a perfect example of academia and industry working together to solve some of the world's biggest challenges, said Grant Calhoun, director of industry research contracting at Colorado State University, in an interview. In this competitive landscape you have to invest in order to maintain excellence and grow, and developing the best professionals through CSU undergraduate and graduate students to thrive in academia or industry really burnishes CSU's reputation as a destination for the best talent in the world in this area. By Nandita Bose ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he would be traveling to Vietnam "shortly" because the country wanted to elevate its relationship with the United States and become a major partner. Biden made the remarks while speaking at a political fundraiser in New Mexico. Asked about Biden's announcement, a White House spokesperson said there was "nothing further to share at this time." At a meeting in April, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed a desire to deepen ties as Washington seeks to solidify relations with partners in Asia to counter an increasingly assertive China. Blinken had expressed the hope then that this could happen "in the weeks and months ahead." 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. Biden told a fundraiser in Maine on July 28 that he got a call from the "head of Vietnam" who "desperately wants to meet with me when I go to the G20," referring his plans to travel to India for a summit of the grouping due to be held in New Delhi on Sept. 9-10. "He wants to elevate us to a major partner, along with Russia and China," Biden said then, in what analysts say was a reference to the chief of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong, who the U.S. president spoke with by phone in March. Officials have not said what the 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 Nandita Bose; additional reporting by Jeff Mason and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Sandra Maler and Raju Gopalakrishnan) By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) - A new lawsuit accuses the U.S. military of discriminating against as many as 35,000 veterans who were barred from serving because of their sexual orientation by failing to grant them honorable discharges. Five LGBTQ veterans filed the proposed class action in San Francisco federal court on Tuesday, seeking to force the U.S. Department of Defense to upgrade veterans to honorable discharges and remove their sexual orientation from military paperwork. A Pentagon policy adopted in 1993 known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" barred openly gay, lesbian and bisexual people from military service and allowed for the discharge of LGBTQ people who revealed their sexual orientation. About 14,000 people were discharged from the military under the policy, which was repealed in 2011. More than 20,000 others had been discharged since 1980 because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, according to the new lawsuit. Discharges listed as "other than honorable" can bar veterans from receiving various benefits including healthcare, loans, job opportunities and tuition assistance. The plaintiffs in Tuesday's lawsuit say that maintaining the status of veterans discharged under Don't Ask, Don't Tell violates their constitutional rights to due process and equal protection. The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. The department has previously said that it has conducted outreach campaigns to inform veterans of existing procedures to seek updates to their records, and has partnered with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make the process easier. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit said the process of requesting updated records can take years and is complex, requiring veterans to hire lawyers and "relive the trauma of their discharge." The lawsuit seeks an order requiring the Department of Defense to conduct a comprehensive review of discharges based on sexual orientation and grant honorable discharges when appropriate. (Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Bernadette Baum) By Marco Garcia KAHULUI, Hawaii (Reuters) -At least 36 people have died after wildfires, fanned by winds from a faraway hurricane, devastated much of the resort city Lahaina on Hawaii's Maui island, the Maui County said in a statement late on Wednesday. Multiple neighborhoods were burnt to the ground as the western side of the island was nearly cut off, with only one highway open and thousands to evacuate as officials told of widespread devastation to Lahaina, its harbor and surrounding areas. Some people fled into the ocean to escape the smoke and flames. "We just had the worst disaster I've ever seen. All of Lahaina is burnt to a crisp. It's like an apocalypse," said Lahaina resident Mason Jarvi, who escaped from the city. Jarvi showed Reuters pictures he took of the ashen-colored destruction along the Lahaina waterfront. Wearing shorts, he also showed blisters on his thigh that he said he suffered when riding through flames on his electric bike to save his dog. Officials said the winds from Hurricane Dora, hundreds of miles to the southwest, had fanned the flames across the state. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said late on Wednesday that the National Weather Service has canceled the "Red Flag Warning" and "High Wind Advisory" for all Hawaiian islands. But Maui County officials said firefighting efforts were ongoing. They did not provide any other details. Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke told a press conference officials were still assessing the damage. "It will be a long road to recovery," she said. Aerial video showed pillars of smoke rising from block after block of Lahaina, the largest tourist destination on Maui and home to multiple large hotels. "It's like an area was bombed. It's like a war zone," said helicopter pilot Richard Olsten, according to Hawaii News Now. With firefighters battling three major blazes, western Maui was closed to all but emergency workers and evacuees. Some 271 structures were damaged or destroyed, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported, citing official reports from flyovers conducted by the U.S. Civil Air Patrol and the Maui Fire Department. The fires, which started Tuesday night, also scorched parts of the Big Island of Hawaii. The state said thousands of acres burned. TOURISTS FLEE More than 11,000 travelers were evacuated from Maui, Ed Sniffen of the Hawaii Department of Transportation said late on Wednesday. Though at least 16 roads were closed, the Maui airport was operating fully and airlines were dropping fares and offering waivers to get people off the island, Sniffen had said earlier in the day. "We have now opened Honopilani Highway and Lahaina Bypass, which was shut down for most of the day to make sure that we get everybody to the airport," he added. Panicked evacuees posted images on social media showing clouds of smoke billowing over once-idyllic beaches and palm trees. "I was the last one off the dock when the firestorm came through the banyan trees and took everything with it. And I just ran out and helped everyone I could along the way," said Dustin Johnson, who was in Lahaina Harbor working for a charter boat company that offers two-hour tours. He spoke from Kahului Airport, normally a 25-minute drive east of Lahaina. Some people were forced to jump into the Pacific Ocean to escape the smoke and fire conditions, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to rescue them, according to a Maui County press release. Officials said they were looking into witness reports of people being trapped in their cars. "Local people have lost everything. They've lost their house. They've lost their animals. It's devastating," said Jimmy Tokioka, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. At least 20 people suffered serious burns and were airlifted to Oahu, Hawaii News Now reported, citing officials. Evacuation efforts were complicated by power outages and disruption to cell phone service, as communication with the west side of Maui was only available via satellite, Lieutenant Governor Luke said. "We have shelters that are overrun. We have resources that are being taxed," she added. SUMMER OF WILDFIRES The situation in Hawaii recalled scenes of devastation elsewhere in the world this summer, as wildfires caused by record-setting heat forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Greece, Spain, Portugal and other parts of Europe, and western Canada suffered unusually severe fires. Human-caused climate change, driven by fossil fuel use, is increasing the frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events, scientists say, having long warned that government officials must slash emissions to prevent climate catastrophe. The White House issued a message of condolence from President Joe Biden, who praised the work of firefighters and ordered "all available Federal assets on the Islands to help with response." The National Guard, U.S. Navy, Marines and Coast Guard were mobilized, while the U.S. Department of Transportation aided evacuation efforts, Biden said. The cause in Maui had yet to be determined but the National Weather Service said the fires were fueled by a mix of dry vegetation, strong winds, and low humidity. (Reporting by Marco Garcia in Kahului; Additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta, Brendan O'Brien in Chicago, Julia Harte in New York, and Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Aurora Ellis, Sandra Maler, Shri Navaratnam and Alex Richardson) Donald Trump's legal counsel is requesting the judge presiding over his classified documents case allow the government to re-create a secure location at Mar-a-Lago where the former president can convene with his lawyers. The team of Justice Department prosecutors led by special counsel Jack Smith have sought to block Trump from releasing any classified materials that are to be shared with his team in the case, seeking a so-called protective order in the case. BIDEN CELEBRATES ONE-YEAR CHIPS ANNIVERSARY BY VOWING TO CONTINUE SECURING SUPPLY CHAIN Mar-a-lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Trump has vehemently opposed several of the proposals by the government for the protective order and argued Wednesday it would be impossible to take regular trips to a courthouse sensitive compartmented information facility to discuss classified records produced to them during discovery. "So that President Trump and his legal team may discuss classified information in a substantive manner as regularly as necessary to prepare an adequate defense, we respectfully request that the Court approve re-establishment of a secure facility in which President Trump previously discussed (and reviewed) classified information during his term as President of the United States," according to the filing from Trump's counsel. Trump's lawyers also pushed back on the government's allegation that the request is based on an "inconvenience," arguing it would be more cost-effective than sending the former president and his security detail to remote facilities, such as the SCIF set up at the southern Florida federal courthouse. Moreover, the former president's legal team again objected to the government's request to bar Trump and his counsel from discussing "relevant purportedly classified material inside an appropriate secure facility at or near his personal residence." Trump's team requested that the government approve the use of the previously approved secure location during his time as president so that he can communicate with his attorneys about the sensitive records at issue in the case. 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. Doing so would allow Trump to work with his lawyers "without the need to mobilize his security detail and state and local law enforcement every time he has a conversation regarding his defense as it relates to purportedly classified information," his lawyers argued. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The request comes just one day before lawyers for Trump and co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira are slated to appear Thursday morning in Florida federal court to enter pleas to new charges added on July 27 to an indictment in the classified documents case. Trump has signaled he would skip his hearing at the Alto Lee Adams Sr. United States Courthouse. He has already pleaded "not guilty" to three new charges brought late last month, including two counts of obstruction and one count of unlawful retention of national defense information. Original Location: Donald Trump indicted: Lawyers want to rebuild SCIF at Mar-a-Lago for classified documents Washington Examiner Videos The FBI shot and killed a man during an early Wednesday morning raid at a home in Provo, Utah where agents were executing warrants. The agency confirmed to the Washington Examiner that special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants to a man around 6:15 a.m. local time who had allegedly posted threats against President Joe Biden and others, including Biden's family members, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and former President Barack Obama. UP FOR DEBATE: TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND OTHER 2024 GOP HOPEFULS' STANCE ON THE IMPEACHMENT OF JOE BIDEN "The incident began when special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence. The subject is deceased," the FBI said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. The man, identified in court documents obtained by the Washington Examiner as Craig Deleeuw Robertson, engaged the FBI in a gunfight, resulting in agents fatally shooting him. "The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously," the agency said. "In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBI's Inspection Division. As this is an ongoing matter, we have no further details to provide." On Monday, Robertson allegedly made a threat saying, "I hear Biden is coming to Utah. Digging out my old Ghille suit and cleaning the dust off the M24 Sniper rifle." His Facebook page also is filled with several disturbing threats about Biden, with one calling on Utahans to "SHOOT THEIR GUNS IN THE AIR TO SALUTE THE BUFFOON-IN-CHIEF!!!" Robertson also made threats to Bragg, calling him a political hack, and detailed a plot to ambush him in a parking garage, according to the charging documents. 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 "I'll be waiting in the courthouse parking garage with my suppressed Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm to smoke a radical fool prosecutor that should never have been elected," Robertson said via the charging documents. "I want to stand over Bragg and put a nice hole in his forehead with my 9mm and watch him twitch as a drop of blood oozes from the hole as his life ebbs away to hell!" This is a developing story and will be updated. Original Location: FBI shot and killed Utah man who posted threats online to Biden and Obama Washington Examiner Videos Six people have been killed and at least 20 people have been seriously injured in a series of wildfires that broke out in Maui, Hawaii, and on the Big Island, according to Hawaiian officials, after heavy wind from a passing hurricane on Tuesday night. The fires forced civilians to evacuate certain areas in Maui where the fires focused, including Lahaina, a residential and touristy area in West Maui; Kula, a residential area located inland and in the mountainous Upcountry region; and Kihei in South Maui. UP FOR DEBATE: TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND 2024 GOP HOPEFULS' STANCE ON THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT Here is everything you need to know about the Hawaiian wildfires. Death and injury count: Six people are dead and at least 20 people are seriously injured as a result of the fires on Maui, according to Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, with more injuries and deaths expected as at least three fires blaze. More than 2,100 people have been displaced. State of emergency declaration Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke (D-HI) issued an emergency declaration for the wildfires on Tuesday night, on behalf of Gov. Josh Green (D-HI), which activated the Hawaiian Army National Guard, which has been helping the Maui Police Department. Nearly 100 firefighters have also been dispatched to help fight the fires, including 11 from state airport rescue personnel. This photo provided by County of Maui shows fire and smoke filling the sky from wildfires on the intersection at Hokiokio Place and Lahaina Bypass in Maui, Hawaii on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds burned multiple structures in areas including historic Lahaina town, forcing evacuations and closing schools in several communities Wednesday, and rescuers pulled a dozen people escaping smoke and flames from the ocean. (Zeke Kalua/County of Maui via AP) Zeke Kalua/AP The Federal Emergency Management Agency also approved the state's request for a disaster declaration to provide assistance with the wildfires. The emergency declaration was extended on Wednesday to encompass all islands and Maui air travel. Visitors to West Maui, however, are encouraged to leave the island as soon as possible so resources can go to residents. "This is an unprecedented disaster as an indirect result of Hurricane Dora passing just south of our islands," Luke said. "It is truly devastating, and my heart goes out to the residents of Maui and all those impacted." Green, who is on vacation, is expected to return from his trip early because of the fires Wednesday night. The emergency declaration will remain in effect until Aug. 15 unless terminated earlier in a separate proclamation. Red flag warnings remain in effect 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. Red flag warnings are in effect on all Hawaiian islands into Wednesday evening because of dangerous wildfire conditions. The National Weather Service on Wednesday said that Hurricane Dora, which was located 500 miles from the islands, produced strong winds overnight. High winds in Kula had reached up to 80 mph, according to USA Today. "These strong winds coupled with low humidity levels are producing dangerous fire weather conditions that will last through Wednesday afternoon," the National Weather Service said. Maui fire officials have warned that a combination of erratic wind, steep slopes, dropping humidity, and difficult terrain that is mixed with the direction and the location of the fires have made it challenging to accurately predict the paths and speed of the fires. Evacuation orders Evacuation orders are still in effect across Maui and the Big Island as Maui's biggest fire, located in Lahaina, is still blazing. Only emergency personnel are allowed in the western region of the island. CORRECTS DATE TO AUG. 8 - People watch as smoke and flames fill the air from raging wildfires on Front Street in downtown Lahaina, Maui on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Maui officials say wildfire in the historic town has burned parts of one of the most popular tourist areas in Hawaii. County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said in a phone interview early Wednesday says fire was widespread in Lahaina, including Front Street, an area of the town popular with tourists. (Alan Dickar via AP) Alan Dickar/AP The fires have forced residents to flee their homes and towns and even forced some islanders to jump into the Pacific Ocean to get away from the blazes. Those who jumped into the ocean have been rescued by the Coast Guard. Luke told CNN Wednesday morning that "911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down. Our hospital system on Maui, they are overburdened with burn patients, people suffering from inhalation. The reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support because Maui hospital cannot do extensive burn treatment." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Evacuation centers and emergency shelters have been set up in multiple places along the island, including at public schools that have been closed because of the emergency. One evacuation center held 1,200 people. Airports have also encouraged residents to cancel "nonessential" travel as Kahului houses 1,800 travelers whose flights have been delayed or canceled because of the fires and weather conditions. Original Location: Hawaii wildfires: Everything to know about fires that have killed six and injured at least 20 Washington Examiner Videos The White House gloated Tuesday night at the failure of a controversial measure in Ohio to amend the state constitution, an outcome seen as a big loss for anti-abortion advocates in the Buckeye State. A yes vote on Issue 1 in Ohio would have increased the difficulty of amending the state constitution to require a 60% majority vote. By keeping a simple majority, it will be easier for an abortion rights constitutional amendment on the ballot this November to gain approval. ISSUE 1: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OHIO'S CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BALLOT MEASURE "Today, Ohio voters rejected an effort by Republican lawmakers and special interests to change the state's constitutional amendment process," the White House said in a statement. "This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters' voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions," it added. "Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won." Many eyes across the country watched closely as more than 3 million Ohioans flocked to the polls, with the vote having major implications for the state's abortion rights, perhaps subsequently influencing other states as well. The result was a resounding defeat for anti-abortion advocates such as Ohio Republican Attorney General Frank LaRose, who is running for Ohio's open Senate seat next year and has been a face of Issue 1. The no vote came out on top 56.96% to 43.04%. Abortion is currently legal in Ohio up to 22 weeks of gestation. A six-week abortion ban signed by Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) in 2019 was put on hold in December. 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. Anti-abortion advocates still have an opportunity to thwart the proposed abortion amendment via a recent lawsuit filed by two state-level GOP political leaders. The lawsuit claims that the amendment violates requirements because it does not clarify what current state laws the change would invalidate if passed by referendum. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The White House has been consistently vocal in its pro-abortion stance, condemning the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year, defending the Pentagon's policy of reimbursing travel expenses for women servicemembers who need to travel out of state to obtain a legal abortion, and capitalizing on Republican differences on the subject. Abortion is expected to be one of the key topics in the 2024 elections, with President Joe Biden and Congress Democrats in swing districts confident that their messaging of abortion access will be one of the main factors in spearheading them to success. Republicans, on the other hand, have taken different approaches to handling the important issue. Original Location: Ohio Issue 1: White House revels after victory for abortion advocates Washington Examiner Videos After four years of uncertainty, Colorado Springs businesses got an answer on whether the U.S. Space Command, its 1,200 employees and $1 billion in annual economic impact will remain in southern Colorado when President Joe Biden on Monday canceled its move to Alabama. The long-awaited announcement, reversing the move to Huntsville, Ala., ordered in January 2021 by former President Donald Trump two weeks before he left office, will allow military contractors, aerospace companies and others who provide products and services to the command to firm up plans on where they might expand, economists and industry officials said. Those decisions could come as quickly as a few weeks but probably will play out over several years. This decision makes Colorado Springs more attractive to current and future businesses. Everybody can now get on with making decisions and plans, said Seth Harvey, CEO of Bluestaq, a Colorado Springs-based defense technology contractor with 100 employees. It also makes this community more attractive and desirable to startups (in aerospace and space). There will be a greater pull to attract the next (aerospace and space) entrepreneurs and startups to Colorado and Colorado Springs. The command was revived in 2019 at Peterson Space Force Base as its temporary home, but the Department of Defense immediately began a selection process for the headquarters that initially picked Colorado Springs. However, the Pentagon, facing political pressure, reopened the process that later led to Trump selecting Huntsville for the headquarters, triggering two government investigations over the decision and the drawn-out process reversing it. Space Command employs about 1,200 service members from across the military branches to defend an area starting 62 miles above the Earth. It is separate from the Space Force, which is charged with organizing, training, and equipping guardians to carry out the Space Command mission. Trump ordered the standup of Space Force and Space Command. Colorado Springs also is home to another joint command, Northern Command, that is responsible for defending North America and includes the U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command. Robert Beletic, aerospace and defense manager for the Colorado Office of Economic and International Trade, said the agency is working with several aerospace companies and military contractors that are considering whether to bring thousands of jobs to the state. He said many companies and contractors already are based in or have operations in Colorado to be near where they (the military) formulate requirements for weapon systems and services the military wants. How much of that will occur, I cant speculate. But being near the command is important, Beletic said. Space Command is part of a greater (military space) ecosystem in Colorado. It is difficult to quantify the impact, but a lot of our leads bear fruit. Bidens decision to keep the command in Colorado Springs may already be producing results. Dan Jaworowski, president of Colorado Springs-based Infinity Systems Engineering, said the decision definitely is influencing our expansion plans, especially where the expansion will happen. He said the expansion involves a new product line but declined to provide further details about those plans, because the company hasnt yet made its decision on a location. This (Bidens) decision keeps a lot of talent in Colorado Springs and brings more (talent) here, making this market more attractive to us and our peers, Jaworowski said. Infinity is negotiating with local and state officials about the planned expansion, he said. The decision is timely for us and is a variable we will consider. It tips the scales more toward Colorado than other locations, which also included Huntsville and several other cities he did not identify. Infinity employs 220 people in Colorado Springs and 65 in nine states and five international locations to provide engineering services for mission and space operations to the Space Operations Command and other military organizations. For some companies like Colorado Springs-based Delta Solutions & Strategies, the nations prime contractor of the year with a $187 million contract with Space Command, Bidens decision meant keeping hundreds of employees in Colorado Springs. Mark Stafford, Deltas president and CEO, said more than 200 of his employees had their long-term plans in flux for the past couple years, over whether they would move to Huntsville or stay in Colorado Springs. Those workers will stay here and the company will move forward with a 10,000-square-foot expansion of its headquarters. Those 200-plus people sit with the government every day, Stafford said. So, part of our contractual requirement is for those people to be embedded with the government personnel they support both active-duty, reserve guard. 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. Delta creates military training products and modeling simulations, and won the $187 million contract nearly a year ago, making the companys work in lockstep with U.S. Space Command as its primary contractor. Stafford said the company will add employees in personnel, contracts, finance, security and recruiting as a result of the commands headquarters permanently remaining in Colorado Springs. Tom Dickson, president of aerospace and defense contractor Boecore, said the company has been growing faster in Huntsville than in Colorado Springs, where more than half of Boecores 400 employees are based. But Space Commands location is a factor in Boecore continuing to invest in Colorado Springs. For example, Boecore completed a series of acquisitions during the past year, including a local satellite and communications firm. Having them (Space Command) here just reinforces what a great community Colorado Springs and Colorado is overall for space-based companies, Dickson said. Space is probably the No. 1 targeted area for which we're trying to grow. Boecore works with operational military units more than Space Command, Dickson said, but access to military leaders in Colorado Springs and networking within the citys aerospace and defense ecosystem is invaluable. They get the leaders to come to luncheons and do briefings ..., Dickson said. And if they're not here, that just doesn't happen. ONeil Group, a major investor in Bluestaq that also owns the Catalyst Campus development near downtown that houses many aerospace and technology startups, probably will shift its expansion focus more toward Colorado Springs. The company also operates other campuses in Ogden, Utah, and near Washington, D.C., and had been considering a fourth location in Huntsville but probably instead will expand in Colorado Springs and possibly Florida, said ONeil Group CEO Kevin ONeil. This creates more opportunity for growth; what it looks like is to be determined, ONeil said. We have had multiple conversations about where to grow. We had been studying coming to Huntsville, and we had a partner and support from the city. This allows us not to have to move forward with those plans and we could instead open a campus in Florida, move our D.C. facility to a better location or expand here. With the command here, there is more activity and a greater ecosystem to support. ONeil said Catalyst Campus is submitting bids to host two new research laboratories planned by Space Command focused on space domain awareness and surveillance, reconnaissance and tracking. He said winning either bid would trigger expansion at Catalysts Colorado Springs location. Keeping Space Command in Colorado Springs also could mean that aerospace and defense companies in Huntsville may have to consider expanding to Colorado Springs instead of Colorado Springs companies studying whether to expand to Huntsville, ONeil said. Jessie Kimbers, vice president in defense development for the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, said the Space Command decision has impact on economic development beyond Space Command personnel and space industry jobs. For every new employee, or new mission that gets picked up, you'll see impacts across all of our sectors, Kimber said. Folks need housing, folks need to eat out, folks need all those variety of services that come with relocating. Thats why Kimber said the chamber prioritizes jobs with competitive wages and is concerned about affordable housing options. We can bring business in here, Kimber said. But if folks can't find attainable or affordable housing, then it's kind of a nonstarter." Tatiana Bailey, executive director of Data Driven Economic Strategies, a Colorado Springs nonprofit focused on economic and workforce research, said keeping the commands headquarters here will help entrepreneurs and investors be more confident in starting and expanding businesses in Colorado Springs. Bidens decision also means the local economy avoids the loss of the commands 1,200 employees, defense contractors and restaurants, retailers and others that serve those workers. It really opens up opportunities for subcontractors who depend on government spending and solidifies their confidence level. Would you relocate or expand here for a temporary headquarters? Now that the location is permanent, business expansion is a distinct possibility, Bailey said. The main impact is that we avoided the downside. The potential is huge. All of the investment (by businesses) hasnt materialized yet. Those who were on the sidelines were waiting for this decision. Gary Horvath, a Broomfield-based economist, said winning the commands permanent location will mean a lot for (Colorados) economy and makes a statement that Colorado is a player in aerospace. There is such a strong aerospace and defense industry in Colorado Springs and Colorado has the largest number of aerospace employees per capita (person) in the nation. The aerospace industry is a big part of the culture and economy of the state. Joe Craig, interim director of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Economic Forum, said keeping the commands headquarters at Peterson is great for the overall economy, especially since the jobs with the command are higher-paying positions. He is concerned, however, that military contractors may still be reluctant to make major investments in Colorado Springs with Alabama politicians saying they will fight to get Congress to overturn Bidens decision. Colorado's second-highest court last week rejected an attempt by King Soopers to sidestep its obligation to compensate a worker for his injures, as dictated by the state Supreme Court. In August 2021, assistant manager Michael Waters was moving pallets of material at a King Soopers store when his leg gave out and he fell. Waters underwent surgery and was able to return to work three months later. Prior to his leg injury, Waters had no physical problems that would have caused it, nor did the environment of the grocery store contribute to his fall. Instead, Administrative Law Judge Steven R. Kabler determined the cause of Waters' injury was "unexplained." Nonetheless, he decided Waters was entitled to workers' compensation benefits under a nearly decade-old ruling of the Supreme Court. Case: King Soopers Inc. v. Industrial Claim Appeals Office Decided: August 3, 2023 Jurisdiction: Industrial Claim Appeals Office Ruling: 3-0 Judges: David J. Richman (author) Neeti V. Pawar Karl L. Schock Background: City of Brighton v. Rodriguez (2014) In 2014, by a 5-2 vote, the Supreme Court decided City of Brighton v. Rodriguez, a workers' compensation case in which a woman fell down a flight of stairs at work for reasons that were unclear. The Supreme Court explained there are three types of risks to employees: Those related to the work itself, such as an industrial explosion Those connected to the worker's existing medical conditions "Neutral risks" that fall outside of the other categories, like a random act of workplace violence "We hold that an unexplained fall necessarily constitutes a neutral risk," wrote then-Chief Justice Nancy Rice. Because the employee in City of Brighton could only have fallen down those stairs in the course of her duties, her injuries "arose out of" her employment and were covered under workers' compensation. 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. King Soopers appealed the administrative law judge's decision in Waters' case, questioning whether his unexplained leg injury could be attributed to his employment. In attempting to circumvent the Supreme Court's interpretation of the law, the company insisted there was a difference between an "unexplained fall" and an "unexplained injury." In an unexplained fall case, King Soopers contended, the fall causes the injury. An unexplained injury to a worker's leg, leading to a fall, is not the same under the law. "The court held that an unexplained fall is compensable," attorney Steven J. Picardi argued to a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals in June. "Never once in the majority opinion is unexplained injury used." "Im having a hard time seeing the daylight between the two," Judge Neeti V. Pawar responded. "Is there any difference been an unexplained fall and unexplained injury?" Judge David J. Richman asked Waters' attorney. No, responded Stephan J. Marsh, and the Supreme Court's decision in City of Brighton clearly dictated that Waters' injury deserved compensation. "The Colorado Supreme Court could have adopted a different test. They didnt adopt a different test," he said. "The Colorado Supreme Court said you've satisfied your burden by proving that the circumstances or obligations of your employment put you in the position you were in" at the time of injury. The panel agreed with him. Any "semantic difference" is irrelevant, wrote Richman in the Aug. 3 opinion, adding that whether Waters experienced an unexplained fall or an unexplained injury, the City of Brighton decision still dictated that an employee injured in the course of his duties not as the result of an existing personal condition may receive compensation. The case is King Soopers Inc. v. Industrial Claim Appeals Office et al. An eastern Iowa nurse sanctioned by the state two years ago for sexual contact with a patient is now facing criminal charges and new allegations of improper conduct with patients. The nurse, Darin Oberhart of Bettendorf, is currently facing drug and weapons charges, and court records indicate Bettendorf police are investigating allegations of improper sexual contact with clients of a massage-therapy clinic he has been operating illegally. According to state records, Oberhart was sanctioned by the Board of Message Therapy in July 2021. The sanctions were in response to a complaint made by a female patient of Oberhart at Quiet River Massage Therapy in Bettendorf, which is run out of the same downtown building as Oberharts QCI Firearms Training. The patient alleged that during a massage session on Nov. 21, 2018, Oberhart grabbed her breasts five to seven times. She alleged that she raised an arm in order to move Oberharts arm away, at which point Oberhart reportedly whispered in her ear, OK, Ill stop. She left the massage clinic, called her husband and a minister to report what had happened, then contacted the police and filed a formal complaint. According to the board, Oberhart told police he had only inadvertently touched the side of the patients breasts. The Bettendorf Police Department referred the case to the local county attorney for consideration of criminal charges, and the county attorney declined to prosecute. The Board of Massage Therapy said it found the womans account of what transpired to be more credible than that of Oberharts, and it concluded that Oberhart had engaged in improper sexual contact with a patient. The board also determined Oberhart had assisted in his wifes practice of massage therapy without a license. The board suspended Oberharts massage therapy license for a minimum of three years, fined him $1,000, and required him to undergo a psychosexual evaluation before applying for reinstatement. At the time, Oberhart was also an Iowa-licensed nurse. Recently, two years after the Board of Massage Therapys action, the Board of Nursing issued an order requiring Oberhart to surrender his nursing license with the understanding that he can apply for reinstatement in one year. The Board of Nursing alleges Oberhart did not notify the Board of Nursing of the action taken against him by the Board of Massage Therapy, although that action was publicized at the time. The nursing license Oberhart is required to surrender expired on May 15, 2023, two months before the Board of Nursing issued its order requiring Oberhart to surrender it. Guns and breast-massage materials seized by police In April of this year, Oberhart was charged with possession of marijuana and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon after a traffic stop. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13, 2023. In May of this year, Bettendorf police obtained a search warrant for Oberharts QCI Firearms Training and Quiet River Massage Therapy clinic. Court records indicate the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services had told police in August 2022 the state received a complaint alleging Oberhart was continuing to perform massage therapy, despite the 2021 license suspension. One woman had allegedly reported that Oberhart told her there are health benefits associated with breast massages and that hed be willing to have sex with her because there are health benefits associated with this also, according to the search warrant application. Another woman alleged she and Oberhart had sexual intercourse during a massage appointment and that Oberhart took photos during the session, according to the warrant application. Police allegedly obtained billing information and text messages suggesting Oberhart was continuing to provide massages through the clinic. After obtaining a search warrant, Bettendorf police seized dozens of items from Oberharts business, including two handguns; two .22-caliber revolvers; two .38-caliber revolvers; various ammunition magazines and containers; a video camera; a receipt for a seminar called Secrets of Therapeutic Breast Massage; an ammunition can that contain a substance believed to be marijuana; four .22-caliber rifles; and two shotguns. No criminal charges have been filed as a result of the search warrant, and Oberhart could not be reached for comment. Quote: In a crowded, acquisitive world, the disappearance of lifestyles such as those once followed by southern Africa's Bushman and Australia's aborigines, requiring vast wild spaces and permitting little accumulation of goods, seem inevitably doomed. Quote: The modifier "the disappearance of lifestyles such as those once followed by southern Africa's Bushman and Australia's aborigines" comes in between two commas, so this modifier can be dropped still making sense of the sentence. Thank you Daagh for your time on GMAT Club and all your contributions! Thank you for everything you did! Your work will remain a great tribute to you here on GMAT Club ! -bb -bb Signature Read More Occupations foster gender differences among workers in a variety of ways, one of the most pervasive being "internal stratification." That is, men and women in the same occupation often perform different tasks and functions. Even in those occupations that appear sexually integrated, the aggregate statistics often mask extreme internal segregation. Although the proportion of female bakers increased from 25 percent in 1970 to 41 percent in 1980, for example, the majority of female bakers are found in highly automated baking industries, while their male counterparts are located in less automated bakeries. The same phenomenon has been detected among pharmacists, financial managers, and bus driversall groups where the influx of women workers suggests a diminution of sex segregation. Another strategy used to maintain gender differences in supposedly integrated occupations is the use of sumptuary and etiquette rules. When women enter male-dominated occupations, certain rules are often introduced to govern their dress and demeanor. In office settings, for instance, dress codeseither formal or implicitare not unusual; female employees may be required to wear dresses, nylons, and high-heeled shoes to enhance their femininity. So it is for female marines and male nurses, both of whom are required to dress differently from their male and female counterparts. Male nurses never wear the traditional nursing cap; female marines never sport the standard Marine Corps garrison cap. Informal practices also play a role in constituting femininity in female marines and masculinity in male nurses. As members of visible minority groups, they stand out at work and receive far more than their fair share of attention. This phenomenon was first documented by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, who found that women in corporations, simply by virtue of their numerical rarity, were noticed and scrutinized more than their male counterparts. This added pressure may actually result in different job performances from men and women in nontraditional occupations and exacerbate gender differences. Kanter's corporate women, for example, became more secretive, less independent, and less oppositional in response to their greater visibilityall traits that have traditionally been associated with femininity. Another informal technique that enhances gender differences is practiced by supervisors who evaluate men and women differently. The very qualities that are highly praised in one sex are sometimes denigrated in the other. Thus, a man is "ambitious," a woman, "pushy"; a woman is "sensitive," a man, "wimpy." But it would be a mistake to claim that all gender differences are forced on people. In addition to the external pressures I have just described, male nurses and female marines actively construct their own gender by redefining their activities in terms of (so) traditional masculine and feminine traits. For example, women in the Marine Corps insist that their femininity is intact even as they march cadence in camouflage units. Likewise, male nurses contend that their masculinity is not at all threatened while they care for and nurture their patients. 1. The author is primarily concerned with A. explaining how femininity and masculinity can be reconstructed for specific careers B. examining jobs that, at first glance, seem to be nontraditional for men and women C. proving that discrimination based on gender is pervasive in all workplaces D. exploring the reasons why gender differences cannot be ignored in any occupation E. discussing practices that serve to perpetuate gender differences in the workplace 2. The author suggests which of the following about internal stratification? A. Although women now work in industries once dominated by men, they find it difficult, if not impossible, to be promoted to managerial positions. B. As women enter the work force in greater numbers, men feel their jobs are threatened and their hostility results in increased tension on the job. C. Because men and women rarely engage in the same activities on the job, certain specialties can be feminine-identified and others masculine-identified. D. Since men and women are segregated in the workplace, men tend not to value the work carried out by women. E. Even when men and women are given the same tasks to perform, women continue to receive less pay than do their male counterparts. 3. The primary purpose of the last paragraph is to A. emphasize the importance of outside forces in establishing gender differences B. point out that men and women act to enforce gender differences themselves C. provide an example of men and women who defy the typical perceptions of masculinity and femininity D. demonstrate that, even in a nontraditional context, conventional definitions of "masculine" and "feminine" are preserved E. . describe the tension that men and women feel when their sexuality is questioned 4. Which of the following statements about men in the labor force cannot logically be inferred from the passage? I. In many previously male-dominated industries, men have been displaced by a new generation of female employees. II. Men are more adept than women at performing tasks that require a high degree of manual effort. III. In certain industries, men have been forced to disregard convention, thereby encouraging gender disparities. A. I B. II C. III D. I and II E. II and III 5. The author specifically mentions all of the following as methods to maintain gender differences in the workplace EXCEPT A. a manager's use of particular words for men and particular words for women although describing the same quality B. the designation of dress codes so that the physical differences between men and women are highlighted C. the internal pressure men and women feel to be traditionally masculine or feminine D. pressure from coworkers to behave in a conventionally masculine or a feminine way E. the assignation of different duties for men and women in the same occupation A. explaining how femininity and masculinity can be reconstructed for specific careersB. examining jobs that, at first glance, seem to be nontraditional for men and womenC. proving that discrimination based on gender is pervasive in all workplacesD. exploring the reasons why gender differences cannot be ignored in any occupationE. discussing practices that serve to perpetuate gender differences in the workplaceA. Although women now work in industries once dominated by men, they find it difficult, if not impossible, to be promoted to managerial positions.B. As women enter the work force in greater numbers, men feel their jobs are threatened and their hostility results in increased tension on the job.C. Because men and women rarely engage in the same activities on the job, certain specialties can be feminine-identified and others masculine-identified.D. Since men and women are segregated in the workplace, men tend not to value the work carried out by women.E. Even when men and women are given the same tasks to perform, women continue to receive less pay than do their male counterparts.A. emphasize the importance of outside forces in establishing gender differencesB. point out that men and women act to enforce gender differences themselvesC. provide an example of men and women who defy the typical perceptions of masculinity and femininityD. demonstrate that, even in a nontraditional context, conventional definitions of "masculine" and "feminine" are preservedE. . describe the tension that men and women feel when their sexuality is questionedI. In many previously male-dominated industries, men have been displaced by a new generation of female employees.II. Men are more adept than women at performing tasks that require a high degree of manual effort.III. In certain industries, men have been forced to disregard convention, thereby encouraging gender disparities.A. IB. IIC. IIID. I and IIE. II and IIIA. a manager's use of particular words for men and particular words for women although describing the same qualityB. the designation of dress codes so that the physical differences between men and women are highlightedC. the internal pressure men and women feel to be traditionally masculine or feminineD. pressure from coworkers to behave in a conventionally masculine or a feminine wayE. the assignation of different duties for men and women in the same occupation Admissionado wrote: itskAKku : Thank you for reaching out to us. You have a very good profile and should be proud of yourself. The list of schools in Germany you have provided feels about right. The GMAT is not mandatory to submit, so you might want to consider whether sending in a 660 makes sense. If we were to suggest other MiM programs/schools, what criteria should we consider? Thank you for reaching out to us. You have a very good profile and should be proud of yourself.The list of schools in Germany you have provided feels about right. The GMAT is not mandatory to submit, so you might want to consider whether sending in a 660 makes sense.If we were to suggest other MiM programs/schools, what criteria should we consider? Thank you so much for your valuable insight.As for B-school suggestions, I am open to other master's programs in U.S.A, France, Switzerland & UK that I can be a fit of.Although I am quite excited about studying in Germany, I am still deeply intrigued by one program in particular- Kellogg's MIM program.Looking at the competition, I know its really difficult to get into the program. However, if I were to improve my GMAT score (let's say 720 or so), will I have a descent shot at the program with my current academic profile?Thank you. Although the sky was overcast Monday morning, sunshine in the form of broad smiles and high-fives greeted students returning to Schoolfield Elementary School in Danville. On the main entranceway, buses dropped off children who then formed a line single file, of course to pass through a welcoming committee of sorts that ended with a first-day sticker before heading inside to class. Behind some of those smiles handing out stickers were officers from the Danville Police Department stationed at all schools throughout the city to celebrate the start of a new school year. The effort is now somewhat of a tradition, all with a goal to bridge a gap with kids and law enforcement. The support, coming out and greeting students, doing the fist-bumps, giving out stickers, this doesnt just stop today, Matt Bell, a spokesperson for Danville police, told the Register & Bee. Aside from popping in from time-to-time for special events, there also are five school resource officers with the Danville Police Department who circulate through all the schools, Bell explained. And as the school year progresses, police have a program that identifies students who have displayed behavior troubles and slipping grades. Officers then work with those particular children to teach them how to get the behavior and grades back on track. That program has awards in 30-day increments, Bell said. One such reward is a pizza party. Students who go 90 days without any issues can get a grand prize. In one case last year, a child received a $200 gift card. As the buses became empty and exited, the line of cars dropping off students seemed to grow longer as the first bell of the day neared Monday. With her hands singling cars to pull forward, Schoolfield Elementary School Principal Kelsie Hubbard kept the traffic flowing. Hubbard also helped students out of vehicles and held the hand of one boy with a Spider-Man backpack to guide him toward the school. Danville Police Schools Superintendent Angela Hairston also assisted some little ones out of vehicles as members of the Danville School Board also arrived wearing more smiles to greet the children heading for the first day of class. Hairston's day began earlier when she rode on bus No. 64. "I was excited about the energy and enthusiasm throughout the district," Hairston, who also had lunch for fourth graders, said. "I was excited to see teachers delivering lessons and communicating high expectations at every level." No major hiccups appeared to emerge Monday, aside from a severe weather threat from Mother Nature. A tornado watch prompted school officials to cancel after-school activities. "We did not experience any major challenges this morning with the exception of a few kindergartners who were emotional because they were leaving their moms and dads and parent drivers who have a tradition of driving on the first day, leading to increased congestion," Hairston told the Register & Bee on Tuesday. Enrollment numbers weren't clear Tuesday, but last week the Danville School Board was told figure's were up by 50 students already. Danville newest "school" the Activ8 STEM Academy welcomed Danville Public School students to class for the first time at the former Taylor Elementary School. The facility closed in 2013 because of dwindling student population and a budget deficit. It briefly housed students from Carlisle School and was born again in 2021 as a virtual academy, which still continues this year. Pronounced "activate," the new initiative for science, technology, engineering and math learning is designed for students in grades three through five who had to apply to be a part of it. "The Activ8 STEM Academy was excellent," Hairston said. "Students were engaged in learning and happy to be at the school." The school system had received some questions about the early August start to school ahead of the first day. Simply put, schools are still reeling from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, Hairston explained at last weeks school board work session. This calendar is a response to COVID and trying to close the gap, she said. However, they hope to eventually move to a more traditional calendar that would add a few extra days to the summer vacation. Photos: Schoolfield Elementary School welcomes students back GREENSBORO Cone Health is appealing a state decision to allow Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist plan to build a new hospital in north Greensboro, according to a news release. Cone contends that the proposed $246.5 million hospital will bring higher health care costs and create redundancy in medical services in the area, the hospital system said in the release. The new hospital's planned location at 2909 Horse Pen Creek Road is not in an area where more health care options are needed, Cone said. Atrium proposes to relocate 36 acute care beds and two operating rooms from High Point Medical Center to a planned $246.5 million Greensboro Medical Center. Cone, meanwhile, opened in May 2022 a 160,000-square-foot MedCenter Greensboro facility at 3518 Drawbridge Parkway. That's 2.1 miles away from the proposed Greensboro Medical Center site. The $97 million Cone facility includes an emergency department, ambulatory care center, imaging, physical therapy, cardiology, wellness programs and 13 overall services. It houses a Sagewell Fitness center, swimming pool and teaching kitchen. North Carolina is a certificate of need (CON) state, which means an organization must show that building a hospital in a community is needed, would improve care and wouldnt increase the costs of health care. This governmental oversight is designed to avoid a medical arms race where unneeded, expensive facilities and equipment would be clustered in certain areas driving costs higher for everyone, according to Cone's news release. Atrium said in its CON application that opening Greensboro Medical Center would be complementary and supplementary to Cone's health care. Approval of Greensboro Medical Center will enable Greensboro to match the other top five North Carolina cities in hosting multiple hospital systems and having local hospital competition, which will be a benefit to local residents, according to the Atrium application. Baptist officials have previously stressed that services at High Point Medical Center will not be impacted by the transfer of the 36 beds and two operating rooms. They note the High Point facility has improved with the opening of a high-risk obstetrics clinics, enhanced intensive care units and advanced technologies, including robotic surgical techniques. Cone says the money spent on the new hospital is money that wont be invested in expanding care in High Point. This is a poor decision for everyone needing health care in this area, CEO Dr. Mary Jo Cagle said in the release. This community doesnt need a very expensive facility duplicating most of the same services offered by a Cone Health facility just two miles away. "People in our community already have options when it comes to health care," she said. "This decision runs counter to how CON is supposed to work. The state has said Guilford County doesnt need additional hospital beds or operating rooms, so Atrium is moving those assets from within the county. According to the release, residents living around the proposed Atrium hospital have 1.6 times the average median income than those around High Point Medical Center. This is a developing story ... The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AlIMS), Delhi, has called for partnership with two IITs and an IIM to look at innovations in the disciplines of patient care and hospital management. In letters received by this newspaper, the premier medical institute plans to create its own interface to use artificial intelligence, drones, robotics, hospital management system and software, wherein the expertise of other top institutes will come in handy.The AIIMS director has sought a meeting with the heads of IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Guwahati and IIM Ahmadabad to explore future prospects of the proposal. In a letter written to IITs, AIIMS expressed establishing a joint research institute for AI and clinical trials apart from exploring innovations in drives and robotics which could be used in the delivery of medical supplies and surgery. A joint Al research center could be established to drive innovation in healthcare Al technologies and applications. The use of drones for medical supply delivery and robotics in surgery are emerging trends. Collaborative projects in these areas could lead to safer, more efficient healthcare practices, the letter addressed to IIT Guwahati and Gandhinagar read.AIIMS sources said that the institute has already set up separate committees to implement AI, drones and robotics and collaboration with IITs will help in more precise implementation of the emerging technologies.The use of robotics is already being done in surgeries, but we have to explore more disciples where robotics could help, said a senior member of the robotics and AI committee.Another member of the drone committee said that a hub is planned at NIC Jhajjar (satellite healthcare unit of AIIMS) since the main campus in Delhi lies in a no-fly zone. We are exploring the possibilities of delivering the medical supplies to other satellite units. We hope to make it functional within six months after trials, he added. Meanwhile, the institute also expressed its interest in collaborative initiatives with IIM Ahmadabad in Healthcare Management and Hospital Administration as focus areas. This is a rare opportunity to own a 1903 Victorian masterpiece curated to its stately half-acre in the heart of Helenas historic Upper West Side. The main home contains 5 large bedrooms (+1 bonus), 3.5 bathrooms, and features original wood finishes, updated windows, and abundant natural light. With its timeless charm, ample living space, functional floor plan, and convenient amenities, you can showcase this Golden Era mansion as an integral part of your best Helena life. Looking for versatility as well? Housed above the detached garage youll find a cute 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment complete with laundry and a full kitchen. Use this space for guests or as an income-producing unit. Or, capitalize on investment potential by seeking a lot line adjustment with the City of Helena to split the seven-lot parcel into two, each with its own paved driveway access into this corner parcel. Call Ryan Stavnes 406-465-3830, Michelle Johnson 406-461-9685, or your real estate professional. As you step through the grand front entryway and pass through the antechamber, you are greeted by a classic Victorian foyer that opens across to a grand staircase. Three sets of French doors line the foyer, each leading to large inviting spaces. Nearest the entrance, the bright front room currently serves as an office. Additional French doors connect it to the expansive living room which walks through a small enclosed porch attached to a much larger sun porch which was added in 2006. Opposite the living room, the formal dining room sets the stage for memorable gatherings. The last door off the foyer discretely holds the main floor half bathroom. Moving further into the main level, youll pass into the back hall which accesses the kitchen, basement, or second entry to the large sun porch. The kitchen continues the functional layout with an adjoining butlers pantry complete with a formal swinging door connecting it to the dining room. From the kitchen, you can also pass through the large laundry room to a back door or ascend the back-of-house stairs to the second landing. The second floor is a haven of comfort and privacy. Four generously sized bedrooms provide ample accommodation for family and guests, while two full bathrooms offer convenience and style. This level lends itself to modern comforts featuring a new ceiling fan, updated windows, and large closets. A versatile bonus room can be customized to suit your needs, and a second sun porch provides a delightful spot to bask in the sunlight and enjoy the fresh air. The attic of this Victorian gem is complete with a wet bar and entertaining space, multiple storage areas, an enclosed porch, a large bedroom, and a full bathroom offering endless possibilities for personalization. With a full basement providing additional storage and utility space, this house caters to all your practical needs. Outside, the property spans half an acre and encompasses an impressive seven city lots. This property already has two access driveways and two separate dwellings making it simple to apply to the City to split this half-acre into two residences each on their own large lot. Mature landscaping includes shade trees, fruit trees, bushes, and flowers. Excellent location - close to shopping, amenities, schools, downtown, trails, and Hwy 12. 801 Stuart St. presents an exceptional opportunity to own a piece of history in one of Helena's most sought-after locations. View More MATTOON The route for the annual truck convoy fundraiser for the Illinois Make-A-Wish Foundation on Saturday, Aug. 12, has been expanded from Coles County into Cumberland County. The Central Illinois Truck Convoy will start at 11:30 a.m. on the grounds of Lake Land College in Mattoon and then travel through Mattoon, Charleston, Greenup and Toledo before ending back on campus. This is the fifth year weve had the truck convoy. We changed the name this year from Coles County Truck Convoy to better reflect the wider area where our truck drivers are coming from and the new route, said Doug Overmyer, president of the convoy board. Participating truckers will travel north from campus on U.S. Route 45 to Broadway Avenue, east on Broadway through downtown and past Peterson Park to Logan Street in Mattoon. They will then take Illinois Route 16 east, Lerna Road north, and Illinois Route 316 east on the way to Charleston. The drivers will follow Illinois Route 130 south through Charleston to Greenup and then travel west through downtown on Illinois Route 121 to Toledo, going around the square. They will conclude by continuing east on Route 121 to Route 45, where they will head north back to campus if they wish. Overmyer said this year's procession is expected to include more than 100 trucks. There will also be a variety of activities on campus before the convoy, including a car show, food trucks, shopping vendors, bounce houses, and a live auction. All proceeds from the convoy will benefit the Illinois Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants family vacations, special birthday parties and other wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. The foundation has granted more than 10,000 wishes in Illinois since its inception in 1983. This event is a great way to support the foundation and help make a difference in the lives of children with critical illnesses," Overmyer said. Participating trucks will start lining up at 7 a.m. Saturday on Lake Land's campus. The car show and other activities will start at 8 a.m. The convoy debuted in 2019 at the Coles County Fairgrounds in Charleston. The fundraiser was held at the Coles County Memorial Airport in 2020 and the former Trailmobile factory site in Charleston in 2021 before being hosted on Lake Land's campus for the first time last year. Lake Land President Josh Bullock said the college is thankful for the convoys efforts in supporting the Make-a-Wish Foundation, helping provide life-changing experiences that enrich the lives of children in need and touch the hearts of their communities. "We are proud to be a part of this event and support this valuable mission by hosting the convoy for the second year in a row," Bullock said. GFWC Decatur Woman's Club GFWC Decatur Woman's Club will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, at First Congregational UCC, 3465 N. MacArthur Road, Decatur. Members are busy making baby caps for Decatur Memorial Hospital, DOVE, New Life Pregnancy Center and Provena and Carle in Champaign. For further information contact Darla Weltmer, 217-877-7008. *** Decatur Christian Women's Connection The Decatur Christian Women's Connection will meet at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at Scovill Activity Center, 3909 W. Main St., Decatur. The featured speaker will be Becky Buse sharing "Life Opportunities: Turning Negatives into Positives." A chef prepared meal with drinks and dessert will be available for $20 per person. Reservations are required and due by Wednesday, Aug. 9. Call Karen at 217-433-7522 or Pam at 217-433-9814 for reservations and/or cancellations. SALTVILLE, Va. Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems held a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week to mark the grand reopening of the newly remodeled Saltville Community Health Center. Community agencies and local SVCHS partners were on hand to highlight their services to community members during the ribbon-cutting, according to a written statement. Saltville Community Health Center, after undertaking a multi-year renovation process, has completed the final remodeling efforts to better serve the patients of SVCHS and the community members of Saltville,. Healthcare services that will be provided to patients include: adult & geriatric medicine; pediatric care; adolescent care; behavioral health; optometry services; pharmacist consultations; x-ray & laboratory; minor surgery; emergency medicine and telemedicine. They offer a sliding fee scale for qualified patients and the Mount Rogers Medication Assistance program. Appointments are available for patients now at Saltville Community Health Center by calling 276-496-4492. Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems has locations in Saltville, Meadowview, Tazewell, and Bristol. BRISTOL, Va. For 43 years the Norway Spruce tree bedecked in glimmering white lights in the Cumberland Street triangle has lit up the Twin Citys holiday season but its time has come to an end. On Tuesday the Bristol Virginia City Council approved removing the now-50-foot-tall tree, which has been damaged by high winds and lacks the form and figure of a traditional Christmas tree. The 25-foot Douglas fir planted nearby will become the citys official tree and the city plans to plant another tree nearby to keep the succession going. Weve had the Virginia Department of Forestry take a look at the tree to determine how we should move forward, City Manager Randy Eads told the council during its regular meeting. They suggest it be removed. It has declined due to its age and is inhibiting growth of the younger tree nearby. Removal of the large tree would be beneficial to add growth to the small tree, which will have a better shape for a period of years, Eads said. They also suggest we plant another tree to replace the tree we remove and keep these trees on a rotational basis so the trees retain their vigor after a long period of time. Council members reminisced a bit about the trees long-time role but also discussed the future of that site in front of the Bristol Hotel. I wish this wasnt necessary. While sometimes these Norway spruces have very long lives, ours hasnt. Some would say we havent maintained it properly. I dont know thats the case. It could just be environment its in, Councilman Michael Pollard said. Councilman Anthony Farnum joked, In no way is City Council cancelling Christmas. Weve got a beautiful tree down there and a big event that will happen this year. Im just glad were not trying to cut this Christmas tree down on Dec. 5 and we all look like Grinches, Mayor Neal Osborne said. I think well be set up for future Christmases to look really good. As our little tree grows, well plant another one and hopefully well have a rotation going. Vice Mayor Becky Nave said she worried about branches from the older tree falling, given its deteriorating condition. Ive watched that tree since I was much younger as its grown up. I remember when it was a small tree. One of the things Ive looked at is the risk of a branch falling out of that tree. We have a lot of pedestrians out there; a lot of children out there. Or it could fall and hit a vehicle or maybe a building, she said. I hate to see it go but we have big plans for that area and it will help the life of the other tree. In my early years the 1950s and 1960s, I distinctly remember riding with my father on Sunday afternoon to get the Sunday paper at Huttos Grocery in Viewmont. My parents knew most of the people along the 8 miles of N.C. Highway 127 leading to this store. He often commented that sooner or later people would learn about all the attributes of living in the Catawba Valley and begin to crowd old-time residents. Today, the livability of our area is not a well-kept secret. People from many areas of the United States are choosing to move from crowded and less ideal weather areas to North Carolina. A review of demographic predictions from local, state, and federal sources shows a 30% or more increase in North Carolina population by 2050. The most telling demographic deals with the huge percentage growth in senior population. The projection is seniors will increase to 64% of total population because of in-migration and increased longevity. Larger cities and contiguous areas are gaining all ages; rural counties will see much less growth in younger ages as migration of predominantly the 65-plus age group which will offset the loss of post-millennials and their offspring. Cost of housing and availability of housing is now a significant concern. New residential construction to meet in-migration demands is evident to even my untrained eye. Apartments, large senior living developments, and lower cost housing appear to be the norm even as post-millennials are migrating out to chase the opportunities in other areas of North Carolina and elsewhere. Population Projections and the Rise in Senior Population State demographers are predicting a significant rise in populations with senior migration as a major impact on population. Latest population projections indicate that North Carolina will reach 14 million people by 2050 adding 3.5 million people from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2050 (a more than 30% increase). North Carolinas future population will skew older than today. Over 100,000 North Carolinians have turned 65 every year and this trend will continue well into the future. As a result, the older adult population will grow at double the rate of the general population. By 2029, one in five North Carolinians will be at least 65 years old. The median age is predicted to rise from 39 in 2021 to 42 by 2050 (compared to 35 in 2000). As a result of an aging population and lower fertility rates than the early 2000s, North Carolinas population growth will increasingly depend on net migration for population growth because deaths will eventually exceed births. By the 2040s all of our growth will be derived from net migration if current trends continue. The exception will be urban areas such as Wake and Mecklenburg counties and close contiguous areas. The percent population change for the 65-plus age group from 2021 to 2050 will be 64%. The 0-17 age group will grow 24%. Notice that the whole growth percentage of 32% is about half the growth percentage of the 65-plus age group. Area Growth According to the NC Office of State Budget and Management, the population increase for Catawba County is higher than surrounding counties with a predicted increase of about 38,000 in 2050 from the 155,000 today. Alexander, Caldwell, Wilkes, and Burke counties show static growth or loss in numbers except for the senior population. Iredell County is predicted to almost double in size and Lincoln Countys increase will be about 50 percent. The proximity to Charlotte is an important factor in growth. As the distance from Charlotte increases, population upturns decrease. Awareness in Changed Demographics Even though balanced growth by age is seen more in the proximate urban areas, we cannot forget even with marginal growth or loss in the next decades does not clarify the size of age differentials. In other words, places like Alexander, Caldwell, Wilkes, and Burke counties will have significantly fewer young people and more old people. Theories say the projected North Carolina senior citizen population increase is related to reduced cost of living, greater longevity, the climate, and less congestion. Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT Age Lab says that there is roughly a 50% chance that Americans who are 65 years old today will make it to 85, a third of their adult life. Seniors in our area will mirror nationally identified needs medical care, transportation, enough money to live longer, less expensive leisure and social activities, and support groups to replace intergenerational support. Medical Care for Seniors One of the greatest concerns for senior citizens is availability of health services. As a senior citizen, I hear my peers lament about two-month wait times for specialized medical care. Travel to Winston-Salem, Charlotte, or the Raleigh area is often required to find specialized medical care in a timely manner. Other infrastructure will be needed for managed growth, but newly arrived senior citizens will overextend a delivery system of medical assistance, nursing homes, other facilities, etc. already overloaded. New medical facilities, nursing homes, and doctors should be an emphasis on decision makers with emphasis on geriatric care specialists and tax incentives to medical practices choosing the surrounding counties. Transportation Getting the legions of old people where they need to go will be important. Public transportation needs such as Greenway Transportation will grow. Adequate roads to move the increasing population of seniors is essential. New road construction such as the U.S. Highway 321 and N.C. Highway 127 project will improve transportation flow but will not address the congestion on secondary roads impacted by new construction. Infrastructure The higher percentage of seniors moving to the area does not change the need for all infrastructure development. Continued emphasis on clean water and solid waste facilities to address particularly the lack of sewer contiguous to the lake in some counties should be a priority. The overwhelmed infrastructure situation in places like Wake provide a cautionary tale for approval of new residential development before addressing already existing needs. Providing infrastructure to new developments may put services to existing housing further down priority lists. Parks, Recreation, Seniors The City of Hickory has done an admirable job of providing new walkways throughout the city, construction of new parks, and improvements to existing facilities through their bond program. Anticipated increased use of parks by senior citizens should influence consideration of additional regional parks in the Catawba Valley. Senior programs in some Catawba Valley counties operate out of church facilities. As the senior population grows, strategic plans for all counties must look at how the needs of senior citizens are best met. Existing groups such as the Western Piedmont Council of Governments and various senior centers are aware of the coming needs if state demographers are correct. At some point, identification of resources to address senior needs must be high on the priority list of local, state, and federal decision makers. As the number of seniors outdistance the number of college-age students, serious planning of senior programming by four-year education institutions, community colleges, libraries, arts programs, and state outreach programs will be essential. Many older citizens depend on the faith community for a significant part of their social lives. Some civic clubs that are dwindling in numbers because of out-migration might consider a new focus with daytime meetings, less emphasis on fundraising, and more emphasis on senior topics of interest. Libraries might consider expanding book clubs, technology instruction geared to seniors, etc. Senior centers might consider multi-agency programming by gleaning ideas from many different locations. County government should make a special effort to include senior living as a vital component of future comprehensive plans including requirements for developers. Many great ideas have been experienced by seniors moving from other locations. Use them as a knowledge base for future programming. Social and Emotional Support Programs The faith community has an important role in this function. The lack of inter-generational care is a current issue and even greater issue for the future. Expansion of social service programs will require additional funding to provide expanded services for the increasing at-risk senior citizens. Separation of church and state aside, local agencies dealing with senior well-being must continue to foster cooperative relationships with the faith community. Sustainability of church membership may be dependent on how the faith community designs corporate and individual senior programs to attract new senior members. Reality New senior citizens often must adapt to a significantly different culture than their previous homes. Rural areas operate with significantly less programs because of lower tax bases. New residents must understand the reality of less-filled county coffers to meet perceived needs. Remember this is just one mans view. Hopefully, longtime residents and new citizens working together can continue to define and improve the Catawba Valley. A failure to plan is a plan to fail. An Albemarle County, Va., family is mourning after three siblings drowned in the James River. The three victims 19-year-old Omar Wade, 16-year-old Marieme Wade and 10-year-old Aicha Wade were reported missing Friday while on a camping trip in Rockbridge County, Va. The Rockbridge County Sheriffs Office said it received a call that three swimmers had gone missing in the Arnolds Valley area at around 7:45 p.m. Friday. Multiple agencies responded to the scene. Their bodies were pulled from the river Saturday morning, a little more than 24 hours later. As you may or may not be aware, we lost three members of our school community this past weekend from a drowning incident, the Baker-Butler Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization posted on Facebook Monday. Aicha Wade, a rising 6th grader and Baker-Butler graduate, along with her siblings Omar Wade, a 2023 graduate from AHS last year, and Marieme Wade a rising 11th grader at AHS, passed away in this tragic event. We are shocked and saddened by this immeasurable loss and offer our deepest sympathy to their family and friends. A fundraiser has been set up to help support the Wade family. So far, more than $90,000 has been raised. We are devastated to learn about the tragic loss of three precious gems, Omar, Marieme Imane and Aicha Amira children of Brother Papa Makhtar Wade and Sister Khadidiatou Niang due to a water drowning incident, the fundraiser website reads. Our hearts go out to our beloved grieving family during this incredibly difficult time. As a community, let's come together and offer our support to help them cope with the unimaginable grief and financial burden they may be facing. An investigation into the deaths is ongoing. In the following sections, before elaborating on the problem further, let me demonstrate to you how to implement logically equivalent programs using both the static and dynamic approaches. Most of the examples are written in Rust but can be applied to any other general-purpose programming language with enough expressive type system; keep in mind that this writeup is language-agnostic and is concerned with the philosophy of PLT in general rather than with particular PL implementations. If you feel busy, feel free to jump right to the main section about the problem explanation. For our purposes, the statics level is where all linguistic machinery is being performed at compile-time. Similarly, the dynamics level is where code is being executed at run-time. Thence the typical control flow operators, such as if / while / for / return , data structures, and procedures, are dynamic, whereas static type system features and syntactical macros, are static. In essence, the majority of static linguistic abstractions have their correspondence in the dynamic space and vice versa: This is what I call statics-dynamics biformity : whenever you introduce a new linguistic abstraction to your language, it may reside either on the statics level, on the dynamics level, or on the both levels. In the first two cases, where the abstraction is located only on one particular level, you introduce inconsistency to your language; in the latter case, you inevitably introduce the feature biformity. People in the programming language design community strive to make their languages more expressive, with a strong type system, mainly to increase ergonomics by avoiding code duplication in final software; however, the more expressive their languages become, the more abruptly duplication penetrates the language itself. Record type Array Consider your everyday manipulation with record types (playground): automobile-static.rs struct Automobile { Automobile : u8 , wheels : u8 , seats : String , manufacturer } fn main() { main() let my_car = Automobile { my_carAutomobile : 4 , wheels : 4 , seats : String :: from( "X" ) , manufacturerfrom( }; println! ( "My car has {} wheels and {} seats, and it was made by {}." , . wheels , my_car . seats , my_car . manufacturer my_carwheelsmy_carseatsmy_carmanufacturer ) ; } The same can be done using arrays (playground): automobile-dynamic.rs use std::any:: Any ; #[ repr ( usize )] repr enum MyCar { MyCar , Wheels , Seats , Manufacturer } fn main() { main() let my_car : [ Box < dyn Any >; 3 ] = [ Box :: new( 4 ) , Box :: new( 4 ) , Box :: new( "X" )] ; my_carnew(new(new()] println! ( "My car has {} wheels and {} seats, and it was made by {}." , MyCar:: Wheels as usize ] my_car[Wheels . downcast_ref:: < i32 > () () . unwrap() , unwrap() MyCar:: Seats as usize ] . downcast_ref:: < i32 > () . unwrap() , my_car[Seats()unwrap() MyCar:: Manufacturer as usize ] my_car[Manufacturer . downcast_ref:: <& 'static str > () () . unwrap() unwrap() ) ; } Yes, if we specify an incorrect type to .downcast_ref , we will get a panic. But the very logic of the program remains the same, only we elevate type checking to run-time. Going further, we can encode static Automobile as a heterogenous list: automobile-hlist.rs use frunk:: { hlist , HList }; hlistHList struct Wheels( u8 ) ; Wheels( struct Seats( u8 ) ; Seats( struct Manufacturer( String ) ; Manufacturer( type Automobile = HList! [Wheels , Seats , Manufacturer] ; Automobile[WheelsSeatsManufacturer] fn main() { main() let my_car : Automobile = hlist! [Wheels( 4 ) , Seats( 4 ) , Manufacturer( String :: from( "X" ))] ; my_carAutomobile[Wheels(Seats(Manufacturer(from())] println! ( "My car has {} wheels and {} seats, and it was made by {}." , . get:: < Wheels , _ > () . 0 , my_carWheels() . get:: < Seats , _ > () . 0 , my_carSeats() . get:: < Manufacturer , _ > () . 0 my_carManufacturer() ) ; } This version enforces exactly the same type checks as automobile-static.rs , but additionally provides methods for manipulating with type Automobile as with ordinary collections! E.g., we may want to reverse our automobile : assert_eq! ( . into_reverse() , my_carinto_reverse() hlist! [Manufacturer( String :: from( "X" )) , Seats( 4 ) , Wheels( 4 )] [Manufacturer(from())Seats(Wheels()] ) ; Or we may want to zip our car with their car: let their_car = hlist! [Wheels( 6 ) , Seats( 4 ) , Manufacturer( String :: from( "Y" ))] ; their_car[Wheels(Seats(Manufacturer(from())] assert_eq! ( . zip(their_car) , my_carzip(their_car) hlist! [ 4 ) , Wheels( 6 )) , (Wheels(Wheels()) 4 ) , Seats( 4 )) , (Seats(Seats()) String :: from( "X" )) , Manufacturer( String :: from( "Y" ))) (Manufacturer(from())Manufacturer(from())) ] ) ; And so forth. However, sometimes we may want to apply type-level computation to ordinary struct s and enum s, but we cannot do it because we are unable to extract the very structure of a type definition (fields and types/variants and their function signatures) from a corresponding type name, especially if this type is external to our crate and we cannot put a derive macro onto it . To resolve the issue, Frunk developers decided to create such a procedural macro that examines the internal structure of a type definition by implementing the Generic trait for it; it has the type Repr associated type, which, when implemented, equals to some form of a manipulatable heterogenous list. Still, all other types (well, transparent ones, such as DTOs) that do not have this derive macro, are left unexaminable, owing to the aforementioned limitations of Rust. Sum type Tree One may find sum types good to represent an AST node (playground): ast-static.rs use std::ops:: Deref ; enum Expr { Expr i32 ) , Const( Add ( Box < Expr >, Box < Expr > ) , ExprExpr Sub ( Box < Expr >, Box < Expr > ) , ExprExpr Mul ( Box < Expr >, Box < Expr > ) , ExprExpr Div ( Box < Expr >, Box < Expr > ) , ExprExpr } use Expr:: *; fn eval(expr : & Box < Expr > ) -> i32 { eval(exprExpr match expr . deref() { exprderef() => * x , Const(x) Add (lhs , rhs) => eval( & lhs) + eval( & rhs) , (lhsrhs)eval(lhs)eval(rhs) Sub (lhs , rhs) => eval( & lhs) - eval( & rhs) , (lhsrhs)eval(lhs)eval(rhs) Mul (lhs , rhs) => eval( & lhs) * eval( & rhs) , (lhsrhs)eval(lhs)eval(rhs) Div (lhs , rhs) => eval( & lhs) / eval( & rhs) , (lhsrhs)eval(lhs)eval(rhs) } } fn main() { main() let expr : Expr = Add ( exprExpr 53 ) . into() , Const(into() Sub ( Div (Const( 155 ) . into() , Const( 5 ) . into()) . into() , (Const(into()Const(into())into() 113 ) . into() , Const(into() ) . into() , into() ) ; println! ( "{}" , eval( & expr . into())) ; eval(exprinto())) } The same can be done using tagged trees (playground): ast-dynamic.rs use std::any:: Any ; struct Tree { Tree : i32 , tag : Box < dyn Any >, value : Vec < Box < Tree >>, nodesTree } const AST_TAG_CONST : i32 = 0 ; AST_TAG_CONST const AST_TAG_ADD : i32 = 1 ; AST_TAG_ADD const AST_TAG_SUB : i32 = 2 ; AST_TAG_SUB const AST_TAG_MUL : i32 = 3 ; AST_TAG_MUL const AST_TAG_DIV : i32 = 4 ; AST_TAG_DIV fn eval(expr : & Tree) -> i32 { eval(exprTree) let lhs = expr . nodes . get( 0 ) ; lhsexprnodesget( let rhs = expr . nodes . get( 1 ) ; rhsexprnodesget( match expr . tag { exprtag => * expr . value . downcast_ref:: < i32 > () . unwrap() , AST_TAG_CONSTexprvalue()unwrap() => eval( & lhs . unwrap()) + eval( & rhs . unwrap()) , AST_TAG_ADDeval(lhsunwrap())eval(rhsunwrap()) => eval( & lhs . unwrap()) - eval( & rhs . unwrap()) , AST_TAG_SUBeval(lhsunwrap())eval(rhsunwrap()) => eval( & lhs . unwrap()) * eval( & rhs . unwrap()) , AST_TAG_MULeval(lhsunwrap())eval(rhsunwrap()) => eval( & lhs . unwrap()) / eval( & rhs . unwrap()) , AST_TAG_DIVeval(lhsunwrap())eval(rhsunwrap()) _ => panic! ( "Out of range" ) , } } fn main() { main() let expr = /* Construction omitted... */ ; expr println! ( "{}" , eval( & expr)) ; eval(expr)) } Similarly to how we did with struct Automobile , we can represent enum Expr as frunk::Coproduct . This is left as an exercise to the reader. Value Associated type We may want to negate a boolean value using the standard operator ! (playground): negate-dynamic.rs fn main() { main() assert_eq! ( ! true , false ) ; assert_eq! ( ! false , true ) ; } The same can be done through associated types (playground): negate-static.rs use std::marker:: PhantomData ; PhantomData trait Bool { Bool type Value ; Value } struct True ; True struct False ; False impl Bool for True { type Value = True ; } BoolTrueValueTrue impl Bool for False { type Value = False ; } BoolFalseValueFalse struct Negate < Cond > (PhantomData < Cond > ) ; NegateCond(PhantomDataCond impl Bool for Negate < True > { BoolNegateTrue type Value = False ; ValueFalse } impl Bool for Negate < False > { BoolNegateFalse type Value = True ; ValueTrue } const ThisIsFalse : < Negate < True > as Bool > :: Value = False ; ThisIsFalseNegateTrueBoolValueFalse const ThisIsTrue : < Negate < False > as Bool > :: Value = True ; ThisIsTrueNegateFalseBoolValueTrue In fact, the Turing completeness of Rusts type system is built upon this principle combined with type induction (which we shall see a bit later). Every time you see an ordinary value in terms of Rust, know that it has its formal correspondence on the type-level, in the computational sense. Every time you write some algorithm, it has its correspondence on the type-level, using conceptually equivalent constructions! If you are interested in how, the above article provides a mathematical proof: first, the author implements so-called Smallfuck using dynamics: a sum type, pattern matching, recursion, and then using statics: logic on traits, associated types, etc. Recursion Type-level induction Let me show you one more example. But hold on tight this time (playground)! peano-dynamic.rs use std::ops:: Deref ; #[ derive ( Clone , Debug , PartialEq )] derive enum Nat { Nat Z , Box < Nat > ) , S(Nat } fn add(lhs : & Box < Nat >, rhs : & Box < Nat > ) -> Nat { add(lhsNatrhsNatNat match lhs . deref() { lhsderef() Nat:: Z => rhs . deref() . clone() , // I rhsderef()clone() Nat:: S(next) => Nat:: S( Box :: new(add(next , rhs))) , // II S(next)S(new(add(nextrhs))) } } fn main() { main() let one = Nat:: S( Nat:: Z . into()) ; oneS(into()) let two = Nat:: S(one . clone() . into()) ; twoS(oneclone()into()) let three = Nat:: S(two . clone() . into()) ; threeS(twoclone()into()) assert_eq! (add( & one . into() , & two . into()) , three) ; (add(oneinto()twointo())three) } This is the Peano encoding of a natural number. In the add function, we use recursion to compute a sum and pattern matching to find out where to stop. As recursion corresponds to type induction and pattern matching corresponds to multiple implementations, the same can be done at compile-time (playground): peano-static.rs use std::marker:: PhantomData ; PhantomData struct Z ; struct S < Next > (PhantomData < Next > ) ; Next(PhantomDataNext trait Add < Rhs > { Rhs type Result ; Result } // I impl < Rhs > Add < Rhs > for Z { RhsRhs type Result = Rhs ; ResultRhs } // II impl < Lhs : Add < Rhs >, Rhs > Add < Rhs > for S < Lhs > { LhsRhsRhsRhsLhs type Result = S << Lhs as Add < Rhs >> :: Result >; ResultLhsRhs } type One = S < Z >; One type Two = S < One >; TwoOne type Three = S < Two >; ThreeTwo const THREE : < One as Add < Two >> :: Result = S(PhantomData) ; THREEOneTwoS(PhantomData) Here, impl ... for Z is the base case (termination case), and impl ... for S is the induction step (recursion case) similar to how we did with pattern matching using match . Likewise, as in the first example, the induction works by reducing the first argument to Z : >::Result works just like add(next, rhs) it invokes pattern matching once again to drive the computation further. Note that the two trait implementations indeed belong to the same logical function implementation; they look detached because we perform pattern matching on our type-level number ( Z and S ). This is somewhat similar to what we are used to see in Haskell, where each pattern matching case looks like a separate function definition: peano-static.hs import Control.Exception data Nat = Z | S Nat deriving Eq add :: Nat -> Nat -> Nat Z rhs = rhs -- I addrhsrhs S next) rhs = S (add next rhs) -- II add (next) rhs(add next rhs) = S Z one = S one twoone = S two threetwo main :: IO () () = assert ((add one two) == three) $ pure () mainassert ((add one two)three)() Type-level logic reified The purpose of this writeup is only to convey the intuition behind the statics-dynamics biformity and not to provide a formal proof for the latter, please refer to an awesome library called type-operators (by the same person who implemented Smallfuck on types). In essence, it is an algorithmic macro eDSL that boils down to type-level manipulation with traits: you can define algebraic data types and perform data manipulations on them similar to how you normally do in Rust, but in the end, the whole code will dwell on the type-level. For more details, see the translation rules and an excellent guide by the same author. Another noteworthy project is Fortraith, which is a compile-time compiler that compiles Forth to compile-time trait expressions: forth! ( : factorial (n -- n) 1 swap fact0 ; factorial (nn)swap fact0 : fact0 (n n -- n) dup 1 = if drop else dup rot * swap pred fact0 then ; fact0 (n nn) dupdropdup rotswap pred fact0 then 5 factorial . factorial ) ; The above code translates a simple factorial implementation to computation on traits and associated types. Later, you obtain a result as follows: println! ( "{}" , <<< Empty as five > :: Result as factorial > :: Result as top > :: Result :: eval() Emptyfivefactorialtopeval() ) ; Having considered everything above, it is crystal clear that the logic part remains the same, no matter how you call it: be it statics or dynamics. The unfortunate consequences of being static Are you quite sure that all those bells and whistles, all those wonderful facilities of your so called powerful programming languages, belong to the solution set rather than the problem set? Edsger Dijkstra (Edsger Dijkstra, n.d.) Programming languages nowadays do not focus on the logic. They focus on the mechanisms inferior to logic; they call boolean negation the most simple operator that must exist from the very beginning but negative trait bounds are considered a debatable concept with a lot of issues. The majority of mainstream PLs support the tree data structure in their standard libraries, but sum types stay unimplemented for decades. I cannot imagine a single language without the if operator, but only a few PLs accommodate full-fledged trait bounds, not to mention pattern matching. This is inconsistency it compels software enginners design low-quality APIs that either go dynamic and expose a very few compile-time checks or go static and try to circumvent the fundamental limitations of a host language, thereby making their usage more and more abstruse. Combining statics and dynamics in a single working solution is also complicated since you cannot invoke dynamics in a static context. In terms of function colours, dynamics is coloured red, whereas statics is blue. In addition to this inconsistency, we have the feature biformity. In such languages as C++, Haskell, and Rust, this biformity amounts to the most perverse forms; you can think of any so-called expressive programming language as of two or more smaller languages put together: C++ the language and C++ templates/macros, Rust the language and type-level Rust + declarative macros, etc. With this approach, each time you write something at a meta-level, you cannot reuse it in the host language and vice versa, thus violating the DRY principle (as we shall see in a minute). Additionally, biformity increases the learning curve, hardens language evolution, and finally ends up in such a feature bloat that only the initiated can figure out what is happening in the code. Take a look at any production code in Haskell and you will immediately see those numerous GHC #LANGUAGE clauses, each of which signifies a separate language extension: feature-bloat.hs {-# LANGUAGE BangPatterns #-} {-# LANGUAGE CPP #-} {-# LANGUAGE ConstraintKinds #-} {-# LANGUAGE DefaultSignatures #-} {-# LANGUAGE DeriveAnyClass #-} {-# LANGUAGE DeriveGeneric #-} {-# LANGUAGE DerivingStrategies #-} {-# LANGUAGE FlexibleContexts #-} {-# LANGUAGE FlexibleInstances #-} {-# LANGUAGE GADTs #-} {-# LANGUAGE GeneralizedNewtypeDeriving #-} {-# LANGUAGE NamedFieldPuns #-} {-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-} {-# LANGUAGE PolyKinds #-} {-# LANGUAGE RecordWildCards #-} {-# LANGUAGE ScopedTypeVariables #-} {-# LANGUAGE TypeFamilies #-} {-# LANGUAGE UndecidableInstances #-} {-# LANGUAGE ViewPatterns #-} Adapted from haskell/haskell-language-server. When a host language does not provide enough static capabilities needed for convenient development, some programmers go especially insane and create whole new compile-time metalanguages and eDSLs atop of existing ones. Thus, inconsistency has the treacherous property of transforming into biformity: Sometimes, software engineers find their languages too primitive to express their ideas even in dynamic code. But they do not give up: [Golang] Kubernetes, one of the largest codebases in Golang, has its own object-oriented type system implemented in the runtime package. [C] The VLC media player has a macro-based plugin API used to represent media codecs. Here is how Opus is defined. [C] The QEMU machine emulator is built upon their custom object model: QObject , QNum , QNull , QList , QString , QDict , QBool , etc. Recalling the famous Greenspuns tenth rule, such handmade metalanguages are typically ad-hoc, informally-specified, bug-ridden, and slow, with quite vague semantics and awful documentation. The concept of a metalinguistic abstraction simply does not work, albeit the rationale of creating highly declarative, small domain-specific languages sounds so cool at first sight. When a problem domain (or some intermediate machinery) is expressed in terms of a host language, you need to understand how to chain function calls together to get things done this is what we usually call an API; however, when this API is written in another language, then, in addition to the calling sequence, you need to understand the syntax and semantics of that language, which is very unfortunate for two reasons: the mental burden it lays upon developers and a very limited number of developers that can support such metalanguages. From my experience, handmade metalinguistics tend to quickly go out of hand and spread across the whole codebase, thereby making it harder to dig into. Not only reasoning is impaired but also compiler-developer interaction: have you ever tried to use a sophisticated type or macro API? If yes, then you should be perfectly acquainted with inscrutable compiler diagnostics, which can be summarised in the following screenshot : This is woefully to say, but it seems that an expressive PL nowadays means Hey there, I have seriously messed up with the number of features, but that is fine! Finally, a word has to be said about metaprogramming in a host language. With such templating systems as Template Haskell and Rusts procedural macros, we can manipulate an AST of a host language using the same language, which is good in terms of biformity but unpleasant in terms of general language inconsistency. Macros are not functions: we cannot partially apply a macro and obtain a partially applied function (or vice versa), since they are just different concepts this can turn out to be a pain in the ass if we are to design a generic and easy-to-use library API. Personally, I do think that procedural macros in Rust are a giant design mistake that is comparable to #define macros in plain C: aside from pure syntax, the macro system simply has no idea about the language being manipulated; instead of a tool to extend and work with a language gracefully, you get slightly enhanced text substitution and nothing more . E.g., imagine there is an enumeration called Either , whose definition is as follows: either.rs pub enum Either < L , R > { Either , Left(L) , Right(R) } Adapted from either::Either. Now imagine we have an arbitrary trait Foo , and we are willing to implement this trait for Either , where L and R both implement Foo . It turns out that we cannot apply a derive macro to Either that implements this trait, even if the name is known because, in order to do this, this macro must know all the signatures of Foo . To make the situation even worse, Foo may be defined in a separate library, meaning that we cannot augment its definition with extra meta-information needed for the derivation for Either . While it may seem as a rare scanario, in fact it is not; I highly encourage you to look at tokio-utils Either , which is exactly the same enumeration but it implements Tokio-specific traits, such as AsyncRead , AsyncWrite , AsyncSeek , etc . Now imagine you have five different Either s in your project that came from different libraries that would be a true integration headache! While type introspection may be a compromise, it would nonetheless make the language even more complex than it already is. Idris: The way out? One of the most fundamental features of Idris is that types and expressions are part of the same language you use the same syntax for both. Edwin Brady, the author of Idris (Edwin Brady, n.d.) Let us think a little bit about how to workaround the issue. If we make our languages fully dynamic, we will win biformity and inconsistency , but will imminently lose the pleasure of compile-time validation and will end up debugging our programs at mid-nights. The misery of dynamic type systems is widely known. The only way to approach the problem is to make a language whose features are both static and dynamic and not to split the same feature into two parts. Thus, the ideal linguistic abstraction is both static and dynamic; however, it is still a single concept and not two logically similar concepts but with different interfaces . A perfect example is CTFE, colloquially known as constexpr : same code can be executed at compile-time under a static context and at run-time under a dynamic context (e.g., when requesting a user input from stdin .); thus, we do not have to write different code for compile-time (statics) and run-time (dynamics), instead we use the same representation. One possible solution I have seen is dependent types. With dependent types, we can parameterise types not only with other types but with values, too. In a dependently typed language Idris, there is a type called Type it stands for the type of all types, thereby weakening the dichotomy between type-level and value-level. Having such a powerful thing at our disposal, we can express typed abstractions that are usually either built into a language compiler/environment or done via macros. Perhaps the most common and descriptive example is a type-safe printf that calculates types of its arguments on the fly, so let give us the pleasure of mastering it in Idris ! First, define an inductive data type Fmt and a way to get it from a format string: data Fmt = FArg Fmt | FChar Char Fmt | FEnd toFmt : (fmt : List Char ) -> Fmt (fmt '*' :: xs) = FArg (toFmt xs) toFmt (xs)(toFmt xs) :: xs) = FChar x (toFmt xs) toFmt ( xxs)x (toFmt xs) = FEnd toFmt [] Later, we will use it to generate a type for our printf function. The syntax resembles Haskell a lot and should be comprehensible for a reader. Now the most interesting part: PrintfType : (fmt : Fmt ) -> Type (fmt PrintfType ( FArg fmt) = ({ty : Type } -> Show ty => (obj : ty) -> PrintfType fmt) fmt)({tyty(objty)fmt) PrintfType ( FChar _ fmt) = PrintfType fmt fmt)fmt PrintfType FEnd = String What this function does? It calculates a type based on the input argument fmt . As usual, we case-split fmt into three cases and deal with them separately: (FArg fmt) . Since FArg indicates that we are to provide a printable argument, this case produces a type signature that takes an additional parameter: {ty : Type} means that Idris will deduce a type ty of this argument automatically (implicit argument). Show ty is a type constraint that says that ty should implement Show . (obj : ty) is that printable argument we must provide to printf . PrintfType fmt is a recursive call that deals with the rest of the input fmt . In Idris, inductive types are managed by inductive functions! (FChar _ fmt) . FChar indicates an ordinary character in a format string, so here we just ignore it and continue with PrintfType fmt . FEnd . This is the end of input. Since we want our printf to produce a String , we return String as an ordinary type. Now say we have a format string "*x*" , or FArg (FChar ('x' (FArg FEnd))) ; what type will PrintfType generate? Simple: FArg : {ty : Type} -> Show ty => (obj : ty) -> PrintfType (FChar ('x' (FArg FEnd))) FChar : {ty : Type} -> Show ty => (obj : ty) -> PrintfType (FArg FEnd) FArg : {ty : Type} -> Show ty => (obj : ty) -> {ty : Type} -> Show ty => (obj : ty) -> PrintfType FEnd FEnd : {ty : Type} -> Show ty => (obj : ty) -> {ty : Type} -> Show ty => (obj : ty) -> String Cool, now it is time to write the coveted printf : printf : (fmt : String ) -> PrintfType (toFmt $ unpack fmt) (fmt(toFmtunpack fmt) = printfAux (toFmt $ unpack fmt) [] where printf fmtprintfAux (toFmtunpack fmt) [] printfAux : (fmt : Fmt ) -> List Char -> PrintfType fmt (fmtfmt FArg fmt) acc = \ obj => printfAux fmt (acc ++ unpack (show obj)) printfAux (fmt) accobjprintfAux fmt (accunpack (show obj)) FChar c fmt) acc = printfAux fmt (acc ++ [c]) printfAux (c fmt) accprintfAux fmt (acc[c]) FEnd acc = pack acc printfAuxaccpack acc As you can see, PrintfType (toFmt $ unpack fmt) occurs in the type signature, meaning that the whole type of printf depends on the input argument fmt ! But what does unpack fmt mean? Since printf takes fmt : String , we should convert it to List Char beforehand because we match this string in toFmt ; as far as I know, Idris does not allow matching an ordinary String in the same way. Likewise, we do unpack fmt before calling printfAux , since it also takes List Char as a result accumulator. Let us examine the printfAux implementation: (FArg fmt) . Here we return a lambda function that takes obj and calls show on it, then appends to acc by the ++ operator. (FChar c fmt) . Just append c to acc and call printfAux once again on fmt . FEnd . Since acc is typed List Char but we have to return String (according to the last case of PrintfType ), we call pack on it. Finally, test printf : printf.idr main : IO () () = putStrLn $ printf "Mr. John has * contacts in *." 42 "New York" mainputStrLnprintf This prints Mr. John has 42 contacts in "New York". . But what if we do not provide 42 to printf ? Error: While processing right hand side of main. When unifying: ?ty -> PrintfType (toFmt [assert_total (prim__strIndex "Mr. John has * contacts in *." (prim__cast_IntegerInt (natToInteger (length "Mr. John has * contacts in *.")) - 1))]) and: String Mismatch between: ?ty -> PrintfType (toFmt [assert_total (prim__strIndex "Mr. John has * contacts in *." (prim__cast_IntegerInt (natToInteger (length "Mr. John has * contacts in *.")) - 1))]) and String. test:21:19--21:68 17 | printfAux (FChar c fmt) acc = printfAux fmt (acc ++ [c]) 18 | printfAux FEnd acc = pack acc 19 | 20 | main : IO () 21 | main = putStrLn $ printf "Mr. John has * contacts in *." "New York" ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Warning: compiling hole Main.main Yeah, Idris detects the error and produces a type mismatch! This is basically how you implement type-safe printf with first-class types. If you are curious about the same thing in Rust, take a look at Will Crichtons attempt, which relies heavily on heterogenous lists we have seen above. The downside of this approach now should be perfectly clear to you: in Rust, the language of the type system differs from the main language, but in Idris, it is indeed the same thing this is why we can freely define type-level functions as regular functions returning a Type and invoke them later in type signatures. Moreover, because Idris is dependently typed, you can even compute a type based on some run-time argument, which is impossible in such languages as Zig. I already anticipate the question: what is the problem of implementing printf with macros? After all, println! works just fine in Rust. The problem is macros. Think for yourself: why a programming language needs heavy-duty macros? Because we may want to extend it. Why may we want to extend it? Because a programming language does not fit our needs: we cannot express something using regular linguistic abstractions, and this is why we decide to extend the language with ad-hoc meta-abstractions. In the main section, I provided an argumentation why this approach sucks because a macro system has no clue about a language being manipulated; in fact, procedural macros in Rust is just a fancy name for the M4 preprocessor. You guys integrated M4 into your language. Of course, this is better than external M4, but it is nevertheless a method of the 20th century; proc. macros even cannot manipulate an abstract syntax tree, because syn::Item , a common structure used to write proc. macros, is indeed known as a concrete syntax tree, or parse tree. On the other hand, types are a natural part of a host language, and this is why if we can express a programmatic abstraction using types, we reuse linguistic abstractions instead of resorting to ad-hoc machinery. Ideally, a programming language should have either no macros or only a lightweight form of syntax rewriting rules (like Schemes extend-syntax or syntax extensions of Idris), in order to keep the language consistent and well-suited to solve expected tasks. That being said, Idris erases the first biformity values-generics by introducing Type , the type of all types. By doing so, it also resolves a bunch of other correspondences, such as recursion vs. type-level induction, functions vs. trait machinery, and so forth; this, in turn, allows programming in the same language as much as possible, even when dealing with highly generic code. E.g., you can even represent a list of types as List Type , just like List Nat or List String , and deal with it as usual! It is possible due to a cumulative hierarchy of universes: simply speaking, Type is of type Type 1 , Type 1 is of type Type 2 , and so on. Since Data.List s generic named a is implicitly typed Type , it can be Nat and String as well as Type ; in the latter case, a would be deduced as Type 1 . Such an infinite sequence of types is needed to avoid a variation of Russells paradox by making an inhabitant structurally smaller than its type. Idris, however, is not a simple language. Our twenty line example of printf already uses a whole lotta features, such as inductive data types, dependent pattern matching, implicits, type constraints, to mention a few. Additionally, Idris features computational effects, elaborator reflection, coinductive data types, and many-many stuff for theorem proving. With such a pleiad of typing facilities, you typically twiddle with your language machinery rather than doing some meaningful work. I can hardly believe that in their current state, dependent types will find massive production use; as for now, in the programming world, they are no more than a fancy thing for PL researchers and random enthusiasts like me. Dependent types alone are just too low-level. Zig: Simpler, but too systems In Zig, types are first-class citizens. They can be assigned to variables, passed as parameters to functions, and returned from functions. The Zig manual (Zig developers, n.d.) Our last patient would be the Zig programming language. Here is a compile-time printf implementation in Zig (sorry no highlighting yet): printf.zig const std = @import("std"); fn printf(comptime fmt: []const u8, args: anytype) anyerror!void { const stdout = std.io.getStdOut().writer(); comptime var arg_idx: usize = 0; inline for (fmt) |c| { if (c == '*') { try printArg(stdout, args[arg_idx]); arg_idx += 1; } else { try stdout.print("{c}", .{c}); } } comptime { if (args.len != arg_idx) { @compileError("Unused arguments"); } } } fn printArg(stdout: std.fs.File.Writer, arg: anytype) anyerror!void { if (@typeInfo(@TypeOf(arg)) == .Pointer) { try stdout.writeAll(arg); } else { try stdout.print("{any}", .{arg}); } } pub fn main() !void { try printf("Mr. John has * contacts in *. ", .{ 42, "New York" }); } Here, we use a feature called comptime : a comptime function parameter means that it must be known at the time of compilation. Not only it allows for aggressive optimisations but also opens a Valhalla of metaprogramming facilities, most notably without separate macro-level or type-level sublanguages. The above code needs no further explanation the mundane logic should be clear to every programmer, unlike printf.idr that seems to look like a fruit of a mad genius wet fantasies. If we omit 42 , Zig will report a compilation error: An error occurred: /tmp/playground2454631537/play.zig:10:38: error: field index 1 outside tuple 'struct:33:52' which has 1 fields try printArg(stdout, args[arg_idx]); ^ /tmp/playground2454631537/play.zig:33:15: note: called from here try printf("Mr. John has * contacts in *. ", .{ "New York" }); ^ /tmp/playground2454631537/play.zig:32:21: note: called from here pub fn main() !void { ^ The only inconvenience I experienced during the development of printf is massive errors Much like C++ templates. However, I admit that this can be solved (or at least workarounded) by more explicit type constraints. Overall, the design of Zigs type system seems reasonable: there is a type of all types called type , and using comptime , we can compute types at compile-time via regular variables, loops, procedures, etc. We can even perform type reflection through the @typeInfo , @typeName , and @TypeOf built-ins! Yes, we can no longer depend on run-time values, but if you do not need a theorem prover, probably full-blown dependent types are a bit of overkill. Everything is good except that Zig is a systems language. On their official website, Zig is described as a general-purpose programming language, but I can hardly agree with this statement. Yes, you can write virtually any software in Zig, but should you? My experience in maintaining high-level code in Rust and C99 says NO. The first reason is safety: if you make a systems language safe, you will make programmers deal with borrow checker and ownership (or equivalent) issues that have absolutely nothing to do with business logic (believe me, I know the pain); otherwise, if you choose the C-way manual memory management, you will make programmers debugging their code for long hours with the hope that -fsanitize=address would show something meaningful. Moreover, if you want to build new abstractions atop of pointers, you will end up with &str , AsRef , Borrow , Box , and the similar. Come on, I just want a UTF-8 string; most of the time, I do not really care whether it is one of those alternatives. The second reason is concerned with a language runtime : for a language to be systems, to avoid hidden performance penalties, it should have a minimum runtime no default GC, no default event loop, etc., but for particular applications, it might be necessary to have a runtime for asynchronous ones, for instance, so actually you must deal with custom runtime code in some way. Here we encounter a whole new set of problems regarding function colours : e.g., having async in your language and having no tools to abstract over synchronous and asynchronous functions means that you divided your language into two parts: synchronous and asynchronous, and say, if you have a generic higher-order library, it will be inevitably marked async to accept all kinds of user callbacks. To resolve the issue, you need to implement some form of effect polymorphism (e.g., monads or algebraic effects), which is still a research topic. High-level languages have innately fewer problems to deal with, and this is why most of the software is written in Java, C#, Python, and JavaScript; in Golang, conceptually, every function is async , thus facilitating consistency by default, without resorting to sophisticated type features. On the contrary, Rust is already considered a complex language and still has no standard means to write truly generic asynchronous code. Zig can still be used in large systems projects like web browsers, interpreters, and operating system kernels nobody wants these things to freeze unexpectedly. Zigs low-level programming features would facilitate convenient operation with memory and hardware devices, while its sane approach to metaprogramming (in the right hands) would cultivate understandable code structure. Bringing it to high-level code would just increase the mental burden without considerable benefits. Progress is possible only if we train ourselves to think about programs without thinking of them as pieces of executable code. Edsger Dijkstra Final words Static languages enforce compile-time checks; this is good. But they suffer from feature biformity and inconsistency this is bad. Dynamic languages, on the other hand, suffer from these drawbacks to a lesser extent, but they lack compile-time checks. A hypothetical solution should take the best from the both worlds. Programming languages ought to be rethought. References French Resistance is an umbrella term covering many different movements and types of resistance during World War II, according to Robert Pike, scholar of French history and author of "Defying Vichy: Blood, Fear and French Resistance." "These days we see it more as a collection of different movements and groups," he says. French Resistance has a military side, as well as a more civilian component, and it wasn't always based on what de Gaulle wanted. Advertisement Not yet the eminent figure he would become, the French general continued broadcasting messages of encouragement from London, but his intention was not for those in France to immediately take up arms against the German occupiers. As Adam Gopnik wrote in The New Yorker, "At first, de Gaulle had no vision of an armed internal resistance in France." " " Gen. Charles de Gaulle issues his call of resistance to the French people from London, England, June 18, 1940, just after the Nazi occupation of France. De Gaulle led the Free French Forces from London and later from Algiers throughout the occupation, and returned to Paris on its liberation in September 1944. Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis/Getty Images However, resistance groups did form within France, including paramilitary organizations, often comprised of demobilized military men, with varying levels of loyalty to de Gaulle. Called the maquis, these organizations consisted of guerrilla-style resisters who lived in the mountains and caves throughout the country. "If you went into the maquis, you went into clandestine, illegal life," says Pike. Members were never recognized as soldiers by the enemy, which meant that if caught, they did not enjoy the rights a prisoner of war would have. Examples of maquis organizations included the Armee Secrete (AS), a Gaullist group; the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans Francais (FTPF or simply FTP), created by the French Communist Party; and Organisation de Resistance de l'Armee (ORA), a non-Gaullist group formed in the southern zone. The various groups operated independently and did not necessarily agree with one another. In fact, there was friction between the AS and the FTP. The AS saw the communist-led FTP as causing trouble with its acts of sabotage, while FTP referred to the AS as the "wait and see boys," according to Pike. A turning point for the disparate resistance groups came when de Gaulle sent civil servant Jean Moulin to France to unify the various networks. In May 1943, he convinced several groups to merge into the Conseil National de la Resistance (CNR). In later stages of the war, fighters worked together as the Force Francaises de l'Interieur (FFI) under the Allied command. Cabarrus earns national award for financial reporting CONCORD The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada has awarded Cabarrus County the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 38th consecutive year. The award was presented to the Cabarrus County Finance Department. The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting award was in recognition of the countys FY22 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) the annual audited financial statements reporting the countys financial position and results of operation. The certificate is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting and is considered a significant accomplishment by the County and its management. I am immensely proud of this achievement and the unwavering dedication to fiscal responsibility our finance team has demonstrated over the years, said County Manager Mike Downs. Receiving this award for the 38th year in a row is a testament to the standard of excellence we uphold. It showcases the countys commitment to transparency and accountability. According to the GFOA, the countys report demonstrated a constructive spirit of full disclosure to clearly communicate the financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the document. The countys ACFR presents the financial statements in four distinct sections: An introductory section containing general information about the structure, services and environment of the county. A financial section that includes basic financial statements found at the core of financial reporting, including government-wide financial statements, fund financial statements and notes for the statements. The financial section also includes information on individual funds. A statistical section that provides trend data and non-financial data useful in interpreting the basic financial statements and important for evaluating economic condition. A compliance section that includes information on the countys compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts and grant agreements. For more information or to view the ACFR, visit https://www.cabarruscounty.us/Government/Departments/Finance/Annual-Comprehensive-Financial-Report. Cabarrus County Schools Job Fair Cabarrus County Schools will host a job fair on Monday, Aug. 14, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for the following departments: Transportation (Bus Drivers), School Nutrition Programs, Kids: Plus, and Custodial Services. This job fair will be held at the Transportation/SNP offices at 111 Union Cemetery Road S.W., Concord, NC 28027. For information, please call 704-260-5741. Valor Preparatory Academy welcoming event Valor Preparatory Academy, one of the areas newest and largest K-12 public charter schools, is hosting a welcome event today, Aug. 9, at 4 p.m. The celebratory event will be held outside the campus at 7550 Ruben Linker Road, Concord. Valor Preparatory Academy is dedicated to providing high-quality education and fostering a supportive community for its students and families. Live interviews will be offered with school and project leadership and parents whose children are scheduled to begin school at Valor Preparatory Academy this fall. Event guests will enjoy complimentary refreshments, a short program and receive special gifts. For questions or if youd like to prearrange interviews, contact Melody Hudson, director of marketing for Charter One, at 480-263-2239 or mhudson@charter.one. Georgia State deans list ATLANTA, Ga. To be eligible for the deans list, degree-seeking students must have earned a GPA of at least 3.5 for a minimum of nine semester hours of academic credit taken at Georgia State during the fall or spring term with no incompletes for the semester. Eligible students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 for all classes taken at Georgia State. On the deans list is Jahmed Williams of Concord. Locals on Emory & Henry deans list EMORY, Va. Emory & Henry College congratulates students named to the spring 2023 deans list. To be named to the deans list a student must be a full-time student and receive a 3.6 GPA for the semester. Concord Garrison Bullock, Kate Prager. Charlotte Beh Reh. Davidson Paige Woodworth. Huntersville Jacob Morgan. About Emory & Henry College: Located in the Highlands of Virginia, Emory & Henry offers a community filled with engaged students who choose to contribute to society and make a difference. Williams makes Ganugapenta, Schneider graduate from Washburn TOPEKA, Kans. Washburn University is pleased to announce the students in its spring 2023 graduating class. These students completed their courses for certificates, associate, bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees 742 from Washburn University, 70 from the Washburn University School of Law and 550 from the Washburn Institute of Technology. Congratulations to Lakshmi Ganugapenta of Concord, and Nicholas Schneider of Harrisburg. Founded in 1865, Washburn University is a public institution with more than 6,000 students involved in more than 200 academic programs. Washburns programs lead to certification, associate, bachelor, masters degree or doctor of nursing practice and juris doctor degrees. This year the camp was designed to help students feel comfortable with their transition to middle school and to also begin to offer some exposure to different careers that they could potentially find interesting post-secondary. During camp, students have been given time to work on team building tasks and improve their communication with peers, interact with VR goggles to explore different careers and STEM experiences, as well as, having CTE and arts staff develop some of the skills they embed in their classes that will prepare students for future jobs. A man arrested in connection with a July home invasion in Morganton has ties to a crime spree that stretches across the Carolinas. Carlton Javius Fuller, 23, of 106 S. Anderson St. in Morganton, has been charged with first-degree burglary, first-degree kidnapping, three counts of second-degree kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, robbery with a dangerous weapon and larceny, according to arrest warrants filed at the Burke County Courthouse. Fuller is accused of assaulting a man and holding him and his family hostage after breaking into a home on Tate Street on July 8, according to the warrants. Hes also accused of kicking the mans wife in the face. Charging documents say Fuller stole cash, multiple gaming systems including a PlayStation 5, Xbox One S, two Nintendo Switches, an Xbox Elite controller and a wedding ring from the family while armed with a handgun and an AR-15. But this isnt the only crime Fuller has been accused of committing. Officials with the Kershaw County Sheriffs Office in South Carolina say Fuller and 18-year-old Joshua Adam King Jr., of 6955 Knuckolls St. in Morganton, have been charged in connection with a July 14 break-in at Freedom First Outfitters in East Camden, S.C., according to information posted on the KCSO Facebook page. There, Fuller and King have been charged with violent burglary in the second, grand larceny, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession of a stolen vehicle and criminal conspiracy, KCSO said in a Facebook post. The alleged crimes don't stop there. Just two days before that break-in, King and another suspect, 22-year-old Zachariah Davine Hines, of 552 White Oaks Drive in Morganton, are believed to have fired into an occupied dwelling in Rutherford County, said Capt. Chris Lovelace with the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office. Lovelace said it was around 5:30 a.m. when shots were fired into a home on Chase High Road. There were two adults and three children home at the time, but no one was hurt. Their investigation led them to identify Hines, King and a woman as suspects in the crime, Lovelace said. The next day, the Forest City Police Department was dispatched to a home on Harmon Street after it was reported a man walked up to a home and opened fire, according to a release from FCPD. Brandon Gerard Holland suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, the release said. Haley Elizabeth Davis also was shot multiple times in the incident, but was expected to recover, the release said. The incident has been connected to the shooting on Chase High Road where Hines and King were charged, the release said. It said physical evidence connected the scenes. Forest City investigators told The News Herald they still are running down leads in the murder, but they have taken out charges on Hines for other crimes. FCPD Detective Dylan Radford said Wednesday investigators swore to charges against Hines for three counts of trafficking fentanyl, nine counts of possession of a stolen firearm and a count of possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver marijuana. Fuller, King and Hines all are being held at the Burke County Jail. Fuller currently is being held under a $1.065 million bond, while King and Hines each are being held under $200,000 secured bonds. More information will be published as it becomes available. A week or so after Australia substantially increased the US military presence in the country, a detailed study claims that American tech firms will play a critical role in addressing Australias future tech workforce demand, particularly for experienced workers. The study claimed 102,000 Australians, or one in five tech graduates, work for American tech firms in Australia. Commissioned by Microsoft and LinkedIn (which is owned by Microsoft), the study was prepared by consultancy firm Accenture. It has the official endorsement of the US, with American envoy Caroline Kennedy writing a foreword. The study claimed Australia has a $1 trillion relationship with the US, but provided no details as to the break-up over various sectors. According to the study, this was based on 2014-15 statistics. {loadpositoon sam08}The study, titled Harnessing the Hidden Value, claimed American companies had played a big role in developing the $167 billion Australian tech sector. Australia and the US signed a free trade agreement back in 2004, but the balance of trade has always massively favoured the US. Official figures show total two-way goods and services trade was valued at $68.2 billion in 2021. This made up goods and services exports of $24.2 billion to the US and imports from the US valued at $44 billion. The study claimed that American technology companies were critical for the supply of experienced tech talent in Australia. "Currently, US firms employ 102,000 tech workers in Australia, representing approximately 12% of the total tech workforce," it said. "[A total of] 77,000 of these workers are experienced, and experienced talent produce on average 6.1% more economic value relative to inexperienced peers in similar roles. This effect generates $1.2 billion in productivity benefits each year." A lot of the data that was cited in the study came from LinkedIn, with Accenture, the Tech Council of Australia and the ABS also mentioned as sources. The study claimed US tech companies employed 18% of Australian tech graduates, and each year, an average of 25,000 junior workers in US tech firms benefitted from fast-tracked development, resulting in an additional $5000 in value added per worker. It was also claimed that of roughly 4000 experienced tech workers who changed jobs each year, 80% took up more demanding roles. "These US tech alumni create productivity spillovers among their new co-workers, who benefit from the knowledge, experience and leadership that has been developed within US tech firms," the study said. "Each annual cohort of US tech alumni joining new firms contributes, on average, up to $613 million in value added to the economy." On average, 800 individuals were said to leave US tech firms each year to start or scale new firms in Australia, resulting in 150 new start-ups each year. Half of all successful Australian start-ups were claimed to have been founded or helped to scale by experienced talent from US tech firms. "Over the last decade, US tech alumni have founded 50 successfully scaled businesses in Australia," the study said. "Collectively, US tech alumni contribute $2.25 billion to the Australian economy each year, supporting almost 12,000 jobs outside of US tech firms." Claims that the US is Australia's most important economic partner are made periodically. Back in 2020, then American envoy Arthur Culvahouse made the claim, but the latest official trade figures at the time showed he was wide of the mark. In 2018-19, Australia's imports of American goods and services totalled $51.638 billion. What Australia managed to export to the US was less than half that: $24.748 billion. The study claimed that by 2030, one in five experienced tech workers in Australia would have put in time at an American company. Additionally, it said one in every eight new tech jobs generated by that year would be in American firms and 18% of Australian tech graduates would be working for US companies. The study is free for download. It was sent to iTWire by the Tech Council of Australia, a lobby group for the sector. Microsoft has released patches for 73 CVEs as part of its monthly Patch Tuesday fixes, including one for a vulnerability that is being exploited in the wild. Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at security firm Tenable, said fixes for 73 CVEs were included in this month's release, plus two advisories: six rated critical, 67 rated important, and two rated moderate. "For August, Microsoft addressed one vulnerability that was exploited in the wild as well as issued a defence-in-depth update for a vulnerability disclosed in the July 2023 Patch Tuesday," he said. "CVE-2023-38180, a denial of service vulnerability in .NET and Visual Studio, was exploited in the wild as a zero-day. Microsoft did not share specific details about its exploitation." But, Narang said, based on the impact, he expected it would likely be used to effect a denial-of-service condition against a vulnerable server. "Last month, Microsoft initially announced a series of zero-day vulnerabilities in a variety of Microsoft products that were discovered and exploited in-the-wild attacks," he added. "They were assigned a single placeholder CVE CVE-2023-36884. This month, Microsoft released patches for this vulnerability, calling it a Windows Search Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability and also released ADV230003, a defence-in-depth update designed to stop the attack chain associated that leads to the exploitation of this CVE. "Given that this has already been successfully exploited in the wild as a zero-day, organisations should prioritise patching this vulnerability and applying the defence-in-depth update as soon as possible." Apart from these observations, Narang said Microsoft had patched six vulnerabilities in Exchange Server including CVE-2023-21709, an elevation of privilege flaw that was assigned a CVSSv3 score of 9.8, though Microsoft rates it as an important flaw, not critical. "An unauthenticated attacker could exploit this vulnerability by conducting a brute-force attack against valid user accounts," he explained. "Despite the high rating, the belief is that brute-force attacks wont be successful against accounts with strong passwords. "However, if weak passwords are in use, this would make brute-force attempts more successful. The remaining five vulnerabilities range from a spoofing flaw and multiple remote code execution bugs, though the most severe of the bunch also require credentials for a valid account." Mike Walters, vice-president of Vulnerability and Threat Research and co-founder of Action1, a vendor of risk-based patch management software, said this month there had been a considerable decrease in the number of patches compared to July. Last month, Microsoft addressed 130 CVEs, including five flaws that were being exploited in the wild. He pointed to a critical vulnerability, identified as CVE-2023-36895, which exists in Outlook and can be attacked remotely. "This flaw allows for remote code execution, meaning attackers could take control of a users computer by exploiting it. The attack vector is local, and while it has a low complexity, it does not require any privileges. However, the user needs to download and open a specially crafted file from a website to trigger the attack. "The severity of this vulnerability is rated at 7.8 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which is quite high. The rating is not 10 because it requires user interaction and has a local attack vector. Its important to note that all versions of Microsoft Office since 2013 are affected by this vulnerability," Walters explained. "As of now, the security update for Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac and Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021 is not immediately available. However, the updates are expected to be released as soon as possible." He said the likelihood of the attack being exploited had decreased, a positive development. "This type of exploit is often referred to as Arbitrary Code Execution. It entails malicious software running on the victims computer, granting the attacker the ability to execute harmful code and gain control of the system. This vulnerability may be employed in conjunction with other malware in phishing campaigns, making it a serious concern for users of Microsoft Outlook." Walters also made mention of vulnerabilities in Microsoft Teams, a communication platform used by many companies, especially to communicate with those who work from home. "Microsoft Teams is affected by two critical vulnerabilities, namely CVE-2023-29328 and CVE-2023-29330. Both vulnerabilities have a local attack vector, meaning they can be exploited by an attacker who has direct access to the target device," he explained. "The attack complexity is relatively low, and no elevated privileges are required. However, for the exploit to take place, the user must unknowingly join a malicious Microsoft Teams meeting organised by the attacker." Microsoft has made no mention of a critical security flaw in its Azure cloud platform in its monthly issues of patches on Tuesday, though the company claimed earlier this month that it had completely fixed the issue. Mike Walters, vice-president of Vulnerability and Threat Research at remote monitoring and management software provider Action1, told iTWire, in response to a query, that no fix for the Azure flaw, a zero-day, was yet publicly available. Said Walters: "The zero-day vulnerability in Azure arises from inadequate access control measures in Azure Function hosts, which are utilised during the creation and operation of custom connectors in Microsofts Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automation). "Specific connectors designed for the Power Platform utilise custom C# code to establish connections and interact with other services. This C# code is deployed as part of an Azure Function with an HTTP trigger, and it is Microsoft, not the customers, who manage the deployment and operation of this function. "Upon reporting the issue to Microsoft, a partial fix was eventually provided after three months, but it was criticised for being ineffective or merely superficial. Moreover, the fix only applied to new applications on the Azure platform, leaving all previous customers exposed to the vulnerability. "Microsoft further promised to address the problem, but the timeline for the complete fix extended beyond the generally accepted 90-day disclosure period, despite the critical nature of the issue. And even now, with the current Patch Tuesday, the patch for the vulnerability has not yet been released." The vulnerability in question was unearthed by researchers at security firm Tenable earlier this year and Microsoft was told about it in March. A fix was promised only by September. Following the release of a post by Amit Yoran, the Tenable chairman and chief executive, pointing out the delay and criticising Microsoft's general approach to security, a Microsoft spokesperson told iTWire when asked: "Our initial fix in June mitigated the issue for the majority of customers. This issue has now been fully addressed for all customers and no customer action is required." This portion of the response was initially provided on the basis that it was not attributable "but can be used to help inform your story". When iTWire pointed out that this could not be done, permission to attribute it was given. When iTWire got back to Yoran with this statement from Microsoft, he said there was no way his company could test the claim that it had now been fully fixed. "The last validation was Monday [31 July]. And it now appears that it's either fixed, or we are blocked from testing. We don't know the fix, or mitigation, so hard to say if it's truly fixed, or Microsoft put a control in place like a firewall rule or ACL to block us," Yoran said on 4 August. Microsoft has been under fire ever since a breach of the Azure platform came to light on 13 July, with criticism coming from Democrat Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, apart from tech experts. Azure was breached by attackers who gained access through a vulnerability discovered in June by the State Department, according to anonymous officials quoted in the Washington Post. A Tenable spokesperson told iTWire that this breach was through use of a stolen consumer signing key to forge authentication tokens. "The unauthorised access to cross-tenant applications in Microsoft Power Platform was something our research team discovered previously. We don't have any way to validate whether or not there is a connection between the two incidents," the spokesperson added. Microsoft has also denied a detailed technical post about the breach by cloud security firm Wiz, despite having been involved in verifying the post. The email account of US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was among a slew of accounts breached at both the State and Commerce Departments by the attackers, who are claimed to be from China. Splunks ability to collect all the data from an organisation had a gap they had no visibility into plant operational parameters. That is now fixed. At Splunks .conf23 in Las Vegas, the company announced and unveiled Splunk Edge Hub, a new solution to simplifies the ingestion and analysis of data generated by sensors, IoT devices and industrial equipment. The Edge Hub provides more complete visibility across IT and OT environments by streaming previously hard to access data directly into the Splunk platform. In addition to accessing and forwarding plant control data, the Edge Hub includes an array of environmental sensors to measure temperature, humidity, sound intensity, vibration etc. The device will only be available via Splunk partner solutions and is optimised to work with the Splunk platforms predictive analytics. The Edge Hub enables advanced monitoring, investigation and response to help organisations drive digital resilience across their systems. ITWire was assured that the device was essentially a data diode, ensuring that although plenty of data can escape the factory floor to be ingested by the Splunk data repository, there is no channel in the opposite direction. This is a very important point for OT managers who are (bordering on) paranoid about external access. The reason for this is that there is a LOT of equipment running old operating systems - Windows XP is very prevalent, and many critical applications cannot be upgraded to new versions of Windows. Primarily, this is due to various type approval rules, systems cannot be upgraded or even patched without violating the approval. Many organisations are realising the significant benefits of edge computing. This distributed computing framework brings data transfer and storage closer to the data sources themselves to improve response times and save bandwidth, essentially having the distant device act as some kind of multiplexer. Splunks Edge Hub streamlines edge data collection and investigation acting as a data aggregator from other vendors platforms. Working right out of the box, the device can be placed in a physical environment or on top of a customers existing OT hardware and easily configured to immediately collect, collate and stream data to the Splunk platform. Best of all, it contains multiple possible up-link channels including Ethernet, WiFi and GSM. When combined with the Splunk platform, the Edge Hub enables: Monitoring of environmental conditions, including water, temperature, humidity and gasses to quickly and efficiently identify and remediate problematic conditions. Predictive analysis to identify anomalies in manufacturing processes and surface early indications of equipment maintenance needs or outages, to minimise operational downtime. More comprehensive visibility across IT and OT environments to better detect, investigate and remediate threats and IT stressors from a single platform. The creation of custom solutions through industry experts across environments that are historically difficult to extract data from, including transportation, oil and gas and supply chain, amongst many others. The only way to truly improve resilience is to be able to see everything going on within your organisation, said Tom Casey, SVP & GM of Products and Technology at Splunk. Edge Hub is breaking down barriers and providing access to data that has historically been difficult to extract and integrate, to empower our customers with a level of visibility they have never had before. Our partners can use Splunk Edge Hub to build even more solutions across a multitude of industries that are tailor-made to their needs. .conf23 included an extensive display booth in the exhibition area with a number of authorised partners offering a range of potential applications. iTWire spent some time at the exhibition space to understand some of them. The first booth we saw was showing potential water supply management by Bridge Tech. Their scenario revolved around the detection of anomalies on a metropolitan water supply system. Without the Edge Hub, there has never been an effective way to aggregate field data from remote locations. Further, anomalous events can be identified automatically using Splunks analysis tools and local areas of the network isolated ready for repair crews to attend. Next we visited Optiv who were focused on some of the physical security aspects. They were presenting an amusing scenario where theyd installed the Edge Hub in their home chicken house. As well as collecting environmental data, the device was connected to the gate latch and a security camera was also in use with the ability to detect human forms entering the coup. The owner (sorry, I didnt record his name) told us that his younger son ran the chickens, but the older one had a habit of wandering in to collect eggs, but would often the gate open for the family dogs to wander in and grab a chicken as an afternoon snack! In addition, the system was able to baseline the environment, noting that there was excessive sound every morning when the rooster was crowing. The demonstration showed the older son wandering in, leaving the gate open, dogs wandering in and eggs being collected through the wrong door into the laying area. All the data was captured via the Edge Hub and collated in Splunk, which issued warnings against the various anomalous activities. One of the more central use cases revolved around managing server racks. There were two specific examples on display. The first was from Fulcrum who service the Bitcoin mining industry. They made considerable use of the environmental data collection capabilities of the Edge Hub in order to ensure the server operating conditions were optimal, but in addition, monitored electricity pricing to compare with the likely Bitcoin earn rate and if they were mining at a loss, stop doing so and sell electricity back to the market. The other demonstration was from Splunk themselves. They had a large server (typically rack-housed, but sitting on a low table for the purposes of the demonstration) along with an Edge Hub and a VR headset. The Edge Hub was monitoring all the server parameters and reporting to the Splunk repository. Now the interesting part. The parameters were displayed in the VR headset, superimposed on the location they referred to. Further, alarm conditions were prominently displayed. The demonstration had a conference attendee detect a failed fan and replace it. Once they did so, monitored parameters returned to normal and the alarm states were cancelled. Although we didnt see it, we were advised that the same view could be achieved on any tablet or phone with 3D spatial awareness. The Splunk-managed demonstration also included the monitoring of a simple conveyor belt as a source of maintenance data. Various parameters from both the environmental sensor and the PLC-derived communication data could be uplifted to Splunk and an analysis performed to permit predictive maintenance and also the detection of soon-to-fail components. At Strategic Management Solutions booth, we were able to see the Edge Hub integrated with a variety of building management infrastructure, allowing Splunk tools; to manage building infrastructure such as air conditioning, water usage etc. Jason Oney, President of Strategic Maintenance Solutions said, "Strategic Maintenance Solutions is thrilled to announce our partnership with Splunk to deliver the all-new Edge Hub. The Edge Hub enables us to provide our customers with an end-to-end solution for accessing industrial sensor, maintenance, and operations data at scale. With minimal configuration needed, data can now be seamlessly streamed into the Splunk Platform, allowing our customers to quickly start down the Industrial Transformation journey. "The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been using Splunk for more than a decade as a part of our mission to serve our students, faculty, and researchers, so we were very interested in testing the Splunk Edge Hub to monitor our data centre spaces," said Nick Vance, Assistant Director, Data Innovation - Technology Services, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. "Spanning across 19,000 square feet, we are testing integrating sensors for room and rack temperatures and leak detection, ensuring we monitor temperature changes and flow as they fluctuate with infrastructure load. By sending data from these sensors into Splunk, we can more easily view it, expedite alerts and respond to issues before they become severe. The ability to stay ahead and respond quickly to any problems helps us protect tens of millions of dollars in equipment, so continually improving our monitoring technology is highly valuable for the University." The Edge Hub will be exclusively distributed through authorised domain expert partners who can tailor the solution to solve critical business and operational challenges within their industries. Edge Hub is currently available on a Limited Availability Release in the United States, with plans to expand to EMEA and APAC. To learn about Edge Hub, connect with an authorised Edge Hub partner. The author attended .conf23 as a guest of Splunk. The UK Electoral Commission was hit by a network attack which it identified in October 2022 when it noticed suspicious activity on its systems, but revealed the fact only on Tuesday. In a statement, the agency, an independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK, said the attackers appeared to have first gained access to its systems in August 2021. The attackers were able to gain access to the electoral registers and to enable permissibility checks on political donations, the agency said. The details in the system at the time of the attack includes names and addresses of those registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, as also names of registered overseas voters. Details of those registered anonymously were not at risk, but the Commissions email system was accessible to the attackers. Electoral Commission chief executive Shaun McNally said: "The UKs democratic process is significantly dispersed and key aspects of it remain based on paper documentation and counting. "This means it would be very hard to use a cyber-attack to influence the process. Nevertheless, the successful attack on the Electoral Commission highlights that organisations involved in elections remain a target, and need to remain vigilant to the risks to processes around our elections. We regret that sufficient protections were not in place to prevent this cyber-attack. Since identifying it, we have taken significant steps, with the support of specialists, to improve the security, resilience, and reliability of our IT systems." Individual electoral registers are kept by Electoral Registration Officers, but the Commission has copies to help it in its work. McNally added: We know which systems were accessible to the hostile actors, but are not able to know conclusively what files may or may not have been accessed. While the data contained in the electoral registers is limited, and much of it is already in the public domain, we understand the concern that may have been caused by the registers potentially being accessed and apologise to those affected. COMPANTY NEWS: Thryv Holdings, Inc ., the provider of the leading small and medium-sized business (SMB) software platform, announced today continued momentum for its market-leading SaaS platform, reinforcing its product-led growth strategy as it helps small businesses succeed. Solving a Fundamental Small Business Problem In response to growing market demand for advanced communications technology, the company has launched a beta program for Thryv Command Center, a first-of-its-kind central communications hub built specifically for small businesses. Thryv Command Center is a centralised inbox that combines all the most popular small business communication channelsfrom email to text to phone to video and moreinto a single, linear conversation. The forever-free*, seamless and customisable offering dramatically simplifies and centralises communication and collaboration for small businesses and their customers. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 48% of all small businesses fail within the first four years[1], with many failing due to owner burnout. Thryv Command Center was developed in close concert with Thryv customers to remedy this burnout and to help all small businesses succeed. Todays small businesses are inundated with communications from every channel, which can be overwhelming to a business owner, especially one without a staff to manage. Businesses communicate with their customers through disparate and unconnected channels, leading to confusion, delays and potential attrition, said Ryan Cantor, Chief Product Officer, Thryv. With Thryv Command Center, Thryv enables business owners to work through a central inboxso they have a single conversation for every one of their customers across all channels. It is quick to set up, easy to customise, and ultimately simplifies their day-to-day operations. With research showing that nearly a third (30%) of consumers will switch to a competitor after only one bad experience, Thryv Command Center is a small business owners easy-to-use communication platform to facilitate streamlined conversations with customers. Communication is a massive challenge for any business, and many of todays products on the market arent intended for small businesses due to price or complexity, Cantor continued. Small businesses dont need multiple threads in email to communicate with their customers. Instead, Thryv Command Center unifies it all into a single conversation. Thryv Command Center consolidates all customer conversations across all channels into a single view. It includes new native integrations with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Hotmail, and any other iMap email applications. This capability allows small businesses to easily import their customer history and use their preferred email programs while simplified and streamlined inside the platform. Thryv has been a huge asset for my business. My clients can email, call and text me at different times and for different reasons. Thryv Command Center centralised all these messages into a single conversation for me to easily follow and respond from, said Taryn Carter, Principal Designer and Owner, Haus of Drake. With this new communications hub, I dont have to remember which file, message or important detail is wheretheyre all in one place. I have already noticed a difference in my day-to-day, and my response time to clients is much faster. Thryv Command Center is available via a users browser; concurrently, a new mobile app is available in the iOS and Android App Stores for use on the go. Thryv Command Center also has two paid tiers (Plus and Professional) priced at AUD$22/user/month and $33/user/month, respectively. In less than five minutes, SMBs can sign up and begin seeing the value immediately. Users can sign up here. An enhanced Thryv Marketplace In conjunction with Thryv Command Centers release in Australia, the U.S. and Canada, Thryv has also launched an enhanced Thryv Marketplace and a new lightweight Website Builder App. This release comes on the heels of a full international launch of Thryvs Marketing Center in Australia and Canada. Thryv Marketplace presents Thryvs products and integrations, for example, with Apple Maps and Quickbooks. It features all third-party integrations, all current and future products, centres and add-ons. All items are fully available to explore and both free and paid customers can browse and see how various Thryv solutions might benefit their business. Thryv Marketing Center expansion Thryv Marketing Center, one of the three centres that comprise the Thryv SaaS platform, has expanded into Australia and Canada, with more expansion planned in the coming quarters. Increased customer engagement Thryv continuously enhances its platform to improve business management functions for its customers, and these enhancements have resulted in considerable engagement increases year to date. Some highlights include: Online payment volume is up nearly 40% (39.4%) across all payment providers and platforms, including ThryvPay. The number of invoices created inside the Thryv platform is up nearly 70% (68.5%). Messages originating from Thryv customers to their end customers are up 30.6%. With the launch of signatures earlier in 2023 and other document feature improvements, usage of document management capability inside the platform is up 66.3%. In working with thousands of small business clients around the globe, Thryv takes a customer-led approach to product development, prioritising new features and functionality that address common pain points, which is why more business owners are turning to us. And innovations like Thryv Command Center will drive new customer acquisition, said Joe Walsh, Chairman and CEO, Thryv. With many small businesses facing economic challenges and related pressures to deliver optimal customer experiences, we are committed to our product-led growth strategyproviding them with best-in-class technology to help them succeed. About Thryv Holdings, Inc. Thryv Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: THRY) is a global leader in small business management software. More than 50,000 small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) utilise our award-winning SaaS platform, Thryv, to grow and modernise their operations, empowering them to win in todays economy. Thryv also manages the digital and print presence of over 400,000 SMBs, connecting them to local consumers via proprietary local online and print directories and popular social media and search engines, helping them gain new customers and grow their bottom line. For more information about Thryv Holdings, Inc, visit thryv.com. *Terms and conditions apply. Free plans have limited functionality. Upgraded plans with more functionality are available for a fee. See https://corporate.thryv.com/terms/ for plan and pricing details. [1] https://insidesmallbusiness.com.au/latest-news/almost-half-of-new-businesses-fail-within-their-first-four-years Chinese auto brand unveils new SUV models in Egypt Xinhua) 09:05, August 09, 2023 Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows the scene of a launching ceremony of new SUV models of Jetour Auto at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models here, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) CAIRO, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. Under the theme of "Travel Together," the launching ceremony held by Jetour in front of the grand pyramids attracted more than 500 guests from the two countries, including auto dealers, auto experts, internet influencers, and media representatives. During the ceremony, Jetour introduced three SUV models, namely X70Plus, X90Plus and Dashing, whose ultra-modern designs are in fantastic contrast to the ancient pyramids behind them. Since its establishment in 2018, Jetour has set up over 400 sales and service networks in more than 40 countries and regions, said Ke Chuandeng, vice president of Jetour Auto. Chen Jiacai, assistant general manager of Jetour and general manager of Jetour International Marketing Company, said that Jetour will focus on the SUV market in Egypt, aiming to take over 10-percent share of the Egyptian auto market by 2027. "Through enhancing local production capacity, Jetour is committed to providing more jobs and making its contribution to Egypt's economy," Chen told Xinhua. China's automobile exports witnessed a sharp increase of 75.7 percent year on year in the first half of this year by exporting 2.14 million vehicles, according to the latest data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows new SUV models of Jetour Auto at a launching ceremony at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models here, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows new SUV models of Jetour Auto at a launching ceremony at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models here, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows the scene of a launching ceremony of new SUV models of Jetour Auto at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models here, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows the scene of a launching ceremony of new SUV models of Jetour Auto at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models here, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows the scene of a launching ceremony of new SUV models of Jetour Auto at Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, on Tuesday unveiled three new SUV models here, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - Tourists walk through the docking area after exiting Carnival's Mardi Gras cruise ship in the bay of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aug. 3, 2021, marking the first time a cruise ship visits the U.S. territory since the COVID-19 pandemic began. On Aug. 8, 2023, San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero signed a measure to prohibit alcohol sales after certain hours, which goes into effect in November 2023. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File) Puerto Ricos capital is renowned for its all-night partying, but a new municipal code is expected to change that. San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero on Tuesday signed a new measure to prohibit alcohol sales after certain hours, saying he was morally convinced it was the right thing to do. The new code, scheduled to go into effect in November, is expected to affect hundreds of restaurants and bars across San Juan. It was fiercely debated in recent months, with businesses and Puerto Ricans used to long nights and decades of no oversight decrying the new rules, which do not apply to hotels and their guests. Residents in the capitals historic district known as Old San Juan, which is popular with locals and tourists alike, rejoiced cautiously. The impression of San Juan is that anything goes, said Reinaldo Segurola, 71. Its a mix between Disney and Las Vegas. Throngs of people with drinks in hand often crowd the narrow streets of Old San Juan, where businesses are known to remain open until 5 a.m. to serve the last stragglers, and the party often moves to the renowned seaside community of La Perla, where revelers welcome the sunrise. A similar scene plays out in other areas of San Juan, including Loiza Street and La Placita de Santurce, a market square where businesses bustle and music thumps until dawn. Under the new code, businesses in San Juan can only serve or sell alcohol from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and up to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and on Sunday if Monday is a holiday. They went overboard, Carlos Alvarez, a 34-year-old San Juan resident who works at a cannabis store, said of the mayor and municipal legislature that approved the code on Friday. He and his girlfriend often party in Old San Juan and other areas of the capital late into the night, and he noted that the new code would likely force people to start partying earlier or seek clandestine bars he expects will pop up after the new rules go into effect. We carry the love of partying in our blood, he said of Puerto Ricans. Romero, the mayor, said the new code is needed to curb violence and noise, and that it would be revised every six months if necessary. The more the code is complied with, the stronger the economy of San Juan, the stronger the tourism, he said. Romero signed the code three months after two students at NYUs business school were fatally shot on Loiza Street while on vacation, victims of a nearby altercation. Earlier this year, three tourists from the U.S. mainland were stabbed after police said someone told them to stop filming at La Perla in Old San Juan. Overall, its rare for tourists to be killed in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory of 3.2 million people. Before Romero signed the new code, bar and restaurant owners warned they would see a drop in revenue and accused him of favoring hotels, which are exempt from the measure. This is not the time to ban and shut down and stagnate the economy, said Diana Font, president of the Association of Businesses of Old San Juan. She noted that business owners are still struggling to recover from the pandemic and Hurricane Maria, which hit the island as a powerful Category 4 storm in September 2017. Font and others also questioned whether the new rules would even be enforced, given that police currently do not respond to their complaints about noise, garbage and public drinking in Old San Juan. Segurola, who lives in that area, said Puerto Ricos culture is one of drinking recklessly." Theres no control, he said. Its a culture of fun, of loud music and noise and drinking. URBANA As the climate continues to change, we are seeing more frequent, extreme weather events. With these weather events occurring more often, considerations on how those events impact agriculture need to be addressed. Trent Ford, state climatologist at the Illinois State Water Survey, Connor Sible, a visiting postdoctoral research associate at the University of Illinois Department of Crop Sciences, and John Zumwalt, a farmer from Sheldon, talk about extreme weather trends and how farmers can mitigate their impacts. Volatility in the weather patterns Historically, weather patterns have been shifting towards increased precipitation intensity and variability. While Ford says its hard to answer climate questions based on the uncertainty of predictive models, he does project increases in rain intensity and extreme rainfall events. There is nothing indicating a shift away from this trend, but the degree to which it happens is unknown. Ford confirms that there are now longer periods of dryness in between wet conditions. It isnt a matter of total rainfall, but how that rainfall is spread across the summer. Changes in absolute precipitation are only 2-5%, which Ford assures is nominal. It is the characteristics that matter more, such as the length of dry spells and the level of water that soil can take in. Despite an outlook of Illinois becoming wetter, seeing increased drought stress is likely from rising summer temperatures and evaporation. Impact of extreme weather on agriculture Whether it comes from the Prairie Research Institute, the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences at University of Illinois, or Illinois Extension, all research points in the same direction. The top strategies to minimize the effects of extreme weather events include cover cropping, crop rotation, and some perennial cropping. Not only do these methods tout weed suppression and economic benefits, but they also display significant climate benefits. Reducing nutrient runoff, decreasing topsoil erosion, and helping soil infiltration rates are all relevant climate benefits. In a heavy rainfall event, the topsoil will quickly become saturated and take in a fraction of the water. The rest will become nutrient-filled runoff. By increasing infiltration, runoff is decreased, and the water in the soil stays put to protect the soil in the event of lingering dry spells. Ford encourages farmers to be proactive and think long-term. While its not feasible to see conservation benefits overnight, the year-to-year variability of the weather will ensure that the years-long wait for the benefits of no-till will pay off. Ongoing research Connor Sible has been working with Esther Ngumbi, Angela Kent, and Fred Below from the University of Illinois on understanding extreme climate events and what they mean for crops moving forward. Sibles simple but powerful advice to farmers is to be patient; dont give up on crops too early. As farmers are facing more intense weather extremes, learning how to best manage for optimal yield and mitigate the impacts of these extremes will require patience and observation. A farmer's perspective In preparation for a continuation of weather extremes, Zumwalt continues to expand his waterway network and has adopted no-till to limit runoff. Since rains are fewer but heavier, Zumwalt plans on installing more tile drainage to handle these. He believes that a key thing people dont see is how tile lowers the water table in soil, thus increasing its capacity to absorb water. Zumwalts advice to other farmers is to observe what direction water is flowing when raining. By letting the water flow naturally, farmers can evaluate where to expand their waterways. He also encourages farmers to develop some areas specifically for flooding events, like constructed wetlands or ponds, to capture and store excess water and nutrients. Cost-share funding can help offset installation costs. Another consideration would be to plant less productive ground into perennial crops. Farmers need to be proactive and think long-term. MATTOON Many community members might only ever speak with a police officer when a crime, traffic crash or other emergency has occurred. National Night Out is an opportunity to bring both groups together during a non-crisis event, said Pastor John Coin with First Southern Baptist Church in Mattoon of this program, which is now in its 40th year. Coin said he had seen National Night Outs value while helping with these events for 20 years in various Michigan and Indiana communities. When Coin joined First Southern in 2021, he was surprised to learn there had never been a Mattoon Night Out. Consequently, he set out to help organize one. First Southern hosted the first-ever National Night Out in Mattoon on Tuesday. The events emergency response equipment displays, police K-9 unit demonstrations, food trucks, childrens games, and other activities drew a crowd to the church grounds, 3521 DeWitt Ave. If I could do a National Night Out event every month, I would. We are doing one next year, 100 percent, Coin said of this event, which utilized overflow parking and church shuttle buses with the help of nearby Maranatha Baptist Church. Mattoon resident Danny Clapp, a recovery support specialist, said he attended the National Night Out to help with the information booth offered there by his employer, LifeLinks counseling and mental health service in Mattoon. Clapp said the event also offered an opportunity for him and his wife, Mia, to bring their son, 5-year-old Nixon, to see all the displays and meet local police officers. We want to show him that police are good people, Clapp said, adding that police officers sometimes get an undeserved bad rap. They keep us safe and they do an awesome job at that. Nixon shouted out, I like your dog, as Mattoon Police Department Officer Brett Hall demonstrated his canine partner Axels ability to follow commands and apprehend a suspect. The German shepherd then posed for photos with children in front of his squad car. Eastern Illinois University Police Chief Marisol Gamboa introduced community members to her departments new therapy dog, a beagle-foxhound mix named Penny. She said Penny is trained to provide comfort to crime victims and witnesses, including in court. When walking the therapy dog on campus, Gamboa said she has found that students are more comfortable approaching her and having conversations. She said the students first ask about Penny and then ask about the EIU Police Department and its services, while the dog enjoys the attention. (Penny) is amazing. She is going to do a lot of wonderful things for us, Gamboa said. The Coles County Sheriffs Office was represented at the event by Chief Deputy Tyler Heleine, who also brought his family with him to take part in the activities there. I think these events are very positive for our community, Heleine said. It gives us a chance to communicate with people outside of the job, outside of an emergency call. Community members in attendance also got to see Mattoon Fire Department trucks and a Medevac helicopter up close and talk to their crews. Elizabeth Mason of Mattoon said she was looking forward to meeting Penny the therapy dog, while her 3-year-old son, Lincoln, had a lot of fun controlling the water flow out of a fire house with the help of a Mattoon firefighter. Lincoln wants to be a firefighter, so that was really exciting for him, Mason said. Photos: 169th annual Coles County Fair IRVINE, Calif. Electric vehicle startup Rivian increased its revenues while trimming its losses in the second quarter compared to a year earlier and company leaders boosted its manufacturing goal for this year as a result. The California-based automaker reported $1.1 billion in revenue in the second quarter, compared to $364 million during the same period a year ago, a 208% increase. Rivians net loss for the quarter was $1.2 billion, down 30% from $1.7 billion a year ago. The company, which has a production plant in Normal, Illinois, assembled 13,992 battery-powered vehicles during the three months that ended in June, more than triple the number of vehicles it manufactured during last years second quarter. Its also a 49% boost in production from the first three months of this year. The increase prompted Rivian executives to increase its production goal to 52,000 units a 2,000-vehicle bump from prior expectations. Simultaneously, the company predicts it will lose $100 million less than initially expected in 2023, a critical year for the startup that aims to stop bleeding cash and turn a profit by the end of next year. Our second-quarter results reflect our continued focus on cost efficiency as we accelerate the drive toward profitability, Rivian CEO R.J. Scaringe said ahead of a Tuesday call with investors. The second quarter was marred by an increased number of customers who had ordered a Rivian vehicle, changed their minds and decided not to purchase their reserved EVs. About $558 million in losses came from write-downs on the value of inventory, including canceled orders, which company executives said they expect to decrease over time. Rivian ended the second quarter with $10.2 billion in cash reserves. The cash reserves will also help fund the companys future $5 billion EV factory an hour east of Atlanta, where Rivian plans to launch its new line of R2 crossover SUVs. The company expects to reveal the new vehicle in early 2024. The R2 will join the companys flagship R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV, which Rivian has been manufacturing at its first facility in Normal, Illinois. The second quarter was the first time the company produced more SUVs than pickup trucks. Scaringe added that the SUV is the more profitable model. Over the long-term, we believe consumer mix will be heavily weighted toward the R1S, the company said in a letter to shareholders. Competition among electric pickup trucks has heightened in recent months, while there are few three-row plug-in SUVs on the market. Rivian had one of the biggest initial public offerings in U.S. history in 2021, with share prices peaking near $130 and the companys evaluation surpassing $100 billion. Rivians stock plummeted last year as the company grappled with a semiconductor shortage, layoffs, recalls and lower-than-expected manufacturing numbers. Share prices ended Tuesday slightly up at $24.80. Cox Enterprises, owner of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, owns about a 4% stake in Rivian. During the first three months of the year, Rivian paused production to incorporate new drive unit technologies at its Illinois plant, which allowed each vehicle to need half as many semiconductors. Sourcing chips had been a headache for production, and company executives credited the shift for the faster production clip. Increasing our production is the primary lever in our path to profitability, the shareholder letter said. The incorporation of our in-house drive units has played and will continue to play an instrumental role in improving our production ramp and cost structure. The R2, which is expected to begin production in Georgia in 2026, will use the same drive unit as a foundation, the company said. Rivian has yet to begin vertical construction on its 2,000-acre project site in southern Morgan and Walton counties, which is expected to open in 2025, though the site is being graded in preparation. In exchange for the factory and 7,500 promised jobs, state and local officials offered Rivian an incentive package valued at $1.5 billion. A controversial proposal for a second Greensboro hospital has received conditional state approval after health regulators determined Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist has proven the overall need for the $246 million facility. The conditional approval of the certificate-of-need decision was disclosed Wednesday by the N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation. The proposed 36-bed hospital at 2909 Horse Pen Creek Road would have at least 152 full-time-equivalent employees at full capacity. Following an April 19 public hearing on the application, the division indicated a decision likely would be made between July 31 and Sept. 1. Cone Health, which operates the only Greensboro hospital, vigorously opposed the Baptist application. Cone submitted an immediate appeal rather than wait up to 30 days. This is a poor decision for everyone needing health care in this area, Cone chief executive Mary Jo Cagle said in a statement. Baptist spokesman Joe McCloskey said the system is pleased with the states decision and we are eager to move forward. But, out of respect for the process, we are reserving additional comment at this time. Baptist has projected construction commencing by December 2024 with a goal of opening by July 2026. However, the appeal puts on hold the issuing of the certificate of need. The purpose of the states CON laws is to limit or prevent duplication of medical services within a community. The laws also serve as a disincentive to for-profit health-care providers to open facilities. The 36 beds would be transferred from Baptist-operated High Point Medical Center, rather than be newly created in the county. The proposed facility also would feature no more than 12 observation beds, two procedure rooms, 20 emergency department bays, two fixed CT scanners, one general radiology X-ray unit, one fluoroscopy X-ray unit, two ultrasound units, one SPECT scanner, one mammography unit and one fixed MRI unit. State regulators typically do not provide specific comment on CON decisions. In their 49-page analysis of the Baptist application, regulators indicated they did not view the proposed hospital as providing duplicative services, and that those services are needed in the community. People in our community already have options when it comes to health care, Cagle said. This decision runs counter to how CON is supposed to work. Regulators determinations The proposed Baptist hospital is 2.1 miles from a Cone Health facility that opened in May 2022 a 160,000-square-foot MedCenter Greensboro facility at 3518 Drawbridge Parkway. The $97 million Cone facility includes an emergency department, ambulatory care center, imaging, physical therapy, cardiology, wellness programs and 13 overall services. It houses a Sagewell Fitness center, swimming pool and teaching kitchen. Regulators said Baptist provided reasonable and adequately supported information and adequately determined the need to redistribute acute care, inpatient and surgical services, and imaging and ancillary services in the Guilford County service area. Regulators also determined Baptist provides evidence of physician and community support for the project as proposed. An April 19 hearing at the Benjamin Parkway library lasted two hours and drew more than 70 attendees, nearly double the 40-seat capacity of the meeting room. The divisiveness of the issue was demonstrated in part that of the 19 public speakers, 11 were in opposition including Greensboro mayor Nancy Vaughan and eight supportive. One of my concerns, and a concern that is shared by the city council, is simple, Vaughan said at the public hearing in recommending Baptist build its hospital in east Greensboro where she said there is less health-care access and higher need. We believe in equitable access to quality care, and northwest Greensboro residents already have many options and are more likely to be privately insured. Public speakers supporting the proposal said it would provide Greensboro residents with an additional health-care option and a feeder program into specialty care in Atrium facilities in Charlotte and Winston-Salem. Some public speakers shared Vaughans concerns that Atrium was not addressing need, but rather profits, with the proposed hospital, and that those profits would be sent back to Charlotte rather than reinvested in the local community. Regulators said Baptist proved the proposed Greensboro hospital would serve to increase overall health care access for medically underserved groups while serving an area of Greensboro experiencing significant population growth. On Wednesday, Vaughan said that while I think competition is a good thing, I question that location. Vaughan said she believes the location was cherry-picked, noting the overall higher income of residents in that area, and the probability that they carry health insurance. I would support a hospital if it is located in an area currently underserved or is filling a void. Greensboro has some areas that are virtually health-care deserts, Vaughan said. Another key determinant by regulators is that High Point Medical Center would not be hampered by the bed transfer. Part of the Cone opposition stated concerns that the money spent on the Baptist hospital is money that wont be invested in expanding care to those High Point communities. Cone responses Cone has stated boldly its opposition to Atriums plans, citing concerns about duplicative services and claims of more expensive health-care services. That includes full-page ads in the Winston-Salem Journal and News & Record. They expressed skepticism that Atrium would provide lower cost care at the proposed hospital. They cited concern that Atrium would either staff with non-local providers offering services on a limited local basis, or would try to raid Cone staff, particularly emergency personnel, to meet workforce needs and further strain Cones staffing needs. As a result, they said Cone could be forced to respond to the proposed hospital by increasing its charges. This community doesnt need a very expensive facility duplicating most of the same services offered by a Cone Health facility just two miles away, Cagle said. Cone Health is already the lower-cost provider. Our quality is already top tier. Cone also maintains the proposed hospital will be a way station to Winston-Salem for anyone needing more than routine hospital care. People being transferred to Baptist would face higher academic medical center costs, Cone claimed. Atrium proposal Atrium said in its application that opening Greensboro Medical Center would be complementary and supplementary to Cones health care. Approval of Greensboro Medical Center will enable Greensboro to match the other top five North Carolina cities in hosting multiple hospital systems and having local hospital competition, which will be a benefit to local residents, according to the Atrium application. Baptist officials noted the High Point facility has improved with the opening of a high-risk obstetrics clinics, enhanced intensive care units and advanced technologies, including robotic surgical techniques. Kevin High, Baptists president, was the presenter for the proposal. He touted that an Atrium- and Baptist-affiliated Greensboro hospital would provide a high quality of care, safety and services, particularly to lower-income patients. This project is about how to most effectively improve access to acute care services in Guilford County, High said. This project is perfectly aligned with the basic principles of the state Medical Facilities Plan that serves to determine health care needs in regions across the state. High said that relocating the acute beds and operating rooms represents an efficient means of adding services in Greensboro without hampering care in High Point. All residents in Guilford County would have access to our quality of care, regardless of ability to pay, High said. Replanting flag Atrium would be able to replant a strategic flag as it grows comfortable in its affiliation with Advocate Health, the nations fifth-largest health-care system. This time, the Atrium brand would be front and center in Greensboro. In June 2012, Atrium (then branded as Carolinas HealthCare System) entered into a 10-year management contract with Cone in which it gleaned valuable operational insight into the Greensboro and Guilford County marketplaces. That contract ended in February 2020 by mutual consent as Atrium was negotiating with Wake Forest Baptist to expand its collaboration beyond a November 2019 agreement. That agreement proved to be the catalyst that led to Atrium acquiring all of Baptist in October 2020. Keith Debbage, a joint professor of Geography & Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality at UNC Greensboro, said that a health-care market that offers choice may well translate to health-care services that offer more competitive, affordable prices. Debbage cautioned that Cone is never going to take any incursion into their home base lightly. The hope is better choice and more affordable prices but not before, potentially, a protracted regulatory and legal battle, which may delay the provision of improved health services. A Yadkinville man is facing a robbery charge after he was accused of stealing money in January 2022 from a Winston-Salem bank, authorities said Wednesday. Manuel Massas, 34, of West Lee Avenue is charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, Winston-Salem police said. Massas was arrested Wednesday in the Forsyth County Jail where he is being held on unrelated charges, police said. Massas is being held in the jail with no bond allowed, police said. Massas is scheduled to appear Thursday in Forsyth District Court. An armed man robbed the First Horizon Bank at 3153 Peters Creek Parkway on Jan. 7, 2022, police said at that time. Officers were dispatched to the bank shortly before 11 a.m. When officers arrived at the scene, they learned that a suspect had earlier entered the bank, displayed a handgun and demanded money. The man took an undisclosed amount of money and ran from the bank, police said. Anyone with information about this robbery can call Winston-Salem police at 336-773-7700 or Crime Stoppers at at 336-727-2800 or its Spanish line at 336-728-3904. Crime Stoppers of Winston-Salem Forsyth County also is on Facebook. The Text-A-Tip line at 336-276-1717 allows people to text tips, photos and videos to the police. A Winston-Salem man was arrested Tuesday for the death of Devontay Atkins on July 21, police said. Demario Marcell Williams, 29, turned himself in to the Forsyth County Jail. Authorities charged him with murder and he is being held without bond, police said. After continuing to investigate Atkins death, police obtained an arrest warrant for Williams on July 24, police said. Williams next court date is scheduled for Aug. 9, police said. Less than a day after Triad law enforcement officials called for the recent uptick in killings to end on July 20, police responded to a shooting at the 1100 block of East 17th Street. Upon arrival, police found Atkins, 26, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Atkins died from his injuries. A police investigation revealed that Atkins was in a physical altercation with a 22-year-old man, whose identity has not been made public by the police. There was an exchange of gunfire, and Williams shot Atkins and the 22-year-old, police said. Williams fled the scene on foot, police said. The 22-year-old man was treated and released from a local hospital. Less than a week after a pretrial hearing discussing the possibility of moving his trial out of Lancaster County due to pretrial publicity, 20-year-old Felipe Gonzalez Vazquez quietly pleaded no contest to second-degree assault in another man's killing. Vazquez, of Lincoln, already is serving a life sentence for fatally shooting Lincoln Police Investigator Mario Herrera while trying to escape arrest in connection to Edward Varejcka's killing March 8, 2020. At the time, Vazquez was wanted for second-degree assault for his part in Varejcka's killing. Investigators found his fingerprints on a TV thrown over his head. An autopsy determined Varejcka died of three stab wounds, any one of which alone was enough to kill him. At a hearing last week, prosecutors made it clear they believed the No Name Demons gang, a burgeoning gang since swept up under a series of federal indictments, was responsible. Vazquez was near the top, Officer Joe Villamonte of LPD's gang unit testified last week at a hearing for the judge to decide whether that information could go before a jury at his trial then set to start in September. Until, this week, Vazquez avoided a trial by pleading no contest in a plea deal that took a murder charge off the table. Instead, he pleaded as initially charged and now could get up to 20 years in prison for it at his sentencing next month. According to the Lancaster County Attorney's Office, at about 3:30 a.m. March 8, 2020, a 911 call sent officers to an apartment at 2222 Orchard St., where medics found 36-year-old Varejcka dead. A witness told police four people had come into the apartment and said "run your pockets," street slang for a robbery. During the fight that followed, one said "kill him," and another (allegedly Vazquez) hit Varejcka over the head with a TV and got a knife from the kitchen and stabbed Varejcka. Witnesses gave conflicting information in interviews but they came to believe a woman had called the group to the apartment to get her cellphone. Crime scene investigators found a kitchen knife from the apartment, with Varejcka's blood on the tip, which had been thrown outside the apartment building as the group left. But there was conflicting information about who had thrown it. Last year, Vazquez was sentenced to life in prison plus 129 years for Herrera's murder. On Aug. 26, 2020, police had cornered Vazquez at his father's house at 33rd and Vine streets to arrest him on a warrant for felony assault in the Varejcka case when the then-17-year-old broke out a bedroom window and fired three shots from a stolen gun, fatally wounding Herrera and injuring a second officer from shrapnel. Photos, video: End of watch for Investigator Mario Herrera Mario Herrera vigil, 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Mario Herrera vigil, 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Watch Now: Bystander on how she is feeling Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Mario Herrera vigil, 9.7 Mario Herrera vigil 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Mario Herrera vigil, 9.7 Mario Herrera vigil, 9.7 Mario Herrera vigil, 9.7 Watch Now: Procession reaches downtown Lincoln Mario Herrera vigil, 9.7 Mario Herrera vigil, 9.7 Mario Herrera vigil, 9.7 Mario Herrera vigil, 9.7 Mario Herrera vigil, 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Watch Now: Bystander on why hes there Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Watch Now: Procession at 10th and K beside the County-City Building Mario Herrera procession 9.7 Overpass Car Shield Mayor, council Watch Now: Vehicles lined up on overpass near Waverly Draping Cruiser Procession Cruiser Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Omaha procession Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - Twitter's blue bird is seen on its headquarters building in San Francisco, July 24, 2023. Special counsel Jack Smith obtained search warrant for Twitter to turn over info on Trump's account, court documents say. Elon Musk recently unveiled a new "X" logo to replace Twitter's famous blue bird. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez, File) Special counsel Jack Smith's team obtained a search warrant in January for records related to former President Donald Trump's Twitter account, and a judge levied a $350,000 fine on the company for a delay in complying, according to court documents released Wednesday. The details were included in a decision from the federal appeals court in Washington rejecting Twitter's claim that it should not have been held in contempt or sanctioned. X, the San Francisco-based platform formerly known as Twitter, sent an automated reply to a request for comment, saying it would respond soon. The filing says prosecutors got the search warrant directing Twitter to produce information on Trump's account after a court "found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses." The government also obtained a nondisclosure agreement prohibiting Twitter from disclosing the search warrant, the filing says. The court found that disclosing the warrant could risk that Trump would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation by giving him an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior," the filing says. Twitter objected to the nondisclosure agreement, saying four days after the compliance deadline that it would not produce any of the account information, according to the ruling. The judges write that Twitter did not question the validity of the search warrant but argued that the nondisclosure agreement was a violation of the First Amendment and wanted the court to assess the legality of the agreement before it handed any information over. Smith has charged Trump, in an indictment unsealed last week, with conspiring to subvert the will of voters and cling to power after he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump, a Republican, has pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of Congress' certification of Biden's win. Trump says he is innocent and has portrayed the investigation as politically motivated. His legal team has indicated it will argue that Trump was relying on the advice of lawyers around him in 2020 and had the right to challenge an election he believed was rigged. Trumps campaign did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. A spokesman for the special counsels office declined to comment on the warrant or what it sought. Aubrey Trail has filed a petition seeking to force the states hand to carry out his death sentence for the murder and dismemberment of Sydney Loofe in what is believed to be the first-of-its-kind filing in the state. In the petition filed this week, he is asking a Lancaster County District Court judge to order Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, Attorney General Mike Hilgers and Rob Jeffreys, the director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, to fulfill their official duties. In the one-page document, Trail, 56, said he does not wish to conduct any further litigation staying the execution of his sentence in state or federal court. When asked if hes ever heard of such a thing, his court-appointed attorney, Tim Noerrlinger, said: No. This is bizarre. Earlier this year, he was appointed to represent Trail, but his work is limited to a post-conviction review. When Trail told him what he planned to file on his own, Noerrlinger said he searched case law and only could find one other case like it out of Idaho. Mr. Trail has been adamant to me, hes not interested in languishing on death row for years. He would like the state to carry out his sentence so the Loofe family can move on, he said. In 2021, Trail was sentenced to death for Loofes murder. The Lincoln store clerks disappearance the night of Nov. 15, 2017, led to a multistate manhunt for Trail and his girlfriend, Bailey Boswell, who in Facebook videos claimed to know nothing about it. Their cellphone records, though, led police, deputies and the FBI to fields and ditches in Clay County, where they made the grisly discovery of Loofes remains left scattered in trash bags. At trial in June 2019, jurors found Trail guilty. Boswell got a life sentence for her part in the crime. In November, just shy of the five-year anniversary of the 23-year-old Lincoln womans disappearance, the Nebraska Supreme Court affirmed his conviction and death sentence. Trails appeal was automatic because he was sent to death row. Though, he said he didnt want one. In September, while the appeal still was pending, Trail sent a motion to the Supreme Court from the Tecumseh prison asking them to set an execution date. He said they refused to let him file it because hes represented by counsel. In a letter to the Journal Star last month, he said: My message to whoever is listening is simple: You gave me the death penalty so now use it. Trail said in Nebraska a person has a right to a speedy trial, so shouldnt they also have a right to a speedy execution if they do not choose to appeal. But the truth is that in 99% of the cases of death sentences in Nebraska it is nothing but a life sentence with a different name, Trail said. I have repeatedly admitted that I murdered Sydney Loofe and I accept my sentence as fair and just so I have chosen not to file any appeals, but the truth is that means nothing, he said. Trail said he didnt apologize to Loofes family in the courtroom at sentencing because saying Im sorry is just words. My apology to the Loofe family is my not appealing and letting my sentence be carried out with the hope that it will give them some type of closure, he said. Nebraska is among 27 states where the death penalty still is on the books, though five currently have a hold on executions. In 2015, the Nebraska Legislature voted to abolish the death penalty, a decision reversed a year later by voters through the states referendum process. The states first execution in more than two decades followed soon after in 2018, with Carey Dean Moores killing at the states hands. But the lethal injection drugs are long expired. In July, the Journal Star confirmed the Department of Correctional Services was not in possession of any lethal-injection chemicals. Asked if steps were being taken to try to obtain them, Jeffreys said in an emailed statement: My role and the role of NDCS is to carry out the order of the court. The inmates on Nebraskas death row and their crimes Raymond Mata Jr. Jose Sandoval Jorge Galindo Erick F. Vela Jeffrey Hessler John L. Lotter Roy L. Ellis Marco E. Torres Jr. Anthony Garcia Nikko Jenkins Aubrey Trail Federal judges have handed down back-to-back dismissals in lawsuits filed by two Nebraska social media influencers, one against a TV network over on-air statements and the other against a sponsor who severed ties with her after anti-mask comments. This week, Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon granted MSNBC's parent company, NBCUniversal Media's, motion to dismiss the case Brandon Straka brought against them. Less than two weeks earlier, U.S. District Judge Brian Buescher did the same with the lawsuit filed by Katie Starks against TULA Life Inc., a former sponsor of her blog who severed ties with her after she posted videos criticizing mask mandates, which prompted commenters to compare wearing them to the Holocaust. In a lawsuit filed in December, Straka, a pro-Trump social media figure charged after encouraging rioters to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, had targeted five statements made by political commentator Chris Hayes and chief legal correspondent for MSNBC Ari Melber that he alleged defamed him and put him in a false light. At the time, Straka called the Nebraska case the first in a string of strategic lawsuits he would be issuing in the coming months. "I'm fighting for every American citizen, regardless of political affiliation, against an establishment that has turned on the American people," he said then in a post. Straka, who got home detention and probation for his conduct, was seeking $25 million in the case filed by Virginia attorney Steven Biss, who previously represented former Congressman Devin Nunes and Russian academic Svetlana Lokhova in failed defamation lawsuits against CNN, the Washington Post and others over reports involving former President Trump's first impeachment inquiry. Earlier this year, Straka voluntarily dismissed Hayes and Melber, but continued with the case against NBCUniversal Media. Then, in a decision this week in Straka's case, the judge dismissed them, too, saying whatever differences there were between the reports, which said Straka had stormed the Capitol, and his conduct amounted to "semantic hair-splitting." "The material challenged in the plaintiffs complaint cannot be understood by a reasonable person as anything but substantially, if not literally, true. The differences between the statements NBC Universal published on cable television programs and the admissions Straka made in his criminal case are slight if not nonexistent," Bataillon wrote. He said Straka's assertion that the on-air statements by Hayes and Melber were false were entirely contradicted by the factual basis of his guilty plea. In Starks' case, filed in January, the lifestyle blogger sued TULA Life, a skincare corporation, for misattributing the comments comparing mask mandates with the Holocaust to her and indirectly labeling her "a racist." But, in his ruling in late July, the judge said the statements TULA put out after her video simply stated that the company has "zero tolerance for racism or hate within (TULAs) community" and ceased its partnership with her because of it. Buescher said the statements do not hint at specific conduct committed by Starks, but were primarily about TULA and its policies. "TULAs two statements are not susceptible to verification as true or false. Rather, they merely express TULAs 'subjective impressions' of Starks. Accordingly, the First Amendment bars Starks defamation claim," he said in dismissing the case. Starks' California attorney, Roger Roots, argued TULA had violated his client's right to free speech by terminating the influencer agreement early. But Buescher shot down the claim, saying Starks had injected herself in a public debate about COVID-19 policies and school mask mandates and encouraged others "to stand up to mask mandates and to stop financially supporting business(es) that would not take such a stand," which made her the subject of adverse publicity. So TULA had a right to terminate their agreement under the contract. Images of chaos: AP photographers capture US Capitol riot ASHLAND The keynote speaker at the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce's Federal Legislative Summit spent more than 30 minutes Tuesday morning advocating for incremental immigration reform as a means for addressing workforce issues in Nebraska, where the unemployment rate was 1.9% as of June. "This is not getting any better," said Christine Scullion, the executive director for Government Affairs with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who Monday flew into Nebraska in part to use her keynote pulpit Tuesday to lobby the state's congressional delegation. "The worker crisis is the border crisis," Scullion told the summit's few hundred attendees, among them four of the state's five congressional delegates, including both of Nebraska's sitting senators. "They're one in the same, in a lot of ways," Scullion said. "And there are ways to fix the border and there are things that we should do, but we also need to be addressing the fact that there need to be workers here." Minutes later, in a panel-style interview atop a stage at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska's congressional delegation responded in a united front: Despite the state's workforce issues, their priorities in reshaping the country's immigration landscape will start with the southern border. The group of Republican lawmakers acknowledged that the labor shortage in Nebraska and elsewhere is dire. Rep. Mike Flood, who serves the state's 1st Congressional District, described workforce shortages as "the No. 1 issue" in all 50 states. And the legislators expressed some appetite for incremental change. But for each of the lawmakers, the ongoing humanitarian and political crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border seems the first obstacle to address, one that can't be passed over. After Scullion implored the representatives to take some action on immigration for the sake of the country's employers "No action is really the only failure," she said Nebraska's lawmakers insisted that securing the border would have to come first. "The American public isn't gonna put up with it," Ricketts said. "The proof's in the pudding. We've got to secure that border." Flood took a similar tone again acknowledging the need to address labor shortages, which he said is the No. 1 issue that constituents bring up to his staff, but expressing doubt that representatives from border states would be on board without first taking up the border itself. "Until the border's controlled, I don't know how you're gonna get any member of the Arizona or Texas delegation to consider anything else," he said. Sen. Deb Fischer echoed her newest colleagues Flood and Ricketts have spent a combined 20 months in their roles as federal lawmakers framing the border as "a national security issue" and calling every state, including Nebraska, "a border state." "In the Senate, I think we could get something done, if we did it step by step by step, so I've always supported that," she said. "But the first step has to be securing the border." For Nebraska's congressional delegation, security concerns at the border are myriad, they said Tuesday, noting human and drug trafficking, sexual abuse of women trying to get into the country and a general lack of infrastructure that has left local sheriff's offices in southern states to grapple with an untenable influx of migrants. "It's just really a human disaster, with so many people being taken advantage of," Ricketts said. "But it's also resulting in drugs coming across the border." Ricketts, in a sentiment echoed by several of his congressional colleagues, told the crowd that fentanyl overdoses are "the leading killer of young people in this country, age 18-45," an assertion the DEA has made but the CDC hasn't yet verified. Scullion, in her remarks before the delegation took the stage, said the caps the U.S. has placed on legal immigration often leaves illegal immigration "the only chance that a lot of these people have" to get into the U.S. "People want to come here to have a better life," she said. "Do people come here with bad intentions? Yes, absolutely, people come here with bad intentions. And we need to know who the bad guys are. "But I will say that a functional border and a functional immigration system includes knowing who's here. No system's perfect. People are gonna fake stuff as much as they want. They are. But you could try. You can allow people to come and have a better life." Still, Fischer, the state's senior senator who voters first elected to the body in 2012, offered attendees at the Chamber of Commerce breakfast a grim assessment of both the country's southern border and the Senate's prospects of addressing it in the case that border security does not come first. "You can fit a tactical nuclear weapon in a backpack," she said. "We better know who is coming across this border and what they're carrying. Until we do that, it's going to be very, very difficult to bring sides together in the United States Senate in order to work on legal issues, to work on legal immigration issues, to be able to meet workforce needs. "As we stand now, no, I don't see that happening." Top Journal Star photos for July 2023 WEST ALLIS O&H Danish Bakery has teamed up with the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association to bring a new twist to a standard pastry for the Wisconsin State Fair. The cranberry eclair is being sold at the WSCGA booth in the Wisconsin Products Pavilion at the fair in West Allis. Were thrilled to be partnering with O&H Danish Bakery to bring a brand-new food item to our menu at the Wisconsin State Fair, said Tom Lochner, executive director of WSCA. The cranberry eclair is the perfect mix of sweet and tangy flavors highlighting Wisconsins state fruit. The cranberry eclair is like a traditional eclair, but the custard inside is blended with fresh cranberries provided by the WSCGA. The eclair joins the WSCGAs food menu, which also includes State Fair Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies, dried cranberry snack packs and various flavors of bottled cranberry juice. The cranberry was designated Wisconsins state fruit in 2004, after fourth grade students from Trevor Grade School in western Kenosha County wrote to their state representative presenting the idea. The cranberry is a fruit native to Wisconsin. Out of the states 72 counties, 20 produce cranberries. While the eclair is a product exclusive to the Wisconsin State Fair, O&H sells a cranberry variation of its popular Kringle pastry at its stores. The Wisconsin State Fair runs through Aug. 13. Racine County neighbors: Obituaries for August 8 Read through the obituaries published today in The Journal Times. Obituaries Roger A. Highman Mar. 6, 1954 Aug. 3, 2023 Obituaries top story Deaths: August 8, 2023 TESTDORF, Joyce, 90 UNION GROVE A new firehouse costing nearly $10 million will not go forward until Union Grove asks voters whether they support borrowing money and raising taxes for the project. The joint effort with neighboring Yorkville would replace a deteriorated fire station with a facility three times larger as a new home for the Union Grove-Yorkville Fire Department. Union Grove and Yorkville would split the cost, but Union Grove officials have informed their counterparts that the village cannot afford the project without borrowing money. Union Grove officials say they need to plan an April 2024 referendum asking voters to authorize taking on debt and raising property taxes to fund the firehouse project. We just dont have that type of money, Union Grove Village President Steve Wicklund said. Wicklund and other local officials have discussed possibly downsizing the firehouse project to cut costs. But no downsizing agreement has been reached among members of the joint Union Grove-Yorkville Fire Commission, which oversees the fire department. Commission records from a July 12 meeting show that Yorkville representatives instead are urging support for the nearly $10 million endeavor. Yorkville Village Board member Daniel Maurice told the fire commission last month that the outdated fire station has been a longstanding problem, and that delaying construction of a new firehouse would worsen the situation. The commission needs to make hard decisions, Maurice said. Another Yorkville resident, Barbara Geschke, told the commission that waiting for a referendum next April would involve accepting more delays. Geschke, who serves on Yorkvilles long-range planning committee, questioned what would happen to the project if Union Grove voters rejected a referendum. Costs will continue to increase the longer you wait, she added. The Yorkville Village Board has not decided how to pay Yorkvilles share of the project, either. Yorkville Village Administrator Michael McKinney said he believes plans are still being reviewed for the fire station development. McKinney said his community has not ruled out holding its own referendum to fund Yorkvilles costs. We havent had that discussion yet, he said. Yorkville Village President Doug Nelson, who also is chairman of the fire commission, could not be reached for comment. The fire station at 700 Main St. was built in 1974 and is considered inadequate for the department, which provides fire and ambulance service in the two neighboring communities at a cost of about $500,000 a year. Covering a 36-square-mile region with a combined population of 8,300 in Union Grove and Yorkville, the department records about 150 fire calls annually, plus 600 to 700 ambulance calls. Consultants with the firm Five Bugles Design presented a recommendation in June 2022 to build a new firehouse at a projected cost of $9.6 million, not including the cost of real estate. The preferred site was behind St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 3320 S. Colony Ave., although commission members discussed looking at other sites. Five Bugles Design recommended replacing the 9,920-sqaure-foot firehouse with a 30,000-square-foot facility with a community training room, an exercise room, a kitchen and dining room, seven dormitory rooms and private offices. Enthusiasm for the project ran high initially, but concerns about the price tag have persisted. Wicklund said Union Grove would likely set its referendum date in April to allow enough time for public discussion and debate about what could be a $5 million proposition for taxpayers. Noting discussions taking place separately about consolidating fire departments within Racine County, Wicklund said the Union Grove-Yorkville firehouse project could change if consolidation means restructuring. Otherwise, he said, Union Grove and Yorkville should coordinate and work together on a plan for funding the new firehouse. Were attached at the hip on this, he said of the two communities. Everybody needs to be moving in one direction. 12 photos from Apple Holler's new Christmas show, and other holiday smiles in Yorkville Time to head home Elf practice First train arrives Welcome to the North Pole! Waving to the audience A crowd of kids and adults watching the show Santa and his elves Clap along with daddy Smiles for Santa All smiles Taking it all in A gift for St. Nick A longshot candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin who has never run for office in the state before planned to launch her candidacy this week, becoming the first Republican to officially get in the race against Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Rejani Raveendran, a 40-year-old college student and chair of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College Republicans, planned to announce her candidacy for the 2024 election at a Tuesday evening event in Stevens Point, according to her campaign. Several other higher-profile Republicans have decided against taking on Baldwin as she seeks a third term in a presidential election year. U.S. Reps. Mike Gallagher and Tom Tiffany have both opted against a run. Other Republicans considering getting in the race include Madison businessman and 2012 Senate candidate Eric Hovde, Franklin businessman Scott Mayer and former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke. Raveendran declined to comment ahead of the campaign launch event to The Associated Press. But in a flyer detailing her candidacy, provided by her campaign, Raveendran said that she decided to run because she felt the political system needed new people with new ideas. Raveendran said she is a single mother with three children and is running to bring the perspective of regular people and regular moms to Washington, according to her campaign material. She said that she was motivated to run for the Senate after visiting Washington earlier this spring. Raveendrans campaign flyer said if elected she will push for eliminating illegal immigration, fight against the woke agenda and preserve the innocence of our children, end the war in Ukraine and push for congressional term limits. Raveendran plans to graduate with a bachelors degree in political science and a certificate in international relations next year. She immigrated to the United States in 2011 from India where she was a nurse and midwife. She became a U.S. citizen in 2015 and lived in California before moving to Wisconsin in 2017. Raveendran told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that she supported former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 and is supporting him again in 2024. 1. Yes. As long as the basic ordinance is still intact, its smart to adjust to the local market. 2. Yes. If part of the ordinance isnt workable, it doesnt make sense to force the issue. 3. No. City staff worked hard on those design standards; its not fair to scrap them now. 4. No. Developers and builders shouldnt get to set their own rules. Keep the standards intact. 5. Unsure. Its best if the city and developers work together, but the city has the last word. Vote View Results President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday to block and regulate high-tech U.S.-based investments going toward China a move the administration said was targeted but it also reflected an intensifying competition between the worlds two biggest powers. The order covers advanced computer chips, micro electronics, quantum information technologies and artificial intelligence. Senior administration officials said that the effort stemmed from national security goals rather than economic interests, and that the categories it covered were intentionally narrow in scope. The order seeks to blunt Chinas ability to use U.S. investments in its technology companies to upgrade its military while also preserving broader levels of trade that are vital for both nations economies. The United States and China appear to be increasingly locked in a geopolitical competition with a conflicting set of values. Biden administration officials have insisted that they have no interest in decoupling from China, yet the U.S. also has limited the export of advanced computer chips and kept the expanded tariffs set up by President Donald Trump. China has engaged in crackdowns on foreign companies. Biden has suggested that Chinas economy is struggling and its global ambitions have been tempered as the U.S. has reenergized its alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia and the European Union. The administration consulted with allies and industry in shaping the executive order. Worry about China, but dont worry about China, Biden told donors at a June fundraising event in California. The officials previewing the order said that China has exploited U.S. investments to support the development of weapons and modernize its military. The new limits were tailored not to disrupt Chinas economy, but they would complement the export controls on advanced computer chips from last year that led to pushback by Chinese officials. The Treasury Department, which would monitor the investments, will announce a proposed rulemaking with definitions that would conform to the presidential order and go through a public comment process. The goals of the order would be to have investors notify the U.S. government about certain types of transactions with China as well as to place prohibitions on some investments. Officials said the order is focused on areas such as private equity, venture capital and joint partnerships in which the investments could possibly give countries of concern such as China additional knowledge and military capabilities. J. Philip Ludvigson, a lawyer and former Treasury official, said the order was an initial framework that could be expanded over time. The executive order issued today really represents the start of a conversation between the U.S. government and industry regarding the details of the ultimate screening regime, Ludvigson said. While the executive order is limited initially to semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence, it explicitly provides for a future broadening to other sectors. The issue is also a bipartisan priority. In July by a vote of 91-6, the Senate added as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act requirements to monitor and limit investments in countries of concern, including China. Yet reaction to Bidens order on Wednesday showed a desire to push harder on China. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said the order was an essential step forward, but it cannot be the final step. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Biden should been more aggressive, saying, we have to stop all U.S. investment in Chinas critical technology and military companies period. Biden has called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator in the aftermath of the U.S. shooting down a spy balloon from China that floated over the United States. Taiwans status has been a source of tension, with Biden saying that China had become coercive regarding its independence. China has supported Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though Biden has noted that the friendship has not extended to the shipment of weapons. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it met a number of times with the White House and federal agencies as the order was being prepared and said its goal during the comment period will be to ensure the measure is targeted and administrable. U.S. officials have long signaled the coming executive order on investing in China, but its unclear whether financial markets will regard it as a tapered step or a continued escalation of tensions at a fragile moment. The message it sends to the market may be far more decisive, said Elaine Dezenski, a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. U.S. and multinational companies are already reexamining the risks of investing in China. Beijings so-called national security and anti-espionage laws that curb routine and necessary corporate due diligence and compliance were already having a chilling effect on U.S. foreign direct investment. That chilling now risks turning into a deep freeze. Chinas strong economic growth has stumbled coming out of pandemic lockdowns. On Wednesday, its National Bureau of Statistics reported a 0.3% decline in consumer prices in July from a year ago. That level of deflation points to a lack of consumer demand in China that could hamper growth. Separately, foreign direct investment into China fell 89% from a year earlier in the second quarter of this year to $4.9 billion, according to data released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. Most foreign investment is believed to be brought in by Chinese companies and disguised as foreign money to get tax breaks and other benefits, according to Chinese researchers. However, foreign business groups say global companies also are shifting investment plans to other economies. Foreign companies have lost confidence in China following tighter security controls and a lack of action on reform promises. Calls by Xi and other leaders for more economic self-reliance have left investors uneasy about their future in the state-dominated economy. A Grand Island woman faces charges after a road rage incident Monday evening on Interstate 80 near Kearney. Marjiek Lual, 20, of Grand Island, was arrested for attempted second degree assault, criminal mischief, willful reckless driving and traffic violations after the incident. She was lodged in Buffalo County Jail. At approximately 6:20 p.m. Monday, the Nebraska State Patrol received a report of a hit-and-run crash on Interstate 80 near mile marker 266. The reporting party stated that one of the vehicles involved, and Audi SQ5, had been forced into the median where it came to a stop. The driver was not injured. NSP also received a description of the vehicle that had left the scene of the crash, a Honda Civic. A few minutes later, a trooper located the Honda as it was traveling eastbound at approximately 95 miles per hour on I-80, near mile marker 277. The trooper observed damage to the drivers side of the vehicle. The trooper performed a traffic stop. A Buffalo County Sheriffs Deputy was also able to make contact with the driver of the Audi and observed damage to the vehicle. During the investigation, the trooper determined that the driver of the Honda had intentionally struck the Audi twice, forcing it into the median. The driver of the Honda, Lual, was arrested. The next time you hail an Uber in Chicago, make room for Big Brother. Uber is rolling out a new safety feature Wednesday in Chicago and other markets that will allow drivers and riders to record audio during the trip to deter and resolve conflicts. Once enabled, the safety feature will pop up on the app, giving both the driver and rider an option to hit the record button for all or part of the journey. The completed audio file is encrypted and stored on the users smartphone for seven days in the event that either party wants to submit an incident report to Uber. We want to just make sure on the trip, there are safe, comfortable interactions. Thats No. 1, said Sachin Kansal, vice president of product management at Uber. No. 2 is we want a source of truth ... to determine if one or the other party had any wrongdoing. Launched in Latin America in 2019, the audio recording feature was introduced in three U.S. cities Kansas City, Missouri; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Louisville, Kentucky beginning in December 2021. It has since expanded to more than a dozen countries and 150 U.S. cities, including New York in April. The rollout was slated to go live in Chicago and remaining U.S. markets in phases beginning Wednesday. Uber users will get an email over the coming days to let them know the recording feature is available. Enabled through the app, riders and drivers will be able to activate the audio recording feature at any time during the trip. The recording will end automatically after the drive is completed. Kansal declined to share usage figures, but said the feature has been well-received in other markets. The response from riders and drivers equally has been very, very strong, Kansal said. Riders may not find the need to record on every trip. You may expect more nighttime use than daytime use. There were 75,000 ride-share drivers registered to work in Chicago as of May, with 50,000 taking at least one trip during the month, according to Elisa Sledzinska, spokesperson for the citys Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, which regulates the industry. This year, the city received 98 consumer complaints against ride-share drivers and companies from January through July, Sledzinska said. Ride-share complaints can encompass driver conduct, payment issues, unsafe driving and vehicle condition. Lenny Sanchez, director of the Illinois chapter of the Independent Drivers Guild, which has about 10,000 members in the Chicago area, is skeptical the audio recording feature will do much to deter bad behavior, especially by passengers. Its just more or less fluff, Sanchez said. So it sounds good to the drivers and sounds good to the users just to create a sense of security to build up their brand. Uber was forced to navigate state-by-state privacy laws to add the recording feature to its app. Illinois is a two-party-consent state, which means it is illegal in most circumstances to record a private conversation unless all parties agree to it. Uber is rolling out a new safety feature Wednesday in Chicago that will allow drivers and passengers to record audio during the ride to deter conflicts. A notification in the app indicates when either party has enabled the feature. (Uber) When hailing a ride, drivers and passengers will be notified if either party has enabled the audio recording feature. Accepting the ride provides tacit consent to be recorded, Kansal said. Effectively when youre on a trip, both parties can record, neither party record or either party record, he said. So all combinations are possible. Kansal said they have not seen riders or drivers cancel in other markets when notified that the other party may record the trip. To assuage privacy concerns, the audio files are encrypted, meaning neither the driver nor the rider can listen to them on their devices. The recording can be decrypted if a rider or driver submits the file as part of a safety report to Uber. As in Mission: Impossible, the audio file will self-destruct after seven days if no action is taken. The audio recording feature is the latest effort by Uber to enhance safety in the ride-sharing industry. In 2021, with carjackings on the rise in Chicago and other markets, Uber launched a nationwide verification program for riders using anonymous payment methods as a safety measure to protect drivers. That has actually helped a lot in terms of both stopping certain riders who may have the wrong intent, but also making drivers more comfortable, Kansal said. Sanchez said the verification program was a step in the right direction, but didnt go far enough to protect drivers. Ride-sharing, he said, remains a risky business for drivers in Chicago. They may have slightly dropped from what they were at the peak during the pandemic, but carjackings and assaults of drivers are still happening on a daily basis, he said. Kansal declined to specify what kinds of incidents have prompted the submission of audio files in markets where the recording feature has been available. But he did say that the audio files have proved helpful in determining the nature of disputes, resulting in warnings and stronger actions against both riders and drivers. In a lot of cases, that may be just a precautionary thing on the side of either the rider or the driver, and theyre sharing with us, he said. And in some cases, there may be an actual issue that we have to deal with. While Sanchez is skeptical the audio feature will do much to deter ride-sharing conflict, he said there is a solution that has proved effective: video. Drivers who install dashcams in their cars have seen an observed difference in initially rowdy passengers suddenly being on their best behavior when they notice they are under video surveillance during the ride. Our recommendation 100% is for every driver to have a dashcam, Sanchez said. I dont care if you drive 10 hours a week or 50 hours a week. You have to have a dashcam. rchannick@chicagotribune.com The Driftless Humane Society (DHS) continues to make improvements to the shelter at 1150 Nelson Parkway in Viroqua. In the last two years, an effort has been made to not only reduce disease transmission and increase cleanliness, but also improve the standard of care and mental health of the animals. Through community fundraising and generous grants, two additional outdoor dog runs have been constructed, outside sunshades installed, and energy efficient kennel doors added. This year fundraising is focused on replacing the outside dog kennel walls that have begun to rust and rot, as well as providing added enrichment for the cats and dogs to improve their mental health. The American Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) provided a grant to purchase diagnostic and necessary cleaning equipment, additional cat kennels to increase capacity, and funds to provide the ability to offer Home-Home.org resources. Home-Home is a direct animal rehoming website that allows owners to post their own animals in need of new homes, preventing them from entering a shelter. This service also allows residents to list animal species that DHS does not serve, such as small animals or farm animals. No money can be exchanged for the animals on the website and all personal information of the owners is private. DHS strives to be a leader in animal welfare throughout southwestern Wisconsin. We could not have made all the recent improvements without the continued support of our community and grants from organizations like the ASPCA, shared Emily Rozeske, director of DHS. As DHS looks toward the future, major projects will be to continue to update the infrastructure of an aging building, providing more community resources to pet owners, improving the lives of the animals that enter DHS, and engaging the community in animal welfare. The annual Wild West Days festival in Viroqua is coming up soon, on Aug. 19 and 20. The Vernon County Historical Society will again have a display inside the bank building in the Boomtown on the Wild West Days grounds. This year we will focus on the people who lived here in Vernon County in the 19th century, and the difficult topic of the displacement of Native tribes. The display will feature a map of the county showing approximate locations of Ho-Chunk villages and campsites in the 1800s. This will be paired with accounts from the era of the forced removals of Native people from the region. There will also be information on the major ethnic groups that moved into Vernon County as the Ho-Chunk were being forced out, and a map of ethnic group settlement. Come visit our Wild West Days booth to learn more. Last month in this column we began looking at the 1878 plat map of Vernon County, and specifically at the business directories that form the border of the original wall map. The directories cover most of the townships and a couple of the villages in Vernon County. Each directory entry is essentially an advertisement, and Im guessing that the business proprietors paid for them, maybe by the word or the line. So, they arent a complete listing of all businesses in the county at that time, but they still provide an interesting glimpse of daily life then. Today well focus on the business directory for the Town of Liberty, starting with A for auctioneer that was Stanley Stout. The 1884 History of Vernon County book tells us that Stout learned the drug business in Buffalo, New York, and then worked in drugstores in Chicago and St. Louis. Wanting a change, he moved to Vernon County in 1857 and settled in Liberty, where, being a good talker, he took up the job of auctioneer. Sever Peterson is listed as a carpenter living in Section 20, and Allen Rusk as a farmer and plasterer in Section 16. Allen was the brother of Gov. Jeremiah Rusk, and both fought in the Civil War. It was Allen Rusk who successfully campaigned for the creation of the Town of Liberty, which was previously part of the Town of Viroqua, and he who gave the town its name. L.S. Rabbitt is in the business directory as a farmer and miller based in Viola. Lemuel Rabbitt owned 160 acres, and also served as the chair of the town board. And the final name in the directory is that of H.L. Turner, Proprietor of Grist Mill, half mile East of Viola. The History of Vernon County explains that Turners father was a millwright, and H.L. learned the trade from him. He built a sawmill on the Kickapoo River in 1856, and a grist mill the following year. Recently we re-printed the index to this 1878 map in book format. The Alphabetical Index to the 1878 Vernon County, Wisconsin, Plat Map contains a map of each township, and then an index of all the names found on the maps with location information. This book sells for $12 at the museum gift shop and at our website bookstore. Residents of Winona Countys 3rd District voted for Joshua Elsing to fill the vacancy on the county board, electing him with 65% of the special election vote. After cruising through the special primary election for the county commissioner vacancy in May, Elsing kept up the momentum through Tuesdays election, beating Bill Spitzer for the District 3 commissioner spot. The vacancy in the district which includes Altura, Elba, Minnesota City, St. Charles and more came after Steve Jacob was sworn into the Minnesota House of Representatives at the start of the spring session. Winona County Commissioner District 3 Special Election Total Vote% Joshua Elsing 607 64.64% Bill Spitzer 330 35.14% Write-ins 2 0.21% Total votes cast 939 Precincts reporting 16 of 16 Voters across western and northern Winona County returned to the polls to fill the commissioners vacancy with the option to elect Joshua Elsing, who has a strong background in agriculture and has served on many county boards, and Bill Spitzer, who served as mayor of St. Charles for 10 years. Securing 53 percent of the vote, Elsing handily won a 3-way May special primary to decide the two candidates for Tuesdays election. Spitzer tied with Pat Heim for the second position and the winner was was decided with a card draw. Elsing said his strong performance in Mays primary didnt cause him to let up on his campaign. You always run like youre five points behind, Elsing said. Its just a daily process, for me, to continue to be in front of people. Its constant feedback because were constantly involved with our constituents throughout the county. The special primary saw a low voter turnout and Tuesdays election followed suit with 939 ballots cast out of the eligible 6,463 voters in Winona Countys 3rd District for a turnout of 14.6%. Voting judges in Stockton said the polling location was slow throughout the day and managed their time between ballots cast by reading and crocheting. With the election over, Elsing said hes pleased with the results and looks forward to continuing his work within the county. A lot of the things that go on in the county, Ive been involved with directly for a decade-plus, Elsing said. All I can say is its time to get to work. TikTok influencer Cam Brenson, who is trying to eat a meal from every nation without leaving the Chicago area, tries the menu at Albany Park Guatemalan restaurant El Quetzal on Aug. 4, 2023. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) When I met Cam Brenson the other day, he was deep into the Es Estonia, Eritrea, Egypt. We had Ethiopian for lunch. He was expecting to continue the next day with Ecuador. He had already picked through Chile, Cuba, Cameroon and Croatia, and was making plans to hit Finland, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia and France. I am a fan of people with unnecessary goals. Like collecting every model of vacuum cleaner, or visiting every Taco Bell in existence. Brenson, who works in marketing at a tech company in Chicago, has a more thoughtful goal: He wants to eat at least one dish from every country on Earth without leaving the greater Chicago area. Since January, he has been posting videos of himself on TikTok eating those meals. He uses the tag @Bored_in_Chicago, though considering the work and prickly issues he must navigate to accomplish his goal, he may be the least bored person in the city. His videos, which are posted alphabetically by nation and only now moving into the Fs, have drawn an average of 100,000 viewers per post. What started as a personal project has become decidedly public. When I did Canada, I went to (Lincoln Squares) Dear Margaret and, in the comments section of the videos, some people got very grumpy, he says. Dear Margaret is clearly French Canadian, but still, people came in hot and told me that it wasnt true Canadian food. Theres even a war going on right now in my comments about whether a salad I ate was Macedonian or Bulgarian. A shopska salad. Its the national dish of Bulgaria and even has the colors of the Bulgarian flag, but a lot of people from North Macedonia, which shares a border with Bulgaria, consider the shopska just as much their tradition. He looks at me warily and tears off a piece of injera, the spongy Ethiopian bread that, depending who you talk to, is just as much a part of Eritrean and Sudanese tradition. Consider even the seemingly uncomplicated question of how many nations exist. The United Nations recognizes 193, plus two observer states, Palestine and Vatican City. But not every U.N. nation recognizes every other U.N. nation. Of those 193 U.N.-sanctioned countries, you wont find the countries of Taiwan and Kosovo. Greenland, which mostly controls itself, is a territory of Denmark not unlike Puerto Ricos relationship with the United States. Scotland and Wales are a part of the United Kingdom and therefore not really independent. But dont tell that to a Scotsman. Indeed, if we decided the number of nations by flags, we would have about 250 countries. Brenson is sticking somewhat to a U.N.-affiliated definition of country; hes going with 197, including Palestine and Taiwan. Sovereignty is a slippery question. But salad is a minefield. When he began making these videos, Brenson just wanted to try Cambodian food. Or Romanian. There are bigger TikTok accounts, but if BoredinChicago were a nation, to judge by viewership and vibe, it would be Sweden, midsized, well-meaning. Hes been tempted to have fun with the definitions. His father is British, so he has considered rocking the boat here and there and acknowledging the fluidity of cultures. For Great Britain, he has thought of eating chicken tikka masala, one of its national dishes, though its often associated with South Asia and definitely not with Yorkshire pudding. Brensons wife, he says, isnt that thrilled with his passion project. Its become a time suck. Every Wednesday, when their corgi goes to day care, it was a chance to eat out. Now we dont argue over where we eat, he says. But she has to help him hold the camera. At our Ethiopian spot, a server approaches with a carafe of coffee. She pours a dark stream of Ethiopian. Brenson stops her. Im sorry, Im being annoying, he says, but would you pour again, so I can film? Sorry, Im causing chaos. She smiles and pours again. Brenson sips. His eyes go wide: Wow. He looks at me: Sorry for the camera and stopping, but I was introduced to an expression, The camera needs to eat first. Cam Brenson, a TikTokker who is trying to eat a meal from every nation without leaving the Chicago area, tries the menu at Albany Park Guatemalan restaurant El Quetzal. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) At the risk of journalistic heresy, I must reveal I held his camera for a single shot of Ethiopian treats. Brenson directs me to play the camera stand and record him picking around a large tray. He nibbles and looks floored, dish after dish. Which, he says, is his actual reaction. Im not a food critic and Im not very critical. I never post a negative experience, he says. I also wouldnt say I have a refined palate because of all this. I havent been anywhere I didnt love. At the worst, the places I have picked have been a 6 out of 10. Still, compared with the billion other TikTok accounts that claim to reveal the out-of-the-way culinary secrets of Illinois, his videos can be uncommonly smart. When he cant find a restaurant dedicated to food from, say, Estonia, he eats at a festival organized by the Chicago Estonian Center of Lake County. When he finds a strictly Egyptian restaurant harder to come by than expected, he settles for a bowl of molokhia, a traditional Egyptian soup served at Salam, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Albany Park. He includes flags, maps, notes of biodiversity and the correct order of eating Danish dinners, and though he is offered a lot of free meals these days, he never accepts. I first joined TikTok in 2019, he says, and I think I may have been the first person in Chicago to post that kind of Hey, have you been to this cool restaurant kind of content. But now a ton of people post exactly the same content. To the point where I dont actually go on TikTok, personally, just to browse. Its all the same thing. Its all: This is my day in the life of living in Chicago. I go to the gym and shoot some content, then I was invited to this cool pop-up and look at this cool bar, so shout out to this cool company for comping a meal ... Does anyone actually live those lives? He shakes his head and takes a bite of sambusa, a samosalike fried pocket, folded up like origami. You are supposed to disclose if you received free food on those videos and I would bet most of the time, (free meals) go undisclosed, he says. I mean, look, I can afford the $20 or so. Brenson, who is 30 and lives in Humboldt Park, grew up in La Grange and attended Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Because he studied abroad in China for a while, when it came time to eat Chinese in Chicago, he faced another uncomfortable question: If I am eating my way across the globe, do eat the Chinese food (or Italian food, Japanese food or Mexican food) that is obvious and ubiquitous to most Americans, or try something interesting? For China, he went with the latter, the crepelike jianbing at Jian on Clinton Street, a typical Chinese street food he relied on as a college student. His tastes, he says, have not evolved during the early months of this project. Instead, its forced me to do the thing I had hoped it would do force me to expose myself to more. There is so much in Chicago people dont even try once, he says. For Chile, I had this Chilean corn pie that looked like pot pie and had eggs and the server was like, You sure you want this? and I was hyped. And it was absurdly sweet, just mind-boggling for me. For Cambodia, I went to Khmai in Rogers Park, which is actually fine dining. Incredible. I had no idea what I would be eating and you have these shredded papaya salad, this coconut salmon curry thing wrapped in a banana leaf, sour beef soup. Wonderful stuff. [ Review: Khmais mesmerizing Cambodian dishes are flawless renditions from a family healing from tragedy ] The project has expanded not only his palate, but also his mindset. A lot of how we think about food, I think, is kind of defined by what people hate and how people hate on different cultures foods and how they feel it seems weird to them, Brenson says. But there is a reason these dishes travel this far, and besides, tastes grow, tastes change. Plus, I will probably never go to Afghanistan, but doing these videos, Im sampling it. Winter started with As Armenia, Algeria, Austria. Spring segued into Bs Belgium, Bolivia, Belize. Cam Brenson is seen outside Albany Park Guatemalan restaurant El Quetzal on Aug. 4, 2023, in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) He never could find Azerbaijani food in the Chicago area, and, in his preliminary research on national cuisines, hes come up blank on the Ivory Coast. (Yes, he is open to tips and suggestions. Send him a note through his website, BoredinChicago.com.) The best experiences this is telling have been when I didnt do the research I do before figuring out the next restaurant and went in blind and someone saved me, he says. I went to a Belarusian place and the menu was in Russian. What do I do? Someone helped. When I first saw his videos and the dutifulness of how he approached his project, I assumed he was doing this partly as a modest 2023 cry for world understanding. Turns out, he was just looking for a continuing hook for new videos, something to do between his more ordinary videos about lunch specials and weekend things to do which does not take away the ambition and thoughtfulness of the project itself. He is not prone to on-camera gushing. He eats, he says, like a mindless zombie staring into the void. Sometimes he pumps his fist in the air after a particularly good bite, but even then its self-conscious. Intentionally or not, he provides room for you to question what authentic world cuisine even means in an online global community. He eats the ultimate Czech grandma dish (a dill soup named koprova) and makes you hungry for a Belizean restaurant on 63rd Street. Eventually I will work my way towards Yemen and Zambia and Zimbabwe, he says, but as to where exactly Ill eat that, I dont know. Thats a question for two years or so from now. cborrelli@chicagotribune.com U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden has requested federal funds to support Gundersen Health System ambulances and emergency equipment for rural Wisconsin residents. The funding would allow the hospital to provide prehospital care and ambulance transfer in rural communities, helping to ensure patients receive timely and high-quality care. Van Orden, a Republican from Prairie du Chien, has proposed $600,000 from a United States Department of Agriculture program that funds rural services such as ambulances. The funds would support three new ambulance rigs and 18 paramedics. The more of these satellite locations we can have around the district, the sooner we can get to the people, the sooner we can get medical intervention and early outcomes, Van Orden said at a press conference Wednesday. Its a very important service that Gundersen is providing to the community, and Im very proud to be able to help them further their service. Tom Tornstrom, administrative director of Gundersen Tri-State Ambulance, said the additional ambulances and staffing would help serve the southwest Wisconsin region. Gundersen Health System currently has a hospital in Hillsboro and has ambulance service partnership with other hospitals in the region that would be impacted by the additional emergency equipment. Faster emergency medical service response times improve patient outcomes. Many rural emergency services providers struggle to provide timely care due to large coverage areas and extended travel distances. Emergency medical service call times in Americas rural communities are nearly 20 to 30% higher than in suburban and urban areas, according to the Rural Health Care Association. Each year, the House Appropriations Committee collects community development project requests from members of Congress for consideration in the upcoming appropriations bill. Funding is directed to local government or nonprofit entities to carry out projects that are eligible for federal support and benefit the local community. The funding bills must still pass the House, Senate and be signed by the president to become law. The appropriations bill was green-lit by the Agriculture Committee, which Van Orden sits on, and will go to the House of Representatives for approval in early September. A milling company has agreed to pay $940,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging multiple violations at a plant that was the scene of a fatal explosion in 2017, state Justice Department officials announced Wednesday. The agency sued Didion Milling Inc. in November 2020 alleging state inspectors discovered 30 violations at the companys Cambria corn mill in 2019, including emissions, record-keeping and reporting violations. Didion spokesperson Scott Rippe didnt immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the settlement. The Justice Department asked the Legislatures finance committee on Wednesday for permission to accept the settlement. Republicans passed a law in 2018 requiring the department to get the committees permission before settling any lawsuit as a way of diminishing Democratic Attorney General Josh Kauls powers. Five Didion employees were killed in a grain dust explosion at the mill in May 2017. Last year, a federal grand jury charged the company with fraud and conspiracy in connection with the explosion, alleging the company failed to keep up with cleanings at the plant and falsified records to make it appear as if the cleanings were completed. The company responded to the charges by insisting the explosion was an accident. The case is set to go to trial in October. Continuing a positive trend, the Grades PreK-8 Fontana Joint 8 School District is reporting continuing declines in its seclusion and restraint incidents. On July 24, the Fontana Board of Education approved the districts 2022-2023 seclusion and restraint report, which outlined 13 incidents encompassing a total of four students, continuing a four-year downward trend. By law, 2019 Wisconsin Act 118 requires school district to report student seclusion and restraint data annually, to both local school boards and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) According to the U.S. Department of Education, every effort should be made to prevent the need for the use of student restraint and seclusion and that any behavioral intervention must be consistent with the childs rights to be treated with dignity and to be free from abuse. The U.S. Department of Educations 15 principles of seclusion and restraint make clear that restraint or seclusion should never be used except in situations where a childs behavior poses imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others, and restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff. The goal in presenting these principles is to help ensure that all schools and learning environments are safe for all children and adults. I think were in a place where we have our staff trained in Handle With Care and we use our staff to help support each other, using all other techniques before we use any sort of additional help, said District Administrator and Principal Steve Torrez. Gardiner, N.Y.-based Handle With Care (HWC) Behavior Management System has been a leader in the field of crisis intervention, behavior management and restraint for more than two decades. Established in 1984, HWC has created safer human service environments in over 1,000 organizations and schools in all 50 states and internationally. From 1974-1984, the HWC program underwent a 10-year research and development process at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, one of the most advanced and progressive psychiatric hospitals in the country. Handle With Care specializes in safely managing behaviorally challenged and disruptive behavior. The HWC training model is considered the standard of best practices in behavior management and safe physical intervention and is taught throughout the entire spectrum of the human services environment and schools. Handle With Care complies with all state and federal laws. Other news In other developments at the July 24 meeting, the Fontana Board of Education: Approved a $324.44 tuition reimbursement for paraprofessional educator Casey Ardito following her successful completion of the American Sign Language (ASL) 1 course at Gateway Technical College. Approved a transportation contract with Dousman-based Dousman Transport Co., Inc. for the 2023-2024 school year. Fontanas portion of the Big Foot Area Schools Association (BFASA) regular education transportation contact with Dousman for the 2023-2024 school year is $75,591.11. Dousman special education transportation rates for the 2023-2024 school year are $289.65 daily per bus, $258.38 daily per van, and a $28.45 per student wheelchair handling fee. Torrez reports Torrez reported to the Board of Education that Fontana Elementary School would be offering a July 31-Aug. 11 summer school program as an extension of the districts school year math and reading curriculum, noting more than 20 students were registered. Torrez said the summer school program will operate from 9 a.m. to noon daily and be offered at no cost to Fontana students. Each summer school session will include two 45-minute math/reading sessions, two 15-minute recess and snack breaks, and an hour-long, day-ending session for extended learning, fun activities and team-building. Torrez also reported to the board on the success of the districts partnership hosting the Fontana Public Librarys Summer Story Wagon reading program at the school on Tuesdays, June 20 (magician-entertainer Zack Percell), June 27 (musician Little Miss Ann:] Torralba) and July 11 (Racine Zoo), capitalizing on an in-house population of Big Foot Recreation summer camp participants and Falcon Early Childhood Center daycare students. It was a really good experience overall, Torrez said. Its been really fun and it kept kids engaged in learning. It was a win-win for all of us. It was a positive experience. Next meeting The next regularly-scheduled meeting of the Fontana Joint 8 School District Board of Education will be held Monday, Aug. 28, 5:30 p.m., in the library at Fontana Elementary School, 450 S. Main St., Fontana. IN 16 PHOTOS: Fontana Elementary School presents "The Wizard of Oz: Junior Edition" - April 14.15, 2023 "Somewhere, over the rainbow..." Uncle Henry and Aunt Em on their Kansas farm Miss Almira Gulch comes to take away canine Toto and have him destroyed Dorothy Gale consults with psychic reader Professor Marvel The Mayor of Oz "Tot Munchkins" sing and dance in Fontana Elementary School's April 14-15 production of "The Wizard of Oz: Junior Edition" Scarecrow, Tin Man and Dorothy in the April 14-15 Fontana Elementary School production of "The Wizard of Oz: Junior Edition" Jitterbugs swarm in Nikko, leader of the Winged Monkeys "I'll get you my pretty and your little dog, too!" Things look bleak for Dorothy Gale in the dungeon of the Wicked Witch's castle as time runs out Arrival at Emerald City The Wizard of Oz (Alex Cudnik) in the April 14-15, 2023 production of "The Wizard of Oz: Junior Edition" Glinda, the Good Witch of the North "There's no place like home..." Dorothy awakens back in Kansas, surrounded by concerned family and friends The search is on for a new treasurer in Williams Bay. Village President Bill Duncan reported to village board trustees on Aug. 7 that six-year Village Treasurer Lori L. Peternell had resigned her full-time exempt position, effective Aug. 4. After serious consideration, I have decided to resign from my position as Village Treasurer..., Peternell wrote in a July 17 letter to Village Administrator David Lothspeich. I have taken a position as the Finance Officer for WalCoMet, it is a good career choice that I could not refuse. I am very thankful for the opportunities and support I have received over the last 6 years with the Village, as it has contributed to my success. I have had the pleasure to work with some amazing people and will miss everyone. Delavan-based WalCoMet (Walworth County Metropolitan Sewerage District) encompasses Delavan, Darien, Elkhorn and Lake Como, among other areas. The Village of Williams Bay joined WalCoMet in 1987. Duncan offered his thanks for Peternells years of service to Williams Bay and recognized the improvements she made to the villages financial operations during her tenure. Duncan admitted he was alternately both happy and sad at the news, given his dual roles as a WalCoMet board member and Williams Bay village president. Were very sad to lose her, Duncan said on behalf of the village. She did help a lot with the cleaning up of budget stuff and has offered to help in making the transition move smoothly. Many thanks to her. A key member of the villages administrative team, the treasurer works under the direction of the village administrator and plans, directs, manages and oversees the activities of the villages Finance Department, including financial planning, payroll, budgeting, accounting, auditing and cash management. The position is responsible for assuring that the village achieves its financial objectives through solid fiscal planning, budgetary controls and the maintenance of financial accounts and records. The position is responsible for the duties of the treasurer pursuant to Wisconsin Statute Section 61.26. In board discussions around the villages vacant treasurers position, Village Administrator David Lothspeich said two options were open to the village on an interim basis hire an outside accounting firm or possibly contract for a temporary employee with Northbrook, Ill.-based GovTemps USA, a subsidiary of GovHR USA, a national public-sector staffing firm specializing in the temporary placement of positions in local government. Lothspeich recommended GovTemps as being the more affordable of the two options for the village, citing a spreadsheet of expected costs he distributed to the board. The board approved contracting with GovTemps USA for part-time treasurer services, one day a week on-site and two days a week remotely, while the search is on for a permanent replacement to fill the villages vacant treasurar position. While supportive of contracting with GovTemps USA, Village Trustee Lowell Wright, chairman of the boards Finance and Personnel Committee, predicted the expected cost savings will likely be far less than anticipated. This probably severly underestimates what its gonna cost us on an interim basis, Wright said. A treasurer does a lot more things than just monthly entries, payroll and bank reconciliations. Theres probably more hours involved, and theres also a number of things that the treasurer did in-office that will get offloaded onto the other staff ... I think this is the best way we can go, recognizing that its probably gonna cost us more than whats on the spreadsheet. Concerns raised Williams Bay resident John Marra, 548 Wiswell Dr., appeared before the board to request that the village consider installing crosswalk signage along Geneva Street at Potawatomi Road near Bells Store, 659 E. Geneva St., to create a safer crossing for residents and visitors alike. Marra, a former Williams Bay Village Board trustee, served three terms as Williams Bay Village President from 2011-2017. The purpose of addressing the board this evening is to make known to you the request of several residents of our subdivision (Willabay Woods) and others, as well as myself, for you to consider a matter of resident and visitor safety centering around the area of Geneva Street at the crossing located in front of Bells Store, said Marra, a retired career 36-year Wisconsin and Illinois law enforcement veteran who retired in 2005 after a 6-1/2 tenure as police chief in Genoa City. For many years now, residents in our subdivision have themselves experienced, or individually witnessed, some close calls with passing vehicular traffic as they attempted to cross Geneva Street as this location to access the store, especially during the busy summer months. As a former police chief and law enforcement officer here in Walworth County, I made it a point to periodically make visual observations of the flow of traffic during normal and peak travel times, and in doing so have confirmed the concerns of others that this area does indeed present a potential danger to crossing pedestrians during these times, causing me to address this concern with Williams Bay Police Chief [Justin] Timm, who in making his own assessment has advised me that he shares my thoughts in this matter and agreed that it should be brought before the board for consideration and possible future rectification to create a safer crossing ... It is our hope that the board will consider this request and address it through the appropriate ... channels that may apply, Thank you all in advance for any and all consideration that you may give this request. Other news In other developments at the Aug. 7 meeting, the Williams Bay Village Board approved: Rescheduling the Monday, Sept. 4 village board and committee meetings date to Tuesday, Sept. 5 due to the Labor Day national holiday. Adoption of Resolution R-50-23, setting bi-monthly village board meeting dates for the remainder of 2023 as follows: Monday, Aug. 21; Tuesday, Sept. 5; and Mondays, Sept. 18, Oct. 2, Oct. 16, Nov. 6, Nov. 20, Dec. 4 and Dec. 18. Adoption of Resolution R-47-23, granting Temporary Class B Fermented Malt Beverage and Temporary Class B Wine licenses to the Williams Bay Lions Club for its popular annual Corn & Brat Roast fundraiser, slated for Aug. 11-13 at Edgewater Park in downtown Williams Bay. Founded in 1946, the Williams Bay Lions Club has held the Corn & Brat Roast, the largest of its three annual fundraisers, for more than 50 years. Issuance of original operators licenses to Williams Bay residents Kendra Lynn Knight and Douglas Howard Knight for the Williams Bay Lions Club Corn & Braf Roast. Issuance of a renewal operators license to Williams Bay resident Harley Douglas Knight for Luckes Cantina and the Williams Bay Lions Club Corn & Brat Roast. Issuance of temporary operators licenses to Lake Geneva resident Molly Sanders, Delavan resident Sinan Asani, Oshkosh residents Grace Peterson and Samual J. Thorson. and Williams Bay residents David R. Bach and Steven Gardiner Stratton for the Williams Bay Lions Club Corn & Brat Roast. IN 16 PHOTOS: Geneva Lake Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2373 - 2023 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay. - VFW Post 2373 Honor Guard 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - Williams Bay Police Department 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - American Legion Riders 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - Walworth County Sheriff's Department 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - Barrett Memorial Library 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - Williams Bay Lions Club 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - Troop 237 Boy and Cub Scouts 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - Troop 8105 Daisy, Brownie and Girl Scouts 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - Como Critters VFW Discover Williams Bay.JPG 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - Faith Christian School 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, WIlliams Bay - Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - Williams Bay High School Bullodogs Marching Band 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - WIlliams Bay Historical Society 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - Williams Bay High School History Club 2023 Geneva Lake VFW Post 2373 Memorial Day Parade, Williams Bay - Williams Bay Fire Department The Kenosha County Sheriffs Department will soon be rounding up lost dogs, cats, rabbits and even the errant cow, among others, in the towns of Randall, Paris and Wheatland, according to proposed contracts for the municipalities. The towns, which receive general law enforcement services from the sheriffs department, will add animal control services in their contracts, according to intergovernmental agreements that will be considered by the countys Finance and Administration Committee Thursday night. The contracts were unanimously approved by the Judiciary and Law Committee on Aug. 2. They will then go to the County Board for final consideration later this month. The respective town boards approved the agreements earlier this summer with the department, which currently has a licensed humane officer. That officer is also a sworn deputy, according to Capt. Eric Klinkhammer. The department will have a second deputy/humane officer who is undergoing training in October for licensing, he said. The contract requires that the municipalities pay a $65.89 hourly rate and any overtime costs associated with requests for humane officer services and would be billed quarterly by the county. Services for animal control would be provided depending on availability of the licensed humane officer. When available, the humane officer would be expected to respond to requests for animal control within a reasonable amount of time and would have discretion to determine citations, quarantines and impoundment of animals as necessary. The officer will also have the authority to determine whether medical care is needed along with transportation and storage decisions, according to the proposed agreement. The Wisconsin Humane Society facility in Kenosha would be used to keep animals when possible, according to the contract. The towns, however, would be responsible for the costs and fees incurred for the care of the animals if referred to the humane society or other facility. The sheriffs department negotiated contracts with the towns after the previous animal control service went out of business, according to Klinkhammer. The towns formerly contracted with Claws and Paws for services, he said. They are now defunct and there is no other animal control contractors that can handle municipalities in our county, he said. Similar agreements are already in place with three villages in the county. So basically, well provide animal control services and we will track the time spent on those calls, he said. Deputies typically are able to take lost pets and other domesticated animals that are generally calm to the local humane society, according to Klinkhammer. The problem comes when its a dog thats uncatchable or a horse or a pig or any of those animals and we have to call in the animal control, a trained officer, he said. With no independent animal control organization serving the county, the department decided it needed to train its own staff. I think its a long time coming that we need to have trained law enforcement officers who can handle those investigations, as well as, those calls of uncontrolled animals, he said. Klinkhammer said equipment needed to perform services has also been purchased, with the villages and towns agreeing to split the costs about $1,600 six ways. Supervisors wondered how the humane officers would handle a bovine that wanders away from a farm and into the roadway, something not uncommon in rural areas. Our priority for livestock is to keep the road safe and make sure that animal doesnt damage other peoples property or hurt anyone, he said. Once that animal is contained, then they can have somebody start the investigation to figure out whose cow this is. Klinkhammer said if officers cant immediately locate the owner, farmers in the area have been more than willing to keep the animal until they do. They all work together out there," he said. "And 99% of the time, theyre going to say yes. IN PHOTOS AND VIDEO: Check out the 2021 Sweet Corn Fest in Somers 2021 Sweet Corn Fest 2021 Sweet Corn Fest 2021 Sweet Corn Fest 2021 Sweet Corn Fest 2021 Sweet Corn Fest 2021 Sweet Corn Fest 2021 Sweet Corn Fest 2021 Sweet Corn Fest 2021 Sweet Corn Fest 2021 Sweet Corn Fest 2021 Sweet Corn Festival in Somers The Fugitive remains singular in the career of Chicago-born director Andrew Davis, raised first in Rogers Park and then, mainly, in the South Side Jeffery Manor neighborhood. The 1993 thriller starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones was a huge hit, Davis biggest. But in another way The Fugitive, released in theaters 30 years ago this month, is not singular: Its one of several movies Davis, 76, shot largely in his hometown with a keen, non-touristic eye. Take, for example, Davis 1985 dirty-cop drama Code of Silence, the one verifiably good Chuck Norris movie in existence. Theres a lot of the Southeast Side in that one, Davis told me, from his oceanside home in Santa Barbara, California, in a recent Zoom interview. All those grain towers along the Calumet River. I guess I just keep going back to the old neighborhood. The Fugitive filmed in North Carolina and Tennessee as well as all over Chicago, from Pullman to the Loop and points west. Making the movie, as various stories in recent years have revealed, the actors were dealing with an ever-revised script and their own, varying degrees of pessimism regarding the probable outcome. As Jones told me in 2007: The script was always in trouble (on his last day of filming) I remember thinking, well, Ill never work again. This is about it. Its been a good go. And then he won an Oscar for The Fugitive. Davis, who has a novel coming out next year, talked to me about the permutations of The Fugitive script; memories of watching old World War II and Korean War footage on Saturday morning TV with his brother and a stack of Oreos; and the very different Fugitive storyline Davis inherited when he took on the project. The interview has been edited for clarity and length. Harrison Ford stars in the 1993 film "The Fugitive," directed by Andrew Davis. (Warner Bros.) Q: Can you tell me about the phone call that led to The Fugitive? A: I get the call on a Sunday night. Harrison had seen Under Siege (Davis action movie starring Steven Seagal) opening weekend. The call from Warner Brothers is, Come to a meeting Monday or Tuesday, well send you the script. I read the script and I thought, oh, man. This doesnt make any sense. Q: So the premise was that Gerard, the Tommy Lee Jones character A: In that version, Gerard was the one who hired the one-armed man who ended up killing Kimbles wife, because Kimble screwed up an operation on Gerards wife! It was a disgruntled-marshal movie. They had been through many ideas, many drafts, by then. Q: And you have your sister to thank for a major plot point, yes? A: Yes! The whole drug protocol idea. (In The Fugitive Kimble learns of a sinister corporate conspiracy involving a pharmaceutical company and a new drug being rushed to market that causes fatal liver damage.) I called up my sister, Josie, who was a nurse at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in LA, and said, Jo, what could get a doctor in a lot of trouble? And she said, Ill get back to you. She called a doctor she knew in Iowa, I think. And hes the one who came up with the drug protocol idea. Its funny, I dont remember being pressured during the shoot about trying to make the Aug. 6 (1993) release date. But as soon as we got into post (production), the theatrical distribution head at Warner Brothers, Barry Reardon, who really was a genius he realized we had something good. Hes the one who told me he wanted to hit the August release date, and get it into theaters a few weeks before Labor Day. Then the pressure was on. We cut it in eight weeks, and got the music, the sound, all of it done. Q: Something struck me the last time I saw The Fugitive, when you were down at Ebertfest in 2018. Theres some fairly harsh violence in your film, but if someone made a movie out of The Fugitive today, using the basic premise of the ABC TV series, as yours did, itd likely have three times the violence and one-third the character interest as the 1993 version. A: Right. My dear friend Jeff Bridges has a series on Netflix, The Old Man, and I watched the beginning of it, and Jesus! So violent. Drama traditionally is about life and death, and fear. I realize that. But most violence I see today in movies, its just not something I want to be part of. Fear is another thing altogether. Fear is the thing that translates all over the world. Not comedy. Not even love. By the way, may he rest in peace: William Friedkin was a big influence on me. The French Connection especially. He hired my father (longtime Chicago actor Nathan Davis, a frequent presence in Davis films) for something when he was still a wholesale drug salesman. Q: Do you have an early moviegoing memory that sticks with you? A: Youre gonna laugh, given the movie we were talking about, but: Little Fugitive. You know that one? (Yes, and its great.) My mother took me to see it, at the Fine Arts, I think. Its about a kid who thinks he killed his brother. That was powerful to me. I also remember visiting my sister at UW-Madison, she was four years ahead of me. I went up on the train to visit her, and some of her buddies took me to see The Magnificent Seven. On Saturdays my little brother and I, wed get up, six in the morning, wed eat a row of Oreo cookies and watch The Big Picture, with these U.S. Army films from World War II and Korea. As a Jewish kid, I was already learning about Auschwitz. I saw pictures of the camps when I was very young. My parents didnt want to shield me from that. Q: What are you most pleased about regarding the longevity, the popularity, of The Fugitive? A: Well, its interesting. This is a movie where I was handed the most beautiful ingredients and no recipe. The studio had an idea of what kind of meal they wanted, but no recipe. So I had to figure out how to run the kitchen and make it work. And it turned out really well. I was able to use my instincts and my resources, and I got very lucky with this incredible group of people both in front of and behind the camera. I didnt really feel the pressure making it. I thought: Get the days work done. The dailies are looking good. Just keep shooting. Just keep making the people come alive on the screen. People still tell me that whenever its on TV, they watch it all the way through again. Even if they have to pee. As a director, what more could you ask for? Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic. mjphillips@chicagotribune.com Twitter @phillipstribune BRICS Summits Emphasis Being Firmed Up for BRICS Leaders Aug. 8, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor announced at a press conference Aug. 7 that the foreign ministers and their colleagues from the five BRICS member nations are firming up recommendations which will be forwarded to their national leaders, on critical questions at the Aug. 22-24 BRICS summit in Johannesburg. With respect to expansion of the BRICSofficially 23 nations have applied for membershipPandor reported that criteria for BRICS membership were being planned. Another major issue is that of developing a non-dollar common currency for use in trade. This could allow advancing credit instruments for projects such as expanding the BRICS New Development Bank. However, even more powerful institutions, modeled on Lyndon LaRouches International Development Bank, proposed in 1975, will likely be needed. At her Aug. 7 press briefing, Pandor proposed what she considers the third overarching issue of the conference, the development of Africa. Under the summits official theme, BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism, the BRICS leaders would discuss how to realize its potential for inclusive global economy recovery and sustainable development, strengthening mutually beneficial partnerships with Africa and the Global South in a multipolar world. In the conjuncture of the disintegration of the irredeemably bankrupt speculative trans-Atlantic financial system, this creates the basis for a tectonic shift, to a development-based system. Ms. Pandor announced that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has accepted South African President Cyril Ramaphosas invitation to attend the BRICS summit. Tasnim News Agency reported today that Iran is hosting an Aug. 8 conference on Iran and BRICS, Prospect for Cooperation. Russias Foreign Ministry stated that Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov took part in the conference organized by of Irans Foreign Ministry. Also on Aug. 7, Indonesian President Joko Widodo President Joko Widodo that the government will decide on the possibility of Indonesia joining BRICS, while his Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi suggested the President would attend the summit. Pandor disclosed that 67 other leaders from Africa and the Global South had been invited to attend and meet the BRICS leaders in an outreach session. She said that 34 had accepted thus far. In addition, President Cyril Ramaphosa will host His Excellency President Xi Jinping of the Peoples Republic of China on a State Visit on Tuesday, 22 August 2023, South Africa announced yesterday. French President Emmanuel Macron has not been invited to the BRICS summit, with Foreign Minister Pandor saying on Aug. 7: Emmanuel MacronNo invitation issued in that regard. Nuland Holds Difficult Conversation with Nigers Military Leaders Aug. 8, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)None other than Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland appeared in Niger, where she held what she said were difficult discussions with Nigers military leaders, in a special State Department briefing from Niamey, yesterday. Nuland said he talks with armed forces chief of staff Moussa Salaou Barmou and three other members of the military junta. Nuland described, I will say that these conversations were extremely frank and at times quite difficult because, again, we were pushing for a negotiated solution. It was not easy to get traction there. They are quite firm in their view on how they want to proceed.... But again, it was difficult today, and I will be straight up about that. Nuland blustered that their ideas do not comport with the constitution, and that will be difficult in terms of our relationship if thats the path they take. She pointed out Obviously, we are at the stage where our assistance is paused. If that was a threat, the military were not impressed, refusing her request to see President Mohamed Bazoum and she had to make do with a telephone discussion. She was also denied the request to meet with interim President Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani. Her deployment follows a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who told French broadcaster RFI that diplomacy was the preferred way to resolve the situation. And that is also the approach of the West African community of states, ECOWAS, according to Blinken. One reason Nuland was unable to meet interim President Tiani was that he was meeting with more important people, delegations from Mali and Burkina Faso, who had come to pledge their support. The delegation was headed by Malis Minister of Territorial Administration Lt. Col. Abdoulaye Maiga. Democracy Now! quoted Maiga as clearly stating their concerns: I would like to remind you that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have been dealing for over 10 years with the negative socioeconomic, security, political and humanitarian consequences of NATOs hazardous adventure in Libya. Of course, we ask ourselves: If it took us 10 years, how many years would it take us to get over another adventure of the same nature in Niger? We dont know. Twenty years? Thirty years? Forty years? Fifty years? One thing is certain: [Mali] President Goita and [Burkina Faso] President Traore have clearly said, No, no and no. We will not accept military intervention in Niger. They are coming for our survival. In her special briefing, Nuland said of her goals: The Secretary asked me to make this trip ... because we wanted to speak frankly to the people responsible to this challenge to the democratic order to see if we could try to resolve these issues diplomatically, if we could get some negotiations going, and also to make absolutely clear what is at stake in our relationship and the economic and other kinds of support that we will legally have to cut off if democracy is not restored. EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 9, 2023 The Age of Colonialism Is Coming to an End! Aug. 8, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)Ongoing and upcoming events in Africain the northern Sahel region and in South Africademonstrate clearly that the age of colonialism is coming to an end. Late last month, Gen. Abdourahmane Tiani took control of Niger in a coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. The coup, one among a half- dozen in nations of the Sahel in the last few years, stands out for the debate it is creating about potential military and other responses. Niger is the source of around one-third of the uranium supply to France, which relies on nuclear power to supply over 70% of its electricity. General Tiani has suspended those exports. Although French President Emmanuel Macron made statements that these actions would not be tolerated, it turns out that theres not much for France, or NATO, to do. Some nasty actions are still possible. The U.S. has (of course!) cut aid to Niger, in the latest barbaric application of sanctions. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu shut down the electricity exports from Nigeria that were the source of 70% of Nigers grid electricity. State Department number two Victoria Nuland went to Niger to make threats and demands. But military operations look to be off the table, at least officially, for now. President Tinubu, who currently chairs the Economic Community of West African States, pushed for military action to reinstate the deposed president, but the Senate of Nigeria nixed that proposal. Burkina Faso and Mali have sent delegations to Niger to express their opposition to any outside military intervention, and the President of Algeria has the same policy. NATO, which is not getting its way in Ukraine, is not going to get its way (or what it thinks it might want) in Niger, either. Turn now to South Africa, the host of the BRICS Summit to occur later this month. According to South African Minister of Foreign Affairs Naledi Pandor, there are 23 nations that have said they want to join the grouping, and, of the 67 foreign leaders invited to the summitincluding all African leaders34 have so far accepted the invitations, including, just today, President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi and President of Indonesia Joko Widodo. In addition to expansion of the group itself, other topics for the summit are said to include the use of non-dollar trade mechanisms and the development of Africa. The summits theme is BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism. President of China Xi Jinping will go to South Africa not only for the BRICS Summit, but for an overlapping official state visit as well. Swelling trade and investment between the two nations points to a prosperous and mutually beneficial future. When other nations are seen as partners and collaborators, the future potential for humanity truly can blossom. Is it not time to abandon the hegemonism and malignancy of the past centuries of Western colonialism, and join instead a new world, in which the common enemies of mankindpoverty, underdevelopmentare addressed in achieving our common aims of scientific and cultural creativity and economic advancement? Such is the vision presented by the LaRouche movement today. Tim Mapes, former chief of staff to House Speaker Michael Madigan, arrives at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Aug. 9, 2023. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) Opening statements in the perjury trial of Democratic insider Tim Mapes are finally set to begin Wednesday, when prosecutors are expected to outline allegations that he lied to a federal grand jury to protect his powerful former boss, ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan. Jurors were chosen Tuesday afternoon after a longer-than-expected selection process. U.S. District Judge John Kness originally had expressed hopes that attorneys could present their opening remarks as early as Monday. In all, 56 prospective jurors were interviewed before the final 12 were chosen along with three alternates. The trial is expected to last up to three weeks. The jury includes an ultrasound technician, a meteorologist for a local TV station, and a man who volunteered to pass out campaign signs for Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas. After a backroom meeting regarding jurors late Tuesday, Mapes strode through a door from beside the judges bench followed by his defense team and prosecutors, reentering the courtroom with the same determined clip he often used while traversing the Illinois House floor. Prosecutors said in court they plan to call former House Majority Leader Greg Harris, D-Chicago, as a witness Wednesday morning. And unless Mapes defense team succeeds in their objections, prosecutors also intend to play at least two recorded phone calls: one between Harris and Madigan loyalist Michael McClain, and another in which McClain and state Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, discuss gambling legislation. The jury selection process this week often homed in on prospective jurors political activities. One potential juror said Tuesday he has donated to the Illinois Democratic Party, which inspired Mapes to scribble notes intensely. Another said he grew up with the grandchild of perennial right-wing candidate Chad Koppie. Neither man made the jury. On Monday, memorably, one potential juror wrote in her questionnaire that Madigan and all his friends should go to jail. She was promptly dismissed. Mapes perjury and attempted obstruction of justice charges are tied to allegations that he lied to a March 2021 grand jury in hopes of shielding Madigan in a widespread corruption scandal. His allegedly misleading statements did not stop Madigan from being indicted on racketeering charges along with McClain, a former lobbyist and longtime Madigan confidant. They face trial next year. Mapes, 68, is accused of failing to give truthful answers to prosecution questions about the relationship between Madigan and McClain. Mapes has pleaded not guilty to both the perjury and attempted obstruction counts. The latter charge calls for up to 20 years in federal prison, while lying to a grand jury carries a five-year maximum prison sentence. According to prosecutors, Mapes lied repeatedly to grand jurors, contending he couldnt recall anything relevant about Madigans relationship with McClain. While Mapes is hardly a household name outside the states political circles, his indictment marked an intriguing power play by the U.S. attorneys office in what has become one of the biggest political corruption scandals in state history. Attorneys for Mapes have maintained federal authorities were attempting to squeeze him to give up information to bolster the prosecutions case against Madigan. In the Madigan-McClain case, prosecutors allege Madigan was at the top of a criminal enterprise aimed at enriching himself and his cronies and maintaining his nearly unfettered political power. Madigan and McClain have pleaded not guilty. McClain was convicted of bribery conspiracy earlier this year in the ComEd Four trial. Along with three others, he was found guilty on charges related to a scheme to bribe Madigan to win his support for the utilitys legislative agenda in Springfield. Prosecutors at the Mapes trial may play secret recordings of a conversation with a member of Madigans inner circle regarding proposed legislation to transfer state property in Chinatown over to the city, part of an alleged scheme to bring business to Madigans property-tax law firm. Jurors also may hear evidence, including wiretap recordings, related to a wide range of insider Springfield dealings, from the Chinatown proposal to a series of 2018 #MeToo allegations that brought down some Madigan allies, including Mapes. Madigan in June 2018 ousted Mapes from his top roles as chief of staff, House clerk and executive director of the Madigan-run Democratic Party of Illinois. It happened just hours after a downstate staffer accused Mapes of sexual harassment and fostering a culture of sexism, harassment and bullying. Mapes disputed the allegations. Mapes indictment in May 2021 caught many by surprise, particularly since he was granted immunity from prosecution by the U.S. attorneys office and warned by the chief judge before his grand jury testimony that failing to answer truthfully could result in criminal charges against him. Mapes is receiving just under $150,000 a year in a taxpayer-supported state pension. Since his ouster in 2018, he has received $711,282 in pension benefits, according to the states pension system. mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com rlong@chicagotribune.com Representatives of nations with rainforests in Asia and Africa joined leaders from eight Amazon-area countries for a meeting in Brazil on Wednesday. The nations will produce a statement called United for our Forests to be presented at COP 28 in November. COP 28 is the United Nations climate change conference and it will be held in the Middle Eastern city of Dubai. The eight South American countries, known as the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), opened the meeting on Tuesday. The ACTO includes Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. The nations agreed to work on developing their economies without harming the rainforest to a point of no return. Representatives also came from the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia and the French territory of Guiana. The president of Norway, a contributor to the Amazon fund for sustainable development, also joined. Scientists say when 20 to 25 percent of the Amazon rainforest is destroyed, it will reduce rainfall and change the environment. The land will get drier and many kinds of plants and animals will die out. Some environmental activists, however, criticized Tuesdays event, saying the countries did not create a plan with clear goals and deadlines. Brazils president is Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In his third term as leader, he is working to save the Amazon. A study last month showed his efforts caused a 42 percent drop in deforestation in only seven months. The Amazon stretches across an area twice the size of India. Two-thirds of it lies in Brazil, with seven other countries and French Guiana sharing the remaining third. Until recently, critics say South American governments saw the rainforest as a resource for materials they could use to grow their economies. Trees were cleared for cattle, companies drilled for oil and mined the land for minerals and metals, and cities and roads were built through the forest. Indigenous people lost their land and plants and animals became endangered. All the Amazon nations signed the 2015 Paris climate agreement to reduce pollution. But experts say the countries have had problems working together. They say the latest agreement should require all nations to end deforestation by 2030. So far, only Brazil and Colombia agreed on that deadline. The nations are also divided on oil drilling in the Amazon. Colombian leader Gustavo Petro called for an end to oil exploration but other nations are not sure they want to follow. The ACTO meeting, however, did receive support from one Indigenous leader, Fany Kuiru of Colombia. Kuiru praised the group for recognizing the rights of native people to traditional lands and opening a way for indigenous people to participate. In a discussion on Tuesday, da Silva said the Amazon is a passport to a new relationship with the world where its resources can be valued and put in the service of everyone. Im Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. ____________________________________________________ Words in This Story sustainable adj. able to continue for a long time without harming the environment deadline n. a time that a project must be completed by deforestation n. the act of removing trees for a forest so the land can be used for something else, or the trees can be used for lumber indigenous n. people who originally lived in a land endangered adj. at risk of dying out ____________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. Do you think the rainforest nations can make a positive change in the fight against climate change? Here is how our comment system works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. A wave of violence is increasingly affecting American hospitals and medical centers. Recent attacks at such places make health care one of the nations most violent industries. Data shows American health care workers experience more non-deadly injuries from workplace violence than workers in any other profession -- including law enforcement. Michael DAngelo is a former police officer. He now works as a security adviser in Florida. His work centers on health care and workplace violence. He said, health care workers dont even think about risks to their safety when they decide to become a nurse or doctor. But, he added, health care is four or five times more dangerous than any other profession. Several mass shootings have taken place in hospitals across the country. In June of last year, a gunman killed his doctor and three other people at a medical office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The gunman said he blamed the doctor for his continuing pain after an operation. In October of last year, a man killed two workers at a hospital in Dallas, Texas, while he was there for his childs birth. This past May, a man opened fire in a medical center waiting room in Atlanta, Georgia. One woman died and four other people were wounded. And late last month, a gunman shot and killed a security guard at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. Police later shot and killed the suspect, who was at the hospital for his childs birth. Hospitals and medical centers are trying to create a safer environment for workers. Legacy Health said it plans to add more metal detectors at all of its medical centers. It also plans to require bag searches at every hospital and send patients and visitors to controlled entrances. Legacy Health also said it will provide more officers with stun guns and will add protective measures from bullets to some glass at main entrances. The American Nurses Association says around 40 states have passed laws creating or increasing punishment for violence against health care workers. And some states, including Indiana, Ohio, and Georgia, let hospitals create their own police forces. Critics say private hospital police can worsen the health care and policing inequalities already experienced by Black people. They also say private police forces often do not have to release information such as how often they use force or if they detain members of a minority group more often. Deborah Burger is a registered nurse and president of National Nurses United. She said security teams cannot change the reasons leading to violence. Many of the reasons exist because of the countrys problematic health care system, she said. Patients and families are often frustrated by high medical bills, limited treatment choices and long wait times. Hospitals dont really have a complaints department, so the only real target they have is the nurse or staff that are standing right in front of them, she said. Worker shortages mean nurses are forced to care for more patients. That means less time to examine each one for behavior problems. Burger said efforts to calm an aggressive patient are not as effective if nurses have not been able to spend enough time to build a relationship with patients. Some hospitals tell their staff to try to make peace with aggressive visitors and patients. Hospital leaders want to avoid getting bad reviews from patients, Burger said. That is because the Affordable Care Act has tied part of federal repayment rates to patient satisfaction survey results. Low satisfaction means less money for the hospitals. DAngelo, the former police officer, said, The results of those surveys should never take priority over staff safety. Im Gregory Stachel. Rebecca Boone reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. ___________________________________________________ Words in This Story stun gun n. a gun that produces an electric shock which makes someone unconscious or stops someone from moving frustrated adj. very angry, discouraged, or upset because of being unable to do or complete something complaint n. a statement that you are unhappy or not satisfied with something staff n. a group of people who work for an organization or business review n. a report that gives someone's opinion about the quality of a book, performance, or product satisfaction n. a result that deals with a problem or complaint in an acceptable way survey n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something priority n. the condition of being more important than something or someone else and therefore coming or being dealt with first ___________________________________________________ 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. Actress Sharon Tate has been found brutally murdered in her Los Angeles home, along with three high-society friends and a fifth, as yet un-named, victim. All five died from shooting and multiple stab wounds. Sharon Tate, 26, was the wife of film director Roman Polanski and was eight months pregnant. In what police said appeared to be a ritualistic murder, she was found tied together with her former fiance, hair stylist Jay Sebring. Police said both had nylon nooses around their necks, and Mr Sebrings head was covered with a black hood. They said both probably died of stab wounds. The bodies of Abigail Folger, 25, a member of a wealthy coffee-manufacturing family, and her boyfriend Voyteck Frykowski, 32, were found sprawled on the lawn outside. Both had been shot. The fifth victim, a man, was found slumped over the wheel of a car with multiple gunshot wounds. Police described a horrific scene at the hilltop house in the wealthy Bel Air district of the city. Some of the bodies had been mutilated, with blood smeared everywhere and the word Pig scrawled on the front door in blood. Police said the phone and electricity lines had been cut. Its believed that Miss Folger and Mr Frykowsky, as well as Mr Sebring, had come from San Francisco to spend the weekend at the house. The bungalow-style property, in an isolated area between Beverly Hills and the San Fernando Valley, is owned by Terry Melcher, son of film star Doris Day. It was being rented by Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate who had recently returned there to have her baby after working in London. Mr Polanski was still in Europe directing his latest film, but left immediately for Los Angeles on hearing the news. Immediately after the discovery of the bodies, police arrested a houseboy, William Garretson, 19, who was living in a guest house behind the house. After five hours of questioning, he was charged with five counts of murder. Sharon Tate began her acting career in the television series, Beverly Hillbillies. She also had parts in the films Valley of the Dolls, the Americanisation of Emily, and The Sandpiper. Courtesy BBC News In context The fifth victim was later identified as Steven Parent, 18, a local boy who had been visiting William Garretson. The bodies of another wealthy couple were found 36 hours later not far from the scene of the Tate murders. Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary had also been brutally murdered in their own home. The crime scene bore striking similarities to the Tate murders. William Garretson was released without charge on the same day. The LAPD were reluctant to link the Tate murders and the LaBianca killings, until mid-October when another similar murder led the police to a hippie group calling itself the Manson family. In January 1971, Charles Manson and three of his followers Susan Atkins, 22, Patricia Krenwinkel, 23 and Leslie Van Houten, 21 were convicted of the Tate-LaBianca murders, after the longest murder trial in US history. They were all sentenced to death, but this was commuted to life imprisonment after California abolished the death penalty in 1972. This summer, the Four Seasons Hotel Macao will present an afternoon tea set at Xiao Ting, collaborating with Helena Rubinstein, a premium skincare brand. Designed with bite-sized delicacies placed on a black and white chessboard, the afternoon tea set features highlights including Avruga Caviar and Eggplant Blinis, which pairs the tender, mild, and earthy sweetness of smoked eggplant with the explosive umami characteristics of caviar, as cited in a statement. Inspired by Southeast Asian flavors, Crab Cake Pate a Choux with Coconut Lime mixes the citrus and aromatic wonders of coconut lime and lemongrass with the savoury delight of crab meat and paste. A masterpiece to behold, Yuzu Meringue Pate Sablee refreshes the palate like a summer breeze. Several lawmakers have decided to make their opinions and suggestions public on the Development Plan for Appropriate Economic Diversification of the Macao Special Administrative Region (2024-2028). The plans public consultation period commenced last Friday. At the Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday, lawmakers Ella Lei, Ma Io Fong, and Ho Ion Sang expressed their opinions on the plan in the time before the agenda of the plenary session. Lawmaker Ella Lei said she had identified several flaws in the plan concerning the lack of a clear path for key industries. This flaw affects all industries in the plan except for the financial sector, which is the only one clearly defined, according to the lawmaker. The consultation text includes several key indicators on the development of adequate diversification of the economy. However, it only uses expressions such as maintaining growth and recorded increases for some projects, lacking clear and measurable indicators, she said. There is still a lack of specific policies and measures and guidance regarding the direction of development for the training and reserve of talent and human resources necessary for the development of different industries. The lawmaker noted the government had dedicated a specific chapter to the financial sector, unlike to other sectors, where the authorities had defined the work plan for the development of teams. The work plan includes information on pre-employment education, training through internships, educational promotion, on-the-job training and professional accreditation. Regarding this, she said the objectives and contents are more specific and allow a clearer vision of the sectors development prospects, the direction of policy and the means of participation. As for the other sectors and industries, Lei said, I hope that this can be taken as a reference to improve the content regarding other sectors, such as the technological innovation sector, instead of simply proposing further training. Also missing from the plan, according to the lawmaker, is information on how the government will promote the professional development and diversification of residents employment choices through practical programs, allowing them to participate in the development of the four main industries. In turn, lawmaker Ma said that in respect of additional training for workers, the increase in quality and improvements to the economic structure depends on education and optimizing conditions and resources at the different education levels. For Ma, qualified staff can be trained in the non-higher education sector by raising professional levels and the capacity of the educational teams as well as the contents in areas such as scientific innovation, noting this is the only way to achieve the healthy and sustainable development of the city and industry. Only then can society enjoy the fruits of adequate diversification of the economy. Ma proposes to revive the technical and professional education system, focusing on the key industries to rapidly attain more qualified local staff. In praise of the plan, Ho noted only the need for the public services to quickly adapt to this great plan by providing more concrete execution plans as well as a timeline for each aspect. Ho also suggested creating a revision and evaluation mechanism to promote the necessary improvements. Japanese technology company SoftBank Group Corp. continued to rack up losses for the fiscal first quarter as technology investments soured amid a market downturn. But SoftBanks April-June red ink, at 477.6 billion yen ($3.4 billion), was smaller than a year ago, when losses totaled 3.16 trillion yen ($22 billion), the Tokyo-based company said yesterday. Losses came from what SoftBank calls its Vision Funds, as well as from other investments including those in telecommunications in Japan. Chief Financial Officer Yoshimitsu Goto struck an upbeat tone, stressing that the environment for technology issues was improving. We must pay attention to the conditions and adjust stepping on the gas pedal, as well as on the brakes on investments accordingly, he told reporters. SoftBank Vision Fund 1 marked a $12.4 billion gain since its inception, while SoftBank Vision Fund 2, set up after the first fund, was still performing at a loss of $18.6 billion, according to SoftBank. Over the latest period, Vision Fund 1 saw the value of its holdings rise in South Korea e-commerce company Coupang and Singaporean technology outfit Grab. That was offset by declines in its portfolio of Didi and other Chinese companies, it said. In SBVF2, the strong performance of American warehouse robotics company Symbotic shares was offset by a decline in WeWork, a U.S. workspace-sharing startup. SoftBank recently announced a joint venture with Symbotic. Goto insisted that the overall performance on the Vision Fund investments was improving. Much of the latest quarterly loss came from the recent declining value of the yen, which negatively impacts Japanese investors, he said. If that were taken out of consideration, investments were basically breakeven, said Goto. Quarterly sales were little changed, edging down nearly 1% to 1.56 trillion yen ($11 billion). The company does not give full year forecasts. SoftBank, which invests in a sprawling array of companies, including British semiconductor and software design company Arm, has tended to suffer during technology downturns. It was also negatively hit by the U.S. banking crisis earlier this year, as well as by uncertainties set off by geopolitical developments like Russias invasion of Ukraine. Still, the technology sector woes around the world appear to be gradually improving, as seen in the rise of shares lately in big names like Amazon, Facebook and Alphabet. SoftBank used to own significant stakes in all three companies but sold them in 2021. SoftBank more recently sold its stake in Uber to ride out hard times, and dramatically reduced its stake in Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce and technology company. SoftBank was founded by Masayoshi Son, a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, who is known as a defiant visionary in a Japanese corporate world dominated by tradition-bound conformists. The billionaire has indicated he intends to turn bullish after a period of being cautious, and lead in investments in artificial intelligence, using the Japanese term for shifting from the defensive to the offensive. One of the companies its investing in is Telexistence, which develops robots that stock shelves at Japanese convenience stores. SoftBank is also planning a U.S. initial public offering of Arm, which should work as a plus for its bottom line. The company offered few details. SoftBank Group Corp. shares rose 1.5% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. YURI KAGEYAMA, TOKYO, MDT/AP The son of two Spanish film stars has been arrested in Thailand on suspicion of murdering and dismembering a Colombian surgeon on a tourist island, police said. Daniel Sancho Bronchalo was taken from Koh Phagnan, where the remains of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga were found, to another island, Samui, where he is being held, Surat Thani provincial police commander Saranyu Chamnanrat said yesterday. Sancho, a chef with a YouTube channel, has been charged with premeditated murder, which carries a possible death penalty, and with concealment of a body to cover up the death, Saranyu said. Details of the killing emerged last week when Thai media reported that plastic bags containing body parts of a man, later identified by police as Arrieta, were found at a landfill on Koh Phagnan, an island famous for its monthly full moon parties. Police said Sancho came in to report a missing person after the body parts were found and was subsequently detained. He later confessed to killing and dismembering Arrieta and then dumping the body parts in the landfill and the sea, although he denied that it was premeditated, police said. His arrest warrant was issued by the Koh Samui Provincial Court on Saturday. Saranyu declined to elaborate when asked about the motive, but said it was likely due to a personal relationship between the suspect and the victim. Thai media have cited police as saying that Sancho, who came to Thailand for a holiday, told the authorities that the two had a romantic relationship and that he tried to break up with the victim but the victim refused. Security camera video broadcast by Thai media reportedly taken a day before the body parts were found showed Sancho and Arrieta on a motorbike together. Regional police chief Surapong Thanomchit told public broadcaster Thai PBS that Sancho was seen buying a knife, garbage bags and cleaning solutions before Arrietas death. Media reports say Sancho is the son of Rodolfo Sancho and Silvia Bronchalo, famous Spanish actors. Sanchos uncle, Felix Sancho, told journalists in Spain that, A little respect for the family is all we ask for, because this is so painful. The Spanish Embassy in Bangkok said it was aware of a crime involving a Spanish man but declined to give further information because of data protection legislation. Colombias Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a statement on its website Sunday thanking the Thai police for their investigation and said it is providing assistance to the family of the victim. MDT/AP Tim Mapes, former chief of staff to House Speaker Michael Madigan, arrives at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Aug. 9, 2023. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) Tim Mapes, the ousted gatekeeper and longtime chief of staff of former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, deliberately lied and misled a federal grand jury because he wanted to protect the boss, a federal prosecutor charged Wednesday. Truth matters, Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur said. The Mapes defense team countered with a far different picture: Mapes did his level best in giving answers during an intimidating grand jury process but simply could not remember details about key questions prosecutors asked about Madigans political association with a top confidant. Besides, a Mapes attorney argued, Madigan jettisoned Mapes in 2018 from the longtime speakers government and political operations, a move that froze him out following a scandal at the height of the national #MeToo movement. The opening statements launched in earnest the closely watched Mapes jury trial, which carries high political stakes. Mapes is the second major Madigan insider to go to trial in the sweeping corruption scandal that led last year to Madigans indictment. Madigans confidant for decades, Michael McClain, already was convicted in the ComEd Four trial this year and is Madigans co-defendant in next years racketeering trial on charges that the once-powerful speaker ran a criminal enterprise. Mapes is accused of lying before a March 2021 federal grand jury investigating the far-reaching Madigan corruption case. Prosecutors allege Mapes lied in response to questions about the tight alliance between Madigan and McClain, a lobbyist and former lawmaker. Mapes sudden exit from the Madigan team shocked Springfield, prompting one Madigan loyalist to testify Wednesday that Mapes departure left him devastated. In presenting the government case, MacArthur contended Mapes perverted the grand jury process and jeopardized the corruption investigation against Madigan with false testimony. [ Former top Michael Madigan aide on trial: What you need to know and whats next for Tim Mapes ] The defendant lied. Not just once but again and again and again, to prevent the grand jury from finding out about Madigans actions, she said. [ ComEd Four bribery trial: What you need to know and whats next ] Mapes and McClain were in deep with Madigan, prosecutors said, indicating it would be implausible to think Mapes wasnt looped in on their plans even after Mapes was unceremoniously cast aside. This was a tight inner circle, including and surrounding Michael Madigan, MacArthur said. Madigan, McClain and Mapes. They shared communications, they relied on each other and they performed tasks for each other over the years. Katie Hill, Mapes attorney, countered that the government has it wrong, saying Mapes did not lie. Jurors likely would not be able to remember, for example, the color of their prom corsage or who won a specific high school ballgame, Hill contended, just like Mapes could not remember details of what happened in conversations a few years ago. Hill said Mapes listened and answered very carefully, saying it was not the time to speculate. This is not the time to guess. But MacArthur contended a series of answers Mapes gave to the grand jury clearly showed he was protecting his longtime boss. That included, MacArthur said, whether McClain had passed along any insight about private meetings with Madigan even after Madigan ousted Mapes in a 2018 scandal. Mapes said that wouldnt happen, which MacArthur told jurors was a lie. And when Mapes was asked if he knew whether McClain performed any sort of tasks or assignments for Madigan in 2017 and 2018, Mapes said, I dont recall. MacArthur contended that was another lie. The defendant, through his answer, falsely stated under oath that he did not remember any anything, MacArthur said. Any. Anything. Hill disputed the allegations, saying prosecutors chose to charge Mapes over a few statements cherry-picked from the grand jury session. Only once during his testimony was Mapes provided with a document or recording that could have refreshed his memory, she said. Hes a 60-something-year-old man, hes being given whats basically a test of memory, hes scared, the environment is terrifying, and hes aware the government has all of this on tape, Hill said. Hill maintained Mapes was limited to what he actually knows and an appearance before a grand jury is not the time to start making assumptions, not the time to start guessing. And while McClain might have told Mapes directly at times about assignments discussed with Madigan, Mapes knew that McClain was prone to exaggerating, Hill said. Someone in Tims position would not have considered what McClain said to be the gospel truth about what Madigan actually said or wanted, Hill said. Tim knew better than to presume he knew anything about those private conversations. Further, Hill maintained Mapes did not always know what Madigan was up to because the then-speaker played his cards close to his vest. But MacArthur countered with Mapes own words. She used a comment that Mapes had made previously to underscore how he viewed his role with Madigan: I always try to protect him, I mean, thats my goal. Its like in marriage. Despite the decades of Mapes and Madigan working closely together, though, Hill maintained the two men were not close friends and confidants. She sought to buttress her point by saying that, once Madigan made Mapes walk the plank in 2018, Madigan ices him out. In 2018, Madigan ousted Mapes within hours of a downstate staffer accusing him of sexual harassment and fostering a culture of sexism, harassment and bullying. Mapes disputed the allegations, but Madigan forced him to leave the prominent roles as chief of staff, House clerk and executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois a trio of powerful positions all aimed at supporting Madigan, the longest-serving lawmaker to run a legislative chamber in American history. Madigan has testified during a deposition in a separate civil case that he told Mapes to resign. The details of the allegations that prompted Mapes departure were not presented to the jury Wednesday. Instead, a prosecutor read a stipulation that Mapes left following allegations of inappropriate workplace professionalism. When Mapes testified before the grand jury in 2021, he was granted immunity on the condition that he would tell the truth, but prosecutors alleged he lied anyway. Prosecutors first witness was former House Majority Leader Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat, who took the stand in part to give jurors a civics lesson about how state government is structured and run. In addition, Harris testified that Madigan and McClain worked closely together and Madigans position as House speaker gave him immense power in the legislative process. Witness Tom Cullen, left, leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse with his attorney, Thomas Anthony Durkin, on Aug. 9, 2023. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) But it was Tom Cullen, the prosecutions second witness, who drew the most attention. Cullen served as a top political guru on Madigans government staff in the 1990s and stayed involved in House Democratic campaigns for years after he began working as a lobbyist. Cullen also acknowledged the close working relationship Mapes had with McClain and Madigan through a variety of government and political duties. Mapes was known to strike fear into staffers, but Cullen testified under prosecution questioning that Mapes was fair but tough. Andrew Porter, a second Mapes attorney, sought to polish Mapes image by asking Cullen if he found Mapes to be a man of integrity. I do, Cullen responded. Moments later, Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Schwartz noted that Cullen was a die-hard supporter of Madigan, too. Your loyalty to Speaker Madigan ran deep, ran for decades, she said. You were willing to protect Speaker Madigan even at times when it led to great personal cost to yourself, isnt that right? Correct, Cullen responded. And, referencing Cullens high opinion of Mapes integrity, Schwartz asked: Were you there in the grand jury when Mr. Mapes testified? I was not, Cullen said. Cullen testified that he received a nontarget letter, meaning he would not be prosecuted in the Mapes case. Sitting quietly at the defense table, Mapes, 68, looked a little grayer and a little balder than in the days when he used to charge through the Illinois House, barking orders at lawmakers and staffers. He faces single counts of perjury and attempted obstruction of justice, the latter charge worth a maximum of 20 years in prison. rlong@chicagotribune.com mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com Carrying huge backpacks and water bottles, tens of thousands of Scouts began arriving at university dormitories, government and corporate training centers, and hotels around Seoul and other inland cities yesterday afternoon as the South Korean government evacuated the World Scout Jamboree ahead of a tropical storm. The South Korean government had scrambled to keep the 12-day gathering of Scouts going in the face of struggles with heat, hygiene and land use controversies, as thousands of British and American Scouts departed over the weekend. It wasnt until Monday afternoon that officials announced the decision to abandon the coastal campsite in the southwestern town of Buan, after forecasters raised alarms that Tropical Storm Khanun was heading toward the Korean Peninsula. The 37,000 Scouts, who hailed from 156 countries and were mostly teenagers, folded up their tents before boarding over 1,000 vehicles for the evacuation. Officials say 656 vehicles have left the campsite as of 4 p.m. Most of the scouts will be accommodated in Seoul and the surrounding area, with others sent to other provinces in the countrys north and central regions. Scouts from Britain, who had transferred to hotels in Seoul over the weekend because of extreme heat at the Jamboree site, visited a war memorial and the former presidential palace. South Korean officials say the Jamboree will continue in the form of cultural events and activities, including a K-Pop concert in Seoul Friday. The provincial government had hoped the event would draw attention and investment to a controversial swath of reclaimed land. Concerns had been raised beforehand about having such large numbers of young people in a vast, treeless area lacking protection from heat as South Korea grappled with one of its hottest summers in years. After the Jamboree began, hundreds of participants were treated for heat-related ailments. The government insisted the event was safe enough to continue and channeled resources to keep the event going, adding medical staff, air-conditioned buses, military shade structures, and hundreds of workers to maintain bathrooms and showers, which some Scouts had complained were filthy or unkempt. Saemangeum is the result of a 19-year project to build a 33-kilometer seawall, which South Korea describes as the worlds longest. Since the wall was finished in 2010, the land the wall helped to reclaim from the sea remained largely barren. Once seen as a major development project for a region lacking an industrial base, its now increasingly viewed as an ecological blunder that wiped out coastal wetlands and hurt fisheries production. Local government officials insist that the project remains key to the regions economic future, despite its failure to deliver on early promises. In a 2018 document describing its successful bid to host, the North Jeolla provincial government wrote that its main reason for hosting the event was to lure badly needed infrastructure investment to the area after initial plans didnt progress as hoped. North Jeolla Province needed a project that could spur the construction of an international airport and other SOC (social overhead capital) investments to further encourage the development of Saemangeums inner areas, provincial officials wrote, using an acronym that refers to infrastructure projects. Local officials continue to pursue plans for new highways, ports and an international airport. The airport was initially supposed to be built for the Jamboree, but construction hasnt started yet. Organizers said the campsite will not be used for any other events after the Scouts leave. Tropical Storm Khanun has meandered around Japans southwestern islands for more than a week, dumping heavy rain, knocking out power and damaging homes. Early yesterday morning, the storm was centered 350 kilometers south of Kagoshima, a city on the southwestern tip of Japans main southern island of Kyushu. Khanun produced winds of 108 kph with gusts to 144 kph and was slowly moving north, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported. South Koreas weather agency, which measured the storm at typhoon strength of 126 kph, expected it to gain strength slightly before making landfall Thursday morning. Its expected to bring strong winds and heavy rains to South Korea from Wednesday to Friday. In an emergency meeting to discuss the storm yesterday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for officials to be aggressive with disaster prevention measures, including evacuations of residents in risk areas, to prevent injuries or deaths. He also said the country will do its utmost to ensure the safety of the Scouts so that they can return home with good memories. South Koreas Ministry of the Interior and Safety instructed local officials to prepare to shut down coastal areas, hiking trails, river parks, underpass tunnels and other places vulnerable to flooding. More than 270 police cars and four helicopters were deployed to escort the buses transporting the Scouts, said Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min. This is the first time in more than 100 years of World Scout Jamborees that we have had to face such compounded challenges, said Ahmad Alhendawi, secretary general of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, who credited South Koreas government of mobilizing all available resources into the relocation effort. Its disappointing that these adverse weather conditions have forced us to shift our plans, he said. KIM TONG-HYUNG, SEOUL, MDT/AP * No room for bullies Bullying and harassment at work concern lawmakers * Crime | Illegal currency exchange operators assault and rob competitor * Events | MIECF to see four symposia this year * AL plenary: Lawmakers identify flaws on diversification plan, point out lack of clear path for key industries * Tourism industry sees increasing number of group tours * Son of Spanish actors arrested on suspicion of killing Colombian in Thailand DOWNLOAD PDF Wednesday, August 9, 2023 edition no. 4304 WASHINGTON Congress responded to the fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio earlier this year with bipartisan alarm, holding a flurry of hearings about the potential for railroad crashes to trigger even larger disasters. Both parties agreed that a legislative response was needed. Yet six months after life was upended in East Palestine, little has changed. While President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have praised a railroad safety bill from Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and JD Vance, a Republican, the Senate proposal has also encountered resistance. Top GOP leaders in Congress have been hesitant to support it, and the bill has faced some opposition from the railroad industry, which holds significant sway in Washington. As a result, it remains an open question whether the derailment that shattered life in East Palestine will become a catalyst for action. And for Republicans, the fight poses a larger test of political identity, caught between their traditional support for industry and their desire to champion voters in rural America. These rail lines pass frequently through Republican areas, small towns with a lot of Republican voters, Vance said. How can we look them in the eye and say, were doing a good job by you? If we choose the railroads over their own interests, we can't. Federal regulators said in a new report Wednesday that while Norfolk Southern has made improvements since the derailment, it still falls well short of being the "gold standard for safety" it is striving to be. Instead, the railroad is too often only willing to meet minimum safety requirements, according to the 143-page report by the Federal Railroad Administration on the companys safety culture. The report also says poor communication and mistrust between employees and managers are hindering efforts to improve safety. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said the railroad will keep working on improvements it announced in March while trying to address the regulators' recommendations. In East Palestine, a village of approximately 5,000 people near the Pennsylvania state line, the railroad has reopened both its tracks in the area but the cleanup continues. Norfolk Southern estimates that its response to the derailment will cost at least $803 million to remove all the hazardous chemicals, help the community and deal with lawsuits and penalties related to the derailment. But residents still worry about the long-term health effects. Many are looking to Congress to act, hoping it will prevent another community from enduring the trauma, fear and upheaval they have endured. Jami Wallace, who has lived in East Palestine for 46 years along with her extended family, has helped lead a community group called the Unity Council to represent residents concerns and push for government action. If our legislators dont take East Palestine as an example of some of the reforms that need to be in the regulations that need to be put on, you know, the railroad industry, then theyre fools, Wallace said. Again, we dont want to suffer for nothing. Rail labor groups say the widespread cuts the industry has made in the name of efficiency in recent years have made railroads riskier, so they believe reforms are needed to reduce the more than 1,000 derailments that happen every year because just one can be disastrous. There have been more than 60 high-profile derailments since East Palestine, including multiple in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Montana," said the Transportation Trades Department coalition that includes all the rail unions. Through it all, freight rail companies have maintained their fundamental disregard for public safety. Safety is just a buzzword to the railroads. Vance, a freshman senator who rose to conservative fame with his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy, said he is counting on a few more Republican senators to back the bill before it comes to a vote. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has already placed the bill at the top of the agenda for the fall. But both Vance and Brown acknowledge their legislation faces an even steeper climb in the Republican-controlled House. GOP leaders there want to wait until the National Transportation Safety Board completes its investigation of the derailment which will likely not happen until next year before taking action. The NTSB in a preliminary report found fault with an overheated wheel bearing. But a contingent of Ohio House lawmakers, led by Democrat Rep. Emilia Sykes and Republican Rep. Bill Johnson, whose district includes East Palestine, want action now. Lets hit while the iron is hot, Johnson said. Both the House and Senate bills would increase fines for safety violations, require more inspections and increase the number of trackside detectors that monitor for overheated wheel bearings. In one significant difference, the Senate bill would require that most freight trains have two-person crews, while the House bill would not. Railroads have spoken out against the two-person crew requirement and urged Congress to wait for the final NTSB investigation to pass any new regulations. The industry has also stepped up its lobbying this year. In the first three months of 2023, industry groups spent a combined $7.1 million on lobbying a roughly $1.8 million increase from the $5.3 million it spent in the previous three months. The railroads say there isnt any data to show one-person crews are riskier than two-person crews. They also point out that the East Palestine train actually had three crew members aboard when it derailed. Sen. John Thune, who is currently the Republican whip but in 2003 and 2004 worked as a lobbyist for Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad, said in a Senate committee debate that it was important to hold Norfolk Southern, whose train derailed on Feb. 3, accountable for the derailment. He also voiced support for pragmatic reforms." But Thune ultimately opposed the bill from Vance and Brown and cautioned against the cost of regulation on railroads. There is not much in the proposed legislation that would address the derailment in East Palestine based on what we know so far, Thune said. Photos: A look at the aftermath of the Ohio train derailment KYIV, Ukraine Ukrainian officials on Tuesday accused the Kremlin's forces of targeting rescue workers by hitting residential buildings with two consecutive missiles the first one to draw crews to the scene and the second one to wound or kill them. The strikes Monday evening in the downtown district of the city of Pokrovsk killed nine people and wounded more than 80 others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. According to Ukrainian authorities, one of those killed was an emergency official, and most of those wounded were police officers, emergency workers and soldiers who rushed to assist residents. The Russian missiles slammed into the center of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region, which is partially occupied by Russia. Emergency crews were still removing rubble Tuesday. The Iskander missiles, which have an advanced guidance system that increases their accuracy, hit within 40 minutes of each other, according to Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko. Since the start of the war, Russia used artillery and missiles to hit targets and then struck the exact same spot about 30 minutes later, often hitting emergency teams responding to the first blast. The tactic is called a "double tap" in military jargon. Russians used the same method in Syria's civil war. "All of (the police) were there because they were needed, putting their efforts into rescuing people after the first strike," Ivan Vyhivskyi, chief of Ukraine's National Police, said Tuesday. "They knew that under the rubble were the injured they needed to react, to dig, to retrieve, to save. And the enemy deliberately struck the second time." Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed it hit a Ukrainian army command post in Pokrovsk. Neither side's claims could be independently verified. Among those injured was Volodymyr Nikulin, a police officer originally from the now Russian-occupied port city of Mariupol. Arriving at the scene after the first missile strike, Nikulin was wounded in the second strike when shrapnel pierced his left lung and left hand. "Today is not my happy day because Russian criminals committed another awful crime in Pokrovsk," he said in a video he sent to The Associated Press from a hospital ward. In the video, he is seen lying on a bed shirtless, with dried blood on his side and covering his left hand. He moves with pain to show his wounds. Pointing his camera to show other wounded security forces in the ward, he says: "Look, these are Ukrainian heroes who helped (injured) people." He told the National Police in a video that he feared a second strike but went to help anyway. There were so many injured at the hospital that Nikulin was still waiting for surgery on Tuesday morning. He was later transported to a hospital in Dnipro, where he was to have the shrapnel removed. Nikulin already witnessed some of the war's horrors. He helped an AP team escape after Russian troops that besieged Mariupol entered the downtown area. He was featured in the award-winning documentary "20 Days in Mariupol," a joint project between The Associated Press and PBS "Frontline" about the earliest phase of the invasion of Mariupol. In a statement, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, described Monday's attack as "absolutely ruthless" and said it was "a serious breach" of international law and violated "any principle of humanity." Since the beginning of Russia's invasion in February 2022, Ukraine's State Emergency Service saw 78 of its employees killed and 280 wounded while responding to Russian missile strikes, according to agency spokesperson Col. Oleksandr Khorunzhyi. Ukrainian officials say rescuers are protected by international conventions, as they are providing humanitarian assistance and are not engaged in combat operations. The head of the Pokrovsk city administration, Serhii Dobriak, described the attacks as "a typical Russian scenario," with 30 to 40 minutes between missiles. "When rescuers come to save people's lives, another rocket arrives. And the number of casualties increases," he said in a video comment to local media. Kyrylenko, the regional governor, said that 12 multistory buildings were damaged in Pokrovsk, as well as a hotel, a pharmacy, two stores and two cafes. The roof of one building was partially demolished, and rubble filled the sidewalk outside. Across the road, a children's playground was wrecked. Russian missiles, drones and artillery repeatedly struck civilian areas in the war. The Kremlin says its forces target only military assets and claims other damage is caused by debris from Ukrainian air defenses. Meanwhile, an overnight attack on the town of Kruhliakivka, in the northeastern Kharkiv region, killed three people and injured nine others, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. Russia also dropped four guided bombs on a village near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, killing two civilians, Ukraine's presidential office said. Rescuers later came under fire, and two of them were wounded, it said. Also on Tuesday, Russian-installed authorities of the Donetsk region accused Kyiv's forces of shelling the region's namesake capital and killing three people. The Moscow-appointed leader of the Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, said Ukrainian shelling of the Russian-held city of Donetsk also wounded 11. Photos: Russia bombards Ukraine's port city of Odesa, hitting beloved historic sites MONTPELIER, Vt. A beloved bookstore in Vermont's small capital city moved across the street to a new spot farther from the Winooski River after an ice jam sent river water into the store in 1992. A nearby office supply and gift store did the same in 2011 because it liked a different space that came with a bonus: it was higher and farther from the river. But their moves to higher ground weren't enough to save them from flooding after torrential rains in July caused what some saw as the state's worst natural disaster since a 1927 flood that killed dozens of people and caused widespread destruction. Some communities suffered more severe flood damage this year than when Tropical Storm Irene ravaged the small, mountainous state in 2011. I think most people in this area were very concerned about climate change, but we also pretty much thought we were a little safer here because we had not really suffered the drastic events that some other parts of the country have," said Rob Kasow, co-owner of Bear Pond Books. But I think now weve been a little disabused of the notion that Vermont is safe from climate change. Now the mostly gutted shops, restaurants and businesses that lend downtown Montpelier its charm are considering where and how to rebuild in an era when extreme weather is occurring more often. Vermont's flooding was just one of several major flood events around the world this summer that scientists have said are becoming more likely due to climate change. Its definitely going to happen again, said Lauren Oates of the Nature Conservancy of Vermont. Its not a question of if, but when and how bad next time. Two people died in the flooding. More than 4,000 homes and 800 businesses reported damage, though officials expect those numbers to rise as the damage is tallied. Many communities in Vermont small, rural and mountainous grew up in valleys where the rivers were needed to move goods. Hundreds of years later, that means roads and waterways often lie close to each other, State Climatologist Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux said. That's a piece thats not going to change soon, Dupigny-Giroux said. "But I think in terms of development, in terms of settlement, in terms of what do we do in relation to those roads and rivers is something we need to start thinking about really really closely so that we can be a little bit more proactive. After Irene, Vermont spent heavily in rebuilding roads, bridges and other infrastructure to better withstand future floods. But much of July's rains fell elsewhere, and officials say more such work is needed around the state. Oates, of the Nature Conservancy, said thoughtful planning is needed to simply give rivers more room to flood, too. A lot more still needs to be done if we're going to continue to have our towns and villages alongside our rivers to make sure we're all better prepared, to make sure our rivers have more space to move and release all of their potential energy as well as their volume, Oates said. The storms dumped up to two months of rain in two days in Vermont, causing the river to overflow into basements and first floors of Montpelier businesses and homes, and covered the historic downtown in waist-high water. The rains ripped out blacktop and washed out dirt roads to cut off some areas while inundating communities in southern Vermont. After the water receded in Montpelier, a city of 8,000, those in its creative and vibrant downtown found themselves taking stock after many had only recently started to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. Some are still paying off loans that got them through that. Most did not have flood insurance. At Bear Pond Books, scores of soaked books lay in mud, silt and debris on the floor after the flood. Volunteers and staff helped to pull the damaged books into a large pile and shovel out the mud. As at other businesses, the wall boards and flooring were removed to prevent mold. After being hit by Irene and COVID-19, Kasow described the latest disaster as sort of like a dull exhaustion. Retirement just keeps getting farther away, he said. It does sap your energy to constantly have to rebuild every couple of years or reinvent or reinvest, Kasow said. Many businesses said they planned to reduce their vulnerability to future floods by moving utilities upstairs and no longer using their basements for storage. Some may move to other spaces altogether. That includes Jenny Sebold, owner of Rebel Heart clothing and gift store and Pink Shutter Flowers, who called it devastating to see her businesses gutted. Last week, she pulled out a last bit of insulation already bearing the black marks of mold and peered through a hole in the wall. She could see the river through another hole in the floor. The state has made $20 million in grants available to businesses looking to rebuild, capped at $20,000 each. Republican Gov. Phil Scott said he knows that's not enough money to help everyone. The businesses aren't eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency funding but several fundraising events are planned and GoFundMe sites have appeared. Experts warn that the recovery filing paperwork and pursuing insurance, finding contractors can be more stressful than the immediate response to the disaster. Sebold is already feeling that stress as she tries to keep her floral design business going without a space. I'm doing like 20 times the amount of work to make a fraction of the money but I have to do all of it, she said. And I need to fill out paperwork and I need to go to this meeting and I need to do insurance claims and I need to be ready when they say that that's happening. So it's like being a triage nurse but everyone's missing a limb and everyone is bleeding out at the same time. Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Vermont #1. Franklin County #14. Windsor County #13. Essex County #12. Windham County #11. Orange County #10. Bennington County #9. Chittenden County #8. Addison County #7. Washington County #5. Lamoille County #4. Rutland County #3. Grand Isle County #2. Orleans County National and state GOP groups have asked to join a recent lawsuit to defend Wisconsins absentee ballot rules such as witness signature requirements and the state Supreme Courts 2022 ruling barring the use of absentee ballot drop boxes. The Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Wisconsin on Tuesday filed a motion to intervene in the case, which was filed late last month by liberal-leaning groups who allege three of the states absentee voting rules violate the Wisconsin Constitution and disenfranchise voters. While Democrats attempt to undo common sense voting measures like requiring witness signatures on absentee ballots, we will continue to fight back against Democrat efforts to undermine safeguards every step of the way, Brian Schimming, chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said in a statement. Having safeguards in our elections should be a bipartisan issue; Wisconsinites in every corner of the state want fair and transparent elections. The lawsuit, filed in Dane County Circuit Court against the Wisconsin Elections Commission, could ultimately decide voting rules in the pivotal battleground state ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Circuit Court Judge Chris Taylor has scheduled a motion hearing for Oct. 31. The national and state GOP parties write in the motion they are uniquely qualified to represent the mirror image interests of the plaintiffs. If the motion to intervene is granted, the plaintiffs, which also include Republican parties in Rock and Walworth counties, would join the side of the state elections commission, a bipartisan agency that has become a regular target among Republicans since the 2020 election. While the GOP groups seek similar results in the lawsuit, the organizations and state elections commission have fundamentally different interests, the motion states. Even if both Movants and the Commission shared an interest defending the voting rules, the Commission cannot be expected to defend the rules with the vehemence of someone who is directly affected by the result, the GOP groups write. If the lawsuit reaches the states highest court, it would be taken up by a Wisconsin Supreme Court that shifted to a new 4-3 liberal majority when Justice Janet Protasiewicz was sworn in last week. Those laws protect Wisconsins elections and allow voters, groups, and candidates alike to trust and navigate the democratic process, the motion states. Movants have interests in the rules and procedures governing Wisconsins elections, and they respectfully request that this Court allow them to intervene in this case so they may protect those interests. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including liberal-leaning organizations Priorities USA and the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, who are represented in the case by Elias Law Group, have argued in court filings the absentee voting rules create unnecessary barriers for voters, particularly the elderly and those with disabilities, and violate the Wisconsin Constitution. Previous campaign cycles have put a much-needed spotlight on the blatant attempts to use restricted access to absentee voting as a means of voter suppression, Aneesa McMillan, deputy executive director of Priorities USA, said last month. As a result of this, vulnerable communities, including people of color, face extraordinary barriers to casting their ballots. In the motion, state and national Republicans say changing Wisconsins absentee voting rules could confuse voters and undermine confidence in the electoral process, potentially making it less likely that Republicans will vote in future elections. And those changes would require Movants to spend substantial resources communicating to their voters any election process changes resulting from the litigations disposition on the eve of elections season and fighting confusion and galvanizing participation, the groups state in the motion. Bank Your Vote The motion to intervene comes just weeks after state and national Republicans launched a statewide push to encourage early voting in next years presidential race. Wisconsins Bank Your Vote initiative, which mirrors a similar effort launched by the RNC nationwide in early June, comes after years of GOP-fueled distrust in the states electoral process primarily in absentee voting driven largely by former President Donald Trump, who continues to make baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him. A September 2022 Marquette Law School Poll found that, among likely voters, 86% of Democrats and 12% of Republicans were very confident the votes in Wisconsins 2020 presidential election were accurately cast and counted. Those numbers include independents who lean Democratic or Republican. Sixty-two percent of Republicans were not too confident or not at all confident in the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin, compared with 6% of Democrats, according to the poll. Elections 101: Video series explains how elections are carried out in Wisconsin The Wisconsin Elections Commission put together the following series of instructional videos and accompanying lesson plans for use in high school civics classes and the general public. Elections overview An overview of elections administration in Wisconsin. Voting Security Let's take a look at how we maintain security and integrity with all of our elections. Nuts and bolts The ins-and-outs of voter processes like registering to vote and requesting a ballot to vote absentee. A Day at the Polls See what it is like to go to the polls and vote. Keep Our Republic is a bipartisan civic education organization raising awareness of the risks to our democratic elections and promoting trust in the strength of our republic and its institutions. As a member of the organizations Wisconsin Advisory Council, I want to propose four principles for our elections: Ensure election integrity so ineligible people are not voting. Encourage the maximum number of eligible people to vote. Debate openly and thoroughly any issues that come up in elections. Abide by the results of free and fair elections, whether we like those results or not. If the American public has confidence that my first principle is being followed, it will be easier for them to embrace the other three. Indeed, the first is the anchor for the others. Three respected Wisconsin entities did serious investigations of the integrity of the November 2020 election in Wisconsin. They are the Legislative Audit Bureau, the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative-leaning law firm. They examined such concerns as computer hacking, ghost voters, invisible watermarks on ballots, counting of absentee ballots and more. All concluded there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. The problem is that too many of our fellow citizens do not believe this evidence. We should acknowledge that no election is completely problem-free and without attempts by a few to vote illegally. But we have no reason to believe these elections were rigged or corrupt or manipulated by election officials to favor one side or the other. So why is that feeling so widespread in some quarters? Because we have way too many politicians and interest groups intentionally misleading their constituents about election integrity when they know better. And why is that? Because they have reached the sad conclusion that this is the best way for them to get and maintain power. The prey on peoples fears and insecurities, stoking their anxieties about nefarious plots by evil operators to victimize them by thwarting their choice of political leaders. The message, coming now and again from both sides of the aisle, is that election results are not to be trusted, except of course for elections they win. This is cynical, selfish and unpatriotic behavior that undermines faith in democracy. So how can voters determine the facts of elections in our post-factual era? They can listen to their fellow local citizens who know the most about elections on the ground county and municipal clerks. These officials live in the areas they serve. They are dedicated to running elections as efficiently and fairly as possible. They take that job very seriously. They carry it out in the best interest not of any party, but of the residents in their districts and our democracy as a whole. If they are accused of putting their thumbs on the scale of an election, by all means lets look into the accusation. But lets be careful to weigh the partisan self-interest of the accuser as we do. Lets make every effort to examine both sides of the argument and to seek evidence from reputable third-party sources. Thats a patriotic obligation we share as Americans. If we want to avoid putting party over country and we all should we should want as many Americans as possible to vote if they are eligible. Parties in a democracy are corrupt when they try to suppress legitimate voting as their route to winning elections. Instead, they should seek to win over more voters to their positions or, if necessary, find better candidates and rethink their positions. Attempting to discourage folks from voting is, in the long run, a losing strategy. President George W. Bush recognized that when he reached out to Latinx voters with his brand of compassionate conservatism. The diverse population in the United States is growing, and over time more diverse people will inevitably be voting. As they do, they will likely remember which politicians and parties helped them get to the ballot box, and which tried to turn them away. I happen to be a Democrat. When Democrats cannot muster enough votes to win, they should lose, and get right back to work on the next election. I hope more Americans of both parties will join me in that view. Lets reaffirm our confidence in the will of the American people so it reflects the bold confidence of our Founding Fathers as they faced an uncertain future with all the limitations of their 18th century worldview. As Benjamin Franklin said, in words that are now the motto of the Keep Our Republic group: Sell not liberty to purchase power. Heeding that exhortation, we can get on with building our democracy together. TWIN FALLS U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo walked into the Medical Office Pharmacy on Cheney Drive wearing a pair of worn brown cowboy boots. Fittingly, Crapo showed up to kick back against the often overwhelming cost of prescription drugs in Idaho, specifically, but also nationally where about three in 10 Americans say they havent taken medicine as prescribed in the last 12 months because of cost, according to new polling this month from KFF. With state Sen. Julie VanOrden, R-Pingree, at his side, Crapo led a Tuesday conversation with Magic Valley pharmacists and mental health professionals detailing legislation he described as a major step forward in a years-long fight to cut into profits of the $500 billion-plus pharmacy benefit manager industry that continues to jeopardize the viability of the crucial community pharmacy model. The Modernizing and Ensuring PBM Accountability Act spearheaded by Crapo and Oregons Ron Wyden, his Democratic ally on the Senate Finance Committee, and approved out of committee by a 26-1 vote last month would address misaligned incentives in the pharmaceutical supply chain and lower prescription drug costs for patients, according to analysis from the Association of American Medical Colleges. The cost of prescription drugs is a pressure on probably every family in the United States and, in many cases, a very, very serious pressure, said Crapo, who was in Twin Falls after speaking at the Mini-Cassia Chamber of Commerces monthly luncheon earlier in the day in Burley. Its a question that we have to deal with as we deal with our rising, our skyrocketing, health care costs. But, he cautioned, It is extremely complicated. Thats because, with any significant change, PBMs stand to lose money, Crapo said. The industry, created some 60 years ago to serve as an intermediary between drug manufacturers and insurance providers, has become dominated by three companies that control about 90% of the market, according to industry analysis: Express Scripts (Cigna), Caremark (CVS Health) and Optum Rx (United Health Group). Quote The cost of prescription drugs is a pressure on probably every family in the United States and, in many cases, a very, very serious pressure. Sen. Mike Crapo The companies combined profits have grown by more than 430% since 2012, to $27.6 billion last year, according to industry data. Our legislation takes aim at a wide range of problematic PBM practices, from inappropriate patient steering to opaque and unreasonable network contracts, Crapo told the assembled health care professionals. With respect to steering, PBM-owned specialty pharmacies have come to dominate that market, enabling pharmacy benefit managers to game and distort dispensing rules to divert a growing portion of prescriptions from independent pharmacies and toward their business affiliates. Our bill helps to curb this practice by establishing clear criteria for drugs that PBMs can subject to these narrow and ever-changing dispensing restrictions, as well as by boosting oversight through reporting requirements and ensuring that any pharmacy can access a Part D plan or a PBMs special dispensing rules at any time. He added, We would also require PBMs to report regularly on the share of prescriptions dispensed through their affiliated pharmacies, which would help to identify and take action against inappropriate patient steering. Which, to be clear, violates the letter of the law. Crapo said he and Wyden hope to bring final legislation to the floor within weeks, not months and get this bill through the Senate this year. 'No other place' than Idaho: Rural medical program aims to boost physician ranks After completing school and serving a deployment, Jordan Richter says he'll practice as a doctor in Idaho, which has long ranked among the lowest numbers of physicians per capita. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores, which represents traditional drug stores, supermarkets and mass merchants with pharmacies, praised the legislation and pledged to support the committees work to best safeguard patients and their pharmacies. Polling shows that 79% of Idaho adults say pharmacists are credible sources of information about how to save money on prescription drugs ranking them the highest in this area, NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson said in a statement to the Times-News on Wednesday. The pharmacy community will live up to this trust and help advance reforms crucial for patients throughout Idaho and across America. VanOrden, who chairs the Senate Health & Welfare Committee, hopes the federal legislation brought forward by Crapo and Wyden will serve as a playbook of sorts for Idaho to step into its own fight with PBMs. Asked to describe Idahoans struggle with rising prescription costs, VanOrden told the Times-News, Its become a lot more, just in the last little while. She added, The path down this road, the connecting-the-dots piece, is pretty hard. But I think with Sen. Crapos legislation, you can start unraveling that to the point where you can see where you could run legislation in this state that would address some of these high costs to help our citizens. With six in 10 adults taking at least one prescription medicine, and about a quarter of Americans taking four or more, according to KFF, a national non-profit and non-partisan organization focused on health policy, VanOrden stressed affordability. We need to help our citizens, by lowering those costs, she said. Then theyll stay on their medication. If they dont have to pay a fortune for it, if its accessible and attainable for them, theyll stay on it. We wont see them in emergency rooms and you wont see complications with them down the road. As Crapo and VanOrden stood talking in a small group following Tuesdays conversation inside the local pharmacy, one man in the group blurted, PBMs are the biggest organized crime there is. Those are fighting words. Theres a lot of opposition to this, to changing this system, said Crapo, responding to a question from the Times-News. This system creates a lot of money for those who benefit from it There will be a fight over this. 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. Idaho, Wyoming senators introduce small business act U.S. Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, introduced a bill this week aimed at helping small businesses, farmers and ranchers to purchase needed equipment and supplies to build their operations and support employees. The Small Business Growth Act would reduce taxes for businesses seeking to purchase equipment, from tools to office furniture to commercial vehicles, creating financial flexibility for employee salaries, materials and other business-related expenditures, according to a joint news release from the senators. The Gem State is filled with phenomenal small businesses that keep our state running, Risch said in the release. With the Small Business Growth Act, Congress will incentivize small businesses to invest in new equipment by allowing those businesses to deduct these purchases from their taxes. I am committed to helping Idahos small businesses thrive, and the Small Business Growth Act will help businesses today and far into the future. The co-sponsors of the legislation were Republican Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Mike Braun of Indiana. Also: Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and Rep. Russ Fulcher were among a group of legislators who introduced recent legislation requiring U.S. Customs and Border Protection to return hours of operations at northern ports including Porthill in northern Idaho to match or exceed pre-pandemic hours. The Idaho Republican Party will host an unforgettable evening with former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Melaleuca Event Center in Idaho Falls. For additional information and tickets, go online at . Water experts and public officials across the state presented challenges, success stories and solutions regarding Idahos water supply at the Governors Water Summit this week at the Idaho Capitol in Boise. Officials recognized that water levels in Idaho are in decline, and some of the main challenges they discussed at the summit included population growth, outdated water infrastructure and climate change. Tyler Palmer, the deputy city supervisor for the Public Works and Services department in Moscow, said that since 1935, water levels in the Palouse region have been consistently declining. And while the rate of decline has decreased, the fact of the matter is its still declining a half a foot each year. And many regions including North Idaho, the Wood River Valley and the Treasure Valley are experiencing a similar decline. However, multiple agencies from the local, state and federal level are working to provide funds to improve water infrastructure that will maintain Idahos water supply. Since taking office in 2019, Idaho Gov. Brad Little and the Idaho Legislature approved more than $1 billion in funding for water-related infrastructure projects. Through Littles Leading Idaho and Idaho First plan, the Idaho Water Resource Board a group of water experts appointed by the governor to manage water resources and financing the group has received nearly $450 million to modernize outdated water infrastructure across the state. Population growth and water supply According to a report conducted by Veolia water, the Treasure Valley alone is expected to more than double its population by 2065. With a growing population, local water experts expressed concern that development has on the water supply. District 63 watermaster, Mike Meyers, said the Treasure Valley is seeing the beginning of a trend where drains are drying up and water districts are losing water supply in the Boise River equivalent to 234,000 acre feet of water a year. As we put concrete houses and sprinklers, we dont get that return into the aquifer, he told the Sun. And so that is what keeps me up at night that the more we concrete things, the less returns well have. So are we one year away or are we five years ago from those drains going to zero and having shallow aquifers? Meyers said constantly monitoring water levels is the most pressing need to improve the state of Idahos water supply. He said he is hopeful that new programs with real-time monitoring levels will help maintain Idahos water levels. Meyers said the collaboration between cities, irrigation districts and municipalities stood out to him and gives him hope for Idahos water supply. Like Meyers, Lanie Paquin, a deputy area manager at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, told the Idaho Capital Sun in an interview that the diverse discussions at Mondays summit are a step to keep Idahos water supply safe. What Im struck with today is the value in bringing all different perspectives together, she said. That is the only way the community of water users, which covers everyone, can move forward when we have different challenges that were facing. Paquin said that Idaho faces a diverse set of challenges, but at the Bureau of Reclamation, she said her main concern is aging infrastructure. From the Reclamations perspective, were very much in tune to aging infrastructure, so making sure that we can maintain the infrastructure from early in the 1900s, she said. Also, the pressures that come along with population growth present really interesting challenges, but theyre ones we have to figure out. Paquin said with urbanization and population growth, water managers are going to have to implement timely and costly solutions to augment Idahos water supply. But she is encouraged to see state in federal investments in Idahos water supply, noting that with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Idaho has received nearly $50 million in Idaho water projects. We are true conservationists Idaho Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke told the Idaho Capital Sun that Mondays summit was a reminder that Idahos water supply is limited. Were not necessarily in crisis mode at this point, but thats what we want to avoid and its the decisions we make now that will help us avoid crises in the future, he said in an interview. Theres not one area in the state that is immune to these problems. Bedke said the states economic future depends on its better practices to augment the water supply. Were not creating more water, but were using what we have better, he said. Like Bedke, Little thanked experts for their participation and insight at the summit. The governor said he hopes Idaho will maintain its water sovereignty, referencing states like California and Colorado where the federal government has mandated water supply standards. We really need to put a lot of our differences behind, and lets take advantage of what we learned today, he said. Our policies in Idaho demonstrate that we are true conservationists. These people are moving here because of what Idaho looks like, and how we manage water is going to be incredibly important going forward. Tim Mapes, a key member of former House Speaker Michael Madigans inner circle for years, faces perjury charges stemming from his grand jury appearance. Mapes was assured he would not be charged as long as he told the truth to a federal grand jury. But he allegedly blew it. According to prosecutors, Mapes lied repeatedly in his March 31, 2021, grand jury testimony in an ill-fated attempt to protect his longtime boss, claiming he couldnt recall anything relevant about Madigans relationship with Michael McClain, the speakers longtime confidant at the center of the probe. McClain was also convicted in a related case in May on bribery conspiracy charges involving a scheme by utility giant Commonwealth Edison to win the speakers influence over legislation in Springfield. [ ComEd Four bribery trial: What you need to know ] Follow our writers Megan Crepeau and Ray Long for the latest news and see coverage throughout the trial below. Federal prosecutors are expected to rest their case in chief Friday in the perjury trial of Tim Mapes, the former chief of staff to Democratic Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan accused of lying to a federal grand jury investigating his boss. Prosecutors have so far presented 15 witnesses and dozens of wiretapped phone conversations, emails, and other documents in an effort to prove that Mapes was lying when he said he was unaware that Madigans longtime confidant, Michael McClain, was doing sensitive assignments for the speaker even after retiring from lobbying in 2016. Read more here. Nancy Kimme, left, with Gov. Bruce Rauner and first lady Diana Rauner as they attend a memorial service honoring longtime state leader Judy Baar Topinka on Dec. 17, 2014. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) Efforts to transfer a state-owned parcel of land in Chinatown that are at the heart of the racketeering charges against former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan got their first airing in a federal courtroom Thursday, where Madigans former chief of staff, Tim Mapes, is on trial for allegedly lying to the federal grand jury leading the probe. Republican lobbyist Nancy Kimme testified that fellow lobbyist Michael McClain first reached out to her about the Chinatown project in late 2017, and that she later met at then-25th Ward Ald. Daniel Solis West Side office with McClain, Solis and the developers seeking to turn a parking lot into a hotel complex. Read more here. Lou Lang seen in 2014. (Abel Uribe, Chicago Tribune) Former state Rep. Lou Lang, who has previously said he was granted a non-target letter from the U.S. attorneys office in exchange for his cooperation, is expected to take the witness stand Wednesday following the continued testimony of another Madigan insider, lobbyist Will Cousineau. Lang was forced to resign at Michael Madigans behest in 2018 after sexual harassment allegations surfaced that he vehemently denied. The Skokie Democrat who once considered himself a contender to replace Madigan as speaker testified five months ago for the prosecution at the ComEd Four trial, which ended in May with the convictions of McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Prammagiore, lobbyist John Hooker, and consultant and former City Club of Chicago head Jay Doherty. Read more here. Federal prosecutors on Tuesday began playing the audio of Tim Mapes 2021 testimony before a federal grand jury in which he allegedly lied to protect his longtime boss, the once powerful Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan. The playing of Mapes testimony is offering a rare public glimpse into normally secret grand jury proceedings, not only lifting the veil on some of the ways large-scale investigations proceed but also providing some of the cat-and-mouse that goes on between prosecutors and witnesses. Read more here. House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago right, talks with his Chief of Staff Tim Mapes after convening the House May 31, 2012 at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune) Former House Speaker Michael Madigan has long been known as The Velvet Hammer for the way he quietly wielded power. But in a federal courtroom Monday, the man once considered Illinois most powerful politician may have been given a new moniker: Don Madigan. Read more here. In his heyday, Tim Mapes, diminutive but domineering, was feared in Springfield. He threatened staffers jobs and screamed orders on the House floor in his capacity as powerhouse Democrat Michael Madigans trusted lieutenant. Formal investigations all but called Mapes conduct dictatorial. But youd never guess that by looking at Mapes last week, sitting meekly and respectfully between his two lawyers in the solemn setting of a federal courtroom. He is a little balder, a little grayer these days. His demeanor at the defense table is painstakingly placid. But federal charges accuse him of doing in the grand jury what he did without penalty for decades in Springfield: shielding the boss, Madigan of Chicago. Read more here. State Rep. Bob Rita departs after testifying in the perjury trial of Tim Mapes, former chief of staff to House Speaker Michael Madigan, on Aug. 10, 2023, at Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, was on the witness stand Thursday for the second time this year in one of the sweeping federal cases tied to Madigan and his Democratic allies. Asked on Thursday to describe the former power structure at the top of the Illinois House, Rita drew a triangle in the air above him. At the highest point, he said, was Michael Madigan. Then, moving his hands to the lower corners of the triangle, on either side were Madigans chief of staff Tim Mapes the gatekeeper and Madigans confidant, powerhouse lobbyist Michael McClain. Read more here. Tim Mapes, former chief of staff to House Speaker Michael Madigan, arrives with his attorneys at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Aug. 9, 2023, to face federal perjury charges. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) In the opening statement to jurors Wednesday, a federal prosecutor ripped into Tim Mapes, ousted chief of staff of former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, calling him a deliberate liar who misled a grand jury to protect the boss. The Mapes defense team countered that the former insider, long at the center of power in Springfield, simply could not remember the details about key questions prosecutors asked him and that he did his level best to give full and honest answers. Read more here. Opening statements in the perjury trial of Democratic insider Tim Mapes are finally set to begin Wednesday, when prosecutors are expected to outline allegations that he lied to a federal grand jury to protect his powerful former boss, ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan. Jurors were chosen Tuesday afternoon after a longer-than-expected selection process. U.S. District Judge John Kness originally had expressed hopes that attorneys could present their opening remarks as early as Monday. In all, 56 prospective jurors were interviewed before the final 12 were chosen along with three alternates. The trial is expected to last up to three weeks. The jury includes an ultrasound technician, a meteorologist for a local TV station and a man who volunteered to pass out campaign signs for Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas. Read more here. Tim Mapes, center, former chief of staff to House Speaker Michael Madigan, arrives at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Aug. 7, 2023, for the first day of his trial to face federal perjury charges. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) The federal perjury trial of former Springfield insider Tim Mapes was bound to highlight the tight-knit nature of Illinois politics and the fierce opinions it engenders. That became clear even during jury selection: One prospective juror said he is close friends with a former state representative. Two worked for AT&T, a company caught up in the widespread corruption scandal related to powerful former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan. Then there was the potential juror who wrote in her questionnaire that Madigan, Mapes ex-boss, could not be trusted. Further, she wrote, she hopes Madigan and all his friends go to jail. She was dismissed shortly afterward. In all, 22 people made it past the first round of cuts Monday as prosecutors and defense lawyers sifted through the potential jurors. The process is slated to continue Tuesday morning. Opening statements are expected to begin after attorneys have selected 12 jurors along with alternates. Read more here. Tim Mapes, second from right, former chief of staff to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, arrives at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Aug. 7, 2023, for the first day of his federal perjury trial. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) His trial is being closely watched by many Illinois power brokers, from Michael Madigan-connected lobbyists to current and former legislators who for years were beholden to Tim Mapes due to his unique access to the speaker and his Democratic political spoils. Read more here. Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, left, walks with his chief of staff Tim Mapes in the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on May 29, 2015. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune) Tim Mapes, former chief of staff to ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan, was captured on dozens of undercover FBI recordings talking about his family, political fundraising and whether landing some job following his ouster in a 2018 sexual harassment scandal might piss off the women. The conversations, described in a defense motion filed over the weekend seeking to keep them out of Mapes perjury trial next month, shed new light on the behind-the-scenes maneuvering and relationships among key members of Madigans inner circle as a series of scandals began to threaten the Democratic speakers decadeslong grip on power. Read more here. The publicist for Attorney General Raul Labrador recently maligned federal Judge Lynn Winmill for his July 31 decision prohibiting the AG from prosecuting doctors who refer patients to other states for abortion pills and services. Labrador sent an opinion letter to a legislator on March 27, saying that Idaho doctors could be charged with a felony for doing so. For reasons unknown, Labrador withdrew the letter seven days later. Planned Parenthood sued Labrador to prevent the enforcement action called for in his letter. When the matter was argued before Judge Winmill on April 24, Labradors Deputy AG claimed doctors would not face charges because the letter had been withdrawn. However, he asserted that Labrador would not disavow the opinion. The DAG tied himself in knots trying to explain why doctors would not be prosecuted even though Labrador stood by his opinion letter. In his July 31 decision, Winmill hinted that Labrador might have won, had he simply given assurance that he would not be filing criminal charges as implied in the letter. His DAGs refusal to disavow the letter might be characterized as Labrador conceding the need for injunctive action or, in more graphic terms, shooting himself in the foot. It took a lot of nerve, then, for Labradors publicist, Beth Cahill, to imply that the judges decision was based on bias for Planned Parenthood. She proclaimed: In his 28-year career youd be hard-pressed to find a time when Judge Winmill has ruled against Planned Parenthood, so his decision is not surprising. Judge Winmill wants to restrain a power we dont possess. She is wrong on both counts. First, Judge Winmills past decisions regarding Planned Parenthood have been correct on the law. Second, given the broad overreach and poor wording of Idahos abortion statutes, the AG does have the apparent power to bring charges as per his letter, even though there are serious questions about whether the charges would stand up in court. The publicist for the largest law firm in the state has no business maligning the judiciary in Idaho, particularly when her claims are false. The AG lost in court because of bad lawyering, not because of any bias or misconduct by the judge. Even if the judge had erred, the AG is an officer of the court and should not use the power of his office to unfairly malign the judge. Judges dont have the ability to respond to unfair charges. And we should not lose sight of the fact that a judge who stands up for the rule of law often makes decisions that go against his personal values. Judge Winmill was called upon to do just that in 2011 when he ruled that the Republican Party could exclude all but registered Republicans from its primary election. Reading between the lines, it was clear the judge had trepidations about the decision. He said the closed primary would have the very real and immediate effect of ... producing more ideologically extreme candidates. He obviously ruled based upon his view of what the law required, setting aside any personal beliefs. Thats what judges do when they respect the rule of law. The extremists have rejoiced over Judge Winmills closed primary decision, using it to oust reasonable Republicans and put extremists in control of the GOP. Party chair Dorothy Moon now proclaims that the Party is a private club and has the right to purge anyone who has the courage to stand up to her extremist branch of the party. The public should not put up with lawyers or law firms that falsely scapegoat judges for their own failings. In over 50 years as an Idaho lawyer, Ive known of a few lawyers who blame the judge when they lose in court because of their bad lawyering. It is a blight on the profession. All lawyers are officers of the court and expected to comport themselves with dignity toward the judiciary. To have the Attorney Generals Office falsely questioning the integrity of a judge through its megaphone is a violation of that ethical duty. Those who support the rule of law should call out that kind of abusive conduct. In the meantime, the AGs office should make a sincere apology to the judge. About 2.86 million, or 10.8 percent of Filipino households, were renting their housing units, with many of them living in Metro Manila, based on the results of the 2020 Census of Population and Housing by the Philippine Statistics Authority. The PSA said of the 26.37 million households in the country, only 21.58 million households or 81.8 percent lived in housing units/lots that they owned or amortized. These were households who either own or have owner-like possession of the house and lot (57.3 percent); own house but rent lot (3.9 percent); own house in a rent-free lot with consent of the owner (18.6 percent); or own house in rent-free lot without consent of the owner. The other households are renters (10.8 percent), while 7.3 percent reported that their housing unit is rent-free, with or without consent of the owner, or did not report the tenure status of their housing units/lots. Of the 17 regions in the country, the National Capital Region (posted the highest proportion of renter-households, comprising 32.6 percent of its total number of households, followed by Region IV-A- CALABARZON with 16.4 percent, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with 13.3 percent, and Region III-Central Luzon with 10.0 percent, the Philippine Statistics Authority said. Among the 2.86 million households who rented the housing unit that they occupied, 33.5 percent had a monthly rental of P2,000 or less. About 36.2 percent of the households paid a monthly rental of P2,001 to 4,000 and 16.4 percent had a monthly rental of P4,001 to 6,000. About 13.3 percent of the households rented their housing units for more than P6,000 a month while the remaining 0.5 percent did not report the monthly rental of the housing unit that they occupied. Among the 21.58 million households who owned/amortized the housing unit/lot that they occupied, 45.3 percent reported that their housing unit was inherited, 45.2 percent stated that it was purchased, 4.2 percent declared that it was received as a gift, 4.0 percent reported other modes of acquisition, 0.6 percent reported that it was acquired as a company benefit, while the remaining 0.8 percent did not report how they acquired their housing unit. The PSA said of the 9.75 million households who purchased their housing unit, 85.4 percent used their own resources or interest-free loans from relatives/friends. About 9.8 percent of the households acquired their housing unit using government assistance through the National Housing Authority, Pag-IBIG, Government Service Insurance System, Social Security System, Development Bank of the Philippines and others. About 5.0 percent acquired through private banks, foundations, cooperatives; 4.3 percent acquired through loans with interest from private persons; 1.4 percent acquired through employer assistance; and 0.9 percent acquired through other sources of financing. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Three of the biggest network providers in the Philippines will join the largest and most prestigious retail industry event in the countrythe 29th National Retail Conference and Expo on Aug. 10 to 11, 2023 at the SMX Convention Center Manila. The Philippine Retailers Association, the organizer of NRCE, is at the forefront of driving and leading change in the new era of retail. Moving forward to a brighter future, network providers Globe Business, PLDT Enterprise and Converge Business will join the 29th edition of NRCE to provide a blueprint of the latest innovations to retailers and allied industries. Their insights will not only enable businesses to pursue and drive change but also achieve greater success in their respective ventures. Top-of-the-line speakers including Globe Business head KD Dizon, ePLDT vice president and head of product management for cloud tech services Jerameel Azurin and Converge ICT Solutions head of innovation and product management Emil Baniqued will share progressive and practical insights through their respective sessions on Aug. 10 to 11. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. The unemployment rate in the Philippines declined to 4.5 percent in June 2023 from 6 percent a year ago, but slightly increased from 4.3 percent in May, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Wednesday. National statistician and civil-registrar general Dennis Mapa said in a briefing the employment rate in June was estimated at 95.5 percent. This was higher than the reported 94.0 percent registered in the same month last year, but slightly lower than 95.7 percent in May 2023. In terms of magnitude, the number of employed persons was posted at 48.84 million in June 2023, while 46.59 million in June 2022. In May 2023, the number of employed persons was 48.26 million, Mapa said. The number of unemployed persons in June decreased to 2.33 million from 2.99 million in June 2022, posting a year-on-year decline of 663,000. However, this was higher by 159,000 compared to the number of unemployed persons in May 2023. The National Economic and Development Authority reaffirmed the governments commitment to labor upskilling to improve employability and maximize the benefits of the countrys demographic dividend. Employment rate among the youth was estimated at 90.1 percent or 6.45 million, higher than 88.2 percent in June 2022. Youth employment refers to individuals between the ages 15 and 24 who are part of the labor force and are employed. As the number of young workers continues to expand, the Marcos administration is exerting efforts to focus on training and upskilling to improve their employability for high-quality and high-paying jobs, said NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. Results of the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey conducted by PSA found that the total fertility rate of Filipino women aged 15 to 49 years declined from 2.7 children per woman in 2017 to 1.9 children per woman in 2022. This change leads to an overall increase in the working-age population (15 to 64 years of age) over time, or the so-called demographic transition. When this is accompanied by higher investments in human capital and more high-quality job opportunities, then this translates to a demographic dividend, according to NEDA. Chapter 4 of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 outlines recommendations for equipping the young Philippine workforce with the necessary skills to enhance the income-earning potential of Filipino workers. It indicates that promoting further investments in technical and vocational education and training centers, digitalization, and innovation facilities is crucial for improving the skills and competitiveness of the Philippine workforce. Balisacan said this is critical, considering the entry of new and disruptive technologies. Modernizing training and vocational education facilities, as well as enhancing educational qualifications, competencies, and skills, are necessary to respond to the emergence of new demands for competencies and skills. These demands are a result of economic and technological transformations brought by emerging technologies in the market, such as artificial intelligence, he said. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. TAIPEITaiwanese chip giant TSMC agreed Tuesday to plough $3.8 billion (3.5 billion euros) into a new semiconductor factory in Germany, lending a major boost to Europes efforts to bring production onto the continent. Total investments in the factory, TSMCs first in Europe, are expected to exceed 10 billion euros, with strong support from the European Union and German government, along with TSMCs partners in the project. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company will set up a joint venture with German groups Bosch and Infineon and Dutch firm NXP to build the plant, the companies said, with construction to begin in the second half of 2024. TSMC is a key player in the sector, controlling more than half the worlds output of microchips. The facility in Germany is expected to begin production by the end of 2027, with monthly capacity to reach 40,000 300mm (12-inch) wafers. It will also create about 2,000 direct jobs, the companies said. Hailing the news, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany is now likely to become the major location for semiconductor production in Europe. This was important for the future viability of our European continent and it is, of course, particularly important for the future viability of Germany, he said. Stung by the energy crisis unleashed by Russias war in Ukraine, Germany and its allies have been racing to slash dependencies on countries such as China and ramp up domestic production of sensitive components such as semiconductor chips. The ambition set by the EU under its Chips Act is to increase Europes slice of global semiconductor production to 20 percent by 2030. Such chips are necessary to power everything from computers to smartphones to missiles in an increasingly tech-dependent world. The EUs industry commissioner Thierry Breton hailed the planned new plant as the Chips Act in motion bringing stronger security of supply for Europe, including for EUs automotive industry. Huge challenges Tension between China and Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that Beijing claims as its territory, has prompted the West to cast a wary eye on its reliance on TSMC. The new German factory will be based in the eastern city of Dresden in a region known as Silicon Saxony for its high-tech manufacturing base. Europe is a highly promising place for semiconductor innovation, particularly in the automotive and industrial fields, and we look forward to bringing those innovations to life on our advanced silicon technology with the talent in Europe, TSMCs chief executive CC Wei said in a statement. Michael Kretschmer leader of Saxony state, where the plant will be based said the project would have an impact across the region. It will generate billions in investment and many jobs both directly and indirectly, including in skilled trades and for small- and medium-sized enterprises, he said. But the German chip drive faces numerous challenges, ranging from high energy prices following Russias invasion of Ukraine to shortages of skilled workers. In June, Berlin and Intel signed a deal for the US chip behemoth to build manufacturing sites in the eastern city of Magdeburg after months of tense negotiations. But the huge level of state support Berlin is providing 9.9 billion euros for the 33-billion-euro project has proved controversial, with some questioning whether the investment is worth it. TSMC did not disclose the level of financial support from Germany but business weekly Handelsblatt reported on Monday that it would reach five billion euros. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. OSLONorways data protection agency said Tuesday it would start fining Facebook and Instagram owner Meta nearly $100,000 per day for defying a ban on using users personal information to target ads. The Norwegian watchdog, Datatilsynet, said Meta would be fined one million kroner ($97,000) per day, starting August 14. Tobias Judin, head of Datatilsynets international department, said the fine related to a decision made on July 14, where the agency had temporarily imposed a ban on behavioral advertising on Facebook and Instagram. Metas behavioral advertising entails intrusive surveillance of its users, negatively impacting their right to data protection and freedom of information, Judin told AFP in an email, adding that there were many vulnerable groups on the platforms, such as young people, the elderly and people with cognitive disabilities. We are also concerned that sensitive personal data may be used for advertising purposes. We have therefore found that Metas practices are contrary to data protection law, Judin continued. Datatilsynet announced the ban on July 17 and originally said that Meta had until August 4 to take corrective measures. The coercive fine is issued because Meta has not yet complied with our ban, Judin said. The social media giant said last week it intends to ask users in the European Union, EEA (European Economic Area) and Switzerland to give their consent before allowing targeted advertising on its networks. European regulators in January had dismissed the previous legal basis legitimate interest Meta had used to justify gathering users personal data for targeted advertising. Judin said this was a positive changebut personal data continues to be processed unlawfully in the interim. A spokesman for Meta told AFP the company was appealing the decision by the Norwegian watchdog, saying they believed they had already committed to the consent the authority was asking for. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. The Philippines and the United States will lead participating air forces from 14 countries during the Pacific Airlift Rally 2023, a biennial exercise that will run from Aug. 14 to 18 in military bases across Luzon and Visayas. The activities will be held at Clark Air Base in Mabalacat, Pampanga; Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base in Pasay City; and Brigadier General Benito Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. The event was previously held in Lombok Island, Indonesia last September 2021. In a statement, the Philippine Air Force said the activity would cover airborne training exercises, airlift operations, and logistical planning table-top exercises that will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations. The Indo-Asia-Pacific region is home to 60 percent of the worlds population in 45 nations spread across 53 percent of the Earths surface, and the majority of the worlds natural disasters occur in this area, the PAF said. Experience has demonstrated that to effectively provide support to civilian disaster response agencies, it is extremely important that nations cooperate and improve joint capabilities, it added. The countrys C-130 Hercules will also join other C130s from the US Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Royal Malaysian Air Force, and Indonesian Air Force for flight training. Aside from the Philippines and the US, participants will come from Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste. The exercises will also cover HADR airlift operations and logistical planning for aircraft deployment staging; cargo and movement mission planning; and multinational airlift capability analysis for airlift mission schedule prioritization. The Philippines and the United States will lead participating air forces from 14 countries during the Pacific Airlift Rally 2023, a biennial exercise that will run from Aug. 14 to 18 in military bases across Luzon and Visayas. The activities will be held at Clark Air Base in Mabalacat, Pampanga; Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base in Pasay City; and Brigadier General Benito Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. The event was previously held in Lombok Island, Indonesia last September 2021. In a statement, the Philippine Air Force said the activity would cover airborne training exercises, airlift operations, and logistical planning table-top exercises that will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations. The Indo-Asia-Pacific region is home to 60 percent of the worlds population in 45 nations spread across 53 percent of the Earths surface, and the majority of the worlds natural disasters occur in this area, the PAF said. Experience has demonstrated that to effectively provide support to civilian disaster response agencies, it is extremely important that nations cooperate and improve joint capabilities, it added. The countrys C-130 Hercules will also join other C130s from the US Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Royal Malaysian Air Force, and Indonesian Air Force for flight training. Aside from the Philippines and the US, participants will come from Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste. The exercises will also cover HADR airlift operations and logistical planning for aircraft deployment staging; cargo and movement mission planning; and multinational airlift capability analysis for airlift mission schedule prioritization. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. If pact with China exists, PBBM says I rescind that agreement now President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday insisted the Philippines had no agreement with China to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, contrary to Beijings claim, and said if such a deal existed, he would rescind it immediately. Im not aware of any such arrangement or agreement that the Philippines will remove from its own territory its ship, in this case, the BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal, President Marcos said, using the Filipino name for the Second Thomas Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. The President issued this statement after China renewed its call for the Philippines to remove the grounded warship from Ayungin Shoal, which is well within the countrys exclusive economic zone. LONE GUARDIAN. This file photo taken on April 23, 2023 shows the grounded Philippine navy ship BRP Sierra Madre, where marines are stationed to assert Manilas territorial claims at Ayungin Shoal in the Spratly Islands. A crumbling World War II-vintage ship stranded on a submerged reef, the Sierra Madre has long been a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing in their territorial dispute over the waters. AFP Mr. Marcos added that he would repeal any commitment should there be an existing agreement. If there does exist such an agreement, I rescind that agreement now, President Marcos said. Earlier, National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said they are still puzzled by Chinas claim. In a Laging Handa briefing, Malaya said everyone they have talked with regarding the matterfrom the present to past administrationshas no idea of an agreement with China to remove the BRP Sierra Madre. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, meanwhile, said the BRP Sierra Madre should be refurbished not just to ward off bullies from the north, but also to protect the Marines stationed there from natural calamities. He guaranteed the Senate would support funding for such an undertaking. They deserve our unconditional support as they sacrifice themselves for us, he said of the troops stationed on the grounded warship. Senator Risa Hontiveros said she would support funding for such an effort too and said she would ensure that it is included in the 2024 national budget. She also denounced Chinas demand that the Philippines remove the ship. We will never allow anyone to forcibly take that vessel out of our own waters, Hontiveros said, saying that Chinese arrogance was the cause of deep instability in the region. In the latest incident, Chinese Coast Guard ships fired water cannons at Filipino boats that were resupplying the troops on Ayungin Shoal. In the face of widespread Philippine and international condemnation for its recent actions, China has not apologized, but doubled down onits illegal claims to sovereignty over the shoal, referring once again to its nine-dash line claim that the Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidated in 2016. But Hontiveros said countries must analyze everything that comes out of Chinas mouth, saying it is full of lies and manipulation. How can we negotiate with Beijing when she acts in bad faith? she said. The Philippine military deliberately grounded the BRP Sierra Madre on Second Thomas Shoal in the late 1990s in an effort to check the advance of China in the hotly contested waters. The unorthodox tactic to establish the Philippine presence on the shoal was in response to Chinas illegal occupation of the nearby and then-uninhabited Mischief Reef, also claimed by Manila, a few years earlier. Beijing has turned Mischief Reef and other reefs and outcrops into artificial, militarized islands to assert its claims in the waters. Ayungin Shoal, located in the Spratly Islands, is about 200 kilometers west of the western Philippine island of Palawan and more than 1,000 kilometers from Chinas nearest major landmass of Hainan Island. The Palawan provincial board on Wednesday denounced the firing of water cannons by the Chinese Coast Guard against Philippine vessels going to Ayungin Shoal for a resupply mission. A board member, Juan Antonio Alvarez, said the CCG move was unacceptable and was a clear form of harassment. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, which includes Ayungin Shoal, and deploys hundreds of vessels there to patrol the waters and swarm reefs. Beijing has ignored a 2016 international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. Manila says Chinas coast guard and navy vessels routinely block or shadow Philippine ships patrolling the waters. They also regularly attempt to disrupt re-supply operations to the tiny Philippine garrison on Ayungin Shoal, according to Manila. The handful of Philippine Marines deployed on the BRP Sierra Madre depend upon those resupply missions to survive their remote assignment. The Philippine Coast Guard fears China will seek to occupy Ayungin Shoal if the military detachment leaves. The South China Sea is seen as a powder keg and many fear a miscalculation or accident could ignite a military conflict. The Philippines is poorly armed, but the United States has said it would defend its longtime ally in the South China Sea under a decades-old mutual defense pact. The US has no territorial claim over the waters, but has persisted in conducting its own patrols there, angering Beijing. Washington says this is to ensure what it terms freedom of navigation in the sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually. With AFP Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. United Nations, United States Syria has extended by another three months border crossings from Turkey into rebel-held areas that had been reopened following a devastating February earthquake, the United Nations said Tuesday. It is the second three-month extension by Syria of use by UN humanitarian workers to the Bab al-Salam and Al-Rai crossings, opened after the earthquake following international pressure. We greatly welcome the extension of permission by the Government of Syria to utilize the Bab al-Salam and Al Rai border crossings until November 13, said Eri Kaneko, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The February 6 quake in Turkey and war-ravaged Syria killed more than 55,000 people and left thousands in border areas even more reliant on international assistance. The latest move stands in contrast to the failure to extend a separate key aid route into Syria the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey. Russia last month vetoed a nine-month extension then failed to muster enough votes to adopt a six-month extension. Syria said it would still temporarily allow use of the crossing but the United Nations denounced conditions as unacceptable. Russia is the main international ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is looking to show that he has solidified control after more than a decade of brutal civil war. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. WASHINGTON, DC US President Joe Biden said Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) he would travel to Vietnam shortly as part of an effort to improve ties with Hanoi, as Washington seeks to counter Chinas influence in the region. Im going to be going to Vietnam shortly because Vietnam wants to change our relationship and become a partner, Biden said during remarks in New Mexico. We find ourselves in a situation where all these changes around the world are taking place at a time we have an opportunity to change the dynamic, he added. The United States and Vietnam have increasingly close trade links, while both share concern over Chinas growing strength in the region. Friction has been increasing for years between Beijing and Southeast Asian nations, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines, over Chinas sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea. Washington and Hanoi pledged in April to upgrade diplomatic ties when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stopped over on his way to a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting in Japan. We think this is an auspicious time to elevate our existing partnership, Blinken told reporters during the visit with Vietnamese leaders. Weve had for the last 10 years this comprehensive partnership that has created an incredibly strong foundation of cooperation across many different areas. As a result, we think this is a good moment to go even further. Blinken also attended a ground-breaking for a new US embassy in Hanoi. And in March, Biden spoke with the head of Vietnams ruling Communist party, Nguyen Phu Trong. Washington has, however, bristled over human rights concerns in Vietnam, with Blinken saying he continued to underscore how future progress on human rights is essential to unleashing the full potential of the Vietnamese people. The South China Sea, the longtime center of tensions between China and Vietnam, is seen as a powder keg, and many fear a miscalculation or accident could ignite a military conflict. AFP Analysts say Hanoi may be more reluctant to elevate relations with Washington, wary of upsetting Beijing an important economic partner despite rival claims in the South China Sea. The United States has no territorial claim over the waters, but has persisted in conducting its own patrols there, angering Beijing. Washington says this is to ensure what it terms freedom of navigation in the sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually. The United States has also sought to improve relations with China in recent months, with Blinken visiting in June after a previous trip was canceled when an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down by a US warplane after traversing the country earlier this year. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Servers bring out trays of food as soccer fans at Mi Tierra Mexican restaurant in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood cheer on Mexico's World Cup team as they play against Sweden at a game held in Russia on June 27, 2018. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) In the bustling city of Chicago, the legacy of slavery and racial inequality continues to cast a long shadow in the form of an insidious, everyday practice that perpetuates cycles of poverty for Black communities: tips. Mayor Brandon Johnsons administration is now attempting to confront this by abolishing the subminimum-tipped-wage system a long-accepted policy rooted in a history of exploitation that disproportionately affects Black and brown Chicagoans. Despite efforts from organizations such as One Fair Wage and dedicated labor advocates, this discriminatory practice has persisted to this point largely unchallenged, leaving many people toiling long hours in the hospitality industry for wages inadequate to meet their basic needs. To understand the roots of subminimum-tipped-wage racism, its crucial to appreciate the history of the United States hospitality industry and the treatment of workers upon which it has been built. Before the early 1800s, hospitality in North America was more of a cultural practice and not yet a full-blown formal industry. As a domestic practice, it was especially celebrated as the domain of the American South. When hospitality began to grow into a lucrative industry, an idea from Europe called a tip became weaponized after the Civil War by U.S. employers, especially in hotels and restaurants, which were looking for ways to avoid paying newly liberated Black workers their rightful wages. This tactic for maximizing extraction quickly flourished in the Southern states. In Europe, tipping didnt replace guaranteed wages; this was an inventive, cynical twist added as tips crossed the Atlantic and were put to use by white employers who resented the new expectation that they treat formerly enslaved Black workers as equal to white workers at least with respect to their right to wages for the work they performed. [ Restaurant owners: Eliminating tipped wages in Chicago would have consequences ] The legacy of slavery has undeniably influenced the perception and valuation of labor in American bars, restaurants and hotels, perpetuating a system in which tipped workers are treated as disposable and underpaid and have few legal protections. Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage, speaks during a news conference on June 21, 2023, at City Hall. City leaders joined the One Fair Wage movement to urge lawmakers to require a full minimum wage with tips for restaurant workers. (Shanna Madison/Chicago Tribune) The statistics are damning. Tipped workers of color in Chicago live in poverty at a rate nearly 40% higher than their white counterparts. And the issue is deeply intersectional: Women of color in the industry are affected at an alarming rate, with almost 25% higher poverty rates than their male counterparts. Due to borderline-unlivable working conditions for a large number of its workers, the hospitality industry suffers from extremely high turnover rates compared with other sectors of the U.S. economy. Beyond economic matters, the subminimum-tipped-wage system reinforces an environment in which physical and verbal abuse and sexual harassment from both management and customers are normalized. The best shifts often go to workers perceived as docile and who management is confident wont fight back when trampled upon, perpetuating discriminatory and predatory norms in the industry. While the call to abolish tipped wages supported by Johnson is essential, we must recognize that transitioning to a complete minimum wage without tips may not guarantee a livable income for workers. With the high cost of living and rising rents, the minimum wage is not enough for a full-time worker to survive. Hospitality workers need affordable health care options, tangible solutions for combating wage theft by employers and effective protections against sexual harassment and retaliation for unionizing efforts while they continue to receive tips on top of a truly livable minimum guaranteed wage. It is crucial to acknowledge the concerns of hospitality workers who make a significant portion of their income through tips and fear the elimination of the tipped minimum wage. They worry that such a change could disrupt tipping culture and patterns, potentially reducing their overall earnings. For instance, a bartender at a high-end bar might benefit from lucrative $600 nights thanks to tips, but without that revenue, they could earn little more than dishwashers and bussers who currently barely scrape by or dont on the minimum wage. To move the hospitality industry forward toward more equitable wages and universal protections for workers, we must avoid pitting workers against each other in this discussion. Our goal should be to create an industry that welcomes both workers and customers and replace the current one that routinely sacrifices workers well-being to cater to customers whims and boost owners profits. To achieve this will require fostering solidarity among workers; crude approaches to abolishing the subminimum-tipped wage that ignore how this could produce antagonism between workers will ultimately undermine workers interests. A progressive mayor in Chicago is encouraging for workers, but we must not forget that we cannot rely on legislation as a substitute for organizing to protect ourselves. Unionization, pooled tip arrangements that fairly compensate front- and back-of-the-house workers and other collective practices through which workers can protect one another play a vital role in safeguarding the rights and livelihoods of workers in the hospitality industry. We should also look to other U.S. jurisdictions that have eliminated the tipped minimum wage to avoid pitfalls that could arise in the process and also to reassure workers who are fearful of change. We should take courage from the remarkable industry growth and stable tipping practices seen in the seven states that have abolished the subminimum-tipped wage. Even the owner-aligned, anti-worker National Restaurant Association revealed that states that do away with a subminimum-tipped wage experience higher rates of restaurant industry employment and sales growth compared with states that still allow it. This evidence underscores the viability of Johnsons plans to eliminate the subminimum-tipped wage without adversely affecting restaurant jobs or sales. It is high time we heed the rallying cry to end this long-standing legacy of slavery and anti-Black racism. By abolishing the subminimum-tipped wage, we can empower workers, dismantle discriminatory practices and pave the way for a fairer, more equitable industry and society. Raeghn Draper is a writer, hospitality worker and co-founder of the Chicago Hospitality Accountable Advocacy Database, a mutual aid and labor organizing network for Chicago bar and restaurant workers. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. Myntra, a platform for fashion e-commerce, recently announced the launch of its new student community, "FWD Campus Tribe," which will focus on Generation Z and their trends to encourage the creation of the creator economy. This generation-specific immersive app-in-app shopping experience, FWD, will include the new community. According to the corporation, members of Campus Tribe will have access to privileges like a three-month insider trial bundle, early entry to major events, and personal style sessions. The members will be tasked with creating social content for Myntra FWD and building a strong social voice within the Gen Z community, said Myntra in its statement.The company is planning to engage with the students by appointing certain members as representatives in their respective colleges across leading colleges in their respective cities, such as Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Indore, Jaipur and Bengaluru, among others. The platform will launch a series of offline events called Myntra FWD Faces, with the first edition of the event scheduled to be held in Mumbai, followed by Delhi.With FWD Campus Tribe, we embark on a journey to celebrate not only fashion but also their unbridled spirit that champions authenticity. We aim to empower students with a seamless blend of style, expression, autonomy, and community, retaining Myntra as their go-to fashion destination, a platform where they truly feel seen and heard, Arun Devanathan, Senior Director - Social Commerce, Myntra, said on the launch. WASHINGTON Congress responded to the fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio earlier this year with bipartisan alarm, holding a flurry of hearings about the potential for railroad crashes to trigger even larger disasters. Both parties agreed that a legislative response was needed. Yet six months after life was upended in East Palestine, little has changed. While President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have praised a railroad safety bill from Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and JD Vance, a Republican, the Senate proposal has also encountered resistance. Top GOP leaders in Congress have been hesitant to support it, and the bill has faced some opposition from the railroad industry, which holds significant sway in Washington. As a result, it remains an open question whether the derailment that shattered life in East Palestine will become a catalyst for action. And for Republicans, the fight poses a larger test of political identity, caught between their traditional support for industry and their desire to champion voters in rural America. These rail lines pass frequently through Republican areas, small towns with a lot of Republican voters, Vance said. How can we look them in the eye and say, were doing a good job by you? If we choose the railroads over their own interests, we can't. Federal regulators said in a new report Wednesday that while Norfolk Southern has made improvements since the derailment, it still falls well short of being the "gold standard for safety" it is striving to be. Instead, the railroad is too often only willing to meet minimum safety requirements, according to the 143-page report by the Federal Railroad Administration on the companys safety culture. The report also says poor communication and mistrust between employees and managers are hindering efforts to improve safety. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said the railroad will keep working on improvements it announced in March while trying to address the regulators' recommendations. In East Palestine, a village of approximately 5,000 people near the Pennsylvania state line, the railroad has reopened both its tracks in the area but the cleanup continues. Norfolk Southern estimates that its response to the derailment will cost at least $803 million to remove all the hazardous chemicals, help the community and deal with lawsuits and penalties related to the derailment. But residents still worry about the long-term health effects. Many are looking to Congress to act, hoping it will prevent another community from enduring the trauma, fear and upheaval they have endured. Jami Wallace, who has lived in East Palestine for 46 years along with her extended family, has helped lead a community group called the Unity Council to represent residents concerns and push for government action. If our legislators dont take East Palestine as an example of some of the reforms that need to be in the regulations that need to be put on, you know, the railroad industry, then theyre fools, Wallace said. Again, we dont want to suffer for nothing. Rail labor groups say the widespread cuts the industry has made in the name of efficiency in recent years have made railroads riskier, so they believe reforms are needed to reduce the more than 1,000 derailments that happen every year because just one can be disastrous. There have been more than 60 high-profile derailments since East Palestine, including multiple in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Montana," said the Transportation Trades Department coalition that includes all the rail unions. Through it all, freight rail companies have maintained their fundamental disregard for public safety. Safety is just a buzzword to the railroads. Vance, a freshman senator who rose to conservative fame with his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy, said he is counting on a few more Republican senators to back the bill before it comes to a vote. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has already placed the bill at the top of the agenda for the fall. But both Vance and Brown acknowledge their legislation faces an even steeper climb in the Republican-controlled House. GOP leaders there want to wait until the National Transportation Safety Board completes its investigation of the derailment which will likely not happen until next year before taking action. The NTSB in a preliminary report found fault with an overheated wheel bearing. But a contingent of Ohio House lawmakers, led by Democrat Rep. Emilia Sykes and Republican Rep. Bill Johnson, whose district includes East Palestine, want action now. Lets hit while the iron is hot, Johnson said. Both the House and Senate bills would increase fines for safety violations, require more inspections and increase the number of trackside detectors that monitor for overheated wheel bearings. In one significant difference, the Senate bill would require that most freight trains have two-person crews, while the House bill would not. Railroads have spoken out against the two-person crew requirement and urged Congress to wait for the final NTSB investigation to pass any new regulations. The industry has also stepped up its lobbying this year. In the first three months of 2023, industry groups spent a combined $7.1 million on lobbying a roughly $1.8 million increase from the $5.3 million it spent in the previous three months. The railroads say there isnt any data to show one-person crews are riskier than two-person crews. They also point out that the East Palestine train actually had three crew members aboard when it derailed. Sen. John Thune, who is currently the Republican whip but in 2003 and 2004 worked as a lobbyist for Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad, said in a Senate committee debate that it was important to hold Norfolk Southern, whose train derailed on Feb. 3, accountable for the derailment. He also voiced support for pragmatic reforms." But Thune ultimately opposed the bill from Vance and Brown and cautioned against the cost of regulation on railroads. There is not much in the proposed legislation that would address the derailment in East Palestine based on what we know so far, Thune said. Registered voters in McDowell and other counties who do not have an acceptable identification card for voting in North Carolina can now go to their local board of elections office to get a free ID. Most voters have a North Carolina drivers license, which is an acceptable form of photo ID for voting. Those voters do not need to obtain a separate ID from their county board. Other common forms of acceptable identification include military or veterans ID cards issued by the federal government, and college student and public employer ID cards that the state board approved for use in voting, according to a news release from the NC State Board of Elections. For a full list of acceptable forms of photo ID for voting, visit the state boards Website at www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id. Registered voters who do not have an acceptable form of identification for voting purposes can now get a free photo ID from their county board of elections office. No special documents are needed. Voters will simply provide their name, date of birth, and the last four digits of their Social Security number and have their photo taken. This option is now available at the McDowell County Board of Elections in Marion. The local office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is located at 2458 N.C. 226 S, Marion. Deputy Director Jane Dale Propst told The McDowell News the local office has had one person call and come by to get a photo ID and this was someone without a drivers license. She added that if someone needs a photo ID then it is a great option for them. In most counties, voters will be able to get an ID printed and given to them on the spot. A few counties may need to get the required information from the voter, take their photo, then mail the ID card to the voter or inform the voter that the ID card is ready to be picked up, whichever the voter prefers. Voters with questions about the ID process should contact their county board of elections. A free voter photo ID will include the voters photo, name and registration number. They will expire 10 years from the date of issuance. The county boards of elections can issue cards at any time during regular business hours, except for the period following the last day of early voting through Election Day, according to the release. Any voter who does not have an acceptable ID card for voting can now get a free ID from their county board of elections, said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the state Board of Elections. State Board staff has worked diligently with the county boards of elections over the past couple of months to get the necessary software and hardware in place for ID printing. Voters also can get a free ID from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV). Find more information, visit www.ncdot.gov/dmv/license-id/identification/Pages/default.aspx. Voters will be asked to show photo ID when voting in North Carolina, starting with the municipal elections this fall. All voters will be able to vote with or without an ID. If a voter casting a ballot at the voting site does not provide an acceptable ID, the voter may fill out a Photo ID Exception Form and vote a provisional ballot, or vote a provisional ballot and bring an acceptable ID to the county board of elections office by the day before the county canvass (which is typically 10 days after elections in even-numbered years and seven days after elections in odd-numbered years). Voters who vote by mail will be asked to include a photocopy of an ID with their ballot, or complete a Photo ID Exception Form for Absentee Voting. The photocopy will be mailed in a special envelope to protect the voters personal information on their ID, according to the news release. Guinean President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has nominated former Finance Minister Geraldo Martins for the post. The name was proposed by the election-winning coalition, PAI Terra Ranka. Earlier, the President of the National Peoples Assembly and leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) had already stated, at the end of the audience with the Head of State, that he would deliver the formal proposal for the appointment of Geraldo Martins to lead the future Guinean government. The President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, on this August 7, appointed former Finance Minister Geraldo Martins to the post of Prime minister. Mr. Geraldo Joao Martins is appointed Prime minister, reads presidential decree no. 48/2023. The name of Geraldo Martins was proposed by the Inclusive Alliance Platform (PAI)-Terra Ranka coalition, which won the June 4 legislative elections with an absolute majority. The political force has since signed parliamentary and governance agreements with the Social Renewal Party (PRS) and the Guinean Workers Party (PTG). The Child Health Solidarity Clinic of the Spanish non-governmental organization Africa Avanza carried out more than 1200 free consultations on the Cape Verdean island of Sal in the first quarter, the institution announced on Monday August 7. In a press release, Africa Avanza wrote that of the total of more than 1,200 consultations carried out between January and March in Sal, 52% of the children attended are under 6 years old. And it found that the most frequent diagnoses are infectious and parasitic diseases (21%), respiratory problems (20%) and dermatological infections (18%). In terms of referral of patients to specialists, the needs for dentists, ophthalmologists, otorhinolaryngologists and surgeries stand out, said the organization, considering that the upcoming surgical missions in Sal may help to solve some of these needs. Africa Avanza is a non-governmental organization formed by Spanish doctors who are dedicated to humanitarian causes on the African continent, and in October 2020 began distributing meals in Sal, the main tourist island of Cape Verde, expecting to benefit 800 people. The Childrens Health Solidarity Clinic is located at the Cha de Matias Community Center, in Espargos, in a project that has the support of one of the islands hotels, providing free medical care to children from 0 to 13 years old. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain An analysis published in Cancer Medicine reveals the trends of self-initiated deathsincluding assisted suicide (AS) and conventional suicide (CS)in Switzerland over a 20-year period, focusing on people who suffered from cancer. Although supporters of assisted dying state that access to AS should lead to a reduction in violent CS, the study's findings do not confirm this assumption. The situations and motivations for cancer-associated CS seem to be clearly different from those for cancer-related AS. In Switzerland, assisting in a suicide is not punishable as long as it does not serve selfish motives. In this analysis of data from 19992018, investigators found that cancer was the most often listed principal disease for AS: 3,580 people with cancer died by AS, representing 41.0% of AS cases. Cancer was listed in only a small minority of CS cases (832 people, representing 3.8% of CS cases). There was an approximate doubling of AS cases every 5 years among patients with cancer. Also, the percentage of cancer-associated AS in relationship with all cancer-associated deaths increased over time to 2.3% in 20142018. The numbers of cancer-associated CS showed a downward trend from 19992003 and were stable through 20092018. "Obviously, the situations and motivations for cancer-associated CS seem to be clearly different from those for cancer-related AS," said corresponding author Uwe Guth, MD, of the University of Basel. More information: Conventional and Assisted Suicide in Switzerland: Insights into a Divergent Development Based on Cancer-associated Self-initiated Deaths, Cancer Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1002/cam4.6323 Journal information: Cancer Medicine 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: Illustration of functional gradient boosting where the classifier is constructed in a stage-wise process. At each iteration, prediction errors are computed for each training example based on the current model. Then, a simple regression model (typically a small tree) is created to correct the errors and the process is repeated until convergence. In contrast to standard gradient-based methods, the functional gradients are point-wise gradients computed for each example separately as against the entire data set. This allows for both efficient and effective learning from large data sets. Credit: Journal of Clinical Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.3390/jcm12072728 University of Texas at Dallas researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool that could predict the risk of cardiac arrest in children hospitalized in cardiac intensive care units. The technology is the latest work from the Statistical Artificial Intelligence and Relational Learning Group, a UT Dallas research lab where experts develop AI to assist health care providers. The researchers aim to provide tools to help doctors evaluate and monitor individual patients' risks for a variety of conditions, including gestational diabetes and adverse drug interactions. In a study published online April 6 in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, the UTD computer scientists collaborated with pediatric cardiology and critical care researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center and the University of Washington. The team examined the electronic health records (EHR) of 160 pediatric patients who had a cardiac arrest during their admission to the cardiac ICU at Children's Health in Dallas between 2010 and 2019, as well as data from a control group of 711 patients. The goal was to determine which indicators recorded over a 24-hour period could predict a cardiac arrest in the subsequent 24 hours, said Dr. Sriraam Natarajan, professor of computer science in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. Using 11 vital-sign and laboratory variables that were collected from the EHR, combined with historical training/testing sets, the team successfully created a machine-learning predictive algorithm to predict cardiac arrest in children one hour before the cardiac arrest, Natarajan said. "Our goal is to assist physicians to prevent cardiac arrests. If we save children's lives, that would be amazing progress," Natarajan said. As they reviewed the 11 key variables, the researchers found that ineffective tissue perfusionlack of oxygenated blood flow to areas of the bodywas a major predictor. The finding tracked with the results of the researchers' statistical analysis of the data, demonstrating that their algorithm is correct. The next step in their research is to test the algorithm on larger data sets to determine whether it applies to broader pediatric populations. Dr. Michael Skinner, one of the study's authors, is a retired UT Southwestern pediatric surgeon who enrolled at UT Dallas as a computer science doctoral student five years ago to learn how to develop the type of technology he wished he had as a physician. As a computer science researcher, he brings the advantage of decades of clinical experience. "What we're working on is clinical decision support," Skinner said. "With critically ill patients, you'd like the machine to be able to integrate all the data to give you a warning if there's something that is predictive of a problem." Last year, Natarajan co-wrote a study published in JAMA Network Open that found the risk of gestational diabetes increases significantly for individuals who are at high risk for Type 2 diabetes and who have low levels of physical activity. The findings suggest that physical activity early in pregnancy can reduce gestational diabetes risk. Natarajan, who directs UTD's Center for Machine Learning, emphasized the importance of incorporating the knowledge of clinicians and other experts with data and technology to predict health outcomes and to solve health care problems. "AI can help mankind, but humans are in control," Natarajan said. "Humans are the ones teaching the AI systems." Dr. Priscilla Yu, assistant professor of pediatrics, was corresponding author of the Journal of Clinical Medicine study, and Dr. Lakshmi Raman, professor of pediatrics, was the senior author, both at UT Southwestern. More information: Priscilla Yu et al, Predicting Cardiac Arrest in Children with Heart Disease: A Novel Machine Learning Algorithm, Journal of Clinical Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.3390/jcm12072728 Journal information: JAMA Network Open This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.07.009 Alzheimer's, stroke, multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases cause severe damage due to neuroinflammation mediated by immune cells. Managing this inflammation poses a significant medical challenge because the brain is protected by the skull and additional surrounding membranes that make the brain less accessible for treatment approaches. Scientists had previously discovered pathways going from the bone marrow of the skull towards the brain, allowing immune cell movement. Now, new research revealed that cells in the skull's bone marrow are unique in their composition and in their disease response. These findings offer new possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases and revolutionize brain health monitoring in the future with non-invasive skull imaging. The results are now published in Cell. Neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, stroke, and multiple sclerosis have a devastating impact on the lives of millions worldwide. A common feature is neuroinflammation, an internal "fire" in the brain that can cause severe damage by activation of immune cells and release of inflammatory molecules. However, due to the brain's relative inaccessibility, as it is shielded by the skull and three additional layers of protection in the form of membranes, controlling and monitoring this inflammation has been a major challenge. A team of scientists around Prof. Ali Erturk at Helmholtz Munich in collaboration with researchers from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen (LMU) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) sought to address this unmet need. Not just a helmet: The intricate connection between the skull and brain Defying traditional understanding that the skull and the brain have no direct interchange, recent studies have unveiled direct connections between the skull's bone marrow and the brain's outermost surface of the protective membranes, the meningeal surface. These connections act as conduits, facilitating the movement of immune cells back and forth. The team of scientists found that these connections often traverse even through the outermost and toughest layer of membrane, the dura, opening up even closer to the brain surface than previously thought. To achieve these significant findings, the team utilized a specialized method called tissue clearing in combination with 3-D imaging to visualize the conduits. During the tissue clearing process biological tissues are treated with a specific solution to render them transparent enabling the passage of light for the examination of both brain tissue and the skull under a microscope. As a result, 3-D images of structures and cells were generated, leading to a comprehensive visual analysis. The research team probed even deeper into the distinct role the skull-based immune cells play in brain physiology and diseases. They began by questioning if the skull harbors unique brain-specific cells and molecules that cannot be found in other bones. Extensive analysis of the RNA and protein content in the form of transcriptomics and proteomics analyses of both mouse and human bones affirmed thisthe skull is indeed exceptional, hosting unique neutrophil immune cells, which are a type of white blood cell that play a critical role in the immune system's defense. "These findings carry profound implications, suggesting a far more complex connection between the skull and the brain than previously believed" highlights the first author of the study Ilgin Kolabas, Ph.D.-student at the Erturk lab at Helmholtz Munich. Ali Erturk, corresponding author, adds, "This opens up a myriad of possibilities for diagnosing and treating brain diseases and has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of neurological diseases. This breakthrough could lead to more effective monitoring of conditions such as Alzheimer's and stroke, and potentially even aid in preventing the onset of these diseases by enabling early detection." Envisioning a new future: From research to clinical practice Another impactful finding was that using PET imaging, the researchers discovered that signals from the skull mirrored those from the underlying brain, with changes in these signals corresponding to disease progression in patients with Alzheimer's and stroke. Thereby showcasing a new potential to monitor brain inflammation simply by scanning the surface of the patient's head. Looking forward, the researchers envision that their findings could translate to clinical practice in the form of non-invasive skull imaging. Ali Erturk explains the impact on disease monitoring: "This could potentially be done using portable and wearable devices, offering a more accessible and practical way to monitor brain health." The team hopes that this approach will greatly improve the diagnosis, monitoring, and possibly even treatment of neurological disorders, bringing us a step closer to more effective management of these devastating conditions. More information: Zeynep Ilgin Kolabas et al, Distinct molecular profiles of skull bone marrow in health and neurological disorders, Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.07.009 Journal information: Cell 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 TEM visualization of the phage PASA16 with P. aeruginosa PA14. Credit: Ronen Hazan A new international study conducted by the Israeli Phage Therapy Center (IPTC) led by Prof. Ran Nir-Paz at Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center and Prof. Ronen Hazan of the Faculty of Dental Medicine at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, using phage PASA16 on compassionate basis to treat tough Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, has shown promising results with an 86.6% success rate. This research involving 16 patients with persistent infections represents the largest of its kind and brings encouraging findings. The study's success demonstrates the potential effectiveness of PASA16 phage therapy in tackling challenging Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, paving the way for future clinical trials and encouraging further exploration of phage therapy as an alternative and auxiliary approach against antibiotic-resistant infections. The paper is published in the journal Med. Phage therapy, the use of specific anti-bacterial viruses against infections, has garnered attention as a critical addition to conventional antibiotics, though clinical trials in this area have been limited. However, recent compassionate phage therapy cases have shown potential, albeit with scarce evidence on treating difficult infections. This study sheds light on the potential role of phages in combination with antibiotics in combating the hard-to-treat pathogen P. aeruginosa infections that were unresponsive to conventional treatments. Prior to treatment, all P. aeruginosa isolates from patients were tested and treatment was personalized provided to those who were found to be sensitive to the PASA16 phage. During the PASA16 phage treatment, only minor side effects were observed, which were manageable. Remarkably, 13 out of 15 patients with available data achieved a favorable clinical outcome, resulting in an impressive 86.6% success rate. This highlights the potential of combining PASA16 phage with antibiotics as a promising approach for patients with previously unsuccessful treatments. The duration of treatment spanned from eight days to six weeks (majority of around two weeks), with one- to twice-daily regimens, offering a time-efficient option. In conclusion, this compassionate use case series demonstrates the potential effectiveness of PASA16 phage therapy in tackling tough Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. By outlining potential clinical protocols, this study paves the way for future trials. The success observed encourages further research and exploration of phage therapy as an alternative and complementary approach to combat antibiotic-resistant infections. Prof. Ran Nir-Paz, co- lead researcher of the study at IPTC of Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, expressed excitement about the findings, stating, "We are elated by the promising results of our study using phage PASA16 to treat tough Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. This groundbreaking research offers hope for patients with persistent infections and highlights the potential of phage therapy as a valuable alternative to conventional antibiotics in combating antibiotic-resistant pathogens." Prof. Ronen Hazan the co-lead researcher of the IPTC, also the head of the Bio-research institute of the Faculty of Dental Medicine at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem said, "We are encouraged by the findings. The study's 86.6% success rate offers hope for patients with persistent infections and underscores the potential of phage therapy as an alternative to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens." P. aeruginosa is a type of bacteria commonly found in the environment, such as soil, water, and plants, and as part of bacteria residing in humans. It is both a pathogen and opportunistic bacteria, causing infections in individuals with weakened immune systems or underlying health conditions. Known for its potentially complicated and life-threatening infections, P. aeruginosa poses challenges in health care settings. These infections can range from mild to severe, affecting various body parts, including the lungs, urinary tract, skin, and wounds. It is a common cause of hospital-acquired infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients or those using mechanical ventilation or invasive devices. The bacteria's ability to form protective biofilms hinders treatment, sometimes necessitating the combination of antibiotics and alternative therapies like phage therapy. Strict infection control measures in health care facilities are essential to combat its persistence. The study compiled comprehensive clinical data on 15 out of 16 patients treated with phage PASA16, assessing its efficacy in treating the infections. The phage, provided pro bono by the American phage company "Adaptive Phage Therapeutics," was administered through various methods, including intravenous, local application to the infection site, and topical use. The data mainly covered patients with osteoarticular and foreign-device-associated infections. As the fight against antibiotic resistance continues, this compassionate use case series represents a significant step forward in exploring phage therapy as a potential solution for patients with tough P. aeruginosa infections. Phage therapy has re-emerged as a potential solution for antimicrobial-resistant and non-resolving infections, as phages specifically target other microorganisms. While compassionate use cases for phage therapy have been implemented, clinical trials remain limited. This study reports the largest case series of consecutive patients with severe P. aeruginosa infections who received compassionate use treatment using a single specific phage, PASA16. All 16 patients were treated after demonstrating the susceptibility of their infective agent to both the phage alone and in combination with antibiotics. The study findings demonstrate a favorable outcome in over 80% of treated patients, with minimal side effects. Based on these findings, further compassionate use cases and the development of clinical trial protocols should follow. More information: Ran Nir-Paz, Refractory Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections treated with Phage PASA16: a compassionate use case series, Med (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.medj.2023.07.002. www.cell.com/med/fulltext/S2666-6340(23)00225-8 Journal information: Med This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Itching, stinging, and swelling really take the fun out of being outdoors and opening windows in the summer. Most bug bites (usually from mosquitoes) stop itching after a day or two. Others can leave you or your child with bacterial infections, parasites, or viruses. "During the summer we provide insects more opportunity to bite," says pediatric allergist and immunologist Joel Brooks, MPH, DO, "and the number of reported cases of disease from mosquito, tick, and flea bites has more than tripled in recent years according to the CDC." Most bug bites do not cause problems and will resolve on their own, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to avoid them. Mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas cause the most bug bitesand carry diseases like West Nile and Lyme disease, which can be seriousso it's worth trying to avoid bug bites as much as possible. We asked Brooks to tell us everything we should know about bugs and their bites. Why do bug bites itch? When bugs bite, they inject saliva, triggering your body to react. Your immune system fights substances in the bug saliva with a variety of mediators, such as histamine, which causes swelling, inflammation, and itchiness. If you scratch a bite, it becomes more inflamed, causing more itch, and you increase the potential for infection. What does a bug bite say about your immune system? Everyone thinks their immune system is off when they see something they have not experienced before: a larger bump, a redder lump, an itchier itch, a stingier sting. But most of the time, any local reaction to a bug bite says you're functioning normally. It's an appropriate response. If you have a systemic reactionsymptoms beyond the site of the biteyour body is mounting a bigger immune response. Examples include an allergic reaction or infection that can be life-threatening. What's a sign a bug bite is something more serious? As long as the reaction stays localizedaround the biteit's usually not serious. It's normal for a bite or sting to swell and itch, which can last up to 48 hours, getting slightly better over time. If the bite is getting worse after 24 hours, call your doctor and take photos to record the changes. If you have reactions off-siteyou were bit on the elbow, but your leg is swelling; you have hives everywhere; you are coughing, dizzy, nauseated, or vomiting; you have diarrhea or trouble breathing; or you fainted immediately or shortly after the bite or stingit's time to call 911. Why do some people get bit more than other people? You may have heard that certain blood types are more appealing than others to insects, but the evidence is not there. We do know there is a genetic component and that certain people secrete chemical signals that insects are more attracted to We also know mosquitos are attracted to people who exhale more carbon dioxide, have a higher body temperature, and have a limited variety of bacteria on their skin. Insects are also attracted to people who are pregnant (possibly because they exhale more carbon dioxide and have a higher body temperature), certain colors of clothing, and beer. Is it OK to scratch a bug bite? No. When you scratch an itchy bite you cause more inflammation and release more histaminewhich is what caused the itch in the first place. So, scratching causes the bite to become more and more itchy and the swelling to become larger and larger. Also, when you scratch, you're breaking down your skin. Scratching creates greater risk for developing skin infections and abscesses that cause systemic symptoms: fever, chills, nausea, and vomiting. An infection can last for days or longer and can be very serious without treatment. When you see a bite or feel itchiness, it is best to treat the bite, and do not scratch. How do you stop bug bites from itching? The best way to stop feeling itchy is to not get bitten. Wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts is not everyone's favorite thing to do during the summer, but shorts and short sleeves put you at higher risk of bites and stings. Prevention is No. 1: Cover your body when outside, especially when hiking. Wear clothing treated with permethrin (an insecticide). Use window screens and/or air conditioning to keep windows closed. Keep doors to outside areas closed. Eliminate standing water outside. Use insecticide. If I've been bitten, what should I do? Wash the site with soap and water or wipe with an antibacterial. Apply an ice pack to the site for 10 minutes and again as needed. Take a second-generation (non-drowsy) antihistamine: cetirizine, fexofenadine, or levocetirizine. Use an over-the-counter anti-itch or antihistamine cream, such as hydrocortisone, or a homemade baking soda paste. Do not use topical antibiotics, like mupirocin, unless there are signs of an infection or instructed by your doctor. What do bug bites look like? Bites and stings can look like many things and come in many shapes and sizes. As allergists we break it down by the offender to determine what is a concern: Mosquitos Mosquito bites appear as flesh, pink, or red-colored bumps on the skin and range in size from a few millimeters to a few centimeters. These bumps are usually harmless; the swelling and itch can last for a couple of days. Sometimes these bites cause local inflammatory reactions that appear as a large area of swelling, heat, redness, and itching/pain, which can mimic a skin infection. Unfortunately, mosquitos can also transmit harmful infections such as the West Nile virus, malaria, and Zika virus. Bees/Wasps/Hornets Bee, wasp, and hornet stings can look like mosquito bites in size and shape, but often occur with sharp pain and swelling that usually fade into a dull ache after minutes to hours. Unlike bees, wasps and hornets are capable of stinging multiple times since they do not lose their stinger during the process. Some people are allergic to the venom in wasp and hornet stings, which can lead to severe, life-threatening, reactions. What to watch for: Yellowjackets are wasps that nest underground; hornets have cone-shaped nests in trees. Spiders Most spider bites only cause minor symptoms and appear as red bumps that can be itchy or painful with localized swelling. They may be scattered on different areas of the body. However, spider bites are not as common as people think. The two most dangerous spider species in New York are the black widow and the brown recluse. Bites from these spiders are painful and they sometimes blister, causing areas of the skin to die off. They can also lead to systemic symptoms such as muscle pain and cramping, nausea and vomiting, fevers, high blood pressure, difficulty breathing, and, in rare cases, death. Ticks Ticks are large, blood-feeding insects that are responsible for the transmission of a variety of diseases, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. It is not always possible to distinguish the initial bite from other insect bites. Rashes that spread across the body and other systemic symptoms such as fevers and joint pain develop several days later. Lyme disease is famous for the "bulls-eye rash," but it is not always present! Bed Bugs Bites appear as small, red papules or bumps that last for several days. They are sometimes clustered or arranged in a line called "breakfast, lunch, and dinner." These bites are very itchy! Scabies Scabies is caused by mites that burrow into the skin, which results in a rash of small bumps and papules, often with scaling between fingers and toes, and intense itching. Scabies is very contagious with direct, skin-to-skin contact, including shaking hands and hugging. Lebanese army organizes tour along border with Israel for UN representatives Xinhua) 09:15, August 09, 2023 Representatives of member states of the UN Security Council accredited to Lebanon, accompanied by Lebanese officers, are seen during a tour along the Blue Line, on Aug. 8, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) BEIRUT, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese Army Command on Tuesday organized a field tour along the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel for representatives of member states of the UN Security Council accredited to Lebanon. Lebanese military sources told Xinhua that the tour started from the Lebanese army barracks in Tyre, passed through Ras Naqoura in the west, and reached the Ghajar axis in the east. The group stopped at the 13 border points of dispute between Lebanon and Israel, as well as the Shebaa Farms axis, the town of Ghajar, and the barbed wire fence erected by the Israeli army. Mounir Shehadeh, the Lebanese government coordinator with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), said Lebanon considers the 13 disputed border points and the Shebaa Farms as the Lebanese territories occupied by Israel. He also mentioned that the Israeli boats entered the Lebanese territorial waters in the Ras al-Naqoura axis at the time of the tour, showing a lack of respect for international law. The Blue Line is a demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel published by the United Nations in 2000. Last month, the Israeli army installed barbed wire and cement blocks in border areas from the Ghajar axis in the west to Shebaa and Karchouba in the east, leading to rising tensions with the Lebanese army. Representatives of member states of the UN Security Council accredited to Lebanon, accompanied by Lebanese officers, are seen during a tour along the Blue Line, on Aug. 8, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) Representatives of member states of the UN Security Council accredited to Lebanon, accompanied by Lebanese officers, are seen on a watchtower during a tour along the Blue Line, on Aug. 8, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) Lebanese soldiers stand guard during a tour for representatives of member states of the UN Security Council accredited to Lebanon along the Blue Line, on Aug. 8, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) Lebanese soldiers stand guard during a tour for representatives of member states of the UN Security Council accredited to Lebanon along the Blue Line, on Aug. 8, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) Representatives of member states of the UN Security Council accredited to Lebanon, accompanied by Lebanese officers, are seen during a tour along the Blue Line, on Aug. 8, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) The famed Illinois State Fair Butter Cow was unveiled on Aug. 9, 2023, in Springfield by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II, previewing the opening of the annual state fair. (John O'Connor/AP) The Illinois State Fair kicks off in Springfield on Thursday showcasing carnival rides, horse races, livestock shows, live music and a perennial favorite, the Butter Cow. Gov. J.B. Pritzker was on hand for the unveiling of the Butter Cow sculpture Wednesday afternoon. Sculptor Sarah Pratts work depicts a cow being milked by dairy farmer Lorilee Schultz of Orangeville. A fixture at the fair since 1922, the cow celebrates Illinois dairy farmers. This year marks the 170th anniversary of the Illinois State Fair and although a lot has changed since our very first fair in 1853, one thing remains strong and steadfast and thats our states agriculture tradition, Pritzker said at the ceremony. Its a legacy that were proud of. [ Vintage Tribune: History of the Illinois State Fair butter cows ] The theme of this years fair is Harvest the Fun, touting some of the multimillion-dollar construction improvements made to the fairgrounds in the last four years. Those include an $8.6 million renovation of the fairs multipurpose arena and an ongoing rehab of the 122-year-old Coliseum, a three-story, oval-shaped amphitheater that houses a show ring for horses. Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II said that renovations still to come for the Coliseum are a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system that will make the historic building suitable for year-round use. In addition, two elevators will be added to make it compliant with the federal American with Disabilities Act standards. I know were in an instant gratification society and, you know, a lot of people want things done yesterday, Costello said during a news conference about the fair last week. Construction and progress is incremental. Costello said about $65 million has been invested in improvements to the fairgrounds since 2019. Musical acts at this years fair range from rap superstars Nelly and Ja Rule to classic rock legends the Doobie Brothers and Champaigns very own, REO Speedwagon. Other attractions at the fairgrounds include a rodeo and a slew of motor sport competitions like a monster truck show, truck and tractor pulling and a demolition derby. Harness racing is scheduled over five days. [ [From 2022]: Illinois, behold: Your 700-pound state fair butter cow is here. ] The fair will host sunflower hours from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday for people with special needs who will be able to enjoy certain events without the bright lights and loud sounds that could aggravate the senses, according to state fair manager Rebecca Clark. Food offerings will run the gamut, from pizza to BBQ ribs, with one stand, The Vose Korndog stand, figuring to be an essential stop for many fairgoers. Its owner, Bob Vose, known as the Korndog King, who served on the Springfield City Council for many years, died earlier this year. Also on the menu is copi, the rebranded name for Asian carp, which will be served up in nuggets, sliders, rangoons and empanadas. State officials also said there will be designated theme days that include free admission for first responders, health care workers, veterans and their families and seniors. Elected officials will gather for annual pep-rally-type events on the fairgrounds with Pritzker and other Democrats congregating next Wednesday for Governors Day, and the states top GOP politicians gathering the next day for Republican Day. The fair runs from Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 20, and tickets for the musical acts can be purchased at the fairgrounds or ticketmaster.com. Normal admission to the fair will be $5 to $10, with anyone under 12 getting in for free. Parking will be $5. Anyone who pays for parking on the fairgrounds Thursday will receive a voucher for free parking to be redeemed on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of next week. For more information about this years fair, visit statefair.illinois.gov/ jgorner@chicagotribune.com 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: Human skin structure. Credit: Wikipedia The transfer of a neurotransmitter from one type of skin cell to another (melanocytes to keratinocytes) altered electrical activity and promoted melanoma initiation in preclinical models, according to results published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer that develops in melanin-containing skin cells known as melanocytes. An intrinsic feature of melanocytes is their ability to secrete melanin-containing vesicles to surrounding skin cells called keratinocytes to give skin its color. While approximately half of all melanomas harbor mutations in the BRAF gene, these mutations are present in many benign skin lesions as well. "This suggests that BRAF mutation is not sufficient for melanoma development and raises the question of why certain BRAF-mutated melanocytes develop into cancer, while others remain benign," said Richard White, MD, Ph.D., the senior author of the study and a physician-scientist at the University of Oxford Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). "Cancers exist within a community of cells from the onset," added first author Mohita Tagore, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research scientist at MSK. "We were interested in understanding how the community of skin cells contributes to melanoma development." Since melanocytes are deeply embedded within a population of keratinocytes, White, Tagore, and colleagues asked whether communication between melanocytes and keratinocytes was involved in the progression of benign BRAF-mutated melanocytes into melanoma. Using zebrafish, mouse, and human cell models, the researchers observed that the transfer of molecules between BRAF-mutated melanocytes and normal keratinocytes was critical to melanoma initiation and that it occurred almost exclusively between melanocytes and keratinocytes that were in direct contact with one another. Researchers discovered that this communication was mediated by the neurotransmitter GABA, which was an unexpected finding given that GABA signaling is typically associated with neurons rather than skin cells, Tagore noted. In neurons, GABA inhibits a neuron's ability to send or receive electrical signals. The researchers observed a similar effect in skin cells, as the binding of secreted GABA to receptors on keratinocytes inhibited electrical activity in keratinocytes and led to the secretion of a tumor-promoting protein. In addition, they found that melanoma cells had increased expression of genes involved in GABA production compared with non-malignant melanocytes. The results suggest that BRAF-mutated melanocytes may upregulate and transmit GABA to dampen the electrical activity of neighboring keratinocytes, allow for vesicle transfer between the two cell types, and initiate the progression to melanoma, Tagore explained. She and colleagues hypothesize that molecules carried by vesicles from melanocytes to keratinocytes may trigger the secretion of the cancer-promoting protein from keratinocytes. Ongoing work is exploring this hypothesis. "Something about normal electrical activity in keratinocytes appears to suppress the progression of BRAF-mutated melanocytes to melanoma," she said. "Our findings indicate that some BRAF-mutated melanocytes are able to modulate this electrical activity through GABA in order to progress to melanoma. "We typically consider electrical activity in the context of neuronal communication, but these observations implicate it in cancer development as well," Tagore added. "I would not have necessarily expected a neurotransmitter to be involved in the communication between skin cells," said White. "Interactions between neurons and brain cancer cells have been reported, but here we observed neuronal-like communication occurring between two non-neuron cells." The findings may have therapeutic implications, as they raise the possibility of targeting GABA to treat or prevent melanoma, the authors said. However, they cautioned that additional research is needed to understand the study's clinical applications. A limitation of the study is that all experiments were performed in preclinical models. In addition, the findings may not apply to all melanomas due to the heterogeneity of the disease. More information: GABA regulates electrical activity and tumor initiation in melanoma, Cancer Discovery (2023). DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-23-0389 Journal information: Cancer Discovery 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: This photograph depicts a female Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is the primary vector for the spread of Dengue fever. This July, the World Health Organization warned that climate change could push dengue cases to near-record numbers. Credit: James Gathany/CDC Climate change and human activity are enabling the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, like dengue fever, to new places. Stanford infectious disease experts and disease ecologists discuss what we know and how communities can protect themselves from these changing disease threats. The changing climate is dramatically altering the landscape of mosquito-borne diseases. Warmer temperatures, changes in rainfall, and human activity are enabling their spread to new places often unprepared to deal with them. This year, locally transmitted malaria cases cropped up in Florida and Texas for the first time in 20 years. But dengue fever has dominated global headlines, with outbreaks unprecedented in their locations, severity, and duration. With deadly outbreaks from Bangladesh to Peru and record numbers of cases in Europe, the World Health Organization officials this July warned that climate change could push dengue cases to near-record numbers. "Often people think that all mosquitoes are the same, or that all mosquitoes can transmit the same diseases, but in fact mosquitoes differ in their ecologies and their ability to transmit different pathogens, resulting in differences in how we prevent and mitigate disease transmission," said Erin Mordecai, associate professor of biology in the School of Humanities and Sciences. Mordecai is among several Stanford experts who are leading efforts to understand how climate change is impacting the spread of various mosquito vectors and the deadly diseases they carryand how to respond. Educating communities and health providers about the differences between these various mosquitoes on the move is critical to protecting public health, they say. Mordecai joined Desiree LaBeaud, professor of pediatrics at Stanford Medicine, Joelle Rosser, an infectious disease instructor, and Eloise Skinner, a senior scientist in the Mordecai Lab, to speak with the Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health about how the burden of mosquito-borne disease is shifting, and how communities can prepare. What worries you most about mosquito-borne diseases in light of rising temperatures and environmental changes? LaBeaud: I worry about Aedes aegypti. These mosquito vectors spread a lot of diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika virus, and yellow fever. Everything we're doing as we alter our world puts us more at risk: They breed in the plastic waste we discard; they thrive in urban environments, and they like it hot. They're also fairly sneaky. It's hard to find them when they're resting, so you don't know where to spray. We're also much less prepared for the diseases they spread, particularly dengue, than we are for malaria. Mordecai: The biggest part of this story, in terms of numbers of cases and people affected, is probably dengue and the related viruses that are being transmitted by the same Aedes mosquitoes. If you look at the data on how they've changed over time, you see basically exponential growth in the last 30 years over almost every region where those diseases exist. Skinner: Vector-borne diseases in general have been shaping humanity for centuries. So we expected outbreaks, but we didn't necessarily expect the intensity we're seeing now. Nor did we expect to see these vector-borne diseases like malaria, West Nile, and dengue, all with very different transmission cycles, hosts, and habitats, hitting different places at different times. Climate change is impacting all these multiple layers of the transmission cycle. What do we know about how environmental changes are increasing mosquito-borne disease? Mordecai: Climate is just one layer in the conditions that lead to a disease outbreak. Other layers include human activities that increase our exposure; presence of the parasite or virus the mosquitoes spread; and human susceptibility (lack of immunity). This makes it challenging to attribute vector-borne disease to climate change in the precise way that scientists can now do for heat waves and hurricanes. But I think we're getting really close. And climate suitability is very important because it's always the fundamental thing that determines whether conditions are suitable for an outbreak. Rosser: Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of both flooding and droughtand both can increase the risk for diseases such as dengue fever. Floodwater pooling in small containers makes an ideal breeding ground, while during drought, people store water in small containers, which also become breeding grounds. LaBeaud: We've recently learned that plastic waste makes an excellent breeding ground for the Aedes aegypti mosquitoand plastic trash is everywhere. Less than 10% of the world's plastic is recycled, and much of the rest ends up in landfills in other countries. When I purchase a plastic drink container, I remind myself that if I don't reuse it or deal with it myself, it's going to end up somewhere else in the world, breeding mosquitoes that will bite vulnerable children and make them sick. The choices we make can impact people far away. What are some changes we can expect with warmer temperatures? Mordecai: My lab has identified the range of temperatures that is most suitable for malaria. Scientists used to think that hotter was better, but we now know that the climate is most suitable at about 25C (77F). Climate change could assist in eradicating malaria in some places while driving new outbreaks in other places that lack the capacity to control malaria. The thermal optimum for dengue is a much warmer 29C (84F), which is why most places on the globe are becoming more suitable as global temperatures rise. The thermal window for West Nile peaks around 24C or 25C (75F to 77F). We could see temperate zones becoming increasingly suitable for West Nile, and we could see transmission seasons extend earlier in the spring and later into the fall. How can communities prepare? LaBeaud: Large outbreaks can be overwhelming to public health infrastructure in places, like Peru, that are not used to dengue. Often, many nearby countries are dealing with the same viral outbreak, so coordinating health agencies like the Pan-American Health Organization become very important in terms of providing a more centralized and rapid response and offering support for surveillance and diagnostics. Effective public health education is also important: You have to educate the health care providers, ministry of health officials, and community members themselves that all vectors are not the same. Rosser: We need to anticipate climate change's enormous impacts and start co-designing and testing ways to make communities more resilient. This could look like providing education about dengue risk factors such as trash and standing water, then working in tandem with communities to co-design solutions to decrease risk. As COVID showed us, figuring out ways to reduce disease transmission in vulnerable populations and hotspots helps limit the spread to everyone. 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: Ben Trumble inside ASU's lab at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change. Credit: Charlie Leight/ASU News Previous research has revealed that the Apolipoprotein-4 (APOE-4) allele increases the risk for a variety of diseases in aging populations, specifically Alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease. Yet despite its negative effects, this allele remains prevalent in approximately 20% of the human population. In a quest to determine how this negative allele is surviving natural selection, a group of researchers have discovered that the APOE-4 allele is associated with increased fertility in women. In a new paper titled "Apolipoprotein-4 is associated with higher fecundity in a natural fertility population" released today in Science Advances, the authors worked alongside the Tsimane (Chi-mahn-eh) community in Bolivia, a forager-horticultural society, to look at the effects of the allele through an evolutionary anthropological lens. To do so, lead author Benjamin Trumble, who is an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Arizona State University's School of Human Evolution and Social Change as well as the university's Center for Evolution and Medicine, headed to the Bolivian Amazon lowlands where the Tsimane live. Trumble, along with the Tsimane Health and Life History Project (co-directed by Trumble, Hillard Kaplan, Michael Gurven, and Jonathan Stieglitz), has a longstanding relationship with the Tsimane to collect demographic and biomedical data and help provide medical carea relationship that has been in effect for over 20 years. With over 17,000 people living across 90 villages, their hunter-farmer lifestyle is more similar to human life prior to the Industrial Revolution than it is to life in modern cities, offering a unique glimpse into health and aging without modern day influences. New research shows genetic mutation known for Alzhemeir's disease also is associated with increased fertility in women. Credit: Arizona State University School of Human Evolution and Social Change "What I do is I try to understand what human health was like prior to industrialization," Trumble explained. "For 99% of human history, we were hunter-gatherers. The world we're living in today is really weird. It's this built environment that we've created that's entirely different from what it was throughout most of human evolution. We are now essentially operating outside of the manufacturer's recommended warranty," he added. For this particular study, Trumble and the other researchers collected data from 795 Tsimane women, ranging in age from 13 to 90 years old. The team of researchers not only retrieved genetic data to determine which alleles were prevalent for each individual, but also information about their fertility, including age of first birth, how long between births, total number of live births, and more. When looking at the data, the researchers found that Tsimane women with the presence of one APOE-4 allele had an increase of .5 births, compared to those without the APOE-4 allele. The number of live births increased even more when there was the presence of two copies of the APOE-4 allele, where these women had an average increase of two live births compared to those without this specific allele. Trumble (center) with Tsimane men in Bolivia. Credit: Ben Trumble/ASU "What we found in this population was that women began reproducing almost a year earlier if they had the APOE-4 allele and they had shorter interbirth intervals. Those two things combined allow them to have about half an additional kid if they have one copy or two additional kids if they have two copies," Trumble explains. This advantageous effect on fertility could help to explain how an allele that has such a negative impact in one's later life through the increased chances of developing Alzheimer's or cardiovascular disease has not been weeded out by natural selectionthe advantages take place in one's early to midlife years, and therefore are passed along to their offspring. "Genes that are associated with diseases that occur after the age of reproduction, or after reproduction has already started, are in selections shadow. There have been a lot of arguments about the APOE-4 allele, that it may be an example of 'selection's shadow,' that you don't develop Alzheimer's until after you've already had all your kids," Trumble said. Other, smaller studies have shown other advantageous aspects of the APOE-4 allele, including that children in Brazil are able to handle environmental pathogens and parasites, such as Giardia, better than those without the allele, which resulted in better cognitive functions and higher growth rates. "If you spend a calorie on growth, you can't spend it on immune function and vice versa, so if you're sick all the time, you have to invest a lot of energy in immune function, and you can't grow as fast. Children with the APOE-4 allele seem to have better immune function, so they spend less time sick and can grow faster," Trumble explained. Even with these benefits of the APOE-4 allele that have been discovered, there is still the major deleterious effect of the increased risk of Alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease in the later stages of life. Interestingly, this negative effect of the allele is mostly seen in Westernized nations. The Tsimane, for instance, have the lowest rates of dementia and Alzheimer's in the world, as discovered in research by the large interdisciplinary team Trumble is a part of last year. This is despite having the same 20% prevalence of the APOE-4 allele in their population. What can this mean for understanding and treating the negative effects of the allele in areas affected the most? "We need to better understand global variation, and in particular, we need to kind of think outside the box and move beyond our focus on 'this allele causes X disease' and that's just how it is. Instead, we need to take a step back and say, what about in different environments? What about in the environments in which humans evolved? Because that actually opens up a whole other possibility for prevention or treatment by being able to mimic some of the aspects of that lifestyle. If we aren't seeing the same associations between APOE-4 and some outcome, then maybe if we kind of take a step back and we say, okay, what are the differences?" The Tsimane Health and Life History Project is a large interdisciplinary team effort, combining anthropologists, cardiologists, neurologists, and gerontologists, as well Bolivian physicians and Tsimane anthropologists. More information: Benjamin Trumble et al, Apolipoprotein E4 is associated with higher fecundity in a natural fertility population, Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade9797. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade9797 Journal information: Science Advances 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: Half of all adult small intestinal myenteric neurons are derived from a non-neural crest lineage. Credit: (2023). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.88051.1 "Following your gut;" "losing your appetite;" "a gutsy move." We may think of the gut as a simple digestive organ, but these familiar phrases reflect the central role the gut plays in a much wider range of essential functions. The entire digestive tract is lined by the enteric nervous system (ENS), a vast network of millions of neurons and glial cellsthe two primary cell types also found in the central nervous system. While often called the second brain, the ENS produces the same neurotransmitters and originated much before the central nervous system in the brain evolved. The functions of the ENS are crucial to life and extend far beyond digestion, as it regulates immunity and gut secretions, and enables complex, bi-directional communication between the gut and the brain. This is why a happy gut co-exists with a happy brain, and why digestive issues can lead to changes in mood and behavior. Since the mid-20th century, scientists have believed that the ENS is derived from the neural crest before birth and remains unchanged after. Now, in a paper published in the journal eLife, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) present a completely new paradigm describing a developmental pathway by which ENS development continues after birth in mice and human tissue samples. This discovery overturns decades of scientific dogma on the fundamental biology of neuroscience and of ENS, by showing evidence for the first time of a non-ectodermal and a mesodermal origin for large numbers of enteric neurons born after birth. The findings show the relevance of these neurons to the maturation and aging of the ENS in health and disease. "These results indicate for the first time that the mesoderm is an important source of neurons in the second largest nervous system of the body," said Subhash Kulkarni, Ph.D., a staff scientist at BIDMC and an assistant professor in the Division of Medical Sciences at Harvard Medical School. "How we mature and how we age is central to our understanding of health and disease in our rapidly aging population. The increasing proportion of neurons of mesodermal lineage is a natural consequence of maturation and aging; further, this lineage can be expected to have distinct vulnerabilities to disease." Using transgenic mice models, high-resolution microscopy and genetic analyses, Kulkarni and colleagues analyzed the ENS neuronal populations in adult mice and human tissues. Using mice models, the team found that while the early post-natal ENS cells were from the expected neural crest lineage, that pattern changed rapidly as the animal matured. Kulkarni and colleagues documented the arrival and continual expansion of a novel population of enteric neurons that were derived from the mesodermthe same lineage that gives rise to the muscle and heart cells. This newly discovered population of mesoderm-derived neurons expanded with age, such that they comprised a third of all enteric neurons in adolescent mice, half of all enteric neurons in adult mice, and then eventually outnumbered the original neural crest-derived population of enteric neurons in aging mice. By assessing the molecular signature of these neurons, the team identified new cellular markers which were used to identify this population of mesoderm-derived neurons in human gut tissue. These markers also provided pharmacological targets, which the researchers used to not only manipulate the proportions of the mesodermal neurons in adolescent mice, but also to reduce their dominant proportions in the aging mouse gut to cure age-associated slowing of gut movement. "We can now work to understand how these findings can be translated into human systems to provide a disease modifying cure to aging patients whose chief complaint often includes diseases of the GI tract," added Kulkarni. "By reversing one of the biggest dogmas of neuroscience, we are now in uncharted territory, and at the same time, have a huge opportunity to understand this hidden basic, translational, and clinical biology of neurons. The newly discovered lineage of neurons presents us with potential new drug targets that could help large populations of patients." Co-authors included Monalee Saha, Jared Slosberg, Alpana Singh, Sushma Nagaraj, Chengxiu Zhang, Alicia Bukowski, Zhuolun Wang, Guosheng Liu, Jenna Leser, Mithra Kumar, Shriya Bakhshi, Elizabeth Vincent, and Loyal A. Goff of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Laren Becker and of Stanford University School of Medicine; Matthew Anderson and Mark Lewandoski of Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute; and Pankaj Jay Pasricha of the Mayo Clinic. More information: Subhash Kulkarni et al, Age-associated changes in lineage composition of the enteric nervous system regulate gut health and disease, eLife (2023). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.88051.1 Journal information: eLife This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The United States saw a record 25,487 kidney transplants in 2021, according to the latest annual data report from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. Five years after transplantation, successful organ functioncalled graft survivalof kidneys from deceased donors was 81% among patients ages 18 to 34 and 68% among people older than 65. Malek Kamoun of the Perelman School of Medicine and Ryan Urbanowicz of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center are developing machine learning strategies to improve kidney matching and decrease the risk of graft failurewith help from Penn students. Three undergraduates worked remotely this summer on the project: Sphia Sadek, Antonios Kriezis, and Aryan Roy. Sadek and Roy completed the work through the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program. Each PURM student receives a $5,000 award for the 10-week program, supported by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. Sadek, a rising third-year student in computer science and cognitive science, says she has always been interested in a career in artificial intelligence but has never done anything with machine learning. She heard about PURM during orientation events for transfer students. "For my project, I'm working on the threshold for how many amino acid mismatches would be considered low-risk or high-risk, for each bin," says Sadek, who is from Jersey City, New Jersey. "A bin is basically a list of these amino acid positions, and we use that bin to stratify the two groups." Kamoun and Urbanowicz helped develop an algorithm called FIBERS (Feature Inclusion Bin Evolver for Risk Stratification), which assumed a threshold of zero, meaning that bins, a group of amino acid positions, with at least one mismatch are considered high-risk. Sadek is exploring the possibility that the threshold could be higher, a beneficial exercise because it could lead to better risk stratification by race and ethnicity, for example, due to significant amino acid variations among various ethnic groups. She is doing this using Python programming languages and data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), and Urbanowicz says her method "seems to be working really well so far." Along with testing, coding, and programming, she went to meetings to learn about the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system and the HLA biology behind kidney allograft rejection in transplant recipients. She says the PURM experience helped solidify her interest in machine learning and AI and helped her gain research experience by "looking at different articles, thinking of new ideas to help test and debug, thinking of new ideas that can help improve an original existing project." And it helped with communication and networking skills, she says. An evolutionary algorithm Kamoun was inspired to do his current work by his former mentor Jean Dausset, the late Nobel Prize recipient who in the 1960s discovered the HLA system, a complex of genes that encode proteins responsible for immune system regulation. HLAs control the body's immune response to transplants and are a major cause of organ rejection. "When a patient receives a transplant, they usually receive a transplant from somebody whose HLA are very different from their own," Kamoun says. "That leads to T lymphocyte activation and expansion because these cells see the recipient as carrying foreign antigen material; consequently, kidney allograft rejection could occur in transplant recipients who are not adequately immunosuppressed." The traditional method of analyzing HLA differences is at the antigen level, whereas defining differences at the molecular level requires looking at amino acid sequence variation. But Kamoun says there is so much variation across populations at the amino acid level that it's difficult to use traditional statistical methods to understand genetic variation in kidney graft survival. So he turned to Urbanowicz, an expert in machine learning tools who helps groups study various biomedical problems. After a year or two of discussion, they submitted a National Institutes of Health grant and received funding last year. Kamoun and Urbanowicz co-authored a paper assessing the performance of the FIBERS algorithm, published this spring in the Journal of Biomedical Informatics. FIBERS is an evolutionary algorithmand an approach without a hypothesisthat automatically discovers "bins" of amino acid-level mismatches, based on their ability to categorize donor-recipient pairs into low-risk and high-risk groups for graft survival. Urbanowicz says FIBERS discovers which amino acid mismatch positions are most important to look at when determining the risk of graft failure, and this could work into a kidney allocation policy downstream, or at least assist in determining which transplant recipients might be at higher risk of graft failure. Using SRTR data, the researchers applied FIBERS on 166,574 deceased-donor kidney transplants that occurred between 2000 and 2017. They found that compared to traditional methods, FIBERS categorized more than twice as many patients as low risk, indicating that traditional methods shroud relevant amino acid variability that can impact risk of graft failure. Adjusting for variables Rising second-year students Kriezis and Roy are exploring a different avenue of the project than Sadek: adjusting for covariatesmeaning variables such as age, sex, and raceusing two different approaches. Kriezis, a systems science and engineering major, was interested in the project because he wanted to do something with coding and machine learning. He was assigned to test the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) model, a statistic that penalizes models that perform well through using larger numbers of covariates. "Before I joined this project, I didn't really know what machine learning was," says Kriezis, who is from Athens. "I was basically able to learn what it is, how it works and how useful it can be. The team was very helpful. At every step, they were very easy to talk to, and they were willing to explain whatever questions you had." As Kriezis spent his time debugging code and sorting through spreadsheet columns, he says he wasn't thinking about kidney transplantation much. But he says Kamoun, director of the Clinical Immunology and HLA Immunogenetics Laboratory at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, talked to students about the larger application of their work. Urbanowicz says the approach Kriezis worked on is expensive because it takes about 16 hours to run, "but it is a more established, recognized way in statistics to adjust for covariates," whereas "there's a lot more uncertainty" with the method Roy used. Urbanowicz says Roy worked on an approachone first proposed by statistician Keith McCullough, another co-author on the Journal of Biomedical Informatics paperthat involves adjusting for residuals in the FIBERS bins. After running preliminary results on the original FIBERS approach and both covariate approaches, Urbanowicz says the covariate approaches perform slightly better than the original "and that the residuals approach we implemented seems very promising and is working just as well as AIC," but faster. More information: Satvik Dasariraju et al, HLA amino acid Mismatch-Based risk stratification of kidney allograft failure using a novel Machine learning algorithm, Journal of Biomedical Informatics (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jbi.2023.104374 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain In a case that revealed the exploitation of a Black woman beginning in the 1950s and extending for 70 years, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. settled a lawsuit that the estate of Henrietta Lacks had filed against the biotech firm for its role in what the lawsuit called "a racially unjust medical system." In 1951, Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, one of the only hospitals in the area that would treat African Americans at the time. During her treatment, a sample of her cancer cells was taken without her knowledge or consent. In the lawsuit, Thermo Fisher was accused of unjust enrichment and illegally profiting from Lacks' genetic material. "Black suffering has fueled innumerable medical progress and profit, without just compensation or recognition," the lawsuit said. Henrietta Lacks' cells, known as HeLa cells, have had a profound impact on medical science since they were first taken from Lacks in 1951. Those cells have contributed to the development of the polio vaccine, research into cancer, studies on the effects of radiation and toxic substances, gene mapping and countless other scientific pursuits. But nearly all of these advancements happened without her and her family's approvalor compensation. Lacks is one of the most well-known examples of medical exploitation on a Black body. It is far from the only example. Medical abuse is a part of Black history In 2020, the American Public Health Association declared racism a public health crisis. The declaration, while important, speaks solely to present inequities and plans to advance racial equity in the future. But minimal attention has been afforded to the deep historical roots of anti-Black racism in the medical industry. Medical exploitation and intentional abuse of members of the Black community is an often overlooked part of Black history. But understanding the issue is critical in order to better analyze today's mistrust of the medical profession by many in the Black community. As a Black scholar who uses critical approaches to study culture, communication and health, I have my own experiences and peer-reviewed research that reveal various ways the Black community experiences racism within the health care industry. The Tuskegee experiment is one of the most well-known examples of medical exploitation in the Black community. The federal government from 1932 to 1972 lied to around 600 men about receiving treatment for syphilis. They were studying the effects of syphilis in the men, but did not, in fact, treat it in 399 of the men. Many are shocked to find out that the study lasted 40 years. The cautionary tale of the flawed Tuskegee experiment revolutionized how research was conducted and had various implications for the Black community. But as revealed in medical ethicist Harriet A. Washington's groundbreaking book "Medical Apartheid," the medical exploitation of the Black community extended far beyond Tuskegee. Grave robbing in Black communities The 18th and 19th centuries ushered in a new method of medicine focused on increased anatomical knowledge and dissections. In turn, more cadavers were needed, but the demand for cadavers far exceeded the supply. Moreover, at the time, social attitudes toward dissection and dismemberment of a corpse were not positive; they were primarily perceived as punishment for the most heinous criminals. The solution at the time was grave robbing. People would steal not only the bodies of the enslaved who had died but also the corpses of Black men, women and children from their graves and sell them to medical schools. At the turn of the 18th century, most of New York City's dissection tables were full of Black bodies, despite members of the Black community's accounting for only 15% of the population at the time. This practice was also extremely common in Maryland and Virginia. In fact, Virginia Commonwealth University officially apologized for this practice in September 2022. But in early 2023, Virginia lawmakers failed to pass a resolution formally acknowledging and apologizing for this inhumane treatment in their commonwealth. Unethical experiments on the incarcerated From the 1950s through the 1970s, Philadelphia health officials allowed the prominent researcher Dr. Albert M. Kligman to conduct dangerous experiments on incarcerated people, most of whom were Black. Kligman repeatedly and purposely exposed Black men to dermatological, biochemical and pharmaceutical experiments. One of the most significant was testing dioxin, the toxic chemical in the biochemical weapon Agent Orange. The city of Philadelphia and related institutions officially apologized in October 2022, but the apology does not remedy the lifelong scars and lingering health impacts from the experiments. This practice is not only a relic of the past. Incarcerated individuals in Arkansas were given a cocktail of drugs, including Ivermectin, to treat COVID-19. It is important to note that Ivermectin was not and has not been approved by the FDA for treatment of COVID-19. After suffering a long list of side effects, the men were informed that one of the drugs they received was Ivermectin, a drug usually used to treat cows and horses. This abuse of Black bodies who were incarcerated did not affect just men. Black women experienced abuse and exploitation in a different form. They were often forcibly sterilized without their consent. Between 1909 and 1979, California forciblyand legallysterilized around 20,000 women, most of whom were Black women and other women of color who were incarcerated or under state guardianship because of some perceived incapacity. In North Carolina, sterilizations were also used against Black women in state institutions to "weed out any feeble-minded." Why it matters Acknowledging the full history of America's medical industry is crucial to better understanding and combating race-based health disparities in the Black community. It is also important to show how racism is still prevalent in contemporary medicine and public health. Black women continue to die during childbirth more than others. Black men have the shortest life span of any U.S. demographic represented in current data, and the Black community overall has the shortest survival rate of any racial group for most cancers. Systemic racism and negative attitudes from medical personnel are often to blame. Black men are often viewed negatively by doctors. Many Black cancer patients are not offered the opportunity to participate in clinical trials that could help them. A groundbreaking study published in Psychological and Cognitive Sciences in 2016 revealed a somber truth: Some medical professionals still believe there are biological differences between Black and white patients. In turn, they are less likely to treat Black patients for pain. The study further found that nearly half of the medical students in the study believed Black people have less sensitive nerve endings. It's my belief that revealing the dark history of medical racism is key to making sure that past injustices do not recur. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Transmission electron microscope image of Delftia tsuruhatensis. Credit: Wei Huang Over the past century, malaria control interventions have changed little. Insecticides remain the staples of prevention, but as mosquitoes and the malaria parasite continue to adapt and develop resistance, innovative, novel methods are needed. In a new paper published in Science, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena, Ph.D., professor emeritus in molecular microbiology and immunology, and his colleagues, in collaboration with researchers at GSK Global Health Medicines R&D, show that a naturally occurring bacterium and a chemical it secretes inhibit the malaria parasite's development in mosquitoesmeaning they can't transmit the parasite to humans. The method has distinct advantages: It's low-tech, easily reproducible, and uses no genetic modification techniques. And, Jacobs-Lorena says, it can work in perfect concert with existing effective control strategies. How did this project get started? Jacobs-Lorena: It began at GSK laboratories in Spain, where scientists were working on malaria drugs. To test those drugs, they had a colony of mosquitoes that they regularly infected with Plasmodium falciparum [the malaria parasite]. Over time, the researchers were not able to infect these mosquitoes anymore. They looked for possible causes and found that a strain of Delftia tsuruhatensis [which they named Tres Cantos 1, or TC1] was present in all screened mosquito samples. Initial tests showed that if the mosquitoes carried TC1, the development of the parasite in the mosquito was compromised. To continue this line of research, they contacted me, asked to collaborate, and then they sent us the bacteria. How exactly did you test this theory? First, we fed the TC1 bacteria to the mosquitoes in our lab's colony and confirmed that the bacteria inhibited development of the parasite in the mosquito. Next, a senior research associate in my laboratory, Wei Huang, discovered that if you culture the bacteria and then feed the mosquitoes with the supernatant [liquid from the culture excluding cells], parasite development was inhibited. That told us that the supernatant contains the inhibitor and that the bacteria act by secreting an inhibitor that attacks the parasite. At this point GSK contracted Fundacion MEDINA to fractionate [separate a mixture into its component parts] the supernatant to identify the inhibitor. They sent individual fractions back to us, and we tested them by feeding mosquitoes each fraction mixed with infected blood. In this way, we determined which fraction contained the inhibitor. Ultimately scientists at Fundacion MEDINA identified the compound as harmane. It turns out that harmane can easily be purchased from chemical companies. We ordered the compound and confirmed that the compound inhibits the parasite. Then Wei had the idea of testing something different: he dried the harmane on a glass plate, let the mosquitoes sit on that plate for one hour, and then fed infected blood to the mosquitoes. He found that the mosquitoes that sat on harmane had strongly impaired development of the parasites, meaning harmane can penetrate the mosquito cuticle [outer part of the leg] and inhibit the development of the parasite. How could these findings benefit malaria control measures? I think it is important to put things in perspective. Up until now, a full century of efforts to control malaria were done by killing the mosquito using insecticides. The use of this bacterium to turn the mosquito into a "non-transmitter" is a new way to combat malaria. The other very important discovery that we made is that once the mosquito acquires the bacterium, it stays with the mosquito for the life of the mosquito. How could this be implemented in the field? Lots of research has been done in the field using sugar baitsa blend of sugar and mosquito attractants mixed with insecticide to kill the mosquitoes. The proposal here is, instead of mixing the sugar baits with an insecticide, to mix it with bacteria so the mosquitoes can feed on it. This method has the advantage that there are lots of experiments being done in the field using sugar baits, so the technology has been perfected already. Initial implementation experiments in Burkino Faso yielded promising results, demonstrating the potential of this intervention for malaria control. Another possibility is to incorporate harmane into bed nets or spray it on walls. How effective would using these bacteria be at reducing malaria deaths? The modeling study described in the paper [done by Imperial College London] shows that if you combine this approach with distribution of long-lasting bed nets and other measures, a further 15% reduction in clinical cases of malaria can be achieved. In other words, many more lives would be saved. But it's good to make this point clear: By using this approach alone, you will not eliminate malaria. There is an absolute need to use a multi-pronged approach, including insecticides, vaccines, and drug treatment. We have to combine everything we have. What excites you most about these findings? What excites me most is the approaching reality of introducing a new strategy to combat malaria. If you do the calculation, one child dies every minute of malaria in Africa. The other thing is that this bacterium is not genetically modified. That is a big deal when you talk about implementationtranslation from the laboratory to the field. There are laboratories developing genetically engineered mosquitoes that kill the parasite in combination with gene drive, a method to make those inhibitory genes spread through mosquito populations, and this has some promise. But you're talking about releasing genetically modified organisms in nature, and this is a big barrier in terms of regulation and acceptance by local populations. The fact that this is a naturally occurring bacterium that was originally isolated from a mosquito, and that Delftia tsuruhatensis is widespread in nature, excites me. This means that it can be tested out in the field in a much shorter term than other approaches that use genetic modification either of mosquitoes or of bacteria. More information: Wei Huang et al, Delftia tsuruhatensis TC1 symbiont suppresses malaria transmission by anopheline mosquitoes, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adf8141 Journal information: Science This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Staphylococcus aureus - Antibiotics Test plate. Credit: CDC A scientific journey decades in the making at Duke University has found a new antibiotic strategy to defeat gram-negative bacteria like Salmonella, Pseudomonas and E. coli, the culprits in many urinary tract infections (UTIs). The synthetic molecule works fast and is durable in animal tests. It works by interfering with a bacterium's ability to make its outer lipid layer. "If you disrupt the synthesis of the bacterial outer membrane, the bacteria cannot survive without it," said lead investigator Pei Zhou, a professor of biochemistry in the Duke School of Medicine. "Our compound is very good and very potent." The compound, called LPC-233, is a small molecule that has proven effective at wrecking the outer membrane lipid biosynthesis in every gram-negative bacterium it was tested against. Co-authors at the University of Lille in France tested it against a collection of 285 bacterial strains, including some that were highly resistant to commercial antibiotics, and it killed them all. And it works fast. "LPC-233 can reduce bacterial viability by 100,000-fold within four hours," Zhou said. The compound is also tenacious enough to survive all the way to the urinary tract after oral administration, which may make it a vital tool against stubborn urinary tract infections (UTIs). Tests run at high concentrations of the compound showed "exceedingly low rates of spontaneous resistance mutations in these bacteria," according to a paper describing the findings, which appears in Science Translational Medicine. In animal studies, the compound was successful when administered orally and intravenously or injected into the abdomen. In one experiment, mice given what should have been a fatal dose of multi-drug-resistant bacteria were rescued by the new compound. The search for this compound took decades because of the specificity and safety required of the synthetic molecule. Zhou credits his late colleague, former Duke Biochemistry Chair Christian Raetz, for starting the search decades ago. "He spent his entire career working on this pathway," Zhou said. "Dr. Raetz proposed a conceptual blueprint for this pathway in the 1980s, and it took him over two decades to identify all of the players," Zhou said. The new drug's target is an enzyme called LpxC that is the second enzyme in the "Raetz pathway" and is essential to making the outer membrane lipid in gram-negative bacteria. Raetz joined Duke as the chairman of biochemistry in 1993 after his work on this pathway at Merck & Co. had failed to produce a successful clinical candidate. The Merck antibiotic worked, but only against E. coli, so it wasn't commercially viable and the pharmaceutical company dropped it. "He actually recruited me to Duke to work on this enzyme, initially just from the structural biology perspective," said Zhou, who came to Duke in 2001. Zhou and Raetz had solved the structure of the LpxC enzyme and revealed molecular details of a few potential inhibitors. "We realized that we could tweak the compound to make it better," Zhou said. Since then, Zhou has been working with his colleague, Duke Chemistry professor Eric Toone, to make more potent LpxC inhibitors. The first human trial of LpxC inhibitors had failed because of cardiovascular toxicity. The focus of the Duke group's subsequent work was to avoid cardiovascular effects while maintaining the potency of the compound. They worked on more than 200 different versions of the enzyme inhibitor, always searching for better safety and more potency. Other compounds worked to varying degrees, but compound number 233 was the winner. LPC-233 fits a binding spot on the LpxC enzyme and prevents it from doing its work. "It fits in the right way to inhibit formation of the lipid," Zhou said. "We're jamming the system." Adding to its durability, the compound works by a remarkable two-step process, Zhou said. After the initial binding to LpxC, the enzyme-inhibitor complex changes its shape somewhat to become an even more stable complex. The lifetime of the inhibitor binding in this more stable complex is longer than the lifetime of the bacteria. "We think that contributes to the potency, as it has a semi-permanent effect on the enzyme," he said. "Even after the unbound drug is metabolized by the body, the enzyme is still inhibited due to the extremely slow inhibitor dissociation process," Zhou said. There are multiple patents being filed on the series of compounds, and Toone and Zhou have co-founded a company called Valanbio Therapeutics, Inc. which will be looking for partners to bring LPC-233 through phase 1 clinical trials to assess safety and efficacy in humans. "All of these studies were done in animals," Zhou said. "Ultimately the cardiovascular safety needs to be tested in humans." Large scale synthesis of LPC-233 was first accomplished by David Gooden at the Duke Small Molecule Synthesis Facility. Vance Fowler and Joshua Thaden (Duke School of Medicine), Ziqiang Guan (Biochemistry) and Ivan Spasojevic (Duke PK/PD Core) helped with in vivo studies, mass spectrometry and pharmacokinetics analysis. More information: Jinshi Zhao et al, Preclinical Safety and Efficacy Characterization of an LpxC Inhibitor against Gram-negative Pathogens, Science Translational Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adf5668. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.adf5668 Journal information: Science Translational Medicine 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: Illustration showing a conjugate form of anterolateral and the lateral collateral ligament of the knee that was observed as dominant in the North and East Indian populations. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Credit: Kumar et al., 2023, Scientific Reports. Complex and strenuous movements at the knee are modulated by ligamentous structures surrounding the joint. One of these ligaments, the anterolateral ligament (ALL), has continuously puzzled scientists due to its elusive morphological characteristics. It was first described by Paul Segond in 1879 as a "pearly, resistant, fibrous band" connecting the lateral femoral epicondyle to the lateral condyle of the tibia. However, its identification remained disputed until recently, as it was unknown whether it is a true ligament, capsular thickening or fascia. In 2013, Claes et al garnered attention from the scientific community for providing a detailed morphological description and validating its ligamentous structure. They described its proximal attachment to the lateral femoral epicondyle and distally on the lateral meniscus and the tibia, midway between Gerdy's tubercle and the fibular head. This report inspired further evaluation of the ligament. Interestingly, later research published on the ALL reported its varied proximal attachments to the femur. Moreover, the relationship of the ALL with the lateral collateral ligament (LCL), which also arises from the lateral epicondyle, presented a lack of consensus among the research community. The dominance of a conjugate form of the ALL and LCL We recently published an original study in the journal Scientific Reports that investigated the ALL morphology in the North and East Indian population. In 97% of the cadaveric specimens where an ALL was present, it originated as an oblique band from the LCL due to the sharing of the proximal fibers (see figure above). Our study strongly indicates that proximal sharing of LCLALL fibers is dominant in knee anatomy in the North and East Indian populations. This contrasts with the conventional description of the ALL with a direct proximal attachment to the lateral femoral epicondyle. Novel morphological variants and cases of a missing ALL We also observed other novel morphological variations in the presentation of the ALL. These variations include an inverted ALL, where the distal part of the ligament runs upward and attaches to the lateral meniscus or knee joint capsule. Another variation is a tibial limb that appears as a flat fascial band expanding from the LCL. Interestingly, the ALL was absent in approximately 20% of individuals. Clinical implications The morphological variations in the ALL may have implications for the anterolateral stability of the knee and should be considered during ligament reconstruction surgeries. The findings of our study strongly indicate that ethnic variations in the ALL anatomy should be considered during surgical procedures. A uniform global school of thought regarding the morphological features of this ligament can lead to unpredictable post-op complications and surgical failures. This story is part of Science X Dialog, where researchers can report findings from their published research articles. Visit this page for information about ScienceX Dialog and how to participate. More information: Ashutosh Kumar et al, Sharing of proximal fibers by the anterolateral and lateral collateral ligaments in the human knee: a cadaveric study, Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38211-9 Journal information: Scientific Reports Ravi K. Narayan is an assistant professor of Anatomy at ESIC Medical College, Patna, Bihar, India. Hare Krishna is an associate professor of Anatomy at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. Ashutosh Kumar is an associate professor of Anatomy at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Bihar, India. Young mothers in Missoula will have the chance to enter the clean-energy workforce, thanks to a partnership between Missoula organizations and a national academy aimed at expanding local municipalities' energy sectors. The city of Missoula, in tandem with Mountain Home Montana, a local nonprofit that provides shelter and services for mothers, was selected this summer for a national program providing employment options for young mothers in the clean-energy field. By getting moms connected with clean-energy jobs in town, the program will strengthen Missoulas sustainable labor sector. The idea is just to bring more clean-energy jobs into Missoula, and then bring in marginalized people who may not have had the opportunity to have those jobs, Mountain Home Supported Employment & Education Manager Erin Scoles said. The Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy is a national program that partners with cities to get workers into jobs in clean energy, infrastructure and advanced manufacturing fields. Missoula was one of 16 cities selected this year for the academy. Scoles explained that Mountain Home is scheduled to host a series of workshops in the coming months. Clean-energy employers will visit the nonprofit to meet Mountain Home moms and learn about the barriers young mothers face when it comes to obtaining employment. From there, moms will get placed in pre-apprenticeship programs, which in turn, Scoles said, can lead to sustainable careers. Every single mom that comes to Mountain Home has an employment or education goal, Scoles said. Sometimes its to finish a degree, go to college or find a better-paying job. Possible clean energy positions could include work on both the front end, like labor and installation, and the back end, such as administrative work, Scoles said. She emphasized a key part of the partnership is finding work for mothers that fits their individual needs, especially when it comes to benefits. We dont want to just be like, heres this $45,000 or $55,000 a year job, and then all of a sudden you lose all your benefits, Scoles said. So we want to be careful and were going to be doing benefits counseling and making sure its the right fit before its a complete career step. Guidance on housing vouchers, Medicaid coverage and SNAP benefits, along with discussions on child care and transportation options, will be part of the conversations moms have as they decide what positions to pursue. Transportation and child care are the two biggest barriers to our moms to maintain employment, Scoles said. So really honing in on that, how can we take care of those things so they can focus on their goal? Scoles said Mountain Home wants to ensure the jobs moms take are something they believe in and want to invest their time in, too. We have climate goals that are ambitious, and we have limitations in our workforce, Missoula Mayor Jordan Hess said, adding the clean-energy sector is ever-expanding as the city moves toward its climate objectives. Hess and other Missoula officials traveled to D.C. in July to meet with federal agencies to learn about other energy projects in cities around the U.S. Hess said the programs purpose is to acknowledge Missoulas changing economy as it relates to the energy sector. Mountain Home is part of Missoulas Clean Energy Workforce Coalition, which was created last December, Missoula Economic Partnership Communications Director Chelsea Rabideau wrote in an email. There are four partners, the Missoula Economic Partnership, Climate Smart Missoula, Missoula County and Mountain Home Montana, each dedicated to empowering women in the clean energy field, Rabideau said. The coalition received $150,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy's American-Made program. The money will fund the coalition's project to invest in building a more diverse and equitable clean energy workforce, Rabideau said. The overall goal is to connect Mountain Home moms with a livable wage. The program lasts through 2024. Missoula was one of 250 applicants for the program. According to a press release sent out by the city, current figures for Montana estimate 1,000 new openings per year for trade jobs. The news release said partnerships and programs like Good Jobs, Great Cities get Missoula closer to its climate and energy goals. This rendering shows the planned Pacifica Riverview development in Aurora from the front, facing River Street, in the proposed River Vine TIF District. (Pacifica Riverview / HANDOUT) Aurora held two public hearings on proposed tax increment financing districts this week that were informative, but at times became contentious. The hearings exacerbated the long-simmering feud between Mayor Richard Irvin and Ald. John Laesch, at large, with Laeschs supporters calling Irvin corrupt and Irvin accusing Laesch of giving misinformation, misleading details and outright lies in his opposition to the TIF districts. Laesch did not directly respond to Irvins comments during this weeks City Council meeting, where the hearings took place, but did say that some of the comments Irvin was reacting to might have been taken out of context. Laesch on Sunday held a meeting at the Aurora Public Library called TIF 101 at which he made statements Irvin was reacting to. Irvin did not attend the meeting, but Laesch said City Hall staffers did attend. The hearings were for two micro-TIFs downtown. One is called the River Vine Tax Increment Financing District and is tied to the proposed 187-unit Pacifica Riverview apartment complex between the Fox River and North River Street in the citys downtown. The other micro-TIF is called the Cross Street Tax Increment Financing District and is related to redevelopment of a former industrial warehouse at 100 Cross St. in the southwest corner of downtown. During the hearing for the River Vine TIF District, some residents questioned if the area was blighted, if the parking it would take away would cause problems and if it was a proper development for the citys riverfront. This project is too big and in the wrong place, said one woman. I have a major objection to this kind of development on the riverfront. Marylee Leu, an Aurora resident, said if this is such a prosperous thing, this developer should be able to do it on his own. David Cannon, an unsuccessful candidate for 5th Ward alderman in the recent city election, said rather than being blighted, the land along the riverfront is prime real estate, a point Laesch also made during the hearing. Both Laesch and Cannon challenged the finding that but for the TIF district, the land would not redevelop. Lets put a for sale sign on this thing, and see what happens, Cannon said. We never listed this real estate, Laesch said. How do we know if we need a TIF district if we havent marketed the property first? Cannon also raised a longstanding objection to the developer, Windfall Properties, and its owner, Eddie Ni, for making political donations to Irvins campaign in the past. It is an objection Laesch has repeatedly leveled, going as far back as the 2021 election in which Laesch challenged Irvin for mayor. During that election, Laesch accused the mayor of engaging in pay to play, meaning he elicited campaign donations in exchange for the incentives for developers. Irvin Tuesday said that is a lie. He said that he has followed the laws of Illinois in documenting and reporting all his campaign donations, and that the TIF districts, and the incentives involved, all went through the City Council process, and were approved by everyone around this dais. There is no pay to play in our TIFs, the mayor said. The mayor also reacted to claims that he pressured City Council members to vote against their conscience and approve incentive agreements. He asked any alderman who felt pressured to raise their hands. No one did. Ald. Patty Smith, 8th Ward, said she was sick and tired of having one alderman call us liars, calling all of us out. The River Vine TIF District is estimated to generate as much as $31 million in projects that are eligible for reimbursement from the TIF increment over its 20-year life. But right now, the city has a redevelopment agreement with Windfall Group that the city will pay about $6.6 million in upfront construction costs, as well as deed the 3.3-acre site to Windfall, a value of about $2 million. The city would pass bonds to raise the $6.6 million, then pay back the bonds with the proceeds from the TIF district. That means the city would give an incentive worth about 12% of the value of the development, with Windfall paying 13% of it with direct equity of its own, and the remaining 75% with a loan Windfall would take out. The $31 million is not owed to the developer, but could be money spent in the longer term, if approved by a future City Council, said Chris Minick, the citys chief financial officer. He said the $6.6 million and the deeding of the property are the only expenses the city is obligated to do. Representatives from Kane McKenna & Associates, and their new parent company, Ryan, which is based in Texas but has Chicago and Downers Grove offices, spent hours detailing the findings that make the property at River Street and the riverfront eligible for a TIF district. To establish a TIF district, conditions must meet what is called a but-for, meaning that but for the TIF district, the land would not redevelop to its highest and best use. It has been vacant for 40 years, said Charles Durham, Economic Development Finance manager for Ryans Chicago office. There have not been many proposals for it. Phil McKenna, one of the founders of Kane McKenna, pointed out that certain criteria must be met in the TIF statute, in addition to the but-for test. In 40 years, we have done our due diligence, he said. You will see that that due diligence has been done here. While the River Vine TIF District is proposed as a blighted area district, the Cross Street TIF District is considered a conservation area, rather than a blighted area. That is because while there is deterioration in the area, the buildings were built in the 1920s, before any true city planning was done. The citys first comprehensive plan was done in 1957, and it was redone in 1984. In that district, the redevelopment agreement specifies a loan of $300,000 to developers JH Real Estate Partners, as well as $75,000 already granted to a brewpub that is going into the first floor of the former industrial building. The upper floors will be remodeled by JH Partners into 15 housing units. Laesch questioned the reliability of JH Partners to be able to do the development. The same company rehabilitated the Hobbs Building at River Street and Galena Boulevard, but Laesch said they have not finished the three restaurants they said would be done by July or August. David Dibo, Auroras economic development director, said JH Partners was delayed by supply chain issues that affected restaurant equipment they ordered. Ive looked at their financials; theyre able to complete it, Dibo said. Both TIF districts still must go through the City Council process, through the committees and back to the full council, to be approved. slord@tribpub.com Here's some business news in the Missoula area: Sunday Streets is returning to downtown Missoula on Aug. 20 from noon until 4 p.m. on Higgins Avenue between Fifth Street and the XXXXs. The area will be closed to vehicle traffic and opened up for people walking, biking, running, skateboarding and dancing. The event is put on by Missoula In Motion and there will be street curling, arts and crafts, guitar lessons and skateboarding demos. There will also be fitness classes by Headwaters Hot Yoga and live music. Montana Imaging Center in Missoula introduced the first whole-body health screening MRI service in the area. The company says the new technology gives patients access to the most advanced MRI screening capabilities in the Pacific Northwest. This advanced technology helps patients make informed decisions about their well-being, enhancing their overall quality of life, said Dr. Tim McCue, radiologist in chief at MIC. As the first whole body MRI screening facility to open in the Pacific Northwest, MIC patients benefit from the latest in MRI technology, setting new standards for precision and accuracy in medical imaging. He said regular screening MRI scans can provide early detection of cancerous growths, allowing for prompt intervention and improved outcomes. Additionally, McCue said screening MRIs can assist in the detection of other health issues such as aneurysm, neurological disorders and musculoskeletal abnormalities. Seven organizations supporting Missoula residents have received grants totaling $385,000 from Minnesota-based Otto Bremer Trust: Community Food and Agriculture Coalition, Missoula, $65,000: For general operations to increase statewide food access through direct farm-to-individuals systems, and to support beginning farmers and ranchers. Missoula Community Foundation, Missoula, $50,000: To increase organizational capacity to further enhance community vitality by inspiring community giving and strengthening nonprofits in Missoula. Missoula Interfaith Collaborative, Missoula, $35,000: For general operations to address housing and employment needs of low-income individuals and families through direct service and leading community partnerships. Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs, Calabasas, California, $35,000: To provide basic needs and resettlement support to refugees and immigrants in Missoula. Tamarack Grief Resource Center, Missoula, $70,000: For general operations to provide grief and trauma support, education and counseling for youth and adults across Montana. Montana Casa/Gal Association, Missoula, $15,000: For general operations to support and increase court-appointed special advocates to serve children in abuse and neglect court cases. Montana Food Bank Network, Missoula, $115,000: For general operations to support the acquisition and distribution of food for Montana's network of community programs addressing immediate food insecurity. The Bowles Creek fire burning 3 miles west of Skalkaho Pass has grown to 3,559 acres. The blaze is 5% contained, according to fire officials. Fire activity is expected to increase with wind gusts of up to 26 miles per hour and a high temperature of 80 degrees predicted on Thursday by the National Weather Service. Temperatures are expected to warm into the mid- and upper 80s into the weekend. Highway 38 (Skalkaho Road) remains open, however, travelers should be aware of increased traffic from fire vehicles. Officials ask that those recreating or traveling in the fire area be aware of the situation, slow down, and yield to fire vehicles and equipment. The fire is manned by one helicopter, five hand crews and four engines for a total of 231 personnel. The fire is burning in steep terrain on both the Bitterroot and Beaverhead-Deerlodge National forests. No structures are threatened at this time. Crews along the western edge of the fire area continue to fortify and extend handlines along Forest Service Road 711 and toward Railroad Creek. They will continue to strengthen fuel breaks into existing fuel treatment areas. Crews along the eastern edge continue to use hand tools to construct a fuel break along Forest Service Road 5071 north toward Highway 38. They are continuing to masticate and remove fuel along Forest Service Road 5035 and fuels in the Crystal Creek area. Crews on both sides will continue scouting for more areas to treat and establish more containment opportunities, especially in the south and west sections of the area. Two smaller lightning-caused fires are burning near the western edge of the Bitterroot National Forest near Idaho. The Lonely Mountain fire is located 3 miles south of Spot Mountain Lookout, and the Chuckling fire is burning 5 miles north of the Salmon Mountain Lookout. Both fires are estimated at approximately 1/10 of an acre. Point protection strategy for these fires is currently being developed according to Bitterroot National Forest fire officials. The Bitterroot National Forest lowered the fire danger to "High" on Monday, Aug. 7 following recent precipitation and cooler temperatures. Open burning is still closed in Ravalli County. Dramatic scenery to the west of Cody, Wyoming, includes not only the natural rocky landscape and wild vistas, but significant manmade structures as well. On Aug. 17 at noon in the Buffalo Bill Center of the Wests Coe Auditorium, in the next talk in the popular Local Lore with Bob Richard series, the historian, author and photographer will discuss the Buffalo Bill Dam, Shoshone Canyon and Haydens Arch Bridge. The program is free and open to the public. The Local Lore series is hosted and coordinated by the Centers McCracken Research Library and takes place every other month. The next talk on Oct. 19 takes a look at the history of early day western movies filmed in the Cody area. Americas enemies should not be able to purchase land in Montana. Republicans passed SB 203, which prohibits foreign adversaries, like China, from purchasing or leasing critical infrastructure, agricultural land, or land with a view of a military installation in Montana. This is an important step in protecting our national security from foreign influence. As we gear up for an election, the integrity of our election processes is a high priority. House Republicans passed legislation to protect our election security. Senate Bill 117 prohibits outside billionaires from using money to influence Montana elections. Last election Silicon Valley CEOs put hundreds of millions in elections and was condemned by the likes of The Wall Street Journal (Jan 3,2022). Montanas elections are not for sale and should only be decided by the Montana voters. Its not appropriate for anyone other than the people to be funding the administration of elections. Also, Montanans should be the only ones voting in Montana elections. House Bill 712 bans illegal aliens from voting in Montana elections. Simple and straight forward, illegal people living here should not vote on any election from school board to the state capitol. Just as Montanans should be able to trust their elections, they should be able to trust their judicial system. Senate Bill 201 requires Montana Supreme Court justices who have received donations totaling more than $10,000 from individuals involved in a case before them, including lawyers, to recuse themselves. Making sure Montana Judges are not ruling on cases brought by their own big donors is a step to restoring confidence in todays politicized judiciary branch. These are just a few of the commonsense protections your Montana Republican super majority put in law to start the process of restoring faith in your government system. They were opposed by outside groups and a Montana Democrat party that seem bent on moving power away from the individual Montanan. Life can be complicated but protecting our state land, state elections, and our state Judicial branch is simple government that keeps the people of Montana first. Once upon a time in Montana and America, approximately half a century ago, we looked forward to summers to enjoy. Now summers are a season to endure. Half a century ago the mornings were crisp if not sometimes downright cold when I delivered the morning newspaper. Hardly anybody in Montana had air conditioners. Windows were flung open in the morning to be shut by mid morning only to be flung back open the next morning. We all slept well with nothing more than a couple of fans. Summers of yesterday needed light coats, sweaters and sweat shirts for mornings and evenings. When you woke up while camping or sleeping outside with friends, you frequently got downright chilled and shivered in your sleeping bags. It was not unheard of for July 4th fireworks exploding during light snow showers in northwest Montana. Cherry seasons in the Flathead area are much earlier by weeks than they were half a century ago. While we periodically would smell forest fire smoke, it never shut down businesses and schools, forcing us inside for days or weeks at at time. Mountains are now blotted out by smoke for weeks at a time. Fires used to be reported in acres; now they are in square miles. Fire seasons used to be a few months now they are year round. College kids and recent graduates of high school comprised most of the part time wild fire crews in Montana and throughout the nation. We would put the summer forest fires out and head off to college. I was one of those college kids, working for the Forest Service (Flathead, Gallatin and Bitterroot Districts ) as a ground pounder and aerial observer from 19761980. I seldom received overtime or hazard pay as there werent that many fires. The Gallatin Forest was referred to as an asbestos forest by the smokejumpers stationed in West Yellowstone, as it never burned. Wild fire fighters are now needed year round and are permanent employees well trained and often worked to exhaustion fighting fires throughout the country. The air support required to fight fires is bigger than most countries Air Forces. Glaciers in Glacier Park actually existed half a century ago. Now theyre mostly gone. These glaciers are (were) left over from the last Ice Age that ended more than 10,000 years ago. What took centuries or eons to create were wiped out in a few decades. Long term heat waves were rare in Montana and the Pacific Northwest. Now they are frequent and go on and on. You needed to be tough and immune to cold water when swimming in Montana and the Pacific Northwest half a century ago. Now lakes, rivers and ponds are increasingly lukewarm and subject to algae blooms that can kill us and our dogs. Fishing, floating and boating seasons are often curtailed due to inadequate water levels in our lakes and rivers. Waters are too warm for fish and aquatic life. Rather than doing something about such, we act like our elected leaders we complain and whine always expecting someone else to correct or address these problems. Even worse, many deny such problems even exist. I could go on and on describing the world we baby boomers are leaving our children and grandchildren. While you get my drift, few will acknowledge or attempt to change. We sit in our air conditioned houses, watching our big screen TVs and be guided by Alfred E. Neumans What, me worry?" motto. But perhaps the closing lyrics from a song from our youth might make you think about what we had and then destroyed. Ah, you tell me over and over and over again my friend/Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction. Rotary picnic tonight near Elk Park The Rotary Club of Butte will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, for the annual picnic at Freedom Point Picnic Area near Elk Park. The picnic replaces Thursdays noon meeting. Rotarians, family and friends are invited to attend. For more details, 406-782-9783. The next regular meeting will be held at noon Thursday, Aug. 17, at the Butte Country Club. Car seat clinic set Wednesday The monthly childrens car seat clinic is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, at the Uptown Fire Station, Montana and Galena streets. Car seats will be checked for correct installation, making sure the seat matches your childs weight and age, recall information and more. For details, call Taylor Edden of the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department at 406-497-5078. Grants available to Powell County non-profits The Powell County Community Foundation is currently accepting grant applications from non-profits throughout Powell County. The PCF awards grants, usually ranging from $500 to about $2,000, are for charitable purposes in basic human needs, arts and culture, recreation, and economic development. The short application form, which is due Sept. 1, is available by writing to the PCF at P.O. Box 834, Deer Lodge, 59722, emailing sowens48@hotmail.com, or leaving a message at 406-846-3413. Because of IRS regulations all applicants must be a 501 (c) 3 non-profit with an IRS letter, or a public agency. Since it was established in 1999 the Powell County Foundation has awarded about $258,000 in 239 grants to 53 different organizations serving Powell County residents. Last year, the foundation was able to provide $18,900 in 19 grants. The foundation has built a permanent endowment, and uses the earnings from the endowment for grants, while the principal remains intact. Inquiries and donations to help build the endowment can also be mailed to P.O. Box 834, Deer Lodge, 59722. DEER LODGE Officials plan to soon post signs warning about potential exposure to arsenic at the popular Arrowstone Park in Deer Lodge. The signs will read: ARSENIC EXPOSURE WARNING. Bare dirt in the park may contain high (or elevated) levels of arsenic. Arsenic naturally occurs in soil, but it can be toxic with direct, repeated exposure over time. The signs also provide more specific advice such as, Supervise children. Do not allow children to touch or consume dirt Stay off river shoreline where bare dirt is exposed. City and Powell County officials worked with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to craft the text for the park signs. The park was built decades ago by the Atlantic Richfield Co. atop historic mining and smelting pollution from upstream. Jordan Green, chief administrative officer for Deer Lodge, said he believes the signs focus on the key issues of disquiet about the park. I believe the language accurately states that the bare dirt patches are the real areas of concern, Green said. I believe the signage will simply serve as a reminder to avoid those locations until the interim remediation has been completed. DEQ, the designated agency for Superfund cleanup along the Clark Fork River, has said remediation of Arrowstone Park is likely to begin in 2025. Green said the arsenic exposure warning declaration can appear a little alarming if the rest of the sign language is not read. He added, I would encourage anyone with questions to contact the numbers provided (on the sign). They can also contact City Hall or the Powell County Planning Department with questions or concerns. More than two decades have passed since concerns first surfaced about the potential risks of contaminated mine and smelting tailings buried beneath cover soil at the park. More recently, in February 2022, the Powell County Planning Department and county commissioners referenced Arrowhead Park in correspondence with DEQ. One of our greatest concerns is whether the park is safe to use for the public, the letter advised. There is some visible evidence that heavy metals are leaching back to the surface, and that banks are eroding and depositing contaminated soils back into the river. There are slickens appearing throughout the park, including at the boat ramp on the eastside park. Slickens are contaminated areas typically devoid of vegetation. There is a high potential for human exposure as the park is used regularly by locals and visitors, including families with children, the letter reported. One woman, Toni Chew, a regular park visitor, reported in April having seen a child playing in what appeared to be a slickens. Chew spoke up during a meeting with DEQ. I want to walk in a clean Arrowstone Park, she said then. More than 20 years ago in May 2000 The Montana Standard reported that a meeting about Arrowstone Park drew officials from the EPA, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Montanas epidemiologist, a state fisheries biologist, the countys public health officer and county officials. In November 1999, Tammie McRae, an environmental health scientist for ATSDR, had recommended posting the park and a spot downstream to warn people of the potential for exposure to arsenic. In our opinion, these areas may present a public health hazard, especially to children, McRae wrote. But EPA officials, including the late John Wardell, then the agencys Montana director, said they believed Arrowstone Park presented no significant health risk. Deer Lodge residents, including children, are not at risk from arsenic exposure at Arrowstone Park, Wardell wrote in an op-ed published May 22, 2001. There was backlash when physician Dr. Katie Evans, then health officer for Powell County, talked about posting the park. She eventually moved away. The park was built in the floodplain of the Clark Fork River by the Atlantic Richfield Co. in the late 1990s atop contaminated wastes from upstream mining and smelting. Some observers have long suggested the wastes should have been fully removed from the site, which is both vulnerable to interaction with a meandering river and a park where children would play possibly attracted to dirt spots. The parks roots trace all the way back to a catastrophic 1908 flood. That torrent deposited huge quantities of contaminated sediments and tailings along the Clark Fork River from its headwaters near Warm Springs all the way to Milltown. The sources of contamination included mining, milling and smelting operations in Butte and Anaconda. Federal Superfund law holds the Atlantic Richfield Co. responsible for cleaning up pollution along the river because it purchased the original polluter, the Anaconda Co., in 1977. Atlantic Richfield built Arrowstone Park in the late 1990s without removing contamination first. Instead, its contractors used clean soil to bury contaminants that included copper, cadmium, zinc, lead and arsenic. That approach stirred controversy among those who felt leaving the pollution in place was a bad idea. Kathy Hadley is president of the Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee, or CFRTAC. Some years ago, when decisions were being made by EPA and Atlantic Richfield on remediation of the park, CFRTAC and other local people and organizations wanted the toxic mine tailings removed from the park and replaced with clean fill, she said earlier this year. We all were concerned about establishing a park on top of toxic mine tailings. Hadley said there was particular concern about arsenic and its potential health effects, especially for young people. We also knew that the river would continue to move and riverbanks would erode and the toxic mine tailings would eventually be deposited back into the river, she said then. In 2008, negotiations whose participants included EPA, Atlantic Richfield and DEQ yielded a settlement that arranged for DEQ to be the lead agency for the rivers remediation. The EPA reports that, generally speaking, Copper is the prime contaminant associated with environmental risk and arsenic is the primary contaminant associated with human risks. Powell Countys letter to DEQ acknowledged that the agency has an enormous responsibility in its effort to remediate the river across such a large geographic area. The letter said the publics regular use of Arrowstone Park and its high visibility as people drive in from Interstate 90 would seem to make it an ideal candidate for remediation. The Atlantic Richfield Co. has cited the 2008 agreement and essentially put the ball in the court of DEQ and the states National Resource Damage Program when it comes to remediating the park. Powell Countys letter said the county looks forward to a time when Arrowstone Parks environmental profile is no longer cause for concern. We eagerly anticipate the day when a clean and vibrant Arrowstone Park will be enjoyed by the citizens of Powell County and visiting tourists, the letter advised. Atlantic Richfield did not respond to a request for comment about the signs for Arrowstone Park. By Alex Pologruto | Aug 9, 2023 Governors Scholars in the Forensic Science focus area class practice crime scene processing skills that they studied in class. MURRAY, Ky. Murray State University is proudly partnering with the Governors Scholars Program (GSP) as one of three host universities in the state of Kentucky for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025. The Murray State University GSP 2023 recently completed its five-week program, June 25 July 29, hosting a total of 352 students representing 87 counties throughout the state of Kentucky. The Governors Scholars Program is a summer residential and intellectual program for outstanding high school students in Kentucky who are rising seniors as part of an effort to enhance Kentucky's next generation of civic and economic leaders. Established in 1983, the program provides academic and personal growth through the balance of a strong liberal arts program with full co-curricular and residential life experiences. Students must complete an application and compete with others from across the state. Those selected attend the program free of charge. Dr. Melony Shemberger is the Murray State University GSP 2023 campus director. Each day looked a little different for the scholars, said Shemberger. For example, every Monday we had a community meeting starting at 9 a.m. in the Johnson Theatre with everyone involved with the program to prepare for the week ahead. Following that meeting, the scholars would attend their specifically selected focus area class starting at 9:45 a.m., and then during the afternoon students would attend their leadership seminar. For the remainder of the week, students would attend their general studies classes, leadership seminars and various activities and clubs offered by the program, similarly structured to a college students schedule. Students were also provided breakfast, lunch and dinner at Winslow Dining Hall located on campus. Upon application, a total of 19 focus areas were offered to students on the Murray State GSP campus. When students apply for the program they get to choose any three focus areas that interest them, and then every scholar is granted one of their three choices. Governors Scholars in the Journalism and Mass Media focus area interviewed several people in the community for coverage they produced. My high school encouraged us to choose three vastly different focus areas, said Nancy Haddad, Governors Scholar from Boyle County High School in Danville, Kentucky. I remember out of the three choices I chose healthcare and journalism as two of my options, both of those being two very different areas of studies. I ended up receiving journalism and am very glad that I did. I am planning on taking a pre-med or pre-dental route when I enter college and having the knowledge and skills to build a website will be useful when going to advertise my services or owning a healthcare practice one day. My focus area was international relations, said Jake Barker, Governors Scholar from West Jessamine High School in Nicholasville, Kentucky. The main focus of the class was on the United Nations. We did a lot of experiential learning compared to what is offered in a high school classroom. For example, we got to model a United Nations General Assembly with each group of students acting as different countries. I was only vaguely interested in this prior to my experience here at Murray State GSP. Now I am so happy that I selected this focus area because it has influenced me to pursue an education in international or diplomatic relations in college. Aside from a high academically achieving goal for the students at Murray State GSP, one of the main goals for the students is to realize that they are leaders. We expect the students leadership skills to come to fruition, said Shemberger. It doesnt mean that they have to be up-front leaders, they can be leaders in the back or in between. We need them all. Whatever leadership role these students might possess, they have to be open to ideas, know when to communicate fairly and respectfully, and have a plan and goals. It is a self-realization type of experience. This is the most intellectually stimulated Ive been in my entire life, said Trenton Schroering, Governors Scholar from DuPont Manual High School in Louisville, Kentucky. I am somebody who really enjoys being challenged academically and that was certainly the case here. I had classes on ethics, leadership and philosophy. Not to mention getting the opportunity to attend these classes with other students who are so academically gifted that they pushed me to become a better student myself. Plus, the faculty and staff here at Murray State have been nothing but the best that the Commonwealth has to offer us students. This is a place where I really felt like I was gaining so much. It has been such a fun and interesting experience, said Vijay Karthikeyan, Governors Scholar from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky. Academically its been quite different from high school because I dont have to worry about the grades or the stress of competing with my peers. It is nice to be able to get the opportunity to collaborate with my fellow students and teachers here in the classroom. From a social standpoint, all of the events and clubs that have been offered throughout the program have been nothing short of inclusive. I always knew that I never had to be alone if I didn't want to be. There was always something being offered or Id always have friends around to hang out with. The clubs and speaker sessions offered were some of my favorite experiences throughout the program. I feel as if this program has truly impacted my life and I have been able to take away a lot of life lessons to prepare me for my future. Additionally, one of the main takeaways from the Governors Scholars Program at Murray State is to help the scholars find a level of independence that they have yet to experience. By providing these students with a residential college experience for a summer, it allows these students to submerge in classes and areas of learning different from what they have previously been offered in a high school setting. It is very rewarding to see the students progression throughout the course of the five weeks, both intellectually and socially, said Shemberger. They become more self-aware of things. We just hope that whatever they learn they take back to their family and community. We hope that these lessons are just the seeds in developing and preparing these young people for their adult lives. The Murray State University Governors Scholars Program held a closing ceremony on Saturday, July 29 to honor all scholars for graduating the program. For more information on the Governors Scholars Program at Murray State University please visit murraystate.edu/gsp. Remember House File 2317 from last year? Folks dont often remember bill numbers but this is one you should - it was the largest tax cut ever passed in our state and every Iowan saw a tax cut as a result. House File 2317 gets Iowa to a flat tax of 3.9% on all taxable income in tax year 2026. House File 2317 helps the single mom with two kids on an income of $25,000. That mom would pay $714 in Iowa taxes under the current law but will only pay $521 in 2026 because of this bill. That is a 27% reduction in her taxes. The bill also helps the family of four with two working parents on an income of $50,000. That family would pay $1,918 under the current law, but will have that number cut to $1,520 because of this tax cut. Thats more than a 20% tax cut for that middle-class, working family. House File 2317 not only reduced individual income tax rates and provides for an eventual flat tax of 3.9%, but also exempts retirement income from individual income tax, lowers the corporate tax rate to an eventual 5.5% flat tax based on a revenue trigger, and makes changes to tax credits. Coupled with the fact that Iowa hasnt taxed social security in more than a decade, when it comes to taxes, Iowa really is the Midwests Field of Dreams. So how do our neighbors stack up? To the northMinnesota has a graduated individual income tax, with rates ranging from 5.35% to 9.85%. Minnesota has a 9.80% corporate income tax rate. Minnesota taxes your social security and all retirements. Moving north does not seem viableespecially if you are over 55. Additionally, Minnesota raised their gas tax, raised vehicle registration fees, increased taxes on the sales of new vehicles and enacted a new fee on the delivery of most goods. Minnesota really is earning their new nickname as the California of the Midwest. Lets look to the eastIllinois has a flat 4.95% individual income tax rate. Illinois also has a 9.50% corporate income tax rate. Surprisingly, Illinois does not tax social security or retirement. How about Michigan? Michigan has a flat 4.25% individual income tax rate, but there are also local jurisdictions there that collect income taxes. Michigan has a 6% corporate income tax rate. Governor Whitmer has also twice vetoed tax cuts in 2023. What Michigan really fumbled was retirement income. If you were born before 1946, the tax breaks for retirement income are pretty good. However, if you were born later, the state is not as forgiving. There were some new retirement tax benefits signed into law this year that seem to stair step based on age. Luckily, Michigan does not tax social security. What about Wisconsin? They have a graduated individual income tax, with rates ranging from 3.54% to 7.65%. Wisconsin also has a flat 7.90% corporate income tax rate. Unfortunately, their governor also recently vetoed an income tax cut. The Badgers exempt Social Security benefits from state taxes, but pension income along with distributions from IRAs and 401(k) plans, are generally taxable. Bottom lineretiring in Wisconsin is expensive. What about our neighbor to the west? Nebraska has a graduated individual income tax, with rates ranging from 2.46% to 6.64%. Nebraska also has a 5.58% to 7.25% corporate income tax rate. Doesnt sound too bad unless you are a retiree. The Cornhuskers tax most Social Security benefits and other retirement income. The best decision here is to cross the Missouri River and retire in Iowa. So, if you have landed in the Midwest and Iowa or Iowa States tailgating experience is not reason enough for you to homestead in Iowajust stack us up against our neighbors and see where you will keep the most of your hard-earned money. It turns out, all roads lead to Iowa. - Representative Taylor Collins Rep. Taylor Collins resides in Mediapolis and represents Iowa House District 95, encompassing all of Louisa, and parts of Des Moines, Henry, and Muscatine Counties. With the start of the 2023-2024 school year being right around the corner, the staff and administration of the Muscatine Community School District (MCSD) are inviting students and families to attend Back to School nights. There is a lot to be excited about this school year, MCSD Superintendent Clint Christopher said. Our nearly 900+ staff members are ready to provide all students with a high-quality public education. That extends across all departments as everyone plays a vital role in our day-to-day operations. Starting on Thursday, August 17 from 5 to 7 p.m., the first Back to School night will be held for high school students at Muscatine High School. This night is meant for both current and incoming high school students, giving them all a chance to meet their teachers and see where their classrooms will be this year. Then on Monday, August 21 from 4 to 6 p.m., Susan Clark Jr. High will be holding its Back to School kickoff night. In addition to welcoming back students and giving them a chance to run through their schedules, guests will also have a chance to sign-up for sports, clubs and activities, take a tour of SCJH, and enjoy some free pizza and free Muskie Gear. Following that will be New Muskie Day on Tuesday, August 22, with only MHS freshmen attending school that day. During both August 21 and 22 elementary and preschool families can schedule a 30-minute classroom visit anytime from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday and 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. Finally, on Wednesday, August 23, all Muscatine students from Pre-K to 12th grade will have their first day of school. Beyond the districts annual Back to School nights, Christopher expressed his excitement for the upcoming school year, seeing it as something that will already be starting off on the right foot for several reasons. Weve expanded our Dual-Language Immersion Program to include now first grade, Christopher said. Were also working with community partners and growing the Work-Based Learning program at Muscatine High School, and we look forward to the new fitness center installation at Susan Clark Jr. High as part of the grant they won via the National Foundation for Governors' Fitness Councils and the Dont Quit program. Christopher also took a moment to mention the several large-scale construction projects underway. These projects include secure entrances at Madison and Grant Elementary Schools, additional classroom space at Jefferson Elementary School and the main entrance remodeling being done at Susan Clark Jr. High. Additionally, we will soon break ground on a new softball field at MHS and remodel Tom Bruner Field, all without raising taxes since we're using future SAVE dollars, which guaranteed revenue from the state, he said. The centralized kitchen is nearing completion, allowing us to use no longer the kitchen space at the former Central Middle School. Work will begin there, seeing additional parking spaces and improvements to the gymnasium and auditorium. Finally, Christopher reported that a brand new MCSD website will be going live next week, with this website being seen as another way for administration to communicate with students, families, staff and the community as a whole. Historical homes you can own in the Muscatine area 4 Bedroom Home in Muscatine - $167,000 Online contributed 4 Bedroom Home in Muscatine - $167,000 A historic charmer in the heart of Muscatine showcasing tons of original woodwork. Enjoy the large living and dining area along with a main floor primary suite. Upstairs has 3 bedrooms and a full bath with a beautiful claw foot tub. Enjoy your morning coffee on the large front porch or a relaxing evening in the back yard under the covered patio. This home also has main floor laundry, and newer windows. With a little work, the wood floors will be stunning again. Dont miss your chance to call this beautiful house your next home!- View More Fadia Muhamad talks about her son Murod Kurdi, who was struck by a driver June 5, 2023, in Oak Lawn. Muhamad spoke at a June 20, 2023, news conference calling for justice along with Suphi Kurdi, middle, his bother, and family attorney David Petrich. (Alexandra Kukulka) Oak Lawn police lacked probable cause to charge a woman with driving under the influence after she struck a pedestrian on a village street, according to a report released by the villages Police Department. The driver was cited for failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident when hitting 28-year-old Murod Kurdi, who his family said was standing June 5 near his parked car outside his familys home when he was hit by a car. Kurdi died the following day at Advocate Christ Medical Center, and his family has filed a lawsuit against the driver who struck him. He suffered multiple injuries as a result of being hit and his death was ruled an accident, according to the Cook County medical examiners office. Investigating officers were correct in not arresting the driver for being under the influence, and that officers were exhaustive in their efforts to determine if impairment by alcohol or drugs was an issue, Jennifer Cifaldi, Illinois traffic safety resource prosecutor with the state police, wrote in a July 24 report. Oak Lawn police provided a copy of the report Tuesday after the 27-year-old Oak Lawn woman made an appearance at the Bridgeview courthouse on the ticket. Police said the citation would be adjudicated by the secretary of states office. One officer reported the driver did not show any obvious physical signs of impairment and that her speech was clear, logical, coherent, and not mumbled or slurred, Cifaldi noted in her report. Another officer wrote that he could not detect any odor of alcohol from the driver and that she was not slurring her words, her eyes were not bloodshot, and she was not swaying back and forth, according to Cifaldis report. Oak Lawn police said search warrants were obtained for the drivers cellphone use data and her vehicles event-data recorder, and that Cook County sheriffs police completed a crash reconstruction investigation. The lawsuit alleges the driver had been drinking before the accident and was rendered intoxicated and was speeding at the time. Police said the investigation determined the driver was traveling at about 27 mph in a 25 mph zone. Cifaldi noted that while one officer detected a slight odor of alcohol from the driver who struck Kurdi, It has been a long-standing principal of law in Illinois that the odor of an alcoholic beverage alone does not constitute probable cause for an officer to believe that someone is under the influence of alcohol. Oak Lawn police said Tuesday, in releasing Cifaldis report, that officers had asked the driver to perform additional field sobriety tests and she declined, which police said was within her rights. David Petrich, an attorney for Kurdis family, previously said the Oak Lawn Police Department should have demanded to have a blood-alcohol test done. At a news conference Tuesday outside the Bridgeview courthouse, the attorney said the police investigation did not go the way it should have. The wrongful death lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court July 14, seeks damages in excess of $50,000. Apart from the driver, the complaint names an Oak Lawn bar as a defendant. The plaintiff is Fadia Muhamad, Kurdis mother. The lawsuit notes Kurdi had parked his vehicle on the north side of the street in the 5100 block of West 91st Street when the driver collided with great force and violence. mnolan@tribpub.com Iowa has joined other state attorneys general as part of an investigation into the social media company TikTok and its possible harmful effects on young users' mental health. The five-member Iowa Executive Council comprised of the governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, secretary of agriculture and state auditor unanimously agreed this week on granting a request from Iowa Attorney General Brenna Birds office to bring in special counsel to help the office in its investigation into and possible litigation against the wildly popular video platform and its "potential negligent, deceptive, or otherwise unlawful provision of products and services to minors." Several states are investigating TikTok over whether it violated state consumer protection laws. The investigation has focused on the harm social media usage causes to young users, what TikTok knows about those harms, the techniques used by TikTok to boost young user engagement including increasing the duration of time spent on the platform and the frequency of engagement with TikTok. Government officials and child-safety advocates have cited TikToks practices and computer-driven promotion of content they say can endanger the physical and mental health of young users, such as video content that promote eating disorders, self-harm and suicide. U.S. lawmakers this spring grilled TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew about data security and harmful content, with some pushing to ban the app. The platform has more than 150 million American users. The Iowa Executive Council granted the Attorney Generals request to bring in the Washington, D.C.-based law firm of Cooper & Kirk, which is representing five states in their investigation into TikTok. Litigation is underway in Indiana and Arkansas. The law firm also represented Florida in the states defense of its Stop W.O.K.E Act, which prohibits public schools and universities from enabling frank discussions about the nations racial history in classrooms, and in a lawsuit by Walt Disney Co. against a Florida tourism board and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis alleging retaliation against Disney after it opposed a new state law restricting instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in public schools. Cooper also represented former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the Justice Departments investigations into Russian election interference. Chief Deputy Iowa Attorney General Sam Langholz, in his request, wrote the law firm was instrumental in developing those five states legal arguments of consumer fraud arising from TikToks representations about its content and the privacy of user data. The firm will be paid based on contingency, where attorneys will get paid only if the state recovers compensation. Should the state not receive any money through litigation, it will not be required to pay the attorneys, according to state officials. Because of the nature of the alleged misconduct, the magnitude of the recovery effort, and the anticipated aggressive defense by the Defendants, the Attorney General has determined that it is necessary and appropriate to retain private Special Counsel to assist her Office in the representation of the State of Iowa to continue such investigation and pursue potential litigation and recovery on a contingency fee basis, Langholz wrote. TikTok is a wholly owned subsidiary of Beijing-based parent company ByteDance. Attempts Tuesday to reach a TikTok representative for comment were unsuccessful. In response to an investigation by Texas last year into TikTok's alleged violations of children's privacy and facilitation of human trafficking, the company told CBS News it has tools in place, such as screen-time management, to help young people and parents moderate how long children spend on the app and what they see, and disables direct messaging for young users. "We care deeply about building an experience that helps to protect and support the well-being of our community, and appreciate that the state attorneys general are focusing on the safety of younger users," the company told CBS News. Lawmakers pursue social media restrictions for teens State lawmakers this year advanced, but failed to approve, limits on social media platforms for teens. Iowa teens would have been prohibited from using social media platforms without explicit approval from a parent or guardian under a measure that advance out of a House committee but failed to make it to the House floor. The bill would prohibit companies from collecting data on children under 18 without verifiable parental consent. That includes providing information required to create a profile on sites like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. Similar age limitations for tech platforms signed into law in Arkansas and Utah have raised questions about the privacy and First Amendment rights of young Americans. Critics worry restricting childrens access to social media restricts their access to supportive communities. Some children, like LGBTQ teens, may find a sense of belonging online they may not find in their physical communities, they said. Rep. John Wills, a Republican from Spirit Lake and the bills floor manager, said lawmakers plan to revisit the issue next session. The after-effects of the TikTok Kia Challenge on car insurance The after-effects of the TikTok Kia Challenge on car insurance How specifically has this affected the owners of Kia and Hyundai? The Kia challenge targets specific vehicle models Level of impact Inspector General Japhet Koome has dismissed politicians who have threatened to bring him before the International Criminal Court in relation to the fatalities witnessed during antigovernment protests last month. Koome asserted that the police are legally mandated to safeguard the well-being of Kenyan citizens and declared their resolve to remain steadfast in the face of threats. Propaganda headliners will not scare us. They can continue to threaten us of going to ICC court and that has no implication on us in terms of our commitment to serve and protect our country, he said on Tuesday. In defense of the polices actions during the demonstrations, Koome reiterated that law enforcement has a fundamental responsibility to safeguard both lives and property. I want to tell Kenyans that as National Police Service, we have a role to protect life and property. We have a responsibility to ensure our country is secure and safe and it is a mandate we are going to discharge without fear or favour, Koome added. Kenyans residing in Ethiopia have been cautioned against disregarding the safety directives issued by the government. In light of the six-month state of emergency declared on Friday in the Amhara region, the Kenyan Embassy in Ethiopia has advised Kenyan residents in the country to refrain from visiting insecure areas due to ongoing violence. In a notice released on Monday evening, the embassy urged Kenyas in Ethiopia to comply with the regulations and directives set forth by the Ethiopian government regarding the state of emergency. Avoid movement in insecure areas. Adhere to the rules and regulations issued by the government of Ethiopia in relation to the state of emergency in Amhara region the embassy said. The Kenyans have also been advised to maintain regular communication with the Embassy. Citizens are urged to reach out to the Kenyan embassy in Addis Ababa through email or phone using the following contact information: Email: [email protected], with a copy to [email protected]. Telephone numbers: Embassy Line: +251 11 6610135/6, Consular Officer: +251-929-107-859, +251976056336. I have visited the prison, drug dens, and streets, and today I am here at this rehabilitation centre to see that our young men are rescued from addictions. In life, you will see a mother sitting in court to support their child, and even visit them in prison. You are my boy children, and I will not stop loving you, said Pastor Dorcas at the rehab. Starting September 1st, 2023, the Government will enroll new beneficiaries into the Inua Jamii cash transfer program, aimed at providing support to deserving and vulnerable individuals in Kenya. A communique issued to media outlets on Tuesday stated that the decision was approved during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President William Ruto at the Sagana State Lodge. In keeping with the administrations commitment to securing the dignity of all citizens, and in honour of the contribution of our senior citizens; Cabinet sanctioned a fresh wave of registration of persons under the Inua Jamii Safety Net Programme of senior citizens, persons living with disability, and vulnerable households. The process of onboarding the new registration of new members will commence on 1st September 2023, read the despatch. Currently, the Inua Jamii programme benefits 1,233,123 Kenyans, including 353,000 orphans and vulnerable children, 833,129 elderly citizens, 47,000 persons with severe disabilities. Last month, President William Ruto directed State Department of Social Protection to ensure that beneficiaries receive their money on 15th of every month. Rutos cabinet at the same time approved the National Labour Migration Policy, with the aim of bolstering the countrys global engagement and subsequently augmenting the count of Kenyan citizens employed overseas, ultimately leading to a twofold increase in diaspora remittances. Additionally, the Cabinet endorsed the expansion of the Kenya Youth Empowerment and Opportunity Project (KYEOP) into the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) program. This initiative will focus on young individuals aged 18 to 35 across all 47 counties, with the objective of equipping them with essential skills to elevate their employability and entrepreneurial acumen. Two men from Nairobi have been charged with failing to protect a child from drug use after reportedly offering alcohol to a 12-year-old boy. Lewis Gachago and Michael Imbura are alleged to have neglected their duty to prevent the minor from consuming Chrome Vodka at their residence in Saika Estate, Njiru, on August 2nd. The duo is accused of committing the offence jointly with others at large, in violation of section 16 as referenced with section 20 of the Childrens Act of 2001. According to case details, the childs mother had tasked him with delivering a letter to her employer, who provided accommodation to the two suspects. During his visit, the boy encountered five individuals in the house. After handing over the letter, he was asked to wait in the house. His mothers employer then left with one of the individuals, leaving the boy in the company of three men, who included the two defendants. Having waited for a long period, the boys mother went to the house to inquire about his well-being. She found Imbura and Gachago, who guided her to a room where she discovered her son in an intoxicated state and vomiting. The mother contacted the police, who arrived at the location and arrested the two accused individuals. They rescued the boy and rushed him to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital for medical care. Appearing before Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi of the Makadara Law Courts, Lewis Gachago and Michael Imbura denied the charges. They were granted release on a bond of Sh20,000, with a surety of a similar amount or alternatively, a cash bail of Sh10,000. The case is scheduled for mention on September 7, with the hearing slated for October 31. The St. Helena Chamber of Commerce and the St. Helena Beautification Foundation committee are holding an artist call for the city's first mural project. The mural will be on the south-facing exterior of the Wydown Hotel at 1424 Main St. Experienced artists across the West Coast are encouraged to submit their qualifications and complete the application by Sept. 29. Last year both organizations discussed how to invigorate St. Helenas historic shopping district with art installations or murals using untouched buildings and spaces to bring added energy to St. Helena. The Chamber and Beautification Foundation formed a Downtown Art Committee to identify potential spaces, context and scope for a future art mural. The committees ultimate strategic plan is to introduce three art projects in five years. The first mural, slated for summer 2024, is fully funded by the Chamber and Beautification Foundation committee. We wholeheartedly embrace creativity, celebrate diversity and foster an artistic spirit in St. Helena, said chamber CEO Amy Carabba-Salazar. We are grateful for our residents and organizations, like the St. Helena Beautification Foundation, for their unwavering commitment to this dynamic community. This art collaboration aims to infuse more life downtown with a mural that we hope sparks curiosity and inspiration. After the application window closes, two to four semifinalists will be invited to create a proposal and design for the project. A jury will then select one finalist to paint their concept next summer. The project has received support from Nimbus Arts, Rail Arts District Napa, the city of St. Helena, Blue Zones Project Upper Napa Valley, and the volunteer Art Committee comprising Carabba-Salazar and Stephanie Smithers (St. Helena Chamber of Commerce), Kathleen Whitehurst and Nancy Morrel (St. Helena Beautification Foundation committee), Mark Hoffmeister (owner, Wydown Hotel), Katherine Bull (MEUSE Gallery), Lisa Covey and Emily Harrison (Hall Wines), Mary Stephenson (resident), Kelly Bond and Robert Chesnut (Blue Zones Project Upper Napa Valley) and Jamie Graff (Nimbus Arts). The request for qualifications and application are available at sthelenachamber.com/sthelenaartmural. Photos: The art of Philip Beltrami Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Philip Beltrami - revealing the craftsmanship of Napa Valleys history Wednesday, Aug. 2 1008 Report of a dead cat in the middle of Hunt Avenue. Public Works was notified. 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, 1115 Report of a dog wandering near Crane/Mitchell. It was returned to its owner. 1826 A dog was reported missing from Spring Mountain Road, but its owner found it soon. 1840 A caller received a suspicious phone call claiming to be from the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office and asking her to wire $6,000 for being in contempt of court. Police told her to call the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office. 1855 There was a water leak in the backyard of a Main Street home. 1944 Police cited a driver near Main/Crinella. 2036 Report of branches falling off a tree on Spring Mountain Road. Thursday, Aug. 3 0023 A vehicle with expired registration was towed from Main Street. 0854 Report of a dog wandering near Highway 29. It was last seen heading south toward the industrial area. 0920 Medical aid for a person with low blood sugar on Vintage Avenue. 0935 Report of a suspicious vehicle parked in a Main Street parking lot for two days, with the keys inside. 1250 Report of a man with an aggressive pit bull on Library Lane, going into the library and the museum and claiming the dog is a service animal. Police confirmed that the dog is a proper service animal. 1543 Two-car non-injury accident on Spring Mountain Road, outside the city limits. 1942 Police were asked to check on a man on Main Street who might have mental health problems. Police determined the man was a transient who didnt need any help. Friday, Aug. 4 0003 Following a traffic stop near Main/Madrona, police arrested a 35-year-old Oakland resident on suspicion of transporting marijuana for sale and an outstanding warrant. 1016 Report of a dog barking since 9 a.m. on Spring Mountain Road. 1021 Two pruning knives were found near Valley View Court. 1050 A caller said there appeared to have been a squatter inside a house on Sulphur Springs Avenue. 1310 Report of two buses parked in a residential area on Hudson Avenue. Police contacted the company that operates the vehicles. The drivers agreed to move. 1549 Police cited a driver for speeding on Pratt Avenue. 1550 Report of garbage building up around a trailer on Adams Street. Saturday, Aug. 5 0012 Following a traffic stop near Main/Vintage, police arrested a 24-year-old Napa man on suspicion of DUI. 0250 St. Helena police helped the sheriffs office arrest someone in Yountville. 0417 Report of a man trying to break into a car on Kearney Street, and subsequently knocking on someones door. Police arrested the 19-year-old St. Helena man on suspicion of public intoxication and providing false identification to police. 0604 Police pulled over a possible drunk driver on Highway 29. It turned out the driver wasnt drunk, just texting. 0731 Police cited a vehicle parked in a blue zone on Pope Street. 0736 Police cited a driver on Main Street for using a cellphone while driving. 0842 An electrical box at Crane Park appeared to be damaged. Public Works fixed it. 1035 A caller reported being followed by a suspicious car all the way from Santa Rosa. 1112 Police cited a driver for speeding near Main/Deer Park. 1121 A domesticated pigeon was found near El Bonita Avenue. Police investigated and were able to find the birds owner and return it. 1143 An officer conducted homeless outreach at the end of Adams Street. 1417 Report of a loose dog near a Main Street tasting room. 1842 A driver was seen throwing a lit cigarette out of a car in the 1400 block of Main Street. 2100 Police cited a driver near Main/Elmhurst. 2317 Police cited a driver for a center turn lane violation on Highway 29 south of town. Sunday, Aug. 6 1207 Medical aid on Pope Street. 1228 A caller noticed two vehicles on Brown Street with cobwebs and dirt on them. The trailer had reportedly been there for six months. Police contacted the owners of both vehicles, who agreed to move them. 1304 Plastic car parts were blocking a lane of traffic near Starr/Pope. An officer disposed of them. 1312 Police conducted homeless outreach on Adams Street. 1317 Lift assist on Pope Street. 1344 Report of a suspicious man who rushed out of a Main Street store after the store owner greeted him. 1508 Seven kids had been seen climbing onto the roofs of commercial buildings downtown at 1 a.m. 1856 Police tried to pull over a motorcyclist who failed to yield near Main/Adams. Police terminated the pursuit and notified the CHP and the sheriffs office. 2102 A coyote was spotted in the Hillview/Vineyard area. 2208 Police responded to a loud music complaint on Stockton Street. It was turned off before police arrived. Monday, Aug. 7 0340 Police cited a driver for speeding on Main Street. 1454 Report of gravel leaking out of a truck in the Crane/Spring area. 1543 Police were told to be on the lookout for a car that had been involved in a theft in Kelseyville. 1701 Medical aid for a sick person on Main Street. 1942 Police cited a driver near Main/St. Andrews. 2107 Report of a water leak on Stockton Street. It was just a sump pump drain working properly. Tuesday, Aug. 8 0136 Report of a fire alarm sounding on Granger Way. 1133 Report of a vehicle parked on Railroad Avenue for over two weeks. The owner agreed to move it as soon as she comes home. 1138 Police took a report on a fraud/grand theft case. 1144 Report of a vehicle parked on Allyn Avenue for over two weeks. Police marked it to be towed in 72 hours and sent a letter to its owner. 1505 Report of a blue Subaru dragging a gas can that was leaking fuel in the Main/Grayson area. 1944 Report of a person with a warrant walking near Highway 29 and Bale Lane. Police arrested the 25-year-old Napa County man on suspicion of two outstanding warrants and additional charges of violating probation, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, receiving stolen property, possession of burglary tools, and resisting arrest. 2044 A dog was reported missing from Pope Street. A person found it, and dog and owner were reunited. 2233 A man reported feeling threatened by two people who'd wanted to hit him over the weekend. Wednesday, Aug. 9 0117 Following a traffic stop north of the elm tunnel, police arrested a 22-year-old Sonoma man on suspicion of DUI. PHOTOS: Training for an active shooter situation in St.Helena Maury Robertson explained how he got into working with Rianda House Senior Activities Center in St. Helena. In high school, I was fascinated with the spiritual realm. For 20 years, I led a church and eventually became a seminary professor. My denomination had some narrow views which I found too confining, so I turned to the wider nonprofit realm. Rianda House is a perfect fit. Its an inclusive place where people genuinely care for each other and challenge each other to grow. Plus, its plain-old fun. Today Robertson is the executive director of the center. 1. What does Rianda House offer? We help Upvalley older adults stay strong in mind, body and spirit, connected in meaningful relationships, and giving from the abundance of their lives. 2. What was your childhood ambition? To play in the NBA. 3. What was your first job? Waiting tables at La Cita, my grandparents Mexican restaurant on Route 66, in Tucumcari, New Mexico. 4. What job would you like to try/not try? Try: Wildlife photographer. Not try: Swimsuit model. 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. 5. What is the biggest challenge your industry has faced? Fundraising is a never-ending challenge for nonprofits. 6. Who do you most admire in the business world? Ralph Waldo Emerson. I love his commitment to be his authentic self and the way he made a living by challenging others to do the same. 7. If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be? I would wave a magic wand and make the whole world stop thinking of elderhood as being put out to pasture and begin to regard it as lifes greatest chapter. 8. Whats your favorite charity or nonprofit? Rianda House. Duh! 9. Whats something people might be surprised to know about you? I have backpacked in Patagonia. 10. What is one thing you hope to accomplish in your lifetime that you havent yet? My journey out of being a minister led to hardships and discoveries that I want to capture in writing. For more info visit: riandahouse.org PHOTOS: Scenes from Napa Humane's Walk for Animals in Yountville Napa Humane's Walk for Animals 2023 Napa Humane's Walk for Animals 2023 Napa Humane's Walk for Animals 2023 Napa Humane's Walk for Animals 2023 Napa Humane's Walk for Animals 2023 Napa Humane's Walk for Animals 2023 Napa Humane's Walk for Animals 2023 Napa Humane's Walk for Animals 2023 Napa Humane's Walk for Animals 2023 Napa Humane's Walk for Animals 2023 Napa Humane's Walk for Animals 2023 Napa Humane's Walk for Animals 2023 The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia received the EU Ambassador Azerbaijani units fired from fire arms towards the Armenian combat outposts in the vicinity of Verin Shorzha Ararat Mirzoyan will participate in a strategic conference in Slovenia Azerbaijani Armed Forces open fire on Armenian positions in Akhpradzor section. Armenian Defense Ministry Greek authorities have rescued about 60 migrants traveling by boat from Turkey to Aegean islands Iran will launch a locally manufactured Tolou-3 satellite into orbit by the second half of March Azerbaijani Defense Ministry tries to justify its regular fire to disrupt wheat harvesting. Artsakh Defense Army The Azerbaijanis once again targeted the 'Syunik' civil airport. Gor Tsarukyan Artsakh State Minister: Azerbaijani Armed Forces hold at gunpoint the only wheat field in Sarushen community Azerbaijan refuses to allow the body of the Artsakh girl to be taken to her homeland. MFA Armenia PM is informed about plans to invest another $15M in Agarak Copper-Molybdenum Combine Azerbaijan does not allow body of young woman who died in tragic Armenia road accident to be sent back to Karabakh Azerbaijan plans to try abducted Karabakh resident Vagif Khachatryan Dollar, euro drop in Armenia Armenia deputy PM, Poland envoy confer about regional developments Central Electoral Commission registers electoral lists of political forces to run in Yerevan municipal elections Karabakh MoD: Azerbaijan statement, video footage are utter falsehood Ambassador Kvien emphasizes US support for Armenia sovereignty, security (PHOTOS) Karabakh MFA: We expect UN Security Council member countries to demonstrate consistency, principled stance Armenia ex-FM: Perhaps international community keeps open possibility of changing today's negotiation agenda Armenia MoD: Azerbaijan disseminates another disinformation London Coptic Church leader, UK Armenian Apostolic Church primate discuss crisis in Karabakh 11 medical patients from Karabakh are transferred to Armenia through Red Cross MFA official: China is closely following of North-South international corridor current operation Armenia battalion deputy commander is charged with causing soldier to commit suicide Armenia MFA: It is evident that Azerbaijan continues distorting international community appeals Armenia FM stresses to UN deputy secretary general urgency of reopening Lachin corridor US ambassador to Armenia visiting Jermuk town (PHOTOS) Artsakh President meets with group of militia fighters Karabakh President receives Free Motherland-UCA Faction MPs Presidential advisor: Azerbaijan cut fiber optic internet cable, disrupting Karabakh's stable internet connection Azerbaijan fires on tractor working in Karabakh village field Ardshinbank recognized as Retail Bank of the Year in Armenia by Asian Banking & Finance magazine Azerbaijan fires in direction of Armenias Kapan city airport EU Special Representative for South Caucasus meets with some other European officials, in Yerevan cafe Newspaper: What to expect after UN Security Council emergency meeting on Lachin corridor issue? France cities, regions want to deliver humanitarian aid to besieged Karabakh China interested in development of relations with Armenia Ambassador to Armenia on Zangezur corridor: Chinese initiative has nothing to do with it Armenia MoD: Azerbaijan fired in direction of Yeraskh village Mher Grigoryan, Toivo Klaar discuss humanitarian crisis in Karabakh Fan Yong: China is concerned about situation around Lachin corridor Armenia FM to Romania colleague: Karabakh crisis resolution requires international community to take clear steps Dollar gains, euro loses value in Armenia Ocampo: Armenians should not be side victims of Ukrainian conflict Chaarat Gold announces selling Kapan mine in Armenia for $54.5M Azerbaijan again fires at combine harvester working in Karabakh village field Armenia ambassador-at-large: Azerbaijan is blaming Karabakh children for eating cookies on their birthdays Demonstration in support of Karabakh held outside Israel MFA (VIDEO) Pashinyan: Next week we will start Yerevan-Kapan regular flights Armenia PM heads from Yerevan to Kapan by plane, tests new airline Arman Tatoyan: Azerbaijan is preparing new fascist disaster for Armenia Kirby: We continue to stay engaged diplomatically to encourage peaceful resolution between Armenia, Azerbaijan Karabakh presidential advisor: UN Security Council recorded that we are starving, but what does that change? Karabakh MoD: Azerbaijan defense ministry statement is completely false, disinformation Azerbaijan MFA tries to distort content of UN Security Council meeting on Lachin corridor issue Armenia ombudsperson sends letter to Azerbaijan counterpart 1 month ago, not received reply yet MoD: Azerbaijan fires at combine harvester working in Karabakh village field Armenia government petitions to European Court regarding soldier captured by Azerbaijan Armenia statements about Karabakh blockade are groundless, Bayramov tells Klaar Armenia PM: Azerbaijan is subjecting Armenians of Karabakh to genocide through starvation Armenia ombudsperson: Azerbaijan statement that Vagif Khachatryan committed crime as part of armed group is not true Azerbaijanis attack Armenian family outside UN headquarters in New York Karabakh MoD: Azerbaijan violated ceasefire Armenia MoD: Azerbaijan disseminated another disinformation EU representative at UN: Dialogue between Karabakh Armenians and Baku should be encouraged Azerbaijan representative speaks at UN Security Council, accuses Armenia US representative at UN: We call for direct talks between Baku authorities and Karabakh representatives Speech of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia at the UN Security Council urgent meeting Russia representative at UN: We proposed parallel opening of Aghdam and Lachin corridors Armenia MFA spox: As there is meeting at UNSC, Azerbaijan opened fire on border several times in past 3 days President: People of Karabakh are anxiously anticipating todays special session of UN Security Council N Koreas Kim, Russias Putin exchange letters 55 dead from clashes in Libya's capital Armenia MoD: Azerbaijan fired at Armenian positions Alen Simonyan, Valentina Matviyenko discuss details of humanitarian disaster in Karabakh Photo of Armenia reservist detained by Azerbaijan appears in Azerbaijani domain of social media OSCE Chairman-in-Office reiterates his call, asks Personal Representative Andrzej Kasprzyk to visit Lachin area Armenia ranks 3rd in most visits to Georgia Azerbaijan MoD announces name of captured Armenia serviceman The following items were taken from police and court reports and news releases. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt. Country Club Hills WEAPON OFFENSE: Todd Sherman, 50, undisclosed address, Mokena, was arrested and accused of aggravated assault July 29 in the 4200 block of 167th Street after threatening an ATM technician with a BB gun that looked like a bullet-based pistol, police said. Frankfort DUI: Levar D. Brooks, 43, Chicago, is scheduled to appear in Will County circuit court Aug. 30 on two counts of aggravated drunken driving and one count of driving on a license revoked for drunken driving, according to court records online. Brooks blood-alcohol concentration was above the legal limit when officers took him into custody during a traffic stop for speeding July 22 on La Grange Road, about 1 mile north of Lincoln Highway, police said. Lockport Township RECKLESS GUNPLAY: David J. Cameron, 60, 1000 block of Northern Drive, Lockport Township, was arrested and accused of recklessly discharging a firearm after he shot at the tire of a relatives vehicle departing that block around 9 p.m. Friday, Will County sheriffs police said. Mokena AGGRAVATED BATTERY: A Rockford man whose resistance to efforts to remove him from a vehicle included biting a sergeants finger and kicking another officer in the groin and stomach is charged with two counts of aggravated battery to an officer, according to police and Will County circuit court records online. Jonathan J. Cintora, 26, Rockford, a passenger in a vehicle stopped July 31 in the 8800 block of 191st Street, disregarded a warning and continued resisting after police used a Taser, police said. The driver, Tania I. Villegas, 25, Rockford, is charged with aggravated drunken driving/suspended license, according to court records. Villegas didnt respond to efforts to stop her and drove into oncoming traffic on 191st Street twice, before careening into parking blocks at a gas station/car wash, police said. Cintora and Villegas are scheduled to appear in court Aug. 21. New Lenox BOMB HOAX: Nine nearby agencies helped search Silver Cross Hospital during a three-hour nighttime lockdown Aug. 1 prompted by a bomb threat that turned out to be a hoax, police said. The department is still investigating the phoned-in threat, which came in at about 10:30 p.m., police said. The caller said 12 explosives were set to go off in 20 minutes and would be followed by shootings, police said. Responders, including bomb sniffing dogs from the Will and Cook county sheriffs departments and from Illinois State Police, searched the hospital campus and found no explosives or suspicious items, police said. WIRE FRAUD: A 23-year-old New York man accused of fraudulently withdrawing $25,000 out of a New Lenox couples bank account in 2021 was booked into the Will County jail Aug. 1 by the U.S. Marshals Service, according to police and sheriffs records online. Joseph S. Grant Jr. is scheduled to appear in Will County circuit court Oct. 17 on theft by deception and wire fraud, according to court records online. The victims reported in November 2021 that someone had withdrawn the money in September 2021, using their bank information. AGGRAVATED BATTERY: A New Lenox man accused of attacking a nurse at Silver Cross Hospital in December was booked into the Will County jail on an arrest warrant issued in July, according to police and sheriffs records online. Michael G. Kimball, 50, 800 block of Eastwind Drive, New Lenox, is charged with aggravated battery in connection with the alleged Dec. 21 battery, according to Will County circuit court records online. The victim told officers Kimball struck him in the chest with the handle-end of a butter knife, police said. Orland Park STOLEN CAR: Dontae M. Boykin Jr., 20, Holland, Michigan, was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle July 21 following a retail theft investigation at Jewel-Osco, 9350 159th St., police said. Officers determined the vehicle Boykin drove to the store was stolen, confronted him as he left the store and chased him one-half mile to the 15600 block of La Grange Road, where they found him hiding behind bushes, police said. ILLEGAL GUN: A Blue Island man was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon after officers recovered a stolen .45 caliber handgun under his floor mat during a July 28 traffic stop in the 15100 block of La Grange Road, police said. Tyrone T. Alexander, 35, 2800 block of 141st Street, was also accused of unlawfully possessing ammunition without a firearm owners identification card and driving on a suspended license, police said. The recovered gun, stolen out of Mississippi, had a bullet in the chamber and ammunition in an extended magazine, police said. RETAIL THEFT: David J. Robinson, 35, Gary, Indiana, was arrested and accused of retail theft July 26 after officers responding to a call from Target, 15850 94th Ave., found him pushing a shopping cart loaded with loose cans of baby formula, police said. Robinson, who self-identified as an addict, told officers he had planned to take the 14 cans on a bus to Harvey, where he would sell them on the street, police said. The cans collectively retail for $606.86, police said. FRAUD: Lakendra M. Brown, 37, Calumet City, was charged with using a credit/debit card with intent to defraud, theft of more than $500 and identity theft July 31 at Macys, 1 Orland Square Drive, police said. Brown, an employee, used a credit/debit card belonging to another person to ring up 12 transactions totaling $1,997.24 over a nine-day period in July, police said. Palos Hills ROAD RAGE: Paulius Kruzinauskas, 40, first block of Lucas Drive, Palos Hills, was arrested and accused of battery during a July 27 road rage battery in the 7600 block of 111th Street, police said. CARS STOLEN: An unlocked Hyundai Elantra with the keys inside was reported stolen July 31 from a residential driveway in the 10000 block of 83rd Avenue and an unlocked Buick Envision with keys in a nearby vehicle was reported stolen Aug. 6 from the 7800 block of 99th Place. The Buick was recovered in Harvey. ILLEGAL GUN: Damien M. McCollum, 29, undisclosed address, Palos Hills, was arrested and accused of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon Aug. 4 in the 8500 block of 101st Terrace after officers recovered a gun from him during an ambulance assistance call and then determined his firearm owners identification card was suspended, police said. Park Forest BURGLARY: A refrigerator, gas stove, dishwasher and microwave oven were reported stolen July 28 from an unoccupied home in the 200 block of Marquette Street. The complainant, returning to the property after a five-day absence, also reported finding the lockbox pried open. RECOVERED CAR: A July 26 reckless driving investigation at Western Avenue and Sauk Trail ended up at Monee Road and Indianwood Boulevard with the vehicles driver and passenger turned over to Country Club Hills officers on a shoplifting charge and the car turned over to Crete officers, who had reported it stolen, police said. Peotone Township GUN BATTLE: A resident in the 28000 block of 80th Avenue traded shots at about 3:45 a.m. Monday with two males who had exited an SUV near the residence. The two fled in a Silverado, which they abandoned in the 8000 block of Offner Road, Will County sheriffs deputies said. Responding deputies found the Volkswagen, stolen from Skokie, with a broken window and gasoline poured throughout the inside, sheriffs police said. Tinley Park DOG FIGHT: A 32-pound bulldog/French bulldog mix was treated for wounds to his tongue and chin July 24 after an evening encounter with a female pit bull mix in an undisclosed block of 159th Place, police said. The battery prompted a spate of 911 emergency calls, with one caller later telling a responding officer the unleashed female dog ran at the leashed male, who jumped in front of its owner as the owners child ducked behind her, police said. However, a second witness said the male was the aggressor and the female was leashed at the time, police said. The officer turned the issue over to animal control, issuing no citations because the owner was out of town, police said. Armen Smbatyan, the former ambassador of Armenia to Israel and Russia, and his son Sergey Smbatyan, the artistic director and chief conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, are being held in the Armavir Penitentiary. This information was provided by the penitentiary service in response to a written request of Sputnik Armenia. "Armen and Sergey Smbatyan are kept in different [prison] cells, as by the decision of the court of general jurisdiction of the city of Yerevan, the right of arrested person Sergey Smbatyan to communicate with arrested person Armen Smbatyan has been restricted," the response said. It added that they are kept in prison cells with other persons. However, according to Sputnik Armenia, their cellmates are not former officials or former law enforcement officers, but ordinary prisoners. On July 30, it became known that former ambassador Armen Smbatyan and his son, conductor Sergey Smbatyan, were arrested. Armen Smbatyan was charged with organizing large-scale fraud, and Sergey Smbatyan and a businessmanwith large-scale fraud. A number of Armenian cultural figures, famous athletes and physicians have submitted a petition to Prosecutor General of Armenia Anna Vardapetyan, asking her to have Sergey Smbatyan released from detention. The prosecutor's office is going to consider the petitions to commute the preventive measure chosen against him from detention to non-custodial detention. The blockade of the Lachin corridor by the Azerbaijani security forces impeding access to any food, medical supplies, and other essentials to Nagorno-Karabakh is in the media since December 2022, and it is discussed by political leaders. This is noted in a statement by the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, who issued a report on Nagorno-Karabakh. My contribution is to explain why it should be considered a Genocide against the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh under Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, Ocampo wrote. There are no crematories, and there are no machete attacks. Starvation is the invisible Genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks, he noted. In many respects, the starvation of the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh represents the archetype of genocide through the imposition of conditions of life designed to bring about a groups destruction. It closes a tragic circle because [t]he treatment of the Armenians by the Turkish rulers in 1915 provides the paradigm for the Genocide provision dealing with imposition of conditions of life, Ocampo added. As an individual with some experience in the field, I was honored to make my contribution providing an impartial report and I am ready to assist any party committed to prevent the destruction of the Armenian group in Nagorno-Karabakh, the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court emphasized in his statement. Criminal charges have been brought against Azerbaijani economist Fazil Qasimov, who was detained in Turkey and handed over to his homeland, the Azerbaijani media report. He was charged under the article of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan on preparation, acquisition or use of counterfeit money or securities by an organized group. In Narimanov district court, a preventive measure of imprisonment for 3 months and 12 days was chosen against Qasimov. Qasimov was investigated in the criminal case of Qubad Ibadoglu, the chairman of the Azerbaijan Democracy and Welfare Party. Fifteen days ago, a preventive measure of imprisonment for 3 months and 26 days was selected against Ibadoglu. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan on Wednesday had a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria Mariya Gabriel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia informs. In continuation of the discussions of two ministers within the framework of Dubrovnik Forum in July, Ararat Mirzoyan briefed on the deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor and its irreversible consequences for the 120,000 population of Nagorno-Karabakh. Extremely difficult conditions incompatible with a decent life especially for the most sensitive groups such as children, pregnant women and the elderly were highlighted. Minister Mirzoyan emphasized that despite the clear assessments and appeals of international partners, various bodies, including the UN, Azerbaijan continues the blockade of the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world. The urgency of taking additional steps in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6 in order to restore free movement through the Lachin corridor as well as to prevent Azerbaijans real intention of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh was emphasized. During the phone call, the sides also touched upon the expansion of partnership between Armenia and Bulgaria, expressing mutual satisfaction with the intensifying political dialogue. Ten patients from the Republican Medical Center of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) were transported Wednesday to specialized medical institutions of Armenia, with accompanying persons as well as the mediation and escorting by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), informs the Artsakh Ministry of Health. These ten patients are receiving scheduled hemodialysis; but due to the scarcity of medicines and medical supplies in Artsakh because of the ongoing blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, they are unable to receive the necessary medical care and face the risk of death. And nine patients, who had been transferred to Armenia for medical treatment within the framework of state funding, are expected to return to Artsakh during the day with ICRC vehicles, and together with their accompanying persons. Thirty children are currently receiving inpatient treatment at Arevik Medical Center in Artsakh, and seven of them are at the neonatal and intensive care units. And 85 patients are receiving inpatient treatment at the Republican Medical Center, ten of them are at the intensive care unit, and four of these ten are in critical condition. Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, on Wednesday received Sarah Arkin and Damian Murphy, representatives of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Armenian News-NEWS.am learns from the Office of the Security Council of Armenia. The Security Council chief welcomed this visit of the aforesaid committee representatives to Armenia and emphasized such mutual visits. At the meeting, the parties discussed a broad range of matters on regional and extra-regional security. Grigoryan briefed his interlocutors on the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the ongoing blockage of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, the position of the Armenian side on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, and the process of normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. Also, the parties discussed a number of matters on the Armenian-American bilateral agenda. The mayor of the US city of Burbank, California, Konstantine Anthony, met with the Armenian Americans who are protesting against the ongoing blockade of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) by Azerbaijan. The mayor said that he is also concerned about Artsakh and is concerned and disappointed that US President Joe Biden is still sending military aid to Azerbaijan. For three days now, American Armenians have been protesting in defense of Artsakh and calling on the international community to give a strong response to Azerbaijan's actions. It has been nearly eight months since Azerbaijan has illegally closed the Lachin corridor connecting Artsakh to Armenia and the rest of the world. And Artsakh is under complete blockade for two months. As a result, the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh is deepening day by day, and Artsakh is no longer receiving anythingfrom medicine to food. Vehicles travel on the Tri-State Tollway along an edge of the Thornton Reservoir Aug. 8, 2023. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) The Thornton Reservoir is known far and wide for providing many locals, and some passersby, with a lingering smell of sewage. I can smell it going down I-80, said Thornton Village Administrator Doug Beckman of the Deep Tunnel reservoir, which has been online since late 2015. But Beckman said the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago is now taking a proactive approach to address the odor concerns. Theyve been talking to us about different operational procedures to try to control it, but I think they finally realized they have to do more than that, Beckman said. They finally started investing some money. The investment comes from an expanded budget and recently signed contracts with outside companies. By January 2024, the odor neutralization system will be expanded at a cost of $1.05 million, said Allison Fore, the public and intergovernmental affairs officer for MWRD. This is on top of $1.3 million that was spent on a similar expansion when the reservoir opened. MWRD also entered into a contract with Jacobs Engineering in June to have outside national odor experts evaluate its strategies to minimize odor complaints and address any identified gaps, Fore said. MWRD executed another contract July 13, 2023, with OptimaBiome for $936,400 to test a biological-based product to naturally mitigate odors in 2024 and 2025. In 2020, the water reclamation district commissioned a study to investigate the reservoirs first several years of operation. Shortly after the reservoir went online, the MWRD immediately increased the number of solar aerators from seven to 20 to enlarge the oxygenated lens on the surface of the water in the reservoir to minimize odor releases, Fore said. The MWRD installed a state-of-the-art odor neutralization system at its nearby shafts to address the release of odors. The 2020 study found that odor complaints appear to be trending downward. That trend seems to be continuing. There had been few complaints this year with no one expressing displeasure with the smell between March and June. But then in July, historic storms drenched the state causing flooding in some areas. Wet weather can often serve to exacerbate sewage runoff problems and spread odor. The monthslong streak of silence from the noses of residents was broken, presumably from the heavy rains, and five complaints were registered last month, according to Fore. Yet while the floods may have triggered an increase in the odor complaints, the reservoirs presence could have helped to avert heavy damage in the area. This reservoir was designed to minimize overbank flooding on the Thorn Creek and to intercept combined sewage overflows; the captured sewage is properly cleaned and disinfected before it is released into the environment, Fore said. A view into the Thornton Reservoir is seen Aug. 8, 2023. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) Beckman says his office used to receive numerous complaints about odor when the reservoir first came online. Now the village redirects the communitys qualms to MWRD. Beckman says some residents have said they stopped complaining, despite the odor being so overwhelming it sometimes prevents them from being outside. When they started complaining two to three years ago about it, it just didnt seem like things were getting done so they just gave up, Beckman said, reflecting on a recent conversation with one resident. In a written response, Fore said MWRD has been committed since the groundbreaking of the reservoir to ensure that the smell is reduced each year. No, the MWRD was not slow when addressing this issue, she said. After installation of the infrastructure as well as some operational changes, there was a significant decline in odor complaints from 174 odor complaints in 2016 to fewer than 10 annually in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Beckman said he believes there was a lack of action for many years, so there are people who experience odors that just dont call anymore. But regardless of whether the decrease is because of tangible action from MWRD or a response to inaction by the water district, the future investments clarify the groups mission to reduce the nuisance. I am hoping MWRD continues with their commitment to provide odor reducing measures and well just have to wait and see if they work, Beckman said. It is the 15th day, more than two dozen trucks are in the border area of Kornidzor village of Armenia, and another truck just arrived there, informed the Lurer (News) programof the Public TV Company of Armeniareporter working in Syunik Province. There is no movement of trucks. Vardan Sargsyan, the representative of Armenias working group for the management of the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), informed about this during the live broadcast. "A little while ago, another truck joined our convoy transporting humanitarian goods. This is the initiative of a number of French cities and regions in solidarity with and support for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, who have been under a blockade [by Azerbaijan] for almost eight months," said Sargsyan, adding that the new humanitarian cargo of more than 20 tons includes food and pasta, and that it was sent from several regions of Paris. "It is welcome that this humanitarian initiative of Armenia is being responded to and joined not only by private companies in Armenia, but also by the aforementioned cities and regions of friendly France. This proves once again that the escalating humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh is getting an even broader voice, international voice, and proves that urgent steps are needed to open the illegally closed Lachin corridor and provide humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh, said Vardan Sargsyan. And asked whether there any guarantees that aforementioned humanitarian cargo located in the border area of Kornidzor will enter Artsakh, the representative of Armenias working group for the management of the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh responded: "We continue our steps and discussions to reach the goal of transporting the humanitarian cargo to Nagorno-Karabakh. Unfortunately, at the moment I can say that there is no news or reaction in this regard." Armenians have only one lever in their hands, and that is the lever to sign or not to sign the so-called peace treaty with Azerbaijan. Armenias former foreign minister Vartan Oskanian said this during a livestream on Facebook. "That leverage, of course, has weakened quite a bit today because Armenias authorities have already announced in advance that Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] is part of Azerbaijan, they said that they are ready to cede territories from Armenia; but they are still verbal, the lever to sign in writing has not lost its power yet," said Oskanian. According to him, that lever should be used so as not to bring a new war upon Armenians. "Today that leverage is being used in a very dangerous way, and the possibility of war is increasing day by day. The [Armenian] authorities have the opportunity to verbally go back on their word, which will further strengthen that leverage; but here that leverage should be able to be used correctly. I honestly don't know if [PM] Nikol Pashinyan wants to sign or not," said Oskanian. In his opinion, it will not be easy for Pashinyan to sign such a document because its content has nothing to do with the interests of the Armenian people. "This, of course, can be delayed. And this is where the danger lies because the vocabulary, style, and rhetoric that Pashinyan uses today and at the same time the negotiations continue, the document is not signed, the danger of war increases day by day if you raise the expectation of the enemy; but [if] you don't, eventually he will take action. Mediators can't do anything here," Oskanian added. He emphasized that the approach to the peace talks should be changed because it contains a serious danger. "There is a real possibility of that today. It will considerably reduce the possibility of war if we were able to change the negotiation content, philosophy, narrative at the right time," Oskanian said. Reflecting on Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan's call Tuesday, Oskanian said: "There, I would also like to have seen a call to Armenias authorities to take back Pashinyan's Prague statement. That statement is doing great damage." As per Oskanian, the difficult situation in Artsakh is a consequence of Pashinyan's statement in Prague. "Pashinyan needs to understand his mistake and correct it. Today, he has the opportunity to take back his statement based on today's situation. He can say just like that: I tried something, but I see that our adversary is abusing it. I take back that statement, and today I have the right to do so," Oskanian said. "No one can do anything. Russia has already openly said about it. How else can they say it? They said: Pashinyan's Prague statement, his signature under it, considerably changed the whole essence of the November 9[, 2020] ceasefire statement, and Russia cannot do anything today. It was openly said. The West didn't say it openly, but it says the same during backstage meetings, they make it clear in footnotes. Abroad, people are trying to change the situation, trying to influence the contents, but people are facing the same wall," Vartan Oskanian concluded. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, discussed the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) by phone with his colleagues from Spain and Greece. He informed about this in his X (Twitter) account. According to Mirzoyan, during his telephone conversation with Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares, he presented the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Artsakh and its terrible consequences for the population, including 30 thousand children, 20 thousand elderly, and 9,000 people with disabilities. "Emphasized urgent need to lift total blockade by Azerbaijan," Mirzoyan added. In his other post, he informed about the telephone conversation with the Greek foreign minister, George Gerapetritis. Appreciating the targeted calls by international partners, Mirzoyan stressed the need for concrete steps to implement the International Court of Justice orders on the Lachin corridor blocked by Azerbaijan for around eight months, and to end the complete siege of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian foreign minister noted. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan had a call-meeting with Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and professor of world-class Harvard and Yale universities. During the call-meeting Ocampo presented the results of his legal research on the blockade of Artsakh to a group of officials led by the Artsakh President, Armenian News-NEWS.am learns from the office of the President of Artsakh. The President expressed his gratitude to the distinguished international expert for pro bono undertaking the investigation of the blockade of Artsakh and providing a legal assessment of the situation. Luis Moreno Ocampo emphasized that the results of the research and analysis are very clear: Azerbaijan is committing genocide against the local Armenian people of Artsakh and the international community is obliged to take urgent and effective measures to prevent its further course. You can access Ocampo's comprehensive report here, and the main findings are outlined below: There is an ongoing Genocide against 120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno- Karabakh, also known as Artsakh. The blockade of the Lachin Corridor by the Azerbaijani security forces impeding access to any food, medical supplies, and other essentials should be considered a Genocide under Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction. There are no crematories, and there are no machete attacks. Starvation is the invisible Genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks. Starvation as a method to destroy people was neglected by the entire international community when it was used against Armenians in 1915, Jews and Poles in 1939, Russians in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1941, and Cambodians in 1975/1976. Starvation was also neglected when used in Srebrenica in the winter of 1993/1994. Analyzing the Srebrenica case, the International Court of Justice ruled that deprivation of food, medical care, shelter or clothing constitute Genocide within the meaning of Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention. State parties of the Genocide Convention assumed the duty to prevent and punish Genocide. The International Court of Justice ruled that state parties should not wait until the perpetration of Genocide commences, and The whole point of the obligation is to prevent or attempt to prevent the occurrence of the act. This report analyzes: The existence of an ongoing Genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh. How to investigate those responsible for Genocide? How to prevent the final destruction of the Armenian group? Genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023 There is a reasonable basis to believe that a Genocide is being committed against Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023. The International Court of Justice, at the request of Armenia, has already analyzed the Lachin corridor's blockade. The Court focused on State liability for alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination rather than individual criminal responsibility for the commission of Genocide. Though predicated on a different set of State obligations, the Court confirmed the occurrence of the material elements of Genocide that are set out in Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention: Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction. The Court's preliminary findings considered plausible that the Lachin corridor blockade produced a real and imminent risk to the health and life of an ethnic group, the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. The intention, a subjective element required by the crime of Genocide, should be deduced from the facts and statements from President Aliyev, who has supreme authority in Azerbaijan. President Aliyev, in a fair trial, would have the opportunity to provide a different interpretation of the indicia. In the meantime, there is reasonable basis to believe that President Aliyev has Genocidal intentions: he has knowingly, willingly and voluntarily blockaded the Lachin Corridor even after having been placed on notice regarding the consequences of his actions by the ICJ's provisional orders. The facts are: President Aliyev deliberately blocked the provision of life's essentials to the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. He openly disobeyed the specific orders of the International Court of Justice, to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The ICJ order put him on notice about the real and imminent risk created by the blockade to an Armenian group health and life. President Aliyev's public statements affirming that the blockade was the consequence of people smuggling minerals and i-phones through the Lachin Corridor is a diversion. Smuggling activities should be properly investigated but they are not an excuse to disobey a binding order of the International Court of Justice or a justification to commit a Genocide. Could President Aliyev be investigated by the International Criminal Court? Article IV of the Genocide Convention establishes that [p]ersons committing genocide shall be punished, even if they are constitutionally responsible rulers. But there is no independent criminal justice system ready to investigate the crime of Genocide allegedly committed by President Aliyev. President Aliyev cannot be investigated by any foreign national authorities because he enjoys immunity as a head of state. The International Criminal Court provides a jurisdiction where such immunity does not apply. There are three ways to start an ICC investigation for the commission of the crimes in Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan becomes a state party (Article 12(1) of the Rome Statute); Azerbaijan accepts the jurisdiction of the Court on its territory (Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute); or The UN Security Council refers the situation of the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh after December 2022 to the ICC (Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute). But Azerbaijan is not a state party of the Rome Statute (Article 12(1)), the treaty creating the ICC and has not accepted the ICC's jurisdiction (Article 12(3)). As a result, immediate state action is required to adopt a UN Security Council Resolution referring the situation in the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh to the ICC. There are precedents. In March 2005, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1395, referring the Darfur, Sudan situation to the ICC. Five years later, President Omar Al Bashir was indicted for Genocide. In February 2011, the UN Security Council referred the situation in Libya to the Court. In June 2011 the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Muammar Gaddafi for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Obtaining a UN Security Council Resolution to provide ICC jurisdiction should be feasible. Under the Genocide Convention, state parties have an obligation to prevent and punish Genocide, and 14 of the current 15 members of the UN Security Council are also parties of that Convention, providing an overwhelming majority. France proposed, as early as in 2013, that the five permanent members of the Council voluntarily and collectively suspend the use of the veto in case of Genocide and other mass atrocities. How to Prevent the Final Destruction of the Armenian Group? President Aliyev as well as the international community has the rare opportunity to prevent further casualties and the physical destruction of a group in this Genocide. Timely prevention requires the adoption of urgent political decisions, a) to stop the blockade and reestablish the provision of essentials to Nagorno- Karabakh in one or two weeks, and b) institutional solutions to the disputed territorial claims. It should be adopted before May 2025 because, at that moment, Azerbaijan can request the end of the Russian peacekeeper protection. By design, there are no central authorities at the international level to adopt such urgent measures. A specific International Court of Justice ruling on Genocide, smart sanctions, and other classic diplomatic tools would not be quick and strong enough. In the short term, which is crucial to stop the ongoing Genocide by starvation, the duty of prevention would be exclusively defined by the interest of the states involved in the conflict. In April 1994, most of the UN Security Council members refused to call "Genocide" what was happening in Rwanda. During the debate the Czech Ambassador challenged the intense focus on a negotiation to achieve a new ceasefire, which he likened to asking the Jews to reach a truce with Hitler. In A Problem from Hell, Samantha Power explains the crucial role of the citizen in transforming the national leaders' interests in a Genocide abroad. The voice of the Armenians in the diaspora could reduce the failure by design created by the international legal architecture. They should be mobilized worldwide to reach national leaders and promote a pragmatic solutions. Russia, responsible for peacekeeping in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the US, promoting current negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, are state parties of the Genocide Convention, as are all the European Union members. They have a privileged position to prevent this Genocide. Their intense confrontation due to the Ukrainian conflict should not transform the Armenians into collateral victims. Is it possible to assist European, Russian, and USA leaders to reach a joint position to stop the ongoing Armenian Genocide? If they could agree, the food will reach the Armenians within one day. The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is an opportunity for the international community to develop an innovative and harmonious solution to prevent Genocide. Under Article 16 of the Rome Statute, a criminal investigation could eventually be suspended by the UN Security Council to find a final and fair solution. President Aliyev asked: Why Spain does not allow Catalunya to have a referendum? Why should we tolerate separatism? The simple answer to complex issues of sovereignty involved in the question is that Spain is not committing genocide to control separatist efforts. Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan on Wednesday received the newly appointed ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Armenia, Nariman Mohd Sharif Abdulla AlMulla. At the beginning of the meeting, the minister congratulated the ambassador on her assumption of the aforesaid office, and expressed hope that trade and economic ties between Armenia and the UAE will continue to be at a high level this year as well, Armenian News-NEWS.am learns from the Ministry of Economy of Armenia. Then the parties discussed the most promising domains of cooperation in the economic sphere, including construction, pharmaceuticals, textile industry, and tourism. Also, they reflected on the deepening of ties and the possibility of organizing joint business forums between the business circles of the two countries. Matters related to the signing of sectoral agreements were discussed, too. A civilian car in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) was damaged by the shots fired from Azerbaijani positions, the Artsakh Police have informed. The Shosh village precinct of the Askeran regional department of the Artsakh Police on Wednesday received a report that at around 10:50am, Azerbaijani combat positions in Sargsashen village of Martuni region fired at civilians working in the wheat field of Sarushen village of Askeran region. Fortunately, there were no casualties or injuries. But the windows of the two front doors of the car driven by A. GH., who was doing agricultural work, were damaged by the shots fired. Agricultural work has been stopped. The aforesaid report has been passed on to the Russian peacekeeping troops in Artsakh. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd., a Adani group firm, on Tuesday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 2,114.72 crore for the quarter ended June 2023, which is 83 per cent higher compared with Rs 1,158.28 crore in the same quarter last year. Revenue from operations rose 23.51 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 6,247.55 crore in the June quarter compared with Rs 5,058.09 crore in the corresponding quarter last year, the company informed through a media release. EBITDA for the quarter increased 80% YoY to Rs 3,765 crore, the statement said, adding that the company recorded port cargo volumes at 101.4 MMT in the first quarter, which is its highest-ever quarterly port cargo volumes, reflecting a 12% YoY jump. "APSEZ delivered its strongest ever quarterly operating performance during Q1 FY24, with highest ever quarterly cargo volumes, revenue, EBITDA and around 200bps jump in domestic market share, despite over 50% of the companys total port capacity being adversely impacted for around 6 days due to the cyclone Biparjoy" Karan Adani, CEO and Whole Time Director of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, was quoted as saying in the statement. "Our continuous efforts on improving operational efficiencies have resulted in domestic ports business EBITDA margin of 72% and logistics business EBITDAmargin of 28%, which is higher than the reported margins of listed peers from India. Our newly acquired assets, Haifa Port and Karaikal Port, have ramped up well with monthly cargo volumes now touching 1 MMT mark at the two ports. With our cargo volumes crossing 100 MMT during the quarter, we are well on course to achieve our FY24 cargo volume guidance of 370-390 MMT, Karan Adani added. APSEZs domestic cargo volumes recorded 8% Y-o-Y increase, which is 3x Indias cargo volume growth rate in the same period. The company's market share in India increased to 26% in Q1 FY24, a jump of 200bps, the company added in the statement. (ANI) Author Ray Bradbury is photographed January 27, 2002. Bradbury, the author of "Farenheit 451" who died in 2012 at age 91, inspired a writing contest at his hometown library in Waukegan, now it its fourth year. (Kirk McCoy / Los Angeles Times) When Waukegan native Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 in 1953, might he have imagined by 2023 libraries in some parts of the United States would remove books from the shelves because of political beliefs? Things Ray Bradbury wrote in his books are happening now, said Sam Beringer, a reference associate at the Waukegan Public Library. They are relevant now because we are seeing some of these things happening. Beringer and other members of the staff at the Waukegan Public Library who are planning this years Ray Bradbury Writing Contest want to know what people today imagine the world will be like in 2083 or beyond, and are extending an invitation to those who might want to prognosticate like Bradbury. Entries for the fourth annual Ray Bradbury Writing Contest sponsored by the Waukegan Public Library are due by email Tuesday. Entrants are asked to write about life in greater Lake County 50 or more years into the future. We want originality, Victor Dixon, the librarys reference manager, said. We want to hear your story that we havent heard before. While people tend to think of a library as a place to borrow books to either read or hear as well as a check out music, games or movies, Beringer said without writing there is no reading. We want to encourage people to read and write, Beringer said. You just need a pen or pencil to write. Writers are encouraged to create either a short story or a poem about life 50 or more years in the future. Beringer said the requirements for the manuscript either in poetry or prose are specific. Entrants can write no more than 20 pages double spaced on the single side of a piece of paper. Beringer said they must be written in 12-point size and in either Times Roman or Arial font. In the past, submissions were limited to prose. Verse is new this year. Poetry is a form of writing too, Beringer said. We decided to open it up to people who prefer to write poetry. The subject can be easily done in a poem. Beringer said entrants should feel free to choose their language for the contest as works will be judged by a member of the library staff who is fluent in both English and Spanish. If you are more comfortable writing in Spanish (do that). Beringer said. The contest winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card with a $20 Amazon gift card going to the second-place finisher. Before starting to write for the contest, Dixon said, people should read some of Bradburys books to get an idea of his imagination. Though he wrote about book burning and space travel, some of his works were based on life in Green Town, a fictional Midwest city based on Waukegan. Ray Bradbury influenced a lot of writers, Dixon said, Stephen King once said, If there was no Ray Bradbury, there would be no Stephen King. As people begin to write, both Dixon and Beringer suggest they give thought to things which are commonplace today like the internet or cellular telephones which did not exist 50 or more years ago. Last week ED conducted raids at nine locations linked to Thiru Senthil Balaji, who was arrested in a cash-for-jobs scam and is currently in Central Prison. Meanwhile, Ashok Kumars wife is also summoned by the ED. Further details are awaited. Senthil Balaji, the Minister for Electricity as well as Prohibition and Excise, Balaji was arrested on June 14 and admitted to a government hospital in Chennai after he complained of chest pains.He was allowed by the Madras High Court on June 15 to be shifted to a private hospital of his choice. He was later taken from the Tamil Nadu government Multi Super Speciality Hospital to Kauvery Hospital at Alwarpet. Doctors attending on him recommended a bypass surgery.Since his second remand period was valid till July 19, Balaji was shifted to prison immediately after his discharge from the hospital. Arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a cash-for-jobs scam case, he was taken from Kauvery Hospital to Puzhal prison. The charges date back to his tenure as Transport minister during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government from 2011 to 2015. The ED submitted a copy of the Supreme Court order before the Sessions Court judge, following which Justice Alli remanded Balaji in the agency's custody for 5 days, allowing officials to interrogate him at their office.(ANI) The central government on Wednesday informed Parliament that there is no proposal under consideration to change the retirement age of the central government employees. The government was asked by a member Sarmistha Sethi whether there is any proposal to change the retirement age of government employees and if so, the details thereof. The government was also asked the number of employees who were given compulsory retirement under Rule 56(j) during the last three years and the current year. The Minister, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space Jitendra Singh informed Lok Sabha in a written reply that 122 officers have been given compulsory retirement under Rule 56(j) during the last three years (2020-2023), including the current year. The objective of the review process under the FR 56(j)/similar provisions is to bring efficiency and to strengthen the administrative machinery. Government has also been continuously endeavouring for greater emphasis on digitization, enhanced use of e-office, simplification of rules, periodic cadre restructuring and abolition of redundant laws for strengthening the administration and improving the overall work efficiency in governance, he said in the reply. (ANI) She took to Instagram stories to post the picture on Wednesday. In the monochrome picture, her son's tiny hands was seen holding Ileana's finger. Ileana shared the picture with the caption, "1 week of being your Mama Recently, The 'Rustom' actar shared the good news with her friends and followers on Instagram. She shared adorable pictures of her first kid. Ileana's little son, whom she called "Koa Phoenix Dolan," can be seen napping adorably in the photo. https://www.instagram.com/p/CvkhMOurzt7/ Sharing the picture, a new mom in town wrote, No words could explain how happy we are to welcome our darling boy to the world. Hearts beyond full. Ileana has been quite private about her personal life from the outset. Ileana just disclosed the love of her life, though. She released images from a date night with her enigmatic partner. She shared glimpses of her dinner date with her admirers on her Instagram story. Earlier rumours stated that Ileana was dating Sebastian Laurent Michel, the brother of Katrina Kaif. After the two were seen on holiday in the Maldives with Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif, love allegations about the pair began to circulate. Ileana formerly had a long-term relationship with photographer Andrew Kneebone. Ileana was last seen in The Big Bull, which also starred Abhishek Bachchan. The movie was produced by Ajay Devgn and directed by Kookie Gulati. She will next be seen opposite Randeep Hooda in Unfair And Lovely. (ANI) The sudden demise of Malayalam filmmaker Siddique has left the entire movie industry in shock. Siddique breathed his last on Tuesday at a hospital in Kochi, Kerala As a mark of respect to the director, the makers of King Of Kotha' starring Dulquer Salmaan, have postponed the launch of the trailer. Taking to Instagram, makers via King Of Kotha handle posted, Due to the demise of director Siddique, the launch of KOK trailer has been postponed. Heartfelt condolences to Siddique sir family members and loved ones. https://www.instagram.com/p/CvsSXH-Sm1I/? The trailer was supposed to be released on today (August 9) but now it has been postponed. Helmed by Abhilash Joshiy, the film is scheduled for a festive release on Onam this year. Superstars Mohanlal and Suriya were supposed to launch the trailer on their respective social media handles. On Tuesday, Amrita Hospital, Kochi, where the filmmaker was admitted, announced his death through a statement. He was declared dead at 9.10 pm. According to the official statement released by the hospital, the director passed away while undergoing treatment for liver disease. The renowned filmmaker and screenwriter was admitted to Amrita Hospital with chronic liver disease and bronchopneumonia. "He was put on a ventilator for respiratory failure and his condition improved with medical management. He was taken off the ventilator and was on supplemental oxygen therapy. While on treatment, he had a massive heart attack while undergoing treatment in the hospital and underwent emergency angioplasty. He was placed on ECMO support due to cardiogenic shock and respiratory failure. He developed multiorgan dysfunction with clinical deterioration and was declared dead on August 8, at 9.10 pm," read the statement quoting a doctor at the hospital. After learning of the filmmaker's death, the members of the film industry took to social media to pay their condolences. Dulquer posted, The gentlest soul. The kindest human. A gifted writer/director. The most incredible humor hiding behind his soft demeanour. He gave us some of the most iconic films. Part of our pop culture and referred to in our everyday conversations. This is an immeasurable loss. Prayers and strength to Siddique Sirs family and loved ones. Prithviraj Sukumaran posted, Rest in peace Sir. In a condolence message, the chief minister said the Siddique's demise comes as irreparable loss to the Malayalam film industry and all Malayalis. Kerala minister P Rajeev said Siddique entered films through mimicry and moved from acting to directing and gave many hit films. "He has frames that made many Malayalis laugh and cry. Through them, he will have an immortal place among the Malayalees. The relatives, Malayalam film world and fans share in the grief of Siddique's death," he posted. The state's Opposition leaders, in a joint condolence message, said the director was the "godfather of laughter". "Siddique was a filmmaker who can be described as the godfather of laughter. The death of a blessed artist Siddique is an irreparable loss to the art world. Share in the grief of family and friends," the message read. On Wednesday, Kareena Kapoor took to Insta story and wrote, Will always remember you like this... with a smile. You will be missed Siddique sir. Siddique was under treatment for various ailments for quite some time. His condition worsened following a cardiac arrest the other day. His funeral will take place in Kochi today. Besides Malayalam, Siddique also directed Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. He also directed Salman Khan's 'Bodyguard', which also had Kareena Kapoor. (ANI) Acting on a tip-off, an Assam Rifles team of Radhanagar Battalion, under the aegis of HQ IGAR (E), launched a joint operation with a team from Kamlapur police station in the general area of Erarpar Bazar. During the operation, the joining team apprehended one person and recovered 23 grams of grade-1 heroin worth approximately 9.2 lakhs from his possession, as per the statement. The apprehended individual, alongwith the seized contraband substance, were handed over to Kamalpur police station to initiate legal proceedings. Further probe was underway in the matter. Earlier, on Monday, the Assam Rifles ecovered 13 soap cases of heroin worth approximately Rs 80 lakhs from Chotabekra, Jiribam and apprehended three individuals in connection with the case. Drug trafficking is a major cause of concern in North East due to its proximity to the Golden Triangle. Assam Rifles, christened as the Sentinels of Northeast, have continued their crackdown on Narco terrorism, which is believed to be fuelling insurgency in the area. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, on Tuesday said in the Lok Sabha that in a special campaign by the MHA, more than 10.1 lakh kgS of drugs and 1.40 lakh kg of narcotics were destroyed in a single day on July 17. "Destruction of seized drugs is a continuous process. NCB, under directions of Ministry of Home Affairs, has initiated a special campaign for destruction of seized drug from 01.06.2022 in Collaboration with other Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (DLEAs). In the said campaign, more than 10,17,523 Kgs of drugs have been destroyed till date including 1,40,969 kgs of drugs destroyed on 17.07.2023," read the written reply by MoS Rai in the Lok Sabha. (ANI) The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday grilled Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji for the second day, on Tuesday, in connection with a money laundering case at the agency's Chennai office, sources said. Further according to sources, the questioning by ED officials started at 9 in the morning, lasting 9 long hours. The Minister for Electricity as well as Prohibition and Excise, Balaji was arrested on June 14 and admitted to a government hospital in Chennai after he complained of chest pains. He was allowed by the Madras High Court on June 15 to be shifted to a private hospital of his choice. He was later taken from the Tamil Nadu government Multi Super Speciality Hospital to Kauvery Hospital at Alwarpet. Doctors attending on him recommended a bypass surgery. Since his second remand period was valid till July 19, Balaji was shifted to prison immediately after his discharge from the hospital. Arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a cash-for-jobs scam case, he was taken from Kauvery Hospital to Puzhal prison. The charges date back to his tenure as Transport minister during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government from 2011 to 2015. The ED submitted a copy of the Supreme Court order before the Sessions Court judge, following which Justice Alli remanded Balaji in the agency's custody for 5 days, allowing officials to interrogate him at their office. This order was sent to the authorities in Puzhal prison. Following this, the minister consulted with his lawyer at Puzhal prison. A copy of the same was submitted directly to the office in Nungambakkam and the Enforcement Directorate took some time to take him into their custody. The district court issued a fresh order to produce Balaji on July 12. However, the lawyer representing the minister said that his client needs to be medically checked twice a day. Meanwhile, the ED officials submitted the documents to the prison department, following which Balaji was taken out of the Puzhal prison at 8.40 pm on Tuesday under heavy security. On Monday, ED questioned the minister for some time. Later, he took medicine and was allowed to rest, considering his medical condition. The ED has been questioning the minister in compliance with a court order. The questioning by the central agency for the third consecutive day is expected to commence at 9 am on Wednesday. Earlier, the Supreme Court dismissed the pleas of Balaji and his wife challenging the Madras High Court's judgment, holding his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the money laundering case legal. (ANI) Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday claimed it arrested a terror associate of The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of proscribed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba during a checking in Kehnusa village of Bandipora district. The development on the heels of the Jammu & Kashmir Police arresting three terror associates of the banned outfit from Srinagar, who, the police said, were planning to "carry out terrorist activities" in the city. Acting on a tip-off, Bandipora police said it started naka checking at Kehnusa village on Monday and apprehended the terror associate. Upon further frisking, police said it recovered one hand grenade from his possession. "Bandipora police arrested one terror associate of the TRF outfit yesterday along with one hand grenade during naka checking at Kehnusa Bandipora," Bandipora Police said in a statement. Following the incident, an FIR was filed at the Bandipora police station. Further investigation is underway. After the earlier arrests in Srinagar,the police had informed through a statement that the trio was "planning to carry out terrorist activities". Police said they recovered 3 hand grenades, 10 pistol rounds, 25 AK-47 rounds and other incriminating materials from the accused. The arrests were made by a team of Srinagar Police. Further, according to the police, the arrested terrorists were identified as Imran Ahmad Najar, a resident of Bulbul Bagh, Baramulla; Waseem Ahmad Matta, a resident of Qamarwari, Srinagar; and Wakeel Ahmad Bhat from Pazalpora, Bijbehara. "A small team of Srinagar Police arrested three terrorist associates linked with proscribed terror outfit TRF, an offshoot of proscribed terror outfit LeT in Natipora area of Srinagar," the police had said. Acting on a tip-off, a team of Srinagar police put up a checkpoint at Hannibal Natipora and arrested the trio, the statement informed further. Wakeel Ahmad Bhat was earlier an active terrorist linked with the proscribed terrorist outfit Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK) and was lodged in jail for two years before being released from Central Jail on bail, police said. Police said during preliminary investigation, they came to know that the trio had collected explosives and ammunition from active terrorists of TRF for "carrying out terrorist activities in Srinagar city". A case under sections 3 and 4 of the Explosives Act, Section 25 of the Arms Act and sections 18, 23 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was registered at Chanapora police station against the three terror associates.(ANI) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth on Tuesday said the 76th anniversary of the country's independence will be celebrated in Uttar Pradesh by saluting the soil and worshipping the heroes ('Mitti ko naman,veeron ka vandan'). According to an official statement, the independence day celebrations in the state will kick off on Wednesday and will continue till August 15. The state government is planning to organise many events in villages, cities and the state capital, Lucknow. On August 9, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will formally launch a week of programmes in Kakori by taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Panch Prana' pledge for Amrit Kaal, honouring families of fallen soildiers, and planting 75 saplings. Reviewing preparations for the Independence Day celebrations, on Tuesday, the chief minister said it is afestival for every citizen. "Every state resident should participate in this. The main function, which will take place in the capital on August 15, should be broadcast live in all villages and towns," CM Yogi was quoted as saying in an official release. The CM also urged the people to hoist the Tricolour at their homes on Independence Day during the 'Amritkal'. Further, according to the official press note, this year, there will be a special performance by a cultural troupe of Sikkim State at the main I-Day function in the state. The CM directed the ministers in his government and the local public representatives to be present at the programmes lined up in the districts and local bodies. CM Yogi said on Independence Day, freedom fighters, armed forces, paramilitary forces, armed police forces, award-winning police personnel, dependents of deceased soldiers, and ex-servicemen should be honoured in the spirit of saluting the heroes. "On special occasions, every citizen should be made to commit to the Panch Pran by taking soil or an earthen lamp in hand," CM Yogi informed through a statement. During the meeting, the CM said after setting a record last year by hoisting six crore national flags under the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, this year, too, the national flag should be hoisted at every residence, every business establishment, industrial unit, government buildings, and non-government buildings. He directed the officers to arrange time-bound delivery of the national flags, the statement informed. The CM said that in the Azadi ka Amrit Varsh', under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 'Meri Mitti Mera Desh' programme is being organized with the message of 'mitti ko naman,veeron ka vandan'. (saluting the soil and paying tributes to brave soldiers). "This is a program of expressing gratitude toward the nation. Every Uttar Pradesh resident should become a participant in this programme," the CM said. He added that under this programme, from August 9 to 15, Shilafalkam has to be installed in every gram panchayat/urban body. "The vision of the Azadi ka Amrit Varsh, will be displayed on the Shilafalkam. The introduction of local heroes/martyrs will be displayed," CM Yogi said. "In every village and town, the Shilafalkam should be inaugurated by organising a grand programme," CM Adityanath said. He added that in order to fulfil the resolution of planting 35 crore saplings, 5 crore saplings are to be planted on the occasion of Independence Day. It would be appropriate to plant saplings near Amrit Sarovar or other water bodies, the statement quoted the CM as saying further. (ANI) The Congress party has called for a meeting of its Lok Sabha MPs in the party's parliamentary office at 10:30 am on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Day 1 of the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government saw the Congress and Union Ministers locking horns over the situation in Manipur which has been witnessing ethnic clashes since May. Congress has accused the government of creating a great divide in Manipur. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who initiated the debate on Tuesday said the Opposition was compelled to move the no-confidence motion against the government to break Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "vow of silence" on Manipur. "We are compelled to bring the no-confidence motion. This was never about numbers but about justice for Manipur. I have moved the motion that this House expresses no confidence in the Government. I.N.D.I.A. has brought this motion for Manipur. Manipur wants justice," Gogoi said. He further asked why Manipur Chief Minister N Biren has not been sacked from his post till date. Why did he not visit Manipur to date? Why did it take almost 80 days to finally speak on Manipur and when he did speak it was just for 30 seconds? Why has the Chief Minister not been sacked so far?"Gogoi asked. The debate ended at around 6 pm. The YSRCP, Shiv Sena, JDU, BJD, BSP, BRS, and LJP were allotted a total of two hours, divided according to the number of MPs from each party in the House. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to give a reply on August 10. Opposition members have been seeking discussion under Rule 267 in the Rajya Sabha since the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament on July 20. Manipur had been on the boil for the last three months after ethnic clashes broke out between two tribal communities Meitis and Kukis, when the Manipur High Court asked the state government to consider adding one of the communities to the list of Scheduled Tribes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing his second no-confidence motion in Parliament today, the first in his second term as the PM. (ANI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whose Lok Sabha membership has been restored days ago, will be visiting his parliamentary constituency in Keralas Wayanad on August 12, said Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee Working president VT Siddique on Tuesday. "Rahul Gandhi will be coming to Wayanad on August 12. We are going to arrange a warm reception for him and the preparations have already started. There is a district Congress Committee meeting tomorrow. Rahul Gandhi will be present for her on August 12 and 13," said VT Siddique. There will be a very warm welcome ever hand in the history of Wayanad for Rahul Gandhi, Siddique added. Meanwhile, Gandhi has also been re-allotted the 12, Tughlaq Lane bungalow, as per a party sources. Rahul Gandhi has got an official confirmation from the Estate office for the allotment of a bungalow to him as an MP in Delhi, the sources said on Tuesday. According to the source, the Congress leader is yet to decide on the official confirmation of getting his earlier residence back. For now, he has been offered 12, Tughlak Lane, his earlier residence, but he is yet to decide on it, the source said. The Congress MP has eight days to respond to this. Mera ghar poora Hindustan hai," (the whole country is my home), the Congress leader responded to reporters who asked him about the development on Tuesday. The House Committee of the Lok Sabha has decided to allot the same bungalow he was asked to vacate after Gandhi was disqualified as a member of the lower house on March 24 as a result of his conviction and a two-year jail term awarded to him for the 'Modi surname' remarks. On Monday, the Lok Sabha Secretariat restored Gandhi's membership of the lower house after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in the defamation case. The move to vacate the bungalow had come a day after Surat Session's Court pronounced an order on April 20 on his interim application for a stay on his conviction in the defamation case. Gandhi has since then moved into former Congress President Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath Road residence. (ANI) President Richard Nixon at the White House with his family in August 1974, after resigning as president. (Keystone // Getty Images) Our long national nightmare is over. President Gerald R. Ford followed up his August 1974 inaugural address with a Presidential Proclamation on Sept. 8, 1974, granting former President Richard M. Nixon a full, free and absolute pardon, precluding indictment or prosecution for crimes committed while he was in office. Nixon resigned in the face of certain impeachment and conviction for crimes summarized under the shorthand label Watergate. This and other recent history are highly germane to the growing legal problems of former President Donald Trump and now threatened impeachment of President Joe Biden. Ford remains our only chief executive who was elected to neither the presidency nor the vice presidency. He was selected by President Nixon when Vice President Spiro Agnew was forced to resign because of corruption. Ford paid a high price in unpopularity. This decision was probably decisive in his narrow election loss to Jimmy Carter in 1976. Trump was impeached twice by the House of Representatives while serving in the White House. However, a Senate majority in the first trial voted to acquit and in the second failed to reach the two-thirds majority required for conviction. President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, was impeached in the House and tried in the Senate in January and February 1999. Again, however, the Senate failed to provide the two-thirds vote for conviction. Note that his approval ratings in opinion polls went up, not down, during this time. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently stated publicly, seemingly casually, that President Joe Biden probably will be impeached. An extreme action once shunned by our congressional representatives has now apparently become almost routine, certainly discussed openly. How and why has this happened? The only previous House impeachment was of President Andrew Johnson in 1868. This occurred after our catastrophically costly Civil War. The war was followed by many years of bitterness and violence. Intense partisan and regional hatreds, poisonous acrimony and sporadic acts of criminal violence including by the newly formed Ku Klux Klan defined those years. John F. Kennedys book Profiles in Courage provides important information and insights. Each chapter is devoted to a United States senator who demonstrated exceptional courage during a major political crisis. The book, published in 1957, was part of the comprehensive, carefully planned Kennedy campaign for the White House. Candidates regularly produce campaign biographies and other rushed books that do not long survive. Kennedy and aide, close confidant and alter ego Theodore Sorensen produced serious history of lasting value. Chapter VI, titled I looked down into my open grave describes the actions of Republican Sen. Edmund G. Ross of Kansas in the Senate trial of President Andrew Johnson. Johnson, President Abraham Lincolns 1864 running mate, was a pro-Union Democrat from Confederate state Tennessee, though also a supporter of slavery. Johnson in the White House was inept, tactless, self-destructive. Removing him would facilitate savage Radical Republican reprisals against the South that Lincoln had deflected. Ross held the 36th vote essential to convict Johnson. Despite extreme political and personal threats, he refused to commit himself and, in the end, voted not guilty. Ross knew that to convict would destroy our executives authority. His Senate career ended. He and his family were shunned, vilified, physically attacked. The Civil War was our costliest war, with approximately 600,000 dead, vast physical destruction and lingering destructive legacies. History underscores todays security and wealth. Our partisan rigidities and prosecutors righteousness reflect this comfort. If we continue, we may ultimately destroy ourselves. Arthur I. Cyr is author of After the Cold War (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan). Contact acyr@carthage.edu Soon after the House met for the day and took up the listed agenda, the Chairman pointed towards the AAP member and expressed his anguish. "There is a limitin our conduct. As Chairman of Rajya Sabha, I am extremely pained to see Honourable member Mr Sushil Gupta, the way he has come, he said. The Chairman adjourned the House till 2 pm. I will discuss this matter with the Leader of Opposition, he said. Opposition parties have been slamming the government over rise in price of some essential commodities, specially tomatoes. Gupta entered the House wearing garland of tomatoes. The House earlier paid tributes to freedom fighters on Quit India anniversary (ANI) Amid a call for a bandh and protest by the local SC and Christian communities over the Manipur issue, the Punjab Police has deployed heavy police force in Amritsar to maintain a calm and stable situation, according to the police officials. According to the police, around 100 police officials have been deployed in each zone to maintain law and order during the protest. While speaking to ANI, Amristar SP Harjit Singh assured We will make sure no violence happens during this protest. The bandh call comes in the wake of recent events in Manipur, where tensions have been high and the state has been on the boil for the last three months after ethnic clashes broke out between the Meities and Kukis in light of the Manipur High Court asking the state government to consider adding the Meiteis to the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs). (ANI) The matter was listed for hearing before a bench of Justices AS Bopanna and Mishra. Khalid had approached the top court challenging an October 2022 Delhi High Court verdict that had denied bail to him. Khalid, arrested by Delhi Police in September 2020, in the High Court had sought bail on grounds that he neither had any "criminal role" in the violence in the city's North-East area nor any "conspiratorial connect" with any other accused in the case. The Delhi police had opposed the bail plea of Khalid. He had approached the High Court challenging the dismissal of his bail application by the trial court in March 2022. He was charged with criminal conspiracy, rioting, unlawful assembly as well as several sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Besides Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, activist Khalid Saifi, JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and several others were booked under the stringent law in the case. The violence had erupted during the protests against CAA and NRC and had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. (ANI) Bharatiya Janata Janata Party (BJP) MP and Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday accused "misogynistic man" Rahul Gandhi of "misbehaviour" on the floor of the Lok Sabha. "I object to something. The one who was given the chance to speak before me displayed indecency before leaving. It is only a misogynistic man who can give a flying kiss to a Parliament which seats female members of Parliament. Such undignified conduct has never before seen in the Parliament of the country..." Irani said in Lok Sabha referring to Rahul Gandhi. The Union Minister of Women and Child Development said this after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi concluded his remarks on the ongoing no-confidence motion against the NDA government in the Lower House of Parliament. Later speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Irani said: "Never before has the misogynistic behaviour of a man been so visible in Parliament as what was done by Rahul Gandhi today." "When the House of the People, where laws are made to protect the dignity of women, during the course of a session stands witness to a man's misogyny, my question is should he be brought to task?" Irani asked. "This is the first time we have seen such behaviour from an MP in the House. He made a gesture of a flying kiss at women MPs in the House...It is unacceptable. We have complained to the Speaker to take action against him," the Union Minister said. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad too condemned the Congress leader. "He gives a flying kiss. What has happened to Rahul Gandhi? So many women are seated there (in the House). He has no manners. It is very painful..." Meanwhile, Union Minister and BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje said a group of women MPs have filed a complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Rahul Gandhis unparliamentary behaviour. "This is inappropriate and indecent behaviour of a Member. Senior members are telling that this has never happened in the history of the Parliament of India...What is this behaviour? What kind of a leader is he? That is why, we have complained to the Speaker to take CCTV footage of it and take action against him. This is what we have demanded," she added. "This is the first time we have seen such behaviour from an MP in the House. He made a gesture of a flying kiss at women MPs in the House...It is unacceptable. We have complained to the Speaker to take action against him," she said. Rahul Gandhi, who was the first speaker as the no-confidence debate resumed today, launched a scathing attack on the ruling BJP on the Manipur situation. Gandhi alleged they had murdered India in Manipur and were traitors not patriots. The Wayanad MP also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the ethnic violence in Manipur. Referring toBJPwhich is in power both at the Centre and inManipur, he said, you killed Bharat Mata inManipur. Irani who spoke just after Gandhi said, "You are not India, for India is not corrupt." "You are not India because you define corruption and dynastic politics. India believes in merit not in dynasty and today of all the days people like you need to remember what was told to the British - Quit India. Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India. Merit now finds place in India," the BJP leader said. (ANI) Rajya Sabha MP and Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Binoy Viswam on Wednesday wrote to the President, Droupadi Murmu, expressing concerns about Pondicherry University.He said that several wrongdoings have surfaced under the current Vice-Chancellor, Gurmeet Singh, and it is alleged that crores of rupees were misappropriated by the authorities. CPI MP requested the President to remove Gurmeet Singh from the post of Vice-Chancellor of Pondicherry University in the best interests of academic exercise, fairness, and justice. Binoy Viswam, in a letter to the president, said that I write this letter to you to express concerns about the Pondicherry University. The Pondicherry University has remained a center of high-learning for nearly 40 years now. The contribution to research activities and higher learning by the Pondicherry University is well-known. The university is a collegiate university with its jurisdiction spread over the Union Territory of Puducherry located in Tamil Nadu (Pondicherry and Karaikal), Kerala (Mah) and Andhra Pradesh (Yanam), and Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This vast jurisdiction across different linguistic regions gives the university a unique character. "It is unfortunate that this esteemed place of learning is in news, not because of academic achievement but because of irregularities, corruption and degradation of academic environment. Several wrongdoings have surfaced under the current Vice- Chancellor, Gurmeet Singh and it is alleged that crores of rupees were misappropriated by the authorities. These charges are of a serious nature and the Madras High Court has ordered a CBI probe in the matter," he added. Viswam further said that a scam of this nature and magnitude is bound to hurt academic activity if the Vice-Chancellor continues, whose commitment to fairness and justice seems scant, if any. "The term of the Vice-Chancellor has already expired, and he is on extension for more than 10 months. His continuation at the seat of authority will surely impact the multiple ongoing probes, and many of the charges are against him. Such conduct by a high functionary is bound to affect students and faculty alike, and many sections of concerned citizenry have demanded his removal," he added. The CPI Upper House lawmaker from Kerala further stated in a letter that I request to remove Gurmeet Singh from the post of Vice-Chancellor of Pondicherry University as the Visitor of the University in the best interests of academic exercise, fairness and justice. (ANI) According to officials, the gold paste was concealed in his baggage, and it was discovered during a search by the Air Customs team. The recovered gold paste contained an extracted quantity of approximately 1,893 grams of pure gold, valued at Rs. 99.53 lakhs, they said. More details are awaited. Earlier, the Customs Department confiscated over 1.52 kgs of gold, estimated to be worth over Rs 93.26 lakh, in two separate occurrences late Tuesday night at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. The customs agency also recovered gold weighing more than 500 gms from a traveller at Kerala's Cochin International Airport late Tuesday. (ANI) At a time when a debate on the no-confidence motion is going on in Parliament, Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modis image is going down on the Manipur issue. Prime Ministers image is going down on the Manipur issue. He has never appealed to the people of Manipur. The entire country is against him because of his attitude towards Manipur on which hes not saying anything, said MP Kodikunnil Suresh. The Congress MP also said that it was the right time for them to move a no-confidence motion in the Parliament as Prime Minister was not opening his mouth on the issue. For the last 3 months, Manipur is burning and the Prime minister is not opening his mouth. He has never appealed to the people there to restore peace. So, this is the right time for us to bring a no-confidence motion in the parliament, the Congress MP said. On the other hand, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey, initiating his partys debate on the no-confidence motion in the lower house, took a jibe at Sonia Gandhi and also hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. "This no-confidence motion has been brought. Why has this been brought up? Sonia ji (Gandhi) is sitting here...I think she has to do two things - "Bete (son) ko set karna hai aur Damad (son-in-law) ko bhent karna hai" (She wants to set his son [Rahul Gandhi] and wants to gift his son-in-law). ...That is the base of this motion," Dubey said. Manipur had been on the boil for the last three months after ethnic clashes broke out between two tribal communities Meitis and Kukis, when the Manipur High Court asked the state government to consider adding one of the communities to the list of Scheduled Tribes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing his second no-confidence motion in Parliament today, the first in his second term as the PM. (ANI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday said that the disaster control centre had examined the state's rain situation. The CM also advised Char Dham pilgrims to proceed ontheir journey after taking a weather update, said officials. While exclusively speaking to ANI on Wednesday, CM Dhami stated that several areas had been submerged in water following heavy rainfall in the state and that the SDRF and NDRF personnel had been deployed on the ground to carry out the rescue operations. He further urged pilgrims to travel only after checking up on the weather conditions. The Uttarakhand CM told ANI, Many places are submerged in water. We analysed the situation in the disaster control room and also talked to the Delhi authority. SDRF and NDRF are present on the ground. We dont want to leave any shortfall in the rescue process. I request all the pilgrims to start the journey after taking the information of the weather. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday held a review meeting with the Chief Secretary and Additional Chief Secretaries along with the high officials of the government and all the district magistrates in the secretariat regarding the situation arising out of the disaster caused by heavy rains in the state. During this, the Chief Minister instructed the officers to regarding the compensation to be distributed to the disaster victims and to provide heli service to the pregnant women in the disaster-affected areas. The Chief Minister directed to start the work of repairing the roads of the state immediately after the rains and to make necessary repairs to the roads of Dehradun without any delay. Along with this, the Chief Minister reviewed the water level of rivers, landslides, closed roads, loss of life and property, distribution of compensation etc. with all the officials. The CM said that our government is determined to ensure the safety of every citizen and the availability of all possible facilities for them. (ANI) Former dacoit Malkhan Singh on Wednesday joined the Congress party in the presence of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath and leader of opposition Govind Singh at the party's Bhopal office Today I am joining the Congress party after quitting the BJP. I had campaigned for the BJP and thought it to be a principled party, and it will work with principles. But I have not seen so much corruption that the Congress has not done damage in 50 years as much as BJP has done in the last 20 years. I am not a leader who does politics. I will never compromise against atrocity. If there is injustice and oppression in the public, then I will oppose it and will never compromise with it, Singh said. The former bandit had surrendered in the year 1982 before the then Chief Minister Arjun Singh. Talking about his surrender, he said, Former PM Rajiv Gandhi took the initiative for my surrender. My demand was the 100 bighas of land for Ramjanaki temple in the area and when the land was granted for the temple, I surrendered before the then CM Arjun Singh. Meanwhile, BJP leader Suhani Kushwaha and former District Education Officer Santosh Sharma also joined the Congress party today. I welcome Malkhan Singh ji to the Congress party. Today every class is troubled and the future of the youth is in darkness. Corruption is going on everywhere, Kamal Nath said. Today, those who joined the Congress party have supported the truth, the Congress leader said. Today is World Tribal Day but tribal people are being tortured in the State, Nath said adding that Madhya Pradesh has become number one in tribal atrocity incidents in the country. Law and order has completely broken and women are being tortured, he said. Nath also took a dig at Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan when there was a power outage during Malkhan Singhs joining ceremony. Nath said that it was CM Chouhans "artwork." Shivraj ji has made 22000 announcements in these years. The announcement machine is running at double speed, Nath claimed. (ANI) Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said here on Wednesday that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is so confident, why was he not present on the first day of the discussion on the no-confidence motion? Chaturvedi said, Big words not followed by good action is what PM Modi and his govt have been all about. The problem is not what he will speak about but what his actions have brought to Manipur or Haryana and various other states. The MP continued, PM Modis action with regard to price rise, corruption and women's safety has been null and void. We will wait for what PM Modi has to say not just on the no-confidence motion but also on Manipur." She apparently said this in response to a comment by Prime Minister Modi while assuring his party MPs that it was not a test of trust in his government but the confidence I.N.D.I.A. alliance partners have in each other.(ANI) Two-day outdoor Naperville Artisan Market this weekend The Naperville Artisan Market featuring independently-owned small businesses will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 12 and Aug. 13 at the CityGate Centre, 2135 CityGate Lane. The outdoor market features one-of-a-kind products from more than 80 of the Midwests top artisans specializing in food, fashion, home goods and arts, organizers said. Gourmet foods offered include bakery items, sauces, spices, natural and infused honey, cocktail mixers, pastas, Italian sausage and more. Artists will be selling painted canvases, puzzle art and prints. Other items include woodworking, pottery, decorative art and jewelry. The market is held rain or shine and is both kid and pet-friendly. Admission and parking are free. Organizers noted the CityGate Centre campus offers casual and fine dining and a hotel. For more information, go to the Naperville Artisan Markets Facebook page. CityGate Centre in Naperville. ( Suzanne Baker/Naperville Sun ) Veterans Resource Fair planned for this month More than 50 agencies have signed up to take part in a Veterans Resource Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 29 in the auditorium of the DuPage County Administration Building, 421 N. County Farm Road, in Wheaton. The free event is presented by DuPage County Recorder Kathleen Carrier, the Veterans Assistance Commission of DuPage County and the Illinois Secretary of States office. Those who attend can receive informational materials about veterans programs and resources, organizers said. Representatives from the Secretary of States office will be available to assist with veteran designation on drivers licenses and state IDs. Attendees can also sign up for the recorders Honor Rewards program and record military discharge information at no cost. Other state and county agencies, community organizations and local businesses will be featured. The event will also include refreshments and door prizes, organizers said. For more information, contact Steve Fixler, superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission, at 630-407-5655 or steven.fixler@dupageco.org. According to Rachakonda Police Commissioner DS Chauhan, the accused person has been identified as Mahender Singh and is a native of Bakli, Bagore Thana Bilwada district, Rajasthan State. He migrated to Hyderabad about 10 years back and set up the Pawn Brokers business. Due to the lockdown, he suffered heavy financial loss and he was finding it difficult to meet his family needs. Further, he had addicted to consuming drugs and later he started cultivating opium in his lawn at his native place and supplying it to needy persons and thus earning easy money by illegal means. The accused allegedly transported the opium to Hyderabad by concealing in Chilli Powder, Millets (Sajjalu), etc through private travel buses and selling for Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per 10 grams to the needy customers and earning illegally. On August 9, 2023, morning hours, on tip-off information, the SOT, Maheshwaram Zone team along with Adibatla police conducted a raid over the house of the accused at Ram Nagar Colony, Thurka Yamjal. The Police apprehended him and seized Opium (2.25) Kilograms, Mobile Phones (01) at his instance from his possession. (ANI) Ghaziabad Police has arrested four people, including mastermind Mukhlal for involvement in several theft cases in Ghaziabad, Noida, Meerut, Hapur. Mukhlal has committed more than 42 thefts in the last 15 years, police officials said. "Police have already in the past taken action against Mukhlal, and his house has been attached. Despite that, he did not refrain from carrying out such crimes. The miscreant has gone to jail several times in the past as well," police officials added. According to Nipun Agarwal, DCP Ghaziabad, "Mukhlal had burgled thrice a flat located in Rajnagar Extension, stealing almost everything available from cylinders to utensils in the house. During police interrogation, Mukhlal said that he has committed more than 50 thefts till now. In these thefts, goods worth crores of rupees have been stolen so far. Two of his relatives also accompany him in these crimes. These relatives used to conduct Reiki and also helped in carrying out the wrongdoings. A goldsmith has also been arrested to whom they used to sell stolen gold and silver. The police are still looking for his accomplices who used to buy stolen goods. The police have recently recovered stolen goods from them and also recovered the stolen jewelery from the goldsmith, he added. Police officials are collecting further data on his criminal history from nearby districts to find out the locations where he carried out major incidents of theft. So far Ghaziabad Police has verified 42 cases and the remaining cases are being investigated as well. (ANI) Speaking to media persons in the state capital, Raipur, Baij said, "Under BJP rule, houses of innocent tribals in Bastar were torched. They were shot dead and clad in Naxal uniforms." He claimed that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the tribals feel safer than what they used to under the previous regime. "Since the Congress came to power in Chhattisgarh, tribals in Bastar and other parts of the state feel a lot safer under the leadership ofBhupesh Baghel," Baij said. "The Congress government has safeguarded the rights of tribals overwater, forest and land," he added. Baij claimed further that peace was returning to Bastar on the weight of the good works done by the incumbent government. "Our tribal brothers and sisters are drawing the benefits of the schemes being implemented by the state government. Bastar is now on the path to peace and progress," Baij said. Meanwhile, drawing a parallel between Chhattisgarh during 15 years of BJP rule and the present day, the Congress's general secretary in charge of Chhattisgarh, Kumari Selja, said the development over the last five years resulted in the progress of every section, including tribals. Baij was appointed as the president of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee on July 12, with immediate effect. (ANI) The ongoing Varahi Yatra by the actor-turned-politician will continue in the Visakhapatnam district till August 19. However, the march will be suspended for a day on August 15 Independence Day as the Kalyan is scheduled to visit the party'sMangalagiri office. The state general secretary of the Jana Sena, T. Shiva Shankar, said the actor-turned-politician will arrive atVisakhapatnam airport on Thursday morning. He would address the public on Thursday evening at Jagadamba in Visakhapatnam, Shankar informed further. "Our leader Pawan Kalyan would address two public meetings during his stay in the city," his senior party colleague added. Meanwhile, Visakhapatnam police granted permission for his public meetings in the city, albeit announcing certain restrictions. A few days ahead of the scheduled visit by the Jana Sena chief,Section 30 of the Police Act was clamped in Anakapalli, Parawada and Narsipatnam. Meanwhile, ahead of JSP chief's third phase of the ongoing Varahi Yatra, tension gripped Visakhapatnam district after the police denied the actor-turned-politician permission to take out a rally fromthe airport to the hotel. A huge crowd of JSP supporters and fans are likely to flock to the Visakhapatnam airport to receive the actor-turned-politician onThursday morning. The involvement of YSRCP leaders in alleged land-grabbing, encroachments and public-related issues will be raked up into during Pawan Kalyans visit to the district. The party chief will also meet people, who want to share their issues and grievances with him. However, the date for the same is yet to be finalised, former JSP MLA Panchakarla Ramesh Babu said. (ANI) Following an American FBI investigation, officials announced on Tuesday that 19 men had been arrested and charged with a combined 138 offences in connection to an international paedophile ring in Australia, Fox News reported. Over a dozen men have been charged withsex crimesin Australia following an American FBI investigation that proved fatal for two agents. "We will allege that these men were members of a technologically sophisticated online child abuse network that was operating across the country," Australian Federal Police Commander Helen Schneider said while speaking to the media. "We are proud of our longstanding relationship with the Australian Federal Police resulting in 19 Australian men facing criminal prosecution as a result of our collaborative investigation," FBI Legal Attach Nitiana Mann said, Fox News reported. Two of the suspects have already been convicted and sentenced, according to authorities. Those convicted are set to serve approximately 15 years in the Australian Capital Territory and five years in New South Wales, Fox News reported. Thirteen children were rescued in the operation, but the circumstances of the victims have not been made public. The Australian investigation began following a fatal shoot-out between FBI agents and an American suspect tied to the criminal group, Fox News reported. FBI special agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were killed in 2021 while attempting to execute a search warrant for child pornographyin Florida. Suspect David Lee Huber, 55, fired a rifle through the door and killed the pair of agents, wounding three others. He then turned the gun on himself, Fox News reported. "[Alfin and Schwartzenberger] were the best the FBI has to offer. Laura was not only a colleague but a close friend. You will not find more stalwart, honourable and hardworking agents than Dan and Laura," former FBI Special Agent Nicole Parker was quoted as saying by Fox News. Parker served in the agency's Miami Division. "We often spoke and Laura struggled with the darkness she saw, but her faith in God carried her through. These are the fine men and women that make the FBI proud," Parker said. "There is so much scandal these days but this is the work the FBI should be focusing on. I will not allow her legacy to be tainted by those who are ruining the reputation of the entire FBI," Parker added. (ANI) The new military leaders of Niger have rejected diplomatic efforts by the United States, the United Nations, and regional organisations to resolve a problem brought on by a coup in the West African country. This has dimmed expectations that civilian authority will be reinstated soon, The New York Times reported. Tuesday's delegation of envoys from the United Nations, the African Union, and the 15-nation regional group ECOWAS was barred entry by the military that took control of Niger last month. A day earlier, Victoria Nuland, the acting US deputy secretary of state, went unannounced to Niger, although she only stayed for conversations with one of the coup leaders, which she called "extremely frank and at times quite difficult." The general she spoke with was regarded as a close US military ally and had received his training there. But according to Nuland, he gave no guarantees that civilian rule or the reinstatement of Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum. She was also refused a meeting with Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, the head of the junta, according to The New York Times. The situation in Niger has threatened to derail years of Western security and aid assistance to one of the worlds poorest countries and a key ally in a region stricken by widespread instability that has been the site of seven military takeovers in less than three years. Niger, a landlocked nation of 25 million people, hosts at least 2,600 Western troops, including 1,100 Americans, who have trained the countrys military and used it as a base to monitor Islamist insurgencies, The New York Times reported. The future of that partnership now appears to be in doubt as the generals, who seized power in Niger, have severed military ties with France, which has 1,500 troops in the country and said little about whether they plan to continue cooperating with the United States. Nuland said shortly before departing from Niger that she had offered several options to a coup leader to resolve the stalemate and maintain the relationship with the United States. But, she added, I would not say that we were in any way taken up on that offer. She told reporters that she was denied a meeting with Bazoum, who has been detained in his private residence since July 26, and General Tchiani, who removed him from power, The New York Times reported. Diplomats and officials from West Africa said they still were hoping for a peaceful resolution to the crisis, even after an ultimatum from ECOWAS for the coup leaders to relinquish power expired on Sunday. ECOWAS, which has threatened military action against the coup leaders, is scheduled to meet for an extraordinary summit on Thursday. It has frozen financial transactions with Niger and closed borders between the country and its neighbours. Nigers junta closed the countrys airspace on Sunday evening, The New York Times reported. The streets of Niamey, the capital, remained calm on Tuesday despite soaring food prices and blackouts that have become more frequent since Nigeria, which supplies more than two-thirds of Nigers electricity, suspended its supply after the coup. Hundreds of young people have posted themselves at the citys roundabouts at night to check for suspicious cars and weapons, heeding a call by the junta to defend the country, The New York Times reported. Bazoum remained locked in his private residence with his wife and one of his sons, who is in his early 20s. The mutineers have cut electricity and water to the house, said a friend and adviser to Bazoum who requested anonymity to discuss the presidents situation. However, the junta in Niger said it had replaced him with new Prime Minister Lamine Zen, a civilian and former Finance minister. The junta also named a new head to the countrys presidential guard, the unit tasked with protecting Bazoum but which detained him last month. General Tchiani, who led the unit at the time of the coup, now appears to be in charge of the country, The New York Times reported. Nearly two weeks after the coup, the military leaders have not announced a timeline for a transition or when elections might take place. It was unclear how Nuland was able to reach Niamey despite the airspace closure. The coup leader she met with was Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, the former head of Nigers special forces. Once a close partner of the United States, he was named chief of staff of Nigers military shortly after the coup. General Barmou was trained at Fort Benning and the National Defense University in Washington. American military commanders who worked with General Barmou expressed shock that he had joined the coups senior ranks. Im disappointed and surprised, said J. Marcus Hicks, a retired two-star Air Force general who headed American Special Operations forces in Africa, adding, Barmou was one of the most competent and capable senior African military leaders I dealt with. Nuland added that she had warned Barmou and other coup leaders against partnering with the Wagner paramilitary group from Russia, as neighbouring Mali has done, The New York Times reported. The people who have taken this action here understand very well the risks to their sovereignty when Wagner is invited in, she said. (ANI) The Lahore High Court received a writ petition on Tuesday asking it to issue instructions to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to initiate references against all members of national and provincial assemblies who failed to include information about their Toshakhana (gift repository) in their statements of assets and liabilities, the Express Tribune reported. Urging the Lahore High Court to act in the widest national and public interest and file criminal complaints against all lawmakers who may have concealed the gifts they received while in office, the petitioner sought uniform action across the board. The suit also asked the court to instruct the ECP to take action against MPs, who failed to disclose presents in their statement of assets and liabilities, according to The Express Tribune. Tanveer Sarwar, in his petition through advocate Nadeem Sarwar, requested the court to direct the ECP to remain impartial, fair and just as per their constitutional mandate and further refrain them from selective prosecution on their own whims and wishes. According to The Express Tribune, the petitioner has nominated the federal government through the Ministry of Law and the ECP through the chief election commissioner as respondents. Notably, former premier Imran Khan wassentencedto three years in prison on August 5 by a trial court in Islamabad in a reference filed by the ECP concerning his failure to disclose details about Toshakhana gifts in his assets and liability form. "That it is an eye opener and a worst case of selective prosecution as Respondent ECP while acting unfairly and discriminatory only singled out Imran Khan while ignoring and pardoning all other members of national as well as provincial assemblies who retain gifts while not mentioning them in their statement of assets and liability required to be submitted under section 137 of election act 2017 and erstwhile ROPA 1976," pleaded the petitioner, The Express Tribune reported. Further, the petition argued that this apparent arbitrary action on the part of the ECP stood in contradiction with the provisions of the constitution that mandate equality before the law for every citizen of the country. He went on to point out that "there are big names like that of Asif Zardari, Yousaf Raza Gillani, Nawaz Sharif, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Khawaja Asif and other ministers and former prime ministers who did not disclose Toshkhana gifts details in their statement of assets and liabilities but they are free from liability and criminal prosecution" for which the petitioner claimed the ECP's decision to act "on its own whims and wishes". The petition stated further that the decision to not file a complaint against several significant political figures was indicative of the ECP being "partial" and "biased" and claimed that the watchdog had "failed to perform his duties" adequately, according to the report. The ECP is legally bound to take action against every lawmaker equally, the application stated. It also added that previously an application was filed requesting the filing of complaints against all member parliament for non-disclosure of gifts in the statement of assets and liability but to no avail. (ANI) Outgoing Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday denied the finalisation of any candidates for the post, with just a day left in the dissolution of the National Assembly, the Dawn reported. No. None till now no name has been shortlisted, he said during an interview on Dawn News show when asked about the nominees. The premier added that consultations with the governments allies and his own party members on the matter were a continuous process that would be completed within a day or two. On whether a PML-N member was being appointed as the interim premier, he said parties in the ruling coalition should make a decision to ensure that the status of the interim Prime Minister was generally acceptable to the people, Dawn reported. Asked pointedly on whether former Finance minister Hafeez Sheikh was in tge running for the top post, the outgoing PM reiterated that no name had been finalised. While the PM denied the finalisation of any names, Dawn, citing sources, reported that the ruling coalition seems to have evolved a consensus on a name for the caretaker Prime Ministers slot but was keeping the identity of the chosen one under wraps, ostensibly to save the nominee from controversy. The outgoing premier and the Opposition leaders can hold further consultations on the matter for three days, even after the dissolution of the Assembly. In case a consensus is not reached, then the matter would be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan, Dawn reported. Among the several possible names for the caretaker PM circulating in the media are Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, former PM and estranged PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-principal secretary to PM, Fawad Hassan Fawad, former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Tassaduq Hussain Jilani, ex-permanent representative to the UN, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Pir of Pagaro Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi and former Punjab governor and PPPs Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood, among others. (ANI) Corruption is very much part of the engrained culture of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as recent high-profile disappearances from the ranks of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and government have made clear. Although Chairman Xi Jinping has not given any explanation, the replacement of the top two generals of the PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) and the disappearance of Foreign Minister Qin Gang follow a well-worn pattern of corruption charges in China. Qins last public appearance was on 25 June, and Xi officially removed him from office by a decree signed on 25 July. Qin, a Xi loyalist and rising star who previously served as ambassador to the USA, is rumoured to have had a romantic affair and love child with Phoenix TV presenter Fu Xiaotian, who has also disappeared. The married Qin had only taken up the foreign ministerial post in December 2022. The Foreign Ministry website now lists Wang as head diplomat, after he was recalled to the post he had held from 2013-22. With just 207 days in office, wolf warrior Qin was Chinas shortest-serving foreign minister. Chinese people are just as interested in Qins fate as the rest of the world, as searches for Qin Gang on the Baidu search engine exploded 5,000 per cent in just one week in mid-July! Perhaps of greater concern than Qins fate is massive upheaval within the PLARF, a force responsible for Chinas nuclear-missile arsenal. In the most serious purge of the PLA in a decade, its commander General Li Yuchao and political commissar General Liu Guangbin were removed from their posts, after being absent from public view for several months. Eyebrows were raised when General Li was anomalously absent from a promotion ceremony chaired by Xi in late June. As well as controlling conventional and nuclear-tipped missiles, the PLARF would also play a key role in any invasion of Taiwan. The fact that he was appointed to oversee Chinas nuclear arsenal, shows that General Li was once one of Xis most trusted generals. Xi promoted him to this highest post from PLARF chief of staff in January 2022. China is currently prosecuting the most profound change in its nuclear strategy in decades, so the leaders vanishing act represents the most serious cleanout of the PLA in years. Taking over command of the PLARF is General Wang Houbin, previously deputy commander of the PLA Navy. Simultaneously, the PLARFs new political commissar is General Xu Xisheng, previously political commissar of the Southern Theater Command Air Force. These naval and air force officers were both promoted at a Beijing ceremony on 31 July. It is unprecedented that figures outside the PLARF should be brought in to lead the organization. This is ample evidence that Xi is alarmed about the status of the PLARFs loyalty and integrity, and there are rumors that problems include leaked military information. The Rocket Force is one of the most secretive organizations in Chinas military, but Western analysts have a fairly good understanding of the forces structure, disposition and equipment. Cercius Group, a Canadian consultancy that tracks Chinese politicians, said the status of about ten senior PLARF officers is unclear. Last year, Cercius revealed that lower-level PLARF officials had been detained in late 2022. No official proclamation was issued by Beijing, but this is normal for this kind of graft situation. For commanders with no PLARF experience to be placed in charge of the missile force is a stunning move by Xi. It shows a total lack of confidence in the PLARF hierarchy. More than that, the forces status must surely influence Xis decision-making in terms of whether or not to conduct a war campaign against Taiwan. The PLARF would play a key role, but if Xi has little trust in the force, this must give him pause for thought. Furthermore, if the Chinese leader does not feel that the PLARF can police itself, will he be tempted to divert money to other services in which he feels more confident? Previously known as the Second Artillery Corps, the PLARF was elevated to a full service of the PLA only in January 2016. This arrest of its top leaders must constitute a severe blow to its morale. Indeed, it is humiliating for the Rocket Force, for no other PLA service has ever suffered the ignominy of having its top leaders turfed out in one fell swoop. Yet it needs to be remembered who it was that appointed the PLARFs leadership? It was none other than Xi himself, demonstrating that he is just as fallible as anyone else when it comes to judging character. Xi has consolidated control over the PLA in a manner that no recent Chinese leader was able to, but it is obvious that his authority is far from total. Graft lurks deep within the heart of the PLA, as in every level of Chinese society, and there are valid reasons why Xi harps on about the necessity of the PLAs absolute loyalty to the CCP. As part of the step-up in Chinas nuclear strategy, huge inflows of money have been directed towards the PLARF, and it seems this cash injection proved too tempting for PLARF personnel to ignore. This was also evident in another case. In January 2021, Hu Wenming, once chairman of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) and who thus oversaw Chinas aircraft carrier program, was expelled from the CCP for serious violations of party discipline and causing great damage to the national interest. His subordinate Sun Bo received the same treatment. The disappearance and downfall of the PLARFs leaders and the countrys foreign minister demonstrate that Xis power is not total, and that there are still endemic failings in this tightly controlled communist system. These failures represent a challenge to Xis authority; they blight the paramount leaders reputation, for all were appointed directly by him. In July, the Central Military Commission (CMC) called for a probe into corruption related to military equipment procurement over the past six years, and the establishment of an early warning mechanism for integrity risks in the military. Xi told top brass that they must focus on solving the prominent problems that persist at party organizations on all levels with regard to enforcing the partys absolute leadership over the military. We can expect CCP strictures over the military to tighten even further. How widespread is corruption in the PLA and CCP? In early June, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), an internal watchdog, stated that more than 39 senior military and political cadres had been arrested since the 20th Party Congress in October 2022. The commission stated it would resolutely eliminate the cancer of corruption with a zero-tolerance attitude. Stretching back even further, nearly five million lower-level officials (flies) and thousands of higher-level tigers have been netted since 2012. From 2012-17, more than 13,000 PLA personnel were punished for corruption. By arresting so many, it does expose the graft-infested nature of the PLA. Nonetheless, this case of the PLARF helps Xi to send a clear signal that the military is being watched, and that no figure is too high to be taken down. The CCDI surprisingly acknowledged the double-edged sword nature of Xis anti-graft campaign in 2015: While it punishes party cadres who have violated discipline and laws, it hurts the organization and has caused damage to the partys image. The consequences of punishing every cadre who violates discipline and law hurt the party far worse than the individuals. Of course, corruption now is greatly reduced compared to the colossus it was ten years ago. Military officers would siphon money off military contracts, use military property and resources to conduct profit-making side businesses, and buy and sell promotions. The latter was almost essential to advance in a military career, whether platoon leader or admiral. Millions of dollars were moved offshore for personal use, and personnel and their families might eventually move overseas to enjoy their ill-gotten gains. There have been some spectacular arrests in the PLA in the past. Two former vice-chairmen of the CMC, Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, were prosecuted for corruption in 2014. Xu, who allegedly took at least CNY1 billion in bribes, died of cancer in 2015 before being charged, though Guo is serving a life sentence. Implicated in Xus and Guos scandals, Vice-Admiral Ma Faxiang jumped to his death in 2014. Just two months later, Rear Admiral Jiang Zhonghua did exactly the same way. Given that these high-profile cases occurred nearly a decade ago, Xi perhaps believes that current military leaders no longer feel as afraid as they should. This disappearance of the top PLARF leaders will therefore help reinvigorate Xis anti-graft drive within the military and instill a fear of being caught. As the old Chinese proverb goes, kill the chicken to scare the monkey. In other high-profile corruption cases, General Fang Fenhui, former Chief of the Joint Staff of the PLA, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019. General Zhang Yang, former head of the CMCs Political Work Department, committed suicide in November 2017 after being investigated. In around 2016, the PLA installed anti-corruption inspection units within departments and theater commands. This mirrored actions in the civil sector, but no matter how hard Xi tries, it will be an impossible task to completely eliminate corruption from the communist system. It was Deng Xiaoping who said in his 1980s economic reforms, that to get rich is glorious. In a culture that values wealth above almost anything, few have qualms in implementing Dengs maxim. Chinas dual-track economy has seen private entrepreneurs, state enterprise representatives and local officials scratching each others backs. Growth and corruption thus go hand in hand, and with no firewalls in place between the government and CCP, the influence of the state permeates everywhere. Furthermore, Xi has no desire for political liberalization to create more effective accountability and transparency mechanisms. In 2015, it was estimated that grey income, otherwise known as bribes, contributed to 12% of Chinas GDP. Actually, China is interesting in that its widespread corruption tends to go against the grain of international trends. Corruption usually retards economic growth, but Chinas economy grew rapidly despite rampant corruption. As countries become more developed, corruption tends to diminish, but China again seems to buck this trend. Corruption often contributes to political instability, which may be one reason that Xi is so dead set against it. Xi warned several years ago: There are careerists and conspirators in our party undermining the partys governance. We should not bury our heads in the sand and spare these members, but must make a resolute response to eliminate the problem and deter further violations. Despite preaching communism, the relatives of numerous CCP leaders are millionaires, including Xis. The Panama Papers showed that many hold stakes in companies registered in offshore tax havens. Ian Easton, Senior Director at the Project 2049 Institute, commented: Contrary to what you may have heard, Xi Jinping is not actually attacking corruption in China. There are three super weapons against corruption: free press, independent judiciary and non-political investigation branch (like the FBI). Under Xi, the PRC is now more corrupt, not less. Easton added a fourth factor contributing to Chinas corrupt system, the presence of at least one strong opposition party. Party-states are inherently corrupt. Corruption permeates every aspect of PRC society. Unsurprisingly, corruption within the PLA is a direct national security threat. It impacts on the capability of Chinas military, because money is siphoned off into private pockets, promotions go to the rich rather than the talented, allowing incompetence to thrive at higher levels, and a general mood of poor morale and ill-discipline reigns. Furthermore, patronage networks form around individuals rather than the CCP, thus affecting the latters control over the PLA. As the disappearance of Chinas former foreign minister and top nuclear force commanders demonstrates, all is not well in China. After the Orwellian restrictions of the COVID era, Chinas economy has refused to rebound. Its economic prospects are gloomy, and foreign investors are pulling out in droves as Xi tightens sovereign control over every facet of business and society in China. Xis third term in power has begun, but cracks are deepening. (ANI) United States State Secretary Antony Blinken has spoken to Niger President Mohamed Bazoum and reiterated America's calls for his release. On his social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) Blinken said that he spoke to Niger's President to express our continued efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the current constitutional crisis. "Spoke to Nigerien President Bazoum to express our continued efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the current constitutional crisis. The United States reiterates our call for the immediate release of him and his family," he posted on the social media platform X. Niger has been engulfed in political chaos since late last month when President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a coup detat by the presidential guard. The US had earlier also shown its concern towards the Niger situation. Niger junta is not ready for the diplomatic talks and rejected the proposals of the US, UN and regional organisations to resolve a problem brought on by a coup in the West African country, The New York Times reported. After Niger rejected their proposals, the US warned the leaders of the junta in Niger for making it clear that there would be consequences if they didnt return to the diplomatic path. In a state briefing, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday that Acting Secretary Victoria Nuland met with leaders of the junta in Niger, making it clear that there would be consequences if they didnt return to the diplomatic path. Miller also added that there are hundreds of millions of dollars of US assistance at stake in Niger. Miller was asked after the acting Deputy Secretary Victoria Nulands meetings with the Junta Military members if there was any idea where things are going. Replying to the question, Miller said, "Acting Secretary Nuland met yesterday with leaders of the junta and made clear that there was a diplomatic path forward for them if they would choose a return to constitutional order." "She also made clear that there would be consequences if they didnt, that there are hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. assistance at stake," Miller added. Miller further informed that Nuland didnt achieve any breakthroughs and its not at all clear that the Junta Military will choose the diplomatic path forward. He also informed that Nuland also met with civil society leaders, leaders of NGOs while she was in Niger. (ANI) More student ambassadors will be serving in an advisory role to the Naperville School District 203 Board of Education after a policy change was approved Monday by the board. Each year, two students, one from Naperville Central and one from Naperville North high schools, have served as an advisory member to the school board. Starting with the 2023-2024 school year, the number of student ambassadors will triple, extending leadership opportunities to more students, district officials said. The change amplifies student voice, which is a board priority, Superintendent Dan Bridges said. The superintendent said more students can give feedback and input, and district officials can learn from students who have different experiences. With the new policy, each high school will have three students serve as advisory student ambassadors. According to the district, the principal will identify and select juniors or seniors from each school who are members of the student council, student government, the Superintendents Student Advisory Council or the Principals Advisory Council. The Superintendents Student Advisory Council is heading into its second year and represents a diverse group of students, and the Principals Advisory Council is a new initiative at the high schools, said Chala Holland, assistant superintendent for administrative services. Those on student council and in student government represent a significant portion of the student body, Holland said. They are also involved in a lot of our student planning and a lot of our student events, she said. Were expanding those efforts to include a variety of perspectives moving forward, which also has other councils involved. The ambassadors will participate in meetings with their principals and other ambassadors and collaborate and create a report for the school board. The principals and ambassadors will review school board agendas to see what topics they should solicit student input so they can advise the board on student perspectives. I think the proposal filled out beautifully, said board Vice President Kristin Fitzgerald. I think its fantastic. I support it. Michelle Mullins is a freelancer. Indian Army Chief Manoj Pande left for the UK on Wednesday to review the 201st Sovereign's Parade of Commissioning Course 223 at the prestigious Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst as the Sovereigns Representative. It is pertinent to mention here that this is the first time for any Indian Army Chiefto be the Sovereign's Representative for the parade. In a statement released by Defence Ministry, Pande will visit the Indian Army Memorial Room which occupies a place of pride in the Royal Military Academy. The Sovereign's Parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is a reputed event, known for its illustrious history and the passing out of officer cadets from across the globe. "During his visit to the UK, General Manoj Pande will interact with General Sir Patrick Sanders, Chief of General Staff of the British Army and General Gwyn Jenkins, Vice Chief of Defence Staff of the UK Armed Forces," the statement read. "He will engage in high-level discussions with General Sir James Hockenhull, Commander of UK Strategic Command, Lieutenant General Ralph Wooddisse, Commander Field Army and Major General Zachary Raymond Stenning, Commandant of Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, focusing on various matters of common interest, including defence cooperation, counter-terrorism efforts and strategic planning," it further added. According to the Defence Ministry, this visit marks a momentous milestone in strengthening the diplomatic, military, and cultural ties between the two nations. It bears testimony to the enduring camaraderie that has flourished over the years, promoting mutual cooperation and understanding in the realms of defence and security. The special invitation to General Manoj Pande acknowledges the long-term collaboration and friendship between India and the UK. The General's participation in the Sovereign's Parade signifies the continued commitment to enhancing military ties and promoting peace and security on the global stage. It stands as a befitting example of mutual respect and appreciation, further reinforcing the strong foundation of India- United Kingdom relations. (ANI) President Murmu, in an official communique addressed to Singapore President Halimah Yacob extended her congratulations and called for deepening and diversifying bilateral relationship between the two countries across various areas such as trade, investment, defence, financial technology, skill development and people-to-people ties. President also shared her hope for greater collaboration for the mutual benefit of the people of India and Singapore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his letter to his counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, appreciated the strong, broad-based and comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Singapore. PM Modi reiterated that Singapore remained a key partner for India in our engagement with the broader Indo-Pacific region and commands a central position in our Act East Policy. Prime Minister expressed confidence in the identification of new growth engines to drive the bilateral relationship, particularly through the institution of the India-Singapore ministerial Round Table. PM Modi also expressed his gratitude for Singapore's active participation as Guest Country in G20 this year and looked forward to continued support in achieving key objectives of our G20 Presidency. Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar also tweeted his greetings. "Warm greetings to FM @VivianBala and the Government and the people of Singapore on their National Day. Our deep and enduring friendship continues to prosper." (ANI) Pakistan's former Prime Minsiter Imran Khan, who was arrested last week in the Toshakahana case, has expressed his sadness about staying in jail and said that he doesn't stay there, Geo News reported on Wednesday. While talking with his lawyers in the Attock jail, Imran Khan said, "Take me out of here; I don't want to remain in jail," according to the officials. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman also stated that he remains holed up inside his prison cell in "distressing" conditions, as per the sources. Khan's counsel Naeem Haider Panjotha was granted access by the jail authorities Monday to meet him, who after seeing the PTI chairman said that the former premier was being kept in "distressing" conditions provided C-Class jail facilities. Panjotha added that the PTI chief was in high morale despite all such difficulties and vowed to spend his lifetime in jail but wouldn't bow to slavery, reported Geo News. However, the sources said that the PTI chairman, during the meeting with his lawyer, conveyed his concerns regarding the environment at the prison with flies taking over his cell during the day and insects at night. On Saturday, Pakistan district and sessions court sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to three years in prison in the Toshakhana case i.e. for illegally selling state gifts and he has been disqualified from politics for a period of five years, local media reported. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 100,000 on the PTI chief, Geo News reported. Khan was arrested from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore soon after being convicted in the Toshakhana case, Geo News reported. Dawn reported that during the hearing, presided by Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar, the trial court ruled that charges against the former prime minister in the case were proven. Imran Khan deliberately submitted fake details [of Toshakhana gifts] to the ECP and is found guilty of corrupt practices, he stated and sent the PTI chief to jail for three years under Section 174 of the Election Act. The development comes after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday set aside the session courts verdict on the Toshakhana reference against PTI Chairman as maintainable and ordered the lower court to rehear the case. (ANI) In a move that could rankle Beijing, the Biden administration is planning to issue new restrictions on American investments in certain advanced industries in China to protect national security threats, New York Times reported on Wednesday citing people familiar with the deliberations. This measure would be one of the first significant steps by the US amid an economic clash with China to clamp down on outgoing financial flows. It could also set the stage for more restrictions on investments between the two countries in the years to come. According to NYT, the restrictions would bar private equity and venture capital firms from making investments in certain high-tech sectors, like quantum computing, artificial intelligence and advanced semiconductors, in a bid to stop the transfer of American dollars and expertise to China. The measure would further require the firms making investments in a broader range of Chinese industries to report that activity, giving the government better visibility into financial exchanges between the US and China. Although, the White House declined to comment, as per NYT. Biden officials have emphasised that outright restrictions on investment would narrowly target a few sectors that could aid the Chinese military or surveillance state as they seek to combat security threats but not disrupt legitimate business with China. There is mounting evidence that US capital is being used to advance Chinese military capabilities and that the US lacks a sufficient means of combating this activity, NYT quoted Emily Benson, the director of the project on trade and technology at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Notably, the Biden administration has recently sought to calm relations with China, dispatching Treasury Secretary Janet L Yellen and other top officials to talk with Chinese counterparts. Even in recent speeches, Biden officials have argued that targeted actions taken against China are aimed purely at protecting US national security, not at damaging the Chinese economy. At the same time, the Biden administration has continued to push to de-risk critical supply chains by developing suppliers outside China, and it has steadily ramped up its restrictions on selling certain technologies to China, including semiconductors for advanced computing, New York Times reported. The Chinese government has long restricted certain foreign investments by individuals and firms. Other governments, like Taiwan and South Korea, also have restrictions on outgoing investments. But beyond screening Chinese investment into the United States for security risks, Washington has left financial flows between the worlds two largest economies largely untouched. Just a few years ago, American policymakers were working to open up Chinese financial markets for US firms. The investments between the US and China have fallen sharply in the past few years, as the countries severed other economic ties. But venture capital and private equity firms have continued to seek out lucrative opportunities for partnerships, as a way to gain access to Chinas vibrant tech industry, NYT reported. However, the planned measure has already faced criticism from some congressional Republicans and others who say it has taken too long and does not go far enough to limit US funding of Chinese technology. In July, a House committee on China sent letters to four US venture capital firms expressing serious concern about their investments in Chinese companies in areas including artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Other leaders have argued that the restriction would mainly put the US economy at a disadvantage, because other countries continue to forge technology partnerships with China, and Beijing holds no shortage of capital, NYTreported. NYT cited Nicholas R Lardy, a non-resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, who said the US was the source of less than 5 per cent of Chinas inbound direct investment in 2021 and 2022. Unless other major investors in China adopt similar restrictions, I think this is a waste of time, Lardy said. Pushing this policy now simply plays into the hands of those in Beijing who believe that the US seeks to contain China and are not interested in renewed dialogue or a thaw. Biden officials have also talked with allies in recent months to explain the measure and encourage other governments to adopt similar restrictions, including at the Group of 7 meetings in Japan in May. Since then, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, has urged the European Union to introduce its own measure. The administration is expected to give businesses and other organizations a chance to comment on the new rules before they are finalized in the months to come, as per New York Times. Claire Chu, a senior China analyst at Janes, a defence intelligence company, said that communicating and enforcing the measure would be difficult and that officials would need to engage closely with Silicon Valley and Wall Street. For a long time, the US national security community has been reticent to recognize the international financial system as a potential warfighting domain, NYT quoted Chu as saying. And the business community has pushed back against what it considers to be the politicization of private markets. And so this is not only an interagency effort, but an exercise in intersectoral coordination she added. (ANI) Members of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly have demanded an investigation into alleged corruption and misuse of funds provided for the rehabilitation of flood-affected people in the region, reported Dawn. The lawmakers alleged that about a billion rupees provided as funds by the federal government and non-governmental organizations for the flood-affected areas have been misused. Javed Ali Manwa, an opposition member proposed a motion in the Gilgit-Baltistan assembly on Tuesday to 'draw attention towards the flood-hit people'. The flash floods and glacial lake outburst floods (Glof) had caused disasters across the region and have further damaged roads, bridges, water and irrigation channels, cultivation lands and houses, Javed added, according to Dawn. Javed further said that the assembly needs to review the utilisation of funds allotted for flood rehabilitation. He suggested that a parliamentary committee should probe the implementation of the foreign-funded project Glof-II at a cost of billion of rupees. He stated that installing early warning systems, organizing seminars in five-star hotels and arranging exposure visits under the project cannot control these disasters, reported Dawn. The GB Disaster Management Authority had one task which was to provide tents and food in affected areas, Javed said. Nawaz Khan Naji, another opposition member added to Javed and claimed that the funds for last year's flood victims have been misused. "The victims have voluntarily restored water channels while funds in the name of disasters have been embezzled. The government provided a lot of funds to flood-affected people, but the money was distributed among blue-eyed people, he added. Naji further said that the people who became homeless due to the floods did not get any compensation so far. Moreover, he demanded a fair investigation into the issue, Dawn reported. However, Deputy Speaker Sadia Danish said that billions of rupees marked for the Glof-II project have been embezzled in the name of seminars but no such practical work can be seen. She further suggested that the project's initiatives should be presented before the house and brief about its implementation. GB Interior Minister Shams Lone responded to these claims and said that disaster losses across GB were being assessed. Furthermore, Advocate Amjad Hussain, a lawmaker from the treasury benches mentioned that the last government did not utilise the funds provided for flood-hit people appropriately, according to Dawn. There are flaws in the GB disaster policy which need to be removed, he added and suggested that the speaker should constitute a parliamentary committee to monitor rehabilitating works in flood-affected areas and review disaster assessments. Meanwhile, Minister for Excise and Taxation Rehmat Khaliq also commented on the issue and said that although the people in flood-affected areas were suffering, but rehabilitation work has not started yet. Later, Speaker Nazir Ahmed appointed a five-member parliamentary committee, headed by Ayub Waziri, Public Accounts Committee Chairman, to further assess the rehabilitation work and has asked them to submit the report by Friday. Heavy rains and lightning have inflicted massive damage to crops and properties Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), leaving the poor residents without any aid from the government. Two key water channels that were used to supply water to the region have been completely destroyed, resulting in a severe shortage of drinking water for the local population. The residents are facing acute hardships due to the lack of access to clean and safe water for their daily needs, and the floods have caused extensive damage to crops, leaving farmlands submerged and destroyed. We havent received anything. Neither we received compensation for crops nor any other damages. It is our strong appeal to the government to provide aid to the victims, a resident said. Over the years, the region of Gilgit-Baltistan has been marginalized and overlooked by the government when it comes to critical infrastructure development, disaster preparedness, and access to basic amenities. The lack of investment and attention has resulted in the community being ill-prepared to handle natural disasters like these floods. Now, in the face of this devastating situation, the people feel abandoned and left to fend for themselves. (ANI) The British High Commission on Tuesday organised a special send-off for recipients of the Chevening Scholarship 2023-24 here in the national capital, said a press release. This years scholars include 22 women and 22 men, and over 50 per cent of the cohort hail from non-metro cities. "This year's send-off for @CheveningFCDO 2023-2024 Scholarship was extra special. Equal representation of female and male scholars. Over 50% of scholars from non-metro cities. Our best to the next cohort of Cheveners from India for their exciting education journey in the UK," the British High Commission in India said on Twitter. https://twitter.com/UKinIndia/status/1688922599760560129?s=20 Chevening is the UK Governments flagship international award scheme and India receives the largest number of awards in the world benefiting over 3,700 scholars and fellows since 1983. The Chevening Scholarship offers successful applicants full financial support for a one-year Masters at any UK university. This years cohort includes five scholars who have been co-sponsored by the Adani group to study artificial intelligence, five scholars co-sponsored by the TVS Motor group for masters in STEM, three scholars from the inaugural Chevening Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda (MGJSM) Scholarship co-sponsored by the Jharkhand Government, three scholars co-sponsored by HSBC India and one scholar each co-sponsored by HUL India and Duolingo. The British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis congratulated the scholars and encouraged more students to take up the opportunity to study in the UK. Congratulations to the Chevening scholars on the next stage of their education journey in the UK. It is a fantastic opportunity to study in the UK at some of the worlds leading universities, he said. The British envoy added, It was great to meet this years cohort; to get to know their stories and ambitions. Travelling to India as an 18-year-old was a life-changing experience for me. I would encourage more of Indias best and brightest to take up this opportunity to study in the UK. The next application window will open in mid-September. (ANI) Belarus which is set to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) by 2024 says that it relies on the cooperation within the organization from the member states and that it had the same vision in developing the organization even while being an observer. Speaking to ANI, the Belarusian envoy to India Andrei Rzheussky stressed how powerful and promising the Bloc is and how it will help to unite the developing nations. India hosted this summit virtually on July 4. Our President also participated in this summit and during the summit, a memorandum of commitment was signed by all member states. We are in the process of our Parliament adopting all treaties which is necessary for becoming a full-fledged member of the SCO. As our President said, we hope to become a member of SCO shortly, said the Envoy. As our president mentioned that we hope that very shortly, we will become a full-fledged member of this organization because we rely on a huge cooperation in this organization. And we have some vision, of how to develop this organization, even when we were in different capacities like observers or partners. We also participated in this activity and proposed a lot of projects, which were adopted and unanimously greeted by member states, he added. Earlier in July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the SCO Summit virtually where he said that Iran is going to join as a new member of the organization. He also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Obligation for the SCO membership of Belarus. I am happy that today Iran is going to join the SCO family as a new member. For this, I convey my best wishes to President Ebrahim Raisi and the people of Iran. Also, we welcome the signing of the memorandum of obligation for Belarus' SCO membership," PM Modi said at the summit then. Speaking further about the bloc, the envoy also believed that it is one of the tools that will help countries to not only follow the rules made by the Western countries. I can just quote our President saying that SCO is a very powerful and very promising organization and it will help to unite the developing nations which can make something different. Its one of the tools which can help countries to not only follow the rules of Western countries, said the envoy. Currently, SCO has Russia, India, China, Pakistan and four Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its members. Iran joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation at its 23rd leaders summit, hosted virtually by India as chairman of the grouping. The SCO has mainly focused its fight against regional security issues, regional terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism. To date, the SCO's priorities have also included regional development. The last meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the Samarkand SCO Summit in 2022. (ANI) A total of five people, including two policemen, were injured in a hand grenade attack on Quettas Joint Road on Wednesday, according to Dawn. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Captain (retired) Zohaib Mohsin said that initially, an exchange of fire took place between policemen and unknown miscreants. Later on, the miscreants hurled a hand grenade and fled from the scene. SSP Mohsin arrived at the site of the incident and sought a briefing from the station house officer of the relevant police station. According to Quetta Civil Hospital, Spokesperson Dr Waseem Baig said that the injured included a woman and two policemen were brought to the hospital, reported Dawn. Baig further added that the injured were being given medical attention and pointed out that they were "out of danger." SSP Mohsin however added that as independence day is approaching, security in the city was on 'high alert'. He said that the police officials are also deployed in civil clothes across the city for surveillance purposes. Earlier on Monday, at least seven people lost their lives, including a newly elected Union Council chairman, in an explosion in Balochistan's Panjgur district. The Balgatar UC chairman Mohammad Ishaq was returning to his village from a wedding along with six other people and was targetted by a roadside bomb at Chakar Bazaar in the border area of Turbat and Panjgur districts, Dawn reported. However, Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove said that Ishaq's vehicle was targeted using a "powerful landmine." Moreover, according to a senior police official, all seven people died on the spot. Last week, aLevies force senior officer and four others were injured in a bomb attack in the Mazai Adha region of Pakistan's Qila Abdullah on Thursday evening, Pakistan-based Dawn reported. According to officials, unidentified terrorists attached the explosive vehicle to the roof of a Levies vehicle. The explosive device went off when Risaldar Major Mohammad Nasim was travelling in it along with other people. All five people were injured while the vehicle was damaged. Levies and Frontier Corps personnel rushed to the site of the incident. Levies and FC personnel took the injured to the district hospital Qila Abdullah, according to Dawn's report. (ANI) Two ships of the Indian Navy, INS Visakhapatnam and INS Trikand under the command of Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) arrived at Port Rashid in Dubai to conduct bilateral exercise Zayed Talwar to enhance interoperability and synergy between the two navies. The two ships are visiting Port Rashid from August 8 to August 11 and will be commanded by Captain Ashok Rao and Captain Pramod G Thomas respectively, the Ministry of Defence said in an official statement on Wednesday. During the visit, the ships will undertake professional interactions with UAE Naval Force on multiple elements of maritime operations, according to the statement. They will further share best practices to enhance cooperation and strengthen ties between the two navies. Moreover, according to the statement, this visit will boost the maritime partnership between the two navies and foster a common understanding of the security challenges in the region. The ships have entered in Dubai with the aim of cooperative engagement and maritime cooperation with regional countries. The Indian Navy took to Twitter and said, "India-UAE #BridgesofFriendship Indigenous guided missile destroyer #INSVisakhapatnam with FOCWF embarked & ASW stealth frigate #INSTrikand are in #Dubai as part of #IndianNavy's ops deployment towards co-operative engagement & maritime cooperation with regional countries. @IN_WNC" https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/1689238682174394368?s=20 Earlier, on Tuesday, Indian Embassy in UAE took to its official Twitter and said the ships arrived at Port Rashid for a bilateral exercise with UAE Navy. Indian Embassy in UAE took to its official Twitter and said, "Two ships of the #IndianNavy INS Visakhapatnam and INS Trikand arrived at Port Rashid, #Dubai for a bilateral exercise with #UAENavy. The exercise aims to share best practices and increase synergies between the two Navies. #IndiaUAE the tweet said. https://twitter.com/indembabudhabi/status/1688957213824495642?s=46&t=TbrKHKgG29uXA1CMFN38Pw India and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 1972 and UAE opened its Embassy in Delhi in 1972 whereas, India opened its Embassy in Abu Dhabi in 1973, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The traditionally strong bilateral relations enjoyed by India and UAE received impetus with the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to UAE on August 16-17, 2015 which marked the beginning of a new strategic partnership between the two countries. Bilateral Defence Interaction between India and UAE has been steadily growing in accordance with other aspects of the bilateral relationship. There have been regular high-level & functional level exchanges between the two countries. The ships of the navies of both countries have regularly made port calls to enhance bilateral defence cooperation. (ANI) Abu Dhabi [UAE], August 9 (ANI/WAM):Etihad Airways has unveiled its ambitious network overhaul, positioning the airline for sustainable expansion while improving Abu Dhabis links to global markets. The new network is designed to support Abu Dhabi visitor growth and provide travellers with more options by introducing new destinations, providing more options, and increasing frequencies to key international markets. The updated schedules have been timed for departures from Abu Dhabi at 14:00, ensuring travellers and visitors can thoroughly experience Abu Dhabi's hotels and attractions until their checkout time. This approach enhances the overall travel experience while maximising the enjoyment of Abu Dhabi's offerings. Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said, As we embark on Etihads next chapter targeting growth, our ambitious network and improved connectivity allow us to better serve Abu Dhabi and our valued guests, forming the basis of our future expansion while providing flexibility and freedom to adapt to new opportunities and markets. By offering more travel options and seamless connections, we aim to attract an increasing number of visitors to Abu Dhabi, propelling economic growth for the city while enriching the travel experience for our passengers." Etihad has already announced the launch of nine new destinations this year, including Malaga, Mykonos, Lisbon, Kolkata, St Petersburg, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Osaka, and Boston. In addition, the airline this week published two new routes to the Indian Subcontinent, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram, to be launched in January 2024. These new destinations showcase Etihad's dedication to expanding connectivity and providing travellers with more options globally. To complement these developments, Etihad has made several recent network changes and frequency adds to enhance travel options and connectivity, including improved departure times and expanded frequencies. The increased frequencies will include Chennai, Islamabad, Kochi, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Rome, and Phuket. Etihad announced an additional 5 flights per week to make triple daily operations to Cairo, effective from 1st January, strengthening the link between Abu Dhabi and the Egyptian capital. Seven direct flights per week to o Colombo were announced with 3 flights effective from 1st December and 4 flights effective from 1st January, further enhancing travel options to this destination. Additionally, the carrier announced an additional 7 flights per week to the Maldives, with 3 flights effective from 1st December and 4 flights effective from 1st January. With the launch of its revamped network, Etihad is entering a new phase of growth and connectivity to provide seamless travel experiences, enhanced connections, and flexibility across its global network. (ANI/WAM) The old courthouse in downtown Crown Point is seen in this 2019 file photo. (Ed Wagner / Chicago Tribune) The Crown Point City Council green-lighted two business on Monday, adding a restaurant and an antique shop to its growing commercial district. The council approved a request to transfer a Downtown Historic District liquor license to Valeros Mexican Cuisine. The restaurant, which operates in Valparaiso, plans to open a new location at 116 N. Main St. pending approval of the liquor license transfer by the Lake County Liquor Commission. The matter is scheduled for a September hearing date. Valeros, a family-owned business, plans to bring to Crown Point its traditional Mexican fare along with an upscale seafood dining experience. With a favorable recommendation from the Crown Point Board of Zoning Appeals, the council approved the location of 2 Old Goats Market at 238 S. Main St. The business specializes in the sale of antiques, Amy Howard chalk paints and custom pieces, workshops, local artisan goods and vintage clothing. The business, which launched operations at the Crown Point location in July, has another location in Cedar Lake at 12615 Wicker Ave. In other recent developmental news, the city is welcoming a new Marriott Hotel featuring 114 extended-stay suites, which is now under construction in the area of 109th Avenue and Broadway. Also, a new Chick Fil A restaurant is being built next to the McDonalds on 109th, and the University of Chicago Medicine micro-hospital under construction in the area of 109th and the Interstate 65. The 130,000-square-foot, $121 million micro-hospital is expected to open in the spring of 2024. The development will be the University of Chicago Medicines largest off-site facility and its first free-standing building in Indiana. In a move to bolster its recreational infrastructure, the council gave the go-head to appraise and potentially purchase a corridor of land as an extension to the Erie Lackawanna bike trail. The abandoned railroad right of way is located between Iowa and Mississippi streets, and would connect to the Beacon Hill subdivision and extend toward the town of Winfield. Jim Masters is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. Chakravorty the former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer is set to start his tenure next week. An honour to receive credentials from Honble Rashtrapatiji to represent India in Indonesia. Received words of wisdom on strengthening bilateral ties, the importance of biodiversity conservation & ecological sustainability. Looking forward to my tenure in Jakarta starting next week, the Indian envoy said on Twitter. https://twitter.com/sandiplomat/status/1689256479092834305?s=20 Sandeep Chakravorty, IFS Officer of the 1996 batch, was appointed as India's next Ambassador to Indonesia by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on July 21. He earlier served as a Joint Secretary in the MEA. India and Indonesia have shared two millennia of close cultural and commercial contacts. The shared culture, colonial history and post-independence goals of political sovereignty, economic self-sufficiency and independent foreign policy are unifying factors of the bilateral relationship India is the second largest buyer of coal and crude palm oil from Indonesia, and imports minerals, rubber, pulp and paper and hydrocarbon reserves. India exports refined petroleum products, commercial vehicles, telecommunication equipment, agriculture commodities, bovine meat, steel products and plastics to Indonesia. (ANI) The attacker fled on a bicycle after attacking the employees in Tokyo's Adachi Ward, the report stated further. Hours after the attack, a man in his 20s turned himself in at a police station, located 4 kilometres from the crime scene, and owned up to the crime. Further, the police informed that they are planning to arrest him on suspicion of attempted murder, Kyodo News reported. Around 2.30 am, a female cashier in her 40s was stabbed in the back while another employee, in his 60s, who was in the back room, suffered a severe arm slash. Both employees sustained major injuries. A third female employee called the police to say that a man entered the store and started attacking the employees all of a sudden, police said. According to the police, the attacker did not ask for money and left the store empty-handed. A man in his 80s, who often shops at the store, said, "I was shocked to see police cars this morning when I dropped by to grab breakfast. It's scary something like this happened in my neighbourhood", Kyodo News reported. (ANI) In a major late night development, Pakistan President Arif Alvi approved the premature dissolution of the country's National Assembly, Pakistan-based Geo News reported. Alvi's decision comes after Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday sent him a summary for the dissolution of the Pakistan National Assembly. An official statement released by Pakistan President's Office on X, formerly Twitter, read, "The president dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of the prime minister under Article 58-1 of the Constitution." Shehbaz Sharif's move formally started the process for the appointment of a caretaker setup. Earlier, in a statement, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Murtaza Javed Abbasi confirmed the development. Abbasi said that the elected government has completed its five-year constitutional term, according to Geo News report. He further said, "The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has sent the summary of dissolution of the government to the Prime Minister." In the summary, Murtaza Javed Abbasi said the Pakistan PM was also asked for the formation of an interim government under Article 224 of the Constitution. He stated further that the Parliamentary Affairs ministry will release a notification on the approval of the summary and the formation of the caretaker government. After the dissolution of the National Assembly, a process to appoint a caretaker prime minister will start under Article 224-A of the Constitution, Geo News reported. Outgoing PM Shehbaz Sharif and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Raja Riaz will hold discussions to finalise the name of the caretaker PM. If the two leaders do not agree on the name within three days, the matter will go to the Parliamentary Committee for appointing an interim PM. As per the law of the land, the outgoing Pakistan PM and the Opposition leader will send their respective names for the coveted post to the Parliamentary Committee. The Committee will have to finalise the name of the caretaker PM within three days. If it also fails to reach a consensus on the name, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will then step in and choose the interim PM within two days from the names shortlisted by the government and the Opposition, the report stated further. The ECP will make the announcement regarding the date of the polls under Article 224-1 and if the Assembly is dissolved before the completion of the constitutional term, the general elections will have to be held within 90 days, as per the Geo News report. After the elections are conducted, the poll watchdog is bound to officially notify the results of the polls within 14 days, in accordance with the constitution, Geo News reported. However, the general elections are likely to get delayed in Pakistan as the Council of Common Interests (CCI) has approved new census results, requiring the ECP to hold fresh delimitation. (ANI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called his 16-month-long tenure as the "most difficult" test of his life, Dawn reported. Lashing out at former Pakistan PM Imran Khan and his dispensation, Shehbaz Sharif said his government had to "bear the burden of the previous governments failure and negligence". In his farewell speech at the National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday, Shehbaz Sharif said, "I never had to go through such a difficult test before in my 38-year-long [political] career as the country was mired in a severe economic crisis, oil prices remained high and there was political chaos." Sharif said his government faced several challenges and difficulties during his 16-month-long tenure. He added, "We had to bear the burden of the previous governments failure and negligence", Dawn reported. Further, during his farewell address, Sharif said he will hold a meeting with the leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz on Thursday to discuss the candidates for Pakistan's caretaker PM. He said, "Tomorrow will be our first meeting, and as per the Constitution, we will have three days to reach a decision." Sharif began and ended his speech by expressing gratitude to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for electing him as the PM and showcasing confidence in him and backing him throughout his tenure, according to the Dawn. He said that his government did "not send any political rival to jail or bothered them unfairly. This was never our practice". In an apparent reference to the former Pakistan PM Imran Khan's conviction, Shehbaz Sharif said if a leader of a party was put behind bars today, "we are not happy about it". He added, "And if some people have distributed sweets [to celebrate the punishment], it is not right. It is not a good tradition", Dawn reported. He condemned the May 9 incident when protests erupted across the country after the arrest of Imran Khan in the Al Qadir case. He said, "May 9 will be remembered as a black day", Dawn reported, adding that he alsopaid tributes to the country's armed forces. Earlier, on Tuesday, Sharif announced auctioning of all of the Toshakhana gifts he received during his tenure as Pakistan PM to support orphan children, Pakistan-based Geo News reported. Sharif said, "I announce auctioning of all of the gifts worth millions or rupees at Toshakhana. But the whole of the amount will go nowhere else but institutions of the orphan children whether they are welfare organisations, educational institutions or medical facilities", according to Geo News report. "We will hand them over under a mechanism to support the orphans who are unable to face the challenges of life," he added. The outgoing PM said his government inherited very tough economic conditions and the PML(N)'s coalition partners had not imagined the severity of the problems plaguing the country. (ANI) A man is dead after a shooting in Springfield late Tuesday night. Springfield police identified the man Wednesday as Michael Minter. Around 11:50 p.m. Springfield police and medics were called to a shooting in the area of the 600 block of South York Street, according to Springfield police dispatch and a Springfield police incident report. When a Springfield officer got on the scene, they found Minter in a driveway who had been shot. >> Tonight democracy won; Ohio Lawmakers, organizations react to rejection of Issue 1 Minter was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center where he died from his injuries. Information about any suspects is unknown at this time, according to the report. The shooting remains under investigation. Well provide updates as more information becomes available. For the second time in a decade, a judge declared a mistrial in the case of accused killer Robert Holton, charged with stabbing, burning and strangling a young Naranja woman to death in her apartment. Late Thursday afternoon, almost 24 hours after a dozen jurors began deliberations, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez said she had no choice but to halt the proceedings after receiving a third note from jurors saying they were deadlocked. The family of Kayla Gloster, who state prosecutors say was brutally killed by Holton during a jealous rage, left the courtroom after being told of the mistrial moments before the proceedings came to an official close. Outside the courtroom, emotions flared. Some cried. Others held onto each other. Glosters mother Tangela Gloster hyperventilated, forcing worried family members who had surrounded her to seek help. Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Scott Warfman answered yes when asked if the state would try the case again, as he was leaving the courtroom. Glosters grandmother Karen Dickson said God had a plan. This is not the end, she said. Its a mistrial, not he walking out free. Theyre going to have to get the right jury. But defense Attorney Jimmy Della Ferra said he was hoping to avoid another trial especially since a new law was passed in April that no longer required a unanimous jury vote to put someone charged with a capital offense to death. He said in time and before another trial, hed like to work out some type of plea agreement with the state. I think it makes all the sense in the world, Della Ferra said. If an agreement isnt worked out, Judge Tinkler Mendez said it would be at least a year before Holton is likely to stand trial for a third time. Holtons first mistrial came after the lead detective accidentally told jurors Holton was brought in to police headquarters because he was wanted for another crime, a statement that could have slanted jurors. Holton, 42, was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree arson for the murder of 22-year-old Gloster in 2013. Prosecutors say he killed her during a jealous rage over another boyfriend. They said DNA tests detected Holtons blood in five different places in the apartment. The odds of someone else matching the blood type found to be Holtons inside the apartment, an expert testified, was 2.7 quadrillion to one. But though they said she was stabbed, strangled and set ablaze, they never pinned down exactly what killed her, leaving it to a combination of all her injuries. Throughout the trial, Della Ferra planted seeds of doubt as to the states contention that she drowned in her toilet, which would have opened the door for premeditated murder, a condition of first-degree murder. Instead, the defense attorney told jurors he believed she bled to death after being stabbed. The defense attorney also questioned why her other boyfriend wasnt investigated as intensely as Holton. If Holton had been convicted of first-degree murder, the trial could have been a milestone in Miami-Dade, with jurors only needing an 8-4 vote during sentencing to send him to his death. That meant Holton could have been the first person in Miami-Dade sentenced to death without a unanimous vote since the state of Florida changed its rules in April. The new law, approved by state legislators, was sparked by Gov. Ron DeSantiss disappointment with the life sentence handed down to Parkland high school killer Nikolas Cruz last October. Miami-Dade state prosecutors say Robert Holton violently murdered 22-year-old Kayla Gloster at her Naranja apartment in 2013. In April, after DeSantis and parents of murdered Marjory Stoneman Douglas Senior High students expressed outrage with a jurys decision to spare the life of school shooter Nikolas Cruz, legislators voted for the most radical death penalty rules of any state in the nation. The only other state that doesnt require a unanimous vote is Alabama, where a person can be sentenced to death by 10 or 12 jurors. The rules surrounding Floridas death penalty have fluctuated for decades. When the penalty was originally reinstated in 1976, only a simple majority was required for death. But state legislators changed the requirement to unanimous after a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court case determined Florida judges had too much power in capital cases. In 2020, a mostly new set of Supreme Court justices overturned the 2016 ruling, opening the door for the legislatures recent decision. Though Holton could have been the first person sentenced to death by a less than unanimous vote in Miami-Dade in almost a decade, at least two others in Florida have received a death sentence since April. A 10-year-old is in the hospital recovering after being shot Tuesday, police said. A deputy who responded said people in a car tried to run him over before they shot at him. It happened just before 9 p.m. Tuesday outside a home on North Jackson Street, just north of Main Street in Salisbury. Salisbury Police Department officers said the girl was taken to the hospital in stable condition. A Rowan County sheriffs deputy in the area started running toward the gunshots when he heard them. That is when investigators say the suspects started driving towards the deputy and firing at him. ALSO READ: 1 dead in Kannapolis house fire The deputy shot back and the car eventually crashed. At that point, four people got out and continued to shoot at that deputy before running away. No one was hit in the exchange, but Chief Deputy Jason Owens said in a news conference Wednesday that lieutenant is lucky to be alive. He was in extreme grave danger, Owens said. You know, he, you got bullets whizzing by you. You got nothing to hide behind. Youre in the middle of the street. So hes very, very fortunate that those guys were bad shots because they fired a lot of rounds. The police department and the Rowan County Sheriffs Office are working together to investigate the incident. Channel 9s Hannah Goetz talked to the 10-year-olds grandmother Wednesday afternoon. She said Zymir was supposed to start fifth grade Wednesday but instead, she is recovering from surgery at the hospital. Her grandmother said Zymir was helping her carry in groceries Tuesday night when someone in a car shot Zymir in the stomach. Salisbury police said they do not believe she was the intended target. ALSO READ: South Charlotte shooting sends 1 to the hospital We have an innocent 10-year-old female victim that got injured and was not part of the violent act that took place, and should have started her first day of school today and was unable to because of the senseless violence act of somebody else, and something unrelated, Chief P.J. Smith said. Police said they are talking to people of interest but no one has been charged. As for Zymir, her grandmother said they had her up moving around Wednesday, but it will be a long recovery. Its unclear what led up to the shooting in the first place. Police did say the incident appears to be isolated and there is no active threat to the community. Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. Hill at 704-638-5333, email investigations@salisburync.gov, or submit a video of the incident anonymously here. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. (WATCH BELOW: Man who was inside AutoZone during shooting: Very scared for my life) Charlotte voters will have 10 early voting locations to choose from ahead of Septembers primary elections, according to the plan approved by the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections. The plan approved unanimously by the county board gives voters the chance to cast their ballot in the Democratic primary for Charlotte mayor and some Charlotte City Council seats. And its a popular way to cast ballots with a majority of Mecklenburg voters who voted in the 2022 general election choosing to do so during early voting. Early voting will begin under the plan at 8 a.m. Aug. 24 at the Hal Marshall Annex, 618 N. College St. Polls will be open at the annex weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sept. 1. The number of early voting sites will expand Sept. 5 to 10 sites that span all seven of Charlottes city council districts: Hal Marshall Annex, 618 N. College St. Allegra Westbrooks Regional Library, 2412 Beatties Ford Road Elon Park Recreation Center, 11401 Ardrey Kell Road Independence Regional Library, 6000 Conference Drive Marion Diehl Recreation Center, 2219 Tyvola Road South County Regional Library, 5801 Rea Road Southpark Regional Library, 7015 Carnegie Blvd. Former Kohls, 9315 N. Tryon St. West Boulevard Library, 2157 West Blvd. A yet-to-be-named site in the Steele Creek area. Elections staff said late Tuesday the former TapHaus49 cant be used for the primary. All 10 sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. through Sept. 8 and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 9. The early voting period will end at 3 p.m. Sept. 9 under the plan. During early voting, Charlotte residents can choose any location in the county to cast a ballot. On Election Day, people must vote at their assigned precinct. Election 2023 dates and deadlines Primary election day in Charlotte is Sept. 12, and the general election is set for Nov. 7. The voter registration deadline for the 2023 primary is Aug. 18, according to the State Board of Elections. Same-day voter registration is also available during early voting, the board adds. To register at an early voting site, youll need to bring documentation proving your name and address, such as: A North Carolina drivers license Other government-issued photo ID that includes your current name and address A current college/university photo ID and proof of campus habitation A current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that includes your current name and address New voter ID requirements In the wake of an April ruling by the North Carolina Supreme Court, voters will need to show photo identification to cast a ballot in 2023. Acceptable IDs include: A North Carolina drivers license A state ID issued by the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles A U.S. passport or U.S. passport card A drivers license or non-driver ID from another state, the District of Columbia or U.S. territories, if the voter registered in North Carolina within 90 days of the election For the full list of acceptable IDs, visit ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id#acceptable. Voters who cant show ID will be asked to fill out an ID Exception Form, the Board of Elections adds. Absentee-by-mail voters can also fill out an ID Exception Form with their ballot if theyre unable to include a copy of their photo ID in their ballot return envelope. A 15-year-old Texas boy was hit and killed by a car while riding his bike on the first day of school. Landon Bourque was on his way to class and crossing an intersection in the Dallas suburb of McKinney on Wednesday when a driver hit him around 5:30 a.m., the McKinney Police Department said in a statement on Facebook. Police said the driver stopped and tried to help Landon but the injuries were too severe. Our hearts go out to everyone involved in this tragedy, police said. Landon was a sophomore at Heritage High School, a spokeswoman with the Frisco Independent School District told USA TODAY. "Landon was a beloved member of the campus community," a statement from the school district said. "His loss will be felt by the Coyote family and our thoughts go out to the Bourque family and loved ones." Police are still investigating. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas teen killed after being hit by driver on 1st day of school The Bunnie Fire near Ramona, California, is seen from the air on 9 August, 2023 (Cal Fire / San Diego County Fire) A fire on the outskirts of San Diego on Wednesday prompted evacuation orders and closed roads. Before noon, a brush fire began near Chuck Wagon Road, outside Ramona, California, in the hills northeast of San Diego. The blaze, dubbed the Bunnie Fire, grew to 184 acres by 7pm local time while exhibiting a "dangerous rate of spread," officials told NBC 7. Evacuation orders were then lifted shortly after 8pm. The San Diego County Sheriffs Department said there were no reports of injuries or structural damage. Crews were fighting the fire on the ground, while aircraft are dropping water and retardant on the blaze from above as it spread across hilly, dry terrain. A temporary staging area for horses and other livestock had been set up by the Ramona Municipal Water District in the arena and parking lot at the Ramona Rodeo Ground. On Wednesday, temperatures reached up to 80 degrees, with winds of about 15 mph, according to the Weather Channel. Aerial photos showed a large plume of grey smoke rising above the fire. Sections of roadway including San Vicente Road and Wildcat Canyon Road were closed to civilian traffic as firefighters battled the blaze. By 2.30pm local time, firefighters had significantly slowed the spread of the fire, officials told NBC San Diego. We have air resources based out of Ramona and Gillespie, so very short flight time for them, Cal Fire captain Michael Cornett said at a news conference on Wednesday. Those are the air tankers and helicopters. We also sent a large ground-resource request in from all over the county, including San Diego city, some from North County, Forest Service and San Diego County Fire Department. More than 4,000 wildfires have burned over 112,000 acres in California this year, causing three firefighter deaths and no civilian casualties, according to Cal Fire data.